TBF Southern Divisional Championship, Day 2

Horton, Team Alabama lead tourney into final day

HURRICANE MILLS, Tenn. – Team Alabama stretched its narrow lead over North Carolina on the second day of The Bass Federation Southern Divisional Championship thanks in part to another solid day by Jamie Horton. He moved from second place into the lead after he brought four fish to the scales Thursday for a two-day total of 26 pounds, 14 ounces.

Horton’s sack today weighed 11 pounds, 15 ounces, anchored by a 4 1/2-pounder that came on his second cast of the day. The Centerville, Ala., resident stuck with the same pattern he relied on yesterday, running from spot to spot and making a few select casts at each one. Horton admits luck has been on his side both days. He broke off several large fish, including two today and five yesterday.

“I’m fishing 25-pound line. I’m not sure why I keep breaking off fish, but I’m going to put some new line on tonight. You can be sure about that,” he said. “If I can get my act together, I feel pretty good about staying on top. I think I need 12 or 13 pounds to win.”

The Alabama Bass Federation’s 12-man team has been fishing well, bringing six limits to the scales so far. Team member Brent Crow brought two solid limits to the scales. He’s in third place overall and second in his state. Alabama’s two-day total weight is 183 pounds, 8 ounces, just 3-4 more than North Carolina’s team. Yesterday, Alabama led by just 7 ounces. Tennessee is in third place with 145 pounds, 10 ounces; Florida is fourth with 130 pounds, 9 ounces; the fifth slot belongs to Georgia with a two-day total of 110 pounds, 6 ounces; and Kentucky is in sixth with 105 pounds, 11 ounces. The winning team takes home $20,000 from a total purse of over $51,000.

Tennessee angler Wade Caperton moved from 10th place all the way up to second with a five-bass limit that weighed 13 pounds, 3 ounces. Although he’s participating as a nonboater, Caperton, a member of Hohenwald Bassmasters, convinced his partners to let him take control. He lives just 60 miles from the tournament launch site, so he’s familiar with Kentucky Lake’s secrets.

“Yesterday, my partner just wasn’t setting up right on the spots we were fishing so he let me run the trolling motor most of the day. Today, I convinced my partner to let me run my own boat. He caught four fish, but he lost several other keepers and my partner yesterday had a limit that weighed over 14 pounds,” said Caperton. “I’m nervous about tomorrow. It all depends on what my partner wants to do. I just hope I can convince him to go to my spots. I feel pretty good if everything goes my way.”

Caperton has relied on a jig and a deep-diving crankbait both days, noting that almost all of his fish have come from two or three spots.

“We’d catch a fish or two and then leave and come back and catch a couple more. We just kept doing that, but I bet my partners and I got 50 pounds between yesterday and today,” he recalled.

Crow also stuck with the same pattern and fished the same hump that produced yesterday’s 11-pound, 14-ounce limit. His spot, however, isn’t on any paper map or GPS software, so he’s not worried about sharing it with someone else.

“I just found it during practice. I made three casts with a crankbait and caught three fish during practice, but when I came back yesterday I never got a bite until I changed lures. I was a little worried at first,” he said.

Crow, a member of Rock Creek Bassmasters, is confident his spot will give up more fish tomorrow.

“I think bass are moving out of the creek to this hump. It’s really the only place that has everything. It’s got shad galore, I lost three today and I left them biting, so I think I can catch five more tomorrow,” he said.

Yesterday’s first place angler, Karl Reitzel of North Carolina, slipped to sixth place, and Terry Davidson, who was in third place, dropped to 10th. Denton, N.C., angler James Nance is in fourth place; Carl Robertson of Clarksville, Tenn., is in fifth. Andy Chapell of Warrior, Ala., brought the big bass of the day to the scales; it weighed 5 pounds, 14 ounces. Six limits were caught today; 14 were weighed yesterday.

The TBF Southern Divisional Championship is presented by The National Guard and is hosted by the Tennessee Bass Federation and the Humphrey County Chamber of Commerce. Daily weigh-ins start at 2:30 p.m. at Cuba Landing.