(Guntersville, AL) – Fort Worth Texas Pro Cheryl Bowden was a very surprised angler on day one of the 2012 Lady Bass Anglers Association (LBAA) Lady Bass Classic. It was surprise in a good way as Bowden brought five Lake Guntersville bass to the scale today weighing 13.71-pounds to take the day one lead.
“My practice was absolutely awful,” she commented at the conclusion of today’s weigh-in. “But today, as my friend says -- my `juju’ came along and it worked out well.”
Two more days of competition remain in the 2012 Lady Bass Classic bass fishing tournament and does Bowden have enough fish in her locations to maintain? “I hope they do because I don’t have anything else. I have about six areas that I bounce back and forth to and rotate through. I had plenty of opportunities and I should have been culling, but I couldn’t get them out of the grass.”
“The conditions have been changing all week and it will depend upon what conditions I face and if I can adjust,” she added.
Bowden is sponsored by US Reels, Kick `n Bass, Costa del Mar, Save Phace, Gambler Lures, Deka Batteries and Fins Braid.
Second is Pam Martin-Wells/Bainbridge, GA with 12.56, in third is Martha Goodfellow/Simpsonville, SC with 7.74, fourth is Debbie Warner/Murray, KY with 4.40, fifth is Pam Ridgle/Murchison, TX with 3.02, sixth is Robbie Hartline/Foristell, MO with 2.67, seventh is Teri Cindric/Hermitage, TN with 2.15, eighth is Cheryl Lalumandier/Harvester, MO with 1.77, ninth is Kim Bain-Moore with 1.73 and tied for tenth are Monica Altman/Angier, NC, Karen Elkins/Oxford, AL, Secret York/Benton, KY, Lynda Gessner/Foristell, MO who brought no fish to the scales.
In the co-angler division at the LBAA 2012 Lady Bass Classic Etoile, Texas angler Denise Sustaita holds a slim 0.02-ounce lead over Alba, Texas co-angler Judy Skibinski. Both brought two bass to the scales with Sustaita’s weighing 6.74-pounds and Skibinski’s 6.72.
In the world of co-angling an angler does not know who they will be fishing with on the next day of competition, nor do they know what area of a lake they will be fishing, or what style of fishing they might be doing.
“That’s the hardest part not knowing where you will be the next day what kind of structure if any you will fish, what depth, all of that stuff comes into play,” said Sustaita. “I just take what I’ve learned in practice and on day one and go out there try to apply it and give it my best.”
Sustaita is sponsored by Fury Lures, E2 Baits, and Reel Girls Fish.
In the co-angler division following Sustaita and Skibinski in third is Vicki Henderson/Ashdown, AR with 4.03, in fourth is Brandi Frasier/Hanson, KY with 3.28, fifth is Cassie Hall/Alabaster, AL with 2.40, sixth is Diana Uebelhack/Mount Vernon, IN with 2.09-pounds, and tied for seventh are Kim Giddens/Alpine, AL, Bonnie Ward/Snohomish, WA, Brenda Reeves/Weatherford, TX, Shannon Wood/Martinsburg, WV, Renee Key-Johnston/Fannett, TX, Marsha Reifsteck/Woodville, WI, Diane Smith/Fayetteville, GA all of whom failed to weigh a keeper fish today.
Legend Big Bass Award winners for the day were Martha Goodfellow on the pro side with a 5.34-pound bass, and Judy Skibinski on the co-angler side with a 4.93-pound bass.
The 2012 LBAA Lady Bass Classic is being held on Alabama’s Lake Guntersville through October 13. Competition will run from `safe light’ until 3 PM CST. All launches and weigh-ins will take place at the Bucky Howe Ramp. The ramp is located in the Bucky Howe Park on Route 1 in Guntersville.
The Marshall County Alabama Convention and Visitors Bureau along with the City of Guntersville are sponsoring the 2012 Lady Bass Classic. The Marshall County Convention and Visitors Bureau is located at 200 Gunter Ave. Guntersville, AL 35976 Phone: (256) 582-7015 Toll Free: (800) 582-6282 Fax: (256) 582-3682 World Wide Web http://www.marshallcountycvb.com/
The City of Guntersville offices are located at 341 Gunter Avenue, Guntersville, AL 35976 • (256) 571-7560 and on the World Wide Web at http://www.guntersvilleal.org/home/index.php
Host lodging for the LBAA 2012 Lady Bass Classic is the Days Inn 14040 US 431 South, Route 79 and US 431 South, Guntersville, AL 35976 Phone 1-256-582-3200 Fax 1-256-582-1270, and the Best Western Plus 2140 Gunter Avenue, Guntersville, Alabama 35976-2114 Phone: 256/582-2220 | Fax: 256/582-2059.
Area sponsors for the 2012 LBAA Lady Bass Classic are Greg’s Custom Rods, National Pro Staff, The Perfect Jig, State Apparel, Advocare, Academy Sports + Outdoors/Gadsden, AL, Springer Equipment Company, Temple Fork Rods, Reel Grip, JJ’s Magic, Legend Boats, Bass Angler Magazine, and Santone Lures.
Sponsors of the 2012 Lady Bass Anglers Association Tour are:
Red Dirt Baits, Reaction Innovations, All Pro Rods, Legend Boats, Bass Kandi Baits, Kick’n Bass, Integrity Insurance, Progressive Insurance, Rayjus, Reel Girls Fish, Bass Angler Magazine, Vickie’s Threadworks, Minn Kota, Hummingbird, Eco Pro Tungsten, Save Phace, Deka Batteries, Fish Guardian, West Kentucky LED, ATF, and River Runner Baits.
The LBAA 2012 Contingency Programs are Legend Advantage Program, Boats, BoatUS Angler Weigh-to-Win, Tundra Bucks, Rayjus Wear-It-To-Win, Captain’s Cash, Skeeter Real Money, Phoenix First Flight, BassCat Quest, and Triton Gold.