LA CROSSE, Wis. — Randy Howell was filled with high expectations after weighing 17-pounds, 3 ounces on Day 1 of the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Mississippi River presented by SEVIIN. The weight had him in ninth place with a repeat performance in play for Day 2, and then a likely qualification for Championship Saturday.
By midday, the 2014 Bassmaster Classic champion had over 16 pounds in the livewell, yet it would not count. The veteran pro had fallen victim to the bane of fishing a multi-pool river system where tournament anglers are co-dependent on the locking schedule.
With the tournament headquartered in Pool 8, Howell’s game plan called for locking into Pool 9 and then returning in time to meet his 2:30 p.m. check-in deadline. Instead, a commercial barge arrived sooner than planned, taking priority and locking Howell out from getting back on time. The result was a late penalty that cancelled out the day’s catch and ending his tournament.
“It was out of my control, but was really disappointing because there were so many largemouth and smallmouth there,” Howell said.
Commercial barges have priority over recreational boats in the river’s lock system, and Day 1 was no different. Howell was among a group delayed until 9:15 a.m. due to an upbound barge occupying the lock chamber. Even so, Howell caught the limit, and then returned with the assurance the lock would be clear.
On the next fateful morning, Howell consulted with the lockmaster about the day ahead, being assured returning to the lock by 1:30 p.m. would allow him ample time to again make a clearance free return.
“I talked to the lockmaster while going through and he said it would be clear by then,” Howell said. “I called again later that morning and he reassured me everything was good, so I left it alone and went fishing.”
Howell and other pros also consult MarineTraffic, an app and real-time map that displays the location and status of ships using GPS transponders to beacon their position.
Howell noticed a barge stopped downriver for repair work, but never gave thought to what would come next. After calling the lockmaster for an update, he learned the barge resumed travel and would occupy the lock. His first available time would be his 2:30 p.m. check-in time. Howell was also not alone in forfeiting valuable weight due to barges tying up the locks. Another scenario panned out upriver at the lock between pools 7 and 8.
Howell had a smallmouth and largemouth pattern in play in Pool 9. That involved a topwater bite for quality smallmouth using a Livingston Walking Boss topwater, and then later a Livingston Howeller squarebill for largemouth. A Z-Man ChatterBait with a Yamamoto Zacko trailer produced strikes in the grass for largemouth.
On the bright side, Howell potentially qualifies for exercising an exemption that would result in an invitation to the 2025 Bassmaster Elite Series. Those invitations are evaluated based on a list of career qualifying criteria, and then issued at the conclusion of the Opens season.
Howell spent 21 years on the B.A.S.S. tour, qualifying for the Elite Series in 2013. The Alabama pro has 283 events fished, with 16 Classic appearances, 37 Top 10 finishes, 173 times in the money and $1.9 million in B.A.S.S. earnings.
