By John Johnson
BassFan Senior Editor

The first 2 days of the Ft. Loudon-Tellico PAA Tournament Series went about as well as Tommy Brown could've hoped. He described the final day as both "scary" and "hugely disappointing," but in the end it didn't cost him the most significant victory of his career.

The 44-year-old, whose home sits on the shore of the lake, employed the same gameplan each day: He fished for big post-spawn smallmouths for a few hours in the morning, then went up the Little Tennessee River in search of largemouths. That combo produced an average of more than 20 pounds a day through the first 2 days, but both tactics virtually dried up on day 3, which followed a frigid night and featured a nearly overpowering level of current.

He carried a lead of more than 10 pounds into day 3, then managed just two fish for a combined 5 1/2 pounds that day. But with a 47.36 total, he still won by 2 1/2 pounds over fellow Louisville, Tenn. resident Chris Whitson.

Following are some of the specifics.

Practice

Brown fishes the lake between 150 and 200 times a year, although some of those excursions are for crappie or walleye. Counting weeknight fruit-jar events, he competes in about 50 tournaments annually on his home water.

Prior to the off-limits period, he spent 3 days on the water just trying to get a feel for what the fish were doing. When tournament week arrived, he practiced for half a day on Monday and a full day on Tuesday before a tow-vehicle issue kept him sidelined on the day before the derby began.

"I had a pretty good idea of what I was going to do just based on the way the fish were acting," he said. "I knew the smallmouth were post-spawn, and there's one place in particular where the big ones load up.

"I decided I'd give myself until 10 o'clock to fish for them, then I'd pull up the trolling motor and go flipping for largemouths. The smallmouths I was fishing for were of great quality – 4- to 5-pounders. If the current hadn't been running as hard as it was, I think I could've caught five of them every day."

Competition

> Day 1: 5, 19.27
> Day 2: 5, 22.63
> Day 3: 2, 5.46
> Total = 12, 47.36

The post-spawn smallmouths that Brown pursued were bunched up in a rocky, offshore area with heavy current. Catching one required a precise cast and, due to the strong flow, he was forced to reposition his boat frequently.

"If you can get the school ignited, those fish will eat," he said. "But if you stop for even a few minutes, then you're back to square one trying to get one to bite.

He caught a 4-pounder, a 5 1/4 and several shorts (the minimum length requirement for smallmouths is 18 inches) relatively early on day 1. The biggest one took his crankbait deep down its gullet and he had to spend a considerable amount of time getting it out, and then more time rehabbing the fish so it'd survive its stay in the livewell. When he finally got back to casting, the action had subsided.

He pulled a 3-pound largemouth off a laydown shortly after relocating to his upriver haunt. Some of the green fish were still spawning (the ritual occurred later than normal this year due to chilly weather early in the season) and although he couldn't see them, he was able to pick out a lot of likely locations for beds.

He added a 4 and another 3 before the day was over and missed a good one that was sitting in a bush. "I told my co-angler that I'd come back and catch that one tomorrow," he said.

He caught two quality smallmouths on the morning of day 2 – one on a swimbait and the other on a deep-diving crankbait. He then ran back to the same upriver pocket he'd fished the previous day and the first fish he boated was a 5 1/2.

A 4 1/2 from a green tree followed shortly thereafter, and then he caught the bush-dwelling fish – which was pushing 4 pounds – that he'd missed on day 1. It was only 11 o'clock when he pulled out.

"I'm familiar with the quality that's in that lake, and I knew that was a big bag," he said.

His tournament-best haul gave him a double-digit lead, and he needed most of it because day 3 was a struggle from the outset. His smallmouth hole produced only two bites – he missed one and the other was a 10-pound flathead catfish.



"The reason I think they didn't bite better that day was because they were pulling even more water than they had been before. I had a 3/4-ounce weight on the swimbait, trying to throw it on that underwater ledge, and the current was so strong that I just couldn't catch up to it."

He abandoned that place early and spent a fruitless 2 hours flipping. He didn't have a fish at 11 o'clock, so he opted to give the smallmouths one more try before going point-hopping down the lake. He missed good bites on his first two casts with a swimbait, so he switched to a Gene Larew Biffle Bug on a 7/16-ounce Hardhead and caught a 4-pound smallmouth.

He lost another quality fish on the crankbait and then pulled out to run some points. He made numerous stops, but managed just one run-of-the-mill largemouth.

"It was typical Ft. Loudon fishing – you can catch 20 pounds one day and then nothing the next. I was stressed about the whole deal because I knew any of those guys behind me could've caught a 20- to 25-pound bag like I'd done the day before and passed me.

"It was nerve-wracking, but it turned out okay."

Gear Notes

> Cranking gear: 7'11" medium-action Shimano Crucial rod, Abu Garcia Revo Winch casting reel (5.3:1 ratio), 12-pound Vicious fluorocarbon line, Bill Norman DD22 (blue sky or bluetreuse).

> Swimbait gear: 7'11" medium-heavy Shimano Crucial rod, Abu Garcia Revo SX casting reel (6.3:1 ratio), 17-pound Vicious fluorocarbon line, 1/2- or 3/4-ounce homemade jighead with 4/0 Mustad hook, 5 1/2" Yum Money Minnow (foxy shad).

> Flipping gear: 7'6" heavy-action Dixie Custom Rods flipping stick, Abu Garcia Revo SX casting reel (6.3:1 ratio), 20-pound Vicious fluorocarbon line, 1/2-ounce Booyah jig (black/blue), Strike King Perfect Plastic KVD Chunk trailer (black/blue flake).

> He fished with a G. Loomis GLX flipping stick on day 1, but broke it while bringing a netted fish into the boat. The Dixie Custom rod was one he'd given his son for Christmas.

> He caught his lone Biffle Bug fish on a 7'6" heavy-action Daiwa Zillion rod, an Abu Garcia Revo SX casting reel and 17-pound Vicious fluorocarbon. The Bug color was green-pumpkin/chartreuse pepper.

The Bottom Line

> Main factor in his success – "The key thing was staying focused on fishing for quality. I had extreme confidence in everything I did and I believed I was going to catch them. I knew where the big smallmouth were and I knew there were enough there to win if I could catch them."

> Performance edge – "I'd have to say my Skeeter boat. I have an '08 model and I've run it to death, but it keeps holding up."

Notable

> Brown serves as an on-air host for the cable channel Jewelry Television. To see his profile at JTV.com, click here.

> He finished 13th in the first PAA event at Douglas Lake and sits at No. 4 on the points list.

> For complete final standings from the event, click here.

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