By Staff
from staff reports
James Blanton and Michael James teamed up for a first place finish in the final stage of the 2007 Fishers of Men Alabama South competition held at Cooters Pond on the Alabama River at Prattville.
Blanton and James reeled in five fish that had a combined weight of 15.24 pounds. The winning team also had the second largest individual fish, which checked in at 4.61 pounds.
The first place finish for the day also secured Blanton and James first place for the season. They received the Points Champions Pot for their accomplishment and an automatic berth in the 2007 National Championships, which will actually be held in early 2008. They also qualified for the Southeast Regional, which will be Nov. 2 at a location to be announced. Nineteen additional teams from the Alabama South division have qualified along with Blanton and James for the Southeast Regional competition.
Second place in the final season meet went to James Miles and Gerald Portis, as they caught five fish that had a weight of 13.38 pounds. Miles and Portis also had the largest individual fish, which weighed 4.65 pounds.
Sammy Thomas and Lavon White finished in third place. They caught five fish for a weight of 11.62 pounds.
Fifteen teams competed in the meet. Those entries caught 59 fish overall with a weight of 104.79 pounds.
Ten teams competed and qualified for the Legacy National Championship, which will be held July 27-28 on Lake Pickwick at Florence. The Legacy Series is a new event the Fishers of Men started this year. Teams have one adult (19 years or older) and one child (under age 19) fishing together.
The Legacy National Championship has the possibility to be the largest tournament Fishers of Men has ever had. There are 33 teams that can qualify 10 or more teams to fish, which means there could be in excess of 300 entries in the tournament. The winning team at the Legacy National Championship will win a new Triton Boat with a Mercury motor.
Additional information about the Fishers of Men Tournament trail can contact Allen Couch at P.O. Box 2222, East Brewton, Al. 36427 or at 867-7706 (work), 867-9852 (home) or 363-0547 (cell). Couch can also be reached at acouch14@bellsouth.net. One may also contact Danny Parker at 867-7988 (home) 809-1457 (cell) or at dannyparker2001@yahoo.com.