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April 14, 2011, Kimball, Tenn. - The bite is on and the anglers
are hungry fighting for a dream they can almost taste; the 2011 TBF National
Champion titles and all the glory will be decided this week on Lake Nickajack
in Kimball, Tenn. The TBF national champion boater will earn the
esteemed $100,000 “Living the Dream” prize package, including cash and prizes, fully paid entry fees into the FLW tour, travel funds and
use of a wrapped Ranger Boat and Chevrolet truck for the year. The national champion boater and non-boater
will also receive berths in the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup and BFL All-American. There’s a lot on the line for these state
champions and the competition is tight. Tomorrow,
it’s all or nothing, as the final cut will decide the top 14 division champions,
seven on the boater and non-boater sides, who will vie for the 2011 Federation
National Champion titles.
On top of the
leader board is Kenny Beale Jr. from Danville, V.A. with a five bass limit
weighing 20lb 7ounces. Beale honored the
Beale family tradition of successful federation anglers, making quite a
statement today at his first national contest.
“Fishing comes natural to me so I felt pretty good; I wasn’t really
nervous until I got to the weigh-in,” Beale said. Today was his second day to ever fish Lake
Nickajack and it appears he’s found his knack.
“I shook a lot of fish off and I’m glad I did. I had a limit by about a quarter after eight;
we probably caught about 20 keepers,” Beale said. “I just got lucky, got some nice ones and I hope
for the same tomorrow. I have probably
two to four spots with lots of fish coming to them, so I’ll definitely stick
with my plan.” Tomorrow’s weigh-in will
decide if he can make the final round to fish for the title. “I sure do hope so; that’s what we came
for.”
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Holding down the
top spot on the non-boater side is Dennis Hastings from Flower Mound, Texas
with a limit of bass weighing 15lb 4ounces.
Hastings partner today was Jesse Woodring from Jupiter, Florida. “Jesse is a great guy; I wouldn’t be where
I’m at today without him,” Hastings said.
Hastings had some trouble with a broken rod early and it almost put a
damper on the day. “It was an
interesting day I had a couple of fish early, and the broken rod kinda messed
with me. It was about four hours before
I found another fish.” Four hours
without a fish didn’t stop Hastings he retied a lure and pushed on. “I looked over at Jesse and it was 1:07pm; I
said, ‘I’m gonna have a limit by 1:20,’ and I fired it in. A couple of casts later I was set and it just
went on from there.” The top seven
non-boaters from each division will also advance after tomorrow’s weigh-in to
fight for the national title and all that comes with it. “Obviously, to be leading something like this
anytime is a great accomplishment; it hasn’t even set in yet. Hopefully, tomorrow I will be able to find
some good ones and get the chance to make it to the next round.”
The tournament
field consists of the top two anglers from 45 states, the top two anglers
representing the Canadian Bass Anglers Federation and the two BoatsUS
Collegiate National Champions, all of whom competed at local, state and
regional qualifiers to advance to the national contest. For most, the road to nationals has been a
two year process, and for many, it’s been several years of federation fishing
to finally make it this far. Now, they
compete to make it all worthwhile. Day two the final cut will be made and the
top 14 anglers will advance to compete for the dream of a lifetime at the 2011
Federation National Championship, presented by the National Guard on Lake
Nickajack in Kimball, Tenn.
Take-off 6am at
Shellmound; weigh-in begins at 3pm
Take offs and
weigh-ins are free to the public.
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TBF Press Release