Team Members Poboril and Powe Come up Big on Belton!
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On Saturday a record breaking 244 boats hit Lake Belton for a chance at $20,000. This was the 2nd event of the year on Belton for Bass Champs’ Central division, and the 4th event of the year overall. The wind was forecasted to blow heavily out of the South and did in spells but, for the most part, the day was pleasant compared to the other events this year. Although overcast, it was a stellar day on Belton as it took over 14 pounds to get a check! Pretty incredible when you consider Champs paid out 32 places. The week before in Fishers Of Men, many of the better sacks were reportedly caught just off the bank with flukes and reaction baits…but that would not be the case on Saturday, as many of the check cashers came up big off shore.
TTZ was able to speak with Marine Outlet’s Team Extreme member Gerald Poboril, after his big win with partner Jack Rowe. With 22.68 pounds they bested the competition with a shaky head and drop shot, and took home $20,200 for their efforts with the $200 Sure Life bonus attached. Throwing green pumpkin ring fries on the drop shot and Gary Yamamoto Kut Tail worms on the shaky heads, the anglers found chartreuse dip helped them get bit more frequently. They utilized a 7’6” Power Tackle spinning rod to take advantage of the lighter 10 pound fluorocarbon line they found they “needed to use to get the bigger bites” on Saturday. Interesting, when you consider the team caught three huge bags during the weeks leading up to the tourney on heavier line and football head jigs. In fact, as far out as far out as four weeks from this tournament, and leading up to the week before it, they caught bags in the 19, 25 and 27 pound ranges!
In practice, the team of Poboril and Rowe found rock ledges and patches in around 18 foot of water in the mouths of larger spawning creeks and pockets. Using a Humminbird 1197, the side-imaging technology clearly showed the rock areas and even allowed them to see some of the larger pre and post spawn females sitting around those rock edges. These were not big areas, as Gerald advised us most were around the size of “a pick-up bed”. Catching all their better fish “no further back than a quarter ways into the creeks”, all areas had to have deeper channel swings close by in the range of 30 to 35 feet. The team had 15 pounds by 8:30, but culled up to their final weight by around 10. Their bag consisted of three nice black bass ranging from 5 to 8 pounds each, and two nice smallmouths. They reported losing one nice largemouth around five pounds, and two others they never got a look at “that peeled drag pretty good”.
Fishing “a milk run”, Poboril and Powe hit areas around Temple Lake Park, Morgan’s Point, Roger’s Park, Cedar Ridge, and the sand flats. Belton came up a couple feet with the much need recent rains in the central Texas area, and the team found this occurrence hurt their bites somewhat. The bites “were mushy” in terms of the bigger fish. When the 8.04 lb. behemoth bit, Powe had to let it play out with the lighter line application while Poboril worked the trolling motor to get her away from the brush and trees in the area of the rock edge where they found her. “She hit the bait hard and started going places”, Poboril remembers, but they were able to get her into the Bullet to anchor their already very respectable day.
Catching around 30 fish on Saturday, Poboril and Powe caught around 15 keepers, but several were around 14 inches which “had not been the case recently” for the team. Poboril is sponsored by Rick Smith and Marine Outlet, Power Tackle, MinnKota, Humminbird, Bullet Boats and Mercury Outboards.
The team of Randy Grounds and Randall Maxell took second and $5,000 with an awesome stringer of 21 pounds, a bag that would have probably won this event 9 times out of 10. Taking third with 18.46 pounds were team members Jason Metzgar, from China Spring, and Brandon Geeslin of Crawford.
Bass Champs will close its regular season in the Central division on Saturday, June 6th on Lake Travis.