Courtesy of Alan McGuckin – Dynamic Sponsorships

 

Steve Humphries and Mike Gilley are best buddies, neighbors, and tournament fishing partners of 15 years, and now they’re the champions of the 9^th Annual Toyota Bonus Bucks Owners event held this year in their hometown of Florence, AL on the famed waters of Pickwick Lake.

 

Gilley, a former Canadian Football League wide receiver and now retired schoolteacher, and Humphries who works in commercial real estate, brought 19 pounds of Tennessee River smallmouth to the scales for the $5,000 win in the no entry fee event. They caught their admirable limit early on a locally made ¾-ounce Johnston Lures football jig.

 

“We fished the Bonus Bucks tournament last year too. I drive a 2017 Tundra that I’ve never had to take to the shop for a repair, and Mike owns a 2012 Tundra. We really believe they’re the best trucks we’ve ever owned, and this is such a well-run, first class event,” says Humphries.

 

The biggest bass of the tournament was not bronze-colored, but instead a fat green 7-pound 7 ounce largemouth that Dale Pelfrey of East Tennessee caught, and was awarded a $1,000 Carhartt prize pack for his memorable catch.

 

This year’s event had 246 registered teams that guarantees a paycheck to the Top 31 teams in which only one team member is required to be a registered Toyota Bonus Bucks member.

 

Several stringent precautions were taken to assure a safe event amid the current pandemic, the weather was judged perfect, and cheerful attitudes were plentiful at what has become a treasured event for hundreds of loyal Toyota anglers each year.