Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2017 i Bassmaster

Andy Montgomery Hometown: Blacksburg, S.C. Age: 34 You had a good start to the 2017 Elite Series, with two Top 12s in the first three events. What’s been working for you this year? If you look at my history, I’ve had runs where I fish as good as anybody in the world, and then as bad as anybody. I hope to keep the good streak going this year. Probably the biggest thing I’ve done is eliminate mistakes. The competition is so good; there’s no margin for error. Everything that has bitten me, I’ve gotten in the boat. The biggest adjustment for me has been learning to land fish without a net. There’s obviously a big difference in landing fish without a net, but we’re not sure we’ve ever heard an…

When the Make-A-Wish Foundation asked 15-year-old Cody “Deuce” West about his wish, the young angler didn’t hesitate: He wanted a boat. Make-A-Wish, which grants wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses, teamed with Cabela’s in Fort Mill, S.C., to give a boat to West, who suffers from the progressive genetic disease cystic fibrosis. According to The Herald of Rock Hill, S.C., West received even more than the boat. He also took part in a fishing tournament organized by Riley’s Catch, a regional high school team, and weighed in his fish in front of the Cabela’s store with the help of Bassmaster Elite Series pro Britt Myers. West also received a personalized tournament jersey, fishing gear, a trophy and an oversized check with the word “boat” on it.…

Michigan is turning in a new direction to try to solve the persistent threat of Asian carp entering the Great Lakes. The state is offering a high-dollar bounty to anybody who comes up with a plan to stop the fish. According to the Detroit News, the Michigan Legislature and Gov. Rick Snyder allocated $1 million for the public challenge. Details about total prize money for successful ideas had yet to be released, but a Michigan Department of Natural Resources spokesman said most of the money would go toward the prize. Michigan has a $38 billion tourism industry, much of it focused on the outdoors. The Great Lakes harbor a $7 billion fishing industry. Scientists and anglers fear the introduction of the fish to the Great Lakes could disrupt the ecosystem…

The legacy of Bryan Kerchal persists in the hearts and minds of the B.A.S.S. Nation more than two decades after his unrivaled 1994 Bassmaster Classic victory and his tragic death in a plane crash just four months later. And Kerchal’s memory was recently honored by an Idaho third-grader. Jaxon Golightly of Preston, Idaho, paid tribute to Kerchal in a class assignment in which students created a biography and a portrait of a famous person for a class “wax museum.” The project included a one-minute speech, and Golightly incorporated a Kerchal fish whistle that had been sent to him by Kerchal’s father, Ray.…

THE SMARTPHONE IS a wonderful innovation. Information at your fingertips, an encyclopedia of events and history in response to a simple question to the powerful oracles of our age: the voice recognition Internet search technologies. “Is Ray Scott the man behind the sport of professional bass fishing?” The automated voice will answer, “Yes, Ray W. Scott Jr. of Montgomery, Ala., introduced competitive bass fishing on June 5 to 7, 1967, at Beaver Lake, Arkansas.” On the surface, any fact checker will attest to Scott’s certification as the visionary who propelled the black bass to become America’s fish — replacing the Lordly Trout as the most coveted, sought-after sportfish in freshwater. Scott, an insurance salesman at the time with a passion for bass fishing, used his know-how to prospect for potential…

A LAMENT OFTEN heard from those who fish lakes impounded by hydroelectric dams is that the bass won’t bite during slackwater periods. These anglers typically target ledges and other main-lake structures where bass pounce on deep crankbaits, big swimbaits, flutter spoons and heavy jigs when the water flows. They catch few bass with these baits when there is no power generation to pull water through the dam. GRANNY GEAR Jordan Lee, 2017 Bassmaster Classic champion, has had to cope with slackwater bass many times during tournament competition. He adapts by shifting down to “granny gear” with baits that are lighter but not necessarily smaller than those he casts when the dam pulls water. “If there’s no current, the bass are not bunched up and feeding,” Lee says. “The main thing…

At first I thought it was a peacock. When I realized the noise was actually coming from Allen, I became concerned. WHEN I HEARD Thomas Allen screaming, I assumed he had been hooked through the eyeball with a No. 2 treble. And yes, it was a scream, not a yell. Allen, senior editor of this publication and a very grown man, employed a pitch in his voice usually reserved for girls under the age of 10, and then only when the aforementioned children were confronted by a snake, spider or surprise birthday party with a Barbie theme. Why the high-pitched call for distress? Allow me to set the scene. Allen and I do a kayak video series on Bassmaster.com. We were about a week behind on production of these videos…

There’s nothing worse than paying your tournament entry fee, paddling out to your spot and kicking your Hawg Trough measuring board into the drink, then watching it waft out of sight. Now you can’t measure and photograph your catch, and unless a fellow competitor has one you can borrow, your day is done. A while back, we showed how to pack some insulation foam into the back to make the trough float, but now we feel a couple of 5/16-inch dowel rods work better. For one, they’re easier to install; for another, they make the plastic board sturdier and harder to break when measuring fish. 1 Slide the dowel into the back and snip it to size with a side cutter. 2 After sliding the dowel into place, lay a…

An invitational bass tournament held 50 years ago this month forever changed the country’s bass fishing landscape. From professional fishing tournaments and the growth of the U.S. fishing industry to clean water protections and fisheries conservation, B.A.S.S. founder Ray Scott’s All-American Invitational on Beaver Lake, Arkansas, marked the beginning of a new era in bass fishing. Scott held his first bass tournament June 5-7, 1967. The precursor to B.A.S.S. tournament fishing drew 106 anglers to Springdale, Ark., on Sunday, June 4, to register for the three-day event that promised more than $5,000 in cash prizes. Local band The Skunk Hollow Gang performed for about 200 guests at a pre-tournament banquet. Anglers fished Monday through Wednesday, with Stan Sloan winning and earning $2,000 and a fly fishing trip to Acapulco, Mexico,…

GoPro Bassmaster Elite at Dardanelle presented by Econo Lodge Lake Dardanelle, Russellville, Ark., June 2-5 Carhartt Bassmaster College Wild Card presented by Bass Pro Shops Lay Lake, Shelby County, Ala., June 8-10 Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation Eastern Regional presented by Magellan Upper Chesapeake Bay, North East, Md., June 14-16 Bass Pro Shops Central Open No. 2 Sabine River, Orange, Texas, June 15-17 Bass Pro Shops Northern Open No. 1 Oneida Lake, Syracuse, N.Y., June 29-July 1…

Dave Precht started working at B.A.S.S. on Feb. 5, 1979. In April of 1984, he took over the editorship of Bassmaster Magazine, making him only the second person ever to hold that title (Bob Cobb was the first). Now, 38 years later, Precht is still the Editor-in-Chief of this publication and one of the most influential members of the outdoors media. So, it seems most appropriate that the Legends Of The Outdoors decided to induct the Louisiana native into its Hall of Fame. Precht will receive the honor on August 26. Other 2017 inductees include Morris Sheehan (president, American Bass Anglers), Lisa Snuggs (SEOPA Executive Director), Walter Parrot (champion turkey caller), Guy Eaker Sr. (professional angler), Jerry Antley (founder of Cedar Hill game calls), Bob Foulkrod (writer and TV personality)…

The soft plastic lure business is looking good, with one popular brand adding 25 jobs with an additional manufacturing shift at its Fort Smith, Ark., facility. According to Fort Smith’s Southwest Times Record, Pradco Outdoor Brands’ fishing division added the jobs to keep up with demand for its Yum line of soft plastic baits. Since 2014, Yum has contributed to the creation of 80 full-time jobs at the Fort Smith plant. Pradco Outdoor Brands is based in Birmingham, Ala. In addition to several hunting brands, its Arkansas-based fishing division includes Booyah, Bomber, Rebel, Bandit and Norman. The added jobs will allow the company to produce soft plastic baits 24 hours a day, five days a week.…

thermocline • noun A thin but distinct layer in a large body of water that separates warmer surface water from colder deep water, characterized by a rapid decrease in oxygen content below this layer. A thermocline is formed in mid- to late summer on most Southern impoundments without river current. Synonymous phrase: “dog days of summer” THE FACT IS, most bass anglers bemoan the appearance of suspended arches on their sonar screens when idling over deep water in the summer, as it’s usually an indication the bass are inactive and unwilling to chase a lure. Additionally, targeting suspended bass poses the need for a precise understanding of how deep a lure runs during the retrieve in order to keep the bait in front of the fish’s nose — easier said…

Date: June 1, 2016 Venue: Lake R, a flatland reservoir Water: 82 degrees, slightly stained Weather: Partly cloudy, 70 to 90 degrees Pro: David DON WIRTH Mullins, 35, Mt Writer . Carmel, Tenn. A former high school economics teacher now in his third season on the Elite Series, Mullins’ favorite tactic is deep structure fishing. Boat: Triton 21 TrX with a 250-horsepower Mercury outboard, MotorGuide trolling motor, Lowrance electronics and twin Power-Pole shallow-water anchors A CRAZY SPRING can make for unpredictable early summer fishing. Unseasonably cool temps can modify traditional bass movements. Just because it’s June doesn’t mean bass have moved offshore. Remember, fish don’t use calendars. Elite Series pro David Mullins proves this idea and puts an exclamation point on it with his shallow-water success during his seven-hour test…

To trim or not to trim Can we run the new 4-stroke Mercury outboards trimmed up, providing the water intakes are underwater? Since the motor has an oil sump, I want to make sure it will still pick up oil. @lockwooddaniel45, Instagram Mark Curtis, Mercury service product manager, says that shouldn’t be a problem. “The 4-stroke oil pickup tube is located in the center of the sump with a forward bias and will not be uncovered during shallow-water running,” he says. “When trimming up, it actually adds more oil to the front of the sump where the oil pickup is.” However, he advises, do not run the engine fully tilted (out of the water) when the freshwater flushing attachment is connected as you will be trimmed too high and could…

“Try to catch ’em on a worm first, because your hook-to-land ratio is better!”— Elite Series pro Jacob Powroznik BEST BAITS FOR BRUSHPILES What are your Top 3 baits for fishing deep brushpiles?@alex_fritzgr, Instagram Elite Series pro Jacob Powroznik My first choice would be a V&M Mag Worm, Texas rigged. When fishing out deep in June, those fish have usually been beat up pretty bad. So, you typically have to opt for soft plastics to finesse the bite. I always assume the fish saw 1,000 crankbaits during the month of May. That said, my second lure choice is a Livingston PrimeTyme 18 crankbait. This lure has baitfish sounds and vibration that can trigger bites when other crankbaits can’t. Plus, a crankbait will, for some reason, trigger the biggest bass on…

B.A.S.S. FOUNDER RAY SCOTT announced in late March that he had sold his famous Trophy Bass Retreat near Pintlala, Ala. The Montgomery Advertiser reported that Scott sold the 200-acre property to Montgomery attorney Andy Birchfield for an undisclosed price. The property features three lakes, including the 55-acre Presidents Lake that has been fished by presidents George H.W. and George W. Bush. Scott had been using the property and its four-bedroom lodge as a fishing-themed resort in recent years. “It’s tough to leave, but I won’t be far away,” Scott said in a news release. “I’ll be across the hill on a secluded side of the property in a small cottage on an old 18-acre lake. It’s perfect for me and my wife and our two dogs. Plus, I think I’ve…

The GoPro Bassmaster Elite at Lake Dardanelle presented by Econo Lodge will bring the world’s best bass anglers to the Natural State on June 2-5, but that’s not the only reason to celebrate bass in Russellville. Dandy Dardanelle. The 35,000-acre Arkansas River impoundment stretches 50 miles and consistently ranks at or near the top among Arkansas water bodies based on a bass tournament information database. B.A.S.S. History Dardanelle was the site of the first Bassmaster Elite 50 event, a precursor to today’s Elite Series. Ozarks Outdoors In addition to Lake Dardanelle, Russellville is also a gateway to the Ozark National Forest, which features scores of picturesque small streams teeming with smallmouth bass. Lake Dardanelle State Park features a 10,527-square-foot visitor center on the lakeshore.…

Texas Parks and Wildlife fisheries biologist Ken Driscoll of Jasper, Texas, was awarded the Ken Cook Friend of B.A.S.S. Fisheries Award March 24 during the Bassmaster Classic in Houston. Driscoll, who has worked for TPWD for 18 years and who’s also an avid tournament angler, is responsible for a 15-county area that includes Lake Sam Rayburn and Toledo Bend Reservoir, the latter of which has been the nation’s top-ranked bass fishery two years in a row. The award was created by B.A.S.S. in memory of fisheries biologist and professional angler Ken Cook, who died in 2016. Driscoll is known among peers and Texas bass anglers for his efforts to study tournament fish care and mortality, including a study on Sam Rayburn that tagged and tracked more than 6,000 fish in…

THERE ARE FEW fishing techniques rivaling the excitement of taking bass on top. And regardless of whether the attacks are explosive strikes or subtle slurps, getting to witness fish eating an offering is a guaranteed way to get your adrenaline pumping. It would be great if topwater lures worked throughout the year and in all situations, but unfortunately, that’s not the case. So it’s important to maximize your success by knowing what baits to tie on given the time of year and conditions. To help you make the most of your topwater opportunities, Bassmaster has combed the archives and compiled this list of what and when to cast when targeting bass looking toward the surface.…

“Cobb was torn between staying in Tulsa and jumping on a bandwagon with a loose wheel or two.” IN THE SPRING of 1967, when Ray Scott began promoting his All-American Bass Tournament at Beaver Lake, Arkansas, almost nobody believed in him or bought into his idea. The Chamber of Commerce in Springdale, Ark., gave him office space but little else. His boss at the insurance company, for which Scott worked, said he’d hold his job open for a time, just in case. Even outdoor writers in the area were underwhelmed. Bob Cobb was a striking exception. The first time he heard about Scott’s ideas for elevating tournament bass fishing into a true professional sport, the Tulsa Tribune outdoor writer was captivated. Recently, I was reunited with Cobb, whom I worked…