October 18, 2011
B.A.S.S. Reporter’s Notebook: Miller’s second chance — squared; A walk-through of Walker’s truck; New sponsor for new Elite Series angler Card; and … First lady?
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Miller’s second chance — squared: It’s déjà vu this week for 27-year-old Jared Miller: Once again, he’s in position to qualify for the Bassmaster Elite Series.
Fifth in points in the 2011 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open circuit, Miller could earn an Elite Series invitation if he does well at this week’s season finale on Table Rock Lake, Oct. 20-22 out of Branson, Mo.
It’s almost identical to the situation he faced last year in his rookie season as an Open pro. The then-college senior had been sitting in ninth place in points in the Central Opens as he approached the season’s end. But a 50th-place finish in 2010’s last event, the Lake Texoma tournament, knocked him out.
Undeterred, Miller went after his dream job even harder in 2011.
“Ever since I was a little kid, I wanted to fish professionally,” said Miller, 27. “My goal is to make the Elites.”
He could score via two of his three chosen avenues. Now out of college with a “day job,” Miller competed this season not only in the 2011 Central Opens circuit, but also in the Northern Opens division as well as in the B.A.S.S. Federation Nation events in his native Oklahoma. He’s done well in the Central Opens — fifth in points is a remarkable second-year accomplishment — and in the Federation. But the Northern Opens were another story.
“I bombed in the Northerns,” Miller said.
But he was a big success not only in the Central circuit, but also on the Federation trail. After a long string of qualifying tournaments — including a divisional on Table Rock Lake in June — Miller is set to be Oklahoma’s sole representative in the Nov. 3-5 Bassmaster Federation Nation Championship presented by Yamaha and Skeeter on the Ouachita River out of Monroe, La.
Six Federation Nation anglers will emerge from the championship with berths in the 2012 Bassmaster Classic. The overall winner will be given the option to turn Elite. That would make the Federation Miller’s second chance to qualify for the Elite Series if the Central Open doesn’t pan out for him.
He’s managed to give equal attention to both the tournaments. He was on the Ouachita River last week, putting the Federation Nation Championship first because the water would be off-limits if he waited until after the Open. After a week of tough river practice — all his fish were small, he said — he drove to Table Rock Lake on Saturday to squeeze in about four days’ worth of water time before opening day Thursday .
Coincidentally, Miller’s most recent Federation success came on Table Rock. But that was in June, when the water level was high. This week’s Open tournament promises to present markedly different conditions, Miller said.
“The water’s down to normal, and it’s tough, tough fishing,” he said. “Fishing was easier when we were there (on Table Rock) for the Federation — with high water, you could pick just about any stretch of bushes on the lake and the fish were there. Now the fish are all spread out.”
He has another thing figured out about the season finale: Don’t waste time and energy calculating Open points scenarios.
“Last year I tried to calculate all the different ways it could turn out, and it didn’t help me,” he said. “This year I haven’t even looked at points. I am trying to block out everything and fish as hard as I can.”
A walk-through of Walker’s truck: Bassmaster Elite Series pro David Walker posted a YouTube video late last week to give fans a tour of his new luxury Toyota Tundra Platinum Edition customized by none other than fellow Elite Series pro Britt Myers.
“I’m not sponsored by Toyota or anything, but I wanted to do the video so everyone could see all the great features of the truck,” Walker said. “The video was just for fun, to show a truck that has everything a fisherman could ever want.”
Walker ordered the truck and had it delivered directly to Myers who, besides fishing the Elite Series, owns the North Carolina shop CS Motorsports and has tricked out other anglers’ vehicles. Walker didn’t see the finished product until it was ready to come home to him in Sevierville, Tenn.
The short list of items Myers added to Walker’s dream truck includes dual roof-mounted rod tubes that are long enough to carry 8-foot flipping rods; a 6 1/2-inch lift kit that gives clearance for the larger ATX wheels they added; large, chrome step bars; touch-screen DVD players on the back side of the front seat headrests (for his daughters when they travel with him); a high-profile bed topper that can hold tackle, tools and other travel necessities; carpeted bed liner; and a tailgate and rear window that lock down with the rest of the vehicle at the push of a button.
Not to mention Walker’s favorite toy: an auxiliary horn that delivers a (very loud) train-horn blast.
“Ever hear that coming down the road, you’ll know it’s Walker in his new Tundra,” he jokes on the video.
Off-camera, Walker explained that the blast is produced by a set of three 18-inch air horns mounted outside, just under the floorboards. An air compressor powers the horns.
“You push the horn button, and your feet vibrate. Britt showed me one of those, and I thought, ‘That is the funniest thing.’ We’ve already had a blast with it.”
Walker’s first chance to blow the horn at a tournament will be at the Toyota Texas Bass Classic at the end of October, an event that benefits the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The Bassmaster debut of Walker’s vehicle will be at the 2012 Bassmaster Classic.
New sponsor for new Elite Series angler Card: Newly qualified for the 2012 Bassmaster Elite Series, Brandon Card has signed to endorse Empire Covers, an online provider of protective boat, vehicle and general-use covers made in the Empire factory in Kentucky.
“We are very excited about Brandon’s story of fishing his way through college and moving up to the Elite Series,” Empire Covers’ Robert Brous said. “By getting to know him we have learned a great deal about the sport of fishing.”
From Caryville, Tenn., Card qualified for the Elite Series through the 2011 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open circuit. Before he joined the Opens, he was a collegiate competitor. He captained the University of Kentucky bass fishing team for four years before graduating in 2009. While at the university, he fished the BoatUS series, College BASS and the FLW College Fishing series. He won the inaugural Ultimate Match Fishing College edition in 2007.
First lady?: Janet Parker of Little Elm, Texas, has been practicing on Table Rock Lake for more than a week. Sitting in second place in points, Parker is striving to maintain her Top-5 status and qualify for the Bassmaster Elite Series.
Bassmaster.com will provide coverage of the Thursday-Saturday event out of Branson, Mo., reporting on all Elite Series hopefuls but especially on Parker, who could become the first female qualifier.
The Top 10 anglers going into the season finale:
1 Chris Zaldain 567
2 Janet Parker 536
3 Trevor Romans 512
4 Kevin Ledoux 509
5 Jared Miller 503
6 Rick Clunn 498
7 Lendell Martin 493
8 Chris Ford 489
9 Mark Tyler 485
10 Mark Tucker 478
About B.A.S.S.
For more than 40 years, B.A.S.S. has served as the authority on bass fishing. The organization advances the sport through advocacy, outreach and an expansive tournament structure while connecting directly with the passionate community of bass anglers through its Bassmaster media vehicles.
The Bassmaster brand and its multimedia platforms are guided by a mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications — Bassmaster Magazine and B.A.S.S. Times — comprehensive website Bassmaster.com, ESPN2 and Outdoor Channel television programming, Bassmaster provides rich, leading-edge content true to the lifestyle.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, B.A.S.S. Federation Nation events presented by Yamaha and Skeeter Boats and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic.
B.A.S.S. offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members and remains focused on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.
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Media Contact: Melissa J. Dixon at 407-566-2295 or melissa.j.dixon@bassmaster.com
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