News

Edwin Evers' son signs autographs just before dad's big win.

Things can happen fast at Kentucky Lake. Whether it’s first thing in the morning on the first spot of the day or in the waning moments of the afternoon, there are periods of time where the fishing can be absolutely unrivaled. During these feeding frenzies, it’s not uncommon to hook fish on multiple casts in a row. While most competitors who’ve fished Kentucky Lake in the past say the schools aren’t as numerous or voluminous as they’ve been in previous years, there are still opportunities to get groups of fish fired up. Timing is a big part of the equation. Luck accounts for the rest. Tim Horton had two occasions today where he caught three fish within five casts. Brett Hite had a four-cast sequence that netted him four keepers this morning. Brandon Lester said he had 19 pounds in four casts this morning, including a double on a crankbait. Edwin Evers also had a memorable sequence this morning, capped off by an 8-pounder that catapulted him into the lead after 2 days of BASSFest. It anchored his 27-02 stringer that made him the only angler to crack the 50-pound mark at the halfway point. “I’m super-excited,” said Evers, who has 51-02 heading into the off day. “That 8-pounder was a blessing. That goes a long ways.” Read more: http://www.bassfan.com/news_article/7270/evers-catches-an-8-becomes-firs...

When you get right down to it, we don't catch bass on lures or live baits. We catch them on hooks — single hooks, treble hooks, even double hooks. Without hooks, we simply don't catch bass. Which is why it's so surprising that otherwise good anglers don't put more emphasis on the hooks they use. For me and most of the Bassmaster Elite Series anglers, hooks are a big deal. If you’re an experienced bass angler, you know that you need to match the hook you're using with the application or method you’re fishing. Mismatched hooks are a sure way to lose fish — if you can even get them to bite. A lot goes into my choosing the right hook for the job, and I carry a lot of hooks with me when I fish a tournament. Few things are more frustrating than not having the right tool for the job, and hooks are among the most important tools an angler uses. Today's hooks are mostly a lot better than the hooks that were available on the market when I was just getting into fishing. Back then, every serious angler carried a hook hone or whetstone with him just to sharpen hooks as they were used throughout the day. Today's hooks are much sharper and much stronger than those of 20 or 30 years ago. In fact, they're so much sharper, that it usually makes more sense to throw away a dull hook than it does to try to sharpen it. If you take a premium hook out of the package today and run it over a hone a few times, you haven't sharpened it — you've dulled it! About the only time I try to sharpen a modern hook is when I've noticed something very minor that I think I can quickly and easily fix with just a couple of passes over the sharpening stone. Maybe I detect a burr or some little thing like that. If it's something more, the solution is simple. Throw that hook away and get a new one. Since today's hooks are almost all very sharp, it's usually other qualities I'm looking for when selecting a hook. One of the big factors is diameter. Basically, I want hooks that are thin and strong, but those two qualities are typically at the opposite ends of the spectrum from each other. Thin hooks are not the strongest, but they penetrate well on the hookset. Thick hooks are very strong, but it takes more to get good penetration. Generally, if I'm using light line or making long casts, I'm going to use a light, thin-diameter hook. If I'm using heavy line and fishing close, I can get away with a thicker, heavier hook. But there are exceptions to this general rule. Single hooks With soft plastic baits and jigs, we're generally using single hooks, and since most soft plastics don't come with hooks, it means we get to match the baits up with the hooks of our choice. No room for excuses here! I do a lot of pitching and flipping — close-range fishing with heavy line in heavy cover. For that kind of application, I want a really stout hook that won't bend or flex much. My choice is the Mustad Denny Brauer Grip Pin Max Flippin' Hook, and most of the time (about 90 percent), I'm using a 4/0 model. What I like about that hook is that it won't bend. A big reason for lost fish when flipping and pitching is that your hook "gives" just enough to pull free in heavy cover. It doesn't happen with this hook. Now I want to tell you something about my hook selection when flipping and pitching that may surprise you. When I'm pitching and punching heavy cover, I will drop down a size or two (my favorite size is 3/0) because the smaller hook will penetrate the cover better and is less likely to catch on something when I'm trying to pull a bass out of the mat. Most guys want the biggest hook they can get for this method, but not me.

Edwin Evers earned big Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing bonus points on Day 1 of the Bassmaster Elite at Lake Havasu presented by Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels, and then he went on finish in third place. Players who picked him did best. His 40-point big-bag bonus and his 5-point Day 1 leader bonus pushed him head-and-shoulders above anyone in his bucket. Here’s the perfect team: Bucket A: Aaron Martens, Clifford Pirch, 305 points B: Brent Ehrler, 251 C: Edwin Evers, 335 D: David Williams, 280 E: Takahiro Omori, 285 Total: 1,456 No Fantasy Fishing player achieved a score that high. A: Martens, Pirch Bucket A may have been the toughest Bucket A to choose from in the history of Bucket A. Thankfully for fans of Aaron Martens and Clifford Pirch, the two anglers tied at 305 points, putting Martens’ 20.3 percent of owners and Pirch’s 11.6 percent at the top. The most popular pick in the bucket was Dean Rojas, who was the next-highest-scoring angler. He earned 276 points for his 43.5 percent of owners. The next-best angler to pick was Justin Lucas. He was owned by only 2 percent of players, but he delivered 229 points. See how stacked Bucket A was? All four of those pros were in the Top 12. The bucket had a couple of other popular picks who disappointed. Three big names — Mike Iaconelli, Kevin VanDam and Skeet Reese — had middling ownership numbers (3.3 percent, 5.8 and 4.8, respectively) and middling Fantasy Fishing scores to go along with them (167 points, 159 and 131, respectively). B: Ehrler Very few people lost big points in Bucket B. In this case, the sheeple were right. Brent Ehrler was the pick by 42.9 percent of the bucket, and he was the best with 251 points. Other popular picks were Bobby Lane and Greg Hackney at 9.5 percent each. They scored 205 and 189 points, respectively. The hardest hit were owners of Todd Faircloth, 9.1 percent, at only 139 points and Mike McClelland, 7.8 percent at 119 points. Every other angler in the bucket was a low pick, around 3 percent or fewer owners. If you didn’t pick Ehrler, you would have done well with Jeff Kriet, 2.6 percent, at 237 points; Dennis Tietje, 0.1 percent, 227; or Randy Howell, 2.7 percent, 221. C: Evers Edwin Evers paid huge dividends for the Fantasy Fishing players who had faith in him.