Closing the Book on Another Year

I will remember the 2017 tournament season for three distinct reasons. For openers, this year marked the first time the Dewey Mullins Memorial Bass Angler of the Year competition, now in its fifth year of existence, actually turned into a genuine race to the finish line among six anglers. Claiming victory at the end, however, was Bobby Moore (right), who finished the year with 149.82 lbs. of fish.

Another reason this year will stand out is because a new record was set during the season-ending two-day Classic. The team of Wayne Hayes and Al Napier (below left) shattered the 30-lb. barrier for the first time in the Classic's seven-year history. They captured 1st place with a grand total of 32.69 lbs. of fish for the two days. This same duo also claimed the seasonal-lunker award with a 6.82-lb. bass that they weighed during our July 22nd tournament.

Also noteworthy this year was the fact that, for the first time ever, the overall average weight of our tournament fish through 17 qualifying tournaments, plus the Classic contest, surpassed the 2-lb. mark. We've been close a number of times...but that only counts in horseshoes. The final average for 2017 was 2.17 lbs.

My hat's off to everyone for making this year another one our dear ol' bewhiskered founder, Dewey, would have been proud of, had he been here to celebrate the occasion with us. Of course, I've always felt like he's with us for every tournament in spirit.

As for my personal stats, there really isn't much to report. My year-to-date numbers are 295 fish boated, with five skunks en route. Of that 295, I had 14 fish that went 2 lbs. or better, five that went 3 lbs. or better, and one that went 4-9, which I caught just two or three weeks ago.

My INT (I'll Never Tell) bait figured into some of those numbers but not to the extent it did in 2016. My most memorable experience with the INT bait this season was one early morning in West Neck Creek back in mid-summer. Through nothing but a sheer lucky cast, the topwater lure landed in a spot I normally could have only dreamed about hitting. I then let it sit still for several seconds before just barely twitching the rod tip, and the water then exploded in a bigger crash than I ever can remember witnessing any other time in my life. I set the hook as soon as I felt the fish, but the hookup was only momentary. I then watched the wake of what looked like a motorboat as it departed the scene.

I spent a considerable number of trips this year experimenting with some different baits and found a few that produced fairly well. I used a soft-plastic rig with better-than-hoped-for results during the spawn. And, too, several topwaters worked better than usual during the early springtime. In recent weeks, I've been giving the nod to a a shallow crankbait that has been yielding consistent success.

I had hoped to get in a few more trips with that crankbait this month, but with only 40s showing up for daytime highs in the 10-day forecast, it isn't likely I'll see any more action until after New Year's. And I'm not the only one looking at that kind of plan. I ran into Dave this past Tuesday when I was on the water, and he also was saying that day's trip might be his last one for the year.

This time in 2016, I just had logged my 1,000th blog post, and my blog pageviews numbered 200,000. This 2017 year-end wrap-up article marks my 1,209th blog post, and my blog pageviews now stand at more than 276,100.

In closing, I would be remiss if I didn't thank Steve for allow us to continue holding our tournaments at West Neck Marina. I also owe him and our anonymous benefactor a big "thank you" for another super cookout at the conclusion of our Classic. What a perfect way to end the season!

And finally, let me wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Until I see you again come March, stay safe.