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Lake Tarpon bass tournament still going strong after nearly 40 years (w/video)

 
Matt Smith, left, and Gary Muchler, work to bring a large mouth bass into Smith's bass boat with only minutes to spare while fishing off Dolly Bay in Lake Tarpon during the Lake Tarpon Tuesday Night Bass Fishing Tournament on Tuesday (7/18/17). The fish sealed second place for the duo.
Matt Smith, left, and Gary Muchler, work to bring a large mouth bass into Smith's bass boat with only minutes to spare while fishing off Dolly Bay in Lake Tarpon during the Lake Tarpon Tuesday Night Bass Fishing Tournament on Tuesday (7/18/17). The fish sealed second place for the duo.
Published July 24, 2017

TARPON SPRINGS — In the middle of Lake Tarpon standing near the bow of his 21-foot Ranger Z20 Comanche, Matt Smith cast his line, over and over, toward the water where several largemouth bass swam below the surface.

Smith, a longtime fisherman, thinks of fishing like a puzzle. Each element — wind, barometric pressure, water temperature — is a different piece, and he has to put them together if he's going to catch anything.

On this Tuesday night, Smith and his fishing partner, Gary Muchler, couldn't put together the puzzle.

For nearly three hours, Smith and Muchler moved from location to location on Lake Tarpon and caught only a few small bass. They were competing in the weekly tournament held there every Tuesday from March to September, and with less than an hour until weigh-in, they had to hurry.

Douglas R. Clifford | Times

Matt Smith, left, and Gary Muchler, work to bring a large mouth bass into Smith's bass boat with only minutes to spare while fishing off Dolly Bay in Lake Tarpon during the Lake Tarpon Tuesday Night Bass Fishing Tournament on Tuesday (7/18/17). The fish sealed second place for the duo.

Douglas R. Clifford | Times

Matt Smith, left, and Gary Muchler, work to bring a large mouth bass into Smith's bass boat with only minutes to spare while fishing off Dolly Bay in Lake Tarpon during the Lake Tarpon Tuesday Night Bass Fishing Tournament on Tuesday (7/18/17). The fish sealed second place for the duo.

• • •

The Lake Tarpon bass tournament began in 1979, when a group of local fishing guides met up for an evening on the lake. For almost 40 years since then, the tradition has stuck, attracting regulars and first-timers, young and old.

Among the regulars is 71-year-old George Medders, one of the founding guides.

"We just got together one evening and said, 'Hey, everybody's going bowling, let's just go fishing,' " Medders said, recalling the inaugural contest.

Muchler has organized the tournament for the past 15 years. The low-stakes competition does not operate under an organizing entity; it remains a contest for fishing enthusiasts who simply want to carve out time during the week to catch bass.

"It's more about bragging rights and beer money for the weekend," Smith said. "It's something to break up the week."

As the tournament director, Muchler said he tries to strike a balance between lenient and authoritarian: Everyone must follow the rules and pay the $40 entry fee, yet nobody confuses the tournament with a professional-level competition.

Douglas R. Clifford | Times

Matt Smith, left, and Gary Muchler, work a brush pile with artificial baits on the North end of Lake Tarpon while fishing in the Lake Tarpon Tuesday Night Bass Fishing Tournament on Tuesday (7/18/17). The tournament has been in existence since 1979.

Douglas R. Clifford | Times

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Matt Smith, left, and Gary Muchler, work a brush pile with artificial baits on the North end of Lake Tarpon while fishing in the Lake Tarpon Tuesday Night Bass Fishing Tournament on Tuesday (7/18/17). The tournament has been in existence since 1979.

In March, when the tournament season starts and bass are spawning, a typical turnout ranges from 15 to 20 boats. By mid-July the weather is scorching hot, and there are sometimes fewer than 10.

With the $40 entry fee, the winnings may be small compared to bigger fishing tournaments. But that does not root out the sense of competitiveness, Medders said.

"A lot of these guys, they've never had the opportunity to fish these big tournaments and stuff like that," Medders said. "So to them, it's a big deal. They want to win, and they try their best to win. You can't blame them for that."

Lake Tarpon's abundant bass population makes it one of the best fishing spots near Tampa Bay. Muchler said the supply has dipped in recent years, though Smith said he has seen a slight rebound, noting that the bass supply is cyclical.

Muchler lives along Lake Tarpon. He has fished here for 22 years, since he moved to Florida from upstate New York in the mid 90s.

"I came down to get rid of the winters and become a professional bass angler," Muchler said. "And I got rid of the winters."

Though he fishes often on the lake, Muchler said he's found that experience does not guarantee a good catch. That is part of what prevents the tournament from becoming stale to longtime participants: Though they generally know the good locations, nobody can predict where the fish will bite on a given Tuesday.

Douglas R. Clifford | Times

Fishermen leave A.L. anderson Park in Tarpon Springs to participate in the Lake Tarpon Tuesday Night Bass Fishing Tournament on Tuesday (7/18/17). Many are long time participants who mix with newcomers and the less experienced to search for their quarry, the largemouth bass. They are allowed to fish anywhere in the lake using any artificial bait they choose. The $40 entry fee (per boat) funds a payout to the top three overall weights as well as whomever catches the single largest bass. Anglers must bring a maximum of five live fish to the weigh-in which starts at 9:30 p.m.

Douglas R. Clifford | Times

Fishermen leave A.L. anderson Park in Tarpon Springs to participate in the Lake Tarpon Tuesday Night Bass Fishing Tournament on Tuesday (7/18/17). Many are long time participants who mix with newcomers and the less experienced to search for their quarry, the largemouth bass. They are allowed to fish anywhere in the lake using any artificial bait they choose. The $40 entry fee (per boat) funds a payout to the top three overall weights as well as whomever catches the single largest bass. Anglers must bring a maximum of five live fish to the weigh-in which starts at 9:30 p.m.

• • •

The tournament begins at 6 p.m. and ends at 9:30, when boats must return to the dock to avoid a weight penalty. Muchler has to arrive back at the dock first, so he and Smith lose about 15 minutes. As 9 p.m. approached, time was tight.

For the first couple hours, Smith and Muchler fished in unfamiliar parts of the lake. They relied in part on Smith's Humminbird, a device that scans the water for the best fishing spots, but were otherwise experimenting with new areas.

"No sense in going to some place that we know," Muchler said. "There are so many fishermen out here that want to come and catch fish. They don't want to come here and learn new spots and things."

But at the end, Smith piloted the boat to a secret spot near a dock along the side of the lake, where they go when in need of a last-minute catch. There Muchler and Smith reeled in a pair of bass, heavy enough for a second-place finish.

Douglas R. Clifford | Times

Doug Small, left, and Steve Preiss, center, (both) of Palm Harbor, get their large mouth bass examined by tournament director Gary Muchler, right, during the weigh-in at the conclusion of the Lake Tarpon Tuesday Night Bass Fishing Tournament on Tuesday (7/18/17). Small and Preiss won first place, catching five fish totaling 11 pounds, 44 ounces.

Douglas R. Clifford | Times

Doug Small, left, and Steve Preiss, center, (both) of Palm Harbor, get their large mouth bass examined by tournament director Gary Muchler, right, during the weigh-in at the conclusion of the Lake Tarpon Tuesday Night Bass Fishing Tournament on Tuesday (7/18/17). Small and Preiss won first place, catching five fish totaling 11 pounds, 44 ounces.

That netted them 40 percent of the payout. It was a good result, but unsatisfying

"I critique myself after every tournament," Muchler said. " 'What did I do wrong, what could I have done better?' "

He and Smith will out there again the next week, likely trying more new locations on Lake Tarpon. They have no idea how much they will catch — or whether they will catch anything at all. The lack of inevitability is what keeps them coming out week after week, year after year.

"It's called fishing," Muchler said. "Not catching."