Kizziahs Hope The Frog Is The Charm In Chattanooga Bass Association Classic On Chickamauga
There is something special about a father and son who spend time together doing something they both like and when Tom Kizziah III and his dad, Tom Kizziah Jr., fish the Chattanooga Bass Association Classic on Lake Chickamauga this weekend it will mark more than two decades they have teamed up to compete in tournaments.
“We have done it so long that it’s not one of those things where we bump heads,” said Tom III. “We are so used to fishing together we complement each other. If I have a bad day I know he is going to catch them and if he is not catching them he knows I will.”
The Kizziahs, from Chickamauga, Ga., have basically fished the same patterns on Lake Chickamauga over the years with just slight variations.
“Years ago we threw spinnerbaits on the hydrilla mats. Now that the mats have got bigger we throw a frog around the grass. We fish the same way we have over the years. We also throw a spinnerbait, a chatterbait and sometimes a Spook,” Kizziah III said. “That’s what we have always done from the end of September though October and November.”
The rains, however, could affect the frog bite this weekend, he said.
“We had a bunch of rain and the lake was dropped. They started to bring it down to winter pool. You never know what the weather is going to do. I thought we were going to get lucky, but it started raining again and now it’s supposed to rain Thursday,” he said.
Kizziah III said he had a good day of practice on the lake Saturday, landing about 21 pounds in just four hours of fishing, but he does not know if that fishing will hold up in the Classic.
“I think the fishing is going to be tough with these fronts coming through. It’s going to hurt the guys like us who frog fish.”
If the fish bite as good this weekend as they did last weekend, Kizziah III said it could take 42 to 45 pounds for two days to win the $10,000 first prize.
“But this is the same weather pattern we had last year. It took 13 pounds a day to get a check and 31 pounds to win it,” he said. “Wednesday is the last day to practice before the lake goes off limits for Thursday and Friday. I’m going to try to go Wednesday and maybe find something to add to what I found last weekend.”
Up to 70 boat are expected to fish in the Classic which is now called the Tow Boat U.S. Classic Championship. The field will include the top 50 in points who will pay only the $20 big fish fee. Also fishing for just the $20 big fish fee are the highest finishing Youth and Senior teams outside the top 50, plus teams that fished all seven tournaments and won at least one of them. Other teams that fished all seven tournaments without a first place can also fish by paying the full $240 entry fee, $120 for Youth teams, and $180 for College and Senior Division teams.
Kizziah III and Kizziah Jr. finished 22nd in the standings.
“Overall, we had a decent year,” Kizziah III said. “We were pretty consistent all year. We caught a five-fish limit every time.”
Chattanooga Bass Association Classic
Nov 7-8, 2015
Chickamauga Lake
Chester Frost Park
Call 423-593-3343
