 ReefSafe’s BackCountry SPF 30+ Spray with natural Citronella is a great
combo sun protection insect repellent for outdoor enthusiasts needing to
ward off pesky insects during the day. Now there is a solution for the
nightly pests, “Expedition.”
Without the SPF component of BackCountry, Expedition is a natural
Citronella spray that wards off the unwanted guests when the sun is down
and the moon is up.
Reef Safe SunCare by Beach Buff was introduced by Tropical Seas® of
Ormond Beach, FL, as a sunscreen scientifically proven to biodegrade in
oceans, lakes and rivers; thus protecting fragile ecosystems while
protecting your skin. Reef Safe’s non-toxic formula and biodegradable
claim is scientifically substantiated, a testimonial that no other sun
care product on the market can make.
“After much experimentation, we launched Backcountry as our first
sunscreen with added natural Citronella, and due to the success and
positive feedback, Expedition seemed like a 'no-brainer' next step,” said
Dan Knorr, CEO and President of Tropical Seas. "Consumers reported that
the spray warded off a variety of unwanted guests such as mosquitoes,
yellow flies, sweat flies, no-seeums and more. These can especially be a
big annoyance at night, but there’s no need for the SPF; therefore a
bottle of Expedition is the perfect solution.”
An 8.45-ounce bottle of Expedition retails at $10.00. Reef Safe
sunscreens are available in resort locations across the U.S. Sunbelt,
Hawaii and throughout the Caribbean islands, and online at reefsafesuncare.com.
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Robert Boyd of Russellville, Ala., weighed a five-bass limit totaling
22 pounds, 11 ounces Saturday to win the EverStart Series Southeast
Division event presented by Evinrude on Lake Guntersville with a
three-day total of 15 bass weighing 66 pounds, 3 ounces. For his
victory, Boyd earned $35,000 and a 198VX Ranger boat with a
200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard motor.
“I pretty much committed to one spot,” said Boyd. “It’s a big
community hole that’s obviously got some good fish on it right now
migrating up and getting ready to spawn.”
Boyd said he targeted fish on a rock pile in 14 to 17 feet of water with a large crankbait and a plastic swimbait.
“Sometimes they would come in schools and sometimes it would be two
and three and sometimes it would be five and six,” Boyd said. “They had
to be pulling or pushing water – one way or the other – for the big fish
to get up on that rock.”
Boyd said he caught 10 keepers throughout the course of the day and
chose to sit in one spot and focus on the rock pile because of a tender
wrist and shoulder.
“I had to find something I could do,” Boyd said. “I couldn’t go out
there and rip a jerkbait or a Rat-L-Trap through that grass because my
shoulder just wouldn’t allow me to. So I found me a deep hole that had
some (fish) living on it.
“It hasn’t really sunk in yet, but right now this feels pretty awesome,” Boyd added.
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
2nd: Clent Davis, Montevallo, Ala., 15 bass, 63-12, $12,000
3rd: Casey Martin, Huntsville, Ala., 15 bass, 63-4, $10,000
4th: Clark Smith Jr., Pell City, Ala., 15 bass, 57-4, $9,000
5th: Marty Giddens, Alpine, Ala., 15 bass, 56-5, $8,000
6th: Yancy Windham, Reform, Ala., 14 bass, 53-9, $7,000
7th: Chad Prough, Chipley, Fla., 15 bass, 53-5, $6,000
8th: Brandon McMillan, Belle Glade, Fla., 15 bass, 50-12, $5,000
9th: Arnie Lane, Lakeland, Fla., 15 bass, 49-11, $4,000
10th: Rick Williams, Decatur, Ala., 12 bass, 46-12, $3,000
Joey Thigpen of St. Johns, Fla.,caught the biggest bass of the
tournament in the Pro Division Friday – an 11-pound, 8-ounce bass – that
earned him the day’s EverStart Series Big Bass award of
$300.
Jason Atkins of Section, Ala., won the Co-angler Division and a Ranger
boat with an Evinrude or Mercury outboard motor with a three-day total
of 15 bass weighing 46 pound, 1 ounce.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Alex Posey, Roswell, Ga., 13 bass, 44-9, $4,500
3rd: Mark Sullivan, Collinsville, Miss., 14 bass, 43-8, $4,000
4th: Bob Slaton, Marietta, Ga., 15 bass, 42-7, $3,500
5th: Charles Stevenson, Albany, Ga., 14 bass, 39-7, $3,000
6th: Keith Whipple, Iuka, Miss., 12 bass, 38-4, $2,500
7th: Mitch Reynolds, Petal, Miss., 11 bass, 35-15, $2,000
8th: Mike Gipson, Niceville, Fla., 10 bass, 34-14, $1,500
9th: Stephen Kocell, Waxhaw, N.C., 10 bass, 31-5, $1,000
10th: Justin Jones, Apex, N.C., 10 bass, 29-9, $800
Steve Keller Jr. of Bethel, Ohio,caught the biggest bass of the
tournament in the Co-angler Division Thursday – a 10-pound, 3-ounce bass
– that earned him the day’s EverStart Series Big Bass award of $200.
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The
Coastal Carolina team of John Miller and Wyatt Hammond won the National
Guard FLW College Fishing Southeast Division event on Lake Guntersville
Saturday with five bass weighing 19 pounds, 3 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 Southeast
Division Regional Championship.
“This is unbelievable,” said Hammond, a senior history major from
Myrtle Beach, S.C. “I’ve been trying for three years to get here.”
Cold weather greeted the collegiate anglers Saturday morning, but it
didn’t seem to affect the fishing much according to Hammond.
“It was 32 degrees at blastoff,” Hammond said. “It was cold, to say
the least. But it warmed up to 65 or 70 degrees and I know a lot of
people out here were catching a lot of good fish.”
Hammond said the team began the day fishing a hump Hammond had found
two years ago. Hammond said the hump came up to 4 feet of water and was
covered in shells and was holding bass.
The team found success early as Hammond caught a fish on a chartreuse
jerkbait within five minutes of arriving at the hump, and soon after
Miller caught one on a Rat-L-Trap. Miller then caught an 8-pounder on a
shad-colored Rapala Shad Rap and followed that up with a 4-pounder.
Hammond said the team later stopped at a point that was near deeper
water and Hammond caught a short fish, the team’s only short fish of the
day, and after that he finished their limit and proceeded to the
check-in site.
Rounding out the top five teams and also advancing to the Southeast Regional Championship are:
2nd: University of Montevallo – Preston Broadhead, Montevallo,
Ala., and Joe Handley, Hueytown, Ala. (five bass, 18-2, $3,000)
3rd: Kennesaw State University – Thomas Frink, Woodstock, Ga.,
and Justin Marlow, Cartersville, Ga. (five bass, 16-14, $2,000)
4th: Tennessee Tech– Ryan Maddux, Evensville, Tenn., and Seth Davis, Decatur, Tenn. (five bass, 16-8, $2,000)
5th: Lagrange College – Torre Pike, Lagrange, Ga., and Ryan Wakenigg, Cataula, Ga. (five bass, 16-4, $2,000)
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Photo by B.A.S.S. Communications / James Overstreet
In a squeaker on Texas’
Lewisville Lake, Mark Tucker of St. Louis found 12-pounds, 1-ounce
worth of bass to take home his first B.A.S.S. win, $10,000, a
Skeeter/Yamaha boat-and-motor package and a berth in the 2012 Bassmaster
Classic.
His total after three days was 45-15.
“I’ve got to thank the Lord big time. This is all thanks to Him.
This has been a long time coming, and to finally get it feels great. You
strive to be the best, and when something like this happens, there’s
nothing like it,” he said. “This is an awesome
lake and it’s great to be here.”
However, Tucker almost didn’t make it out of the gate this morning.
An expired insurance policy on his BassCat meant he had to be held at
the dock until an updated policy was shown to B.A.S.S. staff. The ordeal
cost him 15 minutes and a lot of stress.
Tucker feels that he was the only one employing the pattern that he
did. He was slowly working a Smithwick Rogue jerkbait over 8 to 10 feet
of water along rocky points. The keys, he says, were his line, patience
and cold water. He searched for the coldest
water that he could find.
“They wouldn’t hit it if it fell down, so I used Trilene XT
monofilament so it would rise a bit,” he said. “I’d slowly twitch it,
and then they’d load up on it.”
Tucker’s jerkbait pattern triggered a flurry of Kentucky (spotted)
bass activity, but the big ones wouldn’t stay buttoned up. He lost what
would have been the biggest fish of the tournament at his boat. Tucker
estimated it to be in the 9-pound range. If
he had fished flawlessly, Tucker said he would’ve had 25 pounds in his
first hour on the lake. What’s more, the big fish that he lost took his
Rogue that was working. So, he scrounged around his boat, found a
similar color pattern and modified it to look like
the one that was working.
“I know these guys in the top 12 are awesome fishermen, and with
the fish on the bank I thought the weights would skyrocket,” he said.
Per his statement yesterday, Tucker plans on heading to Shreveport,
La. — the sight of the 2012 Classic, his eighth — to practice right
away.
Eleven ounces behind Tucker is Casey Scanlon of Lenexa, Kan., with
45-4. Scanlon weighed in 19-1 today, the heaviest stringer of the
tournament, for a total of 45-4. His bag was anchored by a 6-14 big
bass.
“The key for me was to fish slow,” he said. “I had about an hour that was awesome where I really caught ‘em good.”
In third place is Chris Ford who added 15-7 to his total for a
cumulative weight of 35-4. In fourth place is Billy Cline of Grapevine,
Texas, who could only manage two keepers that went 3-15, giving him a
total of 33-15. Rounding out the top 5 is Kevin
Ledoux of Choctaw, Okla., whose three fish went 6-1, giving him a total
of 23-1.
Also notable is aspiring angler Janet Parker, who finished sixth. She wound up with a total of 22-10.
Despite the heaviest bag of the tournament crossing the stage today
at Bass Pro Shops in Grapevine, Texas, weights were down significantly.
Two of the final-day pros and four co-anglers failed to register any
keeper bass. There wasn’t a single three-fish
co-angler limit brought to the scales today. Warm, windy conditions had
Lewisville’s prespawn bass in a tailspin.
On the co-angler side, Clayton Coppin of Wagoner, Okla., took home a
brand new Skeeter/Yamaha rig valued at $35,000 for his winning weight
of 18-8, more than 4 pounds ahead of second place.
“This is not easy to do; there’s some tough competition out there,”
Coppin said. “The way that things were going this morning, I thought we
were going to whack ‘em. We didn’t, but I got enough to win and that’s
all that matters.”
In second place is Michael Curbow whose two bass that weighed 3-0
brought his total up to 14-7. In third is Wade Garcia of Alma, Ark., who
didn’t register a bass today, but wound up with 13-13. In fourth is
Darryl Hanks who also blanked today but had 12-2,
and in fifth place is John Englund, who added a 1-11 bass to his total
for 12-0.
The next Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open is on Table Rock Lake in
Branson, Mo., April 28-30, where another 2012 Bassmaster Classic berth
will be awarded. After the final event on the Arkansas River in
Muskogee, Okla., set for Sept. 8-11, the third and final
Classic berth will be handed out, and the top five anglers in the points
race will be offered a spot in the 2012 Bassmaster Elite Series.
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Tonight on Versus we have another Wired2Fish TV tip: “Sirius
Cold Fronts” Elite Series Pros Gary Klein & Mike McClelland share their
knowledge on how weather affects bass when a cold front is approaching and how
to get more bites after the cold front has passed.
Airing during the 6:30 CST Quest for the One show.
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B.A.S.S. Communications photo
The Bassmaster Classic was filled with firsts. Kevin VanDam was the first angler to win more 5 million dollars. Kevin Oldham was the first non-angler allowed on the weigh-in stage, and radar was first used in a bass boat as a navigation tool. There were several other firsts as well, and we came away from this Classic with a renewed vigor for our sport that had been lacking the last several years.
We had the opportunity to sit down and talk to Elite Series angler and 10th place finisher Gary Klein about his use of Lowrance Broadband Radar and how important it was to him at the event.
Wired2Fish: Several pro’s installed radar units in their boats for the Classic. You were one of them. What was the determining factor for you?
Klein: I knew that because the cold water from the Mississippi was dumping into the Gulf, we had the possibility of fog at this classic, more so than any other time. I also knew that fog is very unpredictable. Some areas would be clear but because of the long runs there was no doubt in my mind that it would play here.
Wired2Fish: With that said, how long before the Classic did you prepare?
Klein: I actually made arrangements two months prior to the Classic to install it. I did the installation myself. I fabricated the mount and set it up. Let’s go back a bit. I have run the Lowrance HDS since they came out and was teased with a screen on the HDS and knew it was possible but had not used it before this event. It was everything and more, and it exceeded my expectations.
Wired2Fish: Was it hard to set up and use?
Klein: Not at all. It is easier than your electronics to learn and interpret. I ran it with mapping in split screen mode with mapping and radar. I ran it from 200 feet to 400 feet most of the time but it has a range of 24 miles. In the river I ran it at a 1/4 mile. It picks up everything above the water line -- marker buoys, ships, birds, PVC pipes, etc.; you could see it all. I ran 65 mph in fog where you could not see the front of the boat. This was the harriest run I have ever committed to. I ran 200 miles round trip and got to fish 42 minutes. I would not have been able to fish that long without Lowrance radar.
This is a modular system and uses broadband technology. It plugs into the Lowrance NMEA module.
Wired2Fish: Does the unit make any noise?
Klein: It is completely silent, and I never knew it was running except for the screen display. The permanent positioning of the antenna is critical, and it worked perfect. Once I set it up and locked it in, it was the deal. I am sure I will have the need to use it again, and it was a huge advantage in New Orleans. But from a navigation and a foggy weather perspective, it was a difference maker.
To learn more about Lowrance Radar and Broadband technologies, visit Lowrance.com.
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Spro gets it. They have arguably one of the best prostaffs in fishing and they use them. When you see a new Spro bait you can be assured that painstaking effort in design and tweaking has occurred. Prototype after prototype, change after change, it doesn't come to market unless it is perfect. From crankbaits to frogs to swimbaits Spro wants anglers to catch more fish and they want their products to be the best.
Wired2Fish and Spro just ran an early spring bait contest to help anglers break out of cabin fever early.
The correct answers to the questions were:
1. Who is the designer of the Spro Poppin Frog? C. Dean Rojas
2. What length is the McStick available in? D. Both A and B
3. What is the deep diving crankbait, designed by John Crews, called? B. Little John DD
4. What is the smallest swimbait in the BBZ line-up? C. BBZ 2.5 Baby Shad
The winners of the contest were:
Paul Bebee
Deltona, FL
Carolyn Campbell
Maryville, TN
Justin Bankston
Macon, GA
Your Spro Baits are on the way.
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When Kevin VanDam talks about the little things, we listen and when he talks about hooks and winning, he knows what works. The Mustad KVD Elite Triple Grip trebles have now be acknowledged as part of the reason he has back to back Classic wins. No Flex 1X Wire, 2X Short Shank and a wide gap the Ultra Point Trebles will help hook more fish and keep them buttoned up.
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Years of painstaking research and testing went into the Trigger X products. Nothing hit the shelves until everything was right. Fish bite for all kinds of reasons but they hold on because it tastes like food. The right combination of science including pheromones and new shapes like Big Moe, a wide tail creature bait and the Flappin Bug, a craw fish imitator will help anglers put more fish in the boat in 2011.
We recently ran a Contest on Trigger X and the correct answers with questions were:
1. What is the lizard/creature shape from Trigger X with the super wide tail called? B. Big Moe
2. What is the length of the Flappin Bug? D. Both A and B
3. What line company is part of the Rapala Brand? C. Sufix
4. What does "DT" stand for in Rapala's crankbait lineup? C. Dives To
The winners of the contest were:
Justin Brouillard
Rochester, VT
Daniel Coomes
Seffner, FL
Rob Ontiveros
San Jose, CA
Congrats to all and your full assortment of Trigger X products are on the way!
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We just ran a punch contest on Wired2Fish where we talked about the new Mustad Grip Pin Hook and the perfect punching hook. Below Kevin VanDam shows you why they work so well.
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The Bass Federation Inc. (TBF announced today a new TBF sponsor partnership with Cabela’s, the World’s Foremost Outfitter of hunting, fishing and outdoors gear since 1961.
The new Cabela’s sponsorship will touch all aspects of the TBF’s adult, youth and conservation programs companywide, not only with national events, but also in every TBF affiliated state federation in the United States and Canada.
“We’re thrilled to announce our partnership with Cabela’s, the World’s Foremost Outfitter,” TBF President Robert Cartlidge said. “Cabela’s is a company with first-class customer service and people who truly care; they share TBF’s passion for the outdoors and for doing what is right for the future of our sport. TBF members are passionate about supporting those who support them and the things they hold dear. Cabela’s is a natural fit for Federation members and their families who aren’t just anglers, but outdoors people. They, like I, love to shop at Cabela’s.”
Cabela’s program highlights include the presenting sponsorship of select TBF division championship events and offering Cabela’s Anglers Cash bonuses at every TBF-affiliated Federation state championship, the TBF divisional and national championships, as well as the National Guard Junior World Championship and TBF High School Fishing World Finals. Cabela’s Anglers Cash amounts will vary from $250 at the state level, to $500 at the divisional level and up to $1,000 for the highest finishing qualified angler, both the boater and non-boater, of the 2011 Federation National Championship.
Also, Cabela’s will be a supporting sponsor of the TBF Junior Program, Student Angler Federation (SAF), High School Fishing World Finals, TBF Reel Kids casting program and TBF conservation programs.
“We are extremely excited to be able to partner with The Bass Federation on so many different levels,” said Tom Rosdail, Cabela’s Vice President of Marketing. “We’re happy to be able to provide more cash incentives for TBF tournament anglers, and we’re honored to be able to help out with the youth programs. The partnership between The Bass Federation and Cabela’s is a perfect fit.”
Every TBF affiliated Federation will be offered funding and support incentives through the Cabela’s/TBF sponsorship program to support projects at the state level, including marketing incentives and bonuses for Federations holding events and gatherings at a Cabela’s retail store.
Cabela’s Incorporated, headquartered in Sidney, Neb., is a leading specialty retailer and the world’s largest direct marketer of hunting, fishing, camping and related outdoor merchandise. Since the company’s founding in 1961, Cabela’s has grown to become one of the most well-known outdoor recreation brands in the world and has long been recognized as the “World’s Foremost Outfitter.” Through Cabela’s growing number of retail stores and its well-established direct business, it offers a wide and distinctive selection of high-quality outdoor products at competitive prices while providing superior customer service. Cabela’s also issues the Cabela’s CLUB Visa credit card, which serves as its primary customer loyalty rewards program. Cabela’s stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “CAB.”
The Bass Federation Inc., (TBF) is owned by those we serve and dedicated to the sport of fishing. TBF is the largest and oldest, organized grassroots fishing organization. TBF affiliated state federations and their member clubs conduct more than 20,000 fishing, youth and conservation events at the local level each year and have provided a foundation for the entire bass fishing industry for more than 40 years. Visit bassfederation.com
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We caught up with Elite Series pro Casey Ashley after his performance at the Bassmaster Classic and talked fishing, singing and his new association with Jewel Bait Company on Weighing In Radio with Terry Brown. To listen click here. |
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 BASS photo
ESPN Classic is airing a marathon of past Bassmaster Classic shows on Friday evening beginning at 7pmET. Pretty neat for those of us who love the sport! I know we will be setting our DVR's. Below is the list of Classic Shows.
7pm - 2001, New Orleans (VanDam)
8pm - , New Orleans (Iaconelli)
9pm - 2004, Charlotte (Omori)
10pm - 2007, Birmingham (Duckett)
11pm - 2010, Birmingham (VanDam)
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Redneck Remedy announced today that two Elite Series anglers, Kevin Short and Billy McCaghren, Jr., will be helping in the effort to increase brand awareness for the company. Two-time Elite Series champion Short will showcase the Redneck Remedy brand on his truck wrap, as well as a part of the wrap on his BassCat boat. McCaghren, the 2009 Bassmaster Elite Series Rookie of the Year, will sport a flashy purple and bright blue Redneck Remedy wrap on his BassCat for 2011, as well as brand placement on his truck. Both anglers have worked with the company in smaller roles of sponsorship for the past few Elite Series seasons.
“Redneck Remedy products are something that everyone who spends any time in the outdoors will need at some point,” Short said. “From the Fast Sunburn Relief of the Redneck Remedy Sunburn Lotion to the Itch Relief of the Anti-Itch Cream, Redneck Remedy has products that are truly Skin Care for the Serious Outdoorsman. One try is all it takes to become a believer in the soothing power of Redneck Remedy.”
“I’m proud to be a part of a small company that is really growing fast,” McCaghren added. “I’ve known about Redneck Remedy products since they were first made. I’ve used them, my family and friends have used them, and now we have the opportunity to help put the word out to the rest of the world about how great these skin care products really are.”
“We at Redneck Remedy couldn’t be more proud of both Kevin and Billy in terms of what they’ve accomplished in the fishing world as well as how they have helped us to grow this company from the ground up,” stated Glenn Wood, President of Redneck Remedy. “We’re excited about the exposure and brand awareness they will bring us this Elite Series season and beyond.”
Wood continued, “Developed by a pharmacist, Redneck Remedy Burn Lotion and Redneck Remedy Anti-Itch Cream are unique products specially formulated to treat those really tough skin conditions brought on by the outdoors. We know what's available over-the-counter and are dedicated to always providing skin care products that are ‘a cut above’ the rest when it comes to skin care.”
For more information on Redneck Remedy or to purchase Redneck Remedy products, visit their website at redneckremedy.com.
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Photo by B.A.S.S. Communications
Costa sunglasses recently signed on as the title sponsor for Bassmaster Elite Series angler Casey Ashley. The news comes as Ashley prepares to compete in the 2011 Elite Series, starting with The Sunshine Showdown Mar. 10 – 13, in Taveres, Fla.
This is Ashley’s fifth year competing in the Bassmaster Elite Series, with nine top 10 tournament finishes to his name. He has been a member of Costa’s pro staff since 2007. This year, as title sponsor, Costa will custom wrap Ashley’s Triton boat and Toyota Tundra, as well as design his tournament jerseys. Ashley wears Costa’s Corbina and Harpoon frames with 580™ green mirror and 580™ copper lenses.
Many of Ashley’s fans also know him as a country music artist. He often performs his songs, like “Fisherman,” at music events along the Elite Series trail. Ashley is currently recording his music in Nashville, Tenn. He plans to debut his new singles, “Sunshine,” written by Rodney Clawson, and “That’s What I’m Fishing For,” written by Mike Lane and Joe Lickteig, in spring 2011.
“I’ve been a fan of Costa’s for a long time, and not just because their sunglasses let me see the fish more clearly,” said Ashley. “Costa practices what it preaches when it comes to protecting the sport I love, and I’m proud to be a part of their team.”
Follow along with Ashley on Costa’s Facebook page, where he will provide updates and photos throughout the Elite Series tournament season. You can also listen to Ashley’s music online at caseyashley.com/.
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Billy McElroy, head toon keeper at Scales and Tales, lives in a different world than most of us. He is heading to the airport to do a show at Bass Pro Shops and just sent us a new cartoon giving patdown a whole new meaning. Check it out on by clicking here. |
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Clear Lake, California based Little Creeper Bait Company has just introduced a new 5 3/4 inch swimbait that can be fished weedless on a 7/0 Gamakatsu EWG Monster or any hook that is a screw in. The screw in style hooks should utilize an 8/0 hook. Its called the All American Trash Fish. It comes in 16 colors and is available at Tackle Warehouse. Benno Heune, owner of Little Creeper, wanted a more realistic baitfish and designed a very unique tail design. "I had over 25 prototypes and settled on this one because of the way it looks and how it fishes" said Huene.
He has a bluegill coming out very soon as well.
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At this years Bassmaster Classic Ranger Boats took off the gloves with a tricked out Ranger perfect for the angler who loves the bling. Equipped with American Racing ATX Wheels and rubrail LED lighting it looked sharp and was getting lots of interested eyeballs. Ranger may be offering some exciting new customization packages down the road but nothing is official as yet. We really liked the look!
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By Terry Brown
This was a special Bassmaster Classic for a number of reasons. It was a renewal for New Orleans, hard hit by Hurricane Katrina and the Gulf Oil Spill. It was win number four for Kevin VanDam. It was seeing Brandon Palaniuk paying tribute to Bryan Kerchal. It was seeing my buddy Kevin Oldham ride into the Classic arena with Gerald Swindle. The tide of emotions ran deep.
This was my 21st Bassmaster Classic. To be honest, I normally get up for them but this one created a new standard. I had been planning this trip months in advance. Reasons for that later.
New Orleans opened its scarred arms to fishing folks, those that love the outdoors, those that see the world for more than buildings and cars. Outdoors people are a different lot. They are generally a friendly bunch and love to talk about the sport they love, but it was taken to a new level at this dance. Seeing people embrace each other for time missed, being busy in other places, chatting with people new to the sport and talking to the stalwarts that have covered the sport from its early days were all in the mix. I got to spend time with Steve Price, one of my journalist heroes, Don Barone, the wizard of Word and folks from the companies that make this sport go.
Folks like Forrest Wood, Larry Nixon, George Cochran, Ray Scott, Jerry McKinnis, Ray Murski, and Glenn Lau were all there. I got to take it all in and do so through the eyes of a very special friend, Kevin Oldham.
Kevin's story, to some, is a very sad one. A strapping young man who is a die-hard bass fishing nut, a great father and husband, a firefighter, and a young man who is fighting pancreatic cancer. A man who once weighed 205 pounds and was solid muscle is now 150 pounds. A man destined to take on what life has given him head on and do what he can to help others, even while fighting for his life. He doesn't feel sorry for himself or ask "why me". He never has.
His journey with me started last spring. I was the master of ceremonies at a Bass University in Nashville. A few of his friends, fellow firefighters, attended and we became friends. When I got home I received a very special phone call that changed my life. An angel by the name of John Carrier, made a call to me asking if I could get a few anglers to give him a call. He specifically mentioned Gerald Swindle, who he knew lost his brother Tony to pancreatic cancer earlier. He told me Kevin's story. I told him I was all in and those that know me know that when I am all in, I am all in. I got on the phone that day and called Gerald. "G" told me he would call but later told me he wasn't sure if he could actually make that call. His brother's memory was still fresh and he wasn't for sure the words would come out if he called. His wife Leann pressed him to make that call. She and Gerald were together when that call was made and they both cried.
Gerald told me this week "T, I have never let you down bro but I wasn't sure I could keep that promise that day. I did and it was the best thing I ever did. That call was a special place in time I will never forget."
It could have ended right there, and it would have been a great story. But I had the opportunity to speak with Jerry McKinnis and told him about Kevin. His firefighter brothers wanted to bring him to the Classic. I told Jerry it would be neat if we could do something special for a "B.A.S.S. guy" and he too was all in. He and I spoke of several surprises. Getting his folks involved and making this a very special event for Kevin was the goal.
Angie Thompson, another angel got involved. She did the work of a hundred people behind the scenes setting it all up. I again spoke to Gerald and asked if he would help. He too was all in. Gerald suggested cutting his hair in a Mohawk, as part of the Mo-hawk Less Cancer that Kevin had started when he found out he had the disease. He decided against it because he felt the Mohawk would get more press than Kevin's story. Gerald Swindle has a huge heart, and I will never forget what he did.
We had planned to have Kevin on the floor in the "Livewell" and when he walked on stage emcee Dave Mercer would read a special tribute to Kevin from Gerald, and Gerald would give him one of his jerseys. That didn't happen, as Kevin's buddies had to take him to Tulane Hospital to have his stomach drained of fluid to alleviate some pain. He arrived after Gerald had weighed it, but what happened next was even more amazing. Back stage Gerald presented Kevin with his jersey with his friends standing beside him. This too was a moment I will never forget.
It wasn't over yet. Another surprise was in the making that only his friends, a few B.A.S.S. folks and I knew about. Day two he was riding into the Classic with G. On Day Two, we walked the the Classic Outdoor Show and we knew we had to leave early to get to the boat yard. B.A.S.S. made a special concession to allow us in. We sat near the area where the anglers are staged and every angler came over and spoke to Kevin.
I asked Kevin if he was saved. "I couldn't have made it this far without his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ," he said.
He is not afraid of dying and never has asked 'why me'.
"We are all in line, just some of us have a position more near the front," he said.
A calm I had never felt before came over me and I knew this was a very special time. Although he had already changed my life for the better, I too now celebrated his life with him. It's not about dying but its more about living and Kevin Oldham is a testament to that.
Shaw Grigsby came over to see Kevin, spoke to him for a few minutes and noticed he had Gerald Swindle's jersey on.
"This will never do," Shaw said as he ran back to his truck. He returned with one of his jerseys and told him to wear it when Gerald came over. His buddies and I hid Kevin behind us when Gerald arrived and when it walked out wearing Shaw's jersey the moment was priceless.
"This will not work, get that green jersey off, we have work to do," Swindle said.
Kevin and his friends went over to Swindle's boat. This was their private time together, brothers held together by two common threads, firefighting and their love of Kevin. Kevin VanDam stopped by with them and they spent 30 minutes or so together, G, KVD, Kevin and his buddies. As they drove towards the weigh-in we scurried to get inside to watch what was about to happen. The moment when he drove through the curtains onto the stage time stood still. His smile was from ear to ear and there was not a dry eye in the place. Photographers like Dan O'Sullivan and Alan McGuckin told me they just pointed and shot because they couldn't look through their viewfinders because of tears. It was a surreal moment I will never forget.
The last day of the Classic, Kevin was a "rock star". He signed autographs and fishing folks spoke to him. Kevin Oldham got his wish that day. Not to be the center of attention or a superstar but rather to make a difference. Kevin is a fighter and that fight drives the human spirit. I am honored to call him a friend. I am in line with you bro and you hold a special place in my heart. I have eight new brothers from the Waukegan Fire Department Local 473, and you are the reason my friend.
Thanks to Don Barone and Alan McGuckin for putting into words what I could only think. Check out his blog here at Wired2Fish for his story on Kevin Oldham. It touches the heart.
Angels & Heroes
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“Never Lost a Fish” - Hooks Play Key Role in KVD Classic Win
In Kevin’s 2010 and 4th Classic win, he boasted that he never lost a fish. Well once again ,
history repeats itself. In his history-making 2011 dominating performance, Kevin said,
“I never lost a fish”.
On Day 1, Kevin was fishing with a spinnerbait rigged with a Mustad® UltraPoint®
Spinnerbait Trailer hook (Ref. No. 32602NP-NI). “I was fishing an area that was
basically a field of submerged stumps. This Mustad spinnerbait hook has a shorter shank
than typical spinnerbait hooks, which makes it more weedless. I could bump and run the
bait and was able to work it through the stumps without hanging up,” said Kevin.
In Day 2 & 3 of the Classic, Kevin was fishing a Strike King KVD 1.5 crankbait. As he did at last
year’s Classic, Kevin replaced the factory round bend trebles with the KVD Elite
Triple Grip® Treble (Ref. No TG76NP-BN). “I replaced the #4 factory trebles with
#2 KVD trebles. The ability to upsize with this treble design made a huge difference in
back-to-back Classic wins,” noted Kevin. “ People may find this hard to believe…but I
never lost a fish during both days of fishing,” he added.
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The characters at Scales and Tales, including Bill McElroy, send out their congrats to Kevin VanDam for winning his fourth Bassmaster Classic.
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Photo courtesy of B.A.S.S. / James Overstreet
Editors Note: We're going to have a recap next week on the trends that came out of this tournament and follow back with all our coverage this week for good lessons on fishing this amazing fishery.
Well it's set in stone now, KVD is the all-time great in the sport. You heard it here first. Just kidding. But seriously two things are certain: VanDam wins and the Louisiana Delta in the prespawn/spawn stage is an amazing fishery! We've heard from three anglers today that lost 8- to 10-pound fish today. We know of others that caught and lost big bass. No telling how amazing the catch would have been if they had full 8 hour days everyday this week.
VanDam, a name synonymous with "power fishing," wrote another chapter in the B.A.S.S. history book as well as his own legacy in the sport. The worst part for other anglers is he isn't going to retire probably for another 20 years. His ability with a crankbait has put him with the top crankbait fishermen of all time. When other folks talk about throwing crankbaits the talk about chunking and winding, but VanDam and the greats can make it look like they are just chunking and winding when in reality there are nuances that make them the best in the business.
Wrist rolling, pauses, pulls, rips, floats, bumps and runs making that bait hunt. This week Kevin VanDam put on a clinic on how to saturate expansive spawning flats to milk the biggest bass in a fishery from depressions, ditches, stumps and other changes in a huge area.
VanDam was throwing both the Strike King KVD Square Bill 1.5 and 2.5 crankbaits and bumping stumps. when he'd hit a stump he'd give the bait a wrist roll and that wrist roll would trigger big bass to react. He caught big bass, lots of bass and an average of 23 pounds of bass a day from a fishery that had 49 degree water in it a week ago.
If the weather this week was an imperfect storm, VanDam was the perfect storm. He was emotional giving fist pumps leaving the ramp in the morning, when he caught a big bass, when he walked on stage, when he came down for the super six and of course when his name was called as 4-time Bassmaster Classic Champion.
It was awesome to see Brandon Palaniuk get choked up on stage and really feel the moment he had in the spotlight for all the Federation Nation members and blowing Bryan Kerchel's fish whistle in his memory for being the only Federation Nation angler to ever win the Classic.
Derek Remitz told us at the media day before the tournament that he had gotten a few bites in one area but he had missed them all so he wasn't even sure they were bass. Turns out they were bedding bass in Cataouatche Lake. He sacked up 26-5 on the last day, learning his area better and how to catch the big fish better. And he had a kicker that weighed 8-4. That's a pretty amazing tournament. He caught his fish on a Lucky Craft RC 1.5 in Bream color. He caught his fish with a 7-foot St. Croix Glass crankbait rod, 16-pound fluoro.
I asked him if he felt relaxed on the day off before the tournament because I've always heard that guys that have awful practices have great tournaments and guys that have great practices have bad days in the tournament.
"I would have been more relaxed and calm," he said, "but I didn't know the fishery well so I wasn't even sure I was fishing around bass."
Boyd Duckett weighed the big fish of the tournament 8-15 on the final day as well as the heaviest limit of the tournament at 28-13.
Duckett setup outside the wall around Lake Cataouatche and no one else was out there. Late on day two he was flipping a new Berkley Havoc Pit Boss and he caught a big fish and that clued him in to what would be the big final day push. He setup on the spot this morning and caught the big one early. Then lost another big one, he estimated as big or bigger. Then he caught another big one. And it was game on.
"That spot is loaded with big ones right now," he said. "If I went tomorrow and connected on all of them I could catch a 30-pound limit. I just found these fish too late. But it's been an amazing tournament. This is a great fishery. Louisiana take care of it!"
Brent Chapman also had an amazing tournament, running to Venice and sacking up fish with very little time on two days of fog delays. Then on the day when he had all day to fish, an influx of coldwater changed the fishing in his area and he only caught average 3 1/2-pound fish and no big kickers. He flipped a Tightlines UV Blue Beaver around mats and Russeau cane. He caught a lot of fish on the final day but could only muster 16-7, his worst day of the event.
Aaron Martens talked very highly about the fishery and the fact that it will soon be kicking out 12- and 14-pounders regularly. He caught an amazing 25-14 limit. But amazingly he finished second for the fourth time in the Classic, a record he'd just assume not have. His day two catch of 12-11 really sealed his fate. He had 20-plus pound weights on day 1 and day 3. But fish came unbuttoned and didn't get the bait as well on day two, something echoed through out the tournament by many competitors. Aaron caught his fish on a Megabass crankbait rod with 20-pound sunline fluorocarbon. The bait was a shallow crankbait.
"We hit this lake the absolute best week we could have hit it," he said. "When it warmed up it went above average and that made it above average fishing. Today was one of the best days of the year to be fishing on the Delta."
But in the end VanDam slammed the door shut with 28 pounds. He looked like a kid about to open his christmas presents on stage waiting for his weight to be announced and the fact that he won for a record-tying fourth time. Now only Clunn and VanDam have won four Bassmaster Classic titles. While Clunn may win some more, it seems hard to believe VanDam won't win another few himself. He won his first Classic in 2001 on the Louisiana Delta and now he's won his fourth on the same fishery.
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By Alan McGuckin
In early 2008, pro angler Gerald Swindle watched his big brother Tony, a strapping hammer swinger in his early 40s, die of pancreatic cancer.
Tony was surely among a list of Swindle's best friends, definitely a fan of G's career, and undoubtedly a ground wire to perspective for the rest of G's Life.
Last year, fans and fishing industry folks like Terry Brown reached out to Gerald for support.
Support of a Chicago-area firefighter named Kevin Oldham, who loves to fish.
And is dying of pancreatic cancer.
Gerald's told me numerous times -- that the first phone call to Kevin was one of the hardest things he's ever done.
I'll let prolific writer Don Barone tell you the details in the attached link.
Warning: if you have a pulse, your tear ducts are about to rain as you read db's words.
Angels & Heroes (click to read the heart felt story)
Yesterday, at day two's weigh-in of the Bassmaster Classic ...
B.A.S.S. officials approved Gerald's request to have Kevin ride shotgun with him in his boat as he was pulled into The New Orleans Arena.
Tears fell.
Lots of them.
And bass fishing's funniest and most talkative man fell speechless on stage.
With microphone under his chin, Swindle's silence green-flagged admiration and applause.
And let me tell ya, holding focus on that Canon while your nerves tremble with emotion and your viewfinder floods with tears ain't easy.
I just held the shutter button, and hoped.
Here's a few frames from a moment that left most in an arena of 10,000 people with flooded tear ducts and better hearts.
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Kevin VanDam, often described as the best angler in the world, said
he simply got lucky Saturday when he hauled 22 1/2 pounds out of the
Louisiana Delta on a day when other Bassmaster Classic anglers fishing
beside him fell behind.
“I don’t think that I’m doing anything different than anybody else
there,” said VanDam, the defending Classic champ and reigning Toyota
Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year from Kalamazoo, Mich. “I got lucky
and made a couple of right casts and had my
bait go by a bass that was in the right mood.”
By good fortune or by talent, he pulled in front with a two-day
total of 41-11. VanDam was 3 pounds, 11 ounces ahead of Brent Chapman,
in second after two days with 38-1.
VanDam said he had to work hard, “grind out” his limit.
Like the first day, Saturday was a short fishing day. Fog kept
anglers on the bank for almost three hours before the fog lifted and
tournament officials sent them on their way.
First-day leader Aaron Martens of Leeds, Ala., fell behind Saturday
with a 12-11 catch from the same area. He ended the day in third with
33-2. Other anglers working alongside VanDam were Brandon Palaniuk of
Rathdrum, Idaho, who was fourth with 32-8, and
Scott Rook, fifth with 31-11.
The field was cut to the top 25 for Sunday’s finale. The winner’s prize is $500,000 and bass fishing’s top trophy.
Chapman, the only angler in the top five not fishing the area of
the Delta’s Lake Cataouatche, said he’d repeat his long run to Venice
for his spot, which he hasn’t had time to properly work over because of
fog-shortened fishing time.
Chapman knew exactly how much fishing time that strategy left him Saturday.
“One hour and 10 minutes,” Chapman said. “Not very long.”
Speed-fishing, he secured a five-fish limit in the first 45 minutes
flipping a Tightline UV Beaver into the canes. In the last 20 minutes
of his short fishing time, he upgraded with three that he estimated went
4 pounds each.
“My alarm on my phone went off not two minutes after I caught that last one, and I had to go,” Chapman said.
He had a rough trip home, too. His route crossed the Mississippi River, in the fog.
“Luckily I was able to still keep pace, but there were boats, and I was pushing it.”
First-day leader Martens came off the Delta a frustrated man.
“I missed a bunch, I got probably 20 percent of the fish that bit.
They’d hit my bait, but I couldn’t get them. When you get bit on
something, you keep throwing it, but it never happened for me,” he said.
Fourth-place holder Palaniuk, the B.A.S.S. Federation Nation champ
of 2010, is a 23-year-old rookie in his first pro tournament. He pulled
up from 11th place. He’s also fishing Cataouatche.
“Some struggled there today,” he said. “It got better there for me
today. I’m not saying what I’m doing, but it’s working for me.
“I’m excited to be here. I came here to win. I know I’m going
against the best, but somebody’s going to win, and it might as well be
me.”
Full Standings
1. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, Mich. 10 41-11 0
Day 1: 5 19-03 Day 2: 5 22-08
2. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, Kan. 10 38-01 0
Day 1: 5 18-00 Day 2: 5 20-01
3. Aaron Martens Leeds, Ala. 10 33-02 0
Day 1: 5 20-07 Day 2: 5 12-11
4. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, Idaho 10 32-08 0
Day 1: 5 14-10 Day 2: 5 17-14
5. Scott Rook Little Rock, Ark. 10 31-11 0
Day 1: 5 19-06 Day 2: 5 12-05
6. Derek Remitz Grant, Ala. 10 30-03 0
Day 1: 5 12-15 Day 2: 5 17-04
7. Gary Klein Weatherford, Texas 10 29-07 0
Day 1: 5 12-07 Day 2: 5 17-00
8. Todd Faircloth Jasper, Texas 10 29-00 0
Day 1: 5 15-02 Day 2: 5 13-14
9. Skeet Reese Auburn, Calif. 10 28-11 0
Day 1: 5 15-01 Day 2: 5 13-10
10. Bobby Lane Lakeland, Fla. 10 27-07 0
Day 1: 5 16-12 Day 2: 5 10-11
11. Kevin Wirth Crestwood, Ky. 10 27-03 0
Day 1: 5 14-02 Day 2: 5 13-01
12. Cliff Pace Petal, Miss. 10 27-01 0
Day 1: 5 15-07 Day 2: 5 11-10
13. Dale Hightower Sand Springs, Okla. 10 26-14 0
Day 1: 5 15-09 Day 2: 5 11-05
14. Paul Elias Laurel, Miss. 10 26-03 0
Day 1: 5 14-13 Day 2: 5 11-06
15. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, Okla. 9 26-02 0
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 4 12-13
16. John Crews Salem, Va. 10 25-05 0
Day 1: 5 13-14 Day 2: 5 11-07
17. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, N.J. 10 24-10 0
Day 1: 5 13-01 Day 2: 5 11-09
18. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, Ariz 7 24-07 0
Day 1: 2 4-04 Day 2: 5 20-03
19. Boyd Duckett Demopolis, Ala. 9 24-05 0
Day 1: 5 13-12 Day 2: 4 10-09
20. Shaw Grigsby Gainesville, Fla. 10 23-10 0
Day 1: 5 9-03 Day 2: 5 14-07
21. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, Fla. 10 22-13 0
Day 1: 5 9-11 Day 2: 5 13-02
22. Morizo Shimizu Matsugaoka, Japan 10 22-13 0
Day 1: 5 10-00 Day 2: 5 12-13
23. Keith Combs Del Rio, Texas 10 21-10 0
Day 1: 5 13-02 Day 2: 5 8-08
24. Greg Vinson Wetumpka, Ala. 9 21-06 0
Day 1: 5 14-03 Day 2: 4 7-03
25. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, Okla. 9 21-01 0
Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 4 10-00
26. Matt Herren Trussville, Ala. 10 20-12 0
Day 1: 5 12-15 Day 2: 5 7-13
27. Mark Davis Mount Ida, Ark. 10 20-09 0
Day 1: 5 7-00 Day 2: 5 13-09
28. Edwin Evers Talala, Okla. 8 20-09 0
Day 1: 5 14-02 Day 2: 3 6-07
29. Dave Wolak Wake Forest, N.C. 10 20-06 0
Day 1: 5 13-02 Day 2: 5 7-04
30. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, Mo. 10 19-14 0
Day 1: 5 10-08 Day 2: 5 9-06
31. Gerald Swindle Warrior, Ala. 10 19-13 0
Day 1: 5 10-10 Day 2: 5 9-03
32. George Crain Cropwell, Ala. 7 19-05 0
Day 1: 2 3-12 Day 2: 5 15-09
33. Terry Butcher Talala, Okla. 10 19-01 0
Day 1: 5 9-09 Day 2: 5 9-08
34. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, Ark. 9 18-11 0
Day 1: 4 9-05 Day 2: 5 9-06
35. Randall Tharp Gardendale, Ala. 8 18-08 0
Day 1: 5 11-12 Day 2: 3 6-12
36. Andy Montgomery Blacksburg, S.C. 9 18-06 0
Day 1: 4 9-02 Day 2: 5 9-04
37. Kelly Jordon Palestine, Texas 7 17-02 0
Day 1: 5 14-03 Day 2: 2 2-15
38. Brian La Clair Denton, Md. 8 16-05 0
Day 1: 5 10-03 Day 2: 3 6-02
39. Bill Lowen Brookville, Ind. 10 16-00 0
Day 1: 5 7-11 Day 2: 5 8-05
40. Ryan Said Wixom, Mich. 8 15-08 0
Day 1: 3 4-15 Day 2: 5 10-09
41. Dave Watson Sullivan, Ind. 7 15-05 0
Day 1: 5 11-04 Day 2: 2 4-01
42. Greg Hackney Gonzales, La. 8 15-01 0
Day 1: 3 4-03 Day 2: 5 10-14
43. Ryan Mcmurtury Abbeville, S.C. 10 14-14 0
Day 1: 5 10-09 Day 2: 5 4-05
44. Sean Alvarez Rutland, Vt. 8 14-14 0
Day 1: 5 8-00 Day 2: 3 6-14
45. Russ Lane Prattville, Ala. 5 14-14 0
Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 5 14-14
46. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, Ark. 7 14-02 0
Day 1: 5 8-12 Day 2: 2 5-06
47. Jason Williamson Aiken, S.C. 8 13-10 0
Day 1: 5 7-01 Day 2: 3 6-09
48. Steve Kennedy Auburn, Ala. 3 6-10 0
Day 1: 2 2-06 Day 2: 1 4-04
49. Tracy Adams Wilkesboro, N.C. 2 5-02 0
Day 1: 2 5-02 Day 2: 0 0-00
50. Clark Reehm Lufkin, Texas 4 0-11 0
Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 4 0-11
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B.A.S.S. Communications / Photo by James Overstreet
Aaron Martens took about a
1-pound lead Friday on the first day of the Bassmaster Classic, the
world championship of bass fishing being played through Sunday on the
Louisiana Delta.
Martens’ 20 pounds, 7 ounces, kept him in front of Scott Rook of
Little Rock, Ark., with 19-6. Rook snuck ahead of defending Classic
champ Kevin VanDam, who had 19-3 for third place. Ending the day in
fourth with 18-0 was Brent Chapman of Lake Quivira,
Kan. Bobby Lane of Lakeland, Fla., with 16-12, was fifth.
Dense fog delayed the start of Friday’s competition by 70 minutes.
The shorter day upped the ante on the gamble of using competition time
to travel to far-flung hot spots.
Martens said he wasn’t making a long run, but he still would have
preferred not to have lost the hour of highly productive morning
fishing.
“The fog hurt a little bit,” said the Bassmaster Elite Series pro
from Leeds, Ala. “I got three fish the first 10 minutes, and they shut
off for a while.”
He hinted that he used reaction baits, “but I won’t say what yet.”
He said he didn’t boat as many bass as he did during his practice time
in the same area. His biggest bass was 5-9, also the tournament’s best
catch of the day.
“I got nice fish, just not nearly as many bites as I thought I
would,” Martens said. “It’s probably the weather, and the stage the fish
are in.”
Rook, who finished in second place in the 2001 Classic on the
Louisiana Delta, said he is sharing water with VanDam and Martens, but
the area is large enough for sharing.
“It’s a huge spawning flats, 2 ½ to 3 feet deep,” said Rook. “It’s
got thousands of cypress stumps. I know there’s fish in there spawning.”
Rook said his fish came slowly. He had two by noon, but then the bite turned on.
“Normally, with a full moon, they start biting again at noon, and
they did,” he said. He had a 3 ½-pounder at noon, then two more, each
about 10 minutes apart. His day’s total was 19 pounds, 6 ounces.
VanDam, the angler who bested Rook in 2001, described his day as “decent.”
“I was really hoping to have an outstanding day today and get a big
bite or two,” he said. “The fish were a little bit fickle. They’re
thinking about spawning and not eating real well, so the bite was a
little funny. It was definitely a struggle, but there’s
quality in the pattern I’m fishing.”
VanDam said he will trust his Day 1 success and return to his spots on Saturday.
Chapman said he hopes to duplicate his 18 pounds of Friday by returning to his southerly spot in the Venice area.
“I don’t think it showed itself,” Chapman said. “It’s got a lot of fish, I think I can do even better.”
Lane said he found numbers of bass today, but not of the quality he had hoped for.
“The tide was lower, and the bigger ones just didn’t bite,” he said.
Martens grimaced when told of Saturday’s forecast for early morning dense fog. He’s determined to stick with his spot.
“I’d like to get there early in the morning. They bite better
then,” Martens said. “As much as I caught today, and the quality I’m
seeing, hopefully I’ll get enough to maybe win this thing.”
Competing in his 12th Classic, Martens has ended up in the runner-up spot three times.
Unlike Martens and VanDam, Lane is making a long run to the Venice
area. He said he got to his area by 10:30 a.m., fished until 12:30 p.m.,
then headed in and arrived 45 minutes early. He said another fog delay
wouldn’t hurt him too much, and just three
hours of fishing time on Saturday will suit him.
“That’s plenty of time — if you’re around them,” he said.
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Wired2Fish TV tip for tonight on Versus will air during the Quest for the One episode at 6:00 CST. The Glorvigen boys show us how to constantly monitor the weather while in your boat using Sirius Marine Weather. |
Greg Hackney grew up in southeastern Arkansas, but for the past eight years, the New Orleans Delta region has been his home. “I live in Gonzales, it’s 47-minutes from my driveway to the boat yard here at the Classic in downtown New Orleans,” said Hackney.
While the rest of the Bassmaster Classic competitors have bedded-down in a high-rise hotel this week, Hackney has slept at home. You see, Hackney is a family man. And like a lot of us, the more time he spends with his wife and three kids under their own roof -- the better his soul feels.
Hackney’s soul also knows what urgency, stress and gallons of adrenaline feel like in relation to New Orleans. Don’t forget, it was Hackney that conducted a heroic and dangerous rescue mission of his father-in-law Andy Hillery from a flooded mess during Hurricane Katrina.
“I really haven’t thought much about that this week, really, I’m caught up in the Classic. I’m refreshed by how nice the city looks compared to what I saw then. It’s not that I forgot about it though,” said Hackney.
Hackney also hasn’t forgot about the fact that bigger than the hype that surrounds this week’s Bassmaster Classic are long-term issues such as the erosion and unhealthy change that is eating away at the ecological goodness of his beloved backyard fishery.
Sure, we talked fishing. We talked about how fans can count on him to spool 50 to 65-pound Cajun Red braided fishing line on to a Quantum Smoke reel, mounted to a nearly 8-foot long Tour Hackney flipping stick, and attempt to swing a fat limit into the boat.
“They’ll bite a jig here … big ones will bite a jig … this is fixin’ to be a slugfest,” he said.
But then he shifted quickly to concern about the future of that fat limit. Not next week – concern about five or 30 years from now. “Erosion and saltwater influx threaten to vanish this paradise. If it weren’t for the Davis Pond Freshwater Diversion project we’d all be fishing in Venice this week, because I don’t think any of these other areas would be ecologically healthy enough to count on catching a bass in them,” said the long time Quantum pro, with an intense look of concern in his eyes.
For Hackney, it’s good to be here. He’d love to win on his home-field, but he also wants the home-field to be taken care of too. Not just this week, but well into the future. This is home.
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HydroWave™ is a new fishing electronics company, with professional anglers Kevin VanDam and Jeff Kriet among its business partners. Both men will have a HydroWave on their boats and in use at this week's Bassmaster Classic.
The easy to install and user-friendly HydroWave unit incorporates the latest in patented sound-emitting technology that effectively imitates the audible underwater sounds of baitfish and fish-feeding activities, of which research has proven to stimulate feeding impulses in game fish. The unit emits sound waves that predatory fish feel, hear and sense as natural baitfish activities, to trigger a feeding response in gamefish.
HydroWave is the brainchild of successful Dallas businessman and competitive bass angler Gene Eisenmann. He introduced the concept to Robert Palmer, an engineer with extensive background in electronic product engineering and development, and owner of RHP Industries located in Aubrey, Texas. Together they designed and built the HydroWave.
Eisenmann contacted Kriet, a longtime fishing friend with electronics savvy, and VanDam, who has a known history of how fish react to sound, to team in the venture.
"I've always paid attention as to how fish seem to feed and respond to each other while in competition for food," VanDam said. "Like most bass fishermen who spend a lot of time on the water, I've witnessed situations where a school could be fired up by getting just one fish to bite. Igniting those kinds of flurries during a tournament day can be a huge advantage. HydroWave is about providing that stimulus for that first response to get things going."
"This thing is going to be very cool," Kriet said. "We've all been fishing out on a ledge and you make cast after cast after cast. Then all the sudden a fish bites. Then what happens? It's every cast and it's on. The school triggered. That's what this is. It's another trigger that can turn a school into a feeding school. VanDam has always been a big believer about this. He's even more eat up with it than I am."
The HydroWave is expected to be available on the market by late May, retailing for around $389.99 each. It will be sold through fishing dealers, sporting goods chains, boating and marine stores, and the HydroWave web site. Pre-orders are being accepted in advance of the product's availability.
For more information, visit HydroWave.com.
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New emcee to make his debut: Dave Mercer claims that emceeing the Classic in the New Orleans Arena is the first job he’s ever studied for.
“I know how great an opportunity this is,” Mercer said. “I’m not just sliding in here and saying, ‘Oh, cool, I’ll try the Classic now, I’ll just wing it.’”
He was being modest. It’s a trait that, like his wide and constant smile, instantly endears him to anyone he meets. If he felt he needed to study for his new job, he didn’t need to study hard. A veteran of video and TV, he’s at ease in front of a camera. He loves to entertain people. He’s a quick draw on his store of angling knowledge.
A lot of that knowledge comes from his own tournament experience. As a kid he fished for largemouth bass in his home lake in Port Perry, near Toronto. At age 13 he entered a tournament and won $400. Hooked, he continued on that career path, including events on Lake Erie, where he learned about smallmouth fishing.
He was good enough as a competitor, but the entertainment side of fishing was where he decided he wanted to be. Facts of Fishing was born, or at least its first incarnation as a series of one-minute video tips. A TV show followed, also named Facts of Fishing.
To prep for the Classic, he said he researched past Classics and has talked with most of the qualifiers so he could get to know them. Last December, he did a show about redfishing on the Louisiana Delta, so he had been on the fishery recently. But as a refresher, he rode along with Gerald Swindle on Wednesday, the final practice session before the competition begins on Friday.
“It helped me understand a little bit more about what the guys are dealing with here on the Delta,” he said.
That understanding is what he wants to share with fans.
“The one thing I really hope I can bring to the table is to try to help show what these guys go through,” he said. “That’s what makes the sport of fishing amazing — what they have to deal with, the decisions that they have to make. There’s no other sport like it.”
Mercer will also be the emcee for Bassmaster Elite Series events. The 2011 season will begin in March.
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Collegiate anglers don’t have to wait any longer to cash in on pro-style incentives. In a recent announcement, Ranger Boats unveiled its newest contingency program, Ranger Cup University, designed to support the enthusiasm and dedication of competitive college anglers across the country.
Modeled after the most lucrative contingency program in the industry, the Ranger Cup, Ranger Cup University is open to collegiate anglers fishing in either FLW- or Boat US-affiliated competitions. Signup for Ranger Cup University is free and exclusively for collegiate anglers, regardless of which brand of boat they own. To remain qualified in the program, anglers need only adhere to simple clothing and logo requirements. In addition, as part of the Ranger Cup University program, participants will be able to receive extra discounts on custom collegiate tournament jerseys through Gemini Sports Marketing. With no artwork or set-up fees, Ranger Cup University members can purchase fully customized jerseys for a special rate designed exclusively for collegiate anglers.
Like its professional counterpart, the Ranger Cup, Ranger Cup University makes on-the-water success very lucrative for its participants. Each registered member with the highest finish at a Boat US major or FLW regional tournament will receive a certificate for $100 in official Ranger merchandise through RangerWear.com. Moreover, each registered member with the highest finish at the Boat US and FLW Championship events will receive $250 cash.
The 2011 season culminates with a grand prize to determine the Ranger Cup University Team of the Year. The highest finishing team, with both members registered with Ranger Cup University, at the Boat US and FLW College championship events will compete, head-to-head, in a one-day competition at Texas’ famed Choke Canyon Reservoir. As part of this all-expenses-paid, grand prize package, which includes airfare, lodging and meals, each team will compete from fully rigged Ranger boats for a prize package including $2,000 cash and sponsor merchandise. The event will even be televised as part of a special airing of Americana Outdoors.
For more information on Ranger Cup University, including registration and program guidelines, go online to rangercupuniversity.com.
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B.A.S.S. today added its name to a growing
list of businesses and sportsmen’s organizations nationwide to sign a
letter to Congress urging it to dedicate the resources and implement
policies
needed to restore Louisiana’s imperiled coastal wetlands.
The letter, authored by the National Wildlife Federation’s
Vanishing Paradise campaign and Ducks Unlimited, was signed at
Bassmaster Classic Media Day, the day before the start of bass fishing’s
world championship.
The 2011 Bassmaster Classic will run Friday, Feb. 18 through
Sunday, Feb. 20 with the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo presented by
Dick’s Sporting Goods at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center as well
as daily weigh-ins taking place at the New Orleans
Arena. It marks the fourth time the Classic has been fished in the
Louisiana Delta.
Other letter-signing participants include the Louisiana Wildlife
Federation and Bassmaster Elite Series angler and 2003 Bassmaster
Classic Louisiana Delta champion Mike Iaconelli.
“B.A.S.S. is committed to promoting progressive, positive change on
issues related to conservation and fisheries management,” said Don
Logan, an owner of B.A.S.S. “We support the efforts of Louisiana’s
coastal restoration and are proud to be back in Louisiana
for the Bassmaster Classic.”
More than 2,300 square miles, an area the size of the state of
Delaware, have disappeared from Louisiana’s coast over the last 80 years
largely because of flood control and navigation projects that have
isolated the water and sediment from the Mississippi
River from its delta while allowing saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico to
intrude far inland. An area of wetlands the size of a football field
disappears along Louisiana’s coast every 38 minutes.
That land and habitat loss threatens a world-class saltwater and
freshwater fishery, an ecosystem that serves as the wintering ground for
as many as 10 million migratory waterfowl, the nursery ground for fish
that populate the entire Gulf of Mexico and
the communities that depend on the wetlands for protection from
hurricanes.
“Louisiana is nicknamed ‘Sportsman’s Paradise’ for a good reason,”
said Land Tawney, sportsmen’s outreach coordinator for National Wildlife
Federation. “The Mississippi River built one of the finest estuaries in
the world with first-class freshwater and
saltwater fishing and waterfowl hunting. But, that paradise is vanishing
before our eyes because the river’s resources have been separated from
the wetlands they built. The sustainability of this delta is 100 percent
dependent upon returning the sediment and
water from the Mississippi back into these wetlands.”
B.A.S.S.’s commitment to helping restore and protect Louisiana’s
coast is part of a more than 30-year dedication to conservation.
B.A.S.S. has worked cooperatively with state and federal agencies and
other conservation organizations to develop sound management
policies and protect and enhance aquatic resources.
“This year’s Classic will show the world again what a wonderful
fishery we have in Louisiana,” Louisiana Wildlife Federation Coastal
Outreach Coordinator Chris Macaluso said. “Hopefully it will also
emphasize to those fishing and following the tournament
the need to restore and protect our coastal habitat. B.A.S.S.’s
commitment to Louisiana will go a long way in helping us achieve that
restoration and protection.”
For more information about the Vanishing Paradise Campaign and to read the letter to Congress, please log on to vanishingparadise.org.
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It’s a number that’s simply hard to imagine. Yet, it’s true. It’s real. And as mind-boggling as it is, Gary Klein is about to compete in a Bassmaster Classic for the 29th time.
Part of what makes it hard to imagine is that Klein appears too young to have done this 29 times. Still thin-framed, square-jawed and of no noticeable grey hair, at age 53, Klein sports a look of complete athletic readiness the day before his 29th try to earn a treasured trophy that has eluded him 28 times before.
Always the consummate class act, Gary graciously provided a look at the 24-hours leading up to his 29th try:
“I’ve taken great care to manage all the variables that I can control at this point. I can’t control fog. I can’t control another angler beating me to my best spot. But I feel very confident. I have an area where I can win this thing if I can get there first, and on-time each morning,” said Klein.
6:00 a.m., Thursday – wake up call at a high-rise hotel in downtown New Orleans
6:30 a.m. – breakfast was light and limited to two breakfast bars and a nutrition drink.
7:00 a.m. – Klein catches a shuttle bus from the hotel to the boat yard while the morning is still cool and fresh, and he rigs two 8-foot long Quantum Tour Klein flipping sticks with 65-pound braided line. A minor tackle tweak, citing there was very little left to do, considering he’s only planning to fish with two basic lures, both of which will involve flipping and pitching.
11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. – Klein joins the rest of his fellow competitors at Media Day at a warehouse facility where dozens of intriguing Mardi Gras parade floats are stored. Klein is among the most popular anglers from which dozens of media members seek interviews. Over a lunch of native cuisine, Klein talks graciously and in detail for over three hours with writers and photographers.
3:00 – 4:30 p.m. – Back to the boat yard. He’s still wearing his brand new Repel Insect Repellent sponsor jersey that he wore during Media Day interviews as he places a Triton Boats decal on the carpet of his front deck. Then he spends over 30-minutes talking business with a sponsor representative. No tackle gets touched this time.
6:00 – 8:00 p.m. – Dinner with his sponsor Odyssey Batteries.
9:00 p.m. – lights out, time for a good night’s rest.
4:00 a.m., Friday– wake-up call.
5:00 a.m. -- catch a bus to boat yard, jump in Tundra, tow Triton to launch at Bayou Segnette State park, hope it’s not foggy, and that #29 results in the only trophy that’s yet to decorate his legendary career.
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Every angler knows the value of a boat. Poseidon Boat Alarm has joined FLW Outdoors as a sponsor in recognition of the importance of boat security.
FLW Outdoors has a significant interest in protecting its fleet of Ranger boats. Having Poseidon Boat Alarm as an official partner will be a major component in protecting those assets.
“We are excited to form this relationship with Poseidon Boat Alarm," said Kathy Fennel, president, FLW Outdoors Operations Division. "We host tournaments throughout the country all year long, and therefore our boats are always on the road. The products offered by Poseidon Boat Alarm are designed to provide the security that we need.”
As part of the sponsorship, the Montana-based company will have the opportunity to display its products as well as demonstrate their installation and operation at tournaments and events operated by FLW Outdoors. Those events include the FLW Outdoors Expo, held in conjunction with all tournaments along the Walmart FLW Tour, and the College Fishing Festivals, held in conjunction with National Guard FLW College Fishing.
“Waking up early to fish is normal, but waking up a couple times in the middle of the night to check on a boat without an alarm makes for a tough fishing day,” said Frank Schneider, Jr., owner/president of Poseidon Boat Alarm.
For more information on Poseidon Alarm, visit alarmboats.com.
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Big Bite is proud to announce the WarMouth, the latest signature bait from Big Bite Pro staffer Dean Rojas. The WarMouth joins Dean’s other Big Bite signature baits the Cane Thumper, Cane Stick and Fighting Frog.
Rojas has been working on the WarMouth since early 2010 after coming to Big Bite with the concept for a bait of this type. In fact, Dean has used prototype baits to help him take a 3rd place finish at the 2010 Elite Smith Mountain event and most recently an 8th place finish at the first FLW Tour stop in 2011 at Lake Okeechobee in Florida.
Your first thought might be swimbait, but Dean designed the WarMouth to be fished in a much different style. Texas rigged on the flat side rather than vertically gives it a unique profile and action on the fall that represents a bluegill or baitfish.
Also, when fished this way the WarMouth resembles a bluegill feeding on its side with its tail kicking up. This makes the WarMouth a deadly sight fishing bait that has helped Rojas to top finishes. The subtle kicking action of the legs also make it a great swim jig trailer. The WarMouth is compact at 3 1/2 inches long and designed to be fished with a extra-wide gap worm hook.
WarMouths retail for $4.99 for a 4 pack and come in 12 colors.
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She and I were trucking along eastbound in our Toyota Tundra on Interstate-10. We were headed for New Orleans en route to the Bassmaster Classic when she turned to me and said, “you know this place is haunted, right?”
Now look … my bride of 14 years is smarter than me, a big fan of professional bass fishing, and not one to be dramatic. She was once an ER nurse. She’s sort of an ice water in the veins kind of girl. And there on Interstate-10, she was just stating the facts. And once again, she was right.
According to several sources, New Orleans is indeed one of America’s most haunted cities. The Big Easy ranks No. 1 on one list of “ The Most Haunted Cities in America” and No. 4 on another. Heck, the arena football team here is called the New Orleans VooDoo.
Soon after we checked into the hotel, I asked top Elite Series pros Mike Iaconelli and Terry Scroggins if they had experienced anything spooky since arriving in town.
“Nothing’s haunted me so far,” Iaconelli said. “Seeing my wife Becky in labor for two days prior to delivering our new baby last week was pretty dang scary. That was haunting enough,” said Iaconelli, who won the Bassmaster Classic here in 2003.
Longtime Toyota Tundra pro Terry “Big Show” Scroggins however had a slightly concerning encounter. “I haven’t seen any ghosts, but I did get spooked on my way over to the boat yard. It was 8:00 a.m. I had just finished eating my breakfast. I stepped outside the hotel to catch a shuttle bus over to the boat yard when ‘a lady of the night’ offered me her services. Heck, all I was trying to do was get over to my Triton boat and work on my fishing tackle. Her proposition kind of spooked this old country boy, especially at eight o’clock in the morning,” said the likable Florida pro, who recently became one of the first anglers to cash-in on the new BoatUS Angler “Weigh-to-Win” program.
Iaconelli and Scroggins’ accounts provided me assurance that as long as you focus on fishing and family -- that good times shall roll in New Orleans. But I guess if I need a favor, I can knock three times on the crypt of “The VooDoo Queen” like the locals sometimes do. Then again -- no -- I think I’ll just hold my wife’s hand. She’s not scared.
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Kevin VanDam is arguably the world's top fisherman. You don't get there without a strong family support system. One of KVD's not so secret support mechanisms is his wife Sherry's cookies. She makes him homemade cookies for every tournament. Rumor has it he gave Boyd Duckett some of his secret family recipe cookies at the 2007 Classic and low and behold he won the Classic.
B.A.S.S. aired a funny video to that end recently on their website and shared it on their You Tube channel.
If you haven't seen it, here it is.
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OPTIMA Batteries, manufacturer of high-performance marine and automotive batteries, known among anglers worldwide for its Blue Top batteries, has joined the Professional Anglers Association as a Premier Sponsor.
OPTIMA will sponsor the "OPTIMA Hard Charger Award" for the biggest one-day catch of each tournament in the 2011 Bass Pro Shops PAA Tournament Series presented by Carrot Stix. The four anglers who capture this honor will be featured on "FishPAA Television" in the OPTIMA Hard Charger segment, as well as online at FishPAA.com.
"As technology in fishing advances with high-demand trolling motors, increasingly complex wide-screen electronics, shallow water anchors and engines with on-board computers, battery technology has to keep up," said Ryan Hoffins, marketing manager for OPTIMA Batteries. "We are partnering with the PAA to help demonstrate that OPTIMA BlueTop batteries, with patented Spiralcell technology, deliver the cranking power, cycle life and reserve capacity that serious anglers need to be successful on the water."
For more information visit optimabatteries.com and fishpaa.com.
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Constantly congenial Shaw Grigsby hasn’t had the smoothest week. He ran over a submerged obstacle in the New Orleans Delta and tore-up his outboard prop. The mishap might have put the average weekend angler out of operation, but not the 14-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier. He limped back, replaced it, and smiled onward – the way Grigsby is famous for doing.
And when life gets complicated, it seems Grigsby and other veteran pros gravitate toward simplicity. This week, simplicity comes in the form of a black and blue jig for Shaw. Specifically, Grigsby will use a ½-ounce jig, tipped with a blue Strike King Rage Craw trailer, tied to 20-pound Stren fluorocarbon line, and pitched with a smooth, lightweight Quantum Smoke reel. His rod of choice will be the easily identifiable blue Quantum Tour Grigsby rod he designed. “You can catch ‘em on that jig anywhere you go in America, especially in muddy or tanic-colored water,” said Shaw.
Sentimental fan favorite Gary Klein shows alignment with his roommate Grigsby when it comes to simplicity. No surprise, the man who helped popularize the flipping technique will lean on the 8-foot long Quantum Tour Klein rod featuring a unique revolver guide system to leverage keepers into the livewell this week. He’ll mix it up between a jig and a 5/16-ounce Texas-rigged, green pumpkin tube jig depending on the habitat.
Klein explained the intricacies. “It’s all about the rate of fall. In other words, how fast the lure sinks through the water column. I control the rate of fall with the weight of the lure and the diameter of my fishing line. Most of the bass this week will be caught no deeper than 3-feet of water, so I want to make sure the lure isn’t sinking too fast into the muddy Delta bottom,” explained Klein. “Really, I’ll be honest, winning this tournament is less about catching the bass, and more about getting there. Catching them should be the easier part of this week’s equation. The hard part is going to be all the calculated strategy of running 200 miles round trip to get to the bass without any mishaps or miscalculations. They live where I’m going, but still it’s a matter of getting there and back,” said the 29-time Classic qualifier.
 Finally, for Dean Rojas, as you probably guessed, he’ll be counting on Kermit. During final Classic prep, Dean’s front deck was decorated in nothing more than his signature red Quantum ‘frog rods’ and a nest of topwater frogs. The often-unfriendly Delta environment that Grigsby and Klein alluded to is actually rather perfect for Rojas’ penchant for amphibious imitators, with its ultra-shallow, wood and aquatic vegetation cover and warming week of weather. “Yep, it’s pretty simple, 70-pound FX2 Sunline braid, and a variety of frog colors including Midnight Walker and Navy Seal. I should have a fun week, doing what I love to do,” said Rojas, perhaps the Classic’s poster boy for lure selection highlighted by simplicity -- here in bass fishing’s most elaborate and amped-up week.
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Typhoon announced today that Clark Wendlandt, 3- time Angler of the Year will be joining the Typhoon Eyewear Pro Staff Team. Clark has joined Typhoon to help promote Typhoons quality, polarized optics, featuring the exclusive Aquaview and Aquaview II polarized lens.
Tim Sitterding Typhoon Pro Staff Manager comments, “Clark is not only a force-to-be-reckoned-with on the water, but he is also a true ambassador to the sport. We feel that Clark will be a great promoter and representative of Typhoon. Clark is a great addition to an already stellar Typhoon Pro Staff Team”.
“I am very excited to be partnering with Typhoon. Polarized optics is one of the most important tools in my boat. They are necessary for protection, glare reduction and seeing deep into the water. With Typhoons exclusive Aquaview lens and their assortment of quality frames, Typhoon has set the hook with all three,” said Wendlandt.
All Typhoons are available in 3 different Aquaview lens transmissions: Horizon Grey, Sunset Brown, and Copper Rose. Typhoon is currently available in 26 different frame styles and are all backed by a full stand behind Lifetime Warranty. For your personal prescription, selected frames of Typhoon are also available in the Aquaview Rx lens.
What makes Typhoon a great choice for your personal polarized sun wear besides the quality and the Aquaview lens, is the price. Typhoons are available at $49.99 to $59.99. Included with each pair of Typhoons is a protective microfiber carrying case that doubles as a cleaning cloth. Check out the complete line of Typhoons including the NEW Typhoon Aquaview II advance optics being released in spring 2011 at your local authorized dealers including Cabela’s, West Marine, Sports Chalet, timsitterding.com, and Typhoonoptics.com.
Also come visit the Typhoon booth at all the FLW tour events this season.
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BoatUS angler will have BoatUS ANGLER membership sign-ups and Weigh-to-Win sign-ups at their booth at the Bassmaster Classic Outdoor show. Their booth number is 6069. Stop by and say hello and sign up for a great way to have great insurance/towing coverage and a super way to win more cash while fishing tournaments.
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Celebrity pro bass angler Tim Horton has joined forces with the Colbert County Tourism & Convention Bureau to promote tourism in the Shoals area. He will serve as an ambassador for Colbert County as he travels the bass tournament circuit during the next three years.
Foremost among the promotions afforded by this relationship is the “wrap” of his official truck. This wrap was unveiled today at ColdWater Inn, Tuscumbia, when city, county and state government officials were on hand to take the first peek at the newly wrapped vehicle, a 2011 Jim Bishop Toyota Tundra. Colbert County Tourism & Convention Bureau is the wrap sponsor, with major attractions in Colbert County serving as cooperative sponsors. Featured prominently on the truck are: Spring Park, the Alabama Music Hall of Fame, Coon Dog Cemetery and the Birthplace of Helen Keller with the famous pump representing “The Miracle Worker” outdoor drama.
Horton, a Muscle Shoals resident, considers Pickwick and Wilson Lake to be his home lakes. An image of Wilson Dam with fully open spillways is shown on the truck visually promoting the world-class fishing available on these lakes and www.FishPickwickLake.com and www.FishWilsonLake.com are emblazoned on the truck to direct potential visitors to information on the lakes, lodging, restaurants and the attractions of the Muscle Shoals area.
“Pickwick and Wilson Lakes are two of the hottest lakes in the country,” explained Horton. “They both have an abundance of species, including my favorite, the smallmouth bass. For the last ten years the lakes have seen a major increase in both fish size and population due mainly to the vegetation (now) growing in the lakes.” Promotional materials will be with Horton at all times, so that when he is fishing in major tournaments and traveling around the country, he will always be touting the lure of fishing in the Muscle Shoals area.
“I travel all over the country and there is not a better place to stay and enjoy a fishing getaway than Colbert County, Alabama. With Highway 72 running along the southern boundaries of the lakes, it is easy to reach many of the boat ramps from excellent hotel accommodations and restaurants, without the competition of major city traffic. This is the kind of fishing experience I enjoy and I know my friends and fellow anglers will want to come to the Muscle Shoals area.”
As part of the mutual arrangement between Horton and Colbert Tourism, twelve webisodes will be produced and broadcast over television sports channels. These will also be placed on the Colbert County Tourism website. Network sports channels will broadcast six television shows during the coming year, featuring Tim Horton and Pickwick and Wilson Lakes.
Colbert County Tourism & Convention Bureau announced today that Tim Horton will be bringing approximately ten bass tournaments to Colbert County during 2011. Drawing hundreds of anglers and their families from all over the country to Pickwick and Wilson Lakes, these tournaments will provide an economic boost for lodging, dining, shopping and area attractions.
In expressing appreciation to Horton and to those who have made the new marketing initiative possible, Susann Hamlin, Executive Director of the Colbert County Tourism & Convention Bureau, said that this unique, new approach to touting all of the resources that Colbert County has to offer should prove to be beneficial to the local tourism industry. “We should be able to easily track the business brought in by this innovative marketing concept. Our tourism partners are really excited to be a part of this endeavor and we are pleased to offer it to them,” she said.
Horton is affiliated with the Professional Anglers Association and is a member of the Bassmaster Elite Series. He was named B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year in 2000. Horton is a ten-time Bassmaster Classic Qualifier and a five-time Bassmaster Champion.
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Megabass USA, the North American arm of the innovative Japanese fishing tackle manufacturer, announced the formation of Megabass’s 2011 national pro staff. The highly-accomplished team includes Aaron Martens, who will fish the B.A.S.S. Elite Series, the PAA Series and the FLW Opens; Luke Clausen, who will compete on the FLW Tour as well as in the FLW Opens and the B.A.S.S. Opens; and Randy Blaukat and Shinichi Fukae, who will fish the FLW Tour, the FLW Opens, and the PAA Series. The four tour-level pros will be actively involved in product development, working closely with Megabass engineers to develop products tailored to the needs of anglers in the United States.
“Since tournament lakes in the US are often larger than those in Japan, the input of our US Staff is incredibly important in the design process,” said Megabass CEO Yuki Ito. “By testing our products both in the larger, more diverse waters of the US tournament trail and in high-pressure situations throughout Japan, we are able to hone our designs and develop higher-performing tackle. We selected the members of the US pro staff not only because of their incredible talent, but also because they are first and foremost Megabass enthusiasts and truly embody the integrity, drive, and warrior spirit that is at the core of our company.”
“I’m excited to be working with such a dedicated group of top-tier anglers,” said Yuskei Murayama, President of Megabass USA. “Although these guys are already extremely accomplished, their passion for the sport fuels an unparalleled drive to improve as anglers every single day. As we push to adapt more of our line to the US market and increase domestic awareness, their expertise will be critical in both product development and efforts to provide a higher level of information for anglers in the US.”
For more information about Megabass products and anglers, go to megabassusa.com.
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Elite Series pro Chris Lane talks about the Legend Boats differences and what makes them better. In this video he gives an overview of the engine box and storage. Legend Boats will be at the Bassmaster Classic. Stop by and see the Legend pros and owners and see the Legend differences.
Also, check out the Wired2Fish walk-through of the Legend Alpha 211 by clicking here.
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 FLW photo by Brett Carlson
FLW Pro Jim Moynagh has teamed up with the Faculty of Fishing to bring anglers an in-depth “Species Specific” course on the tactics and strategies that he uses to catch big smallmouth on deep-water structure.
The 3 part lesson offers one of the most comprehensive looks at the ‘when, where and how’ of fishing deep-water structure and triggering smallmouth bass to bite.
Deep Structure Smallmouth is the first of it’s kind, a comprehensive 1 hour program, filled with valuable knowledge and tips that will help anglers become successful the next time they are keying in on smallmouth out on deep structure areas.
To learn more about this course and see some of the other exciting course that will be offered by Faculty of Fishing in 2011 please visit: http://facultyoffishing.com/fofspeciesspecific.
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McClelland, Reese and Nixon at the Stratos booth
For a chance at the free gear, Classic attendees are encouraged to visit the Stratos booth anytime throughout the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo, for their choice of a Stratos bumper sticker, exclusive T-shirt or wall poster featuring custom graphics and members of the Stratos pro-staff. In an effort to give back, Stratos will be accepting donations for the items to benefit the Louisiana Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) and preserve Louisiana’s fishing heritage for generations to come.
The Louisiana CCA, long known for its support of the coastal fisheries of the Gulf Coast, is a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of Louisiana’s marine resources – dedication that also directly benefits bass anglers. Tasked with protecting some of the world’s most fertile and vulnerable fisheries, The CCA has faced numerous challenges in recent years – catastrophes ranging from hurricanes to oil spills. Of the 75,000 Louisiana CCA members worldwide, its ranks include many avid and dedicated bass anglers who understand the link between healthy coastal fisheries and on-the-water success and enjoyment everywhere.
The Bassmaster Classic Expo will also be the perfect opportunity for attendees to check out the entire 2011 Stratos lineup. From the 210 Champion Elite, the signature vessel for Skeet Reese and Mike McClelland to Larry Nixon’s 201 Evolution as well as the ultra popular 285XL, tournament anglers and families alike will be right at home in the Stratos display.
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B.A.S.S. recently started airing promos about the Bassmaster Classic the past several weeks. There are also some funny parody videos coming out. Check out this one with Shaw Grigsby and Terry Scroggins about a common problem in tournament fishing put into an office setting! True competitive anglers will find the humor in this!
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 LSU Gold, the website of Louisiana State University recently published an article that talks about the science that went into the development of the new ATTRAXX soft baits that hit the market with a big splash in the last couple of months. John Caprio is a well-known chemosensory biologist who has actually been cited in other soft bait manufacturer studies and materials. He worked with Howard Hammonds at ATTRAXX to create the new Sci-X technology that when added to the action of the new baits makes the artificial soft lures so effective.
We know several Wired2Fish fans have asked to see more about the science behind the baits. Check out the article, Off the Hook on the LSU Gold website.
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 A tough Friday-Sunday
practice finally behind them, Bassmaster Classic anglers are bone-tired.
But that feeling is almost incidental to their relief about the end of
frigid air over the Louisiana Delta. In the nick of time, milder weather
is on its way.
“I think everyone’s happy, except for the fish — no, wait, maybe even the fish
are happy — about the coming warmer temperatures,” said Classic
qualifier Mark Davis. “The cold has made it a brutal practice, for
sure.”
The forecast heading into the Feb. 18-20 world championship calls
for progressively warmer air temps and some sunshine. The resulting
warming Delta water is expected to improve the bass bite. If the night
air in the 30s had hung around, the bite could
have been among the toughest in Classic history.
Davis, the 1995 Classic champ from Arkansas, said his weekend practice time was productive.
“I found a few fish,” he said. “Getting eight to 10 bites in a
day’s time, and knowing conditions are going to improve, is a
confidence-booster.”
Besides the biting cold, anglers had to deal with the Delta’s
lower-than-normal water levels. Davis said he came close a few times to
running aground when he zipped over shallow shell beds. He was a lot
luckier than some others, including Paul Elias.
“I ran into a pipeline,” Elias said Sunday evening. “I got unstuck
by myself, but it was too dark by then to risk going up on plane. They
(rescue team) drove all the way down from Belle Chasse, put a boat in at
Venice, and found me.”
He said his savior was a Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Department
airboat, which pulled him to deeper water, where he could safely get in
under his own steam.
Like Davis, Elias likes the prospect of a better bite during
Classic competition. But Elias has based his competition plan on a
100-mile one-way run to spots in Venice, and the morning fog that could
come with warmer air temps concerns him.
 “If you plan to make a long run, a fog delay, or just the fact that
you have to run slower in fog, would cut into your fishing time,” he
said. “As it is, you only get three hours to fish if you run to Venice.
Fog makes the run even more of a gamble.”
The anglers are barred from the water Monday and Tuesday; it’s an
official practice day on Wednesday. Elias, the 1982 Classic champ and a
competition veteran — this Classic happens to be his 300th Bassmaster tournament
— said his Monday would be spent getting his motor checked out.
“At least I have Wednesday to run the boat and make sure everything’s OK,” he said.
Davis said he would spend Monday cleaning his boat and organizing his tackle.
“Classic week is a busy week, and you have to make time to work on your tackle,” he said. “So I’ll get all that done Monday.”
Davis and Elias are two of the six former Classic champs who
qualified for the 2011 Classic. The others are three-time winner and
defending champ Kevin VanDam; Skeet Reese, who won in 2009; Michael
Iaconelli, who won in 2003 in the previous Classic on
the Delta; and Boyd Duckett, the 2007 winner.
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Z-Man Fishing Products is proud to announce the signing of professional anglers Luke Clausen, David Walker, Stephen Browning and David Goshorn to Z-Man’s national freshwater pro-staff.
These top-notch anglers will assist Z-Man in the design and promotion of ElaZtech® baits, as well as educating anglers on how to achieve maximum results when fishing ElaZtech space-age soft plastic baits.
“We are thrilled to have four of bass fishing’s best aboard to help promote and design ElaZtech baits for Z-Man,” said Daniel Nussbaum, General Manager and Executive Vice President of Z-Man. “In addition, these pros will be very active on our social media channels, providing a look inside the lives of pro anglers for our Facebook fans and Website visitors.”
Luke Clausen of Spokane, Wash., is one of only five pros to have won both the Bassmaster Classic (2006 at Lake Toho) and the FLW Tour Forrest Wood Cup (2004 at Lake Logan Martin). He will be fishing the FLW Tour in 2011.
“ElaZtech is a product of the future and I’m really pumped to be a part of it,” said Clausen. “ElaZtech has a lot of advantages fishermen have yet to discover. Yes, it’s a departure from conventional plastics, and just as fluorocarbon is different than monofilament and tungsten is different from lead, there’s going to be a period of adjustment for anglers to get used to it. But once anglers realize the advantages of ElaZtech, they will definitely incorporate it into their arsenals.
David Walker of Sevierville, Tenn., won the FLW Tour Angler of the Year title in 1999, has qualified for the FLW Tour Forrest Wood Cup 10 times, the Bassmaster Classic six times, and has amassed an amazing 32 top-10 finishes in FLW Tour and Bassmaster Tour competition. He will be fishing the B.A.S.S. Elite Series in 2011.
“This is a huge opportunity to influence the future of soft plastics, and I’m certainly looking forward to it,” Walker said. “The supreme durability of ElaZtech in high-impact situations such as skipping docks, flipping heavy cover or punching mats will reveal just how much unnecessary plastic we go through and time we waste in a day’s fishing due to conventional plastic tearing up so easily. I started fishing ElaZtech baits on the Redfish circuit years ago and have been a believer ever since.”
Stephen Browning of Hot Springs, Ark., has 15 top-10 appearances in Bassmaster Tour and Elite Series competition, with one Tour win, and seven Bassmaster Classic qualifications, including the 2011 Classic coming up in New Orleans.
“I’m excited about being involved with Z-Man,” Browning said. “The Original Chatterbait® lure has been a big plus in my fishing the last couple of years. This fall I had a chance to try some of the ElaZtech products and it opened my eyes to how much fishing time and money can be saved with it. The days of constantly stopping your fishing to dig out a new jig chunk or creature bait are over.”
Rounding out the Z-Man pro staff is David Goshorn of Harleyville, SC. Goshorn fished the FLW Tour from 1997-2000 and recently re-qualified for the 2011 FLW Tour through the FLW Series.
Clausen, Walker and Browning will all be making appearances at the Z-Man booth throughout the Bassmaster Classic (February 18-20 in New Orleans) for meet and greets and limited-edition poster signings. Visit the Z-Man booth for complete details.
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Dalton Bobo just missed winning the 1997 Classic / PAA photo
By Terry Brown
This week, the Bassmaster Classic is in New Orleans and will crown a new Champion for 2011. Kevin VanDam is the reigning champion and is always a threat no matter where the venue. Past Classic Winners Skeet Reese, Mike Iaconelli, Alton Jones, Mark Davis, Boyd Duckett and Paul Elias will also be there trying to add to their resumes as well. Local favorites like Cliff Pace and Greg Hackney are also getting the nod as favorites. Sentimental favorites include Gary Klein, 29 Classics under his belt without a win, along with Aaron Martens and Tommy Biffle. Martens and Biffle have had second place finishes on numerous occasions. Klein has finished close both at the 2003 event, Mike Iaconelli won, and at a previous classic when he got locked out and arrived late for the weigh in. He had enough weight in the boat to win that Classic.
At the Classic, close gets no cigar, and finishing second doesn't amount to much even in the history books. The Classic is really a winner take all event.
Those that follow the Bassmaster Classic closely will also remember two other events where anglers had the fish to win, but unfortunate circumstances caused them to just miss winning the most coveted trophy in fishing.
In 1997, I had the honor of fishing the Wrangler Nationals in Shreveport, La. on the Red River. High muddy water saw numerous boats damaged or destroyed and Federation Director Don Corkran threatened to pair the field up if one more boat was scratched. It was the first major tournament of any kind on that body of water. It was all new but one angler Dalton Bobo figured the fish out. He fished a small clear backwater pool off the main river for the win. He even got an area named after him, the Bobo Hole, that shows on maps of the area today.
With the victory, he assured himself a spot in the 1997 Classic on Logan Martin Lake in his home state of Alabama. Bobo fished a flawless Classic and had enough gross weight to win the Classic but had a single dead fish and associated penalty that cost him winning. Dion Hibdon won that Classic.
In 1989, Jim Bitter lost a fish he will always remember. He had the fish in the boat and while measuring a 12-inch bass, it slipped from his grasp and lost the fish back into the water and chance for his first Classic win went with it. Hank Parker ended up winning that event on the James River with 2 ounces more than Bitter.
Will 2011 be another Classic where a "near miss" could occur? We will be there. From take-off to the Classic Outdoor Show and weigh-ins, Wired2Fish will be updating numerous times each day, keeping you current on the events all day every day.
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Vann Branch is listed as being from Zapata, Texas but he just recently bought land and began building a winter home down near the lake. His partner Richard Davis is from Sommerville, Tenn. That leaves many wondering how the duo came into the Bass Champs South Region Tournament No. 2 this past weekend and spanked the tournament field with a five bass limit weighing 43.57 pounds. Well catching the tournament's big bass of 12.66 pounds definitely helps. But four other fish had to average 7 pounds 12 ounces to make up the limit. That as they say is catching them.
The duo have fished the lake many times and have been fishing together for more than 40 years. Even though practice was limited for most, they didn't get any practice time in and just went with their past experience on the lake. They targetted river ledges in 17 to 27 feet of water with Jewel and Osprey football jigs.
Their first spot yielded a 5-pounder, their second spot yielded a 10-pounder, and the big 12-pounder. And their third spot yielded another 10 pounder.
They earned not only the $20,000 first place prize but also a $5,000 Skeeter bonus as well as a $1,000 big bass prize.
Bubba Haralson and Tom Drial also caught a 40.76-pound five-bass limit for a second-place finish. They fished 25 to 35 feet of water with football jigs and big soft plastic jerk baits on a 3/8-ounce jigheads.
Charles Whited and Jeffrey Piel finished third with 37.84 pounds. They caught their fish deep as well with 3/4 ounce Oldham jigs, Norman DD-22 Crankbaits and their big fish came on the 1-ounce Lateral Perch.
What a fishery. To find out more about Bass Champs tournaments in Texas, visit BassChamps.com.
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New in Plano's top of the line FTO ELITE series are the Hydro-Flo tackle
storage systems. Designed especially for extreme anglers who hit the
water regardless of conditions, Hydro-Flo bags are engineered to keep
tackle portable and ready for instant access. And just as important,
contents are protected from the elements thanks to durable water
resistant materials, multiple pockets and an element cover with easy
attach Fidlock magnetic buckles.
The
Hydro-Flo name comes from the system's unique rigid base engineered to
allow water to flow right through, regardless of whether it's coming
from the sky, the place being fished or the angler hosing down his gear
after a day on the water. The base is impact resistant, and has non-skid
rubber feet to keep the bag in place in even the roughest conditions.
Plano offers three Hydro-Flo models that meet a wide range of tackle storage needs, starting at $119.99.
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Phoenix Boats President Gary Clouse announced today that Elite Series Pro Aaron Martens has made the move to Phoenix Boats. “Aaron is obviously one of the biggest names in bass fishing and will be a great asset in our marketing efforts,” states Clouse. Martens will be fishing in the 2011 Bassmaster Classic in New Orleans in a Phoenix 721 Pro XP as well as the 2011 Bassmaster Elite Series and FLW Tour.
“Most people who have been around me know that focus and attention to detail is very important to me,” states Martens. “After seeing the factory, the boat design and their approach to construction, I know the folks at Phoenix feel the same way I do about attention to detail. I have not had the confidence in my boat in a long time that I do now!”
“Martens brings a very impressive resume to the table,” says Clouse. “We are excited to have a person with his abilities on the Phoenix Team.
Martens has qualified for 12 Bassmaster Classics (including 3 second place finishes,) has 5 total BASS wins and a BASS Angler of the Year Title. He has over $2 million in winnings. In addition he has won the U.S, Open two times.
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Tommy Biffle
 You've had a remarkable year fishing shallow rocks with your new Bottom Buggin' technique. Does the Delta offer much in the way of rock piles for this type of fishing? If not, how do you adapt to this environment?
Biffle - No, it really doesn't have any rock piles. But I do have a lot of confidence I can still use my Biffle Bug on a HardHead, swimming it in and around the vegetation here instead of actually crawling it along the bottom. The free swing hook really allows that bait to provide a lot of action and I can swim it slow. Of course I'll also be flipping and pitching.
Dale Hightower
 You've said you have a lot of confidence in soft plastics. Are you fishing them right out of the package or do you use dipping dyes and/or scents? How do you make the call as to when and how to doctor a bait?
Hightower - I do use cover scents & dye. Garlic is one of my favorites to use. The Gene Larew HooDaddys I'm fishing with come packaged with the garlic scent that helps you get a little extra edge. With the water as cold as it is, it can help a fish hold onto the bait just a littler bit longer which helps me get the hook in 'em.
Jeff Kriet
 Okay, all of you guys have made it clear that the Delta is full of vegetation. So, what's on your reels: monofilament, fluorocarbon or braid? And why?
Kriet - I've got 25-lb. fluoro on a couple reels and and braid on the rest. There's no sense in throwing anything small here and there will be a lot of times when you have to get around barnacles and things. I'm not too sure if fluoro is as good in that stuff as braid. Sometimes it'll even cut braid easy. But when I'm flipping, I throw braid.
Mike McClelland
 Grass punching is a term we're hearing more and more about in bass fishing circles. Describe the concept of what you look for, how it works, and the ideal punch rig?
McClelland - To me right now the biggest thing to look for is not so much the grass as it is the dying or dead hyacinth and matted vegetation. I'd say the Jewel Flip'N jig with J-Lock keeper or the new Jewel Hole Punch skirts rigged with a Zoom Super Hawg and 3/4 oz. tungsten weight. These are my two best punch rigs. There's a lot of good stuff on the market but the biggest advantage on my flipping jig is the J-Lock keeper. It holds the plastic on better than anything else out there, which is important when you're punching through grass and heavy cover.
Scott Rook
 We know you're good at reading grass. As a general rule, do you find that one type is better than another when given a choice of hydrilla, milfoil and hyacinths? Is there one kind that should be more prominent in the Delta in February?
Rook - The right type during any given tournament is the one that is holding fish at the time. Sure, there are times when one type might be more productive than another for a variety of reasons. But here on the Delta right now, it's mostly about hydrilla because that's what I'm seeing more of. I'm really not seeing much milfoil.
Terry Scroggins
 We know you're dialed in as an expert flipper/pitcher. Sometimes we see you using a left-hand retrieve baitcaster. Are you naturally right or left-handed? If right handed, explain your choice of a left-hander for this application?
Scroggins - I am right-handed but I do use a left-hand cranking baitcast reel when I'm flipping. I've found that 90 percent of my flipping bites come when the bait first comes through the cover, so with the left-hand retrieve reel I'm always in position to get an instant and solid hookset. I use a right-hand retrieve baitcaster when not flipping. The switching back and forth is something I started doing a long time ago. I couldn't have been happier than when I found out Lew's had introduced both right- and left-hand models in the same series. I bought some and found them to be perfect for my needs. I've since become part of Team Lew's. Lew's not only complements my fishing style, but makes me look better, too, because before that my mix of reels looked like I'd been shopping at flea markets.
Kevin VanDam
 You talk about power fishing. Is power fishing all about moving fast or can you power fish with a slow presentation? Can you power fish with soft plastics?
VanDam - Power fishing is all about covering water and being efficient in what you're doing. But sure, you can you power fish with a slow presentation. That really happens a lot when I'm in an area with isolated targets, whether it's bushes, stumps, docks or whatever. I'm still moving quickly from target to target, but I'll slow to fish the target with a jig or such. I'll hit the target, shake my bait a time or two and move on. And yes, I do use soft plastics quite often when power fishing. "Efficient" is the key word here. You're making the most of every fishing second you have when the trolling motor's in the water.
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T-H Marine Supplies, makers of the rugged Atlas Jackplate, has renewed its partnership with the PAA for the 2011 Bass
Pro Shops PAA Tournament Series presented by Carrot Stix.
"We are pleased to continue our partnership with T-H Marine, along with designating the Atlas Jackplate as the "Official Jackplate" of the PAA,"
said Danny Blandford, PAA Programs Director. "T-H Marine has been producing quality marine components for decades. The Atlas is a great example of their quality workmanship and understanding of what tournament fishermen want."
Each winner of a 2011 PAA Tournament Series event will win a prize boat equipped with the Atlas Jackplate. PAA members also will have opportunities to save money on T-H Marine products through the PAA Affinity Program.
The Atlas Jackplate is built for the heaviest and most powerful V6 engines on the market today, even the big 4-strokes. An innovative high-tech
engineered polymer rod- and slot-lifting design guarantees trouble-free action. This plate also features the newest concept in self-contained,
one-piece hydraulics from the most respected name in hydraulic design, providing the best of all worlds: speed and self-contained lifting action.
The Atlas pump will lift the heaviest outboard from bottom to top in less than eight seconds. The Atlas is available in five setback models.
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Solar Bat sunglasses has renewed its commitment to the PAA by continuing its longtime partnership for the 2011
Bass Pro Shops PAA Tournament Series presented by Carrot Stix.
Solar Bat is based in Missouri and owned by Dr. Gary Nesty, O.D., an avid outdoorsman with a commitment to provide the best sunglasses to anglers and outdoors enthusiasts at reasonable price points.
"We appreciate Solar Bat's continued support of the PAA and our membership," said Danny Blandford, PAA Programs Director. "Over the years they have been a great partner, not only to the PAA as an organization, but also to many of our members throughout the country. With a great selection of sunglasses from price-point options to custom prescription lenses, Solar Bat, like the PAA, is by anglers for anglers."
As a pioneer in fishing-specific glasses, Solar Bat continues to give competitive anglers everywhere an edge. Its Gradient Tint process elevates
fishing optics even further, with lenses created specifically for changing conditions. Solar Bat offers multiple frame styles, lens options and optics
for shooting and hunting. Multiple styles are available for prescription lenses including distance and bifocal. Solar Bat will have a presence on-site at 2011 PAA Tournament Series events throughout the year.
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A rising star of the Bassmaster Elite Series has joined the pro staff of a leading innovator in fishing reels.
U.S. Reel has announced 2011 Bassmaster Classic qualifier Cliff Pace is the newest member of the company’s star-studded pro staff that includes Guido and Dion Hibdon, Jimmy Houston, Lance Vick and O.T. Fears. The Mississippi angler has won two Bassmaster Open events and was the runner-up in the 2008 Bassmaster Classic and the 2010 Alabama Charge Elite Series event.
The company’s wave bar baitcast reels and oversized spool spinning reels swayed Pace to become part of U.S. Reel’s family. “They are doing things that are really innovative in the fishing reel industry such as eliminating the level wind technology that all the reels have had,” says Pace. “Plus they are trying to make a very genuine product at a fair price.”
“It’s not that the old level wind system doesn’t work, but it created line drag while you were casting and also because of its mechanics the level wind would wear out,” Pace says. “With the (wave) bar there is less line friction when I cast, which equates to longer casting distances. Plus it makes the reel more durable.”
His favorite baitcaster is the Hibdon SuperCaster 800SX because it has a fast gear ratio (6.55:1) to handle all of Pace’s power fishing tactics. When he has to rely on finesse fishing, Pace opts for the SuperCaster 240 spinning reel. “The one feature I like best is the oversized spool,” he says. “The bigger spool allows me to put more line on a smaller, lighter spinning reel and reduces line twist which eliminates the memory problems of fluorocarbon line.”
To find out more about U.S. Reel’s series of baitcasting and spinning reels, visit the company’s web site at www.usreel.com .
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Two more Wired2Fish TV mini shows air tonight on Versus. The first one will be on the 6:00 pm CST time slot during the show Quest for the One with Trev Gowdy and Bill Urseth. The second show will play in the 10:30 pm CST time slot within the show Charlie Moore: No Offense. Tune in and tell us what you think.
Check out our first show here. |
Providing 25 years of experience in the tackle industry, Z-Man has joined FLW Outdoors, as a sponsor.
“We are excited to have Z-Man as a partner for the 2011
tournament season," said Trisha Blake, president, FLW Outdoors Marketing Division. "There has been a lot of discussion in the industry
surrounding their products recently, and we will help them continue to
enhance their brand by putting their products in front of millions of
fishing enthusiasts.”
"We at Z-Man are thrilled about our partnership with FLW
Outdoors," said Daniel Nussbaum, General Manager and Executive Vice
President of Z-Man. "Our association with FLW Outdoors, in conjunction
with our relationship with FLW Tour anglers Luke Clausen and David
Goshorn, will provide us an excellent opportunity to promote our
extensive product line. We are especially excited about the opportunity
to generate significant exposure for our line of 10X Tough ElaZtech soft
baits among tournament anglers of all levels. ElaZtech is the soft
plastic material of the future, and FLW Outdoors presents an ideal
platform for Z-Man to educate anglers about the virtues of our ElaZtech
plastics in addition to our Original ChatterBait product line."
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Strike King Lure Company has started a couple of Fantasy Fishing Leagues you may want to participate in.
They have moved their Fantasy Fishing contests over to their respective leagues this year and will still have giveaways after each event.
Here are the links to both leagues:
B.A.S.S.
FLW
After you have completed the sign-up process, click "My Team" and select "League":
League Id: 17487
Password: strike
Good Luck!
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Let’s just tell the truth. After the Bears lost to the Packers, I didn’t have a dog in the fight. But when Kevin VanDam invites you to go to the Super Bowl with he and his wife – Bears, or no Bears -- you don’t turn that down.
Kevin is one of my best friends, but in reality, once the Bassmaster Elite Series season kicks-off, he and I spend very little time together. We might exchange a high-five at a weigh-in, but truly, we spend very little time together throughout most of the year.
So really, I kind of looked at this trip to Dallas as that one last fun trip during summer vacation before we both go back to school next week -- if you know what I mean. After hectic winter travel, once we finally got to DFW, we had a blast, meeting guys on my fantasy football team like Chad Ochocinco and Matt Forte was way cool.
But now it’s time for bass fishing’s Super Bowl. The Bassmaster Classic takes place in New Orleans, February 18 – 20th, and I expect this derby will be like no other Classic in recent history, including those held in New Orleans in 1999, 2001 and 2003.
Nope, not even close to being the same this year. Those past Classics were held in the summer; this one takes place in winter. While weather changes force anglers to adjust everywhere we go, weather changes in the New Orleans Delta affect so, so many things, including water levels, fog, decisions on where to fish, and even whether or not you can physically travel by bass boat to where you really want to fish.
Short of smallmouth get-away trips in the north, there’s probably no body of water I’ve made more trips to than the New Orleans Delta, and as much as we rely on GPS, sonar, and high-tech outboard engines – I’m telling you -- the New Orleans Delta is a place where anything can happen.
The guy that wins this Bassmaster Classic will have to earn it with preparedness and precision decision-making. One wrong turn in The Delta could kind of ruin a dude’s career. One wrong turn at home, and it could ruin your weekend – which is a good reason why I bought a BoatUS Angler membership. If you fish local tournaments, and powerheads and wheel bearings are not your friends, you should buy an affordable BoatUS Angler membership like I did.
Once you’ve got your membership number, make sure you get signed-up for their brand new “Weigh-to-Win” cash bonus program. In fact, if you’re headed down to the Classic, find the BoatUS Angler booth at the outdoor show, sign-up for a membership, and get registered for “Weigh-to-Win” while you’re in The Big Easy. Because if you’re like “The Z Train” you don’t like having your weekend ruined, but you really dig getting paid extra cash when you catch ‘em in the derby. Travel safe. See you in The Delta.
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A fan favorite and perennial top professional bass angler, Edwin Evers has launched a new website intended to give fans a closer look at his life and to meet his pet bass Stanley.
Nicknamed “E-Squared,” Evers explains on his new Dynamic Sponsorships-developed website that really it’s more about the Fs than the Es – Faith, Family and Fishing.
In addition to offering a fresh look at all facets of Evers’ fishing career there is instructional content, an updated photo/video library and news. Check it out at edwinevers.com.
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Modern
research and development pioneer 3M has joined forces with FLW
Outdoors, the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, to
highlight its ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape, Command Brand adhesive strips, Scotchgard and Scientific Anglers brands.
”To have one of the world’s most renowned and innovative
companies embrace the sport of fishing and outdoor lifestyle is
exciting,” said Trisha Blake, president, FLW Outdoors Marketing
Division. “They will be heavily rewarded for supporting such a loyal
consumer group.”
Frank Wilson, VP/GM Key Accounts, 3M Consumer and Office
Business said, “3M is very excited to be associated with FLW Outdoors.
We look forward to being a part of their phenomenal tournament-fishing
organization and sharing these highlighted brands with the outdoor
enthusiast and their families.”
Eight-year FLW Tour pro Ray Scheide will represent ScotchBlue Painter’s
Tape. Scheide, who has qualified for the Forrest Wood Cup five times,
has amassed nearly $750,000 in career earnings and won two Tour events.
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Lazer TroKar announced today the expansion of their pro staff, by adding Jonathon VanDam. Jonathon will join Skeet Reese, Shaw Grigsby, Brent Chapman, Gerald Swindle, Scott Martin, Jason Williamson and Rick Clunn representing Lazer TroKar hooks during 2011 bass season.
TroKar manufactures the only hooks in the world utilizing surgically sharpened technology. Introduced two years ago, these wickedly sharp hooks are sweeping the competitive bass market.
Jonathon commented, “I've been using Lazer Trokar hooks since they hit the market and they are by far the sharpest hooks ever. I have 100% confidence that every fish I hook with TroKar will end up in my boat."
“Once again Lazer TroKar’s dominance in the bass world is exhibited by their ability to attract the hottest young guns on the Bassmaster Elite Series,” stated Matt Gray, Lazer TroKar hook product manager.
Jonathon will be fishing his first full year on the Bassmaster Elite Series Tour. He’s looking forward to dominating his competition now that he’s using the sharpest fishhook the world has ever seen.
Look for Jonathon in the TroKar booth #2065 during the upcoming Bassmasters Classic Expo in New Orleans.
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CP Custom Crankbaits, designed and built by professional angler, Craig Powers are now available at Tackle Warehouse. They retail for $14.99. They come in Series 1, Series 2 and Series 3. Each designed for different depths.
Earlier, Wired2Fish's Jason Sealock penned an article on the advantages of this genre of hand carved cranks for early season bass action that you can read here.
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We just got word from our buddy Tommy Hagler of The Hag's Tornado who is a co-angler this week in the Everstart Series Texas Division bass tournament on Lake Sam Rayburn that day one has been canceled due to high winds and frigid water temperatures. We've always applauded FLW Outdoors for their caution and safety enforcement when it comes to fishing tournaments. It's obviously better for everyone if the competitors get to fish and it's not an easy judgement call to say no to a fishing day for the Ron Lapin, tournament director. We've fished against Ron Lapin and he's as tough a competitor as you will find in any level of bass fishing, so I know it pains him to say no to a day of fishing.
But kudos to you Ron for making the tough call and not risking something far greater than fish, sponsors, or tournament highlights. The event will now be two days and guys will have be on their A-game for the rest of the weekend in this one. For great coverage from the event, be sure to check out FLWOutdoors.com. Rob Newell, Gary Mortenson, Brett Carlson and Patrick Baker do a great job covering the events with photos, daily catches, trends, tactics and all the good quotes from anglers at each event!
For more details on the cancellation of day one and the event itself, click here.
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Berkley sent us information on their new line of baits a couple weeks ago and swore us to secrecy. We're happy to hold this one under wraps until next Thursday. What we can tell you is the baits were made by top pro fishermen in the country. They were not designed and then asked to be marketed by pros. The pros stayed locked in a room with designers to really focus on the action of baits. There have been a lot of baits that have come out over the past several years that look good in the package but in the water had little to no action. So we're excited to see the new line of baits from Berkley and the pros. We also hear there were significant improvements to colors as well. We've seen several new models from the Havoc line and we're expecting good things for anglers.
We'll have the full report on the new baits the minute they are released on Thursday, Feb. 17 at the Bassmaster Classic in New Orleans.
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Wired2Fish pro Gary Klein talks about customizing jigs in this video from Boss Outdoors. The Fishboss.com website supplies everything a guy needs to make his own jigs, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, punch skirts and more. This company was started by Charles Hymes. We'll have a behind the scenes feature on the company in the next week or so. The also have a company Skirts Unlimited that Cliff Pace also helps run. The two companies together give anglers a lot of options. Whether that's just customizing your favorite brand of spinnerbaits and jigs or making your own stuff from scratch. Jason and Todd of Wired2Fish have been customers for several years and vouches for their quality and attention to detail.
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Mary
Zedonis of St. Charles, Ill., knows a thing or two about professional
fishing. The mother of five children, including an avid competitive
angler, also knows a bit about Fantasy Fishing. In fact, the
self-proclaimed “Fishin’ Momma” won $15,000 by playing FLW Fantasy
Fishing by correctly picking Brandon McMillan of Belle Glade, Fla., to win
the event as well as other top finishers.
“Wait until I tell the kids,” said Zedonis. “Our family plays Fantasy
Fishing together. They originally called me ‘The Momma’ but I changed my
team name to ‘Fishin’ Momma.’ Momma always seems to pick the right
guys.
“Momma” Zedonis did her own research for the Lake Okeechobee event, including reading the Pundits Picks on FantasyFishing.com and utilizing Player’s Advantage, to pick her winning lineup.
Her Fantasy Fishing team was led by McMillan and earned her 2,280
valuable points that will continue to accumulate throughout the season.
Zedonis’ picks have given her the early lead in the Fantasy
Fishing season.
Fantasy Fishing is free to play, but fans can gain an edge with
Player's Advantage. Player’s Advantage is a unique tool that offers
additional resources and information, and those with Player’s Advantage
have won at a rate of four-to-one. An added benefit to purchasing
Player’s Advantage is receiving access to the FLW Outdoors Magazine
e-Edition.
Finishing in second place on the fantasy side for the Lake Okeechobee
event was Mark Smith of Virginia, Ill., who won $5,000, and in third was
Larry Gragg of Pine Bluff, Ark., who won $1,000. Several other winners
from Montana to Florida to Ontario took home prizes ranging from $500 to
$10.
The 2011 Fantasy Fishing season consists of 10 tournaments surrounding
the Walmart FLW Tour with cumulative and individual tournament prizes.
Fans compete for more than $25,000 in cash and prizes from each of the
10 tournaments and a top prize of $15,000. The cumulative grand prize is
$100,000 with the overall runner-up winning a Ranger Z-520 boat with a
Ranger Trail Trailer, 250 Mercury outboard, Minn Kota Maxxum 80 trolling
motor, Lowrance electronics and trolling motor batteries – all valued
at $54,000.
The third-place overall winner will win a Chevy 1500 Silverado valued
at $38,000, and fourth place will take home a FinCraft 17-foot Dual Console
boat with a 115 Evinrude outboard that is valued at $27,000. A BRP
Can-Am Outlander 400 All-Terrain vehicle, valued at $8,000, will be
awarded to the fifth-place finisher; while sixth- through 10th-place
finishers will win Walmart gift cards ranging in value from $9,000 to
$5,000.
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B.A.S.S. Elite Series pro Gary Klein will be wearing Browning Eyewear in 2011. Browning Eyewear has developed high quality "elite" eyewear at a reasonable price.
"I have been working with Lance Walker and the team at Browning for at least a year and their glasses are excellent" said Klein. "They are indestructable, have a quality lens and I can get my prescription in them. As a hunter and fisherman I wear them for protection first but also because they can give me a distinct advantage on the water too."
"I really like the guys on this team too. They are all top notch pros and really 'get it' when it comes to fishing and our needs on the water and out in the field" he added.
Klein should have his new pair of glasses, with his presciption in them, for the upcoming Bassmaster Classic.
"We are EXTREMELY excited to have a Professional such as Gary become a member of our Elite Series Pro Staff" said Browning's Lance Walker. "Gary has field tested our sunglasses for the past few months going into the 2011 Classic and has given us good feedback and thoughts on the frame quality and lens needs which we take very seriously from our Pros. His feedback will continue to insure that Browning Eyewear and other accessories are the best products available for fishermen today at an affordable price."
Browning Eyewear is availabe at Basspro.com, Browningeyewear.com, soon at Gander Mountain and many other fine sporting good stores."
Klein joins Jimmy Mason, Joe Thomas, Bassmaster Elite Series pros Clark Reehm and Zell Rowland; FLW Tour pros Cody Bird, Jonathan Newton, Jim Tutt, Terry Bolton, Kyle Mabry, Micah Frazier and Pete Gluszek; and Open pros Doug Vahrenberg and Mike Pharr. Brett Mitchell, Jason Reyes and Mike Delvisco are also members of the Browning Eyewear Team.
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 FLW photo
FLW Angler Anthony Hunt is a Five-Star Chef. He also just finished 3rd on the co-angler side of the FLW Open at Lake Okeechobee. Today on Weighing In with Terry Brown, Anthony discusses his fishing, his cooking, his hair and his potential appearance on the Food Network TV Show Chopped very soon. To listen to his interview click here. |
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Legend Boats will be at the 2011 Bassmaster Classic displaying their latest Alpha Series of Bass Boats. They will have Jason Quinn's 2011 rig, an Alpha 211, in their booth as well. They will be in b ooth #9038 at the Classic Outdoor Show. Stop by and take a look at the new features and the fit and finish of a Legend.
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The "Big Jig" ice fishing fund raiser raises over $350,000.00 dollars for College Athletes.
For the past ten years thousands fisherman young and old have been gathering on (frozen) Pike Lake in northern Minnesota to support The University of Minnesota Duluth Athletic Scholarship Fund. For the tenth straight year on the second Sunday of February ice fisherman have been wetting a line to support this great cause of raising money for UMD athletes.
UMD Athletic Director Bob Nielson stated that this is a one of a kind event that brings together the communities that surround and support our athletic programs through out the year. "It is our way of giving back to all of our fans that enjoy watching our student athletes compete through out the year."
"It is one of our biggest athletic scholarship fund raisers that we have and it is organized and ran by the entire athletic department" said Nielson. "On Sunday morning February 13th, UMD Football Players will start drilling thousands of holes through the ice, Softball & Track field athletes will be in charge of event set up, Tennis players will be handling the prizes, Volleyball players weighing in fish, Basketball teams running the Concessions, and the Men’s & Women’s Hockey teams will do clean up all of our teams coaches and players work together to make this a great event."
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Nearly $50,000.00 in prizes will be given out at The Big Jig Ice Fishing contest and this year some lucky fisherman will win a 2011 Ford Focus Sedan for catching the biggest fish!
Our own Wired2Fish Scott & Marty Glorvigen who are UMD alumni will be emceeing the event and want to invite everyone to come on out and enjoy a great day of ice fishing.
For more details go to www.umdbulldogs.com
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PepsiCo,
which offers the world’s largest collection of billion-dollar food and
beverage brands, is enhancing FLW Outdoors’ sponsor portfolio in 2011
with two key brands: Diet Mountain Dew and AMP Energy. Both brands will
be highlighted nationally across the promotional platforms supported by
the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization.
“Diet
Mountain Dew and AMP Energy are a perfect fit for our sport. We look
forward to further developing their brand awareness through the outdoor
enthusiasts we reach every day,” said Trish Blake, President of Marketing for FLW Outdoors.
DietMountainDew and AMP Energy will be exposed to millions of fishing
enthusiasts via major events held in conjunction with the Walmart FLW
Tour and in Walmart parking lots throughout the country. The brands will
be featured in displays at FLW Outdoors tournaments and weigh-ins, as
well as benefit from retailtainment, a concept popularized by Walmart
that brings fun to the forefront of shopping. This enhanced exposure
will lead to a stronger affinity within the outdoor market.
“FLW Outdoors features world-class anglers competing on some of the
biggest and best lakes in the country,” said Russ Fliegler, manager,
Shopper Marketing. “This is a natural partnership for Diet Mountain Dew
and AMP Energy, two brands that anglers love and use to get up and go
for early-morning blast-offs and to stay alert during long days on the
water.”
A significant piece of the Diet Mountain Dew and AMP Energy partnership
with FLW Outdoors will be a two-person professional fishing team that
will compete on the 2011 Walmart FLW Tour. Each competitor will operate a
wrapped Ranger boat, and a dual-wrapped boat featuring Diet Mountain
Dew and AMP Energy will be displayed around tournament stages on Tour
and be towed all over the country by a matching Chevy vehicle.
Stetson Blaylock, the youngest angler ever to win an FLW Tour event,
will represent AMP Energy. Blaylock, who won on Lake Norman at 21 years
of age in only his third event as a professional, has earned nearly
$500,000 in his brief career. Blaylock also took home the Tour’s Rookie
of the Year title in 2009.
Finishing in the top 20 in the FLW Tour Angler of the Year standings
the past two seasons, Jason Christie will showcase Diet Mountain Dew.
Christie has fished the FLW Tour for three seasons and has 29 top-10
finishes in his career. He qualified for the Forrest Wood Cup the past
two seasons, but registered a top-10 finish in 2010 when he came in
eighth.
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Jacob Powroznik, a top professional bass angler on the FLW Tour, fished several different flipping baits, but none quite worked the way he wanted. So he designed his own – the ATTRAXX Jacobug.
“The ATTRAXX company allowed some anglers to create their own baits,” said the Prince George, Va., pro with multiple wins to his credit. “Most other companies won’t do that. I looked at several baits and wondered what would happen if I put parts of some baits on other designs. I just started cutting up several baits and piecing them together. When I came up with a design I liked, I glued it together and fished with it. As soon as it hit the water, I knew it was going to be a good design. On that first cast at Lake Champlain, I caught a 3-pounder.”
Four inches long with a low profile, an ATTRAXX Jacobug looks similar to a craw, but with “claws” that curve inward. The bait also sports two thin “arms” that control the fall of the bait.
“Nothing else on the market looks like it,” Powroznik explained. “The two arms flicker and give it action. That allows the Jacobug to fall straight to the bottom without veering off to the right or left. Frequently, fish suspend in cover. If the bait doesn’t fall straight to the bottom, it’s not in the strike zone where the fish are and anglers miss opportunities.”
In his first tournament with the new ATTRAXX Jacobug, Powroznik flipped thick grass and placed fifth in the 160-boat FLW Tour Open on Lake Okeechobee in Clewiston, Fla. Powroznik caught four consecutive five-bass limits for a total of 20 bass weighing 95 pounds – a 4.75-pound average.
“I Texas rig a Jacobug for flipping in the grass,” Powroznik said. “I like to fish it around milfoil clumps. Milfoil clumps have stalks running through them to the bottom. Fish get under the canopy with their noses at the edge of these stalks. A Jacobug falls through that grass along a stalk in front of a fish’s face.”
Besides flipping heavy cover, anglers can use an ATTRAXX Jacobug in several other ways. Anglers can also use it on a Carolina rig or as a jig trailer.
“It’s such a versatile bait, people can do just about anything with it,” Powroznik advised. “On a Carolina rig, it’s going to be a super smallmouth bait. People can also just throw it out and wind it in. It imitates a crawfish or a bream swimming. They can also use it as a trailer on a chattering bait.”
Jacobugs come in green pumpkin, watermelon red, junebug, black neon, green pumpkin candy, smoke pepper, smoke pepper red, watermelon gold purple, black blue glitter and fish belly. When flipping, use it with a 3/0 or 4/0 z-neck hook.
Like all other ATTRAXX baits, each Jacobug comes infused with SCI-X feeding stimulants, the most advanced feeding stimulant ever placed into a fishing lure. Developed after years of research, the biodegradable SCI-X natural chemical compound activates nerve centers in the fish’s brain telling it to eat.
“With SCI-X in the Jacobug, it’s going to be awesome and put a lot of fish in livewells,” Powroznik predicted. “When a fish bites into a bait with SCI-X feeding stimulants, it holds onto the bait longer.”
For more information on ATTRAXX baits, visit attraxxbaits.com. To order ATTRAXX soft plastic baits, visit Tacklewarehouse.com.
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American Bass Anglers, Inc. (ABA) and WFN: World Fishing Network today announced a marketing partnership between North America’s only 24-hour fishing lifestyle network and America’s largest tournament organization for the weekend angler. Through the agreement, the ABA and WFN will collaborate on multiple levels, including showcasing ABA events weekly on WFN, cross promotion opportunities and the creation of multi-platform initiatives for new and existing sponsors and marketers.
“This partnership with the ABA will enable WFN to cover regional and local fishing tournaments every weekend of the year across our TV Network, online and mobile platforms,” said Mark Rubinstein, President and CEO of WFN. “WFN will profile thousands of recreational anglers who participate in ABA sanctioned events through this collaboration. In turn, we will be offering existing and new marketers the opportunity to work with WFN and ABA in an integrated fashion, reaching fishing consumers in a highly targeted, creative, and cross-platform manner.”
During the partnership, WFN will air weekly highlight packages of all ABA tournaments (local and regional) on WFN’s TV network, website and mobile applications, providing a much needed outlet for viewers to enjoy the tournaments comprised of “weekend warriors”. WFN and ABA will also promote their respective brands through each others platforms, including quarterly online promotions exclusive to ABA and WFN members.
In addition to the partnership, WFN and ABA will join forces offering sponsors and marketers multi-platform opportunities with integrated packages that include TV, on-line, mobile and event, creating a turnkey solution on how to reach the everyday angler.
“With its passion for fishing and their eagerness to promote the weekend angler, WFN is the perfect home for American Bass Anglers,” said Morris Sheehan, President of American Bass Anglers. "The WFN schedule of 24/7 fishing programming is already a huge hit with the weekend angler and now the network will offer special coverage of ABA members as they compete in various tournaments across the US. The profiling of ABA members and segments on ABA events will present our tournament anglers to a much broader audience of dedicated anglers and is the focus of our partnership."
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Yamaha Marine Group announced today Manabu Kurita, who officially tied the world record for the largest bass ever caught, has joined the Yamaha/Skeeter professional fishing staff and will display his catch at the Yamaha booth during the Bassmaster Classic in New Orleans, Feb. 17-20, 2011.
“I am very happy to be a Yamaha pro,” said Kurita, from his home in Kyoto, Japan. “I caught the fish in a Yamaha-powered Skeeter. The outboard has served me well.”
“We are pleased to have a record-setting angler on our team,” said Cindy Thompson, Yamaha Promotions and Events Manager. “We look forward to working with him.”
Kurita will unveil the mounted bass for spectators at the Yamaha booth at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 18. He will also be on hand at points throughout the weekend to sign autographs at the Yamaha and Skeeter® booths.
As a Yamaha/Skeeter pro, Kurita will continue his quest to find an even larger, record-breaking bass, which he believes lives in Japan’s Lake Biwa, an ancient reservoir northeast of Kyoto.
“I have seen even larger bass in Lake Biwa than the one that I caught,” Kurita said. “I know I will be able to find one, again.”
Kurita will attempt to do so in a new Skeeter FX21 powered by a Yamaha VMAX SHO. In addition, Kurita will be working with Yamaha on promotional activities in both Japan and the United States.
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 Mercury/Nashville recording artist Randy Montana and Casey Ashley have signed on to perform live, free concerts from the Costa stage for thousands of fishing fans filling the New Orleans Arena during the 2011 Bassmaster Classic. The Bassmaster Classic is set for Feb. 18-20 on the Louisiana Delta out of New Orleans, La.
“We live to fish, and we love listening to country music — especially good country music by the likes of Casey, who is on Costa’s pro staff, and Randy Montana,” said Al Perkinson, vice president of marketing of Costa, a longtime partner of B.A.S.S. “The Costa stage will definitely be rocking this year at the Classic. The concerts are a great way to cap off a weekend of intense bass fishing and action-packed weigh-ins.”
Ashley, a Bassmaster Elite Series pro, will preview the weigh-in Friday, Feb. 18, at 3:30 p.m. CST, and Montana will rev up the crowd Saturday, Feb. 19, at 3:30 p.m. CST.
“I love to bass fish, and I do a lot of turkey hunting. Fishing and hunting are the things I like to do in my downtime,” said Montana. “To be able to play a show and be part of one of my favorite hobbies in the world, it’s gonna be a fun couple of days.”
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Sealock photo
Joe Balog, industry veteran and noted Great Lakes smallmouth expert has joined Rapala, Sufix and Trigger X for 2011.
"I am pumped," Balog said. "I now have some super hard baits, some superior line with Sufix and with Trigger X, I get to help work on drop-shot baits. It doesn't get much better. I have been working on this with Rapala for a long time and am glad it came together.
"I believe that scent and the use of pheromones is the next big thing in smallmouth fishing, and it's neat to be on the ground level with Trigger X."
Balog qualifed for the Elite Series last year through the B.A.S.S. Opens but decided to keep working with his other business ventures and forgo the pro circuit. Many of the techniques used for smallmouths in the Great Lakes can be attributed to Balog blazing a new trail especially in regards to goby baits.
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 Our buddies over at Zoom just posted a great blog on how Mike McClelland stores his plastics. Obviously he has the same problem as many diehard anglers in that he has hundreds of pounds of plastics and he may need a large variety of those while traveling the country fishing tournaments. So he offers some tips on how to modular and organized with your plastis.
Here's an excerpt from the blog:
Zoom: So how do you start the process of organizing your soft plastics.
McClelland: Well, essentially, you know how we are, we go through the course of
the year and we shove all of our plastics together. Soft plastics
especially seem like they are the biggest thing that get away from us.
But, through the year, I end up with probably 4 to 5 Hefty One-Zip bags
of some size either a quart, a gallon, or 2 1/2 gallons full of various
Zoom plastics, whether it be brush hogs, baby brush hogs, or Finesse worms.
I just try to go back and re-sort through every one of those bags and
reorganize everything so when the tournament year gets started this
year, I have got everything, in order and know where it is all at times.
To view the full article, visit Zoombait.com.
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Lew's proudly announces that Bassmaster Elite Series angler and former BASS Angler of the Year Tim Horton has picked Lew's for his choice of reels, starting immediately. The popular Muscle Shoals, Ala., angler's decision to join Team Lew's® places him among other high profile anglers who have recently signed with the brand that is turning heads in the fishing industry.
 "Tim coming on board is certainly another positive statement as to where this company is headed," explained Lew's CEO Lynn Reeves. "Besides being an outstanding fisherman, he's simply the kind of guy we want associated with the American fishing tradition of Lew's."
Horton has already incorporated the all-new Lew's baitcast and spinning reels into his fishing arsenal for 2011. He says he's highly anticipating what the new gear and season will bring.
"I am so excited about working with one of the legendary companies in this industry," Horton said. "What makes it even better is that I have worked with Lynn and Gary throughout much of my career and I am pumped to be teaming with them again. It means a lot to me to be part of a team that takes every aspect of business seriously, from product development to customer relations, and to the dealings with everyone in the company. This new Lew's has become a legitimate brand again in short order, and, knowing these guys like I do, I can assure you it's here to stay."
In addition to Horton, Team Lew's includes David Fritts, Glenn Browne, Mark Menendez, Terry Scroggins, Kevin Short and Peter Thliveros.
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Pure Fishing, Inc., a leading global provider of fishing tackle and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Jarden Corporation, today announced that it has acquired substantially all of the assets of the Sebile fishing lure business from Sebile International SA and its subsidiaries, a global supplier of fresh and saltwater fishing lures marketed under the Sebile® brand name.
 “We are excited to add Sebile lures to our offering, as they provide a strong complement to our current product lines,” commented John Doerr, President and CEO of Pure Fishing. “Sebile’s award winning products, paired with our global distribution network, creates a powerful combination. We look forward to working with Patrick Sebile to ensure that Pure Fishing stays at the forefront of delivering innovation to anglers around the globe.”
Sebile® lures are well recognized by the fishing tackle industry and anglers world-wide. The brand has distinguished itself in the industry as the only brand to ever win, in a single year, both the Best Hard Lure and Best Soft Lure awards at ICAST (USA - 2009), three awards at EFTTEX (Europe -2010), and four awards at AFTA (Australia - 2010).
“Our goal was not to start just another lure business but to provide anglers around the globe with a new and unique range of lures borne from innovative concepts and ideas,” stated Patrick Sebile. “Joining the Pure Fishing team will dramatically expand our opportunities for global growth. I am very excited to have Sebile become a part of Pure Fishing’s portfolio of industry leading brands.”
Mr. Sebile, the namesake of the Sebile® brand, started his lure business in 2006. He has fished in sixty-three countries around the world, has caught over 600 species of fish, and has compiled 327 IGFA, EFSA and FFPM records.
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River2Sea, the manufacturer of fishing lures known throughout the world, has reached an endorsement agreement with Bassmaster Elite Series Pro John Murray from Phoenix, Ariz.
Murray, the 46-year-old pro has spent more than half of his life competing professionally in bass tournaments. His experience on the water helps him know what a quality product is, and before he joined the River2Sea pro staff, he was a user of the products.
“I became aware of River2Sea several years ago when we were using the Live Eye Bottom Walkers at Clear Lake,” said Murray, a six-time Bassmaster Classic Qualifier. “The Bottom Walker was the bait for that event, and it did so well, that I started checking out other products, and was impressed with the completeness of the product line.”
Murray said he has used a lot of the products since then, and is pleased at how well they match his style. “There have been several times that I’ve used the crankbaits and Bully Wa frogs in the past five years,” Murray said. “They are a company with a complete product line, and that gives me confidence to have products that fit my needs in competition from top to bottom; I’m really excited to be a part of the River2Sea family.”
K.K. Chan, president of River2Sea’s U.S. operations is equally excited about having Murray on his team. “John is an angler with an excellent record; his career has included much success all over the country,” said Chan. “His experience, and his position as one of the best anglers on the tournament trails is one that we found very attractive for our team. He also has reputation for being very loyal and for being one of the truly good guys in the industry; he’s exactly the kind of angler we like to work with.”
Murray has been competing professionally for more than 30 years; his fishing career in the Western United States included the winning of 31 fully rigged bass boats in competition. He is a two-time winner on the B.A.S.S. National Tours and has another win in FLW Outdoors competition. Murray has earned more than $750,000 in his B.A.S.S. career and another $125,000 in FLW Tour Earnings. He is a two-time U.S. Open Champion and a multiple time Angler of the Year in regional tournament trails.
In 2011, the Phoenix, Ariz. based Murray will be competing in the Bassmaster Elite Series, the Bassmaster Northern Opens, the PAA Series and some FLW Everstart Series events. River2Sea will be featured on his jersey and as a part of his boat wrap as well.
River2Sea USA manufactures products for both fresh and saltwater applications.
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photo by Rob Newell / FLWOutdoors.com
Gardendale, Ala. pro Randall Tharp loves Lake Okeechobee. He has had five top 10 finishes in a row there and nearly pulled off a giant win on the fabled fishery with a whopping 102 pounds, 2 ounces of fish this past weekend. Florida pro Brandon McMillan, a stick on the Big O had 106 pounds, 10 ounces for the win.
"We slugged it out," Tharp said. "We traded blows each day. We fished close to each other the entire tournament and when I caught one he saw me. When he caught one I saw him. This was a special week. It was the most intense fishing I have ever had. Because we fished right next to each other it was truly special.
"It was Brandon's tournament to win. I fished flawlessly and so did he. I have no regrets, and I gave it everything I had."
Tharp flipped an Attraxx Mystic Bug in black and blue on a Falcon Heavy Flipping Stick spooled with Daiwa Samurai 70-pound braid on a Shimano Core (flipping model) reel. He used two different tungsten weights. One was an 1 1/4 ounce and the other was an 1 1/2 ounce.
"I am really fishing relaxed right now and my new team deal with Everstart has been huge. I have already qualifed for the Cup so I am going after every event to win," said Tharp. "I leave Wednesday to fish the Bassmaster Classic in New Orleans, and I feel if I can get to my fish I can win that one too."
Tharp is sponsored by Attraxx Soft Plastics, Everstart Batteries, Ranger Boats, TABU, Power Pole and Evinrude Outboards.
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Gerald Swindle just won his first B.A.S.S. event and attributed part of the win to his line. The Warrior, Alabama pro used Vicious Pro Elite Fluorocarbon. He used a Lucky Craft LVR lipless rattling crankbait and a Carolina Rigged Zoom Speed Worm for his win.
Vicious pros continue to have success using Vicious line. Just ask, "K-Pink" Kevin Short, who has pink as his go-to color for his boat and his clothing. He has won with Vicious. Also, ask John Crews. He won the first event of 2010 on the California Delta also using Vicious Pro Elite Fluorocarbon line. He actually was testing the protype line during that event.
Five lucky and knowledgable Wired2Fish readers have a package of the new line on the way.
They are:
John Shankland
Michigan Center, MI
Paul Haines
Arab, AL
Chad Leton
Oconomowoc, WI
Larry Koch
Raleigh, NC
Carl Copeland
Groveland, CA
Stay tuned to Wired2Fish tomorrow for another great contest.
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Rick Clunn, four time Bassmaster Classic winner, recently joined the ranks of pros, Skeet Reese, Shaw Grigsby, Gerald Swindle, Scott Martin, Brent Chapman and Jason Williamson to represent and endorse Lazer TroKar Bass hooks.
“We know pros like Rick are always looking for an edge, some new angle to give them an advantage. When we learned a legend like Rick Clunn was excited to fish with TroKar hooks because he felt they were the best on the market, of course, we jumped at the chance. Rick brings such a high level of expertise and “know-how” to the bass market. We are excited to work with him on new projects TroKar has in the works,” stated Chris Russell, Marketing Director for Wright & McGill Co.
TroKar manufactures the only hooks in the world that are surgically sharpened. Introduced two years ago, these wickedly sharp hooks are sweeping the competitive market.
Rick Clunn commented, “No matter what your favorite style of angling is, to achieve peak performance in hooking and landing fish, it is essential that you use the very best hooks.”
Rick will be in the TroKar booth #2065, on Friday, February 18th and Saturday, February 19th in the afternoon during the BassMaster’s Classic. Take advantage of this rare opportunity to talk to a pro that has been fishing for over 37 years, was voted ESPN All-time Greatest Bass Angler in 2004, has 14 B.A.S. S. Championship wins and 100 top ten finishes to his name. Rick never felt he needed to endorse a hook before now but knows what it takes to be a winner, and that’s why TroKar bass hooks are his hook of choice.
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SPRO is proud to announce it has become involved with the BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship Series. This is a great step to insure that the future of fishing will be around for years to come.
"SPRO is excited to become a sponsor of the BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship Series," said Syd Rives, National Sales Manager. "We've sponsored several collegiate teams in the past and welcome this opportunity to become a sponsoring partner. I can remember fishing in my spare time, after finishing my studies, while attending college. At that time it was only a dream to have a program like this. With the BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship Series gaining popularity across the country it will be easier for students who have a passion for fishing and the outdoors to come together and participate in the sport of bass fishing at the collegiate level".
Covering the water column from top to bottom with a variety of lure options, SPRO has what it takes to help these collegiate anglers be successful. Splitting time between studies and fishing, SPRO lures will provide all collegiate anglers the competitive edge they need to put bass in their livewells.
"I'm excited to see that SPRO, who is one of my main sponsors, has decided to support the BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship Series," said professional angler, Mike McClelland. "After having the opportunity to be involved in the BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship Series over the past two years, there's no doubt in my mind that the next generation of professional anglers to will come from the collegiate ranks."
For more information about the full SPRO lineup of products please contact Media Coordinator Scott M. Petersen at speter1003@aol.com or log onto www.spro.com .
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Our good buddy Ron Lindner just attended the FLW Open on Okeechobee. He shot some of our buddies while walking around the event and we found out its truly great to have friends.
The first installment is with Larry Nixon. Yes Larry, we are up to our tail ends in snow!
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Jarrett Edwards is a giver. He is a one-of-a-kind professional who loves bass fishing and loves his country as well. He and his wife Rebecca are traveling the country showcasing a wrapped boat and truck and their affinity for the American Soldier. Take a look at this video outlining the very unique program where soldiers sign his boat. They have been to two events and already have over 2000 signatures. To watch it click here.
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Reins Fishing announced today that it is partnering with Bassmaster Elite Series anglers Bill Lowen, Ott Defoe and Cliff Crochet to promote its line of tungsten products. Reins is Japan’s top tungsten supplier.
“Elite anglers like Bill Lowen, Ott DeFoe and Cliff Crochet demand the highest quality products available. Anglers in Japan are the same way. We are very excited to be making Reins Tungsten available in the United States and look forward to hearing about anglers using the weights to catch more fish,” said Mike Clark, Reins Tungsten’s National Sales Manager.
“I fished Reins on the Elite Series last year and felt extremely confident with them. They have custom shapes in the widest available weight range. They have an awesome matte finish that won’t chip and a sleeve insert to eliminate line fray,” said 2011 Bassmaster Classic qualifier Bill Lowen.
Ott DeFoe is excited about using Reins Tungsten for flipping tubes. “The perfect weight for a 4” tube is 5/16 ounce. That weight allows a tube to impart the exact action necessary to trigger strikes. Reins is the only company that I can find that sells that exact size in tungsten,” said DeFoe. “At the Toho Southern Open I was sight fishing using a Berkley Power Hawg and an ‘absolutely tiny’ 3/16 Reins bullet weight. It was the perfect setup for that situation.” Defoe finished in 4th place out of 193 anglers in that event.
“At the recent Southern Open a fisherman saw my flipping stick and asked how I was able to fish mats with a 3/4 ounce weight. It was actually a 1.5 ounce Reins weight,” said Cliff Crochet. “The size of these weights is so much less than old-school weights. They are even smaller than other tungsten weights. People ask me what’s the big deal about the size of the weight. I tell them the smaller the weight the better the hook up.”
Reins Tungsten warns anglers that all tungsten products are not the same. Reins Tungsten weights are constructed of the highest concentration of tungsten on the market, and thus smaller in size.
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BASS photo
Skeet Reese, the 2007 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year and the 2009 Bassmaster Classic Champion has reached an endorsement agreement with Dick’s Sporting Goods; the largest U.S. based full line sporting goods retailer.
Reese will join an already strong team of anglers who wear the Dick’s Sporting Goods logo; the current team features Bassmaster Elite Series pros Mike Iaconelli and Shaw Grigsby along with saltwater pro Capt. Blair Wiggins. The addition of Reese creates an even stronger presence on the national fishing scene.
“I’m really excited to be joining the Dick’s team,” said the 41-year-old pro. “Dick’s already had a great team in Mike and Shaw and I’m proud to be joining them in promoting the Dick’s Sporting Goods brand.” The agreement includes logo branding on Reese’s jersey, as well as on his Lucky Craft / Berkley truck and 2011 Stratos Elite Series 210.
“They are the largest full line sporting goods retailer in the U.S., and they have a strong desire to continue growing their presence in the fishing industry,” Reese said. “They have made a commitment to carry the right products in their stores across the country, and that makes it a place any angler can find what they need; I’m happy to be able to work with them.”
“We are pleased to have Skeet Reese come on board as a partner of Dick’s Sporting Goods, joining our two other great professional bass anglers and partners, Mike Iaconelli and Shaw Grigsby. This partnership will provide both Dick’s and Skeet the opportunity to further leverage the marketing of the many Skeet Reese Signature products sold at Dick’s Sporting Goods stores and online through dickssportinggoods.com,” said Scott Rolf, Vice President of Community Marketing for Dick's Sporting Goods.
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Photo by Brett Carlson // FLWOutdoors.com
Walmart FLW Tour pro Brandon McMillan of Belle Glade, Fla., caught a
five-bass limit weighing 25 pounds, 7 ounces Sunday to win $125,000 at
the Walmart FLW Tour presented by Evinrude on Lake Okeechobee with a
four-day catch of 20 bass weighing 106-10. McMillan’s total weight set a
new FLW Tour record for heaviest total tournament weight caught.
Coming from behind, the catch gave McMillan the win by a solid 4-pound, 8-ounce margin over EverStart pro Randall Tharp of Gardendale, Ala., who
caught a total of 20 bass weighing 102-2, earning $35,000.
“This is like a dream come true. I’ve watched my dad (Jimmy McMillan)
win for so many years, it feels good to do it myself,” said McMillan,
who was fishing in his first ever FLW Tour tournament. “Randall
and I were sharing the same water all week. He has always been one of my
heroes and to win with him in second place is pretty special.
“I was a little nervous the first two days after seeing the weights come
in knowing that most of it was caught sight fishing,” McMillan went on
to say. “However, I stuck with flipping the mats on the north shore and
that’s what made the difference. I didn’t catch a lot of fish today, but
I landed the ones that mattered."
Conditions changed on the lake today, the wind picked up and early
morning fog covered the lake taking sight fishing out of the game.
Unlike most of this week’s anglers, McMillan did not do any sight
fishing, he went flipping. McMillan believes that it was his flipping
that won the tournament for him.
McMillan opened the tournament in sixth-place Thursday with five bass
weighing 27 pounds that he caught flipping 1 ½-ounce tungsten weights on
a Gambler KO Flipping Hook while fishing the north shore. On Friday he
added another five bass weighing 28-14 using Gambler BB Crickets and
Bruiser Intruders to jump to third place. He then caught five bass
weighing 25-5 on Saturday to make the crucial top-10 cut in fourth
place. On Sunday he sealed his victory by continuing to flip the grass
mats on the north shore with his Gambler BB Crickets and Bruiser
Intruders, both in black & blue.
The remaining top-10 pros finished the tournament in:
3rd: Chad Prough, Chipley, Fla., 20 bass, 100-15, $30,000
4th: Terry Scroggins, San Mateo, Fla., 20 bass, 99-9, $25,000
5th: Duracell/Gillette pro Jacob Powroznik, Prince George, Va., 20 bass, 95-0, $20,000
6th: Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 20 bass, 89-1, $17,000
7th: Fred Roumbanis, Bixby, Okla., 20 bass, 85-3, $16,500
8th: Dean Rojas, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., 20 bass, 84-9, $15,000
9th: Pete Thliveros, Saint Augustine, Fla., 15 bass, 82-14, $14,000
10th: Jake Morris, McKee, Ky., 20 bass, 82-8, $13,000
The previous record for heaviest total tournament weight caught was set
in 2010 by Brent Long of Cornelius, N.C., when he caught 95 pounds, 7
ounces, on Lake Guntersville. The top four anglers in the Lake
Okeechobee tournament, Randall Tharp, Chad Prough and Terry Scroggins,
all shattered that record as well.
Overall there were 45 bass weighing 153 pounds, 2 ounces caught by 10 pros Sunday. The catch included nine five-bass limits.
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photo by Brett Carlson / FLWOutdoors.com
Pro Chad Prough of Chipley, Fla., still leads after three days of competition after adding a five-bass limit
weighing 20 pounds, 8 ounces Saturday on Lake Okeechobee, advancing to the final
day of competition as the No. 1 seed. With a three-day catch of 15 bass
weighing 87-15, he now holds a 5 pound, 1 ounce lead in the tournament.
"If I don’t catch anything tomorrow, I’ll still go home
happy,” said a still shaking Prough who is looking for his first FLW
Outdoors win. “This has been such a phenomenal week of fishing, I feel
like I am living a dream.
"Today was my slowest day of fishing so far,” Prough said. “I lost a 5 or 6-pounder at the end that might really come
back to haunt me tomorrow. My area definitely saw some pressure, a lot
of local pressure and there were a few other tournament guys there that I
hadn’t seen all week. I will probably have to go to my secondary spot
first tomorrow. The big females weren’t moving up in my area today, I
think because of all the pressure. There are plenty of bucks in there,
but to win this tournament I am going to have to find those big females
looking for beds.
“I did about half sight-fishing and about half
throwing long casts. The wind picked up today and that really hurt the
sight-fishing.
“It’s a little nerve-racking to fish in first
place, but now that I made the final top-10 some of the pressure is off.
Tomorrow I am just going to go out and have fun!”
In yet another day of phenomenal fishing, Lake
Okeechobee was described as alive and well. All 20 pro anglers caught a
five-bass limit with nearly half of them weighing more than 20 pounds. Every
angler that walked on stage said that they have never seen Lake
Okeechobee fish this well.
Pete Thliveros of Saint Augustine, Fla., advanced to
the final round of 10 pros in the No. 2 spot with a three-day total of
15 bass weighing 82-14. His 33-14 was the biggest limit of the day by far and the third largest of the tournament taking him from 9th place all the way to second place, just a 5-pounder behind Prough.
“I made a mistake yesterday by not going to the area I
started in today,” said Thliveros, who has two top-10 finishes on Lake
Okeechobee in FLW Tour competition. “The females are moving up on beds
and they are big.
“It’s amazing to me that the amount of pressure this
one mile stretch of bank has seen and is still producing the amount of
big fish that we have seen cross this stage today. It has been under
tremendous pressure and there are still big ones out there daring to be
caught."
Rounding out the top-10 pros and advancing to the final day of competition are:
3rd: EverStart pro Randall Tharp, Gardendale, Ala., 15 bass, 81-4
4th: Brandon McMillan, Belle Glade, Fla., 15 bass, 81-3
5th: Terry Scroggins, San Mateo, Fla., 15 bass, 77-8
6th: Duracell/Gillette pro Jacob Powroznik, Prince George, Va., 15 bass, 76-14
7th: Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 15 bass, 73-2
8th: Jake Morris, McKee Ky., 15 bass, 72-13
9th: Fred Roumbanis, Bixby, Okla., 15 bass, 72-4
10th: Dean Rojas, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., 15 bass, 69-8
Final results for the remaining field can be found at FLWOutdoors.com
Overall there were 100 bass weighing 393 pounds, 12
ounces caught by 20 pros Saturday. The catch included 20 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 2012
Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing. The top five
anglers in the points standings from the four Walmart FLW Tour Open
tournaments will qualify.
Aymon Wilcox of Lauderdale Lakes, Fla., won the
Co-angler Division and $20,000 Saturday with a three-day total of 15
bass weighing 55 pounds, 14 ounces followed by George Kapiton of
Inverness, Fla., in second place with 15 bass weighing 53-10 worth
$7,625.
“I’ve been close so many times that it feels real
good to finally win one,” said Wilcox, who has six previous FLW Outdoors
top-10 finishes in the last six years. “It was a great week of fishing.
Basically I used Tuscaroran Stick Bait, frogs and NetBait Paca Craw all
week long to catch all my fish.
“It was a little slow today, I was pretty nervous, but
then about 1 p.m. I caught my 4-pounder and I relaxed just a little.”
Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers are:
3rd: Anthony Hunt, Tamarac, Fla., 15 bass, 51-9, $5,000
4th: Nick Hensley, Cumming, Ga., 15 bass, 47, $4,000
5th: Chip Brooks, Bradenton, Fla., 15 bass, 46-15, $3,000
6th: Spencer Shuffield, Bismarck, Ark., 15 bass, 46-12, $2,500
7th: Clent Davis, Montevallo, Ala., 15 bass, 46-8, $2,000
8th: Marlon Crowder, Tampa, Fla., 15 bass,45-1, $1,800
9th: Ron Buck, Port Saint Lucie Fla., 15 bass, 44-3, $1,700
10th: Skip Bennett, Mt. Vernon, Ill., 15 bass, 42-13, $1,600
Final results for the remaining field can be found at FLWOutdoors.com
Overall there were 97 bass weighing 213 pounds caught
by 20 co-anglers Saturday. The catch included 19 five-bass limits.
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We have all been there. We want to change line but its always a mess and a hassle. Overwinds that cause us to pick out knots, a kinked and gnarled mess that wraps around rod tips, boat cleats and shoelaces and the job can become more of a burden that it is worth to some anglers. Ultimately the hassle may keep anglers from re-lining when they should. Rapala has a simple solution and a tool that not only removes line post haste but also allow the line to spool neatly into the trash as it un-spools. The Rapala Line Remover/Hook Sharpener is one slick deal.
It can be removed both in the boat or the shop and the procedure is very simple. We like to leave the line running through the guides but it works just as slick when the reel is off the rod. Simply take the tag end and insert in in the line remover tool pulling the line down to the reel. While keeping your thumb lightly touching the spool on the reel hit the button on the tool. Start the line directly into the trash can and it will neatly deposit it. You can slow the speed down by pressing harder with your thumb on the reel or stopping the tool by releasing your finger off the button. It works great for all types of line including braid and fluorocarbon. It makes the job a very simple and you can respool multiple rods in the time it used to take to do one.
The Rapala Line Remover removes 5 foot per second and uses 4 AA batteries as a power source. It has a fine grit aluminum oxide stone included that works great to sharpen hooks.
The Rapala Line Remover/Sharpener retails for around 15 bucks and it will be one of the best investments an angler can make! Tournament anglers who change line often will love it.
Editors Note :Remember to properly deposit old used line into the trash or a recycle center if it is available.
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Photo by Rob Newell / FLWOutdoors.com
The sight fishing improved on Friday at the FLW Tour Open on Lake Okeechobee. Day one leader Chad Prough of Florida added another 30-pound limit to his two day creel and now leads with a total of 10 bass weighing 67-07. With nearly a 5 1/2-pound lead on Fred Roumbanis, Prough seems to be cruising on Okeechobee. In fact at 8 am CST he already had 25 pounds of bass in his livewell and was culling.
The lake conditions started calm, warm and sunny today and that made for an unbelievable sight fishing day for those chasing bedding bass. Many of the top-10 pros reported cruising around throwing reaction baits for male bass while looking for the better quality bedding bass and several of the top pros were fishing within talking distance of one another. The weights have been nothing short of amazing this week on Okeechobee.
How would you like to have 50 pounds, 1 ounce and be in 8th place after two days of fishing. You're catching a 5-pound average over two days of fishing and you're not even in the top 5. That's how Terry Scroggins feels right now!
Interesting that a few Elite Series pros were in the Top 10 going into the cut for the weekend as well as some tough local sticks and some stalwarts from the FLW Tour. So it will be a fun tournament no doubt and with five 30-plus-pound limits and 50 limits weighing more than 20 pounds coming to the scales today, the lake is showing no signs of wear and tear. In fact several pros put Okeechobee up against the best fisheries in the nation.
The top-10 after two days looks like this:
Chad Prough 67-07
Fred Roumbanis 61-14
Brandon McMillan 55-14
Andy Morgan 54-13
Randall Tharp 53-2
Jacob Powroznik 53-1
Trevor Fitzgerald 50-15
Terry Scroggins 50-1
Jeremy York 49-12
Peter Thliveros 49
You really should check out the photos Rob Newell has posted at FLWOutdoors.com. Big props to them on their excellent work covering the event! It's been a lot of fun between the stories, photos, video and twitter updates following this event. Good job FLW!
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Wired2Fish TV airs tonight on Versus in two time slots. One will run during the 8 pm EST / 7 pm CST showing of Hunt for Big Fish and will be on spoon fishing and the second one will run during the 12:30 am EST/11:30 pm CST showing of FIS Freestyle World Championship and will be on Flipping.
Check out the promo for the show here.
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VERSUS will premiere the fourth season of City Limits Fishing with Mike Iaconelli on Friday, February 4, at 9 p.m. ET. The six-episode series follows professional angler Mike “Ike” Iaconelli, the 2003 Bassmaster Classic winner, 2006 BASS Angler of the Year and runner-up in the 2009 Bassmaster Classic, as he visits some of America’s best urban fishing areas and shows city dwellers that they don’t need to travel far to catch their limit of fish.
In each episode of City Limits Fishing, Iaconelli is accompanied by professional and amateur anglers as they face the weekly challenge of catching a limit of fish within the boundaries of some of the country’s greatest cities, including Cleveland, St. Louis, Austin, Charleston, Pensacola and Minneapolis.
“City Limits Fishing has been a staple in our primetime Friday night line-up,” said Jeff Macaluso, Director of Field Sports & New Media Programming for VERSUS. “Mike Iaconelli is an exuberant and engaging host who fits the VERSUS tradition of bringing viewers the best techniques and theories from the most trusted authorities on the water.”
"It's been a blast filming these shows for the past four years," said Iaconelli. "It's a great way to keep fishing competitively even after the regular tour season ends. Not only do I get to go to great places and fish for lots of different species, but I also get to meet some great people in the process!"
Lowrance Electronics joins this years show as the official host of the "Lowrance Challenge Banner" The challenge banner tracks how many keepers Ike and his guest have caught.
For more information on the show or the products and gear used in the show, go to www.mikeiaconelli.com
The complete schedule for City Limits Fishing follows, all times 9 p.m. ET (schedule subject to change):
Cleveland
Feb. 4Mike Iaconelli’s short trip from Philadelphia to Cleveland turns into a major ordeal when he misses his flight and ends up getting in after midnight, eight hours late. Iaconelli and old friend Frank Scalish weather a threatening storm to find success in the shadows of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
St. Louis
Feb. 11A day of fishing for monster catfish on the Mississippi River is interrupted when Mike Iaconelli and the City Limits crew are pressed to rescue a barge worker who has fallen into the river and is caught in the deadly current.
Charleston, S.C.
Feb. 25
Ike and Ben Alderman chase monster bull reds in Charleston but the biggest catch of the day isn’t a redfish, but rather a toothy predator.
Austin
Feb. 18
Mike Iaconelli is in terrible spirits when he arrives in Austin, Texas following a heartbreaking, second place finish in a major tournament. The fishing is tough, and when things don’t go his way, he ends up “Going Ike”.
Pensacola, Fla.
March 11
A rogue wave crashes over the bow of the boat damaging a camera and threatening the entire shoot. The crew is able to come up with a novel plan to continue shooting and Iaconelli and guest Chris Phillips have an amazing day on the water.
Minneapolis
March 25
Iaconelli has tried nearly every type of fishing known to man except ice fishing. In this episode, he tries to master a power auger and mini fishing rods in his quest to catch five different species under the ice.
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Weather is a variable that anglers cannot control. Many times a storm will just appear. No forecast, no warning, and no way to get out of it. Sirius Marine Weather combined with Lowrance HDS can take the guesswork out of it with real-time weather that is up to the minute and available for your boat.
Fishing can be impacted by weather, and savvy anglers are finding out that this is a must have to increase the odds of catching more fish and also staying safe. Wind direction and force, barometric pressure, fronts, lightning strikes and precipitation are all at your fingertips with Sirius Marine Weather.
We have seen a lot of professional anglers adding Sirius Marine weather to their units this year and believe this may be one of those secrets that they don't want to get out. This could be the year when weather and management of weather conditions by anglers will play in a tournament win. Knowing how to utilize the Sirius Marine Weather tools can tell what bait will work best, what depth the fish might be in and most importantly how you can get out of some bad stuff to find and catch more fish. It's more than just getting out of the rain; it's catching more fish too.
Wired2Fish's Shaw Grigsby has been using Sirius Marine Weather on his boat for a while now, and the video below gives an overview of what he believes is an innovation that all anglers should have.
To purchase the Sirius Marine Weather module click here.
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Photo by Brett Carlson / FLWOutdoors.com
Walmart
FLW Tour pro Chad Prough of Chipley, Fla., crossed the stage Thursday
with a five-bass limit weighing 35 pounds, 3 ounces to lead day one of
the Walmart FLW Tour presented by Evinrude on Lake Okeechobee. Prough
now holds a 5-pound, 15-ounce lead over Duracell/Gillette pro Jacob
Powroznik of Prince George, Va., who caught five bass weighing 29-4 in a
tournament featuring 320 anglers from all across the country, Canada
and Spain.
“This is the biggest bag of fish I have ever caught,”
said a stunned Prough, whose biggest sack of the day, up until now, also
came from Lake Okeechobee and weighed 20 pounds, 13 ounces. “I found an
area where the females were looking for beds, I didn’t want to spook
them so I was making long casts with topwater baits. I was basically in
two areas, my biggest two came from the same area and the other three
were from another spot. I probably culled 10 times today, it was crazy. I
started the day with 16-pounds and just kept culling up.
“I plan to go to those same areas tomorrow and I am
hoping if the weather stays nice they will hold up. It will probably be a
little slower, but I am hoping a few of those big females will still be
there. My biggest challenge now is keeping my head in the game and
staying focused.
“This has been the most incredible day, I can’t even describe it.”
In a day that was described as phenomenal, over 50
20-pound sacks of fish were brought to the scales by pro anglers. Lake
Okeechobee showed her true colors as big fish after big fish were
weighed. Of the 160 pro anglers, 159 of them caught five-bass limits. It
didn’t seem to matter how or where they were fishing, everyone was
catching fish; clear water, stained water, on beds, moving onto beds,
flipping, pitching, swimbaits, it all worked. Time after time the words,
“I thought I was having a good day until I came to the scales” were
uttered by the best of the best in bass fishing.
Rounding out the top-10 pros after day one on Lake Okeechobee are:
3rd: Cheez-It pro Shinichi Fukae, Palestine, Texas, five bass, 29-0
4th: Fred Roumbanis, Bixby, Okla., five bass, 27-9
5th: Pete Thliveros, St. Augustine, Fla., five bass, 27-8
6th: Brandon McMillan, Belle Glade, Fla., five bass, 27-0
7th: Takahiro Omori, Emory, Texas, five bass, 26-2
8th: Shad Schenck, Waynetown, Ind., five bass, 25-12
Chevy pro Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., five bass, 25-12
10th: Trevor Fitzgerald, Belleview, Fla., five bass, 25-8
For a full list of results visit FLWOutdoors.com
Cheez-It pro Shinichi Fukae caught the Snickers® Peanut Butter Squared Big Bass weighing 11 pounds on the pro side to win $500.
Overall there were 797 bass weighing 2,729 pounds, 5 ounces caught by 160 pros Thursday.
Pros are competing for a top award of up to $125,000
this week plus valuable points in the hope of qualifying for the 2012
Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing. The top five
anglers from the four Walmart FLW Tour Open tournaments will qualify.
Ron Buck of Port Saint Lucie, Fla., leads the
co-angler division with five bass weighing 23-12, followed by Aymon
Wilcox of Lauderdale Lakes, Fla., in second place with five bass
weighing 22-9.
"It doesn’t matter where you go, Lake Okeechobee is
fishing big,” said Buck, who finished in eighth-place at last month’s
EverStart Series event on Lake Okeechobee. “I was able to cull all of my
keeper fish. Late afternoon is when the bite really turned on. I was
using Gambler’s 10-inch Worm June Bug. I was swimming my bait to females
that were moving up into beds.”
Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers are:
3rd: Ryan Richardson, Golfstwon, N.H., five bass, 20-14
4th: Richard McCrory, Point-Clare, Qc., five bass, 19-11
5th: Chip Brooks, Bradenton, Fla., five bass, 19-10
Kazuki Kitajima, Aventura, Fla., five bass, 19-10
7th: Marlon Crowder, Tampa, Fla., five bass, 18-5
8th: Larry Mullikin, Lauderhill, Fla., five bass, 18-0
9th: Glen Pickering, Whitby, Ont., five bass, 17-10
Jeff Zeisner, Arva, Ont., five bass, 17-10
For a full list of results visit FLWOutdoors.com
Tommy Lee of Canada, Ont., caught the Snickers® Peanut Butter Squared Big Bass weighing 8-5 in the co-angler division to win $250.
Overall there were 765 bass weighing 1,700 pounds, 12
ounces caught by 159 co-anglers Thursday. The catch included 145
five-bass limits.
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By most accounts, Louisiana Delta conditions are ripe for a slugfest in the Feb. 18-20 Bassmaster Classic. The overall good health of the fishery strongly hints at the possibility of hefty bag weights — record weights, even, for five-fish limits in three days.
“Winning won’t be a matter of who has five, but of who has five big ones,” predicted Bassmaster Elite Series pro Keith Poche, a Louisiana native who’s neutral in the discussion because he isn’t in this competition.
Yet one weather event that’s common in February — and all-too common in this frigid winter of 2011 — could change the game quickly and completely: a cold snap.
Southern Louisiana has already experienced a big February chill. For several days of the month’s first week, night air temperatures dove into the low 30s. Some area predictions were for lows in the 20s, according to Elite pro Dennis Tietje, whose home in Roanoke, La., borders the heart of the delta fishery.
“If something like that happens the week of the Classic, it will be very tough fishing,” said Tietje, who, like Poche, is not in this Classic. “The colder weather will shut down these fish — they’re pretty sensitive in the marsh because of the shallow water.”
The flip side of that scenario is that shallow, marshy water heats back up fast.
“It doesn’t take very much sunshine in the shallow conditions of the delta. The water’s stained, and it will warm up a lot faster than clear water. It won’t take but a couple of days of sunshine to trigger a feeding frenzy,” Tietje said.
Delta bass will feed in low to mid-50s water temperatures, he said. “Anything under that is cold for the delta.”
In a big chill, as little as 3 degrees can make a big difference, he said. The successful Classic competitors will be those who know where that slightly warmer water is and — most important in delta sprawl — how to get there the quickest way possible.
How about that shallow water icing over? Not likely, said Tietje, who was out on the delta Jan. 31. (He was doing promotional work with sponsors, not fishing, so he couldn’t speak to the bite.)
“It would have to stay very, very cold for that tidal water to freeze,” Tietje said. “Delta water just does not freeze over — not that I’ve ever heard of, anyway.”
Tietje is optimistic that anglers will be able to tote big bags to the scales each day on the Bassmaster weigh-in stage inside the New Orleans Arena.
“Depending on Mother Nature, the delta is setting up to be excellent fishing,” he said.
Now living in Troy, Ala., Poche keeps in touch with his roots. He grew up in Natchitoches, La., and took many a trip to the delta to hunt for big bass.
He predicted that flipping will be important in the prespawn delta, with spinnerbaiting early in the morning.
“It changes so much there. I’m sure it’s different from what I last saw,” Poche said. “I have a lot of buddies that live down there still, and they’ve been telling me that they’ve never seen the fishery this good. They’re talking that it’s going to be a very good Classic.”
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This is one of the best videos we've seen done on handling fish that exhibit symptoms of barotrauma. Barotrauma is basically when a bass or other fish has been brought to the surface quickly and their air bladder has expanded and they are unable to relieve the pressure. Watch this video for good dissection of real bass and explanations of what happens and the benefits of fizzing.
Great work by the TPWD once again! Thanks for all you guys do for bass fishing!
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The Berkley Experience Trailer will be at the Bass Pro Shops in Orlando, Fla., to start the 2011 tour on February 4th – 6th. With 60-feet of fun and activities, the Experience Trailer brings fishing education to all levels and skill sets of anglers.
The trailer has videos and interactive demonstrations along with seminars scheduled throughout the day to cover the 4 main components of fishing:
Line Selection
Rigging Techniques for Bait
Reel Maintenance
Rod Selection
Each stop always has special retail promotions only available while the trailer is at the location. These include not only line and bait, but rods, reels and combos. Anglers are encouraged to come check out the super hot deals.
“We are excited about having the Experience Trailer on the road in 2011 and stopping at many new locations across the country,” said Andrew Marks, Berkley Marketing Director. "Our Experience Trailer team is ready to help anglers of all ages and levels learn about fishing, our products and how best to use them to catch more fish.”
Other exciting elements include a knot tying contest and demonstration, where you can learn new knots and even win a prize. Under the tent, we will have racks filled with the latest products and big screen videos that help you experience the adventure with Berkley. The Berkley Experience staff is always on hand to help answer any questions that you have about our innovative products.
The next 3 stops include:
January 11-13 Gander Mountain – Lake Mary, Fla.
January 18-20 Bassmaster Classic – New Orleans, La.
January 25-27 Bass Pro Shops – Grapevine, Texas
You can learn more about Berkley by going to their website.
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Elite Series pro Russ Lane just got his new truck and boat wrap and is it ever sweet. We love the matching truck and boat wraps! Sweet looking rides Russ.
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Zoom just posted this great video with Gerald Swindle talking about the last morning of the Bassmaster Open on Toho and the pressure that mounted on winning his first B.A.S.S. tournament. Great advice for handling mental aspects of fishing.
Such a good video and funny quotes. Gerald is a one man show. Check out Zoom's Blog for more great content like this.
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We're gearing up for
the classic in a couple of weeks. And we're getting ready for a new year of
fishing at Wired2Fish.
One new thing we've added to our store is silicone wristbands. We wanted
something for the everyday anglers like us to remind us of fishing. Something
to help us keep mentally focused on the water. Several pros told us they keep
notes and such all over their boat to keep their mental focus and positive
outlook during long tough fishing days. Our wristbands feature two simple
words: FISH ON! These words remind us to keep focused on one bite at a
time.
The bands are available in six colors and the camo wristbands are slightly
larger in size. They list for $2.50 each but from today through the end of the
Classic (Feb. 21) you can get them for $2.00. The discounted price will be
shown in the cart after you select your favorite colors.
In celebration of the 2011 Bassmaster Classic in New Orleans in a couple weeks,
we've also decided to offer FREE shipping on all store orders between now
and Feb. 21.
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Power-Pole Anchoring Systems will be well represented at the Bassmaster Classic and on the Elite Series tour this year. Forty-one out of the 50 Classic anglers will be running Power-Poles and 94 out of the 101 Elite Series anglers will also be running Power-Poles this season as well. Below are the anglers running them in the Classic. Power-Poles could have a big influence in the outcome of this year's Classic in the Louisiana Delta's shallow, vegetation-laden water.
Kevin VanDam
Edwin Evers
Skeet Reese
Terry Butcher
Aaron Martens
Cliff Pace
Russ Lane
Greg Hackney
Tommy Biffle
Gary Klein
Derek Remitz
John Crews
Brian Snowden
Mark Davis
Mike McClelland
Todd Faircloth
Scott Rook
Matt Herren
Bill Lowen
Stephen Browning
Michael Iaconelli
Dave Wolak
Shaw Grigsby
Boyd Duckett
Bobby Lane
Jeff Kriet
Gerald Swindle
Jason Williamson
Greg Vinson
Brent Chapman
Kevin Wirth
Kelly Jordon
Terry Scroggins
Paul Elias
Randall Tharp
Andy Montgomery
Clark Rheem
Brandon Palaniuk
Dale Hightower
Ryan McMurtury
George Crain
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Tim Horton, a former B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year and one of the most respected competitors on the Elite Series tour, has joined Duckett Fishing’s 2011 professional staff, company owner and CEO Boyd Duckett announced today. Horton is the latest pro angler sporting an impressive track record to join the staff of Duckett Fishing, a company that began rod manufacturing and distribution early in 2010. Horton joins Elite Series anglers Kelly Jordon, Terry Scroggins, Byron Velvick, Jason Williamson, Pete Ponds and former Bassmaster Classic champion and company owner Duckett on the Duckett Fishing team. “Timmy is obviously a great angler. He engraved his name forever in our sport by winning Angler of the Year, something every angler covets.
But what’s even more important to us, Timmy’s a professional on and off the water,” Duckett said. “Another thing that’s truly important about Timmy is that he’s a hands-on guy when it comes to product development,” Duckett added. “He’s like our other pro staff guys in the fact that he will help us develop leading products in the future.” Horton is the fourth Duckett pro staff member to have each earned the elite status known as BASS “millionaire” by winning more than $1 million in Bass Angler Sportsman Society competition. Horton joins Jordon, Scroggins and Duckett in earning that distinction. Horton has won four BASS tournament titles, while finishing second three times. He has 27 top 10 and 45 top 20 finishes in his career. Horton has competed in the Bassmaster Classic 10 times. “I’ve known Boyd Duckett for years, and I have tremendous respect for him as an angler and a businessman.
He’s a leader that you can trust. He’s also savvy. What has really impressed me is that he takes no shortcuts when it comes to developing rods,” Horton said. “I’ve had a lot of conversations with Kelly Jordon and Terry Scroggins about the Duckett rods. Those are two guys that never settle for second best, and they told me I had to try one,” Horton said. “When I did, I was absolutely blown away with how well they function. They are light and sensitive. In fact, they are the most sensitive fishing rod I’ve ever had in my hand. “ Horton added, “What Duckett Fishing is making is not any typical flipping or cranking stick. Boyd’s group discusses things like how the action works 12 inches down and then 24 inches down, things like that. Every action gets broken down. Those things just show you that Boyd’s concerned about every aspect of his product. This is the kind of organization I’m delighted to be part of.” Duckett, the 2007 Classic champion and a highly successful businessman, announced the formation of Duckett Fishing in November 2009.
The company’s signature product is a lightweight rod known as MICROMagic that utilizes microguide technology. Duckett’s initial lines are white, which caught Horton’s attention immediately after the rods were introduced. “I was working with a company a few years ago, and I tried to tell them that it would be a good idea to change the cosmetics, to do something that would distinguish their rods. In our business, we’ve always been tied to dark rods, and it’s hard to tell what anybody is using,” Horton said. “But when I suggested doing something that would make the rods stand out, nobody wanted to hear it. “Now I’m with a company that understands even the cosmetics. They just ‘get it’ when it comes to details.” Duckett, with tongue in cheek, added that there was one final resume item about Horton that makes him a natural for Demopolis, Alabama-based Duckett Fishing. “The home office of Duckett Fishing has great allegiance to the Alabama Crimson Tide. And Timmy, well, he's an Auburn fan," Duckett said." In a show of political correctness and balance, we felt that we had to bring him on.”
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Elite Series pro Grant Goldbeck has moved to Texas and lives near Amistad, Choke Canyon and Falcon. He has been fishing the Elite Series for 6 years. He talks on Weighing In Radio with Terry Brown about Denny Brauer, living out of a motorhome, pigs and moving into the Goldbeck barn. To listen click here. |
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High-performance, aggressively styled and constructed to meet the demands of the most competitive anglers on the planet, Stratos Boats is bringing the same attitude and style of its boats to the web. Through its improved website, Stratos Boats introduces new boat buyers and Stratos loyalists alike to a wealth of new features and interactive content.
The redesigned website brings the style and feel of the 2011 Stratos Boats catalog online with improved graphics and interactive tools. Featuring exclusive and up-to-date content, including videos and other features, the website makes it easy for customers to take an in-depth virtual tour of the entire 2011 Stratos lineup.
With contributions from famed Stratos Pro Staff members Skeet Reese, Larry Nixon and Mike McClelland throughout the site, visitors will also have the opportunity to share their experiences as a Stratos owner, including the ability to post pictures of their very own rigs. The interactivity doesn’t stop there, users will also find information on current sales promotions, Stratos 2X contingency prizes as well as tools to locate authorized Stratos dealers and submit free catalog requests.
“The redesigned website is intended to reflect the Stratos attitude in every way: it’s more aggressive, more competitive and more useful,” said Stratos Pro Staff member Larry Nixon. “Stratos isn’t just for the young guns who fish competitively, it’s also for the young at heart and anyone who likes to compete – whether it’s on the water or off; for money or just bragging rights.”
To visit the new Stratos Boats website, go online to StratosBoats.com. As part of the re-energized web presence for the brand, Stratos fans can also become a fan on Facebook or stay up to date on the latest news by following on Twitter (@StratosBoats).
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