LOREAUVILLE – Two bass anglers got a good look at all that was happening at Marsh Field Landing on a nice but windy spring day April 27.

After all, Jeremy Moore and Royd Picard, both of Broussard, fished the Jackie Savoy Memorial Big Bass Classic and cashed in bigly, thank you, while targeting Marsh Field Canal in front of the public boat landing and nearby Teche Lake Canal.

How bigly? While the majority of the 34-boat field scattered to all corners of a high and mostly muddy Lake Fausse Pointe, they cashed in with second-place bass in three of the first four hours for $375 and capped it off with the top five-bass stringer worth another $850 within a minute or two of Marsh Field Landing. Their five-bass stringer weighed 10.06 pounds and their hourly winners weighed 2.24, 2.04 and 2.62 pounds.

All it took was about 1 gallon of gas, according to Moore, a 47-year-old outdoorsman who works in sales for his family’s Charter Supply Co. in Broussard, as well as a timely decision before the 7 a.m. “first cast” start of the fundraising tournament benefiting Lydia Cancer Association and Acadiana Hope for a Cure.

“That was a put-down-at-the-landing-make-a-call” choice, Picard said with a laugh, noting he backed the boat off the boat trailer as the sky lightened and returned to the boat after parking the tow vehicle.

Moore had noticed something encouraging while launching. It was heartening to see, he said, after burning ¾-tank of gas prefishing the entire lake a day earlier and coming up with two small keepers.

“When we were putting down (at dawn Saturday), I noticed the water color. I told Royd, ‘Let’s try this. We’ll stay close to the landing and try to get a check early,’ ” Moore said.

“He (Moore) looked at me and said, ‘Man, the water looks pretty here.’ He said, ‘Let’s go hit the rocks (rip-rap) before anybody else does,’ ” Picard said.

However, first they tried Teche Lake Canal.

“After 30 minutes, I said, ‘Look, we’ll come back. Let’s run around the corner toward the crawfish pipes.’ We went down there,” Moore said.

One spot along the rip-rap gave up a 2-pound class bass on the initial pass and another 2-pounder on the second pass as the team just getting together again was on its way to a bountiful payday. They caught seven keeper bass, three of which stuck on the leaderboard.

After the final weigh-in at 3 p.m., they waited for the awards presentation by veteran tournament director Tee Roy Savoy of Coteau Holmes, who was assisted throughout the long day by Angela Mayeaux, Tee Roy Blanchard, Trisha Blanchard and Bruno Lenoir and many other volunteers.

“When Tee Roy was giving out the big-fish stringer, he said third was 9 pounds. I said, ‘Didn’t we have over 10 pounds?’” Picard said, recalling the moment.

A BBC volunteer standing within earshot heard the question and asked Picard their boat number.

“I said, ’31.’ He said, ‘I think you are’ ” the winner of the big-stringer division, he said.

“That felt good. You don’t win too often. We weren’t expecting it going by the day before when we ran from one end of the lake to the other,” said Picard, who was born and raised in New Iberia and still owns a business here, Specialty Tool Repair LLC..

Moore agreed and said, “Royd and I were both tickled. You know what I’m saying?”

So was Ry Savoy, who boasted the big bass of the day, the only 4-plus pounder to hit the digital scale manned by Tee Roy Blanchard. There were only five bass weighing more than 3 pounds on the final leaderboard, with the BBC’s second-biggest bass a 3.86-pounder weighed by Jacob Shoopman.

Savoy came in with his bass several minutes before the fifth hour ended at Noon. Ditto for Shoopman, who fished with his dad, Don Shoopman.

Savoy and Shoopman held their respective bass next to each other and compared them, gave them the eyeball test. Savoy’s appeared larger, so with a minute to spare he weighed it at 4.26.

Moore said he and his BBC partner saw Savoy catch his first-place bass behind them in the Teche Lake Canal. Later, Moore and Picard watched Tyler Bushnelle, fishing with Cade Lipari, catch a 3.18-pounder in the same canal.

Jacob Shoopman gambled away a sure second-place fish for that hour, then weighed his bass in the first minute of the sixth hour before going back out. His 3.86-pounder finished first.

Another big winner was Travis Meche Jr. of Branch, who notched first- and third-place bass, 2.92 and 1.30 pounds, respectively, in the fourth hour after sticking a first-place bass of 2.04 pounds, on the leaderboard in the third hour for a total of $515. Meche and his father, Travis Meche Sr., also finished third in the big fish division for another check.

Tee Roy Savoy, the veteran director who renamed the Big Bass Classic after his wife, the late Jackie Savoy, who died after a long battle with cancer at age 52 on Feb. 1, 2021, said a preliminary estimate shows the fundraiser took in approximately $9,000. Savoy pointed out the Bowhunt of a Lifetime Raffle raised $3,000. The lucky winner for the Nov. 2-7 trip to Powersville, Mo., was Mary Ford.

The boat landing’s parking lot filled with spectators and visitors who after buying $5 wristbands were able to sample the culinary delights cooked by seven cooking teams vying for two special wooden plaques. Judged by Loreauville Mayor Brad Clifton, the People’s Choice winner was 2 Dudes and 1 Spoon’s Dillion Suire and Alex Clause while the Cookoff Champion went to Mammas Good Cooking’s Willie and Christy Collins.

Entry fee was $30 per cooking team.

Savoy said the fundraiser went smoothly as could be expected, including the surprise arrival of an accomplished accordion player Johnny Chauvin. Chauvin set up under the pavilion and the musical notes wafted across the parking lot and water for BBC-goers and boaters alike to enjoy.

DON SHOOPMAN is outdoors editor of The Daily Iberian.

JACKIE SAVOY MEMORIAL

BIG BASS CLASSIC FINAL RESULTS

NAME, WINNINGS, WEIGHT

FIRST HOUR (8 AM)

Scott Segura … $215 … 2.42

Royd Picard … $125 … 2.24

Dennis Narcisse … $85 … 2.20

SECOND HOUR (9 AM)

Don Shoopman … $215 … 3.72

Royd Picard … $125 … 2.04

Devin Verret … $85 … 1.78

THIRD HOUR (10 AM)

Travis Meche … $215 … 2.04

B.J. Maturin … $125 … 1.46

Zack Savoy … $85 … 1.42

FOURTH HOUR (11 AM)

Travis Meche … $215 … 2.92

Royd Picard … $125 … 2.62

Travis Meche … $85 … 1.30

FIFTH HOUR (NOON)

Ry Savoy … $215 … 4.26

Brad Romero … $125 … 1.76

Bo Amy … $85 … 1.52

SIXTH HOUR (1 PM)

Jacob Shoopman … $215 … 3.86

Chris Quebedeaux … $125 … 3.40

Seth Romero … $85 … 2.28

SEVENTH HOUR (2 PM)

Tyler Bushnelle … $215 … 3.18

Austin Theriot … $125 … 2.96

Bo Amy … $85 … 2.80

EIGHTH HOUR (3 PM)

Braxton Resweber … $215 … 3.12

Evan LeBoeuf … $125 … 2.42

Devis Ransonet … $85 … 2.42