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Leeds, Ala. – Solar Bat Sunglasses and professional B.A.S.S. Elite Series angler Aaron have teamed up to design a line of sunglasses for the serious bass fisherman.

Optometrist and owner of Solar Bat Dr. Gary Nesty stated, “I am excited to team with Aaron to design and market an Aaron Martens’ Signature Series line of sunglasses.  Aaron is one of the premier bass fishermen in the USA with a list of credentials that speak forthemselves.  Aaron is also know by his peers as one of, if not the most, meticulous, well organized and innovative fishermen on the B.A.S.S. Elite Trail. Solar Bat will utilize Aaron’s attention to detail to produce an outstanding line of sunglasses worthy of Aaron’s signature.”

The 2005 and 2013 B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year added,  “I am looking forward to working with a sunglass company that listens and responds to the needs of bass fisherman.  Solar Bat has unique polarized tints that will improve performance on the water, and I rely heavily on my vision when I am fishing.  I am excited to work with Dr. Nesty and his knowledge of vision and lens tints to produce a superior line of lenses. Pair that with some good looking frames, and we’ll have a great line of glasses that will help anglers catch more fish as well as look good.  Overall, I am excited to be working with a sunglass company where fisherman and vision are its top priorities.”

Martens’ next event is this week on Lake Dardanelle in Russellville, Arkansas.  Martens is currently ranked ninth in the 2014 B.A.S.S. Elite Series Angler of the Year Standings.

For more information on Solar Bat sunglasses please visit SolarBat.com.

For more information on Aaron Martensplease visit AaronMartens.com

From barbequed rice to burgers made of fresh ground chuck — this portion of the Arkansas River features good eats and a healthy fishery too.

Five jig colors we found in one pro’s boat. Can you guess what pro it was? Black and blue still seems to be the most popular jig color among the Elite Series field – and here at Dardanelle is no exception.

Four things food lover Terry “Big Show”Scroggins had on his plate at the B.A.S.S. angler meeting and dinner hosted by Scott Rook’s sponsor, Riceland: 1) BBQ Rice; 2) Fried Arkansas Catfish; 3) baked beans; 4) cole slaw.

Three pieces of Carhartt clothing we found Florida pro Cliff Prince wearing in his hotel parking lot. 1) black cargo pants; 2) a lined hoodie; 3) a very, very, sun-bleached hat. “I’m not sponsored by Carhartt, and I wasn’t trying to be a fashion model,” laughed Prince. “I just love their clothing, and this particular hat has become my good luck hat in practice – I wear it just about every day of practice.”

Two tournament angler cash bonus programs that Steven Browning believes whole heartedly in. 1) BoatUS Angler’s “Weigh-to-Win”; 2) Toyota Trucks Bonus Bucks. “I’ve won enough money from these programs to nearly buy a new Tundra,” said Browning.

One place you should plan to eat when in Russellville, Arkansas at Lake Dardanelle: CJ’s Butcher Boy Burgers. Located at Exit 81 on I-40, 2803 N. Arkansas Ave. You know it’s good when you get to see all the fresh ground chuck in a meat counter display before they toss it on the grill. Very clean inside. Decorated with a 1950s theme and music playing overhead. Fresh cut fries too.

Kevin VanDam sat alone on the front deck of his boat in a less-than-glamorous hotel parking lot making final tackle preparations for Lake Dardanelle with a Waffle House sign as the only bright spot among a ceiling of grey clouds overhead.

There’s nothing gloomy about VanDam’s attitude though. “I like this place,” he volunteered with a warm upbeat delivery as cold rain tried to spit on a scattering of Quantum rods and reels spread about his boat.

“It’s real diverse, Dardanelle has something for everybody,” says VanDam. “It’s got a lot of different types of habitat, featuring tons of shallow water situations, all the way to deep cranking, and river current too.”

VanDam should have good vibes about this section of the Arkansas River; after all, he finished in 2^nd Place here in late March of 2009.

“That tournament in 2009 was all about the spawn,” remembers VanDam. “Most of the fish I caught then were spawning real shallow around big stumps, this week they’re in more of an early summer pattern.”

Weather played a major role in the 2009 event here. Fog delayed anglers several hours on Day One, and Day Three was completely cancelled because of dangerously high winds.

This week, it’s rain, coupled with potentially record low temps for mid-May, that caused anglers to shiver miserably during practice, and carry wool-like Carhartt caps into Day One of competition as sunrise temps hover around 40-degrees.

Still, VanDam feels good. “No matter what the weather is here, whether it’s cold and rainy, or slick calm and sunny, you can always find a pattern that’ll work here.”

So far, VanDam says the rains haven’t muddied the bite.

The biggest challenge he and the rest of this Elite Series field face is keeping up with drastically fluctuating water levels. “They dropped the bottom out of it during Tuesday’s practice, and let it come way back up on Wednesday, it seems like it goes up and down as much as two feet from one day to the next.”

Mark Menendez won with 55-pounds in the weather shortened 3-day event here in 2009, that’s 18 pounds per day – and VanDam thinks it will be every bit that strong this time around.

No matter the weather, no matter the water levels, one thing’s for sure – VanDam likes this place – and that’s the first step to a winning weight – with desire spotlighted best by the glow of a Waffle House sign high in the cold cloudy air above.