JASPER, Ind. - An Iowa angler held on to his lead to win the Bassmaster Federation Northern Divisional by the slimmest of margins.
Steven Houdek of Calmar, Iowa, went wire-to-wire to win the individual champion honors by 1 ounce over Jimmy Johnson of La Crosse, Wis. Houdek caught the only limit of the bass fishing tournament the first day to take over the lead and weighed in one keeper each of the next two days to finish with seven bass weighing 14 pounds, 1 ounce. Johnson took the runner-up spot with 14 pounds.
The Northeast Iowa Bass Club member pre-fished at Patoka with a guide about three weeks ago and found some key areas for the tournament. However, he struggled during the three official practice days this week. "I didn't catch much the first three days practicing here," he said. "I found one spot way up above that had fish and I got one fish up there the first day, but it was at the top end of the idle zone and I didn't want to run way up there all the time."
The 48-year-old construction worker relied on three areas each day to catch fish. "I had one area down by a boat launch ramp that had some big fish there in the early morning," he disclosed. "Then I had one good bank on the main lake that had weeds in 5 feet of water and I also had one place up the lake in the shallows where I caught one keeper up there the first day." His most productive spot was a long main lake bank with weeds growing out to 5 feet deep and a gradual drop into 10 feet of water. The tournament champion caught three of his five keepers the first day from the spot.
A 1/4-ounce black-and-chartreuse spinnerbait with tandem Colorado blades produced best for Houdek early in the morning. He retrieved the lure quickly over the top of the weeds to trigger reaction strikes. Later in the day he switched to a pumpkinseed Chompers plastic grub on a 3/16-ounce jighead or a green pumpkin Zoom Baby Brush Hog Texas-rigged with a 3/16-ounce sinker. He slowly dragged these lures over the weed tops and let the baits fall into the weed pockets.
On the first competition day, Houdek ran to his best spot and caught one keeper on the Brush Hog, but also lost a quality-sized fish. His spinnerbait produced two keepers at his next stop and then he ran up the lake to the idle zone where he took his fourth fish. He ran down to a spot close to the take-off site to catch his fifth fish. "I ran quite a bit that day," recalled Houdek.
A fog delay the second day hampered his fishing as Houdek caught only one keeper, but retained the lead as the rest of the field also struggled. He caught his keeper in the last half hour of fishing on the Chompers grub.
Today, Houdek caught his only keeper early on the spinnerbait. "We went down my main bank three more times trying to get bites there," he said. "I might have had one big fish hit that Chompers. It pulled hard so I set the hook, but it spit it out right away."
As the tournament champion, Houdek qualifies for the 2006 Bassmaster Federation Championship. Johnson also advanced to the Federation Championship by catching the most weight for the Wisconsin team. Other state leaders qualifying for the Championship include Fred Myers, Illinois; Ron Nale, Indiana; Paul Soma, Michigan; Jim Severson, Minnesota; Joe Hanning, Ohio; and Gary Steichen, South Dakota.
Forty-six state winners will compete in the championship along with qualifiers from Canada, Italy, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Japan. The top finishers from each division (Central, Northern, Southern, Eastern, Western and Mid-Atlantic) advance to the Bassmaster Classic.
Even though they competed against their teammates for Championship berths, contestants in this tournament fished together as state teams.
Wisconsin won state bragging rights by catching a collective weight of 56 pounds, 15 ounces. Indiana took second in the team competition with 56-03, followed by Iowa, 49-08; Ohio, 46-14; Michigan, 44-13; Illinois, 42-05; South Dakota, 35-09 and Minnesota, 28-12.
Although Johnson was an integral part of his team's success, he gave his teammates credit for the victory. "We have an incredible team," he said. "We decipher the water and everybody makes sure everybody is on fish."
Paul Soma, Traverse City, Mich., won the $1,000 Big Bass award by catching the biggest bass of the tournament. He caught a 5-pound, 4-ounce largemouth bass on a 3/8-ounce Nichol's white-and-blue fleck spinnerbait between two logs about 10 feet deep near a main lake drop-off at about 2:40 p.m. today.
2005 Northern Divisional 08/31-09/02
Patoka Lake, Jasper Ind.
(BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz
1. Steven Houdek Calmar, Iowa (IA) 7 14-01
2. Jimmy Johnson La Crosse, Wisc. (WI) 5 14-00
3. Ron Nale Milltown, Ind. (IN) 5 11-08
4. Jim Severson Breezy Point, Minn. (M 4 10-10
5. Dru Appelhans Poplar Grove, Ill. (WI 3 10-03
6. Paul Soma Traverse City, Mich. ( 3 9-12
7. Gary Steichen Woonsocket, S.D. (SD) 3 9-11
8. Dan McGarry Tomah, Wisc. (WI) 4 9-10
9. Monty Fralick Martin, S.D. (SD) 4 9-03
10. Danny Blandford Mooresville, Ind. (IN) 3 7-14
11. Jason Yeager Shawano, Wisc. (WI) 4 7-08
11. Ricky Day Jeffersonville, Ind. ( 4 7-08
13. Joe Hanning Millfield, Ohio (OH) 3 7-04
14. Kern McKee Lebanon, Ohio (OH) 4 7-03
15. Michael Blake Carrolton, Ohio (OH) 2 6-14
16. Jeffery Lindsey Marshall, Mich. (MI) 3 6-09
16. Fred Myers Bloomington, Ill. (IL) 3 6-09
18. Gary Baker New Lebanon, Ohio (OH) 2 6-07
19. Duane Mroczka Jackson, Mich. (MI) 2 6-06
20. Matt Wagley Danville, Ind. (IN) 2 6-05
21. Jeff Smith Avon, Ind. (IN) 3 6-02
22. Thad Takes Center Point, Iowa (IA 2 5-13
23. Pete Cherkas Des Moines, Iowa (IA) 3 5-12
23. Russ Cable Deforest, Wisc. (WI) 3 5-12
25. Thomas James Borkowski Savage, Minn. (MN) 3 5-09
26. Gary Elliott Mt Vernon, Ohio (OH) 2 5-08
27. Brett McCully Chillicothe, Ill. (IL) 2 5-06
28. Bob Downing Alpena, Mich. (MI) 3 5-05
29. James Maisenbacher Normal, Ill. (IL) 1 5-00
30. Daniel Chapman Interlochen, Mich. (MI 2 4-14
30. Mark Rodenburgh Waterloo, Iowa (IA) 2 4-14
30. Brian Lunceford St Paul, Minn. (MN) 2 4-14
33. David Junk Quincy, Ill. (IL) 1 4-09
33. Robert Smith New Hartford, Iowa (IA 1 4-09
35. Curt Cox Brookville, Ind. (IN) 2 4-08
36. James Tuttle Manhattan, Kan. (SD) 2 4-07
37. Ashley Bunch Canton, Ill. (IL) 2 4-05
38. John Winkelman Fillmore, Ill. (IL) 2 4-02
39. John Schlee Braham, Minn. (MN) 2 4-00
40. Steve Cook Quincy, Ill. (IL) 2 3-14
41. Mark Preheim Yankton, S.D. (SD) 2 3-13
42. Aaron Ault Delphi, Ind. (IN) 1 3-12
43. Darren Lear Canton, Mich. (MI) 2 3-11
44. Ron Cherkas Des Moines, Iowa (IA) 2 3-08
44. Randy Peck Mt Ve Rnon, Ohio (OH) 2 3-08
46. Kevin Thomas Waterloo, Iowa (IA) 2 3-07
47. Paul Sacks Waterford, Mich. (MI) 1 3-06
48. Nicholas Smyers Franksville, Wisc. (WI 2 3-05
48. Robert Toppe Seymour, Ind. (IN) 2 3-05
50. Loren Hofeldt Ainsworth, S.D. (SD) 1 3-02
51. John Sallee Mattoon, Ill. (IL) 2 3-01
52. Steven Gray Muscatine, Iowa (IA) 1 2-15
53. Andy Sommerfelt Denver, Iowa (IA) 1 2-14
54. Calvin Davidson Plainfield, Ind. (IN) 1 2-13
55. Kevin Fassbind Cottage Grove, Wisc. ( 1 2-09
56. James Edwards Cloverdale, Ind. (IN) 1 2-08
57. Shawn Affolter Circleville, Ohio (OH) 1 2-07
58. Brady Farrell Ft Atkinson, Wisc. (WI 1 2-06
59. Brian Runyon Mc Arthur, Ohio (OH) 1 2-05
60. Rodney Childerson Pocahontas, Ill. (IL) 1 2-03
61. Matt Elkins Dublin, Ohio (OH) 1 2-02
61. William Ludenia Brainerd, Minn. (MN) 1 2-02
63. Chad Ekroth Yankton, S.D. (SD) 1 1-15
63. Phillip Risnes Hartford, S.D. (SD) 1 1-15
65. Brad Busch Stanton, Mich. (MI) 1 1-12
65. Craig Stuber Pekin, Ill. (IL) 1 1-12
67. Jim Lands Stoutsville, Ohio (OH) 1 1-11
67. Brad Teel Independence, Iowa (IA 1 1-11
69. David Dienes Mattawan, Mich. (MI) 1 1-10
69. Randy Waite Adams, Wisc. (WI) 1 1-10
71. Tony Bauer Nisswa, Minn. (MN) 1 1-09
71. Scott Manson Covington, Ohio (OH) 1 1-09
73. William Geach Utica, Mich. (MI) 1 1-08
73. Rodney Verdun East Alton, Ill. (IL) 1 1-08
75. Allan Hall Brandon, S.D. (SD) 1 1-07
76. Greg Babiarz Brighton, Mich. (MI) 0 0-00
76. Jim Battin Moundsview, Minn. (MN) 0 0-00
76. John Bosak Laporte, Ind. (IN) 0 0-00
76. Bryan Cain Watertown, S.D. (SD) 0 0-00
76. Jody A Campbell Greenleaf, Wisc. (WI) 0 0-00
76. David Clark Columbia City, Ind. (I 0 0-00
76. Christopher Clemence Maple Htgs, Ohio (OH) 0 0-00
76. Glenn E Dudley Mitchellville, Iowa (I 0 0-00
76. G W Ekroth Dallas, S.D. (SD) 0 0-00
76. Jami Fralick Martin, S.D. (SD) 0 0-00
76. Sean Frame Lakeville, Minn. (MN) 0 0-00
76. Terry Imus Mitchell, S.D. (SD) 0 0-00
76. Chad Kastembauer Mora, Minn. (MN) 0 0-00
76. Cal McCracken Savage, Minn. (MN) 0 0-00
76. Chase Myers Bloomington, Ill. (IL) 0 0-00
76. Wayne Pacyga Brooklyn Pk, Minn. (MN 0 0-00
76. Dan Parker Coultenberg, Iowa (IA) 0 0-00
76. Doug Pietrzak St Cloud, Minn. (MN) 0 0-00
76. Gary Schild Mundelein, Ill. (WI) 0 0-00
76. James Schleifer Onalaska, Wisc. (WI) 0 0-00
76. Brian Spear Eau Claire, Mich. (MI) 0 0-00
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 1 62 147-04
2 0 51 110-07
3 0 42 103-04
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1 155 360-15
TEAM STANDINGS Day 3
----------------------------------
State Lbs-Oz
1 WISCONSIN 56-15
2 INDIANA 56-03
3 IOWA 49-08
4 OHIO 46-14
5 MICHIGAN 44-13
6 ILLINOIS 42-05
7 SOUTH DAKOTA 35-09
8 MINNESOTA 28-12
INDIVIDUAL STANDINGS Day 3
-----------------------------------------------------------------------WISCONSIN
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz
1 Jimmy Johnson La Crosse, Wisc. 5 14-00
2 Dru Appelhans Poplar Grove, Ill. 3 10-03
3 Dan McGarry Tomah, Wisc. 4 9-10
4 Jason Yeager Shawano, Wisc. 4 7-08
5 Russ Cable Deforest, Wisc. 3 5-12
6 Nicholas Smyers Franksville, Wisc. 2 3-05
7 Kevin Fassbind Cottage Grove, Wisc. 1 2-09
8 Brady Farrell Ft Atkinson, Wisc. 1 2-06
9 Randy Waite Adams, Wisc. 1 1-10
10 Jody A Campbell Greenleaf, Wisc. 0 0-00
10 Gary Schild Mundelein, Ill. 0 0-00
10 James Schleifer Onalaska, Wisc. 0 0-00INDIANA
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz
1 Ron Nale Milltown, Ind. 5 11-08
2 Danny Blandford Mooresville, Ind. 3 7-14
3 Ricky Day Jeffersonville, Ind. 4 7-08
4 Matt Wagley Danville, Ind. 2 6-05
5 Jeff Smith Avon, Ind. 3 6-02
6 Curt Cox Brookville, Ind. 2 4-08
7 Aaron Ault Delphi, Ind. 1 3-12
8 Robert Toppe Seymour, Ind. 2 3-05
9 Calvin Davidson Plainfield, Ind. 1 2-13
10 James Edwards Cloverdale, Ind. 1 2-08
11 John Bosak Laporte, Ind. 0 0-00
11 David Clark Columbia City, Ind. 0 0-00IOWA
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz
1 Steven Houdek Calmar, Iowa 7 14-01
2 Thad Takes Center Point, Iowa 2 5-13
3 Pete Cherkas Des Moines, Iowa 3 5-12
4 Mark Rodenburgh Waterloo, Iowa 2 4-14
5 Robert Smith New Hartford, Iowa 1 4-09
6 Ron Cherkas Des Moines, Iowa 2 3-08
7 Kevin Thomas Waterloo, Iowa 2 3-07
8 Steven Gray Muscatine, Iowa 1 2-15
9 Andy Sommerfelt Denver, Iowa 1 2-14
10 Brad Teel Independence, Iowa 1 1-11
11 Glenn E Dudley Mitchellville, Iowa 0 0-00
11 Dan Parker Coultenberg, Iowa 0 0-00OHIO
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz
1 Joe Hanning Millfield, Ohio 3 7-04
2 Kern McKee Lebanon, Ohio 4 7-03
3 Michael Blake Carrolton, Ohio 2 6-14
4 Gary Baker New Lebanon, Ohio 2 6-07
5 Gary Elliott Mt Vernon, Ohio 2 5-08
6 Randy Peck Mt Ve Rnon, Ohio 2 3-08
7 Shawn Affolter Circleville, Ohio 1 2-07
8 Brian Runyon Mc Arthur, Ohio 1 2-05
9 Matt Elkins Dublin, Ohio 1 2-02
10 Jim Lands Stoutsville, Ohio 1 1-11
11 Scott Manson Covington, Ohio 1 1-09
12 Christopher Clemence Maple Htgs, Ohio 0 0-00MICHIGAN
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz
1 Paul Soma Traverse City, Mich. 3 9-12
2 Jeffery Lindsey Marshall, Mich. 3 6-09
3 Duane Mroczka Jackson, Mich. 2 6-06
4 Bob Downing Alpena, Mich. 3 5-05
5 Daniel Chapman Interlochen, Mich. 2 4-14
6 Darren Lear Canton, Mich. 2 3-11
7 Paul Sacks Waterford, Mich. 1 3-06
8 Brad Busch Stanton, Mich. 1 1-12
9 David Dienes Mattawan, Mich. 1 1-10
10 William Geach Utica, Mich. 1 1-08
11 Greg Babiarz Brighton, Mich. 0 0-00
11 Brian Spear Eau Claire, Mich. 0 0-00ILLINOIS
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz
1 Fred Myers Bloomington, Ill. 3 6-09
2 Brett McCully Chillicothe, Ill. 2 5-06
3 James Maisenbacher Normal, Ill. 1 5-00
4 David Junk Quincy, Ill. 1 4-09
5 Ashley Bunch Canton, Ill. 2 4-05
6 John Winkelman Fillmore, Ill. 2 4-02
7 Steve Cook Quincy, Ill. 2 3-14
8 John Sallee Mattoon, Ill. 2 3-01
9 Rodney Childerson Pocahontas, Ill. 1 2-03
10 Craig Stuber Pekin, Ill. 1 1-12
11 Rodney Verdun East Alton, Ill. 1 1-08
12 Chase Myers Bloomington, Ill. 0 0-00SOUTH DAKOTA
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz
1 Gary Steichen Woonsocket, S.D. 3 9-11
2 Monty Fralick Martin, S.D. 4 9-03
3 James Tuttle Manhattan, Kan. 2 4-07
4 Mark Preheim Yankton, S.D. 2 3-13
5 Loren Hofeldt Ainsworth, S.D. 1 3-02
6 Chad Ekroth Yankton, S.D. 1 1-15
6 Phillip Risnes Hartford, S.D. 1 1-15
8 Allan Hall Brandon, S.D. 1 1-07
9 Bryan Cain Watertown, S.D. 0 0-00
9 G W Ekroth Dallas, S.D. 0 0-00
9 Jami Fralick Martin, S.D. 0 0-00
9 Terry Imus Mitchell, S.D. 0 0-00MINNESOTA
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz
1 Jim Severson Breezy Point, Minn. 4 10-10
2 Thomas James Borkows Savage, Minn. 3 5-09
3 Brian Lunceford St Paul, Minn. 2 4-14
4 John Schlee Braham, Minn. 2 4-00
5 William Ludenia Brainerd, Minn. 1 2-02
6 Tony Bauer Nisswa, Minn. 1 1-09
7 Jim Battin Moundsview, Minn. 0 0-00
7 Sean Frame Lakeville, Minn. 0 0-00
7 Chad Kastembauer Mora, Minn. 0 0-00
7 Cal McCracken Savage, Minn. 0 0-00
7 Wayne Pacyga Brooklyn Pk, Minn. 0 0-00
7 Doug Pietrzak St Cloud, Minn. 0 0-00