The Buddy Bass Tournament hosted by the Pilot Point Chamber of Commerce started bright and early at 4:30 a.m. Saturday morning at the Isle du Bois Unit of Ray Roberts Lake State Park.
This year marked the third annual Buddy Bass Tournament, and Pilot Point Chamber Executive Director Evon Lusk said the event is “growing every year.”
They accomplished that with a record number of competitors.
“We had 29 boats—even two signed up the morning of,” Lusk said.
The Chamber added a few new incentives to draw participants, including a raffle for prizes on top of the usual cash payouts for the biggest fish and heaviest overall catch of the day.
“We kind of sweetened the pot this year,” Lusk said. “We added prizes and had our largest sponsorship yet, Wall Engineering.”
The tournament brought in a total of $23,650 for the Chamber, along with the excitement of a $3,000 top prize for the top winners.
At about 2:30 p.m., boats began docking as competitors lined up beneath tents to escape the blazing sun, bass in tow, waiting to weigh their catches on the scale.
Before the winners were announced, a table full of fishing gear and prizes was handed out at random, keeping the crowd lively.
Tyce Riney and Calvin Rhodes won both biggest fish and all-around heaviest catch, catching four fish weighing a total of 18.35 pounds.
Riney and Rhodes said they battled through a challenging day on the lake.
“It was very tough,” Riney said. “We had like six or seven bites all day. I missed one that came off at the boat. It was about five pounds, and she would’ve pushed us up to around 23 pounds.”
Despite the tough conditions, persistence paid off.
“With 20 minutes left, we went back to a spot where I’d lost that fish and ended up getting my last one,” he said. “That’s what boosted us up.”
After a long day on the water and a few close calls at the weigh-in table, the event’s friendly, competitive spirit captured what Lusk called its core purpose—“ to bring the community together around something they love.”
