01-30-2007, 09:37 PM
[size 1]Guntersville, Alabama - Trailing by more than 11 pounds heading into the final day of competition, Baltimore, Md., angler Russell Colwell figured he needed some good luck to win the ESPN Outdoors Bassmaster Series Championship on Alabama's Lake Guntersville.
On Saturday, the 48-year-old knew fortune was with him when his final-day weight of 16 pounds, 2 ounces, was enough to claim the champion's most coveted prize, a 2007 Bassmaster Classic berth.
Colwell finished with 48 pounds, 15 ounces in the three-day tournament, more than 1 pound ahead of Oklahoma's Todd Lee. Colwell earned a $100,000 grand prize and guaranteed entry into the Bassmaster Open division of his choice. But most important to Colwell was qualifying for the Classic, Feb. 23-25, on Lay Lake out of Birmingham, Ala.
"I'm going to the Classic," Colwell screamed to reporters after he found out he won. "I have had bad luck fishing tournaments all my life, but today I had more than enough good luck."
It almost didn't happen for Colwell. When he checked in his catch with BASS officials, it appeared at first that the BASS life member indeed was plagued by bad luck. He had brought in six fish, one more than the tournament limit of five. Under BASS rules, Colwell lost the weight of the heaviest fish, but was allowed to get in line to weigh-in the remaining five.
Colwell later said he estimated that the dropped fish weighed nearly 6 pounds, and that as he waited for the outcome, he felt that he could not overtake Friday leader Lee. But Colwell triumphed despite his mistake of not accurately tracking the number of fish in his livewell.
"If I would not have won this tournament because of not counting correctly, I'm not sure what I would have done," said Colwell, owner of a construction business in Baltimore.
Prompted to make a strategy change on Saturday because of a drop in the water temperature, Colwell followed the advice of his non-boater partner, Tony Impellizzeri of Michigan, who had been randomly paired with Colwell. They went to the spot Impellizzeri recommended, and that's where Colwell landed the majority of his bass.
In what Colwell called a 20-minute "magical" stretch, he worked a Lucky Craft jerkbait on a main lake point along the shoreline just minutes from the tournament launch location. He caught all of his fish by 10:30 a.m., and despite not getting another bite all day, he held off Lee, who on Saturday caught only one fish that weighed 3 pounds.
"It's tough to put down a bait that you caught more than 30 pounds on the day before," said Lee of the jerkbait he stuck with on Saturday. "I thought I needed 20 pounds to win today, but clearly I underestimated."
Going into the final day, Lee led the tournament with a cushion of more than seven pounds, but he's not giving up: "I promise you will see me back next year on this circuit," he said.
Rounding out the top five were Tulsa, Okla., angler Bobby Myers, who placed third with 44 pounds, 15 ounces; 2006 ESPN Outdoors Bassmaster Series champion Jeff Coble (41-14); and Texan James Elliott (41-11).
On the non-boater side, Iowa's Darrin Hannah finished with 20 pounds, 14 ounces, capturing his division's championship and winning the $50,000 grand prize. Hannah bested Indiana's Rod Yoder (18-8) and Virginia's David Williams (18-0).
To download related photos from the Weekend Series Championship, click here.
Purolator Big Bass
Day 1 Boater: Jeff Coble, Manson, N.C., 8-5<br />
Non-Boater: Daniel Jackson, Buford, Ga., 6-14
Day 2 Boater: Todd Lee, Grove, Okla., 10-15<br />
Non-Boater: Ron Hummingbird, Broken Arrow, Okla., 6-14
Day 3 Boater: James Elliott, Center, Texas, 6-12<br />
Non-Boater: Darrin Hannah, Blue Grass, Iowa, 5-1
Location and Field<br />
ESPN Outdoors Bassmaster Series Championship<br />
Lake Guntersville<br />
Guntersville, Ala.<br />
Jan. 25-27
Field<br />
56 boaters, 56 non-boaters<br />
Cut to top 12 today
BASS is the worldwide authority on bass fishing, sanctioning more than 20,000 events through the BASS Federation Nation annually. Guided by its mission to serve all fishing fans, BASS sets the standard for credibility, professionalism, sportsmanship and conservation, as it has for nearly 40 years.
BASS sanctions and stages bass fishing tournaments for every skill level and culminates with the Bassmaster Classic. Through its clubs, youth programs, aquatic resource advocacy, magazine publishing and multimedia platforms, BASS offers the industry's widest array of services and support to its nearly 530,000 members. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.
For more information, call BASS Communications at 407-566-2208. To join BASS, visit www.bassmaster.com or call 1-877-BASS-USA.
2007 Guntersville, AL 1/25-1/27
Lake Guntersville, Guntersville AL.
(BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Russell Colwell Baltimore, MD 5 48-15 0 100,000
Day 1: 5 22-00 2: 2 10-13 3: 5 16-02
2. Todd Lee Grove, OK 1 47-10 0 19,000
Day 1: 3 13-07 2: 5 31-03 3: 1 03-00
3. Bobby Myers Tulsa, OK 4 44-15 0 9,400
Day 1: 3 09-15 2: 4 23-01 3: 4 11-15
4. Jeff Coble Manson, NC 2 41-14 0 7,200
Day 1: 5 16-03 2: 5 21-06 3: 2 04-05
5. James Elliott Center, TX 5 41-11 0 5,500
Day 1: 1 04-10 2: 5 19-06 3: 5 17-11
6. Robbie Dodson Jr Harrison, AR 4 37-11 0 4,400
Day 1: 4 12-12 2: 3 16-09 3: 4 08-06
7. Bradley Leifermann Andover, MN 3 37-00 0 3,300
Day 1: 4 14-06 2: 5 15-02 3: 3 07-08
8. Thomas Borkowski Savage, MN 2 34-10 0 2,800
Day 1: 5 15-13 2: 3 09-06 3: 2 09-07
9. Klaus Hadschin Granite Falls, NC 0 27-15 0 2,700
Day 1: 3 11-11 2: 4 16-04 3: 0 00-00
10. Thomas Dickerson Orange, TX 1 27-09 0 2,600
Day 1: 5 16-13 2: 3 09-00 3: 1 01-12
11. Joel Barber Brandon, MS 1 26-15 0 2,500
Day 1: 5 12-06 2: 4 11-13 3: 1 02-12
12. Tom Hicks Richmond, VA 0 22-04 0 2,400
Day 1: 3 10-00 2: 3 12-04 3: 0 00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 8 132 412-00
----------------------------------
8 132 412-00
2007 Guntersville, AL 1/25-1/27
Lake Guntersville, Guntersville AL.
(Non-BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Darrin Hannah Blue Grass, IA 2 20-14 0 50,000
Day 1: 0 00-00 2: 3 13-07 3: 2 07-07
2. Rod Yoder W Lafayette, IN 0 18-08 0 9,500
Day 1: 3 09-11 2: 2 08-13 3: 0 00-00
3. David Williams Fredericksburg, VA 0 18-00 0 4,700
Day 1: 2 08-15 2: 2 09-01 3: 0 00-00
4. Lee Davis Fitzgerald, GA 2 16-03 0 3,600
Day 1: 0 00-00 2: 3 11-04 3: 2 04-15
5. Richard Shirley Mc Calla, AL 1 16-01 0 2,750
Day 1: 3 11-15 2: 1 01-07 3: 1 02-11
6. Randal Kelly Tulsa, OK 2 14-11 0 2,200
Day 1: 2 08-09 2: 1 01-07 3: 2 04-11
7. Tony Impellizzeri Ann Arbor, MI 0 14-10 0 1,650
Day 1: 3 08-11 2: 2 05-15 3: 0 00-00
8. Daniel Fischer Fredericksburg, VA 1 14-06 0 1,400
Day 1: 2 05-05 2: 1 06-01 3: 1 03-00
9. Daniel Jackson Buford, GA 1 14-02 0 1,350
Day 1: 2 10-02 2: 1 01-07 3: 1 02-09
10. Chris Mashek Lexington Park, MD 1 13-03 0 1,300
Day 1: 2 08-11 2: 1 01-07 3: 1 03-01
11. Charles Ginter Crofton, MD 1 13-00 0 1,250
Day 1: 2 05-03 2: 1 04-12 3: 1 03-01
12. Ron Hummingbird Broken Arrow, OK 0 12-09 0 1,200
Day 1: 3 05-11 2: 1 06-14 3: 0 00-00
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 6 45 144-11
----------------------------------
6 45 144-11
Media Contact:<br />
BASS Communications<br />
407-566-2208 [/size]
[signature]
On Saturday, the 48-year-old knew fortune was with him when his final-day weight of 16 pounds, 2 ounces, was enough to claim the champion's most coveted prize, a 2007 Bassmaster Classic berth.
Colwell finished with 48 pounds, 15 ounces in the three-day tournament, more than 1 pound ahead of Oklahoma's Todd Lee. Colwell earned a $100,000 grand prize and guaranteed entry into the Bassmaster Open division of his choice. But most important to Colwell was qualifying for the Classic, Feb. 23-25, on Lay Lake out of Birmingham, Ala.
"I'm going to the Classic," Colwell screamed to reporters after he found out he won. "I have had bad luck fishing tournaments all my life, but today I had more than enough good luck."
It almost didn't happen for Colwell. When he checked in his catch with BASS officials, it appeared at first that the BASS life member indeed was plagued by bad luck. He had brought in six fish, one more than the tournament limit of five. Under BASS rules, Colwell lost the weight of the heaviest fish, but was allowed to get in line to weigh-in the remaining five.
Colwell later said he estimated that the dropped fish weighed nearly 6 pounds, and that as he waited for the outcome, he felt that he could not overtake Friday leader Lee. But Colwell triumphed despite his mistake of not accurately tracking the number of fish in his livewell.
"If I would not have won this tournament because of not counting correctly, I'm not sure what I would have done," said Colwell, owner of a construction business in Baltimore.
Prompted to make a strategy change on Saturday because of a drop in the water temperature, Colwell followed the advice of his non-boater partner, Tony Impellizzeri of Michigan, who had been randomly paired with Colwell. They went to the spot Impellizzeri recommended, and that's where Colwell landed the majority of his bass.
In what Colwell called a 20-minute "magical" stretch, he worked a Lucky Craft jerkbait on a main lake point along the shoreline just minutes from the tournament launch location. He caught all of his fish by 10:30 a.m., and despite not getting another bite all day, he held off Lee, who on Saturday caught only one fish that weighed 3 pounds.
"It's tough to put down a bait that you caught more than 30 pounds on the day before," said Lee of the jerkbait he stuck with on Saturday. "I thought I needed 20 pounds to win today, but clearly I underestimated."
Going into the final day, Lee led the tournament with a cushion of more than seven pounds, but he's not giving up: "I promise you will see me back next year on this circuit," he said.
Rounding out the top five were Tulsa, Okla., angler Bobby Myers, who placed third with 44 pounds, 15 ounces; 2006 ESPN Outdoors Bassmaster Series champion Jeff Coble (41-14); and Texan James Elliott (41-11).
On the non-boater side, Iowa's Darrin Hannah finished with 20 pounds, 14 ounces, capturing his division's championship and winning the $50,000 grand prize. Hannah bested Indiana's Rod Yoder (18-8) and Virginia's David Williams (18-0).
To download related photos from the Weekend Series Championship, click here.
Purolator Big Bass
Day 1 Boater: Jeff Coble, Manson, N.C., 8-5<br />
Non-Boater: Daniel Jackson, Buford, Ga., 6-14
Day 2 Boater: Todd Lee, Grove, Okla., 10-15<br />
Non-Boater: Ron Hummingbird, Broken Arrow, Okla., 6-14
Day 3 Boater: James Elliott, Center, Texas, 6-12<br />
Non-Boater: Darrin Hannah, Blue Grass, Iowa, 5-1
Location and Field<br />
ESPN Outdoors Bassmaster Series Championship<br />
Lake Guntersville<br />
Guntersville, Ala.<br />
Jan. 25-27
Field<br />
56 boaters, 56 non-boaters<br />
Cut to top 12 today
BASS is the worldwide authority on bass fishing, sanctioning more than 20,000 events through the BASS Federation Nation annually. Guided by its mission to serve all fishing fans, BASS sets the standard for credibility, professionalism, sportsmanship and conservation, as it has for nearly 40 years.
BASS sanctions and stages bass fishing tournaments for every skill level and culminates with the Bassmaster Classic. Through its clubs, youth programs, aquatic resource advocacy, magazine publishing and multimedia platforms, BASS offers the industry's widest array of services and support to its nearly 530,000 members. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.
For more information, call BASS Communications at 407-566-2208. To join BASS, visit www.bassmaster.com or call 1-877-BASS-USA.
2007 Guntersville, AL 1/25-1/27
Lake Guntersville, Guntersville AL.
(BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Russell Colwell Baltimore, MD 5 48-15 0 100,000
Day 1: 5 22-00 2: 2 10-13 3: 5 16-02
2. Todd Lee Grove, OK 1 47-10 0 19,000
Day 1: 3 13-07 2: 5 31-03 3: 1 03-00
3. Bobby Myers Tulsa, OK 4 44-15 0 9,400
Day 1: 3 09-15 2: 4 23-01 3: 4 11-15
4. Jeff Coble Manson, NC 2 41-14 0 7,200
Day 1: 5 16-03 2: 5 21-06 3: 2 04-05
5. James Elliott Center, TX 5 41-11 0 5,500
Day 1: 1 04-10 2: 5 19-06 3: 5 17-11
6. Robbie Dodson Jr Harrison, AR 4 37-11 0 4,400
Day 1: 4 12-12 2: 3 16-09 3: 4 08-06
7. Bradley Leifermann Andover, MN 3 37-00 0 3,300
Day 1: 4 14-06 2: 5 15-02 3: 3 07-08
8. Thomas Borkowski Savage, MN 2 34-10 0 2,800
Day 1: 5 15-13 2: 3 09-06 3: 2 09-07
9. Klaus Hadschin Granite Falls, NC 0 27-15 0 2,700
Day 1: 3 11-11 2: 4 16-04 3: 0 00-00
10. Thomas Dickerson Orange, TX 1 27-09 0 2,600
Day 1: 5 16-13 2: 3 09-00 3: 1 01-12
11. Joel Barber Brandon, MS 1 26-15 0 2,500
Day 1: 5 12-06 2: 4 11-13 3: 1 02-12
12. Tom Hicks Richmond, VA 0 22-04 0 2,400
Day 1: 3 10-00 2: 3 12-04 3: 0 00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 8 132 412-00
----------------------------------
8 132 412-00
2007 Guntersville, AL 1/25-1/27
Lake Guntersville, Guntersville AL.
(Non-BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Darrin Hannah Blue Grass, IA 2 20-14 0 50,000
Day 1: 0 00-00 2: 3 13-07 3: 2 07-07
2. Rod Yoder W Lafayette, IN 0 18-08 0 9,500
Day 1: 3 09-11 2: 2 08-13 3: 0 00-00
3. David Williams Fredericksburg, VA 0 18-00 0 4,700
Day 1: 2 08-15 2: 2 09-01 3: 0 00-00
4. Lee Davis Fitzgerald, GA 2 16-03 0 3,600
Day 1: 0 00-00 2: 3 11-04 3: 2 04-15
5. Richard Shirley Mc Calla, AL 1 16-01 0 2,750
Day 1: 3 11-15 2: 1 01-07 3: 1 02-11
6. Randal Kelly Tulsa, OK 2 14-11 0 2,200
Day 1: 2 08-09 2: 1 01-07 3: 2 04-11
7. Tony Impellizzeri Ann Arbor, MI 0 14-10 0 1,650
Day 1: 3 08-11 2: 2 05-15 3: 0 00-00
8. Daniel Fischer Fredericksburg, VA 1 14-06 0 1,400
Day 1: 2 05-05 2: 1 06-01 3: 1 03-00
9. Daniel Jackson Buford, GA 1 14-02 0 1,350
Day 1: 2 10-02 2: 1 01-07 3: 1 02-09
10. Chris Mashek Lexington Park, MD 1 13-03 0 1,300
Day 1: 2 08-11 2: 1 01-07 3: 1 03-01
11. Charles Ginter Crofton, MD 1 13-00 0 1,250
Day 1: 2 05-03 2: 1 04-12 3: 1 03-01
12. Ron Hummingbird Broken Arrow, OK 0 12-09 0 1,200
Day 1: 3 05-11 2: 1 06-14 3: 0 00-00
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 6 45 144-11
----------------------------------
6 45 144-11
Media Contact:<br />
BASS Communications<br />
407-566-2208 [/size]
[signature]
