# 10th Annual Muzzy Classic Report



## markland (Apr 30, 2009)

10th Annual Muzzy Classic
Hard to believe it has been 10 years since I started doing the Muzzy Classic and we have definitely seen many changes and lot’s of fish taken in those 10 years.  What started out with 16 teams on our local lake here has grown to become 1 of the largest bowfishing tournaments in the country and definitely the 1 most anticipated and look forward to event of the year with the highest payout to the competitors.  From our 1st shoot with 16 teams to our high of 81 teams 2 years ago, to our total of 71 teams this year, we have managed to create a tournament that is definitely on the “to do” list of any serious bowfisher!  From the camaraderie of the Friday Meet and Greet to the event that is the Muzzy Classic, no finer assembly of bowfisher people and unique bowfishing setups can be seen anywhere.
As we have always said, weather can make or break a tournament and this year we were definitely blessed with the weather and conditions on the lake could not be better for finding and shooting a lot of very large fish.  Unseasonably cooler temperatures and heavy rains combined to delay the common carp spawn on the lake and we finally had a chance to shoot some of the monster spawning carp on the lake.  Not only did we set a new tournament record for common carp, but also a new record on total weight of all fish turned is as well as our highest average weight for all teams that submitted fish for weigh in, it was truly unreal to see how close many of the weights would be for the teams.  Many spots were ounces apart, in fact of the top 3 places, only 2.4 pounds separated them with only 1 pound between 1st and 2nd place.   We had 18 teams with over 400 pounds of fish and the top 3 teams all had over 500 pounds!  The average weight of fish weighed in for all of the 63 teams that came thru the weigh in was 342.8 pounds, which is an incredible average for any shoot!  Total weight of 20 fish for all the teams that weighed in was 21,594.6lbs, that is not counting all the cull fish and boats that did not weigh in, folks, that is a heap of fish!  With all the fish out and the weights of what I had seen, extra precautions were taken at weigh in time and all barrels were carefully weighed to ensure as much accuracy as possible, since we knew it was going to be a close one!
With the carp still spawning, every team had a chance to shoot some very large fish and this time of the year also allows more visibility of fish as the grass has not grown up very thick and many areas are still rather open.  Many large carp, buffalo and grass carp were taken.  With a 1 grass carp and 5 buffalo limit to weigh, this put more emphasis on finding the carp and since they were spawning, they were available over a much larger area of the lake then normally, so weights turned in were rather high.  
Perfect weather and still winds just made the fishing even better and it was quite a treat for the competitors to actually be able to fish in T-shirts and not bundled up in warm clothes like we have had at many of our previous shoots.  A perfect moonless night also helped to keep the fish very active and fortunately the lake continued to draw water during the night which kept the fish in shallow areas as well and helped a bunch with the amount of fish seen.  
The friendship and fellowship before, during and after the shoot is always a treat and many people drive long distances just to participate in this tournament and meet and greet all the guys out there doing this sport that many love so much.  We have always had a great draw of teams from all over the country and this year had teams from as far away as Pennsylvania to Texas and all states in between.  It still amazes me as to the many different types of people and rigs we have show up at the shoot and whether you had a trolling motor boat, kicker motor boat, fan boat or full blown airboat, there was something of every type of creation present at the shoot and it is always fun to walk around and meet and talk and view each of the many different rigs and teams that were present.  
Many thanks go out to our sponsors that help make this tournament so great and it has been and always will be a priority to me that everyone that comes out and participates in the tournament goes home with something, whether you win 1 of the top places or finish in last place, there are prizes available for everyone and we also have plenty of promotional items to hand out and keep everyone involved with the shoot.  Numerous door prizes are given out during the recording phase of the tournament to keep everyone interested and entertained and we could not do this without our great sponsors!
Also, cannot thank all the volunteers that help out with the shoot as well, we have some great people out there and there is always someone willing to step in and lend a hand whenever needed.  With the delay we had with getting the fish truck in, we had quite a mess building up with many of the fish we were trying to weigh in and several guys stepped up and helped with getting those handled and taken care of and to those I give my sincere gratitude!  Also, during the tournament, a team suffered a boat sinking on them and a nearby team stepped right in and helped them get their stuff to shore.  After the shoot several teams left and went to try and assist getting the boat back on land, but due to water depth and other situations, it was to no avail, but definitely not for a lack of labor and effort.  These actions speak volumes to the caliber of people we have involved in our sport and our future looks great with such good people being involved!
Now to the good stuff!  With the amount of entries, minus the costs for the event, we were able to pay down 6 places, with the rest of the places getting a pass at the generous prize table offered.  Coming in at 1st place with 505.8lbs was the Let’s Hunt Team of Michael Evens, Leonard Berridge and Bud Fleming and all from GA wining $3500.  2nd place was a new team to the Muzzy, but certainly no new comers to bowfishing,  Bubba Suggs from TX and Brandon Tabor and Doug Hunter from OK combined with 504.8lbs for a close battle and took home $2500.  3rd place was won by tournament veterans Greg Campbell, John Hood and Jerry Broadnax from GA weighing in 503.4lbs and wining $1500.  4th place went to the team of Jeremy Dodson and Jeremy Ploof from GA as well with 494.8lbs and winning them $1000.  5th place and $750 went to another GA team and veterans as well, Chuck Belmore, Scott Baxter and Mike Hornbuckle.  The 6th and final money spot and $320 went to long time tournament veterans, Alan Yedor Jr. from LA, Josh Dunkle from AR and John Williams from TX. 
Big overall fish and largest Grass Carp for the shoot came down to a 79lb Grass Carp taken by Shawn Adkins of SC and won him a new Limbsaver DZ-32 bow.  Largest buffalo of the shoot was a 56lb monster taken by Allen Irvin of GA and won him a new Summit Viper Tree stand.  Biggest Common Carp of the shoot and also a new Muzzy record, was a 42.8lb beast taken by Mike Bommer and Dan Scherer of MO and won them a new Mathews Outback bow.  The longest gar for the shoot was a close race won by 1/8in and was taken by Mike Cathey of GA with a 52.75in longnose and won him the new AMS Fire Eagle bow.
Many more big fish were weighed in as well, with several grass carp in the 50-70lb range and buffs in the 40-50lb range not to mention all the 20-30lb carp that were turned in, it was truly a tournament of a lifetime and one that would have been very sad to miss.  I believe it was the best Muzzy Classic ever just for the amount of fish seen and shot and the amounts of fish that everyone had a chance to shoot, not to mention the weather.  I certainly hope all that participated had a great time and look forward to seeing everybody and more back next year.
We are looking at a venue change for next year, as we have definitely outgrown our space at Mink Creek and need some more space.  The town of Guntersville really wants us to come down there badly and with my talks with the city council, I think we may have some great areas to hold the shoot at.  Not to mention that we will be eligible for some awesome discounts on lodging as well as other possible incentives to put into the tournament as well.  These changes will be discussed and decided on over the year and as soon as all arrangements are made, I will add them to the flyer and make an announcement on them for the 2010 Muzzy Classic.
Thanks again to all the competitors, volunteers and spectators that participated and look forward to seeing all of you again next year.  

Mark Land 
Muzzy Products


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## Michael (Apr 30, 2009)

Well said Mark. As you can tell from my new avator, I am very proud of my teams accomplishments at this years Muzzy. I have been competing in the Muzzy for 10 years now and can repeat what you've already said, this was truly a great shoot. Thanks!


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## Bowfisher (Apr 30, 2009)

Great job Mark and Muzzy also Bryan & Backwater Bowfishing as well.  Awesome job!!


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## SULLI (Apr 30, 2009)

great job mark my hats off to you i know you have more headaches then people can imagine but you handle it great and pull off an awsome tourny.. congrats to the letzhunt team.. hoopty and crew. and johnny gunn jb and cambell on a great finish....we got our butts kicked bad but had a blast the weather was great the company was awsome...can't wait til next year


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## Jasper (May 4, 2009)

Mark,

Just read all about it on Outdoorlife.com. They've got some great pictures there as well. Very cool - congrats to you and Muzzy!


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