13 teams fished, 13 teams weighed in and 3 places were paid.
The second stop of the Lone Star Series Central Division was held Sunday March 28 on a very windy and ROUGH Lake Conroe. Just two weeks after David Bozarth won the Lake Conroe Big Bass Classic with a 12.63 pound fish, teams anticipated a slug fest if the big girls would stick around and cooperate.
Second and third places were decided by .02 pounds as Tyler Martin and Jeremy Geer’s 15.59 pound limit edged out the four fish bag, which included a 7.70 lb kicker, of Andy and Barbara Caldwell. The remaining top five places were also 15 pound limits and half a pound or less out of the money – which isn’t much considering Conroe has a 16″ minimum length. Although weights were lower than expected, the top weights were tightly grouped until one of the last teams, Mike Kernan and David Weber, made their way to the scales and changed everything.
If the names sound familiar they should, Kernan and Weber are Bass Champs partners and are always a threat to win on any body of water. If you’ve been fishing long enough, chances are you’ve seen the pair cut a check or two or have witnessed them towing away a new Skeeter at the end of the day. This day would be no different as the team swept the tournament by winning first place and Big Bass with a 22.22 pound sack that included a 9.79 pound kicker!
After adding the Oakley and Power Tackle prizes, they walked away with nearly $1900 in cash and prizes.
TTZ spoke with Mike and David after the weigh-in and gained a little insight to their winning day.
“We drove down to Conroe just for a little comraderie with the LSS guys, and to catch up with the TTZ gang. Unfortunately we arrived a little late after fishing the LSS event on Eagle Mountain and were not able to join the evening festivities at Papas on the Lake,” said Mike Kernan.
Mike had fished Conroe last year, around the same time, and found some spawning areas he would try out for the LSS event. Water temps were right for the fish to be
on the move and they started the morning in an area with temps in the low 60s.
The Big Bass of the tournament was caught by David; here’s what he had to say,
“We had some quick action in the morning, picking up two keepers on Chatterbaits. Then we caught a few more, but all shy of the 16 inch mark on Conroe. Around 11:30, I flipped into some visible brush and felt an ever so slight tap. I didn’t think it was a big one, but I set the hook and laid into the toad.”
It was the 9.79 pound big bass of the event and was caught on a LFT lizard in watermelon red.
In the afternoon, the team moved south to another bedding area near Lake Paula. The fish were moved up when they arrived and they proceeded to catch a limit of keepers out of there, along with a few short fish, mainly on crankbaits. Mike and David also managed to cull a couple times before heading in. When we asked Mike if he had any final thoughts, he simply stated, “It was a great day on the water.”
Mike would like to thank his sponsors Fun-N-Sun Boating Center, Skeeter, Yamaha, Minn Kota, Strike King, Lake Fork Tackle, Power Tackle Rods and Classic Fiberglass.
Congratulations to all the winners!
After it was all said and done, we caught up with Mike (or as his friends call him, The Second Most Interesting Man in the World) as he was loading up a couple of his new toys…check out the new trailer complete with new Skeeter FX powered by the new Yamaha V MAX SHO!
You may learn more about Mike Kernan by visiting his site at www.kernansfishing.com.
If you haven’t fished a Lone Star Series event we urge you find an event close to you and give them a try. The payout percentages are among the highest in the industry and the effort the directors put into each tournament is unmatched. There are two remaining tournaments in the regular season culminating in a two day Championship on Lake Lewisville in October; qualified anglers from the North and Central divisions will compete for a new $35,000 Nissan Titan!
To find out how you may still be able to qualify for the Championship or to check upcoming tournaments please visit www.lonestarseries.com.
Comments on this entry are closed.