Team Skeeter Preps for Bassmaster Elite Series
Team Skeeter Preps for Bassmaster Elite Series - Anglers Enthusiastic about 2009 Tour Stops
2008 Battle on the Border Winner Todd Faircloth (Courtesy BASS)
Almost one quarter of the 2009 Bassmaster Elite Series field of 101 competitors will be running Skeeter boats, including rookies, Elite Series veterans, Rookie of the Year winners, Angler of the Year winners, and Bassmaster Classic Champions.
The season kicks off this weekend in the “Battle on the Border” on Lake Amistad in Del Rio, Texas. Skeeter’s Todd Faircloth won last year’s event, landing a five-bass limit weighing 29 pounds, 14 ounces, and jumping all the way from eighth place to the $100,000 first-place check on the final day of the tournament. Although the April 2008 event did not produce the same quantity of fish as previous tournament stops at Lake Amistad, this year anglers are hitting the lake during pre-spawn, which could result in several anglers topping the 100-pound mark in cumulative weight for the four-day event.
“I made two scouting trips to Lake Amistad, the first in August when the water was about 20 feet low, and I was able to see lots of trees and structure that I had never seen before,” says 2008 Bassmaster Classic Champion and Skeeter pro Alton Jones. “A month later, the lake filled to three feet above full pool, so I went back because I had never seen it at this level either,” Jones added.
Jones says that he is looking forward to each Elite Series stop this year, as each date falls somewhere near the spawn. “If I had to single out one event that I’m most looking forward to, it would be Amistad because it’s right here in my home state, and the chance to catch a giant bass looms on every cast.”
Skeeter’s Mark Menendez is also excited about the 2009 season. “I’m looking forward to using my new charging system – I replaced it with a Stay-N-Charge, which takes its charge from the alternators of my Yamaha 225 and my truck. This provides me with less weight, more speed, and better fuel economy on the water,” says Menendez.
The angler notes that while off the water, his travel expenses will be lower from towing less weight. “This is one small way that anglers can become ‘greener,’ as I am producing my own electricity, and not having to charge my batteries while on the road. The unit costs less than $300, and weights 1.5 pounds.”
This season’s Elite Series will be shorter than those in the past, as BASS reduced the number of events from 11 to eight. “I love to fish competitively, and the loss of three tournaments really hurts, as this is three fewer chances to win $100,000. On the other hand, I will be able to concentrate on the lakes we are visiting, and spend more time with my family in California,” says Jared Lintner.
In addition to Skeeter’s Todd Faircloth, Alton Jones, Mark Menendez and Jared Lintner, anglers Mark Burgess, Brian Clark, Mark Davis, Bradley Hallman, Matt Herren, Kelly Jordon, Bobby Lane, Kevin Langill, Bill Lowen, Yusuke Miyazaki, Cliff Pace, Clark Reehm, Marty Robinson, Dean Rojas, Zell Rowland, Greg Vinson, and Dustin Wilks will all be running Skeeter boats.