Oldest & Youngest in Forrest Wood Cup

Jimmy Houston

While looking over details about the Forrest Wood Cup, I couldn't help but notice that two of the anglers I'd most like to see enjoy success in this year's championship stand out as the oldest and youngest in the professional field. Jimmy Houston, 69, is the oldest. Jacob Wheeler, 23, is the youngest.

I can't deny that I'm pulling for Jimmy Houston above anyone else in the field. I started watching him catch bass and hearing that giggle when I was 12 years old, and his show undoubtedly played a part in my career choice, along with providing valuable early fishing lessons. I appreciate his work ethic, his smile, his love for his wife and most of all his eagerness to share God's love. Working with Jimmy on photos or a story is always a delight.

I'm also very impressed by Jimmy's place in the FLW Angler of the Year standings that earned him qualification, given the frantic schedule he runs, and I'd love to see him excel in the Cup -- which he might. Jimmy may be the most accurate and efficient caster I've ever been in the boat with, and he brings an extraordinary knowledge of bass behavior. He's also a spinnerbait specialist, and the Red River lends itself mighty nicely to tying on a BOOYAH spinnerbait and working it through a lot of thick stuff.

Jacob Wheeler - FLW Photo

I won't claim to know Rapala pro Jacob Wheeler, last year's FWC champion, very well. In fact, I met him in person for the first time last month at the ICAST show in Las Vegas. I've interviewed him for stories a few times, however, and can say that he's among the best in the business at helping with stories. He's quick to return calls and thorough with answers and seems to have a knack  for explaining why he does what he does. His helpfulness as a story source, similar to his fishing success, defies his young age and limited years as a pro. Jacob also has been a grand champion and would serve FLW well were he to bring it up another notch and become the first FWC champ to successfully defend the title and bring home another Cup.

FLW Pros & Vendors Georgia Bound

FLW pros I follow are tweeting up a storm about preparation, travel and anticipation, with the Forrest Wood Cup only eight days away. A 46-man world championship event with a 1/2 million dollar first prize, the Cup begins next Thursday on Georgia's Lake Lanier.
Events begin sooner, though. Chevy Pro Day is on Saturday, so top pros from the Chevrolet team, including Jimmie Houston, Larry Nixon and Jay Yelas, will be meeting fans and signing autographs from 4-10 at Rick Hendricks Chevrolet in Duluth.
The competitors will be on the water next week looking for patterns and groups of fish and trying to figure out winning strategies.
For now pros are Georgia bound. Soon to follow will be the many venders who will be displaying at a huge outdoors expo that accompanies the Cup and will be held at Gwinnett Center, which will also host daily weigh-ins.

Barbless Only Please

"Remember we pinch all our barbs," Jimmy Houston reminded Nathaniel and me as we we stood by my truck, rigging rods with YUM Dingers and other offerings. We were visiting the Houstons' Oklahoma ranch and were just about to hit the lake for a few hours of afternoon fishing.

Only barbless hooks may be used on Jimmy's lake, which is the epitome of sound fisheries management. Bass, crappie and bluegill are all fat, healthy and abundant in this 125-acre lake, which also offers a perfect blend of grass, timber and open-water habitat. Banning barbs allows for quickl and simple releases and helps keep the bass in great condition.

Nathaniel and I boated somewhere around 100 fish in an afternoon and a morning, and while I missed my share of strikes due to faulty hook sets or other factors, I cannot think of a single fish that either of us lost and that I think we would have landed had we had barbs on our hooks. On the other hand, I can remember a few specific fish that took baits quickly and got hooked deep. I was able to slip out the barbless hooks easily. With barbs, I'm pretty certain some of the same fish would have bled and been kept out of the water much longer and might have become marginal release candidates.

Our experience has been exactly the same at Dry Run Creek, Nathaniel's favorite special-regs trout stream in Northern Arkansas. Keep the line tight, and the fish fish don't get off anyway, but they sure are easier to release in good condition.

I think the barbless requirement is a really good one for any waterway where most fish will be released, and I commend Jimmy Houston for his commitment to sound management on his property.

Seriously Bassy Morning

Leaving the water was tough this morning. In fact, Bruce Stanton, Nathaniel and I arrived at the breakfast table a little later than the rest of the gang. It's tough to abandon frequent doubles of chunky largemouths, all up shallow and attacking wieghtless YUM Dingers, Houdini Shads and Yumphibians. It was especially tough for Nathaniel and me because after breakfast it was time to hop in the truck and begin the long drive to Georgia.

Collectively, our boat tallied 51 fish in the 2 1/2 hours between sun-up and breakfast. Our biggest bass probably weighed about 4 pounds. This morning was also extra fun for me because Bruce and I have been friends for 16 years and have spend many days in boats or wading in streams together, but had not had the opportunity to fish together for a few years.

I'm thankful to Jimmy and Chris Houston for their wonderful hospitality. They treat every guest at their ranch as a friend as they share a place that they obviously love.

Bass, Bass & More Bass

Nathaniel and I enjoyed one of the most fun afternoons we've ever spent together on the water. We're visiting Jimmy Houston's ranch in Oklahoma, and we got to spend a few hours piloting one of Jimmy's boats and casting for bass. Between us, we caught 40 fish, the biggest of which weighed about 5 pounds. Nathaniel also caught a whopper bluegill, which he spotted in the water and then sight-casted to with a Lindy ice jig.

I also gained confidence in a bait I'd never thrown before -YUM's new Yumphibian. I caught the bulk of my fish by casting a weightless Yumphibian close to the bank or near cover and swimming it just beneath the surface. We'll spend a few more hours on the lake tomorrow morning before beginning the long drive back to Clarkesville.

Learning From the Best of 'Em

As Rick Clunn cast a topwater plug toward a Table Rock bluff and spoke of the things he likes best about fall fishing, I couldn't help but consider how fortunate I am to be able to make my living writing fish stories. I began this morning watching Brian Snowden pull a 5 1/2-pounder off an offshore hump as I learned about his favorite summer strategies. Yesterday started with an hour in Kevin VanDam's boat doing photo and video work, followed soon after with time on the water with Jimmy Houston, Edwin Evers and Ott DeFoe.

Tournament wins and TV time aside, each of these pros has spent thousands of hours on the water, so the opportunity to ride along, take photos and ask questions allows me to learn so much in such a short period of time. Beyond that, relationships with many of the pros and other writers have grown into friendships, and I'm thankful to get spend time with my friends at a beautiful lodge as a big part of my job.

I'm writing from the Branson airport, and I'm also thankful that I'll be back home tonight. Not for long, though. Nathaniel and I leave Sunday morning for Branson, Round 2.