Frustration turns golden for Briarwood team
By Greg McCain
Tucker Smith, boat captain J.T. Russell, and Grayson Morris (Photo courtesy of Jay Mathews)
Tucker Smith, boat captain J.T. Russell, and Grayson Morris
(Photo courtesy of Jay Mathews)The frustration of fishing filters down to even the youngest of tournament competitors.
The emotion set in for Tucker Smith and Grayson Morris, a team from Birmingham’s Briarwood Christian and regular competitors in Alabama B.A.S.S. Nation high school tournaments, in the final round of the Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Championship presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods.
The goal was within sight. Smith and Morris knew that winning the title on Kentucky Lake in early August was an achievable proposition as they entered Day 3, the final round of competition. One significant problem stood in their way: the fish were simply not cooperating.
“The morning was discouraging,” Morris said. “We thought our opportunities were closing down. We were a little frustrated and upset.”
About three hours into the final round, the duo from Briarwood Christian experienced those feelings because their early-morning topwater bite, which had produced quality keepers in the first 2 days, failed to produce even a single fish.
The bass were still there. They simply wouldn’t stay hooked up.
Read more: Frustration turns golden for Briarwood team
Auburn, B.A.S.S. Nation anglers competing for Classic berth
By Greg McCain
01 Cole BurdeshawCole Burdeshaw02 Peyton McCordPeyton McCordFive years ago, Cole Burdeshaw and Peyton McCord had limited experience in a bass boat. In just a few days, the two Auburn University and Alabama B.A.S.S. Nation anglers will be competing for a berth in the 2019 Bassmaster Classic.
Burdeshaw and McCord recently combined to finish among the top four teams in the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shop. Those four teams earned the right to fish in the ultimate college tournament, the College Series Classic Bracket.
By finishing fourth in the tournament on Oklahoma’s Lake Tenkiller in mid July, Burdeshaw and McCord also continued a tradition of Auburn anglers earning the right to contend for the lone college berth in the Bassmaster Classic.
Officially titled the 2018 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Classic Bracket presented by Bass Pro Shop, the Aug. 14-16 tournament on Milford Lake near Junction City, Kansas, will bring together two-man teams from Auburn, Bethel College, Campbellsville University and the University of West Virginia. All of the anglers, however, will fish as individuals in this bracket-style, elimination-format event with one advancing to the Classic next year on the Tennessee River in Knoxville.
Read more: Auburn, B.A.S.S. Nation anglers competing for Classic berth
Barnettes enjoy ‘dream day’ on Pickwick
By Greg McCain
01 2018 07 14 Pickwick boater winner Jim BarnettePickwick boater winner Jim Barnette01 2018 07 14 Pickwick boater winner Jim BarnettePickwick Co-Angler winner Jonathan BarnetteMany Alabama B.A.S.S. Nation (ABN) competitors were disappointed that stormy weather forced the cancellation of the Pickwick Lake qualifier in April.
The lake was fishing exceptionally well at the time, giving up huge numbers of both largemouth and smallmouth bass. For brothers Jim and Jonathan Barnette, the delayed tournament date worked out perfectly.
Competing on Pickwick Saturday (July 14), the Barnettes overwhelmed both the boater and co-angler divisions of the ABN tournament with huge catches. Jim Barnette (Wiregrass Bassmasters) won the boater division with a three-fish limit of 18.36, which included the Academy Sports + Outdoors Big Fish that weighed 6.62. His other two fish weighed in the six-pound range as well.
Jonathan Barnette (Carbon Hill Bass Club) easily won the co-angler top prize with a 16.29, three-fish total. His big fish weighed 6.27, and he added two five-pounders to complete his limit.
01 2018 07 14 01 2018 07 14 Pickwick boater winner Jim Barnette
Pickwick Team Trail winners Jonathan (left) and Jim Barnette
Pickwick Team Trail winners Jonathan (left) and Jim Barnette
Read more: Barnettes enjoy ‘dream day’ on Pickwick
Special Alabama BASS Nation High School /Youth Announcement
Alabama BASS Nation High School Team Trail Announces EXCITING Changes for Upcoming 2018-2019 Season with establishment of 2 Division Format.
Attention: All High School /Junior/Youth Teams and Coaches
After much thought and planning, we are excited to announce the expansion of our high school and junior series into two divisions!
— Tide Division and Tiger Division —
View ScheduleThe official 2018-2019 schedule, featuring the regional tournaments for each division and the championships, is attached. Coaches please read very carefully our Directors Report (Announcement/Instructions) and Qualification details that explains critical changes in our tournament format.
Clubs now will be required to Select the Division (3 regionals) they wish to compete in. As your High School and associated Youth Clubs meet during this summer and build their team rosters we will begin to accept clubs initial rosters beginning July 1st until September 30th 2018.
IMPORTANT — All teams will be required to preregister (see the attached Division Registration form). Send completed Division Registration form to the appropriate email address for your selected division: Tide Division abnhstide@gmail.com or Tiger Division abnhstiger@gmail.com.
Once we have received High School Initial Rosters from Coaches/Advisors Only for the first 350 High School members (175 boats) and 60 Junior members (30 boats) in a single division during this initial pre-registration period, the division will be closed.Important: Junior Teams must follow their High School in choice of Divisions, so we need all High School Coaches to include discussions on choices of Divisions with their associated Junior programs and Coaches. After the Sept. 30, 2018 deadline for initial team pre-registration, we will continue accepting new members throughout the season that the Coach/Advisor can submit to us and those anglers will be able to fish in same division with team. Note: Any Clubs signing up after Sept. 30, 2018 deadline will be subject to be assigned to the division that has opening.
As the nations largest sanctioned Team Trail, Alabama BASS Nation High School will continue to set the trend for other states to follow and because of our tremendous growth these changes are needed for the safety of all our anglers out on the water.
We hope you are looking forward to the upcoming season as much as we are.
Sincerely,
Staff & Directors Alabama BASS Nation High School Team Trail
Alabama B.A.S.S. Team Championship Qualifiers
These Teams are qualified to fish at the Alabama B.A.S.S. Nation State Championship for slots awarded to ABN for The Toyota B.A.S.S. Team National Championship.
B.A.S.S. awards slots according to the number of anglers we register. So, the number of slots will not be determined until the last tournament.
These are the Teams that qualified at Eufaula on 3/17/18:
Ray Covington, Boater & Phillip Williams, No-Boater – 27.14 lbs.
Wayne Cox, Boater & Lisa Cox, No-Boater – 18.05 lbs.
Larry Franks, Jr., Boater & Larry Franks, Sr., No-Boater – 17.84
These are the Teams that qualified at Guntersville on 5/19/18:
Coby Carden, Boater & Parrish Argo, No-Boater – 37.07 lbs.
Michael Restifo, Boater & Eric Howle, No-Boater – 36.23 lbs.
Lee Byrd, Boater, Kyle Kimbrell, No-Boater — 31.11 lbs.
These are the Teams that qualified at Lay Lake on 6/16/18:
Chad Miller, Boater & Francis Beard, No-Boater – 36.23 lbs.
Peyton McCord, Boater & Aaron Cherry – 21.71 lbs.
J. T. Russell, Boater & Jeff Russell – 21.57 lbs.
Carden, Hanvey take different paths to Lay titles
By Greg McCain
01 2018 06 16 Lay boater winner Coby Carden
Lay boater winner Coby Carden02 2018 06 16 Lay co angler winner Lee Hanvey
Lay co-angler winner Lee HanveyFor Coby Carden, the Alabama B.A.S.S. Nation (ABN) qualifier at Lay Lake was just another routine day on the water.
For Lee Hanvey, the occasion represented almost 30 years of sustained effort.
Carden, who claimed the first two ABN qualifiers of the year at Eufaula and at Guntersville, continued his dominating season with yet another win, topping a field of over 50 boaters Saturday (June 16) with a catch of 18.87.
Hanvey, meanwhile, won his first-ever ABN title with an impressive performance on the co-angler side. His three-fish limit weighed 12.26.
03 2018 06 16 Lay big fish Chad MillerLay big fish Chad Miller04 2018 06 16 Lay boater second place Chris RutlandLay boater second place Chris RutlandOn the boater side, Chris Rutland (Wiregrass Bassmasters), Carden’s frequent team partner on the Coosa, finished second with 17.65, and Justin Barnes (University of Montevallo) was third with 16.90.
05 2018 06 16 Lay co angler second place Aaron CherryLay co-angler second place Aaron CherryAmong the other winners, Chad Miller (Rumbling Waters Bass Anglers) earned the Academy Sports+Outdoors Big Fish prize with a 5.88 largemouth. Carden also took home more money as the top finisher among Fishin’ 4 A Cure (F4AC) competitors. F4AC raises money to combat childhood cancer and is sponsored by Airport Marine and Office Partners.
Other winners included Chad Miller (Rumbling Waters Bass Anglers), who earned the Academy Sports+Outdoors Big Fish prize with a 5.88 largemouth, and Hanvey and Alan Yarborough (Coosa River Anglers), who combined to win the Total Boat Weight Category with a combined 26.99. Carden also took the top prize among Fishin’ 4 A Cure competitors.
Read more: Carden, Hanvey take different paths to Lay titles
Dream win for two Alabama high school seniors
Posted: May 23, 2018 Southern Fishing News
May 12, 2018 will be a date two young high school anglers will never forget. Sam McNew and McKinley Prickett of the Alexandria High School Fishing Team won the Alabama B.A.S.S. Nation State High School Championship on Alabama’s Neely Henry Lake with a second, and last day, surge. The high school state champions brought a total weight of 30.10 lbs. to the scales for the two days of competition.
Champs
Sam McNew and McKinley Prickett of the Alexandria High School Fishing Team won the Alabama B.A.S.S. Nation State High School Championship on Alabama’s Neely Henry Lake with a second, and last day, surge. ABN photoBoth team members knew the fishing conditions on Neely Henry could change from day to day. Sam McNew said, “We had a plan in place before the two day championship since the tournament was on our home lake of Neely Henry. On day one we caught fish all day, but not any size. We ended up with five fish weighing almost 11 lbs.” Team partner McKinley Prickett said about day two, “We knew the big fish had to be there, so we just had to be persistent and stick to the plan. We gave it to God and trusted what He had planned for us…win or lose. About 9 a.m. that morning we knew it was going to be a special day because we had around 14 lbs. and still kept culling. “Special” included a 4.86 pound kicker fish.
McKinley said, “Being on the fishing team with many of the same guys for 6 years has created an amazing bond between us. We share our fish stories and laugh together after we all weigh-in at a tournament.” McNew added, “We have been successful because of the amazing talent on the team. Most of the anglers have been together for six years. We all put in hard work and our team works out a plan for each lake prior to the tournament. We all have the passion for the sport of fishing.”
Read more: Dream win for two Alabama high school seniors
Carden, Teems repeat B.A.S.S. Nation victories
By Greg McCain
Eufaula 1A Top boater Coby Carden
Repeat Winner
Top Boater – Coby Carden
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The odds of a bass fisherman winning a tournament are slim, the odds of winning consecutive tournaments even slimmer.
A couple of Alabama B.A.S.S. Nation fishermen proved long shots are not impossible to overcome, however.
Boater Coby Carden and co-angler Chandler Teems, who each won the first ABN qualifier of 2018 on Lake Eufaula in March, repeated their wins Saturday (May 19) on Lake Guntersville.
Carden, a two-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier, topped a field of 57 boaters to capture another in a long string of B.A.S.S. Nation victories with a five-fish limit of 24.69 pounds.
Teems, fishing with boater Jack White (Lake Tuscaloosa Bassmasters), put together an equally impressive three-fish limit that weighed 15.17. Teems’ total included the tournament’s big fish, an 8.62 largemouth that easily won the Academy Sports + Outdoors Big Fish prize.
Read more: Carden, Teems repeat B.A.S.S. Nation victories
ABNHS State Championship – Neely Henry – Presented by Daiwa
<< WOW!! >> What a great ABNHS State Championship weekend we had on Neely Henry presented by Daiwa. With a total of 262 boats fishing for the championship title, 8 spots for Nationals, a 6-Man Team competition, great support from volunteers, parents, sponsors — we just can say enough what a great weekend it was!
CONGRATS to State Championship – Sam McNew & McKinley Prickett from Alexandria High School who secured the 1st place with a BIG total weight of 30.10 lbs.
State Championship 6-Man Team went to Brewer High School Fishing #1 with a total combined weight of 49.92 lbs.
Our Big Fish winner on Day 1 was Slocomb Bass Team’s Trey Baker & Carlson Leonard with a 5.02 lb. bass and Big Fish winner on Day 2 was Beulah Bass Team’s Matt Welcher & Billy Wayne Skyes with a 5.39 lb. lunker.
And, congratulations to all our teams that punched their tickets to the National Championship. Thank you everyone who helped to make our last event a great one to end the season. Click below to view results from the State Championship…photos will be posted to our facebook soon.
View Tournament Results
B.A.S.S. Nation Eufaula qualifier 2018
By Greg McCain
Eufaula 1A Top boater Coby Carden
Top Boater – Coby CardenCoby Carden has long proved to be a dominant force not only in Alabama bass fishing but even beyond state tournament boundaries.
Carden, who twice advanced to the Bassmaster Classic through Alabama B.A.S.S. Nation (ABN), regional, and national events, exerted his dominance once more Saturday (March 17) on Lake Eufaula, easily winning the first ABN qualifier of the year.
The long-time tournament competitor (LA PO Boys) overcame back problems that forced him out of the B.A.S.S. Nation Central Regional two weeks ago on Toledo Bend in Louisiana to win the Eufaula tournament with a 19.38 bag. He won the same event last year as well en route to making the state team yet again and advancing to the regional.
Carden’s five-fish limit was topped by a 5.54 largemouth, one of many bigger fish weighed in on what otherwise proved to be a tough day of fishing for many participants. Carden also finished as the top Fishin’ 4 A Cure participant.
“Eufuala’s been pretty good to me through the years,” Carden said moments after the scales closed at Lakepoint State Park.
Read more: B.A.S.S. Nation Eufaula qualifier 2018
Team trail highlights changes for B.A.S.S. Nation
By Greg McCain
Significant change highlights a new season for the Alabama B.A.S.S. Nation.
Some of the changes bring about new and better things for the organization. A few of the changes are of lesser impact, and most simply clarify or extend existing rules.
The state B.A.S.S. Nation (BN) season begins Saturday (March 17) on Lake Eufaula with other qualifiers taking place in subsequent months at Pickwick, Guntersville, and Lay. The BN will return to Eufaula in October for the state championship.
Among the biggest changes and the one that has sparked much conversation among BN members is the addition of a Team Trail component to the existing structure. For current members or for anyone interesting in the latest addition to BN tournaments, fishermen can now pair with a partner for just an individual tournament or for the entire season, providing a second route to the Bassmaster Classic through the state organization.
Read more: Team trail highlights changes for B.A.S.S. Nation