Ranger M1 preview: Mobile-Tensaw Delta – Feb. 27-March 2
Vast waterways, diverse habitats will present challenge for anglers searching for $1 million top prize
In November of 1999, Darrel Robertson of Jay, Okla., walked away from the Ranger M1 Millennium tournament in Cypress Gardens, Fla., with the largest payday in the history of professional bass fishing. Out-dueling nearly 200 other competitors, Robertson turned in a 10-pound, 6-ounce catch on the final day of competition to take home first-place money totaling $600,000 and permanently engrave his name in the record books.
When the drama had finally concluded, the remarkable and historic event – broadcast live on the FOX Sports Network – did more than significantly up the ante for bass fishing enthusiasts and anglers alike. It thrust bass fishing to the forefront of the minds of the general sporting public for the first time in the history of the sport.
Now, after two long years of preparation, anticipation and planning, the Ranger M1 tournament is back. Swooping down upon the historic city of Mobile, Ala., the Ranger M1 tournament is returning for an encore performance Feb. 27 to March 2. This field, which features some of the biggest names in professional bass fishing, will be competing for a share of a record $3.6 million purse.
However, winning the top prize – which could be as much as $1 million if all sponsor criteria is met – will not be easy.
Encompassing more than 300 square miles, the Mobile-Tensaw Delta pits anglers against one of the most diverse, expansive and challenging waterways in the nation. Throw in a series of complex tidal currents and a seemingly unending series of creek channels, small lakes, mud flats and river systems, and it is easy to see why anglers will have to fall back on all of their years of experience just to compete for the title.
Mobile-Tensaw Delta history/facts
Formed by the confluence of the Alabama, Tombigbee, Tensaw, Coosa, Tallapoosa and Black Warrior river systems, the Mobile-Tensaw Delta represents the second largest – and single largest inland – delta in the nation. A complex network of creeks, bays, lakes, wetlands, bayous and tidally influenced rivers, the delta boats more than 20,000 acres of open water, 10,000 acres of marshlands, 69,000 acres of swamps and 84,000 acres of mixed bottomland forests. The delta, which is also the state’s largest wetland area, also serves as a giant environmental water filter, removing impurities from what amounts to 15 percent of the nation’s fresh water.
Not surprisingly, the Mobile-Tensaw Delta also offers excellent concentrations of largemouth bass. Spotted bass, bream and crappies are in relatively abundance as well. In addition, the rich ecological environment – highlighted by an 185,000-acre pristine wetland ecosystem – provides an excellent habitat for black bears, herons, kites, owls, warblers, water snakes as well as the rare, red-bellied turtle. The delta, home to the state’s largest population of alligators, also boasts myriad picturesque landscapes replete with ancient pigmy cypress trees, swamp lilies and other indigenous flower and fauna.
So little time … so much ground to cover
As the defending Ranger M1 champion, Robertson has spent decades mastering the diverse waters that comprise the professional bass fishing circuit. However, even he admits that the Mobile-Tensaw Delta is one of the most unique and challenging waterways that he has ever fished.
“There’s just such a vast area – hundreds of miles of water – to fish,” said Robertson. “I actually spent two days pre-fishing (the delta) after the Lake Okeechobee tournament this January. I was fishing in a relatively small area and I still wasn’t able to explore it all. There’s just no way to cover the whole delta. There’s definitely more water here than any other place I’ve ever fished before. It’s going to be a real challenge.”
Scott Martin, who became acquainted with the challenges of fishing the delta after winning the FLW Tour event on the Pascagoula River in February of 2000, said that anglers will have adjust to their angling techniques to the delta’s complex environment if they are to have any shot at claiming the first-place prize.
“In the lower part of the delta, you’re going to find a lot of bays, grass flats and mud flats. And the anglers who spend time here will probably be throwing a lot of spinnerbaits and rattletraps,” said Martin. “The middle part of the delta is just a vast, vast area with hundreds of creeks, little feeder lakes and creek channels. There’s a lot of area to cover here and most anglers will probably go with crankbaits and jigs.
“Then there is the extreme upper part of the delta where there are a lot of rivers and oxbow lakes,” Martin continued. “Anglers will probably use a combination of crankbaits, jigs and even some spinnerbaits there. However, one thing you have to keep in mind is that the fishing in the upper part of the delta is going to be highly dependent upon water levels. If the area gets a lot of rain, the water levels can rise 10 to 12 feet overnight. And if that happens, the bite is going to dry up really fast.”
Wesley Strader, another FLW angler who has had an opportunity to experience the diversity of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, agreed that anglers will be forced to ponder a wide variety of fishing habitats, techniques and bait selections throughout the four-day tournament.
“Some of the guys will spend their time fishing in the marshes in the southern end of the delta in about 3 feet of water,” said Strader. “Other guys will head up river and fish the laydowns with a jig. But personally, I think the key to the tournament is finding the productive areas off the main rivers – the creeks and marshes – that have laydowns and stumps.
“But you have to remember that the tidal water affects almost everything on the delta,” Strader continued. “You could be catching almost nothing all day and then the tide comes in and suddenly everything changes. Because when the tides start moving in or out, the baitfish start to move. And that, in turn, stimulates the bass to start feeding. As a general rule of thumb, you’ll have your best action during the first hour of the incoming tide and during the last hour of the outgoing tide. If that tide is moving, the fish should be biting.”
“The fish relate to the tides,” said Martin. “Some prefer incoming tides and some prefer outgoing tides. During the tournament, I think we’re going to have incoming tides all week. So the key will be to find those fish that are feeding on the incoming tides.”
Dolphins, sharks and bass … oh my
Unlike the majority of locations found on the FLW and EverStart tours, the melding of salt-water and freshwater environments of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta can pose a few unique challenges for anglers.
“For starters, there is just a lot of water to fish,” said Strader. “But what makes this tournament so different from the others is the tidal waters. It’s a real fertile area and there is plenty of bait, including a lot of shad and shrimp. The other interesting thing is that bass aren’t on top of the food chain here. I’ve seen sharks actually come up the river to feed on the bass. It’s also not that uncommon to see dolphins jumping right beside your boat.
“It’s a really neat deal,” continued Strader. “But the first time you see some of this stuff, you’re like, `What’s going on?'”
Martin agrees that the delta’s diverse ecosystem takes some time to get used to, as things aren’t always as they seem.
“It’s a funny thing when you’re throwing a crankbait and you start catching crabs or saltwater fish,” he said. “And the thing about the crabs is that they feel like a bass when you get them on your line. I can almost guarantee you that there will be some guys who will go practice fishing and start hooking into crabs. But because they’ll shake them off in practice, they’ll think that they’ve been catching fish. Then, when the tournament finally starts, they’ll come back to the same area only to find out they’ve been catching crabs the whole time.”
Consistency could be key to victory
With such a large area to fish and untold decisions to be made during tournament time, many anglers believe that the winner of the Ranger M1 will be the person who fishes the most consistently over the four days of the tournament.
“This is going to be the most complex tournament of the year,” said Martin. “And you can win this tournament in a lot of different places. But for me, the key is going to be figuring out the areas that are going to be the most consistent. You don’t have to go out and blow away the field with 20-pound bags. In fact, I think 8 or 9 pounds each day should be enough to advance.”
Strader argues that another important lesson that he learned on these waters was not to waste time cruising endlessly from one location to another in search of the ultimate “honey hole.”
“There are a lot of fish in this water,” he said. “But you could easily end up doing a lot of riding around if your not careful.”
$1 million worth of pressure
If charting a winning strategy on the Mobile-Tensaw Delta wasn’t difficult enough, the pressure of fishing for $1 million will almost certainly make the steadiest of hands tremble. And this, says Martin, is something that the anglers are going to have to overcome if they want to come out on top.
“I’ll tell you what, you really get a weird little feeling when you’re fishing for $1 million,” said Martin. “And I think that added pressure is really going to hurt some of the guys.
Robertson argues that the best approach to fishing the Ranger M1 is to simply block out all distractions.
“The only guy I’m going to worry about is me,” said Robertson. “Obviously, my goal is to go down there and win the whole thing. But you just have to go out and do the best job that you can and hope everything else falls into place.”
Mental preparation is crucial
“This tournament is going to take a lot of mental preparation. There’s a lot of water to fish and at times, the delta can be very intimidating,” said Martin. “But I’m really looking forward to it. The weather looks like it’s going to be fairly nice and the water temperature is rising. And if everything holds up, we could have an excellent tournament.”
Strader, never at a loss for words, offered a more succinct overview of the four-day event.
“It’s going to be a really exciting tournament,” he said. “No doubt.”
Ranger M1 action commences Feb. 13 at 6:30 a.m. at Chocolotta Bay marina located approximately 2 miles east of downtown Mobile, Ala., near Hwy 90/98 at the causeway crossing.