DOUG GILLEY MEMORIAL TEAM TOURNAMENT
Proceeds to benefit the Teen Sportfishing Association
~Saturday November 19th Debary Lake Monroe Park~
Registration Form | Tournament Rules

(Jan. 09, 2011 – Okeechoebee, FL)… OKEECHOBEE, Fla. (Jan. 8, 2011) – The University of Tennessee, Chattanooga team of Nicholas Pratt and James Childers, won the National Guard FLW College Fishing Southeast Division on Lake Okeechobee Saturday with five bass weighing 13 pound, 13 ounces. The victory earned the team $10,000 to be split between the university and the university’s bass-fishing club; $7,500 for the bass club and $2,500 for their school. The win also helped them advance to the Southeast Division Regional Championship.

“I’m so pumped right now,” said James Childers, a sophomore in Finance. “We were fishing a lot differently than anyone else; we went to the deeper water in the canals near the dam and the Kissimmee River and used DD 22s and spinnerbaits. We found a pattern that worked for us last week during a practice we came down for and it held up today. We stuck with what we knew and it paid off.

“We knew that with the cold front that came through the shallow grassy areas that Lake Okeechobee is known for probably wouldn’t be productive so we headed for deeper water,” added Nicholas Pratt a senior in business finance. (more…)

The Professional Anglers Association (PAA) has just finalized their annual elections for the PAA Board of Directors and elected new officers. John Crews of Salem, Virginia is the President. Sean Hoernke of Magnolia, Texas is the Vice President. Kurt Dove of Del Rio, Texas is the Secretary. Dave Mansue of Robbinsville, New Jersey remains as the Treasurer.

“I am extremely honored to serve the PAA as President,” explains Crews. “This position is very important, which also means quite a lot of work and responsibility. I plan to continue what the previous Presidents and Boards have accomplished. They laid the foundation and started to build the organization. The PAA has tripled in members over the past year. I will see to it that the PAA continues to grow and serve their members as best we can.”

The PAA members voted 3 new members to the Board of Directors and re-elected Kurt Dove and Paul Elias. Paul Elias of Laurel, Mississippi rejoins the PAA Board. Elias was the first President of the PAA at its inception and will serve a three year term on the Board. Kurt Dove of Del Rio, Texas finished his one year term on the Board in 2008 and was re-elected to serve another two year term starting in 2009. Those newly elected to the board serving three year terms are Matt Reed of Madisonville, Texas; Zell Rowland of Montgomery, Texas and Brian Snowden of Reeds Spring, Missouri. Snowden won the first E21 Carrot Stix PAA Tournament Series event of 2009 on Lake Toho in Kissimmee, Florida.

Leaving the Board are Kevin VanDam, Stacey King, Mark Davis, and Tim Horton. Davis, Van Dam, and Horton are all previous Presidents of the PAA. Horton was last year’s President. Their experience will be missed but one previous President seems very happy with the new Board additions and new officers.

Tim Horton stated, “The one thing that is important to the PAA with this election is continuity. There are new and returning members with a mix of veterans and younger pros. Our previous Vice President, Chad Morgenthaler, is remaining on the Board. Dave Mansue handled our FishPAA TV and Kurt Dove ran the web site committee. John Crews, our new President, spearheaded the Payday Program to give General Members a huge benefit to join us. The PAA is in good hands.”

2009 PAA Board of Directors & Officers

• John Crews, President
• Sean Hoernke, Vice President
• Kurt Dove, Secretary
• Dave Mansue, Treasurer

• Paul Elias
• Kelly Jordon
• Chad Morgenthaler
• Matt Reed
• Zell Rowland
• Brian Snowden

Learn more about the PAA Officers and Board members.

The Professional Anglers Association is a non-profit organization that gives professional anglers a unified voice in order to aid in the growth of the sport of professional bass fishing. The PAA also aims to administer educational programs to the average angler, to increase enjoyment of the sport, and to embrace sound conservation practices to further the future of the sport.

Till next time tight lines and good fishing….
From Bass Online Staff Writer
BassOnline.com / 888-829-BASS

S.A.F.E.R. – Florida Bass Fishing Tournament

While the fishing tournament on 4-27-2008 was a great hit once again, much of the support came from running this event for the seventh year in a row. Let’s not forget the great cause at hand, saving the canals and achieving Everglades Restoration or as we say it “Restoration With Recreation“. The event is put on by S.A.F.E.R. a 501 C3 non-profit organization, dedicated to preserving the fishery for sportsman.

The event when off with out a hitch of a problem, a total number of boats in the event was 29. This number was down from pass tournaments with 150+ boats, most related decline to increasing fuel cost. While others support that the high water levels in conservation area 3 caused declined catch ratios, which lead to anglers staying home. As always, the Everglades still had to prove why it is one of the best fisheries in the country. Even with the decreased number of boats and high water levels, it still took 19+ pounds for five fish to win the bass fishing tournament.

Before recapping the results, I wanted to point out a few things. S.A.F.E.R. was responsible for building a new tournament weight-in pavilion at Everglades Holiday Park which was a great hit among the fisherman present. Years of use from many groups and clubs alike, will surly befit many anglers. Pictures of the event and pavilion can be seen at the S.A.F.E.R. website.

The support is really appreciated for the many of you that just fished for the cause, many anglers even fished by them selfs. While many of the local marina’s, boat dealers could not seem make it out, owner of BJ’s Bait & Tackle Shop Mark Escobar took time away from his tackle shop to show support and picked up 2nd place big bass honers.

One of the amazing things was the lack of support of anglers that call this place home and even more so local fishing guides that claim to be professional. There are lots of fishing guides that “claim” to be supports, but none of them showed any interest in the support of this Everglades Resortortion event on Sunday. Yes, I mite be taking this a little personal because I am one, but I think it just simply shows how many real professionals we have in the area. Funny isn’t, making a living fishing the Everglades…but not interested in the longevity. Not even the park guides support the even, which in the long run have the most to loose by the canals closing. Amazing to me, these guides will be the first ones to cry like babies to the FWC when they have no where to fish! Many of the guides from BassOnline did support the event as always. So, please keep this in mind when recommending or using a fishing guide service in Florida!

The fight continues, S.A.F.E.R. wants to thank all of the local anglers for there pass, present and future support of this great cause.

Results:

1st place, Tony Masiello, 19.07 lbs (BassOnline Guide)
2nd place, Belits & Belits, 18.51 lbs and big fish 7.03 lbs
3rd place, Nelson & Wellbaum, 16.01 Lbs
4th place, Alexander & Sithline, 14.72 lbs
5th place, Hicks. 13.02 lbs
2nd big fish, Escobar & Mouler, 6.30 lbs