Back Story: George Kapiton Has His Act Together
For George Kapiton, 2010 was golden, a once-in-a-blue-moon fishfest. Last year should have been the year you got him to buy lottery tickets for you, or pick the winner of the Kentucky Derby.
Kapiton had a phenomenal tournament season in 2010. As a co-angler, the 35-year-old Florida angler ranked first in the FLW Series Eastern Division (now Walmart Opens) and was 13th in the EverStart Series. In the Walmart Bass Fishing League, he wound up in 11th place in the boater division.
Because he topped the co-angler field in the Easterns last year, Kapiton is assured a seat in a Ranger on Lake Ouachita when the Forrest Wood Cup gets underway Aug. 11. However, he’d like to be the Ranger’s driver, rather than its passenger. He’ll get his chance in a couple of weeks when the BFL All-American, May 19-21, gets underway on Cross Lake in northwestern Louisiana near Shreveport. Having placed fourth as a boater in the BFL regional on Lake Seminole, he’s in the field. The top boater and co-angler there will get an invitation to the Cup, and Kapiton will have the choice between fishing as an Eastern Series co-angler or BFL boater, presuming he wins the All-American.
Kapiton is confident about his chances in the BFL championship event and he has even calculated how much it will take for him to capture the title.
“I plan to catch 23 pounds in three days and win it by 5,” says Kapiton, only half-jokingly. “The last time an All-American was held at Cross Lake [2002], the best three-day stringer was just over 18 pounds. If those kind of stringers hold up this year, I’ve got a shot.”
Kapiton, who installs garage doors and has his own deer-processing operation in Inverness, Fla., already has had one practice session on Cross Lake and plans another round before the cut-off. To do that, he’s driving to Shreveport from an EverStart Series tournament on Lake Eufaula. During his previous visit to Cross Lake, Kapiton caught a number of five-bass limits, which is no easy feat on the Cajun fishery.
“It’s kind of a strange lake as far as the slot limit there. You can keep bass from 12 to 14 inches, and bass over 17 inches, but nothing in between 14 and 17 inches. It messes with your head,” he says. “The question becomes, do you go after quantity or quality? In the All-American, I’m going after five keepers of any size first, and then hope to catch an `over’ or two.”
Such a strategy almost worked for Alabama pro Steve Kennedy in 2002, when he fished the All-American. He was the only angler in the event to catch 5-bass limits every day, but they amounted to 4-14, 4-12 and 4-14. Kennedy finished third.
Kapiton found an area in Cross Lake where he caught plenty of bass under and over the slot size during his initial visit there. Small wonder he’s confident about swinging for the fences in the All-American; the fishing suits his style. Sight fishing and figuring out shallow patterns are his strong suits.
“I’m mainly a guy who likes to pitch and flip soft-plastics,” he says. “My favorite deal is skipping a watermelon-colored Zoom Fluke under docks and trees, and it really worked for me when I went to Cross Lake to practice. I feel good about it; I feel like my streak from last year is going to carry through the All-American.”
Time will tell. Win, lose or draw in Shreveport, however, Kapiton will see you in Hot Springs at the Forrest Wood Cup. He’ll be sitting in the front of the boat, or the back.