Day 2 Winners:
1st – Randall Tucker – $4000
2nd – Troy Searcy – $2500
3rd – Glen Boyd – $1250
4th – Milton Yancey – $1000
5th – Billy Shelton – $500
6th – R.C. Carter – $500
7th – Ted Wilhelm – $250
8th – William Page – $150
Day 2 Winners:
1st – Randall Tucker – $4000
2nd – Troy Searcy – $2500
3rd – Glen Boyd – $1250
4th – Milton Yancey – $1000
5th – Billy Shelton – $500
6th – R.C. Carter – $500
7th – Ted Wilhelm – $250
8th – William Page – $150
MEDFORD, Mass. — It was devastating to Mickey Soler to lose a 5-pounder earlier this morning during the first day of the 2012 Cabela’s Bassmaster Federation Nation Eastern Divisional. But as it turned out, he didn’t need it to take the Day One lead, which he owns by 2 pounds, 11 ounces.
“My partner, Erin Divelbiss of Vermont, was ready with the net,” said Soler, “but my line was too light and the drag wasn’t set right, and it just popped right off.”
Soler’s bag of 10 pounds, 7 ounces, was one of only four limits caught today on the Mystic and Charles rivers, and 31 anglers went fishless.
“It was a really tough day,” explained Soler, a member of the Mid-Conn Anglers in the Connecticut B.A.S.S. Federation Nation. “I caught my first fish on my third cast, and then it was 2 1/2 to 3 hours before we got another bite.”
Soler, an investigative social worker for the state of Connecticut, targeted shaded areas and took his time. “I was fishing a lot slower than everybody else.”
With a lead that big, he’s not planning to change a thing for tomorrow.
Several anglers will have to change it up, though, if they want to be in the running for a spot in the 2012 Cabela’s Bassmaster Federation Nation Championship. With lots of zeroes and few limits, the field, many competitors will be trying something new tomorrow.
“Today, I learned that I have to re-evaluate my game plan,” joked Michael DeSimone of Connecticut, who brought in one bass for 2 pounds, 15 ounces.
Last year’s Eastern Divisional champion, Skip Sjobeck, echoed DeSimone’s sentiments. “I’m going to change what I’m doing,” said the Vermont angler, who’s currently in 18th place with 5 pounds, 7 ounces. “I’m going to flip tomorrow because the few times I did it today worked out.”
The good thing about the low weights is that anglers can move up quickly with just a few fish. “A lot of teams are going to be very tight at the top,” said Jon Stewart, B.A.S.S. Federation Nation senior manager and emcee for the event.
The top angler on each state team advances to next month’s championship. Current leaders are Soler, Connecticut; Jonathan Carter, Maine; John Shpack, Massachusetts; Dave Andrews, New Hampshire; David Morrissette, New York; Greg Roth, Ontario; Bob Brown, Rhode Island; Eloy Fernandez Jofre, Spain; and Scott Green, Vermont.
In the competition between states, Connecticut is leading with an overall weight of 43 pounds, 11 ounces. New York is just less than 2 pounds behind, and Rhode Island is a few more ounces back.
The Cabela’s Big Bass of the day was a 4-pound, 5-ounce bass caught by Scott Barker of Maine. It was his only fish today, and when asked what he caught it on, he said “a hook,” so as not to give anything away.
Competition resumes tomorrow. Launch is at 6:15 a.m. ET at the Mystic Wellington Yacht Club, the site of the weigh-in at 2:15 p.m. ET.
MEDFORD, Mass. — It was devastating to Mickey Soler to lose a 5-pounder earlier this morning during the first day of the 2012 Cabela’s Bassmaster Federation Nation Eastern Divisional. But as it turned out, he didn’t need it to take the Day One lead, which he owns by 2 pounds, 11 ounces.
“My partner, Erin Divelbiss of Vermont, was ready with the net,” said Soler, “but my line was too light and the drag wasn’t set right, and it just popped right off.”
Soler’s bag of 10 pounds, 7 ounces, was one of only four limits caught today on the Mystic and Charles rivers, and 31 anglers went fishless.
“It was a really tough day,” explained Soler, a member of the Mid-Conn Anglers in the Connecticut B.A.S.S. Federation Nation. “I caught my first fish on my third cast, and then it was 2 1/2 to 3 hours before we got another bite.”
Soler, an investigative social worker for the state of Connecticut, targeted shaded areas and took his time. “I was fishing a lot slower than everybody else.”
With a lead that big, he’s not planning to change a thing for tomorrow.
Several anglers will have to change it up, though, if they want to be in the running for a spot in the 2012 Cabela’s Bassmaster Federation Nation Championship. With lots of zeroes and few limits, the field, many competitors will be trying something new tomorrow.
“Today, I learned that I have to re-evaluate my game plan,” joked Michael DeSimone of Connecticut, who brought in one bass for 2 pounds, 15 ounces.
Last year’s Eastern Divisional champion, Skip Sjobeck, echoed DeSimone’s sentiments. “I’m going to change what I’m doing,” said the Vermont angler, who’s currently in 18th place with 5 pounds, 7 ounces. “I’m going to flip tomorrow because the few times I did it today worked out.”
The good thing about the low weights is that anglers can move up quickly with just a few fish. “A lot of teams are going to be very tight at the top,” said Jon Stewart, B.A.S.S. Federation Nation senior manager and emcee for the event.
The top angler on each state team advances to next month’s championship. Current leaders are Soler, Connecticut; Jonathan Carter, Maine; John Shpack, Massachusetts; Dave Andrews, New Hampshire; David Morrissette, New York; Greg Roth, Ontario; Bob Brown, Rhode Island; Eloy Fernandez Jofre, Spain; and Scott Green, Vermont.
In the competition between states, Connecticut is leading with an overall weight of 43 pounds, 11 ounces. New York is just less than 2 pounds behind, and Rhode Island is a few more ounces back.
The Cabela’s Big Bass of the day was a 4-pound, 5-ounce bass caught by Scott Barker of Maine. It was his only fish today, and when asked what he caught it on, he said “a hook,” so as not to give anything away.
Competition resumes tomorrow. Launch is at 6:15 a.m. ET at the Mystic Wellington Yacht Club, the site of the weigh-in at 2:15 p.m. ET.
By Ken Duke
Wagoner, Okla. — With all the challenges facing anglers at the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open on Fort Gibson Lake, it only seems logical that an Oklahoman would take the top prize.
Jason Christie of Park Hill did just that, posting the second heaviest catch of the tournament in the final round to edge Arkansas Elite Series pro Kevin Short by almost two pounds. Christie’s Day 3 limit of largemouth bass weighed 15 pounds, 15 ounces and gave him a total of 40-15 for the tournament. Short finished with 39-0.
Though a lot of experts thought the winning catch would come from deep water, Christie relied on the shallows for his catch. All of his bass struck in two feet of water or less.
“I knew a lot of guys would be looking deeper,” he said, “but deep water bass just aren’t as reliable for me. You catch ‘em today, and they’re gone tomorrow.”
Christie fished flats in the Whitehorn Cove area of the lake, looking for isolated rocks, logs or anything else that might hold bass. He relied heavily on his Power-Poles to hold his boat in stiff winds so he could focus on fishing rather than boat control, saying that without the shallow water anchor system he could not have won the tournament.
When it came to lure selection, Christie kept things simple.
“I’m an old-school bass fisherman,” he said. “I don’t carry a lot of different baits in my boat. This week I used three baits to catch all my bass: an old Rebel Wee-R crankbait, a Heddon One Knocker Spook and a Yum Wooly Bug.”
The crankbait is long out of production, but Christie calls it “the classic square-bill.”
“I like it because I can crank it as fast as I want and it won’t roll over on me.” He added that some recent successes on the tournament trail may bring the lure back into production.
Short caught his bass on a trio of baits, as well: a Peeper’s Baits Deuce topwater prop bait, a WEC-E1 crankbait made by Ed Chambers of Zoom Baits fame and a Zoom Baby Brush Hog. Short’s “fish-my-butt-off-pattern” fell just shy of the finish line tape,
“Fishing was tougher today,” Short said. “The first two days I had a limit on the Deuce by 9:30, but not today. I struggled to get bites after the front came through.”
Pre-tournament favorite and lakeside resident Tommy Biffle rebounded after a slow first day to finish fourth with 35-5. He used his namesake Biffle Bug in the Sooner Run color to catch every bass he took the scales. In 2010 he used the same bait in the same hue to win an Elite Series tournament on Fort Gibson.
For his efforts, Christie takes home cash and a Triton 19SE and 200 HP Mercury Optimax boat and motor package. He did not compete in all of the Central Opens this year, but had already earned a 2013 Bassmaster Classic berth by virtue of his Northern Open win on the Detroit River in July. Christie calls Grand Lake — site of the 2013 Classic, Feb. 22-24 — his home water and he’ll be a pre-tournament favorite to win the greatest championship in all of bass fishing.
On the co-angler side, Day 1 leader Joe Lane rebounded to beat Clayton Coppin by just 10 ounces. Though Lane weighed in only two bass in the finals (co-anglers have a three-bass limit), it was enough to tally 22-15 for the tournament and earn the win.
As the co-angler champion, Lane wins a Nitro Z-8 and 200 HP Mercury Optimax package.
James Elam’s 5-11 largemouth from Day 1 held on to claim Carhartt Big Bass honors and earn him a bonus check. Elam’s lunker struck a Texas rigged green pumpkin Zoom Brush Hog early on the first day.
2012 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Title Sponsor: Bass Pro Shops
2012 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Official Sponsors: Toyota, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Evan Williams Bourbon, Mercury, Nitro Boats, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha
2012 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Supporting Sponsors: Boat U.S., BOOYAH, Carhartt, Humminbird, Luck “E” Strike, Minn Kota, Power-Pole.
