For
the fourth day in a row, Britt Myers of Lake Wylie, S.C., made a long run to
the Cooper River near Charleston, S.C., knowing that he needed to make all the
right moves to claim the championship title.
Fishing ditches and stumps in an old rice field lands Myers his first win!
Due to
a strong cold front that shut the fishing down, Myers was forced to scrap his
original game plan and try something new. The adjustment proved to be the right
decision, which produced 9 pounds, 5 ounces of bass, and a four-day total of
56-3 during Championship Sunday at the Huk Performance Fishing Bassmaster Elite
at Winyah Bay presented by GoRVing.
Myers
had only three fish by late Sunday morning, and he knew a change in
presentation was necessary if he were to remain in contention for the title.
Despite
a powerful cold front accompanied by strong northerly winds, many of the Top 51
anglers still made the long grueling run to the Cooper River near Charleston,
S.C., to catch their fish.
Saturday was a shootout between the Top 3 anglers, which ended
with the third lead change in as many days.
Hite using new chatter bait to perfection. (Photo: BASS)
Brett Hite of Phoenix, Ariz., successfully plucked 18 pounds of
largemouth bass from the same area he has been fishing the past two days. Hite
will leave the docks on Championship Sunday with a three-day weight of 50-2,
looking for the second victory of his career at the Huk Performance Fishing
Bassmaster Elite at Winyah Bay presented by GoRVing.
Britt Myers fully understands the amount of risk that comes with making
a near two-hour boat run to access his fishing spots, but on Friday the gamble
paid off in a big way.
Britt working grass flat and ditches to secure lead.
(Photo: BASS)
Myers, of Lake Wylie, S.C., brought in a five-bass limit that weighed 21
pounds, 7 ounces, which catapulted him into the lead with a two-day total of
37-15 during the Huk Performance Fishing Bassmaster Elite at Winyah Bay
presented by GoRVing.
After a weather delay on Thursday, Friday’s take-off was on time and
preceded a beautiful spring day that produced some impressive bass.
Kelly Jordon of Flint, Texas, weighed the heaviest limit of the
tournament so far with 24-7, pushing his two-day total to 32-12. Brett Hite of
Phoenix, Ariz., is in third with 32-2, while Keith Combs of Huntington, Texas,
is holding down fourth place with 26-1. Randall Tharp of Port St. Joe, Fla.,
rounds out the Top 5 with 25-8.
With two days remaining, Myers won’t divulge specifics yet, but he is
confident that the right bass will be where he’s fishing at least one more day.
GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. – Michael Iaconelli arrived in Alabama Sunday
limping on a swollen right ankle, and he went to bed Wednesday night
worried the fish he had found in practice would disappear due to rapidly
rising water temperatures.
But neither issue was a problem once he hit the water Thursday morning.
Iaconelli rolled the dice and followed the bass.
Iaconelli had what he called a “magical day” in the Diet Mtn Dew
Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville, taking the opening-round lead
with five bass that weighed 28 pounds, 2 ounces. The New Jersey pro’s
best single-day catch in recent memory was one of many of head-turners
on a day when it took 21-0 to crack the Top 20.
Kelly Jordon (26-1), Bernie Schultz (25-8), Skeet Reese (24-15) and
Kelley Jaye (24- 4) rounded out the Top 5 with eye-popping catches of
their own.
“The water temperature in practice on Monday was 60 degrees,” said
Iaconelli, who injured his ankle during last month’s Elite Series event
on the Sabine River in Texas. “By Wednesday, it was 65 to 67 degrees.
That’s a huge difference, and I kind of knew those fish I found in
practice were going to go away.”
Rather than going completely back to the drawing board, Iaconelli just moved with the fish.
“Today, I tried to visualize where they went,” he said. “Knowing the
water went up six or seven degrees, I knew they didn’t go deeper.
Everything wants to spawn right now, and I tried to visualize the route
they would take.”
Hey, in the media centre and trying not to fall asleep here. Its been a world wind tour and the heat, steaks, late nights and pure fishing talk has taken its toll on everyone. I have a super funny photo of JP De Rose (no relations) from WFN. Wait till you see it, it will explain the whole event.
Shot more video today. Dave Mercer doing Shimano, John Crews with Spro, Kelly Jordan in the Lucky Craft Booth, Mike Iaconelli in the Molix booth, all good stuff.
Shoot some more photos and it looks like a new minn kota trolling motor is coming my way. I need it to cut the weeds when I go back on Rice lake and Lake Scugog.
Flight doesn't leave till very late tonight. Once we hit the air it will be lights out. I might try to start some video editing, but I might be too messed up to make any progress.
Wait, I see Ish Monroe who I have to track down. Got to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
St. Johns River Palatka, Fla. March 17-20 By Luigi De Rose
Alton Jones praying to catch one on Saturday. (Photo: Seigo Saito BASS)
Overall, the weight decreased across the board for most anglers. Even with the Super Moon, anglers had a difficult time on Day 3 of the Bassmaster Elite Power-Pole Citrus Slam tournament on the St. John's River in Florida. The majority of anglers are sight fishing in two primary areas of the St. John's river. Lake George, a spring fed section that is famous for gin clear water and Rodman Pool, an extension of a defunked cross Florida barge system which is home to heavy vegetation and stump fields. Each area is world class but the anglers have been picking each spot clean of spawners. Also, the water level is quite low making these shallow bass even less torrent of fisherman and their baits.
Interestingly, the last 20 or so anglers to weigh-in all had hefty sacks of fish. Steve Kennedy bested them all with a 26-0 bag today. He had a pair of 8 pounders, the largest weighed 8-12 good enough to win big bass honours today. While on stage, Kennedy explained that he only saw these two big bass today and caught both of them. He might be sand bagging. If he isn't it will make Sunday very suspenseful.
Edwin Evers, who complained of missing some key fish in the closing minutes of Day 2 did very well today and leaped into second. On the back of a 19-04 bag, he is only 2-09 off the lead. Maybe the five pound fish he missed yesterday bit today. If Evers or Kennedy continue to produce on the Sunday, Alton Jones might not be able to hold on for a forth day in a row.
On the eve of any main sporting event there is always water cooler talk about who will win? Making predictions is fun but it takes a bit of educated guessing to get it right. Here are my choices. These anglers are selected for a variety of reasons. All are very skilled and could easily win. Winning the most important bass fishing tournament in the world is not a simple matter. This is the BASS MASTER CLASSIC.
The man is from Louisiana! Home state is never a guarantee you'll succeed but the Delta is not your average river. Plus, Greg can fish. A super, strong angler with a life time of knowledge of the swamp will go a long way. Past Classics here were in the summer. Heat, wind and weed growth dictated fish presence and activity levels. Early spring will be a totally different animal. So if you consider how many are seeing the Delta for the first time plus all the changes from Hurricane Katrina, Greg Hackney does seem to have an advantage. He might be my #1 choice and I would bet money on a Top 5 showing but I don't think he'll take it. My head says yes and my gut is undecided.
I would love for Gary to win. The guy is a walking legend and he's done very well during past trips to the Delta. Gary knows everything about catching bass throughout the entire spawning period which makes him even deadlier. I'm not picking him because I think the guy rocks but because he can really fish well during awkward cold front, pre-spawn periods.
If this becomes more of a pre-spawn situation with some colder weather blasting in, Mr. Klein is my man. Why? Past history and his determination. If Gary feels he is on the right fish to win he might be unstoppable. This is the guy who got shot at during a Delta Classic and didn't even flinch. He's tough!
His past wins speak volumes. During the 1993 Bassmaster Alabama Invitational (Feb 17 to 19) on Lake Eufaula he won by flipping and pitching in river eddies to edge out everyone during a very cold and stingy tournament. Same again at the 2003 Bassmaster Lake Seminole (Feb 6 to 9) event where Gary punched matted weeds. This was before anyone at the national level was punching mats. Both were February win during poor conditions.
Also, he is Yoda with a flippin' rod. He was swinging one at the 1979 Classic and almost won; so how can you not pick Gary Klein. I might not bet the farm on him but if he has a heavy limit on Day One, I might have to look under my mattress for an extra $50.
Ike is always dangerous. He finished second at the 2009 Bass Master Classic and the 2009 FLW Forest Wood Cup making the desire factor at an all-time high. Missing two championship wins in the same year would build a fire under anyone plus it is Mike. He doesn't need a reason to get pumped up.
Why I like him? Two main reasons: history and mind set. He seems to always do well early in the season. There are hundreds of photos of him screaming with a toque on his head and a lunker in his hands. His mind set excudes determination. This time around his life is stable and full. A focused angler who has nothing to worry about is just as dangerous as the old Iaconelli who had the worries of the world and nothing to loose. In my opinion I expect a top showing. I give him 40% chance of winning but 80% for a Top 5 place.
Kelly is a very strong angler from Texas who loves power fishing the shallows. The ledges and humps of Lake Fork, his home lake, will not give him an edge here but his knowledge of how bass use brush, weeds and stumps will. A keen shallow water angler, the Delta should be an area where he can excel. If the fish are biting spinnerbaits or on a shallow flipping bite, I expect him to do well. Jordan has a life time of skill from fishing east Texas during the spring so the Delta shouldn't be that confusing. One thing I worry about is the immense pressure of the Classic might be too overwhelming. The bite might come and go and the stress of waiting hours between fish could get the better of him. I hope not. He is my long shot. A true dark horse.
Being from Japan might be a plus of the personable Morizo Shimizu. This skilled angler knows how to strain bass from areas and grind them out. Several pros think it might be won on the flats with cranks. Evergreen International, one of his main sponsors, is a huge crankbait manufacturer so Morizo has the skill and the cool baits to catch these Delta bass. Another plus is that many tournaments held in Japan are on rivers or lakes with canals or channelized systems. He knows how to dissect water and make the best of an average location. With the enormous size of the Classic boundaries, if you commit to an area then you've committed the entire day there. Forget the Spanish moss, alligators and airboats, the brackish water of the Delta might be surprisingly familiar to Morizo. Considering he has anchored a Top 5 finish on Guntersville (Elite) and Lake Mead (The WON US Open) two wildly different lakes this year, he might to do well in the geographically unique Delta. He is my wild card. Everyone has a wild card and he is mine.
Why not! He already has 3 Classic wins (one on the Delta) and a fourth is just around the corner. He has back to back Angler of the Year titles so why not back to back Classics. Really, if this is a pre-spawn, shallow water cranking tournament why wouldn't Van Dam be a front runner? If Gary Klein is Yoda with a flipping rod then Van Dam has to be Varder with a cranking rod. Also, he's been at the top of his game for the past three years. Considering the way Kevin for been racking up trophies, he is one of my top picks. My mind says he'll win but my heart says Klein or Hackney.
Well there are my choices. As I write this I feel ill-equipped to really judge some of the meeker Classic qualifiers. I just don't know them well enough to call one a sure winner. Bill Lowen is someone who catches my eye. He loves shallow water river systems. He might be one I should pick but I don't know him well enough. If Takahiro Omori qualified for this Classic I would have him in my top picks for sure. Even with his busted hand. There are a few others but that's the fun of guessing.
We'll have to wait for Day 1 of the 2011 Bass Master Classic. Stay tuned.
