CELINA-Marty Buford and Billy Joe Botts took home the top spot here at Dale Hollow Marina last Thursday night at the ‘smallmouth-only’ tournament with an ‘over and under’ limit weighing 6.12 pounds.

They pocketed $240 from the series’ first 30-boat field of the year, thanks in part to their 4.62-pound smallmouth over 21 inches long.

Second place went to father-and-son team Steve and Stacy Smith.  They won $180 with two fish under 16 inches long weighing 3.46 pounds.

Jeremy Hill and Robert Smith used a pair of small fish weighing 3.21 pounds to take third place and $120, while Denton and Teresa Hummel claimed the final paid position worth $60 with 3.03 pounds.

Last 2 Thursday night tourneys of the month won with two small fish

CELINA-In the last two tournaments in May no smallmouth over 21 inches long showed up here at Dale Hollow Marina on Thursday night, but a good number of boats did.

Both events featured over 20 boats, with 22 blasting off three weeks ago and 25 competing the final Thursday night of the month.

Raymond Manis and Todd Stephens came out on top on Thursday night, May 21 with a pair of smallmouth under 16 inches long totaling 3.6 pounds to take home $176.

Second place and $132 went to Joe Jones and Terry Spears for their 3.55-pound catch, and Star Point tournament director Randy Roysden and Jeff Warden came in third to win $88 with 2.65 pounds.

Fourth place featured a tie between Derrick Anderson and Andrew Campbell, and Shawn and Shannon Kendall–who both had 2.03 pounds and won $22 each.

May’s final Thursday night champion team was that of Tim Jolley and Curt Parsons.  They had two smallmouth weighing 3.37 pounds to win $200 on May 28.

Tournament co-director Steve Smith and his son Stacy took the runner-up spot and $150 with 3.07 pounds.

Third place went to Ronnie and Matt Poindexter, who won $100 with 2.78 pounds, and Brandon Boone and Roy Brown took the final paid position with 2.52 pounds to win $50.

The series continues this week and the Smiths welcome anybody interested to come fish.

The tournaments start at 7 p.m. and participants return to a 11 p.m. weigh-in.  The entry fee is $20 per boat.

The series also features a ‘big fish of the year’ pot that has begun this year with a $10 one-time fee.  As of two weeks ago, there were 33 individuals participating and a 1.98-pound fish was in the lead.

For more information about the competitions, call Steve at 823-5746 or Jeff Smith at 823-4233.

4 five-pound sacks seen Friday night

CELINA-Four teams carried a two-fish limit of largemouth weighing over five pounds to the scales at the Friday night ‘any species’ tournament held here at Dale Hollow Marina this past weekend.

Robbie and Billy Joe Johnson of Byrdstown took the top spot worth $240 with their sack weighing 5.90 pounds and they added an additional $100 for their 3.21-pound big fish.

Second place went to Robert Reagan and Marty Shelley, who also call Byrdstown home.  They took the final paid position and $160 with two largemouth weighing in at 5.29 pounds.

Two other teams weren’t far behind and both had a catch weighing over five pounds.

First Friday night tourney sees good sack of largemouth

CELINA-The first Friday night ‘any species’ tournament held here at Dale Hollow Marina two weeks ago (May 29) produced a nice two-fish limit of largemouth weighing over seven pounds.

Tournament director Luke Sherrell and Joey Dyer teamed up to win $210 with a pair of lunkers weighing a total of 7.48 pounds, including a 3.94-pound bass that won the big fish award worth an additional $70.

Second place and $70 went to Steven and Jerry Arms for their sack weighing a total of 6.17 pounds.

The events allow largemouth, KY spots, and smallmouth to be eligible for the weigh-ins and they run from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m., featuring a $40 entry fee with 100% payback.  They also have an optional $5 big-fish pot each night.

For more information about the Friday night tournaments, contact Sherrell after 6 p.m. at 258-3706.

4 big smallmouth show up Saturday night at Star Point

BYRDSTOWN-A big field and several big fish made an appearance here last Saturday night at the ‘smallmouth only’ tournament at Star Point Resort.

Tournament director Randy Roysden said 25 boats blasted off, producing a good purse and four fish over 21 inches long.

Byrdstown natives Mitch Robertson and Tim Reagan had the heaviest of the brutes and the nearly five-pound fish pushed them over the top for the win.

Their 4.90-pound smallmouth, paired with a small kicker, gave them a total of 5.90 pounds–which handed them $400 and the victory.

Second place and $300 went to Derrick Ledbetter and Todd Stephens.  They had a 3.85-pound big fish and finished with 5.58 total pounds.

Ronnie Dowdy and David Beaty took the third spot with a total of 5.44 pounds.  They won $200, thanks in part to their smallmouth over 21 inches long weighing 3.97 pounds.

Taking the final paid position and $100 was Raymond Manis and Bud Cravens.  They finished with 5.21 pounds, including a 3.54-pound big fish.

Two ‘unders’ take last Star Point tourney in May

BYRDSTOWN-The night tournament held here two Saturday nights ago (May 30) at Star Point Resort was won by Robbie and Billy Joe Johnson with a pair of smallmouth under 16 inches long.

Their total of 3.91 pounds was enough to outweigh the bags of 16 other teams and the total handed them the $272 first-place prize.

Second place went to Bob Hill and Josh Sells, who won $204 with two fish weighing a total of 3.48 pounds.

Raymond Manis and Keith Reagan claimed the third spot and $136 with 3.41 pounds, and Mitch Robertston and Tim Reagan took the final paid position with 3.39 pounds to win $68.

Tournament director Randy Roysden said the fishing hours have changed to 7 p.m. through 1 a.m. as of last Saturday night, as they always do with the first tournament in June.

The tournament series is one of the biggest smallmouth-only weekly competitions held on the lake and it features a $40 entry fee and 100% payback.

For more information, contact Roysden at 879-0555.

Saturday night sees five three-fish limits 

CELINA-Five teams carried a three-fish limit to the scales last Saturday night here at Dale Hollow Marina, but Brian Burchett and Brent McCloud had the heaviest bag–which handed them the $210 first-place prize.

Their 5.20-pound catch included a quality three-pound largemouth and two smallmouth under 16 inches long, which was enough to outweigh four others who had mixed limits of three fish.

Final Saturday night tourney in May won with 3 smallmouth

CELINA-Brandon Cross and Michael “Smiley” Savage teamed up to win the Saturday night tournament held here at Dale Hollow Marina two weekends ago (May 30) with the first 3-fish limit of smallmouth the series has seen since its inception.

The team used a smallmouth over 21 inches long weighing 4.06 pounds and two under 16 inches long to total 6.71 pounds in route to claiming the $200 first-place prize.

Second place went to Steven and Jerry Arms, who paired two ‘under’ smallmouth with a 3.35-pound largemouth to finish with a total of 5.62 pounds.  They won $100.

“This was a good example of the variety of species combinations that can be weighed in under our limit,” tournament director Derrick Anderson told the HORIZON last Monday.  “It gives everybody their fair shot at winning.”

The events feature a limit allowing three bass, with only one of those fish being a largemouth or Kentucky spotted bass and they will continue throughout the summer.

Memorial weekend Saturday night event won with mixed limit

CELINA-Tournament director Derrick Anderson and Andrew Campbell took home the top prize on the Saturday night of Memorial Day weekend (May 23) here at Dale Hollow Marina with a largemouth and two smallmouth totaling 5.57 pounds to win $200.

Second place and $100 went to Friday night tournament director Luke Sherrell and Jerry Anderson.  They had a Kentucky spotted bass and a smallmouth under 16 inches long totaling 4.00 pounds.

The events will continue throughout the summer and are now being held from 7 p.m. to 12 midnight, but the hours may be expanded to 1 a.m. at a later date.  The entry fee is $30 per boat.

For more information about the new Saturday night tournaments, contact Anderson at 267-3211 or 243-6161.