Fox and Murphy win Angler's Choice Tournament

By By Mike Giles / outdoors writer
May 30, 2003
Tim Fox and Ken Murphy teamed up last weekend to win the Angler's Choice tourney held on the Tombigbee River at Eutaw, Alabama.
This talented pair of anglers have continued on a hot streak of late that included a third place finish at Lake Tuscaloosa.
They had a five fish limit on the Tombigbee that weighed in at 13.24 pounds which was good enough to take the top spot and $2,000.00 in cash and prizes.
Murphy started off the morning pretty quickly by catching a nice bass right off the bat on a frog.
Shortly after that Fox followed suit by catching another chunky keeper on a spinnerbait.
With bluebird skies and rising water, the bite became pretty tough after the quick start.
Although the bite had slowed down, the duo knew that the fish were in the area. It was just a matter of finding out what they wanted.
After a short strategy discussion they switched tactics and slowed down to a methodical process of picking apart the local grass beds.
Okeechobee tactic
Fox is a former guide on Lake Okeechobee who learned a few things while guiding there. One of the techniques that he mastered was to use an ounce and a quarter Penetrator weight affixed on top of a large Tube lure. Murphy was familiar with the technique as well, having become proficient with the method on the WBFL Trail. They would take the heavy weight Tube combo and fish thick grass mats and beds. The bass were hiding from the bright sunshine under the thick cover, but they were still looking for an easy meal.
Fox and Murphy were more than willing to give the bass a few appetizers. With the help of 65 pound braided line, the heavy baits and a lot of persistence, the pair were able to turn things around. Once they found out what the bass were wanting, Fox promptly boated a nice four-pounder on a large Tube and they were definitely in the money.
At 11 a.m. they only had two keepers. However, they caught five more keepers during the next two hours on their way to culling down to their final winning weight. Most of the bass were caught on green Pumpkin Tubes.
Another key to their winning strategy of picking apart the grass beds was to use Bang Garlic spray on their baits.
By utilizing the spray, they were lubricating the bait to allow better penetration through the thick grass mats. An added bonus was the attractant flavor that enticed the bass to strike and hold on to the baits longer.
Fox and Murphy's win was gained by using patience, persistence and by applying tried and proven techniques once they finally discovered a pattern that would produce a few bass. Talent, strategy and execution equaled a first place finish for this dynamic duo.