Graham brought in 16.33 pounds on the first day of competition only to find herself just over a half pound behind Penny Berryman, Hot Springs, Arkansas. Berryman's first day 5-fish limit tilted the scales at 16.97 pounds.
On the second and final day, Berryman stuck to her first day pattern of working the shallows with a fast running crankbait. She brought another 5-fish limit to the final day scales. Her 13.97 pounds earned her a total of 30.83 pounds. Unlike most bass tournaments, the WBFA awards extra points for live releases.
When Graham approached the scales, there was no doubt the final outcome would be close. When the scales settled, Graham weighed in the largest 5-fish limit of the tournament, 17.29 pounds, earning a total of 33.62 points.
Graham could only smile and say, "I love this river fishing!"
In the Amateur Category, Barbara Gaskins, Suffolk, Virginia, captured the lead on the first day with a 13.52 pound 5-fish limit. She was able to bring in another 5-fish limit totaling 12.15 pounds earning her 25.67 points. The second place spot on the leader board was taken by Johnnie Bordelon, Mansura, Louisania, with a total of 22.78 points. On the first day competition, Bordelon was in third place with a 4-fish stringer. Her second day 5-fish limit pushed her ahead of Joan Davis, W.Layfayette. Louisiana.
Amateur champion Gaskins said, "We found that the secret was the rocks. If we could find rocks, we found fish. I caught them on small crank baits and plastics."
Betty Stahl, Guntersville, Alabama, caught the largest bass of the tournament in the pro division. She was able to bring a 6.11-pounder to the scales on the second day. There were 11 bass over the 4 pound mark brought to the scales by the lady anglers.
All 46 professional anglers brought bass to the scales both days. This included 51 5-fish limits during the two-day competition.
In the amateur category, the award for big bass was a tie between Bordelon and Davis. Both brought a bass to the scales that weighed 3.78 pounds.
The 46 pros and 25 amateurs brought a total of 1076 pounds of largemouth and spotted bass to the weigh-in scales. Of the 513 bass weighed, only 2 were not released alive.
Berryman said, "On the first day, it really did not matter what pattern you fished, all were working. They were hitting plastics and crankbaits. The secret was where to fish."
The narrows at Gadsden splits the 74 mile stretch of Neely Henry Lake into two different fishing areas. Down river, the ladies had to pattern their fishing with lake techniques. Up river, they were required to use river fishing techniques. A quick survey reveled that neither was a favorite and that most of the ladies fished both during the two-day competition.
The WBFA is the only professional bass fishing tournament trial designed for lady anglers. It is sponsored by Triton Boats, Mercury Marine, Minn Kota Trolling Motors, Hummingbird Electronics, Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits, Deka Batteries, Edilon Bait Company, and FlowMaster.