LUFKIN, Texas — In Bassmaster Elite Series tournaments, the anglers land a keeper and unless it culls, place the fish into the livewell. Duplicate that act here and the process is more time-consuming.
In cast-for-cast angling seconds count. Every cast matters. Any toss of the lure could mean $100,000.
For the most part the scoring is performed on the water at Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest. Fishing stops until a fish is measured, the judge holds the scales and the bass are weighed. Fishing resumes only after the angler and judge follow all the necessary scoring protocol.
Do fewer casts matter? Do the anglers approach the day any different?
Here are the answers to those questions, along with other unique insights discovered along the way with the scoring criteria.
Michael Iaconelli: Don’t spook the school
The New Jersey pro is a veteran of the Toyota Texas Bass Classic, where the catch-score-release formula originated for this event. Recent innovations to marine technology and equipment have made a difference in time lost.
“When you catch one there is a little time lost but you get that back with things like Power-Poles and Spot-Lock.”
Power-Poles are the shallow water anchoring systems that allow the user to anchor the boat in place with the touch of a key fob worn around the neck. Minn Kota’s Spot-Lock uses GPS to lock the boat in place and hold it position with the trolling motor.
Iaconelli learned by trial and error, the hard way, about another strategy that is specific to this format.
“You can spook deep, tightly schooled bass when releasing a bass back on top of them,” he said.
Iaconelli made the discovery a few years ago at the TTBC on Lake Conroe. He noticed a pattern developing when releasing a bass back into the school. It shut down.
“I learned the hard way to troll the boat 20 or 30 yards and then release the fish,” he added.
Randy Howell: Carefree fishing
Randy Howell likes the opportunities created by releasing a bass into the original area where it was caught.
“It’s a good feeling to release a bass and know that fish might swim back to the same spot where I caught it,” he said. “You never know, that same fish might see my bait again and bite it.”
“If not, at least I know another angler might have the chance to catch it and experience what we all enjoy about fishing,” he added.
Not having to fill livewells, add fish care products and the worry-free thought of an empty livewell is also appealing.
“I spend more time with my mind on the game than monitoring the livewell,” he added.
Jordan Lee: Worry-free angling
Jordan Lee experienced a benefit of the format on Day 1.
“I caught a deep bass that I released immediately after scoring it,” he said. “That was a worry-free day for me, knowing that fish was scored and healthy back in the lake.”
Not having to continually check on fish in a livewell is another aspect of the format embraced by Lee.
“It gives me more time for fishing and less worry about how my fish are doing.”