Fritter, Selmon win tourney on Ohio River
WHEELING, W.Va. – Sgt. Ralph Fritter of Wheeling, W.Va., and Sgt. Shawn Selmon of Bellaire, Ohio, won the National Guard FLW Soldier Appreciation Tournament held on the Ohio River on Saturday. The team, fishing with West Virginia Bass Federation pro Dan Welch of New Martinsville, W.Va., caught six bass for a total of 7 pounds to take the title and bragging rights among their peers.
“It was great,” Selmon said. “I thank Dan Welch for letting us come aboard his boat, using his tackle and gear, and his expertise – it was an outstanding day. This tournament really helps get the soldiers out here to experience fishing, and some guys maybe never get to fish very often, so this is great.”
“It was a good day out there,” Fritter said. “I learned a lot. I’m really a catfisherman by trade, so a lot of the bass terms and how to work a lure to catch a fish was something new for me. This is the first tournament I’ve been in, and it’s nice FLW Outdoors and the West Virginia Bass Federation are sponsoring it.”
Each of the participants in the National Guard FLW Soldier Appreciation Tournament are members of the West Virginia National Guard and most have had at least one tour of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan. In this tournament, TBF pro anglers took teams consisting of members of the National Guard fishing to compete among their peers. Each team was allowed to bring in six bass. FLW Outdoors is operating the tournaments in conjunction with the National Guard to show appreciation to our service members of the National Guard.
“You know, it was one of the biggest honors of my life,” W.Va. TBF pro Dan Welch said. “The guys had a really good time. We laughed, we joked, and we caught a few fish.
“The fishing started out pretty tough,” Welch continued. “The fish were biting for an hour and a half or so. We lost a couple really big fish that I thought was going to hurt us, but it turned out, and it was a blast. I’d do it any time.”
A total of 17 servicemen over 10 teams participated in the tournament. Rounding out the teams:
2nd: Sgt. Matt Moore, Belle, W.Va., fishing with W.Va. TBF pro Len Lanham, Mineral Wells, W.Va., six bass, 6-5
3rd: Master Sgt. Glen Meyers, Milton, W.Va., and Sgt. 1st Class Darren Owen, Clendenin, W.Va., fishing with W.Va. TBF pro Jeff Jones, Scott Depot, W.Va., six bass, 5-7
4th: Master Sgt. Rob Jewell, Wheeling, W.Va., fishing with W.Va. TBF pro Floyd Doty, New Martinsville, W.Va., six bass, 5-6
5th: Sgt. Adam Fisher, Moundsville, W.Va., and 1st Lt. Josh Poling, New Martinsville, W.Va., fishing with W.Va. TBF pro Terry Muldrew, Glendale, W.Va., six bass 5-3
6th: Staff Sgt. Scott Richards, Follansbee, W.Va., and Sgt. Corey Clegg, Parkersburg, W.Va., fishing with W.Va. TBF pro Brian Burkley, Wheeling, W.Va., six bass, 5-0
7th: Pvt. Brian Conrad, Weston, W.Va., and Pvt. Devin Pomaranski, Bridgeport, W.Va., fishing with W.Va. TBF pro Gary Sapp, New Martinsville, W.Va., six bass, 3-9
8th: Spc. William Lively, Proctorville, W.Va., and Pvt. Zakhar Zimin, Clarksburg, W.Va., fishing with W.Va. TBF pro Butch Jackson, Paden City, W. Va., six bass, 3-4
9th: Sgt. Dylan Tice, Wheeling, W.Va., fishing with W.Va. TBF pro Keith Tyler, Culloden, W.Va., six bass, 3-3
10th: Sgt. David Dinardo, New Martinsville, W. Va., and Spc. Derek Ludolph, St. Mary’s, W.Va., fishing with W.Va. TBF pro Robe Grabow, Clarksburg, W.Va., six bass, 2-7
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