Stop Number 1 of the 2025 season is in the books! It was a great turnout for the start of the new year. The weekend started off strong with the division being blessed by Trinity Baptist Church of Palatka hosting the event and providing a wonderful meal for the anglers and their families. Our Friday night meeting kicked off at 6:00PM with check-in and final registration of the anglers. 6:15PM our Chaplian Joe Montonye prayed over the meeting and the meal and the anglers filled their bellies with some physical filling while Jesse Cardwell informed the anglers of our new season long raffle and some information about the trail. THe Director, Joe Moyer, went over the rules highlights for the tournament and gave further instructions about the next days gathering before turning the floor over to our guest speaker. 6:30PM our guest speaker, Mr. Miller Murdaugh of the Kistler National Team, delivered the message God gave him on idolitry inspiring our anglers to self-evaluate the things that they place before God each day. The director welcomed all new memberrs to the division and clarified any questions and passed along further information. 7:00PM Jesse Cardwell and Joe Moyer conducted boat draw and sent the anglerson their way to ready themselves for the tournament.

Saturday morning God painted us a great photo and backdrop for the anglers to launch from and blessed us with great weather. The anglers showed up at 0530 to have their livewells checked by young master Jase the divisions live well checker who did a fabulous job. Once their boats were checked they launched their boats and made final adjustments to their tackle and came back to the ramp to fellowship while we waited on safe light. Approximately, 0650 we sent everyone back to their boats, conducted prayer and the national anthem, went over a quick rules review and at 0659 commenced blast off. God blessed us with overcast skies and near 70 degree temps at takeoff as the anglers departed for their quest to be the champion for stop number one! Who would be Champion? who would reign supreme? Only God knew and time would tell. 15 teams set out to find out and at 3:00PM we would get to see.

As the day went on God's painting just got more clearer as high blue bird skies peaked out and the sun shined down. At 3:00PM the anglers returned with their catches. The day proved to be a challenging one with both post and pre-frontal conditions having to be contended with and six teams came up emty-handed at the weigh-in.  The team of Justin Bythwood and Patrick Pierce would prove that the conditons were right for their team and Gods timing was for them bringing in the winning five fish limit weighing in at 23.26 pounds and big bass of the tournament weighing in at 6.11 pounds. James C. Romig and Coltyn Morris came in second place with 12.86 pounds with James Williams and Gerald Boyd nipping at their heels a meer .17 ounces behind them with a five fish limit weighing in at 12.69. Newcomers Johnny Ray Pack and Jerry Shawver came in fourth with the last five fish limit weighing in at 9.63 pounds. 

It was a tough day of fishing but a beautiful day of being in Gods creation and fellowshipping with Gods people! All fish were released back into the river to be caught again another day. Once we crowned the Champions, thanked our local and national ministry partners and had a little more felllowship, our anglers departed and our staff completed tear down and clean up operations of the area we were blessed to have been able to fish. 

Stay tuned for stop number two on the Harris Chain of Lakes in Leesburg where we will be hosted by Berean Baptist Church of Okahumpka and hear another inspiring message from Sr Pastor Dr. David Downs!