|
George Pepe had a plan. Whatever that plan was he never said. What he did say was" here I am, beat me if you can. George is one of the most competitive men I have ever met, and regardless of the sport, he is in it for the kill. Five straight years of finishing close to the top of the heap had made him determined to put everything together in 2001. This determination paid off in spades as he literally tore the crown away from defending champ; Kevin Cunningham. The year began for George in the winners circle, always a good place to start. He was able to figure out the nuances of a particular piece of cover that led him to victory on the Potomac River in the season opener. On the first day of this two day tournament George weighed in a five (5) fish limit of 13 lbs.,12 ozs. Unfortunately, the spot dried up, producing just one solitary three pond bass on day two. Luckily it was enough for him to claim the championship. Pepe followed it up with a solid fifth place finish on Highland Lake in Connecticut but slipped badly falling to eight place on East Twin Lakes in Connecticut during "The Team Qualifier #1" tournament. If that wasn't bad enough he threw up a "goose egg" on the always unpredictable Connecticut River. At this point in the year he was sitting in 10 th place in the "Angler Of The Year" race. Not good. When there is a fire in your belly, you dictate your fortunes instead of waiting for the inevitable. That's precisely what George did, finishing less than a half pound from winning the "Mug Championship" on Candlewood Lake in late June. His five (5) fish limit weighed 11 lbs.,11 ozs. , a solid performance that put him back in the saddle. Hopefully, he would make the most of this opportunity. He stumbled yet again at the "Masters Championship" on Lake Winnipesauke in New Hampshire, finishing in a disappointing eight (8th) place. Just when it seemed all was lost he rang up a resounding victory on Lake Mahopac during the "Double Trouble" tournament. His 10 fish limit weighed 31 lbs.,15 ozs. the fourth largest double weigh-in in the clubs annals. He missed the night tournament on Candlewood Lake, but finished fifth (5th) on the Hudson River with a gutsy performance under less than stellar conditions. Heading into "The Classic" on Oneida Lake, George was in fourth place in the "Angler Of The Year" race. He would need a strong performance here and it would help a great deal if Kevin Cunningham and Ray Scully had poor performances. As it would turn out, all of the above proved true. The first day of the Classic, George brought in a five (5) fish limit weighing 11 lbs.,03 ozs. This positioned him in second place only a pound six ounces off of the lead. Day two was one of those special days when everything works just the way they are supposed to. A clean performance, no lost fish and a brothers helping hand put George in the winners circle. His second day limit weighed 14 lbs.,07 ozs and he would need every ounce of it. He won the "Angler Of The Year" title by just ONE point barely edging out Kevin Cunningham. It was the bonus weight points that killed the beast...lol George's year end figures looked like this...195 Total Points, 50 bass weighing 124 lbs.,07 ozs. He won three (3) tournaments, finished second once, third once and fifth twice. His total of 7 top five finishes out of 11 events shows the consistency he displayed that led to his outstanding accomplishment. All hail the new King.
|
