Summer league baseball Allstars was always a special time growing up in small town America. Every summer we’d play and practice little league in hopes to make the Allstar team. We would load up and caravan an hour or so away to compete in a tournament against other kids just like us. Brand new jerseys, undefeated and ready to win it all, we would take the field.
Fast forward to adulthood, where the thought of playing baseball is just memories, the closest thing to that competition and the Allstars for bass anglers in the Miss-Lou area is the Top 10 Tournament held yearly on the last Saturday of October. Each club in the area chooses their Top 10 anglers aka ALLSTARS to compete in a one-day tournament for very little money but huge bragging rights.
The local clubs, Miss-Lou Bass Club, Concordia Bass Club, Pigstickers, Brookhaven Bass Club, River City Bass Club, Borderline Bass Club, Southwest Bass Club and Dixie Bass Club put up their top ten anglers paired into 5 teams to compete against the other 7 clubs. Stakes are high, with only $1600 in tournament fees, it is not about the money!
Two weeks before the tournament team representatives meet to go over rules, submit any changes clubs want and to start the trash talking.
2021 Miss-Lou Top Ten
Where Bragging Rights are Made
November 2021, Volume 131
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The host of this year’s tournament was the Pigsticker’s Bass Club. Tournament host is given to the club that wins the previous year’s Top 10 Tournament. As a result, a most skilled trash talker, John Bruce took the reins of leading the meeting. On the Monday prior to the tournament club representatives meet again to vote based on any new proposals after polling their club members. Secondly and most importantly they nominate and draw the lake to fish. Possible choices are Larto Lake, Four Rivers Jonesville, Lake Bruin, and Old River Deerpark. This year the lake chosen was Lake Bruin. To read more about Lake Bruin check out our previous article at https://www.bassinintheboot.com/lake-bruin-v106-10-19.
This year the last Saturday of October fell on the 30th and anglers were greeted by post front conditions, temperatures in upper forties with overcast skies giving way to a sunny and bright afternoon. Winds topped out around 10 mph. Further adding to the difficult clear water of Bruin was the fact the lake had been heavily pressured the month leading up to the tournament.
Anglers began arriving around 4 am hoping to secure a good parking place at the Lake Bruin State Park. Blast off would be close to 7 with a pretournament prayer by David Smith and the National Anthem by Destre DeDeaux. In five flights the 40 boats and 80 anglers would scatter across the lake.
Individual teams reported finding fish in a variety of ways and at numerous depths of water. From right up on the banks to end of piers even out a little deeper, fish were caught and numbers weren’t much of a problem. Only 4 of the 40 teams failed to turn in a limit. Bag weight ranged from the dubious honor of smallest bag at 4.14# by Gary Waller and Russel Eames of Miss-Lou Bass Club to the 16.08# $200 prize bag of Trevor Smith and Michael Walker of Brookhaven Bass Club.
The lightest combined club weight was 39.59# brought to the scales by Southwest Bass Club. Club leaders Josh and Randy Simpson had 12.01# and a 3.33# club big bass. Seventh through second place club finishes were separates by 5 pounds with Miss-Lou Bass Club managing a combined weight of 50.49# anchored by 2nd largest sack of the day 15.84# by Charles Anderson and Cody Jones finished 7th among the clubs.
The sixth place Concordia Bass Club saw team members Morgan Nettles and Greg Rabb's 12.91# leading catch put their total at 50.62# for the day.
Fifth place club totals went to none other than River City Bass Club with top team Andy McDaniel and Dale Jamison bringing in 10.96# of the 51.78# total.
First club in the top 50% of the day saw a 52.59# total propelled by Michael Guillot and Ben Hendricks bag of 12.60# to help Borderline Bass Club secure the four hole.
Bronze metal award goes to Dixie Bass Club. The club had a total weight of 55.22# and saw team members J.T. Switzer and Shannon Gay bring in the day’s 3rd heaviest bag at 15.33 pounds.
Second place AGAIN this year are those folks from Lincoln County, Mississippi; Brookhaven Bass Club. The club had consistent bags from all 5 teams but it was the team of Trevor Smith and Michael Walker with that 16.08# sack topper of the day that secured the two hole.
Self-proclaimed “Thugs" showed up and showed out to hold the title and rein another year as Top 10 Champions. With the only team total weight in the sixties, Pigstickers Bass Club brought 25 bass to the scale totaling 61.80 pounds to dominate the field. Beating the closest club by over 6 pounds to cement the top place finish.
Leading the “thugs" was the team of Buster Roy and Richie Dickey with 14.52# followed closely by 13.84# sack presented by John Bruce and Chad Wiley. Danny Smith and Eddie Jester’s 5 came it at 13.29 followed by 10.84# George Prince and Alan Brumfield bag. Rounding out the “Pigs" was team Rodney Wiley and Ryan Neuroth with 9.31 pounds.
The tournament was a success and all fish were returned to the lake to be caught again.
As we grow older I assure you we don’t lose that competitive spirit. It just takes a friendly little tournament like the Top 10 to bring out the fire in our eyes. Until next year the Pigsticker’s Bass Club will have the upper hand of trash talking in the area but I know the other 8 clubs will be gunning for that top spot. See you on the water, Geaux Bassin!
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Miss-Lou Bass Club team leaders with the second heaviest sack of the day Cody Jones and Charles Anderson weighing in 15.84#.
Four time reining Top Ten Classic Champions Pig Stickers.