Chuck Metheny & Rodney Marks

This has been the closes race we have ever had for the TAOY.

It all came down to the last tournament of the year on the South Winter Haven Chain of Lakes. One and a half points separated our first two teams as the final tournament began.

It was a wet and misty morning as the sun started to come up, or I should say, as it got a little lighter. As the boats headed to their first stop the down pour began. The wind was howling as it was hard to even stand on the front decks of their fishing machines but our competitors knew that they had to catch fish in these adverse conditions to claim the cherished prize. Chuck and Rodney had a very slight lead on Brian and Fred and it was all down to this. Both teams had spent a lot of time preparing for this but conditions had not been this bad on any of the practice days. It would be adapt or loose.

Keith and Larry were not to far behind but could only manage a 9th place finish and only gained a one point advantage. Brian and Fred worked hard and managed to put together a small limit. They brought in 7.64 pounds but felt good about their catch on this ugly fishing day. They finished 10th. Chuck and Rodney were nervous because they only managed a small limit themselves and it was smaller than their rivals bag. Their 7.46 pound limit was enough to hold 11th place and that gave them a one half point advantage over Brian and Fred. So what does that all mean?

Chuck and Rodney are the Bay Area Bassmasters TAOY Champions.

Final Standings

(Downloadable PDF version with complete results)