WALMART BASS FISHING LEAGUE PREVIEW FOR SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14
FLW COLLEGE FISHING SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE FIELD SET FOR LAKE SEMINOLE
RAYOVAC FLW SERIES TEXAS DIVISION SET TO OPEN ON LAKE AMISTAD
February Kerr Lake Fishing Report by Jason Houchins
February Kerr Lake Report
February, maybe the coldest month at Kerr. Weather is the key to your success this month as is most months. One day could be snowing and the next day could be close to 60. But if you’re willing to tough it out you may be in for some of the biggest bass this lake has to offer, especially towards the end of the month. Temperatures this year seem to be hanging around the low to mid 40s everywhere on the lake. The water still has some stain in the upper reaches and is still fairly high for this time of year. The lake level has stayed around 299 and frequent rains have kept it close to full pool or better all winter.
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Look for jerkbaits to really dominate this month, water temps are perfect for this to be at its most effective. Look for rocky banks close to channel swings or rip rap close to mouths of creeks or cuts. Also look for cleaner water this time of year, unless there has been a warm spell for 3 days or so, because dingy water will warm faster. While throwing a jerkbait, change your cadence and speed often until you find one that works. I have used a twitch, twitch, pause for years and the pause is always the deciding factor. The length of the pause is key and once you find that, the rewards will be amazing. I have caught fish at some painfully slow retrieves and had to let the bait pause up to a count of 15 before moving it again. Sometimes you have to wait that long to trigger the strike and other times a simple 5 count will do. Each day is different and experimenting each day is important to find out just how long you need to pause. Let the bass tell you how they want it and at what speed, I’ve been shocked at just how slow or fast I have to move the bait. Always work your bait completely back to the boat, you will find fish like to follow a jerkbait, so be ready for short stikes.
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I like throwing a jerkbait on a med action type rod or a glass composite crankbait rod. The Kistler Carbon Steel or KLX medium action rip and twitch rod are perfect. I prefer 10lb test 100% fluorocarbon line and a 6.3 to 1 reel or faster. The line has small diameter, little stretch, and you can feel the soft touch that a bass makes while sucking in a jerkbait. The rod with a softer tip will keep you from ripping it away from the fish once you sweep the rod to set the hook. My favorite jerkbait is the high dollar Lucky Craft Pointer 78. It dives a little deeper and has a small profile that I love in a jerkbait. There are many others that work as well, KVD Strike King is a good one, Bomber, and the old standby Rattling Rouge jerkbait. They will all produce at times, once again confidence and experimenting will most likely help you make up your mind. Remember February is an excellent month for big ones, so don’t miss your opportunity. Bundle up, be patient, and shake that cabin fever.
Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship Set For Lake Guntersville
Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship Set For Lake Guntersville
MARSHALL COUNTY, Ala. — Lake Guntersville, site of the 2014 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by Diet Mountain Dew and GoPro, has been selected to host the 2015 Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship.
Top anglers on participating team tournament trails from across the country will have a chance to win a national team title and a berth in the 2016 Bassmaster Classic berth when they compete in the team championship tournament Dec. 9-12, 2015, at Lake Guntersville.
“Lake Guntersville is a rich part of B.A.S.S. history and a great fishery to host our second annual Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship,” said Bruce Akin, B.A.S.S. CEO. “The Classic on Guntersville last year set several new catch records, and I know the lake will offer up plenty of big bass in this year’s team competition.”
The Marshall County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) will host the championship at Lake Guntersville, which is one of the lakes on the Alabama Bass Trail. The daily launches and weigh-ins will be held at Guntersville State Park.
“We are thrilled with the opportunity to host this team championship,” said Katy Norton, president of the Marshall County CVB. “We have hosted other bass tournaments in the past but this is a team championship that really highlights tournament trails. To be able to hold this team championship just makes sense for us. It gives us a chance to show off our lake to tournament trails across the country.”
The unique four-day tournament will qualify one angler for the 2016 Bassmaster Classic. The top two-angler team will also be crowned as the national champion of the event.
Teams across the nation qualify for the championship through various independently operated team trails sanctioned by B.A.S.S. (A list of sanctioned trails is available at Bassmaster.com.)
“Toyota has a proud history of supporting competitions for bass anglers of all levels,” said Jim Baudino, Engagement Marketing Manager for Toyota, the title sponsor of the championship. “We’re especially glad to partner with B.A.S.S. to showcase the fast-growing team tournament segment of the sport and provide America’s outstanding grass-roots anglers a top-level national championship event.”
The team portion of the competition, Dec. 9-10, pits the two-angler teams against one another to determine the national team champion. On Dec. 11-12, the six anglers from the Top 3 teams will compete individually in the Bassmaster Team Championship Classic Fish-Off. The winner of the individual competition earns a bid to fish the Super Bowl of Bass Fishing the following year.
In the inaugural team championship at DeGray Lake in Arkansas last year, teammates Flannagan Fife and Royce Davis from the Fishers of Men circuit clinched the team championship title in their home state and advanced to the Classic Fish-Off. However, North Carolina angler Brandon Gray from the Anglers Choice team trail won the fish-off and qualified for the 2015 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro, to be held Feb. 20-22 on Lake Hartwell out of Greenville, S.C.
“The first Bassmaster Team Championship was a huge success,” said Jon Stewart, Bassmaster Team Championship director. “We were very pleased with the turnout, since 155 of the 173 eligible teams made the trip to DeGray Lake in Arkansas.”
Stewart expects this year’s event will be even larger than the inaugural championship. “Marshall County, Lake Guntersville and the Guntersville State Park Resort are great places to host this event. There is more than enough room on and off the water to support a 250-boat championship event. And at Guntersville, there is always a chance to catch the bass of a lifetime. It should be very exciting fishing that time of year.”
For more information on how a team trail can become sanctioned for the Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship, contact Stewart at [email protected].
To Fish or Not to Fish – By Bruce Callis
The Richmond Fishing Expo made its annual appearance at The Meadows in Doswell, Virginia this past January 16-18, 2015. For those that may have missed it, I hope you were out catching some big bass somewhere. As for me, I chose to not go fishing, especially since the ice made it very difficult. I made the right choice for sure, as I look forward to this great event. For me, it’s like being a kid in a candy store, so many great things to see, touch, and in this case, experience. I myself could only make it out one day this year, and wish I could have been there at least 2 days to get the full experience.

John Crews, Davy Hite, Jacob Powroznik, and John Hutchins were some of the pros giving presentations to the many anglers and families who attended. I know I couldn’t wait to hear from them and get some much needed tips and tricks that would help make my fishing better. And I was not disappointed at all. While they were able to give great presentations, I do wish that they were given more time to talk, as I felt they wanted to tell more, but always had to cut it short. But hopefully they will think about changing it from 30 minutes to at least 45 minutes for next year. There were 2 seminar classrooms offering both freshwater and saltwater discussions and the Oklahoma Bass Tank. I really wish the Meadows had a wing added onto the main building so that the classrooms could be held there and you could hear well. Either way, I will be back in 2016.
If you had your drool bib on, you could go over and check out all the new fishing boats they had on display. From johnboats to big open water rigs, you could find them all there. You could climb in and see how it would feel to be up on it. The kids were able to climb in and experience that same joy. The biggest thrill I had was watching kids up there pretending to fish. Oh yes, the next generation is alive and kicking.
With today’s Social Media use, it was also a great place to meet up with the friends we have online that we talk with, but have failed to meet or only get to meet at select events. I know I myself arrived looking for friends from online. I managed to find some of them, missed some, and some couldn’t make it Saturday. The hot spot was Jay’s Inferno Tackle Co booth for one group and the food court for another. Some, I knew the minute I saw them, others, they surprised me. It was good thing that many of them knew who I was from my fishing pics, guess those selfies paid off. But that is what makes this great event so special, we get to feed our passion and meet others that enjoy the same passion.
For the tackle junkies, there were plenty of great deals to be found. Tons of soft plastics, jigs, hard baits, line, reels and rods were everywhere. I personally found some must have products, and a few that I just had to have because of the deal. Along the way were great opportunities to check out the great places to go fish here in Virginia, talk boat safety, find out what the DGIF is doing here for us, and sample some great food. One of the highlights for me was the Reel American Heroes booth. It is a cause that is very important to me, giving back to those that have served this great country. I got to really check out the sweet reel that they developed to give the one wounded warrior with the use of only one hand or arm the ability to fish. Once they have the patents worked out, it is going to a great gift to them.
In talking with others, they really enjoyed themselves, but do wish it was bigger. They would love to have more manufactures there with a bigger variety of the newest baits. I know that is not always possible, but it is part of the wish list for attendees. And while they enjoy the location, a lot still wish they were back at the Richmond Raceway Complex, as there was more room. And some said they liked the current location a lot better, but just wanted more space. What was your experience like? What are your thoughts? Let me hear it!!
Allstate Returns As Sponsor Of Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series
Feb. 2, 2015
Allstate Returns As Sponsor Of Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — B.A.S.S. is excited to announce the return of Allstate as the presenting sponsor of one of bass fishing’s most popular competitive circuits in 2015, the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series.
The Opens are comprised of a Northern, Southern and Central division, and each division is comprised of three tournaments. In addition to cash and prizes, the Opens Series offers tournament winners within the three Opens divisions an entry into the Bassmaster Classic, the world championship of bass fishing.
Allstate’s sponsorship is set to include the nine Opens events scheduled around the country in 2015. The season kicked off on Lake Tohopekaliga in Kissimmee, Fla., with the Jan. 15-17 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open presented by Allstate.
Considered a stepping stone for aspiring pro anglers, the Opens Series also allows anglers to earn points for each finish, and at the end of the season, the top anglers are offered a berth in the followingyear’s Elite Series.
“B.A.S.S’s partnership with Allstate is extremely successful and something we are very proud of,” says B.A.S.S. CEO Bruce Akin. “We are eager to continue our relationship with Allstate as they connect not only with all of our Opens anglers, but also with the growing number of bass fishing fans.”
“Presenting the Bassmaster Opens Series is a great catch for us,” says Allstate’s Boat Line Manager Christine Bischoff. “We’re excited to be interacting with anglers from all over the country and discussing all of their insurance needs.”
At each Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens event, the Allstate Good Hands, Great Day award will be presented to the angler and co-angler climbing the most in points from Day 1 to Day 2. The pro angler wins $250, and the co-angler wins $150.
FOX WINS WALMART BASS FISHING LEAGUE GATOR DIVISION EVENT ON LAKE OKEECHOBEE
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Smith Mountain Lake Fishing Report February 2015
SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE FISHING REP
February 2015
DALE WILSON’S
SML GUIDE SERVICE
PHONE NO: 540-297-5650 / 540-874-4950
www.captaindalewilson.com
Picture: Captain Dale Wilson with a nice striper caught 1/29/15.
OVERVIEW: Fishing has been good the past two weeks. Water temperature will be in the upper 30’s to lower 40’s. Baitfish will start to move to shallow water later this month. Most species of fish will begin feeding this month as the days get longer and water temperature rises.
Largemouth Bass- Fishing will be fair to good later this month. Best lures will be Alabama rigs, football head jigs, drop shot rigs, slow rolling spinner baits, jigging spoons and jerk baits. Most largemouth bass will be caught on rocky points, creek channel banks, brush piles and docks. Best depths will be from 2 to 30 feet deep. Most largemouth bass will start to follow the shad movements. Rocks are a key factor to finding bass this month. Slow your retrieve when you have cold water temps.
Smallmouth Bass- Fishing should be fair. Best areas will be rocks, humps, ledges and deep main channel points. Best lures will be jig & pig, jerk baits, hair jigs and floating-fly-rigs. Best areas will be in the mid to the lower sections of the lake. Most smallmouth bass will be suspended on or around ledges and humps this month. Cloudy days with light winds are good times to try your luck! Light line and smaller lures will increase your chances to catch smallmouth bass.
Striped Bass- Fishing will be good. Stripers will be caught in the mid to upper sections of the lake and in
the larger creeks. Best lures will be jerk baits, Alabama rigs, swim baits, and Zoom flukes fished on 3/8 to 1/2 oz. lead heads. The best depths will be from near the surface to 40 feet deep. Try to find areas with the largest concentrations of baitfish. Vertical jigging with 3/4 oz. Hopkins spoons will also work this month. Find the seagulls and you will usually find feeding stripers. Live bait will also work this month.
Crappie- Fishing for crappie will be better this month. They will be found 5 to 15 feet deep. Best areas will be in the main creeks around docks, fallen trees, and brush piles in the mid to upper parts of the lake. Small live minnows and 1 ½ to 2 inch tubes or shad shaped plastic lures fished on 1/16 to 1/8 oz. lead heads will work best to catch crappie this month. Spider rigging is also a great method to catch crappie this month.
TIP OF THE Month: Don’t over look fishing shallow during the coldest days! The fish will relate to the super shallow areas because of a slightly warmer water temp. It a good idea to always fish with a partner during the cold months. Make sure you wear your life jacket during the winter. You can never be too careful when boating. Remember to be courteous and obey all the boating laws. Please practice catch and release. Take a kid fishing!
B.A.S.S. announces penalties for Monroe and Poche
B.A.S.S. announces penalties for Monroe and Poche
B.A.S.S. announced today that it has completed its investigation of an incident January 16 involving two professional anglers, Ish Monroe of Hughson, Calif., and Keith Poche of Pike Road, Ala., during the Bassmaster Open tournament on Lake Tohopekaliga, Fla. After interviewing both anglers as well as many of the numerous eyewitnesses of the incident, B.A.S.S. has imposed the following penalties, which are covered in the current Angler Code of Conduct:
For unsportsmanlike conduct, Monroe has been fined $500, the maximum amount for a first offense. In addition, he has been suspended from participation in all Bassmaster Opens for 2015. He already had been disqualified from the Southern Open on Lake Tohopekaliga, forfeiting any payouts he would otherwise have earned.
Also for unsportsmanlike conduct, Poche has been fined $250, the minimum amount for a first offense. In addition, he has been suspended from participation in Bassmaster Opens in the Southern Division for 2015. He, too, had earlier been disqualified from the Southern Open in Florida.
“Both Keith Poche and Ish Monroe have cooperated fully in our investigation of the incident, and they have expressed regret for their roles in it,” said Bruce Akin, B.A.S.S. CEO. “While conflicts occur frequently in other sports, we hold bass fishing professionals to a higher standard, particularly when the safety of participants is involved. We believe the penalties imposed under the Angler Code of Conduct agreement are appropriate and fitting in these circumstances.”
Akin also noted that B.A.S.S. has refunded the entry fees of the co-anglers paired with Monroe and Poche on January 16 in consideration for the effect the incident may have had on their fishing success.
