Close races on Bull Shoals
Boater, co-angler divisions up for grabs at TBF Championship
BRANSON, Mo. – Mixed bags and mixed results – that was the day-one story for the TBF National Championship presented by the National Guard on Bull Shoals Lake.
With the lake yielding largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass, some anglers fell short of their limit, a few zeroed. However, 33 competitors weighed double-digit stringers, six of which broke 15 pounds. On a cold, gray day marked with temperatures no higher than the mid-30s and occasional light snowfall, anglers who located and capitalized on prespawn aggregations fared best.
Topping the field, Derek Cummings of Mason, Mich., weighed 19 pounds, 3 ounces to take the lead in the
Northern Division and the tournament. Fishing the midlake area, Cummings targeted transitional areas where bluffs transitioned into chunk rock in a classic staging area.
“These fish are really anxious to get into the spawning period,” Cumming said. “They’re just holding back and waiting for this weather to change. As the water warms up – and it’s getting really close – those fish just start to pile up on those types of areas.”
Working an efficient and disciplined game plan, Cummings used a Gary Neste C-Flash crankbait to power-fish his way through selected areas and locate groups of fish. Brown crawdad and blue back/white belly colors worked best. Once he pinpointed the spot, he down-shifted for thorough coverage.
“I slowed down and covered the area really well with the crankbait first, then I went back through with a ¾-ounce cinnamon jig,” he said. “I caught probably 30 fish on the crankbait, and I caught four or five fish on the jig.”
Although he was unable to go undetected, Cummings said he’s confident that he can replicate his success on day two: “I’m going to switch it up a little bit because too many people saw me catching fish today. I think I’m going to head down toward the other end of the lake (on day two).
“If you can find that certain sweet spot, which is usually a shelf next to their spawning area, you can go anywhere in this lake and catch them.”
Cummings holds a 4-ounce lead over Franksville, Wis., Boater Nicholas Smyers, who weighed 18-15.
Divisional leaders
Central: Zachary King, Clarksville, Ark., 15-3
Eastern: Jim Gildea, Weston, Mass., 12-7
Mid-Atlantic: Brent McNeal, Huntingdon, Pa., 14-3
Southern: Daniel Ellis, Gleason, Tenn., 16-10
Western: Brandon Craner, Filer, Idaho, 17-3
Chris Lambert of Olympia, Wa., won Big Bass honors for his 5-pound, 8-ounce largemouth.
Modrak cranks his way into co-angler lead
Complementing Cummings’ representation of the Wolverine State, Mark Modrak of China Township, Mich., caught a 13-pound, 14-ounce limit to top the Northern Division and lead the co-angler field.
Fishing the mouths of creeks, Modrak used C-Flash crankbaits in 8 to 10 feet. “I was just bouncing it off of rocks – if you didn’t hit bottom, you weren’t catching fish.”
Modrak fished crankbaits in crawdad and threadfin-shad colors. Notably, he has a couple of clever tactics for determining which bait color to use.
“If you catch a bass, smell its mouth,” Modrak explained. “If it smells like fish, he’s eating fish. If it smells really nasty, they’ve been eating crawdads. Also, you can feel their bellies – if they feel solid or crunchy, they’re eating crawdads.”
In the Southern Division, Kenny Pannell of Springville, Ala., is just 12 ounces off the lead with 13
pounds, 2 ounces.
Divisional leaders
Central: Jerry Necaise, Long Beach, Miss., 12-9
Eastern: Chris Bowker, Marshfield, Mass., 6-4
Mid-Atlantic: Reuben Williams, Rice, Va., 12-9
Western: David Martinez, Tucson, Ariz., 7-4
Day two of TBF National Championship action continues at Friday’s takeoff, scheduled to take place at 7 a.m. CT at K-Dock Marina located at 295 Highway K Marina Drive in Kirbyville, Mo.