Harris duo Kings of Caney, FOM!

Thanks to Brent Crawford for this great report on Fishers of Men’s bass circuit and congratulations to Kenny and Courtney Harris, circuit champions!

The North Central Louisiana division of the Fishers of Men season has come to an end with their final tournament held on Caney Lake. Blasting off from Brown’s Landing under light winds and clear skies just after 5:30 a.m., the field of 24 teams had 9 hours to locate and land a winning stringer of fish. For some, not only was a tournament victory at stake, but also the season points race. Coming into the final event, Kenney and Courtney Harris led the season points race but were followed closely by Greg Terzia and Ron Aulds. To thwart the competition and ensure they held their position, the Harris’ knew they’d have to produce a sizable stringer. With water temperatures having risen to 85 degrees, the anglers would have to go deep to find the larger fish. Over the course of the day, utilizing a combination of worms and deep-diving crankbaits, the team was able to land 10 fish that exceeded the 19” slot limit. The Harris’ five-fish limit for the day, which included a 7.5-pound kicker fish, tipped the scales at 24.02 pounds. With this weight, the father/son team placed 1st in the tournament and retained their standing in the points race, earning them the title of season points champions. In addition to the $2,250 for 1st place, the Harris’ received a $915 points championship payout and an automatic berth to the national championship. For Craig Parker and Dusty Mobley, the 2nd place winners of the tournament, success was found fishing deep humps and brush in a number of locations. Worms, crankbaits and jigs produced over twenty strikes for the team who weighed in a five-fish limit of 18.10 pounds. The 3rd place team of Lane McGaha and Chase McCullin followed a similar pattern but struggled to entice the fish to bite. Despite only getting a half-dozen bites, the anglers put together an impressive stringer of five fish weighing 16.74 pounds. Jon Robinson, fishing with his brother, Jeff, was targeting main lake structure with a drop shot rig on a spinning reel. Just after 9:45 a.m., the angler felt the distinctive “thump”, set the hook, and a five-minute battle ensued. Ultimately the team was able to bring the fish to the surface where they would get their first glimpse of the 8.96-pound behemoth. The fish, which is the largest fish caught in the series since 2010, would earn the Robinsons the tournament big bass title. Other money winners in the tournament were 4th place Tom McMillan and Todd Risinger(15.16 pounds) and “just out of the money” consolation prize winners Jon Richardson and Tim Richardson (5 fish, 14.93 pounds). In total this year, 60 teams participated in the 5-tournament series in which nearly $28,000 of cash prizes were paid out. The next stop for Fishers of Men anglers will be the District Championship scheduled for October 31st and November 1st on the Atchafalaya Basin in Morgan City. The top 80% in the season’s final points standings qualified for the two-day event in which they will compete with teams from across Louisiana and Mississippi for cash prizes and a berth in the National Championship. The Bridge Church of Ruston hosted the pre-tournament meeting held the evening before the event and James Skinner served as guest speaker. At the conclusion of his message, one angler recommitted his life to Christ. In total for the season, there were three first-time professions of faith and 26 others that recommitted their lives to the Lord. The Fishers of Men would like to take this opportunity to thank all the fine national sponsors that make Fishers of Men possible: Skeeter Boats, Yamaha, Stren, Pflueger, Strike King Lure Company, Nester Hosiery, Marshall’s Marine, Kings Home, New Tech Global, Lowrance Electronics, Power-Pole, Duckett Fishing, Buckeye Lures, Keelshield, Solar Bat, Jacobs Glass, Hydrowave, Rejuvenade, Berkley, and Rayjus Sportsware. The North Central Louisiana Division would like to thank our local sponsors that were instrumental in bringing the Fishers of Men National Tournament Trail to local anglers: Ludwig Brothers Marine; Crawford Financial; Honey Hole Tackle Shop; McMillan Painting; Lane McGaha Insurance; Brown’s Landing; Greg Terzia Bait & Tackle; Southern Steel Fabricators; Farmerville Motors; Sherwin-Williams; James Davis Construction; Community Trust Bank; First National Bank; McKinney Honda; KXKZ-107.5; Radian L. Hennigan, CPA; Ruston Glass & Mirror;and PriceRight Apothecary Plus. For more information about the tournament trail or if you would like to learn how you can partner with the division as a sponsor, contact Tournament Director Brent Crawford: (318) 548-4196 or brentwade@aol.com.