1981 BASS Masters Classic

Today in 1981 BASS Masters Classic we’re going to conclude our look at the 1981 Bassmaster Trail and see who won the biggest event in bass fishing.  In the preceding parts we covered the regular season events and all the confusion with respect to qualifying for the Classic.  Then we covered the BASS Champs Fish-Off that qualified 37 pro anglers for the Classic.  In the last segment of the series, we covered the Classic Qualifiers, some interesting Bassmaster Statistics, and the angler bios.

Once the dust had settled and the Classic field was set, 42 of the country’s best bass anglers would meet on the shores of Montgomery Lake in Alabama for the 11th BASS Masters Classic.  In the home town of the organization, these anglers were faced with a typical southern river system, that could barely be construed as a lake.  Most of the field felt as if the event would be won in the creeks, but there were a few outcasts who felt differently.

What was different about this event was it was the first time that the Classic destination had been released months ahead of time, allowing for contestants to pre-practice before the cut-off.  Another difference was the addition of one extra day of official practice prior to the start of the event.

The biggest changes to Classic 11, though, was the Classic Outdoor Show and the first ever Arena Weigh-In, both held in the Montgomery Civic Center.  Not too long after this event, the Classic Outdoor Show would become the Bassmaster Classic Expo, the biggest tackle and outdoor show in the world.  There were no numbers on how many people attended this first show but it was written that there were 50 exhibitors that showed up for the event, or about the same number that would cover one aisle of a current Expo.

As for the weigh-in, the anglers were towed in on their boats to a center stage where they climbed a set of steps and handed their fish off to Harold Sharp, the original Bassmaster Tournament Director.  There were a lot of firsts for this event, and they didn’t stop there.

The 11th BASS Masters Classic

Official practice for the event proved to be tough for all the contestants.  Bo Dowden, the reigning champion, reported not having caught a fish as did Larry Nixon, Ricky Green, or Paul Elias, on the first day of practice.  The second day was much the same.  But one competing angler should have been noticed.  That was Stanley Mitchell, whose press angler/observer brought in a 3-12 largemouth to capture big fish for the press observers.

Anglers reported that the fish they did catch came from the shallows all the way out into the deeper depths of the main river channel.

Mitchell didn’t light the field on fire the second day, but he did manage to maintain his lead going into the final round.  In the end, he weighed four bass for 6-11, increasing his total to 22-00.  In the process, Mitchell lost his only deep diving Bomber Model A crankbait, the bait he was catching most of his fish on.

Mitchell needed a couple more fish to seal the deal.  Then, with just under an hour of time remaining, he cast a shallower diving Bomber Model A up into shallow water and before he could get the crankbait to the drop-off, the plug stopped.  After a delicate fight with the bass, he got it up to the boat and saw the fish only had one barb from the rear hook in the side of its mouth.  Without thinking, he got the fish moving towards the boat and swung it in.  Two casts later the hook hanger came out of the bait.

At the weigh-in, Allen put his bag on the scales, and it dropped to 15-03 giving him a 3-day total of 34-03.  Mitchell only had four fish in his well, but they were quality fish.  It was still too close to call.

Mitchell was in the last flight of the day and as they brought him through the Montgomery Civic Center, the crowd grew silent.  Mitchell needed 12-04 to win.

As Mitchell’s boat pulled towards the weigh-in stage, he opened the livewell and grabbed his bag.  He reached into his well and grabbed the 4-pounder.  The crowd applauded.  He then grabbed two smaller fish and placed them in the bag.  His last trip to the well produced the big fish he’d caught less than an hour earlier.  As he lifted it from the box and held it up, the crowd went wild.

Now Mitchell had to make it up the steps to the scales.  He handed the bag of fish to Harold Sharp and watched as the scales dropped to 13-02.  Stanley Mitchell’s Mail Mary 6-03 linker had just won him the BASS Masters Classic.  His final weight was 35-02.

In doing so, Mitchell became the youngest angler to win the Classic at age 21 years, 5 months, 19 days.

Mitchell reported that most of his fish came on a Bomber Model A crankbait but he did catch key fish each day on a Luhr Jensen Krocodile spoon.  He concentrated on fishing main river sand bars that had eddies.  It was a pattern he was familiar fishing in his native Georgia.

Jack Chancellor caught his fish the first two days on a jigging spoon fishing the same type of water as Mitchell.  Then on the third day, he switched to the Do-Nothing Worm.

Harold Allen was the only angler who bucked the system and concentrated on shallow creeks throwing a spinnerbait and plastic worm at wood.

For the complete list of standings and Box Score, please look at the table below.

That concludes this look at the 1981 Bassmaster Trail.  We hope you enjoyed looking back at the time when competitive bass fishing was in full swing.  If you missed any of the previous parts, please click on the links provided.  Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Classic Contenders.