Hanson, Gill win MBI for second time

“We are going to let the fish do the talking!”
That’s what emcee Paul Morrison said when only one boat was left to weigh in on Day 2 of the annual Morson Bass International tournament on Sunday.

Terry Gill and Chad Hanson, the 2006 champs and then the runners-up last year, were on top after Day 1 on Saturday with 16.57 pounds.
But Jon O’Connor and Joe Frohreigh, who had been in third place heading into Sunday with 15.99 pounds, weighed another 14.69 pounds on the final day to vault into top spot for a total of 30.68 pounds.
Then they waited anxiously for Gill and Hanson to weigh in—all the while knowing the pair were a formidable duo.
Needing 14.12 pounds to win, it was a nail-biter as Morrison covered the screen on the scale so as not to let the two teams see the results. It finally was revealed that Gill and Hanson had brought in 15.42 pounds—making them the champs for the second time in three years.
That earned them $5,000 for first place overall, $500 for being first on Day 1, and another $300 for having the second-biggest basket on Day 2.
“It is pretty exciting to be back on top this year,” said Hanson, who complimented his partner by saying, “He [Gill] is the best dirty water fisherman in Morson.”
Both said the first day of fishing was a breeze compared to the second.
“Yesterday [Saturday] we caught fish all day. We just nailed them,” noted Gill.
“Today [Sunday] we struggled due to the wind changing, but we found a couple of good spots near the end of the day,” added Hanson.
Gill noted while other teams were fishing weed beds, they stuck to the reefs within a 15- to 20-mile range from Morson.
They used tubes and jerk baits consistently, and the proof of their efforts was in the pudding Sunday when they were crowned again.
O’Connor and Frohreigh wound up in second place with 30.68 pounds ($2,500), followed by Reuben Gibbins and Brian Paulson in third with 30.56 pounds ($1,500), John Gibbins and Mike Salvador in fourth with 29.08 ($1,100), and Oliver and Jason Gibbins in fifth with 28.93 ($700).
Rounding out the final cash payout spot were defending champs Mark Pentney and Doug Vandersteen, who had 28.81 pounds to earn $500.
The top three baskets on each day won $500, $300, and $200 respectively. They were:
Day 1
1. Terry Gill/Chad Hanson (16.57)
2. Ron Mazur/Rich Zebleckis (16.32)
3. Jon O’Connor/Joe Frohreigh Hanson,” C(15.99)
< *c>Day 2
1. John Gibbins/Mike Salvador (15.48)
2. Terry Gill/Chad Hanson (15.42)
3. Gerry Hanson/Barry Marmus (15.10)
Each day, $250 was paid out for the largest smallmouth and largemouth bass caught. They were:
< *c>Day 1
•Smallmouth—Oliver and Jason Gibbins (4.53)
•Largemouth—Mike Hanson/Susie Stafford (3.10)
< *c>Day 2
•Smallmouth—John Gibbins/Mike Salvador (4.28)
•Largemouth—Jules and Pat Gibbins (3.41)
Winning the tournament’s early-bird draw for a trolling motor were Bill and Bryce Godin.
Very few largemouth bass were caught on either day, unlike last year when the second day saw them make the difference in who won the tournament.
As well, none of the 34 teams were skunked on either day.
The lowest two-day total went to Rollie Roy and Katie Leininger with 13.61 pounds. They received the “Sluggo Award.”