Blog Archive for the B.A.S.S. Elite Series Pickwick 2011 Event
April 3, 2011
Houston, the Eagle has landed. The Cementman and I have arrived in Athens, Alabama for our third trip south to Marshal Elite Series events and to do some fishing. We left Michigan Saturday at about 6:30 p.m. We drove about 6 hours south to Seymour, Indiana and spent the night. We pulled in to my brother and sister-in-law's at around 3:00 p.m. Sunday afternoon, just in time to catch the last couple hours of the Nascar race.
We weren't intending to leave for Alabama until Sunday morning, but we decided to head out early, because I could use some accrued points for a free room through our Marriott Rewards program. We left just after a surprise birthday party for my granddaughter. I drug Rick with us to the party, and after dinner, and all the birthday hoopla, we hit the road by 6:30 p.m.
The birthday girl as the center of attention at Texas Roadhouse.
Heading out, and splitting up the eleven hour drive, made the trip seem very short. It was a lot easier on the Cementman as well. He's getting pretty old and long trips give him gas, and make him awful tired. He's a great grampa you know. Here are some pictures of the trip down.
In the driveway, at the beginning of the Red Ranger Alabama trip #3.
First stop for sustenance at Texas Roadhouse
Don't look now, but there is a boat right behind us.
The Ohio River, as you cross in to Kentucky at Louisville
Louisville Slugger Field in downtown Louisville
A great place to take the family in the Spring
Watch out for dinosaurs in Cave City, KY! You're safe at Long John Silvers!
You burn a little gas climbing these hills. Best price we found was $3.43
Lots of Springtime green, and the Red Bud is in bloom!
70 degrees and Bass Pro Shop, now that's livin'!
That's the Cementman with money to spend.
The Great State of Alabama
Alabama Welcome Center
The trip down went without a hitch. We had great weather, and their wasn't much traffic. Going north, however, there was a steady stream of cars. Gas prices ranged from a high of $3.89 in northern Indiana, to a low of $3.43 in Seymour, IN.
We were able to stop in Nashville and make a couple of purchases. Rick bought some oil for his boat and a Save Phace mask.
We both had talked about getting some sort of helmet or mask to wear when we Marshaled. The rides at 60+ mph in a single console boat, for 30-40 minutes or more, leaves you with a headache. I mentioned in a previous blog that I purchased a helmet, and now the Cementman has a mask. I tried to get him to model it, but he wouldn't. I'll get a picture though when he's in a boat at Pickwick.
The P.A.A. tournament on Lake Lanier, GA ended Saturday. One of the Marks brothers won the event, that would be Paul Marks from Cumming, GA. He's a guy that I hadn't heard of before, but he has reportedly won some sizable tournaments, but never has he bested such a strong field. Here is the standings for the P.A.A. tournament on Lanier . If you have a few minutes you can read this Bass Fan article on the event: Marks Catches Nearly 14 Pounds To Secure Victory .
Speaking of tournaments, you had better have picked your new Fantasy team for the Elite Series event on Pickwick. The Cementman and I will be registering for the event on Tuesday, and we will be reporting for duty on Wednesday morning. Here is an article that may be helpful in making your Fantasy picks: Tornado threat cut Short's celebration in 2010 Alabama Charge .
Last year, I was riding with Kevin Wirth, and we were fishing near the launch site in view of the weigh-in stage. Kevin was hoping to pick up a last minute louie fish. Suddenly, the tornado sirens went off, and a loud speaker could be heard urging people to take cover. Kevin was throwing jerkbaits at the base of a high 100 ft. vertical bluff. We talked it over and decided to stay against the bluff wall. We felt safer there than trying to run back to the launch area that was pretty much out in the open. After a bit, the sirens shut down, just about when we were due in. It was a little exciting for a while. Hopefully we don't run in to weather like that this year.
Tomorrow the Cementman and I are heading to Guntersville to try and catch some bass. Last year we each rode all four days of the Elite Series event there, and we both have several areas that we would like to go back and try.
We plan to meet up with Brandon Rose, A.K.A.,Savage from greatlakesbass.com who drove down from Michigan today as well. We talked to him on the phone a couple of times on the drive down. It's always fun to have someone else out on the water to compare notes with. We'll give him a call tomorrow, and try to meet him on the water.
Well, that's going to be it for today. Tomorrow night is the finals in the NCAA Tournament. Butler will tip off with UConn at 9:00 p.m. UConn looks good for the win, but I'm rooting for Butler. As homage to that event, the final cast of the day is one last basketball quote. Michael Jordan once said, "Talent wins games, but team work and intelligence wins championships." Take care, wish you were here.
April 4, 2011
Day 2 of the Red Ranger Trip #3 began at about 5:15 a.m. I had my alarm set to get up because we had planned on heading over to Guntersville. My traveling partner had a rough night and needed his beauty rest this morning. We got on the road at about 9:00 a.m.
No morning jaunt should start without a stop for some food so we made a pass through Bojangles. Bo's use to sponsor Guy Eaker, who retired last year from the Elite Series. He had a neat bright yellow truck and boat Bojangles wrap.
I had a couple of biscuits with country ham and the Cementman had a sausage biscuit. With biscuits in hand we headed down Highway 72 towards Huntsville. We then would jump on Governors Highway for the trip down to Guntersville. It's about 30 miles from Huntsville to the ramp at Guntersville State Park.
Downtown Guntersville, Alabama
We decided not to buy our Alabama license when we went to West End on Sunday because you can only get a 7 day or yearly license, and we were hoping to fish next Monday and really didn't want to buy another seven day, at least Rick didn't. Myself, I plan on coming back down to Alabama in June to Marshal the last Elite Series event of the season on Wheeler so, I planned on buying a yearly nonresident license for $46. The 7 day was $26. If we waited to buy our license in Guntersville, we might be able to get out for a half day next Monday. As I mentioned, the license is good for seven days, and runs from the time you buy it for 168 hours, 7 days.
West End in Athens, Alabama
It always amazes me at the inventory West End carries.
West End , as the name implies, is at the West End of Athens on Highway 72. I have been hanging out there every time I've come down to my brother and sister-in-laws for probably 20 years. They have a ton of very unique tackle. You name it and they have it. Many of the pros that fish the Alabama triangle, Guntersville, Wheeler, and Pickwick, frequent the place.
Well, our plan to buy our licenses in Guntersville hinged on a place just past the State Park entrance being open. As luck would have it, the Guntersville Park Fishing Center, is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. That meant we had to turn around and drive back into town and buy our license. We got it at a place called Guntersville Tackle and Outdoors on Highway 69.
Guntersville Tackle and Outdoors, 3760 Highway 69, Guntersville, AL
Once we had our licenses we headed back to the State Park boat ramp. The ramp is quite large and the parking lot can accommodate a lot of boats. They charge a fee of $3.00. There was no sticker needed for the park.
Guntersville State Park
Getting ready to put in at Guntersville
Looking out at the Big G from the parking lot.
We wanted to take off from the State Park because last year when we Marshaled we had some spots we felt might be productive that were close to the park. The weather for Monday here in northern Alabama was for some severe weather, so our decision to start where we did was also weather related. On the radio, on our way to the ramp, we heard schools were dismissing early because of it.
We put in, and Rick cranked the Ranger, and it fired on the first crank. Not bad for sitting through a long Michigan winter. We motored out to our first spot, and began shallow in an area Todd Faircloth fished last year. Nothing was happening, but there were at least 5 other boats in the area.
We moved out deeper to some humps that Kevin Wirth and Derek Remitz fished. These humps were out in the main channel exposed to the wind that was really blowing. Did I mention how much I like fishing in a hurricane. I don't mind a little wind, but this was more than a stiff breeze. We were standing on the trolling motor and barely holding our spot.
I was throwing a sexy shad chatterbait with a fluke trailer. I modeled it after one that I saw Clark Rheem throw effectively out on the humps and in the choke points he hit later in the day last year. I made a few casts out on the humps and hit something almost right away. My first thought was that I had snagged the bottom. Then, I felt the rod tremble, and knew I had a fish. Immediately I thought I had on a good one. I fought it to the boat, and when Rick and I first saw it, it looked like a big bass. However, it ended up being a 13 lb. drum!
It was one of those thrill of victory, agony of defeat moments.
I was happy to have something on the end of my line after a long winter, but I was really disappointed that it wasn't a big bass.
We motored around the area looking for more humps, but got tired of fighting the brutal wind, so we headed to the far side of the channel toward areas fished by Boyd Duckett, Ike, and Clark Rheem last April.
Again, we went shallow and made casts to stumps and pad stems. Nadda. We meandered our way back through a buoyed channel to some boat docks. Several bass boats were already fishing the docks so we went back out to a submerged road bed that Rick said Duckett caught fish from.
We were fishing in about seven feet of water, and I threw toward shore and began ticking coontail type weeds that later we found were in three feet of water up on a large flat. After only a few casts, I hit a fish. It was up and out of the water several times. Right at the boat it jumped off. Right after that Rick stuck a bass with his crankbait. It looked like a good fish, but again, just at the boat, it pulled off. Drats!
Fighting the fish for just a few minutes, caused us to drift off the spot quite a ways. That wind was really blowing! We slowly trolling motored our way back, but didn't hook another fish until we drifted back down past our channel buoys.
Not a big one, but it was the first bass of a new season.
Rick only took one picture of my fish, and I had my eyes closed!
We decided to leave our second spot to run north to a couple of other sloughs. We got about a half mile up river, and we ran in to solid four footers. The sky was looking nastier, and the wind was continuing to build. Despite our desire to fish longer, we decided to run back to the State Park. Good thing we did, because the ride back was really wicked, and it was only going to get worse.
Heading back in to the landing.
Yup, there's the ramp and Rick's GMC
Fortunately, the ramp was in a semi-protected spot, and it wasn't nearly as windy. That really helps when you put the boat on the trailer. Sometimes, in these kinds of windy situations the waves come right over the back end as you try and load the boat making things quite hairy. Rick has the process down though and the Red Ranger went on right away.
As we drove back toward Athens, the radio station was talking about possible tornado touchdowns right near where we had to travel. The sky got darker and darker until it looked like it was night, and boy did it rain. We had some spectacular lightning. The storms in the south can get pretty mean.
We made it back by about 6:30 p.m. My sister-in-law, Paula, had stopped on her way home from work and picked up Lawlers Barbecue for supper. Man, is it ever good: pulled ham, baked beans, bread, cole slaw, an some fruit salad. It doesn't get much better than that!
It's getting quite late, and I am getting pretty tired. It's 11:45 p.m., and I need to hit the hay. It seem to get late quick because I took a break from the blog to watch the Men's NCAA Finals. Butler looked like they might win have the horses to win it as they went into the locker room after the first half, but it just wasn't in the cards for them. Talk about the ball just not falling right. They couldn't buy a basket. They did well though, and surprised a lot of people.
I didn't have much time to surf the net tonight. I did for a bit, then I sent an email to Brandon who also fished Guntersville today. He had a rough day finding fish as well today. Others we saw said the same thing. This weather had them shut right down. The fish we caught had not spawned and and when they are in that prespawn spawn mode they can pull back quickly when the weather changes. That's why we weren't finding them on the bank I guess.
Bass Fan had an article on the Pickwick event and a comment about the weather today here in the south. Here's a link to their short blurb: Perilous Pickwick Blow .
We plan to fish a half day tomorrow, and then go to our registration meeting at 3:00 p.m. We'll probably fish Wheeler or maybe Wilson. With that, I'm off to bed. I'm not even going to proof read this till the morning. Hopefully, there aren't too many errors. Take care. Wish you were here.
April 5, 2011
It's Day 3 of the Red Ranger #3 trip down to Alabama. We got up this morning and decided to fish a few hours. We got the very wet Ranger ready for the road and towed her down Highway 72 to the Elk River access to Wheeler.
After the storms of last night the temperature plummeted and it was down right chilly this morning. I'm using that as the reason why we didn't catch anything. We fished a couple spots that I've done well on close to the ramp. No luck. We motored out to the mouth of the river as it dumps in to Wheeler where we planned on running down to a slough and fish some sheltered shallow docks.
As we rounded the point into Wheeler we were blasted by the wind. It was ripping down the lake and it was whitecap city. We decided with the limited amount of time we had just to fish near the mouth and see what we could find.
We each had a couple bumps, but nothing wanted to eat. So, we turned the boat around and ran it back to the dock.
We went back to the house and changed clothes, and headed to Florence. It takes about 45 minutes to get there and we wanted to stop for lunch and have time to check out McFarland Park. The Elite anglers would be coming in, and it's just fun to cruise the landing and take some pictures. We had to be at registration by 4:00 p.m. We wanted to be there early to try and get our names on the list for the final day.
We were early, but we should have been earlier. We ended up about ninth on the list and as it looks now we won't be high enough up to make the final day of Marshaling. That's okay. That just means we can go fishing.
The registration meeting is a time when B.A.S.S. staffers go over do's and don'ts, and they show you how to use the Nextels to report your boaters catches.
We then are paired with a pro for Day 1. I drew Dean "Kermit" Rojas, and Rick is going to ride with Chad Griffin. We are both looking forward to the ride.
After the draw I got to mingle and talk to some of the pros that I have gotten to know. I talked with Marty Robinson, Dave Wolak, Cliff Chrochet, JVD, Dave Mercer, Don Barone, James Overstreet, Trip Weldon, Clark Rheem, Nate Wellman, Brandon Palaniuk, etc. They all are very considerate, friendly, and stand up guys. I really enjoyed myself. In fact, I ended up eating last, and I didn't even care. You know me, if I'm not fishing, I'm checking out the food places near by. I'm going to have to consider a change though. I'm beginning to enter into Biggest Loser qualifying range.
I got to talked to my old Jenison Public School student Elite rookie Nate Wellman. It was good to reconnect with Nate. We talked for quite a while. We are going to try to hook up and do some fishing this summer.
I also got to talk to Elite Rookie Brandon Palaniuk for a few minutes about mutual friends Sidney Reeves and Ben Schilling. Sid and Ben are both very competitive Western anglers. Each has made their State's Federation team and have reigned as their state's champion. They both competed in the B.A.S.S. National Championship in 2007.
Well, it's getting later by the minute and I have to get up at 4:00 a.m. I tried to hustle through this blog entry and am just going to stack the pictures of the day.
Rick getting ready to go fish Wheeler on Tuesday
The ramp on the Elk River on Highway 72
Rick fishing docks on Wheeler
Florence native Tim Horton's Ride
Britt Myers cool ride. I love this truck!
Russ Lane's truck wrap.
Terry "Big Show" Scroggins truck wrap.
Scott Ashmore's Bullet boat. Only one in the Elites.
Another view of the unique Bullet belonging to Scott Ashmore
Randy Howell's truck wrap.
Randy Howell's boat wrap. Looking good!
Elite Rookie and Michigan native Jonathan VanDam's truck wrap.
The ramp at McFarland Park with the B.A.S.S. stage in the background.
The boat docks on Pickwick at McFarland Park
Marshal Registration at the Coliseum in Florence, AL
Pros and Marshal awaiting pairings for the Elite Series event on Pickwick.
Grant, Morizo, and my favorite bass reporter Don Barone
Brandon Paliniuk's home away from home.
That's going to be it for tonight. I didn't even have time tonight to cruise the net. I was even going to tweak my Fantasy Team, but I didn't. Oh well. It's the night before Pickwick and all through the house....
April 6, 2011
The Alabama Charge started today without trumpet fanfare, but there was a charge nonetheless. Ninety-nine anglers blasted off from McFarland Park in Florence, AL onto an impoundment of the Tennessee River that they call Pickwick Lake.
Pickwick is a fabled smallmouth lake that in recent times has become a pretty decent largemouth fishery as well. Last year on Pickwick during that Elite Series event every angler weighed a limit every day. This year it was very close to that. Just a couple anglers didn't weigh a limit.
Denny Brauer, one of the old guys, is leading this years event after Day 1 with a sack he brought to the scale that weighed 23-10 lbs. Here's a link to the Day 1 Standings . Once you take a look at the standings here's a Day 1 report called: Legends of the Leaderboard . It's a good read.
The Cementman and I got to McFarland Park this morning at 6:00 a.m. We parked, donned our rainsuits, put on our SOS Suspenders, grabbed our lunches and head gear, and went to find our boaters for the day.
Rick was riding with Chad Griffin. He was excited about the fact that Chad ran a dual console Ranger. Not many Elite anglers have dual consoles.
Griffin won the Elite event on Lake Champlain a couple years ago. I first met him when he was a rookie and hung around with Kalamazoo's Luke Gritter who was also a rookie that year.
Chad calls himself a hybrid in that he grew up in Alaska as a northerner, but spent a number of year and is currently living in Texas. He had a very good day today and is currently sitting in sixth place with a tad over 20 lbs.
My boater, Arizona native, Dean "Kermit" Rojas gambled on a spot early today that didn't pan out like he hoped. His second spot abled him to cull up to a 13+ lb. bag. He caught a bunch of fish, 30 or more, but just couldn't hook a big one. He lost one that would have given him around 15 lbs. for the day. That would have certainly helped and would have pushed him up into the top 50. I suspect the he will find them tomorrow.
At Rojas's second spot, we fished within eyesight of Jenison, MI's, Nate Wellman. Nate weighed a healthy bag today and sits in eighth place! Go get him Nate!
On the docks this morning Ken Reagan a greatlakesbass.com frequenter, stopped me and introduced himself. I know Ken from his high school days. He played baseball with my son. I haven't seen him in probably close to 10 years. I really appreciated him taking the time to look me up. I really enjoyed talking to him. He had come down to fish and was planning on following some pros. At the end of the day, I saw him again, and he said he caught several fish today as well and one was about a 4 1/2 lbder.
It's already been a very long day, and I had to download 164 pictures that I took today. I looked through them and picked way to many for the blog, but man I had a ball and these pics really just give you a tiny taste of the experience. I have them in kind of an order, but please bear with me, cause I'm working on fumes.
The day started with Gary Klein telling stories. Great stuff!
Interviews and pictures at the dock are part of Elite anglers morning.
Hudsonville's Ken Reagan came down to fish Pickwick and check out the Pickwick Elite party.
Nate Wellman in the middle of the pack ready to rock Pickwick.
That's Rick in his yellow Big Bird suit.
Shaw fresh from his win on the Harris Chain getting ready for Pickwick
Michigan native and Elite Series rookie Ryan Said
Chad Griffin and the Cementman on the docks Wednesday morning at Pickwick
Britt Meyers et. al. waiting for the signal to set sail.
Half of the baits KVD had on his deck this morning.
The oldest rookie this year, Lee Sisson. Old guys rule!
Derek Remitz waiting for the action to begin.
Chad Griffin Rick hiding around the corner waiting for take off.
The best bass photographer on the planet, James Overstreet.
Going through the official check out.
Dean Rojas idling out for the Pickwick blast off.
Dean's first fish came at about 8:01 a.m.
A look at the area Dean started on.
Dean Rojas's stop number two, pitching to shallow bushes.
I didn't get him jumping, but it was a big one.
Our second stop was in eyeball range of Michigan's Nate Wellman
We were also just across from Tommy Biffle
Michigan's Jonathan Van Dam bagging his Pickwick catch.
Nate Wellman yucking it up with Dave Mercer after weighing in a 20 lb. sack.
Dean with two of his nice Pickwick largemouths
My new bowling buddy.
Nate Wellman and I. He's come a long way since I had him in sixth grade.
Looking on the Marshal's list for our Day 2 boaters.
KVD and three of his fans from Grandville, MI down to enjoy the Elite event
Skeet in his "Monster Truck" a.k.a. tow vehicle
Well, as I said, I'm on fumes so I'm going to bed, 4 a.m. comes awfully early. Please overlook any typos. Too tired to proof read tonight. More from Pickwick tomorrow. Wish you were here!
April 7, 2011
I'm going to preface this blog with a tired but true excuse. I'm dead dog tired, and I plan on going to bed earlier than I have been. I've already been working on pictures since we got home tonight. We had a great day!
My Day 2 boater, David Walker was fun to be with. He's an excellent angler, and a really nice guy. I like him a lot. He caught a bunch of fish today, but he just couldn't find a big bite.
Dave ran an hour and five minutes downriver to start our day. We ran the whole time at 69 mph. I have a picture of his GPS that shows our speed. GPS speed is very accurate.
Most of the day David pitch a black and blue Reactions Innovation Beaver. He would also throw a crankbait from time to time. He caught a couple of small fish on the crankbait, but the rest of the bites all came on plastic.
He threw the beaver on 22 lb. Sunline. He used what looked to be about a quarter to a half ounce tungsten weight that was pegged with a rubber bobber stopper.
I'll write up a more detailed version of the day at a later date.
Tomorrow, Friday, I will be riding with Gerald "The Gman" Swindle, and Rick will be riding with Terry "Big Show" Scroggins.
Here are about 30 of the 222 pictures I took today.
Gary Klein and Cliff Pace talk some early morning strategy
Ryan Said doing an early morning interview.
My ole buddy Matt Herren gets on the interview train.
Remitz ferries Dave Mercer to another interview.
Brandon Palaniuk cruise by and touches base with David Walker
Mark Menendez maneuvers into the line up for take off.
Jeff Kriet and Russ Lane have an early morning confab.
David Walker ties some baits as local Timmy Horton goes by.
Billy McCaghren cruises by in the Redneck Remedy boat.
Dave Mercer does an interview with Ben Parker
Mike Iaconelli works on his boat.
Ken Reagan and his crew work an interview with Cliff Chrochet
There's old Charlie Hartley
Dave Mercer earns his keep on the docks each morning.
Some of what Ryan Said had tied on for Thursday
Grant Goldbeck, hopes for another finish like he had on the Harris Chain
Skeet Reese garners some early morning attention
The National Anthem is played just before take off.
David Walker looks for well wishes from his wife and two daughters.
...and then we were off!
We made a 65 min. run at 69 mph. My new helmet came in handy!
Even with us traveling 69 mph the Bullet boat went right by us.
Here's the GPS speed registered on David's Lowrance in the upper left hand corner.
David ties on a new hook, and I admire his daughter's art work. Very cool!
David connects almost right away.
David caught lots of fish, but just couldn't get the kicker.
Way up river there is a large area full of submerged cypress.
David work hard all day and left no culvert untravelled
We watched Ott Defoe catch a good one.
At the end of the day, we ran down to fish the Wilson Dam area.
My Day 1 boater Dean Rojas had a good Day 2 sack to make the Top 50.
Nate Wellman and Rick Morris wait to go on stage.
Nate found a nice kicker fish and finished 11th on the day.
Michigan's Ryan Said tells Dave Mercer about his day.
The Marshals await their Day 3 pairing.
As I said we had another great day down here in the great state of Alabama. The weather was almost perfect. The anglers would have probably like some clouds, but then again some were bed fishing and you need the sun for that. Here is the story on Day 2 from Bassmaster:Bite Right for Hite. If you didn't watch the weigh-in online today here is a link to for the Day 2 Standings for Pickwick's Alabama Charge Elite Series Event .
Well that's it for today. Look for more tomorrow. Wish you were here!
April 8, 2011
My apologies for not getting a blog out yesterday, but once we got back from Florence I was just too darn tired.
Our day Friday started just like it has the previous two mornings, with the alarm going off at 4 a.m. I try and let the Cementman sleep a little longer because believe me he needs all the beauty sleep he can get. Once up, we take care of our early morning needs, pack some water and sandwiches, make sure we have rain gear, SOS suspenders, sunglasses, sun screen, helmet, and a couple of hats. Hats are a necessity, and at the speeds the pros travel, you had better have a couple with you in case yours blows out the boat. I wouldn't expect the pro, who is fishing for $100,000, to spend time running back to get my hat. Spending the rest of the day in the sun without your hat would not be fun, I've done that before, so I always carry a spare whenever I go out fishing.
It's only 43 miles from Athens to Florence where McFarland Park is, but it takes us almost an hour to make the drive because of all the lights and school zones.
Rick and I had to meet our pros at a little tackle shop at the entrance to McFarland Park called Perkins Outdoors .
Perkins Outdoors, McFarland Park, Pickwick Lake, Florence, AL
Perkins has quite a bit of tackle. A must stop if you're coming to Pickwick.
While we were waiting for the GMan and Big Show at the bait shop, KVD rolled in, jumped out of the truck, and came in to the shop. The little tackle store, for its size has a lot of what serious anglers use, and it was a spot that many of the pros stopped at for last minute replacement items, or to buy pop or snacks for the day. By the way, this shop was out of the KVD square bills in the color Kevin used to win the Classic. Every shop we stopped at I looked for them and not one place had them. I heard the shop owner tell Kevin that, and KVD retorted that he was doing his job then.
Rick talked with KVD for a while, and Kevin gave him some contact information for Dave Appleton, a videographer from Bass Pro Shops. Dave and KVD came up to Rick's place near Irons to fish the private lake that Rick has access to. They spent the entire day there, and filmed a number of segments that were used last year for BPS's TV show " Bass Pros ." When Appleton left, he said he would send Rick a DVD containing the segments they filmed on his lake. Rick reminded Kevin of that, and Kevin told him to get a hold of Dave, and made sure that Rick had all the correct contact information.
Kevin gives Rick, Dave Appleton's contact info.
First to arrive at the bait shop Thursday morning was Terry "Big Show" Scroggins. Rick told him to go ahead on, and we'd be there directly when the Gman got there. We didn't want to leave the truck parked at the bait shop. It wasn't long, and Gerald arrived with his wife who always backs his boat in each morning for him. What a gal! We followed G to the ramp, which is just a few hundred yards from the bait shop.
Both Terry and G put in at the north end of the marina, and then just drifted for quite a while there away from the crowd that was down at the south ramp near the stage. Scroggins and Swindle room together and help each other out. In fact, as they talked and readied their rods, Gerald gave Terry a chatterbait that he had been having some success on.
Big Show yucks it up with Swindle as they ready for Day 3.
Big Show had 12 Boyd Duckett rods on his deck. Here's what was on 6 of them.
Once Terry and Gerald had their rods readied, they made their way down the marina to the docks near the stage. There the anglers tie up or raft together. It's a light hearted time that keeps the pre-game jitters in check. The pros give each other a hard time and tell stories, or just plain give each other a hard time. It's a lot of fun as a Marshal to be a part of all the banter. These guys seem to really be great friends. It indeed is a serious competition, but it's also a time to socialize and connect with your buddies. These guys have formed bonds, that I'm sure, will last a lifetime. That's certainly one of the reasons I like to hunt and fish as well.
Scroggins and the Cementman tie up with KVD
Matt Herren and Jeff Kriet were rafted up with us.
Hey, Zona and Tommy Sanders showed up.
With just minutes until blast off, they always stop the festivities to pay homage to America with the playing of the National Anthem. I'd have a picture of that like I did yesterday, but Gerald didn't tie his boat to the dock, and had asked me to hold the boat. I was standing with one foot in the boat and one on the dock. For some reason, the boat started floating away as the music started, and I ended up doing the splits, and I almost fell in the water! It got a few chuckles from the pros right near us, fortunately everyone else had their eyes focussed on the flag in front of us and didn't see me floundering. Just doing my part to keep the moment light.
When the anthem is over, you start battening down the hatches. You zip your rain gear, stow your hat and glasses, and put on your mask or helmet if your initial run will be a long one. Gerald said that we would indeed be making a long run, so I got my helmet on.
Party time is over, and the anglers begin to line up in order of their take off draw.
You go through three check ins in the morning as you motor out of the marina. At the first one, they toss you your float. All the anglers get a plastic float that is numbered. When you come in at the end of the day, you toss your float to the guy who checks you in. They then place these floats in a container so that at a glance they know who's in or not. They don't want to leave someone out on the water that may have be having problem.
In this cell phone age, you can pretty much keep in touch, but in some areas, there is not always cell phone coverage. Pickwick is one of those areas. Down river, where we started, there was no service, so having the floats, is a back up safety system.
When you get your float on Day 3 you also get a Nextel phone. These phones have all been set by B.A.S.S. Officials and have a roster in them of all the anglers. You scroll down to find your pro and enter his name. Each time your pro catches a fish, you punch the pounds and ounces into the phone, and hit send. B.A.S.S. officials receive the information, and because the phones have a GPS feature, they can also track the whereabouts of each angler. If they want, they can send a camera boat out to an angler that is whacking them.
In fact, Rick and Big Show started on a rock hump where Terry commenced to whacking them. Rick said he cranked up a twenty pound bag so fast that he couldn't enter them in the Nextel fast enough. In ten minutes he had his sack for the day! Once B.A.S.S. got Rick's Nextel info they called him because they thought that he had accidentally punched too many numbers. Rick assured them that the total was right. It wasn't too long, and Rick said a camera boat showed up and then did an on the water interview with Big Show.
Getting our phone and float from Deb at the first check in dock.
The next stop during the morning checks is a livewell check. You have to have your lids open and livewells running. The next check is for your kill switch. All bass boat are equipped with a safety "kill switch." The switch is connected to a lanyard that goes around the wrist of the driver. If something were to happen, and the driver was thrown from his seat, the lanyard would yank the pin in the kill switch, which kills/stops the big motor. All bass tournaments, even the small local events, have a rule that when the big motor is running you have to have the kill switch attached to your person.
As I said an official watches as the pro pulls his kill switch. He makes sure the engine dies, then gives you the nod, and the pro puts the pin back in, and starts the motor again.
The last stop in the early morning tournament routine comes at the end of the docks where an official checks to be sure the pro knows when he is due back in. That's important, because if you're late you face a heavy penalty.
B.A.S.S. Official Chuck Harbin, Dave Mercer behind him, and the Gman.
The last check in before the hammer goes down!
The adrenaline really starts to kick in at this time as you motor out of the marina past the no wake buoy. It's like arriving at the top of that first big hill on the roller coaster ride. The boats in front of you pick up speed, and the bows all jump out of the water as the big engine throttles up. It's all downhill from here! You literally feel the power of these engines as they force the boat to rise up on plain. It's what they call, "Hammer Time!"
It doesn't take the bass machines long, with their 250 Hp engines, to reach peak speed, which is around 70 miles per hour, some over 75 mph! Imagine yourself if you will, going down the expressway at 70 mph in a limo. Again imagine what it would feel like if you then opened the sun roof and stood up with your upper torso exposed. The air noise, the wind buffeting your eyes so hard you can barely see. Heaven forbid you travel through any bugs, or worse yet have it start raining. Rain at that speed, feels like tiny needles poking you in the face. That's a taste of what it can be like for some of us for up to an hour or more, as our pros run to their starting spots. It's at that time, when you're glad you spent the money on a face mask or a helmet. In the words of Jerry Reed, in his classic tune "West bound and Down," Gerald and I were just that on this beautiful Northern Alabama morning.
West bound and down, the 250 is a roarin'
and we gonna do what they say can't be done.
We've got a long way to go, and a short time to get there
I'm west bound, just watch this Triton run.
Keep your foot hard on the peddle... never mind we have no brakes,
let it all hang out cause we've got a Pickwick run to make.
The big ones are waiting, and we got a jackpot that needs to be won
We're west bound, just watch this ole Triton run
The Gman with his foot through the floor boards.
The Lucky Craft boat is making the run alongside us.
Gerald ran for about forty minutes to the Natchez Trace Bridge area. He had found a cut that was on the backside of a gravel bar. He had to traverse some skinny water, and we just barely made it in. We had to jump over a log to boot. Once back in this backwater area, the Gman began pitching a tube into the weed edges, and up against the cypress trees and willows. In the hard to get to spots way back in the shallows amongst the trees, he would shoot a buzzbait on 60 lb. braid. It only took the GMan about 45 minutes to an hour to ply the area to get a limit. They were all about 2 pounders though. He had a good one better fish blow up hard on the buzzbait. It was on for a few cranks of the reel then came off. Drats! Double Drats! That really was a bummer! As a Marshal, you really root your angler on, and you feel his pain when he loses a good fish.
The Gman in his backwater starting spot
Gerald swings in one of his early keepers.
The "Buzzbait Buzzard" strikes again.
Making the last cull before we leave to try and find some bigger fish.
If you know anything at all about bass fishing, and the pros that make the sport TV worthy, you know that the "GMan" is known for his gift of gab. He is one funny guy! He could easily quit fishing and move to Vegas and make a lot of money as a stand up comic. He's that funny!
Gerald, in 2005 had a TV show that showcased his humor and technical expertise. It was called Bass Techs. The Tear Drop Tournament Director Dennis Cook and his wife Roseann, were once featured on the show. They would "hook up" the guests with tackle and gear, to help them back on their favorite fishing holes
Any how, the day was full of Geraldisms. He purposely mispronounced Dean Rojas's last name, pronouncing it with the hard "g" sound instead of the Spanish "h" sound. He said Dean might be the frogman but he was the "Buzzbait Buzzard."
Gerald was very confident all day long. The pace of a tournament is brutal. Each event starts with three days of practice, followed by up to four tournament days. The pros are on the go from dawn to dusk putting in long grueling days in all kinds of weather. The physical toll really makes it hard to stay focussed and positive, and that mental part of the game is crucial!
Gerald's approach for Day 3 was to flip the reeds, bushes, cypress trees and knees and Geralds favorite, the willows. In lanes where he could cast his buzzbait he would zing it way back to the skinny water. The approach was productive. He boated at least 20 keepers with it. He just didn't get enough big bites. Here is a picture of one of his better fish.
One of the GMan's bigger fish he caught buzzing in an area full of cypress trees.
We burnt up a bunch of gas as G went from cut to cut looking for that big bite. He was on a pattern that needed dirty water with cypress trees. As I said, it was productive, and sometimes you just have to be lucky to have that big one get it before those smaller aggressive fish hammer it. Here he is swinging another bass in the boat.
One more of the cookie cutter two pounders comes aboard.
One more cull before we make a long run back to the McFarland Park area.
One of the things that the GMan had the I hadn't seen before, was a small coat hanger size bar on the underside of his live well lid. It held his cull floats. His floats had clips that easily attached to this strip, so that they stayed right where you needed them as you went to put your fish in the livewell. I'm going to rig one of those up in my boat.
As the day waned, I really felt for the Gman. I really hoped he would have had a big day. Not just because I was there, but because I really like Gerald Swindle. I have always appreciated his humor, and have admired his enthusiasm and work ethic. I was also deeply touched, as many were, with Gerald's gesture of kindness at the Classic. If you missed it, G brought out Kevin Oldham, a young father and firefighter from Waukegan, Illinois with him as he entered the arena in the Bassmaster Classic. The two of them walked up on stage together.
Kevin was suffering from pancreatic cancer. You could tell that the battle had taken its toll. The form of cancer Kevin had was the same kind that took Gerald's brother not too long ago. It brought the Gman and many others to tears as he told the world about Kevin's struggles. Kevin beamed up on stage, but you could tell he wasn't doing well. Kevin died just a few weeks later.
That's the kind of thing this classy angler does. He is a consummate pro, and will always rate high on my list!
On the way back to the weigh-in site at McFarland Park, we past Nathan Wellman. Nate was having a great week, despite having some engine trouble. He blew the engine at the St. Johns River event, and he wasn't able to make it back to weigh in the first day of that contest. That really cost him big time. If you break down and can't make it back in you just lose out. Despite getting it fixed, it was still not acting quite right.
We seen Nate Wellman making his run back to the weigh-in
With literally only minutes left in the day, Gerald stopped just short of the campground at McFarland Park. There was rip rap concrete at the mouth of a little creek. He threw a crankbait off the corners of that creek and caught two bass. Neither one helped, but he never quit trying right up to the last dead gum minute.
The GMan makes one last stop to throw a crankbait and hooks up.
When we pulled in to the docks, we happened to tie up right next to Davey Hite. Later I found out Davey had been fishing down at the dam tail race. He had a big sack of smallies he had caught fishing a Berkley hollow body swimbait. He would take his Day 2 lead and hang on to it after Day 3. Davey too, had engine trouble Day 3 blowing his motor. He had to get towed back to McFarland Park early in the day and transfer his stuff to a loaner boat. Good thing the dam area where he was fishing is very close to the ramp. Despite his boat troubles he still filled his livewell with some big smallies.
Davey bagging a big sack of Wilson Dam tailrace smallies
After I helped Gerald bag his fish, he graciously took time to take a picture with me.
Young Mr. Nate Wellman has another good day and makes the top 12 fishing on Day 4. Nate weighed enough fish to place fourth. A top 12 cut against the best anglers in the world is no small feet in your rookie season. Great job Nate!
Jenison, Michigan's Nate Wellman makes the top 12 cut at Pickwick!
As I took pictures of Nate and the Gman backstage, Matt Reed showed off his big fish of the tournament an eight and half pound largemouth! Another bonus Marshals have are credentials that get you in to where only a few people have access. There I got an early peak at Matt's big fish as another B.A.S.S. official checks to be sure fish are alive and meet the minimum size limit.
Matt Reed also makes the top twelve with the help of this 8 pounder!
Gerald fished the cut where Matt caught this eight pounder. In fact, we came into the spot just as Matt was leaving. Randy Howell was on the opposite bank and yelled over to Gerald that Matt had gone down the bank where Gerald was now at twice that morning pitching to holes in the dead cattails. On his first pass, he boated a six pounder, and on the second trip through the area he got the eight pounder! That's money right there now!
Gerald also, caught fish in the same stretch, but they were those darn two pounders.
After Day 3, the top twelve was set, and our stint as Marshals was over. Our names didn't quite get high enough on the Marshal list, and we weren't called for the final day. Only six Marshals are called for the last day because the first six boats have camera men in them. Oh well, I guess we'll just go fishing.
Here's one last picture of Davey Hite hoisting a couple of his big ones. Can he keep it up one more day? We'll have to wait and see.
Your Day Three leader South Carolina's Davey Hite.
Again, I have managed to stay up way too late. It's after 1:00 a.m. and it time to put it on the trailer, or in my case the bed. It's been another great day. Wish you were here!
April 13, 2011
Well, we got back from our Alabama Red Ranger adventure yesterday at around 3:00 p.m. We actually left Monday at around noon, but hit heavy rains and construction that slowed our returned. With the delays we encountered, we decided to park the truck at a motel just south of Indianapolis.
Gas was a killer the further north we came. We filled up in Athens, Alabama before we left for $3.56. By the time we reached northern Indiana gas was topping the $4.00 mark. It cost us $760 in gas for the trip. That's about $160 more than last year. If we go down again next year, we may have to consider not taking the boat. It's just getting too expensive.
After our Friday stint as Marshals, we came back to my brother and sister-in-laws and crashed. We got up early the next morning. My brother-in-law took Saturday off, and planned on going fishing with us since we didn't get called to Marshal.
We hooked the red Ranger up, and we headed down Alabama Highway 72 to a boat launch at the Wheeler Dam on Lake Wilson. Lake Wilson is the chunk of the Tennessee River between the Wheeler Dam and the Wilson Dam. We fished it last year, after I rode with Kevin Wirth during that year's Elite Series event on Pickwick.
Wirth had locked through to Wilson and made a run down to the Wheeler Dam and fished rock humps on the north side of the lake near the "blow hole."" The blow hole is an area that is cordoned off by a concrete wall. When the lockmaster brings a vessel through, the water is diverted to the blow hole. With all that water being pumped out of the lock, it rolls and riles up. It shoots 10, 20 or more feet into the air.
Looking over at the blowhole near the Wheeler Dam on Wilson.
We tried a number of different baits and areas on Wilson, but despite catching fish there last year, we just couldn't seem to coax a bass to bite. I did catch two drum, but that's it.
Rick and Charlie working hard for a Wilson bass.
With the fishing slow, Rick started thinking about other prey. He's a natural born hunter. He had seen some squirrels in the trees, and when he spotted one, he maneuvered the boat and then make a cast to try and catch it. Well, maybe that's what he was doing. He claims that his toss in to the trees was just a cast gone wild. To me though it sure looked like he was squirrel hunting.
Rick checking trees for squirrels.
Once he spotted a bushy tail he would launch a bait at it.
One of the things I've come to learn about the smallmouth on Wilson and Pickwick, is that they are current related fish. Most fish that live in river systems are, but here in Michigan we fish more lakes where current isn't as much of a factor.
Knowing this, we plied the current breaks next to the dam spillway that was open.
When they start running water, sirens go off to warn people. The current can get pretty wicked, so by law you are required to wear a life jacket when you're within so many feet of the dam. Matt Reed was required to wait at the dock for 20 minutes on day 3 because he forgot to put his on. To his credit he reported himself when he realized he had forgotten.
The birds in the area have developed a Pavlovian response to the sirens. When they go off they leave their perches on the big electrical towers and fly to the spillway area. When the current churns up the bottom, big fish get active as the little fish get active. The birds know this and wait for their chance as well.
Davy Hite and Keith Poche were two Elite Series anglers that fished the current breaks on Pickwick at the Wheeler Dam every day of the event. Davy Hite said that each day he had to wait on the current flow and the fish. He never had a fish before 11:00 a.m. on any of the tournament days.
On Day 3, Poche, only had two fish as late as 3:30 p.m. He had given up on the dam area for a while in the early afternoon. Not having gotten bit at the dam, he decided to run down the lake and flip. As he flipped, he began to regret his move so he high tailed it back to the dam. He then, in the last half hour, boated a 6, 5, and 3 pounder, which gave him the weight he needed to fish Day 4. On the final day though, the dam fish let him down and Poche only brought three fish in to the scales.
It seemed Rick, Charlie, and I were up against the same fickle fish. We didn't have time to wait them out though, because we wanted to go and watch the final day weigh-in.
Rick carrying Charlie and I back to the boat landing.
We arrived at McFarland Park about an hour before the anglers were due in. The parking lot was full, so we improvised a bit and found a spot to park the boat and truck down near the campground.
Once the truck and boat were parked, I wandered through the booths that were set up in the stage area. I visited the B.A.S.S. clothing tent where I saw a hat that caught my eye. I ended up buying the black pinstriped flexfit cap. It's pretty cool. Now, I just have to keep it hidden from my son who likes to wear my hats.
I meandered through several more booths and got a replica poster of the new world record bass that Manabu Kurita' caught on Lake Biwa, Japan.
As I was passing by the Toyota booth, I saw that they had a huge line. People were waiting for free screened t-shirts. You could choose a screen print of any of the four featured Toyota pros. As I contemplated waiting in the line, I heard someone call my name. I looked through the folks in line to see Gerald Swindle setting back under the tent. He recognized me and hollered. We talked for several minutes, and then I headed for the dock area to see if boats were coming in yet. It's kind of cool to have Gerald Swindle, the Gman, to pick you out of a crowd and chit chat with you a while!
On the way to the docks, I past by the pontoon boat that B.A.S.S. uses to release fish. Volunteers take the fish from the anglers on stage, and give them to the guys manning the release boat. The pontoon has several aerated tanks that contain treated cool water. There, the fish are given a chance to thoroughly revive. When they reach a certain number of fish in each tank, the boat takes them out of the warm water in the marina into the current and cooler water of the main lake. B.A.S.S. has two of these rigs. They go the extra mile to care for the fish.
B.A.S.S.'s release boat.
There were others on the dock waiting for anglers to tie up. Some of the wives were there and other family members, as well as a multitude of fans.
Fans waiting to catch a glimpse of their favorite angler.
This lonely fan had staked out her place at the dock
It wasn't long when the top twelve began to arrive back at the docks at McFarland Park. Just before the first boat arrived, I saw Nate Wellman's dad, Ross, walking across the parking lot. I said hello to him, and we both went down to wait for Nate.
Nate was in and already being interviewed by a B.A.S.S. reporter. We waited for them to finish, but as they talked, Nate told the reporter that besides his dad and mom driving through the night to see him Saturday, his old sixth grade teacher was here. The reported looked up and asked me to hang around so that he could talk to me. Who knows where that story will end up.
Nate told his dad and I that he had dropped a cylinder on take off that morning. Fishing the final day with an engine that has problems is not what you want to have to do. Nate had just had the engine overhauled after the Elite event on the St. Johns River. There, Nate was way upriver and fishing by himself. When it came time to make the long run back, the engine blew and he was stranded. He didn't get to weigh his fish Day 1 of that event which really affected his chance to do well there.
Nate told us that he had just five average fish. He had done his best, I'm sure even with a top 10 finish that he was disappointed, but it won't be the last time that he has a shot at the spotlight.
Nate Wellman awaiting his turn on the stage, Day 4 Pickwick
Nate signed autographs as his dad waits to congratulate him.
Davy Hite tied up right next to Nate, and he too was being interviewed by none other than Mark Zona. They talked, and at one point, Davy dug out the bait he had been using. He cut it from a rod and gave it to Zona. He explained how he rigged it, and I also heard him say that he ran out of jig heads late in the day, and ended the day throwing it on a football head. Oh, by the way, I heard Davey tell Zona that he didn't have his fifth fish until the last twenty minutes of the day. He again, worked all day, to get his limit at the dam.
Zona interviewing the eventual winner Davey Hite
Hard to see, but its a Berkley Hollow body swimbait.
I tried my best to get a good shot of the bait that Davy used. It was indeed a Berkley Hollow Body Swimbait . It looked like he also had dipped the tail in chartreuse dye. Many of the anglers that I have been in the boat with do that. In fact, there were only a couple of anlgers out of the 14 pros I've ridden with, that don't dye the tails of their baits.
Moments away from each of the final 12 going to the stage.
B.A.S.S. trucks pull each angler to the stage.
The crowds at Pickwick all four days were quite large. They said though that at the Harris Chain they had 5,000 people at the weigh-in. I would bet though that the final day at Pickwick was one of the larger crowds to date. I had to elbow and wind my way up to the front to try and get some good pictures. Where there's a will there's a way.
They haul the boats, and top 12 anglers, up to the stage in reverse order. Number twelve goes first, moving up the ladder ending with the angler that finished number one on Day 3. Here are just a few of the pictures I took of some of the anglers that final day.
Representing the old guys, Denny Brauer fishes the final day.
The "Hack Attack" Greg Hackney made it to the final day.
Terry "Big Show" Scroggins made a real run at the title.
Currently leading the AOY race, Alton Jones made another strong statement.
As Dave Mercer talks to Alton, Mr. & Mrs. Wellman look for Nate.
Nate was the only rookie to make the top twelve.
Keith Poche just didn't get the dam bites he needed on the last day.
Bobby Lane weighs a big sack Day 4. Will it be enough?
With only one angler remaining, Dave Mercer sweats Bobby Lane.
I feel bad that B.A.S.S. retired Keith Allen from the MC role this year, but Dave Mercer has stepped in and is doing a great job. He has polished his game since the Classic and he appears to be a real crowd pleaser. See what you think of the job he's doing as they air the Pickwick event on Easter Sunday on ESPN2 at 8:00 a.m. They rebroadcast it at 10:00 a.m. on ESPN Classic.
Davy Hite was one excited dude as his boat was ferried up to the stage. After he bagged his fish, he leaped off his boat with the enthusiasm of, well let's say a 20 year old.
Davy was truly super charged with emotion on stage. He knew that his lead had held, and that he was going to win the event.
Davy Hite ladies and gentlemen! Elite Series Win #8!
Davy chokes back tears as he describes what the win means to him.
Hite did what he had to do to close out this tournament. He ended up winning by about eight pounds. Last year on Guntersville Hite lead going in to the last day, but wasn't able to hold off a red hot Skeet Reese. Hite said that that was the first time he had lead a tournament and didn't hang on to win. It had haunted him and he said winning this event gave him back the confidence that he had lost. Here's a link to an article that talks about Davy's win and how much it meant to him: Hite of the Moment . Here is also a link to the final day standings and payout for the Alabama Charge: Pickwick Final Standings .
I used my little digital camera to shoot some video of Davy Hite as he talked about his win up on stage at Pickwick. Take a look at this short video. I think it turned out pretty well for a pocket digital camera.
The Elite Series anglers had to pack up and hit the road right after Pickwick. They had only one day to drive to Many, Louisiana for the next event on Toledo Bend. In fact, they will begin that tournament event tomorrow. Weigh-ins will begin at 5:00 p.m. ET.
I hope you had a chance to pick your new Fantasy Fishing Team for Toledo Bend. Currently the "Cookieman" Dennis Cook leads our Tear Drop Fantasy Fishing Team. Here's a look at how everyone stands after Pickwick.
Tear Drop B.A.S.S. Fantasy Fishing Results After Pickwick
Not only do the Elite Series anglers begin a new tournament tomorrow, but the FLW Tour anglers do as well. They will launch their tournament on Chickamauga , another Tennessee River impoundment in Chattanooga, TN. The weigh-ins will begin at 3:00 p.m.
I have more to talk about when it comes to our Pickwick trip. In the next few days, I'll go back over each day in more detail and upload more pictures, so stay tuned.
The last cast of the day is a quote from an unknown author. I thought it would be appropriate after listening to Davy Hite talk about his win. Someone once said, "Many of the great achievements of the world were accomplished by tired and discouraged men who kept on working." Davy worked extremely hard for this win and his perseverance and belief in his patterned really paid off. Congratulations Davy!
