Sharon Woods’ lake was the site of the fourth Bass Series Tournament in the six-event series on Sunday, July 12. The steady rainfall over the past several weeks has this lake swelling at the seams. It is more than a foot over normal pool and only inches from rising over the dock. This lake has huge weed beds that are normally matted on the surface, but fish very differently with the lake so much higher.

There were 24 teams of fishermen greeted by a severe thunderstorm to begin their morning. The rain fell for the first two hours of the tournament, and the bite was slow. When the tournament ended at 1 p.m., 18 of the teams brought keepers to the scale.

First Place
Jody Andrzegewski of Mainville, Ohio, and Ben Quisno won the event with a very impressive five-bass limit weighing 12.22 pounds. They won $588 in Great Parks’ prize certificates and plaques.

Second Place
Cole Wessner and Dan Hechler finished second with 10.55 pounds. They also caught the biggest bass of the day, tipping the scales at 3.62 pounds. They won plaques, $420 in Great Parks’ prize certificates, and a $25 Bass Pro Shops gift card.

Third Place
Brian Short and Mike Hoefker finished third with 4.48 pounds. They won $252 in Great Parks’ prize certificates and plaques.

A total of 58.21 pounds of largemouth bass was weighed in. The winning pattern for the top two teams was punching weeds with a 1-ounce tungsten weight and plastic creature bait.

The next Bass Series Tournament will be at Sharon Woods on August 8, 2015. This tournament will begin before daylight at 5 a.m. and go until 11 a.m. We have seen several nice limits caught before the sun has come up at the past two tournaments. If Mother Nature cooperates, then we will have a big weigh-in.

I hope to see you there!

Neal Ramsey, District Recreation Manager