A field of 157 competitors were ready by the time for launch of the Triton Neely Henry Regional Qualifying Tournament May 18. An assortment of unpredictable broken boats and hospitalization of anglers had thinned the roster of Alabama B.A.S.S. Nation club members competing in the latest regional.
To add insult to injury, the bass fishermen who were primed with fuses lit had to float around in a darkened drizzle due to a 45 minute start delay.
After the anglers blasted in their respective directions, either upriver or downriver, they had their choice of water to fish- stained, a little muddy, muddy or real muddy. But these guys figured out what to do and how to make the bass strike. Most of the field interviewed opted for shallow water with grass.
Hardy looked for un-fished water as part of his winning strategy.
James Hardy, Shotgun Sports Supply, took first place with17.86 lbs. using a strategy of trying to fish where nobody else was fishing. “ …was using a swim jig and a buzzbait trying to key on stuff other people weren’t fishing, bare banks instead of grass, basically unmolested water.” His kicker fish went 4.76 lbs. Hardy said he and his no-boater partner, Hank Tidd, Central Alabama Bassmasters, fished shallow water and ran about 25 miles for the winning stringer. Hardy took $2000 home for his Saturday fishing.
Coming in at second place with 17.79 lbs. was Brian Davenport, Shotgun Sports Supply. Davenport followed the dominant pattern and fished shallow grass. Davenport’s pairing for the day was Tyler Hicks, boater, Carbon Hill Bass Club. Hicks said, “We fished the grass a lot today. Fished a frog this morning and a spinnerbait this evening.” Second place was worth $1500.
Tiger Bassmaster Bill Gordon claimed third place weighing-in 16.86 lbs. of bass with a 4.91 lb. kicker. Gordon said he actually started the day off with a shakeyhead catching spotted bass. “I didn’t feel like I could get a limit of largemouths so I went for that. I got 13 or 14 pounds of spots and decided to see if I could go find a big fish and before I knew it I had culled four fish. Ended up only weighing one spot so it was a good day throwing a spinnerbait and a shakeyhead.” Gordon said all he used was 1/16 oz. Slider with a junebug Netbait C-MAC and the spinnerbait. Fishing with Gordon as a no-boater was Shane Harris, Tennessee Valley Bass Club. Gordon picked-up $800 for his third place win plus an extra $250 from Airport Marine for being the highest finishing Fishing 4 A Cure team member.
Fishing the grass paid off for Brian Davenport (LEFT) with a second place check. Bill Gordon (RIGHT)placed third by leaving his spotted bass and looking for a big fish.
Clayton Mosley, New Line Bass Club and Greg Mims, Neely Henry Bassmasters, both boaters, took off in the first flight. Mosley came back with 16.22 lbs. to nail down the fourth place position and a check for $700.00.
In the third flight Bruce Sargent, guaranteed boater, Birmingham Bass Club and Jeffrey Cook, no-boater, Central Alabama Bassmasters, patiently waited their turn to ply the muddy waters of Neely Henry for a chance to make the ABN State Team, get a check or have a shot at the BASSMASTER Classic. Sargent got one, a fifth place check for his load of 14.93 lbs. of bass and another chance on Pickwick June 1. He also picked-up another $200 for being a member of the first place bass club team. Sixth place took 14.35 lbs. brought in by Kelly Stephens, Gadsden Bassmasters. Fishing with Stephens was no-boater Jeffrey Cook, Central Alabama Bassmasters. Sixth place was worth $500.00 to Stephens.
Terry Tucker earned the no-boater biggest stringer bonus and also finished in seventh place.
The highest finishing no-boater was Terry Tucker which was worth $500, plus $400 more for his seventh place finish. Tucker, Shoal Creek Bass Chasers, fished with Lee Johnson, guaranteed boater, Neely Henry Bassmasters. Tucker made the rest of the field sweat weighing-in 13.95 lbs. including a hefty 4.72 lb. big bass. Another no-boater, Shane Harris, Tennessee Valley Bass Club, finished in eighth place with 13.67 lbs. worth $300. Harris fished with third place winner Bill Gordon.
Kyle Colley, guaranteed boater, Shoal Creek Bass Chasers and Larry Franks, Jr., no-boater, Blue Eye Bassmasters left in the first wet flight of the day and Colley came back at weigh-in with enough weight, 13.64 lbs., to put him in ninth place and $250. At tenth place was James Otwell, guaranteed boater, Neely Henry Bassmasters, fishing with Richard Hinds, no-boater, Gadsden Bassmasters. Otwell’s 13.17 lbs. put him in line for a $250.00 check.
Checks were presented to the top 25 positions. All the final standings are available on the Alabama B.A.S.S. Nation website, www.albassnation.com>Tournaments>Neely Henry Results.
Hulan Maddox brought in a 5.97 lb. hawg to claim big fish honors and money.
The big fish award for the tournament went to Hulan Mattox for a 5.97 lb. largemouth. Mattox received a check for $850 plus a $250 Academy Gift Card for the hawg. The Birmingham Bass Club took top bass club honors worth $1200 total for members Bruce Sargent, Michael Restifo, Scott Holmes, Jeff Corley, Charles Rosato and Matthew Hebert.
What some of the other guys were doing
Let’s take a look at what some of the other anglers in the field were doing all day on Neely Henry:
Don Cox- Belgreen Bass Club, 10.95 lbs. 35th. Caught his fish on a lizard with a betsy bug head and one on a frog. Had been on some frog fish but the changing weather, rain, evidently killed that location. Lizard was pumpkinseed with a chartreuse tail.
Anthony Turner- Coosa River Hookers, 10.09 lbs. 42nd. Caught his big fish on a sexy shad-colored Sammy. He was fishing up around the golf course. Fishing about five feet of water. Water was dark and muddy. Rest of his fish were caught on a Sexy Beaver fished dropshot style with a 4” space from weight to hook.
Michael Minchew- LA PO Boys, 12.51 lbs.,17th. Caught his bass in the grass on a watermelon seed-colored six-inch SINKO. Caught most of his fish about eight miles from the ramp. Water color was not all that bad.
Chuck Hemm- Lake Guntersville Bassmasters, 12.0 lbs., 21st. Fished a spinnerbait real shallow and flipped a creature bait. Used white spinnerbait with gold blades and a black/red creature bait. Fished grass in about a foot of water which was stained. He lost a bass that would have gone over five pounds.
Ryan Wood- Birmingham Bass Club, 11.06 lbs., 33rd. He went 30 miles upriver and caught his fish on a chartreuse Lucky Craft flat-sided crankbait and a white Spro frog. Fished pockets and looked for grass closer to deeper water.
Rickie Harp- Lake Tuscaloosa Bassmaster, 12.28 lbs.,18th. Caught his fish on the golf course on the ninth hole with a greenpumpkin SINKO. Caught all his fish shallow…real shallow.
Coby Carden- LA PO Boys, 12.61 lbs. 16th. Caught all his fish swimming a white jig in shallow grass.
Rickey Dunn- W ALA Bass Fishermens Assoc, 9.81 lbs. 47th. Caught most of his fish on a 3/8 oz. white spinnerbait with white blades and a couple on a crawfish crankbait.
Justin Hamner- W ALA Bass Fishermens Assoc, 7.52 lbs. 77th. Fished a lot of grass all day. Stayed shallow going for big fish. Threw a white swim jig and a frog up and down the river.
Gregg Quinley- LA PO Boys, 7.95 lbs., 73rd. Caught his fish on a shallow bank using a ¼ oz. shakeyhead with a greenpumpkin Trickworm.
A total of 518 fish came to the scales. There were 66 five fish limits and six dead fish penalties. Of the 157 anglers, 17 did not weigh a fish. Four bass over five pounds were weighed-in, ten over four pounds and three over three pounds. The total fish weight was 1114.46 lbs. with a 2.15 lb. average weight per fish.
The final Alabama B.A.S.S. Nation Regional Qualifying Tournament will be June 1 on Pickwick Lake out of McFarland.
All the photos taken at the Triton Neely Henry tournament are available for viewing and download from the Southern Fishing Web Album at: https://picasaweb.google.com/111722229253187822014/ABNNeelyHenry5182013?authkey=Gv1sRgCLbHgPmuk5OmcA and from the link on the photo events page on this site.
