Three weeks after the Bassmaster Classic, Todd Faircloth of Jasper, Texas, qualified for the 2014 Classic by winning the first Elite Series tournament of the year.
Fishing on the Sabine River in southeast Texas, Faircloth won the tournament by catching a four-day total of 49 bass that weighed 49 pounds, 6 ounces. An angler who wins a regular-season Elite Series tournament earns an automatic berth in the 2014 Classic. Faircloth also won $100,000 and jumped to the head of the Angler of the Year race.
Winning this tournament took persistence and concentration. Dean Rojas led the first day, but Faircloth pulled ahead on the second day. Rojas recaptured the lead on the third day, but Faircloth prevailed in the end to claim his fourth Elite Series victory. His catch and weight totals were 5/10-6, 5/16-8, 4/7-14 and 5/14-9.His second-day limit was the heaviest of the tournament, for which he won an extra $500 from Berkley.
Faircloth beat Rojas by 6-10. Rojas caught only 16 fish.
Overall, the field caught 238 fish weighing 491-02 on the first day, followed by 237/515-13, 137/273-06. The top 12 caught 34 fish the final day that weighed 78-03.
Arkansans performed well, too. Mark Davis of Mount Ida, who fished the Classic on Grand Lake last month, finished ninth with 15 bassthat weighed 32-06 to win $12,000. Mike McClelland of Bella Vista finished 11th with 15 fish weighing 31-08 to win $11,000.
The second Elite Series tournament will begin today on Falcon Lake at Zapata, Texas.
BFL NEWS
Arkansas amateur anglers have done well at FLW Bass Fishing League tournaments around region in recent weeks.
Lucas Madison of Harrison finished second in the co-angler division March 18 in the BFL Mississippi Division tournament at Pickwick Lake in Alabama. He caught five bass weighing 19-10 and won $1,218.
Arkansas co-anglers also took third and fourth places at the BFL Ozark Division tournament March 18 at Table Rock Lake. Seth Holder of Centerton finished third and won $726 by catching five bass weighing 14-7. Dewey Larson of Fayetteville took fourth place and $507 by catching five bass that weighed 14 pounds.
LOCAL NEWS
Zach Talbert and Bryan Roseberry won the Sherwood Bass Club tournament March 16 on the Dumas Pool of the Arkansas River by catching five bass that weighed 20.37 pounds.
Finishing second were Matt Greer and Kevin Thompson (19.03), followed by Jonathan Evans and Glenn Eastwood (18.92), Brad Patterson and Jason Scroggins (18.13), Gary Hubble and Joey Korte (17.65), Andrew and Eddy Sanders (15.78), Daniel and Brian Smith (14.26), Chip Hawkins and Drew Hawkins (13.82), Don Douglas and Hunter Baughman (13.50) and Steve Howard and Glen Clements (13.26).
Evans and Eastwood also took big bass honors with a fish that weighed 6.60 pounds.WAVESPIN(NERS)
WaveSpin reels has an online clearance sale at www. WaveSpinreel for its two heaviest spinning reels.
WaveSpin earned Field & Stream’s Best of the Best honors in 2008 for its no-tangle technology. The DH4000 retailed for $83.95, and the DH5000 retailed for $91.95. They are on clearance for $29.95. I’ve been looking for a large-framed, high-capacity spinning reel for certain applications. I was leaning toward Penn, but the clearance price made the 5000 irresistible. It is rated for 10-, 12- and 14-pound monofilament line or comparable diameter braid.
Initial impressions are very favorable. With eight ball bearings, it turns as smooth as glass and its infinite anti-reverse does not slip. Its oversized disc handle provides a sure-fisted grip. Most reels allow you to grip the handle only with two fingers. The stem has a palm swell that reduces hand fatigue from holding the reel for extended periods.
I prefer faster reels, but for spinning duty the 4.9:1 retrieve of the DH5000 is sufficient.
Of course, the centerpiece of the WaveSpin is the serrated, two-piece spool. Doug Hannon, the company’s front man, helped develop the reels.He said the serrations act as ramps that launch line away from the spool edge. This reduces friction and prevents line from forming the loops that create the snarls and “bird nests” that plague most spinning reels. The two-piece spool allows you to strip a spool in seconds.
Hannon said the serrations allow you to load these reels to capacity, and that they cast 30 percent farther than other reels.
You also get a Doug Hannon CD that explains bass behavior throughout the seasons in relation to food, light, spawning and weather. I learned a lot from watching it.
We’ll test it thoroughly in coming weeks.
Sports, Pages 22 on 03/21/2013