Okie team holds Top-10 spot in $1 million pursuit
Allen and Barbour overcome short day, tough bite, to advance in U.S. Amateur Open
The first team to hit the weigh-in stage at the Bass Pro Shops US Open National Bass Fishing Amateur Team Championships Friday set a high mark for the other 349 boats to meet.
Most couldn’t.
At day’s end, the team of Ronnie Allen of Chouteau and Justin Barbour of Tulsa sat in sixth place—not a typical result for a team that had to watch hundreds more weigh in behind them, but this is no typical tournament.
The first-of-its-kind amateur fishing tournament offers the biggest payout in fishing history, with $1 million waiting for the first-place winner on Sunday. The opening field of 350 amateur teams from across the country, which included 24 Oklahoma boats, was pared to 200 for Saturday. The Top 50 will fish Sunday.
Weather and the clock frustrated the majority of the field Friday as the thermometer stubbornly held at 32 degrees and engulfed Table Rock Lake in dense fog and froze the field at Long Creek Marina at Ridgedale for 90 minutes.
Allen and Barbour, in boat No. 58, hit the lake after 9:30 a.m. and crossed the weigh-in stage just after 2:30 p.m.
“Late start, the sun got up and the bite was tough. We didn’t have much time,” Barbour said. “It kinda killed us, the bite wasn’t there.”
The first fish of the day got off at the net, but they rallied to land two meaty smallmouths, two fat spots, and one healthy young largemouth bass that pushed the scale to 13.99 pounds.
“It was definitely tough. We caught our last two keepers in the last ten minutes.” Barbour said.
“We put the last one in the live-well, pulled up the trolling motor, and shagged over here,” Allen added.
“Yeah, we were getting pretty nervous at that point,” Barbour said.
Saturday they’re hoping for a full day on the water and fishing that is more like what they saw before the practice cut-off.
“I think if we catch five we can survive into the Top 50,” Allen said.
Saturday launch ceremonies at Long Creek begin at 6:30 a.m. and weigh-in begins at 2:30 p.m. The weigh-in will be live-streamed on the Bass Pro Shops U.S. Open Fishing Facebook page.
The final weigh-in is set for 3 p.m. Sunday, with the historic $1 million win broadcast to an international television audience on NBC Sports. The program will re-air on NBC television in a one-hour special on Dec. 5 at 5 p.m. EST.
The current standings from Day 1 of the Bass Pro Shops US Open National Championship can be found here. The Top 10 teams heading into Saturday’s competition are as follows:
1). Eric Blevins – Dakota Comstock (Protem, MO)
2). Saxton Long – Auston Clanton (Powell, TN)
3). Lendel Smith – Drew Tabor (Harrison, AR)
4). Mark Jenkins – James Bailey (Harrison, AR)
5). Benjamin Wright – Adam Markley (Naples, FL)
6). Ronnie Allen – Justin Barbour (Chouteau, OK-Tulsa, OK)
7). Joshua Klinghagen – David Booth (Kokomo, IN-Spirit Lake, IA)
8). Jason Przekurat – Jay Przekurat (Stevens Point, WI)
9). Laker Howell – Marshall Robinson (Gunnersville, AL)
10). Tucker Smith – Logan Parks (Shoal Creek, AL)