Sixty-eight anglers making up 34 teams headed out at first light Saturday morning from the boat dock at Chester Frost Park to take part in the 2011 Mocs Anglers Bass Classic to benefit University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Athletics Department athletic scholarship fund.

By mid-afternoon Tony Sanders and Jeff Reed walked away with the top prize as well as biggest fish. The pair, who brought in a five-fish limit weighing 22.14 pounds, also had the biggest fish weighing in at 8.25 pounds.

Sander said, "We fished deep all day mainly just off the channel. Everything we caught was in 30+ feet of water. We had a limit about 9:15 and spent the rest of the day trying to upgrade."

However Sanders said the pair didn't seal their win until the final cast of the competition.

"We ran back towards the Chester Frost entrance and parked out in the river waiting on our weigh-in time at 3:15. We knew we really needed to cull our two smallest fish to have a chance to win," said Sanders, host of the Tony Sanders Outdoors radio show on WGOW.

The pair managed to cull one fish and needed one more.

Sanders said, "At 3:07 Jeff said 'this is the last cast' and asked out loud for 'the largest thing in the pond without whiskers,' related Sanders.

"About halfway back to the boat his rod bent in half. Jeff started fighting and the only thing he said was "get the net" and 'this is a big one.' He worked it back to the boat and when I saw it roll on the way up, I knew I had never seen a bass that large. We got it on the boat, culled the smallest fish and headed to the ramp making the weigh in at 3:14."

Sanders said the last two fish upgraded their weight about 5 pounds with the 8.25 being the anchor. They won $900 for 1st Place plus $280 for Big Fish.

"Jeff caught the big fish by over a pound and we won by just a few ounces," he said.

"Jeff is an electronics guru," said Sanders. "Seeing side imaging and high end graphics at work really opened my eyes. I have never seen the lake bottom like that before."

Taking second place was the team of Buddy Gross and James Mellon at 22.09 followed by Michael Neal and Rogne Brown at 22.04. Jim Cofer and John Ramsey were fourth with a combined fish weight of 21.74 while two teams posted a tie for fifth. Jody Moore and Josh Wofford tied with Chuck and Brad James with a weight of 21.23.

Rounding out the Top Nine was Stanley Nixon and Gary Hutton in seventh with a weigh-in of 17.78 followed by Ron Willerson and Wess Hardin’s 17.52 for eighth and John Swallows and Gilbert Geren’s ninth place finish with a weight of 17.37.

Prizes were handed out the anglers with the biggest fish during the 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. hours beginning with Gross and Mellon’s 6.59 in the 9-10 a.m. hour. Ted Pulliam and John Delasmith were the only anglers to bring in a fish in the 10-11 a.m. hour and walked away with the $250 prize with a weight of 2.68. Moore and Wofford had the best weigh-in during the Big Fish Hours with a 7.20 prize in the 11 a.m. – Noon hour. Willerson and Hardin won the final hour with a weigh-in of 4.18.

All proceeds will go to benefit the academic needs of the UTC Athletics Department. The event was sponsored in large part by Sportsman’s Warehouse (Jim Rhodes) and East Brainerd Lumber Company (Frank Kinzer). This year marked the second year of the return of the Bass Classic that was previously held in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s.

Several coaches and staff were on hand for the tournament including head coaches Carlos Garcia (Men’s Tennis) John Shulman (Men’s Basketball) Russ Huesman (Football) and Mark Guhne (Men’s Golf). Guhne was also a participant in the tournament. The awards was hosted by Brent Brady and former Director of the Mocs Club Brandon Potts returned to lend a hand.

1st Tony Sanders/Jeff Reed 22.14

2nd Buddy Gross/James Mellon 22.09

3rd Michael Neal/Rogne Brown 22.04

4th Jim Cofer/John Ramsey 21.74

T-5th Jody Moore/Josh Wofford 21.23

T-5th Chuck James/Brad James 21.23

7th Stanley Nixon/Gary Hutton 17.78

8th Ron Willerson/Wess Hardin 17.52

9th John Swallows/Gilbert Geren 17.37

Big Fish

Biggest Fish Tony Sanders/Jeff Reed 8.25

9-10 a.m. Buddy Gross/James Mellon 6.59

10-11 a.m. Ted Pulliam/John Delasmith 2.68

11-Noon Jody Moore/Josh Wofford 7.20

Noon-1 p.m. Ron Willerson/Wess Hardin 4.18