RAIN, FINICKY BASS WELCOME BASSMASTER ELITE 50 ANGLERS TO ALABAMA

Prattville, Ala. - In 2003, the CITGO Bassmaster Tournament Trail presented by Busch Beer came upon a very flooded Alabama River for the season finale in which Oklahoma's Kenyon Hill took the top honors.

A year later, anglers return to the river for the Bassmaster Elite 50 series and it looks like a whole different body of water. Although rainstorms are currently washing through the area, the water is down, some say, nearly 20 feet and according to last year's victor, the fishing has been tough.

"I'm catching some fish," Hill said. "I'm not catching them as big as they were last year. I'm getting about 10 to 15 bites a day. I have one spot where I'm really catching them, but they'll only bite if (dam managers) pull a little water. If there's no current, they won't bite.

"I think it'll take about 20 pounds to make the cut, which is a little less than last year, but that's still a pretty decent bag."

CITGO Bassmaster Angler of the Year, Gerald Swindle is doing his rain dance, hoping that a little rain could turn on the bite.

"How many ways can you spell rain?" Swindle asked jokingly. The rain has affected more than Swindle's practice. The Alabama pro was scheduled to throw out the first ball at Monday night's Montgomery Biscuits baseball game, which was rained out.

"I was ready to bring the heat, baby," Swindle said. "I had been practicing my wind-up, I was ready to bring the heat right down the center of the plate. I was making my major league debut."

Instead, he's practicing for the third of four major league bass events " and confessed he's a little puzzled. The spotted bass he hoped to catch aren't anywhere to be found, but he's found a few bruiser largemouths where he didn't expect them.

"That kind of sends you in a tailspin, saying, "Why am I catching all these largemouth? I like this, but I don't understand this," he said. "I don't know what's wrong with the spots right now. The fish aren't as deep as I anticipated.

"I haven't been able to catch them deep, but as soon as I go back shallow Iﾕm catching them again. Itﾕs like they're a little behind schedule, that they havenﾕt moved out yet."

Swindle's prediction of the cut was, pretty much in line with Hill's as well.

"I think someone's going to catch 17 to 19 pounds. I'm not saying it's me. But, that's pretty strong for the Alabama River."

The third event of the Bassmaster Elite 50 series on the Alabama River kicks off Wednesday, June 2 and runs through Saturday, June 5. Weigh-ins start at 7:15 p.m. at Stanley-Jensen Stadium in Prattville, Ala.

Fans can catch all the action on the Alabama River, in two parts, Saturday, June 12 and Saturday, June 19 at 10:30 a.m. ET/9:30 a.m. CT on ESPN2.

BASS is the world's largest fishing organization, sanctioning more than 20,000 tournaments worldwide through its Federation. The CITGO Bassmaster Tournament Trail is the oldest and most prestigious pro bass-fishing tournament circuit and continues to set the standard for credibility, professionalism and sportsmanship as it has since 1968.

Sponsors of the CITGO Bassmaster Tournament Trail presented by Busch Beer include CITGO Petroleum Corp., Busch Beer, Purolator, Triton Boats, Skeeter Boats, Mercury Marine, Yamaha Outboards, Berkley, Abu Garcia, Lowrance Electronics, Flowmaster Exhaust Systems, MotorGuide, Bass Pro Shops, and BankOne.

Associate Sponsors include G3 Boats.

Local Sponsors include the Prattville Area Chamber of Commerce and the City of Prattville.

BASS Communications -Jun 1, 2004

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Posted by DODGE at June 1, 2004 12:39 PM in Tournament (BASS)