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Pearson, Crandon win Crackerboys Classic

A fitting end to the season

The 2015 season of the Crackerboys Bass Club came to a close at Lake Okeechobee for their two-day end of season Classic. Launching from Roland and Mary Ann Martin’s Marina, the 54 competing teams set out in search of a Classic victory.

Decent bags were brought to the scales on day one, but none were better than the limit of bass caught by James Pearson and Jeff Crandon. After finishing in second place at Lake Istokpoga to Brian Divito and Sean Wiggins during the club’s final qualifying event of the season, the duo had something to prove. Their day one limit weighed an impressive 25.55 pounds, and was anchored by a 6.32-pound kicker.

Team Ford brought a 20.37-pound, five-bass limit to the scales to comfortably situate themselves in second place. They also took the second Big Bass for the day with a 7.29-pound kicker.

Santos Solis and John Stambaugh set themselves within striking distance in third place. Their 17.82-pound bag was anchored by the day’s Big Bass, an 8.00-pound TrophyCatch. Stephen Bishop and Dell Massie weighed a 15.26-pound bag to finish the day in fourth place, followed by Tim Crocker and Alan Devane in fifth place with 15.15 pounds.

With victory within sight, James Pearson and Jeff Crandon would set out on day two, leading the final tournament of the season. Fitting, since they opened the 2015 season with back to back wins in the first two events. They would back up their day one catch with a 15.24-pound, five-bass limit to give themselves a 40.79-pound, two-day total. An average of just over 20 pounds would prove to be more than enough for a Classic victory.

Stephen Bishop and Dell Massie weighed the biggest bag on day two, as they attempted to catch the leaders. Their 23.67-pound bag gave the team a two-day total of 38.93 pounds. Their surge helped to land them in second place.

The team of Ford and Ford slipped to third place, as they weighed a 16.44-pound bag, giving them a 36.81-pound, tw0-day total. Santos Solis and John Stambaugh ended the tournament in fourth place. Their 14.04-pound bag on day two added up to their 31.86-pound total for the weekend.

Defending Classic Champions Duane Anderson and Robert Bishop pushed their way to a fifth place finish as they weighed a 16.05-pound bag on day two, giving the team a 29.86-pound total for the event.

Bruce Duncan and Bruce Johnson weighed a 7.01-pound kicker to win the Big Bass award on day two. Raymond and Tom Henderson’s 6.91-pound kicker took the second Big Bass award for day two.

 

Second place turns into number one

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Stephen Bishop and Dell Massie, 2015 Crackerboys Points Champions

The 2015 season of the Crackerboys Bass Club was filled with heavy hitters. After 9 rounds of battling their way through various lakes across the state, the team of Stephen Bishop and Dell Massie would hoist the Team of the Year belt.

Bishop and Massie took over the lead in the Team of the Year race after the May event at Lake Istokpoga when they secured a second place finish. The team became accustomed to second place finished throughout the season. The duo finished in second place at the St. Johns River event in March, and took second Big Bass in the same event. They had the second place finish at the Lake Istokpoga event in May, as well as a second place finish at Lake Okeechobee in July. To go along with what seemed to be the theme for the year, Bishop and Massie finished in second place at the end of year Classic at Lake Okeechobee.

“We absolutely give the Medlock family tons of credit, because we did it with their Double Weedguard Jig!,” exclaimed Bishop. “A lot of seconds turned into number one in the end!”

What’s even more fitting is who it was they beat out in the Team of the Year race. One point separated Bishop and Massie from the team of James Pearson and Jeff Crandon. The duo began the season on a tare, winning the first two events of the year; one at East Lake Toho, the other at Lake Toho. They would add one more victory later in the season at Lake Kissimmee, and capped off their year by winning the end of season Classic at Lake Okeechobee.

Wayne Swindle and Clint Boyles had a consistant, solid season, and finished the year in third place.

Brian Divito and Sean Wiggins locked in a fourth place finish in the points race when they won the final qualifying event of the year at Lake Istokpoga.

These four teams will be invited to represent the Crackerboys Bass Club in the 2016 Florida State Team Championship being held at Lake Toho, April 8-10, 2016. They will be competing against other top teams from across the state for a new Blazer 595 Pro Elite powered by a 200 HP Pro XS. For more information, visit www.fishfstc.com.

 

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