ELITE SERIES ANGLERS LOOKING FOR
BIG BITES AT THE ‘BATTLE ON THE BORDER’
Quality Not Quantity is Key to Winning at Lake Amistad
What’s at stake: $673,150 in cash to the top 50 Elite pros and valuable points towards qualifying in the Bassmaster Majors and the race for the Bassmaster Angler of the Year award. The top 50 co-anglers compete for $122, 250 in cash and merchandise.
Telecast: The “Battle on the Border” will be aired on The Bassmasters on March 17 at 9 a.m. ET on ESPN2.
The Pros Said It
“My expectations are to win this event again. This lake is my style of fishing. It’s a clear-water lake and it’s deep. There are a more bedding fish but they’re not staging up shallow like last year. There will always be fish shallow, but the bigger bass just haven’t moved in yet. With the weather warming up, it could end up just like last year.” - 2006 “Battle on the Border” winner, ranked 52nd on the Bassmaster Elite Series Power Index, Ish Monroe, 33, Hughson, Calif.
“The bite is off because of the cold weather, but Lake Amistad has so many big fish you won’t see the leaders’ weights drop. I’m just not catching numbers like they did last year. It was stacked tight because everyone was catching them, but this year that won’t be the case. It’s not as easy to catch a limit and you won’t see everyone with 18 to 20 pounds a day this year.” – 2007 Bassmaster Classic champion and Bassmaster Elite Series Rookie Boyd Duckett, 46, Demopolis, Ala.
“After last year, seeing all those big weights come in, I know that I’ve got to target big fish. I caught 40 or 50 last year and a lot of 3-to-4-pound bass, but that didn’t do me any good at all. You can only weigh in five fish and you’ll have to have five really good fish to do well here. It’s tough to do because you want to catch 20 or 30 a day and you really have to make yourself be patient to target bigger fish, not numbers. There are a lot more boats out on the water too. An awful lot of people have discovered this little jewel.” – 1999 Bassmaster Classic champion ranked 25th on the Bassmaster Elite Series Power Index Davy Hite, 41, Ninety Six, S.C.
The Strategy
Monroe: Monroe doesn’t have a primary pattern just yet. He’s fishing a variety of lures, rods and reels and trying different things to entice the bigger bass. The two-time BASS winner feels that the gradual change to warmer weather throughout the competition will improve conditions and by Saturday expects anglers to bring in heavy five-fish limits.
Duckett: Duckett is changing locations often and says that he hasn’t found what he feels is the winning pattern yet. He says the fish are scattered right now and he’s got a pattern to catch a few big ones, but he’s still scrambling trying to figure them out.
Hite: Hite is fishing water 30 to 40 feet deep and targeting big bass. He’s fishing a variety of lures including jigs, worms, crankbaits and spinnerbaits. He hasn’t quite figured out which pattern will work best and hopes to have it figured out by the end of practice. Hite believes it will take over 100 pounds to win the tournament and around 20 pounds a day to make the top 50 cut.
Location and Field
Battle on the Border – Bassmaster
Elite Series
Lake Amistad
Del Rio, Texas
March 8-11
Field
108 pros, 108 co-anglers
Cut to top 50 after Day 2
Cut to top 12 pro anglers after Day 3
Launch
Lake Amistad Resort & Marina
16 East Diablo
Del Rio, Texas 7884
6:50 a.m. CT
Weigh-in
Lake Amistad Resort & Marina
16 East Diablo
Del Rio, Texas 7884
3 p.m. CT
Background
Previous BASS events
2007 Mercury Marine Women’s Bassmaster Tour
2006 Bassmaster Elite Series Battle on the Border
Previous winners on lake
56-8, Juanita Robinson, 2007
104-8, Ish Monroe, 2006
Heaviest winning weight
104-8, Ish Monroe, 2006
Lowest winning weight
56-8, Juanita Robinson, 2007
Weather
Temperature
77 degrees
Lake level
1,117 ft. above mean sea level
Bassmaster Elite Series Schedule
The Western Run
#1 March 8-11 Battle on the Border - Lake Amistad, Del Rio, Texas
#2 March 22-25 Duel in the Delta - California Delta, Stockton, Calif.
#3 March 29 – April 1 Golden State Shootout – Clear Lake, Lakeport, Calif.
The Southern Swing
#4 April 19-22 Pride of Georgia – Clarks Hill Lake, Evans, Ga.
#5 May 26-29 Southern Challenge – Lake Guntersville, Guntersville , Ala.
#6 June 7-10 Blue Ridge Brawl – Smith Mountain Lake, Moneta, Va.
The Turn
#7 June 21-24 Sooner Run - Grand Lake, Grove, Okla.
The Northern Run
#8 July 12-15 Champion’s Choice - Lake Champlain, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
#9 July 19-22 Empire Chase – Lake Erie/Niagara River, Buffalo, N.Y.
The Final Charge
#10 Aug. 9-12 Capitol Clash - Potomac River, Charles County, Md.
#11 Sept. 13-16 Sunshine Showdown – Lake Tohopekaliga, Kissimmee, Fla.
Local sponsors: Local sponsors include the Del Rio Chamber of Commerce.
Bassmaster Elite Series sponsors: Sponsors of the Bassmaster Elite Series include Toyota Tundra, Purolator, Triton Boats, Mercury Marine, Berkley, Advance Auto Parts, Lowrance Electronics, MotorGuide and Costa Del Mar.
Bassmaster Elite Series Anglers: