State tournament

[Milt Waltermire]

The Champaign-Urbana Bass Club finished third in the IL. B.A.S.S. Federation Nation State Qualifier this past weekend on Lake Shelbyville. We finished about a pound out of 2nd and about three pounds out of first. This year's team was made up by Mark Loftis, Tim Hartman, Randy Keith, Marc Sellers, Mark Emenecker and I. Every member on the team weighed in fish and each one was needed as we only beat the 4th place team by a pound. The highlights were: Mark Loftis and Tim Hartman both made the State 12-Man team that will be fishing the regionals. Mark finished 3rd overall in individual weight (out of 120 competitors) and had big bass on Day 2 (5.09 lbs.) Other notable events: Marc Sellers fell in the lake on Thursday, I (Milt) fell in on Friday. In each case, our partner was Doc Emenecker. Not sure what, or if, there is any significance to that coincidence. My cell phone was ruined, so if you've been trying to call me and haven't gotten through, that's why. I'm in the process of getting a new one.