In what surely must be considered an experience of a lifetime, club member Kevin Cunningham, competed as a Co-Angler in the Bassmasters "ELITE" Series during the 2006 season.  Beginning on the Harris Chain of Lakes in central Florida, Kevin made his presence felt almost immediately.  He was paired the first day with BASS tour-pro Dave Gleibe and was able to compliment his overall weight with three bass of his own. The second day Kevin was paired with BASS superstar pro Greg Hackney, the 2004 BASS Rookie Of The Year.  Flipping a jig behind Hackney, a noted jig aficionado himself, Kevin whacked this 6 pound 10 ounce monster largemouth pictured at the right.  Finishing seventeenth (17) place over all in the Co-Angler standings netted him the tidy sum of $1050.00 and a trip to the "stage" for a photo-op.  Nice......

 

 

 

 

 

 

The second stop on this 'world-wind-tour' took Kevin to the fabled Lake Amistad on the border of Texas and Mexico.  This lake is noted for its gigantic bass and Kevin was more than prepared....unfortunately his first day BASS tour-pro was not.  He managed to scratch out a small 3 fish limit on a Carolina-rig, even instructing his partner along the way, but to no avail.  On a positive note he enjoyed his second day with BASS tour-pro, Kotaro Kiriyama a pairing both would remember 'further on up the road'.....................

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The third stop for "Crawdaddy" was the legendary Santee Cooper Reservoir in South Carolina.  He stood a wonderful chance of finishing high up the Co-Angler leader board but a tough draw on the final day cost him a shot at the 'Top Ten'. Kevin finished a  very respectable twenty second (22) place overall ...ka-ching...$900.00 semolians.  He drew three top flite BASS tour-pros, Dean Rojas, "Tok" Takahiro Omori and Randy Howell who was later disqualified.  Kevin had nothing but great things to say about his partners, well two of them anyway..........

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Every story has an ending, and this one has a good one. The last stop for Kevin in 06' was that quasi-great lake...Lake Champlain.  Day one once again saw Kevin paired with a top BASS-pro, Mike Wurm.  Wurm just happened to be on good fish in Missisquoi Bay and he was catching them flipping.  Now when the fish are hitting a jig Kevin is in heaven, not quite like when they are on the 'rat' however, but close enough to get his blood boiling.  Things were surely headed in the right direction as he finished the day in 5th place.  Day two saw him paired with BASS rookie-pro Jared Lintner who was fishing the same general area where Kevin had spent the first day with Wurm. It's here that things might have come unraveled if Craw had panicked.  It was one o'clock and he had nothing in the box, his pro-partner was front ending him. There wasnt any 'butter moss' in-sight and time was running out.  He need not have worried as Lintner filled out his limit and then gave Kevin the opening he needed to catch his limit which he accomplished in short order.  Overall he was in 11th place heading into the last day.....hmmmm who would he draw? 

Oh no....it was Kotaro Kiriyama, and he was drop shot fishing smallmouth in 30 feet of water.  It looked like all was lost.  Sure they knew one another from their pairing on Lake Amistad earlier in the season, but Kevin was concerned and rightly so.  Those BASS-pros who targeted smallmouth on Lake Champlain during this event had little to show for their efforts.  On this special day things were different. The 'divine winds' of the samurai cooperated as if on cue and both Pro and Co-Angler performed magnificently, filling the boat with a bevy of bronze beautys. Kevin weighed-in a hefty sack of smallmouth that enabled him to leap eight position spots into third place for the tournament, just one measly ounce from winning a fully rigged bass boat.  He did however win $10,000 large....Nice.  Congratulations Kevin on one hell of a fishing performance.  We are all proud of you and hope you fish the Elite Series full time in 07' so we wont have to fish against you anymore in the club. 

 

 

Kevin tells Tommy Sanders a fish story

Kevin 'hamming it up' on stage.....again!

On to Oneida Lake and a brush with immortality.  On day one of the 'Empire Chase', Kevin was paired with none other than "Ike", Mike Iaconelli, the bad boy of professional bass fishing.  Not knowing what to expect, Kevin was blown away by Mike's friendliness' and humor as well as his amazing fishing skills. "He had a limit in the boat in eight (8) minutes laughed Kevin, it was just incredible to watch." At the end of day one Kevin was sitting in 5th place, positioned to go for it all.  Day two saw 'our hero' paired with BASS pro Charlie Youngers and while Crawdaddy slipped to tenth place he made a new friend and more importantly the cut.  Day three he drew the man, the legend, the master....Rick Clunn. The results werent pretty....for Rick...as Kevin 'waxed' him out of the back of the boat...yeeehhhaaaa! .Kevin finished in 5th place cashing another check for close to $2000.00
Craw takes the controls from Clunn
Kevin takes to the stage at Oneida
Craw tells Clunn "you got nothing"

Craw & Ike Atlantic Teammates in 07 ?