DANDRIDGE, Tenn. — B.A.S.S. veteran pro Randy Howell’s off-season is devoted to making informal appearances before high school bass clubs throughout his home state of Alabama.

What happened today at the Bass Pro Shops Southern Open #2 is best described as a full circle experience for Howell and his co-angler.

On a winter evening in 2011 Howell spoke to the bass club at Hayden High School. Seated in the audience was junior Darien Craig. The meeting adjourned and the crowd followed Howell out the door as questions flowed and answers followed. Leading that enamored and eager group was Craig, founder and president of the newly organized club.

Fast-forward in time by two years to today’s second round of competition on Douglas Lake. Darien Craig, now 19, had the shakes. And they lasted all day long. That’s because the young co-angler was paired with Howell, his mentor in the sport of pro bass fishing.

“I remembered him when he called me last night about meeting up for today,” said Howell. “I’ve had some memorable days in my career, some wins and great catches, but this one I’ll always remember.”

“I had a decent day yesterday and ended up in fourth place,” added Craig. “But I was worried I’d get paired with somebody today that didn’t really know what they were doing.”

That doubt was erased when Craig learned his partner was Howell. Now, the shakes might continue tomorrow and for a different reason. Craig is in contention to win after moving into second place in the co-angler division. His two-day total stands at 19 pounds, 3 ounces, or just barely 3 pounds from the lead.

Starting the Hayden High School bass club was a tough sell with the principle. He finally gave in and Craig organized the club from the ground up. Call him the Ray Scott of his school. Craig did all the paperwork and fulfilled all the necessary administrative duties required by the school. Recruiting members wasn’t such a challenge. Bass fishing has a strong past at this central Alabama high school. B.A.S.S. pro Gerald Swindle is a graduate and still lives in his hometown.

The team came out strong from the start. It won the Alabama high school state championship under the leadership of Craig in both his junior and senior years. Hayden is recognized as a threat to win any tournament, including the state championship.

That accolade isn’t an easy one to achieve two years in a row. Bass fishing is an extremely organized and competitive sport, thanks to the Alabama Student Angler Bass Fishing Association. It’s also recognized as the official organization for student anglers in the state of Alabama for grades 7-12. Governor Robert Bentley Jr. made it official by signing a bill approved by the state Legislature.

There are some 50 high schools with clubs throughout the state. A preliminary round of four tournaments is held leading up to the state championship. Five boats with two anglers each are allowed from each competing school Competition is fierce. A recent Lake Guntersville competition attracted 210 boats.

Craig now attends Jefferson State Community College in Birmingham. There’s a very intentional reason for his planned course of study.

“My plan is to graduate with a marketing degree,” said Craig. “It’ll help me as I work toward becoming a full-time professional bass angler.”

Craig is fishing in his first Open event. If the scoreboard is any indication of his future he’s already well on his way to his goal.

ICAST 2012

It is that time of year again that we all travel to the ICAST Show.

This year's show is in Orlando Florida, and we are here to show everybody the new baits that Big Bite is introducing for next years upcoming fishing season. Some of these baits are available now or will be available soon, so stay tuned!!! Here is a glimpse of what Big Bite Baits is offering for the 2012/2013 fishing season!!!!

BUZZING WARMOUTH

The original WarMouth has been the best selling shape in 2012 for Big Bite, now a newer version of the WarMouth shape is available. The Buzzing WarMouth was designed to have the same profile of the WarMouth, but will compete in the buzz toad category. It is 25% heavier than the WarMouth for better casting, and includes a larger nose section for better rigging with screw style hooks. It also features a redesigned eye that is recessed to stay in place better. The Buzzing WarMouth will come in 8 of Big Bites top fish catching colors.

COONTAIL

This is the newest bait to the Russ Lane signature line of Big Bite Baits. The Coontail is 4.75" long and features a bulb tail and waving core for maximum action and better hook setting possibilities. The Coontail can be rigged many different ways, it can be rigged Texas style, or put on a Shake Head jig and even Wacky rigged for a finesse application. Click here to see what Jeff Kriet has to say about the new Coontail. The Coontail is available in 10 of Big Bites top fish catching colors.

CANE THUMPER 3.5

For those of you that have been looking for a slightly larger Cane Thumper than the 2" crappie model that we introduced last year or smaller than the original Cane Thumper your wait is over. This year Big Bite is introducing the Cane Thumper in a 3.5" size. This will allow walleye, red fisherman or just someone who wants a smaller swim bait for a finesse situation to have a Cane Thumper option. The new Cane Thumper 3.5" will be available in all of the original Cane Thumper colors, plus 6 new colors being introduced at ICAST for the original 5" and new 3.5" Cane Thumpers .

WARMOUTH

Big Bite is adding 4 new colors to its WarMouth lineup for 2013. These new colors are Sunfish Laminate (color above), Shell Cracker, Chubsucker, and Pumpkinseed.

Big Bites Rojas Places 4th While Lane Takes 12th At Green Bay Elite

On the Final day of competition was another calm day making that 7 days that the wind has laid down. That's almost unheard of if you have ever fished the Great Lakes before. So the question was who would come in today and grab the blue Elite trophy?

Dean Rojas started his day in 4th place when he left the dock to go to work. Bringing 5 bass to the Green Bay stage Dean weighted in 15-10lbs, giving him a 4 day total of 66-14lbs. That weight gave him a seat in the hot seat, but not for long as the next angler to weigh in was Aaron Martens. Aaron dethroned Dean with a bag that weighted 20-3lbs. Dean ended his Title Town Elite bid in 4th place. Dean on stage today said one of his goals this year was to make the All Star Weekend and with his 4th Top 12 cut under his belt he is on his way to make that goal.

Dean Rojas lead day 2 of the tournament. What started out the week as a sight fishing catch switched with the wind not giving anglers a chance to see the bass sitting on the beds. So when Mother Nature throws you a curve ball you have to react and make a change and that is what Dean Rojas did. He abandoned his shallow water sight fishing pattern, and moved deeper. Dean set down his sight fishing equipment and grabbed a drop shot rod using a Big Bite Bait 4.5" Kriet Shaking Squirrel to take his limits each day.

Big Bites Russ Lane made a big move from 44^th place all the way up to 15^th place on day two. Russ Lane had equipment issues today and opted to put his boat on the trailer at a remote location thus losing his weight of the 2 largemouth bass that he had in his live well. Russ ended his Green Bay bid in 12th place.

Jeff Kriet started his day in 63^rd place and fell one spot today to 64^th place ending his Green Bay bid. Jeff brought in 3 bass that weighted 7-8lbs, giving him a two day total of 18-4lbs.

Rojas Makes Another Move and Makes Final Cut At The Rumble

There were only 49 Elite anglers hitting the Mississippi waters this morning, you would hope that the bite may become easier for some of the anglers that made it to this third day. For Rojas that is what happened he was able to bring in the second biggest bag of the final top 12 anglers that made the cut to fish tomorrow. Of the three days on the water this was Dean’s best day.

Big Bites Rojas brought 5 bass to the stage today that weighted 15-8lbs giving him a three day total of 45-7lbs. Dean makes the final cut and moves up 4 places from yesterday’s 8^th place. Rojas starts the final day in 4^th place just 2-4lbs behind leader Todd Faircloth.

Russ Lane started his day in 23^rd place. Lane came to the scale today with 5 bass that weighted 11-15lbs giving him a three day total of 39lbs. Russ ends his Mississippi Rumble bid in 30^th place.

Todd Faircloth maintained his lead on the last day. Todd brought 5 bass to the scale today that weighted 14-13lbs giving a three day total of 47-11lbs and a 7oz lead over Aaron Martens who sits in second place heading into the final day.

Day three Big Bass honors went to Aaron Martens with a bass that was 4-14lbs.

From all of us at Big Bite we wish Dean the best of luck heading into the final day. Go Get’em Dean!!!

Big Bites Kriet Bags 25lbs To Move Into Top 10 On The Bend

As we all know Kriet is known for his off the wall quotes and today was no different. Kriet’s quote today when on the Toledo Bend stage was “yesterday I thought I was gonna quite fishing, after today I think I’ll just keep fishing”. This may give you a little glimpse into how things can change on Toledo Bend from day to day on the Elite leader board.

Kriet started his day in 65^th place, but had an earlier draw today and that seem to make all the difference as he thought it would when on the stage yesterday. Today Kriet was able to get on the fish that he had found in practice and brought to the stage the second biggest bag of the day that weighted in at 25lbs. This moved Jeff from 65^th up to 9^th place one of the biggest moves of the day.

Dean Rojas defending champion of the Elite stop on Toledo Bend last year started his day in 34^th place. Today Rojas brought 5 bass to the scale that weighted 15-2lbs; this gave him a two day total of 28-3lbs moving him up to 25^th place.

Big Bites Russ Lane brought 5 bass to the Toledo Bend scale today that weighted 10-15lbs giving him a two day total of 23-12lbs. Lane ended his day in 44^th place.

Today’s biggest bag was from Brent Chapman. His bag pushed the Toledo scale to 25-8lbs moving him up into 1^st place. Chapman carries a 1-6lbs lead into day three over second place Matt Herren.

Big Bass honors today went to Cliff Price with a hog that weighted 7-4lbs.

All three Big Bite Pros make the Top 50 cut and will fish on Saturday, to make it to the final day of competition they will have to be in the Top 12.

Kriet and Eisenmann Win with 31 Pound Stringer

Jeff Kriet and Gene Eisenmann won last weekend by over 20 pounds with a 31 pound stringer. Above is a picture of the guys holding up their 11.87 and 9.8 pounders. Congrats guys!!!

Montgomery and Bratcher Win Media Bass on Eufaula

Congrats to Big Bite FLW Pro Scott Montgomery and partner Coach Les Bratcher on winning the Media Bass tournament on Lake Eufaula with 19.27 lbs. The guys were using the new Coontail worm in Tilapia. Way to go!!!

Rojas is on a roll with 3rd Place in PAA at Old Hickory using his Fighting Frog

Big Bite Pro Dean Rojas made a surge on Saturday, bringing in the second heaviest limit of the day weighing 16.57. Although he moved up from 4^th place to finish in 3^rd place with a total weight of 41.27, the Arizona pro was left wondering what might have been had he not stumbled on Friday by falling one bass short of a limit.

“I made a bad decision yesterday morning and started in the wrong area. I went for the gusto and tried to catch another big sack and it didn’t work out,” he explained.

On Saturday, Rojas said that the overcast conditions played to his advantage. “I went back to the same areas and just caught them. I usually don’t regret anything in a tournament, but after catching them today, I regret the decisions that I made yesterday morning.” Rojas relied primarily on a Spro Bronzeye frog in Killer Gill color and also flipped a Big Bite Baits Fighting Frog.

Big Bites Rojas And Kriet Hold Ground On Final Day On Douglas And Move Up For AOY

When the final day started on Douglas Lake the only fact that was certain was that Britt Myers had close to a 6lb lead heading into the last day. When the final day played its self out there was a different outcome than what may have been planned. For the two Big Bite Pros Rojas and Kriet; it came down to one more day on the water to have one last shot at a possible final day win.

Dean started his final day in 5th place when he hit the water; today he brought 5 bass to the stage that weighted in at 17-9lbs. Dean moved up one spot to occupy 4^th place on the final day and move up into 29th for AOY. His four day total was 73-13lbs.

“I had to do three different things to try to come in with big bags every day,” he said. “All three techniques played a pivotal part in weighing consistent bags all the way through. I didn’t think it was much of a pattern lake for what I was doing. I just tried to stay in areas and fish my strengths.”

He focused on certain stretches of bank that others may have overlooked.

“Everybody’s going to look for the obvious stuff, but I try to find the stuff that’s just a little different,” he added. “I left a lot of fish out there. There were still a lot of fish I never went to.”

> Crankbait gear: 7’ medium Quantum Tour Rojas casting rod, Quantum Tour KVD casting reel (5.3:1 ratio), 14-pound Sunline FC Sniper fluorocarbon line, Spro Little John DD crankbait (nasty shad).

> Jig gear: 7’ medium-heavy Quantum Tour Edition PT casting rod, Quantum EXO PT casting reel (6.6:1 ratio), 5/8-ounce Spro K-Finesse jig (green-pumpkin), 3 1/2” Big Bite Baits Fighting Frog (watermelon red).

> Frog grear: 7’ medium-heavy Quantum Tour Rojas frogging rod, Quantum EXO PT casting reel (7.3:1 ratio), 80-pound Sunline FX2 braided line, Spro Bronzeye 65 Frog (killer gill).

Jeff Kriet started his day in 8^th place and held that spot when the days weigh in was final. Jeff brought 5 bass to the Douglas stage today that weighted 20-12lbs catching the 3rd biggest bag of the final day. Kriet’s tournament culminated with a four day total of 69-6lbs. This finish moved Jeff up into 20th place for AOY.

From all of us at Big Bite we would like to congratulate Jeff and Dean on their final day finishes.

Big Bites Rojas and Kriet Make It To Championship Sunday

When the day started the field was cut in half, only the Top 50 were left to fish. Big Bites own Russ Lane was the 51^st guy missing the cut by only 1 ounce. The smaller field helped to cut down on the boat traffic and gave the remaining fishermen a better chance to get on some of the prime spots instead of playing bumper boats like they have been for the last two days.

Big Bites Dean Rojas started the day in 4^th place, he brought 5 bass to the Douglas scale that weighted 17-13lbs giving him a three day total of 56-4lbs. Dean fell one spot today and now occupies 5^th place heading into Championship Sunday.

For Big Bites Jeff Kriet he brought 5 bass to the scale today that weighted 14-11lbs. Jeff now has a three day total of 48-10lbs and sits in 8^th place heading into the final day.

This is the first time that two members of the Big Bite Team are fishing on Championship Sunday. We have seen at least one of the guys making the Top 12 cut on many occasions, but this marks the first time since we have been covering the Elite’s that two have made the final day cut.

Britt Myers seems to be in control on Douglas sitting in first with a 3 day total of 64-10lbs. In second place is Jeremy Starks with a three day total of 59-13lbs. Britt has close to a 6lb lead heading into the last day over the rest of the field. Big Bass honors of day three went to Ott DeFoe with a bass that weighted 5-11lbs.

From all of us at Big Bite we wish Dean and Jeff the best of luck heading into the last day!

Big Bites Kriet and Rojas In Top 10 At Elite Stop #4 On Douglas Lake

When the 2012 Elite Tour schedule was released last fall, many questioned the stop at Douglas Lake in Dandridge, Tennessee. For many on the tour if they have had any past experience with Douglas it might have been one of the BASS Open stops or for some of the older veterans it may have been a Megabucks Tournament back in 2001 that Rick Clunn won edging out Big Bites Dean Rojas by only 7 ounces.

During practice it seemed to be a repeat picture of the Bull Shoals event. Many of the pros did not have a problem catching fish; it was coming down to what to do to get the right bites that would result in a paycheck by the end of the tournament. When the pros came to the stage today for the day one weight in having a limit was the norm, 92 out of the 99 pros that are fishing this event had a limit to show for their efforts on the water today.

Big Bites Jeff Kriet took 5^th place on day one and slipped slightly into 6th place on day 2 bringing in 5 bass that weighted in at 17-15lbs day 1 and 16lbs day 2 for a total of 33-15lbs.

Big Bites Dean Rojas was tied with Matt Herren for 8^th place after day one with 16-7lbs, but Dean brought 5 bass to the Lake Douglas stage today that weighted in at 22lbs moving him up into 4th place with a two day total of 38-7.

Russ Lane landed in 44^th place after day one with 11-16lbs. Russ brought 5 bass to the scale today that weighted in at 11-6lbs and fell to 51st place not making the top 50 cut.

Good luck to Dean and Jeff on Day 3 and safe drive home to Russ.

Big Bite Pro's Cotton and Lewis Win Crappie USA Super Event

This past weekend Crappie USA held a two-day $10,000 Super Event on one of the most popular tournament sites in the nation: the Pickwick/Wilson Lakes at Sheffield, Alabama. Over 100 anglers from 13 states were competing for not only the $10,000 in cash and prizes, but the opportunity to qualify for the prestigious Cabela's Crappie USA Classic.

Taking first place and $3,000 was the Memphis, Tennessee Big Bite Pro team of Warren Cotton and Kirk Lewis with a two-day total weight of 23.99 pounds. Cotton and Lewis were slow trolling Big Bite Baits 1.5" Crappie tubes in orange/chartreuse in 11 feet of water over manmade structure up Bear Creek to catch around 35 fish each day.

Congrats guys on a job well done!

Lane Moves Up To Close Out Bull Shoals Elite Stop

With Russ making the day two cut he knew he had his work cut out for him to make in into the Top 12 and make the cut to fish the final day. Russ once again brought in a 5 bass limit that weighted in at 14-14lbs giving him a three day total of 42-9lbs ending his three day run at Bull Shoals in 27^th place.

Russ made a valiant charge on Day 3 finding this money bite on his Spro crankbait.

But the story of this tournament has been Brandon Palaniuk he brought in another big limit to total 65-7lbs and extend his lead to 13lbs over Britt Myers.

Lane Makes Bull Shoals Cut To Fish On Day 3

With day two in the books catching fish wasn't the problem on the third stop of this year's Elite tour, but catching the right fish has been the challenge. Most of the pros brought limits to the stage again, but what lacked in many of the bags were the bigger fish that continue to elude all but a few on Bull Shoals.

Big Bites Russ Lane fell in the standings today but landed above the 50 cut so he will get a chance to fish on day three. Russ brought 5 bass to the Bull Shoals stage today that weighted 11-15lbs giving him a two day total of 27-11lbs. At the end of the day Russ sits in 42^nd place and will hit the water on day three to see if he cannot make a sizeable move up in the standings.

Big Bites Jeff Kriet had a better second day at Bull Shoals, but when the day was done it was not enough to make the Top 50 cut. Kriet brought in 5 bass that weighted 15-4lbs giving him a two day total of 26-11lbs, moving him up 28 places into 56^th place.

Dean Rojas came to the stage today with 5 bass that weighted 13-3lbs, giving him a two day total of 25-8lbs. Dean finished day two in 73^rd place.

Bull Shoals Has Something To Show To The BASS Elite

When practice started on Monday the Elite pros hit the water not knowing really what to expect out of Bull Shoals this week. With the Big Bite pros being only an hour away from Bull Shoals last week at the Big Bite writer’s conference on Table Rock they had a pretty good idea of what may be in store. This is the first time that the Elite tour has made a stop on this Midwest famed lake. So for many of the pros fishing this week if they have had any experience on this body of water before, it may have been from fishing on the BASS Open side of the schedule. One thing was clear though after day one Bull Shoals had allot of action to offer with 95 of the Elite pros coming to the stage with limits out of a total of 99 fishermen.

Big Bites Russ Lane brought 5 bass to the Bull Shoals stage today that weighted 15-12lbs. Good enough to grab 21^st place. Russ mentioned he caught his bigger fish on his new signature series Coontail prototype that Big Bite w Baits will be releasing later this year.

All of our pros were catching fish just needed more size. Dean Rojas landed in 67^th place with a day one weight of 12-5lbs for 5 bass. Jeff Kriet brought 5 bass to the scale today that weighted 11-7lbs. Kriet holds onto 88^th place after day one.

Big Bites Kriet Uses Cane Thumper to Finish 6^th On Okeechobee

When you look at this week’s Elite stop at Florida’s famed Lake Okeechobee it has lived up to its billing. Many thought this would be more of a sight fishing fest than it turned out to be but if you listen to some of the Top 12 on the stage today many of them were still catching bass off of beds. Okeechobee lived up to its famed reputation as one of the best bass waters in the country.

Big Bite Pro Jeff Kriet made it to the final 12 cut by bringing 13-13lbs to the scale yesterday and eluded to the fact that he lost two big fish that would have allowed him to weigh in a 24 to 25lbs bag, Jeff was sitting in 8^th place at the start of the final day. Kriet brought 5 bass to the stage day 4 that pushed the scale to 20-12lbs giving him a total weight of 75-12lbs, moving him up for a 6th place finish.

Kriet camped in an area on the west side that he said contained fish in all three stages of the spawn, and he had to use various approaches to catch them. "I had to keep mixing it up and changing all the time," he said. "They'd want something one minute, and then the next minute they'd want something else. "Once I stopped to fish, I'd never start my engine again all day. There was so much stuff to fish and I saw some giants cruising around. I caught two or three of the biggest ones sight-fishing, but my main thing was dollar pads."

The list of baits he used included a Jewel swim jig with a Big Bite Baits Cane Thumper trailer, a Big Bite Trick Stick, a Rojas Fighting Frog and a Picasso Shad Walker topwater. "I had two 7-pounders today, but I also weighed in two pound-and-a-halfers. There was no in between – every day I'd get four to six bites from absolute Kongs, but the first five I'd catch would weigh 5 pounds total."

Kriet earned valuable Angler of the Year points this week making the Final 12 cut that will go a long way in securing a spot into the 2013 Classic on Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees in his home state of Oklahoma.

Ish Monroe came storming back on the last day to lay claim to the Power Pole Slam Elite trophy with a tournament total of 108.5lbs.

The next Elite stop will be the Bull Shoals Quest April 19-22. From all of us at Big Bite we would like to congratulate Jeff on his 6^th place finish on Lake Okeechobee.

Stevens Wins Bass Fishing League Tournament On Lake Eufaula

Terry Stevens of Marianna, Fla., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 20 pounds, 7 ounces Saturday to win the Bass Fishing League Bama Division bass fishing tournament on Lake Eufaula. For his victory, Stevens earned $3,592.

“The weather was absolutely perfect for sight-fishing,” said Stevens. “Sunny and 80 degrees, not much wind; It was beautiful. I was using a Green Bluegill-colored Big Bite Baits Warmouth, and I caught most of my bass off of the beds with it sight fishing. I had some success throwing a Trick Stick around the shallows, and I caught my last bass, a nice 5-pounder, with a black and blue swimming jig. Most of my keepers came on the Warmouth, though.

I caught at least 15 keepers today,” Stevens continued. “There were a lot of fish up shallow. It seemed the bass were in all different patterns. Some were still spawning, some were post-spawn, and it looked to me like there was still some that were coming up. The bass were not in real good shape last year on Eufaula, but they seem to be making a nice comeback.”

This victory was especially sweet for Stevens because he edged out second-place finisher FLW Tour pro Micah Frazier by a mere two ounces. Frazier is fresh off of cashing a $35,000 check for a second-place finish at the Walmart FLW Tour event on Lake Hartwell last weekend.

“He made it really close, but he came up a little short,” Stevens said about Frazier. “I’ve been on that side of it many times, so it’s nice to get the win. The BFL tournaments are very hard to win and they are certainly not lacking top competition.”

Congrats also goes out to Big Bite FLW Pro Scott Montgomery of Eufaula, Ala. for his 5th place finish with five bass at 16-12.

Big Bites Rojas Relies On WarMouth To Fish Top 12 Cut At St. Johns Elite

When you get to the last day of the Elite only the Top 12 of the full field are able to go to work on the last day. Making as many of these Top 12 cuts will add up fast to an Angler of the Year award at the end of the year, so for Big Bites Dean Rojas with the first Elite in the books he is right on track to make a run at the AOY.

When Rojas crossed the stage he said that “all the fish he brought to the stage this week were caught on his Big Bite signature bait the Warmouth”. Known as one of the best sight fisherman, Rojas was right at home this week on the St. Johns River and is looking forward to another week of sight fishing at next week’s Elite event on Florida’s famed Lake Okeechobee.

Dean brought 5 bass to the stage today that weighted 9-10lbs for a tournament total of 54-6lbs. Dean ended the tournament in 11^th place.

Alton Jones moved into 1^st place on day two and carried over a 9lb lead into the last day. Alton did not falter even though bringing in his smallest limit of the tournament; he was able to hold on for the win with over a 1 pound margin over 2^nd place angler Todd Faircloth. When Faircoth weighted in he brought in one of the biggest bags of the last day and that laid some doubt if Jones would be able to hold on, but when it was all done it was Jones holding the Elite trophy over his head and laying claim to his first Elite win.

Stay tuned as we follow the Big Bite Pro’s on the second stop of the Elite schedule at Lake Okeechobee next week starting on Thursday. We wish our guys the best of luck next week, and congratulations to Dean for his Top 12 finish on the St Johns River.

Big Bites Pros Make First Elite Stop At Florida’s St Johns River

When all the excitement was done and the smoke cleared day one of the Elite stop at Florida’s St John’s River was in the books. Many of the fishermen talked about depending on sight fishing to fill their livewell’s on day one. Some commented about staying on bass for over an hour to get it to bite, only to move onto the next bass to see if it would cooperate better than the last one did.

Sitting in 16^th place at the end of day was Big Bites Dean Rojas. Dean brought 5 bass to the stage today that weighted 17-2lbs. Following Dean is Big Bite Pro Russ Lane in 54^th place. Lane brought 5 bass to the scale today that weighted 11-10lbs. Jeff Kriet was asked about his fishing day when he was up on the stage; Kriet commented “that he cannot wait to get out of Florida, he is not a sight fisherman and struggles when tournament bites are based on that.” Kriet's weight on day one supported what he had to say as he brought 5 bass to the stage that weighted 10-3lbs. Kriet is currently in 67^th place. Day two is cut day for the Elites, Lane and Kriet will have to get to 50^thor above too make the cut and fish again on Saturday.

Leading after day one is J Todd Tucker with 5 bass that pushed the scale to 24lbs. Tucker holds a 2 ounce lead over 2^nd place Greg Hackney. Hackney also hold’s day one Big Bass honors with a pig that held the scale at 10-9lbs. Weather for day two is supposed to be sunny skies with highs reaching 79 degrees and E/SE winds at 10mph.

Lehew and Winters from UNC-Charlotte take 2nd on Guntersville with A rigged Cane Thumpers

Winning at any level is not easily obtained, but this week was a true test for the 116 collegiate teams. Weather alone was a constant factor. Overcast skies and rain on Day One muddied the water and then led into polar opposite conditions Saturday as high pressure and light winds cleared the water in many areas. The amount of boat traffic also had a major effect on the anglers with multiple events taking place on the ever-popular Lake Guntersville. The right decisions at the right time must be made and each fish is critical when attempting to take home a title. Falling just 1 pound, 8 ounces short of the leaders was the team of Shane Lehew and Adam Winters from UNC-Charlotte with 47-3. The team used the Dean Rojas Cane Thumpers on an Alabama rig.

For the team from UNC-Charlotte, it was yet another tale of heartbreak. Last year, they finished third at the South Super Regional on the Alabama River. They had hoped Guntersville would give them the opportunity to get over the hump. “You always want to get the win if you can,” Winters said. “That’s what we came down here to do, but second’s not bad either.” The duo stuck with their original area and just followed the fish as they transitioned to a different spot about 200 yards away in Honeycomb Creek. Their consistency gave them a glimmer of hope that they could win, but it was short-lived. “I thought we’d be close – I figured anywhere from 47 to 50 pounds would win,” Lehew said. “We needed one more big one either yesterday or today. It was a good day though. We culled a lot, probably 10 to 12 keepers, with most being in the 3.5- to 4-pound range.”

Congrats Guys!!!

Cotton and Lewis Use Big Bite Baits To Take Overwhelming Win At Washington Lake

February 20, 2012

This past Saturday Crappie USA held a qualifying event at Washington Lake in Washington County, Mississippi where Warren Cotton and Kirk Lewis both of Memphis, Tennessee took an overwhelming victory weighing in 7 crappie totaling 15.17 pounds on Big Bite Baits earning $1,200.00. Each team is allowed to weigh in their top 7 fish for the day. Warren and Kirk caught 35 fish for the day using orange/chartreuse Big Bite Baits slow trolling in 12 feet of water on the west end of the lake. "This is one of the heaviest weights in years for 7 fish we've seen and would be in the record territory on most lakes", said Van Vactor.

Weather conditions hampered anglers in the event on Saturday with temperatures running from 40-44 degrees and falling all day. To top it off it rained all day with bone chilling Northeasterly winds 20-25 MPH. "I commend the anglers who stayed and fished the tournament in these adverse conditions. Many of the anglers who had spent days practicing for the event went home thinking they couldn't compete due to the weather conditions", said Crappie USA CEO Darrell Van Vactor.

Anglers from 10 different states were competing for not only cash and prizes, but a chance to advance to the prestigious Cabela's Crappie USA Classic. This year's classic will be held October 24th-27th, 2012 on the Barkley/Kentucky Lakes at Cadiz, Kentucky.

Stevens and Brown Win Fishermen for the Hungry

On Saturday, January 28th, 2012, Big Bite Pro Staffer Terry Stevens (shown on right) and partner Clint Brown win the Fishermen for the Hungry Tournament on Lake Seminole with a tremendous catch of 26.86 lb for their five fish limit. Included in their catch was the Big Fish for the day of 7.18 lbs. Their technique included use of Big Bite Baits Warmouth, Fighting Frogs, and Spro Lipless Crankbaits. They noted their big fish was caught on the Warmouth. Their efforts were rewarded with a First Place check for $1000.00 and $300.00 for Big Fish.

On Sunday, Jan. 29th,Terry Stevens backed up the FFTH tournament win with another ABA tournament win with 27.57 and a Big Fish of 8.03 lbs. Technique was the same as Saturday including the Big Bite Warmouth and Spro Lipless Crankbaits.

Lane Places 3rd on Guntersville with AL Rigged Cane Thumpers

(20 fish, 74-04lbs)

Although the AL-Rig was spawned in – and named after – his home state, Lane wasn't a believer in it when the FLW tournament on Guntersville began. To say that he is now would be a huge understatement.

Photo: Warren Dent
It's safe to say that Russ Lane no longer looks upon the Alabama Rig as "the stupidest thing ever."

"The very first time I threw it was (day 3)," he said. "I'd heard about it, and to be honest, I thought it was the stupidest thing ever. I think my exact words were that I'd never throw it.

"Then I saw what guys were catching on it and I had to beg Paul to give me one. I really wish I'd had one and thrown it in practice."

Russ used an AL rig with Buckeye J-Will heads and Cane Thumpers to haul in the nearly 60 fish he caught the final day, most of them 3 pounds or better. The five he weighed were all between 4 1/2 and 5 1/2 and his bag moved him up 4 places in the standings.

"I was really wanting to make a Top 10 and finish the year strong, and I'm pleasantly surprised (to finish) 3rd. I knew I had a good bag, but I didn't think I'd move up that far."

Hendrix and Randall Named Sportsmen of the Year at the 2011 Cabela's Crappie USA Classic

This past Friday and Saturday the 14th & 15th Crappie USA held the 2011 Cabela's Crappie USA Classic on the Kentucky/Barkley Lakes out of Paris, Tennessee. 177 teams worked hard all year to qualify for this special event to have a chance at the $100,500.00 payback in cash and prizes.

The Sportsmen of the Year Award went to the Big Bite Baits team of John Hendrix & Kevin Randall. Congrats Guys!!

The Harvey Boys Place Second in Bass Champs East Region Championship

Coming way up from behind to win 2nd place overall was the Big Bite Baits East Texas team of Rusty and Chris Harvey. Rusty and Chris came in on the last flight and had several nice kickers in their bag. First weighing their biggest to contend in the Big Bass race, it locked in at 8.47 lbs. They were in 28th place with 13.16 lbs on day 1, then adding another 17.09 lbs to their total - they launched to a 2nd place finish! "We stayed in 11’ depths, close to deep water," the team explained. "Rotten wood or brush tops was key." Using a Series 5 Strike King crank bait, they struggled on day 1 only bringing in 13.16 lbs to put them in 28th place going into day 2. "We lost three that would have really helped the first day." They added some Big Bite Baits on a Carolina rig day 2, "they bit much better - more aggressively the second day, and we landed the ones that counted." Having a two day total weight of 36.72 lbs, Bass Champs presented them with a $2,800 check for their 2nd place win. They would like to thank their sponsors, including Ranger, Yamaha, Falcon Rods, Big Bite Baits, Costa Del Mar, "and as always we want to thank God for always looking over us."

Winners Use Big Bite at FLW College Regional on Lake Harding

The winning team from UGA flipped shallow water using a Big Bite Bait Fighting Frog as part of their arsenal to try to bag bigger largemouth. The Big Bite Sponsored Team of Taylor Ramey and John McGraw from South Alabama finished in 10th place. "South Alabama went at it hard all day every minute at the FLW Southeast Championship but only managed to finish in 10th place only 4lbs out of the top 5..
John McGraw -- " Missed several fish today that would have made the difference"

Taylor Ramey-- " If we would have filled our limit on day 2 we would have had the weight to make the cut" South Alabama was 2 fish shy of there limit.
The Team caught all of there fish on Black with Blue fleck and Watermelon Red Big Bite Trick sticks! Black and blue in the stained water and the watermelon red in the clear water. Weightless presentation and targeting wood was the ticket to getting the finicky fish to bite."

Taylor Ramey got the honor to take out two National Guard soldiers for a soldier appreciation tournament. They had never fished before and owned no gear. They ended up catching close to 20 fish and there biggest at 4 lbs!. They fished Big Bite bait black and blue fleck trick sticks weightless to catch there fish and ended up besting 15 other teams to become champs! "

Lane surges 15 spots into 3rd on Neely Henry

Lane has fished the Coosa River for years and is used to summer fishing, which for him means crankbaits.

He’s on offshore ledges throwing a SPRO Big Daddy Crank and starting out early with a Big Bite Baits Yo Daddy craw around docks. The craw is rigged on a half-ounce weight.

“I only had two good ones in my bag but they were enough to help,” he said. “I was disappointed that I didn’t catch them Thursday, but that’s summer. When it gets like this I throw a deep crankbait pretty fast, grinding, bumping, snatching, twitching and making it move.

“Some guys go slower with Carolina rigs or big worms, but I’m opposite. I think when bass are in a situation where there’s no current, or the current stops and they’re around cover, they gravitate to that cover. So I’m looking for anything like that and trying to bump the cover, move the bait fast and get a bite. It may only be a few during the day but they’re usually good ones.”

Sewell Family Takes 2nd with Yo daddy

Jul. 24, 2011... Anglers Quest 2011 on Lake Livingston Saturday 2nd Series #2 out of Kickapoo Bait & Tackle in Onalaska, Tx. The father & son team of Brian & Chip Sewell from Coldspring, Tx ran their BassCat/Mercury bass rig to south lake creeks to catch their bass on their American Rodsmiths rods throwing Yo daddys & T-rigged Big Bite Baits in 2-8 ft of water. They managed to cull 2 times to finish in 2nd place with 14.17 lbs. Congrats guys!

Congrats to Big Bite Junior Pro Jake Cook on qualifying for the state team

Smallies that helped me make the state BASS federation team today! Going be headed to the western divisional again, to be held in Wyoming this time. Way to go Jake!

ICAST 2011 IS OPEN AND UNDERWAY

ICAST 2011 has just gotten under way and all of the Big Bite Pros Dean, Russ, Jeff with the Big Bite staff are in the booth talking to customers and media about the 4 new baits that Big Bite is introducing at this year’s ICAST show. Stayed tuned as we will bring you more about what has happened at the first day of ICAST.

BASS is also announcing today the 4 anglers that were voted into the post season. We will let you know if any of the 3 Big Bite Pros make it to the post season. Thank you for your votes, check back later for details.

BIG BITE INTRODUCES 4 NEW BAITS AT ICAST 2011

Big Bite Baits is introducing 4 new baits at ICAST in 2011 plus adding some new sizes in existing bait lines. So look for these new baits and additions to hit your local bait shop shelves in the next few months.

SHAKING SQUIRREL

The Shaking Squirrel is the newest addition to the Jeff Kriet line of signature baits. The Shaking Squirrel joins the original Squirrel Tail and the Flying Squirrel in the Kriet Signature family of baits.

The Shaking Squirrel is manufactured out of a softer plastic formula than other Squirrel Tail products. This soft plastic formulation along with the slender shape of the Shaking Squirrel gives it maximum movement in the water. The primary design behind the Shaking Squirrel was to be used for drop shot techniques, but Jeff has found it works well in all finesse presentations.

The Shaking Squirrel is available in two different sizes 4.5" and 6" to fit all your drop shot fishing needs and comes in 11 of Big Bite's tops fish catching colors.

Shaking Squirrel

STICK TAIL

The Stick Tail is a new addition to the Trick Stick family. Have you ever wanted a stick that offered you a little bit more action when the bite gets tough? The new Stick Tail may be just the bait that you have been waiting for. The difference between a Trick Stick and the Stick Tail is the added ringed tail section. This addition helps give the Stick Tail a subtle shimmy action on the fall.

The action is greater than a regular Trick Stick, thus getting you more bites in tough conditions. The Stick Tail can be rigged either Texas or Wacky style but will also excel when rigged and fished on a jig head. The Stick Tail is also great when used on a drop shot. The Stick Tail is 6" long, but features the body of a 5" stick. It is available in eight of Big Bite's top fish catching colors.

Stick Tail

WACKY STICK

Big Bite Baits introduces its second addition to the Trick Stick family the Wacky Stick. So what makes this Stick so special? It's the addition of an O-Ring that is inserted into the middle of the Wacky Stick when it is manufactured. Big Bite is the first company to offer you a Wacky Stick that can be wacky rigged with no additional tools. The Wacky Stick eliminates the need to have an O-Ring tool or split ring for wacky fishing.

With the O-Ring already in the Wacky Stick, all you do is take your favorite worm hook and hook through the Wacky Stick and start fishing. The Wacky Stick is not only intended to be fished wacky style it can be rigged and fished Texas style too. The Wacky Stick is 5" long in size and comes in 8 of Big Bite's top fish catching colors.

Wacky Stick

CRAPPIE THUMPER

Big Bite Baits announces the newest addition to its crappies family of baits the Crappie Thumper. Crappie baits are generally technique specific but Big Bite built the Crappie Thumper to cover many of the popular crappie fishing techniques like drifting, trolling, strolling or it can be used in a casting presentation.

The paddle tail and profile of the Crappie Thumper allows this bait to be fished on the smallest of jig heads and has a natural swimming action when retrieved at any speed.

The Crappie Thumper is 2" in size and will come in 10 of Big Bite's best crappie catching colors.

Crappie Thumper

DR D1 BB.jpg

Vote Your Favorite Big Bite Pro Into The Post Season

Voting Starts Today and Lasts Through July 10^th

CLICK HERE to vote for Jeff Kriet in region 2, Russ Lane in region 3 and Dean Rojas in region 4 and please vote daily until July 10th

Big Bite Pro Russ Lane has said that if he wins the All-Star event then he will donate $25,000 to the Make A Wish Foundation. So come on and help him make this season a success while making someone else's dreams come true.

I wanted to share this photo of a 24 pond sack Randy Cnota flipped up on Lake Jackson in Tallahassee, FL to win his club tournament last Saturday. Each fish fell to a 4" Big Bite Fighting Frog...the one with the eating disorder ate a watermelon red and the others liked hematoma or green pumpkin.

The other two photos are both 8 lbers he flipped up last summer one on Lake Jackson and the other on Orange Lake, FL. Last month he won a tournament on Lake Seminole with 5-fish limit weighing 28 pounds by tipping a Booyah Boo jig with a 4" Fighting Frog..."I wish I had a photo of that sack! Two months ago I won an event on Lake Eufaula by anchoring a dwindling Spro Frog bight with a 6 lber I flipped up with a Fighting Frog. Here's the proof that this bait catches big fish! Thank you" Randy

Big Bite Bait Pro Staffers Tom Alsop and Keith Leftridge take first place at Smithville Lake June 9th, with a five fish limit weighing 13 lbs. 3.5 ounces. Included in their bag was big bass of the night with a 5 lb. 15.5 ounce toad. Tom and Keith fished break lines in 6 to 10 foot of water with 10" Kriet Tail Worms by Big Bite Baits in Plum Apple color.

Big Bites Lane Ends Duel in 7^th But Will Miss 2012 Classic

Before the last day even started; Russ Lane knew he had to have a big day to make things happen to get into the 2012 Classic in Louisiana on the Red River. Heading into the last day we have had three different leaders for the Duel and when it was all done today nothing changed we had a different leader.

Big Bites Russ Lane brought 5 bass to the stage today hoisting the 3rd biggest bag of the day onto the scale but in the end it was not enough to get the job at hand done. Russ weighted in 14-10lbs giving him a tournament total of 57-8lbs good enough to land in 7^th place for the Dixie Duel but Russ fell short of his bid to make it back to the Classic in 2012.

David Walker started today in 2^nd place, 1-11lbs behind Bradley Roy but when Walker hit the stage today he had the biggest bag of the last day at 15lbs good enough to power a 1-3lbs win over 2^nd place Kevin Van Dam when the weighing was all done. Walker’s 4 day tournament total was 63-10lbs.

Big Bass honors on the last day of the Duel went to Greg Hackney with a 4-8lbs lunker.

From all of us here at Big Bite, we want to thank our 3 pros for a great Elite Season this year. It has been a lot of fun watching you at all the Elite stops. Have a great summer!!!

Stay tuned to vote your favorite Big Bite Pro into the Post Season. Detail will come soon so check back in a few days.

Lane Makes 12 Cut while Rojas and Kriet Make 2012 Classic

When the day started Russ Lane knew he had to make the Top 12 cut to keep his 2012 Classic hopes alive and when the day was done he is one step closer to getting the job done.

Russ brought 5 bass to the stage today that weighted 16-5lbs giving him a three day total of

42-14lbs. Russ ended his day in 8^th place. Russ trails leader Bradley Roy by 7-07lbs heading into the final day.

Dean Rojas came in with 5 bass today that weighted 13-2lbs. Dean ends the Duel in 18^th place with a three day total of 36-3lbs. Dean earned his way to the 2012 Classic with his Elite win on Toledo Bend.

Jeff Kriet brought 5 bass to the scale that weighted 10-6lbs giving him a three day total of

35-8lbs, good enough for 25^th place. Jeff ended the year in 25^th for AOY points and has earned enough points to make the 2012 Classic.

At the end of day three there was a new leader; Bradley Roy sits on top of the leader board with 50-5lbs. Bradley brought 5 bass to the scale today that weighted 17-10lbs, and carries a 1-11lb lead into the final day over 2^nd place David Walker.

Big Bass honors for the day went to Keith Poche with a bass that weighted 6-6lbs.

Everyone at Big Bite congratulates Dean and Jeff on a great year and wish Russ the best of luck on the final day of the Dixie Duel!

Big Bites 3 Make Top 50 Cut At The Duel

Day 2 at the Elite Dixie Duel was a good day for the Big Bite 3 as Lane, Kriet, and Rojas made the Top 50 Cut for only the second time this season. Faced with wet weather conditions today the bite was on and it showed up in some of the bags that came across the weigh in stage.

Russ Lane hit the stage today with 5 bass that weighted in at 10-3lbs giving him a two day total of 26-9lbs. Russ sits in 12^th place.

Jeff Kriet brought 5 bass to the scale today that weighted 12-14lbs. Giving Jeff a two day total of 25-2lbs and 24^th place.

Dean Rojas had 5 bass in his bag that weighted in at 12lbs. Dean has a two day total of

23-1lbs, good enough for 43^rd place.

David Walker moves into 1^st place, bringing in 5 bass that weighted 17-1lbs giving him a two day total of 35-3lbs. Walker carries a 14oz lead into day three over second place Greg Hackney. Hackney has a two day total of 34-5lbs.

Day two Big Bass honors go to Timmy Horton with a bass that weighted 6-4lbs.

Big Bites Lane Sits In 5^th After Day One Of The Elite Dixie Duel

When the 2011 Elite schedule was released Russ Lane took a long hard look at the schedule and knew he had something to fall back on if the year did not go as planned. Lane knew the last stop of the year was going to play into his fishing strengths off shore, deep water hunting. Well put that together with a little home cooking and you just may have the makings of something that is brewing to happen.

Big Bites Russ Lane brought 5 bass to the stage today that weighted in at 16-6lbs. That is good enough to put Russ in 5^th place by the end of day one. Russ was right at home fishing his strengths; off shore structure. In the AOY race Russ sits in 39^th place with 1,517 points.

Jeff Kriet came to the scale today with 5 bass that weighted 12-4lbs. Jeff ended day one in 36^th place in the AOY race Jeff sits in 23^rd place with 1,576 points.

Dean Rojas follows in 51^st place. Dean brought 5 bass to the stage today that weighted 11-1lbs, in the AOY race Dean sits in 20^th place with 1,615 points.

Rookie Art DeFoe has a hold on first place with a 5 bass limit that weighted in at 18-6lbs. Art is holding a slim 4oz lead over second place David Walker.

Big Bass honors of day one went to Marty Robinson with a bass that weighted 6-1lbs.

Lane Makes Cut On Day Two Of The Elite Diamond Drive

Fishing in tough conditions is nothing new to the group of angler that they call the Elite. These are hands down some of the best anglers that bass fishing has to offer. Looking at today’s weights, fishing has been pretty tough and many will leave the Arkansas River wishing not to return in the all too near future.

Big Bites Russ Lane came in today with 2 bass that pushed the scale to 5-15lbs; giving him a two day total of 16-3lbs. This is good enough for 25^th place. Russ will fish on Saturday trying to make the Top 12 cut on Sunday.

Dean Rojas struggled on day two and did not bring a fish to the stage today. Dean’s two day total was 5-11lbs, ending the tournament in 82^nd place.

Jeff Kriet follows Rojas in 83^rd place. Jeff brought 1 bass to the scale today that weighted 1-14lbs. Jeff’s two day total was 5-10lbs.

Denny Brauer brought in the biggest bag of the day that pushed the scale to 19.7lbs, giving him a two day total of 34-1lbs. Denny extends his lead over Kevin Van Dam by over 8 pounds who has a two day total of 25-11lb.

Day two Big Bass honors went to Zell Rowland with a bass that weighted 4-14lbs.

Alsop and Leftridge take first place on Smithville with Flying Squirrel

Big Bite Pro Staff members Tom Alsop (left) and Keith Leftridge take first place on Smithville Lake April 21st 2011. This team beat the rest of the field by over 7 lbs. with a total weight of 16 lbs. 14.5 ounces.

Included in their bag was big bass of the tournament, with a 7 lb. 1 ounce toad. All of their fish were caught on Big Bite Flying Squirrels crawled slowly around spawning flats with stumps. Tom commented "The floating tails of the flying squirrel are just to much for spawning bass to take, they can't stand it dangling in their face, and will rip the rod out of your hand when they hit it!"

Rojas Makes A Big Move At The Carolina Clash

When day two started at the Carolina Clash Big Bites Dean Rojas was sitting in 55th place. When he hit the stage today he was toting one of the biggest bags of the day anchored by the big bass of the day that weighted 5-9lbs. Dean brought 5 bass to the scale today that weighted 15-10lbs and moved from 55th to 16^th place. Dean has a two day total of 25-7lbs.

Jeff Kreit had a limit early today but struggled to upgrade during the day. Kriet brought 5 bass to the scale today that weighted 8-15lbs giving him a two day total of 22-15lbs. Jeff is sitting in 30^th place.

Russ Lane came to the scale today with a 5 bass limit that weighted 11-1lbs, giving him a two day total of 20-15lbs. Russ is sitting in 48^th place.

Fred Roumbanis brought in the biggest bag of day two and moves into 1^st place. Fred brought 5 bass to the stage today that weighted 18-9lb giving him a two day total of 30-9lbs. Fred will carry a 8oz lead into day three over 2^nd place Casey Ashley.

All three of the Big Bite Pros will have their work cut out for them on day three. To make the final day cut they have to move up in the standings and hold spots inside the Top 12 to fish another day.

Elite Carolina Clash Under Way On Lake Murray

With day one in the books of the Elite Carolina Clash on Lake Murray the Big Bite Pros took to the water to figure out if they could solve the Lake Murray Blueback bite and see if they could gather valuable AOY points and maybe even hold an Elite trophy over their head on Sunday.

The word away from the water was during practice you could catch bass in the first few hours of the morning chasing Bluebacks but once the sun got higher in the sky the bite would slow down to nothing. Many of the pros turned to trying to find an alternative pattern that may get them a few bites later during the day.

After day one Big Bites Jeff Kriet is sitting in 15^th place. Jeff came to the scale with 5 bass today that weighted 14lbs.

Russ Lane was able to bring 5 bass to the stage that weighted 9-14lbs, good enough to capture 55^th place.

Dean Rojas brought in 5 bass that weighted 9-13lbs and sits in 56^th place after day one.

Jamie Fralick brought 5 bass to the stage today and laid claim to 1^st place that weighted 17-9lbs. His bag also had the Big Bass of day one that weighted 6-9lbs. Jamie holds a 1-2oz lead over Davy Hite heading into the second day of the Clash.

Baty and Blackmon Win Again on Seminole

Big Bite Angler Matt Baty from Attapulgas, Ga. and Chris Blackmon from Colquitt, Ga. took advantage of their knowledge of Lake Seminole to win First Place and their second FFTH tournament for the year with a tremendous catch of 25.50 lbs.They put approximately 20 fish in the boat during the day by using Spro Dawg Top Water Baits and Big Bite Plastics. They also move into 1st place for the point standings for the year. Congrats guys on a job well done!

Big Bites Rojas Wins The Battle on the Bayou with the WarMouth

"What can I say . . . well . . . how about " W-A-R-M-O-U-T-H" . . .
What a bait. A win right out of the gate makes all that work of perfecting this bait worth while. Thank you, Big Bite, for allowing me to design such an amazing product, and for your support."
~ Dean Rojas - Toledo Bend BASS Elite Series Champion 2011

Dean Rojas lead all 4 days and finished with a win by 1 ounce over Gerald Swindle to claim victory on Toledo Bend. Toledo Bend and Rojas go way back as Dean won here back in 2001. This is Dean's fourth elite series win and his second since 2008.

Dean started the day in 1^st planning to use the same pattern that has worked for him the first two days. Dean brought 5 bass to the scale today that weighted 13-8lbs for a four day total of 70-15lbs. Dean bested challenger Gerald Swindle by just 1 ounce.

Dean once again was fishing for spawning bass using both sight fishing and blind casting. One of the primary tactics that has been working the last few days was to pitch a texas rigged Big Bite WarMouth into the beds of spawning bass.

Big Bites Jeff Kriet brought 5 bass to the stage today that weighted 13-4lbs on day three for a total of 43-3. Jeff ended the tournament in 24^th place.

Big Bass honors of the day went to Dean with a 5-6lbs hog.

We all are so proud of Dean and congratulate him on his winning the Battle on the Bayou!!!!!

Big Bites Rojas Leaps To The Top Of The Battle On The Bayou

With day one in the books at the Elite Battle on the Bayou Big Bites Dean Rojas finds himself sitting in 1^st place when the day was done. Dean carries a little less than 2 pound lead into day 2 over Fred Roumbanis. Dean brought 5 bass to the stage today that pushed the scale to 23-1lbs.

Dean had a plan to start the day sight fishing bedding bass but was worried if he could get to his starting area as he was the 77^th boat out the first day. When Dean arrived he soon found out that he had his key area all to himself. With that being noted Dean went to work with his newest signature Big Bite Bait the WarMouth and had a decent 16lb limit in the wells by 10am. Dean then spent the rest of the day trying to upgrade his limit and was able to add a 7-1 and another bass over 5lbs.

The Warmouth is now available at tacklewarehouse and other select retailers

Russ Lane brought 5 bass to the stage and pushed the scale to 11-11lbs to occupy 75^th place.

Jeff Kriet is one spot behind Russ and sits in 76^th place with a 5 bass limit today that weighted 11-9lbs.

Dean is hopping for calmer conditions on the second day to help sight fishing conditions but the weather forecast are calling for a high of 83 degrees with partly cloudy skies and WSW winds at 16mph.

All 3 Big Bite Pros Make the Cut at Pickwick

Congrats to the Big Bite Elite Pros for all making it in the top 50 cut at Pickwick. Jeff Kriet is currently in 13th place with 35-5, Dean Rojas is right behind him in 20th place with 33-12 and Russ Lane brought in a 16 pound bag using the Yodaddy that helped him move up into 50th place with 29-4. Good luck on day 3 Guys!

Rojas And Kriet Make The Cut To Fish Another Day At The Citrus Slam

When day two was done at the Citrus Slam it was still a sight fishing event with 4 bags coming to the scales that broke the 20+ mark but after that you could see the weights start to fall. Tomorrow should be a little better as only the Top 50 will be fishing giving the anglers more water to fish.

Of the ones that made the cut two Big Bite Pros Rojas and Kriet will fish another day.

Jeff Kriet brought 5 bass to the stage today that weighted 11-14lb giving him a two day total of 24-12lbs securing 30^th place.

Dean Rojas had another good day and brought 5 bass in for 10lbs giving him a two day total of 26-7lbs earning him 23rd place by the end of day two.

Both Jeff and Dean will fish on Saturday but will have to make up some ground on the leaders and have to move above the 12^th spot to make the cut to fish again on Sunday.

Big Bite Pro Russ Lane had a tough day on day two bringing in a bigger limit than day one but his two day total was not enough to be in the Top 50. Russ brought in 5 bass that weighted 8-12lbs giving him a two day total of 15-11lbs. Russ finished in 76^th place and is heading home.

Alton Jones came in with 22-13lbs to extend his lead over the rest of the pack. Jones two day total of 49-6lbs give him over a 7 pound lead going into day 3 over 2^nd place J Todd Tucker.

Day 1 Of The Elite Citrus Slam Has Dean Rojas Sitting In Top 25

With the Elite Anglers traveling north 70 miles from last week’s Sunshine Showdown on the Harris Chain where Shaw Grigsby dominated the tournament sight fishing it is starting out to be the same situation on the St. Johns River, Citrus Slam.

Big Bites Pro Dean Rojas brought 5 bass to the stage today that pushed the scale to 16-7lbs to occupy 21^st place.

Jeff Kriet trails Dean sitting in 33^rd place with 5 bass that weighted 12-14lbs. and Big Bites Russ Lane caught 5 bass that weighted 6-15lbs and is sitting in 79^th place after day one.

Alton Jones is leading after day one with 5 bass that pushed the scales to 26-09lbs and carries a 1-05lb lead into day two over Brent Chapman. Big Bass honors of day one went to Jason Williamson with a bass that pushed the scales to 10-3lbs.

Montgomery and Warren Win Media Bass in Eufaula with Fighting Frogs

Congrats to Big Bite Pro Scott Montgomery. He and his partner, Richard Warren won the Media Bass tournament on March 13 with a bag of 23-8. Their biggest fish was 6-6 and was the biggest fish of the tournament. The guys fished jigs with 4 inch fighting frogs and say they had a good day.

Big Bites Jeff Kriet Makes Cut To Fish Another Day At The Sunshine Showdown

With the overnight temps in the low 40’s some thought that today the bite was going to change and the weights would go down but I guess someone forgot to tell some of the pros the game plan. Today is also moving day when we cut from a full field to the Top 50 that will hit the water to fish on day three.

Big Bites Jeff Kriet brought in 12-6lbs for day two bringing his two day total to 26-15lbs holding onto 17^th place. Jeff will make the day two cut to fish another day but will have to move up a few spots to make the Top 12 and earn a chance fish the last day of the Showdown.

Big Bite Pro Dean Rojas fell just short of making the day two cut landing one spot below the cut line in 51^st place. Dean brought in 5 bass that weighted 9-1lbs bringing his two day total to 20-4lbs.

Russ Lane brought in a bigger bag on day two with 5 bass that pushed the scales to 12-11lbs. Russ ends up in 66^th place with a two day total of 18-3lbs.

Shaw Grigsby brought in the biggest bag of day two that pushed the scales to 29-8lbs and moved into first place with an 8lb plus lead over Classic winner Kevin Van Dam.

Weather for Day 3 is calling for a high of 72 with sunny skies and winds out of the ENE at 5mph.

Day One of The Elite Sunshine Showdown Has Kriet In 10^th Place

With day one of the 2011 Elite Sunshine Showdown in the books the Bassmaster Elite season is underway. Waking up to rain showers and strong winds that were predicted today many of the elite pros that had planned to sight fish this first day were left to do something else to bring bass to the scales. For some this plan worked out but for others it was a day of adjustments on the water.

After day one Big Bites Jeff Kriet sits in 10^th place after bringing 5 bass to the scales that weighted 14-9lbs.

Dean Rojas brought 5 bass to the stage that pushed the scale to 11-3lbs to anchor 43^rd place and Russ Lane brought 5 bass in today that weighted 5-8lbs and sits in 89^th place.

Elite pro Pat Golden sits in 1^st place with 5 bass that weighted 20.7lbs and takes a 10oz. lead into day two. Pat also brought the big bass of the day to the stage that weighted 8.15lbs. Golden’s pattern for the day was to sight fish bass on the beds, in the many channels that connect the Harris Chain of Lakes together.

Weather conditions for Tavares Florida is for cold conditions tonight with a low of 44 degrees followed by sunny skies and a predicted high of 65 degrees with winds from the NW 13mph for day two.

Kevin Randall and John Hendrix Win Crappie USA on Weiss Lake

Congrats to the Rome, Georgia Big Bite Team of Kevin Randall and John Hendrix on winning the February 26th Crappie USA tournament on Alabama's Weiss Lake with a total weight of 10.51 pounds and earning $1,100. Kevin and John were fishing Little Lake using pink/blue/chartreuse Big Bite Baits with silver flake. The team was fishing in various depths long line trolling to catch over 50 fish during the day. These anglers were competing for not only cash and prizes, but a chance to advance to the prestigious Cabela’s Crappie USA Classic. Way to go guys!

Charles Bebber & Keith Caka beat the odds and take home $25,000 on Rayburn with 27.46 lbs.!

Even the fog couldnt put a damper on the great day that Mother Nature gave the 238 teams Saturday morning , February 19th. Bass Champs East Texas Region held their 2nd event of the season at the Umphrey Pavilion on lake Sam Rayburn.

The winning team of Charles Bebber and Keith Caka are no strangers to being in the top spot but they have been knocked out at the last minute on numerous occasions placing 2nd and 3rd many times. This was their day to beat the odds with their nice limit of fish that weighed 27.46 lbs. The team stated that "the first thing they wanted to do was thank God for their awesome day! We caught over 50 fish today, but most of our weight came in the first 15 minutes". They were targeting 2 - 4 foot of water with a custom painted prototype bait and a Big Bite Baits trick stick on a Carolina rig. We would like to thank Straight Shot Trucking, Big Bite Baits, Power Pole, Costa Del Mar and Power Tackle Rods. Keith also stated that he would like to thank Just for Fun Watercraft Rentals.

The New Rojas WarMouth

Big Bite is proud to announce the WarMouth, the latest signature bait from Big Bite Pro staffer Dean Rojas. The WarMouth joins Dean’s other Big Bite signature baits the Cane Thumper, Cane Stick and Fighting Frog.

Dean has been working on the WarMouth since early 2010 after coming to Big Bite with the concept for a bait of this type. In fact, Dean has used prototype baits to help him take a 3rd place finish at the 2010 Elite Smith Mountain event and most recently an 8th place finish at the first FLW Tour stop in 2011 at Lake Okeechobee in Florida.

Your first thought might be swimbait, but Dean designed the WarMouth to be fished in a much different style. Dean fishes and rigs the WarMouth Texas style, but the bait is rigged on the flat sides rather than vertically. This gives it a unique profile and action on the fall that represents a bluegill or baitfish. Also, when fished this way the WarMouth resembles a bluegill feeding on its side with its tail kicking up. This makes the WarMouth a deadly sight fishing bait that has helped Dean to top finishes. The subtle kicking action of the legs also make it a great swim jig trailer. The WarMouth is compact at 3.5" long and designed to be fished with a Extra Wide Gap worm hook.

Looking at the WarMouth you can see special things that have been done to the bait to allow it to be fished on its side without line twist. The legs and body design allow the bait to be rigged Texas style and fished sideways without spinning on the fall. This gives the bait a natural gliding action on the fall. If you look closer at the WarMouth you will see three ridges that are molded into the flat side of the body. These ridges let you skin hook your hook point to make it weedless and allow great hook penetration.

The WarMouth will be available in early March at your favorite sporting goods store or online retailer. WarMouths retail for $4.99 for a 4 pack and come in 12 colors.

Rojas Takes 8^th Place At First FLW Tour Stop With His Newest Signature Bait The WarMouth

Last week Dean Rojas Big Bite Pro Staff member used a proto bait called a WarMouth that he has been working on with Big Bite to earn an 8^th place finish at the first stop on the 2011 FLW Tour at Florida’s Lake Okeechobee. Conditions were prime for bedding bass which is what the majority of the Top 10 fishermen had in their sights.

The Warmouth is a new soft plastic bait that can be rigged a few different ways but the main way Dean fished the bait during this tournament was to rig and fish it texas rigged.

Deans pattern was targeting bass that were bedding or roaming the shallows getting ready to make beds and spawn. Once Dean could see these bass he wanted to fish he would pitched the Warmouth towards these areas. (Please see rigging of Warmouth)

How Dean fished the Warmouth was key to helping him catch bass. Dean was not fishing the Warmouth as a swimbait in an upright position; he fished the bait rigged flat on its side. This is key in how the Warmouth imitates a true bluegill that is on its side raiding a bass nest.

Dean’s 4 day total was 84.09lbs earning an 8^th place finish.

Brandon McMillian won the FLW event on Okeechobee with a 4 day total weight of 106-10lbs. Brandon’s main pattern was to flip matted vegetation in spawning areas.

The new Big Bite Warmouth will be sold at the Classic Expo and they will be on your local dealer’s selves in the next few weeks.

Kris Wilson wins with Big Bite Creatures, while Big Bite staffers Charles Bebber takes 4th and Russell Cecil takes 7th. Way to go guys!

Wilson wins on Sam Rayburn

Montgomery, Texas, pro soars 12 places to top EverStart Series Texas Division event

By Patrick Baker - 12.Feb.2011

JASPER, Texas — The third time really is a charm, at least for pro angler Kris Wilson, who won the EverStart Series Texas Division event on Sam Rayburn Reservoir today with a two-day weight of 34 pounds, 9 ounces. The Montgomery, Texas, pro has entered this event three years running, and Saturday he rocketed from 13th place to the top of the leaderboard for the victory.

Wilson, a pipeline controller, has only fished in three FLW Outdoors tournaments in his angling career. In 2009, he fished the EverStart Texas event on Sam Rayburn and placed 26th; the following season, he fished the event again and placed 21st. On his third try in 2011, he sealed the deal.

Strong, consistent bass fishing is really what brought Wilson his win, but if he had a charm, it was his

green-pumpkin Big Bite creature baits.

“I caught every single fish this tournament on a Big Bite creature bait,” he said, adding that he fished it on a Carolina rig.

Yesterday Wilson caught a five-bass limit weighing 15-5 to add to his 19-4 limit today, which was anchored by a 7-11 kicker that earned him the day’s Big Bass award and an additional $230 to add to the $29,409 plus a Ranger boat package including motor and trailer that he earned for the win.

“Yesterday I struggled; I only caught about seven (bass),” he said. “Today I caught a bunch – 15.

“I started in the spot I caught ‘em best yesterday … and caught the big one on the outside edge of the

grass in about 7 feet of water at about 9 a.m.”

Wilson said he was running to about 20 spots across “the entire lake,” focusing mostly on grass points and some pockets. He burned about 30 gallons of fuel each day. He fished a Bass-N-Bucks tournament on Sam Rayburn last weekend and then practiced every day this week up until the start of the tournament (the only day he didn’t fish was the opening day of the tournament Thursday, which was canceled due to dangerous conditions that accompanied a frigid cold front).

“I feel great,” he said of his first FLW Outdoors win.

Bebber breaks top 10 in three consecutive seasons

Willis, Texas, pro Charles Bebber scored his third-consecutive EverStart Series top-10 finish on Sam Rayburn, a routine that began in the Texas Division in 2009. He also made the top 10 last month at Choke Canyon, putting him in second place in for the race for the Strike King Angler of the Year title for the Texas Division.

Bebber targeted grass in drains in 3 to 5 feet of water to sack a 17-1 limit Thursday and a 13-9 limit today, giving him a total weight of 30-10. He earned $7,562 for fourth place. A power-fisherman at heart, he slowed down his presentation to find success alternating between a Carolina rig (2-foot leader) with soft plastics from Big Bite Baits and a Lucky Craft LVR D-7.

“It ended up being a power kind of deal,” he said of fishing the Carolina rig shallow to catch most of his fish.

7th: Russell Cecil, Willis, Texas, eight bass, 29-12, $5,042

Baty and Henderson Break FOM Record on Seminole

Matt Baty and Kyle Henderson brought their huge bag of fish to the scales and shocked the crowd as Bump-Master Donnie Birge lifted one Toad after another out of the sink into the weigh bag. The scale locked at 31.74, Crushing the Division’s all-time record by almost 4 Pounds.

Henderson has some previous Fishers of Men experience but it was Matt’s 1st FOM tournament. He is certainly no stranger to the winner’s circle on Seminole, however. Take a look at his Fishing report, published on February 11th:

“Bass fishing is fair. The water is still really cold, and the bass are on the verge of moving up, but haven't really done so just quite yet. They are really a little unpredictable because of the unstable weather.

The more consistent bite is found in deeper water in Fish Pond Drain or Spring Creek. Grass humps and grass edges that are near spawning areas are the best spots. When you locate these areas, fish them with a crank bait and a Carolina rig. The crank bait that works best and has tremendous action is a Spro Little John DD. For color, I would use Nasty Shad. On the Carolina Rig use a 3/4 ounce bullet sinker, a long leader, and a 6/0 Gamakatsu Superline hook with a 6" Big Bite Baits trick stick in green pumpkin.

They made a few adjustments on game day, replacing the crankbaits with Jerk baits. The jerks of choice were the Spro McRips and McSticks, and the best color selection was Ghost Minnow. For Carol-lining, they stuck with their Big Bite trick sticks in Green Pumpkin.

Matt & Kyle took 1st place at 31.74, Big Fish with a 7.45 Seminole Hawg, and 1st place in the optional Bonus Bucks purse, a Grand Total of $1585. It was the first time they broke the 30# mark. Congrats guys!

Matt has caught a total of 150.60 lbs in the last 6 tournaments on Lake Seminole using Big Bite Baits products!

Stevens Wins Bassmaster Weekend Series on Seminole with Fighting Frogs

Big Bite Pro-Staffer Terry Stevens wins the Bassmaster Weekend Series Feb. 12th on Lake Seminole with 24.95 lbs. His fish were caught on jigs with 4" Big Bite Baits Fighting Frogs in Tilapia Magic as the trailer.

The YoDaddy is the first signature bait designed by pro staffer Russ Lane. For the last year Russ has been working with Big Bite to create a versatile new shape that could be used in a variety of ways.

Russ designed the YoDaddy to be multi-purpose bait. Two primary features that Russ wanted to incorporate into the YoDaddy were bait that could be flipped and fished in heavy cover but in return would give the fisherman a higher hooking percentage, and the bait had to have a lot of action with minimal movement.

He took in consideration how the bait had to sit on the hook and how the hook point had to come out of the bait easy to get the best hook penetration to up your odd in getting more bass out of heavy cover. Russ built the YoDaddy around a 5/0 straight shank Gamakatsu heavy flipping hook. One key feature of the YoDaddy is a flat spot where the hook exits the body. This was instrumental in getting the hook percentage to raise during the testing of this bait.

Russ says “that the key to winning tournaments is hooking percentage, the fisherman that can land more fish from heavy cover will cash more checks than a fisherman that have bass get off because the bait got in the way of the hook”.

Another feature Russ was looking for was a bait that had a lot of action with minimal movement. He said “most craw baits on the market now take a lot of movement to get any action out of the craws or legs”. After several different proto types the legs have more movement no matter what weight is used. The flappers also feature a squared off design that contributes greatly to the easy moving action. This option makes the YoDaddy a perfect choice to fish as a trailer on the back of a swim jig or as a football trailer.

The YoDaddy is 3 1/4inches long and comes in 11 different Big Bite top fish catching colors. The YoDaddy will be available at this week’s Bassmaster Classic Expo for purchase in the Big Bite Booth and on your favorite tackle dealer shelves in the following days.

Big Bite pro-staffer Matt Baty and brother Chris Blackmon win the Fisherman for the Hungry Bass Tournament on Lake Seminole January 29, 2011. They had 26.36 lbs with a 6.56 lb. kicker! They were fishing deep with Spro Little John DD's and Carolina-Rigged Big Bite 6" Trick Sticks in Tilapia color. Congrats guys!

Big Bite Pro Dean Rojas used the power of a new Big Bite Bait set to be released at next week’s Bassmaster Classic to earn an 8^th place finish at the first stop on the FLW Tour at Lake Okeechobee in Clewiston Florida last week.

Dean says “this tournament is a great tune up for the Classic that’s coming up next week and taking 8^th is an added bonus to go along with it”. Dean’s 4 day total weight was 84.09lbs. Full details of Dean’s 8^th place finish at Okeechobee and his new signature series bait will be released soon so make sure you check back.

Once again this year you will get full Classic coverage of the Big Bite Pros live from New Orleans so stay tuned to the Big Bite web page and Facebook pages next week.

The Mid States Tournament Association held their last qualifying tournament of the 2010 Season Sunday, August 29, 2010. There was a lot on the line for anglers with only 25 positions on both the boater and non-boater side making it to the championship scheduled for September 26^th, anglers were fighting for the last remaining spots.

Taking first place was the team of Keith Leftridge and Josh Shull with a five fish limit weighing 14.24 lbs. Included in their bag was Josh’s big bass of the day on the non-boater side with a 5.50 lb. fish. Keith was in 28^th place coming into the tournament and needed a strong showing to lock up one of the last championship positions. Keith had a game plan for the tournament and he stuck with it. The last month or so has been brutal for Keith. He could catch a few fish out of the grass in each tournament, but could not catch any quality fish, he figured the tournament would be won out of the trees, not the grass. He would fish the grass the first few hours of the tournament and then head to the trees and try for a quality bite; it paid off in a big way. Their first fish came on a Big Bite Baits squirrel tail that missed a Spro Frog early in the day, without much other action in the grass early they headed for the trees. They made the move around 8:30 and caught their other 4 fish all on Big Bite Baits 10” Kriet Tail Worms. 2 fish came suspended in deep trees, one fish came on the bottom in 6 foot and Josh’s big bass on the non-boater side was caught in 2 foot of water on a stump. Keith took home $1,000.00 for the win and since he was running his Smithville Marine purchased Skeeter boat took home an additional $1,000.00 in winnings thanks to the Smithville Marine bonus bucks program and an additional $500.00 in Skeeter Real Money. It pays to run a boat from Smithville Marine! Josh took home $375.00 for the win and an additional $150.00 in big bass money.

Mike Ebach and Brian McComb finished 3rd in the Michigan Bass Federation tournament on Saginaw Bay 8/29/10. The team used Bio Bait tubes to catch 22.23lbs in smallmouth bass. Congrats guys!

Heath Kelly & Bryson Bratcher placed 5th Saturday (7/31/10) out of Navarre on the Emerald Coast Redfish Club series. The guys had 6.3lbs with 2 fish. Weights were down overall with the tide as 10.2lbs won. Heath & Bryson targeted big mullet schools till 11am swimming a 4" Paddle Tail Jerk Minnow in Baby Sea Trout rigged on a 1/8 oz. jig head or a black or gold spoon. After 11am, they started flipping docks with a 5" Fork Tail Jerk Minnow in either New Penny or Watermelon/Gold Flake. Fishing was very tough as a lot of teams either weighed only one fish or didn't weigh a fish at all. The guys caught a total of 12 fish for the day.

Good luck to Heath and Bryon in the HT Series Redfish Cup two day event out of Grand Isle, LA August 26th & 27th and the IFA out of Delacroix August 28th.