Get Your Boat Ready for Spring

Boaters: Have a Hassle-Free Summer by Doing Seven Winter Projects Now

EDITOR’s NOTE: The following feature prompted me to get some pre-season work done on my own boat. If you’re looking forward to spring boating, you might look through these maintenance and preparation suggestions from the Boat Owners Association of the United States.
from The Fishing Wire

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Boaters can get frustrated when a repair or upgrade takes a long time, but delays are often a simple result of supply and demand. “Spring and summer can be the most challenging times to get work done on a boat because everyone else wants their work at the same time,” said BoatUS Director of Consumer Affairs Charles Fort. But with a little foresight boaters can get the services they need – sometimes at a better price – now. And some things on a winter “to do” list don’t require outside help. Here are some common projects boaters should be looking at doing now, before the spring rush:

Engine and Prop: Getting your boat’s motor worked on in June is like waiting to buy Billy Joel tickets at the door. Get your mechanic on it now if you have a project in mind. It’s also the time to have the dings taken out of the prop – your prop shop guy will be glad to see you.

Canvas and Sails: Canvas and sail lofts are notoriously cyclical businesses so don’t feel guilty about asking for a discount on winter work. Now is the time to get the new bimini top made, repair the camper canvas, or get the sail stitched up.

Wiring: Every boater needs an extra 12V outlet at the helm, or knows of a corroded wire or two somewhere on the boat that needs fixing. If you want to take on this project yourself, here are some tips on wiring: http://www.BoatUS.com/boattech/articles/choosing-cabels-and-terminals.asp.

Paint and varnish: Generally you need warm weather for these projects – but consider taking home hatch boards, tiller handles or wood trim projects and working on them now in well ventilated basement or heated garage.

Line splicing: Maybe it’s an extra long spring line you’ve always wanted, or dock lines that will actually fit your boat’s cleats. Curl up by fire, sing a sea chantey, and start splicing because you will never want to do this in the summer. Here’s how to do it:www.BoatUS.com/boattech/casey/rope.asp

Chart and Electronics updates: Does your chartplotter use an old chip or are you using the same paper chart you had 10 years ago? Your helm electronics software may also have downloadable updates that make them perform better.

Do a winter tacklebox overhaul: You’re never going to want to do this once the fish start biting. BoatUS Angler pro Steve Chaconas shows how to get your tacklebox into shape at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMzNtCkVbic.

A Frustrating March Tournament at Lake Oconee

I was really fired up heading to Oconee a few years ago on Sunday morning for the March Flint River Bass Club tournament. I had a good feeling about catching bass. It looked like it would be a beautiful day on the lake. It was, but the bass just did not cooperate with me.

I had talked with Al Bassett Saturday night and he told me he and his wife placed 13th in a Guys and Dolls tournament that day at Oconee with five bass weighing 12 pounds. Al told me it took five bass weighing 21 pounds to win their tournament before he had to hang up. I figured if they caught that many bass I could figure out something.

At the ramp my good feeling continued when fellow club member Tommy Reeves came over to my truck while I waited in line to launch. I was by myself and being along makes it harder to launch a boat. Tommy volunteered to back my boat in and help me, which made things much easier for me. It is great having thoughtful club members like Tommy around.

We started fishing at 7:30 and at 2:00 I had tried everything I could imagine over a big area of the lake and never got a bite. Finally at 2:00 I caught two 12 inch bass – non keepers at Oconee, but at least I got a bite. Then at 2:40, about 40 minutes before I had to stop fishing, I caught a 14.5 inch bass, a keeper!

Almost all members in the club had a tough day. Of the 23 fishermen, eight did not have a keeper. There were only 21 fish weighed in for a total weight of 57.51 pounds. Only four or five members had more than one bass.

Lee Handcock won with 9.34 pounds, Jack “Zero” Ridgeway was second with 6.89 pounds, Keith Brown placed third with 6.84 pounds and had a 4.62 pound bass for big fish, and Toney Roberts was 4th with 5.45 pounds.

My one little fish placed me 14th. To add insult to injury, I got a call from Al on the way home. A Berry’s Boat Dock tournament the same day at Oconee was won with a catch of five bass weighing 21 pounds. Second place went to Glen Rivers with four bass weighing 18 pounds.

I did an article in Georgia Outdoor News with Glen last year. He lives between Oconee and Sinclair and is an excellent fisherman on both lakes. He works part time for Suddeth Baits and his partner for the day was the Suddeth Baits owner’s son.

I called Glen when I got home and he told me he was fishing down a bank and passed a tree in the water. His partner threw a Suddeth crankbait into the tree and hooked a two pounder. Glen turned around, pitched his jig and pig into the tree and immediately hooked a five pounder.

As soon as the five pounder was in the livewell Glen pitched back into the same tree and landed a six pounder. Then he caught another five pounder out of the same tree. That one tree produced all those fish just after 11:00.

I wish I had found a tree like that!

Bassmasters Classic Won On Livingstone Lures

Classic 2014: Livingston LARGE

by Russ Bassdozer
from The Fishing Wire

Randy Howell and Classic Trophy

Newly-crowned 2014 Bassmaster Classic champ Randy Howell had only 20 pounds on Day One and dropped to 18 pounds on Day Two but this Springville, Alabaman has seen so many huge stringers on Lake Guntersville in his life that he knew it was still possible to come from behind and win on Day Three. Indeed his third day catch of 29 pounds was the largest bag Howell’s ever weighed in his professional fishing career of 21 years. His was also the longest comeback ever in Classic history – from 11th place to 1st.

Most every Classic day, Howell caught a lot of fish on the Rapala DT-6 which is a great cold water bait made of wood. When a medium-runner is called for in cold water, the DT-6 is one lure that almost every bass pro uses (whether they are sponsored by Rapala or not). The DT-6 was in Ike’s Demon – a bright red crankbait color. He also caught a key 6-pounder on a Fizzle brand of bladed swim jig on Day Three.

History however will remember Randy Howell and Livingston Lures as the winners of the 2014 Classic.

On Day Three, Howell livewelled his first 20 lbs for the day on the Rapala DT-6 but as the day progressed, his fish moved deeper than could be reached with that crankbait. As the model number DT-6 implies, it dives to a maximum of 6 feet deep.

Howell had located the bass hanging around the riprap surrounding Guntersville’s Spring Creek bridge. He could see the arches of bass and tons of shad on his Lowrance SideScan about 15 feet deep hanging off and looking up at the 8 foot deep riprap rock line where he had been catching them earlier. He could see the streaks and noodles coming up and down from the deeper water to the rocks and back down.

Classic Winning LIvingstone Lures

Randy got out a box of Livingston Lures prototypes he had been given only a few days earlier. He was looking for a deeper-runner in a bright crawfish orange/red color that’s perennially popular on Guntersville. The prototypes had been in his boat all week unused. When he tied on the one deep-runner in the box, he flipped it in the water alongside the boat to see what it looked like. It vibrated really hard, wobbled and rattled his rod tip. In that muddy water, Howell knew it was going to catch them. The bass were everywhere on his graph in the last few hours of the tournament. He landed 30 or 40 bass on the Livingston medium-runner which dives about 8-10 feet deep. The bass just choked it, that hard vibration and that bright color with that red and orange combined in that dirty, muddy water was just perfect. Howell culled every bass he had caught earlier on the DT-6 except one, ratcheting up to his 29 pound Classic-winning weight with the Livingston prototype.

At Livingston, the company and pro staff are prototyping a lot of new lures right now. Howell estimates there are maybe six different models although they may be testing up to several different configurations of each in order to determine which is best. Overall, the Livingston Lures pros had received up to 30 prototypes on the day before the Classic, mostly different configurations to test and give feedback to the company.

Howell said he felt like he did what he needed to do for Livingston Lures by pulling that bait out, having never used it before. The 2014 Classic champ believes Livingston is a great company and a great family of people that are trying to love our sport and really promote our sport. To win on their lure like that was the best feeling in the world for Howell because he wanted to put Livingston Lures on the map.

He has such a love for the people at Livingston because of their commitment to our sport and to Randy Howell and his family personally that he wanted to use their prototypes as a part of this Classic and the results exceeded even Howell’s expectations. The prototype diver fit exactly what he needed to come from behind to win the 2014 Classic.

As we said, he started the morning with the Rapala DT-6. At this time of year in February when the water is cold, a subtle wood bait can be good, especially up shallow. Then when they move out deeper, you need a little more vibration and sound – and that’s where the Livingston came into play.

Howell is a strong proponent of sound. He had his boat’s HydroWave electronic sound attraction unit turned up loud all day on 30 second intervals emitting feeding stimulation sounds in that dirty water.

Likewise, Howell feels the sound unit embodied within Livingston Lures is a huge attraction to fish. The croaking sound emitted by a Livingston Lure is the same decibel level recording as a natural baitfish sound that’s given off, said Howell. He’s watched fish in seminar demonstration tanks come to Livingston Lures solely due to the sound they emit, so he knows they hear the recording and are attracted to it, and in muddy water like on Guntersville during the Classic, that electronic sound is especially good said Howell.

As a media observer during the Classic, I had the chance to eyewitness the Livingston Lures prototypes in action catching bass on Guntersville. I saw up close how the medium-runner like Howell used swims. Obviously its action is good; no, make that great enough to win the Bassmaster Classic. There’s no higher accolade than that. However, the action of the Livingston Lures shallow-running squarebill prototype looks even better. Hefting the prototypes in my hand, at first I couldn’t tell and didn’t believe the sound-emitting electronic units were inside because the crankbaits were so lightweight. I had to dip them in the lake (water activates the sound system) in order to prove to myself that the new, lightweight electronic sound-emitting units really were inside these baits. Clearly these new prototypes, once tested and finalized, will prove to be a huge breakthrough for Livingston Lures and for savvy bass anglers worldwide.

A few months before this Classic in a conversation I enjoyed with Basil, one of the two Battah brothers that head up Livingston, Basil said he hoped to have the sport’s top professional anglers begin to recognize Livingston Lures technology-enhanced baits as the wave of the future – that these lures are not just gimmicks. Certainly Randy Howell just accomplished that. The lure company and its techno-marvels are suddenly and emphatically Livingston LARGE for the entire world to see.

Livingston lures really do work and are not a gimmick. They’re the real deal. Randy Howell’s 2014 Classic win will change any preconceived notions of any anglers that don’t yet believe that Livingston Lures represent the cutting edge and future of our sport.

New World Record Walleye?

Bay of Quinte C&R Walleye Pending World-Record Certification

Pending Workd Record Walleye

By Jim Edlund
from The Fishing Wire

I received the news via Ma Bell. Not Facebook. Not Twitter. Just a simple phone call with intel that a big fish had been caught on Lake Ontario’s Bay of Quinte. In turn, that led to a conversation with the angler, who was explicit the information be kept hush-hush until the paperwork was in process.

Personally, my next move was to call Emmett Brown, Jr., executive director of the Hayward, Wisconsin-based Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame. At the time of my first call in early February, Brown hadn’t received the angler’s paperwork. Then, about a week later, on Tuesday, February 18th, Brown called me back and confirmed that the organization had received his application, that “everything appeared in order,” and the giant Bay of Quinte walleye was indeed “pending verification as a new Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame C&R walleye, ice fishing, world record.”

The current Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame World Record, Division #4 – Ice Fishing, Catch and Release, Longest (only) Pole/Line, Walleye, is currently occupied by two 34-inchers in a tie. On January 22, 2011, angler Jay Millar caught and released a sag-bellied 34-inch walleye reportedly full of eggs, the weight of which will never be known due to a frozen scale. Later that year, on December 22, 2011, angler Jay Manwell caught and released a fish of the same length on Last Mountain Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada.

“On January 9th, 2014, guide Grant McAllister iced a new personal best and potential world-record catch and release (through the ice) walleye on Ontario’s Bay of Quinte. The fish measured 35.3-inches and weighed 14 lbs 10 ounces.” Photo courtesy of Grant McAllister

Still, this fish is bigger. So, if everything checks out in the next few weeks, including notarized statements from witnesses, there will be a new name atop the big fish ledger for largest walleye ever caught and released through the ice.

That name is Grant McAllister.

No weekend warrior, McAllister is a former guide, seminar speaker, fishing promoter and walleye pro with experience on numerous tournament trails, including the Northern Ontario Walleye Trail, Tournament Trail and Quinte Fishing Series.

In other words, the catch was no fluke, as is the case with many record fish. It is the result of what McAllister confesses has been a severe form of “big walleye tunnel vision” over the past half decade.

The Big Fish Story

“In 2008 I owned an insurance brokerage firm in Toronto, Ontario, went through a transition in life, and decided I was going to pursue my dream,” says McAllister. “I was sick and tired of regrets. I hatched the idea of starting a guide company on the Bay of Quinte and we were on the water 200 to 250 days a year between open and hard water. That taught me a lot. Since, I’ve made it my life mission to find and catch big walleyes. I study the fish technically, theoretically and practically.”

On Thursday, January 9th, 2014, McAllister was on the ice at 6:30 a.m. with good friends Keith Mallette, Rob Rizzuto and Cezar Spirala, owner of Springwood Cottages & Resort, “in hopes of keeping up with what seemed to be a good bite over the last couple of days.” The conditions were -9 Celsius (16 Fahrenheit) with westerly 10km/hr winds shifting to the south.

Record Walleye Lure

“McAllister’s fish was caught on a 3/8-ounce PK Lures Spoon in Firetiger Glow, the top hook removed.” Photo courtesy of PK Lures

“We were on the eastern end of the Bay of Quinte fishing one of my big fish spots, set up over 29 feet in pursuit of big fish. Within five minutes of set up, the first of many loud yells filled the air, ‘Fish on!’ My Marcum LX9 lit up like a Christmas tree and the fish were on fire. By 11:30am we had landed 19 and missed a bunch more. My PK Spoon looked liked it had been through a war,” says McAllister.

He says the bite then slowed but he knew from hundreds of trips that fish would start moving through again around 1 pm.

“A common mistake most anglers make on Quinte is only fishing mornings and evenings. But I’ve caught all my big Quinte fish between the hours of 1:00 to 2:30 pm, when everybody’s off the ice having lunch or whatever. I concentrate on high-percentage areas like break lines and wait for those one, two, three, four big marks you’ll see on your flasher during mid-day.”

McAllister continues: “At approximately 1:47pm I marked a small bar on my flasher 16 feet down. I reeled up quickly and began trying to coax the fish into biting. Shortly after I reeled up, this fish became very interested and the mark kept getting bigger and bigger. From the size of the mark on my LX9 and from years of experience on the Bay, I knew she was a trophy. Within seconds, the fish crushed my PK, I set the hook, my WhiteOut rod buckled and there was nothing but dead weight! I knew this could possibly be ‘The One’ I’d been chasing for so long. I screamed out to my friend Cezar that I needed help and he was there in a flash.”

He says that after a brief but “rather hefty” fight, the “beast was on the ice” and the rest of his group stood around slack-jawed, dumbfounded by the walleye’s size.

“My personal best to date was 14-pounds 7-ounces and 33.25 inches, but just by looking at this one I knew she was bigger. Cezar, being prepared as always, broke out the measuring tape and scale. She measured 35.3 inches long and weighed a whopping 14-pounds 10-ounces! This all happened in under a minute, minute and a half, and the fish was quickly let go without issue. What a day! Things couldn’t be any better as we landed 25 fish and I had broken my personal best! It’s a day we wouldn’t soon forget.”

McAllister says he didn’t think much about the giant walleye other than it was his new personal best. He posted a photo of the fish to Facebook with the brief status update “The pigs are biting!”

“I’d never really followed the records, didn’t even know the Freshwater Hall of Fame recognized live releases.”

Fast forward to January 29th, 2014, and the subject of his recent big fish came up when traveling back up to the Bay with his friend Jules.

“Jules asked to see pictures and asked me about the walleye’s stats. He looked at it and without hesitation told me I needed to get the fish registered. He was confident it was a new live release record. I was completely unaware. So I did some research and discovered that Jules was in fact correct. So, on February 3rd, 2014, I chatted with fellow walleye pro Tim Geni, whom I had become friends with on Facebook several weeks prior. He and I were having a Facebook chat about my catch and what lures I was using when it all went down. After sharing my experience, he was also adamant that I enter the fish, as a former world-record holder for C&R ice walleye himself. Tim has been instrumental in all facets of this process and a great support to me as I attempt to add this crowning jewel to my fishing career.”

Winning Spot

Using the Navionics app on his smartphone, McAllister says he found the fish in a “big mud bowl,” that’s often “loaded with food,” from perch to gizzard shad, alewives, ciscoes, and whitefish.

“It’s basically a staging area where these big walleyes start their migration up to rivers. You’ll find walleyes cruising through, some resting and others actively feeding there because it’s loaded with perch and also intermittent schools of shad and other forage that move through.”

Cat and a String

McAllister’s approach to catching big fish is a one-two punch of calling them in and seducing them to bite with two vastly different jigging cadences.

“I’m a huge advocate of understanding jig cadence. After a lot of trial and error, my typical cadence involves two high lifts of the PK Spoon four or five feet, three short lifts of a foot, then three or four bangs on the bottom. Then repeat. Since I’m really ripping it, I go through a lot of minnows, something most guys don’t do. But it’s huge in drawing these big fish in. Then, once I have them on the flasher, it’s like teasing a cat with a string.”

The ‘cat on a string’ program is very much a finesse game, the goal being to get the walleye to slowly rise in the water column until it has no choice but to eat the bait.

“The Marcum LX-9 allows me to get within a ¼ inch target ID separation, so I put the spoon right on top of the walleye’s head, and slowly bring the fish higher and the higher off the bottom, sometimes six, seven, eight, nine feet before they strike. I’m just shaking that spoon trying to get wiggle out of the minnow. Once you get it in your sights or on your zoom, those fish are going after the minnow and absolutely crush the bait.”

But he says this particular fish came into the sights on his electronics without exhaustive play. “It cruised in 16 feet down over 29 feet of water and pretty much just crushed the spoon.”

“There are a lot of suspended fish in the system. The ones we’re catching are the migratory fish that are chasing fish, so my suspicion is that they’re targeting on the schools of gizzard shad. I saw the mark, reeled up to it, and within seconds the fish just destroyed it. It was special, man.”

He adds that the 2013-2014 hardwater season on Quinte has been amazing. “I’ve caught 12 fish over 10 pounds this winter and all but one have come off a 3/8-ounce PK Spoon in original shad or firetiger glow with a 2-inch dace or chub hooked through from the bottom of the mouth up through the head.”

When asked if the thinks even bigger walleyes reside in Quinte, McAllister answers emphatically, “Yes!”

“There are 15s, 16s, 17s, 18s, and even bigger. I’m convinced the next IGFA world record will come out of Ontario, trumping anything in Arkansas or the Columbia River out west. It’s one of the Great Lakes and has giant fish nobody’s ever seen. And there’s no lack of big, fatty food. No doubt, there are some monsters that would absolutely dwarf this fish. And I’m going to figure out how to catch them.”

Gear used:
Rod: 29-inch medium-action 13 Fishing WhiteOut
Reel: Shimano Sienna 2500
Main Line: 10-pound Berkley Fireline
Leader Line: 48 inches of 10-pound Seaguar Tatsu Fluorocarbon
Lure: PK Lures Spoon, 3/8-ounce, Firetiger Glow, tipped with a full minnow
Electronics: MarCum LX9

Remembering Tom Mann

Tom Mann, fishing legend from Eufaula, Alabama and maker of Jelly Worms, the Little George and Hummingbird depthfinders, died on Friday, February 11, 2005.

I first heard of Tom Mann when I found Jelly Worms at Berry’s Sporting Goods. These worms smelled great to me and I, as well as many other bass fisherman, thought they would help us catch bass. They came in great flavors like grape, strawberry, apple, scuppernong and blackberry.

In the first bass tournament ever held, Tom Mann was one of the first fishermen to enter. He fished the pro trail for several years in the late 1960s and early 1970s and became well known through articles in Bassmaster magazine.

One of Tom Mann’s early lures, the Little George – named after then Alabama Governor George Wallace, was one of the first lures made to probe deep structure. I caught many fish on it, and still do, jigging it on deep drop-offs, humps and points. I keep several in my tacklebox.

The Mann’s 20 Plus and 30 Plus are crankbaits that dig deep and catch fish. They are still popular although they have been around for many years. They joined less popular crankbaits from Tom Mann like the Razorback and the Shadmann.

Hummingbird depthfinders were some of the first sonars for sale for bass boats, and many people loved their units. Tom Mann helped develop and improve inexpensive depthfinders for boats.

Tom Mann was in many T V fishing shows over the years as both the star and guests of others. His slow, low drawl became well known to fishermen that never met him in person. His relaxed method of fishing big worms on a spinning outfit was copied by many fishermen.

Mann’s Fish World became famous, and a trip to Lake Eufaula was not complete without a stop there to see the huge bass, catfish and gar in the aquarium, as well as a purchase from his discount tackle shop. Tom Mann himself was often there, talking with fishermen and helping sell his lures.

Another well known fisherman, Tom Mann, Jr. from Georgia, is mistaken for many as Tom Mann’s son. They are not related although the names seem that they are.

Tom Mann was 72 years old when he died. He will be missed in the fishing community.

Watching the Bassmasters Classic Winner from the Road

Bassmasters Classic Draws Roadside Audience for Winning Catch

By Frank Sargeant
from The Fishing Wire

BIRMINGHAM. In one of the more amazing performances in recent Classic history, Randy Howell of Springville, Alabama, leaped from 11th place and a full nine pounds behind leader Edwin Evers on day two to the Classic championship and a $300,000 winner’s check on the final day.

In fact, Howell hardly needed more than the first hour after take-off to put the trophy and the title away.

He stopped at the Big Spring Creek bridge across U.S. 431 right in the midst of Guntersville, and there proceeded to haul in one lunker bass after another, often on consecutive casts, while a crowd that quickly assembled on the bridge right above his boat cheered him on. Howell put over 22 pounds in the live well in that insane flurry, later culling up to his total bag of 29-2. He released what he estimated at close to 30 pounds more.

Howell only stopped briefly during the performance to thank the horde of howling and cheering fans for their support.

“I’ve been fishing tournaments for 21 years and this was by far the best day of fishing I ever had, period,” said Howell. “I might have had some Divine Guidance on that first spot-I was going to run up the lake and something just told me to turn and go back to Spring Creek. A voice inside me said “do you want to be good or do you want to be great? I turned around and went to Spring Creek and that’s what did it.”

Most of his catches were made on a crawfish red Rapala DT6 and a prototype Livingston Lures medium-running crankbait, also in crawfish red.

B.A.S.S. statistician Ken Duke said Howell’s charge from 11th place to first was the greatest comeback in Classic history.

Howell said God truly blessed him to bring the win in front of his home crowd. He said his son had taped a prayer request on the bathroom mirror which said “My Dad to Win the Classic.” Apparently the prayers came true.

Connecticut angler Paul Mueller was second with 66 pounds, 8 ounces for the three-day competition, Edwin Evers of Oklahoma third with 65-11, Ott DeFoe of Tennessee fourth with 63-6 including the big bass of the day, an 8-4, and fifth was Randall Tharp, formerly of Gardendale and now of Port St. Joe, Fla., with 62-12. Jordon Lee of Auburn was sixth with 62-1.

Seven former Classic champions competed in this event-but none of them even made it to the final-day top-25 cutoff. Four-time winner and bassing superstar Kevin Van Dam came the closest, finishing 26th. The other ex-champions who came up short were Chris Lane (36th), Mark Davis (43rd), Alton Jones (45th), Mike Iaconelli (47th), Takahiro Omori (48th) and Skeet Reese (49th).

This Classic will be remembered as the first where personal video cameras delivered full view reports on many of the fish caught soon after the fact. Every Classic competitor had a tiny GoPro camera-from one of the title sponsors of the event–mounted on his boat, allowing viewers of www.bassmaster.com to see uploaded action throughout the day. The cameras also in some cases clearly show the location where the anglers fished, the lures they used and how they worked the baits-an unprecedented access to information for the viewing public.

Randy Howell was only the second angler ever to win a Bassmaster Classic in his home state. Boyd Duckett, now a Guntersville resident, was the first.

Randy Howell Wins Bassmaster Classic

And How: Randy Howell’s Charmed Last Day Leads To Bassmaster Classic Victory
from The Fishing Wire

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Every angler dreams of catching bass after giant bass like Randy Howell did on Sunday.

Randy Howell of Springville, Ala., wins the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by Diet Mountain Dew and GoPro. Bringing in a three-day total of 67 pounds, 8 ounces earned Howell the championship title and $300,000.
Photo by Gary Tramontina/Bassmaster
Howell began hauling in Lake Guntersville lunkers minutes into the final round of the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by Diet Mountain Dew and GoPro. He lost track of how many culls he was able to make, but at one point he was trading 4- and 5-pounders for even larger bass.

When Howell brought his bag to the scales, his five bass weighed 29 pounds, 2 ounces, with the largest going 7-3. The banner day beefed up his total to 67 pounds, 8 ounces.

“I don’t even know if I’m going to win, but it doesn’t matter,” Howell said before all the 25 finalists came to the scales. “It was the best day I’ve ever had in 21 years of professional bass fishing, a day of a lifetime.”

But his day did get better: He became the world champion, the 2014 Bassmaster Classic champ.

“I’ve had this dream so many times, and it’s happening now. I can’t believe I won the Bassmaster Classic. I don’t win tournaments very often,” said Howell as he was announced the winner.

Howell is a two-time Bassmaster event winner, including a 2013 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Open presented by Allstate event that earned him his 2014 Classic qualification.

Sunday’s victory – Howell’s first after 11 other tries as a Classic competitor – was worth $300,000 and the most coveted trophy in the sport. From Springville, Ala., Howell became only the second angler to win the Classic in his home state.

Howell edged out B.A.S.S. Nation qualifier Paul Mueller of Naugatuck, Conn., by 1 pound. Mueller, who on Day 2 set a new one-day Classic weight record at 32-3, totaled 66-8 for second place.

Third place was claimed by second-day leader Edwin Evers of Talala, Okla., with 65-11. Fourth was Ott DeFoe of Knoxville, Tenn., with 63-6, including the day’s largest bass, an 8-4. First-day leader Randall Tharp of Port St. Joe, Fla., finished in fifth place at 62-12.

Howell repeatedly used the words “perfect” and “effortless” to describe his day on Lake Guntersville.

“I caught my first one on my second or third cast,” he said. “I caught one almost every cast or two and had a limit in the first 10 or 15 minutes. It was quick. It would have been quicker if I hadn’t had to stop and retie every time because of the rocks.”

The rocks were the riprap up against a causeway bridge on Spring Creek. That early flurry included releasing eight 4-pounders.

Howell spent most of his time on the riprap. He moved only once, going farther back into the creek to a grassy area. The move yielded a 6-pounder and allowed him to cull a 4-pounder. He then motored back to the riprap. His largest was a 7-3. It was his fourth bass of the day and the one that told him he’d made the right decision to go to Spring Creek.

His Classic lure arsenal included a Livingston Lures model being developed within the Pro Series. Not yet available to the public, it’s a medium diver in a crawfish color. He also used a Rapala DT6 crankbait in the “demon” crawfish color and a Yamamoto bladed jig.

“I went out this morning believing I could win,” the champ said. “That’s the weirdest thing. Typically, I would never be in 11th place and 9 pounds back and think I had a chance to win. But for some reason I had the feeling I could win on Spring Creek – that something big would happen there.”

Fred Roumbanis’ 9-3 largemouth from Day 1 won the event’s Carhartt Big Bass Award of $1,000 plus $1,500 for wearing Carhartt clothing.

Howell earned a $7,500 Toyota Bonus Bucks award.

Tharp received the Day 1 GEICO Everyday Leader Award of $1,000 plus $1,500 for having a GEICO decal on his boat’s windshield. Evers won the same bonus on Day 2.

Fans can catch 12 hours of Classic coverage on ESPN2 on The Bassmasters. The first hour will air Saturday, March 1, at 10 a.m. ET. The show centered on Sunday’s finale will air in prime time – 8 to 10 p.m. ET – on Sunday, March 2.

2014 Bassmaster Classic Title Sponsor: GEICO

2014 Bassmaster Classic Presenting Sponsors: Diet Mountain Dew, GoPro

2014 Bassmaster Classic Official Sponsors: Toyota, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Evan Williams Bourbon, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha

2014 Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo Presenting Sponsor: Dick’s Sporting Goods

2014 Bassmaster Classic Official Apparel Sponsor: Carhartt

About B.A.S.S.
For more than 45 years, B.A.S.S. has served as the authority on bass fishing. The organization advances the sport through advocacy, outreach and an expansive tournament structure while connecting directly with the passionate community of bass anglers through its Bassmaster media vehicles.

The Bassmaster brand and its multimedia platforms are guided by a mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications – Bassmaster Magazine and B.A.S.S. Times – comprehensive website Bassmaster.com and ESPN2 and Outdoor Channel television programming, Bassmaster provides rich, leading-edge content true to the lifestyle.

The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, B.A.S.S. Nation events, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series, Bassmaster High School Series, Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic.

B.A.S.S. offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members and remains focused on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Birmingham, Ala.

What Is Castable Sonar?

Castable Sonar

By Frank Sargeant, Editor
from The Fishing Wire

Sonar you can cast

We get an remarkable assortment of information on amazing new goodies to make your fishing better, sometimes dozens in a day, but one that caught our eye recently was the “Deeper” castable sonar-a tennis-ball sized depth-finder you can carry with you anywhere, reading the data on your smartphone or tablet. The rig has some interesting possibilities.

The “Deeper” transducer is encased in a composite ball and weighs 100 grams-3.5 ounces. Where ever the Deeper sonar unit lands or drifts, it reads water depth and temperature, and also marks fish suspended off bottom as well as structure.

Spokesman Rolandas Sereika says the unit includes both narrow and wide beam– the narrow beam returns fish, structure, detail and bottom profile, while the wide beam provides broader search area for fish, baitfish and structure.

It sends this via Bluetooth wireless to your properly-equipped Apple or Android phone or tablet with the free downloadable app which also gives moon phases, air temp, solunar “best times”, Internet sharing of fish photos and other useful tools and info.

It reads to depths of 130 feet and has a Bluetooth range of about 150 feet. It has three line-ties so that you can cast it, troll it or lower it straight down from a dock, bridge or pier.

For kayak and canoe anglers, wade fishermen, shore anglers and bridge and pier anglers, the “Deeper” could be a big help. If you can drift your bait down that break line on every cast, it gives a huge advantage in many areas. You could also use them to avoid brushy snags. Plus, you don’t need a hookup to a 12-volt power source.

You can also probe the depth around a weedbed or dock without actually running your boat close to it and spooking the fish.

And there are some neat new mounts from RAM (www.rammount.com) and other companies for both cell phones and tablets used on kayaks and other small boats.

The Deeper system runs on a rechargeable lithium battery that functions for about 6 hours straight between recharges. The housing is watertight to 1 meter and shock-resistant. The system works with most phones and tablets, but be sure to see their website for compatibility. Price is $229. For details, visit www.buydeeper.com.

Fishing A Winter Tournament At Lake Sinclair

Last Sunday 18 members of the Flint River Bass Club fished an 8 hour tournament at Lake Sinclair. The water was cold and the breeze off it kept us cool all day, and the fish were hard to find. Ten of the members had keeper bass and there was a total of 20 bass weighing 44.02 pounds.

Bobby Ferris won with 11.17 pounds. He said he caught his bass fishing crankbaits around docks and weedbeds. David Grace had 6.41 pounds and his 4.09 pound bass was good for big fish in the tournament.

Donnie Willis and Tom Perdue fished together and finished 3rd and 4th. Donnie had 5.01 pounds and Tom had 4.45 pounds. I had two bass weighing 4.13 pounds for fifth and Roger Morrow, fresh from driving back from Seminole, placed sixth with 3.36 pounds.

I started out the day pretty good, landing a 3 pound bass on a spinnerbait near a grassbed the first place I stopped. Although I fished that area for over an hour with everything from spinnerbaits, crankbaits, worms, jig and pig and spoons, I never had another hit there.

Then about an hour later I landed my second keeper jigging a spoon under a school of shad back in a creek across the lake from where the first one hit. There were shad and fish all in that small creek, but I fished there for two hours without another bite. After the second one hit just after 9:00 AM I could not catch another fish even though several people said they caught bass in the middle of the day.

Congratulations to Bobby for winning this club tournament.

Are Anglers Satisfied with New Red Snapper Allocations?

Anglers applaud progress of red snapper reallocation

Today’s feature comes to us from Ted Venker of the CCA. It reviews progress on dividing the Gulf red snapper fishery equitably between recreational and commercial anglers–as always both sides would like a bigger slice of the pie. Fortunately, there’s a whole lot bigger pie to work with these days as snapper stocks have come roaring back–hopefully both sides will go away winners. –Frank Sargeant
from The Fishing Wire

Gulf Council moves forward with amendment to modernize allocation

By Ted Venker, Coastal Conservation Association

A nice red snapper

During its recent meeting in Houston, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council approved moving ahead with an amendment to update the allocation of Gulf red snapper between the commercial and recreational sectors, a welcome development hailed by the Coastal Conservation Association as long overdue. The Council approved the action by a vote of 9-6, with the representatives of all five of the Gulf state fishery management agencies voting for the measure to proceed.

“The current allocation of 51 percent commercial, 49 percent recreational was set using data from when Ronald Reagan was president. There is a strong case for reallocation based simply on the tremendous changes that have taken place along the Gulf Coast since then,” said Richen Brame, CCA’s Regional Fisheries Director. “Nonetheless, allocation decisions are always contentious and we applaud the Council for continuing its efforts to set the allocation based on modern criteria.”

The Gulf Council voted to send Amendment 28 – Red Snapper Reallocation out to a series of public hearings in the Gulf states and set a special meeting for May in New Orleans to take final action. Amendment 28 contains seven alternatives for reallocating red snapper that range from status quo to shifting up to 10 percent to the recreational sector. The Council selected Alternative 5, which directs 75 percent of any quota over 9.12 million pounds to the recreational sector and 25 percent to the commercial sector, as its preferred alternative. With the current Gulf-wide quota set at 11 million pounds, Alternative 5 would shift roughly 1.4 million pounds to the recreational sector in time for the 2014 season if approved.

“When the original allocation was set red snapper stocks were in far worse condition, and there are questions about the quality of harvest data even today, which makes the accuracy of an allocation set in the mid-1980s extremely suspect. It is quite possible that the allocation of this fishery has never been correct and that may explain some of the issues anglers are grappling with today,” said Brame. “We know that this is not a cure for all the problems in recreational management, but if Alternative 5 is approved it will do a lot to fix the foundation of this fishery and give us something solid on which to build. We would strongly encourage that the allocation be reviewed regularly from now on.”

Efforts to keep Amendment 28 on track were aided greatly by Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), who highlighted the issue during the nomination process for Dr. Kathryn Sullivan to be the Undersecretary for Oceans and Atmosphere, and Administrator of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

“This is huge news for Gulf Coast recreational anglers. After months of urging NOAA and the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council to take action on Amendment 28, they have finally started moving on it,” said Sen. Vitter. “We intend to follow it through to completion. Proactively managing Gulf fisheries based on the best science and economics should always be the ultimate goal, and this is a positive step in the meantime that could lead to an economic boost for Gulf economies, something we can all support.”

Visit www.joincca.org for more information.

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