Can-AM 2001 match fishing

CAN-AM 2001
Day 1 Results

Introducing the Team Captains..

Mick Thill - Team USA. Most famously known for the now ubiquitous line of Thill floats marketed by Lindy, Mick now markets a superior line of floats and other finesse tackle at MickThill.com

Jeff Turner - Team Canada. Jeff runs the Shoreline fishing Tournament Series (STS) of bank angling competitive events in Canada, working towards promoting the sport north of the border.

Carpin' Hat - ooh lala
check it out here

CAN-AM 2001 Day 1 Results

Angler	Team	Peg#	Weight	Pts
Bob Esbensen	USA	11	29.28	1
Lewis Jones	Canada	22	10.76	2
Jeff Turner	Canada	6	5.74	3
Lonnie King	Canada	16	4.82	4
Barry Croke	Canada	14	3.62	5
Mick Thill	USA	1	2.12	6
Kevin Hendren	USA	21	1.84	7
John Wilkins	USA	13	1.50	8
Fritz Vatter	Canada	20	0.82	9
Mircea Dascalescu	USA	19	0.14	10
Jeff Kolodzinski	USA	15	0.08	11
George Allen	Canada	18	0.02	12
Ian Hooper	USA	17	0.01	13
Daniel Murillo	USA	5	0.006	14
Lee Young	USA	3	0.002	15
Jon Rasmussen	USA	7	0	23
Chris Taglieri	USA	9	0	23
Allen Leeson	Canada	12	0	23
Tony Benham	Canada	2	0	23
Vernon Fisher	Canada	4	0	23
Simon Knebl	Canada	8	0	23
Steve Noyes	Canada	10	0	23
Total		22 pegs	60.758	281

Section Winners
1 - Bob Esbensen, USA 2 - Lewis Jones, CAN

USA: 131 pts
CAN: 150 pts
>>USA wins first day by 19 points<<

Little River - Sections 1 & 2

Scoring is based on world match rules - 1 point for the heaviest bag, 2 for the next heaviest, and so forth, so the lowest score wins. Blanking has the highest negative impact with the highest penalty points (so catch something ;-). This year the pegs were divided into two sections, with half on each side of an inlet leading into the "Pollution Control" plant, or sewage treatment plant. Also, the pegs were filled with alternating team members, i.e. U.S., Canada, U.S., Canada etc. so no two team mates were next to each other. For Day 2, all of the anglers are to change sections.

drawing of the pegs

The day had an ominous beginning, as heavy rain pounded away during the setup period, with increasing rumbling in the distance. After the two team captains consulted with each other, the decision was made to carry on, and the starting whistles blew. This was much to the consternation of some of the anglers, especially the long-polers, who felt that conditions were not safe - "..I'm willing to take one for the team, but come on," and "..what would it take to call it?" Fortunately, the thunder gradually subsided and the match continued without incident (electrically that is).

Despite the heavy weather, some pegs were busy with activity, like Bob Esbensen and this fine carp taken very early on. Bob went on to win in the day's individual standings, and provided the anchor for Team USA.

the zen-like state of match fishing where the image of a tiny float becomes burned into your mind

Luckily, the rain gradually subsided, providing stretches of dryness when one can actually shed his rain gear and take a picture..

Team USA captain Mick Thill with a pair of goldfish from his mixed bag

Team Canada captain Jeff Turner with a fine carp

Bob Esbensen with the largest specimen from his catch

The two far-end pegs provided the number one and number two finishers, as well as the section winners, as both pegs also happened to have excellent anglers from each country, Bob Esbensen - USA (29.28 lbs) and Lewis Jones - CAN (10.76 lbs).

1st - Bob Esbensen USA
3rd - Jeff Turner CAN 2nd - Lewis Jones CAN

Bob loaded up on the most prized targets - carp and goldfish, while Lewis caught carp, shiners, a rockbass and three goldfish, including a four pounder! Jeff managed to pull a couple of fish from a tough area, including a nice carp, good enough for third place. There was a sharp drop off in bag weights, as the conditions proved very tough for most, including seven anglers that scratched. Those pesky emerald shiners proved to be a factor in at least getting on the board. Some anglers also chose not to start right away, feeling that conditions were not entirely safe.

All told, 60.8 lbs of fish were caught, including carp, goldfish, sunfish, bullheads, rockbass, gobies and lots of emerald shiners. The heavy rains not only provided natural runoff, but the pollution control plant also added color to the water, spewing effluent from its' main outlet (the section divider) and others as well. The sudden heavy rains apparently breached the plant's capacity, forcing it to release overflow and debris. Mick Thill, pegged on the right side of the main outlet, noted that bits of debris from the plant kept collecting on his tiny split shots until the additional weight dragged the float down. The debris, changing water color, and general unstable conditions made fishing tough as a whole. On to the final day...

<- BACK | Day 2 ->

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