_____________________________________________________________________________
Summer Time Frog Fishing by Kevin Hawk
Enjoy this great tip on throwing the Frog on those hot summer days by now BASS Pro Kevin Hawk.
2013 Classic qualifiers announced- Bassmaster
2013 Classic qualifiers announced
James Overstreet
John Crews is one of the Elite Series pros headed to the Classic.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Thirty-one Bassmaster Elite Series pros were winners on Sunday, even though their victories didn’t involve trophies or titles.
What they received were coveted qualifications for the 2013 Bassmaster Classic, Feb. 22-24 on Grand Lake out of Tulsa, Okla. The Top 28 in the 2012 Elite points standings were officially awarded the berths at the Aug. 26 close of the regular season, the Ramada Championship on Oneida Lake.
Because duplicate qualifications open up Classic seats to anglers lower than 28th in the points, three additional seats went to the anglers in 29th through 31st place: Cliff Prince, Jason Quinn and Michael Iaconelli.
The three can thank Todd Faircloth, Chris Lane and Brent Chapman, all with multiple qualifications to pass down. Chapman — the newly crowned Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year — and Faircloth had already nailed down a 2013 qualification by winning an Elite event. Lane had one in the bag as the defending Classic champ.
Over the next few months, Lane and Chapman might be able to help out two other Elite pros. If Lane and Chapman complete their respective Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open seasons (Lane in the Southern Open, Chapman in the Central Open), they would be able to claim the qualification that came with their Open tournament wins earlier this season.
Sunday, those last-in breathed deep sighs of relief. But for many of the Elite anglers, the qualifications were no surprise. Those who maintained high points standings throughout the season had been virtually assured a 2013 Classic spot.
But several pros riding the cutoff bubble had been sweating it out for months. Those further down the points list made one last hard charge at the season finale on Oneida Lake. Still, others knew their only chance for Classic 2013 was the instant-in that a win at Oneida would give them.
Case in point: Boyd Duckett. He won the Classic in 2007, his first time in the big show. He qualified for four more consecutive Classics, but he failed to get there in 2012. Coming into Oneida in 53rd place in points, it looked like Duckett might sit out again.
“The Classic is the biggest event in bass fishing,” he said Saturday on the eve of his final push. “You spend your whole life trying to make one. And when you make one, you never want to miss another one. I can’t emphasize enough how bad it was last year not to make it.”
Duckett approached Oneida as a Classic quest. He knew he’d likely have to do it via the win-you’re-in rule. He started slowly — 27th on Day 1— then came from behind on the final day to knock out two-day leader Randy Howell.
“I came up here to try to make the Classic. I don’t know if I’m happier about that or winning,” Duckett grinned.
First-time qualifiers for the Classic were Nate Wellman, Yusuke Miyazaki, newly crowned Bassmaster Rookie of the Year Brandon Card, and Cliff Prince, also a 2012 rookie.
“Getting into the Classic was a primary goal starting out this season,” Card said. “I’ve been watching the Bassmaster Classic on TV since I was 7 or 8, and now I’ll be in it. I’ve never fished in Oklahoma, and I’m excited to get out there and try to figure it out.”
Prince was ecstatic.
“My main goal when I came here (to Oneida Lake) was to qualify for the Classic. Actually, it’s been my main goal for the year,” Prince said.
Five other Elite pros qualified for the Classic by winning an Elite event (see list below). One Elite rookie, Casey Scanlon, won a Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open, but he can’t officially claim his Classic seat until he participates in the division’s final event in September.
The Elite anglers who could land a spot through possible future double-qualifications on the Open level are Mike McClelland, Bella Vista, Ark., 32nd in points; and Jared Lintner, Arroyo Grande, Calif., 33rd in points.
It’s also possible that some other Elite angler would be Classic-bound by winning an Open. They would have had to have planned for it early in the season: To claim the Classic entry, a winner must compete in all three Open division events to collect the Classic entry.
Bassmaster Elite Series anglers who have qualified for the 2013 Bassmaster Classic (as of Aug. 26)
Elite anglers who won 2012 Elite-level events:
1. Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala.; 2012 Classic
2. Alton Jones, Lorena, Texas; St. Johns River Showdown
3 Ish Monroe, Hughson, Calif.; Power-Pole Slam on Lake Okeechobee
4. Brandon Palaniuk, Rathdrum, Idaho; TroKar Quest on Bull Shoals Lake
5. Jeremy Starks, Scott Depot, W.Va.; Douglas Lake Challenge
6. Brent Chapman, Lake Quivira, Kan.; Toledo Bend Battle
7. Todd Faircloth, Jasper, Texas; Mississippi River Rumble
8. Jonathon VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich.; Green Bay Challenge
9. Boyd Duckett, Demopolis, Ala.; Ramada Championship on Oneida Lake
The Top 28 Elite anglers:
1. Brent Chapman, Lake Quivira, Kan.
2. Ott DeFoe, Knoxville, Tenn.
3. Terry Scroggins, San Mateo, Fla.
4. Todd Faircloth, Jasper, Texas
5. Randy Howell, Springville, Ala.
6. Matt Herren, Trussville, Ala.
7. Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich.
8. Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla.
9. Bill Lowen, Brookville, Ind.
10. Aaron Martens, Leeds, Ala.
11. Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif.
12. Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla.
13. Greg Hackney, Gonzales, La.
14. Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala.
15. David Walker, Sevierville, Tenn.
16. Dean Rojas, Lake Havasu City, Ariz.
17. Nate Wellman, Newaygo, Mich.
18. Cliff Pace, Petal, Miss.
19. John Crews, Salem, Va.
20. Mark Davis, Mount Ida., Ark.
21. Yusuke Miyazaki, Forney, Texas
22. Brandon Card, Caryville, Tenn.
23. Gerald Swindle, Warrior, Ala.
24. Takahiro Omori, Emory, Texas
25. Shaw Grigsby, Gainesville, Fla.
26. Marty Robinson, Lyman, S.C.
27. Tommy Biffle, Wagoner, Okla.
28. Russ Lane, Prattville, Ala.
Elite anglers on Classic 2013 roster via others’ multiple qualifications:
29. Cliff Prince, Palatka, Fla.
30. Jason Quinn, Lake Wylie, S.C.
31. Michael Iaconelli, Pittsgrove, N.J.
Duckett schools 'em – 2012 Elite Series Ramada Championship Oneida Lake – Syracuse, NY
Alabama angler snaps up win on Oneida, lands elusive Classic berth
James Overstreet
Boyd Duckett embraces Randy Howell as they wait for Howell’s weight.
By Deb Johnson
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Boyd Duckett used to count on his red shoes as his talisman. Now it seems his two-week-old son is bringing him all the luck he needs.
In pro fishing, it’s half-jokingly called “the baby pattern” because pros with new kids have proved to suddenly be more motivated. And that was true for Duckett when he came from behind Sunday to win the Ramada Championship on Oneida Lake by 6 ounces, snapping up a win that Day Two and Day Three leader Randy Howell had hoped might be his.
But Duckett was driven by something else, too. The 2007 Bassmaster Classic champ was determined to qualify for the 2013 Classic, and he knew he’d likely have to do it via the win-you’re-in rule. Sitting 53rd in points going into Oneida, he knew that the only way left for that to happen was the Aug. 23-26 Oneida Lake event.
“I came up here to try to make the Classic. I don’t know if I’m happier about that or winning,” Duckett grinned after he accepted his trophy, the $100,000 prize — and his 2013 Classic entry.
“The Classic is the biggest event in bass fishing,” the pro from Demopolis, Ala., said Saturday on the eve of his final push. “You spend your whole life trying to make one. And when you make one, you never want to miss another one. I can’t emphasize enough how bad it was last time not to make it.”
After winning the Classic in 2007, Duckett qualified for the next five. The 2012 Classic he missed was after a dismal 2011 season — 84th place in points, he said.
“Last year I had a horrible season. This year, I worked really, really hard to prepare myself with a champion angler’s attitude,” he said.
Duckett approached Oneida as a Classic quest. He started slowly — 27th on Day One, with a middle-of-the-pack catch of 13-11. But on Day Two, he produced a whopping 17-1 sack and shot to second place. He kept second place on the third day, even though his weight was 14-0. On the final day, he pulled another huge sack out of Oneida — 17-0 — and surged past Howell. The score was Duckett, 62 pounds, 6 ounces to Howell’s 62 pounds even.
Oneida is 20-some miles long and miles wide in spots, but Duckett never saw much of it during the Ramada Championship. He found a sweet mix of largemouth and smallmouth bass in Maple Bay, and milked it for every bass he brought to the scales over four days.
He happened on the spot while sitting on shore during practice. He and Kelly Jordon, sharing a house on Maple Bay, were sitting at a picnic table and noticed roily water offshore.
“The fish were about 400 yards out, and we couldn’t quite see what they were — we thought maybe perch — but they turned out to be smallmouth,” he said. “And that’s how I found my fish.”
They held up all week. One area was more of a largemouth spot. There he mostly flipped a 3-inch Berkley Chigger Craw in green pumpkin or cinnamon, or a ChatterBait or Lucky Craft Gunfish topwater. When he saw smallmouth schooling, he’d troll to them, usually picking up his 4-inch blue-herring Berkley Hollow Belly swimbait rigged on a 1/8-ounce Buckeye J-Will swimbait head.
On Sunday, the Hollow Belly happened to produce a 4-3 largemouth (the biggest fish brought to the scales that day). That catch, said Duckett, was the turning point.
“I felt then I had a really good chance,” he said.
Howell of Springville, Ala., thought the same. For him, though, it was the sixth soul-trying attempt since 2006 to win an Oneida Lake event. Howell’s Oneida history includes a 24th-place finish in 2006; a ninth in 2007, a 20th in 2008, a 26th in 2009 after leading the first day, and a fifth in a 2011 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open.
He led Duckett going into the final round by 2 pounds, 6 ounces. But Sunday he managed only four bass — one shy of a limit — and fell 6 ounces behind.
“I can’t believe it, I really thought I still had enough,” Howell said on stage.
One of Howell’s primary patterns put him offshore in the wind, one factor Duckett did not have to contend with in the protected Maple Bay. Anglers complained that conditions were too calm for good fishing Day One. Winds were perfect on Day Two, but by the final round, the anglers had to concentrate to keep their balance in the big waves.
Howell’s primary lures were a Strike King Series 5 that produced a 3-11 largemouth on Sunday, his largest of the day. He also used a NetBait BK Swimmer, rotating pearl-white or albino on a 1/2-ounce Do-It Mold swimbait head, and a 1-ounce Monster Grass jig by Lunker Lure with a Kinami Baits Psycho Dad crawfish trailer.
He also relied on a Pop-R topwater and Super Spook.
He thinks back on the bass that blew up on his Pop-R on Sunday.
“I didn’t do anything wrong, it just didn’t eat it,” he said. “Four fish that weighed 14-4 were good, solid fish. Any size keeper was all I needed. That’s what really gets me.”
Finishing third was Scott Rook of Little Rock, Ark., with 60-7. It wasn’t quite enough to gain him a Classic berth that, like Duckett, he came to New York to win. Takahiro Omori, 2004 Classic champ, was fourth with 57-4. Ott DeFoe was fifth with 56-14.
The largest bass brought in Sunday was Duckett’s 4-3, not big enough to overtake Takahiro Omori’s 5-6 of Saturday for the Carhartt Big Bass of Tournament award of $750, plus another $750 if the angler was wearing Carhartt clothing.
Other bonuses awarded at the Ramada Championship:
* Berkley Heavyweight Award of $500 for the best five-fish limit: Michael Iaconelli’s Day One bag of 20-3.
* Power-Pole Captain’s Cash of $1,000 if the winner has Power-Poles installed on his boat: Duckett.
* Luck “E” Strike Comeback Award of $500 to the most-improved pro in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year points race: Duckett, from 53rd place to 35th place.
Next up for the Bassmaster Elite Series is the postseason event, the Toyota Trucks All-Star Week, Sept. 20-23 out of Decatur, Ill. The Top 8 in Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings qualified Sunday. Four anglers voted in by fans will join the eight qualifiers to compete for a piece of the $100,000 prize package. Voting will begin Tuesday, Aug. 28, online at Bassmaster.com.
Host organizations for the Ramada Championship included the Syracuse Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, Onondaga County Parks, New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, and The Great New York State Fair.
BASSMASTER.com
Duckett schools ’em – 2012 Elite Series Ramada Championship Oneida Lake – Syracuse, NY
Alabama angler snaps up win on Oneida, lands elusive Classic berth
James Overstreet
Boyd Duckett embraces Randy Howell as they wait for Howell’s weight.
By Deb Johnson
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Boyd Duckett used to count on his red shoes as his talisman. Now it seems his two-week-old son is bringing him all the luck he needs.
In pro fishing, it’s half-jokingly called “the baby pattern” because pros with new kids have proved to suddenly be more motivated. And that was true for Duckett when he came from behind Sunday to win the Ramada Championship on Oneida Lake by 6 ounces, snapping up a win that Day Two and Day Three leader Randy Howell had hoped might be his.
But Duckett was driven by something else, too. The 2007 Bassmaster Classic champ was determined to qualify for the 2013 Classic, and he knew he’d likely have to do it via the win-you’re-in rule. Sitting 53rd in points going into Oneida, he knew that the only way left for that to happen was the Aug. 23-26 Oneida Lake event.
“I came up here to try to make the Classic. I don’t know if I’m happier about that or winning,” Duckett grinned after he accepted his trophy, the $100,000 prize — and his 2013 Classic entry.
“The Classic is the biggest event in bass fishing,” the pro from Demopolis, Ala., said Saturday on the eve of his final push. “You spend your whole life trying to make one. And when you make one, you never want to miss another one. I can’t emphasize enough how bad it was last time not to make it.”
After winning the Classic in 2007, Duckett qualified for the next five. The 2012 Classic he missed was after a dismal 2011 season — 84th place in points, he said.
“Last year I had a horrible season. This year, I worked really, really hard to prepare myself with a champion angler’s attitude,” he said.
Duckett approached Oneida as a Classic quest. He started slowly — 27th on Day One, with a middle-of-the-pack catch of 13-11. But on Day Two, he produced a whopping 17-1 sack and shot to second place. He kept second place on the third day, even though his weight was 14-0. On the final day, he pulled another huge sack out of Oneida — 17-0 — and surged past Howell. The score was Duckett, 62 pounds, 6 ounces to Howell’s 62 pounds even.
Oneida is 20-some miles long and miles wide in spots, but Duckett never saw much of it during the Ramada Championship. He found a sweet mix of largemouth and smallmouth bass in Maple Bay, and milked it for every bass he brought to the scales over four days.
He happened on the spot while sitting on shore during practice. He and Kelly Jordon, sharing a house on Maple Bay, were sitting at a picnic table and noticed roily water offshore.
“The fish were about 400 yards out, and we couldn’t quite see what they were — we thought maybe perch — but they turned out to be smallmouth,” he said. “And that’s how I found my fish.”
They held up all week. One area was more of a largemouth spot. There he mostly flipped a 3-inch Berkley Chigger Craw in green pumpkin or cinnamon, or a ChatterBait or Lucky Craft Gunfish topwater. When he saw smallmouth schooling, he’d troll to them, usually picking up his 4-inch blue-herring Berkley Hollow Belly swimbait rigged on a 1/8-ounce Buckeye J-Will swimbait head.
On Sunday, the Hollow Belly happened to produce a 4-3 largemouth (the biggest fish brought to the scales that day). That catch, said Duckett, was the turning point.
“I felt then I had a really good chance,” he said.
Howell of Springville, Ala., thought the same. For him, though, it was the sixth soul-trying attempt since 2006 to win an Oneida Lake event. Howell’s Oneida history includes a 24th-place finish in 2006; a ninth in 2007, a 20th in 2008, a 26th in 2009 after leading the first day, and a fifth in a 2011 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open.
He led Duckett going into the final round by 2 pounds, 6 ounces. But Sunday he managed only four bass — one shy of a limit — and fell 6 ounces behind.
“I can’t believe it, I really thought I still had enough,” Howell said on stage.
One of Howell’s primary patterns put him offshore in the wind, one factor Duckett did not have to contend with in the protected Maple Bay. Anglers complained that conditions were too calm for good fishing Day One. Winds were perfect on Day Two, but by the final round, the anglers had to concentrate to keep their balance in the big waves.
Howell’s primary lures were a Strike King Series 5 that produced a 3-11 largemouth on Sunday, his largest of the day. He also used a NetBait BK Swimmer, rotating pearl-white or albino on a 1/2-ounce Do-It Mold swimbait head, and a 1-ounce Monster Grass jig by Lunker Lure with a Kinami Baits Psycho Dad crawfish trailer.
He also relied on a Pop-R topwater and Super Spook.
He thinks back on the bass that blew up on his Pop-R on Sunday.
“I didn’t do anything wrong, it just didn’t eat it,” he said. “Four fish that weighed 14-4 were good, solid fish. Any size keeper was all I needed. That’s what really gets me.”
Finishing third was Scott Rook of Little Rock, Ark., with 60-7. It wasn’t quite enough to gain him a Classic berth that, like Duckett, he came to New York to win. Takahiro Omori, 2004 Classic champ, was fourth with 57-4. Ott DeFoe was fifth with 56-14.
The largest bass brought in Sunday was Duckett’s 4-3, not big enough to overtake Takahiro Omori’s 5-6 of Saturday for the Carhartt Big Bass of Tournament award of $750, plus another $750 if the angler was wearing Carhartt clothing.
Other bonuses awarded at the Ramada Championship:
* Berkley Heavyweight Award of $500 for the best five-fish limit: Michael Iaconelli’s Day One bag of 20-3.
* Power-Pole Captain’s Cash of $1,000 if the winner has Power-Poles installed on his boat: Duckett.
* Luck “E” Strike Comeback Award of $500 to the most-improved pro in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year points race: Duckett, from 53rd place to 35th place.
Next up for the Bassmaster Elite Series is the postseason event, the Toyota Trucks All-Star Week, Sept. 20-23 out of Decatur, Ill. The Top 8 in Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings qualified Sunday. Four anglers voted in by fans will join the eight qualifiers to compete for a piece of the $100,000 prize package. Voting will begin Tuesday, Aug. 28, online at Bassmaster.com.
Host organizations for the Ramada Championship included the Syracuse Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, Onondaga County Parks, New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, and The Great New York State Fair.
BASSMASTER.com
Chapman reaches lifelong goal – bassmaster.com
Chapman reaches lifelong goal
TTBAOY trophy rewards the reinvented Kansan
Brent Chapman secured the 2012 Toyota Trucks Bassmaster Angler of the Year title — similar to being named MVP — on Day Three of the Ramada Championship on Oneida Lake.
By Deb Johnson
Aug 25, 2012
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Maybe Brent Chapman will let up now. The man many regard as the most focused, single-minded angler of the 2012 Bassmaster Elite Series has accomplished exactly what he set out to do at the beginning of the season.
Saturday, Chapman of Lake Quivira, Kan., was crowned 2012 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year, one of the sport’s prestigious achievements. The title comes with a $100,000 prize.
“This is what we all strive for,” Chapman said as he accepted the trophy in front of a crowd at The Great New York State Fair in Syracuse, where the Bassmaster Elite Series is holding its final two weigh-ins of the regular season.
“I feel like a huge weight has been taken off my back,” Chapman said. “To achieve a lifetime goal — well, I’ve never done that before. It’s probably going to take several days before it sinks in. It’s truly unbelievable.”
The newly crowned Angler of the Year triumphed in the most hotly-contested race in many years. He took the lead in points after the third event. One of his closest friends and traveling buddy, Randy Howell, was one of his strongest threats. Howell even took the lead from Chapman at one point (but they remain friends to this day). Todd Faircloth, and after him, Ott DeFoe, stepped up and turned up the heat.
Coming into the final event on Oneida Lake, Chapman was 13 points ahead of DeFoe, and 20 points in front of Faircloth. Others, such as Terry Scroggins, could have made a run on Chapman by shining at Oneida and walking through a door Chapman opened if he had made mistakes.
It would have taken both that open door and a stellar performance at the New York event to catch Chapman. He remained focused, he worked on his tackle until the wee hours each day, and he slept when he could. He was always forthright about the state of his nerves — up, then settled, then keyed high, then easier again. Even under the extra pressure, he remained gracious — and all along was a contender for the Ramada Championship title.
Saturday, he added to his two-day catch of 30 1/2 pounds by putting about 13 pounds in his livewell by 9:30 a.m. Only then, he said, did he begin to believe the AOY crown might be his. But Chapman still didn’t know what DeFoe had caught, so he was not confident. Back at the weigh-in site, he waited in the wings offstage for his turn to weigh his fish and find out if he won.
“People were already congratulating me,” he said. “But I’m like, ‘I haven’t got it yet. Until they hand me the trophy, I haven’t got it.’ ”
Chapman’s AOY triumph put an end to the reign of Kevin VanDam, who had a four-year command of the title from 2008 through 2011, and has won seven crowns so far in his career.
“It’s been a good run,” VanDam said. “I was trying to make it five. A lot of these guys have stepped up their game, and that’s what great about this sport.”
Card wins Rookie of the Year award – bassmaster.com
Card wins Rookie of the Year award
“Dare to fail” philosophy works well for top newcomer
Brandon Card of Caryville, Tenn., wins 2012 Bassmaster Elite Series Rookie of the Year Award in Syracuse.
By Deb Johnson
Aug 25, 2012
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — “Dare to fail.” That’s been Brandon Card’s sign-off line in several of his recent blogs on Bassmaster.com.
“This sport is about taking chances, and you can’t be always second-guessing yourself when you take a chance,” Card said.
The philosophy works well for him. Saturday, Card, 26, from Caryville, Tenn., was declared the 2012 Bassmaster Elite Series Rookie of the Year.
“All rookies set out at the start of the year to try to win this award,” Card said. “It helps people learn who you are and see what you can do. I’m honored to win it.”
Card outscored nine other Elite rookies by amassing 479 points over the eight tournaments of the regular season. His nearest challenger was Cliff Prince of Palatka, Fla., who came close to overtaking Card during this week’s season finale on Oneida Lake, the Aug. 23-26 Ramada Championship.
Pinnacle Optimus XLT Casting Reel – by John Crews
Check out the all new Pinnacle Optimus XLT Casting Reel at Tackle Warehouse..
CLICK HERE TO ORDER ONE TODAY
CLICK HERE TO ORDER ONE TODAY
Door still open for AOY – bassmaster.com
Door still open for AOY
Anything is possible at Oneida Lake
Brent Chapman
By Steve Wright
Aug 24, 2012
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — From magic to tragic, anything is possible at Oneida Lake this week in the Bassmaster Elite Series Ramada Championship. If there was any doubt about that, it was erased Friday in one of the most up-and-down days in Elite Series history.
Even though Toyota Tundra Angler of the Year points leader Brent Chapman stayed strong – dropping slightly from second to sixth – there was ample evidence that the good, the bad and the ugly are possibilities any day at Oneida.
Consider these examples Friday:
The good – Boyd Duckett moved from 27th to second, Tommy Biffle from 18th to fourth, and Brandon Palaniuk from 19th to seventh.
The bad – J Todd Tucker zeroed and plunged from third to 81st, David Walker caught only 2-3 and dropped from fourth to 74th, and Keith Combs had only 4-3 and fell from 25th to 73rd.
The ugly – Terry Butcher of Talala, Okla., was on the borderline for a qualifying spot in the 2013 Bassmaster Classic, which will be held in essentially his backyard at Oklahoma’s Grand Lake next February. He took a big step forward with 13 pounds, 11 ounces on Thursday, good for 27th place. Butcher had another 13 pounds in his livewell Friday, but he missed his check-in time by 11 minutes. The late penalties dropped his total to 2 pounds, 15 ounces and left him in 80th place.
“It was the biggest mistake of my life,” said the 41-year-old Butcher.
And it was an example of how your mind can short-circuit when under so much pressure. Butcher remembered his check-in time as 4 p.m., when it was actually 3:45. There was no lack of communication between B.A.S.S. tournament officials and Butcher. As he stated so clearly, “It was the biggest mistake of my life.”
On a lake that seemingly no one has figured out, the best thing Chapman has going for him is that he can’t fall nearly as far Saturday as he could have the previous two days; the 97-man field was cut in half to the top 49 for Saturday’s competition.
Extraordinary mental pressure? No angler is denying that.
“It’s literally a life-changing award,” said Chapman about the Toyota Tundra Angler of the Year title, which comes with a $100,000 check. “To be in this position is what we all strive for.”
But the 40-year-old Chapman has to have some doubts in his mind entering a once-in-a-lifetime day. Even though he weighed a five-bass limit of 13-12 Friday and has 30-8 over two days, he ended the day with some doubt.
“I caught my sixth fish at 10 o’clock and I never caught another fish,” Chapman said. “That’s got me a little nervous.”
Chapman’s story was no different than most. Nothing seems to be the same from one day to the next at Oneida Lake. Another example is Day One leader Mike Iaconnelli’s 20-3 Thursday and 10-6 Friday, which doesn’t begin the explain how he flirted with disaster.
Iaconelli, who needs a solid tournament to earn a Classic berth, had no fish in the boat at 12:30 p.m. That’s when he changed tactics and went to the bank with a finesse worm to salvage his day and, in essence, his season. He came so close to zeroing that he was euphoric about the five “small smallmouth” he boated in the next 2 ½ hours.
“If I don’t catch anything today, I’m not going to make the (two-day) cut or make the Classic,” Iaconelli said. “I salvaged a day that could have been an absolute disaster.”
Chapman is certainly trying to keep his mind clear of any negative thinking before what could be a, as he said, a “life-changing” Saturday. But his closest competitors for the AOY title haven’t gone away: Todd Faircloth stayed steady with another 14-pound day and is in 13th place; Ott DeFoe righted his ship and jumped from 59th to 23rd Friday. Terry Scroggins, Randy Howell and Matt Herren haven’t disappeared either.
If you don’t think anything can happen Saturday at Oneida Lake, you weren’t paying attention Friday.
Micah Frazier Inks Deal with PowerTeam Lures – August 22, 2012
Micah Frazier Inks Deal with PowerTeam Lures
August 22, 2012
Pamplin, Virg – Innovative soft plastics company PowerTeam Lures and FLW Tour professional Micah Frazier have agreed to terms for the 2012-2013 season. Details of the agreement are not disclosed, but both are excited for the opportunity to work and grow together.
Bob Bernotsky is excited about Frazier and the future. “Here at PowerTeam Lures we pride ourselves on being creative and providing excellent fish catching baits to anglers at all levels. Having a young up and coming angler like Micah Frazier fishing our baits on tour will be great for our company. Not only has Micah proven that he can be very competitive at any level, we also feel that he can help us create new and exciting baits for the future.”
Frazier is excited about the PowerTeam Lures product line, “ Their products are exceptional. I have tried several of them and I already have confidence that they will give me a competitive advantage over the other anglers. The Craw D’oeuvre is just so versatile (and an incredible flipping bait!) and the JP Hammer Shad is my new ‘go to’ drop shot bait. Plus that Finicky Tickler just puts them in the box…period”
Frazier finished in the money in six of seven FLW Tour events this season, his second season as a professional. Finishing the season ranked 28th has Frazier thinking bigger for 2013, “I had a good year this year. I can’t complain. More importantly I feel like I have gained a lot of experience and that will help me in the future. My second place finish on Lake Hartwell to start the season really got the ball rolling. I can’t wait for next season, especially with the new PowerTeam Lures baits, it’s going to be exciting.”
PowerTeam Lures is constantly working on new products and Bernotsky believes Frazier is going to be a big part of that process. “While Micah is on tour he fishes all over the country in all types of water ways” states Bernotsky. “And with his experiences on these fisheries, his info and feedback will definitely help us as we expand on our product line. I can also see a Frazier bait or two in the future, we’ve already discussed some of his ideas and we are looking forward to bringing them to reality.”
While Frazier is joining television personality JP DeRose and Elite pro Jamie Fralick on the national level PowerTeam pro staff, PowerTeam Lures is also accepting applications (found on their website) for regional anglers. “We really want to work with anglers from all around the country” explained Bernotsky. We know our products are winning tournaments from coast to coast and beyond, but the grass roots regional anglers play a very important role in spreading the word and creating awareness about our company. By helping these anglers, it’s a win win for both sides”.
Regional anglers interested in a regional Pro Staff position can apply on their newly redesigned website at PowerTeamLures.com
For more information on Micah Frazier visit MicahFrazier.com.
For more information on PowerTeam Lures visit PowerTeamLures.com.
Mike makes some magic – 2012 Elite Series Ramada Championship Oneida Lake – Syracuse, NY, Day 1
Mike makes some magic
Iaconelli surprises himself with 20-3 for Oneida lead
Seigo Saito
Mike Iaconelli kept repeating that he had a magical day.
By Deb Johnson
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — If Michael Iaconelli didn’t believe in magic before the Ramada Championship began, he sure sounded as if he did when the day was done.
“Magic” was the word he used over and over as he described his day of building a 20-pound, 3-ounce weight Thursday to put him in the lead at the Bassmaster Elite Series season finale on Oneida Lake.
“It was one of those magic days, when everything fell into place,” Iaconelli said on stage as he weighed the day’s largest bass, a 5-5 largemouth.
Iaconelli of Pittsgrove, N.J., stacked up a decent lead. He was 3 pounds, 7 ounces, ahead of Brent Chapman of Lake Quivira, Kan., in second place with 16-12. Iaconelli had 5 pounds on the pro in 12th place.
Chapman — the top contender for the 2012 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year crown to be determined at Oneida — inched ahead of J Todd Tucker of Moultrie, Ga., with 16-6. Tied for fourth at 15-15 were Clark Reehm of Shreveport, La., and David Walker of Sevierville, Tenn. Randy Howell of Springville, Ala., was sixth with 15-12.
Iaconelli said his stellar day gave him high hopes about his chances of qualifying for the 2013 Bassmaster Classic.
“I’ve had a lot of things going through my mind over our three days of practice, and even as I launched this morning. At the top of that list is being on the bubble for the Classic,” he said. “I’ve had one of those years that was riddled with mediocre finishes, and I can’t put my finger on why.”
In 31st place in the point standings coming into the season finale on Oneida, Iaconelli was not assured a berth into the 2013 Classic. A strong finish on the upstate New York lake likely will get him in.
He said he didn’t find much encouragement during his practice time on Oneida, but “I found enough clues.”
“I thought, let me go out and catch 12 or 13 pounds a day, and make this Classic. That was what my mind was today — not to win, not to catch 20 pounds, but to make sure I get into the world championship of fishing. Then things just started happening. Everything I did was magic.”
One of his magical moments came as he was unhooking one bass and placing it in the livewell. A short cast away, a school of bass “blew up.” He said he grabbed his rod and caught them at will for five minutes.
Another magic moment: “I flipped on a piece of cover that was probably a foot big,” and caught his 5.5.
Added to his magic was the fact that his 20-3 sack topped a previous one-day feat at Oneida, a 20-1 bag weighed in when the Elite field stopped here in 2008.
Iaconelli said he’ll stick to his game plan to target smallmouth until he has about 13 pounds, then move on to largemouth to upgrade his weight.
Chapman also felt relief after getting through the first tough day of a tournament that could change his career. He led the AOY race by 13 points over Ott DeFoe going into the first day. On Thursday, Chapman shored up his lead to a formidable 40 points over Todd Faircloth, now his nearest challenger.
Chapman bagged four smallmouth and one largemouth for his 16-12 total.
“It was an incredible day,” he said. “I had a spot I could start on, and I hoped I could catch a fish or two. I pulled in and a caught a limit in the first hour. I knew then I was doing something right.”
He upgraded, taking bass from other areas.
“I’ve got two good areas, and some I haven’t even been to yet, so I’m really looking forward to tomorrow,” he said.
Tucker started his day with a 4-5 largemouth, which turned out to be the largest of his day. He worked that fast start into 16-6 with repeated culls.
Like most in the field, Tucker had a mixed bag of smallmouth and largemouth.
“Some of my smallmouth were pretty good size, and I even ended up culling one of my largemouth to keep a smallmouth,” he said.
The Ramada Championship continues through Sunday. On Friday, the pros will launch their boats at Oneida Shores Park in Brewerton, N.Y., at 7 a.m., then return to the park to weigh their catches beginning at 4 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday, the pros will launch at the park at 6:30 a.m., then the daytime action will shift to the infield at The Great New York State Fair in Syracuse. The family-friendly Bassmaster Elite Series Expo will open at noon. The weigh-ins will begin at 4 p.m.