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 Straight
Talk pro Scott Canterbury of Springville, Ala., weighed a five-bass
limit totaling 22 pounds, 14 ounces Friday to lead day two of the
EverStart Series Southeast Division event on Lake Eufaula. Canterbury
has a two-day catch of 10 bass weighing 41-10 and holds a 10-pound lead
going into the final day of competition. The final weigh-in on Saturday
will be at Walmart located at 3176 S. Eufaula Ave. in Eufaula and start
at 4 p.m.
The top 10 pros advancing to the final day of competition are:
2nd: Ryan Ingram, Phenix City, Ala., 10 bass, 31-10
3rd: Straight Talk pro J.T. Kenney, Palm Bay, Fla., 10 bass, 29-4
4th: Clayton Batts, Macon, Ga., 10 bass, 29-0
5th: Joseph Kremer, Osteen, Fla., 10 bass, 24-14
6th: Clent Davis, Montevallo, Ala., 10 bass, 24-7
7th: Troy Gibson, Eufaula, Ala., 10 bass, 24-1
8th: Curt McGuire, Paris, Tenn., 10 bass, 24-1
9th: Monte Knight, Quitman, Miss., 10 bass, 24-0
10th: Jason Lambert, Pickwick Dam, Tenn., 10 bass, 23-3
Rounding out the top 25 pros are:
11th: James Grogan, Fort Mitchell, Ala., 10 bass, 22-10, $1,948
12th: Jared Haas, Hixson, Tenn., nine bass, 22-10, $1,948
13th: Scott Montgomery, Eufaula, Ala., 10 bass, 22-7, $1,948
14th: Bobby Padgett, LaGrange, Ga., 10 bass, 22-5, $1,948
15th: Ron Wolfarth, Oakboro, N.C., 10 bass, 22-2, $1,948
16th: Jason Smith, Albany, Ga., nine bass, 21-7, $1,461
17th: Brad Knight, Wartburg, Tenn., 10 bass, 21-5, $1,461
18th: Matt Peters, Roswell, Ga., 10 bass, 20-15, $1,461
19th: Chad Aaron, Ethridge, Tenn., nine bass, 20-14, $1,461
20th: Tim Wilson, Gas City, Ind., 10 bass, 20-8, $1,461
21st: Casey Martin, Huntsville, Ala., 10 bass, 19-15, $1,364
22nd: Arnie Lane, Lakeland, Fla., eight bass, 19-11, $1,364
23rd: Yancy Windham, Reform, Ala., nine bass, 19-10, $1,364
24th: Ronnie Ray, Phenix City, Ala., nine bass, 19-7, $1,364
25th: Alan Hults, Gautier, Miss., six bass, 19-4, $1,364
Drew Benton of Panama City, Fla., caught the EverStart Series Big Bass weighing 6-15 on the pro side to win $288.
Aaron Richardson, Destin, Fla., leads the Co-angler Division with nine bass weighing 17-3.
The top 10 co-anglers advancing to the final day of competition are:
2nd: Richard Peek, Centre, Ala., eight bass, 16-12
3rd: Trathen Dollar, West Jefferson, N.C., six bass, 15-5
4th: Hale White, Thompsons Station, Tenn., five bass, 14-4
5th: Blaine Bucy, Follansbee, W.V., seven bass, 14-3
6th: James Richardson Sr., Harrison, Ohio, seven bass, 13-15
7th: Joey Aderhold, Birmingham, Ala., six bass, 13-10
8th: Jeffrey Hankins, Dothan, Ala., eight bass, 13-8
9th: Charles Stevenson, Albany, Ga., eight bass, 13-5
10th: Thomas Helton, Charleston, Tenn., six bass, 12-10
Maurice Cobb of Kuttawa, Ky., caught the EverStart Series Big Bass weighing 4-13 on the co-angler side to win $192.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWOutdoors.com.
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 FLW
Outdoors announced Thursday that the Walmart FLW Tour event on Table
Rock Lake, originally slated for May 5-8, has been rescheduled to take
place July 21-24 on Pickwick Lake in Florence, Ala. The tournament will
now wrap up the six-event Major season that determines the coveted
Angler of the Year award.
"We’re pleased to be heading to northern Alabama for the
final Major of the season,” said Kathy Fennel, president of FLW Outdoors
Operations Division. “Pickwick Lake is a fabulous fishery, and the
Florence community fully embraces tournament bass fishing. Most
importantly, we felt it was imperative to have six events determine
Angler of the Year, especially with the $100,000 purse attached. We’re
disappointed we won’t be visiting Table Rock and the city of Branson
this season, but we plan to return in 2012.”
The Table Rock Lake event was rescheduled due to severe flooding in southwestern Missouri.
Thursday and Friday’s Pickwick Lake weigh-ins will be held
at McFarland Park, located at 200 James M. Spain Drive in Florence.
Saturday and Sunday’s weigh-ins will be held at the Walmart Supercenter
located at 3100 Hough Road in Florence.
The official practice period for Pickwick Lake will be
extended by one day to include Wednesday, July 20, and the pretournament
meeting will begin that day at 6:30 p.m. These changes have been made
to accommodate pros traveling from the EverStart Series Central Division
event on the Detroit River. Lastly, the official beginning of the
off-limits period for the Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Ouachita will be
moved from July 25 to July 28 to give qualifiers a chance to
prepractice.
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Tyler
Fisher and Matthew McClellan, seniors from the University of Texas at
Tyler, recently became the first team of collegiate anglers to qualify
for the Ranger Cup University Team of the Year finals - which includes
an expense-paid trip to Texas’ famed Choke Canyon Reservoir later this
year where they will compete for over $2,000 in cash and prizes.
By virtue of being
the highest-finishing team (both anglers registered with Ranger Cup
University) at the National Guard FLW College Fishing Championship,
Fisher and McClellan will soon be paired against the qualified team with
the highest place of finish in the BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing
Championship later this spring. Both teams will receive an expense-paid,
grand prize package, which includes travel, lodging and meals, as well
as the opportunity to compete from fully rigged Ranger boats. The
made-for-TV event will be televised nationally on the Americana Outdoors
show seen on the Versus network. The event represents a unique
opportunity for collegiate anglers – complete with over $2,000 in cash
and prizes awarded to the winner.
“Before the tournament, I received an email from Ranger about signing up
and I made sure before we left that we signed up for it,” said
McClellan, a longtime Ranger loyalist who runs a Z21 Comanche. “The
tournament didn’t go the way we wanted it to; we had a tough second day
after leading the first day. But it’s awesome that we qualified for the
grand prize through Ranger Cup University. It’s not very often you can
finish 7th in a tournament and walk away with such a huge bonus.”
In addition to the team prize package won by Fisher and McClellan, the
Ranger Cup University program also rewarded Ryan Ingalls, a collegiate
angler from Christopher Newport University, with $250 in Ranger Cup
University prize money for being the highest-finishing individual
qualified angler at the National Guard FLW College Fishing Championship.
Modeled after the most lucrative contingency rewards in the industry,
the Ranger Cup, Ranger Cup University is the first program of its kind
exclusively for collegiate anglers and is open to those fishing in
either FLW- or Boat US-affiliated competitions. Signup is free,
regardless of which brand of boat they own. To remain qualified in the
program, anglers need only adhere to clothing and logo requirements. And
as part of the Ranger Cup University program, participants will be able
to receive specially discounted tournament gear through Gemini Custom
Apparel, with no artwork or set-up fees. Through Gemini, Ranger Cup
University anglers can purchase fully customized tournament jerseys for
as low as $48.
“I’d never heard of a boat brand that has put something like this
together. I was so surprised that it was free and that we could actually
go out and fish for prize money,” McClellan said. “For a company like
Ranger to step up with a program like this is really awesome for us.”
For more information on Ranger Cup University, to register and read all
about the program guidelines and payout opportunities, go online to
RangerBoats.com.
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We just received some information on a new product from Frabill for those of you who own their cool stowable net the Hiber-Net or Hiber-Net XL. This new product will allow those nets to double as an oar or boat paddle. The new product is called the Hiber-Net Paddle accessory. Made of durable Polypropolene, the 6 1/2 inch by 14 inch paddle head will give your net some added features.
The Hiber-Net is a rugged aluminum frame in which you slide the handle to expose the flexible hoop and net out the end of the arm. The net stows easily in a rod locker and now with this paddle head, you can have a net and oar stowed in your rod locker out of the way but still at easy access.
We can see this head being a great add on for when we get ourselves in a tight spot fishing around shallow wood and cover. Every angler has been blown up on the bank while retrieve a miscast lure or dealing with wind knots in your reel on a windy day. This is a great way to push off a stump or dock or other shallow cover without damaging the end of the sliding net.
The head retails for $19.99 and will stow easily out of the way in a boat's compartment. To find out more about this product or to order one, visit Frabill.com.
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FLW
Outdoors announced Wednesday that the upcoming Walmart FLW Tour event
on Table Rock Lake has been canceled due to historic flooding in
southwest Missouri. The tournament was originally slated for May 5-8. In
regards to rescheduling the event, FLW Outdoors officials are exploring
various options. Further details will be announced as they become
available.
The water level at the Table Rock Dam
is currently sitting at 935.4 feet, having surpassed the previous record
high of 933 feet. Within the past four days, the lake has risen nearly
20 feet. Full pool is 915 feet.
“Our foremost concern is the safety of
the anglers,” said Kathy Fennel, president of FLW Outdoors Operations
Division. “The high water levels and floating debris make boat operation
hazardous. The decision to cancel was reached after multiple
discussions with state and local officials, and we felt it was
imperative to notify anglers before they began traveling to Branson.”
“Given the current flood situation, we
recommended FLW Outdoors call off the event,” said Capt. Gary Haupt with
the Water Patrol Division of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. “The
water level is currently more than 2 feet higher than our highest
recorded level, and all lake access areas are closed. In conditions like
this, the possibility of both personal and property damage is greatly
increased. We’ve already revoked tournament permits through Sunday and
are in the process of revoking permits through May 8. We applaud FLW
Outdoors’ proactive decision.”
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Simms Fishing Products knows you have one. A story, that is. You know the one – the time you really wished you’d been wearing water proof shoes, and yet, you weren’t.
Simms wants to know your best “If only I had my Simms GORE-TEX® shoes when…” moment. Contestants can upload a photo to the Simms Fishing Products’ Facebook
page via the Contests tab and tell their tale. Then, Simms’ Facebook
fans will vote on their favorite story.
The saga receiving the
most votes at the end of the contest will win the trip of a lifetime: an
incredible 6-day, 7-night guided fishing expedition on the Kanetok
River at Deneki Outdoors’ Alaska West lodge
– a trip with an estimated value of $5,000. The winner will also
receive two pairs of the new Simms GORE-TEX® performance shoes. Second
and third place winners will receive also receive Simms gear. See full
contest rules and regulations on the Simms Fishing Products Contests
page.
These shoes were designed for wear on and
off the water, and feature premium materials and technologies
to enhance durability, comfort and performance. Ranging from $149.95 to $169.95, Simms’ GORE-TEX® shoes are available at Authorized Simms Dealers now.
Contestants can upload photo entries
from April 26 to midnight on June 6, 2011. Voting will take place from
June 7 through June 20, with the winners being announced on June 21.
For more information, or to find a Simms Fishing Products retailer near you, visit www.simmsfishing.com.
Follow Simms on Twitter at twitter.com/simmsfishing.
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 Don Corkran, who guided the
grass-roots club membership of B.A.S.S. through 2008, will once again
assume the job of B.A.S.S. Federation Nation director, B.A.S.S. LLC
announced today.
“We got lucky: Don has agreed to come back to B.A.S.S.,” said Jerry
McKinnis, one of three private investors who purchased B.A.S.S. from
ESPN in November 2010. “In no other person could we have found such
depth of knowledge and understanding of the B.A.S.S.
Federation Nation. Everyone in the Federation Nation can welcome back
Don knowing he’s going to work as hard for them as he ever did.”
Corkran, whose start date is May 16, said his return is a homecoming.
“I’m happy to be back home,” he said. “I’ve been a B.A.S.S. member
since the early 1970s, and I feel like I am going back home now. I’m so
excited, and I appreciate this opportunity to come back. I could see how
deeply the new ownership of B.A.S.S. is
committed to the Federation Nation program,” Corkran said. “They
understand its importance.”
After a military career, Corkran joined B.A.S.S. in April 1990 as
assistant tournament director. In May 1991, he was promoted to
Federation Nation director. He served in that capacity until June 2000,
and then from July 2003 to 2005. He filled in again
to manage the program from May 2007 to January 2009.
Corkran said his first priorities will include increasing adult
Federation Nation membership, just as he did in the 1990s. He’d also
like to develop programs to get more kids, especially high schoolers,
involved in clubs.
In general, the B.A.S.S. Federation Nation director serves as the
national anchor for state-level B.A.S.S. affiliated organizations, which
in turn serve local clubs. The B.A.S.S. Federation Nation also serves
as the road for B.A.S.S. club members to the
Bassmaster Classic, a long and competitive round of local, state and
regional tournaments that end with the annual B.A.S.S. Federation Nation
Championship presented by Yamaha and Skeeter Boats, which produces six
Classic qualifiers.
Working with Corkran in an effort to improve the service level for
the B.A.S.S. Federation Nation members will be Deb Wilkinson. She comes
from the B.A.S.S. tournament department, where she has served as a
tournament manager since 2005, overseeing Weekend
Series events and the former Women’s Bassmaster Tour.
“This is a new challenge for me,” Wilkinson said. “I look forward to contributing to building the B.A.S.S. Federation Nation.”
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 On April 14th, U.S. Senators Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and John
Thune (R-S.D.) and U.S. Representatives Jeff Miller (R-Fla.), Mike Ross
(D-Ark.), Bob Latta (R-Ohio) and Heath Shuler (D-N.C.), introduced a bill in both the House of Representatives and the Senate that would protect the use and manufacture of fishing tackle as well as ammunition and shooting supplies
from a potential ban by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
S. 838 and H.R. 1558
would protect the rights of anglers and sportsmen to continue to use traditional fishing tackle as well as hunting and recreational shooting supplies.
These bills are being generically called the Hunting, Fishing, and Recreational Shooting Protection Act. They are being introduced in response to radical environmental groups seeking to force the Environmental Protection Agency's hand after the EPA denied a petition to ban all lead in fishing tackle and ammunition last November. Now those same groups are trying to circumvent the petition denial by going through the courts. These groups seek to amend the Toxic Substance Control Act of 1976.
We covered these events last November but now groups like the National Marine Manufacturers Association and the National Rifle Association are getting behind these senators and representatives to protect fishing, hunting and shooting sports and urging others to reach out to their congressmen and women on this matter.
For the record, here at Wired2Fish, we are avid users of Eco Pro tungsten weights because of the many advantages tungsten has over lead weights, however we still have to use lead jigheads as there are not many good tungsten options for jigs and jigheads just yet.
To read more about these events, visit the following links:
Lead Ban Now Turns To Lawsuit
Editors Note: It's very easy to communicate with your representatives. Jason uses Congress.org often to voice his opinions on matters that affect his family and his fishing. They have transcripts and an easy way to find out who your congressmen are by just entering your Zip Code.
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The recreational boating industry’s leading
trade group, National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA),
announced today findings from its annual Recreational Boating
Statistical Abstract.
The Abstract reveals that of the 231.5 million adults living in the
United States in 2010, 32.4 percent, or 75 million people, participated
in recreational boating. This is the highest proportion of participation
in recreational boating since 1999 when 33.4 percent of adults were
boating participants. These 75 million boaters represent an increase of
14 percent compared to the recessionary year of 2009, which saw 65.9
million boaters.
NMMA also reports that the 75 million Americans who took to the water
in 2010 helped keep the industry afloat. Aftermarket accessory sales
increased six percent to $2.4 billion (from $2.3 billion in 2009) and
spending per boat averaged $147 for 2010, also up six percent from 2009.
NMMA notes there are an estimated 17 million boats in use in the United
States.
“Despite decreases in new boat sales last year, the industry remains
alive and well as existing boaters took to the water in record numbers
and had a willingness to spend on their boats and boating outings,”
notes Thom Dammrich, president of NMMA. “Increases in participation and
spending on the aftermarket equal good news for the industry as it tells
us boating remains a recreational activity Americans aren’t willing to
forego in times of economic recession.”
What’s more, boaters increased their spending on operating costs
(insurance, docking, fuel, maintenance and boating outings) by 3.6
percent from $8.4 million in 2009 to $8.7 million in 2010 and on new
boat trailers by 15 percent, from $88 million in 2009 to $102 million in
2010.
Impact of Gas Prices In August 2008, at the start of the recession, when gas prices
were last above $4 per gallon, NMMA and Michigan State University’s
Recreational Marine Research Center conducted a survey of 2,211
powerboat owners who went boating between January and July 2008. The
survey found that 99 percent continued to go boating in 2008 despite
rising fuel prices. In fact, boating participation increased six percent
in 2008 to 70 million (from 66 million in 2007).
“We expect boaters to continue boating this summer as economic
indicators which impact boating habits, such as consumer confidence and
consumer spending, are faring much better than they were three years ago
when we last saw $4 per gallon fuel prices,” notes Dammrich. “Boaters
are passionate about being on the water and historically have found ways
to adjust to fuel price increases by operating their boats at lower
speeds, reducing cruising distances, and reducing idling time so they
can still enjoy spending quality time on their boat with family and
friends. For most boaters, good weather and favorable boating conditions
typically overshadow fuel prices when it comes to determining whether
to get out on the water.”
Boat Sales There were 1,118,130 total power and sail boats sold in 2010
(not including canoes and kayaks) a four percent decrease compared to
2009.
New power and sail boat unit sales totaled 188,230 in 2010, a
decrease of ten percent compared to 2009’s decrease in unit sales of 35
percent, signaling that the rate of decline for new boat sales is
slowing – a welcome sign for the industry.
There were 929,900 pre-owned boats sold in 2010, a decrease of 2.4
percent compared to 2009, a likely result of continuing pent-up demand
for boats and consumers looking for lower price points in the
pre-owned market.
In the new boat market, outboard boats, often small fishing or water
sports boats, fared best, declining just four percent compared to 2009.
There were 112, 800 new outboard boats sold in 2010. In the pre-owned
market, sterndrive boats, typically boats less than 26 feet in length
remained steady, increasing .03 percent compared to 2009. There were
175,800 total pre-owned sterndrive boats sold in 2010.
Overall, recreational boating retail expenditures for boats, engines,
trailers, accessories and services totaled $30.4 billion in 2010, a one
percent decline from the previous year.
Signs of a Recovery Throughout the winter when the industry holds boat shows around
the country, NMMA, the largest boat show producer in the U.S., saw 70
percent of its 15 winter boat shows increase in attendance, an indicator
that buyers were returning. Echoing these attendance increases,
exhibitors at NMMA shows reported improved sales over last year, strong
leads and more attendees looking to make a purchase.
Another signal the industry is climbing out of the recession is a
renewed focus on its national marketing campaign, Discover Boating. The
campaign, which launched in 2005, is the industry’s official national
public awareness effort to help Americans get started in boating. The
industry credits its campaign with helping bolster boating participation
in 2006, 2007 and 2008. As a result of the economic recession, the
industry was forced to scale back efforts in 2009 and 2010.
This summer, however, the Discover Boating campaign is being
re-ignited with a new theme titled “Welcome to the Water” designed to
encourage the existing 75 million U.S. boaters to share their passion
for boating by inviting their friends and family to the water. The
campaign will feature a new, extensive Facebook effort, online
advertising, digital marketing elements and public relations.
Regional Rebound The Great Lakes region remained one of the strongest for new
boat, engine, trailer, accessory and services sales in 2010 with six out
of the eight Great Lakes states seeing growth and the remaining two
seeing just single digit declines. In order of sales growth:
Pennsylvania increased 11.9 percent from $202 million in 2009 to $226 million in 2010
Michigan increased 10.6 percent from $317 million in 2009 to $351 million in 2010
Ohio increased 5.5 percent from $222 million in 2009 to $235 million in 2010
New York increased 5.3 percent from $381 million in 2009 to $401 million in 2010
Illinois increased 5.2 percent from $234 million in 2009 to $246 million in 2010
Indiana increased .5 percent from $144 million in 2009 to $145 million in 2010.
The remaining two Great Lakes states: Minnesota decreased 5.5 percent
from $305 million in 2009 to $289 million in 2010 and Wisconsin
decreased two percent from $298 million in 2009 to $292 million in 2010.
NMMA’s Recreational Boating Statistical Abstract also shows two out
of ten boaters live in the Great Lakes region which translates into
nearly 17 million boaters residing in these states alone, making the
Great Lakes region the top region for recreational boating in the U.S.
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Tom Smith from the Times Daily in Alabama reported that fishing tackle thieves around Pickwick Lake were apprehended this week after stealing rods, reels and other tackle out of several boats and shops in the area. We'll never understand what brings people to this level, and as an angler who has had tackle stolen, it's a disheartening thing to lose your tackle like this. Never mind a big fish taking my favorite plug, or accidentally dropping a rod and reel combo overboard. When someone steals something you worked hard to buy for your own enjoyment like that, it can be infuriating.
So kudos to the law enforcement in that area that were able to catch these thieves from all of us anglers who have ever had something stolen. To read Smith's article, visit this TimesDaily.com link.
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Our Top 20 Most Influential Bass Fishing Lures countdown has ended and with that came the end of the Top 10 Most Influential Bass Fishing Lures Contest. We spent a fair amount of time going through the entries to find our winner based on the criteria of having the most matching our Top 10 and tie breakers going to the entry with the most in the same order as ours. There were some very interesting answers and some even entertaining.
Most all had at least one correct. There were several that had four selections matching ours, quite a few that had five and even three that had six matches to our list. The winning entry had seven matches and two of those were in the same position as in our list! Pretty amazing considering all the different lures that were mentioned.
We had one problem - there were TWO entries that had seven matches and both had two in the same position as ours. There was only one way to solve this situation as we had no contingencies for a third tie breaker - GIVE AWAY TWO PRIZE PACKS!
Congratulations to our winners!
Jeremy Waldrop
Hoover, AL
Shante Ford
Greencastle, IN
Your Wired2Fish prize packs are on the way!
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Photo by B.A.S.S. Communications
 We just got word that the Bassmaster Open on Table Rock Lake has been postponed to a future date yet to be determined due to rapidly rising water levels on the lake that have put way too much debris in the water to make the tournament safe. More details will be coming but we were tracking the water levels yesterday and saw that Table Rock rose 9 feet in a 24 hour period.
Here is the official release from B.A.S.S.:
Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open Postponed
The Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open on Table Rock Lake has
been postponed until the fall.
Capt. Gary Haupt with the Water Patrol Division of the Missouri
State Highway Patrol said that all events on Table Rock Lake have been
canceled through Sunday, May 1. The Marine Patrol cited public safety
and property damage concerns as the main reasons
for revoking the permits that are needed to hold tournaments on the
lake.
“There’s an advisory out for boaters on Table Rock and Lake
Taneycomo this weekend because of the historic water levels we’re
experiencing, and in turn, the historic water releases,” Haupt said.
“There’s a greater possibility of both property and personal
damage with conditions like this. Our decision to revoke the permit
wasn’t a selective thing; we’ve canceled all events on the lake this
weekend.”
Haupt went on to say that as southwest Missouri endures more
showers, the lake continues to rise. Table Rock is fast approaching its
historic high-water mark of 933.
“It’s still pretty dicey as they try to catch the crest of the
lake,” Haupt said, referring to the dam operators trying to harness the
flow from the dam.
B.A.S.S. Senior Tournament Manager Chris Bowes agrees with the decision.
“It’s the right thing to do given the situation,” he said. “There
is a greater risk of damage to both property and personnel with all the
debris in the water.”
Participating Open anglers will be contacted by B.A.S.S. in the upcoming weeks with full details regarding the rescheduling.
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By Alan McGuckin
There a lot of things Terry “Big Show” Scroggins does
well. Catching bass being at the top of
the list -- as proven by his current second overall position in the Toyota
Trucks Bassmaster Angler of the Year.
Add to the list of Scroggins’ talents: grilling rib eyes,
exploiting deep water structure, turning wrenches on anything that needs fixed,
and making people feel better about life with his southern drawl, laden wit and
generous heart.
But a well organized packer for long road trips … not so
much. The back of Big Show’s truck looks
like a tackle store and a home improvement center got in a fight that nobody
won.
Move inside the cab of Big Show’s Tundra. It’s a sure bet nobody at Toyota Trucks was
thinking about sock drawers when they designed the interior storage on their
door panels, but Scroggins is highly appreciative of the way they turned out.
“I got to thinkin’ about how many weeks I’d be gone -- my
duffle bag was already full of underwear -- so I thought ‘well, either I gotta
wear flip-flops the whole time I’m gone or find a place to put my socks,’”
Scroggins said. “I got to lookin’
around and thought ‘man Toyota was thinking ahead – they built lots of storage
into these door panels. I can stuff all kinds of socks in there,’” he
concluded.
It doesn’t end with articles of clothing. Scroggins’ unorthodox packing parlays into
outboard motor prop storage too. An old
pair of blue jeans is wrapped around a spare prop. “I got to thinkin’ – heck, Levi’s are pretty
tough, they should work good for a prop cover,” he reasoned.
And instead of a tackle tray, a five-gallon bucket holds
handfuls of deep diving Bomber crankbaits. “It’s water proof so your treble hooks never rust, and it floats – I
just take a few out as I need them,” he said.
You might be worried that Scroggins is some sort of train
wreck. Don’t worry. Worry isn’t something Scroggins is good at
either. He doesn’t get paid to
worry. He gets paid to catch fish. And with Top 10 finishes in three out of four
Bassmaster Elite Series events so far this season, it’s hard to argue that
however Scroggins chooses to pack for the road is working out just fine on the
water.
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Diet Mountain Dew pro Jason Christie of Oklahoma won the inaugural
Bass Pro Shops PAA All Star Series title last week on Lake Ray Hubbard
and got a little boost in his pocket, too.
Christie signed up for the BoatUS Angler Weigh-to-Win tournament
incentive program. It’s pretty easy to do, and Christie pocketed an
extra $500 for participating and winning. He also picked up a bonus in
March, as did PAA members Jimmy Mason of Alabama, Stephen Browning of
Arkansas, Edwin Evers of Oklahoma, Russell Cecil of Texas and Rob Digh
of North Carolina.
Getting signed up is pretty easy, too. Just visit BoatUSFishing.com
or call (877) 584-2628 or (918) 742-6424 to purchase an affordable
Unlimited On the Road or On the Water BoatUS Angler towing membership.
Then plug your membership number into the Weigh-to-Win registration
form, and you’re ready to go.
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Thanks to the popularity of his first series of classes, professional bass angler Mark Menendez is offering folks who are more into fishing hooks than quilting hooks another couple days of classes this weekend. In conjunction with this weekend's Paducah Quilt Show, Menendez is offering two classes on bass fishing at the Western Kentucky Community & Technical College.
Bass Fishing Classes with Mark Menendez
April 27, 2011 - April 28, 2011
Times: 10 AM-Noon
Location: WKCTC Emerging Technology Center, 4810 Alben Barkley Dr.
Phone: 270.534.3335
Admission: $40 one-day; $65 two-day
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BRP’s Evinrude E-TEC outboard engines, is proud to be the new sponsor of professional bass angler, Janet Parker and her Aaron’s Dream Machine. The iconic Aaron’s Dream Machine was a leader in the NASCAR parade lap at Talladega this weekend.
Janet Parker has the new 2011 Evinrude E-TEC 250 H.O. on the back of her Z-520 Ranger Boat. “I’m excited to run the new Evinrude E-TEC engine,” shared Parker from inside the track at Talladega. “And what a great place to showcase this spectacular new boat and outboard motor.”
The enthusiasm is reciprocal. “We’re thrilled to sponsor Janet Parker, one of the most elite professional bass anglers out there,” added Krista Heidgerken, tournament coordinator for Evinrude. “She not only knows her equipment, but she knows what it takes to compete and win in this professional environment. Her visibility and strong fan following extends far beyond the weigh-in, like this event at Talladega. It’s a great fit to pair up the Evinrude E-TEC engine with Janet Parker and the Aaron’s Dream Machine.”
Like the Evinrude E-TEC H.O. Series, Parker likes to push it to the max, and maximum performance and reliability is exactly what a focused angler is looking for in a competitive environment. Like Parker and her Aaron’s Dream Machine, Talladega exudes power and performance.
Parker has always worked hand-in-hand with organizations that support U.S. Veterans. She invited two wives of wounded Vets to accompany her on the Talladega parade lap. “While loved ones are deployed, the spouses left behind are fighting their own battles so our service men can focus and do their job to protect our country,” shared Parker. “I’ve set a goal to bring awareness to the sacrifices the families of our deployed and injured make. They are often overlooked but are heroes also.”
See www.evinrude.com for complete information about the 2011 line-up of outboard motors. Janet Parker’s sponsors include Aaron’s, Evinrude E-TEC outboard engines, Ranger Boats, Humminbird, Minn Kota, Rapala and Dobyn’s rods.
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 Vicious Fishing has
signed a licensing agreement with Outdoor Cap Company, Inc., an
Arkansas-based company. Under this multi-year agreement, Outdoor Cap
will design and market all types of Vicious Fishing branded headware
which will be available by the Spring of 2012.
"It was a natural step for Vicious Fishing. Our consumers have been
telling us that they want to see and be seen with our brand." stated
Jeff Martin, President of Vicious Fishing. "We are thrilled that Outdoor
Cap has agreed to join our team and are confident that this will
significantly impact our brand growth."
Chuck Coleman, Licensing Manager for Outdoor Cap Company, added,
"Outdoor Cap is an established leader in the outdoor industry, and we
produce a wide range of high quality products. We are very excited about
the partnership to expand the reach of the Vicious Fishing brand."
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Photo by Chris Dutton | FishPAA.com
Diet
Mountain Dew pro Jason Christie won the inaugural Bass Pro Shops PAA
All Star Series title with a three-day total of 61.93 pounds on Lake Ray
Hubbard, bringing in a limit weighing 18.35 pounds on the final day to
secure the win by four pounds.
Christie threw a green pumpkin Booyah jig with a Yum Money Craw or Craw
Papi trailer on 25-pound Silver Thread fluorocarbon all week. He fished
up the lake at the convergence of two rivers and in the East Fork
Trinity River.
"It
was just a good week of fishing," he said. "One time I went to get a
loop out of the spool, cast out in the middle of the bay and when I was
reeling in my jig I caught a 3 1/2-pounder. One big thing is I didn't
lose any fish all week long. I had a pathetic practice, but was
fortunate to get some bites when the tournament started and learn
something from them."
He had 18.35 pounds Saturday to win by almost 4 pounds over Ranger
pro Todd Auten of South Carolina (57.95). Christie won a new Nitro Z-8
rigged with a Mercury 225 and T-H Marine Atlas jackplate. He also won
the Minn Kota Big Bass Award for the tournament's biggest bass, an 8.37-pounder, which was good for a Minn Kota Talon shallow water anchor.
Christie also earned an additional $500 from BoatUS Angler by
participating in its Weigh-to-Win tournament bonus payout program.
Auten threw a 1/2-ounce green pumpkin Chatterbait all week, starting
shallow to take advantage of a shad spawn and moving to deeper water as
the day progressed. He caught 21.60 pounds Saturday, but his second-day
catch of little more than 13 pounds was the telling difference. A dock
pattern he established late in the first day didn't materialize again
and he had to scramble, but rebounded Saturday.
Nitro pro Matt Reed of Texas was third (56.80) followed by Nitro pro
Ott Defoe of Tennessee (56.05) and Yamaha pro Dave Mansue of Texas
(50.91).
The rest of the 12-man finalists:
6. Dave Wolak, North Carolina – 47.93
7. Brian Snowden, Missouri – 47.48
8. Dave Lefebre, Pennsylvania, 46.22
9. Aaron Martens, Alabama – 44.65
10. Woo Daves, Virginia – 44.13
11. Harold Allen, Texas – 43.60
12. Stephen Johnston, Texas – 43.37
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By Terry Brown
Across the Midwest, South Central, and Upper South it has been raining buckets in recent weeks. Rising water means another change in the position of the fish prime for the spawn. Movement will occur again. Anglers love it when fish get in the bushes and on the bank but a rapid increase in water volume can throw a wrench into their movements but it can also be feast time too. Newly inudated banks are fresh with food and bait fish and a warming day can be killer. Old bank lines, blow down trees, and points are launching pads for the early spring ascent of big female bass heading to the banks. Electronics are critical this time of year and staging fish can be caught in bunches.
The general rule for rising water is “go shallow”. The opposite is true with falling water. Anglers must move inside when the water begins to rise and to the outside of shallow water haunts and look for the first break or deeper water when water begins to drop. Bass know both of these conditions, feel the water movement, and react differently to each. These “trigger points” or strategic fish positioning locations caused by either should be recognized by the savvy bass angler and if properly diagnosed will lead to large bags of fish in both rising and falling conditions.
Gainesville, Florida BASS angler and television personality Shaw Grigsby is a master at finding shallow water bass in rising conditions. “Bass relate to points and weedlines in a rising water conditions just like they do in normal water levels and will move deep within those weedlines to find forage as the water continues to rise. I remember the Bass Superstars tournament I nearly won several years ago was fished in exactly these conditions. I had found a grassy point in a backwater area on the Illinois River that had fish stacked up, said Grigsby. "Fish were using a newly inundated grassy point as an attack point for approaching baitfish. The fish from the entire bay moved to this single location because the conditions were perfect for them in that location. They had food; cover and the outside edge had current. Each of these aforementioned variables combined together make for the right conditions for bass to congregate.”
Finding this type of area is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Fish that are caught from these areas will replenish with other fish and the area will continue to be good as long as the water levels remain constant and do not get muddy. If water levels rise continue to follow the fish in to the areas that have emerged edges. Once the area is fully inundated remember the edges found earlier, the old bank line, and look for the sweet spots there. They may be holding bass and certain areas may hold schools of bass.
Noted Texas Elite Series professional and fish finding expert Gary Klein loves rising water as well. He has used his knowledge of rising conditions several times but most notably in a tournament on the Mississippi River where the area had been hit with a rainfall of several inches. He had found a large area of blowdowns a long run up river during practice but the area muddied quickly causing him to alter his game plan on day 1.
“I was able to squeak out a small limit on my secondary locations but knew if the water would clear up river I could win the tournament. The second day of the tournament I went back up river knowing that the large rain may have flushed the muddy water through and the water would be clearing said Klein. ” Because of the conditions of day 1 no other angler ventured back up the river and Klein was able to catch a large limit flipping and won the tournament. “Knowing how rising water works, the time I spend on the water, and knowing both lake and river systems were all keys to my winning this tournament” he noted.
Falling water conditions can be more difficult, but if read properly can be parlayed into winning stringers as well. Tommy Biffle of Wagoner, Oklahoma has found that knowing how fish relate to falling conditions can be a significant factor in winning tournaments.
“Fish will “funnel” out of high water haunts to areas where conditions are more favorable. These travel routes are the keys to finding and catching these fish.” Biffle’s win on the Mississippi River at the Illinois BASS Top 100 in 1995 was won exactly that way noted Biffle. Biffle was able to find a point in the timber with a large beaver pile on its tip that concentrated the bass during a period of falling water. “The bass concentrated on the beaver pile in about 2-3’ of water where the water around it was 6-9’ deep. This little point stacked the bass and allowed me to win the tournament” said Biffle.
Rising and falling water are conditions that anglers will encounter. Knowing how to deal with it can turn a tough day into a great one. The ability to focus what the water is doing, knowing how to react to either the rise or the fall and knowing what presentation and baits are most effective are all parts of the equation to finding bass. The most difficult thing in fishing is finding the fish...catching them is the easy part.
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Today Sasquatch Media announced that Al Smith is once again part of the team and has joined Jay Kumar in this effort at Sasquatch.
Smith has had a long and successful career in the outdoors, having held positions with BASS, US Angler's Choice, the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs and the National Wild Turkey Federation. He also was part of OutdoorsFan Media, where he grew the BassFan Army to be the biggest membership program in grassroots tournament bass fishing in just 12 months.
"Al is, bar none, the best membership person in the fishing business," Kumar said. "He is highly regarded by the industry and fishermen, and I'm very glad to be working with him again."
Smith said, "It is truly great to be working with Jay again. Jay and I share the same passion for grassroots bass fishermen, and we both are constantly looking for ways to make the sport more fun for weekend warriors."
He added, "I'm very excited about the fact that we're going to be rolling out things that no one's ever seen before because no one's ever done them before. They'll be totally new and won't compete with anything that's already out there. It's a great feeling to be setting the bar again."
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Photo and Story courtesy of FishPAA.com
Ranger pro Todd Auten of South Carolina leads the Bass Pro Shops PAA All
Star Series on Lake Ray Hubbard after the first day with 22.96 pounds.
The field found a finicky bite on Ol’ Mother Hubbard, which didn’t
completely open its cupboard. The big bass predicted by some pros and
several locals didn’t fully materialize. Skeeter pro Harley Brigman of
Texas landed the day’s big bass, an 8.34-pounder that snarfed a
crankbait.
 “Something changed from earlier in the week,” Brigman said. “But I’m going back to that area Friday to look for ‘em again.”
Auten didn’t have a specific area he stayed in, but said his milk run paid off Thursday.
“I ended up running around and it all worked out for me,” he said. “I
figured out a little something, too, at the end of the day that may turn
out good. I caught three doing it and don’t know if it will (hold up),
but I’ll see.”
Friday’s second round will feature the full field before being cut to the top 12 for Saturday.
The Top 12 after Day 1:
1. Todd Auten, South Carolina – 22.96
2. Brian Snowden, Missouri – 22.01
3. Matt Reed, Texas – 21.25
4. Dave Mansue, Texas – 21.25
5. Dave Lefebre, Pennsylvania – 19.71
6. Ott Defoe, Tennessee – 18.61
7. Justin Rackley, Texas – 18.38
8. Jason Christie, Oklahoma – 18.25
9. Terry Butcher, Oklahoma – 18.18
10. Stephen Johnston, Texas – 17.76
11. Takahiro Omori, Texas – 17.26
12. Stacey King, Missouri – 16.89
The inaugural Bass Pro Shops PAA All Star Series features 48 of the
nation’s best pros who qualified from the 2010 PAA Tournament Series
along with special invited anglers. Launches are at 7 a.m. and weigh-ins
are at 3 p.m., both taking place at Bass Pro Shops-Garland.
Full results, stories and photos are available at www.FishPAA.com
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Solar Bat has been awarded a U.S. Patent for its polarized gradient
tints used in two tint variations available in its sunglasses lineup.
Dr. Gary Nesty, O.D., owner of Solar Bat, announced the patent on the
gradient, which is available in Mossback and amber variations. Gradient
tints feature either Mossback or amber in the top 55 percent of the lens
and transition gradually into high contrast yellow in the bottom 45
percent of the lens.
With a straight gaze, an angler wearing sunglasses with the gradient
tint is looking through the dark upper tint. When the angler moves into
the shadows, visibility is brightened by tilting the head back and
looking through the high-contrast yellow portion of the lens. The wearer
has a tint for bright light as well as low light without changing
sunglasses.
In 2010 Solar Bat inverted the gradients so the angler can look through
the high contrast yellow by tilting the head down. These inverted
gradients are perfect for anglers when skipping lures under docks or
overhanging trees and brush.
Contact Solar Bat at 1-800-761-8228 or email mandyshepherd@solarbat.com to receive a free catalog of all the Solar Bat styles and models.
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 B.A.S.S. LLC has acquired
JM Associates, one of the nation’s oldest and largest outdoor
programming production companies, B.A.S.S. announced today.
JM Associates was founded by Jerry McKinnis, one of three private
investors — along with Don Logan and Jim Copeland — who purchased
B.A.S.S. from ESPN in November 2010. The group bought JM from
Atlanta-based CSE, which has owned it since 2007.
A pioneer in outdoor television, JM Associates has produced The Bassmasters
television show for ESPN for 10 years, receiving an Emmy nomination for
the show in 2008. Its roots date back to 1963, when McKinnis launched
his first television fishing
show on a local television station in Little Rock, Ark. It produced
McKinnis’ program, The Fishin’ Hole, which debuted on ESPN in 1981, as well as most other “Outdoor Block” programming on the network for the past three decades.
“Having JM Associates as part of the family will make the B.A.S.S.
media operations completely seamless. It will enable us to expand our
media in every direction, and even beyond freshwater fishing,” said
McKinnis. “We’re especially excited about opportunities
to create compelling programming from a treasure of video archives.”
“JM and B.A.S.S. will be a good fit; one that I believe will
benefit the sportfishing industry in many ways,” said Lonnie Cooper,
founder and chief executive officer of CSE, a full-service agency
dedicated to working with a wide range of clients in sports
and entertainment. “CSE and JM Associates will remain strategic partners
as our companies continue to work together on existing and future
projects.”
In addition to producing B.A.S.S.’s flagship television show for
ESPN2 and Outdoor Channel, JM Associates provides coverage of the
Bassmaster Elite Series, the Bassmaster Classic and other professional
events on www.bassmaster.com.
The company produces numerous other outdoor shows, including Spanish Fly, Zona’s Awesome Fishing Show, Madfin Shark Series, STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Series, College
Bass and The Saltwater Series.
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There are hundreds of great causes out there and a hundred more ways to go about it but we are behind a new effort to protect our rights to fish and use our waterways called the Sportsman's Stewardship Pledge. Access is a problem. Privatization of public waters is increasingly on the upswing. More and more we are having our rights as anglers challenged. Its time to step up and get involved and here at Wired2Fish we believe it's our duty.
Below are some reasons why:
Our waters need not just sportsmen, but stewards
> According to the US EPA 49% of our waters are so polluted that they can’t support a healthy fishery
> We have serious issues with access and invasive species to deal with
> Who is better to champion our waters and lead in finding solutions to these problems than those of us who love to fish? Nobody.
How do you get started making a difference:
> The best starting-off point is taking the Sportsman’s Stewardship Pledge
> It’s free, or for a $10 donation you get a Stewardship Kit or for a $25 you get a Premium Kit
> You can also sign up for our weekly Stewardship Tip e-mail or get involved with projects like our 24 Hour Fish-A-Thon
The landing page for Sportsman’s Stewardship Pledge: http://www.recycledfish.org/lifestyle-of-stewardship/we-are-stewards.htm.
Here’s the Stewardship Pledge itself: http://www.recycledfish.org/lifestyle-of-stewardship/sportsmans-stewardship-pledge.htm
Here is where your money goes:
> For every dollar donated to our cause, we can get about 3 gallons of trash off a lake
[or]
> For every dollar donated to our cause, we can teach (2) kids about how to take care of their local waters
We are more than sportsmen, we are stewards.
Join us in taking the pledge of being stewards of our waterways!
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Arizona angler Dean Rojas just won again at Toledo Bend. He had won prior in 2001 and this time he won on products he helped design. To listen to his interview with Terry Brown on Weighing In Radio click here. |
Photo by PAA:Chris Dutton
Shin Fukae waited to offer any guidance to his wife, Miyu, who was backing his Chevy Suburban and boat into their camping spot.
She didn’t need any help, though. Experienced at putting the big Ranger
into tight spots or a wide-open boat ramp, Miyu parked the rig and was
ready to eat. They both were after a long day on Lake Ray Hubbard
practicing for the inaugural Bass Pro Shops PAA All Star Series
tournament that begins Thursday.
“He finished second in the FLW at Chickamauga, then we drove 800 miles
and all day on the water,” said Miyu, who helps translate during
interviews. “It’s been a long week, but that’s what we do.”
The
duo has been dynamic for seven years now, starting in 2004 when Fukae
won the FLW Tour Angler of the Year title. That was his rookie season in
the United States and just a year after he won the Japan Bass Angler of
the Year honor. Fukae grew up in Osaka, Japan, and dreamed at a young
age of being a professional angler.
His career has taken him to the top in two continents. The Cheez-It pro
from Texas has three career wins, more than $1.08 in winnings and was
runner up in the 2007 FLW Angler of the Year race.
This week he’ll be looking to add to his resume at the PAA All Star
Series event, a no-entry fee, $100,000 tournament featuring some of the
best anglers in the world. The full field will fish Thursday and Friday
before the top 12 compete on Saturday. The winner will take home cash
and a new Nitro Z-8 with a Mercury 225 and T-H Marine Atlas jackplate.
Wind wreaked havoc on the anglers again Tuesday as Lake Ray Hubbard was bullied for the second straight day by Mother Nature.
“Windy, windy, windy, windy, windy,” was Nitro pro and Texas veteran
Tommy Martin’s assessment. “It was pretty hard to find a spot to get
anywhere out of the wind.”
Fellow Nitro pro Stacey King of Missouri concurred.
“I’ve fished on a lot of lakes and it can get pretty rough at home, but
this was one of the roughest I’ve ever seen,” he said. Several pros came
off the water by mid-afternoon to get out of the elements and avoid a
late afternoon thunderstorm. The big cell moved quickly over Dallas
County, dropping hail the size of oranges and golf balls well north of
the lake, before giving way to about 90 minutes of sun and calm weather
before nightfall.
Fukae battled the elements all day, running to different areas of the
lake as is his custom. Meticulous with note-taking and recording GPS
waypoints, he checked different areas and depths before taking out at
dark.
“I looked at a lot of different things,” he said. “This lake is new to
me and that can be good sometimes. I think a lot of people will be
fishing in the same areas, though.”
Fukae had an optimistic outlook, however, with predictions for a big
tournament for him or someone in the field. The 22,745-acre lake is rife
with standing timber and shallow areas on the upper end, and deep water
with several marinas and points on the lower end toward the dam.
“I think … 30-pound (bag), 25-30 pounds,” he said. “It’s possible. There are some big fish in the lake.”
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Winning a B.A.S.S. Elite Series tournament is one of the hardest things to do in fishing. It takes perfection and not missing fish. Veteran pro and 8-Time Winner Davy Hite won on Pickwick doing just that fishing the tailrace below Lake Wilson on Pickwick and not missing a single bass. Eight hours boat to boat with other competitors, dyed in the wool determination, confidence in his equipment, and professional angling skills got the job done for Hite.
To listen to interview on Weighing In with Terry Brown click here. |
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A slow-handed jigstroke with Berkley Gulp! softbaits landed Greg Bliznik and Keith Greear, both of Brownstown, Michigan, 43.49 pounds of walleyes and first-place honors in the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit’s Detroit River Eastern Division season opener.
“It’s a great feeling to win on our home waters,” said Greear. Added Bliznik, “We’ve done well on the MWC before but first place is what we’ve been fishing for, and we finally got it!” Given the tournament’s Motor City setting, it was fitting that the six-year Circuit veterans are sponsored by the United Auto Workers Region 1A, and Bliznik works at the Ford Auto Alliance Plant in Flat Rock, Michigan.
The team jigged ½-ounce chartreuse-and-orange leadheads armed with stinger hooks, and tipped with smelt-pattern Berkley Gulp! softbaits and minnows. “Other teams were jigging aggressively, but we were almost deadsticking,” said Greear. “We’d find bottom, then slowly raise the jig a couple of inches.” Their top area was an eight- to 10-foot-deep flat protruding into the main channel, Bliznik noted. Jigs were tied direct to 10/4 Berkley FireLine Crystal.
Bliznik and Greear collected the $16,350 first-place check for their efforts, plus a $1,000 Cabela’s gift card through the Cabela’s Angler Cash program, $500 Berkley Baits prize package, and a portable Oxygenator unit. Jeff Vereeke of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Joe Lockman of Middleville, Michigan, finished in second with 41.85 pounds, earning $6,820 plus the $1,000 Ranger Cup award, and $500 Lowrance HDS/Elite DSI contingency. Bob Devine and Steve Velte won the $300 Worldwide Marine Insurance contingency for being the highest-placing team to request a quote prior to the tournament. In all, the top 22 teams shared the $58,240 cash purse, plus thousands in contingencies and $4,910 in Big Fish Pot winnings.
Day One was marked by a great bite as the 112 teams brought 485 walleyes weighing a total of 3,047.69 pounds to the MWC scale—of which a full 91 percent were released alive back into the river. Day Two was cancelled due to strong west winds and resulting low water levels at the Elizabeth Park Marina making the ramps unusable.
“It’s extremely disappointing not to get our teams out on the water on Day Two, especially given the fantastic bite on the river,” said MWC executive director Dan Johnson. “Our on-site tournament director Dan Palmer and local site coordinator Danny Bloxem reviewed all the options and we had no choice but to call the tournament. We are already working with our Angler Advisory Panel members to schedule a bad-weather day for our return to this great destination in 2012. We thank all of our MWC anglers for fishing this tournament with us, and the Downriver Walleye Federation volunteers for making it possible.”
With the mighty Detroit yielding world-class numbers of walleyes, 81 teams tallied 5-fish MWC limits. Big fish of the tournament was an 11-pound behemoth brought in by Dave Schmidt and Mark Zillges, both of Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The catch earned the team $2,560 for first place in the Big-Fish Pot.
Walleyes and non-tournament walleye anglers were winners in the equation as well. Since 1992, the MWC Conservation Fund has donated more than $175,000 to fisheries-enhancement projects in states where our tournaments are held. At the Detroit River event, a $15-per-boat donation from each team’s entry fee—made via the MWC’s non-profit affiliate Wildlife Forever—will benefit the Downriver Walleye Federation’s efforts to protect the local fisheries.
The MWC and National Professional Anglers Association presented a Youth & Family Fishing Clinic immediately after Saturday’s weigh-in. Youths received rods and reels thanks to the NPAA and Berkley, and tackle packages courtesy of Northland Fishing Tackle.
This is the first stop on the MWC East Division’s 2011 season. The remaining Eastern schedule includes Lake Erie at Sandusky, Ohio, May 20-22, and the St. Mary’s River at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, August 26-28. The MWC’s 2011 trail is comprised of nine qualifiers in three divisions. Anglers fishing at least three events (from any division) accumulate points toward a berth in the no-entry-fee, $100,000 Cabela’s MWC World Walleye Championship; teams fishing four events are in the running for overall MWC Team of the Year honors and a $13,000 cash prize.
Cabela’s, the World’s Foremost Outfitter for hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, is entering its tenth season as title sponsor of the MWC. Official sponsors include: Berkley Gulp!, Ranger Boats, Mercury, MotorGuide, Lowrance, Fishouflage, Versus (Vs.) Television Network and North American Fishing Club. Associate Sponsors include: Berkley Trilene, Energizer, O2 Marine Technologies, Northland Fishing Tackle, Ryjus, Reflections, Worldwide Marine Insurance, The Walleye Federation, Sea Grant and Wildlife Forever. Now heading into its 27th season, the Cabela’s MWC is the oldest team circuit in walleye fishing.
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Rapala, the world’s favorite fishing lure and VMC, your hook expert, have added professional angler Mike Iaconelli to their pro-staff lineup. Iaconelli – a powerhouse in the sport of professional angling – won the 2003 Bassmaster Classic, was awarded angler of the year in 2006, came in second in the 2009 Bassmaster Classic, won three FLW Outdoors tournaments, achieved numerous top-10 finishes and is host of the national television show “City Limits Fishing.”
“I am excited to join the Rapala/VMC team,” said Iaconelli. “This is really a dream come true for me. I’ve been a big fan of the products for many, many years! I look forward to a long partnership with Rapala/VMC.”
“We couldn’t be more excited to be adding Mike to our pro staff,” said David James, field promotion and media relations manager for Rapala. “Mike is a first class angler and a great promoter. We know he’ll have a strong impact on our brands.”
Rapala was unofficially founded in 1936 when Lauri Rapala invented the Rapala fishing lure. Rapala has grown from humble beginnings to a market leader in the fishing tackle industry. The Rapala brand’s functionality and high quality are known by fishermen around the world. Rapala maintains its strict standards of craftsmanship while delivering its fishing products to anglers in more than 130 countries.
For more information on Rapala, please visit www.rapala.com and for more information on VMC, please visit www.vmchooks.com.
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The buzz surrounding the 1 ounce victory by Dean Rojas over Gerald Swindle is huge. The untold part of the story is Tennessee's David Walker finished just 12 ounces from victory as well in the wind blown event. He had the largest single day bag of fish with 24 pounds on Day Two.
Walker weighs in today on Weighing In Radio and talks about this tournament and how his equipment held up to the punishment. To listen click here. |
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Story and Photos by Alan McGuckin
Van
Halen’s chart-topping 1984 hit “Jump” blared overhead as Dean Rojas jumped in
victorious joy at the Bassmaster Elite Series tournament on Toledo Bend.
Seconds
later his thoughts turned to the man he had just outmatched by a mere ounce.
Rojas
is a Van Halen fan, but he’s also a fan of Gerald Swindle. “I wish Gerald was
still standing here, I’d give him a big ole hug,” said Rojas. Then Swindle, a
sportsman to the core, heard the comment and walked back on stage to allow
Rojas the chance. The two instantly shared an embrace anchored in respect.
Backstage,
Rojas again repeated his compassion for Swindle. “Gerald is a friend,” Rojas said with deep
sincerity. “We share Quantum and Oakley as sponsors, so we spend a lot of time
together working for the same companies. And losing by an ounce is as tough as
it gets,” said Rojas.
Not
far away, Swindle held his head high, and kept life in perspective as his
gorgeous wife LeAnn and loyal dog Myrick stood waiting patiently while “The G
Man” smiled and signed autographs for dozens of fans that seemed to simply
treasure a moment with him.
Minutes
earlier Swindle described the details of his outstanding week to the media. “I
was primarily fishing a jerkbait on 12-pound Vicious line with a 6.3:1 Quantum
Smoke reel and a 7-foot medium action Smoke Rod. I made repeated casts into points with enough
of a curved bend in them to catch the wind. If the wind was blowing across or over the point, it wasn’t nearly as
good. I’d sit out there and make repeated long casts at those points that the
wind was blowing into, and if there was a drop in depth in the wind blown bend
of those points -- that’s where I’d get bit,” explained Swindle.
“I’m
not out here to beat Dean, KVD or anybody else. I fish within myself. It was Dean’s tournament to win,” concluded
Swindle.
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Photos by Seigo Saito/ B.A.S.S. Communications
As they met backstage, Dean
Rojas and Gerald Swindle shook hands, then gave each other a man hug.
Both smiled graciously, both teared up a little.
It was hard to tell who had just beat who, but it was Rojas who had
bested Swindle by 1 ounce in the TroKar Battle on the Bayou. Rojas
secured a wire-to-wire win, his second Bassmaster Elite Series victory.
It was his fourth Bassmaster career win, one
of which, like Sunday’s win, was on Toledo Bend Reservoir.
Rojas collected a $100,000 check and an automatic entry into the
2012 Bassmaster Classic. He also jumped 23 spots in the all-important
Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year points race, also the road
to the postseason.
“I’m going to the Classic; this is so huge,” he said. “Everything
about the win I love — the trophy, the check, the points, the Classic,
and winning a tournament in 2011.”
At the same time, Rojas said, he felt for Swindle, who was philosophical and gracious.
“I wasn’t out to beat Dean, I was out to compete against Toledo
Bend and fish to the best of my ability,” said Swindle, who already
secured a 2012 Classic seat by winning a Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster
Southern Open earlier in the season. “The competition
is the fish … and most of the time yourself is the enemy if you beat
yourself up, get too bent out of shape.
“I could sit here and write a book about all the big ones that
jumped off during this tournament,” he added. “You have to say, ‘It was
meant for Dean Rojas to win’ because I put 110 percent heart and soul
into this and I didn’t make any stupid mistakes.”
Rojas led for three days, putting together a margin of almost 4
pounds against David Walker going into the final day. But in the end, it
was Swindle who challenged Rojas, charging from third place with
Sunday’s big bag of 18-14. The final tally was Rojas
with 70 pounds, 15 ounces, and Swindle with 70-14.
Walker finished third with 70-2, Chris Lane was fourth with 67-3, and Fred Roumbanis was fifth with 67-1.
Rojas had a routine he followed throughout the tournament, and a two-pattern plan that produced all his fish over four days.
“All week, I kept it simple: sight fishing and topwater,” Rojas
said, with his topwater bite producing his larger fish by working one
lure, a natural-shad SPRO Hydro-Pop topwater on Sunline monofilament
line, slowly on the edges of grass.
Rojas said his final day started slowly, as every day of the
tournament had. He caught one keeper on the popper, and then a 5-pounder
about 45 minutes into the day. But after the 5-pounder, he didn’t boat
another fish in the area, so he left and went to
his sight fish at 10 a.m.
“That’s been my normal routine to get out of there and go for my
sight fish. I filled out my limit with my sight fish, and then went back
to that area. I thought, ‘Well, there was one big one there, there’s
got to be more,’ so I went back.”
He stayed for a few more hours, and culled once to gain a pound of weight.
“Thank God I culled, or I would have lost today,” Rojas said — but
noted that he also lost a fish or two that could have made the
difference.
Rojas said he caught all of his sight fish on a WarMouth, a plastic
bait he designed for Big Bite Baits. He rigged the bluegill imitator on
a 3/16-ounce Eco Pro Tungsten bullet weight and on 22-pound Sunline
Shooter line.
“That bait was pivotal all four days,” he said. “That bait triggers
them to bite. I don’t think there’s a finer sight-fishing bait on the
market right now, nothing to compete with it.”
Rojas, known for frogging, said he tried a frog bait in practice,
but it produced smaller bass than did the popper in the grass pockets he
was fishing.
“Shad were spawning in the grass, and fish were blowing up on the
shad in the pockets, and I was working the bait through there, and
they’d come up and eat it,” Rojas said.
While Rojas moved up in the points standings, Alton Jones kept his
lead. The points standings determine Classic qualifications and eight
entries into the $100,000 Toyota Trucks All-Star Week postseason
competition.
The Berkley Big Bass of the Tournament award and $500 bonus went to Ish Monroe for his Day Two 10-15.
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Emotions
ran high yesterday as the 2011 Federation National Championship presented
by the National Guard came to a dramatic close. The Chattanooga
Convention Center housed the main event and a lively crowd grew still as
each weight was settled and the fates of the 14 hopeful TBF anglers
hung in the balance. All 14 Division Champions earned berths to the 2011
Walmart BFL All-American presented by Chevy in Shreveport, La., May
19-21, and the national champions qualified for the prestigious Forrest
Wood Cup presented by Walmart.
But today it was all about naming the national champions and it
literally came down to ounces. Allen Boyd and Rhett Fornoff emerged
victorious. Allen Boyd, the champion boater, walked away with the
$100,000 “Living the Dream” prize package that includes cash, fully paid
entry fees to the Walmart FLW Tour as a pro, use of a custom “Living
The Dream” wrapped Chevy Truck and wrapped Ranger Boat on Tour for the
year and a travel stipend for each event. He will also be fishing the
2011 Forrest Wood Cup in Hot Springs, Ark., in August.
Boyd, from Salem, Ind., was 13th overall after day one and
just third in his division. On day two a good bag and a 6-pound, 6-ounce
beauty helped him creep up to third overall and command the lead in his
division. Today, Boyd came out guns flaring with a consistent game plan
that clearly paid off.
“It’s textbook fishing. I used two crankbaits the whole tournament.
That’s it. Crankin’ … that’s what I like,” Boyd said, who came down a
week before off-limits to pre-fish and run across a few hot spots. “This
lake is just full of fish. We caught fish everywhere, but those were
the most consistent spots. They were key because big fish were
consistently there. It was just getting them to eat.”
One area was a riprap wall in the marina where fish were moving back
in to spawn. “I found something else in there I couldn’t find anywhere
else. It was the grass,” Boyd said. “Grass coming through the rock
bottom. And the fish … some were up around the riprap and others were
deep, so I was switching it up back and forth. Make a pass at the deep,
make a pass at the shallow.”
Today he had his limit early - close to 8 a.m. - and caught around
three limit’s worth all day. “I like to fish shallow, flip wood, throw
shallow crankbaits and spinnerbaits, but I didn’t find enough of those
areas to hold for three days of competition. Also, during my week of
pre-fishing, the water was up and down, up and down. That hurts, so I
decided to stay out there and took my chances with that and it paid
off.”
The weather has been up and down as well this week and it shook the
bite for several anglers. “I couldn’t sleep last night thinking about
what the rain was going to do to this river,” Boyd said. “But the docks
weren’t covered and the four-foot rollers even helped my bite, I think.
It’s just hard for me because I like to fish fast, and to make five to
six passes on one bank is tough for me. But I don’t know the lake well
enough to run around and have confidence in it. I did have confidence in
those areas. I knew there were fish there.”
Boyd now gets a chance to fulfill a lifelong dream fishing as an FLW
Tour pro for a year with the TBF $100,000 “Living the Dream” package.
“One hundred percent, no questions asked, I’m going to fish the Tour.
When I was a little kid my grandpa got me a boat when I was 13. I would
fish all day - every day until dark every summer. I just don’t seem to
get tired of it for some reason,” Boyd said with a laugh. He went on to
thank Ranger Boats, his wife for supporting his fishing and The Bass
Federation. “This is a great thing. You guys need to join your clubs and
start doing this.”
Kenny Beale from Virginia, who represented the Mid-Atlantic Division,
was leading the first two days of the tournament. He came up a little
short to win the “Living the Dream” prize package, but he didn’t quite
end up empty handed. Beale was the highest finishing Ranger Cup
qualifier and won a brand new Ranger 198VX.
Rhett Fornoff of Park City, Utah, was victorious on the co-angler
side, making him the 2011 TBF Co-Angler Champion, plus the Ranger Cup
bonus of $5,000 cash for registering with the Ranger Cup contingency
program. The victory also earns him a berth into the 2011 All-American
and the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup as a co-angler.
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Photo by Rob Newell / FLWOutdoors.com
Clifford
Pirchof Payson, Ariz., caught a five-bass limit weighing 16 pounds, 10
ounces Sunday to win $125,000 at the Walmart FLW Tour on Lake
Chickamauga presented by National Guard with a four-day catch of 20 bass
weighing 77-3.
“This is awesome,” said Pirch, who now has won more than $645,000 in
FLW Outdoors competition. “It’s exciting. When you’re sitting up there
waiting to see what guys have it’s a little nerve racking.
“The last two fish came late in the day and I knew they were really
going to have to catch them,” Pirch added. “You never know what
everybody else has got … if they found a pocket that warmed up just a
couple of hours earlier than I did and put a hurt on them.”
“I’m pretty spent,” Pirch said. “You fish one of these things and have
burned it at both ends … it’s one of those deals where you leave it all
out on the lake. I’m worn, but I’m excited. It’s been a fun time.”
Pirch said he employed a Roboworm creature bait as well as a shaky head for sight fish and blind bed fishing. As the water levels rose
during the week, Pirch said he had to adapt and become mobile and target
specific pieces of cover slowly with a jig.
“I caught five fish today,” Pirch said. “I got five bites, and I caught
five of them. Any time that happens, it’s just a blessing. I don’t
know how else to explain it. I got exactly what I needed, and man, I’m
thankful.
“It was an absolute grind,” Pirch added. “It was one of the most
excruciatingly grinding days I’ve ever had. I never got spun out and
stressed real bad, but the pressure of knowing you’ve got to get them in
order to win and hold onto that lead … it was a lot of pressure.”
The catch gave Pirch the win by a 6-pound, 11-ounce margin over
Cheez-It pro Shinichi Fukae of Palestine, Texas, who caught a total of
20 bass weighing 70-8 and earned $35,000.
“I was fishing for bedding fish in shallow water the first two days,”
said Fukae, who has won angler of the year titles in both the United
States (2004) and Japan (2003). “That was before the water was high. So I
went back there this afternoon and I couldn’t get any bites there, so I
wanted to go back to the boat docks. But I couldn’t throw the bait
under the docks because of the high water. Even Bryan Thrift
cannot do that.”
Fukae said he also fished close to banks and targeted brush piles and
“junk stuff.” Fukae’s baits for the week were the shallow-running Lucky
Craft RC 2.5, a Gary Yamamoto Flappin’ Hog and a couple of different
soft-plastic creature baits.
The remaining top 10 pros finished the tournament in:
3rd: Tom Monsoor, La Crosse, Wis., 20 bass, 69-5, $31,250
4th: Straight Talk pro Scott Canterbury, Springville, Ala., 20 bass, 67-8, $25,000
5th: National Guard pro Brett Hite, Phoenix, Ariz., 20 bass, 62-9, $20,000
6th: Robbie Dodson, Harrison, Ark., 17 bass, 58-15, $17,000
7th: National Guard pro Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla., 18 bass, 57-11, $16,000
8th: Jay Keith, Camden, S.C., 18 bass, 57-0, $15,000
9th: Randy McAbee Jr., Bakersfield, Calif., 16 bass, 54-4, $14,000
10th: Straight Talk pro J.T. Kenney, Palm Bay, Fla., 16 bass, 51-13, $13,000
A complete list of results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.
Overall there were 37 bass weighing 109 pounds, 10 ounces caught by 10 pros Sunday. The catch included five five-bass limits.
Keeton Blaylock of Benton, Ark., won the Co-angler Division and
$20,000 Saturday with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 41 pounds, 8
ounces followed by Alton Lackie of Germantown, Tenn., in second place
with 13 bass weighing 37-6 worth $7,500.
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Photo by Seigo Saito / B.A.S.S. Communications
He has led for three days
running, amassing 57 pounds and 7 ounces of Toledo Bend bass, so there’s
no reason Dean Rojas shouldn’t believe he can close the deal Sunday in
the TroKar Battle on the Bayou.
And believe, he does.
“I need one more big bite to finish this thing off tomorrow, and I
know I can do it,” he said Saturday after weighing 14 pounds and 9
ounces for a lead of more than 4 pounds over runner-up David Walker, who
had 53-6.
Rojas won a Bassmaster tournament on Toledo Bend in 2001, but it
wasn’t a Bassmaster Elite Series victory, and that’s what Rojas wants
now. It would be his fourth win, and second since 2008. He claims not to
be thinking about the instant qualification
for the 2012 Bassmaster Classic, and not even about the $100,000 he’d
get for a win.
“Right now, I’m just fishing for the win,” he said.
“I’m in position, I’m just going to go for it. I’ve been fishing
relaxed the last three days — it’s been really weird,” he said.
“Whatever happens, happens. I know I’m doing the best I can do, and I
know I’m fishing for the right fish to win with.”
Rojas said his third day of competition didn’t go quite as planned —
he wanted one more bass to widen the margin — but it was close. Like
Friday, Saturday started slowly for him, with the bite picking up about
11 a.m. He continued to target spawning fish,
moving to new areas each day. He has plenty more fish to go to and wrap
it up, he said.
“I saw 20 pounds of bass today, just swimming around,” he said.
Four pounds back, Walker is still in range to catch Rojas. On
Toledo Bend, 4 pounds is one decent fish. Besides, Walker has already
discovered where one break can get you: On Day Two, thanks to a 24-pound
bag, he moved from a dismal 53rd place into fourth.
“It was a grind today,” he said. “I tried to not let the demons
tell me, ‘You need to go do this, you need to go do that.’ I knew I was
doing the right thing to catch the bigger fish, and I stuck with it.”
The “right thing” was flipping, his strength.
“With the wind laid down, I could do it, make better casts. All it
takes is one cast — Ish Monroe proved that yesterday (with his 10-15).”
Gerald Swindle improved two places Saturday, from fifth to third
with 52-0. He said he stuck with what he did the first two days —
throwing a square-lipped crankbait, jerkbait, ChatterBait, and covering a
lot of water.
Wind is his friend. He’s been picking out windblown points. More
specifically, he’s hitting the section of the point that has the most
wind on it.
“A couple of my primary spots, guys are finally figuring out where
they are, but there’s nothing I can do about that so I’m having to dig
for new water.”
He picked up the pattern and transferred it to new water. “You get the right pattern, you can catch them,” he said.
If the wind quits Sunday, he’ll try bedding fish, he said.
“The water temperature dropped about 4 degrees today, the moon’s
full, and that makes for a prime time for a few more fish to move back
up,” Swindle added. “It’s a guessing game, but if you got the kahunas to
roll the dice, you could land on glory.”
Aaron Martens wrapped up Saturday with the flu, sore muscles and fourth place with 51-10. In fifth was Chris Lane with 51-6.
Only the top 12 will compete Sunday for the trophy. Ish Monroe was
last man in at No. 12, thanks to his Friday catch of the event’s largest
bass so far, a 10-15.
Monroe’s fish is still in contention to claim the Berkley Big Bass
of the Tournament bonus of $500. Saturday’s largest fish was a 6-14 by
Steve Kennedy, which helped him into the cut at No. 7.
DAY THREE STANDINGS
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Clifford Pirch of Payson, Ariz., caught a five-bass limit weighing 16 pounds, 14 ounces Saturday to retain the lead at the Walmart FLW Tour on Lake Chickamauga presented by National Guard and advanced to the top 10 as the crucial No. 1 seed. With a three-day catch of 15 bass weighing 60-9,he now holds a 1-pound lead in the tournament going into the final day of competition.
“I pulled in there this morning and the water was at least two feet higher than it had been,” Pirch said. “The water clarity was still decent when I started, so I was glad to see that. I thought the sun was going to break free and warm them up and move some new ones in, but we didn’t get that. We had winds and clouds all day.”
Pirch didn’t reveal the techniques he employed on Saturday, however he did say that he was not sight fishing.
“It was just pure fishing,” Pirch said. “I was blessed with some good bites and caught quite a few fish. It went well and I certainly can’t complain.
“It’s hard to say what’s going to happen tomorrow,” Pirch added. “I’m thinking we’ll get some sun. They’re really wanting to move in. The temperature’s right and we’ve got a full moon this weekend. They’ve got to be coming.”
Cheez-It pro Shinichi Fukae of Palestine, Texas, advanced to the final round of 10 pros in the No. 2 spot with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 59-9.
Fukae said he caught the majority of his fish “junk fishing” by throwing soft plastics on a Texas-rig anchored with a 3/8-ounce weight as well as a chatterbait and crankbait. He said his deepest fish of the day came in no more than 8 feet of water. Fukae said he believes some of the fish he got to bite could have been spawning fish.
“I cannot see them because the water is high,” Fukae said. “They may be bedding fish because I missed them a couple of times and they still bite. I don’t know about tomorrow because the water is getting high and muddy and cold.
“They’re starting to scatter now,” Fukae added. “I caught 10 keepers the past two days and only six keepers today.”
Rounding out the top 10 pros and advancing to the final day of competition are:
3rd: Tom Monsoor, La Crosse, Wis., 15 bass, 54-3
4th: Randy McAbee Jr., Bakersfield, Calif., 15 bass, 52-6
5th: National Guard pro Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla., 15 bass, 49-3
6th: Straight Talk pro J.T. Kenney, Palm Bay, Fla., 15 bass, 48-10
7th: Robbie Dodson, Harrison, Ark., 13 bass, 48-8
8th: Jay Keith, Camden, S.C., 15 bass, 48-7
9th: Straight Talk pro Scott Canterbury, Springville, Ala., 15 bass, 47-15
10th: National Guard pro Brett Hite, Phoenix, Ariz., 15 bass, 47-12
Finishing in 11th through 20th are:
11th: Shad Schenck, Waynetown, Ind., 14 bass, 45-9, $12,500
12th: Brad Knight, Wartburg, Tenn., 15 bass, 44-2, $12,500
13th: Castrol pro David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., 14 bass, 44-1, $12,500
14th: Dearal Rodgers, Camden, S.C., 13 bass, 43-10, $12,500
15th: EverStart pro Randall Tharp, Gardendale, Ala., 15 bass, 43-7, $12,500
16th: J.T. Palmore, Blackstone, Va., 13 bass, 42-12, $12,000
17th: Goodwill pro Chad Grigsby, Maple Grove, Minn., 13 bass, 42-7, $12,000
18th: Kyle Mabrey, McCalla, Ala., 11 bass, 39-13, $12,000
19th: Rob Kilby, Hot Springs, Ark., 12 bass, 38-3, $12,000
20th: Kevin Snider, Elizabethtown, Ky., 10 bass, 32-9, $12,000
Final results for the remaining field can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.
Overall there were 80 bass weighing 228 pounds, 9 ounces caught by 19 pros Saturday. The catch included 11 five-bass limits.
Pros are competing for a top award of up to $125,000 this week plus valuable points in the hope of qualifying for the Forrest Wood Cup presented by Walmart, the world championship of bass fishing. This year’s Cup will be in Hot Springs, Ark., Aug. 11-14 on Lake Ouachitawhere pros will compete for a top prize of $600,000 – the sport’s biggest award. Pro anglers are also vying for the prestigious 2011 Walmart FLW Tour Angler of the Year presented by Kellogg’s that will be determined by the most points accumulated over the six Tour Majors with the winner receiving $100,000 for their accomplishment.
Keeton Blaylock of Benton, Ark., won the Co-angler Division and $20,000 Saturday with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 41 pounds, 8 ounces followed by Alton Lackie of Germantown, Tenn., in second place with 13 bass weighing 37-6 worth $7,500.
“I caught 17 pounds the first two days of practice,” said Blaylock, who won the Walmart FLW Tour on Beaver Lake presented by Straight Talk in March. “That really gave me the confidence I needed. And it was the shaky-head rig that did it. I just did something a little bit different.”
Blaylock said he dipped the tail of his soft plastic bait in chartreuse dye and credits that subtle tweak to his win.
“My brother (AMP Energy pro Stetson Blaylock) wasn’t doing that, and the difference was amazing,” Blaylock said. “I told him during practice, ‘I’m winning this thing.’ That’s what I told him.”
Blaylock said his pro fished dirtier water Friday and he didn’t get to throw the chartreuse-tipped shaky-head rig. Saturday, however, was a different story.
“After the first five minutes I had lost one and I said, ‘Well, they’re going to bite it today,’” Blaylock said. “And then I had that confidence.”
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers are:
3rd: Mark Horton, Nicholasville, Ky., 12 bass, 34-1, $5,000
4th: Patrick Bone, Cleveland, Ga., 11 bass, 33-14, $4,250
5th: Justin Sward, Vancleave, Miss., 12 bass, 33-14, $3,000
6th: Spencer Shuffield, Bismarck, Ark., 12 bass, 33-14, $2,500
7th: Caleb Kuphall, Mukwonago, Wis., 12 bass, 33-9, $2,000
8th: Jade Keeton, Florence, Ala., 13 bass, 31-15, $1,800
9th: Derrick Snavely, Rogersville, Tenn., 10 bass, 31-9, $1,700
10th: Brent Evans, Calvert City, Ky., 11 bass, 28-9, $1,600
Final results for the remaining field can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.
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Terry Scroggins is
looking for another Top 12: “I’m
just working hard to get my fourth Top 12 finish in a row. The fish I’m catching are post-spawn bass
that are sitting in 4 to 6-feet of water on grassy points. They’re on their way out to deeper water
after spawning. I’m throwing a jerkbait on 12-pound fluorocarbon and I’m
catching as many as 50 bass per day,” said Scroggins who entered this event
setting second in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year point
standings.
Gerald Swindle seen
with a box of screwdrivers: “When
she’s gusting to 71-mph you gotta tighten up your nuts and bolts. And I’ll tell ya something else … it’s real
hard to see your fish finder when it’s under the water after a big wave breaks
over the bow,” said the constantly comedic Swindle.
Marty Robinson went
big: BoatUS Angler Weigh-to-Win
member Marty Robinson said, “I was real fortunate to jump 30 places in the
standings from Day One to Day Two and make the cut. Most of the 16 pounds I caught yesterday came
on a heavy ¾-ounce Buckeye football jig. It was the only lure I could get to the bottom in that wind yesterday.”
Edwin Evers’ topwater
fun: “I’ve had a blast here this
week. I’ve caught just about every fish I’ve
weighed-in on a topwater lure. Even in
that crazy wind I was able to find enough protected water to make the Zara
Spook and other topwater baits work. I’m
only two pounds out of the Top 12. I figure I need to catch at least 18-pounds
today, and I think it’s possible,” said Evers, a multi-time benefiter of his
membership in the Toyota Trucks Bonus Bucks program.
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Cody Davis and Tim Marshall Clutch the Championship with 65.52 lbs. at Guntersville Lake
By:
Frank Evans, Senior Writer
04/09/11, Guntersville, AL… The Fishers Of Men kicked
off the 2011 “Team Series” National Championship, Presented by Abu Gracia, on
Wednesday April 6, at Civitan Park Pavilion, on Sunset Ave in Guntersville, AL. Over 300
competitors and family members gathered for an evening of food, fun, and
fellowship, thanks to Lisa Socha and the Marshall County Convention and
Visitors Bureau.
Creek Path Baptist Church provided a delicious meal, shortly
before our special guest speaker was introduced, Jim Morgan, CEO of Krispy
Kreme Doughnuts. Mr. Morgan runs his company like he lives his life; with
genuine sincerity by reaching out in a positive ways to employees, co-workers,
and customers alike, in order to truly change lives.
At safe light Thursday morning, April 7, 143 boats saw partly
cloudy skies with temperatures in the mid-40’s with the surface running in the
mid 50’s. Following Monday’s disastrous storm, most teams experienced an
unproductive pre-fishing period and everyone hoped that the steady warming
trend of the past two days would send big bass toward the shallows for their
yearly spawning frenzy.
Competitors certainly were not disappointed on Day 1. Most
teams found a decent morning bite which slowed, somewhat, as the day wore on
and temperatures rose into the eighties. 611 bass went across the scales,
weighing 1948.20 lbs. 100, 5-fish limits included eighteen bass that went more
than five pounds each, and the top 34 teams bested the 17 lbs mark in their
limits.
Top honors for Day one went to Louisiana North Central’s,
Martin Elshout and Mark Price. Their 26.68 lbs. limit included today’s $500.00,
1st Big Fish, weighing a whopping 9.85 lbs.
Following closely behind and taking second place on Day One,
with 25.08 lbs, are brothers, Percy and David Jones. This talented pair from
Mississippi Central netted a 7.18 lbs brute with their five fish.
Day One’s third slot, with 24.45 lbs, including a 6.11 lbs
kicker, went to the Arkansas Central team of Cody Davis and Tim Marshall.
Tennessee East's, Dewayne Wilson and Tony Spradlin took
fourth place with 24.24.
Mark and Michael Bush finished fifth with 24.12lbs, just 12
hundredths of a pound behind Dewayne and Tony. Fishing out of the Illinois
Central Division, Michael and Mark, also, earned the $250.00, 2nd Big Fish
Award for their massive 7.66 lbs bucketmouth.
Day 2 of the FOM National Championship ended with the top 20
percent of 143 competing teams earning the privilege to participate in
Saturday's battle for a share of the $136,000.00 payout in cash and prizes.
With great fishing weather, except for gusting winds in some areas of the lake,
anglers managed 74, 5-fish limits. On Day 2, 522 bass crossed the scales at
1661.68 lbs, thus bringing a 2 day total of 1133, 15 inch or larger bass,
weighing 3609.88 lbs and averaging 3.19 lbs per fish, producing a team catch average
of 25.24 lbs per day.
Cody Davis and Tim Marshall, Arkansas Central, moved up from
Day One's 3rd place and took the lead with 47.09 lbs. They will be going into
Saturday's final day of competition with consistent catches of 24.45 and 22.64
lbs. The young men also won the Day 2, $500.00, 1st Big Fish Award for their
7.20 lbs bucketmouth.
Jack Napier Sr. and Jack Jr. advanced from Day 1's 6th place
spot to place 2nd on Day 2 with 22.08 lbs. With this added to Day 1's 23.75,
the Alabama Northwest father-son team is only a short distance from the top
with 45.83 lbs.
Louisiana North Central teammates, Martin Elshout and Mark
Price, slipped to 3rd with Day Two’s 19.11 lbs, which gave the hard fishing
team a 2-day total of 45.79 lbs, just four hundredths of a pound out of second
and leaving them with a tenacious desire to come back Saturday and capture the
title.
The South Carolina husband/wife team of Kent and Shannon
Ware netted the largest bag of the day, 23.93 lbs, thus vaulting them six
places up to the 4th slot for their 2-day catch of 45.09.
Flannagan Fife and Steve Cannon, Arkansas Central, boated
20.78 lbs today, which eased the skilled anglers up to 5th place from 7th.
Flannagan stated that he and Steve had caught about 20 keepers each day in order
to end up with their 44.39 lbs.
The Day Two $250.00 2nd Big Fish Award went to Josh Moore
for his 7.02 lbs largemouth. Josh and his partner, Wesley Beshea fish out of
the Louisiana North Division.
The final day of the 2011 FOM National Championship came to an exciting
close as Day 2 leaders, Cody
Davis and Tim Marshall posted an additional 18.43 lbs to the boards and sealed
their victory with a 3-day total of 65.52 lbs. The new FOM National Champions
earned championship plaques, a share of bonus bucks, plus a "Power
Pole" certificate, and most importantly, the beautiful 2011 Skeeter 21FX,
powered by a strong Yamaha 250 SHO, 4-stroke motor, in the total package valued
at more than $72,000.00.
The new champions
raced down-lake each day to the vast flats and numerous islands in the Alred
area beyond the Guntersville Yacht Club. Cody and Tim's magic weapon was an
Xcalibur, square-billed, shallow running, Rayburn Red-Blk-Back crankbait. The pair said that they ripped the little
crankbait through 2 to 5 foot depths of grass-filled water, where four and
five-plus pound bass would then attack. With numerous boats in the area the
first two days and absolute overcrowding on Day 3, the new champions still
managed 20 pound-plus bags of fish each day by finding a solid pattern that
held up throughout the entire championship event.
Another Razorback
team, Flannagan Fife and Steve Cannon parlayed their 3-day catch of 15 bass, at
64.78 lbs, into a $10,000.00 check and a second place finish. Steve and
Flannagan, also worked the same area each day to amass 23.61, 20.78, and 20.39
with a variety of baits. After reaching the Alred area below the 431 bridge
each day, Steve and Flannagan worked white Chatterbaits through the submerged
grass on Day 1 to cull through 20 keeper fish. Day 2 saw the Arkansas Central
boys running Lucky Craft RC-2.5 Blk-splatter crankbaits through the grass in 3
to 5 feet of water on the flats around the islands, to net an additional 20
keepers. As they endured the large number of boats in the area Saturday,
Flannagan and Steve switched to a texas-rigged, Blk, 10-inch, Zoom Ole' Monster
worm to take about 15 keepers.
Long-time fishing
partners, Martin Elshout and Mark Price, Louisiana-North Central, earned
$7000.00 and 3rd place for a 3-day total of 64.46 lbs. Martin and Mark made the
run up to Scottsboro's North Bay area and Jones Creek to fish in 2 feet of
water which contained primrose. On Day 1, they flipped grn-pumpkin jigs, tipped
with Paca and Speed Craws, to take 26.68 lbs, which included the tournament
high 9.85 lbs beast. Day 2 saw them running and gunning with senkos in order to
limit out with 19.11 lbs. Today, Mark caught his 7.34 lbs, $250.00, 2nd Big
Fish, up in Jones Creek on a Yellow Magic topwater bait while the rest of their
bass inhaled senkos.
The Alabama
Northwest father-son team of Jack Napier Sr and Jack Jr placed 4th overall and
earned $5000.00 for their 3-day catch of 63.81 lbs. Team Napier worked 4 to 6
feet of grass-filled water near the Alred Marina each day for prespawn bass.
Grn-pumpkin Zoom Brush Hogs yielded 23.75 on Day 1, 22.08 on Day 2, and 17.98
on Day 3. Jack stated that they had limited out by 9:00 am this morning,
however, the day was slow and steady work in order cull up to their 18 lbs
limit
The Alred bay and islands
area seemed to be the hottest place on the entire lake this week.
5th place finishers,
Kent and Shannon Ware, South Carolina Low country husband-wife team, fished in
the Siebold area in grassy shallow water to collect their tournament total of
61.97. Kent and Shannon caught 21.16, 23.93, and 16.88 lbs, respectively.
The Day 3, $500.00,
1st Big Fish Award went to FLW Tour Pro, Jon Cox and FLW co-angler Keith
Carson. The 7.40 lbs sow was pulled from a bed with a jig.
Throughout
three days of fishing, 143 teams brought in 1266 bass that weighed 4074.19 lbs.
Today, 27 teams hauled 123 fish, weighing 464.31 lbs for a 3.75 lbs average weight
per fish.
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Photo by Rob Newell / FLWOutdoors.com
Clifford
Pirch of Payson, Ariz., caught a five-bass limit weighing 20 pounds, 6
ounces Friday to capture the lead on day two of the Walmart FLW Tour on
Lake Chickamauga presented by National Guard. His two-day catch of 10
bass weighing 43 pounds, 11 ounces gives him a slim 3-ounce lead heading
into the third day of the tournament. There were 154 pros and 154
co-anglers from across the United States and Canada that started the
tournament. The top 20 will fish day three and the top 10 will compete
for the title on day four.
“I had a slower start today,” Pirch said. “I did get a couple sight
fishing this morning. But by midday I started to get on them a little
bit and had a couple of good passes where I was able to get a limit and
then cull and got some momentum. It ended up working out real well.
“I had a great end to the day,” Pirch added. “It wasn’t action all day long, but it worked out well.
Pirch said he caught about a dozen keepers throughout the course of
the day and relied on Typhoon polarized optics to help him spot bedding
bass. He said he targeted those bass with a Roboworm creature bait.
“There’s a lot of fish in this lake and it’s a fun place to fish,”
Pirch said. “There’s a lot of big ones. Hopefully I can go out and do it
again tomorrow.”
Pirch said Friday’s rain hampered his sight fishing a bit, but other
than making the fishermen uncomfortable the weather didn’t play a major
role in the fishing.
“It didn’t change the fishing much,” Pirch said. “I’m hoping we won’t
have too much muddy water (Saturday). Either way, I’ll try to roll with
it and find some clean water and try to catch them just fishing.”
Rounding out the top 20 pros that will fish another day on Lake Chickamauga are:
2nd: Cheez-It pro Shinichi Fukae, Palestine, Texas, 10 bass, 43-8
3rd: Robbie Dodson, Harrison, Ark., 10 bass, 42-3
4th: Tom Monsoor, La Crosse, Wis., 10 bass, 36-15
5th: Randy McAbee Jr., Bakersfield, Calif., 10 bass, 35-7
6th: Jay Keith, Camden, S.C., 10 bass, 35-2
7th: Dearal Rodgers, Camden, S.C., 10 bass, 35-1
8th: National Guard pro Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla., 10 bass, 34-11
9th: Straight Talk pro J.T. Kenney, Palm Bay, Fla., 10 bass, 34-1
10th: J.T. Palmore, Blackstone, Va., 10 bass, 34-1
11th: Kyle Mabrey, McCalla, Ala., nine bass, 33-12
12th: Castrol pro David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., 10 bass, 33-9
13th: Straight Talk pro Scott Canterbury, Springville, Ala., 10 bass, 33-8
14th: National Guard pro Brett Hite, Phoenix, Ariz., 10 bass, 33-4
15th: Brad Knight, Wartburg, Tenn., 10 bass, 33-1
16th: Goodwill pro Chad Grigsby, Maple Grove, Minn., 10 bass, 32-12
17th: Shad Schenck, Waynetown, Ind., 10 bass, 32-12
18th: Rob Kilby, Hot Springs, Ark., nine bass, 32-11
19th: Kevin Snider, Elizabethtown, Ky., 10 bass, 32-9
20th: EverStart pro Randall Tharp, Gardendale, Ala., 10 bass, 32-8
Final results for the remaining field can be found on FLWOutdoors.com.
Scotch Blue Painter’s Tape pro Ray Scheide of Dover, Ark., caught the Snickers® Big Bass of 8-9 on the pro side and won $500.
Overall there were 655 bass weighing 1,897 pounds, 7 ounces caught by
146 pros Friday. The catch included 113 five-bass limits.
Pros are competing for a top award of up to $125,000 this week plus
valuable points in the hope of qualifying for the Forrest Wood Cup
presented by Walmart, the world championship of bass fishing. This
year’s Cup will be in Hot Springs, Ark., Aug. 11-14 on Lake
Ouachitawhere pros are competing for a top prize of $600,000 – the
sport’s biggest award. Pro anglers are also vying for the prestigious
2011 Walmart FLW Tour Angler of the Year presented by Kellogg’s that
will be determined by the most points accumulated over the six Tour
Majors with the winner receiving $100,000 for their accomplishment.
Keeton Blaylock of Benton, Ark., leads the Co-angler Division with an
opening-round total of 10 bass weighing 30 pounds even followed by Alton
Lackie of Germantown, Tenn., in second place with 10 bass weighing
29-0.
Rounding out the top 20 co-anglers are:
3rd: Mark Horton, Nicholasville, Ky., 10 bass, 29-0
4th: Caleb Kuphall, Mukwonago, Wis., nine bass, 25-9
5th: Sean Stepp, Stafford, Va., eight bass, 24-14
6th: Brent Evans, Calvert City, Ky., nine bass, 24-5
7th: Patrick Stines, Granger, Ind., 10 bass, 24-3
8th: Philip Jarabeck, Lynchburg, Va., eight bass, 24-0
9th: Rich Dalbey, Greeneville, Texas, 10 bass, 23-13
10th: Derrick Snavely, Rogersville, Tenn., seven bass, 23-12
11th: Greg Schultz, Wyzata, Minn., eight bass, 23-4
12th: Jade Keeton, Florence, Ala., 10 bass, 21-11
13th: Patrick Bone, Cleveland, Ga., seven bass, 21-10
14th: Jesse Schultz, New Albany, Ind., seven bass, 20-15
15th: Justin Sward, Vancleave, Miss., eight bass, 20-11
16th: Eric Schultz, Minnetonka, Minn., nine bass, 20-11
17th: Spencer Shuffield, Bismarck, Ark., seven bass, 20-2
18th: Rick Etherton, Friendsville, Tenn., seven bass, 19-3
19th: Ralph Myhlhousen, Council Bluffs, Iowa, seven bass, 17-14
20th: Brant Grimm, Kingsport, Tenn., seven bass, 17-13
Final results for the remaining field can be found on FLWOutdoors.com.
Bone caught the Snickers Big Bass of 7-13 in the co-angler division to win $250.
Overall there were 398 bass weighing 986 pounds, 4 ounces caught by
139 co-anglers Friday. The catch included 35 five-bass limits.
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Photo by Seigo Saito / B.A.S.S. Communications
Dean Rojas outsmarted the wind Friday to hold the lead for the second day in the TroKar Battle on the Bayou.
“Where I was fishing was pretty well protected,” said Rojas, who
had 19-13 Friday for 42-14 over two days on Toledo Bend Reservoir. “In
some of the areas I was fishing, the prevailing west wind was OK, and my
area wasn’t getting beat up. I was even able
to sight-fish a few and catch that big one.”
That “big one” went 7 pounds, 15 ounces. He caught it about 1 p.m.,
when he already had a limit, allowing him to cull up and keep his lead
in the fourth event of the Bassmaster Elite Series season.
Rojas put away Day One’s hottest challengers and staved off Aaron
Martens by 2 pounds, 10 ounces. Martens charged from 13th to second
place on the strength of a 21-13 sack, one of the day’s best weights.
Randy Howell moved into third place with a bag that
almost duplicated what he did on Day One, for 37-11 over two days.
Fourth was the day’s biggest mover, David Walker. He shot from 53rd
place with 24-0, the day’s biggest bag. Rounding out the top five was
Gerald Swindle with 36-5.
They led the top-50 field for Saturday’s third round. On Sunday,
only the best 12 will compete for the top prize of $100,000 and an
automatic entry in the 2012 Bassmaster Classic.
Rojas kept his lead even though he had to abandon his water from
the first day. He moved to an area that got him away from the brunt of
Friday’s sustained afternoon winds of up to 25 mph punctuated by gusts
of 40 mph.
He said he was casting and sight-fishing in the new area.
“Once I get around them, I set up and caught them,” he said.
After that, he said he went scouting.
“I burned up a couple of hours just looking, and I figured out that
I need to move even more tomorrow. I left a couple on beds today for
tomorrow. I figured it wouldn’t help me much today, only give me a
couple pounds, and they’ll be worth a lot more to
me tomorrow.”
Like most others, Martens bucked the wind. He also fought off the flu, feeling feverish through most of the day.
“It was a lot of work, I’ll be cramping up tonight,” he said of his
day perched on his boat deck, keeping his balance as he cast into the
high winds. “I fought the wind all day long, and this cold has me
feeling weak.”
Martens said his best spot was crossed by a trotline, and he kept
tangling his jig in it. He had five or six spots, main lake and in a
creek, from which he pulled about 20 keepers.
Randy Howell produced 19-0 Friday on an offshore pattern, almost repeating his 18-11 on Day One.
“Yesterday I had one 7-pounder, and that gave me a lot of my weight. I had two 5-pounders today and a good, solid bag.”
He had 16 to 17 pounds on one spot, but the wind blew too hard and
he had to abandon it. He returned to a place he’d hit the first day,
where he got one of the 5-pounders.
“I think the sunlight helped, kind of scrapped it out,” he said. “I’m hoping for less wind, tomorrow, though.”
The day’s big bass was a 10-15 by Ish Monroe. The fish put him not
only in contention for the Berkley Big Bass of the Tournament bonus of
$500, but into the cut at place No. 21 for Saturday’s fishing.
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The Greatest Man
Recipe in the History of the Planet which may lead to World Peace and quite
possibly the conquest of the Universe, Time Travel, and the Buffalo Bills
wining The Super Bowl.
"Come
over baby whole lot of shaking going on…"
My food pyramid is round.
Somewhat donutesque, if you can believe that. I believe in the Circle of Eats.
In my round food pyramid, I have two food groups.
Drive-Thru.
And.
Walk-In.
My round food pyramid has food rules.
I never eat anything I can't spell.
I never eat anything that at one time could have run away in
the wild, if it doesn't have a bar code on it, I don't eat it.
I don't eat bait. If
there is a lure that is even close to being based on what it is that you are
trying to get me to eat, don't bother.
I don't eat bugs. I
don't care what kind of legs it has, if it has more than FOUR, it's yours, not
my food.
I don't eat seeds. If
there is a chance I won't eat what the seed turns into once it is all growed
up, I'm not going to eat it while it is a baby.
If the food has been featured on Oprah, I won't touch it.
And finally, the most important round food pyramid rule:
I don't eat anything that the government says is good for me
because I don't believe that the government is good for me.
"…shake
it baby shake…"
I eat a balanced meal three times a day all day long. I try not to snack so I just eat all the
time.
I am a fruit junkie and constantly eat fruit filled jelly
donuts, frozen fruit margaritas, and Cherry Garcia Ice Cream.
But there is one food that sits on the very top of my round
food pyramid, and that would be, Bacon.
I became a connoisseur of the miracle food that Bacon is
when I discovered that if you sprinkled enough of it on leaves, you could
actually keep a salad down. An L & T
sandwich had no chance until some brilliant cook added the B…imagine even
thinking you'd want to eat lettuce and tomato just stuck between bread.
If Bacon can't make what you are about to eat better, don't
eat it. There are two exceptions to that
rule that I have discovered though. Bacon does not add much to Ice Cream, and if you don't mind chewing your
frozen margarita it's not all that bad, but some people may be adverse to
chewing their booze.
My wife doesn't believe me, but all she would ever have to
do is put a couple little dabs of bacon grease in her perfume sprayer thing and
she'd have my attention forever.
There is nothing on the planet more romantic than Bacon done
Crisp.
"…shake
it baby shake…"
So, this week because T-Bend Louisiana is over yonder from
down yonder and that over here, in, over, there doesn't seem to be a lot of
places to have breakfast of either food groups, walk-in or drive-thru, so the
Breakfast Club of me and the Elite anglers wives got ourselves invited over to
the Lintner's cabin for breakfast eating.
And it was there that I found The Greatest Man Recipe in the
History of the Planet.
Keri Lintner, it seems, has been harboring a secret bacon
recipe.
Sit yourself down to get ready for this bit of Bacon news.
I have discovered….
…BACON FRIED RICE!!!
There is a real, very real chance I could get that knighted
thing over this since I'm thinking as soon as those royal dudes read of this
they might want to be switching around that fancy planning wedding dinner for
them two kids over there and just add Bacon.
Seems Keri Lintner has been holding out on us for years now
with this miraculous Bacon concoction, "db in my family growing up with
the Filipino heritage there was always a pot of rice on my parents stove. If we had chicken for dinner that night, the
leftover chicken was added to the rice and we had it the next day, or for
breakfast."
Somewhere along the line, Keri's parents must have had a
real late breakfast, and had some Bacon left over, and dumped that into the
pot.
And magic was born.
Bacon Fried Rice.
And dudes, let me tell you this for a fact, if the first
cavemen would have come across a pot of this stuff first, before they saw the
women cavemen in the other cave, say if the pot was midway between the two
caves, the human race would have had very few laps to it…
"…shake
it baby, shake…"
So here, for the total betterment of Man/Womankind, world
peace, travel to the galaxies, and the Bills winning the Super Bowl here is
Keri's secret recipe (and what I consider my shoe in for the Nobel Prize).
Here's how Keri told me to make it while not knowing I have
no idea how to cook or what it was she was saying. db's First Ever attempt to write a recipe
(full disclosure to keep the food police channel off my back):
First: Find some
bacon and do whatever you have to do to make the bacon crisp.
Second: Make sure
that whatever you did to make the Bacon crisp it involved GREASE.
Third: Don't pour the
grease down the drain or try to hide it in the garbage because you have to save
the grease and the more it smells and taste like bacon the better this is going
to be when we get to the end.
Fourth: Find a
skillet from the shelves up top or those hanging over the kitchen island (I'd
be a ton more specific but I'm not actually sure enough what a skillet is and
if I'm wrong the people who make skillets may start yelling the Libel word).
Five: Take the grease
you didn't toss and now toss it in to whatever you believe a skillet to be, add
some stuff from the produce section of your frig, Keri recommends Onions and
Garlic, didn't say how much but if you actually have onions and garlic in your
frig you get the gist. Whatever sauté
means, do it now.
Six: Get some eggs,
forgot to ask how many, pound them into pre-scrambled eggs and then pour the
runny scrambled eggs into a pan (Keri may only have one skillet thing) of
either hot olive oil or more of the bacon grease you didn't throw away. Once the eggs go from runny to not runny get
them out of the pan and start chopping the stuff into bite size scrambled eggs.
Seven: At some point
take number five, and number six, and mix them together
Eight: Take the rice
that has been on Keri's stove all night, put that in a pan, then dump in both
six and seven, put a lid on the concoction and let it cook 15-20 minutes, or
however long it takes for you to get the rice to the point of it being the kind
of fried you like.
Nine: Rough chop up
the crispy bacon you made about a half hour ago, don't make it into bacon bits
but stuff that still looks like you began with real bacon in the first
place. Dump it in what is now six, seven
and eight.
Ten: Let the whole
thing get crunchy.
Eleven: World Peace.
"Well I
said shake baby shake
I said shake baby shake."
Whole Lot Of
Shaking Goin' On.
Jerry Lee
Lewis
db
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By Alan McGuckin
Pre-dawn at the second day of the Bassmaster Elite Series event on Toledo Bend was one of rushed apprehension under an intense and ever changing sky. Yet it should be no surprise that three of the pros setting inside the Top 15 of the standings share a relaxed attitude centered on smiles.
Rain fell on those who were first in the launch line like Fred “Boom Boom” Roumbanis. But, no matter how unloving the weather may be, Fred is never alone at morning take-off. Wife Julie and young son Jackson are fixtures at every Bassmaster Elite Series launch. Today is no exception. Amid the gloom and rainy outside, is a party on the inside. Jackson sits grinning in a car seat barefooted and eating Apple Jacks – dry – no milk necessary. However, music is a must for Team “Boom Boom.”
So between gulps of an energy drink, Freddy, a Californian to the core who now lives in Bixby, Okla., switches from thoughts about catching another monster 21-pound limit to playing the role of club disc-jockey. “It’s Tricky by Run-DMC is Jackson’s all-time favorite song, so we always play that in the mornings for him,” says Freddy, before switching over to Johnny Cash’s 1963 gem, you guessed it, Jackson.
Julie describes Freddy as a generous spaz of a dude who thinks of fishing constantly -- generous to a fault sometimes. It appears to be a very accurate assessment, and the one thing that sticks out among this family of three, with one on the way, is happiness, the rare kind of happiness that all of us want, and most never totally find.
“In 2006 and 2007, we were pretty much living like homeless vagabonds, and it didn’t bother us one bit. We loved it. We were happy. We were just fishin’,” she said in a cheerful tone.
Happiness works. Freddy won upwards of $300,000 that season, and considering his top-of-the standings position in this tournament, indeed among Apple Jacks, energy drinks and great music, it’s happiness that’s working best even as rain falls outside.
When the rain thankfully ceases a few minutes later, 2004 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year, Gerald Swindle sits tying a spinnerbait to a Quantum Smoke rod and reel combo, and of course, making all within earshot laugh.
“After I saw that forecast for 30 mph winds today, I told my wife ‘Lulu’ to get the ibuprofen ready cause it’s gonna be a little lumpy-bumpy out there today,” says Swindle, whose lanky, athletic, 41-year old frame has endured numerous back surgeries.
As the sun finally shines, several pros sit stuck and frustrated in an exceptionally slow-moving launch line as anglers with early take-off positions are all ready running down lake to their fishing holes. Near the back of the line, Casey Ashley is not among the frustrated. Instead, the laid-back South Carolina pro with the million-dollar smile and a voice that Nashville is listening to closely sits grinning through the open window of his Toyota Tundra. He’s listening to Kenny Chesney, and the song couldn’t be a better match to Ashley’s beach friendly demeanor. It’s Chesney’s Nowhere to Go, Nowhere to Be. “Nah, I ain’t in no hurry, I’m just goin’ fishin’.” -- An outlook that lead Ashley to an awesome 18-pound limit yesterday.
It’s an attitude that should serve Ashley, Swindle and Roumbanis well today … where strong winds might blow away the day for anglers spooled a little too tightly.
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The Pinnacle Rod and Reel Contest is heating up. You have a chance to win a new Bass Cat Sabre FTD bass boat valued at 30K and some great rod and reel packages all from Pinnacle Fishing. To sign up either click on their ad on Wired2Fish or click here.
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Berkley just announced they are introducing a new line calle NanoFil Uni-Filament fishing line. It's being engineered specifically for use on spinning tackle to have small diameters and extreme strength to give the angler maximum casting distance.
Their claim is that it will allow anglers to make much longer casts and use lighter line for ultra finesse applications. It's not mono or a braid. It's made with gel-spun polyethylene so it appears similar to superlines. It will have hundreds of dyneema nanofilaments that are molecularly linked. So it gives it a superline strength but the handling of monofilament.
They also recommend that you use what they are calling the NanoFil knot which is basically a double palomar knot for at least 15 percent more knot strength than a standard palomar knot.
We look forward to testing this new line category in the next couple of months. The line will be available some time in June 2011. The line will come in line class tests from 1 pound up to 12 pound and diameters as small as 0.001 inch up to 0.008 inch. They will offer three spool sizes of 150-yard, 300-yard and 1500-yard spools. Fillers will be $19.95 and 38.95 respectively while bulk spools will be 179.95. So there is a premium for having this line but it seems it may open some new avenues if it meets its claims.
We'll have more information soon on this new line release.
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Photo by Seigo Saito / B.A.S.S. Communications
 Dean Rojas caught 16 pounds of Toledo Bend bass by 10 a.m. Thursday.
Then he got serious. He went looking for the big spawning
bass, and found them. A 7-pound, 1-ounce largemouth, followed by one
over 5, went into the box. He ended up with 23 pounds, 1 ounce, and the
lead in the TroKar Battle on the Bayou.
Fred Roumbanis, with 21-3 for second place, ended the day behind
Rojas by 1 pound and 14 ounces. It was a decent cushion for the leader,
especially on a day when place No. 10 was only 4-3 behind him.
Finishing third after one day was rookie Brandon Palaniuk, who had
20-6. Fourth was Todd Faircloth, with 20-4, and fifth was Steve Kennedy
with 20-0.
As good as his day was, Rojas had hoped for better — a total of 25 pounds, he said.
“The wind really hurt me today because it took out an area that had some really big ones in it,” he said.
For the second day, he’s hoping for flat water and no wind — ideal
sight-fishing conditions. He’s got more spawners in reserve, he said,
enough to carry him all four days.
“The bites came quickly this morning, and I don’t foresee it being
any different tomorrow,” he said. “I milked the area pretty good, but
there are still a lot of fish in there.”
Rojas said he’s taking his bedding fish with the WarMouth, the same
signature lure he used on the St. Johns River in Florida last month.
“It’s just a great sight-fishing bait,” he said.
Roumbanis produced his 21-3 for second place by starting out “in the dirt and ending up deep.”
“I’m fishing off the bottom — not on the bottom,” he said. “I can
see them on the graph, about 5, 6 feet off the bottom. The weather’s
bringing them — they’re cruisers. The wind is definitely helping me,” he
said.
Roumbanis said he’s got a solitary spot and a technique no one else has.
“It’s a trick I taught myself,” he said, but was tight-lipped after that.
Rookie Palaniuk said that unlike Roumbanis, but like Rojas, he went
sight fishing Thursday, catching his two largest fish of the day off
beds.
He caught his biggest one, a 7-4, about 15 minutes before he came in.
“I had another big one today blow up on a topwater,” Palaniuk said. “I missed it, but I’m going back to it tomorrow.”
Topping Palaniuk’s big one was the day’s largest bass, a 7-14 by
Chris Lane. The bass is in contention for the tournament’s Berkley Big
Bass of Tournament.
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Photo by Brett Carlson / FLWOutdoors.com
Cheez-It
pro Shinichi Fukae of Palestine, Texas, crossed the stage Thursday with
a five-bass limit weighing 23 pounds, 11 ounces to lead day one of the
Walmart FLW Tour on Lake Chickamauga presented by National Guard. Fukae
holds a 6-ounce lead over Clifford Pirch of Payson, Ariz., who caught
five bass weighing 23-5 in a tournament featuring 154 anglers from all
across the country and Canada.
“Two days of practice I was looking for bedding fish,” said Fukae, who
said he was surprised he ended the first day of competition in the lead
because he spent the day “junk fishing” - fishing using a variety of
baits or methods. “But the water level got lower and everything was
gone. Then on the third day of practice I found a couple of fish close
to the bank. I didn’t have any confidence today, but I do have
confidence right now.”
Fukae remained tight-lipped about the methods he used during the first
day of competition, although he did say he was fishing near the bank
and caught fish both shallow as well as a “little deeper.” Fukae said
his bigger fish came in shallow water and looks for the more of the same
with the lower water levels on Friday.
“I think the same thing happened to everybody today,” said Fukae. “I’ll just go fishing tomorrow.”
Rounding out the top 10 pros after day one on Lake Chickamauga are:
3rd: Tom Monsoor, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 22-2
4th: Robbie Dodson, Harrison, Ark., five bass, 21-11
5th: Kevin Hawk, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 20-8
6th: Rusty Trancygier, Hahira, Ga., five bass, 20-3
7th: Chad Morgenthaler, Coulterville, Ill., five bass, 19-8
Kevin Snider, Elizabethtown, Ky., five bass, 19-8
9th: Nicholas Albus, Trinity, Texas, five bass, 19-3
10th: Jay Keith, Camden, S.C., five bass, 19-2
Dereal Rodgers, Camden, S.C., five bass, 19-2
For a full list of results visit FLWOutdoors.com.
Monsoor caught the Snickers® Big Bass weighing 9-11 in the pro division to win $500.
Overall there were 650 bass weighing 1,867 pounds, 1 ounce caught by
150 pros Thursday. The catch included 104 five-bass limits.
Pros are competing for a top award of up to $125,000 this week plus
valuable points in the hope of qualifying for the Forrest Wood Cup
presented by Walmart, the world championship of bass fishing. This
year’s Cup will be in Hot Springs, Ark., Aug. 11-14 on Lake
Ouachitawhere pros will compete for a top prize of $600,000 – the
sport’s biggest award. Pro anglers are also vying for the prestigious
2011 Walmart FLW Tour Angler of the Year presented by Kellogg’s that
will be determined by the most points accumulated over the six Tour
Majors with the winner receiving $100,000 for their accomplishment.
Keeton Blaylock of Benton, Ark., leads the Co-angler Division with
five bass weighing 18-8 followed by Sean Stepp of Stafford, Va., in
second place with five bass weighing 17-13.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers are:
3rd: Alton Lackie, Germantown, Tenn., five bass, 16-15
4th: Mark Horton, Nicholasville, Ky., five bass, 15-13
5th: Brant Grimm, Kingsport, Tenn., five bass, 14-10
6th: Chad Pipkens, Holt, Mich., five bass, 13-2
7th: Rich Dalbey, Greenville, Texas, five bass, 13-0
8th: Todd Lee, Jasper, Ala., four bass, 12-15
9th: Van Foster Jr., Dalton, Ga., five bass, 12-13
10th: Dennis Kirby, Lakeland, Tenn., five bass, 12-10
For a full list of results visit FLWOutdoors.com.
Charlie Evans of Gilbertsville, Ky., caught the Snickers® Big Bass weighing 6-9 in the co-angler division to win $250.
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Photo and story by Alan McGuckin
Shaw
Grigsby sits beached on a sandy shore in the pre-dawn hours of day one at the
Bassmaster Elite Series event at famed Toledo Bend Reservoir. A pile of rods and reels to rig with the
day’s lures sit in front of him. Behind
him … amazingly clear memories.
When
it’s mentioned that he did well here in the B.A.S.S. Louisiana Showdown in
February of 2003 – he begins remembering every detail of his $14,000 cash-haul
here on the TX-LA border fishery like it was last week instead of eight years ago.
“Yep,
that was a really special week," he said. "The water level was high. The aquatic vegetation was lush and green. I
found one really special underwater point that I caught most of my 48-pounds of
bass from that week,” said Shaw who is having a great 2011 season. He is currently ranked 4th in the
Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year point standings.
“I
figured the bass would be spawning, and so I went looking shallow in a bay, but
they weren’t there, so I slid back out to where my boat was in 8-feet of water
and found that magical point leading into the bay. They were stacked on that point, and I
hammered ‘em every morning with a football jig. I wish we had Power-Poles back then -- they’d have made sitting on that
point even easier.”
When
asked how in the heck he’s able to so quickly recall the details of a
tournament from eight years ago, it takes him back further.
“Oh man, it’s scary, I can come to
a reservoir like this and remember a single stump I fished a decade ago. In fact I was talking to my buddy Steve
Daniels the other day about a log we caught fish off of in a tournament he and
I fished on Lake Lanier in 1983 or 1984,” said Grigsby.
Then
he drifts even further back in time.
“In 1972 I fished my very first
tournament. I was 16-years old, and I
remember being scared to death because the man I drew as my partner that day
made the statement early in the morning that he didn’t want to tell me what he
did for a living, fearing that he’d scare me. So all day long I was nervous thinking maybe he was a part of some
really creepy profession. Finally, at
the very end of the day he told me he was a high school principal. Then I’m
thinking, big deal, I’ve never been in trouble at school in my life, yet he had
me worried all day that he was somebody to be scared of,” laughed Shaw, as he
strapped down the rods and readied for take-off 39 years after that day with
the school principal as a partner.
Every
memory made since then, clearly in mind as he idled out – possibly – toward
that magical point.
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Davy Hite didn’t become one of the most decorated pros in
B.A.S.S. history by making bad decisions. His decision to remain patient in a Pickwick tailrace netted him yet
another win last week, and his decision to sign-up for two of bass fishing’s
best customer loyalty programs just put another $3,500 in Hite’s bank account.
Hite decided to purchase a Toyota Tundra as his tow vehicle
two years ago and signed up for the Toyota Trucks Bonus Bucks program. He’s cashed several bonus checks since,
including a $3,000 bonus last week following his win on Pickwick. “In the two
years since I signed up for Bonus Bucks, the checks I’ve cashed off the program
have covered all my monthly truck payments, plus it’s a great vehicle,” said
Hite, a two-time Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year.
Uncharacteristic of Hite, he had a bad season in 2010 and
failed to qualify for the 2011 Bassmaster Classic, but something good came from
the misfortune while he was working at the Bassmaster Classic Outdoor Show in
New Orleans.
“I met a representative of the BoatUS Angler Weigh-to-Win
program who asked me to consider signing-up. I didn’t have to think about it
long. For as little as a $38 annual membership, it’s a no-brainer for anybody
that fishes tournaments and likes to win extra money, not to mention the
peace-of-mind that somebody will come to assist me on the road if I have a
mechanical issue. I gave them my credit card number and filled-out the
Weigh-to-Win membership form right there in the aisle of the Classic Outdoor
Show,” said Hite, who gained a $500 cash bonus from the Weigh-to-Win program
for his win at Pickwick.
Unlike Davy, you don’t have to win your tournament to win
the cash bonuses; you simply have to be the highest eligible finisher in your
event. To learn the specific details of each program, please check out www.BoatUSFishing.com and www.ToyotaTrucksBonusBucks.com,
or simply call Kendell at (918) 742-6424, she’ll be happy to make sure you get
signed-up for either or both programs.
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PAA members have two more ways to add money to their pockets through the
PAA PayDay Program with the addition of the OPTIMA Batteries True Blue
Rewards Program and ProPatterns.com Payday cash bonus programs.
Any PAA member at the General or Advantage level can earn between $250
and $750 for meeting eligibility requirements and winning an event in
one of more than 75 PAA-sanctioned tournament trails through the PAA
PayDay Program. Collectively there are hundreds of sanctioned events,
including more than a dozen with co-angler opportunities.
PAA General membership costs $50 annually, while the Advantage level is
$150 annually. Both include a membership card, decals, a PAA cap and
access to the Affinity discount program featuring more than 50 companies
offering lures, tackle, boat and vehicle accessories and more.
 “The
PAA PayDay program continues to grow in terms of participation and
winnings,” said Danny Blandford, PAA Program Director. “These new
additions make our members eligible for up to an additional $150 for
each of their PAA PayDay wins, further enhancing the value of a very
affordable $50 PAA General Membership.
“We appreciate the support of these partners as we work to continue the
growth of this great membership benefit. I'd like to encourage our
members to review the OPTIMA and ProPatterns programs to maximize their
PayDay earnings.”
The OPTIMA Batteries True Blue Rewards program will award $50 to anglers
who meet the eligibility requirements: current membership in OPTIMA’s
Power Pack Nation online community, use of all OPTIMA batteries in your
tournament boat, have a provided decal on the boat, and submit a
contingency form within 10 days of tournament as part of their PAA
PayDay claim information. Current PAA General Members who are already
OPTIMA Battery customers can email trueblue@optimabatteries.comto
request the required hat and decals at no charge. New PAA General
Members can let the office know upon registration that they are
currently OPTIMA Battery customers, and their materials will be included
in their PAA Membership Kit. Full details can be found at www.optimabatteries/trueblue
ProPatterns.com will award $100 to PAA members who also are members of
the ProPatterns Elite Membership at the time of their win, display a
decal on your towing vehicle or boat in a visible location and submit a
claim form, along with a database entry about the tournament win. PAA
Members who haven't joined ProPatterns yet will earn a complimentary
ProPatterns Elite Membership for their Payday win, providing they
contact ProPatterns.com and log the details of their win. Those details
will be posted on ProPatterns.com as part of a database for other
anglers to use and learn from.
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Photo and story by BASS Communications
So far this season, Bassmaster Elite Series wins have been the realm of the seasoned pro: Shaw Grigsby, Edwin Evers and Davy Hite.
Against that caliber of competition, what hopes has an Elite Series rookie? On the eve of the fourth event of the 2011 Elite season, the April 14-17 TroKar Battle on the Bayou on Toledo Bend Reservoir, two rookies and a former rookie talked about how landing an Elite title is just plain difficult, and doubly difficult if you’re still finding your footing at the top-tier of bass fishing.
Case in point: Ott DeFoe, competing this week on Toledo Bend for the first time. He is currently the circuit’s top rookie by virtue of leading the Bassmaster Rookie of the Year race, and he ranks eighth overall in Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year points.
DeFoe is a hybrid rookie. 2011 may be his first year as an Elite angler, but he’s been competing since he was a young kid, and he put in five years on another circuit before he moved up into the Elites. But the 25-year-old has never made it to The Bend before.
That could be a strike against him — or a factor in his favor, he said.
“Not having any past history here, it is what it is for me,” he said.
He has enough fishing experience to know what Toledo Bend might look like when it’s full pool. It’s not — the water level is 5 to 7 feet down — and that has the Elite field talking.
“I can see where there were a lot of trees and shoreline cover. If all that was there now, the fishing would be different, just because the fish would have so much cover to be around. I see some grass, some stumps, but not much other than that,” he said.
Some of the fish are spawners, some are postspawners. The weather conditions have been shifting from windy to cooler to calm, he said.
DeFoe said a rookie has one advantage in going for a win.
“You don’t outsmart yourself,” he said. “You fish the moment, go with what’s happening.”
That’s his take. One of his fellow rookies, Andy Montgomery, pointed out that a first-year pro is as likely to pinpoint a pattern and make it work as is a veteran.
“Once you get to this level, we all know how to do that, so it’s a possibility for a rookie to win,” he said.
He pointed to Casey Ashley’s and Derik Remitz’s wins as rookies in 2007. And Chad Griffith pulled it off in 2009.
Consistency over a full season is one thing rookies lack, Montgomery said.
“I don’t think a rookie has ever won Angler of the Year,” he said. “That’s what’s really hard to do.”
Remitz said an Elite win is a high goal, and much of success hinges on mental attitude.
“You have to go out and think you can win,” said Remitz, whose 2007 victory on Texas’ Lake Amistad remains his only Elite No. 1 finish.
“It’s hard for anybody to come into one of these and win it,” he added. “I think you just have to take each tournament as it comes — go out hoping to win, but you can’t go out and try to win. It’s a fine line to walk.”
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Well we had a little easier time making our picks for this event. The tournament pre-practice reports say there are big fish up shallow and the bite is going to be wide open. We've also heard that there are a lot of fish on beds but a lot of guys have caught them cranking. So who knows what pattern is going to prevail here. One thing for sure is we all agreed on two of our picks and two of us agreed on two other picks. There are a lot of "if-it-ain't-broke-don't-fix-it" picks in this one. Mark Rose won the last time the FLW Series came to Chickamauga. We like him again here even though it won't be an all out ledge bite this time around.
Jason
Mark Rose - He won the last time FLW made a big stop on the Tennessee River fishery. Word on the street is he's on them again. Mark Rose and Tennessee Rivers have become like Peanut Butter and Jelly. So we like him in this one again.
Wesley Strader - Going with a strong local flavor on this pick. He did well in the fall here and we have no doubt he's got a few ace in the hole areas on this fishery.
Bryan Thrift - We're not picking against him in any tournament this year. Certainly not one that is power fishing filled. If there is a flipping, chatterbait or even a bedding bite, he'll be a threat to win another event.
Brent Ehrler - Like Thrift, it's hard to count out Ehrler in a slugfest and this tournament looks to be one of those events.
Craig Powers - He's great this time of year on Tennessee River impoundments. If they are up around beds or in the bushes or on some points to be cranked, Powers will be a threat to not only do well but notch an FLW Tour win.
Terry
Chad Brauer - He's a flipper and pitcher, and he should do well if he can get a day two as strong as his day ones have been.
Brent Ehrler - He's just a flat-out stick, and he adapts better than most to changing conditions. A cold front is scheduled to hit the area and Brent has proven he knows how to get them in the boat when conditions change during tournaments.
Rusty Salewske - He's equally great flipping a Sweat Beaver or throwing a vibrating jig and both should play big here.
Mark Rose - He's equally good on the Tennesse River whether it's spawn or post spawn as well as anyone. He's proven he can do post spawn on fisheries and we like him to prove he can do it during the spawn too.
Terry Bolton - This one is a gut pick He's a stud up shallow with a blade and has a kinship with the Tennessee River.
Todd
Mark Rose - He's a stick on the Tennessee River and there's no reason he won't catch them in this event.
Bryan Thrift - How can you bet against this guy right now. You just have to have him in your top 5 until he proves otherwise.
Brent Ehrler - Like Thrift its hard to leave Ehrler out of a tournament that's going to be wide open like we expect this one to be.
Glenn Browne - He somehow gets it done shallow when everyone else seems to be looking at them. He goes and flips up competitive limits. This tournament is setting up nicely for his strengths.
Chad Brauer - This is Brauer's first time on the lake, but his Dad seems to think the lake is going to set up just how he likes to fish and we like him to fish with an open mind in this one.
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Photo courtesy of B.A.S.S. Communications
Well we sat down and went through two full fields of anglers to get our picks for both the Bassmaster Elite Series event and the FLW Tour event this week. And we found this week to be the biggest challenge of year for choosing anglers for either tournament circuit. At Toledo Bend low water has changed the game and past experience may come into play here while newcomers will struggle. Just navigating has been difficult for anglers. However we all feel pretty confident on these choices. We all had one choice the same and we had two picks that two of us had. So lots of choices in this one.
Jason
Kevin VanDam - Can't go against KVD on a fishery that will play into the hands of the guys that have been here before. Its post spawn and if there is a crankbait bite, he'll be trouble.
Kelly Jordon - It's Texas and the fish should be active. As Gerald Swindle says, big fish just seem to find his bait more than the norm. One big bite could go a long way in this tournament.
John Crews - he's quietly had three top 50s and a top 12 so he's having a consistent year. I expect him to be consistent and if he gets one key bite or two he'll be in the top 12.
Grant Goldbeck - He's already had a high finish this year and this time of year here can put the finesse to good use to catch fish others might miss. He's listed as a MD fisherman but Texas is where he loves to fish.
Keith Combs - Keith likes Toledo. If it's a grind of a tournament we look for Combs to be in the top 12 here. He's great in those Texas tournaments that seem to be a little tougher and he feels very comfortable on this fishery. He's always done well here.
Terry
Kevin VanDam - This is the obvious A pick and he's had a good year thus far. Fishes open water very well. Look for a blade and a crankbait to be in his hands the entire tournament.
Ott Defoe - He's leading the ROY and a good stick that is ready for a break out tournament
Fred Roumbanis - Fred is a frog monster who can also shallow crank well. Post spawn patterns should make him a contender
Mark Davis - Post spawn master and loves open water. Drought should play well for him at Toledo Bend
Matt Herren - The king of the swim jig and this should be a pattern at the "Bend". Coming off a good tourney at Pickwick and fishes better with confidence.
Todd
Kevin VanDam - he came off a tough finish last event. He won't let that happen again.
Kelly Jordon - He's always a threat at Toledo Bend or any Texas fishery for that matter.
Denny Brauer - A third place finish at Pickwick got his mojo back. Once the fire is lit, it's hard to put it out. Looking for back to back top 10s from Denny.
Paul Elias - This tournament will be a test of experience on this historic fishery. I'm sticking with experience in the D bracket.
Ott Defoe - I picked him to be ROY before the season started. And he's still my pick for Rookie of the year.
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Wired2Fish advertiser and good friend Bob Bernotsky of Power Team Lures caught his personal best largemouth yesterday weighing 8.9 pounds on one of his creations, the Gator Lizard in green pumpkin grape swirl. Great job Bob!
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For those of you that are really Wired2Fish we've created a new toolbar that keeps you up to date with our latest posts, easy access to your favorite sections of the site, and you can even include your own Facebook and Twitter pages. It's easy to install and everything is all set up for you.
All the features include:
- A direct link button to our homepage from any page you are on
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AOY leaders say all could change:
Even after leading the Bassmaster Elite Series anglers in points for
two consecutive events, Alton Jones and Terry Scroggins said Saturday
that they aren’t ready to stake any claims in the Toyota Tundra
Bassmaster
Angler of the Year race.
“It’s too early to feel confident,” said Jones, in first place with
853 points after the season’s third event concluded last Saturday. “All
a lead really means is that whatever the mark will be for AOY, I need
fewer (additional) points than anybody else
does.”
Jones, now the one setting that mark, has a streak going. In eighth
place after one event, he took the top spot after the second event. His
lead is the product of consistency: three consecutive final-day, Top 12
cuts.
Any wind at Jones’ back may be the breath of Scroggins, who also has three Top 12s and is now 30 points behind Jones.
“There are five events left and a lot of fishing to do, so being
second doesn’t mean anything right now,” Scroggins said Saturday as the
Alabama Charge on Pickwick Lake concluded.
He said his mindset is not to shoot for the AOY leader, but rather
to remain consistent. He has managed a steady-as-she-goes performance so
far: 10th, second and eighth, respectively, in the first, second and
third Elite Series competitions of the season.
Both Jones and Scroggins are mindful of the anglers at their backs.
Not the least on that list is six-time AOY Kevin VanDam, who held on to
the No. 3 spot Saturday. VanDam, the reigning AOY, was 80 points behind
Jones, and 50 short of Scroggins.
A new Toledo Bend: The Bassmaster Elite Series field was on
Toledo Bend on Monday morning for the first of three days of practice
for the TroKar Battle on the Bayou. The April 14-17 event will mark the
halfway point in the eight-event regular season,
and the halfway point in the 2011 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the
Year race.
AOY leader Alton Jones, a five-time Bassmaster winner (including
the 2008 Bassmaster Classic), said he last competed on Toledo Bend in
2003. Ditto for AOY runner-up Terry Scroggins, as far as Bassmaster
events go.
But any potential disadvantage may only exist on paper. Jones
pointed out that fishing conditions at Toledo are so skewed from normal,
he has just as good a chance there as anyone who competed there
recently.
“It’s about 8 feet low, so it will be a ‘new’ lake for me, just like for everybody else,” Jones said.
Bonus time: Three bonus checks were awarded to anglers last week on stage at the Alabama Charge.
Earned at the March 17-20 Bassmaster Elite Series Power-Pole Citrus Slam:
* $1,000 from Toyota to Alton Jones for leading the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year race;
* $1,000 from Power-Pole to Power-Pole Citrus Slam winner Edwin
Evers, who cashed in on the Power-Pole Captain’s Cash contingency
program; and
* $500 from Berkley to Jason Williamson for his 10-pound, 3-ounce lunker, the Berkley Big Bass of the Tournament.
Lane second — again: “Second again this year!” Bobby Lane declared Saturday as the Alabama Charge winner, Davy Hite, weighed in.
Lane was smiling, but he was obviously disappointed about being the
runner-up for the second time this year. He also finished second on
Lake Tohopekaliga in January at the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern
Open.
“Second never gets old, but you want to win,” Lane said. “I stayed consistent all week and was very happy about my fishing.”
Lane said much of his catch came out of a shallow area of Pickwick
Lake that held a lot of fish — and a lot of fellow competitors.
“I keyed in on little things that (other) guys weren’t looking
for,” Lane said. “If it was a hole, a log, a tree on the bank, a bush
behind a tree, I tried to get a cast in there. I think guys overlooked
that pattern all week; I keyed in on it and made
it work.”
Lane saluted winner Hite for the 21-1 sack he managed at the Wilson
Dam the final day to win by a margin of 8 pounds. Lane said he did not
regret his choice, made before the first cast, to stay away from the
tailrace.
“I told myself I will never go to the tailrace, and after this
tournament, I promise you I’ll never go to the tailrace,” he said.
He stuck with his strengths.
“I don’t fish well in that kind of water, and smallmouth are fun to
catch, but I don’t have all the techniques and tactics to catch them,”
Lane said. “I like to stay on the move, find new fish, fish swimbaits
and jigs and football jigs.”
DeFoe still leads ROY contest: After finishing 20th in the
April 6-9 Alabama Charge, Ott DeFoe of Knoxville, Tenn., stayed in front
in the 15-rookie race for 2011 Bassmaster Rookie of the Year honors.
DeFoe widened his ROY lead to 120 points over his nearest
challenger, now Andy Montgomery of Blacksburg, S.C., who moved up from
sixth place to take over the runner-up spot.
Keith Combs of Del Rio, Texas, dropped from second to third.
Brandon Palaniuk of Rathdrum, Idaho, landed in fourth place, rising from
10th. Jonathon VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., and nephew of the famous
Kevin VanDam, sat in fifth place after three events.
The Rookie of the Year title will be awarded June 19 at the conclusion of the regular season’s eight events.
Power-Pole new for Schuff: Rookie Craig Schuff of Watauga, Texas, has added Power-Pole to his roster of 2011 sponsors.
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We recently had the opportunity to speak to Cyrille Mathieu, VP Sales and Marketing, of VMC hooks and asked him to educate us on the technology at VMC Hooks. VMC is over 100 years old and provides high quality hooks to some of the best tackle manufacturers.
Below is the Q&A we had with him.
1. Wired2Fish-VMC hooks are used by a lot of manufacturers on their baits. It seems the treble hook is most widely used.
Mathieu- We are a very diverse company and build a multitude of cutting edge hooks. Our treble hooks are the number one treble hooks in the world. We build over 3 million hooks per day and just about all the top brands use VMC. We work very hard on the quality, consistency, and performance. The finest manufacturers use VMC. An example is the TX3. It is a hook we build exclusively for Pradco. It has a specially designed Pradco point. We are very proud of this hook and sales of the hook is a testament to its strength and quality.
Wired2Fish- Why do lure manufacturers use VMC?
Mathieu- I believe its several things. We start with the right type of wire and build the hook to the specifications that manufacturers and anglers are looking for. We also guarantee sharpness and consistency in our hooks. The quality of the high carbon steel wire we use allows for a thinner hook and the highest quality point and durability. The finer wire also makes the VMC hook more sticky and the hook up ratio improves incrementally without compromising strength. The goal is to provide a cost effective clean hook without having any quality issues. The wire is finer but X-strong as well.
Because we control the whole process our hooks are very cost effective. We are 20% below the competition and our hook machines are the best. All of our hooks are manufactured in France and we are a family business. (Viellard Migeon Company) We are now part of the Rapala/VMC group but our quality has remained the same.
Wired2Fish-How many hook types do you produce?
Mathieu- An example of our flexibility is the number of points we provide. We have a cut (knife) point, cone cut, needle point, Fast Grip, and spack hook points. They are each manufactured to answer the needs of the fish and the type of fishing.
The cut point is a strong and extra sticky hook we use on most freshwater applications.
The needle point has a cone shaped point and we compress the fibers of the hook versus poltruding the wire. Compression allows us to keep the fine wire but make it stronger. They are not brittle as a result.
The Fast Grip is also a conical point with 3 micro barbs. We use a chemical sharpening technique and this hook is very sharp, clean and smooth. The Fast Grip has a Velcro like point. It is very sticky. This hook is used in walleye applications and is very efficient.
Spack Geometry- is a forged hook with a very narrow profile. It has two lateral wings and has a strong backbone and is also super sharp.
Wired2Fish- Where can we find VMC hooks?
Mathieu- We are in all of the big box stores. That is a big plus. We are also working on being more visible to the customer. We use a compartmental type box that displays the hook (1) and its point better than a bunch of hooks in a box. A customer can look at the bend, the point and the material much easier even without opening the package. Our goal is very simple. We want to provide the highest quality hook at the best price. That is pretty simple but we are on target and those that use VMC know they have quality.
We will have discussions with other top manufacturers in the future. This includes Syd Rives from Gamakatsu, Jeff Pierce at Mustad and Matt Gray at Lazer Trokar. Stay tuned!
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Vicious Fishing is excited to announce the signing of saltwater legend, Mike Frenette,to its growing base of impressive multi-species professional tournament anglers.
Frenette, Redfish Lodge of Louisiana owner and guide, has guided clients to 28 Louisiana staterecords and 4 world records. Included on his resume are numerous tournament wins that span a widerange of offshore and inshore fish. In addition to a successful tournament career, Frenette has a topnotch guide business where he has guided well-known fishing personalities such as Bill Dance, Roland Martin, Shaw Grigsby, and Mark Zona.
“It's an honor to be working with the team at Vicious Fishing,” boasts Frenette. “When I'm in the heat of the battle fighting that fish of a lifetime, or hooked up to that tournament winning fish, I need the toughest line available. Whether it's braid, mono, or fluorocarbon, I have total confidence that Vicious products will keep me 'connected'.”
“We're extremely proud to welcome Mike to the Vicious Fishing family,” adds Vicious Pro Staff Director Chris Dutton, “His reputation will help us deliver the Vicious attitude we are known for while his experience and knowledge of inshore and offshore fishing will without a doubt ensure that we offer the the best possible product to the saltwater market.”
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We have tested numerous cleaning products for electronics screens and most of them work as advertised. There is a variable that Ardent Screen Kleen brings to the table that the others didn't. It removes hard water spots. Not only does it clean as advertised but it removes even the toughest hard water spots.
When pitching and flipping baits in the front of the boat water droplets can hit the screen. Water spotting can occur and that can make it especially hard to assertain the difference between fish and water spots. No kidding, a clean electronics screen may seem pandantic to some anglers but to us its everything. Being able to see fish and their position is critical to bait selection and presentation. Ardent Screen Kleen hits the mark for us. So much that we keep a bottle and accompanied towel within reach at all times. A small amount will keep your screen kleen and clear.
The questions and correct answers are below:
1. What Ardent pro angler last won the Bassmaster Classic? C. Alton Jones
2. What is the latest baitcasting reel launched by Ardent that provides super long casts? A. XS1000
3. What is the two stage culling system by Ardent called? D. SmartCull
4. What is the Ardent reel cleaning solvent called? C. Reel Kleen
Thanks to everyone who entered the Wired2Fish Screen Kleen Contest. The selections have been made and below are the winners:
Michael Russell
Calvert City, KY
Lewis Hill
Valley, AL
David Michael
Giddings, TX
Justin Sizemore
Annville, KY
Daniel Bonifazi
Palatine, IL
Joe Nance
Pearland, TX
Eric Jennings
Utica, NY
Gordon Jones
San Diego, CA
Mike Collins
Deer River, MN
Dexter Gardner
Guy, TN
Your Ardent Screen Kleen is on the way!
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Photos and story by B.A.S.S. Communications
Davy Hite earned the toughest and sweetest victory of his career Saturday.
Someone else who already owned seven Bassmaster titles maybe
wouldn’t have shown such emotion. Hite did as he took the Alabama Charge
trophy.
“I don’t take for granted winning No. 8, I promise you,” he said.
“This is as meaningful to me as the first one I ever won. It’s like a
drug; I can’t describe the way it feels to win one of these things.
“I wanted it really bad. I’m just going to be honest here, although
I hate to admit it: Probably at No. 4, 5 or 6 — somewhere in there — I
kind of took it (winning) for granted. I wanted this one as bad as the
first one I ever won.”
In Bassmaster terms, that was in 1994 on another Alabama fishery,
Lake Eufaula. He went on for six more over the years, including a
Bassmaster Elite Series win and the 1999 Bassmaster Classic title, plus
two Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year
crowns, 1997 and 2002.
Hite’s latest victory was worth $100,000 and an instant entry into
the 2012 Bassmaster Classic, his 14th qualification and first since
2009.
He said the Classic qualification, his 13th, makes him rest easy on that score for the rest of the season.
“It’s huge for me,” he said. “I’ve missed one or two, barely missed
them, and I don’t feel like I’ve done my sponsors justice if I don’t
qualify each and every year. It starts to wear on me mentally, so it
means a lot for me to be there for them, that’s
their showcase.”
After leading for two days, Hite won the Pickwick Lake event with a
four-day total of 84 pounds, 9 ounces. He ended with 8 pounds more than
Bobby Lane, who totaled 76-9 for second place, and 9-4 ahead of Day One
leader Denny Brauer, who finished third
with 75-5.
Fourth place went to Keith Poche, who gave Hite a scare Friday by
getting within 12 ounces of him on Day Three. Alton Jones secured fifth
place with 73-6, a finish that helped him keep his lead in the 2011
Angler of the Year race.
Hite’s wide margin of victory was deceptive. He had to fight all
week, staving off hard-chargers that included Poche in the No. 2 spot
for two days running.
Falling water levels changed the game at Hite’s primary area, the
tailwaters of the Wilson Dam. He said he knew the water had dropped even
before he arrived at the dam Saturday morning. He had marked an object
at the water’s edge Friday, and checked it
Saturday morning before takeoff. That’s how he knew the bite was not
going to be quite the same for the final round.
The tip-off helped him quickly adjust and decide to stick with the dam.
“I went there and knew there’d still be fish there, that I’d just
have to learn how to catch them with slower water. I knew it would be
harder and I wouldn’t get as many bites. It had worked for three days, I
couldn’t go looking for flipping fish the last
day.
“It was a grind. I knew God shined on me bright when I heard that horn go off at 11 o’clock. I knew then I had a real chance.”
Hite’s first fish of the day came to him at 9:30 a.m., a short
distance downstream from the dam. It was a 14-incher. When the horn blew
at 11 o’clock, Hite positioned himself close to the dam and got ready
to key in on bass after the shad that the dam
water was producing.
“When the water started moving, I grinned from ear-to-ear. I knew I
had a great chance to make it happen. They (bass) sit in the slack
water, and those shad come by, just thousands and thousands of big shad.
(Bass) sit at the buffet, and when the filet
comes by, they eat it.”
But it took him almost four hours, until 3 p.m., to fill his
livewell, an average of one bass an hour. Just before he had to call it a
day and head back to the docks, he was able to cull the first squeaker
with a 4-pounder.
Every fish he weighed in was on a 5-inch Berkley Hollow Belly, he
said. He rigged it with either a 1/2- or 3/4-ounce Gary Yamamoto
swimbait head with a 5/0 hook, using glue to secure the bait to the
lead.
The rotating action of the out-of-bait weight was a key to his
bites, Hite said. Lure size was important, too; he matched his lure to
the average size of the shad he was seeing.
The big fish of the day was a triplet deal: three 5-11’s by Greg
Hackney, Alton Jones and Bobby Lane. But a 5-11 didn’t come close to
Jared Lintner’s 8-10 of Day One, and Lintner claimed the Berkley Big
Bass of the Tournament award of a $500 bonus.
Elite No.of Total
Place Angler Fish Weight
1 Davy Hite 20 84- 9
2 Bobby Lane 20 76- 9
3 Denny Brauer 20 75- 5
4 Keith Poche 19 74- 2
5 Alton Jones 20 73- 6
6 Greg Hackney 20 71-13
7 Matt Reed 18 70-12
8 Terry Scroggins 20 70- 8
9 Kelly Jordon 20 65-13
10 Nate Wellman 20 63-14
11 Mike Iaconelli 20 63- 4
12 Shaw E Grigsby 20 63- 2
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The UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA bass fishing team of Jake Gipson and Matt Wercinski won the 2011 National Guard FLW College Fishing National Championship on Kentucky Lake and earned the $100,000 top prize as well as a berth into the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup in Hot Springs, Ark on Lake Ouachita. They weighed 41 pounds 8 ounces to win the tournament by 4 pounds, 6 ounces. This is their second National Championship win in two years holding the first two FLW College Fishing titles and their fourth FLW College Fishing tournament win. This win solidifies their place in College Fishing history.
The final day greeted anglers with lots of sun and lots of warmth for the National Guard FLW College Fishing Championship on Kentucky Lake. There was mild wind and overcast skies when the anglers blasted off at 7 a.m. this morning. The anglers were into the fish early this morning.
The University of Florida team was catch bass early fishing in the Moors Marina area of the lake. They were casting square bill crankbaits along rip rap banks to catch a limit before 11 a.m. They were targeting prespawn bass staging on rip rap waiting for the water to get right in spawning areas. They milked several areas like this on the north end of the lake for all three days of the competition. Today their primary area failed to produce so they ran to the east side of the lake and fished a rip rap bank and scrambled and grinded with a Strike King Sexy Shad KVD 1.5 Square Bill crankbait and a green pumpkin Zoom Baby Brush Hog Texas rigged with a 1/4 ounce Bulk Tungsten black weight.
"It was a grind all week for us," said Wercinski. "We really didn't find much in practice but Moors was a backup area we thought because it had riprap that is always key this time of year. Today we went there and didn't catch a fish so we had to scramble. This whole experience has been amazing. Fishing with Jake the FLW College Fishing trail these past few years has just been an incredible experience. But I graduate in May and I've decided tournament fishing just isn't for me. So I'm going to focus on my business and I might sneak into a few events as a co-angler with Jake."
Louisiana State University of Shreveport team of Zach Caudle and Joe Landry finished second with 37 pounds, 2 ounces. They fished 1/2 oz. Jewel Finesse Football jigs among other baits for prespawn fish this week on gravel and rocky banks.
Auburn University team of Shaye Baker and Matt Wercinski finished third with 36 pounds 3 ounces. The fished a Netbait Mini B Bug crawfish bait and caught all their prespawn bass on the beaver type bait.
NC State bass fishing team of Kevin Beverley and Ben Dziwulski finished fourth with 28 pounds 13 ounces. The fished main lake pockets south of the Ken Lake State Park takeoff site with a variety of baits including Redeye shads, shaky heads, Texas rigs and more. They missed some opportunities again on the final day. Fishing jumping off has hurt them this week.
"Last year we were 7th the first day and came in with zero the second day and we definitely didn't want to do that this year," said Dziwulski. "It's a blessing to be here."
Christopher Newport Team of Ryann Ingalls and Joe Wilkerson finished fifth with 25 pounds, 8 ounces. They caught all their fish this week on lipless crawfish colored crankbaits and today they managed just one keeper on a shaky head.
More Photos:
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Photo and Story by BASS Communications
Wellman’s morning surprise:
Elite rookie Nate Wellman’s parents drove all night from Grand Rapids,
Mich., to cheer him on Saturday in his first top-12 competition day.
“How could we not come, we’re his ‘pit crew,’” said Laurie Wellman,
who took turns at the wheel with her husband, Ross, to cover 720 miles
in one haul. “As soon as we knew he made the cut, we said, ‘Why not,
let’s do it.’“
They surprised their son at the Pickwick Lake ramp.
“I didn’t know they were coming until I got to the ramp to put my
boat in the water, and my mom was standing there, her thumb out like she
was trying to hitchhike,” the Elite rookie said.
Ross Wellman is an angler himself, but he didn’t teach his son how to catch bass.
“He taught me,” Ross said. “I was more of a steelhead-trout person
in Michigan. When he was 12, he talked me into buying a bass boat.”
The Wellman family continued to support Nate through the years. For
the Elite Series, his boat rig flies the colors of Trailer Equipment,
Ross and Laurie’s semi-trailer leasing business.
Making his first top-12 cut in only his third Elite event, Wellman
began the final day in sixth place and more than 9 pounds behind Davy
Hite, the leader with 63 pounds, 8 ounces.
“It’s a good feeling to know I could accomplish this,” Wellman
said. “I like shallow flipping, and this place is definitely set up for
that. It’s nothing like home, but I feel at home here. I live on a river
(the Muskegon), I guide on a river, so I understand
how fish relate to current and feed.”
In the penalty box: Matt Reed was held for 19 minutes at the
docks Saturday morning as his penalty for not wearing a life jacket
below the Wilson Dam, as required by marine law, during Friday
competition.
Reed himself reported the violation to B.A.S.S. tournament officials.
“It’s just one of those mistakes you make,” said Reed, adding that
out of habit, he removed his life jacket when he turned off his boat’s
motor.
Reed said he’d go to the dam waters Saturday as soon as he was
released. Then, he said, he would run to some spots down the lake for a
flipping bite, then go back to the dam.
“I hate missing the early bite up there, but it is what it is,” he said.
Reed was in 10th place, 10 pounds, 9 ounces behind leader Davy Hite
(63-8). Hite and Keith Poche, just 12 ounces behind Hite, headed to the
dam first thing Saturday.
Sweet on Scroggins: Terry Scroggins’ Saturday game plan included a first stop at his oh-so-sweet spot.
He found it Thursday, but not until he flipped elsewhere for an hour. “I just kind of stumbled on it,” he said.
On Friday, Scroggins had five out of the spot even before fishing began for many of the 50 Elite pros.
“I had most of (my day’s catch) before the second flight came by me
this morning,” said Scroggins at Friday’s weigh-in; he had been among
the 25 boats of the first flight. “You have to get there real quick to
this one particular spot, but when it’s over,
it’s over. But when it’s on, it’s wide open.”
He said his total Friday fishing time at the spot was 10 minutes.
Later, he culled only once, trading a 3-pounder for a 3 1/2-pounder.
He weighed in 20 pounds, 15 ounces, on Friday and moved from 17th
place into seventh. He had been in 42nd place after the first day.
His climb into the top 12 gave him a shot Saturday at the
first-place prize of $100,000 and a 2012 Bassmaster Classic berth. He’s
now 3 for 3: his third top-12 cut in three 2011 events.
Ike’s got warrior hands: Mike Iaconelli showed his roughed-up thumbs Friday to reporters.
“See, that’s what happens when you’re catching fish,” he said. He
opened up his fists to show his palms. “And that’s what happens when
you’re catching fish here.”
The palms of his hands looked chewed on.
Iaconelli started very slowly this tournament: 68th place with 12
pounds, 13 ounces. On Day Two, with a 19-11 bag, he improved to No. 27
on the leaderboard. On Day Three, he brought in exactly the same weight,
19-11, just enough to qualify for Saturday’s
top-12 finale.
From 68th place to a shot at the win is meteoric, even in the Elite Series, the best anglers in the world.
“You might think, ‘He must have figured something out.’ But I
didn’t, it’s baffling,” he said after Friday’s weigh-in. “I did exactly
the same thing the first day as I did the next two days when I got the
big bites. You try to put your finger on just why
that happened, but I didn’t change baits, I didn’t change patterns, I
didn’t change areas, I worked the same rotation of places — all was the
same.”
Dropped water level might have brought fish to him in one of his
patterns, he added, and cloud cover on Thursday and Friday until about 1
p.m. might have helped him a little bit.
He said he has two patterns going. In one, he is flipping the sides
of pockets, not the backs. His bigger fish are coming on what he called
a staging pattern. These are prespawners heading inshore, but stopping
on spots he’s pinpointed.
“I can look at the bank and guess where those fish will be,” he said.
Quotables
“Keith (Poche) and I are the only two who have been at the dam
consistently all three days, and stayed there to grind it out. There’s
been a flurry all three days there, and hopefully there will be one
again.” — Day Three leader Davy Hite with 63-8
“It’s going to be a shootout. I figure there are five, six people who could win.” — Davy Hite
“Smallmouth will throw you a curve every time you think you’ve got them figured out.” — Davy Hite
“I’m pretty nervous. I have an opportunity to win this thing, I’m 12 ounces behind.” — Runner-up Keith Poche with 62-12
“For some reason, the smallmouth here elude me. In the several
times I’ve been here, I bet you I haven’t caught 10 smallmouth. I don’t
understand them, they’re nothing like the smallmouth at home.” — Nate
Wellman of Newaygo, Mich. (6th place with 54-6).
“When you have a 4-pound average, it’s hard to better up.” — Terry Scroggins on stage Saturday (5th place with 54-15)
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Edwin Evers announced this week at the Alabama Charge on Pickwick Lake that the Bassmaster Series Pro was giving away the rod and reel combo that he used to win the St. John's Bassmaster Elites Series event. His rod, reel and even the hook, line, lure and weight will still be tied on the rod for those that might want it as a piece of tournament fishing history.
All you have to do enter is visit EdwinEvers.com and check out the contest section. Sign up before the end of April and he will randomly draw one person on May 1 to see who wins the combo. This is just the first of many giveaways Evers has planned for his fans.
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Custom Lures Unlimited (CLU) of Raleigh, North Carolina
purchased the company and exclusive rights to Danny Joe Humphrey's Original
Floating Worm and Buzz N' Grub designs.
Primarily
known for their lifelike, cutting-edge wooden crankbaits, the acquisition moves
CLU from solely a hardbait manufacturer and into a more versatile marketplace.
“The
acquisition of The Original Floating Worm ® is an exciting addition for CLU,”
Kelly Barefoot, president of CLU said. “Not only have we greatly expanded our
product line, we’ve also acquired my personal-favorite soft plastic company. I
would like to give much respect and thanks to Danny Joe for his part in making
this idea a reality. The purchase is a bold step towards the growth of
CLU."
Terms
of the deal were not disclosed. The Original Danny Joe Humphrey’s Floating Worm
is available online at CustomLuresUnlimited.com and nationwide at Dick's
Sporting Goods.
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The
University of Florida team of Jake Gipson and Matthew Wercinski, both
of Niceville, Fla., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 14 pounds, 12
ounces Friday to lead day two of the National Guard FLW College Fishing
National Championship on Kentucky Lake. Their two day total of 27-4
gives them a 1-pound, 11-ounce lead over the Louisiana State
University-Shreveport team of Zach Caudle, Shreveport, La., and Joe
Landry, West Monroe, La. LSU-Shreveport caught five bass weighing 10-11
for a two day total of 25-9 in a tournament featuring the top 25 college
teams from across the country competing for $100,000.
“We came to fish,” said Wercinski, who has a degree
business. “We know we can fish and we came to win, second place won’t
cut it for us. The biggest bag is going to win tomorrow so our plan is
to go after the biggest fish we can find.”
The duo from Florida has had an incredible run. They have
won back-to-back Southeast Regional Championships and were crowned the
first-ever National Guard FLW College Fishing National Champions in
2010. To date they have won $215,000 for their school in just two years
time.
“We are so stoked to go fishing tomorrow,” said Gipson,
with a degree in industrial and systems engineering. “Our whole goal was
to come here and win. We had a really terrible practice day and only
caught one fish so yesterday we just went fishing. We knew we didn’t
want to go back to the same area we practiced in so we did some homework
online the night before the tournament started and then went fishing
with our guts.
"We are doing a lot of running and gunning, covering a
lot of water. We have two primary areas that are working for us.” Gipson
went on to say. “The fish are looking for staging areas, they are ready
to bust. With the water temperatures getting warmer and the lake coming
up the fish should really start to get active.”
“This lake doesn’t compare to any of the lakes we have in
Florida. We don’t have the structure or the depth of Kentucky Lake. We
are used to shallow, grassy lakes. Tomorrow should be a lot of fun.
We’ll go out and look for the areas that we know will have fish and try
to land the biggest ones we can find and hopefully it will be enough to
win.”
Rounding out the top five teams competing for the
title of National Guard FLW College Fishing National Champion are:
3rd: Christopher Newport – Ryan Ingalls, Fairfax, Va., and Joe Wilkerson, Falls Church, Va., nine bass, 23-11
4th: Auburn University – Shaye Baker, Reeltown, Ala., and Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala., eight bass, 21-6
5th: North Carolina State University – Ben
Dziwulski, Woodbine, Md., and Kevin Beverley, Fuquay Varina, N.C., eight
bass, 20-9
Rounding out the rest of the best are:
6th: California Polytechnic – Scott Hellesen, Whittier, Calif., and Damian Bean, Oakland, Calif., nine bass, 19-10
7th: University of Texas, Tyler – Matthew McClellan, Tyler, Texas, and Tyler Fisher, Tyler, Texas, seven bass, 19-7
8th: Eastern Kentucky – Kyle Raymer, Brandenburg, Ky., and Jonas Ertel, London, Ky., nine bass, 18-7
9th: University of Florida – Dennis Croyle, Sarasota, Fla., and Travis Gates, Fort Pierce, Fla., six bass, 15-14
10th: Truman State University – Mike McCarthy Jr., St. Louis, Mo., and Spencer Clark, St. Louis, Mo., four bass, 15-10
11th: Virginia Tech – Jody White, Shaftsbury, Vt., and Carson Rejzer, Hampton, Va., six bass, 15-2
12th: North Carolina State University – Jeff Bumgarner, Wade, N.C., and Will White, Marion, N.C., five bass, 14-10
13th: Texas A&M – Paul Manley, Orange, Texas and Andrew Shafer, Chadfield, Texas, three bass, 11-13
14th: Kennesaw State University – Thomas Frink, Simi Valley, Calif., four bass, 10-11
15th: San Jose State University – Tyler Swasey, San Jose, Calif., and Anthony Lee, San Jose, Calif., five bass, 10-5
16th: University of Wisconsin, Whitewater – Jordan Truttschel, Kiel, Wis., and Tyler Netzer, Lake Mills, Wis., four bass, 9-3
17th: University of Wisconsin, Stout – Jeremy Anibas, Colfax, Wis., and Ryan Helke, Menomonie, Wis., four bass, 8-13
18th: Chico State – Parker Moran, Carmel, Calif., and Marshal Smith, San Jose, Calif., four bass, 7-15
19th: Chico State – Thomas White, Fountain Valley, Calif., and Allison Shaw, Calabasas, Calif., three bass, 6-1
20th: University of Central Florida – Miles “Sonar” Burghoff, Orlando, Fla., two bass, 5-10
21st: Indiana University – Jesse Schultz, New Albany, Ind., and Dustin Vaal, Saint Meinrad, Ind., two bass, 4-14
22nd: Stephen F. Austin – Robert “Blaze” Platt, Kennedale, Texas and Ryan Watkins, Rockport, Texas, two bass, 4-8
23rd: University of North Carolina, Charlotte – Tyler Teer, Burlington, N.C., and Joe Kinchen, Mooresville, N.C., one bass, 2-8
24th: Lamar University – Matt Morrison, Montgomery, Texas and Danny Iles, Hemphill, Texas, zero bass, 0-0
Sacramento State – Robert Matsuura, Sacramento, Calif., and Peter Lee, Fresno, Calif., zero bass, 0-0
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B.A.S.S. Communications
Experience, get ready to meet raw ambition.
Keith Poche, a Bassmaster Elite Series sophomore seeking his first
Bassmaster win, plans to give Alabama Charge leader and veteran pro Davy
Hite something to sweat about in Saturday’s Pickwick Lake finale.
Hite, the two-time Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year and
1999 Bassmaster Classic champ from South Carolina, is just as determined
to claim his eighth Bassmaster win, which would be his first since a
2006 Elite victory in Georgia.
Adding another layer to the contest, the leaders plan to continue
sharing water below Wilson Dam. They have been fishing within sight of
each other and often within a cast of each other.
“It’ll be a shootout,” said Hite. Asked if he believed Poche might
feel intimidated by his experience in the sport, Hite answered, “I hope
so.”
“When I was in his shoes, before I won a tournament, if I was
fishing around somebody who’d won quite a few, yea, I’d be a little
intimidated,” Hite said. “I’m not going to do anything wrong, but you do
what you’ve got to do to win. I might yell a little
bit or something like that when I catch a big one.”
Leading with a three-day total of 63 pounds, 8 ounces, Hite brought
20 pounds and 9 ounces to the scales Friday. It was enough to keep his
Thursday lead and stave off not only Poche, who had a total of 62-12,
but also Bobby Lane, who repeated his Thursday
finish by securing third place with 59-7.
In fourth was Day One leader Denny Brauer with 57-2. Terry
Scroggins was fifth with 54-15 after a 20-15 day that boosted him from
17th place.
Only the top 12 qualified for the final round Saturday, when one
angler will claim the $100,000 first-place prize and a 2012 Bassmaster
Classic berth.
Friday’s catch almost didn’t happen for Poche, a Louisiana native
who lives now in Troy, Ala. The day, which Poche later said was a lesson
in the power of believing in yourself, began at the dam with lost fish
and missed bites.
“It started out real sloppy, real slow,” he said. “I could not get a bass in the boat.”
He finally managed two small largemouth by 10:30 a.m., then another one of about 2 pounds. But then the action stalled for him.
“I fished and fished and fished and couldn’t get another bite. It
got to be about 2:30, and I was disgusted. I’m thinking that I had an
hour and a half left and I had not caught a decent fish off this spot. I
pretty much gave up on it, I left.”
He ran about 10 minutes south of the dam, produced nothing and rethought his decision.
“I said, ‘Hey, I caught 20 pounds a day off that spot up there (at
the dam). I’ve got 45 minutes, and I’m going to see what happens. I went
back up a little after 3 o’clock and my first fish was a 3-pounder.”
And a 6-1. He ended up culling one time, ending up with 20-15.
“I don’t know if it was a timing deal, or I missed them before, I’m just thankful that they finally came at 3:15,” he said.
Poche had to check in at 4 p.m., and so did Hite, who also
struggled all day, but produced his 20-plus-pound sack by bundling a
downlake pattern with repeated hits at the dam waters.
“It was like yesterday, it was a grind,” Hite said. “I had no fish
at like 9:30, 10 o’clock. I left and caught three, then went back up to
the dam and ended up catching a couple nice largemouth.”
His bag consisted of two largemouth and three smallmouth. Poche’s was five largemouth.
“There’s been a flurry there all three days, and hopefully there will be another one tomorrow,” Hite said.
Lane has stayed away from the dam. He had a boat breakdown, and
fellow Elite pro Cliff Crochet, who dropped out of the cut yesterday,
loaned his boat to Lane.
“It wasn’t an easy day, by no means,” Lane said. He figured he
needed to stay close to the ramp and was able to upgrade at the last
minute for a 19-2 sack, enough to keep himself in third place, right
where he started the day.
Friday’s largest bass was an 8-8 by Matt Reed, who also had the
heaviest weight of the day, 22-12. He rode his stellar day into the
top-12 cut. But his big fish did not beat Jared Lintner’s 8-10 from Day
One, which still stands as the Berkley Big Bass
of Tournament.
For more information on the Bassmaster Elite Series Alabama Charge, go to Bassmaster.com.
DAY 3 STANDINGS- ALABAMA CHARGE
2011 Alabama Charge - Florence, AL 04/06-04/09 Pickwick Lake, Florence Ala.
(PRO Division) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
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1. Davy Hite Ninety Six, S.C. 15 63-08
Day 1: 5 23-08 Day 2: 5 19-07 Day 3: 5 20-09
2. Keith Poche Troy, Ala. 15 62-12
Day 1: 5 20-03 Day 2: 5 21-10 Day 3: 5 20-15
3. Bobby Lane Lakeland, Fla. 15 59-07
Day 1: 5 19-12 Day 2: 5 20-09 Day 3: 5 19-02
4. Denny Brauer Camdenton, Mo. 15 57-02
Day 1: 5 23-10 Day 2: 5 14-02 Day 3: 5 19-06
5. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, Fla. 15 54-15
Day 1: 5 15-06 Day 2: 5 18-10 Day 3: 5 20-15
6. Nate Wellman Newaygo, Mich. 15 54-06
Day 1: 5 20-01 Day 2: 5 15-06 Day 3: 5 18-15
7. Greg Hackney Gonzales, La. 15 53-12
Day 1: 5 18-13 Day 2: 5 16-11 Day 3: 5 18-04
8. Kelly Jordon Palestine, Texas 15 53-08
Day 1: 5 17-13 Day 2: 5 15-11 Day 3: 5 20-00
9. Alton Jones Waco, Texas 15 53-00
Day 1: 5 16-11 Day 2: 5 14-02 Day 3: 5 22-03
10. Matt Reed Madisonville, Texas 13 52-15
Day 1: 5 19-08 Day 2: 3 10-11 Day 3: 5 22-12
11. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, N.J. 15 52-03
Day 1: 5 12-13 Day 2: 5 19-11 Day 3: 5 19-11
12. Shaw Grigsby Gainesville, Fla. 15 52-03
Day 1: 5 18-11 Day 2: 5 15-12 Day 3: 5 17-12
13. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, Okla. 15 52-00 251 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-02 Day 2: 5 20-03 Day 3: 5 16-11
14. Charlie Hartley Grove City, Ohio 15 51-11 248 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-06 Day 2: 5 19-09 Day 3: 5 15-12
15. Dave Wolak Wake Forest, N.C. 15 51-09 245 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-10 Day 2: 5 16-14 Day 3: 5 16-01
16. Jason Quinn Lake Wylie, S.C. 15 51-06 243 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-10 Day 2: 5 16-01 Day 3: 5 18-11
17. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, Calif. 15 50-10 241 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 23-02 Day 2: 5 16-06 Day 3: 5 11-02
18. Jeff Connella Bentley, La. 15 50-04 239 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-15 Day 2: 5 15-01 Day 3: 5 16-04
19. Billy McCaghren Mayflower, Ark. 15 49-09 237 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-03 Day 2: 5 14-10 Day 3: 5 15-12
20. Ott DeFoe Knoxville, Tenn. 15 49-07 235 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-15 Day 2: 5 18-15 Day 3: 5 13-09
21. Matt Herren Trussville, Ala. 15 48-14 233 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-10 Day 2: 5 12-05 Day 3: 5 15-15
22. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, Mich. 15 47-12 231 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-08 Day 2: 5 17-08 Day 3: 5 16-12
23. Randy Howell Springville, Ala. 15 47-08 229 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 17-12 Day 3: 5 15-01
24. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, Ariz 15 47-03 227 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 5 20-01 Day 3: 5 13-07
25. Gerald Swindle Warrior, Ala. 15 47-03 225 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-08 Day 2: 5 15-02 Day 3: 5 13-09
26. Chad Griffin Cresson, Texas 15 47-00 223 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-04 Day 2: 5 16-09 Day 3: 5 10-03
27. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, Ark. 15 46-12 221 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-14 Day 2: 5 14-15 Day 3: 5 16-15
28. Craig Schuff Watauga, Texas 14 46-06 219 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 10-13 Day 2: 5 19-02 Day 3: 5 16-07
29. Andy Montgomery Blacksburg, S.C. 15 46-04 217 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-10 Day 2: 5 15-13 Day 3: 5 13-13
30. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, Idaho 15 46-04 215 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-01 Day 2: 5 17-14 Day 3: 5 12-05
31. Bill Lowen Brookville, Ind. 15 46-03 213 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 5 18-13 Day 3: 5 14-01
32. Rick Morris Virginia Beach, Va. 15 46-02 211 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 15-11 Day 3: 5 15-11
33. Jami Fralick Martin, S.D. 15 45-15 209 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-11 Day 2: 5 16-09 Day 3: 5 13-11
34. Fred Roumbanis Bixby, Okla. 15 45-10 207 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-02 Day 2: 5 14-10 Day 3: 5 14-14
35. Kenyon Hill Norman, Okla. 15 45-09 205 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-04 Day 2: 5 18-15 Day 3: 5 12-06
36. Chris Lane Guntersville, Ala. 15 45-08 203 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-09 Day 2: 5 18-09 Day 3: 5 14-06
37. Skeet Reese Auburn, Calif. 15 45-07 201 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-14 Day 2: 5 15-09 Day 3: 5 13-00
38. John Crews Salem, Va. 15 45-05 199 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-14 Day 2: 5 16-05 Day 3: 5 12-02
39. Paul Elias Laurel, Miss. 13 45-03 197 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-11 Day 2: 5 18-15 Day 3: 3 5-09
40. Dustin Wilks Rocky Mount, N.C. 15 44-12 195 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-02 Day 2: 5 12-11 Day 3: 5 14-15
41. Russ Lane Prattville, Ala. 15 44-06 193 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-03 Day 2: 5 16-01 Day 3: 5 15-02
42. Cliff Pace Petal, Miss. 15 43-12 191 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-01 Day 2: 5 16-05 Day 3: 5 13-06
43. Jason Williamson Aiken, S.C. 15 43-08 189 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-13 Day 2: 5 15-08 Day 3: 5 14-03
44. Timmy Horton Muscle Shoals, Ala. 15 43-04 187 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 9-04 Day 2: 5 21-07 Day 3: 5 12-09
45. Kevin Short Mayflower, Ark. 15 41-14 185 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 5 18-03 Day 3: 5 9-11
46. Mark Menendez Paducah, Ky. 15 41-14 183 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 16-13 Day 3: 5 10-05
47. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, Mo. 15 41-09 181 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-02 Day 2: 5 14-06 Day 3: 5 12-01
48. Matt Greenblatt Port St Lucie, Fla. 15 41-00 179 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-09 Day 2: 5 14-11 Day 3: 5 10-12
49. Aaron Martens Leeds, Ala. 13 40-14 177 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-13 Day 2: 5 18-01 Day 3: 3 6-00
50. Pat Golden High Point, N.C. 15 38-05 175 $5,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-01 Day 2: 5 16-05 Day 3: 5 7-15
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 95 490 1451-08
2 94 486 1442-05
3 48 246 751-08
----------------------------------
237 1222 3645-05
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Derek Remitz spent 10 minutes signing up for the Weigh-to-Win program the night before the Bassmaster Classic. It cost him $38, the same amount it cost any angler to sign up for BoatUS Angler membership, unlimited on-the-road towing insurance and the Weigh-to-Win program. Last week he got more than ten times his money, $500, back as result of being signed up and being the highest Weigh-to-Win finisher in the PAA Event on Lake Lanier.
That’s right, you don’t have to
win the tournament to win the money, you simply have to be the highest
finishing eligible Weigh-to-Win angler in the tournament. Todd, Terry and Jason of Wired2Fish are all signed up for this season just for the peace of mind if they have issues towing a boat to the lake or on the lake. It's a bonus that we could win money back in our tournaments this season.
The Weigh-to-Win program will pay the highest placing,
registered angler in most B.A.S.S., FLW and PAA events, as well as the BoatUS
Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship. For
example, for as little as $38, the cost of a BoatUS Angler membership and
Unlimited On-the-Road Towing service, a BFL angler who performs well in a
single regular season tournament could win a $150 cash bonus.
All tournament anglers have thought about “what if” a
mechanical issue occurs on the water or highway. Just ask pro Chris Brasher who with the help of Tow Boat
US finished 12th at PAA Event on Lake Lanier. Chris
experienced electrical problems on the final day, and with out the help of
Captain Robert Estrada of Tow Boat US, Brasher would not have been able to make
it back to weigh-in.
For more details about tournament paybacks and getting
signed-up for Weigh-to-Win, please visit BoatUSFishing.com
or call Kendell at (918) 742-6424.
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B.A.S.S. Communications / Gary Tramontina
It must be the shoes:
Defending Alabama Charge champ Kevin Short appeared to be happy but
bewildered after he weighed in 18 pounds and 3 ounces on Thursday, a
nice improvement over his unremarkable Day One bag of 14-0.
By the end of the day, he had climbed 25 ticks in the standings,
from 57th to 32nd place. That was inside the top-50 cutline and on deck
for another day of competition.
Hard as he tried, he could think of only one thing he changed from Day One.
“Really, the only thing I did differently was I’m wearing a different pair of shoes,” he said.
Short probably was not being as superstitious as he sounded, but
was venting his frustration in his inability to isolate the factor that
helped him into Day Three.
“I have racked my brain all day trying to figure out what was
different. I went back to the same trees, I was throwing the same bait,
with the same line, the same rod. I fished just as slow as I did
yesterday, just as methodically. Only thing I can figure
— other than the shoes — was that the water started to fall a little
bit.”
On Friday, Short said, he planned to go back to the same spot,
which sounded much like the cypress-tree backwater he won on in the 2010
Elite event on Pickwick Lake. And, for the record, he planned to wear
his size 9 1/2 Salomons in his bid to make Saturday’s
top-12 field for an attempt on back-to-back Pickwick wins.
Classic dreamin’: Keith Poche, the runner-up to Davy Hite
after two days, is feeling confident about his chances to end the season
with his first Bassmaster Classic entry.
If Poche were to win the Alabama Charge, he would instantly qualify
for the 2012 Classic on the Red River, not far from where he grew up in
Natchitoches, La. If he just finishes near the top of the pack, he’ll
walk away with points that will help him into
the Classic through the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year
race.
“It would be a sweet deal for me,” he said. “I’ve been working so
hard to get there. I have a good shot, even if I don’t win here, at
making it through the points.”
After two events, Poche was in 39th place in the points standings.
After all eight 2011 Elite tournaments, the 28 pros with the most points
will be in the 2012 Classic.
Lock a no-go: First-day leader Denny Brauer was among the
many anglers who ultimately rejected the idea of locking up from
Pickwick into Wilson Lake on Friday.
“I love Wilson, I know a lot of good areas, but without practicing
there, it would amount to an awfully short practice day,” said Brauer,
in sixth place after Day 2.
Friday was the pros’ first opportunity to get into Wilson because
the lock had been closed for repair. It reopened at 6 a.m. for
commercial traffic, and the lockmaster told B.A.S.S. officials that at
approximately 10 a.m., recreational boaters could queue
up for a lift up into Wilson. The only window for the return trip would
be at about 2 p.m.
With eight and a half hours of competition time, the angler who
chose to spend hours locking for Wilson’s relatively unpressured bass
would have to be a high-stakes gambler.
“I’m better off doing my gambling on this lake,” Brauer said.
Even those in the lower regions of the leaderboard going into the Friday round weren’t saying they’d chance it.
“The risk is too great,” said Rick Morris, in 40th place. “I’m
going back to my spot down the lake, try for at least 14 or 15 pounds,
secure some points and move on.”
Horton’s haul: The biggest mover on the Alabama Charge’s
second day was Tim Horton of Muscle Shoals, Ala., the result of toting
21 pounds and 7 ounces to the scales.
The big sack elevated the local favorite from 93rd to 39th place.
Such a standings reversal was a mathematical oddity, but no mystery to
Horton.
“I slowed down, I quit running around so much,” he said. “I stayed with how I practiced.”
The second heaviest sack of the day, Horton’s haul included two smallmouth that weighed 5-10 and 5-6.
Horton has his work cut out for him Friday, when only the top 50
compete. He’s about 5 pounds away from place No. 12, the cutline to be
in the game Saturday, the final day.
Ownership: Paul Elias in 4th, Shaw Grigsby in 15th, and Andy
Montgomery in 30th have at least one thing in common: Each ended Day
One and Day Two in the same positions.
Twin sets: Pat Golden and Cliff Pace tied two days in a row.
Both caught 14-1 for 55th place on Day One. Then both brought 16-5 to
the scales on Day Two to share 41st place in the standings.
“Coincidence,” Pace said, confirming that he and Golden aren’t
fishing close to each other or have any other thing in common this week —
other than being happy to be inside the top-50 cutline.
Day Two Quotables:
“You don’t ever forget how to catch them.” – Paul Elias on mature pros (remained in 4th)
“I really want to fish tomorrow because I think I have something figured out.” – Craig Schuff (ended inside the cut at 45th)
“I had a disastrous morning. I didn’t have a fish until 1 o’clock.” – J. Todd Tucker with an 8-0 (but game over for him at 65th)
“I was so down, so frustrated.” – Tim Horton, who improved on his Day One result of 93rd place. He moved up to 39th)
“Every time I made a cast, I thought, ‘$10,000, $10,000, $10,000’” –
Jeff Kriet on striving for the “money” cut (43rd up to 13th)
“The Tennessee River is phenomenal, from one end to the other.” – Kevin VanDam (61st up to 36th)
“Maybe it’s better to be in second. I’m after Davy (Hite) now; the pressure’s on Davy.” – Keith Poche (2nd up from 7th)
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Frabill loves seeing your pictures and videos of time spent outdoors. And they also love the camaraderie of Frabill fans on Facebook. To say thanks, they want to pass around a little bit of Frabill love each week.
Post your pictures and videos on Frabill’s Facebook page and win Frabill fun money to spend at Frabill’s online store at frabill.com.
It's Easy
How do I qualify? Simply upload your picture or video to Frabill’s Facebook page—it must include a Frabill product. Show them your trophy fish, your favorite spot, your fishing buddy, your biggest adventure…whatever you want to share with the Frabill Nation. But don’t forget they also want to see your Frabill gear. Post as much and as often as you like, but please don’t re-post the same item. You must “like” Frabill's Facebook Fan Page to win.
Did I Win?
Did I win? A random winner will be announced in a status update on Frabill’s Facebook page every Friday. If you didn’t win this week, get out with your Frabill gear and post again for a chance to win next week.
What do I do if I win?
I won! Now what? The winner must post their email on Frabill’s Facebook page by noon the following Monday. (Frabill will delete this post upon receipt.) The winner will then receive a “Discount Code” from Frabill via email to apply towards their total purchase at frabill.com. This code will be valid for one month, but only for a one-time use. The winner will be responsible for shipping and any additional balance.
Can I win again? Once you’ve won this weekly contest, you will not be eligible to win again for six months. Pass the word on to your friends, and give them a chance to get what they want from Frabill! You are still eligible to win other Frabill contests.
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Springtime is lipless crankbait time. For years, Bill Lewis ruled the roost with the Rat-L-Trap. The Strike King Redeye Shad has moved in to a dominate position in recent years, but the most well kept secret of the lipless crankbait family is Spro's Aruku Shad. Those that know its success have kept it under the radar and die-hards know this bait is a hammer.
The Aruku Shad is a very unique offering. Its design creates a nose-down running style and because the line tie sits back on top of the bait it deflects well off stumps and runs well through grass. The rattle in the Aruku is much different than its counterparts. It is great on docks and bedding fish and because of the numerous color offerings, there is a perfect color for every kind of water. We even use the 1-ounce model on ledges and deep water applications in the summer. All Aruku Shads come equipped with super sharp Gamakatsu treble hooks. This bait is mandatory in every anglers tackle box.
The Aruku Shad comes in three sizes -- 3/8, 5/8 and 1 ounces.
To learn more about the Aruku Shad and see all of the colors go to the SPRO Website.
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B.A.S.S. Communications
Share and share alike.
Tough to do when the honey hole is small, producing fish of winning
caliber, and within sight of other anglers, but Davy Hite and Keith
Poche have learned how to work side-by-side over the first two days of
the Alabama
Charge on Pickwick Lake.
Hite pulled 42 pounds, 15 ounces, out of the two-man spot, enough
for first place on Thursday and up from second place in the Bassmaster
Elite Series’ third stop of the season. Poche was 1 pound, 2 ounces
behind the leader, with 41-13. Poche improved his
position from seventh place.
In contrast to the top two, Bobby Lane landed third place by going
solo in shallow water about 20 miles downstream from where Hite and
Poche are working a rocks-and-current area just below Wilson Dam. Lane
had 40-5 over two days, up from 10th and now in
range of the winner’s circle.
Paul Elias and Jared Lintner stayed in the top 5 again Thursday.
Elias had 39-10, again for fourth place, and Lintner fell from third to
fifth with 39-8. Day One leader, Denny Brauer, fell to sixth place with
37-12.
Hite said he had to discipline himself to stick with his section of
the hot spot, a 20- to 30-yard stretch he worked all day Thursday for
six bites.
“I promise you, at 10 o’clock I had one in the livewell. I’m thinking, ‘I won’t even cash a check at this pace,’” he said.
Not panicking and abandoning the hole to go to his second spot, 30
miles away, was the best thing he could have done. He felt he had to
stay to protect what he had.
“I started there today because I felt I had to claim my little
area. I kept thinking about going down (to his secondary spot), but
people kept leaving, and that’s when I made my hay, so to speak.”
He boated four largemouth and one smallmouth. A sixth fish broke
off in the rocks, and Hite lamented the loss as a potential winning
fish.
“It’s a grind. There are guys who are catching 14, 15 pounds, and
they’re catching 30 keepers a day. I’m catching heavier weights, but not
nearly as many fish,” Hite said.
Poche had all largemouth bass the first day, but he started hooking
into smallmouth on Thursday and ended up with only one largemouth in
his five-fish limit. The end product was 21-10, the day’s heaviest bag.
“Even the ones I culled yesterday were largemouths,” he said. “I’m
not sure what’s going on with that, but maybe I’ve caught all the
smallmouth residents and the largemouth moved in.”
Every fish came out of one 3-by-3 area — just 9 square feet total, he said.
“It’s an eddy, a little turn in the water. They come out into it
all through the day. It’s a matter of catching them at just the right
time. You have to throw and throw and throw.”
Both Poche and Hite noted that the spots appear to be replenishing
each day, and they’ll be back there again on Friday to defend their
spots and try to outdo each other. Only the top 50 will compete Friday, a
fact that might ease the pressure on the fish
of the Wilson Dam tailrace.
Lane said he’d go back to his area about 20 miles from the launch site.
“It’s been my water for the first two days. I haven’t seen a lot of boats,” Lane said.
He said he’s narrowed his spots from six to three, and will milk them for largemouth.
“I’m catching them in about 4 feet of water,” he said. “I believe
they’re prespawn fish. Water’s up there, and that’s helped me as the
fish move into the pockets.”
The largest bass of the day, an 8-pound largemouth, wasn’t brought
in by any of the leaders, but by J. Todd Tucker, out of the running in
65th place. Tucker’s bass, however, didn’t beat the Day One big bass,
Lintner’s 8-10, which is still in the running
for the Berkley Big Bass of the Tournament.
The top 50 will be cut to the top 12 for Saturday’s finale. The
anglers are competing for a first-place prize of $100,000 and a 2012
Bassmaster Classic berth.
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Matthew McClellan and Tyler Fisher of University of Texas at Tyler (UTT) brought 15 pounds, 4 ounces of Kentucky Lake bass to the scale today to take the day one lead in the National Guard FLW College Fishing National Championship. But the top of the leader board is tight and then there is a significant dropoff as you work down the standings.
Kentucky Lake has been in a state of flux for the last four weeks. When the college bass fishing teams that could make it down before the off limits cutoff, were here last the lake was 3 feet above summer pool levels. It was also rainy and cold much of that time as well. Now fast forward to this week where air temps are in the 70s and the lake is several feet below summer pool. The lake is slowly rising as it does beginning every April to get to summer pool.
This all adds up to a lot of confused bass and a lot of confused college bass fishing anglers. The lake was moderately windy today, but much better than yesterday when it was extremely windy for the one day of official practice the 25 teams got to figure out their patterns for the tournament. This tournament is proving to be a test of who can adapt to changes the quickest and make the most of key bites and opportunities. Several teams brought bass larger than 5 pounds to the scales, several teams reported losing big fish and several teams blanked. Not the norm for springtime on Kentucky Lake.
The water is still cold but warming, the lake is still low but rising and the clarity is muddy but clearing. So things could change a lot overnight on the fishery, and the fishing could get a lot worse for some teams and a lot better for others as the bass continue moving to where they want to be, which is up on the banks spawning. There are a lot of fattened bass roaming around waiting for the water to stabilize and warm up in the shallows to make their migration. Anglers are having to figure out where in this progression the fish are and capitalize on every bite.
"We came down early during our spring break, and while
everyone else was in the sun and at the beach, we were battling 40 degree
weather and pouring down rain," McClellan said. "My trolling motor barely worked it was so wet.
Today we were just running and gunning working a pattern and not sitting in one specific area."
Rounding out the rest of the top five were LSU Shreveport team of Zach Caudle and Joe Landry in second with three bass that weighed 14-14, Christopher Newport University team of Ryan Ingalls and Joe Wilkerson in third with five bass that weighed 14-11, Virginia Tech team of Jody White and Carmen Rejzer in fourth with 5 bass that weighed 13-5, and reigning champs University of Florida team of Jake Gipson and Matthew Wercinski in fifth with five bass that weighed 12-8.
Here are some quotes and more photos from the teams in the tournament:
LSU Shreveport
"We're known for always catching big fish, so I hope you guys are ready," said Landry as he and his partner reached into the bag and pulled out three impressive bass that weighed 14-14, nearly a five pound average of bass. "We caught a 7 pound kicker to make it to this championship in our regional. We did it again today to stay in the hunt. We changed up today late and didn't have enough time to fill out our limit but we'll have it tomorrow so look out!"
Christopher Newport University
"We caught a 7 pounder in practice yesterday and we went back to that area today and managed to catch five keepers," said the team from CNU.
Virginia Tech
"I may or may not have taken a lipless crankbait upside the head this morning," said Jody White looking back at his partner. White was fishing a shaky head first thing this morning and his partner rared back and whacked him in the side of the head with the treble hooked bait. "I got down on the deck and bled a lot. Then I got back up and we went and caught us five. I guess we'll use the get hurt and get five pattern again tomorrow if it works."
"Youngin' was mouthing off at me so I had to put him in his place," said White's partner Rejzer. "Actually I really felt bad all day today, but he caught our two best fish and really pulled his weight even being injured. So I was really impressed too."
University of Florida
"We feel good right now," said Gipson. "We have a lot of support. And the National Guard really deserves a lot of recognition for how they have elevated college fishing and allowed us to do what we've done over the past two years (winning three tournaments and last year's Championship)."
NC State (Dziwulski and Beverley)
"It's the lakes in Raleigh that help us be versatile," Dziwulski said. "Some lakes have grass; others have rocks. We've been really blessed the last few years. We just barely make it every year for the championship, so it's just a blessing from God.
"We have a strong under class that came in and adapted," Beverley said. "When they started competing, everyone got better." NC State has one of the largest clubs and has been voted the best place to go to college to bass fish based on their club's strength. It's evident as they are one of three schools with two teams in the 25-team National Championship.
Auburn University
"Shaye is a college fishing All American," said Jordan Lee. "He's a great fisherman and we've done well together. It's great to fish with him, but this is his last event."
"I have a very supportive family that travels to a lot of my tournaments," said Shaye Baker. "My sister just had a baby and she is here with her newborn for her first tournament. It would be nice to win her first event. It's just awesome to go fish on your dime during school, FLW."
On the water photos
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B.A.S.S. Communications
Dam largemouth:
Keith Poche nailed seventh place on Day One with 20 pounds, 3 ounces of
largemouth bass — all taken, he said, within 20 feet of the Wilson Dam.
Poche is bucking the trend of smallmouth catches in the tailrace.
He said at least one other leader, Davy Hite, is fishing within 50 feet
of him, catching smallmouth from the same spot.
“I caught them up there last year,” Poche said. “I lost a lot of them last year, but I hope I have it figured out now.”
He said the largemouth are feeding on the shad below the dam, and appear to be side-by-side with smallies.
After top-50 finishes in the first two events of the season, Poche is doing even better in the Alabama Charge.
“I had a lot of confidence for this tournament after coming from
way behind to make those two cuts,” he said. “I started in 88th in the
first tournament, and 82nd in the second tournament.” Those finishes
were a 40th and a 42nd, respectively.
Magic 12: By luck of the draw, Billy McCaghren was 12th in
line to take off Thursday morning. By coincidence, he held down 12th
place after the first day, which was exactly where he finished at the
previous Elite event.
There’s a sort of magic to 12th place in the Bassmaster Elite
Series: It’s the last-in slot for the final day of competition for the
$100,000 first-place prize. And going into that fourth day, the pressure
is less: With 11 anglers in front of you, no one’s
nipping at your heels, and the only place to go is up.
McCaghren of Mayflower, Ark., is naturally hoping he can do even
better than 12th at the Alabama Charge on Pickwick Lake. With 19 pounds,
3 ounces, he was 4 pounds, 7 ounces behind first-day leader Denny
Brauer.
“I covered a lot of water yesterday, fished shallow, kind of how I
grew up fishing,” McCaghren said on Thursday morning, referring to his
Arkansas River background. “The flooded conditions are making it a
little tougher — there’s a lot of water I can’t
reach. Hopefully I have it figured out how to get the bigger bite.
“I’m heading south, fishing for largemouth.”
All or nothing: Matt Herren said he either “bombs” or does extremely well on Tennessee River impoundments.
“Seems I’ll either make a top-12 cut or I’ll bomb. It’s just the
way I fish here. The quality of fish is so good here, I have to fish to
win. Right now, it’s fishing how I like to fish,” he said.
He’s on the up side of his seesaw this week on Pickwick Lake. He
held down fifth place with 20 pounds, 10 ounces, after the first day.
At the 2010 Alabama Charge, he ended in 62nd place. Further proof
of his bad-or-good claim are his third and 83rd finishes in Bassmaster
events on Lake Guntersville, another Tennessee River lake.
Herren is from Alabama. He lives in a town named Trussville near
Birmingham, but he’s quick to set anyone straight who presumes he’s an
expert on Pickwick, or has a home-state advantage on any of the
Tennessee River impoundments in Alabama (Wheeler and
Wilson as well as Pickwick and Guntersville).
“I’m a Coosa River guy,” he said. Besides living near Coosa
impoundments, he spent many of his summers as a kid fishing the Coosa’s
Lake Jordan with his grandfather.
Fans are everywhere: Mark Menendez told a story on stage
Thursday that proves once again that an Elite pro never knows when one
might encounter a fan.
While accompanying his wife to an appointment with her new
neurologist — she has been fighting multiple sclerosis for the past four
years — Menendez discovered that the doctor is one of his fans.
“He was looking at Donna’s CT scans, then he looked up at me, then
looked again at the last name, and got all giddy because he’s a bass
fishing fan. He’s watching right now on Bassmaster.com,” Menendez said.
Palaniuk on Palaniuk: Thursday’s B.A.S.S.Cam reports at Bassmaster.com included a new personality: Elite pro Brandon Palaniuk’s sister Brianna.
The dark-haired beauty interviewed anglers at the docks. She was taxied from angler to angler by boat by her brother.
She interviewed Skeet Reese, Keith Poche and Casey Ashley. Finally,
she gave her driver some camera time for a Palaniuk on Palaniuk piece.
Not Edwin Evers: Morizo Shimizu of Matsugaoka, Japan, has a
rig wrapped with the names of his many sponsors. One is “EDWIN,” which
appears in big block letters.
Lest anyone from afar think the boat belongs to Elite pro Edwin
Evers of Talala, Okla., or to anyone named Edwin, here’s the truth of
the matter: Shimizu’s EDWIN is a Japanese jeans brand. The name,
according to the company’s website, is a sort of acronym
for “denim,” with the “m” flipped upside down into a “w.”
Penalty box: Paul Elias (4th place) and Yusuke Miyazaki
(40th place) were sent to the back of the takeoff line Thursday morning.
B.A.S.S. tournament officials imposed the penalty on both anglers for a
Wednesday infringement: not wearing a life jacket
while within 800 feet of the Wilson Dam as required by law.
Both anglers reported their lapse themselves to B.A.S.S. Tournament
officials, who timed the release of each angler so they both lost equal
amounts of fishing time, about 20 minutes.
Elias, almost 3 pounds out of first place and originally scheduled to be the 36th angler out, was upbeat about the situation.
“I hope it’s not going to affect me at all,” he said while waiting
out his 20 minutes. “I’m just going to go out there and catch a big bag
of fish.”
Marshall goodies: Luck “E” Strike, a new supporting sponsor
of the Bassmaster Elite Series as well as of the Bass Pro Shops
Bassmaster Opens, treated the official Marshals of the Alabama Charge to
lure packs of the new Little Jerk soft-plastic jerkbait.
Each pack contained 20 Little Jerk lures in translucent-pearl, one of 25 colors offered.
Pink ribbon: Keith Poche has a tiny pink ribbon fastened to
his hat with a safety pin. He said he wears the ribbon in support of all
women who are fighting breast cancer, not just for one woman.
Quotable:
“I got to one area, caught a 4 1/2-pounder about my fifth cast, and
was expecting to get a few more bites there, and all of a sudden, the
flotilla came in and there were five or six of us in one area. I took
off, and just went fishing.” — Mark Menendez
(47th, 14-12)
“With the conditions we have, I’m pleased with my fish.” — Steve Kennedy (9th, 19-13)
“I’m just happy to have a good day after those two terrible
performances in Florida. I did so badly there, I can’t afford any more
bad tournaments.” — Denny Brauer (1st, 23-10)
“This is my favorite lake, and I hate to see how badly I did.” — Mark Davis (85th, 10-11)
“I was very fortunate to catch my big fish (a 5-9) in the first five minutes; it was my first bite.” — Nate Wellman (8th, 20-1)
“It’s no secret what bass bite here. I caught them all on a jig.” — Nate Wellman
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Gene Eisenmann got a couple of buddies together and built a new product. It just happened their names were VanDam and Kriet and they knew a little bit about bass fishing and what causes bass to bite. Using sound has long been a factor in bass fishing and the HydroWave introduces the normal sounds fish hear everyday including active shad, active feeding, and passive shad. Many believe these sounds stimulate the activity in fish and get them ready to bite.
The new HydroWave will begin to shjp shortly and it has been thoroughly tested and approved by both Jeff Kriet and Kevin VanDam. That's good enough for us to want to take a long look at it. We will review the technology soon but in the meantime here is an interview with Eisenmann talking about the unit. Click here to listen.
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There’s nothing like a
few warm days for spring fever to set in. It comes on fast and has the
power to derail all serious thinking. Luckily, serious anglers and
adventure junkies know the remedy is to pack up and head out: outdoor
season is here.
Just in time, Costa
announces its latest style, Tag, is available now in authorized retail
outlets. It features 360-degree co-molded technology and bold
construction, with built-in side shields and durable integral hinges for
a “forget-they’re-on” fit.
Tag
comes in tortoise, black or silver frame colors, in the full array of
Costa’s patented 580™ lenses, including the new Rx option. The 580 lens
blocks yellow light at the 580 nanometer on the light spectrum –
creating unparalleled visual clarity, the highest levels of polarization
efficiency and razor sharp color enhancement. Like all Costa
sunglasses, Tag is hand assembled in Florida with a lifetime warranty
against manufacturer’s defects and can be customized with the frame and
lens color of choice.
“This
style is classic Costa,” said Chas MacDonald, president of Costa
sunglasses. “It’s hard working, fits great and looks even better. It’s
just what the doctor ordered for those fighting spring fever.”
The
Tag style derives its name in honor of the many fish tagging programs
happening now in the name of conservation. Costa is an active supporter
of initiatives like Bonefish Tarpon & Trust’s Project Permit and The Billfish Foundation’s Tag and Release
effort, which seek to gather scientific data regarding fish stocks and
health. This data helps influence sustainable fishing policy and
regulations. A portion of Costa’s revenue each year goes to support
these and other marine conservation programs.
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Ben & Kevin of the NC State Wolfpack are competing in the 2011 FLW College Fishing National Championship
We touched base with five teams fishing in the FLW College
Fishing National Championship on Kentucky Lake April 7-9. They are launching
out of the Ken Lake State Park and weighing in at the Murray State CFSB Center.
They are all in good spirits and anxious for the tournament to get underway.
The lake has been in a state of flux for more than a month.
Just two weeks ago the water was 3 feet above summer pool and now it is a couple
feet above winter pool. It is on the rise as Pickwick Lake is full of water and
will be sending a lot of it this way. In fact the TVA is predicting the lake
will be one foot below summer pool by the end of Friday. Which means the water
is going to warm up, get more flooded cover in the shallows and this tournament
could change a lot.
The fish don’t seem to be spread out every where yet. But
that could all change during this tournament. We look for the fishing to change
but improve throughout the event and this could be a real test for the teams
that can adapt to the changing conditions the quickest.
Here is what the anglers from five of the 25 teams competing
in the National Championship had to say.
Ben Dziwulzki & Kevin Beverley – N.C.
State
It’s nice to finally see the sun on Kentucky Lake and catch
some fish. We didn’t throw lures much in pre practice before the cutoff, as the
weather was awful. We knew things would change.
Confidence is moderate. We had some areas that we didn’t
catch fish on in pre-practice. Wednesday we pulled up in those areas where we
thought the fish would be in pre practice and made one or two good casts and caught
fish. It was really pretty easy.
We feel we can catch a limit of solid keepers but it will
probably be about catching a big one or two to help our chances. We had hoped
for a tough tournament and now it looks like it could be a slugfest based on
today’s practice.
Jesse Shultz & Dustin Vaal –
Indiana University
We didn’t find a lot today but that’s okay. It’s the second
day after a cold front. We saw some bigger bass come up feeding on bait. The water
temperature is up from the last time we were here. Today was rough because of
the wind and cold front.
That’s the thing though. Our practice didn’t bother us at
all. We’re just going fishing. The water is coming and we think the fishing is
just going to get better. There could be guys that catch them the first day and
don’t the second day and vice versa because the fish are transitioning.
It could be another
one of those come from behind tournaments for us. We’re going to get it done.
We’re not worried at all.
Shaye Baker & Jordan Lee – Auburn
University
I don’ think anyone is going to whack them every day. We’re
hoping to find a good smallmouth and/or a good largemouth every day if we can.
I pre-fished 9 days before the cutoff, but it was over full
pool then and now it’s 4 feet below full pool. It’s going to be a grind, and we’ll
have to just keep changing. It’s going to be a grind because the lake just hasn’t
come back up. We found a good area today where I had a big fish on for a second
and we shook off a few others.
I doubt it will take 10 pounds a day to make the top 5. The
fish are all over the place and you saw the stringers from last week in the
Everstart. The lake is just not quite
where it is supposed to be.
Pre practice we drove the whole section of the lake that was
in bounds for this tournament just checking stuff.
Jake Gipson & Matt Wercinski –
University of Florida
Practice was a little tough. We ran around a lot and just
checked stuff. We found some fish holding in some areas but we only caught 3
keepers. That’s more because we were looking and as much as we can in 6 hours
and it was rough out there today with 25 mph winds.
We’ve been in this situation before, so we don’t feel the
pressure of defending the title. This is our last shot. So we’re going to go
out and fish and enjoy this while it lasts. Honestly we don’t feel the pressure
like some might assume we would because we’ve been in this before.
We won the first ever
National Championship and we’ve got the opportunity to be the first ever back
to back. So we’re looking forward to it. We’re going to fish a lot of areas and
throw the whole tackle box at them and see what happens.
Thomas Frink –
Kennesaw State University
I went to one area to basically eliminate it and turns out
that will be my starting point. I caught a 7 pounder and didn’t cast again but
I graphed a pretty good school there. I’m going to start there and fish around.
I’ve got some other areas that I think will work if this doesn’t.
I’m fishing by myself. The school would not let my partner
fish because of issues related to club activities and that left me fishing on
my own with an observer in the boat.
I fished Kentucky Lake before a few times but more around
the June time frame. I was 10th as a co-angler on the Elite Series in 2008 here
and won as a co-angler on the Elite Series in 2006. But I’ve never really been
here in April. I like fishing the Tennessee River, however. I fish Guntersville
and a lot of lakes around home.
I feel like I practiced the right way in pre-fishing before
the cutoff by fishing where I thought the fish would be now, and not trying to
catch them where they were two weeks ago. I think that might have tripped up a
lot of guys. Hopefully it plays into my favor.
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B.A.S.S. Communications
Denny Brauer’s five
largemouth were not unusual on Wednesday. Trick was, his five included a
7-12 and four look-alikes, enough bass to be boss for the day at the
Alabama Charge on Pickwick Lake.
Brauer, with 23 pounds, 10 ounces, was just 2 ounces in front of
Davy Hite, who had a mixed smallmouth-largemouth bag that went 23-8.
Brauer was also 8 ounces ahead of Jared Lintner’s 23-2 worth of
largemouth. Those three put a little distance between
themselves and Paul Elias, fourth with 20-11, and Matt Herren, fifth
with 20-10.
The leaders in the Bassmaster Elite Series’ third stop of the
season successfully targeted largemouth bass on a lake known for its
smallmouth. A rough estimate by observers was that 90 percent of
Wednesday’s bass were largemouth, a flip from the 2010 event,
when many more smallmouth bass — about 75 percent of the total — were
brought to the scales.
Brauer, the 1997 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year and
champ of the 1998 Bassmaster Classic — just one of his 16 Bassmaster
career wins — said he didn’t expect the weights to be as high as they
were.
“I attribute that to the prespawn, rather than to the postspawn
when we were here last year,” Brauer said. “Some of the fish are as fat
as any I’ve seen. It’s a very, very healthy fishery, and the timing
could not be better.”
Brauer targeted largemouth by flipping and pitching, using stout equipment to pull them out of heavy cover.
“Nothing special,” he said. “Just covering a lot of water, trying
to get one or two of the right bites, which I did. That’s the key in a
tournament like this. I had one in practice over 8 (pounds) so I knew
the possibility existed there for a big bite.”
Brauer said he would have locked up into Wilson Lake to get away
from fluctuating water levels of Pickwick, but with the lock closed for
repairs, he had to figure out how to work around the swelling, then
falling, levels. A drop in water might help him
Thursday when he tries to repeat his pattern and go for at least one big
bite of the day. Despite the fact he’s sharing water with many other
anglers, he’ll go back to the same area Thursday and try to repeat his
first day.
“I don’t know another way to catch a big bag right now than what I’m doing,” said Brauer, who lives in Camdenton, Mo.
Hite, two-time AOY and 1999 Classic winner from Ninety Six, S.C.,
said he ran up and down the lake several times, hitting spots up near
the Wilson Dam for smallmouth, down the lake for largemouth.
“I had two groups of fish, and unfortunately they were a long way from one another,” he said.
On the lower end of Pickwick, he fished what amounted to private
water, but it was the reverse up near Wilson Dam, the smallmouth
community hole.
“There’s a lot of people fishing on the upper end,” he said. “It’s
just a matter of sticking with a bait and having confidence in it, and
being patient.”
He said his bait was critical to his success, including his 6-1, and would keep that information to himself for the time being.
Lintner had the big bass of the day, an 8-pound, 10-ounce
largemouth that leads the contest for a $500 Berkley Big Bass of the
Tournament bonus.
He caught it right after he had backtracked to give Kevin Wirth a
lift back to the dock. Wirth had a small motor glitch minutes after he
left the dock, and Lintner stopped to help.
Perhaps, Lintner speculated, that big largemouth might not have been in the one spot if he had not given Wirth a ride.
“I went on my way, and the second fish I caught after that was the
big one,” he said. “Any one of these guys would do the same for a fellow
competitor. But I did think that maybe 10 minutes earlier, she might
not have been there.”
Lintner said he targeted largemouth, shallow, covering a lot of water, looking for the big prespawners.
“This is only the second time I’ve been here, so I’m learning as I go,” said Lintner, of Arroyo Grande, Calif.
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Here at Wired2Fish we love to fish tubes in the pre-spawn. They are great cast on light line, fished deep on drops and ledges, but springtime they really shine being flipped and pitched in staging areas. We have used them all and have found a bulky ribbed tube usually works best in the early spring. Bass like an easy meal as they head to the bank for the spawning ritual and a 4.5 inch tube mimics both crawfish and shad and sets up nice for that snack.
Power Team Lures recently introduced the Food Chain Tube in 3.5 and 4.5 inch models and it too fits the bill for close in combat. Whether fishing beds or heavy cover the Food Chain Tube is the perfect profile for winter weary bass.
We prefer the 4.5 model as a larger profile both provides the needed pressure waves and visible characteristics that big bass love. We flip this tube on either braid or fluorocarbon, depending on the cover and water color, and rig it on the spine of the bait with the paddles on the sides. A 4/0 or 5/0 offset bend or punch hook is perfect for this big bait. The gap in the hook is very important and we like to skin hook the bait whenever possible to increase our hook-up ratios. The nose of the bait is dense enough that it doesn't tear easily and can be used on multiple fish. The tentacles on this bait are active both in motion and sitting still and the side paddles allows the bait to glide and dart. The ribs on the tube help the bait to fall slower and more direct.
We typically use a single ball rattle inside the tube and also have been testing Hog Tonic with it.
The Food Chain tube comes in a variety of fish catching colors and comes 8 to a package. They retail for $5.49 and can be purchased by clicking here.
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A man, his Tundra and a lot of mojo muppets
One of bass fishing’s most electric personalities sits in
the driver’s seat of his Toyota Tundra Double Cab, glances at the 89,156 miles
on the odometer, and begins to calmly reflect.
Eighty-nine thousand, one hundred and fifty-six is more than
a number. It’s evidence of a career and a life lived largely away from home -
distant from two souls Mike loves so much, Drew and Rylie, daughters from his
first marriage. They have school to
attend and field hockey games to play while dad is on the road playing a crazy
game called professional bass fishing.
Luckily, Iaconelli has Becky, his wife, best friend and
business partner as a constant traveling companion. Plus, in recent weeks, brand new baby Vegas
Iaconelli has been riding along across America too with mom and dad. Chances
are, Vegas will see more of America before he’s done gumming macaroni noodles
than most folks encounter in a lifetime.
“This truck carries my wife, my baby, serves as a work
vehicle, and a tackle room; it’s our home away from home, and eighty-nine
thousand miles in just two years of driving proves it,” says the 2006 Toyota
Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year.
Iaconelli’s eyes glance away from the odometer, upward to
where an eclectic assembly of small animals and action figures sits. He begins to grin. “I’ve got Walter the dog, and then there’s
the Serenity Buddha, Becky bought me that as a calming device – because as everybody
knows, I get fired up pretty easily,” he laughs. “She also got me Devil Duck. She says it fits me perfectly because rubber
ducks are cute, but this one has a fiery exterior.” “And when a big 18-wheeler
cuts us off in heavy traffic – hey, I just reach up and slap the big red button
– that helps calm me down too,” he grins.
“I’ve carried stuff like this with me throughout my career.
This is not a new project -- it’s a family project. Drew got me the plastic prehistoric mudfish,
and she and Rylie recently got me the statue of the man with a stringer full of
what I’m calling warmouth sunfish,” he says, in a way that indicates his
creative mind won’t allow the critters on the stringer to simply be called
fish, but instead warmouth.
What some might call dash trash, Iaconelli calls a feeling
of home – a reason to grin and feel at peace. A chance to feel a little closer to what is missed most during 89,156
miles – and many more to come.
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Mark
Fisher, Rapala Pro and Acclaimed Angler, well-known angling enthusiast
and devoted spokesperson for the recreational fishing industry, was
inducted into the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame on Saturday, April 2.
Mark
was honored for being a legendary communicator, and for being
instrumental in introducing and garnering awareness for the sport of
recreational fishing to the public. As an avid speaker, Mark is engaged
with the many fishing clubs throughout the nation, along with providing
in-depth seminars to millions of anglers at numerous sport shows
throughout his career.
“We
are extremely proud of Mark’s accomplishments,” said Tom Mackin,
president of Rapala USA. “He has introduced a substantial amount of
people to the sport of fishing and is very deserving of this honor.”
Currently,
he is involved in guest hosting several television shows and radio
broadcasts, and bylines countless articles that appear in the most
widely read regional and national angling publications.
Mark
has been a professional angler for more than 30 years, winning the
prestigious U.S. Invitational Bass Tournament in the early 1990’s. On
top of being a renowned pro angler, Mark is also the director of field
promotions for Rapala, the world’s favorite fishing lure company since
1936.
For more information on Rapala and Mark Fisher, please visit www.rapala.com.
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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.
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We sat down and made our picks for the Pickwick Lake Bassmaster Elite Series. Factoring in the grass, staging prespawn bass and warming trends this week, the bass should be looking to chomp come tournament time. Pickwick has already kicked out several bass over 10 pounds this spring, so we expect to see some exciting catches this week. Most pros were hoping the bass would stay ganged up before going up to spawn as the water rapidly warms this week and next.
We picked some along the lines of the Fantasy Fishing groups and some picks were just based on the favorites to do well here so that you'll have multiple options in some of the more complex groups. We like to mix it up with a lot of options but as you can see from our picks in this tournament, sometimes it's just hard to "not" pick someone after they burn you in a few events.
TODD'S PICKS (Team Momentum)
 A. Kevin VanDam – He’s "Epic Win" – "no pain, no pain!" Seriously how can you not pick him after his start to this season.
B. Gerald Swindle - Coming off a second place while being brutally sick with food poisoning shows how tough G-Man is.
C. John Crews – Quietly on his game. Can adjust to the changing conditions.
D. Pat Golden – Huge momentum brings confidence. I think he’ll continue to be up in the standings here.
E. Keith Combs – Still a hard category to pick from. Struggled between O-Foe, Said, and Combs. Combs is charging hard and is burning me every time I don’t pick him.
JASON'S PICKS (Team Consistent)
A. Kevin VanDam - Uh I didn't pick him in the first two events. Smooth mooth on my part. That won't happen any more this season.
B. Cliff Pace - this fishery suits Pace's methodical style. He can catch them out offshore and up shallow. So if the prespawners are staging he'll do well and when they make a move we expect he'll still do well.
C. Kevin Short - Prespawn, crankbaits, and Kevin Short on Pickwick Lake all seem to fit this year's tournament so we had to go with Short on this one.
D. Chris Lane - The field is going to be constricted to Pickwick because of issues on Wilson and that means everyone is going to be looking for the best grass areas. Lane is a master of that. I look for him to top 10 here.
E. Ben Parker - never pick your friends. Or maybe it was their nose. I forget. But Ben is a buddy from around these parts and this lake will fit his style. I'm sure he put his Humminbird Side Imaging to use finding the best schools on the lake staging to move up.
TERRY'S PICKS (Team Grass Bass)
A. Dean Rojas - He can both sight fish and frog em, two patterns that might play here. But he's also good around the prespawn with other patterns.
A. Kevin VanDam - Really? Any explanation needed here?
B. Tommy Biffle - This tournament should set up well for a prespawn Biffle Bug and flipping bite as the fish move shallow when the water warms this week.
B. Mark Menendez - He has a lot of experience on this pond and is due for a break out tournament. This one sets up a lot like the Dardanelle event he won.
D. Cliff Crochet - He loves the frog, did well here before and is on a bit of a roll. Confidence is high.
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The original Wired2Fish photo
A couple of years ago, just before ICAST, we had the opportunity to meet the nice folks at Aquateko Invisa Swivel. They had just come out with a new fluorocarbon swivel that was first introduced in saltwater but had gained a strong following in freshwater as well. We loved the concept and liked the revolutionary design.
We have had a chance to use it on a drop shot and Carolina rigs and to be honest we were a bit leary of it initially. Would it break? Was it tough enough? Early on we found out the answer was an astounding "yes". This is a better mousetrap.
It is nearly invisible, tough as nails and neutrally buoyant. Fluorocarbon and braided line work equally well with this swivel and we didn't notice any knot slippage.
Aquateko Invisa Swivel has a new 2 for 1 promotion going on right now and wants serious anglers to try them out. Buy one and get the other free.
The promotion also covers the companies new leader called "Knot2Kinky" as well.
You can learn more click here and enter the promotion code AQUABOGO.
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I just read Jerry McKinnis' blog about fishing the Everstart Series tournament on Kentucky Lake this past week. Yes, that would be the FLW Outdoors, B.A.S.S.'s main competition as most see it. McKinnis, however, has fished the Everstarts for a while. I've personally seem him several times fishing at Kentucky Lake. And the reason why is no surprise to those of us that know Jerry.
We actually find Jerry's take refreshing and we're glad he squashed the absolutely ridiculous and uncreative rumors that B.A.S.S. and FLW Outdoors are merging or that he was there secretly recruiting anglers to fish B.A.S.S. Those type rumors always make us chuckle.
You should read his refreshing take on why he was fishing and more.
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Darren Cheney won the Legend Boats March rod contest and will be getting a brand new American Rodsmiths rod as a result. All you have to do for your chance at a rod is click "like" on the Legend Boats Facebook page.
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Operation Troop Salute goes live!
Recognizing the tremendous contributions of the thousands of brave men and women who currently serve or have served our country, " an incentive program designed to show visible appreciation to the members of the United States Armed Forces community who enjoy the rewards of the fishing and boating lifestyle.
From April 1 to June 30, 2011, any current or former member of the U.S. Armed Forces is eligible to receive one of two incentive packages with the purchase of a new, qualifying Ranger boat from an authorized Ranger dealer. Qualifying boats include any new Ranger boat, motor and trailer package that has not been previously registered and the program is not limited to the current model year.
“We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the men and women of our nation’s armed forces. It’s an admiration held dear by Ranger Boats Founder, Forrest L Wood and it remains a vital part of our company today,” said Ranger Boats President Randy Hopper. “Although we could never fully repay them for their service, we just wanted to say ‘thank you’ for all they have done. It’s an incredible privilege to live in the Land of the Free and we’re pleased to help honor so many true American patriots.”
Incentives offered during this program will be structured in two levels. For currently serving or retired armed forces personnel as well as veterans of campaigns in Iraq or Afghanistan, a qualified, new-boat purchase will entitle them to a $2 per-engine-horsepower rebate as well as an exclusive Ranger clothing package. Any buyer of a qualifying Ranger boat with previous armed forces service will be eligible for the exclusive Ranger clothing package under the Level 2 incentives. To receive the incentives, new-boat buyers will be required to submit copies of their Military ID Card or DD Form 214 for service verification along with an affidavit of purchase available on rangerboats.com.
Level One Incentives • Factory rebate of $2 per engine horsepower
• Exclusive Ranger clothing package, including jacket, T-shirt and decals
Eligibility: Available to individuals who make a qualifying Ranger purchase who are currently serving in or are retired from the U.S. Armed Forces as well as veterans of the Operation Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom campaigns.
Level Two Incentives • Exclusive Ranger clothing packing, including jacket, T-shirt and decals
Eligibility: Available to individuals with previous service in any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, who make a qualifying Ranger purchase.
For more details on “Ranger's Military Incentive Program” or to see the 2011 Ranger models, contact a local Ranger Boats dealer or visit rangerboats.com
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The Mustad Power Lock Plus Swimbait hook has an adjustable weight. You can get them in 1/0 to 11/0 and the action can be modified by moving the weight. Take a look at this KVD video to learn more.
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Spicer and Kaiser of Purdue Bass Fishing Team / Photo courtesy of collegefishing.com
The
Purdue University team of Charles (Ryan) Spicer and Chris Kaiser won
the National Guard FLW College Fishing Central Division event on
Kentucky/Barkley lakes Saturday with five bass weighing 15 pounds, 6
ounces. The victory earned the team $10,000 to be split between the
university and the university’s bass fishing club - $7,500 for the bass
club and $2,500 for their school. The win also helped them advance to
the Central Division Regional Championship.
"This is a little unbelievable, we won here last year and
to have back to back victories is really amazing,” said Kaiser, a
sophomore forestry and natural resources major. “We were fishing along
main lake banks with a lipless crankbait. This is an area we found last
year and it is just a magical area loaded with fish.
“We fell in love with the lake last year when we were
here and have tried to come back as often as we could. We were here
last week on spring break and the fishing was completely different. The
water was high and warm. We monitored lake conditions everyday on the
internet and were able to make some major adjustments that made the
difference for us today,” Kaiser added.
"We caught two four-pound fish right away and thought we
were just going to smoke ‘em all day long, said Spicer, a sophomore in
forestry. “But then the bite died and we struggled for about three
hours. We caught our last three with about an hour left in the
tournament. We knew it was going to be tough today, this is just
awesome!
Rounding out the top five teams and also advancing to the Central Regional Championship are:
2nd:University of Arkansas, Little Rock – Trent Gephardt and Carter Norman, (three bass, 10-11, $3,000)
3rd: University of Missouri – Duron Netsell and Scott Dooley, (five bass, 10-11, $2,000)
4th: Western Kentucky University – Andy Southard and Cody Napier, (four bass, 9-7, $2,000)
5th: Iowa State University – Branden Bowden and Travis Graves, (three bass, 6-1, $2,000)
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Photo by Jennifer Simmons / FLWOutdoors.com
Jeremy
Ethridge of Nashville, Tenn., weighed three bass totaling 9 pounds, 14
ounces Saturday to win the EverStart Series Central Division event
presented by Mercury on Kentucky/Barkley lakes with a three-day total of
13 bass weighing 60 pounds, 15 ounces. For his victory, Ethridge earned
$32,913.
“This has just been an amazing week,” said Ethridge.
“I started out the tournament doing something I really didn’t like and
then I remembered someone telling me to just do what you know best and I
did and look what happened! I am thrilled.
“I can tell you this, there was not a sole around me
all week, I was all alone on the river using Strike King Series 5
crankbaits,” Ethridge went on to say. “Yesterday my poor partner, I gave
him the same bait to use and told him to throw it on the same stump
that I had caught all five of my fish on. Bless his heart he tried
but couldn’t get one to bite.
“But this has been an incredible week. Kentucky Lake is awesome, and I can’t wait to come back.”
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
2nd: Mike Hollingshead, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 15 bass, 49-9, $11,285
3rd: Brent Anderson, Kingston Springs, Tenn., 15 bass, 47-7, $9,404
4th: Travis Fox, Rogers, Ark., 11 bass, 45, $8,463
5th: Bobby McMullin, Pevely, Mo., 14 bass, 43-2, $7,523
6th: Todd Hollowell, Fishers, Ind., 13 bass, 42-13, $6,583
7th Tom Silber, Labadie, Mo., 11 bass, 39-13, $5,642
8th: Tim Sprouse, Clarksville, Tenn., 11 bass, 36, $4,702
9th: Brian Fitzpatrick, La Crosse, Wis., 10 bass, 35-10, $3,762
10th: Travis Loyd, Kinmundy, Ill., nine bass, 34, $2,821
David Burks caught the biggest bass of the tournament
in the Pro Division Friday – a 7-pound, 14-ounce bass – that earned him
the day’s EverStart Series Big Bass award of $274.
Steve Gregg of Florissant, Mo, won the Co-angler
Division and a Ranger boat with an Evinrude or Mercury outboard motor
with a three-day total of 12 bass weighing 31 pound, 9 ounces.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Joey Henderson, Mayfield, Ky., eight bass, 27-3, $4,282
3rd: Terry Hollowell, Anderson, Ind., eight bass, 23-5, $3,806
4th: Alan Quick, Springfield, Mo., nine bass, 22-5, $3,331
5th: Gary Emery, Eastpointe, Mich., nine bass, 22-5, $2,855
6th: Tommy Lowery, Ofallon, Mo., seven bass, 21-13, $2,379
7th: Alan Woodford, Winslow, Ind., six bass, 20-7, $1,903
8th: Rod Yoder, West Lafayette, Ind., six bass, 20-1, $1,427
9th: Russell Sproessig, Columbus, Ind., five bass, 18-14, $952
10th: David Matual, Chicago, Ill., five bass, 17-8, $761
Josh Smith caught the biggest bass of the tournament
in the Co-angler Division Thursday – a 7-pound, 2-ounce bass – that
earned him the day’s EverStart Series Big Bass award of $182.
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Paul Marks of Georgia captured the PAA Tournament Series title on Lake Lanier
with a three-day total of 44.44 pounds. (PAA: Chris Dutton)
Ranger pro Paul Marks of Cumming , Ga., thought the bass
he lost late in the day Friday would come back to haunt him in the
season-opening PAA Tournament Series presented by Carrot Stix on Lake
Lanier.
But the four he weighed were pretty stout, and Marks brought in a limit
Saturday weighing 13.92 pounds to win the tournament with a three-day
total of 44.44 pounds. He won $5,000 and a new Nitro Z-8 with a Mercury
225 and T-H Marine Atlas jackplate, along with valuable points toward
the 2012 PAA All Star Series and 2011 Toyota Texas Bass Classic.
“I don’t think there’s a happier person in the world,” Marks said. “To
do this at home with all my family and friends here is just great.”
Marks
doesn’t live far from the lake but doesn’t fish as much as he used to
due to a passel of youngsters playing sports and other activities. He hit old familiar spots that had yielded
fish over the years, but on the final day kind of ran by instinct.
“I caught three off of old places where I put out brush years ago and
haven’t fished in a long time,” he said. “Then, I had two others on
back-to-back casts on one point. I caught one, got it in and the wind
pushed me off. When I got back on the point, I fired the jerkbait in
there and it went umph-umph-umph … two straight.”
Marks threw an albino Sworming Hornet Fish Head Spin with a white Zoom Fluke and Lucky Craft
Staysee in Ghost Minnow. He worked both to bass suspending about 10-15
feet deep over brush that was about 20 feet deep.
Omega pro Derek Remitz of Alabama was second with 42.30 pounds, followed
by Ranger pro Todd Auten of South Carolina with 41.89. Megabass pro
Aaron Martens of Alabama was fourth (38.59) and Ranger pro Tom Mann Jr.
of Georgia (38.34) rounded out the top five.
The rest of the top 20:
6. John Murray, Arizona, 37.82
7. David Hendrick, North Carolina, 33.97
8. Nick Larson, Georgia, 32.71
9. Takahiro Omori, Texas, 30.79
10. Larry “Doc” Seger, Missouri, 29.43
11. Shin Fukae, Texas, 29.35
12. Chris Brasher, Texas, 29.35
13. Tommy Biffle, Oklahoma, 28.20
14. Troy Morrow, Georgia, 28.18
15. Brett Hite, Arizona, 28.09
16. Doug Jones, Oklahoma, 27.31
17. Lance Vick, Texas, 26.79
18. Mike McClelland, Arkansas, 24.90
19. Cody Bird, Texas, 24.45
20. Kevin Hawk, Alabama, 20.93
Remitz was close
After two tough tournaments during a season-opening swing through
Florida, Derek Remitz arrived with a head full of clouds to match the
gray skies at Lanier.
He easily chased them away with his strong finish and final-day catch of
18.70 pounds, the biggest of the final round and second-biggest of the
event.
Remitz threw SPRO McRip and Megabass Vision jerkbaits on points with
angled banks and rock, clay and shells. Wind helped throughout the day.
“I fished all new water,” he said. “This was about the best it could be
for throwing a jerkbait. The sun was good and the wind distorted the
water. I was glad to see it blowing like this.”
Auten’s three were big
Todd Auten has been Mr. Consistency in PAA Tournament Series events,
winning at Neely Henry in 2009 and making four of the last five cuts.
He only caught three fish Saturday but they weighed 14.59 pounds, good
enough to push him to third. He caught one sight-fishing and the other
two on a Chatterbait around docks.
“I figured I’d look around a little and found some, and then the others
came off the docks,” Auten said. “It was a tough day but those were
pretty good ones to catch.”
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Paul Marks of Cumming , Ga., brought in four bass weighing 15.91
pounds to push his two-day total to 30.52 for the lead on Lake Lanier in
the season-opening PAA Tournament Series presented by Carrot Stix.
Marks weighed in early Thursday at Lake Lanier Islands Resort and his
surge to the top held up. He leads the Top 20 pros into Saturday’s final
day with $5,000 and a new Nitro Z-8 with a Mercury 225 and T-H Marine
Atlas jackplate at stake for the winner in the $185,000 tournament.
“I
was just hitting a few places and fishing for big fish,” Marks said.
“Most of it is brush where I think the fish are suspending, but I
believe the bigger fish are moving in first.”
David Hendrick of North Carolina is second with 28.38 pounds, followed
by John Murray of Arizona with 28.22 pounds. Lanier regulars Troy Morrow
of Toccoa, Ga., (28.18) and Tom Mann Jr. of Buford (28.03) round out
the top five.
The rest of the top 20 fishing Saturday:
6. Todd Auten, South Carolina, 26.30
7. Aaron Martens, Alabama, 26.27
8. Doc Seger, Missouri, 26.11
9. Lance Vick, Texas, 25.45
10. Tommy Biffle, Oklahoma, 25.08
11. Derek Remitz, Alabama, 23.60
12. Shin Fukae, Texas, 23.35
13. Cody Bird, Texas, 22.94
14. Doug Jones, Oklahoma, 22.28
15. Nick Larson, Georgia, 21.10
16. Chris Brasher, Texas, 20.48
17. Takahiro Omori, Texas, 20.40
18. Brett Hite, Arizona, 20.21
19. Kevin Hawk, Alabama, 19.46
20. Mike McClelland, Arkansas, 19.42
Conditions changed Friday with bright sunshine but persistent, cold
wind blowing much of the day. First-day leader Cody Bird of Texas
struggled with three keepers, only one coming early in his best area
before he had to scramble. Hendrick had issues with short-striking bass
again, and said he lost a 4-pounder at the boat that would have helped
his weight.
Morrow surged into the top five with a 20-pound catch anchored by an
8.14-largemouth. He had just four fish and couldn’t get the fifth keeper
in the boat.
“I pretty much was just junk fishing and in one of those in-the-moment
kind of things,” he said. “I was doing several different things in four
or five places. Thursday I ran around and probably hit 100 places to
catch eight pounds, so I settled down a little and just fished.”
Saturday’s weigh-in will begin at 4:30 p.m. at Bass Pro Shops in
Lawrenceville. Fans are invited to attend for it and the Phil Niekro
Fins & Skins Celebrity Pro-Am weigh-in that begins at 3 p.m.
featuring PAA pros and sports stars including Niekro, St. Louis
Cardinals infielder Ozzie Smith, Pittsburgh Pirates slugger Bill
Mazeroski, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Steve Bartkowski and others.
Full standings, photos and other tournament information can be found at FishPAA.com.
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It's Mike McClelland Night on Wired2Fish TV tonight and that is no April Fools Joke! Two more great vignettes will air tonight on Versus headlined with Elite Pro Mike McClelland on deep water bassin' and how to correctly fish the Spro McStick, respectively.
In the 6:00 pm CST time slot during “Quest for the One”. Elite Series Angler Mike McClelland talks about how he breaks down deepwater structure for Bass.
In the 10:30 pm CST time slot during “City Limits Fishing”. Elite Series Angler Mike McClelland gets out his signature series Mc Stick baits to go after Bass.
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EGO's S2 Slider Net is a big time hit. There is no question that anglers across the country love the innovative design and functionality. EGO's sales and our response to the contest proved that. We received some great feedback on the entries. Thanks to all.
The ability to store the S2 easily, the ability to reach longer distances for that fish of a lifetime with an easy push of a button and the fact that the S2 floats put it in a class by itself. The thinking that a net is just a net no longer exists.
The correct answers and questions are below:
1. The S2 Slider will float. True
2. Nets are allowed in FLW tournaments. True
3. The S2 Slider is now the only net that Adventure Products manufacturers. False
The winners of the contest are:
Michael Floyd – Auburn, WA
Jim Ford – Loveland, CO
Buck Buchanan – Elizabeth City, NC
Congrats to all. They are on the way!
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