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Oklahoma Sweeps in Bass Shootout PDF Print E-mail
Written by Administrator   
Friday, 26 October 2007
The Oklahoma team won the Texas-Oklahoma Shootout on Choke Canyon Reservoir. They lead for all three days to take over the bragging rights from the Texas team. (left to right) Derek Remitz, Harmon Davis, Terry Butcher, John Sappington, Jeff Kriet, Mike McClelland, Edwin Evers and Tommy Biffle.
The Oklahoma team won the Texas-Oklahoma Shootout on Choke Canyon Reservoir. They lead for all three days to take over the bragging rights from the Texas team. (left to right) Derek Remitz, Harmon Davis, Terry Butcher, John Sappington, Jeff Kriet, Mike McClelland, Edwin Evers and Tommy Biffle.
Neither today’s north breeze nor Texas’ breathing down their necks was enough to cool the Oklahoma team’s hot streak as the group won the daily contest for the third day in a row, and their first-ever win of the Pioneer Beef Jerky Texas-Oklahoma Shootout on Choke Canyon Reservoir.

The final round of the event featured a head-to-head competition among the eight individuals on each side, and began with Oklahoma leading by a score of 5-2. With one point to be awarded for each “win” today, and one bonus point going to the heaviest bass limit, the potential did exist for a Texas team comeback, which has happened in the previous two events.

No three-peat this year though as Oklahoma team members won four of the eight matches today, and also got the extra point, resulting in a final score of 10-6. The Oklahoma winners included Edwin Evers with 12.82 pounds over Wade Middleton’s 7.84 pounds; Jeff Kriet with 21.28 pounds over Mark Pack’s 9.93 pounds; Mike McClelland with 23.20 pounds over Jason Reyes’ 12.51 pounds; and Tommy Biffle with 26.01 pounds over Kelly Jordon’s 13.62 pounds. Biffle and McClelland both had an 8-plus pound bass among their catches.

Texas’ winners today included Mike Hawkes with 17.11 pounds over John Sappington’s 10.91 pounds; Clark Wendlandt with 23.27 pounds over Derek Remitz’s 9.05 pounds; Todd Faircloth with 15.80 pounds over Harmon Davis’ 14.88 pounds; and Cody Bird with 16.22 pounds over Terry Butcher’s 15.40 pounds.

The day’s contest ended 5-4 in favor of Oklahoma, sealing their first win of this event. Although all 16 anglers divvyed the nearly $10,000 in total prize monies to help cover their travel expenses, the shootout title is more about bragging rights than cash rewards.

“I don’t think there’s a man on either side that wouldn’t have come here to participate had there been no prizes at all,” said the winning team captain Jeff Kriet. “None of us like to lose, anything, anywhere. So to take this title from a Texas team that has held it for two years now is especially sweet. We’re sorry we had to do it on their home waters,” he quipped.

“Captain America and his guys deserve some credit for the win,” said Texas captain Kelly Jordon. “But we thought we better let them get one so they wouldn’t quit and kill the series. We’ve heard nothing but whining from them ever since this Texas lake was named as the event’s site this year,” he concluded with a grin.

The verbal sparring has been as much a part of the event as the fishing ever since Oklahoma crossed its own state lines to recruit team members. Jordon’s reference to Kriet as “Captain America” is because the Texas team had earlier dubbed their counterparts as “Team America” since McClelland is from Arkansas, Sappington from Missouri and Remitz from Alabama.

Oklahoma counters the claims by saying the Texas venue for the shootout is not the “neutral” site that it is supposed to be. But both teams said regardless of where it’s held, they come to fish.

Oklahoma won the first day competition and the maximum two points by having the heaviest total weight for its eight-angler squad, 76.60 pounds vs. 71.01 pounds, and the heaviest bag, 23.41 pounds, caught by Kriet and Remitz.

They also took day two’s contest, featuring two-persons teams from each side matched against one another. Oklahoma, anchored by a whopping 34.97 pound limit caught by Remitz and Sappington, ended the day by getting three of the five points possible, giving them their 5-2 lead going into the final round.

Most of the anglers reported catching lots of keeper fish on the south-central Texas lake, and most said they were flipping soft plastics through the heavy surface canopies of aquatic vegetation found throughout Choke Canyon Reservoir. Remitz boated the event’s biggest bass, a 10.68 pounder caught on day two.
 
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