The Airport Marine tournament on Lay Lake July 27 is going to be a hunt and seek exercise. Whoever finds the fish likely will weigh in a solid sack of bass, but those who hunt unsuccessfully might come in with empty live wells.

“We had our Solo tournament down there July 17 and it took 18 1/2 pounds to win, while it took 16 pounds just to get a check,” said tournament director Flynn Gerald. “But of all the boats in that field only about 10 weighed in. The weather is hot and the fish are not where everybody thought they would be.”

Gerald said the winning weight was caught shallow, but the fish brought to the scales were caught both shallow and deep. The problem was finding the fish.

“The winning stringer came out of the grass and an 18-pound stringer came off the deep ledges You just had to zero in on where the fish were.”

Gerald explained that the water has warmed up considerably and a lot of fish have moved out to the deep ledges, but all the rain has created a lot of current in the lake which has positioned the fish in fewer places.

“Most of the places where they had been catching fish off the ledges are not doing nay good because the water is moving so hard, but if you can find out where they are stacked up you can do pretty good.”

On the other hand, the largemouth bass that have stayed shallow have moved just inside the pockets, right out of the current, he said, and have been hard to pinpoint.

“There were about four or five super shallow water fishermen who did not even weigh in. But the ones who found the fish did good.”

Gerald said he is looking for a very good entry next Saturday, in the neighborhood of 70 to 80 boats. And most of those will be top caliber anglers, he added.

“If you do well in one of our tournaments you have really done something,” he said. First place in the July 27 tournament will pay $3,000, which is guaranteed. And, if someone is fishing in a boat from Airport Marine and meets other bonus program requirements, the least they could win would be more than $13,000.

“If you are fishing out of a boat bought from Airport Marine we will double that $3,000 to $6,000. If you are in a Triton from Airport they will give you an additional $7,000. Then if you have an Evinrude they will add $5,000, which brings it to $18,000. If the winner is an adult-child or couples team, they get another $1,000. And if you are pulling your boat with a truck from Gilmore Ford they will give you another $5,000.”

Airport Marine Tournament Trail

Sat, Jul 27, 2013

Lay Lake

Paradise Point Marina & RV Resort

Call Flynn Gerald 205-678-9666

www.airportmarinetrails.com