Soto, Smith win FLW Soldier Appreciation tourney
Duo nets first-place finish at Sand Hollow State Park Reservoir event
HURRICANE, Utah – Sgt. Valentin Soto of Richfield, Utah, and Pfc. Colin Smith of Genola, Utah, won the National Guard FLW Soldier Appreciation Tournament held on Sand Hollow State Park Reservoir Saturday. The team, fishing with Ultimate Bass Team Tour member Mark Somyak of Hurricane, Utah, caught three bass for a total of 14 pounds, 1 ounce to take the title and bragging rights amongst their peers.
“It was nice to go out there and learn a new thing and be good at it,” said Pfc. Smith. “And it is always good to win.”
“This was amazing. I have never done anything like this before, I have never competed on any level of fishing,” said Sgt. Soto. “This was an amazing experience and anyone with the opportunity should jump on it. You’ll learn a lot.
Each of the participants in the National Guard FLW Soldier Appreciation Tournament are members of the Utah National Guard and most have had at least one tour of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan. In this tournament, Ultimate Bass Team Tour anglers took teams of two, which consist of members of the National Guard, fishing to compete amongst their peers. Each team was allowed to bring in three bass. FLW Outdoors is operating the tournaments in conjunction with the National Guard to show appreciation to our service members of the National Guard.
“These guys were great, they had never been bass fishing before but they did a great job out there. I explained a few things to them and they did it and made it work and we caught some fish and ended up winning the tournament,” said Ultimate Bass Team Tour member Somyak. “It was a fun day and the least I could do.”
A total of 20 service men and women, 11 teams, participated in the tournament. Rounding out the teams was:
2nd: Sgt. James Redhouse Jr., Richfield, Utah, and Sgt. Buzz Harmon, Tropic, Utah, fishing with Greg Giacomazza, Ivins, Utah, three bass 10-6
3rd: Pfc. Maxwell Miller, St. George, Utah and Staff Sgt. Blair Jasperson, Payson, Utah, fishing with Shane Grange, Eureka, Utah, three bass 9-0
4th: Pfc. Kenton Hemsley, Cedar City, Utah, fishing with Trace Myers, Santa Quin, Utah, three bass, 8-4
5th: Sgt. Mike Iorg, Ivins, Utah, and Sgt. Lane Iorg, Ivins, Utah, fishing with Tyler Vanderhorst, Washington, Utah, three bass, 8-3
6th: Sgt. David Swanson, West Jordan, Utah, and Maj. Scott Reading, American Fork, Utah, fishing with Dennis Cole, Sedona, Ariz., three bass, 8
7th: Staff Sgt. Jon Bylsma, Lehi, Utah, and Staff Sgt. Ryan Young, Cedar Valley, Utah, fishing with Murph McBride, Pioche, Nev., three bass 7-6
8th: Sgt. Brandon McFarlane, Provo, Utah, and Staff Sgt. Jimbob Quarnberg, St. George, Utah, fishing with Steve Smith, Salina, Utah, three bass, 6-6
9th: Sgt. 1st Class Shane Johnson, Cedar City, Utah, fishing with Chris Padgett, Hurricane, Utah, three bass, 6-2
10th: Spc. Sterling Juarez, Orem, Utah, and Spc. Kyle Smith, Springdale, Utah, fishing with Moe Gray, Milford, Utah, three bass, 6-1
11th: Sgt. Jessica Bloomer, Cedar City, Utah, and 2nd Lt. Brittany Pierce, Cedar City, Utah, fishing with Allen Bratton, Cedar City, Utah, three bass, 4-8
For complete details and updated information visit FLWOutdoors.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/NationalGuardFLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWOutdoors.
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FLW Outdoors is the best in fishing, on and off the water. Anglers worldwide can compete for millions over the course of 191 tournaments in 2011. FLW Outdoors has taken fishing mainstream with the world’s richest fantasy sports game, FLW Fantasy Fishing presented by Straight Talk, where competitors can play for free as well as sign up for Player’s Advantage to gain an edge. For more information about FLW Outdoors and FLW Fantasy Fishing, visit FLWOutdoors.com or FantasyFishing.com.