Heartland this weekend

[Phil Lilley]

Elite - Friday

Buddy - Saturday

Pro/Am - Sunday

Based out of Kimberling Inn, Kimberling City

It's going to be a cold bass tournament!!!

[Phil Lilley]

5 degrees tomorrow morning... anybody wanna wager how many boats are froze up and won't leave the dock????

Steering fluid on those rigs are a bear when it gets cold. I have guys leave electric blankets over theirs overnight at my place.

[Wayne SW/MO]

You wouldn't want to call the winner a "Wimp".

[admin]

Buster took 3rd in the Pro/Am yesterday (Sunday) weighing in 5 spots at 13.80.

He said he caught his fish near Kim City- mouths of the White and James, fishing the main river channel off small points. He found his fish 50-55 feet deep and caught them on a Chomper's white GitZit, 1/2 oz lead head. He fished for them verticle, finding them on his graft first.

He said the 1-2 place guys caught their fish shallow- I assume they were up in the creeks further.

[Phil Lilley]

from: http://midwestbasstournaments.com/tablerockhpata121105.htm

Lake Level: 904.01', down 0.01', 915' normal

Release: 20 cfs

Air Temp: 30-52 degrees

Clear, WNW 10-20 mph

Water Temp: rivers, 37-43 degrees; main lake, 47-49 degrees

Water Color: Clear to Light Stain

The second tournament of the 2005-06 Heartland Pro/Am season sponsored by Stratos Boats, Mercury Marine, and Tracker Boats is in the books. The massive smallmouth that Table Rock Lake is famous for didn't show up in numbers like the day before. Maybe two weekends straight of the top regional anglers chasing them picked off the easy ones. Maybe the weather was too nice. For whatever reason, the names on the leader board did some shuffling with new names finally figuring out the bite to take home a share of over 18,000 dollars.

Major sponsors of Heartland Tournament Association include Stratos Boats, Champion Boats, Mercury Marine, Bass Pro Shops, Tracker Boats, Eberlin Boats, Cope Marine, Pro-Guide Batteries, MotorGuide, Smithville Marine, Chompers, Ulrich Marine, and Ozawkie Boat Company.

Everything flows in a circle. New baits become old and the old becomes new again. Kelly Power of Cape Fair, MO pulled out an old finesse trick to win with a solid 16.51 pound limit. Kelly ran up the James River and fished channel swings with a ¼ oz grey Roadrunner on six pound line. He also caught fish on a Tennessee shad jerkbait to groom out his limit. Kelly's limit was anchored by the 3rd Big Bass, a 4.80 lb largemouth. The wind was a major key to push the shad up on the break. Kelly felt his fish were suspended in 10 feet of water over the 20 foot break. Kelly is sponsored is sponsored by Nitro Boats, Mercury Marine, Jewel Bait Company, Davis-Barr Chevorlet/Pontiac, Falcon Rods, Pinpoint, MotorGuide, Pro Guide Batteries, and War Eagle Custom Baits.

1st Place - Kelly Power

If there is a major tournament in the Midwest, it is a good bet at least one of the Davis brothers will be near the top of the list. Jimmy Davis of Willard, MO nailed down the runner-up position with a 15.23 pound sack. Jimmy worked boat docks in the mid-lake area with a 3/8 oz brown homemade jig. It was a day of perseverance for Jimmy as his two previous days of fishing were a struggle. Jimmy boated 6 keeper bass from 6-18 feet of water but unfortunately had the one kicker fish needed to push him over the top come off half way to the boat. He is sponsored by Ranger Boats, Evinrude Motors, Bill's Marine, Humminbird, Jewell Insurance Agency, MinnKota, and Pro Guide Batteries.

2nd Place - Jimmy Davis

Staying off the bank was Buster Loving of Rockaway Beach, MO. He pulled in the best deep string of fish with 13.49 pounds. Buster targeted roll-offs on points in 48-55 feet of water in the Aunts Creek area. He slid a ½ oz leadhead into a Chompers 3 ½" white tube and worked the bait vertically through schools of shad. Buster keyed on three points and it was an automatic bite when he graphed a ball of shad. Buster is sponsored Champion Boats, Yamaha, Ulrich Marine, Chompers, Jewel Bait Company, and Pro Guide Batteries.

3rd Place - Buster Loving

Winning Pro Big Bass honors was Bryce Rieder of Independence, MO. His 6.56 pound lunker bit a homemade brown/purple jig trailed by a matching Yamamoto twin tail right at noon. The fish came from the shade of a dock near the dam. Bryce is sponsored by Pro's Choice Marine, Triton Boats and Mercury Marine.

Big Bass - Bryce Rieder

Sam Morton of Easton, KS won the Amateur title with a limit weighing 13.69 pounds fishing behind Dean Powers. Sam culled through 8 keepers to win the Amateur title. One of his fish came early on a football jig in relatively shallow water but the remainder of Sam's bag came on a smoke 4" Yamamoto grub threaded on a ¼ oz darter head. As Dean graphed fish in deep water, Sam tried to keep his bait in that same zone. Usually when his boater would catch a fish, the school would get active and Sam would also. Ozawkie Boat Company sponsors Sam.

1st Place, Amateur Division - Sam Morton

Pro Division

1st Kelly Power 16.51 lbs $4850*

2nd Jimmy Davis 15.23 lbs $2000

3rd Buster Loving 13.49 lbs $1400

4th Dean Powers 13.06 lbs $1248

5th J.R. Beehler 12.91 lbs $900

6th Bill Beck 12.69 lbs $700

7th Jackie Davis 12.35 lbs $600

8th Marty Conrad 12.06 lbs $500

9th A.C. "Buzz" Hawpe 11.79 lbs $820*

10th Gary Rusk 11.47 lbs $300

Big Bass Bryce Rieder 6.56 lbs $750

* cash plus incentives or Big Bass money

Am Division

1st Sam Morton 13.69 lbs $950

2nd Paul Garrett 10.35 lbs $600

3rd Patrick Lewis 9.58 lbs $860*

4th Scott Wells 8.95 lbs $450

5th Jamie Fisher 8.02 lbs $400

Big Bass Patrick Lewis 6.58 lbs $360