The first 2002 IBF Invitational Tournament took place yesterday at Patoka Lake. The weather was sunny, cool and windy. 279 fishermen were paired up and sent on their way to a great day of fishing starting at 6:30 A.M. It was truly an exciting start to a tremendous season of fishing for Sandy and me. We have been spending virtually all our time promoting and preparing for this season since the decision was made to convert our program to the Pro-Am format. The purpose of this change was to bring the type of program to the fishermen and fisherwomen that most prefer. Many hours have been spent discussing this concept with groups throughout the State to make sure everyone understood the change; it's purpose, and the expected results. Well, we are very pleased to say that all that hard work has paid off. We want to thank all of you who were successful in your recruiting efforts to bring an Angler or a Co-Angler to the program. The number of new names entering the tournament is very exciting. I ask all of you to continue to share the success story of this event with others and encourage them to join us at Wawasee.
Entry into the 2002 Classic in October will be easier to accomplish this year because we have twice the number of qualifiers. 40 Anglers and 40 Co-Anglers will qualify for the Classic from the regular season and up to 5 Anglers and 5 Co-Anglers will qualify from the Wildcard Tournament in September. The Anglers will be fishing for the new fully equipped Ranger and cash awards while the Co-Anglers will be fishing for cash awards, Discount Coupons from Ranger and Mercury and Sponsorships for 2003. If someone missed the first tournament, they still have the opportunity to make the Classic! Remember, to be eligible for the Wildcard Tournament in September, you must have fished in 5 of the 6 events.
We had 109 fishermen bring 187 fish to the scales weighing a total of 518.59 pounds. Specifically, 75 Anglers weighed in 141 fish weighing 397.53 pounds and 34 Co-Anglers weighed in 46 fish weighing 121.06 pounds.
On the Angler side, the tournament was won by Kenny French with 4 fish weighing 18.27 pounds. He received the first place plaque and a check in the amount of $3,457. Second place went to Dale Fess with 5 fish weighing 14.84 pounds. He received the second place plaque and a check in the amount of $1,678. Stu Moyer finished third with 5 fish weighing 14.58 pounds and received a check in the amount of $1,104 and the third place plaque. Finishing fourth with 5 fish weighing 13.60 pounds was John Schroering. He received the fourth place plaque and a check for $796. The fifth spot went to Rob Worthy with 4 fish weighing 10.91 pounds. He received a check in the amount of $506 and the fifth place plaque. We paid out 15 places on the Angler side.
On the Co-Angler side, the tournament was won by Travis Elliott with 3 fish weighing 7.56 pounds. He received the first place plaque and a check in the amount of $1,572. Second place went to Sheldon Roberts with 2 fish weighing 7.43 pounds. He received the second place plaque and a check in the amount of $777. Brad Kippenbrock finished third with 2 fish weighing 7.12 pounds and received a check in the amount of $496 and the third place plaque. Finishing fourth with 3 fish weighing 6.95 pounds was Tony Tidwell. He received the fourth place plaque and a check for $348. The fifth spot went to Lee Jones with 2 fish weighing 6.55 pounds. He received a check in the amount of $222 and the fifth place plaque. We paid out 13 places on the Co-Angler side. Also, as you can see from the Co-Angler standings, every Co-Angler is still in the Classic! With only 34 Co-Anglers catching a fish and 40 spots in the Classic, all those who did not catch a fish are tied for 35th place. This means that ALL the Co-Anglers are in strong contention for the Classic.
The plaques for this tournament, as well as all the plaques for the rest of the season, were provided by the Outdoorsman Sports Shop in Greenwood, Indiana. This is a major sponsorship to our events and we all need to thank them for their support at every opportunity.
We now have two big bass pots for Anglers and two for Co-Anglers. There is the Regular Big Bass Pot and it operates the same way big bass pots always operate. The Angler and Co-Angler who catch the biggest bass (by weight) win the regular big bass pot. The second is the Progressive Big Bass Pot. The winner of this pot must catch a big bass that meets or exceeds the pre-established target weight. If no one catches a big bass that big, the Progressive Big Bas Pot carries over to the next tournament. There is a Progressive Big Bass Pot for Anglers and one for Co-Anglers.
The Angler Regular Big Bass Pot was won by Kenny French with a big bass of 6.07 pounds. He received a big bass check in the amount of $580. The Co-Angler Regular Big Bass Pot was won by Travis Elliott with a big bass of 4.65 pounds. He received a big bass check in the amount of $268. Since no Anglers or Co-Anglers caught a big bass of at least 7.00 pounds, the Progressive Big Bass Pots carry over to the Wawasee Tournament. The Angler Progressive Pot currently has $580 in it and the Co-Angler Progressive Pot has $268 in it. They will be increased at Wawasee based on the number of entries in the tournament. These can get to be real fun. Keep an eye on them!
The second biggest bass caught by an Angler was caught by Mike Trueblood with a big bass of 4.90 pounds. The second biggest bass caught by a Co-Angler was caught by Sheldon Roberts with a big bass of 4.48 pounds. They both received a new rod from Jack's Tackle Center in Kokomo.
The highest finishing Angler and Co-Angler mentioning Solar Bat Sunglasses while weighing in received a bonus of $50.00 for the Angler and $25.00 for the Co-Angler. Stu Moyer received $50.00 and Brad Kippenbrock received $25.00 from Solar Bat Eye Protection Systems for mentioning their product during weigh-in. Solar Bat Sunglasses will be displayed and sold at all the tournaments for your convenience.
American Trans Air is again supplying one (1) round-trip airfare for two (2) on any ATA scheduled service flight destination within the continental U.S. To qualify for this special drawing you must have fished the tournament and attended the check presentation for that tournament. For each check presentation you attend (provided you fished that tournament), you get one (1) entry towards the special drawing at the Classic. This is for the six (6) regular tournaments and will not include the Classic. Example: If you fish all six (6) tournaments and stay for all six (6) awards presentations, you will have six (6) chances towards the prize.
Too Cool Live Well Water Coolers will install one Too Cool Live Well Water Cooler for the IBF Season Champion on the Angler side. They will also install a Tool Cool Live Well Cooler in the Classic Boat for the Classic Winner.
As you can see, there are many reasons to come out and fish the IBF trail. We welcome everyone (boaters and non-boaters) to come out and join us.
The Classic will be held on October 5th and 6th on Monroe Reservoir in Bloomington, Indiana. The top 40 Anglers from the regular season point standings and the top five Anglers at the Wildcard tournament on September 15, 2002 will qualify for the Classic as Anglers. The top 40 Co-Anglers from the regular season point standings and the top five Co-Anglers at the Wildcard tournament will qualify for the Classic as Co-Anglers. The Co-Anglers will fish the first day only of the Classic and will be fishing for Cash Awards, Discount Coupons from Ranger and Mercury and sponsorships for the 2003 season. Ted's Aqua Marine, Killbuck Valley Sports, Moore Boats, and Southern Indiana Marine will each sponsor one of the top four Co-Anglers in the Classic for the 2003 season. The Anglers will fish both days with the winner receiving the new fully equipped Ranger 518. There will also be cash awards for 2nd through 10th position. The location of the Wildcard tournament will not be announced until the final regular season event on August 25, 2002 at Madison on the Ohio River.
The results for the Ted's Aqua Marine Invitational at Patoka Lake are enclosed. We will do the same thing next month with a year-to-date standings report added to the mailing.
The next event is on May 5, 2002 at Lake Wawasee. Registration and pre-tournament meeting will be at Moore Boats, Highway 6, Ligonier, Indiana, with registration from 3:00 to 5:00 and the meeting starting at 5:00 p.m. Get your entry forms in early to avoid late fees and to help this old Tournament Director. Remember that you can send your entry forms in together or separately if you are entering as "guaranteed." If you have entered without a "guarantee" and later find a "guaranteed" partner, just let us know and we will make the appropriate changes. YOU DON'T NEED A "GUARANTEED" PARTNER TO ENTER THE TOURNAMENT. WE INVITE YOU TO JOIN US WHETHER OR NOT YOU ARE "GUARANTEED." PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOU FILL OUT THE ENTRY FORM COMPLETELY. We cannot finalize your entry unless it is complete.
We were pleased with the participation and excitement of the fishermen. The Tournament Crew and I had a great time and enjoyed seeing all of you and hope that you had a great time fishing with us. We really appreciate your support. Please feel free to call Sandy or me if you have any questions. Let's keep it up! THE FUN HAS JUST BEGUN!
Dan Simmons
Tournament Director
