The 2016 Muzzy Classic is a wrap. One of the longest running bowfishing tournament events, the 17th annual Muzzy Classic once again brought some of the top teams from across the country to compete on Lake Guntersville in Alabama. Here’s an inside look at the 2016 Muzzy Classic…
There were sixty-six boats from across the country that checked in Saturday afternoon for this year’s event. They came pulling boats of all kinds. Big, small, old, and new. But no matter the boat, and regardless of where the teams are from, they all share a unique passion for shooting big fish with a bow.
Despite the beautiful weather, the fishing proved to be fairly tough. Hopes of spawning fish and record numbers at the weigh-in didn’t happen. But that didn’t dampen the excitement early Sunday morning as the boats began to roll back in to the scales.
Weary and worn from a long night on the lake, the teams pulled their best 20 fish from the barrels to be weighed by Muzzy staff at the scales. Mark Land, of Muzzy, heads up the operation. Mark tag-teams with Chris James, also of Muzzy. The two make quite a team as they move boat after boat through the line at weigh-in.
The biggest fish of each species (Grass Carp, Common Carp, Buffalo Carp, and Gar) were set aside. Prizes were later awarded for the team or individual shooting the biggest fish of the tournament.
One of the last teams to pull up to the scales was Team Thrills & Kills Outdoors, winners of the 2015 Muzzy Classic. The team made up of Tommy Woods, Hunter Woods, and Scott Baxter once again pulled the big fish from the barrels at the scales. For a moment, it looked as if they just might hold on to their title for another year. But when the numbers were finally tallied, 30+ pounds of fish separated them from the leader.
The 2016 Muzzy Classic Champion title went to Team Giles & Grigsby with a total weight of 466.8 pounds. The haul won Matt Rigsby and Andrew Giles a check for $10,000.
The team also scored on the biggest Common Carp of the tournament, earning them a new Fin-Finder Poseidon bow.
Second place, and a check for $1000, went to Thrills & Kills Outdoors with a total weight of 436.9 pounds. The team also scored on the Biggest Buffalo of the tournament, with a chunky Buff weighing in at 45.5 pounds. Other teams show up to bowfishing tournaments knowing these guys are the team to beat. They consistently bring in the big fish tournament after tournament. This time, just one team bumped them from the top.
Third place in the Big 20 Format went to Team Instant Insanity, with a load of fish weighing in at 383.65 pounds. Team members, Robert Adams, Hadden Thomas, and Nathan Thomas earned a check for $700 for their third place finish in this year’s event.
The overall big fish of this year’s Muzzy Classic went to Team Mountain Men, with a Grass Carp weighing 52.8 pounds, earning them a cash prize of $1450.
Be sure to check out the complete line of bowfishing products from Muzzy at www.muzzy.com.