Anglers can help a good cause Saturday by fishing in the third annual Arkansas Crohn's & Colitis Bass Tournament at Lake Dardanelle.
The event memorializes the late Ronnie Everett, the longtime director of Mr. Bass of Arkansas, who died in 2015. Proceeds from the tournament will benefit the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America.
Tiffany Talbert of Benton and her husband, Zack, conceptualized the tournament three years ago while brainstorming for ideas to benefit victims of inflammatory bowel diseases that affect 1.6 million people, mostly between ages 15-35. Tiffany Talbert has battled Crohn's for 25 years.
"My husband fishes bass tournaments," Talbert said. "I was trying to think of different ways to raise money, so we put his passion and my passion together."
Talbert said the first two Crohn's & Colitis tournaments raised about $15,000, and she said it is trending upward. The first year had 26 boats, and last year's event drew 46 boats.
"This year we're expecting more," Talbert said. "The proceeds will go to research, patient education, physical education and to send kids to camp that because of their physical limitations can't go to regular camps. It costs about $1,400 for one kid to go to camp because of all the medical support."
Saturday's edition will feature four divisions. The main event will be the Team Bass division, which will pay $2,000 to the winning team. It will run from safe light to 3 p.m.
New this year will be a junior high/high school division. Competitors will launch after the team bass anglers, and the weigh-in will be at 2 p.m. The high school and junior high teams must have a boat captain that is at least 18 years old. The captain may contribute one fish to the team's five-fish limit.
Like last year, there also will be a Family Boating Division. Anglers in this division will win prizes for weighing in the biggest bass, bream, crappie or catfish. This division will take off after the high school/junior high anglers, and weigh-in will be at 1 p.m.
There also will be a Kid's Shore Fishing Division in which youngsters can win prizes for weighing in the biggest bass, bream, crappie or catfish. It will run from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Lunch will be provided to all registered contestants, and there will be a casting contest for children.
To register or to see more information and rules, go online to www.ccfa.org/BassCure2016.
Davis in top 10
Mark Davis of Mt. Ida finished eighth Sunday at the Bassmaster Elite Series tournament on the Mississippi River at LaCrosse, Wis.
Davis caught 20 bass that weighed 54 pounds, 14 ounces. He won $12,500 and earned 103 angler-of-the-year points.
Jordan Lee of Grant, Ala., finished fourth with 61 pounds, 8 ounces worth $15,000.
We've been watching Lee since 2012, when he finished second behind his brother, Matt Lee, in the Bassmaster College National Championship at Beaver Fork Lake near Conway. Matt Lee earned a spot in the Bassmaster Classic, but he acknowledged Jordan was the more serious angler.
Jordan won the College National Championship in 2013, then finished sixth in the 2014 Bassmaster Classic at Lake Guntersville.
Randy Howell won that Classic, and I will never forget Lee's demeanor at the final news conference. The winner has an exclusive media session that follows a group session among the rest of the top 10.
The experienced pros were mentally and physically exhausted. Their faces were drawn, and their voices were strained with fatigue and disappointment at not winning.
Lee, in contrast, seemed to float on air. I've never seen anyone that didn't win a tournament so happy during the final interview. He stood tall among giants on the sport's biggest stage, and he's done well consistently since.
With age and experience, I expect he'll be even more successful. There are so many intangible factors that influence the Classic that an angler can't control, so it's risky to predict a person to win the Classic.
Feral hog demo
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture will hold a free feral hog trapping demonstration on a private hunting club near Wrightsville on Friday from 9-11 a.m.
Speakers at the demonstration will discuss the use of trail cameras, how to trap feral hogs and applicable laws and regulations.
To register, go online to http://uaferalhogdemo.evenbrite.com.
Sports on 09/15/2016