Milner Camped In Tailrace And Waited Big Fish Out

By John Johnson
BassFan Senior Editor

Kerry Milner had competed at Lake Nickajack once prior to last week's BFL All-American. That derby (the 2011 TBF National Championship) was a springtime event, though, and the experience was of little help this time around.

He also put in a bunch of practice time for the All-American – 10 full days. Most of that went for naught as well, however, as he discovered that many of the other 48 competitors had the same idea he'd come up with.

High-level tournament fishing is all about adjustments, and he made a quick one: From just half a day of practice, he put together a game plan that would carry him to victory and the $120,000 winner's share of the purse, plus a berth in next month's Forrest Wood Cup.

He was in 2nd place after 2 days, then caught a tournament-best 25-12 on the final day to leave the rest of the Top 10 far in his wake. His 63-00 total exceeded that of runner-up Chris Wilkinson by nearly 6 pounds.

Here's how he did it.

Practice

Milner, a 44-year-old father of three girls from Bono, Ark. who operates a small lawn care service during spring and summer and guides duck hunters during the winter, spent 95 percent of his practice time on the lower end of Nickajack.

"I was looking for ledges and graphing fish, and I did find some fish down there," he said. "But on the one official practice day (just prior to the start of the event), I discovered that a lot of other people found the same fish.

"I'd spent the last 4 hours of my pre-practice on the upper end in the tailrace. I found a good school, but I didn't know if the current would be right during the tournament."

Competition

> Day 1: 5, 18-00
> Day 2: 5, 19-04
> Day 3: 5, 25-12
> Total = 15, 63-00

Milner found out on day 1 that the tailrace flow was still more than suitable. His hotspot was directly below the dam – he worked a 75-yard stretch downstream from where the wall of a canal that's used to access the lock intersects the river channel.

A morning flurry produced several quality fish, including a 7 1/2-pounder that was his biggest of the event.

"It's the hardest kind of fishing to try to explain, but I was sitting right on the current seam and I'd have to keep the (correct) side of the seam coming toward me," he said. "Sometimes that would change and the fish would be on the main-current side, but I always had to work the bait down the current to me.

"If things really slowed down, I'd fish the back eddy where the water was churning and coming back up toward the lock."

A 3/4-ounce jig was his primary offering, but he also caught some key fish on a Carolina rig. The majority of the better specimens were holding at around the 13-foot depth range.

"Slowing down was the real key. If I hopped the bait at all, they wouldn't bite it. I had to just let the current move it along and let it just tick the bottom."

He caught a slightly bigger bag the next day to move into the No. 2 position, then roped his giant sack on day 3. That one was the type of day that all competitive anglers dream about.

"It was the Good Lord, to be honest with you. As soon as I pulled in, I knew my timing was perfect. The school was feeding and I didn't make any mistakes – all of the big fish came into the boat.

"Nothing had changed – the current and everything else was the same. I just capitalized on the situation and jumped on them and caught them."

He picked up his first big one on his third cast and had 22 pounds in his livewell within 20 minutes. He had two fish that weighed less than 4 pounds or slightly under at that point and was able to replace those over the ensuing couple of hours.

"After I'd culled those two, I knew I'd done all I could do. I put my rods away and sat down and let my co-angler fish the rest of the day."

Gear Notes

> Jig gear: 7'6" medium-heavy St. Croix Tournament Tournament Legend Series rod, Shimano Curado casting reel (6.3:1 ratio), 20-pound Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon line, 3/4-ounce homemade jig (PB&J), Zoom Fat Albert Twin-Tail trailer (green-pumpkin).

> Carolina rig gear: Same rod, reel and line, 1-ounce tungsten barrel weight, red plastic bead, barrel swivel, 15-pound Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon leader, 4/0 Gamakatsu EWG hook, Zoom Brush Hog (green-pumpkin).

> His Curado was an older model that was phased out several years ago. "I bought 15 of them then and I've kept them up and going. They're all I use."

> The jigs were his own creations. "I use a Do-It mold and tie my own skirts. I do go through a lot of them because I use such a light-wire hook."

The Bottom Line

> Main factor in his success – "Just patience and my experience fishing tailraces. There are always giant fish below a dam and sometime every day they're going to feed. I knew I'd found a magic spot, but I had to be patient because sometimes I'd go 4 hours at a time without a bite."

> Performance edge – "The St. Croix rods – they're so sensitive, and that was extremely important because those bites were so light. I had to really crawl the bait slowly to get bit."

Notable

> Milner isn't satisfied with just qualifying for the Cup, which will be held at the Red River out of Shreveport, La. "I'm not just going to roll over and say, 'Wow, I made it,''' he said. "I'm going down there to try to win it. If I can get some sponsorship from down there, I'll be looking toward going further with my career."

> The Red will be much more of a shallow-oriented venue than Nickajack, but that doesn't concern him. "It'll be a lot of flipping, pitching and fishing grass. I've done a lot of that on the Arkansas River and those are other things I like to do."

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Final Standings

1. Kerry Milner -- Bono, Ar -- 18-00 (5) -- 19-04 (5) -- 37-04 (10) -- 25-12 (5) -- 63-00 (15) -- $120,000

2. Chris Wilkinson -- Farmersburg, In -- 20-10 (5) -- 18-15 (5) -- 39-09 (10) -- 17-10 (5) -- 57-03 (15) -- $20,000

3. Corey Bradley -- Mcdonald, Tn -- 18-01 (5) -- 17-01 (5) -- 35-02 (10) -- 16-02 (5) -- 51-04 (15) -- $15,000

4. Shawn Gordon -- Russellville, Ar -- 18-12 (5) -- 14-12 (5) -- 33-08 (10) -- 13-03 (5) -- 46-11 (15) -- $21,000

5. David Williams -- Maiden, NC -- 15-05 (5) -- 17-04 (5) -- 32-09 (10) -- 12-11 (5) -- 45-04 (15) -- $19,000

6. Eric Poindexter -- Eufaula, Ok -- 15-12 (5) -- 16-07 (5) -- 32-03 (10) -- 12-10 (5) -- 44-13 (15) -- $17,000

7. Jeremy Lawyer -- Sarcoxie, Mo -- 15-00 (5) -- 15-06 (5) -- 30-06 (10) -- 14-07 (5) -- 44-13 (15) -- $15,500

8. Michael Murphy -- Lexington, SC -- 17-06 (5) -- 12-04 (5) -- 29-10 (10) -- 11-00 (5) -- 40-10 (15) -- $14,000

9. Michael Black -- Toledo, Il -- 15-01 (5) -- 16-04 (5) -- 31-05 (10) -- 8-13 (5) -- 40-02 (15) -- $12,500

10. Lionel Botha -- Okeechobee, Fl -- 18-04 (5) -- 11-08 (5) -- 29-12 (10) -- 8-10 (4) -- 38-06 (14) -- $11,000

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

11. Jason Hickey -- Weiser, Id -- 14-11 (5) -- 14-05 (5) -- 29-00 (10) -- $5,000

12. J R Henard -- Rogersville, Tn -- 13-15 (5) -- 14-12 (5) -- 28-11 (10) -- $5,000

13. Brooke Morrison -- Youngsville, La -- 14-13 (5) -- 13-06 (5) -- 28-03 (10) -- $3,000

14. Ben Otto -- Pulaski, Wi -- 11-04 (5) -- 16-05 (5) -- 27-09 (10) -- $5,000

15. Daniel Langton -- Haubstadt, In -- 16-05 (5) -- 11-00 (5) -- 27-05 (10) -- $3,000

16. Todd Walters -- Kernersville, NC -- 10-11 (5) -- 16-08 (5) -- 27-03 (10) -- $3,000

17. Gary Isgrigg -- Mt. Washington, Ky -- 15-14 (5) -- 11-04 (5) -- 27-02 (10) -- $3,000

18. Maurice Freeze -- Concord, NC -- 18-03 (5) -- 8-14 (5) -- 27-01 (10) -- $5,000

19. Robbie Robinson -- Mobile, Al -- 12-09 (5) -- 14-02 (5) -- 26-11 (10) -- $3,000

20. Scott Spayd -- Ferdinand, In -- 12-02 (5) -- 14-05 (5) -- 26-07 (10) -- $5,000

21. Robert Walser -- Lexington, NC -- 13-07 (5) -- 12-15 (5) -- 26-06 (10) -- $3,500

22. Lloyd Pickett Jr -- Bartlett, Tn -- 12-06 (5) -- 13-14 (5) -- 26-04 (10) -- $2,000

23. Santos Solis -- Vero Beach, Fl -- 12-01 (5) -- 13-12 (5) -- 25-13 (10) -- $2,000

24. Bobby D. Padgett -- Lagrange, Ga -- 11-11 (5) -- 13-03 (5) -- 24-14 (10) -- $2,000

25. David J Wright -- Lexington, NC -- 10-06 (5) -- 14-05 (5) -- 24-11 (10) -- $3,500

26. Mark Daniels Jr -- Fairfield, Ca -- 12-07 (5) -- 12-01 (5) -- 24-08 (10) -- $3,500

27. Dennis Reedy -- Siler City, NC -- 9-00 (5) -- 14-15 (5) -- 23-15 (10) -- $2,000

28. Terry Stevens -- Marianna, Fl -- 12-10 (5) -- 11-03 (5) -- 23-13 (10) -- $2,000

29. Mike Brueggen -- La Crosse, Wi -- 13-04 (5) -- 10-03 (5) -- 23-07 (10) -- $2,000

30. Marcus Sykora -- Osage Beach, Mo -- 11-14 (5) -- 11-01 (5) -- 22-15 (10) -- $2,000

31. Brian Fitzpatrick -- La Crosse, Wi -- 11-08 (5) -- 11-06 (5) -- 22-14 (10) -- $1,500

32. Ed Loughran -- Mechanicsville, Va -- 11-02 (5) -- 11-08 (5) -- 22-10 (10) -- $1,500

33. Spencer Barrow -- Snow Hill, NC -- 11-00 (5) -- 11-09 (5) -- 22-09 (10) -- $1,500

34. Gil Summerlin -- Guntersville, Al -- 12-03 (5) -- 9-15 (5) -- 22-02 (10) -- $1,500

35. Darren Ashley -- Calhoun Falls, SC -- 9-12 (5) -- 11-15 (5) -- 21-11 (10) -- $2,500

36. Brandon Medlock -- Lake Placid, Fl -- 8-15 (3) -- 12-07 (5) -- 21-06 (8) -- $2,500

37. Leo Bevelaqua -- Wyoming, Ri -- 14-04 (5) -- 6-15 (2) -- 21-03 (7) -- $1,500

38. Jason Cordell -- Pelahatchie, Ms -- 12-08 (5) -- 7-02 (4) -- 19-10 (9) -- $1,500

39. Chris Marshall -- Forest City, NC -- 10-06 (5) -- 9-03 (3) -- 19-09 (8) -- $2,500

40. Mike Harris -- Watkinsville, Ga -- 11-15 (5) -- 7-01 (4) -- 19-00 (9) -- $1,500

41. Craig Frilot -- Breaux Bridge, La -- 11-13 (5) -- 7-00 (3) -- 18-13 (8) -- $1,500

42. Pete Lowe -- Woodworth, La -- 10-15 (5) -- 7-14 (3) -- 18-13 (8) -- $1,500

43. Joey Henderson -- Mayfield, Ky -- 10-15 (5) -- 6-11 (3) -- 17-10 (8) -- $1,500

44. Robert Crosnoe -- Inverness, Fl -- 8-09 (4) -- 8-13 (5) -- 17-06 (9) -- $2,500

45. Dylan Hays -- Fort Smith, Ar -- 7-08 (4) -- 9-13 (5) -- 17-05 (9) -- $1,500

46. Jeff Ritter -- Prairie Du Chien, Wi -- 6-08 (3) -- 9-10 (4) -- 16-02 (7) -- $2,500

47. Wayne Christopher -- Huntsville, Al -- 3-12 (2) -- 12-03 (5) -- 15-15 (7) -- $1,500

48. Tim Wilson -- Gas City, In -- 6-04 (3) -- 6-07 (3) -- 12-11 (6) -- $1,500

49. Michael Allen -- Gainesboro, Tn -- 1-15 (1) -- 10-07 (4) -- 12-06 (5) -- $1,500