Anglers from 10 divisions of the Xtreme Bass Series, including the Lake Guntersville division in Alabama, gathered at C. Scott Driver Park at Lake Okeechobee for the 2015 XBS Championship, November 5-7. Competing anglers qualified through regional divisions by participating in 7 of 9 divisional events, or a minimum of 8 events in a combination of multiple divisions.
“We had ninety teams show up to compete for the championship title and a new Blazer 595 Pro Elite powered by a 200HP Mercury Pro XS,” stated Mike Blocher, President of the Xtreme Fishing Series. “We’re extremely honored to have been going as long as we have,” he expressed about the 11 year history of the series. “We’ve given over 1.8 million dollars in cash and prize winnings within that time frame, including multiple boat packages. Our new partnership with Blazer Boats and Mercury Marine only helps in our efforts in providing grass roots tournament anglers a viable option to compete, and get more for their money.”
The event kicked off with the annual Championship Banquet dinner, where the teams gathered to feast on an excellent Bar-B-Que dinner catered by Cowboy’s Bar-B-Que & Steak Co., get briefed on the rules of the event, win raffle prizes, and catch up with old friends. A video recapping the past 11 seasons, highlighting various anglers throughout the years, was shown to the crowd and was met with a tremendous applause. Competitors also had the chance to look over the new models from Blazer Boats that were on hand, including the new 595 and 625 Pro Elite’s. As is customary for XBS Championships, the divisional points champions randomly drew for one of the top positions for the day 1 launch. These teams would also be batting for the Team of the Year title, and would be earning paid entry fees to one division in 2016, as well as sponsor prizes that included Vexan Rods, Salt Life Sunglasses, and Rat-L-Trap baits to name a few.
Divisional Points Champions
Hillsborough River: Dickie Gillespe & Brian Divito
Istokpoga: Tom McGinnis & John Wood
John’s Lake: Pete Roberson & Rob Roberson
Kissimmee: David Crews & Troy Olivier (did not compete)
Rodman: Johnny Key & Justin Bennett
Rousseau: Scott Bullard & Tracy Hurst
St. Johns River: Frank Streeter & Donnie Hewitt (did not compete)
Suwannee River: Robby Ratliff & Chico Barnett
Toho: Jeremy Smith & Jim Folks
Jeremy Smith and Jim Folks with their 28.80 lb. day 1 bag
If there was any notion of low weights being brought to the scales, they were shattered on day one. Jeremy Smith and Jim Folks were the first team to the scales, and they set the bar high at 28.80 pounds. The duo anchored their day one bag with an 8.20-pound TrophyCatch.
Raymond Galler and Lee Stalvey, Jr. caught a 26.73-pound bag on day one to put themselves in contention. Stalvey, Jr. mentioned during the weigh-in that they had all their fish in the livewell by 7:30 that morning.
Garrett Rocamora and Jessie Mizell boated a 26.13-pound bag on day one. They found themselves in third place thanks to the 9.72-pound, day one Big Bass that inhaled Mizell’s spinnerbait.
Ron Roker and Terry Metzger weighed a solid 25.58-pound, five-bass limit and landed in fourth place.
Brandon and Joe Medlock capped off the Top 5 with 23.39 pounds.
The 2nd Big Bass of day one was weighed by Pete and Rob Roberson, an 8.28-pound TrophyCatch.
Day two would determine who would take home the title and Blazer/Mercury package. With 11 of the Top 12 teams all within less than 10 pounds of each other, it was still anyone’s tournament to win.
The scales were busy, and it seemed as if the majority of the field caught better bags on the final day of competition.
Chris and Shawn Keith made a big jump from 11th place up to 5th with their 20.46-pound, five-bass limit on day two, giving them a total of 39.63 pounds.
Dave Bolema and Steve Griffing moved up from 6th place to 4th place with a 21.17-pound, five-bass limit, bringing their total to 42.20 pounds.
Garrett Rocamora and Jessie Mizell weighed a 16.11-pound bag on day two to keep their third place position with a 42.24-pound total.
Brandon and Joe Medlock would give the day one leaders a run for their money, as they weighed a 21.17-pound, five-bass limit to bring their total to 44.69 pounds, but it wouldn’t be enough to overtake the Toho divisional points champions.
Jeremy Smith and Jim Folks backed up their stellar day one performance with a 24.44-pound, five-bass limit to win the Blazer/Mercury package valued at $40,000.00, and secure the Team of the Year title. The 9.18-pound Day 2 Big Bass that anchored their bag pushed them over the top, and gave the duo a 53.24-pound total for the weekend.
Smith and Folks stand with Blazer Boats owner Keith Craft and Blazer rep Scott Scarboro
The 8.52-pound TrophyCatch that John Catlin and Jim Prokosch weighed on day two earned them the award for 2nd Big Bass for the day. They were also the highest finishing team fishing from a Blazer Boat, earning them an additional $300.00 for the Blazer Bucks program.
Dickie Gillespie and Brian Divito became the Frequent Fishing Program winners by being the highest placing Frequent Fishing Program team. They took home prizes that included Vexan Rods, Salt Life Optics, Rat-L-Trap baits, and a bag full of other sponsor products. To qualify for the Frequent Fishing Program, teams must compete in 12 or more divisional events, in a combination of any division, to compete for the Frequent Fishing Program prize at the end of year championship.
34 places were paid back in cash, and sponsor prizes. Five teams also walked away with $100.00 cash from the Out of the Money Random Draw. Nearly $60,000.00 in cash and prizes were paid out at this year’s championship.
If you’d like more information on the Xtreme Fishing Series, visit www.xbseries.com or visit their Facebook page.
