LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas continued its dominance of regional college bass fishing last week by winning the Bassmaster College Bass Classic at Lake Hudson in Oklahoma.
Two teams consisting of Jerid Jones, Turner Hall, Clay Ramey and Taylor Denniston outfished counterparts from the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State in the tournament, which occurred in conjunction with the Bassmaster Elite Series event at Fort Gibson Lake. Jones and Denniston also won the FLW Arklahoma Cup at Grand Lake in April, proving that for this year, at least, Arkansas anglers rule college bass fishing in eastern Oklahoma.
The College Bass Classic had a slight twist because it was scheduled to be on Fort Gibson. Dangerous conditions on the Arkansas River forced BASS to move the professional tournament toFort Gibson and shunt the college event to Lake Hudson, which is sandwiched between Grand Lake to the north and Fort Gibson to the south.
Jones said the move benefited him because it’s only about 45 minutes from his home in Siloam Springs. He’s fished it often and knows it well. His teammates were more familiar with Hudson, as well.
“Our team fished there during the qualifier, so Clay and Taylor were happy because they had fished there,” Jones said. “They’d never fished Fort Gibson.”
Despite the hot weather, the bass bit well in the upper portion of the lake, which gets a steady flow of cool water from the hydropower generators at Grand Lake. Jones said the water there was 70-75 degrees, compared to 80 degrees or more in the rest of the lake.
“They generate all the time, so there’s always current,” Jones said. “Both teams were up in the river. Whenever they run water, you look for current breaks, like logs, points, anything that can position fish.”
Arkansas logged two limits that weighed 36 pounds, 2 ounces. Of that, Ramey and Denniston caught 21-9.Oklahoma State weighed in 28-7, and Oklahoma weighed in 28-3.
“Those bass are notoriously mean and aggressive,” Jones said. “Catching a bass up there is like catching a 5-pound smallmouth.” Denniston accountedfor 11 pounds with just two fish, including a 7-pounder. Trevor Parks and Chase Edmiston of Oklahoma State were across the river when Denniston hooked the big one.
“They were hooting and hollering,” Parks said. “We didn’t see it happen, but we could hear them screaming like little girls.”
“I don’t know why the Oklahoma guys didn’t do well over there,” Jones said. “Those aren’t new lakes to them. We just went over there and pretty much kicked their butts on their home water.”
Ramey and Denniston had only a small keeper in the livewell at 10 p.m., when Denniston caught the 4-pounder, followed by threemore keepers on consecutive casts. When Denniston caught the 7-pounder, they left the water to avoid stressing their fish in the hot weather. Denniston said hecaught the big fish on a 10-inch, tequila sunrise Zoom Ribbontail worm. He acknowledged the impromptu celebration.
“We’re all friends, but I don’t think they were too happy about it,” Denniston said.
Next stop for Arkansas will be the fifth annual Under Armour College Bass National Championship on July 10-12 on the Arkansas River at North Little Rock.
BIG BASS BONANZA
Today is the last day of the Big Bass Bonanza statewide on the Arkansas River, which means you still have time to win the $50,000 top prize for catching the biggest bass in the tournament. You can also win $10,000 for catching the biggest bass in each of the five pools, as well as $900, $700 and $400, for second through fourth places, plus all the hourly money for weighing in the biggest fishof the hour.
Entry fee is $90 per person. You can register online at www.arkansasbigbass. com, or in person at the official weigh-in sites in North Little Rock at the Verizon Ramp, Pine Bluff (Regional Park), Russellville (Lake Dardanelle State Park), Fort Smith (Clear Creek Park) and Pendleton Bridge at Dumas.
More information is available at arkansasbigbass.com or by calling the Arkansas Hospitality Association at (501) 376-2323. The AHA is open today, and the tournament runs from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. The awards ceremony will be today from 4 p.m.-6 p.m. at the Verizon Ramp.
CORRECTION
We misidentified our Sportsman of the Week last Sunday. The name of the young man who caught the big bluegill in Cabot is Alex Stern, 5, of Huntsville, Ala.
Sports, Pages 38 on 06/27/2010