Are the “good ol’ days” of the Bassmaster Classic behind us? Has the Super Bowl of bass fishing lost its luster? Have we lost a generation of fans who refuse to watch a Bassmaster weigh-in? Has real time live coverage become a factor deterring people from wanting to attend the Classic weigh-in?  Here’s my perspective on whether it’s time to address some of the issues facing the Bassmaster organization. 

There was a time when the Bassmaster Classic was the event of the year in the world of professional bass fishing, and it still is but in a different manner. People around the world tune into this event as more and more top anglers continue to come across the pond and fish against the best anglers in the world.

For years, arenas were packed to the roof to watch a Classic weigh-in. Crowds up to 20,000 were so big, they had to turn away fans due to the limited capacity of the arena. It wasn’t just a weigh-in, it was a show! It was where celebrities showed up, including Presidents, to watch the best anglers in the world at the biggest event in the world of professional bass fishing. 

It was a sponsor’s exposure dream show with truck and boat wraps highlighting their company logos. Every Bassmaster Classic’s huge video board honored champions and the history of the sport. But the pinnacle of excitement was the drama of not knowing who would be leading at the end of the daily weigh-in.

Then what most thought was the greatest thing to happen to the sport of professional bass fishing, ESPN purchased B.A.S.S. (Bassmaster organization) and offered live daily coverage. This took the sport to another level, but it eliminated the suspense of the weigh-in because people already knew what each angler had based on the live coverage they watched all day.   

Even when the daily live TV coverage stopped, people switched over to the internet where live coverage continued up to one hour before the weigh-in. So, they (B.A.S.S.) once again eliminated the suspense and the drama that comes with a Classic weigh-in.

Attendance is down for a lot of major sports across the country as live TV/internet coverage has allowed people to stay home and watch it from the comfort of their favorite chairs with their own supply of snacks that don’t cost a fortune. 

No longer do fans have to sit in long traffic jams or wade through thousands of people trying to enter a stadium. No longer are they willing to pay up to $50 for parking as host cities abuse and take advantage of people wanting to attend a Classic. It’s just easier to watch it from home!

So how can the Bassmaster organization fix this problem? First, if they are going to continue with live coverage, maybe move the weigh-ins back to the lake. Or they need to make sure the Expo show is at the same location as the Classic weigh-in so that fans don’t have to pay double parking to attend both.  

When it comes to live broadcasts, maybe they need to shorten the coverage so that fans don’t know exactly what the anglers have until they watch the weigh-in. 

If I remember right, the Classic weigh-in used to be delayed a few hours and aired at night. But with social media today, I’m not sure if that’s even possible. With respect to live coverage, you can’t put the genie back in the bottle.  

The time has come for B.A.S.S. to re-evaluate the Bassmaster Classic and how it’s being covered. While live coverage has been a game changer for the sport of professional bass fishing, B.A.S.S. now has the task of trying to figure out what’s more important — people attending a Classic weigh-in or continuing with live up-to-the-minute TV and internet coverage.

‘Til next time, keep your hooks wet, fresh line on your reels and go fishing every chance you get.  

Contact Steve at sgraf26@yahoo.com

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This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation or arrested and charged with a crime have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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Kenneth Wayne Jordan
December 19, 1946 – April 15, 2025
Service: Funeral services for Mr. Jordan took place at the Southern Funeral Home Saturday, April 19, 2025, at 10:00 AM. Funeral services will be held in the chapel of Southern Funeral Home. Interment followed in Zion Hill Cemetery.

Ruby Thornton
May 13, 1946 – April 16, 2025
Service: Arrangements for Mrs.Thornton will be announced by family at a later date. 

Charles Ray Barton
November 23, 1942 – April 18, 2025
Service: Services for Mr. Barton will begin with Visitation Friday, April 25, 2025, at Southern Funeral Home 5:00 PM until 9:00 PM and then again, Saturday, April 26, 2025, from 8:00 AM until the time of final services at 2:00 PM. Funeral services will be held in the chapel of Southern Funeral Home on Saturday at 2:00 PM. Interment will follow at Brown Cemetery.

Daniel Lammon Keiffer
November 2, 1952 – April 17, 2025
Service: Services for Mr. Kieffer took place at 11:00 AM on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, at Southern Funeral Home. Interment will follow in Pine Ridge Cemetery.

Two individuals are in custody following the April 6 murder of a Winn Parish man, authorities have confirmed.

Randell Kelley, 55, was found deceased in his home in the Brewton Mill community late evening April 9. Family members discovered his body after being alerted by Kelley’s employer that he had not reported to work.

Winn Parish Sheriff Josh McAllister reported that Christian Scott Douglas Campbell, 22, and Amaney Paige LaBouve, 19, both of whom listed Welch, LA, addresses, were arrested Thursday, April 10, by St. Mary Parish authorities. The pair was found in possession of a stolen vehicle belonging to the victim and was being held in St. Mary Parish under a $1 million bond each.

Sheriff McAllister, accompanied by a team of his investigators, traveled to Morgan City late Thursday to interview the suspects. Warrants are being prepared, and Campbell and LaBouve will be transported to Winn Parish to face formal charges in connection with the homicide.

Sheriff McAllister praised the inter-agency collaboration that led to the swift arrests.

“The cooperation and assistance we received from the Morgan City Police Department and the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office cannot be understated,” said McAllister. “They went above and beyond in helping our agency bring a resolution to this brutal, senseless crime in a very timely manner.”

Sheriff McAllister reminds the public that everyone is innocent until proven guilty. 

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Educator Carnesha Willis-Moore will serve as the District 6 School Board member, filling the vacancy left by the resignation of Michael Riffe until a special election can be held this October.

This action took place during a special-called meeting of the board to appoint an interim member.  Riffe recently resigned his post citing health issues and state law prescribes the steps a board must take to fill that position.

She was nominated for appointment by board member Michelle Carpenter and approved by acclamation.  Willis-Moore told the board that she had run against Riffe in the prior election.  She received her degrees at Grambling State University and NSU and got her first teaching job at WSHS under Principal Dr. Jane Griffin.  There she worked with Steve Vines who is also now a member of the board.

After 12 years at WSHS, she went on to Lincoln Preparatory School in Grambling where she serves as Elective Supervisor and teacher of Talented Arts.  She has been there for 6 years.

Supt. Al Simmons said the state election calendar would allow the board to schedule a special election in October to officially fill that vacancy.  If a runoff is required, it would be in November.

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Students from Winn Parish Schools gathered at WSHS early Friday morning, April 11, to travel by bus to Baton Rouge to compete in the annual State Rally.  Following are the participants by school:

WSHS Chaperone:  Katie Helton.  Students are Emily Grace Adams (Ag I, Medal Winner);  Finlay McManus (Ag II);  Alison Wren (Ag III, Medal Winner);  Madison Foster (not attending, Biology II);  Emma Miller (English I);  Jasmine Jones (English IV);  Jay Batiste (Journalism I, Medal Winner);  and Natalie Bruce (not attending, Financial Literacy, Medal Winner).

CHS Chaperone:  Renea Johnson.  Students are  Carla Borella (Advanced Math- Pre Calculus);  Ryleigh Trahan (Ag I);  Shyanne Durand (Algebra I, Medal Winner);  Dederia Means (Biology I);  Alexa Caldwell (Civics);  Zoey Canerday (English III);  Peyton Williams (Family & Consumer Science, Medal Winner);  Reese Yocum (Geometry);  Rylan Gill (Health);  and Melani Mercer (Principles of Business).

DHS Chaperones:  Susan Carter and Austin Stevenson.  Students are Nathan Underwood (U.S. History);  Cody King (Accounting I, Medal Winner);  Jase Shirley (Ag III, Medal Winner); Madison Smith (Algebra I);  Brennan Poisso (Financial Literacy);  Izabella Smith (Intro to BCA);  and Kaydince McGee (Nutrition and Food).

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The Louisiana Forest Festival is a little over a week away (April 24-25) and the Kiwanis Club of Winnfield is busy working on two events as part of those festivities.  The first is a return of the once-popular Friday afternoon “Bed Races.”  The second is a Saturday 5K Run/Walk. (Watch the Journal for more Forest Festival scheduling next week).

Louisiana Forest Festival Bed Races

At one time, the “Bed Races” on Main Street in downtown Winnfield were a fun part of the annual Louisiana Forest Festival.  The Kiwanis Club of Winnfield is working to revive that tradition, announcing that Friday, April 25, will see the running of the 2025 Bed Races.  Planned start time will be 5 p.m.

Beds for the race can be twin or full and even hospital beds will be allowed.  Participants must be 16 or older.  Five-member teams will be composed of four pushers and one bed-rider.  The race will begin on Main Street at First United Methodist Church, going down to Winnfield First Baptist where they will turn around to race back up to the starting point, a total around 0.58 miles.

Entry fee is $50 per team or $60 if the team opts to have an alternate member added.  For information, call Miranda Atkins at 318-548-7960 or email Kiwanis at kiwanisofwinnfield@yahoo.com to register and get full list of rules.  See QR code below.

5K Run/Walk in Memory of Chase McManus

The club will also honor the memory of young Chase McManus with a 5K Walk/Run on that Saturday morning, April 26.  The event will begin at the Fairgrounds Livestock Barn on Country Club Road in Winnfield at 7:30 a.m. (with registration at 7 a.m.)  Registration on the day of the race will be $35 and participants are encouraged to pre-register for $30.

All proceeds will go to the CRM ATV Safety Fund.

Pre-registration is available online at louisianaforestfestival@gmail.com with PayPal or by using the (separate) QR code, also below.  For details, contact Miranda Atkins at 318-548-7960.

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The Community Easter Event is set for this Saturday, April 19, and a related Scavenger Hunt got underway Monday evening.  

The clues for the hunt are posted on the door of the Louisiana Political Museum (499 East Main Street) as well as on the museum’s Facebook page.  (That page is The Louisiana Political Museum & Hall of Fame).  

Area families are invited to have their little children ready for the annual Community Easter Event on Main Street in Winnfield when it returns to the lawn of First United Methodist Church on Saturday.  The Egg Hunt will mark the beginning of activities and will start at 11 a.m.  Based on prior years, there will be no shortage of eggs for kids to find.

Fun activities on tap for the day will follow and include hot dogs, face painting, scavenger hunt, photos with the Easter Bunny, cakewalk, jumpers and an Easter Bonnet decorating contest.

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Hippy hoppity…spring is such a busy time in the Village of Goldonna! 

The Goldonna Assembly of God Church will host an Easter Sunday Sunrise Service at 7:00am at the L&A Trails Pavillion. Bring your lawn chairs to enjoy seating while you enjoy the sun coming up and a church service. The church will also host a revival with Gerald Crabb May 2, 2025 at 6:30pm, May 3rd at 6:00pm and May 4th at 10:00am. The public is invited and encouraged to attend all of the services. 

The Louisiana Trails is accepting new members and donations for the organization. The organization accepts ATV riders, biking, bird watchers, hikers, horseback riding, and mule or horse drawn wagons. A three day membership pass costs $15.00, a one year membership costs $35.00 and a lifetime membership costs $200.00. If you are interested in a membership you can contact Timmy Harris at 318-481-7191.

The Goldonna Baptist Church will have an Easter Sunrise Service at 7:00am followed by a breakfast in the fellowship hall. The church will also have an Easter Egg Hunt after breakfast. the public is invited to the service as well as the egg hunt. The church also wants to remind the community that the Operation Christmas Child item for the month of April is the “WOW” items. Toys and stuffed animals. 

Rumor has it that there are two important weddings coming this Spring too! Miss Rachel Dupree will marry Mr. Jaycen Williams on April 12th. Miss Madison Dupree will marry Mr. Trent Musgrave on May 10th. 

The River of Life Church will hold their Easter Church Service at their regular time of 10:30am. Everyone is invited to attend. The roof may be damaged but church services will go on!

The Goldonna Elementary Junior High School is holding a Field Day Shirt Fundraiser from April 7-22. You can reach out to any GEJHS Wildcat to place your order. There will be a schoolwide Easter Egg Hunt on Friday, April 11th. Spring Break will be April 14 through April 21. 

Weddings, Revivals, Egg Hunts and Easter Sunday Services! Make your way to the village to enjoy time with friends and family. 

For news to share please email Reba Phelps at jreba.phelps@gmail.com

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The Kiwanis Club in Winnfield goes to Winn’s school each month to make presentations for outstanding students in grades Kindergarten through Grade 4.  They call these “Terrific Kids” and announce the winners for the month of March.

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Bryan Kelley, Winn Parish Registrar of Voters and Rotarian of the Day for April 9, presented a report on recent developments on Louisiana elections at Winnfield Rotary Club’s meeting.

Mr. Kelley informed the group that President Trump’s Executive Order titled “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Election” issued on March 25, 2025, covered several issues including citizenship, security of voting systems, sharing of information among the states and the federal government, prosecution of election crimes, restrictions on absentee or mail in ballots and foreign funding.

The Louisiana legislature has bills up for consideration this session to add campaign-related materials to the prohibitions of electioneering/campaigning within 600 feet of polling places, and to reduce the radius of prohibited electioneering/campaigning to 100 feet from the 600 feet currently in place.

Kelley also said the provisions enacted after the 2019 presidential election requiring the procurement of a new voting system with a paper backup for each ballot cast has almost been completed, and the Louisiana Secretary of State has announced the new system is coming soon, and should be procured within the year. He has volunteered Winn Parish to participate in an early rollout of the new system.

Other bills pending in the Louisiana House of Representatives include one proposing an increase in daily pay for election commissioners, moving all elections for school board members to the same day as the gubernatorial election to save the expense of separate elections for school board members, requiring the secretary of state to publish all Election Code revisions, and requiring that all local reapportionments be signed off on by the Parish Clerk of Court and the Parish Registrar of Voters.

Kelley also announced the Louisiana is now ranked second best in the nation for integrity of elections. Secretary of State Nancy Landry has said she believes we will rank first in the nation when we transition to the new, fully-auditable voting system. 

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The Winn Parish School Board features a “School Spotlight” as an introductory part of its monthly agenda, allowing principals to showcase an activity at their school.  Principal Brian Savell at Winnfield Middle School got that opportunity during the April 7 by introducing FFA advisor Bethany Riley who was accompanied by five students.

Mrs. Riley noted, “Since starting our Agricultural Careers class in August 2023, we have grown from just 6 students to 23. This year, we had to turn kids away because of a full class. We hope to continue expanding next year.”

Over the past year, WMS’s FFA has had several major accomplishments for our students: 

• State Champion Agriscience Fair- Emily Grace Adams

• 7th in National Agriscience Fair- Emily Grace Adams

• Top Middle Area II Creed Speaker- D’Landon Sapp

• Margaret Mayeux Blue Jacket Award- D’Landon Sapp

• Top Middle Area II Floriculture Team- Adisyn DuBois, Sammie Maxwell, Anna Phelps, Mollie Bruce

• 3rd in Area II Horse Evaluation Team- Kamryn James, Lenora Knotts, Reese Coleman, Anna Phelps

 

Upcoming Events:

• All 23 students will receive their Discovery FFA Degree this year in May

• Chapter Level Agriscience fair in May, students that place will participate in State Agriscience Fair in June

• 2 Area Officer Candidates: D’Landon Sapp, Zachary Kelley

• 2 Chapter Delegates: Lenora Knotts, Kamryn James

• Conduct of Chapter team that competes in June

Each of the students gave a presentation to the School Board.  Quotes from students at the board meeting included: 

“I’m so grateful for this opportunity to be a part of this Ag class. We have learned so many beneficial things.”

“I have learned so many things that will be beneficial to me in my future career.”

“I hope every student in the future has an opportunity to take this class.” 

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So much of our life is unpredictable even though we think we have a game plan. We are constantly making plans for the future even with so many variables out of our control. We’ve all heard how we as humans are truly creatures of habit. But sometimes life takes us down a path we weren’t expecting. It may be a road that if we had a choice, we might not have traveled.

Let’s look at my years of tournament fishing. As a former athlete who has played all levels of baseball and football, my competitive fire still burns strong. I not only want to win, I also want to kick your butt in the process. 

But as I’ve written before, tournament bass fishing is a very humbling sport. I think the only sport comparable would be golf. Just when you think you’re “the man ” bass fishing reels you in and makes you realize that you have no idea what you’re doing!

For me personally, as I continue to pursue championship stringers, even at the age of 64, tournament fishing still gets my blood flowing. Competing against so many of today’s younger anglers just motivates me even more and keeps me feeling young.

 I used to lose sleep over my performance in previous tournaments. Like a lot of anglers, I self-analyze every tournament and try to learn from my small victories on the water to my biggest mistakes.  

But a turning point in my bass tournament perspective came when I was diagnosed with stage 3 Melanoma in June of 2023. Everything changed after my dermatologist called to let me know my biopsy was positive. Next thing I knew, I was sitting in the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston with the finest doctors in the world, putting together a plan of attack with immunotherapy that would hopefully cure my cancer. 

It was at this point that my outlook on winning bass tournaments changed dramatically. After several treatments and numerous PET scans and MRIs over the last two years, my cancer has disappeared and hopefully will stay away.

Today when I show up for a tournament, I’m so happy that I can continue to participate in the sport I love. I’m probably more excited today to fish an event because I realize my battle with Melanoma could have been a lot worse. While I’ll continue to go through more blood work, PET scans and MRIs the rest of my life, I’m so thankful to be able to experience life to the fullest. 

My cancer scare has been a reminder of how precious life really is and how blessed I am to get to continue to enjoy my fishing. Several times I have shed a tear or two as the national anthem is played before we leave the boat ramp for a day of chasing those little green fish we call bass. 

While all of us at some point in our lives will have health issues, sometimes it takes a life altering moment to make us realize there are things more important than winning a bass tournament. Just the fact that I get to go fishing is a true blessing and one I no longer take for granted!

Let’s not get this twisted, I’m still competitive and will continue to critique myself after each event in my desperate pursuit of championship stringers! But it’s no longer the most important part of my life and does not define who I am as a person. 

Til next time, enjoy every opportunity you get to wet a hook and go fishing while spending time in God’s great outdoors. 

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