Top three teams at the 2016 YBB. (L to R) John Jones and Drake Jones, third place; Chris Krull and Shawn Haley, second place; Chad Angell and Josh Sansgaald, first place.
By Steve Weisman
The fourth annual Yellow Bass Bonanza (YBB) presented by Mason City Power Sports was once again a huge success according to tournament directors Kevan Paul and Chris Scholl. Held at Clear Lake on Sunday, February 14, the team of Chad Angell from Colo and Josh Sansgaald from Collins led the way with a 50-fish limit weight of 19.91 pounds. For their efforts, they took home two Vexilar FLX 28 flashers and a Clam prize package totaling over $1500 retail value.
Second place and two Clam Kenai Pro shelters valued at over $700 went to the team of Chris Krull from Worthington, MN and Shawn Haley from Milford with a 50-fish limit weight of 19.38 pounds. Rounding out the top three was the team of John and Drake Jones from Rolfe with a 50-fish limit weight of 18.13 pounds. They earned four Tree Town tickets valued at $600.
The main door prize, a 2016 Polaris Sportsman 4-wheeler valued at $6000, went to Cody Evinger and Reggie Humpal from New Hampton.
Both Paul and Scholl were pleased with the way the entire weekend went. “We had 255 teams with 194 teams catching yellow bass and 34 catching their 50-fish limit. The bite was probably not as hot as last year, but the teams still brought 3,782 fish to the scales. However, the size (weight) of the fish brought to the scales was quite a bit larger than the previous three years with the top weights averaging around five pounds greater,” said Paul.
This year the total payout reached in excess of $35,000. As in previous years, the YBB brought anglers from 10 different states. With 255 teams, organization was the key especially at weigh-in time. “We were able to keep everything moving and made it through the weigh-in in an hour. Chris and his group of volunteers were a huge part of this. They are the ‘muscle’ behind the tournament, and they did a tremendous job!”
Saturday evening Ice Bash
The YBB actually kicked off on Saturday evening at the Surf Ballroom with a meal, rules meeting and a wide range of door prizes. “The Ice Bash was awesome. Everybody had a good time, and we surpassed our number of vendors and sponsors with a total of 37 sponsors. This gave our anglers the chance to really look over all of the products that were on display,” noted Paul.
Next Year
Paul and Scholl are already looking forward to next year’s fifth edition of the Yellow Bass Tournament sponsored by Mason City Power Sports. “Our goal is to continue to improve the tournament each year. We are pleased that more and more sponsors are coming on board to help support and promote the YBB!”
To learn more, check out Kevan Pauls Guide Service website: www.paulsfishingguide.com or call Paul at (641) 529-2359 or Scholl at (641) 512-0165.
Winners of the 2016 Polaris Sportsman 4-wheeler, Cody Evinger and Reggie Humpal.
Saturday night’s Ice Bash.
