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BASS Reporter’s Notebook: Bassmaster Elite Series Pros Work to Stay Sharp Between Tournaments

Category: press release

 Jul 21st, 2009 by OutdoorsFIRST 

Modified Jul 21st, 2009 at 12:00 AM

By the time the Bassmaster Elite Series regular-season finale kicks off on Aug. 13 at New York’s Oneida Lake, two months will have passed since the Elite pros competed in an Elite event. Such a hiatus has the potential to throw even the best anglers off their game, according to Marty Stone of Linden, N.C.

	Boyd Duckett (Photo Courtesy of BASS)

“If you haven’t fished, then show up at Oneida and put your boat in the water and try to make it through 12- to 14-hour practice days, you might get through the first day, but by the second, you’re going to be gassed,” said Stone. “You’ve got to be used to fishing multiple days, you really have to be in gear.”

Since mid-June, right after the most recent Elite tournament, Stone has spent at least two hours a day following a training regimen. He has a specific daily weight workout, tops it off with time on a heavy bag and a speed bag, and walks 4.5 miles. He also got in some unusual exercise for an angler: Over a three-week period, he pitched batting practice to members of his son’s all-star baseball team. Stone said he threw 200 to 300 pitches a day.

And now that he’s leaner – he said he’s dropped 12 pounds – he’s turning his attention to his fishing. This week he plans to begin regular sessions on two lakes near his North Carolina home to stay sharp.

“There’s a difference between an aerobic workout, a weight workout, and a fishing day,” Stone said. “What I’m hoping is, when I get to Oneida, I’ll be capable of seven days of very productive water time.”

For Stone and other Elite competitors, the outcome of the Oneida event – the Ramada Champion’s Choice, Aug. 13-16 out of Syracuse, N.Y. – is ultra-important. After Oneida, 37 Elite pros will have earned berths in the 2010 Bassmaster Classic; 84 will have spots on next season’s Elite roster; and – the most exclusive achievement of the season – 12 will have qualified for the inaugural Elite postseason, the Sept 10-18 Toyota Trucks Championship Week in Alabama.

Stone is sitting at 45th place in the Elite standings, which are based on the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year points system. Qualification for the 2010 Elite season is a done deal for him, but he’s not in contention for the post season. He is, however, within range of a Classic berth.

“It’s pretty simple for me: At Oneida, I need to finish 20th place or higher to make the Classic,” said Stone.

Boyd Duckett of Demopolis, Ala., is another Elite pro with a shot at a Classic berth. In 32nd place in the AOY standings, Duckett is focused on finishing strong at Oneida and qualifying for the 2010 Classic, set for Feb. 19-21 out of Birmingham, Ala., and on Lay Lake, the same fishery on which he took his 2007 Classic crown.

Duckett said he’s getting out on the water at least twice a week. His mission is twofold: to stay sharp and to perfect the techniques he’ll use to hook Oneida smallmouth bass.

“We don’t have smallmouth where I am in Alabama, but I’m focusing on that style of fishing, which pretty much for me means a dropshot and a jerkbait,” he said. “We have spotted bass, which feed offshore similarly to the smallmouth at Oneida, so I’m spending time with my dropshot and spinning rod. Then, when I get up there (to the New York fishery), I’ll be in touch with that style of fishing.”

Elite pro Kelly Jordon from Mineola, Texas, is seventh in the AOY standings. Barring a meltdown at Oneida, he’s in direct line for a post-season berth. He has been keeping his fishing muscles well-flexed by getting together with friends to go offshore saltwater fishing.

“I’m keeping in tournament shape,” he said. “I can fish every day, dawn to dusk, and still have energy to keep going. And offshore fishing helps me stay acclimated to heat. I don’t foresee it being super hot in New York, but it certainly can get hot in August there. You can’t spend two months inside, sitting in air conditioning, then be out all day and survive.”

NEW BENEFIT FOR BASS MEMBERS: Members of BASS now can join BoatU.S. Angler at a discounted rate, as well as get in on deals on boat insurance and other benefits offered by the association.

For a $12.50 annual membership fee to BoatU.S. Angler, BASS members will be eligible for coverage of boat, trailer and fishing equipment. (Policy quotes are free at http://www.BoatUSAngler.com/BASS.)

Besides insurance policies for casual and tournament anglers, BoatU.S. Angler offers other unique benefits. They include $50 of on-the-road and on-the-water towing; automatic tournament liability coverage; discounts on fuel and repairs at 900 marinas nationwide; and a subscription to BoatU.S. Angler Magazine.

“We’re pleased to collaborate with BoatU.S. Angler to offer BASS members a variety of ways to save money and enjoy services tailored to bass anglers,” said Tom Ricks, vice president & general manager, BASS & ESPN Outdoors.

Based in Alexandria, Va., BoatU.S. Angler is a program from the nation’s largest association of recreational boaters, BoatU.S.

“We help you get more out of your good days spent fishing, and can also help when things don’t go so well,” said Mike Pellerin, director of BoatU.S. Angler.

THE GEEK AT ICAST: Last weekend, anglers who tracked BASS senior editor Ken Duke (a.k.a. The Bass Geek) on Bassmaster.com were among the first to learn about the tackle and fishing accessories that will be available in stores in 2010.

In a series on online video exclusives, Duke brought the sold-out ICAST show to anglers straight from the floor of the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. Not open to the public, ICAST is the world’s largest trade event for the sportfishing industry. Traditionally, the show is where manufacturers debut new items.

Duke’s coverage included interviews with Bassmaster Elite Series pros. They were challenged to talk about one product with which they were impressed. Duke laid down only one rule for their picks: the Elite pros could not select anything they were paid by sponsors to use. (What the pros picked is available at Bassmaster.com.)

Trends emerging from the show, according to Duke, included a “Japanese look” for rods, soft versions of hard baits, and reels with ultrahigh retrieve speeds.

HOOKSETTING PRACTICE AT FALCON: “If you get a minute, go to YouTube and search ‘Alton Jones Falcon,’ and check out Little A and me.” – Elite pro and 2008 Bassmaster Classic champion Alton Jones of Waco, Texas, in his Bassmaster.com blog about a recent trip with his son, Alton Jones Jr.

About BASS

For more than 40 years, BASS has served as the authority on bass fishing. With its considerable multimedia 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 broadband sports 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, Academy Sports + Outdoors Women’s Bassmaster Tour and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic. Through its grassroots network, the BASS Federation Nation, BASS annually sanctions more than 20,000 events.

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.