The 20th annual Rotary Bass Tournament was held on Lake Jacksonville on Sunday, March 31, 2019. Twenty-six boats competed in the first buddy tournament of the season. A total of 16 fish were caught with a total weight of 53.04 pounds. Mark Watson and Greg Cooper of Springfield won the tournament with a total weight of 13.51 pounds.
The Big Bass, caught by Michael Grejtak of Benld and Gustav Viehweg of Mt. Olive, weighed in at 6.9 pounds. The largest bass ever caught and weighed in the Jacksonville Rotary Bass Tournament was in 2009 at 8.39 pounds.
Rotary president Daphne Spradlin said, “The Jacksonville Rotary Club wishes to thank the tournament sponsors and all of the sportsmen who competed, as well as the many Rotarian volunteers and the City of Jacksonville Department of Parks and Lakes staff for their assistance with the tournament.”
Tournament chair David Fisher said, “We moved the tournament up a week so that the newly formed Jacksonville High School bass fishing team could host its first high school tournament on April 7. We want to thank the high school team members and their coach, Tony Perkins, who helped out with our tournament. We hope to encourage more young people to engage in the sport of bass fishing.”
The 2019 results are as follows:
First place ($900): Michael Grejtak of Benld and Gustav Viehweg of Mt. Olive: 13.51 lbs.
Second place ($800): Michael Grejtak of Benld and Gustav Viehweg of Mt. Olive, 6.9 pounds.
Third place ($700): Vernon Clements of Arenzville and Trevor Birdsell of Ashland, 5.75 pounds.
Fourth Place ($500): Brad Hadraba and William Hadraba of Willow Springs, 4.96 pounds.
Fifth place ($300): Wesley Lashmett of Winchester and Bob Rush of Pleasant Plains, 4.81 pounds.
Sixth Place ($200): David Knollhoff and Glenn Robson of Jacksonville, 4.41 pounds.
Seventh Place ($125): Jed Arnold and Lyndell Arnold of Jacksonville, 4.38 pounds.
Eighth place ($100): Dennis Yokley of Mt. Olive and Steve Neal of Morrisonville, 3.69 pounds.
Big Bass: Michael Grejtak of Benld and Gustav Viehweg of Mt. Olive, 6.9 pounds.