Dayton’s Hendersons win Big Bucks tourney

By Dan Cook

Outdoors Editor

The father-son combo of Dayton’s Randy and Dustin Henderson headed 40 miles north from Chester Frost Park on Saturday to catch 19.78 pounds of bass and win the 2003 fall Times Free Press Big Bucks bass tournament.

They collected $18,000 cash for their top total. Dustin also caught the day’s big bass, a 6.86-pounder, to push their winnings close to $20,000. In addition, the two La-Z Boy Manufacturing employees will get to fish again today. The Sunday Fish-Off pits the top 35 fishermen from the March TFP tournament and Saturday’s competition in a quest for a top prize of $1,200. The March winners, Chris Coleman and Freddie Lasley, were second Saturday with 18.10 pounds.

Third were Maryville streets superintendent Frank Curtis and electrician Brad Poplin with 14.56 pounds. Harry Bundy and Tim Harris were fourth with 13.38, followed by Jonathan Newton and Shawn Strader with 13.24 and Shawn Williams and Hunter Plumlee with 13.08. "They had pulled the water and the bass were out over the ends of the trees and grass," Randy Henderson said. "Some came from Richland Creek."

He and his son were within a mile of that tributary most of the day, he said. They mainly used spinner bait.

With a total of 182 boats, fishermen were scattered from as far south as the lower portion of Nickajack Lake to as far north as Watts Bar Dam.

Williams, an engineer, and businessman Plumlee also said they cast spinner bait in the grass. Bundy and Harris locked through Chickamauga Dam to the lower portion of Nickajack. Curtis and Poplin went to the Hiwassee River and reported catching just six keeper fish, using spinner and buzz bait much of the way.

Hourly big-fish winners, who each got $700 in bonus money sponsored by various local businesses, were Stoney Johnson and Steve Kite, 4.56-pounder ; Michael and Ronald Walker, 3.46; Greg Davis and Chris Kirksey, 3.68; Coleman and Lasley, 3.22, and Jared McMillan and Jack Brown, 6.06. E-mail Dan Cook at danc@timesfreepress.com

This story was published Sunday, September 14, 2003