Too tall Jones
Texas pro weighs in 49 pounds, 7 ounces to reel in $500,000 Bassmasters Classic win

Courtesy photo Waco's Alton Jones reels in a keeper during the 2008 Bassmaster Classic held recently on Lake Hartwell in Greenville, S.C. Jones bested his closest competitor by more than five pounds to take the top prize: $500,000.

When Waco's Alton Jones won the 2008 Bassmasters Classic (Feb. 22-24) on South Carolina's Lake Hartwell, his life changed forever.

Winning the 'Classic in pro bass fishing is akin to winning the NFLSuper Bowl. Difference is, bass fishing is an individual sport. It's just you, the fish and Mother Nature: a watery stage where weird things can happen seemingly for no apparent reason. There are no teammates on the water to help fade the heat when things don't go right, or to bask in the glory when things go well.

Things couldn't have gone better for Jones at 38th annual 'Classic. He fished flawlessly over three days and landed 28 of the 29 bass that grabbed the lures he crawled slowly along stump studded creek channels and ditches in water ranging 28-40 feet deep.

Jones ultimately parlayed his 15 heaviest bass into a 49- pound, 7-ounce winning total that placed more than a 5- pound cushion between he and second-place finisher, Cliff Pace of Petal, Miss.

Five pounds may not sound like much of a margin in the big scheme of things. But it made a huge difference when it came time to cut the pay checks. Pace's second-place finish netted $45,000. Jones got $500,000.

The 44-year old pro was sitting in the parking lot of a Bank of America branch located in Greenville, S.C. when I caught up with him via cell phone two days after winning the sport's most hallowed title. He was giddy about entering the bank lobby, where he was preparing to make the largest deposit of his life.

"They are going to have a cow when I walk in there with this check," Jones said. "I deposited a $100,000 check at a bank in California once and the teller did a double take on the check, then told me she was going to have to get the manager. I would imagine I will be talking to the manager about this one, too. I'm going to enjoy this."

A call from the White House

The bank manager isn't the only one who wanted to quiz Jones about his most recent BASS victory, his fifth in 16 years on tour. He also got a cell phone call from the White House.

"The lady on the line said she had someone who very much wanted to speak with me," Jones said. "I told her 'yes ma'am, I can make myself available.' Then she said she was going to connect me with the President."

Jones, an 11-time 'Classic qualifier, has shared the casting deck of a bass boat with President Bush before. The two fished together when Bush was one of the owners of the Texas Rangers baseball team, before he became Governor of Texas. They have spoken on the phone since and shook hands a couple of years ago on a golf course in Waco, near the President's ranch in nearby Crawford.

Jones said President Bush offered his congratulations on the 'Classic win, talked fishing, then issued an invitation to he and his family to visit the White House in March. The President also talked to Jones' 15-year-old son Alton Jr..

The conversation with President Bush was paramount in a long list of highlight experiences that took place soon after Jones claimed the world champion trophy.

Within hours of a post-tournament press conference, BASS loaded Jones on a private jet and flew him to Bristol, Conn., where he appeared on a number of ESPN talk shows, also known as "The Car Wash," the following morning.

Sharing credit

A devout Christian who wears Bible quotes on his tournament jersey, Jones was quick to point out that a power much larger that he is to credit for a monumental victory he has been dreaming about since he was just a kid.

"I don't want anyone to think that Alton Jones is the great one who won the 'Classic," he said. "God chose to bestow that blessing upon me. That's the long and the short of it.

"Winning the Bassmaster Classic is everything that I ever dreamed that it would and could be," Jones added.

"I watched as the first 10 'Classics I fished were won by my peers. I was excited for each one of those guys and I can remember getting choked up seeing them take that victory lap that we all dream about. I wasn't disappointed when I got to do it myself, and the neat thing is my wife and kids got to make the lap with me. God gave us all a great day that we can remember for the rest of our lives."

Jones collected the win on the heels of a brilliant deep water performance that transpired under some of the most unfavorable weather conditions imaginable.

"I'd classify day one as brutal. It was cold and rainy with some wind and sleet mixed in," Jones recalled. "It was beautiful and warm on day two, then it turned cold and nasty again day three."

Game plan

Through it all Jones was able to maintain sharp focus on the task at hand by sticking to a crafty game plan that he at times rehearsed out loud as he crawled his prize baits slowly across Hartwell's stumpy bottom. He summarized his strategy as one that involved taking "baby steps."

"My plan going in was to stay with the basics, set attainable goals and go after them one by one," he explained. "Rather than thinking about catching a limit, I focused on two things every day: catch the next fish and make every cast count. I fished extremely slow, which paid off for me on the final day when I only got five solid bites and put every fish in the boat."

Jones used three baits to ice the 'Classic. He caught a few keepers using a Cordell CC spoon, but his bread and butter were a pair of prototype jigs made by Booyah.

The jigs (a Pigskin football head and a AJs Go2) were adorned by an extra long brown/purple skirt. Matched with a black / blue YUM chunk trailer, the bulky jigs displaced gobs of water and provided a large profile the bass seemed to prefer.

Jones chose the odd color scheme on his baits based on a heads-up discovery he made during practice.

"I caught several bass in practice that had crawfish pinchers sticking out of their throats," he said. "I made my lure color selection based on the color of those crawfish."

What's next

With a busy 2008 Elite Series schedule about to get underway this month in Florida, Jones has already set his sights on qualifying for his 12th 'Classic in 17 seasons.

He won't have far to drive if he makes it. BASS recently announced the 2009 'Classic will be held on the Red River out of Shreveport, La.

In the meantime he intends to stay busy promoting his sponsors and being the ambassador for the sport that a true champion should be.

Matt Williams is a freelance writer based in Nacogdoches. E-mail him at mattwilliams@netdot. com.