Pro Web Live, an Inside View

No doubt you've heard the buzz about Pro Web Live, which delivers live seminars by top pros like Aaron Martens, Jason Christie and Edwin Evers into your living room, and maybe you've visited the site and seen the list of pros and schedule of seminars.

A couple of weeks ago, I got a closer look that gave me a sense of just how cool and personal these sessions will be. I sat in on an early testing and training session that was designed to help the pros learn how the whole thing will work and to gain feedback from visitors using various types of browsers and computers and with internet connections of all speeds. Several similar sessions are planned because site administrators are determined to work out any bugs and to make certain presenters have a full understanding of all they are able to do before any sessions begin.

Martens, Christie, Dave Lefebre, Shaw Grigsby and Ott Defoe were all "in the room" during that session, and it was pretty cool how much it felt like we were all sitting together because of functions like a chat room, attendee list and question-and-answer area. I mostly stayed in the shadows, just watching to see how everything worked so that I could offer feedback, but I did chime in briefly after Lefebre noted that I was signed in.

The session I attended included no seminar. Instead, they were talking about all the options the pros would have for putting illustrations on the screen, sharing documents, linking to products they discussed and interacting with attendees, and it looks to me like each seminar will be a seriously cool experience. Seems ideal for a handful of friends to sign up for together and put on a big screen, timed perfectly, of course, for the session to begin shortly after the steaks come off the grill.

Below is a cool little teaser. Visit the Pro Web Live website to learn more about how it all works and too see the list of speakers, topics and dates.

Something New Coming

Here's all I know, and it comes from FLW Tour pro Dave Lefebre:

"Something fresh and all new is coming to the fishing world very soon! On this Thursday, Jan 2, a brand new company will launch what it is calling a win-win-win for everyone involved and long overdue. A win for the pro anglers, a win for the angler's sponsors, and a huge win for you, the fans of the sport!" This announcement will involve several of the top professionals from the BASS Elite Series and the Wal-Mart FLW Tours, including current BASS Elite Series AOY, Aaron Martens, the current #1 Ranked Angler, Jason Christie, FLW Tour standouts, Brent Ehrler and Dave Lefebre, BASS sticks, Edwin Evers, Brandon Palaniuk, and Ott DeFoe, not to mention a popular TV personality or two."

I don't even know who is making the announcement, but I suspect you could begin with Dave or any of the other names listed and watch their Facebook pages or Twitter accounts on Thursday, you can stay ahead of the game. I'll share more when there's more to tell, but I may be fishing on Thursday, so I'm guessing you can get the news faster by watching for it directly!

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.

Another Auburn Showdown For Classic Bid

B.A.S.S. photo by Seigo Saito

A year ago, Jordan Lee's final-day battle for a spot in the Bassmaster Classic field was against his brother and Auburn teammate, Matt Lee, and Matt edged him out to fish the Grand Lake Classic. A year later, after a full season of competition against college anglers from all over the country, Jordan Lee has again made it all the way to the final round and will be battling for an opportunity to fish the Classic. This year, instead of fishing against his brother, Lee will fish against his longtime best friend and another Auburn teammate, Shane Powell.

No matter which teammate brings in the best catch from Michigan's Grand River today, the Classic's college representative will again come from Auburn, which is an extra exciting prospect to either angler as the Classic will be held on Alabama's Lake Guntersville.

Today's competition is head-to-head, with weights from the past two days erased, and looking back at the last couple of days tells little about who is most likely to win. Lee had the biggest bag of eight anglers on Day 1 with more than 15 pounds, but conditions changed notably yesterday, and his best Day 1 pattern didn't hold up on Day 2. Had they been competing against each other yesterday, Powell would have won, but only by about a pound.

We'll find out this afternoon at 4:00 eastern. That's when they weigh 'em. You can watch it live on bassmaster.com. And when the college anglers get done, Hank Cherry, Kevin VanDam, Edwin Evers and Cliff Pace will weigh their fish for the All Star championship.

Sorting Out All Star Week

B.A.S.S. Photo Seigo Saito

Twenty-two anglers are fishing two separate events on three largely unknown Michigan waterways this weekend, with the competition beginning this morning. Fourteen B.A.S.S. All Stars are competing for total purse of $100,000 ($50,000 for first place). Eight top collegiate anglers are competing for a spot in the 2013 Bassmaster Classic at Lake Guntersville. The tournaments themselves, which are concurrent, both follow unique formats.

The All Star event begins with all 14 anglers fishing two days on Muskegon Lake. The top four from Friday's and Saturday's fishing will move onto the final round, with weights zeroed, and fish a single day on Sunday at nearby White Lake for the championship. All fourteen anglers got practice time on both lakes this week.

The All Star field includes the top eight anglers in this season's Angler of the Year Standings (Aaron Martens, Edwin Evers, Kevin VanDam, Bobby Lane, Keith Combs, Alton Jones, John Crews, Chris Zaldain); rookie of the year (Hank Cherry); 2013 Bassmaster Classic Champion (Cliff Pace) and four anglers chosen through fan voting (Brandon Palaniuk, Mike Iaconelli, Gerald Swindle, Skeet Reece).

The College Series Classic Bracket, which will take place on the Grand River, just south of Muskegon, includes the four two-man teams that finished highest in the College Championship on Lake Chatuge earlier this summer. The anglers won't competing as teams, though. Instead they'll fish as eight individuals in an elimination-style event that will finish with two anglers fishing head-to-head on Sunday for the chance to be the college representative in the Bassmaster Classic.

Learn more about how to follow both events at the unfold at www.bassmaster.com.

Martens & Rose Win

Congratulations to Aaron Martens, B.A.S.S. All Star Week winner and to Mark Rose, FLW Tour Open winner. B.A.S.S. Photo by Seigo Saito.

Final All-Star Match-Up Set

All Star finalists Aaron Martens and Edwin Evers. B.A.S.S. Photo by Seigo Saito.

Aaron Martens and Edwin Evers both won their brackets comfortably yesterday and are set to go head to head today on Illinois' Lake Decatur. Martens and Evers had similar catches in the semi-final round on the same waters, with Martens weighing 8-13 and Evers weighing 8-6. Evers does not think he will be able to get back into the area he fished yesterday because the water level dropped significantly. Martens, on the other hand, intentionally left fish a couple of times yesterday. Both have figured out way to catch some of these fish in a lake that is fishing very tough, so it seems like execution will be critical and that any given fish on the line could make or break the final round.

And Then There Were Four

Edwin Evers was the top finisher in the first round of All Star Week. B.A.S.S. photo by Seigo Saito.

Edwin Evers and Ott DeFoe continued to roll on day two of  B.A.S.S. All Star week and easily took the top two spots in the first round of the event. Third and fourth places went to Aaron Martens and Gerald Swindle. The other eight All Stars are finished.

Except for determining match-ups, the order of the top four doesn't matter today. They begin with a clean slate as Evers goes against Swindle and DeFoe goes against Martens in an elimination round. Tomorrow the two winners will compete head to head in the championship round. Patterns and spots the pros have had working also don't matter because they are fishing a different lake for the remainder of the competition.

The Bassmaster Blog is a great place to log the action as it unfolds today and tomorrow.

Edwin Evers Takes Early Lead

Edwin Evers brought the lone limit to the scales from Day 1 of B.A.S.S. All Star Week and took an early lead in the competition. B.A.S.S. Photo by Seigo Saito.

With the first round of B.A.S.S. All Star Week halfway in the books, Edwin Evers and Ott DeFoe (who places 2nd and1st in last year's all stars) have stepped ahead of the pack. Evers and DeFoe weighed 13-1 and 11-3, respectively, yesterday, with the other 10 competitors each bringing 7-7 or less to the scales. All 12 All Stars will fish again today at Illinois' Lake Shelbyville, and then only the top four will move on to Lake Decatur, where they will fish head to head in a two-day seeded elimination tournament. Tomorrow's semi-final round will include two one-on-one match-ups, and the two winners of those matches will compete for the All Star title on Sunday.

Neither Evers nor DeFoe opted to say much about yesterday's patterns. Today's competition is on the same waters, which fished tough yesterday. Evers brought in the lone limit, and only DeFoe and Aaron Martins, who is currently in 3rd place, brought in four fish. Six of the 12 anglers brought in one or less fish from the first day of competition.

To Branson & Back & Branson & Back

Tomorrow I hop on a plane out of Atlanta to fly to Branson, Missouri for a writers' event at Big Cedar Lodge on Table Rock Lake. This is a fun and productive event that I've attended before, where I get the opportunity to do interviews and photo work with top pros like Kevin VanDam, Rick Clunn and Edwin Evers, using the beautiful backdrop of an Ozarks lake and enjoying the comforts of an outstanding resort. The weather forecast looks good, so I expect to get a lot done in only a few days.
I get home from Branson on Wednesday night, and then on Sunday morning, Nathaniel and I hop in the truck and begin driving back toward Branson! Actually, we'll drive first to the Buffalo River in northern Arkansas, where we're looking forward to a couple days of float-fishing with friends. The main objective of the trip, though, is to attend the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association's annual conference in Branson.

While we're in Branson, Nathaniel and I are looking forward to trout fishing on Lake Taneycomo. I've long heard about the fine trout fishing on these waters, but I've never fished there.

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.