Adam Ross and Matt Thorton won the Alabama Bass Trail’s first South Division tournament on the Mobile-Tennesaw River Delta on Saturday with a five bass limit weighing 15.24 pounds to take home the $10,000 top prize in the amateur team bass fishing tournament series started this year by Kay Donaldson and the state of Alabama.
It seems Randy Howell’s Bassmaster Classic victory on Alabama’s Lake Guntersville a week earlier affected Thorton’s bait choice for the Mobile Delta tournament.
“I had been thinking about using some Livingston Lures crankbaits down here,†Thornton said. “Then when Randy won the Classic, I decided to go ahead and tie one on and give it a try.â€
A black and chartreuse Livingston Lures crankbait, along with Zoom lizards and War Eagle jigs were the baits the team used to win. They were able to find some clear water draining from ditches 45 miles up the Tombigbee River and that is where they caught 7 keeper bass and the 5 that won the tournament.
“We found some water that was just the right mix of muddy and clear,†Ross said. “There were not a lot of fish there, but the ones we found there were good ones.â€
“I saw people fishing this tournament that I had not seen on the water in years,†Ross said. “Ten thousand dollars is a lot of money for winning an amateur bass tournament. The purse and how well these tournaments are run have a lot of folks excited down here. I only see these tournaments getting bigger and bigger.â€
Rounding out the top 5 teams were Duke Miller and Jeffrey Russell in second with 15.10 pounds, good for $5,000. Barry McLain and John Wiggins were third with 14.83 pounds and won $4,000. Tommy Parker and Joey Smith with 14.53 pounds and John Keyser and Kevin Carpenter with 13.59 pounds rounded out the top five.
For full standings, visit alabamabasstrail.org.
