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Local Angler Gets Inside Look At Event

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 19, 2007

What's it like to compete in one of the big money B.A.S.S. events that draws top professional anglers from around the nation? Valrico angler Steve Jarrett just had to find out, and last week he got his chance.

Jarrett was one of the co-anglers on board with top pros in the first two days of the Bassmaster Elite Sunshine Showdown on Lake Tohopekaliga. The event is one of the biggest of the year in pro bassing, because it determines the angler of the year, the sport's top rod, and also is the final qualifier for the Bassmaster Classic, the Super Bowl of bass fishing.

Jarrett, 50, a civilian military contractor and retired Air Force officer, took the time to pen an angler's journal, which he shared with the Tribune.

'I drew Jared Lintner, number three in the Angler of the Year standings, for my first day in the tournament,' Jarrett wrote. 'We launched directly behind Skeet Reese and Kevin VanDam, who were number one and number two in the standings.'

The first two days of the event are qualifiers for the final days, when the field is trimmed to only 12 competitors fishing for a $110,000 top prize. Jarrett's first day proved a tough one.

'At the weigh-in, Jared's only legal bass went 15 ounces and mine was 12 ounces. In order to make the two-day cut, I had to be in the top 50 out of 108 co-anglers - it didn't look good.'

For Day 2, Jarrett drew Texas pro Kelly Jordan, a flippin' expert who was sixth in the year's standings.

At the docks, Jarrett got to enjoy some of the banter among the leading pro anglers.

'Even in a competition with over $100,000 as top prize they all appeared best friends,' Jarrett wrote. 'Mostly they talked about Skeet Reese's party plans if he won the Angler of the Year on Saturday.'

The competition began at 7 a.m., and the anglers were soon 30 miles from the ramp, fishing Lake Kissimmee. They fished heavy shoreline cover there most of the day without any catches except a few mudfish, then returned up the river to Lake Toho to put in a few final minutes.

'Kelly told me to watch the clock on the GPS, and tell him when it was 4:18 p.m. so we didn't miss the 4:20 p.m. weigh-in cutoff back at the docks,' Jarrett wrote. 'We passed the check-in boat with 30 seconds to spare - talk about cutting it close!'

Because Jarrett had no legal fish, he would not make the co-angler cut. Eventually, Texas angler Ben Matsubu won the event with a total catch of 66 pounds, 8 ounces, with most of his catch coming from mid-lake weed beds on Toho, where he bounced a Carolina-rig worm along the edges. Surprisingly, despite homefield advantage, no Florida pro made the top 10.

Reese went on to claim the angler of the year title, adding another $100,000 to his career earnings.

Jarrett's advice for other anglers who want to team with a pro in the pro-am format events includes the following:

•Be an accurate caster. You don't want to hang up frequently and waste the pro's time getting you loose.

•Share the gas costs. Your half can run to $40 a day for big runs on big lake chains.

•Expect to spend a good bit of money otherwise. Motels, registration and food can add up fast.

•Don't plan on making your living from fishing. It's a great experience to be around the professional anglers, but it's a long road to even get a spot on the pro circuit.

•Join a local bass club and learn tournament tactics there before heading for the pro circuits. (Jarrett's home club is the North Tampa Bass Club.)

For more information on the bassing circuits, visit www.bassmaster.com.

ETC.: Glen Pla, host of the 'Average Angler' show on Bight House Networks Catch 47, appears with captain Mel Berman of WFLA, 970 AM, tonight at 7 at Ferman Chevrolet, 9751 Adamo Drive in Brandon. Guests get free lure packs and barbecue; (813) 623-2411. ... A few openings remain for the CCA All-Release Tournament on Friday and Saturday out of Tampa BayWatch in Tierra Verde. Entry fee is $90; (813) 238-2220.

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