“Long-lining” or “strolling,” a new fishing technique that seems to have displaced the Alabama Rig for controversy, is expected to dominate fishing in the Tom’s Marine Team Trail Tournament Saturday after local anglers on Douglas Lake “got schooled” on it by the BASS Elite Series Anglers in the Douglas Lake Challenge last month.

“The Elite Series pros taught a lot of the fishermen on Douglas Lake about long-lining which allows them to work big crankbaits down in 30 to 40 feet of water,” said Tom’s Marine Tournament Director Richard McMaster. “A lot of big stringers have been showing up on Douglas Lake since that Elite Series tournament. They are still catching fish on Carolina Rigs, but those pros really showed these local guys a bunch.”

In that Elite Series tournament May 3-6, eventual winner Jeremy Starks of Scott Depot, W.Va., employed the long-lining technique to land a four-day total of 81 pounds, 2 ounces, of bass to win by 2 pounds, 1 ounce over Britt Myers of Lake Wylie, S.C. Myers was also using the long-line technique to catch his bass.

While Starks was targeting schools of bass relating to a deep hump at the end of a long point, Myers was after big, single bass he located on his electronics.

The long-lining technique, which has been compared to trolling, is very simple, McMaster said.

“You can only cast a crankbait so far. You get on one side of a point, cast behind the boat, then free spool the line across the point, using the trolling motor or even the big motor to get it out, until the spool is almost empty. Then, when you reel in 300 yards of line, the crankbait will dig down deep.”

The key is to speed reel, cranking the reel as hard as you can.

“Crankbaits that normally run about 17 feet deep will get down to 35-38 feet deep when you long-line,” McMaster said. “so, instead of making 200 casts a day, you might only make 50 to 80 cast because it takes to long to reel it back in.”

The controversy arises because most tournament rules do not allow lures to be moved by the pull of a boat’s motor. But, since there is tension on the line as the boat moves, some anglers believe the lure moves even before the cranking begins.

Among the average fishermen, McMaster said, it is about as controversial as the Alabama Rig. And, he noted, at the halfway point in the season there is not much that can be done about it as far as the rules go.

Whatever technique the anglers use, McMaster said he expects between 100 and 130 boats for Saturday’s tournament and a lot of limits should be weighed in.

“We are hoping the air temperature will stay down a little bit. The humidity has been terrible. They are calling for decent temperatures in the mid-80s, but if the humidity stays up it could be miserable fishing, especially if the sun comes up.”

David Mullins and Brent Hoskins, who won the Tom’s Marine Championship in 20122, lead the points going into Saturday’s tournament, more than 8 pounds ahead of the second place team.

“They have been fishing out of the boat they won last year and they just picked up this year where they left off last year,” McMaster said. The winners of the championship this year will take home a new Ranger Z119 bass boat to fish out of next season, he said.

“I’s like to give a special thanks to Tom’s Marine and Ranger Boats,” McMaster said. He also noted that the series has most contingency programs, including Triton Gold, the Ranger Cup and Stratos 2X, plus the Tom’s Marine, Watson Marine and Bunch Marine $500 bonus program.

There is also a new incentive this year from Ramey Ford. If you own a 2007 or newer truck that you bought new from Ramey Ford and you win one of the 2012 regular season Tom’s Team Trail tournaments you’ll receive an additional $500 from Ramey Ford.

The series will take a break for the summer and resume Sept. 15 on Cherokee Lake, with the Classic October 27-28, Day 1 on Cherokee Lake and Day 2 on Douglas Lake. Entry fee is $100 plus a $10 lunker fee for all one-day tournaments.

 

Tom’s Marine Team Trail

Sat, Jun 16, 2012

Douglas Lake

Shady Grove Access

Call Richard McMaster 423-748-3240

www.tomstrail.50webs.com