Two advance to Va. Jr. B.A.S.S. Classic

Steven Beasley, Devon Bowling, Kevin Beasley and Travis Strother traveled to Osborn Landing of the James River in Henrico County this past weekend to fish the final youth tournament of the Fishers of Men Legacy Series. All were up and out on the water by 5 a.m.
Each angler is partnered with an adult Fishers of Men member, who may also fish. Both the youth and adult combine their catches for their total bag weight. Steven Beasley's partner for the series was Wayne Dorman from Louisa; Bowling's partner was Fishers of Men State President Steve Camp of Mechanicsville; Kevin Beasley's regular partner was Jim Whitman of Ruther Glen but for this tournament Kevin Beasley fished with Carl Wiegand; and Strother's partner was Becky Gore. Gore and Strother had their limit early in the tournament but were unable to find big fish and finished 23rd for the event and 29th out of 40 for the season.
For the others the catch was slow but more productive with bigger fish. Steven Beasley and Dorman had been tied for first place in this series but their slow start at this tournament got the pair only four out of a five fish limit, giving them a ninth place finish for the tournament and a second place finish in the series. Kevin Beasley and Wiegand finished eighth in the event and Kevin Beasley and Whitman finished third for the season. Bowling and Camp finished fifth for the tournament. All anglers from Orange will advance to the National Tournament on Gunnersville Lake in Alabama later this year. They would appreciate any monetary support or donations towards this once in a lifetime opportunity. If you are interested in sponsoring or donating to them, please send donations to the OCHS Anglers c/o Becky Gore 201 Selma Rd. Orange. Va. 22960.

The final Northern Division, Virginia Jr. B.A.S.S. Federation Nation Classic Qualifier was held this past weekend at Lake Anna. Most athletic teams love to play on their home court, but for the OCHS Anglers it is a known fact that Lake Anna is a tough body of water to find your tournament limit and especially this time of year. The jet skis and boat traffic contribute to an agitated water column so fish are hard to find.
It was also added pressure for third time Virginia Classic participant Steven Beasley. Beasley had failed to qualify with his brother Kevin on the Potomac a month before. He missed a third place by only one hundredth of an ounce. But, proving he fishes well under pressure, Steven Beasley returned to the scales with his limit of four fish tipping the scales to 5.91 pounds. This earned him the needed third-place results in order to advance to the Classic at Leesville Lake near Smith Mountain Lake August 1.
Corey Bowling brought the Varsity Division's lunker to the scales. It weighed in at 4.95 lbs. Bowling placed fifth for the event. Bowling received the Varsity Big Fish medal from state director Paul Thomson. Devon Bowling had the third highest weight for Orange with a four fish limit and 4.13 lbs. Fourth place for Orange was Ben Bresnahan whose total weight was .82 lbs.
On the junior varsity level, Kevin Beasley, who had already qualified for the season finale by his first place finish on the Potomac, placed third at Lake Anna with 3.72 lbs. The major excitement of the event came when a new angler for the OCHS team, Austin Mitchell, came to the scales. Mitchell had been coached earlier in the week by his classmate and friend Kevin Beasley. Beasley taught Mitchell about different presentations and baits to use as well as where to fish on Lake Anna. Mitchell also drew a local, Chris Carr, for his boat captain. Beasley's instructions certainly paid off and Mitchell won the tournament with one fish weighing 5.95 lbs. This was the big fish for the junior varsity division and the top bag weight for that division also. This single catch will advance Mitchell to the Virginia Classic in August.