BASS Elite Returns to Birthplace
With five Bassmaster Elite Series tournaments remaining, BASS heads back to the state were it was founded during the organization’s celebration of its 40th anniversary. The Elite Series makes its seventh stop of the season at Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Ala., for the Southern Challenge presented by Advance Auto Parts.
With 1,063 miles of shoreline, Wheeler is the largest of three Alabama lakes that connect with the Tennessee River. It has been the host of nine BASS events, including the 1974 Bassmaster Classic. Elite angler and 1998 Classic champion Denny Brauer won an Open-level event in 2003 on Wheeler with a three-day total of 32 pounds, 10 ounces.
In 2007, Frank Ippoliti worked the ledges of the main lake’s banks with a green-pumpkin jig to win the third and final Southern Open of the season with 38 pounds, 1 ounce overall in the three-day event. Popping the jig off the ledges in areas that had moving shad produced limits for Ippoliti all three days, as he topped a tight field with a top-10 spread of just 7 pounds.
Elite Series pro and Alabaman Russ Lane of Prattville, who finished 10th in the 2007 Southern Open at Wheeler, said he expects to see a lot of big bags in this year’s Southern Challenge.
“Something that’s happened with that lake, as well as some of the other Tennessee River lakes like Pickwick and Wilson,” said Lane, who weighed in 31 pounds, 0 ounces in October’s Southern Open. “They’re getting a whole lot better. There are more fish there now. Creeks could come into play in that tournament.
“It’s still early post-spawn, there’ll be a lot of fish shallow, like around docks and stumps, but also there’ll be some schools of fish that’ll be found out in 10-15 feet of water. If anybody can find maybe three schools out there in 12 feet, they’re going to be really hard to beat.”
Lane said there will be a lot of techniques going on. He expects some anglers to go with topwater lures, some big crankbaits and smaller swimbaits under docks.
“I think it’ll take 65 pounds total to win,” he said. “A lot of people may laugh and think it’s not going to take that much, but when everybody gets there and practice gets going, they’re going to see a different Wheeler than they’re used to.”
Meanwhile, the Trail to the Trophy heats up as the Elite Series enters the home stretch with five events to go. Mike McClelland of Bella Vista, Ark., leads the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year points race and is inching closer to the $250,000 top prize. Texan Todd Faircloth lurks 10 points behind, while 2007 AOY winner Skeet Reese and three-time AOY winner Kevin VanDam are third and fourth, respectively.
Daily weigh-ins and launches at the Southern Challenge will take place at Ingalls Harbor, 701 Market St. NW, Decatur, Ala. Launches Thursday-Sunday begin at 6 a.m. CT and weigh-ins begin at 3 p.m.
Activities at the Southern Challenge include a musical performance by artist Chad Bradford at noon Saturday and Sunday. There will be a Berkley Beginner fishing class at 1:30 p.m. and a “Boat Performance with Skeeter” class daily at 2 p.m. both days, as well as Skeeter boat demo rides from noon to 2 p.m.
On Saturday, fans can talk to the Elite pros during “Ask the Experts” at Bassmaster University, set for 2:30 p.m. at the weigh-in site. On Saturday and Sunday kids can enjoy a bounce house, a coloring contest, face painting and much more.
Sunday’s activities include the live taping at 2:30 p.m. of Hooked Up, hosted by ESPN Outdoors personalities Tommy Sanders and Mark Zona. The show, which airs on Bassmaster.com, will preview the final weigh-in. Live, streaming video of the Carolina Clash’s daily weigh-ins begins at 3 p.m. CT on Bassmaster.com.
For more information, contact BASS Communications at (407) 566-2208 or visit Bassmaster.com. Visit ESPNMediaZone.com for ESPN’s latest releases, schedules and other news, plus photos, video, audio clips and more.
The local sponsor of the Southern Challenge is the Decatur-Morgan County Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Sponsors of the Bassmaster Elite Series include Toyota Tundra, Advance Auto Parts, Berkley, Lowrance, Mercury, Purolator, Skeeter, Yamaha, Evan Williams Bourbon, Longhorn, OPTIMA Batteries, Triton Boats, Costa Del Mar, MotorGuide and Ramada Worldwide.
About BASS
For 40 years, BASS has served as the authority on bass fishing. With its considerable multi-media platforms and expansive tournament trail, BASS is guided by its mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry leading publications Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times and Fishing Tackle Retailer and comprehensive web properties in Bassmaster.com and ESPNOutdoors.com, the organization is committed to delivering content true to the lifestyle. Additionally, television programming on ESPN2 continues to provide relevant content from tips and techniques to in-depth tournament coverage to passionate audiences.
The organization oversees the prestigious Bassmaster tournament trail which includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bassmaster Opens, Women’s Bassmaster Tour and the Bassmaster Classic, the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing. Through its grassroots network, the BASS Federation Nation, BASS sanctions more than 20,000 events annually.
BASS also offers an array of services to its more than 525,000 members while spearheading progressive, positive change on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment