CO-ANGLER CHAMP
ON TOUR
BFL REGIONALS
DEtAILS oct . 27-29 , 2016 presented by Gopro hosted by mountain Lakes Convention and Visitors bureau Divisions : bama , music City , North Carolina , piedmont
NIXON FROGS DOCKS AT HARTWELL
SUMMERTIME PATTERN KEY TO REGIONAL VICTORY
By Brian Cope
CO-ANGLER CHAMP
Name : Alex Hester hometown : Crossville , Tenn . total Weight : 19-12 ( 14 fish ) Winning program : Though it ’ s not Hester ’ s favorite bait to throw , a shaky head is the lure that he used to win the co-angler division at Lake Hartwell and earn a trip to the All- American . Hester caught fish in deep water ( as deep as 30 feet ), shallow water , stained water and clear water throughout the tournament , all with the finesse rig .
aslow start wasn ’ t enough to derail Jason Nixon ’ s quest for the All-American . Nixon , who won the T-H Marine Bass Fishing League Regional at Lake Hartwell with a total three-day weight of 31 pounds , 2 ounces , opened the tournament in 13th place . On day one he recorded less than half the weight of Clabion Johns of Covington , Georgia , the early leader who shocked the field with a 20-pound , 11-ounce limit .
“ I ’ d never seen a 20-pound bag before . That surprised me , and I figured there was no way for me . I thought he ’ d do it again the next day , or even if he just did half of that for the next two days he ’ d surely win ,” recalls Nixon .
Nixon got a break on day two when Johns weighed in only one keeper and 11 of the top 12 boaters failed to crack the 10-pound mark , allowing Nixon to advance to day three in 10th place with a 17-13 total .
The Wetumpka , Ala ., angler landed a limit on all three days , including his best , a 13-pound , 5-ounce bag , on the final day . Day three was a sweltering one that felt more like June than October , but Nixon stuck to his program .
He caught almost all of his fish on a SPRO Bronzeye Pop in the rainforest black color , and he caught all 15 of the
keepers that he brought to the scale , plus a couple of fish he culled , from just two spots on the lake .
“ I fished three spots , but the first one I fished didn ’ t produce any fish , so I eliminated it ,” he says . “ I had found three spots with stained water during practice , and the first one cleared up by the time the tournament started . The other two remained stained , and I caught all my fish on those two spots . One was in about the middle of the lake , and the other one was on the lower end .”
2017 All-American Qualifiers
boaters : jason nixon , Wetumpka , Ala . jason wilson , Lincolnton , N . C . conrad Bolt , Seneca , S . C . Barry HooPer , Monticello , Ga . Brad Fowler , Townville , S . C . todd Harris , Clemmons , N . C .
Co-anglers : alex Hester , Crossville , Tenn . clarence raney , Murfreesboro , Tenn . Pat kendrick , Bumpass , Va . ricHard young , Ellenboro , N . C . jeFF scism , Shelby , N . C . marvin godard , Charlotte , N . C .
The conditions dictated Nixon ’ s approach .
“ It was a really warm few days . Hot , actually , so I didn ’ t worry if I was working the frog too fast ,” Nixon says . “ I was pretty steady with it . Jerk , reel , jerk , reel , and I might change up the speed just slightly when I didn ’ t get a bite or at least a swirl for a while .”
Nixon says that while most of his fish came on brush near docks in shallow water , he didn ’ t specifically target brush near docks until about halfway through the tournament . That ’ s when the pattern became clear .
“ I was just getting as many casts in as I could with the frog around brush that was in shallow water . I really think the key was brush in stained , shallow water , but when you notice another variable like close proximity to docks , it never hurts to focus more on such areas as long as the other ingredients are still there .”
Nixon won a $ 45,000 Ranger boat and $ 20,000 cash . He also qualified for the All-American on Pickwick Lake , which will be held in May .
“ It ’ s the first time I ’ ve won a boat , and it ’ s the first time I ’ ve qualified for the All-American ,” he says . “ I ’ ve been trying for this for 16 years , so it feels good to finally get there .”
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