Fishing News - 12/7/00

        From BASS

Fog Hampers Anglers at Lake Martin

ALEXANDER CITY, Ala.---(December 7, 2000) A fog shortened fishing day did not present a problem for Dwayne Horton, whose 9 pound, 1 ounce limit gave him the first-day lead in the $232,000 Alabama BASSMASTER Eastern Invitational on Lake Martin.

An early morning fog delayed Thursday's start for more than two hours, as the first flight didn't leave the launch site until nearly 8:45 a.m.  Gerald Beck of Lexington, N.C. is in second place with an 8-13 effort.

Canton, Ga. pro Jimmy Millsaps holds third place with 8-9 and Michael Iaconelli of Woodbury Heights, N.J. is fourth with 8-0. Mickey Bruce of Buford, Ga. is fifth with 7-13.

"I was a little disappointed with the weight," remarked Horton, a Knoxville, Tenn. pro. "I'm catching my fish on a Zoom Finesse worm, but there is no real pattern. I believe that the delayed start hurt everybody.  The fish were already done with their morning feed when we got out. "  

Beck echoed the sentiments of many anglers.  "The late start hurt," he said. "I'm not making a long run, but when you don't get to your spot until almost 9 it hurts. Hopefully the wind will pick up a little. It was flat most of the day today, except for a littlewhile this afternoon when it started to pick up. These fish are more aggressive when the water is choppy."

Local youngsters will have a chance to get involved in the action on Saturday from 10:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. in a BASSMASTER CASTINGKIDS competition. CASTINGKIDS provides youngsters an opportunity to win scholarships and prizes. Since the inception of the program over $1.2 million has been awarded.

The event will be organized by the Alabama B.A.S.S. federation. Federation  members will be present to assist youngsters in learning the basics of flipping, pitching and casting.  "CASTINGKIDS is a great event," said Alabama B.A.S.S. Federation president Al Redding. "We encourage everybody to bring kids out to participate, particularly those youngsters between the ages of 7 and 14. It is a great opportunity for them to participate in a competition that is very similar to the BASSMASTER Tournament Trail."

The Alabama BASSMASTER Eastern Invitational is the second of four events on the BASSMASTER Eastern Invitational Trail this season. The winning angler in the event will take home $51,000 out of the overall $232,000 purse.  In addition to the prize money anglers will be vying to earn valuable points that will help them qualify for next summer's BASS Masters Classic. The top five anglers in the season's point standings will qualify to fish in the "Super Bowl" of bass fishing.

The BASSMASTER Eastern Invitational will launch at Wind Creek State Park Marina. Daily weigh-ins will be held each afternoon at 2:30 at Wind Creek State Park.

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

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