The North Central Region kicked off its 2025 tournament season on Lakes Waco and Whitney on March 1st and 2nd. As the anglers arrived at Lake Waco Saturday morning, the sky was clear and it was a little on the chilly side as temps were in the mid to upper 40’s, however, there was barley a wisp of wind, and once the sun was up it warmed quickly eventually reaching 78 degrees by weigh in!. Once it was safe light, the anglers were treated to a beautiful sunrise reflecting off the glass like surface of the lake as they idled out past the no wake zone and onto the main lake. The field quickly learned that while the weather was ideal, the fishing was not and the majority of the anglers did not catch a limit and those that did limit out, they did so at the end of the day with some catching 2 or 3 keepers with less than 45 minutes to go. In the end, it was Denton County Bass Club angler Jim Harcrow who took 1st place boater honors and a check for $432 with a limit of Waco bass weighing 11.21 pounds. Jim just squeaked past David Rosenquist who had a 10.99 pound limit for second place and $288. David’s limit included a 3.73 pounder, which was the Big Bass of the tournament and an additional $130 in David’s pocket. Rounding out the top three, in third place was Eric Tapia of Centex Basshunters with 8.25 pounds on 4 fish. Eric said he caught a slew of fish with less than an hour to go, but they were all short and he just could not get a 5th 14 incher.
On the non-boater side, it was all Alonza Brown, The Colony Bass Club, as he put a smack down on the rest of the co angler field. He did it with one fish weighing 2.75 pounds and earning him $216, proving yet again every bite counts!
With Waco in the books, the anglers turned their sights on Lake Whitney. Not to be out done by Waco, the sky over Whitney at take off on Sunday morning was spectacular to say the least, and neither words nor pictures could ever do it justice. But unlike Waco, Whitney brought the wind and kept bringing it all day long with sustained winds at 17-20 and gusts to 35. Jim Harcrow, looking to carry his momentum over from Waco, stated that he found a school of smallmouth first thing in the morning and had his limit by 8:30 a.m. but that after a few hours the worm had turned, and his success turned into a grind the rest of the day. His limit was 14.00 pounds even, but on this windy day, it was only good enough for second place and $288, as Andrew Wren, Tarrant Christian Bass Club, would take first place on the boater side with a healthy 16.51 pound limit, anchored by a PB 5.08 Smallmouth and taking Big Bass honors. For his efforts, Andrew cashed in for a total of $572! North Central Region rookie Kasen Keene had a solid third place finish with a 10.20 pound limit! Nice job Kasen!
Completely un-phased by the wind, the weather, or the waves, Alonza Brown again dominated the Co angler side with a three fish limit weighing 6.49 pounds and cashing a check for $288. Brady Keene, Big Sandy Bass Club, edged out Chris Demiglio of The Colony Bass Club for second place by 0.16 pounds, leaving Chris in third. Will Alonza continue his winning ways and pull further ahead, or will the remaining co-anglers get hot and close the gap? Keep a close eye on this one!
Our next tournament will be Sunday, March 30th on Possum Kingdom, following the North Central Region Team Trail on Saturday, March 29th also on Possum Kingdom. This affords anglers a chance to make it a full weekend on PK by participating in both trails, so be sure to sign up and come fish with us! Anglers from both trails are invited to meet for dinner at Hemingway’s on Possum Kingdom Friday night, March 28th. It is not mandatory but rather a chance to meet other anglers in the North Central Region. More details will be posted prior to the event!
Stephen Farrar
North Central Region Director
Club Division
