Category Archives: Tournament Fishing

The Actions of A Few High School Anglers and Boat Captains Turned Me Against Youth Fishing Tournaments

    Fishermen have always been mostly nice, polite considerate folks. There have always been the exceptions, but they were fairly rare and were shunned by most. 

Unfortunately, the huge influx of young tournament fishermen due to the popularity of high school tournaments has produced way too many out there that have no concept of courtesy, rules or safety. And its not just the kids, the adults driving the boats are even worse.

    I always supported youth tournaments, starting a youth tournament club through the Flint River Bass Club  and the Spalding County Sportsman Club. The Flint/Spalding Youth Club was successful, winning the state championship twice. But we emphasized courtesy and safety to them.

    My support changed at a Sportsman Club tournament three years ago at Guntersville. That huge lake is very shallow with thousands of acres of grass beds that have narrow boat channels marked through them. Twice in practice I was run out of those channels by adult “boat captains” driving for high school fishermen.

They did not know or care that the law says boats stay to the right when meeting an oncoming boat, just like in a car. If I had not gone out in the grass to my right they would have hit me.

    More madding but less dangerous, the next day in the tournament I was sitting a short cast off a point with a grassbed on it and had just caught a keeper bass. I was about 50 feet from the edge of the grass and the bank was not far behind the grass. The whole creek was behind me, hundreds of acres of open water. Unfortunately, the boat ramp was down the bank about 300 yards from me.

    I heard a boat out in open water past the point toward the main lake and, due to my experience the day before, looked up.  It was a high school team, two kids in their cute little jerseys, with an adult in the same cute little jersey driving the boat.

    They came off plane about 150 yards from me and I thought they were nice, not making a big wake to hit me while I fished. But then I saw how they were idling, headed right between me and the bank. It would have been even closer for them to go behind me to the ramp, but no, they had to mess up my fishing.

    All three kind of raised their hands in a little wave, but when I took out my phone and started videoing them, they all three looked the other way and would not look back. They kept that pose as they idled through the grass I was fishing.

    That was in a 200 boat Alabama Federation Youth tournament. When I got home I contacted the state tournament director about the courtesy and safety issues. His response was basically they were too big and busy to worry about safety and courtesy. And he said 90 percent of his captains were safe.

    So based on his admission, about 20 boats in his tournament were running around dangerously on a crowded lake.  I am afraid you will read more and more about boating “accidents” that are not really accidents.

    Boat ramps produce good examples of folks not knowing what they are doing and not caring they are blocking the ramp for others.  In my club we can launch 10 boats in less than 15 minutes in the morning and load them up in about 20 minutes in the afternoon.

For years we made fun of those that launched a boat just a few times a year, doing stupid stuff at the ramp. You can watch many videos of that kind of thing online.

    But those that are just stupid or mean that block the ramp for a long time while others are waiting to use it are really the problem. Last month at Lanier I saw a good example of this, and again it was an adult with kids “practicing” for an upcoming tournament.

    The adult pulled in, backed down the ramp then he and three kids got out of the truck. They started getting tackle, coolers, snacks and other stuff out of the truck and putting it in the boat.

    Folks with any sense do that in the parking lot, getting the boat ready then quickly launching it. These folks took about 20 minutes getting their boat ready blocking the ramp before finally getting their boat in the water.

    Even after getting the boat tied up to the dock and parking the truck, the adult walked from the boat to the truck twice getting stuff they forgot before they finally left.

    I wish we could bring back courtesy and sense in many things but none more than fishing.

Tough Day Fishing Until I Found One Sweet Spot

Last Sunday at West Point for me was like the Herman’s Hermits song “Henry the Eighth” “Second verse, same as the first” refrain. I ended up almost dead last in the tournament, but at least I did catch a limit.

    In the Spalding County Sportsman Club February tournament at West Point 15 members and guests fished eight hours, from 7:30 AM – 3:30 PM.  We landed 65 keeper bass, mostly spots longer than the minimum 12-inch limit and a few largemouth longer than the 14 inch limit.  There were 13 five fish limits but two fishermen did not weigh in a fish.

    Lee Hancock repeated his win the week before with five weighing 10.88 pounds and had a 4.48 pound largemouth for big fish.  Doug Acree came in second with five weighing 10.65 pounds, Raymond English was third with five weighing 9.45 pounds and Glenn Anderson came back from a zero last week to place fourth with five at 9.45 pounds.

One of the fishermen that zeroed had boat problems, a live well hose leaked and almost sank his boat so he went home. The other zero said he was fishing behind a “vacuum cleaner,” meaning his partner caught all the fish. Reminded me of me last week, but I was in front of the boat!!

    I started out pretty good, landing a good keeper spot before 8:00 AM then caught short fish and another barely keeper spot. I put the small spots in the other livewell. Since there is no size limit on spots they are legal to keep under 12 inches, but club rules require them to be 12 inches long to weigh in.

    Small spots 10 to 12 inches long are easy to filet and are delicious when fried, baked in mustard/parmesan crust or just baked with a little lemon.  I was able to keep five after the tournament, a couple of them just over 12 inches long, since I didn’t weigh them so there was not penalty for not releasing them alive.

    After catching those three early I tried several places Robert caught fish last week but never had a bite. I don’t know if there were no fish there or they just would not bite for me again. Many of the places I wanted to fish had other fishermen already fishing there. At noon I still had the one decent keeper spot and one barely weigh-in size in the boat.

     A little after noon and stopped on a bank where I have caught fish in the past this time of year.  I saw a small stick just above the water, cast a jig to it and got a bite but missed it. I did feel more brush under the water but it was only five feet deep.

    The next two casts to it resulted in two more missed bites. Then I caught six keeper spots, a keeper largemouth and several short spots in the next 20 minutes!  I had put the spot lock down on my boat and the trolling motor keep the boat in one place while I caught nine or ten fish!  All hit a small jig or shaky head worm.

    That was it, in never got another bite. And my weight of 7.21 was good for only 12th place!

Fishing Rather Than Watching The Super Bowl On A Rainy Sunday

    Rain rain go away – and it did just to come another day for the Flint River Bass Club tournament this past Sunday. I camped at Don Carter State Park Wednesday through Monday and had no rain until late Saturday afternoon, although Linda said it rained a good bit here in Griffin.  I guess 100 miles can make a big difference!

    Three members of the club were brave, or dumb, enough to show up on a cold, windy, cold, rainy, cold day.  Did I mention it was cold as well as rainy?  Thank goodness for good rain gear and insulated clothes. My three layers on the bottom, including flannel lined jeans, and seven layers on top, kept me dry and warm enough to fish the eight hours.

    In the tournament we landed four 14-inch keeper spotted bass weighing 7.58 pounds. One person zeroed but he had to leave at 11:00 due to a problem at home.

    My three weighing 5.68 pounds was first and my 2.14 pound spot was big fish.  Brent Drake’s one weighing 1.58 pounds was second. 

    Due to the cold and rain and wind I stayed in sight of the ramp most of the day, fishing banks protected from the wind. After all, I knew if I caught one keeper I would place at least in the top three, and when I saw Zane leave I knew I had at least second place points wrapped up! 

I missed one small tap on a jig in a treetop in the first hour but I think it may have been a crappie or bream.  Then at about 8:30 I missed a bite on the jig on a rocky hump but on the next cast caught a 14.5 inch keeper.

    About 30 minutes later I saw a group of fish swimming out in 30 feet of water on my Panoptix Livescope.  They acted like bass so I cast a shaky head worm toward them and watched them follow it to the bottom.   But then bait and bass disappeared.

I figured like happens so often they followed my bait then ignored it. But when I raised my rod top there was weight on it and I set the hook and landed the 2.14 pound spot. I would have never known that bass was there without my electronics.

That was it for the next three hours, no more bites. And the fish I had seen suspended and moving around off the bank disappeared. I have no idea where they went unless they went to the bottom and held right against it. I did see one fish come up off the bottom and move off on my sonar as my boat went over it, so that may have been it.

At 12:00 I had fished back to the tree in the water where I missed the bite earlier. Dragging my jig through it I felt it get heavy and set the hook, half way expecting to hook a limb. Instead another two pound spot pulled back and I landed it.

That was it for the day.  Even though it was cold, wet and rainy, it was fun catching those spots.  It was a lot better than sitting around watching a football game to me, anyway!

A January Club Tournament Shows Why Bass Like Jigs

The Flint River Bass Club held its first 2023 tournament last Sunday at Jackson. In it, six of us fished for eight hours in a mudhole to land 12 bass weighing about 14 pounds.  There was one five bass limit and no one zeroed.

I landed five weighing 5.70 pounds for first, Doug Acre came in second with two weighing 3.36 pounds and had a 1.94-pound fish for big fish and Lee Hancock had three weighing 3.1 for third.  Fourth went to Alex Gober with one at 1.71 pounds and new member Scott Smith had keeper weighing .63 pounds for fifth.

When we started at 7:30 AM I could tell the water was very muddy even in the cove at the ramp. My first cast I found out how muddy, my crankbait disappeared about two inches deep.

I fished one place in the muddy cove without a bite for about 30 minutes. When I headed up the river to try to find some clearer water to fish, I was shocked and scared when I saw all the wood floating in the water.  Everything from twigs to logs twice as long as my boat covered the water from bank to bank.

That made me stop on a point and try to fish, although it was very muddy and almost every cast produced some kind of trash on my line and lure. After about 30 minutes the light breeze had moved the wood away from one side of the lake enough to run on plane if you were slow and careful.

I had hoped to go up the Alcovy River above the mouth of the South River where the water is often clearer, but when I got to the mouth of Tussahaw Creek I changed my mind. The wood going up the river covered it even worse from bank to bank and the wind had not made any open water at wall.

That condition made me go up Tussahaw Creek where there is often some clear water.  And it did get better above the bridge, I could see my bait down a solid six inches!

I caught a small keeper spot by casting a brown three sixteenths ounce Bitsy Bug jig with a green pumpkin Creepy Crawler trailer to a cement seawall. Of course I dipped the tails of the trailer in chartreuse JJs Magic. There are rocks at the bottom of most seawalls and bass will hold against them to feed on crayfish and baitfish.

I kept fishing seawalls like that and every one of my fish, two more spots and two largemouth, hit the jig on a seawall.  Lee was fishing the same area and caught his three on a variety of baits.

I invited the spots I caught home for dinner. When I cleaned them they had parts of small crayfish in their stomachs. That is why they liked my brown jig with the twin trailer arms!

Winter Showdown On Tap For First Bassmaster Opens Event At Clarks Hill Reservoir

Is there a Winter Showdown On Tap For First Bassmaster Opens Event At Clarks Hill Reservoir?

  • By The Fishing Wire

Evans, GA — A true winter showdown is on tap for anglers fishing the first tournament of the St. Croix Bassmaster Opens presented by SEVIIN season at Clarks Hill Reservoir. Even with the cold temperatures and a daunting practice forecast, the potential for big bags is high, and 2024 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Team Championship Classic Fish-Off winner Tyler Campbellbelieves any section of the lake could produce winning bass.

“You typically see some solid weights this time of year,” the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour qualifier said. “There is a potential for 25- to 30-pound bags, and once every couple of years there is a double-digit-class bass caught. It wouldn’t surprise me to see a mega-bag, but low to mid-20s is about the average winning weight this time of year.

“Six of the Top 10 anglers could be doing something completely different from one another,” the Emmanuel University graduate added. “It is a very diverse fishery, and I think it will show out. I’m excited about it.”

Competition days are scheduled for Jan. 23-25 with daily takeoffs and weigh-ins to be held at Wildwood Park in Appling, Ga. The full field will compete the first two days of the event before the Top 10 competitors vie for the trophy on Championship Saturday. The winner, given they are signed up for all four tournaments in Division I of the Opens, will punch their ticket to the 2026 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour. 

Those registered for all of the Division I events will also earn points based on their finishes throughout the season, with the Top 50 anglers from Division 1 as well as the Top 50 anglers from Division II of the Opens qualifying for the Elite Qualifiers Series, a three-tournament series that will determine the nine anglers moving on to the Elite Series in 2026. 

Straddling the border between South Carolina and Georgia, the Savannah River impoundment has hosted plenty of Bassmaster events in the past, from the 1973 Bassmaster Classic won by Rayo Breckenridge to several Bassmaster Elite Series events in the early 2000s. Last February, B.A.S.S. returned to Clarks Hill as the College, High School and Junior Series took on the massive reservoir and brought impressive bags of largemouth and spotted bass to the scales.  

Depending on how much rain the lake receives, Campbell anticipates that anglers will be able to spread out and fish their strengths. 

“You will see some guys run to the very north end. The cool thing about Clarks Hill is you can win in any region of the lake. Guys will catch them deep and shallow. It is really weather-dependent. If we get a couple of good, bright, sunny days, you will see the shallow bass turn on.”

This is the first time in a long time Elite Series veteran Jason Williamson, who won the last Elite event that was held on Clarks Hill in May 2010, will be fishing a true winter tournament. December was mild across the region, but as soon as the calendar turned to the new year, Old Man Winter made his appearance.  

“It’s been cold. So, the water temperatures are going to be pretty low,” he said. 

He isn’t going away for this tournament, either. While this coming weekend is supposed to be relatively mild temperature-wise, forecasts call for heavy rains to accompany a cold front on Saturday and Sunday. When anglers start practice on Monday they will be greeted with 20-degree air in the morning. 

It will only get colder, as another weather system is expected to move into the area with the potential to drop several inches of snow. Whether the snow forecast actually comes to fruition is yet to be seen and likely won’t be accurately determined until one or two days out, but it could throw a wrench into some competitors’ game plans before some milder weather moves in for the tournament days. 

With this set of ingredients, Williamson anticipates plenty of spotted bass being caught in deeper water. Those bass will likely be chasing blueback herring, a staple baitfish in the Savannah River. Natural rock in deep water and deeper brushpiles will be key elements. Shaky heads, drop shots and minnow-style baits like a Zoom Winged Fluke will all come into play. 

“The spots are going to bite. The herring are going to be out deep,” he said. “The consistency will definitely be with the spotted bass. Guys that are good with their electronics, finding bait and structure, those are the guys who are going to shine. Sun and clouds are going to make a big difference. Cloud cover hanging around early in the mornings will change the game big time.”

While largemouth may be more lethargic that time of the year, Campbell anticipates whoever wins will likely land some of the better largemouth the lake has to offer. 

“(For the top half of the field) I would say it is going to be predominantly largemouth, but there will be plenty of quality spotted bass too. But guys near the top will have all largemouth or three or four largemouth and a spotted bass or two.”

Natural rock on top of deep humps will hold largemouth offshore. On the bank, meanwhile, Hurricane Helene provided plenty of new laydowns for the bass to hunker down around. Shallow crankbaits, jigs, spinnerbaits and ChatterBaits could all produce quality bites if the conditions are right.

“Conditions will be set up for power fishing,” Campbell said.

Daily takeoffs are scheduled for 7:15 a.m. and anglers will return for weigh-in beginning at 3:15 p.m. Full coverage of the tournament will be available on Bassmaster.com.

Visit Columbia County is hosting the event.

2025 Bassmaster Opens Series Title Sponsor: St. Croix

2025 Bassmaster Opens Series Presenting Sponsor: SEVIIN

2025 Bassmaster Opens Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2025 Bassmaster Opens Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Progressive Insurance, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2025 Bassmaster Opens Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew’s, Lowrance, Marathon, Triton Boats, VMC

About B.A.S.S.

B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting-edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.

The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Series presented by SEVIIN, Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier Series presented by Lowrance, Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Strike King Bassmaster High School Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Team Championship, Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series presented by Native Watercraft, Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour.

B.A.S.S. Announces 2025 Bassmaster Elite Qualifiers Schedule

B.A.S.S. Announces 2025 Bassmaster Elite Qualifiers Schedule

  • By The Fishing Wire

Birmingham, AL — B.A.S.S. has announced the schedule for the 2025 Bassmaster Elite Qualifiers series, and the slate offers up three of the hottest fisheries in the country for anglers to compete for the opportunity to walk across bass fishing’s biggest stage.

For the 2025 season, the St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Series presented by SEVIIN evolved into an eight-event season comprised of two divisions, each featuring four tournaments. Anglers placing in the Top 50 in each division’s Angler of the Year race will advance to the newly installed Bassmaster Elite Qualifiers series. This stand-alone series will feature three events, spanning from September through November, to qualify anglers for the Bassmaster Elite Series.

“This schedule is strong and will be a challenge for the group moving from the Opens to the EQs,” said Executive Director of Tournaments Hank Weldon. “It’s a diverse schedule, and I think we’re catching each of those fisheries at a really good time for anglers and fans alike. I’m looking forward to seeing how the new EQs shake out this year.”

The first EQ event is scheduled for Sept. 18-20 at Lake Champlain in Plattsburgh, N.Y. Champlain checked in at No. 6 in the Northeastern Division ofBassmaster Magazine’s 2024 100 Best Bass Lakes list. Both largemouth and smallmouth bass are abundant in this lake that features everything from shallow grass to deep, rocky structure.

Next up is Pickwick Lake in Counce, Tenn., Oct. 2-4. Giant largemouth, smallmouth and spots can fill a bag on this body of water which ranked ninth in the Southeastern Division of Bassmaster Magazine’s 100 Best Bass Lakes list, and bags of more than 25 pounds are the norm.

The third and final EQ stop on the slate will be Nov. 13-15 at Lake Okeechobee in Clewiston, Fla. Okeechobee is known for giant largemouth — just ask Bassmaster Elite Series pro Scott Martin who, in the 2024 St. Croix Bassmaster Opens presented by SEVIIN season-opener at Lake Okeechobee set an Opens record for the heaviest one-day bag with the massive 33-pound, 2-ounce limit he weighed in on Day 1 of the event. Martin went on to set another Opens’ record at the same event for heaviest winning catch with a three-day total of 90 pounds, 6 ounces.

In addition to the 100 anglers qualifying from both divisions of the Opens, all current Bassmaster Elite Series anglers will be eligible to compete in the Elite Qualifiers, as well as the second- and third-place finishers from the 2024 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Championship presented by Lowrance.

B.A.S.S. remains committed to the “win and you’re in” concept for the 2026 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour. Anglers who fish every event in a division of the Opens will receive a berth to the Classic if they win an event. The same applies to the three-event EQ series, taking the total to 11 berths to the Classic, which is an increase of two berths from years past. 

Also new for 2025, the number of anglers who will qualify for the Elite Series has been increased to 10 (nine qualified in each of the past two years). Additionally, the EQ series rules will mirror those of the Elite Series, meaning the “no-info rule” is currently in effect and soliciting information for these bodies of waters is now prohibited.

EQ entry fees will be $3,500 per event. For full details please visit Bassmaster.com.

2025 Elite Qualifiers

Sept. 18-20, Lake Champlain, Plattsburgh, N.Y.

Oct 2-4, Pickwick Lake, Counce, Tenn.

Nov. 13-15, Lake Okeechobee, Clewiston, Fla.

2025 Bassmaster Opens Series Title Sponsor: St. Croix

2025 Bassmaster Opens Series Presenting Sponsor: SEVIIN

2025 Bassmaster Opens Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2025 Bassmaster Opens Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Progressive Insurance, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2025 Bassmaster Opens Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew’s, Lowrance, Marathon, Triton Boats, VMC

About B.A.S.S.

B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting-edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.

The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Series presented by SEVIIN, Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier Series presented by Lowrance, Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Strike King Bassmaster High School Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Team Championship, Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series presented by Native Watercraft, Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour.

In Bass Fishing, What A Difference A Day Can Make

Last weekend produced two very different results at Jackson Lake for me.  Although the weather was very similar, cloudy and cool with little wind both days, a lucky guess made a big difference for me on Sunday.

    On Saturday 20 members of the Potato Creek Bassmasters fished our final 2022 tournament at Jackson. After fishing from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM we landed 42 12-inch keeper bass weighing about 58 pounds.  Three people had five fish limits and six did not weigh in a bass.

Mike Cox made it two wins in row with five weighing 8.76 pounds and his 3.02 pounder was big fish. Buddy Laster had five at 6.88 pounds for second, Lee Hancock placed third with five weighing 6.49 pound and Kenny Delay came in fourth with five at 6.27 pounds.

On Sunday 13 members of the Flint River Bass Club and the Spalding County Sportsman Club fished our last tournament of the year at Jackson in a two-club tournament. We fished from 7:30 to 3:30 PM and landed 34 keeper bass weighing about 40 pounds.  There were two limits and two zeros.

My five weighing 8.97 pounds won and I had a 2.84 pound largemouth for big fish. Raymond English had a limit weighing 5.66 pounds for second, Jay Gerson was third with five at 4.08 pounds and Zane Fleck came in fourth with three at 3.64 pounds.

Last Friday I went to Jackson after lunch to look around a little. I wanted to see how much the heavy rain on Wednesday had affected the lake.

I was surprised to find clear water in coves at the dam but the river was stained, and got very muddy going up past the mouth of Tussahaw Creek.  Tussahaw Creek was clear as it usually is and the Alcovy River upstream of the mouth of the South River was clear at least up to Rock Creek.

I found fish with my electronics in a couple of places in Tussahaw Creek and the Alcovy. One group was on a sandbar point with a creek channel running by it and another on a creek mouth point. Another school was on bluff river wall where the rocks dropped almost straight off into 30 feet of water.

Saturday my partner, Robert Howell, and I started on a shallow seawall and he quickly caught a keeper on a shaky head worm.  A few minutes later a keeper spot hit my wacky rigged Senko on rocks about a foot deep.

I moved out to the creek mouth point and could see suspended fish that I though might be bass about ten feet deep over 30 feet of water, with more on the bottom under them. I cast a Carolina rig and as it sank it took off. A keeper spot hit the worm on the way down.

At 9:00 we ran to the dam and I caught another keeper on the wacky rigged worm on shallow rocks. That made three on that pattern so we though we had something going. As I fished to another shallow seawall, a keeper hit my DT 6 crankbait right at the boat.  I had four in the boat before 10:00 so I felt pretty good.

After fishing a couple more shallow seawalls near the dam we ran up to the bluff wall and fish were everywhere on my electronics. I missed one bite on a shaky head but it was the only bite I got. 

We fished hard the rest of the day but never caught another fish. My four weighing 4.36 gave me 8th place in the tournament.

Sunday I ran straight to the bluff bank since there were so many fish there.  I quickly caught a keeper on the crankbait but could not get another bite.

I decided to try for shallow fish and caught the big largemouth at 9:00 on a jig back in a small creek. For the next two hours I tried that pattern but never got another bite. At 11:00 as I fish a main lake point coming out of a small creek I caught my third keeper, on a shaky head.

I tried several things for the next four hours with out catching anything else.  At 3:00 I decided to hit one more rocky point near the weigh-in site.  I caught my fourth keeper at 3:10 and my fifth one at 3:15 on a shaky head.

With five minutes left to fish I got my shaky head hung and broke it off. Rather that re-tie I picked up a Carolina rig and caught a two-pound keeper that culled my smallest fish!

That last fish would have helped me a lot more on Saturday than it did on Sunday, but that’s fishing.

Kyle Welcher Crushes Two AOYs on Two Tours in Two Years

Wins 2024 NPFL title with four top tens in six events and won the BASS AOY last year

Alabama bass pro Kyle Welcher, fresh off a dominant 2023 Angler of the Year campaign on the Bassmaster Elite Series, likewise ruled the roost at the National Professional Fishing League in 2024. His second AOY effort included four top-ten results in six events, and he never finished below 18th.

“It felt very similar to 2023,” he said. “I was able to fish intuitively. I’d show up on Day One of practice and quickly get a good sense of what was going on. It was another one of those amazing seasons when I was able to get in a flow state, using my instinct to make things happen. The most important thing was to just get out of my own way and let my brain tell me what was going on. It was important not to overthink it.”

AOY Is Always the Goal

During Welcher’s AOY season at BASS, he ripped off three top 20 finishes to start the year – 13th at Okeechobee, 15th at Seminole and 18th at Murray. This time around, he upped the ante. In the 2024 NPFL season opener, he finished 7th. Then at Hartwell, he was 3rd, followed by 5th at Pickwick. He closed out the season with a 4th at Murray. In between, he finished 19th at Saginaw Bay and 11th at Lake of the Ozarks. The former could have been better had he not suffered mechanical issues. 

From his days of playing poker for a living, Welcher understands the mathematical realities of life on tour.

“My goal every single time is Angler of the Year,” he said. “And I know that there are a finite number of points in play, so I try to get as many as I can every day. It doesn’t matter if it’s the first day of the season or the final day of the final Elite, they all count the same.”

Indeed, in addition to being a strong starter, he’s proven himself a closer, too. This year he finished 4th in the last derby to claim the NPFL title. Last year he came in 5th at the St. Lawrence to do the same on the Elites.

Better Tools Produce Better Results

Welcher held off fellow Elite Series pro, Drew Cook, by a slim 8 points in the NPFL AOY race, and as he thought back over his exceptional season, he was buoyed by the good finishes, and also by the times when he maximized his points.

The tour visited Lake of the Ozarks at “probably the worst time we could be there, so you had to grind each day.” On Days Two and Three he fell one fish short of a limit and felt that an additional keeper on one or both days could’ve provided valuable points. That’s how razor-thin the margins were. But there’s also the flip side of that – having the right tools to catch four a day, instead of three or two or fewer, allowed him to salvage a hard-earned 11th-place result.

Knowing that he had the best lures for tough situations provided him with the confidence to charge forward.

“During every single tournament I weighed in some or most of my bass on CrushCity™ or Rapala® Lures,”  he said. “At Logan Martin, I caught fish on a #5 Shad Rap® and then on a Pigstick™ on shallow wood cover. On Hartwell, I started off with a 6-pounder and a 3-¾ pounder on a 3” Mayor. At Lake of the Ozarks, I caught them on a Freeloader® and a new prototype CrushCity™ bait. At Saginaw Bay, I used the Ned BLT® and the Mooch Minnow™. And then at Murray, I caught over half of my fish on the Mooch.”

He’s not giving up the goods when he talks about how many top pros are using both The Mayor® and the Mooch Minnow™. The results speak for themselves. Nevertheless, he’s fully aware of why he can depend on them when times are tough.

“Ever since COVID, there’s been a ton of pressure on our fisheries,” he explained. “More realistic lures make a big difference. The Mayor® has a lot of things going for it when bites are tough. It doesn’t have a lot of tail action, but it has a subtle tail kick and a good body roll. The Mooch Minnow has a subtle corkscrew small tail kick. On forward-facing sonar, you’ll see a lot of fish swim up to your lures and they don’t get it. With the Mooch Minnow™, you can get those followers to bite.”

He doesn’t think it’s coincidental that the peak period of his career so far has coincided with his partnership with Rapala® and CrushCity™.

“I’m proud to be associated with the most prominent name in hard baits,” he stated. “You always want to be aligned with quality products that have a good reputation. CrushCity™ has been riding a wave for the past couple of years. I get so many questions about them and it just makes everything more fun because of the hype they’ve been generating.”

Two Tours Make Him Better

The drawn-out nature of the NPFL season meant that Welcher was “in contention for 11 months.” Oftentimes, an otherwise competitive angler has his AOY dreams squashed by one bad tournament. Welcher never had that. He was able to bite off each one as it came, allowing him to focus on the task at hand.

The spread-out nature of their schedule also allowed him to compete on two tours without burning the candle at both ends. He said he still feels like he’s at “the learning stage” of his career, and each additional event on a major tournament fishery allows him to hone his skills better and refine the instincts that have carried him this far.

The 31-year-old champ is thrilled to add more hardware to his mantel, but in some respects, he’s also relieved: “I have a ton of respect for all of my competitors. After two titles I feel like I proved that the first one wasn’t a fluke.”

“Overall the goal is to win more trophies,” he concluded. “But I also know that I’m still learning every time I go out. I feel like I need to get better, to make better decisions, and to be more efficient.”

MOOCH MINNOW

THE MAYOR

PIGSTICK

NED BLT

SHAD RAP

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B.A.S.S. Announces Elite Angler Advisory Board and More

  • Tournaments

B.A.S.S. Announces Elite Angler Advisory Board, Modifications To Payouts, Enhanced Angler Services

  • By The Fishing Wire

Birmingham, AL — In an effort to facilitate better communication and collaboration with Elite Series anglers, the Bassmaster Elite Angler Board of Professionals (ABP) has been created, B.A.S.S. announced today. The Advisory Board consists of six Elite anglers who were voted on by their peers and who will speak on behalf of the entire field in communicating with B.A.S.S. in order to provide a more direct and efficient way of discussing any current challenges and future opportunities.

The ABP was assembled to include competitors who represent every career phase within the Elite Series ranks: rookies, sophomores, multi-year competitors and veterans. The 2025 Advisory Board roster is comprised of Ben Milliken, Alex Wetherell, Lee Livesay, John Crews, Drew Benton and Mark Menendez. See the Bassmaster Elite Angler Board of Professionals photo gallery here.

B.A.S.S. and the anglers who compete in the Elite Series recognize the importance of effective communication between the organization and the competitors in order to advance and promote the sport and better serve the fishing community. Challenges during the 2024 season revealed an opportunity to improve those communication channels, which led to the formation of the ABP.

“B.A.S.S. is the unquestionable leader in professional bass fishing and has been that way for over 50 years,” said veteran Elite angler John Crews. “The professional bass angler has long been the tireless, passionate competitor that simply wants to catch the biggest bass possible. In the past, the competitors and the league have not found a lasting structure to work together to help each other. Until now. The formation of the ABP, Angler Board of Professionals, is an organically created group of Elite Series anglers trying to help B.A.S.S. and the anglers stay in consistent, productive, positive communication. After numerous roles as an angler representative over the years, I am very excited about being selected as the leader of this inaugural group. It’s a truly humbling honor that I do not take lightly.” 

The Advisory Board representatives and B.A.S.S. believe the formation of the ABP will ensure that anglers and the league can understand important topics from each other’s point of view, which will help to restore a foundation of respect and trust. The Advisory Board recently had its first meeting with B.A.S.S. to primarily discuss the recently announced payout structure for the 2025 Elite Series. B.A.S.S. and the ABP agreed on multiple options to be presented to the full field of Elite anglers to vote on, which included boosting the payouts through an angler-determined contribution.

After constructive discussion and multiple rounds of voting, the payout for 2025 (which already included an additional investment of $200,000 from B.A.S.S.), was restructured to better meet the current preference of a majority of Elite anglers. For 2025, the pros decided to make an angler contribution of $10,000 for the season, which will be applied entirely to the Elite Series and Bassmaster Classic payouts. Moving forward, B.A.S.S. and the ABP will discuss if an angler contribution continues to be the preference of the majority of the Elite angler field.  

See the 2025 Bassmaster Elite Series and AOY payout structure and 2026 Bassmaster Classic payout structure.

B.A.S.S. also announced the creation of a new Angler Services program to assist Elite Series pros with marketing, improvement of pitches to sponsors and professional development off the water. Former Elite Series pro and Classic champion Davy Hite has been named angler liaison lead to ensure that communication channels remain open between all Elite anglers and the league. B.A.S.S. Director of Marketing Will Flowers will spearhead the Angler Business Services program designed to provide angler marketing and brand support.

“We are excited to be working with the ABP to ensure consistent and clear communication between B.A.S.S. and the Elite anglers,” said Chase Anderson, B.A.S.S. CEO. “There have been challenges trying to communicate with 103 anglers who, understandably, have 103 different priorities when running their individual businesses. We consider the formation of the ABP an opportunity to build a more constructive relationship with anglers as we work together to advance and grow the sport of bass fishing. We remain committed to being the leader in the sport of bass fishing and believe that working with the ABP will strengthen our leadership position and better prepare us for the future.”

About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting-edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.

The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Series presented by SEVIIN, Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier Series presented by Lowrance, Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Strike King Bassmaster High School Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Team Championship, Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series presented by Native Watercraft, Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour.

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Fishing Is Inconsistent At Lake Guntersville

    Lake Guntersville is special. On the Tennessee River in north Alabama, it is a grass filled bass factory. The Bass Anglers Sportsman Society ranks it in the top ten bass lakes in the nation most years.

    When big tournaments are held there it is common for five bass limits weighing more than 20 pounds to come to the scales, and catches of five weighing 30 pounds are weighed in most years.

    But there are two sides to this story. Bass clubs in Alabama send in tournament results and the state compiles it in their BAIT report. That report shows Guntersville has a lower percent of anglers catching a keeper bass in tournaments than all but three other Alabama lakes.

    Fishing can be great there but the whole lake looks “fishy.”  When you stop on a point or in a cove and see hydrilla, water willow and eel grass everywhere it is hard to decide where to cast. It looks like a bass could be anywhere, or everywhere.

    The Sportsman Club fished there last weekend and our results are more like the BAIT results than the results of pro tournaments or tournaments fished by local fishermen that know the lake well.

    After fishing from 6:30 AM to 2:30 PM Saturday and 6:30 AM to 1:30 PM Sunday in very hot weather, we brought 21 keeper bass weighing about 45 pounds to the scales.  Nobody weighed in a five fish limit and three of the nine fishermen didn’t have a keeper.

    Guntersville has largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass. The length limit on smallmouth and largemouth is 15 inches and in our tournament a spot had to be 12 inches long.  About 14 of our bass were largemouth, six were spots and one a smallmouth.

    Raymond English had bad/good luck and won and had big fish. His boat motor would not go into gear so he had to fish around the ramp both days, but caught six keepers, four largemouth and two spots, weighing 15.14 pounds for first and his 5.40 pound largemouth was big fish.

    My six, three largemouth, two spots and one mean mouth, weighing 8.80 pounds was second, Zane Fleck had three largemouth weighing 7.97  pounds for third and Billy Roberts had three largemouth weighing 6.13 pounds for fourth.

    I went up on Wednesday and camped at Guntersville State Park, a beautiful facility with good shower houses.  As usual I was shocked at the number of huge motor homes and fifth wheel trailers that came into the campground, were set up and the folks went inside. 

I seldom saw anyone else outside except midmorning when some came out to cook breakfast and then came back out late in the afternoon to cook dinner.  I guess it was just too hot to leave the air conditioning in their home away from home, but I don’t understand driving to campground on a beautiful lake and staying inside almost the whole time.

I spent Thursday and Friday riding around looking for deep fish on ledges on my electronics. Guntersville is famous for its deep ledges as well as its grass beds. I found many schools of fish but could not get them to bite. One local guide told me they were inactive and would not feed unless current was moving from power generation, and there was no current the whole time I was there.

Saturday morning I started on a grassbed a guide had suggested, and caught two short bass and one barely 15 inch long keeper.  At about noon I was fishing down a bluff bank, mainly keeping my boat in the shade, and caught a keeper spot. Then a little later on another bluff bank a good keeper largemouth it my small jig in a treetop. Those three put me in third the first day.

Sunday the grassbed produced only one short fish so I headed to my shady bank early.  I caught an unusual looking fish, it looked olive green, not green like a largemouth and not brown like a smallmouth.  I looked it up and it was a cross between a spot and a smallmouth, called a “meanmouth.”  It had a patch of “teeth” on its tongue like a spot and, according to what I found on the internet on my phone and a text to a local guide, it was considered a spot for size limits so I could weigh it in.

I stayed on that shady bank the rest of the day and lost a keeper spot and caught two short spots. Then, with ten minutes left to fish, I caught a keeper spot.  At 1:17 I thought to myself I could make two more cast before running in. That cast produced a hit on my small jig and I landed a barely keeper largemouth, giving me second place. 

I didn’t have time left to make my last cast!