Fishing News - 12/8/00
From BASS
Georgians Take Command in Alabama
ALEXANDER CITY, Ala.---(December 8, 2000) Three Georgians hold down the top spots in the $232,000 Alabama BASSMASTER Eastern Invitational at Lake Martin, but it is Milledgeville's Danny White who leads the way.
White, who entered the day in 10th place, used a 10 pound, 1 ounce limit Friday to catapult into first. His 17-1 total gives him a seven- ounce edge over Paul Hanley, Hull, Ga., who is second with 16-9. Mickey Bruce of Buford, Ga. is third with 15-10, Coby Garden of Shelby, Ala. is fourth at 15-1 and Ed Klepeis of Wallkill, N.Y. is fifth with 14-10.
Remarkably, White was able to take the lead despite a shortened day due to engine trouble. "It looks like I lost one of the plugs on my engine and it is taking me a lot longer to travel than it should," said White, who is leading a B.A.S.S. tournament for the first time. "So, I quit fishing early today to make sure I made it back."
Like many anglers in the field, White says working lures slowly is the key. "I'm basically fishing slow and deep," he said. "There are a few key areas that I have to get the bait into. If I get the bait in those spots, the fish will bite it."
Anglers were able to catch more fish Friday with 64 limits being caught compared to only 26 limits weighed in by the 323 anglers on Thursday. Dwayne Horton of Knoxville, Tenn., the day one leader, fell off the pace only weighing in 5-6 dropping him to 8th. "My bite went away a little today," lamented Horton. "The fish that I caught yesterday were suspended in brush about 20 feet deep. To catch fish in the brush, we need sunshine and we didn't have any today."
Reigning B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year Tim Horton of Spruce Pine, Ala. captured the day's big fish award with a 4 pound 14 ounce spotted bass he caught while cranking brushpiles in 10 feet of water.
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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