Briarwood Christian junior Tucker Smith has been named to the 2019 Bassmaster High School All-American Fishing Team, B.A.S.S. announced earlier this week.
Smith has two first-place finishes in high-school bass competitions, including a win against a 200-boat field at the Bassmaster High School National Championship held on Kentucky Lake out of Paris, Tenn. Smith and his fishing partner, Grayson Morris, are also a part of the high school TV on Jimmy Houston Legends (JHL.TV) called Winning Edges — a show produced by high school students to present “hands-on” educational and inspirational video content.
“When Tucker was in junior high school, he suffered a traumatic ‘tib fib’ leg fracture at football practice,” wrote Jay Mathews, Briarwood Christian’s athletic director and the bass fishing coach. “He was in a wheelchair for quite some time. Tucker decided to take this setback as a comeback and even fished from his wheelchair. He never complained throughout his recovery.”
Off the water, Smith has worked for King’s Home Kampfire for the King event and has been a big part of managing a private lake in Louisville, Alabama for a number of years. This year, they will be adding fish habitat in addition to the baitfish stocked in 2018.
More than 400 applications nominating students in grades 10-12 for the 2019 Bassmaster High School All-American Fishing Team were submitted from 35 states across the nation. Of these, 62 were chosen as Bassmaster All-State anglers.
After reviewing tournament resumes, community service activities and recommendations from coaches and school officials, a panel of judges representing the sportfishing industry, media and conservation groups narrowed the field to the Top 12 high school anglers in the country.
The team has been invited to participate in a special Bassmaster High School All-American Bass Tournament being held in conjunction with the 2019 Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks and Wildlife Department event, a fan-favorite festival that will be held May 2-6 on Lake Fork, Texas. Each All-American angler will be paired with an Elite Series pro for the one-day derby to be held on a nearby fishery. Visit www.bassmaster.com for details.
Wacky worm time on Alabama bass lakes
Captain Mike Gerry and other expert Alabama anglers have been loading up on bass as fish move into the spawn and post-spawn mode by fishing a simple-looking rig that the fish find almost irresistible. It’s the “wacky worm”, a stick or pencil type worm about 6 inches long, which is rigged with a single hook in the center, rather than in the head as with conventional worm rigs.
The center hookup and the minimal weight cause the worm to flutter toward bottom very slowly, then flop up and down with every twitch of the rod once it lands.
Some anglers use a rubber O-ring on the center of the worm and slip the hook under it, which prevents the worm from being torn up as rapidly, and some also put a small nail weight in one end to help in casting and change the action, but neither is necessary—just slip a 1/0 Eagle Claw Lazer Wide or similar short-shank hook through the middle and you’re good to go.
The light lure is best fished on spinning tackle and 15-pound-test braid, though good anglers with lightweight baitcasters can throw it on revolving spool reels. Braid makes it easier to feel the sometimes light bites, and also allows setting the hook better.
Great thing about it is that no special angling skill is required to fish it—simply let it sink to bottom, then twitch it every 5 seconds or so—the fish does the rest.
Nearly every soft plastic maker has one of these stick-worms—well-known models include the Missile Baits 48 Stick, the Strike King Zero, Z-Man Zinker Z and BangStick Z and Bass Pro Shops Stick-O. Those made out of the Elaz-Tech material, including the Zero and the Bangstick, are exceptionally tough and can last all day, and it also helps that the tails tend to float up slightly, adding to the appeal.
The baits are cast into spawning beds, as well as around the shallows where the fish hang out post-spawn—weed edges, stump fields, docks and blowdowns are all likely areas.
Action on this type of lure remains good until the fish head back to deeper water, typically in early June in north Alabama.