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Saturday, June 4th marked the final weigh-in for the final event of the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Opens 2011 season. Though the field was dominated by Jefferson County natives, Bobby Ferguson of Chuckey, TN took home top honors, earning $10,000 cash as well as a Nitro Z9 boat with a 225-hp Mercury Opti-Max motor. Ferguson sacked 15-15 for a three-day total of 61-9, more than 4 pounds ahead of runner-up Rogne Brown of Hixson, TN.

"This one feels really good,” Ferguson said. "There was a lot of tough competition out there. Any time you go into a tournament and you've got the likes of Tim Smiley and other local guys looking down your back, you’re in for a run."

The tournament was the largest fishing event to date to hit Douglas Lake. Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce Director of Tourism, Adele Sensing worked alongside the Town of Dandridge and The Point Marina to coordinate and execute the event. "The teamwork displayed by The Town of Dandridge, Public Works, the Sheriff’s Dept., the Staff of The Point Resort and countless volunteers made the Bass Master tournament a huge success," Sensing said.

The impact of this tournament on the local economy is expected to be significant. Many Dandridge business owners noticed the weekend boost as anglers traveled with their families to participate in the event. Dandridge Mayor George Gantte said, “It was a proud moment for our town to host such a prestigious, high-profile event."

Throughout the tournament, many local anglers fared well with Jefferson County natives Tim Smiley, Ott Defoe, and Doug Winchell finishing 3rd, 7th, and 30th respectively. Smiley finished the tournament at 54lbs while Defoe came in at 42lb during the final weigh-in Saturday at Bass Pro Shops in Sevierville, TN. Winchell's catch weighed in at 20lbs. Each of the men have fished Douglas Lake before and felt confident coming into this competition. "I've fished forever and fish a lot of tournaments every year. I thought I had a good chance to be in the top 12 on the final day coming into this week," Smiley said.

The tournament seemed to be a huge success and has received positive feedback from tournament organizers, anglers, and locals. Winchell echoed those sentiments. "I'm just glad to see our town get something like this here," he said. "I think it's a great thing, and hopefully we can have something like this again soon."

For more information about the Bassmaster Tournament Series, Visit Them Online.

For more information about the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism in Jefferson County, visit them online.