The final leg of the 2006 season has come to a close for the Columbus Bassmasters. The club finished its schedule with stops at Griggs and O’Shaughnessy Reservoirs in mid-September and at Alum Creek Reservoir in mid-October.
The club arrived at Griggs Reservoir on a foggy morning with high expectations for a great tourney. Seventeen anglers entered the tourney that morning, and ten were successful in catching a keeper bass. First place honors were secured by Dan Campbell with 3 fish weighing 5.18 pounds. It was Campbell’s second tourney win of the season, and his first since the opening tourney at Buckeye Lake in late April. Gary Shepherd finished in second place with three fish weighing in at 2.85 pounds. Bob Pharris brought 2 fish to the scales, closing with 2.84 pounds and third place. Other members of the club weighing in fish were Rod Russell, Darren Adams, Jay Bucci, Tony Roy, Scott Buzinski, and Ralph Ward. The club spent the afternoon at the Griggs ramp completing their conservation project. The club cleared the area of trash and disposed of it in the park facilities.
The club returned to action along the Scioto River the following day at O’Shaughnessy Reservoir. The club was met with similar conditions as the day prior, with foggy conditions at launch giving way to sunny skies. Seventeen of the club’s twenty-one members took to the water in search of a keeper fish. Only eight of those anglers were successful in their pursuit. First place honors went to Bob Pharris who weighed in one smallmouth weighing 3.05 pounds. Following closely behind with 2.95 pounds and 2 fish was Will Presley, Jr. Third place was taken by Rod Russell with 2 fish and 2.52 pounds. Other members of the club weighing in fish were Jim Goodwin, Ralph Ward, Rennie Holland, Gary Shepherd, and Jay Bucci.
The club’s final tournament of the year was held on Alum Creek. The club assembled at the ramp with near-freezing temperatures. The day gave way to sunny skies and moderate temperatures, but many of the club members arrived at the weigh-in empty-handed. Only six of the sixteen club members were able to land keeper fish during the tourney. For the third time in 2006, Dan Campbell took first place with 2 fish weighing 6.32 pounds. Gary Shepherd finished second for the fourth time in 2006 with 2 fish weighing in at 4.58 pounds. Jay Bucci’s one fish weighed in at 2.34 pounds, good enough for third place. Other anglers who weighed in keeper bass include Rod Russell, Will Presley, Jr., and Terry Hall.
Tournament Director Rod Russell informed the club of the final point standings shortly after the last tourney. Russell finished in first place, a mere point ahead of Gary Shepherd. Russell, in his second season with the club, will receive his 2007 club, Ohio Bass Federation, and The Bass Federation dues paid, as well as receive a Columbus Bassmaster jacket, and a plaque designating him as the point’s champion.
Eric Huber is a staff writer for UltimateBass.com, and a former member of the Columbus Bassmasters. He can be reached at warpath@ultimatebass.com.
