FLORENCE, Ala. — Leveraging local expertise and covering 60 miles of fishing water paid off for Austin Weaver and Zach Tubbs, winners of the Toyota Bonus Bucks Owners Tournament held on Pickwick Lake.
The team from Florence, Ala., caught five bass weighing 22 pounds, 13 ounces, for a payday of $5,000. Their winning margin was more than 4 pounds ahead of second-place team Trenton Caperton and Chase Fleeman, who finished with 18-14. David Lambert and Joel Tallant finished third with 18-2, and Walker Brown and Sloan Pennington were fourth with 17-10. Jared Green and Jade Keeton weighed 17-9 for fifth place.
Weaver, 29, and Tubbs, 34, both power company lineman, fish frequently on Pickwick Lake in local and regional tournaments.
“It was a grind, there was no particular one area better than the other,” said Weaver. “We fished probably 20 or 30 spots.”
The logic for covering so much water came from previous tournament experience on Pickwick.
“We fish the Alabama Bass Trail, and the competition is very tough,” explained Weaver. “Everybody knows the same productive areas, and it takes running a lot of water to stay ahead.”
Weaver and Tubbs easily qualify as local experts, but there were other underlying reasons why running and gunning was so productive. Covering more water — and areas that were productive in duplicate patterns — increased the odds of catching more quality fish. At each stop they were able to maximize the potential of that area and put bigger fish in the livewell.
“Today we put 60 miles on the boat and made it worth it,” added Weaver.
At each stop the determining factor about what to cast was determined by depth. They chose a Heddon Zara Spook in shallow water, fishing the classic topwater across long bars extending along the Tennessee River channel. Deeper water called for using a 3/4-ounce War Eagle Spinnerbait with a soft plastic split tailed trailer.
“We fished the spinnerbait behind current breaks in 15 to 20 feet of water, and the topwater in 4 to 7 feet of water,” said Weaver. “Those baits and sizes matched the size of the baitfish, which was key.”
The bass set up on the shallow and deep casting targets in the slack water created by current and water released from the Wilson Dam. The textbook fall pattern here is for the bass to ambush baitfish swept past the current breaks.
“We specifically lined up our pattern around baitfish,” said Tubbs. “Find the bait, find the bass.”
Tubbs owns a 2016 Toyota 4Runner with 70,000 miles.
“It’s never been in the shop and is a great, reliable tow vehicle,” he added.
The remnants of Tropical Storm Olga swept across the area on the competition eve. Heavy downpours and wind gusts to 45 mph kept many anglers off the lake for a final round of practice. Rain and chilly temperatures dominated the weather earlier in the week. Two rounds of post-frontal conditions made the weather more of a contender than the fish. To that end, 110 teams accounted for the overall tournament weight.
A record 233 teams from 35 states participated in the eighth tournament. The no-entry fee event paid cash rewards to the top 30 teams. Teams also won contingency cash and prizes from event sponsors.
The Carhartt Big Bass award of a $500 Carhartt apparel package went to Matt Garvin. He caught the biggest bass of the tournament weighing 6 pounds, 4 ounces.
Lenny Francoeur, Joel Ross and Robert Henre each received $500 Bass Pro Shops gift cards in a random drawing.
Toyota Fishing Team pros Matt Arey, Ott DeFoe, Michael Iaconelli, Brandon Lester, Terry Scroggins and Gerald Swindle attended a meet-and-greet held during the Saturday afternoon registration, meeting and dinner events. Bassmaster Elite Series emcee Dave Mercer performed his role at the weigh-in.
In this annual tournament participation is open to anglers registered for the Toyota Bonus Bucks Program owning a 2015 or newer model year Toyota vehicle.