Breaking News
Leftridge and Shull Win and Qualify for Championship
The Mid States Tournament Association held their last qualifying tournament of the 2010 Season Sunday, August 29, 2010. There was a lot on the line for anglers with only 25 positions on both the boater and non-boater side making it to the championship scheduled for September 26th, anglers were fighting for the last remaining spots.
Taking first place was the team of Keith Leftridge and Josh Shull with a five fish limit weighing 14.24 lbs. Included in their bag was Josh’s big bass of the day on the non-boater side with a 5.50 lb. fish. Keith was in 28th place coming into the tournament and needed a strong showing to lock up one of the last championship positions. Keith had a game plan for the tournament and he stuck with it. The last month or so has been brutal for Keith. He could catch a few fish out of the grass in each tournament, but could not catch any quality fish, he figured the tournament would be won out of the trees, not the grass. He would fish the grass the first few hours of the tournament and then head to the trees and try for a quality bite; it paid off in a big way. Their first fish came on a Big Bite Baits squirrel tail that missed a Spro Frog early in the day, without much other action in the grass early they headed for the trees. They made the move around 8:30 and caught their other 4 fish all on Big Bite Baits 10” Kriet Tail Worms. 2 fish came suspended in deep trees, one fish came on the bottom in 6 foot and Josh’s big bass on the non-boater side was caught in 2 foot of water on a stump. Keith took home $1,000.00 for the win and since he was running his Smithville Marine purchased Skeeter boat took home an additional $1,000.00 in winnings thanks to the Smithville Marine bonus bucks program and an additional $500.00 in Skeeter Real Money. It pays to run a boat from Smithville Marine! Josh took home $375.00 for the win and an additional $150.00 in big bass money.
Ebach and McComb Take 3rd on Saginaw Bay
Mike Ebach and Brian McComb finished 3rd in the Michigan Bass Federation tournament on Saginaw Bay 8/29/10. The team used Bio Bait tubes to catch 22.23lbs in smallmouth bass. Congrats guys!
Heath Kelly & Bryson Bratcher placed 5th Saturday (7/31/10) out of Navarre on the Emerald Coast Redfish Club series. The guys had 6.3lbs with 2 fish. Weights were down overall with the tide as 10.2lbs won. Heath & Bryson targeted big mullet schools till 11am swimming a 4" Paddle Tail Jerk Minnow in Baby Sea Trout rigged on a 1/8 oz. jig head or a black or gold spoon. After 11am, they started flipping docks with a 5" Fork Tail Jerk Minnow in either New Penny or Watermelon/Gold Flake. Fishing was very tough as a lot of teams either weighed only one fish or didn't weigh a fish at all. The guys caught a total of 12 fish for the day.
Good luck to Heath and Bryon in the HT Series Redfish Cup two day event out of Grand Isle, LA August 26th & 27th and the IFA out of Delacroix August 28th.
Randall Tharp’s Cup Run Comes To An End, Peters finishes 4th
Big Bites Randall Tharp started day 3 in 15th place and knew he had to have a big day to move up at least 9 spots to make the final day cut, and have a chance to fish the last day for the FLW Forest Wood Cup and $500,000. But the outcome did not work to his plans, Randall only brought 2 fish to the scales today that weighted 3-12lbs for a 3 day total of 24lb good enough to hold 19th place and earn $15,000.
All of us at Big Bite thank Randall for a great run at the Cup!!!
As we have seen each day we have a new leader going into the last day; Brent Ehrler jumped into 1st place and will lead the remaining top 6 anglers into the last day of competition. Brent brought in the biggest bag of the tournament that pushed the scales to 14-14lbs and his 3 day total to 39-03lbs. This will play to a lead of 8oz over 2nd day leader Cody Meyer who sits in 2nd place with 38-11lbs.
On the Co Angler side, Big Bite Staffer Matt Peters had an exciting day. Matt got to sit in the hot seat while leading the tournament right up until the last few anglers and ended up finishing in 4th place earning $12,000. Congrats Matt on a great tournament!
Randall Tharp and Matt Peters Both Make A Big Move On Day 2 In FLW’s Forest Wood Cup
At the start of the day Big Bite Pro Randall Tharp was sitting in 32nd place only managing to bring in 3 fish the first day of the FLW Forest Wood Cup on Lake Lanier, but in day 2 Randall makes a big move to sit in the middle of the pack and will make the cut to fish on Saturday.
Randall brought 5 bass to the scales today that weighted in at 11-12lbs to bring his two day total to 20-04lbs and moves him into 15th place well enough above the top 30 cut. Randall will have to have a big day on day 3 if he plans to fish on the final day to have a shot at the Forest Wood Cup and $500,000. After day 3 only the top 6 will move on to fish the last day.
Day 2 also brought a new leader to the top of the board, Cody Meyer moved into 1st with a day two bag of 13-03lbs carrying his 2 day total to 27.06lbs.
On the Co Angler side, Big Bite Staffer Matt Peters recovered from catching no fish the first day to bringing the "big bag of the day" of 5 fish to the scales on day 2 that weighed 9.15lbs. This moved Matt from last place all the way up into 10th.
All of us at Big Bite wish Randall and Matt the best of luck on day 3 of the Forest Wood Cup. Go get’em guys!!!
FLW’s First Day Of The Forest Wood Cup On Georgia’s Lanier Is In The Books
With day one of the Forest Wood Cup done Big Bites Randall Tharp is sitting in 32nd place. Randall was only able to bring three bass to the scales today, two short of his daily limit of five; but, Randall’s three bass weighted 8-08lbs.
Kevin Hawk currently sits in 1st with a 5 bass limit of 14-12lbs. Friday will see a full field of anglers before the cut.
One of the highlights for Randall so far was an interview with bass fishing legend Hank Parker. Friday’s predicted weather is a 40% chance of scattered thunderstorms with a high on 92. West winds of 7mph. We wish Randall the best of luck in making the cut tomorrow.
Russ Lane Finishes in 7th in Angler of the Year
It all comes down to one day left for the Elite Post Season to crown a new angler of the year. When the day started Big Bites Russ Lane was sitting in 7th place with a first day showing of 8-1lbs. Today Russ brought 5 bass to the scales that weighted 9-4lb, making a two day total of 17-5lb. Russ finished the last tournament of the year in the Elite Post season in 10th place and AOY in 7th place earning a $20,000 paycheck.
It came down to the wire on an extremely hot day in Alabama and both Lane and Reese fished right up until the last minute hoping to catch just one more big bite. Both hooked fish right near the dock, but both fish broke off.
The big story of the day was Kevin Van Dam's win of the last event to not only take the Alabama River Elite but his 6th Angler of the Year title. Skeet Reese needed to finish in 2nd place for the tournament to claim the AOY title, but weighted in 9-3lbs on the second day only good enough for 6th place.
All of us at Big Bite Baits want to thank all of our Elite Pros for a great season!!! Dean, Russ and Jeff you have given us a great year of excitement and thrills during the 2010 Elite Season.
Stay tuned as Big Bite Pro Randall Tharp and staffer Matt Peters will be fishing the FLW Forest Wood Cup next week on Lake Lanier in Buford Georgia. We will follow Randall and Matt as they make their run at the FLW Cup.
Russ Lane Ends Day 1 On The Alabama River Of The Elite Post Season In 7th Place
Day 1 of the second and final leg of the Elite Post Season on the Alabama River, Big Bites Pro Russ Lane brought 5 bass to the stage that weighted in at 8-1lbs placing Russ in 7th place. Russ got off to a fast start today and caught a bass just yards from the boat ramp this morning, but what changed from the past are the water levels that the pros are faced with for this tournament. Russ made the comment “he has never fished in water conditions so low on the Alabama Rive before and that puts past experience on this body of water virtually out the window”.
If you are a fan of the Elite series you could not write a better script heading into the last day of competition for the AOY crown; Kevin Van Dam brought in the big bag of the day at 15-7lbs anchored with the big bass at 4-10lbs, but right behind him is Skeet Reese with 12-4lb sitting in second place after day one. Stay tuned as it all could change with the anglers hitting the water for one more day of competition to crown the 2010 Angler of The Year when fishing is all done Saturday.
With one day left all of us at Big Bite Baits wish Russ Lane the best of luck on the water Saturday and a BIG BAG to bring home the AOY Title!!!
Congrats goes out to Big Bite Staffer Matt Baty and his brother Chris on placing 3rd in the Media Bass Tournament on Lake Seminole this weekend with this awesome catch. Their best 5 went 20.9lbs and were caught on prime rib color Rojas Fighting Frogs.
Russ Lane Takes Another Step Closer To Elite Angler Of The Year
Big Bites Russ Lane left the docks of Lake Jordan this morning in first place. Russ weighted in 17lbs on the first day and was hoping to bring in the same or more on day two. When day 2 was done Russ brought 15.3lbs into the scales for a total of 32.3lbs total and won the first leg of the Elite Post Season in the Angler of the Year race.
Russ had a plan in fishing Lake Jordan and except for a lost rod and reel that was yanked from his hands today the plan worked to perfection. Russ knew that Alabama Power would start to generate water around 11am both days so he would use his morning to look for big bites, then when 11am rolled around Alabama Power would start to pull water as scheduled. During this time Russ was confident he could get a solid limit to round out his day.
Russ’s one, two punch that caught his 32.3lbs the past two days was a Spro Little John DD crankbait, and a 10” Big Bite Kriet Tail Worm. "You have to have a Big Bite to win."
(Russ is holding the Kriet Tail Worm in plum apple color. He used this same worm to land his 7 pounder at Guntersville.)
Another key Russ said during the past 2 days was not to panic. “I could have panicked early” Lane said. “But I stayed calm all day long; that was a big key to my victory this week: keeping calm”.
Along with the win that netted Lane a $60,000 Triton, Mercury rig, he also gained valuable Angler of the Year points. Lane gathered 50 points to sit at 227 just 5 points behind the Angler of the Year leader Skeet Reese with 332. The next stop for the Elite Post Season is on the Alabama River out of Birmingham AL. Practice will begin on Wednesday through Friday with the last 2 day of competition set for next Saturday and Sunday.
Here's a look at the new points breakdown. Each angler's name is followed by his new points total. After that comes points deficit in red.
1. Skeet Reese -- 232 2. Russ Lane -- 227 (5) 3. Kevin VanDam -- 225 (7) 4. Aaron Martens -- 222 (10) 5. Edwin Evers -- 220 (12) 6. Greg Hackney -- 213 (19) 7. Terry Butcher -- 212 (20) 7. Cliff Pace -- 212 (20) 9. Gary Klein -- 209 (23) 10. John Crews -- 203 (29) 11. Derek Remitz -- 198 (34) 12. Tommy Biffle -- 192 (40)
All 12 anglers are still mathematically alive for the title, since the 40-point gap between 1st and 12th places matches the differential for the points available next weekend at the river (50 for 1st, 10 for 12th). If Russ can win next week it won't matter where Skeet finishes, Russ will be AOY because the tie breaker would be most weight for the post season tournaments.
We at Big Bite wish Russ the best of luck next week!!!!
Lane Calls Class To Order On Day 1 Of The Elite Trophy Chase
Big Bites Russ Lane wasted no time in calling class to order during the first day of competition in the Elite Post Season. Russ brought 5 solid bass to the stage that pushed the scales to a first day lead with 17.00lbs. Greg Hackney is in second with 16.9lbs and Kevin Van Dam brought in 15.4lbs to hold a stake in 3rd place. The crowd at the Wetumpka Civic Center braved 102 degree temps today. Big Bite owner Dennis Montgomery (red hat) can be seen front row sitting with Russ's family leading the cheering section.
Russ used his home water knowledge of Lake Jordan and worked his magic during the first day of competition. Tommy Biffle was able to use his knowledge of Fort Gibson Lake to his advantage in the last Elite stop and talking to Russ at ICAST a little over a week ago, Russ was hoping to do some of the same in the upcoming weeks to make a move and claim the 2010 Elite Angler of the Year. Close to 40 boats followed Russ for most of the day and cut many of his fishing spots in half. Russ has saved his best spots for tomorrow and plans to bring in an even bigger bag.
With completion of Day 2 on Lake Jordan tomorrow, the top 12 will then move to Montgomery, AL for the second leg of the Elite post season on the Alabama River, July 31 and Aug 1st . Good luck Russ!
ICAST Day 3 At The Big Bite Booth Still A Buzz
With the last day of the 2010 ICAST starting the Big Bite booth was once again a buzz with our Pros getting last minute interviews done; answering questions about the new products and old tactics in how to fish some of the Big Bite standards.
Two burning questions that the press seems to be asking Russ Lane every day is how does he thinks he will fare in the Elite post season, and what Big Bite Bait will he be using to depend on to bring home his first AOY title? Russ in a sly way just says “he has his own Big Bite favorites he will depend on and will let the fish tell him what lures he needs to use”.
Today we released the 8” Kriet Tail Lizard here at ICAST for 2011.
Big Bite Adds Kriet Tail Lizard To Kriet Signature Line
Big Bite Baits is excited to announce that it is introducing the 8" Kriet Tail Lizard into the Jeff Kriet signature line of baits. The Kriet Tail Lizard is a welcome addition to the Kriet Tail family, as every bass fisherman knows just how effective a lizard bait is to their soft plastic fishing arsenal. The Kriet Tail Lizard joins the already established 6" and 10" Kriet Tail Worms to round out the lineup.
It is a known fact that bigger baits attract bigger bites and the Kriet Tail Lizard works on that premises. Built on a bigger profile body with a high action tail, the 8" Kriet Tail Lizard incorporates all the fish catching action that the Kriet Tail line of baits is known for.
Lizard baits are mainly known in bass circles as baits to use when fishing a Carolina rig, but the Kriet Tail Lizard is also a great bait choice fished on a texas rig or as a jig trailer in flippin situations.
The Kriet Tail Lizard comes in 10 of Big Bites top fish catching colors.
Day 2 at ICAST 2010 The Big Bite Booth Is The Place To Be
With day 2 just getting underway the Big Bite Booth is a popular place to be at ICAST 2010. The new products are being accepted well and with Dean, Jeff, and Russ here, there is a big stir in getting questions answered from all the Big Bite Pros in how they will use all the new products that are being released.
Stay tuned today as we are giving you 2 sneak peeks at new products from Big Bite that we are introducing at ICAST.
Big Bite Adds Sugar Cane Worm To Dean Rojas Signature Line
Big Bite Baits is announcing its newest addition to the Dean Rojas line of signature baits the Sugar Cane Worm. The Sugar Cane Worm will join the Cane Stick and Fighting Frog as part of the Rojas family.
The Sugar Cane Worm has a worm body with built in hook pockets that fishermen have come to know from Big Bite Baits. At the tail section the tail thins to a smaller profile for added tail action. To increase the tail action of the Sugar Cane Worm Dean designed the tail with a raised V on the end of the tail.
When looking at the Sugar Cane Worm you think finesse fishing, Shaky Head or Drop Shot, but you can also rig the Sugar Cane as a swimbait or Texas rig for shallow or deep weedlines or anything in-between.
The Sugar Cane Worm will come in 10 Big Bite top fish catching colors and in two different sizes 5" and 7". It is expected to be available in September 2010.
Big Bite Adds Kriet Flying Squirrel To Kriet Signature Baits
Big Bite Baits is proud to announce it is expanding the Kriet Squirrel Tail family of baits with the addition of the new Flying Squirrel. The Flying Squirrel is the second bait in the Kriet Squirrel Tail family adding another finesse choice to the Jeff Kriet line of signature baits.
The Flying Squirrel is built on a thin body that will give the bait great action when shaking, and add to that, 2 floating tail section legs that stand up giving the bait action in the water even when sitting still. The new Flying Squirrel will be a welcome addition to all the shaky head fishermen.
The Flying Squirrel is being billed as a hybrid finesse creature bait; but looking at this bait, it can be rigged and fished in a number of different ways from flipping heavy cover to deepwater rocks finesse fishing rigged on a shaky head.
The Flying Squirrel comes in 10 top Big Bite fish catching colors and will be available in August 2010.
Watch the squirrel tail in Action
ESPN video of Jeff Kriet and Russ Lane at ICAST discussing the Kriet Tail Worm http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/saltwater/live/kyte?uri=channels/377013/975514
Big Bite Gang Is All Here At ICAST 2010
With ICAST 2010 officially open activity is buzzing at the Big Bite Booth. Jeff Kriet, Russ Lane and Dean Rojas are all in the booth talking to the press and retailers about Big Bites new products for 2011.
Big Bite will be introducing 4 new products at ICAST this year so keep checking for more updates.
The first information to be released is on a new Dean Rojas signature bait called the Cane Thumper.
Big Bite is proud to announce its newest addition to the Dean Rojas line of signature baits the Cane Thumper. The Cane Thumper may have a familiar look as it comes equipped with hook pockets and profile characteristics of other Rojas baits made by Big Bite; but the Cane Thumper is unique in its own way.
The Cane Thumper comes in one size 5" and can be rigged many different ways to catch fish. Mainly thought of as a worm style swimbait by its looks, the Cane Thumper has a great swimming action and has many more fishing options. The Cane Thumper can also be used as a jig trailer, rigged texas style or rigged weedless on a weighted worm hook just to name few.
The Cane Thumper comes in 10 of Big Bites top fish catching colors and will be available in August 2010.
Ruckman's Rule at Saginaw Bay
Ruckman and Ruckman take 1st Place in the 2010 Saginaw Bay Open Bass Tournament with 23.35lbs using 4" Bio Tubes and Drop Shotting 4" Bio Bait Fork Tail Jerk Minnows. Congrats guys!
Lane Finishes 8th at Fort Gibson And Earns Spot In The Post Season
When Russ Lane left the dock this morning he left in 9th place fishing the final day at Fort Gibson, but probably more important he made the final cut, and earned a spot into the Post Season. When the day was done Russ came into the scales with the big bass of the day at 5-6lbs and had 15-15lbs for the day. That brought his tournament total to 65-10 good enough for 8th place.
Tommy Biffle brought in 18-3lbs; that was enough to take the wire to wire finish to the books. Tommy had a 4 day total of 73-11lbs.
"I had never seen an area like that before," he said. "Boyd was fishing more toward the shoreline the last couple of days and we went around and around the area, picking sweet places."
Although the competition was intense between the two anglers, they worked together to find their much needed fish on Day Four.
"It's not common to fish in the same spot," Duckett said. "I knew that Russ was going to finish in the top 10 and not that I wasn't trying to beat him, I gave him a chance in that area. I'm already in the Classic and I can't make the post-season, but he could make it and I'd like to see that." Because of the cooperation, Lane hauled in the largest bass of the day at 5 pounds, 6 ounces that put him eighth place overall.
"It worked well," Lane said. "All that hard work I've done has gotten me there."
This is the last stop of the regular Elite season the Post Season starts on July 24 & 25 on Lake Jordan and finishes up on the Alabama River July 30 & 31. Skeet Reese leads the AOY race at the end of the regular season; these last two tournaments will determine who will win the 2010 Angler of the Year. Russ is now tied with Aaron Martens for 11th place and still has a chance of winning Angler of the Year. Both post season events are in Russ Lane's backyard and he has some secret sweet spots he's planning to fish.
All of us at Big Bite would like to thank our 3 Elite Pros Jeff, Dean, and Russ for a FANTASTIC SEASON with all three pros qualifying for the Bassmaster Classic and BEST OF LUCK to Russ going into the Post Season!!!!!
Below is the final points totals for the Season for those qualifying for the Classic
Place Name State Points 1 Skeet Reese Calif. 2116 2 Edwin Evers Okla. 2010 3 Cliff Pace Miss. 1868 4 Derek Remitz Ala. 1854 5 Terry Butcher Okla. 1841 6 Kevin VanDam Mich. 1825 7 Tommy Biffle Okla. 1801 8 John Crews Va. 1792 9 Gary Klein Texas 1771 10 Greg Hackney La. 1767 11 Russ Lane Ala. 1766 11 Aaron Martens Ala. 1766 13 Brian Snowden Mo. 1732 14 Mark Davis Ark. 1726 15 Mike McClelland Ark. 1723 16 Todd Faircloth Texas 1712 17 Scott Rook Ark. 1705 18 Morizo Shimizu Japan 1690 19 Matt Herren Ala. 1686 20 Bill Lowen Ohio 1669 21 Stephen Browning Ark. 1663 22 Michael Iaconelli N.J. 1644 23 Dave Wolak N.C. 1643 24 Shaw Grigsby Fla. 1622 25 Boyd Duckett Ala. 1618 26 Bobby Lane Fla. 1608 26 Jeff Kriet Okla. 1608 28 Gerald Swindle Ala. 1601 29 Jason Williamson S.C. 1597 30 Greg Vinson Ala. 1578 31 Steve Kennedy Ala. 1573 32 Dean Rojas Ariz. 1572 33 Brent Chapman Kan. 1547 34 Kevin Wirth Ky. 1546 35 Kelly Jordon Texas 1531 36 Terry Scroggins Fla. 1530 37 Paul Elias Miss. 1525
Russ Lane Makes Top 12 Cut At Fort Gibson Elite And Earns A Spot In AOY Post Season
With the day 3 weigh in final Big Bites Russ Lane brought 5 bass to the scales today that weighted 15-11 bringing his total to 49-11 for the tournament. That puts Russ in 9th place heading into the last day of competition at the final season stop on the Elite Tour. Russ has made the final cut of the Top 12 and will fish again on Sunday.
Tommy Biffle still leads heading into the last day with a total of 55-8lbs, but Biffles lead has shrunk as Pat Golden is sitting in 2nd 12oz behind Biffle. The final 12 are shown above.
The bigger story here is with Russ earning a Top 12 finish he assures himself a spot in the AOY Post Season. The 2 post season Elite events will be held on Lake Jordan and the Alabama River. Russ considers these home waters and looking forward to heading back home.
Great shot of Russ rigging up his rods for Day 3
All of us at Big Bite wish Russ the best of luck the last day of the Fort Gibson Elite stop. Jack em up!
Russ Lane Sits in 5th After Day 2 At Fort Gibson Lake Elite Stop
With day 2 in the books at Fort Gibson Lake on the last stop of the regular season for the Elite Tour Big Bite Pro Russ Lane was able to catch 14-6lbs today and currently sits in 5th place. Russ has a two day total of 34-0lbs. He sits 4-4lbs behind leader Tommy Biffle who continues to home school the Elite anglers that are fishing Fort Gibson this week. Tommy Biffle considers Fort Gibson his home waters.
Before the tournament started Russ knew he needed a strong finish to move up from 15th place in the AOY points to the Top 12 to have a shot at making the Elite post season. If Russ can stay in the Top 12 after the Saturday’s cut he has all but made it. This is big because if Russ Lane makes the post season they are going back to Alabama and it will be Russ’s turn to home school the Top 12 Elite field as the tournaments are on waters that Russ Lane considers his home Lake Jordan, and the Alabama River.
Jeff Kriet came to the scales today with 5 bass that weighted 9-3lbs bringing his two day total to 19lbs. Jeff finished the tournament in 83rd place. Dean Rojas brought 3 bass to the scales today that weighted 6-8lbs bringing his two day total to 17-12lbs. Dean finished the tournament in 85th place.
Dean and Jeff will miss the post season as their 2010 Elite season is done, but both Dean and Jeff have had a great fishing season in 2010 and both have earned a bid to the Classic. We wish them the best of luck the rest of the summer.
Lane in 2nd by 1 Ounce After Day 1 On Bassmaster Elite Stop on Gibson Lake
When the 2010 Elite schedule was announced in late 2009 Oklahoma’s Gibson Lake was not on the schedule but that all changed just a few days ago. With 5” to 7” of rain that fell in the area that was to host this week’s Bassmaster Elite stop, conditions on the Arkansas River became too dangerous to fish. High water and floating debris were the two main factors that caused Bassmaster to announce a change of venue on Tuesday changing the location of the last stop of the Elite season to Gibson Lake in Muskogee OK.
When the venue change was announced on Tuesday there was probably not a happier fisherman than Oklahoma’s own Tommy Biffle. Tommy considers Gibson Lake his home waters and that came right to the fore front on day 1 as he knocked Big Bite Pro Russ Lane out of 1st place by 1oz. Tommy weighted in 19-11lbs to take the first day lead.
Big Bites Russ Lane did what he needed to do; that was go out and catch a big bag to move up in the point standings to make a serious run at the post season. Russ brought 5 bass to the scales today that weighted 19-10lbs and currently sits in 2nd place.
Russ had found 2 different schools of bass during Wednesday’s practice. He worked one school of bass in the morning and the second school later in the day. On his first stop Russ was able to pull 15lbs of bass off of the first school on his first 10 casts of the morning. It wasn’t until 2pm when Russ made contact with the second school of bass that he was able to upgrade his limit to finish his day at 19-10lbs.
Russ says “he is comfortable with fishing schooling bass and hopes conditions do not change. They are pulling water, creating current and that current is key to helping my bite”.
Pictures courtesy of ESPN
Dean Rojas came to the scales today with 5 bass that weighted 11-4lbs and is currently sitting in 61st place. Jeff Kriet had a rough morning that brought him to tears and was only able to bring 3 bass to the scales today, but those three bass weighed 9-13lbs. Jeff caught all his fish after 1p.m. today and hopes to turn it around tomorrow. Both Dean and Jeff will need a good tournament to make it to the post season, so both will have to have big second day bags to keep their post season dreams alive.
Good luck to all the guys on Day 2!!!
Rogne Brown Wins BFL Choo Choo on Guntersville
Congrats to Captain Rogne Brown on placing first in the BFL Choo Choo on Guntersville on 06/05/2010 with 25 lbs 11 oz. With thirty minutes left, he stopped at one last spot and on his first cast caught a fish that would go about five and a half pounds that culled a three pounder. A dream finish to a tournament. He caught his fish from fifteen to twenty five feet deep on a one ounce Soddy Custom Tackle Football Jig in green pumpkin with a 6 inch Big Bite Brush Pig also in green pumpkin as a trailer and a 10 inch Big Bite Kriet Tail Worm in watermelon red.
Russ Lane Finishes in 15th and Jumps up the AOY Standings At Kentucky Lake
Making a big jump in the standing on day 2 from 43rd to 7th with a 26-3lb bag; Big Bites Russ Lane did not have as much luck on the 3rd day of the Elite Tour stop at Kentucky Lake. Russ was able to bring in 5 bass that pushed the weight in scales to 11-11lb; his smallest bag in his 3 days of competition. Russ’s 3 day total was 52-13lb good enough to secure him 15th place. Russ credited the Kriet Tail Worm for his success at Kentucky Lake.
Even though Russ missed the cut to fish the final day at Kentucky Lake; Russ gained valuable AOY points to climb higher in the standing and make a serious run at the post season.
Next week will be very interesting as all 3 Big Bite pros have a shot to make the post season if they have good showing on the Arkansas River in Oklahoma, the last stop for the 2010 Elite Series season.
All of us at Big Bite wish Dean, Jeff and Russ the best of luck next week!!!
Russ Lane Rockets into 7th Place with 26 Pound Bag at Kentucky Lake
Congrats to Russ Lane who rocketed up to 7th place after the second day on Kentucky Lake with a 26-3 bag featuring two 7 pounders, the second largest bag of the tournament and jumps from 43rd all the way up to 7th place. With this move Russ makes the second day cut to fish again on Friday and has a 2 day total of 41-3lbs. "I'm fishing deep, but off the river channel where the water was muddy in practice. Big Bites were hard to come by then, but now the water is clearing up and the fish seem to be heading my way." Russ Lane
Jeff Kriet and Dean Rojas also had better days today, but unfortunately did not make the top 47 cut. Big Bite wishes go out to Russ for tomorrow!
Russ can be seen in the background driving the Big Bite Bass Cat to a Kentucky offshore ledge - Photos courtesy of ESPN
Kentucky Lake Not Real Friendly To Big Bite Pros On The 1st Day
Picture courtesy of ESPN
Kentucky Lake turned a cold shoulder towards the Big Bite Pros on Day 1 of the Bassmaster Elite Tour stop. All three pros were able to bring in limits of five bass to the scales, but the weights were down.
Russ Lane is in 43rd place with 5 bass that pushed the scales to 14-15lbs. Russ needs a good showing these last 2 Elite Tour stops to have any chance of making the post season this year. Getting into the post season would be big for Russ because both tournaments are in Alabama his home state.
Jeff Kriet is in 66th place. Jeff brought 5 bass to the scales that weighted 12-8lbs. Jeff is currently in 9th place in the AOY race and needs to make the top 12 cut come Friday to hold his spot in the top 10 for the AOY race and make it into the post season.
Dean Rojas is in 84th place bringing 5 bass to the scales that weighted 9-5lbs. Dean is currently in 10th place in the AOY race. Like Jeff; Dean is looking for a top 12 finish this week to stay in the AOY race and have a chance to fish in the post season.
Day 2 weather forecast is partly cloudy skies, 40% chance of rain in the afternoon and SSW winds 5-10 mph. We wish all of the guys bigger bites tomorrow!
Big Bite Pros Jump Up the Points Race at Clarks Hill
Jeff Kriet has been coming on strong and is currently sitting in 9th place in the AOY race. Jeff jumped up from 13th place to 9th after his first day lead and 14th place finish at Clarks Hill. Jeff was actually in a three way tie for 12th on Clarks Hill and fell to 14th after the tie breaker. This is critical because to compete in the post season for Championship Week in Alabama you have to be in the Top 12.
With just 2 stops left on the Bassmaster Elite Tour Dean Rojas sits in 10th place in the AOY race. Dean previously occupied the 4th place spot thanks to his 3rd place finish at Smith Mountain and placing 12th at the Elite event at Pickwick. Dean missed the final 12 cut at Guntersville and Clarks Hill, falling down six spots in the AOY race. Dean finished Clarks Hill in 36th place.
Russ Lane just moved up from 27th to 23rd place. Russ had a 5th place showing at Guntersville bringing in a 26 plus bag the final day thanks in part to two 7 pounders caught on a Kriet Tail Worm. Russ will have to make more Top 12 cuts if he is going to get enough points to get into the Top 12 to make the cut for Championship week which will be fished in his back yard on the Alabama River. Russ has high hopes for Kentucky lake.
We wish all the guys Big Bites at Kentucky Lake!
All 3 Pros Make Cut, Kriet Falls Short Of A Limit and Lane Makes a Move On Day 2 At Clarks Hill
Some of Jeff Kriet’s post birthday magic wore off on day 2 as he was only able to bring 3 good fish to the scales that weighted 6.11lbs at Clarks Hill Lake, Elite Tour stop. This brings his 2 day total weight to 24-15lbs good enough for 8th place. Part of not bringing in a limit maybe to blame on mechanical problems that Jeff had encountered today; cutting into his fishing time as we have learned tonight.
Russ Lane was able to bring in a solid day 2 limit that pushed the scales to 10-10lbs bringing his 2 day limit to 20-3lbs. Russ jumped from 45th up to 31st place after 2 days.
Dean Rojas brought 5 to the scales today that weighted 9.2lbs. His two day weight total is 19-7lbs putting him in 41st place. All 3 of the Big Bite Pros made the cut to fish on Saturday, but to fish on Sunday they will have to be in the Top 12. Saturdays weather partly cloudy skies, with SSE winds at 5mph and a predicted high of 86 degrees. We all wish the Big Bite Pros the best of luck on Day 3 at Clarks Hill.
Kriet Works Some Birthday Magic To Lead Elite On Clarks Hill Day 1
Big Bite Pro Jeff Kriet snared 1st place day with an 18-04 bag, including a 5 1/2-pounder, in what's shaping up as easily the toughest Elite tournament thus far in 2010. The stringer was a nice belated birthday present for the Jeff, who just turned 41. Anchoring his bag also was big bass of the day at 5.8lbs tying him with Chris Lane for that honor.
Kriet started early and took advantage of a quick start to get his limit into the boat. He was mainly fishing three spots that he found during practice. The key to his first day catch was making a milk run between these locations working back and forth to catch one bass here and another one there to fill his livewell on day one. How long he stayed at each spot all depended on how well the bass would bite. If he did not get a bite within the first 15 minutes he moved onto the next spot.
"I had an okay practice, but I'm not going to say I thought I could go out and catch 18 pounds," he said. "I was hoping I could catch 13. I had some places where I'd gotten what felt like some pretty good bites that I didn't jerk on, and they happened to be even better than I'd hoped they were."
"I'm fishing ways that I like to fish and that I feel comfortable with. I've got a couple of key things I'm doing, but I've got a lot of rods on my deck and my mind is really open. I will say I caught a couple on a Big Bite Baits Squirrel Tail Worm on a shakey head jig."
"Fishing's pretty tough, but at least I feel like there's fish in the places I'm at. Everything I'm fishing, I feel like I could catch a 3-pounder. I had a couple of opportunities to have a little bit better bag, but I'm not griping."
Dean Rojas is sitting in 35th place after day 1. Dean brought 5 bass to the scales that weighted 10-5lbs. Dean needs a strong showing at Clarks Hill to stay in the Top 10 for the AOY race.
Russ Lane came in with 5 bass on day 1 that pushed the scale to 9-9lbs putting him in a two way tie with Matt Reed at 45th. Russ is coming off of a 5th place finish at Guntersville two weeks ago allowing him to move up in the AOY race.
The field will be cut to the Top 47 after tomorrow's weigh-in, and then to the Top 12 following Saturday's festivities. The winner will be determined Sunday by highest 4-day weight.
Tomorrow's weather forecast for the Augusta, Ga. area calls for scattered thunderstorms, which most anglers think can only improve the bite. The forecast for Friday is partly cloudy with a 40% chance of late day thunderstorms, winds out of the East at 8mph, and a high of 88. We all wish the Big Bite Pro’s the best of luck on Day 2!!!!
Alsop and Otterson Take Second With Cane Stick
The Mid States Tournament Association held its second event of the 2010 season out of Camp Branch Marina on Smithville Lake Sunday May 16, 2010. Second place went to the team of Tom Alsop and his non-boater partner Ray Otterson; this is the only team to bring in a five fish limit on this tough day of fishing. This team’s limit of fish weighed 9.94 lbs. and were all caught on a new bait by Big Bite Baits called the Cane Stick, which B.A.S.S. Elite pro Dean Rojas designed. It is soft plastic stick bait and is offered in a 4.5” or 5.5” size. It features two heads which means it cannot be rigged from the wrong end, which “doubles” its use. Every angler knows how frustrating it is when a fish “rips” your bait and makes it useless, making you dig in your bag for a new bait. When a fish rips this bait, just rig the other end and you are back in business, it features ribbed edges and also has slotted sides, for your hook to lie perfectly in the bait, you just can’t rig this bait wrong. The Cane Stick is also fortified with Big Bite’s secret “Bite Juice”, when a fish bites these baits, they don’t let go. All of this teams fish were caught on the smaller 4.5” model in 4 to 5 foot of water on the original bank line, in the backs of pockets to likely spawning beds, which were next to big wood cover, whether it be laydowns or standing timber. Tom took home $790.00 for second place and Ray took home $310.00.
Wilson catches 11 pounder at Bass N Bucks on Toledo Bend
Several big bass crossed the scales at the Bass N Bucks at Cypress Bend, but the biggest of them all locked in at 11.06 lbs! Kris Wilson caught the big sow on his fourth cast of the morning on a Texas rigged 10" Kriet Tail Worm from Big Bite Baits. They were sitting on a main lake point fishing in water 15' deep near a drop off that went down to 28'. "We scrambled after that. The bite shut down. We didn't wrap up our limit until the last hour. They just turned on all of a sudden. We finished our limit then culled three times before coming in!"
Kris and partner, David also secured 5th place overall with a total of 21.04 lbs.
Baty and Blackmon Win C & R Outdoors on Lake Seminole
Big Bite angler Matt Baty and Chris Blackmon won the C & R Outdoors tournament on Lake Seminole May 15, 2010 with 28.55 lbs! Fish were caught with Spro Little John Crankbaits in Nasty Shad along with Big Bite Baits Jerk Minnows. The Big Bite Baits Jerk Minnow was put on the back of a 1/2 Scrounger Jighead. Grasslines were the major target in shallow water.
Russ Lane Jumps Back Into 5th The Last Day of Guntersville
Congrats goes out to Big Bite Pro Russ Lane. Russ started the final day of Guntersville in 7th place and brought in the second biggest bag of the last day at 26-7lbs to power his way back into 5th place and jump up the points race. Russ caught several of his keepers today which included two 7 pounders on a Kriet Tail Worm. Russ got hooked in the thumb the last day of fishing with the bass still on the hook. Ouch, what these guys go through for the Big Bites. All of us at Big Bite congratulate Russ on his 5th place finish on Guntersville.
Lane Drops 2 Spots And Still Makes Final Cut To Fish One More Day
Big Bites Russ Lane had another great day on Lake Guntersville. Russ brought 5 bass to the scales for 17-14lbs bringing him to a 3 day total of 65-8lbs. Even though he fell from 5th to 7th place Russ makes the cut and will fish the last day. Russ had to come in early today due to the health of his fish. A Special thanks goes out to the great people at Wintzell's Oyster House for the use of their fax which has helped Russ to fish tomorrow. (something about needing to verify boat insurance) With the cold front blowing into Guntersville anything could happen the final day. Good Luck Russ!
Lane Takes The Fast Lane On Guntersville On Day 2
Russ Lane wasted no time on Day 2 and hopped in the fast lane jumping all the way from 17th to 5th place by the end of Day 2. Russ brought 5 bass to the scales that weighted in at 23-11lbs added to yesterdays 23-15lbs giving him a total of 47-10lbs after 2 days on Lake Guntersville. Russ needs to stay in the top 12 to make the final cut after Saturday’s to fish for the top prize on Sunday. We're pulling for you Russ!
Today was cut for the top 47. Jeff Kriet brought 5 bass to the scales today that weighted 18-5lbs bringing his 2 day total to 37-3lbs. Jeff missed the cut by just 7 ounces and finishes in 52nd place. Dean Rojas came in with 5 bass that pushed the scales to 16-6lbs giving him a 2 day weight of 34-9lbs. Dean finishes in 64th place.
Day 1 Shows Just What Guntersville Can Do
When the pre tournament practice days were done a few of the pros were saying that this year would not hold up to last years catch and numbers on Guntersville, well I’ve got news for you someone just forgot to tell the bass that. In day one it was all about the catching with over 90 limits brought to the scales Lake Guntersville may be on track to break the numbers from last year.
Big Bites Russ Lane tops the pack of the Big Bite Pros with a 5 bass limit that pushed the scales to 23-15lbs and is currently sitting in 17th place.
Jeff Kriet follows in 51st place with a 5 bass limit that weighted 18-14lbs. Jeff had a 4 pounder that he had to throw back because it was struggling in the live well and had to come in early. Jeff is confident he will have a bigger bag tomorrow. "I'm around a bunch of fish — catching them's not the issue," Kriet said. "There wouldn't have been a problem if I didn't have to come in early."
Dean Rojas is following in 59th place with 5 bass that weighted 18-3lbs. Dean was quoted as saying "There's a lot of fish up shallow, but it's going to be won deep."
Limits seemed to come easy on Day 1; we will have to see what Day 2 has in store for the anglers. Good luck guys!
Team Of Sagady and Clements Take 2nd at Michigan Walleye Tour Event
Ryan Sagady and Ed Clements took 2nd place at the Michigan Walleye Tour Event at Bay City, Michigan this past weekend using Big Bites Bio Baits 4” Jerk Minnow with a forked tail. The best color for this event was Baby Sea Trout, and Pearl.
They were rigging these tails on 1/4oz to 3/8oz jig head and fishing the edge of the shipping channel in the Saginaw River. The magic depth that they found holding walleyes in the channel was 11ft to 16ft of water. The bite started out good on Saturday morning but as the day went on it started to slow down, and was also slow through Sunday the second day of competition.
Sagady and Clements feel the key to their 2nd place finish was their persistence and keeping a level head when the bite got tough. When the bite slowed down they knew they were in the right area that just had to stay patient and just keep fishing. That tactic paid off big for them the last day as they caught their biggest walleye of the weekend with less then 5 minutes to go before they had to head back to the landing for weigh-in.
Congratulations to Sagady and Clements on their 2nd place finish.
Big Bites Tom Keenan Sits On Top Of The FLW Eastern AOY Race
With 2 tournaments already in the books for 2010 on the FLW Eastern Walleye Tour; Big Bites Tom Keenan sits on top of the AOY race with 297 points. His nearest competitor is David Kolb at 292 AOY points. Also in the top 5 is Big Bites Dean Aroldussen, he has 279 points less than 20 points behind Keenan.
This has been a one, two punch for the Big Bite Walleye Team as Dean was able to win the first event on the Detroit River a few weeks back and Tom was able to win the second event this past weekend on the Illinois River.
The next stop of the Eastern Tour is Lake Winnebago July 15 -17th.
At Pickwick All 3 Big Bite Pros Make The 1st Cut and Rojas Fishes Final Day
When day 2 started at the Elite event at Pickwick Jeff Kriet and Dean Rojas both needed a big day to make the top 47 cut while Russ Lane needed to at least stay consistent. They all three came through making the cut. Dean started his day in 83rd place with a weight of 10-2lbs, and on day 2 he brought in 18-14lbs, moving all the way up to 30th place with a total weight of 29lbs. He moved up again day 3 to make the cut to the Top 12 bringing 5 bass to the scale weighing in the biggest bag of the day at 20-13lbs bringing his 3 day total to 70.10lbs and landing him in 7th place. Weather definitely was a factor cutting the fishing time the last day in half due to tornado warnings. Dean who caught most of his fish in the afternoons brought in 9-2lbs finishing in 12th place with a 4 day total of 58-15lbs. Dean is currently in 3rd place in the AOY race.
Jeff Kriet started day 2 in 52nd place with a weight of 13lbs and came in with 16-5lbs to push his 2 day total to 29.5lbs, good enough to take his spot in 28th place. He just missed the cut after day 3 by 1.3lbs when he brought 5 bass to the scales day 3 that weighted 17-7lbs, giving him a 3 day total of 46.12lbs. Jeff finished the tournament in 13th place.
Russ Lane started day 2 in 27th with a weight of 14-15lbs, and managed to bring in 14-1lbs giving him a two day total of 29lbs tying him with Dean Rojas for 30th place. Russ brought in 5 bass on day 3 that weighed a consistent 14-0lbs causing him to fall one spot and end up in 31st place with a 3 day total of 57lbs.
We congratulate all 3 pros on their great finishes and can't wait to see them fish Guntersville!
Day One Of The Elite Alabama Swing on Pickwick Lake
When day one of the Bassmaster Elite Tournament was done on Pickwick Lake in Florence Al. Big Bites Russ Lane was feeling some sweet home Alabama. Russ is in 27th place with 5 bass that weighted in at 14-15lbs.
Big Bites Jeff Kriet is currently in 52nd place bringing in 5 bass that weighted 13lbs. Dean Rojas is sitting in 83rd place with a 5 bass weight of 10-2lbs. Dean is currently in 3rd place for the AOY race, and coming off of a 3rd place finish on the last stop of the Elite Tour; Smith Mountain Lake.
Kevin Short is leading after day one with a 5 bass weight of 20-03lbs.
We all wish the Big Bite Pros the best of luck for day 2.
Keenan Takes Illinois on Day 3 of The FLW Eastern Walleye Tour
Big Bites Tom Keenan wins the FLW Eastern Walleye stop on the Illinois River jumping from 5th place to 1st with a bag of 5 walleyes that weighted in at 9.05 bringing his winning total to 22.7lbs. Tom said he spent his day pulling baits with lead core line on the main river channel to catch his winning limit. Tom had previously jumped from 17th place after day one to 5th after the second day with 5 eyes that weighted 7.03lbs.
With this win the Big Bite Pros have won back to back tournaments on the FLW Eastern Division Tour, Dean Arnoldussen won the first stop on the Detroit River a few weeks back and Keenan has won the second stop at the Illinois River.
Dean Arnoldussen caught a two day total to 7.10lbs and finished in 22nd place not making the cut of the top 10 to fish on Saturday. Dean is currently leading the AOY points on the FLW Eastern Division.
From all of us at Big Bite we congratulate Tom Keenan on his win on the Illinois River.
Wind and Waves Face Walleye Anglers on Day One
When anglers hit the water Day 1 on the Illinois River the second stop of the FLW Walleye Tours Eastern Division the two primary patterns to emerge after pre-fishing was pulling cranks with lead core line, and fishing plastics in the main channel.
FLW Walleye Update - Big Bites Tom Keenan came to the scales today with 5 walleyes that weighted in at 5-15lbs. Tom is currently holding 17th place. Dean Arnoldussen fresh off of winning the first stop of the FLW Eastern Tour on the Detroit River a few weeks back is not far behind sitting in 24th place with 4 walleyes that weighted in at 5-02lbs.
Friday’s weather is predicated to be a high of 78 with scattered severe weather in the area, and strong south winds pushing 25 to 30mph. We all wish Tom and Dean to stay safe and good luck on Day 2.
Baty Places 2nd and Moves into AOY Lead with Fighting Frog
Big Bite Angler Matt Baty places 2nd with 21.61 lbs., and moves into 1st place for AOY in the Divisional Points Standings during the American Bass Anglers tourney on Lake Seminole April 18th. Fish were caught flipping a Black & Blue 4" Fighthing Frog in grass mats near spawning areas. Matt reported that the Fighting Frog is the absolute best bait for flipping shallow cover because of the hook slot that is made into the bait. He rigs the bait a special way so that the hook point is exposed, but sits inside of the slot. Way to go Matt!
Hulsey and Hunter win Guntersville with Cane Stick Sample Pack
Jason Hulsey and Johnny Hunter with a winning stringer from lake Guntersville. The fish totaled 20.6 lbs and were caught on a green pumpkin copper green Big Bite Rojas Cane Stick fished wacky style. The funny thing is they only had 2 baits that they got from the Big Bite Baits booth at the Bassmaster Classic as free samples. I have a feeling they will be placing an order soon!
Russell Cecil & Wes Schubert Win Anglers Quest
The team of Russell Cecil from Willis, TX & Wes Schubert from Conroe, TX won the Anglers Quest event at Conroe April 17. The guys ran Wes’s Ranger/Rude bass rig to numerous areas north of the 1097 bridge. They used their Falcon rods & H20 reels to throw Big Bite fighting frogs to catch their bass in 2-3 ft water. One of their bass was the Big Bass of the event, a really fine 9.12 lber. They reported catching only 4 keeper bass at 17.11 lbs to finish in 1st place.
Montgomery and Warren Win C & R Bass Series in Eufaula with Fighting Frogs
Congrats again to Big Bite Pro Scott Montgomery. He and his partner, Richard Warren won the C & R Bass Series tournament on Sunday, April 18 with a bag of 21-8. Their biggest fish was 5-6. The guys were using a combination of 4 inch fighting frogs and spro bronze eye popper frogs. The guys credit their Falcon Amistad rods with micro guide for helping to haul in the big fish. Scott’s on a roll coming off a 2nd place finish in the BASS weekend series on Saturday, April 17.
Reese Swims His Way To Take The Victory At The Blue Ridge Brawl
When day 4 was completed at the Blue Ridge Brawl it was Skeet Reese holding the trophy over his head claiming the victory. Reese used a swimbait the last two days to build, and close the door on the other anglers. With the stiff wind that blew today this set up perfect conditions for fishing a swimbait, and Reese took advantage winning by almost 14 1/2lbs over 2nd place angler Jason Williams. Reese’s brought in 19.14lbs today pushing his 4 day total to 78.1lbs.
Big Bites Dean Rojas also made a move today from 5th at the start of the day, and ended up in 3rd place when the tournament was done. Dean used his signature Spro Frog to catch his fish that weighed in at 14.8lbs for the last day, and pushed his 4 day total to 61.8lbs. Great finish Dean!!! Dean moved into third place on the Angler of the Year standings with his third place showing at Smith Mountain.
The next Elite stop is part of the Alabama swing April 29 – May 2 the Elites will be fishing Pickwick Lake in Florence AL. Let’s see if a little Sweet Home Alabama won’t help the Big Bite Boys out a little.
Dean Rojas takes 3rd at Smith Mountain
Congrats to Big Bite Pro Dean Rojas in his 3rd place finish at Smith Mountain bringing in a consistent stringer of around 15 pounds per day for a four day total of 61-8. The frog bite was on. Go Dean!!
Jeff Kriet also bagged another good limit, but did not make the top 12 cut for the final day. Jeff was shaky head fishing his squirrel tail worms and reportedly missed a big one Saturday morning that might have been a game changer. Jeff finished the tournament in 33rd with a three day total of 38-13.
Our heart is breaking for Russ Lane, 51st place after day 2 and out of the cut by just 8 ounces with a two day total of 25-12. Wishing Russ a safe trip home to Alabama after the crazy ride he had to VA. Check out his blog to see the details. We predict that Russ will be staging a comeback as the elite series returns to Alabama for the next two tournaments.
Smith Mountain weigh in results day 1 for the Big Bite Elite Pros
Dean Rojas is in 16th with 16-7
Russ Lane in a 4-way tie for 37th at 14-10
and Jeff Kriet in 65th with 12-7. All three had 5 fish.
Good luck tomorrow guys!
Alsop and Glassinger Finish 2nd at MSTA on Smithville Lake
The Mid States Tournament Association kicked off their 2010 season out of Camp Branch Marina at Smithville Lake on Sunday April 11, 2010. Tournament anglers were greeted with near perfect weather (comfort wise) with temperature in the low 60’s at take off, and weigh in temperatures in the mid 80’s with little wind. Smithville Marine is the title sponsor of the 2010 MSTA circuit. The draw buddy format has become very popular with competitors, with its “friendly” attitude. The boater and the non-boater combine their fish to make up the teams 5 fish limit, so the boater and the non-boater actually encourage the other to catch fish, unlike most draw tournaments, it makes for a great day on the water for anglers and can be a great learning tool for both anglers in the boat.
Second place went to Tom Alsop from Overland Park, KS and Darryl Glassinger from Kansas City, KS with 4 fish that weighed 11.71 lbs. This team caught 2 fish in the first 15 minutes of the tournament and the other two were caught minutes apart around 1:30 in the afternoon. Included in their sack was big bass on the non-boater side with Darryl’s 5.30 lb. fish. 2 of this team’s fish were caught on jewel jigs tipped with Big Bite Chunk trailers, the other two fish were caught on Black back / Silver side spoonbill rogues. Again it was one of those days when you had to pull up on the right spot at the right time, the fish are moving up to feed and moving back out into deeper water, being at the right spot at the right time is critical.
Semi Pro Team Takes Second with Big Bite in the Crappie USA $10,000.00 Super Event
This past Friday and Saturday April 9th and 10th Crappie USA held a 2-day $10,000.00 Super Event on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway at Columbus, Mississippi. These anglers were competing for not only the $10,000.00 in cash and prizes, but a chance to advance to the prestigious Cabela's Crappie USA Classic to be held this Fall on the Pickwick/Wilson Lakes in Alabama.
Second place in the semi pro division went to Ray Looney of West Point, Mississippi and Charlie Kent of Baldwin, Mississippi weighing in 19.43 pounds and earning $1,200.00. Ray and Charlie were fishing Columbus Lake in 8-11 feet of water using only one pole, their B'n'M Pole with black/chartreuse and yellow/chartreuse Big Bite Baits catching 60-70 fish each day. Teams are only allowed to weigh in their best 7 fish each day.
Day 2 Brings Another Day of Strong Winds And The Bites Come With It
Dean Arnoldussen and Randal Sterr hold up part of their 34-pound, 14-ounce catch.
The weather forecast of the strong winds came true, and the bite for some was just as strong. Big Bite Pro Dean Arnoldussen rode those strong winds to bring in a 5 fish limit that weighed in at 34.14 to push his two day total to 67.14. Dean is relying on trolling spinners using a combination of Big Bites Bio Crawlers, and night crawlers to catch their fish. One of the keys to catch fish in these conditions is boat speed; Dean is trying to keep his trolling speeds between 1 to 1.3mph. If he feels the wind is pushing him too fast he is using the aid of a drift sock to slow down his boat speed back down to his target range. Dean was in 6th place after the first days weigh in, but has moved up 3 spots to occupy 3rd place after the wrap up of day two.
Tom Kennan moved up from 13th to 10th place with a limit of 5 walleyes that pushed the scales to 29.02, bringing his two day total to 59.04lbs. Tom is also keying in on the big lake spinner rig bite.
John Gillman is currently in 12th place with a 2nd day total of 26.09lbs pushing his combined two day weight to 57.22lbs. John is fishing Erie keying in on the spinner bite with Big Bites Bio Crawlers, and night crawlers as well.
For day 3 the forecast looks like more of the same; strong winds with a predicted high of 63 degrees. Good luck to all of our pros.
Three In the Top 15 After Day One
With the first day of the FLW Eastern Walleye Tour in the book three of the Big Bite Walleye Pros are in the top 15. Fighting strong winds on Lake Erie, Dean Arnoldussen is currently in 6th place with a walleye limit of 5 fish that pushed the scales to 33lbs. John Gillman is in 8th place with a total of 5 walleyes that weighted in at 31.13lbs, and Tom Kennan brought 5 Erie walleyes to the scales that weighted 30.02lbs.
Dean, John and Tom were using a combination of Big Bites Bio Crawlers rigged on spinner rigs, Bio Minnows, and Bio Bugs to take their fish on the first day of competition. Some of the other first day leaders were also using Big Bites Bio Minnows rigged on jig heads to catch fish in the Detroit River. Day Two conditions look like a carbon copy of today’s with strong winds predicted for the day and temps topping out at 50 degrees.
Baty and Henderson take 3rd in Backwoods Outdoors using Fighting Frogs
Congrats to Big Bite anglers Matt Baty and Kyle Henderson on catching 20.75 lbs for 3rd on Eufaula in the 80 boat Backwoods Outdoors tournament on March 20th. Fish were caught Texas-rigging the 4" Fighting Frog in green pumpkin on beds or near spawning areas.
Ronnie Wagner claims 1st Place finish on Lake Conroe with Big Bite Trick Sticks
1st Place winner, Big Bite Pro Ronnie Wagner, fished alone to represent his team in the Bass-N-Bucks tournament on Lake Conroe March 27th. He brought 5 fish to the scales weighing in at 25.25 lbs. Ronnie was site fishing, catching his fish on Big Bite Trick Sticks. This 1st Place finish, also earned him the Ranger Cup Award of $500 bringing his total payout to $3,000. Congrats Ronnie!
Leo and Smith Win Foundations Bass fishing Tournament on Mitchell
Partners Mark Leo and William Smith caught 13.65lbs to win and a 5.15 spot for Big Fish on Lake Mitchell, AL with Foundations Bass Fishing Club. The guys said they tried everything and only Big Bite Baits Squirrel Tail Worms brought the bite.
Cecil and Schubert take 2nd at Anglers Quest on Lake Conroe
Fields and Crumpton Land in the top 5 again in 3rd IFA Redfish in Charleston
Crumpton and Fields Take 4th at the Second Stop of the Redfish Tour
On the second stop of the Redfish Tour at Charleston , South Carolina Big Bites Fields and Crumpton secured a 4th place finish weighing in 8.93lbs for 2 reds. The tournament was tough to fish because of the South Carolinas size slot, you can only keep reds between the 15-23”slot. Anything bigger than the slot has to be returned back to the water instead of making its way to the live well.
Fields and Crumpton caught all their fish on two lures, Big Bites Bio Bait Jerk minnow in Seathrout color and a Nemire Lures Red Ripper Spoon. Fields eluded to the feelings in having confidence in a bait and that is what he has with the Big Bite Bio Jerk Minnow in Seatrout color “I know when I’m fishing this bait I am going to get my bites, this confidence allows me to concentrate more on other things and is showing in the results of our fishing”.
The next stop on the Redfish Tour is May 1st in Titusville FL.
Melton Places 1st in BFL Cowboy Division on Sam Rayburn
Saturday, March 6th was another fine day on the water for the BFL Cowboy Division on Lake Sam Rayburn. Co Angler Keith Melton of Coushatta, LA.went home with a check for $2,179.00 for his 1st place win. Keith's 5 bass limit weighed in at 17.10 lbs. His baits of choice were Big Bite Bait's Sexy Melon plastic worm or a Trick Stick in Watermelon Swirl and he was using them in 2 to 6 ft. of water around grass patches. Keith was so excited to say how happy he was to be in 1st place today because he zeroed on the first stop on Toledo Bend. "What a blessing this is" Keith stated. "A huge thanks to my pro angler, Richard Cunningham, for putting me on 5 quality bass".
Bratcher and Simms take 2nd on Eufaula with Kriet Tail Lizard
Lester Bratcher and Stan Simms took 2nd place in the Media bass tournament on Lake Eufaula. They were using the new 8" kriet tail lizard.
Top 12 Move To The Last Day on The Delta
When day 3 of the Duel of the Delta was done the Big Bite Pros did not make the top 12 cut to fish the last day. Jeff Kriet brought in 3 bass to the scales and weighted in 8-8lbs pushing his 3 day total to 39-12lbs mark, and ended the tournament in 16th place. Russ Lane had a very tough day, and did not bring any bass to the scales the 3rd day, and ended up in 37th place with a total weight of 29-7lbs. Dean Rojas brought in the biggest bag of the three Big Bite Pros the last day weighing in 14-14lbs moving up to 23rd place for the Duel of the Delta.
We send congrats to all our pros on their checks and wish them the best of luck on the next stop of the Elite Tour next week, the second leg of the swing out West.
Kriet Makes A Big Move on Day 2 of the Duel In The Delta
When day one of the Duel was over it was Russ Lane in 3rd place with the first day total of 18-10lbs, and the big bass of the day that pushed the scales to 8-8lbs mark that was caught on a Big Bite Yomama. Jeff Kriet was sitting in 17th not far behind with a first day total of 14-03lbs, but after day two the deck would be reshuffled, and places would change.
With a weather change in the forecast, the predicted rain that was to move in during the day helped the bite as you could see the 2nd day weights go up. When the weigh in was done Jeff Kriet moved from 17th to 10th with 5 bass weighing it at 17-1lbs for day 2 pushing his total to 31-4lbs.
Russ Lane came to the weigh in stage 1 bass short of a limit of 5 and weighted in 10-13lbs to fall from 3rd to 12th place after day 2. The only thing missing from his bag was another 8 pounder to match the previous day. Dean Rojas came in with 5 bass that weighted in at 8-7lbs finishing with a 2 day total of 20-1lbs. Dean is currently sitting in 44th place.
Russ Lane has to be stoked. Not only did he place 4th in the Bassmaster Classic and win another recent tournament in Alabama, but buoyed by the biggest bass of the day, an 8-8 brute, Russ Lane is third with 18-10.
If not for one late bite, Lane would've ended the day somewhere between 30th and 40th place with a bag that was lighter than 10 pounds. Instead, just two anglers stand between him and the top slot. He cranked and flipped all day and caught the day's biggest fish at about 3:00 on a Big Bite YoMama.
"That one scared me," he said. "It had gotten so boring that I was about to fall asleep." He landed five of his seven bites and said the two he lost likely wouldn't have helped him. "I knew it was possible to have a good bag because out here, you're always just one bite away from that. But I didn't get many bites in practice and today wasn't much different – it was just that a couple were the right ones.
"I don't know that I've got anything special figured out. I just fished hard and I was able to get five in the boat, and I'll try to do the same thing tomorrow." He said he had no company in the area where he caught his two biggest fish. "In a couple of the other places I saw several boats, but I don't think those guys caught much. It's just a grind – that's for sure."
After a string of good finishes to end 2009 and a second-place finish at the Bassmaster Classic, Jeff Kriet rode a wave of momentum into the West Coast. His Day One performance of 14 pounds, 3 ounces has him in 17th place and once more sniffing after the leaders. "I feel like I'm finally fishing smart," Kriet said. "Usually my instincts are pretty good. Now, when my gut tells me to leave, I'll do it."
Like the rest of the field, Kriet has found the fishing tough, but he has maintained a run-and-gun approach, trying to stay in high percentage areas. The result was a 9-keeper day. Not bad, but not nearly as good as Monday's practice. "We had these fronts come through and the wind blew really hard the last few days and I think that messed the fishing up," Kriet said. "With this warming weather today, I really think we are so close to having them go crazy."
Dean Rojas received a surprise on after landing a 2-pound fish early in the day. After getting the fish into the boat, his lure popped out of the fish's mouth and flew right into his cheek, burying itself past the barb.
"Thank God the Marshal was there or I would have been fishing with a treble in my face all day," Rojas said. "I tried to rip it out, but that wasn't happening. I have had lures fly by me before, but this one just buried right into my cheek."
Rojas went on to catch four fish that weighed 11 pounds, 10 ounces, good enough for 29th place.
March 6, 2010 marked the second event in the 2010 season for Bass Champs Central Region anglers. 180 teams converged on Lake Travis. Big Bite anglers Landon Glass and Jayson Kisselburg of Jarrell, Texas brought in the 24.82 lb sack that towered above the rest, winning by a 6 pound margin. Landon had done some scouting, and found a creek holding these quality bass.
“We covered the lake from above the narrows to the lower end and hit every creek that came up on the GPS. I had no idea Travis had so many creeks! Only three of the many creeks we checked held a concentration of fish.”
Landon found the fish in the back of one of the major creek arms towards the lower end of the lake. He reported the last 300 yards of the creek were gin clear and had laydowns and trees in it. He found the mother load here and told us he saw upwards of 200 bass up to 8 pounds that day!
“I cut the hook off of my Big Bite Baits tube and pitched it to a few of them and they ate it. At that point I knew these fish were catchable.”
The pair did not return to this area for the remainder of practice so they wouldn’t give the location away to other competitors. The team knew it would be crucial to get to their target area ahead of other contenders. They drew boat #58 and two other boats beat them to the creek. Fan casting outside of the creek, they managed their first keeper. As it turns out, the other boats were not fishing a tournament, just weekend anglers.
"We stuck it out, and when they left we moved on into the creek itself. Using a combination of soft plastic jerk baits, Big Bite Bait tubes and bush pigs in 2-8 depths, they quickly boated a five pounder and their 8.62 lb kicker. At that point we played a little defense, and put our trolling motor up and our power pole down to keep us there and keep other boats from coming in too close."
They stayed in that creek all day. Their final five fish dominated the pack to win the guaranteed 1st place $20,000 purse, plus an additional Sure Life $200 bonus for using the product in their livewell. They only missed Big Bass honors by one ounce! This is my first year to fish the Bass Champs circuit, Jayson continued. I just moved here from Arizona. I had first encountered Bass Champs through a Fish-N-Chips event they hosted in Oklahoma, where I fished with Dean Rojas. I was very impressed with them and the organization from that experience. Bass Champs is a top notch group, and no other team circuit can touch them. Congratulations to Landon and Jayson on a very impressive 24.82 pound sack worth $20,200!
This past Saturday March 6th Crappie USA held a qualifying event at Leesburg Landing on Alabama's Weiss Lake. Over 100 anglers from 11 different states were competing for not only cash and prizes, but a chance to advance to the prestigious Cabela's Crappie USA Classic to be held next Fall. First place amateur team of Kevin Randall and John Hendrix.In first place in the amateur division was the Rome, Georgia team of Kevin Randall and John Hendrix with a total weight of 9.97 pounds and earning $1,100. Kevin and John were fishing the northern end of the lake in 2-5 feet of water using black/blue/chartreuse jigs from Big Bite Baits. The team caught over 30 fish with their fish suspended just under the surface of the water. The team took big fish of the event with a 2.2 pound crappie which netted them $380.
Taking third place was the Rockmart, Georgia team of Chad Hitchcock and Jason Acrey weighing in 9.75 pounds and earning $400. Chad and Jason were fishing the Little Creek area longline trolling blue/blue/blue Hal Fly jigs catching over 40 fish suspended in 15-17 feet of water.
Bratcher and Jiminez Win Grass Flats Classic with Bio Baits
Huge congratulations to Big Bite Pro Bryson Bratcher for winning the Grass Flats Classic out of Destin, FL yesterday. Bryson, and his partner Jim Jiminez, won using Bio Bait with a total of 2 fish for 11.8 and big fish of the tournament at 6.7. The guys caught their Redfish on Bio Bait 5" Jerk Minnows in Watermelon/Gold Flake and the 3" BioShrimp in Pearl.
"The weather conditions were beautiful, but cold for the Grassflats Classic out of Destin, FL. At blastoff the temp was 40 degrees. With an incoming tide all day long Jim Jimenez and I decided to allow the tide to put the fish in the best position to catch. We had discovered that some schools were collecting in the mouths of a few creeks in the bay systems as the tide rose. We located the schools slowly and as quietly as possible, drop the Power Pole, work the schools with a 5" Watermelon/Gold Flake Jerk Minnow, a 3" BioShrimp in Pearl or a Gold Spoon. We'd pick a few fish off then leave the area quietly and go work another school we had located. We followed the same philosophy with all of the fish we found. It allowed us to upgrade later in the day because we hadn't spooked the schools. Total we caught 25 reds, 23 within slot. Our best two were 5.1lbs and 6.7lbs." Bryson Bratcher
Big Bites Fields and Crumpton Take 6th on First Stop of the Red Fish Tour in Jacksonville
Steven Fields and Jeff Crumpton wasted no time on the first stop of the 2010 Red Fish Tour to take a 6th place finish weighing in 13.28lbs. The weather conditions were not the best cold, wet, and overcast was the theme of the day, but the early morning bite was good. During practice Fields and Crumpton figured out that the best bite of the day would take place during the first few hours of the morning. With the tide up they got the current they needed to put the reds into position, and on the bite. As the day went on, with the falling tide the bite would shut off due to lack of current; setting up the morning bite as the best time to fill the livewell during the tournament. Hitting their first spot tournament day Fields, and Crumpton went right to work, and started to catch red fish on a Big Bite 4” Jerk Minnow in the Seatrout color resulting in a their best two fish at 6.16lbs and 7.12lbs.
If you live in the Charleston , SC area Big Bite Pro Staffer Steven Fields will be appearing March 6th and 7th at the Charleston Anglers Expo giving seminars about “How To Rig It Right”. Stop by and Steven will answer all your Big Bite questions.
Big Bite Teams Place 1st and 3rd on Sam Rayburn
Bass Champs East Region had their second event on Sam Rayburn February 27 with 269 teamed contenders. The Big Bite Team of Chris and Rusty Harvey stole the show with a monster bag weighing 28.68 lb winning 1st place and $20,000. The team had narrowed their target points to two places, and stuck with their game plan even though they had some company from other boaters. We were throwing rattle traps in 6-8 ft of water. These spots were close to deep creek channel swings with grass.
The Big Bite Team of Keith Caka and Charles Bebber secured 3rd place with 21.08 lbs. They brought in the first sack of the day over 20 pounds and had held lead position until the last flights. Going for the shallow bite, they used rattle traps and flipped Big Bite Baits Kriet Kreatures in the bushes. It was a spawning flat, about 3-4 deep they explained. Estimating catching 15 fish to cull from, their last culls were around 2:30, getting rid of their last two 2 lb fish for a 3 and a 5 pounder respectively. The team won $3,000 for their 3rd place finish then doubled their money with the Skeeter Bonus program to a $6,000 day.
Congrats to Big Bite Angler Terry Stevens on his win at Lake Seminole with the Fighting Frog
1st Place - 24.38 lbs
ABA Tournament on Lake Seminole February 21, 2010
Congrats to Flores and Castillo on the their Falcon Lake Trophys
ANDRES FLORES & JUAN CASTILLO
2/20/2010 FALCON LAKE , ZAPATA TX.
WINNING 3rd PLACE & BIG BASS with 5 fish at 41.02 lbs
The BIG BASS was 11.70 lbs, Flores caught it on a Big Bite trick stick in watermelon seed
SKEETER BASS CHAMPS TOURNAMENT
Laredo , Texas anglers Andres Flores and Juan Castillo had over 41 lbs, registering a total of 41.02 for their 3rd place finish. They were less than a pound out of 1st place. Their day started out slow, and at 10:00 they only had one two pound bass in their livewell. Shortly after that, throwing a watermelon Big Bite Trick Stix in 6’-8’ of water, the big one hit. “I thought I was stuck on a tree!” Andres tried to free his lure. “I pulled and pulled. Then I saw the line was moving and knew it was a big fish!” After getting it in and putting it in the livewell, it was too big to fit well so they brought it in to be weighed. It registered at 11.70, the biggest of all the double digit bass weighed in. “We went back to that spot, but didn’t catch anything else until 2:30, throwing a tilapia colored Fighting Frog from Big Bite Baits.” With that they caught a 7 and a 9 pounder. They received $3,000 for their 3rd place finish, $1,000 for Big Bass and received the Costa and WFN Bonus. “We thank the Lord for giving us our fish today."
Big Bite Baits sponsors BoatU.S. Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship Series
Big Bite Baits is proud to announce that it has partnered with the BoatU.S. Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship Series. "This is a great step to ensure that the future of fishing will be strengthened for years to come. These anglers are being provided a platform to demonstrate that fishing has a place in college sports and Big Bite is excited to be a part of these events. Several of our employees attended college while competing in weekend tournaments, so we know the challenges collegiate anglers face," said Mike Valster of Big Bite Baits. Due to the BoatU.S. Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship Series gaining popularity throughout the country, it's easier for students who have a passion for fishing to come together, and participate in the sport of bass fishing at the collegiate level.
Big Bite Adds Russ Lane and Randall Tharp to Pro Staff
Big Bite Baits is excited to announce that it is expanding its bass Pro Staff by signing Elite Series Pro Russ Lane and FLW Pro Randall Tharp. Lane and Tharp will join Jeff Kriet and Dean Rojas on the Big Bite Baits Pro Staff. Both Tharp and Lane are coming off recent Top 10 finishes in the 2010 Bassmaster Southern Open circuit on Lake Okeechobee . Tharp was flipping a Big Bite Fighting Frog to take a 4th place finish while Lane was flipping and pitching a Big Bite YoMama bait finishing 8th.
Scott Montgomery, Vice President of Big Bite Baits says “It is a thrill to have both of these guys fishing for Big Bite Baits. They both are great additions to our staff. We hope Russ has a great Classic and season fishing the Elite Series for Big Bite.” As for Tharp, Montgomery adds “Randall has won two recent Southern Open Tournaments. In 2009, he fished 16 tournaments, cashing a check in 10 of them, with 5 top 10 tournament finishes. He was the 2009 Angler of the Year in the Southeast Division of the Stren Series and has already qualified for the 2010 Forest Wood Cup. We are excited to have this hot new talent on staff”.
Russ Lane says “It is an honor to be able to work along with the already stellar Pro Staff to promote Big Bite Baits. Big Bite is owned and managed by fishing fanatics with a true passion for the sport of bass fishing. I’m counting on baits like the Squirrel Tail Worm and the Fighting Frog to be a huge part of my success this season!”
Randall Tharp adds “I’m extremely excited and honored to be a part of the Big Bite Baits Pro Staff family. Big Bite has come out with some fantastic products recently and I am grateful they are committed to making the best baits available. The new fighting frog is an unbelievable bait and I am just realizing it's potential. They have a complete line of plastics with an amazing color selection. Thanks Big Bite!"
Congratulations to Big Bite Baits Pro Stephen Fields on a 4th place finish in his first tournament of the 2010 season at the Redfish Open in Jacksonville, FL. "The conditions were tough with 30 mph winds and I started throwing the 4 inch paddle tail jerk minnow in baby sea trout over some oysters with ripping current and bam, 6 good fish in a row. Only two were slot fish, but they were what we needed. Big Bite helped us pull through. Awesome bait, Awesome results, every time"...Stephen Fields
© 2006 Big Bite Baits, Inc.
