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