Team MVP Outdoors Pro Staffers Cory Hart and Kevin Covington competed in the 22nd Annual Basscat Invitational on Lake Norfork in Mountain Home Arkansas this past weekend. A total of 566 teams from all over the country entered the tournament competing for this years grand prize , a 2008 Bass Cat Puma rigged with a new Mercury 225 OptiMax motor.
For the tournament 657 fish were caught that weighed a total of 1569.61 lbs. by the 566 teams . The fish were treated and released by Bass Cat and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission personnel. One of those fish released was a mammoth 7.98 pound largemouth bass by Nathen Sutterfield of Prim AR.
Marty Fox and Tim Drumright of West Plains, Mo who surged back from 41st place on the first day to 1st place on the second day with a total weight for the two days 22.64lbs. to take home that new 2008 Basscat Cougar FTD fully rigged boat and 1st place gold and diamond rings.
Second place winners received a 2008 Bass Cat Pantera II. The tournament was a two day event with Team MVP finishing the first day with a full limit of bass and placing in the top 10. Hart and Covington had their 5 fish limit within 2 hours of the first day. Only 12 teams out of 566 teams weighed in a limit of five fish on the first day. The fishing was tough. Mountain Home had got 12 inches of rain the week before and the lake was flooded to 20 feet above the normal level and the water was like chocolate milk.
Lake Norfork is usually crystal clear and we go in search for stained color water. This year was a different story we had to go looking for the clearer water. The bass in this lake are sight feeders, which means if they can’t see it they are not eating it. On the second day the change in weather didn’t help either says Hart. “We had a cold front move in and plummet temperatures. The water temperature had dropped 3 degrees and the air temperature dropped in the 30’s. We would’ve preferred the sun come out with the murky waters we were fishing. Anytime a cold front moves in on muddy water the fish become lethargic and will not chase the baits as much.”
Hart and Covington have been fishing this tournament for the past 7 years and have been in the top 50 for the last 5 year with Hart catching overall Big Bass last year with a 6.78 lb. Largemouth Bass . Now the two have placed 30th at the 2008 BassCat Invitational. You can check out more details and pictures on the MVP Outdoors website at www.MVPOutdoors.com |
