Central Pro-Am Titlist
September 23-25, 2005
Table Rock Lake, MO
5th
$2,000.00
The first day of the tournament started out great! I had a twelve pound limit of Kentucky and smallmouth bass. The fish were taken on a drop shot rig. I was working the drop shot rig on a long, gravel point in 35-40 feet of water with a YUM Houdini Worm in green pumpkin. I caught five keepers in about an hour and proceeded to move up the river to try and catch a few quality largemouth. My first stop was on a long, rocky point where I worked a Carolina rig with a ¾ oz., Excalibur TG Barrel Weight with a three foot leader and an Excalibur, 3/0, TX3 Point Worm Hook. I was throwing a YUM, watermelon candy, Rib Fry. This produced one nice largemouth over four pounds. I continued on up the river throwing a shallow running crankbait, like the Big “O” in smokey Joe. I worked the bait fast along channel swing rocks and shallow laydowns. This produced three more nice keeper largemouths. I finished the day with a limit weighing 15.5 pounds.
Due to the format of the event our weights went to zero on the final day. This made me decide to stay around the dam area and drop shot, hoping to catch enough fish to make it to the top ten and fish on the final day. I managed to catch eight keepers drop shotting my YUM, green pumpkin Houdini Worm in 25-35 feet along gravel points. I finished the day with five fish weighing over eleven pounds. This put me in first place with over twenty-six pounds. The final day was windy and cloudy, so I tried to catch a few fish in clear water burning a ½ oz. BOOYAH Blade. I tried this for several hours without a bite as I continued to work my way up the river. I then tried the Carolina rig spot that had produced the four pound largemouth, but I was only able to catch short fish. I decided to throw a Zara Spook for the remainder of the day, which produced six bites of good, quality largemouth. I was only able to land three of the fish. I finished the day with just under ten pounds and fell to fifth place.
Top Gun Shoot-Out Tournament
August 10-14, 2005
Eagle Mountain Lake, TX
8th
$5,000.00
I want to begin by thanking everyone at BassFan and the sponsors of the event. For the inaugural Top Gun Shoot-Out they did a first-class job throughout the entire event. The weigh-ins were very entertaining with Fish Fishburn as the MC. I spent most of my time fishing shallow around the numerous boat docks and also some of the laydowns. The first day I caught a few nice fish while flipping boat docks in 2-5 feet of water using a 5/16 oz. Boo Bug in PB&J with a green pumpkin trailer. I also worked some of the docks with a YUM Ribbontail Worm in red shad and tequila sunrise.
The first day of the competition I started out flipping shallow laydowns in two feet of water, or less, using a YUM Mega Tube in green pumpkin and dying the tails chartreuse. I caught a limit of fish weighing over eight pounds, but I was unable to get a three or four pound bite. The second day was better, because I caught a limit of fish around the shallow laydowns and boat docks that weighed just over nine pounds. I did lose one quality fish and caught another keeper on the red shad worm. The final day of the event started out with a nice fish on the new Zell Pop and two other fish were caught fishing shallow wood with a YUM Mega Tube. I then moved down the lake to finish out the day fishing boat docks with a Texas rigged tequila sunrise worm. This produced two more keeper bites, but I only managed to get one in the boat. I finished the event with just over twenty-six pounds putting me in eighth place. It was a lot of fun being able to fish up shallow, after my poor performance at the Classic.
BassMaster Classic
July 25-31, 2005
Three Rivers, Pittsburgh, PA
42nd
$7,000.00
During our only day of practice I went down the Ohio River, where I had caught a few larger fish during our pre-practice. I worked the tail water areas below two of the locks and caught a nice 1 ½ pound fish on a shallow Bomber 4A, in a fire tiger pattern, along some rock rip-rap. I then proceeded to work several of the areas with the new Zell Pop catching only one small fish. I tried several different tactics, like flipping a YUM Mega Tube in green pumpkin along boat docks and shallow laydowns. This tube produced a few small fish, so I decided to move out a little deeper and try several of the rock piles below the lock. This area did not produce any fish at all, which left me with the decision on where to go during the first day of competition.
The first day of the tournament I decided not to lock and fish some of the areas that had produced more keepers for me during my pre-fishing. I caught at least fifteen or twenty short, smallmouth bass. Most of the fish were taken on rock and bridge pile-ons in 3-10 feet of water using an 1/8 oz. leadhead with a YUM, green pumpkin, Houdini Worm. I finished the day without catching a keeper, so I wasn’t off to a good start! The second day started out quick with a fish that was so close to being a keeper that I put him in the livewell. I proceeded to run the same pattern with the 1/8 oz. worm rig, but by 11 o’clock I was only catching lots of small fish. I decided to lock up and fish some new water and targeted patches of isolated grass. I tried a jerkbait and worked a Texas rigged YUM, Mega Tube along the grass. This change produced a nice flathead catfish and a few more small bass. Before weighing in I checked the fish that I had put in the livewell, and I decided it was too close for comfort and released it back into the water. It was a very disappointing finish to an otherwise great year.
B.A.S.S. Elite 50
June 12-June 18, 2005
Lake Wissota, WI
21st
$5,200.00
Fishing on Lake Wissota was a challenge. I was able to catch a fair amount of small fish, but catching keepers was more of a chore. During practice I tried a Carolina rig, Rogue, and Bomber 6A working them in 4-8 feet of water with scattered grass. I was only able to catch a few keepers a day during practice, and most came on shallow boat docks with a green pumpkin, 4 inch, YUM Mega Tube. During the competition I mainly focused on using the tube flipping shallow boat docks both days. This produced three keeper smallmouth, and I finished the event in 21st place.
B.A.S.S. Elite 50
May 29-June 4, 2005
Lewisville Lake, TX
2nd
$22,000.00
Most of the practice days were sunny with highs in the mid-upper 80s. There were occasional afternoon clouds and some rain. The water temperature was 76 degrees and stained with 1-2 feet of visibility. The first day of practice I caught most of my fish in 4-8 feet of water. I was able to target stumps and dead willow trees with a Texas rigged worm. I used a ¼ oz., Excalibur TG Weight and a YUM, 10 inch, ribbontail worm in tequila sunrise with green flake. I also caught fish on the same type of structure slow rolling a ½ oz., BOOYAH Blade in white and chartreuse with double willow leaf blades. I was using 14 pound, SilverThread, Fluorocarbon Line on the worm and 17 pound green, SilverThread Line on the spinnerbait. This produced five or six keepers with the biggest fish being a little over 2 ½ pounds. The next two days of practice I spent my time trying to find a Carolina rig and crankbait bite. I was unable to catch any fish at all Carolina rigging long, tapering points. I did manage to catch one 5 ½ pound bass on a Bomber 7A in citrus color and was also able to establish a pattern on docks working a 3/8 oz. BOOYAH jig in brown spice with a YUM, 4 inch, Muy Twintail Grub in pumpkin pepper with green flake.
During the first two days of competition I was able to catch fish on the 10 inch worm and crankbait in isolated patches of timber in 4-6 feet of water. I was able to qualify for the Top 12 with just over 24 pounds. During the first day of the Top 12 I was able to catch a nice fish weighing 4 pounds on the jig in 4 feet of water underneath a boat dock. The rest of my keepers came cranking a shallow, square lipped crankbait like the Bomber Square A in a shad pattern throwing it to isolated timber in 4-6 feet of water. This put me into second place going into the Top 6, and I was confident with my crankbait pattern. Unfortunately the last day of the tournament the wind blew 20-30 mph, and all I was able to catch out of the docks and timber were small fish. I managed to catch two keepers flipping a black neon, YUM, 4 inch Mega Tube to shallow stumps. These two keepers allowed me to maintain my second place, but I was just one shy of my first victory.
B.A.S.S. Elite 50
May 18-21, 2005
Lake Dardanelle, AR
36th
$5,100.00
Lake Dardanelle has always been a hit or miss lake for me, and this week it was a miss! The river was in good condition with normal water levels and water color was good throughout the river. The water temperature ranged from 73-78 degrees. Most of the fish were finished spawning and had started moving into their summer pattern. The first day I stayed shallow fishing grass, stumps, and laydowns from Piney Creek up to Spadra Creek. I was able to catch a few keepers out of the grass flipping a black neon, YUM Mega Tube with an Excalibur, 3/16 TG Weight and a TX3 Point, 3/0 Worm Hook. I also caught several short fish in the grass. I tried a 3/8 oz. BOOYAH Blade in white and chartreuse along stumps and laydowns in the back of Little Spadra Creek. The spinnerbait produced three short fish. The next two days of practice I spent looking for fish in Dardanelle Bay, Delaware, and Shoal Creek fishing underwater ledges, roadbeds, and points in 5-15 feet of water. During this time I threw a fat free shad, Bomber 7A, a Carolina rig, and a Texas rigged Ribbontail Worm. These areas produced a few keepers and several short fish, but I was unable to establish a pattern.
Each morning of the tournament I started off fishing shallow in the back of creeks pitching the black neon, YUM Mega Tube to isolated patches of grass, stumps, and laydowns in 1-2 feet of water. This produced one keeper the first day and two the second day, and I lost a 4-5 pounder on the second day out of the grass. After this I switched to the Carolina rig and the Texas rigged, tequila sunrise, YUM Ribbontail Worm. The first day the Texas rigged worm produced three more keepers working the bait slowly in 4-10 feet of water along rocky points next to the bridge in Piney Creek. I lost one nice keeper the first day, which would have given me a limit. I worked my Carolina rig on underwater roadbeds and humps, but this technique only produced short fish for me. I finished the event with six keepers weighing just over fourteen pounds. Many of the anglers caught their fish on the second day on baits like the Pop-R and Junior Super Spook.
B.A.S.S. Elite 50
April 17-23, 2005
Smith Lake, AL
41th
$5,000.00
The first day of practice I fished up the river targeting bass in the flooded buckbrush. I tried working a Houdini shad in and around the brush with only small fish being caught. I decided to work some of the brush with a YUM Mega Tube without any success. I then moved out on several main lake and secondary points, and I was able to catch several small fish split shotting a green pumpkin Notta Worm. I still had not caught a fish over sixteen inches. I decided to head back down the lake and target pockets off of the main lake. I caught a few keepers working a white Houdini shad around boat docks. The second day was much better as I found a few bedding bass and caught several nice keepers working the Houdini shad and a five inch, watermelon, YUM Dinger around boat docks in the back of pockets. The final day of practice I spent most of my time fishing a Carolina rig and a jighead worm on points in 5-15 feet of water. This produced one keeper and several other short fish.
During the first day of competition I made my way back up Ryan Creek to work the Houdini shad a YUM Dinger around boat docks. This produced four keeper bites, but I had two that pulled off and got away while the other buried itself into some buckbrush and pulled free. I finished the first day with only one keeper. So the second day I made some adjustments and concentrated on the main lake area fishing flatter points with larger rock. I worked these areas with an 1/8 oz., Spot Remover Head and a 4 ¾ inch, YUM Houdini Worm in green pumpkin. It was like turning on a light switch. The first point produced three keeper Kentucky bass and the next point produced three more. I finished the day catching a total of ten keepers. Boy, what I would have given for those fish on the first day!
B.A.S.S. Tour
March 28-April 3, 2005
Table Rock, MO
109th
$0.00
The first day of practice was sunny and calm, and the fishing was pretty slow. I had a few bites dragging and swimming a ½ oz., BOOYAH Football Jig with a YUM, green pumpkin twin tail. As the sun got higher I tried swimming a YUM, smoke grub along pea gravel banks and bluffends. As the wind began to pick up I started cranking larger rock with a stream, craw bug, Wiggle ‘O’. This produced two nice keepers and several short fish. The second day of practice I spent working the upper White River with the Wiggle ‘O’ crankbait and a Smithwick rogue. In this area I caught several short fish, but I didn’t catch a keeper. The final day of practice was very windy, with gusts up to 50 m.p.h. In the morning I worked a 5/16 oz. Boo Bug along chunk rock banks and had four fish. I then switched to working a rogue around cedar trees inside pockets. This pattern produced several nice 3 ½ to 4 pound fish. This made me decide that I would fish a rogue for most of the tournament.
The first day of the tournament I spent most of the day fishing the rogue in main lake pockets with cedar trees. This only produced one nice 4.7 pound spotted bass. The second day of the tournament I worked the rogue on gravel points with pole timber without much success. I caught just a few short fish doing this. As the wind picked up I began throwing the stream, craw bug, Wiggle ‘O’ along secondary points. This produced my only keeper of the day.
B.A.S.S. Tour
March 14-20, 2005
Lake Norman, NC
26th
$4,100.00
The first day at Lake Norman was cloudy with rain in the morning. During the past week the highs had been in the middle to low 70’s. Today it was much colder, with the high only reaching 53 degrees and an east wind at 5-10 m.p.h. Most of the lake was clear to stained with 2½ to 3 feet visibility. On the first practice day I concentrated on the Highway 50 bridge to Bill’s Marina. Most of the fish were taken on a brown crawfish Grappler shad and a Wiggle ‘O’ in string craw bug. I worked steeper banks going into pockets in major creeks. Most of the bites occurred in 4-6 feet of water as the crankbait bounced along the rocks. One fish was taken on a black and blue Boo Bug along the edge of a dock and another nice keeper was taken on a rogue off of a main lake point. Later in the day I tried Carolina rigging several secondary and main lake points in 8-15 feet of water. This only produced a few small fish. Day two was sunny but cold, with highs in the upper 40’s and calm winds. Since the conditions had changed I used a 3/16 oz. Spot Remover head on eight pound, SilverThread Line with a 4 ½ inch, green pumpkin, YUM Houdini Worm along rocky banks in 4-10 feet of water. This produced three keepers over 2 ½ pounds and several other bites. I then moved down the lake targeting boat docks with a 5/16 oz. Boo Bug in PB&J. This produced several nice keepers working the shady sides of shallow docks. The last day of practice was cloudy and cold, and I was unable to catch any fish on a crankbait. I did find a couple of other docks that produced nice keepers on the jig.
The first day of the event I headed up to the 150 bridge area and concentrated on rocky banks using the green pumpkin finesse worm. This produced five keepers by about eleven o’clock. I then ran back down the lake to work my jig around boat docks. This move paid off with larger keepers, and I improved my limit to 13.12 pounds leaving me in ninth place after day one. The second day was sunny and calm, and the finesse worm only produced one keeper, which was small. About noon I moved down the lake and began pitching the 5/16 oz. Boo Bug to shallow docks. This produced three more keepers and one other fish that I broke off. With only having four fish I fell to twenty-sixth place for the tournament.
B.A.S.S. Tour
February 28-March 6, 2005
Clark Hill
39th
$2,700.00
Day one of practice I fished the main lake area from Howell Branch up to Parksville. It was cloudy most of the day with a slight 5-10 m.p.h. wind. The water was clear and ranged from 48-50 degrees. I started working main lake points with a Smithwick Rogue in chrome blue and casting a Wiggle ‘O’ in stream craw bug along main lake and secondary points. I worked a large number of points without any success, so I moved further back into the pockets. This is where I caught my first keeper off of a dock in 11 feet of water. I was throwing a 5/16 oz. Boo Bug in PB&J. I then proceeded to fish many more docks without any luck. I moved back out to the main lake points and fished a YUM Notta Worm in 8-20 feet trying to find some staging fish. I still didn’t get a bite. With the slow first day I decided to try the little river area for the second day. I was looking for water with more color. During the day I was able to catch one fish around five pounds and another that was six pounds. I also got several other bites pitching a YUM Mega Tube in black neon rigged Texas style with a ¼ oz., Excalibur, TG Weight and a 4/0, TX3 Point Hook. Most of the fish were on the ends of laydowns in 6-8 feet of water. This pattern produced 7-10 bites throughout the day. I also worked a black neon, YUM Sooie, Carolina rigged along the points going into the small pockets off of the main river. This produced a couple of three pound fish and four to five other bites. The final day of practice I just continued this same pattern working further up the river.
The first day of the event I started out in a pocket where I had caught a five pounder off of a laydown during practice. While working toward the laydown I started throwing a Bomber, Suspending Pro Long A in TPP. This bait produced two nice keepers over two pounds and another twelve inch keeper. I then moved around some flipping laydowns with no success. I decided to pick up my Carolina rig and started working the main lake points. This produced the remainder of my keepers. I finished the day with 10 lbs. 11 ozs. and was in 49th place. Day two of the tournament started out slow with only one small keeper on the Bomber Long A. I then went straight to rigging, which produced a nice two pound fish and one over three pounds. I finished out my limit with the Carolina rig by 10:30 and flipped laydowns for the rest of the day. I caught one keeper off of the laydowns and several other small fish. I finished the day with 8 lbs. 15 ozs. and moved up to 39th place.
B.A.S.S. Tour
February 21-Februrary 27, 2005
Lake Guntersville
60th
$1,925.00
The first day of practice started off with clouds and heavy fog in the morning. The lows were mid to upper thirties with the high reaching into the low fifties. The water temperature ranged from 47-50 degrees, and most of the lake was clear to stained in color. During the first day of practice I targeted the lower end of the lake fishing main lake points, humps, and ditches in 3-8 feet of water with scattered grass. The grass this year was definitely different than last year. Good grass was very hard to find, and many areas that had had grass didn’t have any grass at all. My partner and I caught a few nice 4 ½ pound fish working a ½ oz. Super Spot in gold and black, Rayburn red, and lavender shad. I was casting the Super Spot on a seven foot, St. Croix, glass, crankbait rod with an Ardent XS Reel spooled with seventeen pound, SilverThread, fluorocarbon line. Most of the bites occurred while working the Super Spot slowly across the tops of the grass in 4-8 feet of water. We also tried working a Smithwick Rogue around the bridge rip-rap and on points. We didn’t have any luck using the rogue. The second day of practice we worked up the river fishing similar humps and ditches along the east shoreline. I managed to only catch four keepers on the Rayburn red Super Spot. I did catch a nice keeper on a ½ oz., BOOYAH Spinnerbait that was white with double willow leaf blades and one on a YUM Dinger. This was a slow day, but I did learn that the fish seemed to be relating to steeper banks that had scattered grass in 4-6 feet. The final day of practice we fished the Goose Pond area. Here we tried cranking some Bomber 6 & 7 A’s along points and drops in 4-8 feet of water. I couldn’t find much grass in this area, and I wasn’t able to get any bites on the Bombers. My partner did catch two keepers fishing a rogue over some shallow grass.
The first day of the tournament started out just like I enjoy, with clouds and wind. I made my way south to the area where we had caught most of our fish the first day of practice. This area produced a nice limit for me, and my amateur partner caught two. All of the fish were caught using a gold and black Super Spot or the lavender shad Super Spot. I caught three more keepers on the gold Super Spot just moving around and fishing points with grass. After day one I had just over fifteen pounds, and I was feeling good about the second day. The second day of the tournament it was calm and sunny. The fish were more difficult to catch. I returned to my best area in the south. I spent several hours in the morning trying to catch fish here, but I never had a bite. I then moved up the river and fished a couple of steep banks with good grass. This move produced two keepers for myself and two for my amateur. All of the fish were taken on a Rayburn red and gold and black Super Spot. After catching only two fish I fell to sixtieth place, which was very disappointing after the good start.
B.A.S.S. Tour
January 31-February 6
Harris Chain of Lakes
14th
$5,300.00
The Harris Chain of Lakes were at their normal level, and all seemed to be in good condition. The weather was starting to warm up, but it was still a little cool by Florida standards. The water had a little more color with about a foot of visibility. The water temperature ranged from 58-60 degrees with the warmest water in the canals. I spent the first day of practice in Little Lake Harris and Lake Harris flipping and pitching to the edges of Kissimmee grass. I had seven to eight keepers using a 3/16 oz., Excalibur TG Weight with a TX3 Point, 2/0 worm hook. The most productive baits seemed to be a six inch Houdini Worm in sour grape and one in black with blue flake or a five inch YUM Dinger in June bug. I worked the bait slowly allowing it to sit on the bottom for several seconds before allowing it to hop again. I fished the bait on a seven foot, medium heavy, St. Croix Casting Rod with an Ardent XS Reel spooled with twelve pound, SilverThread, Fluorocarbon Line. The next day I spent looking for bedding bass in several of the canals. I found a few spawning bass that would have been easy to catch, but there were quite a few more that seemed to be very spooky. I checked out several areas in Griffin, Little Lake Harris, and Lake Harris. The final day of practice I spent some time on the ninth street canal. This area produced four small keepers on a Texas rigged, Ribbontail Worm. I then fished some more Kissimmee grass in Lake Harris, which produced one six pound fish.
Due to my late flights I decided to forgo the site fishing hoping to catch enough bass around the Kissimmee grass to do well in the event.
The morning started off great! I was able to catch my second fish of the day, and it weighed 8 lbs. 1 oz., on the outside of Kissimmee grass with small patches of eel grass. I only managed to catch four keepers and lost one that would have weighed four to five pounds. I was trying to lip the bass to bring him into the boat, and he jumped out of my hands. I finished the day with 14.5 pounds and was in 16th place.
The second day was windy, so I went with a ? oz. TG Weight and caught seven keepers around the Kissimmee grass. The limit only weighed 12 lbs. 5 ozs., which moved me up to fourteenth place.
B.A.S.S. Tour
January 24-30
Lake Toho
63rd
$1,925.00
The lake level was a little high with lots of water coming from East Lake Toho. A cold front had hit bringing the lows just around freezing with highs in the mid-fifties. The water temperature had dropped several degrees and ranged from 52-56 degrees. The first day of practice had calm winds with sunny skies. The water had a nice stain with 1-3 foot visibility. I started out fishing areas in the north end of Toho, then I moved to Grassy Island, Cypress Island, and Goblets Cove. The day was fairly slow with only five bites all day long. Most of the bites came while flipping heavy vegetation with a one ounce, Excalibur, TG Weight with a TX3 Point, X-Strong, Wide Gap Hook. I was flipping a YUM, June bug, Wooly HawgCraw on a seven foot, six inch, medium heavy, St. Croix Casting Rod with an Ardent XS Reel spooled with twenty pound, SilverThread, Fluorocarbon Line. Most of the bites occurred while flipping thick alligator grass in 3 ? feet of water. The next day of practice I spent fishing some other lakes on the Kissimmee Chain. I tried a Bomber Long A, a BOOYAH Spinnerbait, and Super Spot over open water hydrilla beds and around Kissimmee grass. I only managed to get one keeper bite on a Houdini Worm Texas rigged with a 3/16 oz. weight. The fish was about in 3 ? feet of water in Kissimmee grass. The final day of practice I went back to Lake Toho to try to establish a more off-shore pattern around hydrilla. I tried a Carolina rig, a Super Spot, and a Bomber Long A with no bites the entire day.
Without any success on moving baits I spent the first day of the tournament flipping a June bug Wooly HawgCraw. This produced one nice keeper in the morning, and then I missed a bite around noon. I lost another keeper right at the boat. Only having one keeper I was in 108th place, so I knew I definitely needed to make up some ground. I continued to flip the heavy weight and the YUM, Wooly Hawgcraw, but I moved to different areas. This move produced four nice keepers weighing in at 10 lbs. 14 ozs. and put me in 63rd place. I was very pleased with the outcome of this event because of the slow start on the first day.
