Fishers of Men – Ozark Division, Bull Shoals event.  July 12, 2008

 Although we only had 4 teams for the event, the Friday night meeting was one of the most inspirational meetings we have ever had.  The meeting was hosted by the First Baptist Church in Bull Shoals who provided an excellent meal, great table setting, and also contributed to the draw and raffle prizes!  Table settings were provided by Roland Ellis who does “Wilderness custom carving and woodworking.”  You will not find more lifelike displays than he produced – particularly in wood.  21 participants at the meeting heard an awesome testimonial from church member Ron Armagost, a 27+ year guide on White River and Bull Shoals.  Unbeknownst to all, Ron was waiting for us to get there so he could witness to us.  This was the first time Ron had witnessed!  Needless to say, he was getting mighty anxious, as we had cancelled two times already.

 Hot, humid, weather greeted the 4 teams Saturday morning at Blast off.  By the time weigh in came, clouds were starting to roll in, threatening more unneeded rain in the area.  Bull Shoals was over 30 feet high.  The Bull Shoals Boat Dock crew did an amazing job keeping the dock accessible! 

 Fishing was tough – really tough!  The team of Andy & Bud Renkoski managed to catch three Kentuckies weighing 3.81 pounds for the win.  They also finished 1^st. in the Bonus Bucks pot and had second big bass, , earning them $406.00 for the day.  Following close behind, even though they had only one fish, was the team of Kevin and Bryan Jackson.  They had the only Largemouth of the day, weighing 3.18 pounds.  That was good enough for Big Bass of the day and a second place finish in the bonus bucks.  They also claimed a win in the “Junk Fish” class with a palm sized White Bass.  They earned $40.00 for their efforts.

 Enough can’t be said about the way Bull Shoals treats the fishermen.  Even though we only had 4 teams, you would have thought we had 200.  Hank at Bel Arco has been a gracious host for many years, The Eastwold’s and their crew at Bull Shoals Boat Dock put forth an amazing effort to keep their docks and business accessible during the worst of times, and The First Baptist Church in Bull Shoals, hosting us for the first time, did an amazing job.  THANK YOU ALL!