Cold, Raining and Windy

Fifty-three teams launched in the cold, rainy and windy weather at the Outlaws Outdoors New Year's Eve tournament.

When the wind died down and the scales closed, the Cleveland area team of Richie Thornton and Ryan Clendennen brought in a stringer weighing 26.19 pounds to take home over $2,000 in cash and prizes including two Daiwa Tatula reels.

The second place team of Chuck Naomi and Andre Adams weathered the storm and turned the $165 entry fee into $1,300 with their 5 bass weighing 21.37.

Bobby Vice and Ricky Guy are no strangers to winning when the lipless crankbait bite is on, and they proved it with a solid third place finish. Their stringer weighing 21.22 pounds was good for $1,100.

Finishing out the top 4 teams was Mark Lanham and DJ Cherry with a 20.78 pound stringer good for $750.

Thornton and Clendennen were asked how they caught their winning fish. To no one's surprise, their reply was simple - Rat-L-Traps. Red and red/gold was the secret to their success in mid range depth grass.

Author: Tom Behrens

Tom Behrens has over 50 years experience in fishing and hunting across the United States. Much of this time was spent in Oklahoma and Texas where he became very familiar with the outdoor opportunities in these states. You may contact him by email at: [email protected]