FISHING -- Anyone with doubts about the lunker bass fishing potential of Lake Spokane (a.k.a. Long Lake) should note the eye-opening stats from the May 2-3 tournament organized by the Spokane Bass Club.

Justin Cox and Ben Schilling weighed in a first-day, five-fish total of 29.05 pounds in the third annual Long Lake Classic presented by Spokane Valley Marine.  That remarkable one-day take included a 7.68-pound largemouth that won the big-fish award .

Cox and Schilling went on to win the tournament with a two-day total of 39.16 pounds. They took home $1,584 plus $360 for the Big Bass prize.

The top eight angling teams weighed-in two-day totals of more than 30 pounds with the top four exceeding 35 pounds.

The tournament had no restrictions on the number of largemouth each team could bring to the scales. Judges credited teams with their five heaviest fish after weigh-in. Three first-day bags weighed more than 20 pounds with multiple weights in the high teens.

The contest raises funds for a different charity each year. This year it raised $540 for Baskets for Babies.