| 

Biffle win provides sneak peek into Larew’s plans for 2011

Category: press release

 Jun 22nd, 2010 by OutdoorsFIRST 

Modified Jun 22nd, 2010 at 12:00 AM

TULSA, Okla (June 21, 2010) – Father’s Day 2010 will be especially memorable for Oklahoma bass professional Tommy Biffle. Not only did he win the event on his home water Ft. Gibson Lake and claim its top prize of $100,000, he did so with daughter Jennifer and wife Sharron close by and watching him take care of business. 

	Tommy Biffle with his daughter Jennifer and wife Sharron.

The fact that he won the tournament that concluded over the weekend is no longer “news” to those who follow the sport, but there are still a few questions to be answered about the exact rig and method he was using to get his four-day tournament weight of 73 pounds, 11 ounces.  The other part of the equation is, when and where can fishermen buy what Biffle was using?

Over the past two months, Biffle has been
refining a technique that involves rigging his Larew Biffle Bug on a hook attached loosely to a football head. The head is something a local friend has been making and providing to the pro.

Putting the Biffle Bug on it has been a revelation of sorts to Biffle ever since.

He first tried the combo on Ft. Gibson Lake in late April and caught four bass on his first four consecutive casts with it. His confidence was boosted even more when every fish he caught at the recent BASS Kentucky Lake event came on the same rig.

Perhaps as critical to the Biffle Bug as its hyper active swimming legs is the way the Oklahoma angler is fishing the rig. Biffle reels it, and reels it faster than one likely would envision at first thought. The retrieve is slow to moderate, much like the speed used for pulling and feeling a crankbait as it works through rocks and cover.

	The rig that helped Tommy win the AutoZone Sooner Run.

“I’m holding my rod tip up and cranking the Bug so that it’s dragging and bumping everything it comes in contact with along the bottom,” Biffle explained. “I have a lot of confidence in fishing shallow even in the hottest part of summer, which is contrary to what many believe. However, I also caught a lot of fish doing this exact same thing in deeper water on Kentucky Lake. This rig really shines around rocks.”

On Ft. Gibson Lake, a body of water on the Grand River system below Grand and Hudson lakes, Biffle keyed on rocky areas that were even more shallow than usual due to the Corps of Engineers trying to keep the lake 1-2 feet below normal for some work on the dam. In fact, many of the tournament’s anglers reported their catches came from less than 6 feet of water.

Throughout the tournament, Biffle varied little in his presentation or strategy. It was obvious to the spectators who followed him that he had a plan and was on a mission. He was deliberate and thorough in fishing “spots,” and especially so on the final day. Regardless of whether he was on a flat in the middle of the lake or near the shoreline on a shallow ledge, it was cast and reel, cast and reel … over and over again. 

“I started all four days on the same spot and, fortunately, it was good to me each time,” Biffle explained. “Only on one of the days did I leave it before catching a limit, and then I had four fish. Every spot I fished was capable of producing a big bass, so I wouldn’t leave any area that felt ‘right’ until I knew I had covered all of its potential.”

Biffle designed the 4 1/4-inch Biffle Bug as a pitching and flipping bait. Only recently has he keyed on the “bug crawling” technique for this lure, thinking it probably most closely resembles the action of a crawdad, a staple of most bass diets wherever they coexist. All of his fish brought to the scales were caught on the soft plastic bait that bears his name.

The Biffle Bug color he used is a new one for 2011, featuring a dark back over a watermelon pepper belly with red flake. Biffle spotted the sample run back in April when visiting Larew before his travels to the Lake Pickwick tournament in Alabama and took some with him. He did well on the color in that tournament. So much so that when he ran out of them at the Guntersville event that followed, he took a black marker and darkened the backs of our standard color Dark Watermelon Neon/Watermelon Pepper Neon that has been a top seller in the bait, and caught his fish there on those. Biffle said the unusual laminating process for this bait and color creates a unique look when the combination hits the water.

At his request, Larew made more for him to use. As a result of this win, the color is being introduced earlier than its planned debut at next month’s ICAST trade show in Las Vegas. The color is appropriately being called Sooner Run, providing several ties to the Sooner state where Biffle lives and recorded the win.

“The fact that we manufacture our own baits right here in Tulsa is a big plus in being able to react quickly when something like this happens,” said Larew owner Chris Lindenberg. “And, as an OU (University of Oklahoma) alum, I am fond of anything with the Sooner name in it. Whereas we typically aren’t fans of early introductions because it causes kinks in our distribution process, this opportunity warrants the exception. First thing this morning, we changed our Biffle Bug mold over to the new color and it’s been spitting them out ever since. We’ll have ‘Sooner Run’ bugs available for our retail partners in just a few days.”

The handmade football head rig that Biffle used came from a Tulsa-area fisherman and friend. He, Biffle and Larew have been in discussions the past few weeks about commercially making and marketing the head under the Larew brand for the 2011 product year because it matches nicely to a variety of the company’s baits. With legal processes still under review, no further details can be shared at this time but will follow soon.

The Biffle Bug is a slim, wide-bodied bait with concentric “ridges” spaced evenly from its nose to where the tail starts. The ridges give the bait lifelike action and “sound” as a result of friction contact each time one rubs against limbs, grass, rocks or whatever.

From head to tail, the Biffle Bug measures about 4.25 inches. The first 3/4-inch of its 3-inch body length is solid for hook support, but the rest of the body is hollow. The cavity is oval, not round, better fitting the shape of the body and also serving to hold a round rattle in place simply through natural compression. The hollow design works with most rattle styles and makes for an extra-loud sound chamber. Compressed foam and/or scent can also be added to the bug’s cavity.

A big proponent of inserting a rattle for flipping, and adding flotation for Carolina rigging, Biffle did neither to the Biffle Bug for his Ft. Gibson win. He made no modifications to the bait whatsoever. It was his using it on the special football head rig, and then reeling it for the retrieve, that made it so different from his traditional style of fishing.

Also, for this technique, Biffle left the bait’s super active legs on. In fact, he says it’s the key to this bait working like a “soft plastic crankbait.” The legs are a borrowed design from Larew’s Biffle-O Lizard and feature special feet to make them come alive in thumping, vibrating action with the slightest movement.

The Biffle Bug’s tail is thin and flexible, again using Biffle-O attributes from its patented tail design. The tail’s back is convex and its underside cupped. The combination keeps it “breathing,” even at rest.

“Of course this is a big win for Larew,” Lindenberg added. “But first and foremost, we’re pleased for Tommy. He works hard on and off the water, and most every bass fisherman out there can relate to what he says and does. We knew a big win was coming for this bait sometime soon, because we’ve just been getting too many calls and pictures of success stories for the Biffle Bug from all across the country. Kudos to Tommy for his design of the bait and the tournament win.”

Next up on the calendar for Biffle is the BASS Angler of the Year Trophy Chase in Alabama the last week of July. The two-event competition includes fishing on both Lake Jordan and the Alabama River for the 12 finalists. Biffle’s strong finish in Oklahoma bolted him from 17th to 7th to qualify him for the trip to Alabama next month.

“There’s no doubt about it, I’ll catch ’em,” said Biffle, when asked if he thought his bug-crawling rig would work there. “I’ll be headed that way in a few weeks with total confidence I can do well in both places. I had a strong finish at this same event and time last year, and now I’ve got something different to try,” he added.

But for now, Biffle is basking in his victory under the hot Oklahoma sun. “To win this tournament here, in front of my family and friends, and on my home lake, has made this a special moment I’ll keep forever near the top of my career accomplishments,” Biffle concluded.

For more information about Tommy Biffle, visit TommyBiffle.com. For more information about the Biffle Bug, visit GeneLarewLures.com.