Morgantown Dominion Post
30 July 2007
By Dylan Jones
Bob Gay/The Dominion Post - Jim Matuga (left) and John Burdette speak to the crowd at Hazel Ruby McQuain Park after their victory in the West Virginia BASS Federation 2007 Invitational Championship on Sunday. The total weight of their two-day catch was 13.35 pounds.
A heavy thunderstorm Sunday afternoon didn't stop West Virginia's 80 best fishermen from competing on the Monongahela River for day two of the West Virginia BASS Federation 2007 Invitational Championship.
The championship, which began at 7 a.m. Saturday, consisted of 40 teams fishing the Monongahela for large- and small-mouth bass and a $14,000 prize purse.
Weigh-ins were conducted at 4 p.m. both days at Hazel Ruby McQuain Park, and crowds braved Saturday's heat and Sunday's rain to see officials tally the two-day total weights.
Coming into day two, John Burdette and Jim Matuga led the pack with a total weight of 7.81 pounds. They were followed by Frank Haught and Kevin McClain at 7.72 pounds, and Butch Jackson and Henry Chisolm at 7.57 pounds.
After Sunday's weigh-in, an awards ceremony presented the top six teams with plaques.
Matuga and Burdette held their lead and placed first with a twoday total weight of 13.35 pounds. Haught and McClain captured second with 13.04 pounds, and Jackson and Chisolm held on to third place with a total weight of 11.65 pounds.
Citing difficulties on day one, Burdette said his team was happy to come out on top.
"It's been great to fish here and work with the city of Morgantown, the [Greater Morgantown Convention and Visitors Bureau], and [Mayor Ron Justice]," Burdette said. "Anything we've wanted, we've gotten. They've worked hard for us."
Jody Green and Thomas Cooper came in fourth with 11.09 pounds. Frank and Shawn Douglas earned fifth with 9.93 pounds, and Rodney Hatfield and Charles Boyce finished sixth at 9.81 pounds. Although the scales officially closed at 4:53 p.m. Sunday, the crowd waited in anticipation for the final tally. The championship officials didn't have their electronic equipment on stage because of the heavy rain.
Tournament Director Dale Doty said it took more time to tally up everything manually. He said not only did the rain affect the weighin, it affected the fishermen as well. "The barometric pressure has more to do with how the fish react on a particular day, but rain can make the water muddy and make it difficult to spot fish in shallow areas," Doty said. "The clarity of the water will decide how the guys fish their patterns." Although the goal was to catch the limit of six fish both days, getting a hold of a whopper didn't go unnoticed. During the weigh-in, the teams picked what they felt was the "big fish" - the biggest bass in the catch that could decide a tie breaker and possibly earn extra cash. Sunday's big fish weighed in at 3.3 pounds and was caught by Steve Richards and Gabe Walker. Rick Lilly and Joe Justice caught the big bass of the championship. The 4.72-pound whopper drew a loud response from the crowd on Saturday. "This is the catch of a lifetime," Lilly said.