Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, June 20, 1994 TAG: 9407150018
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: STEVE WATERS FORT LAUDERDALE SUN-SENTINEL
DATELINE: CLEWISTON, FLA LENGTH: Medium
Horsley, of Deerfield Beach, Fla., has fished for bass for just three years. Much of that has been on Lake Okeechobee with Daniel, who guides out of Roland Martin's Marina in Clewiston.
Horsley hadn't caught a bass on a jig until he fished a recent Fisherman's Bass Circuit team tournament on Kerr Reservoir along the Virginia-North Carolina border. Daniel showed him how during the three-day practice session. They proceeded to win the two-day tournament and $25,000.
``We kind of went up there with the idea that it would be fun to fish a tournament, and my mom and dad wanted to come down and see me,'' said Horsley, who grew up in nearby Lynchburg, Va. ``We didn't have any idea that we could flat-out win the tournament.''
The victory was the first for Horsley, who occasionally competes in bass tournaments on Lake Okeechobee. He and Daniel, who fishes in tournaments all over the country, won cash and a fully rigged Ranger bass boat. Horsley said the timing couldn't have been much better - his wife is six months pregnant.
``I think the key to our being successful was we really simplified what we were doing,'' Horsley said. ``We were on a fairly unfamiliar body of water so we just went with basic fishing knowledge.
``Flipping a jig is not high-tech fishing by any stretch of the imagination, but we just committed ourselves to keeping it simple, and it really paid off. We covered a lot of water and put the jig in front of a lot of bass.''
During practice, Daniel located an old roadbed that held good numbers of bass and also found bass around bushes in some other areas. The first day of tournament, Daniel caught a bass weighing 7 pounds, 4 ounces, and he and Horsley went on to catch their eight-fish limit off the roadbed by noon. They then culled the smaller fish to finish with a weight of 33.6 pounds. That gave them a 1-pound lead.
The second day, skies went from overcast to bright and sunny, and there was no wind. Daniel and Horsley caught only one bass off the roadbed.
``I figured if they weren't biting well there, as many bass as there were around, they weren't biting anywhere,'' Daniel said. ``So we went to the bushes, flipped jigs and had a limit by 10. We caught 16 keepers and never lost a fish. Our biggest eight weighed 23 pounds, which was the biggest catch of the day. We ended up winning by 6 pounds.
``Mike probably caught as many as I did, fishing from the back of the boat. He was impressed with the fishing. He had never seen that many 5- and 6-pounders.''
Horsley said he ``grew up on a riverbank with a fishing rod in my hand.'' Mostly he fished for trout. When he moved to Florida, he started on bass. He fished with other guides before hooking up with Daniel. Daniel has been Horsley's guide ever since.
``Steve taught me most of what I know about bass fishing,'' Horsley said. ``He's an excellent teacher and really emphasizes teaching when he guides people. It's not just `I'm going to baby-sit you.' He really spends a lot of time teaching people how to work a bait.''
``Most of the people I'm getting now are people who fish tournaments or are in bass clubs,'' said Daniel, who has fished in four BASS Masters Classics (he finished third in the 1985 Classic). ``I show them tournament techniques. I show them what I would do and how I would fish. It's more fun than just catching fish
``The trick is not the baits, it's knowing the habits of the bass. That's what I'm trying to stress to people. Just go out and learn everything you can about bass. Finding them's a big part of it. Bass are predators, and they're easy to catch. Part of the problem at Okeechobee is it's so big and everything looks so good.''
by CNB