Loser/Hornyak and Porter/Kirby take Co-Championship setting
new Bass Blast 5 fish weight record at 14lb, 2 ozs
The 2007 edition of the Central PA Bass Blasters started their long drive north on I-81 on Saturday, 14 July and
made a quick stop at Otisco Lake, New York.
The day produced a nice 3 lb fish for Bob Hornyak and his partner Woodsy but proved to be a less than productive day
of fishing for many of the remaining anglers. It was, however, a nice respite
from the long road trip. But enough said about Otisco…
The Bass Blaster’s arrived at beautiful Bobs Lake,
Westport, Ontario, Canada on Sunday afternoon and used the remainder of the day and all of Monday
to search out new spots and test their old favorites to see if the bass were still in attendance. Based on the pre-tournament results, there were plenty of hook-ups and the anglers reported 8 fish that
topped the 3 lb or heavier mark before the tournament began…a sign of things to come?
The Tournament took place on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings (17-18 July) with nice weather both days. This is the third year the tournament has been held at the lake and there was much in store for the Blaster’s
over the next two mornings. The professional angling team of Ron Loser and Bob
Hornyak took a commanding lead the first morning with a three fish limit and net weight of 10 lbs. 3 oz. This was anchored by a record largemouth of 6 lbs. caught by Mr. Loser which “seemed” hard
to beat. It set a new record for our group.
The team of Dale Sweigard and Tom Campbell weighed in second with a 3 fish limit at 8 lbs. even. Their weight was also anchored by a nice 3 lb 12 oz beauty caught by Mr. Sweigard. The third place team of Pro-Angler Jeff Smeltz and his partner Donny Hale weighed in 3 fish at 6 lbs. even. Rounding out the fourth spot was the team of Charlie Markley and Brad Bolton weighing
in 3 fish at 5 lb 3 oz. Unfortunately, Brad had the dubious honor of landing
the annual “Practice” award with a nice 5 lb. 7 oz larry largemouth later in the evening of the first day. The day one finishers in fifth through seventh went like this: Dean Shaner and Gerry Leader with 2 fish and 4 lb 15 oz, Gerry
Charles and son Jace Charles weighed 2 fish at 3 lb 9 oz, and the reigning ’05 ‘06 Bass Blast champs weighed in
dead last with 2 fish at 2 lb 5 oz. Obviously the writing was on the wall after
the first day. With Loser/Hornyak having a 2 lb 3 oz lead over second place Sweigard/Campbell
and the returning champs (Porter/Kirby) with a mere 2 lb 5 oz bringing up the bottom, the “fat lady” was stepping
up to the microphone to sing a beautiful rendition of "GOD Bless America"…or
was she?
The second morning dawned cool and hazy with little or no clouds and the boats were sent off at 0530 (in reverse order
based on weight). Team Porter/Kirby abandoned their traditional drift and headed
to Long Bay
where the action was hot and heavy on day 1. Several other teams went back to
Long Bay
as well and it proved to be a good call. The first to weigh-in was the last place
team of Porter/Kirby. They set the high water mark with 3 fish and a whopping
11 lb 13 oz. The weight vaulted them to first place with a five fish limit of
14 lb 2 oz. The weight was anchored by a nice 4 lb 6 oz largemouth from Mr. Porter. Gerry and Jace Charles were up next and could only muster 5 lb 3 oz for their 3 fish
and total weight of 8 lb 12 oz. Next were the two quiet guys, Dean Shaner and
Gerry Leader. Their 3 fish limit weighed in at 4 lb 5 oz. and total weight of
9 lb 4 oz. The two macho men of Charlie Markley and Brad Bolton stepped to the
scales with their 2 fish limit of 5 lb 14 oz. and total weight of 11 lb 1 oz. The
pro-boat of Jeff Smeltz and Donny Hale weighed in a two fish limit of 2 lb 14 oz and total weight of 8 lb 14 oz. Next came the second place team of Dale “Swiggy” Sweigard and Tom “Campy” Campbell. They needed 6 lb 3 oz. to take the lead…however, they came up short with their
two fish limit of 3 lb 1 oz and total weight of 11 lb 1 oz. However, they were
currently tied for second with the Markley/Bolton boat at exactly the same weight. That left the Day 1 leaders the only team
remaining to unseat the defending champions. The professional team of Ron Loser
and Bob Hornyak were looking for a meager 2 pound average (4 lb total) for their remaining two fish to take the title. When the scale was read, the two fish weighed exactly 3 lb 15 oz and the “fat
lady” choked and died. The tournament was tied with Loser/Hornyak at 14
lb 8 oz and the defending champs making the comeback of century with an identical 14 lb 8 oz weight. There was not a tie-breaker within the rules and Mr. Porter refused to take part in a third day fish-off
so a tie was declared and co-champions will reign until 2008.
This was truly a memorable tournament for the Bass Blaster’s…not only a tie for first but a tie for third
as well with Sweigard/Campbell and Markley/Bolton with identical weights. Mr.
Charles also had a memorable catch on Wednesday evening (after the tournament)…he hauled in a nice 6 lb 1 oz largemouth
and took the record from Loser for biggest fish. A couple other notables…Mr
Shaner with an 8 lb 7 oz pike…Mr. Sweigard with a nice 5 lb largemouth. All-in-all
there were 22 fish that met or exceeded 3 pounds and over 1,154 fish were boated among the 14 anglers for the 4.5 days of
fishing. Special thanks to Swiggy for putting together another great trip and
Charles for putting together the sponsor package. I know there are more than
a few that are disappointed in the tournament outcome, but there’s always next year.
Mr. Leader had a hook in his hand instead of a fish and Mr. Smeltz was hit up side the head with a jig by Mr. Hale, Smeltz thinks it was a 1/4 oz.
Our only regret is that our fellow angler and Big Fish Network host (WWIN) Jim “Ummie” Umberger and his
partner Rick Armermann could not take part in the annual event due to the deteriorating health of Jim’s mother. His mom passed away on Saturday 21 July and our thoughts and prayers go out to Jim
and his family.
Well, that’s a wrap for the 2007 Bobs Lake Bass Blast…just remember
there’s only 357 days till we leave again for Nordlaw Lodge. And don’t
forget, when you’re having trouble catching fish, remember this wise old saying my dad taught me and repeat it out loud
in the boat….Bite Fishy Bite, Your Momma Says You Might, Your Daddy Says He Doesn’t Care, SO BITE FISHY BITE!!!!! Works for Kirby and I….three years in a row!
Tight Lines… 
