TUSCALOOSA, Ala., May 17, 2003 - When the fishing is tough, bass tournaments predictably go down to the wire. And that is just what happened Saturday afternoon when the BASS Federation Championship wrapped up on Lake Tuscaloosa.
After fine-tuning his strategy all week, Jerry Shawver II, a high school mathematics teacher from Jacksonville, Fla., captured amateur bass fishing's championship title by an 8-ounce margin. His three-day score of 24 pounds, 10 ounces bettered the effort of second-place angler Joel St. Germain of Cumberland, R.I., whose final tally was 24-2.
For the win, Shawver collected the BASS winning prize purse of $15,000 and a double bonus from BASS Federation Alliance sponsors Triton Boats and Mercury Marine. Each sponsor kicked in another $15,000 by virtue of Shawver using their respective products on his personal boat.
"This is just phenomenal for a working class guy like me to win $45,000 in a bass tournament," said Shawver. "I gambled all week long and sometimes it pays off."
Shawver had good reason to gamble. He caught his five-bass tournament limit each day of the competition by 10:30 a.m., leaving him the remainder of the time to search for new water. And in every case, the new water paid dividends, especially so on the final day when he caught the 2 1/2-pound largemouth that iced the win.
"I was fishing grass points where the fish were staging after the spawn," noted the winner. "This is such a textbook pattern like you'd read about in Bassmaster."
The fish caught by Shawver were making their final move before abandoning the shallow water where they were staged on the edges of grassbeds bordering deep water.
To catch his fish, Shawver used a shad-color Bite-A-Bait topwater lure under cloudy conditions and a watermelon Senko during brief periods of sunshine.
Shawver and Germain advance to the Bassmaster Classic as winners of the Southern and Eastern divisions of the Federation. Joining them at bass fishing's world championship are divisional champions Tom Schachten of Driggs, Idaho (Western), Cole Garrett of Calvin, La. (Central) and Karl Guegold of Westerville, Ohio (Northern).
The BASS Federation Championship will air on ESPN2 May 24 at 10:30 a.m. (ET).
BASS Federation Championship Notebook - Day 3
Weather most foul
The final weigh-in of the BASS Federation Championship was nearly delayed due to multiple thunderstorms that brought hail, tornado watches and worried frowns to the crowd at Jenkins Arena. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when tournament officials announced that all anglers made it in safely.
Bass kissing
Classic-bound Karl Guegold was so grateful to his catch that he snuck a quick kiss before his bass was taken to the live release boat. "I didn't think it was going to weigh 2 pounds," he said. Another bass kisser showed up later, when Ontario, Canada's Bob Peters 'fessed up to releasing several small bass with a smooch and a suggestion "to bring back his big brother."
What state am I in?
Three competitors don't live in the states they're representing: Brian LaClair, who lives in Queen Anne, Md. and fishes for Delaware, Kevin Mason, who lives in Carrollton, Ala. and fishes for Mississippi, and Tom Schachten, who lives in Driggs, Idaho and fishes for Wyoming.
The truth comes out
Arkansas angler Gary Marshall admitted that the life of a professional angler may not be so great, after all. "I don't know," he said when emcee Fish Fishburne asked if he intended to pursue a pro career. "This (getting up at) three o'clock in the morning business is for the birds."
Is he Welsh?
Fish Fishburne wasn't prepared for the return of Dustin Beckwith, but the 2002 CastingKids national champion was more than ready to see Fishburne again - so ready that he brought along a white tennis shoe. Turns out that Fishburne vowed to eat a size 13 sneaker if Beckwith came out at the top of his age group. But despite Beckwith's forethought (the teen-ager even brought a fork), Fish wasn't biting.
Graceful words
The crowd cheered for Ken Christ when the 2002 Federation champ took the stage to say a few parting words. Christ's final day was more successful than the previous two (he brought in 6 pounds, 4 ounces), but wasn't enough to send him back to the Classic. However, he stopped long enough to tell the crowd, "It's been an honor and a privilege for me to represent the Federation. Thank you."
Best of the U.S.?
South African angler Darryl Quinton's newfound love for Krispy Kreme doughnuts didn't go unnoticed. Quinton was just drifting off to sleep on Friday night when his hotel's front desk called to tell him a package had been delivered for him. The contents? A dozen glazed.
Don't miss it
If you want to catch the excitement of the Federation championship, don't miss "The Bassmasters" on May 24 at 10:30 a.m. The ESPN2 program will highlight this year's amateur championship.