Carterville anglers Tom Spiller and Brad Palmer have had a good spring in tournament bass fishing. Last month they took Big Bass honors both days in the Harkins Bass Tournament. Both men had been competitors in the Boy Scout tournament since 1981 but have not had a victory. On Sunday, they took top honors in the 34th Annual Boy Scout Tournament on Crab Orchard Lake.

Big Bass honors went to another Spiller who is distantly related to Tom. Mark Spiller of Herrin weighed in a 6.62 pound bass that he took on a ½-ounce green/chartreuse jig that he cast to a log laydown in shallow water. Mark has fished the tournament since he was 15, but this is the first time he was able to cash a check. He and partner Donnie Morgan placed 17th in the team competition.

A total of 256 fish, weighing in at 636.53 pounds, were taken in the two day event. Spiller and Palmer weighed in a total of 32.60 pounds of bass to pass first day leaders Ricky Smith of Mount Vernon and Roger Craig of Sesser by 2.27 pounds and collect $3,580. The second place team won $1,928.

Third place and a check for $1,102 went to Todd Evans and Dale Sanders of Johnston City with 29.55 pounds. Fourth place and $830 went to Chad Wall, Marion, and Clint Kendrick of West Frankfort with 26.58 pounds of bass. Tyson Shoot of Marion and Ronald Johnson of Creal Spring with 25.29 pounds collected $550. They all also received plaques.

Spiller and Palmer caught their fish with plastic worms in shallow water. They cast to bushes and bass beds in protected areas of the lake. Many anglers reported problems casting due to windy conditions. The second place winners also found conditions difficult and used chartreause and white spinnerbaits to fish the edge of weed areas.

The variety of baits used was testament to the difficulty anglers found in locating and catching fish. In addition to plastic worms, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, and jigs were thrown at the fish. Fish were generally found in shallow water on or near bedding areas. A few fish were still spawning but in general they are in the post-spawn phase.

Tournament Director Rod Calcaterra of Herrin indicated a wish that fishing conditions had been better.

"This was not an ideal day with high winds and a bright sky," he said.

But, he was pleased with the turn out.

"We were concerned about people not entering the contest due to economic conditions and fuel prices," Calcaterra explained. "But, in the end the number of teams was up from last year."

Calcaterra also expressed satisfaction with the number of new contestants in recent years. With the number of area tournaments increasing in recent years some of the regulars from the past have moved to other events. This event is a fund raiser for the Boy Scouts and the funds are important for their projects.

"We are glad to raise funds for them," Calcaterra said.

A total of $4,363 was presented to the Boy Scouts and an additional $1,100 was raised for a project related to bass fishing on Crab Orchard Lake.