Tommy culled all of his early morning fish except the one he caught out on the river. Culling fish is a time consuming activity, but it's one you really don't mind doing. Here is a picture of Tommy with his balance beam trying to decide which bass goes back in and which one gets a ride to the stage.
Tommy worked hard on upgrading his limit all afternoon. As time was winding down, with only literally a few minutes till we had to fly, Tommy made what he told me was his last pitch. Almost like he was calling his shot, he set the hook on his biggest bass of the day. A last minute louie fish! He was one happy camper!
What we all hope for, a last minute Louie kicker!
We buckled up right after that fish and headed out of his super slough and headed for the weigh in.
Power poles up and heading back to the weigh in.
It was a short run back to the ramp and Tommy motored quite confidently back into the tie up area. Tommy holds things pretty tight to the chest. He rarely cracked a smile and is known for being a very serious competitor. I felt though, that he had what he felt he needed to be a major player for the last day.
The crowd at the dock, "Hey there's Paula, Charlie, and Destiny.
When the various flights come in each day, tournament officials meet you and drop off a weigh in bag. You fill it up part way with water and then dig your fish out of the livewell. The bags zip shut and the pro then carries his sack behind the weigh in stage. Once there, the fish are placed in a tub where an official makes sure they all are the legal length. Then, the fish are rebagged in a semipermeable bag and place in treated aerated tanks. The fish are very well cared for and anglers are penalized if any of their catch dies. Immediately after their weigh in on stage a volunteer takes the bag, and the fish are put in aerated tanks on the release boat. The large pontoon release boat takes all the fish out away from the weigh in area and releases them.
B.A.S.S. has two release boats at their events.
After the Day Two weigh in was over, Mr. Tommy Biffle found himself in the lead by almost three pounds. On Day three, the final day, he returned to his "Honey Hole" and caught him another good sack of fish. When I approached him as they were trailering the top 12 pros to the stage, he told me that he had caught them good again. At that point, I knew he was going to win, and I got very excited for him. He's a great guy and a super angler.
Tommy being trailered Day 3 to his victory stage!
Biffle celebrates his Dixie Duel $100,000 win!
That's about all I have to say about the second day of the Bassmaster Elite Series Dixie Duel. I believe I have said it before, but when asked what I liked best about being a Marshal in the event, my answer was, "All of it!" I wanted to learn about Wheeler Lake so when I drag my boat down to my brother and sister-in-laws I'll have a more thorough knowledge of where the bass are hiding. Spending $25 a day riding with three pros is as much a bargain as it is a thrill. I would spend more than that for a days worth of gas if I were fishing there. As far as riding in the back of the boat and not fishing, well, it was relaxing, and it gave me time to really watch a pro at work. I learned quite a bit. The days went by quickly, and you can be sure I'm already thinking about what next event I'll try and Marshal at.
Here is an article from the Bassmaster site called,
Bassmaster Elite Series Winning Gear . It's their version of how Tommy Biffle won the event.
The parting shot today is taken from something Dick Vermeil once said which was, "If you don't invest very much, then defeat doesn't hurt very much, and winning is not very exciting." I would say in Tommy Biffle's case winning is very exciting. That wry smile of his was definitely there when he raised that trophy!
Take care, and make sure you take time out of your day to do something that puts a smile on your face.
A Target Rich Environment
A Honey Hole Dandy
