Chico State University Takes Lead At National Guard Flw Western Conference Championship
Dayton and Carrico of Chico State
Florence, Alabama To Be The Home Of The Boatus Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship
FLORENCE, Alabama (August 30, 2012) - Florence, Alabama and the Association of Collegiate Anglers have entered into a long-term partnership, making Florence and Lake Pickwick the "home" of the BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship through 2017.
According to Danny Blandford, Program Director for the ACA, "We're ecstatic to secure such a great host as Florence for many years to come. Traditionally this type of long-term partnership is unheard of in the fishing world, but in this particular case, it was an easy decision for both sides and we are all very excited."
Debbie Wilson, Executive Director of Florence/Lauderdale Tourism, echoed Blandford's sentiments, "College anglers are the future of bass fishing and Florence/Lauderdale Tourism is excited to be part of this growing sport. We are honored to have the opportunity to host the BoatUS Collegiate Championship on Pickwick Lake for the next five years. This event has a tremendous economic impact for the City of Florence and we would like to extend a warm welcome and our Southern Hospitality to all the participating students as well as their friends and family."
Blandford went on to add, "The 2012 BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship was so well received by both the community and the anglers, that when the opportunity presented itself to make Florence the home of this event for many years to come, both sides jumped at the chance. We love the facilities at McFarland Park, the fishery is phenomenal, and the Florence/Lauderdale Tourism team is a pleasure to work with, so it was easy for the ACA to make the commitment."
Suzie Shoemaker, Sports Marketing Director of Florence/Lauderdale Tourism, shared the same feelings. "I am extremely excited that we are partnering with the ACA to bring the BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship to Florence through 2017. The quality and organization of the tournament is exceptional, and the young men and women this tournament brings to town are outstanding!"
Wade Middleton, co-founder of the ACA and President of Careco TV added, "To see the ACA and the BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship grow from a "little" college event we put together in Texas in 2006, into the nation's most prestigious college fishing event is truly a moving experience for me personally. I knew when we started working with the concept that we had great idea; now this commitment from Florence, as well as our other sponsors, shows that we were in fact correct. We have something special here, both in terms of an event and an organization."
Thanks to this renewed partnership, collegiate anglers everywhere should plan to be on Lake Pickwick in Florence, Alabama each May for many years to come. The 2013 BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship is slated for May 22-25, with the full itinerary and details forthcoming.
Those interested in learning more about the Association of Collegiate Anglers and the BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship should visit CollegiateBassChampionship.com.
Rick Clunn With His Deep-Diving Square Bill Cranks At Icast 2012!
Master cranker Rick Clunn shows us his dream come true, the NEW Luck "E" Strike deep diving square bill crankbaits - unique and effective - and tells us why they were designed in the first place and what they can do for YOUR fishing. From ICAST 2012!
Martin-Wells Says Isaac Could Be Factor In Lady Bass Anglers Tournament On Neely Henry
Pam Martin-Wells. Photo credit Larry Morris/LBAA
Although Hurricane Isaac made landfall in southern Louisiana it produced heavy rains stretching into Alabama, and the resulting rainfall could have a lasting effect on the Lady Bass Anglers tournament on Lake Neely Henry next weekend, according to top lady pro Pam Martin-Wells of Brainbridge, Ga.
“We went up there about a month ago with some friends, but it's Coosa River fishing in Neely Henry and you can't do a whole lot beforehand. Now, with this storm and with the rain headed that way a lot could change,” Martin-Wells said.
She plans to drive to Neely Henry on Friday and be ready when practice opens on Saturday.
“I'll spend some time up river and some time down in the lake, dissecting things and seeing which patterns are working best. Sometimes the river can be on and sometimes the lake can be on, so we will have some time to figure something out before the tournament begins.”
Martin-Wells, who is second in points in the Angler of the Year race, said she has no pre-conceived notions about how to fish the tournament although she has done well on Neely Henry in the past.
“I try to go into every practice with an open mind,” she said. “I finished second there a number of times and I won the last two events there, but it was a different time of year. But the entire Coosa River Chain has been good to me. It's a fun place to fish.”
Martin-Wells won the Women’s Bassmaster Tour presented by Academy Sports & Outdoors tournament in late May 2008 and less than a year later she won the Academy Sports + Outdoors Women’s Bassmaster Tour season opener on Neely Henry Lake in late March 2009.
She was the Lady Bass Anglers 2011 Angler of the Year and she is right back in the race this year, trailing another top lady angler, Kim Bain Moore, by only 15 points going into the final qualifying tournament of 2012.
Martin-Wells has been fishing professionally on several ladies circuits for two decades and has stood her ground against top male pros in traditional tournament fishing. She was the first woman angler to make the cut in a Bassmaster Classic, finishing 22nd in the 2010 Classic on Alabama's Lay Lake. The all-time leading money winner in womens' professional fishing, she has made 56 top 5 finishes in competition, won 14 national titles and was Women's Professional Fishing Angler of the Year for 1994, 1995, 2005 and 2009.
She won the 2005 Women's Bassmaster Tour Preview Event and the 2006 Women's Bassmaster Championship. She also has been inducted into the Legends of the Outdoors Hall of Fame.
When not fishing a tournament or practicing for a tournament, she and her husband, Steven Wells operate the Lake Seminole Guide Service and they have just begun producing a local outdoors show, Outdoors 4 Reel which can be viewed on YouTube or at www.outdoors4reel.com.
“It's a break from fishing and we are having a lot of fun doing it,” she said.
Lady Bass Anglers Association
Sept 6-8, 2012
Neely Henry Lake
Gadsden City Launch
Call Larry Morris at 540-239-7902 or Secret York at 270-748-9041
Fishing For Charities Growing Into National Organization For Charity Tournaments
The Fishing for Charities bass tournament trail, which raises money for various charities in Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee, is evolving into a national organization with 52 charity fishing tournaments in 17 states signing up in the last four months.
“We are moving in a new direction,” said Dwayne Linkous, president and founder of the Fishing for Charities Tournament Trail. “We started out as a tournament trail, which was somewhat successful, but it is slowly turning into Fishing for Charities USA, a national organization. Tournaments across the country are signing up to be a part of what we are doing.”
Linkous explained that Fishing for Charities USA networks fishing events across the country together.
“You can find a charity event on our website (www.fishingforcharities.com) by state, date or lake, so whatever area you are in, if you are looking for a charity event you can find it.”
Linkous said the new national organization will also serve as a foundation for charity events.
“If we become successful to the point where we can get members and so forth, we could become a place for charity events to put in an application for equipment Charity organizations now have to dip into their own funds to pay expenses, so we are hoping to be able to provide that kind of support for them. We also do free consultation to people who want to start charity events. We've had three new tournaments since we started Fishing for Charity USA.”
Eventually, he said, the goal is to establish a national championship for the charity tournaments involved in Fishing for Charity USA.
“We want to do a national championship in the next year or two. All the charity events would become qualifiers where if if you win or finish in the top 10 percent you would qualify. We have not set the details yet, but we feel this can be a big operation the way it is headed, especially since so many charity events have signed up in such a short period of time.”
Meanwhile, he noted, the Fishing for Charities Tournament Trail is in full swing with the next event this Saturday on Claytor Lake, an impoundment on the New River in Virginia. The Claytor Lake Tournament will benefit St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
“I was on the lake Monday and caught a few big fish and a lot of small fish,” Linkous said. “They were really shallow. I caught most of my fish on a drop shot, but it can be a good swimbait lake, too. I also caught a few fish off docks and some off some rocky points.”
Linkous said Claytor Lake is a good bass lake, with a good smallmouth bite and a good largemouth bite.
“You can throw a drop shot on the docks and a swim bait on some of the points or a drop shot there, too. If it is a cloudy day you might even have a good topwater bite. The water temperature is hitting 75 degrees so the topwater bite is coming back a little bit, and the spinnerbait bite as well.”
Entry fee for the Claytor Lake tournament is $70, which includes a $10 entry in the Lunker Pot. The 60 percent payback will go to one in every 7 boats. Anglers can pre-register through Friday at Just Fish'N in Bristol, Va. Registration the morning of the tournament will begin at 5:30 a.m. at Claytor Lake State Park and the tournament will launch at 7 a.m.
There are two more regular season tournaments on the Fishing for Charities schedule: Relay For Life on Boone Lake Sept. 15 and Victory Junction Camp on Lake Norman Oct. 6. The Fishing for Charities Classic will be held on Tennessee's Boone and South Holston Lakes Oct. 20-21.
Anglers must pay a $15 membership fee. Entry fee for the Classic is $120 and anglers can qualify one of three ways: Finish in the top five in one of the Fishing for Charities tournaments, win big fish in one of the tournaments, or fish in two of the tournaments.
“We are founded out of our love of fishing and our dedication to help charitable organizations that have personally touched lives,” Linkous said.
Fishing for Charities Tournament Trail – St. Jude Children’s Hospital
Sat, Sept 1, 2012
Claytor Lake
Claytor Lake State Park
Call Dwayne Linkous - (540) 641-3664
Flw Pro Cary Bever Show Us The Pointer 115 At Icast 2012
See the new Lucky Craft Pointer in the 115 size with 3 hooks. FLW veteran pro Cary Bever tells us what makes this jerkbait special.
Nixon Opens Up About Flw Tour Open Win, How He Did It; What It Means
“I was about to think I didn’t have another one left in me. These kids are so tough nowadays." - Larry Nixon
Larry Nixon claims 18th Tour-level victory at FLW Tour Open on Detroit River - photo courtesy FLW Outdoors
On April 29, 2007 Larry Nixon won his 17th tour-level bass tournament – the FLW Tour Major on Lake Norman. He had fished nearly 5 years, 4 months without winning another. Sunday afternoon, a week before his 62nd birthday, the legendary Team Evinrude Pro won the FLW Tour Open on the Detroit River by a smashing margin of over 6 pounds.
Of the win Nixon and his competition said “I was about to think I didn’t have another one left in me. These kids are so tough nowadays.
“I really never had any idea I had enough of the right type of fish found to win that event but that’s the way tournament fishing is, sometimes you just find the right school of fish and you fish good and it happens.”
Nixon fished familiar water. “Every time I’ve ever been there when I made this certain drift I’ve caught a fish or two on a jerkbait. But I never have found a school of fish like that there.”
He caught a 5-pounder while checking a spot and noticed a 4-pounder following the hooked fish. His practice partner also caught a good fish on the spot and Nixon marked the location on his GPS.
“I didn’t realize there were two more guys going to find that little old place.”
His stretch of St Claire was loaded with enough smallmouth to support, not only Nixon, but runner-up Bill McDonald and Shinichi Fukae (5th place) as well.
“We were pretty much fishing one big old school of fish that was scattered around a quarter-acre sand flat. There were so many fish that each of my co-anglers caught 20 pounds.
“I did have one other little sweet area that gave me two great big ones that made a big difference in my total weight. One of them was almost a 6-pounder and the other one weighed right at 5-and-a-quarter.”
He located schools of roaming smallmouth with a swimbait. Once he found fish he worked the school over with a drop shot. One of his better baits was the Gulp! Alive! Jerk Minnow. “It’s a lot more buoyant than a lot of other twitch baits and it stands out straighter on the hook. That was a big key. If it laid down you didn’t get bit so it took that type of a bait to get a strike.”
He said the St Claire smallmouth behaved in typical fashion, “Those fish group up in a big area and if you catch one you’ve got to hang around because somewhere there’s a big school. Sometimes you miss them. Sometimes you get on them.”
Nixon got on them to the tune of 84 pounds, 11 ounces over 4 days – a feat that has him in contention to qualify, by way of the FLW Tour Opens, for the 2013 Forrest Wood Cup to be held in Shreveport, LA.
“That would be really sweet after I had such a bum season this year on the Tour. That like to have broke my heart when I missed the Forrest Wood Cup at Lake Lanier. I was down on the old confidence after that. This (win) was a big boost for my personal feelings and confidence.”
He’s focused on nailing it down, “I’ve got two more to go on these Opens. If I can finish well in both of them that should qualify me for next year’s Cup.
“That would be just super. I think Shreveport would be right down my ally. I know that Red River pretty good.”
Fittingly, the FLW Chevy Team pro has won twice in Detroit, his other victory coming on St Claire in 2001. “That lake has been good to me.”
Stable weather worked to his advantage. Winds got a bit scary on day 4, though. This actually worked in Nixon’s favor too. It eliminated any threat from pros who fished wind-whipped Erie where anglers could not keep a dropshot in front of fish long enough to get bit consistently.
Even on St Claire big waves made navigation difficult. “Let’s see . . . $140 worth of gas each day. A lot of that was contributed to the weather being rough, having to go slow and ride big rolling waves, plus the distance we were running. I was fishing about 60 miles away from take off. And it performed flawlessly - my Evinrude and my Stratos.
“My camera man said ‘I’ve been in these boats for many years. Either you’re the best boat driver I’ve ever had, or this darned Stratos really rides nice!’ I said ‘I think it’s the boat driver’,” laughed Nixon.
On that note, the affable Arkansas angler has a rough water boat handling tip. “I always turn that nose into those waves. I don’t take anything catty-cornered ‘cause that’s when you hurt your back.”
Also, for those who spend a lot of time on really big water Nixon recommends a 4-blade outboard propeller for added bite in big waves. But he is fearless with a hydraulic jack plate and 3-blade prop on his e-tec.
“A big long run doesn’t scare me a bit. I’ve been running those Evinrudes so long, long distances don’t bother me. I never have a problem. It’s rare, rare, rare that I ever have to go to the service truck. And usually if I do it’s because I hit something somewhere.”
Jb Custom Rods Piedmont Bass Classics Summer Trail Championship Results - Falls Lake - Aug 25, 2012
18 teams that qualified for the Championship at Falls Lake in the 2012 JB Custom Rods~Piedmont Bass Classics $5,000 Summer Bass Tournament Trail came ready to try and win the big money!
Only one team could win and it was the team of Ken Wall of Asheboro & Ben Cannon of Apex! They fished the area between Hwy. 50 bridge and Cheek Road bridge and came in with only 4 bass, but they weighed 18.08 pounds, enough to take home the cash! They won the 1st place money along with 1st place Big Fish, 1st place TWT & also collected the 2 JB Custom Rods Points Champions Award, worth $250 each. All total, they won
$4,512 in cash and prizes!
The rain quit before blastoff with 64 degrees in the morning with light winds & clouds, then close to 68 in the pm with scattered clouds & 10-15 mph winds. The bite was a little better than last Saturday with 42 fish weighed in for a total weight of 114 pounds. Most fish were caught in the river channel from Hwy. 50 to the Redmill Road ramp on the Eno. Plastic worms, jigs and crankbaits seemed to be the preferred baits. Water temps were around 80 degrees. The Big Fish weighed in at 7.40 pounds! I want to thank all the anglers that participated and that support this trail.
Our next tournament will be the 2012 JB Custom Rods~Piedmont Bass Classics Fall Team Bass Trail Qualifier #1 at Jordan Lake out of Farrington Point Wildlife Ramp, Sunday, September 9th. The Fall Trail lakes will include Shearon Harris, Falls & Jordan with the Championship at Harris.
All the information on our tournaments can be found at: www.piedmontbassclassics.com
Now here are the full results:
1st Place: Ken Wall & Ben Cannon of Asheboro & Apex...4 bass...18.08 lbs...$3,340
2nd Place: Joe Langley & Brian Fritts of Benson & Raleigh...5 bass...14.21 lbs...$700
3rd Place: Jeff Vincent & Tim Goss of Durham & Creedmoor...5 bass...13.35 lbs...$390
4th Place: Barry Kleinfelter & Bryce McClenney of Stem & Raleigh...5 bass...12.03 lbs...$250
5th Place: Jason Suggs & Calton Hall of Fayetteville & Stedman...3 bass...11.42 lbs...$100
1st Place Big Fish..1st Place Team above...7.40 lbs...$252
2nd Place Big Fish..5th Place Team above: 5.35 lbs...$108
1st Place TWT..1st Place Team above: 18.08 lbs...$420
2nd Place TWT..3rd Place Team above: 13.35 lbs...$180
Contact Information:
919-471-1571.......919-971-5042
www.piedmontbassclassics.com
or email me at: [email protected]
Jeff Vincent & Tim Goss finished in 3rd Place with 13.35 lbs!
Waccamaw River Catt Summer Final Winners
We wrapped up the 2012 CATT Waccamaw Summer Trail with Joel and Timmy Barfield taking home 1st with 5 bass weighing 10.25 lbs. They took home a total of $1,750.00
2nd Place went to Mark and Kyle Johnson with a limit weighing 9.60. They also weighed in the 2nd BF at 3.70 lbs and add in the BONUS $ they took home a total of $1,090.00.
Seth Rabon and Cal Cox took 3rd with 8.70 lbs and received $500.00.
Carlton and Timmy Thompkins finished up in 3rd with 7.85 lbs and earned $250.00.
Andy and Wesley Howell had the 1st BF at 3.80 lbs and they collected $130.00.
Next Waccamaw River CATT event is September 1st at Buck Sort which will be the start of the Fall Trail.
Thanks for fishing!
Brett Collins
CATT LLC
Hurricane Isaac Could Have Gop Convention And Accent Marine Tournament In Its Sights
Anglers in the Accent Marine Tournament Trail tournament on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes Sunday will be fishing with one eye over their shoulder to see if Hurricane Isaac is going to send them some bad weather.
“All I can tell you is that there is some bad weather coming this weekend,” said Ted Meyer, tournament director. “That could put a hamper on the fishing, but we will just have to play that by ear.”
In fact, Hurricane Isaac, a tropical storm brewing southeast of Puerto Rico, is on track to possibly cause more problems for the Republican National Convention in Tampa next week than it is anglers on the Kissimmee Chain this weekend.
Isaac is predicted to hit Florida Monday, the same day that Mitt Romney and 50,000 Republican delegates, journalists, protestors and guests arrive in Tampa for the Republican National Convention.
While it is too early to accurately predict the storm's path, meteorologists believe the hurricane will hit southern Florida. They won't know until later this weekend whether it will rake the east coast near Miami or crash head-on into Tampa.
Anglers are hopeful it will hold off until after the tournament since the Kissimmee Chain would be affected by either route as it is located just east of Tampa and not that far from the Florida East Coast.
“Other than the prospect of bad weather, I would say the weights will be pretty close to last month,” Meyer said. “They have been tearing it up pretty good. It took 25 pounds to win a tournament last weekend, so I believe it will take at least 25 to 30 pounds to win the tournament this weekend.”
In the July 29 Accent Marine tournament, it took more than 28 pounds just to earn a check. James Pearson and Jeff Crandon captured first place with 32.08 pounds. They anchored their 5-fish limit with the big fish of the tournament at 10.11 pounds. Dustin Bozeman and Chris Maxwell finished second with 30.46 pounds. Bobby Wooten and Chad Stewart were third with 28.93 pounds, Wesley Wise and Derek Moore were 4th with 28.66 pounds, and Scott Perry and Richard Anthony were 5th with 28.26 pounds.
The Accent Marine Tournament Trail features a 95 percent payback with 75 percent paid back at each tournament and 20 percent held for the Classic. Teams must fish at least seven tournaments to qualify for the classic.
Entry fee is $65 per boat, which includes Big Bass and the payback at each tournament goes through the top five places. All entries must be received by 5 p.m. the Friday before each tournament. Teams can weigh in six fish at a tournament. After Saturday's tournament there is one regular season tournament remaining, September 30, with the Classic October 13-14.
Accent Marine Tournament Trail
Sun, Aug 26, 2012
Kissimmee Chain of Lakes
Camp Mack's River Resort
Call 813-620-1042 or 1309
Extremely Tight Points Race Highlights Bws Alabama North Final On Lake Guntersville
There is a red hot points race on the line heading into the two day final of the Alabama North Division of the Bassmaster Weekend Series on Lake Guntersville this Saturday and Sunday.
“The top three are separated by just 10 points and all three of these guys have a really good chance of being the Angler of the Year,” said BWS Ornamental Director Randy Sullivan. “They are all right there together, so it's a anybody’s ballgame.”
The Alabama North is one of the larger BWS divisions with an average of 70 or so boaters per tournament which makes for some close points points production among the anglers, Sullivan said.
“That is what is really neat about these larger divisions. In the smaller divisions you might have to fish one, two or three tournaments to slide into the top 40, but if you are fishing one of the bigger divisions like the Alabama North you have got to be pretty good just to make it to the top 40.”
If a division averages 80 boats that means there are 80 fishermen in each event which increases the possibility of accumulating points if an angler does pretty well in several tournaments, Sullivan said.
“Some of the smaller division average 30 or 40 boats so you pretty much have to catch fish in just one tournament to make the regional. In the bigger ones you have to fish all the events and catch more fish just to qualify at the end of the season.”
Bradley Jones of Aragon, Ga., leads the standings with 974 points heading into the two-day final which awards double points. Terry Tucker of Gadsden, Ala., is second with 965 points, and Mark McCaig of Oxford, Ala, is third, just one point behind Tucker.
Jones started out of the gate slow, finishing 21st in the first tournament of the year in February on Lake Guntersville, but he recovered nicely with a 3rd place finish in April on Weiss Lake. In May he was 5th on Lake Neely Henry, but he moved to the top of the standings with a first place finish on Weiss Lake in July.
“I am not really sure what this cooler weather is going to do to the fish,” said Jones. “They were bunched up, but I am scared the fish might scatter out a little bit now. I'm going to go fish the next few days and hope I can find something before the tournament starts.”
Jones is an admitted shallow water angler and he said he believes the fish will be caught shallow.
“I love to flip and throw topwater and I really think that is how the tournament will be won unless they move some current and then the deep fishermen will probably catch them pretty good because it is the Tennessee River. It's going to be a matter of finding the right group of fish and staying on them,” he said.
“The ideal situation for me would be for the sun to shine all day long and start off by getting a couple of good fish on top and then go flip where I caught those fish for the rest of the day.”
The top 40 boaters and top 40 co-anglers in this weekend's tournament will be invited to fish the Southeast Regional Championship at Clarks Hill Lake near Augusta, Ga., Oct. 5-6. The regional will feature teams from the Alabama North, Alabama South, Tennessee East, South Carolina and Florida Divisions.
From the regional championship, the top 50 boaters and top 50 co-anglers will qualify for the Bassmaster Weekend Series Championship Nov. 4-10 on Lake Sam Rayburn in Texas.
Bassmaster Weekend Series - Alabama North Division
Aug 25-26, 2012
Lake Guntersville
Val-Monte Resort / Bucky Howe
Call Randy Sullivan 256-230-5633
Fish In Transition Could Make Fishing Tough For Bws Tennessee East Final On Watts Bar
Fishing in the Bassmaster Weekend Series Tennessee East Division two-day final on Watts Bar Lake this weekend is probably going to be pretty tough, said points leader Dale Pelfrey of Rockwood, Tenn., who has been monitoring the fishing steadily for about two weeks.
“The weights are going to be down in this one,” Pelfrey predicted. “The fish are in transition, moving from deep water back up – and they are scattered and suspending a lot. That is gong to make it tough fishing for a lot of people.”
Pelfrey, who lives right next to the boat ramp, has practiced just about every day this week. He said he believes he can hold onto the points title by fishing deep.
“There are still enough fish out deep that will bite; they are just scattered,” he said. I'll be deep cranking, jigging and working a big worm.”
Pelfrey holds a considerable lead going into the two-day final, some 27 points ahead of Perry “BJ” Dawson of Spring City, Tenn., with the rest of the field trailing 17 and more points behind Dawson.
Pelfrey had a fairly slow start to the season, finishing 13th in the first tournament in March on Lake Guntersville, but since then he has been a model of consistency. He finished second in both tournaments on Chickamauga Lake in April and May and then won the tournament on Ft. Loudon Lake in June.
“I feel like I have a good shot at winning this Angler of the Year race,” he said. “I know everything could change. I could have a bad day, but right now I think I am on enough fish to make a good run of it.”
Since the final is a double-points tournament, with a two-point gap in points awarded (i.e., 500 for first, 498 for second and on down) a good day would stretch Pelfrey's lead, but if he stumbles somebody in the top echelon could have a good day and make up a lot of ground with double points.
The top 40 boaters and top 40 co-anglers in this weekend's tournament will be invited to fish the Southeast Regional Championship at Clarks Hill Lake near Augusta, Ga., Oct. 5-6. The regional will feature teams from the Alabama North, Alabama South, Tennessee East, South Carolina and Florida Divisions.
From the regional championship, the top 50 boaters and top 50 co-anglers will qualify for the Bassmaster Weekend Series Championship Nov. 4-10 on Lake Sam Rayburn in Texas.
Bassmaster Weekend Series - Tennessee East Division
Aug 25-26, 2012
Watts Bar Lake
Tom Fuller Park
Call Billy Benedetti 256-230-5632
Association Of Collegiate Anglers Teams Up With Big Ten Classic
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (August 22, 2012)- The Association of Collegiate Anglers (ACA) has partnered with the University of Wisconsin Fishing Team to help facilitate The Big Ten Classic, one of the nation's longest running collegiate bass fishing competitions.
"We're excited to support such a long-standing event again this fall. Our online registration and promotional tools help these students with both participation and organization, both of which are important in producing a quality event such as this. To lend today's resources to an event with so much history is our pleasure," said ACA Program Director Danny Blandford. "Our online registration process and planning assistance should help the students have a smooth event, with their focus more on fishing and less on tournament operations."
The online registration process is available now through September 29, 2012; the first day anglers can wet a line on the Madison Chain O' Lakes, located in Dane County, WI. Registration and more information are available at: www.collegiatebasschampionship.com/tournament-registrations.html.
Kevin Yeska, President of the Wisconsin Fishing Team, stated, "We're excited to bring this event back to Madison. Fishing should be great on the lakes in late September and I think all the teams that make the trip will enjoy it. In addition to great fishing, we've planned a buffet banquet and raffle for Saturday at the Bishop O'Connor Center, so we'll be making sure to take good care of everyone while in town."
The Wisconsin Fishing Team is seeking support from the local community in the form of volunteer boat drivers. Kevin went on to add, "A lot of teams have their own boats, but we'd like to have as many volunteer boaters on our list as possible to ensure everyone that wants to fish has the opportunity to do so. Levi Warner with our club is heading up that effort and anyone interested in volunteering for Saturday's practice and/or Sunday's competition may do so by contacting Levi." Levi can be reached at[email protected] or 920-740-9085.
For additional questions regarding participation and the schedule of events, please contact Kevin Yeska at [email protected], or by phone at 608-609-6794
2013 Bassmaster Elite Series Schedule Announced!
The 2013 Bassmaster Elite Series offers something for everyone: rivers and lakes; largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass; opportunities for record catches; and plenty of challenges for the world’s greatest bass anglers. Eight events in seven different states promise to create a true test of the best and one of the most exciting Elite seasons ever.
The coming year marks the eighth anniversary of the Elite Series and the 46th of the Bassmaster Tournament Trail. The organization will be commemorating the milestones with a new Bassmaster Classic venue, some water the Bassmaster circuit has never visited and a few historic fisheries on which anglers will pit their skills against the fish and one another.
It all begins with the 43rd Bassmaster Classic — “the Super Bowl of bass fishing” — on Grand Lake o’ the Cherokees out of Tulsa, Okla. (Feb. 22-24). It will be the first time for Tulsa and Grand Lake to host a Classic — and the farthest west the championship has been held since 1979.
The 2013 Classic will feature some three dozen Elite pros, including winners from each of the 2012 Elite tournaments. Other qualifiers include champions from the 2012 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens, six talented amateurs from the B.A.S.S. Federation Nation, the Weekend Series champion and the Carhartt College Series qualifier, Matt Lee of Auburn University.
After the Classic, the Elites head south to Orange, Texas, and the Sabine River system for the Sabine River Challenge (March 14-17). It’ll be the first time B.A.S.S. has ever held a professional level event on the river, which flows out of the historic waters of Toledo Bend Reservoir. In early spring, bass on the river should be fat and plentiful.
From the Sabine River, the Elite anglers will drive southwest to Zapata, Texas, for the Falcon Slam (March 21-24) and a much-anticipated return to Falcon Lake. When they were last here in 2008, it was nothing short of historic. Paul Elias won the tournament with a record catch weighing 132 pounds, 8 ounces. The event also produced the biggest bass in Elite history (13-2), the second heaviest five bass limit in B.A.S.S. history (44-4) and 12 catches weighing better than 108 pounds. Not surprisingly, Falcon was selected as No. 1 on Bassmaster Magazine’s 100 Best Bass Lakes for 2012. The pros and fishing fans everywhere have been waiting for this one!
With another round of record-breaking catches expected to come from Falcon, the Elites will have — and probably need — a short break before the third event, the Bull Shoals Quest on Bull Shoals Lake (April 18-21). This will be B.A.S.S.’s eighth visit to the historic impoundment where flippin’ first came to national prominence in 1975. In April, Elite pro Brandon Palaniuk needed more than 78 pounds of bass over four days to win here. And while largemouth bass will likely dominate catches in the tournament, Bull Shoals has produced smallmouth and spotted bass weighing better than 7 pounds.
In May, the Elite trail heads east to LaGrange, Ga., for the West Point Lake Battle (May 2-5). It will be the seventh trip for B.A.S.S. to West Point and the first since the Elites were there in 2011. That’s when Steve Kennedy pulled out a win with nearly 65 pounds of bass over four days.
At the conclusion of the West Point event, anglers will drive 95 miles west to Montgomery, Ala., to begin practicing for the Alabama River Charge on the Alabama River (May9-12). The tournament marks a return to the birthplace of B.A.S.S. and the site of two Bassmaster Classics (1981 and 1982). Its waters, part of the popular Alabama Bass Trail, are well known to those anglers who qualified for the postseason events of 2009 and 2010 or Toyota Tundra All-Star Week in 2011, but they’ll be unfamiliar to much of the field. All three of those events were held in late summer. Fishing is traditionally much better in late spring — plus, anglers will be permitted to go through Robert F. Henry Lock and Dam to fish the Alabama River downstream.
Wisconsin was the site of two successful stops in the 2012 season, so it should come as no surprise that the Elites will be back next year. The Mississippi River Rumble out of La Crosse (June 20-23) will be the fourth time B.A.S.S. has visited this stretch of the Big Muddy. Todd Faircloth will look to repeat his success on the popular fishery that always seems to offer exciting topwater action and outstanding visuals on The Bassmasters.
The St. Lawrence River Showdown out of Ogdensburg, N.Y. (Aug. 8-11), marks the return to one of the Bassmaster trail’s favorite fisheries. Though the last professional event here came in 2002, this will be the 14th trip to the river, making it one of the most-visited destinations in B.A.S.S. history. It was also the site of the 1980 Bassmaster Classic and of Kevin VanDam’s professional debut in 1987. KVD was just 19 years old when he fished that New York Invitational, and he finished 110th out of 311 anglers. He still thinks of the St. Lawrence fondly, though. Two of his 20 career wins have come from here.
The 2013 Elite season wraps up in Detroit with the Lake St. Clair Championship (Aug. 22-25). Though the Elite Series has not been to the Motor City before, this will be the fourth B.A.S.S. event to launch from the lake since 1994. Northern Opens were held on the adjacent Detroit River in 2010 and 2012. The lake and rivers are strong summertime fisheries — St. Clair ranks 13th on the Best 100 Bass Lakes list — and promise to provide a great season finale in which so much is at stake. The 2013 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year will be crowned here, and as many as 36 Elite anglers will earn berths in the 2014 Bassmaster Classic.
Whether you like your bass green, bronze or spotted; whether you prefer rivers or reservoirs; whether you want to see bass caught shallow or deep, the 2013 Bassmaster Elite Series lineup has something for you. What’s more, it’s guaranteed to offer the greatest challenge in professional fishing to the best anglers in the world. You can bet they’ll be ready.
Jb Custom Rods~Piedmont Bass Classics Summer Trail Results - Falls Lake - August 18, 2012Jb Custom Rods~Piedmont Bass Classics Summer Trail Results - Falls Lake - August 18, 2012
17 teams showed up at Falls Lake for the 7th and final qualifying tournament of the 2012 JB Custom Rods~Piedmont Bass Classics $5,000 Summer Bass Tournament Trail. It turned out to be a beautiful day! 71 degrees in the morning with light winds & sun, then close to 84 in the pm with sunshine & 10 mph winds. The weatherman missed it again!
Chris Wood & Will White brought in only 4 bass for a winning bag weighing 16.75 lbs. Along with tying for the 2nd place big fish, they won a total of $731.
The bite was way off and only 34 fish were weighed in for a total weight of 105 pounds. Most fish were caught
in 6 to 15 feet of water on plastic worms, jigs and crankbaits for the most part. Water temps were around 82
degrees. The Big Fish weighed in at 6.10 pounds! I want to thank all the anglers that participated and that
support this trail.
Our next Summer Trail tournament will be the Championship at Falls Lake out of Farrington Point Wildlife
Ramp, this Saturday, August 25th and is open to 'Qualified Teams' only.
Our JB Custom Rods~Piedmont Bass Classics Fall Trail begins Sunday, September 9th at Jordan Lake.
All the information on our tournaments can be found at: www.piedmontbassclassics.com
Now here are the full results:
1st Place: Chris Wood & Will White of Wake Forest & Raleigh...4 bass...16.75 lbs...$680
2nd Place: Ken Wall & Ben Cannon of Asheboro & Apex...5 bass...13.37 lbs...$408
3rd Place: Robert Williams Jr. & Justis Bobbitt of Rocky Mount & Edenton...4 bass...12.23 lbs...$272
1st Place Big Fish..Jason Suggs & Calton Hall of Fayetteville & Stedman...6.10 lbs...$238
2nd Place Big Fish..was a tie: 1st & 3rd Place Teams above...5.52 lbs...$51 each.
1st Place TWT..2nd Place Team above: 13.37 lbs...$280
2nd Place TWT..3rd Place Team above: 12.23 lbs...$120
For more tournament information contact:
Phil McCarson~Tournament Director 919-471-1571.......919-971-5042
www.piedmontbassclassics.com
or email me at: [email protected]
Elite Series Final On Oneida Lake Is Montgomery's Bubble-Time For Bassmaster Classic
The final Bassmaster Elite Series tournament on New York's Oneida Lake next week will be make or break time for the season for pro Andy Montgomery.
Here's what the BASS website had to say about Montgomery's chances at qualifying for the Bassmaster Classic:
“Andy Montgomery narrowly missed a Bassmaster Classic berth in 2012. He was 26th going into the final tournament and slipped all the way down to 41st. This year, he's 34th with one event to go. Making the first cut at Oneida might be enough for him to qualify for his second Classic.”
It all boils down to whether he earns a check. The first cut comes at the top 49 or 50 anglers mark and those are guaranteed $10,000. Montgomery finished 50th in the tournament on Lake Michigan at Green Bay, Wis., in June, but was the first angler out of the money, with just the top 49 earning checks. The second cut comes at the top 12 and the payout can range from $10,500 up to $100,000 or more for the winner.
Currently ranked 34th in the angler of the Year standings, Montgomery needs to fish well enough on Oneida Lake to earn a basic check. If he makes at least $10,000 next week, he probably gets his ticket punched for the 2012 Bassmaster Classic on Oklahoma's Grand Lake next February.
There is one little problem, however, said Montgomery.
“I've never been there and I really don't know much about Oneida Lake. I have fished Lake Champlain in New York and I have it in my mind that they might be pretty similar – but they might not be. I do know Oneida has both largemouth and smallmouth bass and you can do good with either species.”
Montgomery said his early plan it to focus on the largemouth bass, but until he gets to the lake to practice he does not have any pre-conceived notions about how to fish it or what his strategy will be.
“I'm leaving Saturday and I'm going to make it a two-day drive. When I get there I'm just going to start out practicing. If I see something that looks good I will start fishing it and hopefully start catching a few so I will be able to learn a thing or two and build on that – hopefully.”
Montgomery said that, except for one good tournament, 2012 had been a fairly mediocre year for his standards.
“I feel like I fished good and I caught a lot of fish, but it just seems like I have not got any big bites, other than the Douglas Lake tournament where I finished 6th. I think I used them all up there,” he said. “It's been one of those years where I have finished most tournaments right around the check, missing it by an ounce or two or making it by an ounce or two.”
In fact, he earned a check in four of the Elite Series tournaments so far this year – $10,000 for 40th place on the St. Johns River at Palatka, Fla., in March; $10,000 for a 42nd place finish on Bull Shoals Lake in Arkansas in April; $10,000 for 29th place on the Mississippi River at LaCrosse, Wis., in June; and $13,500 for that 6th place finish on Douglas Lake in Tennessee in May.
“Right now I am the last man in for the Classic, so I pretty much have to maintain at Oneida Lake.”
If he makes the top 50 he probably gets to fish the Bassmaster Classic next February. If he holds at 34th place he will be a shoo-in.
Should he stumble at Oneida, Montgomery will have one final shot at making the Classic. He would have to win the last Southern Open of the Year in October on Smith Lake in Alabama. He would have to feel pretty good about that situation – he won the last tournament he fished on Smith Lake, the 2010 Southern Open.
No matter the outcome next week or what happens in October, Montgomery is ready for fall to get here.
“For the rest of the year I am going to hunt, hunt, hunt,” said Montgomery, an avid deer hunter. “I love to bowhunt whitetails around home and I have a deer hunting trip to Texas lined up. Then in November rabbit season opens, too.”
But he's hoping he will have to take a break from all that time in the woods to travel to Oklahoma and pre-practice for the 2013 Bassmaster Classic.
Bassmaster Elite Series
Aug 23-26, 2012
Oneida Lake
Oneida Shores Park
Jacob Wheeler On Winning - "decisions, Decisions"
As far as the eye sees, green forested islands stand on brick red shoulders and dominate the waterscape. Here or there, boulders and striated slabs squat along the shore. Delicate clay points carry broken rocks into jade depths that hide uncountable brush piles; brush piles that harbor heavy spotted bass for which Lake Lanier is known.
This is where experts expected an angler to win the 2012 Forrest Wood Cup. This is where many of the 46 best bass professionals on Earth gave their best effort in 25-to-40 feet of water, just a short cast from 100-foot depths.
Team Evinrude pro Jacob Wheeler turned his back on this scenic lake and ventured far up the Chattahoochee River until it narrowed into a dingy creek less than 10 feet deep with nothing to offer a fish except scattered stumps, logs and fallen trees.
This is where Wheeler, age 21, caught 60 pounds, 1 ounce of bass over 4 days, earned $500,000 and became the youngest man to ever win the Cup.
“I spent about 10 minutes in a brush pile the first day (of practice) and said ‘this isn’t it; this is not what I’m doing’. I left. I just committed shallow and said ‘I’m going to stick to my guns and if it works, it works; if it doesn’t, it doesn’t but I’m going to fish my style.” Wheeler caught bigger fish shallow than he did out deep. Plus, once he noticed that fishing was tough all over his decision became clear. “Fishing deep was a grind, fishing shallow was a grind. If I’m going to grind it out, I’m going to grind it out where I’m confident. And I’m very confident shallow. You definitely have to play your game.”
Such decision-making requires extreme confidence in one’s skills and in one’s equipment. The polite young pro from Indianapolis possesses a boatload of each.
And he’s learned to make wise choices.
“When I was 15, 17, 18-years old I felt the most important thing was casting technique so I spent all my time making sure I could cast, skip under docks with a baitcaster or spinning rod at any angle, making sure I could fish any bait out there. If I didn’t know how to fish a bait, I wanted to know how to fish it and I went out there and fished with it. And I thought that was the most important thing until I realized that was only one piece of the puzzle.
“Then came ‘understanding how to make good decisions’. Then it became ‘how to make decisions on the water under tough conditions’.”
Such a decision was waiting for Wheeler as soon as he shut off his E-tec and stood on the trolling motor the first morning of the tournament. “The first thing, I pull up in one of my main areas – I felt like that area had a majority of two-and-a-half, two-and-three-quarter-pounders so I could catch 12 or 13 pounds pretty quick.” Given his considerable experience on Indianan’s White River, Wheeler suspected his best spot could have been muddied by recent rain. “I ran up there not knowing, but I figured I had to go check it to see if it was blown out or not. When I got to the farthest bridge up it was almost chocolate milk. I realized pretty quickly, within 3or 4 minutes, that I needed to move.”
Wheeler then moved back down river until he found cleaner water. The rest, as they say, is history: “I caught a couple of really big fish within that first hour.” Hours later he revealed a 5-bass limit that weighed an ounce shy of 22 pounds and gave him a lead he would never surrender.
Water quality was also on Wheeler’s mind when he made a key decision on the morning of the 4th, and final, competition day. With the dozen or more spectator and media boats following Wheeler in a narrow river he knew he was fishing a scorched earth pattern. “If I run through it there are 12 more boats that are going to run through that same area. That might trash it. So I knew that if there were a couple of bonus fish in those areas, whether they were my best areas or not, I just didn’t want to ruin them. I wanted to take advantage of them first thing in the morning.” For that reason Wheeler stopped short and fished his way into his best water instead of running straight to it.
Wheeler’s mature decision-making skills have impressed onlookers. Combine the wisdom of a sage with the guts of a gunslinger and it is little wonder that FLW Outdoors tabbed Wheeler the ‘the sport’s next superstar’ months before he won the 2012 Cup.
One decision anglers often face is whether to make a long run to unspoiled water or to slug it out against a crowd of competitors in a known hot spot. Wheeler was equipped to do either.
“If you feel like you have a leg up on the competition, that’s when you go to the crowd. You have to be very confident to fish in a crowd.”
While Wheeler could have banged it out with others, Lake Lanier offered the relatively small tournament field a chance to spread out. Wheeler spread farther than anyone else both, on the water, and on the leader board. He fished farther up the Chattahoochee River than did anyone else. He also had a back up plan that took him nearly down to the dam.
“I never caught two fish off the same piece of cover,” said Wheeler of his river fish. But the bass down in the lake were taking turns raiding bream beds. “It was all about where the bluegill beds were. Some had fish on them; some didn’t but the ones that had fish on them replenished. There might have been 4 fish around a bed in practice and 2 totally different fish there during the tournament. There were just fish in the area. A lot of it had to do with deep water access. Those fish weren’t just shallow water fish. They would move up and hang around an area for hours on end just watching, studying the bluegill.”
Wheeler saved those bream bed bass until he needed them. “Why catch a two-and-a-half pound fish when it helps me little, or not at all, instead of saving it for the last day?”
Many pros lamented an inability to trick visible bass into biting. Wheeler’s cure was a 5-inch flutter worm, watermelon/red on a wacky hook for fish that were in less than 3 feet of water. “They were catchable because they were up there and they only had a certain amount of water between them and the surface. So you could catch them on a wacky worm but when those fish were deeper, say, 5-to-6 feet of water, I felt like those fish were tougher to catch because they had so far to come up. When they were in 2 feet of water they just sharked it – they were coming to get it no matter what.”
Wheeler also called up quality bass with an X-Rap Prop, an elongated lure which differs from bream-shaped prop baits favored by locals. Again, he followed his gut rather than following the crowd.
The decision to make that run late on the last two days underscores Wheeler’s belief in his Evinrude. “Having the highest quality equipment on the water is very important. Knowing that when you get behind that steering wheel and you hear it start and you have not even a little worry in the world that that motor was going to start and get you back in, that’s where tournaments are won because you can put that worry out of your mind. I didn’t worry one bit with my Evinrude. On the 3rd day I made an hour run just to fish two banks and run straight back for another hour and never thought twice about it. That really just shows you how much confidence I have in my Evinrude, knowing that no matter what, when I hit that ‘start’ button it’s going to start up and get me where I want to go and get me right back to the weigh in so I can weigh my fish.
“There was no hesitation, even with a half-million dollars on the line.”
With five fish in the livewell Wheeler pointed the sharp prow of his Ranger 521 into the ridiculous waves piled up from all directions by the barrage of big boats that cover Lake Lanier on any warm weekend. “I tell you, that last day it was bad. It was bad. My camera man was like ‘what the heck’ I said ‘I know, but it’s OK’. With an hour to go in the tournament I made a run just to go fish one bluegill bed. I didn’t catch any but you can never be satisfied and I had 11 pounds. But I’m 100% confident in my equipment.”
Wheeler insists that decisions, and confidence in those decisions, are what separate champions from everyone else. That’s why he owns the 2012 Forrest Wood Cup. “It was definitely decisions throughout the tournament - gutsy decisions - but the confidence that I have in my boat and my motor is second to none. They always get me there and back.”
That confidence was rewarded as thousands watched Wheeler weigh-in one last time.
As workers swept foil confetti across a scarlet carpet on the floor of the mostly empty arena fellow Team Evinrude pro and 2011 Forrest Wood Cup Champion Scott Martin shook Wheeler’s hand. “You’re crafty,” said Martin. “That’s what it takes to make it in this sport.”
Thrift Hopes To Find More Success In Flw Tour Open On Detroit River
At some point everyone who is successful will face his nemesis, a word that describes something that is the cause of defeat or downfall. The successful face their nemesis head-on, sometimes winning, sometimes failing, but always knowing that in the long haul that nemesis is just a bump in the road.
For Bryan Thrift, the Detroit River has been his nemesis in tournament fishing.
“Both times I've fished there in the past, I've finished worse than the hundreds,” said the pro from Shelby, N.C.
So, it is with some trepidation that Thrift is heading to Trenton, Michigan, to fish the second FLW Tour Open tournament of the year on the Detroit River. He was packing Thursday so he could leave Friday morning for the 10-hour drive to Michigan.
That long ride gave him plenty of time to go over his two previous visits to the Detroit River and, considering what did not work then, try to formulate a practice plan for the coming week.
“I've got to do something different than what I did the last two times,” Thrift said. “I've never really figured them out up there and at this point I don't really know what I will do because there is no way to describe it. It's Great Lakes fishing. You are out in the middle of a big lake looking for a needle in a haystack.”
It's not like the entire season hinges on how Thrift does on either Lake Erie or Lake Sinclair next week. His record speaks for itself and it can only be described with one word – successful – which can be defined as productive, prosperous and victorious.
That definition precisely describes Thrift's career in FLW competition. Thrift burst onto the FLW Tour scene six years ago and fished his way to the Rookie of the Year title in 2007. He followed that with the 2010 Angler of the Year crown.
Along the way he has posted 28 top ten finished, including five tournament wins, and has earned more than $1 million in FLW tournaments. He has qualified for the Forrest Wood Cup every year, with four top 15 finishes, including third place last month at Lake Lanier.
Thrift has three top five finishes and two more in the top 10 in the AOY competition and he posted a seventh place finish this past year. This year he finished sixth in the only FLW Tour Open so far, on Lake Okeechobee in February.
He may not win on the Detroit River next week, or even finish very high, but if so it will be only a bump in the road for a career that has otherwise been nothing but successful.
FLW Tour Open
Detroit River
Elizabeth Park Marina
Some Big Bass Expected In Xtreme Bass Series Guntersville Division Tournament Sunday
Fishermen may complain about how tough the fishing is, especially during the summer doldrums when the weather is hot and bass get finicky, but when it's tournament time a well-established rule of fishing always comes into play: somebody will find the fish.
A good example is the Snag Proof open held on Lake Guntersville last weekend. It's the Dog Days of Summer, hot, and the fishing had been slow. But the winners weighed in five bass at more than 15 pounds, including an eye-catching anchor fish at just under 9 pounds.
“Everybody was complaining how bad the fishing was, but when you send them out they go get them. We had quite a few big fish weighed in,” said Jamie Shay, tournament director for the Snag Proof Open.
And, predicted Shay, who is also tournament director for the Xtreme Bass Series Guntersville Division, there will be some really good catches weighed in the Xtreme series tournament on Guntersville this Sunday.
“We've got a lot of good fishermen in Xtreme. There will be some big fish weighed in this weekend.”
One reason, he said, is that the frog bite, which is a major late summer pattern on Guntersville, is beginning to turn on strong.
“Because of the frog tournaments being held on the lake a lot of fishermen are resorting to the frog bite since they are being made to throw it more than they normally would. And they are finding some good fish,” he said.
“Other than the frog bite on certain days there has been a good spinnerbait bite. It takes a certain kind of day, no bluebird sky or dead calm water. But if we get a little breeze, maybe some cloud cover or a little rain there can be a decent spinnerbait bite. The worm and the jig are always good here, too, especially the six hot months,” Shay said.
“But the topwater bite has been pretty decent, not just the frog. Prop baits, like Torpedos, and Zara Spooks have been working pretty well, too.”
Among teams expected to be in the group that finds good fish are those at the top of the points standings after six of the nine regular season tournaments in the Guntersville Division. A dozen or more teams are well withing striking distance of the points championship, which earns the winning team paid entry into the following season.
“We have a horse race for the points title,” said Shay. “Most of these guys are among the top money winners in other tournaments so it is always a battle when we are fishing. That's what makes it fun.”
Only 15 points separate the top five teams and the two teams at the top of the rankings going into the seventh tournament of the year have been models of consistency. Donnie McElvoy and Hadley Coan are at the top of the standings because of five top five finishes, including one first place, and one top 10. Marshall Deakins and Brian Gregory are just seven points behind the leaders with three top fives, including one win, and three top 10s.
The points will be decided in the last three regular season tournaments. The Guntersville Division will hold a two-day championship Oct. 26-27 with a heftier purse to fish for. The winners of the side pots for the biggest fish of the year and the biggest sack of the year will be awarded at the championship, also.
“They pretty much pay for the two teams that win those. Somebody wins money even before they start their championship day,” said Shay, who, with his wife Michelle, now owns The Bait Tackle and Grill at Goose Pond.
Xtreme Bass Series – Guntersville Division
Sun, Aug 19, 2012
Lake Guntersville
Goose Pond Colony
Call Jamie Shay at 256-599-0132
Scott Martin Talks About The Difference In His 2012 Cup Performance
Scott Martin made a run at defending his 2011 Forrest Wood Cup title, eventually finishing 4th. But last time he visited Lake Lanier, Martin caught one lonely bass in 2 days. What was the difference this time around?
Runner-Up Canterbury Recaps His 2012 Forrest Wood Cup Performance
Scott Canterbury speaks about the decisions that lead to his 2nd place finish. And what he wishes he had done differently.
Malucelli On A Mission In Northern Open On New York's Cayuga Lake
Marcos Malucelli is a man on a mission. His mission is to introduce American bass fishing to Brazil, his native country.
My goal, he said by cell phone while sitting in the rain on New York's Cayuga Lake Friday, “as the first Brazilian to fish BASS, is to qualify for the Elite Series. If I can do that I will be able to promote American bass fishing a lot better in Brazil.”
And not just techniques, he said, but the ethics associated with bass tournament fishing.
“What we want to do is show how the guys in America do it,” Malucelli said. “We are trying to teach our people that fishing is more than killing the fish, show them how to practice catch and release, that it's not always to catch something to eat, but also as a sport. If I can qualify for the Elite Series I can have more recognition and be able to work better in my country to promote the sport of bass fishing.”
After 17 years guiding for peacock bass in the Amazon River and for Dorado and other prized saltwater species, Malucelli came to America as a technical consultant for Aquabrazil, a wholesale distributor of top name brand American fishing tackle. He works with the American companies to modify tackle for use in Brazilian waters and create packaging and marketing for the Brazilian market.
An accomplished writer, he creates articles for fishing magazines in his home country and also writes for fishing shows on the Brazilian equivalent of the Outdoor Channel in Brazil.
Ironically, his mission in America was aided by a real mission – a church in Fort Mill, S.C., which offered his family an opportunity to live close to Southern bass fishing.
“We had an opportunity to live in Miami and spend three months a year guiding for Peacock Bass, but we knew of this church that had a sister church in Brazil so we came to Fort Mill to a church called Morningstar.”
A member of the church hosted the Malucellis for several months until Marcos could get his feet on the ground and get his family established.
Not long after arriving in Fort Mill he had the opportunity to fish as a co-angler in a Walmart BFL tournament on nearby Lake Wylie. He caught two bass that weighed 5 pounds, 5 ounces the first day.
“I was surprised I made the cut,” he said. “On the second day I drew Todd Auten (BASS and FLW pro who lives on Lake Wylie) and he helped me a lot. I ended up winning my first tournament here.”
Currently ranked 40th in the Norther Open standings, Malucelli, who has finished n the money in 11 of 19 tournaments fished in BASS, needs a strong finish on Cayuga Lake to move up into the top 12 in order to qualify for the Elite Series. A win next weekend would propel him into the 2013 Bassmaster Classic.
But the fish so far have not been cooperating, he said.
“It's not easy at all,” he said. “My friends are telling me the fishing is off. Right now the water is too warm, 82 degrees, and the fish are not used to that warm water. They are not biting at all. You can mark a lot of fish deep but the bites are not coming.”
On Thursday, his first day on the lake, Malucelli concentrated on smallmouth bass in the main lake.
“I love smallmouth bass. They behave a lot like peacock bass, although peacock bass don't go as deep as the smallmouth. Yesterday I was throwing a Fat Free Shad No. 7 and every time I hit it right I got a good bite, but it was not very easy to duplicate.”
Malucelli explained that the lake bottom is covered with short aquatic grass where the smallmouth are lurking.
“You can get your crankbait in there and then rip it and when it explodes free they react to that to bite.”
On Friday he checked out the largemouth bass in one of the canals that finger off the main lake.
“The last two big tournaments here were won on largemouth bass. I came to the canal to try because it was overcast which should be perfect for the largemouth, but the fishing was not very good,” he said.
Malucelli said it was too early with nearly a week left of practice to formulate a strategy, but he plans to return to the main lake for a few days and concentrate on throwing a big crankbait in 18 feet of water for smallmouth.
The rain has cooled things down some and with the forecast for weather not as warm as it has been he hopes the fish will bite a little better.
“With a crankbait I can cover a lot of water,” he noted.
Whatever the outcome of the Northern Open on New York's Cayuga Lake next week, Malucelli has no plans to leave Fort Mill anytime soon. There's too much good largemouth bass fishing available on the nearby lakes in both North and South Carolina to keep him occupied testing tackle for a long time.
“I love Peacock Bass, but I also love largemouth bass. There are many, many ways to catch them. We've lived in Fort Mill for almost seven years and we are very proud of having two American children born in South Carolina.”
Bassmaster Northern Open
Aug 16-18, 2012
Cayuga Lake
2012 Snag Proof Open Lake Guntersville Champions
We grab Champion Willie Staten just after he and Gil Summerline take home $9900 on a limit of fish including a whopping 8.94 LB Bigfish!! Willie caught the BF early and with only a 3 fish limit, that was the difference---
2012 Snag Proof Open Lake Guntersville Weigh-In Highlights!
For those who wonder how Lake Guntersville is producing this summer, look no further as the 2012 Snag Proof Open has kicker after kicker weighed in with a 9LB Monster that keys the win and $9900 for Willie Staten and Gil Summerville
Wheeler Takes Cup; Speaks About Game Plan
Jacob Wheeler weighs-in, takes the Forrest Wood Cup title and speaks about the game plan that paid off to the tune of $500,000.
Wheeler Wins 2012 Cup!!!
Jacob Wheeler targeted "anything that would break that current - a stump, a log, a stick - so a fish could sit there and not have to fight the current but could dart out and catch a minnow." In other words, river fishing. "Seventy-five percent of my fish came from Laurel Park north up the Chattahoochee. Wood cover was the key."
His back up plan involved bluegill beds on Lanier's south end. He could call his shot on those fish. That's important because the river fish did not replenish after he caugth one from any given piece of cover. "If I caught a fish off of a stump or a log I never caught another one off of it." But if a bream bed produced once it was likely to do so again.
Wheeler duped topwater fish with a couple of prop baits and noted that he had to switch down to a Rapala model to entice his day 2 weight.
Additionally, he flipped a variety of plastics.
In a tournament where experts expected deep brush piles to pump out a winning string of spotted bass, the key to Wheeler's win was his decision to target largemouth in a stretch of river that did not exceed 10 feet in depth.
Forrest Wood Cup Day 2 Notes - Yelas, Others Cut Into Wheeler's Lead
We began day 2 way up the river with tourney leader Jacob Wheeler. After a slow start Wheeler scrambled together an 11 pound, 12 ounce limit to maintain his lead midway through the 2012 Forrest Wood Cup.
Jay Yelas cut that lead roughly in half with an 18 pound, 4 ounce effort that ran his total to 30-8 and landed him squarely in 2nd place.
After we left Wheeler we pulled up on Scott Martin in the midlake region. He babied a big spotted bass into the boat. We have that footage right now on AnglersChannel.com's video page. It will also air on the Progressive Weekend Bass Wrap Up TV Show at 7:30 one Saturday morning soon.
Martin's big fish pushed him into 3rd with a total of 29-4.
We also watched Scott Canterbury bounce around and toss back small fish. He found one monster spotted bass and filled out his limit by the time he took the stage this evening in the Gwinnett Center Arena.
Canterbury is tied for 3rd with Dion Hibdon. Each anglers has 29 pounds.
Glenn Browne is the last man in the top 20 cut with 20 pounds, 11 ounces which means that Jacob Wheeler could haVe gone golfing today and still have made the cut.
But why would he want to do that?
No surprise, underspun fish head lures (including Buckeye's Suspin Blade) and drop shots are dominating the deep bite. And the deep bite could dominate the leaderboard by this time tomorrow unless the shallow fish prove inexaustible.
Forrest Wood Cup On Water Footage Martin Lands A Big Spot!!!
Check out THIS footage from Day 2 of the 2012 Cup - Scott Martin whacks a big spotted bass. Day 2 weigh in is set to begin here in Georgia and on FLWOutdoors.com!
2012 Forrest Wood Cup Day 1 - Wheeler Whacks 'em!!!
21-year-old Jacob Wheeler blew it wide open at the day 1 weigh in of the 2012 Forrest Wood Cup. 22 pounds may be enough to make the top 20 cut after two days. Wheeler had that weight in one day.
Dean Rojas Offers Tip To Help You Skip-Cast A Frog
From ICAST 2012, frog master Dean Rojas tells how he skips these versatile lures way back into bass-holding cover.
Peter T Offers Drop Shot Help!
Veteran Tour Pro Peter Thliveros offers a super tip to help YOU catch more bass next time you go drop-shoting!
Justin Lucas - Havoc Devil Spear Not Just For Flippin'
FLW National Guard pro Justin Lucas has a great use for Berkley's Havoc Devil Spear. He tells us how to modify the flippin' lure into an awesome Chatterbait trailer from the floor of the 2012 ICAST show.
Patrick Pierce Talks St. Croix Mojo At Icast 2012. Why S-Glass?
Bassmaster Open and PAA pro Patrick Pierce takes us into the St Croix booth to ask Rich Bellanger about the decision to use S-glass instead of E-glass in the Mojo cranking rods.
Three-Fish Limit Set For Snag Proof Open On Guntersville
Frog bite is beginning to turn on just in time for the Snag Proof Open on Guntersville!!
The 8th annual Snag Proof Open on Lake Guntersville Aug. 11 will feature a three-bass limit because of the 100-degree heat that has prevailed across the country this summer.
“We are going to a three-fish limit this year,” said Jamie Shay, tournament director. “Since we are having the tournament in August we are going to look out for the fish.”
That is quite a contrast to the much cooler weather anglers experienced in the 2011 Snag Proof Open on Guntersville which was held on Oct. 1. Even with the extreme heat, however, Shay said fishing should be much better than it has been by the day of the tournament.
“The frog bite is beginning to turn on and it's producing as much as anything else right now. The grass is starting to come out and by the tournament it should be a lot better. I think two weeks of sunshine will be great for the grass.”
The soft plastic frog is an essential part of an angler’s arsenal when it comes to bass and grass – and Lake Guntersville is famous for its grass. Real frogs live in watery stands of aquatic grass and bass consider them a delicacy.
Tournament rules allow anglers to modify a Snag Proof Frog, but the essential part of their lure has to be an original Snag Proof Frog. Modifications allowed include using weights for techniques such as Texas and Carolina rigs and drop shots. Anglers may also paint or stain the frogs and they can change the hooks and add trailer hooks without using leaders. Frogs can't be used as a trailer on a jig, spinnerbait or buzzbait if those lures have a hook of their own. They also can't be used in umbrella rigs or other multiple-lure rigs.
With a three-fish limit, Shay said it probably will take 15 to 18 pounds to win the tournament.
“Three 5-pounders or maybe somebody with a 7-pounder, a 5-pounder and a 3-pounder will win it – but that's just a guess.”
Participation in the October tournament last year was down, Shay said, because of 30 mph winds and 55-degree temperatures.
“But we still had 130 boats last October and this year we are back in August, so I anticipate between 150 and 250 boats. The guys are calling in left and right. They all want to be in. There's a good buzz going on around the tournament,” he said.
Anglers may register for the tournament online at www.snagproof.com, with on-site registration Aug. 10 starting at 3 p.m. at The Bait Tackle and Grill at Goose Pond. A mandatory meeting will be held at the grill at 7 p.m.
Shay and his wife, Michelle, who moved to Lake Guntersville four years ago from Florida, now own The Bait Tackle and Grill at Goose Pond.
“We took over Feb. 1 and it has been a fun, exciting and crazy ride for sure,” he said. “Business was extremely good during the spring and then it slowed a little in this 100-degree heat this summer but it has been exciting. We've heard a lot of good fish stories.”
The Snag Proof Open at Guntersville is sanctioned by BoatUS and the Anglers Weigh-to-win Program, a cash contingency program for BoatUS Angler members.
The Guntersville Open will be the third and final Snag Proof tournament of the year. The first, the 3rd Annual Potomac River Open, was held Sunday, July 29. The second, the 11th annual California Open, was scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 4 and 5, on the California Delta.
Snag Proof Open
Sat, Aug 11, 2012
Lake Guntersville
Goose Pond Colony
Call Jamie Shay 256-599-0132
Arey Hoping To Add Pro Title To His Co-Angler Championship In Forrest Wood Cup
Matt Arey won the Forrest Wood cup once as a Co-Angler – now he'd love to win it on the pro side next week on Georgia's Lake Lanier.
“The lake went off limits at midnight last Sunday and I have been fine tuning my pre-practice plans, deciding the way I want to practice when we go back down there,” said Arey, who qualified for the Forrest Wood cup three times as a co-angler, finishing in the top 10 all three times – 10th in 2005, 1st in 2006 and 8th in 2007.
The Shelby, N.C., angler weighed in five bass at 11 pounds, 15 ounces, on Alabama's Lake Logan Martin in August 2006 for the Co-angler title and a check for $25,000. He finished 42nd last year in his only previous appearance in the pro division at the FLW Championship on Arkansas' Lake Ouachita.
Arey practiced on Lake Lanier for five days in late July before the cut-off.
“I started with a half-day that Monday and fished all the way through Friday and then left,” he said. “That lake is one of a kind on weekends, probably the roughest place I've ever been to because of boat traffic.”
His only other experience on Lake Lanier was as a co-angler in an FLW Series tournament in March 2006 when he caught one fish and finished far down in the pack.
“That was a pre-spawn deal and the fishing then was not conducive at all to what is going on now,” he said.
“I think it is going to be similar to the Forrest Wood Cup on Lanier in 2010, with spotted bass the dominant catch. Largemouth bass will be a wild card. I just don't think you can catch the largemouths you need to win four days in a row.”
Arey said he believes consistently weighing in 13 to 13 1/2 pounds a day will provide an angler a good shot at winning the Cup.
“It's a blueback herring lake with a lot of timber in it. Right now a lot of the fish are out in the 50- to 80-foot range, suspended in the trees. They are roaming with the bluebacks and small threadfins. When you find a school you bust them up, but if you leave and come back later you might get a bite.”
One big difference from 2010, he noted, is that the lake is down 7 1/2 feet from the level then.
“There are more brushpiles in that lake than you can imagine, but those brushpiles are normally 15 to 25 feet deep and now they are a lot shallower, so there is not the much stuff out there in 30 feet of water where the fish are,” he said.
“I think you are going to need a lot of places and you'll probably need to hit 25 or 30 places a day to get five decent bites. But it's going to make it hard to find enough places to build a milk run for the tournament.”
The angler who knows how to catch suspended fish will be the top man in the tournament, Arey said, with the drop shot, jig and other suspended fish baits key.
“The other wild card is the sporadic schooling activity. Last week in practice a school of 3- to 5-pound spots would come up. If you can catch one you are doing good and if you get lucky and have that happen two or three times a day and then you can fill out your limit doing other stuff you will be doing really well.”
Arey is hoping to cap off what he considers his best year on the FLW Majors Tour, although he admits it has also been one of the most frustrating.
While he qualified for the Forrest Wood Cup, he did not make a top 10 all year long.
“I missed making the top 20 several times by anywhere from 4 ounces to 12 ounces, but I’m really happy with my year overall. I've been pretty consistent all year.”
2012 Forrest Wood Cup
Aug. 9-12, 2012
Lake Lanier
Laurel Park
'last Chance' For Airport Marine Ez Open Trail Classic Set For Lay Lake Aug. 4
Airport Marine Tournament Trail Director Flynn Gerald said, only half-jokingly, that he was thinking about printing up fliers about the series final qualifying tournament on Lay Lake, Saturday, Aug. 4, that proclaim it as the “Last Chance” for area fishermen.
“It will be the last chance to qualify for the Airport Marine Classic,” Gerald said. “If they fish this tournament they are qualified for the Classic.”
The Lay Lake tournament is the seventh in the Airport Marine EZ Open Trail series that began back in February on Lake Jordan, with tournaments held on Lakes Mitchell, Logan Martin and Lay Lake. Anglers only have to fish one of the tournaments to qualify for the Classic which will be held Sept. 8 on a lake to be announced.
“Lay Lake is kind of tough right now. It's hot as usual, but there will be fish caught. The quality of fishermen we have it will take 18 to 19 pounds to win next Saturday. It always does,” Gerald said. “At our last tournament (July 7, also on Lay Lake) it took almost 20 pounds to win and it took 17 pounds just to get a check.”
And, he added, it was hot weather then, too.
“Airport Marine has by far the best fishermen in this area and that is just a fact,” said Gerald. “There is always a bunch of fishermen who are going to catch fish, regardless of the situation.”
Gerald said most of the winning fish in the July tournament were caught shallow.
“But I think it will be a combination this time. Somebody will have one or two deep fish and two or three they caught shallow early.”
Besides guaranteeing $2,000 for first place with at least a 60-boat field, the Airport Marine Trail also has manufacturers' bonuses for Triton, Ranger and Stratos, Gerald noted.
“If you are fishing out of a Triton and you win one of our tournaments you get a $7,000 bonus in cash and that his huge. And if you are fishing in our Classic in a Triton you will be fishing for $12,000. For a hundred-dollar entry fee nobody does that but Airport Marine.”
The top prize in the Classic Sept. 8 is $5,000, plus at the Classic meeting there will be four ticket draws for $500 each among the entered fishermen who get one ticket for every tournament they fish.
“We are just paying back to the fishermen,” Gerald said.
The Classic meeting will be held Monday, Sept. 3, at Airport Marine in Alabaster, Ala., with food and drink served.
At the Classic itself, he noted, everybody will be pre-paid and will start fishing at a certain time.
“The fishermen just love that. That is why it is called the EZ Trail. We make it as easy as we can for the fishermen.”
Airport Marine Tournament Trail
Sat, Aug 4, 2012
Lay Lake
Paradise Point Marina & RV Resort
Call Flynn Gerald 205-678-9666
2012 Bassmaster Elite Series Recap – Bull Shoals Lake
I finished 18th with 45 lbs. 6 oz. and was pleased with my finish as I increased in weight every day.
Practice
Before practice ever started, I thought this event would be a clear water sight fishing and finesse bite. Boy was I wrong! The water had an algae bloom and was dingy, and most of the fish were either pre-spawn or post spawn. I found some clear water and looked for spawners for a long time and never found any, so I focused my efforts on post spawners. I covered as much water as possible and shallow cranked the majority of practice. I caught around 12 or 13lbs a day in practice.
Competition
Day 1: I found some good fish in the back of a large creek in the middle of the lake, and opted to start the day there. I targeted bluffs, points, and laydowns with square billed crankbaits and creature baits. I caught a quick limit and was culling by 8:30. I kept culling for hours and all the fish seemed to be the same size. At noon, I made a decision that hurt me greatly. I left fish to find fish, and it did not pay off! I left the mid lake area at noon and ran 30 miles up river to fish a couple of creeks that I had been thinking about all day. I went all the way up there and it just wasn’t happening. I never upgrading again. I finished the day with 12lbs 15 oz and in 54th.
Day 2: I learned from my mistake on day 1, and I told myself that I would not leave the area that was so good to me the first part of the first day. I caught fish all day long on the shallow crank, and culled up eary so often. I had around 13 lbs with 1 hour left, and I knew I needed to upgrade a few more times to make the top 50 cut. I pulled up to one bank and culled 2 or 3 times with minutes left and that is what I need to advance. I weighed in 14lbs 13 oz and moved up to 41st.
Day 3: After gaining confidence in my creek, I knew that my areas were holding good quality bass. I once again chose to grind it out with a square bill crankbait. I fished as may points and bluffs as I could, and I got three over 4lbs in the boat. Two of which came in the last hour of the day! I was actually heading out of my creek, and had a gut feeling to turn around. I turned around and ran back to a bank that I hadn’t fished yet. I caught two 4lbers back to back! I weighed in my biggest bag of the week, 17lbs 10 oz., and missed the top 12 cut by a little over a pound. I finished in 18th.
Key Tackle: 15 lb Berkley Trilene 100% fluorocarbon was crucial all week. I was burning square bills down rocky banks, and never broke a fish off all week. Berkley 100% fluoro is the way to go. It is easy to cast and super strong!
Key Equipment: I have never fished as fast as I did in this tournament. My average speed on the trolling motor was 60. Optima batteries and 101 Minn Kota allowed me to keep the trolling motor on high all day without slowing down. I had use a Pinnacle Optimus XT 7.3:1 high speed reel to keep up with the speed of my trolling motor. It is one of the smoothest high speed reels I have used.
Stay Positive and Don't Get Stubborn.
God Bless,
Brandon Card
Jb Custom Rods - Piedmont Bass Classics Summer Trail Results - Jordan Lake - July 28Th, 2012
16 teams showed up at Jordan Lake for the 4th qualifying tournament of the 2012 JB Custom Rods~Piedmont Bass Classics $5,000 Summer Bass Tournament Trail. It turned out to be a good day! 74 degrees in the morning with light winds & cloud cover, then close to 90 in the pm with sunshine & light winds.
Scott Gatton, fishing without his partner today, brought in the winning bag weighing 19.69 lbs. for a winning a total of $640! Big fish for the day weighed in at 6.82 lbs. The bite was pretty tough at Jordan. 53 fish were weighed in for a total weight of 155 pounds. Most fish were caught in 6 to 15 feet of water on plastic worms and crankbaits for the most part. Water temps were around 89 degrees. I want to thank all the anglers that participated and that support this trail.
Our next Summer Trail tournament will be at Falls Lake out of Ledge Rock Wildlife Ramp, Saturday, August 4th.
All the information on our tournaments can be found at: www.piedmontbassclassics.com
Now here are the full results:
1st Place: Scott Gatton & Darien Crumbley of Cary & High Point...5 bass...19.69 lbs...$640
2nd Place: Robert Williams Jr. & Mike Dinterman of Rocky Mount & Charlestown, West Virginia
...5 bass...18.50 lbs...$385
3rd Place: Mike Hodge & Tim Wall of Clayton...5 bass...15.35 lbs...$255
1st Place Big Fish..2nd Place Team above: 6.82 lbs...$210
2nd Place Big Fish..3rd Place Team above: 6.26 lbs...$90
1st Place TWT..2nd Place Team above: 18.50 lbs...$210
2nd Place TWT..3rd Place Team above: 15.35 lbs...$90
For More Information Contact:
Phil McCarson~Tournament Director 919-471-1571.......919-971-5042
www.piedmontbassclassics.com or email me at: [email protected]
Mike Dinterman (left) & Robert Williams, Jr finished in 2nd Place with 18.50 lbs!
Rick Clunn Talks Squarebill Cranks At Icast 2012
Legend of the sport, Rick Clunn, discusses shallow cranbaits and talks about how his Luck E Strike models compare to his favorite wooden plugs.
Bullock And Perkins Take The Final Anglers Choice Marine Qualifier On Kerr
The final qualifier for the 2012 Angler's Choice Marine Team Trail concluded this past Sat with Chris Bullock and Robert Perkins taking home the Guaranteed $3000 1st place prize. For the 2nd year in a row, there is a tie for the Points Champions, so that will be decided at the Championship this fall. Here are the full results from Kerr as well as the points standings to date:
Lee Vs. Lee: Matt Lee Tops Brother For Bassmaster Classic Berth
CONWAY, Ark. — Emotions were running as high as the central Arkansas thermometers when brothers Matt and Jordan Lee of Auburn University stepped to the weigh-in stage for the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series final Sunday morning.
“This is painful,” said Leigh Lee, mother of Matt and Jordan. “When you see your children get so close to their dreams, and it slips from one of their hands, it’s painful as a parent.”
Indeed the mood was more like a funeral than a coronation when Matt earned the Bassmaster Classic berth by beating his brother Sunday. Matt had two bass that weighed 5 pounds, 6 ounces. Jordan finished with two bass weighing 2-4 after another tough 4 1/2 hours of fishing on Beaverfork Lake.
“If we fished 20 times, he’d win 18,” Matt said. “I hate it for him, but I’m happy for me.
“I know right now he’s hurting, and I’m hurting for him.”
In a flashback from last year, Jordan had the winning fish on in the final minutes Sunday. He cast a 3/8-ounce Buckeye Mini-Mop jig with a NetBait Paca Craw trailer near a boat dock in one of the back pockets of the 960-acre lake. He saw a 5-pound bass suck the bait in, and he set the hook only to see the fish break his line.
“That was a game-changer,” Jordan said.
Two years ago, Jordan was teamed with Shane Powell of Auburn when they lost a 4-pounder in the final minutes that would have given them the B.A.S.S. College National Championship. Instead, they had to settle for 2nd place to Stephen F. Austin.
Again this year, Jordan was part of the Auburn team, with his brother, Matt, that finished second to Oklahoma State in the team championship that was decided Friday.
After 10 straight days of fishing, including practice and competition, under an unrelenting sun that swelled temperatures into triple digits every day — Jordan had to settle for two second-place finishes. Anyone could understand why the 21-year-old Auburn student was emotionally spent Sunday morning. And his 23-year-old brother wasn’t in much better shape.
“I just know my brother wanted this more than anything,” Matt said. “He was reading Bassmaster magazine when he was in middle school.”
Then Matt, for the second time on stage, gave way to tears and had to walk away from the microphone.
Their father, Bruce, tried to put the best spin on the situation, saying, “It’s the best of all dilemmas you could have. You don’t want either one to lose, but you’re glad that they’ve both got a chance to pursue their dreams.”
Ultimately, Matt Lee deserved the title, not only for outfishing his brother on Sunday, but also for catching the biggest bass in both the morning and afternoon sessions Saturday at Beaverfork, when the field was whittled from eight, to four, to two.
He found a hump in the lake that had several small brushpiles on it. On three sides of the hump, the water dropped off to a depth of 15 feet. He concentrated on the other side, where the depth plunged to 22 feet and had a big tree was resting on the bottom.
Using a 5-inch Strike King Sexy Shad spoon, Matt caught a 4-pound, 14-ounce bass, which was the biggest of the four quarterfinal matches Saturday morning. Employing the same lure, he landed a 5-pound, 7-ounce largemouth Saturday afternoon, which keyed his advance to the final against his brother.
Matt stayed on that hump Sunday. He caught his two bass in the first 30 minutes on a Jewel 1/2-ounce jig with a NetBait Paca Craw trailer.
Saturday’s 5-7 took Carhartt Big Bass honors for the two-day individual tournament at Beaverfork Lake. Lee was also presented with a $5,000 check from Carhartt Sunday to further his efforts in preparing for the 2013 Bassmaster Classic, which will be held next February.
Matt and Jordan are Bruce’s and Leigh’s only children. It’s a long drive from central Arkansas back to their Cullman, Ala., home. Undoubtedly there will be many more moments of mixed emotions for every member of the Lee family on the way home.
But the over-riding emotion is joy: Matt has earned a spot in the 2013 Bassmaster Classic.
“College fishing has blown up with the help of B.A.S.S.,” Matt said. “It has really come on the scene. It’s a great opportunity, and everybody knows that now.”
Thanks to his victory, Matt will compete against America’s top bass pros in the Classic, Feb. 22-24, on Oklahoma’s Grand Lake o’ the Cherokees — an experience akin to going straight from Division 1 football to the Super Bowl. One way or another, the Lee family will go through a whole new range of emotions.
The Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Championship and Classic bracket initially will air on ESPNU on Sunday, Aug. 12, from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. EST and Sunday, Aug. 19, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. EST.
Other upcoming airings include : Carhartt Bassmaster College Series South, East and Central Regionals on Sunday, July 29, from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. EST; Sunday, Aug. 5, from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. EST; Saturday, Aug. 11, from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. EST; and Sunday, Aug. 12, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. EST.
The Midwest Regional will air Sunday, Aug. 5, from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. EST; Saturday, Aug. 11, from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. EST; Sunday, Aug. 12, from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. EST; and Sunday, Aug. 19, from noon to 1 p.m. EST.
Late Summer Tips From Sportsman's Warehouse Fishing Manager Craig Baird--
Sportsman's Warehouse Fishing Manager Craig Baird continues his overview of some excellent baits/patterns to make sure you have handy during one of the hottest HOT streaks in recent memory, especially for many of us here in the South.......
Greg Vinson Unveils Netbait's New 3-Color Soft Plastics
From the big ICAST show in Orlando Bassmaster Elite Series pro Greg Vinson shows us NetBait's new 3 color process that yields the brilliant contrast previously available only in hand poured worms.
'old Pro' Atop Everstart Central Division Aoy Race Going Into Mississippi River Tournament
Ray Meredith relishes the role of “lone wolf” when it comes to tournament fishing.
“I just do my thing and try to catch a limit of fish,” said the Brownsville, Ky., angler who is tied at the top of the FLW EverStart Series Central Division points race with Zach King of Clarksville, Ark., and is just two points ahead of fellow Kentuckian Lance Rickets of Central City. The Central Division's third tournament of 2012 kicks off Thursday on the Mississippi River near LaCrosse, Wisc.
“I really don't want to talk to anybody else before or during a tournament. I think that is counterproductive when you really have to go find them yourself, so I try to stay away from the advice of others.”
Meredith was finishing up four days of practice Thursday and, true to his convictions, he has spent the week fishing in an area where there were no other boats.
“It's pretty lonesome where I am,” he said.
He has found “a bunch of fish” and where he is fishing, he said, when he gets around a fish it attacks.
“I've got a couple of grass patterns – one with a frog and one flipping that is paying off. Yesterday I had over 20 pounds, but everything fell into place. If that happens in the tournament I will be very blessed,” he said.
But he admits he does not know what it will take to win the tournament because he's never fished here before.
“I've not talked to anybody else, so I will find out tomorrow at the weigh-in if what I am doing is right.”
The only problem he has run into this week, he said, is that the fish are not locked onto any one location.
“Just because you find them one day does not mean they will be there the next day. They seem to be following the bait and the current is dictating that. It keeps the bait moving.”
But, he added, that means he will just have to have patience and fish harder.
“As they say back in Kentucky, you have to keep your minnow wet,” he said.
Meredith finished third in the first Central Division EverStart tournament April 4 on Bull Shoals Lake, weighing in 10 fish at 28.06 pounds to win $6,293. He followed that with an 11th place finish on Kentucky Lake May 10, weighing 10 fish at 31.12 pounds and winning $2,000.
“I like to fish shallow and both of those tournaments played to my strength,” Meredith said.
King and Ricketts logged similar results. King finished 2nd at Bull Shoals and 12th at Kentucky Lake and Rickets was 12th at Bull shoals and 4th at Kentucky Lake.
The Strike King Angler of the Year title carries a $5,000 prize. The fourth and final stop of the EverStart Series Central Division will be on Lake of the Ozarks at Osage Beach, Mo., Sept. 13-15.
The top 40 pros and co-anglers in each of the five EverStart Divisions will qualify for the EverStart Series Championship on the Ouachita River in Monroe, La., Nov. 1-4.
The EverStart Series is Meredith's first serious return to tournament fishing for several decades. He enjoyed early success, qualifying for the 1981 Bassmaster Classic and fishing several Red Man All Americans before going into the marine industry and having to give up competitive fishing because of time constraints.
“I'd be in a tournament and have as many as 70 phone calls in a day,” he said. “I'm giving this thing a shot this year. If I do good, I will go forward. If not, I'll quit.”
So far in the EverStart Central Division, it does not look like he will be quitting again anytime soon.
FLW EverStart Series – Central Division
Jul 26-28, 2012
Mississippi River near LaCrosse, WI
Clinton Street Landing West
Despite High Gas Prices, Entries Remained High All Year For Anglers Choice Marine Tournament Trail
Although the Anglers Choice Marine Trail has been rolling like a train on a downhill run all season long, tournament director Chris Lucas expects entries will probably be off a little in the final qualifying tournament Saturday on Kerr Reservoir.
“We've had good participation and high entries this year,” said Lucas. “We had 170 entries at Buggs Island once this year but we drew more than 200 in the last two tournaments on Smith Mountain Lake.”
Lucas said he does not expect 200 boats at Kerr this weekend because most teams have already qualified for the championship. Anglers must fish four of the six tournaments on the schedule to qualify for the Classic Oct. 13-14 on Smith Mountain Lake,
“Anybody who has only fished three tournaments needs to fish this one,” he noted. “Hopefully, we will get between 125 and 150 teams Saturday.”
Entries have remained high all season long, despite high gas prices that have adversely affected many other tournament trails, Lucas said, because they feed the fishermen at every tournament, give away “a ton” of door prizes, guarantee a minimum $2,000 for first place in each tournament and have manufacturer's contingency programs which include the Ranger Cup, Stratos 2X and Triton Gold programs.
“Our entry fee is $100 with $2000 guaranteed for first place with a 70-boat field – and we pay 45 places,” Lucas said. “The boat we give away at the Classic is a new Ranger Z118 boat with a Mercury Opti Max motor and trailer and Lowrance electronics. We doll that boat up a lot and we have a lot of people wanting to win it.”
And he is expecting a big turnout for the Classic, he said.
“After our fourth tournament we had 150 teams qualified, so the Classic could be really big.”
Lucas said a number of teams could still win the $1,250 prize for the points championship, depending on the finish in Saturday's tournament.
“It's pretty close up on top. We give 300 points for first place per tournament, so it is still wide open. I think anybody in the top 25 could probably win the points title. Realistically, the 25th place team would have to have some things happen,” he said. “If the 25th place team won they could pass a lot of people with those 300 points. It just depends on how everybody above them finishes.”
Going into Saturday's tournament the team of Kenny Reynolds and Brandon Reynolds is sitting on top of the standings, just 19 points ahead of Mike Altizer and Mike Pendleton.
The Reynolds team started the season on top, finishing first in the season opener on Smith Mountain Lake with their best catch of the year – a five-fish limit that weighed 23.31 pounds. They followed that with their worst tournament, weighing in five at 9.47 pounds to finish 89th on Kerr Reservoir April 7.
But their next three tournaments were extremely consistent – a limit April 28 on Kerr that weighed 13.07 pounds for 8th place, a limit May 19 on Smith Mountain that weighed 12.59 pounds to finish 23rd, and another limit June 16 on Smith Mountain that weighed 12.45 pounds for 20th place.
As for the fishing on Kerr for Saturday, Lucas said he has no idea what the fish are doing right now.
“I heard one guy has been winning a bunch of tournaments deep cranking. I'd like to think a man can Carolina rig and fish deep with a jig this time of year,” he said.
“The one thing I will stress hard is to tell the guys to keep their live wells running. The water will be warm and we want them to keep the live wells running continuously to make sure the fish stay in good water. We don't want to stress the fish or lose any.”
Anglers Choice Marine Team Trail
Sat, Jul 28, 2012
Kerr / Buggs Island Lake
Occoneechee State Park Ramp #1
Call Chris Lucas 276-358-0844
Cliff Crochet At Icast 2012
The Bassmaster Elite Series pro from Piere Part, LA tells us how he uses Biobor EB to cure the ills of ethanol. It can save your outboard's life!
Mid Summer Tips From Ac Pro Staffer Rob Digh
AC Pro Staffer Rob Digh showcases a very cool and effective summertime deep pattern for many of us out there, as well some insight on several other baits he thinks you will have to have to catch any type if decent quality!
Jb Custom Rods - Piedmont Bass Classics $5,000 Summer Trail Results - Falls Lake - July 21, 2012
27 teams showed up at Falls Lake for the 3rd qualifying tournament of the 2012 JB Custom Rods~Piedmont
Bass Classics $5,000 Summer Bass Tournament Trail. It turned out to be a pretty nice day! 71 degrees in the
morning with light winds & cloud cover, then close to 90 in the pm with sunshine & light winds.
Ken Wall & Ben Cannon brought in 5 solid bass for a winning bag weighing 19.60 lbs. Along with winning the
TWT they won a total of $1,285!
89 fish were weighed in for a nice total weight of 246 pounds. Most fish were caught in 8 to 15 feet of water on
plastic worms and crankbaits for the most part. Water temps were around 87 degrees. The top 2 Big Fish
weighed a little over 7 lbs. each! I want to thank all the anglers that participated and that support this trail.
Our next Summer Trail tournament will be at Jordan Lake out of Farrington Point Wildlife Ramp,
Saturday, July 28th.
All the information on our summer tournaments can be found at:
http://www.piedmontbassclassics.com/2012STMainPage.html
Information on all of our tournaments can be found at: www.piedmontbassclassics.com
Now here are the full results:
1st Place: Ken Wall & Ben Cannon of Asheboro & Apex...5 bass...19.60 lbs...$865
2nd Place: Greg Riggs & George Pearce of Durham...5 bass...18.45 lbs...$497
3rd Place: Mark Herndon & Jay Garrard of Bahama & Durham...5 bass...16.88 lbs...$345
4th Place: Todd & Chris Massey of Chapel Hill...5 bass...15.95 lbs...$259
5th Place: Johnny Wilder & Mike Harris of Butner & Oxford...5 bass...14.74 lbs...$194
1st Place Big Fish..Joe Langley & Brian Fritts of Benson & Raleigh: 7.10 lbs...$364
2nd Place Big Fish..3rd Place Team above: 7.04 lbs...$156
1st Place TWT..1st Place Team above: 19.60 lbs...$420
2nd Place TWT..3rd Place Team above: 16.88 lbs...$180
For more tournament information contact:
Phil McCarson~Tournament Director 919-471-1571.......919-971-5042
www.piedmontbassclassics.com or email me at: [email protected]
Thanks! Phil
Joe Langley & Brian Fritts had the Big Fish at 7.10 lbs
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