Hilton takes win at American Bass Anglers on Toledo Bend
By PATTY LENDERMAN

JERRY HILTON gets the help of tournament director Paul Henry, left, to hold up his 1st place winning sack at 19.46 lbs.

The American Bass Anglers Dist. 53 held their fourth tournament of the 2006/07 season Dec. 17 at Cypress Bend on Toledo Bend.

There were 29 anglers fishing the tournament, and watching the first few come in, it was apparent that for some, the bite was tough.

The wind was blowing quite hard in the early hours of the morning. Thankfully, it eased up by take-off time.

At that point, the fog rolled in and it was thick. Throughout the day there were isolated pockets of rain, and the fog lingered until just after noon. Overall the anglers enjoyed the weather and the day of fishing.

The first angler to establish the leader board was Rick Hughes of Kirbyville. His sack was one shy of a limit, weighing 14.04 lbs.

His kicker weighed a whopping 8.13 and ultimately won Big Bass honors.

“I had a good day. That big bass was my first fish of the day,” Hughes said. “I was fishing the south end with a 1 oz. black and blue jig with a Gene Larew Hawg Craw on a main lake point. There was a hydrilla line, and I was working it in about 12’. She bit around 8:30.”

Once he got her close to the boat, he reached for his net but it was tangled so he had to wear her out enough to reach down and lip her into the boat.

“I stayed in the same area all day,” Hughes said. “All total, I caught seven fish, but only four were keepers.”

Hughes won second place with his 14.04 lb sack.

Andrew Upshaw of Hemphill brought in a close weight of 13.62 lbs. with five fish.

“I was sitting on the edge of a creek channel, with a ridge 10-15’ deep,” Upshaw said. “I used a crank bait, throwing it parallel to the ridge, around hydrilla and stumps.”

Upshaw boated his fifth fish of the day around noon, and was able to cull up one time after that.

His kicker weighed 5.19 lbs. and for a little while was in contention for second place big bass.

His 13.62 lb. sack took third place overall.

Jerry Hilton of Anacoco, La. brought in his five fish limit, surging into a first place win with 19.46 lbs.

He had triplets in his bag, looking for one to beat Upshaw’s big bass weight to take one of the big bass checks.

The first weighed 5.08, next 5.29, and his biggest 5.35 won second place Big Bass honors.

“I was using a Bill Norman DLM red crankbait,” Hilton began. “I threw it in 7-8’ over the grass along a timber edge. Doing that, I had a limit in the boat by 9:00 but it was small (12-13 pounds). When the fog lifted, I picked up a green (crank bait) and culled all but one of that first limit, keeping a three pounder.”

He had another contender in the boat with him, Karen James. Among the ladies fishing the tournament, she came out on top.

“She was very patient with me,” Hilton said. “When we hit our first spot, the fish weren’t biting right away, but she didn’t complain. She just kept chunking and winding until they started to bite. It was great fishing with her.”

Top five finishes

First — 19.46 lbs. Jerry Hilton Anacoco, La.

Second — 14.04 lbs. Rick Hughes Kirbyville.

Third — 13.62 lbs. Andrew Upshaw Hemphill.

Fourth — 12.56 lbs. Mike Holland Ragley, La.

Fifth — 12.40 lbs. Darold Gleason Florien, La.

Big Bass

First — 8.13 lbs. Rick Hughes

Second — 5.35 lbs. Jerry Hilton

In order to fish in the American Bass Anglers tournaments, you must be a member ($25/yr).

When this circuit first began in 1972 it was called the Military Bass Anglers, and only military personnel could participate. In 2000, that all changed.

The circuit was re-named American Bass Anglers, open to anyone who would like to fish. District 53 visits only Toledo Bend and Sam Rayburn with 10 one-day events with one two-day district championship.

The next tournament will be on Sam Rayburn at the Umphrey Family Pavilion Jan. 21.

For more information, contact Tournament Director Paul Henry at 409- 745-1846.