Local fisherman on tournament winning team

From left, Gary Taylor Jr., Dale Smith and Chad Seals with the 177.5 pounds of blue catfish which brought their team first place in The Winter Blues Tournament in Alabama. The fish held by Seals weighed 76 pounds, giving him an extra $500.
From left, Gary Taylor Jr., Dale Smith and Chad Seals with the 177.5 pounds of blue catfish which brought their team first place in The Winter Blues Tournament in Alabama. The fish held by Seals weighed 76 pounds, giving him an extra $500.

Gary Taylor Jr., California, was on the team which won The Winter Blues Tournament at Wheeler Lake in Alabama. This was the third annual tournament.

Taylor, son of Gary Taylor Sr. and Sandy, along with Dale Smith and Chad Seals traveled to Wheeler Lake, near Rogersville, Alabama, for one of the biggest fishing tournaments of the circuit. The weather for the New Year's Eve tournament was described as unpredictable. Beginning at 4 a.m., it was 42 degrees. The light rain and sleet gave way as it cleared off for awhile, then it started raining, continuing all day with wind.

There were 78 teams from 19 states. The top 11 teams all exceeded the 100-pound level with their fish. The team of Taylor, Smith and Seals took the top score, and a prize of $5,000, with a total weight of fish of 177.43 pounds. A single blue catfish, caught by Seals, weighed in at 76.5 pounds. They actually threw a 50-pounder back because it was the smallest they had.

The team fished on Wilson Lake for a while, then moved back to Wheeler Lake. They used fresh skipjack for bait. They plan to using our qualification to go fish the championship tournament in 2018. They also plan to go back to Winter Blues next year, since they consider it their favorite places to fish. They commented that the tournament is run very well and the people are friendly.