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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Watson’s Marine Triton Boats Open Tournament

Sat, Jul 23, 2011

South Holston Lake

Observation Knob Park

Call Aaron Greene 423-538-5332

www.watsonsmarine.com