False XS 1000 could cast, as well as the fact that all Ardent reels are Made in the U. S. A.. And, just as important, Ardent reels cast a country mile.” Jones quietly went about getting several Ardent reels that he was determined to put through the pro angling wringer. Only after he was to-tally convinced that the reels were several cuts above any other reel – in engineering, extreme durability, smoothness of action, ease of adjust-ment, and castability -- did the pro consider an Ardent sponsorship. Ardent was thrilled to have an angler of Alton Jones’ fishing ability and reputation on their staff. You might say it’s been a ‘ win – win’ situation all around. Jones’ is a great repre-sentative for Ardent, because the angler will readily acknowledge how much the reels have improved his ability to catch fish. And the reels have helped to catapult the pro into the high-est tier of professional bass anglers. “ Getting that extra 20 or 25 feet of casting distance is tremendously important, especially when fish-ing for big bass or those larger, bedded bass that will often spook when anglers or their boats venture too close to the fish ( for their comfort),” Jones said. “ That extra casting distance comes in handy when fishing for trophy northern pike and musky too,” added David Gray, Ardent’s found-er. “ The farther away you can position your boat from a 20 pound plus pike laying in three feet of water, the more likely you’ll be able to get the fish to hit before spooking him with the boat.” Last week Jones finished a respectable tenth at the B. A. S. S. Elite Clarks Hill Lake event in Georgia. The angler alternated between fishing a Yum Money Minnow swimbait and dropshot-ting a Houdini finesse worm on a 1- oz. weight “ I caught the biggest fish on the swimbait by They came as a family, they fish as a family and they celebrate as the family they are, the Jones’. More than the 2008 BassMasters Champions... Photos Courtesy of ESPN/ B. A. S. S. Communications

False casting out over shallow points no more than three feet in depth. The bottoms of these points were a mix of clay and rock which had attracted blueback herring attempting to spawn,” Jones said. The pro added a lead-insert weight to the 6- inch pearl white Money Minnow, threaded the minnow on a large hook and then cast as far across the point as pos-sible. Keeping the tip of his Kistler Magnesium rod high, the pro steadily retrieved the swimbait about six inches beneath the water’s surface. “ Just fast enough to make the swimbait’s tail wiggle,” Jones instructed. Jones hoped to capitalize on any bass lurking in ambush with an eye on the vulnerable, spawning herring. Swimbait fishing may be all the rage, but Jones advises against use of the baits unless water visibility is at least two feet. “( The swimbait) is a visu-ally- oriented bait,” Jones explained. “ Bass have to see it before it will work. A swimbait is a big bait that appeals to big fish, and when throw-ing such a bait the farther away from the boat you can put it, the better. In tournaments, the extra distance gained with each cast of my Ardent baitcaster results, I feel, in another two or three bites a day. Those are bites I wouldn’t have gotten other-wise; they’re just like money in the bank to a pro angler.” With summer fast approaching the Jones family will soon steer the mo-tor home north. When they do, Alton Jones knows he’ll soon be hooking up with the season’s first northern pike and, quite possibly, a succession of quality smallmouth bass. “ I love catching northerns,” Jones said enthusiastically. “ Each season I’ll catch at least a few good pike while I’m fishing for bass and I really enjoy fighting them.” Jones is also a sucker for catching smallmouth bass. “ No matter what anybody else says, the country’s best smallmouth lake is Erie. It doesn’t matter where on Lake Erie you may fish just as long as you’re fishing Lake Erie.” When pressed, Jones admitted that the entire Great Lakes chain is an excellent smallmouth fishery. “ It’s good from one end to the other,” Jones said. Alton Jones, the gadgeteer, has no dearth of wild gizmos and widgets with which to tinker these days, which may be one reason why life as a pro angler suits the man so well. His boat’s instruments include a first- rate GPS which allows the pro to load and view Navionics “ Simply Alton” continued from page 33 “ Simply Alton” continued on page 36