Morgan clinches AOY, Martin moves into lead – Flwoutdoors.com
Casey Martin took the lead on day two after catching a 27-pound limit of Lake Chickamauga bass. (Photo by Brett Carlson)
FLW Tour veteran clinches coveted Angler of the Year award in front of home crowd
28.Jun.2013 by Brett Carlson
DAYTON, Tenn. – One of the most consistent anglers in bass fishing finally clinched the prestigious Angler of the Year title as Andy Morgan put in a workmanlike effort on Lake Chickamauga, his home water, to seal the deal. Meanwhile, a Walmart FLW Tour rookie desperately seeking to qualify for the Forrest Wood Cup jumped into the lead at the halfway point in the tournament.
The hometown crowd got exactly what they wanted Friday. Not only did Morgan clinch AOY, but the other two prominent locals, Michael Neal and Wesley Strader, caught 20-pound plus stringers and sit near the top of the leaderboard.
For Morgan, the AOY win was special, but not surprising. For the better part of a decade the Dayton, Tenn., pro has threatened for AOY, but with no true smallmouth fishery and the season ending in east Tennessee, this was Morgan’s year.
“You called it earlier in the year, my chances at winning without a smallmouth lake on the schedule were so much greater,” Morgan said. “But after Beaver Lake, where I took 68th, I thought I had no chance, no chance. Usually there is one person who goes all year without a slip-up.”
Morgan gained some ground on Keystone Light pro Brent Ehrler at Lake Eufaula and then surged into the lead at Grand Lake. On his home pond, he never looked back – fishing mainly deep brush and stumpy ledges.
“I took it slow, one cast at a time, one hour at a time, one day at a time. How sweet it is to win it right here in the hills and hollers of Dayton.”
While the AOY race is over, Morgan isn’t done fishing as he made the top-20 cutoff in 14th place.
Morgan clinches AOY, Martin moves into lead – Flwoutdoors.com
Casey Martin took the lead on day two after catching a 27-pound limit of Lake Chickamauga bass. (Photo by Brett Carlson)
FLW Tour veteran clinches coveted Angler of the Year award in front of home crowd
28.Jun.2013 by Brett Carlson
DAYTON, Tenn. – One of the most consistent anglers in bass fishing finally clinched the prestigious Angler of the Year title as Andy Morgan put in a workmanlike effort on Lake Chickamauga, his home water, to seal the deal. Meanwhile, a Walmart FLW Tour rookie desperately seeking to qualify for the Forrest Wood Cup jumped into the lead at the halfway point in the tournament.
The hometown crowd got exactly what they wanted Friday. Not only did Morgan clinch AOY, but the other two prominent locals, Michael Neal and Wesley Strader, caught 20-pound plus stringers and sit near the top of the leaderboard.
For Morgan, the AOY win was special, but not surprising. For the better part of a decade the Dayton, Tenn., pro has threatened for AOY, but with no true smallmouth fishery and the season ending in east Tennessee, this was Morgan’s year.
“You called it earlier in the year, my chances at winning without a smallmouth lake on the schedule were so much greater,” Morgan said. “But after Beaver Lake, where I took 68th, I thought I had no chance, no chance. Usually there is one person who goes all year without a slip-up.”
Morgan gained some ground on Keystone Light pro Brent Ehrler at Lake Eufaula and then surged into the lead at Grand Lake. On his home pond, he never looked back – fishing mainly deep brush and stumpy ledges.
“I took it slow, one cast at a time, one hour at a time, one day at a time. How sweet it is to win it right here in the hills and hollers of Dayton.”
While the AOY race is over, Morgan isn’t done fishing as he made the top-20 cutoff in 14th place.
Castaway Anglers – Smith Mt. Lake Open Night Results – 6/22/2013
Hey Everybody,
We had 11 boats participate in our open tournament this past Saturday night. It was a tough night, but we had some good weights and nice fish weighed in. Below are the results and I have attached a picture of the first place stringer. Congrats to all who participated.
Jimmy
Smith Mt. Lake Open Night Results – 6/22/2013
Howard/Eggelston – 19.18 lbs. Big Fish – 4.28 lbs.
Angel/Funk – 11.06 lbs.
Willis/Wood – 9.32 lbs.
Harris/Tyree – 8.22 lbs.
Langford/Milner – 7.08 lbs.
Orange/Walker – 6.76 lbs.
Cooper/White – 6.70 lbs.
July 2013 SML Fishing Report By Captain Dale Wilson
SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE FISHING REPORT
July 2013
DALE WILSON’S
SML GUIDE SERVICE
PHONE NO: 540-297-5650 / 540-874-4950
www.captaindalewilson.com
The picture is of Otto Hecht holding a 5 lb. Largemouth bass caught 6/24/13 from Jacksonville, Nc. while fishing with Captain Dale Wilson and Roger Griffin from Tazewell, Va.
OVERVIEW: Please be extremely careful when operating your boat or personal water craft during the summer boating season! Most species of fish have moved to their summer habitat. The hot weather and heavy boat traffic has made most fishing best at night or early morning. The majority of the lake is clear and the water temperature will be in the 80’s. .
Largemouth Bass-Fishing will be fair. Best lures will be top water lures, shaky heads, crank baits, Texas rigged plastic worms and jigs. Most largemouth bass have moved to their post spawn habitat. Best depths will be from the surface to 20 feet deep. Early morning, late afternoon and at night will be the best time to fish this month .Some shad will continue coming to the shoreline late at night. Some bass will feed on top water this month.
Smallmouth Bass- Fishing should be fair. Best areas will be ledges, long points and humps. Best lures will be top water lures, tube lures, drop shot rigs, and shaky heads. Best areas will be in the mid to the lower sections of the lake. Cloud days will be the best time to try your luck. They will also feed at night when the shad come to the shoreline.
Striped Bass- Fishing should be good. Stripers will be caught mostly in the mid to lower sections of the lake and Stripers will also be found in the dam area. Best lures will be swim baits, buck tails, and Zoom flukes fished with 3/8 to 3/4 oz. jig heads during the day. Night lures that work best are wake baits, Thunder sticks, Red-fins and swim baits. Live bait and trolling will also be a productive method.. The best depth should be from the surface to 50 feet deep. Best time to try your luck will be early morning.
Crappie-Fishing for crappie will be fair to poor. They will be found 10 to 20 feet deep this month. Best areas will be in the main creeks around docks, fallen trees, and brush piles in the mid to upper sections of the lake. Small live minnows and 1 ½ inch tubes and twister tail grubs fished on 1/16 to 1/8 oz. lead heads will work best to catch crappie this month. Small Gulp minnows also work well when fished on small lead heads or drop shot rigs. Light line (4 lb. test) will help you catch more crappie.
Tip of the month: Night time will be your best time to try your luck for bass. The Stripers feed better early in the morning before the heavy boat traffic starts. If you have young children, bream are easily caught around most docks. Make sure to leave your running lights on after dark and wear your life jacket.
Fishing with Jeff "The Squirrel" Kriet at Lake Lanierb – Tips Video
In part 6 of the Big Bite Writers Conference on Lake Lanier Kriet gives us some tips on fishing his Squirrel Tail Worm/Shakey Head and the Big Bite Cane Thumper.
TACKLE WAREHOUSE.com
TACKLE WAREHOUSE.com
Fishing with Jeff “The Squirrel” Kriet at Lake Lanierb – Tips Video
In part 6 of the Big Bite Writers Conference on Lake Lanier Kriet gives us some tips on fishing his Squirrel Tail Worm/Shakey Head and the Big Bite Cane Thumper.
TACKLE WAREHOUSE.com
TACKLE WAREHOUSE.com
Biffle comes from behind for win – Bassmaster.com 6-23-13
Biffle comes from behind for win
Darren JacobsonLA CROSSE, Wis. — Tommy Biffle was watching the clock. With 45 minutes left in the final round, Biffle knew it was time to give up on the special smallmouth spot he’d been milking during the entire four-day Diet Mountain Dew Mississippi River Rumble presented by Power-Pole.
Thirty years of pro bass fishing tells you to when to make a move.
“If you sit there and hope they come and they don’t come, you have do something,” said Biffle, 55, of Wagoner, Okla.
Going into Sunday’s final round, Biffle was 7 ounces in back of leader Aaron Martens of Leeds, Ala. Biffle wanted the win, and especially the Bassmaster Classic berth that comes with an Elite trophy.
He abandoned the spot that had kept him in contention all week, and ran to a similar place he knew of nearby, with hard current between two islands. It hadn’t produced much before, but Sunday it paid off quickly.
“First throw, I caught a big one, second throw I caught a big one,” he said. He built his weight to 16 pounds, 13 ounces.
It was enough to get the better of Martens by 2 pounds, 7 ounces. Biffle won with a four-day total of 64-2. The win was the seventh in his Bassmaster career, and his fourth in the Elite Series. He also hit the $2 million mark in B.A.S.S. earnings.
Biffle’s prize was $100,000 and an instant-in for the 2014 Classic.
