BIG ENOUGH Glenn Leroux and Trevor Zimak weigh in on Saturday in the 2012 Atikokan Bass Classic. They needed 18.4 lbs to hold the top spot, and these two healthy piscine specimens helped them exceed that target and take their second title with a two-day catch of 40.25 lbs.
M. McKinnon
The 25th Atikokan Bass Classic provided a thrilling finish here Saturday.
Defending champs Cory Nephin and Kevin Rissanen, in seventh place after day one, came in with one of the biggest bags (21.04 lbs) of the day to take the lead with just the six pairs ahead of them to come in.
Austin Loew and his grandfather Larry Loew couldn’t beat them. (Austin, 11, is already a fishing tournament veteran, and earned the praise of every angler who saw him at work on the water. His focus and skill are outstanding, and his results terrific.)
Doug and Solly McBride came in with a 20-lb bag, but fell just short. The father/son team of Dave and Scott Williams were next. They had 19.91 lbs on Friday, and needed that again to take over the lead, but came up just short. They did earn $300 for the biggest bass of the day – 5.63 lbs – one-hundredth of a pound more than Nephin/Rissanen’s best.
With just three pairs left – all of whom had bagged 20 lbs on Friday – the drama heightened. Marty and Troy Coulson went into the day committed to a “gold or bust” strategy – and got the latter. Their 12.56 lb bag knocked them out of the top ten.
Scotty and Mike Baxter, with 21.22 lbs on Friday, were less than an ounce behind the leaders, and needed 18.5 lbs to knock Nephin/Rissanen out of top spot. They, too, came up short (17.13 lbs), and that meant the Classic would have its first repeat winners on the Floodwaters.
Day one leaders Glenn Leroux and Trevor Zimak, the 2009 champions, needed 18.4 lbs, and produced a bag of 18.97 lbs to win the title. The Thunder Baypair have been in the money every year on the Floods; in addition to their 2009 win, they were second in ’08, and seventh and sixth the past two years.
TOP TEN 2012 BASS CLASSIC
1. Glenn Leroux & Trevor Zimak 40.25 lbs ($10,000)
2. Kevin Rissanen & Cory Nephin 39.68 ($7,000)
3. Dave & Scott Williams 39.3 ($5,000)
4. Doug & Solly McBride 39.26 ($4,000)
5. Scotty & Mike Baxter 38.25 ($3,000)
6. Jody Loew & Jeff Sampson 37.27 ($2,500)
7. Larry & Austin Loew 38.21 ($2,000)
8. Todd & Steve Bryk 36.62 ($1,600)
9. Gary & Kyle Potter 36.61 ($1,200)
10. Scott & Angus Manford 35.61 ($1,000)
