It absolutely breaks my heart to have to cancel this event, but my better judgement is to recognize the severity of this monster that we are dealing with. Today the Bartow County Commissioner Steve Taylor posted the official Emergency Administrative Declaration. It didn't specifically include verbiage about tournaments and gathering in crowds of any size OUTSIDE, the rest of the message imposed restrictions for every place else. Even though this is my last Sunday for the season and I look forward to putting it on, my gut feeling tells me that i should cancel it. Hopefully, things will improve enough so that we can still have the Porko's Spring Day on April 11, 202. I will keep you posted.

Got it Bob thanks I always look forward to your reports. Staying home at my age do not need the exposure.

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You should try the 13 Creed spinning reels, very nice long casting, very little to no issues with line twist.
Smooth drag

Started out with rain and ended up a breeze and overcast. Temps were in the 50s with a variable northerly wind. The water is clearing but still pretty stained, the warmest water I saw today was 56 degrees. The lake is still dropping and it is currently at 839.27 just under summer pool.
We had 37 paid entries this afternoon with 74 anglers slinging baits. There were 81 fish weighed for a total weight of 132.81 lbs, 7 of those were largemouth bass including Big Bass for 5.38 lbs.
Here are the money spots:
6th place went to Caleb and Josh with 3 fish for 5.78 lbs and $27
5th place went to Chris and don with 3 fish for 5.90 lbs and $56
4th place was Chuck and Joe C. with 3 fish for 5.96 lbs and $94
3rd place was Gus and Brandon with 3 fish for 6.08 lbs for $111
2nd place was Nick T and Nick with 3 fish for 8.83 lbs (and must mention the Big Spot at 4.63 lbs) for $127
1st place was Bob and Jason with 3 fish for 11.31 lbs for $139, Big Bass with a 5.38 lb LMB for $185 and the side pot of $380 (Very Nice payday!!)
Take a look at two of the biggest for the Allen clan!

See ya'll next week!!

GET READY FOR THE BIGGEST EVENT IN BASS FISHING

The Bassmaster Classic will be celebrating 50 years when competitive bass fishing's marquee event kicks off on March 6 on Lake Guntersville. As always, Power-Pole Total Boat Control will be a big part of the festivities in Alabama from opening launch to the final weigh-in.


To get you charged up for this year’s event, here is a look at the 2020 Classic by the numbers:


1 – No matter which competitor hoists the trophy for the 2020 Bassmaster Classic, it will be their first time doing so. This year’s field has no previous champions so someone is guaranteed to have a life-changing experience on the big stage.


3 – Scott Canterbury, Clent Davis and Matt Herren all call Alabama their "Sweet" home. If last year’s Classic is any indication, home water advantage plays a big part in deciding the winner. Good luck to you and thanks for sharing that famous southern hospitality with the fishing world.


10 – Out of the past twelve Classics, ten of the champions have utilized Power-Pole Shallow Water Anchors. Last year’s champion, Ott Defoe, broke a streak of nine consecutive Classic victories by Power-Pole-equipped anglers.


16 – For the first time ever, sixteen Classic competitors will be using the new Power-Pole CHARGE Power Management System in their boats this year. The chances are good that we will see our first CHARGE-equipped boat pull through the BJCC and into the winner’s circle.


23 – This year’s Classic will mark the 23rd time Lake Guntersville has hosted a major B.A.S.S. tournament event and the 3rd time it has been the venue for the Classic. Rick Clunn (1976) and Randy Howell (2004) were the champions for those previous Classics.


35 – Of the 53 entrants in this year’s Classic, 35 of them will have Power-Pole Shallow Water Anchors rigged on their competition boats. No other marine accessory company is as universally accepted on the tour.


50 -- This year will mark the 50th anniversary of the biggest event in competitive angling. It is only fitting that this year’s event will take place in the state where it all started back in 1971. Congratulations B.A.S.S. for reaching this monumental milestone as we look forward to 50 more.


150,000 – The total attendance for the 2020 Classic, including weigh-ins, morning launches and the Outdoor Expo, is expected to rival the all-time record of 153,809 that attended last year’s event in Knoxville, Tennessee.


300,000 – This year’s winner will take home a $300K prize purse with over $1 million in cash awarded overall.


If you are planning a trip to Alabama for this year’s event, don’t forget to stop by our booth #524 at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex to check out the latest innovations from Power-Pole -- including the new CHARGE – and get exclusive deals on official Power-Pole apparel and merchandise.


For Power-Pole’s complete Classic 2020 Preview, including storylines to watch and exclusive insider videos:
Read More

Your winner, Rus Snyders, with a Lake Fork lunker.




LAKE FORK YIELDS MASSIVE FISH AND BROKEN RECORDS
Snyders Posts Strong Win; Scotch Breaks Hobie B.O.S. Single-Day and Big Bass Records


The highly anticipated second leg of the 2020 Hobie Bass Open Series (B.O.S.) held on Lake Fork, Texas promised to be a slugfest and it certainly was for those at the top of the leaderboard. It was also a challenging event that humbled many anglers as a double-digit temperature drop rolled in for day one of the tourney, while day two saw warming weather with more wind and heavy overcast skies. The changing conditions seemed to put the fish in some areas of the lake off their feed, but that wasn’t enough to keep the largest B.O.S. field ever assembled from digging in, taking up the challenge and bringing it to this awesome fishery as they tallied 511 fish caught and released.

“Those colder temperatures and dark, gray skies really threw everyone a curve ball,” said Hobie B.O.S. tournament director A.J. McWhorter. “While some participants were able to catch well during practice, that didn’t necessarily translate to fast fishing on the tournament days as the fish were feeding in very defined areas and focused on very specific patterns. Overall, the lake fished small, which meant some waters had to be shared. But the determination and cooperation of our 155 entrants highlighted what it is to be a part of this great sport and spoke volumes about the competition level as the top anglers unraveled the puzzle and climbed up the leader board.”

Indeed, looking at the big picture, it’s hard to imagine overall catches were off as three B.O.S. records fell on day one with plenty of drama, huge leaderboard shifts and some real lunkers rising to the occasion over the course of the two-day event. There was even a third-place tie that had to be decided by the largest bass between the two participants.



(L to R) Ron Champion (2nd), Rus Synders (1st) and Matthew Scotch (3rd).

A little after 10 a.m., while punching some grass mats, Scotch realized he was working a big fish area and called over one of the camera boats. Within five minutes he hooked the biggest fish of the tournament, a 24.75” whopper that he hauled out onto a grass mat and then laid full out to grab as it flopped on the surface. As the largest bass ever checked in for a Hobie B.O.S. event, Scotch was awarded Bassin’ Big Bass.

“I can’t tell you how good it feels to pull a big fish after calling over the camera boat,” recalled Scotch. “I was absolutely stoked! I’ll always look back on that fish and smile.”

Rus Snyders, meanwhile, was pleased with his day-one performance. Punching alligator grass matts using an iRod 775 Air Series and a Quantum Smoke reel spooled with 65-lb. braid and a 25-lb. fluorocarbon leader to present 1-ounce jigs tipped with Reaction Innovations Spicy Beaver trailers, he covered eight miles each day.

“The grass mats I was looking for were pretty spread out, so I might find three or four in one area, then have to paddle a quarter-mile to get to the next set,” explained Snyders. “Early on day one I dropped a big bass that might have weighed 8 or 9 pounds. I was flipping near a big laydown when she swallowed my jig. I set the hook and got her pinned against the top of a tree, but she was thrashing and managed to slip free. I didn’t let that get to me though, because I knew there were other big bass in this lake, so I just put my head down and kept grinding.”



Snyders was getting the bites he needed on the fall throughout the first day and he steadily put together a solid limit of 98” with a top fish of 22.5” that slammed his jig with an hour to go. That left him eight inches behind Scotch going into day two.

“I knew Matt was hot,” revealed Snyders,” so I was comfortable sitting in second at that point.”

While Scotch and Snyders were piling up the points on Saturday, Ron Champion was doing his best to fish consistently and work toward a top-10 finish. During practice sessions he located a group of fish in the 12- to 16-class toward the end of a creek channel and was targeting that area as his numbers spot. He also found some deeper, bigger fish on his graph holding off a point that spilled out into 15 feet of water where he planned to cull once he scored a limit. By 9 a.m. he picked five fish on Texas-rigged soft plastics from the 150-yard stretch that featured a mix of boat docks, wood and brush piles.

“Once I hit my limit, I headed over to a spot where a long, sloping point spilled out onto a flat with a creek channel nearby that had plenty of trees and structure,” said Champion. “It was a perfect place for females to pull up and stage before spawning. I drilled a 22.5-inch fish there in practice and lost one about 8 pounds, so I figured that would be a good place for a serious upgrade. I was alternating a Rapala DT 6, Strike King #5 Series and Spro mid-range Little John in that spot when I drilled a 23” beauty. That left me in seventh place at the end of day one.”


Matthew Scotch (2nd overall) with big fish of the tournament, measuring 24.75".

Despite being approximately 10 degrees warmer, day two proved tougher on most of the field, even some of the leaders. On day one, Scotch caught 14 fish and had tons of bites while many others struggled. Day two was totally different.

“I just couldn’t get bit,” he lamented. “I just couldn’t close it out. I lost an 18” fish, and missed a 5- or 6-pounder at 2:15 p.m. I didn’t fish clean on day two, and I didn’t make as many good decisions as I did on day one. I’m still proud of my performance, finishing third, but it just goes to show you how important it is to keep fishing hard. You never who might fall off the pace ahead of you.”

Champion also pointed to Sunday as a lesson in persistence. His goal for day two was to secure a top ten finish. With that point in mind, he aimed his Hobie PA14 toward his shallow water numbers stretch and posted a limit by 8:45 a.m.

“I stayed shallow for a while longer and began to really pick apart that stretch, upgrading with 18-, 17- and 22.25-inch fish,” said the Hobie regional team member. Then I went deeper and got a 22-incher that they filmed on Facebook Live. That was pretty neat. I spent most of the day in first place. I made some good decisions on Sunday, so I’m happy with how it all worked out.”

Snyders started day two by tossing a red crankbait and managed a few bass in open water around the grass before getting back to punching the mats.



“Day two was tough at first,” he revealed, I hit a lot of promising areas but couldn’t get bit. Finally, I found the fish stacked up pretty good and hit about six bass in an hour-and-a-half. That was the feeding window I needed. I never changed the type of cover I was working, I just made some small adjustments like trying a crankbait to see if the fish had come out from the matts with the heavy cloud cover or letting my jig sit on the bottom for four or five seconds once the bass stopped hitting it on the drop.”

Snyder, it should be noted, is on a real kayak bassin’ hot streak. Including the Hobie BOS on Lake Fork, he’s won the last four major tourneys in which he’s participated, and his victory on Lake Fork was by a substantial 10-inch margin.

“It just pays to keep casting and working until time runs out,” Snyder stated. “If you’ve been considering entering a Hobie B.O.S. tourney, I really think you should give it a try. Each event is held on a prime bass lake and the season is scheduled so you are fishing each water at a real productive point in the season. The prizes are great, but there’ also plenty of camaraderie, friends to make, opportunities to learn from the best, plus the chance to see how you stack up against the top kayak bassers around. These events are very well thought out and a whole lot of fun.”

Next up on the Hobie B.O.S. schedule is Lake Norman, Mooresville, North Carolina, March 14-15.



ABOUT THE HOBIE BASS OPEN SERIES: Hobie Bass Open Series

Pretty nice afternoon with temps in the mid 60s and light and variable wind, water temps from 48 to 51 degrees (in the places I fished). The main lake was pretty dirty and still high, the creeks are cleaner (considerably!) and I hoping the rain this week doesn't mess all that up again!
We had 28 paid entries for a total of 53 anglers. the total number of fish was 52 for a total weight of 78.1 lbs (avg 1.5 lbs per fish). No largemouth bass were weighed today! Big Bass weighed 2.59 lbs. Here are the money spots today:
6th place went to Scott and Michael with 3 fish for 5.67 lbs and $21
5th place was Ivan and Joe with 3 fish for 5.68 lbs and $42 they also had big bass with a spot that weighed 2.59 lbs for $140
4th place went to Check and Joe with 3 fish for 6.11 lbs and $71 (that Croft magic is holding on there!)
3rd place was Thad and Kelly with 3 fish for 6.16 lbs and $84
2nd place was Double D (D squared!!) Torelli! with 3 fish for 6.33 lbs and $97
1st place went to Scott (aka Dad) with Sam and Emma with 3 fish for 6.78 lbs for $105 first place money and $290 in the side pot!!
Congrats to all the money spots and thanks to all of you who showed up today! It felt good to be back on the water again, lets hope we don't get any more suprises from Mother Nature!!
Next Sunday we will celebrate Daylight Savings Time by fishing till 6 PM. Come on out and join us!!!

Water temperatures have ranged from the mid 50’s to the upper 60’s as we have had a chilly week then a warm week through the winter, colder water schools up the fish while mild temps spread out the fish. Winter fish like Sheepshead and Bluefish are usually every trip catches here in the backcountry, and year around fish also, Redfish, Snook, Seatrout, Black Drum, Mangrove Snapper, and more. During the warmer weeks we see signs of early spring, tiny schools of tiny newly hatched fish hiding around the Mangrove roots, and a few spring fish biting like Spanish Mackerel, Jacks and Ladyfish. Water level is down low as is normal by late winter with prevailing north and west winds after the cold fronts and the dry season we are in now. A good recent trip with lots of variety and repeat clients from Indiana had a few good Trout, Black Drum and the best Redfish caught by Courtney ……………



Central Florida local Rey from Sanford had a fun catching trip including a nice size Snook caught on artificial ………………….



Paul from Indiana with the best Spotted Seatrout from their trip ………………..



Black Drum are one of our staple back waters rod benders, Mike from Connecticut with a fun Drum…..



Repeat client Nicky from Maryland with another nice Black Drum ………………



Paul again with a fun size Redfish making for a backwaters “slam” of multiple game fish species ……



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CALL OR TEXT ME ANYTIME 386-689-3781
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Capt. Michael Savedow
Edgewater River Guide, Inc. Since 2003
386-689-3781
https://EdgewaterRiverGuide.com/orlando-fishing-guide

You make some good observations on that topic. I agree with you.