Everybody’s All-American

A boat heads out under the morning sun. Photo by Jeff Schroeder.

May 7, 2001 • Jeff Schroeder • Archives

Bass fishing’s granddaddy tournament for weekend warriors returns to Arkansas’ Lake Hamilton this week

On Thursday, a hundred of the nation’s best weekend anglers will converge on Hot Springs, Ark., to compete in the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League All-American on scenic Lake Hamilton. Formerly known as the Red Man All-American, this signature three-day bass fishing event in its 18th year will showcase some changes from All-Americans past, but will undoubtedly remain just as competitive and compelling.

While it is called the “weekend” anglers championship, the 100 qualifiers for the 2001 All-American likely wouldn’t be heading to Hot Springs if they really only fished on Saturday and Sunday. The 50-member Boater Division is sprinkled with bona fide bass tournament veterans like Keith Green of Arkadelphia, Ark., Jim Tutt of Longview, Texas, and last year’s winner, Jeff Coble of Henderson, N.C. To be sure, these anglers are hardly weekend warriors.

If history is any indication, Green might be the angler to watch this week. Last year, the local crowd favorite placed second at the All-American, narrowly losing first place in the exciting final round by a scant 5 ounces to Coble.

Green said the fishing conditions this week should be very similar to last year’s All-American, which was also held on Lake Hamilton. He admitted, however, that he has prepared a bit differently for the 2001 competition by increasing his practice time on the lake. While his home lake is actually nearby De Gray Lake outside of Arkadelphia, he has logged a lot of hours on Hamilton over the past year.

“I only had two key spots last year and I milked them for all they were worth,” he said. “This year I know where the biggest fish in the lake live and I know those key areas.”

Green said the successful anglers will probably fish a similar pattern to last year’s winning strategy: focus early on schooling fish to catch a limit, then work ledges and brush piles as afternoon rolls around. Look for anglers to use crankbaits, Carolina rigs and some topwater baits to entice transition fish coming out of the shallows following the spawn. Also, don’t be surprised if a few remaining spawning bass are caught by sight fishing further up the lake.

Many of the competitors will focus on the lower end of the 18-mile-long impoundment on the Ouachita River near Carpenter Dam. Covering roughly 7,200 acres, Lake Hamilton is relatively small by world-class tournament standards. Anglers will be rubbing gunwales as they congregate near the dam to work the main lake points for schooling fish.

“You need to be prepared to fish in a crowd,” said Tutt, a two-time All-American qualifier and regular on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour and EverStart Series. “It’s going to interesting.”

Interesting also is the format change for the 2001 All-American. This will be the first year that co-anglers will fish in this event, competing for the first two days (only the top five boaters advance to Saturday’s final round). While having a co-angler in the back of the boat shouldn’t essentially affect the boater, Tutt admits that the fishing dynamic will change for this year’s All-American. Boaters will need to manage their time more efficiently as well as share the fish in their locations with their partners.

“It tends to make me focus more when I fish with a co-angler,” Tutt said. “Plus, it will split up your (catch) weights. Especially for schooling fish, if the (co-angler) can cast, he can catch some fish.”

Still, there will be enough fish to go around. Both Tutt and Green estimated that it would take 10 1/2 pounds of fish per day to advance into Saturday’s top-five final round in the Boater Division.

“If you catch one 3- or 4-pounder plus four other keepers every day, I think you’ll be all right,” said Tutt. “There’s a whole lot of fish in that lake.”

And there will be a whole lot of top-notch anglers fishing for them. Look also for strong boater performances from the likes of Jeremiah Kindy of Benton, Ark., who has guided on Lake Hamilton and who topped the Arkie Division standings during the 2000 regular season, and Jim Carnell of Muskogee, Okla., a three-time All-American qualifier who led the Okie Division in 2000.

And keep your eye on Green, who has found particular motivation in his 5-ounce near-miss last year.

“I remember that well,” he said. “It cost me $80,000. That really makes me hungry. I like my odds and I think I’ll do well. But it’s a bass tournament, and you know how that goes.”

Yeah, we know how the All-American goes. There’s $345,000 on the line to be divvied up among a hundred anglers, with $100,000 going to the winning boater and $50,000 to the top co-angler. Competition among these weekend warriors looking for a big payday will be fierce.

It’s going to be fun to watch.