Paul Elias Making Adjustments Ahead of 2021 Bass Pro Tour Season
By Mike Pehanich - November 30, 2020 The challenge of moving from a five-fish tournament format to the relentless pressure of catch-what-you-can competition has tested the nerves of virtually every angler on the MLF Bass Pro Tour.
That certainly has been the case for Paul Elias, the Mississippi pro who has etched his name in bass fishing history and the angling record books in dazzling fashion during the course of his career. At age 69, he has, as they say, “seen it all.” No angler in the 80-man Bass Pro Tour field draws from a deeper well of experience to assess the respective challenges professional bass anglers have faced during the sport’s evolution.
But, as the oldest angler in the field, Elias feels more tightly compressed each season, caught between a younger and increasingly talented angler field and the unyielding pressure of Father Time, as manifested in two shoulder operations in 2018.
“It’s been a nightmare for me, in a way,” he admits. “With our new electronics from Garmin and everyone else, there’s always something different to learn. LiveScope (Panoptix) technology is basically video game bassin’. I’m not near as good at it as these young kids. It’s hard for me to keep up.”
Comeback Kid
As for the transition from five-fish limit competition to the cumulative SCORETRACKER® format, Elias is learning to “fish faster and read water quicker than I’m used to.”
He has faced formidable challenges on every front. But if he should rise to compete once again at an elite level, it wouldn’t be the first time.
Several times during his career, he has come back from winless droughts and strings of out-of-the-money performances to win with eye-popping, tour de force triumphs such as his “kneelin’ and reelin’” Bassmaster Classic win on the Arkansas River and first “all-smallmouth” win on New York’s Seneca Lake.
Pickwick Lake: 50 fish a day in December possible
Alabama rig will catch anything, and there’s plenty of fish to catch
By - Paul Elias I like to catch fish, lots of fish. I earn my living by catching bass, but anything that tugs on my line is fun to catch. The more tugs I get in a day, the more I enjoy myself.
That’s why Pickwick is my choice for Mississippi lakes in December. I can catch largemouths, smallmouths, spots, white bass, stripers, catfish and crappie using some of the same rigs.
Alabama Rigs
During most of a December day at Pickwick, I’ll be fishing an Alabama rig. This umbrella-type, multi-bait rig will catch suspended fish, ledge fish and fish holding near the bottom. I can cover lots of water and catch numbers of fish.
I’ll tie two Alabama rigs on two rods. The first will have ¼-ounce jigheads with 4-inch, pearl-colored, soft-plastic swimbaits that imitate shad. I’ll tie this rig onto 50-pound bass braid and fish it with a 7.3:1 Bruin reel and a 7-foot-10, heavy plus-action FX Custom Rod.
The other rod will have tied on an Alabama Rig with 3/8-ounce jigheads featuring wide-gap hooks that can be rigged Texas-style. I’ll bring the hook out top of the swimbait so it lays on the back of the bait. I’ll skin-hook the point to make it weedless.
I’ll crawl the Alabama Rig on the bottom or through any type of cover. Remember, I’m basically a tournament bass angler, so I can cast and retrieve a vertical jig or use any type of fishing tactic except trolling. However, if you’re fun-fishing, and your arm gets tired from throwing the Alabama rig, slow-troll that rig, cover plenty of water and catch a lot of fish. The Alabama rig is probably the best trolling bait available.
Transitioning from Eufaula to the “New” Lake Okeechobee
By Paul Elias - Lake Eufaula was an awesome way to start the season for me, and I can’t wait to get started this week on Okeechobee. I’ll tell you, I feel 100 percent better than I did last year. Seriously, it’s like night and day. I feel like I’m back in the game.
The MLF Bass Pro Tour format is so amazing. I’ve been fishing professional tournaments for decades, but the stress and excitement with this format is addicting. I was close to making the cut – OK, maybe not that close, since I needed a 3-pounder or better to make the Knockout Round, but I finally felt great again fishing a tournament.
Muddy water made it tough to see any fish at Eufaula. I had these little No. 6 treble hooks on a squarebill crankbait and I couldn’t see the position of bait in mouths or see what size the bass was. It was driving me crazy. I really needed a kicker fish, but I didn’t lose any fish. First tournament in two years where I didn’t lose several fish. Funny thing though, on the first day I caught 23 crappie, throwing a little swimbait, and had four scorable bass. Nobody else was catching crappie, I would’ve won the crappie tournament that day, if there was one.
Excited to Fish Okeechobee
Fishing Lake Okeechobee is something I can’t wait to do. I won a Super B.A.S.S. event there in the late 80s.
Fishing the Okeechobee of old, you could get on the edge of pepper grass, get on your trolling motor, and go until you found them. Find a point of grass or a dip in the grass and you’d eventually locate fish. But, the back-to-back hurricanes and high water destroyed a lot of the grass. I think the key to finding fish this time around is locating hay and reeds with the new vegetation mixed in.
We’ll be working through a lot of buck bass, and the winner will have to catch a few kickers. With the 2-pound minimum for a scorable bass, we’re going to throw a lot of fish back that don’t weigh. It’s going to be different, but I like it. We’re pretty much hitting Okeechobee on the head as far as time of year. The lake is low – but not too low – and the bass are accessible.
Somebody is going to have a strong average on Okeechobee, especially with the 2-pound minimum. You can slow down and fish for the big kickers and not be passed up by somebody catching 1-pound schoolers.
We’ve had two beautiful days of practice, but then it’s going to blow 15 to 25 mph winds on the first day of the event, out of the north. Anybody focused on the south end is going to get hammered. Then the wind is expected to blow out of the east the next day, which means that very few areas won’t be hit by the wind.
Jake Lands 7.7 Largemouth Fishing with Paul
In Depth Fishing Lessons Click Here
Testimonial
Paul, Patrick and myself want to thank you for the two day in depth fishing lessons. These are two days we will never forget. From the time we arrived at your cabin for breakfast you made us feel welcome and at home. We hit the water and begin catching fish. You would sit down for a while, we couldn't catch any fish, you would get a rod and bam you showed us again one behind another. My biggest fish was 7 lbs 9 oz. You shared a lot with us and we will be forever greatful for learning from a legend. I would do it again and would not change a thing.
Thanks again Paul for a wonderful time.
Wayne Gant and Patrick Currie
In Depth Fishing Lessons Click Here
Testimonial
Paul, Wanted to drop you a line and again thank you for the great time Lance and I had. The time spent with you on the electronics was amazing,but the real deal was when we put that knowledge and applied it out on the water on Friday.We guessed our best 5 would of been in the 42 lb range, with both of us catching our personal best fish of our lifes.We had 2 over 10 and 1 around 9 from your lake. We are getting ready to start into the Everstart series this year and your class will definitely help us out.
Thanks again, Frank
In Depth Fishing Lessons Click Here