Chris Payne of West Blocton, Ala., took home $45,000 as the wire-to-wire winner of the 2009 Bassmaster Southern Open presented by Oakley on Alabama’s Wheeler Lake. Payne accumulated 45 pounds, 8 ounces over three days and closed Saturday with a chatterbait pattern to hold off Bassmaster Elite Series pro Mark Menendez, of Paducah, Ky., who totaled 41-6.
“This is unbelievable,” Payne said as he raised the trophy for his first BASS win. “I was really nervous about Mark (Menendez) being right behind me, but it feels great to get the win.”
Payne says he owes his success in part to Menendez as Menendez beat Payne to a productive spot but Menendez, a consummate pro, let Payne choose his water.
“I was outrun by another Triton, but when I got there he (Mark) said to take where I wanted,” Payne said. “He is such a class act and a true professional. He showed great sportsmanship by letting me fish through.”
Payne relied on a 5/8-ounce chartreuse and white Chatterbait for most of his bites. He said he burned it as fast as he could to get a reaction strike. A Zara Spook played a lesser role Thursday and Friday as the fish seemed to want a sub-surface lure. Payne also boated a few fish by swimming a jig.
Payne says he will reinvest some of the $45,000 back into his fishing career, but will use a good portion to buy a moving truck for the moving company he recently started, Motivated Movers.
Menendez, who scored a victory on an Elite Series event on Arkansas’ Lake Dardanelle in March, says he had the fish on to win, but he fell short in his execution.
“I had enough to win it, but they came unbuttoned,” he said. “I struggled all day. By noon, I only had two pounds. Later on I pulled up on this little place and lost a two- and a two-and-a-half- pounder, but got the rest of my fish.”
Menendez thought he'd try the spot he bagged 17 pounds from the day before, but it was unfishable. Overnight rains had muddied the river and raised it substantially. Menendez continued his Friday pattern into Saturday, primarily working a Strike King Series 6 crankbait in Sexy Shad Lollipop. Menendez also caught deeper fish on a Carolina rigged Strike King Rage Craw.
“Any time you can bring five fish to the weigh-in, it's a good day,” he said. “But today, it just wasn't my time to win.”
Mark McCaig of Oxford, Ala., finished third with a three-day total of 40 pounds, 12 ounces, while Elite Series pro Peter Thliveros of St. Augustine, Fla., brought in Saturday’s biggest limit (16-4) and jumped to fourth with 40-12. Elite Series pro and San Mateo, Fla., native Terry Scroggins was fifth with 38-13.
