Bean, Ward Capture First in Crossett Bass Tournament

Donny Gunter and Ronnie Gunter of El Dorado won the $880 big bass pot with a 5.36 pound fish at the Crossett Chamber's Buddy Bass Tournament Saturday.

Gary Bean and James Ward, both of Strong, paired to catch five fish weighting 13.48 pounds to capture first place in the twenty-third annual Crossett Area Chamber of Commerce Buddy Bass Tournament Saturday, June 8, on the Ouachita River west of Crossett. They received the $5,000 top prize.

The top eight places were very close this year with only 1.3 pounds separating first place from eighth place.

Mark Doss and Jeff Miller, both of Crossett, won the second place prize with five fish weighing 12.87 pounds. They earned $2,000.

Third place and $1,000 went to Bradley and Bob Murphy, both of Crossett. Their five fish weighed 12.63 pounds.

Five fish weighing 12.58 pounds were good enough for a fourth place finish for Tony Blann and Robert Rush both of Crossett. The two earned $500.

The fifth place prize, for five fish weighing 12.45 pounds, went to Patrick Chapman of Parkdale and Rusty Linares of Star City. They tied with sixth, splitting the two prizes.

Sixth, Billy Watkins and Chris Watkins of Crossett, 12.45 pounds

Seventh, Monk Anderson and Scott Smith, both of Farmerville, LA, 12.26 pounds.

Eighth, Ronnie Gunter and Donny Gunter, both of El Dorado, 12.18 pounds.

Ninth, Ronnie Duncan and Jeremy Duncan, both of Hampton, 11.28 pounds.

Tenth, Chris Head and Curtis McDill, both of Crossett, 11.11 pounds.

All but two of the top 25 finishers caught five fish. A total of 88 boats took part in the event and all but 16 boats in the top 58 weighed five fish, the maximum allowed. Tournament officials weighed 235 fish.

In the optional Big Bass Pot, Ronnie Gunter and Donny Gunter of El Dorado won the $880 pot with a 5.36 pound bass. Second was Ryan Richardson and Mary Gray of Crossett with a 4.93 pound fish, and Mark Doss and Jeff Miller, both of Crossett, had a 4.92 pound fish for third. Kevin Pennington and Mark Tomerlin of Hamburg were fourth with a 3.87 pound fish, and Tony Blann and Robert Rush were fifth with a 3.5 pound fish.

The annual tournament is a project of the Crossett Area Chamber of Commerce with approximately 70 volunteers, giving of their personal time, assisting throughout the day. The tournament also relies, almost completely, upon the generosity of the many sponsors who continue to see the value of the tournament and the fishermen drawn into town for the event. Many of these fishermen arrive a day or more in advance to pre-fish which means they eat, sleep and refuel in the Crossett community. The 88 teams this year represented five different states including Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas. In accordance with Felsenthal rules and in effort to promote responsible conservation, the Chamber tournament operates a catch and release program and all anglers participated this year.

"The tournament, overall, was a positive experience," said tournament chairman Darryl Loveless. "We will be doing some reviewing over the next several months as we see a need to make a few adjustments but the anglers, overall, complimented the organization and implementation of this tournament and we see many of the anglers continuing to participate year after year. This is a good sign and we thank all those fishermen and everyone else who helped in making the twenty-third annual tournament a success."

The tournament is a project of the Crossett Chamber to promote the Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge area as a fishing paradise. Fishermen are allowed to fish on the Ouachita and Saline rivers and their tributaries.

Lions to Take Field On Friday Night

In spite of the construction underway at Campbell Field, the Hamburg Lions and Junior Lions will take the field this Friday night for the annual Purple-White Game. The home bleachers may not be ready, so people may need to sit on the visitors’ side.

Meet the Lions Dinner August 15

The Hamburg Booster Club will sponsor a "Meet the Lions" dinner on Friday, August 15, at 7 p.m. in the Hamburg Junior High cafeteria.

Turkey Hunters to Meet August 22

The Tcheminahaut Spurs chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation will hold its membership drive, auction and dinner on Friday, August 22, in the Hamburg Elementary School cafeteria.

Ark. Game and Fish Commission Adopts Dates for Fall Bird Hunting

LITTLE ROCK n It's time to pull the shotgun out of the gun case and give it a good cleaning. Commissioners from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission this past week approved the early migratory bird seasons for 2008-2009.

Chase Outlaw Second In National High School Rodeo

Chase Outlaw, a freshman from Tilly, formerly of Milo, along with 152 bull riders competed for the national title, in rodeos at the National High School Rodeo this past week in Farmington, New Mexico. He finished second overall.

 Bean, Ward Capture First in Crossett Bass Tournament

Gary Bean and James Ward, both of Strong, paired to catch five fish weighting 13.48 pounds to capture first place in the twenty-third annual Crossett Area Chamber of Commerce Buddy Bass Tournament Saturday, June 8, on the Ouachita River west of Crossett. They received the $5,000 top prize.

Felsenthal Sets Dates for Quota Hunts

Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge has scheduled the following dates for the 2008 quota gun deer hunts.

Hamburg Lions, Crossett Eagles Both Predicted to Finish Fourth in Conferences

Hamburg - The Hamburg Lions are voted by 8-4A conference coaches to finish fourth in the conference as stated in this year's Hooten's Arkansas Football magazine. The Crossett Eagles are also picked to finish fourth.

Deer Kill Up; AG&FC Considers Changes in Rules for Feral Hogs

LITTLE ROCK n Commissioners from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission were briefed this past week on the state’s recent deer season harvest. Brad Miller, AGFC deer program coordinator, told the Commission the harvest was up almost 4,200 deer from the 2006-07 season.

Game and Fish Commission Sets Deer Dates

LITTLE ROCK n Arkansas hunters can begin planning their vacations now that commissioners from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission have formally approved the upcoming season dates. In a 4-2 vote, commissioners passed the seasons for modern gun, archery and muzzleloader deer seasons.

New Deer Management Plan Addresses Human Element

LITTLE ROCK n Any mention of deer in Arkansas is closely followed by comments relating to people. These may be hunters, landowners, gardeners or suburban residents proud of their azaleas.

Archived Football Stories and Pictures for Hamburg Lions, Crossett Eagles

The Ashley County Ledger has archived stories and pictures the Hamburg Lions' and Crossett Eagles' football seasons from 2003 through 2007. The stoies and pictures from each season can be accessed by following the links below.