By Alan Clemons
Special to Wired2Fish
WETUMPKA, Ala. – “Old School” ruled again Saturday on Lake Jordan in the first day of the inaugural Toyota Trucks Championship Week, with veteran Tommy Biffle of Oklahoma sticking five bass weighing 15 pounds to take the lead in the first day of the Berkley Powerbait Trophy Chase.
Biffle saw Lake Jordan for the first time this week when the top 12 Bassmaster Elite Series pros hit the water for practice. He knew – as did anyone who knows Biffle – more than likely he’d be somewhere up a creek with a flipping stick in his hands deftly putting a craw or tube around shallow cover. Unless the deep bite was an absolute necessity he wouldn’t be offshore.
Conditions changed somewhat from Friday’s practice when Alabama Power was generating more water through Mitchell Dam, the upriver dam on the 6,800-acre impoundment. Biffle said the bite “just quit for a while” Saturday and figured the lack of current was the factor. Mild generation about 2 p.m. at Mitchell didn’t help the guys who ran upriver looking for spotted bass on points to start biting, either, because none could capitalize.
The 12 pros from the season points standings fish again today, and then take Monday off before two practice days on the Alabama River. They’ll launch from downtown Montgomery and fish Thursday and Friday on the river, seeking the $200,000 prize and Toyota Tundra Angler of the Year title.
Biffle gained 50 points in the standings and moved to second, behind Kevin VanDam of Michigan, who struggled to catch a limit weighing 10 pounds, 14 ounces. Skeet Reese of California managed a limit weighing 12-6 and leads the points standings by six over Biffle and VanDam.
“My plan is to win both tournaments and hope Kevin and Skeet stumble,” Biffle said confidently. He won the Elite Series event this season on Wheeler Lake, also going ultra-shallow in that event while virtually everyone else was targeting the shad bite on midlake mussel beds.
Biffle said he had some big bites in practice and thought he could maybe catch more than the 15 pounds he brought in Saturday. He broke off one fish, on 20-pound test line, but was unshaken.
“Once I got on (the lake, in practice,) I knew I had a chance,” Biffle said. “With a little luck I can get some big bites.”
The forecast Sunday calls for a 60 percent chance of rain and more clouds, which are helping the shallow-water guys. Alabama Power also is holding water at a high level in the lake with plans to release it into the Alabama River next week for routine dam maintenance. That also is keeping water levels stable in shallow areas, especially in the lower end “New Lake” where many local tournaments are won during generation periods.
BASS tournament director Trip Weldon said Gary Klein of Texas will be held 30 minutes at the dock Sunday after the other 11 boats launch as a penalty for operating his outboard engine while standing on the front deck of the boat.
