Mark Rose feels right at home at just about any TVA lake, especially in fall. He grew up fishing the Mississippi, but over his pro career, all his significant wins have come at TVA lakes. Two of them were at Pickwick, and last week, he added a Chickamauga Eastern FLW Series win to his résumé.
Last year, he won the AFS Championship in November, and that
helped ease the financial strain of the following Tour season. Two years before that, he won the Pickwick FLW Series in October. And this year, his $50,000 Chickamauga prize is a nice nest egg to help carry him into next year.
"It feels really good," Rose said of the win. "I don't know what the deal is, but it seems like the last 3 or 4 years, I've been able to win the last tournament of the season. I wish I could do it throughout the season, but it just feels good to end the FLW season on a winning note. And it'll help make those days of sitting 30 feet up in a tree-stand a lot more enjoyable."
"All I can say is I've been blessed to be able to win some toward the end of the year," he added. "It makes for an enjoyable Thanksgiving and Christmas. I really love this time of year."
Here's a look at how he did it.
Practice
Rose pre-practiced on his way back from Champlain with the thought that he might be able to find some fish on ledges, since the nights hadn't been that cold yet. He idled and looked, and fished shallow a bit too, but only found one ledge worth considering.
When he came back for official practice, he checked some of his pre-practice spots more closely.
"One of them was just a big, major bend in the river with a big flat on one side," he said. "It had a gut (ditch) and points, and that's what I try to look for in fall – not really the ledges. I more look for flats and irregularities on the flats. Those fish just migrate around with the shad and the white and yellow bass. I found a couple of flats in official practice, including that one with a pretty good little school, that I really liked."
Competition
> Day 1: 5, 16-07
> Day 2: 5, 16-01
> Day 3: 5, 12-15
> Day 4: 5, 11-08
> Total = 20, 56-15
On day 1, Rose went right to his big flat next to the river bend and tried to locate his school.
"It was a big, flat area but had some ambush points on the flat," he noted. "I pulled up to where I thought they'd be and they were right there. I got them triggered with a Strike King Football jig, then picked up a Strike King Sexy spoon and it was gangbusters for 15 minutes."
He caught his limit and got the heck out of there.
The next day was about the same. He located the school on the flat, caught one on a jig to fire up the school, then went to work with the spoon.
"I had all the confidence in the world that I could catch the bigger fish on the spoon," he said. "I'd try other stuff, but when I picked up the spoon I'd catch bigger ones."
He noted too that a few other boats were in the area on day 2, and fellow pro Brian Travis watched him catch all those fish. But Travis never moved in on him. "He didn't have a good tournament but he never came in," Rose said of Travis. "I have a lot of respect for him."
Day 3 was a whole lot different. Rose struck out on his flat, so he moved downriver a little and found another school on a similar flat. He again caught one on a jig then switched to the spoon and it was every cast for 15 or 20 minutes.
Day 4 was a whole lot different too. It was Saturday on the Tennessee River, which meant no current. His flats bite just wasn't working.
"I knew it would be the toughest day – it always is, whether it's Guntersville, Pickwick, anywhere," he said. "I couldn't even get them triggered and I was really, really bummed. But then I remembered a trick my buddy Randy Haynes had taught me years ago. He always caught them on Saturday on Pickwick, and the pattern he liked to use was to go with more of a finesse-type crankbait. He also goes down in line-size and really tries to finesse with that crank."
Rose did just that. He wouldn't reveal which crank he used – he's sponsored by Strike King so it was presumably a different make – but he did say he went down to 10-pound line.
"I picked up the crank, got it down and really finessed them," he said. "For some reason the crank really triggered them that day. I caught my first fish on the Football jig, four more on the crank, and that's all I caught all day. I was fishing all the same stuff I did on day 3."
Winning Pattern Notes
Rose said his flats were about 17 feet deep on the main lake with "different irregularities – maybe a gut or trough that goes down to 30, or hump that comes up to 12. If it was cloudy or there was current, they might be up top feeding. If it was sunny they might be down in the trough. You really just had to fish around. It wasn't like it is at the end of May when you can set up and make one cast. They migrate around with the bait and other species of fish this time of year."
Winning Gear Notes
> Jig gear: 7'1" medium-heavy Kistler Z-Bone Football Jig rod, Shimano Chronarch casting reel, 15-pound Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon, 3/4-ounce Strike King Football jig (green-pumpkin), Strike King Rage Tail craw (green-pumpkin).
> Spoon gear: 7'11" heavy-action Kistler Z-Bone Mark Rose Spooning rod, same reel, 20-pound Seaguar InvizX, 5 1/2" Strike King Sexy spoon (sexy shad).
> Finesse-crank gear: 7'11" medium-action Kistler Z-Bone Mark Rose Cranking rod, same reel, 10-pound Seaguar InvizX, unnamed crank (shad).
> The Z-Bone rods are fairly new, he said. "Kistler's had them for about a year and a half. Basically they're the only rod company out there where you can call up and design your own rod. Like the Mark Rose Spooning rod – it comes with microguides, but if you want regular guides, you can get that. If you want silver rod-wrapping, you can get that. If you want a cutaway handle, you can get that. Z-Bone is all about designing and choosing your own components."
The Bottom Line
Notable
> Rose's next tournament is the Toyota Texas Bass Classic.
> He definitely plans to fish the FLW Tour and Opens next season, but isn't sure about his triple-A load.
> With his victory here, he should be one of the favorites to win next year's FLW Tour stop at Chickamauga.
Much of the tackle referenced above is available at the BassFan Store. To browse the selection, click here.
Final Standings
> Field = 106 Boats
1. Mark Rose -- Marion, Ar -- 5, 16-07 -- 5, 16-01 -- 5, 12-15 -- 15, 45-07 -- 5, 11-08 -- 20, 56-15 -- $44,778 + $6.000
2. Wesley Strader -- Spring City, Tn -- 5, 11-04 -- 5, 14-06 -- 5, 15-09 -- 5, 13-03 -- 20, 54-06 -- $17,911
3. Tom Mann Jr -- Buford, Ga -- 5, 14-07 -- 5, 10-11 -- 5, 17-06 -- 5, 11-12 -- 20, 54-04 -- $13,433
4. Andy Montgomery -- Blacksburg, Sc -- 5, 16-11 -- 5, 12-04 -- 5, 12-00 -- 5, 11-10 -- 20, 52-09 -- $8,956
5. Pete Thliveros -- Saint Augustine, Fl -- 5, 11-14 -- 5, 13-09 -- 5, 13-06 -- 5, 12-04 -- 20, 51-01 -- $8,060
The following anglers didn't make the cut and didn't fish day 4"
6. Scott Suggs -- Bryant, Ar -- 5, 12-02 -- 5, 13-15 -- 5, 12-01 -- 15, 38-02 -- $7,612
7. Rogne Brown -- Hixson, Tn -- 5, 11-15 -- 5, 11-05 -- 5, 13-12 -- 15, 37-00 -- $7,165
8. Derek Remitz -- Grant, Al -- 5, 15-00 -- 5, 12-13 -- 4, 9-02 -- 14, 36-15 -- $6,717
9. Randall Tharp -- Gardendale, Al -- 5, 10-08 -- 5, 12-08 -- 5, 13-07 -- 15, 36-07 -- $6,269 + $1,000
10. Bryan Thrift -- Shelby, Nc -- 5, 15-04 -- 5, 8-11 -- 5, 12-06 -- 15, 36-05 -- $5,821
11. Chris Baumgardner -- Gastonia, Nc -- 5, 15-11 -- 4, 8-02 -- 5, 12-07 -- 14, 36-04 -- $5,597
12. Craig Powers -- Rockwood, Tn -- 4, 8-15 -- 5, 12-15 -- 5, 13-07 -- 14, 35-05 -- $5,597
13. Terry Bolton -- Jonesboro, Ar -- 5, 11-06 -- 5, 13-10 -- 5, 9-11 -- 15, 34-11 -- $5,597
14. Patrick Baynes -- Chatsworth, Ga -- 5, 11-01 -- 5, 14-01 -- 4, 9-08 -- 14, 34-10 -- $5,597
15. James Kemper -- Frankfort, Ky -- 5, 11-07 -- 5, 11-15 -- 5, 10-14 -- 15, 34-04 -- $5,597
16. Jt Kenney -- Palm Bay, Fl -- 5, 11-04 -- 5, 10-05 -- 5, 12-04 -- 15, 33-13 -- $5,373
17. Koby Kreiger -- Okeechobee, Fl -- 5, 9-08 -- 5, 14-05 -- 5, 9-14 -- 15, 33-11 -- $5,373
18. John Cox -- Debary, Fl -- 1, 4-01 -- 5, 16-05 -- 5, 12-10 -- 11, 33-00 -- $5,373
19. Michael Murphy -- Gilbert, Sc -- 4, 8-07 -- 5, 15-02 -- 4, 9-03 -- 13, 32-12 -- $5,373
20. Micah Frazier -- Newnan, Ga -- 5, 11-13 -- 5, 9-11 -- 4, 10-01 -- 14, 31-09 -- $5,373
21. Jeff Knight -- Cleveland, Tn -- 5, 9-08 -- 5, 14-11 -- 2, 7-04 -- 12, 31-07 -- $5,150
22. David Goshorn -- Harleyville, Sc -- 5, 11-04 -- 4, 8-08 -- 5, 11-11 -- 14, 31-07 -- $5,150
23. Scott Martin -- Clewiston, Fl -- 5, 11-13 -- 5, 8-10 -- 5, 10-12 -- 15, 31-03 -- $5,150
24. Ron Wolfarth -- Oakboro, Nc -- 4, 9-01 -- 5, 10-08 -- 5, 10-14 -- 14, 30-07 -- $5,150
25. Andy Morgan -- Dayton, Tn -- 3, 5-13 -- 3, 9-13 -- 5, 14-10 -- 11, 30-04 -- $5,150
26. Keith Hutto -- Evans, Ga -- 3, 7-02 -- 5, 13-14 -- 4, 8-15 -- 12, 29-15 -- $4,926
27. Stetson Blaylock -- Benton, Ar -- 5, 10-00 -- 5, 9-13 -- 5, 10-02 -- 15, 29-15 -- $4,926
28. Thomas Helton -- Charleston, Tn -- 5, 8-14 -- 5, 7-15 -- 4, 12-03 -- 14, 29-00 -- $4,926
29. Ray Scheide -- Dover, Ar -- 3, 5-08 -- 5, 12-08 -- 5, 10-13 -- 13, 28-13 -- $4,926
30. Bill Day -- Frankfort, Ky -- 4, 7-02 -- 5, 11-15 -- 5, 9-12 -- 14, 28-13 -- $4,926
31. Chris Heath -- North Augusta, Sc -- 4, 5-01 -- 5, 11-13 -- 5, 11-12 -- 14, 28-10 -- $4,702
32. Scott Canterbury -- Springville, Al -- 4, 12-15 -- 4, 7-06 -- 4, 7-14 -- 12, 28-03 -- $4,702
33. Michael Neal -- Dayton, Tn -- 3, 5-06 -- 5, 13-10 -- 4, 8-11 -- 12, 27-11 -- $4,702
34. Kirk Morton -- Murfreesboro, Tn -- 1, 2-13 -- 5, 13-07 -- 5, 11-07 -- 11, 27-11 -- $4,702
35. Vic Vatalaro -- Kent, Oh -- 3, 6-03 -- 5, 13-06 -- 4, 8-01 -- 12, 27-10 -- $4,702
36. Tracy Harden -- Georgetown, Tn -- 2, 4-02 -- 5, 12-14 -- 5, 10-07 -- 12, 27-07
37. Shinichi Fukae -- Palestine, Tx -- 5, 9-11 -- 2, 5-13 -- 5, 11-14 -- 12, 27-06
38. Jt Palmore -- Gasburg, Va -- 3, 6-03 -- 4, 8-14 -- 5, 12-03 -- 12, 27-04
39. Jonathan Newton -- Rogersville, Al -- 2, 5-07 -- 4, 10-10 -- 4, 11-03 -- 10, 27-04
40. Greg Lamb -- Ringgold, Ga -- 5, 10-04 -- 4, 10-06 -- 3, 6-06 -- 12, 27-00
41. Gary Yamamoto -- Palestine, Tx -- 2, 5-04 -- 5, 11-06 -- 5, 10-04 -- 12, 26-14
42. Darrin Schwenkbeck -- Varysburg, Ny -- 5, 12-10 -- 1, 1-01 -- 5, 13-02 -- 11, 26-13
43. David Dudley -- Lynchburg, Va -- 3, 9-12 -- 5, 10-01 -- 4, 6-14 -- 12, 26-11
44. Brian Travis -- Conover, Nc -- 1, 1-01 -- 5, 9-13 -- 5, 14-06 -- 11, 25-04
45. Darrell Davis -- Dover, Fl -- 4, 11-15 -- 2, 4-05 -- 4, 8-15 -- 10, 25-03
46. Craig Dowling -- Grant, Al -- 4, 8-10 -- 3, 7-00 -- 3, 9-09 -- 10, 25-03
47. Tim Wyatt -- Crossville, Tn -- 2, 5-00 -- 5, 11-13 -- 3, 7-13 -- 10, 24-10
48. Greg Pugh -- Cullman, Al -- 0, 0-00 -- 5, 10-04 -- 4, 13-14 -- 9, 24-02
49. Jason Abrams -- Johnson City, Tn -- 4, 9-11 -- 2, 4-00 -- 5, 10-07 -- 11, 24-02
50. Dane Odom -- Chapin, Sc -- 5, 8-13 -- 3, 4-11 -- 5, 10-09 -- 13, 24-01
51. Masahiro Yanase -- Knoxville, Tn -- 3, 4-04 -- 5, 12-09 -- 3, 7-01 -- 11, 23-14
52. Fred Martin -- North Little Rock, Ar -- 3, 6-11 -- 5, 12-01 -- 2, 4-10 -- 10, 23-06
53. Jimmy Mcmillan -- Belle Glade, Fl -- 3, 5-08 -- 4, 8-03 -- 3, 9-01 -- 10, 22-12
54. Ramie Colson Jr -- Cadiz, Ky -- 5, 15-01 -- 2, 5-14 -- 1, 1-11 -- 8, 22-10
55. David Fritts -- Lexington, Nc -- 2, 4-14 -- 5, 7-14 -- 5, 9-10 -- 12, 22-06
56. Darryl Folse -- Addis, La -- 5, 9-14 -- 5, 12-02 -- 0, 0-00 -- 10, 22-00
57. Kevin Snider -- Elizabethtown, Ky -- 3, 6-12 -- 3, 4-04 -- 5, 11-00 -- 11, 22-00
58. George Lambeth -- Thomasville, Nc -- 5, 10-05 -- 4, 7-13 -- 1, 3-02 -- 10, 21-04
59. Darren Gallaher -- Hixson, Tn -- 2, 4-05 -- 5, 15-06 -- 1, 1-04 -- 8, 20-15
60. Greg Bohannan -- Rogers, Ar -- 5, 8-09 -- 3, 5-05 -- 3, 6-12 -- 11, 20-10
61. David Pollard -- Carrollton, Ga -- 2, 4-04 -- 5, 12-12 -- 1, 3-03 -- 8, 20-03
62. Derek Hicks -- Rocky Face, Ga -- 3, 5-08 -- 5, 9-15 -- 2, 4-06 -- 10, 19-13
63. Danny Bishop -- Buchanan, Ga -- 1, 3-09 -- 3, 3-11 -- 5, 12-08 -- 9, 19-12
64. Robert Behrle -- Hoover, Al -- 2, 3-15 -- 4, 4-09 -- 5, 11-03 -- 11, 19-11
65. Larry Jones -- Acworth, Ga -- 5, 10-07 -- 1, 1-03 -- 4, 8-00 -- 10, 19-10
66. Tom Monsoor -- La Crosse, Wi -- 1, 1-00 -- 2, 3-10 -- 5, 14-14 -- 8, 19-08
67. Paul Anthony -- Dawson, Ga -- 2, 4-07 -- 3, 8-15 -- 3, 5-13 -- 8, 19-03
68. William Drown -- Roseland, Fl -- 2, 4-01 -- 1, 7-01 -- 2, 7-10 -- 5, 18-12
69. Nathan Fields -- Denton, Tx -- 2, 6-10 -- 4, 7-15 -- 1, 3-12 -- 7, 18-05
70. Nicolas Supik -- Butler, Pa -- 3, 6-06 -- 2, 4-02 -- 5, 7-10 -- 10, 18-02
71. Robert Sherry -- Saint Charles, Il -- 3, 7-06 -- 3, 5-14 -- 2, 4-14 -- 8, 18-02
72. Jason Ober -- Johnstown, Pa -- 1, 3-02 -- 2, 4-08 -- 5, 10-05 -- 8, 17-15
73. Brent Butler -- Vonore, Tn -- 5, 9-05 -- 2, 4-11 -- 1, 3-13 -- 8, 17-13
74. Tom Spangler -- Corryton, Tn -- 3, 7-07 -- 1, 2-03 -- 4, 8-02 -- 8, 17-12
75. Jared Haas -- Hixson, Tn -- 3, 5-05 -- 4, 8-04 -- 2, 3-02 -- 9, 16-11
76. Kenneth (Boo) Woods -- Hazard, Ky -- 0, 0-00 -- 4, 11-04 -- 3, 4-14 -- 7, 16-02
77. Jenny Nevans -- Dayton, Tn -- 5, 10-14 -- 2, 3-05 -- 1, 1-13 -- 8, 16-00
78. Mark Shepard -- Clewiston, Fl -- 3, 4-15 -- 5, 5-02 -- 3, 5-07 -- 11, 15-08
79. Clint Brownlee -- Tifton, Ga -- 3, 5-13 -- 3, 7-12 -- 1, 1-14 -- 7, 15-07
80. Larry Nixon -- Bee Branch, Ar -- 3, 7-14 -- 4, 7-06 -- 0, 0-00 -- 7, 15-04
81. Clint Alford -- Atoka, Ok -- 1, 2-02 -- 4, 5-09 -- 5, 7-05 -- 10, 15-00
82. Alan Hyde -- Harrison, Tn -- 4, 8-04 -- 2, 4-01 -- 1, 2-04 -- 7, 14-09
83. Sam Morgan -- Coalmont, Tn -- 3, 6-09 -- 2, 4-15 -- 2, 2-15 -- 7, 14-07
84. Derek Yasinski -- Senoia, Ga -- 1, 2-01 -- 1, 2-03 -- 4, 8-14 -- 6, 13-02
85. Nick Gainey -- Charleston, Sc -- 5, 10-14 -- 1, 2-00 -- 0, 0-00 -- 6, 12-14
86. Tony Couch -- Buckhead, Ga -- 4, 7-15 -- 2, 4-14 -- 0, 0-00 -- 6, 12-13
87. Scott Hayes -- Newnan, Ga -- 4, 10-02 -- 1, 2-03 -- 0, 0-00 -- 5, 12-05
88. Richard Patterson -- Windermere, Fl -- 1, 2-04 -- 1, 2-02 -- 3, 7-15 -- 5, 12-05
89. Mark Peiser -- Pittsboro, In -- 1, 3-00 -- 3, 4-01 -- 3, 4-10 -- 7, 11-11
90. Anthony Gagliardi -- Prosperity, Sc -- 5, 10-11 -- 0, 0-00 -- 0, 0-00 -- 5, 10-11
91. John Wyrick -- Middletown, Oh -- 2, 4-05 -- 3, 6-06 -- 0, 0-00 -- 5, 10-11
92. Gary Isgrigg -- Mt. Washington, Ky -- 1, 1-04 -- 2, 5-13 -- 2, 3-09 -- 5, 10-10
93. Josh Wofford -- Ooltewah, Tn -- 4, 8-05 -- 2, 2-01 -- 0, 0-00 -- 6, 10-06
94. Richard Lowitzki -- St Charles, Il -- 4, 7-02 -- 0, 0-00 -- 2, 2-10 -- 6, 9-12
95. Blake Nick -- Adger, Al -- 3, 3-14 -- 2, 5-06 -- 0, 0-00 -- 5, 9-04
96. Scott Jenkins -- Franklin, Ga -- 1, 2-04 -- 3, 6-10 -- 0, 0-00 -- 4, 8-14
97. Glenn Chappelear -- Acworth, Ga -- 1, 1-09 -- 2, 2-12 -- 2, 4-05 -- 5, 8-10
98. Dick Shaffer -- Rockford, Oh -- 3, 5-15 -- 1, 2-00 -- 0, 0-00 -- 4, 7-15
99. Marty Williams -- Thomasville, Nc -- 1, 3-13 -- 1, 1-14 -- 1, 1-15 -- 3, 7-10
100. John Harden -- Georgetown, Tn -- 2, 4-05 -- 1, 2-03 -- 0, 0-00 -- 3, 6-08
101. Currey Holley -- Pulaski, Tn -- 2, 3-14 -- 1, 2-03 -- 0, 0-00 -- 3, 6-01
102. Sean Brehm -- Eddyville, Ky -- 1, 1-08 -- 2, 4-06 -- 0, 0-00 -- 3, 5-14
103. Derek Allen -- Ponchatoula, La -- 0, 0-00 -- 2, 5-09 -- 0, 0-00 -- 2, 5-09
104. Victor Rowe -- Ooltewah, Tn -- 2, 5-06 -- 0, 0-00 -- 0, 0-00 -- 2, 5-06
105. Gary Pace -- Cumming, Ga -- 1, 3-06 -- 0, 0-00 -- 0, 0-00 -- 1, 3-06
106. Harry Moore -- Valley, Al -- 0, 0-00 -- 1, 1-08 -- 1, 1-07 -- 2, 2-15
