Pro Scene: 10/27/08
"In the Boat" presented by Jewel Bait Company
Special Edition:
"In the Boat" with Matt Lea at the Mr. Bass of Arkansas Classic
Story by Frank Leone
Matt Lea is one of the very best anglers in Arkansas. As Mr. Bass
tournament director Ronnie Everett always says "Matt has won everything
there is to win in the world of Arkansas Bass Fishing". Because Matt was
leading going into the final day of the 2008 Mr. Bass of Arkansas Classic on
Wright Patman Lake (located near Texarkana, Texas), I had the unique
opportunity to document his every move as his pursued the highly coveted
Mr. Bass of Arkansas Classic Champion crown for 2008. Here is Matt's
"moment of truth":
7:09 AM: Matt is cocked, locked and
ready to rock!!! Wearing some
awesome goggles and full cold weather
gear, he prepares to take off into the
early morning light.
7:10 AM: Blast off !!! Matt rockets out
of the hole in his BassCat Cougar. We
travel to Kelly Creek, where he spent
all of day 1.
7:18 AM: Matt makes his first cast
of the day with a Texas rigged
Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver
(Oxblood). He explains that although this Creek has a good population of
fish, he is really just "killing time" while waiting for the sun to shine on his
primary area.
7:27 AM: Matt swings hard on the
fist fish of the morning, but does not
connect. He shrugged off the miss,
stating that "Everything in here is a
bonus"
7:32 AM: Matt switches to a War
Eagle spinnerbait.
7:33 AM: Matt goes back to the
Sweet Beaver.
7:37 AM: Matt makes a few casts with a Jewel Eakins' Jig.
7:40 AM: Matt switches back to the Sweet Beaver. He swings on another
bass but loses this one at the surface. It looked like a keeper, but he still
seems unrattled by the miss.
7:44 AM: Matt loses a short fish on the Sweet Beaver. It appears that the
bass are biting lightly this morning.
7:46 AM: Matt loses another one. We don't know the size, but his Sweet
Beaver is "missing".
7:57 AM: Matt connects with his
first keeper of the morning on the
Sweet Beaver. While making the
voice recording for this story, I
called the fish 1.75 pounds. Matt
jokingly chided me - "That's a 2
pounder" he said laughing. He is as
loose as a goose at this point.
8:02 AM: Matt gets another bite
on the Sweet Beaver. "Probably
a short fish" he says.
8:12 AM: Matt catches a 12-incher on the Sweet Beaver. The fish is short
and he flips it back into Wright Patman Lake.
8:15 AM: Matt detects another bite,
swings and misses. It looks like the
fish are just nipping at the bait this
morning.
8:20 AM: Matt misses another fish.
He thinks that this one may have
been a good keeper. His beaver
is once again "missing".
8:31 AM: Matt catches another 12-incher on the Sweet Beaver.
8:41 AM: Matt switches to a Stanley Ribbit Frog which he is casting
towards matted vegetation.
8:52 AM: Matt switches back to
the Sweet Beaver. He is starting
to get "antsy" and is talking about
going to his primary area.
9:16 AM: Matt swims the Jewel
Jig through some scattered
coontail, but does not get any strikes.
9:20 AM: Matt pulls the trolling
motor. He says that it is time to
hit his primary area, a line of buck
brush islands up the main river.
9:46 AM: Matt begins fishing his primary area. He is flipping bushes with a
Jewel Eakins' Jig (Peanut butter jelly; 7/16 oz.). This area is really shallow.
The boat is sitting in about 1.5 feet of water.
9:47 AM: Matt immediately connects
with a keeper bass. This one looks
like a 1.75 pounder.
9:56 AM: Matt loses a good keeper.
It got under a bush. "I seen its head,
looked like a good one" he said.
10:04 AM: Matt misses another
fish. He is kind of upset about this
one.
10:12 AM: Matt catches a solid 3-pounder. He is starting to get "pumped".
10:15 AM: Matt catches a 12-incher.
It looks like the fish are eating his
jig good, as this fish has the bait in
the back of his throat.
10:22 AM: Matt gets a short strike
off of the tip of a bushy island.
10:25 AM: Matt catches a good
2-pounder close to where he lost
the previous fish. Things were
looking real good at this point. The
fish were chompin' and he has 4 in the box.
10:32 AM: Get 5!!!. Matt puts his 5th keeper, a 2.25 pounder in the boat.
Things are fast and furious.
10:56 AM: Matt catches his 6th keeper. He now starts the tedious chore of
culling, which is a good problem to have!
11:03 AM: The cull process is over.
Matt culls a 1 pound, 11 ounce bass.
11:18 AM: Matt catches a 1 pound,
10 ounce keeper. This one won't
help him and he culls it back into the
lake. Most of his strikes are coming
on the outside of the bushes.
11:42 AM: Matt catches a 2-pound,
7 ounce keeper. He culls a 1-pound,
15 ounce fish.
11:50 AM: Matt gets hung up in a bush. As he pops the bait out, a bass eats
it, runs under the boat and comes off.
12:20 PM: Matt catches another short fish after a lull in the action.
12:23 PM: Matt catches and releases
a 1 pound, 7 ounce keeper.
12:25 PM: Matt catches and releases
a 14-inch keeper.
12:30 PM: Matt catches and releases
a 1 pound, 12 ounce keeper. The
action is once again fast and furious.
1:03 PM: Matt catches a 2 pound,
1 ounce keeper. He has another one
that is the exact size in the box.
After carefully examining both of the fish, he culls the one that he has just
caught.
1:18 PM: Matt cranks the big motor for the first time since arriving here at
9:46. He moves to another set of islands in the same area.
1:48 PM: Matt catches and releases another 14-inch keeper.
2:24 PM: Matt announces that this will be his final cast. A solid fish takes
his jig and he puts it in the boat. We both thought that this bass might help
him cull. He weighs the fish. 2-pounds even. He slides it back into Wright
Patman.
2:25 PM: We leave the area and begin our ride back to the ramp. At this
point Matt does not believe that he has caught enough to win the Classic.
We estimate that he has between 11 and 12 pounds.
2:43 PM: We are now in within
sight of the launch. Matt pulls
out a Carolina-rigged Zoom
Centipede in hopes of catching one
more bass.
2:57 PM: Matt has ended his day.
It's time for a nerve wracking
weigh-in.
3:45 PM: Duke Gunnell
approaches the MBOA stage.
he needs just over 9 pounds to
take the lead. Duke weighs three bass that weigh 10-pounds even and takes
the top spot.......for now.
3:48 PM: Matt Lea takes the stage. He needs 9.72 pounds to win the
tournament. He thanks Joey Hurley for helping him find the area where he
caught his fish on days 2 and 3. Ronnie Everett announces the weight, 12.20
pounds...... Matt Lea is the 2008 Mr. Bass of Arkansas Champion!!!!
Keeper Count: Jewel Eakins' Jig (Peanut Butter Jelly; 7/16 oz.): 13 keepers
Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver (Oxblood): 1 keeper
Final Thoughts: What a day for Matt Lea. When questioned by Ronnie, he
said that he was nervous all day, but if he was he didn't show it. I thouroghly
enjoyed having the opportunity to watch Matt in action. He is an awesome
fisherman and person....He deserved this win.
Matt Lea is sponsored by: BassCat Boats, Mercury Outboards, St. Croix
Rods, Team Daiwa, and Jewel Bait Company.
"In the Boat" presented by Jewel Bait Company
Special Edition:
"In the Boat" with Matt Lea at the Mr. Bass of Arkansas Classic
Story by Frank Leone
Matt Lea is one of the very best anglers in Arkansas. As Mr. Bass
tournament director Ronnie Everett always says "Matt has won everything
there is to win in the world of Arkansas Bass Fishing". Because Matt was
leading going into the final day of the 2008 Mr. Bass of Arkansas Classic on
Wright Patman Lake (located near Texarkana, Texas), I had the unique
opportunity to document his every move as his pursued the highly coveted
Mr. Bass of Arkansas Classic Champion crown for 2008. Here is Matt's
"moment of truth":
7:09 AM: Matt is cocked, locked and
ready to rock!!! Wearing some
awesome goggles and full cold weather
gear, he prepares to take off into the
early morning light.
7:10 AM: Blast off !!! Matt rockets out
of the hole in his BassCat Cougar. We
travel to Kelly Creek, where he spent
all of day 1.
7:18 AM: Matt makes his first cast
of the day with a Texas rigged
Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver
(Oxblood). He explains that although this Creek has a good population of
fish, he is really just "killing time" while waiting for the sun to shine on his
primary area.
7:27 AM: Matt swings hard on the
fist fish of the morning, but does not
connect. He shrugged off the miss,
stating that "Everything in here is a
bonus"
7:32 AM: Matt switches to a War
Eagle spinnerbait.
7:33 AM: Matt goes back to the
Sweet Beaver.
7:37 AM: Matt makes a few casts with a Jewel Eakins' Jig.
7:40 AM: Matt switches back to the Sweet Beaver. He swings on another
bass but loses this one at the surface. It looked like a keeper, but he still
seems unrattled by the miss.
7:44 AM: Matt loses a short fish on the Sweet Beaver. It appears that the
bass are biting lightly this morning.
7:46 AM: Matt loses another one. We don't know the size, but his Sweet
Beaver is "missing".
7:57 AM: Matt connects with his
first keeper of the morning on the
Sweet Beaver. While making the
voice recording for this story, I
called the fish 1.75 pounds. Matt
jokingly chided me - "That's a 2
pounder" he said laughing. He is as
loose as a goose at this point.
8:02 AM: Matt gets another bite
on the Sweet Beaver. "Probably
a short fish" he says.
8:12 AM: Matt catches a 12-incher on the Sweet Beaver. The fish is short
and he flips it back into Wright Patman Lake.
8:15 AM: Matt detects another bite,
swings and misses. It looks like the
fish are just nipping at the bait this
morning.
8:20 AM: Matt misses another fish.
He thinks that this one may have
been a good keeper. His beaver
is once again "missing".
8:31 AM: Matt catches another 12-incher on the Sweet Beaver.
8:41 AM: Matt switches to a Stanley Ribbit Frog which he is casting
towards matted vegetation.
8:52 AM: Matt switches back to
the Sweet Beaver. He is starting
to get "antsy" and is talking about
going to his primary area.
9:16 AM: Matt swims the Jewel
Jig through some scattered
coontail, but does not get any strikes.
9:20 AM: Matt pulls the trolling
motor. He says that it is time to
hit his primary area, a line of buck
brush islands up the main river.
9:46 AM: Matt begins fishing his primary area. He is flipping bushes with a
Jewel Eakins' Jig (Peanut butter jelly; 7/16 oz.). This area is really shallow.
The boat is sitting in about 1.5 feet of water.
9:47 AM: Matt immediately connects
with a keeper bass. This one looks
like a 1.75 pounder.
9:56 AM: Matt loses a good keeper.
It got under a bush. "I seen its head,
looked like a good one" he said.
10:04 AM: Matt misses another
fish. He is kind of upset about this
one.
10:12 AM: Matt catches a solid 3-pounder. He is starting to get "pumped".
10:15 AM: Matt catches a 12-incher.
It looks like the fish are eating his
jig good, as this fish has the bait in
the back of his throat.
10:22 AM: Matt gets a short strike
off of the tip of a bushy island.
10:25 AM: Matt catches a good
2-pounder close to where he lost
the previous fish. Things were
looking real good at this point. The
fish were chompin' and he has 4 in the box.
10:32 AM: Get 5!!!. Matt puts his 5th keeper, a 2.25 pounder in the boat.
Things are fast and furious.
10:56 AM: Matt catches his 6th keeper. He now starts the tedious chore of
culling, which is a good problem to have!
11:03 AM: The cull process is over.
Matt culls a 1 pound, 11 ounce bass.
11:18 AM: Matt catches a 1 pound,
10 ounce keeper. This one won't
help him and he culls it back into the
lake. Most of his strikes are coming
on the outside of the bushes.
11:42 AM: Matt catches a 2-pound,
7 ounce keeper. He culls a 1-pound,
15 ounce fish.
11:50 AM: Matt gets hung up in a bush. As he pops the bait out, a bass eats
it, runs under the boat and comes off.
12:20 PM: Matt catches another short fish after a lull in the action.
12:23 PM: Matt catches and releases
a 1 pound, 7 ounce keeper.
12:25 PM: Matt catches and releases
a 14-inch keeper.
12:30 PM: Matt catches and releases
a 1 pound, 12 ounce keeper. The
action is once again fast and furious.
1:03 PM: Matt catches a 2 pound,
1 ounce keeper. He has another one
that is the exact size in the box.
After carefully examining both of the fish, he culls the one that he has just
caught.
1:18 PM: Matt cranks the big motor for the first time since arriving here at
9:46. He moves to another set of islands in the same area.
1:48 PM: Matt catches and releases another 14-inch keeper.
2:24 PM: Matt announces that this will be his final cast. A solid fish takes
his jig and he puts it in the boat. We both thought that this bass might help
him cull. He weighs the fish. 2-pounds even. He slides it back into Wright
Patman.
2:25 PM: We leave the area and begin our ride back to the ramp. At this
point Matt does not believe that he has caught enough to win the Classic.
We estimate that he has between 11 and 12 pounds.
2:43 PM: We are now in within
sight of the launch. Matt pulls
out a Carolina-rigged Zoom
Centipede in hopes of catching one
more bass.
2:57 PM: Matt has ended his day.
It's time for a nerve wracking
weigh-in.
3:45 PM: Duke Gunnell
approaches the MBOA stage.
he needs just over 9 pounds to
take the lead. Duke weighs three bass that weigh 10-pounds even and takes
the top spot.......for now.
3:48 PM: Matt Lea takes the stage. He needs 9.72 pounds to win the
tournament. He thanks Joey Hurley for helping him find the area where he
caught his fish on days 2 and 3. Ronnie Everett announces the weight, 12.20
pounds...... Matt Lea is the 2008 Mr. Bass of Arkansas Champion!!!!
Keeper Count: Jewel Eakins' Jig (Peanut Butter Jelly; 7/16 oz.): 13 keepers
Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver (Oxblood): 1 keeper
Final Thoughts: What a day for Matt Lea. When questioned by Ronnie, he
said that he was nervous all day, but if he was he didn't show it. I thouroghly
enjoyed having the opportunity to watch Matt in action. He is an awesome
fisherman and person....He deserved this win.
Matt Lea is sponsored by: BassCat Boats, Mercury Outboards, St. Croix
Rods, Team Daiwa, and Jewel Bait Company.
7:09 AM: Matt Lea exchanges conversation
with another competitor shortly before the
launch.
with another competitor shortly before the
launch.
7:18 AM: Matt makes his first cast of the
morning in Kelly Creek.
morning in Kelly Creek.
7:57 AM: Matt puts a cull marker on his first
keeper of the morning.
keeper of the morning.
8:12 AM: Matt shortly before he catches a
small bass. He is casting the Sweet Beaver to a
small stretch of grass in front of the bushes
and working the bait back very slowly.
small bass. He is casting the Sweet Beaver to a
small stretch of grass in front of the bushes
and working the bait back very slowly.
9:46 AM: Matt begins fishing his primary area.
10:12 AM: Matt puts a good 3-pounder into the
livewell.
livewell.
10:56 - 11:03 AM: Matt goes through the
tedious chore that is the "cull process". He
culls a 1 pound, 11 ounce bass.
tedious chore that is the "cull process". He
culls a 1 pound, 11 ounce bass.
12:20 PM: Matt slings the Jewel Eakins' Jig to
the point of a bushy island. Most of his fish on
this day would come near these points.
the point of a bushy island. Most of his fish on
this day would come near these points.
3:48 PM: Matt Lea thanks Joey Hurley for
helping him find the fish that won the 2008
Mr. Bass of Arkansas Classic.
helping him find the fish that won the 2008
Mr. Bass of Arkansas Classic.
2:25 PM: We leave Matt's primary area. He
does not believe that he has caught enough to
win the Classic.
does not believe that he has caught enough to
win the Classic.
8:41 AM: Matt works a buzz frog over matted
vegetation.
vegetation.