Points Leader Says Jig And Jerkbait Probably The Ticket In Greene Tournament On Lake Norman
James Dyer and partner David Fortenberry won the first Greene Boat and Motor tounament of 2011 on Lake Wylie
James Dyer has been “working around the clock and have not had a chance to even see the lake” so he plans to “do what I always do” on Lake Norman Saturday in the second tournament of the year on the Greene Boat & Motor Team Trail.
“This time of year I usually throw a jig and fish it really slow. Maybe throw a jerkbait every now and then,” said Dyer who is leading the points with his regular partner Jody Wright after winning the first tournament of the season Jan. 29 on Lake Wylie.
“Fishing on Wylie was tough. You had to throw out a jerkbait and just let it sit there and move it every now and then,” said Dyer who fished with a sub in that tournament. He and David Fortenberry weighed in 15.48 pounds, including the tournament big fish at 5.23 pounds, to win the first prize of $1,715 which made the team the points leader for now.
Dyer said the water in Lake Norman is still cold so fishing will probably be slow.
“Lake Norman always has shallow fish and deep fish. I'd say it probably is going to be a deep bite Saturday,” Dyer said. “This time of year the fish are running bait so where you find the bait you will find groups of fish. You just have to fish slow to catch them.”
Tournament director Brett Collins, who also runs the Carolina Anglers Team Trails on several different lakes in the Carolinas, said he has heard good fishing reports from Lake Norman this week as the weather has begun to warm up.
“I heard one report of a local fisherman who caught over 30 bass on jerkbaits and drop shots in the 8- to 12-foot range,” Collins said.
Collins said the first tournament on Lake Wylie drew 35 boats, which was right on the average per tournament in 2010, but he expects a much larger field Saturday on Lake Norman.
“We have already picked up some new teams for the tournament on Lake Norman. Last February the Lake Norman tournament drew almost 50 boats. And our two-day championship will be held Oct. 8-9 at Lake Norman so we look to have a really good crowd at all the tournaments on Lake Norman this year.”
Collins said teams must fish four of the six regular season tournaments to qualify for the championship in October. The season points champions will earn $1,000 and the runners-up will get a new Minn Kota Trolling Motor.
Membership in the Greene Trail is $15 and teams pay a $120 entry fee per tournament – $130 if they enter the morning of the tournament. The trail pays back one in every six places. There is also an optional Big Fish pot with a $20 entry fee paying back 100 percent for Big Fish and second Big Fish.
“We also have contingency opportunities, including the Stratos 2X program, Bass Cat Quest program and Nitro Tournament Rewards,” Collins said.
The regular season schedule following Saturday's tournament includes: March 5, Lake Wylie, Buster Boyd Bridge Access; April 23, Lake Norman, Pinnacle Landing; May 21 Lake Wateree, Dutchman Creek Marina; and June 4, Lake Hickory, Whittenburg Access.
Dyer said he is pleased that the trail replaced Lake Murray with Lake Hickory this year.
“I think Hickory is my best lake personally and I think everybody will have a good time there,” he said.
Greene Boat & Motor Team Trail
Sat. Feb 19, 2011
Lake Norman
Pinnacle Access
Water Warming Quickly Just In Time For Sc Division Bfl On Lake Murray
Jeremiah Jensen finished 2nd in the BFL on Murray last year. Photo courtesy FLW Outdoors.
A warming trend with near spring-like temperatures this week could not have come at a better time for the S.C. Division Bass Fishing League Tournament Saturday on Lake Murray.
“The water is real cold, but it should be warming up quick this week,” said Jeremiah Jensen of Columbia, S.C., who finished second in the SC BFL tournament on Lake Murray a year ago this Saturday. “I think there will be a lot of fish starting to move up and in the pre-spawn phase so they will be hungry. I think fishing will be pretty good this weekend.”
In fact, he said, it was already starting to get better a week ago though the bitter cold weather still prevailed at that time.
“I went last weekend and caught a pretty fair number of fish in the mid-depth areas, 6 to 12 feet deep. And the fish were fairly active. I caught several fish in pretty quick succession last weekend,” he said.
“There will be a lot of fish caught shallow Saturday, but there will possibly be some deep brushpile and jigging spoon fish for guys who want to do that. But I am going to try to get to where they are going, not where they have been.”
In the BFL tournament last February, Jensen caught a limit of bass that weighed 15 pounds, 7 ounces, on medium running crankbaits and jigs.
“I anticipate the fishing will be about the same scenario Saturday – mid depth,” he said. “But it all depends on what part of the lake you are fishing. Upriver you could catch them in three feet of water. Down near the dam you would be fishing in 18 to 20 feet of water.”
The disparity, he said, is because of the water clarity. The further down the lake the clearer the water and the deeper the fish. The further up the rivers feeding into the lake there is more stain in the water and the fish will be shallower.
“There are better quality fish down the lake, but they are harder to catch, so you just have to pick your poison,” he said. “A lot will depend on the weather the day of the tournament, as far as wind and cloud cover. It's been warming up all week and Friday and Saturday it is supposed to be in the mid-70s, with overnight temperatures up in the mid to high 40s, almost 50 degrees. If we get a little wind I think it will turn them on.”
If the wind is blowing, he said, the crankbait will work. If it's not blowing he will probably rely on the jig.
“My only concern right now is the weather is gong to get so good everybody will be catching them. As cold as it has been all winter long, it has kind of held things back and now it seems like they are ready to go all at once, not just feeding fish, but fish starting to work their way in,” he said.
“I know some guys are catching them out deep on spoons, I've been catching them at the mid-depth range and I know there will be some up the river catching them shallow. So whatever you like to do will be working this weekend.”
Jensen said he had a good year on the SC BFL trail last year with top five finishes on Lakes Murray and Wateree and he finished 15th in the BFL Regional Championship on Lake Guntersville. With a brand new baby in the Jensen household, the Columbia angler has decided to cut back on his tournament schedule this year and plans to just fish the SC Division BFL tournaments along with some local benefit tournaments.
But he is really excited about the 2011 BFL circuit in the Palmetto State.
“They did a really good job of picking the lakes at the right time of year,” he said. “The Lake Murray tournament is first followed by the tournament at Lake Wylie when the fish will be in late pre-spawn. When we get to Santee the fish will be in full spawn, some even in post-spawn. Then at Lake Wateree they will be in post-spawn which should mean some good topwater fishing. The tournament at Lake Hartwell will be in the fall and that tends to be a pretty good lake in the fall, at least from my experience. I think the whole season is shaping up really good for the BFLs in South Carolina.”
FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) SC Division
Sat. Feb 19, 2011
Lake Murray
Dreher Island State Park
Airport Marine Team Trail Providing More Ways To Win This Year
The Airport Marine Team Trail is spreading the money around this year – at least $300,000 based on 150 boats per tournament.
“Last year we gave an awful lot of money to first place and that kind of eliminated a lot of people who came in down the line,” said tournament director Flynn Gerald. “This year we have guaranteed first place with 60 boats minimum at $2,000 and we are expecting more than that. We'll pay second place $1,000, third place $900, all the way down to 10th place.”
But the money does not end there. Qualifying boats will double their payback from 1st through 4th place. Qualifying boats are originally owned boats bought from Airport Marine, two years old or newer from the date of the tournament.
And there is more.
There is a $5,000 team bonus to be split three ways in each tournament between the top 10 boats by a random draw – $2,500 for first, $1,500 for second and $1,000 for third. Qualifying boats will be paid in cash; non-qualifying boats will get certificates equal to the cash value towards the purchase of a new boat.
There is also a $10,000 solo bonus to be split four ways in each tournament between the top 10 boats by a random draw – $4,000 for first, $3,000 for second, $2,000 for third and $1,000 for fourth.
Then there are the $1,000 Adult/Child and $1,000 Couples bonuses, each to be split between the top three teams in each category each tournament, in any boat, $500 for first, $300 second and $200 third
There will also be a $10,000 purse for the Team of the Year – $5,000 for the top team and $5,000 to the team chosen in a random draw among the top 10 teams.
On top of all that there are the manufacturer's bonus programs for Stratos, Ranger, Triton and Skeeter.
“There is a new Triton bonus of $7,000 for each tournament. Stratos will double your pay up to a certain amount and we have the Ranger Cup and Skeeter Bonus programs, too,” Gerald said.
The purse for the year-end Classic Oct. 15 on a lake to be announced will include $7,000 for first place, $4,000 for second, $3,000 for third and on down, Gerald said.
“Nobody pays back what we are paying back. Most tournaments pay back 60-70 percent and we are paying back about 125 percent.”
There is a one-time initiation fee of $20 per angler to enter the trail and the entry fee per tournament is $150, with an optional big fish competition at $10.
Teams can register by Tuesday of the week before each tournament to get an early flight number, but entries will be taken at the ramp the day of the tournament starting at 4 a.m., Gerald said. Teams must fish or pay for four of the tournaments to qualify for the Classic.
Gerald said there has been some confusion about the need to pre-pay for the Classic.
“Teams have to pre-pay and register before the lake for the classic is chosen, but not for every tournament on the schedule,” he said.
The schedule includes the opening tournament Saturday on Lake Martin out of Wind Creek; March 12 on Lake Guntersville out of Goose Pond; April 9 on Lake Logan Martin out of Lakeside; June 25, a SOLO tournament on Lay Lake out of Paradise Point; July 9, Lay Lake out of Paradise Point; Aug. 20, Lake Guntersville out of Goose Pond; and Sept. 10, a SOLO tournament on Lay Lake out of Paradise Point. The Classic on Oct. 15 will be held on one of the lakes in the regular season schedule.
Fishing on Lake Martin has been a little slow, Gerald said, because of the cold winter weather, but the water temperature should come up 2-3 degrees by Saturday with the weather warming.
“They have been catching a lot of fish, but not big fish,” he said. “The water could be up around 50 degrees when we get there and turn those fish on.”
Gerald said the fish have already begun moving shallow and can be caught in the shallow pockets protected from the north wind where the fish can warm up in the sun.
“They are catching them on shallow-running crankbaits, Rat-L-Traps, swim baits, Chatterbaits, anything you can move fairly slow.”
Airport Marine Team Trail
Sat. Feb 19, 2011
Lake Martin
Wind Creek State Park
Kevin VanDam offers a little advice; talks about 2011 Bassmaster Classic
KVD talks about defending his 2010 Classic title before directly answering questions from a couple of fans by way of AnglersChannel.com!
The Bass Are Eating (And So Am I) At The 2011 Bassmaster Classic In New Orleans!
Speaking of ingredients, you gotta eat. And eat you can in New Orleans. When three different locals tell you to try a certain restaruant, you do it. So I ate blackened redfish at GW Fin's, just off Bourbon two blocks from Canal St. They were filming a real, full-blown Hollywood movie across the street when I walked out. Some guy who looked like Lou Diamond Phillips was talking with a brunette on a balcony as passers-by stopped and starred. Beignets are tasty, but be careful if eating them in a black shirt. I looked like I had been belly-sliding through a powdered sugar mill. I turned a corner and some dude with an electric guitar was hitting it, absolutely hitting it. Sounded like VanHalen and ZZ Top had a baby together. This place is awesome. Oh, and then a doorman at a restaraunt reccomended I come enjoy their brunch, but to be sure and make reservations because "70,000 people are coming to town for a big bass tournament." No kidding?
After having lunch with the anglers today I look forward to real heavy weight event. Power fishing and big bags will dominate.
Another developing story is the 200-mile-plus round trip some guys are making each day. They will only fish for about 3 hours, but they will spend those hours in one of the most fertile estuaries on earth down in the vicinity of Venice, LA.
Randall Tharp will run the other way. He likely will do so alone. "I saw a few locals in there," he said, "but the only other competitor I saw in there this week was VanDam." Not the guy you want to see. Actually, Tharp is excited at the prospect of sharing water with the man who owns tournament fishing. "I have watched him for years. He has inspired me and I think it would be kind of neat to fish head-to-head with him." Tharp thinks there would be enough bass to go around. "There's a pile of fish in there."
There are piles of fish all over the Louisiana Delta. Tune in to AnglersChannel.com to see how many of them our fisherman can bring to the Classic scales!
2011 Bassmaster Classic Preview From New Orleans With Ac Insider Vance Mccullough
AC Insider Vance McCullough previews what he thinks could be a very special 2011 Classic........we're coming to you from New Orleans tonight and every night through the Tournament!!
Randall Tharp Ready To Roll With The Big Boys At 2011 Bassmaster Classic
Randall Tharp has proven to be quite a stick in Bassmaster Open competition. Now he will test his skills against the best in the game at the 2011 Classic. He believes he has found the right fish to carry him deep into the hunt. Keep an on him.
Ike Reflects on the 2003 Classic; Looks Forward to the 2011 Version
Mike Iaconelli shares a special concern with us and tells us why he will NOT fish the spot that produced his Bassmaster Classic victory in 2003.
Ranger Sends Strong Field Into 2011 Bassmaster Classic!
Being contested February 18-20 in the bass-rich waters of the Louisiana Delta, Ranger Boats will be represented by some of the top names in professional fishing from the B.A.S.S. Elite Series, as well as some up-and-coming anglers who qualified through Open and Weekend Series events.
Ranger Pros in the 2011 Bassmaster Classic:
Tracy Adams – B.A.S.S. Opens qualifier
Tommy Biffle – B.A.S.S. Elite Series qualifier
Keith Combs – B.A.S.S. Opens qualifier
Ryan McMurtury – B.A.S.S. Weekend Series qualifier
Andy Montgomery – B.A.S.S. Opens qualifier
Scott Rook – B.A.S.S. Elite Series qualifier
Randall Tharp – B.A.S.S. Opens qualifier
Dave Wolak – B.A.S.S. Elite Series qualifier
In addition to its field of qualifiers, Ranger Boats enters the 2011 Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo with one of the industry’s most sought-after displays. Joining legendary Ranger founder and Hall of Famer Forrest L Wood will be some of the greatest anglers to ever take to the weigh-in stand. Visitors to the Ranger booth can meet with and gain professional insight from a collection of Ranger loyalists, who, between them, have amassed seven Bassmaster Classic titles, five B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year Awards, a pair of Forrest Wood Cup championships and more than $11.4 million in combined career earnings.
Appearing in the Ranger Boats booth:
Forrest L Wood
Denny Brauer
Luke Clausen
George Cochran
Jimmy Houston
Hank Parker
Peter Thliveros
Jay Yelas
Along with famed Ranger Pros, visitors to the booth can also see the all-new 2011 Ranger boats and learn more about the latest “Gotcha Covered” sales promotion.
For Bassmaster Classic attendees – and those who wish they were – who want behind-the-scenes access to the tournament, inside looks at Ranger products and personalities or a chance to win prizes, follow Ranger Boats on Twitter (@RangerBoats) or become a fan on Facebook.
About Ranger Boats
Headquartered in Flippin, Ark., Ranger Boats is the nation’s largest manufacturer of premium fiberglass fishing boats, which include series of bass, multi-species, fish 'n play and saltwater boats. Founded in 1968 by Forrest L. Wood, Ranger Boats continues its commitment to building the highest-quality, strongest-performing boats on the water. For more information, go to RangerBoats.com.
Bassmaster Classic Rewind: say what? Pre-tourney interviews from 2010
Here's a look back at what some pros were saying prior to last year's Bassmaster Classic when we sat down and interviewed them at Media Day in Birmingham. How right was Boyd Duckett when he spoke about who might win the Classic? Kevin Short even aluded to what would become the winning pattern. We will converse with this year's contenders two days from now - so stay with us here at AnglersChannel.com!
Bassmaster Classic 2011: Calm Before The Storm
Not a meteorological event. Actually, forecasts call for a gentle warming trend, fair skies and steady barometer; even a south wind and a swelling moon to help the rising tide deepen Delta's waters and, perhaps, grant access to areas that haven't seen a boat in days. And when they flush back to the Gulf, waters will run strong on the spring tide. Anglers could hardly ask for better fishing conditions.
Yet, Monday-to-Thursday comprise the eye of Huricane Classic. Three intense practice days are over. Ahead lie three days that will change someone's life.
Most spent Monday working on tackle, repairing boats and visiting kids at Tulane Hospital for Children.
Tuesday is moving day, when all must come from wherever they camped during practice rounds and check-in as official Bassmaster Classic contenders at the official host hotel. Then the official rules meeting this afternoon.
Wednesday provides one more practice peek.
Thursday they entertain us at Media Day - verbally answering questions while mentally lost in the delta's maze and the deep recesses of their own minds.
Come Friday morning, it's on.
For real.
3 whirlwind days.
51 of the world's best.
1 trophy.
The title.
The eternal street cred.
Half-a-million dollars - now.
Full-figured speaking/appearance/endorsement fees - forever.
To win it they'll scour endless miles of bayou and backwater to bring the biggest bag of bass before crowds of thousands gathered daily at New Orleans Arena and millions more around the world, incuding many right here, at AnglersChannel.com.
Stay with us. We'll bring you fresh video and blog coverage with a perspective you won't find anywhere else.
From pracitce reports to the atmosphere of Rue Bourbon to the final weigh in, we will take you to the Big Easy for the big tourney - the 2011 Bassmaster Classic.
Bassmaster Classic Rewind: Shaw Shares A Secret
We filmed this right before the 2010 Bassmaster Classic. It is indicative of the know-how we will bring you from the anglers in this year's Classic later this week. Strike King Pro Shaw Grigsby shares a knot-tying secret that will put more fish in your boat! Watch for more pro tips from the 2011 Bassmaster Classic - only on AnglersChannel.com!
TBF Tournament brings in Big Bass on Lake Murray
The Bass Federation of South Carolina held it’s 2011 season opener this past Saturday on Lake Murray. The unsettled weather we have been having had bass moving between deep and shallow water. But on this day the big ones showed up! Several 5, 6, and 7 pounder’s were brought to the scales. Crankbaits seemed to be the main lure of choice however jigs and shakey heads also produced some limits that finished in the money.
1st place honors in the boater division went to Darrell Shull of West Columbia with a five bass limit of 16.02 lbs. 2nd place was Johnathan Crossland from Irmo with another limit of bass at 12.58 lbs. Chuck Kinard also from West Columbia came in third with 12.47 lbs. Rounding out the top five were Robert Rikard with 10.39 lbs. and Pat Whaley at 8.84 lbs. Big Bass honor was won by Rich Gerken of Prosperity with a 6.77 lb. lunker.
In the Co/Angler division it would be Tommy Lindler of Lexington taking the win with 4 bass weighing in at 10.53 lbs. Second place finisher, DJ McEachern from Spring Hill had just moved up to fish the TBF trail from JR’s. program and showed that he knows how to catch them. His weight of 8.29 lbs was anchored by a 7.33 lb largemouth that was also the biggest bass of the tournament. Way to go DJ.
Third place would be Kenny Grimes who drove all the way from Akron Ohio to fish. Says he doesn’t like fishing through little holes in the ice. Ken’s weight was 7.64lbs. Also earning honorable mention for big fish are Dan Cook 6.49 lbs. and boater Bill Payne at 5.01 lbs.
Lake Murray gave up some nice bass this weekend and is sure to only get better in the weeks to come. The next TBF tournament of the season will be at Lake Wylie on March 12th. It’s not too late to enter. For more information please visit www.tbfofsc.com.
CATT Wylie Feb 12 Recap Top 5
Tom and Doug brought in a limit weighing 15.85 lbs and collected $550.00. They are almost to the $10,000.00 mark in total CATT winnings and it's a good bet they will break that mark this Spring. In 2010 we paid back over $23,000.00 to the guys fishing the CATT Lake Wylie Trail and this year we will see a substancial increase. The 2011 CATT Classic will be held on Lake Wylie May 14-15. To qualify a team must finish in the top 70 teams in the points race of any Summer 2010, Fall 2010 and Spring 2011 CATT Trail. www.catttrail.com
We had 24 teams enter Saturday and we launched out of South Point Accces. The temperature was cold in the morning and the wind kept the temps down but you can feel the change coming. Next Lake Wylie CATT Trail is this coming Saturday February 19 and we will once again will leave out of South Point. The work on Buster Boyd Landing will hopefully be done by the March 5th CATT Lake Wylie CATT and we will move the tournaments back to Buster Boyd. The forecast for the upcoming week is to expect temperatures close to 70 degrees so look for the fishing to improve over the next few days. A lot of the teams reported a very tough day. Seems like the teams fishing in water deeper than 8ft did the best.
1 - Tom Russell - Doug Gilmer 15.85 $550.00
2 - Hunter Hicks - Bobby Rice 1st BF 5.29 15.80 $468.00
3 - John Schon - Todd Moss BONUS $ 13.42 $320.00
4 - Mike Stephens - Sam Fascella 2nd BF 4.97 11.28 $192.00
5 - Chad Atchely - Jeff Benfield 9.90
Classic Rewind: Boyd Duckett Holds Off Hard-Charging Vandam On Lay Lake, 2007
What a classic Classic it was! Boyd Duckett outlasted Skeet Reese and KVD to become the first angler ever to win the Bassmaster Classic in his home state. Watch the magic moment again, right here, right now! And keep an eye on AnglersChannel.com next week as we bring you all of the magic from the Big Easy, site of the 2011 Classic!
2011 Anglers Choice Marine Open House Weekend With Tourney Director Chris Lucas
Anglers Choice Marine Team Trail Tounament Director Chris Lucas talks to us about what has become one of the top TEAM TRAILS in the Country, and how 2011 is sure to reach record levels!!
2011 Anglers Choice Marine Open House With Bass Elite Pro Casey Ashley
Bass Elite Series Pro Casey Ashley joins us at the Anglers Choice Marine Open House and talks about some BIG BAGS we all may be seeing next week at the 2011 Bassmasters Classic!!
Mcmurtury Feels No Pressure In His First Bassmaster Classic
Ryan McMurtry will be fishing the Bassmaster Classic on the Louisiana Delta Feb. 18-20!
Bassmaster Classic qualifier Ryan McMurtury has a unique theory about fishing a tournament in strange water: the less he knows about the fishery, the better off he is.
As a result he has not asked anyone who has fished the three previous Classics on the Louisiana Delta anything about how to fish there.
“I just feel like if somebody holds your hand and tells you where to go anybody can do that. It's not about the money – it's about being able to know you can find fish and compete,” said the 43-year-old Abbeville, S.C., angler who qualified through the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Weekend Series, operated by American Bass Anglers.
In his first year on the Weekend Series trail, McMurtury won the 2010 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Weekend Series National Championship on Lake Guntersville last November to advance to the 2011 Bassmaster Classic.
“Everywhere I go I don't seek out any information. When it gets tough you can adjust quicker – like at Guntersville. I had never been on that lake before.”
McMurtury had to adjust at Guntersville because his boat broke down in practice, so he had to go home and get a smaller backup boat.
“I feel that had I been able to use my big boat in pre-fishing, I would have fished more areas and not stayed where I did. In the tournament, I stayed in one spot for four days and never left it. I used a double rig fluke with exposed hooks. When one fish hit, I just held it down until another one hit. I caught fewer fish each day, but more weight.”
McMurtury caught 165 bass off that spot over the four days, weighing in 20 at 69.53 pounds to win the championship and the $100,000 first prize, plus a $10,000 bonus from Federated Auto Parts.
Ironically, a boat problem cost him a shot at also winning Angler of the Year in the BWS Division series in his first year on the tour last year.
“Last year at Santee Cooper I zeroed because of boat trouble. I would have come in third in that tournament, but my oil pump went out. I came back strong and finished 8th in points, but if I had not had that zero I would have been the divisional leader.”
A lifelong fisherman McMurtury began tournament fishing with a buddy in 1989 and has fished tournaments full time for the past five years, but last year was the first year he began fishing major sanctioned tournaments.
Three weeks before his Bassmaster Classic debut, he prepared for the championship by winning the Weekend Series South Carolina Division 9 opener Jan. 29, on Lake Murray.
He estimates he is on the water between 310 and 320 days a year, sometimes for just an hour or two.
“I counted one year and fished over 330 days that year. I am the type of person if I get a chance to get to the lake I will go. If I don't get to fish but an hour and a half to two hours I will still go. I'm not the type who will sit there and say I wish I had gone,” he said.
And, he added, those short trips really help hone his fishing skills.
“I think if you fish in little short spurts of time it helps because you have to find the fish quick,” he said.
The Louisiana Delta is a vast waterway, with numerous canals and streams connecting a myriad of “lakes” and ponds in a maze of fishable waters. The key is locating a group of fish like winner Davy Hite did in 1999 when he fished a junction of two canals for the winning weight.
The only experience McMurtury has on the Delta came during pre-practice in December when he had “a great practice.”
“I just hope those fish are still in the same areas,” he said.
He said the first thing he will do in practice before the Classic begins will be to check the water temperature.
“As soon as I get the water temperatures, I will know if the fish are in pre-spawn, spawn or post-spawn. But I know its going to be early pre-spawn. I doubt many fish are moving yet so I am going to fish it like I fish the lakes where I live, pre-spawn style.”
As for being one of a handful of anglers experiencing their first trip to the biggest championship in bass fishing, McMurtury said he is feeling no pressure despite the fact that most of the Elite Series anglers in the field have been to multiple Classics.
“Nobody is picking me to win. I kind of like that,” he said. “All I have to do is go fish. It's me against the fish, not me against them.”
Bassmaster Classic
Feb 18-20, 2011
Louisiana Delta
Bayou Segnette State Park
Rat-L-Trap May Be The Ticket For Bfl Choo Choo Division Anglers On Guntersville
Anglers in the Bass Fishing League Choo Choo Division tournament on Lake Guntersville Saturday will need to fish with something that will cause a reaction bite, according to Guntersville guide and BFL angler Capt. Pat Kelly.
“I was just out on the lake and the bite is a little tough right now,” Kelly said. “The water temperature is running 42-43 degrees and it's hard to find them.”
The fish he did find, he said, were in about 8 feet of water and they were associated with grass.
“The jerkbait bite was not working, but the Rat-L-Trap was so I think the best tactic for the tournament will be the Rat-L-Trap.”
With the water temperature so low, Kelly said the fish are just not interested in a worm or a jig.
“It's just too cold. But they will take that Rat-L-Trap. You just have to get it right above them, but you have got to find grass to get that bite.”
And finding 8 feet of water is also critical, he said.
“They are not on those flats in 3 to 4 feet of water with deep water nearby like they were last year this time, and the year before that, and the year before that.”
Kelly said the forecast for Saturday is 28 degrees in the morning, rising to 50 degrees during the day – and sunny, which will make fishing a little more difficult.
“There are some big fish to be caught. I caught one the other day over 7 pounds on a Rat-L-Trap up north and I think the north bite will be better than down here,” said Kelly who predicted a winning weight of possibly 20 pounds in spite of the cold weather and tough bite.
With the temperature so cold early in the morning, Kelly said he does not plan to make the run up north of Goose Pond until later in the day.
“I've been fishing all week, searching five to six miles from the marina. I am hoping to catch a few there in the morning and then go north,” he said.
Kelly, a former guide on Florida's Lake Okeechobee. guides out of Val Monte Lakeside Resort with pro angler Chris Lane. He can be reached at (256) 738-5264. Lane can be reached at (863) 221-5041 or email: [email protected]. For information on Chris Lane's Guide Service visit: www.chrislanefishing.com.
The BFL Choo Choo Division tournament on Lake Guntersville will be the first of five tournaments in the division schedule for 2011. Up to 400 boaters and co-anglers are expected to compete for top prizes of $8,000 and $3,000 respectively.
Takeoff and weigh-in will be at Val-Monte Lakeside Resort and Marina located at 7000 Val-Monte Drive in Guntersville, Ala. Takeoff is scheduled for 7 a.m. while weigh-in will begin at 3 p.m.
FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Choo Choo Division
Sat. Feb 12, 2011
Lake Guntersville
Val-Monte Lakeside Resort
Just Bring A Jigging Spoon To Phil Shope Tournament On Lake Hartwell Saturday
The story is pretty much the same across the South. It's been a cold, cold winter and the fish need some warming days just as much as the fishermen
“The water temperature in Lake Hartwell is running in the mid to high 40s on the lower end and up the river it's about 50 degrees,” said Phil Shope who will launch the inaugural Phil Shope Team Trail tournament of 2011 Saturday. “All the big fish are in 24 to 40 feet of water.”
So, said Shope, anglers in the tournament on Lake Hartwell Saturday can pretty much leave everything at home except a jigging spoon.
“Unless some guys go up in the Keowee River and catch them up there in that current,” he said. “They can go up there and get a limit pretty easy, but that is an awful long run.”
The majority of fish will be caught, he said, halfway back in the creek channels off the points.
“They have been catching fish on jigging spoons in the deeper water, but you have to be very proficient with a depth finder and know where to catch the fish,” he said.
The Phil Shope Trail, which will celebrate 21 years of tournaments, opens this year on Lake Hartwell, followed by the Phil Shope Busch Lite Challenge March 12-13 on Lake Julian; April 2 on Lake Hartwell out of Portman Shoals; May 7 on Lake Keowee out of South Cove Park; with the final tournament Oct 15 on Lake Hartwell out of Portman Shoals.
Teams pay a $40 annual registration with a $125 entry per tournament, which includes Big Fish. Payback is 100 percent with two Big Fish awards at each tournament.
“Nobody else is doing the kind of bonuses like we are,” Shope said. “The guy who wins gets a $500 bonus, plus there is a $500 bonus for the top finishing Ranger Boat.”
In addition, he noted, with Stratos now under the same roof with Ranger, Stratos will write a check equal to what he wins to the top angler in each tournament if he is fishing in a Stratos Boat. Platinum Equity acquired both Ranger and Stratos a year ago through the Genmar bankruptcy and formed Fishing Holdings LLC to oversee those boat brands, which also includes Triton.
“When we hold that tournament on Lake Hartwell in April it will be a night and day difference in conditions,” Shope said.
Phil Shope Team Trail
Sat. Feb 12, 2011
Lake Hartwell
Portman Shoals
Classic Rewind: Big Show's 'Shakey' start to the 2007 Bassmaster classic
Terry 'Big Show' Scroggins used a shakey head to start the 2007 Classic right - with a limit. What he didn't count on was the size of those Lay Lake spotted bass. Check out the action! Scroggins talks us through the technique and explains that YOU can use it to good advantage on any water in the country.
Countdown to Blastoff 2011 Week 3 Part Two
AC Insider Robby Byrum continues his analysis of some big Tournaments this coming weekend, including the Rod Jimmy Series and CATT both coming to Lake Wylie on Sat!! Part Two
Countdown to Blastoff 2011 Week 3 Part One
AC Insider Robby Byrum is on a roll this week in Countdown to Blastoff as he helps us take a look at almost 10 Tournaments on the docket for this upcoming weekend........Part One
Bassmaster Classic Rewind: Bobby Lane jumps into the cut on Day 2 of Last Year's Classic
In about a week we will start bringing fresh daily coverage of the 2011 Bassmaster Classic out of New Orleans and the Louisiana Delta!!! Until then, how about some action from last year, just to wet the apetite! What other site brings you action like this - from inside a competitor's boat? You only get it here, at AnglersChannel.com!!!
2011 Progressive Weekend Wrap Up Show Week 2 Part 2
Frog Tape Angler Brian Travis continues his re-cap of the incredible 4 days on Okeechobee as well as some other action on Eufaula and Lake Murray....Part 2
FLW TOur Okeechobee - 100 pounds or bust!!!
Peter 'T' is putting pressure on 3-day leader Chad Prough. This will be one for the ages!
Even in the co-angler division Aymon Wilcox needed nearly 56 pounds over 3 days to claim the top prize! 50 pounds would have put you in 4th place!?!? Crazy good.
Pro division leader, Chad Prough battles another big fish: as co-angler champ, Aymon Wilcox readies the net
Congrats to Co-Angler champ, Aymon Wilcox!
CATT Lake Murry Results
Top 5 for CATT Lake Murray Qualifier #1
1. Dave Franklin/Clay Riddle 5 fish 21.10 $1096
BF 7.15
2. Gene Gibbs/Danny Jorgenson 5 fish 18.05 $434
2nd BF 6.12
3. Sean Anderson/George Berry 5 fish 18.02 $250
4. Al Fortner/Kevin Fulmer 5 fish 17.12 $130
5. Howard Stephens/Mark McCormick 5 fish 16.01 $100
Most fish were caught on crankbaits in about 10 feet of water and the next qualifier is around the corner on March 5th at Dreher Island State park. Congrats to all the above anglers for a solid 1st outing on Lake Murray!!
2011 Greene Boat And Motor Open House With John Crews Part One
Bass Elite Series Angler John Crews joins us at the 2nd Annual Open House at Greene Boat and Motor and talks not only about this great dealership, but his trip to the Bassmaster Classic beginning next week!
Sportsmans Warehouse 2011 Week 2 Report Part 2
AC Pro Staffer Dearal Rodgers continues his insight into fishing shallow in early spring and what you really must do to seperate yourself from the pack-PART 2
Sportsmans Warehouse 2011 Week 2 Report Part 1
Ac Pro Staffer Dearal Rodgers showcases some great shallow water baits at Sportsmans Warehouse and talks about the keys to winning on area lakes this time of year-Part 1
Lake Guntersville Winter Bass Fishing - 5 Bass Over 30 Lbs!!
We only had 10 decent bites all day on a cold, cloudy winter day with lows near the low 30's and highs in the low 50's. Water temps were 45 degrees like they are today. This past weekends warming trend brought up the lakes water temps about 10 degrees -- from the low 40's to 50 degrees -- by yesterday Monday, February 2. But with this weeks cold spell of highs only in the 40's and lows in the 20's, the water temps will drop again.
If you came by my Reeds Guide Service booth at the January, 2011 40th Annual Birmingham Boat Show (about a week ago) I'm sure you saw the pictures of these huge bass we caught on Guntersville lake, prior to the boat show. I'm only writing about it now because since the boat show I've been fishing!
Like said, it was a rather cold day with cloudy conditions and cold, northerly winds of 5-10 m.p.h. at dawn and the early morning hours. Not a good way to start your day. But we did manage to catch 2 nice bass that morning in a small creek. Both were nice bass, a 3 pounder and a 5 pounder. But afterwards the long dry spell had us on the move looking for even bigger, bass bites fishing deeper water along the lakes old river channel drop-offs.
We mostly used 10 inch worms (plum colored) and jig combos (black & blue with matching plastic crayfish trailers) to practically seine every spot we fished. Well, to make a long story short...we found the mother lode!
Earlier, I had released a 3 pounder. I had kept a 5 pounder for pictures later, hopefully with a bigger bass to go with it! After an hour I had that bass. A nice 7 pounder that hit the jig combo, but it did not come easy. After we fished one particular stumpy, weed-infested drop-off, (that fell into 30 feet of water along an old Tennessee River channel), for over an hour...then the next big bass hit. Now, it was 3 bass weighing 15 pounds. A good day by any anglers standards.
Then we made a short move, idling the boat to a spot nearby that we fished for another 30 minutes, one special spot that produced a 9 pounder for my partner! Caught on that big, 10 inch worm. Now, in all, we had 3 bass in the live well, weighing 5, 7 and 9 pounds each (I had let go a 3 pounder), all 4 bass that would have easily totaled a weight of 24 pounds! Incredible! I could have went home happy, along with my partner as well,...ahhh but there was more. An even bigger bass awaited us!
We fished this spot for over 2 hours, then left. Nothing but one small bass. We fished a few miles away but always, "the two big bass spots" we had recently fished that day were in the back of my mind. So as the day went on we slowly fished back to where the 9 pounder had came from. It had been over 3 hours, maybe another big bass awaited us! When we arrived I took a short break with a drink and a snack. Then we fished this spot real hard, with many lures, fished from many different angles. Still no takers.
As I readied myself to go, donning my life jacket and kill switch, the boat suddenly rocked. It was my partner setting the hook on what later showed to be a 10 pound 2 ounce largemouth bass, that looked to be about 12-13 pounds as we netted it, following a very lengthy battle! Now we had caught 5 big bass in all that totaled close to 34 pounds!
The best day I've seen in a long, long, time and probably the best day fishing for big bass for another long, long time...before it ever happens again.
* NOTE * - BIG BASS PICTURES BELOW!!
* GUIDE SERVICE - Always call on Reeds Guide Service...first! "Alabama's oldest, professional "bass fishing only" guide service for over 40 years guiding on all Alabama lakes for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, spotted bass and some huge, striped bass! " Booking trips now for spring on Guntersville lake and all other Alabama lakes. Call (205) 663-1504 or e-mail [email protected] for rates and booking trips info! See my website www.fishingalabama.com for fishing tips and lake reports on all Alabama lakes for all seasons!
* NEW AND USED BOATS & TOURNAMENTS! - Check out www.airportmarine.com for new, used or close-out model boats of all kinds! Expert mechanic work, great service dept. and parts dept. too! Also see their tournament trails and annual events website link www.airportmarinetrails.com First tournament on Lake Martin Feb. 19 2011!
* FISHING TACKLE AND EQUIPMENT FOR FISHING AND HUNTING - See www.marksoutdoors.com for bargains you will not see elsewhere! Visit their kind and very informative salesman in their new, remodeled store in Vestavia, Alabama or go online for all your fishing and hunting needs!
* NEW WEBSITES IN ALABAMA - Check out www.bamabass.com and www.bassnboat.com for Alabama lakes info and more!
* SEE MY WEBSITE WWW.FISHINGALABAMA.COM FOR WINTER AND SPRING FISHING TIPS, LAKE REPORTS, PICTURES, ARTICLES, AND MANY FISHING LINKS.
Thanks and Good Fishin'!
Reed Montgomery / Outdoor Writer
Owner / Reeds Guide Service
Alabaster, Alabama (205) 663-1504
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.fishingalabama.com
" Over 40 Years Guiding, Fishing and Exploring Every Lake in Alabama For Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Spotted Bass and Striped Bass "
Always Call on Reeds Guide Service...first!
Alabama's Oldest Professional, Freshwater Fishing Guide Service!
Veteran guide Reed Montgomery with two NICE Guntersville bass!!
Bass Biting Good In Seminole As Georgia Bws Gets Ready For Season Opener
Over the last five weekends it has taken 26 pounds to win a tournament on Lake Seminole and that's probably what it will take for the Bassmaster Weekend Series Georgia Division tournament Feb. 12, said BWS angler Sam Moody of Albany, Ga.
“The fish are biting really good when you find them and you can catch them about any way you like to fish – cranking, throwing a Carolina rig, a lipless crankbait, a jerkbait, however you want to fish you can catch them. When you find a good school you can catch some big fish, and a bunch of them,” said Moody who noted that the winners of a tournament on Sunday had a near 6-pound average at 29 pounds.
“That 26 pounds for a winning weight has been for team tournaments, but I think 26 pounds can win this tournament if it stays warm, If we get a cold snap the day before it could drop down,” said Moody, a 25-year veteran of tournament fishing, “but they have been catching some pretty good weights even when it was cold, so I would say 26 pounds will win it.”
In BWS tournaments the boater fishes as an individual and he is paired with a non-boater who competes with other non-boaters.
“We've had a really cold winter, colder than normal, so the water temperatures have been a lot colder than normal. It's taking the fish longer to start moving shallow, but they are starting to go that way now, so that is a good thing,” said Moody who has been practicing on Seminole for the past three or four weekends.
“With the fish starting to move up you can find them in about 10 feet of water. They are kind of bunched up so when you do find them you usually find some good ones.”
Moody, who fishes Seminole about 15 times a year – “maybe more, depending on tournaments” – said he will practice the same areas this weekend that he has fished the last few weekends.
“I am still looking there because I know that sooner or later the fish I want are going to be there,” he said. “I am just looking for areas where the fish should be moving up.”
While he will be targeting fish that are moving up to get ready to spawn, Moody said actual spawning is probably several more weeks away.
“I'd say we still have probably until the end of February. There is a full moon around the 18th or 19th and you might see some up trying to bed then if we get three or four days of warm weather, but I think it will really be toward the end of the month before spawning really gets going.”
Following the Georgia Division BWS tournament Feb. 12 out of the Bainbridge Boat Basin on Lake Seminole the series will continue March 19 on Lake Sinclair out of Little River Park; April 30 on Lake Eufaula out of Lake Point State Park; June 18 on Lake Lanier out of Laurel Park; and Sept. 10-11 on Lake Oconee out of Sugar Creek Marina.
Bassmaster Weekend Series – Georgia Division
Sat. Feb 12, 2011
Lake Seminole
Bainbridge Boat Basin
Warming Trend, Rain Could Help Bite For Lake Murray Catt Saturday
CJ Freeman and Scott Farmer won the last CATT tourney on Murray!
In his only day of practice last Saturday for the inaugural 2011 Carolina Anglers Team Trail series on Lake Murray this Saturday Randall Driggers managed to catch only one fish – a 3-pound bass – not a good omen for the opener for Driggers who, with his partner, Josh McGregor, dominated the Lake Murray spring series in 2010.
“This has been the most severe winter weather we have had in quite some time so I was only able to practice that one time last Saturday,” said Driggers who will be fishing without McGregor on Saturday because of a schedule conflict. “With not much practice because of the cold weather all I can do is go out and do what I like to do and hope for the best.”
Driggers and McGregor averaged 17 ½ pounds per tournament in the CATT spring series on Lake Murray last year and won more than $6,000.
“We had a phenomenal year last year,” Driggers said. “Things just seemed to go our way. We put in a lot of time and stayed with the fish. In a bunch of those tournaments we did not always get to catch the fish the same way – we changed when the fish changed.”
It was also a great year for CATT on Lake Murray, said CATT director Brett Collins.
“We paid back more than $37,000 at Murray last year, the largest amount of cash we have paid at Murray since we started there,” Collins said. “That's because the number of boats has picked up. Last year we have over 40 teams at a couple of spring qualifiers.”
Collins said bass fishing also picked up considerably last year despite the loss of aquatic grass in the lake.
“We had one winning weight over 30 pounds last year so Lake Murray still has some big bass in it, even with the grass missing. This should be a very good year on Lake Murray.”
Fishing has been tough so far this year, Driggers said, because of the extreme cold, the clear water and a lack of rain.
“I don't feel like the fish have pulled up yet. Last Saturday I was fishing 45-degree water and doing the things I like to do – I jig a lot and crankbait a lot – and I was only able to catch that one 3-pounder cranking.”
He said he plans to do the same thing Saturday. Collins said weights have picked up in recent tournaments on the lake and he hopes the warmer weather this week will help the fishing Saturday. Driggers agreed that the warming trend this week can only help, along with heavy rain towards the weekend.
“I can only hope this weather we have had this week will spur them to pull up close where we can catch them. Last Saturday was behind the front and there was a high pressure system,” he noted. “I think a little bit of warm weather and the rain will help the bite.””
The rain and cloudy skies will be a big help, he said.
“I looked at the weather and they are calling for a chance of rain Saturday, partly cloudy and the temperature won't be so bad. That type of weather favors you to catch fish on Lake Murray more so than sunny weather.”
Carolina Anglers Team Trail – Murray Division
Sat, Feb 5, 2011
Lake Murray
Dreher Island State Park
Day Two practice on Okeechobee at FLW Open
Those of you that followed my blogs last year welcome back. The new guys and gals out there, welcome. This is my 3rd year fishing on the FLW trail, my second sporting the FrogTape Boat and Truck. It has been a great pleasure to be sponsored by FrogTape and being able to promote the BEST painters tape on the market.
This was our second day of practice for the first FLW open on Okeechobee. The weather has been perfect and the future forcast looks awesome. The only thing is that someone forgot to tell the fish that, or atleast the big ones. Fishing on Okeechobee can be very frustrating. Those of you that have been here can understand. Those who havn't, well lets just say these fish are very tempermental to weather changes of all kinds. Okeechobee bass are also all about location. You can fish miles of the exact same type water. Same grass, same bottom, same clarity, temperature and you see and catch nothing. Then all of a sudden there they are. The area of a swimming pool or if you are lucky the size of football field. They will be piled in there. Not sure why this is but thats Okeechobee. Thats the tuff part trying to find those sweet spots when everything looks the same.
The fish are biting its just that are all small, pound and pound and a halfers. The big question on everyones mind is where are all the big ones. You see empty beds every where, and today a lot of bucks moved up. But with the water temps hitting 70, you would think the sows would be ready to move in. I have seen a few, but not the big wave you would think. Its starting to look like maybe all the big ones have already done there thing. We have one more day of practice. So check back in tomorrow and I will let you know what I find.
And if you are doing any painting, go get you a few rolls of FrogTape, its nation wide at Wal-Mart, Lowes, HomeDepot, Sherwin Williams, and Ace Hardware. Trust me when I say this, once you have used FrogTape you will never use any other. It keeps paint out and keeps lines sharp, its the only painters tape on the market treated with Paint Block. You can check it out at FrogTape.com and on FaceBook.
Bassmasters Weekend Series Jan. 29Th Lake Murray Champions
Bassmasters Weekend Series Jan. 29th Champs Co Angler Ed Parker and Boater Ryan McMurtury takes all and heads to the Classic with full momentum.
2011 Tom's Marine TT and Ranger Z119 Preivew with TT Director Richard McMaster
Tom's Marine Team Trail Director Richard McMaster takes a break from the Open House today to talk about the upcoming season for Tom's Marine as well as walk us through one of the most popular new Ranger models-the new Z119!!
2011 Santee Open Team Tournament Preview With Vic Sykes
AC Insider Vic Sykes helps us peek ahead to late April when the 2011 Santee Open Team Tournament returns to HIGH EXPECTATIONS after one of the great weigh-in's of the year in 2010!!
New Wrapped Fetha Styx Truck and Boat Debut with Andy Montgomery for 2011
Elite Series and Fetha Styx Rods Pro Andy Montgomery takes us on a quick walk-around of his new wrapped rig and one word describes it-IMPRESSIVE!!
Lay Lake Bass Stuck In Wintertime Mode
After the 40th Annual 2011 Birmingham Boat Show ceased last Sunday I immediately started booking fishing trips to various Alabama lakes for the remainder of the winter and the upcoming spring season. Yesterday, we went to Alabama's Lay lake. As we launched the boat I noticed the cold, morning water temperature at 41 degrees. I told them we were in for a very slow day of fishing.(See: www.birminghamboatshow.com)
My clients, a young man and his buddy were loaded for bear. Between them both they had 6 tackle boxes and about 15 rods. They both also had some lures in a sack they had not even opened yet. Obviously they had been shopping before our trip!
We started the day fishing main river flats, all around a few islands (featuring standing timber) and the mouths of creeks. By 10 a.m. they had caught 3 bass. One spotted bass about 2 pounds that had hit a shaky head pumpkinseed (with dyed chartreuse tail), 6 inch zoom trick worm. Two more bass, both largemouth bass, came out of 2 feet of water, both were caught on a chrome / black back 1/2 ounce rattle trap.
As midday came around they had not even had another bite. Three bites all morning in 41 degree water temps. We needed warmer water for more active bass!
So as we returned from fishing far upriver, I decided to stop and fish the warm water discharge coming from Wilsonville Steam Plant, located on the main lake just below the mouth of Yellow Leaf Creek. I'm glad we did! From 1 p.m. until 3 p.m. they had 11 bass off of those rocks, located just below the Wilsonville Steam Plant main water discharge. Most bass were in 5 feet or less depths.
Nine of those bass were spotted bass, with some close to 3 pounds, fighting very hard in the swift, main river current. Two were largemouth bass, weighing about 2 pounds each. Some bass came on worms, jig combos and mid-running crankbaits. Variety! I was just glad to see those young men learn something and catch some bass! In all they had 14 bass, nothing real big, but lots of fun on a day I was expecting much less...
With 60 degree air temperatures predicted for all of Alabama this weekend, its time to get out the boat and go fishing! By Sunday, Lay lake's water temps could be near 50 degrees! More reports coming soon as spring arrives, Reeds Guide Service will be reporting from fishing tournaments and guiding on most of Alabama's lakes!
* GUIDE SERVICE - Always call on Reeds Guide Service ...first! Alabama's oldest, professional, "bass fishing only" guide service, guiding on all Alabama lakes for over 40 years! E-mail me to book a trip [email protected] or call (205) 663-1504 for fishing any lake in Alabama!
* FISHING AND HUNTING ITEMS - See www.marksoutdoors.com for all your hunting and fishing needs!
* NEW AND USED BOATS - Go by Airport Marine in Clanton, Alabama or see their website www.airportmarine.com for new and used boats, close out boat sales, expert mechanic work and parts! Also see their tournament trail info at www.airportmarinetrails.com new schedules now out for 2011! First tournament is on Lake Martin, Feb. 19!
* NEW ALABAMA WEBSITES - Check out www.bamabass.com and www.bassnboat.com
* See my website www.fishingalabama.com for more guide service info, winter and spring lake reports, winter and spring fishing tips, pictures, fishing articles and fishing links!
Thanks and Good Fishin'
Reed Montgomery / Outdoor Writer
Owner / Reeds Guide Service
Alabaster, Alabama (205) 663-1504
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.fishingalabama.com
" Over 40 Years Guiding, Fishing and Exploring Every Lake in Alabama For Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Spotted Bass and Striped Bass "
Always Call on Reeds Guide Service...first!
Alabama's Oldest Professional, Freshwater Fishing Guide Service!
Bass Slowed By Unseasonable Cold On Lake Okeechobee As Anglers Prepare For Flw Open
FrogTape Pro Brian Travis is hoping for some warm weather for the FLW Open on Okeechobee
Bass fishing in Florida is either hot or cold. When it's hot, it's hot. When the weather is cold the fishing is cold.Pro angler Brian Travis is eying the weather reports and hoping the winter chill that has settled across the Southeast, including Florida, is replaced with some warmer weather by the first FLW Open tournament of the year Feb. 3-6 on Lake Okeechobee.
“I've been down here since Wednesday two weeks ago and practiced the last three days before the cutoff began,” Travis said. “Fishing was tough. A cold front came through and dropped the temperature about 10 degrees. I talked to some guys those three days and nobody was catching a whole lot.”
Travis said he could see places where bass had already been up bedding, so there had been some spawning going on already.”
Then conditions changed, Travis said, while he was in Orlando appearing for his main sponsor, Frog Tape, at a national sales show for the paint producer, Sherwin Williams.
“Last week after the cutoff the temperature got up into the mid-70s and close to 80 degrees all week and the nights were warm, too, in the upper 50s and close to 60 degrees. I am sure that water warmed back up and they were laying everywhere.”
But, just as quickly as things change, they can change back, he noted.
“Through next Friday it is supposed to be very cool here in Orlando and I am sure there is not much difference in the temperature from here to Clewiston which is only about 2 ½ hours south. I was looking at the extended forecast and it is shaping up to be another cold front. So the fish are not going to be where they should be.”
However, he noted, that the tournament is nearly two weeks away and the weather could change again.
“The beauty of this place is that it warms up really quick if we get two days in the 70s and it's not cold at night. Hopefully, that will happen the Monday of the week of practice or at least when the tournament starts.”
If the weather does stay colder than normal, Travis said he would not look for sight fish during practice before the tournament.
“I've got areas marked and if they move up shallow I can go to them. I am going to be flipping if the cold conditions prevail,” he said.
Although he had a pretty good year on the FLW circuits in 2010, Travis said he is seeking a little redemption at Okeechobee.
“Last year I had my ups and downs. I did not cash a check in the FLW Series last year and that bothered me because I finished 10th in the points the year before, so I have some work to do in the Opens this year and that's why I want to start out good on Okeechobee.”
While he seeks redemption for the FLW Series, now the FLW Opens, Travis had a banner year on the FLW Tour in 2010 – his second year on the top circuit – making the top four at Lake Norman, finishing 33rd in the points for the year and capping it with a 15th place at the Forrest Wood Cup. He's also added to his list of sponsors, signing a clothing deal with Dickies just last week.
But now all his focus is on the weather and what it might do to the bass in Okeechobee for the FLW Tour Open next week.
Florida bass get a big head start on spawning over their cousins located in waters even just a little to the north. But even a little cold snap will put them back out in the deeper water and make them sullen.
“Florida fish do not react like northern strain fish. These fish are so temperamental that when the water gets cold they bury up and don't want to do anything. It's hard to even catch them flipping then for me,” he said.
“It could be a good tournament or it could be a tough one, depending on the weather. I am keeping my fingers crossed and hope for warmer weather.”
FLW Tour Open
February 3-6, 2011
Lake Okeechobee
Roland & Mary Ann Martin's Marina & Resort
Bass In Lake Kissimmee Spawning Or Getting Ready To In Time For Accent Marine Tournament
If the Bassmaster Southern Open last weekend is any indication, the winning anglers in the Accent Marine Tournament Trail opening tournament Sunday on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes will need at least 22 pounds, maybe even 30 pounds, said Accent Marine's Ted Meyer.“It took an average of about 25 pounds a day to win the Bassmaster Open and the fishing is still good,” said Meyer. Actually, Gerald Swindle of Warrior, Ala., won the Open with a 27-pound daily average, totaling 80 pounds, 13 ounces, for the tournament.
“The fish should be going on the bed here real quick,” said Meyer. “If they are not there already, the full moon should make them come on up.”
Meyer said the two top tactics for bass right now are throwing a Rat-L-Trap or fishing off the beds with a craw or pitching into the beds. Swindle relied on a lipless crankbait and a Carolina rig for his winning weight.
“We've had real cold weather, down in the teens for most of the month of January,” Meyer said Monday. “Then yesterday morning it was in the 30s. Tomorrow morning it's supposed to be nasty again, but it is warming up to about 70 degrees in the afternoons, so that is going to push them in – or out.”
Meyer said he is expecting about 70 to 75 boats to enter the tournament Sunday which will kick off a 10-tournament series culminating with the Classic Oct. 30, all out of Camp Mack’s River Resort near Lake Wales, Fla. The series includes tournaments February 27, March 27, April 17, May 22, June 26, July 31, August 28 and September 25.
Entry fee for the tournaments is $65 and teams must fish seven of the nine regular season tournaments to qualify for the classic. Teams that qualify do not pay an entry fee to fish in the classic.
Entry fees must be received by 5 p.m. On the Friday before a tournament; no entries are accepted after that deadline. The tournament payback is 75 percent, with 20 percent held for the classic purse.
Accent Marine, a Stratos dealership owned by Ted and Maxine Meyer, is located on Highway 92 East at Tampa, Fla. The dealership is also a full-service provider for Evinrude.
“If a team is fishing out of a 2009 or newer Stratos, Stratos will match the win pot up to $10,000 so they will double the purse for first place in out tournaments,” Meyer said.
Maxine Meyer said the 18th Annual Stratos Boat Tournament will be held April 30-May 1 out of Camp Mack's resort.
“Entry fee is $120 per boat with 100 percent payback,” she said. “The tournament is for Stratos owners only, or if they have a Javelin they can also fish.”
For details on the Accent Marine tournaments, call (813) 620-1042 or (813) 620-1309, or email: [email protected] or [email protected].
Accent Marine Tournament Trail
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Kissimmee Chain of Lakes
Camp Mack’s River Resort
Cold Temperatures Have Lake Eufaula Bass Suspended Out Deep As Bws Tournament Nears
The story is the same all across the South: This is a cold, cold winter and fishermen can't wait until spring arrives with some warmer temperatures.Gary Galloway, who lives just 25 minute north of Lakepoint Marina on Lake Eufaula, fished an ABA tournament on the lake Saturday and found the bass are still out deep.
“The temperature in the morning was 44 degrees and by mid-afternoon it was up to 46 degrees. It gained a couple of degrees, but it was not enough to put them up shallow,” said Galloway who finished fourth. “The fish I caught were real light in color because they all came from the deeper water.”
And, said Galloway, the way the weather patterns are developing he expects the bass in Eufaula to stay out deep for some time to come.
“The average temperature has been down about 8 to 10 degrees cooler than the normal mean temperature for the area. If the weather stays the same, the bass will remain down deep and suspended,” said Galloway.
“This winter and last winter, too, were both exceptionally colder winters than the norm here. The mean temperature normally is in the upper 40s, low 50s this time of year. When we have only mid 40s for highs and the upper 20s and low 30s at night the mean temperature has dropped into the lows 40s.”
Galloway has entered the Bassmaster Weekend Series Alabama South Division tournament on Feb. 5 as a co-angler, so he faces the prospect of developing a winning strategy based on how the boater he draws fishes.
“I've fished all my life and I have been fishing Lake Eufaula for about seven years now, but I just seriously got into the weekend club type tournaments,” he explained. “I traveled in the military for a lot of years and never settled in one place, but since I got out of the Army and settled here I have been able to enjoy it a lot more.”
Galloway caught his bass Saturday on a Shakey Head, but he may have to change tactics in the BWS tournament fishing out of the back of the boat.
“If my partner is out fishing ledges I am going to have to look for some kind of deep water structure on his screen that I can target and maybe throw a deep diving crankbait or a jig and craw, or possibly a jigging spoon,” he said.
“It all depends on what his pattern is. Sometimes it's just he luck of the draw., who you draw and what kind of thing they do that is relative to what you like to do,” Galloway said. “Right now I just throw my name in the hat and hope I get somebody who likes to fish like I do.”
The BWS Tournament Feb. 5 is the first in a series of five tournaments on the schedule for the Alabama South Division in 2011. It will be followed by tournaments March 5 on Lay Lake, out of Beeswax Landing; April 2 on the Alabama River, out of Cooters Pond; May 21 on Lake Logan Martin, out of Lakeside Park; and September 24-25 on Lake Martin, out of Wind Creek State Park.
Bassmaster Weekend Series Alabama South Division
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Lake Eufaula
Lake Point Resort State Park
http://www.abaproam.com/bws_eventinfo11.php?id=465
FLW Outdoors announces Strike King as Newest Sponsor
Countdown to Blastoff 2011 Week 1
Special Guest Justin Kijak from Sportsmans Warehouse helps us break down a HUGE WEEKEND of Tournaments coming up across the region-its the first Countdown of the 2011 Season, and we're ready to Blast Off!!
2011 Greene Boat And Motor Team Trail Preview
AC Pro Staffer Brett Collins breaks down this weeks 1st Greene Boat and Motor Team Trail Event on Wylie with some great tips for what he thinks will take the prize............
Bassmaster Weekend Series Kicks Off 2011 With A Solid Showing In La Despite Cold Temps!!
ATHENS, Ala. – Mike Bock took the Louisiana Division 13 early points lead by winning the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Weekend Series, operated by American Bass Anglers, tournament held Jan. 22, 2011, on the sprawling Atchafalaya Basin near Morgan City.
On a cold day, the 45-year-old angler from Meraux landed five bass weighing 16.43 pounds with a 3.28-pound kicker to win the division season opener and landed $2,559.
“I jumped around a lot in pre-fishing,” Bock said. “Today, I just went to my area and sat on them. We bounced jigs and watermelon flukes down ledges. I caught five fish, but they were all keepers. They were all about the same size.”
The tournament launched out of Doiron’s Landing in Stephenville just north of Morgan City at the southern end of the longest river swamp in the nation. The Atchafalaya Basin covers more than one million acres of natural lakes, cypress-lined bayous, canals and swamps.
Taking second in the Boater Division, Wayne Tucker, 62, of Lafayette also caught a five-fish tournament limit weighing 15.44 pounds with a 3.85-pound kicker. He caught about 25 fish in all, but only those five keepers to win $1,292.
“I practiced one day and went into some old pipeline canals,” Tucker said. “I caught all my fish on willow-leaf spinnerbaits run slowly off secondary ledges in about three feet of water. Boat traffic actually helped me. As boats ran up and down the canal, the bass got tighter to the stumps and hit a little better. The bigger fish started hitting later in the day. I caught my last weigh fish at 1:30 p.m.”
Taking the division points championship for the past two years, Brett Sellers, 32, of Denham Springs weighed five bass going 14.74 pounds to pick up 248 points. Catching more than 40 bass including 13 keepers.
“We ran toward the back of the canals where the fish were getting ready to spawn. I had a limit by 9 a.m., and then went looking for big ones. They really turned on at noon. I threw a black and blue beaver on a Texas rig with 20-pound fluorocarbon by cypress trees and laydowns on the Lake Verret side of the landing. I just kept working it slowly.”
Sandy Gaudet of Belle Rose finished fourth with five bass weighing 13.65 pounds including one 3.36-pounder. Fishing his home waters, Robbie Percle of Morgan City landed five bass for 13.54 pounds and fifth place. Tommy Robichaux of Erath took sixth place with five bass going 13.12 pounds, but anchored his bag with a 4.95-pound tournament lunker.
Matthew Bates did very well for fishing his first ever bass tournament. Teamed with Bock, the 35-year-old Pineville angler won the Co-Angler Division with three bass going 10.21 pounds to win $1,279. He also took the division big bass title with a 4.84-pounder.
“I only caught three fish all day,” Bates admitted. “The conditions were really cold, so we knew we were going to fish slow. We caught some on flukes and tube jigs in hydrilla mats. Then, we got on a point and I caught a big fish on a black and purple jig and pig. The key was working the jig slow over the grass. The fish were a lot shallower than I would have thought on such a cold day. We threw the jig into about two feet of water and worked it into deeper water. I’m looking forward to my next tournament.”
Mike Templeton of Denham Springs also brought in a three-bass division limit for 8.05 pounds and second place. Justin Suchy of Baton Rouge landed three bass going 6.94 pounds to take third among the co-anglers. Britt Cavalier of Houma landed two fish for 6.80 pounds with one going 4.28 pounds. Rounding out the top five co-anglers, Anthony Plescia of Slidell brought in three bass at 6.75 pounds with one 2.54-pounder.
For more information, call ABA at (888) 203-6222. On line, see www.americanbassanglers.com.
About American Bass Anglers: The Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Weekend Series provides weekend anglers a professionally operated competitive tour with a path the world championship of bass fishing the Bassmaster Classic. American Bass Anglers commitment is to provide low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler and at the same time offer each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers and the American Fishing Tour, The Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Weekend Series, The American 150 Series or the American Couples Series, visit www.americanbassanglers.com
Bassmaster Southern Open Wrapup
AnglersChannel.com Insider Vance McCullough recaps a great week of bass tournament action from the Kissimmee Chain, site of the first Bassmaster Southern Open of 2011!
'g Man' Gets First Win! The Rest Of Us Get A Lesson.
In his long, successful angling career Gerald Swindle had won Angler of the Year and finished 2nd a number of times. He had never finished 1st in a Bassmaster sanctioned event. He changed that this week.
Swindle found fish offshore and dragged a Carolina rig - something he has often said he would never do - to pile-up 80 pounds, 13 ounces over 3 days. Swindle's fish were staging in 5-foot depths. "Fourteen-pound fluorocarbon on top and bottom (of the C-rig) and a trick worm - redbug when the sun was out, junebug when it wasn't," said swindle of his tackle. Alternately he used a gold lipless crankbait throughout the week.
So strong was Swindle's spot that his partner for the day, Marlon Crowder, won the co-angler division when he blew the rest of us away with a 21-pound, 3-fish limit. Hats off to Crowder who fished well, capitalized, and seized a wonderful opportunity.
As for yours truly - I jumped from 11th to 4th (on the co-angler side) on the strength of one fish. If you're only going to catch one, it needs to be big. Mine was. She weighed 8 pounds, 3 ounces. I decided to swing big on the last day and make a charge at the lead so I threw a 6.5-inch Strike King Shadalicious Swimbait. The big girl swiped at it and missed but I threw right back into the vanishing swirl and she blasted it on top. Swimbaits work best with a light belly weight on the hook to keep them upright and swimming instead of spinning and twisting your line. I also used another trick to help ease the lure through grass and pads - a plastic nose cone with a screwlock attachment similar to a scewlock worm weight. This keeps the soft plastic lure from sliding down the hook and also helps it wedge through cover.
After seeing Crowder's huge fish I don't regret my decision to fish for big ones instead of trying to catch a smaller limit with a worm or something. It turns out that the only way I could have won was to connect with two more like the one I caught. So, I am satisfied with the decisions I made all week. Especially on the final day.
My insider's perspective on this event helped me sharpen my thinking about multiple day tournaments in Florida.
Strategies for winter tournaments in Florida often come down to the question of whether the big females have moved up to spawn. If they are still staging a step deeper, then that's where the winning stringer swims. If they scatter up onto the flats, then that's where you need to look for them. Looking became difficult in the high winds of day 3. Down on Kissimmee the biggest bass moved up on day 2 and a handful of guys made huge leaps into the top 12 with those fish. But wind made it tough to control a boat, much less fish on the east side of the lake where many top finishers fished.
"I was catching them offshore," said Chris Lane who fished Kissimmee. "The big ones moved up and my fish started running smaller." So shallow fish were hard to target and most of the big ones went shallow.
Bobby Lane mixed sight-fishing with an offshore trap bite to put a ton of pressure on Swindle. Bobby caught at a 9-pounder each day plus a 10-11 and a 9 in the final round.
Toho fish were just a little behind their Kissimmee cousins in the spawning ritual. Offshore concentrations remained strong. Crowder had his 3 before 8a.m. And then Swindle followed suit.
The lesson I take away from this event is that with changeable weather and moving fish, multi-day tournaments in Florida are generally won with offshore fish, and furthermore, the best bet is to find fish that are still in a truly prespawn mode and, therefore, less likely to run up and bed during the event.
I'm In! - Or - Bassmaster Open Day 2 From Big Toho Marina On The Kissimmee Chain
I've got to blow my horn a little here. I made the Top 12 cut in the co-angler division and qualified to fish the final round tomorrow! I slid in there at 11th place when I weighed 5-5 today for a 2-day total of 14-12. I have to make up 3 pounds, 5 ounces to catch leader, Chris Lewis (18-01 total).
My pro partner, Lee Boutwell, took us to my spot twice today. I caught one fish there. Yesterday I threw back 4 and weighed a 9-07 limit out of there. She gave me just enough to squeak into the finals. Again, Thanks to Chuck at Kissimmee Boat Rentals out of Big Toho Marina for loaning me a boat to practice from. Four of my five fish came from the spot I found while practicing from one of his boats. That's the biggest reason I made the cut.
On the pro side it took a little more weight to make the cut. Chris Lane is 12th with 31-11. JP Prouty is the first guy out of the cut with 30-12 after he caught 21 pounds of Toho bass today to rally from 46th yesterday.
Andy Montgomery almost caught the 8-pounder that pushed JP up the leader board. "He got there 2 minutes before I did," said Montgomery who finished out of the money as a result. "I watched him catch that fish."
Gerald Swindle still leads with 55-05 followed by Bobby Lane (51-13) and Trevor Fitzgerald (50-04). Larry Cahan and Ott Defoe round out the top 5.
Rumor has it that the leaders are throwing lipless crankbaits in hydrilla. I'll try to confirm that tomorrow.
Weigh in tomorrow begins at 4p.m. at the Bass Pro Shop in Orlando. Live video coverage at Bassmaster.com. I will be there, not as a correspondent, but as a contestant. Wish me luck! (And hope I don't need it.)
Rake Ready For Sc Bassmaster Weekend Series To Start On Lake Murray Next Saturday
A lot has happened since Kevin Rake finished second and weighed in the big fish in a tournament on Lake Murray right before Christmas – like two snowstorms and more than a week of persistent below freezing temperatures.
But, the lake could be just about back to normal for the Bassmaster Weekend Series' first South Carolina Division tournament of the season Saturday, Jan. 29.
“There was a club senior tournament up there yesterday (Thursday) and they weighed in several bags of fish at 14 to 15 pounds. But I talked to a buddy who was on the lake today and he caught nothing. That front that came through last night might have messed it up a little bit,” the Early Times pro staffer said.
“The water is pretty clear and the water temperature is about the same as before, 42 to 46 degrees. We had that super cold and then the sun popped out for a few days. If the sun stays on the lake a little bit it will warm up some.”
With the lake returning to normal, the same pattern Rake fished in late December could be the ticket for the BWS tournament next Saturday.
“I caught those fish on a ShadRap, fishing the steeper banks going into the mouths of secondary coves. I was targeting the steepest banks and cranking down real slow off them,” he said.
Although the fish were not schooled up, he said they were generally holding in the area.
“I never hit anything with the ShadRap. I'd just pause it every once in a while. I'd catch one here and one there. I didn't run all over the lake, but as far as catching one and throwing back to the same spot and catching another or seeing one come up with one I was reeling in, I never did do that.”
There was one unique facet of the fishing pattern that day, he said.
“It was a charity tournament for a wounded Marine and I was fishing with his dad. He was throwing the same thing I was. We caught a lot of jackfish. It seemed like we'd catch a jackfish and then we would catch a bass.”
With the water temperature in the low to mid-40s it is a perfect time to bring out a spoon, Rake said.
“I think if somebody goes out and gets on the bigger fish with a spoon they could catch them pretty good. But that is kind of iffy. You can catch them like that one day and the next day you can't find one.”
One thing is certain, he said. Somebody will catch fish.
“I think they will probably average 10 to 12 pounds – unless somebody gets onto some big ones by dropping a big spoon down.”
Rake finished fourth in the S.C. Division in 2010 and made it to the divisional, then on to the championship where he missed the cut for the final day. He said he looking forward to returning to Santee Cooper for the second S.c. Division tournament in March.
“The tournament this year is only a week different from when I was down there last year and placed third and my co-angler won his side and had big fish. The fish were just moving up on this flat and we were throwing spinnerbaits and going round and round in a 200-yard circle and fan casting.”
Santee Cooper will also be the site of the BWS National Championship Nov. 6-12, but Rake said he is not nearly as excited about fishing down there at that time of year.
“November can be pretty tough at Santee and it has always been a feast or famine lake for me. I can go down there and have a good sack or I won't have anything,” he said.\
“But I am just hoping those fish will move back up on that flat I was fishing on when we go there in March. My only problem,” he said with a chuckle, “is that about 15 guys know exactly where I was fishing last March. I'll just have to try to beat them there.”
Bassmaster Weekend Series South Carolina Division
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Lake Murray
Dreher Island State Park
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