Crankbaits on shallow rocks the key on Weiss for AFT Alabama East Central tournament
It took 23 pounds to win a buddy tournament on Weiss Lake weekend before last and Doug Orazine expects it will take close to that weight to win the Ram American Fishing Tour Alabama East Central tournament on the lake this Saturday.
“That 23 pounds was first and 21 pounds was second. Fishing is really good right now and with the weather the way it is it should still be good Saturday,” said Orazine, tournament director for the East Central Division, noting that temperatures are in the 70s in the Birmingham area. “It’s supposed to cool off, but stay dry all week. It will be a little cooler but we don’t look for any bad weather for the weekend.”
Orazine said the bass are being caught off shallow rock on square-billed and flat-type crankbaits.
“That’s pretty much how you catch them there in the winter. They are also biting a jig, but that’s on the rocks, too. In our last tournament I caught a 4.6-pound spot on the rocks on a crankbait.”
The series is held on Lakes Weiss and Neely Henry, he noted, and there are 12 to 15 regulars who show up for every tournament.
“We have a good group of guys who fish about every tournament with us and then we have some other guys who show up occasionally,” he said.
After two tournaments on Neely Henry and one on Weiss, which was held out of the Highway 9 Ramp, the series moves back to Weiss Saturday out of Little River Marina for the rest of the season, then will return to Neely Henry Jan. 23. The rest of the schedule includes: Feb. 13, Weiss; March 12, Neely Henry, out of Coosa Landing for all tournaments this season; and then a three-tournament stretch, all on Weiss – April 16, May 28 and June 4; followed by the two-day fish-off July 16-17 on Neely Henry/Weiss, out of Coosa Landing/Little River Marina.
Entry fee for the tournaments is $70, with $5 for Big Fish. Anglers can register at DrawTrail.com or at the ramp the morning of the tournament.
The top 500 Ram American Fishing Tour anglers in national points standings for the 2016 season will be invited to fish the 2016 Ram American Fishing Tour National Championship at Lake Eufaula in Eufaula, AL on October 16-21.
Ram American Fishing Tour – Alabama East Central
Sat, Dec 19, 2015
Weiss Lake
Little River Marina
Call Doug Orazine at (205) 910-6694
http://www.americanbassanglers.com/districts2016.php?Division=88
