MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Two days of very different weather made the decision making tough for anglers in the eighth annual West Virginia Bass Federation Invitational championship tournament on the Monongahela River in Morgantown. Alan Fluharty and Lester Marsh managed to find the pattern for two consecutive days to bring home the championship and the $5,000 first prize.
“The first day we wanted more current, the second day we wanted less current,” said Fluharty with the first place check in hand. “Everywhere the water was muddy there would be holes. We would run spinnerbaits along those holes and they would come out and smash it.”
Fluharty and Marsh found fish the first day lying in the muddy water just off shore. They discovered clear water about a foot off the bank and targeted the spot for their limit. Trying to find smallmouth bass along a rocky shore, the duo picked up a 4.74 pound largemouth bass on day one.
“I wish I could say that was a result of skill, but it was just a gift,” laughter Alan. “We were working along that rocky bank and there was a little bit of grass there and he just happened to be in the grass. That was really a gift.”
Marsh and Fluharty locked through twice into the state of Pennsylvania to find the bulk of their fish on the spinnerbait bite. Day two they managed to find the fish further off shore after a cold front plunged the temperatures into the 50’s and brought more storms and difficult weather. Their winning stringer over two days was 19.25 pounds.
Day 1 leaders Andy and Mark Godwin couldn’t make their first day pattern produce for a second day.
“We had to go to plan B,” said Mark. “Plan B didn’t work out. We made some mistakes and didn’t get some fish we should have. That’s how it goes.”
Steve and Brandon Marks were able to move up to the second place spot. The Marks brothers came into the tournament at defending champions. They finished second with 17.55 pounds.
Third place ended up being decided on the big fish of the creel. Charlie and Jeff Hanshaw and Larry Robinson and Tony Cleavenger each had a total weight over two days of 14.74 pounds. The tie breaker with the big fish put the Hanshaws in 3rd and Robinson and Cleavenger fell to 4th.
The Godwin’s ended up 5th with a two day total of 14.51 pounds, but also finished two fish short of their limit on day 2.
Rounding out the top 10:
JC Christopher and John Christopher 13.91 pounds
Brian Hill and Kaleb Hill 13.95 pounds
Ron Henthorne and Jason Suter 13.73 pounds
Buster Owens and Jeff Douglass 13.44 pounds
Matthew Farley and Terry Riggins 13.34 pounds