Table Rock Lake PAA Bass Pro Shops Tournament Series Champion Shane Long with Championship Trophy.
“What a nail biter,” said Levi Kurtright, Director of Marketing for the Branson Tourism Center, one of the hosts of the Table Rock Lake PAA Bass Pro Shops Tournament Series presented by Carrot Stix. “Missourian Shane Long won the tournament with a total weight of 42.34 pounds, but the suspense went right up to the final seconds of the weigh-in.”
The three day tournament launched from the State Park Marina on Table Rock Lake October 14 through 16. After the first two days the field was narrowed down to the 24 finalists who fished in the Final on the 16th. The first two weigh-ins were held at the State Park Marina, but the weigh-in for the Final was held at the Fountain at Branson Landing. “It was a spectacular setting for the ending to a great tournament and the 2010 PAA Bass Pro Shops Tournament Series” said Kurtright.
For his efforts Long won a new Nitro Z-8 boat rigged with a Mercury Optimax 225 and T-H Marine Atlas Jackplate and $5,000. He said he was using a white Luck E Strike “3-J” jigging spoon, 20-pound test Seaguar fluorocarbon line, and a Falcon crankbait rod throwing the spoon to the back of boat slips. It should be noted that the particular spoon Long used is no longer in production “but is reportedly coming back to the market.”
Angler after angler praised the quality of the fishing on Table Rock Lake. Many said they have caught hundreds of bass during the three day tournament and that although they might not have been big enough for tournament use they were sure fun to catch. Too, there were the reports of plenty of bigger tournament changing bass that got off.
Jim Thompson, a long time tournament fisherman and the owner of the Central Pro-Am Association said, “It was a great event. Although the warm water, changing thermocline and fluctuating weather conditions presented challenges it was a great tournament and the reports by the fishermen on the numbers of bass they caught speaks well for the quality of fishing that can be expected on Table Rock Lake now and in the future.”
The Top Five Finishers, their Home State and their tournament totals are as follows:
1. Shane Long, Missouri, 42.34
2. Aaron Martens, Alabama, 36.41
3. Tommy Biffle, Oklahoma, 36.27
4. Kelly Power, Missouri, 36.16
5. Brian Snowden, Missouri, 35.65
“If you are a bass fisherman, and haven’t fished Table Rock Lake in Branson, it’s an experience you should not miss,” said Branson Tourism Center’s Kurtright. He also reemphasized what an honor it was for the Branson Tourism Center, one of Branson’s largest and most respected vacation planning services, to help host the tournament. Branson Tourism Center can be reached by either calling their toll free number 1-800-785-1550 or through their website www.BransonTourismCenter.com.