Kelseys do well on bass fishing circuit
By JENNIFER WILSON
News editor
Most people fish to relax and unwind.
Scott and Bud Kelsey fish for competition.
Bud and Scott, the father-son duo from Marion and Hillsboro, participate in the Jackpot Buddy Bass fishing circuit. They travel to bass fishing tournaments across the state, including one event in Missouri.
And they've done pretty well for themselves. Out of 45 teams in this year's circuit, the Kelseys are currently ranked third.
"It's something we enjoy doing," Scott said.
Jackpot Buddy Bass has its headquarters in Osage City. Scott fished with the circuit last year with his uncle — each team has two members, and that's where the "buddy" comes in.
This year, father and son teamed up for their first year on a fishing circuit together. Both have fished on tournament circuits before, with Scott having spent 12 years on different circuits.
But they've both been fishing their entire lives, they said.
The 2003 schedule features six regular tournaments and one "post-season" tournament, the Classic. Only the top 20 teams qualify for that event, which lasts two days and doesn't charge an entry fee. For the rest of the year, entering a tournament costs $100 per team.
Teams in the circuit come from all across the state and into Colorado and Nebraska, the Kelseys said.
Each team earns points based on the weight of their fish. And each team can bring in five fish to weigh. Competition is always catch and release.
But at each lake, competitors must adhere to the length limits posted. That's usually 15 inches. So if the bigger fish aren't biting, that could mean that competitors bring in fewer than five fish — which has happened to the Kelseys.
So far they've competed in four tournaments. The first one was April 26 at Cedar Bluff. The Kelseys took fifth at that event, with four fish weighing in at 12.34 total pounds.
Their best finish was July 12 at Smithville, Mo., where the duo came in third by catching two fish for a total weight of 4.4 pounds.
The competition they don't like to talk about was at El Dorado, where they didn't catch anything. Then again, neither did more than half of the teams.
Next month they'll head for Milford and then Cedar Bluff again before the Classic.
Although the Kelseys enjoy the fishing, the trips can be tiring — they typically sleep in their truck at the boat dock to save money on a motel room, and they're up before dawn so they can get started at sunrise.
Scott hopes that other fishermen from the Marion County area decide to get involved in the Jackpot Buddy Bass circuit. It would be nice to travel to tournaments with local people, he said.
For more information about Jackpot Buddy Bass, visit their Web site at www.jackpotbuddybassllc.com.
