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Top 10 Baits & Patterns: How They Caught ’em in the Heavy Hitters Championship Round
Photo - Garrick Dixon A noted sight-fishing expert, Jones secured the victory while looking at all 12 of the bass he caught during the Championship Round. The majority of his catches during the Knockout Round also came by fishing for spawning fish.
“I caught some (in the Knockout Round) with a Zoom Magnum Trick Worm with a 3/32-ounce weight,” Jones said. “(In the final round) every fish was on the tube. It was easier to fish around the cover, and I was casting over little pieces of cover and working the bait up and down to work the bait and keep it in one place.”
Jones relied on a Canyon Plastics 3 3/4-inch Original Gitzit Tube in #00B (Brown Melon/Black and Purple Glitter) with a 3/16-ounce Reins Tungsten weight and rigged on a 4/0 Owner 4X Jungle Flipping Hook.
Jones Puts on a Sight-Fishing Clinic for Heavy Hitters Win; Sprague Lands $100,000 Big Bass
APRIL 14, 2021 • MASON PRINCE • BASS PRO TOUR
Photo - Garrick Dixon RALEIGH, N.C. – Alton Jones is the winner of General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops after a dominating performance on Shearon Harris Reservoir to end a memorable week outside of Raleigh, North Carolina. The win was Jones’ first win on the Bass Pro Tour and the seventh tour-level win of his career.
Jones wasn’t the only Texas pro to take home $100,000 during the Championship Round. Fellow Texan Jeff Sprague finished second to Jones on SCORETRACKER®, but also caught a 5-pound, 3-ounce largemouth that earned him $100,000 for the biggest bass caught in the Championship Round. Sprague was able to edge out Jones by just 3 ounces for Berkley Big Bass honors.
Jones Was In the Championship Zone
Alton Jones’ son, Alton Jones Jr., tweeted earlier Wednesday morning that if the Championship Round of Heavy Hitters turned into a sight-fishing derby, his money was on his old man. Junior’s faith in his father’s sight-fishing ability proved to be prophetic as Senior separated himself from the other nine anglers decisively.
Jones beat out Sprague by 15-5 and was the only angler in the Championship Round to register more than 10 bass to SCORETRACKER®. That even more impressive considering the scorable bass weight threshold was raised to 3 pounds for the final round.
The Bass Force pro knew he had the win locked up for much of the final hour. When his MLF official gave him the good news, Jones was overcome with emotion.
“This feels so good and I’m so grateful,” Jones said through tears moments after being named the winner. “It’s been a long time since I’ve won an event. I’ve always said the three most important things in bass fishing are: location, location and location. That was absolutely the key for me today. You can be doing the right thing in the wrong place and not catch them.”
The Garmin pro’s location was one that he found during his lone practice day on Shearon Harris. It was an area that he knew he was going to have to sight fish with a Texas-rigged tube.
“I knew in practice I found several areas that were going to be productive,” Jones said. “The place that I did my damage in today was where I started Tuesday morning and I didn’t even catch a fish there. I pulled in there today and there was a fish spawning every 20 feet. I was blessed with some really good fish.”
Alton Jones pulled his 49 pounds worth of fish in the Knockout Round
MAJOR LEAGUE FISHING/GARRICK DIXON - Prior to the start of the Bass Pro Tour event in Raleigh, N.C., Alton Jones said the event should be right in his wheelhouse. The veteran from Texas backed up his words in the Knockout Round.
Jones caught 12 fish from Falls Lake that combined to weigh 49-01 to lead the contingent of 10 anglers who advanced to the Championship Round at Shearon Harris Reservoir. His haul was highlighted by a 7 1/2-pounder that he caught with 30 minutes to fish.
"It was a fun day, but I had to work for every bite I got," he said. "Once I figured out how to get some bites, I just had to find as much of that kind of water as I could and cover it effectively. It wasn't like I had a magic spot or anything like that." Read More
New tour, new healthier lifestyle for 2019
Photo by Garrick Dixon - February 10, 2019 So many people have New Year’s resolutions, but I have a “New Tour” resolution, and it started long before the new year.
I came to grips with the new format of the MLF Bass Pro Tour I’d be fishing, and it made me realize I’d need a change for sure. I needed to become healthier and more fit if I was going to succeed fishing a season-long tour with the physical demands the MLF Bass Pro Tour format brings.
So I changed up my lifestyle a bit. I realized that at my age I needed to be in better shape because I can’t recover as fast in my 50s as I could in my 20s. I started out weighing 230 pounds and not being in shape. I never thought I’d be able to run again without a lot of pain. My goal was to get down to 195 pounds.
As I write this, I weigh 189 pounds.
I have to say, I’m proud of my achievement. I love to eat, and anyone who knows me knows that. I’ll go into my diet at another time. No “Mr. Universe” workouts for me. I just changed my eating habits and started to walk.
As my program progressed, I’ve built up to walking about 2 miles a day and running about ¾ of a mile too! I thought that would never happen, but lo and behold, I’m doing it! My aching back has gone away with the weight. The physical fitness certainly will help the mental fitness on the water this season. I can’t wait to see how the season unfolds.
After the first event, I have to say I didn’t know I could feel this excited and engaged again. I felt as excited as a young man entering his first club tourney. I’m so thankful to be fishing this tour.
Ready for Lake Conroe
Now for Lake Conroe. I have some experience there, and I expect some big bass to be caught for sure. It’s a real trophy lake.
I’ll likely start fishing with a ⅜-ounce double willow leaf War Eagle spinnerbait. I’ll let the water clarity dictate the skirt color. The other lure is a ⅜-ounce Booyah jig in black and blue.
I’ll fish both baits methodically and slowly. The fish aren’t fired up yet, but they could be with a warming trend.
Bass Pro Tour Schedule
Results
MAJOR LEAGUE FISHING BASS PRO TOUR 2024 SCHEDULE:
Jan. 30- Feb. 4 Stage One at Toledo Bend Many, La.
Hosted by Toledo Bend Lake Country
Feb. 20-25 Stage Two at Santee Cooper Lakes Clarendon County, S.C.
Hosted by the Clarendon County Chamber of Commerce
March 14-17 REDCREST 2024 at Lay Lake Birmingham, Ala.
Hosted by the Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau
April 9-14 Stage Three at Dale Hollow Lake Byrdstown, Tenn.
Hosted by the Byrdstown-Pickett County Chamber of Commerce
April 30- May 5 Stage Four at Lake Eufaula Eufaula, Okla.
Hosted by Vision Eufaula
May 18-23 General Tire Heavy Hitters at Kissimmee Chain Kissimmee, Fla.
Hosted by the Kissimmee Sports Commission
June 4-9 Stage Five at the Chowan River Edenton, N.C.
Hosted by the Town of Edenton, the Chowan County Tourism Development Authority and Harbor Towns Cruises
June 25-30 Stage Six at the James River Richmond, Va.
Hosted by Richmond Region Tourism
