61 teams fished, 35 teams weighed in and 20 places were paid. Use the scroll bar on the right to view all the results.
The Tuff Man Championship, held on Lake Belton, took place on a bitterly cold January 10th. The anglers were punished by 25 to 30 mph north winds and low 40 degree temperatures. But would anyone expect any different with a tourney trail of this name? Our camera boats filmed throughout the lake during the championship, and found conditions treacherous to say the least. In most areas of the main lake, we found sustained swells in the 3 foot range!
After battling big chop for 8 straight hours, it was time for the anglers to head back to the Dome. The weigh-in was packed, as the stands of the convention center watched anglers roll up to the stage with their boats and hopes in tow. Like the B.A.S.S. and FLW events, finalists are drawn through the arena and allowed the opportunity to bring their bags to the scales in front of a huge indoor crowd. As tough as conditions were, we were more than impressed with the fish brought in. The volatile conditions apparently got the smallmouth bass stirred up, as many bags carried more than one healthy bronzeback. The Tuff Man final saw 61 teams compete. Of those, 35 weighed in fish with 20 teams receiving a check.
The winning team of John Guerra and Paul Stokes braved the conditions to pull a stellar sack into the Bell County Convention Center. Their bag tipped the scales at 19.53 pounds, anchored by a fish of 7.57 pounds. We spoke with the winners, and heard of their impressive year in Tuff Man. They actually qualified twice, which Stokes pointed out. “On Belton we came in 9th or 10th out of 120, cut a check and took big bass there. Next month we qualified on Stillhouse by winning that tournament and won big bass, we had 36.8 lbs for 5 fish. We’ve been very, very, very blessed!” Guerra summed up team tournament fishing as well as any. “You need a partner you get along with and respect. You need confidence in each other’s abilities, it doesn’t matter who catches the fish since we’re a team. Being able to work and fish together as a team is very critical.” Guerra also shared with us that they did not shy away from the wind. In fact they sought it out! Slow rolling spinnerbaits and crankbaits on the surf beaten shores proved to be their winning pattern. In this event alone, they toted home a check of over $12,500 after their Legend Advantage incentive. Stokes and Guerra are proud to be sponsored by Marine Outlet and Legend boats.
Husband and wife team Craig and Carla Gilbert took second place honors with a jigging spoon, which they are well known for in the area. With 17.41 pounds and an almost 4.5 pound anchor fish, they took home a nice check of over $6,000 with the Triton Gold bonus. Craig gave us some insight into their day. “Weather was rough and cold, really a tough day for fishing. Caught most of my fish on a spoon in 35 foot of water. Everyone around here knows that, and they call me ‘jigging spoon’.” He declined to share the color, but said it wouldn’t be hard to find out if we asked around. Trust us Craig, we will.
Brothers and Anglers of the Year, Adrian and Daniel Barnes were dominant throughout the season. They too are sponsored by Marine Outlet and Legend Boats. Congratulations to Adrian and Daniel on a phenomenal run.
If you don’t know much about Tuff Man, we recommend you look into it. This trail is anchored around 4 regular season qualifying events, which allow the top teams from each event to fish the championship tournament. The final, and its dramatic weigh-in, are centered around a boat and tackle expo featuring the top tackle manufacturers and boat dealers from central Texas. We at TTZ found the booths that filled the venue to be informative and friendly. From the interactive Humminbird and MinnKota trailer to all the custom tackle manufacturers, it left us a little dizzy quite frankly….but in a good way for sure. And don’t even get us started on the boat selection, as nearly every dealer was on hand with incredible selections. There was even plenty for the kids to do, as among other things they were able to crowd around the catfish tank for a little rod pullin’ action. Crowds from around the state descended to find the best deals on a new boat, buy some much needed tackle, and watch some of Texas’ best anglers brave the conditions.
As far as TTZ is concerned, Tuff Man is the real deal. Huge payouts, roughly 60 boats to compete with in the final, four lakes to qualify on, and a weigh-in that is rivaled by none top the list for reasons to consider. For more information you can contact Rick Smith at Marine Outlet, or us here at TTZ .
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