By Brian Argabright
The 830 Times
It was a record-setting day for the Border Bass Battle.
Saturday’s single-day event featuring hourly weigh-ins set records for most weight brought to the scales on a day where cool temperatures and cloudy skies seemed to give anglers an advantage over the bass of Lake Amistad.
During the 10 to 11 a.m. weigh-in, five of the eight anglers to bring fish to the scales had a bass that weighed 3.5 pounds or more. It took nearly seven pounds to earn a check for that time period.
Nearly 200 anglers from across the state and New Mexico converged on Del Rio and Lake Amistad for a shot at more than $20,000 in prize money. Members of the Del Rio Chamber of Commerce stayed late at Rudy’s to ensure that every angler who wanted to register for the event was given a chance to do so. By the end of Friday’s final registration, 199 anglers had signed up. That was the most anglers to compete since 2021.
La Pryor’s Marcus Galindo was one of those anglers. The 14-year-old was competing in his first Border Bass Battle but was familiar with the bass factory that was Amistad. He made the trip to Del Rio to serve as a partner for another angler, but Galindo was able to hold his own.
His first bass weighed in 1.35 pounds, but Galindo would return to the scales a few hours later and brought with him a largemouth bass that weighed in at 4.72 pounds. That was good enough to give Galindo the youth division title and the $500 prize that went along with it.
Del Rio’s Tim Flowers had people talking all day.
As the 9 to 10 a.m. weigh-in neared its close, Flowers strode to the check-in area with a bag that needed two hands to carry. Pro angler Kurt Dove, who served as the weigh-in master and part time emcee for the event, wondered aloud if it was a big bass or just a lot of water. When he peeked into the bag, he immediately let out a “Wow!” and began to hype up the crowd.
When Flowers pulled his bass from the bag, the small crowd gathered could only gasp and cheer as the lake hog earned smiles from Flowers and Dove. The fish was loaded onto the scales and the number flashed 10.71 pounds, one of the heaviest bass ever brought to the Border Bass Battle Scales.
Flowers earned $1,250 for placing first for the hour and an additional $1,500 for the heaviest bass overall.
The top three weights of each hourly weigh-in paid out – $1,250 to first place, $650 to second place and $350 to third place. The heaviest smallmouth bass weighed in earned the angler $550.
The full results for the tournament are as follows:
8-9 a.m.
1st – Randy Dixon, Borger, Texas – 6.58 pounds
2nd – Kyle Maloney, Del Rio – 5.21 pounds
3rd – Mike McClune, Bandera, Texas – 2.90 pounds
9-10 a.m.
1st – Tim Flowers, Del Rio – 10.71 pounds
2nd – Kyle Maloney, Del Rio – 7.02 pounds
3rd – Tim Derryberry, Odessa, Texas – 4.61 pounds
10-11 a.m.
1st – Robert Balboa, Del Rio – 9.17 pounds
2nd – Dilan Kane, Kerrville, Texas – 7.66 pounds
3rd – Teddy Silcox, Del Rio – 6.94 pounds
11 a.m. to Noon
1st – Spencer Phipps, Floresville, Texas – 8.06 pounds
2nd – Tomas Lozano, Del Rio – 7.75 pounds
3rd – Chris Soles, Sweetwater, Texas – 5.67 pounds
Noon to 1 p.m.
1st – Roger Montejano, Del Rio – 6.79 pounds
2nd – Jason Fitzgerald, Del Rio – 6.43 pounds
3rd – Ray Rodriguez, Del Rio – 5.01 pounds
1 to 2 p.m.
1st – Anthony Munoz, Brackettville – 9.59 pounds
2nd – Tom Schuler, San Angelo – 8.07 pounds
3rd – Matthew Hintz, Ft. Worth, Texas – 6.05 pounds
2 to 3 p.m.
1st – Mark Pena, Del Rio – 6.01 pounds
2nd – John Myers, Del Rio – 5.82 pounds
3rd – Chuck Hauck, Bandera, Texas – 5.72 pounds
3 to 4 p.m.
1st – Robert Sanchez, Sandia, Texas – 7.13 pounds
2nd – Armando Galaviz, Lubbock – 6.55 pounds
3rd – Robert Crane, Lubbock – 5.88 pounds
Youth Division Winner
Marcus Galindo, La Pryor – 4.72 pounds (Noon to 1 p.m.)
Largest Smallmouth Bass
Dustin Bordovsky, Kerrville – 2.30 pounds (3 to 4 p.m.)
Largest Largemouth Bass
Tim Flowers, Del Rio – 10.71 pounds (9 to 10 a.m.)
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Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
