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Cold mornings, wind and wet conditions don't go together well for anglers without the best equipment. Times have changed a great deal as companies like Gill, Simms and Frabill have designed foul weather gear that are light and durable yet protect anglers from wind, rain and wind. The good old days are now as far as protection against the elements is concerned. Our clothing is light years ahead of where its ever been before.
For years we have been wearing wool and jersey gloves with the fingers cut off on cold mornings and even in the rain. Wool seems to hold heat well even when rain soaked but there are some down sides to them, as well. Tying on baits was always a challenge and anything near them with Velcro stuck to them like magnets. They could also get very slick and got tattered easily too after a couple of outings.
For the last couple of years we have been testing the Gill Regatta Deckhand Glove and have really found them to be the go-to glove for these conditions. They are super tough and combine performance material with suede-like gripping surfaces. They have Kevlar reinforced finger for abrasion resistance and the Proton palm is rugged and tough. The draws at the sleeves are tight but yet, adjustable. They have excellent grip but allow for dexterity when tying knots or grabbing a rod or the dock. They work great while running too. You are able to keep your hands protected but can grip the tiller or steering wheel even when wet. They are light weight and come in a multitude of sizes.
The Gill Regatta Deckhand glove retails for $22.99 and is worth the investment. Late fall is upon us and it won't be long before winter gets its icy grip. Warmer gloves will be needed then but for fall fishing this glove hits the mark.
The other pair of gloves we have been testing are the Simms Windstopper Gloves. They are a combination mitten and fingerless glove that are equally handy for fishing and driving in harsh conditions. These gloves are very comfortable and less bulky than the Deck Hand and combine a soft shell fabric with a Windstopper membrane. The palm and cuff are made of Polartec hardface fabric that are durable, provide wind resistance and water repellency. We really like the integrated hand heater pocket for super cool days. These gloves are a bit more expensive and retail for $49.95.
Both pairs of gloves work exceptionally well and are designed for the angler who is not afraid to go out in the elements. Both companies have outstanding reputations in the fishing and boating industries, and either pair of gloves would be an excellent gift for the die-hard angler.
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Prevacid pro Dan Morehead of Paducah, Ky., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 19 pounds, 5 ounces Sunday to win the EverStart Series Championship on Kentucky Lake with a four day total of 20 bass weighing 61 pounds, 4 ounces. For his victory, Morehead earned $50,000 plus a 198VX Ranger boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard motor.
“I’ve been waiting since 10:30 to weigh my fish,” said an overzealous Prevacid pro Dan Morehead who was looking for his first championship title. “I am tickled to death with what I did. A lot of people thought this tournament would be won down south, but Kentucky Lake is Kentucky Lake and I had to go north to my home waters.
“I caught most of my fish with the Alabama rig,” Morehead continued. “Let me tell you, nothing triggers suspended fish quite like this rig. I have never felt the bass strike the way they do as on an Alabama rig. I had three rods on my deck. Two had the Alabama rig. One had four, 4 ½ inch Berkley Hollow Belly Swimbaits surrounding a 5 ½ inch swimbait. On the other I had five, 5 ½ inch Berkley swimbaits and would switch to the bigger bait rig after I had caught my limit and wanted to go for the bigger bass. On the first day when the weather was so nasty I caught two of my better fish using a Zara Spook. But for the rest of the tournament it was all Alabama rig.
”This is just awesome to be able to win in front of all my friends and family,” Morehead added.
2nd: Jeff Hippert, Hamburg, N.Y., 20 bass, 56-14, $16,800
3rd: Lendell Martin Jr., Nacogdoches, Texas, 19 bass, 55-12, $8,450
4th: Kellogg’s pro Jim Tutt, Longview, Texas, 20 bass, 55-2, $7,600
5th: Koby Kreiger, Okeechobee, Fla., 20 bass, 54-14, $6,750
6h: Chad Prough, Chipley, Fla., 20 bass, 52-13, $5,900
7th: Brad Knight, Wartburg, Tenn., 20 bass, 52-7, $5,050
8th: Jess Caraballo, Danbury, Conn., 18 bass, 51-6, $4,200
9th: Todd Castledine, Nacogdoches, Texas, 20 bass, 51-2, $3,400
10th: Mike McDonald, Randleman, N.C., 18 bass, 46-11, $2,600
Troy Anderson of Galesville, Wis., won the Co-angler Division and a Ranger boat with an Evinrude or Mercury outboard motor plus $5,000 with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 42 pounds, 3 ounces.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Richard Peek, Centre, Ala., 14 bass, 35-6, $4,200
3rd: Hale White, Franklin, Tenn., 14 bass, 35-2, $2,950
4th: Beecher Strunk, Somerset, Ky., 10 bass, 34-2, $2,100
5th: Russell Lohman, Pineville, La., 11 bass, 33-10, $1,875
6th: Eric Richey, Paradise, Texas, 13 bass, 30-12, $1,675
7th: Vince Denina, Willis, Texas, 12 bass, 30-8, $1,475
8th: Doug Caldwell, Kane, Pa., 11 bass, 29-1, $1,275
9th: Jeff McCarnan, Henderson, Ky., 11 bass, 28-2, $1,075
10th: David Underwood, Waco, Texas, 10 bass, 27-4, $875
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PAA Communications (photos by Jason E. Miczek)
 After a week of slugging it out like Hagler and Hearns in their epic
late-1980s battle, Powerline Services pro Keith Combs and Toyota pro
Mike Iaconelli only needed one 14-inch fish to finish the deal following
a monster week at the Toyota Texas Bass Classic.
Iaconelli, the veteran from New Jersey with a Bassmaster Classic and
B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year title, and Combs, the up-and-coming Texan
with his rookie Elite Series season just under his belt, battled in the
1-2 positions for three days on Lake Conroe. Combs led each day, with
Iaconelli sitting in the catbird seat to overtake him with a stumble.
And then, after three days, they were tied with 76 pounds, 12 ounces.
“Unbelieveable,”
Iaconelli said after the weigh-in that determined they’d have a
sudden-death fish-off for the first 14-inch bass. “My stomach is in
knots. I want to throw up.”
But they returned to Lake Conroe, with Iaconelli fishing along two
stretches of the Conroe Dam riprap and Combs running to four different
locations. Nothing. Iaconelli caught a 12-incher and tossed it back.
Combs returned to the spot where he “left fish biting at the end of the
day” and figured he’d get at least one, but they didn’t bite.
Then, with 15 minutes left before the 6:45 p.m. deadline, Combs nailed a
15-inch largemouth. His TTBC judge made the call via cell phone to TTBC
Judge Supervisor Tim Cook, who along with PAA Tournament Director Randy
Knight listened as the fish was measured and verified.
Combs capped a two-year flurry of outstanding fishing with the biggest
win of his career. He won $100,000 and a new Legend Boat with Evinrude
outboard. The TTBC field featured the top 15 points finishers from the
Bass Pro Shops PAA Tournament Series, Bassmaster Elite Series and
Walmart FLW Tour, along with defending champion Brian Snowden and four
sponsor exemptions.
“I had this big ol’ Norman crankbait tied on that I’d been catching
7-pounders with all week and all I needed was a 14-incher,” Combs said
after returning to the ramp. “I started to think I was crazy but then I
caught it. He was the scroungiest-looking sucker with half his lip
missing and warts on his tail, but he was a 15-incher.”
Combs made his milk run Sunday of more than 50 spots on Lake Conroe,
making 3-5 casts on each one with the crankbait before moving to the
next one. He had blanked early in the morning while Iaconelli camped in
his Caney Creek hot spot that yielded 75 pounds of his total on a
Berkley Gripper jig and Rapala DT-10 crankbait in Helsinki shad color.
“I cracked ‘em for three straight days in a row,” Iaconelli said before
the fish-off. “It’s not often you get to do that, all in the same place.
It’s been an unbelievable week. My downfall was I didn’t have a really
solid second area as substantial as the main one.”
Combs on a tear
Known among Texas anglers and, now, nationally, Combs has fished exceptionally well the last two years.
He competed on the Bassmaster Central Open circuit in 2010 and qualified
for the Elite Series, and also in 2010 on the PAA Tournament Series. On
that, he won the PAA’s event at Lake Tawakoni east of Dallas with a
record-setting three-day performance and qualified for last year’s TTBC.
This season, he stormed into the Elite Series as a rookie and had a fine
showing, qualifying for the TTBC again. After moving from Del Rio,
where he guided on Lake Amistad, east to Huntington so he could be more
centrally-located, he said his fishing picked up as he grew more
comfortable with the travel and level of competition.
“I’ve put everything into it the last couple of years,” he said. “This
is all I’ve wanted to do and this is just … it’s unreal. If it gets any
better than this, I’ll fall down and pass out.”
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PAA Communications
Powerline Services pro Keith Combs of Texas is making his lead in the
Toyota Texas Bass Classic look easy, but he says that’s an incorrect
assumption.
Combs put together a five-bass limit weighing 27 pounds, 4 ounces, for a
total of 55-12 to hang onto the lead going into the final day of the
world championship on Lake Conroe. He’s still ahead of Toyota pro Mike
Iaconelli of New Jersey, who had 25 pounds Saturday and trails with
51-12.
 “It’s
a grind, it really is,” said Combs, who guided on Lake Amistad in Del
Rio before moving east to Huntington earlier this year. “I caught a 6-12
pretty quickly with the second flight going by me, and then another one
but then went about three hours before I caught another one.”
Zoom pro Todd Auten of South Carolina surged into third place after
switching gears from shallow to deep water Saturday. He caught 24-4 and
has a total of 41-12, well behind Combs and Iaconelli … although one big
bite on Conroe could swing the pendulum and two big bites could be a
complete game-changer.
Rounding out the Tundra 10 are Nitro pro Edwin Evers of Oklahoma
(38-12), defending champion and Nitro pro Brian Snowden of Missouri
(36-4), Nitro pro Ott DeFoe of Tennessee (36-0), Kinami Baits pro Steve
Kennedy of Alabama (34-0), Walmart pro Wesley Strader of Tennessee
(33-12) and Yamaha pro Alton Jones of Texas (33-12), and National Guard
pro Mark Rose of Arkansas (32-12).
The 10 pros will launch from Waterpoint Marina at 8 a.m., with the final weigh-in at 4 p.m. Live scoring will be available at www.ToyotaTexasBassClassic.com until about midday, when it will be frozen prior to the live-stream weigh-in.
Combs grinding
Combs is hitting more than 50 areas on Conroe and wasn’t as worried Saturday with the way his start mirrored the first day.
He added three keepers after his three-hour drought and then went hunting for anything to round out his limit.
“It was probably about 12:30 when I decided to just try to catch
something to get my limit,” he said. “I got that one and then settled
down a little bit. This kind of fishing is the way I’m comfortable with,
and I’m making more stops probably than I ever have in a tournament.
“At each place, I’m probably making five or six casts and then getting
out if I don’t get a bite. It’ll either be a big one or there won’t be
one. That’s all I’m looking for.”
Combs said he spent about a week here last year and then a few days this
year prior to the official practice this week, so he’s comfortable with
what he’s doing.
“It’s all or nothing,” he said. “I’ve put in my preparation and if I
don’t win, I don’t know what else I could have done differently.”
Iaconelli surprised
Friday evening, Iaconelli said he figured the first day would be the one
to pound on the fish to build the weight because of the cloudy, windy
conditions that would disappear Saturday.
 With
the cold front having moved through overnight, Saturday arrived with
sun and bluebird skies. That’s typically not the best thing for fishing
since high pressure often puts bass close to cover and post-frontal
conditions give ‘em lockjaw.
“My first spot I caught a 4- and 7-pounder and thought ‘Hmmm …’ because
they were biting,” he said. “I figured today would be the one when they
didn’t bite as well.”
Iaconelli still is running his pattern he developed earlier this week but didn’t yield any insight about specifics.
“I had a really good day and caught fish all day,” he said. “I’m happy
with it and am happy to be fishing another day. You always want to be in
the position to have a chance to win.”
For complete standings, visit http://events2.r2it.com/fishing/Leaderboards/Full/2011
For more information on the TTBC, visit www.ToyotaTexasBassClassic.com
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Two big flurries of activity and one record-setting bite helped the top three anglers take command of the leaderboard Friday at the Toyota Texas Bass Classic.
Powerline Services pro Keith Combs of Texas had a record-setting day on Lake Conroe to take the lead with a stunning five-bass limit weighing 28 pounds, 8 ounces. That catch was anchored by a 10-8 largemouth he caught about three hours into the day that claimed ATX Wheels Big Bass award.
Both were individual TTBC records for Lake Conroe. This is the third season for the tournament on Conroe; the first two tournaments were held on Lake Fork as team events. Combs qualified for the TTBC through the Bassmaster Elite Series after a strong rookie season in which he finished among the top 15 in the Toyota Tundra Angler of the Year points race.
“I caught one pretty fast, and then the second keeper was the big one,” Combs said. “I was getting kind of freaked out, though, because I hadn’t caught one in a while. It had been a couple of hours since I’d had a good bite.”
Toyota Trucks pro Mike Iaconelli of New Jersey was second with 26-12 and Yamaha pro Alton Jones of Texas was third with 24-4. Both said their catches came in a wild flurry of activity that gave them the opportunity to leave their top areas alone and go check other places to fish Saturday and, possibly, Sunday.
The TTBC field is comprised of the top 15 points finishers from this season’s Bass Pro Shops PAA Tournament Series, Bassmaster Elite Series and Walmart FLW Tour. Rounding out the field are defending TTBC champion and Nitro pro Brian Snowden of Missouri and four sponsor exemptions.
All 50 anglers will return to Lake Conroe Saturday for the second round, leaving Waterpoint Marina at 8 a.m. in two 25-boat flights. The field will be trimmed to the Tundra 10 for Sunday’s final shootout. At stake is more than $400,000 in cash and prizes.
Combs worked hard
Combs competed on the PAA Tournament Series in 2010 and won the tour’s mid-summer tournament on Lake Tawakoni with a record-setting performance, which helped him financially to make the jump to this season’s Elite Series after qualifying through the Bassmaster Central Open circuit.
Friday morning, he set the hook on a bass “that really didn’t do anything,” he said, but didn’t give any ground.
“She just kind of buried up in some brush and stayed there,” Combs said. “I had 10-pound test line on and wasn’t putting a lot of pressure on her, but I could feel her give a little bit and then just sit. I figured the line would break but I didn’t give up.”
After about a minute, Combs estimated, she moved out of the brush and he was able to get her safely to the boat. After measuring and weighing her with the Boga Grip scales each TTBC angler uses for the catch-weigh-release format, Combs put her in the livewell. Anglers may bring in one bass larger than 21 inches to weigh for the ATX Wheels Big Bass Award.
Combs then continued his milk run on Conroe.
“I think I hit 51 places,” he said. “That’s the only way I know how to fish. If I sit in one spot, it seems like all I catch is little ones.”
Iaconelli got juiced
Iaconelli prepares for a tournament by going over maps and old notebooks he’s compiled about the fishery, but rarely gets time to pre-practice due to his hectic schedule.
He didn’t get to practice on Conroe until Monday morning, the first official day of practice, and quickly began checking key spots. He got clued in on one piece of the puzzle, which led him to try something else and develop two patterns.
Friday morning, that work paid off when he caught two keepers on the first two passes in his top area. Then, things ramped up.
“I don’t know exactly what it was but I knew something had changed,” he said. “Maybe the air pressure, maybe catching those fish … I don’t know exactly. But the whole school ignited and it was like every cast. Then it became a decision of going for 21-22 pounds or staying and trying to get 30 pounds.”
There are no points on the line in the TTBC, no qualifications for championships or other events. It’s all or nothing for three days and that’s what Iaconelli had in mind.
“My goal for the first day was to catch 30 pounds,” he said. “The way the weather conditions set up with the front moving in, clouds and probably the next two days may be high pressure and bluebird skies with tougher fishing, I knew I wanted to beat them up and hammer on them.”
Iaconelli finished second last year and has an itch, as he does in every tournament, to finish holding the trophy.
“I always try to have three patterns just in case something happens,” he said. “This week I was only able to really develop two, so hopefully it won’t get to needing something other than them. We’ll see how things shake out with the weather and maybe I won’t need but two. It’s always good to have a backup or two, though.”
Jones worked fast
The TTBC’s real-time Fishhound.com leaderboard showed Jones at the top with 24-4 just about immediately Friday morning.
Then, nothing for the rest of the day.
“I caught them all in about 30 minutes and then left,” he said. “It’s nice to be able to manage your fish and in a tournament like this, that’s a good thing. I think the cold front moving in helped because it made my decision easier to leave.”
Jones said he has three or four areas and fished just one of them Friday. He’ll probably hit his best spot Saturday and then move, if necessary.
“I didn’t have to touch any of my other areas and just looked around for some new ones,” he said.
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The first morning of the 2011 Toyota Texas Bass Classic
didn’t see a sunrise. Instead, dogs shivered, cold winds blew, and fans bundled
beneath layered clothing as 50 of the best bass pros in the world readied for
the first day of competition on historic Lake Conroe, which is currently seven
feet lower than normal.
With gusts out of the north strong enough to straighten the
flag in horizontal fashion for Casey Ashley’s awesome rendition of the national
anthem, indeed morning-take off was cold. Still, it couldn’t ice sentimental
thoughts from the warm hearts of Terry “Big Show” Scroggins and Gerald Swindle.
Scroggins sat kneeling on his boat’s front deck, tying on
custom painted crankbaits, when his thoughts turned to a legendary lure maker
and angler back home in warmer Palatka, Fla. “I got to visit with Bobby
Ditto the other day,” said Scroggins in heartfelt fashion, referring to the
legendary soft plastic worm innovator whose health is a struggle these days.
“No matter where I go in the country, people want to talk
about the Baby Gator Tail worm that Bobby invented,” said Scroggins. “But what
most folks don’t realize about Bobby is that he was the one who pioneered
offshore structure fishing in Florida. For example, he realized that a simple
drop in depth from five to six feet, could make all the difference in the world
in holding a school of bass. And he didn’t have side-imaging sonar; he did all
that with a flasher. When Bobby Ditto was in his prime, you couldn’t hardly
beat he and his wife in a tournament around where we live,” added Scroggins,
pridefully.
Just down the dock, stood Scroggins’ Team Toyota teammate
and close friend Gerald Swindle, cracking jokes of course, but also seeing life’s
big picture, before heading out to fish for $150,000 in cash and prizes. On the arm
of Swindle’s wind blocking Simms jacket was a unique piece of embroidery.
“That’s a replica of the tattoo I have on my arm,” said Swindle with prideful
appreciation.
No, Swindle isn’t big on tattoos. Never thought he’d have
one. Then again, he never thought he’d bury his brother Tony at the age of 42
following a battle with pancreatic cancer. Tony and Gerald were close. Real
close. Team fishing partners, who paid entry fees through wages they earned
pounding nails together in the family house framing business. “My friend Minoru
at Lucky Craft had that custom embroidered on my jacket for me after I got the
tattoo on my bicep in memory of Tony,” explained Gerald. It’s Swindle’s only
tattoo. And it’s hard to argue the goodness of the epidermal ink featuring a
cross and the initials T.L.S. that will forever tie bass fishing’s funniest man
to the fishing buddy he’ll forever miss the most.
As for the fishing, always-classy Gary Klein uttered
confident hopes amid the shivering morning winds. “This time of the year, you’d
expect them to be piled up and fairly easy to catch,” said the long-time
Quantum pro. “I think maybe a lot of us have missed them in practice, because
you have to fish so, so slow to find them,” speculated Klein. “I’ve got three
spots that I think I can do well on. Like a dummy though, I set the hook one
time in practice and the fish weighed 7-pounds. That’s not one you want to hook
in practice,” lamented Klein, who actually lived on Lake Conroe for three years
back in the early 1990s.
As the 50 top pros idled out for take-off, a local angler
named Jeff made a prediction from beneath a bundle of camo and blaze orange
deer hunting clothing. “I’ll be shocked if we don’t see a 9-pounder or better
caught today.” A bold prediction it seemed on a morning shadowed with big grey
clouds and cold north winds on a lake that is seven feet low. Then again, this
is a famed historic big bass factory known for producing double-digit bass, and
a field of anglers fueled by talent … and driven by heart.
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Dobyns Rods is in the home stretch of a year long promotion where bass fishing anglers have a chance to win a new fully-loaded Ranger Z521 or a host of other killer prizes like graphs, trolling motors and Dobyns Rods. Its simple.
Go to a Dobyns Rod dealer and either buy a new Dobyns Rod or test out a demo provided by the dealer, fill out the form provided by the dealer, send in the form, and you're registered to win. The deadline for this contest is rapidly approaching and will conclude on Dec. 31, 2011.
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Lowrance Electronics has a special promotion on new HDS units just in time for holiday shopping. They are offering savings up to $200.00 on selected products via factory mail-in rebates. This offer is good from today, October 28, 2011 through February 11, 2012. Included in this offer is a chance at a four day dream fishing getaway at Big Cedar Lodge, Hawks Cay Resort or Lake of the Woods. For more information click on any of their ads on Wired2Fish or go to www.lowrance.com/getaway. |
Photo by Rob Newell / FLW Outdoors
The weights on the first day of the Everstart Championship were what you’d expect for a fall bass fishing tournament on the Tennessee River this late into October. Usually 20 pounds to somewhere in the high teens leads in the late fall. There are usually a lot of weights in the mid to low teens and then it starts dropping off from there.
Cory Johnston of Petersborough, Ontario caught the biggest limit on the pro side weighing 17 pounds, 15 ounces. But that wasn’t the big catch of the first day. Beecher Strunk of Somerset, Ky caught 20 pounds, 8 ounces thanks in large part to the 9-pound, 6 ounce largemouth bass he caught fishing with a Cumberland Pro Lures Football Jig. He fished with Doyle Isom Jr of Missouri who had 12 pounds 8 ounces for the day.
The story of the pre-tournament practice period was the tough fishing on the lake and of course The Alabama Rig. The creator of the rig travelled to Paris, Tenn. and actually set up shop for the guys selling TAR to guys in the field looking to get some. We heard the line and wait was pretty extensive to get one Wednesday night.
As the field came through the weigh-in line, it was apparent that the cold front, 50 degree temperatures and windy conditions on day one of the championship changed something with the fishing. We had heard some serious reports of big catches on the Alabama Rig and some other lures as well.
But after the way in concluded, it was apparent TAR was just part of the story. Several guys were catching bass shallow on topwaters, spinnerbaits, lipless baits and jigs and many were catching bass on TAR. However as a whole it seemed the bigger cull fish came on other baits shallow while The Alabama Rig caught numbers of fish.
It was interesting to note that there was current on the lake today and guys that had located some big schools found the fish had vanished with the harsh change in conditions (25 degree temperature swing overnight).
A lot of fish were caught running a lot of places with familiar fall patterns. We still think TAR will play big in this tournament before it’s all said and done. Hopefully the bass will come out of their cold front funk and show off the rest of the week.
We’ll be down at Paris Landing again tomorrow and hopefully have enough signal to upload some photos to our Facebook Fan Page tomorrow evening.
Stay tuned for more updates as we get them and for more standings, photos and more from the event, visit FLWOutdoors.com.
Strunk with his big bass of the tournament on a Cumberland Pro Lures Football Jig
Photo by Rob Newell / FLW Outdoors
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Shaye Baker Photo
Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency wanted us to clarify previous
statements about the Alabama Rig and Umbrella Rigs used in Tennessee
waters. No additional rules or addendums were made to the original
Umbrella rig laws. Rather just clarification that if a rig has more than
3 baits (hooks or not) it's considered an umbrella rig and may only
have one hook if the hooks are larger than a No. 6. If the rig only has 3
baits or less it can have any size hooks.
We apologize if we led to any further confusion in the use of
Umbrella rigs or Alabama rigs in Tennessee waters. We spoke with a good
number of anglers today at the Everstart Championship who still were not sure that the rigs with five baits could only have one hook versus a
rig with only three baits could have three. Several folks still thought 5
baits could have 3 hooks which doesn't comply with the original
Umbrella rig guidelines for Tennessee waters.
Here is the official statement the Chief of Fisheries for TWRA sent us
this afternoon regarding these rigs and should clear any
misunderstandings among the angling community:
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
would like to clarify the existing regulation concerning all apparatus
classified as umbrella rigs for fishing. TWRA is taking this proactive
step in the best interest of the entire fishing community.
Umbrella rigs can be legally fished in
Tennessee waters as long as they comply with the regulation as described
in the proclamation. An umbrella rig is defined as an array of more than three artificial lures or baits (with or without hooks) used by a single rod and reel combination. Each
blade of a spinner bait would be considered a lure. If the hook sizes
are 8 or smaller, all lures or baits may have hooks (single, double, or
treble). If any hooks on the umbrella rig are hook size 6 or larger, then only one lure or bait in the array may have a hook and that hook must be a single hook.
The Alabama Rig can legally be fished
in Tennessee waters following the restrictions set forth for umbrella
rigs. If an angler reduces the number of baits attached to the Alabama
Rig to three or less it would not meet the definition of an umbrella rig
and could be fished with any size or style of hook.
We didn’t just make this regulation up
to ban the Alabama Rig in Tennessee. It’s been on the books for almost
10 years” says TWRA Chief of Fisheries Bobby Wilson. “In effect since
2002, it was established over concerns about catching too many fish at
the same time and foul hooking large sport fish, primarily striped bass
and hybrid striped bass.”
One of the primary goals of the TWRA is
to protect Tennessee’s resources on behalf of all its residents and
non-residents alike. While protecting resources is TWRA's number one
responsibility, in doing so it also wants to promote tourism plus
enhance business initiatives. Having clear, well-defined regulations
help create such an environment. The Agency, in conjunction with local
governments, welcomes individual fishermen as well as national,
regional and local fishing organizations regardless of angling species
preference to enjoy fishing on Tennessee’s waters.
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If you don't know the name Dobyns you haven't been around fishing long or you must live in a cave. Perennial West Coast champion bass angler, Gary Dobyns, is an icon in fishing, has won 40 boats in competitions and has a US Open win under his belt. He also has a leading edge rod company called, fittingly Dobyns Rods, that takes rod building very seriously. Today they have joined Wired2Fish as an advertiser.
"Gary Dobyns has been a big name in this game for a very long time" said Terry Brown, President of Wired2Fish. "He knows rods and rod building and knows how to make rods tuned specifically for the technique. His son Richard is also a great angler and just won the AOY for the FLW Western Everstarts and works with Gary at Dobyns Rods. His daughter Miranda serves as the company accountant, as well. When Gary talks, I listen and we are thrilled to have him and his family company join us here at Wired2Fish. "
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"Terry Brown has been a personal friend for a long time" said Dobyns. "Wired2Fish works hard for their advertisers, stays current with up to the minute news in our sport, and is always on top of new products. They have a great following with their website, in social media, TV and radio. This decision is a “no brainer” and I couldn’t be happier. The timing for W2F and Dobyns Rods to hook up is simply perfect for us.""
Dobyns Rods has over 100 models and will be releasing their Savvy Micro Series and the ABA Coalition Series ( Army Bass Anglers ) very soon.
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Over 75 million homes will be able to able watch this year’s Toyota Texas Bass Classic (TTBC) when the world championship of bass fishing airs on Versus, which is part of the NBC Sports Group. The TTBC, an annual three-day bass fishing world championship and outdoor music festival will take place in Conroe Oct. 28-30.
“We are thrilled about becoming partners with Versus and the NBC Sports Group,” said Event Director Lenny Francoeur. “The outdoor programming on Versus is a perfect fit for the Toyota Texas Bass Classic. Not only are we showcasing the world’s top anglers competing for the title of world champion, we’re also increasing awareness of the tremendous conservation and education efforts of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.”
As the official broadcast partner of the TTBC, Versus will air the championship in three parts (tape-delayed) with two 30-minute episodes for the first and second rounds and one-hour special for the final day. The official broadcast schedule is as follows:
First Round- Dec. 3rd at 1:00 p.m. ET (will re-air Dec. 7th at 4:00 p.m. ET)
Second Round- Dec. 10th at 1:00 p.m. ET (will re-air Dec. 14th at 4:00 p.m. ET)
Final Round- Dec. 17th from 1:00-2:00 p.m. ET (will re-air on Dec. 21st at 4:00 p.m. ET)
The TTBC field is made up of the world’s best in professional bass fishing. The 50-angler field includes representatives from the Bass Pro Shops PAA Tournament Series, the Walmart FLW Tour and the Bassmaster Elite Series. The TTBC is the only event of its kind to bring in the best anglers from the major tours together on the same lake to compete for one world championship title.
The Toyota Texas Bass Classic tournament functions are operated by the Professional Anglers Association with technical assistance and support from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Inland Fisheries Division. Title sponsor for the event is Toyota.
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Do you know what makes Gerald Swindle mad? Tuning Crankbaits!
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Today on Weighing In Radio Paul Elias talks candidly about how he found his fish and how fished the Alabama Rig. He also talks about how important his equipment was in the win. This rig is definitely a game changer. To listen click here. |
 World-class fishing, premier destinations and hefty payouts are on tap
in the 2012 Cabela's Masters Walleye Circuit schedule. "We worked with
our anglers to select the best fisheries-at peak fishing times-to put
together a great lineup of destinations for our 28th season," said
Executive Director Dan Johnson.
The MWC's 2012 schedule is as follows:
March 24-25 Illinois River at Spring Valley, Ill.
April 13-15 Detroit River at Trenton, Mich.
April 27-29 Pueblo Reservoir at Pueblo, Co.
May 18-20 Lake Erie at Huron, Ohio
* May 31-June 1Mille Lacs Lake at Isle, Minn.
held in conjunction
with first two days of Cabela's National Team Championship, which
concludes June 2 (top 25 teams)
June 29-July 1 Lake Winnebago at Oshkosh, Wis.
July 27-29 Lake Oahe at Mobridge, S.D.
Aug. 25-27 St. Mary's River at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
Sept 14-16 Cass Lake, Minn, at Stony Point Resort
2012 Cabela's MWC World Walleye Championship
Oct. 18-20 Mississippi River Pools 9-10 at Prairie du Chien, Wis.
2013 Cabela's MWC World Walleye Championship
Oct. 17-19 Bays de Noc at Escanaba, Mich.
For 2012, the Circuit is eliminating divisions. Teams may fish any three
events of their choice to earn points for the no-entry-fee World
Walleye Championship, and four tournaments for the Team of the Year
race.
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 All of us at Wired2Fish.com wish Jerry McKinnis a quick and speedy recovery from his bypass surgery. He was hospitalized last week, had surgery yesterday and is expected to make a complete and full recovery. If you'd like to wish him well visit the story on Bassmaster.com. Or you can visit his Facebook page as well.
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FLW
Outdoors announced its 2012 Walmart Bass Fishing League schedule and
entry dates Tuesday. With a 2012 schedule comprising 120 regular-season
tournaments across 24 divisions, regional competition and one of the
longest-running championships in the history of tournament bass fishing –
the Walmart BFL All-American – the BFL is the nation’s largest weekend
bass-fishing circuit.
Anglers may enter tournaments according to the following schedule:
Dec. 12, 2011 – Hoosier, Michigan, Music City and Volunteer divisions
Dec. 13, 2011 – Bulldog, Cowboy, Great Lakes, Illini and Mississippi divisions
Dec. 14, 2011 – Bama, Buckeye, Choo Choo, Gator and Mountain divisions
Dec. 15, 2011 – Arkie, LBL, North Carolina, Northeast and Okie divisions
Dec. 16, 2011 – Ozark, Piedmont, Savannah River, Shenandoah and South Carolina divisions
Each division features four one-day qualifying tournaments that
offer top boater awards of up to $6,000, as well as a $2,000 bonus for
those who are Ranger Cup qualified, and top co-angler awards of up to
$3,000. Each division also offers a two-day Super Tournament as the
final qualifier, offering top boater awards of up to $9,000, along with a
$2,000 Ranger Cup bonus, and top co-angler awards of up to $4,500.
Anglers finishing the season in the top 40 in each division advance to
one of six no-entry-fee regional championships to fish for a Ranger Z518
powered by Evinrude or Mercury and a Chevy Silverado 1500 as a boater
and a Ranger Z518 powered by Evinrude or Mercury as a co-angler. The top
six boaters and six co-anglers from each regional advance to the
no-entry-fee Walmart BFL All-American presented by Chevy for the chance
to win top awards of up to $120,000 and $60,000, respectively, including
contingency awards. Anglers who enter all five tournaments in a
division but do not qualify for a regional championship may fish the
Chevy Wild Card Regional for a second chance to qualify for the
All-American. The winning boater and co-angler at the All-American
advance to the Forrest Wood Cup presented by Walmart for a shot at
winning $500,000 and $50,000, respectively.
The Chevy Angler of the Year in each division will receive a
$1,000 award, and the Chevy Co-angler of the Year in each division will
receive $500.
Trophies are awarded through fifth place in every regular-season tournament. Every BFL weigh-in is video taped and archived on FLWOutdoors.com to help anglers showcase their local sponsors and allow fans to experience the thrill of competition.
Entry fees are $200 per qualifier for boaters and $100 per
qualifier for co-anglers. Super Tournament entry fees are $300 per event
for boaters and $150 per event for co-anglers. Entry may be made online
at FLWOutdoors.com or by calling (270) 252-1000. Phones are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central time Monday through Friday.
Boaters who enter with co-anglers and co-anglers who enter with
boaters will receive entry priority. The complete schedule, payout
tables and rules are posted at FLWOutdoors.com.
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Made in the USA. Those are strong words and words as anglers we don't hear very often. Some products sold by US companies are often made off- shore and even though they have American Brands they may be made in China, the Phillipines, or Central America. Typically it costs less and that savings is passed on to consumers here. Ardent Reels has stepped it up and now has a family of reels all made in the "Good Old USA" and their price points are comparitive to those made elsewhere. American craftsmanship, American workers and American design. That is pretty sweet.
Topping it off, Ardent now has a family of reels called the Edge that meets the desires of every angler. That includes price point too. Right and left handed models, numerous gear ratios, and with Drag Tracking Technology, the engineering to help you put more fish in the boat, the technology to fit the needs of every class of angler. Whether you are a weekend angler or a top pro like Denny Brauer, Ardent has the reel for you.
We recently concluded the Ardent Edge Reel Contest on Wired2Fish. Thanks to everyone who participated. Three anglers will be getting a new Ardent Edge shipped to their doorstep in the next few days.
The winners are:
Michael Conley-Hinesburg, VT
Stephen Sharpe-Tuscaloosa, AL
Jose Elias- Eagle Pass, TX
Congrats and enjoy these new "state of the art" reels from Ardent.
To learn more about the Ardent Edge click here or to buy very soon click here.
Note: Ardent began shipping these reels so they will begin to show up at your favorite tackle store very soon! Tackle Warehouse will be the first to receive these reels.
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ATX Series Wheels by American Racing has embraced anglers and fishing in a big way. They entered the fray at this years Bassmaster Classic and haven't looked back. Custom, cool looking wheels for trucks and boat trailers, many with Teflon coating, are not only functional but look cool too. Gerald Swindle, Britt Myers and David Walker (pictured above) have their Tundra's tricked out with ATX and you can too. Take a look at their styles at ATXWheels.com.
Today on Weighing In with Terry Brown, Chris Anderson of ATX talks about their products and what we have to look forward to in 2012. To listen click here. |
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FLW Outdoors has
announced entry dates for the 2012 EverStart Series, which features five
divisions with four qualifying events per division. Pros will compete
for top awards
of up to $35,000, plus a Ranger Z518 and 200-horsepower outboard if
Ranger Cup qualified, while co-anglers will compete for top awards of a
Ranger 177TR with 90-horsepower outboard, plus $5,000 if Ranger Cup
qualified, as well as berths into a no-entry-fee
championship offering even greater rewards.
The top 40 pros and
40 co-anglers from each division of the 2011 EverStart Series and the
top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers from each division of the 2011 Walmart
Bass Fishing League may enter tournaments for
the 2012 season starting today. They must enter all four tournaments in
a division by Nov. 18 in order to secure their priority entry position.
Entry for Ranger boat owners starts Nov. 21 followed by TBF members on
Nov. 22. All other entries will be accepted
beginning Nov. 23. Top entry priority goes to pros and co-anglers who
enter all four EverStart Series tournaments in a division by Dec. 28 for
the Central, Southeast, Texas and Western divisions and Feb. 1, 2012,
for the Northern Division. All other entry
priority will be assigned by the date and time of entry.
Newcomers to the sport can find a tournament close to home using the convenient
Tournament Locator link at
FLWOutdoors.com.
Each
tournament features a 150-boat field. Anglers finishing the season in
the top 40 in each division advance to the EverStart Series
Championship, where pros compete for a top award
of $50,000, plus a Ranger Z518
and 200-horsepower outboard if Ranger Cup qualified, and co-anglers
compete for a top award of a Ranger 177TR with 90-horsepower outboard,
plus $5,000 if Ranger Cup qualified.
The winning boater and co-angler at the EverStart Series Championship
advance to the Forrest Wood Cup presented by Walmart for a shot at
winning $500,000 and $50,000, respectively.
The
Strike King Angler of the Year in each division will receive a $5,000
award, and the Strike King Co-angler of the Year in each division will
receive $2,000.
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Pro Paul Elias of Laurel, Miss., caught a five-bass limit weighing 23
pounds even Sunday to lead wire-to-wire and win $100,500 at the Walmart
FLW Tour on Lake Guntersville presented by Mercury with a four-day catch
of 20 bass weighing 102-8.
The catch gave him the win by an amazing 17-pound, 3-ounce margin over
Robert Behrle of Hoover, Ala., who caught a total of 20 bass weighing
85-5 and earned $34,021.
Elias came up just short of the previous FLW Tour total tournament
weight record of 106 pounds, 10 ounces that was set by Brandon McMillan
of Belle Glade, Fla., at the 2011 season opener in February at Lake
Okeechobee. Elias said the Guntersville event marked the fourth time he
has cracked the 100-pound mark in tournament competition.
“Somehow the Lord blesses me and I manage to win one of these things
every three or four years,” said Elias, who boosted his career winnings
to $1.29 million. “To be 60 years old and to be able to compete against
these young guys … it’s great.
“I am worn slam out,” Elias added. “I’ve only won one other tournament where I led every day, and it’s exhausting.”
Elias opened the tournament Thursday with five bass weighing 26 pounds
even that he caught on a little-known method called an Alabama Rig. On
Friday he added another five bass weighing 29-3 and word about the
Alabama Rig began to leak out. He then caught five bass weighing 24-5
Saturday and talk about the Alabama Rig dominated conversation on stage.
On Sunday, a day that saw the majority of the final 10 competitors use
the Alabama Rig at one time or another, he sealed his victory.
The Alabama Rig consists of a hard-bait body that trails four or five
wires that have a swivel attached to the end of each wire. Fishermen
then tie a variety of baits – swimbaits, grubs or a variety of other
artificial baits – to the swivels. The baits fan out and are retrieved
and mimic a school of baitfish.
Elias said he fished the Alabama Rig on a 7-foot, 11-inch Pinnacle
flipping rod, a Pinnacle reel and 65-pound-test Spiderwire Ultracast
FluoroBraid line. Elias baited the Alabama Rig with either 5-inch
swimbaits on 3/8-ounce jigheads or 6 ½-inch swimbaits on ¾-ounce
jigheads. Elias said he started the competition using Mann’s HardNose
Swimbaits but ran out of those and ended up using three different
swimbaits during the course of the tournament.
“The fishing started out a little slow and I said, ‘You big dummy, you
better catch at least enough to win this thing after you’ve led it this
far,’” Elias said. “They finally started biting and I got comfortable.”
Elias said he keyed in on fish on bridges and quick-dropping points
near the causeways around current that was causing the fish to stage to
ambush shad. Elias positioned his boat in 25 to 40 feet of water and was
catching suspending fish in 20 to 30 feet of water. Elias said he
estimates he caught almost 100 keepers during the course of the event.
“That Alabama Rig was awesome,” Elias told the weigh-in crowd. “It’s
going to be crucial to practice catch-and-release on these fish because
when you get that bait in your hand you’re going to catch a lot of fish.
So please take care of your lake. You’ve got one of the greatest lakes
in the country.”
The remaining top 10 pros finished the tournament in:
3rd: Russell Lane, Prattville, Ala., 20 bass, 74-4, $29,154
4th: Chevy pro Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., 20 bass, 74-1, $24,288
5th: Chevy pro Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 20 bass, 73-7, $19,421
6th: Troy Morrow, Eastanollee, Ga., 18 bass, 70-6, $16,501
7th: Chevy pro Jay Yelas, Corvallis, Ore., 20 bass, 69-2, $15,528
8th: Duracell/Gillette pro Jacob Powroznik, Prince George, Va., 20 bass, 68-1, $14,554
9th: Chevy pro Luke Clausen, Spokane, Wash., 19 bass, 63-8, $13,581
10th: Alex Davis, Albertville, Ala., 20 bass, 62-10, $12,608
A complete list of results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.
Overall there were 48 bass weighing 194 pounds, 12 ounces caught by pros Sunday. The catch included nine five-bass limits.
Casey Martin of New Market, Ala., won the Co-angler Division, his
second FLW Tour event in a row, and $20,000 Saturday with a three-day
total of 15 bass weighing 47 pounds, 6 ounces followed by Marc Marsh of
Prosperity, S.C., in second place with nine bass weighing 32-6 worth
$7,291.
In FLW Tour Open tournaments, pros and co-anglers competed for
valuable points that helped them qualify for the 2012 Forrest Wood Cup
presented by Walmart, the world championship of bass fishing. The top
five pro and co-anglers in the point standings from the four FLW Tour
Open tournaments qualified after the Guntersville event. The pro
qualifiers include:
1. Cheez-Its pro Shinichi Fukae, Palestine, Texas, 698 points
2. Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes pro Dave Lefebre, Erie, Pa., 685 points
3. Band-Aid/Neosporin pro Glenn Browne, Ocala, Fla., 679 points
4. Folgers pro Scott Suggs, Bryant, Ark., 672 points
5. Castrol pro David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., 671 points
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Photo and story courtesy of B.A.S.S. Communications
Kevin Short kept plugging away each day and saved his best performance for last to win the season finale Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open at Table Rock Lake.
After catching only three fish and sitting in 22nd place on Day One, Short added four keepers and jumped up to fifth place the next day to make the Final 12 cut. The Mayflower, Ark., angler bagged a five-fish limit weighing 15 pounds, 7 ounces today to amass 33 pounds, 8 ounces and claim his fifth B.A.S.S. victory.
The tournament featured about every challenge imaginable — a major cold front followed by bluebird skies, a slick water surface, dropping lake level, dropping water temperatures, fog delay, turnover and suspending baitfish.
“I have not fished Table Rock a whole lot, but I have been fortunate enough to fish it when it was really, really good,” said Short. “When I had a bag like that (15-7), people didn’t even want to talk to me. I have also fished it when it was worse than this. There are some of those days when you just absolutely figure it out about what you need to be doing and you are in the right place and you just get it done. Today was one of those days.”
Short figured out that he needed to keep cranking his WEC E-1 crankbait in a “Classic” hue. In practice he figured the tournament would be won fishing deep. “The first day of the tournament I caught those three fish and they were all over the place. I had absolutely no confidence in anything. The second day I went all the way back in Long Creek, and for the last two days I have hit every single piece of wood (mostly laydowns) cranking.
“The key for me yesterday was figuring out that the better fish were in there and I caught them on my little E-1. That gave me the confidence to go in there and stay all day today. I knew that I needed 14 to 15 pounds to even have a shot at winning.” Short’s best shot helped him claim the top prize of a Skeeter bass boat/Yamaha outboard rig valued at $45,000 and $9,000 in cash.
Day Two leader Tommy Martin made it easier for Short to climb to the top as the Hemphill, Texas, angler caught only two keepers today and fell into second place with 26-6. Rounding out the top five in the pro division are Robbie Dodson Jr., of Harrison, Ark., in third with 22-13; James Niggemeyer, Van, Texas, fourth, 22-4; and Brian Snowden, Reeds Spring, Mo., fifth, 21-7.
Jacques Fleischmann of Lampe, Mo., took home a Nitro bass boat/Mercury outboard rig worth $35,000 by winning the co-angler division with a three-day total of five bass weighing 11-7. Shawn Temple of Lewisville, Texas, finished as the runner-up with 10-3, followed by Clayton Coppin of Wagoner, Okla., in third with 10-0. Day Two leader Vincent Borrego of Scottsdale, Ariz., blanked today and dropped to fourth with 9-8, while Jim Furr of Hemphill, Texas, placed fifth with 8-15.
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Photo and story courtesy of FLW Outdoors. Be sure to checkout FLWOutdoors.com for more coverage of this new rig.
Pro
Paul Elias of Laurel, Miss., endured a 1-hour, 45-minute fog delay
Saturday morning and caught a five-bass limit weighing 24 pounds, 5
ounces to continue his domination of the field at the Walmart FLW Tour
on Lake Guntersville presented by Mercury and advance to the top 10 as
the crucial No. 1 seed. With a three-day catch of 15 bass weighing 79-8,
he now holds a 14-pound, 9-ounce lead in the tournament going into the
final day of competition.
“This is one awesome lake,” Elias said. “I’ve had some great Octobers on this lake.”
Elias said he relied on the Alabama Rig again on the third day of
competition to land another massive Guntersville limit of bass.
“This rig I’m throwing is crazy,” Elias said. “A lot more guys were
throwing it today than were the first two days. It’s obvious by the
weights. A bait comes along every now and then and it just makes a lot
of sense, and this is just one of those kinds of baits.”
The Alabama rig consists of a hard-bait body that trails four or five
wires that have a swivel attached to the end of each wire. Fishermen
then tie a variety of baits – swimbaits, grubs or a variety of other
artificial baits – to the swivels. The baits fan out and are retrieved
and mimic a school of baitfish. Elias said he has been fishing the rig
in deep water for suspended fish and has eight spots he wanted to target
during the tournament. He’s hit five of those spots during the first
three days of competition.
“I’ve tried other stuff, but it just wasn’t working,” Elias said. “I
think I can catch another good bag tomorrow. I’ll feel comfortable with
15 or 16 pounds. But I feel like if I catch another limit the way I’ve
been fishing I’ll catch another 20-plus-pound bag.”
Pro Robert Behrle of Hoover, Ala., advanced to the final round of 10
pros in the No. 2 spot with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 64-15.
Rounding out the top 10 pros and advancing to the final day of competition are:
3rd: Troy Morrow, Eastanollee, Ga., 15 bass, 59-4
4th: Duracell/Gillette pro Jacob Powroznik, Prince George, Va., 15 bass, 51-10
5th: Chevy pro Jay Yelas, Corvallis, Ore., 15 bass, 51-1
6th: Chevy pro Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 15 bass, 50-15
7th: Russell Lane, Prattville, Ala., 15 bass, 49-15
8th: Chevy pro Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., 15 bass, 49-8
9th: Alex Davis, Albertville, Ala., 15 bass, 47-5
10th: Chevy pro Luke Clausen, Spokane, Wash., 14 bass, 44-7
Finishing in 11th through 20th are:
11th: Christopher Lane, Guntersville, Ala., 15 bass, 43-3, $12,121
12th: National Guard pro Brett Hite, Phoenix, Ariz., 14 bass, 42-12, $12,121
13th: Kelley Jaye, Dadeville, Ala., 14 bass, 41-12, $12,121
14th: Marshall Deakins, Dunlap, Tenn., 12 bass, 41-9, $12,121
15th: Trevor Fitzgerald, Belleview, Fla., 15 bass, 41-4, $12,121
16th: Christopher Brasher, Spring, Texas, 12 bass, 39-6, $11,634
17th: National Guard pro Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla., 12 bass, 36-4, $11,634
18th: Wesley Helton, Calhoun, Tenn., 12 bass, 36-4, $11,634
19th: Blake Nick, Adger, Ala., 10 bass, 32-1, $11,634
20th: Snickers Peanut Butter Squared pro Chris Baumgardner, Gastonia, N.C., 11 bass, 31-13, $11,634
Final results for the remaining field can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.
Overall there were 77 bass weighing 265 pounds, 12 ounces caught by pros Saturday. The catch included 12 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
presented by Walmart, the world championship of bass fishing. The top
five anglers in the point standings from the four FLW Tour Open
tournaments will qualify.
Casey Martin of New Market, Ala., won the Co-angler Division, his
second FLW Tour event in a row, and $20,000 Saturday with a three-day
total of 15 bass weighing 47 pounds, 6 ounces followed by Marc Marsh of
Prosperity, S.C., in second place with nine bass weighing 32-6 worth
$7,291.
“That Alabama Rig is the way to go,” said Martin, who also won the FLW
Tour event on Lake Champlain in September. “I had three fish pretty
early and I threw that Alabama Rig in there, and it’s got five swimbaits
on it. I set the hook and came back with two fish that weighed about
three pounds each and another swimbait was missing. I don’t know how big
the big one was that got off.”
Martin said he flipped matted grass the first two days of competition, but the Alabama Rig boosted him to victory on Saturday.
“It’s almost like live bait fishing,” Martin said. “It’s almost too easy.”
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers are:
3rd: Ben Due, Mauston, Wis., 10 bass, 31-13, $4,857
4th: Mark Horton, Nicholasville, Ky., 12 bass, 31-11, $4,134
5th: Will Yelverton, Hazel Green, Ala., 13 bass, 31-7, $2,911
6th: Cory Leonard, Castalia, N.C., nine bass, 30-10, $2,424
7th: Benny Roberts, Jacksboro, Tenn., 11 bass, 30-8, $1,937
8th: Tripp Pittman, Holly Springs, Miss., 11 bass, 29-13, $1,743
9th: Chad Billiot, Raceland, La., eight bass, 29-3, $1,895
10th: Charlie Evans, Gilbertsville, Ky., 11 bass, 28-8, $1,548
Final results for the remaining field can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.
Overall there were 52 bass weighing 172 pounds, 13 ounces caught by
co-anglers Saturday. The catch included seven five-bass limits.
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Photo courtesy of FLW Outdoors
Paul
Elias of Laurel, Miss., caught a massive five-bass limit weighing 29
pounds, 3 ounces Friday to widen his lead on day two of the Walmart FLW
Tour on Lake Guntersville presented by Mercury. His two-day catch of 10
bass weighing 55 pounds, 3 ounces gives him a commanding lead heading
into the third day of the tournament. Of all of the pros and co-anglers
from across the United States that started the tournament, only the top
20 will fish day three and the top 10 will compete for the title on day
four.
“I guess the word’s out on what I’m doing,” Elias said. “I’m throwing
an Alabama rig. It’s a new-type rig that some guy from around near
Pickwick came up with. It’s just an amazing deal.”
The Alabama rig consists of a hard-bait body that trails four or five
wires that have a swivel attached to the end of each wire. Fishermen
then tie a variety of baits – swimbaits, grubs or a variety of other
artificial baits – to the swivels. The baits fan out and are retrieved
and mimic a school of baitfish.
“It’s kind of like a crankbait sometimes,” Elias said. “You can’t always catch them on it unless you’re doing it right.
“I’ve been very fortunate this week,” Elias added. “When I got on that
pattern I just stayed on it and found as many places to fish it that I
could find. Today I fished the same three places I fished yesterday. I
feel like if I don’t get too crowded out there I can catch them.”
Elias said current plays a major factor in his pattern and the
presence of current until about 2 p.m. helped him with his catch. He’s
fishing his Alabama rig on a 7-foot, 11-inch Pinnacle flipping rod, a
Pinnacle reel and 65-pound-test Spiderwire Ultracast FluoroBraid line.
“That rig is very hard to throw,” Elias said. “I can manhandle the
fish when they bite it. And man, they just really annihilate it when
they get it.
“I’m having one of those tournaments where you just say, ‘Thank you,
Lord,’” Elias added. “I’m just going to keep going. I’m going to be
chunking and winding for two more days. I’ve thrown that (rig) since
about noon Sunday and my 60-year-old butt is worn out.”
Robert Behrle of Hoover, Ala., is in the No. 2 spot with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 40-12.
Rounding out the top 20 pros that will fish Saturday on Lake Guntersville are:
3rd: Troy Morrow, Eastanollee, Ga., 10 bass, 39-14
4th: Marshall Deakins, Dunlap, Tenn., 10 bass, 35-9
5th: Duracell/Gillette pro Jacob Powroznik, Prince George, Va., 10 bass, 34-0
6th: Alex Davis, Albertville, Ala., 10 bass, 33-9
7th: Christopher Brasher, Spring, Texas, 10 bass, 33-9
8th: National Guard pro Brett Hite, Phoenix, Ariz., 10 bass, 32-14
9th: Chevy pro Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 10 bass, 32-9
10th: Blake Nick, Adger, Ala., 10 bass, 32-1
11th: National Guard pro Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla., 10 bass, 32-1
12th: Wesley Helton, Calhoun, Tenn., 10 bass, 31-12
13th: Russell Lane, Prattville, Ala., 10 bass, 30-0
14th: Chevy pro Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., 10 bass, 29-11
15th: Chevy pro Jay Yelas, Corvallis, Ore., 10 bass, 29-9
16th: Trevor Fitzgerald, Belleview, Fla., 10 bass, 29-8
17th: Snickers Peanut Butter Squared pro Chris Baumgardner, Gastonia, N.C., 10 bass, 29-7
18th: Chevy pro Luke Clausen, Spokane, Wash., nine bass, 29-5
19th: Christopher Lane, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 28-15
20th: Kelley Jaye, Dadeville, Ala., 10 bass, 28-12
Final results for the remaining field can be found on FLWOutdoors.com.
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
presented by Walmart, the world championship of bass fishing. The top
five anglers in the point standings from the four Walmart FLW Tour Open
tournaments will qualify.
Casey Martin of New Market, Ala., leads the Co-angler Division with a
two-day total of 10 bass weighing 26 pounds, 13 ounces, followed by Cory
Leonard of Castalia, N.C., in second place with seven bass weighing
21-12.
Rounding out the top 20 co-anglers are:
3rd: Chad Billiot, Raceland, La., five bass, 21-7
4th: Thomas Rizzo, Rochester, Pa., eight bass, 21-3
5th: Mark Horton, Nicholasville, Ky., seven bass, 20-0
6th: Tripp Pittman, Holly Springs, Miss., seven bass, 18-4
7th: Skip Bennett, Mt. Vernon, Ill., eight bass, 16-0
8th: Dan Clark, Cleveland, Tenn., six bass, 15-12
9th: Brandon Ledford, Rome, Ga., seven bass, 15-9
10th: Jesse Schultz, New Albany, Ind., five bass, 15-4
11th: Ty Hester, Russellville, Ala., six bass, 14-15
12th: Richard Dunham, Atlanta, Ga., four bass, 14-7
13th: Will Yelverton, Hazel Green, Ala., eight bass, 14-5
14th: Benny Roberts, Jacksboro, Tenn., six bass, 13-10
15th: Charlie Evans, Gilbertsville, Ky., six bass, 13-9
16th: David Heath, Middletown, Ind., five bass, 13-8
17th: Ben Due, Mauston, Wis., five bass, 13-0
18th: Marc Marsh, Prosperity, S.C., four bass, 12-14
19th: Dennis Sisto, Cottonwood, Calif., four bass, 12-7
20th: Theo Corcoran, Waterford, Mich., four bass, 12-4
Final results for the remaining field can be found on FLWOutdoors.com.
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Photo by B.A.S.S. / Adam Harbottle
Tommy Martin is spinning some of that old magic that has made him a 19-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier.
The Hemphill, Texas, pro will turn 71 next month, but he has showed no signs of slowing down during the first two days of the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open at Table Rock Lake. Instead, Martin is full of vim and vigor as he leads the event with 22 pounds, 5 ounces and is the only angler in the entire field to catch a limit each day. The first day he weighed in a 10-6 limit to move into 10th place and followed up with an 11-15 bag today to take the lead.
The tournament veteran started out yesterday morning throwing a spinnerbait because conditions were ideal (windy and overcast) for a blade bait, but the pattern produced only one fish. “I made an adjustment and started fishing deep and caught four more,” he said. “Today I started out deep and stayed deep all day and had about eight keepers. I am fishing anywhere from 20 to 50 feet deep. Yesterday, when the wind was blowing, the fish were 20 to 26 feet and today they were 30 to 50 feet.
“They were on fire this morning. When I got to my spot, I caught four in about 10 minutes, which really gave me a lift. We just had one of those good days today. Here on Table Rock in the fall, if you can catch five keepers a day, you are going to be real high in the standings.”
Martin’s lofty spot in the standings could lead to his 20th Classic appearance, but he revealed that is not the main reason he has fished the Opens this year. “I am here because I like to fish and I like to fish B.A.S.S. tournaments. If I do make the Classic, I am going to be real excited and it will be a thrill to go again.”
Local favorite Brian Snowden bagged four keepers weighing 8-15 to move into second place with 21-7. A lack of wind made it difficult for the Bassmaster Elite Series pro from Reeds Spring, Mo., to duplicate his pattern from the previous day. “It was one fish here, then real slow for hours and hours, and then I caught three at the end,” said Snowden. “As slick as it was, I still caught all of my fish cranking in shallow water. I tried some deep stuff with a football jig and in some brush piles I have planted and a drop shot, but we couldn’t even see fish (on the graph).”
Elite pro James Niggemeyer of Van, Texas, slipped from second to third place with 20-0, while Day One leader Robbie Dodson of Harrison, Ark., dropped to fourth with 19-13. Elite pro Kevin Short of Mayflower, Ark., jumped into the fifth spot with 18-1.
Catching three keepers weighing 7-8 moved Vincent Borrego of Scottsdale, Ariz., into the co-angler division lead with 9-8. Rounding out the top five are Stanley Grice, Kentwood, La., in second with 8-11; Jim Furr, Hemphill, Texas, third, 6-10; Clayton Coppin, Wagoner, Okla., and Allen Trillingham, Pineville, Ark., both tied for fourth with 6-7.
DAY 2 - BASS PRO SHOPS BASSMASTER CENTRAL OPEN 3 – TABLE ROCK LAKE –PRO STANDING
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $
1. Tommy Martin Hemphill, TX 10 22-05 305
Day 1: 5 10-06 Day 2: 5 11-15
2. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 9 21-07 295
Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 4 08-15
3. James Niggemeyer Van, TX 8 20-00 290
Day 1: 5 14-03 Day 2: 3 05-13
4. Robbie Dodson Jr Harrison, AR 6 19-13 290
Day 1: 5 15-09 Day 2: 1 04-04
5. Kevin Short Mayflower, AR 7 18-01 280
Day 1: 3 07-10 Day 2: 4 10-07
6. Casey Scanlon Lenexa, KS 8 16-15 276
Day 1: 5 10-01 Day 2: 3 06-14
7. Jimmy Johnson Ganado, TX 8 16-00 272
Day 1: 4 07-09 Day 2: 4 08-07
8. Shawn Kowal Linne Creek, MO 7 15-06 268
Day 1: 5 11-06 Day 2: 2 04-00
9. Christopher Lee Keithville, LA 6 15-05 264
Day 1: 3 08-04 Day 2: 3 07-01
10. Ricky Campbell Waxahachie, TX 6 15-04 260
Day 1: 2 04-05 Day 2: 4 10-15
11. Roger Hughes Bartlesville, OK 7 15-03 257
Day 1: 4 08-12 Day 2: 3 06-07
12. Roland Martin Naples, FL 8 14-10 254
Day 1: 3 05-05 Day 2: 5 09-05
13. Matthew Jones Spokane, MO 6 14-08 251 $2,680.00
Day 1: 1 02-05 Day 2: 5 12-03
14. Sammy Burks Joplin, MO 8 14-07 248 $2,591.00
Day 1: 5 08-08 Day 2: 3 05-15
15. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 7 14-04 245 $2,501.00
Day 1: 3 05-06 Day 2: 4 08-14
16. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 6 13-15 243 $2,412.00
Day 1: 5 11-13 Day 2: 1 02-02
17. Roy Sanford Brookeland, TX 6 13-03 241 $2,323.00
Day 1: 5 11-06 Day 2: 1 01-13
18. Jared Miller Norman, OK 5 12-13 239 $2,233.00
Day 1: 4 10-15 Day 2: 1 01-14
19. Chris Zaldain San Jose, CA 7 12-09 237 $2,099.00
Day 1: 3 05-09 Day 2: 4 07-00
20. Clark Reehm Lufkin, TX 5 12-09 235 $1,898.00
Day 1: 5 12-09 Day 2: 0 00-00
21. Cody Malone Sulphur Spgs, TX 5 12-08 233 $1,831.00
Day 1: 3 06-09 Day 2: 2 05-15
22. Greg Ryan Nixa, MO 7 12-03 231 $1,787.00
Day 1: 4 07-05 Day 2: 3 04-14
23. Peter Daniels Shreveport, LA 6 12-01 229 $1,742.00
Day 1: 4 07-05 Day 2: 2 04-12
24. Tim Webb Olpe, KS 6 11-13 227 $1,697.00
Day 1: 4 08-03 Day 2: 2 03-10
25. Kevin Ledoux Choctaw, OK 6 11-05 225 $1,653.00
Day 1: 2 03-14 Day 2: 4 07-07
26. Ricky D Scott Van Buren, AR 4 11-05 223 $1,608.00
Day 1: 4 11-05 Day 2: 0 00-00
27. Rob Burns Plano, TX 6 10-15 221 $1,563.00
Day 1: 5 09-03 Day 2: 1 01-12
28. Michael Yoder Texarkana, AR 6 10-09 219 $1,519.00
Day 1: 4 07-08 Day 2: 2 03-01
29. Keith Surber Longview, TX 5 10-05 217 $1,474.00
Day 1: 4 08-03 Day 2: 1 02-02
30. Doug Vahrenberg Higginsville, MO 4 10-04 215 $1,429.00
Day 1: 3 08-05 Day 2: 1 01-15
31. Phil Rein Troy, MO 5 10-03 213 $1,385.00
Day 1: 5 10-03 Day 2: 0 00-00
32. Robert Robbins Branson, MO 5 10-00 211 $1,340.00
Day 1: 1 01-12 Day 2: 4 08-04
33. Dave Parsons Yantis, TX 6 09-12 209 $1,295.00
Day 1: 2 02-04 Day 2: 4 07-08
34. Billy McCaghren Mayflower, AR 4 09-05 207 $1,251.00
Day 1: 3 07-04 Day 2: 1 02-01
35. Mike Haggerty Hendersonville, TN 5 09-02 205 $1,228.00
Day 1: 4 07-02 Day 2: 1 02-00
36. Randy Qualls Midway, AR 5 08-09 203 $1,206.00
Day 1: 5 08-09 Day 2: 0 00-00
37. Jami Fralick Martin, SD 3 08-09 201 $1,184.00
Day 1: 2 05-05 Day 2: 1 03-04
38. Homer Humphreys Jr. Minden, LA 4 08-06 199 $1,161.00
Day 1: 2 04-05 Day 2: 2 04-01
39. Alan Kelly Excelsior Springs, MO 4 08-05 197 $1,139.00
Day 1: 3 06-08 Day 2: 1 01-13
40. Adam Kaltenbach Strafford, MO 4 08-03 195 $1,117.00
Day 1: 4 08-03 Day 2: 0 00-00
41. Brady Winans Greenville, TX 3 08-02 193
Day 1: 2 06-05 Day 2: 1 01-13
42. Brian Clark Haltom City, TX 4 08-00 191
Day 1: 2 04-09 Day 2: 2 03-07
43. Mark Tyler Vian, OK 4 07-12 189
Day 1: 3 06-00 Day 2: 1 01-12
44. OT Fears Sallisaw, OK 4 07-11 187
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 4 07-11
45. Dale Jackson Van, TX 4 07-11 185
Day 1: 2 03-07 Day 2: 2 04-04
46. Mark Tucker Saint Louis, MO 3 07-07 183
Day 1: 1 01-13 Day 2: 2 05-10
47. Yoshikazu Sato Tokyo JAPAN 4 07-04 181
Day 1: 3 05-09 Day 2: 1 01-11
48. Lendell Martin Nacogdoches, TX 4 07-02 179
Day 1: 3 05-10 Day 2: 1 01-08
49. Jeffery Lemoine Des Allemands, LA 3 07-00 177
Day 1: 2 04-09 Day 2: 1 02-07
50. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 3 07-00 175
Day 1: 2 04-08 Day 2: 1 02-08
51. Shane Williams Keithville, LA 4 06-14 173
Day 1: 3 05-02 Day 2: 1 01-12
52. Trevor Romans Plano, TX 3 06-12 171
Day 1: 2 04-09 Day 2: 1 02-03
53. Aaron Johnson Shreveport, LA 2 06-12 169
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 06-12
54. Ken Iyobe Tokoname JAPAN 3 06-06 167
Day 1: 1 01-09 Day 2: 2 04-13
55. Jeff Cloud Lubbock, TX 3 06-02 165
Day 1: 2 03-11 Day 2: 1 02-07
56. Jerry Dolezal Bullard, TX 3 06-01 163
Day 1: 3 06-01 Day 2: 0 00-00
57. Kent Cella Shreveport, LA 3 06-01 161
Day 1: 2 04-07 Day 2: 1 01-10
58. Chris Ford Kennedale, TX 3 05-15 159
Day 1: 1 02-02 Day 2: 2 03-13
59. Paul Ferguson Whitehouse, TX 3 05-14 157
Day 1: 3 05-14 Day 2: 0 00-00
60. Ryan Lovelace Denison, TX 3 05-11 155
Day 1: 2 03-15 Day 2: 1 01-12
61. Tony Chachere Opelousas, LA 3 05-10 153
Day 1: 3 05-10 Day 2: 0 00-00
61. Mitch Kistner Mesa, AZ 3 05-10 153
Day 1: 3 05-10 Day 2: 0 00-00
61. Brannon Long Longview, TX 3 05-10 153
Day 1: 3 05-10 Day 2: 0 00-00
64. Nathan Kawlewski Elkhorn, WI 3 05-10 147
Day 1: 2 03-07 Day 2: 1 02-03
65. Dale Hightower Sand Springs, OK 3 05-10 145
Day 1: 2 03-04 Day 2: 1 02-06
66. Dave Watson Sullivan, IN 2 05-10 143
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 05-10
67. Darrell Newman Bruceville, TX 3 05-08 141
Day 1: 3 05-08 Day 2: 0 00-00
68. Dewayne French Mammoth Spring, AR 2 05-07 139
Day 1: 2 05-07 Day 2: 0 00-00
69. Luke Roberts Longview, TX 3 05-03 137
Day 1: 1 01-12 Day 2: 2 03-07
70. Michael Randolph Austin, TX 2 05-03 135
Day 1: 1 02-01 Day 2: 1 03-02
71. Mike Shadowens Kiefer, OK 2 05-01 133
Day 1: 1 02-10 Day 2: 1 02-07
72. Joey Nania Liberty Lake, WA 2 04-13 131
Day 1: 1 02-08 Day 2: 1 02-05
73. Porter Trimble Pineville, LA 2 04-10 129
Day 1: 1 02-12 Day 2: 1 01-14
74. Jacky Hawthorne Greenville, TX 2 04-09 127
Day 1: 2 04-09 Day 2: 0 00-00
75. Gene Eisenmann Frisco, TX 1 04-09 125
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 04-09
76. Jim Culp Tulsa, OK 2 04-08 123
Day 1: 2 04-08 Day 2: 0 00-00
76. James Taylor Humboldt, TN 2 04-08 123
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 04-08
78. Aaron Ault Delphi, IN 2 04-04 119
Day 1: 2 04-04 Day 2: 0 00-00
78. James W Watson Waynesville, MO 2 04-04 119
Day 1: 2 04-04 Day 2: 0 00-00
80. Scott Dean Terrell, TX 2 04-03 115
Day 1: 1 02-09 Day 2: 1 01-10
81. Todd Castledine Nacogdoches, TX 2 04-01 113
Day 1: 2 04-01 Day 2: 0 00-00
82. Cecil Kingsley Lawrence, KS 2 04-01 111
Day 1: 1 02-04 Day 2: 1 01-13
83. Tim Gaskill Edwardsville, IL 2 03-15 109
Day 1: 2 03-15 Day 2: 0 00-00
84. Brandon Mosley Choctaw, OK 2 03-14 107
Day 1: 1 01-11 Day 2: 1 02-03
85. Scott Mcgehee Madison, MS 2 03-13 105
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 03-13
86. Gary Riffle Paris, TX 2 03-13 103
Day 1: 1 01-14 Day 2: 1 01-15
87. John Johnson Jacksonville, MO 2 03-11 101
Day 1: 1 01-08 Day 2: 1 02-03
88. Logan Sherrer Karnack, TX 2 03-11 99
Day 1: 1 01-09 Day 2: 1 02-02
89. Rick Hanna Hereford, TX 2 03-11 97
Day 1: 1 02-00 Day 2: 1 01-11
90. Ronald Rogers Rockwall, TX 2 03-10 95
Day 1: 2 03-10 Day 2: 0 00-00
91. Eric Olliverson Lampe, MO 2 03-09 93
Day 1: 2 03-09 Day 2: 0 00-00
92. Marvin Ettredge Shreveport, LA 2 03-08 91
Day 1: 1 01-12 Day 2: 1 01-12
93. Preston Henson Vacaville, CA 1 03-06 89
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 03-06
93. Joseph Sestak Tabor, SD 1 03-06 89
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 03-06
95. Mark Goines Shady Point, OK 2 03-04 85
Day 1: 2 03-04 Day 2: 0 00-00
96. Travis Gray Princeton, LA 1 02-15 83
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 02-15
97. Christopher Jones Pocola, OK 1 02-14 81
Day 1: 1 02-14 Day 2: 0 00-00
98. Gene Spears West Monroe, LA 1 02-12 79
Day 1: 1 02-12 Day 2: 0 00-00
99. Mark Smith West Monroe, LA 1 02-06 77
Day 1: 1 02-06 Day 2: 0 00-00
100. Janet Parker Little Elm, TX 1 02-05 76
Day 1: 1 02-05 Day 2: 0 00-00
100. Mike Pharr Shreveport, LA 1 02-05 76
Day 1: 1 02-05 Day 2: 0 00-00
102. Terry Bollom Frisco, TX 1 02-04 74
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 02-04
103. Michael Free Milton, WA 1 02-03 73
Day 1: 1 02-03 Day 2: 0 00-00
104. Alex Heitman Valley Park, MO 1 02-02 72
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 02-02
104. Jason Lieblong Conway, AR 1 02-02 72
Day 1: 1 02-02 Day 2: 0 00-00
104. Matt Michel Gonzales, LA 1 02-02 72
Day 1: 1 02-02 Day 2: 0 00-00
104. Ed Whaley Montgomery, TX 1 02-02 72
Day 1: 1 02-02 Day 2: 0 00-00
108. Brad Smith Hartford, AR 2 02-01 68
Day 1: 2 02-01 Day 2: 0 00-00
109. Tommy Durham Whitney, TX 1 02-00 67
Day 1: 1 02-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
110. Dustin Lester Huntington Beach, CA 1 01-15 66
Day 1: 1 01-15 Day 2: 0 00-00
110. Perry Powell Mckinney, TX 1 01-15 66
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 01-15
110. David Sherrer Elm Grove, LA 1 01-15 66
Day 1: 1 01-15 Day 2: 0 00-00
113. Johnny Grice Frisco, TX 1 01-14 63
Day 1: 1 01-14 Day 2: 0 00-00
113. Chad Griffin Cresson, TX 1 01-14 63
Day 1: 1 01-14 Day 2: 0 00-00
115. Michael Moore Grove, OK 1 01-13 61
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 01-13
116. LA Sevilla Las Cruces, NM 1 01-11 60
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 01-11
117. Tate Womack Branson, MO 1 01-09 59
Day 1: 1 01-09 Day 2: 0 00-00
118. Jimmy Mize Ben Lomond, AR 1 01-05 58
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 01-05
119. Randy Allen Shreveport, LA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
119. Jason Baggett Mansfield, AR 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
119. Robert Byrd Dallas, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
119. Bobby Collums Houston, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
119. Chris Dombkowski Cibolo, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
119. Jan Heavener Sherwood, AR 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
119. Billy Hines Vacaville, CA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
119. Teb Jones Hattiesburg, MS 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
119. Shane Long Sarcoxie, MO 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
119. Jack Morris Robinson, IL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
119. Chip Porche Bixby, OK 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
119. Gene Rasco Livingston, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
119. Kenny Rooke Junction, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
119. Lisa Sternard Clarksville, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
119. Gary Vining Morgan City, LA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
119. Kyle Walling Fisherville, KY 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 13 253 535-01
2 3 151 328-14
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16 404 863-15
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Fishing was tough enough before Mother Nature threw a curve for the opening pitch of the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open today at Table Rock Lake.
A prolonged Indian summer has kept bass in a holding pattern for weeks at Table Rock and the first major cold front of autumn hit this week to put the fish into more of a fall funk. Despite the tough conditions, Harrison, Ark., angler Robbie Dodson Jr. relied on his experience at Table Rock Lake to amass a five-fish limit weighing 15 pounds, 9 ounces to take the pro division lead in the third and final Bassmaster Central Open.
“I didn’t even practice the way the weather was this week,” said Dodson, who won a major tournament at The Rock last week. “I thought I would be better off not to know really what was going on since it was probably going to change with this front coming through. I fish here enough to know pretty well what to start off on. So I just started off doing what I thought I should do.”
However, what he thought would work didn’t, and he was forced to scramble. “There is nothing really working out there,” he said. “It was a real tough bite. We struggled all day. I just ran around and fished everywhere I thought I had caught a fish before and hopefully run into a little wad of them.”
“I had two bites by noon and caught a 4-11 and another one on a Rick Clunn Trickster spinnerbait. I then pulled into one pocket this afternoon and caught four in about four throws and my partner caught one, and that was the last bite we had all day.”
Bassmaster Elite Series pro James Niggemeyer of Van, Texas, figured out a pattern for a 14-3 limit that moved him into second place.
“I am moving around quite a bit,” he said. “I basically caught all of my fish on two lures anywhere from 5 feet all the way out to 25. There is a bit of a pattern there, but my big fish (a 5-pound largemouth he added to the mix) was a blessing. I had two or three keepers right from the get-go, and then bounced around and caught fish throughout the day.”
Elite pro Clark Reehm went “junk fishing” and bagged a 12-9 limit good for third place. “I ended up getting a gift fish,” said the Lufkin, Texas, angler. “I was reeling one in on a crankbait when I looked down and saw a smallie with it. My partner reached down with the net and the smallie grabbed the crankbait and I got both fish.” Rounding out the top five in the boater division are two other Elite pros — Brian Snowden of Reeds Spring, Mo., in fourth with 12-8; and Stephen Browning of Hot Springs, Ark., in fifth with 11-13.
Mission, Kan., angler Mike Perry scratched out two fish weighing 5-9 to lead the co-angler division. The other top five co-anglers are Jon Englund of Farwell, Minn., and Jim Furr of Hemphill, Texas, both with 4-8; Michael Savage of Clever, Mo., had 4-7; and Clayton Coppin of Wagoner, Okla., had 4-4.
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Pro Paul Elias of Laurel, Miss., weathered cool temperatures and windy conditions to cross the stage Thursday with a five-bass limit weighing 26 pounds even to lead day one of the Walmart FLW Tour Open on Lake Guntersville presented by Mercury. Elias now holds a 4-pound, 13-ounce lead over Marshall Deakins of Dunlap, Tenn., who caught five bass weighing 21-3 in a tournament featuring top anglers from all across the country competing for a top cash prize of up to $125,000 plus valuable points toward qualifying for the 2012 Forrest Wood Cup presented by Walmart, the world championship of bass fishing. The top five anglers in the point standings after the Guntersville event will qualify for the Forrest Wood Cup.
“I was on pins and needles and felt like I could have a good day,” said Elias, who had equipment problems early which prevented him from fishing until about 8:45 a.m. “Right when I got out there everything started going right and the Lord blessed me and made up for the bad morning, I guess.
“I had a pattern going in practice, but I did not expect to catch that much weight,” Elias added.
Elias, a traditional power fisherman, said the wind played a big factor in his early success by moving fish into the area he was fishing. He said he caught a limit every day he practiced, and although he hadn’t been catching heavy weights, he did catch fish consistently.
“I love this lake,” Elias said. “I’ve never won a tournament here, but I’ve come close a lot of times. Everybody knows how I like to fish and when I can catch them that way, I can usually catch them pretty good. If I don’t run out of fish I’ll feel really good.”
Rounding out the top 10 pros after day one on Lake Guntersville are:
3rd: Robert Behrle, Hoover, Ala., five bass, 19-2
4th: Clent Davis, Montevallo, Ala., five bass, 18-6
5th: Bryan Schmitt, Deale, Md., five bass, 17-7
6th: Charles Bebber, Willis, Texas, five bass, 17-4
7th: Russell Lane, Prattville, Ala., five bass, 17-3
8th: Christopher Brasher, Spring, Texas, five bass, 16-11
9th: Kelley Jaye, Dadeville, Ala., five bass, 16-5
10th: National Guard pro Brett Hite, Phoenix, Ariz., five bass, 16-0
10th: Aaron Martens, Leeds, Ala., five bass, 16-0
10th: Troy Morrow, Eastanollee, Ga., five bass, 16-0
For a full list of results visit FLWOutdoors.com.
Schmitt caught the Snickers® Big Bass weighing 6-12 on the pro side to win $500.
Overall there were 496 bass weighing 1,342 pounds, 15 ounces caught by 133 pros Thursday. The catch included 69 five-bass limits.
Mark Horton of Nicholasville, Ky., leads the Co-angler Division with five bass weighing 14-15 followed by Tripp Pittman of Holly Springs, Miss., in second place with five bass weighing 14-0.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers are:
3rd: Thomas Rizzo, Rochester, Pa., five bass, 13-1
4th: Ben Due, Mauston, Wis., five bass, 13-0
5th: Ty Hester, Russellville, Ala., five bass, 12-7
6th: Dan Clark, Cleveland, Tenn., four bass, 11-13
7th: Benny Roberts, Jacksboro, Tenn., five bass, 11-10
8th: William Rogers, Hiram, Ga., four bass, 11-8
9th: Charles Ellis, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 11-2
10th: Casey Martin, New Market, Ala., five bass, 10-15
For a full list of results visit FLWOutdoors.com.
Horton caught the Snickers® Big Bass weighing 6-13 in the co-angler division to win $250.
Overall there were 192 bass weighing 477 pounds, 14 ounces caught by 97 co-anglers Thursday. The catch included eight five-bass limits.
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Jimmy Watson of the Shreveport Times wrote an article about Bassmaster Elite Series bass fishing pro Denny Brauer. The story highlights some of his accomplishments (although getting wrong that he's actually third in B.A.S.S. wins), but the piece talks more about the trophy 175 class deer he killed Friday in Louisiana and where it compares to winning an Elite Series event at the age of 62.
To check out the article online, visit this link to shreveportimes.com.
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Royal Purple is a Houston, Texas based company that manufactures high performance synthetic lubricants for automotive and marine applications. They want you to get more performance and mileage, cooler running temperatures, and dependability that gives you peace of mind. Today on Weighing In Radio with Terry Brown, Randy Fisher of Royal Purple discusses their products for the marine industry and what makes them special. To listen click here. |
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Mercury Marine’s new 150 hp FourStroke outboard received an innovation award this week at the International Boatbuilders Exhibition and Conference (IBEX) in Louisville, Ky.
The 150 FourStroke, cited by judges for its light weight, fuel efficiency and performance, is the ultimate 150 hp EFI outboard engine for offshore, inshore bay, flats, aluminum, bass, pontoon, runabout, RIBs and aluminum bass boats.
“Mercury found a way to trim 24 pounds off their new 150 FourStroke, while helping to satisfy the growing need for superb fuel efficiency and performance,” said IBEX innovation awards judge Zuzana Procheska.
Despite the naturally aspirated engine’s remarkable small size and low weight, the new 150 hp outboard by Mercury boasts a 3.0-liter, four-cylinder in-line configuration that easily creates superior power for single or twin applications – from the lightest flat skiffs to the largest saltwater offshore hulls. In fact, it has more displacement than any other 150 hp four-stroke engine, yet it delivers fuel efficiency at cruising speed that no other engine can beat.
“We listened to what boaters were asking for and then set out to build the ultimate 150 horsepower outboard,” said Mark Schwabero, president of Mercury Marine. “The finished product is an engine that is incredibly durable – more durable, in fact, than any other 150 ever built – but is actually lighter than the less-durable engines of our competition. It delivers great fuel efficiency and tremendous performance.
“I believe we accomplished exactly what we aimed for; this engine is a perfect addition to our wide breadth of four-stroke engines.”
More about the new motor from Mercury:
The new 150 FourStroke is designed, built, and tested to be the most reliable and durable 150 hp four-stroke on the planet, which means it will start and run consistently and last longer on any body of water anywhere in the world. The new 150 FourStroke has endured severe field testing in applications as varied as cold 20-foot saltwater swells off the west coast of Canada to commercial fishing in the warm waters of the Bahamas and the unprotected seas around Guadeloupe in the French West Indies. The 150 FourStroke handled thousands of hours of hard-core severe duty, real-world testing in applications the average boat operator will never endure – all with flying colors.
The massive torque curve of the new 150 FourStroke ensures that even the heaviest boats will plane quickly. And if you’re looking for room to fish, this multi-use engine fits nicely under poling platforms on flats boats and in pontoon motor wells, and is easier to fish over and around than all competing engines of equal horsepower.
It’s also the perfect option for boaters choosing to repower their boats, especially older models with transoms not designed to accommodate the weight of conventional four-strokes. Mercury’s new outboard is by far the lightest 150 hp engine, weighing just 24 pounds more than the popular Mercury OptiMax 150 direct-injected two-stroke. With almost 20 percent fewer parts than a Yamaha F150, the Mercury 150 FourStroke proves that technology can be used equally well to deliver durability and performance while simultaneously reducing package size and weight.
“The new Mercury 150 is class-leading in every respect but we particularly focused our attention on being a stand-out in the areas that our customers told us really matter to them; quality and reliability; smooth operation; a great torque curve; low weight and compact size; excellent fuel economy and easy maintenance,” said David Foulkes, vice president of engineering at Mercury. “We started our engineering efforts by listening hard to our customers, and then we executed the most effective possible design to meet their needs. “
Whether you run in saltwater, freshwater or both, Mercury’s new 150 hp FourStroke provides the satisfaction and solutions that boaters have asked for since production of the first marine engine.
As the country and the world recover from the worst recession in history, boaters will find Mercury’s new 150 delightfully easy to maintain, long-lasting and worry-free in a size, weight and horsepower that fit not only premium boats but mid- and entry-level vessels as well.
The new Mercury 150 FourStroke will be available by December, 2011, in time for the 2012 boat show season.
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"The Exam"10/20/2011 7:00:00 AM
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 American Bass Anglers today announced the 2012 season details for the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Weekend Series. The series will feature 20 divisions in 2012 each division offering 4 one-day Saturday tournaments and a two-day regional qualifier. Anglers advance from their division’s regional qualifier to one of 4 Regional qualifiers, and the top anglers will advance to the National Championship. The series champion will be invited to compete in the 2013 Bassmaster Classic®.
Divisional One-Day: Each division holds four one-day open Saturday tournaments. The tournament can pay up to $13,000 to the winning boater and has a total purse of up to $52,000. Entry fees are $200 for Boaters and $100 for Co-anglers.
Divisional Two-Day: Each division’s final event is a two-day Saturday/Sunday tournament. The tournament can pay up to $16,000 to the winning boater and has a total purse of up to $74,500. Entry fees are $300 for Boaters and $150 for Co-anglers. The top 40 boaters and co-anglers from each division advance to one of 4 Regional Qualifying tournaments.
Regional Qualifiers: Regional Qualifiers are two-day Friday/Saturday tournaments and first-place boater will take home a Triton/Mercury boat package. Regional Qualifiers have an optional entry fee. The top 50 boaters and top 50 co-anglers advance to the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Weekend Series Championship.
National Championship: The first place boater of the National Championship wins $100,000 and a slot in the 2013 Bassmaster Classic® and the co-angler champion wins $50,000. Both boater and co-anglers can be eligible for additional sponsor bonuses. The National Championship has no entry fee and will be held on Lake Sam Rayburn in Jasper, Texas November 7-10, 2012
Priority registration for the season begins Monday Oct. 24, 2011, at 8 a.m. CST. For more information, visit www.weekendseries.com or call toll free (888) 203-6222. ABA will offer for a limited time (during early registration) a Freedom Pass at no charge ($25.00 savings) for members signing up for all 5 divisional events within their respective division.
B.A.S.S. and ABA lifetime members, as well as Federation Nation members and Triton Boat Owners receive priority registration into the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Weekend Series.
2012 Season Schedules - Also available online at www.weekendseries.com
Alabama North - Division - 1
02/18 Guntersville
04/14 Weiss
05/12 Neely Henry
07/14 Weiss
08/25-26 Guntersville
South Alabama - Division - 2
02/11 Martin
03/10 Lay Lake
05/19 Eufaula
06/16 Logan Martin
09/15-16 Eufaula
Arkansas - Division - 12
02/04 Degray
03/03 Ouachita
05/12 Dardanelle
06/02 Greer's Ferry
09/15-16 Ouachita
Florida - Division - 6
01/21 Toho
02/25 Okeechobee
03/24 Harris Chain
04/21 Kissimmee Chain
09/22-23 Okeechobee
Georgia - Division - 8
02/04 Seminole
03/03 Sinclair
04/28 Oconee
06/23 Eufaula
09/08-09 Lanier
Indiana - Division - 7
03/31 Patoka Lake
06/09 Monroe Lake
07/21 Ohio River, Rocky Point
08/11 Ohio River, Tanners Creek
09/15-16 Ohio River, Rocky Point
Kentucky - Division - 15
03/10 Kentucky Lake
05/05 Lake Barkley
06/30 Kentucky Lake
08/18 Kentucky Lake
09/22-23 Kentucky Lake
Louisiana - Division - 13
01/28 Atchafalaya Basin
02/18 Louisiana Delta
03/31 Red River
04/28 Bayou Black
09/29-30 Red River
Maryland - Division - 21
03/17 Potomac River
04/28 Potomac River
06/30 Potomac River
07/21 Potomac River
09/15-16 Potomac River
Missouri - Division - 16
03/24 Table Rock
04/21 Lake of the Ozarks
05/19 Table Rock
06/23 Pomme DeTerre
09/29-30 Lake of the Ozarks
New York - 23
06/16 Champlain
07/07 Oneida
08/11 Ontario
09/08 Cayuga
09/22-23 Oneida
North Carolina - Division - 5
03/24 Norman
04/21 High Rock
05/19 Jordan
06/02 Kerr
08/18-19 High Rock
Oklahoma - Division - 14
03/24 Tenkiller
04/21 Grand
05/19 Eufaula
06/16 Ft. Gibson
09/08-09 Grand
Ohio - Division - 20
03/31 Rocky Fork
05/05 Indian
06/23 Mosquito
07/28 Alum Creek
08/25-26 Erie
SC - Division - 9
01/28 Murray
03/31 Santee Cooper
05/05 Wateree
06/30 Hartwell
08/18-19 Wiley
Tennessee Central - Division - 3
03/17 Center Hill
04/28 Percy Priest
06/16 Old Hickory
07/28 Kentucky
09/08-09 Old Hickory
Tennessee East - Division - 4
03/17 Guntersville
04/14 Chickamauga
05/12 Chickamauga
06/09 Loudon/Tellico
08/25-26 Watts Bar
Texas Southeast - Division - 10
03/17 Sam Rayburn
04/14 Toledo Bend
05/26 Sam Rayburn
06/30 Sam Rayburn
09/22-23 Sam Rayburn
Texas East - Division - 11
02/11 Palestine
03/10 Tyler
05/05 Richland Chambers
06/09 Cedar Creek
07/14-15 Tawakoni
Virginia - Division - 19
03/10 Kerr
04/14 Anna
06/09 Smith Mountain
07/14 James River
09/29-30 Kerr
Regional Qualifiers
• 10/05-06 Clarks Hill
Divisions attending: Alabama North, Alabama South, Florida, East Tennessee and South Carolina
• 10/12-13 Nickajack
Divisions attending: Central Tennessee, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky and Missouri
• 10/12-13 Wright-Patman
Divisions attending: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Central Texas, and Southeast Texas
• 10/19-20 Smith Mountain
Divisions attending: New York, North Carolina, Maryland, Ohio and Virginia
Series Championship
11/07-10 Sam Rayburn, Jasper Texas
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With Halloween right around the corner, Mike Iaconelli is
going to be trick or treating with
the Bass University. Until midnight of October 31, Bass University
students can sign up at 15% off the regular ticket price. The Bass
University offers students two
days of advanced bass fishing instruction, taught in an up close and
personal
environment by the top bass fishing pros in the world. For more
information, visit thebassuniversity.com. Don't miss out on this "spooktacular" event!
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A couple of years ago, FLW pro Anthony Gagliardi was looking for a special shaped lead head he could fish a Goby imitator on. He brought Buckeye Lures a nickel glued to a worm hook and asked the Buckeye developers to build something that slid when hopped but could be cast and drug across the bottom equally well. The Goby Sled was born.
Because this was such a specialized head it didn't resonate with anglers except in the places where Goby's were resident, like the Great Lakes. Baits like the Poor Boys Goby were mainstays on this head there though. Because so few lakes had Goby's that limited the application but as it is with most baits, what is was designed for didn't ultimately end up being what it was used for. A group of savvy ledge anglers in the southeast saw it at a perfect head for ledges and began to rig it with a Zoom Super Speed Craw and started to whack them on places like Clarks Hill, Russell, and Hartwell. They have been using it secretly until now.
The Goby Sled became the Craw Sled or as they simply call it..."The Sled".
The bait is rigged on the screw lock keeper on the bottom side of the head, not in the end, and it stands up well but also glides on the fall. When on the bottom the pinchers of the Speed Craw stand up in a defensive posture and bass slam it.
The secret is now out...sorry guys!
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“This year the IGFA inducts its 13th class into the International Fishing Hall of Fame on Tuesday, October 25th at 6 pm. Al Lindner, John Chibnail Allen and Buddy Merritt, Frank O’Brien, Jr., and Paxson Offield will join the ranks of fishing’s luminaries at the annual induction ceremony, emceed by 2004 inductee Mark Sosin. Next to the privilege of having a great fish on the line, the event is one of fishing’s highest honors,” said Gail Morchower, Manager of the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame and Museum in Dania Beach, Fla.
During a 50-year career spanning the most revolutionary years in sport fishing history, Al Lindner ranks among the most renowned leaders in the sport fishing industry.
As the host of Lindner’s Angling Edge and Fishing Edge television series, Al is logging in his 42nd consecutive year in outdoor television programming. Al remains immensely popular as one of the best-recognized angling authorities in North America. Al, however, has always worn many hats, and even his most avid fans may not realize the extent of his past and present involvement with all aspects of the fishing business. Besides finding new and better ways to catch fish, he has worked as a fishing guide, tackle designer and manufacturer, tournament fishing champion, book author, lecturer, radio host, magazine publisher, video producer, television host and a pioneer of professional walleye tournament fishing.
Of all his titles, Al prefers that of “Angling Educator,” a lifelong obsession he tirelessly pursues. His continuing dedication to teaching youth to fish reached a high point when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service used his Camp Fish formula as a nationwide teaching.
Al’s deep and abiding faith has led him to share not only his fishing knowledge, but more importantly, tell his Christian life story in many venues. He frequently speaks of his life journey, and his deep spiritual convictions to both young and old alike.
Al was inducted into the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame first as a Legendary Angler, and later enshrined into the Hall as an educator. He is a member of the Minnesota Fishing Hall of Fame, and was inducted into the Normark Hall of Fame for the indelible mark his involvement has made on the history of sport fishing.
Al has also been inducted into the Professional Bass Fishing Hall of Fame, and most recently, was given the Samuel C. Johnson Fishing ‘Journalist of the Year’ award for his contributions to the fishing industry in the fields of journalism, conservation and philanthropic leadership.
In March of 2008, Al was named by BassMaster Magazine as one of the 35 most influential persons in the world of bass fishing.
Along the lengthy road, Al has traveled in the world of sport fishing he and his companies have garnered more then 58 excellence-in-craft awards for work in various fields.
Winning a $60 prize as champion of the Hayward Wisconsin Musky Festival in 1965 gave Al the confidence he could make a living at fishing. Since that win, work in the fishing industry (other than his stint in Vietnam) is the only job Al has ever had.
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 Bobby Lane and Todd Faircloth, two of the most accomplished and popular pro anglers in the U.S., have been added to the prestigious group of competitors scheduled to fish the MAJOR LEAGUE FISHINGTM CHALLENGE CUP, League Commissioner Don Rucks announced today.
Lane, of Lakeland, Florida, will replace angler Marty Stone, who has chosen to serve as the on-air analyst for MAJOR LEAGUE FISHING events, which will be televised on Outdoor Channel. Lane, a top performer on the B.A.S.S. Elite Series tour, is scheduled to compete in the CHALLENGE CUP and future MAJOR LEAGUE FISHING events.
Due to a scheduling conflict, Alabama pro Tim Horton will not compete in the CHALLENGE CUP. Faircloth, a Jasper, Texas, angler who also competes on the Elite Series tour, will substitute for Horton at the Lake Amistad event. Horton will return to the 24-angler field for the 2012 events.
“We’re delighted to announce that Bobby Lane and Todd Faircloth will be joining the Challenge Cup field,” Rucks said. “They’re outstanding anglers and first-class individuals. We are honored to have them among our competitors. We couldn’t be more pleased at the way the Challenge Cup event is unfolding.”
In August, Outdoor Channel and 24 of the world’s premiere competitive bass fishing anglers announced the formation of MAJOR LEAGUE FISHING. This new sports organization will feature competitive bass fishing events designed to bring high-intensity challenges to the competitors and entertainment, as well as insight, to audiences.
MAJOR LEAGUE FISHING anglers will compete with no limit on the number of legal bass they can weigh and will not be allowed to begin events with stored GPS waypoints. The anglers will have a real-time leader board in their boats, showing where they rank in the standings at any given time. Anglers will not be allowed any on-site practice time before the events.
A weeklong event scheduled for late fall, the CHALLENGE CUP will be broken down into episodes and aired in the second quarter of 2012 on Outdoor Channel. Web-based pay-per-view broadcasts will also be offered. Details of the pay-per-view presentations will be announced soon.
CHALLENGE CUP Competitors (Revised List)
Tommy Biffle
Denny Brauer
Mark Davis
Boyd Duckett
Brent Ehrler
Edwin Evers
Shaw Grigsby
Greg Hackney
Todd Faircloth (Sub for Tim Horton)
Michael Iaconelli
Alton Jones
Kelly Jordon
Gary Klein
Jeff Kriet
Aaron Martens
Mike McClelland
Ish Monroe
Takahiro Omori
Jason Quinn
Skeet Reese
Dean Rojas
Bobby Lane (replaced Marty Stone)
Kevin VanDam
Byron Velvick
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Prairie du Chien, WI-Dan Zwick and Tony Kobriger weighed a total of 40.89 pounds from Pools 9 and 10 of the Mississippi River Oct. 13-15 to capture top honors at the Cabela's Masters Walleye Circuit's 2011 World Walleye Championship.
"This is a dream come true," Kobriger, of Chilton, Wisconsin, said moments after the final weigh-in came to a dramatic close in front of a roaring crowd at the Winneshiek Marina. "It's going to take awhile to sink in," added Zwick, of Wrightstown, Wisconsin.
He and Kobriger capped their third Circuit season by collecting the $25,000 first-place check, plus a $5,000 Cabela's gift card through the Cabela's Angler Cash program, $1,000 Ranger Cup bonus, $500 Lowrance Electronics HDS/Elite DSI contingency, $500 Berkley Baits Prize Package, $300 from Worldwide Marine Insurance, and incentives from U2 Pro Formula and RPM Outdoors.
Zwick and Kobriger led the tournament all three days, and were the only boat in the 34- team field to break the 40-pound barrier. The go-to tactic was positioning their Ranger 621 VS over a main-channel break dropping from 10 to 12 feet, where they fished 3/ 8-ounce jigs tipped with 3-inch, Pearl White Berkley PowerBait Ripple Shad. "Our Lowrance HDS 10 with StructureScan was critical to finding and fishing our top spot-a small point jutting into the channel," Kobriger noted.
Wyoming anglers Brian Woodward and Rick Walter rocketed from 11th up to second place on the wings of a 20.02-pound Day Three basket, worth $13,000 cash plus the Oxygenator bonus. In all, the field shared more than $110,000 in cash and bonuses. Teams qualified for the no-entry-fee event during the circuit's 2010 season.
A total of 194 walleyes and saugers weighing 616.07 pounds crossed the Cabela's MWC stage during the event, which was streamed live on Walleye Central and filmed for airing on the Versus Network later this fall. Big fish of the tournament was an 8.42-pound walleye caught on Day One by 2010 Cabela's MWC team of the year, Ohioans Mike Knippenberg and Ryan Buddie.
The event was co-hosted by the Prairie du Chien Cabela's store and Falling Rock Walleye Club. Following each day's weigh-in, teams trailered to the store to visit with fans in the Fishing Department, and hold a free drawing for Cabela's gift cards- courtesy of Cabela's. On Friday, the MWC, Cabela's and National Professional Anglers
Association held a free Youth and Family Fishing Clinic at the MWC tent outside the Cabela's store. Youngsters received rod-and-reel combos from the NPAA, tackle kits courtesy of Northland Fishing Tackle, and participated in a free drawing for Cabela's gear. In addition, MWC anglers showed the youngsters how to tie a slip bobber rig, and helped get their new rods ready for fishing.
Walleyes were winners in the equation as well. Since 1984, the MWC Conservation Fund has donated more than $300,000 to fisheries-enhancement projects in states where our tournaments are held. At the Championship, a $15-per-boat donation from each team's entry fee will benefit efforts to protect the local fishery.
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We have followed Jeff Kriet and youth angler Jonny Schultz since they started and B.A.S.S. has a great video with both of these fan favorite anglers on a show today. Check it out by clicking here. |
This past weekend on the shores of famed Lake Guntersville,
amid the autumn colors of the southern Appalachians, at a table filled with
deep fried pickles and catfish fillets, was all the faith you’ll ever need to
believe that young America is going to be just fine -- and that people actually
win those trip-of-a-lifetime sweepstakes contests you’ve always felt were just
a marketing farce.
On one side of the table, sitting next to Gerald Swindle,
was Song Kimpton, Grand Prize Winner of the Quantum EXO “Fish it First” video
contest. Kimpton is a very young
looking, kind-hearted, 27-year-old who works 40 hours a week in an Oklahoma
City convenience store to cover tuition costs associated with the 4-year degree
he just earned.
And amidst Song’s insane weekly schedule -- he fishes -- with
concentration comparable to Gary Klein, and versatility aspiring of Swindle. In
fact, Song says he makes it a soul-fulfilling point to fish at least a little
bit every single day.
His first place winning video was a thing of ingenuity,
passion, professionalism and desire in telling Quantum judges why he should be
chosen to be among the very first anglers in America to fish with an EXO rod
and reel, with Gerald Swindle as his fishing guide.
Drained by tuition and the cost of living, Kimpton found a
free on-line video editing software offer to piece his winner together, but not
before three filming trips to the lake with his fishing buddy Tim Untrauer’s
loaned camera, and two creative ‘storyboards’ Kimpton scripted to make sure his
story got told in perfect sequence.
Kimpton then sorted through dozens of free on-line songs in
choosing background music, and surveyed friends as to which sounded best. The
end result was a winner wedged between 12 full-time college credit hours,
ringing-up 32-ounce fountain drinks, and a seemingly relentless pursuit of
making his tomorrows better than his yesterdays.
Fittingly, the ever grateful and humble Kimpton concluded,
“I think I could have made the video better, but my 30-day free trial offer
expired on the editing software I was using.”
Across from Swindle and Kimpton, just beyond the cole slaw,
sat everything that is good about America, in the form of a quiet, good
looking, mop haired, 14-year-old boy named Ian, wearing a navy blue hoodie with
“Alaska” written across the chest, and his heart on his sleeve.
Even though EXO video sweepstakes rules stated Ian was too
young to enter the contest, Ian did what those of us three times his age should
do more often – he followed heart instead of rules, and submitted a homemade
video to Quantum anyway.
Far less sophisticated than Song’s video production efforts,
Ian simply turned on the camera and began talking. Talking until each time his
words turned to his military father, and then teardrops took over.
The hairy-chested marketing executives at Quantum teared-up
too when reviewing Ian’s video submission, and decided that because Ian lived
within an easy drive of Guntersville, that it only made sense to invite he and
his dad to dinner as ‘sentimental winners.’
So there over fried pickles, sitting next to young Ian, was
his dad, a former West Point linebacker, and Army man of 27 years, who’s given
us time in Kuwait, Iraq, and now Afghanistan. Both of them ingesting dinner and
endless helpings of Swindle’s humor filled wisdom. For dessert, Swindle served
up private fishing lessons, and convinced Song and Ian to strike humorous poses
with him for a PR guy’s camera.
The next morning, Ian and his Dad were casting for bass on
Guntersville, most likely with Rapala DT10 crankbaits like the one Ian scored a
4-pounder on just hours after arriving in town the previous afternoon. Like Kimpton,
the young Kessler is quite a ‘stick’ – admitting he too fishes every single day
near home.
Simultaneously, following his day of fishing with Swindle, Song
Kimpton squeaked in an extra day of fishing at Guntersville with his Dad, Ed.
Their guide for the day was well-known Alabama bass angler, and 2-time Purple
Heart Award winner, Harry Potts.
What Song and Ian caught at Lake Guntersville seems almost
irrelevant. For already firmly in the creels of each heart at that dinner table
was the equivalent of a heavy 25-pound limit of restored faith about life in
America. All stemming from one of those marketing promotions ‘that nobody ever
wins’ to tout a lightweight new 5.9-ounce fishing reel.
To view the winning EXO “Fish it First” video that Song
Kimpton produced and submitted to Quantum, please visit, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ19lXX4o3Y
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Courtesy of CrappieUSA.com
Oct. 14-15, Crappie USA held the
2011 Cabela's Crappie USA Classic on the Kentucky/Barkley Lakes out of
Paris, Tenn. The 177 teams worked hard all year to qualify for
the special event to have a chance at the $100,500 payback in cash
and prizes.
Semi-Pro Division Results
Taking first place was the team of Tim Ridley of McKenzie, Tennessee and
Scott Watson of Paris, Tennessee with a winning weight of 24.11 pounds
and earning $40,500 in cash and prizes. Tim and Scott were fishing
manmade cover on the south end of Kentucky Lake using orange/chartreuse
and yellow/chartreuse Southern Pro glow jigs in 12-15 feet of water
catching 75 keepers during the 2-day event. Some of the winnings include
$500.00 Ranger Cup awards, $500 Southern Pro Bonus, $2,000 for
National Points Champions, a Ranger V118 boat equipped with an Evinrude
outboard, Minn Kota trolling motor, Humminbird electronics and a $500
gift certificate from Cabela's.
Second place went to the Murray, Ky. team of Sammy Tidwell and
Danny Todd with a total 2-day weight of 22.67 pounds and earning
$4,000.00. Sammy and Danny were fishing Blood River and main lake ledges
on old manmade cover in 18-23 feet of water using black/chartreuse
Southern Pro Glow to catch 40 keepers per day.
In third place was Tiptonville, Tenn.'s Steve Coleman and Ronnie
Capps weighing in 22.26 pounds and earning $2,000. Steve and Ronnie
were spider rigging on main lake channels using 2 poles each with
lime/chartreuse Southern Pro glow on natural stumps and catching 30 fish
per day in this tremendous event.
Daryl Cole of Leesburg, Florida and George Parker of West Palm Beach,
Fla. took fourth place with a weight of 22.17 pounds and earning
$1,500. Daryl and George were spider rigging south of Paris on mail
channel ledges catching 35 fish per day.
Fifth place went to the 3-person team of Steve Ferguson of Puryear,
Tennessee along with partners Joey and Levi Riggs with a total weight of
22.04 pounds and earning $1,000. Steve, Joey and Levi were fishing
in 12-17 feet of water on the south end of Kentucky Lake over manmade
cover using red/chartreuse Southern Pro with Teezer jig heads and
catching 80 keepers in the 2-dayy event.
Amateur Division Results
First place in the amateur division was the Trezenvant, Tenn. team
of Mark and Billy Arnold weighing in 21.72 pounds and earning a Ranger
Boat rig valued at $25,000. Mark and Billy were fishing near Paris
Landing on Kentucky Lake working manmade cover in 12-13 feet of water in
the mouth of bays on white/chartreuse Southern Pro with white heads to
catch 60 keepers per day during the event.
Second place went to Delmar Clark of Lavinia, Tennessee and Greg
Mathenia of Trenton, Tennessee weighing in 21.42 pounds and earning
$2,000. Delmar and Greg also won $125 for the Ranger Cup Award and
Rookie of the Year Award. The team was fishing Kentucky Lake in 8-12
feet of water on gray/chartreuse jigs catching their bigger fish in the
middle of the day on shallow flats in 3-4 feet of water catching 60
keepers per day.
Taking third place was Johnny Clary of Greenbriar, Tennessee and Dwayne
Craig of Cottontown, Tennessee with 20.92 pounds and earning $1,000.
Johnny and Dwayne was using 1 pole to vertical jig in 17-20 feet of
water on clear and smoke colored jigs with red/white/blue glitter. The
team was fishing the southern end of Kentucky lake to catch 2 limits of
keepers each day.
In fourth was the team of Ben Howard of Calvert City, Kentucky and Gary
Wurth of Paducah, Kentucky with a weight of 20.08 pounds and earning
$800. Ben and Gary were vertical jigging brush piles on flats in the
mouth of the bays on the east side of Kentucky Lake using Southern Pro
chartreuse jigs in 17-20 feet of water to catch 80 keepers per day.
Fifth place went to the Mt. Juliet, Tennessee team of Harold Maddux and
Brian Oldham with 19.94 pounds and earning $700.00. Harold and Brian had
to leave before the interviews were conducted.
Big Fish Award
Taking big fish of the event was the team of Delmar Clark of Lavinia,
Tennessee and Greg Mathenia of Trenton, Tennessee with a 2.33 pound
crappie and earning $1,000. Second place in the big fish contest was a
tie between Edward Shawn of Huntington Arkansas and his partner Scotty
Harmon of Carnegie, Oklahoma and the team of Daryl Cole of Leesburg,
Florida and his partner George Parker from West Palm Beach, Florida each
team had a 2.23 pound crappie for $200 per team.
Congratulations to all the teams fishing this event. For a complete list
of tournament standings and downloadable photos for this event visit CrappieUSA.com then go to Tournament Results.
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Four Hobie Fishing Team members will soon land on Australian shores
to represent the U.S. in the first ever Hobie Kayak Fishing World
Championships presented by Daiwa Australia and hosted by Hobie
Australasia. They will be part of an 18-team roster from five countries
including the U.S., Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, and Australia.
The invitation-only international event will be held October 27-30 in
Port Macquarie along the New South Wales coast. Participants are chosen
from each country based on a combination of skill and passion for Hobie
fishing.
“We’ve seen a huge growth in kayak fishing tournaments over the past
several years and we’re looking forward to expanding this enthusiasm
into international competition,” stated Doug Skidmore, president of
Hobie Cat. “We love the idea of embracing a common passion that
overrides language and cultural barriers.”
The format pairs international two-person teams in a three day
competition on Australia’s beautiful tidal rivers in search of the
elusive golden Bream, pound for pound one of Australia’s most
challenging game fish. Competitors will compete in identically rigged
Hobie Mirage® Pro Anglers propelled by Hobie’s patented MirageDrive®
system and fitted with Lowrance® electronics. Live weigh-ins of the
catches will take place on each of the three days of competition and a
champion will be crowned based on total weight.
U.S. team challengers include:
Morgan Promnitz – Hobie Fishing Product Manager
Keeton Eoff – Hobie Fishing Marketing Manager
Jackie Smith – Hobie Fishing Team Ambassador
Jose Chavez – Hobie Fishing Team Regional Member
The date and location for the 2012 event will be announced later this winter. For more information on Hobie, visit hobiefishing.com.
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Photo courtesy of FLWOutdoors.com
The Stephen F. Austin team of Andrew Upshaw, Hemphill, Texas and Ryan
Watkins, Rockport, Texas, won the National Guard FLW College Fishing
Texas Regional Championship Saturday in record setting fashion. Their
five bass limit set a new FLW Outdoors record for the heaviest one day five-bass-limit catch at a college fishing event, weighing in at 26 pounds, 6 ounces.
They had a three day total of 15 bass weighing 62 pounds, 6 ounces.
For their victory the team from Stephen F. Austin
won $50,000 to be split between the university and the university’s bass
fishing club - $12,500 and a Ranger 177TR with a 90-horsepower outboard
wrapped in school colors for the bass club and $12,500 for their
school. The team also earned their first berth in the National Guard FLW
College Fishing National Championship which will be held in April 2012.
Upshaw and Watkins beat their closest competitor, the Texas A&M
team of Shafer and Weston, by an incredible 9 pounds, 11 ounces.
“This feels great. To be able to represent our school, our families, the fans,” said Watkins. “It’s unbelievable.
“The story of the day was rocks. We started on rocks and
we finished on rocks,” Watkins went on to say. “Typically in the fall
the bass start a feeding frenzy and rocky areas provide large areas for
more fish to feed on. These areas tend to replenish faster so the bass
are constantly coming and going.
“We used three key baits and fished three key areas, Watkins continued. “The 6th
Sense 1.5 Square Bill in clear sexy shad, Strike Pro Big Bubba in
crawfish and Strike King Series 3 in sexy shad. We fished a rock bed
that was 4 to 6 feet deep, brush piles in 3 to 12 feet of water and a
back pocket that had a rock bottom.
“We lost a lot of fish today, it was ridiculous,” Watkins
added. “But then we caught the 7 ½ - pounder and we knew we had it won.
This is unbelievable.”
Both Upshaw and Watkins graduated this spring but managed
to qualify for the Texas Regional, three times, prior to graduating. The
team placed second at Sam Rayburn Reservoir in Feb., second at Toledo
Bend in March and third at Lake Texoma in May.
“The fish changed every day,” Watkins said. “We won by
chuckin’ and grinding every day. There was a lot of hard work that went
in to this victory. I do have to give props to Texas A&M. They are
excellent anglers and always bring a good game. We knew that we couldn’t
give them any slack.
“We wanted to fish this rocky bank all week,” Watkins
continued. “We knew there were some big fish in there and we saw both
Texas A&M teams in there. We just didn’t get the opportunity to fish
in there until today.
“This is something that you just can’t explain, Watkins
went on to say. “We lost a lot of fish today but we caught a lot of big
bass. Times like this are few and far between and you just have to thank
the man above for the blessing.”
Rounding out the top five teams and also qualifying for the National Guard FLW College Fishing National Championship are:
2nd: Texas A&M University – Andrew Shafer, College Station, Texas, and Weston Brown, Bryan, Texas, 15 bass, 52-11, $10,000
3rd: Texas A&M University – Kyle Bates, and Cody Collins both of College Station, Texas, 14 bass, 47-5, $5,000
4th: Louisiana State University – Timothy Morris,
Donaldsonville, La., and Richard Murdock, Lawrenceville, Ga., 14 bass,
39-1, $5,000
5th: Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi – Jacob
Heath, and Kennedy Schwartzburg, both of Corpus Christi, Texas, 12 bass,
36-1, $5,000
Overall there were 21 bass weighing 71 pounds, 11 ounces with two five bass limits caught by the five teams.
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Dave Wolak is a very cerebral angler. He thinks things through and defines his strategies based on the conditions. He loves to jig fish and he also loves to fish large lakes. He has a strategy that can help you break down a body of water and talks about it today on Weighing In Radio with Terry Brown. To listen click here. |
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Denny Brauer knows a good reel when he see's it. We got to use his Ardent Edge Elites at a recent writers event on Kentucky Lake too. They are super smooth, can be cast a mile and we love the low profile. Below is a taste of what the Ardent Edge is all about.
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Lund Boats recently announced the addition of twelve new dealers, expanding its worldwide distribution network.
Among the new Lund Boats dealers are a range of geographically diverse outlets— from western Washington State to Minnesota, northeast Pennsylvania and Massachusetts into Ontario, Quebec and Newfoundland—furthering the famous boat brand’s international reach.
“Lund is proud of its rich dealer base,” says Lund Boats Director of Marketing, Jason Oakes. “The Lund name has always been synonymous with the highest quality craftsmanship, as well as dedicated service that yields lifelong customer loyalty. It’s why demand for Lund continues to grow and expand into new markets both domestically and internationally.”
“Thousands more anglers aspire to own a Lund Boat each year. With the support of our existing top quality dealer base and these new dealerships, we’ll continue to foster Lund’s legendary heritage for another 60 years and more.”
Newly appointed Lund Boat dealerships include:
1st Klas Marina – Tafton, Penn.
American Marine – Dubuque, Iowa
American Marine – La Crosse, Wis.
Baduik Equipment – Ft. Francis, Ontario, CAN
Boaters Choice, Chelmsford, Ontario, CAN
Central Recreation Supplies – Gander, Newfoundland, CAN
Dockside Marine Centre – Kelowna, British Columbia, CAN
Essex Marina LLC – Essex, Mass.
Honda Recreatifs – Baie-Comeau, Quebec, CAN
Kitsap Marina – Port Orchard, Wash.
Little Crow Sports Center – Spicer, Minn.
Maple City Marine – Chatham, Ontario, CAN
For more information about Lund, visit LundBoats.com.
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When you buy a new fishing rod it can be a big investment. That investment needs the best protection in the rod box or when not in use. Rod Glove has the answer with their full line up of rod sleeves. They are durable, come in multiple colors to match your rod, boat or clothing and save your rods from nicks, dings and scratches while in the rod box or in the back of the truck.
Rod Glove recently branded some killer new Wired2Fish Rod Gloves that we featured in this contest and 5 winners have been selected to receive a set of them.
They are:
Dean Jamieson
Chula Vista, CA
Cliff Hjelmer
St. James, MN
Robert Jane
Lancaster, SC
Nathan Budack
La Crosse, WI
Lonnie Walsh
Havana, FL
They are on the way!
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We just got word that there will be an across the board price reduction on Lazer Trokar hooks for consumers. The hooks that were $10 a pack are now going to see a 30 percent price reduction to make them $6.99 a pack. These prices will put their hooks more in line with other hook makers and give anglers a good hook option with this new technology at a price that is a little easier to stomach.
The advances in their materials and production as well as reductions in packaging costs have enabled them to pass huge savings on to the consumers. This price reduction is effective October 15th, 2011.
It may take a week or so for retailers to reflect price reductions, so keep an eye out for the price reductions online at retailers like TackleWarehouse.com and other retailers in your area.
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Check out David Walkers new Toyota. This is one sweet ride. Check it out at the upcoming TTBC. He will be in the ATX booth.
Below is his boat and truck together with the new ATX Ledge chrome wheels.
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 We've been talking with the folks at BassRankings.com for more than two years now. They've been working behind the scenes to create a tournament bass fishing ranking system for pro anglers fishing both the major leagues as well as the various minor leagues. They've taken a lot of input from anglers and they've put a lot of thought into various aspects of tournament fishing competition.
Now the site is a reality. It not only ranks the top anglers in various levels, by states, by lakes, women and men and probably the most interesting aspect is the ability for users to create their own custom rankings. Here's what they had to say about their new site in today's press announcement:
The launch of bassrankings.com provides a much-needed service; a simple, unbiased and accurate rankings system for anglers not only in top-level events, but mid-level as well, with plans to rank anglers of all tournament levels in the near future. Initially, tournaments and the anglers that fish in them will be categorized into three levels:
• Majors: Anglers who fish the BASS Elites, Bassmaster Classics, FLW Tour Majors and Opens (formerly the FLW Series), Forrest Wood Cups, PAA Series, and PAA TTBC events.
• Minors: Anglers who fish the BASS Opens, FLW EverStarts and corresponding championships.
• Women: Anglers who fish(ed) the BASS WBT, LBAA Women’s Tour and corresponding championships.
An angler will be categorized according to his or her level (boater or co-angler) and according to which criteria he or she is eligible based on the number and level of tournaments the angler fishes. In its first Major World Rankings, Redlands, CA pro Brent Ehrler is the No. 1 ranked angler in the world.
Along with providing official Majors, Minors and Women World Rankings, bassrankings.com will also allow the user to create his or her own rankings. The Custom Search option allows a user to expand or shrink the time window to see which angler is best over their career, who is on a hot streak, or even who is the best angler in a particular month. Users can also choose various levels, tours or even individual lakes to see how professionals, amateurs or locals fare at particular destinations. The ranking possibilities are endless.
To check out the World Rankings, play with the Custom Search or find out more information, visit bassrankings.com.
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Paul Smith, Outdoor Editor of the Journal Sentinel in Milwaukee, Wis., penned a good piece about professor Jason Halfen of UW-Eau Claire and his work studying pheromones and the reactions fish have to those pheromones. He's been on sabbatical the last year doing research for Rapala and their Trigger X lines of soft baits.
It's an interesting look at one company bringing science into their bait designs.
To read the article, visit this link on jsonline.com.
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We just installed a new tool accessory from Fishin Tool Bag in our boat. It's perfect for keeping the essential tools close at hand yet out of the way when running the boat and not needed.
We installed it in about 5 minutes under a lid using snaps provided. We located it under a lid on the front deck.
Under the front side compartment is a perfect location for tools used for working on baits, sharpening hooks or repairing a broken item. We included an adjustable wrench, adjustable screwdriver, hook files, a knife, needle nose pliers and a pair of scissors in our kit. Items like tie wraps, tape, fuses, and connectors can also be stored in the Fishin Tool Bag, as well.
Fishin Tool Bag also makes a seat bracket that can utilized under the seats of the boat. It comes in numerous colors and camo (shown).
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FLW
Outdoors, the world’s leading tournament fishing organization,
announced Thursday that Strike Pro America, the U.S. based operation for
the lure giant Strike Pro, has reached an official sponsorship
agreement with FLW Outdoors. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
“The consistent quality and overall craftsmanship of Strike
Pro lures speaks for itself,” said Trisha Blake, president of the FLW
Outdoors Marketing Division. “The value of excellent equipment,
especially in our industry, does not go unnoticed. We’re excited about
this partnership and believe it will be mutually beneficial to everyone
involved.”
As part of the sponsorship Strike Pro America will retain
exclusive exposure across all platforms of FLW Outdoors, including its
tournaments, FLW Outdoors’ multiple websites, FLW Outdoors Magazine and
various FLW Outdoors events.
“We’re thrilled to be joining FLW Outdoors as a 2012
Sponsor,” said Chris Gonzales, CEO of Strike Pro America. I have been in
the fishing business for more than thirty years and watched as FLW has
grown and changed our industry. This partnership will help us connect
with our customer-base in a new way and share our products with fishing
fans across the country.
With nearly 40 years of experience in manufacturing lures,
Strike Pro has established itself as an industry leader. What began as a
small operation dedicated to jigs and spinners, Strike Pro expanded its
product line to include a variety of hard lures, wooden lures and
spinnerbaits. Now, with over 500 models and 4,000 different color
patterns, Strike Pro represents the benchmark for tournament fishing
lures.
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We got an email Monday about the amazing Bass Champs Bass Fishing Championship down on Lake Falcon this past weekend in Zapata, Texas. We say amazing because it's some of the biggest weights we've ever seen in bass fishing competition anywhere. The winning team of Robert Ballard, of Del Rio, and Clarence Vaughn of Amarillo, Texas had some unbelievable bass fishing with football jigs and the Power Tackle Lateral Perch. Their winning catch of 10 bass for two days weighed an amazing 86.18 pounds. That's more than an 8 1/2 pound average per bass.
There were 13 bass caught weighing more than 10 pounds including three weighing more than 11 pounds. 86 of the 163 teams averaged 20 pounds or more a day while 22 teams caught more than 30 pound limits a day.
The team of Scott Barnett and Brandon Baker caught the biggest bass of the tournament, an 11.57 pound bass, on a 1/2-ounce Jewel Football jig with a Zoom Super Speed Craw trailer in 7 feet of water.
It was an amazing catch on an amazing fishery that has probably had a lot of time to rest and allow those big fish to remain untouched as a result of the negative press and turmoil south of the border in that region. There were no issues or problems with any of that nonsense in this tournament and it was good to see such an amazing catch by these anglers.
For a full story on how the fish were caught, the full results and more, visit basschamps.com.
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El Grande Lures of Linton, Ind., announced that Derek Remitz, an Elite Series pro from Grant, Ala., has joined the company’s pro staff.
El Grande Lures is adding its second Elite angler in as many years. Many great things are scheduled on both the domestic and international scene concerning El Grande Lures including the release of new products for 2012 and expanding our presence abroad. Remitz will be an integral part of these events and looks forward to the future with great anticipation. Derek Remitz joins current El Grande Lures pro-staff Fred Roumbanis, Chad Morgenthaler, and Kurt Dove.
"As a touring professional angler, who specializes in fishing off shore structure, I understand the importance of using the right plastic to catch big fish. El Grande Lures is a company known for creating very unique colors and plastics designed to catch those bass. That is why I have chosen to join El Grande Lures, a company that is all about catching big bass."
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Fifty years of making frogs could have Snag Proof resting on their past successes. Anglers like Ish Monroe and Bobby Barrack, plus the great design team at Snag Proof, won't let that happen. 2012 again rings in new frogs from Snag Proof and we wanted to get some of them in your hands. Timing is perfect for fall froggin and they are on their way.
The winners of the Snag Proof Contest are:
Patrick Lynch
Rixeyville, VA
Tommy Morgan
Parkton, NC
Randy Burton
Stevens Point, WI
Wes Dutter
Wichita Falls, TX
Andy Miller
Burlington, NJ
Jason Spalding
Cambellsville, KY
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B.A.S.S. LLC, in partnership with Simms Fishing Products, announces a promotion offering B.A.S.S. Federation Nation members a special product opportunity.
Beginning Oct. 10, 2011, B.A.S.S. Federation Nation members will have the opportunity to purchase a Simms 2011 Tournament Suit for $499. B.A.S.S.-branded suits will be sold at this rate to Federation Nation members only. The red and blue GORE TEX® rainsuits will be offered in sizes medium to XXL. All suits will have custom embroidery of the B.A.S.S. logo on the back of the parka and on the front right pocket of the bib.
The Simms 2011 Tournament Suit is waterproof and breathable, seam-taped, and has three-layer GORE TEX® stretch fabric on the elbows, hips and knees. The suit features safety reflectivity, a fitted storm hood, hand warmer pockets and full-length, weatherproof leg zippers.
“This is a great opportunity for Simms to make the introduction into the B.A.S.S. Federation Nation while supporting conservation, which has always been a core value of our company,” said Simms Director of Marketing and Service Diane Bristol.
For every suit purchased, Simms will contribute $50 to B.A.S.S. for local chapter conservation funds. The check will be presented at the Conservation Summit at the 2012 Bassmaster Classic, which is taking place Feb. 24-26 out of Shreveport-Bossier City, La.
To purchase the suits, Federation Nation members can go to SimmsFishing.com starting Oct. 10. The deadline for this special offer is Dec. 31, 2011, and order fulfillment is based on availability.
“I have worn the Simms Tournament rainsuit, and it is lightweight and breathable yet waterproof in the worst weather conditions. I am excited about this promotion for the B.A.S.S. Federation Nation members and am extremely appreciative of Simms commitment to our conservation efforts. This is a win-win for everyone!” said Don Corkran, director, B.A.S.S. Federation Nation.
The B.A.S.S. Federation Nation Championship presented by Yamaha and Skeeter Boats is scheduled for Nov. 3-5, 2011, on the Ouachita River out of Monroe, La.
For more information about Simms, visit simmsfishing.com.
For more information about the B.A.S.S. Federation Nation, visit bassmaster.com/federation-series.
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When Bob Bernotsky, president and designer for
PowerTeam Lures, decided to add a drop shot bait to their line up, he
tapped the mind of J.P. DeRose from the World Fishing Network and
created a bait that they hoped would mesmerize bass with its action.
At 3.6 inches
long, the profile of this bait is at the top of the menu for
both largemouth and smallmouth bass. Combined with its heavily tested and perfected action and neutral buoyancy, the JP Hammer Shad gives drop shot anglers of all skill levels a new effective weapon for their arsenal.
If there are bass in the area, this bait will certainly tempt them. The ball on the tail and larger profile on the head give the bait tremendous action as you can see in this test tank video of the bait. We've long been convinced that bass feed often based on profile and sometimes a wider bulbous profile is more attractive than a long slender profile. Now with this bait, anglers can be sure they are armed for the former.
For the successful
anglers out there who understand the importance drop shots play
on the tournament trail, they will want to watch this bait video to see the JP Hammer Shad in the water. And for those of you who
haven’t added the technique of drop shotting to your skill set yet, this could be a good bait to learn with. The best part is, anglers don’t have to wait till 2012 to get our
hands on this amazing little bait. The JP Hammer Shad will hit the
market this November and will be available in 14 wicked colors.
For more information, visit PowerTeamLures.com.
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2012 Bassmaster Elite Series qualifier Brandon Card signed a new agreement with Empire Covers
Brandon Card is distinguished as the first Bassmaster Elite Series qualifier to have fished his way through the collegiate bass fishing ranks. Card captained the University of Kentucky bass fishing team for 4 years, graduating in 2009. While at UK he fished the Boat US series, College BASS and the FLW College Fishing series. He won the inaugural Ultimate Match Fishing College edition in 2007. Finishing 2nd in the 2011 Bassmaster Southern Opens earned Card his berth in the Elite Series. He plans to make the most of his preparation time between now and the beginning of the Elite Series in 2012.
“I fished the Southern Opens out of a 2005 model 19 foot boat. I need to sell that boat in order to even start thinking about my rig for 2011. The current boat cover has ripped, been patched, and now has ripped again. Empire sent me their Triton 600 cover and it fits the boat perfectly. Having a new cover makes a boat look so much better, and will make it easier to sell,” said Card.
“Empire has already sent a new cover for a new 21 foot boat, even though I have not finalized what make or model I will be running. We’ve put the cover on every 21 foot boat on the market and it fits them all perfectly. At this point in my career, every detail I can address now, and every dollar I can save, is like gold. An Empire cover like mine for a 21 foot boat only runs $208.24 at www.EmpireCovers.com, “said Card.
Empire Covers’ SEM Manager, Robert Broussaid, “We are very excited about Brandon’s story of fishing his way through college and moving up to the Elite Series. By getting to know him we have learned a great deal about the sport of fishing. It is absolutely mind-blowing how expensive tournament fishing can be! It seems that the last thing anglers would want to spend a bunch of money on is a boat cover, but they know it is a vital piece of equipment. An Empire cover will save a fisherman from $200-$500 that could be spent buying fishing tackle or putting gas in the boat.”
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When bass fishing professional angler Edwin Evers launches his boat at Lake Conroe in sunny
southeast Texas for the Toyota Texas Bass Classic later this month, you’ll have
the chance to fish with him. But be warned, he will be fishing with bamboo.
Evers will also fish with bamboo at the upcoming 2012 Bassmaster Classic near
Shreveport, and throughout next year’s Elite Series season.
No, the graphite in Evers’ high performance rods will not be
replaced with bamboo, but the polyester fibers in his clothing will.
Evers has recently formed a sponsorship agreement with tascÒ
performance apparel company based in New Orleans that utilizes a unique natural
fabric engineering process involving bamboo pulp and organic cotton to create a
moisture wicking and anti-odor line of performance clothing for men and women.
Plus, perhaps the greatest benefit to anglers is the UPF 50 sun protection
that’s a part of each lightweight garment tascÒ
offers.
Evers won’t be the only one wearing bamboo performance
technology at the Toyota Texas Bass Classic. Each pro angler and their
corporate co-angler guests will receive a tascÒ
shirt to wear while they cast for one of Conroe’s famed double-digit
largemouths.
If you’d like to enter for a Free trip to fish with Edwin at
the Toyota Texas Bass Classic, and to hang out with the other top pros during
the last days of October there at Lake Conroe, be sure to enter now at tascperformance.com/evers.
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By Frank Evans, FOMNTT
Nick Reeves and Blake Hall add 12.53 pounds of Lake Wheeler bass to their day one total for 29.29 pounds, good enough to take home the victory in the Central-Midwest Fishers of Men Regional Championship. For their efforts, the two Alabama-Northwest anglers received a brand new 2011 Skeeter ZX-190 with a 150hp Yamaha VMAX package valued at more than $35,000.
The new champs worked Lucky Craft 125 and 95 Sammies over schools of baitfish as they were being pushed up toward the surface and shoreline, along the main river channel, just above the I-65 Bridge. Nick stated that with the clear water and calm winds of day one, he and Blake could actually cast to individual big bass as they rose up through the schooling minnows.
However, Saturday was considerably more challenging, as the bass were sheltered from view by steady winds that created choppy water. Under these conditions, Blake and Nick switched to worms in order to collect their limit. However, just before having to leave the area for check-in, the wind died down a bit, and Nick fired out a Sammy and landed the 5.04-pound kicker fish that nailed down the win.
Less than three-quarters of a pound back from the new champions, Jason and Wayne Whisonant took second place with 28.59 pounds. Jason and his father Wayne made the long run each day up to Guntersville Dam in order to land good limits of bass each day. The two worked homemade 3/4-ounce brown and green football head jigs, tipped with Zoom Fat Albert Twin Tails, over rocky humps that were 13 feet below the surface in the current. They boated 14.81 on day one and 13.78 today, which included the $300 for the day two 5.30 pounds second Big Fish.
Third place finishers Chris Hunt and Bee Patrick, AL-NW, ran all over the lake this week with junebug Net Bait's finesse worms on shaky heads and 3/4 oz. custom jigs, tipped with green pumpkin Zoom Super Speed Craws. Chris and Bee finally settled down in the tailrace area to collect 14.47 on day one and 12.05 today, for 10 bass coming in at 26.52 pounds.
Chase and Bryan Reeves, AL-NW, finished fourth with 26.13 lbs. Bryan stated that he and Chase worked the Decatur area on day one for 11.90 and then, moved up to the tailrace area on day two was good for another 14.23 pounds. The young men stated that their success was due to brown-green OMEGA Custom Jigs, tipped with Yum Money Craws.
Rounding out the top five is Earl Merritt and Tony Tomlin, KY-W, with 25.91 pounds. Earl and Tom traveled way down to the Elk River arm where they tossed 1/2-ounce chartreuse and white Stan Sloan and Stanley Wedge, gold and chrome blade spinnerbaits both days to net 12.84 on day one and 13.07 on day two.
The $500.00, day two, 6.61-pound, First Big Fish award went to Bill Strickland and Wallace Smith, AL-NW Division.
Day Two saw 575 fish cross the scale, weighing 1015.59 pounds for a 2-day tournament total of 1282 fish, weighing 2378.33 pounds and a 13.59-pound average weight per team and a 99.6 percent live-release rate.
Teams from Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi descended upon Decatur, Alabama this week as a result of battling their way to the top of their respective divisions thru five qualifying events that were held this past spring and summer, thus earning them the privilege to compete in this years Central-Midwest Regional Championship.
The 2011 Midwest-Central Regional Championship payed out 35 places and the top 10 teams by weight from each of the two regions, the highest placing team from each division, not already qualified, along with the highest finishing Adult-Youth and Male-Female teams from each of the two regions, will earn the right to compete in the 2012 FOM National Championship, presented by Abu Garcia, which will be held April 12, 13, & 14 on Pickwick Lake in Florence Alabama, where competitors will be vying for a 2012 Skeeter 21FX, powered by a Yamaha 250 SHO 4-stroke and valued at more than $72,000.00 for a total payout in cash and prizes of upwards to $125,000.00.
For more information visit Fomntt.com.
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Robbie
Dodson of Harrison, Ark., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 10 pounds,
4 ounces Saturday to win the EverStart Series Central Division event on
Table Rock Lake with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 37 pounds, 6
ounces. For his victory, Dodson earned $24,133 and a 198VX Ranger boat
with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard motor.
“It was a brutal slow week,” said Dodson who has two previous
top 10 finishes on Table Rock Lake. “Every day was different and you had
to figure something new out each day. There was no one emerging pattern
all week. What worked one day didn’t work the next and it took a couple
hours each morning to figure it out.
“I had seven bites on Thurs., six yesterday and six today,
continued Dodson. “I caught fish in 1 foot of water and I caught fish 40
feet deep. I was using Luck “E” Trickster Spinnerbaits, Lucky Strike
series 3 brown and black jigs and Lucky Strike spoons.
“Fishing on clear water is always tough but you just have to keep your head down and work hard.”
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
2nd: Tom Murphy, Richland, Mo., 14 bass, 34-2, $8,274
3rd: Pop-tarts pro Greg Bohannan, Rogers, Ark., 12 bass, 31-0, $6,895
4th: Lance Williams, Billings, Mo., 13 bass, 30-1, $6,206
5th: Matthew Jones, Spokane, Mo., 11 bass, 24-8, $5,516
6th: Earl Garrison IV, Bull Shoals, Ark., 10 bass, 24-1, $4,827
7th: Scott Nelson, Lake Ozark, Mo., 10 bass, 23-12, $4,137
8th: Zach King, Clarksvile, Ark., seven bass, 22-7, $3,448
9th: Chris Hughes, Springfield, Mo., 10 bass, 22-7, $2,758
10th: Randall Hutson, Washburn, Mo., 10 bass, 21-3, $2,069
Robert Nosbisch of Collinsville, Ill., won the
Co-angler Division and a Ranger boat with an Evinrude or Mercury
outboard motor with a three-day total of 10 bass weighing 21 pound, 13
ounces.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Brett Haake, Joliet, Ill., six bass, 15-10, $3,365
3rd: Larry Creech, Columbia City, Ind., five bass, 11-14, $2,991
4th: Melvin McNeal, Circleville, Ohio, five bass, 11-7, $2,617
5th: Jimmy Lee, Carthage, Mo., five bass, 11-6, $2,243
6th: Jacques Fleischmann, Lampe, Mo., four bass, 8-15, $1,869
7th: Max Wilson, Everton, Mo., four bass, 8-11, $1,495
8th: Joey Henderson, Mayfield, Ky., four bass, 7-14, $1,122
9th: Kevin McCullough, Greencastle, Ind., two bass, 7-7, $748
10th: Tom Lindsay, Glenview, Ill., three bass, 7-6, $598
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Photo courtesy of FLW Outdoors
The
Northwestern team of Jimmy Morrow, Arlington Heights, Ill., and Matthew
Kestufskie, Evanston, Ill., failed to weigh a bass on Saturday, but had
enough weight from the previous two days to win the National Guard FLW
College Fishing Central Regional Championship with a three day total of
five bass weighing 12 pounds, 14 ounces. For their victory Northwestern
University won $50,000 to be split between the university and the
university’s bass fishing club - $12,500 and a Ranger 177TR with a
90-horsepower outboard wrapped in school colors for the bass club and
$12,500 for their school. The team also earned their first berth in the
National Guard FLW College Fishing National Championship which will be
held in April 2012. Morrow and Kestufskie beat their closest competitor,
University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, by a mere 4 ounces.
“This is amazing, amazing, amazing” said Morrow, a junior
marketing major. “This is one of the coolest moments of my life. I can’t
believe we actually won! It has been an emotional roller coaster all
day long.
“What a heartbreaking day,” Morrow continued. “I have felt
like throwing up all day long. We lost two 4-pound fish and both times
it was like I saw the boat drive away from us. Especially when we heard
there was a team that had three fish, I was sure we wouldn’t pull this
off.
Morrow and Kestufskie started the Northwestern Bass Club
last year and remain the only two charter members. Having no boat for
the club the team is looking forward to being able to do some practice
fishing from their new Ranger boat wrapped in Wildcat purple. The team
double qualified for the Regional Championship by placing fourth at Lake
of the Ozarks in Mar. and second at the Detroit River tournament in
July.
“We lost two big fish today,” Kestufskie, an undecided
sophomore went on to say. “I have never been more depressed in all my
life. I never dreamed we could win. Driving in I was just hoping for
second place.
“It has been a weird tournament all around. It was tough
fishing all week. The fish are there, you can see them. But between the
16 inch size limit and the warm weather we have had it was just tough
getting the right size fish to bite. All our fish were caught with frogs
and Senkos. As a matter of fact our biggest fish I caught on a frog and
lost it. We could see where it landed so Jimmy picked up his rod and
dropped a Senko right there. He pulled it in and it still had the feet
in its mouth.
"This is just amazing, I am so stoked!”
Rounding out the top five teams and also qualifying for
the 2012 National Guard FLW College Fishing National Championship are:
2nd: University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point - Ted Johnson and Jody Derks, both of Waupaca, Wis., five bass, 12-10, $10,000
3rd: Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville -
Brad Lemasters, Maryville, Ill., and Justin Skinner, Taylorville, Ill.,
four bass, 10-3, $5,000
4th: Kansas State University - Ryan Patterson, Goddard, Kan., one bass, 9-3, $5,000
5th: Indiana University - Dustin Vaal, Bloomington, Ind., and Steven Bressler, Fremont, Ind., three bass, 8-7, $5,000
Kyler
Chelminiak and Nicholas Peterson from Whitnall High School, Wisconsin
won the High School Central Regional tournament held on Kinkaid Lake
Saturday. TBF along with FLW Outdoors held the high school tournament in
conjunction with the FLW College Fishing Central Regional.
Whitnall High School had three bass weighing 9 pounds, 9 ounces to beat Tipton High by 5 pounds, 12 ounces.
Chelminiak said the team used Mann’s Flippin’ Craw to catch their fish Saturday.
“I used one bait and one rod, actually it was a flipping
rod, to catch all my fish,” Chelminiak said. “It was slow all day long.
We only got one bite every two hours.”
“We were flipping in heavy milfoil all day, Peterson added. “We were just lucky to get the big bites that we got.”
Rounding out the top five teams were:
2nd: Indiana’s Tipton High, Andy Hinkle and Keegan Gray, one bass, 3-13
3rd: Minnesota’s Northfield and Edina High Schools, James Stein and Nick Montilino, one bass, 2-9
4th: Michigan’s Hastings High School, Daniel and Clayton Sprague, one bass, 2-7
5th: Missouri’s Glendale High, Andrew Guilliams and Brian Pahl, one bass, 2-6
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To say Pam Martin-Wells dominated the inaugural season of the Lady Bass Anglers Association would be an understatement. She won one of the four qualifiers. Following it up by winning the last qualifier which also gave her the Angler of Year crown for the year. She took that momentum into the LBAA Classic on Kentucky Lake and never looked back. She weighed the only limit of the three-day tournament the first day and followed it up with four keepers each of the last two days of the bass fishing tournament.
Her final weight was 25.6 pounds for three days. Not stellar, by normal Kentucky Lake standards, but this was no ordinary Kentucky Lake tournament. The lake has been drawing down to winter pool for the last two months. It stalled and even rose a couple weeks ago. Then over the course of the last 10-14 days continued down to the low water mark of 355. While this happened sediment stirred up and started to suspend in the water column as the surface temperature drops closer to the lower water column temperatures.
The lake looks muddy like it has rained, yet there has been no rain to speak of for some time now. Then as the practice began for the tournament earlier in the week, the lake got flat calm with high blue-bird skies and the fish decided to take the week off for the most part. The schooling and good topwater fishing there had been a couple weeks ago seemed to subside during this tournament. And it became a war of attrition. Who could out last the stubborn bass and will one fish to bite on each of several spots.
Martin-Wells was able to grind it out each of the three days of competition and hunker down in her primary area to milk 13 keeper bass from the area to win the tournament going away.
The key to victory for
Martin-Wells was persistence and keeping’ the faith. “I just kept believing in the spot and I was
in and believing in myself -- sticking to it, and just casting and casting and
casting,” she stated. This victory
enabled Martin-Wells to win the Triple Crown in the first full year of the
LBAA. To win the “Triple Crown” and
angler must win a regular season tournament, Angler of the Year (AOY), and the
Classic. Martin-Wells won at
Guntersville and Old Hickory wrapped up the AOY title on the very last day at
Old Hickory, and completed the Triple Crown with the win today.
“I caught some on a spook and a
Texas rigged NetBait Trick Worm,” Martin-Wells continued. “I was fishing the trick worm really, really
slow. There were so many shad back in
the area I was fishing I felt there was no need in throwing a fast bait. I could not see them hitting a Rat L Trap or
a spinnerbait when there were 9 million shad there.”
Second place went to Cheryl
Bowden of Plano, Texas whose three-day total was 15.69-pounds. Emily Shaffer of Mt. Juliet, Tennessee
finished third with 15.36. Pelham,
Alabama’s Kim Bain-Moore was fourth with 15.29-pounds. Cheryl Lalumandier of Harvester, Missouri was
fifth with 14.93-pounds. Sixth was Susan
Gregory from Kiln, Mississippi with 13.18 and Gregory was followed in seventh
by Sylva, North Carolina’s Heather Broom with 12.82. Positions eight through ten belong to
Jennifer Stelly of Sulpher, Louisiana with 12.35, Emory, Texas’s Debbie Kemp
with 11.84, and Jenny Nevans with 10.18-pounds.
Snohomish, Washington’s Bonnie
Ward claimed a come from behind victory on the Co-angler side. Ward’s three-day total was 13.07-pounds of
bass. “It’s a huge honor to win this,” a
smiling Ward commented after the event. “I’m exceptionally excited about this.”
Ward used a wacky rigged Senko
during the first two days of fishing but due to the wind on Kentucky Lake
today, that did not work for her on the final day of competition. “I went to a ten inch Yamamoto worm and I
could not catch keepers with that. My
pro partner was catching keepers and she shared her successful lures with me,”
Ward said.
Local favorite Brandi
Frasier from Hanson, Kentucky came in a close second with 12.24-pounds and Gallatin,
Tennessee’s Regina Pierpaoli with 9.88 followed Frasier in third. In fourth was Lebanon, Tennessee’s Dianna
Montgomery with 9.28 and fifth went to Beaumont, Texas’ Renee Key-Johnston with
8.93.
Positions six through
ten on the Co-angler side were: 6) Kim Giddens/Alpine, Alabama 7.83, 7) Diane
Smith/Fayetteville, Georgia 7.60, 8) Vicki Henderson/Ashdown, Arkansas 4.83, 9)
Diana Uebelhack/Mt. Vernon, Indiana 4.72, and 10) Sarah Davis/Livingston,
Louisiana 2.98.
Cheryl
Bowden caught big bass for the LBAA 2011 Lady Bass Classic on the Pro side and
it weighed 5.02-pounds. Brandi Frasier
caught big bass on the co-angler side and Frasier’s bass weighed 3.25-pounds.
Final Standings (10/08/2011)
Pro Angler Division
Rank/Angler/City-State
Three-day
Total
1) Pam
Martin-Wells/Bainbridge, GA 25.60
2) Cheryl
Bowden/Plano, TX 15.69
3) Emily
Shaffer/Mt. Juliet, TN 15.36
4) Kim
Bain-Moore/Pelham, AL 15.29
5) Cheryl
Lalumandier/Harvester, MO 14.93
6) Susan
Gregory/Kiln, MS 13.18
7) Heather
Broom/Sylva, NC 12.82
8) Jennifer
Stelly/Sulpher, LA 12.35
9) Debbie
Kemp/Emory, TX 11.84
10) Jenny
Nevans/Dayton, TN 10.18
11) Lynda
Gessner/Foristell, MO 9.59
12) Teri
Cindric/Hermitage, TN 7.90
13) Robbie
Hartline/Foristell, MO 7.80
14) Secret
York/Benton, KY 4.28
15) Pam
Ridgle/Murchison, TX 3.64
16) Judith
Hart/Greenville, TX 2.07
17) Kelley
Shepherd/Congress, AZ 2.03
18) Lisa
Johnson/Centre, AL 1.89
19) Kathy
Womack/Trussville, AL 1.87
20) Debbie
Warner/Murray, KY 1.77
21) Kim
White/Glen Carson, IL 0.00
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MAJOR LEAGUE FISHING announced professional angler Marty Stone will be the on-air analyst for the organization’s competitive events, which will be televised on Outdoor Channel.
Stone had been scheduled to compete in MAJOR LEAGUE FISHING events. But Stone said today that he has re-evaluated his options with MAJOR LEAGUE FISHING and chosen to take on the analyst role. Stone said he believes a portion of his long-term future in competitive fishing will be best served in television production.
“I have been given a rare and terrific opportunity, a chance to serve as analyst for an incredible new venture. I couldn’t be more excited,” said former B.A.S.S. Elite Series pro Marty Stone.
“I’m looking forward to this new chapter of my life in pro fishing, and I promise to give viewers an inside look at what happens during MAJOR LEAGUE FISHING events,” Stone said. “I believe I can help people understand and appreciate the format, as well as what happens on the water when the best anglers in the world are trying to win a high-stakes event.”
Stone, a former top angler on B.A.S.S. circuits, retired from competitive fishing in 2010 but recently announced he was coming out of retirement to compete in MAJOR LEAGUE FISHING and on the 2012 FLW circuit. Stone said he will compete in FLW events while working on MAJOR LEAGUE FISHING television productions.
MAJOR LEAGUE FISHING Commissioner Don Rucks said Stone is the “perfect choice as analyst.”
“Marty will bring the right touch,” Rucks said. “He’s articulate, and people that know Marty know that he won’t pull back from telling you exactly what’s going on during the events.”
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Trips on two fantastic fisheries – Lake Amistad in west Texas and Table
Rock Lake in south-central Missouri – highlight the newest PAAuction
offered by the Professional Anglers Association.
 Veteran
professional anglers Kurt Dove and Brian Snowden are offering one-day
trips on Amistad and Table Rock to the highest bidders. The popular and
easy eBay auctions include a variety of cool items for fishing fans to
bid on during the 10-day live bidding periods.
In the current PAAuction that began Oct. 6, bidders can get in on the
action for trips with Dove or Snowden – or both! Dove’s trip to famed
Lake Amistad includes one night at Angler’s Lodge in Del Rio along with a
Powell Rod and an assorted tackle pack of Dove’s favorite lures from
Ima Lures, Optima Baits, El Grande Lures, Omega Jigs and Blackwater
“Toray” Fishing Line.
“This is a great opportunity for someone to really get a jump start into
fishing or for the seasoned angler to understand additional tools of
the trade,” Dove said. “I look forward to providing the winning bidder
an awesome experience on Lake Amistad.”
Snowden is offering a trip on Table Rock Lake in Missouri, also one of
the most famous and well-known bass lakes in the nation. Although
Snowden’s trip is good for any time in 2011 or 2012, the veteran pro and
guide says December is one of the best times of the year for giant
spotted bass and a good bite.
“This trip will feature a chance to learn about advanced electronics and structure fishing,” Snowden said.
Other items in the current PAAuction includes a PAA cap autographed by
Kevin VanDam, a PAA cap autographed by numerous pro anglers, a Bomber
crankbait autographed by Tim Horton, a PAA tee-shirt autographed by
numerous pros, a black weigh-in bag autographed by numerous pros and a
Toyota Texas Bass Classic commemorative “bump board” autographed by 2009
TTBC champion Dave Lefebre.
Additionally, the PAAuctions also include discounted rates on U.S. Reels baitcasting and spinning reels, and Carrot Stix rods.
PAAuction items are great for fun getaways, an educational day on the
lake with a pro or a super gift with the holiday seasons approaching.
Participating in the PAAuctions is easy. Simply go to www.FishPAA.com and
click on the “Auctions” link in the navigation bar. Keep up with your
bids, watch the deadline date and time remaining, and secure your
fishing trips or memorabilia.
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Pam Martin-Wells extended her lead in the Lady Bass Anglers Association Classic. The bass fishing on Kentucky Lake redefines stingy. What was tough fishing on day one turned to nearly impossible fishing on day two. We know for a fact how tough the fish was because we hit the lake today as well.
Kentucky Lake has long been tough in the fall but this is something different. The lake has a lot of sediment in it now although there hasn't been any rain to speak of. The temperatures are hovering in the low 70s yet the fish haven't migrated in force to the creeks and definitely not to the backs yet. And they are not out on the ledges in numbers. Most think the fish are suspending, hovering in the middle of the bays waiting for conditions in the water to stabilize. This has made them extremely hard to catch.
Add to the equation the massive baitfish population. The baitfish are schooling on the baitfish they are so plentiful. We saw lots of Mooneye hording shad and glass minnows today while on the lake. That's three varieties of forage, literally in the bays by the millions that are compounding the problems of trying to trick bass into biting plastic and wood fakes.
Martin-Wells managed only four keepers today but they were enough to allow her to build slightly on her day one lead. Her four bass today weighed in at 7.74 pounds – add that to her day one weight of 9.05, and she has two days worth of bass weighing 16.79 pounds.
“The bite might have slowed down today, and it was a bit different that is for sure,” said Martin-Wells. “What worked yesterday wasn’t necessarily what I caught them on today. As usual though, I had 15,000 Castaway Rods on my deck ready to go. The fish are there; it is just a matter of getting them to bite."
The tough bite on Kentucky Lake helped to keep her focused.
“If fishing is easy I tend to get a little more relaxed, but when it’s like this I put my head down and go to work.”
Another veteran pro Mt. Juliet, Tennessee’s Emily Shaffer vaulted from eighth to second with 4 bass for 8 pounds that brought her total to 13.45, only 3.34 pounds behind Martin-Wells.
Sylva, North Carolina’s Heather Broom made a jump in the standings as well, moving from seventh to fourth with a two-day total of 12.82-pounds.
“If my bigger fish move in, I could make a run for the title,” Broom commented, “but if the two in front of me have good days as well – I don’t think I can overtake them. I need a perfect day tomorrow ,and I need my five fish limit. So far I’ve only been getting three.”
Kiln, Missouri’s Susan Gregory sits in fourth with 11.46 and Cheryl Bowden of Plano, Texas follows her in fifth with 9.01.
On the co-angler side of the 2011 Lady Bass Classic Hanson, Kentucky’s Brandi Frasier holds a slim pound and change lead (1.10 pounds) lead over Gallatin, Tennessee’s Regina Pierpaoli. Frasier has 8.79 and Pierpaoli has 7.69 pounds after two days of competition. There is currently a tie for third place between Dianna Montgomery from Lebanon, Tennessee and Renee Key-Johnston from Beaumont, Texas with 6.75-pounds. Resting in fifth place after day two is Snohomish, Washington resident Bonnie Ward with 6.46-pounds.
Competition for the 2011 LBAA Lady Bass Classic concludes tomorrow Oct. 8. Launch will be at local safe light Saturday morning and will conclude at 3 p.m. Tomorrow’s launch and check-in takes place at Moors Resort and Marina 570 Moors Road in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. Upon check-in, all anglers will then trailer to the weigh-in at the Fisherman’s Headquarters at 2754 US Highway 641 Benton, KY 42025 (270) 527-5938.
STANDINGS DAY 2
Rank Angler City-State Two-day Total
1) Pam Martin-Wells/Bainbridge, GA 16.79
2) Emily Shaffer/Mt. Juliet, TN 13.45
3) Heather Broom/Sylva, NC 12.82
4) Susan Gregory/Kiln, MS 11.46
5) Cheryl Bowden/Plano, TX 9.01
6) Jennifer Stelly/Sulpher, LA 8.60
7) Debbie Kemp/Emory, TX 7.43
8) Kim Bain-Moore/Pelham, AL 7.28
9) Jenny Nevans/Dayton, TN 6.48
10) Cheryl Lalumandier/Harvester, MO 6.11
11) Teri Cindric/Hermitage, TN 5.68
12) Pam Ridgle/Murchison, TX 3.64
13) Robbie Hartline/Foristell, MO 3.37
14) Secret York/Benton, KY 2.25
15) Judith Hart/Greenville, TX 2.07
16) Lisa Johnson/Centre, AL 1.89
17) Debbie Warner/Murray, KY 1.77
18) Lynda Gessner/Foristell, MO 1.59
19) Kelley Shepherd/Congress, AZ 0.00
19) Kim White/Glen Carson, IL 0.00
19) Kathy Womack/Trussville, AL 0.00
Co-Angler Division
1) Brandi Frasier/Hanson, KY 8.79
2) Regina Pierpaoli/Gallatin, TN 7.69
3) Renee Key-Johnston/Beaumont, TX 6.75
3) Dianna Montgomery/Lebanon, TN 6.75
5) Bonnie Ward/Snohomish, WA 6.46
6) Kim Giddens/Alpine, AL 5.86
7) Diane Smith/Fayetteville, GA 5.47
8) Diana Uebelhack/Mt. Vernon, IN 2.97
9) Donna Newberry/Van Buren, AR 2.72
10) Vicki Henderson/Ashdown, AR 2.34
11) Jan Bruner/Cedar Hill, TX 2.06
11) Martha Goodfellow/Simpsonville, SC 2.06
12) Gail Wood/Russellville, AR 1.84
13) Elizabeth Sanders/Brandon, MS 1.75
14) Sarah Davis/Livingston. LA 1.39
15) Charlotte Frazier/Dallas, TX 0.00
15) Cassie Hall/Alabaster, AL 0.00
15) Barbara Harris/Verona, KY 0.00
15) Kim Martin, Clayton, IN 0.00
15) Pam Rodden/Mesquite, TX 0.00
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The
Northwestern team of Jimmy Morrow, Arlington Heights, Ill., and Matthew
Kestufskie, Evanston, Ill., grabbed the lead at the National Guard FLW
College Fishing Central Regional championship hosted by Southern
Illinois University on Kinkaid Lake Friday with three bass weighing 8
pounds, 7 ounces. The team holds a two pound, 8 ounce lead over their
nearest competitor, University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, going into
the final day of competition. Teams are competing for a total award of
$50,000.
“I just hope it is windy tomorrow,” said Morrow, a junior
marketing major. “The wind really helped us figure something out today.
We are fishing one main area where we lost as many fish as we caught.
It’s a pretty large area with a lot of productive spots that keep
replenishing. Tomorrow we plan to camp there all day.
“The area seems to have a little bit of everything, Morrow
continued. “We have two main baits that are working for us right now.
The wind and shade really seemed to help us a lot too. What we found in
practice is very different from what we are doing now.
“I am very nervous going in to tomorrow,” Morrow went on
to say. “It’s only a one fish lead and in a tournament where most of the
teams are only bringing in one fish it is still anybody’s game. We are
just excited to be going to national’s and the rest is just a bonus.
Morrow and Kestufskie started the Northwestern Bass Club
last year and remain the only two charter members. Fishing all four of
the 2011 FLW College Fishing events the team double qualified for the
Regional Championship by placing fourth at the Lake of the Ozarks
tournament in Mar. and second at the Detroit River tournament in July.
“We have worked hard all week, it is a grind out there,”
said Kestufskie, an undecided sophomore. “Like Jimmy said we are fishing
one main area. Once we find the fish we slow way down and fish very
slowly through it.
“These fish seemed to have transitioned into their fall
pattern. There are a lot of fish there, it is just a matter of getting
them to bite,” added Kestufskie. We lost two 4-pound fish today, if we
could have landed them we would be sitting pretty going into tomorrow.
“First place is a lot better than second, but it is still not safe. This tournament is still wide open.”
Rounding out the top five teams, fishing tomorrow
and qualifying for the National Guard FLW College Fishing National
Championship are:
2nd: University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, - Ted Johnson and Jody Derks, both of Waupaca, Wis., four bass, 10-6
3rd: Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville -
Brad Lemasters, Maryville, Ill., and Justin Skinner, Taylorville, Ill,,
three bass, 7-10
4th: Kansas State University - Ryan Patterson, Goddard, Kan., three bass, 6-13
5th: Indiana University - Dustin Vaal, Bloomington, Ind., and Steven Bressler, Fremont, Ind., two bass, 5-12*
*This is an adjusted weight for the Indiana University team; due
to a late check-in on day one the team suffered a 2-pound penalty
making their official day one weight 1-14, not 3-14 as listed in
yesterday’s results.
Overall there were 15 bass weighing 42 pounds, 5 ounces caught by 20 teams. There were no five-bass limits caught.
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Courtesy of LBAA Communications
Legendary professional angler and
Bainbridge, Ga. resident Pam Martin-Wells brought the only five fish limit to the
scales at Fisherman’s Headquarters in Draffenville, Ky to take a slim .04-ounce
lead in the inaugural Lady Bass Anglers Association (LBAA) 2011 Lady Bass
Classic today on Kentucky Lake. Following closely in second is Cheryl Bowden with,
9.01 pounds.
“I’m tickled to have those five,” Martin-Wells exclaimed at the
conclusion of today’s weigh-in. “You had
to put your head down and grind it out. It was not rocket science it was just grind it out fishing. I am
planning to do the same thing tomorrow, and I hope can get the bigger ones to
bite. They are there.”
“I had a pattern I had found in pre-fishing,” the second place Bowden
stated, moving baits such as spinnerbaits, Rat L Traps, and crankbaits were the
big baits for today. “
Bowden, of Plano, Texas, added that when catching her fish she was
fishing in multiple water depths -- from the bank all the way out to where the
boat was sitting in 20-25 feet of water. “The big smallmouth I caught hit my Rat L Trap and skyrocketed out of
the water, and I was thinking oh God I can’t lose this fish.”
Sulpher, Louisiana’s Jennifer Stelly sits in third with 7.02
pounds. Following Stelly in fourth is
Kiln, Mississippi’s Susan Gregory with 6.77 pounds, and Cheryl Lalumandier of
Harvester, Missouri rests in fifth with 6.11 pounds.
Hermitage, Tennessee’s Teri Cindric is sixth with 5.68 and behind her
in seventh is Sylva, North Carolina’s Heather Broom with 5.63 pounds. Eighth in the pro angler top ten is Mt.
Juliet, Tennessee’s Emily Shaffer with 5.45.
Dayton, Tennessee’s Jenny Nevans is in ninth place with 4.16, and
Nevans brought up a theme that was resounded by many anglers pro and co alike
in the 2011 LBAA Lady Bass Classic field – short fish. “I had no problem catching short fish. To have a fish that is 14”- 14 ½” that
weights two pounds and you have to toss that fish back it is very
frustrating. In addition, to add to that
you know that the big fish are there and you cannot get them to hit your stuff
adds to the frustration,” Nevans commented.
Rounding out the LBAA Pro division top ten is Emory, Texas resident
Debbie Kemp brought 3.81 pounds of bass to the scales.
On the co-angler side of the Lady Bass Classic Hanson, Kentucky’s
Brandi Frasier’s three fish limit that weighed 7.36 pounds put her atop the
co-angler leader board on day one.
“I started out fishing a lot of Rat L Traps, went to seven inch worms
and then went to ten inch worms,” Frasier said. “Then I went back to the seven inch worm because it was the only one I
could get a bite on. We caught three big
keepers on the shallow flats shortly after 9 o’clock when the sun came out, and
after that it slowed down for me.”
Renee Key-Johnston of Beaumont, Texas is in second with 4.47 pounds
and she is followed in third by Alpine,
Alabama’s Kim Giddens with 3.64. Fourth
and fifth respectively are Snohomish, Washington resident Bonnie Ward with 3.20
and Vicki Henderson of Ashdown, Alabama with 2.34. Regina Pierpaoli from Gallatin, Tennessee is
in sixth with 2.08 and Jan Bruner from Cedar Hill, Texas is in seventh with
2.06. Eighth is Diane Smith of
Fayetteville, Georgia with 1.67 and Donna Newberry from Van Buren, Arkansas is
ninth with 1.10 pounds.
Frasier also holds the big bass lead on the co-angler side with a
3.25-pound bass. Over in the pro
division Bowden holds big fish honors thus far with a 5.02-pound bass.
“Tomorrow is a new day,” Fayetteville, Georgia co-angler Diane Smith commented
from the weigh-in stage with a smile. Indeed, it is as the 2011 LBAA Lady Bass Classic continues Friday
October 7 and concludes on Saturday, October 8. Launch will be at local safe light each morning and competition
concludes each day at 3 p.m. All
launches and afternoon check-ins will be held at Moors Resort and Marina 570
Moors Road in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. Upon check-in, all anglers will then trailer to the weigh-in, which will
be held at the Fisherman’s Headquarters, located at 2754 US Highway
641 Benton, KY, 42025 (270) 527-5938.
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The
University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point team of Ted Johnson and Jody
Derks, both of Waupaca, Wis., took the lead on day one of the National
Guard FLW College Fishing Central Regional championship hosted by
Southern Illinois University (SIU) on Kinkaid Lake Thursday with three
bass weighing 8 pounds, 4 ounces. The team holds over a three pound lead
over their nearest competitor, SIU, Edwardsville. Teams are fishing for
a top award of $50,000 to be split between the university and the
university’s bass fishing club - $12,500 and a Ranger 177TR with a
90-horsepower outboard wrapped in school colors for the bass club and
$12,500 for their school.
“It was tough out there today,” said Derks, a junior
fisheries major. “I knew it was going to be tough, but I never expected
it to be this tough and I never dreamed we would be leading the
tournament with only three fish. We caught about 25 fish today. There
are plenty of fish out there, but getting those 16 inchers is
challenging. We had a couple that were 15½ inches that we had to through
back and that hurt.
“The fish seemed to be pretty confused right now,” Derks
went on to say. “I guess a cold front went through a couple of weeks ago
so the patterns that existed then are no longer in play with this warm
front that is going through. The fish aren’t sure if they should be in
their summer or fall pattern. They are just all over the place.
The University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point qualified for
the Central Regional by finishing second at the Wolf River Chain event
in June.
“We worked hard all day long,” said Johnson a sophomore
majoring in political science. “I am physically and mentally exhausted.
The key for us today was keeping our lines in the water and having an
open mind. We basically went junk fishing in all depths. There was no
one thing that worked better than anything else for us. It was a crap
shoot out there today.
“This is my first time on Kinkaid, my first time fishing
in Illinois,” Johnson added. “We were late getting to practice
yesterday. As a matter of fact I had to call a friend of mine to buy a
lake map for us because neither Jody nor I had ever been on or seen this
lake before. It was probably to our advantage because from what I am
hearing the guys that were here practicing a couple of weeks ago are
struggling because the lake has changed so much.
“I am pretty nervous going into tomorrow, Johnson
continued. “Every fish caught tomorrow will be huge. It is still
anybody’s ballgame if a limit is caught. We could still stumble. Looks
like it will be another sleepiness night on an already weary week.”
Rounding out the top 10 teams are:
2nd: Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville -
Brad Lemasters, Maryville, Ill., and Justin Skinner, Taylorville, Ill,
two bass, 5-3
3rd: Eastern Kentucky - Kyle Raymer, Brandenburg, Ky., and John Smith, London, Ky., two bass, 4-15
4th: Kansas State University - Ryan Patterson, Goddard, Kan., two bass, 4-10
5th: Northwestern University - Jimmy Morrow, Arlington Heights, Ill., and Matthew Kestufskie, Evanston, Ill, two bass, 4-7
6th: Indiana University - Dustin Vaal, Bloomington, Ind., and Steven Bressler, Fremont, Ind., one bass, 3-14
7th: University of Missouri - Scott Dooley, Columbia, Mo., and Duron Netsell, Columbia, Mo., one bass, 2-14
8th: Purdue University - Ryan Spicer, Arcola, Ind., and Chris Kaiser, Carmel, Ind., one bass, 2-4
9th: University of Arkansas, Little Rock - Trent Gephardt, Benton, Ark., and Carter Norman, Benton, Ark., one bass, 2-4
10th: University of Missouri - Taylor Knight, Columbia, Mo., and Champ Caldwell, Perry, Mo., one bass, 2-1
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 Five months after a tornado devastated the campground at Lake Guntersville State Park,
one section reopened on Sept. 14. All 49 of the sites that are
now open have electrical, water, and sewer hook-ups. Twenty-five of the
sites are available for reservations and the other 24 are first-come,
first served.
In April 2011, a series of tornadoes cut paths of destruction across
the state. Lake Guntersville was hit hard by the storms and all of
park’s 366 campsites were closed due to severe damage including downed
trees and power lines. The remaining portions of the campground are
closed to visitors due to ongoing cleanup. More campsite openings will
be announced soon.
Anyone wishing to reserve one of the reopened sites may contact the
campground office at (256) 571-5455 between the hours of 9 a.m. to 5
p.m., seven days a week. There will be two campers available for rent as
well.
Other areas of the park that are open are the lodge, the golf course,
chalets, five lakeside cabins, all boat launches, and beach area. The
Town Creek Fishing Center is also open with boat rentals available
Friday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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By Alan McGuckin
Editor’s note: This is part 2 of 2 of a story about the perceived diminishing impact of spinnerbaits along the Bassmaster Elite Series trail. To read part 1, Please Click Here.
Perhaps the greatest irony in the perceived recent death of spinnerbaits along the Bassmaster Elite Series trail is that the sport’s most dominant angler is the one who seemingly depends on them the most. “Heck no they’re not dead,” exclaims Kevin Van Dam. “I used a spinnerbait as my primary lure all day long during the first day of this past year’s Bassmaster Classic in New Orleans.”
Before you begin to argue that even KVD couldn’t make the spinnerbait bite last all week at the most recent Bassmaster Classic, seek first an understanding from the man himself. “By the second day of competition the fish were actually spawning on the stumps, as opposed to roaming near them like they did the first day when I caught them on the spinnerbait,” said VanDam. “It seemed like they were bumping the spinnerbait with their mouths closed the second day, so I switched to the squarebill to force a reaction bite using a lure with treble hooks,” he added.
“The fact that we haven’t seen a spinnerbait win a tournament in recent years is really more of timing thing with our Elite Series schedule,” said KVD. “We just haven’t been to many places with high, dingy water levels at the right time of the year in a long time,” said VanDam, who upgrades gear ratios from the 5.3:1 he uses so frequently for crankbaits, to a 6.6:1 Quantum Tour KVD or EXO when he’s fishing spinnerbaits, spooled most often with 20-pound fluorocarbon.
Like his long-time Quantum teammate Mike McClelland, KVD cites sales records as best evidence that spinnerbaits are still sought after. “When I talk to the guys at Strike King, they don’t express any concerns about a drop-off in spinnerbait sales. They still sell a ton of them,” said VanDam, the reigning Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year and Bassmaster Classic Champion.
“I think the average guy tends to overlook the variety of specialized spinnerbaits that are available these days that can help you get more bites,” commented VanDam. “For example, Strike King’s Burner is a more compact and heavy bait that I can retrieve a little faster than the average spinnerbait. There just aren’t a lot of days on tour anymore when you can just cast the old standard 3/8-ounce spinnerbait with tandem blades and get bit.”
While overly likeable B.A.S.S. photographer James Overstreet and the rest of us struggle to spot a spinnerbait on the decks of Elite Series anglers’ boats, count on VanDam, the sport’s most dominant angler, to be among the very first to pull one from his rod locker, prove its effectiveness en route to victory, and quickly resuscitate its trendiness.
VanDam got his first professional win 19 years ago using a spinnerbait on Lake Lanier in December of 1992. There’s a good chance he’ll get his 21st win in 2012.
“I carry loads of spinnerbaits,” said VanDam. “Trust me, they ain’t dead.”
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Our thoughts and prayers are with our friend and comrade in the field, Don Barone, db as he's known to many. He penned a piece yesterday on Bassmaster.com with the results of his recent prostate cancer test. To read the piece, click here. He is determined to beat it and face it head on and strong amongst the field and family of dreamers in the sport of fishing, for his family, for his friends and for the spirit of his lost friend Kevin Oldham.
Be strong buddy, and we'll all be strong for you to lean on when the need arises.
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Scott Martin continues to parlay the biggest win of his pro bass fishing career into future partnerships and endorsements with the recent signing with River2Sea. Martin actually used their Rover topwater the final day to catch a key bass in the Forrest Wood Cup to win the $600,000 title.
With the agreement,
River2Sea becomes the official hard bait sponsor of Scott Martin
Challenge, as well as during his endeavors as a National Touring
Professional Angler.
“I’ve
known the products and people at River2Sea for several years,” Martin
said. “We’ve carried the brand at the Marina and have spent some time
with the management of the company in business and recreation, and I’ve
always liked the people and the company.
“River2Sea
products have been a part of my fishing since I first became aware of
them,” he continued. “I love the Touchdown Football Jigs, the Tungsten
Vibe lipless crankbaits, and the Bully Wa frogs are staples in my
fishing. I even weighed one of the fish that helped me win the 2011
Forrest Wood Cup on a River2Sea Rover128 topwater bait. Late on the
final day I thought I needed one more fish to seal the win, and that was
the bait I tied on to catch it. I am proud to join the River2Sea team,
and looking forward to what we do together on and off the water.”
K.K.
Chan, CEO of River2Sea USA is equally proud to partner with Martin.
“Scott is a tremendous angler, and a person with a great reputation;
which makes him a great complement to the anglers we have on the team,”
said Chan. “We have enjoyed getting to know him over the years, and
have been proud to be a part of his success in the past, and look
forward to being a part of his and the rest of our team’s success going
forward.
“We are also excited to be a part of the
Scott Martin Challenge television show,” Chan said. “We believe
strongly in educating the consumer with the medium of video and
television, and Scott Martin Challenge, as well as our other television
partners all do so with entertaining production and great quality; we
are pleased to be a part of the whole Scott Martin enterprise.”
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The third annual Berkley B1 Bass Open took place on Lake St-Francis in
southwestern Quebec with a complete field of 150 teams. The team of
Jason Gramada and Nicolas Gendron won the event with 48.02 pounds of
smallmouth bass. Anchoring the winning teams winning weight was a
6.53-pounder, which also claimed the Lunker award.
"The B1 experience is the ultimate platform where all anglers, young and
old, experienced or newcomer can truly come together to celebrate this
great sport." said Gendron. "We are humbled by the grandeur, respect and
support from all our peers."
To win the tournament, the duo targeted less obvious sand flats. These
sand flats held big smallmouth, and became a key rotation in areas
fished by the winners. The primary bait used was a wacky-rigged Berkley
HeavyWeight Sinkworm.
"One of the key components to victory was the SpiderWire Fluorobraid."
said Gramada. "The Fluorobraid gave us a sinking braided line that gave
the Sinkworm more action. The big smallies couldn't resist the action."
In 2009, organizers set out to create the ultimate platform to showcase
the best bass anglers in Canada. Not only did the inaugural Berkley B1
deliver this, but it also created an unforgettable experience for the
thousands of fishing enthusiasts and competitors who were there to
witness it.
"This is one of the greatest ways to promote angling," said Andrew
Marks, Berkley Fishing Senior Marketing Manager. "Berkley B1 showcases
the unbelievably talented bass anglers in Canada. The Berkley B1
tournaments are a big draw for the newcomers to the serious anglers.
This is an event everyone can get in to."
From the tension on the hot seats to the pouring of the champagne, the
Berkley B1 succeeded in accomplishing exactly what it was intended to
do. Namely, to gather the best bass anglers in Canada and conduct the
ultimate shoot out.
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FLW
Outdoors announced that registration for the 2012 Walmart FLW Tour will
begin today for qualified anglers. Pros will be fishing for a top award
of up to $125,000 in each qualifying tournament and co-anglers will be
fishing for up to $25,000.
Pros must pay a season deposit of $6,000 by Nov. 2,
2011 in order to secure priority position in the FLW Tour Majors. Entry
into individual FLW Tour Opens is permitted but requires a $1,000
deposit for each tournament entered. Priority pro entry is available to
the top 100 pros and the top 10 co-anglers from the 2011 FLW Tour
Majors, the top 50 pros and top 10 co-anglers from the 2011 FLW Tour
Opens, the top 10 pros from each division of the 2011 EverStart Series
and the boater champion from the 2011 BFL All-American.
Entry into individual FLW Tour Majors and Opens is
permitted for co-anglers and requires a $200 deposit per tournament.
Priority co-angler entry is available to the top 100 co-anglers from the
2011 FLW Tour Majors, top 50 co-anglers from the 2011 FLW Tour Opens,
top 10 co-anglers from each division of the 2011 EverStart Series and
the co-angler champion from the 2011 BFL All-American. Deposits are due
by Nov. 2, 2011 in order to secure priority position.
FLW Outdoors will begin accepting pro and co-angler
registrations from Ranger boat owners Nov. 3, 2011. TBF members can
begin registering Nov. 4, 2011. All other entries will be accepted
beginning Nov. 7, 2011.
Top entry priority in the FLW Tour Opens goes to
pros fishing the FLW Tour Majors who enter all four FLW Tour Opens by
Dec. 12, 2011. Pros who enter all four FLW Tour Opens by Jan. 4, 2012
receive the next highest entry priority. All other FLW Tour Open entry
priority will be assigned by the date and time of entry.
Top entry priority in the FLW Tour Majors goes to
co-anglers who enter all six FLW Tour Majors and all four FLW Tour Opens
by Dec. 12, 2011. Co-anglers who enter all six FLW Tour Majors by Feb.
6, 2012 receive the next highest entry priority. Top entry priority in
the FLW Tour Opens goes to co-anglers who enter all six FLW Tour Majors
and all four FLW Tour Opens by Dec. 12, 2011. Co-anglers who enter all
four FLW Tour Opens by Jan. 4, 2012 receive the next highest entry
priority. All other entry priority will be assigned by the date and time
of entry.
Entries may be made either by mail, phone or on the
Internet. For more details and additional key
registration dates visit FLWOutdoors.com.
The 2012 FLW Tour schedule was announced in June and
includes visits to some of the finest fisheries in the country at key
times of the year to provide some of the best fishing and competition
found on the water today.
Date Fishery Location Tournament
Feb. 9-12 Lake Okeechobee Clewiston, Fla. FLW Tour Open
March 8-11 Lake Hartwell Greenville/Anderson, S.C. FLW Tour Major
March 29-April 1 Table Rock Lake Branson, Mo. FLW Tour Major
April 26-29 Beaver Lake Rogers, Ark. FLW Tour Major
May 17-20 Potomac River National Harbor, Md. FLW Tour Major
June 7-10 Kentucky Lake Murray/Gilbertsville, Ky. FLW Tour Major
June 28-July 1 Lake Champlain Plattsburgh, N.Y. FLW Tour Major
Aug. 9-12 Lake Lanier Duluth/Gainesville, Ga. Forrest Wood Cup
Aug. 23-26 Detroit River Detroit, Mich. FLW Tour Open
Sept. 20-23 Wheeler Lake Decatur, Ala. FLW Tour Open
Oct. 11-14 Sam Rayburn Reservoir Lufkin, Texas FLW Tour Open
Kellogg’s will once again be presenting the Walmart
FLW Tour Angler of the Year and Co-angler of the Year titles to the top
pro and co-angler from the point standings after the six FLW Tour
Majors. Pros are battling for a $100,000 Angler of the Year award plus
entry in the 2013 Forrest Wood Cup. Co-anglers are fishing for a Ranger
Z518 with 200 HP outboard Co-angler of the Year award plus entry into
the 2013 Forrest Wood Cup.
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Anglers who want to be a Marshal in a 2012 Bassmaster Elite Series event can sign on as early as Oct. 10.
Oct. 10 at 9 a.m. EST will mark the start of priority registration at Bassmaster.com for B.A.S.S. Federation Nation and B.A.S.S. Life members.
Starting Oct. 17 at 9 a.m. EST, Marshal registration on Bassmaster.com will be available to all B.A.S.S. members.
A Marshal in the Elite
Series rides along in a competitor’s boat to serve as that angler’s
official observer for the day. It’s the Marshal’s job to ensure all
rules are adhered to. On the eve of the event, Marshals are randomly
assigned to Elite Series anglers — to one pro for the first day, then to
another for the second day of competition.
The Marshal experience
is a front-row seat to watch a tournament. As observers, they not only
meet pros and spend a day on the water with them, they can pick up
techniques and tackle tips just by watching and asking questions
(Marshals do not fish).
The cost of Marshal
participation is still $100 per tournament. Details are available at the
registration page on Bassmaster.com.
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(Editor’s Note: This is part 1 of a 2-part article on the perceived near disappearance of spinnerbaits along the Bassmaster Elite Series trail.)
By Alan McGuckin
Are spinnerbaits dead? That’s the informal but long contemplated question that was posed to a panel of eight men including living legends like Gary Klein, Ken Cook and Kevin VanDam. B.A.S.S. photographer James Overstreet, who has tracked bass fishing’s trends nearly every week for the past six years with his Canon’s lens, was also surveyed.
It was Overstreet in his always sincere and beloved Little Rock drawl that provided the most insightful proof of cause for contemplation regarding the current health status of spinnerbaits.
“Dude, you’d have better luck trying to find Sasquatch than finding a recent event where a spinnerbait was the primary lure used to win an Elite Series tournament,” said Overstreet, an avid hunter and angler in his own right.
Overstreet’s response was classically hilarious, but equally sad is the fact that a category of lures that once won Bassmaster Classics on a frequent basis 20 years ago, and carried a “don’t leave home without it” dependency throughout the 1980s and 1990s have seemingly fallen so far out of fashion in recent years. You’d be hard-pressed to spot a spinnerbait lying on most Elite pro’s front decks at morning blast-off. In the end, the panel of experts had to scratch their heads to the point of debate in an effort to cite a recent spinnerbait dominated win.
Perhaps the best answer from the expert panelist regarding the blade bait’s most recent memorable week of stardom came from Elite Series pro and BoatUS Angler member Marty Robinson who cited VanDam’s win during the shad spawn on Lake Guntersville five years ago as the most recent win to heavily involve a spinnerbait. Still that was five years ago, and KVD’s win actually involved a crankbait too.
Panelist Mike McClelland provided a hard-to-argue explanation as to why the Bassmaster Elite Series trail in particular has been void of a spinnerbait presence for such a long time.
“I think a lot of it has to do with our Elite Series schedule involving a ton of clear water fisheries like Amistad, Smith Mountain and Clear Lake where swimbaits and other lures are typically more effective than spinnerbaits, “ said McClelland, who once claimed two Bassmaster Invitational victories just weeks apart 14 years ago in the off colored waters of the Arkansas River and then Ross Barnett. A spinnerbait was used as the primary lure for both of McClelland’s wins.
“I can tell you this, War Eagle still sells as many spinnerbaits as they can possibly make,” said McClelland. “Maybe it’s a generational thing. My son didn’t think it was possible to catch so many fish on a spinnerbait until he and I absolutely wore ‘em out with War Eagles at Grand Lake (Okla.) one day last November.”
McClelland typically throws his spinnerbaits with a 6.6:1 gear ratio Quantum Smoke reel spooled with 20-pound Sunline fluorocarbon line.
Gary Klein believes spinnerbaits aren’t the lead car on the fashion train these days, but like all lures, they are simply tools, and certainly not dead forever.
“I always tell folks in my seminars that lures are just tools, and that most of the time there’s more than just one tool that could have caught a particular bass,” said Klein. “There’s no doubt that spinnerbaits are still fantastic tools, they’re just being passed over by trendier squarebills and swimbaits right now.”
Ken Cook, who many regard as one of the greatest spinnerbait anglers ever, backed by his willowleaf spinnerbait driven 1991 Bassmaster Classic victory, offers great perspective.
“Apparently they’re not dead yet. I wacked ‘em with a spinnerbait last week at Lake Ellsworth,” said the Bass Fishing Hall of Famer in reference to the relatively small 5,600 surface acre lake near his Tarbone Ranch home not far from Lawton, Okla. The retired legend isn’t one bit concerned with big bodies of water, or where he sits in the final day standings anymore. He just wants to catch bass. And for Cook, a spinnerbait still works very well.
No, spinnerbaits aren’t nearly as en vogue as they once were along bass fishing’s most high-profile tournament trail. But to pronounce them dead would be dangerously inaccurate.
(Editor’s Note: In part 2 of this story, we’ll talk closely with bass fishing’s most dominant angler – who ironically, is still perhaps the biggest current proponent of pro bass fishing’s seemingly Sasquatch-like category of lures.)
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 Veteran professional angler John Crews of
Virginia has signed a sponsorship agreement with Bass Minder, a fishing
products company based in Birmingham, Ala., to promote its Line
Selection Reminder Stickers.
Crews,
an 11-year veteran, competes on the Bassmaster Elite Series and Bass
Pro Shops PAA Tournament Series. Crews has qualified for the Bassmaster
Classic six times and won the 2010 Elite Series season-opening
tournament in California.
With attention to detail and organization, Crews knows the importance of
using the proper tackle. He also designs his own lures, which
contributes to his success on the professional tours. When Crews saw the
Bass Minder product, he said it was a no-brainer.
“For more than 10 years, I have been using small stickers on my rods or
reels to mark what line it is and what date I replaced it,” he said. "I
have struggled to find the right product until now. The Bass Minder Line
Selection Reminder Stickers are a must for all anglers, and the other
Bass Minder products are great references for anglers to consult.”
Line Selection Reminder Stickers work for freshwater or saltwater and
eliminate the wonder about how long the line has been on a reel. Simply
use a permanent marker to fill in the pound-test and date, put it on
your rod or reel and that's it. When you pick up a rod, you'll know
exactly when the line was last replaced.
Bass Minder products can be purchased at Bass Pro Shops, participating Wal-Mart locations and on the Bass Minder website at bassminder.com.
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Bruiser Baits announced a new partnership with Scott Martin and the Scott Martin Challenge. Martin has proven himself as one of the sport's most decorated and consistent anglers with 24 top-10 finishes, 11 FLW Championship qualifications and five FLW Tour wins, including the prestigious 2011 Forrest Wood Cup. Martin is ranked second in all-time FLW Tour wins and earnings, amassing an amazing $1.9 million in tournament winnings.
"I am very excited to be officially working with Bruiser Baits," Martin said. "I am truly impressed with the colors, designs and over all quality of all of their soft plastics. I have used their baits all year on the FLW Tour and have caught fish on every lake we have been to, including when I won the Forrest Wood Cup in Arkansas. Working with an All-American family owned company makes me proud and I am looking forward to catching fish on Bruiser Baits for many years to come."
Bruiser Baits is a soft plastic bait manufacturer located in Loxahatchee, Fla. Their baits hit the spotlight earlier this year when the FLW Tour event on Okeechobee featured big catches and the winning record weight of 106 pounds, 10 ounces by Brandon McMillan on the Bruiser Baits.
You can see more about their baits at BruiserBaits.com.
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