Russell, Caudill, and McAnally Win Bama Blues on Wilson Lake, AL
First place team also bags Big Fish and Top Lady Angler awards
The most recent Bama Blues Tournament Series event was held on Wilson Lake, AL. Co-Tournament Directors Chris and Cory Ramsey (Pipeline Tackle), presented the October 23rd event out of Safety Harbor Ramp. The 3-fish tournament is part of the ACA Tournament Alliance.
The Safety Harbor event attracted 23 boats to compete in the tournament. Teams from several states were searching for two fish 34 inches or over, and one fish under 34 inches to meet the tournament limit of 3 fish. Blue, channel, and flathead catfish could be used as part of the tournament bag.
First Place, Big Fish, and Lady Big Fish
Matt Russell, Samantha Caudill, and Doug McAnally teamed up to fish the Bama Blues tournament on Wilson. They brought 93 pounds to the scales to take top honors. They also won Big Fish with a 51 pounder and Samantha won Lady Big Fish sponsored by Kat Mama.
“Yesterday started off very foggy and cold,” reported Samantha. “We went to our first spot of the day and within the first hour, we caught the 51-pound blue and a 25-pound blue. The morning bite was great until about 9 am when the fog went away and the sun came out.”
Team Smash it Catfishing moved to another spot in the same area where they caught the first two fish. They caught their first under which was only about 5 pounds. They continued to fish in the same area until about 2 pm.
“We fished a ledge that was about 3 feet and dropped into 15 feet of water,” continued Samantha. “Around 2 pm we decided that spot wasn’t going to give us any more fish so we went looking. We stopped at a bluff wall for our last spot.”
The team sat there for about 30 minutes and decided to clean the boat up while they waited. After that, they planned to just go on to the weigh-in. As luck would have it, they would have one more fish to cull.
“We were just about done cleaning the boat,” explained Samantha. “And our last rod on the right just bent over. We reeled it in and it was a 35-pound blue. We were able to cull out our 25-pound blue. That gave us our 93 pounds with a big fish of 51 pounds.”
Samantha went on to thank their sponsors. They include Cat River Anchors, Meat Hunter Rods, MulTbar, REEL EM UP LLC, Dales Tackle, RS Nets, Fish Hard Industries, BKPC Nation, River Rats Reel Repair, and Smackdown Catfishing.
Second Place
The runner-up spot went to Team Exist Outdoors. Brad and Jocelyn Hoalt overcame adversity to bring in the second place weight of 87.75 pounds.
The father/daughter team went out Friday evening preceding the Saturday tournament for some prefishing. They found some fish In two different spots. The fish were hanging out along some ledges in water that varied from 21 to 28 feet deep.
“Tournament morning started off pretty chilly,” recalled Brad. “Then it turned out nice with not much wind. The water temp was setting at 71 degrees. We motored straight to where we found the fish on Friday. We scanned to see if they were still there before we started fishing.”
The fish were still there so the team started dragging baits on the ledge, using skipjack for bait. Their experience quickly indicated that the heads were working best and Jocelyn put a nice 20.15-pound blue in the boat.
“It’s not every day you catch an under that big,” said Brad happily. “Shortly after that, we had a double hook-up. Within 45 minutes of fishing, we already had our 3-fish limit. We continued to fish and cull for the rest of the day. Then, with 30 minutes left to get back to the ramp and weigh-in, the boat didn’t fire. I tried to start the boat but the battery was dead and I had forgotten my tool bag in the truck.”
Brad called his friend, Nooner Hall, who didn’t hesitate for a moment. He came to Brad and Jocelyn’s assistance, knowing that he and his team could be DQ’ed if they didn’t make it back in time.
“That is a true friend right there,” concluded Brad. “By the time he got to me I managed to get the cables off and on to one of my trolling motor batteries but he still showed up with tools just in case I needed help. It’s great to have friends like him knowing they might get a DQ to help. I would do the same for him!”
Third Place
Third place went to Team Meares Mafia, Brian Meares, and Michael Clark. They brought 75.10 pounds to the scales to finish in the money.
The team targeted an underwater island in deep water. They were dragging down each side in 75 to 85 feet of water on a bluebird sky kind of day.
“The fog was so thick you couldn’t see ten feet in front of the boat,” said Meares. “Finally the sun came up and burnt it off. The air temperature was perfect at 77 degrees. There was a light southwest wind and everything went like clockwork.”
“We pulled baits all day on top of an island,” continued Meares. “We used whole skipjacks, just cutting off the tail. The bite was slow all day but we caught 16 fish in all. The water temp is coming down, setting at 73.6 degrees. All in all, it was a great day on the water.”
“Cory and Chris Ramsey put on a good tournament,” concluded Meares. “I hate to see the series going away.”
Team Meares Mafia thanked their sponsors, Pipeline Tackle, Monster Rod Holders, BKPC Nation, and Hookers Terminal Tackle.
Final Thoughts
“We registered 23 boats on a cool foggy morning,” said co-director Chris Ramsey. “After making contact with a few anglers it appeared the bite was tough for some. Then talking to anglers during the weigh-in it seemed to be feast or famine for most. Some anglers barely caught their limit while others caught up to 35 total catfish!”
“We want to thank all of the anglers that came out and fish with us at Bama Blues Tournament Series, concluded Chris. “And thanks to all our sponsors that make this series possible.”
Many Bama Blues anglers are participating in the ACA Points Race and the opportunity to win a new SeaArk Boat. Click here for more information on the ACA Points Race.
The next event for Chris and Cory will be out of First Creek Boat Ramp on Wheeler. For more information on the November 27th event, follow Bama Blues on their Facebook page or visit them on the website at www.thebamablues.com.
