FORT SMITH, Mont. – Sgt. Chase Sanderson of Malta, Mont., and Spc. Kellen Scribner of Helena, Mont., won the National Guard FLW Soldier Appreciation Tournament held Saturday on Yellowtail Reservoir. The team – fishing with TBF pro George Riedel of Colstrip, Mont. – caught four bass for a total of 4 pounds, 3 ounces to take the title and bragging rights among their peers.
“It was such an honor just to be here,” said Scribner. “It was great to be able to go out with a pro and learn how to fish. He set us up; we basically listened to him all day. He told us what to do, how to hold the rod and where to put the bait.”
“It was great fishing with our pro,” said Sanderson. “It was like a dream come true. We were using rubber worms, Senkos, casting them toward shore; and after they sank to the bottom, we would slowly retrieve them. It was an awesome experience.”
Each of the participants in the National Guard FLW Soldier Appreciation Tournament are members of the Montana National Guard, and most have had at least one tour of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan. In this tournament, TBF pro anglers took teams of two, which consist of members of the National Guard, fishing to compete amongst their peers. Each team was allowed to bring in six bass. FLW Outdoors is operating the tournaments in conjunction with the National Guard to show appreciation to our service members of the National Guard.
A total of 20 servicemen and servicewomen, 10 teams, participated in the tournament. Rounding out the teams:
2nd: Pfc. Jessica Campbell, Kalispell, Mont., and Staff Sgt. Sonny Josephson, Kalispell, Mont., with TBF pro Kent Stingley, Powell, Wyo., 2 bass, 2.3 pounds
3rd: Sgt. Brian Piercy, Kalispell, Mont., and Sgt. Zach Phillips, Coram, Mont., fishing with TBF pro Benny Wiles, Hardin, Mont., two bass, 1.9 pounds
4th: Pfc. Mike Juhola, Missoula, Mont., and Staff Sgt. Jarrod Werning, Billings, Mont., fishing with TBF pro Josh Goff, Billings, Mont., one bass, 1.1 pounds
5th: Staff Sgt. Jeremy Redfern, Helena, Mont., and Sgt. Paul Benhart, Helena, Mont. fishing with TBF pro Gary Ziegler, Billings, Mont., one bass, 1.1 pounds
6th: Sgt. 1st Class Brian Rinabarger, Helena, Mont., and Sgt. Maj. Rob Carlson, Helena, Mont., with TBF pro Randy Ellison, Great Falls, Mont., one bass, .7 pounds
7th: Staff Sgt. Kevin Zimmerman, Helena, Mont., and Sgt. Jonathan Shafer, Bozeman, Mont., with TBF pro Bill Davis, Casper, Wyo., 0 bass
8th: Sgt. Nick Kaufman, Helena, Mont., and Sgt. Kevin Murdock, Helena, Mont., fishing with TBF pro Kevin Zumbrennen, Billings, Mont., 0 bass
9th: Staff Sgt. Callie Delap, Billings, Mont., and Sgt. Gary Hansen, Great Falls, Mont., with TBF pro Reid Smith, Bozeman, Mont., 0 bass
10th: Sgt. Jake Volkman, Sidney, Mont., and Sgt. 1st Class Anthony Schaan, Helena, Mont., with TBF pro Joe Taylor, Billings, Mont., 0 bass
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About FLW Outdoors
FLW Outdoors is the largest tournament-fishing organization in the world, offering anglers worldwide the opportunity to compete for millions over the course of 191 tournaments in 2011. FLW Outdoors has taken fishing mainstream with the world’s richest fantasy sports game, FLW Fantasy Fishing at FantasyFishing.com, where competitors can play for free as well as sign up for Player’s Advantage to gain an edge.