2014 Bassmaster Classic: Pro Angler Randy Howell Reports from the Water
John E. Phillips 02.19.14
Randy Howell of Springville, Alabama has fished in 12 Bassmaster Classics. Last year, 40-year-old Howell finished 10th in the Classic, after almost always finishing in the top 20. After earning almost $1.5 million in his career, Howell has an opportunity to earn $500,000 in three days of fishing during the 2014 Bassmaster Classic this weekend—a dream come true.
I asked Randy Howell to give us an insider’s look at how the Classic will play out this year.
John Phillips: Randy, why do you think you have a chance to win the Bassmaster Classic on Lake Guntersville this weekend?
Randy Howell: Since I moved to Alabama in 1998, I have a fairly good working knowledge of the lake. I fished it last winter when B.A.S.S. announced the 2014 Classic would be held there. We just finished Classic practice this past Sunday, February 16. I was expecting Guntersville to be better than ever. However, Alabama and especially North Alabama has had record cold weather, creating a volume of high and muddy water.
What did you learn in practice about Guntersville that the competitors must deal with this Classic week?
I discovered that the grass was almost gone or was dead from the cold weather on the main lake grass flats—a drastic change from what I was expecting. Cold water and limited amounts of grass will make finding the bass much more difficult than normal at this time of the year, when the grass is just starting to grow under the surface of the water. That’s the bad news.
So, you think fishing will be tough on Guntersville this weekend due to bad weather.
Not at all, and there’s also good news. For the tournament days, the weather forecast is predicting daytime temperatures in the 60s and 70s and nighttime temperatures in the 40s. On last Sunday, I went in a creek with a water temperature of 40 degrees early in the morning. I returned there in late afternoon, and the temperature had warmed up to 49 and 50 degrees. With 60- and 70-degree daytime temperatures during tournament days, the bass should really turn on. If the sun comes out strong and the water temperature reaches 50 degrees or more, we’ll have one heck of a Bassmaster Classic, as big bass will move up shallow and start feeding. We have one more practice day (Wednesday, February 19), and I hope to find bass then.
Randy, which baits do you think will win the Classic at Lake Guntersville?
The lipless crankbait will be the lure that’s probably fished by most anglers and has proven to be one of the best big-bass catching lures in February on Guntersville. I caught quite a few bass during practice on Livingston Lures’ Pro Ripper. It’s a lipless crankbait like the Rat-L-Trap and the Red Eye Shad.
If we asked you to not consider yourself, who do you think has the best chance to win this year’s Classic?
Randall Tharp lived in Alabama until he moved to Florida two years ago. He’s fished Guntersville all his life and won bass tournaments there. He won the FLW Championship last year and a Bassmaster Open Tournament this year. You also can’t overlook Gerald Swindle from Hayden, Alabama or David Kilgore from Jasper—both who also know Guntersville really well. Kevin VanDam (four-time Classic Champion), Aaron Martens (also from Alabama), and some of the other pros can catch good bags of bass wherever they go.
Other than their knowledge of the lake, what other advantage do the Alabama boys have?
Plenty of spectators and a lot of fishing pressure will be on Guntersville, and that boat traffic may have a negative effect on some of the better nationally-known pros. For instance, Kevin VanDam may have 50 or 60 boats following him, but most of the Alabama boys are relatively unknown and won’t have to deal with many spectators.
Randy, you have another reason other than the cash and fame to try and win this Classic, don’t you?
Yes, I do. My charity is King’s Home, an organization that provides homes and a positive influence for abused and neglected, and other wards of the state. They’ll be at the Classic every day with T-shirts and pom poms cheering for me. They’ll also be selling T-shirts and chances to win my bass boat that I’ll fish with in the Classic and throughout the rest of the year. Last year 1,200 tickets were sold. This giveaway has taken place for three years and has raised $335,000. In November, the winner will get my fully-rigged Triton tournament bass boat with Mercury motor, trolling motor, electronics, and all the equipment with which I’ve fished the Classic and the Bassmaster Elite Series. The total price of this boat fully-rigged is about $75,000.
To learn more about Randy Howell, go to his webpage.
You also can see a video with B.A.S.S. Elite Series Pro James Niggemeyer, on how to fish riprap embedded below:
Register to win one of 10 copies to be given away of John E. Phillips’ Kindle eBook, How to Win a Bass Tournament: Personal Lessons from 8 Pro Bass Fishermen. Click here (will open a new email in your default email software) to submit your choice for who will win the 2014 Bassmaster Classic. Those who answer correctly will have their names put together and a random drawing made for the winners.
John, the 2008 Crossbow Communicator of the year and the 2007 Legendary Communicator chosen for induction into the National Fresh Water Hall of Fame, is a freelance writer (over 6,000 magazine articles for about 100 magazines and several thousand newspaper columns published), magazine editor, photographer for print media as well as industry catalogues (over 25,000 photos published), lecturer, outdoor consultant, marketing consultant, book author and daily internet content provider with an overview of the outdoors.
Phillips has been a contributor to many national magazines, has been affiliated with 27 radio stations across Alabama serving as their outdoor editor and wrote for a weekly syndicated column, "Alabama Outdoors," for 38-Alabama newspapers for more than 13 years. Phillips was Outdoor Editor for the "Birmingham Post-Herald" for 24 years. Phillips was also the executive editor for "Great Days Outdoors" magazine for 3 years.
The author of almost 30 books on the outdoors, Phillips is a founding member of the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA) and an active member of the Southeastern Outdoors Press Association (SEOPA). Phillips also is the owner of Night Hawk Publications, a marketing and publishing firm, and president of Creative Concepts, an outdoor consulting group.
Phillips conducts seminars across the nation at colleges in freelance writing, photography and outdoor education besides teaching courses in how to sell what you write to writers' groups. Phillips received his photography training as a still-lab photo specialist for six years in the Air Force. He was the chief photographer for Mannequins, Inc., a Birmingham modeling agency, for 11 years.
While serving as 2nd Vice President of the Alabama Wildlife Federation, Phillips was in charge of all press releases for the organization as well as serving as Chairman of Alabama's Big Buck Contest, which he founded more than 30 years ago. He also was president of the Alabama Sportsman's Association for three years.
Phillips is the recipient of a Certificate of Merit from the Governor of Alabama and the Department of Conservation for his work in the outdoor field. Phillips is vitally interested in the outdoors and travels the nation collecting personalities, stories and how-to information for his articles and features.
EDUCATION: B.S. degree from the University of West Alabama with a physical education major and a history minor.
EXPERIENCE: 10 years parttime and fulltime physical director for YMCAs and 34 years as a freelance writer, photographer, editor, book author, lecturer and daily-content provider for websites. Currently, Phillips is a field editor for Game and Fish Publications; serves on the editorial board of Grandview Media; is a regular contributor to 12 internet magazines and a daily content provider for 8 websites.
WRITING AWARDS: Runnerup - Best Outdoor Magazine Feature - 1981 - SEOPA; Certificate of Merit - Awarded by Alabama's Governor for writings on conservation; Most Outstanding Sports Writer in Southeast - 1983 & 1984; Best Outdoor Feature in Alabama, 1987 - Alabama Sportswriters' Association 3rd Place; Best Book of the Year - 1989 - SEOPA; 2007 - inducted into the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame as a Legendary Communicator; 2008 - received award naming him 2008 Crossbow Communicator of the Year from the Crossbow Manufacturers' Association; 2009 - GAMMA Honorable Mention for Consumer/Paid Best Essay for July/August 2008 in "Southern Sporting Journal."
