Teams battle in Veteran's Day tournament

Air Force took home the crown during the Connect Fishing League Veteran’s Day tournament.

The tournament took place between Nov. 10 and Nov. 15. The teams were split into three categories. One team representing the Air Force, another representing the Army, and finally a category for civilians. 

A total of nine participants signed up for the tournament, with two representing the Air Force, five representing the Army and two representing civilians.

There were three ways to win in this tournament.

The first is for the entire team to win. Every member of the winning team receives a 25 percent coupon code, even if the catch is not counted. Another way to win is to pull in the biggest individual big bass. The winner will receive a $100 gift card to Connect Outdoors. The last way to win is if the angler with the biggest individual catch is also an active Connect Fishing League member. If they are, they receive another $100 cash prize.

Team Air Force took the early lead and never looked back. Timothy Horton and Larry Gaines hauled in three catches on Veteran’s Day. They started in the morning by reeling in a largemouth bass that measured 14 inches, although the team was docked an inch because the mouth was open. A few minutes later, they hauled in another largemouth, this time measuring 15 inches.

He wrapped up Wednesday with a catch measuring 17 inches. Horton was back on the water Friday, where he brought in a 14.75-inch fish.

The pair hit the water again on Friday and brought in seven catches. They hauled catches measuring 13.75, 14.25, 14, 14.75, 15.75, 13.50, and 13.25. They ended the tournament with a total length of 144.25 among the 10 best fish, enough to take home first place. Timothy Horton took home the $100 gift card to Connect Outdoors and also won the $100 cash prize because he was a member of the Connect Fishing League. 

“Fishing was after a big rain,” Horton said. “The water had stained up to make it better for me. I fished a strike king square bill crank bait in black chartreuse 1.5. Prime pattern was around docks and between docks on points. Pitched docks with zoom trick worm red shad on shaky head 1/8 ounce. Caught a total of 21 fish during the 2 days I fished. Thanks for the opportunity to fish.”

Team Army hauled in a total of five catches, starting on Friday. The first catch measured 13.25 inches. The team added another catch on Saturday measuring 13.50 inches. The anglers added three more catches on Sunday, coming in at 14.50, 14.75, and 13 inches respectively. 

It gave Team Army a total length of 69 inches for all their catches, good enough for second place.

Team Civilian did all their fishing on Sunday, the last day of the tournament. They brought in two catches total. The first measured 14.50 inches and the second measured 16 inches. The total for the two was 30.50 inches.

Here is the fishing report from winner Timothy Horton.

Location: Lake Sinclair Georgia 

Gear: 

Rod & Reel - Bass Pro Shop - Carbonlite

Baits 

Strike King 1.5 Crankbait

Zoom Trick Worm Red Shad