200 Couples to Compete in Championship

ATHENS, Ala. – The top 200 angling couples from across the nation will converge on LaGrange, Ga., from Aug. 30-Sept. 4 to compete in the 2010 American Bass Anglers Couples Series National Championship tournament.

Running out of Highland Marina Resort, the anglers will fish West Point Lake, a 25,900-acre impoundment on the Alabama-Georgia state line. The competitors practice Aug. 30 and Sept. 2. Then, the two-day tournament opens at safe light Sept. 3, repeating on Sept. 4. The weigh-in begins at 3 p.m. each day.

“We’re expecting teams from 15 states to compete,” said Debra Talley, ABA national marketing director. “We have many couples from Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina who compete in these tournaments. The residents of LaGrange and surrounding areas are invited to come out and watch the excitement as anglers anxiously await their final placement and the opportunity to become the national champions. The winning team will receive a 6-night, 7-day trip to Hawaii.”

Visiting anglers filling up hotel rooms, eating in restaurants and buying supplies make a significant economic impact to a community like LaGrange, said Laura Jennings, tourism director for the hosting LaGrange-Troup County Chamber of Commerce. The town plans a special welcome for all the competitors and tournament officials.

“We host about 90 major bass tournaments at year on West Point Lake, but the ABA Couples Series National Championship is extra special,” Jennings said. “People will not only fall in love with the fishing here, but will also be enamored with the charm of our community. It’s a great time of year to visit Lagrange. We are working on a welcome reception and we’ll have other special things for the competitors.”

Competitors qualify through various state couples trail events, Talley explained. The anglers fish as teams each day, weighing their top five bass. Everyone competes both days with the winning cumulative catch taking the top prize. The tournament pays cash for other high finishes and awards door prizes from various sponsors.

“It’s a really enjoyable time for the couples,” Talley said. “Couples do not need to be married. They just need to be a male/female team. Often, the women are the ones who beg the men to fish.”

Lorna Poe, 26, of Charlotte, N.C., echoed that sentiment. She fishes with Kyle Whisnant of Morganton, N.C. On her first season on the trail, the 2002 Miss Teen North Carolina and a third runner-up to Miss North Carolina traded her tiara for a trolling motor.

“I never thought I’d be fishing bass tournaments, but I love fishing couples events,” the beauty queen said. “I’m excited to fish in the championship, even more than when I was in pageants. I didn’t fish before I met Kyle. I realized that if I wanted to spend any time with Kyle, I’d have to go out onto the lake with him. Now, it’s always me asking Kyle to go fishing. I really love trying to figure out how to catch fish at different times of year.”

Poe caught her first bass about two years ago with Whisnant, but neither angler ever fished West Point Lake before. They hope to spend a few days exploring the area before tournament time.

“I bought a map and started doing some online research,” Whisnant explained. “I think the baitfish will be migrating to the backs of the creeks at that time of year so we’re going to look for shad moving into cooler water and schooling fish. I’m probably going to get in an area and try to figure out everything I can about that area instead of running around the whole lake.”

West Point Lake runs 35 miles along the Chattahoochee River. Yellow Jacket Creek creates another major tributary. The lake drops to more than 60 feet deep in places. Numerous points and coves dotting the 525 miles of mostly forested shoreline provide excellent habitat for largemouth and spotted bass. One of the hottest bass impoundments in the country now, the lake record largemouth stands at 14.2 pounds.

“West Point is a great bass lake,” said Danny Ellrich, owner Highland Marina Resort. “In tournaments, we see a lot of 5- to 8-pound largemouths. As hot as it was in June, we had some tournaments that took more than 27 pounds to win. We also have quite a large spotted bass population. Spots generally run about 1.5 pounds, but we see 4-pounders pretty often.”

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers impounded the mostly clear lake in 1974 primarily for recreational purposes, but also for flood control and hydroelectric power. When flooding the forested valley to create the reservoir, the COE left many trees standing to provide fish cover. In addition, the lake contains numerous man-made fish attractors and natural structure.

“It has a little bit of every kind of cover,” Ellrich said. “In late summer, anglers will be fishing standing timber and humps in 10 to 15 feet of water. The treetops will be about 20 feet below the surface. In early September, I recommend throwing deep crankbaits and jigs. Carolina rigs are another good pattern. If people want to fish the rivers and creeks, they will find lots of stumps and laydowns. Up the creeks, quite a few stumps are still visible above the water.”

Anglers might also look for schooling bass in the afternoons, Ellrich said. Competitors should keep a lipless crankbait or a large topwater bait handy in case schooling fish pop up within casting range. However, some schooling activity might come from large striped bass.

The ABA American Couples Series is sponsored by Triton Boats, Mercury Marine, Royal Purple, ProBass Networks, BioEdge, Rejuvenade and Carlisle Tire. For more information, call 888-203-6222. Contact Highland Marina Resort at 866-378-7001 or www.highlandmarinaresort.com.

American Bass Anglers commitment is to provide low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler and at the same time offer each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers and the American Fishing Tour, The Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Weekend Series, The American 150 Series or the American Couples Series, visit www.americanbassanglers.com or call 888-203-6222.