Freeman Stayed On Fish As They Moved Up Water Column

By John Johnson
BassFan Senior Editor

Glen Freeman has missed some time on the water this year due to a heart operation he underwent in December. His results haven't suffered much, though – he won a Bassmaster Weekend Series event at Toledo Bend in April and backed that up last week with an EverStart triumph at the same venue.

The 62-year-old full-time guide from Converse, La. notched his seventh career FLW victory at the Bend (the previous six were BFLs) with a 68-15 total over 3 days. His 24-12 sack on the final day was the best among the Top-10 field by nearly 6 pounds as he moved up from 2nd place to claim the trophy.

His total surpassed that of runner-up Tim Reneau, the day-1 leader, by 9 1/2 pounds. The victory garnered him nearly $29,000 in cash and a new Ranger boat.

Here's how he did it.

Practice

Freeman refrained from scheduling guide trips during the week leading up to the EverStart so he could spend a maximum amount of time on the lake doing his own thing and not worrying about clients catching fish.

"I had the time to go out and try some different things in the deeper water," he said. "I looked at a lot of different places, and that was the whole key because the fish weren't where I thought they'd be."

He ended up finding about 10 ledges that harbored schools of 4-pound-plus fish. The fish would move up and down the water column, but they wouldn't leave and they wouldn't always bite.

"Timing was very critical. You had to be at such and such spot at such and such time of day."

Competition

> Day 1: 5, 22-11
> Day 2: 5, 21-08
> Day 3: 5, 24-12
> Total = 15, 68-15

Freeman threw a football jig with a Zoom Speed Craw trailer and caught fish throughout day 1. He continued to cull through the final hour of the day and his bag, which was topped by a 6-pounder, left him in 6th place.

His best action on day 2 was early and catching a near-6-pounder in the first hour took some of the stress out of the day. He eventually switched from the jig to a 10 1/2-inch worm and primarily stayed with that bait through the remainder of the tournament.

"I could tell that they were latching onto the worm and holding it better, and they were staying on longer," he said."

He began day 3 by visiting two spots he hadn't yet fished during the event, and they were unproductive. At his third stop – a spot he fished on all three competition days – he caught all of his weight.

"I thought it would give me a pretty good shot at winning, but it always goes through your mind that you don't know what the other guys caught."

Pattern Notes

Freeman said he caught most of his fish on day 1 from at least 20 feet of water. They came from the 10- to 15-foot range on day 2, and on the final day he pulled one of his best specimens from 8 feet.

"With my Lowrance electronics, most of the time I was able to see the fish," he said. "I could keep track of their movement and key in on the depth they were at."

Wind was a big factor, as it blew from just about every direction possible at some point during the event and exceeded the 15-mph mark for at least a period on each day. That made boat-positioning critical.

"We fight the wind constantly down here on Toledo Bend and Rayburn and the Red River. You just have to stay on the trolling motor, and having a lot of experience doing it helps a lot."

Winning Gear Notes

> Jig gear: 7' extra-heavy Shimano rod, Lew's Tournament Pro casting reel (7.1:1 ratio), 20-pound Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon line, 3/4-ounce Booyah football jig (green-pumpkin), Zoom Speed Craw trailer (green-pumpkin).

> Worm gear: Same rod, reel and line, 1/2-ounce lead bullet weight, 7/0 Gamakatsu wide-gap hook, 10 1/2" Yum MightEE Worm (blue fleck).

The Bottom Line

Main factor in his success – "The first thing was timing, and another critical thing was noticing the fish were staying on the same piece of structure, but moving up a little shallower each day."

Performance edge – "It'd have to be my Ranger boat and Yamaha motor. I was out there in those winds running 18 to 20 miles at a time sometimes and they did not let me down once."

Notable

> Freeman has four Weekend Series wins at Toledo Bend, including two on back-to-back weeks at this time of year in 2009.

> His previous best finish in an EverStart was 7th, which he achieved in 2007 and again in 2009.

Much of the tackle referenced above is available at the BassFan Store. To browse the selection, click here.

Final Standings

1. Glen Freeman -- Converse, La -- 22-11 (5) -- 21-08 (5) -- 44-03 (10) -- 24-12 (5) -- 68-15 (15) -- $28,898 + boat

2. Tim Reneau -- Del Rio, Tx -- 26-10 (5) -- 13-15 (5) -- 40-09 (10) -- 18-14 (5) -- 59-07 (15) -- $9,908

3. David Harvey -- Beaumont, Tx -- 25-10 (5) -- 20-01 (5) -- 45-11 (10) -- 12-09 (5) -- 58-04 (15) -- $8,256

4. Lamonte Loyd -- Gilmer, Tx -- 25-12 (5) -- 18-01 (5) -- 43-13 (10) -- 11-06 (5) -- 55-03 (15) -- $7,431

5. Ryan Pinkston -- Center, Tx -- 19-11 (5) -- 15-08 (5) -- 35-03 (10) -- 16-14 (5) -- 52-01 (15) -- $6,605

6. James Elliott -- Center, Tx -- 17-08 (5) -- 16-11 (5) -- 34-03 (10) -- 17-14 (5) -- 52-01 (15) -- $5,780

7. Russell Cecil -- Willis, Tx -- 20-09 (5) -- 15-00 (5) -- 35-09 (10) -- 15-12 (5) -- 51-05 (15) -- $4,954

8. George Jeane Jr -- Evans, La -- 25-12 (5) -- 13-09 (5) -- 39-05 (10) -- 10-02 (5) -- 49-07 (15) -- $4,128

9. Kris Wilson -- Montgomery, Tx -- 16-10 (5) -- 17-00 (5) -- 33-10 (10) -- 14-14 (5) -- 48-08 (15) -- $3,303

10. Phil Marks -- Dallas, Tx -- 19-08 (5) -- 14-02 (5) -- 33-10 (10) -- 7-01 (3) -- 40-11 (13) -- $2,477

The following anglers did not make the cut and did not fish on day 3.

11. Philip Crelia -- Center, Tx -- 18-02 (5) -- 15-02 (5) -- 33-04 (10) -- $1,651

12. Harold Allen -- Shelbyville, Tx -- 24-00 (5) -- 9-01 (5) -- 33-01 (10) -- $1,651

13. Cody Malone -- Sulphur Springs, Tx -- 12-07 (4) -- 20-05 (5) -- 32-12 (9) -- $1,651

14. David Curtis -- Trinity, Tx -- 17-11 (5) -- 13-14 (5) -- 31-09 (10) -- $1,651

15. Jeff Sprague -- Forney, Tx -- 11-07 (3) -- 19-11 (5) -- 31-02 (8) -- $1,651

16. Todd Castledine -- Nacogdoches, Tx -- 12-00 (5) -- 18-05 (5) -- 30-05 (10) -- $1,238

17. Bert Thompson -- Benton, La -- 19-11 (5) -- 9-09 (5) -- 29-04 (10) -- $1,238

18. Stephen Johnston -- Hemphill, Tx -- 17-02 (5) -- 11-14 (5) -- 29-00 (10) -- $1,238

19. Tommy Martin -- Hemphill, Tx -- 15-15 (5) -- 12-08 (5) -- 28-07 (10) -- $1,238

20. Joe Don Setina -- Pittsburg, Tx -- 15-05 (5) -- 13-00 (4) -- 28-05 (9) -- $1,238

21. Ben Matsubu -- Hemphill, Tx -- 15-13 (5) -- 11-08 (5) -- 27-05 (10) -- $1,156

22. Michael Herron -- Paris, Tx -- 14-00 (5) -- 13-01 (5) -- 27-01 (10) -- $1,156

23. Jeremy Guidry -- Opelousas, La -- 15-15 (5) -- 11-00 (5) -- 26-15 (10) -- $1,156

24. Randy Allen -- Shreveport, La -- 7-11 (2) -- 18-12 (5) -- 26-07 (7) -- $1,156

25. James Stricklin Jr -- Texarkana, Tx -- 13-11 (5) -- 12-02 (5) -- 25-13 (10) -- $1,156

26. Andrew Upshaw -- Hemphill, Tx -- 14-12 (5) -- 10-11 (5) -- 25-07 (10) -- $1,073

27. Kevin Lasyone -- Dry Prong, La -- 15-00 (5) -- 9-10 (4) -- 24-10 (9) -- $1,073

28. Dwain Burns -- Long Branch, Tx -- 9-06 (4) -- 14-07 (5) -- 23-13 (9) -- $1,073

29. Craig Moore -- Monahans, Tx -- 9-11 (4) -- 14-01 (5) -- 23-12 (9) -- $1,073

30. Cody Bird -- Granbury, Tx -- 13-00 (5) -- 10-12 (5) -- 23-12 (10) -- $1,073

31. Darold Gleason -- Leesville, La -- 10-02 (5) -- 13-02 (5) -- 23-04 (10) -- $991

32. Shane Moore -- Argyle, Tx -- 11-02 (5) -- 11-10 (5) -- 22-12 (10) -- $991

33. Rick Carter -- Alba, Tx -- 10-02 (5) -- 12-05 (5) -- 22-07 (10) -- $991

34. Brandon Moton -- Logansport, La -- 9-06 (5) -- 13-00 (5) -- 22-06 (10) -- $991

35. Jim Tutt -- Longview, Tx -- 11-12 (5) -- 10-08 (5) -- 22-04 (10) -- $991

36. Shane Hilton -- Alexandria, La -- 7-06 (3) -- 14-04 (5) -- 21-10 (8) -- $991

37. Marty Sugg -- Pattonville, Tx -- 13-03 (5) -- 8-01 (5) -- 21-04 (10) -- $991

38. Wayne Ebarb -- Many, La -- 13-13 (5) -- 7-02 (4) -- 20-15 (9) -- $991

39. T W Hardy -- Silsbee, Tx -- 15-13 (5) -- 5-00 (3) -- 20-13 (8)

40. James Caldemeyer -- Gilmer, Tx -- 12-00 (4) -- 8-13 (5) -- 20-13 (9)

41. Rob Burns -- Plano, Tx -- 11-15 (3) -- 8-12 (5) -- 20-11 (8)

42. Robert Brown -- Round Rock, Tx -- 12-13 (5) -- 7-11 (5) -- 20-08 (10)

43. Richard Madole -- Many, La -- 9-09 (5) -- 10-04 (5) -- 19-13 (10)

44. Timothy Griffin -- Zapata, Tx -- 14-04 (5) -- 5-05 (2) -- 19-09 (7)

45. John Tanner -- Quitman, Tx -- 14-14 (5) -- 4-05 (2) -- 19-03 (7)

46. Nicholas Albus -- Trinity, Tx -- 10-12 (5) -- 7-15 (5) -- 18-11 (10)

47. Chance Moton -- Mansfield, La -- 12-12 (5) -- 5-10 (2) -- 18-06 (7)

48. Jeff Kitchens -- Henderson, Tx -- 9-12 (4) -- 8-10 (5) -- 18-06 (9)

49. Jonathan Simon -- Orange, Tx -- 13-03 (5) -- 5-02 (2) -- 18-05 (7)

50. Derek Allen -- Ponchatoula, La -- 7-10 (5) -- 10-11 (4) -- 18-05 (9)

51. Trent Durst -- Longview, Tx -- 11-11 (5) -- 6-09 (3) -- 18-04 (8)

52. Elbia Ebert -- Porter, Tx -- 8-13 (1) -- 9-07 (2) -- 18-04 (3)

53. Raul Morineau -- Mexico City D.F.,Mexico -- 9-11 (5) -- 8-07 (5) -- 18-02 (10)

54. Zach King -- Clarksville, Ar -- 8-15 (5) -- 8-13 (5) -- 17-12 (10)

55. Melvin Dunn -- Orange, Tx -- 8-03 (4) -- 9-01 (5) -- 17-04 (9)

56. Larry Byrd -- Lake Charles, La -- 15-06 (5) -- 1-12 (1) -- 17-02 (6)

57. Justin Morton -- Etoile, Tx -- 12-06 (5) -- 4-07 (2) -- 16-13 (7)

58. Dean Perkins -- Broaddus, Tx -- 6-04 (2) -- 10-08 (4) -- 16-12 (6)

59. Bob Ramsdell -- Sour Lake, Tx -- 12-05 (5) -- 4-05 (3) -- 16-10 (8)

60. Buz Craft -- Vidalia, La -- 11-06 (5) -- 5-03 (3) -- 16-09 (8)

61. Chris Russell -- Montgomery, Tx -- 10-10 (5) -- 5-09 (4) -- 16-03 (9)

62. Ronnie Sharp -- Hammond, La -- 7-00 (4) -- 8-14 (4) -- 15-14 (8)

63. Michael Randolph -- Austin, Tx -- 15-12 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 15-12 (5)

64. Russell Lohman -- Pineville, La -- 10-07 (5) -- 4-12 (3) -- 15-03 (8)

65. Patrick Fuller -- Tyler, Tx -- 7-09 (4) -- 7-10 (4) -- 15-03 (8)

66. Kevin Paddy -- Deridder, La -- 7-10 (4) -- 7-08 (3) -- 15-02 (7)

67. Alton Wilhoit -- Harrah, Ok -- 10-15 (5) -- 3-14 (2) -- 14-13 (7)

68. Paul Ferguson -- Whitehouse, Tx -- 10-09 (5) -- 4-02 (2) -- 14-11 (7)

69. Ernie Paul -- Longview, Tx -- 10-10 (5) -- 3-11 (2) -- 14-05 (7)

70. Eric Wright -- Scurry, Tx -- 5-13 (3) -- 8-07 (5) -- 14-04 (8)

71. Johnny Winfree -- Deville, La -- 8-15 (5) -- 5-00 (3) -- 13-15 (8)

72. Gary Vining -- Morgan City, La -- 9-11 (5) -- 3-14 (2) -- 13-09 (7)

73. Christopher Brasher -- Spring, Tx -- 3-12 (2) -- 9-05 (5) -- 13-01 (7)

74. Jacky Hawthorne -- Greenville, Tx -- 9-01 (4) -- 3-15 (3) -- 13-00 (7)

75. Aaron Presley -- Moore, Ok -- 7-06 (3) -- 5-06 (3) -- 12-12 (6)

76. Keith Surber -- Longview, Tx -- 3-06 (2) -- 9-05 (5) -- 12-11 (7)

77. Austin Terry -- San Angelo, Tx -- 7-03 (3) -- 5-05 (3) -- 12-08 (6)

78. Randy Cisler -- Mesquite, Tx -- 8-10 (5) -- 3-13 (2) -- 12-07 (7)

79. Ronnie Buquet -- Houma, La -- 8-00 (5) -- 4-03 (3) -- 12-03 (8)

80. Joe Gerard -- Concordia, Ks -- 3-00 (2) -- 8-14 (5) -- 11-14 (7)

81. Ricky Campbell -- Waxahachie, Tx -- 11-13 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 11-13 (5)

82. Adrian Smiley -- Bossier City, La -- 5-14 (4) -- 5-13 (3) -- 11-11 (7)

83. Patrick Starnes -- Zapata, Tx -- 4-11 (3) -- 6-11 (4) -- 11-06 (7)

84. James Bass -- Carthage, Tx -- 4-04 (2) -- 6-09 (1) -- 10-13 (3)

85. Dustin Boyt -- Converse, La -- 10-02 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 10-02 (5)

86. Terry Adams -- Berwick, La -- 9-15 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 9-15 (5)

87. Robert More -- Leesville, La -- 8-05 (4) -- 1-08 (1) -- 9-13 (5)

88. John Ballard -- Wichita Falls, Tx -- 6-04 (4) -- 3-07 (2) -- 9-11 (6)

89. Brian Clark -- Haltom City, Tx -- 3-00 (2) -- 6-03 (2) -- 9-03 (4)

90. Jeromy Francis -- Magnolia, Tx -- 0-00 (0) -- 8-13 (5) -- 8-13 (5)

91. Dave Parsons -- Yantis, Tx -- 7-12 (4) -- 0-00 (0) -- 7-12 (4)

92. Jeffrey Cade -- Richardson, Tx -- 2-00 (1) -- 5-12 (3) -- 7-12 (4)

93. Mario Carreon -- Las Cruces, Nm -- 7-10 (4) -- 0-00 (0) -- 7-10 (4)

94. Brett Harris -- Tyler, Tx -- 0-00 (0) -- 6-14 (5) -- 6-14 (5)

95. Michael Yoder -- Texarkana, Ar -- 6-12 (2) -- 0-00 (0) -- 6-12 (2)

96. Trent Huckaby -- Fort Stockton, Tx -- 6-07 (4) -- 0-00 (0) -- 6-07 (4)

97. Bill Lee -- Harker Heights, Tx -- 5-04 (3) -- 0-00 (0) -- 5-04 (3)

98. Kerry Fisher -- Midland, Tx -- 5-00 (1) -- 0-00 (0) -- 5-00 (1)

99. Kevin Walker -- Buna, Tx -- 5-00 (3) -- 0-00 (0) -- 5-00 (3)

100. Richard Cunningham -- Ragley, La -- 3-10 (2) -- 1-06 (1) -- 5-00 (3)

101. Peter Daniels -- Shreveport, La -- 3-02 (2) -- 1-12 (1) -- 4-14 (3)

102. Joey Quick -- Pineland, Tx -- 4-06 (3) -- 0-00 (0) -- 4-06 (3)

103. Mark Williamson -- Pineland, Tx -- 4-05 (2) -- 0-00 (0) -- 4-05 (2)

104. Michael Williamson -- Fort Smith, Ar -- 0-00 (0) -- 4-04 (2) -- 4-04 (2)

105. Richard Broxton -- Temple, Tx -- 2-04 (1) -- 1-11 (1) -- 3-15 (2)

106. Mark Child -- Mansfield, Tx -- 0-00 (0) -- 3-09 (2) -- 3-09 (2)

107. Gene Eisenmann -- Frisco, Tx -- 2-12 (2) -- 0-00 (0) -- 2-12 (2)

108. Dan Battarbee -- Zwolle, La -- 0-00 (0) -- 2-10 (1) -- 2-10 (1)

109. Torrey Parkhurst -- Weatherford, Tx -- 2-05 (1) -- 0-00 (0) -- 2-05 (1)

110. Darren Haydel -- Houma, La -- 0-00 (0) -- 2-04 (1) -- 2-04 (1)

111. Ira Lynn -- Adkins, Tx -- 1-12 (1) -- 0-00 (0) -- 1-12 (1)

112. Stewart Herndon -- Graham, Tx -- 1-11 (1) -- 0-00 (0) -- 1-11 (1)

Richard Stephens Jr. Boyce, La -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0)

Big Bass

> Day 1: George Jeane Jr. -- 13-04 -- $226
> Day 2: Elbia Ebert -- 7-03 -- $113
> Day 2: Jeff Sprague -- 7-03 -- $113