The turnout may have been down a little, but, Gerry Robinson said, anglers in Saturday's Wappapello Bassmasters tournament still had a great day.
"It was one of our smaller turnouts, with only 26 boats," said Robinson. "We had a great day, and the rain held off the entire day. All in all, it was a very successful day on the lake."
Clay Henson and James Thurston were the top anglers, bringing in 17.54 pounds to the weigh-in. Their winning weight was helped by having the day's third-largest fish, which weighed 4.98 pounds, and their efforts earned them $1,250.
Topwaters and swim baits, while covering lots of water, were the team's ticket to success, Henson said.
Second place went to Todd Boyd and Richard Boren with 15.52 pounds, good for $800, while third place was earned by Terry Holmes and Terry Young with 15.47 pounds. They earned $120.
Dell Walker and Danny Walker grabbed the fourth spot with 15.44 pounds ($80), and rounding out the top five (and the paying positions) was the team of Adam Hutson and Ryan Hutson with 15.43 pounds ($50).
Paul Taylor and Jerry Pyles took the sixth spot with 14.12 pounds, and they also had the day's second-largest bass, which weighed 5.24 pounds. The seventh-place finishers were Shawn Harty and Joe Blackburn with 12.32 pounds, and they were aided by the big fish of the day, which weighed 5.95 pounds.
Matt Allison and Mike Allison took the eight position with 11.97 pounds, while Watten Manion and Colton Jennings grabbed the ninth spot with 9.47 pounds. Rounding out the top 10 spots was the team of Glen Anthony and Tyler Umfleet with 8.32 pounds.
A total of 73 fish were weighed, Robinson said, with a total weight of 165.81 pounds.
Smallmouth
Winners
Eighteen teams fished Saturday's Current River Smallmouth Association tournament at Van Buren, Mo., the organization's first of the season.
McAfee and Rutledge topped the field with a stringer weight of 11.12 pounds.
Second place was earned by Henderson and Henderson with 10.72 pounds, and they also had the day's second-largest bass, which weighed 3.69 pounds.
Third place went to Nicholson and Nicholson, who had 10.47 pounds at the weigh-in. They also had the big fish of the day, one tipping the scales at 4.05 pounds.
Fourth place was earned by Smith and Stoker with 10.27 pounds and rounding out the top five spots was the team of Kram and Williams with 9.92 pounds.
The club will fish again on June 17, when it hosts its annual His and Hers tournament, also at Van Buren.
Weekend
Tournaments
There are a couple more bass tournaments scheduled for this weekend at Wappapello.
On Saturday, the Wappapello Bass Circuit will host a make-up event for the May 20 tournament, which had to be canceled because of high water.
Take-off from the Redman Creek ramp will be at safe light, with the weigh-in slated for 3 p.m.
Remember, this organization holds an informational meeting at 6 p.m. the night before each tournament to dole out boat numbers. The meetings take place at the Wappapello VFW.
If you need more information, give Justun Buchanan a call at 573-429-6312 or Matt Allison at 573-778-6969.
The other tournament this weekend is Sunday's Angler's Choice event, fished from Chaonia Landing.
Launch time has been set for 5:30 a.m., and weigh-in will be at 3 p.m.
Ken Owens is the tournament director, and he can be reached at 573-820-3715.
High Water,
Good Fishing
Wappapello Lake has fallen to just below 372-foot mark, which means it still is about 12 above normal summer pool. The water, however, is clear and looks good.
"The lake is just beautiful right now," said Charlie Brotherton at Sundowner Marina. He also cautioned visitors to not let the road closure signs scare them away.
While catfishing has remained good, especially in the flooded brush along the banks, bluegill fishing really has picked up lately.
"They're catching a lot of bluegills," Brotherton said, "and I've been selling a lot of crickets."
Some anglers, he said, have been "filling buckets" with bluegills.
With a full moon this weekend, bluegills should be in another spawning spell, so keep an eye out for bedding fish.
Brotherton said he's heard a few good crappie reports, but experienced anglers told him the fish are tight in the brush, making fishing a little more difficult.
At Clearwater Lake, the water level has dropped to about 557 feet, but that still is 59 feet higher than it should be.
All boat ramps and beaches at Clearwater remain under water, so you'll have to launch your boat off the roadway. If you do, be sure not to block the road with your parked vehicle.
A quick check of Cane Creek and Tenmile Creek in Butler County earlier this week showed them both to still be somewhat high and off-color, with visibility limited to not much more than 6 inches. Wading either one could be a little challenging in areas, but putting in the effort might produce some good smallmouth bass or goggle-eyes.
Nature
Program
If you're not a tournament angler and you need something outdoorsy to do with your family this weekend, the Mingo National Wildlife Refuge will be hosting a "Tracks and Scat" interpretive program beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday.
The program will teach visitors about the signs animals leave behind in their normal routines, giving insight into the lives of the animals.
The program will kick off with a hike along the Boardwalk Nature Trail to look for animal signs, and that will be followed by crafts and other activities at the visitor center.
There's no charge for the program, and if you need more information, give the staff at the visitor center a call at 573-222-3589.