Strike King Pro Andy Montgomery Demonstrates Dock Skipping Technique!
Andy Montgomery, one of the strongest young sticks in the bassin' world, demonstrates and discusses the technique that's made him famous.
Legendary Pickwick Guide Roger Stegal Talks Crankin'!
Roger Stegal owns the Pickwick record for 5 smallies that weighed 27-10. He shares some great tips for getting the most out of those magnificent fish-catching crankbaits. Roger also tells why there is a BIG difference bewteen seemingly-similar crankbaits.
Floridabass Trail Back With Plans To Make Fishing More Fun For The Anglers
The FloridaBass Trail, which was popular in the late '90s through 2004, is back with one aim for the anglers – have fun.
Scott Scarboro started FloridaBass in 1998 with four divisions and the trail was very successful for half a dozen years. Then Extreme Fishing arrived on the scene and bought him out. Scarboro continued to work for Extreme Fishing until this past year when he decided it was time to resurrect FloridaBass and provide anglers with the chance to have fun while earning good prize money.
“I felt like the last few years the fun just seemed to go out of it. When it gets to where it is not fun for the anglers, it gets to be not fun for the director, too,” he said.
“We always made sure when we had a tournament that the guys enjoyed themselves and had a good time. The last few years it seemed like the only guys standing around when we paid out the checks were the guys who had checks coming,” Scarboro said. “I felt like if we have a group of guys who are all fishermen they might as well stand around and talk fishing. I remembered the days when we'd have the weigh-in at 3 o’clock and we'd still be standing around talking fishing at 4:30 and later.”
Scarboro said a lot of the guys who had been involved in Extreme Fishing and who had been involved with FloridaBass before wanted to see things like they used to be.
“Our goal is to make things more interesting and more fun for the fishermen,” Scarboro said. “Tournaments here have been hit pretty hard by the economy and downturn in construction. When things get tough it's hard for a fisherman to justify going to a tournament and spending money to fish, along with fuel, entry fees and all that.”
For that reason, the new FloridaBass Trail consists of seven divisions so anglers in the region do not have to travel a great distance to fish one of them. The seven include : St. Johns, Rodman, Lake Rousseau, the Harris Chain, West Lake Toho, Kissimmee and Istokpoga. The St. John's Division kicks off Saturday out of Welaka and the Rodman Trail starts Sunday out of Kenwood Landing. Istokpoga also starts Sunday out of 98 Ramp.
“Terry Mullis and his wife Kim run both the St. John's and Rodman Trails. Terry lives on the St. John's River and in the last tournament of the year he will throw a barbecue for the fishermen and hold the weigh-in at his house, trying to make it more fun for the fishermen.”
Entry fees are $120 per boat for each tournament with $80 of that paid back at the tournament to one in every seven entered, plus $10 per boat paid back for big fish. Then $10 goes to the championship pot, $10 covers trail expenses and $10 goes to the tournament director.
The FloridaBass Trail also has two monthly awards. The divisional tournaments are sanctioned by the Power-Pole Captains Cash Rewards Club. Power-Pole will pay $250 to an angler who wins a FloridaBass event and meets all of the Captains Cash requirements. Anglers must be a member of the Captions Cash Rewards Club to be elgible. In addition to BigBass of the tournament and BigBass of the year the trail also has a BigBass of the Month Employer Payroll Solutions. Anglers can win a monthly bonus of $250 for the largest fish weighed-in for the month.
The top 20 in points in each division qualify to fish the championship, which has a guaranteed purse of $10,000, at the end of the year. Anglers can fish one division or they can hop around and fish several different divisions, but if they do that they must fish at least eight tournaments. Each division will hold tournaments in October and November, skip December and then start back in January and go once a month through June with the championship in July.
The top team in each division will fish against each other in the championship for the title of FloridaBass Team of the Year. The Team of the Year will win a 101-pound Minn Kota Trolling Motor, with anglers choice of hand or foot control, plus a 700 Series Fact Finder Humminbird unit. The total value of the package is about $2,000, Scarboro said, plus the team gets free entry to the 2012 season in one division.
“Since we just got things started back I am working every day to add things and put in new prizes. If I am successful the money will go up,” Scarboro said. “We are hoping to build on that $10,000 purse for the championship in future years, too.”
FloridaBass Team Tournament Trail - St. Johns Division
Sat. Oct. 22, 2011
St Johns River
Welaka Public Boat Ramp
Tournament Trail Director, Scott Scarboro, 813-293-3032
Cold Snap Could Ignite Fishing On Lake Guntersville For Final Flw Tour Open...or Not!
Frog Tape Pro Brian Travis hopes a weather change will bring better fishing this weekend on Guntersville
Too cold or too hot? That is the question confronting anglers in the final Walmart FLW Tour tournament of the season on Lake Guntersville which begins Thursday.
It has been too hot and the fishing has been extremely tough, said Frog Tape pro Brian Travis of Conover, N.C. But the weather is changing quickly and that could be a good thing, according to National Guard pro Justin Lucas of Guntersville who said in an FLW news story that temperatures needed to drop drastically for fishing to pick up.
Travis is not so sure.
When fishing is as tough as it has been at Guntersville for the past month or so, it usually takes a while for the fish to ease back into a normal routine, especially when the change is as drastic and as quick as the one that hit the region in mid-week.
“Fishing has been the worst I have ever seen at this place. I've been talking to some of the others guys, 10 or 15 of them, and they are all in the same boat.
The problem, he said, was the the lake was wrapped in balmy weather with temperatures in the 80s, particularly the first of this week during practice.
“It's fall, the grass is all matted up and it is supposed to be as frog deal, but the bite has been tough. They are very few and far between.”
He said a recent WalMart BFL two-day tournament drew 141 boats and the field was cut to 21 after the first day.
“It only took 8 pounds to make the top 21 and at Guntersville that is terrible.”
That springlike weather went south in a hurry, however, when the cold front moved in and nobody knows what that will do to the fishing.
“The last two or three days it has been in the 80s and today it is pushing to get over 50 degrees with 20 mile-per-hour winds,” Travis said. “If there ever was a cold front we hit this one right on the head. It is supposed to stay in the 30s at night all the way through the tournament, with highs in the 50s and 60s.”
A week ago Lucas told FLW that air temperatures would need to plummet into the low 40s at night and remain in the mid-50s during the day in order for water temperatures to drop to an ideal range for fishing so it looks like the weather is cooperating with that plan.
The colder temperatures should ignite the fish under the grass mats and the frog bite should turn on with the colder temperatures, Lucas said.
Travis hopes so, but he is doubtful.
“You never know. That cold front could snap them into a feeding frenzy. It is the fall of the year and I have seen a cold front cause fish to feed like crazy,” he said. “The lake is full of bait. It is everywhere. The shad are deep and shallow, but fishing is struggling and it has been that way for a while.”
Travis said his plan is to head upriver to a deep hole first thing Thursday and then he plans to fish docks and grass flats with a jig and Chatterbait.
“That's all you can do, just go chunking,” he said. I am sure there are fish still out on the deep ledges, but that is not my cup of tea and riding the lake I don't see many guys out on the ledges. Most of them are punching the grass mats.”
The high winds might curtail the grass fishing, too, he added.
“A lot of guys are fishing those mats right on the main lake and it is going to be hard for them to do that.”
Travis said he will be looking for five each day that can help him move up the points in this final tournament of the series for the year. He is 13th in the standings, just 41 points behind Dave LeFebre who enters the tournament in fifth place. The top five in points after the Guntersville tournament qualify for the Forrest Wood Cup.
He just needs for his fishing to heat up during this cold snap.
FLW Tour Open
Oct. 20-23, 2011
Lake Guntersville
Lake Guntersville State Park
Shaw Grigsby Trims Football Jigs for Maximum Action
Bassmaster Elite Series pro and TV host Shaw Grigsby shows us how he trims a Strike King Tour Grade Football Jig according to water temperature.
Fall Feeding - Coosa River Spotted Bass Schooling On Alabama's Mitchell Lake
Mitchell Lake. Its one of those lower Coosa River lakes you just don't hear very much about. Upper Coosa River reservoir's Logan Martin Lake, Lay Lake and lower Coosa River impoundment Jordan Lake all get their recognition, mostly from avid bass anglers. These lakes became famous after several Bassmaster's Classics and Bassmasters Tournament trails featuring the world's best contenders, visited them. Yes, Mitchell lake is a small lake.
MITCHELL LAKE
By Reed Montgomery / Reeds Guide Service (205) 663-1504
Birmingham, Alabama
Website www.fishingalabama.com
Impounded 1923
Lake level: Full pool
Water Temperature 70 degrees
Air Temperatures: Mid week / Lows near 40 Highs mid-to-upper 60's
But during the fall and early winter months, this small impoundment (less than 18 miles in length) can be big, with some great Coosa River spotted bass action!
A RECENT GUIDED FISHING TRIP TO MITCHELL LAKE
On a rather bright, bluebird and very sunny day you do not expect to see much schooling action on the surface of the lake's calm clear water. But recently I took a resident of Mitchell lake that got in on some great spotted bass action on what I would call a very unlikly day of bass fishing. It started out with a cool boat ride up the lake fishing near the lakes headwaters,situated right below upper reservoir, Lay lake dam.
With upper 60 degree water temps and cool air temps of the upper 50's my client Tom, gave me a rather funny look when I handed him an open-faced rod already rigged with a big topwater lure, the Heddon Zara Super Spook. "Isn't it to cold for topwater?" He exclaimend, as he slowly took off his hat, gloves and heavy coat. He was just thawing out from the boat ride and he had his doubts...before I could even answer.
I asked if he had fished this lure before. "Not much", he said. Followed by, "You mind showing me how?" So I got out my spook rod and proceeded to show him how to, as they say, "walk the dog" with the swaying action of this very enticing topwater lure. With its side-by-side walk, imparted by a short jerking motion of a six foot medium-heavy, pistol grip rod. I felt right at home.
With a very l long cast, I settled the lure so far out in the patchy, morning fog that Tom had to wait a few seconds before he could even get the lure in sight! As I slowly walked the topwater lure back towards the boat I explained to him the slow, enticing walk as it came within sight. I told him, just think to yourself as you retrieve the lure and jerk, left, right, left, right, as you impart the slow, jerking action of the lure with each twitch of the rod tip.
I reeled in the lure and made another cast. Tom was starting to warm up and he then reached for the spook rod I had already rigged for him. But before I could reel the second cast in and prepare to pour myself a warm cup of coffee...I was interrupted!
A blow-up right beside the boat almost sent water splashing on both of us and I think it startled Tom so much he dropped his rod! It was a big, spotted bass looking to be about as surprised, as we were! I just swung the big bass in the boat. For I knew the freshly spooled Trilene Big Game 20 pound test line would hold. And it did.
"Well, I got mine! Get you one" I then told Tom as the big jumping spot went absolutely crazy flipping all around in the bottom of the boat. "Man that's huge, how big is it?" (Tom as excited as I was), then said. I knew it really was not that big, but it was a good "four pounder" I then told him. What a way to start your day on Mitchell Lake! Or any lake! So I poured myself a cup of coffee and said, "you know Tom, I don't think I can give you a better example than that!" He laughed, as he then agreed.
Suddenly, as the sun began to rise, several bass erupted on the water's surface and a half dozen small, threadfin shad went fleeing for their lives. "Throw over there, fast! "
He did and as he slowly walked the spook, it suddenly just disappeared with gentle slurp, as it dropped beneath water's surface. A fish? Tom just looked stunned. Start reeling you've got one! I hollered. He did and the battle was on again, this time on his rod, as I just went for the net. The spot looked to be a twin of mine. Another 4 pounder!
What was really unusual, for the next 3 hours this schooling action continued! We caught and released dozens of bass, even a few largemouth bass too! All caught within sight of the dam! We stayed in the lakes headwaters until 3 p.m.
Around the bluffs, flats, creek mouths, the nearby bridge and islands! They were schooling everywhere on a sunny day, when they usually do not! So we had a great day and my new found friend Tom, learned some new lures, new places to fish and some new techniques while fishing with topwater lures, Texas rigged worms, crankbaits, rattle traps and jerk baits. Oh, and I'm sure he learned a little from a guy that showed him all about fishing that Heddon Zara Super Spook!
Always call on Reeds Guide Service...first! (205) 663-1504
* REEDS GUIDE SERVICE
For over 40 years Reed Montgomery, owner of Reeds Guide Service "Alabama's oldest, professional freshwater -- bass fishing only -- guide service" has taken anglers from all over the globe to fish all throughout Alabama's lakes for spotted bass, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and striped bass. No other guide service can offer a more enjoyable day on the water of learning how to fish for Alabama's big bass.
Learning-type fishing trips for both the novice angler and the professional angler. Parent and child learning trips, corporate guided trips with several boats and guides available, year round. Call (205) 663-1504 or E-mail [email protected] today to reserve your fishing trip to any lake in Alabama! Now is the time to catch big smallmouth bass on the Tennessee River System Lakes, or go for big spotted bass, largemouth bass and striped bass on most Alabama lakes!
* GUIDED FISHING TRIPS GIFT CERTIFICATES NOW AVAILABLE FOR CHRISTMAS! Keep in mind Christmas is only a few weeks away! A guided fishing with with Reeds Guide Service makes a great gift for those loved ones that love to fish! Call or E-mail to find out about getting your guided fishing trip gift certificate today! These guided fishing trips make great gifts for Birthdays, anniversaries, graduation or any occasion!
* WBRC FOX 6 TELEVISION - See Reed Montgomery and call in with your fishing questions with his, "Ask the Angler" question and answer session on Birmingham's WBRC Fox 6 TV morning show, "Good Day Alabama." Reed's next scheduled appearance (on now for over 6 years) will be on Tuesday, November 25 on a just after 8 a.m. Central time! Call in (205) 741-7474 with your fishing questions! Reed Montgomery is on Fox 6 TV every last Tuesday of each month, mark your calendar!
* HUNTING AND FISHING - Alabama's best deals on the outdoors! See: www.marksoutdoors.com or go by Marks Outdoors Sports in Vestavia, Alabama near Birmingham.
* NEW AND USED BOATS - See www.airportmarine.com or go by Airport Marine in Clanton, Alabama for the souths best boat deals!
* BASS TOURNAMENTS AND TRAILS - See www.airportmarinetrails.com for Alabama's best paying bass tournaments!
* BASS TOURNAMENT INFO, LAKE REPORTS, FISHING TIPS, FISHING ARTICLES AND MORE! See www.bamabass.com
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!
Fishing Expected To Be Very Good For Berkley Big Bass Challenge On Lake Murray
One lucky angler likely will pay the $75 entry fee to fish in the second annual Berkley Big Bass Challenge on Lake Murray this weekend and when it is all said and done he will walk away with $5,000. But he won't have to have the biggest fish at the weigh-in to earn that grand prize.
In fact, the grand prize winner might not even be an entered angler.
“Instead of just awarding a grand prize, we are doing something different at Lake Murray this year,” said Andrew Marks, Marketing Director for Berkley, a division of Pure Fishing which has its national headquarters in Columbia, S.C.
Marks explained that the Big Bass Challenge is bass fishing's version of "Texas Hold Em," which matches angling skill with a weigh-in strategy. The competition day consists of six one-hour periods where anglers can weigh-in their single largest fish. Each hour an angler can bring one fish to the scales to try and stay in the running for a chance to receive one of the five, hourly cash awards.
Over $18,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded during the event, which include the hourly prizes and grand prize - guaranteed payouts regardless of field size. The exclusive aspect of this tournament is that only Berkley baits can be used during the challenge. Each hourly Big Bass Winner will be choosing an envelope containing a key at the end of the day for a shot at winning the $5,000 grand prize award.
“Then everybody in the tournament and everybody on site who is not a Pure Fishing employe will get a raffle ticket and one of those will be drawn for the seventh key,” Marks said. “We will line those seven up to try to open a box which will have $5,000 in it.”
One of the seven will hold the right key to open the box and will leave the tournament $5,000 richer.
“We are hoping to get a good crowd at Lake Murray Saturday,” Marks said. “Last year we had 114 and we hope to double that number this time. We'd love to get more anglers entered, because the more that enter the more money we can pay back. If we could get up to 400 or 500 anglers entered, we would go down 10 places and awards boats and big items like that.”
"The tournament is a fun format to expose anglers to the full spectrum of Berkley baits," Marks said. "It is challenging to not only adjust to some of the new baits that are being used, but also the added strategy of when to weigh in your fish that lends a unique twist."
Marks pointed out that Sebile baits are now legal to use in these events, along with Johnson and Abu Garcia baits from years ago, which broadens the type of fishing that can be done.
“It opens up their tackle box,” Marks said. All Berkley baits – 7-inch plastic worms, Chigger Craws, and others – are also legal in the tournament.
“The rules are that a fisherman must use only a Berkley, Sebile, Johnson or Abu Garcia bait. You can't take a competitive brand bait and add a Berkley trailer,” he said.
Spinner bait frames, jig heads, buzz bait frames, and other lures may be used only when broken down to terminal tackle where all skirts and plastics have been removed and replaced with only Berkley products. All terminal tackle must include a “functional” full length Berkley skirt and/or Berkley soft plastic. Non-Berkley skirts and soft plastic trailers are not permitted.
“We want to expose people to all the different products we have and that is the fun part. It's a real challenge to someone who uses a competitor's bait and is comfortable with it,” Marks said.
Weighmaster Al Odom, a local angler and founder of the national Fishers of Men Tournament Series, said everything is falling in place for the Big Bass Challenge anglers to have really good fishing this weekend.
“The weather is shaping up to be perfect,” Odom said. “It is cooling down which means the Sebile Magic Swimmers and Sebile topwater baits will come into play and the Berkley Jerk Shads and Hollow Bellies will also be catching fish.”
With the water temperature dropping some, Odom said anglers will be catching fish on a variety of Berkley and Sebile lures. Predictions are the weather will drop from the low to mid-8-0s to low to mid 70s by the weekend.
“The fish are in transition. They have kind of left the summer pattern and are transitioning into the fall feeding pattern. The cooler weather should ignite the fall feeding frenzy.”
Odom said some fish will be caught on the bank and some anglers will be offshore catching fish relating to blueback herring.
“The bluebacks have become notoriously linked with the blueback herring and that has changed the way these fish transition. They basically roam year-round with the bluebacks. When the water temperature falls the herring move shallower and the bass move with them,” he said. “They will be on the points in the 5- to 15-foot range.”
The Berkley Experience trailer, a 60-foot event center, will be on site from Friday at 2:00 PM until the final weigh-in and awards on Saturday. The trailer features Interactive presentation screens, educational seminars on line selection, reel maintenance, rod selection and selecting the right bait, a knot tying station and competition, bait demonstration tanks and many other fun elements designed to help the angers Catch More Fish. The Experience trailer will also have a good selection of Berkley baits for sale, if anglers have not already stocked up for the tournament.
Up to three anglers can fish out of a boat, but each angler must pay the $75 entry fee. Anglers who enter will get a Berkley HAVOC Bait and the first one hunter that sign up get a Sebile Magic Swimmer and a Berkley Power Bait. Some will also receive a spool of Berkley's new Armor-coated XL Line and other fishing goodies, Marks said.
To encourage Junior anglers to participate, the first 25 anglers under the age of 15 will receive a Shakespeare Catch More Fish Kit valued at $29.99.
More information can be found at http://www.berkley-fishing.com/myberkley/events or anglers can email Andrew Marks at [email protected].
Berkley/Sebile Big Bass Challenge Lake Murray
Sat. Oct. 22, 2011
Lake Murray
Dreher Island State Park
Oakley Big Bass Weigh In, Lake Guntersville
Day Two Weigh In at Lake Guntersville.
Looking For Great Food Near Paris, Tn? - Meo Mio's Is The Place!
Many of you will remember that AnglersChannel.com gained a solid reputation with its phone book-like directory of places to eat, sleep and fish throughout the South. In that spirit, I would like to share a wonderful experience I enjoyed near Paris Landing, Tennessee.
Matt's Pub is a great place to grab a bite. I had an excellent steak there. But just a little further east on HWY 79, Matt's friend, Mark Berg serves up authentic Cajun cuisine at his restaurant, Meo Mio's - in the the Tennessee Hills.
Meo Mio's sticks out in my mind because it was different from other local eateries. You see, the local preferrence is for milder food. I'm a Deep South boy. As such, I like my food kickin'! Meo Mio's delivers! In fact, Mark took his gumbo to the Memphis Crawfish Festival and won 4th place against teams from places such as New Orleans.
Among the regular Meo Mio's clientele is Hank Williams, Jr who often shows up in some sort of disguise just to have some alone time with quality food.
I was just in New Orleans for the Bassmaster Classic this February. I ate well. And my favorite dish in the world is my own Mama's Seafood Gumbo - it's spelled with capital letters for a reason, folks. I could live on my wife's red beans and rice. I've been exposed to good spicy food - not just hot, but pleasantly spicey. There is a difference, you know. I can say Mark's food is the real deal. You won't need a salt shaker.
Sportsman's Warehouse Fishing Mgr Justin Kijak previews a HUGE Tournament this coming Weekend!
Sportsman's Warehouse fishing mgr Justin Kijak helps preview the 2nd Annual Berkley Big Bass Tournament coming to Lake Murray this Sat/Sun....$5000 Guaranteed for 1st place-and here are the baits to throw! You can purchase all of these and more online at www.sportsmanswarehouse.com
Early Times Reel In a Million Winner is Rich!
No, Debra did not catch a tagged bass worth a million dollars, but she will have a wealth of memories from her experience with Kevin Wirth and Mrs. Joan who may well be the only person to ever literally spank Kevin with a bass - check out the video!
What's Kevin Wirth? Maybe a Million Dollars!!!
Kevin Wirth pre-fishes for his day as guide for the winners of the Early Times Reel In a Million contest. If either Kevin or either of the ladies catches a tagged bass it could be worth a cool $1,000,000! PLUS - Kevin shares a couple of helpful fishing tips.
2011 Greene Boat and Motor Wrap up with Brett Collins and Andy Greene
Brett Collins and Andy Greene re-cap what has been a great 2011 season for the Greene Boat and Motor trail, as they talk about all the payouts plus what may be on the horizon for 2012!
Sportsman's Warehouse Fall Hunting Report with Barry Sowers from SW in Columbia-SC!
Barry Sowers from the Hunting Dept at Sportsman's Warehouse joins us for the 1st time ever to discuss why the Hunting Dept is so strong, whats HOT, and just how full of inventory they are during whats turning out to be one heck of a season for all the fall Outdoorsman!!
Addition Of Sebile Baits Makes For Interesting Strategies In Berkley/sebile Big Bass Challenge On Lake Fork
The slot limit for bass on Texas' Lake Fork makes for some interesting strategy by the anglers fishing in the 6th Annual Berkley/Sebile Big Bass Challenge there this weekend.
“The slot is for fish under 16 inches and over 24 inches, which made it interesting last year, said Andrew Marks, Marketing Director for Berkley. “The first day last year we did not have a fish weighed in over 24 inches, then on the last day we had five of the bigger fish weighed. Those are the guys who are swinging for the fences.”
"The Lake Fork event has always been an extremely successful event," Marks said. "Anglers have an excellent opportunity to cash in on a single fish in a fun and exciting tournament on a premier bass fishing lake.”
And, he noted, Sebile baits are now legal to use in these events, along with Johnson and Abu Garcia baits from years ago, which broadens the type of fishing that can be done.
“It opens up their tackle box,” Marks said. All Berkley baits – 7-inch plastic worms, Chigger Craws, and others – are also legal in the tournament.
“The rules are that a fisherman must use only a Berkley, Sebile, Johnson or Abu Garcia bait. You can't take a competitive brand bait and add a Berkley trailer,” he said.
Spinner bait frames, jig heads, buzz bait frames, and other lures may be used only when broken down to terminal tackle where all skirts and plastics have been removed and replaced with only Berkley products. All terminal tackle must include a “functional” full length Berkley skirt and/or Berkley soft plastic. Non-Berkley skirts and soft plastic trailers are not permitted.
“We want to expose people to all the different products we have and that is the fun part. It's a real challenge to someone who uses a competitor's bait and is comfortable with it,” Marks said.
The Berkley Big Bass Challenges do not award points for the best stringer or limit for the day. The way the tournament works is that there are six weigh-in hours each day and anglers must decided if the fish they have caught has a chance to be the top fish of that hour before bringing it in. The best fish of the hour may be a 6-pounder or it may be a 2-pounder – it all depends who who brings in the top fish of the hour.
“You have to decide which weigh-in period you have the best opportunity in. As long as you have one of the top five for that hour you get a check – from $1,000 for the heaviest fish down to $75 for the smallest of the hour, which pays back your entry fee,” Marks said.
A new Skeeter ZX 200/Yamaha SHO valued at approximately $38,000 will be awarded to the heaviest fish over 24 inches and a new Skeeter ZX 190/Yamaha 150 Max valued at approximately $32,000 will be awarded to the heaviest fish that measures less than 16 inches.
The Berkley Experience trailer partnered with Lake Fork Marina and will be on site from 12 noon Friday until the final weigh-in and awards on Sunday. The trailer features interactive presentation screens, educational seminars on line selection, reel maintenance and selecting the right bait, a knot tying station and competition, bait demonstration tanks and many other fun elements designed to help the anglers Catch More Fish.
The Experience Team and Pro Staff will also be on hand to help anglers with their selection of Berkley and Sebile baits, if anglers have not already stocked up for the tournament.
Marks said fishing should be good on Lake Fork for the tournament.
“Fishing has been really good. There was a McDonald's Big Bass Tournament three weeks ago and they had quite a few big fish weighed in. We are hearing the bite is really good,” he said.
“Every level of angler can enjoy this tournament,” Marks added. “The format is fun and strategy plays a vital role in determining each winner. With the addition of Sebile baits to the approved baits anglers now have a wider variety of options when selecting fishing techniques.”
Berkley/Sebile Big Bass Challenge Lake Fork
Oct. 15-16, 2011
Lake Fork
Lake Fork Marina and Motel
Fishing Reported Very Good On Lay Lake, Site Of 2011 Airport Marine Classic Saturday
Marty (pictured here) and Kim Giddens took home $5,000 for winning Team of the Year!
The draw for a lake to hold the Airport Marine Trails Classic on could not have been better, said tournament director Flynn Gerald.
“We put all the lakes in a hat Monday night and drew Lay Lake out. Lay Lake is one of the few lakes (fished on the trail) that is still giving up good stringers of fish. Guntersville is off, Logan Martin is off. So we expect good fishing Saturday.”
One of the highlights of the meeting Monday night was presenting a $5,000 check to Marty Giddens and his wife Kim for Team of the Year, Gerald said.
“I don't know of any other tournament trail that does that. Then we drew among the too 10 for another $5,000, so we gave away $10,000 Monday night.”
The Giddens Team won the first tournament of the year and then added a 3rd, 10th, 15th and 18th places to hold on to the top spot in the standings. Wes Essary and Larry Walters, who finished second in the points, won the other $5,000 in the draw among the top 10 teams.
“We are very fortunate to pay back what we pay back,” Gerald said. “We pay back more money to the fishermen than any other tournament series in the state. We also pay back for the top couples, $1,000 for the top couple, $500 for the second ranked couple, $300 for third and $200 for fourth. We also pay the same money back to the adult-child teams.”
Gerald said they try to put on the best tournament possible and pay back more money than they take in, which they have done the past several years.
“The first four places in this tournament, if you are in a qualified boat we double it, just for fishing out of one of our boats. Qualifying boats are Ranger, Triton and Stratos that an angler bought fem Airport Marine, two years old or less.”
Gerald said there are more than 30 boats qualified for the Classic. He also announced that Airport Marine's EZ Fall Buddy Trail began Oct. 1 on Lay Lake and he expects a large participation in it through the Classic in early January.
“We will have over 100 boats qualified for that and first place will be worth $5,000. It's our second most popular trail – the mid-week trail is the most popular.”
Entry fee in the Fall Buddy Trail is $100 per tournament with a one-time $50 initiation fee per angler, which will be paid back in full at the Classic. There is also an optional $10 big fish fee. Anglers must fish at least one tournament to qualify for the Classic. Gerald urged anglers to pre-register no later than the Tuesday of the week of a tournament to get an early flight number.
The remaining schedule for the Buddy Trail includes: Oct 29. Lake Logan Martin. Lakeside; Nov 12. Lake Mitchel, Higgins Ferry; Nov 26. Lake Jordan, Bonner's; Dec 10, Lay Lake, Beeswax; January 7, the Classic at one of the lakes on the schedule. There will be a Classic meeting with food and drinks Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 6 p.m. at Airport Marine.
Airport Marine Trails Classic
Sat. Oct. 15, 2011
Lay Lake
Beeswax Landing
Call Flynn Gerald at 205-678-9666
Fishing Is 'tough' For Bassmaster Weekend Series Regional Championship On Kentucky Lake
Robert Walser won the NC Division 2-Day tournament on High Rock Lake in September
Ask anybody involved in the Bassmaster Weekend Series Regional championship on Kentucky Lake this weekend how the fishing is going and you get a one word response – “tough.”
“The lake has been fishing tough the last couple of weeks,” said Randy Sullivan, tournament director for the regional championship. The only good news, he said, was that the lower end of the lake began to turn on last weekend.
“It's a hotspot, but it's a long run down in the Johnsonville area, which is 70 miles away, but definitely reachable by these guys with the big boats. If they can get down there and back they should have a big catch.”
However, he noted, that travel time could be limited by the weather. At midweek the first cool weather in a month brought heavy morning fog, which could delay launches because of safety considerations.
“We've been in the low 80s for temperatures, but it is supposed to be in the low 70s this weekend with the low in the low 40s. I don't know if that will turn the bite off, but it is going to be foggy in the mornings. I hope it will not play too big a role. It's always a hard call to make to assure the safety of the anglers.”
The Regional Championship Friday-Sunday will feature anglers in the Alabama South, North Carolina, Tennessee Central, Tennessee East, and Missouri Divisions.
“I would say the Tennessee Central guys probably have the closest experience on the lake. They are only a couple of hours away,” Sullivan said.
Anglers planning to limit boat time and stay in the general area of the launch site at Kentucky Dam State Park are finding the fish in transition during practice this week, Sullivan said.
“A lot of the bigger fish have left the ledges so there are not as many big fish still out on the drops. And not many of the bigger fish have made it to the backs of the creeks yet,” he said. “A lot of them are stuck on gravel bars, main lake points and old river bars. They are making their way back and a lot of them are hanging out right now on the first bar or point inside a creek, but they are harder to catch because they are scattered on so many places right now.”
Sullivan said there are a lot of 13-14-15-inch fish piled up in the backs of the creeks chasing bait, which presents a dilemma for the anglers.
“Do you hang out there where the bigger fish are and try to catch a limit or do you go in the creek and try to get a limit at 10 pounds or so and then go back out and try to find a quality kicker or two?” he observed.
“A lot of people are having a hard time getting quality bites because they have to go to so many places to find one.”
His observation of the fishing situation was echoed by co-angler Michael Branch in the North Carolina Division.
“We got to the lake Tuesday afternoon and our first day on the water was Wednesday,” Branch said. “It looked tough for us – and for some more people. We caught two good fish, about 4 pounds, each, and some short fish.”
Branch said the fish they found were scattered and no pattern they tried would hold up for long.
“We threw a little bit of everything – jigs, crankbaits, buzzbaits – and we never did find anything offshore. The wind got up, but we saw some people fishing offshore. But I don't know if there are many fish out there or not.”
Branch said what fish they caught were relating to bait.
“We found a lot of bait, but we did not find a lot of fish,” he noted.
One problem, he said, is that the lake is down to what locals said is the winter pool.
“It's about 10 feet off the banks and a lot of structure is not even in the water anymore,” he added.
At the conclusion of the regional championship on Kentucky Lake and the five other regionals the top 50 boaters and top 50 co-anglers from each championship will qualify to fish the Bassmaster Weekend Series National Championship at Santee Cooper Nov. 6-12.
“Boaters at the National Championship will be competing for $100,000 cash prize and all the contingency money and the non-boaters will be vying for $50,000. The boater winner will also qualify for the 2012 Bassmaster Classic,” Sullivan said.
Bassmaster Weekend Series Regional Championship
Divisions: Alabama South, North Carolina, Tennessee Central, Tennessee East, and Missouri
Oct. 14-15, 2011
Kentucky Lake
Kentucky Dam State Park Marina
Call Randy Sullivan 256-230-5633
Mark Menendez - Shallow Kentucky Lake Bass in the Fall
Elite Series veteran Mark Menendez shows us how to catch bass up shallow on Kentucky Lake in autumn.
Andy Montgomery Recaps; Looks Forward
Bassmaster Elite Series Pro Andy Montgomery reflects on his rookie seaon at bassin's most competitive level. He also looks forward to next year.
2011 Greene Boat And Motor Pts Champions Jody Wright And James Dyer
Jody Wright and James Dyer win the 2011 Greene Boat and Motor Pts Championship and with that increase their total winnings to over $8000 for the 2011 season!!
Kevin VanDam shows how easy; necessary it is to change treble hooks
From the Strike King Wirters' Conference, Kevin VanDam demonstrates the speed and ease with which one can change treble hooks - and he explains why it is important to do so in the first place. Want to really be a better fisherman? This is the stuf that separates the pros from avearge Joes on the water!
2011 Greene Boat And Motor Tt 2Nd Place Championship Team Of Montgomery And Hull!
Louie Hull and Chuck Montgomery come in 2nd at this years 2011 Greene Boat and Motor Championship, and with that take home $3000...........Director Brett Collins gets the inside strory on their 2 days up at Norman!
2011 Greene Boat And Motor Tt Champions Hank Cherry And Craig Chambers!
Hank Cherry and Craig Chambers win the 2011 Greene Boat and Motor TT Championship with a 2 day total of 30.23 and take home a check for over $7000!!!
Pam Martin-Wells Leads Wire-To-Wire To Win Inaugural Lbaa Lady Bass Classic
Legendary angler Pam Martin-Wells will get to add another entry into her life resume as she earned a hard earned, run away victory in the inaugural Lady Bass Anglers Association (LBAA) 2011 Lady Bass Classic on Kentucky Lake. Martin-Wells of Bainbridge, Georgia brought four fish weighing in at 8.81 pounds to bring her three-day winning total to 25.60 pounds.
The key to victory for Martin-Wells was persistence and keeping’ the faith. “I just kept believing in the spot and I was in and believing in myself -- sticking to it, and just casting and casting and casting,” she stated. This victory enabled Martin-Wells to win the Triple Crown in the first full year of the LBAA. To win the “Triple Crown” and angler must win a regular season tournament, Angler of the Year (AOY), and the Classic. Martin-Wells won at Guntersville and Old Hickory wrapped up the AOY title on the very last day at Old Hickory, and completed the Triple Crown with the win today.
“I caught some on a spook and a Texas rigged NetBait Trick Worm,” Martin-Wells continued. “I was fishing the trick worm really, really slow. There were so many shad back in the area I was fishing I felt there was no need in throwing a fast bait. I could not see them hitting a Rat L Trap or a spinnerbait when there were 9 million shad there.”
Second place went to Cheryl Bowden of Plano, Texas whose three-day total was 15.69-pounds. Emily Shaffer of Mt. Juliet, Tennessee finished third with 15.36. Pelham, Alabama’s Kim Bain-Moore was fourth with 15.29-pounds. Cheryl Lalumandier of Harvester, Missouri was fifth with 14.93-pounds. Sixth was Susan Gregory from Kiln, Mississippi with 13.18 and Gregory was followed in seventh by Sylva, North Carolina’s Heather Broom with 12.82. Positions eight through ten belong to Jennifer Stelly of Sulpher, Louisiana with 12.35, Emory, Texas’s Debbie Kemp with 11.84, and Jenny Nevans with 10.18-pounds.
Snohomish, Washington’s Bonnie Ward claimed a come from behind victory on the Co-angler side. Ward’s three-day total was 13.07-pounds of bass. “It’s a huge honor to win this,” a smiling Ward commented after the event. “I’m exceptionally excited about this.”
Ward used a wacky rigged Senko during the first two days of fishing but due to the wind on Kentucky Lake today, that did not work for her on the final day of competition. “I went to a ten inch Yamamoto worm and I could not catch keepers with that. My pro partner was catching keepers and she shared her successful lures with me,” Ward said.
Local favorite Brandi Frasier from Hanson, Kentucky came in a close second with 12.24-pounds and Gallatin, Tennessee’s Regina Pierpaoli with 9.88 followed Frasier in third. In fourth was Lebanon, Tennessee’s Dianna Montgomery with 9.28 and fifth went to Beaumont, Texas’ Renee Key-Johnston with 8.93.
Positions six through ten on the Co-angler side were: 6) Kim Giddens/Alpine, Alabama 7.83, 7) Diane Smith/Fayetteville, Georgia 7.60, 8) Vicki Henderson/Ashdown, Arkansas 4.83, 9) Diana Uebelhack/Mt. Vernon, Indiana 4.72, and 10) Sarah Davis/Livingston, Louisiana 2.98.
Cheryl Bowden caught big bass for the LBAA 2011 Lady Bass Classic on the Pro side and it weighed 5.02-pounds. Brandi Frasier caught big bass on the co-angler side and Frasier’s bass weighed 3.25-pounds.
Host lodging and tournament headquarters for the LBAA Lady Bass Classic is Moors Resort and Marina 570 Moors Road Gilbertsville, Kentucky 42044. 1-270-362-8361 or 1-800-626-5472. http://www.moorsresort.com
Fisherman’s Headquarters at 2754 US Highway provided 641 N. in Benton, Kentucky 42025 weigh-in facilities for the LBAA 2011 Lady Bass Classic. 1.270-527-5938. http://www.fishermans-headquarters.com/
Sponsors of the 2011 Lady Bass Anglers Association Tour are: Wilkins Brothers Outdoors, Pro Tournament Scales, Reaction Innovations, Todali Tackle, Dawn Outdoors, Red Dirt Bait Company, FINS Superlines, Rayjus Outdoors, Jennifer Sexton/Ameriprises Financial Consulting Services, Bass Kandi, Kick `n Bass, Castaway Graphite Rods, Backwater Custom Baits, Vickie’s Threadworks, Necessity Jigs, West Kentucky LED, SureLife, Arkansas Tournament Fishing (ATF), Fleck’s Hand Poured Baits, Ray Barga and Associates Inc., Nite Owl Productions, and River Runner Baits.
Also sponsoring the LBAA Lady Bass Classic is Bass Kandi, Santone Lures, The Sportsmen’s Edge, Moors Resort & Marina, Fish Guardian, Fisherman’s Headquarters, and Kentucky Lake/Marshall County Tourism (www.kentuckylake.org).
The LBAA 2011 Contingency Programs are Phoenix First Flight, Skeeter Real Money, the Legend Advantage Program, BassCat Quest, and Triton Gold.
For more information on the LBAA contact co-founder Cheryl Bowden @ 1-214-738-7518, co-founder Secret York @ 1-270-748-9041, or media specialist Larry Morris @ 1-540-239-7902. The LBAA has a presence on the World Wide Web, on Facebook, and at http://www.ladybassanglers.com/
Lady Bass Anglers Association 2011 Lady Bass Classic
Final Standings (10/08/2011)
Pro Angler Division
Rank/Angler/City-State Three-day Total
1) Pam Martin-Wells/Bainbridge, GA 25.60
2) Cheryl Bowden/Plano, TX 15.69
3) Emily Shaffer/Mt. Juliet, TN 15.36
4) Kim Bain-Moore/Pelham, AL 15.29
5) Cheryl Lalumandier/Harvester, MO 14.93
6) Susan Gregory/Kiln, MS 13.18
7) Heather Broom/Sylva, NC 12.82
8) Jennifer Stelly/Sulpher, LA 12.35
9) Debbie Kemp/Emory, TX 11.84
10) Jenny Nevans/Dayton, TN 10.18
11) Lynda Gessner/Foristell, MO 9.59
12) Teri Cindric/Hermitage, TN 7.90
13) Robbie Hartline/Foristell, MO 7.80
14) Secret York/Benton, KY 4.28
15) Pam Ridgle/Murchison, TX 3.64
16) Judith Hart/Greenville, TX 2.07
17) Kelley Shepherd/Congress, AZ 2.03
18) Lisa Johnson/Centre, AL 1.89
19) Kathy Womack/Trussville, AL 1.87
20) Debbie Warner/Murray, KY 1.77
21) Kim White/Glen Carson, IL 0.00
Co-Angler Division
Rank/Angler /City-State Three-day Total
1) Bonnie Ward/Snohomish, WA 13.07
2) Brandi Frasier/Hanson, KY 12.24
3) Regina Pierpaoli/Gallatin, TN 9.88
4) Dianna Montgomery/Lebanon, TN 9.28
5) Renee Key-Johnston/Beaumont, TX 8.93
6) Kim Giddens/Alpine, AL 7.83
7) Diane Smith/Fayetteville, GA 7.60
8) Vicki Henderson/Ashdown, AR 4.83
9) Diana Uebelhack/Mt. Vernon, IN 4.72
10) Sarah Davis/Livingston, LA 2.98
11) Donna Newberry/Van Buren, AR 2.72
12) Pam Rodden/Mesquite, TX 2.38
13) Jan Bruner/Cedar Hill, TX 2.06
13) Martha Goodfellow/Simpsonville, SC 2.06
15) Gail Wood/Russellville, AR 1.84
16) Barbara Harris/Verona, KY 1.81
17) Elizabeth Sanders/Brandon, MS 1.75
18) Charlotte Frazier/Dallas, TX 0.00
18) Cassie Hall/Alabaster, AL 0.00
18) Kim Martin/Clayton, IN 0.00
18) Judy Skibinski/Alba, TX 0.00
Low Water On Lake Norman Should Provide Good Fishing For Greene Boat And Motor Championship
Jody Wright and James Dyer won the Greene Boat & Motor tournament on Wateree on May 21
The water level at Lake Norman has been low, but that should be a good situation for the Greene Boat and Motor championship Oct. 8-9 because the bass tend to relate to points and cover better with low water, said tournament director Brett Collins.
“The fishing at Lake Norman has been good recently and the topwater bite should be on by the tournament with cooler air temperatures on the way,” Collins said. “I would assume the majority of bass caught next week will be caught shallow.”
Collins said the Shakey head, along with spinnerbaits and buzzbaits will probably be the best bets for the tournament.
The championship will cap what Collins said has been a really good year for the Greene Trail.
“We paid back a lot of money. Greene Boat and Motor pro staff member Jody Wright of Forest City, N.C., and James Dyer of Connelly Springs, N.C., won the points worth $1,000. All total they won over $8,000 this year with the Stratos 2x money added in. Jody and James won three of the Greene qualifiers this year,” Collins said.
Wright and Dyer's wins included March 5, Lake Wylie, $2,000, and May 21, Lake Wateree, $2,000. Fishing with David Fortenberry, Dyer won the Jan. 29 tournament on Lake Wylie, earning $1,715.
Ryan Hinkle of Fort Mill, S.C., and Dan Mullane of Charlotte, N.C., took second in the points and will receive a brand new Minn Kota Trolling motor.
“We have 32 teams qualified for the championship and first place will take home at least $5,000. There will be an optional side pot paying back two places at 70/30. The odds are that first place will be well over $5,000.”
Collins said next year's schedule will have Lake Hickory, which was the final qualifier this year on June 4, scheduled earlier in the year and a Lake Wylie tournament will be moved to June.
“We had a total of 63 teams join up this year and we look to top that number next year,” Collins said.
Greene Boat and Motor Championship
Oct. 8-9, 2011
Lake Norman
Pinnacle Access
Call Brett Collins 803-413-7521
Sc Points Leaders Fishing Bassmaster Weekend Series Regional Championship For Shot At World Championship
When Chuck Howard was a youngster he used to fish around the Grooms family pier at Bonneau on Santee Cooper's Lake Moultrie. This year he and Wade Grooms tied for the points lead in the Bassmaster Weekend Series South Carolina Division.
Ironically, neither fished the BWS regularly, but both entered this year because the BWS National championship will be held on Santee Cooper in November.
Grooms was declared the points champion for South Carolina and has an automatic bid to the National Championship because his total weight for the year was 1.02 pounds more than Howard's, although Howard actually caught more fish during the year.
Both anglers fished the Mobile Delta where the BWS Weekend Series Regional Championship will be held Oct. 7-8 in 2007 in the FLW EverStart Series Championship and both say the tournament next weekend is going to be “tough.”
But, hopefully, not as tough as it was in 2007.
That year the Southeast was parched by a pervasive drought which allowed saltwater intrusion into the bay and that killed the hydrilla which provided cover for bass. Most of the anglers who finished in the top 10 actually rode 100 miles up the Tensaw River to find fresh water.
Grooms opted to fish closer to the launch site and did not manage a limit in two days of fishing. Howard is hoping to do better in the BWS regional championship, but Grooms is not as concerned about how he finishes.
“My goal is to do as well as I can, but not spend a lot of money doing it,” Grooms said. “ I plan to be very conservative because as long as I go down there and register for the tournament I will qualify for the National Championship on Santee Cooper.
For that reason Grooms plans to drive down in time to get in about two days of practice. Howard, however, left this week so he can get five or six days of practice in.
“I usually go about a week ahead of time to a tournament so I don't have to kill myself going three days ahead and fishing 12 to 15 hours a day in practice,” he said.
Howard also plans to fish close to the launch in this tournament so he can maximize his fishing time.
“I hope not to burn more than two or three gallons of gas total during the tournament. I know the last time I went the other way and in two days I only caught five fish.”
During the South Carolina season Grooms and Howard swapped the lead back and forth a time or two. Grooms took the lead in the tournament at Lake Wateree in April with a fifth place finish. That was Howard's worst tournament and he finished 23rd.
Then Howard took the lead back in the tournament at Lake Hartwell in May, finishing third while Grooms finished 10th.
Going into the final tournament at Clarks Hill in late August Howard had a small lead over Grooms, but he finished 9th while Grooms finished 6th. Since it was a double-points tournament, Grooms tied Howard for total points and, according to BWS rule, his total weight for the season gave him the title.
“I probably caught as many fish as anybody in the tournament at Clarks Hill, but did not catch any of the right size,” Howard said.
He needs to finish in the top 50 to advance to the National Championship at Santee Cooper.
At the Regional Championship, the first-place boater will take home a Triton/Mercury boat package. The top 50 Boaters and Co-anglers will advance to the no entry fee, $680,000 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Weekend Series Championship Nov. 6-12 at Santee Cooper.
The Southeast Regional Championship will pit anglers from the South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia Central and Florida divisions. The top 40 Boaters and Co-anglers from each division by points advance to the Regional Championships.
The winning boater of the National Championship will win $100,00 with up to $105,000 in additional bonuses available. The winning co-angler will win $50,000 with $52,500 in additional bonuses available. The Boater Champion advances to the 2012 Bassmaster Classic® and a shot at the world title.
“It's just a matter of catching five fish a day,” Howard said. “It's not going to take a lot of weight at Mobile Bay. I know if I can catch 12 pounds a day I won't win it, but I will be way up there.”
The whole idea for both of them entering the BWS this year was the opportunity of fishing the National Championship on what they consider their home water.
“Fishing on your home lake for $100,000 does not happen often and I don't know if it will happen again anytime soon in the fall. You just don't find a tournament in the fall for $100,000 anywhere,” Grooms said.
“If the fall a local angler is more favored. In the springtime the bite is more wide open. I am looking forward to next weekend, but I am looking forward to November and the big one even more.”
Bassmaster Weekend Series Regional Championship
Divisions: Alabama North, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina
Oct. 7-8, 2011
Tensaw River / Mobile Delta
Call Randy Sullivan 256-230-5633 or Billy Benedetti 256-230-5632
Seven Lakes In Two Weeks - Alabama's Pickwick Lake For Big Largemouth Bass
My early fall season travels took me to lower Coosa River Lake's Jordan Lake, Mitchell Lake and Lay lake, enjoying the topwater bites with out of town clients of Reeds Guide Service (tackling those vicious Coosa River spotted bass), and just recently I have guided on upper Coosa River lake's in north Alabama like Weiss Lake, Neely Henry Lake and Logan Martin Lake.
PICKWICK LAKE By Reed Montgomery
Reeds Guide Service (205) 663-1504
Birmingham, Alabama
Website www.fishingalabama.com
"Alabama's Oldest, Professional Freshwater Fishing Guide Service. Guiding on all of Alabama's Lakes For Over 40 Years"
Impounded 1938
Lake Level: down 2 feet
Water Temperature: Low-70's
Water Clarity: Main lake clear and lake headwaters - Major Feeder Creeks, some stained
This Week's Predicted Weather: Lows near 45 Daytime Highs low 70's / Partly cloudy to sunny all week with no rain the first week of October
Including trips to north Alabama's Tennessee River impoundment's Wheeler lake, Wilson Lake and Pickwick lakes (the latter two lakes produced two smallmouth bass over 5 pounds!). Including a trip to Bankhead lake located on the Warrior River System near Birmingham, with two very energetic and young teenage boys (one's birthday gift!) fooling spotted bass, largemouth bass and striped bass!
* Look for more info on these lakes and other Alabama lakes I fish often, take guided trips with clients of Reeds Guide Service to, and when I just enjoy some friendly competition in some of Alabama's tournament trails like www.airportmarinetrails.com on a year round basis. You can see seasonal fishing info, fishing articles, pictures and my lake reports posted weekly on my website www.fishingalabama.com or see more about Alabama's lakes on the many websites I write for, all found on the Internet links seen on my website!
A RECENT GUIDED FISHING TRIP TO PICKWICK LAKE WITH REEDS GUIDE SERVICE
Recently two anglers drove here trailering their bass boat all the way from Missouri, to fish with Reed Montgomery, owner of Reeds Guide Service, "Pickwick Lake's Oldest, Professional -- Bass Fishing Only -- Guide Service For Over 40 Years," for a few days of learning Pickwick Lake. We will just call them Justin and Joe.
They came here to fish Alabama's famed Tennessee River Impoundment, Pickwick Lake, targeting its (so well-noted and touted big), small mouth bass and its big, large mouth bass as well. Taking on this fifty mile long, man made impoundment for the very first time, did call for some expertise help and they both agreed. Now they are ready for their upcoming tournament, hopefully with a win!
They were here preparing for an upcoming, end-of-the-year Major Bass Tournament Trail Championship, that would soon be taking place within the next week or so. (For security sake) The actual Bass Tournament Championship title name is being withheld. Also Justin and his friend (we will call Joe, for their counterparts sake)...names may have been changed.
We met at 6 a.m. (dawn) just out of the nearby town of Florence, Al. at Mcfarland Park located 1 mile from town, its right beside the bridge crossing Pickwick Lake. Its a triple-size boat launch with an unusual, "upside-down-looking" pyramid atop a tower, that is well-lighted both at dawn and at night! Then, after a little introduction we loaded my Ranger boat and quickly got launched, with only two other boats lagging behind us. I knew our first stop would be good one with little or no company.
I immediately headed the boat up the lake to fish the rock bluffs, boulder-strewn banks, small pockets featuring wood and rock cover, bridge pilings, rip-rap rock lined banks and other cover, all located only a few miles upstream of the boat launch, fishing near Wilson Lake dam tail race waters, in Pickwick Lake's headwaters. All alone, we were the only boat there as the sun began to rise.
I can't think of a better place close by, to connect with some "big bass at dawn" on a cloudy, 60 degree morning. With some very evident current to greet us as I idled the boat to our first stop of a new dawn day.
We found several nice largemouth bass while fishing with topwater lures, jerk baits and crank baits. Particularly, one very nice six pound largemouth bass that hit a zara super spook topwater lure, one we landed.
There was also one very chunky brown bass, a nice small mouth bass any where! Looking to easily be four pounds or better, one that Justin "briefly" hooked. We all got a very good look at it as the healthy brown football bass leaped waist high, rocketing up, blasting straight up out of the calm water's surface! Right before it came off the hooks of Justin's crank bait, a lure he was lucky to just even get back!
Out in front of piers featuring brush, all around piers and boat houses, even far up under some deeper piers, and along the stumpy, previously weedy banks (with the lake down 2 feet) we caught some nice 2-3 pound largemouth bass using weightless lures like crank baits, Gary Yamamoto's Senkos and Zoom's trick worms. Clouds came out at mid day and fishing further down the lake, we boated several spotted bass, one striper and a couple more largemouth bass mostly concentrating on main lake points, creek mouths, rock bluffs and small islands.
Suspending jerk baits, rattletraps, deep diving Rapala Shad Rap crank baits, and a number of small, finesse worms and creature baits in various colors, worked very good fishing along rock bluffs, boulder-strewn banks, and around wood cover like stumps, brush and lay down trees, right up until about 3 p.m. that evening. In all, a good day on Pickwick Lake fishing for Big Bass with Reeds Guide Service!
* NOTE - PICKWICK LAKE BASS PICTURES - Not all websites display the pictures I send with these lake reports. To view today's catch go to my website www.fishingalabama.com and click on the Pickwick Lake Report (or any Alabama lake recent lake report). Its right on the home page of Reeds Guide Service website! Alabama's oldest!
* REEDS GUIDE SERVICE
For over 40 years Reed Montgomery owner of Reeds Guide Service has taken anglers to all of Alabama's lakes. Catering to the professional angler, the novice, parent and child fishing teams, corporate guided fishing trips or family fishing outings, with several boats and guides available year round! Call today (205) 663-1504 or E-mail [email protected] to book your fall and early winter fishing trips! See my website www.fishingalabama.com for more info.
* GUIDED FISHING TRIPS GIFT CERTIFICATES NOW AVAILABLE, CHRISTMAS IS GETTING CLOSE! Remember, a guided fishing trip with Reeds Guide Service makes a great gift for those loved ones that love to fish! CALL (205) 663-1504 OR E-MAIL ME, [email protected] FOR YOUR INFO ON GETTING YOUR GIFT CERTIFICATE!
* WBRC FOX 6 TV - See Reed Montgomery with his, "Ask The Angler" question and answer session on Birmingham's WBRC Fox 6 morning TV show, "Good Day Alabama." Reed has been on this very popular TV show seen state wide for over 6 years making his appearance on the last Tuesday of each month, he is usually on just after 8 a.m. Central time. Call in with your fishing questions (205) 741-7474. Reeds' next scheduled appearance is on Tuesday, October 24 2011.
* NEW AND USED BOATS - See www.airportmarine.com
* BASS TOURNAMENT TRAILS - See www.airportmarinetrails.com
* HUNTING AND FISHING - See www.marksoutdoors.com
* FISHING REPORTS, FISHING TIPS AND ARTICLES AND BASS TOURNAMENT INFO - See www.bamabass.com
* WORLD'S BEST BASS BOAT - See www.rangerboats.com
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!
Piedmont Bass Classics Results - Shearon Harris Lake - October 2, 2011
James Poirrier and Rich Szczerbala won with 20.65 lbs
The $5,000 Fall Trail qualifier #4 at Shearon Harris gave us an indication of weather to come! Cold & windy. 17 boats showed up to qualify for the Championship scheduled for November 6th at Shearon Harris. The weather this Sunday was pretty good except for the sustained 20 mph winds and gusts to 30. Nice and sunny with light humidity. Only 36 bass were actually weighed in for a total of 88 pounds. Water temps averaged 74 and air temps ranged from 43 to 65. Big fish for the day was 6.93 pounds caught by the team of Scott Woodson & Matt Lucey. The bass were caught in all depths of water on just about anything thrown at them. With the crazy slot limit in place at Harris, it's hard to bring a good bag to the scales this time of year. It's a shame when your skills land you a 5 pound bass and you have to throw it back during a tournament. The bass at Harris also looked to be in a very healthy condition.
James Poirrier & Rich Szczerbala blew out the field with 5 nice bass weighing 20.65 lbs! Fall fishing is now getting hot and all the area lakes should be producing some nice fish. Most of the bass caught were in 2 to 15 feet of water off rocky points & grass beds. The key was to find the fish bunched together!
The $5,000 Fall Trail qualifier #5 will be Sunday, October 16th at Shearon Harris Lake out of Holleman's Crossing Wildlife Ramp. Teams must fish 4 of the 7 qualifiers to fish the Championship on November 6th, and there are only 3 qualifiers left! So don't miss out on this great Fall fishing. The projected 1st place in the Championship should be over $2,000 !!!
All the information on the Fall Trail can be seen on our website:
www.piedmontbassclassics.com/2011FallTrailMainPage.html
Now here are the October 2nd results:
1st Place..James Poirrier & Rich Szczerbala of Broadway & New Hill...5 bass...20.65 lbs...$680
2nd Place..Scott Woodson & Matt Lucey of Raleigh...3 bass...10.63 lbs...$408
3rd Place..Dave Murdock & Anthony Fofi of Fayetteville & Spring Lake...2 bass...10.52 lbs...$272
1st Place Big Fish..2nd Place Team above...6.93 lbs...$224
2nd Place Big Fish..1st Place Team above...6.49 lbs...$96
1st Place TWT..1st Place Team above...20.65 lbs...$175
2nd Place TWT..Chad Eriksen & Cody Stack of Wake Forest & Woodstock IL...9.20 lbs...$75
Listed below are the rest of the Fall Trail Dates......
Fall Trail Tournament Dates
Qualifier #5 ~~ October 16th ~~ Shearon Harris Lake
Qualifier #6 ~~ October 23rd ~~ Jordan Lake
Qualifier #7 ~~ October 30th ~~ Shearon Harris Lake
CHAMPIONSHIP ~~ November 6th ~~Shearon Harris Lake
Come join us for some great fall fishin'!
Contacts for all our tournament information:
Phil McCarson~Tournament Director
919-471-1571.......919-971-5042
www.piedmontbassclassics.com
or email at.... [email protected]
2nd Place Team Scott Woodson and Matt Lucey also won Big Fish with a 6.93 lb bass
2011 Snag Proof Open Lake Guntersville Weigh-In Highlights!!
You've heard all about the quality at Guntersville, and thanks to this years SNAG PROOF OPEN, we've got some good video highlights for ya'............check this out!!
Top 25 Results for the 2011 Snag Proof Open on Lake Guntersville!
What a great weekend for the 7th Annual Snag Proof Open down here at Lake Guntersville.........many more teams brought in limits than were expected after a huge front moved through on Friday night. Sat am winds were 25 plus with Blue Bird skies, and many folks thinking the worst, but the weights turned out more than decent as you will see from the number of limits, payouts through 25th place-BTW, congrats to all on what was a GREAT TOURNAMENT!! Here are the top 25:
1. Ted Carlton/Weley Allen 5 fish BF 6.27 17.37 $8500 CASH
2. Steven Harrison/Gene Brooks 5 fish 16.81
3. Kevin Early/Thomas Hunnell 5 fish BF 5.07 15.94
4. Edgar Miller/Leland Huey 5 fish BF 4.48 15.30
5. Jamie Kilgore/Harold Coffman 5 fish BF 4.09 14.84
6. Andrew Bacon/Andrew Hamilton 5 fish 13.71
7. Woody Parks/Eddie Burgess 5 fish BF 4.08 13.68
8. Ray Fitzgerald/Mike Whitaker 5 fish BF 2.84 13.49
9. Jett Loach/Johnny Patterson 5 fish 13.49
10. Danny Jenkins/Scott Crutcher 5 fish BF 4.21 13.45
11. David Kilgore/Mike Spears 5 fish 12.90
12. Rob Vannerson/Jim Wells 3 fish BF 7.21 12.04
13. Richard Chamblee/James Klingbeil 5 fish BF 2.99 11.87
14. Robert Hargiss/Darrell Gentry 5 fish 11.87
15. Leon Knight/Pat Kelly 5 fish 11.43
16. Blake Hall/Nick Reeves 4 fish 11.01
17. Nick Cupps/Cody Braden 3 fish BF 6.76 10.81
18. Tom Fletcher/John Bessemer 3 fish BF 4.21 10.01
19. Jason Williamson/Ed Gettis 3 fish BF 4.41 9.93
20. Mark Ailor/Coy Jones 4 fish BF 3.77 9.76
21. Chris Ludwig/Kevin McCord 4 fish 9.50
22. Chad Hall/Chris Hollis 4 fish 9.48
23. Clay Barclay/Tim Evans 3 fish 9.26
24. Shawn Pierce/Andy Gieynolds 3 fish 9.21
25. Stanley Morris/David Grey 4 fish 9.09
2011 Snag Proof Open Lake Guntersville Champions Wesley Allen And Ted Carlton Win $8500!
7th Annual Snag Proof Open Champs Wesley Allen (pictured) and Ted Carlton pull in 5 fish for 17.37 with a 6.27 Lb Big Fish!! That netted them a whopping $8500 and a win over 130 other great teams!!
Consistent Fishing Puts Team Way Out Front For Final Tom's Marine Tournament Saturday On Douglas Lake
The final regular season tournament in the Tom's Marine Tournament Trail for 2011 will be held Saturday on Douglas Lake with the points race seemingly settled with Gary Pilkenton and Denny Turner on top.
“After the last tournament the points standings were pretty much spread out,” said tournament director Richard McMaster. “Gary and Denny came out of that tournament with a 40-point lead so the title is now theirs to lose. Anything is possible, of course, but they probably won't lose.”
Through the first seven tournaments Pilkenton and Turner amassed 2015 points through very consistent fishing with six top 10s, including one win March 26 on Lake Cherokee. Their only finish outside the top 10 was 11th place in the second tournament of the season April 16 on Douglas Lake.
Brian Holt and Guy Siler, who are in second place in the standings, had two wins for the year, with five top 15s, but they also finished 31st April 16 on Douglas Lake and 36th in the last tournament Sept. 6 on Lake Cherokee.
The final tournament Oct. 1 on Douglas Lake will wrap up the regular season with the annual Tom’s Marine Classic scheduled for Oct. 29-30, one day on Cherokee Lake and one day on Douglas Lake, said McMaster.
“There was a recent tournament on Douglas Lake and a lot of fish were caught,” McMaster said. “We are looking forward to cooler weather coming in this weekend. They are calling for the high to be around 65 degrees. I think the fishing will be better so I am looking forward to a lot of limits being weighed in.”
While a lot of anglers report catching some fish on topwater, McMaster said there are still fish out deep in their summer pattern.
“I was just recently catching fish in 20 to 25 feet of water over there,” he said.
However, the fish have moved out of the river channel and are staging closer in on the ledges where they can get to shallow water quickly.
“They are starting to relate to the flats. There is a topwater bite early in the mornings. It is not an all day bite. Carolina rigs, Zara Spooks, buzzbaits and jigs and crankbaits are working really good right now,” he said.
“I think it will be a good river tournament Saturday. I have heard a few guys are going to bring jet boats and fish for bass up in the shoals – and they probably have a good chance of winning it.”
He also announced that Duane Morris and Martha Miller at Tom's Marine will host a banquet at Cherokee Park for the anglers Friday night. While attendance is not required at least one member of every team is encouraged to attend and if they can't attend they are urged to sign up for the classic during the week at Toms Marine to reduce congestion at the ramp on the first morning of the tournament. Everyone signing up prior to the first day of the championship will be entered into a drawing for a new trolling motor. The drawing will be held at weigh in on day two of the tournament. Toms Marine will have boats on display at the banquet as well as the boats that will be given away in the championship.
McMaster said the series this year has been a very successful one.
“I want to thank everybody for a great year. The Tom's Team Trail averageed 140 boats for the year which is a great success considering the economy and gas prices.”
And he is looking for another great year in 2012, he added. The 2012 schedule is posted on the website, but the lakes have not been determined yet, he noted. The tentative schedule includes: March 10, March 31, April 28, May 19, June 16-17, Sept. 15, Oct. 6, with the championship Oct. 27-28.
McMaster also noted that the Tom's Marine Winter Trail is set to kick off in two weeks. The Tom's Marine Winter Trail schedule includes: Oct. 15, Cherokee; Nov. 5, Cherokee; Nov. 19, Douglas; Nov. 26, Cherokee; Dec. 10, Douglas; Dec. 17, Cherokee; Jan. 7, Cherokee; with the Championship Jan. 14 on Cherokee. The entry fee per tournament is $50 (includes lunker) with $5 for the championship. Contact Richard at 423-748-3240 for more information.
Tom's Marine Team Trail
Sat. Oct. 1, 2011
Douglas Lake
Shady Grove Access
Call Richard McMaster 423-748-3240
www.tomstrail.50webs.com/2011schedule.html
Unfamiliar Waters No Problem For Top 10 Angler In Flw Everstart Series Northern Division
Lake Champlain was the only lake on the FLW EverStart Series Northern Division schedule that Lon Fleming had ever fished before, but with the weather has hot as it was in South Carolina this summer you really can't blame him for fishing the northern series where temperatures were somewhat milder.
“I had fished Lake Champlain about six times before and I love the lake because it is so much fun to fish. I did pretty good in the tournament,” said the Piedmont, S.C., angler who finished 20th with two five-fish limits that weighed over 30 pounds and won $1,249.
“I went to Lake Champlain because it was a great time to go up north. South Carolina was hot as blue blazes and Champlain is just a great place to go fish,” Fleming said. “I went up there with the full intention of only fishing Lake Champlain, but my buddies said I needed to fish these other tournaments (in the Northern Division) so that is what I am doing.”
And doing very well, too.
Following Lake Champlain in June, Fleming fished the EverStart on the Thousand islands at Clayton, N.Y., in late July, finishing 26th with two five-fish limits at 30 pounds, 12 ounces, and winning $1,013. From there he moved on to Lake Erie out of Buffalo, N.Y., in August where he finished 53rd with two more five-fish limits that weighed 27 pounds, 11 ounces.
“I had never fish Thousand Islands before, but I kind of figured something out there,” Fleming said. “Then I went to Lake Erie, and I had never been there before either. I only had a day and a half of practice there, but I did manage a limit of fish every day. I just kind of hung in at Lake Erie.”
Fleming came to the Potomac River this week, another fishery he had never been on, ranked 10th in points in the Northern Division, with a real shot at claiming the the points title – until nature got in the way.
“I've been practice fishing on the Potomac this week and, listening to guys who have fished it many times before, fishing is not anywhere as good as it used to be,” he said. “A lot of the grass beds that were here six or eight weeks ago have gone away. Hurricane Irene in August apparently did a lot of damage to the grass and it also spread the fish out a lot more than before. In addition the recent rains from tropical storms have muddied up the river pretty good so it is not as clear as it was before.”
While he is finding bass, so far Fleming said they are not the quality he needs to win with.
“There are some fish being caught but finding the right sized fish is going to be the key to the tournament. There are a lot of small fish being caught,” he said. “I am sure some people have got some fish in the 3- to 4-pound range, though.”
Unless he can find some fish of that quality, Fleming said he doubts he will be able to move to the top of the points this week.
“I am 50 points behind the leader and I don't think I am on fish that good. The fish may move in and there may be bigger ones that I thought,” he said. “So, I am thinking if I can finish the tournament in the top 10 in points it will be great.”
And any catch at all will put him in the EverStart Series Championship that will be held on Kentucky Lake in Buchanan, Tenn., Oct. 27-30. The top 40 pros and top 40 co-anglers from the Central, Northern, Southeast, Texas and Western divisions qualify for the series championship.
“I think if I can catch one fish on the Potomac I am in the championship,” Fleming said. “I have not fished that lake over there in Tennessee, either. This is all brand new. Going to new water every time for a tournament makes it a little more difficult.”
FLW EverStart Series – Northern Division
Sep. 29-Oct. 1, 2011
Potomac River
Smallwood State Park
Progressive Bass Weekend Wrapup 2011 - Week 12
Join us for all the Highlights from 2011, including The Best of The Progressive Bass Weekend Wrapup Show!
Piedmont Bass Classics Results - Falls Lake - September 25, 2011
David Hall and Dane Sallinger won with 22.70 lbs
The $5,000 Fall Trail qualifier #3 at Falls Lake was by far the biggest surprise for the year! Falls has been a little off this year as far as bag weights go and Sunday was no exception. But! There were 2 bass caught over 8 pounds and another over 7! That was the surprise! 15 boats showed up to qualify for the Championship scheduled for November 6th at Shearon Harris. The weather this Sunday was pretty good with just a sprinkle here and there with partly cloudy skies and light humidity. 51 bass were weighed in for a total of 132 pounds. Water temps averaged 74 and air temps ranged from 69 to 84 with winds ranging from light to 10 mph in the afternoon. Big fish for the day was 8.22 pounds caught by the winning team of David Hall & Dane Sallinger. The bass are now moving to more shallow water with the temps dropping! The bass at Falls also looked to be in a very healthy condition.
Hall & Sallinger won with 5 bass weighing 22.70 lbs! They used mostly jigs to make up their creel. Their catch included 2 bass weighing 8.22 & 7.32 that were caught back to back! Those two fish made up over half of their bag weight! Fall fishing is now getting hot and all the area lakes should be producing some nice fish. Most of the bass caught were in 2 to 8 feet of water off rocky points & stump flats.
The $5,000 Fall Trail qualifier #4 will be Sunday, October 2nd at Shearon Harris Lake out of Holleman's Crossing Wildlife Ramp. Teams must fish 4 of the 7 qualifiers to fish the Championship on November 6th, and there are only 4 qualifiers left! So don't miss out on this great Fall fishing. The projected 1st place in the Championship should be well over $2,000 !!!
All the information on the Fall Trail can be seen on our website: www.piedmontbassclassics.com/2011FallTrailMainPage.html
Now here are the September 25th results:
1st Place..David Hall & Dane Sallinger of Raleigh & Wake Forest...5 bass...22.70 lbs...$600
2nd Place..Bobby Matthews & David Overcash of Durham...5 bass...18.77 lbs...$360
3rd Place..Mark Herndon & Jay Garrard of Bahama & Durham...5 bass...14.91 lbs...$240
1st Place Big Fish..1st Place Team above...8.22 lbs...$210
2nd Place Big Fish..2nd Place Team above...8.11 lbs...$90
1st Place TWT..3rd Place Team above...14.91 lbs...$140
2nd Place TWT..David Bullock & Jimmy Henderson of Durham & Wake Forest...14.78 lbs...$60
Listed below are the rest of the Fall Trail Dates......
Fall Trail Tournament Dates
Qualifier #4 ~~ October 2nd ~~ Shearon Harris Lake
Qualifier #5 ~~ October 16th ~~ Shearon Harris Lake
Qualifier #6 ~~ October 23rd ~~ Jordan Lake
Qualifier #7 ~~ October 30th ~~ Shearon Harris Lake
CHAMPIONSHIP ~~ November 6th ~~Shearon Harris Lake
Come join us for some great fall fishin'!
Here is the contact information for all our tournaments:
Phil McCarson~Tournament Director
919-471-1571.......919-971-5042
www.piedmontbassclassics.com
or email at.... [email protected]
Accent Marine Team Trail Results - Sept. 25, 2011 - Kissimmee Chain
Levi Brown with the Big Fish of the tournament, 8.35 lbs!
Accent Marine held their final qualifying tournament on Sunday, September 25, 2011. The tournament was held at Camp Mack on the Kissimmee Chain. Eighteen teams weighed with seventeen teams having a limit. One hundred seven fish weighed in with a weight of 345.45 lbs. Fifty-eight teams qualified for the classic.Accent Marine Tournament Results - September 25, 2011
1st Place Roger Brown & Levi Brown 27.25 lbs $590.00
2nd Place Al Ridgeway & Kevin Copple 26.20 lbs $492.00
3rd Place Ted Meyer & Doyle Williamson 22.55 lbs $393.00
4th Place Bobby Wooten & Billy Farmer 22.35 lbs $294.00
5th Place Clay Garrett & Jeff Baker 21.40 lbs 196.00
Big Bass Roger Brown & Levi Brown 8.35 lbs $500.00
The Classic date is October 30, 2011; if you are not sure you qualified, call 813-620-1042 or 813-620-1309.
Randy Mosley with the 6.95 lb bass they caught
2011 Ac Choice Marine Tt Championship Wrap Up With Director Chris Lucas!
Angler Choice Marine TT Tournament Director Chris Lucas wraps up their best season to date with some info on 2012 as well as what an incredibly competitive championship they had this weekend on Smith Mtn Lake!
2011 Ac Marine Tt Championship Top 3 Teams!
Here are your Top 3 Teams after the 2 day Anglers Choice Marine TT Championship on Smith Mtn Lake--CONGRATS TO ALL!!
2011 Ac Marine Tt Championship Bf Winners-$6000 Worth!!
When you pay out over $6000 for BF winners on Sat and Sun at the AC Marine TT Championship, we felt like that was more than worthy of a good video, so here you go!
Gearing Up For Erie’s Monster Smallies
(By Dave Wolak) Talk about exciting. I’d been pumped about fishing the Bassmaster BPS Northern Bass Open on Lake Erie for some time. Now, after a couple days of prefishing, I’m more excited than ever.
This is one big, crazy ocean. The boat traffic out of Sandusky is always heavy. It’s a populated area, so you’re constantly dodging charters and other boats of all sizes. I’ve never been more thankful for my Ranger Z521; it handles big water extremely well, and with the Yamaha VMAX SHO 250 behind, gets me out of the hole and on top of the waves quickly.
The best part: when you’re able to find a good spot to yourself, it’s game on! Erie is loaded with bruiser smallmouths, and they can be caught deep or shallow. I’ve got plans for both.
For deep, clear water like this, nothing beats a drop shot rig. This is finesse fishing all the way, but because of the rough water, it really puts the focus on your gear.
Light line and sensitivity are the two biggest factors, so I’m using spinning gear—but my setup is different than most anglers use. I’ve chosen a 7’2” medium action Pinnacle Perfecta DHC5 rod, which is primarily a shaky-head rod, but I’ve found it’s perfect for heavy-duty drop shot applications like this. I really like the extra-fast tip, and it has a good deal more backbone than most other drop shot rods. It takes a lot to get a good hookset down deep, and the last thing I need is to have a 5 or 6 pound fish come unglued with the tournament on the line.
I’ve paired this rod with a Pinnacle Performa XT PEF40 reel. Most anglers tend to use too small a reel for this kind of fishing. The 40 size balances well and has a larger spool diameter so you get excellent line flow, plus a super-sensitive drag. I also like the ridged soft handle pad; it ensures a firm grip even on a Lake Erie roller coaster ride.
Yes, little things matter in tough water, especially when using small-diameter line. I’m spooled with low-stretch, 7 lb. test Sunline Sniper FC fluorocarbon for maximum feel and to avoid spooking fish.
My shallow water approach can be an awesome way to score a big kicker or two. It’s an overlooked pattern on Erie, and I’m hoping it’ll pay off at the right time. Basically, I’m burning a big-bladed ¾ or 1 oz. spinnerbait just under the surface over shallow rocks.
This technique isn’t for the faint of heart; big smallies just crush that blade. You need a rod that’s powerful enough to heave large lures a long way, but limber enough to absorb arm-breaking strikes and handle multiple jumps and dives at distance. The 7’6” medium-heavy Pinnacle Perfecta DHC5 casting rod is ideal, as it falls somewhere between a spinnerbait rod and a flipping stick and has the best qualities of both. With a Pinnacle Optimus XLT high-speed reel strapped on, it’s one tough, versatile setup.
I’ll keep the actual baits I’m using to myself for now. But with a couple of days under my belt, I’m starting to get a feel for my tournament strategy. It’ll be tough, but at least I know my gear is up to the task!
More Late Summer Fun with Bernie Schultz - Buzzbait Bass!!!
Bassmaster Elite Series pro Bernie Schultz calls bass through nasty, thick, topped-out grass with a buzzbait. Check out these close-up blow ups! And use these tips next time you want to take bass topside.
Late Summer Flippin' with Bernie Schultz - check out these HAWGS!
Don't miss this!!! Bassmaster Elite Series pro Bernie Schultz shows us how to catch GIANT bass from late summer grass beds!
Piedmont Bass Classics Results - Jordan Lake - September 18, 2011
The $5,000 Fall Trail qualifier #2 at Jordan Lake showed the Fall Trail had more interest with 14 boats showing up to qualify for the Championship scheduled for November 6th at Shearon Harris. The weather this Sunday went from a typical Fall morning with light mist to a beautiful sunny afternoon. 38 bass were weighed in for a total of 118 pounds. Water temps averaged 70 and air temps ranged from 59 to 71 with winds ranging from light to 10 mph in the afternoon. Big fish for the day was 6.67 pounds caught by the team of Scott Gatton & Chad Miller. The bass are now moving to more shallow water with the temps dropping! The bass at Jordan looked to be in a very healthy condition.
Doug Stallings & Mike Riggs won with 5 bass weighing 20.92 lbs! They used mostly jerk baits & spinnerbaits to make up their creel. Most fish were caught on spinnerbaits in 6 to 2 feet of water off rocky bottom points. Fall fishing is now getting hot and all the area lakes should be producing some nice fish.
The $5,000 Fall Trail qualifier #3 will be Sunday, September 25th at Falls Lake out of Ledge Rock Wildlife Ramp. Teams must fish 4 of the 7 qualifiers to fish the Championship on November 6th. All the information on the Fall Trail can be seen on our website: www.piedmontbassclassics.com/2011FallTrailMainPage.html
Now here are the September 18th results:
1st Place..Doug Stallings & Mike Riggs of Stem & Timberlake...5 bass...20.92 lbs...$560
2nd Place..Mark Herndon & Jay Garrard of Bahama & Durham...5 bass...18.27 lbs...$390
3rd Place..Chad Craven of Raleigh...5 bass...15.18 lbs...$170
1st Place Big Fish..Scott Gatton & Chad Miller of Cary...6.67 lbs...$196
2nd Place Big Fish..1st Place Team above...5.25 lbs...$84
1st Place TWT..1st Place Team above...20.92 lbs...$210
2nd Place TWT..2nd Place Team above...18.27 lbs...$90
Listed below are the rest of the Fall Trail Dates......
Fall Trail Tournament Dates
Qualifier #3 ~~ September 25th ~~ Falls Lake
Qualifier #4 ~~ October 2nd ~~ Shearon Harris Lake
Qualifier #5 ~~ October 16th ~~ Shearon Harris Lake
Qualifier #6 ~~ October 23rd ~~ Jordan Lake
Qualifier #7 ~~ October 30th ~~ Shearon Harris Lake
CHAMPIONSHIP ~~ November 6th ~~Shearon Harris Lake
Come join us for some great fall fishin'!
Contacts for all our Tournament Information:
Phil McCarson~Tournament Director
919-471-1571.......919-971-5042
www.piedmontbassclassics.com
or email at.... [email protected]
Scott Gatton and Chad Miller caught the Big Fish at 6.67 lbs
Greene Boat And Motor Tt Championship Update With Catt Director Brett Collins
Greene Boat and Motor TT and CATT Director Brett Collins gets us prepped for what should be a fantastic 2 day Championship on Lake Norman as well as a Fall CATT update with 5 divisions up and running already!!
Freeze Hoping Shallow Water Produces In Nc Bfl 2-Day Tournament On High Rock Lake
Maurice Freeze is banking this weekend on the anglers' rule of thumb about bass fishing on High Rock Lake. That rule basically says that you can always catch bass shallow on High Rock – anytime of the year.
“I am hopeful that it will be a shallow water deal,” Freeze said of the WalMart BFL North Carolina Division 2-day tournament. “But,” he added, “I heard David Wright won a wildcat up there with 21 pounds and I know he is not fishing shallow.”
But the Concord, N.C., angler can't let that bother him. He will fish his strength and he is known for his prowess fishing shallow water year-round.
“Generally in September the fish are headed toward the banks and that is where I am going to be looking,” he said. “I'll look for some on topwater, then the spinnerbait and then I'll be looking with a jig and a worm. That is the way I am going to fish.”
Freeze noted that the lake was about 4 feet low before the recent tropical storm rolled through and dumped a lot of rain on the region, bringing the water level up.
“It's about 2 feet low now which I think is good. Once the water gets done rising and turns around and goes the other way, that is when the fishing will get better,” he said.
Although he is third in the points, Freeze believes he would have to have a super tournament while the anglers above him stumble to earn his fourth North Carolina Division points title this year.
“I did not do very good the first of the year. Usually by now I am on top in the points, but I'm in third place right now. David Williams is leading the points and he is a really good fall fisherman so I suspect he is going to win the points title.”
Freeze sits 56 points behind Williams of Maiden, N.C., and Keith Kirby of Gaffney, S.C., is in second place, just 10 points ahead of Freeze.
“I doubt I can make that up,” he said. “If David were not a really good fall fisherman I'd say there might be a chance. But I know him very well and he is going to catch them this weekend. I won the points the last two years and I'll just tell him I am giving him a shot at it this weekend.”
Freeze was the North Carolina BFL points champion in 2006, 2009 and 2010. He was also the South Carolina BFL points champion in 2001, 2006 and 2007.
He finished fifth in the S.C. Division two-day tournament on Lake Hartwell last weekend, winning $986 plus the $1,000 Evinrude bonus, and qualifying to fish the regional championship on Smith Mountain Lake October 13-15.
Wal-Mart BFL North Carolina Division – 2-Day
Sep. 17-18, 2011
High Rock Lake
Tamarac Marina
Sportsman's Warehouse Early Fall Report with Fishing Mgr Justin Kijak Part 2
Part 2 of our Sportsman's Warehouse report with Justin Kijak as we get into some of the BIG Tournaments headed our way in October plus more products now available online at www.sportsmanswarehouse.com !!
Sportsman's Warehouse Early Fall Report with Fishing Mgr Justin Kijak Part 1
Part 1 of our early Fall report Sportsman's Warehouse Fishing Mgr Justin Kijak showcases some great early fall baits as these temps begin to drop region-wide. Don't forget you can order all of these great products online at www.sportsmanswarehouse.com!!
Weather, High Water To Be Major Factors In Flw Open On Lake Champlain
There is one thing that can be said about tournament fishing in 2011: The weather has played a major role all year long – from bitter cold to blazing hot, low water to flooding – with normal patterns pretty much thrown out the window.
Anglers have been left to their own resources to find ways to deal with the extremes created by unusual weather patterns this year – and the upcoming FLW Tour Open on Lake Champlain will be no different.
“I think this tournament on Lake Champlain is going to be different than in past years,” said Brian Travis of Conover, N.C., who is ranked 24th in points in the Open Series. “In the last three years that we have been there this is the latest we have been. And I am a little concerned about the water level. This year they had the biggest flood ever up there in May and with Hurricane Irene going up through that area it is a little over two feet high.”
With the flooding pushing the water level up on the banks, Travis said he believes largemouths will play a larger role than normal in the tournament. Typically the smallmouth bite prevails on the northern end of the lake while largemouths are more prevalent on the southern end.
“It's going to be hard for me to stay away from down south. Usually this time of year when there is a grass mat out there is a shallow water bite down there. But with the water being so high I don't know how that is going to come into play,” Travis said.
Travis said he plans to divide his three practice days into two searching for smallmouth and one concentrating on largemouths.
“I'll probably smallmouth fish two days and then go down south and fish for largemouths one day, and then base my game plan on that.”
But, he noted, running south can be very risky if the weather plays a role next week.
“It's an hour and 15-minute run on flat water, but it's two hours at least if the wind gets up,” he said, “but it can be worth it because there are some big bags to be caught down there.”
Actually, he said, both strategies can be extremely productive on Lake Champlain.
“The northern end of the lake can be really good, too. That is the thing about Lake Champlain – it is loaded with fish and there can be some big bags caught.”
That high water is intriguing, he said, both for largemouths and smallmouths.
“They should be shallow. With the high water you would think they would be up on the banks a little bit,” he said. “We'll see. I flipped smallies at Table Rock and Pickwick, so maybe I can flip smallies at Champlain. I caught smallmouth in less that two feet of water at both those lakes, so maybe it will be the same as it was at Table Rock.”
Travis said he caught 3- to 4-pound smallmouth bass flipping bushes at Table Rock and he caught them flipping docks at Pickwick.
“It has been a kind of weird year,” he noted.
His goal next week, he said, is to move up to the top five in points and qualify for the Forrest Wood Cup next year.
“It will be back on Lake Lanier and I like fishing down there,” he said.
But for now he is concentrating on Lake Champlain.
“At Lake Champlain every year it comes down to just a matter of ounces whether you cut a check or not because there are so many 3- to 3 1/2-pound fish in the lake. You have to find those fish that are just a little bit bigger and sometimes that is hard to do.”
Travis said he has had a really good year fishing the Open Series this year and his relationship with Frog Tape, hie primary sponsor, had also been very good.
“It's still selling like crazy,. I am in the middle of a major remodel at my house and I am really putting it to work,” he said. “Frog Tape also did a fishing trip promotion with ACE Hardware and I took those guys who won out last week at Lake Norman. We had a blast and caught a bunch of fish – and John Byrne videotaped it for AnglersChannel.com.”
FLW Tour Open
Sept. 15-18, 2011
Lake Champlain
Plattsburgh Boat Basin
Countdown to Blastoff 2011 Week 29 with AC Pro Staffer Rob Digh!
AC Pro staffer and insider Rob Digh joins us on Lake Norman for week 29 of Countdown to Blastoff as we discuss some of the divisional tournaments coming up this weekend including the BFL on Hartwell and Tom's Marine TT Event # 7 on Cherokee Lake in TN-
Labor Day Weekend Sportsman's Warehouse Report with FLW and AC Pro Dearal Rodgers!
FLW and AC Pro Dearal Rodgers gets us ready for Labor Day and some fall fishing in the South, as wells as some great hunting updates all from the SPORTSMAN'S WAREHOUSE in Columbia, SC! Don't forget you can shop for all these products online at www.sportsmanswarehouse.com !
A Conversation With Bassmaster Open Pro Michael Murphy
Were you expecting to do well when you saw this event on the schedule?
I have done well on Lake Erie in the past. Only fishing there twice before, I had a top 20 finish the first time, and the last time I fished Erie I caught 18-pounds the first day and then blanked the second day, mostly due to a huge weather change. Even in the events held out of Detroit I’d run out to the big water (Lake Erie) to catch them. Which is one reason I was excited for this event, it was held out of Sandusky. That meant the run to my favorite area would be much shorter. From Sandusky the run is only thirty to forty-five minutes, from Detroit, the run is typically about an hour, but with bad weather has taken me as long as three hours each way. I knew the extra time with my line wet would help me out quite a bit. I’d get at least an extra hour and a half or two hours of fishing each day.
So much of a tournament is won and lost during pre-fishing. Did you find them during pre-fish or during the tournament?
I went in with my mind open about what to expect. We are getting into the fall and this is the time of year where the fish really begin to move around. If you look at the Everstart finishes from the week before out of Buffalo. What I thought was interesting is guys were catching the fish deep, but there were some guys who caught them shallow. Which to me was like a light bulb going off. It meant the fish were started to move in. Plus given the year with the weather patterns, a lot of fish just stayed shallow this year. I am not sure if it was the rain or the nutrient run off or what, but a good portion of fish seemed to stay shallow all year.
When I drove up I drove up to Eastern Ohio and started there. I started near where Jonathon VanDam won the event two years ago. Overall, it was really a sub-par day to say the least. I caught a couple decent fish, a four-pounder and a three-pounder, but overall I didn’t catch a lot of fish. I did a lot of graphing and I pride myself in getting really good with the Humminbird side finder graph. I graphed everything from 10-foot to 40 and 50-foot and I didn’t see anything that looked good.
The next day I travelled a little further west in Ohio and tested the waters around there. Again, I didn’t find anything real stellar.
I should say that I went up early to pre-fish. I wanted to do real well and finish up the year strong so I gave myself plenty of time. Erie is a big lake to say the least so I gave myself plenty of time to figure it out.
On the third day, I finally found my way to Sandusky and launched there. I ran out to my favorite area, called Pelee Island. I didn’t catch much other than Walleye and Drum. To make matters worse there was a bad algae bloom. It was the blue green algae which is photosynthetic, cyanobacteria which can really make you sick. It was nasty, and everywhere.
So I was looking at the forecast for the next few days and it looked like there was going to be a lot of wind. I kind of backed up and punted, I spent the next two days just going largemouth fishing and looking. I was taking everything with a grain of salt. I was just sitting back and taking it in as we got a little closer to the tournament. I figured out how to catch about 13-pounds of largemouth, which isn’t too great, but it felt nice catching fish. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever caught so many fish in one day. It really brought the fun factor back into it. On one day, I caught at least 70 bass, it was just nuts.
On the Tuesday before the tournament, I went back to Pelee Island and this time the wind had blown most of the algae out. My goal was to try and find a more accurate depth and I revisited a lot of the places that I fished in years past.
I was using the graph and again I wasn’t seeing a lot of fish. When I did see fish, it was just one or two paired up and that’s it. I had a real suspicion the fish were spread out and on the bottom.
I started fishing closer to the bottom. I switched to a crankbait and I started catching fish. Most of them were smaller, one to two pounds, but I was catching fish. Then I started catching a few fish on the drop shot. The one thing these two techniques had in common was I was catching them in the 12-15 foot range. I did check a couple deeper places, down to 30 to 35 feet.
The thing about Erie is once you find them at a particular depth you can rely on that is where they are going to be. I switched to a big tube, which I hadn’t fished there for four or five years, then I thought to myself maybe they want a snack and not a full meal. I switched to a smaller Reins Legend tube on a Sean Hoernke, Horn Toad Tackle 1/8- ounce. I caught a 4 pounder, then a couple three and a half pounders and I was thinking “OK, I am done.”
I moved about 200 yards away and caught another three and a half pounder. I started really looking at the tube hard, I could catch a few on the crankbait, but the tube was the bait catching the better fish. No joke, I was catching them with the Denali Rods Noirwood, 7-foot medium spinning rod. That rod is so balanced and so light that, I know it sounds cheesy, but I could tell the difference between a Drum, a Goby and a Smallmouth. A Drum would hit it with one hard thud. The Gobies would hit it, almost like bluegill, repeated little thumps, and a Smallmouth with two sharp thumps, similar to that of a Goby, but with not as many thumps. When I felt that Smallmouth bite I’d just open up my spool count to two and set the hook on a nice one.
A lot of guys fishing around me were nailing the Drum, catching one after another. I was catching four-pound Smallmouth. By the end of the tournament they were asking me how are you doing that. By knowing the difference in the bite I was able to not set the hook on a Drum. A Drum would smash the tube and I’d just let it sit there. Then I’d move it forward just a few feet and then I’d get the smallmouth bite. It’s like the Drum were sitting out deeper and I had to get my bait through them before I could get it to the Smallmouth. I’d almost always get a Drum bite before I’d get a Smallmouth bite. Had I not been able to tell the difference I would have caught a ton of Drum and never got the bait to the Smallmouth. I literally used the Denali Noirwood rod to decode the bites.
Give us a quick rundown of the tournament days. How did it all unfold?
On the first day of the tournament I wouldn’t say it was what I expected, but I caught 19-pounds, 10-ounces and I weighed in 3 black smallmouth and 2 green smallmouth. I’ll tell you what I mean by that here in a minute.
The second day I had a lot pressure around me. Some guys moved into the area knowing that several of the leaders were around there. On the second day, the water wasn’t near as rough making it a lot easier to get there as well. I am the type of guy where I don’t care how rough it is even if it takes me an extra two hours to get there, I am going to take my time and get there. A lot of guys won’t run in the big water like that. I’ve got my Ranger/Evinrude boat rigged to handle the big water. There is an All-Star service team on-site and I have great sponsors that will get it done and fix it for me if they need to. So I don’t worry about it, I just go.
I ended up day two with one black Smallmouth and four green Smallmouth.
On the final day, Nate Wellman was a few hundred yards away, Kurt Dove was a couple hundred yards away and one other guy was close by. These guys were great to fish around and we gave each other plenty of room. We had about 8-10 less boats around us that last day. I weighed in every fish I caught was a green Smallmouth.
What I mean by green Smallmouth is, once smallmouth get shallow they darken up. So when I started I was catching fish that had been there for a while. The green ones were fish that were moving into the spot. Most of the fish on day two and all of the fish on day three were fresh fish. Having a spot that replenished itself each day was the key.
The bite did slow down, but I was catching good quality fish. It was obvious that it was the perfect place and the tournament was won there. The event winner, Nate Wellman was within a few hundred yards and I finished third.
I picked that reef to practice in the first place because I knew that would be the first place the fish would move up to. It was a twelve-foot deep reef, way out in the middle of nowhere.
The fish were a little more active in the low light condition, and seemed to be up on the flats a little more. So each morning I would catch a few with the IMA Beast Hunter crankbait and on a dropshot with the Tabu Tackle Whipped Tail worm in watermelon or black. I guess they probably thought it was a leech, whatever it was they liked it. The crankbait was Fred’s perch color, which I think looked like a Goby to the fish.
It seemed like the bigger fish didn’t really get positioned on the hard edge until the sun was up for a few hours. About 10:30 or when I had my limit, which was about 16 pounds each day, I’d pick up the Reins tube and start catching the bigger fish.
On the final day, I caught 20-pounds relatively early and was culling up ounces all day. I was culling out a 4.2 with a 4.4 and I really had no idea what I had. When I finally weighed in and the scales read over 22-pounds I was tickled.
Tell us a little more about the spot.
Pelee Island is about 15-miles long and four or five miles wide. You can see it on satellite imaging. It’s a huge island. I was fishing shoals around the islands. They are just random areas of glaciation deposits that have been kept clean by the natural current coming around the tip of the island. The bottom floor of the lake is very clean, you can see on your side scan in some places where the glacier has pushed one bolder like 50-yards and cut a groove in the lake floor. There will be a groove two-foot wide by a foot deep and at the end of the groove will be a giant boulder.
I was finding small areas of rock, rock that was anywhere from a foot to two-feet wide and in small piles. I was drifting through my areas, and there were definitely key areas in that drift. It got to the point where I knew I was going to get bit in a certain area. I’d tell my co-angler, “OK get ready, here you go. The next ten-seconds you are going to get bit.” If you hadn’t been there in a little while, it was 100% you were going to get bit.
What equipment did you use for each of the techniques?
I used the Denali Noirwood 7-foot medium action spinning rod for the Reins tube. I used eight-pound fluorocarbon with that set up. For the Ima Crankbait I used a Denali Rosewood 7’6” cranking rod with 10-pound test fluorocarbon. I also fished the dropshot on a Denali Noirwood 7-foot medium action spinning rod and eight-pound fluorocarbon and a Reins Tungsten weight.
I can’t tell you enough how important that rod was with the tube. That rod is sweet and being able to tell the bites like I was, made all the difference in the world. My average fish was over four-pounds. Those are some tank Smallmouths and having the right rod with that light line was extremely important.
So what’s next for you?
I am heading for the final BASS Northern on Lake Oneida later in the fall. I set out to fish the BASS opens because it opens the doors to a lot of new media outlets my sponsors and myself. FLW has some unique media opportunities, as does BASS, so I wanted to be diverse this year to increase my promotional reach. Now I find myself sitting in eighth place for Angler of the Year and the top five qualify for the Bassmaster Elite Series. I am not sure what I will do if I make it, but it’ll be nice to have options. I’ll discuss it with my sponsors and my family and make a decision. When it comes down to it, I have to go the direction that makes best economic sense.
I appreciate everything FLW has done for me up until this point. However, I am not going to lie, this year has been a struggle. When you are part of the cut backs and it has nothing to do with your promotion or fishing ability, it puts it on you to do what you have to do to stay out there. If you don’t make wise decisions the dream might be over. You might not be able to make it much longer.
There is no telling what is going to happen. I need to start by going to Oneida and taking care of that business. After that, I’ll get together with my team of sponsors, and my family and figure out what is the best business decision for all of us. If I were to make it to the Elite Series and make the switch, it would be a business decision.
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