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Nebraska B.A.S.S. Federation
State Tournament
Grand Lake, OK - April 29th thru May
1st, 2008
This years State Championship Team,
the Platte Valley Bassmasters, were lead to a second
consecutive win on Grand Lake by the over all runner-up
Dan Bowlin. The team of Dan Bowlin, Doug Pinkley, Randy
Cloeter, Dave Fuhr, Mike Cosentino, Tim Drumheller,
Wendell Newcomb, and Larry Cloeter lead day one by 8.42
pounds with a total of 51.32 pounds. That lead was cut
to 5.46 pounds on day two, with their total at 85.32
where the tournament was cut short. Day 3 was canceled
due to small craft warnings and wind gusts over 40 mph.
Dan would have like to seen day
three. In second place through out the tournament and
with the leaders flopping back and forth, he cut day two
short. With a limit early and one more day to go he
turned the boat over to his non-boater hoping to save
for the final day. Behind by only 2.02 pounds his big
fish of the tournament had broken him off that morning,
which would have culled a small keeper. Adding insult to
injury, the 5 pounder made one last jump to try and
throw the bait making sure we got a good look. The fish
he needed for a win were in the area.
Dan’s limit both days came from
the Goat Island area. Starting out the tournament with
water as much as seven foot high and falling, only in
the 50’s, muddy, and bright skies after a cold front the
warming air temperatures were the only blessing. They
raised water temps to the low 60’s by late each
afternoon and seemed to hold fish in still flooded cover
where ever Dan could get close enough to the bank.
Trying to position for the spawn, fish were
spread out from secondary points to backs of the
pockets. A new Hummingbird Side Finder on his Triton TR
20 with 225 Evinrude helped locate his prime area.
Sharing information, he as well as team mates, worked
points with a red crawdad Wiggle Wart to start. Flipping
a watermelon/red Senko, texas rigged with a 3/8 oz
weight to get through the flooded brush took the bulk of
his catch, as he moved form the point toward the back. A
Mann’s Classic spinnerbait fished over and through
flooded laydowns in the backs took his kicker fish each
day. That design seems to come through heavy cover
almost as well a jig.
With Platte Valley Bassmaster’s
first place finish in the Federation Nation State
tournament this year Dan and Doug Pinkley advance to the
B.A.S.S. Central Divisional against KA, MO, OK, AR, MS,
LA, and TX next year. As the 2007 State Champion Dan
will also fish that tournament, hosted by Nebraska this
year, 6/25/26/27/08 on the Missouri River. Leading your
state’s team at that level advances you to the
divisional team and Nationals where the prize is a trip
to The Bassmaster Classic.
(Story submitted by Dan Bowlin of
the Platte Valley Bassmasters
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