EUFAULA, Ala. — The CITGO Southern Open anglers were in the city of Eufaula last month scouting historic Lake Eufaula in preparation for the $308,700 CITGO Southern Open presented by Busch Beer, but Hurricane Ivan skewered their plans by forcing BASS officials to postpone the tournament.
The 175 Southern Open boaters and non-boaters will finally get their shot at Lake Eufaula largemouth Oct. 28-30 with a $50,000 top prize on the line. Also at stake are valuable points toward the 20 qualifying slots for December’s CITGO Bassmaster Open Championship presented by Busch Beer in Monroe, La., which will send its top five finishers to the 2005 CITGO Bassmaster Classic presented by Busch Beer in Pittsburgh, Pa., next July.
“I think it being postponed a month is going to make the fishing a little better,” said Alabama’s Tim Horton, a former CITGO Bassmaster Angler of the Year. “The end of October is typically better than September so I think fishing could actually be a little better.”
BASS has visited the 45,000-acre reservoir located on the Georgia-Alabama border 16 times over the past 35 years. Situated 85 miles southeast of Montgomery, Lake Eufaula is one of the country’s most famous bass waters. Local expert Bobby Padgett of Columbus, Ga., helped write some of the impoundment’s impressive history with a 77-pound, 9-ounce catch during a Bassmaster Eastern Invitational event in 1996
The CITGO Bassmaster Tournament Trail visited Lake Eufaula twice in the past year. Last March, venerable pro Denny Brauer won the four-day CITGO Bassmaster Tour stop with 76 pounds, 14 ounces. Last fall, Missouri’s Shane Voyles won the Southern Open there with 36-5 for three days of fishing.
Voyles’ winning strategy involved pitching a jig around large fallen trees on steep banks in a hidden slough. He slowly worked the deep ends almost vertically when the bass were suspended and largely inactive. He also scored by swimming the jig during the times when the bass were shallow and feeding in more shallow water.
Padgett, a local legend on the big lake, isn’t optimistic that the fishing will be very good this time around.
“I look for it to be slow to bad,” he said. “It’s been awful lately. The conditions will be perfect for fishing. My personal opinion is that something is wrong with the lake and there’s not as many fish in it.
“I think it will be the exact same as last year’s weights where it took like 36 pounds to win. I think it will be exactly like last year. Somebody will catch a decent sack one day — like an 18-pound sack — unless the weather’s bad. But that will be it.”
Padgett pointed to a recent two-day tournament where the winner had just 17 pounds.
Horton predicted a similar winning weight, saying 12 to 13 pounds a day might take the $50,000 top prize.
Although Lake Eufaula has long been famous for its deep-water ledge fishing, both pros agree that the tournament will most likely be won shallow.
“I think it’s going to be textbook shallow fishing,” said Horton, who finished second to Voyles last fall. “There’s a lot more hydrilla in that lake than there’s ever been that I noticed when we were there. The fish seemed to be shallow then and I think they’re going to be even shallower now with some muddy water. And it’s going to be a little bit cooler, too.
“I think they’re going to be caught on buzzbaits and topwaters unless it’s still muddy. If it’s still muddy, spinnerbaits and jigs are going to be the deal. I really think it’s going to be a shallow bite. I expect the water temperatures are going to be in the upper 60s to low 70s — unless it gets cooler between now and then. It could be in the low 60s. So I think it’s going to be shallow, visible deal. I really do.
“Most of the shad were already in the creeks when we were there three or four weeks ago. So I think that will really be the deal. They’ll be chasing shad. Probably the backs of the creeks to about mid-way out is going to be the best deal.”
“It will be won shallow,” Padgett added. “There’s hydrilla growing on the upper end and a bunch of weed beds. And the water temperature will be right at 70 degrees. So it’s going to be won shallow.
“But I’m going to catch them on a crankbait on ledges or in brushpiles or I’m not going to catch them. I might throw topwater for the first hour or two over some shallow stuff, but I don’t think I have enough confidence where I think I can win shallow. And I’m going to win. I’m not going to fish for 25th place. I’ve got to do what I do best.”
Daily weigh-ins will begin at 2:30 p.m. and launch will be at 6:30 a.m. at Lakepoint State Park and are free to the public.
BASS is the world's largest fishing organization, sanctioning more than 20,000 tournaments worldwide through its Federation. The CITGO Bassmaster Tournament Trail presented by Busch Beer, which includes the all-new Bassmaster Elite 50 series, is the oldest and most prestigious pro bass fishing tournament circuit and continues to set the standard for credibility, professionalism and sportsmanship as it has since 1968.
Sponsors of the CITGO Bassmaster Northern Open include CITGO Petroleum Corp., Busch Beer, Purolator, Triton Boats, Mercury Marine, Toyota, Berkley, Abu Garcia, Lowrance Electronics, Flowmaster Exhaust Systems, MotorGuide, Bass Pro Shops, and BankOne.
Local Sponsors include Eufaula/Barbour County Chamber of Commerce.
For more information, contact BASS Communications at (334) 551-2375 or visit www.bassmaster.com.
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