Quick Bites: Forrest Wood Open, Day 4
Wal-Mart FLW Tour
Forrest Wood Open
Wheeler Lake, Florence, Ala.
Saturday, pro finals second half
“I’ll tell you what, I’ve fished fewer tournaments this year than I ever have, and it’s been the longest season yet. But it has been a great year.”
– 2003 Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year Dan Morehead, who had to fend off late surges by David Dudley and Clark Wendlandt this week to win the title
California Kid finally lays claim to the trophy … It was an emotional Aaron Martens who accepted the 2003 Forrest Wood Open winner’s trophy Saturday afternoon. The Castaic, Calif., pro placed second at FLW Wheeler Lake in 2002 and, at the time, it was easy to see that he was disappointed by his narrow defeat to Larry Nixon. But this week it all fell into place for him on his beloved Alabama waters, which he has adopted as a second home. Not only that, he and his wife Leslie are expecting their first child in August, so that $200,000 check – which doubled his career FLW Outdoors earnings – is going to come in handy. “I’ve been so close to this point so many times in the last few years, it gets to the point where you think it’s never going to happen,” Martens said. “When it finally does, it’s unbelievable. It’s been a perfect week.” … Okay, maybe not perfect. Martens won despite the fact that he lost two bass in the final round, both of them in the 4-pound range. He also suffered an 8-ounce penalty Saturday for having one fish that went to the big lake in the sky before it reached weigh-in.
With a name like that, I’d eat it, too … Hometown fave and Open runner-up Timmy Horton caught his limit Saturday using a new jig, which he called a Booyah jig, on the Decatur Flats. He said the jig’s secret is its scent. “The skirt is fortified with Yum, the attractant,” he said. “When the fish bite it, they really hold onto it.” … Notable: by fishing in just one FLW tournament this season, $100,000 winner Horton nearly quadrupled his career FLW Outdoors earnings.
Ouch … Third-place Keith Williams made an awesome comeback attempt Saturday by catching the third-heaviest stringer of the entire tournament – 17 pounds, 4 ounces – but was ultimately derailed by a few key missed catches. “I lost four fish over 4 pounds each right at the boat,” he said. “I had a good day, but that ruins it. I had it right there, but I blew it.”
Did you know? … Three of the pro finalists are pro bass-fishing legacies. Keith Williams is the son of longtime FLW Tour pro Jerry Williams, Scott Martin is the son of legendary BASS AOY winner and TV star Roland Martin, and Dion Hibdon is the son of finesse-fishing pioneer Guido Hibdon. So, is it hard for a son to follow in his father’s big footsteps? “It might have been at one time,” Guido Hibdon said Saturday, “but I think he’s doing a pretty good job of it right now.”
Under pressure … A notoriously fast, action-bait fisherman, fourth-place Kevin VanDam had to slow down when barometric conditions changed for him Saturday. “I had been catching them on a Strike King crankbait, but with the high-pressure system I had to slow down and throw a worm,” he said. “That just tortures me. I like to fish fast.”
Quick numbers
5: Number of career FLW Tour top-10 finishes for Aaron Martens.
40: Percentage of FLW tournaments that Kevin VanDam fishes where he finishes in the top 10.
Sound bites
“I don’t really feel like the big banana today for some reason.”
– Dion Hibdon, who finished in ninth place with a final-round weight of 14 pounds, 5 ounces. He fished from the Banana Boat Ranger in the finals and sported the bright yellow fishing jersey for two days.
“I call him Tim. I think Timmy sounds like a child’s name.”
– Melanie Horton, Tim’s wife, on the tendency for many people to call the well-known pro by the name Timmy
Quick links, Day 4:
Photos
Final results
Press release
‘Martens wins first-ever FLW title in grand fashion’