Seventy-seven boats filled Ingalls Harbor in Decatur, AL on March 29. Forty-one of these tournament rigs included a previously wounded vet as member of the boat team- many of them bass fishing for the first time.
Heath Green, Trinity, AL and Forrest Hill, Speake, AL topped the seventy-six other angler teams taking first place AND big fish of the tournament. Their bag limit weighed 19.9 lbs. of mixed smallmouth and largemouth bass. Included in the catch was a 6.82 pound brown hawg that took the big fish honors.
Heath Green, Trinity, AL and Forrest Hill, Speake, AL topped the seventy-six other angler teams taking first place AND big fish of the tournament.
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Second place went to the team of Hill and Parvin for five bass weighing 15.72 lbs. Right behind them was Gary Woods with a livewell full at 15.36 lbs. for third. Fourth place was 14.46 lbs. brought in by contender Billingsley. A close fifth came from the team of Chad and Justin with 14.22 lbs. of Wheeler bass.
At sixth was Roy Griffin for his bag going 14.06 lbs. Jeremy Tiller came alone to the scales and cinched seventh place with a limit going 13.76. Another healthy catch of 12.98 lbs., for four bass, was brought in by Shawn Dalrymple that was good enough for the eighth paying finish. Ninth place took 12.58 lbs. boated by the team of Joyner and Niskco. Tenth, and last paying position went to team Crow and Brokefield for their 12.20 lbs.
Green and Hill, along with the other boat teams, had to contend with inclement weather and dangerous water. Rain began shortly before the release of the boats making longer runs to
Forty-one veterans joined bass anglers for a team tournament.
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fishing spots a stinging ride. Later in the day the rain gave way to wind blasting in from the northwest. Any angler familiar with the waters of Wheeler Lake will tell you the stretch of water from Decatur to past Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant gets very rough and even dangerous as the waves and rollers build.
Several tournament boats took on a lot of water due to the wind and white-capped water. One rig was towed in by the Decatur Fire and Rescue boat. Regardless of rough conditions, the majority of contenders stayed out and fished. Many had an hour plus trip back from their fishing areas due to the rough water.
Rising Sun Lodge
#29 F.&A.M. Decatur AL
The event is hosted by the Rising Sun Lodge#29 F. & A.M. of Decatur, AL. A host of other supporting sponsors joined-in on the third annual installment of Hooked On Decatur. The tournament’s proceeds go the Wounded Warriors Project.
Organizers said they are already thinking about the 2015 event and plan to work on making “Hooked On Decatur” bigger and better. A bigger tournament will enable them to provide more support to the Wounded Warriors Project and give more veterans a day of competitive bass fishing.
