Trevor Ladner - 2011 Jr. Central Divisional Champion

2011 Central BASS Federation Nation Divisional Championship Win

by: Trevor Ladner 6/10/2011

After my 2nd consecutive Mississippi B.A.S.S. Federation state win, I earned one more chance at the Junior B.A.S.S. Federation Nation Central Divisional Championship. I knew then, that I had one more opportunity to take another shot at making it to the Junior World Championship.

Blue bird skies, clear water, and changing feeding patterns made Pre-fishing for the June 10th, 2011 Central Divisional on Table Rock Lake quite difficult. Each day was something new, whether it be a slow strike or a reaction strike. Early morning swim baits were the key to catching large mouth in 4 to 8 ft of water. Mid-day, I had to fish extremely slow. My mid-day bites came from throwing a green pumpkin seed Senko type bait in 8 to 15 ft of water, mostly over pea gravel bottoms.

The day of the tournament I caught 12 on swim baits in just one area of the lake before 10 o-clock. Once the sun was high, we moved to a submerged island mid-lake, just a few miles from the ramp. I picked up my Senko and caught about 14 bass. From Blast-off until Noon, I boated 7 keepers. With 2 hours and 30 minutes left to fish, I worked my way around the island flipping flooded brier bushes. I found one isolated bush sitting in 6 ft of water. My first flip into it, I caught my lunker weighing 3 lbs 2 ounces. My second cast in, I caught another largemouth weighing 3lbs. These two fish allowed me to cull the two small mouth I had been wanting to get rid of all day.

Going into weigh-in, I had five really good large mouth, however one of them was dead. Walking up on stage I was not sure how bad that fish was going to affect me. Once I weighed in, I took over the leader’s hot seat. I was sitting in 1st with 12lbs 6 ounces. When the last junior angler weighed in, I thought I was in trouble. He had five fish, and all of them still alive. His fish were placed on the scale. After the tournament director called out his weight, I realized that I was on my way to the 2011 Junior Bassmaster World Championship.

Special Thanks to my Sponsors: Trophy Bass Taxidermy, and Moon Pie.