This being my sixth straight year qualifying for the Ray Scott National Championship, I’m always amazed at just how good some anglers are. This year was no exception, as the tournament was on a body of water that very few of its participants have fished…. Lake Seminole Georgia. Turns out for me that it set up very similar to the backwaters of the Red River. It was defined by a river system (the Flint, Chattahoochee, and Spring creeks) that feeds this body of water. It had massive stump-filled flats with a great mix of vegetation. But this tournament also brought to light just how invasive some anglers can be today.
Before I get on my soap box, let me first congratulate two of my roommates for this event. Brennan Flick (West Monroe) and Walt Stevens (Bernice, LA) both had top 10 finishes, Brennan finishing in 6th with a great day 2 comeback of 18.99 for a two-day weight total of 32.20. Walt also had a great event and was leading after day 1 with 23.24 but had some bad breaks on day 2 to finish 8th.
Both guys did a great job of fishing this event and making daily adjustments that allowed them to finish in the money. But they also had some issues with opposing anglers coming in on their territory.
Tournament fishing is getting to be a test of an angler’s patience, as some anglers think it’s ok to bump another angler’s boat. That’s right, bump another angler’s boat! How in the heck does this happen on a body of water with over 37,000 surface acres?
While fishing on day 1, one angler had a competitor with an Auburn University boat wrap actually bump his boat during competition! At first, he was in shock that an angler would even make this mistake due to the fact there is a rule that states no fishing within 50 yards of another competitor anchored or not. But it’s just another example of how anglers are conducting themselves on the water today. It’s about winning at all costs no matter who or how anyone gets in their way.
Walt Stevens also had an issue on day 2 with anglers coming in on his territory and not respecting the fact that he was in first place going into the final day. Young anglers today no longer show respect for any angler who has a chance to win a multi-day event. This probably cost him the Ray Scott Championship due to the fact that other anglers saw him catch his fish on day 1 and decided to invade his territory. Three spots that he had all to himself on day 1 were inundated with anglers who knew where he was fishing.
This kind of conduct used to never happen, but with so many young anglers on the water today, most have never been taught the unspoken rules of fishing etiquette. Today, it’s not unusual for anglers to have unkind words for each other when one angler decides not to respect another angler’s area. This is why it is so hard to win a bass tournament today. So many young anglers have no respect for anyone and just don’t care.
For me, this event started out with high expectations with a very good three-day practice. I felt really good going into day 1 with three areas holding quality fish. But the loss of two fish over 5 pounds on day 1 really put a damper on what I felt was a promising event. The key to high finishes is not losing fish. There’s no making up for losing a 5 pounder or in my case two.
But I was proud of myself for a good day two comeback with over 14 pounds, which allowed me to finish in 27th out of 104 competitors, missing the check cut off at 25th place. Just to show you how important it is to not lose fish, the weights were so tight that the two fish I lost on day 1 would have placed me in the top 12.
My final thoughts on this event….ABA (American Bass Anglers) does a great job of putting on this event every year. Tournament director, Chris Wayand of Shreveport, does an outstanding job of running this event. A special thank you goes out to ABA and their entire staff for their commitment to making this tournament special. Looking forward to hopefully making my 7th straight Ray Scott in 2025 as it will be held on Lake Eufaula in Alabama for a third time.
Till next week, good luck, good fishing and when in doubt, set the hook!
Steve Graf Angler’s Perspective
