AnglersChannel

Ten Alabama Lakes In Two Weeks With Reeds Guide Service

* Guntersville Lake
Impounded 1939
We've been to Alabama's largest, man made impoundment Guntersville Lake, located near the town of Guntersville in North Alabama, situated along with three other lakes on the massive, Tennessee River System. For those of you that are first timers, there is a lot of grass on this lake with hydrilla and millfoil aquatic weeds spread lake wide. Thick, stringy grass that both bass and anglers that pursue them, love.

There are so many ways to catch these Guntersville lake summertime bass.

Our success on one trip came while fishing shallow with topwater lures in and around grass starting at dawn 5 a.m. Central time until 1 p.m.
We used zara spooks, sammies, buzz baits, frogs, soft plastic shad imitations and swim baits, spinnerbaits and floating worms, and we fished the first 3 hours of a very cloudy summer day in the low 90's catching about 20 bass up to 4 pounds. Then it slowed at 12:30 p.m. with midday 97 degrees and we headed in.

Another trip we fished deep water (of 8 -15 feet deep) along weeds, along main river drops, and rip-rap rocks, using 10 inch Texas-rigged worms, tube baits, swim baits, lipless lures and deep diving crank baits. Variety, on two trips! We only had about 8 bass on this hot summer trip, but they were nice ones up 6 pounds!

* Wheeler lake
Impounded 1936
Wheeler lake was very different. Lows 71 highs 90. Cloudy until 1 p.m. ! Shallow bass and schoolies in weedy flats all day! Most were largemouth bass caught on various topwaters like baby torpedoes, a Spittin' Image and zara spooks. Others were fooled from mid morning until we quit at 1 p.m. Very shallow bass for mid summer water temps of 89 degrees, on nothing but Zoom white trick worms and Zoom pearl colored Flukes, both fished weightless on 3/0 hooks in and around shallow weeds, in 1-3 feet of water on the lower lake.

* Wilson Lake (Impounded 1924) and Pickwick Lake (Impounded 1938)
These two lower Tennessee River lakes have been very good. Not for big small mouth bass (although we did have one smallie, about a 4 pounder), like most anglers are seeking, but for big stripers and largemouth bass! (See the recent pictures link on my website: www.fishingalabama.com at the top page are some big stripers we had this last Thursday on Wilson lake and you will see other big stripers, spotted bass and largemouth bass, some from Coosa River lake's Lay lake and Logan Martin lakes near Birmingham.) Like Wheeler, we caught both species of these bass in water less than 5 feet deep on topwater lures!

* Coosa River Lake's - Logan Martin Lake (Impounded 1964) and Lay Lake (Impounded 1914)
These two lakes only 40 miles from Birmingham, are at full pool, unlike some past summer's when mid-summer drought had both lakes down several feet. This high water holds largemouth bass shallow in the summer months. They live and feed along aquatic weeds on the lake's shorelines both during the day and at night. When coupled with cloudy, rainy weather and cooler temperatures in the upper 80's to low 90's, its topwater time! Although the lake's spotted bass will call for fishing a little deeper along the lake' s deeper wood and rock cover with finesse worms, crank baits, rattling lipless lures and spinnerbaits.

* Smith Lake
Impounded 1961
Yes, its a deep lake. Over 100 feet deep along some banks you fish. Even water as deep as 300 feet exists. Deep, clear water. Tough, summertime conditions most of the time right? Well not all bass go real deep on Alabama's deepest impoundment, Smith lake, home of the last few world record spotted bass.

We fished the lower lake's dam area, Dismal Creek and far back up in Clear Creek. Striped bass(10 pounds) and 2-3 pound spotted bass hit topwater lures, swim baits and suspending jerk baits until 10 a.m. We fished rock bluffs with jigging spoons and small Texas-rigged worms and lizards in depths of only 10-20 feet deep, catching about 20 spotted bass, some up to 3 pounds. Then clouds moved in and we fished laydown trees with white spinnerbaits, with two 4 pound largemouth's bass caught at 11 a.m.!

So as you can see on  these often hot, summertime trips (and the majority of other mid-summer daytime trips to other lakes like Jordan lake, Lake Martin and Lake Wedowee, during this two week period) traveling to 10 Alabama lakes, we fooled a lot of bass on topwater lures and other tempting lures while fishing in and around these lake's shallow weeds, wood cover and rock cover! So keep in mind during the next 8 weeks there will be shallow bass and deep bass to be discovered, while fishing these Alabama lakes.

Or you can always call on Reeds Guide Service...first!

Reeds Guide Service
Only one guide service in Alabama can lay claim to, "Alabama's Oldest, Professional Guide Service." Reeds Guide Service for over 40 years. Taking anglers from all over the globe to fish for Alabama's large mouth bass, small mouth bass, spotted bass and striped bass, available year round. Discounts available. Company trips, family outings, parent and child trips, both the novice and tournament angler are welcome! See my website guide service link at www.fishingalabama.com for more info. There you will find loads of fishing information, fishing reports, fishing tips for all seasons on all lakes, fishing links, pictures and more!

Fox 6 WBRC Television
See Reed Montgomery on "Good Day Alabama" morning show with his "Ask the Angler" question and answer session on Alabama's Fox 6 WBRC TV station. Answering all your fishing questions for over 6 years! Call in with your fishing questions! Reed is on every last Tuesday of each month. His next appearance will be Tuesday, July 26 on just after 8 a.m. Central time!

Thanks and Good Fishin' !

Reed Montgomery / 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!

by AnglersChannel

Music City + Kentucky Lake = Breakout Year For Bws Tennessee Central Division

And the reason for this sudden growth spurt, he said, is because the regional championship for the division will be held Oct. 14-15 on Kentucky Lake. It does not hurt, either that the next qualifying tournament, the final regular season event, will also be a two-day tournament on Kentucky Lake Aug. 20-21.

“A lot of guys from the Nashville area like to fish Kentucky Lake so we are getting a lot of our following from there,” said Sullivan. “We've been averaging close to 75-80 boats a tournament.”

Adding to the lure of the schedule is the fact that the fish have been biting better than ever all season long, Sullivan said.

“We've had some really good tournaments. Back in May it took a lot of weight to win. Everybody was catching 70 to 75 keepers a day. That division has been one of the most productive divisions we've had as far as the number of fish caught and the weights.”

That could change Saturday as Old Hickory is not noted for producing a lot of big fish.

“This will be a different test for the anglers,” he said,”so it is going to be interesting to see how these guys make out there, where they are just going to be stretching out limits for points.”

The top of the leader board shows a logjam in the race for the top angler award, with less than 40 points separating 1^st and 10^th place.

Mickey Beck of Lebanon, Tn., currently leads the points, but just by a nose. John Lewis of Arrington, Tn., is snapping at his heels, just two points back. Jeff Hollingshead of Murfreesboro, Tn., is just seven points behind Lewis and David Gnewikow of Mt. Juliet, Tn., is seven points back of Hollingshead. Jack Smith II of Hopkinsville, Tn., rounds out the top five, a scant two points behind Gnewikow.

The rest of the top 10 includes: 6.Sam Boss of Paducah, Ky., one point behind Smith; 7. Gary Singleton of Dickson, Tn., with 702 points; 8. Kevin Tidwell of Bon Aqua, Tn., six points behind Singleton; 9. William Merrick of Mt. Juliet, two points back of Tidwell; and 10. Phillip Bates of Bon Aqua, with 685 points.

“This is a really competitive division,” Sullivan said. “Jeff Hollingshead won the first event this year and everybody has been trying to catch him. “David Gnewikow has been one of the premier fishermen in this area the last four or five years and he just gets stronger each year as he grows as a fisherman.”

Gnewikow has got a lot tougher, not only in the Nashville area, but on Kentucky Lake as well, Sullivan noted. He finished third on Percy Priest in March, 12^th on Lake Barkley in April and 20^th on Kentucky Lake in May.

“Obviously, if he catches just a few fish he will make the top 40 this year. He is definitely one of the ones to watch.”

One of the reasons so many young anglers have come on strong in recent years, Sullivan said, is because of the advancements in boat electronics.

“It may be that we are finally seeing anglers so much more informed now than guys like us when we were growing up,” he said. “We had to find the fish out deep. Now these guys can go out and turn the electronics on and see everything down there, which enables them to catch fish more quickly.

“I think we are seeing younger guys performing at a better level now more consistently because of the electronics.”

That said, he noted, anglers still have to put the fish in the live well to cash a check at the weigh-in, even when fishing is tough as it has been on Old Hickory recently.

“Somebody always finds them out there. I'd love for everybody to come by the landing at Flippers Bulls Creek Saturday and check out the weigh-in.”

In the Kentucky Lake Regional Oct. 14-15, the Tennessee Central Division will be joined by the Tennessee East Division and the Missouri, North Carolina and Alabama South Divisions.

Bassmaster Weekend Series Tennessee Central Division

Sat, Jul 23, 2011

Old Hickory Lake

Flippers Bull Creek

Call Randy Sullivan at 256-230-5633

www.abaproam.com

by AnglersChannel

Mitchell, Montjoy On A Roll In Santee Cooper Catt Summer Trail

Winning this Saturday's Carolina Anglers Team Trail Summer Division tournament on the Santee Cooper Lakes would be sweet for anybody fishing in it. It would be even sweeter if the team that wins finds a way to topple Brett Mitchell and Jerry Montjoy to win because right now Mitchell and Montjoy practically own Santee Cooper.

“They have won several – I think five – of the tournametns on Santee since 2009,” said Brett Collins, tournament director for all the Carolina Anglers Team Trail tournaments in North and South Carolina. In fact, the pair picked up this year right where they left off last year, Collins said, winning all three of the Summer Division tournaments held so far.

Mitchell and Montjoy weighed in 17.87 pounds, including the tournament’s big fish at 7.19 pounds, for first place and earned a check for $748 in the first Summer Division tournament June 4. They followed that with a limit that weighed 16.93 pounds, including big fish at 5.83 pounds, to take first place and a check for $463 in the second tournament June 18. Then on July 9, they weighed in 14.05 pounds, including the big fish at 5.55 pounds, for first place and $444 in prize money.

“Payback has increased (at Santee Cooper since we started up in 2009,” Collins said. “Brett and Jerry should top $10,000 in winnings if they keep up the pace they are on.”

Collins said he paid back more than $20,000 at Santee last year and is on track to do that again this year.

“Santee is one of the lakes I am looking at to hold the 2012 CATT Classic,” Collins said. “I'm not sure about that yet, but this past spring we had a total of 74 teams join up, which is a new high.”

Despite the heat, fishing has been good this summer at Santee Cooper, Collins said.

“It depends on which part of the lake you are fishing. Lake Marion has been better than Lake Moultrie. They are catching them on topwater, such as Spooks and floating worms. Soft plastics like Senkos are working on the deeper trees.”

Carolina Angler’s Team Trail – Santee Cooper Summer Division

Sat, Jul 23, 2011

Santee Cooper Lakes

John C Land Facility

Call Brett Collins 803-413-7521

www.catttrail.com

by AnglersChannel

Saturday's Night Tournament Could Be Game Changer In Tom's Marine Points Race

“The points race is really close and these night tournaments are usually game changers in the standings,” said tournament director Richard McMaster. “Gary Pilkenton and Denny Turner are leading the points, but Brian Holt and Guy Siler are close behind. And David Mullins and Brent Hoskins are right behind them.”

In fact, just over 100 points separates the top five teams, but with a tournament win worth 300 points, nobody will be safe until the final tournament weigh-in, McMaster said.

“Making up 30-40 points is easily done. One bad tournament can cost a leading team, especially if they only caught two or three fish and one of the other teams weighs in a good catch. They would be right on top of each other.”
The wild card in the points race at this point is the weather. It's summer and it is hot.

“It's been hot and I feel like it's going to be hot again this weekend,” McMaster said. “But the fishing has not been as hot as the weather.”

Fishing has been kind of slow on Cherokee Lake this hot summer, he noted.

“The fish are hiding in their deepest holes, making it hard to get to them.”

Because fishing has been so slow, McMaster predicated 15 pounds would be a good bet to win the tournament.

“But, really, the way I look at it, that suits everybody. Everybody has a chance. If they get lucky and catch one of two good fish, somebody who has never won could win Saturday.”

Even though the weather has been blistering hot, it does cool down some at night, so fishing should be fairly comfortable, McMaster said.

“We've also got a full moon this weekend. The winning bag will probably come on nighttime spinnerbaits, I imagine.”

The series is loaded with incentives, he noted, making it very attractive for anglers. Among new angler incentives this year are:

• Tom's Customer Cash. Anglers who win one of the trail tournaments this year while fishing in a 2006 or newer model Ranger purchased from Tom's Marine will win an additional $500.
• Porter's Tires and Yokohama. Any team with Yokohama tires on their tow vehicle that wins a Tom's Marine tournament this year will get a $100 bonus.
• Lunker Sauce Catch Program. The angler who catches the tournament lunker and has Lunker Sauce in his boat wins $100 extra.
• Ranger Cup and Tom's Marine. A registered Ranger Cup winner in a tournament will earn an additional $1,000 or the highest finishing non-winner will get $250.
• Lowrance Electronics. If they are already running Lowrance Electronics on their boats, the top two finishers in each tournament will be eligible to buy new Lowrance Electronics for their boat at special VIP pricing.

In addition to the Ranger Cup, the trail also offers these manufacturers' programs: Stratos 2X, Triton Gold, Skeeter Real Money and Bass Pro Shops Tournament Rewards.

Entry Fee is $110 per regular tournament with $10 of that going to lunker pot. At least 90 percent of entry fees and 100 percent of the lunker pot is paid back at ramp at each event. Both a lunker largemouth and lunker smallmouth prize will be given at each tournament. If no smallmouth are caught 1st and 2nd largemouth will be paid equally.

Even with all the incentives and the hefty payback, entries are down slightly this year, McMaster noted.

“We've been averaging 150 boats a tournament, which is down a little from last year, but we expected that with the economy like it is.”

The remaining schedule includes: July 16, Cherokee Lake (night tournament); Sept. 10, Cherokee Lake; Oct. 1, Douglas Lake; and the Classic Oct. 29-30, one day on Cherokee Lake and one day on Douglas Lake.

Tom's Marine Team Trail 2011

Sat, Jul 16, 2011

Cherokee Lake

25 E Bridge Access

Call Richard McMaster 423-748-3240

www.tomstrail.50webs.com/2011schedule.html

by AnglersChannel

Bite Should Be Good For Watson's Marine Tournament On South Holston Lake

“It has not been outstanding, but the fish have been biting pretty good at night,” said Rex Pendergrass with Watson's Marine, a leading bass boat and tackle dealer in Bluff City, Tenn., serving East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. “There was a tournament there this past weekend and it took 18 pounds for five fish to win it.”

Pendergrass said some anglers have been catching fish on root beer colored jigs worked 15 to 25 feet deep. Some have been catching fish on deep crankbaits, like the Norman DD22, and some have also been catching some bass out of deep brush on 10-inch worms.”

Watson's Marine holds three summer night tournaments on three different lakes. The Watson's Marine Triton Boats Open Tournament July 23, second of the series, will be held out of Observation Knob Park on South Holston Lake from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m., and the third tournament, the Watson's Open Tournament, will be held Sept. 3 on Watauga Lake out of Fish Springs Dock from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m.

The entry fee and payout schedule is the same for all three tournaments, Pendergrass said. Entry forms and rules are available at the dealership.

“These tournaments are kind of a customer appreciation thing,” Pendergrass said, “but they are open to anybody. You don't have to pay anything to join, just show up and fish and have a good time. The entry fee is $60 and they can pay at the ramp.”

Watson's Marine, a full-service marine dealer offering Ranger and Triton boats, and Mercury, Evinrude, and Yamaha Outboard engines, plus the area's best selection of fishing tackle and marine accessories, has been providing a summer night fishing series for local anglers for almost two decades.

Watson's Marine Triton Boats Open Tournament

Sat, Jul 23, 2011

South Holston Lake

Observation Knob Park

Call Aaron Greene 423-538-5332

www.watsonsmarine.com

by AnglersChannel

Wolak Taking A Business Approach To Practice For Northern Open On James River

And he has a business plan to follow in preparing for the inaugural 2001Bassmaster Northern Open tournament on the James River out of Richmond the weekend after July 4. Surprisingly, a major part of the plan has very little to do with actual fishing.

“The James is a big area and there is a lot of water to cover,” said Wolak who has little experience on the famous Virginia bass fishery. “I am heading there Sunday and when I get there I will ride around a lot, burn both tanks of gas in my Ranger Boat. I want to get a good look at everything instead of just going fishing.”

The eagerness to get fishing in relatively new waters without thoroughly checking things out often creates problems for some anglers, Wolak said.

“I think that is a big problem for some people who get caught up in the groove of fishing something when it could be a lot easier elsewhere if they knew it was available,” he said. “I plan to just hone in on an area and dissect it when I decide where I am going to fish.”

Although he only caught a couple of fish in his only previous experience on the James, Wolak said he really likes fishing river systems and has done well on them in the past.

“I have done quite well on the Hudson River, for instance. I had a top five finish (4th) in a Bass Open and a second there in another tournament. I like fishing current and I like fishing shallow and that's what rivers tend to be – shallow with current.”

Wolak is hoping to do as well in the opens this year as he did last year and he admits there is a sense of urgency this time. He qualified for his fifth Bassmaster Classic this year by winning the Northern Open on Lake Champlain last July, then sat out the final two Northern Opens to give some other anglers a better chance at making the classic.

“I just missed making the 2012 Classic through the Elite Series this year,” he said, “so I need to win one of the opens to get into the Classic.”

Wolak finished just outside the cutoff in the Elite Series points standings due to a few small problems that arose throughout the season, he said.

“The points are so tight, so the littlest bit of poor execution or poor judgment, or if you don't make the right move at the right time can really hurt you. So, if you have a couple of little mishaps that proves itself in the points and that is what happened this year. I missed a fish here and there and I missed a couple of cuts buy just a little bit, just little things like that.”

The opens are a welcome relief after the grind of the Elites, he said, because they allow him to get back into his comfort zone.

“If I am up north I am having a lot of fun and enjoying being around my friends,” said the Pennsylvania native who now lives in Wake Forest, N.C. “After the Elite season I still have a lot of fishing to do.”

Bassmaster Northern Open

Jul 7-9, 2011

James River

www.bassmaster.com

by AnglersChannel

Bass Fishing Booming Because Of Growing Grass As Chattanooga Bass Association Readies For Night Tournament

“We had a night tournament in early June and there were two bags weighed in over 30 pounds out of 52 boats,” Medley said, adding that seven fish over 8 pounds were weighed in that tournament.

“What was pretty cool was that one of our youth division teams, Jim McClanahan and Colby Truelove, weighed in a bag over 28 pounds. That was the heaviest weight ever to come from one of our youth division teams and it earned them a free entry into this coming weekend's tournament,” Medley said. McClanahan and Truelove also had the heaviest largemouth of the tournament at 8.23 pounds.

“The grass is starting to grow and do really well and the guys are catching fish around the grass, especially during the night tournaments. Steve Kite and Daniel Lewis won that tournament with 31.10 pounds and they caught their fish around the grass in 6 to 10 feet of water.”

Then there was the night tournament out of a state park on the lake Thursday evening, he noted.

“It was a three-fish tournament and it was won with 19 ½ pounds, with a big fish of 9.48 pounds. We are expecting a really good bite in our tournament next weekend.”

That will be the sixth of 10 tournaments on the Chattanooga Bass Association schedule this year, Medley noted, and he expects the winning weight to be between 25 and 30 pounds.

“We expect a really good bite next weekend. Most of the guys will be targeting shallow grass with spinnerbaits and soft plastics,” Medley said.

The tournament will run from 8 p.m. Saturday to 8 a.m. Sunday, he noted, which gives anglers plenty of time to cover all their spots.

“Night fishing has been really good, especially for fish over 5-6 pounds,” Medley said. “The winners will take home $2,000 for first place.”

The tournament will give points leaders a chance to solidify their positions and also give some anglers the opportunity to move up, Medley said.

“There are four months left so the points title is still anybody's game. All these guys are fighting for the Sportsman's Warehouse Points Championship and the $1,000 bonus and free entry fees for the 2012 season.”

Medley noted that anglers can drop two of their lowest finish tournaments so there is still a lot of fishing and jockeying for position to do before the title can be claimed.

The father-son duo of Rogie and Alan Brown are leading the points but Kite and Lewis are just 9 points back and there are a good many teams withing striking distance behind them.

The CBA operates from February through November with Lakes Chickamauga, Nickajack and Watts Barr open for each tournament. All teams launch out of Chester Frost Park on Lake Chickamauga and they can lock through to Nickajack and Watts Bar.

First place in each tournament is guaranteed $2,000 and the remainder of the payout goes to one in every five entries. Anglers who do not win cash money will receive prizes.

Entry fees for the tournaments are $120 per boat which includes Big Fish. To accumulate points throughout the season and be eligible for season prizes such as Big Fish and New Team anglers must pay a one-time process fee of $50.

Medley noted there are several manufacturer's bonus programs which also pay prize money to winning anglers who use their boats or tackle, including Ranger Cup, Triton Gold, Bullet Boats Rewards, Bass Pro Shops Tournament Rewards, Nuclear Rods Big Fish Rewards, and the Nichols Outboard Engineering Big Bass Bonus.

“Another membership incentive is Tow Boat USA which will pay $100 to the highest finishing Tow Boat member in each tournament and $500 to the highest finishing member in the year-end Classic. Tow Boat is also sponsoring the Classic,” Medley said.

The CBA's remaining 2011 tournament schedule includes: July 9 Night, July 23 Day, August 6 Night, August 20 Day, September 17, and October 1, with the 2011 Classic on October 29-30.
Chattanooga Bass Association

Sat, Jul 9, 2011

Chickamauga Lake

Chester Frost Park

Call Justin Medley 423-667-5054

www.cbatournament.com

by AnglersChannel

Final Anglers Choice Qualifier Saturday On Kerr/buggs Island Will Determine Points Champs

The Anglers Choice Marine Team Trail has been going great through the first six of seven tournaments, said tournament director Chris Lucas, and entries are pouring in for the final qualifier Saturday on Kerr/Buggs Island.

“Registration numbers are huge,” Lucas said. “We had 173 at Smith Mountain two weeks ago and we are knocking on the door of 200 entries per tournament. That is great considering the gas prices. If we grow like this next year we will be knocking on the door for 220 entries per tournament.”

Lucas said 130 teams have already qualified for the Classic Sept. 24-25 on Smith Mountain lake and about 40 more could qualify this weekend.

“If we get those qualified we could have 160 to 170 boats in the Classic,” he said.

The tournaments are laced with opportunities for win money, he noted, and the team of Jeff Freeman and Kevin Baldwin took ultimate advantage of them to earn a total of $9,450 in the May 11 tournament on Smith Mountain Lake by qualifying for the Triton Gold Program and having the right setup on their boat for all the contingency money.

“Hopefully, we will have another winner like that,” Lucas said.

The entry fee per tournament is $100, with an optional $20 Big Fish pot. Payback will be to one in every five boats registered, with $2,000 guaranteed for first place with at least 70 boats entered, and more than 70 have already entered for Saturday, he said.

Anglers must fish four of the six scheduled tournaments to qualify for the championship. First place in the classic will win a new Ranger Z118 bass boat with a Mercury Opti Max motor and trailer.

Always a very popular tournament, this year Lucas said more new sponsors have come on board and there is plenty of bonus money to be paid out. The series is Triton Gold registered which means this year that a winner in the right Triton package can take home an extra $7,000. Anglers can also win with the Ranger Cup program and the Stratos 2X program.

There are also two big fish awards. Jiffy Automotive will award $500 to the Big Fish of the Year and there is a $500 Sea Tow Big Fish Bonus that goes to any annual active member of Sea Tow that catches the Big Fish of the tournament at all Smith Mtn. tournaments and at Kerr and Gaston.

One of the top prizes of the year is the $1,250 awarded to the points champions by Jiffy Automotive and even though Saturday is the last qualifying tournament the points championship is still anybody's game, Lucas said.

Ronnie Anderson and Jeremy Terry are sitting atop the points going into Saturday's tournament, but they are trailed closely by Wayne Burchett and Raymond Secrest who are just six points behind. Jim McCullough and Mike Stinette were right at the top before the June 11 tournament on Smith Mountain Lake where they did not weigh a fish and slipped to 20^th in the standings.

“They just could not get on anything in the tournament,” Lucas said. “They caught them in practice but could not get them in the tournament itself.”

But Saturday will determine the points champions and there is plenty of hope for a lot of teams in the field to pull it out, Lucas said.

“In a field that big and when you get 200 points for a win anything could happen.”

Saturday's tournament will start an hour earlier than usual, 6 a.m. instead of 7 o'clock, and the weigh-in will start an hour earlier with the first flight coming in at 2 p.m. instead of 3 o'clock.

“It's gong to be a typical summertime tournament on Kerry,” Lucas said. Guys will catch a few fish early on top and then get out on the points and Carolina rig. I think some of the better fish at Buggs in the summer are caught on deep crankbaits, but that is an art into itself. You have to know how to do it and when to do it.”

Anglers Choice Marine Team Trail

Sat, Jun 25, 2011

Kerr / Buggs Island Lake

North Bend State Park

Call Chris Lucas 276-358-0844

www.anglerschoicemarine.com/TournamentTrail

by AnglersChannel

Watson's Marine Tournament Anglers Will Find Peace And Quiet At Night On Boone Lake

But bass anglers know they can escape the heat and the crush of water skiers and personal watercraft by fishing at night – and Watson's Marine in Bluff City, Tenn., is happy to oblige.

For almost two decades Watson's Marine, a full-service marine dealer offering Ranger and Triton boats, and Mercury, Evinrude, and Yamaha Outboard engines, plus the area's best selection of fishing tackle and marine accessories, has been providing a summer night fishing series for local anglers.

The first tournament for this summer, the Watson's/Ranger Open Tournament, kicks off at 8 o'clock Saturday night out of Winged Deer Park on Boone Lake with $1,000 guaranteed to the winner. Second place pays $700, third place $500 and there are $200 big fish prizes for both the biggest largemouth and the largest smallmouth weighed in. Payouts are based on at least 50 boats in the field and will be pro-rated if more boats are entered.

“These tournaments are kind of a customer appreciation thing,” said Rex Pendergrass with Watson's Marine, “but they are open to anybody. You don't have to pay anything to join, just show up and fish and have a good time. The entry fee is $60 and they can pay at the ramp.”

Watson's Marine will hold three summer night tournaments on three different lakes. The second tournament, the Watson's/Triton Open Tournament, will be held July 23 on South Holston Lake out of Observation Knob Park from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m., and the third tournament, the Watson's Open tournament, will be held on Watauga Lake out of Fish Springs Dock from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m.

The entry fee and payout schedule is the same for all three tournaments, Pendergrass said. Entry forms and rules are available at the dealership.

The bass in Boone Lake are in their summer pattern right now, Pendergrass said, and fishing has been pretty good recently.

“It has been taking 15 to 17 pounds for five fish to win on Boone Lake. Anglers are mostly fishing bluffs and points at night with jigs, dark-colored spinnerbaits and Norman DD22s,” Pendergrass said. “The weather has been pretty hot, but we had a little bit of rain the laws few days and it has cooled off a little bit. Daytime temperatures are running from the mid-80s to 90 degrees. But the fishermen like fishing at night this time of year because it cuts down on so much pleasure boat traffic.”

Watson’s Marine Ranger Boats Open Tournament

Sat, Jun 25, 2011

Boone Lake

Winged Deer Park

Call Aaron Greene 423-538-5332

www.watsonsmarine.com

by AnglersChannel

Weather – And Bass Bite – Are Hot For Accent Marine Tournament Kissimmee Chain

“The temperature is in the 90s. It was up to 99 one day, but it's like the Dog Days of Summer because of the humidity,” said Ted Meyer with Accent Marine which will hold the sixth of nine qualifying tournaments in the dealership's tournament trail Sunday out of Capt. Mack's River Resort on the lakes.

“Adding to that, the water is low. Okeechobee is about dried up. There's some open water back in Kissimmee – a little bit – but they are letting that out also,” Meyer said. “What we need is a hurricane to bring the lakes back up – not the hurricane itself, but the rain that comes with it.”

But, the bass apparently are not letting the heat and the extremely low water bother them at all.

“They have been catching some good weights,” said Meyer who predicted it will take 26 to 28 pounds to win Sunday. “It took 31 pounds a couple of weeks ago, so we will see what happens this weekend.”

Meyer said anglers are catching the bass in the deeper water on brushpiles and other structure.

“They are also catching some off the grasslines, but not that much. They are mostly casting regular plastics worms and some are flipping jigs and crawfish.”

He expects 65 to 70 boats to enter Sunday's tournament, down slightly from the average of 75 to 80 boats that have participated in the series so far.

“When it starts getting hot that is when the true fisherman stays out there and the rest of them go home. The next three months are going to be tough. We go through September and the Classic will be in October. We have three left after Sunday and anglers have to fish seven of the nine tournament to qualify for the Classic.”

The series includes tournaments July 31, August 28 and September 25 with the Classic scheduled Oct. 30. Entry fee for the tournaments is $65 and 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.

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

Sun, Jun 26, 2011

Kissimmee Chain of Lakes

Camp Mack's River Resort

Call (813) 620-1042

www.accentmarine.com

by AnglersChannel