Craig takes Gaston, Mike & Mike on the board!

Mike West, 2nd place & big fish, 2.68#...first fish of the year!

Mike Langer, 1.78#, first fish of the year!

      Leesville BASSMasters tournament trail hit the halfway mark in our 2018 season today on Lake Gaston, launching out of Salmon Landing.   A very early 5:30 launch time greeted us with partly cloudy skies, upper 60s, and no water scheduled to be pulled through the dam.  Water temps ranged from 78 to 83, and it was close to 90 by the time we weighed in.
      After all fish were brought to the scales, Craig Koefler came away with the win (3 fish, 5.19#), followed by Mike West (1 fish, 2.68#), and Mark Cannon (2 fish, 2.20#).  Mike West also took big fish honors for the day. 
      While the day presented tough conditions, all members weighed in fish including rookie non-boater Mike Langer, who brought his first fish to the scales this season in the form of a nice spotted bass.   Second place finisher Mike West also celebrated his return to the Leesville trail  by weighing in his first first of the year after being sidelined since early March due to illness.  Last place finisher Duke Bevard recounted losing a 5+ at the side of the boat within inches of the net early in the morning.
      At the halfway point, it's still a horse race heading into the second half of the 2018 season.  Mark Cannon and Wes House are tied for the lead with 99 points each, followed by Duke Bevard in third with 87 points.  Since only the Top 10 tournament finishes for  the year count towards final scores, some twists and turns in standings are likely in the lead up to our final tournament at Kerr Lake in early November.
      Our next tournament is on July 21 at Roanoke Rapids launching from the Thelma ramp.