Extensive tournament experience in the area helped Chris Jones win the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Weekend Series, operated by American Bass Anglers, Oklahoma Division 14 tournament, held August 7, 2010, on the Arkansas River out of Muskogee.
Fishing under overcast skies on the hot and humid river, the 31-year-old angler from Bokoshe landed five bass weighing 14.78 pounds to win the Boater Division, catching many fish on a homemade jig. Landing about 25 bass total, he anchored his bag with a 3.51-pounder to collect $2,745 for the championship plus bonuses from Mercury and MotorGuide.
"I consider these my home waters and fish a lot of tournaments in this area," Jones said. "When it's cloudy at this time of year, put the bait in the grass. We started in the grass and went to the wood later in the day. In the last place we fished, we caught a bunch of fish and kept culling until it was time to leave."
Fishing with Jones, Derek Thurman of Collinsville placed fourth in the Co-Angler Division. He ended with three bass going 6.34 pounds, but helped Jones with his final catch.
"I have to give a lot of credit to Derek," Jones admitted. "I caught my last fish on a spinnerbait along a laydown. It wrapped around a tree. When it was coming off, the fish jumped. Derek caught it and the spinnerbait came out of its mouth. I lost three good fish earlier, but not this one."
In second for the boaters, Roger Stevens, 32, of Oologah caught a five-bass tournament limit going 14.13 pounds, but a penalty set him back to an official weight of 13.63 pounds. Still, he collected $1,373 after catching about 20 bass.
"The cloud cover positioned the fish in the grass beds and that made it easier for us to catch those fish," Stevens said. "In practice, I found a pattern by flipping a black and blue Berkley Chigger Craw at grass in three to six feet of water. Persistence paid off. When you're on fish, don't leave them. I fished one 200-yard stretch about 10 times. I caught my biggest fish on the fourth time. My co-angler caught his biggest fish on about the sixth pass."
Ricci Head of Shawnee took third with five bass going 12.98 pounds, followed by Jesse Verardo of Tulsa with four fish at 11.01 pounds including a 3.70-pounder. Another Chris Jones, this one from Pocola, placed fifth with five bass for 10.60 pounds with one 3.95-pound kicker.
Billy Clark of Wewoka finished ninth with four bass going 9.78 pounds. However, he anchored his bag with a 4.86-pound lunker that took tournament big bass honors.
For the Co-Angler Division, Bill Spaid, 50, of Stillwater won it all. He landed three bass weighing 9.39 pounds. Plus, his 4.23-pounder topped the division lunker list. For the win, he earned more than $1,300, plus a $160 bonus for the big bass.
"We were swimming jigs and plastics through wood and grass in two to 12 feet of water," Spaid said. "I used a variety of Gene Larew baits and caught about 10 keepers. The wind had a lot to do with how we caught our fish. When the wind quit blowing, the fish quit biting."
In second for the co-anglers, Paul Muzljakovich of Norman landed a three-bass division limit for 8.91 pounds with one 3.72-pound kicker. Rickey Short of Charleston, Ark., followed with three bass weighing 8.08 pounds. In fifth, Michael Holton of Spring Branch, Texas, landed three bass at 6.19 pounds.
About American Bass Anglers: The Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Weekend Series provides weekend anglers a professionally operated competitive tour with a path the world championship of bass fishing the Bassmaster Classic. American Bass Anglers commitment is to provide low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler and at the same time offer each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers and the American Fishing Tour, The Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Weekend Series, The American 150 Series or the American Couples Series, visit www.americanbassanglers.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment