Army aviators across the southeast are invited to trade in their flying gear for a bit of fishing tackle during a day of bass fishing at one of the nation's best known fishing destinations.
Anglers who share a unique bond through the Army Aviation Association of America will descend on Lake Guntersville on Saturday, March 25, to see who can catch the biggest bass in the Spring 2017 Vlasics Classic Bass Fishing Tournament hosted by the Tennessee Valley Chapter of Quad A.
"In the past we've had two tournaments a year -- one in the fall and one in the spring. But this year we've decided to combine into one event so we can focus on better coordination and a larger turn out of members. The spring tournament seemed like the best one that everyone could get behind," said bass boat tournament director Rich Arnold.
This year, the Tennessee Valley chapter extended tournament invitations to other chapters throughout the southeast, including Quad A chapters at Fort Rucker and Fort Campbell and to local National Guard chapters.
"Up until this year, it has been pretty much a local event. But our event coordinator, Tod Glidewell, suggested we reach out to other chapters to make this an even bigger event," Arnold said.
Besides competing to catch big fish, the tournament is also an opportunity to build camaraderie among Army aviators and Army aviation supporters in North Alabama.
"This is an event that the chapter does to give back to the members of our community," Glidewell said.
Anglers can choose between the traditional bass boat fishing tournament or the kayak bass fishing tournament. The traditional boats will launch at about 6:15 a.m. from City Harbor, a dock area on the eastern side of the Guntersville bridge, while the kayaks will launch from the boat ramp in the Honeycomb area, which is west of Guntersville on U.S. Highway 431.
"By reserving City Harbor for our tournament, we eliminate a lot of confusion that comes from launching our boats from a public ramp. It also allows us to have a bigger tournament," Arnold said. "And, it gives us a great place to have our weigh in and our awards program once the fishing is done. Reserving City Harbor gives our tournament more of a professional flare."
The traditional bass boat fishermen will be in pursuit of the heaviest five-fish limit and the largest fish in the Black Bass species, which includes largemouth, smallmouth and spotted. Kayak fishermen will be in pursuit of the largest Black Bass (largemouth, smallmouth or spotted), Crappie (any variety) and Bream (any variety). There is also a separate competition for an Alabama "Master Angler" Size Fish.
"Lake Guntersville is one of the top bass lakes in the nation," Arnold said. "Fishermen come from all over the country to fish here and there are numerous tournaments here."
Arnold expects about 50 boats to be registered with two fishermen in each boat. The kayak fishing tournament will probably have 10 registrations.
"This will be a great opportunity to catch fish in one of the best fishing lakes in the area," Arnold said. "There's no better way to spend the day but fishing on the lake in a tournament."
The boats will be given staggered launching and return times.
"Launch times will be determined by when a boat is registered. The first to register will be the first in," Arnold said. "At least 40 percent of our boats won't pre-register. But if they do, they will get first-in rights."
Those first-in rights may help set the pace for a bass boat fishermen, he said.
"They can fish anywhere on the lake, but the further they go, the less time they have to fish. So, they have to take that all into consideration. Time is really a factor that controls where you go in the lake," Arnold said.
"Anybody can luck into a big fish anywhere on the lake, especially in a big lake like Lake Guntersville. Some of our fishermen will have pre-fished the lake to get an idea of where they want to catch fish on tournament day. Fishermen also use cell phone maps and other technologies to help them figure out their best fishing spot."
While bass boats skim across the lake in search of a fishing spot, the kayak fishermen stay within two miles of the launch ramp.
The bass boat fishermen will receive individual prizes for the largest fish and team prizes for the total weight of five fish caught by two-fishermen teams.
Kayak fishermen don't deliver their fish for a weigh-in. Rather, they measure for length by laying the fish on a Hawg Trough (a curved dish that includes inch measurements) in their kayaks and then photographing the fish as it lays in the trough. Awards are given based on the length of the fish in the photographs.
"One of the advantages of kayak fishing is that we don't take the fish off their beds and then release them in a different part of the lake," said Quad A member Mitch Delk. "It's a little kinder to the environment and to the fish."
Both Arnold and Delk are hoping for a great day of fishing on March 25.
"We are working with new locations and new challenges," Delk said. "We have to consider what the fish are doing at that time and what kind of feed they will want to be eating.
"The weather -- the temperature and whether it's sunny or overcast -- also affect the fishing. If the fish are spawning will affect where the fish are."
Added Arnold: "There is such a large population of fish and a lot of spawning areas in Lake Guntersville, that you can see a little bit of every kind of fish activity. It can get pretty scientific when it becomes a competition. All the different factors can add a degree of interest and can cause fishermen to try different strategies to adapt to the fishing conditions."
Sponsors for this year's tournament include Avion Solutions, BAE, Boeing, Boenker Hill, Leaf in Creek Earthpedition, MCR, MSSI, PDT, Sentar, Tennessee Valley Marine and Triumph Group Inc.
To register for the TVC-AAA Spring 2017 Vlasics Classic Bass Fishing Tournament, visit www.tvc-aaaa.com or www.quad-a.org. There is a registration fee of $25 per person, which is used to purchase lunch and for cash prizes.
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