September 17, 2009, Ticonderoga, NY – The second of the three competition days of the 2009 TBF Eastern Division Championship closed out today with everyone moving in the standings and the New Hampshire squad rallying their team to a total of 241 pounds and 1 ounce, enough to overtake the day 1 leaders from Massachusetts who now sits in second at 237-02. Vermont drops one place as well to third with 234-07, Rhode Island made the biggest jump from 7th to fourth ( 189-09). New York had 184-09 and moved up one to fifth, the TBF Canadian Bass Anglers Federation, from Ontario moved up from eighth to sixth with 182-05. Connecticut dropped two places from fifth to seventh and ended up one ounce behind Ontario, 182-04 and four pounds back sits Maine at 178-04. So with everyone changing places today tomorrow final day will be big in determining the division champs, no one has a lock on it now.
Competition is tight!
In the individual overall race and the races for the 16 TBF Federation national Champions spots that are up for grab Matt Applebaum, continued his roll today adding 16 pounds and 1 ounce, the day’s biggest bag to land keep him in the top spot with 33-07. Applebaum says he is “on a bunch of fish” and excitedly exclaimed that”it is about time.” If his fish will hold out for one more day he will be tough to beat but it certainly is not a runaway as Massachusetts angler Jim Gildea is less than two pounds behind him and anchoring the Massachusetts team with 31-08, while New Hampshire’s Brian Morin is locked in at third with 29-13. Gerard Ling form Ontario, weighed in another 14 plus pounds bag today to hold down the fourth place spot with a weight of 29 pounds even. Other state leaders are; Tim Post still leads the New York team with a two day weight of 26-07 (tied at 10th overall) but his team mate Jim Jeffries has closed the gap to within 5 ounces. (26-02, 13th overall), for Connecticut Scott Janus (25-08, 15th overall) still leads that team even as the Connecticut team slid in the standings today and he has competition less than a pound behind him as well in team mate John Gillies, (24-04 18th place overall.) Ed Forbes leads the Maine group with 24-01, 19th overall, his closest competition for a spot in the TBF Federation National Championship is Keith Aucoin at 23-07 (21st place overall). It took 22-12 to lead the Rhode Island team and that honor goes to Leo Bevelaqua, who sits in 26th place overall, like every other leader he has an angler right behind him in his state and that would be Rhode Island big stick Johnny Nee. Nee is in 29th overall and 1-02 behind Bevelaqua with 21-10. Remember the top angler from each TBF state advances as a boater to the 2010 TBF Federation National Championship, Presented by the National Guard, but the second place angler is far from being left out; they will advance as the co-angler to the same event.
Final day weigh in begins at the city of Ticonderoga city boat ramp at 3:00pm EST, it is free to the public.
