THE LATEST NEWS
IKE has a New Lover
Spinnerbaits are sometimes over looked with all the new choices on the market. Do not be fooled this is still one heck of a fish catcher. Mike Iaconelli talks about the new Titanium wire spinnerbait from Molix. Mike explains the differences and advantages of using this flexible wire blade.
Hurricane Harvey Relief
Hurricane Harvey has left massive destruction in South Texas. Lives, homes and businesses have been destroyed by epic amounts of rain and wind. The fishing industry, that thousands of South Texans rely on as both business and pleasure, has been devastated as well.
Matt Lee’s Jumbo Sized Drop Shot Lure
Matt Lee loves to fish a drop shot, but his decision to drop shot a 5” Strike King Z-Too on a straight shank hook for Lake St. Clair smallmouth, was the equivalent of his fiancé Abby choosing to serve 20-ounce rib eye steaks as a bridal shower appetizer. Essentially, Lee turned one of bass fishing’s dainty finesse techniques into a full-fledged food fest en route to yet another Top 12 finish on the Bassmaster Elite Series tour.
“I’m a drop shot fanatic. I threw it on spawning beds at Okeechobee, at stumps on Ross Barnett, and at St. Clair for smallmouth. I pretty much never leave the dock without one tied on, it’s just a matter of tweaking the components a little to meet the conditions,” explains Lee.
“My decision to use such a big bait on my drop shot at St. Clair was two-fold. First, the water was a little dingy, and I thought the bigger bait would be more visible. And secondly, I noticed that the smallmouth I hooked in practice were spitting-up 4” to 8” perch,” observed the Auburn grad.
Lure and Lure Color choice
If Lee knew the smallmouth were feeding on yellow and green colored perch, then why did he opt for a white, ice-colored, Z-Too?
“I’m pretty certain they were feeding on alewife as well as the perch. And the thing is, I was never on a big school of smallmouth. I felt like I was hunting big, single fish that seemed super aggressive – so that bait was visible and offered a big meal to those lone wolves,” says Lee.
“That Z-Too was too big for pesky perch to eat, and because it’s made of ElaZtech, it floats and never tears up. Plus, that particular lure almost shimmies like a swimbait.”
Experimental hooks
As much as Lee uses a drop shot, he’d never used such a big lure. So he experimented between a 1/0 and a 2/0 straight shank hook, as well as an occasional circle hook that’s more standard on a drop shot.
“I was actually super-gluing the Z-Too on the hooks, and the one thing I figured-out, was that no matter what hook I used, by giving them an extra second to eat it, rather than set the hook too fast, was more critical than the exact hook I rigged with,” says Lee.
Speed Freak
While gear ratios get a lot of attention among baitcasting reels, their mechanical importance in spinning reels is too often overlooked, but not by top pros like Matt Lee and Jacob Powroznik.
“Smallmouth move so quick that it’s critical to use a reel that can pick up a ton of slack line in a hurry, especially in one of those moments during the fight when they switch from going away from the boat, and run right at you, and you gotta get down on it like Kool & The Gang,” says Lee. “That’s why I love the Quantum Speed Freak. It picks up 3-feet of line with every turn of the handle, plus it’s got an awesome drag system for fighting those beasts.”
Brotherly Love
Matt shared his findings of the big lure’s success with younger brother Jordan, who was quick to heed Matt’s advice. Jordan had been fishing a smaller Strike King Dream Shot, but on Day 3 of the tournament, switched to the big Z-Too. His first fish of the day was a mammoth 6 pound 13 ounce bronze beast.
The Lee Brothers eventually finished 4th and 5th and won a combined $30,500. Everybody went home happy, and ate well along the way, including St. Clair’s super-sized smallmouth.
Frogs, Frogs, Frogs
Chad Pipkins introduces the new Lunkerhunt frog line up. From open water to the thickest scum you will find the perfect frog to match the situation.
National Championship Highlights 2018 Bassmaster Opens Series Tournament Lineup
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The 2018 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series will again include nine tournaments on prime bass fishing waters, but the series format will be markedly different from recent seasons, B.A.S.S. announced today.
“We are excited about the new Opens format,” said B.A.S.S. CEO Bruce Akin. “It’s designed to provide opportunities for the best bass fishermen to prove their fishing skills on a variety of waters as they earn their way into the Bassmaster Classic and Elite Series.”
Instead of three divisions of three tournaments each, B.A.S.S. will conduct two divisions — Central and East — comprising four tournaments each. As was last done in 2005, a season finale Opens Championship will be held. It will determine qualifiers for the 2019 Bassmaster Elite Series and for the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.
The Opens Championship winner and the Top 5 in performance points from each division — determined by an angler’s finish in all four divisional tournaments and the Championship —will be invited to the Elites. The winner of the Championship and the Top 3 anglers in points from each division following the Championship will be invited to the Classic.
In addition, fisheries in the two new divisions are more geographically diverse, requiring a greater commitment from Opens pros who want to qualify for the championship. The Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Eastern Opens Division, for example, includes one tournament in central Florida and another in Upstate New York.
“These changes to our Opens Series are bound to qualify a very diverse and versatile group of anglers for the Elite Series and the Classic,” said Chris Bowes, Opens tournament director. “They will have to prove their abilities on a variety of fisheries and at different seasons. And, to get to the Classic, they will have to perform throughout the season, not just in one event.”
Akin expects the Opens Championship to become a marquee event for aspiring pros and other tournament anglers.
“The Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Championship will be a no-entry-fee tournament pitting some of the nation’s best bass anglers against one another,” Akin said. “The smaller, more elite field of championship qualifiers can be expected to create more excitement, attract a bigger fan base and generate more media coverage than ever before in Opens competition.”
The championship is tentatively scheduled to be held Oct. 18-20. The location will be announced later. The field will include the four winners of Opens tournaments as well as the Top 10 in points standings, not including the winners, from each division, for a total of 28. In addition, the four winning co-anglers from each division tournament and the Top 10 in points standings, not including winners, will compete alongside the pros for a share of their own prize fund.
Thanks to the “win-and-you’re-in” provision of the Opens, pros and co-anglers will have a shot at making the Championship even if they’re not at the top of the points standings toward the end of the season, Bowes noted.
The lineup includes some of the most popular and productive fisheries in the nation, including several that have hosted the Bassmaster Classic in past years. Following are details about each of the events in the 2018 Opens Series.
Eastern Opens Division
Kissimmee Chain of Lakes, Kissimmee, Fla. — Feb. 1-3, 2018
Total B.A.S.S. events hosted: 22, including 1977 and 2006 Classics
Most recent B.A.S.S. winner: Chad Morgenthaler (52-7), 2015 Bassmaster Southern Open, Jan. 15-17, 2015
Bassmaster 100 Best Bass Lakes Rank: 11th, Southeastern Division, in 2017
Lake Norman, Cornelius, N.C. — May 10-12, 2018
Total B.A.S.S. events hosted: 11
Most recent B.A.S.S. winner: 2014 Southern Open, Andy Montgomery (37-10), Oct. 2-4, 2014
Bassmaster 100 Best Bass Lakes Rank: 91st in 2013
Lake Champlain, Plattsburgh, N.Y — Aug. 2-4, 2018
Total B.A.S.S. events hosted: 20
Most recent B.A.S.S. winner: 2017 Bassmaster Elite, Aaron Martens (58-12), July 27-30, 2017
Bassmaster 100 Best Bass Lakes Rank: 5th, Northeastern Division, in 2017
Douglas Lake, Dandridge, Tenn. — Sept. 13-15, 2018
Total B.A.S.S. events hosted: 12
Most recent B.A.S.S. winner: 2016 Bassmaster Southern Open, David Mullins (62-12), May 19-21, 2016
Bassmaster 100 Best Bass Lakes Rank: 56th in 2013
Central Opens Division
Ross Barnett Reservoir, Ridgeland, Miss. — March 1-3, 2018
Total B.A.S.S. events hosted: 18, including 1978 Classic
Most recent B.A.S.S. winner: 2017 Bassmaster Elite Series, Dustin Connell (64-13), April 27-30, 2017
Bassmaster 100 Best Bass Lakes Rank: 9th, Southeastern Division, in 2016
Arkansas River, Muskogee, Okla. — April 19-21, 2018
Total B.A.S.S. events hosted: 14
Most recent B.A.S.S. winner: 2016 Bassmaster Central Open, Skylar Hamilton (45-6), June 2-4, 2016
Red River, Shreveport, La. — June 14-16, 2018
Total B.A.S.S. events hosted: 21, including 2009 and 2012 Classics
Most recent B.A.S.S. winner: 2016 Bassmaster Central Open, Alton Jones Jr. (35-14), Sept. 29-Oct. 1, 2016
Bassmaster 100 Best Bass Lakes Rank: 77th in 2015
Logan Martin, Pell City, Ala. — Sept. 6-8, 2018
Total B.A.S.S. events hosted: 7, including 1992, 1993 and 1997 Classics
Most recent B.A.S.S. winner: 2013 Bassmaster Southern Open, David Kilgore (46-8), May 16-18, 2013
Bassmaster 100 Best Bass Lakes Rank: 23rd, Southeastern Division, in 2017
(NOTE: Entries for the 2018 Opens will be accepted beginning Oct. 31, 2017. See Bassmaster.com for a full schedule of registration dates, deadlines and payouts. Entry fees are $1,500 per event for pros and $425 per event for co-anglers. Payouts are based on a full field of 200 pros and 200 co-anglers.)
2017 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Title Sponsor: Bass Pro Shops
2017 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2017 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Premier Sponsors: Triton Boats, Yamaha, Berkley, Huk, Humminbird, Mercury, Power-Pole, Shell Rotella, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Skeeter Boats
2017 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Supporting Sponsors: Lowrance, Phoenix Boats, Shimano, T-H Marine, Advance Auto Parts, Carhartt, Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels, Livingston Lures
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 more than 45 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, Costa Bassmaster High School Series presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.