The Lake Wales Breakfast Rotary held their 11th Annual “Reel ‘Em In For Rotary” Charity Bass Fishing Tournament November 15th and 16th. The event, held out of Camp Mack on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes, helps to raise funds towards an Annual Boys Camp for local 4th and 5th grade boys, held at the Circle F Dude Ranch in April, and Girls Camp for 4th and 5th graders at Lake Aurora Christian Camp in February, as well as other projects to benefit the youth in the Lake Wales community.
55 teams competed in this years event, the largest field of boats the event has had since it’s inception. Overall, fishing proved to be tough over the weekend. On day 1, only 24 of the 55 teams weighed a 5 bass limit.
Bobby Lane shows off his 9.40-lb. Big Bass
James Pearson and Jeff Crandon took the lead on day 1 with a 22.20-lb., 5 bass limit.
John and Brian Stahl sat in 2nd place, weighing a 21.00-lb., 5 bass limit.
Bobby Lane and Luke Ferguson landed in 3rd place with a 19.40-lb., 5 bass bag.
Tim “Doc” Swango and Brian Malys took the 4th spot on day 1 with 16.80 lbs.
Bruce Bozman and Travis Cato rounded out the Top 5 with 15.75 lbs.
Even though the weather was beautiful, most of the weights dropped on the 2nd day. Only 22 teams brought a 5 bass limit to the scales.
Wesley Wise and Derek Moore made the final cut on the 2nd day. They caught 32.60 lbs. over 2 days to finish in 5th place, and win $100.00
John and Brian Stahl finished in 4th place, winning $250.00. They finished with a 34.75 lb. total for the weekend.
Scott Perry and Richard Anthony made it into the Top 5 with a 3rd place finish. Their 35.55-lb. total over 2 days won the team $500.00.
James Pearson and Jeff Crandon dropped to 2nd place, winning $1,000.00 thanks to a 39.40-lb., 2 day total.
Bobby Lane and Luke Ferguson secured the win, and $2,000.00, by catching 39.90 lbs. of Kissimmee Chain largemouth over 2 days.
Lane boated a 9.40-lb. lunker on the 2nd day to win an additional $795.00 for the Big Bass award.
“On the 1st day, Bobby and I ran to a spot I found the week before the tournament,” stated Ferguson.
Ferguson, who competes on the Polk State Fishing Team, claimed they started their day throwing crank baits and a Gambler Paddle Tail worm to catch about 15 fish within the first 45 minutes.
The spot failed to produce on the 2nd day. “We spent the rest of the day driving around the lake, fishing areas that looked good,” recanted Ferguson.
The duo only had around 11 pounds of bass in the live well around 12:00.
“At 12:30 Bobby hooked a giant, and we got it in the boat,” explained Ferguson. “That fish weighed over 9 pounds and that’s what won us the tournament.”
The event raised around $8,500.00 towards benefiting the young boys and girls of the Lake Wales area thanks to anglers, sponsors, and raffle items. The 12th Annual “Reel ‘Em In For Rotary” tournament is already scheduled for November 14th and 15th, 2015 at Camp Mack.
The Lake Wales Breakfast Rotary Club meets at 7:00 am Thursdays at Bok Tower Restaurant. If you are interested in more information on the Rotary, please contact Terri Mooney on 863-528-2941.
Photos: Cheryl Bossarte
