2017 Bassmaster Classic Bracket Showdown on Lake Pokegama

Two matches, with a camera on each angler's boat, will be held from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m today and the other two matches will be held from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. On Wednesday, the anglers will complete their six-hour matches in the other time slot, morning to afternoon and vice versa.On Thursday, there will be two full-day matches simultaneously, and the final will be on Friday.

2017 BASS Elite Ross Barnett Day 3: Connell Leads as KVD and JVD Close In!

Weather worries for Sunday. 

By Thomas Allen 

BASS PRESS RELEASE

Rookie Connell steady as veterans close in.
(Photo: BASS)

For the second day in a row, Alabama native Dustin Connell is leading the fourth Bassmaster Elite Series event of his life. The 26-year-old rookie is closing in on his first victory and the $100,000 first-place prize at the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite at Ross Barnett.

The weather forecast for Ridgeland, Miss., is predicting strong thunderstorms and heavy rain for Championship Sunday, which could impact whether the tournament concludes on schedule or gets postponed until Monday.
 
Connell’s pattern produced 15 pounds, 7 ounces of largemouth bass for a three-day total of 51-14, which is just over 6 pounds ahead of second place.
 
“I’m fishing up in the Pearl River,” Connell said. “And if we get heavy rain, the potential flood waters could wash out my spots. If that happens, I may have to revert to plan B and pick up a frog. I’m hoping we’ll dodge a bullet and be able to fish on Sunday.”
 
Connell mentioned that he’s so confident in his fishing spots that if the weather holds off, he believes he can win.
 

Fast Reels for Fantastic Bass Action!

Fast n Furious Fishing

By Luigi De Rose

“I’m a bit hyper – always fidgety and jumpy. Reels with fast gear ratios are a better fit for my fishing personality.” admits TV and Bassmater star Mark Zona. Buying a reel with a super high gear ratio is not just about personal preference. There are a lot of advantages to using a high speed reel. Mark also explains, “more importantly, fast reels makes me a far more efficient angler. It’s easier to slow down my retrieve than it is to speed up, plus I find that when I have to force a reel to wind faster it’s more physically demanding.”

Zona knows that Shimano delivers speed and power on every cast.

There has been a strong push for revered up gear ratios by anglers. Why the need for speed? Generating a reflex strike is what expert anglers can do even when fishing conditions are not favorable.  As the weekend or tournament drags on, fishing generally becomes dreadful except for a lucky few. The best way to switch gears is trying to make the bass bite by forcing them to react to a quick moving lures.

Pitching plastics into heavy cover, ripping jerkbaits or burning crankbaits all work but you have to correct reel.  “I use Shimano’s high speed Metanium XG baitcasting reel with 8.5:1 gear ratio for a big portion of my fishing, especially with bottom bumping lures. Because it retrieves line quickly, I can make more pitches, flips or casts in a day and feel more comfortable doing it.” Clarifies Mark.

The star of Zona’s Awesome Fishing Show, is a huge fan of high speed reels. “If I’m cranking deep-running crankbaits or other high-torque fast movers, I’ll opt for the Antares HG geared at 7.4:1, which is still faster than what most recommend. We’ve been told that high-speed reels add stress to wrists when cranking hard-pulling lures than do the slower reels, but that’s not the case with Shimano’s Curado, Antares, Metanium or Chronarch reels – and now also the new Alderbaran HG reels with 7.4:1 gear ratios.” insists Zona.

No Guts No Glory

The true quality of a reel is buried deep inside. Without being able to assess the gears, it’s difficult to separate the good from the great and the great from the exceptional. For decades, Shimano has been producing amazing reels but they have put tremendous effort towards creating top quality gears.

Shimano's X-SHIP provides pure power even with high speed
reels like the Curado 200 HG.

They’ve designed three components that guarantees reels run right: SVS Infinity Braking System, S3D Stabile Spool Design and X-Ship. Each system ensures that the reel provides power, smoothness and durability.

Bassmaster Elite angler Jonathon Van Dam is a strong advocate of the X-ship. JVD declares, “the pinion gear on both ends with bearings, keeps precise alignment with the drive gear even under heavy loads.” Being on Tour, you must have reels that can stand up to the abuse.  Battling a winning fish in an Elite level tournament is not the place for your reel to start grinding.  The benefit of Shimano’s diligence in designing the best reels is that the average angler can enjoy the same quality in their equipment.

High speed reels are beneficial to getting more bites but before you become too impressed with the high ratio, consider what lies beneath the reel frame.  High speed reels need quality parts and gears.

Jason Christie Wins BASS Northern Open!

By Pete Robbins

(BASS Press Release)

JUL 21, 2012

A win and a trip to the Classic!
What a week.
(Photos: BASS)

DETROIT — Jason Christie of Park Hill, Okla., claimed that his status as a non-local enabled him to stay focused and win this week’s Northern Open on Michigan’s bountiful Lake St. Clair, but he’s hoping to have a local advantage when he fishes the 2013 Bassmaster Classic on Oklahoma’s Grand Lake, the body of water where many consider him a prohibitive favorite. 

Christie slammed the door shut today with 22 pounds, 13 ounces, to beat a field studded with Tour-level stars and a cadre of top local sticks. It was his third straight bag heavier than 21 pounds, and it will enable him to fulfill a lifelong dream.

“No. 1, you dream about fishing any Classic,” he said. “But to get to fish a Classic on your home lake is a dream come true.”

Besides his Classic berth, Christie won a fully rigged Nitro Z-9 bass boat with a Mercury OptiMax 250.

He said that his advantage over the many St. Clair regulars was that he didn’t have many decisions to make. He found one key area in the mouth of the Detroit River with patchy 

2012 Bass Pro Shops Northern Open #2 Detroit River Day 2: Giants Everywhere!

By Pete Robbins

(BASS Press Release)

JUL 20, 2012

DETROIT – The weather changed for all of the competitors at the Northern Open on Lake St. Clair today, but the sun continued to shine the brightest on local angler Brian Metry. Many pros complained that the emerging sun and fierce winds didn’t have their expected effect, but Metry added 22 pounds to his 23-05 catch from Day One and has a 14 ounce lead over Oklahoman Jason Christie.

Everyone in the Metry family gets to hold a giant.
(BASS Photos)

“They were really crunching it today,” Metry said, referring to his Jack-It Products crankbait. “I’m fishing a deep spot where the water is cool, and the current is helping to replenish the area.” He intends to make the same rotation tomorrow, starting in a place where he can virtually will a 15-pound limit to the boat, then going to his big fish spot to upgrade. Starting with an early limit helps him to relax, he explained. “I have all kinds of temptation to do it differently, but if I stick to my game plan instead of following temptation I might win this thing.” 

Despite adding 21-07 to his 23 pound Day One catch, Christie said the fishing was tougher. He only landed 10 keepers and caught the last good one with 10 minutes left to fish.

2012 Elite Series Green Bay Challenge: JVD Wins His First BASSMASTER Tournament!

By Ken Duke

Bass Press Release

Jul 1, 2012

Finally nails a win!
(Photos: BASS)

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Four days on Lake Michigan produced four different tournament leaders at the Bassmaster Elite Series Green Bay Challenge, but it was the leader at the end of today's final competition round who takes home the trophy, $100,000 in first-place prize money and an automatic berth in the 2013 Bassmaster Classic.
That distinction belongs to Jonathon VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., who bested 97 of the best bass anglers in the world with a four-day catch of smallmouth bass weighing 79 pounds, 2 ounces. He saved his best performance for the last round, boating a limit of five smallmouth that weighed 23-4 to edged Idaho's Brandon Palaniuk, the tournament leader going into the final round by 4 ounces.

He was sight fising cruising beasts.

VanDam fished a Strike King Dream Shot plastic worm in KVD Magic (green and silver with blue flake) on a drop shot rig above a 3/8-ounce sinker for the bulk of his catch. Though he struggled early, falling behind Palaniuk and others, he came on strong in the last couple of hours to claim the championship.
"I went through the highest of highs and the lowest of lows today," VanDam said on stage moments before his uncle, legendary angler Kevin VanDam, handed him the tournament trophy and set a Green Bay Packers' cheese head atop his fishing cap. "I didn't have my first keeper until about noon. I was a train wreck but I kept grinding, and it paid off."
Along with the Elite Series win and six-figure payday, VanDam earns a berth in the 2013 Bassmaster Classic on Grand Lake out of Tulsa, Okla. It will be his first appearance in the championship that his Uncle Kevin has dominated with 22 consecutive appearances and four wins since 2001.