SPORTS — Six-pound bass earns top cash prize at Border Bass Battle

By BRIAN ARGABRIGHT

The 830 Times

 

It was a pretty memorable debut to the world of tournament fishing for Luis Faz.

The 17-year-old from Del Rio brought three fish to the scale Saturday at the Border Bass Battle on Lake Amistad, tying him for the most weighed in on the day, and took home $400 in his first fishing tournament.

Faz, who is more well known for playing baseball than chasing big bass, paired with the Hanselman family, including pro angler Ray Hanselman who drove the boat and his son Mason who has played alongside Faz on the baseball diamond for years.

But Faz wasn’t the only youngster to capture the hearts of tournament organizers and his fellow anglers. Seven-year-old Hagen Patrick held on to first place in the final weigh-in of the day for a few minutes after bringing a 1.83-pound bass to the scales.

Wearing glasses, and a baseball cap tucked down over his ears, Patrick’s big smile as he learned he was the hour eight leader was hard to ignore. But as in many fishing tournaments, the lead didn’t last long after Del Rio’s Eleno Balboa and Carlsbad, N.M.’s Trevor Davis each weighed in bass that hit 1.84 pounds on the scale. Weighmaster, and pro angler, Kurt Dove joked that Balboa took no joy in learning he’d knocked Patrick out of first place, and Balboa seemed to agree as he left the weigh-in area.

Patrick’s shot at the top three came to an end with a 1.92-pound bass from San Antonio’s Ray Sanchez, but the young man never stopped smiling, and that was before he learned he had earned a check for $250 for winning the tournament’s youth division.

One hundred twenty anglers competed in Saturday’s one-day tournament for a shot at $12,500 in prize money. In addition, any angler that won one of the hourly weigh-ins and was found to have purchased an Epic Baits product, one of the tournament’s sponsors, would receive an additional $100.

Each first place angler would receive $700. Second place was worth $400, and third place was worth $250. In addition, whichever angler weighed-in the overall biggest largemouth bass won an additional $1,000. The angler that weighed-in the overall largest smallmouth bass would earn $400.

Austin Gonzalez, of Leakey, took home the $1,000 prize for the biggest largemouth after he weighed in a six-pound bass to win the hour four period. He also earned $700 for winning the hour, bringing his winnings to $1,700.

Pete Powell, of Bandera, weighed in the heaviest smallmouth bass with a 2.46-pounder during the final weigh-in of the day. He also finished second in the hour, bringing his winnings to $800.

Twenty-six different anglers weighed in fish at the Border Bass Battle. The top three anglers from each hourly weigh-in are as follows:

Hour 1 (8 to 9 a.m.)

1^st – Teddy Silcox, Del Rio, 4.83 pounds (Epic Baits bonus)

2^nd – Mike Rupard, Big Springs, 3.08 pounds

3^rd – Tanner Sanderson, Del Rio, 1.81 pounds

 

Hour 2 (9 to 10 a.m.)

1^st – Kyle Maloney, Del Rio, 2.61 pounds

2^nd – Bob Johnson, Fredericksburg, 2.53 pounds

3^rd – Clay Butler, San Angelo, 2.52 pounds

 

Hour 3 (10 to 11 a.m.)

1^st – Mike Kelly, Amarillo, 5.42 pounds (Epic Baits bonus)

2^nd – Luis Faz, Del Rio, 2.44 pounds

3^rd – Inez Mata, Uvalde, 1.77 pounds

 

Hour 4 (11 to Noon)

1^st – Austin Gonzalez, Leakey, 6 pounds

2^nd – Cooper Mills, Del Rio, 3.54 pounds

3^rd – Jason Collier, Midland, 2.78 pounds

 

Hour 5 (Noon to 1 p.m.)

1^st – Caden Cowan, Stephenville, 4.33 pounds

2^nd – Rene Payne, Odessa, 3.07 pounds

3^rd – Kyle Maloney, Del Rio, 2.68 pounds

 

Hour 6 (1 to 2 p.m.)

1^st – Jesus Cardenas, Del Rio, 4.34 pounds (Epic Baits bonus)

2^nd – Chris Davis, Carlsbad, N.M., 3.63 pounds

3^rd – Tanner Sanderson, Del Rio, 2.20 pounds

 

Hour 7 (2 to 3 p.m.)

1^st – Eleno Balboa, Del Rio, 2.61 pounds

2^nd – Carson Sims, Boerne, 2.52 pounds

3^rd – Cade Cowan, Stephenville, 2.45 pounds

 

Hour 8 (3 to 4 p.m.)

1^st – Shawn Taylor, Abilene, 2.92 pounds

2^nd – Pete Powell, Bandera, 2.46 pounds

3^rd – Ray Sanchez, San Antonio, 1.92 pounds

 

Heaviest Largemouth Bass: Austin Gonzalez, Leakey, 6.00 pounds

Heaviest Smallmouth Bass: Pete Powell, Bandera, 2.46 pounds

Youth Division Winner: Hagen Patrick, McCarney, 1.83 pounds

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Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com