(Gadsden, AL) – Legendary professional angler Pam Martin-Wells again demonstrated her ability and consistency in the field of professional fishing today on Lake Neely Henry just outside of Gadsden, Alabama. Martin-Wells used her fishing prowess to catch a five-bass limit from the Coosa River that weighed 13.12-pounds and that was enough to put her atop of the leader board at the Lady Bass Anglers Association (LBAA) Neely Henry event. However, a .50 ounce dead fish penalty brought Martin-Wells total down to 12.62-pounds which is only 1.4 pounds ahead of second place Cheryl Bowden who brought 11.22 to the scales today.
Will Martin-Wells’ fish hold up on day two? “The fish are there,” the Bainbridge, Georgia resident said at day’s end. “There are a lot of variables in this river – the current, grass, and other things. The biggest thing is if I execute. It is a river and it is junk fishing. You are doing a little of this and a little of that. I’ve got eight rods on the deck today. I used all eight of them and caught a fish on all of them.”
“Am I sitting in one area? No I’m not. I’m fishing through an area and then I’m off to the next one. I sit down fish through the area. Then jump to the next one,” she concluded.
Ft. Worth resident and LBAA co-founder Cheryl Bowden, as was previously stated, sits less than two pounds back in second with 11.22-pounds. In third after day one is Foristell, Missouri’s Lynda Gessner with 10.56. Fourth is Centre, Alabama’s Lisa Johnson at 9.74 and fifth is Hermitage, Tennessee’s Teri Cindric with 9.28. Murchison, Texas pro Pam Ridgle is in sixth with 8.34 and the LBAA Pro Super Seven is rounded out by Pelham, Alabama’s Kim Bain-Moore with 7.34-pounds.
The pro division Legend Big Bass award for day one was captured by Debbie Kemp of Weatherford, Texas. Kemp’s big bass weighed in at 2.91-pounds.
In the co-angler division of the LBAA today at Neely Henry Alpine, Alabama’s Kim Giddens coaxed a limit of three bass from the Coosa River weighing in at 7.36-pounds to sit atop the day one co-angler leader board. Giddens’ limit was anchored by a 3.99-pound bass that was the Legend Co-angler Big Bass award winner for the day.
Fayetteville, Georgia’s Diane Smith is second in the co-angler division with 5.22-pounds and Smith is followed in third by Lauren Holshouser of Anna, Illinois at 5.00. Fourth through seventh are Ashdown, Arkansas Vicki Henderson with 4.64 and Diana Uebelhack of Mt. Vernon, Illinois with 4.63, sixth is Brandi Frasier of Hanson, Kentucky with 4.02, and Cassie Hall of Alabaster, Alabama in seventh with 4-pounds.
Many questions remain to be answered in Friday’s exciting conclusion to the LBAA regular season in the Neely Henry event. Will Martin-Wells keep her lead and win the event and overtake Bain-Moore in the Angler of the Year (AOY) award? Which 12 anglers and which 12 co-anglers will get into the 2012 Lady Bass Classic in October on Guntersville?
Fishing begins Friday morning at safe light and will conclude at 3 PM, when the LBAA Neely Henry winner will be crowned and the 2012 AOY winners will be presented their awards. Take off and weigh-in will be at the Coosa Landing at 200 Lakefront St, Gadsden, AL 35901.
On Saturday, September 8 the LBAA will sponsor the LBAA Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Alabama Charity Tournament. This is a team tournament that is open to anyone. Entry fee is $100/team with a $1000 first place prize and an additional cash bonus for the highest finishing team with a woman angler and the highest finisher with a child angler. Proceeds from the charity tournament and an accompanying raffle will be presented at the conclusion of the event which will run from `safe light’ until 3PM CDT. Competition will launch and weigh-in will be at the Coosa Landing at 200 Lakefront St, Gadsden, AL 35901
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Alabama carries on a commitment to provide the best services to the youth of the community of Gadsden and surrounding areas. Their rich tradition of serving the youth and the families of the Gadsden area has been alive for 54 years. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Alabama are located at 402 South 3rd Street in Gadsden, Alabama 35901. They can be reached by phone at 1-256-546-KIDS (5437) and on the World Wide Web at http://www.bgcnortheastalabama.org/index.asp
The City of Gadsden is hosting the LBAA event on Lake Neely Henry. Offices for the City of Gadsden are located at 90 Broad Street in Gadsden, Alabama 35901. City offices can be reached by calling 1-256-549-4500. The city also is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.cityofgadsden.com/
Host lodging for the 2012 LBAA Lake Neely Henry event is being provided by the Gadsden Inn and Suites which is located at 200 North Albert Rains Boulevard in Gadsden, Alabama 35901. Their phone numbers are 1-800-637-5678 and 1-256-543-7240. The Gadsden Inn and Suites also have a presence on the World Wide Web at http://gadsdeninnandsuites.com/
