TCBFT at Tims Ford Lake

     

After a week of rough weather that included snow and temperatures hovering in the upper 30s, the collegiate anglers participating in the first qualifier of the 2010 Tennessee Collegiate Bass Fishing Trail on Tims Ford Lake knew they'd be faced with tough fishing conditions. Even so, most of the anglers underestimated how tough conditions would be.

 

Tims Ford Lake is a renowned smallmouth fishery located in south central Tennessee between Nashville and Chattanooga. It's a deep, relatively clear lake with predominately rocky banks. The majority of participants guessed that the winning weight would be somewhere in the 12-17 pound range in the weeks leading up to the tournament.

 

42 collegiate anglers representing 6 different schools blasted off last Saturday February 20th out of Tims Ford State Park to discover water temperatures in the low 40s and sunny bluebird skies. Nearly eight hours later, only seven boats out of the field of twenty-one brought keeper fish to the scales. MTSU's Nolen Spencer and Tyler Barnes ended up taking first place with three bass weighing 7.65 lbs, anchored by Tyler's big fish of the tournament which was a 3.61 lb smallmouth. Shane Adams and Alex Martin, also representing MTSU, finished in 2nd with two keepers weighing 4.60 lbs edging out UTC's Robby Crosslin and Brandon Lester's two keepers by .02 pounds. UTK anglers, John Young and Brad Cooper, finished 4th with two keepers weighing 3.80 lbs. The top three teams were awarded plaques for each angler and the top four finishing teams received cash prizes totaling $425. Additionally, Tyler Barnes was awarded a new custom rod from Joe's Custom Rods for bringing in the big bass, a 3.61 lb smallmouth. All in all, 12 keeper bass were brought to the scales totaling 29.22 lbs and all 12 keepers were released alive.

 

 

   

 

"After a rough practice day we figured out that jigging and throwing a Carolina rig was not producing fish. We knew we needed active fish that would hit a crankbait and for that we needed warmer water. So that was our game plan going into the tournament. Once we found the warm water, we were catching fish but no keepers. The pocket we were in was too far from the main channel, so we keyed on 48-52 degree water on pea gravel banks close to the main channel. We threw Rapala Shad Raps #5 and #9 across points and flats in 8-10 feet of water getting as close to the bottom as we could (hitting it when possible). All three of the keepers hit the #9 and all between 11:00 and 12:00" - Tyler Barnes

 

 

"First of all the bite was tough. High bluebird skies with very light wind told us right off the bat that it wasn't going to be a good day. So we figured if we couldn't pull them out for the early morning bite we would have a better chance in the afternoon because of the rising temperatures. The water warming just a few degrees would change the bass' behavior. Unfortunately we hadn't had a bite at all up until the last hour before weigh in. I noticed that the wind was picking up and blowing into two bluffs on the state park side. We pulled up to the bluff and spotted a school of shiners about the size of two basketballs cruising along the surface. From that we figured that the bass were not far behind. So we rigged up a drop shot with ¼ oz weight and zooms baby bass fluke minnow. We fished in about 20 to 25 feet. On my fifth cast I pulled out a 19 inch 2.90 lb smallmouth. My partner cast in the same spot and pulled out a 15 inch 1.7 lb Kentucky bass. We fished the spot hard but unfortunately time was running out and we had to weigh in. We came in second but were happy with it considering we didn't think we would have any fish at all. Just proves you shouldn't give up because your luck can change within 5 minutes." - Shane Adams

 

 

"In practice on Friday, I started out in a place where I knew the water was going to be a good bit warmer and in the first thirty minutes of fishing there, I lost a solid four pounder flipping a jig. So that's where I knew we were going to head first thing Saturday morning. The problem was we weren't the only ones that knew about this area and there was another tournament going out of a different part of the lake. Needless to say, that area got a lot of fishing pressure on Saturday. We wound up catching a few fish in there on crankbaits and shakey heads, but only one was a keeper and it was a spotted bass. My partner, Robby, caught our other keeper, a smallmouth flipping a 3/8 ounce Choo Choo Jig in a treetop. It was a pretty uneventful day compared to how it usually is this time of year on Tims Ford, but I did break off two fish with the shakey head that felt heavy. They may have helped and they may not have, but either way it was just one of those days where things really didn't pan out the way we wanted.... But hey that's fishing." - Brandon Lester

 

 

The UTC Bass Anglers would like to especially thank our corporate sponsors: Triton, Mercury, Coca Cola MoonPie, Joe's Custom Rods (Joe Burns of Cleveland, TN), Lowrance, Industrial Boiler & Mechanical, Equalizer Scales, Industrial Scale Systems, Secret Weapon Lures, Vicious Fishing, Tackle Warehouse, Rejuvenade, Berkley, Scenic City Fishing Charters, Tony Sanders Outdoors, Nichols Marine, Sadler Signs & Awards, Incor Design & Promotions, Boat Seat Buddy, Chattanooga Fish-N-Fun, Chattanooga Fishing Forum, Chattanooga Bass Association, and Chattanooga Times Free Press.

 

All of the anglers enjoyed cold Coca Cola beverages like Coke, Sprite, Powerade, Minute Maid juices, and Dasani water as well as chocolate, vanilla, banana, and mint flavored MoonPies at the weigh-in. The UTC Bass Anglers would like to personally thank Joe Burns of Joe's Custom Rods for donating a custom rod as the prize for big bass. We also appreciate the town of Winchester and resident volunteers for giving all collegiate anglers such a warm welcome. Tims Ford Marina hosted many anglers in their spacious cabins and collaborated with the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce to provide all tournament anglers a delicious breakfast served before blast-off the morning of the tournament. Emma's Lakeside Market in Estill Springs also provided all tournament participants with sack lunches. Thanks to all for helping make this such a great event!

 

Even though the bite was tough, everyone seemed to enjoy the event and the great weather conditions. However, many anglers showed a lot of enthusiasm and excitement when they were reminded that the next TCBFT tournament will take place on Saturday, March 6th on Kentucky Lake in New Johnsonville, TN. More information on that event as well as the 2010 Tennessee Collegiate Bass Fishing Trail hosted by the UT-Chattanooga Mocs Bass Anglers can be found on their website, www.utcbassfishing.com. Tournament Director and Club President, Alex Craw, also wants everyone to know that they have made a few changes to the points system so now that each angler may drop their lowest score among the four qualifiers. In other words, if you miss a tournament or have a poor finish you are allowed to remove that score and still be in contention for all angler of the year awards. The angler(s) who finishes first in the 2010 TCBFT will not only be awarded with a trophy, prizes, and bragging rights - but they can also select a TN lake or river that the TCBFT will fish as a qualifying event in 2011!