Deakins Gained Confidence During Scouting Trip

By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor

Marshall Deakins hasn’t spent a lot of time fishing at Pickwick Lake over the years, but with decades of experience under his belt on the Tennessee River, most notably at Lake Guntersville, where he has countless tournaments victories, he found a comfort level at Pickwick last week during the BFL All-American.

That Deakins, 65, was competing in his first All-American was a bit of a surprise. He has amassed one of the more impressive BFL résumes of any competitor in the weekend circuit with 31 top-10s and five victories in BFL competition since 2000.

“I’ve come close to making it two or three times,” he said. “It was a goal to get there, but it’s hard to get there.”

And even harder to win it. Deakins made it look easy, though, by catching the tournament’s biggest bag on day 1 (24-06) and following it up with 20-11 on day 2 to open a commanding lead heading into the pressure-packed final day. After a slow start, he managed to record a 15-05 stringer and notched the victory with a 3-day total of 60-06, nearly 8 pounds better than his closest challenger.

The one-time Tour competitor collected $125,000 and a berth in this year’s Forrest Wood Cup for his triumph, which caught him off guard.

“I’m surprised I won,” he said. “I thought I could do well, but had no idea I could win. Every tournament I’ve ever won, it’s just happened like that.

“It’s the biggest tournament I’ve ever won. I’ve won some BFL and other things, but nothing like this.”

He credited a week-long trip to Pickwick in May before it went off limits as the engine behind his victory. He located several schools of fish and once he decoded which groups he thought had catchable fish in them, he went back to those on the one official practice day prior to the tournament. Rather than reading his graphs to confirm the fish were still there, Deakins fished until he’d get a bite. Then he’d run to the next group and repeat the process.

During the tournament, he encountered instances where he couldn’t double back on some spots because of local fishing pressure, but he was able to adapt on the fly and generate the bites he needed to excel.

Here’s how he did it.

Practice

To prepare for the event, Deakins devoted an entire week to getting more familiar with Pickwick.

“I used that time to run around and look for schools,” he said. “I caught some here and there. When I went back (on the official practice day), I hit all of those places where I’d caught fish and picked out the ones I thought I could do well on.”

He says doing his homework – it helps that Pickwick is a 3-hour ride from his hometown of Dunlap, Tenn. – gave him more confidence heading into the event.

“Some of the guys just looked during practice,” he said. “If I’d have done that, I don’t think I’d have won.”

He found the fish were starting to transition to their offshore spots, areas where they could slide up on a ledge and feed in the current, a textbook Tennessee River scenario. He had a few places that held a good number of fish and he wound up locating a half dozen spots on the main river channel. While those he pre-practiced with tried an assortment of baits, Deakins got comfortable catching fish with a 3/4-oz. football jig that former FLW Tour competitor Lionel Botha turned him on to a few years ago.

He said adjusting to the current at Pickwick was a big key as well. He said the floodgates were open during his week of scouting and that introduced plenty of current to the lake.

“There’s current in Guntersville, but nothing like Pickwick,” he said. “Pickwick is more rocky and most of the grass is gone.”

When he came back for the one day of official practice, he fished the spots where he’d gotten bites and stayed until he got one bite.

“I just wanted to confirm if they were still there,” he said.

Competition

> Day 1: 5, 24-06
> Day 2: 5, 20-11
> Day 3: 5, 15-05
> Total = 15, 60-06

Deakins was able to fish most of his areas on day 1 without much fanfare, but that soon changed as he began to pile up the pounds.

“I caught them all day,” he said. “I had a limit early and culled throughout the day. I left a place where the big ones were biting. I had 24 pounds and didn’t want to waste anymore. If I’d caught one and had to cull a 5-pound, I’d be wasting my time.”

He said most of the fish he caught were up on a flat adjacent to deep water.

“There was one place where they were in 12 to 14 feet, but I think they’re just up there feeding when the current’s running,” he noted.

His 24-06 on day 1 put him in the lead as only two others in the 49-boat field eclipsed the 20-pound mark.

After his big stringer on Thursday, Deakins encountered the challenges of being the tournament leader on the Tennessee River on Friday. He was able to recycle most of the same spots from day 1 and caught two big ones toward the end of the day to push his weight to 20-11.

“There were so many camera boats on us and everybody sees that and it got continually worse,” he said. “It bothered me for a while. It made me nervous with all those cameras on me. It worked out.”

Rather than cycle through a variety of baits, Deakins started to gain confidence in a football jig that he’s used at Guntersville for several years.

“Every time I picked up a jig, I’d get bites on it so I settled on it when I went back,” he said. “It’s the best jig I’ve ever found.”

Deakins said Botha turned him onto the Swampers Lures football jig in xxx after Botha recorded a 10th-place finish in the 2013 All-American at Nickajack Lake, another pool on the Tennessee River.

“Ever since then, I’ve fished it at Guntersville and Chickamauga and they seem to bite it later in the spring and early summer,” he said. “I caught all but three of my weigh-in fish on that jig.”

Deakins carried a 10 1/2-pound lead into the final day, but he figured conditions would be tougher with it being the weekend. The Tennessee Valley Authority tends to not move as much water on the weekends so he had the adjust to a change in current flow.

He struggled in the morning and was unable to cycle back through the same spots due to the local angling pressure. The jig produced his first two keepers of the day, but as the clock approached 11 a.m., he was starting to feel the pressure. The deeper fish weren’t grouped up like they had been.

“I was spun out,” he said. “I had two bass, but then I pulled out a dropshot and caught four on it real quick. I fish a dropshot back home a lot, but I had so much confidence in that jig. I had to scramble around and fish a few more places.”

Once he finished his limit shortly after 11, he didn’t get another bite the rest of the day, but the 15-05 he did catch was enough to sew up the wire-to-wire win.

Winning Pattern Notes

> To present his jig, Deakins would cast it parallel to the drop off and at one spot, there was a rock pile that jutted out, creating a perfect spot for bass to hide around. “The current washed it past those rocks and if I made the right cast, they hit it every time,” he said. “I’d throw it up on the break and let the current wash it down. The current was pushing it and I was dragging it.”

Winning Gear Notes

> Jig gear: 7’5” extra-heavy G. Loomis NRX 895 casting rod, Shimano Curado I casting reel, 17-pound Seaguar InivzX fluorocarbon line, 3/4-oz. Profound Outdoors Swampers Lures football jig (October pumpkin), Zoom Fat Albert Twin Tail Grub trailer (rootbeer pepper green).

> He also had a 1-oz. version of the football jig tied on, but caught the majority of his jig fish on the 3/4-oz. model.

> When he was scrambling on day 3, he caught a couple keepers dropshotting a 6” Roboworm straight tail worm (morning dawn) above a 1/4-oz. weight.

The Bottom Line

> Main factor in his success – “In practice, instead of running around looking, I spent the day fishing and trying to find where they were biting. A lot of guys spent the whole day looking and said they couldn’t go back and catch ‘em during the tournament.”

> Performance edge – “I thought I was going to catch some big ones in what little grass is left there. I graphed an area that had patches of it and waypointed each patch. With the Point-1 antenna from Lowrance, I could pinpoint my cast to each spot. That was a plan B, but they weren’t there when I went back.”

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Final Results

1. Marshall Deakins -- Dunlap, Tn -- 24--6 (5) -- 20--11 (5) -- 45--1 (10) -- 15--5 (5) -- 60--6 (15) -- $105,000 + Ranger Cup ($20,000)

2. Brent Anderson -- Kingston Springs, Tn -- 17--6 (5) -- 17--1 (5) -- 34--7 (10) -- 18--5 (5) -- 52--12 (15) -- $20,200

3. Justin Atkins -- Florence, Al -- 16--13 (5) -- 17--7 (5) -- 34--4 (10) -- 13--12 (5) -- 48--0 (15) -- $15,100 + Ranger Cup ($8,000)

4. Brandon Gray -- Bullock, NC -- 17--2 (5) -- 15--11 (5) -- 32--13 (10) -- 13--6 (5) -- 46--3 (15) -- $14,000

5. Lloyd Pickett Jr -- Bartlett, Tn -- 15--7 (5) -- 15--13 (5) -- 31--4 (10) -- 13--5 (5) -- 44--9 (15) -- $13,000 + Ranger Cup ($6,000)

6. Mike Brueggen -- Lacrosse, Wi -- 21--8 (5) -- 10--10 (5) -- 32--2 (10) -- 11--12 (5) -- 43--14 (15) -- $12,000 + Ranger Cup ($5,000)

7. William Merrick -- Mount Juliet, Tn -- 15--9 (5) -- 16--2 (5) -- 31--11 (10) -- 11--8 (5) -- 43--3 (15) -- $11,000

8. Ronald Nutter -- Saint Louisville, Oh -- 20--7 (5) -- 12--4 (5) -- 32--11 (10) -- 10--7 (5) -- 43--2 (15) -- $10,000

9. Brad Fowler -- Townville, SC -- 13--4 (5) -- 18--7 (5) -- 31--11 (10) -- 8--7 (4) -- 40--2 (14) -- $9,000

10. Jeff Knight -- Cleveland, Tn -- 18--4 (5) -- 16--2 (5) -- 34--6 (10) -- 0--0 (0) -- 34--6 (10) -- $8,000 + Ranger Cup ($3,000)

The following anglers missed the cut and did not compete on day 3.

11. Chris Daves -- Spring Grove, Va -- 14--14 (5) -- 16--2 (5) -- 31--0 (10) -- $3,000

12. Robert Crosnoe -- Inverness, Fl -- 12--9 (5) -- 17--13 (5) -- 30--6 (10) -- $3,000 + Ranger Cup ($2,000)

13. Ryan Davidson -- Branchland, WV -- 13--3 (5) -- 17--1 (5) -- 30--4 (10) -- $3,000

14. Roger Fitzpatrick -- Eldon, Mo -- 14--12 (5) -- 14--11 (5) -- 29--7 (10) -- $3,000

15. Adam Ohms -- Edwardsville, Il -- 16--3 (5) -- 12--11 (5) -- 28--14 (10) -- $3,000 + Ranger Cup ($2,000)

16. Melvin Dunn -- Orange, Tx -- 12--8 (5) -- 16--0 (5) -- 28--8 (10) -- $3,000 + Ranger Cup ($2,000)

17. Barry Hooper -- Monticello, Ga -- 13--3 (5) -- 15--0 (5) -- 28--3 (10) -- $3,000 + Ranger Cup ($2,000)

18. Tyler Morgan -- Columbus, Ga -- 16--6 (5) -- 11--12 (5) -- 28--2 (10) -- $3,000

19. Derrick Snavely -- Johnson City, Tn -- 10--14 (5) -- 17--3 (5) -- 28--1 (10) -- $3,000 + Ranger Cup ($2,000)

20. Steve Phillips -- Douglas, Ga -- 15--14 (5) -- 12--3 (5) -- 28--1 (10) -- $3,000

21. Matt Stanley -- Alexandria, Tn -- 14--9 (5) -- 13--8 (5) -- 28--1 (10) -- $2,000

22. Clayton Reitz -- Morton, Il -- 13--9 (5) -- 14--8 (5) -- 28--1 (10) -- $2,000 + Ranger Cup ($1,500)

23. Brad Leifermann -- Andover, Mn -- 12--12 (5) -- 14--6 (5) -- 27--2 (10) -- $2,000 + Ranger Cup ($1,500)

24. Bennie Mutter -- Glasgow, Ky -- 13--11 (5) -- 13--5 (5) -- 27--0 (10) -- $2,000

25. Jeremy Lawyer -- Sarcoxie, Mo -- 16--2 (5) -- 10--9 (5) -- 26--11 (10) -- $2,000 + Ranger Cup ($1,500)

26. Jeff Hager -- Alexis, NC -- 12--8 (5) -- 13--4 (5) -- 25--12 (10) -- $2,000

27. Dylan Duncan -- Kansas, Ok -- 14--11 (5) -- 9--2 (3) -- 23--13 (8) -- $2,000

28. Lane McGaha -- Dubach, La -- 12--4 (5) -- 11--9 (5) -- 23--13 (10) -- $2,000

29. Ben Warren -- Cambridge, Id -- 11--9 (5) -- 12--1 (5) -- 23--10 (10) -- $2,000 + Ranger Cup ($1,500)

30. Conrad Bolt -- Seneca, SC -- 16--8 (5) -- 6--4 (3) -- 22--12 (8) -- $2,000

31. Allen Boyd -- Salem, In -- 12--11 (4) -- 9--10 (5) -- 22--5 (9) -- $1,500 + Ranger Cup ($1,000)

32. Chris Kirksey -- Fairmount, Ga -- 12--13 (5) -- 9--3 (4) -- 22--0 (9) -- $1,500

33. Jeffrey Smith -- Concordia, Mo -- 7--14 (3) -- 11--11 (5) -- 19--9 (8) -- $1,500 + Ranger Cup ($1,000)

34. Joshua Moore -- Clinton, Mo -- 9--6 (4) -- 10--2 (4) -- 19--8 (8) -- $1,500 + Ranger Cup ($1,000)

35. Jason Wilson -- Lincolnton, NC -- 6--3 (3) -- 13--3 (5) -- 19--6 (8) -- $1,500

36. David Wright -- Lexington, NC -- 8--6 (4) -- 10--0 (4) -- 18--6 (8) -- $1,500

37. Chris Aswegan -- Tiffin, Ia -- 11--0 (4) -- 6--15 (3) -- 17--15 (7) -- $1,500 + Ranger Cup ($1,000)

38. Cavin Young -- Prince George, Va -- 9--2 (3) -- 8--12 (3) -- 17--14 (6) -- $1,500

39. Sheldon Collings -- Grove, Ok -- 9--13 (4) -- 6--14 (3) -- 16--11 (7) -- $1,500

40. Todd Harris -- Clemmons, NC -- 4--13 (2) -- 11--12 (5) -- 16--9 (7) -- $1,500

41. Dustin Huggins -- Russellville, Ar -- 5--5 (2) -- 10--9 (5) -- 15--14 (7) -- $1,500

42. Robert Harkness -- Elizabeth, WV -- 4--12 (2) -- 10--2 (5) -- 14--14 (7) -- $3,000 + Ranger Cup ($1,000)

43. Mikey Keyso Jr -- North Port, Fl -- 10--2 (3) -- 4--1 (2) -- 14--3 (5) -- $1,500

44. Jason Nixon -- Wetumpka, Al -- 4--9 (2) -- 7--0 (3) -- 11--9 (5) -- $1,500

45. Brad Brodnicki -- Amherst, NY -- 4--4 (3) -- 6--15 (3) -- 11--3 (6) -- $1,500

46. Drew Boggs -- Lebanon, Tn -- 10--8 (4) -- 0--0 (0) -- 10--8 (4) -- $1,500

47. Richard Phillips -- Asheville, NC -- 4--7 (2) -- 3--14 (2) -- 8--5 (4) -- $1,500

48. Scott Bateman -- Jasper, In -- 0--0 (0) -- 2--14 (1) -- 2--14 (2) -- $1,500

49. Ty Faber -- Pagosa Springs, Co -- 0--0 (0) -- 0--0 (0) -- 0--0 (0) -- $1,500