Adams Wins Opening SE Texas BASS Federation Event
By Contributing Writer Donald Gervais
(dongerv@yahoo.com)

Eric Adams, center, shows off the 19.15-pound catch that earned the win at the first qualifying event of the 2008 season of the SE Texas Region-Texas BASS Federation Nation held Jan 19 on Toledo Bend Lake. Ron Esman, of the tournament staff, on the left and Jack Miller, help show the catch. See story for the winner's ways on a brutal fishing day.

Cypress Bend Marina--Eric Adams of the American Anglers BASS club brought in a five-fish limit weighing 19.14 pounds to take the opening tournament of the SE Region-Texas Bass Anglers Sportsmen Society (B.A.S.S.) Federation Nation 2008 season on Jan. 19.  Steve Skyvara of the Onalaska Bass Club claimed the big bass honors with a Toledo Bend fish weighing 6.5 pounds.

148 anglers in 109 boats, representing 14 BASS clubs of the SE Texas BASS Federation Nation, took the waters of Toledo Bend Reservoir in what can only be described as 'brutal" fishing conditions. The unusually warm spell for January, with daytime highs in the 60's, was quickly ended on Saturday when a cold arctic blast blew into the lake area. Anglers found frost on their boats as the four flights left the marina at safe light and the sub freezing temperatures lasted until 9 a.m. Although the air temperature warmed to 45 as the 3 p.m. weigh in began, the NW winds howled at a constant 10 mph with gusts as high as 20 mph during the day under blue bird skies.
A cold rain had fallen overnight to muddy some of the productive areas anglers had found in practice the day before the tournament.
 

Bill Wedelich, center, poses with his catch that earned him runner up at the Jan.19 SE Region-Texas BASS Federation Nation tournament held on Toledo Bend Lake. His 15.52 pound catch earned him cash and points towards the chance of fishing in the Bassmasters Classic. (Left)  Jack Miller, tournament emcee and Morris Mooney, tournament director help show the catch.

Indication of the tough fishing was evident at the scales as but 12 five-fish limits were brought in by anglers clothed heavily in foul weather gear. Two of those limits came from the same boat. The cutoff weight to earn the final 18th place check was 8.66 pounds.
 
Anglers of the Federation nation were motivated to take on the conditions for the points that were at stake in this, the first of six qualifying events for the regional season standings. The top forty anglers at season's end would fish for the opportunity to make the state BASS team. State team members compete in the regional BASS tournament and the top region finishers advance to fish in the Bassmasters Classic. In addition each event is used to determine the angler of the year and the club of the year standings.
 

Mike Parsons holds up part of the 15.45-pound catch he brought to the scales in the opening qualifier of the 2008 SE Region-Texas BASS Federation Nation tournament held Jan. 19 on Toledo Bend Lake.  His catch included the second big bass of the day. See the story for how he earned the $911 he took home in the Winners' Ways.

Mike Parsons of the Seven Coves Bass Club was in the first flight of boats and among the first anglers to report to the weigh in. He took the early lead with a five fish limit weighing 15.45 pounds, anchored by a 5.13 pound fish.
 
"I would rather weigh in the last flight rather that have to endure this waiting" said Parsons
 
He sat nervously near the scales watching the remaining three flights of anglers as the anglers hoisted their catches on the scales. When Adams lifted his heavy bag midway in the weigh in, Parsons slipped into the #2 spot. He held that place until Bill Wedelich, of the Southern Bass Masters, at the tail end of the final flight, stepped to the scales with his catch. Wedelich's five bass weighed 15.52 pounds, 7/100's more.
 

Steve Skyvara of the Onalaska Bass Club holds up the 6.5 pound bass that took big bass of the tournament at the opening event of the SE Region-Texas BASS Federation Nation 2008 season held Jan. 19 on Toledo Bend Reservoir. See the story for what the big bass bit.

Mark Jackson of the Beaumont Bass Anglers took the fourth place honors with 12.94 pounds while another Seven Coves Bass club angler, Jason Gunter took fifth with 12.86 pounds. Katy Bassmasters anglers Bruce Carter rounded out the top six with 11.71 pounds.
 
"Winners of the regional qualifier are only two steps away from fishing the Bassmasters Classic," explained the tournament weigh master Jake Miller, of the Seven Coves club. "The competition heats up and gets tougher as the events go in the year."
 
Information about the BASS Texas organization and standings can be found on their website at: http://texas-bass.com/
 

Top winners of the opening qualifying event of the 2008 SE Region-Texas BASS Federation Nation, held Jan. 19 on Toledo Bend Reservoir, show their checks. Left to right are: Winner Eric Adams; runner up Bill Wedelich; third place Mike Parsons and Big Bass winner Steve Skyvara. See the story why the anglers battled it out under brutal conditions.

The next event for the SE Texas region will be Feb. 2 at Sam Rayburn Lake at the Umphrey Family Pavilion with weigh beginning at 3 p.m.
 
Major sponsors of the tournament included:
 Skeeter, Yamaha, American Rodsmiths Rods, Minn Kota, Tackle Hut, G&S Trolling Motors, Geneva Bait Tackle, Academy Sports, Fishgillz, Dad's Ole Tackle, Sure Life, Airrus Rods and Dawson Marine.

Winners Ways
 
"It was a rough ride back here," said winner Adams who took a ride north to catch some 20 keepers during the day on the Louisiana shorelines in his Bass Cat powered by a Mercury motor.
 
Adams targeted fish in 4 ½ feet of water with ½ ounce red Rat-L-traps using American Rodsmiths rods and Shimano reels spooled with 15-pound test Pline. Adams, who has won five past qualifiers and who has fished in divisional finals in years past, said he had an all day bite with no time better than any other. The biggest fish in his catch weighed 4.51 pounds. The Conroe angler credits Amp Lures for their help in his fishing. Adams took home a check for $1,455 and 269 points for the win.
 
Runner up Wedelich didn't burn $5 of gas during the day in his Skeeter boat powered by a Yamaha motor.
 
"I stayed within site of the marina," said Wedelich, winner of 10 past qualifying events and two regional victories. "I just didn't find anything in practice and I had confidence in this area and the bait I used."
 
Wedelich used a ½-ounce Ed Head jig head and two different colored Zoom worms, black and blue and green pumpkin red, to target bass in 10-20 feet of water in ditches around the area. He used the shaky head presentation with Castaway rods and Shimano reels, spooled with 20-pound test Gamma line, to catch 7 keeper fish during the day. His better catching times were early and just before he had to go to weigh in. The land surveyor brought home $948 and earned 264.52 points for his efforts.
 
Third place angler Parsons earned 263.45 points and a check for $623 for his day on the water. Even though he was beaten by Wedelich by 7/100's of a pound for second place, he had the second largest bass of the day (5.13 pounds) to earn an additional $288. He also won one of the rods in the raffle held at the finale.
 
Parsons ran his Fisher boat, powered by a Mercury motor, to Texas areas in the south end of the lake where he targeted fish in 3-8 feet of water with an off-white colored ½-ounce tandem willow spinner bait. He caught 9 keepers between 8-10 a.m. around the grass edges using Kisler rods and Shimano reels, spooled with 15-pound test fluorocarbon Segar line.
 
Skyvara's big bass of the day was caught at 11:30 a.m. mid lake on the Texas side in 4 ½ of water using a ¼-ounce black and blue jig, tipped with a blue Zoom plastic trailer. He flipped from the deck of his Cobra boat, powered by a Johnson motor, with Castaway rods and Shimano reels, spooled with 17-pound test Trilene clear-colored line. He earned $432 for the big bass and 11th place with the 10.67 pound- 3 fish catch.