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One brand of lures has slapped a hot, red mark on the face of Mr. Bass during the 2007-08 Heartland tournament season sponsored by Tracker Marine/Nitro Boats, O’Reilly Auto Parts and Mercury Marine. Chompers.
Be it multiple wins during Heartland Team Series events or helping anglers place in the money during all Heartland events, baits made by Table Rock Bait & Tackle Company are proven winners. These baits are responsible for literally thousands of dollars of winnings this season and Table Rock Lake bass in May fell prey to these lures as well.
Competing in the Heartland Team Series tournament, 110 eager teams fished Table Rock Lake to stay in contention for a Top 40 berth at the end of the season. The anglers found bass to be in a mixed mood. With the water high in the bushes, teams had several choices to catch a limit of fish. Some anglers went out to deep water to find the remaining pre-spawn fish. Others hit the banks in search of post-spawners guarding fry and spawning fish buried up under the brush.
Weights were down in the “normal” range as compared to the April event but the competition was as fierce as ever. With six boats worth more than $130,000 on the line during the Heartland Team Series Championship, the best Midwest anglers are always ready.
Fishing shallow, the team of Jerry McCutchen and Sonny Chafin were able to find two kicker fish in their bag to win the event with 16.32 lbs. They also had a 5.43 lb largemouth to take Big Bass honors for the day. The team focused on the White River arm where there was a little more color to the water. The way they fished wasn’t for the faint of heart who detests gel coat scratches or firewood in the boat.
Jerry said they had to shove the boat back into the brush to get to where the fish were holding. Most of the bites were coming on the points of flat pockets. They also used the rope/winch method to horse their bites out from under cedar trees and the center of gnarly green bushes. A 7 1/2 foot heavy action St. Croix rod with 25 lb Bass Pro Shops XPS fluorocarbon line was essential to moving the fish out from heavy cover. They found the bass would bite a 5/8 oz Chompers black/blue jig matched with a Chompers twin-tailed grub. Jerry and Sonny were able to cull through 12 keepers which came in 5-8 feet of water.
The victory was worth $3600 plus $1080 for Big Bass. The win also catapulted the team far out in front of the year-to-date Team Series race with 936 points, 46 points in front of the nearest team. Jerry is sponsored by Blue Springs Ford, Chompers, Evinrude Motors, Lowrance, Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World – Independence, Master Stitcher Custom Boat Covers, Hummin’Bird, Roth’s Bass World, Shoreline Fiberglass Repair, Smithville Marine, St. Croix Rods, Stratos Boats, and Trojan Batteries. Sonny is the owner of Table Rock Bait Company, the maker of Chompers baits.
Jerry McCutchen —Camden, MO
Sonny chafin —Ozark, MO
Lake level: 929.28', rising, 915' normal pool.
Air Temp: 55-79 º Clear & Sunny. SW wind 5-15 mph
Water Temp: 63-67 º
Water Color:Clear Main Lake, Stained in River Arms
• Fish were holding under heavy cover in the White River arm
• The bite was from both spawning and post-spawn bass
• Caught keepers on a 5/8 oz. black and blue Chompers brush jig tipped with a matching twin-tail Chompers trailer.
Chompers Baits Lift Jerry McCutchen and Sonny Chafin to Another
2nd Place – Darren Plank, Nixa, MO and Larry Wilcox, Kimberling City, MO
A 15.49 lb limit put the team of Darren Plank and Larry Wilcox in 2nd Place. They ran up the James River arm to flip bushes with a 5/8 oz jig tipped with a #11 Uncle Josh pork chunk in the flooded bushes. They also had to push their way into the brush to catch about 20 keepers during the day.
Darren and Larry found the fish holding in up to 6 feet of water on secondary points and in the very back of pockets in the stained water. They pocketed $2000 for 2nd Place plus $650 for 2nd Big Bass at 4.39 lbs. Darren is sponsored by Champion Boats and Table Rock Tackle & Marine. Larry is sponsored by All Pet Supply and West Plains Veterinary Supply.
3rd Place – Jeremy Fly, Clever, MO and Marc Czachowski, Spokane, MO
A big sack of smallmouths deposited the team of Jeremy Fly and Marc Czachowski into 3rd Place by pushing to the scales to 15.38 lbs. They went towards the dam and targeted the long, flat gravel points at the mouth of spawning coves. 35 to 40 feet was the magic depth for the team and they used tubes on a heavy homemade jig head to entice the brown bass.
The key to the bite was identifying the fish on the electronics before working the area. Jeremy and Marc pocketed $1500 for their work. Marc is sponsored by Pro Craft Boats.
