Martin-Wells Grabs 3rd Victory

Two lures she nicknamed “Randall” and “Bobby” helped Pam Martin-Wells of Bainbridge, Ga., to a winning overall weight of 36 pounds, 1 ounce, Saturday at the second stop of the 2008 Women’s Bassmaster Tour presented by Academy Sports & Outdoors.

“Randall is a friend of mine who taught me how to swim a jig, so a ‘Randall’ is a jig, and Bobby is my sister, and she taught me how to use a weightless Wave Worms Tiki Stik, which I used to catch all my biggest fish Thursday, so that’s a ‘Bobby,’ ” said Martin-Wells, who netted $1,000 and a $50,000 Triton/Mercury boat rig in the three-day competition on Alabama’s Neely Henry Lake.

She won by a margin of more than 9 pounds over two pros who tied for second place at 26-15: Juanita Robinson of Highlands, Texas, and Lucy Mize of Ben Lomond, Ark. Placing fourth with 26-10 was Kim Bain of Alabaster, Ala., the winner of the season opener last month on Texas’ Lewisville Lake.

Fifth with 25-4 was the 2007 Toyota WBT Angler of the Year, Sheri Glasgow of Muskogee, Okla., who recovered from a slow start — 33rd place on the first day — to make the top five.

Fans can go to Bassmaster.com for all the details of the Neely Henry competition. The site has photo galleries, stories, standings, and the latest on the season-long race to capture the 2008 Toyota WBT Angler of the Year crown and a Bassmaster Classic berth.

This season’s Angler of the Year will make history, becoming the first woman to earn a much-coveted berth in the 2009 Bassmaster Classic, Feb. 20-22 on the Red River out of Shreveport-Bossier City, La.

Bain held on to her lead in the standings, and Mize and Robinson moved into the top five. Martin-Wells racked up enough points with her win to push her from 17th place into fifth in the standings.

“This entire year with the WBT and BASS is huge with the announcement of the Classic berth,” Martin-Wells said. “I was disappointed because I didn’t have such a great start at Lewisville, so this win is a step in the right direction.”

Saturday’s victory was the third WBT win for Martin-Wells. She holds the titles to the 2005 WBT Preview event and the 2006 WBT Championship — the circuit’s first — on Mitchell Lake, which like Neely Henry is a Coosa River impoundment.

Martin-Wells said much of her weight came from grass along the shallow shorelines of Neely Henry, but she used a combination of techniques.

“After I caught one fish this morning, it was on. I was culling by 6:30 this morning,” she said. “But every day, the fishing’s been different, even though I started in the same place each day, a 20-minute run from the launch ramp all the way to the southern end of the lake.”

She took her Saturday limit in 40 minutes, after which she culled to improve her weight to 13-11.

“I started out each morning in grass,” Martin-Wells said. “I had some deep patterns, but they weren’t panning out because there was no current, no water moving. But today a ski boat kept running back and forth, and I thought, ‘Maybe a fish will think that’s current.’ So I pulled over and caught a 4-pounder.”

Mize was in 24th place after Day 1, but she put it together to jump into the tie for second place.

“I was fishing chunk-rock banks, riprap and retainer walls early in the day when it was overcast, all on the south end of the lake,” said Mize, who holds title to the 2007 WBT stop on Kentucky and Barkley lakes. “Then I would go to a Carolina rig and a deep-diving crankbait as the day wore on, working humps and ridges.”

Robinson, who won the 2007 WBT event on Texas’ Lake Amistad, said lack of current during competition hours was an obstacle to beefing up the weight of her daily bags.

“I had limits early. Today I was culling by 7 in one spot,” she said. “But I just didn’t get a big bite. I knew I had to get to them before the sun came up, and when it did, the bass disappeared.”

In the co-angler division, the winner of the first-place package of a Triton/Mercury rig valued at $25,000 plus $500 was Marilyn Biszmaier of Louisville, Ky., who led Day 2 and closed for the win with 16 pounds, 8 ounces.

Second in the co-angler competition with 16-2 was Stacy Zhelesnik of Hoboken, N.J. Lesli Lively of Palestine, Texas, had a total of 15-12 for third place.

The next stop for the WBT will be June 19-21 on Old Hickory Lake out of Gallatin, Tenn. The tour’s presenting sponsor, Academy Sports & Outdoors, will host the final-day weigh-in at the Madison, Tenn., store. All WBT events are free and open to the public.

Sponsors of the Women’s Bassmaster Tour include Academy Sports & Outdoors, Toyota Tundra, Advance Auto Parts, Lowrance, Mercury, Skeeter, Yamaha, OPTIMA Batteries, Triton Boats, Legend Boats, MoGills and Mustang.

Local hosts include the City of Gadsden Parks & Recreation Department.

Martin-Wells Leads Day 2

More than 22 pounds of bass over two days shows that Pam Martin-Wells of Bainbridge, Ga., has Coosa River impoundments figured out.

She took the lead with 22 pounds, 6 ounces, Friday in the Women’s Bassmaster Tour presented by Academy Sports & Outdoors event on Neely Henry Lake, a river-run impoundment of the Coosa.

Martin-Wells won the 2006 WBT Championship on another Coosa River fishery, Mitchell Lake, adding a big victory to her previous win, the 2005 WBT Preview event in Texas. Moving up from second to first place in the Neely Henry tournament, she put herself in position to take her third WBT victory.

Saturday will be the final day of competition, when just the top 20 pros will compete for the first-place prize of $1,000 cash and a Triton/Mercury boat rig valued at $50,000. Fans can watch Saturday’s finale at http://www.Bassmaster.com. Live video and a real-time leaderboard will begin at 2:15 p.m. CT. Bassmaster.com also will post final results, stories and photo galleries.

WBT pros are competing this season in a points race to become the first woman to qualify for a Bassmaster Classic, bass fishing’s most prestigious competition. The one pro with the most points at the end of the season will win a berth in the 2009 Classic, Feb. 20-22 on the Red River out of Shreveport/Bossier City, La. The points race winner will be the 2008 Toyota WBT Angler of the Year crown, an honor that comes with a 2009 Toyota Tundra.

Leading the field along with Martin-Wells was one-time WBT winner Juanita Robinson of Highlands, Texas, who had a two-day weight of 18 pounds, 11 ounces.

Right behind Robinson with 18-3 was Kim Bain of Alabaster, Ala., who was the winner of the season’s first event and leads the AOY points race. Fourth was one-time WBT winner Lucy Mize of Ben Lomond, Ark., with 18-0. Bonnie Johnson of Weatherford, Texas, had 17-12 for fifth place.

The 2007 Toyota WBT Angler of the Year, Oklahoma’s Sheri Glasgow, shot up from 33rd into sixth with a two-day total of 16-2.

Martin-Wells said she returned Friday to her first-day spot for the 10-4 bag she brought to the scales.

“And there are still fish there,” said Martin-Wells, a fishing guide on Georgia’s Lake Seminole as well as a pro angler. “I can see them come up and miss my bait. It’s just a matter if I can make them bite tomorrow.”

Although she was guarded about revealing specifics on productive patterns, she did say she was looking for bright and sunny conditions Saturday. And, like the rest of the field of 94 pros, she’d also like to see a release of water from the upstream dam, which would create current that often turns on a bite from larger bass.

“Lack of current isn’t hurting what I did to catch what I’ve brought in, but lack of current is hurting the bite for the better fish I’d found in practice,” Martin-Wells said. “I’ve had to adjust to fish that aren’t current-oriented, a variety of patterns.”

Moving up from third to second place, Robinson said the bite wasn’t quite as good Friday, but she adjusted. She said she’s hitting four areas she discovered in practice, getting her limit early and culling.

“They were really pushing shad and biting a whole lot better yesterday,” she said. “Today, as soon as the morning cloud cover went away, they shut down on me. If the weather changes and we get some rain, and they turn the turbines on, that should turn on the bite.”

“I’m starting out with topwaters, then going to a crankbait, then to a shaky head or a Carolina rig, and I caught some flipping to laydown trees,” she said.

In the co-angler division, in which the first-place prize is a Triton/Mercury rig valued at $32,000, Marilyn Biszmaier of Louisville, Ky., climbed from 33rd place to take the lead with 11-13. Close behind her were Lesli Lively of Palestine, Texas, with 11-3, and Linda Walker of Beebe, Ark., who with 10-12 maintained her first-day standing of third.

Pros will launch Saturday at 5:30 a.m. at Coosa Landing, 200 Lake Street in Gadsden. Daily weigh-ins will be at 2:15 p.m. at Academy Sports & Outdoors, 601 George Wallace Drive
in Gadsden. All WBT events are free and open to the public.

To view related images of the event, click here.

Sponsors of the Women’s Bassmaster Tour include Academy Sports & Outdoors, Toyota Tundra, Advance Auto Parts, Lowrance, Mercury, Skeeter, Yamaha, OPTIMA Batteries, Triton Boats, Legend Boats, MoGills and Mustang.

Local hosts include the City of Gadsden Parks & Recreation Department.

McQueen Leads on Neely Henry

Two kicker bass in the last hour of competition saved the day for Audrey McQueen Thursday in the Women’s Bassmaster Tour presented by Academy Sports & Outdoors on Alabama’s Neely Henry Lake.

On what was a lean day for most of the contenders, McQueen of Eager, Colo., brought in 12 pounds, 9 ounces, good enough to stay in front of Pam Martin-Wells of Bainbridge, Ga., who managed 12 pounds, 2 ounces. Two pounds behind Martin-Wells was one-time WBT winner Juanita Robinson of Highlands, Texas, with 10-2.

“I actually caught just my limit, I didn’t cull one time,” said McQueen. “I didn’t have a fish until 8:30, 9 o’clock.”

She said catching the late kicker bass was a big change from what she saw during practice time earlier in the week.

“In practice, I always had a morning bite and really caught them in the first two hours. Today, I don’t know if they weren’t pulling water so there wasn’t any current, or because it was so hot, but they weren’t biting early. And the fish I caught today came on a completely different pattern than I used in practice.”

McQueen said she fished the main channel of Neely Henry, a river-run impoundment of the Coosa River. She said she made a long run Thursday to touch all her spots, hitting them in run-and-gun style. Martin-Wells hinted that her day was much the same.

“I moved quite a bit today,” said Martin-Wells, who holds the title to the 2006 WBT Championship. “I’m going to various areas, trying not to burn anything.”

Rounding out the top five on Day 1 were Jan Heavener of Sherwood, Ark., who had 9-4, and Debra Petrowski of Arlington, Texas, with 8-15.

The Thursday-Saturday stop in Alabama is the second event of 2008 WBT season. Pros are competing for a first-place prize of a Triton/Mercury boat rig valued at $50,000 and $1,000 in cash. They’re also vying for points in the season-long race for the 2008 Toyota WBT Angler of the Year crown, which comes with a berth in the 2009 Bassmaster Classic, Feb. 20-22 on the Red River out of Shreveport/Bossier City, La.

As the winner of the season opener at Texas’ Lake Lewisville, Kim Bain of Alabaster, Ala., led the AOY points race going into the Neely Henry event. Bain wrapped up her first competition day on Neely Henry with a weight of 8-9 for seventh place, positioning her to hang on to the AOY race lead.

The three-day tournament continues through Saturday, when only the top 20 pros and top 20 co-anglers will compete. Fans can follow the competition by gong to http://www.Bassmaster.com for live video and real-time leaderboards beginning at 2:15 p.m. CT. Also on http://www.Bassmaster.com are daily standings, stories and photo galleries.

In the co-angler competition for a Triton/Mercury boat rig valued at $32,000, Sharon Lawson of Red Bank, Tenn., scored the lead with 7 pounds, 13 ounces. In second place was Patti James of Dayton, Texas, with 5-14. Third was Linda Walker of Beebe, Ark., with 5-10.

Pros will launch Friday and Saturday at 5:30 a.m. at Coosa Landing, 200 Lake Street in Gadsden. Daily weigh-ins will be at 2:15 p.m. at Academy Sports & Outdoors, 601 George Wallace Drive in Gadsden. All WBT events are free and open to the public.

To view related images of the event, click here.

Sponsors of the Women’s Bassmaster Tour include Academy Sports & Outdoors, Toyota Tundra, Advance Auto Parts, Lowrance, Mercury, Skeeter, Yamaha, OPTIMA Batteries, Triton Boats, Legend Boats, MoGills and Mustang.

Local hosts include the City of Gadsden Parks & Recreation Department.

WBT Headed for Neely Henry

The Women’s Bassmaster Tour presented by Academy Sports & Outdoors will return May 22-24 to where it all began more than two years ago, Neely Henry Lake and the city of Gadsden in northeastern Alabama.

Neely Henry was where the WBT circuit kicked off its inaugural season in April 2006. Tammy Richardson of Amity, Ark., won that event, capturing her first of three tour titles. With a second-place finish, Sheri Glasgow of Muskogee, Okla., launched her successful WBT career, which includes the 2007 Toyota WBT Angler of the Year crown.

This month’s stop in Alabama will be the second event of the 2008 season, which will produce the first woman to qualify for a Bassmaster Classic. The 2008 Toyota WBT Angler of the Year will be awarded a berth in the 2009 Bassmaster Classic, Feb. 20-22 on the Red River out of Shreveport/Bossier City, La.

As the winner of the season opener on Texas’ Lake Lewisville, Kim Bain of Alabaster, Ala., leads the AOY points race. But with four events left in the season and the new option to drop the lowest finish, any pro still has a chance to capture the title and Classic berth.

One of the Coosa River’s six impoundments, Neely Henry stretches almost 78 miles and encompasses 11,235 acres. It is home of a prolific spotted bass population as well as a healthy number of largemouth bass.

Most pros will bring in mixed bags, said WBT pro Lisa Johnson, who has considered Neely Henry home water since she moved to Centre, Ala., from Georgia.

“I’ve been fishing there the past three years, so I hope I have a home water advantage,” said Johnson, who also competes in the pro division of the Bassmaster Southern Open circuit. “Most bags will be spotted and largemouth bass. The mix all depends on what area you fish, up the creeks or in the main river channel.”

She said the winning weight will be 30 to 35 pounds, a prediction fellow pro Kat Ealey agrees with.

Ealey of Margaret, Ala., also fishes Neely Henry regularly, but she considers another Coosa impoundment, Logan Martin Lake, to be her home water.

“The same baits and tactics work on both lakes,” said Ealey, who like Johnson also competes in the Bassmaster Southern Open’s pro division. “What produces on, say, the rocks or timber of Logan Martin, you can use at Neely Henry. This time of year, it’s probably more difficult to catch spots than largemouths.”

Both Johnson and Ealey said productive lures are likely to be plastics, spinnerbaits and, possibly, crankbaits.

Fishing fans are invited to meet the anglers 6-8 p.m., Wednesday, May 21 at Academy Sports & Outdoors, 601 George Wallace Drive in Gadsden. Pros will launch Thursday-Saturday at 5:30 a.m. CT at Coosa Landing, 200 Lake Street in Gadsden. Daily weigh-ins will be at 2:30 p.m. at the Gadsden Academy store. All events are free and open to the public.

Fans can follow the competition by gong to http://www.Bassmaster.com, which will provide live video and real-time leaderboards during the weigh-ins beginning at 2:30 p.m. CT. Also on http://www.Bassmaster.com will be daily standings, stories and photo galleries.

Sponsors of the Women’s Bassmaster Tour include Academy Sports & Outdoors, Toyota Tundra, Advance Auto Parts, Lowrance, Mercury, Skeeter, Yamaha, OPTIMA Batteries, Triton Boats, Legend Boats, MoGills and Mustang.

Local hosts include the City of Gadsden and the City of Gadsden Parks & Recreation Department.

Stop No. 2
2008 Women’s Bassmaster Tour presented by Academy Sports & Outdoors
Lake Neely Henry
Gadsden, Ala.
May 22-24, 2008

Field
Cut to the top 20 pros and top 20 co-anglers after Day 2

Launch
5:30 a.m. CT
Coosa Landing
200 Lake St.
Gadsden, AL 35901

Weigh-in
2:30 p.m. CT
Academy Sports & Outdoors
601 George Wallace Drive
Gadsden, AL 35903
256-439-6260

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