Thirty-two boats roared out of the Golconda Marina on the Ohio River Saturday morning, June 2, to compete in the annual Rodney J. Brenner Memorial Buddy Bass Tournament sponsored by the Southeastern Illinois College Foundation. The 64 anglers headed for their favorite fishing holes in hopes of catching enough large-mouth bass to win the event’s $1,603.80 first place prize money.
At the end of the day, 12 anglers received $3,894 in total prize money. Jody Betz of Stonefort and BJ Betz of Marion weighed in 11.225 pounds of fish to capture the top prize. The team of Tom Griffaw and Ted Ing both of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, took second place with their 10.72 pound catch. They took home $891 for their efforts.
With 7.69 pounds of fish, Edd Penrod and Jerry Penrod from Eldorado earned third place honors and $534.60 in prize money. Golconda’s James Conkle and Elizabethtown’s Tom Oxford finished in fourth place with 7.535 pounds of bass, garnering them $356.40 in winnings. Finally, fifth place prize money of $178.20 went to the team of Brandon Broadway of Golconda and Melvin Jeffords of Grantsburg for their 7.365 pound catch.
In the Big Bass competition, Griffaw and Ing won first place and a $198 check for landing a 3.84 pound fish. Second place and $99 went to Ben Adams of Vienna and Eric Brannock of Eldorado with a bass weighing in at 3.665 pounds, while the team of Betz and Betz caught a 3.46 pound bass to claim third place and a check for $33.
Major sponsors of this year’s tournament were All In One Real Estate Company (Elite Sponsor); Taylor Eye Care (Master Sponsor); Cherry Street Printing & Awards (Angler Sponsor); Morello’s Restaurant & Catering (Angler Sponsor); Williams & Associates Insurance (Angler Sponsor); and Banterra Bank (Angler Sponsor). Other sponsors included Oasis on the Ohio Golconda Marina, Dunn’s Sporting Goods, Timberline Fisheries, and the Herald-Enterprise.
The SIC Brenner Memorial Bass Tournament was established by the Southeastern Illinois College Foundation in remembrance of Mr. Rodney J. Brenner to raise funds for scholarships for incoming SIC students from the college district. Brenner was a charter member of the Southeastern Illinois College Board of Trustees and was instrumental in pursuing Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) funding for the development of the Golconda Marina.
