It wasn’t much of a surprise. Everybody knew it was coming. But nobody in the 2014 American Bass Anglers Ray Scott Championship on Lake Wheeler was able to practice for the conditions they faced in the first morning launch Wednesday.

Official practice Sunday-Tuesday for the 166 anglers – 83 boaters and 93 non-boaters – was held in typical fall conditions: cool nights followed by daytime temperatures in the high 60s and low 70s.

But all that changed Tuesday night when a severe winter cold front moved in heralded by high winds. Local fishing guide Jimmy Mason sounded prophetic Monday when he said the fishing would be very interesting this week.

“I look for the water temperature to drop as much as 5 degrees by the end of the week. Anglers that have been catching chasing fish and shallow fish will be in trouble. The wind is going to blow, too, making it hard for the run and gun guys.”

The cold front rode in on high winds blowing 15 to 20 mph, said Evan Boutwell, ABA National Marketing Director, dropping the temperature overnight from a balmy 70 degrees Tuesday to a chilly 34 at launch time. The wind chill dropped the effect of the temperature drop below freezing.

The first place boater in the newly-named Ray Scott Championship will win $100,000 cash and the first place co-angler will get a check for $50,000, Boutwell said.

“In addition we will pay their entry fees and expense money to fish in either the Rayovac Series or the B.A.S.S. Opens in 2015, if they choose to move up to either of those ranks,” Boutwell added.

The championship will feature two of the icons in professional bass fishing this week as special guests. Scott, the founder of the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society, will attend the Championship’s Outdoors Expo at Ingalls Harbor Pavilion Friday and Saturday, while legendary angler Bill Dance is appearing Wednesday and Thursday. The Expo features more than 40 vendors, many of which are sponsors of the American Bass Anglers trails.

Weigh-ins are being held at Ingalls Harbor the first three days of the tournament, but will move to the Pavilion on Saturday for the final weigh-in of the top 25 anglers fishing that day.

Boutwell also announced that the ABA Championship is only part way through a major transition. The first part was incorporating Scott into the title and the second part will be a timing move over the next year and a half.

“We underwent a major transition this year with the name change and the launch of the Outdoors Expo. The second transition will be making this championship a spring event,” Boutwell said, noting that the next stop for the championship will be Lake Hartwell out of Anderson, S.C.

“The anglers who qualify in 2015 will fish at Lake Hartwell in April of 2016,” he said, adding that there will be no 2015 championship as the transition is completed next year.

 

2014 Ray Scott ABA Championship

Nov 12-15, 2014

Wheeler Lake

Ingalls Harbor

Call (256) 232-0406 for information

www.americanbassanglers.com