head toward that other bridge. God was telling
me what to do for a purpose, and I followed.”
The warm rainwater that had started
coming in at the back of the creek arm had
finally reached the cold water at the bridge,
warming its 45-degree Day One temperature
to 58 degrees!
“All the fish had come up from that 30-foot deep
holding spot around that bridge to chase shad,”
Howell recalled. “ It was just a feeding frenzy up
and down that riprap. I caught them all day like
I’ve never caught them before.”
About 9:00 a.m., the action shut down. The
SideScan image on his Lowrance unit found
that the bass had retreated from the rock and
suspended in seven to 10 feet of water.
“That’s when I decided to tie on the Livingston!”
Page 13 | Big bass monthly
It was a medium-diving crankbait prototype
from Livingston Lures, an untested gametime arrival that included an electronic chip
to simulate baitfish sounds.. After the fall of
confetti, Livingston would name it, fittingly,
the “Howeller Dream Master Classic.”
The color was a red/orange variant that would
also draw its name from its timely, historic
debut – Guntersville Craw.
“That color was just right for that muddy water,
and, of course, bass like the (red) crawfish color
that time of year,” said Howell.
Wrappin’ up a
Classic victory
Back at the bridge, Howell’s boat marshal was
keeping a loose count of the morning’s catch.
By noon, his estimate had Howell’s catch total