The Bowfishing Tour, sponsored by Bowhunting.com, officially kicked off this past weekend at the 2015 Muzzy Classic Bowfishing Tournament in Guntersville, AL. This was the 16th year of the Classic, and it once again set a new record with 83 teams (287 participants) competing for cash and prizes. The Bowfishing Tour is making stops at the biggest and best bowfishing events around the country to bring you semi-live media coverage through photos, videos, blogs, and more.
This year’s Muzzy Classic included teams from across the country competing for well over $50,000 in cash and prizes. There were also guest appearances from Chuck Belmore and Jon Justice of The Habit TV Show, Tim Anello of Inside Outdoors TV Show, and Eva Shockey from Jim Shockey’s Hunting Adventures. These guys were a hoot to hang out with. Attendees loved the opportunity to mix and mingle with them, shoot photos, get autographs, and just hang out with some of the most personable TV hosts in the industry.
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Eva Shockey’s appearance at this year’s Muzzy Classic would highlight her first bowfishing experience. Shockey has been a huge advocate for promoting the sport of hunting across the world. After this weekend, she admits, she’s now hooked on bowfishing. Eva shot her first fish, a gar, on her first trip out, followed by more gar, catfish, and shad on her night shoots.
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Things kicked off with a Meet-n-Greet on Friday night for teams to gather, catch up with old friends, eat some grub, and make plans for the following night’s tournament. Check-in for the tournament took place Saturday afternoon followed by a mandatory team meeting prior to the 6:00pm blast off.
After a long night of bowfishing, weigh-ins for the Classic took place from 6:00am-8:00am on Sunday morning. There’s always an excitement brewing at weigh-in time as the growing crowd waits to see what will be brought to the scales. This year was no different. Big ones…small ones…we saw them all.
Overall, most of the teams reported the action was pretty slow for much of the night. The Guntersville area has experienced an abundance of rains throughout the month of April, and the forecast wasn’t looking good for weather during the tournament. But there were a few teams that reaped the rewards from time spent scouting and preparing to win big with huge fish.
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When it all finally wrapped up, Team Thrills & Kills with Tommy Woods, Hunter Woods, and Scott Baxter cashed in with the biggest fish of the tournament, a Grass Carp weighing in at 70.9 lbs., and 1st place overall with a combined weight of 399.6lbs of fish in the Big 20 format.
Tommy Woods and Team Thrills & Kills from Georgia with their monster Grass Carp – 70.9lbs
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Largest Common Carp – 31.6lbs – Team Making Daylight with Ken Lister, Glenn Ledbetter, and David Stockstill from Alabama.
Largest Buffalo – 51.8lbs – Team Backwaters Outdoors with Bryan Hughes, Scott Hennings, and Robby Elliot from Alabama.
Longest Gar – 49.5” – Team 81 with Ben Turner, Cody Turner, and Bobbie Robertson from Georgia.
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1st Place with 399.6lbs – Team Thrills & Kills Outdoors
2nd Place with 379.5lbs – Team BBB Bowfishing with Bob Esper, Bradley Britt, B. Miller
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3rd Place with 357.1lbs – Team Making Daylight – Ken Lister, Glenn Ledbetter, David Stockstill
Be sure to watch for more updates from the Bowfishing Tour and info on upcoming tournaments at www.bowfishingtour.com.
