EARN A TRIP TO THE 2018 TBF NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Final Showdown
Sunny skies and air temperatures pushing into the 70s set the stage for the last day of competition. Boyd responded by putting together a 12- pound, 10-ounce limit for a three-day tally of 38-10.
It was enough to seal the victory and hold off a charge by Brodnicki, who’ d been consistent throughout the event and finished second with 35-5. Harkness’ deep-water pattern came up short at the end, and he finished third with 34-2.
Boyd’ s winning area was tucked away far up the lake and required a long run.
“ I ran up into Arkansas near Crooked Creek Marina,” he reports.“ I knew the fish were there to win it, so I kept fishing it hard.”
A crawfish pattern Strike King KVD 1.5 square-bill crankbait accounted for many of his fish.
“ Keeping the boat in about 12 feet of water, I cast tight to the bank and ticked the rocky bottom,” he says.
He also punched a Texas-rigged green pumpkin Hawgback Lures tube, made by a friend back in Indiana, through tangles of driftwood matted on the surface.
“ Bass go under these mats for shade when stained water clears up,” he notes.“ The water had been getting progressively clearer every day, so I Texas-rigged the 3 1 / 2-inch tube with a pegged 1 / 2-ounce tungsten sinker and punched it through the mats.
“ That last morning I got a real hard bite and a good hookset on about a 4- pound fish,” he recalls.“ I pulled it out of the mat, but it came unbuttoned and flopped on top of the driftwood until it finally got back into the water.” The incident got on Boyd’ s nerves.“ I was really rattled,” he admits.“ My co-angler [ Brad Jernigan ] kept reminding me to stay focused. It proves the importance of staying mentally strong and not giving up.”
At 11 o’ clock, he got his first bass on the tube rig.
“ Then the wind picked up and started howling down a bank we’ d had a few bites on earlier,” he says.“ So, we picked up our square-bills and started casting the bank again.”
With the wind blowing, Boyd’ s reaction bite improved, and he was able to track down the winning bass with his combo approach.
EARN A TRIP TO THE 2018 TBF NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
To earn a shot at following in Allen Boyd’ s footsteps as the next TBF national champion, there’ s no time like the present for an angler to start fishing his way to the top.
Anglers can qualify through the TBF National Semi-Finals. Comprised of 22 district competitions, the new National Semi-Finals framework is designed to make it more cost-effective for TBF grassroots anglers to fish premier events by minimizing travel time and expenses while increasing payouts across the board.
The new system pits top grassroots anglers from each state in a close-tohome weekend event with neighboring states for significant cash prizes and advancements.
Anglers qualify for the National Semi-Finals in one of two ways: 1) Active state clubs in good standing can send their top two anglers directly to the Semi-Finals. 2) The top 10 percent of state event participation, or a minimum of 12 anglers per state, whichever is greater, qualify.
To learn more about the National Semi-Finals and other TBF opportunities in your area, visit bassfederation. com.
Allen Boyd became the second angler in TBF history to win two national titles and the first to claim two $ 100,000 Living the Dream prize packages.
PHOTO BY DAN JOHNSON
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FLWFISHING. COM I JULY 2017