Angler's Choice "The Largest Team Bass Fishing Trail in America"

Oxford Team Mike Freeman & Brannon Hurst
Take Home the $5000 Guaranteed 1st Place
On Neely Henry

1st Place: Mike Freeman, who works in Construction, and Brannon Hurst, who operates a Home & Auto Glass Company, came to the scales with a two-day catch that weighed 36.59 lbs. A phenomenal weight for the Coosa River in mid July with temperatures in the 90 + range. Under the threat of thunder storms, and getting some heavy rain for blast off the first morning, the team headed up river to take their best shot at the $5000. They gave some top water baits a good try with the rain and cloudy conditions, but no takers. They then went to what they knew would work to catch a 5 fish limit of 18.54 lbs. on Day One. One used a ½ oz. Bo’s Jig, manufactured locally by Randy Bobo, and the other used a Strike King crankbait. They had hoped their luck would not go the way it was looking after loosing their first fish, a 3 lb Spot. Throughout Day One they caught and culled more than another limit of fish, but on Day Two conditions changed. The team knew they had to catch 15 lbs or better to win, but after breaking off a big fish, they felt their chances were slim. With the sun shining on Sunday they found that fishing slowed down considerably from the day before, and had to put out a lot more effort to come in with another 18.05 lbs of Neely Henry bass.

2nd Place: Chris Homesley & Ben Howell are both from Weaver, and both are Snap-On Dealers. They led the tournament on Day One with a limit that weighed 19.79 lbs. Their bag was also holding the Big Bass of the day at 5.69 lbs. The third cast of the morning put a spot over 4 lbs in the boat, and they had the fish they weighed in by 7:30 am. Through the rest of the day they culled another limit that weighed over sixteen pounds! But boy, “What a Difference a Day Makes”! Day two they caught fish early, but as the sun got stronger the bite got tougher, and the quality of the fish was less than on Saturday. They needed another kicker fish like they had on Day One, but didn’t get that lucky break. Using a crankbait and worm, they put another 16.72 lbs. of fish in the boat for a two-day total of 33.45 lbs. The Team was awarded $1890.

3rd Place: Marty Colley (father) and Kyle Colley (son) of Ashville, who have their own Landscape Business, came in on Day One with a limit that weighed 16.72 lbs. Marty’s brother Ed Colley, who is a District Manager for O’Reilly Auto Parts, and Marty’s other son Chris, held on to 4th on Day One with 15.61 lbs. You would think that both teams were working around the same areas of the lake and putting four heads together instead of two, but that was not the case with the Colley family. Marty and Kyle made a decision to go up river, and Ed and Chris went down lake. Marty and Kyle caught fish all day long and didn’t catch a fish under 2 lbs using a ½ oz LC Jig, also manufactured locally by Lawrence Curd (who won our 1st Super Team event in March). Day Two got off to a good start. Within the first five minutes of the tournament they put their two best fish in the boat. The same story goes for them too. As the sun got higher, the quality of the fish deteriorated. They began to get smaller. Then the team realized that the pump in their live well had stopped working. They came back to the weigh-in site where they were going to call it a day and weigh in their fish before the fish died for lack of aeration.
When they came in, Joey Couvillion (The Bass Doctor) with Rejuvenade, came to their rescue. He took the pump from his Ranger Boat and rigged it in the Colley’s Ranger to put them back on the water. They finished with a two-day total of 33.45 lbs. that netted them a check for $1,250.

One funny little thing happened to the Colley’s during the tournament. When they arrived at the bank they were going to fish on Day One, a butterfly landed in their boat and stayed there the whole day. No matter how much commotion went on in that boat, with catching and culling fish, it never left the boat until they left. On Day Two the same thing happened again. Not saying it was the same butterfly, but just as they arrived at the place they were going to fish, a butterfly landed in their boat and it stayed all day too! When Marty noticed the pump problem and decided to leave and try to save the fish the butterfly flew away! They were hoping that it was an omen that they were going to win the tournament, but they saw their First Place Finish Flutter on by.

4th Place: Lynn Johnson, owner of Johnson Foods, and Steve Body, with Super Market Design and Maintenance, are both residents of Gadsden. They had the Big Bass on Sunday using the prototype jig by Bita Bait and Prowler Pro Chunk that helped bring their two-day total to 32.64 lbs. That was good enough to take home the 4th Place check for a total of $1170. This fourth place finish puts them in First Place in the Neely Henry Super Teams Division. The team is also leading in points for N. E. Alabama and the Choice Divisions as well. Johnson and Body is sponsored by Nitro Boats and Mercury Marine. There’s only one thing to say about them and that is they are consistent.

Our next Neely Henry Super Team tournament is September 18th and 19th and the N.E. Alabama Teams on July 31st at the City Docks.

Thanks and appreciation to our Team Sponsors and supporters Carl Black Auto Group in Kennesaw Georgia, Jim Shank Krystal Restaurants & Fishing Team, Waterfront Tackle, Will Fowler & Frog Toggs, Strike King Lures, First Choice Marble, Weiss Lake Landing, Al’s Top Shop, Lynn Johnson & Johnson’s Foods and Buffalo Rock for supplying the soft drinks.
And a Very Special Thank You to Al Murray, the City of Gadsden and Mayor Steve Means for the 1st Place Guarantee of $5000.