Record entries expected for Triton owners event

PARIS, Tenn. – A record number of teams should compete in the 14th annual Triton Owners Tournament, set for May 31-June 1, 2013, on Kentucky Lake near Paris, Tenn.

“We are expecting record participation this year,” predicted Adam Adkisson, vice president of the hosting Triton Boats company. “In 2012, the event featured 323 teams. We’re expecting more than 330 boats this year. We have more Triton owners coming to fish the tournament each year. We very excited with the growth of the event and we’re excited for the owners who are coming to enjoy the competition and camaraderie of fishing out of their Triton boats.”

Open to anyone who owns a Triton boat of any kind, the event kicks off with registration at the Paris Landing State Park Conference Center between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. on May 30. A dinner and mandatory rules meeting follows registration. On both days of the tournament, the anglers will launch out of Paris Landing State Park at safe light. The weigh-in begins at 3 p.m. on May 31 and at 2 p.m. on June 2.

Louisiana anglers to wrap season in the Delta

ATHENS, Ala. – The Louisiana Division 13 of the Toyota Bassmaster Weekend Series, operated by American Bass Anglers, will hold its last tournament of the regular season on June 1, 2013, in the vast Louisiana Delta.

The competitors will launch at Bayou Segnette State Park, located at 7777 Westbank Expressway in Westwego. Anglers may begin fishing at safe light. Registration begins at 4 p.m. May 31. To register for this tournament, see www.americanbassanglers.com/proddetail.php?prod=684

Anglers fishing the Boater Division may weigh in up to five bass. Co-anglers may weigh in up to three bass. Anglers must buy a Louisiana fishing license to fish this event. For Louisiana fishing license information, see www.wlf.louisiana.gov/licenses/fishing or call 888-765-2602.

The collective Louisiana Delta ranks Number 59 on the 2013 Bassmaster magazine list of the top 100 bass waters in the United States. The swampy area traversed by numerous canals, bayous and dotted by natural lakes can produce many bass in the 1- to 3-pound range and some in the 4- to 6-pound range. Occasionally, someone lands a bass topping seven pounds.

Virginians head to the historic James River

ATHENS, Ala. – The Virginia Division 19 of the Toyota Bassmaster Weekend Series, operated by American Bass Anglers, will hold its third tournament of the season June 1, 2013, on the James River.

The competitors will launch at Chickahominy Riverfront Park, located at 1350 John Tyler Highway in Williamsburg, Va. Competitors must pay a county ramp fee on the morning of the tournament. Anglers may begin fishing at safe light. Registration begins at 4 p.m. May 31 at the BWS stage trailer at Chickahominy Riverfront Park. To register for this tournament, see www.americanbassanglers.com/proddetail.php?prod=639.

The ramp and the launch site are not co-located. Launch at the ramp and park in the trailer parking area. Then proceed to the long pier on the Chickahominy River (around the point to the left from the ramp creek). Launch and afternoon recovery will be at the long pier. Tide permitting, anglers will leave boats in the water at the long pier until after weighing their fish.

Anglers fishing the Boater Division may weigh in up to five bass. Co-anglers may weigh in up to three bass. For a Virginia fishing license information, call 1-866-721-6911 or see www.dgif.virginia.gov/licenses.

Gillham wraps up regular season with a win

ATHENS, Ala. – David E. Gillham ended the regular season with a win during the Toyota Bassmaster Weekend Series, operated by American Bass Anglers, East Texas Division 11 tournament, held May 18, 2013, on Cedar Creek Reservoir.

Running out of Log Cabin Landing in Malakoff to fish the 32,623-acre lake on a warm, blustery day, the 49-year-old angler from Heath caught five bass weighing 16.14 pounds. For the Boater Division victory, Gillham took home a check for $2,502.

“On the last day of practice, I found an area where shad were spawning on underwater rock,” Gillham advised. “In the morning, it was cloudy, so shad stayed shallow longer. I caught some on a topwater bait and some on a green pumpkin Texas-rigged senko. I caught about 15 fish.”

In second for the boaters, Ricky E. Phillips, 51, of Trinidad, Texas, landed a five-bass tournament limit going 15.96 pounds. He anchored his bag with a 6.52-pounder that won the division big bass race. He earned $1,251 for second place and a $270 bonus for the big bass.

“We started on a point throwing buzzbaits,” Phillips said. “We caught fish there, but they were all small. We then went to the dam and I threw a watermelon red trick worm rigged wacky style around brush piles in 13 feet of water. The dam kept us out of the wind, so that helped us. I caught about 14 bass.”

Scott A. Dean of Terrell took third place among the boaters. He caught five bass to finish with 15.44 pounds. For the effort, he pocketed $834.

Soles comes out on top at Okeechobee

ATHENS, Ala. – Van Soles flipped his way to victory in the Toyota Bassmaster Weekend Series, operated by American Bass Anglers, Florida Division 6 tournament, held May 18, 2013, on Lake Okeechobee.

Running out of C. Scott Driver Park in the town of Okeechobee, Fla. to fish the 730-square-mile lake, the Haines City angler caught five bass weighing 17.06 pounds. He anchored his bag with a 7.69-pound bucketmouth that also took tournament lunker honors. For the Boater Division victory, Soles took home a check for $1,017 plus a $140 bonus for the big bass.

“We started with frogs and then went to flipping beavers around reeds and cattails,” Soles revealed. “The frog bite shut down when the sun came up. We stayed on the north end of the lake. I caught the big bass late in the afternoon with about an hour left to fish. The water was pretty stained.”

In second for the boaters, Corey A. Roberts of Fort Meyers landed a five-bass tournament limit going 17.03 pounds. He anchored his bag with a 6.14-pounder to pocket $859.

“We started on the west side and didn’t do much, so we moved to the east side,” Roberts advised. “I was throwing a jig and filled out a limit. On the last cast, I caught my biggest fish on a swimbait.”
David M. Thomas of Lake Butler finished third for the boaters with five bass and 16.86 pounds. For the effort, he went home with a check for $572.

Ryan scores season opening victory

ATHENS, Ala. – David E. Ryan didn’t burn much gasoline to win more than $2,000 during the Toyota Bassmaster Weekend Series, operated by American Bass Anglers, Missouri Division 16 season opener, held May 18, 2013, on Lake of the Ozarks.

Running out of PB2 Landing in Osage Beach to fish the 55,000-acre lake, the Levasy, Mo., angler caught five bass weighing 18.62 pounds. He sealed his victory by landing a 4.40-pound bucketmouth that won the division big bass award. For the Boater Division victory, Ryan took home a check for $1,859 with an extra $175 for the big bass.

“In practice, I didn’t catch much,” Ryan revealed. “I made a decision to not go where I was originally going to go. I decided to fish close and never went more than five miles from the marina. I focused on the first wave of post-spawners moving out to the points and caught all my fish on a DD-22 crankbait. I didn’t catch a lot of fish, but I didn’t lose a fish either. I just caught the right fish.”

In second for the boaters, Ted J. Daniels of Crestwood, Mo., landed a five-bass tournament limit going 15.89 pounds. He capped his catch with a 4.21-pounder to earn a check for $930.

Tarheels to fish Lake Kerr for second event

ATHENS, Ala. – The North Carolina Division 5 of the Toyota Bassmaster Weekend Series, operated by American Bass Anglers, will hold its second tournament of the season May 25, 2013, on Kerr Lake.

The competitors will launch at Nutbush Landing, located on North Carolina Highway 1324 near Henderson. Anglers may begin fishing at safe light. Registration begins at 4 p.m. May 24 at the Quality Inn at Exit 215 off Interstate 85 in Henderson. To register for this tournament, see www.americanbassanglers.com/proddetail.php?prod=718.

Anglers fishing the Boater Division may weigh in up to five bass. Co-anglers may weigh in up to three bass. For North Carolina fishing license information, see www.ncwildlife.org/Licensing/HuntingFishingTrappingLicenses.aspx or call 888-248-6834. For a Virginia fishing license information, call 866-721-6911 or see www.dgif.virginia.gov/licenses.

Arkansas anglers head to Greers Ferry

ATHENS, Ala. – The Arkansas Division 12 of the Toyota Bassmaster Weekend Series, operated by American Bass Anglers, will hold its third tournament of the season May 25, 2013, on Greers Ferry Lake.

The competitors will launch at Devils Fork Marina, located at 73 Devils Fork Road in the town of Greers Ferry, Ark. Anglers may begin fishing at safe light. Registration begins at 4 p.m. May 24. To register for this tournament, see www.americanbassanglers.com/proddetail.php?prod=678.

Anglers fishing the Boater Division may weigh in up to five bass in any combination of largemouth, smallmouth and Kentucky spotted bass. Co-anglers may weigh in up to three bass. For Arkansas fishing license information, see www.agfc.com/licenses/Pages/LicensesFishing.aspx or call 800-364-4263.

Jones scores big win on Lake Anna

ATHENS, Ala. – Timothy Jones worked a shaky head to win the Toyota Bassmaster Weekend Series, operated by American Bass Anglers, Virginia Division 19 tournament, held May 11, 2013, on Lake Anna.

Running out of Sturgeon Creek Marina in Spotsylvania, Va., to fish the 9,600-acre lake, the 42-year-old angler from King George, Va., caught five bass weighing 20.18 pounds for slightly more than a 4-pound average. He anchored his bag with a 6.09-pound kicker that topped the tournament big bass list. For the Boater Division victory, Jones took home a check for $1,778, plus an extra $145 for the big bass.

“I fish Lake Anna a lot,” Jones explained. “I found a good fish on the bed in practice and went there first. I caught my biggest fish on my second spot under a boat dock. When I was getting ready to leave that spot, I caught another good one. I ended up catching a couple more good ones in the same creek. I had my limit by 10 a.m. I threw a 3/16-ounce shaky head with a green pumpkin trick worm all day long. I caught about 20 keepers on the day.”

In second for the boaters, Chad Hicks of Rockville, Va., found a five-bass tournament limit for 17.55 pounds. John Hutchins of Warrenton, Va., brought in a five-bass limit going 14.65 pounds with a 4.64-pound kicker. Eddie Griggs of Richmond, Va., followed with five bass and 14.13 pounds. Steve E. Miller of Mechanicsville, Va., rounded out the top five boaters with five bass at 13.86 pounds.

In the Co-Angler Division, Robert A. Morris, 33, of Roanoke, Va., won with three bass and 8.49 pounds. Fishing Lake Anna for only the third time in his life, Morris anchored his bag with a 4.55-pounder that won the division lunker title. For the win, Morris earned $859 plus a $70 bonus for the lunker.

Wilson conquers Big Sam with crankbaits

ATHENS, Ala. – Kris L. Wilson found a shad spawn that led to victory in the Toyota Bassmaster Weekend Series, operated by American Bass Anglers, South East Texas Division 10 tournament, held May 11, 2013, on Lake Sam Rayburn.

Running out of Umphrey Pavilion near Jasper, Texas, to fish the 114,500-acre lake, the 35-year-old angler from Montgomery, Texas, caught five bass weighing 18.35 pounds with a 5.79-pound kicker. For the Boater Division victory, Wilson took home a check for $2,648.

“I found a shad spawn early,” Wilson explained. “That was pretty exciting. I caught a limit early, but no big fish. At the shad spawn, I caught fish on a Strike King 5XD crankbait in chartreuse perch and a Norman NXS in Nutter Shad. After catching about 25 fish on crankbaits, I picked up a Carolina rig with a green pumpkin senko and caught some more. I caught about 30 keepers.”

In second for the boaters, Todd Driscoll, a 41-year-old state biologist from Jasper, Texas, landed a five-bass tournament limit going 17.82 pounds. He pocketed $1,324 for the effort.

“I caught my three biggest fish from one spot I found in practice,” Driscoll said. “In our first spot, I fished a shad spawn on the north end of the lake and caught about 20 keepers, but not any big fish. I caught a lot of fish there on a spinnerbait. After that, we bounced around the lake fishing deep and shallow. In deep water, I caught my fish on a Reaction Innovations Big Unit Worm in hot tamale color. We probably caught about 35 fish total.”

W. T. Wright, 29, of Bossier City, La., finished third among the boaters with a five-bass limit going 16.19 pounds. He anchored his bag with a 5.53-pounder to collect a check for $863.

Webster comes out on top in Carolina contest

ATHENS, Ala. – Michael E. Webster cranked his way to victory during the Toyota Bassmaster Weekend Series, operated by American Bass Anglers, South Carolina Division 9 tournament, held May 11, 2013, on Lake Wylie.

Running out of Buster Boyd’s Landing in Lake Wylie, S.C. to fish the 13,443-acre lake on the North Carolina-South Carolina border near Charlotte, N.C., the Gastonia, N.C., angler caught five bass weighing 18.65 pounds. For the Boater Division victory, Webster took home a check for $1,859.

“I mostly cranked ledges and creek channels on the lower end of the lake with a DD-22 and other deep-diving crankbaits,” Webster revealed. “The fish were still pretty shallow. I was throwing the crankbait in 13 to 15 feet of water. We focused on a shad spawn over shell beds early and caught a ton of fish. Later, we fished the same areas, but a little deeper.”

In second for the boaters, Randall L. Langston of Bishopville, S.C., landed a five-bass tournament limit going 17.21 pounds. He anchored his bag with a 4.20-pounder to pocket $930.

“We fished the South Carolina side of the lake and I threw either a spinnerbait or a jig all day,” Langston explained. “We caught fish throughout the day. I broke one off that cost me the win.”

Bradford Beavers of Ridgeville, S.C., found five keepers for 16.39 pounds and third place among the boaters. He capped his catch with a 3.52-pounder to win $620.
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