Thornton and Ross win the Alabama Bass Trail in Mobile-full results here!
€“ Matt Thorton and Adam Ross rode a rollercoaster of emotion Saturday en route to victory in the inaugural tournament for the Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Series’ South Division.
The tournament was held out of the newly renovated Live Oak Landing Park.
Thornton and Ross thought their chances of winning the tournament were over when they lost a largemouth bass, they estimated to weigh about 4.5 pounds.
“I couldn’t believe we lost it right at the boat. It just made us sick,” Thorton said.
Thorton and Ross quickly found a way to overcome that sick feeling, They caught more bass.
“We were lucky,” Thornton said. “They kept biting and we didn’t lose any more.
Thonrton and Ross, both of Tibbie, Ala. weighed in five largemouth bass that tipped the scales at 15.24 pounds to clinch the $10,000 first prize.
Thorton and Ross caught their fish on the Tombigbee River.
They used a variety of baits, including square-billed crankbaits, plastic lizards and jigs.
“We did a lot of running and ripping,” Ross said.
Duke Miller and Jeffrey Russell, both of Saraland, Ala., finished second with four bass that weighed 15.10 pounds.
Miller and Russell also lost a fish, which they estimated to weigh around 5 pounds.
“We knew losing that one was going to hurt us,” Russell said “We tried and tried to catch another fish, even a small one, to have a limit.”
Miller and Russell, who were fishing on the Alabama River, won $5,000.
John Wiggins of Daphne, Ala., and Barry McLain Bay Minette were third with 14.83 pounds. They won $4,000
Tommy Parker of Saraland and Joey Smith of Millry, Ala., finished fouth with 14.53 pounds. Jason Kyser of Saraland and Kevin Carpenter of Madison, Miss. Finished fifth with 13.59 pounds.
4th Place Team of Tommy Parker and Joey Smith hold up their 14.53 Lbs!
Justin Hamner of Harpersville, Ala., and Chris Payne of West Blocton, Ala., had the big fish for the tournament, a 5.40-pounds largemouth. They won $500.
The anglers in the tournament weighed-in 379 bass, which weighed 656.21 pounds for an average weight of 1.73 pounds. Of the 160 teams in the tournament, 123 weighed-in fish.
All of the fish weighed in were returned to water alive. Both of the Alabama Bass Trail tournaments held so far have had a 100 percent survival rate.
The next stop on the Alabama Bass Trail South Division is Saturday, March 15 on Lake Eufaula.
The next stop on the Bass Trail’s North Division is March 22 on Pickwick Lake.
Snag Proof At 2014 Bassmaster Classic!
Connie Ehlers Fuller from Snag Proof shows us the newest American-Made fish-getters. She also covers the 2014 Snag Proof tournament schedule which offers excitment and excellent payouts from coast to coast.
What Makes Classic Champion Howell Tick - Off the Water?
We've learned a lot about Randy Howell's on-water exploits at the recent 2014 Bassmaster Classic. But what makes Howell tick when he's at home serving his community? Hear Howell talk about his title sponsor and what the kids of King's Home mean to him and his family.
Lifelong Dream For Randy Howell Comes True At 2014 Bassmaster Classic
Randy Howell - 2014 Bassmaster Classic Champion!!
After two decades of dreaming about being the Bassmaster Classic Champion, Randy Howell won bass fishing's world championship Sunday on Alabama's famed Lake Guntersville, and by mid-week he was still riding high on Cloud Nine.
“It feels like a dream,” said Howell after a day filled with interviews from magazines to newspapers to television to radio and even fishing websites. “I wake up and I still think, 'Oh God, please don't let this just be a dream'.”
The Springville, Ala., pro has qualified for 12 Classics in his career and his best finish prior to Sunday was last February when he finished 10th in the Classic held on Grand Lake O' The Cherokees at Tulsa, Okla., and won $20,000. He had a much heftier payday at Guntersville, claiming a $300,000 paycheck for first place, plus a $7,500 Toyota Bonus Bucks award, boosting his career win money to well over $1.5 million.
And he did it in championship fashion, vaulting from 11th place on Saturday into the top spot on Sunday when he had what observers termed a “charmed day,” one during which he caught so many big bass that he was culling 4- and 5-pounders before weighing in five at 29 pounds, 2 ounces, with his biggest bass a hefty 7 pounds, 3 ounces.
That boosted his three-day total to 67 pounds, 8 ounces, exactly one pound ahead of B.A.S,.S Nation angler Paul Mueller of Naugatuck, Conn., and 1 pound, 13 ounces ahead of Elite Pro Edwin Evers of Talala, Okla., who was the leader going into the final day of competition.
“It was the best day I’ve ever had in 21 years of professional bass fishing, a day of a lifetime,” Howell said.
“I caught my first one on my second or third cast,” he said. “I caught one almost every cast or two and had a limit in the first 10 or 15 minutes. It was quick. It would have been quicker if I hadn’t had to stop and retie every time because of the rocks.”
The rocks were the riprap up against a causeway bridge on Spring Creek. That early flurry included releasing eight 4-pounders, he said. Howell worked the riprap and a grassy area farther back in the creek with a Livingston Lures model being developed within the Pro Series – a medium diver in a crawfish color. He also used a Rapala DT6 crankbait in the “demon” crawfish color and a Yamamoto bladed jig.
Although he entered the final day of fishing believing he could win and had a fantastic day of fishing on the water, Howell said he did not know for sure he'd captured bass fishing's top prize until Mueller weighed in.
“Davy Hite told me in the hallway that Mueller had a chance to beat me, but he needed 25 pounds, 11 ounces, and he only had 24 pounds, 11 ounces. I bent over and almost started crying when I saw his weight.”
Winning the Classic, Howell said, is the culmination of more than 20 years of paying his dues and only winning two B.A.S.S. titles along the way. “I don't win tournaments very often,” said the 43-year-old pro who claimed his third win with the Classic title Sunday.
“I dreamed about it my whole life. I did a lot of praying and planning and I try every year to get better and learn more. I had a lot of talks with the Good Lord about what I had to do to make it happen. Then all of a sudden here it comes and it is a dream come true.”
Financially, Howell said, the prize money will be a major boost for his investments, college fund for his children and retirement.
“But, family-wise it is even better,” he said. “My wife and I do everything together. Our boys travel with us and my wife home-schools them, so we think of our family as Team Howell.”
Howell said he hopes his success and that of Team Howell will be a greater influence now on other families looking for direction in life.
“Everybody who knows me knows I wear my faith on my sleeve. The biggest thing about this is that it gives me a larger platform to reach out to more people and help more people. It opens up my ministry, so more people can hear what I have to say,” Howell said.
“Hopefully, we can revitalize fishing to where it is all about family, fishing for fun, and get more people into it like it was in the good old days,” he said. “I am living proof to the younger generation, college kids and high school kids fishing. If you have a dream chase it, but put God first and treat people right and it will all come to you eventually.”
For Team Howell, the dream lives on, beyond the celebrity of a Bassmaster Classic title.
Flw Announces Release Of Chris Jones Soundboard App
You've heard him on stage. You've heard him on TV. Now hear FLW's Chris Jones on your phone. The word from FLW Outdoors:
Dickson County High School Wins Tennessee State High School Fishing Open On Lake Barkley
Thanks To Clay Connor, Friend Of Anglerschannel.com, For Taking Us Out In His Xpress Boat At The Bassmaster Classic!
Take a peek at some of the footage that will be shown on the Progressive Bass Wrap Up TV Show. We were able to bring you this on-water excitement because our friend, Clay Connor was kind enough to ride us around in his Xpress Bass Boat. And yes, it's aluminum. Tough. Light. Smooth on the waves and quiet on the flats. Check out http://www.xpressboats.com/
AC Pro Staffer Rob Digh " It will take at least 19+ Lbs to win the CBC on Wylie this Sat"
AC Pro Staffer Rob Digh says although fishing conditions are still tough, the fish are biting and for anyone to think it will take less than 19+ on Wylie or any of the regional fisheries this weekend is in for a big surprise...
Anglers Choice Ready To Start 2014 Season On Smith Mountain If Weather Cooperates
Weather permitting, the Anglers Choice Marine Team Trail Virginia Division kicks off the 2014 season Saturday, March 8, on Smith Mountain Lake with several changes that are sure to please the anglers.
“No. 1 is the invitation to be a part of B.A.S.S.,” said tournament director Chris Lucas. “One of the things we had to change this year is that we are going to have one points champion. We had to figure out a way to determine which team would go to the Toyota Tundra Team Championship, sponsored by B.A.S.S. So we are going to count six of the eight qualifiers for the points. Teams that fish all eight tournaments can have two drops.”
The overall points champions will earn a bonus of $1,250, plus a paid entry into the Toyota Tundra Team Championship, Lucas said.
Beginning last year the Anglers Choice Team series was split into two divisions, one for Virginia and one for North Carolina, with four qualifiers in each division.
“What's unique is that you can get four qualifiers in two weekends on Buggs Island,” Lucas said. “Make two trips and you have two qualifiers to fish for a boat. Then through the course of the season fish two more and qualify for the whole shooting match. You can fish six of the eight qualifiers in just four weekends the way the schedule is set up.”
The double qualifier weekends are April 5 and 6 and June 7 and 8, with anglers able to fish the Virginia Division qualifier on Saturday and the North Carolina Division qualifier on Sunday both weekends.
“Our anglers really like this opportunity because it helps cut down on expenses for the fishermen,” Lucas said.
“The other aspect of out trail this year is that we are going to have two separate Classics, with a Ranger Boat for the winners on the Virginia side and a Triton for the winners on the North Carolina side. So, with the opportunity to fish both Classics, guys have two chances to win a boat.”
The Virginia Division schedule runs March 8, Smith Mountain Lake; April 5, Kerr Reservoir; May 10, Smith Mountain Lake; June 7, Kerr Reservoir; with the Virginia Classic Oct. 4-5 on Smith Mountain Lake. The North Carolina Division runs March 23 on Falls Lake, April 6 on Kerr Reservoir; May 24 on High Rock; June 8 on Kerr Reservoir; with the North Carolina Classic Oct. 25-26 on High Rock.
Although the region has been under some severe winter weather in recent weeks, the fish are biting in Smith Mountain Lake, Lucas said.
“Guys are catching fish and they are catching them about any way they want to. The only problem is the fish may be a foot deep to 45 feet deep. You just don't know where they are going to be.”
But locating the fish is a minor problem compared to the weather situation, Lucas said.
“Between now and the tournament we have about five different weather systems coming at us. They don't know what any of them are going to do so we don't know what we might have to do.” He said. “The guys on Smith Mountain Lake don't mind fishing in the cold. That doesn't bother them. But the problem is travel. Safety will be out priority.”
Lucas said he will monitor the weather and make a decision on the tournament by Thursday, March 6, in time to notify anglers who would be traveling to the lake on Friday, March 7.
“We will post it on the website, so if the guys will keep a check on the website they can find information on the tournament up to the last minute,” he said. “They should definitely check the website before getting on the road.”
Anglers Choice Marine Team Trail VA Division
Sat, Mar 8, 2014
Smith Mountain Lake
Parkway Marina
Call Chris Lucas 276-358-0844
Weather Stabilizing, Fishing Should Be Good For Carolina Bass Challenge On Wylie
Thomas Hardwick and Tommy William caught 23.67 lbs on Lake Murray to win the 1st NC Division event of 2014
Fishing should be good for the Carolina Bass Challenge South Carolina Division tournament on Lake Wylie this Saturday, according to Reid McGuinn of nearby Fort Mill.
“There is a little bit of everything going on and the fish have been biting pretty much everything,” said McGuinn, who honed his tourmaline skills as a member of the Clemson Fishing Team before graduating three years ago. “The weather has finally stabilized and the water temperature is finally stable, too. It's not going up and down from all the cold snaps.”
McGuinn said the fish are in all stages, but with the weather calming somewhat since the ice/snow storm two weeks ago that forced postponement of the first North Carolina Division CBC tournament on Wylie, some fish have already moved up on the banks with spawning on their minds.
“They are catching them on ShadRaps and crankbaits on points about halfway back in the creeks,” he said. “There are still a lot of fish out deep and they are catching those fish on the Alabama Rig, which has been the main thing, and on jerkbaits off main lake points and in the big creek mouths.”
In fact, McGuinn said, the tournament Saturday could well be won on the Alabama Rig, which has been the dominant pattern in recent weeks.
McGuinn is fishing some of the CBC tournaments “close to the house”, as well as the North Carolina Division BFLs and as a co-angler in the B.A.S.S. Southern Opens.
There are five qualifying tournaments in the CBC South Carolina Division and five in the CBC North Carolina Division. The first South Carolina Division tournament was held Feb. 8 on Lake Murray with Thomas Hardwick and Tommy William weighing a limit at 23.67 pounds to win first place and a check for $10,000.
The 2014 CBC schedule includes: North Carolina Division: Lake Wylie, Feb. 15; Lake Norman, March 22; High Rock, April 12; Lake Hickory, May 17; Falls Lake, June 7. South Carolina Division: Lake Murray, Feb. 8; Lake Wylie, March 1; Lake Wateree, March 29; Santee Cooper, April 19; and Lake Hartwell, May 10.
“As in the past, we take all the teams from the South Carolina and North Carolina Championships to the two-day Classic,” said CBC Coordinator Brett Collins. “The dates and locations for the Championships and Classic will be announced very soon.”
Top prize at both the North Carolina and South Carolina championships is a Skeeter TZX190/150 with a Yamaha 150. First prize in the 2014 CBC Classic will be a Skeeter ZX200/200 Yamaha SHO.
There have been some changes in requirements for the anglers, he noted.
“We now have a single-file blast-off to reduce the tricky situations that can arise at a blast-off with a large number of boats. And we no longer take entry fees at the ramp. All teams must be paid by the Wednesday before each event.”
Collins suggested anglers check out the CBC website (www.carolinasbasschallenge.com) where the requirements and payouts are posted. Each angler must pay an annual $50 membership and teams pay a $200 entry for each tournament. The guaranteed purse for each tournament is $8,000 with an additional $5,000 to the top finishing Skeeter/Yamaha owner who participates in all 2014 CBC events.
Carolinas Bass Challenge - South Carolina Division
Sat, Mar 1, 2014
Lake Wylie
Buster Boyd Access Area
Call Brett Collins 803-413-7521
www.carolinasbasschallenge.com
Rapala's Role In 2014 Bassmaster Classic
Three of the top five finishers in the 2014 Bassmaster Classic caught many of their fish on Rapala DT-6 crankbaits, including winner Randy Howell.
“This is what I caught a good bit on this week,” Howell said, holding up a Demon-pattern DT-6 covered with teeth marks. “I’m not sponsored by Rapala, but that’s a great cold-water bait.”
Howell’s comments came as he recapped his final-day action during a live webcast interview with Rapala pro Davy Hite, the 1999 Classic winner, moments after Howell came off of Alabama’s Lake Guntersville and hours before he weighed in and was crowned champion.
Success with a DT-6 did not surprise Hite.
“On Friday, I said that would absolutely, 100 percent, be a bait that I’d be throwing a lot here,” Hite said of the DT-6.
And although Hite did not qualify to fish this year’s Classic, his instincts were spot on. Not only did the Classic winner catch numerous bass on a DT-6, so did two other anglers with a chance to win – Rapala-Terminator-VMC pro Ott DeFoe and VMC-Trigger X® pro Randall Tharp, who finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
“Every big fish that I weighed in – and all five of the fish I got today – came on this bait,” DeFoe said, showing Hite a DT-6.
“I had a 7-1/2 [pounder] the second day and I had one over five [pounds] on the first day that came on this,” DeFoe said, also in a pre-weigh-in interview with Hite . “Man, it’s been really key.”
A longtime Alabama resident who launched his professional fishing career by cashing checks in tournaments on Lake Guntersville, Tharp came into the Classic heavily favored to win. He led after Day 1, having caught a 27-pound, 8-ounce limit of five bass. Throughout the tournament, he caught many of his fish on a Bluegill-pattern DT-6.
“He said a lot of his big fish came on this crankbait right here,” Bassmaster TV co-host Mark Zona said of Tharp, holding up a DT-6 to the camera live-streaming bassmaster.com’s instant-analysis “War Room” webcast. “A ton of guys in this tournament are using that bait,” Zona said. “[It has a] very tight wiggle – it’s not a very wide-wobbling crankbait. It’s got a tight profile. Great cold-water crankbait.”
Brandon Palaniuk, a Rapala, Storm, Terminator and VMC pro, finished in 15th place. On the tournament’s final day, he caught most of his bass on the Red Craw-pattern Storm Rattling Arashi™ Square 3, a new crankbait unveiled last Friday at the Classic. Released along with the Square 3 was a Square 5. The numbers indicate the baits’ diving depths.
In the first two days of Classic competition, Palaniuk threw a Electric Blue 3/8 ounce. Terminator Pro Series Jig. Storm, VMC and Terminator are three of the many respected names in the Rapala family of brands.
DeFoe Predicted DT Bite
Before the Classic even launched, DeFoe predicted that a Rapala DT bait would be a player. “Everything from shallow-running stuff like a DT Flat-3, down to maybe a DT-10 or DT-16 even,” he said in a pre-tournament interview. Conditions dictated that the DT-6 would be most effective. DT stands for “Dives-To,” indicating the baits’ diving depths.
Fellow Rapala and VMC pro Michael “Ike” Iaconelli also predicted a DT bite. And although Ike, the 2003 Classic winner, didn’t find the fish he needed to be a contender in this year’s Classic, he described well why DTs are go-to pre-spawn baits.
“When the water’s cold, [bass’s] forage is cold and doesn’t really move quick,” Ike explained. And because DTs are made of balsa wood, he said, they float up very slowly when paused. “The bait kind of just hovers there, rising ever so slowly. That often in itself, in the pre-spawn period, is the trigger of the bite.”
Bites generally come on a pause following what Ike called a “secondary movement,” such as hitting a rock, laydown or strand of vegetation. Some of DeFoe’s bites in the Classic came in grass, but most came off riprap rock on causeways and around bridges.
“DeFoe methodically fishes the riprap,” outdoor writer Mark Hicks wrote in a bassmaster.com live-blog post on Day 3 of the Classic. “He's casting parallel and tight to the rocks and slowly grinding the bait over the riprap. And I mean grinding. He pauses frequently to let the crankbait float off snags as he's often snagging the rocks.”
Due to abuse from the rocks, DeFoe stopped frequently to re-rig his DT-6 with fresh VMC treble hooks. He uses VMC short-shank trebles, “same as what comes on there,” out of the package.
“It’s been a heck of a week for me,” he said.
Not to mention a heck of a young career. Since winning Bassmaster Rookie of the Year in 2011, DeFoe has not only qualified for three consecutive Bassmaster Classics – no small feat, in and of itself – he finished in the Classic’s Super Six twice (5th, 11th, 4th, in that order).
“He’s one of the best shallow crankers in the game,” Tharp said of DeFoe, whom he competed against previously on the FLW Tour, professional bass fishing’s other top-level tournament circuit.
But Tharp is one of the best in the game too. Last year, before qualifying for this year’s Classic by winning a Bassmaster Open, he won the Forrest Wood Cup, the FLW’s equivalent of the Classic.
“I had a chance today [to win], that’s all you can ask for,” Tharp said, offering a respectful “hats off” to Howell, DeFoe and the two other anglers that finished ahead of him, runner-up Paul Mueller and third-place finisher Edwin Evers. “They whooped me pretty good on my home lake.”
DT Feature Series
Rapala’s DT crankbaits are designed to dive fast to a pre-set depth and stay in the strike zone longer than any than other crankbait on the market. Made from the top 7 percent of balsa wood, this consistently perfect wood combined with carefully placed internal weights, a tapered fuselage and a thin tail design creates the ultimate crankbait action. An ultra-thin polycarbonate lip digs the bait down quickly to desired depth.
Swimming with a side-to-side action only balsa crankbaits can achieve, DTs pull with ease when cranked. Perfectly weighted to rest in a “quick-dive,” nose-down position allowing for immediate descent to desired depth, DTs can be easily cast up to 150 feet.
The farther your cast, the longer your bait stays in the strike zone.
DTs feature an internal baritone rattle tuned for optimal bite-triggering sound. They come in 27 color patterns, including eight “Ike’s Custom Ink” patterns designed personally by Iaconelli, exclusively for Rapala. All come with premium VMC hooks. Each is hand-tuned and tank-tested to swim perfectly right out of the box.
Classic Champ Howell Talks Lure Choices
Classic Champion Randy Howell talks about the lures that helped him win the 2014 Bassmaster Classic on Lake Guntersville.
Howell Tells How Instincts Lead Him to Greatest Classic Comeback Ever
Newly crowned Classic Champ Randy Howell talks about decision making - good and bad - and how he honed his ability to make the right call. The result: he came back from 11th place to make up the most ground ever for a Bassmaster Classic winner.
Boats Unlimited NC Trail Qualifier #1 Results - Shearon Harris - Feb 22
The Boats Unlimited NC Team Tournament Bass Trail set a new attendance record with 94 boats showing
up for the 1st qualifier of the 2014 fishing season! We finally had a beautiful day to work with. It was about 34
degrees that morning and around 70 that afternoon with very light winds. Water temps ranged from 50 to 57
depending on the area fished and water was muddy in certain areas after the storm Friday. Clear warm water
was the secret to finding the bass but it was a challenge to get them to bite with all the shad around. Secret
lures for the day...no one is telling!
Todd Massey and Brandon Gray had the patience to catch 5 weighing 27.07 lbs. and it was just one of two
limits of 5 caught for the day. Massey & Gray won $1,485 for 1st, TWT 1st place of $1,610 and the Boats
Unlimited NC 1st Place Bonus of $750 for a grand total of $3,845.
Stephen Lasher took 2nd with 3 bass weighing 13.19 lbs winning $875 & 2nd TWT worth $690 for a total of
$1,565. Big fish for the day was a nice 8.34 caught by the team of Stewart Adams and Scott Dunn worth $1,260
and 2nd place big fish was a tie going to the teams of Kevin Woodall and William Tobias along with Scott
Woodson & Josh Hooks. Each team had a nice 8.13 lb. bass and took home $270 each.
Only 56 fish were weighed in for a total of 232 pounds. The slot limit on bass at Harris again took it's toll on
guys that caught fish but were not able to weigh them in. This slot limit is not fair to anglers that practice and
spend time and money to fish and get better. People that control the rules should at least give waivers to
tournament trails that practice 'Catch and Release'. That's just my 2 cents. We had numerous fish over 5 lbs.
and all the fish looked healthy.
I want to thank all the anglers that participated and all our sponsors that support this trail. Our next
tournament will be the 2014 Piedmont Bass Classics Team Bass Mini Trail Qualifier #2, Mar. 1st at Jordan
Lake out of Farrington Point Landing Wildlife Ramp (Right Side). The next Boats Unlimited NC Team
Tournament Bass Trail tournament will be at Jordan Lake on Mar. 8th, same ramp location.
All the information on our tournaments can be found at yahoo and bing search:
www.piedmontbassclassics.com
Now here are the full results:
1st Place: Todd Massey & Brandon Gray of Chapel Hill & Bullock...5 bass...27.07 lbs...$1,485
2nd Place: Stephen Lasher of Durham...3 bass...13.19 lbs...$875
3rd Place: Roy & Tommy Blackwood of Pittsboro & Efland...2 bass...11.82 lbs...$695
4th Place: Seth Ellis & Chuck Byrd of Lillington & Sanford...5 bass...11.72 lbs...$622
5th Place: Mike Eggers & Randy Carr of Garner & Raleigh...2 bass...11.70 lbs...$550
6th Place: Trevor Holman & Kenny Crespo of Durham...2 bass...10.30 lbs...$478
7th Place: Scott Dunn & Stewart Adams of Four Oaks...2 bass...10.20 lbs...$406
8th Place: Drew Johnson & Gill Young of Clayton & Wendell...2 bass...9.37 lbs...$340
9th Place: Tim Goss & Jeff Vincent of Franklinton & Durham...2 bass...9.30 lbs...$298
10th Place: Tony Stanley & Travis Parker of Four Oaks & Benson...2 bass...8.80 lbs...$262
11th Place: Todd & Jeff Sumner of Southern Pines...2 bass...8.69 lbs...$226
12th Place: Tie...Kevin Woodall & William Tobias of Angier...1 bass...8.13 lbs...$226
12th Place: Tie...Scott Woodson & Josh Hooks of Fuquay Varina & Apex...1 bass...8.13 lbs...$226
14th Place: Joe & Dwight Sholar of Wallace...1 bass...6.62 lbs...$160
15th Place: Stump Bledsoe & Glenn Elliott of Hope Mills & Fayetteville...2 bass...6.59...$160
16th Place: Billy Bledsoe & Brian McDonald of Fayetteville & Hope Mills...1 bass...6.41 lbs...$160
17th Place: Patrick Curran & Jason King of Fuquay Varina & Holly Springs...1 bass...6.35 lbs...$120
18th Place: Randy Fisher & Donnie Lowe of Hillsborough & Mebane...1 bass...5.84 lbs...$120
19th Place: Richard Cooper & Allen White of Clayton...1 bass...5.82 lbs...$111
1st Place Big Fish..7th Place Team above...8.34 lbs...$1,260
2nd Place Big Fish Tie:..12th & 13th Place Teams above...8.13 lbs...$270 each.
1st Place TWT..1st Place Team above...27.07 lbs...$1,610
2nd Place TWT..2nd Place Team above: 13.19 lbs...$690
Boats Unlimited Skeeter Boat Owner Bonus: Todd Sumner of Southern Pines...$250
Contact Information:
Phil McCarson...Tournament Director---922 Valetta Rd.---Durham, NC 27712
Home: 919-471-1571 Cell: 919-971-5042
email: [email protected] website: www.piedmontbassclassics.com
How the Classic was won
To win the Bassmaster Classic an angler must make the right adjustments. We were told, repeatedly, at Media Day on Thursday that Sunday’s champion would be the man who figured things out during the course of competition, not the guy who had the best practice or the sharpest game plan coming into the event.
Kevin VanDam told us he was more prepared than ever to fish the Classic. He was the first man outside the cut and ended up working the floor of the expo for his sponsors instead of fishing on Sunday.
VanDam has won 4 Classic titles. His strength has been his ability to make adjustments on the fly and to do so before others do.
He later mentioned that he did not make the right moves when a heavy storm blew through Alabama at midnight before Day 1 of the 2014 Bassmaster Classic. Many anglers expected the storm to have little effect on fishing, but it changed everything.
One adjustment many pros say they now wish they had made sooner is to go shallow. Bass in the grass went to the inside edge – 0-to-3 feet deep. A lot of guys expected the fish do the opposite.
Eventual winner Randy Howell found bass as deep as 8 feet on the final competition day. But he was not fishing grass. He looked at his electronics and saw “noodles” – streaking fish at the base of rip rap along the highway 431 causeway over Spring Creek. They choked on crankbaits. Howell used a Rapala DT 6 and later switched to a new Livingston Lures model that as yet doesn’t have a name, not even a catalogue number. The Livingston crank vibrated his rod tip and Howell says bass could find it in the off-color water.
Howell did not credit a technical decision for his win. He said it was, instead, a bit of guidance from above. When his name was called at morning’s launch he had every intention of going to a particular bridge. “And then I heard a little voice say ‘do you want to be good, or do you want to be great?’. It’s the eeriest thing. I had a peace about it and I made a right turn and went to spring creek.”
Howell was immediately rewarded with a limit that weighed about 25 pounds.
Word spread and a crowd gathered on the water behind him. For nearly a half mile along Hwy 431 cars were parked and a crowd had gathered to cheer every 4-pound fish that Howell caught . . . and then released. How do you cull when your livewell is stuffed with 5 pounders? Howell had the answer. “I ran to the back the creek. Spring Creek has hardly any grass. Fish are on the rip, the creek channel or maybe the docks. But there’s a little grass way in the back. I went back there and caught a six-and-a-half-pounder. I won this tournament by a pound.”
Do the math: Howell’s late big fish gave him his winning margin.
He was asked why he decided to pick up and leave such a productive spot and run to the back of the creek just to catch one, albeit very meaningful, fish. “I had another one of those moments. I heard the voice again.” Divine inspiration? “If people hear me talk about how I believe, well they might think I’m crazy.” Most would say it would be crazy not to follow such a clear calling.
In his book, Shaw Grigsby points out, “At the highest levels of the sport bass fishing enters the realm of the mystical.”
Rick Clunn has often spoken of the need to follow your gut, your intuition, whatever somebody wants to call it. I have asked Clunn where that voice comes from. Last night, in a quiet moment, I asked the same of Howell. “I know where mine comes from,” smiled the Classic Champ and follower of Jesus Christ.
Mueller makes record one-day Classic catch; jumps to 5th place
Paul Mueller of Naugatuck, CT talks about record-breaking catch - 32 pounds, 3 ounces is new heaviest single day haul in Bassmaster Classic history. Also, Randall Tharp becomes an improptu interviewer and Jason Christie makes a wish.
2014 Bassmaster Classic Day 1 Notes
Sitting here in the Bassmaster Classic war room, getting an earful from FLW Tour pro JP Prouty “I told you Tharp was going to win this thing! – Money in the bank.” Prouty’s prediction is 1/3 of the way true at this point. Smart money is on the Floridian-by-way-of-Alabama. Tharp gets his mail in the Sunshine State now, but he cut his angling teeth on Lake Guntersville, site of this year’s Bassmaster Classic.
Tharp brought in 27 pounds, 8 ounces to take a firm lead on a day that saw many anglers’ plans muddied along with the rising water from “last night’s torrential downpour” – there goes JP again.
It is big fun to predict who will win in this star-studded field. As the weather caused everyone to scramble, some guys adjusted better than others. 13 of them weighed better than 20 pounds today. But even Tharp had to adjust. “I fished about two-dozen spots today and 6 of them were blown-out.”
Tharp also expects things to get better for everybody. “As the water clears up and the weather warms up weights will get better each day.”
As for the much talked-about spectator interference, Tharp’s fish are positioned so that he is not worried. Could that mean he’s fishing a tad deeper than most?
Hang on folks, it’s gonna be a slugfest!
Spectator Boats a Problem? You Decide!
While filming Chris Lane on Lake Guntersville today Vance McCullough went surfing, courtesy of an uncourteous spectatir boat who really really REALLY wanted to keep up with Lane as he moved all of 100 yards. While it's comical now, such behavior is dangerous and y'all need to place nice out there! Also, it should be noted that the vast majority of onlookers were great citizens today.
Rich Howes Shares Thoughts on First Classic Experience
Florida's Rich Howes qualified for the classic via his win 13 months ago in the Bassmaster Southern Open on Lake Toho. He tells us about his experience this past year and this past week as he makes final tackle adjustments in his boat durind Classic Media Day.
2014 Bassmaster Classic Preivew From Sportsman's Warehouse In Columbia, Sc!
Sportsman's Warehouse Fishing Manager Craig Baird joins us for a good preview on not only the Classic this weekend, but all the baits that you have to have coming out of this COLD winter!
Warm February Could Make For 'interesting' Oakley Big Bass Tournament On Harris Chain
Fishing in the Oakley Big Bass Tournament Trail season opener March 1-2 on the Harris Chain of Lakes could be “kind of interesting,” according to bass guide Steven Boyd of Clermont, Fla.
“This has been one of the warmest Februaries we have had. There was winter north of Florida, but south of Georgia we've been having a big high pressure system over the state of Florida, blowing warm air across the region and keeping the cold front from coming down,” said Boyd, who operates Florida Bass Adventures.
“February is normally our coldest month, but it has been very, very warm. Water temperatures have been running 63 to 71 degrees, which is 10 to 15 degrees higher than normal for this time of year. The fish are still spawning, but they are not spawning where they typically would be.”
Boyd said the bass tried to spawn in the grass several weeks ago, but they have moved out.
“There is a chance of people catching fish in one part of the chain sight fishing and somebody in the other part catching fish on a spinnerbait, a Rat-l-Trap or flipping the grass,” Boyd said. “If the weather cooperates where you can fish some open water you can catch a big fish out there, but it gets pretty windy and treacherous out there,” he said.
The Oakley Big Bass series is open to amateur anglers only. Professional anglers and guides on the tournament waters who have guided professionally for a fee in the last 12 months are not eligible.
Entry fees are $100 for a one-day entry, $150 for both days. The winner with the overall big bass of the tournament will take home a 2014 Nitro Z7 with Mercury 150HP Pro XS, valued at $30,000.
Hourly payouts have been increased this year with a total two-day hourly purse of $35,000. Hourly payouts will go to seven places each hour: 1st $1000, 2nd $500, 3rd $300, 4th $250, 5th $200, 6th $150, 7th $100 (based on 400 total entries). Weigh in Times: 8-9 a.m., 9-10am, 10-11 a.m., 11-12 a.m., 12-1 p.m., 1-2 p.m., and 2-3 p.m.
The schedule for the Oakley Big Bass Tournament series this year includes: March 1-2, Harris Chain of Lakes, Fla.; March 8-9, Lake Conroe, Texas; March 29-20, Clarks Hill, Ga.; April 26-27, Smith Mountain Lake, Va.; May 3-4, Lake Norman, N.C.; May 17-18, Table Rock Lake, Mo.; June 14-15, Grand Lake, Okla.; Sept. 27-28, Lake Murray, S.C.; Oct. 4-5, Lake Douglas, Tenn.; Oct. 18-19, Lake Guntersville, Ala.; and Oct. 25-26, St. John's River, Fla.
Check out Steven Boyd's Florida Bass Adventures at: www.floridabassadventures.com. To book a bass fishing trip, call him at 352-603-5467.
Oakley Big Bass Tournament Trail
Mar 1-2, 2014
Harris Chain of Lakes
Hickory Point Rec Facility
Call Mark Jones 214-605-4600
Brandon Palaniuk Reveals Classic Lure Choices
Brandon Palaniuk shows and tells about his lures of choice at this week's Bassmaster Classic on Lake Guntersville.
Warming Trend Should Put Bass On The Move Just In Time For Nc Bfl On Lake Norman
David Williams of Maiden, NC
What a difference a week makes!
A week ago the area around North Carolina's Lake Norman was covered in snow and ice with nighttime temperatures well below freezing. This week, the skies are sunny, the snow is gone and nighttime temps are a lot more comfortable.
“We are getting a little warming trend. The next couple of nights the temperatures will be in the upper 40s to low 50s and that is a huge deal because it gets the fish on the move,” said David Williams of nearby Maiden, N.C., who has a pretty solid record on Lake Norman this time of year.
Last year on Feb. 23 he finished 14th, but the year before he finished 5th in the BFL on Norman on the first Saturday in March, and in 2011 he won the N.C. Division points title after starting the year with a win on Lake Norman the last Saturday in February. Williams finished 3rd in the N.C. Division points last year, but he was 29th in 2012 because he only fished three of the scheduled tournaments – finishing 5th on Norman and 10th and 15th on High Rock in two tournaments.
He has not fished too shabbily in bigger tournaments, either, finishing 5th in the BFL All American last year in June on Tennessee's Lake Nickajack and 3rd in the All American the previous year on the Potomac River in mid-May. So far, Williams has earned almost $230,000 in FLW Outdoors tournaments, with 25 top 10 finishes including three first places.
“I have not been on Lake Norman all year, but I am going out for a little bit on Friday to see if I can put something together,” he said. “From what I've heard they have been catching some good bags, mostly on jerkbaits and Alabama rigs.”
When he gets on the lake Friday, Williams said he will probably just ride along and look for bait to help him key in on areas to fish.
“I'll concentrate on anything that warms up pretty quick – stumps, rocks an stuff like that,” he said. “Most of the time when you find bait it is out in the deeper water, but what I will look for is where they either run the bait up on a shallow point or into a shallow pocket.”
Williams said he will target largemouths to begin with, but if that does not work out he feels he can go out in the deeper water and bring in a limit of spotted bass.
“You can definitely see some water getting 5 to 10 degrees warmer by Saturday morning. We are almost into March so they are going to get on the move and start feeding up before the spawn,” he said.
“Saturday it's going to be whoever can find them the quickest. More than likely whatever you found last week is not going to do you any good this week.”
Walmart BFL North Carolina Division
Sat, Feb 22, 2014
Lake Norman
Midway Marina
Conditions Slowly Improving For Georgia Division Wbs Tournament On Lake Sinclair
Cold, muddy water is not the ideal situation for bass fishing, but that is the condition of Georgia's Lake Sinclair, just a couple of days before the American Bass Anglers Weekend Bass Series Georgia Division tournament.
“Fishing has been tough,” said Georgia Division tournament manager Billy Benedetti, who lives near the lake and fishes it every chance he gets. “The water is extremely stained, even down to the lower lake. It's stained pretty bad there, too.”
Water temperatures have been in the mid-40s, not conducive to tempting a bass to eat, but that is gradually getting better, Benedetti said.
“Last Sunday the surface temperature was 45 degrees and it got up to 48 by afternoon. With sunny skies and warm afternoons, the temperature will come up a little bit by Saturday. The weather this weekend should be pretty mice wit temperatures around 70 degrees.”
Although he has been catching his fish jigging in deep water, Benedetti said he figures most of the bites will come Saturday on small crankbaits and Chatterbaits cast around docks.
“Typically, that's a muddy water pattern,” he said.
Registration will be held at Little River Park from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Friday, Benedetti said, with the meeting at 7 p.m.
Anglers in the Boater Division pay a $200 entry fee, with co-anglers paying $100. ABA members no longer have to have dual membership to fish the Weekend Bass Series and liability insurance requirements have been reduced to an acceptable level for weekend anglers. The payback has been increased at divisional levels from 20 percent of the field to 25 percent of the field.
At the end of the season, the best WBS anglers from across the nation will fish the 2014 Ray Scott Championship, slated for Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Ala., from Nov. 15-18. The champion boater will receive $100,000 and possibly up to $50,000 in Triton Gold Bonus money. The co-angler champion will win $50,000 and possibly up to $25,000 in Triton Gold Bonus money.
As a special Ray Scott Championship bonus, the Boater Division and Co-Angler Division champions will each receive entry fees and sponsorship into the one of two professional bass fishing series of the angler’s choice. The sponsorship includes entry fees into three professional events and sponsorship support. This sponsorship will put the champion within striking distance of one of two professional bass fishing championships.
American Bass Anglers Weekend Bass Series Georgia Division
Sat, Feb 22, 2014
Lake Sinclair
Little River Park
Call 256-232-0406
2014 Classic Will Be Won Shallow
Thanks to Clay Connor of Xpress Boats I got out on Guntersville today to follow the contestants as they finished the practice round. Of the dozen we saw, nearly all were casting lipless crankbaits in shallows back in creeks and bays – typical prespawn spots.
Water temps ranged from 44 degrees in the main channel on the lower end of the lake to 55 in shallow backwaters.
Shallow water holds grass, warm water and bass. That’s where this Classic will be won.
As for lure choice, it looks like everyone is throwing a trap of some type.
I saw keeper bass caught from 3 foot depths where the grass dissolved into bare bottom. But keepers won’t do much good this week if Lake G lives up to its reputation. With a shallow trap bite going, I believe it will do just that.
FLW on Hartwell needs some Volunteers!
Volunteers Needed to Help with FLW tournament on Hartwell on below dates and times.
If you can help please contact Ken Sloan ASAP
Ken Sloan, TMP
President & CEO
Mountain Lakes CVB
105 West South Broad Street
Walhalla, SC 29691
864-380-3976
www.SCMountainLakes.com
Thu, 3/6, 5:00 AM - 7:30 AM - (5) volunteers for traffic control
Thu, 3/6, 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM - (5) volunteers for traffic control
Fri, 3/7, 5:00 AM - 7:30 AM - (5) volunteers for traffic control
Fri, 3/7, 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM - (5) volunteers for traffic control
(4) Volunteers on standby
GREG HACKNEY TO RUN XPRESS BAY BOAT
Who Will Win The Bassmaster Classic?
It's always hard to pick a winner from among the strongest field of the season - that which shows up for the Bassmaster Classic each February - but this year it's even harder. For starters, there are 10 Alabamians in the field. That said, Kevin VanDam has said that he is, for the first time ever, showing up to the Classic in a state of complete preparedness including tackle prep and the mental game. He’s already won 4 of these things in a lesser state of preparedness.
And what about Skeet Reese? He loves to wind a lure. This Classic is likely to be won on a lipless crankbait. He knows how to win and has a Classic title to prove it. He has solid history on TVA lakes.
Aaron Martens lives near the lake. He has finished near the top of the Classic leaderboard more times than he cares to remember. If anything puts Guntersville bass in a funk this week, Martens becomes a frontrunner to finesse his way to a win.
Aaron Martens is searching for that elusive title. photo courtesy B.A.S.S.
Chris Lane moved to Lake G and has become an ambassador for the fish factory. He has won a Classic before. He could very well win another this week.
Former Classic Champ Chris Lane can catch 'em. And he lives on the lake. photo by Vance McCullough
Bobby Lane is always a threat. He would love to join brother, Chris in the exclusive club of Classic champs.
Bobby Lane will compete on his brother's home turf. photo by Vance McCullough
Speaking of guys who are always a threat, Brandon Palaniuk will almost certainly scrap his way toward a spot in Sunday’s Super Six as the drama heightens at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Center.
Palaniuk is a high-energy guy and this could come down to a matter of which angler makes the most casts to quality bass.
Gary Klein is beyond due for a Classic win. This is his 30th appearance in the big derby. He is the sentimental favorite. And a very capable angler.
Randall Tharp now gets his mail in Florida but he is still an Alabama homer this week. With experience on Guntersville the current Forrest Wood Cup Champion is fishing well enough lately to ‘unify the crown’ and take the title on the B.A.S.S. side of things as well.
Then there’s tenacious Hank Cherry, witty, wily Gerald Swindle and Big Show Terry Scroggins.
And there’s always going to be a surprise from one or more of the B.A.S.S. Nation guys, an Open winner or our collegiate angler, Jordan Lee who will represent Auburn University, just down the road a piece.
Indeed, this one is hard to handicap. When the chips are down, always bet on KVD . . . or Randall Tharp. Or maybe Skeet Reese, possibly AMart. Can’t ignore Palaniuk. Oops, don’t forget Chris Lane.
Oh forget it. Just enjoy the show!
Ish Monroe To Run River2Sea Wrap In 2014 Bassmaster Classic And Elite Series
Monroe, who will once again compete on both tours in 2014, ran a River2Sea wrap on his FLW Tour boat in 2013, but the company took the opportunity to become his main partner for the Elite Series.
The graphics package will feature a custom River2Sea R2S logo designed to match Monroe's black and sky blue color patterns, as well as the Ish Monroe signature series that have been so successful on and off the water.
Monroe said that having the opportunity to create a stronger partnership with River2Sea was a true draw to the promotion. "River2Sea and I have really developed a great working relationship and friendship since I joined the team in 2011," said Monroe. "Being able to do a little more to represent the brand and the products we have worked together to build is something I am very proud of. I look forward to flying these colors on the Bassmaster Classic stage and into the Elite Series this year."
Simon Chan, president of River2Sea said that the partnership made sense for a lot of reasons. "Ish has totally invested himself into being a part of the team here," said Chan. "He works very hard on his fishing, on his products and on the business and having him feature the R2S logo this way is a great value because we know how much it means to us in a promotional sense. Ish is one of the hardest workers out there and we are glad he is a part of the team and the River2Sea family."
Monroe's River2Sea wrap can be seen beginning this week as the Bassmaster Classic kicks off on Lake Guntersville February 21 - 23, 2014 along with daily weigh-ins occurring at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Center. Also visit River2Sea at the Bassmaster Classic Expo in booth 5015, also at the BJCC all three days of the show.
LAMAR UNIVERSITY WINS FLW COLLEGE FISHING SOUTHERN CONFERENCE EVENT ON TOLEDO BEND
Winter Storm Will Affect Fishing For Sc Bfl Opener On Lake Murray Saturday
Having almost recovered from the mid-January winter storm that brought freezing temperatures and several inches of snow to the South Carolina Midlands, Lake Murray was on the cusp of breaking wide open with the bass moving up to spawn.
The winning team in the Carolina Bass Challenge Team Tournament last Saturday weighed in a limit at just under 24 pounds and the top seven teams had more than 20 pounds. The 8th place team of Lake Murray veterans Greg Rikard and Eddie Herlong just missed that mark with a limit that weighed 19.78 pounds.
“The fish have been biting and there was a lot of good quality fish weighed in,” said Rikard. “But I don't see that happening this weekend.”
The opening tournament of the 2014 season for the South Carolina Division of the Walmart Bass Fishing League is scheduled for Lake Murray this Saturday, but the winter weather is expected to put a chill on the bite Rikard said.
The Palmetto State is in the midst of three days of sub-freezing temperatures with up to 6 inches of snow, sleet and freezing rain falling across the region. The combination of winter precipitation is so bad that Gov. Nikki Haley has declared a state of emergency and law enforcement agencies are warning residents to stay home and off the icy roads.
The storm is expected to pass by Friday, with sunshine and warmer temperatures returning, but that probably won't be enough to restore the pre-spawn bite to last week's level by Saturday, Rikard said.
“The water temperature ranged from 48 to 51 degrees last weekend, but this weather system is bound to cool the water down,” he said. “The fish are wanting to come up and there are some fish that are up. There are a lot of fish in between and people are still catching some deep. They are in all aspects of the pre-spawn as far as staging.”
Rikard said that when the bass do decide to commit to the shallow water they usually stay shallow, but he doesn't think the ones that were moving shallow had reached that point.
“They are in the vicinity, but not committed. I think this weather will push those fish back,” he said
“As far as the weights go, this is still Lake Murray, so I believe it will take 21 pounds to win Saturday. But I don't think those weights will hold up very deep in the field. If the weather had remained stable like it was last weekend, I think the weights would be outstanding.”
In the 13 years he has fished the South Carolina Division, Rikard has nine Top 10 finishes in the points, including 1st in 2011. He finished second in the points in the South Carolina Division in 2013 and finished second in the Regional championship last year on Lake Guntersville. He also qualified for the All-American for the fifth time. His best finish in the All-American was 4th in 2008 on Lake Hamilton in Arkansas.
“I look forward to making another run at the division title,” he said, noting it all starts Saturday on Lake Murray.
“Lake Murray is my home lake, but this time of year how you do is all weather related,” he said. “You can't win the points on the first tournament, but you sure can lose it by not doing well. You have to have your A-Game all year long.”
Walmart BFL South Carolina Division
Sat, Feb 15, 2014
Lake Murray
Dreher Island State Park
Ac Pro Staffer Rob Digh Weighs In On This Winters Effects On Tournaments And Baits You Have To Throw!
AC Pro Staffer Rob Digh gives us some great winter weather baits plus his take on the Classic and the CXL of the CBC on Lake Wylie this weekend!!
Weather Getting Right Just In Time For Texas Team Trail Opener On Rayburn Saturday
Winter weather that brought snow and ice to Southeast Texas has played havoc with recent bass tournaments on Sam Rayburn Lake, but that could change for the better for the Texas Team Tournament series opener there this Saturday.
In late January the second day of competition in the Rayovac FLW Series Texas Division was canceled due to unsafe weather conditions. For the Walmart Bass Fishing League Cowboy Division tournament last Saturday the water temperature was down to 45 degrees – the coldest it has been in years. Anglers in both tournaments had one word for the fishing – “tough.”
“The weights in the Rayovac tournament were way down from what you would typically expect this time of year,” said Mike Hastings, Texas Team Trail Tournament Director, who noted that more sleet and snow were being dumped on the lake this week.
But that might not be the tournament killer it could be this time of year, Hastings said.
“What has us encouraged going into our event is that we are going to have a two-day warming trend,” he said. “Thursday and Friday are going to be warm and the weather stable, and that is going to continue through our tournament on Saturday.”
That means, Hastings said, some big catches are expected in the Texas Team opener Saturday.
“It's pre-spawn and historically on Rayburn that is usually a lipless crankbait, Chatterbait and Slim Jig type bite. A lot of the anglers will be targeting submerged vegetation.”
Hastings said he expects a lot of anglers to spend a good part of their fishing time casting lipless crankbaits and in the tournament last year about this time Slim Jigs and vibrating lures like the Chatterbait play a big role.
“This is our third season and we are expecting a full field of 225 teams,” he said.
A major attraction for the anglers is the fact that all the tournaments are nationally televised, with the programs also airing on a lot of local networks, so there is a tremendous amount of exposure.
“It's all made possible by the sponsors and you can go to the website to see the complete list,” he said. “They are all important to us. Cabers is our title sponsor and we also have tremendous support from Ranger, Triton and Stratos. Evinrude is also a major sponsor.”
To fish the series each angler must pay a $30 membership fee, then each team pays a $250 entry fee to fish each tournament. The Texas Team Trail Anglers Advantage Program also allows each team, for an additional $100 entry, to compete in an additional payout bracket, with a $100 percent payback.
“A fully-rigged boat is guaranteed for first place at every tournament,” Hastings said. “That is a boat, motor, trailer and electronics, ready to fish. At the championship, two fully-rigged boats are guaranteed, one for first place and one for second place.”
Anglers who pre-register online get an additional bonus – practice time. If they are registered online before midnight Thursday they are allowed to pre-fish on Friday.
The complete schedule for the 2014 season includes: February 15, Sam Rayburn Lake, Registration 3-7 p.m. on Friday, Umphrey Pavilion, Hwy 255, Brookeland, TX (http://www.visitlakesamrayburn.com/umphreypavilion.html); March 15, Ray Roberts Lake, Registration 4-7 p.m. on Friday, March 14, Elks Lodge, 1601 Marina Circle, Sanger, TX
(http://www.elks.org/lodges/contactus.cfm?LodgeNumber=2862); April 12, Lake Texoma, Registration 4-7 p.m. Friday, April 11, Highpoint Marina, 120 Texoma Harbor Dr, Pottsboro, TX, (http://www.highport.com); May 3, Lake Livingston, Registration 4-7 p.m. on Friday, May 2, Waterfront Lodge, 371 Navaho Trail, Onalaska, TX (http://www.thewaterfrontlodge.com); and the Championship, June 7-8, Toledo Bend Reservoir, Registration 4-7 p.m. on Friday, June 6, Big Bass Marina, 363 Big Bass Lane, Many, LA, (http://www.bigbassmarina.com).
Texas Team Trail
Sat, Feb 15, 2014
Sam Rayburn Reservoir
Umphrey Family Pavilion
Call 210-788-4143
Cody Meyer Places 5th in FLW Tour on Okeechobee; Reveals HOT Flippin' Technique!
FLW Tour pro Cody Meyer placed 5th in the recent FLW Tour season-opener on Lake Okeechobee and he did so on the strength of the sasuteki rig. Meyer used a Zappu Sasuteki Weight on the bottom - that's right, the bottom - of a Jackall Sasuteki Craw to get into thick mats with a lighter lure package. Hear him tell how he did it. While not exactly brand new, this technique hasn't quite caught on. But it will. Be the first among your bassin' buddies to pick up the sasuteki rig.
Chilled Water From Winter Storm Could Help Lucky Team In Cbc-Nc Opener On Wylie
Hunter Hicks and Mike Stephens won the SC Division tourney last year on Wylie
The second winter storm in two weeks is expected to dump a half-foot of snow and ice on the Lake Wylie, S.C, area Tuesday and Wednesday, which is likely to make water temperatures plunge by the launch of the Carolina Bass Challenge North Carolina Division opener Saturday – but that might be a good thing for a few lucky anglers.
“Fishing is expected to be tough Saturday, with all the snow we've had,” said CBC Coordinator Brett Collins. “Water temperatures more than likely will fall, but that also tends to group the bass up and if one of our teams finds the right group it will pay off in a huge way.”
Collins noted that there have been two bass over 8 pounds weighed in at local tournaments in the past couple of weeks.
“We can expect to see some fish at least in the 5-pound range. Most would say 18 pounds would win the tournament and that's about right for early February,” he said.
“The Alabama Rig is still catching fish and small crankbaits such as a ShadRap are productive. 'Bumping,' or hopping a spoon will find the groups of bass in deeper water,” Collins said.
“This is our first NC CBC Division qualifier. We will launch out of Ebenezer Park,” Collins said. “We expect over 175 teams as Wylie usually has a high turnout”
He added that the famous Skeeter Beans will be served to the anglers at weigh-in.
“We have five North Carolina Qualifiers scheduled and to make the NC Championship a team has to enter three of the NC Qualifiers. As in the past, we take all the teams from the South Carolina and North Carolina Championships to the two-day Classic. The dates and locations for the Championships and Classic will be announced very soon.”
There have been some changes in requirements for the anglers, he noted.
“We now have a single-file blast-off to reduce the tricky situations that can arise at a blast-off with a large number of boats. And we no longer take entry fees at the ramp. All teams must be paid by the Wednesday before each event.”
Collins suggested anglers check out the CBC website (www.carolinasbasschallenge.com) where the requirements and payouts are posted. Each angler must pay an annual $50 membership and teams pay a $200 entry for each tournament. The guaranteed purse for each tournament is $8,000 with an additional $5,000 to the top finishing Skeeter/Yamaha owner who participates in all 2014 CBC events.
Top prize at both the North Carolina and South Carolina championships is a Skeeter TZX190/150 with a Yamaha 150. First prize in the 2014 CBC Classic will be a Skeeter ZX200/200 Yamaha SHO.
The 2014 CBC schedule includes: North Carolina Division: Lake Wylie, Feb. 15; Lake Norman, March 22; High Rock, April 12; Lake Hickory, May 17; Falls Lake, June 7. South Carolina Division: Lake Murray, Feb. 8; Lake Wylie, March 1; Lake Wateree, March 29; Santee Cooper, April 19; and Lake Hartwell, May 10.
For more information, contact Al Odom of Chapin, S.C., Administrator, 803-429-1784, [email protected], or Brett Collins of Ridgeway, S.C., Coordinator, 803-413-7521, [email protected].
Carolinas Bass Challenge - North Carolina Division
Sat, Feb 15, 2014
Lake Wylie
Buster Boyd Access Area
Call Brett Collins 803-413-7521
www.carolinasbasschallenge.com
Whoever Wins 2014 Bassmaster Classic Will Find Lake Guntersville At Its Toughest
Who will win the 44th annual Bassmaster Classic Feb. 21-23 on Alabama's famed Lake Guntersville?
Will it be 2012 Classic Champion Chris Lane, who lives at Guntersville where the Classic boats will launch, one of eight Alabama anglers in the field? Or four-time Classic runner-up Aaron Martens, who lives in Birmingham, little more than an hour's drive away, where the weigh-ins will be held?
Perhaps Auburn, Calif., Bassmaster Elite Series pro Skeet Reese who reigns as the most recent champ of a Bassmaster pro-level tournament on the big Tennessee River impoundment in northeastern Alabama. That win was in May 2010, when he busted the 100-pound mark — always a milestone in a four-day Elite Series event.
How about venerable pro Rick Clunn of Ada, Mo., who won the first of his record four Classic titles in the only other Classic held on Guntersville – in November of 2976. Could he find that Classic magic one more time on the lake where he began that record run of titles?
Whoever wins it will likely have to fish Guntersville at its toughest, said North Alabama fishing guide and tournament angler Brent Crowe of Hartselle, Ala.
“It's tough, super tough. There were 200 boats in the Alabama Bass Trail Team Tournament Saturday and 80 had zeros.”
But, he added, Guntersville isn't famous for no reason. The winner had 32 pounds.
“That tells you that no matter how tough it is on Guntersville somebody is going to catch them. Second place had 29 pounds and third had 26 pounds. The fish are there – somebody is always going to catch a big bag.”
The problem on Guntersville right now is the frigid winter weather, Crowe said, and the big question for the Classic anglers is whether the weather will stay wintry or let a little early springtime warming trend ease things up a little.
“The problem was the water temperature was 36-37-38 degrees. We had that freeze and I've never seen so much ice on Guntersville. There were creeks where the back quarter was solid ice, inch-thick ice. I'd never seen ice like that, never that much. It finally melted this week.”
But that was not the end of winter weather woes for Guntersville, Crowe said.
“We had a major rain Sunday night and then Tuesday we had another bunch of rain, so now we've got muddy water. It's flowing and it's still cold. The last two weeks fishing has been as tough on Guntersville as it's going to get.”
Weather prospects for the Classic are not very promising, Crowe said.
“The 10-day forecast shows highs in the 40s and lows in the 20s for the most part. If the water temperature gets up to the mid-40s everybody will catch them, but if it stays 41-42 degrees there will be some fish caught, but it just won't be wide open.”
Based on his more than 25 years of experience and from talking to other anglers, Crowe said the usual baits and patterns for winter fishing on Guntersville will probably prevail in the Classic.
“Rattle baits, little square-billed crankbaits, jerkbaits and a jig, that's what it always is. If you can find some green grass that will really help,” he said.
The key will be to find a productive spot and stick with it, Crowe said.
“The fish in Guntersville live in the same place all the time. You just have to make them bite. The people who did well in the Alabama Bass Trail Team Tournament that I talked to had one spot, one little stretch to fish and that was it.”
Even with Guntersville primed to fish as tough as it ever has, Crowe said it will probably take 20 pounds a day to win.
“No matter what the conditions are, it's going to take that much weight,” he said.
Brent Crowe, a FLW Tour and Series veteran and the 2012 Top Rod Solo Trail Angler of the Year, is a United States Coast Guard Licensed guide on Guntersville, Wheeler, Wilson, Pickwick and Smith Lakes. He can be reached at 256-466-9965 orwww.northalabamabass.com.
2014 Bassmaster Classic Preview
Feb 21-23, 2014
Lake Guntersville
City Harbor, Guntersville, AL
Brett Hite Wins FLW Tour season-opener on Lake Okeechobee!
Watch Greg Bohannan capture a short-lived lead before Brett Hite weigh-ins his winning fish. Hite tell us how he managed to dominate a field of 178 pros for 4 consecutive days on the 'Big O'.
Texas Bass Couples Battle Tough Conditions On Opening Weekend At Lake Dunlap
Texas Bass Couples
South Central Division
01-25-14
First let me welcome all of the returning couples and also welcome the new couples to this fishing season with the Texas Bass Couples.
It was cold to start the first tournament but once the sun came out it wasn’t so bad. We had 7 couples fish on opening day and this was the way it turned out. The total weights were with the bonus points added.
1. Brett Smith/ Sarah Barry 2 fish total 9.34lbs. big bass 4.15lbs. 100pts.
2. Leonard/Jan Philipp 3 fish total 7.37lbs. 99pts.
3. David Jara/Amy 2 fish total 5.23lbs. 98pts.
4. Mike/Noel Buck 2 fish total 2.34lbs. 97pts.
5. Steve/Joann Lopez 1fish total 1.19lbs. 96pts.
6. Eddie/Maggie McKinnis 1 fish total 1.17lbs. 95pts.
7. Kenneth Staats/Dawn Frederiksen 1 fish total 1.07lbs. 94pts.
New Ranger Pro Skeet Reese Joins Us For His Bassmaster Classic Preview
New Ranger Pro SKeet Resse joins us at the Anglers Choice Marine Open House to catch up on being a part of the Ranger Family as well as getting ready for this years Classic on Guntersville!! His preview includes exactly what he thinks you will have to weigh-in each day to win this years premier bass fishing event!
Anglers Choice Marine TT 2014 Preview with Director Chris Lucas
Anglers Choice Marine Team Trail Director Chris Lucas gets us ready for what promises to be one heck of a season in 2014 when they kick off at Smith Mtn Lake on March 8th! Bigger paybacks and with divisions in North Carolina and Virginia, there are plenty of Lakes for anglers to choose from plus the chance to fish for a brand new Ranger boat pkg at the Championship this fall!
Hardwick and William Win the CBC SC Div Event on Murray with 23.67 worth $10,000
The 2014 CBC kicked off year 3 with 166 teams showing up for what turned out to be a great opening day tournament on Lake Murray. Thomas Hardwick and Tommy William held on by not quite a 1/2 Lb to take home the $10,000 1st place prize. Murray is fishing well for early Feb with 32 bags of 15 Lbs or greater. Here is a picture of the Champs with full results below. Congrats to all the anglers who came out and caught some of these great Lake Murray bass
| Place | Team Name | Team # | Fish Weighed | Net Weight | Big Fish | Points | Winnings |
| 1 | Thomas Hardwick - Tommy William | 127 | 5 | 23.670 | 0.000 | 310 | $10,000 |
| 2 | Cole Winn - Lee Sawyer | 92 | 5 | 23.250 | 7.280 | 309 | $5,000 |
| 3 | Tony Jackson - Clint Jackson | 99 | 5 | 20.650 | 0.000 | 308 | $3,500 |
| 4 | Charlie Sansbury - Kevin Banks | 100 | 5 | 20.540 | 8.040 | 307 | $2,200 |
| 5 | Eddie Smith - Michael Carson | 95 | 5 | 20.240 | 0.000 | 306 | $1,700 |
| 6 | Bobby Stanfill - Chip Grice | 40 | 5 | 20.150 | 7.520 | 305 | $1,200 |
| 7 | Kevin Ashley - Keith Ashley | 37 | 5 | 20.090 | 5.680 | 304 | $1,000 |
| 8 | Greg Rikard - Eddie Herlong | 121 | 5 | 19.780 | 0.000 | 303 | $900 |
| 9 | Chris Sample - Charles Wilkie | 65 | 5 | 19.390 | 0.000 | 302 | $800 |
| 10 | Jeff Horton - Eddie Belcher | 52 | 5 | 19.300 | 6.220 | 301 | $750 |
| 11 | Chris Hawkins - Davey Thomas | 135 | 5 | 19.100 | 7.260 | 300 | $625 |
| 12 | Joseph Toth - Daniel Grassi | 118 | 5 | 18.630 | 0.000 | 299 | $550 |
| 13 | Mike Brehm - Craig Rozema | 89 | 4 | 18.250 | 7.900 | 298 | $525 |
| 14 | Bradford Beavers - Dwight Beavers | 1 | 5 | 18.060 | 0.000 | 297 | $500 |
| 15 | Toby Keisler - Joel Watts | 43 | 5 | 18.000 | 5.710 | 296 | $475 |
| 16 | Paul Selle - Parker Miller | 41 | 5 | 17.800 | 0.000 | 295 | $450 |
| 17 | Kevin Fulmer - Mark Richardson | 34 | 5 | 17.760 | 0.000 | 294 | $380 |
| 18 | Reggie O'Brian - Pat O'Brian | 139 | 5 | 17.550 | 7.170 | 293 | $330 |
| 19 | Clay Riddle - Dave Franklin | 76 | 5 | 17.260 | 0.000 | 292 | $320 |
| 20 | Roger Medlock - Todd Lawrence | 142 | 5 | 17.210 | 0.000 | 291 | $300 |
| 21 | Gary Michaud - Doc McDaniel | 114 | 5 | 17.200 | 0.000 | 290 | $280 |
| 22 | Buddy Walden - Troy Lytle | 141 | 5 | 17.140 | 0.000 | 289 | $265 |
| 23 | Mack Cook - Patrick Cook | 55 | 5 | 17.130 | 0.000 | 288 | $250 |
| 24 | Ronnie Mueller - Wayne Frierson | 66 | 5 | 17.020 | 0.000 | 287 | $240 |
| 25 | Howard Stephens - Mark McCormic | 4 | 5 | 16.720 | 0.000 | 286 | $230 |
| 26 | Roger Pope - Bryan LeFever | 47 | 5 | 16.140 | 0.000 | 285 | $220 |
| 27 | Mike Stephens - Zack Davis | 70 | 5 | 16.130 | 0.000 | 284 | $210 |
| 28 | Travis Parrish - Sean Hall | 150 | 4 | 16.010 | 0.000 | 283 | |
| 29 | Keith Porter - Jason Threat | 72 | 5 | 15.960 | 0.000 | 282 | |
| 30 | David Kneece - Terry Thomas | 53 | 5 | 15.470 | 0.000 | 281 | |
| 31 | Johnny Houser - Deron Donohoo | 15 | 5 | 15.150 | 0.000 | 280 | |
| 32 | Craig Chambers - Scott Hamrick | 60 | 5 | 15.010 | 0.000 | 279 | |
| 33 | Josh McGregor - Randall Drigger | 42 | 5 | 14.580 | 0.000 | 278 | |
| 34 | Neil Huffstetler - Ben Lee | 106 | 5 | 14.400 | 0.000 | 277 | |
| 35 | Michael Richardson - John Pelin | 163 | 4 | 14.370 | 0.000 | 276 | |
| 36 | Eric Grigg - Marc Grigg | 104 | 5 | 14.330 | 0.000 | 275 | |
| 37 | James Bond - Daniel Hill | 91 | 5 | 14.280 | 0.000 | 274 | |
| 38 | David Wiggins - Alex Zipperian | 134 | 5 | 14.020 | 0.000 | 273 | |
| 39 | Dennis Reedy - Jeffrey Thomas | 85 | 4 | 13.990 | 0.000 | 272 | |
| 40 | Patrick Walters - Todd Walters | 14 | 4 | 13.830 | 4.760 | 271 | |
| 41 | David Williams - Gerald William | 67 | 5 | 13.390 | 0.000 | 270 | |
| 42 | Chris Morris - Brian Upton | 108 | 3 | 12.560 | 6.710 | 269 | |
| 43 | Donald Poteat - Johnny Allen | 75 | 3 | 12.250 | 0.000 | 268 | |
| 44 | Ross Burns - Odom Dane | 159 | 5 | 11.980 | 0.000 | 267 | |
| 45 | Terry Morris - Kevin Rake | 133 | 5 | 11.860 | 0.000 | 266 | |
| 46 | Bill Grier - Robbie Byrum | 152 | 4 | 11.690 | 0.000 | 265 | |
| 47 | Will Dickens - Audi Epps | 71 | 4 | 11.620 | 0.000 | 264 | |
| 48 | Wyatt Gwyn - Ryan Bear | 123 | 3 | 11.610 | 0.000 | 263 | |
| 49 | Shannon Jordan - Shawn Jordan | 58 | 4 | 11.570 | 0.000 | 262 | |
| 50 | Nathan Burgess - Brent Riley | 68 | 4 | 11.310 | 0.000 | 261 | |
| 51 | Sean Skey - Sandy Sanders | 12 | 5 | 11.200 | 0.000 | 260 | |
| 52 | Wesley Cashwell - Shane Doughti | 146 | 4 | 11.130 | 0.000 | 259 | |
| 53 | David Wright - Jeff Coble | 46 | 5 | 11.100 | 0.000 | 258 | |
| 54 | Conrad Bolt - George Parker | 10 | 4 | 11.070 | 0.000 | 257 | |
| 55 | Michael Murphy - Kevin Sanders | 131 | 4 | 11.010 | 0.000 | 256 | |
| 56 | Chris Langley - Greg Sigmon | 116 | 3 | 11.000 | 0.000 | 255 | |
| 57 | Grady Melton - Billy Rochester | 69 | 3 | 10.650 | 0.000 | 254 | |
| 58 | Ronald Moss - Justin Harvey | 83 | 3 | 10.500 | 0.000 | 253 | |
| 59 | Johnny Player - Robert Hall | 97 | 3 | 10.390 | 0.000 | 252 | |
| 60 | Grayson Mathis - Derek Schlotte | 86 | 4 | 10.330 | 0.000 | 251 | |
| 61 | Tracy Hewitt - Pete Brantley | 124 | 3 | 10.300 | 0.000 | 250 | |
| 62 | Larry Christopher - Chuck Hensl | 88 | 3 | 10.050 | 0.000 | 249 | |
| 63 | Chuck Howard - Ken Ellis | 130 | 3 | 9.970 | 0.000 | 248 | |
| 64 | Ed Mathews - Earl Purcell | 5 | 3 | 9.530 | 3.430 | 247 | |
| 65 | Jason Hadden - Norm Attaway | 156 | 2 | 9.400 | 0.000 | 246 | |
| 66 | Coy Watts - David Hutcherson | 20 | 4 | 9.320 | 0.000 | 245 | |
| 67 | Michael Fuller - Billy Collins | 87 | 3 | 9.160 | 0.000 | 244 | |
| 68 | Samuel Freeman - Jase Knight | 9 | 3 | 9.060 | 0.000 | 243 | |
| 69 | David Slaughter - Eddie Ballard | 16 | 3 | 8.970 | 0.000 | 242 | |
| 70 | Randy Mathis - Jody Jones | 122 | 3 | 8.820 | 0.000 | 241 | |
| 71 | Sean Anderson - George Berry | 125 | 4 | 8.810 | 0.000 | 240 | |
| 72 | O'Neal Johnston - Richard Brads | 30 | 4 | 8.800 | 0.000 | 239 | |
| 73 | Ronnie McCoy - Jason McCoy | 11 | 3 | 8.690 | 0.000 | 238 | |
| 74 | Rick McLean - Robert Ross | 3 | 4 | 8.090 | 0.000 | 237 | |
| 75 | Stanley Harkins - Gene Parker | 107 | 3 | 8.090 | 0.000 | 236 | |
| 76 | Wayne King - Max Terry | 165 | 2 | 7.780 | 0.000 | 235 | |
| 77 | Ray Dowey - Joey Outlaw | 7 | 3 | 7.750 | 0.000 | 234 | |
| 78 | Kenneth McFarland - Darryl Wats | 101 | 2 | 7.490 | 6.110 | 233 | |
| 79 | Robert Brown - Ron Brown | 117 | 3 | 7.070 | 0.000 | 232 | |
| 80 | Mickey Barnes - Hal Cercopely | 162 | 2 | 6.910 | 0.000 | 231 | |
| 81 | Jay Keith - Donald Hinson | 23 | 3 | 6.710 | 0.000 | 230 | |
| 82 | Miles Hair - Terry Tolar | 94 | 4 | 6.440 | 0.000 | 229 | |
| 83 | Jason Smith - Steve Blankinship | 109 | 2 | 6.160 | 0.000 | 228 | |
| 84 | Stan Gunter - Will Smith | 158 | 2 | 6.090 | 0.000 | 227 | |
| 85 | Eric Bozeman - Clint Proudfoot | 154 | 1 | 5.630 | 5.630 | 226 | |
| 86 | Jason Carleton - Jerry Uhrich | 48 | 2 | 5.470 | 0.000 | 225 | |
| 87 | Thomas Vickers - Brian Huskins | 32 | 2 | 5.460 | 0.000 | 224 | |
| 88 | Paul Gettys - Brandon Temples | 26 | 2 | 5.420 | 0.000 | 223 | |
| 89 | Tommy Floyd - Randy Welch | 18 | 1 | 5.310 | 5.310 | 222 | |
| 90 | Mark Swez - Lamar Williamson | 120 | 2 | 5.180 | 0.000 | 221 | |
| 91 | Randy Hall - David Wray | 2 | 2 | 5.010 | 0.000 | 220 | |
| 92 | John McKenzie - John Christian | 77 | 2 | 4.440 | 0.000 | 219 | |
| 93 | Todd Gambrell - Eddy Morgan | 19 | 2 | 4.410 | 0.000 | 218 | |
| 94 | Alan Fletcher - Danny Johnson | 103 | 2 | 4.060 | 0.000 | 217 | |
| 95 | Bernie Dreher - Les Westberry | 8 | 1 | 3.930 | 0.000 | 216 | |
| 96 | Ferris Jennings - Larry Michalec | 24 | 2 | 3.900 | 0.000 | 215 | |
| 97 | Jim Sims - Casey Logan | 105 | 1 | 3.570 | 3.570 | 214 | |
| 98 | Glenn Altman - Larry Parker | 147 | 1 | 3.180 | 0.000 | 213 | |
| 99 | Kiel Kelly - Chuck Whittaker | 29 | 1 | 3.050 | 0.000 | 212 | |
| 100 | John Sturkie - Calvin Hewitt | 143 | 1 | 2.960 | 0.000 | 211 | |
| 101 | Jeremy Johnson - Harry Johnson | 164 | 1 | 2.700 | 0.000 | 210 | |
| 102 | Kevin Driggers - Freddie Gamble | 157 | 1 | 2.390 | 0.000 | 209 | |
| 103 | John Branstetter - Troy Buffing | 59 | 1 | 2.320 | 2.320 | 208 | |
| 104 | Chris Spencer - Danny Spencer | 82 | 1 | 2.320 | 0.000 | 207 | |
| 105 | Shane Lineberger - Anthony John | 84 | 1 | 2.290 | 2.290 | 206 | |
| 106 | Shane Suddeth - Fred Moore | 119 | 1 | 1.830 | 0.000 | 205 | |
| 107 | Spencer McCrary - Steve Borton | 56 | 1 | 1.510 | 0.000 | 204 | |
| 108 | Daniel Jordan - Lyn Langston | 6 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 203 | |
| 109 | Philip Burns - Todd Burns | 13 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 202 | |
| 110 | Anthony Marks - Joe Marks | 17 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 201 | |
| 111 | Billy Morris - Gary Angel | 21 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 200 | |
| 112 | Brad Nappier - Nathan Luke | 22 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 199 | |
| 113 | Jerry Freezon - Jason Miles | 25 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 198 | |
| 114 | Tracy Schiff - David Few | 27 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 197 | |
| 115 | Jimmy Stroud - Kirk Crump | 28 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 196 | |
| 116 | Daniel O'Brian - Rob Thames | 31 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 195 | |
| 117 | Ryan Sprayberry - Wendell Cause | 33 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 194 | |
| 118 | David Teel - Chris Ramsey | 35 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 193 | |
| 119 | Dell Burns - Mel Staggs | 36 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 192 | |
| 120 | Randy Morrison - Johnny Bihlear | 38 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 191 | |
| 121 | Beau Dixon - Andy Sease | 39 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 190 | |
| 122 | Phillip Mays - Jonathan Crossland | 44 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 189 | |
| 123 | John Johnston - Steve Lowder | 45 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 188 | |
| 124 | Tim Harmon | 49 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 187 | |
| 125 | Johnny Johnson - Ron Carson | 50 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 186 | |
| 126 | Todd Garner - Shane Hartman | 51 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 185 | |
| 127 | Tom hucks - Chris Boehme | 54 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 184 | |
| 128 | John Gutierrez - Rodney Tapp | 57 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 183 | |
| 129 | Frederick Clements - Dusty Rhoa | 61 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 182 | |
| 130 | Jerry Montjoy - Brett Mitchell | 62 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 181 | |
| 131 | Glenn Gentry - Tommy Purvis | 63 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 180 | |
| 132 | Thad Driggers - Robert Carter | 64 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 179 | |
| 133 | Jason Frye - Kyle Yandle | 73 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 178 | |
| 134 | Perry Wycuff - Dan Lowe | 74 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 177 | |
| 135 | TIm DePriest - Chris Blanchette | 78 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 176 | |
| 136 | Marc Deschenes - Ray Walsh | 79 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 175 | |
| 137 | Rodney Cromer | 80 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 174 | |
| 138 | Alton Rockett - Brandon Earls | 81 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 173 | |
| 139 | Patrick Tierney - Todd Auten | 90 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 172 | |
| 140 | Danny Mitchell - Jody Cline | 93 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 171 | |
| 141 | Larry Avins - Joe Avin | 96 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 170 | |
| 142 | Thomas Richmond - Artie Phillip | 98 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 169 | |
| 143 | Chris Dover - Chad Lail | 102 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 168 | |
| 144 | Phil Morris - Don Kneece | 110 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 167 | |
| 145 | Kenny Brice - Horace Morris | 111 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 166 | |
| 146 | Eddie Williams - Carl Williams | 112 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 165 | |
| 147 | Thomas King - Clayton King | 113 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 164 | |
| 148 | Andrew Boykin - Chris Anderson | 115 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 163 | |
| 149 | Chris Marshall - Ronnie Wilson | 126 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 162 | |
| 150 | Chad Sinclair - Caleb Conner | 128 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 161 | |
| 151 | Russ Padgett - Meredith Havird | 129 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 160 | |
| 152 | Robby Hipps - Rodney Chastain | 132 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 159 | |
| 153 | John Ellender - Tina Ellender | 136 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 158 | |
| 154 | Robert Braxton - Joe Braxton | 137 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 157 | |
| 155 | Chad Hastings - Dan Whitehouse | 138 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 156 | |
| 156 | Larry Moss - JB Wicker | 140 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 155 | |
| 157 | John Paul George - Eric Weir | 144 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 154 | |
| 158 | Andy Wicker - Steve Wicker | 145 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 153 | |
| 159 | Chris Epting - Johnny Mayer | 148 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 152 | |
| 160 | Josh Rennebaum - Hampton Anders | 149 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 151 | |
| 161 | Robert Guest - David Heatherly | 151 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 150 | |
| 162 | Robert Fowler - John Parker | 153 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 149 | |
| 163 | Bryan Frazer - William Frazer | 155 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 148 | |
| 164 | Charlie Smith | 160 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 147 | |
| 165 | Tim Jones - Chris Bennett | 161 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 146 | |
| 166 | Chad Hamm - Hans Cansler | 166 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 145 |
Young Edges Browning By An Ounce At Amistad Open
The best he could do ended up being a 13-pound, 10-ounce limit that gave Young the winning total of 39-6. While Allen caught only one keeper and dropped to third place with 37-12, Browning caught the heaviest limit of the day (14-6) and climbed into second with 39-5.
“This is a lifelong dream,” said Young of his victory and qualifying for the 2015 Bassmaster Classic if he fishes the two remaining Central Opens. “I have been telling all my friends back home that I am living a dream, and I am afraid someone is going to pinch me and wake me up.” Young also won the top prize of a Triton/Mercury rig worth $40,000 and $7,083 in cash.
The Minnetonka Lake guide made his dream come true on Saturday by catching three of his biggest fish on a Hog Farmer Bait Company Alabama Rig adorned with Big Bite Baits Cane Thumpers. He caught his other two keepers on a drop shot rig with a Biovex Kolt Fish Tail. He fished the Alabama rig 12 to 15 feet deep and the drop shot 21 to 25 feet deep along rocky humps and points.
Browning followed up a tough first day with a 20-14 limit the second day to jump back into contention. “I had two stinking bites after Day 1, and I didn’t tuck my tail and run,” the Bassmaster Elite Series pro said.
The Arkansas competitor caught all of his keepers on an Alabama rig with Z-Man ElaZtech DieZel Minnowz on main lake flats 35 to 45 feet deep. “I was throwing it out and waiting for it to hit bottom and then just really slow reeling it,” he said. “I think the key for me was using 20-pound Gamma Fluorocarbon rather than braided line like I usually do.”
Rounding out the Top 5 in the pro division were Cody Ryan Greaney of Texas in fourth place with 34-3 and Jordan Lee of Alabama in fifth with 31-9,
Texas angler Joe Lee caught a three-fish 6-13 limit to win the co-angler division with 26-1. He took home a Skeeter/Yamaha rig valued at $25,000. All of Lee’s keepers bit either a Texas-rigged Zoom Trick Worm or a finesse worm on a drop shot rig.
Another highlight of this tournament featured Jordan Lee and Matt Lee competing in the pro division Top 12 on the final day. The two brothers both fished for the Auburn University team and gained valuable tournament experience in the Carhartt College Series.
Allen earned the Carhartt Big Bass award of $500 for catching the largest bass (10 pounds, 1 ounce) of the event.
Winning the Livingston Lures Leader Award of $250 for finishing as the top pro on Day 2 was Allen. The Day 2 leader on the co-angler side, Joe Lee, earned a Livingston Lures gift pack worth $250.
The angler who advances the most places up the leaderboard from Day 1 to Day 2 receives the “Allstate Good Hands, Great Day” award. Pro division angler Jason Lieblong of Conway, Ark., picked up $250 by jumping 94 places from 121 to 27. Co-angler Jonathan McDougald of New England, Ark., took home $150 by climbing 63 places from 83 to 20.
Toyota Bonus Bucks paid $1,500 to Young, who was the highest placing eligible pro angler entrant and $1,000 to the second highest placing pro, Browning. On the co-angler side, the top eligible entrant received $300, and the second highest placing eligible co-angler gets $150.
2014 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open 2/6-2/8
Lake Amistad, Del Rio, Texas
(BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Andy Young Mound, MN 14 39-06 200 $47,083.00
Day 1: 5 12-01 Day 2: 4 13-11 Day 3: 5 13-10
2. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 12 39-05 199 $16,821.00
Day 1: 2 04-01 Day 2: 5 20-14 Day 3: 5 14-06
3. Randy Allen Shreveport, LA 11 37-12 198 $13,366.00
Day 1: 5 18-00 Day 2: 5 18-03 Day 3: 1 01-09
4. Cody Ryan Greaney Manchaca, TX 14 34-03 197 $11,288.00
Day 1: 5 15-03 Day 2: 4 07-11 Day 3: 5 11-05
5. Jordan Lee Vinemont, AL 15 31-09 196 $9,849.00
Day 1: 5 11-10 Day 2: 5 11-11 Day 3: 5 08-04
6. Carl Jocumsen Queensland AUSTRALIA 10 30-06 195 $8,411.00
Day 1: 2 03-09 Day 2: 5 15-02 Day 3: 3 11-11
7. Matt Lee Auburn , AL 15 30-04 194 $7,083.00
Day 1: 5 10-04 Day 2: 5 10-14 Day 3: 5 09-02
8. Ray Hanselman Jr Del Rio, TX 15 29-12 193 $5,644.00
Day 1: 5 10-06 Day 2: 5 11-11 Day 3: 5 07-11
9. Dave Mansue Hemphill, TX 15 28-05 192 $4,205.00
Day 1: 5 09-06 Day 2: 5 09-05 Day 3: 5 09-10
10. Troy J Broussard Beaumont, TX 12 26-02 191 $3,873.00
Day 1: 5 12-13 Day 2: 3 06-06 Day 3: 4 06-15
11. Kurt Dove Del Rio, TX 12 26-00 190 $3,541.00
Day 1: 5 10-13 Day 2: 5 11-06 Day 3: 2 03-13
12. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 11 21-11 189 $3,320.00
Day 1: 5 11-12 Day 2: 5 08-05 Day 3: 1 01-10
CARHARTT BIG BASS
Randy Allen Shreveport, LA 10-01 $500.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 22 318 669-02
2 25 328 692-12
3 7 46 99-10
----------------------------------
54 692 1461-08
2014 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open 2/6-2/8
Lake Amistad, Del Rio, Texas
(NON_BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Joe Lee Grand Prairie, TX 8 26-01 200 $25,000.00
Day 1: 2 03-05 Day 2: 3 15-15 Day 3: 3 06-13
2. Bo Rhodes Flower Mound, TX 6 19-08 199 $5,423.00
Day 1: 1 01-11 Day 2: 3 14-03 Day 3: 2 03-10
3. William Oshinn Granite Bay, CA 6 19-08 198 $4,095.00
Day 1: 2 04-15 Day 2: 3 12-05 Day 3: 1 02-04
4. Drake W Wehrs Truth Consq, NM 7 18-03 197 $2,767.00
Day 1: 3 10-10 Day 2: 1 01-13 Day 3: 3 05-12
5. Brendan Kennell Del Rio, TX 5 18-03 196 $2,545.00
Day 1: 3 06-05 Day 2: 1 08-09 Day 3: 1 03-05
6. Steven W Hupp Tucson, AZ 5 16-13 195 $2,435.00
Day 1: 2 05-00 Day 2: 1 07-00 Day 3: 2 04-13
7. Jimmy Patterson Amarillo, TX 8 16-12 194 $2,324.00
Day 1: 3 07-15 Day 2: 2 02-13 Day 3: 3 06-00
8. Derrek Stewart Venice, CA 8 15-12 193 $2,213.00
Day 1: 3 05-03 Day 2: 2 03-14 Day 3: 3 06-11
9. Shawn Carnahan Gilbert, AZ 5 13-13 192 $2,103.00
Day 1: 2 04-11 Day 2: 1 06-02 Day 3: 2 03-00
10. Mike Briseno Elgin, TX 5 12-12 191 $1,881.00
Day 1: 3 08-02 Day 2: 1 02-05 Day 3: 1 02-05
11. Pig Savario Prairieville, LA 5 11-06 190 $1,660.00
Day 1: 2 05-03 Day 2: 3 06-03 Day 3: 0 00-00
12. Justin Hallmark Bertram, TX 4 09-01 189 $1,549.00
Day 1: 1 04-01 Day 2: 3 05-00 Day 3: 0 00-00
CARHARTT BIG BASS
Brendan Kennell Del Rio, TX 08-09 $0.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 18 144 283-02
2 13 123 264-01
3 4 21 44-09
----------------------------------
35 288 591-12
Hite still leads by a dozen pounds, Tharp still 2nd at FLW Tour kickoff on Okeechobee
A variety of techniques have come into play at this week's FLW Tour event on Lake Okeechobee. Anglers can fish most any style they like.
Brett Hite (74 pounds, 3 ounces total weight) has found a style he likes and says he is very comfortable. We'll find out all about his pattern tomorrow as the tournament concludes but for now Hite isn't saying much.
Randall Tharp(62 pounds, total) says he is also comfortable. He is 12 pounds, 3 ounces behind Hite heading into the final day, but Tharp actually caught more weigh than Hite today (16-02 to 15-12). That's the first time it has happened this week. Yesterday the two pretty well established the same pace so the difference has been Hite's heavy day 1 effort of 34-15 that put him over 11 pounds ahead of Tharp.
"I haven't caught a 30-pound bag since pratcice began," said Tharp with a nod to the long odds ahead of him tomorrow. But the lake has produced a sack of nearly 35 pounds, the very reason Hite has had this thing on cruise control for 3 straight days, and Tharp is a big bass specialist so Sunday's final round will be interesting.
Hate to paint this as a two-man race, but unless Hite - the only angler with a realistic chance to touch the century mark in this event - stumbles tomorrow, it may be a one-man race. Don't tell that to James Watson, in 3rd with 60-02.
Leon Williams (59-02) and Greg Bohannan (59-01) round out the top 5.
As usual in Florida, it's all about finding the right area more so than the right pattern. But once in the best neighborhood this week, anglers must also pick the right presentation. While they can catch bass on a variety of techniques, those who use the best approach have separated themselves. Hite would be the extreme example of this. Observers said they weren't sure what he was doing but that he was doing something different.
Billy DeHart of Burlingame, California won the co-angler title today. With a total weight of 48-11 he surpassed Tulsa, Oklahoma's Ken Coates by one skinny ounce.
DeHart caught many of his key fish on a white War Eagle spinnerbait with a dash of orange and chartreuse when the wind was blowing.
Hite Widens Gap, But Tharp Threatens at FLW Tour on Lake Okeechobee
VICIOUS VISION RIDES WITH KILGORE INTO THE CLASSIC
Vicious Vision adds a fourth 2014 Bassmaster Classic contender to their roster with the signing of David Kilgore. Kilgore qualified for the event by winning the B.A.S.S. Southern Open on Logan Martin last May. David is a perennial contender in the Southern Opens and has been invited to join the B.A.S.S. Elite Series Tour three times. Living about an hour from the lake, he brings a wealth of knowledge for the Guntersville-based Classic to be held February 21-23, 2014. Kilgore will be running a Vicious Vision wrapped boat in that event.
"When I talked to the guys at Vicious about their new line of sunglasses, I was immediately intrigued. After trying them, I knew I wanted to be a part of the team. In a game of ounces, these glasses could make the difference between seeing that one extra piece of cover or a slightly deeper weed line than some of the guys not using the Xperio UV technology. Everyone in this field can fish and is capable of winning this event, so you have to grab every advantage you can. I think these glasses are a true advantage and I can’t wait to get out there and prove it!” stated Kilgore.
“David has been fishing for the guys at Vicious Fishing for years, so when they brought David to me I was already confident in his ability. He is a known threat in that area -- especially on Guntersville. Every year he proves himself in the Southern Opens and we don’t expect him to do any less in 2014. Plus, we are very excited to have a boat wrapped in our brand going to the biggest stage in fishing, the Bassmaster Classic ,” boasted Dr. Doug Jordan, owner.
Allen Leads Frigid Bassmaster Open On Amistad
Randy Allen of Shreveport, La., takes the Day 1 lead in the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open presented by Allstate on Lake Amistad in Del Rio, Texas.
DEL RIO, Texas — Former Bassmaster Elite Series pro Randy Allen went into scramble mode to overcome a slow start and take the lead at the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open presented by Allstate at Lake Amistad.
The Shreveport, La., angler has a comfortable lead in the pro division after catching an 18-pound limit that included a 10-pound, 1-ounce largemouth.
“I knew that we could catch a big fish, but it is just luck of the draw on those big ones,” he said. “I knew that I was around some fish. I just had to keep throwing and hope for the best.”
Morning temperatures were so cold, ice developed in Allen’s rod guides, and he worried that his line might break.
“It kind of scared me this morning with the ice on my guides, especially when that big one got on,” he said. “My biggest fear was that the ice on the guides would cut the line. My hook was bent out, and my drag was frozen.”
He was finally able to steer the fish to his landing net. “The good Lord was with us so it worked out,” he said.
Everything worked out well for Allen, despite two days of practice in which he never got a bite. Through previous scouting trips, Allen had planned out a series of stops where he believed he would find bass.
“Today was just going on a milk run where I knew these fish were and trying to catch them,” said Allen, who didn’t catch a fish until after 10 a.m. “It was a nightmare trying to figure them out. It was just one here and one there. I would catch a couple and then not catch anything for an hour and half. Then I would catch two or three. I just had to hit 10 or 12 spots to get my limit.”
Fellow Louisiana angler Brent Bonadona also got off to a slow start but recovered to catch four keepers weighing 15-6 to move into second place. After fishing shallow until about noon and not catching a bass, Bonadona decided to work a jig 35 feet deep, and that paid off.
“I was actually hoping to go out and just catch a couple of keepers because it has been a rough practice,” he said. “The day went really well, and I exceeded everything I went out to do this morning.”
Rounding out the Top 5 in the pro division were Oklahoma angler Chris Jones in third place with 15-4; Cody Ryan Greaney of Texas, fourth, 15-3; and Troy Broussard of Texas, fifth, 12-13.
Union Pacific Railroad worker Drake Wehrs moved into first in the co-angler division with a three-fish limit weighing 10-10. The 23-year-old New Mexico angler said he would reveal what he caught his fish on at the Friday weigh-in.
“This is the first time I have ever done this (technique),” he said. “It wasn’t anything my partner showed me out there. I just picked it up and started doing it and caught the three keepers I had.”
Hosting the season-opening Central Open is the Del Rio Chamber of Commerce. Anglers will take off Friday and Saturday at 7:30 a.m. local time from Diablo East Marina, U.S. 90 West, Del Rio, Texas 78840. Weigh-ins will be held each day at the same location beginning at 3:30 p.m.
McMillan Latest Pro DQ'd by Revised FLW Rule #5
Brandon McMillan will miss the FLW Tour season-opener on his home water, Lake Okeechobee. Anthony Galiardi and Frank Clark were disqualified under the same revised rule (#5) that stung an unsuspecting McMillan. That brings the total to 3 DQ's under the rule - before the season has even begun.
FLW Tour pro Brandon McMillan and FLW Tour co-angler, Rayovac Series pro Cal Clark have practiced together for a couple of years
So neither man had any reservations about doing so for this week's seaon-opener on Okeechobee. After all, they were on the official roster, right? Both thought so.
It turns out that Clark was not officially entered, according to FLW officials. Hence, the disqualification of McMillan who, unwittingly, fished with an inelligible partner.
McMillan is trhe 3rd pro to be DQ'd from this week's tourney due to revisions FLW made to Rule #5. The pertinent text reads: "Thirty days prior to the first practice day pros are only permitted on tournament waters alone or accompanied by a contestant in the tournament, a member of their immediate family (mother, father, brother, sister, son, daughter, grandparent, grandchild or spouse), approved sponsor representatives, approved youth age 18 or younger or approved media representatives. With prior approval from the tournament director, pros may participate in FLW, B.A.S.S. Elite Series, B.A.S.S. Opens, PAA and other pro/am tournaments featuring random partner draws within the 30-day window."
Apparently, Clark had not paid his entire entry fee. But McMillan is paying a huge price. Which leads to the obvious question, 'is there something the FLW organization can do, or should do, to prevent such unfortunate situations from arizing in the future?'
These recent developments will certainly lead some pros to stop practicing with anybody. That causes access problems for co-anglers who want to get out and see how the lake is fishing. Also, having a practice partner can help a pro cut dowm on expenses if expenses are shared between the two anglers.
Any solution will come too late to help McMillan and other anglers affected by the rule change.
Our friends at BassFan.com wrote an in-depth article on this situation - read it here: http://bassfan.com/news_article.asp?ID=4776#.UvO9LrQl9vQ
Lowrance wraps-up Ish Monroe
Along with his promotional responsibilities, Monroe will once again be fishing two tours in 2014.
The work starts today, and as he slides his Ranger Z520c / Yamaha 250 SHO into the waters of Lake Okeechobee today for the first day of competition for the 2014 FLW Tour opener, it will be emblazoned in the colors of Lowrance.
Monroe will be running two boats again this season, and Lowrance and their Insight Genesis mapping products have partnered with Monroe as his title sponsor for the 2014 FLW Tour.
Lowrance has been a large part of Monroe's career successes, and he has always been known as one of the first anglers to utilize every technological advantage when it comes to research of the water; so it was a perfect fit to combine Lowrance and Insight Genesis as his FLW Tour branding.
"I wouldn't have been as effective as an angler without Lowrance Electronics on my boats all these years," said Monroe. "Being able to see the smallest changes in bottom depth or composition has been very improtant to me as a shallow water specialist, and my Lowrance HDS and HDS Touch Fishing Systems have always given me that ability.
He said it has helped him win on tour. "When I won the Bassmaster event on Lake Okeechobee in 2012, I found deeper water in the areas I was fishing," he said. "My Lowrance Fishing Systems picked up the depth and I was able to see that they were abandoned tilapia beds that the bass were using; that was a huge part of my win.
"I am truly honored to be representing Lowrance with my jersey, boat and truck this year on the FLW Tour," he said. "They (Lowrance) have been a major part of my career, they are true partners and I'm proud to be representing them in this way."
Frigid Conditions On Lake Guntersville Could Pose Problems For Bfl Choo Choo Division Anglers
Johnny Patterson won the first 2013 Walmart Bass Fishing League Choo Choo Division Tournament on Lake Guntersville last February, launching his drive to claiming the points championship for the division by season's end.
In notching the first win of the season Patterson weighed in five bass at 31 pounds, 12 ounces, his top personal weight in BFL competition.
However, Patterson, who lives five minutes from the lake, said things are a lot different on Guntersville one year later. And, he acknowledged, the season is not set up nearly as friendly for him this year as it was last year.
In 2013 all the tournaments were on Guntersville, where he was able to stay on top of the fish through the entire season, finishing the year with two 1st places, two more top 10s and one 11th-place finish. This year, two of the five tournaments are on Pickwick Lake, more than 100 miles and nearly a two-hour drive west of Grant, Ala., where Patterson lives, so he will have little opportunity for scouting and practicing before those tournaments.
Then, there is this first tournament on Guntersville which is a lot different lake than it was a year ago this weekend.
“The weather has been a lot colder, so things are completely different, for me anyway,” Patterson said. “The lake has some of the coldest temperatures I have seen in a long, long time. The water is stained, with a lot more color in the water than it was last year.”
On Feb. 9 last year, Patterson caught most of the fish in that monster string of bass fishing deep ledges with an Alabama Rig and a swim bait. He bolstered that pattern, throwing a Rat-L-Trap in the shallow water, which he said is traditionally a strong early spring pattern on Guntersville.
The dominant pattern this Saturday most likely will be in shallow water, Patterson said.
“I think they will probably be in the 4- to 6-foot range. There is a lot of grass left over from last year and I think they will be holding in that grass,” he said. “When the water gets that cold, it gets a little warmer up shallow during the day and those fish head to the shallow water to take advantage of the warmer temperature.”
Patterson said he will probably rely mostly on a Rat-L-Trap and swim bait around the shallow grass Saturday. But he won't use the kind of tactics most anglers rely on when the weather is this cold.
“Guntersville has always been a little backwards from everything you read about fishing,” he said. “On Guntersville, the colder the water is the faster you need to retrieve your bait, which is exactly the opposite of everything you ever read about fishing in colder temperatures.”
Following the Choo Choo Division opener Saturday, the series moves to Pickwick lake out of McFarland Park at Florence, Ala., March 8, then back to Guntersville, out of The Bait, Tackle & Grill at Goose Pond, April 12, back to Pickwick out of McFarland Park at Florence, Ala., June 21, and then wraps up with the two-day final Sept. 20-21 on Lake Guntersille, out of The Bait, Tackle & Grill at Goose Pond, Ala.
Walmart BFL Choo Choo Division
Sat, Feb 8, 2014
Lake Guntersville
The Bait & Tackle Grill at Goose Pond
No Practice, No Problem For Dill In Alabama South Division Opener On Lake Martin
Chris Dill of Hueytown, Ala., says a colder, wetter winter means fishing on Lake Martin is going be a little different this Saturday from a year ago when he weighed in a five-bass limit at 18.21 pounds to win the 2013 Weekend Bass Series Alabama South Division 2 season opener.
“I think it's going to be a little tougher than last year, but the largemouth bite should be good. They should be moving up. If we get a couple of days of warm weather, it would be even better,” said Dill.
“It should be good for spots, too, depending on the water temperature and water color. The largemouths bite better when the water is stained. When the water gets muddy it tends to turn the spots off, but turn the largemouths on.”
Because of his job Dill will not get to practice for the opener on Lake Martin, but that's fine with him. He did not get to practice prior to winning last February either.
“I didn't practice last year and I think that helped me,” he said. “I know where I'm going and I know what I am going to do.”
That means he is going to head for the upper part of the lake Saturday and look for some stained water between Elkahatchie Creek and the upper end of the lake.
“I am going after them with a crankbait and a spinnerbait, and flipping in the trees. If the water is clear enough I will throw a jerkbait some and if it's warm enough, say close to 50 degrees, I'll throw a Rat-L-Trap,” he said. “They really like a Rat-L-trap up there this time of year if the water temperature gets in the 50-degree range. If not, I'll throw a ShadRap, and if it gets above 50s degrees and not real stained, I'll throw a jerkbait a lot and a flat-sided crankbait.”
If the water is really muddy, he said, he will throw a spinnerbait and flip around trees and logjams, and throw the crankbait around rocky points close to spawning areas.
Dill said he will fish the pockets for the largemouths and if the water is running because of all the rain, he will fish along the main points for spotted bass.
“I'll throw a crankbait around the timber and then ease up and flip the timber, he said. Sometimes they don't want to chase a crankbait but if you drop something in front of them they will bite, so I'll be flipping a jig in any treetop I come to.”
The flat-sided crankbait was his go-to bait last year and he repaints the lures with a special color pattern for Lake Martin.
“They don't make that color anymore, but I am in the paint business and I used to be an automobile painter, so I buy the baits in white color and paint them the color I've been using. They like red up there this time of year, so I paint them kind of reddish-orange, with some black and a little chartreuse on the bottom.”
Dill is sponsored by Triton Boats, Mercury Outboards and Airport Marine.
Registration for the tournament begins at 4 p.m. Friday at the Betty Carol Graham Technology Center, on the Central Alabama Community College campus, 1675 Cherokee Road (Highway 63) in Alexander City. Ala.
Alabama South Division schedule: Feb. 8, Lake Martin, Wind Creek State Park; March 15, Lay Lake, Beeswax Creek; May 17, Lake Eufaula, Lakepoint Resort State Park; June 14, Logan Martin Lake, Lakeside Park; with the two-day final Sept. 27-28, Lake Euafaula, Lakepoint Resort State Park.
Anglers in the Boater Division pay a $200 entry fee, with co-anglers paying $100. ABA members no longer have to have dual membership to fish the Weekend Bass Series and liability insurance requirements have been reduced to an acceptable level for weekend anglers. The payback has been increased at divisional levels from 20 percent of the field to 25 percent of the field.
At the end of the season, the best WBS anglers from across the nation will fish the 2014 Ray Scott Championship, slated for Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Ala., from Nov. 15-18. The champion boater will receive $100,000 and possibly up to $50,000 in Triton Gold Bonus money. The co-angler champion will win $50,000 and possibly up to $25,000 in Triton Gold Bonus money.
As a special Ray Scott Championship bonus, the Boater Division and Co-Angler Division champions will each receive entry fees and sponsorship into the one of two professional bass fishing series of the angler’s choice. The sponsorship includes entry fees into three professional events and sponsorship support. This sponsorship will put the champion within striking distance of one of two professional bass fishing championships.
Weekend Bass Series – Alabama South Division
Sat, Feb 8, 2014
Lake Martin
Wind Creek State Park
Call 256-232-0406
TEXAS TEAM TRAIL PRESENTED BY CABELA’S KICKS OFF SEASON AT SAM RAYBURN LAKE
TEXAS TEAM TRAIL PRESENTED BY CABELA’S KICKS OFF SEASON AT SAM RAYBURN LAKE
Record payouts, exceptional fishing expected for first TXTT event of 2014
NORMAN, Okla. (February 4, 2014) – The Texas Team Trail presented by Cabela’s will host its first event of the 2014 tournament season on Feb. 15 at Sam Rayburn Lake. The iconic Texas fishery is situated between Beaumont and Longview and remains one of the most popular destinations in the world for competitive bass fishermen.
Registration for the event is already underway – anglers can secure an opportunity to pre-fish Friday, Feb. 14, by completing their registration online or via phone prior to midnight on Thursday, February 13. All anglers that pre-register will also be entered into a drawing for a Power-Pole Shallow Water Anchor. In addition, anglers that opt to register online at www.texasteamtrail.com will be entered into a drawing for a bonus $100 Cabela’s gift card.
The Sam Rayburn event is the first of four 2014 qualifying events that guarantee a fully rigged, 18-foot boat, motor, trailer package as first-place prize. The winning anglers at Rayburn will walk away with a brand-new Triton 18XS powered by an Evinrude 150 HO.
In addition to the payout, the event offers anglers an unprecedented opportunity in terms of sponsor bonuses and television coverage. The budget-friendly $250 entry fee, plus multiple contingency programs and a guaranteed, over-100% payback at every event provides tremendous value to the weekend angler.
On-site registration is set for Friday, Feb. 14, from 3:00-7:00 p.m. at Umphrey Pavilion (5438 RR 255 West, Sam Rayburn, TX 75951). At least one team member must attend, as boat numbers will be assigned during this time. The tournament will launch Saturday, Feb.15, at safe light from Umphrey Pavilion and weigh-in will begin at the same location at 3 p.m.
Anglers with questions or anyone interested in more details on the event are encouraged to visit www.texasteamtrail.com or call 210-281-1752 or 210-788-4143.
Along with title-sponsor Cabela’s, Texas Team Trail has also welcomed Lucas Oil®, Ranger Boats, Stratos Boats, Triton Boats, Evinrude®, Minn Kota®, Talon, RAM Trucks, Lowrance, Power-Pole, Amphibia, iON, Garmin, General Tire, Super Clean, Valley Fashion, Mustang Survival, Artic Ice and Protect the Harvest as official partners.
2014 TXTT scheduled events:
Feb. 15 – Sam Rayburn Lake
March 15 – Lake Ray Roberts
April 12 – Lake Texoma
May 3 – Lake Livingston
Championship – June 7-8 – Toledo Bend Lake
