Florida's Mike Jackson won the recent Stren Championship at the Mobile Delta with a short 15-minute run. But three others made the Top 10 by running 120 miles (one way) to the Alabama River, where they targeted the watershed's famous spotted bass.
Two of them – David Curtis from Texas (3rd) and Matt Saavedra from California (7th) – made the 2008 Forrest Wood Cup as the highest finishers from their respective Stren divisions. Greg Vinson, who finished 5th, was the other who made the run.
Any BassFan would look at the mileage and know instantly that the three had to have found gas somewhere along the route. Any BassFan would also ask, if the Alabama River spotted bass were accessible, why did so few anglers take advantage?
The answer comes down to fuel – or rather, the scarcity of it. And as it turns out, those three competitors found it and exploited it, when so many others didn't.
Yet the method by which they gassed up during tournament hours raised a number of questions from within the field. For one, the pump wasn't directly on the water. Instead, the three departed their boats, grabbed gas cans they'd distributed, filled the cans, and humped the gas back down to the boats.
According to those competitors, and by appearance the Stren rules, it was all completely legal.
So in the wake of the Championship, the revelation that FLW Outdoors competitors may leave their boats to obtain fuel – perhaps even use a vehicle and drive to obtain fuel during tournament hours – may completely revolutionize competitive strategy at some venues.
McMullin Still Miffed
One angler who raised initial concerns about the fueling was Missouri's Bobby McMullin, who finished 9th. After the conclusion of the event, he wrote a letter to BassFan about his concerns, which was published in FeedBack. He later received a call from FLW Outdoors officials, he said, who asked him to refrain from publicly questioning the event.
But BassFan further spoke with McMullin about his concerns, and he wished to add a few more points.
"I made the Top 10 cut, and I was running 120 miles to get my gas," McMullin said. "I was having to lock through and get it from a pump on the Tombigbee that yachts pull up to.
"FLW contacted me to more or less discourage me from putting anything on BassFan," he added. "I know and really admire the tournament director Ron Lappin, and I hate to cause him any trouble, but it really eats at me how (the other competitors) managed to pull this off."
McMullin said he asked the officials during the call – Lappin and fellow tournament director Bill Taylor – the specifics of the rule.
According to McMullin, he asked the officials whether the fuel source was in fact open to the public, and whether the owner had the proper permits to sell gas in a marine location. He was told, he said, that the only concern by FLW Outdoors in terms of competitors getting fuel is the wording of the Rule 10 itself, the applicable part of which reads:
"They weren't concerned whether it was packed down, or pumped through a hose, or how it got down there," McMullin noted. "They said as long as it was 'purchased from a retail facility open to the public,' and as long as the co-angler and boater stay together, I could even get in a vehicle and bring it back.
"I spent the last hours before the meeting waxing the bottom of my boat, changing spark plugs, putting a new prop on to get as far upriver as I could. Now FLW tells me all I need is a buddy to pick me up and take me to get gas? I was pretty teed off about it. I'm sure nobody knew this was the rule. I just want to get word to the other anglers that you can do that."
But McMullin apparently errs there, because BassFan did speak with both Curtis and Saavedra, who presumably knew enough about the rule – or enough about what the rule doesn't prohibit – to develop a strategy, then call FLW Outdoors prior to competition to ensure they stayed within the rules.
Other Applicable Rules
At this point, several BassFans might ask about other rules – specifically, whether or not competitors can leave their boat.
There's nothing in the Stren rules that specifically prohibits anglers from exiting their boat for the purpose of refueling.
A part of Stren Rule 12 states: "At no time may a contestant leave the boat to land a fish or to make the boat more accessible to fishing waters."
Another part of Rule 12 states: "Partners must remain together at all times and within sight of each other until the weigh-in verification is signed in order for their catch for that day to be counted. The momentary condition of being out of sight of each other for restroom breaks is permitted."
One could perhaps argue that departing the boat for fuel is an attempt to "make the boat more accessible to fishing waters," but FLW Outdoors has traditionally stuck with the "spirit" of a rule. And the spirit of Rule 12 appears to address the situation of pushing a boat through low water.
Permission Pre-Check
Curtis, a known big stick who recently won the Texas Tournament Trail Championship, was one of the pros who obtained gas en route to the Alabama River. He confirmed that the same retail outlet provided gas for himself, Saavedra and Vinson.
"I did my homework before the tournament," Curtis said. "I made multiple phone calls to the tournament director prior to the event, and really pinned him down. I asked him to clarify for me what the rules are. I told him the situation, and basically what he told me was I had to purchase it from a retail facility made available to the public."
Curtis noted he did run another scenario by officials, where he'd buy gas from a retail facility not on the water, and the owner of the facility would transport the gas down.
"They didn't agree with that – they said that was pushing it," Curtis said. "I took it upon myself to call in advance, get them to clarify the rule and say exactly what was legal. Purchasing it 'from a retail facility open to the public' was what they told me. There didn't have to be a hose on the bank. I could do cans."
So that's what Curtis did – he filled cans at the pump, then humped them down to his boat.
"The pump was probably 50 or 60 yards from the water's edge," he added. "It was at a retail facility. It was an obvious marina at the end of a road. The purpose of the gas was for marine use. The guy just didn't have any type of hose that would reach the water's edge."
David Curtis said he feels rewarded for doing his homework and taking initiative.
Curtis also wanted to defend his strategy amidst the post-tournament complaints. "I heard some complaints from people who were upset we did it. I feel like some guys are being crybabies. What I say is that myself, and the other guys, took a little initiative, used our heads, followed the rules, and did what we had to do to make it work. I checked with the officials multiple times. I think we were rewarded for taking the initiative to check everything out and put a gameplan together."
Saavedra Checked Too
Saavedra echoed a lot of what Curtis said – namely, that the fuel at the station was available to everyone, and that he spoke with tournament officials about the fuel before the event.
"We all had the concerns of the fuel regulations," he said. "The way it was stipulated to us was that when purchasing gas on the water, it had to be available to everybody. It was cut-and-dried, and no secret thing. The owner of the store supplied the fuel, and we put the gas in our boats. (The store) was off the beaten path, but the guy definitely sold fuel at the water.
"It was backwoods, but he had a legitimate gas pump – the whole shebang."
The Future
While several other competitors have certainly looked at the fuel rule in the past few weeks, what happened at the Stren Championship could likely lead to several new tournament strategies next year. There will no doubt be many questions, too.
Anglers will certainly ask whether they can hump gas cans up to a roadside convenience store for gas, and whether they can use a vehicle to obtain gas during competition hours.
Some will probably seek clarification as to when, where, or why competitors can depart their boat and leave their catch out of sight.
BassFan did ask FLW Outdoors to clarify the fuel rule – specifically, whether the fuel must be available adjacent to a waterbody, and whether competitors may use a vehicle to obtain gas.
FLW Outdoors did not return comment. But given the crucial role fuel plays in tournament strategy – and the fact that three anglers did depart their boats for fuel, two of whom made the Forrest Wood Cup as a direct result – the new angle on the rule should at the least provide BassFans with some fuel for thought.
Notable
> The identical fuel rule applies to the BFLs, FLW Series, and FLW Tour.
> A comparative fuel rule for the Bassmaster Opens prohibits anglers from placing cans along the bank. BASS Open Rule 9 states in part: "No portable gas tanks, or containers capable of holding gasoline, can be placed anywhere on the tournament waters or shoreline for use by any tournament competitor."
> BASS's Open rules also state that pros and co-anglers must stay within sight of each other, and their catch. BASS Open Rule 14 states: "Partners must remain together at all times, in sight of each other and each other's catch, under the conditions cited above, in order for their catch of that day to be scored in the tournament." Anglers must also remain in the boat, except under emergency. Open Rule 14 states, in part, "Both competitors must remain in the boat at all times, except in case of dire emergency, or with permission from the tournament director."
