My name is Larry Heagy and I am the president of the Steel City Bassmasters, out of Granite City, IL. Steel City just finished our 17th tournament season and our first as a participating club at UltimateBass.com. Here is a review of the tournament season and our "Angler of the Year" race.
First of all, I am most proud of the fact that we have completed 17 seasons without a single safety-related incident. That speaks volumes about the group of people that we have in this bass club. For those who wish to have a good time and good, competitive fishing opportunities, Steel City "fits the bill". 2005 was yet another example of a great season.
Here is a complete listing of tournament champions in 2005:
Lake of the Ozarks – Rocky Horrighs (3-fish and 13.48-lb.)
Lake Springfield, IL – John Morris (5-fish and 14.38-lb.)
Vandalia Lake – Adam Grater (4-fish and 15.81-lb.)
Table Rock Lake (April) – Larry Heagy and Tim Evans (4-fish and 16.02-lb.)
Kinkaid Lake – Tony Evanoff (2-fish and 6.04-lb.)
Smithland Pool (June) – Larry Heagy (11-fish and 20.90-lb.)
Carlyle Lake – Ken Kammerer (4-fish and 9.71-lb.)
Glen Shoals Lake – Ken Kammerer (3-fish and 7.65-lb.)
Smithland Pool (August) – Ken Kammerer (6-fish and 9.32-lb.)
Kentucky Lake – Tony Evanoff (6-fish and 11.63-lb.)
Table Rock Lake (October) – Brian Johnson and Matt Rhinehart (5-fish and 11.20-lb.)
Pomme de Terre – Tony Evanoff (5-fish and 14.91-lb.)
The 2005 Angler of the Year race was the closest match between two individuals that I have witnessed in my 17 years of running this chapter. It was a seesaw match between Adam Grater and John Morris with Adam coming out on top in the end by less than ½ pound. Adam had a victory at Vandalia Lake and his total catch for the year was 31-fish and 63.41-pounds.
John Morris finished the season with yet another top-5 placement on the AOTY standings. He had a victory at Springfield Lake finishing the year with 29-fish and 63.07-pounds.
Tony Evanoff also made a late charge for the AOTY race with victories in 2 of the last 3 events on the schedule. His 6.57-pound Largemouth at Pomme de Terre gave him a big boost, but he fell 5-pounds short of the crown. Tony had victories at Kinkaid Lake, Kentucky Lake and Pomme de Terre to finish-off another strong season. His 31 fish and 58.67-pounds put him in third place on the AOTY board.
Larry Heagy ("Heagster") had 2 victories at Table Rock Lake (with his partner Tim Evans) and the Smithland 2-day event. He also had second place finishes at Smithland in August and at Pomme de Terre. His 26 fish and 54.30-pounds gave him a fourth place finish on the AOTY board.
Ken Kammerer made a strong charge in mid-season to pull with a pound of the lead, but deer hunting won-out over the AOTY race, keeping him from attending the final event of the year at Pomme de Terre. Ken had 3 consecutive victories at Carlyle, Glen Shoals and Smithland Pool, setting a Steel City record in the process. This was Ken’s best season with the bass club with 31 fish and 53.67-pounds. (Fifth place- AOTY)
Several of our regular UltimateBass.com contributors fared well on the AOTY board as well. Gary Burnett ("Cable Guy") had a tenth place finish with 20 fish and 29.58-pounds. David R Brown ("Nitro-Fish") came in twelfth place with 18 fish and 28.80-pounds. Tom Miks ("Bass1CPR") had a twentieth place finish with 10 fish and 19.14-pounds.
Our 2005 Rookie of the Year is Tim Evans. In his first season with Steel City, Tim had a tournament victory at Table Rock Lake and finished the year in 23rd place with 6 fish and 17.32-pounds.
As a group, we came within just a few pounds of a record in total weight. (1,107.57-pounds) There were 8 fish over 5-pounds weighed in 2005 with big bass of the year going to John Morris. His Largemouth at Vandalia Lake weighed 6.72-pounds.
We will be handing out awards to the top-25 on the Angler of the Year race in January. Here is a listing of those individuals and their statistics.
| Place | Name | Fish | Big Fish | Total |
| 1 | Adam Grater | 31 | 5.80 | 63.41 |
| 2 | John Morris | 29 | 6.72 | 63.07 |
| 3 | Tony Evanoff | 31 | 6.57 | 58.67 |
| 4 | Larry Heagy | 26 | 5.54 | 54.30 |
| 5 | Ken Kammerer | 31 | 4.02 | 53.67 |
| 6 | Paul Davis | 21 | 3.72 | 40.11 |
| 7 | Joe Saucier | 21 | 4.10 | 37.38 |
| 8 | Don Brown | 20 | 3.47 | 36.84 |
| 9 | Randy Jones | 17 | 3.68 | 30.15 |
| 10 | Gary Burnett | 20 | 4.68 | 29.58 |
| 11 | Rocky Horrighs | 12 | 5.16 | 29.08 |
| 12 | David R. Brown | 18 | 3.48 | 28.80 |
| 13 | Joey Ozanich | 17 | 27.37 | |
| 14 | Sergio Cortes | 14 | 4.12 | 26.84 |
| 15 | Josh Bracamontas | 14 | 4.17 | 23.93 |
| 16 | Brian Johnson | 10 | 2.74 | 23.16 |
| 17 | Mark McKechan | 13 | 4.71 | 21.86 |
| 18 | Randy Grater | 14 | 2.70 | 21.62 |
| 19 | Gary Bader | 12 | 5.38 | 20.96 |
| 20 | Tom Miks | 10 | 5.32 | 19.14 |
| 21 | Phil Rogers | 12 | 3.02 | 19.12 |
| 22 | Mike Vallino | 9 | 3.54 | 18.68 |
| 23 | Tim Evans | 6 | 3.56 | 17.32 |
| 24 | Wayne McCrea | 11 | 2.60 | 16.83 |
| 25 | Tom Jenkins | 6 | 4.03 | 14.85 |
Thanks you to all of our members and guests for providing another very successful, fun and safe season in 2005.
Larry Heagy
President of the Steel City Bassmasters
Granite City, IL
