Myers and Ricker take smallmouth invitational with rare first-day limit including one fish over five pounds Tourney features largest field ever

By THOMAS WEAVER
CELINA-Relying on a rare four-fish limit the first day of this year’s Horse Creek-Billy Westmoreland Memorial Smallmouth Invitational held here at Horse Creek Resort, Greenville, TN natives Matt Myers and Kelley Ricker added their names to the list of great fishermen who have won the prestigious event.
“We feel honored to have won,” Myers said after the weigh-in. “It means a lot to win a unique tournament like this against this field of great fishermen.”
The two-day tournament requires competitors to live at least 100 miles away from the dock, has been fished the first weekend in December for well over 20 years, and has featured many legendary fishermen in the past.
This year’s event showcased its largest field ever--58 boats, making it even tougher to climb to the top of the leaderboard, but Myers and Ricker vaulted themselves into that position Saturday with a sack weighing a total of 13.50 pounds.
Their catch included two fish over the 21-inch mark and two smallmouth under 16 inches--the most allowed per day by the Dale Hollow slot limit for two fishermen.
The heaviest of the two trophy fish weighed a whopping 5.39 pounds and netted the team $580 for the first day big fish.
Myers said they caught the big fish and one of the smaller ones “in the first 30 minutes” Saturday morning.
“After that we spent the rest of the day trying to pick up the last small keeper,” he said.
Ricker explained the team targeted the fish with “a small jig” while fishing “main-lake points on the lower end” of the lake.
“It was tough out there, but we got lucky enough to find those fish early Saturday,” he said.
The team finished the event off with only one small fish on Sunday, but it was enough to hand them the $1540 first-place purse with a total of 14.77 pounds.
Claiming the runner-up spot was veteran tournament fisherman Don Lowe of Bristol, TN--who has fished the tournament for 10 years now--and partner Rodney Mullins of Kingsport, TN.
Lowe and Mullins sat in second place behind Myers and Ricker the first day after matching the leaders’ feat of boating two smallmouth over 21 inches long, including one weighing 4.67 pounds.
They could only muster one small kicker to go with the two monsters finishing with a total of 9.97 pounds Saturday.
The team inched their way forward Sunday with two small keepers weighing 2.97 pounds, but still fell short of the leaders by just under two pounds.
Lowe and Mullins pocketed $924 for the second-place effort of 12.94 pounds and word was they caught their two big fish early Saturday on top water using a ‘spook.’
Finishing in third place was Rick Chappell, who has fished the tournament nearly since its inception, and Donald Ensor--who has also competed in the event for many years.
The duo, who both call Elizabethton, TN home, sat in fifth place on Saturday with two small keepers weighing 3.84 pounds, but used a Sunday catch of one over 21 inches and a fish under 16 inches weighing 4.24 pounds to climb into the money.
The big smallmouth only weighed 3.35 pounds, but--paired with the small keeper--was enough to overtake the fourth-place team by just under two tenths of a pound.
Chappell and Ensor edged Ron Estep and Jerry Gee, both of Grayson, KY, to win $616 for third place with a total of 8.08 pounds.
Fourth-place finishers Estep and Gee weighed in a 4.71-pound smallmouth over 21 inches and a small kicker Saturday, but could only come up with one small fish Sunday to finish the event with 7.92 pounds and just out of the top three.
Twenty-year tournament veteran Dave Thueneman of Taylor Mill, KY and Dana Draud of Independence, KY claimed fifth place with two small keepers each day weighing a total of 7.71 pounds,
Rounding out the top 10 were:
• 6th place--Andrew Robertson and Jerry Church, who after sitting in money-winning position Saturday with two fish (including a big smallmouth weighing 4.75 pounds) fell three positions by not weighing a bass Sunday and finished with 6.41 pounds,
• 7th place--Tom Wilson of Etowah, TN and Richard Derrick of Englewood, TN, both 17-year tournament veterans and 2005 second-place finishers, with four small keepers totaling 6.34 pounds,
• 8th place--G.P. Smith of Cattletsburg, KY and Dwaine Williams of Greenup, KY also with four fish under 16 inches weighing 5.69 pounds,
• 9th place--Greg Engle and Jeff Dyer of Gallipolis, OH with one fish over 21 inches, which claimed second-day big fish honors, weighing 4.64 pounds, and
• 10th place--father and son duo Terry and Chuck Torbett of Cleveland, TN with three small keepers weighing 4.27 pounds.
The younger Torbett finished third in 2005 with his uncle Oscar Torbett and was the youngest competitor this year at the age of 15.
The event showcased 70 smallmouth bass weighed in by 30 of the 58 teams totaling 136.04 pounds. Of those 'bronzebacks,' eight were over 21 inches long--the same number of big fish weighed in 2005.
The tournament was founded by Horse Creek owner Jack Huddleston and the late smallmouth legend Billy Westmoreland. It is now fished in Westmoreland’s honor.
Tournament director and local fisherman Benny McBride said this year’s tournament again featured some of the best smallmouth fishermen in the country.
“I've helped with this tournament since Jack and Billy started it over 20 years ago,” McBride said, “and it’s always seen good fishermen and good fishing.”
“It’s a prime example of the world-class smallmouth fishing we have here and it (the tournament) wouldn’t be without the foresight of those two legends of Dale Hollow.”

WINNING CATCH-Kelley Ricker (left) and Matt Meyers used this limit of smallmouth Saturday to become 2006 champions of the annual event. The bruiser in Ricker’s left hand weighed 5.39 lbs. and won first day big fish honors.


1ST PLACE-Kelley Ricker (left) and Matt Myers (right) were presented their first-place trophies, $1540 winning purse, and $580 for their first-day big fish by tournament director Benny McBride (center) after they weighed in a total of 14.77 lbs. with five smallmouth.



2ND PLACE-Rodney Mullins (left) and Don Lowe (right) received $924 and their runner-up plaques from tournament director Benny McBride (center) for their total weight of 12.94 lbs.



3RD PLACE-Donald Ensor (left) and Rick Chappell (right) were given their third-place trophies and $616 for their 8.08-pound catch by tournament director Benny McBride.



2ND DAY BIG FISH-Greg Engle and Jeff Dyer won $580 with this 4.64-pound smallmouth Sunday.