Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2015 i Bassmaster

State and federal water conveyance officers are preparing for a fourth consecutive year of drought conditions in California, despite December rains. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will offer $1,000 for info leading to the arrest and prosecution of violators who intentionally introduce hydrilla at Kerr Lake (Buggs Island) on the Virginia and North Carolina border. To help minimize the threat of invasive species, all boats operating on Texas public waters after July 1 must be drained before leaving or approaching a lake or river.…

When the Elite Series first visited Orange, Texas, and the Sabine River in 2013, competitors had a lot of legwork to do. There were no maps available for electronics. That was not the case when anglers kicked off the 2015 season at the Bassmaster Elite at Sabine River presented by STARK Cultural Venues this past March. Navionics, the gold-standard mapping software for bass anglers, decided to send a crew to Orange to harvest data for the first-ever map of that section of the river. “The anglers felt like their hands were somewhat tied in 2013 because they couldn’t reproduce patterns based on bottom contours,” said Corey Stanley, Navionics technical specialist. “It’s our job to provide the most accurate, up-to-date maps for anglers, so we decided to get these maps ready…

Congrats to Casey Ashley on winning the #BassmasterClassic! Hard not to get choked up watching someone complete their lifelong dream! @Howell_Fishing I’ll tell you what, watching almost every second of @bass_nation Bassmaster Classic had me itchin’ to catch some big green girls @ebator09 Never forget the #bassmasterclassic. Got to meet several of my heroes, the most memorable being @ AMartFishing @b_Swank16 Who needs the Oscars? I love this #bassmasterclassic coverage! @clapp108 Took a picture with VanDam! #bassmasterclassic @mitchellbrown87 What a bag for Casey Ashley! 20-3 @therealJBailey Watching the Classic Live was the best thing ever. I hope every tournament is like this. @bass_nation #bassmasterclassic @HGage_18 It’s a good day even though it’s raining! Bassmaster Classic and the Daytona 500. I don’t think you could ask for more. @chad_key…

Spring has sprung. Winter’s dark, cold days are finally behind us, and the bass are feeling it. You have a chance to get out on the water and do a little fishing on a large, deep and mostly clear highland impoundment (think Georgia’s Lake Lanier). It’s ripe and loaded with spotted and largemouth bass. The water temperature ranges from 55 to 60 degrees, and it’s clear (6 or more feet of visibility on the lower end) to dingy (around 2 feet on the upper end). The substrate is rocky, and the lake is heavily developed, so there are plenty of boat docks. The bass are healthy and feeding on a smorgasbord of threadfin and gizzard shad, blueback herring, crawfish and panfish. You’ve got great weather to be outside. Highs are…

SO WHAT COMES next? That’s the $64,000 question — and for Bassmaster Elite Series pro anglers, it can be the $100,000 question at times, especially when bass are deep in the dog days of summer and again in the dead of winter. Just about everybody likes to start their day with a crank-bait when conditions are right for obvious reasons — fish fast, hook up fast, get fish in the boat fast, and then cast again and get another fast — but bass that look at too many of these ubiquitous lures can get “cranky” in a bad way. While all experienced bassers have an array of rods with various lures at the ready on the bow, Elite Series pro Kevin Hawk and other deep-water experts say there’s a progression…

In the universe of fairness, every existing curse must have a worldly complement to balance it. EVER HEARD OF the Madden curse? It is the inexplicable coincidence of star football players suffering injury or underperformance after they are featured on the cover of the Madden NFL video game. It started with the inaugural version of the game in 1999 when San Francisco 49er Garrison Hearst was featured after setting franchise records in 1998. The game was released and bam, Hearst suffers a gory broken ankle in the team’s second game of the season. If you’ve not heard of the Madden curse, perhaps the Sports Illustrated curse is on your radar. This magazine’s cover has had a black cloud over it since Braves third baseman Eddie Mathews graced the front page…

There are likely hundreds of ways to make your own rod rack. Here, though, is a simple solution for managing your fish sticks if you have extra wall space. This is a very affordable project, as you simply need a length of 2-inch PVC and some 2 x 2s to screw into sheetrock. The steps here show you how to make and attach the cradles. To perfectly accommodate your baitcasting and spinning collection, measure and separate the cradles as needed. 1 Cut a 1-inch segment off a PVC pipe. 2 Cut a 1 1/2-inch slot in the segment. This should accommodate full-cork handles. 3 Drill a pilot hole through the PVC, making sure you keep the majority of the material toward the ground to support your rod. 4 Drill a…

“There was ease in Casey’s manner as he stepped into his place; There was pride in Casey’s bearing and a smile lit Casey’s face. And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat, No stranger in the crowd could doubt ‘twas Casey at the bat.” —Casey at the Bat , Ernest Lawrence Thayer Thanks to everyone who came out to the 2015 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro and the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods and for sharing all of your great photos! Keep sharing your pictures with us on Instagram and Twitter: @bass_nation. This issue’s winner: lmmaurstad…

We know Bassmaster Elite Series pro Edwin Evers can fish, but apparently he also knows his pecans. The Oklahoma angler recently launched a pecan business, and if you think he’s nutty, think again. Evers conducted ample research and investigated several pecan orchard properties before jumping headfirst into the business. His website dedicated to the pecan business, www.edwinevers pecans.com, tells the detailed story of how the successful angler got into pecans. Evers says he was looking for something to do when his angling career ends — “hopefully a long time from now” — and that he wanted to embark on a business that would help instill in his children a love for the land. Evers and his wife, Tuesday, enrolled in “Pecans 101” at Oklahoma State University and learned a few…

Anglers are incessantly in search of sponsorship opportunities, and Elite Series pro Bill Lowen announced late last year that he has entered into a partnership that has to have one of the coolest names we’ve ever heard. Lowen has partnered with Contec, a company that makes odor-eliminating hand wipes that come with a colorful but practical name: Fish-D-Funk. “Kill the Stink!” the company’s website proclaims. In addition to the hand wipes designed for anglers, the company also offers several other application-specific hand wipes, including Dog-D-Funk, Boat-D-Funk, Gun-D-Funk and Cooler-D-Funk. Sadly, we doubt there’s a wipe that will take a tournament angler out of the funk that comes with a terrible tournament day.…

This month marks the 15th anniversary of a fish we all love to hate. Big Mouth Billy Bass, the ubiquitous singing plastic fish, debuted 15 years ago this month, flying off retailers’ shelves and quickly driving people insane with its renditions of Al Green’s “Take Me to the River” and Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” Billy was the brainchild of Joe Pellettieri, vice president of product development at Gemmy Industries, an Irving, Texas-based animated toy company. Actually, Pellettieri’s wife, Barbara, had a flash of inspiration as she and her husband drove past the Bass Pro Shops in Grapevine, Texas. After several failed attempts, Joe Pellettieri and developers at Gemmy came up with the right combination of internal motors and motion sensors and took Billy to the marketplace. Fast forward…

THE ONLY THING surprising about Michael Iaconelli’s 8-pound winning margin in the Delaware River Bassmaster Elite Series tournament last August was that he didn’t win by more. True, he grew up fishing the Delaware, so he should have known its many moods — including a twice-daily tidal change of 7 feet or more — but what has been overlooked by many is how he won. The long-accepted practice of fishing tidal waters is by “running the tide” to stay in low, outgoing water, but the Pittsgrove, N.J., pro caught his 47-pound, 14-ounce total not only during the low tides, but also during the rising mid- and high tides, considered the worst of all tidal fishing conditions because they scatter the bass over much larger areas. “The key to successful tidal…

EACH YEAR AS the excitement of the Bassmaster Classic explodes into action, it captivates the attention of the industry. It seems all eyes turn toward the epic event and most everything connected to the bass fishing world stops to watch — everything stops, except for the fish. Classic or not, a fish’s “bassiverse” continues as normal — swimming, suspending, seeking structure and hunting food. And, for the second year in a row — amidst the big show — a giant, record-breaking spotted bass chose to make an appearance at a separate event, in another part of the country. HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF As we now know, last year on Feb. 22, as bass fans around the world waited for the Day 2 cut of the Bassmaster Classic field in Alabama, California…

Michael P. Buckner South Carolina 13-0 Private pond, South Carolina ◆ 5-inch MegaStick (watermelon black flake/ silver) ◆ Water clarity: stained ◆ Depth: 5 feet ◆ Weather: overcast, rainy Jim DeVore Arizona 12-2 Lake Fork, Texas Modified Yamamoto Hula Grub Richard B. Bowers Wisconsin 10-11 Little Lake Harris, Florida 5-inch Yum Dinger (watermelon red) Marc Gerber Florida 12-4 Kissimmee Chain, Florida Heddon Super Spook (mullet) Ronald K. Asher Indiana 10-5 Toledo Bend Reservoir, Texas Smithwick Rogue shallow runner Chris Morrison Maryland 12-5 Lake Fork, Texas 4.8-inch Kicker Fish Tail Slapper (albino shad) Ralph Heavener Oklahoma 11-7 Broken Bow Lake, Oklahoma Yumbrella Flash Mob Jr. with Zoom Swimmin’ Flukes Bill Guenza California 8-10 Lake Pardee, California 5-inch Senko (green pumpkin) To request an application, write to editorial@bassmaster.com or B.A.S.S.,…

“How in the world did I drive at speeds up to 70 mph for nearly an hour without knowing I’d had a blowout?” IT WAS 4 A.M. when I wheeled out of my driveway with my bass boat, headed to a southern Michigan lake for a little team tournament. It was pitch dark when I arrived at the ramp, where I waited for my partner. Another competitor had launched his boat and walked past me to exchange greetings. “Wow, looks like you had a tire problem,” he said. I looked at him quizzically. “Huh? No, not me,” I countered. “Isn’t that your boat?” he asked, pointing his flashlight to the rear of my trailer. I turned to look, and my jaw dropped. The rear tire on the driver’s side of…

Hank Cherry Birthday: Feb. 8, 1974 Hometown: Maiden, N.C. You stormed onto the Bassmaster scene with a third-place finish in the 2013 Classic and have continued to have success. How has the past couple of years on the Elite Series been? The biggest thing I can tell people is don’t take anything for granted. I’ve had some good tournaments and I’ve had some bad tournaments. Last year I tried to go against my strengths and do the things that other people were doing, and it wasn’t good. It’s been a huge learning experience. You watch these people on TV and idolize them and then get around them and realize they’re just people who really love to fish, just like you. The other thing is that I didn’t really handle the…

Friday the 13th was anything but unlucky for a Tennessee high school teacher and bass angler. Gabe Keen, a history teacher at Campbell County High School as well as the school’s high school bass fishing coach, broke the 60-year-old Tennessee largemouth bass record when he hauled in a 15-pound, 2-ounce fish from Chickamauga Lake. Keen was practicing Friday, Feb. 13, for a weekend tournament when he caught the giant on an umbrella rig in about 20 feet of water. Keen’s fish topped the Volunteer State’s largemouth record of 14-8, a fish caught by James Barnett from Lawrence County’s Sugar Creek on Oct. 17, 1954. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency fisheries officials attributed Keen’s record-setting catch to an aggressive Florida bass-stocking program at Chickamauga over the past 15 years. A fin clip…

The Bassmaster Elite Series returns to the Golden State at the end of this month, and the Carhartt College Series is tagging along, too. The eyes of the bass fishing world will focus sharply on California’s state capital and its outstanding bass fishing opportunities. 3 This year’s stop in California marks the Bassmaster Elite Series’ third visit to the Sacramento Delta. Aaron Martens won in 2007; John Crews won in 2010. 13 The Sacramento Delta ranks 13th on Bassmaster’s 2014 Top 100 Best Bass Lakes. He Looks Familiar. The cover of the official Sacramento visitor’s guide features 2009 Bassmaster Classic champion and Elite Series pro Skeet Reese with a big largemouth bass.…

B.A.S.S. Nation Western Divisional Where: Clear Lake, Lakeport, Calif. When: April 8-10 Diet Mountain Dew Bassmaster Elite Series Where: Lake Guntersville, Guntersville, Ala. When: April 9-12 Bass Pro Shops Southern Open No. 2 presented by Allstate Where: Alabama River, Prattville, Ala. When: April 16-18 B.A.S.S. Nation Southern Divisional Where: Pee Dee River Basin, Georgetown, S.C. When: April 22-24 Carhartt Bassmaster College Western Regional Where: Folsom Reservoir, Sacramento, Calif. When: April 30-May 2 Bassmaster Elite Series Where: Sacramento River, Sacramento, Calif. When: April 30-May 3…

NO MATTER HOW hard contenders practiced for the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro on Lake Hartwell, South Carolina, no one was totally prepared for the conditions each angler faced during competition. Brutally cold air plummeted water temperatures from 49 degrees during practice to 41 when competition began. The pros, who were greeted with 10-degree air temperatures on the first day and who fished in sub-freezing conditions most of the event, found several productive areas shrouded in ice and a bass population in a less-than-eager mood to commit. As badly as the fish wanted to migrate toward spawning areas in the early prespawn season, Mother Nature’s abrupt raw weather held them back. That made developing a reliable and solid pattern difficult and had groups of fish at all depths. Anglers…

“I have to have a good attitude,” he responded. “I’m livin’ on bonus time now.” ESPECIALLY ON THE first two days of the recent GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro on Lake Hartwell, S.C., anglers and tournament staff had plenty to grouse about. Extreme cold caused a delay in the start of competition Friday, and when boat launching finally began, many of the rigs remained frozen to their trailer bunks. Anglers constantly had to dip their rods into the water to melt ice forming in the guides. Saturday’s fishing got off on time, but the weather remained brutal. Anyone feeling sorry for himself that afternoon received a reality check as a young man rode into the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in a bass boat. A surprise guest invited to the…