Bass N Bucks concluded their 1st 2005 series at Cypress Bend on Toledo Bend Lake on May 15th with 205 teams. It was a lone angler, Michael Jeffries who was the first to weigh in that topped the field by nearly 10 pounds with a 27.45 lb limit.
The morning started out cool and crisp, with just a little cloud cover. The day quickly warmed with gentle breezes and bright sunshine to around the 80 degree mark.
“What a day!” exclaimed Jeffries as he sat down after he weighed in. “I was in the last flight going out today, and had a 45 minute run to get to my spot. I found a patch of lily pads on the Louisiana side that had already been fished on the outside edges. I watched, and saw some bass hitting throughout the middle of the pads, so I went around the back side of the patch and started throwing green & pearl Sumo Frogs that I just got from Matties Place. It was real busy for me for the first 45 minutes. If they missed the frog, then I went back with a watermelon red Texas rigged creature bait. The bass had the shad pushed up underneath the pads right next to the creek. My big bass exploded on the frog.” She weighed in at 9.94 lbs, seizing a $1,000 check from Kicker Fish Bait Co. “She caught me, I didn’t catch her. Today was a lot of fun. It was hard to leave them biting.” He caught most of his fish up North today, and a few others just south of the bridge. This is Michael’s first year with Bass N Bucks, and he took home a 1st place check for $10,000.
In 2nd place with 17.94 lbs was the team of Alan Bond and Jimmy Smith. They fished in 6′ water on the inside grass line, catching some on crank baits and others on Carolina rigs. They rounded up their first limit at noon that would go around 14 lbs and continued to catch and cull from four more good keepers to their final weight. They won a check for $4,000.
James Matney and Jeff Tall won 3rd place with 17.62 lbs. They traveled South for their catch and enjoyed an all day bite in 2-5′ in the pepper grass. “It was a perfect day” stated Matney. “Everything came together just right for us.” They caught their fish on Texas rigged green pumpkin worms as well as some on jigs.
The Champion Bonus went to the 5th place team of Dean Wood and Phil Addison. Champion Boats added another $1,000 to their $1,500 winnings for being the highest finishing Champion Boat owner qualified team.
Top Teams:
| 1st | 27.45 lbs | $10,000 | Michael Jeffries |
| 2nd | 17.94 lbs | $ 4,000 | Alan Bond & Jimmy Smith |
| 3rd | 17.62 lbs | $ 3,000 | James Matney & Jeff Tall |
| 4th | 17.14 lbs | $ 2,800 | Robert Emerson & David Moore |
| 5th | 16.82 lbs | $ 1,500 | Dean Wood & Phil Addison |
| ….and last in the money… | |||
| 34th | 12.22 lbs | $ 400 | Boyd Sanders & Reggie Sanders |
| Big Bass | 9.94 lbs | $1,000 | Michael Jeffries |
Stanley Baits sponsored the first three places out of the money with Stanley Products. There were 566 bass weighed in, for a total tournament weight of 1314.4 lbs.
It has been a close race for Angler of the Year. To check on points status, click to the website or call Tricia Concienne for more information.
Every team who registered for every event in the 1st series qualifies for the Championship that will pay out over $150,000 in cash and prizes, including a Toyota Tundra pick up from Southeast Texas Toyota, AND three fully rigged Champion Boats. “This has been an outstanding season for our first round, we had the largest average in 11 years this year, averaging around 240 teams per event” stated Dave Concienne. “We appreciate all you anglers who participate with us, and hope to see all of you here at our 2nd series starting June 18th on Sam Rayburn at Twin Dikes Marina.”
Don’t worry – it’s not over yet! The 2nd series starts June 18th on Sam Rayburn. These will be Saturday events. The second event will be on July 16th at Cypress Bend on Toledo, then back to Sam Rayburn to wrap it up on August 13th. The top 20 by points can qualify for the Championship with this series of 3 events. It gets even better. The top three couples (man & woman team) will also qualify. There are so many ways to win at Bass N Bucks, just sign up, join the fun and start winning!
For more information, please call 409-727-8941, visit the Bass N Bucks website or email to [email protected].
Official 2005 Bass N Bucks sponsors include: Champion Boats, Mercury Motors, Southeast Texas Toyota Dealers, Lowrance, Minnkota, Shimano, Wulf Outdoor Sports, Kicker Fish Bait Company, Rat-L-Trap, Snag Proof, Xtools, Dual Pro Charger, Power Tech Propellers and Stanley Baits
Other sponsors include: Fishingworld.com, Super 8 Motel, ProRule, McFerrin Insurance, BassMedics Rejuvenade, The Stump Restaurant, Anns Tackle Shop, Need More Tackle, Rayburn Tackle, Piney Point Plaza, Holiday Inn Express and Toledo Town & Tackle.By: Patty Lenderman / Lakecaster
