Steven Taylor will represent Kentucky at the 2018 championship.
and have two more trips planned. Plus, before I went down there, I marked areas I wanted to fish on my electronics, to save time when I arrived at the lake.”
Taylor’ s reconnaissance has been enlightening, though he admits packing for the showdown has required a Herculean effort. Tactically speaking, he expects a variety of baits and techniques to play roles in the championship.
“ When you come down to pre-fish a tournament like this, you load everything you own,” he says.“ Same thing when you hit the water. My first trip to Bull Shoals, I had 19 rods on the front deck, so I was ready to throw anything. Now I’ m down to three with my top presentations.”
After studying past tournament results and fishing Bull Shoals himself, Taylor has an idea about what kind of weights it will take to do well in the championship. Typically, 12 pounds a day will put an angler in the top four or five, especially in multiple-day tournaments. Taylor thinks an average of 15 pounds a day is likely to win the title.
Mike Webster, of Arkansas, qualified for the championship at Lake Dardanelle.
Arkansas’ Mike Webster, who qualified for the championship by winning the boater division at the District 6 Semi-Finals event on Lake Dardanelle Sept. 16-17, believes even heavier bags might be needed to claim the crown.
“ I think we’ ll see a lot of 10- and 12-pound bags,” says Webster.“ You’ ll need 15 to 16 pounds a day if you want to have a shot at winning. Plus, considering the quality of the fishery and the competition, it could take 18 or even 20 pounds a day, [ depending on ] whether the bass are locked on the beds or still in prespawn mode, eating to get fat.”
Webster expects runoff and water temperature to be major factors. If the water is cold, favored lures could be lipless and diving crankbaits and spinnerbaits. Conversely, if the water is warm and high, exploring shoreline cover with the usual flipping and pitching favorites will be popular, whether the fish are bedding or not.
“ There are so many bass in Bull Shoals it’ s unreal,” Webster adds.“ Catching limits shouldn’ t be a problem. Finding the 3- to 5- pound bites is another story. If you can figure out how to get those fish – and find multiple areas that hold them – you’ ll be in good shape.”
Like his fellow competitors, Webster says winning the championship and Living the Dream package would truly be a dream come true.
“ Getting a chance to fish the FLW Tour would be an awesome deal,” he says.“ The TBF championship winner also qualifies to fish the Forrest Wood Cup, which is on Lake Ouachita this summer [ Aug. 10-12 ]. I’ d love a shot at winning that.”
CATCH THE ACTION Prior to the big event, news updates and angler profiles will be posted on TBF’ s Facebook page and at bassfederation. com.
Longtime TBF sponsor Ranger Boats, based in Flippin, Ark., will host the championship.
“ Ranger and the Federation both got their start in 1968, and are still together to celebrate our golden anniversaries,” Cartlidge notes.
Bull Shoals Lake Boat Dock is the site of launches and weigh-ins all three days. Bass fishing fans are invited to see the anglers off each morning and enjoy the weigh-in action starting at 3 p. m. each day.
If you can’ t make it to Bull Shoals, coverage of the TBF National Championship will stream live daily on bassfederation. com and be broadcast nationally on Federation Angler TV, which airs on the Pursuit Channel. For complete listings and showtimes, visit pursuitchannel. com.
ABOUT BULL SHOALS Dam construction: 1947-1951
Size: 48,195 acres
Maximum depth: approx. 220 feet
Average depth: approx. 75 feet
Minimum length requirement: 15 inches
Major forage species: threadfin shad, sunfish
Major tributary: White River
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FLWFIshIng. COm I apRIL 2018