ESPN Federation Nation

Day Three Southern Divisional Results

EUFAULA, Ala. — When scores are tight in a bass tournament, there's always the possibility of a tie for first place. In such a case, fate and luck is a given when all the cards finally fall into place.

Such was the case at the B.A.S.S. Federation Southern Division, where two anglers somehow managed to match their catch weights in precise pounds and ounces. The two men, Floridian Nobel Willits and North Carolinian Patrick Tierney, each caught 29 pounds, 8-ounces of largemouth from Lake Eufaula during the three-day event concluding Friday.

Breaking the tie required delving into a rarely viewed page in the official tournament rulebook of BASS. The first of a four-tiered level of tie-breakers mandates that the angler catching the most legal bass over the course of the competition is declared the winner.

In the final tally, Willits won by one keeper with a total of 11 bass, compared to the 10 caught by Tierney.

The tie-breaker was nearly a moot point in the big scheme of things, even though Willits won the overall title in the tournament. In this format, both anglers emerged winners since each topped the standings in their respective states. In doing so, Willits, Tierney and five other state leaders advance to the 2008 B.A.S.S. Federation Nation Championship, the sport's premier world championship for amateur bass anglers.

Willits, 31, of Altamonte Springs and an investigator for the Florida Dept. of Transportation, focused his fishing time on a narrow, winding creek channel leading out to the Chattahoochee River channel. Specifically, his fish favored dropoffs breaking from 8- to 12-feet of water, all of it bordered by the brushpiles on the shallow side.

The Winter Springs Bassmasters member scored the overall victory using Texas-rigged soft plastics made by Zoom Bait Co. The choices included a redbug colored Trick Worm and a 10-inch Worm, both fished on 3/16-ounce weights with 4/0 Gamakatsu straight-shank hooks.

Willits' presentation involved casting the worms into the brushpiles and then working the baits slowly to the edge of the drop.

"When I'd feel a little resistance there at the edge from the brush I'd pop it a bit to free it up," he said, of the resulting reaction strike.

The big story, literally, in this tournament was the total domination by Alabama in the team competition. The 12-man team led from start to finish, ending the tournament with a total combined weight of 201-7. Alabama's prize was a Triton Boats TR-186 rigged with a Mercury 150 h.p. outboard, all valued at $32,000. By comparison, North Carolina finished second with 140-2. Kentucky was third with 130-8, South Carolina fourth place with 125-12.

"Our guys came together like they've never come together before," said Jim Howard, team coordinator for Alabama. "Just like yesterday, when Sean Dassau was leading. He literally gave our guys a mini-seminar on how, when and where he was catching his fish. It just was a total team effort."

Joining Willits (Florida) and Tierney (North Carolina) at the November Federation Championship are the following other state winners: Mark Pierce (Tennessee); Mike Prindle (Georgia); Mike Keel (Alabama); Fred O' Quinn (South Carolina); and Kyle Christopher (Kentucky).

The Southern Divisonal is one of six regional qualifiers for the Federation Championship. Next on the schedule is the Central Divisional, next week on Ross Barnett Reservoir in Mississippi.

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