Charles Watts of Corinth, Mississippi won the American Bass Anglers Ram Truck Open Series Mississippi tournament, held April 1st on Lake Pickwick.
Running out of JP Coleman State Park near Iuka, Mississippi, Charles caught a five fish limit weighing 20.75 pounds on a bright sunny day. For the Boater Division victory, Watts took home a check for $5,000.
“It’s been a great day! I caught a good limit of fish early, culled several times, but couldn’t improve on my overall weight. I knew I needed around 20 pounds to place, but thought I only had around 16. I’m glad that what I had was enough to take it home.” Watts said.
In second for the boaters, Mike Jones of Brandon, Mississippi landed a five-bass limit going 16.90 pounds. He collected $700 for the effort.
“It turned out to be a great day. I caught my fish using a specific jig, and it worked well for me. I won’t tell you what color I used, but it did the trick!” Mike said.
Mark Clark of Crawford, Mississippi took third for the boaters with four bass weighing 16.56 pounds anchored with a monster 9.56 big bass to earn $500.
“I caught the big one so early this morning, maybe on my fifth cast around 06:20.” said Mark. “I probably checked on her 20-30 times throughout the day to make sure she was OK.She was FULL of eggs and I’m happy to know she made it back to the lake safely. I was only able to catch 3 more keepers and came in one short of my limit but starting out with a kicker like that is a great wat to get the day going.”
In fourth, Jason Hall came in with a solid bag of 16.11 pounds. Finishing 5th was Brandon Bolton with 16.07 pounds.
The biggest bass for the boaters was caught by Mark Clark of Crawford, Mississippi that weighed 9.56 pounds. Clark pocketed another $440 for his fish.
In the Co-Angler Division, Ricky Rorie of New Albany, Mississippi won with three bass going 9.36 pounds. His victory allowed him to walk away with a check for $850.
“My boater took me to the right spots today, and I didn’t have to cull many times. The lake handled well, and I was able to catch the fish I needed.“ said Rorie.
Taking second for the co-anglers, Marian Hall coming in from Hattiesburg, Mississippi came in weighing a 3-fish bag at 9.25 pounds. Her catch was held down by a 5.46 pound kicker. Her placement earned her a check for $250.
“I’m so excited to be standing here after such a good day! I only culled twice today, but that was all I needed. The lake was beautiful and it was just a great day to be out here fishing. This has been a blast and I’m glad I was able to be here!“ Marian stated.
Valerie Harrelson of Glen, Mississippi placed third among the co-anglers. She had three fish weighing in at 9.15 pounds to earn $200.
“It was just a beautiful day to fish. I didn’t catch that many, and I only had to cull a couple of times. The fish I needed were there, and it was just enough.” explained Harrelson.
In fourth place among the co-anglers, Daniel Corkern of Florence, Mississippi brought in three bass for 9.11 pounds. Keith Whipple, local to the lake from Iuka, Mississippi finished in fifth place with three bass at 9.08 pounds.
The biggest bass for the co-anglers was caught by Marian Hall at 5.46 pounds. Marian took home another check for $120 for her fish.
Slated for May 13th, the next divisional tournament will be held on Columbus Pool from Columbus Marina, near Columbus, MS. At the end of the season, the best anglers from across the nation advance to the 2018 Ray Scott Championship, slated for the Red River in Shreveport & Bossier City, LA.
For more information on this tournament, call Chris Wayand, tournament manager, at 256-230-5627 or ABA at 256-232-0406. On line, see www.ramopenseries.com.
About American Bass Anglers: American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler and at the same time offer each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers, the Ram Truck Open Series, the American Fishing Tour or the American Couples Series, visit www.americanbassanglers.com.
