SEMO bass angler teams compete in regional tournament

Three teams from the Southeast Missouri State University Bass Anglers team just returned from another successful regional tournament on Lake Dardanelle in Russellville, Ark. The teams competed March 20 to 21 on this 34,000 acre impoundment but were met with weather which resulted in tough fishing conditions.

Approximately 57 teams from teams all over the Midwest were in competition. Two of the Southeast teams prevailed though after the first day. The team of Jim McDevitt and Alex Skelton ended day one in eighth place with five keepers and a weight of 10.79 pounds.

Taylor Gorton and Mike Rains sat in 11th place with a weight of 9.43 pounds and four fish.

"The Lake was very tough this year, ice moved in last week on the lake," Gorton said. "The weights from this year are a shock especially compared from the past few years."

Day two came with a new challenge as cold morning rains came and lasted until noon. A change from the clear and blue skies from the previous day.

As day two finished McDevitt and Skelton could only bring in three keepers for a weight of 8.05. Gorton and Rains weight came down to the wire with five minutes left.

"We were about to pack up and leave the area until I had to make one more cast and boom, a 5.29 pound Lake Dardanelle largemouth bass was on the line," Rains said.

That weight elevated their day two weight to 13.45 pounds, which also put them in sixth place at the end of the tournament. McDevitt and Skelton dropped down to 11th but were still satisfied with the outcome.

"We had a strong pattern throughout the tournament but unfortunately it was not the strongest," McDevitt said.

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First place: U of Louisville Cody Greenwell/ Daniel Day 34.52

Second place: U of Alabama Foster Bradley/ Jeremy Christian 32.13

Third place: Murray State U Daniel Langton/Cory Carr 31.34

Fourth place: Kansas State U Ben Fuchs/ Jared Fish 25.74

Fifth place: Wabash College James Ket/ Paul Musielak 25.21

Sixth place: Southeast Missouri State Taylor Gorton/ Mike Rains 22.88

Seventh place: Arkansas Tech U Scott Lambert/ Aaron Tripp 21.59

Eighth place: Oklahoma State U J Trevor Packs/ Cory Sloan 20.84

Ninth place: Kansas State U Casey Burden/ Rayn Baker 20.76

10th place: Eastern Oklahoma U Lane Kindle/ Travis Mintz 20.46

11th place: S E Missouri State Jim McDevitt/ Alex Skelton 18.84

12th place: Arkansas Tech U Roy Roberts/ Adam Brown 17.09

13th place: U of Alabama Joe Humphries/ Daniel Statum 16.62

14th place: Murray State U Dustin Phillips/ Ben Helmerich 16.40

15th place: Northwestern U (LA) Paul Rini/ Aaron Sistrunk 16.03