Gulf County, Florida - 11 Mar 05 - The WBFA Spring Fling bass fishing tournament on the Apalachicola River officially kicked off on Thursday evening with the meetings and food. The meeting place was provided by Ralph Rish, with the help of Carmen MacLamore, Gulf County Commissioner, and the Gulf County Development Board. Food was catered by Curtis Bear of Sea Breeze BBQ, Port St. Joe, Florida. We wish to thank all for the GREAT time that the competitors had.
The take off on Friday morning was delayed about 35 minutes due to heavy fog on the river. Weigh in times were extended due to the late take off.
After the first day of competition, Pro angler Tammy Richardson of Amity, AR. had 4 fish weighing in at 10.33 lbs with a the big bass for the day of 4.31 lbs. In second place is Patsy McDaniel of Gordo, AL who brought in 3 fish weighing 9.13 lbs. And in third place is Pam Martin Wells of Bainbridge, GA, who weighed in 1 of only 2 limits today. She had 5 fish weighing in at 9.09 lbs.
On the Amateur side, holding the lead with 4 fish weighing 11.53 lbs and big bass of 3.84 lbs is Robin Babb of Livingston, TX. In second is Lisa Craig of Chandler, TX, with 4 fish weighing 7.09 lbs and rounding out the top 3 is Liz Sanders of Brandon, MO. with 3 fish weighing 6.40 lbs. This sets up an exciting finish for tomorrows weigh in with several close races.
Sponsors of the WBFA are:
Triton Bass Boats, Mercury Marine, Gary Yamamoto, Fisher Girls, Stay N Charge, Deka Batteries, Kick'n Bass Scents and Hog Rustler Lures.
The next stop will be at Lake Dardanelle in Russellville, AR. in April. This event could prove to be the turning point for several of the ladies in the hunt for Angler, Rookie, and Amateur of the Year.
This event is being filmed for broadcast on the Bob Redfern Outdoor Magazine and will be aired in over 30 million homes on Fox Sport Net, Comcast Cable and Dish Network/Direct TV.