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Lowen, Zaldain Tied For Lead After Two Rounds On Bull Shoals/Norfork
Bill Lowen of Brookville, Ind., and Chris Zaldain of Laughlin, Nev., are tied for the lead on the second day of the Bassmaster Elite at Norfork/Bull Shoals, each bringing a two-day total weight of 30 pounds, 14 ounces to the scales.
Photo by Seigo Saito/Bassmaster
MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. — The format for the Bassmaster Elite at Bull Shoals/Norfork is one of the more complex in the trail’s 11-year history.
A full field of 108 Elite Series anglers began on Norfork Lake Thursday and moved to Bull Shoals Lake for Friday’s second round. The remaining Top 50 will fish Bull Shoals again Saturday, with the final Top 12 moving back to Norfork for Sunday’s final round.
As if that wasn’t exciting enough, there are now two anglers deadlocked atop the leaderboard.
Chris Zaldain of Laughlin, Nev., and Bill Lowen off Brookville, Ind., have each caught 30 pounds, 14 ounces — and though they took different paths to get there, they will share the lead as the unique tournament heads into the semifinals.
“For me, today was all about just hanging in there,” said Zaldain, who caught 16-2 during the opening round at Norfork and jumped from third place into the lead with 14-12 Friday. “Days 2 and 3 on Bull Shoals are the meat of the tournament. You don’t have to completely knock it out of the park. You just need better-than-average days to make it back to Norfork Sunday.”
After having the big day on Norfork Thursday, Zaldain said there were times when his mind drifted back to that fishery Friday. But he stayed focused on Bull Shoals and put together his respectable five-bass limit with a drop shot rig.
He said the finesse approach allowed him to go behind other anglers, catching fish they might have missed. But the bite slowed for him around midday.
“I had a real bad lull about 11:30,” Zaldain said. “On the way back in, I did check a couple of areas where I’ve done well here in the past, and I had a couple of bites doing that. So I have those if I need them.
“But I’m just going to start out (Saturday) doing the same thing I did today and see what happens.”
Instead of creating a distraction, Zaldain said the possibility of returning to Norfork is actually providing an incentive to fish harder.
“In the back of my head, I know what’s waiting for me at Norfork,” he said. “There’s no certainty in fishing. But just seeing the fish I saw on Norfork gives me all of the confidence to get after them and do what I need to do here.”
While Zaldain had his big day on Norfork and then hung on for dear life at Bull Shoals, Lowen used Bull Shoals to make a big move.
After catching just 13-10 at Norfork Thursday, the shallow-water specialist who grew up fishing the Ohio River caught 17-4 Friday and moved from 11th place into a tie for the lead.
“I’m fishing for some bass that a lot of guys are missing because they’re not fishing shallow enough,” Lowen said. “If my trolling motor is not turning up mud, I can’t catch them.
“I’m fishing the way I like to fish — and any time you can do that, it’s a big plus because you feel condiment making adjustments when you need to.”
Though some anglers were bothered by the dropping water level at Bull Shoals, Lowen said it played to his strengths. In addition to climbing the leaderboard Friday, he believes he identified several new lures the fish will bite going into Saturday.
“It’s a huge plus when you can have three or four baits that will catch them in your area,” he said. “I noticed that the water level has dropped about 6 inches, but it doesn’t matter to me. I’m actually glad it happened.”
Alabama angler Keith Poche was just 4 ounces behind Zaldain and Lowen with 30-10. New Jersey pro Adrian Avena (29-15) and Floridian Randall Tharp (29-4) made up the remainder of the Top 5.
Lowen and Zaldain also earned the Livingston Lures Leader award of $500 for leading the second day of the event.
The tournament will continue Saturday, with take-off scheduled for 6:15 a.m. CT from Bull Shoals Boat Dock. Sunday’s take-off will be at 6:15 a.m. from Lake Norfork Marina.
Daily weigh-ins will be held at 3:45 p.m. on the campus of Arkansas State University in Mountain Home.
2016 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Toyota, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha, GoPro, Berkley, Huk, Humminbird
2016 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Lowrance, Power-Pole, Rapala, Shell Rotella, Shimano, Academy Sports + Outdoors, A.R.E. Truck Caps, 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), 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, 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.
Josh Ray Makes It An Arkansas Sweep At B.A.S.S. Nation Regional Tournament
Josh Ray of Arkansas catches 58 pounds, 8 ounces, over three days to take the title on Lake Guntersville during the Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation Central Regional presented by Magellan Outdoors held out of Guntersville, Ala., Friday.
GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. — Arkansas scored big as its team and home state angler Josh Ray took top honors at the Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation Central Regional presented by Magellan Outdoors.
Arkansas beat Indiana by a margin of 30 pounds to win state honors on Day 2. Today, Ray, of Alexander, Ark., won the individual tournament title with a three-day weight of 58 pounds, 8 ounces.
Mark Nies of Cannelton, Ind., finished second with 53-13 and Danny Grantham of Mobile, Ala., took third with 50-11. Matt Pangrac of Norman, Okla., was fourth with 50-11. Ted Heitschmidt of Tomahawk, Wis., was fifth with 50 pounds.
Those anglers also caught the heaviest individual weights for their states. Each top placing boater and non-boater advances to the Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation Championship presented by Magellan Outdoors. Date and location of the championship will be announced soon.
Ray focused on finding an obscure fishing area to avoid heavy fishing pressure and boat traffic from this and previous tournaments. The Arkansan found what he was looking for 45 minutes by boat from the weigh-in site at Guntersville Harbor.
He spent all three days in a creek near the river channel featuring deep water and aquatic vegetation. Depth and habitat are two key needs of largemouth bass migrating to and from their shallow spawning areas. Ray found ideal conditions in his area.
The creek channel held 8 feet of water with a grassy high spot in 2 feet near the shoreline.
Timing was also everything in his choice of areas.
“I caught prespawn, spawn and postspawn bass in there,” said Ray, a member of the Natural State Bass Club. “The water temperature was a few degrees cooler there, and that helped with the spawning activity.”
With an unpressured area and abundant bass activity he set out to catch enough weight to win top honors among competitors in his state. He was convinced of making the right move after the first hour on Wednesday, the first day of competition.
Ray caught a small limit weighing 13 pounds, 7 ounces but decided the area held potential for his quest to win the title. Thursday, he caught a limit weighing 23-3 and realized the fishing spot had even greater potential. He returned today to seal the win with a five-bass limit of 21-14.
“I caught my limit all three days within an hour,” he said. “Nobody else was using my bait choice and that was another key.”
His choice was a 3/8-ounce Strike King Hack Attack Jig with a green pumpkin Zoom Z Craw trailer. He replaced the stock skirt with a white/chartreuse color to suit the dingy water conditions.
“There was current coming in off the main river channel that kept the water a bit muddy,” he added. “That also helped the bite.”
Lure presentation was another key. Ray discovered the actively feeding bass required a quick presentation with a typically slow-moving lure.
“I had to cast the lure into the grass and snap the rod tip,” he said. Strikes occurred as the jig came free from the strands of weeds.
Ryan Lavigne of Gonzales, La., won the non-boater division with a total weight of 31-1. Justin Harris of McPherson, Kan., took second place with 28-10, and Creighton Sawyer was third with 28-9.
Anglers earned these sponsorship contingency awards:
Livingston Lures Leader Award: Ray earned the $250 boater division bonus by leading the tournament on Day 2 with 36-10. Justin Harris won Livingston Lures merchandise for leading with 23-11.
Big Bass: Heitschmit caught a largemouth weighing 8 pounds, 8 ounces to win a $250 bonus for catching the boater big bass of the tournament. Non-boater Brandon Pickett caught a largemouth weighing 8-2 to win a $125 bonus.
A.R.E. Top Angler: Ray earned the $250 award as the top-finishing angler using the brand’s truck caps.
2016 B.A.S.S. Nation Title Sponsor: Academy Sports + Outdoors
2016 B.A.S.S. Nation Presenting Sponsor: Magellan
2016 B.A.S.S. Nation Premier Sponsors: Toyota, GoPro, Huk, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha, Berkley
2016 B.A.S.S. Nation Supporting Sponsors: Carhartt, Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels, Livingston Lures, Lowrance, Nationwide, Power-Pole, Rapala, Shell Rotella, Shimano, A.R.E. Truck Caps
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, Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation presented by Magellan, 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.
Day 2 Weigh In Bull Shoals 2016
Bill Lowen took the lead at Bull Shoals today, here are a few videos from today’s weigh in.
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Hackney Adapts with Orange Dipped Rodents and Big Reels
Greg Hackney does things his own way. But the bearded Louisiana pro’s willingness to change when bass fishing conditions dictate a detour is what makes him one of the most accomplished pros in the sport’s history.
“You see that pile right there?” Hackney asked with a grin. “All that killin’ took place with a baitcasting rod here on Lake Norfork – but tomorrow we head to Bull Shoals – and it’ll be a completely different set of rods and reels,” added Hackney, as his steely eyes stared down at a heap of orange-dyed Strike King Rodents he’d just used to notch another Top 10 place in the standings.
While most pros talked about the difficulty of this first-ever Bassmaster Elite Series event featuring two different lakes stuffed into one tournament, Hackney seemed to grin and embrace it – including his willingness to make wholesale changes in rods and reels.
The heavy baitcasting rods Hackney used on Day One at Norfork will largely be stowed away as Hackney battles Bull Shoals.
Spinning rods and reels will dominate the deck of his Phoenix boat. But not the bitty-sized spinning reels used by rainbow and brown trout anglers on the White River below Bull Shoals Dam.
Nope, Hackney goes big when it comes to spinning reels, typically size 40 and 50, and he can’t emphasize the importance of using large-spooled spinning reels enough. In fact, he credited large spooled reels for having a large hand in his 2014 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year title.
“I see a lot of anglers using way smaller spinning reels than they should be,” warns Hackney. “Back in the day, spinning reels were heavy, but now the size 40 Quantum Smoke only weighs 10 ounces, and its got such a big spool that line doesn’t twist on it like spinning reels used to be famous for – especially fluorocarbon.”
“If people will upgrade to a size 40 or 50 spinning reel, I’ll promise you they’ll grow to love fishing with spinning tackle a whole lot more,” promises Hackney. “Ask VanDam, he’ll tell you the same thing, he uses the 40 and 50 sizes too.”
But what about the tiny orange rings on the carpet of his boat’s front deck following weigh-in at Norfork? “I dipped everyone of those green pumpkin Strike King Rodents and tubes in orange die to make it look more like the orange pinchers of a crawfish,” he explained.
“You do what it takes to get a bite – you know what I’m sayin’?” asked Hackney.
Absolutely. And few are better at adapting to get a bass to bite than you, Greg Hackney.
Cedar Lake Man Wins $5,000 Playing FLW Fantasy Fishing
MINNEAPOLIS (April 21, 2016) – Donald Freundt of Cedar Lake, Indiana, correctly picked five of the top 10 finishers at last week’s Walmart Fishing League Worldwide (FLW) Tour event on Beaver Lake presented by Jack Link’s. For his picks, Freundt won $5,000 by playing FLW Fantasy Fishing, held in conjunction with the FLW Tour fishing tournament.
“I’ve been playing FLW Fantasy Fishing since it was launched in 1998,” said Freundt. “I’ve won smaller prizes in the past, but never thought I’d win this kind of money.”
Freundt said he primarily used the Member’s Advantage tools on the Fantasy Fishing website to conduct research for his team.
“In some cases I just went with guys who are having a good year – like Scott Martin,” said Freundt. “He’s a great angler and is consistently finishing high in the standings. For other selections, I used the search tool for local anglers. Sometimes I can find a great pick at a bargain price.”
Freundt said he is excited about his chances of winning the $10,000 grand prize, which awarded to the best Fantasy Fishing player in the world at the conclusion of the FLW Tour regular season.
“This finish definitely gave me a boost in the world standings,” said Freundt. “I think I’m sitting in 32nd overall, which is pretty amazing in itself.”
Finishing in second place was Curtis Wheeler of Indianapolis, who won $1,000, and in third place was Tommy Jarvis of Athens, Alabama, who won $500.
Several other winners from across the globe took home prizes including cash, ShopFLW gift cards, hats and baits.
The 2016 Fantasy Fishing season consists of seven tournaments surrounding the Walmart FLW Tour regular season as well as the season-ending Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing. Fans compete for more than $7,000 in cash and prizes from each of the six tournaments and a top prize of $5,000. The cumulative grand prize for the highest ranked player at the end of the season is $10,000.
To begin playing, visit FantasyFishing.com and sign up. Select a team of 10 anglers against an allocated $200 salary cap and select your guess for the tournament winning weight as a tiebreaker. Create a league to play against your friends and compete for bragging rights. Player’s modifications to their teams must be finalized by 11:59 p.m. EST the night prior to the tournament.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2016 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 235 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Periscope: @FLWFishing.