Douglas Lake was created in 1943 when the Tennessee Valley Authority dammed the French Broad River for flood control and hydroelectric power generation purposes. The lake covers more than 30,000 surface acres at full pool and has over 500 miles of shoreline. It was named for Douglas Bluff, a cliff overlooking the dam site prior to construction.
This is the third B.A.S.S. event on Douglas Lake and the first Elite Series event to be held there. The first B.A.S.S. event on Douglas was the 2001 MegaBucks tournament won by Rick Clunn. The second was the 2011 Southern Open won by Bobby Ferguson.
This will be the 27th B.A.S.S. event held in the State of Tennessee. The first was the Tennessee National on Watts Bar Lake in 1972. That tournament was won by Roland Martin. Of the Tennessee waters hosting B.A.S.S. tournaments, Old Hickory Lake leads the way with 7; Tennessee cities on Kentucky Lake and Chickamauga Lake have hosted five each.
Though Bobby Ferguson won the 2011 Southern Open on Douglas Lake, he did not earn a berth in the 2012 Bassmaster Classic because he did not fish all three Southern Opens that year. The tournament was Ferguson’s first B.A.S.S. event … and so far his last, as well. He became the 27th angler in history to win the first B.A.S.S. tournament he ever fished and the fourth to never fish another (of course, this could change).
The 2001 MegaBucks tournament was held at the very same time of year as this week’s Elite event, though the weather looks to be very different. In 2001, the lake was just below its normal pool level â about where it is right now. This week, air temperatures are expected to range from the low 60s to the mid 80s. In 2001, it was much colder. Lows were in the 40s, and daytime highs were in the 70s.
The 2001 MegaBucks tournament featured several Elite Series pros among the top finishers. Along with Rick Clunn (the winner), Dean Rojas was second, Mark Davis was third, Kenyon Hill was eighth, Gerald Swindle was ninth (and had big bass for the event with 5-3), Davy Hite was 10th and Alton Jones was 12th. In all, 15 current Elite pros finished in the top 40 in that event.
Clunn won the 2001 MegaBucks event by cranking Mann’s 30+, Norman DD22 and Poe’s 300 crankbaits and flipping and Carolina rigging a Luck “E” Strike Ring Daddy tube/craw. Limits were easy to come by (142 of the 143 competitors had a 5-bass limit on the first day), but the fish were extremely small. The average bass for the event weighed just 1.58 pounds, one of the smallest average weights in B.A.S.S. history.
Bobby Lane has limited on 30 consecutive competition days (going back to last March). It’s the second longest such streak of his career (he went 47 consecutive competition days in 2008-09 â the second longest streak ever). Kevin VanDam has the record with 57 straight limits.
Brent Chapman (currently leading the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year race) has made the cut to the top 12 in three consecutive Elite Series events. Only six anglers have made it four or more times in a row. The record is six straight by Skeet Reese (who also had a separate streak of five in a row).
If Kevin VanDam can make the first cut after Friday’s competition, he will tie his own Elite Series record of 16 consecutive Top 50 cuts. Right now, of course, he’s at 15. The only other angler who has made 15 consecutive Top 50 cuts is Todd Faircloth, who did it in 2007-08. VanDam’s earlier streak of 16 in a row came in 2008-10. Throughout his Elite career, VanDam has made 93.22 percent of all Top 50 cuts â almost 10 percent ahead of the next best angler, Skeet Reese.