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EUFAULA, Alabama – Soukup Wins Wire-to-Wire
Taking the inaugural NPFL event wire-to-wire, John Soukup took the lead day 1 with 20-pounds, 12-ounces and never looked back. He followed up that haul with a 20-pounds, 2-ounce limit on day 2 and even with the toughest day of the week coming on the final day, Soukup got it done.
Soukup spent his week looking at fish on his Garmin Livescope installed by the Bass Tank. Quality equipment and a solid game plan were key to his week. He ran the Xpress boat quietly in and out of shallow areas with brush that were holding big bass.
“One little tree gave me 20-pounds on day 1, but today was super tough. I lost a “helper” off a dock that was around 2.5-pounds. At one point, I had a small limit in the 6-pound range. I kept working that jerkbait and I would rotate to a spinning rod when I needed.”
Not only was a spinning rod part of his plan, his two biggest bass came on it. Soukup began his final day dealing with local pressure and stingy fish, catching 1-pound bass one after another. A 5-pounder later in the day helped put him over the top, but the fish didn’t come easy.
“That big one today, I had to hover it over the brush pile and work it through there. I watched it come up and finally ate it. Today some followed it for like 40-feet and wouldn’t bite it. The small ones would come up and crush it instantly.”
The Oklahoma pro rotated through a series of jerkbaits, all thrown on Denali Rods and Daiwa Reels. His spinning rods were spooled with 7-pound Sunline. Each day the fish positioned and reacted differently, and Soukup was right there to make them eat.
“Having those different style jerkbaits was key. I had one that would float and I could work it over the top of that shallow brush. I’d pull it down into it, then let it rise. Some of them were deeper brush piles and that bait would sink down to them before I would even move it. I had one with a bigger bill that would get down into the brush and deflect off the pieces. Then of course that big one I got to go by hovering it above that brush and he came up and got it. Toss the color out the window, get a natural looking bait, and learn the behavior of the fish.”
Soukup was able to relax this week and fish clean. When fighting big fish, it is not always easy, but knowing your gear helps in those stressful moments.
“I had so much confidence in my equipment, I could hook them and just relax. When you get those big ones near the boat, they like to make a charge. I let my rod take over and then work them back up. I fished in AFTCO gear all week and loaded my Xpress with Lithium pros that took 200-pounds of weight out.”
With a final weight of 53-pounds, 9-ounces, Soukup took home the top prize of $50,000 for his efforts this week on Lake Eufaula.
David Gaston got it done early this morning on Eufaula and made it a game in the first hour. The Alabama pro spent his entire week in the shallows and let his swim jig do the work. Running new water every day, his 16-pound, 7-ounce limit today moved him up to the second-place spot.
“I started in some shallow area and before 8 am I had a limit, then caught a 5-pounder swimming that jig. I was looking for little creeks that had water left in them and I could push myself into. Today, all my weight came from one creek and every fish ate the swim jig.”
Gaston kept his set ups pretty simple rotating between two rods, both with 50-pound braided line. One with a 6.3:1 and the other with a 7:1.1.
“I had to slow down my reel ratio to get as much torque on those fish when they would eat it in the thick stuff. I was throwing a heavy jig and pulsing it up in the water column with a big beefy trailer and a living rubber skirt to move some water.”
Starting strong on day 1, Gaston followed his 14-pounds, 2-ounces up with a monster bag of 19-pounds, 9-ounces. His final day limit gave him 50-pounds, 2-ounces to end the week.
Fishing off shore this week rotating through up to 250 brush piles, Landon Tucker broke the 20-pound mark today with 20-pounds, 1-ounce to finish in third. Eufaula is one of Tucker’s home lakes and experience with the brush was key to getting his week going.
“I started this event with like 250 brush piles and I went out Sunday and marked like 50 more during practice. I didn’t hit as many as I should have and I knew not having a limit the first day was going to hurt me.”
As seen on live today, the Adel, Georgia pro hooked a 6-pound, 1-ounce big fish on a ¾-ounce Ledge Buster spinnerbait on a brush pile he found in practice. A big fish from the spot yesterday and another lunker today.”
To get the job done this week, Tucker tossed a homemade ½-ounce green pumpkin football jig with a Berkley Powerbait Chunk, also in green pumpkin. His rod of choice was a Duckett 7’3 Heavy Jacob Wheeler rod spooled up with 17-pound P-line.
Nick Prvonozac – Warren, Ohio
The morning bite has not been good for Nick Prvonozac and today was no different. The Warren, Ohio pro caught 11-pounds, 7-ounces to finish in 4th place.
“The first spot I got to had 4 boats on it. I ran to a shallow brush pile, made a cast. I worked the bait through it and I turned my head for a split second and one was swimming at me with it. I never caught up to it but it was really shallow, I could see it was a good fish.”
Doing what got him here this week, Prvonozac ran shallow and never looked back. He caught more keepers today than any other day but they were not the size he was looking for.
“It was tough on me the rest of the day. I went shallow to look for them and I actually caught everything I saw but they were not the right size.”
Following up a 16-pound,10-ounce limit on day 1, Prvonozac relied on his 18-pound, 2-ounce bag on day two to finish 4th with 46-pounds, 3-ounces.
Louis Fernandes – Santa Maria, California
In the 5th spot, Louis Fernandes relied on a shallow bite the whole week to catch his 44-pounds, 2-ounces. Falling water hurt his day 3 bite but fishing new water is nothing new.
“The water has been falling all week. Ive been moving around and just fishing. I started in my main lake pocket but the carp had the place all mud. I actually caught a 30-pounder in there, then a 10-pound bowfin, and then a giant snapping turtle.”
The pro from Santa Maria, California decided that pre fishing on the final day was what he was going to have to do. A quick move to the river and a quick limit on a frog got him going.
“I got on this little 300-yard stretch and I worked it all day. The big fish moved up throughout the day and I would just pick them off when they would set up.”
Fernandes relied on his IROD 733 Crusher series rods and 15-pound P-Line Halo Fluorocarbon for almost all his chatterbait fish this week and mixed in an IROD 714 when he went to work with his spinnerbait.
“In practice and on day 1, the big fish would eat the frog, but since then they would just roll on it and not get it.”
Fernandes relied on his 18-pounds, 2-ounces on day 2 to propel him into the top 10. A decent bag today of 13-pounds, 8-ounces pushed him into the top 5 with 44-pounds, 2-ounces total
Mike Comeau of Alburgh, Vermont caught a 7-pound, 7-ounce largemouth.
The rest of the best:
6. Joe Discerni 43-10
7. Chance Woodard 42-3
8. Marc Schilling 41-4
9. Brandon Perkins 40-14
10. Greg Mansfield 37-12
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John Cox Extends Lead at Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit on Lewis Smith Lake
Rookie Tai Au of Glendale, Arizona, jumped from fifth place into second on Day Three, with a five-bass limit weighing 12 pounds, 12 ounces, giving him a two-day total of 40 pounds, 6 ounces – a 5-pound, 4-ounce gap that could prove challenging on the stingy fishery. Spencer Shuffield of Hot Springs, Arkansas , made the biggest jump of the day, starting the day in 28th place and vaulting into seventh place with a five-bass limit weighing 16 pounds, 10 ounces, bringing him into the Top 10 with a total of 39 pounds, 3 ounces.
The event features 163 of the best bass fishing professionals from around the world, competing in a four-day competition for a top cash payout of up to $135,000.
“I want to win so badly on this lake,” Cox said. “I want to win here worse than anywhere else in the country. It would make a lot of really bad memories disappear. But, today was a little miserable. The only keepers that actually took my bait were the five I brought to the scale.”
Cox said despite the struggle today, he’s still not really looking at beds or trying to fish them.
“I saw some empty beds, and a few with fish on them, but the fish were really spooky,” said Cox. “They still needed to be surprised or tricked into biting. There aren’t any eggs down, so they are passed the point of where I’ve already caught them, and now are further in where they want to make their beds.”
Cox said he caught a lot of males today, but they just weren’t big enough to keep.
“I know I’m in the Top 10 and I’m trying to get excited for tomorrow, but I’m so burned out – there have been a lot of boats on a lot of areas today, so I tried to let some of those areas rest and ran around and fished more random stuff to try to get to those better pockets I wanted to fish. I don’t think we weighed one fish today out of any of the actual pockets I was looking forward to fishing.
“I think I’m just mentally and physically drained from fishing so much water and not getting bit. A lot of times through the day, I was thinking ‘I need to change baits – I need to change colors’, but I honestly just think if those fish were ready, they would have taken anything.
“I went to start on a stretch, but threw to a dock randomly and caught one, then threw to the dock again and caught another one, which got me excited – but that was the total excitement for the entire day.”
Cox said he almost ran all the way to the dam around 10 a.m., but changed his mind because he had three bass and thought he would be able to catch two more pretty easily.
“Hopefully it won’t be as crowded tomorrow – today it was nuts everywhere I went, with people on all the spots,” said Cox. “I’m planning to just rig up everything the same tomorrow and see what happens.”
The top 10 pros advancing to the final day of competition Sunday on Lewis Smith Lake are:
2nd: Tai Au, Glendale, Ariz., 15 bass, 40-6
3rd: Kyle Cortiana, Coweta, Okla., 15 bass, 39-13
4th: Cody Meyer, Star, Idaho, 14 bass, 39-9
5th: Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., 15 bass, 39-6
6th: Justin Cooper, Zwolle, La., 15 bass, 39-4
7th: Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., 15 bass, 39-3
8th: Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 15 bass, 38-8
9th: Troy Morrow, Eastanollee, Ga., 15 bass, 38-4
10th: Kyle Hall, Grandbury, Texas, 15 bass, 38-1
12th: Kerry Milner, Fisher, Ark., 13 bass, 37-3, $11,000
13th: Dylan Hays, Hot Springs, Ark., 15 bass, 36-13, $11,000
14th: John Hunter, Shelbyville, Ky., 15 bass, 36-13, $11,000
15th: Cody Huff, Ava, Mo., 14 bass, 36-9, $11,000
16th: Joshua Weaver, Macon, Ga., 14 bass, 36-7, $11,000
17th: Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., 15 bass, 35-10, $11,000
18th: Jesse Wiggins, Logan, Ala., 15 bass, 34-5, $11,000
19th: Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, 14 bass, 33-11, $11,000
20th: Terry Bolton, Benton, Ky., 14 bass, 33-10, $11,000
The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Covercraft Stop 2 – Lewis Smith Lake is hosted by the Cullman Area Local Organizing Committee.
In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of 162 anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The field was cut to 50 anglers on Saturday. Now, the top 10 pros based on their three-day cumulative weight advance to Sunday where the winner will be determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from all four days of competition.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2021 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit TITLE presented by Mercury, the Pro Circuit Championship, where they will compete for up to $235,000. The 2021 TITLE will be on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin on Aug. 17-22, and is hosted by Explore La Crosse.
Anglers will take off at 7 a.m. CT on Sunday from Smith Lake Park, located at 403 County Rd 386 in Cullman. Weigh-in will also be held at the park on Sunday at 4 p.m. Attendance is limited to competing anglers, family, essential staff and media covering the event. Fans are encouraged to follow the action online through the MLF NOW! live stream and coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com .
The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Covercraft Stop 2 – Lewis Smith Lake will feature live on-the-water coverage and a two-hour action-packed television show that will premiere on the Outdoor Channel on Sunday, July 18 from 7 to 9 a.m. ET and re-air on the Sportsman Channel this fall. Fans can catch weigh-ins and live on-the-water action all day Saturday and Sunday, March 13-14 on MLF NOW! beginning at 7:30 a.m. CT at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit presented by Bad Boy Mowers on the MLF BIG5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
About MLF BIG5
MLF BIG5 is part of MLF, the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization. It provides anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money across five tournament circuits featuring a five-biggest-fish format. Headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with offices in Benton, Kentucky, MLF and its partners conduct more than 290 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Namibia, Portugal, South Africa, Spain and Zimbabwe.
MLF tournaments are broadcast on Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel, World Fishing Network, MyOutdoorTV, Discovery and CBS Sports while MLF Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros to the world’s most avid bass anglers.
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Gloria Earns Close Victory In B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series At Lake Fork
ALBA, Texas — Nate Gloria of Omaha, Neb., employed a unique presentation and tallied 98 inches of bass to claim a narrow victory at the Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series powered by TourneyX at Lake Fork.
Nate Gloria, of Omaha, Neb., has won the Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series powered by TourneyX at Lake Fork with a five-fish limit measuring 98 inches.
Photo by Mark Cisneros/B.A.S.S.
Topping a field of 196 competitors, Gloria edged Justin Largen of Roanoke, Va., by one-fourth of an inch.
Gloria, who competed in a Hobie Mirage Outback, caught bass measuring 22.5, 21.25, 19.5, 18 and 16.75 inches. He committed his day to Little Caney Creek, where he’d previously won the 2018 YAK4IT Tournament of Champions.
Alternating between two small coves, Gloria looked for a mix of new and older lily pads that had recently started turning green. In practice, he noticed the fresher habitat seemed to attract the bigger fish.
Gloria said he focused on fish that were moving up to spawn, but he employed a different strategy than other competitors.
“I was fishing beds, but I didn’t visually sight fish them; I knew they were at least fanning out their beds and clearing out predators in that area,” Gloria said. “During practice, I caught a 21-incher in that area.
“I figured everyone would be bed fishing, so I wanted to approach things a little bit differently. I would skim a little Texas-rigged craw across the water until I saw them wake after it and then I killed it. It was more of a finesse topwater presentation.”
Gloria used a green pumpkin craw with a chartreuse belly. He said rigging his bait with that brighter side facing downward was more enticing to the fish.
Four of Gloria’s top fish bit the craw, but his largest ate a black & blue 1/2-ounce Mr. B Lures bladed jig with a black/orange 3 1/2-inch swimbait.
“I caught that fish along a weed edge,” he said. “I believe that fish was probably clearing out predators around the nest. It was eating anything that came into the area.
“All of my bites were very aggressive. The ones that bit really wanted the bait out of their area.”
Largen, who posted a second-place total of 97.75 inches, fished from a 12-foot-9 Hobie Mirage Outback. His best two bass measured 21.25 and 21 inches, along with a trio of 18.5-inchers.
Also fishing Little Caney, Largen targeted bed fish in shallow water behind patches of alligator grass. With his bass tucked into little pockets beyond the dense vegetation, Largen had to work his way into position.
“I was pulling up the pedal drive and paddling into position because the drive would catch on the grass,” he said. “That grass broke up the wind and allowed me to see into the little cuts where they were bedding.”
Noting that each of his fish behaved differently, Largen said he used a variety of Texas-rigged baits. His top performers were a black 6-inch Zoom Lizard with a chartreuse tail, a black/blue Strike King Rage Bug, a green pumpkin Missile Baits Baby D-Bomb accented with blue Spike-It dye and a green pumpkin YUM Christie Craw.
Lance Burris of Lebanon, Mo., finished third with 97.25. Competing in a Bonafide SS127 kayak with a Torqeedo Ultralight 1103, he caught fish measuring 20.75, 20.5, 19.5, 19 and 17.5 inches.
Burris spent his day near the dam and fished a stump field in 2 1/2 feet of water. Working a 1/2-mile area, he targeted staging prespawn bass with a red 1/2-ounce Strike King Redeye Shad.
“The key was covering water fast and making nonstop casts,” Burris said. “I was reeling fast and burning the bait.”
The tournament was hosted by Lake Fork Marina.
2021 Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series powered by TourneyX Partner: Old Town
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, 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 515,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 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, Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series, TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Series, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors, Bassmaster Team Championship, Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series powered by TourneyX and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk.
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John Cox Surges Ahead at Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit on Lewis Smith Lake
The four-day competition features a field of 163 of the best bass fishing professionals from around the world competing for a top cash award of up to $135,000.
Cox said he’d been itching to sight-fish beds, but didn’t allow himself to even look on Thursday or Friday.
“I just know they aren’t ready yet,” said Cox, the 2016 FLW Cup champion. “I’m hoping they get ready before the tournament is over, but there are too many on the move right now and there are way more opportunities to run into them while they are moving than to catch them on a bed.”
Cox said he went into the tournament planning to focus on dirty water until the bass committed to beds, then switch to cleaner water when he could sight-fish them. However, after the last two days’ haul, he will likely stick with what’s working.
“I caught many of Friday’s fish in random pockets that I hadn’t visited yet, so I think just following that pattern and catching them on the move is going to be my best bet,” continued Cox. “The water is warming up so fast – there was almost a 10-degree difference from the beginning of the day to the end – so I’m definitely keeping my options open to any changes in movement over the next two days.”
Cox said he had seven total keepers on Day Two, which was quite a feat considering it was a struggle for most of the field.
“I’ve been throwing a Dirty Jigs Swim Jig with a Berkley Powerbait Maxscent Meaty Chunk Trailer and mixing it up with a frog and a wacky-rigged Berkley Powerbait The General Worm,” said Cox. “I fished different areas of the lake, but basically used the same baits and techniques both days.”
Cox, who has a lot of history on the fishery, said he’s fishing many of the same pockets he’s fished in the past.
“They served me well then and I hope to continue the success through the remainder of this event.”
The top 20 pros after Day Two on Lewis Smith Lake are:
2nd: Kerry Milner, Fisher, Ark. 10 bass, 31-14
3rd: Corey Neece, Bristol, Tenn., 10 bass, 29-12
4th: Chase Serafin, White Lake, Mich., 10 bass, 27-13
5th: Tai Au, Glendale, Ariz., 10 bass, 27-10
6th: Cody Meyer, Star, Idaho, 10 bass, 27-8
7th: Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 10 bass, 27-7
8th: Justin Cooper, Zwolle, La., 10 bass, 27-6
9th: Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., 10 bass, 27-0
10th: Cody Huff, Ava, Mo., 10 bass, 26-14
11th: Dakota Ebare, Denham Springs, La., 10 bass, 26-10
12th: Dylan Hays, Hot Springs, Ark., 10 bass, 25-13
13th: Joseph Webster, Winfield, Ala., eight bass, 25-10
14th: Jacob Wall, New Hope, Ala., 10 bass, 25-10
15th: Kyle Cortiana, Coweta, Okla., 10 bass, 25-7
16th: John Hunter, Shelbyville, Ky., 10 bass, 25-4
17th: Braxton Setzer, Wetumpka, Ala., 10 bass, 24-15
18th: Joshua Weaver, Macon, Ga., nine bass, 24-9
19th: Troy Morrow, Eastanollee, Ga., 10 bass, 24-8
20th: Greg Bohannan, Bentonville, Ark., 10 bass, 24-6
Birge won the day’s $500 Berkley Big Bass award, bringing a 5-pound, 4-ounce bass to the scale.
Overall, there were 535 bass weighing 1,212 pounds even caught by 163 pros on Friday, which included 62 five-bass limits.
The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Covercraft Stop 2 – Lewis Smith Lake is hosted by the Cullman Area Local Organizing Committee.
In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of 163 anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The top 50 pros based on their two-day cumulative weight now advance to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros will continue competition on Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2021 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit TITLE presented by Mercury, the Pro Circuit Championship, where they will compete for up to $235,000. The 2021 TITLE will be on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin on Aug. 17-22, and is hosted by Explore La Crosse.
Anglers will take off at 7 a.m. CT Saturday and Sunday from Smith Lake Park, located at 403 County Rd 386 in Cullman. Weigh-ins will also be held at the park Saturday and Sunday at 4 p.m. Attendance is limited to competing anglers, family, essential staff and media covering the event. Fans are encouraged to follow the action online through the MLF NOW! live stream and coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Covercraft Stop 2 – Lewis Smith Lake will feature live on-the-water coverage and a two-hour action-packed television show that will premiere on the Outdoor Channel on Sunday, July 18 from 7 to 9 a.m. ET and re-air on the Sportsman Channel this fall. Fans can catch weigh-ins and live on-the-water action all day Saturday and Sunday, March 13-14 on MLF NOW! beginning at 7:30 a.m. CT at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit presented by Bad Boy Mowers on the MLF BIG5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
About MLF BIG5
MLF BIG5 is part of MLF, the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization. It provides anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money across five tournament circuits featuring a five-biggest-fish format. Headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with offices in Benton, Kentucky, MLF and its partners conduct more than 290 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Namibia, Portugal, South Africa, Spain and Zimbabwe.
MLF tournaments are broadcast on Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel, World Fishing Network, MyOutdoorTV, Discovery and CBS Sports while MLF Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros to the world’s most avid bass anglers.
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Current Will Play A Key Role In Bassmaster Elite Series Event At Pickwick Lake
FLORENCE, Ala. — Brock Mosley believes current will play a prominent role in the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Pickwick Lake, and the Mississippi pro will be monitoring the Tennessee Valley Authority app regularly for water release schedules because of it.
Florence, Ala., will host the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Pickwick Lake March 18-21. Photo by B.A.S.S.
Competition days will be March 18-21 with daily takeoffs from McFarland Park at 6:45 a.m. CT and weigh-ins each day at the park at 3 p.m.
Mosley’s hardly a go-with-the-flow kind of guy but knows current strength greatly impacts this TVA reservoir. Water movement definitely benefits bass anglers, but too much of a good thing can become a not-so-good thing. As of early March, Pickwick Dam was releasing approximately 157,000 cubic feet per second — a figure Mosley hopes to soon see tapering.
“There’s a lot of water being pumped through the system, and that’s fairly normal this time of year with the spring rains coming,” Mosley said. “I just hope that by the time the tournament gets here, it slows down to 70,000 to 80,000 cfs, or even a little less.
“If that current slows down, it will give guys a lot more options. For one thing, you always hear about guys going to ‘The Horseshoe’ (the boulder-strewn area below the Wilson Dam tailrace), and if the current is rolling that fast, it’s going to make that extremely tough to fish — and a little bit dangerous.”
Stretching 52.7 miles dam to dam and covering approximately 43,000 surface acres, Pickwick offers significant habitat options, such as islands, points, bluffs, creeks, bridges, riprap and grass. Mosley is expecting primarily a prespawn event, so the latter should play a key role — as long as the current subsides to a level the fish can tolerate.
Addressing the current’s clarity variable, Mosley said, “I always like a little stain this time of year. Pickwick can have a lot of clarity, but I think you can get away with a lot of different techniques with a little bit of color to the water.”
Lipless crankbaits, bladed jigs and swimbaits lead the seasonal lineup, while topwaters, jerkbaits and jigs will also see plenty of action. Largemouth bass keep company with a good population of smallmouth, so anglers targeting the latter may also add drop shots, Ned rigs, shaky heads and Neko rigs to their arsenals.
The Pickwick event was originally scheduled for June 10-13, but due to the ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency and associated limits on large gatherings, B.A.S.S. officials swapped this event with the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk. Mosley said this change will likely afford anglers a more enjoyable and productive scenario.
“This will open up a lot more options on ways to catch them,” he said. “If we would have come in June, it would have been primarily a ledge deal with guys sharing schools and fishing on top of one another.
“That could have been a little frustrating for the anglers. Now it’s going to open up the entire lake, and guys are going to be able to catch them however they want to.”
That being said, Mosley believes the Wilson Dam tailrace could end up delivering the winning fish — as it did for Davy Hite who, in 2011, notched his eighth Bassmaster win on Pickwick.
Smallmouth love that cooler, more active water, but quality largemouth feed there, too. The great thing about Pickwick is that both species live throughout the lake.
“This should be a really good event after coming from Knoxville (the previous Elite event), which was a grinder,” Mosley said. “This one won’t be nearly as tough, and guys are going to catch them.”
Mosley said limits shouldn’t be too hard to come by, but competitive bags will need a kicker of 4-plus pounds each day. Largemouth generally grow bigger than smallmouth, but Pickwick’s known for whopper bronzebacks.
“I’ve seen 28-pound bags of smallmouth come out of that place,” Mosley said. “A guy could catch all of either species or have a mixed bag and do extremely well with a little bit of each.
“It’s possible that the century mark (100 pounds of bass) could be broken, but it will definitely take over 20 pounds a day to win — unless we have some type of odd weather between now and then.”
A full field of 100 anglers will fish the first two days, with only the Top 50 advancing to Saturday’s semifinal round. After Saturday, the Top 10 will advance to Championship Sunday with a chance at the $100,000 first-place prize.
Live coverage for all four days of the event can be streamed on Bassmaster.com and the FOX Sports digital platforms. FS1 will also broadcast live with the tournament leaders beginning at 7 a.m. CT on Saturday and Sunday.
The tournament is being hosted by Visit Florence.
2021 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2021 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Berkley, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2021 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Bass Pro Shops, Garmin, Huk Performance Fishing, Marathon, Rapala
2021 Bassmaster Elite Series Conservation Partner: AFTCO
2021 Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Pickwick Lake Local Host: Visit Florence
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, 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 515,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 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, Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series, TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Series, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors, Bassmaster Team Championship, Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series powered by TourneyX and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk.
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