Record catch wins state bass tournament

PRAIRIE DU CHIEN, Wis. – Competition and sportsmanship coexist well at the annual Iowa Bass Federation Nation state tournaments.

Early on the second and final day of last weekend's state tournament on the Mississippi River, the day-one leader, Andy Sommerfelt of Denver, Iowa, found himself in the potentially awkward position of lending a helping hand to his chief rival, Blair Gordon of Marion.

Gordon's outboard was sputtering with what he figured was a fouled sparkplug, but he lacked the tool that would enable him to correct the problem. He asked Sommerfelt if he had the specialized wrench, and the 43-year-old Denver, Iowa, angler did not hesitate.

“My hat's off to Andy. He could have just said he didn't have it, and I'd have been left to struggle,” said Gordon, 32, who finished second to Sommerfelt in the final standings.

In winning his third state tournament, Sommerfelt broke the Iowa state tournament record with his two-day total weight of 34.12 pounds, topping the 33.68-pound mark established by Thad Takes in 2008.

“That record won't stand long. The bass fishing just keeps getting better on the Upper Mississippi,” said Sommerfelt, who caught his bass on a green pumpkin tube with blue tentacles.

Fishing at the top of Pool 10 in strong wind and current, Sommerfelt said casting and maintaining boat control were constant challenges. The fish were holding in 5 to 7 feet of water along the lip of what would have been the river bank if the river had not been near flood level, he said.

Sommerfelt said he caught his day-one, five-fish limit of 18.7 pounds by 7:38 a.m. On his return the second day, Sommerfelt said he almost lost his breakfast when he saw nine boats fishing in his spot as they waited to go through the lock at Lynxville, Wis.

As soon as they left, Sommerfelt picked up where he'd left off, catching his second-day limit of 15.42 pounds by 10 a.m.

Gordon, who finished with 30.82 pounds, was one of five anglers to top the 30-pound mark, and 41 anglers topped the 20-pound mark.

The 110 participants weighed in a combined 764 fish with a total weight of 1,898.48 pounds. The average weight per fish was a hefty 2.48 pounds.

In addition to Sommerfelt and Gordon, other top finishers (with their weights in parentheses) were Terry Fitzpatrick (30.59), Monty McCleerey (30.45), Brad Rockwood (30.11), Joe Moyer (29.18), Brian Searcy (28.64), Tony Puelz (28.35), Takes (28.32), Bob Garman (27.57), Jason Brecht (27.43) and Steve Huegerich (27.31).

Weston Krug's 5.1 pounder took big fish honors, followed by Jim Sullivan's 4.9 pounder and Sommerfelt's 4.53 pounder.

The Cedar Rapids Bassmasters “A” Team won the team competition with 132.96 pounds. In addition to Gordon, other team members, their individual finish and their catches, are Takes, ninth, 28.32 pounds; Brecht, 11th, 27.43 pounds; Brad Teel, 14th, 26.74 pounds; and Lynn Smith, 43rd, 19.65 pounds.