Big Bass Fishing Names Battle in Texas this Weekend

Texans contend that everything is bigger in their home state, and I won't step into that debate. I do know that the list of anglers competing on Lake Conroe in this weekend's Toyota Texas Bass Classic includes many of the biggest names in the sport of bass fishing. Looking at the list of 50 competitors, which is built based on Angler of the Year final standing from the Elite Series, FLW Tour and PAA Tournament Series, I'm not certain there has been a more power-packed field with a blend of B.A.S.S. and FLW pros.

As the boats stage for blast off on Lake Conroe tomorrow morning, Kevin VanDam, Edwin Evers and Terry Scroggins will be right beside Brent Ehrler, David Dudley and Andy Morgan and many other best-of-the-best pros. Combined accomplishments of the TTBC field include more than 70 million dollars in career earnings, 22 Angler of the Year titles and 17 major championship wins.

I'll definitely be watching what happens throughout the weekend and posting updates on my facebook fishing page. Be sure to like that page if you have not done so already. To watch weigh-ins and follow live scoring, visit the TTBC website.

Video Tip from Terry "Big Show" Scroggins

To see more fishing videos produced by Nathaniel Samsel of Samsel Communications, please visit our YouTube channel.

The Donkey Delivers Big Bass

If Terry "Big Show" Scroggins is fishing in Florida, you can bet he has the "Donkey" tied on at least one rod -- and chances are fairly good that it's the one that's in his hand. The Donkey refers to a Smithwick Devil's Horse. Scroggins dubs it a donkey because of the way you have to work it, "Slow and steady, like a donkey."

Last weekend it was actually the " Swamp Donkey" because Big Show and Gerald Swindle were fishing Devil's Horses together on Toho, and Swindle decided to add more Florida flavor the name. The biggest fish the two of them weighed attacked a Swamp Donkey.

The Devil's Horse has been a favorite of Florida fishermen for decades. They especially like it because you can create a lot of commotion with the blades without moving the bait very far. It tantalizes big bass that are holding near cover, and they can't resist attacking. Old timers throw it year-round and in all conditions.

Scroggins contends that you really only need one color, which is chrome/black back/orange belly, and when he finds a specific bait that rests exactly how he wants in the water and makes just the right sound, he'll fish that one bait till he loses it or until the bass wear every bit of paint off it.

Florida Update

Well, tomorrow I hop on the big bird and head back toward Georgia after a great week of fishing and photo work. Blogs are behind, but it's not because I haven't had stuff to share. I've been without internet and have had no means of sharing.

First, a past-due final word about the PAA Tour Team Challenge. Bobby Lane and Gerald Brown, the Day 2 leaders, held on and won the event. Bobby's brother, Chris, won the previous week's B.A.S.S. Southern Open on the Harris Chain, just up the road from Kissimmee.

After the Toho weigh-in, Lawrence Taylor and I headed north to Salt Springs, Florida, which was our base camp for three days of fishing. We fished a day on Lake George with Tim Mann and then got together with Terry "Big Show" Scroggins and Cliff Prince for a day on the Harris Chain and a day on the St. Johns River. Each day was completely different, but all three were highly productive and lots of fun. I even managed to catch a pretty nice bass (pictured above) on an XCalibur Xt3 Twitch Bait, and added a hybrid to my 2012 species list. I'll follow with more about the fishing in upcoming blogs.

Sights Set on Florida Bass

"You should be hitting it about perfect," Tim Mann told me yesterday. Considering current conditions, the calendar and the 5-day outlook, Mann believes things are setting up nicely for a big wave St. Johns River spawners to move up between now and our Sunday outing. Things can change, I know, but I like Mann's confidence, and I'm looking forward to peering at some big ones on Lake George flat and hopefully getting to lock horns with a true heavyweight.

I'll also get to spend time fishing the St. Johns with Cliff Prince, a bass pro who will begin his rookie campaign as a B.A.S.S. Elite Series angler in month and a half on the same waters, which also happen to be his home waters. Terry "Big Show" Scroggins has said that Prince knows the river as well as he does -- and that says a lot.

Should be a great week of learning and gathering story material and a good chance to catch some nice Florida largemouths. Lawrence Taylor of BOOYAH Bait Company also assured me that he has some cool stuff to show me and for us to show to the fish. That means innovative tackle and tactics that I'll be able to share in stories.

First stop, though, is Orlando, where we'll attend the final-day weigh-in of the PAA Tour Team Challenge at Bass Pro Shops. The teams will actually blasting off at Lake Toho for their first day of fishing some time very soon. It sounds like the pros were down-talking what they'd seen in practice or not say much at all, so no one knows quite what will come to the scales. The lake is ultra clear now, and seemingly not many fish have moved up, so it could fish tough. But any teams find an early wave of spawners or the right pre-spawn spot, their bags could be enormous.

Toho Practice Begins Today

The current Kissimmee outlook warns of heavy fog, so the going might begin a little slow as PAA teams launch into first official practice day for the unique team event that begins on Thursday. The good news in the same forecast from a fishing fan's perspective is that the 5-day is full of sun and 80s. That means the Kissimmee Chain's fabulous bass fishing should show itself well and that some of the big girls in the system should be moving up onto their beds.

The PAA Tour Team Challenge promises big fun for fishing fans and for the fishermen themselves, who rarely get to fish together. Most pros have fished countless team tournaments over the years, but not at this level and with so many top names in the field. Add prime time for big fish on the legendary waters of Lake Toho and the rest of the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes...

Terry Scroggins and Gerald Swindle, good friends who travel together and share information during the Elite Series season, ended last year having to compete head-to-head in a B.A.S.S. play-off format tournament. This week they not only get to practice together, they get to compile their shared findings into a single strategy and fish side-by-side as a team come tournament time. Scroggins and Swindle have both won B.A.S.S. events on Toho, by the way.

Pairings also include Shaw Grigsby & Paul Elias; Russ Lane & Derek Remitz; Mike McClelland & Jared Lintner... And then there are the top pros that you can bet have matched themselves with the best local angler whose name I don't know but whose faces are very well known by anyone who ever fishes tournaments on the Kissimmee Chain. Should be exciting.

I'll have to learn all I can and report from home through most of the week, but on Saturday I'm Florida bound to watch the final-day stories unfold live!

YUM F2 Slam

Photos by James Overstreet; courtesy of B.A.S.S.

One of my favorite things about the time I spent working for YUM Bait Company was the opportunity to work closely with top fishing pros. Time spent together at writer events and photo shoots and behind the scenes at tournaments resulted in great friendships and an ongoing personal interest in these pros' professional success. Therefore, I couldn't help but notice that three of YUM's tournament superstars -- Edwin Evers, Terry "Big Show" Scroggins and Alton Jones -- finished 1st, 2nd and 3rd, respectively, in the B.A.S.S. Citrus Slam on the St. Johns river.

Jones, the 2008 Bassmaster Classic Chamption, also took over the top spot in the B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year standings, with Evers and Scroggins close behind in the second and fourth positions.

Evers, who fished exclusivley for spawning fish thoughout the event, stated that YUM's new F2 attractant formula was absolutely critical to his success, helping fish find his bait in somewhat stained waters. His comments about the importance of the F2 attractant echoed those of Alton Jones, who sight-fished most of the tournament using a 6-inch F2 Yum Dinger and led the event for the first three days. Scroggins combined sight-fishing (undoubtedly with YUM F2 baits, although I've not heard specifics yet) with a strategy of running and gunning ledges with Bomber crankbaits.

Congratulations Edwin, Terry and Alton.