BASS FISHINGBass Fishing Sports Blog

tony garitta Published: Friday, January 27, 2012 at 12:30 a.m. Last Modified: Friday, January 27, 2012 at 12:04 a.m.

In a stunning development, B.A.S.S. has forbidden as of Feb. 1 the use of the Alabama rig and other “multi-lure rigs” in its Bassmaster Classic and Bassmaster Elite Series practices and competitions. Multi-lure rigs include double soft jerkbait rigs, drop shot rigs with multiple jigs, double topwater lure rigs, and umbrella rigs.

The new restriction was implemented by the Bassmaster Elite Series Rules Committee which said upper-level events, such as the Classic and Elite Series, should adhere to a higher standard by honoring the concept of one rod, one reel, one cast, and one lure presentations.

“I don’t have a problem with the use of umbrella rigs or multi-lure rigs to catch bass,” said one Rules Committee member. “If you are out fun fishing, there may be nothing more fun to use. But, our events represent the highest level of professionalism in our sport and I reckon as participants of these events, we should be held to a higher standard as well. I like the idea of one rod, one reel, one lure.”

The new ruling does not apply to Bassmaster Open, B.A.S.S. Federation Nation, and College B.A.S.S., and other events.

The Alabama rig consists of a weighted head with five wire leaders trailing behind. Soft swimbaits, jigs, and other lures are attached to the leaders creating the illusion of a school of baitfish which bass find hard to resist.

The Elite Series Rules Committee felt that such rigs diminish the skill it takes to catch a fish in tournament competition and recommended a higher standard by imposing the one-lure format.

“The Alabama rig has become enormously popular in recent months, and it has certainly had an impact on the tournaments in which it has been used,” said Trip Weldon, B.A.S.S. tournament director. “Personally, I have loved catching bass on umbrella rigs and found them to be very effective in some situations. I have witnessed first-hand the excitement this technique has generated in our sport.

“But, the Elite Series Rules Committee unanimously questioned to be held to a high standard. We have chose to honor their recommendation.”

Anglers should check state regulations before they fish any multi-lure rig. several states have restrictions regarding their use.

Raleigh’s Gene Furr won the grand prize in the Wildlife in North Carolina photo competition. Furr’s winning entry was an image of an egret carrying nesting material near Southport. his winning photo will appear on the cover of the Jan./Feb. issue of Wildlife in North Carolina.

Other contest winners were Ed Serkes of seven Springs, Scott Hotaling of Cullowhee, Mark Stanley of Wilmington, Kevin Council of Chapel Hill, Stockton Ray of Cary, Amanda Prince of Fletcher, and Jack and Ryan Montgomery of Greenville, S.C.

“There were photos from every corner of the state, reflecting the diverse habitat of our natural resources that are covered in every issue of the magazine,” said Jim Wilson, editor of Wildlife in North Carolina. “The photo competition fosters a fantastic understanding and appreciation of North Carolina’s wildlife and wild — and some not so wild — places.”

Hank Cherry of Maiden and Ron Wolfarth of Oakboro received checks at the Jan. 19-21 Bassmaster Southern Open on the Harris Chain of Lakes, Tavares, Fla.

Cherry placed 17th with 27.10 and earned $3,152; Wolfarth placed 29th with 24.2 and banked $2,758.

Among the co-anglers, Charlotte’s George Hirapetian ranked 28th with 12.2 and Linwood’s Tim Hawley finished 38th with 10.12. They each won $551.60.

The N.C. Catfish Tournament Series has released its 2012 schedule. the group will hold tournaments Feb. 18 at Lake Tillery/Stony Mountain Access, March 3 at Lake Norman/Pinnacle Access, April 14 at Lake Hickory/Whittenburg Access, may 19 at High Rock Lake/Second Creek Access, June 2 at Mountain Island Lake/Riverbend Access, July 14 at Lake Hickory/Whittenburg Access, Aug. 11 at Lake Norman/Pinnacle Access, and Sept. 15 at High Rock Lake/ second Creek Access. NCCATS held its opening event this past Saturday at Mountain Island Lake.

The entry fee is $40 per team. for more information, call Kevin Custer at 704-682-8101.

Tony Garitta is a fishing columnist for the Dispatch.

Bumpus Harley-Davidson will host a Battle of the Bands Aug. 27, leading up to the 10th anniversary of Darryl Worley’s Tennessee River Run Sept. 15-17.

On Saturday, Aug. 27 at 1 p.m., winners from competitions in Jackson, Tenn. (Ben Mathis and the Sidekicks); Memphis, Tenn. (Nick Garrison with Hammer Down); and Florence, Ala. (The Ben Parker Project) will compete in the 2011 Battle of the Bands finals at Bumpus Harley-Davidson of Jackson. the band selected will receive six hours of studio time with mixing and editing at Jaxon Records, along with a CD and the opportunity to perform when Montgomery Gentry and Worley perform at Pickwick Landing State Park on Saturday, Sept. 17.

The Sept. 16 concert in downtown Savannah, Tenn., will bring rock legends to the stage when Kansas, Derek St. Holmes (lead singer of the Ted Nugent band) and mark Slaughter (lead singer of Slaughter) perform. the Sept. 17 concert at Pickwick Landing State Park features Montgomery Gentry and Worley with Jesse Keith Whitley, the Tony Bridges Band (from American Idol Season Five) and the 2011 Battle of the Bands winner.

Tickets are available at the Darryl Worley Foundation Office in downtown Savannah and by searching

it would really help if anyone knew

Maybe they think that gold comes from goldfish.

I think Steve hit the nail on the head. Because if they were to get loose (and they will) and breed it could be very terrible for the lakes natural fish.

I live in alabama and see gold fish for sale in all of the bait stores I shop in. I am not sure of your information about them being illegal.
CHeck the site below. It merely states that STOCKING goldfish is illegal.

As others have said, Fishermen tend to accidently or on purpose release minnows into the water when fishing, or when they are done. Some of these live minnows multiply and ruin the streams and lakes for other more desirable fish. most states prohibit live minnows entirely, or limit them to native species. where I live, several lakes have had to be poisoned by the Fish and Game Dept. to kill these invasive species.
To Ben S: It also says it is prohibited to go goldfish to lakes and streams in Alabama. Releasing them would be considered stocking them, even in small numbers.

Friday’s full moon produced a surge for both species on Central Florida lakes that was still in effect on Wednesday.

How long this continues is a question mark, as the next six weeks are usually the slowest time of the year for freshwater fishing.

But the late start to the summer rainy season seems to have prolonged the bite, and the dog days could be shorter than usual.

Shorter trips, from daybreak to 10-11 a.m. or 4-5 p.m. until dark, have been the way to go. and if major feeding periods in the Solunar Tables coincide with those time frames, so much the better.

ALL-STAR WEEK

The Bassmaster Elite Series postseason starts this weekend in Alabama, with two tournaments in the next 10 days.

Toyota Trucks All-Star Week kicks off Saturday and Sunday with the Ramada All-Star Semifinal on Lake Jordan at Wetumpka.

The top eight in points for the season and four more pros voted in by fans will compete in the event.

The field will be trimmed to the top eight for the Evan Williams Bourbon All-Star Championship July 29-31 on the Alabama River at Montgomery, a bracket-style competition with a winner-take-all format for $100,000.

The top eight pros, in order of points, are Kevin VanDam, Edwin Evers, Gerald Swindle, Ott DeFoe, Steve Kennedy, Terry Scroggins, Casey Ashley and Davy Hite. Fans voted in Michael Iaconelli, Aaron Martens, Jeff Kriet and Skeet Reese.

BASS TOURNAMENTS

Monte Goodman and Eric Conant won the Sunday Open Series tournament on the north Winter Haven chain with 16 pounds, 10 ounces. Brothers Howard Tucker and Troy Tucker tied for second with Vern Brown and Gerry Brown at 13 1/2 pounds. Vern’s 4-pound, 7-ouncer was tops.

Bob and Judy Barzelay won the West Coast Couples tournament on Lake Pierce July 9 with 13.83 pounds. James and Rita Pearson finished second with 12.68 pounds, followed by Tim and Kim Crocker with 7.44 pounds and Steve and Trina Pritchard with 7.17 pounds. Fred and Sharon Allen took fifth with 5.98 pounds, all on one fish.

Cecil Douberly won the Lakeland Bassmasters tournament on East Lake Toho Sunday with 12.94 pounds, including the largest bass at 4.17 pounds. Jason Bayes finished second with 12.25 pounds. Lee Sisson was third with 10.70 pounds, while Gary Hawkins was fourth with 9.91 pounds. Logan Hay had 9.52 pounds for fifth.

Tom Yutzy and Buford McCoy won the Ron’s Tackle Box evening tournament last Thursday on Eagle Lake with 11 pounds, 6 ounces. James and Danielle Malone finished second with 10 pounds, 13 ounces. Jack Alward and Willard Combee had 7 pounds, 7 ounces for third. Doug Yutzy’s 4-pound, 15-ouncer was tops.

Tim Burton and Chris Rand combined for 27.30 pounds on five fish, including a 10.17-pounder, to win the Xtreme Toho Division tournament on Saturday. Matt Hinman and Rich Howes took second with 26.18 pounds, followed by Wayne Lindsay and Dusty McDevitt with 25.66 pounds. Chris Maxwell and Bo Malone were fourth with 25.55 pounds.

Bobby Wooten and Richie Upchurch won the Xtreme Kissimmee Division tournament July 10 with 24.90 pounds. Chris Maxwell and Bo Malone took second with 24.25 pounds. Gary Niemi and James Dyer placed third with 20.10 pounds. Monte Goodman and Eric Conant netted the largest bass at 8.80 pounds while finishing eighth.

[ Del Milligan's freshwater fishing column appears Thursdays in The Ledger. he can be reached at or 863-802-7555. Milligan's blog, Central Florida Fishology, can be found at theledger.com home page. ]

FLORENCE — there were no final-day surprises as the FLW Outdoors EverStart Series bass fishing tournament came to a close Saturday afternoon.

Lloyd Pickett Jr., of Bartlett, Tenn., easily won the professional division, while Centre’s Richard Peek eased to the co-angler division title.

For each of the two anglers, it was a wire-to-wire victory.

Pickett finished with 68 pounds, 10 ounces to claim $34,783 and a bass boat for the victory. he won by more than nine pounds over Auburn’s Anthony Goggins.

“Coming into today with that kind of a lead I was kind of nervous,” Pickett said. “I had a 20-pound bag yesterday and I knew if I could go out and get a 16-pound bag today with a 13-pound lead, it would force someone to bring in 29 pounds and beat me outright. it worked out. I was nervous all afternoon waiting to see what they were going to bring in, because these are some pretty excellent guys.”

Pickett went into day three with a commanding lead of 13 pounds, 7 ounces. He brought in 16 pounds, 2 ounces Saturday, fourth-most Saturday, but the huge lead he brought with him from the previous two days could not be overcome.

“I was on pins and needles waiting for this weigh-in to go through,” he said. “This morning we sat down and prayed about it, and everything went right. I didn’t lose a fish. That huge 7-pounder was going nuts when I was trying to get her back to the boat, but the Lord looked after us and she made it in the net. everything else is history.”

Peek went into the final day with a lead of 5 pounds, 13 ounces. He had to catch a small more weight than Pickett to make sure he kept the lead in his division. He reeled in more than enough to secure the win, winning the day with 17 pounds, 6 ounces.

“Today went better than I could have hoped for,” Peek said. “I didn’t need as much weight as I thought I was going to need. My partner and I decided on what weight we would need to guarantee a first place end, and we went out and got it in a few hours and came back in.”

Peek also won a new bass boat.

“I’ve got and older Triton and it’s worn out, so I’m ready for a new (boat),” Peek said with a laugh.

Peek recently fished a different tournament in Alabama, but with a slightly different outcome.

“I just finished up the Eufaula tournament,” Peek said. “I finished second there and lost by one ounce, and I really didn’t want to relive that. I wanted it bad and went out and worked hard and it paid off.”

Several area anglers finished in the top 10 in the tournament. Sheffield’s William Davis finished seventh place in the professional division with a total of 48 pounds, 14 ounces. Florence’s Jeremy Utley finished ninth at 46-0, while Killen’s Donny Beck finished 10th at 39-13.

Florence’s Lyn Melton finished in third place of the co-angler division with 47 pounds, 2 ounces, while Killen’s Jason Smith tallied 41-14 ounces, landing him in sixth.

“I rolled the dice a small today,” Utley said. “we were all kind of fishing for second place, anyway. I fished close to the dam and tried to get a couple of huge bites and jump on a couple of different spots, but I couldn’t ever seem to get anything going. no current, no wind, it was just a tough day. I had a blast all week, and can’t complain.”

The National Guard FLW College Fishing was also held on Pickwick Lake. James Ellis of Acworth, Ga., and William Rowland of Powder Springs, Ga., were the two members of the winning team from Kennesaw State University.

The two caught 13-6, earning $10,000 to split between their school and the university’s bass fishing club.

If not id still like ur input.

How do you catch them? and what is the best artificial bait for them? and whats the best live bait for them?

If you have fished there do you have GPS Coordinates to excellent stripe fishing locations?

Also if you have GPS Coordinates for excellent Large Mouth bass fishing spots on Lake Martin id love those to. and what did you use to catch them?

Thx to all that contribute. =).

dude this gets really irritating. Do you really expect everybody to know exactly where the fish are biting?????? what the fudge??????????

its a great place
to catch striped bass

i live in northern alabama and i fish a excellent bit i fish from the bank of a river i use natural color crankbaits and bright spinnerbaits i toss them out over and over and cant get anything i still love the leisure activity though i like to catch any fish but want to catch my first bass what bait to use can you help any information thanks

I have the exact same problem as you man. i do alot of research cuz i just started game fish fishing ive always fished though just not specifically. its all about techniques and what time you use the baits and stuff. look up techniques for ur baits

If I were you I would look for where the bass hide. They like under water obsticals, downed trees, reeds, anything that can give them shade. Also to increase your odds, try out different types of lures. Try jigs, different baits, anything that gives a excellent movement. you can try worms that are hooked, I personally like using minnows (*in a bait shop these are called shiners) cause I find that they give excellent action a excellent shine and movement to the hook. Also make sure that the river you are fishing in has trout in it, go pick up a Alabama fishing guide for 2011 and see where bass are located. Excellent luck

Look for deeper "pools" in the river, aka parts of the river that will go from 1-2 feet to 4-5 feet, alot of fish will hang around the deep pools. you might need to wade the river to find those pools. Excellent luck

Would you rather bass fish in Wheeler Lake or Lake Guntersville?

I prefer wheeler just cause i know it. If you have never fished either, then it really dont matter. they are both fantastic fisheries. Fish them just like anyother lake and you'll do fine. I like to jig features or bottom change in open water cause less people fish it. Structure seen on top like stumps, docks and such, get hammered by everyone.

Is there anywhere in the Huntsville/Madison, Alabama area to fish big mouth bass? I would prefer public water, but would take private water if the price isn't outrageous.

Don't know my way around Alabama too well, but Alabama has some of the best bass fishing in the country. Guntersville, Lay Lake, Wheeler. If you're within a decent drive of those two lakes, I'd certainly make a run at those.

I fished some ponds near redstone arsenal in huntsville when I was a kid. I caught bluegill and my dad caught bass. Don't remember exactly where but I'm sure if you go on a drive you can find some spots.

Try the pond behind Boo's shed. I have caught like infinity bass there.

Lake Guntersville, best fishing in the state!

I will be visiting Guntersville in mid-October for a week to stay with a friend and do some fishing. we have a nice bass boat that will work for us, but we have two more friends that want to come. While you can squeeze three on a boat, four is just asking for distress.

Is there anywhere in town that rents nice bass boats? I called around to the Guntersville Boat Mart and the marina at Covenant Cove and they seem to only rent pontoon boats and jet skis.

As a reference location, we will be staying on Small Creek.

Hey Kurt,
Try looking around Scottsboro, and also Guntersville State park rents out flatbottom boats. and other boats

Excellent luck finding someone who will rent a nice bass boat.
Liability insurance is the issue, as well as the price of the boats.
Probably only thing you will find that is for rent is as you have found out pontoon boats, or aluminum john boats.
If need be take your friends fishing in shifts, one in the morning, next one in the afternoon. good luck, you can always rent a john boat and then shift them around as stated above.