Arkansas Sportsman

'Mama's Spot' on the money

With a big assist from Mom, Travis Fox of Rogers finished second at the Forrest Wood Cup on Sunday at Lake Murray, S.C.

Fox, who has been quietly but steadily climbing FLW's ladder to prominence, caught 15 bass weighing 56 pounds, 11 ounces during the three-day tournament to win $60,000. Justin Atkins of Florence, Ala., caught 59-4 to win the championship trophy and $300,000.

The Forrest Wood Cup is the championship event for the various circuits of Fishing League Worldwide, a professional bass tournament organization that has a huge presence in Arkansas. The event is named for Forrest L. Wood of Flippin, founder of Ranger Boats and a member of the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame and the Arkansas Outdoor Hall of Fame.

Fox noted the vast financial disparity between first and second place, but he said he has no regrets.

"Only a hundred people in the world ever get to experience fishing in the Forrest Wood Cup," Fox said. "There were only 53 in this tournament, and a lot of those are repeat guys. I'm second out of the top 53 people in the world. That's pretty cool."

How he did it is pretty cool, too.

Fox studied all of dominant fishing patterns from the 2014 Forrest Wood Cup, which also took place on Lake Murray. Anthony Gagliardi of Prosperity, S.C., won that event by 1 ounce.

"First place was won offshore by a local that had infinite wisdom of the best of the best of the best, and he won by 1 ounce," Fox said. "Otherwise, shallow water dominated the 2014 tournament."

A smart bet said the money was in shallow water, but Fox's practice sessions suggested otherwise. He fished shallow the first day of practice and caught one 10-inch keeper.

"Every place I ran, everybody was doing the exact same thing," Fox said. "I was following other anglers down the bank throwing the same lures everyone else was throwing."

Lake Murray supports a prodigious biomass of blueback herring, a pelagic baitfish that roams open water. Schools of big largemouths follow them, and you can score big if you have the stomach for that style of fishing. It's nervewracking because a school can surface anytime, and you can go a long time without casting.

"Herring are an awesome source of protein, and the fish grow big and fat and healthy eating them," Fox said. "You don't get many bites out there, but the ones you get are big."

To have a shot at winning, Fox knew he had to stay in deep water.

"If you're going to fish shallow, you're basically going to have to get luckier than 52 other people," Fox said. "If I could grind out five bites offshore, it wasn't going to be because of luck, but because of strategy."

Fox's mother Sandra Pennington practiced with Travis on the third day, and their best five exceeded 20 pounds.

On the first day of the tournament, Fox drew boat 53, which meant he was the last to leave. Nobody was on his first spot or his second, but the fish had vanished.

Without a fish in the boat at 10 a.m., Fox went to an offshore point that he said is forevermore known as "Mama's Spot," because that's where Sandra caught a big fish.

"I went to where Mom caught that big one, and it was on like Donkey Kong," Fox said. "I caught three big ones immediately and lost another one."

It happened again on Day 2, and again on the third and final day, when Fox made the top 10.

"Three times is a charm," Fox said. "I ran back over to Mama's Spot, and the best school of fish I've ever seen was blowing up all over the place. There were 4-, 5-, 6- and 7-pounders everywhere."

But dang it, Fox couldn't catch them. He cast long and fish surfaced next to the boat. He cast short, and fish surfaced distant.

FLW was broadcasting the round live, and Sandra was in the studio providing commentary. She appeared on the right side of the screen, and Travis was on the left side.

"She could tell I was rattled," Fox said. "I said out loud, 'Mom, I need a little help here.' Shortly after that, I caught back-to-back 5-pounders, and of course she loses it in the studio."

Unfortunately, he lost a 7-pounder that would have won the tournament.

"I've had a long time to think about it, and all I can think is what if?" Fox said. "It wasn't my time. It was someone else's time. I accept that, and I'm tickled to death with the finish I had because deep down, I know I gave it all I could."

Sports on 08/17/2017

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