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Mullins, Only Angler To Catch 20 Pounds, Takes Lead
David Mullins of Mount Carmel, Tenn., takes the lead on Day 1 of the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open #3 held on Douglas Lake out of Dandridge, Tenn. Mullins brought 21 pounds, 5 ounces to the scales at Thursday’s weigh-in.
Photo by Seigo Saito/Bassmaster
DANDRIDGE, Tenn. — David Mullins knows the significance of catching a 20-pounds-plus, five-bass limit at Douglas Lake. In recent history, it has taken at least 20-plus per day to win here. So Mullins was happy to have 21 pounds, 5 ounces Thursday at the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open at Douglas Lake. And he was even happier to be the only angler to top 20 pounds the first day.
“Trust me, I know exactly what it takes to win here,” said Mullins. “I’ve finished second two times in a row.”
The 34-year-old Bassmaster Elite Series angler lives in nearby Mount Carmel, Tenn. He was second when Ott Defoe won the Northern Open with 62-5 in 2014, and Mullins was runner-up to Patrick Bone, who won the Southern Open with 65-4 in 2013.
The entire 150-boat field of pros paired with co-anglers will compete again Friday before the field is cut to the Top 12 in both divisions for Saturday’s final.
Mullins was the only pro to top 20 pounds, but his lead is slim. Kyle Glasgow Jr. of Guin, Ala., is second with 19-10; Dustin Connell of Clanton, Ala., is third with 19-7; Josh Roark of Morristown, Tenn., is fourth with 19-4; and Elite Series pro Brandon Card of Caryville, Tenn., is fifth with 19-2.
With Douglas being three feet below its normal pool level — a lake that’s only 35,000 acres when full — fished really small Thursday.
“I caught most of my fish on my first stop,” said Card, whose bag included a 5-pound, 11-ounce smallmouth. “After that I was fishing behind people all day, and it was tough. In fact, it was brutal after about 10 o’clock.”
Adjusting to the unusually low mid-May lake level appears to be the key to success. Apparently, there are two ways to do that: have a long history of fishing Douglas Lake or have no history here.
Mullins is in the first category. Although he lives closer to Cherokee Lake, he considers Douglas his home lake because he grew up fishing it.
“I’ve got some spots to myself,” said Mullins. “It’s some stuff that’s a little bit out of the way, but fish haven’t been on it in 10 years. It must be the water level is right in some of those places. Some of the (traditionally) good places don’t have much water on them at all.”
Glasgow and Connell are in the second category. This marks the first tournament at Douglas for both.
“I’ve got one place where I hope not many people know about,” Glasgow said. “It’s not very obvious. But the fish didn’t bite near as well for me today as they had in practice. I was expecting to just whack ’em. I only caught about eight keepers.”
While there are always some fish shallow here, especially this early in the year, almost every tournament at Douglas is won on a deep-water pattern. Connell committed to that. He spent most of his practice time graphing deeper bass-holding structure.
“This place fishes so small, it’s hard to get on places you want to fish,” he said. “I had a few sneaky holes — sneaky, sneaky places. I caught my biggest fish off a sneaky spot.”
McConnell had a 5-pound, 11-ounce largemouth in his bag. Derrick Snavely of Rogersville, Tenn., weighed in the biggest bass on the pro side with a 6-pound, 5-ounce largemouth.
In the co-angler division, Rodney Tapp of Inman, S.C., leads with a three-bass limit weighing 11 pounds. Andy Simm of Piney Flats, Tenn., is second with 10-14, and Wayne Hauser of Mooresville, N.C., is third with 10-0. Simm also weighed the biggest bass among the co-anglers with a 5 1/2-pounder.
Takeoff begins at 6:15 a.m. Friday at The Point Marina, 122 Boatdock Drive in Dandridge, and the weigh-in starts at 2:15 p.m. at the same location. The weigh-in location shifts for Saturday’s Top 12 final to the Bass Pro Shops at 3629 Outdoor Sportsman’s Place in Kodak, Tenn.
2016 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Title Sponsor: Bass Pro Shops
2016 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2016 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Premier Sponsors: Huk, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha, Berkley, GoPro
2016 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Supporting Sponsors: Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels, Livingston Lures, Lowrance, Power-Pole, Rapala, Shell Rotella, Shimano, A.R.E. Truck Caps, Carhartt
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), 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, B.A.S.S. Nation, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Costa Bassmaster High School Series, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro.
Penn State Takes Early Lead In Bassmaster College Eastern Regional
Sean Cummins (left) and Maurice Hudson from Penn State University lead Day 1 of the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Eastern Regional presented by Bass Pro Shops on the James River with 17 pounds, 2 ounces.
Photo by Ronnie Moore/Bassmaster
RICHMOND, Va. — Maurice Hudson and Sean Cummins of Penn State University took an early lead Thursday during the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Eastern Regional presented by Bass Pro Shops on the James River after catching 17 pounds, 2 ounces.
The duo utilized most of their day by staying close to the takeoff site and fishing every stage of the tide. With three bass by noon, including their biggest fish, Hudson and Cummins were pleased with their start, but knew they needed to fill their five-fish limit if they wanted to take an early lead.
“We had a good first day of practice, a lot of bites, but no big ones,” Hudson said. “We got a little nervous after Wednesday’s practice, but today was better than practice. Not as many bites, but the quality was there.”
Their 17-2 weight was anchored by a 6-pound, 5-ounce James River largemouth, which was their second fish of the day. Repeating their first-day performance is a possibility with the signs they saw on the water.
“I think there are more fish where we caught them today, so we should be able to duplicate it,” Cummins said.
The Nittany Lion anglers fished numerous spots throughout the day, and although they didn’t run far to start, they did run the tide at crucial points in order to find feeding bass. And, this team is used to running tides, as they said the James River is comparable to their home water, the Chesapeake Bay.
They take a 5-ounce lead over the Ramapo College team of Andrew Annuzzi and Zachary Orsino who caught a weight of 16-13.
Annuzzi and Orsino took an opposite approach Thursday as they ran to a less pressured area and bounced around key stretches. At their first stop, they were greeted with two boats close to their main spot. After boating one quick bass, they made a move to their second spot, which yielded a couple quick keepers.
“The tide isn’t really affecting the area we are targeting, so we are confident that we can catch them no matter what the tide is doing throughout the day,” Annuzzi said.
They closed the day out by catching their biggest fish, and that put them on the fast track to second place.
Sitting just 1 pound, 7 ounces behind them with a weight of 15-6 is the third-place team of Josh Cannon and Alex Frazier of Western Carolina Universiry. Frazier is half of the defending eastern regional team from last year, who took the title on Lake Norman.
The weights are tight on the James River as a pound and a half separates third place and 10th.
The 78-team full field fishes Friday, and the Top 20 teams will advance to the third day of competition.
Daily takeoffs are at Osborne Park at 6 a.m., and Friday’s weigh-in will take place at 2 p.m. Saturday’s weigh-in will be held at Virginia Commonwealth University at 3:30 p.m.
2016 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Title Sponsor: Carhartt
2016 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Presenting Sponsor: Bass Pro Shops
2016 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2016 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Premier Sponsors: Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha, Berkley, GoPro, Huk, Humminbird, Mercury
2016 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Supporting Sponsors: Lowrance, Power-Pole, Rapala, Shell Rotella, Shimano, ABU Garcia, A.R.E. Truck Caps, Costa, 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), 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, B.A.S.S. Nation, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Costa Bassmaster High School Series, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro.
Mark Zona and Kevin VanDam Join Mike Iaconelli on Ike Live!,
Pittsgrove, NJ, May 18, 2016 – Two of the most familiar names in fishing—Kevin VanDam and Mark Zona—joins Mike Iaconelli on Ike Live!, Tuesday, May 24 at 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET, live-streaming at MikeIaconelli.com.
Zona, host of BassMaster LIVE and Zona’s Awesome Fishing show, joins Mike in the studio for the full 3-hour show. VanDam, the superstar of bass fishing with 21 tournament wins, including the Elite Series at Toledo Bend this month, skypes in to talk with Mike and Mark about all things fishing. Finally, Mike and crew plan a live-streaming contest with two Flambeau HD equipment cases ($70 values) as prizes.
The show, along with previous shows, is available the next day for download to a PC, tablet or smartphone at MikeIaconelli.com/Ike Live. Audio of the show is available for free on iTunes. To subscribe to automatic downloads, enter TinyURL.com/IkeLiveiTunes into your browser, click “View in iTunes” and choose iTunes as your application. Click “Subscribe” and new shows appear in your iTunes library automatically as they become available.
Ike Live! fans receive email reminders for the show when they join the Ike’s Fish Heads Nation at MikeIaconelli.com , and they can opt-in to receive the monthly newsletter, links to videos and periodic discount offers. Clips of the show are available on YouTube at Going Ike and via YouTube subscription.
About Mike “Ike” Iaconelli
A South Philadelphia native now living in South Jersey, Mike Iaconelli fell in love with fishing at his grandfather’s side in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. He began fishing in tournaments after high school, joined the pro-am circuit in 1992 and turned pro in 2000. In 2003, he won the Bassmaster Classic. He is the only angler to win the Bassmaster Classic, Bassmaster Angler of the Year and B.A.S.S. Nation Championship.
He and wife Becky run The Ike Foundation®, which provides fishing equipment to community associations and youth fishing clubs to “get kids fishing.” In addition, he and fellow fishing champ Pete Gluszek run The Bass University, which offers intense 2-day fishing classes and on-the-water experiences that bring avid amateurs and professional fishermen together.
®Ike Live is a registered trademark of Professional Edge Fishing.
®The Ike Foundation is a registered trademark.
Douglas Lake Preview
Sam George and Alton Jones jr check in just before the final stop of the Southern Opens at Douglas Lake.
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Toughest Toyota Texas Fest in 10 Years?
Under rainy skies that lacked any evidence of a rising sun Wednesday morning, Gerald Swindle sat tying on lures at a Lake Ray Roberts boat ramp, prepping for his final day of practice, while his trusted bride “Lulu” stood nearby in rubber boots listening to him express hopes that fishing would improve.
“This will be the toughest Toyota Texas event we’ve ever fished,” says Swindle. “This isn’t nearly as strong a fishery as the four events we’ve had at Lake Fork, or the five we fished at Conroe.”
Indeed, it’s tough to rival the legendary reputation those previous host sites have for kicking-out impressive numbers of giant largemouth. Not to mention, Swindle had never cast a lure in Ray Roberts until this week.
Two Keepers in 12 Hours
“I fished 12 hours yesterday, and had two keeper bites, one 3-pounder, and one 4-pounder, that’s a grind,” says Swindle. “I talked to Jordan Lee, and he said he had seven bites all day – and most every one of them was about 8” long.”
“There are miles of good lookin’ water on Ray Roberts, but I just haven’t got many bites, and when you see them deeper off-shore on your sonar, it’s one and two fish, not big schools,” he adds.
Where to Go
“I’ll probably try to stick to my strengths, and mix it up shallow,” says Swindle. “Yesterday I idled through some standing timber to the very back of a creek, thinking I might find some fish that hadn’t been pressured, but given the lack of keepers I caught, and the fact that I never saw another tournament boat until after lunch, tells me I might have outsmarted myself just a bit,” added Swindle with a grin.
What to Throw
While numerous Quantum rods and reels sat scattered around Swindle’s boat, when asked what lures he’d lean on most, his starting line-up included a classic shallow water arsenal. “I’ll flip a Zoom Z-Craw and a Brush Hog on Texas rigs, pitch a 5/8 ounce jig, cast a War Eagle ¾ ounce willowleaf spinnerbait, and a vibrating jig too,” says Swindle.
When asked why such a heavy spinnerbait, Swindle explained that the added weight gets the lure down deeper into the thickest part of the flooded bushes.
B.A.S.S., FLW and MLF
This unique annual tournament is part of a music and outdoors festival that features concerts from top country music artists like Big & Rich, Eric Paslay, Lee Brice, Roger Creager, Kip Moore and Chase Bryant, as well as 15 of the top anglers from the Bassmaster Elite Series, and 15 of the best from the FLW Tour, based on last year’s Angler of the Year Points rankings.
The event’s defending champ Brent Ehrler is also here, plus seven special sponsor exempt anglers are also invited, totaling 38 of the absolute best anglers in the world.
“Some of these guys came here for an MLF event, but the water level was 9-feet lower, so they can’t take much from that experience,” says Swindle. “And the Bassmaster Elites have been on the road nearly constantly. In fact, this is the ninth straight week away from home for me, so I’ve had zero time to practice here. If anybody has a slight advantage, it’s probably the FLW guys, because I’m guessing some of them had time to come here and look around before the lake went off limits.”
What Will It Take to do Well?
“I’m not saying you can win with 17-pounds a day, but I’d take 17 a day right now, and feel confident I’d do really well,” says Swindle. “I’d love to win this event. It’s an awesome event, but based on yesterday’s practice, I’ve still got a lot of work to do,” concluded Swindle, as Lulu climbed up in their Tundra in her rubber boots and backed him down the ramp.
More About Toyota Texas Fest
Swindle’s correct, it’s an awesome event. Toyota Texas Fest kicks-off Friday with concerts and Day 1 weigh-in, and runs throughout the weekend at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
Over the past nine years, this event has contributed $2.25 million to Texas Parks & Wildlife Department education and outreach programs. These programs include the Neighborhood Fishin’ Program, which stocks fish into small urban ponds to provide people the chance to catch fish close to home; provision of a Take Me Fishing trailer to educate the public about fishing at events across the state; production of how-to videos on fishing for the TPWD YouTube channel; and sponsorship of the Texas Division of the Wildlife Forever State-Fish Art Contest, which seeks to interest youth in grades K—12 in fishing. Artwork from that contest appears on TTBC tickets.
Along with the coveted title of TTBC champion, the anglers will be competing for two additional awards. The angler who catches the single heaviest fish from any of the three days of competition will win the Toyota Tundra Big Bass Award and a new 2016 Toyota Tundra. The LEER Heavy Weight Award, a new LEER truck cap, will be given to the angler with the heaviest single-day weight from any one of the three days of the tournament.
For more information including how to purchase tickets, visit www.toyotatexasfest.com.