~~The North Carolina East Division of the Fishers of Men Team Series completed their fifth and final scheduled tournament of 2018 this past Saturday on the Roanoke River. Twenty one boats launched from the Plymouth City boat ramp under less than favorable conditions. Severe thunderstorms came through the area which caused the tournament staff to delay the launch until the storms passed. The weather improved after the launch and our teams were able to run to their favorite spots in search of that winning sack.
Our Friday night meeting was hosted by the Plymouth Church of Christ. Pastor Jay Hardison and the members of the Church prepared a wonder meal that included baked chicken, potatoes, green beans, coleslaw and homemade roles that were outstanding. To finish of the meal, our ladies from Camden United Methodist Church and Plymouth Church of Christ provided delicious deserts. Special thanks to Bob Moulden and Laura Stalls for their efforts in organizing the meal.
Pastor Hardison took the podium and delivered a powerful message from scripture verses 1 Peter 5 and Ephesians 5. Jay spoke about how satin is constantly after us and how the devil is out to get us. He continued by referencing when ground troops go out into the field of battle, there is always a point man leading the way, and if the point man fails, the troop fails. Such are our lives as leaders in our families; if we fail, then the family will fail. The seeds we sow now will have a lasting effect of a lifetime. He finished the message with three rules to live by; Raise your standards and expect more of yourself; Gear up, make sure you have the right tools to protect yourself from the evil one, that includes donning the Armor of God; Know when to get out of a situation that is bad.
Saturday morning was a bit rough but our teams were able to return at the end of the day with some nice fish. All total, 77 bass were weighed with 76 being released to be caught another day. The average number of fish per boat were 3 and the average weight per team was 9.46 pounds. The average fish weight caught during the tournament was 2.70 pounds. When the weigh-in concluded, the team of Kevin Jones and Gerald Murry finished in the top spot with a 5 fish limit that weighed 20.75 pounds. They received a check for $1,100.00 dollars for first place and won first place bonus bucks that paid $237.50. Second place went to Kirk Wall and Charlie Reed for weighing in a five fish limit that weighed 18.34 pounds. They received a check for $495.00 dollars and $142.50 for second place bonus bucks. Third place honors went to Gary DeBrito and Derek Goodman with five fish that weighed 17.21 pounds. They also weighed in the big fish of the tournament that weighed 5.52 pounds. Gary and Derek received $330.00 for third place, $95.00 dollars for third place bonus bucks and $110.00 dollars for the big fish. Fourth place went to William Jordon and Eugene Foushee who brought in a five fish limit that weighed 15.88 pounds. They received $165.00 dollars for their efforts.
Congratulations to Kevin Jones and Gerald Murray for winning the 2018 points championship with 981 points. They receive a birth to the National championship in April 11-13, 2019 on Lake Hartwell in Anderson SC.
Fishers of Men would like to thank the City of Plymouth and Mayor Brian Roth for their logistical support for the tournament. We would also like to thank the Plymouth Church of Christ for hosting our meeting and providing the meal and inspirational message. We also thank our sponsors and ministry partners for their support in this event. They include First Church of the Nazarene and Camden United Methodist Church, Swampdonkey Tackle, PGF Archery and Outdoors, and Bassakwards who also supports our ministry. We would also like to thank our National Sponsors;  Basscat, Power-Pole, Ray Jus, Mercury, Duckett Fishing, Stren, Pfluger, Strike King, Ray Marine, Kistler rods, Berkley, Spider Wire, Hydrowave, ORCA, Jacobs Glass, Gator Guard, Buckeye, Abu Garcia, Shakespeare, and TH Marine for their support to make this ministry a continued success. 

Place	Team	Members	# Fish	Big Fish	Gross	Penalty	Net Wt	Points
1	21393	Kevin Jones Gerald Murray	5	5.4	20.75	0	20.75	200
2	8708	Kirk Wall Charles Reed	5	0	18.34	0	18.34	199
3	17573	Gary DeBrito Derek Goodman	5	5.52	17.21	0	17.21	198
4	22843	William Jordan, III Eugene Foushee	5	0	15.88	0	15.88	197
5	16247	John Kellett Michael Kellett	5	0	15.58	0	15.58	196
6	18850	Tommy Banks Bubba Banks	5	0	14.31	0	14.31	195
7	22893	Michael Wenthe Stacey Light	5	0	13.12	0	13.12	194
8	14712	Chris Turner Quinton Chappell	5	0	13.08	0	13.08	193
9	11993	Darren Saunders James Duncan III	5	0	12.49	0	12.49	192
10	21405	Dustin Winslow Sanders Overman	5	0	12	0	12	191
11	21443	Don Porter Todd Winslow	5	0	11.7	0.25	11.45	190
12	22914	Michael Evans Justin Chamblee	4	0	10.88	0	10.88	189
13	23181	Max Hartung Robert Good	5	0	8.58	0	8.58	188
14	22917	William Chappell Larry Weatherly	5	2.51	8.56	0	8.56	187
15	22791	Brandon Johnson Wilson Johnson	3	4.44	7.39	0	7.39	186
16	17449	Al Biagioni John LaRock	4	2.23	6.96	0	6.96	185
17	17575	Gary Morin Tom Biagioni	1	1.53	1.53	0	1.53	184
18	18831	David Watkins William Heighter	0	0	0	0	0	183
19	21427	Tommy Houlroyd Brandon Overton	0	0	0	0	0	183
20	22840	Gary Sawyer David Hickman	0	0	0	0	0	183
21	22916	Scott Mummert David Buchanan	0	0	0	0	0	183
Kevin Jones and Gerald Murray First Place 20.75 lbs. Gary DeBrito and Derek Goodman Third Place 17.21lbs. with Big Fish 5.52 lbs. William Jordon and Eugene Foushee Fourth Place 15.88 lbs.