West Virginia's Robby Fleshman Grabs The Lead With Eye-Popping Sack On Upper Chesapeake!
The size of his stringer caught the crowd by surprise. At first there was a stunned silence, then cheers and clapping. His five-fish limit tipped the scales at 21 pounds, 5 ounces. That put him 5 pounds, 7 ounces out in front.
“I fished weeds and wood,” said the Mountain State angler immediately after carrying his fish to the release boat. “I was shallow — in the 4 to 5 foot range — and moved around a lot with a moving bait. I don’t want to say any more than that right now. I’ll tell you more on Friday afternoon.”
Asked if he had enough fish left for tomorrow and Friday, Fleshman replied that he was confident his fish would hold up as far as numbers are concerned but he didn’t know about the weather affecting his bite. He was clearly worried that warming temperatures and clearing skies would not be kind to him.
Fleshman also claimed the day’s Cabela’s Big Bass honors with a 5-pound, 12-ounce hawg.
In the state team competition, Delaware is in first place with 40 fish totaling 93 pounds, 7 ounces. That’s 5 pounds, 5 ounces in front of second place Zimbabwe. Members of the African team managed 34 keepers on waters many miles from their home. Holding onto the third slot is Virginia, with Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey and West Virginia rounding out the first day standings, respectively.
The leader for each state team advances to next month’s 2012 Cabela’s Bassmaster Federation Nation Championship on Alabama’s Wheeler Lake, Oct. 25-27. Fleshman leads for West Virginia, and other leaders after today are Waterman, Maryland; Donald Lauer, Delaware; Craig Townsend, New Jersey; Darin Doll, Pennsylvania; Bryant Copley, Virginia; and Glen Fowler, Zimbabwe.
A total of 203 fish were brought to the scales. They weighed 511 pounds, 15 ounces for an average weight of about 2 1/2 pounds. Mid-Atlantic anglers caught 18 limits.
Most of the anglers reported tough fishing conditions, which they attributed to yesterday’s storms, especially the high winds. For the most part, the fish were scattered with an intermittent bite. A few anglers did report, however, a traditional Upper Chesapeake Bay early morning feast along with an afternoon famine.
No matter the tough conditions, it was hard to find an angler who wasn’t looking forward to tomorrow morning’s launch.
Tune in to Bassmaster.com for photos, stories and live streaming of tomorrow’s weigh-in. Competitors launch tomorrow at 6:30 a.m. ET, and the weigh-in is at 2:30 p.m. Both are located at Anchor Marina in Northeast, Md.
B.a.s.s. Allstars
Here are just a few thoughts on the BASS Allstars coming to my home state of Illinois. I like the fact that they get to come to a lake that none of them have ever been to . I also like the fact that the fans will get to see the greatest anglers in the world compete. An I think it will help our economy a little which is always a good thing. As far as Lake Shelbyville goes, it does have some fish in it and in the spring and summer a few big bags can be caught. But for the most part fishing on that lake is tough. There are plenty of good looking spots, nice ledges, laydowns, and rip rap to fish but getting a bite can be difficult. This will be a junk fish tournament unless a guy pulls up on the right ledge and catches a few. That's right, I said few. I don't know much about Decatur Lake but I assume it to be about the same. It saddens me that the lakes in Illinois do not compare to the rest of the country. When I fish tournaments at home if you get five keeper bites, you did great. I do hope the fans show up for this event and everyone has a good time. I also hope I am wrong and these guys catch them. We will see.
Bernie Schultz Shows The New Double Deep Spinnerbait
From ICAST 2012, Bassmaster Elite Series veteran Bernie Schultz introduces us to a lure that plays very well this time of year - when deep bass have seen all of your worms, jigs and crankbaits - the Double Deep Spinnerbait will trigger big bites on deep structure!
Toyota All-Star Week And Flw Tour Open Set To Kick Off Thursday
(cue the Hank Williams Jr. music) Are you ready for some bass fishing?!?!?!
Bass tournament fans will have plenty of action to follow starting Thursday and running through the weekend.
The Bassmaster Elite Series Toyota All-Star Week Semi-Final round is about to begin Thursday morning on Lake Shelbyville near Decatur, IL.
After two days on the mysterious fishery that has never hosted a major tournament only four pros will survive the cut and fish Saturday on nearby Lake Decatur in a match-fishing style that pits the #1 seed against #4 and #2 against #3.
The two remaining anglers fish head-to-head at Decatur for all the marbles on Sunday.
Word is Shelbyville offers wood, both, deep and shallow and that jigs are the way to go, both, deep and shallow. If a little current runs the lake then anglers can expect solid action on the Original Chatterbait or Strike King Squarebill cranks and similar shad-imitating lures.
Meanwhile the FLW Tour Open pairs pros and co-anglers for a tough test on Wheeler Lake in North Alabama.
Why so tough? Well, September is seldom kind to Southern anglers in the first place. Also, Wheeler offers practically no grass. The bass are scattered in 2-to-22 feet of water. Recent rainy conditions, expected to continue for a couple more days, could generate current through the lake. That could set up a much improved bite, especially for the Alabama Rig crowd.
Otherwise, look for low weights as anglers junk fish in areas that feature an abundance of shad.
B.a.s.s. Opens Registration For Unique Bassmaster Marshal Program
B.A.S.S. members will have an exclusive opportunity to get up close and personal with some of the world’s best bass anglers as registration for the Bassmaster Elite Series Marshal program opens this month for the 2013 Bassmaster Elite Series season (see schedule below). The program gives members a unique glimpse into the world of the pros as they spend tournament days on the water, observing as the fishermen employ strategies and special tactics to bring in the biggest catches during the eight-tournament Bassmaster Elite Series season.
“The Bassmaster marshal program’s popularity has grown immensely since its inception,” said Trip Weldon, B.A.S.S. tournament director. “Imagine getting eight hours of one-on-one, on-the-water classroom instruction from the best bass anglers in the world. Bassmaster Elite Series pros have embraced the program, and they are willing to share a wealth of information that is sure to help their marshals become better anglers once they return home.”
Marshal registration for B.A.S.S Federation Nation and Life members opens Sept. 25 at 9 a.m. CST for online applications and Sept. 27 at 9 a.m. CST for phone applications. All B.A.S.S. members can register online Oct. 2 beginning at 9 a.m. CST and by phone Oct. 4 at 9 a.m. CST.
According to Weldon, scoring a marshal slot can be a challenge as B.A.S.S. members play a beat-the-clock game to submit their entries to serve as marshals for their favorite tournament locations.
“We have many serious and dedicated fans, and some tournaments have all marshal spots filled within 15 minutes of registration opening,” Weldon said.
Before each event, participating marshals attend a registration and briefing by B.A.S.S. officials, who provide them with copies of Bassmaster tournament rules. The marshals’ familiarity with the rules helps ensure the integrity of the highest level of professional fishing. Marshals, who must be at least 16 years old to participate, are randomly paired with Elite Series pros.
Marshals will also have the opportunity while on the water to operate BASSTrakk, a cell-phone-based scoring technology, which broadcasts data to the Bassmaster.com website, allowing fans to follow up-to-the-minute tournament action as Elite anglers battle it out for the top prize of $100,000.
All Elite Series marshals participate on the first two days of Elite Series competition, and some are selected to observe the pros on Day 3 or Day 4.
B.A.S.S. members who are interested in becoming marshals can register at www.Bassmaster.com/marshal or by calling 877-BASSUSA. The enrollment fee is $125, which includes an exclusive Bassmaster marshal shirt and hat.
Date | Event Name | Destination | Fishery |
March 14-17 | Sabine River Challenge | Orange, Texas | Sabine River System |
March 21-24 | Falcon Slam | Zapata, Texas | Falcon Lake |
April 18-21 | Bulls Shoals Quest | Bull Shoals, Ark. | Bull Shoals Lake |
May 2-5 | West Point Battle | LaGrange, Ga. | West Point Lake |
May 9-12 | Alabama River Charge | Montgomery, Ala. | Alabama River |
June 20-23 | Mississippi River Rumble | La Crosse, Wis. | Mississippi River |
Aug. 8-11 | St. Lawrence River Showdown | Waddington, N.Y. | St. Lawrence River |
Aug. 22-25 | Lake St. Clair Championship | Detroit, Mich. | Lake St. Clair/ Detroit River |
Clouse Wins Paa Angler Of The Year
Gary Clouse, founder of Phoenix Boats, likes to mix a little tournament fishing into his schedule. He topped a number of pros from the FLW Tour, Bassmaster Elite Series and Opens as the season-long points leader and winner of the 2012 Angler of the Year on the Professional Anglers Association tourney series.
Clouse heads the list of competitors headed to the Toyota Texas Bass Classic.
Jb Custom Rods - Piedmont Bass Classics $5,000 Fall Trail Results - Falls Lake - September 16, 2012
10 teams arrived at the ramp for the 2nd qualifier in the 2012 JB Custom Rods~Piedmont Bass Classics $5,000 Fall Team Bass Tournament Trail, and the bite was a little better than Jordan Lake this time!
25 keepers were brought to the scales weighing in at a total of 70 pounds! Chad Craven of Raleigh and Tommy Farley of Colonial Heights, VA had 5 that weighed 18.36 pounds winning 1st place for the second time in the Fall Trail! They took 1st place, 2nd big fish and 1st TWT! All total, they won $720!
The day started with 63 degrees in the morning with rain starting at blastoff, then stayed in the 60's all day with rain heavy at times. Winds were light. Most fish were caught in 1 to 10 feet of water. Plastic worms and jigs, fished tight to laydowns and stumps in the river & main lake, seemed to be the preferred baits. Water temps were around 78 degrees. The Big Fish weighed in at 6.34 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 #3 at Shearon Harris out of Holleman's Crossing Wildlife Ramp, Sunday, September 23rd. THIS SHOULD BE A GOOD ONE!
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
http://www.piedmontbassclassics.com/2012FTMainPage.html
Now here are the full results:
1st Place: Chad Craven & Tommy Farley of Raleigh & Colonial Heights, VA...5 bass...18.36 lbs...$520
2nd Place: Jeremy Martin & Charley Vaughn of Rougemont...5 bass...16.76 lbs...$280
1st Place Big Fish..2nd Place Team above...6.34 lbs...$140
2nd Place Big Fish..1st Place Team above...5.78 lbs...$60
1st Place TWT..1st Place Team above: 18.36 lbs...$140
2nd Place TWT..Ricky Petty & John Marlow of Gibsonville & Burlington: 12.10 lbs...$60
Contact Information:
Phil McCarson ... Tournament Director
919-471-1571 or 919-971-5042
email: philsflags@msn.com
web: piedmontbassclassics.com
2nd Place Team Jeremy Martin & Charley Vaughn
Patrick Pierce And Rich Bellanger Of St Croix Show The Legend Extreme!
Bassmaster Open and PAA Tournament Series pro Patrick Pierce stops by the St Croix booth at ICAST 2012 to talk with Rich Bellanger about the Legend Extreme rods.
Brandon Gray Takes Home Over $40,000 In Cash/triton Boat Pkg At Ac Marine Lunker Challenge On Kerr-Full Results Here!
Brandon Gray beats out 175 other Anglers on Kerr Lake this weekend during this 2 day event to win a $27,000 Triton Boat/Trailer Pkg with his 6.22 LB Weekend Lunker.................he also won cash in the hourly weigh-in format to take home over $40,000 in Cash and Prizes. Full results are attached here.............congrats to Brandon!!
College Bass Series To Visit America’s Best Bass Lakes, Including Santee Cooper, Harris Chain, And Pickwick!
When college football winds down at year’s end, a different sort of competition — one played far from the gridiron — will begin. Teams representing colleges and universities from throughout the country will battle it out on some of the best bass fishing waters in the nation as the 2013 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series gets underway in January.
New this year is a conference format, challenging students to battle rival colleges for the biggest tournament bags and bragging rights in five regional tournaments, as well as a shot at entry in the season-ending Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Championship next summer.
College Series tournament manager Hank Weldon says the new format is a testament to the boom in popularity of college bass fishing.
“During the past few years we’ve seen the season evolve from one tournament annually to seven tournaments this year,” Weldon said.
“We’re really proud of the fact that College Series tournaments are being held on some of the hottest bass lakes in America,” he added. Five of the six qualifying tournaments will be held on lakes ranked on Bassmaster Magazine’s 100 Best Bass Lakes list, and four are in the Top 25.
The season kicks off Jan. 4-5 on the Harris Chain of Lakes out of Tavares, Fla., for Southern B.A.S.S. Conference anglers. The Central B.A.S.S. Conference regional tournament will be March 8-9 on Amistad Reservoir at Del Rio, Texas. Colleges farther west will fish Clear Lake in California, site of the Western B.A.S.S. Conference qualifier April 6-7 in Clear Lake, Calif. The Eastern B.A.S.S. Conference Regional will be held April 12-13 on the Santee Cooper lakes at Manning, S.C. And teams in the Midwestern B.A.S.S. Conference will compete May 29-30 on the Mississippi River at Fort Madison, Iowa.
College anglers from anywhere in the United States can participate in the new College Series Wildcard tournament June 14-15 on Pickwick Lake in Florence, Ala.
“The addition of the wildcard is something we’re excited about,” Weldon said. “In the regular season, colleges can only fish within their respective conferences. This tournament, which will take place at prime time for one of the best lakes in the nation, gives the fishing teams one last chance to make it to the championship.”
The College Series Championship, at a site to be announced, is a hotly contested fishing tournament in which schools compete for bragging rights and prizes as well as for a chance to fish a postseason qualifier for the Bassmaster Classic.
The Oklahoma State University team of Zack Birge and Blake Flurry won the Carhartt College Championship title in July 2012, while Matt Lee of Auburn University outlasted the top individual fishermen — including his own brother — to earn a coveted berth in the 2013 Classic on Grand Lake, Okla., Feb. 22-24. Lee will compete against the world’s best bass anglers for fishing fame and the $500,000 first prize.
College anglers interested in participating in the 2013 Carhartt College Series can get more information at Bassmaster.com or by contacting Weldon at 205-313-0957.
Anglers Will Be Fishing For That One Big Fish In Anglers Choice Marine Lunker Challenge
One big fish. That's what everybody will be fishing for on Kerr/Buggs Island this weekend in the Anglers Choice Marine Lunker Challenge sponsored by Triton Boats.
“It's definitely going to be interesting,” said Chris Lucas, tournament director for the Anglers Choice Marine Tournament Trail hosted by the Bass Boat Superstore located in Martinsville, Va. “Each guy will weigh in just one fish each day and the one who weighs in the biggest fish each day will get a big check.”
In fact, the daily purse is $10,000, paid to seven places based on a minimum of 150 anglers. The biggest bass each day will be worth $4,000 to the angler who catches it. Second biggest will be worth $2,500, third biggest $1,250, fourth biggest $1,000, fifth and sixth biggest $500 each and seventh biggest $250.
And, he added, it gets even better for the angler who has two fish that combine for the top total weight for the weekend – a new Triton Boat, motor and trailer.
“This is the first time we have done this and we are doing it for the Triton side of our tournament trail,” Lucas said. “Triton is providing the bass boat for the angler with the top total weight for two days.”
Entry fee for the Lunker Challenge is $150 per angler and anglers may fish alone or with another angler. Early registration will run through 12 noon Thursday by calling Tonya Holt at Anglers Choice, 276-632-5600 or 800-632-4665.
“We will also be taking registration at the ramp Saturday morning, starting about 5 o'clock,” Lucas said. However, starting positions will be determined by the order of registration, so the earlier an angler registers the earlier his boat can move out.
Lucas said almost 100 anglers had already registered by Tuesday afternoon, so he feels the tournament will reach the minimum 150 anglers by launch time Saturday.
“We usually pick up 40 to 50 guys the morning of the tournament, guys who just register at the ramp, and we are getting some calls from guys who plan to do that,” Lucas said. “I talked to one angler from Wilmington,N.C., and he said there were eight from there coming up to fish the tournament, so it looks like we are going to have a pretty good spread out field.”
He said the routine will be similar to that at a regular Anglers Choice tournament.
“We are going to have a steak biscuit from Hardee's, granola bar and drink for everyone Saturday morning and then Sunday afternoon when we finish the weigh-in we will have dinner for them. We are going to have door prizes donated by Triton, just like at one of our regular tournaments.”
As for the fishing, he said he has not received any recent reports on how fish are being caught at Kerr, but he expects everyone will be throwing big baits in hopes of catching a really big bass.
Lucas noted that the regular season for the Anglers Choice Marine Tournament Trail has ended and the field is now set for the two-day Classic Oct. 13-14 on Smith Mountain Lake with some 170 teams qualified. Teams had to fish a minimum of four tournaments to qualify for the Classic where the winners will take home a new Ranger Z118 boat with a Mercury Opti Max motor and trailer and Lowrance electronics.
“We have a tie again for the Jiffy Automotive Points Championship,” he said, “so we will have a fish-off at the Classic The team between the two tied for first place that finishes with the highest weight at the Classic will be declared points champions for the 2012 season.”
Tied for first place for the second year in a row are Kenny and Brandon Reynolds and Mike Altizer and Mike Pendleton. Kenny and Brandon Reynolds also won the Jiffy Automotive Big Bag of the Year award, a five-fish limit caught in the first tournament of the year at Smith Mountain Lake that weighed 23.31 pounds.
“Geoff Hill and Chris Vaught won the Jiffy Automotive Big Fish of the Year award with an impressive largemouth caught at Smith Mountain Lake on June 16 that weighed 7.10 pounds,” Lucas said.
ANGLER'S CHOICE MARINE LUNKER CHALLENGE TOURNAMENT
Sep. 15-16, 2012
Kerr / Buggs Island Lake
Occoneechee State Park Ramp #1
Pre-Register with Tonya Holt at Angler's Choice - 276-632-5600
www.anglerschoicemarine.com/home/38-tournaments/111-lunker-challenge-2012.html
Thrift Hoping To Hold High Ranking In 3Rd Flw Tour Open On Wheeler Lake
FLW Tour Pro Bryan Thrift
Bryan Thrift has one job – bass fishing – and he has been at the top of the game for most of the six years he has been at it.
The Shelby, N.C., angler has won over $1 million in his short career, with 28 top 10 finishes in tournaments, including five wins. In his six years on the FLW Tour he has made the Forrest Wood Cup six times, finishing in the top 10 four times, including 5th in 2007, his rookie year, and 3rd this August on Georgia's Lake Lanier. He has been ranked in the top 10 five of the past six years in the points standings and was the FLW Tour Angler of the Year in 2010.
Throughout it all, Thrift has relied on an innate ability to locate and catch quality fish most of the time, a talent he says comes simply from “fishing hard.”
“That's the only thing I know. I kind of catch them on whatever and wherever,” he said in unpretentious understatement. “I used to just throw a jig everywhere, but it seems like once I quit doing that and started throwing a little bit of everything I started doing better.”
Thrift said that will be the basis of his strategy when practice starts Sunday for the third FLW Tour Open tournament of the year on Alabama's Wheeler Lake. The tournament will run Sept. 20-23.
“I'll probably run all over the lake and try to fish a little bit of everything,” said Thrift who has fished Wheeler twice before, placing around 23rd once and “not good at all” the other time.
He plans to refine his strategy in practice, he said.
“I'll probably start out shallow. It is a Tennessee River lake and you can always catch fish shallow on the Tennessee River. I'll also have to spend some time out on the ledges, particularly if they pull some current.”
Thrift, who is currently ranked 4th in the FLW Tour Opens Division, said diversity is the key to his fishing success. He finished 6th in the first Open of the year on Lake Okeechobee in February and 33rd in the second Open tournament on the Detroit River in August.
“If you fish somewhere all the time and fish the same places there you never really learn anything new. You just have to keep trying different stuff, learn something new.”
Although his Dad introduced him to fishing, taking him to ponds and down to the river when he was growing up, he said Louie Hull, who makes the popular Shooter Lures, was the person who guided him into bass tournament fishing.
“Before I had my first boat he got me started fishing lakes and fishing for bass. Once I picked up bass fishing, Louie took me under his wing and showed me the ropes,” he said. “I always liked fishing. It seemed liked it came naturally to me. And then Louie and I fished tournaments together for a long time.”
Thrift said his goal is to stay in the top 30 in points and qualify for his seventh Forrest Wood Cup in 2013. The 2013 Forrest Wood Cup will be in Shreveport, La., Aug. 15-18 on the Red River.
FLW Tour Open
Sep 20-23, 2012
Wheeler Lake
Ingalls Harbour
Elite Series Pro Jason Williamson Talks Duckett Fishing Rods At Icast 2012!
'J-Will' tells us what makes Duckett Fishing's White Ice Pro Series so special. Big Rods. Micro Magic guides.
Lake Wylie To Host National Guard Flw College Fishing Southeastern Conference
Carolina Coach And Marine Monday Night Tournament Results
A couple of familiar names remain at the top of the Points lead after the most recent tournament Monday night. Scott Hamrick and Chuck Poovey (and Jeff Johnson as alternate) came up with 13 points Monday to bring their total to 752 and keep their lead over Dave Snyder and Bobby Derrick, who now have 692 points.
Here are the complete results for the Monday Night tournament:
Team Number | Name | LAST WEEK | Big Fish | Total Weight | Points | TOTAL |
5 | Scott Hamrick & Chuck Poovey & Jeff Johnson | 739.00 | 2.35 | 4.90 | 13.00 | 752.00 |
2 | Dave Snyder & Bobby Derrick | 677.00 | 1.85 | 6.35 | 15.00 | 692.00 |
4 | Chad/Austin Schroeder & Todd Evans | 562.00 | 1.95 | 7.70 | 22.00 | 584.00 |
6 | Nick Miller & Brandon Brickweg | 552.00 | 552.00 | |||
18 | Larry Neil & Mark Beaver | 483.00 | 1.90 | 1.90 | 10.00 | 493.00 |
8 | David Wheeler & Joseph Wheeler | 477.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 | 485.00 |
22 | Steven Hobbs & Ryan Hardwick | 449.00 | 2.30 | 6.60 | 16.00 | 465.00 |
1 | Matthew Benge & Josh Benge | 455.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 | 463.00 |
7 | Chris Myatt & Andrew Shundich | 401.00 | 401.00 | |||
9 | Mike Cloninger & Shane Hawkins | 347.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 | 355.00 |
28 | Charles Hobbs & Chris Barnes | 321.00 | 4.10 | 13.75 | 29.00 | 350.00 |
34 | Steve Addington & Matt Stout | 286.00 | 2.80 | 9.75 | 28.00 | 314.00 |
13 | Hank Cherry & Reed McGinnis | 263.00 | 2.05 | 9.15 | 27.00 | 290.00 |
3 | Kyle Whisnant & Mac Lowe | 285.00 | 285.00 | |||
31 | David Clubb & Jack Caldwell | 258.00 | 2.05 | 3.90 | 12.00 | 270.00 |
25 | Shane Lawrence & Matt Mumme | 249.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 | 257.00 |
14 | Chuck Knight & Mike Hill | 223.00 | 2.05 | 7.20 | 20.00 | 243.00 |
16 | Andy Burch & Duane Rinkey | 223.00 | 2.05 | 5.50 | 14.00 | 237.00 |
17 | Dale Surrett & Kevin Thomas | 196.00 | 2.05 | 8.60 | 26.00 | 222.00 |
26 | Roger Wood & Steve Austin | 180.00 | 2.10 | 7.05 | 19.00 | 199.00 |
32 | John Holly & Joe Dimillo | 197.00 | 197.00 | |||
33 | Joe Dimillo Sr & Steven Wizorek | 172.00 | 1.80 | 1.80 | 9.00 | 181.00 |
44 | Eddie Black & Cliff Kirby | 164.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 | 172.00 |
30 | Brett Kubin & Chris Pease | 160.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 | 168.00 |
23 | Pete Betje & Charlie Brock | 160.00 | 160.00 | |||
11 | Aaron Miles & Buck Morgan | 158.00 | 158.00 | |||
51 | Craig Chambers & Jami Fralick | 127.00 | 2.40 | 8.25 | 23.00 | 150.00 |
35 | Shane Lehew & Adam Waters | 120.00 | 2.20 | 8.55 | 25.00 | 145.00 |
55 | Scott & Dwight Beattie | 120.00 | 1.80 | 6.35 | 15.00 | 135.00 |
53 | Butch Holder | 113.00 | 3.25 | 7.30 | 21.00 | 134.00 |
47 | Dave Munari & Jamie Munari | 112.00 | 2.65 | 6.65 | 17.00 | 129.00 |
38 | Bob Furstenburg & Rob Digh | 111.00 | 1.25 | 2.90 | 11.00 | 122.00 |
39 | Britt Brookshire & Clint Conner | 122.00 | 122.00 | |||
36 | Cole Blythe & Nick McCold | 119.00 | 119.00 | |||
19 | Mike Clark & Mike Ray | 112.00 | 112.00 | |||
45 | Jonathan Foster & Jason Dehart | 91.00 | 2.30 | 6.85 | 18.00 | 109.00 |
10 | Roger Hoover & John Yarber | 106.00 | 106.00 | |||
41 | Bucky Helms | 102.00 | 102.00 | |||
50 | Jerry Lineberger & Ken Stamey | 97.00 | 97.00 | |||
46 | Matt McBee | 81.00 | 81.00 | |||
29 | Derek Stallings & Alton Rockett | 73.00 | 73.00 | |||
24 | Brandon Abernathy & Bailey Abernathy | 71.00 | 71.00 | |||
27 | Charles Copeland & Christian Wurtz | 54.00 | 54.00 | |||
15 | Larry Houser | 42.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 | 50.00 |
42 | Rob & Aaron Digh | 49.00 | 49.00 | |||
49 | Drew Montgomery | 47.00 | 47.00 | |||
60 | Jonathon James | 21.00 | 3.15 | 8.55 | 25.00 | 46.00 |
58 | James Roaten & Jonathan Blankenship | 44.00 | 44.00 | |||
59 | Jeff Queen & Micheal Smith | 18.00 | 2.10 | 8.40 | 24.00 | 42.00 |
21 | Dale Sanford & Jeff Johnson | 41.00 | 41.00 | |||
56 | Jason May & Arnold Humphries | 39.00 | 39.00 | |||
57 | Ronnie & Terry Pittman | 36.00 | 36.00 | |||
66 | Roger Gaffin & Alfie Jr. | 0 | 3.35 | 14.15 | 30.00 | 30.00 |
62 | Timothy Scronce | 30.00 | 30.00 | |||
65 | Shane Moran & Anthony William | 21.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 | 29.00 |
48 | Jeff Lewis & Brian Lefever | 27.00 | 27.00 | |||
54 | Chris O'Neal & Randy O'Neal | 26.00 | 26.00 | |||
63 | Mike Moose & JR Rivis | 25.00 | 25.00 | |||
12 | Brian Morgan & Jose | 20.00 | 20.00 | |||
20 | Bob Bauer | 19.00 | 19.00 | |||
43 | Chris & Jamie Barnes | 18.00 | 18.00 | |||
40 | Bill Griffin & Matthew Griffin | 17.00 | 17.00 | |||
52 | Cole Blythe & Zach McCord | 17.00 | 17.00 | |||
37 | Patrick King & Albert March | 17.00 | 17.00 | |||
61 | Brian Walker | 11.00 | 11.00 | |||
64 | Rick Self & Larry Si Hoyle | 8.00 | 8.00 |
High School Anglers To Get Schooled By Bassmaster Elite Series Pros!
DECATUR, Ill. — Scores of high school students will have a chance to rub shoulders with and learn fishing techniques from some of the world’s best professional anglers in the Bassmaster High School Elite Experience, to be held Saturday, Sept. 22.
The event is free to students in grades nine through 12. It is part of the Bassmaster Toyota Trucks All-Star Week, Sept. 20-23, in Decatur, Ill., and it’s intended to instill in youngsters a passion for fishing.
“The Elite Experience in Decatur will give these students a chance to see many aspects of bass tournament fishing as B.A.S.S. makes its first-ever visit to the Decatur area,” said Jerry McKinnis, co-owner of B.A.S.S. and a popular television fishing show host and producer. “Along with the four-day All-Star competition, there will be plenty of activities for the kids, including special seminars on fishing crankbaits, soft plastics, finesse tactics and more — all presented by Bassmaster Elite pros and geared toward high school anglers. Meeting the pros and learning from them will be a truly memorable experience.”
The All-Star competition itself will be exciting for the youngsters and their families, as well as other fishing fans. It features 12 of the top bass anglers in the world competing for a $100,000 prize purse. The field includes the Top 8 competitors in the season-long Bassmaster Elite Series, along with four “fan favorites” selected through online voting at Bassmaster.com. Related activities include a special Hope For The Warriors fishing tournament for wounded veterans, a college bass fishing tournament, concerts and more.
Introduced during the 2012 Bassmaster Elite Series tournament trail, the Bassmaster High School Elite Experience will be a regular feature of Elite events in 2013. According to Jon Stewart, senior manager of B.A.S.S. Federation Nation and head of the high school program, “These kids will have a chance to talk to the top pros, ask questions, and see B.A.S.S. tournament operations behind the scenes. That’s a real thrill for them, and the anglers like to encourage them to keep fishing for the love of the sport. We have fans that stand in long lines just to get autographs from these expert bass fishermen. The high school students will have the opportunity to actually learn from the sport’s ‘greats.’”
“This High School Elite Experience has had a very positive impact when we have held it in the past,” McKinnis said. “We’re expecting record attendance from Illinois students at our postseason tournament, and we look forward to expanding the program to include more young people in 2013.”
The High School Elite Experience will begin at 9 a.m. and will continue through weigh-in at Nelson Park in Decatur, Ill. For information or to register, contact Jon Stewart at jstewart@bassmaster.comor call 205-313-0900.
Eaker Returning To Site Of His 'retirement' To Fish Paa Tournament On The Arkansas River
Legendary boat manufacturer and fishing icon Earl Bentz once asked prominent bass pro Guy Eaker when he was going to retire.
“Retire and do what, fish?” retorted the veteran tournament angler from Cherryville, N.C. “That’s what I do.”
Eaker actually “retired” two years ago, dropping off the Bassmaster Elite Series to spend more time at home and care for his wife who suffers from fibromyalgia. But, with his 73rd birthday coming up in November he is still pursuing bass and entering big-time tournaments, just not as much as he did in the 35 years he was a regular on the B.A.S.S. Trail.
During that span he fished 286 B.A.S.S. events and qualified for 10 Bassmaster Classics. This year he is fishing the 2012 Bass Pro Shops PAA Tournament Series and the final PAA tournament of the year next week will bring him full circle back to his final B.A.S.S. Elite Series event on the Arkansas River in 2010.
“I fished the Arkansas River for three days in practice then and was catching a lot of 3- to 5-pound fish. But we had 5 inches of rain that last day of practice,” Eaker recalled. “Then I got a text message on my cell phone. It said, 'Get off the river. There's a wall of water coming.' Before I got back to the landing I hit a log. They were floating everywhere.”
The river had become extremely dangerous to boaters. The next day as Eaker was crossing the bridge he looked down and saw the river was up out of the banks. B.A.S.S. moved the tournament to Fort Gibson Lake and all the work he had put in finding quality fish went down the river with the flood.
“I thought I was on enough fish to really do good on the Arkansas River,” Eaker said. “I was trying to help Paul Elias because he was on the verge of making the Bassmaster Classic. We do a lot of trading, so I told him something I was doing,”
Eaker explained that Elias fished deep while he prefers to fish shallow.
“I told him to fish the rocky points. I was catching fish on crankbaits and a Shakey Head. He went out and caught 15 pounds a day and I caught 13 pounds a day. He was the last man to make the Classic.”
So, Eaker will return to the Arkansas River and once again the weather is expected to play a major role. Hurricane Isaac drenched the region in the past week and places that were bone dry from a pervasive drought are now under water.
“It is all according to how much water is running in the river. You can catch fish off the wing dams in the river, but that storm put a lot of water in the river, so until we get there I won't know how that river is running.”
Eaker and his traveling buddy, fellow PAA competitor David Hendrix who co-owns The Great Outdoors in Cherryville, will leave early Saturday morning and drive straight through to Three Forks Harbor Marina in Muskogee, Okla.
“We'll get on the water Monday morning and practice three days before the tournament,” Eaker said. We might have to fish the bayous, little creeks and sloughs, places you could not get into when the water was say down.”
The high water will change everything, Eaker said, but he feels with three solid days of practice he will be able to find some good fish and get on a solid pattern.
“If I get on a good pattern I will just stay with it,” he said. “Sometimes you can take a spinnerbait, a crankbait and a buzzbait and cover a lot of water – and maybe catch bigger fish, too.”
Eaker enters the tournament ranked 18th in points and needs to have a good tournament so he can move up into the top 15 in the rankings. The top 15 from the 2012 Bass Pro Shops PAA Tournament Series Angler of the Year standings qualify for the Toyota Texas Bass Classic on Lake Conroe, which has long been considered a world championship of bass fishing. Besides the top 15 from the PAA Series, the TTBC will also feature the top 15 from the 2012 Walmart FLW Tour Angler of the Year list, the top 15 from the 2012 Bassmaster Elite Series Toyota Tundra Angler of the Year standings, four tournament sponsor exemptions and 2011 Champion Keith Combs.
The 2012 Toyota Texas Bass Classic will be held September 28-30 at Conroe, Texas.
“I've got a little work to do next week to make the Classic,” Eaker said. “As for retirement, I am not going to sit in my chair and die. I plan to stay active. My health is pretty good and I feel I can still compete. I don't mind fishing a week at a time. The only thing I hate is the long drive. It's a thousand miles to this tournament.”
Bass Pro Shops PAA Arkansas River Tournament
Sep 10-15, 2012
Arkansas River
Three Forks Harbor
www.fishpaa.com/2012-arkansas-river-tournament-info
Byrum's General Store Clearance This Week With Final Day This Sat!!
Byrums General Store owner Robby Byrum takes us through some of his remaining inventory as his store is closing down after 122 years! This really is a special place and if you haven't ever had the chance to swing by, this is your last chance as Sat is the final Day! Everything in the store is 50% off, so come and get it!!
Hot Points Race Title On The Line This Weekend In Piedmont Bfl On Kerr/buggs Island
Jeff Salmon of Chester, VA. Photo courtesy FLW Outdoors.
A dozen years ago Jeff Salmon was getting his feet wet in the Walmart BFL Piedmont Division, and learning about tournament fishing.
But life happens. He and his wife welcomed several children into the world and tournament fishing was relegated to the back burner. He competed sporadically for the next decade or so.
This year he was able to return to tournaments full time and he made that return a successful one. The Chester, Va., angler is leading the Piedmont Division points race by 24 points going into the final two-day divisional tournament this weekend on Kerr/Buggs Island. But he knows the points title is not a done deal at this point.
“The guys behind me are no slouches, that's for sure. I have to do pretty well this weekend to hold on.”
Nipping at Salmon's heels are Chris Baldwin of Lexington, N.C., and Jeff Gore of Lynchburg, Va., both tied with 732 points, 24 behind Salmon.
“I have not been down there since this spring,” Salmon said. “I plan to get down there sometime Thursday and kick around the lake a little bit just to see what's happening with the fish. The weather patterns are changing, with some rain and storms coming, so there is no telling what the fish will be doing in the tournament.”
Salmon said Buggs Island, which is about an hour and a half away from his home, is his favorite lake because of its size.
“You can get away from the crowd on that lake. You can go down and fish all day and not see another boat – and that's why I love it. I live on the tidal James River so I love the opportunity to catch fish anyway you want. It gives you a chance to fish your strengths and figure out a way to make them bite.”
Salmon said he is used to fishing muddy, moving water on the tidal James River.
“It doesn't matter if you are fishing six inches deep or six feet. And that is a great thing about Buggs Island. You can catch them in six inches of water every day of the year. That’s what makes that place so wonderful.”
A shallow water angler, Salmon said the lake is about 4 feet below normal pool this time of year, which tends to group up the fish, but it also changes the way the lake fishes.
“I am hoping the rain pushes some new water in. I want to find the new, moving water, and I hope to find some dirtier water, get in some new flooded stuff and work the banks to find out what they are doing. That kind of lake you can catch fish shallow all year long, even in the clearer water.”
But, if the fish are not shallow Salmon plans to cover his bases.
“I'll start there and then work my way out and figure out what areas they are holding in. Then I'll make some adjustments. If they are in 6 to 7 feet of water then that is what will happen.”
Salmon returned full time to tournament fishing this year with a foot in both major organization's schedules. He is not only fishing the FLW's Piedmont BFL circuit, he also competed on the Bassmaster Northern Open trail.
“I did okay, but I could have done a lot better,” said Salmon who finished 58th in Northern Open points. He earned a check in the Northern Open tournament on the James River, but finished far down in the pack in the two Opens on northern waters, including Cayuga lake in New York and the Detroit River in Michigan. He said, however, those experiences will help him in his tournament fishing, even in Southern waters.
“I got into more finesse fishing and with drop shot fishing in the Northern Opens and I got a little better with those techniques. That might be something I could employ if the bite gets real tough.”
Salmon said he plans to expand his tournament experiences by fishing the Southern Opens also next year, along with the FLW's EverStart Series.
The top 40 boaters and co-anglers from each BFL division qualify for a regional tournament and are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Walmart BFL All-American presented by Chevy. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the EverStart Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.
Walmart Bass Fishing League - Piedmont Division
Sep 8-9, 2012
Kerr / Buggs Island Lake
Nutbush Access - Kerr Lake State Recreation
Hope Floats At Oklahoma’s Fort Gibson Lake In Season Finale Of Bassmaster Central Open
Mike McClelland has been praying for fellow Bassmaster Elite Series pro Brent Chapman.
It’s not that pros aren’t always watching out for each other, but McClelland’s prayers are shaped by something less spiritual: a Bassmaster Classic qualification.
McClelland says he prayed for Chapman’s safe arrival in Wagoner, Okla., to compete in this week’s Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open on Fort Gibson Lake.
Prayer answered.
“I heard he’s there already,” the angler from Bella Vista, Ark., said on Aug. 31 as he was traveling to the same destination.
Now, McClelland is praying that Chapman remains healthy and able to participate in the Sept 6-8 Open. All registered anglers compete Thursday and Friday. Only the Top 12 will move on to Saturday’s finale to vie for $50,000 in prizes and a ticket to the 2013 Bassmaster Classic.
If Chapman fishes on all days he’s eligible, then he can claim the Classic seat that came with his Open win back in February in the first Central Open of 2012. But he doesn’t need it, so he’ll pass it on to the next angler on the Elite points list, who happens to be McClelland.
Chapman would become a rare Classic triple-qualifier. One qualification was via an Elite win, another through the Elite points system, and third would be the berth gained on the Open trail.
“I’ve been on pins and needles,” McClelland said. “I never count my chickens before the eggs are hatched.”
Technically, McClelland doesn’t have to compete in the Open to get a Classic seat via Chapman, but the Arkansas angler is motivated to be there anyway.
“As long as Chapman is fishing, I’ll work hard to help Jeff Kriet through the course of week,” said McClelland.
McClelland would have to be in the Fort Gibson event to help Kriet because a competitor can receive assistance only from another competitor. This Open is important to Kriet: It’s the only door to Classic 2013 left for him, and McClelland is determined to help him open it.
Other Elite pros have a shot at Classic 2013 through the Open. Jared Lintner, one place below McClelland, could get in if the winner of the Open has already qualified for the Classic (and if the Chapman-McClelland scenario plays out).
Scott Rook, next after Lintner on the Elite points list, would then become the beneficiary of what is very likely to be a triple qualification by Chris Lane. Lane has one seat as defending Classic champ, and he has another via the Elite points system. Like Chapman, Lane would be a triple qualifier if he finishes out his Open division. For Lane, that’s the Central Open, which will wrap up in October.
McClelland — who last competed on Fort Gibson Lake in the 2010 Elite event, in which he finished ninth — said the lake has always favored a shallow-water fisherman. The bass are usually inshore, perhaps because the shad seem to hang in the shallows, he said.
“The lake is full of baitfish, which makes it a very fertile fishery. It has a good population of bass. But one thing we’re up against is the full moon phase, when fish feed at night, so conditions aren’t super-favorable.”
The Fort Gibson Open may not be won in a traditional shallow-pattern fashion, he speculated.
“This may be one of those events someone will win by finding something unique,” McClelland said.
That someone could well be Elite pro Tommy Biffle of Wagoner. Fort Gibson is his home lake, and he’s won there so many times, he’s lost count: “a bunch of times,” he said. One was the 2010 Elite event; his four-day weight was 73 pounds and 11 ounces.
Biffle doesn’t need the win to make the Classic. He accomplished that Aug. 26 at the Elite season finale, pulling himself up from 38th in the standings to finish at 27th place, inside the Top 28 cutline.
But before he secured his seat, he implemented Plan B. He spent weeks on Fort Gibson, fine-tuning a strategy that would net him a win if all else failed. He was doing everything in his power to ensure he would not sit out a Classic on Grand Lake, just upriver from Fort Gibson Lake.
“If something happened at Oneida, then I’d have to win the Open. I was covering my bases,” Biffle said.
The water is low, Biffle said. The level on Aug. 31, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers website, was 552.15 feet, almost 2 feet below the normal conservation pool level of 554 feet. At 552.15, the lake size comes in at 331,200 surface acres.
“We didn’t get any rain from the storm (Hurricane Isaac),” he said. “So those who have been practicing there for weeks might have some advantage. They started coming even before I left for Oneida (in mid-August).
Biffle is one of the Elite pros who could help another pro into the Classic.
“I know there’s one or two wanting me to win,” he said. “There’s a real, real good chance I can.”
Fans can watch the outcome in person or online at Bassmaster.com, where free-access coverage will be available all three days.
The Thursday and Friday weigh-ins will begin at 2:45 p.m. CT at Taylor Ferry North, east on Hwy. 51 out of Wagoner. On Saturday, the Top 12 from the first two days will weigh their catches at 3:45 p.m. at the Bass Pro Shops in Broken Arrow, Okla., 101 Bass Pro Drive.
Everstart Series Central Division Headed To Lake Of The Ozarks
OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (Sept. 5, 2012) – The EverStart Series is headed to Lake of the Ozarks Sept. 13-15 when as many as 300 pros and co-anglers take to the water for the fourth and final stop in the Central Division for 2012.
Lee Sisson On How New Bagley's Is Old Again!
Lee Sisson desgned the crankbaits that made Bill Dance and Roland Martin famous. Now the legendary lure designer and former Bassmaster Elite Series Pro talks about how his career has come full circle with the new ownership at Bagley's and their commitment to bring us the old actions and materials that made these lures popular in the first place.
Bertrand Looking To Move Up After Central Open Tournament On Fort Gibson Lake
Josh Bertrand of Gilbert, Arizona, traveled east three times in 2010 to fish the Bassmaster Central Open tournaments in Texas and Louisiana. It was his first venture into Bassmaster competition and his debut season was inauspicious as he finished out of the money in all three tournaments.
The 23-year-old did not fish B.A.S.S. in 2011, staying home to launch a full-time guide service. He kept his hand in tournament fishing, however, competing in local tournaments and fishing one FLW Western Division EverStart tournament on nearby Lake Roosevelt, finishing 11th and earning a check for $1881.
With his guide business firmly established, he returned to the Bassmaster Central Open Division this year, planning to do the best he could and gain plenty of experience, with the goal of eventually qualifying for the Bassmaster Elite Series.
After two tournaments he has gained a lot more than that. Bertrand is tied with wily veteran Brent Chapman of Kansas for the points lead in the Central Open Division. Chapman, who has fished B.A.S.S. for almost two decades, has notched four first place finishes, 11 Bassmaster Classic appearances, and has won just under $1.5 million.
Bertrand missed out on qualifying for the 2013 Bassmaster Classic in the first Central Open tournament of the year on Lewisville Lake in Texas when he tied for first place with Chapman in regulation, then dropped to a second-place finish in a fish-off with the veteran. Bassmaster Open tournament winners get an automatic qualification for the Bassmaster Classic.
He moved into a tie with Chapman for the points lead with a 19th place finish on Table Rock Lake in April and so far he has earned $19,782 in prize money in the Opens.
But Bertrand is very close to attaining his goal of moving up to the Elite Series sooner than expected. The top five in points in each Open Division qualify to move to the Elite Series and only a disastrous finish at the final 2010 Central Open tournament on Fort Gibson Lake in Oklahoma next week would knock him from first in the points below the the top five cut-off.
At this point, he said, “My hopes have definitely changed.”
Bertrand has been practicing on Fort Gibson Lake this week, looking for ways to focus in on the bass before the tournament begins next Thursday.
“We are catching some fish, but definitely not near what I would like as far as having a comfort level,” he said after his second day on the lake. “But the lake does feel very fishy and it is amazing how many fish are in the lake. I think I have caught six different species of fish each day of practice. There are a lot of smaller fish, but there are also plenty of keepers to be caught. You just have to get through a lot of stuff to get to them.”
One of the problems he faces, he said, is dealing with a lake so shallow compared to most of the deep-water lakes he fishes in the West.
“We've got shallow water fishing back home, but this lake has a completely different feel to it. A lot of the techniques you use are different, too.”
Bertrand described Fort Gibson as “a fairly flat lake that fishes fairly small.” He said it is filled with rocks and a lot of man-made structures that get a lot of fishing pressure – docks, old foundations and brushpiles.
“If you get up toward the north end of the lake or go back in the creeks, there is a lot of wood and stuff like that if you like to flip or fish shallow,” he said.
He is putting a solid 12 hours a day on the lake in practice, trying to get a feel for the fishery and develop several different patterns.
“I would like to have a variety of stuff to pick from if the lake fishes as small as I think. It's hard enough to find one good pattern. If I am lucky enough to find a couple I think it will take that to separate from the rest of the field.”
The problem is finding a few patterns to hone in on, he said.
“So far I'll catch a keeper on this, one on that. Several different baits are successful each day so it's hard to focus on one. And they come off different types of spots, so I don't have a pattern set yet.”
Fishing the Central Opens has been very satisfying this time around, he said, because of the friendships he has cultivated among the anglers.
“Everyone has been really helpful and it's just been awesome to be around them.”
For information on Bertrand and his guide service, visit www.thearizonafishingguides.com
Bassmaster Central Open
Sept 6-8, 2012
Fort Gibson Lake
Sportsman's Warehouse Labor Day Weekend Report With Fishing Mgr Craig Baird
Sportsman's Warehouse Fishing Manager Craig Baird gives us some good on the water advice for this big Labor Day Weekend.......the pattern is still deep, but not as deep as we have seen just a few weeks back. Click on this video for the full story!
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
dwayne@fishingforcharities.com
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: philsflags@msn.com
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 atLwarner@wisc.edu or 920-740-9085.
For additional questions regarding participation and the schedule of events, please contact Kevin Yeska at Kyeska@wisc.edu, 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: philsflags@msn.com
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.