On August 17-18, 2024, 30 boats descended on Elephant Butte Reservoir, NM for the 2024 TBF District 21 National Semi-Finals.  New Mexico TBF hosted the event for the first time since 2021.  They did not disappoint, and neither did the lake.  Official practice provided a 10-pound and 2 8-pound largemouth being brought over the gunnels of competitors boats.  The competition days provided for a different experience with only a few fish over 5 pounds put in livewells.  The weather was averaging 100 degrees each day and the lake reported as 7% full.

Colorado’s qualifying series angler of the year proved again he was just that.  Jarod Rosten weighed in an impressive 5 fish limit, 18.46 lbs. Day 1 weight to take the day one lead on the boater side.  Day 2 proved to be tougher for him weighing in just 3 fish for 4.62 lbs.  Jarod also had big bass for the event on the boater side with a largemouth bass weighing 5.35 lbs. from his day 1 limit.   Jarod finished the event with a total 2-day weight of 23.08 lbs., and it was enough to advance him as the Colorado State Champion and representative to the TBF National Championship in the spring of 2025, location yet to be announced.  It was also enough to place him 5^th overall in the district.

On the non-boater side, it was tale of two days.  Richard Riddler weighed in just 1 fish for 1.43 lbs.  On day 2 he got serious, and he brought 5 fish for 17.68 lbs.  This included a 5.32 lb. big bass for the event on the non-boater side.  Richard ended up with a total weight of 18.61 lbs. for the event.  This was enough to advance him as the Colorado State Champion and representative to the TBF National Championship in the spring of 2025, location yet to be announced.  It was also enough to place him 2nd overall in the district. Congrats to you both!!  Colorado will be well represented

After 6 events, 3 different bodies of water, and 2 states, the most consistent and dominant angler and co-angler of the series was easy to identify.  Jarod Rosten and Marshall Allen proved dominant winning 5 of 6 tournaments to take the titles of Angler and Co-Angler of the Year and take home the belts!  They now move on to the TBF District 21 National Semi-Finals on Elephant Butte reservoir, NM Aug 17-18 with all the momentum on their side…

The inaugural 2024 Colorado TBF state qualifying series ranged from tournaments on Pueblo Reservoir, CO, Cedar Bluffs Reservoir, KS, and Wilson Lake, KS.  Holding 2 one-day events over 3 weekends cut down on travel expenses and allowed for great variation in the types of lakes our anglers fished.   These events were held in conjunction with our state NBAA tournaments allowing anglers and teams to maximize their opportunities fishing two tournaments in a day and four tournaments in a weekend.  The feedback from the anglers fishing the series was positive given the limited accessible tournament waters in Colorado, reduction in travel expenses holding tournaments together on a weekend, and many other positive attributes.  Participation is expected to increase moving forward and preparation for the 2025 season is already in progress with a major change to National Championship qualification straight from the series…yes, straight from the series.  Look for the updates on ColoradoTBF.com and our other social media platforms.

The Colorado Junior Bass Club held it’s 2nd event on Valco Ponds May 11th, 2024. Congratulations to Tucker White for his first-place finish and big bass in the Junior Division.  Kia Ryner took first place in the High School Division. Big Bass was caught by Niko Martinez. For full results and more pictures from this event CLICK HERE