Browning Excited To Be River Fishing For Second Bassmaster Central Open Tournament
Stephen Browning is tickled to death that two out of three Bassmaster Central Opens this year are behind held on rivers. He has won one Central Open river tournament already and is looking forward to the second one this week on the Arkansas River.
“I’m excited about it,” the Hot Springs, Ark., pro said. “Any time I can go to a river, any river, and fish a tournament, I have a lot more confidence than when I am fishing those big impoundments. I feel right at home on the river.”
Although his Elite Series production has left much to be desired this year, Browning is already assured a berth in the 2014 Bassmaster Classic at Lake Guntersville next February, his ninth appearance in the traditional bass fishing championship.
Having won the first 2013 Bass pro Shops Central Open Tournament in April on the Red River, Browning leads the Central Open points race. Now he only needs to participate in the Arkansas River tournament this week and the final Central Open of the year in October on Ross Barnett Reservoir in Mississippi to assure his Classic invitation. Open tournament winners are invited to fish the Classic, but they have to fish all three Opens in their division.
“I don’t even have to check in but I do have to check out the next couple of days, so I am definitely going to be there,” he said.
“I did not have the best Elite Series of my career this year, but I’ve done pretty well in a couple of these Opens, so they are kind of my life blood right now,” Browning said. “They kind of make up for a bad year in the Elites, but I can’t complain. I still have a host of good sponsors and I’m still able to run u p and down the highways chasing these fish.”
Although he finished 82nd in the Elite Series Angler of the Year points race this year, in 19 years as a B.A.S.S. pro Browning has 27 top 10 finishes, including two first places, and has won just under $1 million in prize money.
He has done well on the Arkansas River in the past, too. He finished third in the Central Open tournament on the Arkansas in 2011.
Fishing this week will be typical Arkansas river muddy water fishing, Browning said.
“Most of the time with river fishing it’s shallow water fishing and most of the fish I have found are in the shallow backwater areas, so I think it will be won there.”
The fish likely will be relating to wood, grass or rock and the key to success will be figuring out each day which type of structure to concentrate on, he said.
“I’ve caught fish in all three kinds of cover, so it’s going to be one of those deals where if you can figure out whether the grass bite is on, the wood cover bite is on or the rock bite is on, the quicker you can do that in the morning the better off you will be,” he said.
Bassmaster Central Open
Sep 19-21, 2013
Arkansas River
