Federation Anglers in Oklahoma Devastated By Sudden Death of One of Their Own
Wil Wegman,
OBF Conservation and Media Director
TULSA , Okla. — Ray Sprano Sr. of St. Alban's Bay, Vt. , died in his sleep Friday night in Tulsa , Okla. Sprano was the Vermont BASS Federation representative competing in the CITGO BASS Federation Championship. BASS and ESPN offered the following statement: "We are deeply saddened by the death of Ray Sprano, who passed away in his sleep. Ray was a dedicated husband, father and grandfather and a talented fisherman. He was a leader and a hardworking, committed family man. Our hearts and thoughts are with Sheila and their family."
Sprano was the owner and president of Raymond A. Sprano and Sons Construction Co., and a founder and the first president of the Vermont BASS Federation. He was a skilled angler who qualified for the Federation Championship in 2000 and 2004. He was an 11-time member of Vermont 's state team. Sprano belonged to the Green Mountain Bassmaster Club. The tournament continued on Saturday, with the final day of competition dedicated in Sprano's honor.
Iowa Angler Wins by almost 7 pounds!
Thad Takes of Iowa and the Eastern Division was the winner of the 2004 Citgo BASS National Federation Championship. He caught just a single bass on the first day of competition, but by Day 2, Thad moved up to 5 th spot overall with 12.04 pounds. His come from behind victory secured when he weighed-in a huge bag of bass for this southern lake on his final day. The 14 pound, 12 ounce sack was anchored by a 5lb 8 ounce lunker that gave him a three day total of 27 pounds. In addition to the $15,000 winner's purse, Takes earned $1,000 from Purolator for having Saturday's Purolator Big Bass of the Day, plus another $1,000 for the Purolator Big Bass of the Tournament. He picked up a third check for $1,000 for his Saturday catch, which earned him the Busch Heavyweight prize and a berth in September's Busch Shootout, in which he will compete on a mystery lake with pros from the Bassmaster Tour, the CITGO Bassmaster Open Championship, and the Bassmaster Elite 50 series. At the moment, however, his eyes are on the Classic. "I've never been to it, so I have no idea what to expect," confessed Takes, who had never competed in a Federation Championship until this week.
Unfortunately, our Canadian representative Jamie Janzen of St Catherines and the Ontario BASS Federation did not move ahead in the standings of this event, but with a new-first-hand taste of how close he came to making the Bassmasters Classic you can be sure he will be back trying for more. Ontario Bassmasters across the province can be sure that the Canadian angler who represented them in Oklahoma did them all proud in 2004.
There will be a few familiar faces from this week's competition joining Thad Takes at the Classic in Charlotte , N.C. , July 30-Aug. 1. The top angler in each of the Federation's five geographic divisions earns a berth. Takes, the Northern division champion, will be joined by Pennsylvania 's George Acord, the Eastern division champion; Washington 's Jeff Boyer, the Western division champion; Alabama 's Russ Lane , the Southern division champion; and Arkansas ' William Pippen, the Central division champion.
Nine Year Old Canadian Girl Shauni Voisin Qualifies for Casting Kids Championship
Jamie Janzen was not the only Canadian down in Oklahoma at the Federation Championships. BASS also brought down the federation winners of the popular CastingKids events. The semifinals of the Bassmaster CastingKids competition presented by CITGO saw 93 children from five geographic regions narrowed to 10 finalists. The top contender in the 7-10 and 11-14 age groups from each of the regions will compete for over $25,000 in scholarships and prizes at this summer's finals. The contenders from the 7-10 age group will be Ontario, Canada's Shauni Voisin, 9, from the Northern Division; Georgia's Hope Newkirk, 10, from the Southern Division; Maine's Chase Laflemme, 9, from the Eastern Division; Oregon's Josh Abernathy, 10, from the Western Division; and Mississippi's Adam Eubanks, 10, from the Central Division.
Finally, to illustrate how tough the fishing was down in Oklahoma this past week, check out these results on the number of fish caught in three days by the 55 anglers:
Day |
#Limits caught |
#Fish caught |
Weight |
1 |
3 |
57 |
134.11 |
2 |
2 |
52 |
109.06 |
3 |
1 |
54 |
136.01 |
Totals |
6 |
163 |
380.02 |
Final standings
Professional anglers
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1 Thad Takes Center Point, Iowa (IA) N 11 27-00 $17,000.00
2 Russ Lane Prattville, Ala. (AL) S 7 20-10 $7,000.00
3 George Acord Lancaster, Pa. (PA) E 9 19-12 $3,000.00
4 William Pippen Crossett, Ark. (AR) C 6 17-00 $2,000.00
5 Bob Thomsen Lincoln, Neb. (NE) C 7 16-08 $2,500.00
6 Jeff Boyer Auburn, Wash. (WA) W 6 15-08 $1,400.00
7 Steve Tatum Pontiac, Ill. (IL) N 7 14-09 $1,300.00
8 Danny Lee Shanz Adamstown, Md. (DC) E 4 12-14 $2,200.00
9 Jason Baird Gypsum, Kan. (KS) C 6 12-07 $1,100.00
10 Rodney Hardwick Connersville, Ind. (IN) N 6 12-06 $750.00
10 Biff Humphreys Harrare, ZWE (Zimbabwe) C 5 12-06 $750.00
12 Richard Smith Dumfries, Va. (KY) S 6 12-04 $500.00
13 Danny Johnston Windsor, Mo. (MO) C 5 11-14 $500.00
14 Cole Garrett Calvin, La. (LA) C 5 10-09 $500.00
15 Jerry Shawver II Jacksonville, Fla. (2003 Fede S 3 9-15 $500.00
16 Michael Isbell South Jordan, Utah (UT) W 4 9-11 $400.00
17 Rudi Bartolini Pistoia, ITA (Italy) N 4 9-06 $400.00
18 John Mead Littleton, Mass. (MA) E 3 8-13 $400.00
19 Ken Milender Ham Lake, Minn. (MN) N 3 8-03 $400.00
20 Sean Hinton Morrison, Colo. (CO) W 3 7-11 $400.00
21 Brian Runyon Mcarthur, Ohio (OH) N 4 7-10 $400.00
22 Neil Russell Nampa, Idaho (ID) W 3 7-07 $400.00
23 Dennis Cumiskey Sparta, N.J. (NY) E 3 7-06 $400.00
24 Troy Olivier Lakeland, Fla. (FL) S 3 7-03 $400.00
25 Edward Rogers Jr Grand Rapids, Mich. (MI) N 3 6-05 $400.00
26 Tom Reynolds Lyme, Conn. (CT) E 3 6-02 $300.00
27 Marvin A Horton Palmetto, Ga. (GA) S 4 5-14 $300.00
28 Lionel Botha Edenvale, RSA (South Africa) S 3 5-13 $300.00
29 Eddie Armstrong West Point, Miss. (MS) C 3 5-08 $300.00
30 Jeremy Foster Weyauwega, Wisc. (WI) N 3 5-01 $300.00
31 Brent Riley Ridgeville, S.C. (SC) S 2 4-11 $300.00
32 Bob Marelli Milford, Mass. (RI) E 2 4-06 $300.00
33 Mark A Schafer Williamstown, N.J. (NJ) E 2 4-01 $300.00
34 Curtis Spindler Missoula, Mont. (MT) W 1 3-10 $300.00
35 Bill Golightly Preston, Idaho (WY) W 2 3-09 $300.00
36 Ed Riley Woodbine, Md. (MD) E 1 3-03 $300.00
37 Glenn Cunningham Piedmont, Okla. (OK) C 1 2-13 $300.00
38 Hiromichi Inoue Chigasakishi, JPN (Japan) W 1 2-09 $300.00
39 Tim Isaacs Cutler, Ohio (WV) E 1 2-08 $300.00
40 Daniel Peckham Winchendon, Mass. (NH) E 1 2-07 $300.00
41 Jamie Janzen St Catherines, CAN (Ontario) N 1 2-04 $300.00
42 Franco Vallejos Albuquerque, N.M. (NM) W 1 2-00 $300.00
43 John Bynum Raleigh, N.C. (NC) S 1 1-13 $300.00
44 Jami Fralick Tyndall, S.D. (SD) N 1 1-12 $300.00
45 Greg Alexander Hebron, Md. (DE) E 1 1-10 $300.00
45 Rich Welch Santee, Calif. (CA) W 1 1-10 $300.00
47 Willie Nelson Castle Rock, Wash. (OR) W 1 1-09 $300.00
48 Jose Luis Garcia Amexz Zapopan, Jal, MEX (Mexico) C 0 0-00 $300.00
48 Dave Currie Yuma, Ariz. (AZ) W 0 0-00 $300.00
48 Joe Leonard Bristol, Va. (TN) S 0 0-00 $300.00
48 Joshua Platt Augusta, Maine (ME) E 0 0-00 $300.00
48 Mike Rupard Big Spring, Texas (TX) C 0 0-00 $300.00
48 Ray Sprano St Albans, Vt. (VT) E 0 0-00 $300.00
48 Mike Vanderveen Dayton, Ohio (PVA Champion) S 0 0-00 $300.00
48 Vernon Wilson Boydton, Va. (VA) E 0 0-00 $300.00
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Purolator Big Bass
Day
1 Danny Lee Shanz Adamstown, Md. (DC) E 5-01 $1,000.00
2 Bob Thomsen Lincoln, Neb. (NE) C 3-15 $1,000.00
3 Thad Takes Center Point, Iowa (IA) N 5-08 $1,000.00
Purolator Big Bass of Tournament
Thad Takes Center Point, Iowa (IA) N 5-08 $1,000.00
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 3 57 134-11
2 2 52 109-06
3 1 54 136-01
----------------------------------
6 163 380-02
DIVISIONAL STANDINGS
Northern
1 Thad Takes Center Point, Iowa (IA) 11 27-00 $17,000.00
2 Steve Tatum Pontiac, Ill. (IL) 7 14-09 $1,300.00
3 Rodney Hardwick Connersville, Ind. (IN) 6 12-06 $750.00
4 Rudi Bartolini Pistoia, ITA (Italy) 4 9-06 $400.00
5 Ken Milender Ham Lake, Minn. (MN) 3 8-03 $400.00
6 Brian Runyon Mcarthur, Ohio (OH) 4 7-10 $400.00
7 Edward Rogers Jr Grand Rapids, Mich. (MI) 3 6-05 $400.00
8 Jeremy Foster Weyauwega, Wisc. (WI) 3 5-01 $300.00
9 Jamie Janzen St Catherines, CAN (Ontario) 1 2-04 $300.00
10 Jami Fralick Tyndall, S.D. (SD) 1 1-12 $300.00
Central
1 William Pippen Crossett, Ark. (AR) 6 17-00 $2,000.00
2 Bob Thomsen Lincoln, Neb. (NE) 7 16-08 $2,500.00
3 Jason Baird Gypsum, Kan. (KS) 6 12-07 $1,100.00
4 Biff Humphreys Harrare, ZWE (Zimbabwe) 5 12-06 $750.00
5 Danny Johnston Windsor, Mo. (MO) 5 11-14 $500.00
6 Cole Garrett Calvin, La. (LA) 5 10-09 $500.00
7 Eddie Armstrong West Point, Miss. (MS) 3 5-08 $300.00
8 Glenn Cunningham Piedmont, Okla. (OK) 1 2-13 $300.00
9 Jose Luis Garcia Amexz Zapopan, Jal, MEX (Mexico) 0 0-00 $300.00
9 Mike Rupard Big Spring, Texas (TX) 0 0-00 $300.00
Eastern
1 George Acord Lancaster, Pa. (PA) 9 19-12 $3,000.00
2 Danny Lee Shanz Adamstown, Md. (DC) 4 12-14 $2,200.00
3 John Mead Littleton, Mass. (MA) 3 8-13 $400.00
4 Dennis Cumiskey Sparta, N.J. (NY) 3 7-06 $400.00
5 Tom Reynolds Lyme, Conn. (CT) 3 6-02 $300.00
6 Bob Marelli Milford, Mass. (RI) 2 4-06 $300.00
7 Mark A Schafer Williamstown, N.J. (NJ) 2 4-01 $300.00
8 Ed Riley Woodbine, Md. (MD) 1 3-03 $300.00
9 Tim Isaacs Cutler, Ohio (WV) 1 2-08 $300.00
10 Daniel Peckham Winchendon, Mass. (NH) 1 2-07 $300.00
11 Greg Alexander Hebron, Md. (DE) 1 1-10 $300.00
12 Joshua Platt Augusta, Maine (ME) 0 0-00 $300.00
12 Ray Sprano St Albans, Vt. (VT) 0 0-00 $300.00
12 Vernon Wilson Boydton, Va. (VA) 0 0-00 $300.00
Southern
1 Russ Lane Prattville, Ala. (AL) 7 20-10 $7,000.00
2 Richard Smith Dumfries, Va. (KY) 6 12-04 $500.00
3 Jerry Shawver II Jacksonville, Fla. (2003 Fede 3 9-15 $500.00
4 Troy Olivier Lakeland, Fla. (FL) 3 7-03 $400.00
5 Marvin A Horton Palmetto, Ga. (GA) 4 5-14 $300.00
6 Lionel Botha Edenvale, RSA (South Africa) 3 5-13 $300.00
7 Brent Riley Ridgeville, S.C. (SC) 2 4-11 $300.00
8 John Bynum Raleigh, N.C. (NC) 1 1-13 $300.00
9 Joe Leonard Bristol, Va. (TN) 0 0-00 $300.00
9 Mike Vanderveen Dayton, Ohio (PVA Champion) 0 0-00 $300.00
Western
1 Jeff Boyer Auburn, Wash. (WA) 6 15-08 $1,400.00
2 Michael Isbell South Jordan, Utah (UT) 4 9-11 $400.00
3 Sean Hinton Morrison, Colo. (CO) 3 7-11 $400.00
4 Neil Russell Nampa, Idaho (ID) 3 7-07 $400.00
5 Curtis Spindler Missoula, Mont. (MT) 1 3-10 $300.00
6 Bill Golightly Preston, Idaho (WY) 2 3-09 $300.00
7 Hiromichi Inoue Chigasakishi, JPN (Japan) 1 2-09 $300.00
8 Franco Vallejos Albuquerque, N.M. (NM) 1 2-00 $300.00
9 Rich Welch Santee, Calif. (CA) 1 1-10 $300.00
10 Willie Nelson Castle Rock, Wash. (OR) 1 1-09 $300.00
11 Dave Currie Yuma, Ariz. (AZ) 0 0-00 $300.00
