CATT Wateree Mar 26 Lots of bass!
We had another solid field at Lake Wateree this past Saturday with 47 teams shrugging off the forecast of rain and when we got done with the weigh in it was no doubt why they were there. The bass are absolutely eating everything in sight! 14 lbs barely got you in the top 20 and over 17 lbs took the last money paying place. With the Wateree Final coming up next week it should be another weekend of good bags of bass brought in.
This coming Friday we will meet at the Vengeance Tackle store location at 2619 Liberty Hill Rd Hwy 97 in Camden. We will cook hot dogs and burgers starting up at 5:30 pm. We should be done by 7:30 to give everyone plenty of time to get back home and get ready for the Final the next day. One member of your team must be there to take part in the Calcutta. Email me or call to get more details. This is not a mandatory meeting.
Greg Sigmon and Tracy Pope were the only team to break 20 lbs so it was easy to know who had won by the time we wrapped up the weigh in. They weighed in 5 healthy bass at 21.58 lbs taking 1st place and they also weighed in a 5.97 lb bass taking 2nd place Big Fish. As it almost always seems to be the case the winners are in the BONUS $ and Greg and Tracy added another $580.00 to their total winnings. With everything totaled up they took home $1,721.00!
Ron Catoe fishing solo took 2nd place with 5 bass weighing 19.15 lbs and he took home $500.00.
David Ethridge and Mike Catoe took 3rd with a limit weighing 18.99 lbs and received $350.00 pushing their total CATT winnings over $11,000.00!
Scott Floyd and Bob Weaver brought in another heavy bag weighing 18.84 lbs and finished in 4th and they collected $260.00.
Ken McFarland and Darryl Watson came in 5th with a limit weighing 18.43 lbs and received $165.00.
6th – Chad Gainey & Cleve Yarborough 18.24 lbs $130.00
7th – Barry Holloman & Joey Bramlett 17.62 lbs $120.00
8th – Sam Dowey and Tommy Moak 17.32 lbs $115.00
Sam and Tommy win the points and will fish the Final free of charge and take #1 blast off position.
9th – Larry Hastings – Jack Gilmore 17.21 lbs $90.00
1st place Big Fish went to Mark & William Richardson with a fat 6.47 lb hawg and they received $329.00.
Next up at Wateree is the Spring Final with 85 teams eligible to enter. If at least 60 teams enter the Final payback will top $10,000.00!
Brett Collins
CATT LLC
Youngblood's 8-pounder Wins KVD Big Bass Classic on Table Rock
Branson, MO., March 28, 2011 -- The second stop of the 2011 Oakley Big Bass Tour was held on Table Rock Lake this past weekend as Bass Pro Shops and Big Cedar Lodge played host for the 2nd annual Kevin VanDam Big Bass Classic. The tough weather condition trend carried over to Table Rock as strong storms ushered in the event weekend. Despite the weather, anglers were not deterred and a record number of big fish were brought to the scales on day one. “We had a record number of anglers competing this year and they definitely battled the elements on both days,” said Louis Wellen of Oakley Sports Marketing. “The quality of the fish weighed on Saturday was very impressive given the conditions,” added Wellen. Saturday’s competition ended with Wayne Youngblood in the lead with an 8.70-pound bass he brought to the scales in the 10:00 a.m. -11:00 a.m. hour.
Despite an improvement in the weather conditions, the fishing on Sunday proved to be more difficult and Youngblood’s lead wasn’t challenged, as none of the day’s fish broke the 8 pound mark. Wayne’s big bass earned him 2011 bragging rights along with a Nitro Z9 powered by a250hp Mercury Pro XS and a Power Pole. The grand prize, coupled with the additional hourly checks earned by Wayne, brought his two day total cash and prize payout to just over $46,000.
“We would like to thank Kevin as well as Bass Pro Shops and Big Cedar Lodge for their first class hospitality. This was an outstanding event,” Wellen added. The next stop on the 2011 Oakley Big Bass Tour schedule is Jamie McMurray’s Carolina Big Bass Classic on Lake Norman, April 30th & May 1st. For more information regarding upcoming events please visit www.oakleybigbass.com.
Wayne Youngblood wins the KVD Big Bass Classic
About the Oakley Big Bass Tour:
The Oakley Big Bass Tour is a premier big bass tournament series open to all amateur anglers. The tour provides anglers of all skill levels with an exciting tournament format and event experience on some of the nations best bass fisheries. Since it was established in 2007 the tour has focused upon the promotion of bass fishing and bass conservation at the grass roots level. The 2011 Oakley Big Bass Tour features the following six tournaments: Lake Conroe Big Bass Classic, Kevin VanDam Big Bass Classic, Jamie McMurray's Carolina Big Bass Classic, Blue Ridge Big Bass Classic, Kelly Jordon Big Bass Classic and the Gerald Swindle Big Bass Classic. For more information regarding tour events please visit www.oakleybigbass.com or call (877) 958-TOUR (8687).
Piedmont Bass Classics Results - Jordan Lake - March 27, 2011
Most of the bass caught today were on jerk baits and Rat-L-Traps. 33 bass were weighed in totalling 118 pounds. All fish were released alive!
The next tournament will be at Falls Lake on Saturday, April 2nd out of Ledge Rock Wildlife ramp. This event is the 3rd in a series of 7 qualifying tournaments for the 'Piedmont Bass Classics $5,000 Bass Tournament Trail'. If you want to fish in the Championship, June 18th, and have not fished as of now, you must fish as a team in the next and final 5 qualifying events. I hope to see all of you on the 2nd!
Now here are the March 27th results:
1st Place..Tony Fofi & Dave Murdock of Fayetteville...5 bass...21.91 lbs...$625
2nd Place..Ryan & Paul Rigsbee of Apex...5 bass...21.04 lbs...$335
1st Place Big Fish..1st Place Team above...7.71 lbs...$168
2nd Place Big Fish..Alfio Romano & John Kane of Willow Springs & Garner...6.28 lbs...$72
1st Place TWT..1st Place Team above...21.91 lbs...$140
2nd Place TWT..Todd Gibson & George Lambeth of Thomasville...19.63 lbs...$60
For more information call Phil McCarson at 919-471-1571 or 919-971-5042 or visit the website: www.piedmontbassclassics.com
Thanks for fishing!
Phil
Lake Hartwell FLW Tour Major Re-Cap
I just made it home from the Lake Hartwell FLW Tour event and finished 53rd. I was 4 ozs away from $10,000 and that hurt a little bit. Overall, I can't complain. Again, I was on basically nothing in practice and had to figure it out as I went. On the third day of practice I caught a few fish that were suspended in the clear water. I could have probably had around 10lbs. I also marked some on beds and figured I could catch some of those if I had to. Well, on day one, the wind blew 30+ right into the areas I had marked. The water went from crystal clear to muddy and I had to completely abandon the area. I went back toward the landing and scratched out 9lbs, good for 102nd place. On day 2, after the reports of all the bed fishing, I decided to hunt for beds. I caught my first fish on the bed around 9:30. Around 10:00, I was casting a senko while I was looking for beds and caught a 3lber. On my very next cast, I caught a 4lber on the senko. I looked up and noticed that I caught those fish on a spawning bank in the little bit deeper water. About 11:30, I got to thinking, I wonder if the fish that I found in practice could be caught that way? Although the water had muddied up, I didn't need to see them to fish the senko. I ran the 10+ miles to them and caught 3 big ones before the end of the day. That decision resulted in over 14lbs, moved me from 102 to 53 and got me $4,000. Amazing how little decisions make a world of difference. Best thing is, I'm 41st in the standings. I'll take it for 2 tournaments where I could not fish my strengths at all. Two weeks of rest...I mean...work, then it's off to the next one! Ya'll take care, Dearal
Thank you, Anglerschannel.com, Buckeye Lures, Snag Proof, Evinrude E-Tec, Ranger Boats, Costa Del Mar, Marshall's Marine
www.dearalrodgers.com
Tracy Adams And Jason Quinn Comment On Day 3 Of The Bassmaster Open On Lake Norman
Tracy Adams and Jason Quinn comment on what they did on this final day and how impressed they were with Champion Fletcher Shryock's incredible bag and success on Lake Norman!
Fletcher Shyrock Seals The Bassmaster Open On Lake Norman With A 7-9 Kicker!!
Ohio Native Fletcher Shryock caps off an incredible week with back to back 17 plus LB bags and 49-9 over three days to win the second Southern Open of the 2011 season!!
2011 Bassmaster Open Day 2 Lake Norman Highlights Part Two
Just after coming off stage, we grab current 2nd place angler Tracy Adams to talk about his second solid afternoon with one more round to go!!
2011 Bassmaster Open Day 2 Lake Norman Highlights Part One
Fetha-Styx pro Andy Montgomery and Brandon Card join us after weighing in some of the better bags of Day 2 on Lake Norman
Hite Expects Lake Norman Fishing To Be As Good As It Gets For Bass Southern Open
Elite Series Pro and 1999 Bassmaster Classic Champion Davy Hite
Davy Hite, the 1999 Bassmaster Classic champion, got about 5-6 hours of practice on Lake Norman Monday afternoon for the Bassmaster Southern Open which begins Thursday and he liked what he found in that short time.
“With just a few hours on the water, it's hard to say how the tournament will go, but I think it will be a good tournament,” said the long-time pro from Ninety Six, S.C. “The water temperature is about 56 to 60 degrees, depending on where you are on the lake, so I think a lot of fish will be caught a lot of different ways this week.”
Hite has come to the first Southern Open focused on his main goal this year – to qualify for the 2012 Bassmaster Classic.
“As always,” he said, “you want to have a good start for the season. Having won a couple of Bassmaster Angler of the Year titles, that is something that is an ultimate goal every year, but I try to make it a realistic goal. With competition the way it is you can't have a single bad tournament and have a chance at Angler of the Year.”
His hopes to make a run for the AOY title this year in the Elite Series went down the drain last week in the second Elite tournament of the year when he finished well out of the money.
“Florida has never been good to me,” Hite said. “I had a decent finish on the Harris Chain of Lakes, 33rd. I'll take that finish any day of the week in Florida. Then last week on the St. Johns River I had a bad finish that eliminated my chances to have a shot at Angler of the Year.”
The goal now is to stay focused, he said, on making the Classic next year.
“Realizing I had a decent first tournament and the Classic is a goal I shoot for every year, I certainly plan to qualify for it this year. I just barely missed it this past year.”
There are two main ways for a pro angler to qualify for the Classic – through the Elite Series, based on points, and through the Opens, which is why Hite and many other anglers are fishing both series now.
Besides the opportunity to earn as much as $192, 500 by winning an Open tournament, the Pro Division winner of each Open tournament also gets a berth in the 2012 Bassmaster Classic.
With that goal in mind, Hite plans to pick a different section of the lake to scout on Tuesday and then he will spend the half-day of practice Wednesday zeroing in on his plan for fishing the tournament.
“I will probably try to target largemouths, but from what I've seen so far I don't know if you would be able to catch a limit of those. So, I probably will target a little bit of both to make sure I get five fish each day. It would be really good to get a quality largemouth to help with the weight.”
Hite said the bass are up in pre-spawn and likely will be shallow by tournament time.
“I think they will be caught on shallow crankbaits, jigs, Shakey Head Worms, all those sorts of things. But it all depends on the weather over the next few days as to how far along these fish will progress. We had some good 80-degree weather this past weekend, but things cooled off Saturday night and it's supposed to be fairly cool the next few days.”
If the water temperature holds and even edges up slightly, it could make for a really good tournament, Hite said.
“Lake Norman is not known for big stringers, but it should fish about as well as it can this week.”
Bassmaster Southern Open
March 24-26, 2011
Lake Norman
Blythe Landing
Thrift Still Running Full Speed For Flw Tournament On Lake Hartwell
2010 FLW Tour Angler of the Year Bryan Thrift
Coming off a win in the opening tournament of the FLW Tour this year on Beaver Lake, Bryan Thrift has no intentions of slowing down.
“Beaver Lake was exceptionally good,” said Thrift whose $125,000 prize money boosted his career winnings to well over $800,000 in FLW Outdoors tournaments. “That was one of the last places I thought I would have a chance to win at because it is a deep clear lake. That just shows if you fish hard and stay at it, that is the main thing. You just have to stay at it and fish.”
That win came on top of a stellar year on the FLW Tour for the Shelby, N.C., pro, one that started out with a deep personal loss.
“I lost my father in January last year. It was definitely difficult to travel without him. He traveled to all the tournaments with me. It was especially hard going into that first tournament without him.”
The loss obviously spurred him to fish even harder – and smarter. Thrift finished fourth in the first tournament of 2010 on Table Rock Lake and he completed the season with five top 10 finishes, including first place on Lake Norman, his home water.
While 2010 started off on a sad note, 2011 began with high hopes.
Thrift and his wife, Allison, are the proud parents of a new baby boy, Wylie Thomas Thrift, giving him increased incentive to succeed in the tournament world.
The 2010 Walmart Angler of the Year is the hottest pro on the circuit, having now posted seven top-10 finishes and two wins in the last eight events dating back to the 2009 Forrest Wood Cup. He was ranked fifth in AOY standings in 2008 and 2009 and he finished 9th in the Forrest Wood Cup in 2009 and 10th in 2010.
“I want to catch them everywhere I go. That’s my goal,” he said. “Last year was really good. Everything just seemed to work out. The consistency came because it all falls back on working and hard and fishing hard. You have to put the time in and fish as hard as you can.”
Until Sunday's opening day of practice Thrift had never been on Lake Hartwell, scene of the second FLW Tour Major of the Year this week, but he planned to approach it very much like he would if the tournament was back on Lake Norman.
“This is about the same week I won last year on Norman and Hartwell will probably fish a lot like Norman. There are a lot of red clay points and I hope I can pattern it like Lake Norman,” he said. “It's springtime and I know a lot of the lakes around here the fish are biting good. The fish should be moving up so I will run a lot and fish shallow.”
His strategy in practice will be to burn a lot of gas and try to determine what the fish are doing, he said.
“I like to cover a lot of water and find five that want to bite.”
Like Norman, Hartwell harbors two major populations of bass – largemouths and spotted bass. Thrift said he will not specifically target one species.
“I'll just be targeting bass, everything but striped bass and white bass. I don't care if I catch a smallmouth – as long as it is a bass.”
FLW Tour Major #2
March 24-27, 2011
Lake Hartwell
Portman Shoals Marina
2011 Countdown to Blastoff Week 10 Part Two
AC Pro Staffer Rob Digh helps us continue to weed through the maze of Tournaments all over the Region this weekend including Tom's Marine TT on Cherokee and HD Marine heading to West Point-Part Two
2011 Countdown to Blastoff Week 10 Part One
AC Pro Staffer Rob Digh helps us look ahead to one of the bigger Tournament Weekends of the year.......we start with the Bassmaster Open on Lake Norman-Part One
Bassmaster Elite Citrus Slam Final Weigh In Nailbiter!!!
Check out footage from one of the most exciting Bassmaster Elite Series weigh in shows EVER! It's the final day of the Citrus Slam on the St Johns River in Palatka, Florida.
And Blastoff! Citrus Slam Day 4 Launch
Footage from launch of the fourth and final day of the Bassmaster Elite Series Citrus Slam on the St Johns River in Palatka, Florida, along with a pair of interviews from guys who have some ground to make up.
2011 Bfl Lake Wylie Weigh-In Highlights Including Hank Cherry's 5 Lb Bf Kicker!!
Some good weigh-in footage from yesterdays BFL on Wylie including the BF of the day brought to the scales by angler Hank Cherry!
2011 Bfl Lake Wylie Champion Brian Hoyle Plus A One On One With Frog Tape Pro Brian Travis
Brain Hoyle wins the 2011 BFL on Lake Wylie with 16 Plus and we get some insight from FLW and Frog Tape Pro Brian Travis........
Bassmaster Citrus Slam on the St Johns - Day 3 Weigh In High Lights!
We have insightful interviews and exciting action from the Bassmaster Elite Series Citrus Slam on the St Johns River from Palatka, Florida! Check out all of the BIG bass that came to the scales on day 3!!!
Pete's Perspective - on the Tourney; the River
Peter "T" Thliveros cleared one cut, but he didn't quite make it into the top 12 so he won't fish Sunday. He shares with us his ideas on what he now thinks he should have done - a big lesson for all of us! He also speaks about what makes the St Johns so special.
Bassmaster Elite Series Citrus Slam - on the water with Brandon Palaniuk
Get out on the water with Bri Palaniuk as she cheers on her brother, Brandon. Despite a strong performance, Brandon had issues. He explains on stage at weigh in.
Bassmaster Elite Series Citrus Slam - Day 1 Part 2 - more (Heavy) Weigh In footage from the St Johns River in Palatka, FL!!!
More scale-smashing action from Palatka, Florida!!!
Bassmaster Elite Series Citrus Slam - Day 1 (Heavy) Weigh In footage from the St Johns River in Palatka, FL!!!
Check out the parade of BIG bass fron the St Johns River in Palatka, FL as 99 Elite Series pros battle for $100,000 and the title of Citrus Slam Champion!
TBF of South Carolina Lake Wylie Results - Mar. 12, 2011
Tony Wilcox came in 1st on the Boater side with 12.70 lbs
The Bass Federation of South Carolina completed the second tournament of the 2011 points trail this past Saturday on Lake Wylie. A heavy rain storm and cold front that passed late in the week had more than just a few anglers a bit worried. Especially after seeing the muddy water that greeted them that morning. A week earlier, before the off limits, the water was much clearer and warming.
The bass however were cooperative as almost everyone caught fish. A 14 inch min. size limit was imposed to eliminate the confusion between state laws. 95 keepers were brought to the scales for a total weight of 198.30lbs. All were released alive.
In the boater division coming out on top was Tony Wilcox of Lexington,SC. His 5 bass limit weighed 12.70lbs. Tony reported a crank bait bite was working for him. Second for the boaters was Bill Payne of Swansea with his limit weighing 11.39 lbs. No report from Bill as to how he caught them. Third place and Big Bass honor went to John Sturkie also of Swansea. His 5 largemouth total was 10.36 lbs and big fish 3.88 lbs. Spinnerbaits did the trick for John. Rounding out the top 5 were Robert Rikard and Rich Gerken.
The Co/Anglers also had a good day for the most part. For the second tournament in a row Tommy Lindler of Lexington would take the win with the heaviest sack of the day weighing 13.56 lbs. Second place and Big Bass honor went to Chapin’s Wade Amick . His 4 bass weighed 11.95 lbs. and big bass of 3.59 lbs. Third place taking his first check withh TBF was Nate Nienhius of Lexington. Nate’s limit weighed a total of 10.50 lbs.
There were a total of 16 boats in this event and payout were as follows:
Boater 1st $810 2nd $486 3rd $324 Big Bass $180
Co/angler 1st $ 486 2nd $$292 3rd $195 Big Bass $ 108
The Next tournament on the TBF Trail will be on April 2nd at Santee Cooper.
The TBF is affiliated with FLW Outdoors and offer quality tournaments with good payback and the opportunity to advance to the next level in bass fishing through the divisional tournament and National Championship.
For more information about fishing with TBF go to www.tbfofsc.com.
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This Week's Big Bass on Lake Guntersville...an 11-Pounder!!
Many of those huge, largemouth bass have been taken during the Spring months of March, April and May. Some exceeding that almost, seemingly magical weight of "ten pounds" taken during other seasons as well. But it never seems to amaze me at each and every big bass we successfully fool into biting our fake offerings (we never use live bait), how really hard we must work at it, to be so well rewarded with that bass of a lifetime.
Whether it is a "trophy-sized bass of a lifetime", or several "big bass" taken in a days time, or even a day of catching "just numbers" of smaller bass, nowadays they just don't come easy. Often, we may start our day with high expectations casting hundreds of times, changing lures every few minutes, experimenting with various reels, rods, line sizes and all types of lures and various color schemes (only Picasso would only dream up), with our little fake offerings. Only to be severely disappointed. Then.
Later in the morning we run into that "feeding frenzy," a big school of big bass. Its 4-5 pounders on every cast, then suddenly an 8 pounder or even bigger, a ten pounder, that quickly brightens our day. We take lots of pictures and release all those big, largemouth bass. " To live and fight another day and give glory to another angler," as it battles once again in search of its freedom...given only by you.
As the title of this lake report says, "a half dozen bass all weighing 8 pounds or better up to 11 pounds" in three recent trips to Guntersville Lake.
* EARLIER IN THE YEAR WE HAD A 9 & 10 POUND LARGEMOUTH BASS AND A 7 POUNDER, A 5 POUNDER AND 4 POUNDER. "5 BASS WEIGHING 35 POUNDS"
You may have seen the caption and pictures all over the Internet or read about it in my fishing reports. It was cold, water temps 43 degrees / air temps high 48 degrees, and we were the only anglers catching bass this size. A very good day by any anglers standards fishing jig combos and 10 inch worms along shallow to deep river channel drop-offs.
Then the big bass moved into shallow water for spring spawn.
* FIRST WEEK OF MARCH A TWO-DAY GUIDED TRIP - On one particular guided two-day trip on March 2&3 four corporate anglers from St. Peters Missouri came to Alabama to relax and fish with Reeds Guide Service for two rather cool days. They brought a boat and two were going to fish with me, while the other two anglers followed behind in their boat. But the new boat had a problem, it had no key!
They spent all day looking for someone to make a Triton Boat Key and ended up going to Weiss lake to get one made.
Well, the other two anglers fished with me on Wednesday while all this took place. We had a rather slow, bright, sunny high pressure day, (at least that's what I blamed it on!), but we still managed to fool about a dozen nice bass, including a nice pair of 6 pounders, mostly taken on spinnerbaits, shallow diving crankbaits and lipless lures.
But Thursday the next day, the other two anglers that had missed a day of fishing while looking for a key master, decided to fish with me and they gave the boat (now with a nice shiny new key) to the anglers that had fished with me Wednesday. We were fishing the mid-to-lower lake. But due to a hot tip provided by an angler fishing the recent FLW Outdoors tournament they decided to head far up the lake. Well, they ended up catching zero.
Meanwhile while they were 30 miles up the lake, we were loading the boat! In some places where we had zeroed on the day before! To make up for their lost day of fishing they caught what they came for. A nice pair of 9 pounders! Including several 4-6 pounders, and a 7 pounder. Five bass weighing about 38 pounds...easily. In all, over 60 pounds of bass to show their friends, that later joined us sadly, empty-handed.
We took lots of pictures all now on my website www.fishingalabama.com or posted with this report, if allowed.
You will see 4 very happy guys (one with a bright orange shirt that looks like Jimmy Houston!), holding 8 bass including the two 9 pounders all weighing over 60 pounds. In all, that two day trip yielded over 40 bass!
* SUNDAY - TUESDAY, MARCH 13-15 / THE LAST DAY OF A THREE DAY GUIDED TRIP - Two anglers, a nice couple from Papillion, Nebraska left a snow-blanketed home to come to Alabama for their annual, springtime three day fishing trip. WHAT THEY SAW WHEN THEY ARRIVED DID NOT LOOK ALL THAT GOOD FOR FISHING!
They were scheduled to fish Logan Martin Lake with me. A lake that rose over 6 feet due to recent floods this past week. With the lake suddenly a few feet over full pool, I knew the very spread-out bass, would be difficult to locate. So we fished Lay lake, situated on the now flooded Coosa River System right below Logan Martin lake and we did managed to fool some bass up to 4 pounds, in Lay's then flooded weedy waters.
Mostly caught on Zoom's trick worms, Flukes and spinnerbaits. His name was Reid and her's Carrie.
On the next two days of this three day trip on Monday and Tuesday, we decided to fish Guntersville Lake and Carrie is now very glad that she did...
On Monday as usual, the bass were hitting lipless lures so we stuck with it, hitting several shallow weedy locations in a days time. We were rewarded with some nice 5-6 pounders and about a dozen other good keepers. I had provided the lures and rods but they went tackle shopping on their own that night.
Tuesday, the last day of this three day vacation for a now rather tired and weary couple as they met me the boat dock. Now rigged and ready we once again set out looking for that trophy bass of lifetime. We immediately got into a school of 3-5 pounders and once again the lipless lures came through for that big bass bite. Two nice 4-5 pounders by mid day and then a slow period.
We took a small break snacking and drinking, and still casting our lures. I just watched and waited, hoping the inevitable would occur. With only about two hours to go before quitting time, maybe just one more big bass would complete their trip to Alabama. Including their lipless lures and the box of lures I gave them, they must have tied and re-tied on at least a dozen lipless lure choices.
Until at last, one particular Strike King model lipless lure produced "the bass of lifetime." A lure I had added my special paint job to, adding a red gill plate. It had a gray back, a yellow stripe down its side and a white belly. Carrie fished it on 14 pound test line.
The line screamed, the rod was bowed over, and the big bass was going crazy, all taking place in water of about two feet deep. But the huge bass wore down fast and as it came along side the boat I knew it was bigger than anything we have seen all year. "Easily over 10 pounds", I thought. It was! An 11 pounder and Carrie took pictures of it, I took pictures of it and then we let it go along with several other bass...to live, lay their eggs, and fight another day, giving another angler a thrill of a lifetime!
So it was added to some of this year's big bass list. Dozens of 4-6 pounders, a few 7 pounders, an 8 pounder, three 9 pounders, a ten pounder and now, an 11 pounder! What holds next? With Guntersville Lake...you never know!
* ALWAYS CALL ON REEDS GUIDE SERVICE ...FIRST! WHY? FOR BIG BASS, THAT'S WHY! MAYBE YOURS WILL BE NEXT! Book your trip now to Alabama's "big bass factory" Guntersville Lake. In April, May and even June it only gets better! Call (205) 663-1504 or e-mail me at; alabassgyd@aol.com for more info and rates.
* BIG BASS PICTURES ON FOX 6 TELEVISION - Not all websites this recieve this lake report posts my pictures. But they can be seen on my website at www.fishingalabama.com or on TV in Birmingham and throughout all of Alabama!
Also, you can see these pictures and other Big Bass pictures from recent guided trips in my next appearance on WBRC's Fox 6 morning show, " Good Day Alabama ." My next appearance is on Tuesday, March 29 (I'm on every last Tuesday of the month for over 6 years) on at 8 a.m. or just a few minutes after.
Call in with your fishing questions on my, "Ask the Angler" question and answer segment on Fox 6!
That's all for now, until next time...Good Fishin'!
Thanks, Reed
Reed Montgomery / Outdoor Writer
Owner / Reeds Guide Service
Alabaster, Alabama (205) 663-1504
E-mail: alabassgyd@aol.com
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!
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Typical Kerr Bass Fishing Predicted For Virginia Bassmaster Weekend Series Tournament Saturday
Brandon Gray won the Bassmaster Weekend Series Regional tournament on Kerr in Oct 2010
Chris Bullock, 2010 Angler of the Year for the Virginia Division of the Bassmaster Weekend Series, has been crappie fishing instead of practicing for the first BWS tournament of the year on Kerr Reservoir, but the fish he caught over the weekend has him excited about his prospects Saturday.
“I have not been bass fishing. I've been crappie fishing and I finished second in a crappie tournament Saturday. But something happened during that tournament that is kind of special to me,” Bullock said.
“I've been fishing the lake for the past 28 years or so and in that time I've only caught maybe a dozen smallmouth, most of them up the river. I was tight-lining for crappie Saturday and I caught a smallmouth that weighed between 3 and 4 pounds.”
The Fountain, N.C., angler said the fish hit about 5 feet deep in 10 feet of water off a little secondary point. Dealing with some health issues, he will only get in one practice day this week – on Friday, he said.
“The water has really risen in the past week. I've not checked it the past couple of nights, but I think it will be close to 305 feet by the time we get there and the fishing will be the usual Kerr Lake patterns, I'm afraid – spinnerbaits, jigs and plastics in the bushes. There are a lot of bushes and trees in the water now.”
Bullock said the main lake from Grassy Creek up the river towards Clarksville is muddy.
“The main channel is muddy and there is a lot of trash and debris out in the main river, but the creeks have started clearing up.
And, while he is looking forward to the first BWS tournament Saturday, Bullock said he will not be able to defend his 2010 title.
“I've committed to fish another trail with my dad this year and one of those tournaments interferes with one of the weekend tournaments. I won't be points champion this year, but that time with my dad is more important.”
Bullock has also launched a guide service for catfish and crappie on Kerr and several years ago he organized a winter catfish tournament that has grown to 58 boats this year.
“It's held the last Saturday in January when everybody has cabin fever, so we call it the Ice Bowl,” he said. “We compete between North Carolina and Virginia teams and we welcome fishermen from all over. Just pick a side you want to fish for. We are in it for the fun of it.”
BWS Tournament Manager Gary Conner said that, based on previous years and the input so far with anglers, he expects around 65 boats for Saturday's BWS tournament.
“Our numbers seem to grow slowly each year and that has been the case this season across the country,” Conner said. “Right now, with $4 a gallon gas I am anticipating our numbers will be up. If it stays this way much longer, however, I anticipate as we caw a couple of years back when gas prices went up the numbers will drop.
The Virginia Division BWS schedule includes: March 19, Kerr Lake, North Bend Park Special Use Area; April 9, Gaston, Americamps; May 21, Smith Mountain Lake, Parkway Marina; July 16, Kerr Lake, North Bend Park SUA; Aug. 20-21, Kerr Lake, North Bend Park SUA.
Bassmaster Weekend Series Virginia Division
Sat, Mar. 19, 2011
Kerr / Buggs Island Lake
North Bend State Park
Warming Weather Should Boost Weights For Tommy Shaw Memorial On Clarks Hill
With temperatures predicted in the 80s for the end of this week the scales should be singing at weigh-in for the fourth annual Tommy Shaw Memorial Bass Tournament Saturday on Clarks Hill Lake.
Local anglers expect weights to be up considerably over the winning weights in the Savannah River BFL Tournament last Saturday when Tim Jones of North Augusta, S.C., won the Boater Division and $7,089 with a limit that weighed 18 pounds, 5 ounces, and Jeff Rikard of Leesville, S.C., caught a five-bass limit weighing 20 pounds, 1 ounce to win $2,545 in the Co-angler Division.
“The fish were up shallow and then that little cold snap the past couple of weeks pulled them off,” said Billy Black with the Tommy Shaw tournament.
Noting that, “We were expecting 25 pounds to pull it out,” last weekend, Black said fishing should be much better this week.
“These warm nights will make the fish move up, so we are expecting some really good weights this weekend.”
Black said the tournament which benefits several local charities, has a guaranteed first place award of $5,000. He said he is expecting 125 to 130 boats for the tournament which is the first leg in the Clark Hill Committee's series of tournaments towards the angler of the year title for the lake.
The Clark Hill Committee is a nonprofit organization consisting of 22 bass clubs and 286 members who strive for good bass fishing competition, but also relaxation and fun through good sportsmanship and good fellowship.
The angler of the year, chosen after competition in the Tommy Shaw Memorial (March 19), the local Top 6 Tournament for members only (April 8-9), the Clark Hill Memorial Open Team Tournament (May 14) and the Mr. Clark Hill Tournament (Oct. 7-8), will earn a guaranteed $1,500. First-place payout in each of those tournaments is a guaranteed $5,000.
New clubs and members are being sought. Anyone interested can contact Ray Diamond at (706) 533-1948.
Entry fee for the Tommy Shaw Tournament is $100 plus $10 for Big Fish. There will be an additional charge of $50 if neither team member is a member of The Clark Hill Committee. Pre-registration will b held 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Academy Sports and Outdoors, 4210 Washington Road, in Evans, Ga. Drawing for boat positions will start at 7. Late registration will be held tournament day at the ramp starting at 5 a.m. Entrants must be checked in by 6 a.m. tournament day.
For more information, call Larry Gilpin at (706) 738-7663 or Barry Frazier at (706) 829-3850.
The late Tommy Shaw was perhaps the most beloved figure in the fishing community around Clarks Hill Lake.
Shaw, who ran Little River Marina for more than two decades, died Sept. 22, 2007, at the age of 84.
“He had the first marina on the lake and he loved to fish. There were not many people that he didn’t like,” said Gilpin, president of the Clark Hill Committee, who was a close friend and frequent fishing companion of Shaw.
Tommy Shaw Memorial Bass Tournament
Sat, Mar. 19, 2011
Clarks Hill Lake
Wildwood Park
CATT Top 5 Mar 12 Wateree
47 Teams entered the 3rd CATT 2011 Spring Wateree Qualifier with heavy fog wating at the ramp. Blast off was delayed until 8:30 cutting into the guys fishing time but Scott Floyd and Bob Weaver didn't need a full 8 hours to take home $1,949.00 and 1st Place. They weighed in 19 lbs 4 ozs and also weighed in the Big Fish of the day at 7 lbs 1 oz.
2nd - Randall Bock - Josh McCaskill 17.01 $500.00
3rd - Alan Fletcher - Danny Johnson 16.04 $350.00
4th - Steve Borton - Brian Bultman 14.09 $260.00
5th - Jeff Reynolds 14.08 $165.00
Next Lake Wateree CATT is Saturday March 19 at Clearwater Cove Marina. We're on track to payback over $30,000.00 this Spring at Wateree. Also CATT qualifiers on Murray and Santee Cooper this Saturday.
Airport Marine Team Trail Results - Lake Guntersville - Mar. 12, 2011
The Team of Marty and Kim Giddens won the Lake Guntersville tournament with 28.32bs. Their first place prize was $2,000! They also had the big fish of the tournament, weighing 8.93lbs, and they took home the Couples bonus...both of these adding to their payout!
Most everybody that weighed in caught their fish in the first 4 hrs, with the fish turning off after that. The lures of choice were crankbaits, jigs and spinnerbaits. The wind was up on Saturday at 20+ mph and the lake was extremely muddy. According to Tournament Director Flynn Gerald, the Airport Marine Team Trail payouts end up giving back 100% plus with some of the incentives they have!
Top 10 as follows:
1 Marty Giddens-Kim Giddens 28.32
2 Tim Hurst-Mark McCaig 27.47
3 David Kilgore-Mike Spears 25.38
4 Hadley Coan-Donny Mcelvoy 23.46
5 Clark Smith-Blake Stewart 22.98
6 Flynn Gerald-Kyle Mabrey 22.95
7 Johnny Patterson-Bryam Douglas 22.67
8 Bob Blackerby-Drew Cox 22.08
9 Todd Watts-Craig Watts 21.23
10 Kevin Lee-Shane Varnadoe 21.20
Xtreme Bass Series Results - Lake Guntersville - Mar. 13, 2011
Our Xtreme Bass Team Series, (Lake Guntersville division), had it's second event of the season and had a great turnout. 37 teams came to compete once again out of the beautiful Val Monte Resort. The lake had just been in a slight flood condition as we had many inches of rain throughout the week, which left the water very muddy. The day itself was as nice as it could be with temps reaching 70 and winds only 5-10 mph. The turnout shows, guys still expect these Guntersville fish to cooperate. Some of them proved it to be true, although the overall take was that the weights were off for here, especially in March. Most feel we are a month behind due to the weather and can't wait till next month. Our water temps were only around 55 degrees and the forecast for next week has our air temps near 80.
This event was a little different for us as we teamed up with Derek Chambers for a GREAT cause. You see Derek started "From Rifles To Rods and Reels", where he brings a veteran to fish with him. They get to compete against all of us and the veteran gets to keep various gifts from sponsors such as rods and reels and rain gear from Frogg Toggs as well as product from Lunkersauce, among other things. We will be doing this for the remainder of the year. Derek says you can check it out on Facebook if you want to follow them or want more info. The veteran that Derek brought to this event was Nathan Owen and he is scheduled to return to action in the fall. May God be with you Nathan and our Extreme GRATITUDE for what you do. You know with all that is going on in the world, you really get a new perspective on life and how good most of us have it because of Nathan and all our veterans.
Here are some of the results: O.B Wilborn and Brian Haynes came in first place with a total of 25.52 lbs earning a whopping $1470. They also had the big fish of 7.16 lbs for which they got an additional $360. 2nd place and $730 went to Byron Franklin and Britt Perry with 22.44 lbs anchored by a nice 6.16 lber. 3rd pl was Scott Keeling and Frelon Moore with 21.84 lbs. They had a 6.90 lber to help them and earned $330. 4th place and $200 went to Darryl Gentry and Robert Hargiss with 21.72 lbs and 5th place for $150 went to Hadley Coan and Donnie Mcelvoy with 19.98 lbs. All results can be found on www.xbseries.com ... By the way, Derek and Nathan finished respectfully in 19th place with 14.34 lbs and had a great time telling me all about it.
As usual, I'd like to thank God for it all, and also my wife Michelle for helping with weigh in and keeping my kids under control through it all. Also, thank you to all the anglers that competed, as they make it very enjoyable. Our next event is April 3rd out of Val Monte and I very much look forward to seeing everyone there.
Jamie Shay
Xtreme Bass
256-599-0132
www.jamieshayfishing.com
Byron Franklin and Britt Perry finished 2nd with 22.44 lbs
Derrick and Nathan won the Lunker Sauce giveaway!
Heartland Anglers Division 8 Tourney - Finding Clean Water Was Key For Win After Recent Heavy Rain
The Heartland Anglers Division 8 on Watts Bar Lake out of Tom Fuller Park had their first tournament. 21 boats showed up for a warm day of fishing. Stan Bishop & John Wade got the win with 20.10 on Jerkbaits. They had a mixed bag of small mouth and big spotted bass!
Piedmont Bass Classics Results - Jordan Lake - March 12, 2011
Cold & windy! Air temps ranged from 28 to 63 degrees, water temps averaged 53 and the wind blew steadily 15 to 20 mph all day. For our 2nd open of 2011, we had a 19 boats show up to see what Jordan Lake had to provide. Todd & Jeff Sumner of Southern Pines, took top honors on a tough, windy day. The team brought 5 bass to the scales weighing 28.53 pounds, including their big fish winner that weighed in at 7.29 pounds. Todd, a member of the Skeeter Boats National Demo Team, and his Dad took home $1,231 for their efforts. I want to thank all of our anglers and our sponsors for supporting this trail!
Story of the day: Bass were caught on every kind of lure you can think of, except top water (didn't hear of any). We had 3 bass over 7 lbs. with the biggest being caught on a Lunker Lure jig. Most all fish were caught in 2 to 8 feet of water off main creek points with rock & timber cover. 62 bass were weighed in totalling 205 pounds. All fish were released alive! Needless to say, the spring bite is on at Jordan!
The next tournament will also be at Jordan Lake on March 19th out of Farrington Point Wildlife ramp. This event is the 2nd in a series of 7 qualifying tournaments for the 'Piedmont Bass Classics $5,000 Bass Tournament Trail'. Now here are the March 12th results:
1st Place..Todd & Jeff Sumner of Southern Pines...5 Bass...28.53 lbs...$720
2nd Place..Keith Deal & Ricky Kenworthy of Holly Springs & Selma...5 bass...23.83 lbs...$400
3rd Place..Bobby & David Matthews of Durham...5 bass...20.25 lbs...$270
4th Place..Chad Craven & Josh Quesinberry of Raleigh & Clayton...5 bass...16.06 lbs...$130
1st Place Big Fish..Team #1 above...7.29 lbs...$266
2nd Place Big Fish..Team #2 Above...7.24 lbs...$114
1st Place TWT..Team #1 above...28.53 lbs...$245
2nd Place TWT..Team #4 above...16.06 lbs...$105
Additional Pictures can be uploaded from the website: www.piedmontbassclassics.com
or: for more information call 919-471-1571 or 919-971-5042
Thanks! Phil McCarson~Tournament Director
2011 Bassmaster Elite Series Harris Chain Day 4 - Grigsby Holds Off Hard-Charging Goldbeck!
You're not suposed to win a multi-day event by sightfishing. Especially these days when everyone with a pair of polarized shades can peek beneath the surface and locate bedding bass. There are few secrets and fewer secret spots that an angler can have to himself. And the winter/spring weather is so changeable. I was starting to believe all of that myself. And I believe in magic. The magic of sightfishing. Thank you, Shaw Grigsby, for renewing my faith. How did he do 75 pounds and win by more than 7? He even shared his honey hole with runner-up Grant Goldbeck and day 1 leader, Pat Golden. They picked the right piece of realestate. How strong was the pond where Grigsby and friends stacked up bass like cord wood? Well, nobody lead the tournament who did not fish there. Eagle-eyed Grigsby looks at a fish - then catches it.
Grigsby said he has fished the little pond for years, perhaps decades. At times it produces nothing. At times it is really strong. The key feature is the firm, sandy bottom and adjacent depths that plunge beyond 15 to as much as 20 feet. The biggest bass set up on the edge of the drop. As the days rolled by, more bass rolled up out of the depths each afternoon.
That Goldbeck did not win is somewhat surprising now that we have the benefit of hindsight. He bailed on the pond the first day when clouds and wind prevented sightfishing. He caught one small fish in Lake Harris and opened the tourney in 97th - almost dead last. Grigsby stayed and blind fished the pond for 14-plus pounds.
Another turning point came when Goldbeck had two giants fight for his lure. The rushed in, butted heads and a 7-pounder swam out with the bait. Goldbeck shook it off. He wanted to catch the 13-pounder that was locked on as well. She kept charging the lure, but never bit. He gave her 4 hours to do so. That fish would have made the difference and completely offset and awful day 1.
Did Goldbeck make the right decision in shaking off the 7-pounder? Leave a comment below to weigh-in with your thoughts.
Aside from Grigsby squaring off toe-to-toe against Goldbeck (a former professional boxer) there were 10 other guys fishing the Harris Chain. Stephen Browning placed 3rd. He caught many of his fish within sight of the boat ramp on Lake Dora. As for technique, he pitched a Z-Man Zinker stick worm.
VanDam is so good he took 4th and 5th places. OK, the man in 5th Jonathon VanDam. Everybody say 'hey' to JVD - looks like he's the real deal. Look for him to do well on the St Johns River this upcoming week. He nearly won an Open there a couple of years ago. <
JVD milked a stretch of Kissimmee grass shoreline in Lake Dora for 11 pounds on the final day.
KVD ran around Lake Harris for his fish this week. He often motored to his next spot without stowing the trolling motor and then fished with his lifevest on so he wouldn't have to bother with putting it back on before firing the big motor. Classic KVD run and gun!
How did Pat Golden do after bailing out of the little pond to fish Lake Harris? He fell to 6th, which still ain't half bad.
2011 And 25Th Annual Jim Ledbetter Memorial Champions Mark Brown And Wade Smith!!
2011 and 25th Annual Jim Ledbetter Champions Mark Brown and Wade Smith take some time to talk about their big win as well as the one dominant pattern that helped get them to the winners circle!!
2011 Jim Ledbetter Highlights With Roger Pope And Scott Hamrick
We grab Roger Pope and Scott Hamrick as they come in with a very solid bag of fish to catpture 3rd place in the 25th Annual Jim Ledbetter Memorial Tournament..................
One On One With 2010 Flw Angler Of The Year Bryan Thrift- Part Two
Our conversation with Bryan Thrift continues with some comments on the added attention he has recieved with all the success and how he is handling that moving fwd-Part 2
One on One with 2010 FLW Angler of the Year Bryan Thrift- Part One
One of the hottest anglers in our sport is Shelby, NC native Bryan Thrift and we talk with him at The Great Outdoors in Cherryville this afternoon-Part 1
25Th Annual Jim Ledbetter Tournament Preview From Foothills Marine
We stop by Foothills Marine and talk to Matt Farris about one of the largest charity Tournaments in the country taking place this Sat on Lake Norman.......registration and Blastoff at Queens Landing beginning at 5am this Sat!!
Progressive Wrap Up Show Week 6 Part 2
In Part 2, we look at how the Stratos 2X helped one team DOUBLE THEIR $$ on Lake Wylie at the CATT Tournament this past Sat...........
Progressive Wrap Up Show Week 6 Part 1
We wrap up last weeks crazy action from Sportsman's Warehouse in Columbia, SC with fishing manager Justin Kijak.........some of the weights were CRAZY!! Part 1
My Biggest Bass EVER
Talk about a monster. Thought you guys and gals out there would get a kick out of this one. I caught this giant Largemouth 4 years ago.I was out on the water with a good friend Craig Cook. He took the picture after we laughed till we cried. We estimated this monster to be about 2 inches and weigh atleast a 0.5 oz if that. This monster was actually caught on the Rebel Pop-R that I am holding up in this picture. You should have seen the huge blow up he made, I thought it was a ten pounder. LOL. Na I thought I had hooked a blade of grass. Talk about biting off more than you can chew. I'm not sure what the heck this little guy was going to do with this when he got it in his mouth. All I know is that he was ready to eat. Hope you got a good laugh, I know I did.
Jim Ledbetter Tournament Poised To Pass $750,000 For Cancer Research Saturday
Shane Lineberger (left) and Hank Cherry (center) won the 2010 tournament with 19.12lbs!
The 25th annual Jim Ledbetter Memorial “Casting Out Cancer” Bass Tournament on Lake Norman Saturday will mark well over three quarters of a million dollars raised for cancer research since the tournament first launched.
“Since 1986 the tournament has raised $747,000, at first for the American Cancer Society and for the last three or four years for the V Foundation,” said Matt Farris, owner of Foothills Marine which is in its third year of sponsorship for the benefit tournament. The V Foundation for Cancer Research was founded in 1993 by ESPN and the late Jim Valvano, legendary North Carolina State basketball coach and ESPN commentator who died in 1993 of cancer.
The tournament fielded 189 teams in 2010, a downturn due to the bad economy, but still raised $20,000 for the V Foundation. Farris expects well over 200 boats for Saturday's event.
“We usually have over 200 boats with over 400 fishermen in the tournament and we are well ahead of registrations this year so we definitely expect at least 200 boats on Saturday,” he said.
Since Foothills Marine, a Skeeter-Yamaha dealership, took over the tournament three years ago the payback for the top 20 teams has increased significantly, Farris noted. First prize is a 2011 Skeeter ZX 190 Bass Boat with a VZ150 HPDI Yamaha outboard. Second place pays $2,000, third place $1,600 on down to 20th place which pays $200, plus there is a payout for the top three big fish.
“We also have three specialty categories in a tournament within the tournament – the top adult-child team, top senior team and top husband-wife team each pays $500 in addition to whatever they win in the open tournament.”
While the payout to fishermen is more than 100 percent, Farris said, the payout to cancer research was enhanced when Foothills Marine became the primary sponsor because the dealer brought its own benefit tournament to the effort.
“For years we had also done a benefit tournament in the spring on Lake Hickory and we almost competed with the Jim Ledbetter tournament,” Farris said. “Both were charity tournaments with a good cause, so we moved out big tournament, which also draws 200 boats, to Lake Hickory in the fall. We get a lot of guys who had been fishing one or the other who are now fishing both tournaments.”
The move created a situation where there was one tournament raising $20,000 to $30,000 a year to having two tournaments raising a total of $40,000 to $50,000 a year, he noted. The Foothills Marine Angler Benefit Tournament also supports the V Foundation.
As added encouragement, Skeeter provides a special fully-rigged boat to be given away at the draw tournament, but anglers can qualify for the drawing at the Ledbetter tournament. They can qualify again at the fall tournament, he noted, given them two chances at the boat.
“If you fish the Ledbetter tournament you can come on Thursday and Friday and take a demo ride in a Skeeter to get your name entered in the random draw. If you fish the Foothills Tournament you get your name in the hat again, so you can take one demo ride and double your chances for the fully-rigged Skeeter.”
Farris said fishing reports from Lake Norman have been very good recently, despite the lingering cold temperatures.
“I don't know what the water temperature is exactly – the lake varies because of the power plant discharge – but I imagine a lot of the water is still in the 50s,” he said. “But fishing has been pretty strong. In the last couple of weekend tournaments turnouts have been strong and they have weighed in pretty heavy bags. There have been quite a few fish caught the last two or three weeks.”
Jim Ledbetter Memorial Bass Tournament
Sat, Mar. 12, 2011
Lake Norman
Queens Landing
Call 828-439-9022
Fishing Should Be Good For Morristown Marine Tournament On Cherokee Lake Saturday
Charlie Rasch won the 2010 Morristown Marine Classic last November!
The Morristown Marine Skeeter-Yamaha Elite Series Team Trail kicks off Saturday on Cherokee Lake with high expectations for very good fishing, according to tournament director Sam Phillips.
“The fish are biting excellently and we expect it will take 17 to 20 pounds to win,” Phillips said. “The water is warming up and the fish are turning on. We are looking for a good tournament of anglers and a lot of fish to be weighed with a lot of limits brought to the scales.”
Phillips said the fish are in pre-spawn and anglers are catching them on crankbaits, jerkbaits, jigs and grubs.
He said he expects between 125 to 150 boats to enter the tournament, the first of six scheduled tournaments plus a year-end championship to be held on Cherokee and Douglas Lakes this year.
“This is our fourth year and we have grown this series very well,” he said “Skeeter came on board and really helped us.”
Anglers pay a $30 membership fee each to fish the trail and the entry fee for each of the regular season tournaments and the season-end classic is $100, with an optional big fish pot. The big fish pot will be paid back at the ramp, with half going to the top largemouth and half to the top smallmouth weighed in. If no smallmouth is weighed in, two prizes will be awarded to the top two largemouths.
“We are paying $3,000 to win, regardless of the number of boats entered. We also pay back one place for every six boats with a 100 percent cash payout at the ramp,” Phillips said, “plus additional gift certificates and prizes from local sponsors.”
New for this year, he noted, is the addition of Abu Garcia as a big fish sponsor. Abu Garcia will give several rods to the big fish winners at each tournament.
“And, at the Classic in November, we will give a 2011 Skeeter ZX200 with a new 200 Yamaha SHO 4-stroke engine to the winners,” he added.
Manufacturer bonus programs for the trail include Skeeter Real Money, Stratos Double Your Winnings, Triton Gold, Phoenix First Flight Program and the Morristown Marine Boat Bucks plan.
“In the Morristown Marine Boat Bucks program, if your buy a boat or motor here, new or used, any brand, we will pay an additional $500 on top of what you win,” Phillips said.
Entries are accepted at Morristown Marine the week of the tournament and anglers who sign up by 6 p.m. on Friday get two draws for starting position and can keep the one they want. Entries will also be accepted at Hookers & Hunters Bait and Tackle from 1 to 6 p.m. On Fridays prior to the tournament After 6 p.m. teams get only one draw for starting position and entries will be accepted at the ramp the morning of the tournament.
The 2011 schedule includes: March 12, Cherokee Lake, Boat Launch Road; April 2, Cherokee Lake, Boat Launch Road; April 23, Douglas Lake, TVA Dam; May 14, Cherokee Lake, Boat Launch Road; Sept. 24, Douglas Lake, TVA Dam; Oct. 22, Cherokee Lake, Boat Launch Road; and Nov. 12. Morristown Marine Classic, Cherokee Lake, Boat Launch Road.
Morristown Marine Team Trail 2011
Sat, Mar. 12, 2011
Cherokee Lake
Hamblin County Marina-Boat Launch Road
BFL Gator Division - Kissimmee Chain report
I fished Saturday's BFL Gator Division tourney as a co-angler. Got exactly 3 bites. Put 'em all in the boat. They weighed 6 pounds-even. My partner and I weren't on them.
Congrats to Mark Detweiler, proprietor of Big Toho Marina. He was on 'em. 21 pounds, 14 ounces was good enough for the win on the boaters' side of the tourney. Exactly 1 pound back was Charles Bass - apropriately named.
Interestingly, Detweiler's bag was not the biggest of the day. That distinction belongs to Todd Mowery who caught 23 pounds, 7 ounces from the back of the boat! Mowery caught his fish on the Skinny Dipper and some topwater lures. "We locked down south," said Mowery.
From what I gathered, many of the better sacks are coming from Lake Cypress and Lake Hatcineha. Lake Kissimmee has been muddied due to dredging being done in the river above. Strong east winds for a few days in a row had parts of Toho looking dirty. Shad were piled up in the wind-blown areas, though, and bass chased them to the point that they flipped on top of matted bullrush to escape. Of course, as the small, silver and blue fish tried to flop back into the water, birds would descend and dine on the easy pickings.
For fishing among the shad buffet, try a chrome/sexy shad Red Eye Shad in the half-ounce size. I couldn't get the three-quarter-ounce to work. My partner and I quickly caught 5 fish between the two of us on the smaller lures. For better quality in the same area, try a spinnerbait - anything shad-like in appearance, with small silver blades should do the trick.
Griffith and Walker win Cherokee BAIT Tourney
Saturday March 5, 2011 turned out to be a very nice day. Despite the bad weather forecasts 49 boats came out to compete on Cherokee Lake. There was 170 fish caught weighing a total of 448.42 lbs. All fish were released alive! First place honors went to the team of Larry Griffith and Jeffery Walker with a nice limit of smallmouth weighing 20.06 lbs. They took home $990.00 for their efforts. Second place went to Doug and David Winchell with 17.11 lbs. worth $600.00. Third place went to Danny Garber and David Solomon with 16.20 lbs. worth $400.00. Fourth place went to Charlie Rasch and Gary Pilkenton with 15.71 lbs. worth $330.00. Fifth place went to Tim Smiley and Richard Wolfe with 15.21 lbs. worth $280.00. Sixth place went to Ken Vicchio and Brian Vicchio with 15.19 lbs. worth $230.00. Seventh place went to Dustin Buckner and Shane Houck with 14.60 lbs. worth $180.00. Eighth place went to Jason Nichols and Matt Beeler with 14.52 lbs. worth $140.00.
Largemouth lunker went to the team of Doug and David Winchell weighing 4.74 lbs. and was worth $235.00. Smallmouth lunker went to the team of Sonny Lee and Harold Parsons weighing 4.87 lbs. and was worth $235.00.
Congratulations to all and thanks for fishing “America’s Best Team Trail”. 2011 schedules are currently being posted as we receive them. Please check our website www.baitinc.com and watch for new schedules to come. Our next tournament will be April 30, 2011 on Douglas launching from the Dam. Pre-registration will be from 12 – 6 p.m. Friday (04/29/2011) at Bucks n Bass. Also TN-II has their next tournament 3-12-2011 at Ft. Loudoun launching from the Canal. Call Chris Covington for more information (865) 607-0810. TN-III (Nite Trail) flyers will be out soon. Call Bill Giron for more information (865) 406-5110.
Thanks to all of our sponsors and a special thanks to Joe and Missy Lee with Sportsman Ministries for all they do. God Bless and remember to take a kid fishing! For more info call Sunny or Bud DeFOE at: 865-679-2233 (Sunny’s cell) or 865-679-0419 (Bud’s cell).
Great Time On Ray Hubbard.
We should have a great tourney here in April. Im thinking it will take like 23 a day to win.
Fishers of Men NC State Championship Results - Lake Norman - Mar. 5, 2011
On Saturday March 5th 2011,the fifth annual NC Fishers Of Men National Bass Tournament Trail State Championships For NC was held on Lake Norman. Twenty-one Adult teams qualified to fish. Cold, drizzling, rainy weather began the day but warmer weather came in later.
Twenty one teams was able to make the trip to the scales that were located at BASS PROSHOPS in Concord NC. MC and Director Mike Sides and Dave from Bass Pro Shops kept the crowd entertained with their wit and knowledge.
Each team was pulled through the weigh in in the their boat and tranferred to the stage during the Bass Proshops Spring Fishing Classic. Thanks go out to John Snincak, Regional Director, of Fishers Of Men.
Rocky Socks Presented the first place award money of $1100.00 to Allen Snyder and Robbie Hunter of Concord NC with a winning weight of #14.96 They caught Their fish on Jerk bits and Crankbsits nar I-40. They also received $150 donated by Bass Proshops for the biggest fish of #4.94.
Second Place went to Kenneth Shumate and William Embry of Mount Airy who won $410 and Third Place went to Drew and Amy Montgomery who won $300. Fourth Place went to Malcom and Andrew Dillion . Steve Singleton and A.L. Needham won Fifth Place and $150 The top Director/Sponsor championship went to John Snincak and Richard Jordan.
The crowd was awarded for showing up with tons of door prizes thrown out by the Anglers. We would like to thank all the people who volunteered to help especially Jon Morgan who basically directed the event allowing The Directors to fish. Hope to see you at next years event.
Piedmont Bass Classics Results - Shearon Harris - Mar. 5th
A record was set today! The team turnout was a record 82 boats! This is the largest turnout of teams in the history of the Piedmont Bass Classics! 216 bass were weighed for a whopping total of 541 pounds. All fish were released alive! Water temps averaged 55 to 58 and air temps ranged from 44 to 65 with winds ranging from light to 20 mph gusts midday.
Big fish for the day was 10.23 pounds and many bass in the 7 to over 8 pound range were also weighed. Just about any lure would work this day, but the Senko baits seemed to tempt the larger bass which were mostly caught in the 10 to 15 water depth. The smaller bass were caught mostly in the shallower water.
Once again, I want to thank our sponsors. Without their support we could not be offering the $5,000 Trail.
The next PBC tournament will be at Jordan Lake on March 12th. This event will be an 'Open Fun' tournament and will be a good practice run for the next 'Piedmont Bass Classics $5,000 Bass Tournament Trail' qualifier #2 at Jordan, March 19th. I hope to see all of you at Jordan on the 12th!
Now here are the Mar. 5th results:
1st Place..Dan Glosson & Phillip Eakes of Rougemont & Bahama..5 bass..28.45 lbs...$1,375
2nd Place..Donald Williams & Rick Ohlson of Garner..5 bass..26.93 lbs...$850
3rd Place..Todd Gibson & Mark Bayse of Archdale & Thomasville..5 bass..22.53 lbs...$655
4th Place..Randy Fisher & Donnie Lowe of Hillsborough & Mebane..5 bass..22.37 lbs...$590
5th Place..Mike Eggers & Randy Carr of Garner & Raleigh..5 bass..17.26 lbs...$520
6th Place..Richard Linton & Marc Peck of Pikeville..5 bass..16.90 lbs...$455
7th Place..Richard Cooper & Mike Vaughan of Clayton & Raleigh..5 bass..16.77 lbs...$390
8th Place..Jule Cameron & William Small of Wendell & Creedmoor..5 bass..15.23 lbs...$325
9th Place..Ken Wall & Ben Cannon of Asheboro & Apex..5 bass..15.14 lbs...$260
10th Place..Steve Woodlief & John Strother of Wake Forest..5 bass..14.32 lbs...$260
11th Place..Phil Hankins & Patrick Rose of Raleigh & Wake Forest..5 bass..13.96 lbs...$195
12th Place..Jason Dew & Randall Soles of Whiteville..5 bass..13.50 lbs...$195
13th Place..Ronnie Williams & Jason Butler of Clayton..5 bass..13.41 lbs...$131
14th Place..Thomas Sheffer & Ken McNeill of Cary & Raleigh..5 bass..13.15 lbs...$131 (tie)
14th Place..William Burns Jr. & Jerry Marshburn of Sanford..4 bass..13.15 lbs...$131 (tie)
16th Place..Jesse Soles & Ron White of Aberdeen..5 bass..13.03 lbs...$100
1st Place Big Fish..Team #4 above.....10.23 lbs...$1,106
2nd Place Big Fish..Team #15 above.....8.72 lbs...$474
1st Place TWT..Team #1 above.....28.45 lbs...$1,050
2nd Place TWT..Team #2 above.....26.93 lbs...$450
For More Information: Call 919-471-1571 or 919-971-5042 or visit: www.piedmontbassclassics.com
Thank you! Phil McCarson......Tournament Director
Winners Dan Glosson & Phillip Eakes!
Greene Boat & Motor Tournament Trail & CATT Lake Wylie March 5 - Top 6
Jody Wright and James Dyer took home 1st Place Saturday at Lake Wylie fishing the 3rd 2011 Qualifier of the Greene Boat & Motor Trail with 47 teams entering. The pair brought in a total weight of 16.76 lbs. Add in the Stratos 2x Bonus money and they took home a grand total of $3,414.00.
Tim Chapman and Marc Leech finished up in 2nd with 5 bass weighing 16.32 lbs and they recieved $925.00.
Cliff Kirby and Butch Holder took 3rd with a total weight of 15 .94 lbs and they took home $575.00.
Ryan Hinkle and Dan Mullane brought in the 4th place sack of bass weighing 15.91 lbs and they collected $375.00.
David Redman and Clay Williams finished in 5th place with a total weight of 15.71 lbs and recieved $250.00.
6th place went to David and Gerald Williams with 5 bass weighing 15.62 and they also took home the 1st place Big Fish place with a fat 7.24 lb bass. All total they collected $833.00.
Next Greene Boat and Motor trail Qualifier will be at Pinncale Access on Lake Norman April 23. The Lake Norman CATT Trail will be holding a qualifier also and you can fish both if you wish. If you do enter the CATT Qualifier on Lake Norman you will be eligible to enter the 2011 CATT Classic May 14-15 on Lake Wylie. 1st Place at the CATT Classic will be between $7,000 and $10,000 depending on the number of teams entering.
Brett Collins
CATT LLC
Jody Wright and James Dyer won with 16.76 lbs!
David and Gerald Williams won Big Fish with this 7.24 lb bass!
2011 Anglers Choice Marine Tt Smith Mtn Lake Champions
2011 Anglers Choice Marine Smith Mtn Lake Champions Tim Thurman and Ken Lackey join us after bringing in 5 fish for 18.48 and $3000 at the 1st Anglers Choice Tournament of this 2011 Season!!
Elite Series Tournament talk with Mark Menendez
Skeeter Pro Mark Menendez is looking forward to the first B.A.S.S. Elites Series Event on the Harris Chain of Lakes. Mark has experienced some success over the years in Florida but would like to start off the season with a win. " I am going to be doing a lot of looking around during the practice period mainly to try and locate one good area I can concentrate on." Mark explains. The bass should be in all three stages of the spawn and Mark will be using a variety of lures to try and catch them. His top three bait choices will be a Strike King Rage Craw, the new Strike King Finesse worm, and a Red Eye Shad. Right now the water is a little low and Mark predicts the winning pattern to be won either in the canals or in the Kissimmee grass. " Unlike most of the Florida lakes, the Harris Chain does have a structure element to it. If you find one of those key areas, you are likely to win it. It could definatly be a sleeper spot that most anglers could overlook." Mark says. However it plays out Mark will be giving it is all to try and make it to the winner's circle.
Record Entries Checking In For Anglers Choice On Smith Mountain Lake
The price of gasoline may be skyrocketing, but after a long, very cold winter, some fishermen are just anxious to get back on the water.
“It does not look like the rising gas prices are affecting us,” said Chris Lucas, tournament director for the Anglers Choice Marine Team Trail which opens its 2011 season Saturday on Smith Mountain Lake. “I talked to a a guy on the lake today and he said there was a fisherman around every corner on the lake getting ready for the tournament.”
In fact the fishermen are so eager to get going that entries are running far ahead of previous tournaments.
“The previous record for pre-registrations for a tournament was 80,” said Lucas Thursday morning. “We are at 115 this morning and expecting five or six more today. That means we are already over 120 pre-registered and that is not counting the guys who wait until the last minute to be in a late flight so they can get the afternoon bite.”
Lucas said on the tournament website that he will start registration the morning of the tournament at 5 a.m. And continue until 6:45 a.m. when he will get the tournament started.
“If you are not registered by then I will blast the late arrivals off after everybody else, so come on time,” he said.
The entry fee per tournament is $100, with an optional $20 Big Fish pot. Payback will be to one in every five boats registered, with $2,000 guaranteed for first place with at least 70 boats entered.
Anglers must fish four of the six scheduled tournametns to qualify for the championship. First place in the classic will win a new Ranger Z118 bass boat with a Mercury Opti Max motor and trailer.
Always a very popular tournament, this year Lucas said more new sponsors have come on board and there is plenty of bonus money to be paid out. The series is Triton Gold registered which means this year that a winner in the right Triton package can take home an extra $7,000. Anglers can also win with the Ranger Cup program and the Stratos 2X program.
And, while the bass in some lakes across the South are still languishing in a winter pattern following the long, cold winter, the bass in Smith Mountain Lake are biting, Lucas said.
“The guys I've been talking with who are catching fish say it's taking 20 to 25 pounds for five fish to win. A lot of people are saying it will take 20 pounds for five fish to get a check, so I think you are going to see a couple of big bags weighed in this week.”
While water temperatures are still in the 40s, a warm rain earlier this week has moved things along, Lucas said.
“There are some fish being taken in 2 to 3 feet of water on a crankbait. There are jerkbait fish in 10 to 12 feet of water and guys are still spooning heavy bags in 25 to 30 feet of water off the ends of points. I've even heard of a spinnerbait bite on some wind-blown points, too.,” Lucas said.
“With that many boats and that many teams, there will be some who will catch fish on a jig or a Shakey Head, but I think the tournament will be won on a jerkbait and a spoon.”
The main thing, he said, is that anglers will probably be able to catch fish just about however they want to fish.
Anglers Choice Marine Team Trail
Lake: Smith Mountain Lake
Landing: Parkway Marina
Date: Sat, Mar. 5, 2011
Call Chris Lucas 276-358-0844
www.anglerschoicemarine.com/TournamentTrail
Shallow Bite The Key For Berry's Team Trail Tournament On Lake Oconee
Brad Sears would love to be fishing the Berry's Team Tournament on Lake Oconee Saturday, but a father sometimes just has to give up some of the things he likes to do when his children are growing up and getting involved in sports and other activities.
“I'm fishing the (B.A.S.S. Southern) Opens this year and I'm gone so much for that,” said Sears who fishes Oconee a lot and is a Berry's Trail veteran. “My son is having a track meet Saturday so that is where I will be instead.”
But, if he could make the tournament, he knows just how he would fish it.
“The water is warming up. It's come up 10 to 15 degrees depending on where you are on the lake. It's gone from the low 40s to the mid 50s and in some areas probably up in the 60-degree range. The most stable water in the lake is probably in the area from Sugar Creek down to Lick Creek.”
That should have the fish in pre-spawn, he said, with another wave getting ready to go into pre-spawn and some behind them that are still out deeper and lethargic.
“Oconee is a shallow bite lake year round. The winning sack is probably going to come from flipping docks, throwing shallow-running crankbaits and shallow-running spinnerbaits.,” he said.
“For the pre-spawn fish I'd be fishing the back of Sugar Creek or Lick Creek,” Sears said. “Those fish stay shallow back there all year. In Sugar Creek I'd start out in the morning throwing a shallow-running crankbait or spinnerbait over some sandy bottoms. If I moved down to Lick Creek to rocks and wood, such as blowdowns.”
Since Oconee is noted as a “muddy water” lake, color is very important in lure selection, he said.
“I'd either throw a white and chartreuse or a blue shimmer shad spinnerbait. My spinnerbait choice would be a 3/8-ounce Buzzerbait with a Colorado/willow leaf combo or a double willow leaf combo,” he said. “If I was throwing a crankbait, I'd throw a SPRO Little John in black and chartreuse.”
If the sun comes out with bluebird skies, he said, he would be skipping under the docks with either a jig or a watermelon red fluke rigged weightless.
“The jig would be black and blue with a green pumpkin Zoom Speed Craw dipped in JJ's Magic chartreuse on the claws. That's the best kept secret in bass fishing.”
Or he'd bang a crankbait off the dock posts, he said.
“The key to fishing the docks is to find which post they are holding on, those closer in or the ones out towards deeper water,” he said.
Sears said the fish still out in the deeper water can be caught too.
“Don't be afraid to pull out and fish the ledges with a Carolina rig.”
Family comes first, but Sears admittedly would really love to fish the Berry's Trail this year if he could.
“It's a well run tournament. They are real sticklers on rules and safety and they keep everyone true and it shows because of the number of fishermen it draws. It attracts so many because of the paybacks, one in every six. I fished a tournament at Sinclair and finished 16th – and got a check.”
Because of the payback and the way the tournaments are run the family run trail is probably the biggest trail in the state of Georgia, Sears said.
“I fished the trail last year and in one tournament we had 155 boats,” he noted.
The current schedule began in December, with tournaments in January and February and five more counting this Saturday before the two-day Classic on the two lakes June 4-5. The first two events drew 119 and 124 boats and there were 84 in the February tournament.
“They average 85 to 130 boats a tournament and it should really pick up now that hunting season is over,” Sears said.
Teams have to fish five of the eight tournaments on the schedule to qualify for the classic in June.
Sears predicted it will take at least 17 to 18 pounds to win Saturday's tournament – and even that may not be enough.
“There are a couple of people who have fished that lake for years who may come in with a 20-pound-plus sack,” he said.
Berry's Team Tournament Trail
Lake: Lake Oconee
Landing: Sugar Creek Marina
Date: Sat, Mar. 5, 2011