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Carter Could Become Classic’s Oldest Angler in History
If Tulsa area native Ken Carter does well enough at the 2018 Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation Championship on Alabama’s Pickwick Lake, he’ll earn the right to compete in the 2019 Bassmaster Classic at the age of 80, making him the oldest angler ever to compete in bass fishing’s biggest event by a wide margin.
“I tell people I’m three days older than dirt,” laughed the always-joyful Carter during a hot August summer fishing trip to Lake Keystone a few minutes west of his longtime sponsor Zebco’s headquarters.
Carter’s qualification for the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship sort of started 70 years ago amid a fateful walk home from school.
“I can’t prove it for sure, but I think I may be the very first pro staffer Zebco ever had,” says Carter. “I was about 10 or 11 years old, it must have been around 1947 or 1948, I was walking home from school on Peoria Avenue in North Tulsa when two guys standing outside the Zero Hour Bomb Company called me across the street and asked me to make a few test casts with a new fishing reel they were building.”
The dates of Carter’s recollection match up well, because in 1947 a West Texas watchmaker named R.D. Hull got an idea to build a new fishing reel after watching a meat counter clerk pull string from a fixed spool.
Hull took his idea to Zero Hour Bomb Company in Tulsa, where the world’s first Zebco prototype spincast reel was eventually built, and by 1949, the first new tangle free reel rolled off their production line.
A few short years later, Ken Carter’s life continued on its fateful path when his Mom may or may not have fudged his true age in order for him to join the Navy long before he was scheduled to graduate high school.
Carter served our country for a total of six years, but an accident on the very dangerous top deck of an aircraft carrier resulted in three back surgeries, two years in a California Naval hospital … and eventually, most of his life in a wheel chair.
Bitterness and self-pity would have been understandable, but in the most admirable fashion, Carter instead chose to carve out a life focused on the one thing that brought him the most joy – bass fishing.
“You see, on land, sometimes there are obstacles that put me at a disadvantage in a wheel chair, but on the water I feel like I’m equal in ability to everybody else,” reflects Carter.
Equipped with such an admirable perspective, Carter has utilized his positive convictions as the primary ingredient to a highly admirable tournament career highlighted by being a 4-time Paralyzed Veterans of America Angler of the Year, including this year, which earned him the chance to compete in the B.A.S.S Nation Championship.
Carter was married for 56 years, and took an 8 year hiatus from fishing in a true demonstration of love, compassion, and dedication to care for his wife, who battled Alzheimer’s before passing a couple of years ago.
As has always been the case, following her death, Ken moved forward from one of his life’s hardest times – largely through fishing. He’s back to competing full time in the PVA events held across America
“We fish from Florida to Illinois and a lot of places in between, but I’d have to choose the Potomac River in our nation’s capital as my favorite. With all the aquatic vegetation there, it’s a ‘bass factory’ and they love to eat a Strike King Ocho or a topwater frog,” says Carter.
While Carter is especially fond of Quantum’s super smooth Smoke S3 PT baitcasting reel, he actually casts his Ochos with spinning tackle, using a Smoke size 25 spinning reel, and purposely moving the rod tip more than most anglers do with a soft stickbait to instigate reaction strikes.
Speaking of soft plastic lures, Ken melted two plastic worms together to form a 12” worm that lead to the biggest bass of his life – a 15 pound 1 ounce beast he caught in Cuba.
“Back in those days, nobody made really big soft plastic worms like they do today, so we melted two worms together anytime we were fishing around really big bass,” grinned Carter.
“I’ve had a great life, and I’ve tried to help a lot of people in my 79 years,” says Carter. “But fishing in this B.A.S.S. Nation Championship is certainly the proudest accomplishment of my fishing career.”
An annual fixture in the Zebco-Quantum show booth at the Bassmaster Classic Consumer Expo for the past 20 years, Ken Carter is the friendly face always willing to share his 60+ years of angling wisdom as fishing fans and consumers visit the booth.
But this year, there’s a bunch of folks hoping he’ll be too busy to work the Consumer Expo at the Bassmaster Classic – cheering instead for the chance Carter might actually be a bit too occupied as the oldest angler to ever compete in the Bassmaster Classic – from a wheel chair none-the-less, with a grin wider than a 12” plastic worm, and an attitude as proud and optimistic as R.D. Hull himself when he stopped a young kid walking home from school to show off a new tangle free fishing reel he was working on.
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Six Anglers Advance To Final Round Of Bassmaster Classic Bracket On Carters Lake
Scott Rook of Little Rock, Ark., had the heaviest two-day total of bass, 10 pounds, 14 ounces, on the third day of the Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster Classic Bracket on Carters Lake out of Elijay, Ga. The final round of competition will begin on Friday where the six advancing anglers’ weights will start back at zero, and the winners of each match will advance to the 2019 Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.
ELIJAY, Ga. — The picture is steadily growing clearer at the Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster Classic Bracket on Carters Lake, with the two-day semifinal round now complete and six anglers qualified for Friday’s finals.
A trio of head-to-head matchups on Friday will pit Gerald Swindle vs. Scott Rook, Chris Lane vs. Greg Vinson and Adrian Avena vs. Shin Fukae. The anglers’ weights will start back at zero, and they will fish from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. ET with the winners of each match advancing to the 2019 Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.
Lane had one of the most impressive days Thursday, landing three big spotted bass that weighed 8 pounds, 9 ounces. Combined with the 2-3 he caught Wednesday, it gave him a two-day total of 10-12 that was more than enough to win his match against Michigan angler Chad Pipkens, who finished with 7-11.
“Knowing I had a little bit of a lead allowed me to fish with an eye toward tomorrow,” said Lane, a former Bassmaster Classic winner who lives in Alabama. “Tomorrow’s going to be amazing with a Classic berth on the line. It’ll either be really exciting or really disappointing.”
Lane’s biggest bass came at 8:18 a.m. when he landed a gigantic 4-10 spotted bass near a boat dock. He added two more fish on a Whopper Plopper the rest of the way to seal the win.
Pipkens caught a nice bass on a jerkbait with just over 30 minutes remaining in the morning session to keep pressure on Lane. But it wasn’t enough.
“I don’t think I would have made any different decisions today except maybe picking up a jerkbait a little earlier,” Pipkens said. “But that’s the way it goes. I’m already looking forward to next year.”
Also during the morning session, Swindle caught two bass that weighed 1-7 and pushed his two-day total to 8-4. It was enough to help him pass Arkansas pro and longtime friend Mike McClelland, who finished with 8-1.
“Mike is one of my best friends ever,” said Swindle, a veteran Alabama pro. “So that was like one of the most joyous sucking victories of my life. I hate it because it seemed like the two of us had the biggest weights, but that’s how this format works.”
Avena, who makes his home in New Jersey, caught just one bass during the morning session, but still managed to win his match with Texas angler Ray Hanselman Jr. Avena’s two-day total of 6-0 — which was helped greatly by the 4-15 he caught Wednesday — was nearly 3 pounds better than that of Hanselman’s 3-2.
The story of the afternoon session was the amazing comeback by Rook.
The veteran Arkansas pro, who has announced his intentions to retire when the season is over, zeroed Wednesday and came into the day trailing Arkansas angler Fred Roumbanis by 6-13. But Rook, who primarily used a Whopper Plopper, caught five bass that weighed 10-14 and slipped by Roumbanis who managed only two fish and finished with 9-9.
“From zero to hero, daddy,” Rook quipped as time expired. “The weather made a difference today. After a full moon at night, they just don’t bite in the mornings — and I couldn’t catch them when I had to fish the morning session yesterday.
“I was bound and determined to catch them on a Plopper, and with this cloud cover it worked out.”
Roumbanis, who had been one of the most consistent anglers since the tournament began with the seeding round Tuesday, seemed baffled by his struggles Thursday.
“Hat’s off to Scott,” Roumbanis said. “Even if I was fishing tomorrow, I wouldn’t have anything to fish. But it was a great tournament.”
Vinson, an Alabama pro who caught 4-7 Wednesday, didn’t boat a fish during Thursday’s afternoon session. But that total of 4-7 was still enough to help him past Alabama pro Dustin Connell, who caught 2-8 Thursday and finished with a two-day total of 4-1.
Texas pro Keith Combs caught one fish Wednesday and one more Thursday for a two-day total of 2-10. He lost his head-to-head match with Fukae, who finished with 6-13.
Friday’s full-day event will utilize the catch-weigh-release format with all bass weighed on the water and immediately released. The action will be carried live on Bassmaster.com.
2018 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2018 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Power-Pole, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha, Abu Garcia, Berkley, Huk, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats
2018 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Academy Sports + Outdoors, Carhartt, Livingston Lures, Lowrance, Phoenix Boats, T-H Marine
2018 Bassmaster Elite Series Elite Partner: Black Velvet
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2), radio show (Bassmaster Radio), social media programs and events. For 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation Series presented by Magellan Outdoors, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.
2018 Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster Classic Bracket 10/23-10/26
Carters Lake, Elijay, Ga.
Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz
Fred Roumbanis Russellville, Ark. 7/9-9
Scott Rook Litte Rock, Ark. 5/10-14
Gerald Swindle Guntersville, Ala. 5/8-4
Mike McClelland Bentonville, Ark. 3/8-1
Greg Vinson Wetumpka, Ala. 5/4-7
Dustin Connell Clanton, Ala. 4/4-1
Chris Lane Guntersville, Ala. 4/10-12
Chad Pipkens Lansing, Mich. 6/7-11
Keith Combs Huntington, Texas 2/2-10
Shin Fukae Palestine, Texas 4/6-13
Ray Hanselman Jr. Del Rio, Texas 3/3-2
Adrian Avena Vineland, N.J. 5/6-0
Copyright © 2018 B.A.S.S., All rights reserved.
Bassmaster Opens Winners In 2019 Can Qualify For The 50th Bassmaster Classic
Registration for the 2019 Bassmaster Opens Series began today with an early-entry period for current Bassmaster Elite Series pros and top performers from the 2018 Opens Series.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — After a one-year experiment with a Bassmaster Opens Championship, B.A.S.S. is returning to the popular “win-and-you’re-in” qualifying system from the Opens to the Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.
“While those who competed in last week’s Opens Championship really enjoyed the event, most who compete in one of the Opens divisions let us know that the additional postseason event created time and travel constraints for most of the field,” said Chris Bowes, senior tournament manager for the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series. “We listened, and we decided to go back to win-and-you’re-in.”
Anglers who win one of the eight Opens tournaments in 2019 are eligible to compete in the 2020 Classic — which will mark the 50th world championship since its inception in 1971 — if they compete in all four Opens tournaments in the division in which they won. To reach the 2019 Classic, Opens anglers had to either win the Opens Championship on Table Rock Lake Oct. 18-20 or finish among the Top 3 in performance points on either the Central or Eastern Division.
The Opens Series also is the main pathway to the prestigious Bassmaster Elite Series. In 2019, the Top 5 in points from each division will be invited to compete in the 2020 Elites.
Bowes said entry fees have been held at 2018 levels: $1,500 per tournament for the pros and $425 per tournament for co-anglers. Registration for the Opens began today with an early-entry period for current Bassmaster Elite Series pros and top performers from the 2018 Opens Series.
Preference is given to anglers who sign up for all four events in a division. B.A.S.S. Nation members and B.A.S.S. Life Members may sign up online beginning Oct. 30 if they are “linked” to a co-angler. B.A.S.S. members linking to co-anglers can register online Nov. 1; non-linking Life and Nation members can register Nov. 6 online and Nov. 8 by phone; non-linking B.A.S.S. members can sign up online and by phone Nov. 13 and 15, respectively. Members signing up for single events may register online Nov. 27 or by phone Nov. 29.
Information is available at Bassmaster.com, where online registration also takes place. Those preferring to enter by phone can call 877-227-7872.
The 2019 season kicks off for the Eastern Opens Division with a visit to Florida’s Harris Chain of Lakes Jan. 24-26. Others in the division are Lake Chickamauga at Dayton, Tenn., May 23-25; James River, Richmond, Va., July 25-27; and Oneida Lake, Syracuse, N.Y., Sept. 5-7. Central Division tournaments include Toledo Bend, Many, La., Feb. 20-22 (a Wednesday-Friday schedule); Smith Lake, Jasper, Ala., April 25-27; Mississippi River, La Crosse, Wis., Aug. 1-3; and Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees, Grove, Okla., Sept. 12-14.
2018 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Title Sponsor: Bass Pro Shops
2018 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2018 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Premier Sponsors: Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha, Abu Garcia, Berkley, Huk
2018 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Supporting Sponsors: Phoenix Boats, T-H Marine, Carhartt, Livingston Lures, Lowrance
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2), radio show (Bassmaster Radio), social media programs and events. For 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation presented by Magellan Outdoors, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.
Twelve Anglers Advance After First Round Of Bassmaster Classic Bracket On Carters Lake
Twelve anglers will advance to the upcoming three-day, bracket-style competition during the Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster Classic Bracket on Carters Lake out of Elijay, Ga. Fred Roumbanis brought in the heaviest five-bass limit today with 16 pounds, 1 ounce.
Photo by James Overstreet/B.A.S.S.
ELIJAY, Ga. — The first round of the Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster Classic Bracket on Carters Lake was a one-day tournament to determine the seeding for three separate competitions that will each send an angler to the 2019 Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.
With that one-day tournament in the history books, the stakes will now get higher every moment until the Classic Bracket concludes Friday.
After Tuesday’s opening round, 15 anglers were allowed to weigh their five biggest bass with the Top 12 advancing to the upcoming three-day, bracket-style competition. The anglers qualified in the following order: 1. Fred Roumbanis (16 pounds 1 ounce), 2. Greg Vinson (13-10), 3. Keith Combs (12-6), 4. Ray Hanselman Jr. (10-0), 5. Chris Lane (9-12), 6. Gerald Swindle (9-10), 7. Mike McClelland (9-0), 8. Chad Pipkens (8-8), 9. Adrian Avena (6-13), 10. Shin Fukae (6-11), 11. Dustin Connell (5-5) and 12. Scott Rook (5-4).
Marty Robinson (4-12), Takahiro Omori (1-15) and Bill Lowen (0-0) were eliminated.
“Today’s goal was just to advance,” said Hanselman, of Del Rio, Texas. “I just wanted to try and fish clean and make sure I made it into that Top 12. I figured a little something out (during Monday’s practice round), and it helped me today. But there aren’t a whole lot of places to do it on this lake.”
Starting Wednesday, the weights will go back to zero, and six matches will be held from 8-11 a.m. ET, pitting No. 1 vs. No. 12, No. 2 vs. No. 11 and No. 3 vs. No. 10. Then during the afternoon session from 12:30-3:30 p.m., three additional matches will pit No. 4 vs. No. 9, No. 5 vs. No. 8 and No. 6 vs. No. 7.
Wednesday’s weights will carry over to Thursday when the morning and evening lineups will be flipped. After Thursday’s round of 12, the six advancing anglers will fish head-to-head on Friday with their weights back at zero once again.
Friday’s three winners will advance to the Classic.
Carters Lake is a 3,200-acre highland reservoir known for big spotted bass that gorge themselves on the lake’s abundant population of blueback herring. Schools of herring sometimes cause the bass to congregate in large numbers along the surface, allowing anglers to catch big limits quickly.
But that wasn’t the case for most of the 15-angler field Tuesday.
“I didn’t get too many bites out there today,” said Elite Series pro Keith Combs of Texas. “But when I did get them, they were good ones. I usually try to cover a lot of water. But today I kind of punted on that, and at least it got me the five fish I needed.”
Chad Pipkens, an Elite Series angler from Michigan, said the lake could change a lot during the next three days.
“It’s anybody’s game out there,” he said. “The fish are moving around so much. I think I caught one bass today where I caught them in practice.”
Pipkens said having only three hours to fish the next three days will make things tough.
“I tried to learn a little bit more today and add that to what I learned in practice,” he said. “You’ve just got to put your bait in places where they live — and with only three hours to fish, you’ll have to do it right away.”
Since B.A.S.S. is using a catch-weigh-release format for the event, there will be no weigh-ins the rest of the week. All fish will be weighed by onboard judges and released immediately.
All of the action will be carried live on Bassmaster.com.
2018 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2018 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Power-Pole, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha, Abu Garcia, Berkley, Huk, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats
2018 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Academy Sports + Outdoors, Carhartt, Livingston Lures, Lowrance, Phoenix Boats, T-H Marine
2018 Bassmaster Elite Series Elite Partner: Black Velvet
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2), radio show (Bassmaster Radio), social media programs and events. For 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation Series presented by Magellan Outdoors, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.
2018 Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster Classic Bracket 9/19-9/22
Carters Lake, Elijay, Ga.
Standings Day 1
Place Name Day 1 Total Fish / Weight
1. Fred Roumbanis 5 / 16- 1
2. Greg Vinson 5 / 13-10
3. Keith Combs 5 / 12- 6
4. Ray Hanselman Jr 5 / 10- 0
5. Chris Lane 5 / 9-12
6. Gerald Swindle 4 / 9-10
7. Mike McClelland 4 / 9- 0
8. Chad Pipkens 5 / 8- 8
9. Adrian Avena 5 / 6-13
10. Shin Fukae 3 / 6-11
11. Dustin Connell 3 / 5- 5
12. Scott Rook 2 / 5- 4
13. Marty Robinson 3 / 4-12
14. Takahiro Omori 2 / 1-15
15. Bill Lowen –
Copyright © 2018 B.A.S.S., All rights reserved.