We had a great turn out yesterday (17 boats) and a great day to fish. It was a tough day of fishing, but did have 11 boats weigh in fish. Slagle/Day finished1st with 15.32 lbs and gad big fish with a 5.4 lb largemouth. Second went to Dunman/Cooper with 10.44 lbs and third went to Farmer/Carter with 9.56 lbs. Congrats to everybody who weighed in fish. Hope to see eveybody next month at Lake Gaston. Check out the standings that are attached. Thanks.
We had a great turn out yesterday (17 boats) and a great day to fish. It was a tough day of fishing, but did have 11 boats weigh in fish. Slagle/Day finished1st with 15.32 lbs and gad big fish with a 5.4 lb largemouth. Second went to Dunman/Cooper with 10.44 lbs and third went to Farmer/Carter with 9.56 lbs. Congrats to everybody who weighed in fish. Hope to see eveybody next month at Lake Gaston. Check out the standings that are attached. Thanks.
Reigning FLW Tour Angler of the Year Andy Morgan has signed with iRod Fishing for the 2014 fishing season.
Morgan will be using iRod fishing rods for the 2014 season and will be designing several signature series rods. Morgan’s signature series rods include a light flippin’/junk fishing rod that is in the production stage now, and a heavy flippin’ stick which is already on the market.
Lance Walker shows off another bass weighing more than 12-pounds he caught from Pickwick Lake. ♦
We wrote about Lance Walker’s possible Tennessee State Record bass a few years ago that he caught and released because he didn’t want to kill it just to claim the record. Well Walker thought he had another 15 pounder on last week.
Confidence I hadn’t been on the lake for several days, work and family obligations kept me from the other passion in my life. We just had a nice three day warming trend and I knew the fish were about to crash the shallows. I couldn’t wait to make that first cast of the morning, I knew exactly what I was going to do and where I was going to do it. The anticipation of 4 pounders ripping through the water to get my bait would not stop playing over and over in my head. Something special was going to happen today, without a shadow of a doubt I was going to catch them. There is nothing like knowing you’re going to do well and the feeling that you know what’s going on, that is what confidence is all about. But really how important is confidence and where does it come from? In my experience confidence comes from preparation and experience which becomes a positive mindset that is vital to a tournament angler’s success. Confidence affects your every move, from what you throw, to where you go, to what your next location is. It is an underrated tool in the world of competitive fishing that I think could be your most important asset throughout a tournament day or days. Let’s face it as much as we like to say it’s you against the fish or the lake, we all know there’s more to it than that. For some people it’s them against themselves and that can be the case more often than not. Tournaments are pretty much a mind game that the results are based on decisions you make during the event and confidence plays a big part in what decisions we make. If you look at successful anglers at a local level and at the highest level, they will all be very confident in what they do. They kind of march to the beat of their own drum and do what they feel they should do vs what the crowd is doing. If we look at some of the runs in pro fishing where a guy seems unstoppable for a certain period of time, they are all doing their own thing. Most recently look at Jason Christie or Randall Tharp, they seem to be on an unstoppable roll. The confidence they have right now is building all the time and it seems to snowball until maybe they get too confident or satisfied, then it will start all over again. We know what confidence is and how it feels, but how do you become that way. Like most things it’s easier said than done and some people are better than others at it. I believe you need to start small and build your way to it, just like anything else. You need a good foundation to make your confidence last over time, then you kind of create an attitude that is hard to shake. I have always believed you are better off to be real good at a few things than pretty good at a bunch of things. In my experience that seems to be true in fishing as well. Most of the best guys at fishing are pretty much known for one or two things and then build from there. Denny Brauer, my favorite by the way, is known for jig fishing. Arron Martens seems to be the drop shot master and David Fritts the king of crankbaits. This is certainly not all these guys do but it’s probably what they are best at and what they have the most confidence doing, it is definitely their base. Without question my base is a jig and to this day I can base a good portion of my confidence back to the beginning of my competitive fishing addiction. My granddad (Paw Paw) and I used to travel to Chickahominy Lake quite frequently and Ed Allen’s Marina was always our place of destination. They had a pot at the marina that was $1. Every day you fished you added a dollar to the pot and the first fisherman to weigh a 6.5lb or better bass got the cash. I had no experience tournament fishing but the challenge was irresistible, one dollar for a shot at all that money. As we launched the 14’ jon boat I remember thinking, what would Denny Brauer do. I quickly tied my black jig on with a twin tail Yamamoto salt and pepper trailer and we immediately started flipping docks just down from the marina. I noticed one dock midway down had a piece of brush sticking up out of the water. I quickly flipped the jig between the brush and the dock. The hook set that followed changed me forever. A 6.75 lbs. bass, my biggest ever at the time, that is what started it all. That is also the base of my confidence that I have unknowingly built on for years and years. That one pitch and winning that $300 plus pot was all it took and to this day a jig is still my confidence bait and probably what I do best. I guess what I can say is confidence is very important and has to be built over a period of time. Some people’s time period is much shorter than others just like with all things in general. I just can’t help but imagine what type of confidence level a Brandon Paulinick must have or one of the Lee (Matt or Jordan) brothers, that’s a scary thought to me with such youth on their side. It’s also something that will rise and fall throughout someone’s fishing career, but with a good base it can be a solid foundation in our mental preparations. Confidence is hard to come by at times, easy to lose, and even harder to get back. So try to build your confidence on a solid foundation and remember it’s a positive mindset that can be a huge asset.
Brett Hite’s 8-pounder caught in the final hour put an exclamation point on his win on Seminole.
By Deb Johnson
Sunday, Hite won the first Bassmaster Elite Series event in which he’s competed, the Dick Cepek Tires Bassmaster Elite at Lake Seminole presented by Hardee’s.
The Phoenix, Ariz., pro’s name is now alongside Derek Remitz’s in the history books as the only Elite Series rookie who walked away with the trophy in his debut event.
Hite’s prize was $100,000 and an automatic berth in the 2015 Bassmaster Classic on Lake Hartwell, South Carolina.
“I’m pretty excited because Lake Hartwell is one of my favorite lakes,” Hite said. “Going into this season, getting to Lake Hartwell was a goal. But I’m still going into the rest of the season by putting my head down and practicing hard and fishing hard.”
With a four-day total of 97 pounds, 10 ounces, Hite’s margin of victory was a whopping 13 pounds heavier than the runner-up, Todd Faircloth of Jasper, Texas, who posted an 84-10 total.
Lindwood Thornhill of Pineville, S.C., weighed five bass totaling 24 pounds, 1 ounce Saturday to win the Rayovac FLW Series Southeast Division event presented by Evinrude on Santee Cooper with a three-day total of 14 bass weighing 72 pounds, 4 ounces. For his victory, Thornhill earned $40,000.
“I feel wonderful. It couldn’t have come at a better time,” said Thornhill of his win. The South Carolina native was the only pro in the field to bring more than 20 pounds to the scales each of the three days of competition and he won by a stunning 12-pound, 4-ounce margin.
Thornhill said that he mined one spot that was good for all of his fish, plus the 64 pounds, 7 ounces that co-angler winner Marvin Reese caught.
Lake Seminole bass fishing could not be setting up any better for Brett Hite: big prespawn bass traveling on “highways” to beds.
Knowing how to target prespawners is one of his main strengths, said the Phoenix, Ariz., pro who is a Bassmaster Elite Series rookie, but prefers to call himself “young veteran” as a tip of the hat to his almost 13 years competing in big-name tournaments.
Saturday, Hite proved his experience by repeating his Friday lead in the Dick Cepek Tires Bassmaster Elite at Lake Seminole presented by Hardee’s.
And what a lead. Heading into Sunday’s championship round, Hite had 9 pounds, 12 ounces over his closest threat, Mark Davis of Mount Ida, Ark.
Hite’s total for the event’s first three competition days was 71-11. A consistent Davis, with a tally of 61-15 — 20 pounds and change each of three days — reached second place, up from seventh.
Bernie Schultz of Gainesville, Fla., who had 61-10, dropped one tick from second into third place.
Likewise Kevin Short of Mayflower, Ark. He slipped from third to fourth. His total was 60-11.
Aaron Martens of Leeds, Ala., was one of several anglers who made a stunning leap up the leaderboard Saturday to land in the Top 12 and advance to Sunday’s championship round. Martens’ bag of 29-11, the day’s largest, moved him from 37th into fifth with a total of 60-0.
Other jumpers included 2004 Bassmaster Classic champ Takahiro Omori of Emory, Texas, who moved from 18th into seventh; Byron Velvick, 21st to ninth; Todd Faircloth, 23rd to 10th; and Andy Montgomery, 29th to 12th.
Brett Hite’s first catch Friday was a 4-pounder. On his next cast, a largemouth just as big came back to the boat.
“That got things rolling and gave me a lot of confidence in what I’m doing,” said Hite, the Bassmaster Elite Series rookie who moved up from fourth place into Friday’s catbird seat in the Dick Cepek Tires Bassmaster Elite at Lake Seminole presented by Hardee’s.
The Phoenix, Ariz., pro ended his day with 20 pounds, 11 ounces. Added to his 24-11 already on the board, Hite had the lead in his first Elite appearance. His 45-6 total gave him a 14-ounce jump on Bernie Schultz of Gainesville, Fla.
Hey Everybody,
