By Kevin Eckleberry

Sports Editor

It’s not a bad payday for spending a couple of days fishing on the lake.

Sunday afternoon, after all of the fish have been weighed, the winning team from the Georgia State Championship bass fishing tournament at Highland Marina Resort will walk away with the top prize of $35,000.

Tournament coordinator Mark Biagiotti said more than 300 people had signed up for the tournament by Thursday afternoon, and he expects that number to approach 600 by the time the boats cast off Saturday morning.

The tournament lasts two days, and the two-person team with the most total weight from both days will be crowned the champion.

Last year, it was the team of Tim VanEgemond and Daryl Adams walking away with the first-place prize, which is traditionally a couple of trophies filled with cash.

Biagiotti said many of the competitors have been on the lake for days, trying to find that spot in the water where the big ones are biting.

“They’re ready to go fishing,” Biagiotti said.

Biagiotti said conditions are ideal for a memorable tournament.

The water level is fine because of the rain, and the weather is predicted to be ideal, with clear skies and temperatures topping out around 70 degrees Saturday and 74 on Sunday.

“We usually don’t get the two of those together,” Biagiotti said of the water level and the nice weather. “This year we did.”

This will be the 22nd edition of a tournament that has become a highlight of the tournament fishing schedule in Georgia.

It is the most lucrative tournament held on West Point Lake, with nearly all of the entry money returned to the anglers as prize money.

To qualify for the tournament, a team had to finish in the top five of any tournament of 20 or more boats on a lake in Georgia during the year.

“It’s always a lot of fun, and these guys know the lake,” Biagiotti said.

Last year, Vanegemond and Adams started off slowly on Day 1, but a big second day propelled them to the win.

The top local finishers a year ago were the LaGrange father-son team of Randy Williams and Charlie Williams.