Loramie Winners 7/5/26
Don Ratcliff 1st Place and Big Bass,
Larry Pennington 2nd Place,
Boyd Downey 3rd Place
Trophy Bassmasters stayed close to home this holiday weekend to fish the 12th club tournament of the 2026 season at Lake Loramie. The weather cooperated, but the fish did not. Two members were able to collect a 5 bass limit.
Don Ratcliff won back-to-back tournaments with this win and jumped into first place in the Angler of the Year race beating Virgil Grant who held this spot most of the year. Don also earned big bass with a nice 2.26 pound bass.
Larry Pennington caught the only other limit to finish close behind Don, while Boyd Downey caught 3 for 3rd place.
Top 10 AOY Standings (Top-9 Scores)
| Rank | Angler | AOY Points | Events | Fish Caught | Total Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ratcliff Don | 290 | 12 | 45 | 108.26 lbs |
| 2 | Grant Virgil | 286 | 11 | 43 | 110.47 lbs |
| 3 | Grubbs Bert | 270 | 12 | 44 | 89.18 lbs |
| 4 | Asel Chad | 255 | 12 | 42 | 86.57 lbs |
| 5 | Massara John | 228 | 12 | 24 | 50.83 lbs |
| 6 | Ganger Steve | 223 | 12 | 35 | 63.59 lbs |
| 7 | Cronley Glen | 209 | 10 | 30 | 62.61 lbs |
| 8 | Downey Boyd | 207 | 9 | 22 | 51.08 lbs |
| 9 | Pennington Larry | 206 | 10 | 26 | 48.26 lbs |
| 10 | Thrush Chad | 180 | 7 | 25 | 64.08 lbs |
AOY Race
The championship race has tightened considerably.
- Ratcliff Don leads by only 4 points over Grant Virgil.
- Grubbs Bert remains within striking distance, 20 points behind the leader.
- Asel Chad is still mathematically in contention but will likely need multiple strong finishes.
- Fifth place and below will need exceptional finishes combined with mistakes from the leaders to contend.
Season Leaders
Most Fish Caught
- Ratcliff Don – 45
- Grubbs Bert – 44
- Grant Virgil – 43
- Asel Chad – 42
Most Total Weight
- Grant Virgil – 110.47 lbs
- Ratcliff Don – 108.26 lbs
- Grubbs Bert – 89.18 lbs
- Asel Chad – 86.57 lbs
Largest Big Bass
- Ratcliff Don – 5.76 lbs
- Cronley Glen – 5.24 lbs
- Massara John – 5.04 lbs
- Thrush Chad – 4.80 lbs
Mid-Season Storylines
- The AOY race is essentially a two-man battle between Ratcliff and Grant, with Grubbs close enough to capitalize on a poor finish by either leader.
- Grant has produced the highest cumulative tournament weight, demonstrating remarkable consistency.
- Ratcliff’s ability to consistently finish near the top has allowed him to maintain the AOY lead despite Grant weighing more fish overall.
- Grubbs continues to catch fish at one of the highest rates in the field and remains a legitimate threat.
- Chad Asel has quietly put together another solid season and could move up with a couple of high-point finishes.
