Manning & Wilder Muscle Out A Win
March 21, 2020 – LaFollette, TN: A late March rain & cold front put the Norris Lake bass in a non-cooperative mood for our second stop of the year in beautiful Campbell County, TN on Norris Lake out of Lonas Young Park. With the COVID-19 outbreak, we made some changes to the weigh-in process to keep our anglers, staff, and the Campbell County community safe. There was a “no spectator” policy in place, enforcement of the CDC policy of 6 feet between competitors in the weigh-in line, no food or drinks were provided, and we asked that all anglers leave directly after weighing their fish. We provided a FaceBook Live feed of the weigh in, focused on the leader board so our anglers and their families could keep track of how they fared. All in all, it worked out pretty good! We had 133 teams weigh at least one fish, 81 limits were brought to the scales and a total fish weight of 1,316.71 lbs in 551 fish, which were all released alive and well. Total payout for this tournament was $47,905.00
Bringing home the $10,000.00 first place prize was Tim Manning and Cody Wilder of Whitesburg, TN and Rogersville, TN with a total weight of 17.34 lbs of largemouth anchored by a 6.53 lb pig of a green fish. Tim & Cody said they found a stretch of bank with some baitfish gathered up and that’s where they did most of their catching. Tim and Cody also won Big Largemouth ($1,130.00) and Highest Finishing Skeeter Boat ($3,000) for a total check of $14,130.00. That’s a good payday for a fishing trip! Congrats Tim & Cody!
Following in second place was Jeremy Gordon (Rutledge, TN) and Phillip Gordon (Middlesboro, KY) with 15.54 lbs anchored by a 3.55 lb smallmouth. Jeremy and Phillip said they caught all their fish on one of their first stops Saturday morning and had trouble culling afterwards. Jeremy and Phillip also won 2nd Highest Finishing Skeeter ($1,500.00) to take home $5,000.00 for their day on Norris.
3rd place went to Dewayne Wilson (LaFollette, TN) and Cory Ownby (Seymour, TN) with a 15.43 lb mixed bag and a 3.35 lb smallmouth as their big fish. Dewayne and Cory earned a check totaling $3,000.00.
Coming in a very close 4th place was Travis & Shannon O’Quinn of Charlotte, NC and Gray, TN with a 15.42 lbs anchored by a 3.63 lb smallmouth. Travis and Shannon also won 3rd Highest Finishing Skeeter ($1,000.00) and Highest Finishing Humminbird/MinnKota ($250) for a total payout of $3,250.00.
Rounding out the top 5 was Chris and Mason Sexton of Corryton, TN with a 15.37 lb bag anchored by a 3.88 lb smallmouth. Their total payout was $1,250.00.
Big Fish Payout:
The Citizens Bank Big Largemouth went to Tim Manning/Cody Wilder with a 6.53 lb’er.
The Citizens Bank Big Smallmouth went to Steve Coleman/Lester Botts with a 4.00 lb’er.
Highest Finishing Gray Fox Insurance:
1) Benny Roberts/Todd Nidiffer, 14.99 lbs, $250.00
2) Mark Ownby/Wandell Lusk, 13.75 lbs, $250.00
Morristown Marine New Bucks:
1) Rusty Wilson/Bryston Wilson, 12.32 lbs, $1,000.00
2) Jimmy Taylor/Chase Henley, 12.00 lbs, $750.00
Morristown Marine Pre-owned Bucks:
1) AJ Ison/Brandon Brock, 10.18 lbs, $500.00
2) Kevin Robinson/Chase Howell, 7.99 lbs, $250.00
Highest Finishing Humminbird/MinnKota Payout:
1) Travis O’Quinn/Shannon O’Quinn, 15.42 lbs, $250.00
2) Clint Harrison/Jessee Harrison, 15.06 lbs , $150.00
Highest Finishing Skeeter Payout:
1) Tim Manning/Cody Wilder, 17.34 lbs, $3,000.00
2) Jeremy Gordon/Phillip Gordon, 15.54 lbs, $1,500.00
3) Travis O’QuinnShannon O’Quinn, 15.42 lbs, $1,000.00
4) Benny Roberts/Todd Nidiffer, 14.99 lbs, $800.00
5) Richard Moore/Andy Smith, 14.68 lbs, $700.00
6) Todd Hembree/Carl Prater, 14.17 lbs, $500.00
7) Ronnie Carey/John Phillips, 13.95 lbs, $250.00
8) Mark Ownby/Wandell Lusk, 13.75 lbs, $200.00
9) Richie Hoskins/Richard Hoskins, 13.39 lbs, $150.00
10) Colby Hillman/Dylan Adams, 13.19 lbs, $100.00
We would like to thank Campbell County for allowing us to put some new procedures in place and continue the tournament amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. All of us involved felt these procedures kept our staff, the anglers, and the community at a lesser risk than making a trip to your local grocery store. These are scary times, but we must find ways to adapt our lives to the times we live in and still be able to relieve stress……what better way to do that than spend a day on the water, doing what we all love to do. Everyone in the Campbell County government, from Christie Sampieri at the Chamber of Commerce, to the Mayor’s office, Jay Munsey at the Parks & Recreation Department, Campbell County Sherriff’s Office, Campbell County Health Department…..everyone was so helpful in finding ways to allow us to enjoy the lake and ensure the safety of their community. It’s always a pleasure to work with people who care as much about the sport and preservation of our way of life as we do. Thank you, again, to everyone in Campbell County for all your help in pulling this together.
Also, we want to thank our local sponsors from Campbell County: Gray Fox Insurance, does your insurance pay you back for having a policy with them? If the answer is no, you should go see Randy Heatherly at Gray Fox. Volunteer Trenching, if you need a ditch dug, call Benny Roberts at Volunteer Trenching. Big or small, they dig ‘em all. Shotcrete, specializing in concrete pumping, refinishing and slope stabilization, give Mike Milton a call for all your concrete needs. Hammrtech Internet Solutions, for all your IT needs, Hammrtech can retool your IT situation for optimal performance.
As always, we want to thank Yamaha, Skeeter Boats, Humminbird, MinnKota, Cumberland Gap Spring Water, Old Stage Printing and most importantly, our anglers and customers. We look forward to April 25 on South Holston Lake in Bristol, TN. Stay tuned for any updates/changes as we continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.