Texas Walleye Association Championship Results

Anglers from six states including Wyoming, New Mexico, Florida, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas gathered at Lake Meredith for the TWA Championship on June 25-26 seeking a first place trophy and a prize of $1,000 for each day of the tourney. An unusually severe late June cold front accompanied by severe thunderstorms and a rise on the lake turned what is normally one of the best bites on Meredith into lethargic fish and an unpredictable bite for the TWA teams. The bite proved so fickle that each day produced a completely different set of top three money winners.

The $1,000 top prize on Day 1 went to Jim O'Connor of Amarillo and Ed Rodriguez of Fritch with 5 fish weighing 8.76 lbs. They caught their fish on jigs tipped with nightcrawlers over several midlake humps. Dan Turner of Dumas and David Turner of Bristow, Oklahoma claimed the $1,000 first place on Day 2 with 5 fish weighing 8.66 lbs. The Turners caught their fish by barely moving a jig and crawler over a single midlake hump in 25 to 32 feet of water.

Donnie Bell and Arvin Cowan of Fritch went all the way up to the muddy water in Harbor Bay to catch 5 fish weighing 8.38 lbs on jigs in 5 to 7 feet of water to claim 2nd place and $650 on Day 1. On Day 2, 2nd place and $650 went to Brent Breznik and Dewayne Wilkins of Borger who fished jigs with crawlers 12 feet deep to bring in 5 fish weighing 8.33 lbs.

3rd place and $380 went on Day 1 to Jeff Alexander of Fritch and Ron Alexander of Plains, Kansas with 5 fish weighing 7.99 lbs. Kevin and Kalin Audrain of Fritch claimed third on Day 2 with 5 fish weighing 6.98 lbs. Both the Alexanders and the Audrains caught their fish on red jigs with crawlers over shallow midlake humps and ridges.

The Big Fish award of $160 went to the Audrains on Day 1 with a 2.24 lb walleye, and to Brent Breznik and Dewayne Wilkins on Day 2 with a 2.82 lb fish. The automatic qualification to the 2005 Cabelas National Team Championship also went to the Audrains with the highest combined two day weight of 14.39 lbs. Team Audrain also ended the year with the most points.

Other Top Ten placings for points on Day 1 were: 4th Mark and Marty Murphy of Woodward, Oklahoma with 7.86 lbs; 5th to the Audrains with 7.41 lbs; 6th to Wade Seymour and Darrell Nivens with 6.89 lbs; 7th to Robert Reining of Panhandle and Brett Mills of Fritch with 6.56 lbs; 8th to J.D. Carr and Chuck Weston of Fritch with 6.25 lbs; 9th to Hank McWilliams of Fritch and John McWilliams of Borger with 6.07 lbs; and 10th to Jeff Cooper and Toby Abell of Amarillo with 4.36 lbs.

The remaining Top Ten placings on Day 2 were: 4th Jim Welch of Fritch and Donnie Tolleson of Tampa, Florida with 6.12 lbs; 5th Nivens and Seymour with 6.05lbs; 6th Reining and Mills with 5.97 lbs; 7th(tie) between the McWilliams and the Alexanders with 5.40 lbs; 9th Carr and Weston with 4.81 lbs; and 10th O'Connor and Rodriguez with 4.02 lbs. The Championship concludes the 2004 TWA Season. The 2005 Season will begin with a fall tournament to be announced soon. For more information, contact Kevin Audrain at 857-2890 or Dan Turner at 935-3176.