December 15, 2019 by Brian Stahl
Lake Wales, Fla-Santa comes but one time a year, but for some families, it’s a little tougher for Old Saint Nick to make his visit. That’s where organizations like Toys for Tots comes in. The Polk County chapter of Toys for Tots received over 14,000 requests for children across the county this year. That’s a big order to fill. The chapter works tirelessly this time of year, relying on generous donations to help fill those requests.
This year, Xtreme Bass Series held their 6th Annual Toys for Tots 4 Man Open to assist in filling those orders. The two-day event is unique compared to traditional tournaments. Anglers team up in groups of 4, split between two boats. Those teams can communicate with each other throughout the day, keep up to 10 fish in the livewell at any one time, then meet up to cull down to their best 5 fish per boat before coming to the weigh-in.
This year’s event featured a new record field of Sixteen 4-Man teams. Anglers from across the state ventured to Guy Harvey’s Camp Mack River Resort for the tournament ready for some friendly competition, and toys in hand. The event raised over 200 donations from anglers and locals alike, making it one of the largest toy donations from the event to date.
Teams were vying for one of the Top 4 spots in the event, with hopes of making a little extra Christmas Cash. Day 1 ended with 5 teams within serious striking distance. The team of Rodney Hunter, Tracy Bray, Brian Devito, and Sean Wiggins led the charge with a cumulative total of 39.18 pounds. Hot on their heels was the team of Bo Boyles, James Tyler, Bill Charland, and Eric Panzaroni with a cumulative total of 39.05 pounds. That was thanks in part to Bill and Eric’s 27.06 pound 5-bass limit. They also earned the Day 1 Big Bass award after weighing a 9.75 pound Trophy Catch to anchor their bag.
In multi-day events, the leaderboard will typically shift around as conditions and areas can change from day to day on competing anglers. It was a tight race to the finish, but Bo Boyles, James Tyler, Bill Charland, and Eric Panzaroni edged out the victory, combining for a two day total of 70.73 pounds. Bo and James caught a 7.65-pound kicker, earning the Big Bass award on Day 2. The team took home $1,250.00 for their victory, and an additional $160.00 each day for the Big Bass prizes.
Rodney Hunter, Tracy Bray, Brian Devito, and Sean Wiggins narrowly missed out on the top spot, combining for a two-day total of 70.25 pounds. They took home $1000.00 for second place, and an additional $600.00 side bet for being the highest finishing team that participated in the side pot.
The team of Nick Kefalides, Ryan Cooper, Ramsey Brown, and Justin Price brought 59.02 pounds of Kissimmee Chain bass across the scales over two days and earned a 3rd place finish worth $600.00
Casey Marsh, Kolby Morgan, Thomas McLinskey, and Greg Shamblin teamed up and earned a 4th place finish. Their combined two-day total of 52.96 pounds earned the team $462.00.
Special thanks goes out to all the anglers, volunteers, and patrons of Guy Harvey’s Camp Mack River Resort who donated toys to this year’s event. For a complete list of results, please click the following link 6th Annual Toys for Tots 4 Man Results
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