The final event for the 2012 Five County Bassmaster season took place on Shearon Harris reservoir. Randy Parker, with youth member Hunter Mizeur at his side, took the top spot in this final event to record his first win as a Five County member. Randy described his method of catch as “Junk Fishing”. “I caught them on crankbaits, a spoon, a shakey head, and an umbrella rig” said Parker. Unable to compete in several events midseason due to shoulder surgery, Parker rebounded solidly with this year-end win.
Taking the second spot was Tim Gardner and Jeff Narron. Gardner and Narron’s catch all came on deep diving crankbaits near secondary points that held large pods of baitfish. The duo caught several within the lake’s slot limit, but were unable to find any large fish above the 20” mark.
Rounding out the top five positions included third place, father-son tandem, “Chief” and Chris Chavez. Danny Hayes managed to claim the fourth position while Ed Collier and Josh Sutton took the fifth spot.
Claiming the title of Angler of the Year for the second time is Tim Gardner. Going into the final event, Gardner only had one angler that could ruin his shot at consecutive AOY titles. Alan Sudman needed to have a good showing and swing for the fences to take the title away from Gardner. With the large fish that are capable of being netted in this lake, Gardner knew anything was possible. Yet, after a long and nervous day, Gardner claimed his title after Sudman was unable to find the home run he was looking for.