It has been a long wait for tournament anglers to get back to what they love best – fishing tournaments! Every year Bass N Bucks accommodates their more than ready anglers with their December event, and 249 teams entered. Over $52,000 was paid out in thirty places. It didn’t take long to realize when the teams began coming to the scales that we were going to see a large number of bass.
In the days approaching the tournament, weather conditions were mild with increasing winds. As anglers pre-fished and looked for quality bass, the impending cold front which was headed this way was heavy on their mind. Depending on the timing of its arrival, it could change depths, locations or fishing patterns literally overnight and therefore the strategies that each angler had established. High winds prevailed the day before, so for safety reasons the anglers were allowed to trailer to their destinations. The morning of the event started out mild, with gentle winds. As the day progressed the temperatures dropped and the winds picked up. Most teams reported a steady bite all day, and brought in 128 limits to the scales, weighing in a total of 2,134.20 lbs. That’s a lot of Sam Rayburn bass!
David Mauldin & Clark Reehm brought in the top stringer at 22.64 lbs, earning them a $10,000 payday. They were fishing semi-deep patters using ½ oz Jeane’s Jigs with Kicker Craw trailers in black/blue and watermelon colors. They enjoyed an all day bite catching about 50 keeper bass to cull from. “The spot we fished was a hard clay shelf with isolated grass. These fish are always there, and they bit well for us today” David explained. Clark pulled in their kicker bass at 7.72 lbs, which was the second largest bass of the tournament. They would like to thank their sponsors, Legend Boats – American Rodsmith – Jeane’s Jigs – Royal Purple Lubricants – Lowrance and Kicker Fish Baits.
Chris McCall and Clayton Boulware took 2nd place with 22.24 lbs winning $4,000. “We had a really good day and caught a ton of fish” Chris began. “We used Berkley Frenzy traps and Stanley Jigs in shad patterns and pumpkinseed colors. We fished shallow, about 3′-6′ in ditches and drains around grass. We went north to find our fish, and by the end of the day we were culling 3 1/2 lb fish.” They would like to thank their sponsors: Ranger – Evinrude – 7 UP – Terry’s Marine – Abu Garcia – Falcon Rods – Berkley
3rd place was won by Charlie McGee & Craig Burns with 21.94 lbs, winning $3,000. They fished deep water, about 35′ with a Carolina rigged watermelon Reaction trick worm. Staying on the south end of the lake, they fished main lake creek channels at the drop offs. “We’ve fished this spot for years. We only go to it during tournaments, no other time. We had 7, 6, and 4 pounders in our limit and we were culling bass up to 2 1/2 lbs. All total we caught about 25 fish” – Charlie McGee. They would like to thank Triton Boats, American Rodsmith, Reaction Lures, Berkley Trilene, Yamaha and Minnkota.
The Big Bass of the event weighed 9.79 lbs and was caught by Jim Brockman fishing with partner John Hunter. The team finished in 5th place overall and won a total of $3,100. Jim caught her on a 1/2 oz pumpkinseed rattle trap just after 7am. “We were fishing a point just off an island in about 3′-5′. She slammed that trap – I thought I was hung on a log!” It didn’t take him long to realize that he had a monster bass at the end of his line, and once he got her in he had to take a short break. Some to settle down from the excitement, but also to change the hooks on his lure that had been bent beyond further use by the bass.
Overall Standings:
| 1st | $10,000 | 22.64 lbs | David Mauldin & Clark Reehm | |
| 2nd | $ 4,000 | 22.24 lbs | Chris McCall & Clayton Boulware | |
| 3rd | $ 3,000 | 21.94 lbs | Charlie McGee & Craig Burns | |
| 4th | $ 2,800 + | 21.46 lbs | Jason Wells & Vic Cooper $1,000 Champion Bonus |
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| 5th | $ 2,100 | 20.32 lbs | John Hunter & Jim Brockman | |
| 5th (tie) | $2,100 | 20.32 lbs | David Padgett & Phillip Lasswell | |
| 7th | $ 2,000 | 19.51 lbs | Mike Michalec & Harold Stalcup | |
| 8th | $ 2,000 | 19.46 lbs | Harold Allen & Glen Freeman | |
| 9th | $ 2,000 | 19.30 lbs | David Wharton & Ray Beck | |
| 10th | $ 2,000 | 19.27 lbs | Jeff Wooldridge & Jerrel Pringle | |
| …….and last in the money | ||||
| 30th | $ 500 | 16.12 lbs | John Gunnels & Dicky Newberry | |
| Big Bass | $1,000 | 9.79 lbs | John Hunter & Jim Brockman |
Castaway Rods provided the first two teams out of the money brand new rods. Joe Rials & Bobby Hebert, Rusty Clark & Shelby Shaw each received a new Castaway Rod for their arsenal.
Jason Wells, winning 4th place with his partner Vic Cooper, won the $1,000 Champion Bonus for being the highest finishing Champion Diamond Club boat owner in the tournament. Champion Boat owners who are a member of the Diamond Program are eligible for a $2,000 Bonus for a first place finish or $1,000 for the highest finisher should the winner not be in a Champion Boat. For more information on how to qualify for the Champion Bonus Dollars visit the ChampionBoats website and click on – Diamond Program – Requirements.
The next event is scheduled on Toledo Bend at Cypress Bend February 12th. Toledo Bend is currently experiencing record low water levels, and the location of that event may be changed. Please watch for updated information at Bass-N-Bucks website or call 409-727-8941.
Bass N Bucks 2006 sponsors include: Champion Boats – Mercury Motors – Gander Mountain – Lowrance – MinnKota – CastAway Rods – Wulf Outdoor Sports – Power Pro – Rat-L-Trap – Snag Proof – X Tools – Dual Pro Charger – Power Tech – Pro Rule – FishingWorld.com – Super 8 Motel – The Stump Restaurant – Alpine Resort & Marina – Need More Tackle – Ann’s Tackle Shop – Toledo Town & Tackle – Piney Point PlazaBy: Patty Lenderman / Lakecaster
