GROVE, Okla. — Sometimes it just takes one bite to turn everything around. It sure did for Bill Ramsey.
Late in the final morning of the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Southwestern Division event on Grand Lake, Ramsey admits he felt he was “hosed.”
“At around 10:30 a.m. I only had one small keeper,” the Huntsville, Arkansas co-angler said. “Then I caught a second one; but shortly after, I caught the big one.”
“The big one” was a 6-13 kicker that not only anchored his 14-11 final-day bag; it gave him the biggest bag of the day and the win on the co-angler side. His 42-10 total bested Fred Fielder’s 37-11 to earn Ramsey a new Phoenix Boats package worth $33,500 and lock in his qualification for the Toyota Series Championship.
Not bad considering he admittedly wasn’t even thinking about the win when the tournament started.
“I was playing small ball,” Ramsey said. “I looked at the forecast and opted to just drag a jig around hoping to get five bites. Then I just started hitting home runs.”
The first homer was a 5-pounder he caught the first day while fishing with Curt Warren, which put him in second place. His 6-13 kicker may have been the biggest fish of the final day, which he caught while fishing with eventual winner TJ Martin. In between, he was able to hit enough doubles to take the lead on Day 2 after fishing with Corey Calvert.
His jig of choice? A 1/2-ounce watermelon magic football jig with a green pumpkin Zoom Speed Craw trailer.
“It was nothing special, other than I dyed the tips of the craw orange, which I really do think made a difference,” Ramsey said.
A difference that certainly helped him feel better after on the drive home after some brutal conditions throughout the event.
“The wind the first two days like to beat me to death,” Ramsey said. “Fortunately, I had some really great pros all three days, and I’m all good now. Definitely feeling a lot better after winning.”
Top 10 co-anglers:
- Bill Ramsey – 42-10 (15) – $33,500
- Fred Fielder – 37-11 (15) – $4,150
- Alan Bernicky – 37-2 (13) – $3,520
- James Edmonds – 33-9 (13) – $2,905
- Scott Parsons – 33-2 (15) – $2,490
- Joe Lee – 32-8 (14) – $2,075
- Ken Coats – 32-1 (12) – $1,660
- Billy Gordon – 32-1 (15) – $1,453
- Robert Chavers – 32-0 (12) – $1,245
- Jason Sandidge – 31-3 (15) – $1,038