Nearly one month after BASS veteran Tommy Biffle’s nail-biter of a win at the Bassmaster Elite Series event on Alabama’s Wheeler Lake, BASS will return to the popular fishery for the second Bassmaster Southern Open presented by Oakley, set for April 30-May 2. Fishing conditions just four weeks later, however, will be somewhat different.
Wheeler Lake, which is home to populations of both largemouth and smallies, has been the site of 11 BASS events, including the Bassmaster Elite Series’ Evan Williams Bourbon Dixie Duel in April, when Biffle of Wagoner, Okla., took home the trophy with a three-day total of 50 pounds, 13 ounces, in the weather-shortened event.
At stake for the pros is a top prize of $45,000 and valuable points toward qualifying for the 2010 Bassmaster Elite Series season and two berths in the 2010 Bassmaster Classic, set for Feb. 19-21 on LayLake out of Birmingham, Ala. Co-anglers will compete in the Opens for the top prize of a boat/motor package valued at $32,000. After Day Two, the field will be cut to the top 30 pros and co-anglers, who will advance to Saturday’s final day of competition.
At the Elite event in March at Wheeler, which typically doesn’t fill up until mid-April, Biffle capitalized on rising water levels and dirty water while flipping along a shoreline in extremely shallow water. He relied on three baits - a jig, a beaver and a lizard, with most of his fish being caught with the Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver in black and red. In the mornings, he worked his bait slowly and with a deliberate hop through buck brush, but as the day wore on and water temperatures rose, it turned on the bite and he alternated with the jig and lizard.
Elite Series pro Casey Ashley of Donalds, S.C., finished second to Biffle with a three-day total of 46 pounds, 4 ounces. Ashley will compete in the Southern Open, for which practice starts April 27, one day after the Elite event finishes up at Smith Mountain Lake out of Moneta, Va.
At the Elite event in April at Wheeler, Ashley mainly fished a bluff wall in First Creek, using a jerkbait until the water muddied before the final day and he switched to a jig. He said he expects the fish most of the pros found along the shoreline in April to be finished spawning and out in the Decatur Flats.
“There might be a good many still shallow, in the bank grass, but they’ll mostly be in the Flats,” Ashley said. “Everyone will be piled up on top of each other.”
Ashley said he thinks competitors will find success with a Rat-L-Trap, jig or spinnerbait, or crankbaits in 8 to 10 feet of water.
“I think some of the places I was catching them last month will still have fish in them,” Ashley said. “That’s only the second time I’ve ever fished that lake, but I’m going to say it’ll run the same on weights this time. It’ll probably take 14-15 pounds a day to win. You’ll see a few with 20-pound bags, maybe 22 or 23 pounds, but that’s not going to be an everyday thing.”
Fans are invited to the Open’s Thursday-Saturday takeoffs and weigh-ins at Ingalls Harbor, 701 Market Street NW, in Decatur. Anglers will launch their boats at 5:45 a.m. CT and the weigh-ins are scheduled to begin at 2:05 p.m. All activities are free and open to the public. The daily weigh-ins for the second stop of the Southern Open will be streamed live on Bassmaster.com, along with other unique content including photo galleries, live leaderboards and daily game stories.
The final stop in the three-tournament Southern Open division is the Oct. 22-24 event on Santee Cooper Reservoir out of Manning, S.C.
For more information, contact BASS Communications at (407) 566-2208 or visit Bassmaster.com. Visit ESPNMediaZone.com for ESPN’s latest releases, schedules and other news.
The Decatur Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau is the tournament host.
Official Sponsors of the 2009 Bassmaster Opens: Toyota Trucks, Berkley, BOOYAH Baits, Evan Williams Bourbon, Mercury, OPTIMA Batteries, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha Marine.
Supporting Sponsors of the 2009 Bassmaster Opens: Bass Pro Shops, Triton Boats.
About BASS
For more than 40 years, BASS has served as the authority on bass fishing. With its considerable multi-media platforms and expansive tournament trail, BASS is guided by its mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times and Fishing Tackle Retailer and comprehensive Web properties in ESPN360.com, ESPN’s sports broadband network,Bassmaster.com, BASSInsider.com and ESPNOutdoors.com, the organization is committed to delivering content true to the lifestyle. Additionally, television programming on ESPN2 continues to provide relevant content - from tips and techniques to in-depth tournament coverage - to passionate audiences.
The organization oversees the prestigious Bassmaster tournament trail, which includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bassmaster Opens, Women’s Bassmaster Tour and the Bassmaster Classic, the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing. Through its grassroots network, the BASS Federation Nation, BASS sanctions more than 20,000 events annually.
BASS also offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members while spearheading progressive, positive change on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.
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Media Contact: Doug Grassian; (407) 566-2216 or doug.grassian@espn.com
BASSMASTER SOUTHERN OPEN POINTS STANDINGS
Place Name St Pts
1 Bryan Hudgins Fla. 310
2 Scott Ashmore Okla. 295
3 John Kremer Fla. 290
3 Bobby Lane Fla. 290
5 Timmy Horton Ala. 280
6 Greg Vinson Ala. 276
7 Todd Auten S.C. 272
8 Jimmie Murphy Fla. 268
9 Mike White Ohio 264
10 Terry Segraves Fla. 260
11 Dave Wolak N.C. 257
12 Ben Quisno Ohio 254
13 Eric Stong Fla. 251
14 Scott Mcgehee Miss. 248
15 David Kilgore Ala. 245
16 Luke Estel Ill. 243
17 Casey Ashley S.C. 241
18 Jason Knapp Pa. 239
19 Preston Clark Fla. 237
20 Terry Scroggins Fla. 235
21 Jason Williamson S.C. 233
22 Keith Poche Ala. 231
23 Pam Martin-Wells Ga. 229
24 James Charlesworth Fla. 227
25 Joe Clements Fla. 225
26 Mike Prindle Ga. 223
27 Peter Thliveros Fla. 221
28 Wayne Clifton S.C. 219
29 Robert Grosso Fla. 217
30 Jimmy Mason Ala. 215
31 Sean Hoernke Texas 213
32 Jeremy Prouty Fla. 211
33 Bradley Roy Ky. 209
34 J Todd Tucker Ga. 207
35 Scott Mason Ky. 205
36 David Cooke N.C. 203
37 Brannon Jones Ala. 201
38 Wayne Hauser N.C. 199
39 Darrin Schwenkbeck N.Y. 197
40 Sammy Burks Mo. 195
41 Wade Grooms S.C. 193
42 Jason Berg Minn. 191
43 Luke Gritter Mich. 189
44 Josh Guess Fla. 187
45 Gerald Gostenik Mich. 185
46 James Anderson Fla. 183
47 Mark Menendez Ky. 181
48 Ron Wolfarth N.C. 179
49 Patrick Kelly Ala. 177
50 Sandy Melvin Fla. 175
51 Russ Lane Ala. 173
52 Bradley Enfinger Ga. 171
53 Rogne Brown Tenn. 169
54 Derek Jones Ill. 167
55 Justin Hamner Ala. 165
56 Allen Glasgow Ala. 163
57 Will Evans Fla. 161
58 Jeff Fitts Fla. 159
59 Hiroshi Kojima Ala. 157
60 Charlie Ingram Tenn. 155
61 Mark McCaig Ala. 153
62 Lance Vick Texas 151
63 Scott Browning N.C. 149
64 Andre Moore Ala. 147
65 Trevor Fitzgerald Fla. 145
66 Patrick Pierce Fla. 143
67 Chris Wilkerson Texas 141
68 Marty Robinson S.C. 139
69 Homer Humphreys La. 137
70 Clifford Dawson Fla. 135
71 Shawn Strader Tenn. 133
72 Glenn Delong Ohio 131
73 Mike Hawkes Texas 129
74 Bob Eagleston Fla. 127
75 John Crews Va. 125
76 Chris Payne Ala. 123
77 Brian Elder Ga. 121
78 Rodney Allen Ind. 119
79 Teb Jones Miss. 117
80 Jim Johnson Wisc. 115
81 Brad Wall Ohio 113
82 Kevin Langill N.C. 111
83 Chris Barnett Tenn. 109
84 Kyle Kempkers Mich. 107
85 Preston Johnson Wisc. 105
86 Jim Hardy Ala. 103
87 Arnie Lane Fla. 101
88 Rick Ash Pa. 99
89 Brad Staley N.C. 97
90 Christopher Foley N.C. 95
91 Kevin Pulsifer Fla. 93
92 Brian Rufty Ky. 91
93 Roger Bitz Fla. 89
94 Aaron Martens Ala. 87
95 Alan Rae S.C. 85
96 Paul Pagnato Va. 83
97 David Perdue Va. 81
98 Frank Scalish Ohio 79
99 Brandon Coulter Tenn. 77
100 Chad Morgenthaler Ill. 76
101 Jim Short Md. 75
102 Ray Brazier Tenn. 74
103 Trevor Knight Del. 73
104 Charlie Hartley Ohio 72
105 Larry Rollings S.C. 71
106 Johnny Patterson Ala. 70
107 Parks Jones S.C. 69
108 Tony Chachere La. 68
109 Dustin Evans Tenn. 67
110 Thomas Warren Ill. 66
111 Tyrone Cypress Fla. 65
112 Tom Frink Calif. 64
113 Chris Lane Fla. 63
114 Brian Easler S.C. 62
115 Gene Barnette Ala. 61
116 James Castillo Wash. 60
117 Chad Hall Ala. 59
118 Jimmy Liao Fla. 58
119 Kyle Fox Fla. 57
120 Curtis Reeves Ga. 56
121 Kurt Dove Texas 55
122 Joseph Kastner S.C. 54
123 Evan Boutwell Ga. 53
124 James Mcmon Ala. 52
125 Jason Quinn S.C. 51
126 Landon Lomax Ala. 50
127 Jack Wade Tenn. 49
128 Bill Rea Ohio 48
129 Rodney Chastain S.C. 47
130 Robert Comalander Ala. 46
131 Larry Cahan Fla. 45
132 Thomas Little Va. 44
133 Kyle Walling Ky. 43
134 Jo Dee Lake Ala. 42
135 Wesley Parton Ala. 41
136 Tony Sapp Ga. 40
137 Paul Keltner Tenn. 39
138 Ronald Ryals Fla. 38
139 Russell Colwell Md. 37
140 Andy Morgan Tenn. 36
141 WM Kooi Fla. 35
142 Gary Riffle Texas 34
143 Tim Ezell Fla. 33
144 Paul Kimball Conn. 32
145 Randy Elliott Md. 31
146 Andy Gaia Texas 30
147 Steve Linville Ohio 29
148 David Burch Fla. 28
149 Brett Mitchell S.C. 27
150 Brian Hatfield Ky. 26
151 John Cromwell Tenn. 25
152 Harry Moore Ala. 24
153 Chris Anderson S.C. 23
154 Sam Swett La. 22
155 Jerry Morgan S.C. 21
156 John Strider N.C. 20
157 Robert Miley Fla. 19
158 Butch Tucker Ga. 18
159 Frank Jordan JR Ga. 17
160 Preston Henson Calif. 16
161 Derek Remitz Ala. 15
162 Jason Lieblong Ark. 14
163 Steve Hayden N.M. 13
164 Phillip Criss Ala. 12
165 Nick Supik Pa. 11
166 Jelani Hennessey Va. 10
167 Jeff Cloud Texas 9
168 Steven Wisdom Ala. 8
169 John Smith Ga. 7
170 Bo Bain Tenn. 6
171 Sam Greer Ky. 5
172 Keith Phillips Ala. 4
173 Gregory Roth Canada 3
174 Rick Morris Va. 2
175 Jim Turner Ind. 1
176 Paul Molan Ohio 0
176 Mark Cole N.C. 0
176 Gary Cronin Ga. 0
176 Allen Duke Fla. 0
176 Mary Delgado Fla. 0
176 Tim Saylor Tenn. 0
176 Scott Wiley Ala. 0
176 Bryan Talmadge Ala. 0
176 John Condray Fla. 0
176 John Dacko Mich. 0
176 Tom Ondras Ill. 0
176 Lee Sisson Fla. 0
176 Charlie Hill Ky. 0
176 Brian Mathis N.C. 0
176 Brannon Long Texas 0
176 Dean Rojas Ariz. 0
176 Jason Seaton Ind. 0
176 Cecil Douberly Fla. 0
176 Cliff Prince Fla. 0
176 Billy Charland Fla. 0
176 Mike Haggerty Tenn. 0
176 James Butler Tenn. 0
Media Contact
Doug Grassian; (407) 566-2216 or doug.grassian@espn.com