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Project Boat: Part 1
Do you have a boat you love? Does the boat you have need some love? Check out this refurbish project, we started with 2002 Cobra that was suffering from years of use. What we ended up with is something that is showroom worthy. The great part is it didn’t cost an arm and a leg. We started off by removing all the storage box lids, trim and stripped all of the old carpet out. The next step was to clean all the old glue, this part is critical you will need a clean surface to glue in the new carpet so take your time. Use caution when you removing the old carpet it comes in handy as a pattern when your cutting the new stuff. Now is the time to replace batteries, pumps and repair any wiring or screw holes. At this point we cut the hole for the EZ Troll trolling motor tray and buffed the top cap.
Part 2 is coming later this week so stay tuned.
Browning Repeats At Red River
SHREVEPORT, La. — Stephen Browning’s home water is the Arkansas River, but he might want to consider relocating to the Red River.
For the second straight year Browning has won the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open on the Red River. In 2013, he rallied from 12th place to first on the final day, but this year he only had to climb from second place to repeat as the Open champion.
The Bassmaster Elite Series pro finished with 44 pounds, 3 ounces earning the top prize of a Nitro Z-9/Mercury 225 Pro XS valued at $40,000 and $7,765 in cash. He received the Toyota Bonus Bucks prize of $1,500 for being the highest placing eligible Toyota pro, and he also earned the Power-Pole Captain’s Cash award of $500.
Aaron Johnson, of Shreveport, La., also earned a Toyota Bonus Bucks prize of $1,000 for being the second-highest placing Toyota pro.
The area Browning caught all of his big fish on the final day of the tournament in 2013 proved to be the key spot for Browning this year also. The Arkansas pro started Saturday with a small limit while his co-angler partner, Keith Glasby, of Ovilla, Texas, got off to a fast start.
“Keith (who won the co-angler division) was putting it on me pretty hard and heavy, and I just kept telling myself to just breathe,” Browning said. “It was one of those deals where you have an area and a bait that you have a lot of confidence in, but if you start to scramble you are more than likely going to tank. I just kept that little plug in my hand and kept winding it around.”
Browning remained patient knowing that the sun would position his fish close to the wood cover from about 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. “There was a magic moment of about 30 to 45 minutes when it all happened,” said Browning, who was able to cull all of the fish he had caught earlier.
On Thursday, Browning caught most of his fish on a 1/2-ounce chartreuse-and-white War Eagle spinnerbait when the wind was blowing. But when the skies turned sunny and calm on Friday and Saturday, Browning relied on the same lure (a sexy shad 3.5-inch square-bill crankbait) that made him a winner last year.
Flipping a Texas-rigged Missile Baits Tomahawk plastic worm in a lovebug color to stumps produced a second-place finish for Gerald Spohrer of Gonzales, La.
“I pretty much stuck with the same thing (all three days),” said Spohrer, who finished with 40-12. “I didn’t scramble as much today as I had been doing the last couple of days.”
The rest of the Top 5 in the pro division included Johnson, Shreveport, La., in third place with 40-2; Elite Series pro Keith Combs, Huntington, Texas, fourth, 37-11; and Chad Wiley, Pineville, La., fifth, 34-14.
Co-angler Glasby won his second Open co-angler title with 22-8 and took home a Triton 17 Pro/Yamaha F115LA rig worth $25,000.
“My bread and butter was a little Bandit Series 100 crankbait in chartreuse with a black back,” said Glasby, who also won the 2012 Open as a co-angler at Lewisville Lake. “Today I switched up fishing behind Stephen Browning who is so efficient, so I went with a little (Carolina) rig with a Senko on it.”
Catching a 7-13 largemouth earned Johnson the Carhartt Big Bass of the tournament award of $500.
The Livingston Lures Leader Award of $250 for finishing as the top pro on Day 2 was presented to Spohrer. Logan Latuso, the Day 2 leader on the co-angler side, received a Livingston Lures gift pack worth $250.
Anglers in both divisions who advance the most places up the leaderboard from Day 1 to Day 2 receive the Allstate Good Hands, Great Day award. Pro division angler Gary Clouse, of La Vergne, Tenn., collected $250 by jumping 108 places from 160th to 52nd. Co-angler Mike Robinson, of Carter, Okla., picked up $150 by climbing 127 places from 156th to 29th.
The host for the event is the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission.
2014 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Title Sponsor: Bass Pro Shops
2014 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Presenting Sponsor: Allstate
2014 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Official Sponsors: Toyota, Berkley, Evan Williams Bourbon, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha
2014 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Supporting Sponsors: Boat U.S., Booyah, Carhartt, Diet Mountain Dew, Livingston Lures, Lowrance, Plano, Power-Pole, Rigid Industries, Shimano
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport. 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 presented by Allstate, B.A.S.S. Nation events, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series, Bassmaster High School Series, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by Diet Mountain Dew and GoPro.
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Media Contact: Dave Precht, 205-313-0931, dprecht@bassmaster.com or Helen Northcutt, 205-313-0944, hnorthcutt@bassmaster.com.
2014 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open presented by Allstate 4/24-4/26
Red River, Shreveport/Bossier City LA.
(BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 15 44-03 200 $48,265.00
Day 1: 5 14-15 Day 2: 5 13-09 Day 3: 5 15-11
2. Gerald Spohrer Gonzales, LA 15 40-12 199 $18,693.00
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 5 15-09 Day 3: 5 11-14
3. Aaron Johnson Shreveport, LA 14 40-02 198 $14,332.00
Day 1: 5 20-08 Day 2: 4 06-15 Day 3: 5 12-11
4. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 15 37-11 197 $12,376.00
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 5 10-03 Day 3: 5 15-02
5. Chad Wiley Pineville, LA 15 34-14 196 $10,799.00
Day 1: 5 14-03 Day 2: 5 08-07 Day 3: 5 12-04
6. Colby Hand Shreveport, LA 15 34-07 195 $9,221.00
Day 1: 5 16-02 Day 2: 5 09-04 Day 3: 5 09-01
7. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 14 33-06 194 $7,765.00
Day 1: 5 12-12 Day 2: 5 14-12 Day 3: 4 05-14
8. Kylie Sparks Denham Spgs, LA 13 32-11 193 $6,188.00
Day 1: 5 10-00 Day 2: 5 15-06 Day 3: 3 07-05
9. Marvin Ettredge Shreveport, LA 15 31-14 192 $4,611.00
Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 5 11-02 Day 3: 5 06-12
10. Caleb Boudreaux Doyline, LA 15 31-10 191 $4,247.00
Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 5 10-09 Day 3: 5 08-09
11. Tommy Murray Bedford, TX 12 31-01 190 $3,883.00
Day 1: 5 15-06 Day 2: 5 10-10 Day 3: 2 05-01
12. John Frye Haughton, LA 11 25-02 189 $3,640.00
Day 1: 5 14-03 Day 2: 5 09-10 Day 3: 1 01-05
CARHARTT BIG BASS
Aaron Johnson Shreveport, LA 07-13 $500.00
——————————
| —————————————– Totals Day #Limits #Fish Weight 1 116 751 1380-11 2 87 637 1157-10 3 8 50 111-09 ———————————- 211 1438 2649-14 2014 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open presented by Allstate 4/24-4/26 Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$ 1. Keith Glasby Ovilla, TX 9 22-08 200 $25,000.00 |
The “Freshwater Tarpon”
Take a break from chasing bass and wear yourself out chasing shad. Ride along with Green Top Sporting Goods Will Dameron. 100 to 300 fish per day are not uncommon during the annual shad run. Don’t be fooled there is some technique and method to catching these “Fresh Water Tarpon”
Get everything you need for your next fishing trip here.
Spohrer Sprints To First At Red River
SHREVEPORT, La. — A change in his practice methods for the Bass Pro Shops Central Open #2 presented by Allstate on the Red River is paying off for Gerald Spohrer.
Last year the Gonzalez, La., angler ran the banks in practice and tried to make a milk run of spots during the tournament. However, he found crowds on most of those spots and eventually finished 49th in the Open.
This year, Spohrer looked for more offshore targets in practice, a strategy that has him leading the pro division with 28 pounds, 14 ounces.
“I spent my whole practice fishing stuff where I thought the tournament would be won,” he said. “I know this river very well, and I have a lot of experience here. I gambled and found some sweet spots that were holding some big ones.” Whenever he got a bite in practice, he marked a waypoint in the oxbows he was fishing, and each competition day he has keyed on those waypoints.
The change in weather from clouds and wind Thursday to sunshine and a light breeze on Friday made it easier for the 32-year-old Spohrer to work his area. “I had a problem with the wind yesterday,” said Spohrer, who had a 13-5 limit the first day. “It was blowing about 25 mph out of the south, and I was fishing the northern end of an oxbow.”
The rough water made it difficult to see the stumps he was trying to target, but today he was able to locate the stumps easier and caught a heavier limit (15-9) while flipping to wood cover. “The sun is positioning the fish on the stumps,” Spohrer said. Thursday and Friday he spent a couple of hours fishing the stump field to catch bigger fish and then moved to other spots to complete his limit.
“Tomorrow I might just stay in that area all day,” Spohrer said.
Defending 2013 Red River Central Open champion Stephen Browning barely made the Top 12 cut last year but is currently sitting in second place with 28-8 this year. The Bassmaster Elite Series pro said he is doing the same thing he did the final day of last year’s event. Only this time, he has a crowd with him. “I had a lot of company today, but it is what it is,” he said. “You can’t claim the whole pond. I just kept my head down and kept fishing.”
The rest of the Top 5 in the pro division are Elite Series pro Jeff Kriet, Ardmore, Okla., in third place with 27-8; first-day leader Aaron Johnson, Shreveport, La., fourth, 27-7; and Tommy Murray, Bedford, Texas, fifth, 26-0.
Co-angler Logan Latuso, of Gonzalez, La., kept his lead by catching a small limit of 4 pounds, 11 ounces to give him a two-day total of 17 pounds. The Louisiana angler failed to catch a fish until 12:30 p.m. and finally completed his limit by about 2 o’clock.
“I was able to fish about the same stuff today, but I had to really slow down today because it was a lot tougher bite,” he said.
The Allstate Good Hands, Great Day award of $250 was presented to pro angler Gary Clouse, of La Vergne, Tenn., in honor of climbing the most positions in the standings from Day 1 to Day 2.
Michael Robinson, of Carter, Okla., earned the co-angler Allstate Good Hands, Great Day award of $150 for his jump in the standings on Day 2.
The Livingston Lures Leader award of $250 was presented to the pro angler in the lead on Day 2, Spohrer. The leader of the Day 2 co-angler side, Latuso, received a Livingston Lures gift pack valued at $250.
Tomorrow’s launch will be held at the Red River South Marina, 200 Red River South Marina Drive, Bossier City, La.. The weigh-in will move to the Bass Pro Shops, 100 Bass Pro Drive, in Bossier City, and will begin at 3:30 p.m. CT.
Hosting this open is the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission.
2014 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Title Sponsor: Bass Pro Shops
2014 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Presenting Sponsor: Allstate
2014 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Official Sponsors: Toyota, Berkley, Evan Williams Bourbon, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha
2014 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Supporting Sponsors: Boat U.S., Booyah, Carhartt, Diet Mountain Dew, Livingston Lures, Lowrance, Plano, Power-Pole, Rigid Industries, Shimano
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport. 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 presented by Allstate, B.A.S.S. Nation events, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series, Bassmaster High School Series, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by Diet Mountain Dew and GoPro.
Get the full standings here.
Dramatic History Hints At More To Come When Bassmaster Elite Series Hits Toledo Bend
MANY, La. — If only the last bass Gerald Swindle caught had just inhaled, say, a big crawfish, he might have won the Bassmaster Elite Series title on Toledo Bend Reservoir in 2011.
But Swindle lost by 1 ounce to Dean Rojas. That heartbreaker for Swindle and joyous victory for Rojas marked only the second time in Elite Series history that a single ounce determined the winner. (John Crews over Skeet Reese in 2010 on the California Delta was the other 1-ounce nail-biter.)
And then in the 2012 Elite event on Toledo Bend, Brent Chapman shut out Marty Robinson, who trailed him by 1 pound, 6 ounces going into the final round. Chapman’s win propelled him toward taking that season’s Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year title.
That’s the kind of drama that Toledo Bend has dished up both times the Elite Series has been to the Louisiana-Texas border fishery. There’s every chance for more of the same at the May 1-4 Evan Williams Bourbon Bassmaster Elite at Toledo Bend at Cypress Bend Park in Many, La.
So what is it about Toledo Bend that produces such tight weights and down-to-the-wire finishes?
Robinson’s take on that question: “Toledo Bend has a ton of bass, probably as many as any lake in the country. And it’s a huge lake, so you can catch them anywhere. You can fish your strengths. When everybody catches fish, the weights are going to be close.”
The easygoing Robinson was happy with his eventual third-place finish in 2012, as close as he’s come to an Elite trophy. But the memory of the lost opportunity still nibbles at him.
“I really thought I had a legitimate shot at winning that tournament,” he said. “That situation doesn’t come around often. This time? You never know what can happen.”
The first-of-May fishing conditions won’t match those of the June 7-10 Toledo Bend event of 2012, Robinson pointed out.
“I think a lot of the fish will still be scattered and in different phases of the spawn. I’m sure there’s still a lot of spawners; I’d guess about 30 percent of the fish are still spawning. I’m expecting some sight fishing bags to come in the first days,” he said.
“Hopefully they’ll get grouped up as the week goes on. (In 2012) the fish were grouped up in early summertime positions, with postspawners starting to feed up — my style of fishing,” Robinson said.
Robinson and the other 107 Elite pros are after a first prize of $100,000 and an instant qualification for the 2015 Bassmaster Classic. The pros are also competing for points that count toward a Classic entry and the 2014 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year title. Because the Toledo Bend event will be the fourth of eight in the regular 2014 season, points earned next week could set the course of the AOY race for the rest of the season. Only the Top 50 after eight events will advance to the season finale, the Sept. 18-21 AOY Championship in Michigan.
All activities of the Evan Williams Bourbon Bassmaster Elite at Toledo Bend will be at Cypress Bend Park (GPS help: 3463 Cypress Bend Drive, Many, LA 71449). Takeoffs will begin at 6:20 a.m. CT; weigh-ins will start at 3:15 p.m. CT.
Besides the competition, the event will feature the Bassmaster Elite Series Expo with demos, giveaways and products from the tour’s sponsors, food and merchandise vendors, a festival for kids, screening of the newest GeoBASS video from Costa, and a Jason Cassidy concert and fireworks after Saturday’s weigh-in.
There’s no admission charge for Bassmaster events, and free shuttles from parking areas will be provided.
The local hosts include the Sabine Parish Tourist Commission, Louisiana Office of Tourism, Sabine River Authority, Cypress Bend Resort, TanMar and other local businesses.
The Bassmasters on ESPN2 will feature the Toledo Bend event May 18 from 8 to 9 a.m. ET.
2014 Bassmaster Elite Series Official Sponsors: Toyota, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Evan Williams Bourbon, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha
2014 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Booyah, Carhartt, Diet Mountain Dew, Livingston Lures, Lowrance, Plano, Power-Pole, Rigid Industries, Shimano
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport. 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 presented by Allstate, B.A.S.S. Nation events, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series, Bassmaster High School Series, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by Diet Mountain Dew and GoPro.