On the Dock with Rick Smith July 18, 2011

19. Jul, 2011 0 Comments

Fall Fishing Tournaments

In the fall when you think Texas outdoors most of us imagine the start of dove season, turkey hunts and the big daddy of them all deer season. But don’t abandon your boat just yet as fall fishing in Texas is some of the best. For one thing temperatures are a little milder and you’re not fighting against 100+ degree days. With less pressure on the fish you’ll find old bucket mouth yearning for your bait. The fish use the fall to build up body fat for the cold days ahead and will aggressively attack your live and artificial baits. There are no lines at the launching ramps and few other boats are on the water.

Several fishing tournaments are scheduled for area lakes this fall. If you enjoy crappie fishing you may want to participate in the CenTex Summer Crappie Series. There are two tournaments left in the series: July 23 on Lake Stillhouse Hollow and August 20 on Lake Waco. Cost is $50 per two person team with a 90% payback including big fish. Contact Lucas Loafman at (254)289-9821 or at lloafman@hotmail.com.

For the bass fisherman there is the fall TuffMan Series which is in its 12^th year. This has become the premier fall series with an average of over 200 fishermen per tournament. The trail starts in September and the qualifying tournaments go through December. The championship is held during the annual January Central Texas Boat Show at the Bell County Exposition Center in Belton. Entry fee is $200 per team with payouts of $2,500 to $10,000.

The 2011 dates are as follows:

September 18, Lake Waco

October 2, Lake Limestone

November 13, Lake Stillhouse Hollow

December 11, Lake Belton

January 7, Lake Stillhouse Hollow

Check out the websites, www.tuffmantournaments.com or www.keepthemswimming.com, for complete details.

October 1 brings the First Annual Tyson Dever Open Bass Tournament to Lake Belton. Headquarters will be at Belton Lake Outdoor Recreation Area (BLORA). There will be a kick-off captain’s meeting with entertainment and refreshments Friday night, September 30, at the Dead Fish Grill near the dam on Lake Belton. This tournament is to raise awareness and funds for the Lone Star Paralysis Association of

Central Texas. Details have not been totally worked out yet, but gifted motivational speaker Tyson Dever is the event coordinator. He may be reached at (512)554-3436.

October 14 & 15 is the Sixth Annual Fishing for Freedom Bass Tournament hosted by the Central Texas Marine Association along with the Ft. Hood Morale, Welfare and Recreation office (MWR) and BLORA. This is a free tournament with the mission to take members of the military for a day of fishing on Lake Belton. Boaters are asked to furnish their boats and some tackle so that these men and women have the opportunity to spend a day on the water experiencing the thrill of catching a fish. The team that catches the heaviest five fish stringer will win a Triton bass boat, rigged with a Mercury outboard motor. There will be lots of door prizes plus every participant will receive a free collectors hat and T-shirt. This tournament is made possible through the generous donations of area merchants and the hundreds of boaters, fishermen and volunteers who participate. Registration will not start until September 1. The website is www.fishingforfreedom.org.

rick@marineoutlet.com

Central Texas. Details have not been totally worked out yet, but gifted motivational speaker Tyson Dever is the event coordinator. He may be reached at (512)554-3436.

rick@marineoutlet.com

: Courtesy of Sherran Bard of Eyes of Texas Photography: T.K Bouressa-1st place team winner, Cliff Brown-committee co-chair, Rick Smith-committee co-chair, and Bill Guzman-1st place team winner