B.A.S.S. Communications
The windy search for big bass:
Practicing on Pickwick and Wilson lakes early this week for the
Wednesday-Saturday Alabama Charge out of Florence, Ala., Bassmaster
Elite Series anglers were discovering that the bass do not have love on
their minds.
Good thing, too; if the high winds early in the practice session
carry on through tournament time, sight fishing would be next to
impossible.
“Last year we were a bit later in the year and the fish were
further along,” said Todd Faircloth, on a roll this season with a
ninth-place standing in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year
points race. He finished 27th in the 2010 Alabama Charge,
which ran April 29-May 2.
Pickwick is definitely a prespawn situation, Edwin Evers said from the water Monday morning as he fought the wind.
“It’s been hard to do much moving around at all, there’s so much
wind,” said Evers, fresh off his March 20 Elite Series win on Florida’s
St. Johns River. “There’s a cold front coming through, and then the
winds should subside.”
On its website, the National Weather Service on Monday reported
sustained winds of 25 mph with gusts of 41 mph in Florence. The
service’s forecast for Tuesday included winds of between 5 and 15 mph.
“Breezy” was the forecast for Wednesday and Thursday.
While the wind is almost certain to be down somewhat, the water
level is another matter, Evers said. “The water is really high, all
flooded back up into the trees.” He estimated that the water was 4 feet
above full pool, a result of recent upstream rains.
Normally at this time of year, Pickwick is at winter pool, which is
about 4 to 5 feet below summer pool. The lake level is controlled by a
series of Tennessee River dams, but a deluge anywhere upstream in the
watershed can bring a lot of water into Pickwick.
Fluctuating water levels can change the bass fishing game not only
overnight, but from morning to afternoon.
Evers finished ninth in the 2010 Alabama Charge. He said conditions
this year aren’t similar, so he can’t tap into patterns that produced a
year ago. Many of the fish then were postspawners, but with water temps
on Monday between 58 and 61 degrees, the
spawn is yet to happen and probably won’t materialize by tournament
time, Evers said.
Like last year, one kicker per bag probably won’t be enough. Limits
at last year’s Alabama Charge were plentiful; no pro failed to bring in
five bass each day. But only those with multiple big bass populated the
upper regions of the daily leaderboards.
Said James Niggemeyer, “It’s not a matter of needing to get five; it’s a matter of needing to get five big ones.”
Leave Pickwick for Wilson? Both of the locks that connect
Pickwick and Wilson lakes have been closed for electrical repairs but
are expected to reopen Friday morning, according to B.A.S.S. tournament
officials, who have been staying in touch with
the Wilson Dam lockmaster.
With Bassmaster Elite Series pros putting in at McFarland Park on
Pickwick for the Alabama Charge, the lock closures put Wilson inside the
tournament waters only on the final two days of the April 6-9
tournament.
So anglers can opt for Wilson, but such a switch would be a drastic
midgame change. During the Monday-Wednesday practice, anglers can scout
the upper lake by trailering their boats to a Wilson put-in spot
(although they must launch from McFarland Park
during the event), but a dry run on locking won’t be possible.
Edwin Evers is one angler who isn’t likely to opt for a trip through a lock.
“If the lock were open three days, I might have considered it,” he said.
According to the Tennessee Valley Authority, operator of the
Tennessee River’s locks and dams, the main lock at Wilson is 110 by 600
feet. With a maximum lift of 100 feet, it is the highest single lift
lock east of the Rockies. The auxiliary lock has two
60- by 300-foot chambers that operate in tandem.
Fun in Florence: While Alabama Charge anglers are working on the water, fishing fans can be playing on shore.
The fan fun will happen at McFarland Park in Florence, Ala., on
Friday and Saturday, April 8-9, with most activities beginning at 1 p.m.
CT.
Highlights include the
Eukanuba Super Dock Bass, Duck and Dog Village,
an event brought to the park Friday and Saturday by the Super Retriever
Series,
a professional dog-jumping circuit. Spectators are invited to watch dogs
run down a platform and leap into a 40-foot-long pool of water.
Distance is the goal — the 2010 champion leaped more than 28 feet.
The Super Retriever Series welcomes dog owners who would like to
give it a try by signing their dog up for amateur division jumps.
Preregistration is not required, and there’s a small fee. (There’s no
admission fee to watch.) In a separate division, kids
ages 15 and younger can enter with their dogs, and instruction will be
provided.
Also on Saturday, the final day, a free concert by The Decoys will
begin at 1 p.m. and continue until 3 p.m. Local vendors will be offering
arts, crafts, food and kids activities.
The main events of the Alabama Charge are the Elite Series
weigh-ins at McFarland Park, Wednesday-Saturday, April 6-9. They will
begin each day at 4 p.m. CT.
Who’s next? This season for the first time, the winners of
pro events instantly qualify for the 2012 Bassmaster Classic, set for
Feb. 24-26 out of Shreveport-Bossier City, La.
With three pro-level events in April, that means three more Classic
spots will be filled this month. First up is the Alabama Charge, the
April 6-9 Bassmaster Elite Series event out of Florence, Ala., on
Pickwick and Wilson lakes. The winner walks away
with $100,000 and a 2012 Classic berth.
Ditto for the TroKar Battle on the Bayou on Toledo Bend Reservoir out of Many, La., April 14-17.
The third pro event in April is the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster
Central Open, April 28-30 on Table Rock Lake out of Branson, Mo. Just as
in the Elite Series events, the Open victor will compete in the
upcoming Classic.
Winners who have already claimed a 2012 ticket are: Alabama’s
Gerald Swindle, Southern Open No. 1; Missouri’s Mark Tucker, Central
Open No. 1; Florida’s Shaw Grigsby, Elite Series No. 1; Oklahoma’s Edwin
Evers, Elite Series No. 2; and Ohio’s Fletcher Shryock,
Southern Open No. 2.
As in previous seasons, the Classic champ will return to defend his
crown. That makes 2011 winner Kevin VanDam all set with his 2012
Classic entry.
Who’s next to win a coveted Classic entry? Find out by watching the Alabama Charge on
Bassmaster.com. There’s already plenty of tournament content posted
on the site.
Alton’s angle: “Leading the (Toyota Tundra Bassmaster)
Angler of the Year race going into the second leg of this season makes
it really exciting and makes me want to pour everything I have into it.”
— Alton Jones in his most recent
blog
on Bassmaster.com. He leads Terry Scroggins by 18 points and reigning AOY Kevin VanDam by 31 points.
