The Lady Bass Anglers Association (LBAA) Lake Dardanelle 2010 Kickoff Bass Fishing Tournament had an underdog come from behind script that wowed the bass fishing fans in attendance Friday at the Lake Dardanelle Start Park Pavilion. Debbie Kemp's four bass weighing 8.82 pounds allowed her two-day total to climb to 11.50 pounds which was just enough to net her the $5,000 first place prize money in the LBAA inaugural event.
Kemp's climb on day two from 12th to first was due to her being out on the waters of Lake Dardanelle getting' "jiggy" with it. "I was on a jig bite all day long but I had to find some clean water, or at least partially clean," Kemp said. "I also had to have a little current in the water I was fishing. I started fishing the grass early and as the heat started pounding on us I went a little bit deeper and found some deep water brush piles and just hammered them."
Kemp, a Weatherford, Texas resident went on to say, "I've competed against these prestigious ladies since 1986 and this is my first win, and I'm so excited to win the inaugural event on this new women's tour." Kemp said that she hasn't planned out how she will spend her winnings, but quickly quipped, "but my husband probably does."
Emily Shaffer brought one bass to the scales but it was enough to allow her to maintain her grip on second place. Shaffer finished up the event with 11.08 pounds.
Day one leader Sheri Glasgow failed to bring a keeper to the scales on day two and her day one weight of 10.64 allowed her to capture third place. "What I said yesterday held true today - it changed again and the water came up even more," Glasgow commented. "It never feels good. It's disappointing, but it's ok at the same time - it's fishing," she stated when asked if she felt this tournament possibly slipped through her fingers.
Plano, Texas's Cheryl Bowden finished fourth with 9.90 pounds of bass for the event. Bowden also captured big bass honors on day two with a bass that weighed 3.65 pounds. Rounding out the top five was Pam Martin-Wells (Bainbridge, GA.) whose weight totaled 9.67 pounds.
Finishers six through ten were as follows: 6) Lynda Gessner/Foristell, MO. - 8.47 pounds; 7) Judy Wong/Many. LA. - 8.24 pounds; 8) Debbie Warner/Murray, KY. - 7.02 pounds; 9) Judith Hart/Greenville, TX. - 6.88; 10) Patti Campbell/Waxahachie, TX. - 6.82 pounds.
Jan Bruner captured the co-angler side of this inagural LBAA event with a total weight of 6.47 pounds of bass to take home a check for $2,500. Kim Giddens finished second with 5.42 pounds. Giddens was followed in third by Bonnie Ward with 4.82 pounds, Fourth place was captured by Martha Goodfellow with 4.20 pounds and finishing in fifth was Teri Neal with 4.19 pounds.
The LBAA event and festivities at Lake Dardanelle will conclude Saturday with the LBAA Main Street Mission Team Charity Fishing Tournament with the event proceeds going to support The Main Street Mission in Russellville. Teams may register between 5AM and 7AM Saturday morning. The Main Street Mission has been feeding the hungry in Pope, Yell, and Johnson Counties in Arkansas for over 15 years.
The day three charity event will pay a guaranteed $1,000 first place prize. Also there will be $200 in bonus prize money for both the highest finishing team composed that has one female member, and the team that has a child under 12 as a member of that team.
Saturday's charity tournament will launch at 7AM and the weigh-in gets underway at 3PM at the Lake Dardanelle State Park Pavilion.