Fishing News - 12/3/00

        From BASS

Central Alabama to Host World Class Bass Tourney

Alabama Angler Goes After Elusive National BASSMASTER Trophy

Over 325 top anglers from the U.S. and abroad will be competing for a share of $232,000 and valuable points towards the BASS Masters Classic at this week's Alabama BASSMASTER Eastern Invitational. In addition to representatives from 26 states, anglers from Mexico and Canada will also participate.

The event which runs Thursday through Saturday, at Lake Martin, is the second of four tournaments that will qualify anglers for the "Super Bowl of bass fishing", the BASS Masters Classic.

The top five anglers in the Eastern standings at season's end will join  other premier anglers in the field for the 2001 Classic to be held this summer. One of the anglers that will be attempting to qualify for the Classic this week is Wetumpka's Trip Weldon. Weldon, who has been fishing tournaments on Lake Martin since 1978, scored his highest B.A.S.S. finish on Lake Martin two years ago with a second place effort.

Despite his previous success and spending nearly 75 days a year on Lake Martin, he doesn't think being on his home water gives him an advantage.  "Being on your home water is not much of an advantage when you are up against hundreds of excellent fisherman," explained Weldon. "I've been  up to the lake a lot over the last few weeks and I've seen several other anglers there. Some people have spent several weeks on the lake learning where to fish. The fish have settled into a pretty typical fall pattern so there isn't really an advantage."

He does admit that local anglers may know where to look for a big largemouth or two. "Obviously at Martin, you are talking about catching large numbers of fish. So if you are able to catch a 4 or 5 pound bass to go with a 5-fish limit then you will do well."  Weldon who is employed by Montgomery based B.A.S.S., Inc., and has  served as tournament director at several events, believes that working for the company might subject him to a slightly higher standard than the other anglers.  "I make sure that I follow all of the rules. If I didn't follow every rule,  I know that Dewey Kendrick (B.A.S.S. National Tournament Director) would be on me first."

So how will the fishing be next week? "Last year when we went to Lake Martin the lake was clear and the fishing was tough. With the severe drought we have had this year, the lake level has been down. The recent rains have brought the level back up about a foot and the water is stained in a lot of places. These conditions should make fishing a lot better."

"A variety of techniques will be successful. There will be fish caught with a jig and spoon 30 to 50 feet deep.There will also be some topwater fishing, but I think primarily fish will be caught on spinnerbaits, jerkbaits and crankbaits. A large number of fish will also be caught on finesse worms."

The field for next summer's 31st BASS Masters Classic will be comprised of the top 5 anglers from the Eastern and Central tour standings, the top 4 from the Western Tournament Trail, and the top 25 from the BASSMASTER Top 150 tour - the most elite of the B.A.S.S. circuits. Five of the world's best amateurs will round out the Classic field based on their finish in next spring's Federation Championships in Mobile.

         B.A.S.S. Web site: http://www.bassmaster.com.

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