Moore, OK - The CABELA'S ALL-AMERICA team was created to recognize anglers who excelled during the 2011 Bassmaster Elite Series, FLW Tour Majors, and PAA Tournament Series seasons. Performances in the Bassmaster Opens, FLW Tour Opens and FLW EverStart Series tournaments were also taken into consideration.
The ALL-AMERICA team was chosen by a voting panel that consisted of members of the bass fishing media and anglers were selected based on a combination of on-the-water tournament performance as well as contributions to the sport/industry during the 2011 season.
Based on votes, the Top 10 anglers were broken down into five First Team ALL-AMERICA anglers and five Second Team ALL-AMERICA anglers. Each First Team ALL-AMERICA angler will receive a $2,000 gift card courtesy of Cabela's and each Second Team ALL-AMERICA angler will receive a $1,000 Cabela's gift card.
The CABELA'S ALL-AMERCA members were honored at a banquet during the third annual Fish & Chips combination bass fishing and poker tournament this week at Downstream Casino near Grand Lake in Oklahoma.
First Team Cabela's All-American: Mark Rose
2011 Highlights
- 3rd place finish in FLW Tour Angler Of the Year standings
- 1st place finish at FLW Tour Major on Pickwick Lake
- 3rd place finish at 2011 Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Ouachita
- 3 Top 10 finishes in FLW Tour Major events
- Back-to-back-to-back Top 10 finishes in FLW Tour Majors
- 16th place finish in FLW Tour Opens AOY Standings
Visit Basszone.com for the rest of the story and to see who else made the list.
from Full Limit Outdoors
The world of professional bass fishing is a constantly changing landscape. A particularly noticeable element of this landscape that frequently changes is the faces of the participants. This is a sport that is fueled by "up and comers." There are thousands and thousands of people out on the water every day who aspire to be the next big thing in bass fishing. Some of them make it to the big game and find out that it's not all that it's cracked up to be. Fierce competition, ever-increasing expenses, time on the road away from home, the pressure to produce income and many other factors, typically thin out the herd. Then, there are others who persevere and rise to the top. Their game becomes better at the same time opportunities are afforded. They meet the hardships and adversity of their chosen lifestyle with an uncompromising vigor that almost forces their success. They are the pros that you read about, hear about, and know by name. Suddenly, we find ourselves with a group of anglers that can be sub-categorized within the moniker of "pro." My opinion of these categories is as follows:
The Newbies - This group is comprised of the relative new-comers to whatever organization that they are competing in. They have been pros for probably three years or less. Most likely they have qualified for the big leagues through some sort of "farm system" such as the federation, Bassmaster opens, the Everstart Series, and now possibly collegiate fishing. They are looking to come on strong and make their mark. This group of anglers represents about 20% of the field of today's pro scene.
The Grinders - These anglers have been playing the game for a while. That could mean a few seasons, or they could be veterans. They typically have not won a major title such as an AOY or Classic or Cup Championship. They have more than likely won a mid-level event or two and could have even won a single top-tier regular season event. A member of this crowd could possibly be a favorite to win on their home water or when a certain technique comes into play. They aren't yet marquee names and could just as easily disappear as become superstars based on finances, sponsor dollars and sometimes a little bit of luck. This contingency represents roughly 70% of the total field of professional bass fishing.
The Rock Stars - This group represents the upper echelon of the bass fishing elite. These guys have won multiple tournaments, titles and championships. They are backed by the biggest sponsors with the best deals. They have a broader fan base due to increased media coverage as a result of noteworthy performances. They are generally a few years into their tenure but not necessarily. They are household names and withstanding something dramatic will be around for a while. This is realistically less than 10% of the pros on the road today.
Regardless of their chosen association, the members of these three groups are prevalent and recognizable in today's professional bass fishing line-up and they're all good anglers. The awesome thing about sports and competition is that the success of an individual is often limited only by their own ability and drive. Also, those two variables can be altered either way. For instance, an angler can "practice" and become more proficient at certain techniques. Or, an angler can gain focus or momentum that positively affects their drive. Either of these scenarios can have a positive influence on said angler's season or even their career. I like to think of it as the development of an athlete. Some have enough talent and tenacity to get to the game, and that's good enough, while others keep building upon the foundation that got them there. That's why some veterans stay in the "Grinder" category, while others become "Rock Stars."
I'm going to exclude another potential facet of angling stardom which is popularity. It can definitely come into play in one's career and boost their momentum, but for the sake of tangibility, I'm not going to dive into that shark tank. Rather, I want to feature a prime example of an angler who has taken every step up the ladder from Newbie to Rock Star. He has continuously gained momentum, skill, fan base, and net worth. Not only net worth as far as his bank account is concerned, but also to his sponsors, the sport, and his faith. The angler that I'm referring to is Mark Rose.
Mark's story began long before his string of outstanding and consistent tournament finishes which include 31 top 10 tournament finishes and 5 wins. It began long before his recent FLW Tour victory at Pickwick. It began long before his current ranking of number two in the world in the Bassfan World Rankings. Mark's story began in small town USA and is similar to the beginning of many other aspiring anglers.
Mark grew up in the rich outdoor heritage of the Mississippi River delta of eastern Arkansas. His grandfather provided for his family through the bounty of the delta. He hunted, trapped and was a commercial fisherman. The next generation of Roses carried that same outdoor spirit in their blood as well. So, it came as no surprise that Mark would find himself captivated by those same wild tendencies that were tradition in his family. Mark was afforded many outdoor opportunities as a youngster through his father and grandfather. His time with his grandfather often found him squirrel hunting, running trot lines, and trapping. It is to these that he credits much of his skills and success as an outdoorsman. In Mark's words, "This was the foundation that planted the seed for the outdoors in my life."
Not uncommon amongst pro anglers, Mark found other avenues growing up that catered to his competitive nature. Baseball was a big part of his life and he even went on to play baseball at Arkansas State University. Although his baseball career ended his senior year of college, many other doors would soon be opened. Walking through these doors would eventually lead Mark to find himself where he is today; a devoted Christian, family man, and professional angler.
Mark began fishing tournaments around the age of 14 with his Uncle Skipper. They would fish local events on the waters surrounding their home. Mark was a self-described "Bubba" fisherman. If he weighed in a fish in his formative years, there was a better than average chance that it was caught on either a spinnerbait or a jig. This type of fishing experience made him very proficient at shallow water target fishing as you might expect from someone who spent their childhood casting into the oxbows and sloughs off of the Mississippi River. This would also turn out to be a double-edged sword as is the case with most one dimensional fishermen. As Mark recalls, he fished several tournaments while a member of the Mid-South Bass Club. He didn't expand his arsenal of techniques very much, but he does credit Billy Doyle as a mentor to him at that time. Billy taught him a great deal about the strategy of tournament fishing.
At this time he was also fishing several events on the local Redman tournament trail. Admittedly, in this phase of his life he was working a full-time job in attempt to provide for his family and his tournament finishes reflected his lack of practice time. Mark's day job was working for the Boy Scouts of America. This job was very rewarding and provided for his family, but didn't allow him the two crucial elements that drive most pro anglers which are fishing and competition. It was around this time that Mark began planning for an upcoming tournament on his home waters. With a little backing from his dad and some scratching and saving, Mark entered an FLW event on the Mississippi River. At his first step up to bat in the big leagues, Rose scored a third place finish which allowed him to cash the biggest check at that point in his career. This, along with a lot of prayer, led him to quit his full time job and concentrate on a full time fishing career. According to Mark he "scratched by for about nine years." During this time he was fishing the Everstart Series, FLW events and some BASS Top 150 events. His level of consistency would have placed him in the aforementioned "grinder" category. He would always manage to fish well enough to get by, but not well enough to get ahead.
One winter, about five years ago, after the tournament season had concluded, Mark was taking account of his abilities as most professional athletes do. He was mentally evaluating his strengths and weaknesses in an effort to determine where his focus should be placed when working on his game. He was a good shallow angler and that style of fishing had kept him at the pro level. However, all he could think about was how certain fishermen were able to locate schools of fish offshore that afforded them fresh fish over a multiple-day event. Rose decided that was where his focus would be placed and the transformation into an accomplished offshore angler would soon follow.
It was during this period that he met and worked with fellow Strike King regional pro-staffer Keith Amerson and Pickwick ace Randy Haynes. They both shortened Mark's learning curve and propelled his knowledge of "ledge" fishing. Mark read everything that he could get his hands on, watched every show pertinent to that style of fishing and spent every available minute sneaking off to Pickwick, Kentucky Lake and other noted structure lakes. He would scour the ledges with his Lowrance electronics and was rapidly learning how to locate and catch offshore bass. All of this education would soon come together to parlay into his biggest win at that point in his career, an FLW Series event on Pickwick Lake. Mark used a Strike King Sexy Spoon to win that tournament, targeting schools of bass holding on offshore structure and from that event, he was hooked. He has become so intrigued by structure fishing that he claims he has had to remind himself that some fish still live around the bank. The one time shallow spinnerbait slinger has become an offshore plug chunker.
Mark credits much of his success as an offshore angler to the arsenal of lures that Strike King, his longest-running sponsor, has given him. Rose says "Strike King has the most diverse and experienced pro staff in the industry when it comes to different types of water and species of fish. This fact lends itself to Strike King producing the best quality lures on the market at a price point that everyone can afford. Aside from that, they are designed right and built with the best components. The other Strike King pros and myself are constantly involved with design and can take a concept and lend input towards its practical application. I am a lure tinkerer and I'm sure I drive the designers at Strike King crazy, but they allow me to make suggestions until I feel like the product is right. Rose, whose involvement with Strike King dates back to his Redman days, claims to have made every cast of his pro career with Strike King Lures as one of his sponsors.
Another critical aspect of Mark's coming of age and confidence as an angler is owed to his faith. One of his mottos is "I fish as hard as I can; I honor God in the process, and I leave the results up to Him." Rose says he doesn't worry about being behind by a few ounces at the end of a tournament day. "When I do this, I can lay my head down at night and know that I've done my best," Rose says. This confidence is undoubtedly evident in his recent string of tournament finishes.
Mark Rose has evolved from a Newbie to a Grinder to a current-day Rock Star in pro bass fishing. He is a family man; devoted Christian; integral part of the Strike King pro staff; self-described "student of the sport"; and a force to be reckoned with on the FLW Tour. His tournament results speak for themselves. His desire to learn coupled with his work ethic will ensure that he is a Rock Star for years to come.
Mark finishes 3rd at the 2011 FLW CUP.
Mark Rose tried to win an endurance race this week at Lake Ouachita, but the cool, cloudy weather experienced on days one and three put him behind the 8-ball. Although he steadily climbed the leaderboard each day, Rose ultimately finished third with a total weight of 50 pounds, 15 ounces. The Marion, Ark., pro's final-day stringer weighed 9 pounds, 10 ounces.
Rose fished offshore points and channel swings near the intersection of the main lake and the river and said most of his fish came from about 17 feet. Like Martin, the presence of big shad was key for the National Guard pro.
While Martin caught several 4- and 5-pounders, getting big bites was tougher for Rose. In fact, his biggest bass Sunday came from shallow water and fell prey to a Strike King Pro Model buzzbait.
When he was offshore, the Pickwick Lake champion employed a variety of offshore lures including crankbaits, spoons, Carolina rigs, swimbaits and drop-shots. He said his key to the bigger fish was the Strike King Shadalicious swimbait, which he rigged with a 1/2-ounce jighead.
"I was fishing my strengths, so I'm content," he said. "If we would have had different conditions, it might have made a difference."
Rose claimed $60,000 for third and finished the year with four consecutive top 10s.
"Momentum is everything in this sport and I'm just comfortable and confident out there right now."
Courtesy FLW Outdoors
Mark moves up to 4th on day 3.
Mark Rose talks about his day on the water with tournament host Chris Jones (right). (Photo by Gary Mortenson)
From FLW Outdoors
Mark Rose has been the most consistent pro during the tournament thus far. And that consistency has him steadily climbing the leaderboard. Today he sacked a 14-pound, 4 ounce limit, which pushed his total to 41 pounds, 5 ounces.
"I'm trying to win an endurance race, but I'm still behind the 8-ball with the weather we've had," said Rose. "I really needed the 100-degree days and bright sun."
Rose is fishing offshore points and channel swings and said the mid-depths (less than 20 feet) have been the best for him. He's averaging about 12 keepers a day, but doesn't believe he can catch more than 15 pounds in his area.
"I'm confident I can catch some, but catching a real good sack is tough. It's so hard to catch a 4-pounder out there right now. I'm just culling an ounce here and there."
The Pickwick Lake champion said he's employing a variety of offshore lures including crankbaits, spoons and drop-shots. With the full moon starting to diminish, Rose is hoping the shallow bite is beginning to wane.
"Ouachita is a clear-water lake and the more those shallow fish see those baits and hear those trolling motors it should get tougher."
Mark weighs in 12lbs 8 oz. on day 2. Moves up 3 spots to 6th place.
From Bassfan.com
Mark Rose's practice delivered about 12 pounds a day. He bettered that yesterday with a 5-pound bite, but there was no such bite today and his weight settled back into the anticipated range.
He doesn't plan to change and "go chase rabbits" - that 5-pound bite showed him the potential's there within his pattern. So his approach is to treat all 4 days as an endurance test.
"With that mentality, hopefully I'll be there in the end," he said. "I need another 5-pounder to give myself a shot at winning though. I'm fishing the best stuff that I found and I just hope the big bite comes along. I won't go chase something goofy that I haven't done."
About whether or not he thinks he can win, he said: "Scott's obviously around some better fish than anybody else, and that's what I thought would happen in this tournament - one or two guys would really bust them. Then, if you have 13 pounds a day, you could compete. And that's what's happened.
"It's whoever's time it is in this tournament. There's going to be four or five guys up there close and if it's their time to win, they're going to win it. Hopefully it's my time."
Mark Rose wins FLW Tour Pickwick Lake
event by going wire to wire.
Mark Rose of Marion, Ark., shows off his first-place trophy on Pickwick Lake after winning his first-ever FLW Tour title. (Photo by Gary Mortenson)
24.Jul.2011 by Gary Mortenson
FLORENCE, Ala. - It's official - Mark Rose of Marion, Ark., owns Pickwick Lake. After netting an FLW Series tournament title here in 2007 and scoring an EverStart Series victory on the same body of water in 2009, Rose added another chapter to his Pickwick Lake legacy by winning today's FLW Tour title.
"I gave it all I had this week so it's pretty exciting to win," said Rose, who took home his first-ever FLW Tour title after holding down first place all four days of the event. "You can't help but feel emotional inside."
Out of Rose's four FLW Outdoors' titles, three have now come on Pickwick Lake. So what is his secret?
"Sometimes it kind of feels unexplainable," he said. "About four years ago, I decided I wanted to learn a lot more about offshore structure fishing and I had some buddies who really helped me out. I worked really hard at it over those years to get better. Now I really understand the current, the lake and what's really going on out there. But it was a long, hard road getting here."
And today was no exception. Holding down a 7-pound lead heading into the finals, it was clearly Rose's tournament to lose. And amazingly enough, that's almost what happened.
"At about noon today I really thought it was slipping away from me," he said. "At that time I only had about 9 pounds in the boat and it felt like I was fixing to blow a big opportunity."
With time ticking away and his once-stellar bite gradually fading, Rose was hopeful he could turn it around. However, there were no guarantees. But just when everything seemed to be lost, fate intervened.
"With about an hour left in the tournament I had already left my (primary) spot," he said. "Then, finally, I saw some current coming around those buoys. As soon as I saw that I knew what to do. So I spun back around and raced 20 minutes back to a 25-foot deep hole I'd been catching most of my big fish on. When I got there, I caught a 5-pounder and two 3-pounders and that's what sealed the deal."
Although Rose quickly dismisses his unofficial title of "ledge master," there is no doubt that the Arkansas native put on a veritable clinic this week - from practice until the final day of competition.
"The spot I wound up winning the tournament on was a place I'd found on the very last day of practice," said Rose. "I basically idled over to this waypoint that I hadn't been able to check out until the last day and when I spun my boat around, I found a 25-foot hole that had the mother lode. And that's where I caught most of my fish this week."
With sweltering conditions dominating tournament action, Rose patiently attacked his prime fishing locations with a combination of Strike King Sexy Spoons, Strike King ¾-ounce football jigs, Strike King Shakey Head Worms, Strike King 6XD crankbaits.
"I used a little bit of everything this week," said Rose, who ultimately recorded a massive four-day catch of 77 pounds, 11 ounces. "Today was a little bit slower than it had been for me all week. But I never got nervous. I just decided to go out there today and do the best I could and if I got second place, well, then it wasn't meant to be."
In the end, whether it was destiny, experience or a little of both, Rose is now the proud owner of his very first FLW Tour title - not to mention a nice first-place check totaling $125,000.
For more Pickwick Tournament information, visit FLW Outdoors.
Courtesy FLW Outdoors.
A Rose-y outlook
Mark Rose builds upon day-two lead, AOY race unofficially decided
23.Jul.2011 by Gary Mortenson
FLORENCE, Ala. - The "ledge master" just keeps on rolling. After holding down a 4-pound advantage over the first two days of competition, Mark Rose of Marion, Ark., said he was getting a little nervous about the precarious nature of his lead and wanted to put a little more distance between himself and the rest of the field. And today he did just that. Using a day-three catch of 18 pounds, 4 ounces, Rose propelled himself to a 7-pound lead over hjs next closest competitor by stringing together a combined three-day weight of 61 pounds.
With only one day remaining in the Pickwick Lake competition, it's officially Rose's tournament to lose.
READ MORE on FLW Outdoors.
Rose maintains lead on Pickwick Lake.
22.Jul.2011 by Gary Mortenson
FLORENCE, Ala. - Known informally as the "ledge master," Mark Rose of Marion, Ark., is certainly living up to that moniker this week - and then some. For the second straight day, Rose dominated the competition on Pickwick Lake with his ledge-fishing prowess, recording a two-day total of 42 pounds, 12 ounces to maintain the overall lead heading into Saturday's third day of tournament action.
"You always want to be in the lead but I'd really like it to be a 10-pound lead at this point," Rose said. "Tomorrow, I'm going to go out there and try to put some pressure on (second-place contender) 'Boo' Woods and some of the other guys. On this lake, no lead is really comfortable." READ MORE on FLW Outdoors.
Rose first after day 1 at Pickwick.
Mark Rose of Marion, Ark., used a catch of 24 pounds, 10 ounces to grab
the overall lead after the first day of FLW Tour competition on Pickwick
Lake. (Photo by Gary Mortenson)
Mark Rose records a dominating performance to grab overall lead during opening round of FLW Tour competition on Pickwick Lake
21.Jul.2011 by Gary Mortenson
FLORENCE, Ala. - Bolstered by a catch of 24 pounds, 10 ounces, Mark Rose of Marion, Ark., put himself in perfect position to make a strong run at a tournament title on Pickwick Lake during the opening round of FLW Tour competition in Alabama. Boating one of only two 20-pound-plus stringers in the Pro Division, Rose clearly one-upped the competition, out-fishing his next closest rival by more than 4 full pounds - a rather astounding feat given the massive boat congestion and fishing pressure that comes with fishing Pickwick Lake in mid July.
Not surprisingly, Rose couldn't have been happier with today's final outcome.
"I was able to put together a pretty good stringer early so that really helped," said Rose. "I basically stayed in one place most of the day. It was a spot that was a little less obvious and I pretty much had it to myself all day. In fact, Chad Morgenthaler was the only other guy to come near it. I was fishing a ledge that dropped off into 22 to 24 feet of water and it was pretty productive."
Rose said that he had a bunch of other areas loaded into his GPS unit but decided upon that specific location due to the intense fishing pressure that accompanied his other prime fishing locations.
"I've probably got 50 waypoints or more but I knew there was going to be a boat on every one of them so I tried to look for something different," he said. "I just tried to find a place that everyone wasn't pounding on. Eventually, I found this one area that was a little more obscure and it really paid off. Obviously, I'm very pleased with what I caught today."
Rose said that given his practice sessions, he was somewhat surprised by just how well he did in today's competition.
"I was just hoping for 15 to 17 pounds today and I told myself I'd be happy with that," he said. "Overall, the fishing was slow. I would catch one fish about every 15 minutes or so. Toward the end of the day I picked up a crankbait and caught my two biggest fish and that helped me. The key to that spot was finding a fresh school of fish. I'm pretty sure all of those fish just got there. Honestly, I was tickled to death because I wasn't catching that kind of weight in practice."
In addition to fishing crankbaits, Rose said his main weapon of choice was a Strike King Shaky Head worm with a 3/16-ounce weight.
"When I picked up that Strike King Shaky Head, the fish just went crazy," he said.
However, Rose's banner day might have gone by the wayside had he not received a little help from a friend at the end of the day.
"Heading back to weigh-in my water pump got clogged," said Rose. "But just then Greg Bohannan came by and helped me unplug it. I really can't thank him enough. Without that help, I probably don't make it in on time."
Rose's stellar performance in today's competition also puts him in a great position to make a run at another prestigious prize as well - the 2011 FLW Tour Angler of the Year award. Heading into this competition, Rose was in fourth place, 33 points off the lead. Although it will be difficult to make up that much ground, especially since most of the other AOY contenders did well today, Rose accomplished exactly what he needed to do on opening day to remain in the hunt.
"As far as the angler of the year race is concerned, I've probably said it 100 times, the only thing you can do is just go out there and do your best. There's no pressure on me at all. If the angler of the year comes my way, then so be it."
Rose also won the day's "Big Bass" award in the Pro Division after landing a 5-pound, 10-ounce largemouth.
Read more on FLW Outdoors.
Check out FLW Live for day 2's weigh in, 2:30PM CT.
Rose finishes 6th at Kentucky / Barkley
NNational Guard pro Mark Rose holds up a pair of Kentucky Lake Largemouth with his daughter, Hannah Grace. (Photo by Brett Carlson, Courtesy FLW Outdoors)
Rose Runner Up
National Guard pro Mark Rose of Marion, Ark., added yet another top-10 finish to his already-impressive FLW record, sacking the heaviest pro limit of the day -12 pounds, 11 ounces - to give him a three-day total of 43-4 and the runner-up finish worth $32,553. Despite falling short of another tournament win, Rose was a good sport.
"I'm very proud of John," Rose said, adding that he didn't buy into some of the negative comments he heard earlier in the week regarding Cox's unorthodox method of accessing his secret fishing hole, including the lightweight boat. "He utilized it real well and did his homework. I hope he wins."
As far as the fishing, Rose stuck to the same small oxbow in Pool 5 all week.
"It's a grind out there," Rose said. "I caught all my fish this week on a Strike King KVD 1.5 (crankbait) and a Strike King Premier Pro-Model spinnerbait."
Though Rose had said earlier he knew the rest of the field was "fishing for second place," it didn't stop him from getting excited Sunday as he put together his best tournament day on the Red River.
"I was fired up," he said about landing his two kicker fish today. "It's just been such a grind that that was a positive moment...and that's what you ned to keep the momentum going. Otherwise you're just getting sunburned and bored."
Courtesy FLW Outdoors, read more here.
Mark moves up from 5th to 3rd with one more day to go.
Rose on the rise
Tune in tomorrow to FLW Live to watch the weigh-in.
Mark is currently in 5th place at the FLW Tour Major event at Red River.
Rose in fifth
National Guard pro Mark Rose of Marion, Ark., climbed to fifth place today despite only weighing four bass for 7-4; his 12-10 limit on day one helped him combine for a two-day total of 19-14.
Rose said his practice didn't exactly set the Red on fire, but he "caught a few fish," so he has stuck to "one little backwater" in Pool 5 so far. He has been catching his largemouths on a white Strike King KVD 1.5 crankbait.
"I'm going to do something different tomorrow," he said. "I've milked what I'm doing for all it's worth."
Courtesy FLW Outdoors. Read More here.
Mark is proud to announce his new sponsorship with National Guard and Mercury.
FLW Majors - Mark finishes 20th at Beaver Lake.
FLW SERIES - Mark wins at Chickamauga.
Strike King / All 1 Service pro adds another TVA win to his resume
Mark Rose of Marion, Ark., claims another FLW Series victory on TVA water. (Photo by Rob Newell)
By Rob Newell - 18.Sep.2010
HIXSON, Tenn. - In NASCAR, some drivers are good at super speedways, others excel at short tracks and a few are considered road course specialists.
In the same way, some bass pros are shine on natural lakes, others find their element on smallmouth fisheries and when it comes to TVA lakes, there is little doubt Mark Rose of Marion, Ark., is a force to be reckoned with, especially in the summer or fall.
In June, Rose finished second at the FLW Tour event on Lake Guntersville. Last year, he scored a 4th place finish at Kentucky Lake. He also has two wins on Pickwick for a FLW Series in 2007 and an American Fishing Series Championship in 2009.
Now he adds a Lake Chickamauga FLW Series win to his resume as well.
Today Rose brought in 11 pounds, 8 ounces to hold off hard-charging local Wesley Strader for victory. For the books, Rose recorded a four-day total of 56-15 and collected $44,778 for his win.Here's a better look at Mark Rose's bank of Lowrance units on his bow.
Much of Rose's success on TVA lakes has come via his obsession with ledge fishing along the Tennessee River channel. Over the last three years Rose had dedicated large amounts of fishing time to understanding the subtleties of bass behavior on TVA ledges.
"I love it," said Rose of catching bass on offshore structure. "It's a culmination of understanding so many subtle things: bottom composition, structure, current, fish position, bait, reading electronics, proper lure presentation. It's like a giant combination lock - once you get the right combination dialed in, there's no faster way to catch quality bass."
His offshore efforts have been aided greatly by a new era of electronics that feature detailed contour mapping, super-sensitive sonar and side scanning capabilities. In Rose's Ranger there are a total of five Lowrance depthfinders including three in the bow and two in the console.
When he is fishing in the bow, he is monitoring three to four different screens at a time, which include a Navionics map, a Hot Spots map, sonar, Lowrance's DownScan and StructureScan.
"At times I can see my lure on the screen and literally watch a bass come eat it," Rose said.
Rose grew up as a shallow-water fisherman on the Mississippi, White and Arkansas Rivers. His grandfather was a commercial fisherman and Rose learned a lot about where fish position in current during fishing trips with his grandfather. These days Rose applies that same basic river fishing knowledge to an old Tennessee River channel that's submerged some 15 to 30 feet deep.
Mark Rose's best ledge lure for the week: a Strike King Sexy Spoon.
Though Rose relied on a bevy of ledge-fishing lures during the week, most of his damage was done on a Strike King Sexy Spoon (sexy shad) tied to 20-pound test Seaguar Invisx fluorocarbon line.
He fished the spoon on a Kistler Z-Bone Mark Rose spooning rod.
"Id actually drag a Strike King ¾-ounce football jig until I got one fish to bite," Rose said. "Catching a fish on the jig would get the school fired up and then I could catch them one after another on the Sexy Spoon."
Today he resorted to a crankbait on 10-pound test Seaguar Invisx to catch his fish.
"As much as I've studied TVA impoundments, the one thing that always eludes me is the weekends, which is when most major tournaments end," Rose revealed. "They just don't run much current on the weekends and it really makes things much tougher than during the week when they're pumping water. If I could ever figure out how to catch them on Saturdays and Sundays on TVA lakes, then I might be a little closer to putting this whole ledge-fishing puzzle together."
As for now, though, it looks like Rose is holding his own pretty well on TVA ledge fishing.
Courtesy FLW Outdoors
Mark finishes second at Guntersville, ends the year ranked 3rd for FLW Tour Angler of the Year.
Rose retains second
On the strength of a 7-pound kicker, Mark Rose brought a 19-pound, 9-ounce limit to the scale Saturday Mark Rose holds up his kicker bass en route to finishing second at Lake Guntersville.to push his total weight to 87 pounds, 4 ounces. Over the past few years, Rose has become an excellent TVA ledge fisherman. He did his homework for Guntersville by spending several days of prepractice scouring ledges with his ridiculously large Lowrance units. That extra effort resultedin a stable of 15 different areas, located from the mid-lake region down to the dam, three of which Rose described as big-fish spots.
"When we used to fish deep, we'd look for stumps and shells on our graphs. Now the technology is so good I look for schools of fish instead of just structure."
Rose too used a variety of baits but his best was the Strike King 6XD. He'd take a rattling 6XD and make precise casts to the deepest sides of the ledge corner. He'd then follow up with the same 6XD only in the Silent Stalker model. The baits were great for quality, but not for quantity.
"My partners caught more than me all week, but I knew if I stuck with the crankbait I'd get a few bigger bites each day."
And that theory proved accurate. Unfortunately, he lost his two big bites on day three, which could have been the difference in contending for the win.
His second-place finish earned him $36,077.
"I just try to work as hard as I can to be a student of the game."
Mark still holds second.
Rose slips off the pace
Veteran pro Mark Rose was not a happy camper after the day-three weigh-in. He missed two brutes that would have put him right next to Long, if not ahead of him.
"I'm discouraged," Rose said. "Actually it's a two-edged sword. I'm thankful to be in the position I'm in and for all the fish I've caught, but an opportunity to win doesn't come around all that often. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be."
Rose's day-three stringer weighed 17-12, by far his lightest of the week and pushed his total weight to 67 pounds, 11 ounces.
"I've got a tall order to try to catch (Long). He's doing a great job. He's doing exactly what you need to do to win. I stumbled today, and you can't do that on Lake Guntersville. You've got to bring it every day, because (the fish) are out there."
The Marion, Ark., pro continued to ledge fish Friday. He started the tournament with nearly 15 different areas and he's basically whittled that down to three really good ones. On the flatter areas he'll throw a spoon, on the ledgier structure he'll throw a swimbait and on the stump-filled slopes he'll burn the Strike King 6XD crankbait. (By Brett Carlson - 25.Jun.2010)
Watch Mark weigh-in tomorrow on FLW Live. (Starting at 4:00 PM Central Time)
Mark moves up a spot to second.
Rose also runs into traffic
Just like Long,(Brent - leader) pro Mark Rose wasn't able to get on his best deep-water spot. But he was able to scramble around and cobble together another hefty limit (24-8).
"It was just kind of a fish or two here and there," said Rose, who has a two-day total of 49-15.
The Marion, Ark., pro said he sampled 12 different areas altogether. He described his pattern as "basic old ledge fishing." But in reality it's anything but. Over the past five years Rose has become infatuated with the deep ledge bite - analyzing every piece of shell and rock he can find. This week on Guntersville, he's trying to make precise casts to the deepest sides of the corners. He starts with a Strike King 6XD rattling crankbait and he follows up with the same 6XD only in the Silent model. He says the two baits are great for quality, but not so much for quantity.
"My partners are catching way more fish than I am. And that's frustrating because I like catching fish as much as the next guy. But this bait is absolutely the key to getting the bigger bites so I'm going to continue to take my chances with it." (By Brett Carlson - 23.Jun.2010)
Watch Mark weigh-in tomorrow on FLW Live. (Starting at 1:30PM Central Time)
Mark is currently in 3rd place after day one at Lake Guntersville.
From FLW Outdoors :
TVA expert Mark Rose had one particular area in mind shortly before takeoff this morning. He knew it was loaded with largemouth bass. What he didn't know was that he'd be the first boat to fish it. Within hours, Rose had already accumulated 20 pounds or so.
"I'm fishing ledges of course," said the Marion, Ark., pro. "I just happened to luck up and get one of the best ones to myself this morning."
Rose is throwing typical offshore stuff like a big worm, a 3/4-ounce Strike King jig and a Strike King 6XD crankbait. He estimates he has 15 different spots. Of the 15, three are especially good and the one he fished early this morning stands above the rest.
"The bite was good early, then we hit a dry spell and then it picked up some again at the end. There was no current today. But having current in practice at least helped me identify where they live." (By Brett Carlson - 23.Jun.2010)
Watch Mark weigh-in tomorrow on FLW Live. (Starting at 2:30PM Central Time)
Strike King Pro Team Journal Television show.
Mark is currently filming an episode for the Strike King Pro Team Journal Television Show. Mark will be talking about deep cranking with the Strike King 6XD crankbait. Fishing will take place on Pickwick Lake on the Tennessee River. This is the same crankbait that Kevin Van Dam used to bring in 92lbs 5oz. at Kentucky Lake for a Bassmaster ELITE series win.
Air Date and Time for show to be announced soon.
Mark Rose to Run Strike King & All One Service Truck and Boat wrap for rest of FLW Tour, Series and PAA events in 2010.
Collierville, TN - Strike King Lure Company and All On Service of Georgia are proud to announce that Mark Rose will be running a truck and boat wrap with both companies logos for the remainder of 2010.
According to Strike King's Marketing Manager Chris Brown, "We are very excited to have Mark displaying our logo on his truck and boat for this year. Mark has been a part of our staff for a long time and we are proud to be able to have him displaying our logos on the FLW Tour and Series as well as the PAA events."
"I have been with Strike King since my first cast a Professional Bass Fisherman and am very blessed to be a part of such a wonderful Christian based company and am proud to show off their colors both on and off the water this year." Say's Rose. Look for Rose and his Strike King / All One Service truck and boat wrap on the highways and at an event near you!
Check out pictures of the new wrap here.
Mark has already qualified for the Forrest Wood Cup (FLW Championship) on Lake Lanier on August 5th, 2010.
FLW TOUR: Mark currently ranks 7th overall in angler of the year points after Lake Ouachita.
FLW SERIES: Mark ranks 22nd overall in angler of the year points after Lake Eufaula.
05/29/10: Mark is currently ranked 37th in the Bassfan World Rankings.
05/29/10: Mark finishes 29th at Lake Ouachita.
After a slow start at Ouachita, Mark moved up 41 spots from 70th place on day one to finish 29th overall.
Mark Rose obtains new sponsors: All 1 Service, and Bluewater LED
03/06/10: Mark finishes 7th at Table Rock.
Archives
Mark Rose wins the Stren Series Championship!!!
Mark fishes for $1,000,000.00 at the Forrest L Wood Championship this weekend in Pittsburgh, check out the weigh-in on FLW Live, 5:00 ET
Mark finishes fourth at the FLW Tour Kentucky / Barkley lake event.
Check out the story and results here.
Mark finishes second at the FLW Tour Beaver Lake event.
Check out the story and results here.
Mark has already qualified for the 2009 FLW Championship!!!
With Mark Rose's finish at the FLW East / West fishoff late last year, he has already qualified for the 2009 FLW Championship. This years championship will take place in Pittsburgh, PA. Mark is extremely proud of this accomplishment, and can now fish more aggressively having already locked up the championship berth. Check out FLW Live to watch Mark weigh in for FLW Tour events.
Haynes Hardwood Wins PAA Corporate Cup presented by OPTIMA Batteries
The Haynes Hardwood Team led by Strike King pro staffers Mark Rose and Greg Hackney, along with Randy Haynes and Tony Browning posted a total weight of 92.86 pounds to claim the first annual PAA Corporate Cup presented by OPTIMA Batteries trophy.
Mark Rose finishes 9th in the FLW Championship!!!
Mark wishes to thank his sponsors: Strike King, Ranger Boats, Yamaha, Seaguar, Minn Kota, Kistler, and Holly Chevrolet.
His sponsorship through these companies have enabled Mark to fish against the worlds best bass anglers on the FLW Tour this year. Those tournaments also led to Mark's top ten finish at the biggest FLW event, the FLW Championship.