Bainbridge, Ga. – “Tough.” That word has best described the fishing on Lake Seminole at the 2010 finale of the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open. But, as always, some competitors managed to outsmart the bass, including Derek Allen of Ponchatoula, La., who brought his second five-bass limit to the scales in two days and took the lead among the professional anglers.
Allen, who owns a fence company, was in fifth place after the first day of competition with 17 pounds, 10 ounces. His second-round catch weighed just 11-11 (for a total of 29-5), but it was enough for a 4-ounce lead over Bassmaster Elite Series pro Terry Scroggins of San Mateo, Fla.
The affable Allen caught his bass on a SPRO Bronzeye Frog 65 fished on 65-pound-test braided line in the heaviest cover he could find.
“I use a frog with a black belly to create a better silhouette for the fish,” Allen said. “But I like the top of the frog to be another color so I can see it more easily on the surface.”
Missed fish are the bane of frog anglers everywhere, and Allen was no exception. His 4-ounce lead might have been much larger had he landed a big bass that struck his topwater bait.
“She got me mired in the vegetation, and I just couldn’t get her out,” he said. “I felt her shaking her head and pulling for at least 30 seconds, but I couldn’t budge her or get through the jungle to get to her. I’m thinking of going to 80-pound braid tomorrow, but there’s just so much pressure you can apply before something has to give.”
Allen also offered some advice for other anglers who fish heavy vegetation.
“After you catch one out of the thick stuff, you really need to let it cool off for a while,” he said. “There might be five or 10 more bass in there, but they generally won’t bite right after you pull one out of there. You need to fish another area and come back later.”
Scroggins moved from eighth into second place on Day 2 despite only bringing four bass to the scales. Fortunately for the Florida pro, two of those weighed better than 5 pounds each and his catch totaled 14-11, good enough for 29-1 over two days. Scroggins was pitching and flipping soft plastics to heavy vegetation for his bass.
Jonathon VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., (26-1), Derek Remitz of Grant, Ala., (26-0) and Cliff Prince (25-13) of Palatka, Fla., rounded out the top five. Kyle Fox, the Day 1 leader, had just three small bass Friday and fell to ninth place.
Apart from the battle for a Bassmaster Open trophy and more than $35,000 in prize money, two berths in the 2011 Bassmaster Classic and seven invitations to the Bassmaster Elite Series are at stake Saturday as the top 30 professionals take to the water with their co-anglers.
Andy Montgomery of South Carolina and Bobby Lane of Florida led the Southern Open points standings coming into this event, but their positions are precarious. Montgomery is having a solid tournament and is currently in 14th place. He’ll be fishing in the final round on Saturday. Lane finished 39th and will be heading home; he has already earned a spot in the Classic through the Elite Series.
Picking up Lane’s slack is Randall Tharp, a Gardendale, Ala., pro who is third in the season standings and 10th so far at Seminole. If he can hang on for one more day, he may claim his first Classic berth. If Lane takes one of the top two spots, Jared Lintner of Arroyo Grande, Calif., would take his Classic berth as the next angler standing in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings on the Elite Series.
On the amateur side, Georgia’s Fred Hood took a big lead into Day 2. His two bass today weighed just 3-6, but he still holds a 5-pound advantage over his closest challenger. Co-anglers are competing for a top prize of a Skeeter-Yamaha boat and motor package.
Check out the latest in the action on Bassmaster.com, including live, interactive video with the winner after Saturday’s final weigh-in.
The Classic seats and Elite invitations will be awarded Saturday after the weigh-in.
Saturday’s takeoff will be from Earle May Boat Basin,100 Boat Basin Circle, Bainbridge, GA 39817, at 7:30 a.m. ET. Anglers will return with their catches to the same marina for the weigh-in, scheduled to begin each day at 3:30 p.m. ET.
The local sponsor for the event is the Bainbridge Convention and Visitors Bureau, www.VisitBainbridgeGa.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.
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