The 2013 Top Rod Solo Trail is officially underway, and the season certainly got off to an amazing start at Guntersville Lake on Sunday. The Frogg Toggs Open was the first of eight regular season tournaments leading up to a $10,000 championship payback, and there was an impressive roster of North Alabama tournament anglers on hand to kick off the new season. All told, forty-five of the area’s top anglers took on the Big G, and from the looks of the weights of the fish brought to the scales, the anglers won this battle quite decisively. It took an amazing 19.34 lbs. to finish in the top ten, and there were at least six fish over six pounds weighed in for the big fish of the tournament. This was despite less than ideal water conditions on the lake, with the main river channel still muddy and lots of current from the deluge of rain over the past two weeks.
Water temperatures were in the 49-50 degree F. range, and the sun never appeared on a cloudy day that saw air temps reach the mid fifties. When the parade of big bass had finished crossing the stage, local guide Johnathan Henry of Grant, AL, walked away with his second straight Top Rod win at Guntersville with a solid 25.68 lb. stringer. Another local guide, Brent Crow of Hartselle, AL, took home the Life Like Taxidermy Big Fish of the tournament with an 8.43 lb. fish that also set a new Top Rod Solo Trail record for biggest bass weighed.
Henry went super shallow
Henry, who runs Basswhacker Guide Service on the lake, made it two for two in Top Rod Solo Trail events with his 25.68 lb. sack of largemouths and took home $900 for this victory. He had also won last July’s event on Guntersville with a 30 lb. stringer. Henry figured out his pattern midway through the day after a slow start to the morning.
He struggled fishing mid depths and deeper grass before moving to the bank to find the winning fish. Henry said once he realized the fish were in two feet of water or less, he began to catch them consistently and wound up with 20 keepers on the day. He threw a Tomato Shad Lucky Craft RC 2.5 squarebill crankbait on rocky banks and also flipped a 1/2 ounce Killer Bass Baits jig around wood laying close to the bank. He used a combination of Powell Rods and P-Line to throw the crankbait and jig.
Aaron’s old school Trap
Finishing in second place was Justin Aaron of Morris, AL with a solid 22.30 lb. stringer. Aaron took home $562 for his runner-up finish in his first Top Rod Trail event. With all the new rattle baits on the market in recent years, the original Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap has fallen out of favor for many fishermen, but Aaron showed that it can still catch big Guntersville bass. He tossed a 1/2 ounce version in Red Craw on 20 lb. test fluorocarbon line to catch his limit plus eight more keepers. Aaron keyed on grasslines in six to seven feet
with his Rat-L-Trap.
Lucas caught the right ones
Justin Lucas hasn’t lived in Guntersville long, but the California transplant showed once again that he is learning his way around pretty quickly. His 21.56 lb. stringer earned him $337 for third place in his first Top Rod event. Lucas used the Lucky Craft version of the rattle bait, the LV100 in Spring Craw and Aurora Brown to catch his fish. He had just six keepers on the day, but found the right ones in four to six feet of water around milfoil and hydrilla.
Leary uses the latest
Jim Leary of Guntersville finished in 4th place with 21.27 lbs. of bass to take home a check for $225. He also threw a rattle bait to catch his fish, choosing a new to the market 1/2 ounce Spro Aruku Shad in Purple Rain. Leary threw it on a 7’6” Duckett Rods heavy action rod to rip it out of the grass in six feet of water. He culled up four times to get to his final weight.
Smith only A-Rigger
Mitch Smith of Cullman, AL took home the 5th place check of $112 with a solid 21.24 lb. stringer. Unlike the top four finishers, he didn’t catch his fish on a crankbait or rattle bait, instead using the A-Rig to sack five solid keepers. He caught a few short fish, but never culled to get his final weight. Smith tossed his A-Rig on 65 lb. braid on grass points. Smith also found his fish deeper than anyone in the top five, catching them in 8-11 feet of water. He used 1/8 oz. heads with Albino colored Reaction Innovations Skinny Dippers on his A-Rig.
Life Like Taxidermy Big Fish: Brent Crow 8.43
Crow, who runs North Alabama Guide Service took the $100 Big fish prize for his new Top Rod record big fish. He also takes over the lead for the Big Fish of the Year with one that will be hard to top. Crow caught the fish in 6 feet of water on a 1/2 oz. Rayburn Red Excalibur Rattlebait. She inhaled the bait after he ripped it out of the milfoil. He caught it on a Dobyns Rods 704CB crankbait rod using 20 lb. P-Line Fluorocarbon.
Sixth thru tenth:
6th Rick Williams, 20.77 lbs. $112.00
7th Sam Johns, 20.36 lbs.
8th Mark Mccaig, 19.75 lbs.
9th Jerry Lemley, 19.47 lbs.
10th Norman Ligon, 19.34 lbs.
Photos and Story by Top Rod Solo Trail
