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South Carolina's Jason Williamson
Takes First BASS Victory with Magical Final Two Days at Bassmaster
Elite Series Season Opener
 Photo -
BASS Communications / Gary Tramontina
March 15, 2009 - DEL RIO, Texas As
the weekend progressed, the temperatures on Lake Amistad warmed
up and so did Jason Williamson. The third-year BASS pro from
Aiken, S.C., shoved aside consistency and posted a backbreaking
total of more than 68 pounds through the final two days, which
was enough to advance from 38th position to third heading into
Day 3, then secure his first BASS victory and the accompanying
$100,000 top prize Sunday at the 2009 Bassmaster Elite Series
season opener, the OPTIMA Batteries Battle on the Border.
Williamson's four-day total of 96 pounds, 6 ounces,
was enough to hold off a consistent Alton Jones of Waco, Texas,
who finished second with 87 pounds, 15 ounces. Williamson was
able to overtake Jones with a tremendous two-day charge, which
accounted for more than 70 percent of his weight.
Williamsons' catches Saturday and Sunday were all
cultivated from one ultra-productive spot that yielded nothing
for him in the first two days of competition. However, as the
rain died, the clouds dissipated and the sun came out, the spot
became crystal clear and an ideal area for big bass.
The area included three to four submerged trees
positioned around a drainage channel and was a pathway for visiting
and departing bass. Williamson mined the area with an 8-inch
Osprey swimbait, which he threw to the trees in nearly 20 feet
of water.
"There were so many fish in that area that
I think they were in competition for my bait," said the
28-year-old. "That's not a bad thing when you can get that
going. It was like clockwork."
Fishing fans can catch all of the on-the-water
action from the March 12-15 OPTIMA Batteries Battle on the Border
on The Bassmasters, which airs Saturday, March 28, at 9 a.m.
ET on ESPN2. The daily weigh-ins, hosted by BASS emcee Keith
Alan, for this and the other seven regular-season Elite events
and two postseason events will be shown live on ESPN360.com,
ESPN's broadband sports network, while a wealth of unique content,
including a live leaderboard, photo galleries and more, is available
at Bassmaster.com throughout the season.
No stranger to the particulars of the area, Williamson
first found his productive spot in 2007, at an Elite Series event.
He primarily focused on it at a 2008 Elite event and finished
fifth, his best performance in an Elite event at the time. The
key to enticing the right bites this year, he said, was allowing
the swimbait to sink and keeping it wet for lengths of time.
Williamson has been close to BASS victory before,
scoring two second-place finishes, but was able to close the
deal this time at Amistad with a final-day total of 34-12, the
biggest bag of the tournament. His limit was buoyed by a 10-4
lunker, the largest Williamson has ever landed.
"I'm just a country boy who grew up loving
to fish, so you bet this is a huge deal. The victory solidifies
everything I have ever done in this sport," Williamson said.
"It's also a shot in the arm for the rest of the season.
I can fish with confidence now. The timing of this win was just
perfect."
While Jones finished second, it was more a case
of Williamson seizing the day than Jones slipping. Jones, a steady
veteran approaching $2 million in BASS career earnings, stuck
with what put him in contention instead of going the unpredictable
route and hunting for big bass.
While many others shuffled around the leaderboard
throughout the tournament, Jones hung near the top, establishing
a solid pattern that yielded fish in the 4- to 6-pound class.
All of his weighed fish fell for a Texas-rigged
6-inch Yum Dinger. The 2008 Bassmaster Classic champion threw
the rig to shallow water, sometimes in less than 2 feet, and
the key to his success was executing long casts to precise locations
and slowly and deliberately fishing the bait.
"I maximized my area and overall it was a
great week," said Jones, 45. "You don't mind getting
beat by a giant bag like that. You never are pleased with second
place but I gave myself a shot at it and that is all you can
ask for."
It was a relative struggle for some of the other
anglers who made the top-12 cut to fish the final day of competition.
Jared Lintner of Arroyo Grande, Calif., and Stephen Browning
of Hot Springs, Ark., were able to take advantage.
Like Williamson, both made charges after Friday.
Lintner (76-10) advanced from 20th after two days to finish third,
while Browning moved from 25th to fourth. Rounding out the top
five was Day 2 leader Gary Klein of Weatherford, Texas, who finished
with 74 pounds, 8 ounces.
Day 1 leader Mike Iaconelli, who landed the biggest
bass of the tournament on the first day, a 12-13 behemoth, placed
seventh and was followed by four-time Toyota Tundra Bassmaster
Angler of the Year Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., (eighth)
and 2007 Bassmaster Classic champion Boyd Duckett of Demopolis,
Ala., (ninth).
The next Bassmaster Elite Series event is set for
March 26-29 on Lake Dardanelle and Russellville, Ark. Duckett
scored victory in 2007 on Dardanelle at a Bassmaster Major with
55 pounds, 9 ounces.
The Amistad event marked the debut of the Bassmaster
Elite Series Marshals program. Marshals, who took the place
of co-anglers, will help enforce tournament rules and ensure
the integrity of the highest level of professional fishing. With
the introduction of the Marshals program, the Elite Series becomes
the only exclusive pro fishing league in the world. Despite the
conditions, the Marshal program was at capacity.
Along with the top cash prize, the OPTIMA Batteries
Battle on the Border awarded valuable points in the 2009 Toyota
Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year title race. The full standings
can be found on www.Bassmaster.com.
DAY 4- OPTIMA BATTERIES BATTLE ON THE BORDER STANDINGS
2009 Battle on the Border 3/12-3/15
Lake Amistad, Del Rio TX.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 4
Angler Hometown
No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Jason Williamson Aiken, SC
20 96-06 305 $100,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-12 Day 2: 5 11-01 Day 3: 5 33-13
Day 4: 5 34-12
2. Alton Jones Waco, TX 20 87-15
300 $25,000.00
Day 1: 5 24-00 Day 2: 5 22-04 Day 3: 5 22-07
Day 4: 5 19-04
3. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 20 76-10
290 $20,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-04 Day 2: 5 17-04 Day 3: 5 22-06
Day 4: 5 21-12
4. Stephen Browning Hot Springs National Pa 20 75-08
285 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-15 Day 2: 5 15-00 Day 3: 5 27-00
Day 4: 5 17-09
5. Gary Klein Weatherford, TX 19 74-08
285 $14,000.00
Day 1: 5 25-04 Day 2: 5 29-03 Day 3: 5 12-06
Day 4: 4 07-11
6. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 20 73-12
276 $13,500.00
Day 1: 5 12-15 Day 2: 5 15-15 Day 3: 5 29-05
Day 4: 5 15-09
7. Michael Iaconelli Runnemede, NJ 20 73-09
277 $13,000.00
Day 1: 5 27-09 Day 2: 5 15-15 Day 3: 5 16-10
Day 4: 5 13-07
8. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 20 68-12
268 $12,500.00
Day 1: 5 19-09 Day 2: 5 17-14 Day 3: 5 18-02
Day 4: 5 13-03
9. Boyd Duckett Demopolis, AL 19 68-02
264 $12,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-10 Day 2: 5 25-05 Day 3: 5 12-09
Day 4: 4 08-10
10. Kevin Short Mayflower, AR 19 66-15
260 $11,500.00
Day 1: 5 20-04 Day 2: 5 15-12 Day 3: 5 22-06
Day 4: 4 08-09
11. Kenyon Hill Norman, OK 17 66-13
257 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-00 Day 2: 5 19-07 Day 3: 5 26-14
Day 4: 2 05-08
12. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 19 66-05
254 $10,500.00
Day 1: 5 17-00 Day 2: 5 24-03 Day 3: 5 13-10
Day 4: 4 11-08
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 92 488 1382-06
2 87 473 1344-10
3 43 238 748-05
4 7 53 177-06
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229 1252 3652-11
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