Sudden Death & Alabama Rig Research

Photo Courtesy of PAA

One fish was all it took for Keith Combs to win the Toyota Texas Bass Classic and the $100,000 and Legend boat that came with the victory. One fish in a sudden death fish-off, that is.

After three full days of fishing, Combs and Mike Iaconelli had ended up tied atop the leaderboard, each with a weight of 76 pounds 12 ounces. Between Combs and Iaconelli, they had six daily limits of fish that average more than 5 pounds per bass, and they outfished the rest of the field by more than 25 pounds. Still, they were tied, and Combs was able to seal the deal with a 15-inch fish, which he caught on the same Norman crankbait he'd used throughout the week.

A championship event comprised of top pros from the BASS Elite Series, the FLW Tour and the PAA Tournament Series, the TTBC included 50 of the nation's top pros. It was held on Lake Conroe in Texas.

Meanwhile, the big buzz in the bass fishing world has been the Alabama rig, a unique multi-lure rig that's unlike anything that most bass fishermen had ever seen a week and a half ago. That was when Paul Elias revealed the crazy rig he's been using to blow away the field in the FLW event last week at Guntersville and to catch 102 pounds, 8 ounces in four days. The Alabama rig notched another big win last weekend at the Everstart event on Kentucky Lake.

Enough has been reported about the Alabama rig by folks who have seen it for themselves that I'm not going to re-hash it here. That said, I'm North Alabama bound tomorrow for three of fishing on three different lakes (including Guntersville) with four different pros. One of those pros, Chris Lane, was in the middle of all the excitement at the Guntersville tournament. If I get to see the rig and how it works first-hand, therefore, that probably will be my next blog!

White Bass Bycatch

"Now remember, guys, we're fishing for white bass," Gary Dollahon reminded Jake Bennett and me.

Bennett, who founded Numa Optics, had distracted us from the quest with a couple of fat channel cats, and we'd all caught more than our share of yellow bass.

Then I threw us even further off course when something heavy grabbed my Big Strike jiggings spoon and after a few minutes of slow, heavy tugging, a great big largemouth did a wallowing jump and then surged down, pulling harder. Eventually Dollahon slipped a net under the big bass. The fish measured 23 3/4-inches, which is a slot fish at Lake Fork. We didn't put it on scales, but my best guess that it weighed about 8 pounds.

About 10 minutes after we took photos and went back to fishing, Dollahon forgot his own instructions and caught a 5-pound largemouth on a jigging spoon.

Eventually we did get back to fishing and actually got the white bass we needed for a photo. Mission accomplished, and we sure had fun along the way!

Double Trouble on Lake Fork

Forget stereotypes. Lake Fork or no Lake Fork, the bass were busting little bitty baitfish so it seemed like a little bitty bait might be the ticket. I had Bobby Garland 1 1/2-inch Stroll'Rs and Swimmin Minnows in my bag, so I put one of each on a tandem set of small jigheads and laid the rig where it would be handy when the next schooling fish that popped up within range.

It didn't take long for schoolers to show themselves, so I grabbed that outfit and fired my little rig toward the breakers. Wham. A hit and miss. Three cranks later another hit, and this time it was hooked.

"Bring it in slowly and you might get another one," bass pro Stephen Browning said, knowing I had another loose jig on my rig. I did as he said, and the bass seemingly had read the script. That largemouth double turned out to be one of four Browning and I landed in an afternoon of throwing "crappie baits" for schooling fish and the first two of 20 or so largemouth bass.

The bad news is that we also lost our share. The 10-pound line on my Lew's Laser SL Speed Stick spinning outfit just didn't let me muscle 5-pound fish, so some found the trees. Browning and I both lost a couple of what we think were really nice bass.

Today was a far cry from what I think of when I think about Lake Fork, but it was a really fun day of fishing with a catch that ranged from catching dozens of barfish (yellow bass) on spoons to watching Browning catch a flathead that ate a football jig to doubling up largemouths with crappie jigs.

We'll see what tomorrow brings!

Different Paths

As I sit in the Atlanta airport, waiting to fly to Dallas, I find myself thinking about -- and praying for -- my young friend Calvin. Calvin also travels today, but our paths couldn't be much more different. While I'm flying to Texas to spend a few days fishing the legendary big bass waters of Lake Fork and to take photos, Calvin is traveling to Parris Island, South Carolina, where he is about to begin boot camp.

I admire and appreciate Calvin's decision to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps, and I know he will serve our country well, wherever the Marines take him. I'm thankful to be able to make my living writing fish stories, but I'm also very thankful everyone who chooses to serve in the military.

My daughter observed yesterday that its too easy to forget that every soldier is a person with a family at home and each with a unique set of interests, like riding bikes, fishing and playing musical instruments. She's right, and I'm certainly more aware of that today than I would be on other days.

Calvin - Know I'll be be praying for you as you begin your training.

Leaps of Faith

As the fall progresses I often debate whether to wear my waders. I prefer wading wet, but somewhere along the way it gets a little too chilly to simply step into the creek.

I chose wet wading this week. The Nantahala River wasn't that terribly cold, and it was so so low that I rarely stayed more than knee-deep for more than a few minutes. In fact, I often stood atop rocks, high and mostly dry.

My friend Calvin took his own approach. He put on neither waders nor wading boots, sticking with jeans and tennis shoes, and each time he came to a place where the rocks were more than a stride apart, he carefully calculated a leap and a landing place and then made his jump with confidence. Calvin fished everywhere Nathaniel and I did without ever getting wet, and he managed to leapfrog his way all the way across the river several times. His leaps were fun to watch and clearly added to my day, but I think I'll stick with short, cautious steps, whether wet or dry!

All-Day Learning

"How did you get out of school?"

Nathaniel hears that question a lot when we travel, especially when we are together on a weekday afternoon and it doesn't happen to be summer or Christmastime. "I'm home-schooled," he normally answers, with me adding that what we're doing together is part of his education.

Some folks ponder that a moment and affirm that he's probably learning more than others his age who are sitting in classrooms. Others nod their heads politely, probably convinced that he's missing much of what he's "supposed to learn" or thinking that he should be around other people his age.

A big part of our most recent trip was participation in the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association's annual conference. During the conference we took workshops related to writing skills, the publishing business and social and conservation issues. Nathaniel also learned first-hand how a membership meeting runs, shared in business conversations in the halls and around meal tables, sat at the head table for a breakfast, helped with an auction, played a big part in the pickin' and grinnin' SEOPA tradition and much more. Throughout the weekend, he spent time with writers, editors and other industry folks, plus their family members.

For a young man who has an interest in outdoors communications as at least a part of his vocation, it's hard for me to imagine better opportunities for all-day learning. He filled in an application while we were there and will soon become SEOPA's youngest student member. I'm thankful for the way the membership welcomed Nathaniel and got him involved with various aspects of the conference. He's already looking forward to next year's conference.

Buffalo to Taneycomo

Low water made for slower than normal fishing on Arkansas' Buffalo River, but that didn't make our outing any less fun. Nathaniel and I enjoyed a couple of fun days with friends. We floated the river yesterday and wade-fished this morning. And while the bite was slow overall, we did manage to wrangle of few smallies from the river's beautiful emerald-colored waters.
This afternoon, Nathaniel and I traveled to Lilley's Landing on Lake Taneycomo in Branson, Missouri. We fished two or three hours on our own this afternoon and caught a couple of browns and a couple of rainbows. Tomorrow morning we'll be back in the lake with TJ Stallings and a local guide. Taneycomo is famous for it's trout, so I'm looking forward to seeing more of the lake and its fishy residents.

On the Road Again

Photo by Alan Clemons

Tomorrow begins an excursion of work, school and play for Nathaniel and me. Stop No. 1 is the Buffalo River, a spectacularly scenic Ozarks river in Northern Arkansas. We'll float the Buffalo and stay in a cabin with friends (with Nathaniel adding evening front porch music) before continuing north to Branson to fish for trout on Taneycomo and then attend the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association's annual conference. At SEOPA, Nathaniel is most looking forward to an event called Breakout and to "Pickin' and Grinnin'" after the final evening's banquet. Our last stop will be Kentucky Lake, where we'll do photo work with Strike King's pro staff.