As the unmistakable smell of burned gunpowder loomed over the fields at the Arkansas Game & Fish Foundation Shooting Sports Complex in Jacksonville last weekend, Corning’s Senior Black trapshooting squad found itself in a familiar position - battling for a state championship. But it wasn’t meant to be, and the team finished in second place for the second year in a row.
Earlier in the day, Corning’s White and Gray squads were defeated in close competition, leaving the school’s Black and Gold squads to compete against each other in the Sweet Sixteen round. Taking that round by four points, Corning Black then defeated the Nashville Scrappers in the Elite Eight round to move on to the Final Four, where they had their best round of the day, topping the Danville team with a score of 124 broken clays out of 125 and making it to the championship.
In that final round, Corning’s squad found itself facing longtime friends and rivals, the Jonesboro Westside Warriors Red Squad, who took the event after finishing four points ahead.
“We ended up second, but the good part is we got beat by a team as good as us all day long,” said Corning coach Jim Clifton. “The kids hated that they lost, but they had comfort knowing they got beat by a team that was good.”
Losing to a lesser team who just happens to have a good day is a tough pill to swallow, he noted.
Black Squad shooters include Weston Horner, Chandler Conyers, Beau Young, Guy Clay Smith and David Ladd, each of which earned a $1,000 scholarship during the event.
“We had an excellent run this year, and I couldn’t be prouder of my shooters and parents,” Clifton emphasized.
The event wraps up the season for Corning’s shooters, but, Clifton said, he’s excited because almost everyone will be back next year.
“We’ll have 18 returning senior-level shooters,” he said.
Better Fishing
The water at Wappapello Lake remains high, but falling quickly, and from what everyone has told me, the fishing has really picked up.
Good stringers of fat crappies have become more common lately, with most being caught in deeper depths.
“They’ve been catching some good ones,” said Charlie Brotherton at Sundowner Marina.
Catfishing success also has picked up, with plenty of channel cats being taken.
Brotherton said he also saw a 61-pound flathead catfish taken on a trotline last weekend by Mike Allison, so there are big fish prowling the waters.
Smallmouth fishing on the Current River also has picked up considerably, and I’ve heard of some nice catches, including one couple who boated more than 70 fish in a few hours.
Unfortunately, our region is supposed to get quite a bit more rain over the coming days, so the lakes and rivers probably will swell again.
Free Fishing Days
If you don’t have your Missouri fishing license yet, or you want to try fishing for the first time, you’re in luck because this Saturday and Sunday are Free Fishing Days across the state.
During Free Fishing Days, anyone can fish in state waters without a license, trout permit or a daily permit at areas where they normally are required.
Some exceptions apply, including at some municipal and private areas.
During Free Fishing Days, all normal regulations apply, including length limits, daily limits and legal methods.
Tourney Winners
Fifteen teams fished Saturday’s Current River Smallmouth Association tournament at Van Buren, the organization’s first event of the season.
At the end of the day, the team of Hoffman and Williams were the top anglers, hauling in 13.96 pounds to the scales at the weigh-in. They also caught the biggest bass of the day, weighing 3.84 pounds.
Caringer and Cram took the second spot with 13.45 pounds, and fittingly, they also had the day’s second-largest bass, weighing 3.74 pounds.
Joachim and Joachim grabbed the third position with 12.37 pounds, and McAfee and Rutledge took fourth place with 12.15 pounds.
Rounding out the top five was the team of Neal and Neal with 11.84 pounds.
The Current River Smallmouth Association will fish again June 15, when it hosts its annual His and Hers tournament, based out of Van Buren.
PKC Hunt
If you’ve got coon dogs, you’ll have a chance to run them when the Butler County Coon Club hosts a PKC hunt beginning at 8 p.m. Thursday.
As always, the event will be based out of the club’s headquarters building off County Road 607, south of Poplar Bluff, and Terry Uhl can be contacted for information at 573-714-1624.