TULSA, Okla. — Of the countless isolated brushpiles on Grand Lake only one sticks on the mind of Alton Jones. Tomorrow he plans to go back to that very bush to settle the score of what happened today.
Day 3 is a pivotal one at the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro. So why does the current sixth place angler begin his day at such a tiny spot?
The answer is a 5-pound largemouth that shook free in a tournament where every ounce counts. Jones isn’t going back just to try and catch the missed fish. There is more to the reason for returning, although catching that same bass is possible.
“It’s one of those special places where you don’t know every intricate detail about what’s on the bottom to attract fish that size,” he said. “Tomorrow with the wind picking it could possibly flush some up from deeper water.”
If that happens the 5-pounder will have welcomed company. Yesterday the brushpile produced a crucial 4-pounder so it’s possible. Tomorrow could make the spot even better.
Wind makes the bass more active on Grand Lake. Stronger winds—gusts to 30 miles per hour are forecast—amplify the movement here.
The fish in question inhaled a Booyah Jig pitched into the shallow brushpile near a boat dock surrounded by deeper water. Jones did everything he could to keep it on the hook.
“Five pounders have a much tougher inner skin that is tough to penetrate with any jig hook,” he said. “This bass went into full reverse and just shook loose.”
Jones isn’t worried about anyone knowing his starting point. The leaders for the final day already have their strategies dialed in, just like him.
Howell’s close call
Randy Howell, currently in eighth place, had slightly better luck than Jones with a stubborn fish. Fishing a spinnerbait the eighth place angler set the hook on a bass only to realize it was stuck on a log. Howell maneuvered to the log to discover the lure imbedded in the log and the fish impaled on the trailer hook.
“I don’t like fishing with trailer hooks but this time it came in handy,” he admitted.
For Day 3 Howell knows the wind is going to blow and the spinnerbait likely will be stowed away.
“Here the wind makes the fish more aggressive and I’ll switch back to the crankbait,” he added.
Howell hopes the wind adds just the right drama to the final day of competition on Grand Lake. Drama is a topic he knows all about after his come-from-behind Classic win in 2014.
“Tomorrow is what every sports fan wants in any game,” he said. “Everybody wants an exciting and dramatic win and we have the chance for that to happen here.”
Wind is his friend
Dean Rojas welcomes the forecasted wind of the final day for more reasons than Howell.
“It means a falling barometer and that will improve the fishing for everyone,” he said. “I’ll take the wind to catch up the weight.”
Rojas, currently in 14th place took note of the wind as one of many conditions responsible for his better success later this week.
“It’s going to continue warming up and I plan to take full advantage of it,” he concluded.