For Immediate Release Jan 25, 2012 Gardena, CA Sunline America is proud to announce that it has signed Gerald Swindle to its’ pro staff. Gerald will join some of the best anglers in the world that make up the Sunline America pro staff. Swindle brings a full list of accolades to the Sunline pro staff including 12 Classic appearances and 2004 BASS Angler of Year.Nubuyoki Kajio, President of Sunline America says;” I believe Gerald will become a great part of the Sunline team. He is a very accomplished and popular angler that will be a great asset in raising awareness of the Sunline brand in the US market. Sunline America and its parent company Sunline Japan are committed to growing the popularity of Sunline products in the US market. Sunline’s pro staff members have numerous wins on both major tours over the last couple years and we expect Gerald will add to that total in 2012 with the help of Sunline products”.Gerald Swindle adds “I am thrilled to be a part of the Sunline pro staff. Sunline has a superior product and it will help me fish too the best of my ability. I look forward to having the confidence to know if I can get the fish to bite, I can get them in the boat. What do the bass and I have in common? We have both been caught by the world’s best fluorocarbon, Sunline.”Sunline gives you The Strength To Guarantee Your Confidence.

BGS recently got a sneak peek at Big Bite’s all new Shaking Squirrel finesse worm. This bait comes in 11 colors, and is an all new offering in the Jeff Kriet Signature Series soft plastics. The worm has been designed from super-soft material that gives the worm exceptional action, but we found the material to somehow be durable enough to survive the abuse of catching multiple fish. Here is our review:

Shaking Squirrels are S-O-F-T!

The first impression out of the bag is “Wow, this thing is really soft”  Big Bite has solidly positioned itself as a competent worm maker, and the plastic used in the new Shaking Squirrel is dead on target with what a finesse worm should be. We were so impressed with the flexibility, we coiled one on the deck of the boat just to demonstrate how soft and flexible the worm is. Try that with an ordinary finesse worm!

For the rest of the Article and the video go to:

http://www.biggeorgiaspots.com/lures/78-general-lure-articles/145-all-new-from-big-bite-the-shaking-squirrel-finesse-worm.html?showall=1

It was the first day of the Dixie Duel on Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Alabama, and the time difference from here and home had us at the dock much earlier than we planned. There was a beautiful sunrise just in front of me, and I reveled in the light breeze drifting across the water and through my hair.     

     As Drew and I walked down the dock, I was kind of glad that we had extra time. I love a lake anytime, but especially at sunrise, and being there, seeing it, breathing it never gets old.  Hand in hand we strolled, my hubby and me, giving and receiving many “Good mornings” from the B.A.S.S. staff, marshals, and even the pros themselves who were busy preparing their gear for the day. 

     I love to talk to people, and sometimes I can’t help blurting out whatever’s on my mind, but I’ll admit I cannot talk fishing with these guys like my husband can, so if I want to know an answer to a fishing question, I ask Drew.  If he doesn’t know, he’ll ask the pro for me.  Walking past pro after pro, I was looking for something to jumpstart my creativity, looking for my next story.  And that’s when I saw it.    

     It was a cowboy hat.

     Now, I’m from the south, so cowboy hats are not an uncommon sight, but what intrigued me was that it was on the head of an Elite B.A.S.S. pro angler sitting in a boat, and I had never seen the two combined.  I was wondering just how I could invade this guy’s space and ask about the hat without interrupting his game-day routine and mindset. 

     As we started getting closer to him, something else caught my attention.  Lying all over the front deck of his Ranger boat, were a lot of orange “sticks”.  I’m not opposed to orange, unless it is football season and it’s “gator orange”, but the girl in me was liking this pretty shiny orange and the way the sun shone off of the bright color.    

     Luck was with me because Drew stopped right in front of this pro and started talking to him about the “sticks”, so I stuck my nose, or rather, ear in.  I learned they were actually Carrot Stix rods, and one of Matt’s sponsors.  It was evident that my husband knew what they were, and as I listened politely, I read the name on the angler’s boat–Matt Greenblatt. 

     While Drew continued the fish talk with Matt, I walked over to the boat tied next to his, whose owner, Nate Wellman, I knew from West Point.  I had talked at great length with Nate after the Pride of Georgia and knew that he was a fun, down-to-earth guy, and I felt comfortable enough to bug him while he prepped for the day. I also learned from the banter between these two pros that they were good friends.

     Still, I had not spoken to Matt, nor had I looked him directly in the face yet, so I traded jabs with Wellman for a few minutes, and then I looked back over toward Greenblatt about the time he looked up.  That’s when I saw another interesting “thing”, only this time I marched right over.

     “Where’d you get your eye blacks?” I interrupted.  Not “Hey” or “How are you”, or anything remotely related to fishing, just that one question.  I had missed them before because they were either hidden by his sunglasses or his hat—maybe both, but I asked him for a better look.

     I live and breathe college football, so I had seen eye blacks plenty of times, in other sports, too, but this was the first time I had ever seen an angler, pro or amateur, wearing them.  Now I was curious.

     He smiled up at me from his boat and then stood so I could get a better look.

     One read “Carrot Stix” in orange, the other “River2Sea” in red and silver, another of his sponsors.  I learned he had just gotten the eye blacks in the mail only days earlier, and this was the first time he would be using them.

     I told him I would definitely catch up with him at the end of the day to see how they worked for him and get any comments that the other pros threw at him.

     After he weighed his day’s catch, I pulled him off to the side and started my nosey poking.

     “Well?” I started. “How’d they work?”

     “Pretty good,” he said. “They just take getting used to, but overall pretty good. I’m happy with them.”

     “Did any of the guys rag you about them? Give you a hard time or anything?” I asked.

     “No, they loved them!” he said excitedly. “I told them I was going to start a new trend.”

     Next, I wanted to know about the hat, so I eased into that by asking where he was from.  I had noticed a touch of a northern accent that morning and was a little surprised when he told me he lived in West Palm Beach, Florida. 

     Of course, I couldn’t keep my mouth shut, so I kidded, “Oh, no you’re not a Gator are you?”  

     “No. I’m Penn State!” he clarified.  I informed him of my allegiance to my Dawgs and we talked some football—football I can talk with anyone and without help.

     “Is the cowboy hat your trademark?” I asked, tapping it with my finger.

     He explained that he had worn it at a previous tournament and had decided to “keep it”.

     It was a sweltering day, and I asked him what he did to stay hydrated while he fished and if he ever ate out there on days like this.

     “The only thing I usually eat is cold pineapple…cut it up, throw it on ice, and it’s good the whole day. The legendary Gary Yamamoto turned me onto it years ago,” he told me.

     The way he said “legendary” with such admiration and respect, I asked if Mr. Yamamoto was his fishing hero.

     “Most definitely,” he said with a big smile.

     “When you’re out here, and you look around you, do you still have the ‘awe factor’?”

     He answered immediately, “Are you kidding me? Look who I’m fishing with! These guys are the best of the best.”

     I then asked, “If you could spend one day just fishing with one of these guys who would it be?”

     “VanDam, no doubt. He’s amazing, and I know I could learn a lot from just watching him.”

    I discovered that his favorite thing to do when he’s not fishing is traveling—and fishing, fishing, fishing!

    By the end of the Dixie Duel, I was happy to have added a new buddy to my faves list.  That list of mine gets longer every time I talk to one of these pros.  Amazing athletes, but more amazing are the men behind the sport.    

See ya at the dock!

**Author’s note:  Matt corrected me that he was NOT single.

Well, don’t say I didn’t tell you so!  Weeks ago I predicted that 25-year old Tennessee native, Ott DeFoe would have a memorable Father’s Day—his gift (among others) would be the title of Rookie of the Year.

It turns out that his R.O.Y. award was a good present for Father’s Day, but the best gift of all was having his family there to cheer him on.  His wife, Jennie, had delivered twins, Elizabeth and Parker, only a few weeks before the start of the Dixie Duel and not having been home since June 6^th, I could only imagine how Ott must have been itching to get off the stage and get his arms around his wife and children. 

As the trophy was presented, I felt a little too much pride; after all, HE did all the work, I just recognized a good man when I met him.  His fishing ability and impressive stats speak for themselves. 

As Ott was talking with Dave Mercer on stage, I glanced over and saw his 4-year old daughter, Abbie, looking up at the stage and couldn’t help but feel a heartstring tugging. 

Weeks ago I had spoken with Jennie on the phone, and Drew and I have gotten to know Ott over the last few tournaments, so I knew all about Abbie.  When I saw this beautiful little girl looking up at her daddy, I remembered what Jennie had told me when I asked about their daughter, “She’s definitely Daddy’s girl.” 

I watched the way Abbie stood in front of that large crowd, her back to it, not noticing the scurry of activity around her.  The way she stood staring up at the man on stage, seeing, not a famous man from TV, not an award winning fisherman, not the future of bass fishing, but just seeing Daddy.

DeFoe not only finished first in the amazing rookie class, he finished fourth in overall points which earned him a trip to Toyota All-star week.  He said at the beginning of the season his goals included: making a Top 12, winning Rookie of the Year, qualifying for the Classic, earning a spot in the postseason, and winning an Elite tournament.

 I don’t like to brag (ok sometimes I do), but I was there for all the goals he achieved (Ott take note, it just may be that I am your lucky charm): 

Top 12: check—Pride of Georgia at West Point and Dixie Duel at Wheeler.

Winning Rookie of the Year: check—awarded at the Dixie Duel.

Qualifying for the Classic: check—confirmed at Dixie Duel (Ott double qualified).

Earning a spot in the postseason: check— announced at the Dixie Duel.

 “Winning (an event) is the only one of my goals I didn’t make this season,” he said. “But I think winning in your rookie year is asking quite a bit.”

 I will remind Ott that the post-season is still included in the season, as far as I’m concerned, so let’s complete that check-list, ok?

 See ya at the dock!

 *Hear more about Ott from what I learned through his wife, Jennie, in an upcoming installment of “Through Her Eyes”.

Kevin VanDam, better known as KVD, of Kalamazoo, Michigan, wins the 2011 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year award.  This is Kevin’s seventh A.O.Y. title and his fourth in a row!

VanDam also became the first pro to land AOY and Classic titles in the same season for two seasons running. 

 Kevin said, “Every pro wants to win Angler of the Year because it is our sport’s highest award. It shows you’re at the top of your game and it rewards consistency. I haven’t won a regular-season tournament this year. This one means as much if not more to me”

VanDam clinched the Angler of the Year title on day three of the Dixie Duel. By Saturday no angler had a mathematical chance of overtaking VanDam in the points standings. With the points race win, Vandam will increase his bank account by $100,000.00.   

 Evers finished in second place. Evers faded after the first two days of Dixie Duel competition even though he did make the top fifty.  “I don’t have any quit in me,” Evers said.  “I don’t have any regrets,” and then added laughing, “except VanDam.”

VanDam won his first Angler of the Year crown in 1992, his second title in 1996, third in 1999. Then he started dominating: 2008, 2009, 2010 and now 2011. He has also won the Bassmaster Classic: 2001, 2005 and back-to-back in 2010 and 2011.

“It’s harder now to win,” he said. “And when I won that first one, I really didn’t understand the magnitude of what it meant to win an Angler of the Year title.”

“Winning the Classic is a big deal — an incredible, awesome accomplishment. It’s the toughest tournament there is to win, but it’s one tournament. I think if you ask most anglers, they’d say winning Angler of the Year is harder,” he said.

 Since his first Bassmaster tournament in 1987, VanDam has won $5.2 million — more than the second- and third-place money winners combined — on the B.A.S.S. circuit. VanDam has qualified for 22 consecutive Classics (counting Classic 2012). He has posted top-10 finishes 94 times. He has stacked up a record 20 Bassmaster event wins, including the four Classics.  He has been called the Tiger Woods of fishing, but we prefer to say Tiger is the KVD of golf.

Congratulations Kevin!

See ya at the dock!

     By now, most of you know that I am married to a fisherman. A man who, like most of you, is obsessed with fishing; a man afflicted with the ‘fishing disease’.  Eventually, my husband’s love for the sport had me curious about the professional side of it. Normally when Drew (my husband) would watch the tournaments on television, I would read, but when he was watching the Bassmaster Classic in 2004, I willingly sat with him and became easily enthralled with the event. By the time the winner was crowned, I was captivated by the sport as well as the men of the sport.  From that day forward, I followed it and quickly developed a few favorites.

     When Steve Kennedy joined the Elites, I added him to my rapidly growing favorites list and told my husband.  I knew Drew’s list of favorites was a closely guarded secret because, as he always says, “I like them all”, but I also knew that Steve Kennedy was among the few he openly cheered for.  I explained my reasoning was because, to me, Steve exuded happiness; he seemed to be smiling all the time, even if he’d had a “bad” day.  After listening to me talk about my reasons, Drew smiled and started telling me the story of fishing his first BFL tournament at 16 years old and having the pleasure of meeting Steve.  How had I not heard this before, I thought, though I knew my husband never liked to brag or talk much about himself or his “fishing days”.  Maybe it was because it hurt to recall what could have been or to think of the dream he had put on hold, or perhaps it was his way of letting me choose my own athletes without his influence.  Whatever the reason, he seemed to get a kick out of me getting into the sport, his sport.        

     We watched every tournament together, waiting for Steve to cross the stage, and that’s how we “met” Louie, Steve’s four-legged buddy.  Drew and I always looked for Louie at the weigh-ins; he would “sing” when Steve’s music was played.  We watched him cheer his daddy on from his mama’s lap, the loving lap of Steve’s wife, Julia. 

         On the third day of the Pride of Georgia tournament, as I left the dock after launch, I spotted Julia Kennedy. In the early dawn chill, I walked over and asked if I could ask her a few questions. 

     “Sure,” she answered jovially, her eight month old son and 2 ½ year old daughter with her.

     The dog lover in me had to first give her my condolences on Louie, their beloved four-legged family member who had passed away just two months before.  

     “Thank you so much,” she said with raw emotion. “He was our first born with fur. He died on the Ides of March, and we buried him when we got back from Florida (referring to the back-to-back Sunshine Showdown and Citrus Slam events).”  She told me that it was still tough for Steve because “Louie was his fishing buddy.”

     After talking with Julia for only moments, I could see that her husband of fifteen years wasn’t the only pro on this team.  It was obvious she had been a big part of this team for as long as Steve had. 

     “Does Steve have any superstitions?” I asked.

     She answered immediately, “Steve has the same breakfast every tournament morning, and it blows a lot of these guys’ minds.  He has grits, sausage, a fried egg…and usually a piece of fruit, whatever’s in season.  It’s a big, heavy breakfast every tournament morning.” 

     I questioned if he ever tired of eating that every time, but she assured me he didn’t.  

     “Is there anything he does that absolutely drives you crazy about fishing?” I asked.

     She smiled knowingly, as if not wanting to rat out her hubby, “Nothing really,” then quickly started nodding and grinning; I noted to myself that this must also be an inside joke between her and Steve.  

     “Taking his shoes off in the bus or falling into a coma without showering, but other than that, not really.”

     Even after just sending Steve off, with both kids alternately calling “Mama”, I noted she was still calm.

     Remembering Steve holding their son after weigh-in the day before, I asked her, “Has being a dad changed him or changed the way he fishes?”

     “Oh, yeah,” she stated, shaking her head up and down.

     “Does he spend less time on the water?” I asked.

     Indicating her little girl, she said, “With her, he (Steve) would sleep in and just sit there in the bed and cuddle and giggle and roll with her.”  (I’m still smiling picturing that seasoned pro playing goo-goo—I love him even more now.) 

     I told her about watching Steve with their little son the previous day while Drew was getting a picture of them together.  I told her I said out loud, “That is a daddy right there.” 

     She smiled like only a loving wife and mom would understand, “Yes. He sometimes loses focus at events.”

     Both of us being moms, we agreed that our children are only young once, and time with them does not stand still.  Then she said something that really warmed my heart.

     Lovingly wiggling her son’s tiny foot, she said,  “Steve would much rather see him smile than go catch a big bass, and that to me, right there, makes me want to cry.”  I was trying to hold back my own, knowing that my instinct about Steve being a “daddy” was right on.  What would most fishermen rather do?       

     I commented on the fact that these pros were not only tremendous athletes, but also such good guys.

     I asked her, “What would you say to women to try to bring them into the sport? Or those who have a fisherman in their lives?”     

     She thought for just a second and answered.

     “To actually be supportive. The best way you can be supportive is to understand that there are gonna be really good days–really good highs and really low lows, but you gotta stay beside them and love ‘em all the way through it no matter what.  And, understand that you’re gonna come last on tournament days, but you’re going to be first every day in between.  Only on event days does family come second, but that’s just because he’s working.  It’s hard to explain, and it’s not personal.” 

     She told me it was definitely a team effort.  Neither could do it without the other.  He loves it, so she supports him, telling me she knew he would do the same if it were turned around.  I believe that, too.

     Her words helped me when thinking about the fisherman in my own life, and I wanted her to know.  “I love that, Julia, I really love that you said that. I also really respect you for saying it; you helped make me feel better.”

     “You learn to be selfless,” she said.  She gave me an example, referring to the following two weeks with back-to-back events at West Point and Murray.

     I shared my selfish secret with her.  “As a woman, I was afraid of being second to an obsession, something I couldn’t begin to compete with. I was a little afraid of how I would accept it.”

     She nodded her head, as if totally understanding what I was trying to explain. 

     “It’s a much better obsession than (him) being somewhere else,” she said, raising her eyebrows with significance when saying the “somewhere”.  We talked about that somewhere else, whispering under our breath, we are southern ladies, after all. 

     She summed it up best for all of us women who stand behind our men of water, “I know he’ll always be home at dark-thirty.”

     Being a fan, I knew Steve was born in Georgia, so I pointed out, in good fun of course, that he is a Georgia boy and wears that Auburn hat, but I assured her I forgive him (at least until game day every November).    

         After day three weigh-in, Steve had survived the cut and would be fishing in the final 12.   

     I spoke with Julia briefly on Sunday morning on my way to the dock, verifying that the lucky breakfast had been ingested.  She confirmed with a smile and a nod, then I wished her luck and hurried off to watch the final day launch. 

     We all know what happened at the Pride of Georgia this year, but in case you missed it, Steve Kennedy took home the title.  (http://proanglercommunity.com/uncategorized/it%e2%80%99s-about-more-than-fishing/)      

     Immediately when Julia came off stage after the trophy presentation, I caught up with her.  Steve’s mom and dad, along with a big group of other family members were also there for Steve. They were buzzing around us and helping her with the kids, so we got to talk one on one with her.  She was all smiles, noticeably excited and relieved.

     “Well, I guess that lucky breakfast worked,” I started with.  “Detail it out for me.  Did you get up this morning and cook for him?”

     “I did,” she said.  “The alarm went off at 4:30(a.m.); at 4:45 I was at the stove.”  She listed Steve’s early morning meal. “This is southern, this in NOT low-cal.” It sounded good to me, I had missed lunch and the sounds coming from my stomach were getting embarrassingly louder with each detail.

     Drew, standing quietly beside me up to that point, couldn’t help but ask, “Was he nervous this morning?” 

     Kennedy was 4^th going into the final day and was a favorite to win this event on his “hometown” lake. 

     She told him, “No. I think he just wanted to go out and have fun. It wasn’t his to lose. Whenever you’re leading, you’re the guy that can lose it.  When you’re behind, you have nothing to lose.  I think he wanted to just relax and go out and have a good time.” 

     “Did he sleep last night?” I asked.

     With no hesitation, she answered, “Oh, yeah.”

     I was dying to know, so I asked, “While he’s out there fishing, do you keep up with him on-line?” (I was referring to BASSTrakk and the blog on Bassmaster.com, which I live and die by during tournaments.)

     She quickly confessed, “Yes. I have my mom at home, and she calls or texts whenever there’s an update. I have friends that are texting. I have 15 text messages that I couldn’t even check (today), because I’m sitting here going, come on.”

     “Were you sitting up front during weigh-in?” I questioned her. “Did you know he had it?”

     She shook her head from side to side, “Actually I was standing over in the field,” pointing behind us, “doing my little happy dance,” demonstrating for me, and trailing off excitedly, “I was standing and pacing…”

     I interjected, “Did you have a gut feeling?”   

     “I had an idea that the potential was there, but I didn’t know what Ish (Monroe) had, and I knew VanDam didn’t have a very good day because of the blogs.  And then the buzz; you know there’s always a buzz. I couldn’t stand it anymore. I was getting nervous so I walked away. Then Ish weighed, and I heard the music and the crowd…”

     “What was the first thing you said?” I asked.

     “Did we win?” she said as a question, almost incredulously.  I loved hearing the “we”.

     “Who did you ask that?” I laughed.

     “Myself,” she said, “because everyone else is congratulating me.”

     “Do you ever cry?” I asked.

     “I shake,” she said.

     “I’d shake too if I was getting ready to deposit 100 thousand dollars into my checking account!” I said honestly.

     We then talked about the first time she walked into her local bank to deposit the first $100,000 check.

     She smiled when recalling that day. “I got all dressed up, and I got my deposit slip and put it up on the counter, and she (the bank teller) didn’t say anything, except ‘thank you, Mrs. Kennedy’.”

     “Did she recognize you?” I asked her.

     “No, it was just on the deposit slip. So I walked out telling myself, ‘that was really weird’.  I had actually spilled my drink on the way, I was so excited. Then I walked back in and said ‘When will those funds be available?’ and then she looked closer at it and said, ‘Oh my goodness! 100 thousand dollars! Did you win that fishing?!’”

     I had to laugh picturing that scene in my head. I told her that if she really wanted to freak them out, go in there tomorrow with this check and just ask to cash it!  

         With Kennedy’s hometown of Auburn (Alabama) less than two hours away, there was a great deal of supporters and family members talking around us.  I asked her, “How much family came out today?”  

     She named and indicated the numerous people, and then I was introduced to Mama Kennedy when she walked towards Julia. I didn’t get to talk to her long; she was trying to wriggle through the large crowd and steal Steve away from Tommy Sanders and Mark Zona, but we did manage to get the first family picture, minus Steve who was still with the ESPN2 crew. 

     “What a Mother’s Day present for you!” I said, after introducing myself.  She answered with a proud smile, “Yes!” and within moments she continued the search for her son, the 2011 Pride of Georgia Champ.

     While we were talking, Julia got a fist bump and some good luck “juju” from Steve’s cameraman.  Afterwards, Drew asked, “With Murray being next week, will y’all go home first and celebrate or head straight out?” 

     She went right back to business.  “We’ll put the celebration on hold for a couple of weeks. This is great, but we have to get the bus home, get it repacked, and head back out, and then we’ll have two weeks off.”

     I kidded her, “Yeah, that’ll give you a few weeks to spend that 100k.  Go get yourself a massage or something just for you.”

     “I’m looking forward to getting a manicure now,” she said, showing me her nails.  She admitted to have been biting them when her nerves began taking a toll, as nerves often do when you’re the wife of a pro angler.

     Drew asked if Steve would be on the water in the morning.

     She immediately answered.  “Nope, I can tell you right now that man will sleep in tomorrow.”

     Drew also had to know if the rumor was true that Steve hadn’t practiced much for this event.

     “He usually spends one day of hard practice, one day of riding, and the third day is just checking the weather. This week there was some bad weather, so he was, ‘do I go out, do I stay in?’ And I’m wondering, will he ride the lake, will he stay home and spend some time with us?  The first day it was on. The 2^nd day or 3^rd day, it was storms. If it had been any other lake, he would have ridden the lake and just kept a watch on the storms and memorized some spots.”

     “Yay rain!” I said. Some people don’t like rain, but fisherman AND their wives do—for different reasons. 

     Knowing there were others waiting for her, I, again, gave her our congratulations and wished them luck at Murray. As we were leaving, I told her, “Well, I really mean this when I say that we (including Drew to my right) are both huge Steve Kennedy fans, and now we’re also Julia Kennedy fans.”  And I truly mean that.

     Julia got me thinking more about encouraging Drew to lean toward the tournament trail again…but I didn’t tell him this! 

     I still need a little more convincing. 

     See ya at the dock!

Next up:  What will the women behind two rookies tell me?  I visit with Jennie DeFoe, Rookie of the Year Ott DeFoe’s wife and Laurie Wellman, mother of rookie Nate Wellman.

67,000 acres is fishing small.  Lake Wheeler is a very large lake by most lakes’ standards (minus Texas).  But these pros are literally rubbing the sides of each other’s boats. 

Now I ask myself how so many guys, with all this water, would end up in the same 20 ft. radius?  Three pros in this hole, four in that one, and five in the next–I can’t believe they find the same group of fish. 

The camaraderie these fishermen have is amazing.  We have heard of the Jonathon Vandam/Denny Brauer feud last week about “sharing” a spot.  This week the pros, in many ways, have been having a big fishing party.  They’ve been seen swapping baits and joking around with each other all day.

 Most of the fish are being caught off ledges around the main river channel, and many of these guys found the same stretch of the same ledge.  So far, it seems there has been enough fish for the leaders, but all the top 50 wonder if these schools of fish can hold up two more days with all the fishing pressure. Even the pros fishing away from the crowds are thinking or hoping the “groupie holes” will get fished out.

 I was able to meet with Kevin VanDam after day 2 weigh-in to discuss the fishing on Lake Wheeler.   He told me the grass that was once prevalent is now non-existent.  He said he hasn’t been able to find any grass on this whole lake.  He is very surprised at how small Wheeler is fishing and thinks that managing the fish is going to be key to winning this event. He also said all he can do is put his head down and grind it out. 

“I am focused on the Dixie Duel win alone,” he said.  The win will easily take care of securing the A.O.Y. title.  He could be crowned champ as early as today’s weigh-in, depending on Edwin Evers’ and Steve Kennedy’s day.

I asked him what another A.O.Y. title would mean to him, “It never gets old,” he said truthfully.

     Saturday, more than likely, will be the day for another trophy to be added to the VanDam trophy case.  The only way he will lose the Angler of the Year title is to come totally unglued—and we all know VanDam is made of super glue. 

See ya at the dock!

(Thanks to Bassmaster for the pic of Drew/KVD and the one above of Wirth and Horton.)

     Elite pro Ott DeFoe is not only close to closing the door on the Rookie of the Year race, he also leads day one of the Bassmaster Dixie Duel on Wheeler Lake and is on his way to securing a coveted spot in July’s All-star Week.  In my morning update, I discussed the myth of very low weights, but I knew these “masters” of our sport would find ways of catching them.  I was able to watch several of the pros hard at work on the water.

     I observed that just about every angler is somewhat offshore fishing the points and ledges that make up a lot of the topography on this lake.  The two main techniques have been soft plastics and crankbaits.  The plastics used today were either Texas rigged or the ol’ ball and chain.  Medium to deep diving crankbaits have also been getting a workout this week.  Common colors seem to be natural greens and browns in soft plastics, and the crankbaits were mainly shad patterns with a little chartreuse sprayed into some.

      I was fortunate enough to talk to DeFoe about his successful day, and it was obvious he was also excited to know today’s bag just about seals the deal on the rookie race.  A lot of these pros are stacked on top of the same ledge, but Ott told me the biggest key to his success today was not having to share water.  He thinks if he can manage his fish and not have to “share”, he has a good shot at fishing in Sunday’s final.  He also told me that he stayed on just two areas today.  This allows him to spend more time soaking his lure, instead of running and gunning around Wheeler.  I didn’t ask Ott to disclose all of his “secrets”, but he did tell me that he would give me more details of his pattern in the upcoming days.     

    Things to think about going into Day Two are:  Will there be current to help the bite?  Can any of the top anglers keep these weights consistent for three more days?  What will emerge as the winning technique?

     The top eight Elite pros in the final A.O.Y. standings will go on to fish the All-star tournament in July, with the final four spots to be voted on by fans at Bassmaster.com.  Go vote to show your support for our sport!!

See ya at the dock.

     Day one is under way in the 2011 Bassmaster Elite Series Dixie Duel, and the word around the dock is “It’ll be tough”.  Lake Wheeler is certainly fishing different than it has in the past years for these pros.  The grass that was plentiful in the lake is now mostly gone.   When Wheeler’s grass population exploded several years back, the bass fishing also soared.  Now, the grass is hard to find, and a lot of the productive techniques have also vanished.

     With that being said, I feel confident that these pros will find a way to catch them.  These are the best anglers in the country, and Wheeler still has impressive bass roaming its waters.  A lot of the guys were pretty quiet before launch, but I was able to get a little info on what they expect will win this event.  Most of the rods I saw were rigged with crank baits, all depths and colors.  Other baits included mop jigs, Carolina rigs, top waters, and even some jigging spoons.  A large number of these pros think this tournament will most likely be won off shore on a shell bed, but a few think that the shallow bite could turn on if some grass is found.

     Day one has just started, and already there are a couple of things to think about:  the Rookie of the Year race is really down to just two guys, Ott DeFoe and Keith Combs.  Angler of the Year is mostly down to the top 5; that number could drop depending on how today goes.  Most of the B.A.S.S. Pros I talked to said it would take 17-19 pounds a day to win.  In the past 3 weeks, it has taken 20-25 pounds to win in some of the tournaments on Wheeler.  The current flow is good today, something that hasn’t happened during practice, so this should help boost weights, for the day at least. 

Should been an interesting event. ProAnglerRadio.com will be covering it all weekend.

See ya at the dock.