2012 Results
May 13. Streamline Cutting Open, Wheeler. After three straight Top Rod Events in pristine weather conditions, the final Sunday tournament was anything but a nice day to be outdoors. Eighteen anglers were forced to deal with intermittent rain and a steady wind with no hint of sunshine on Wheeler Lake. Perhaps it was Mother Nature’s way of getting even with the fishermen that ventured out on Mother’s Day? Nevertheless, there were plenty of fish caught and some solid bags were weighed in.
Rick Williams
Bringing in the top limit of the day was fishstrong.com pro Rick Williams of Decatur, AL. Williams had 18.31lbs and also had the big fish of the tournament with a 6.34lb largemouth. He took home $516 for first place, $90 for big fish and won $100 in the side pot for a total payday of $706. Williams caught his fish on a deep diving Strike King 6XD Chartruese/Blue crankbait. He said the key was getting it super deep, and to do so he threw it on a Duckett Rods’ 7’11 Crankbait Rod with Seaguar Invisx 8lb line. His bites came in 25-35 feet of water around Decatur.
Justin Poole
In second place with a solid bag of largemouths that weighed 17.39lbs was Justin Poole of Trinity, AL. He took home $258 for his second place finish. Poole caught his fish on a black and blue 1/2oz Omega structure jig and a green pumpkin 5/8oz Omega Football Jig. He used Yum Craw Papi trailers on both jigs and threw them on 17lb flourocarbon line. Poole said he caught 40 fish on the day, most of which were in 8 to 13 feet of water.
Shawn Striker
Taking third place and the final check of $86 was Shawn Striker of Cullman, AL. Striker weighed in 16.04lbs of largemouth that he caught on a shaky head. He found his fish late in the day on a point in 5-10 feet of water. He used a 1/4oz shaky head with a green pumpkin Zoom trick worm and threw it on 8lb fourocarbon line.
Allen Johnson
In fourth place was Allen Johnson of Trinity, AL with 14.01lbs. Johnson caught his fish early in the day on a crankbait and a carolina rig worm. He said he had all of his weight by 6:30AM and caught only small fish after that. He threw a fire tiger Bill Norman crankbait and used a Zoom Ol Monster worm on his carolina rig. His boat sat in 25 feet of water and he threw his lures to a 5 foot ledge, with the fish hitting on top of the ledge or just off of the drop off.
Rex Chambers
Finishing in fifth place was Rex Chambers of Baileyton, AL with 13.55lbs. Chambers caught several limits of fish in the grass early, but wound up culling all of his fish late in the day with a topwater bait. He threw a clear Super Spook on 17lb P-line over 10 feet of water to catch largemouths that were feeding on schools of shad.
6th place: Brent Crow, Hartselle, AL 12.89
7th place: Clay Terry, Trinity, AL 11.70
8th place: Nick Reeves, Moulton, AL 10.11
9th place: Charley Hodle, Hartselle, AL 10.08
10th place: Donny Miller, Florence, AL 9.28
April 15. Eddie Prueitt Open, Wilson. It was another gorgeous day for the 36 fishermen that took on Wilson Lake in the fourth event of the 2012 Top Rod Solo Trail. Early morning clouds gave way to windy, wunny skies by noon, with a high near 80. The water temperature was around 70 degrees, and in the middle of April, most fishermen would expect to find the bass on the beds or close to the banks. However, with the mild winter and warm temps for the past six weeks, it seems that the fish in North Alabama are finished spawning and feeding again. That was certainly the case today on Wilson, as there were plenty of big smallmouths and largemouths brought in, including a new Top Rod Trail record stringer.
Nick Reeves with two 6+largemouth
Nick Reeves with his two biggest smallies
Taking first place was the 2011 Top Rod Angler of the Year, Nick Reeves of Moulton, AL
with 27.76lbs of Wilson Lake bass. Reeves’ record setting bag included two largemouth over six pounds and a six pound smallmouth. His largest weighed 6.64lbs to take the $180 big fish pot and he won $610 for first place and an additional $280 side pot for a nice $1070 total win. Reeves caught his fish on a variety of lures, including a shaky head worm, topwater, and an Alabama Rig with Skinny Dippers on 1/4oz heads.
Allen Johnson
Second place went to Allen Johnson of Trinity, AL with a solid 18.73lb sack. Johnson had a mixed bag of smallies and largemouths and took home $244 for second place and $120 in the side pot. He caught fish on a shaky head worm, but his weigh-in fish were all caught on an Alabama Rig with Zoom Swimming Flukes. He caught his fish in 10-15 feet of water.
Bryan Reeves
Taking third place was Bryan Reeves of Orange Beach, AL with 17.79lbs. Reeves also weighed in a six pound smallmouth as part of his bag. He took home $183 for his third place finish that was caught on an Alabama Rig and a jig in 10 feet water.
Justin Rivers
In fourth place with 16.51lbs was Justin Rivers of Addison, AL. Rivers took home $122 for his catch, which was caught on a swimbait in 10 feet of water.
Mark Trousdale
Taking the last check was Mark Trousdale of Rogersville, AL. Trousdale weighed in 14.92lbs of smallmouth that he caught on a 3/8oz brown jig in 10-15 feet of water.
6th place: Brent Crow, Hartselle, AL 14.79
7th place: Lee Black Danville, AL 14.01
8th place: Shawn Striker, Cullman, AL 13.84
9th place: Tony Tidwell, Horton, AL 12.84
10th place: Donny Miller, Florence, AL 12.66
March 11. Superior Scaffolding Open, Pickwick. Pickwick Lake has been one of the best lakes in the country lately, and 32 Top Rod Solo Trail anglers found out first hand how good it is on Sunday. The weather was perfect for fishing, with partly cloudy skies and temps in the 60s. The anglers found water temps around 60 degrees and plenty of bass, both smallmouth and largemouth were biting their lures. The full moon this week has the fish on the move into shallow waters, and nearly all the anglers reported catching them in water twelve feet deep and shallower. The weights were impressive, with at least three smallmouth over five pounds and three largemouth over six pounds coming to the scales along with 13 bags that weighed 15lbs or more.
Jacob Gibbs with two of his winning fish
When the final fish was weighed, it was Jacob Gibbs of Baileyton, AL coming out on top for the second straight tournament. Gibbs won last month’s tournament on Guntersville with a homemade Alabama Rig and used the same lure again for the win on Pickwick. He finished with 23.57lbs of bass including a 7.28 pounder that took over for big fish of the year and won the $160 big fish pot. Gibbs caught his fish, which were all largemouth, in 10 feet or less. He used 1/4oz jigheads with Lake Fork Magic Shad swimbaits on 65lb braid. He pocketed $570 for the win and also extended his lead in the Angler of the Year race.
Donny Miller with 2 nice smallies
In second place with an impressive 22.80lb bag of smallmouths and largemouths was Donny Miller of Florence, AL. Miller had a 5.90lb largemouth and four solid smallmouths on the day and collected $228 for his efforts. He caught his big largemouth on a spinnerbait and the four smallies fell to a Storm swimbait. All of his fish were caught in 10 feet or less.
Brent Crow with a 6.26lb smallie
Taking third place was North Alabama guide, Brent Crow of Hartselle, AL. Crow had 19.96lbs, which were all smallmouth and included a 6.26lb brute. He caught his fish on a homemade Alabama Rig in eight to ten feet of water and used Reaction Innovations’ Little Dippers in White Trash and 1/4oz jig heads on his rig. Crow threw the bait on a Dobyns 795ML Swimbait Rod and a Shimano Curado filled with 65lb P-Line Braid. He won $171 for his catch.
Wade Thorp with two nice smallies
In 4th place was Wade Thorp of Florence, AL with a mixed bag that weighed 17.88lbs. Thorp was fishing his first Top Rod Event and took home $114 for his finish. He caught his fish jigging a fluke on a 1/4 jighead and throwing a KVD 1.5 crankbait on shallow banks.
Brad Weaver with two brownies
The final check went to another first time entrant, Brad Weaver of Sheffield, AL with 16.65lbs. 5th place paid Weaver $57 on the day. His pattern details were not available.
6th: Dwayne Kelso, Moulton, AL 16.62
7th: Thomas Tucker, Sheffield, AL 16.60
8th: Lee Black, Danville, AL 16.26
9th: Ike Rogers, Florence, AL 15.61
10th: Rex Chambers, Baileyton, AL 15.60
Jesse Wiggins with 5lb largemouth and 5lb smallmouth
10th: Jesse Wiggins, Addison, AL 15.60
Feb 26 A&A Tackle/Shook and Fletcher Insulation Co Open, Guntersville. Lake Guntersville has been on fire lately, kicking out 30 pound stringers left and right and 41 anglers from three states were on hand to try out their luck in the second Top Rod Trail event of the season. The high winds that had buffeted the lake over the past week failed to show up, leading to a nice 60 degree sunny day. The conditions might have been better for the fishermen than the fish, however, as there were no eight pounders or 30 pound bags weighed in. Only at Guntersville could a 25lb winning weight and two more bags over 20lbs be considered an “off” day. Most fishermen reported a strong early bite that quit around 9AM and then picked up again in the afternoon.
Guntersville winner Jacob Gibbs
Taking first place honors was Jacob Gibbs of Baileyton, AL with a new Top Rod Trail record of 25.60lbs. Gibbs easily takes over the top stringer of the year and also now owns the big bass of the year with his 7.26 largemouth that took the $205 big fish pot. Gibbs caught his fish on a homemade Alabama Rig, fishing grass edges in 8 feet of water. He threw his A-Rig on 65lb braid, and used 4.5 inch Strike King Shadilicious swimbaits on 1/4oz jigheads. Gibbs won $594 for first place in addition to his big fish award for a total payday of $799.
Second place finisher Rick Williams of Decatur, AL went against the grain, forgoing the Alabama Rig in favor of a Strike King 6XD crankbait. Williams fished creek channels in the midlake area and targeted 12-15 feet of water with his deep diver. He also lost a seven pound fish at the boat that would have boosted his 21.48 limit. Williams took home $264 for his second place finish.
Larry Sullivan of Decatur, AL also topped the 20 pound mark with a 20.78 pound limit that took third place honors. Sullivan caught one of his fish on an Alabama Rig in 30 feet of water, but his other four fish fell to an Excalibur XR50 One Knock Rattlebait. The rattlebait fish were caught in grass from 1-4 feet deep. Sullivan took home $198 for third place.
Local Guntersville guide Tim Chandler of Meridianville, AL caught 19.34 pounds to take the fourth place slot. Chandler threw a homemade Alabama Rig on grass lines in seven feet of water to catch 20 keepers on the day. He used 3.5inch Yum Money Minnows on 3/16oz jigheads on his A-Rig, which he tossed on 80lb Sunline Braid. Chandler received $132 for his catch.
In fifth place was Charlie Hodle of Hartselle, AL with 17.94lbs. Hodle’s catch was worth $66. Hodle also threw an Alabama Rig but reported no bites on it. He switched over to a 5/16oz Bang-It Jig to catch four of his keepers off of rocky points in 10-15 feet of water. He also weighed in a fish that he caught on an XR50 rattlebait.
The final check for $66 for 6th place went to Doug Webster of Pinson, AL. Webster had 17.77lbs of bass on the day that were also caught on an Alabama Rig. He used 80lb braid with 3/8oz jigheads and Yum Money Minnows on his rig. Webster caught his fish in five feet of water in dead grass.
7th place: Tony Tidwell, Horton, AL 17.52
8th place: Blake Hall, Hartselle, AL 16.77
9th place: Lee Black, Danville, AL 16.45
10th place: John Oliver, Russellville, AL 16.44
Jan. 8. Dobyns Rods Open, Smith Lake Dam. The 2012 Top Rod Solo Trail kicked off its second season with the Dobyns Rods Open at Smith Lake. There was a solid turnout of 34 fishermen on a damp foggy day in January. The sun never made an appearance, but air temps were in the low 60′s and water temps were in the low 50′s. The recent rains have Smith Lake near full pool, but the clear water and full moon made it fairly tough on most of the fishermen.
1st place finisher Brad Voegele with his 7.20lb largemouth
Taking first place and an early lead in the Shelton’s Outdoors Angler of the Year race was Brad Voegele of Addison, AL, who brought a huge 7.20lb largemouth to the scales. The lunker was part of his winning bag of 13.24lbs. Voegele took home $590 for the win and pocketed an additional $170 for big fish. He reported catching his winning fish on a shaky head and a jig.
2nd place finisher Andy Chappell
In second place, just ounces shy of victory was Andy Chappell of Warrior, AL. Chappell, who owns A&A Tackle in Gardendale, AL, weighed in a combination of largemouth and spots totalling 13.01lbs. He caught his fish on a spinnerbait and a shaky head throughout the day. Chappell won $236 for his efforts.
3rd place finisher Lee Black
The third place finisher was Lee Black of Danville, AL. Black had 12.01lbs of spotted bass that he also caught on a jig and a shaky head worm. Black took home the 3rd place check for $177.
In fourth place was Roger Sams of Cullman, AL. He also utilized a jig and a shaky head worm to bring in 11.92lbs of spotted bass. Sams won $118 for his fourth place finish.
Taking the last check was Jamie Butler of Jasper, AL. Butler had 11.71lbs of spotted bass that he caught on a shaky head and a drop shot. He took the last check of $59.
The rest of the top 10:
6th. Donnie Miller, Florence AL 11.54
Donnie Miller with a 4.51lb spot
7th. John Oliver 9.42
8th. Jesse Wiggins, Addison, AL 6.91
9th. Sam Johns, Cullman, AL 6.84
10th. John Conwell, Birmingham, AL 6.64
