April in central North Carolina generally means warming weather and warming weather in the spring means only one thing to the bass angler – the spawn. This year was no different the week prior to the 9th-annual Warriors on the Water (WOW) Military Appreciation Tournament. (Pictures in full article)With the warming surface temperatures the fish moved shallow, clearing beds for the spring ritual, leaving little doubt everyone involved would catch fish.
Then Monday, four days before the event, the weatherman predicted the only thing that would postpone or cancel an event. Forecasts called for severe daily thunderstorms with “possible tornados” through Saturday – something nobody wants to see the week of any tournament.
As luck would have it, and I’m sure some prodding from the Man above, the storms dissipated leaving both Thursday and Friday with some of the best weather, so far this year, for the Warriors and their volunteer boaters.
Most fish were reported caught in less than 5 feet of water, either on beds or by blind casting to spots that would likely host a bed. Soft plastics played a major role in the top 10 but a few of the top finishers did report weighing fish on topwater baits, spinnerbait and jigs.
The team of Will Blanton (civilian) and Army SPC Cory Kidwell topped the field of 150 teams with a limit of fish that tipped the scales to 20-13. Second-place honors went to the team of Jimmy Hayes and Army SPC Ryan Webster with 19-09.
The team of Robert Walser (civilian) and Army SGT Robert Crisostomo weighed in a limit for 18-10 and 3rd place while Roger Hubbard and ARMY SPC Cassidy Damon took 4th place with a limit that went 17-07. Rounding out the top 6 was the 5th-place team of SFC Jason Perrego (boater) and SFC Bryan Griswold with another limit weighing in at 16-07 and 6th-place team Ethan Cox (boater) and MSGT Brian Galbreath with five fish for 15-15.
Big fish for the event for the event went to the team of Blanton and Kidwell with a 7-06 pig.
Here’s how the top teams did.
1st-Place: Blanton/Kidwell Saw ‘Em
If you know anything about tournament fishing in North Carolina, especially tournament fishing on Jordan Lake, without a doubt you know the name Blanton. For the second year in a row, a WOW first, Team Blanton took home the 1st-place trophy, this time amassing a limit of fish weighing 20-13 topped by big fish for the event at 7-06.
“This event was a lot different than last year,” Blanton said. “Last year we had three fish within 30 minutes and spent most of the day culling. This year started really slow.
“We completely left the fish we’d planned on fishing and went to a different part of the lake where I’d seen a decent fish the day before. When we got there I started on that fish and this big fish swims into the bed with it. Cory caught the 3-10 and we started looking for the big fish.
“She was kind of hidden so we spent an hour on her and finally got her to bite and in the boat.”
They relied on sight fishing to bag their winning limit.
Asked what this event meant to Cory he said, “I’ve participated in Wounded Warrior events and Valor Unlimited events in the past but this was my first WOW event. This meant the world to me. It’s an honor to meet all the different families, volunteers, and other co-anglers from all the other military branches. Everyone was so respectful and thankful – in other tournaments I’ve fished none of them have had the family atmosphere that this one did.
“On top of that the knowledge Will shared with me today was amazing. I’ve always said if you fish with someone different, you’re always going to learn. That was true today.”
Blanton has fished the event for eight years and there’s a reason he keeps fishing.
“Growing up in Fayetteville, having a business where more than half of my customers are either active duty or former military, and with most of my family being retired military you get a deep respect for what these people do for us. It’s just nice to be able to come back and give a little back. Cory here is a great guy and I’m thankful I could show him a little appreciation for all he’s done.”
2nd-Place: Hayes/Webster – Swim Jigs and a Senko
Hayes and Webster also stayed shallow and coaxed bed fish for their 2nd-place finish. They relied on Hayes’ homemade swim jigs for all their fish except their big fish, a 5-pounder.
“I make my own little swim jigs and they were just eating it today,” Hayes said. “I’d swim it and they’d move five feet and follow it. When I figured out where their bed was, I’d throw right back in there and they’d nose down on it and eat it.”
The big fish, caught by Webster, was a different story, though.
“Ryan caught the big fish on a Senko and it got hung on a log,” Hayes said. “I put the Power Poles down and went to try and handline the fish and it came off (the log). The I ran to get the net, I almost tripped, and got it under her. We got her in the boat and all we did was whoop and holler. 2 minutes later I caught the fish I’d been fishing for when Ryan hooked the big one. From there we just went and fished new water and filled our limit.”
Like many of the volunteers, Hayes has a personal reason for supporting the event.
“My dad was an engineer like Ryan here. If it wasn’t for these guys I wouldn’t be fishing these tournaments. That’s why I come here – to support these guys.”
Webster was also appreciative of the support shown.
“This event means a lot to us. It’s nice to get out and relax. These guys are amazing for doing this for us.”
3rd-Place: Walser/Crisostomo – Blades and Hogs
Walser and Crisostomo beat the bank and brought in enough weight to take 2nd place if not for a late penalty. Their 19-10 limit was docked a pound but still good enough for the top 3.
“We just fished the bank with spinnerbaits and brush hogs all day,” Walser said. “We had a good bite all morning and caught eight or nine fish and then around 1PM our bite quit.”
To go with their limit they had two fish in the 5-pound class.
“You can’t not fish this tournament,” Walser said. “You get to take a guy out on the water who’s been sticking his neck on the line for you. It’s nice to give them an experience he may not otherwise have. In fact this was Robert’s (Crisostomo’s) first time in a boat.”
“I’d always wanted to go in a bass boat and see what it was like,” Crisostomo said. “Now maybe someday I’ll own one based on my experience with Robert here. I had a really good time on the water with him.”
4th-Place: Hubbard/Damon – Shaken ‘Em
This was Hubbard’s fourth year fishing the WOW event and his second time with a female soldier. For this WOW veteran, though, it was his best finish ever.
“This tournament means a lot to me,” Hubbard said. “I try to fish it every year to show how much I appreciate what the soldiers do for us.
“Cassidy came here today with not many friends in the area and now she’s got some. I learned a lot about Maine (where SPC Damon is from) and she learned a little about this area. We just had a great time.”
Cassidy was also grateful for the event.
“I really appreciate everyone putting this event on,” she said. “It’s also great to see the community want to give back to the soldier. I grew up in Maine and primarily fished trout so this was a lot different than what I’m used to.”
Hubbard and Damon fished shakey heads and whacky rigged Senkos for their limit of fish.
5th-Place: Perrego/Griswold – Slow and Subtle
Perrego and Griswold, both active duty in the U.S. Army, stuck to the shallows and bested 145 teams with a limit of 16-07, topped by a 6-10 big fish. They concentrated on shallow grass flats, sight fishing soft plastics.
“We tried fishing topwater this morning – buzzbaits and frogs – but the fish didn’t want it,” Perrego said. “We could see them in the shallow grass – they wanted something slow and subtle.
“I saw the big fish move in and I made a cast about 10 feet in front of her. The bait sank and I shook it and she smoked it. I hooked her on light line and a spinning rod so it was a little hairy. But Bryan was great with the net and we got her in the boat.”
Perrego and Griswold reported they had a lot of traffic in their area and that didn’t help matters any.
“There were a lot of boats in our area and because it was shallow, when they’d move in and out they’d dirty up the water with their wakes. That and the cloud cover that came over mid-day really hurt us. If we’d had the area all to ourselves we could have done a lot better.”
Griswold was thankful for the day and all that was done.
“For me it was a different experience,” he said. “I’d never been out in such a large boat and to be out here with these pros – guys with names on their shirts – and thinking I’m fishing against them was a great experience. Then to have a great fisherman like Jason teach me everything today just made it even better.
“I enjoyed everything everybody did for us. It was a great day to be off work and be out here on the water – not think about anything – just fish and have good time. Have a great fisherman to teach me everything I learned today.
Although Perrego was a volunteer boater, he too is active duty and appreciated the event.
“I love these tournaments,” he said. “I’ve done events like this since 2004. The first time I came back from Iraq it was a rough time. The Fishing for Freedom tournament series in Texas put on a big event at Fort Hood, Texas and it was a blast.”
“You get out on the water you don’t remember anything from the past year. There are a lot of these warriors who got back not too long ago and I can guarantee you the time they had on the water with their volunteer boater – they didn’t think about the bad times. The bad times are always there but they didn’t think about them today. Fishing’s a great release and we all appreciate everyone who put on the WOW event each year.”
6th-Place: Cox/Galbreath – More Sight Fish
Cox is no newcomer to the WOW tournament having finished in 3rd place last year. This year he kept his streak of being in the top-10 alive by bed fishing.
“They were hard to catch but we caught ‘em,” Cox said. “The cloud cover hurt us as the day wore on but finding the fish yesterday helped. The sun this morning helped us a lot.”
They reported catching all of their fish on plastics.
Galbreath, who normally fishes saltwater, had a great experience in his first bass tournament.
“This was the first bass fishing I’ve done since I was about 9 years old,” he said. “I’m primarily a saltwater fisherman and I had a blast today. Ethan took time off work and showed me a good time. It means a lot to me to be able to go out with somebody as good as he is.”
Cox, as all of the volunteers, feels there is no excuse not to give back.
“There are no words out there to explain how much this means to me,” he said. “These soldiers do so much for us that you don’t see – you just hear about it – it’s the least we can do to pay them back.”
Carson Orellano – First-Time Volunteer
First-year Bassmaster college angler Carson Orellano, of Mooresville, NC, drove to Fayetteville to fish the event. Although he didn’t finish in first, he and his partner SPC Marcus Thomas finished in 32nd place, a lot of firsts were experienced that day between him and his partner.
“It was my partner Marcus’s first time fishing a tournament, first time being in a bass boat, first time on Jordan Lake, he had a lot of firsts,” Orellano said. “The day was a struggle for both of us but we got three fish for a little over 8 pounds.
“It meant a lot for me to be able to take out one of these warriors,” he said. “Bass fishing is what I love to do and if it wasn’t for these soldiers it wouldn’t be possible for me to do this. You bet I’ll be back next year.”
By Terry Battisti
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