The ‘catch phrase’ in the bass fishing world lately has become “Never give up”. Michael Iaconelli, the winner of the 2003 BASS Masters Classic, coined the phrase, after catching the eventual winning fish with just 7 minutes of fishing time left on the last day of competition. Iaconelli’s win was worth $200,000.00 and several more thousands in endorsements and sponsor contracts for a potential payday approaching the $1 million mark.
Now we catch up with Judd Rarey. He is fishing in the Trophy Bassmasters first club tournament of the 2005 season on Buckeye Lake in East Central Ohio. The weather has been cooperative and Rarey has tried many different lures as well as locations with different types of cover and structure, but still has failed to boat a bass. With only 15 minutes remaining in the 8 hour fishing day, his partner, Oliver Heldman, suggests returning to one of the lily pad fields they had combed earlier that morning. It was a good move as Rarey nails a 4.33lb largemouth using a homemade spinnerbait. The 1 fish is enough to win Rarey both 1st place and Big Bass for the day as the ‘Never give up’ attitude pays off again.
Don Kraft captured 2nd place with 3 fish weighing 3.44lbs. Two of his fish reportedly came on a spinnerbait also. The 3rd fish came on a plastic tube bait. Chris Swygart used a spinnerbait to fool 2 bass that weighed 2.35lbs for the 3rd place prize.
The 13 anglers were only able to bring 7 keepers of at least 12” or more to the scales for a total weight of a 11.27lbs. All 7 were released alive.