Robert Harkness Makes a Big Jump To Win

TBF Championship Final

David Hart

Robert Harkness had little thought of actually pulling out a win on the final day of the TBF Championship. The Elizabeth, West Virginia angler was in fifth place and 7 pounds, 9 ounces behind leader Nick Smyers who was on a strong pattern that produced two solid limits on days one and two. Harkness just went fishing.

“I honestly didn’t think I was going to be able to pull out a win so I just went out and had a good time,” he recalled.

Harkness, however, not only managed to have fun, he caught a five-bass limit that weighed 13 pounds, 11 ounces, one of only two anglers to catch a limit on the final day. His three-day weight of 40 pounds, 13 ounces was good enough to capture the win and the TBF’s $100,000 Living The Dream package. Although Harkness, a purchasing manager for a hospital, knew the winner would have the option of paid entry into the Wal Mart FLW Tour or Series, he never gave the choice much thought. Now he’ll have some decisions to make.

Smyers spots that surrendered so many fish on the first two days went dry on the final day, and he brought only two bass that weighed 5-7 to the stage at the Branson Convention Center. When it was over, Harkness edged him out by a mere 11 ounces.

“I had a fish on my third cast but it came off. I never saw it, but I’m pretty sure it was a keeper,” said Smyers, who focused on bluff walls toward the backs of major creeks.

He threw a Strike King Series 5 crankbait throughout the tournament while Harkness threw a Mega Bass jerkbait along bluff walls in the Diamond City area of Bull Shoals Lake.

Georgia angler Zach King, who was in fourth place after the second day, caught a limit that weighed 11 pounds, 3 ounces for a total weight of 38-13. He finished third in the boater division. Daniel Ellis of Tennessee slipped one spot to fourth overall with a three-day total of 34-7, and Brandon Craner, who was in second after day two, fell to fifth overall. His three-day total weight was 34 pounds, 3 ounces. New York angler Rob LaMoy rounded out the final six with 21 pounds, 8 ounces.

Woody Parks, who was in second place after the second day, won the co-angler division with 23 pounds, 13 ounces. He traded places after the second day with Michigan angler Mark Modrak, who ended up with 23 pounds over three days. Jerry Necaise of Mississippi finished in third; West Virginia angler Eric Stewart came in fourth; David Martinez placed fifth; and Peter De Moya of Massachusetts came in sixth.

Harkness and Parks will compete in the $2 million Forrest Wood cup in August and all 12 anglers will advance to the BFL All-American in May.

Harkness wins TBF National Championship on Bull Shoals

West Virginia angler nets $100,000 ‘Living the Dream’ prize package

14.Mar.2009

BRANSON, Mo. – Robert Harkness of Elizabeth, W. Va., a 50-year-old health care purchasing manager, is now “Living the Dream” after catching a five bass limit weighing 13 pounds, 11 ounces on the final day of The Bass Federation National Championship presented by the National Guard Saturday on Bull Shoals Lake. He captured the TBF National Championship title with a three-day total catch of 15 bass weighing 40 pounds, 13 ounces.

The victory earned Harkness a $100,000 prize package that includes automatic entry into the $1 million Walmart Bass Fishing League All-American presented by Chevy on the Mississippi River in Davenport, Iowa, May 28-30 and automatic entry into the $2 million Forrest Wood Cup presented by BP and Castrol in Pittsburgh, Pa., July 30-Aug. 2, where the top pro can pocket as much as $1 million – the biggest award in bass fishing.

“I really didn’t think I had a prayer when I went out this morning,” said Harkness. “I told my partner that I was going to go out and fish and do the same thing I have done the past two days and see what happens. This lake is a great lake and you could get five bites and they could all be four or five pounds apiece, and I said it’s not over until it’s over.”

Harkness, who caught all his fish this week on a stickbait, is looking forward to the Forrest Wood Cup. He said, “Pittsburgh is almost home. I have fished the area many times.”

“The TBF is great,” he said. “Every young person ought to get out there and join a club. It really costs you nothing and you get the opportunity to accomplish what I just did.”

In addition to the incredibly lucrative championship berths, Harkness also received $10,000 and a “prize package that includes use of a “Living the Dream” wrapped Chevy truck and Ranger boat powered by Evinrude or Yamaha, sponsor merchandise and entry fees into the 2010 Walmart FLW Tour or Walmart FLW Series to compete against the world’s top bass anglers.

Anglers from six nationwide TBF divisions competed during 2008 and qualified through a series of TBF club, TBF state and TBF divisional tournaments to compete in the no-entry-fee TBF National Championship.

Harkness started the tournament Thursday in 17th place with five bass weighing 13 pounds. He moved into fifth place overall Friday with a five-bass catch weighing 14-2 that bumped his two-day total to 27-2 going into the final day of competition.

Rounding out the division-leading boaters were Nicholas Smyers of Franksville, Wis. (Northern Division, 12 bass, 40-2); Zachary King of Clarksville, Ark. (Central Division, 15 bass, 38-13); Daniel Ellis of Gleason, Tenn. (Southern Division, 14 bass, 34-7); Brandon Craner of Filer, Idaho (Western Division, 12 bass, 34-3); and Rob Lamoy of Chazy, N.Y. (Eastern Division, 11 bass, 21-8).

Overall there were 19 bass weighing 42 pounds, 4 ounces caught by six boaters. The catch included two five-bass limits.

Craner also won a 198VX Ranger as the highest finishing Ranger Cup participant.

Mark Modrak of China Township, Mich., entered the final round of co-angler competition with a slim 9-ounce lead, but fell to second by only bringing in two fish weighing a total of 2 pounds, 13 ounces. The Northern Division angler earned $2,500 for the finish with a total of nine bass weighing a total of 23 pounds. This opened the door for Woody Parks, 35, of Lincolnton, Ga., representing the Southern Division.

Parks overcame the 9-ounce deficit on the final day thanks to two bass weighing 4-03 that boosted his three-day total to 10 bass weighing 23-13, good for a $5,000 cash prize and co-angler entry into the 2009 Forrest Wood Cup for a chance to fish for as much as $50,000. He also earned a berth into the BFL All-American presented by Chevy along with the top co-angler from each TBF division for a chance to fish for as much as $70,000.

“This has not quite sunk in yet, but it will,” Parks said. “I have wanted to make the All-American my whole life and now I am going to get to go. I am still trying to qualify on the boater side to try and make it by fishing BFL trails and have been real close on the boater side. Maybe I will get to go next year too on the boater side.”

Parks said he caught most of his fish on a DT6. “Most of the boaters were paralleling the high bluff banks and anytime they would give me a little leeway, I could throw the crankbait. You had to be hitting rocks to catch any fish. I threw a DT6, jerkbait, Lucky Craft Ghost Minnow and caught one of my better fish on a jig.

Rounding out the co-angler field were Jerry Necaise of Long Beach, Miss. (Central Division, eight bass, 22-0); Eric Stewart of Anmoore, W.Va. (Mid-Atlantic Division, 10 bass, 20-3); David Martinez of Tucson, Ariz. (Western Division, 11 bass, 17-10); and Peter De Moya of Plymouth, Mass. (Eastern Division, five bass, 9-2).

Overall there were 11 bass weighing 19 pounds, 14 ounces caught by six co-anglers. No angler caught a five-bass limit.

The entire field of 44 TBF boaters and 44 co-anglers fished Thursday and Friday for an accumulated two-day weight. The top boater and co-angler from each of the TBF’s six divisions advanced to Saturday’s final round, where the winners were determined by the heaviest three-day accumulated weight.

For full complete standings click here.

The Bass Federation Inc. (TBF) is owned by those it serves and is dedicated to the sport of fishing. TBF affiliated state federations and their member clubs conduct more than 20,000 fishing, youth and conservation events at the local level each year and have provided the foundation for the entire bass fishing industry for more than 30 years. For more information about The Bass Federation, visit bassfederation.com or call (580) 765-9031.

Weather Gets Better, Fishing Gets Tougher

TBF Championship, Day 2

David Hart

The 88 anglers competing in The Bass Federation Championship were greeted with warmer weather on the second day, but after bringing their fish to the scales at the Branson Convention Center, it’s safe bet many of them wanted the nasty weather they dealt with on Day 1 to return There was no snow, no wind and the daytime high inched up into the 40s. The fishing on Bull Shoals Lake, however, went the other way. Although 23 anglers in the boater division brought limits to the scales, only two broke the 15-pound mark.

One of them was Wisconsin angler Nicholas Smyers, who moved from second overall to first with a two-day total of 34 pounds, 11 ounces. He edged out Derek Cummings, yesterday’s Northern Division leader, by 3 pounds, 9 ounces to advance to the final day. The top boater and co-angler from each Federation division advanced to the final day and keep their cumulative weights from the first two days.

Brandon Craner of Idaho weighed a 13-pound limit for a two-day total of 30-3. He’s in second overall. Tennessee angler Daniel Ellis is in third with 28-3; Zach King of Arkansas caught five today that weighed 12 pounds, 7 ounces. His two-day weight stands at 27-10. Robert Harkness of West Virginia caught 27 pounds, 2 ounces over two days and is in fifth. New York angler Rob LaMoy is in sixth place with 19-13.

It was even tougher for the co-anglers, who brought 11 five-bass limits to the stage on the first day, but only two on the second day. The top six co-anglers in order are Mark Modrak of Michigan, Woody Parks of Lincolnton, Georgia, Terry Necaise of Mississippi, David Martinez of Arizona, Eric Stewart of West Virginia, and Peter De Moya of Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Ironically, Stewart and boater Robert Harkness have switched roles for this tournament. Stewart fished as a boater for the West Virginia state team at the Mid-Atlantic Divisional tournament while Harkness fished as a co-angler.

All 12 of the anglers fishing in the TBF Championship’s final day will advance to the $1 million BFL All American in May. But first, they will be focusing on catching another limit on the final day of the TBF Championship. The winner of the boater division will not only win a cash prize, he’ll win the TBF’s Living The Dream package, which includes paid entry into either the Wal Mart FLW Tour or Series, the use of a wrapped Chevy truck and Ranger boat, merchandise and expense money. He’ll also win a trip to the $2 million Forrest Wood Cup in August where he will compete against the best anglers in the world. The winner of the co-angler division will also advance to the Forrest Wood Cup.

The final weigh-in will be held at 3 pm at the Branson Convention Center.

Wisconsin’s Smyers Takes Lead InThe Bass Federation National Championship On Bull Shoals Lake

 (Mar. 13, 2009 – Branson, MO)… Northern Division boater Nicholas Smyers, 27, of Franksville, Wis., took over the tournament lead and is one step closer to “Living the Dream” after catching five bass weighing 15 pounds, 12 ounces on day two of The Bass Federation National Championship presented by the National Guard Friday on Bull Shoals Lake. Now, with a two-day total catch of 10 bass weighing 34 pounds, 11 ounces and a 4-pound, 8-ounce lead on the rest of the field, Smyers is one day away from making his dream a reality.

The catch was the heaviest of the day giving Smyers the lead over Western Division rival Brandon Craner of Filer, Idaho, in the race to win a $100,000 prize package that includes berths into two of the sport’s most coveted events – the $2 million Forrest Wood Cup and the $1 million Walmart Bass Fishing League All-American presented by Chevy.

“I have been working an area hard and beat it to death and getting what I could cranking in some dirty water,” said Smyers. “I hope there are not too many local anglers around tomorrow.”

Smyers said he is excited about qualifying for the BFL All-American. “I feel great knowing that. I have been trying to qualify for that for eight years and making that has always been my goal. My boss is pretty good about giving me time off to practice. I would love to fish the FLW Tour – I live to fish,” said Smyers regarding the potential of winning the “Living the Dream” package.

Anglers from six nationwide TBF divisions competed during 2008 and qualified through a series of TBF club, TBF state and TBF divisional tournaments to compete in the no-entry-fee TBF National Championship.

In addition to incredibly lucrative championship berths, the TBF National Championship will also award $10,000 and a “Living the Dream” prize package to the first-place boater. The package includes use of a “Living the Dream” wrapped Chevy truck and Ranger boat powered either by Evinrude or Yamaha, sponsor merchandise and paid entry fees into the winner’s choice of either the 2009 Walmart FLW Tour or Walmart FLW Series to compete against the world’s top bass anglers.

If his productive pattern holds up one more day, Smyers will advance to the 2009 Forrest Wood Cup presented by BP and Castrol in Pittsburgh, Pa., July 30 -Aug. 2, where the nation’s top pros will compete for as much as $1 million. He has earned a trip to the 2009 BFL All-American presented by Chevy on the Mississippi River in Davenport, Iowa, May 28-30 along with the top boater from each of the five other TBF divisions represented in Branson.

Rounding out the division-leading boaters are Brandon Craner of Filer, Idaho (Western Division, 10 bass, 30-3); Daniel Ellis of Gleason, Tenn. (Southern Division, 10 bass, 28-3); Zachary King of Clarksville, Ark. (Central Division, 10 bass, 27-10); Robert Harkness of Elizabeth, W.Va. (Mid-Atlantic Division, 10 bass, 27-2); and Rob Lamoy of Chazy, N.Y. (Eastern Division, 10 bass, 19-13).

Overall there were 159 bass weighing 382 pounds, 7 ounces caught on Friday by 44 boaters. The catch included 23 five-bass limits.

Mark Modrak, 43, of China Township, Mich., representing the Northern Division, held onto his overall lead amongst the co-angler challengers with seven bass weighing 20 pounds, 3 ounces over the first two days.

“It was kind of a struggle as the bite was not on today,” said Modrak. “I caught one fish early and one late. I caught the big one off a crankbait that I bounced off a rock on a point and [the fish] ate it. All my fish have been coming on crankbaits, so I will continue to throw that, but a lot will depend on my boater tomorrow.”

“It is great knowing I will be in the All-American, but it will be new deal for me as I am not usually on the co-angler side,” said Modrak. “It is a whole new level I guess.”

If Modrak holds on for the win, he will earn a $5,000 cash prize and a berth into the 2009 Forrest Wood Cup for a chance to fish for as much as $50,000. He has earned a berth into the BFL All-American presented by Chevy along with the top co-angler from each of the additional TBF divisions for a chance to fish for as much as $70,000.

Rounding out the division-leading co-anglers are Woody Parks of Lincolnton, Ga. (Southern Division, eight bass, 19-10); Jerry Necaise of Long Beach, Miss. (Central Division, six bass, 17-6); David Martinez of Tucson, Ariz. (Western Division, 10 bass, 16-2); Eric Stewart of Anmoore, W.Va. (Mid-Atlantic Division, six bass, 13-7); and Peter De Moya of Plymouth, Mass. (Eastern Division, five bass, 9-2).

There were 79 bass weighing 171 pounds, 7 ounces caught by 44 co-anglers on Friday. The catch included 2 five-bass limits.

Central Division boater Terry Kleeman won the Castrol Big Bass Award for the tournament with a big-bass weighing 6 pounds, 1 ounce, earning him a $500 cash award.

K Dock Marina will host takeoff Saturday at 7 a.m. Saturday’s weigh-in will begin at 3 p.m. at the Branson Convention Center followed by the Walmart FLW Tour weigh-in at 4 p.m. FLW Tour anglers will return to the convention center Sunday for their final weigh-in at 4 p.m.

The entire field of 44 TBF boaters and 44 co-anglers competed Thursday and Friday for an accumulated two-day weight. The top boater and co-angler from each of the TBF’s six divisions advanced to Saturday’s final round, where the winners will be determined by the heaviest three-day accumulated weight.

For the full results visit our Partners website at:

http://tbf.flwoutdoors.com/tournamentTBF.cfm?cid=80&did=0&t=results

In conjunction with the weigh-ins Saturday and Sunday, FLW Outdoors will host a free Family Fun Zone and outdoor show at the Branson Convention Center each day at noon. The Family Fun Zone offers fans a chance to meet their Fantasy Fishing team anglers face-to-face and review the latest products from Berkley, Lowrance, Ranger, Evinrude, Yamaha and other sponsors while children are treated to giveaways, fishing themed games and rides like the Ranger Boat simulator. Children 14 and under visiting the Family Fun Zone on Sunday will receive a free rod and reel combo courtesy of US 97 FM while supplies last. One lucky member of the audience will even win a new Ranger boat courtesy of the Springfield News-Leader that will be given away during the final 4 p.m. weigh-in Sunday, March 15. Admission is free, and you must be present to win.

On Saturday, March 14, musical group and local favorite DoGtag will perform between the TBF Championship weigh-in and the FLW Tour weigh-in at the Branson Convention Center. Legendary artist Moe Bandy will perform prior to the weigh-in on Sunday starting at approximately 3:15 p.m.

In a partnership with Goodwill, FLW Outdoors invites you to drop off your clean, gently-used clothing and household materials at the Branson Convention Center, March 14 and 15 starting at noon. In return, the first 500 to donate will receive a free BP die-cast boat, while supplies last. Donations will be sold at local Goodwill stores to help people with disabilities and other disadvantages receive job training and other important services.

The Bass Federation Inc. (TBF) is owned by those it serves and is dedicated to the sport of fishing. TBF affiliated state federations and their member clubs conduct more than 20,000 fishing, youth and conservation events at the local level each year and have provided the foundation for the entire bass fishing industry for more than 30 years. For more information about The Bass Federation, call (580) 765-9031.