Bass Fishing Forum - Westernbass.com

FLW Anglers & Fans- Thank you all for making the Roosevelt tournament a huge success. I can’t believe how many of anglers actually slowed or stopped their vehicles at the top of the Cholla ramp just to thank the volunteers for their help. Taking the time to do that while on your way to the scales says a lot about the anglers that fished this tournament. I was on the ramp and didn’t get to see a lot of the weigh-ins but I was told most of you thanked the volunteers on stage as well. I spoke with most of the finalists yesterday and to a man, they expressed their gratitude for everything the Town of Payson, Tonto Basin and Gila County did to make the tournament a success. On Friday afternoon, we were getting hourly updates on the weather conditions from GCSO and KMOG radio. We called Payson’s Mayor Kenny Evans to give him an update, his response to us was to “put safety first and do the right thing”. We discussed the weather with the FLW staff and agreed to move the final day weigh-in from the Payson Wal-Mart Store to the Cholla Recreational Site and that was absolutely the right decision. The temperature at the lake yesterday was 35 degrees, it poured rain and winds were 20 mph but that was better than Payson where the temperature was 30 degrees, 35 mph winds and over an inch of snow. Ron Lappin and the FLW are a first class team dedicated to growing our sport and supporting not only the anglers but the entire community. Their input and concurrence with the decision to move the weigh-in site was critical. The National Guard Soldier appreciation tournament was fantastic, it was amazing to hear the soldier’s stories and State Sergeant Major Butler’s inspirational speech. During the National Anthem, the wind picked up a 10X10 canopy 5ft off the ground and blew it into a FLW vehicle, not one of the Guardsmen nor the Color Guard even flinched. The college fishing event was over the top, these are great young men and women that are not only terrific anglers, they represented their colleges and themselves very well during the tournament. Congratulations to the EverStart finalists and the tournament champion Ken Howden. Ken was very humble in his win (as always) and gave lots of credit to those that helped him. Any sponsor would be proud to have Ken as a spokesman and we hope his win makes that possible. BTW both Keith Espe (last year’s Series champion) and Ken had their entry fees paid into the FLW via the No Slot tournament! Not saying there is a trend here, but we’re thinking next year, the 3rd Annual No Slot tournament is going to be a VERY popular tournament!

The Payson Volunteer Committee

Thank YOU for all the work you did for us to make the event go smoothly. I just got home this morning. You guys even stuck it out for the College Event in that nasty weather .

If it wasn't for your hard work and commitment, the event would not have been what it was.

Thanks for all who helped make this experience possible.

My Pro Ron Colby is a stand up guy. It was awesome having you as our Volunteer Observer and Marshal. We had a blast.

Tight Lines,
San Jose Stated University Bass Fishing Team
Anthony Lee

thanks for making both tournaments run great . I had a blast at both . Great to be home . Always a pleasure to go to Roosevelt.

Have to agree about the participants thanking the volunteers. I was simply a fan observing the launch and I had numerous anglers speak and thank me. It actually got pretty funny. Good people.

MUCH APPRECIATED!

Everyone there was extremely friendly and helpful; Thank you to all of the folks from Payson area who took the time to help make this event run so smooth. I hope its on the schedule for next year