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Big Weigh-In: Sapp & Bass Fishing Tournament

esseditor | Monday May 3, 2021
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On May 1st, Emery Sapp & Sons (ESS) hosted its inaugural Sapp & Bass fishing tournament at Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri. Thanks to our gracious industry partners and strong support from the angler community, Sapp & Bass reeled in $10,000 for The ESS Foundation! Read on to get the event recap and check out which anglers took home the top spots!

Friday evening before the tournament, it was seventy-five degrees and the sun was setting behind Lake of the Ozarks. A hazy orange glow mirrored across the water. The tiki torches were lit and the James Clay Band started jamming at Margaritaville. A hundred of our industry partners and angler community members joined us for our pre-tournament Bait & Booze party. On a patio overlooking the lake, we ate our weight in coconut shrimp, enjoyed a few cold ones, and competed in yard games.

Bait & Booze Party Sponsors:

Before the sun rose Saturday morning, a crop of pro and amateur anglers met us at Pa He Tsi boat ramp. The coffee was brewed, grab-n-go breakfast sandwiches were served, boat numbers were assigned, and more than 100 anglers were ready to hit the water. Al McCulloch of The National Professional Fishing League and Charlie Terrell of Anglers in Action emceed take-off announcements, laid out the rules, and called out boat numbers for our 29 pro and 19 amateur teams. Hearing their number called, each boat set off in search of big bass.

Bottom Bouncing Breakfast & Take-Off Sponsors:

Our 48 teams throttled across the lake in hopes of hooking up to three bass that would give them the heaviest combined weight for their division and if they got lucky – the single biggest bass of the day. The anglers cast lines around their favorite docks and in their secret coves. After six hours on the water, our teams made their way back. The crowd at weigh-in enjoyed burgers and brats fresh off the grill with a side of their favorite domestic cold one. In drive-by weigh-in format, each truck and trailer circled the team boats around to the weigh-in stage. Each team showed off the best from their live-well. The bass was checked, weighed, and the leader-boards started to move. As final weights were tabulated, raffle numbers were called and the winners took home Yeti rigging buckets, $100 gift cards to Dick’s Sporting Goods, bottles of Rieger Whiskey, and more.

Lunch & Live-Well Sponsor:
Sapp & Bass 2021 – Open (Professional) Division Winners: 
1st Place – $5,000
Chuck Austin & Dale Burgman
Total Weight: 12.82 lbs

 


2nd Place – $1,500
Andy Gill & Scott Grause
Total Weight: 11.21 lbs

 


3rd Place – $1,000
Jared Williams & Mark Wiese
Total Weight: 10.85 lbs

 


4th Place – $750
Patrick Joyce & Garrett Cates
Total Weight: 10.79 lbs

5th Place – $500
Dan Hirstein & Dave Hulsey
Total Weight: 10.77 lbs

 


6th Place – $250
Dana Zander & Jim Dill
Total Weight: 10.24 lbs

 

Sapp & Bass 2021 – Amateur (ESS & Partners) Division Winners:

1st Place – $1,000
Max Jaben, Cale Johanning & Lauren Plunkett
Total Weight: 11.37 lbs

 


2nd Place – $500
Travis Hogle, Tyler Hogle & Justin McFarland
Total Weight: 8.04 lbs

 


3rd Place – $350
Logan Landwehr, Jeff Borgmeyer & Tate Borgmeyer
Total Weight: 6.84

 


4th Place – $200
Grant Nichols & Roger Rackers
Total Weight: 6.63 lbs

 


5th Place – 2 $100 Cabela’s Gift Cards
Neal Preston & Spencer Stillman
Total Weight: 5.01 lbs

 


6th Place – 2 $100 Bass Pro Gift Cards
Bill Kivett, Richard Rowlins & Kyle Bilderback
Total Weight: 4.69 lbs

 


7th Place – 4 $50 Bass Pro Gift Cards
Lonnie Thomas, Devin Gordon & Erwin James
Total Weight: 4.21 lbs

 

Friends of Sapp & Bass:
Thanks to our employee-owners, industry partners, and the angler community for making this event a great success! We look forward to hosting you again in 2022!