2007 Charity
Bass Derby
A group of 15 teams gathered on this day for the 1st annual FOCL charity bass
derby to benefit
the Samuel Dixon Health Center and the Castaic Lake Jr. Lifeguard Program. This
event was put
in place to effectively replace the old Bassing for Abused Kids Charity event.
With that foundation no longer in operation, it was decided that another
event to benefit local
charities could work well.
At 6:45am sharp, teams blasted off in search of that winning pattern.
Weigh-in time was
set to start at 2PM. Local pro and WON BASS tournament director Ron Cervenka
teamed up
with his son Timothy and weighed in a solid limit of 12.55 Lbs and took the
lead for a short
time. It was about that time that Jack Kwiatek, fishing solo, stepped up to the
scales and
proceeded to remove one five pound bass after another out of his livewell. When
the scales
finally settle he had left the rest of the field in the dust with a huge 25.11
lb limit anchored by the
event big fish of over six pounds. Way to go Jack!
After weigh in was completed, all the anglers were treated to a great chili
dog cookout
courtesy of the Castaic Lions Club. Raffle tickets were sold, giving everyone
a chance to win
some great product donated by our generous sponsors. Awards were then given
out, including
a check for over $1500 to Jack for his great winning limit. Ron and Tim
Cervenka garnered
second place and received $591 in winnings, and won 1st place in the
adult-child division. Ron
gave a great speech in explaining their successful pattern and spoke also about
his wishes that
this event grow larger in the future.
Paul and Crystal Vogler were also rewarded for being the highest placing
male-female
team in the field. It was great as well to see long time tournament weigh
master Dave Keys
competing in the event. And of course, I would be remiss if I did not mention
the 3rd big fish of
the event, which got $105 for Marcia Thompson of Sylmar. Way to go Marcia!
One of the greatest beneficiaries of this tournament, or course, were the
two charities. A
total of $1041 was earned for these charities, with a two way split meaning that
each charity will
receive $520.50! This includes money from entry fees and our very successful
raffle. Thanks so
much to each and every person who fished this event, your generosity is very
much appreciated!
A huge thanks goes out to the sponsors who supported this event. This
included Randy
from Roboworm, Val from Action Tackle, Gary McNaught of McSpin tailspins, Grant
Powell of
Sun Country Marine, and Mike Lander of our very own Castaic Bass Club. Also a
special thanks
goes out to Ron Cervenka for the Huddleston products he donated (including a ROF
12 troutbait)
and a Lok-R’Bar, valued at $180. Thanks Ron!
Thanks so much to my tournament staff, including Marcia Thompson, Karl
Kratzer, Mike
Munson and son, Kathey Hartman, and Shelley Singer. And of course, Anglers
Choice
tournament director Mike Iljin, who did a great job of guiding me through the
running of this
event Kudos to Flo Lawrence and company of the Castaic Lions Club for a
great chili dog
cookout after the tournament. And thanks also to Senior Lifeguard Ralph Searcy
for his
assistance with the event. Lastly, thanks to the fisher folks who fished this
event, your generosity
will allow the two charities to split $1041!
I am hoping to schedule next year’s event again for the day before Easter,
putting it on
March 22nd, 2008. We hope to see you all out there at that one too!
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