Ever hear of those one-fly tourneys, where fly anglers get only one fly and when that’s done, they’re done? Sometimes when my wife is talking and I space out…I wonder whether a bassin’ version of that might be a lot of fun.
Meaning ONE bait of your choice, fish it all day, that’s it. Maybe you pick it at the beginning of the day. Or maybe everyone has to use the same style of bait, like a jig-n-pig. Or a Rat-L-Trap, which actually recently happened at Texas’ Lake Sam Rayburn.
The First Annual (no such thing, but that’s okay) Rat-L-Trap Classic (another tourney named a Classic?!) – meaning Trap-only – happened the weekend before last. Naturally the tourney was sponsored by Bill Lewis Lures, and bassers could only fish with Rat-L-Traps. Cool!
Nobody I could find really cover the event, but here are some deets from this article:
> The Top 10 individual big bass weighed every hour from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m. got an award. Then, between 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. the biggest stringer got the guaranteed 1st-place check of $10,000.
The best image of "copper bleeding craw" I could find.
> Dicky Newberry won the overall event, bringing in five fish at a total of 26.44 pounds. “I used a copper bleeding craw color today,” he said. He won a total of $11,150, including a $250 bonus for wearing Rat-L-Trap attire during the bonus hour with the biggest fish of that hour.
> Full derby results here.
So what and where would you like for a one-bait tourney? I’d like to see one on any lake, largies or smallies, and all you can fish is the lowly curl-tail grub. Or maybe a Carolina-rig.
I’d also like to see a flipping- or cranking-only pro tourney, the former in Arkansas somewhere, the latter in North Carolina.
12 Comments
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Dean
March 14, 2011 at 1:21 pm
They have or had a rouge tournament every year at lake of the ozarks. I never made it up there to fish one but it sounds like fun
Jason
March 14, 2011 at 1:46 pm
Newberry is a stud. He won a Stren Series event on Rayburn in ’08 and used a Trap to catch most of his fish in that tournament.
I don’t think fishing a Trap all day is anything new to him.
Jody White
March 14, 2011 at 2:40 pm
Drop-shot tournament on Lake George (New York). Or a frog tournament on the Cal Delta. Now that would be fun.
Jack McGee
March 14, 2011 at 3:52 pm
Doesn’t Gambler sponsor a tournament format like this? You must use Gambler products only? I think Snag Proof is following suit as well?
5bites
March 14, 2011 at 4:33 pm
I’ve fished a spinnerbait and jig only derby. The local custom tackle shop (now gone) had it on Grand. If anything good came of it the boats were fast!
Jesse Hall
March 14, 2011 at 5:20 pm
An all jigs tourney would be sweet!
Martin
March 14, 2011 at 6:50 pm
Any of these tournaments would be fun, as long as it makes some sense on the particular body of water : jerkbaits, crankbaits, TOPWATERS !, jigs, frogs… You could learn a thing or two
Chad Keogh
March 14, 2011 at 7:13 pm
Topwater only (wakebaits count)… Lake Amistad or Falcon… starts at sunset on the full moon when the bass are in full-blown spawn mode.
Ryan T
March 14, 2011 at 7:47 pm
Snagproof does one each year. I think a number of the big dogs fish it each year.
Bass Pundit
March 14, 2011 at 8:04 pm
Can’t believe you have never heard of the Snag Proof Opens where you can only fish a Snagproof Frog. They have them at the Cal Delta and Gunterville and added Leech Lake in MN last year.
admin (mostly Jay)
March 15, 2011 at 9:23 am
I didn’t even know Snagproof was still around!
BryanT
March 15, 2011 at 9:52 am
Falcon and you can only use a watermelon candy brushog with chartreuse dipped tails, or L Erie and can only use poor boys darters.