Bassmaster Elite - Bass Fishing Florida

Mercury Extends Sponsorship of BASS

BASS, the worldwide authority on bass fishing, announced that Mercury will extend its sponsorship of BASS as an official engine sponsor of the organization in 2011. As part of the agreement, Mercury will be an official sponsor of the Bassmaster Classic, Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens and the BASS’ Federation Nation.

Fond du Lac, Wisc.-based Mercury will receive varied opportunities for exposure at BASS’ prestigious structure of tournaments. Additionally, Mercury will have a presence across BASS’ multi-media platforms, which include three industry-leading magazines and the heavily-trafficked Bassmaster.com. Mercury will also continue to reap the benefits of BASS’ ESPN2 exposure.

“The collaboration between Mercury and BASS has been wonderfully and mutually productive,” said Mark Schwabero, president of Mercury. “BASS is the world leader in competitive bass fishing, and Mercury has long been recognized the leading builder of engines for bass anglers. We’re happy to continue to have this opportunity to join forces with BASS to provide fans of competitive bass fishing an exciting, quality schedule of tournaments and competition.”

Mercury, a BASS sponsor since 1998, had a strong on-the-water showing in BASS events in 2010. Of the 10 BASS Elite-level events, Mercury Pro XS-powered anglers scored nine victories. Kevin VanDam, who has won the last three Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year awards and the most recent Bassmaster Classic, features a Mercury Pro XS.

“Our long-standing relationship with Mercury continues to flourish,” said Tom Ricks, vice president and general manager, BASS. “Mercury’s success on the water at BASS events correlates with the true quality of its products.”

For more information about Mercury, visit www.mercurymarine.com.

For more information, contact BASS Communications at (407) 566-2208 or visit www.Bassmaster.com.

About Mercury

Mercury is a company of Brunswick Corporation. Headquartered in Lake Forest, Ill., Brunswick Corporation endeavors to instill “Genuine Ingenuity”(TM) in all its leading consumer brands, including Mercury and Mariner outboard engines; Mercury MerCruiser sterndrives and inboard engines; MotorGuide trolling motors; Attwood marine parts and accessories; Land ‘N’ Sea, Kellogg Marine, and Diversified Marine parts and accessories distributors; Arvor, Bayliner, Boston Whaler, Cabo Yachts, Crestliner, Cypress Cay, Harris FloteBote, Hatteras, Lowe, Lund, Meridian, Ornvik, Princecraft, Quicksilver, Rayglass, Sea Ray, Sealine, Suncruiser, Triton Aluminum, Trophy, Uttern and Valiant boats; Life Fitness and Hammer Strength fitness equipment; Brunswick bowling centers, equipment and consumer products; Brunswick billiards tables and foosball tables. For more information, visit http://www.brunswick.com./

About BASS:

For more than 40 years, BASS has served as the authority on bass fishing. The organization advances the sport through advocacy, outreach and its expansive tournament structure while championing efforts to connect directly with the passionate community of bass anglers through its Bassmaster media vehicles.

The Bassmaster brand and its considerable multimedia platforms are guided by a mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times and Fishing Tackle Retailer; comprehensive Web properties in Bassmaster.com, BASSInsider.com, and ESPN3.com, and ESPN2 television programming, Bassmaster provides rich, leading-edge content true to the lifestyle.

BASS oversees the prestigious Bassmaster Tournament Trail, which includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bassmaster Opens, BASS Federation Nation and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic.

BASS offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members while spearheading progressive, positive change on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.

Short Takes Elite Win on Pickwick Lake

Saving his best for last, Kevin Short of Mayflower, Arkansas, registered the biggest limit of the tournament Sunday – a 23-pound, 5-ounce, haul despite a reduced competition day – and trounced the rest of the field on way to his second Bassmaster Elite Series victory at the Alabama Charge on Pickwick Lake. Cliff Pace of Petal, Miss., finished a distant second, more than 4 pounds behind.

With nasty weather looming, BASS officials shortened the competition day to five hours in order to escape the brunt of the inclement weather. While some competitors who were making longer runs were adversely affected, Short, who totaled 75 pounds, 1 ounce over four days of competition, adapted to the parameters and boated the vast majority of his weight less than two hours into the day, effectively ending the tournament.

A frustrating start to the season – mainly due to the style of fishing that the venues have called for – is now in Short’s rearview mirror. Short cut his teeth on the Arkansas River and this week, used much of his experiences there to feel his way out on Pickwick. The back-to-basics approach paid off to the tune of $100,000.

“I kept telling myself throughout the week just to think of Pickwick like a river,” said Short, who took his first Elite victory on the Mississippi River. “I was discouraged after Saturday because I just couldn’t figure out how to get them to bite. But I landed my biggest fish early today (Sunday) and I knew it would be my day then.”

Fishing fans can catch all the on-the-water action from the four-day event on The Bassmasters, which airs Sunday, May 9, at 9 a.m. ET on ESPN2 (re-airs Sunday, May 23, at 10 a.m. ET on ESPN2).

Short caught all of his fish on a Pepper’s Baits WEC crankbait, switching the colors from chartreuse classic when it was sunny to chartreuse black when it was cloudy. The balsa-based square-billed crank is in the same family of lures as the bait Short rode to victory on the Mississippi. The one-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier found the area which produced the majority of his winning catch on the first day of competition.

The 48-year-old found a creek, which produced all of his winning catch, on Thursday morning and preceded to catching cruising male bass. With a flurry of activity, he knew that the larger females had to be close behind. As he expanded on his area, he moved to the back of the creek and found a bevy of cover – including clumps of cypress tress mixed in with singular cypress trees.

On Sunday, Short’s early bass – a 6-12 brute – came off a singular tree, which prompted Short to strictly key on that cover the rest of the day.

“You couldn’t ask for a better area, it had everything,” said Short. “Trees, habitat, you name it. I knew the fish to win were in there, it was just a matter of me remaining patient and finding a way to catch them.”

The icing on the cake for the victory was Short’s uptick in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings. Short was in a disappointing 74th place heading into the tournament, but moved to 35th with his banner performance, which puts him safely in the 2011 Bassmaster Classic qualification cut.

Sticking to second place, as he has all week, was Pace. Pace worked a community hole, saturated with many of the other competitors who advanced to Sunday. The 29-year-old was able to milk it for all it was worth – including an 18-3 limit on Sunday — but in the end, it couldn’t produce like Short’s spot.

Plying through a ton of bites, Pace threw a jig to tight, small areas that were home to roaming smallmouth. As the day progressed, he was moving towards the outer edges and finding quality large and smallmouth.

“I thought I gave myself a great chance with the day I had today,” said Pace, who qualified for the Bassmaster Elite Series Postseason last season. “But it just wasn’t my time to win. Still, I have no regrets and it was a great week.”

Saturday leader Skeet Reese of Auburn, Calif., slipped to fifth. He was the only one in the Sunday field who was locking through to Lake Wilson, which took a sizable chunk of his fishing day. As such, he took one on the chin Sunday with the truncated day and his 12-11 limit was indicative of the risky approach. Still, Reese came in with zero expectations for Pickwick as this week marked his first time on the Tennessee River impoundment.

Couple that with his fourth consecutive top-five finish in Elite competition and Reese should find the silver lining in his performance. The top-five streak, which is quite rare, puts him more than 150 points in the lead in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings.

Behind Pace in third this week was Steve Kennedy of Auburn, Ala., with 67-9. Moving up to fourth and scoring his best Elite finish of the season was Rick Morris of Virginia Beach, Va., with 65-2. Reese rounded out the top five with 64-14.

Reese’s closest competitor in the AOY standings is Greg Hackney of Gonzales, La. Close behind Hackney is Edwin Evers (third) of Talala, Okla., and Dean Rojas (fourth) of Lake Havasu City, Ariz. The full AOY standings can be found below.

Next up for the Elite Series is the Synergy Southern Challenge on Alabama’s Lake Guntersville, another Tennessee River impoundment, on May 6-9.

Local sponsor of the Alabama Charge: Florence/Lauderdale Tourism.

Toyota Trucks Championship Week is set for July 24-31 and will be played out once again on two productive Alabama fisheries. The first leg, the July 24-25 Trophy Chase, returns to Lake Jordan out of Wetumpka. The finale, the Evan Williams Bourbon Trophy Triumph, is slated for July 30-31 on the Alabama River from Montgomery.

Bassmaster Elite Series Official Sponsors: Toyota, Berkley, Evan Williams Bourbon, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Skeeter and Yamaha.

Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Lowrance and Triton Boats.

About BASS
For more than 40 years, BASS has served as the authority on bass fishing. The organization advances the sport through advocacy, outreach and its expansive tournament structure while championing efforts to connect directly with the passionate community of bass anglers through its Bassmaster media vehicles.

As the flagship offering of ESPN Outdoors, the Bassmaster brand and its considerable multimedia platforms are guided by a mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times and Fishing Tackle Retailer; comprehensive Web properties in Bassmaster.com, BASSInsider.com, ESPNOutdoors.com and ESPN3.com, and ESPN2 television programming, Bassmaster provides rich, leading-edge content true to the lifestyle.

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Media Contact: Doug Grassian at 407-566-2216 or doug.grassian@espn.com

FINAL ALABAMA CHARGE STANDINGS

2010 Florence, AL 4/29-5/2
Pickwick Lake, Florence AL.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 4

Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$

1. Kevin Short Mayflower, AR 20 75-01 315 $100,500.00
Day 1: 5 20-03 Day 2: 5 18-10 Day 3: 5 12-15 Day 4: 5 23-05
2. Cliff Pace Petal, MS 20 70-04 295 $25,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-09 Day 2: 5 16-00 Day 3: 5 16-08 Day 4: 5 18-03
3. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 20 67-09 290 $20,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-08 Day 2: 5 18-14 Day 3: 5 16-08 Day 4: 5 16-11
4. Rick Morris Virginia Beach, VA 20 65-02 285 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-07 Day 2: 5 14-12 Day 3: 5 16-14 Day 4: 5 16-01
5. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 20 64-14 285 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-15 Day 2: 5 13-00 Day 3: 5 20-04 Day 4: 5 12-11
6. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 20 63-08 276 $13,500.00
Day 1: 5 18-03 Day 2: 5 17-02 Day 3: 5 16-07 Day 4: 5 11-12
7. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 20 62-05 272 $13,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-06 Day 2: 5 14-04 Day 3: 5 20-08 Day 4: 5 13-03
8. Shaw E Grigsby Gainesville, FL 20 61-13 268 $12,500.00
Day 1: 5 15-15 Day 2: 5 16-07 Day 3: 5 15-09 Day 4: 5 13-14
9. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 20 61-01 264 $12,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-09 Day 2: 5 14-08 Day 3: 5 16-01 Day 4: 5 11-15
10. Bill Lowen North Bend, OH 20 60-12 260 $12,500.00
Day 1: 5 17-02 Day 2: 5 15-05 Day 3: 5 16-15 Day 4: 5 11-06
11. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 20 60-08 257 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-01 Day 2: 5 17-09 Day 3: 5 16-15 Day 4: 5 08-15
12. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 20 58-15 254 $10,500.00
Day 1: 5 10-02 Day 2: 5 18-14 Day 3: 5 20-13 Day 4: 5 09-02
BIG BASS OF TOURNAMENT
Bill Lowen North Bend, OH 07-00 $1,000.00
BERKLEY HEAVYWEIGHT OF TOURN
Kevin Short Mayflower, AR 23-05 $500.00

———————————————————————–
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 93 465 1257-06
2 93 465 1284-00
3 47 235 664-08
4 12 60 167-02
———————————-
245 1225 3373-00

TOYOTA TUNDRA BASSMASTER ANGLER OF THE YEAR STANDINGS

2010 Alabama Charge – Florence, AL Pro Points After Pickwick Lake, Florence, Ala. Ending 05-02-2010, Day 4
——————————————-
Place Name St Pts
——————————————-
1 Skeet Reese Calif. 1170
2 Greg Hackney La. 1017
3 Edwin Evers Okla. 990
4 Dean Rojas Ariz. 984
5 Dave Wolak N.C. 963
6 Brian Snowden Mo. 947
7 Michael Iaconelli N.J. 938
8 Greg Vinson Ala. 918
8 Aaron Martens Ala. 918
10 Jeff Kriet Okla. 912
11 Cliff Pace Miss. 902
12 Bill Lowen Ohio 881
13 Steve Kennedy Ala. 877
14 Derek Remitz Ala. 863
15 Todd Faircloth Texas 860
16 Gary Klein Texas 854
17 Shaw Grigsby Fla. 850
18 James Niggemeyer Texas 841
19 Zell Rowland Texas 833
20 John Crews Va. 828
21 Terry Butcher Okla. 823
22 Stephen Browning Ark. 821
23 Guy Eaker N.C. 817
24 Scott Rook Ark. 812
25 Mark Tucker Mo. 810
26 Mark Davis Ark. 802
27 Bobby Lane Fla. 801
27 Jared Lintner Calif. 801
27 Tommy Biffle Okla. 801
30 Kevin Wirth Ky. 798
31 Denny Brauer Mo. 795
32 Clark Reehm Ark. 788
33 Mike McClelland Ark. 776
34 Kelly Jordon Texas 774
34 Kevin Short Ark. 774
36 Bradley Roy Ky. 769
37 Ish Monroe Calif. 768
38 Kevin VanDam Mich. 766
39 Matt Herren Ala. 757
40 Billy McCaghren Ark. 752
41 Morizo Shimizu Japan 744
42 Dustin Wilks N.C. 743
43 Russ Lane Ala. 742
44 Gerald Swindle Ala. 741
45 Randy Howell Ala. 738
45 Terry Scroggins Fla. 738
47 Boyd Duckett Ala. 737
48 Jason Quinn S.C. 736
49 Alton Jones Texas 735
49 Brent Chapman Kan. 735
51 Takahiro Omori Texas 734
52 Jason Williamson S.C. 728
53 Byron Velvick Texas 719
54 Kotaro Kiriyama Ala. 718
55 Pat Golden N.C. 712
55 Jeff Connella La. 712
55 Casey Ashley S.C. 712
58 Paul Elias Miss. 708
59 Marty Robinson S.C. 701
60 Peter Thliveros Fla. 692
60 Bradley Hallman Okla. 692
62 Mark Menendez Ky. 674
63 Matt Reed Texas 673
64 Rick Morris Va. 662
65 Grant Goldbeck Md. 658
66 Cliff Crochet La. 656
67 Pete Ponds Miss. 638
68 Wade Grooms S.C. 632
69 J Todd Tucker Ga. 628
69 Matt Greenblatt Fla. 628
71 Dennis Tietje La. 624
71 Mark Tyler Okla. 624
73 Davy Hite S.C. 622
74 Marty Stone N.C. 620
74 Fred Roumbanis Okla. 620
76 Charlie Hartley Ohio 592
77 Vince Fulks Okla. 590
77 Timmy Horton Ala. 590
79 Rick Clunn Mo. 589
80 Jami Fralick S.D. 586
81 Kenyon Hill Okla. 580
82 Bernie Schultz Fla. 560
83 Keith Poche Ala. 555
84 Chad Griffin Texas 546
85 Mark Burgess Mass. 544
86 John Murray Ariz. 538
87 David Smith Okla. 502
87 Byron Haseotes Mass. 502
89 Chris Lane Ala. 498
90 Britt Myers S.C. 480
91 Yusuke Miyazaki Texas 478
92 Jeremy Starks W.Va. 474
93 Scott Ashmore Okla. 432

Bass University

I was very fortunate to spend the first weekend in February attending the final session of the Bass University school year.

The BU was revived by Mike Iaconelli & Pete Gluszek and included some of the biggest names currently on the Bassmaster Elite circuit. To say that the weekend was an eye and brain opening expeerience would be an understatement. It’s one thing to read all the books and magazine articles, watch the videos and fishing shows on T.V. but to be able to get up close and personal in a classroom setting was truly unique. Each day was comprised of 3 classes in the morning and 3 classes in the afternoon. Each round of 3 classes was followed by a roundtable Q & A session where any type of question could be asked.

Day one started off with Ish Monroe covering all of the finer points of using a large weight in pitching and flipping to punch thru heavy mats to get at those lunkers lying in wait below. His second class involved advanced frog fishing techniques along with all the tricks and tactics he uses on tour. Pete Gluszek followed by talking about shallow cranking – using a tight or wide wobble and lipless baits. He discussed the strategies he uses in adjusting size, color and vibration of the crankbaits in all types of conditions. His next class involved spinnerbait strategy. Blade combinations, colors and sizes used for different conditions and depths were explained. He added a short discussion on the Mop head jig, when and where to use this bait to generate strikes from the “big” ones. Fred Roumbanis rounded out the first day talking about the proper use of wake baits and some different modifications you can make. Fred finished out day one outlining how to put together a simple, straight foward tournament plan.

As if it couldn’t get any better, Day 2 started off with one of the “godfathers” of the swimbait technique – Byron Velvick. Byron began with a history of the swimbait technique, starting off as a west coast only method and then spreading across the bass fishing landscape like a wildfire. In his second lecture, he broke down all you needed to know about rigging, retrieve, shapes, colors, sizes and equipment. Next up to the plate was Peter T. Thilveros. Peter T. opened up with an advanced presentation on the utilization of the many types of soft plastics available. He then brought the students up to speed on the latest methods of using two traditional standbyes – the Texas and Carolins rigs. The weekend’s finishing kick was provided by none other than bass fishings wildman – Mike Iaconelli. Mike opened up with an animated presentation on the employment of using advanced finesse fishing strategies when the fishing sucks. Using the Flick Shake, Shaky head, tail weighted french fry and the wet noodle rigs to name a few. Ike closed out the weekend session talking about how to initiate reaction strikes from inactive bass. He detailed in depth the use of the football head jig and the Laserlure crankbait.

It goes without saying that the weekend was an experience beyond all expectations. I highly recommend that anyone wanting to expand their bass fishing knowledge and experise to attend a future seminar. Check out www.thebassuniversity.com for further details.

Bassmaster Elites Return to Lake Guntersville

Sticking around BASS’ home state of Alabama for a while longer, the Bassmaster Elite Series will head south from the Alabama Charge at Pickwick Lake this weekend to Lake Guntersville for the May 6-9 Synergy Southern Challenge out of Guntersville.

Guntersville has been the site of 20 top-level BASS events, including the 1976 Bassmaster Classic, won by Elite Series pro Rick Clunn of Ava, Mo. The Elites competed at the fishery in 2009, when the top four overall weights for the four-day tournament crashed the scales at more than 100 pounds. Elite anglers caught nearly 1,300 fish and more than 5,300 pounds over the course of four days.

Aaron Martens of Leeds, Ala., took home the $100,000 first-place prize and the Southern Challenge trophy for his fifth career BASS victory. With 107 pounds, 8 ounces, through four days, Martens stayed ahead of 2007 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year Skeet Reese of Auburn, Calif., for the win by just more than 3 pounds.

Fishing fans can catch all of the on-the-water action from the Southern Challenge on The Bassmasters, which airs Sunday, May 16, at 10:30 a.m. ET on ESPN2 (re-airs Sunday, May 30, 11 a.m. ET). The daily weigh-ins for all regular-season Elite events and the two postseason events will air live on ESPN3.com.

Bassmaster.com will follow the Charge each day with BASSCast, BASSCam, real-time leaderboards during weigh-ins, photo galleries, daily results, and Hooked Up with ESPN Outdoors personalities Mark Zona and Tommy Sanders. Live, streaming video will be carried by ESPN3.com.

In the 2009 competition on Guntersville, after a productive first three days, Martens struggled on Day 4 as local fishermen were in his key spots early in the day. He recovered by switching locations and patterns, going with a deep-diving crankbait and a worm.

Martens said the best spots were those with grass and shell beds. In those spots, he would retrieve the crankbait erratically – similar, he said, to the method of retrieving a jerkbait. He said his retrieve was key to enticing the bigger bass.

While Martens is a Guntersville expert, Clark Reehm of Russellville, Ark., fished his first BASS event on Guntersville in 2009. After a subpar first day, Reehm figured things out, playing to the current. He eventually finished in 38th place on the strength of his near 30-pound limit on the second day.

“You might see something similar to last year in terms of weights,” said Reehm, who has qualified for three straight Saturday cuts to begin the Elite season. “If they turn on the generators, it could get ugly and guys will really smoke them.”

Reehm said that lipless crankbaits would be an obvious lure choice and that the early morning bite would be important to capitalize on. Additionally, he said the shad spawn should be starting at just the right time for pros to capitalize on schooling bass.

Reehm estimated that it could take anywhere from 80 to 100 pounds to get the victory on Guntersville.

“On a big-bass lake, it’s really hard to pinpoint how much it will take to win,” said Reehm, who was in the middle of his three-day practice period on Pickwick. “Targeting those schooling fish where the good-sized bass are wadded up is the best approach. It’s such a phenomenal lake. You can go through nearly 50 4-pounders on Guntersville and it’s considered just an average day.”

Along with the top prize of $100,000, the Southern Challenge awards valuable points in the 2010 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year title race. With 885 points after four events, Reese leads the AOY standings after winning the April 15-18 Blue Ridge Brawl on Virginia’s Smith Mountain Lake. Trailing him are Greg Hackney of Gonzales, La., in second with 798 points, and Dean Rojas of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., in third with 730 points.

The public is invited to attend the daily launches at 6 a.m. CT at Lake Guntersville State Park, 1155 Lodge Dr., Guntersville, Ala., 35976. After Day 2’s competition Friday, the field will be cut to the top 50 anglers for Day 3. Only the top 12 will go on to compete in Day 4. Also free and open to the public, the daily weigh-ins are set for 3:30 p.m. CT at Lake Guntersville State Park.

Local sponsor of the Southern Challenge: Marshall County Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The top 12 pros in the AOY standings at the end of the regular season will advance to the 2010 Bassmaster Elite Series postseason, in which the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year will be determined. With the completion of the Southern Challenge, the 2010 regular season will have just three events remaining.

After Guntersville will be the May 20-23 Pride of Georgia on Clarks Hill Lake out of Evans, Ga.

Bassmaster Elite Series Official Sponsors: Toyota, Berkley, Evan Williams Bourbon, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Skeeter and Yamaha.

Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Lowrance and Triton Boats.

Media Contact
Doug Grassian at 407-566-2216 or doug.grassian@espn.com

Bassmaster Elite Coming Back to Virginia

Bassmaster Elite Coming Back to Virginia’s Smith Mountain Lake

In postcard-pretty southern Virginia, Smith Mountain Lake promises to fish as good as it looks during the April 15-18 Evan Williams Bourbon Blue Ridge Brawl.

The lake’s beauty, however, has nothing to do with the amount of looking Bassmaster Elite Series pros will be doing. Most pros will be busy watching for bass on their way to, or already on, spawning beds.

Smith Mountain Lake out of Huddleston, Va., will be the 2010 Elite Series’ third stop. There the pros will compete for a $100,000 first-place prize. They also will be after points to qualify for the Bassmaster Elite Series Postseason in July, when the $200,000 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year contest will play out in Alabama. Points also count towards elusive berths in the 2011 Bassmaster Classic.

Without warming temperatures, not much sight fishing will happen in mid-April in Virginia. But if the spawn is on, the 2010 Brawl would start looking more like last year’s version. Then, most pros cast to largemouths they could see on beds in backwaters. But the winner – five-time AOY Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich. – finessed smallmouth spawners on main-lake points. He posted 61 pounds, 13 ounces, over four days.

This year’s Blue Ridge Brawl lands a week earlier on the calendar. That timing, combined with the unusually cold winter, might nix a sight fishing tournament, VanDam said. And that, he pointed out, could be all for the good.

“A lot of fish in spawning mode don’t want to feed, don’t want to bite at all,” he said. “We saw a lot of that last year during the event. It was hard to get the fish to commit to a bait. So this year could be better if they’re pre-spawn, if they’re in a feeding pattern.”

VanDam said that even if the weather cooperated and triggered a spawn, he would not try to replicate his winning Smith Mountain Lake smallmouth pattern.

“Last year it was perfect timing for those smallmouth for me. For that to happen again, you’d have to be pretty lucky. Even if it were the same week, things change a lot year to year,” said VanDam, who earned his 15th BASS victory at the 2009 Brawl. He has since earned two more: No. 16 at the Postseason event when he took his fifth AOY crown; and No. 17 as 2010 Classic champ.

He is focused on another high finish at Smith Mountain Lake to help make up for his very un-VanDamlike finishes, a 29th and a 59th, at this season’s first two events in California. The slow start has him in 42nd place in the AOY points standings.

Greg Hackney, Elite pro from Gonzales, La., is looking for a finish in Virginia that will help him into the postseason. He’s currently in second place in the AOY standings.

“I started the year off in the right direction,” said Hackney, a three-time BASS winner. “But it’s still a long ways until the end; there are six events left.”

He’s headed to a lake on which he’s excelled. At the 2007 and 2009 Elite events there, Hackney finished 14th and fourth, respectively.

“If it stays warm like it is now, it will be a full-blown sight fishing tournament,” he said. “The whole lake should have fish spawning from one end to the other. But we’re subject to have a cold front – that happened last time we were there. It warmed up in practice, and the fish came out, a lot of big ones. Then the cold front went through and shut them down.”

Bassmaster.com will follow the Brawl each day with BASSCast, BASSCam, real-time leaderboards during weigh-ins, photo galleries, daily results, and Hooked Up with ESPN Outdoors personalities Mark Zona and Tommy Sanders. Live, streaming video will be carried by ESPN3.com. Click here closer to tournament time for a complete coverage schedule.

At the event, all spectator activities are free and open to the public, including the Thursday-Sunday launches and weigh-ins at Parkway Marina, 16918 Smith Mountain Lake Parkway, Huddleston, VA 24104. Takeoff is set for 6:20 a.m. ET; weigh-ins will begin at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Other fan events include a Friday tailgate party with live music and a “corn hole” tournament. The party will begin after weigh-in. Likewise, Saturday’s Karaoke contest will begin after weigh-in.

Special events for kids include a Saturday tournament, “Fish Like the Pros,” and Saturday and Sunday activities hosted by the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance. Also for young fans is the Toyota Kids Casting Challenge.

Saturday and Sunday, fans can check out the Yamaha VMax SHO Demo Tour and the Berkley Demo Tank. Contests include the Revo Reel Giveaway at the BASS booth.

Click here for complete event information.

Local sponsors are the counties of Franklin and Bedford. Click here for Smith Mountain Lake information.

Bassmaster Elite Series Official Sponsors: Toyota, Berkley, Evan Williams Bourbon, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Skeeter and Yamaha.

Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Lowrance and Triton Boats

As the flagship offering of ESPN Outdoors, the Bassmaster brand and its considerable multimedia platforms are guided by a mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times and Fishing Tackle Retailer; comprehensive Web properties in Bassmaster.com, BASSInsider.com, ESPNOutdoors.com and ESPN360.com, and ESPN2 television programming, Bassmaster provides rich, leading-edge content true to the lifestyle.

Media Contact
Doug Grassian, 407-566-2216, doug.grassian@espn.com

BASS,Humminbird

BASS, Humminbird sign multiple-year agreement

BASS announced today a new multiple-year sponsorship agreement with Humminbird®, a leading innovator in cutting-edge technology in the electronics category. With the agreement, Humminbird will become an official sponsor of the Bassmaster Classic and Bassmaster Elite Series in addition to a supporting sponsor of the Bassmaster Opens.

“Humminbird is very excited to support BASS and its tour anglers,” said Jeff Davison, Business Director of Humminbird. “Side Imaging® sonar has forever changed bass fishing, and as the innovation leaders who invented it, we’re committed to raising the bar yet again with technology that will help anglers catch more fish.”

The Eufaula, Ala.,-based company recently made big news in the fishing industry, inking a sponsorship deal with five-time Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year Kevin VanDam.

Humminbird designs, engineers and manufactures sonar/GPS products primarily for the fishing and marine markets.

The sponsorship agreement will bring unique value to Humminbird as the company will be considered the primary sponsor of BASSCast. BASSCast, a new technology that features near real-time feeds directly from BASS anglers’ boats during competition days, will now be branded “BASSCast Powered by Humminbird.”

Humminbird will also enjoy a presence at the Bassmaster Classic, Bassmaster Elite Series events and the Bassmaster Opens. Humminbird will also receive significant exposure across BASS’ multimedia properties, including ESPN2, Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times, Fishing Tackle Retailer, Bassmaster.com and ESPNOutdoors.com.

“Humminbird continues to deliver cutting-edge technology that anglers want while maintaining an outstanding quality and customer service reputation,” said Tom Ricks, BASS’ and ESPN Outdoors vice president and general manager.

For more information on Humminbird, visit Humminbird.com

For more information, contact BASS Communications at (407) 566-2208 or visit Bassmaster.com. Visit ESPNOutdoorsMedia.com for ESPN’s latest releases, schedules and images.

About Humminbird

Humminbird® is a leading innovator and manufacturer of fishfinders, fishfinder/GPS combo units, chartplotters, marine radios and digital depth gauges. The Humminbird brand is owned by Johnson Outdoors Marine Electronics, Inc. along with other fishing brands including Minn Kota® and Cannon®.

About BASS

For more than 40 years, BASS has served as the authority on bass fishing. With its considerable multi-media platforms and expansive tournament trail, BASS is guided by its mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times and Fishing Tackle Retailer and comprehensive Web properties in ESPN360.com, ESPN’s sports broadband network, Bassmaster.com, BASSInsider.com and ESPNOutdoors.com, the organization is committed to delivering content true to the lifestyle. Additionally, television programming on ESPN2 continues to provide relevant content – from tips and techniques to in-depth tournament coverage – to passionate audiences.

The organization oversees the prestigious Bassmaster tournament trail, which includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bassmaster Opens and the Bassmaster Classic, the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing. Through its grassroots network, the BASS Federation Nation, BASS sanctions more than 20,000 events annually.

BASS also offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members while spearheading progressive, positive change on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.

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