Bass Tournament News

B.A.S.S. News

B.A.S.S. Reporter’s Notebook: A more savvy Kyle Fox is ready for the Elites; Boat giveaway marks 50 years for Rebel; A ‘who’s who’ of the Red; and … Plan for it with a Planner

A more savvy Kyle Fox is ready for the Elites: It is somewhat ironic that after only one season in the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Opens, Florida-born and Southern-bred angler Kyle Fox made it into the 2012 Bassmaster Elite Series. The irony is sharper because his Northern success came after toiling four seasons in the closer-to-home Bassmaster Southern and Central Opens.

Although the Elites came to him from an unexpected direction, Fox sees his five years in the minors as necessary for an angler who wants to become a well-rounded pro.

“It was all a learning experience,” he said. “I feel I’ve taken something from all the tournaments I’ve been in, things that will help me in the Elites.”

And time, after all, was on his side. He was 19 years-old in 2007 when he set out on his journey to be an Elite. He’ll be 23 when he competes in his first two Elite events. Even when he turns 24 in April, he still will be one of the youngest in the field.

Fox can’t remember a time without fishing. He cut his angling teeth on Florida fisheries and became a Bassmaster Junior angler. When he decided to go for pro status in 2007, he elected the Bassmaster Southern Open circuit. From 2008 through 2010, he fished both the Southern and Central divisions. He competed in dual divisions for four years, but each time fell short of the qualifying cut.

In 2011, he again went with the Southern Opens. But he made the decision to pass on the Central and try the Northern Open division instead. He says he wasn’t thinking that the Northerns would lead to the Elites. He was after only what he could learn from the Northern’s 2011 stops: vast and open Lake Erie, the smallmouth factory of Oneida Lake in upstate New York, and the tidal James River.

He discovered that almost everything about the three Northern fisheries was foreign to him.

“I’d never had to target smallmouth, fish in open water, or fish a dropshot or a tube. I spent all my practice time before a tournament to figure out each new thing for myself,” he said.

Becoming his own teacher, he proved to be a good student. He finished 30th on the James, 12th on Erie, and 36th on Oneida. That shook down to fourth place in Northern points, within the top-five cutline for an Elite invitation.

Achieving his goal was not, as some might think, redemption for his missed chance in 2007. After his first Open season in 2007, he qualified for the Wild Card tournament, a “last chance” for Open anglers to advance to the Elite level that year. He finished 24th, not high enough.

Fox now sees he wasn’t ready at that age.

“I hadn’t had the experience I needed,” he said. “I would have jumped into the Elites and probably got my butt whooped, and never tried it ever again.”

Boat giveaway marks 50 years for Rebel: Avid angler George Perrin of Fort Smith, Ark., did not like to fish with minnow baits made of wood. They tended to run to the right or to the left. A lure made of wood also absorbed water, dulling the action.

What he wanted was consistency. Owner of a factory that made plastic parts for refrigerators and air conditioners, Perrin decided he could make a better minnow bait out of hard plastic.

He designed a 3 1/2-inch prototype, and took it to Lake Ouachita for testing. Several versions later, he hit on the right shape, size and action for his ultimate plastic minnow bait. Perrin named his creation after the mascot of his daughter’s high school — the Rebel — and began to sell the lure.

That was in 1962. Today, the Rebel F10 Minnow is still being sold, alongside many other Rebel products as well as parent PRADCO’s 10 other lure brands, from the venerable Bomber and Cotton Cordell names to the more recent Booyah and Yum.

In 2012, PRADCO Fishing will mark the 50th year of the F10 and decades of making many other fishing products under the Rebel brand.

No small part of the celebration is the Rebel Lures 50th Anniversary Boat Giveaway, a contest that will end with a drawing on Feb. 26 at the 2012 Bassmaster Classic in Shreveport, La.

Wrapped in Rebel Lures 50th Anniversary graphics, the boat is a Skeeter FX21 powered by a Yamaha SHO 250-hp engine. Top-line features include a Minn Kota Fortrex 36-volt trolling motor, Humminbird 1197 electronics with side scan technology at the dash, a Humminbird 997 mapping unit on the bow, and a Power Pole on the back. The dual-axle trailer has surge brakes and a Toughcoat Trailer Protection surface.

Entries are now being accepted at Lurenet.com’s Facebook page. All that’s required is to “like” Lurenet.com, complete the entry form, and answer a few questions. No is purchase necessary to enter. One entry per person is allowed, whether made online or in person at the Classic.

The winner does not have to be present at the Classic drawing to claim the boat, but if the boat winner is on hand, he or she will also take home a $5,000 bonus package of fishing tackle.

A ‘who’s who’ of the Red: The Red River, fishery for the upcoming 2012 Bassmaster Classic, has hosted 10 other pro-level Bassmaster events since 2000.

That doesn’t mean that most of the 49 qualifiers for the 2012 Classic are on familiar ground — er, water. But many do know their way around the Red. And many can look back now at past tournaments and see how they’ve got some good Red karma going for the Feb. 24-26 Classic out of Shreveport-Bossier City, La.

Two of the 49 anglers, Brent Chapman and Davy Hite, have earned Red River trophies in Bassmaster events. Chapman won the Louisiana Central Invitational in May 2000. Hite got it done on the Red in a November 2001 Louisiana Bassmaster Tour event.

Michael Iaconelli is the de facto Red River defending champ because of his runner-up finish in the 2009 Red River Classic to Skeet Reese, who didn’t qualify for the 2012 Classic. Toss in the good Louisiana vibes for Iaconelli’s Classic crown won on the Delta in 2003, and Iaconelli has a good thing going.

Several other current qualifiers turned in notable 2009 Classic performances on the Red: Edwin Evers, fifth; Aaron Martens, ninth; Casey Ashley, 13th; Alton Jones, 14th; and Kevin Wirth, 15th.

Evers, by the way, rolled all over the Red earlier in the decade. He was seventh in the 2000 Invitational won by Chapman; 11th in the derby Hite won in 2001; and 25th in a 2002 Central Open.

In that same 2002 Open, three 2012 Classic qualifiers hit the top 10: Mark Tucker was third; Greg Hackney (the only 2012 qualifier who lives in Louisiana) was fourth, and Chapman was 10th.

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