When the fishing is tough and the bass don’t want to bite, what do you do? FISH HARDER! Could a lake actually wear a chastity belt? One has to wonder considering the scant amount of bass weighed in May 8, 2010. Only a dozen teams found limits, and of them Charles Whited and Bill Polkingorn found the biggest to win 1st place for over $26,000.
Temperatures were great. The wind blew hard. The fish were suspended with lock jaw. That basically covers the conditions the Central Region anglers had to contend with. To give you an idea how hard it was to lure a bite, 7.98 lbs got a check – yes, in a Bass Champs tournament!
Let’s start back at the top. Charles Whited & Bill Polkinghorn won 1st place with 17.12 lbs! “We drew boat 189, and was pretty bummed about it.” They hit their first couple of spots, but only caught a few small ones. The fish were suspended and didn’t want to bite. Using watermelon flukes and slab spoons, they positioned their boat in deep water, between 55′ & 75′ deep. The fish were suspended in 25′-30′ depths. “The bite got more aggressive as the day went on. We probably caught over 20 fish, but only 7 or 8 of them were keepers.” Near the end of the day, they caught their biggest that would anchor their win. Now their payback. $20,000 for 1st place, plus $5,000 from the Skeeter Bonus program. Another $1,000 for Big Bass honors with their 7.04 lb kicker, then the Costa Bonus ($200) , Sure Life Bonus ($200) WFN Bonus ($50) and the- all total the team took home over $26,400. “We would like to thank Bass Champs for putting on a ‘working man’s’ circuit.” They would also like to express appreciation for Power Tackle, Choke Canyon Lodge, Fisherman’s Corner, Texas Bass Tackle, Stanley Jigs, Skeeter, Yamaha, G & P Electric, and Barefoot Fishing Tours.
The weights dropped to 13.90 lbs for 2nd place anglers Randy Frederick and Gene White. “It was tough out there,” Gene began. “We started fishing shallow, but only got one small keeper off of a fence line.” The fish just weren’t there, and they had to figure something else out. “We lucked into a pattern under docks.” Using Texas rigged watermelon red brush hogs, they swam their baits in 50′ of water. “They were all suspended. It took all day to get the four we ended up with. The 5th just didn’t happen.” Bass Champs presented them with a $3,000 check for their 2nd place win. “We’d like to thank Bass Champs staff and crew for putting on a great circuit!”
Two teams tied for 3rd place, each weighing in 13.64 lbs.
Ronny and Eddy Maynard had found a location during practice that had lots of shad, and was holding some good fish. Using crank baits and Carolina rigs, they hit that spot expecting to have the same results they did in practice. “For the first hour, we couldn’t catch anything but 13″ fish,” Ronny recalled. “Finally, Eddie caught a nice one (4.86 lbs), so we stayed there. By 10:30 we finally had a limit in the boat, and caught two more after that but could only cull one time. After 11:30 we didn’t catch any more keepers.”
The pattern and timing for Cody Martin and Charles Simmons was just the opposite. “The day started out very slow for us,” Cody explained. “We didn’t have a single bite until after 10:30, then it just got better from there.” Their plan was to keep moving and hit as many docks as possible. “The fish were suspended, so we used slow falling baits, mostly flukes. It took all day, right up to the last minute to wrap up 5 keepers.”
The weights were small, but the payback was big. $37,960 was collected in entry fees, but the total payback was $42,500 in cash and prizes – 112%!
One more to go for the Central Region to wrap up the 2010 season. The final event will be on Lake Belton, June 12th. There will be a short break, then the qualified teams will fish the Championship on Toledo Bend October 9th-10th. $50,000 is guaranteed in an all cash payback between the top 3 teams. No entry fee is required. Qualifiers can also participate in the optional side pot for more chances to win. More details can be found on the Bass Champs website.
The Anglers of the Year will be determined after the final tournament. Top 5 points leaders:
635 Dean Alexander & Eric Crumley
626 Trey Groce & Gary Groce
625 Brandon Tingey & Blake Poncio
612 James Hester & Chet Sutton
610 Charles Reagan & Lowell Bennett
Staying on the move, Bass Champs staff and crew will head to Lake Lewisville for the North Region’s third event of the season May 15. All tournaments are open for anyone to fish, so pack up your gear for your chance to win even more!
For more information, contact Bass Champs at 817-439-3274 or visit the BassChamps website.By: Patty Lenderman
