Joe Riley and Jessy Nash Take Top Prize
A first time benefit bass tournament is always an uncertainty when it comes to participation from competitors, sponsors, and spectators alike. Generating enough interest from all the above can be a tall task to accomplish successfully, but all who were involved with the Inaugural Kiwanis Club of the Azalea City Benefit Bass Tournament accomplished that task and then some.
Conservatively, if a benefit tournament can field 60-80 competing teams that is considered a success. The inaugural event fielded 110 of North Florida’s top bass fisherman, thanks in part to the promotion of Event Coordinator Becky Williams. Competing teams sought to finish the day at the top of the leaderboard, where the winning team would claim the $5,000.00 guaranteed first place prize.
Joe Riley and Jessy Nash weighed a 24.51 pound, 5 bass limit to top the 215 competitors on the St. Johns River waterbody. Riley and Nash focused on throwing a Booyah Pad Crasher frog to boat their winning bag. A majority of their bites came early in the morning but the bite picked up again later in the afternoon as they culled their way to a payday worth $2,500.00 each.
2nd Place: Chris Cercy & Eric Roberts
Photo: Becky Williams
Chris Cercy and Eric Roberts finished in the runner up spot, weighing a 23.75 pound, 5 bass limit. Cercy and Roberts focused on fishing pads on their way to a $2,500.00 payday for second place.
3rd Place: Robin Shiver & Dylan Mock
Photo: Becky Williams
Robin Shiver and Dylan Mock took home a third place finish on the heels of a 23.45 pound, 5 bass limit. Shiver and Mock focused on flipping a BassAssassin Skunk Ape in St. Johns Special to pocket $1,500.00 for the third spot on the leaderboard. Shiver and Mock also boated the biggest bass of the event, a 9.73 pound River Giant to earn an additional $1,000.00 presented by Hi-Way Mart.
4th Place: Logan Pate & Joey Pate
Photo: Becky Williams
Rounding out the Top 5 were the teams of Logan Pate & Joey Pate with 23.19 pounds in fourth place, followed by Mike Jackson and Matt Kinney in fifth place with 22.83 pounds.
2nd Big Bass: Kanler Vann & Nick Foster
Photo: Becky Williams
Kanler Vann & Nick Foster weighed an 8.17 pound TrophyCatch to earn the 2nd Big Bass prize worth $1,000.00 presented by Industrial Reliability & Alignments, LLC.
3rd Big Bass: Derek Manning & Steve Tucker
Photo: Becky Williams
Derek Manning & Steve Tucker weighed an 8.00 pound TrophyCatch to take home $500.00 for the 3rd Big Bass prize presented by Becky Williams.
Logan Pate and Joey Pate anchored their 4th place bag with a 7.15 pound kicker to also earn 4th Big Bass presented by Bennett Electric and Industrial Contractors, LLC worth an additional $500.00.
| Place | Team | Big Bass | Weight | Winnings |
| 1 | Joe Riley & Jessy Nash | 5.95 | 24.51 | $5,000.00 |
| 2 | Chris Cercy & Eric Roberts | 5.54 | 23.75 | $2,500.00 |
| 3 | Robin Shiver & Dylan Mock | 9.73 | 23.45 | $1,500.00 |
| 4 | Logan Pate & Joey Pate | 7.15 | 23.19 | $900.00 |
| 5 | Mike Jackson & Matt Kinney | 22.83 | $800.00 | |
| 6 | Lee Stalvey & Parker Stalvey | 22.76 | $700.00 | |
| 7 | Tim Mann & Cody Morgan | 6.80 | 21.88 | $600.00 |
| 8 | Seth Slanker & Donnie Feagle | 21.62 | $500.00 | |
| 9 | Drew Roger & Jocham Williams | 20.61 | $400.00 | |
| 10 | Scott Heberlin & Tyler Lawrence | 19.41 | $300.00 | |
| 1st BB | Robin Shiver & Dylan Mock | 9.73 | $1,000.00 | |
| 2nd BB | Kanler Vann & Nick Foster | 8.17 | $1,000.00 | |
| 3rd BB | Derek Manning & Steve Tucker | 8.00 | $500.00 | |
| 4th BB | Logan Pate & Joey Pate | 7.15 | $500.00 |
Click here for a full photo gallery
For more information on the event contact:
Tournament Director: Mike Meredith 386-546-5288. [email protected]
Event Coordinator: Becky Williams 352-213-4200. [email protected]
To learn more about the Kiwanis Club of the Azalea City, visit https://azaleacitykiwanis.wildapricot.org/.
