AllStar Bass The Big Win Didn't Get Away At The SuperCouples Championship

09/24/2001 - Phoenix, AZ .... Anyone who has spent any time fishing has a story about "the big one that got away". However, at the AllStar Bass SuperCouple Championship held at Roosevelt Lake on Saturday and Sunday, September 22-23, it was a story about the big win that didn't get away because the big one didn't get away. Judy Chaney of Tucson and Carroll Shreve of Roosevelt not only didn't let their big bass get away, they were able to hold on to win the season-ending 2001 championship with a two-day total of 27.90 pounds.

The pair took the day-one lead with a six-fish limit of 17.00 pounds including the tournament's biggest bass -- monster 9.94-pound largemouth. Chaney had to fight to keep from loosing the brute when it swam under the boat and jumped on the opposite side. However, Shreve was able to net the sow before it was able to break off. They held on to the lead with a day-two limit weighing 10.90 pounds for the overall win.

Chaney and Shreve received the keys to a 2001 Stratos 20SS Extreme bass boat on a StratosTrail trailer rigged with a Evinrude 225 FICHT Ram Injection outboard valued at more than $39,000. The boat included two digital depthfinders, global positioning system (GPS), on-board battery charging system, and more.

The team fished buzzbaits and crankbaits around the east side of Windy Hill and on Goose Flats in the Tonto Creek arm. Their big bass came on a buzzbait off Windy Hill.

Second place went to the team of Pam and John Walker of Peoria with two solid limits each day of 9.98 and 12.06 pounds for a two-day total of 22.04 pounds. They fished Carolina-rigged soft plastics on mainlake points on the south side of the Tonto Creek arm.

Third place went to the team of Lisa and Todd Graffa of Mesa with weights of 13.87 and 5.72 pounds for a total of 19.59 pounds. They fished topwater poppers and crankbaits in 2 to 10 feet on points near the marina and on Goose Flats.

Fourth place went to the team of Mary and Bob Hayn of Fountain Hills for weights of 10.22 and 6.54 pounds for a total of 16.76 pounds. They fished spider jigs, topwater poppers and Texas-rigged worms in the Porter Springs area and the south side of the Tonto Creek arm.

Fifth place went to the team of Angel and Larry Lunt of Lakeside for weights of 9.03 and 6.60 pounds for a total of 15.63 pounds. They fished ribbed worms, 8-inch worms and double-hook worms in 15 to 20 feet of water on a channel edge near Porter Springs.

Rounding out the top ten couples were (6) Alicia and Cliff Pirch, Tonto Basin, with 14.94 pounds; (7) Kay Wagner and Chi Chi Chavez, Roosevelt, 14.26 pounds; (8) Robin and Sam Schattenberg, Scottsdale, 13.27 pounds; (9) Olivia Perez, Tempe, and Andrew Napoleon, Mesa, 12.20 pounds; and (10) Joann Caley and Matt Shura, Gilbert, 11.07 pounds. The 2001-2002 AllStar Bass Couples Tournament circuits starts on Saturday, November 3, at Roosevelt Lake. For more information, entry form and rules, call (480) 894-2775.

AllStar Bass Fishing Tournaments, Inc., is sponsored by Stratos Boats; Javelin Boats; Johnson Outboards; Evinrude Outboards with FICHT Ram Fuel Injection; Johnson and Evinrude Electrics; Berkley Trilene; Berkley Power Baits; Plano Tackle Systems; Bill Johnson's Big Apple Restaurants; The Arizona Boat Store in Mesa, Arizona Marine in Tucson and Arizona Hunter & Angler.