Iowa team wins regional bass title

A team of Iowa anglers won their first Bassmasters regional title in nearly 20 years at the B.A.S.S. Federation Nation Northern Divisional Tournament held Aug. 10-12 on the Mississippi River at Fort Madison.

The Iowans' total bag of 190 pounds 14 ounces exceeded the second-place Wisconsin team's total by 25 pounds. Teams from Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan and South Dakota also competed in the event.

Individual members of the Iowa team, with their tournament weights in parentheses, are Jesse Reynolds (28-10), Thad Takes (25-12), Brian Fitzpatrick (23-01), Ron Cherkas (22-02), Dan Parker (14-06), Brad Rockwood (13-02), Terry Fitzpatrick (12-15), Brad Teel (12-11), Bob Garman (12-07), Tony Puelz (11-13), Brannon Hilton (7-0), JJ Patton (5-1), Joshua Miller (1-14) and Hunter Reifschneider (0).

The anglers qualified for the state team on the basis of their combined finishes in last year's spring and fall state tournaments.

The individual winner, with 32 pounds, was Greg Heindselman, a member of the Illinois team.

He and the top anglers from each of the other seven states will advance to the B.A.S.S. Federation Nation Championship to be held Nov. 3-5 on the Ouachita River at Monroe, La.

From there, the top angler from each of the six divisions in the championship will be awarded a berth in the 2012 Bassmasters Classic set for Feb. 24-26 at Shreveport-Bossier City, La.

The Iowa team won a Skeeter bass boat powered by a 150-horsepower Yamaha outboard engine. The boat will be sold with the proceeds going to the Iowa B.A.S.S. Federation Nation.