Photo: BassFan

Marty Stone fell two lakes short of his goal to visit every 2006 Bassmaster Elite Series site.

Week 50 – Nearly Full Tour
Stone Nearly Completes Tour 12/12/2005

Marty Stone previously vowed that he was going to take the off-season more seriously this year – that he was going to fish hard and visit as many of the 2006 Bassmaster Elite Series sites as he could. He nearly did it.

"I've seen every lake on the schedule except two," he said. "I never did make the Oneida (N.Y.) swing, and I never did get to Champlain (N.Y./Vt.). But I've been to Champlain before, and it's never worried me too much. So Oneida's the only lake I haven't been to."

He hasn't ruled out a trip to Oneida – "after spring" he might get a week "to bump up there."

On the Road

Stone's goal in visiting the Elite Series stops wasn't really to fish. After all, it was late fall when he visited and he'll fish the lakes during other seasons. He was more interested in learning his way around, which is key with the Elite Series format. Anglers are allowed only 3 practice days prior to the tournament, and lake newbies often spend a day learning to navigate the stickups, stumpfields and channels.

Plus, he wanted to learn how the local roads and towns laid out. "It felt good to see them," he said. "At least now I have a clue where to stay. And I think we're going to have some really great events. The first five or six should be phenomenal. I'm excited about the Elite Series, the Majors and BASS."

Off the Road

Stone's sneak-peek tour is over, and he's home – which BassFans know. What's interesting is his take on this season. Remember: he nearly won Angler of the Year (AOY), and in fact would have won it under the old points system.

"When I look back I was very fortunate. Ever since my win at the Harris Chain 2 years ago – you can almost go back all the way to then – this is the first time I've had a good break at home," he said. "A lot of that's been fishing, but it's (been) sponsor obligations too. That's a great problem to have though.

"So I'm very fortunate. I've had 2 very good years as far as my career's concerned. I've got a great group of sponsors, and with that comes great responsibility. But again, I'm glad to be getting out of that boat a little bit."

Toho Next

Stone doesn't have to fish until the upcoming Bassmaster Classic in February at Lake Toho, Fla. In previous years, the Tour started in January and the Classic was held in summer. But when BASS moved the Classic to February, the anglers got an extra month off the water in January.

Some like that extra month off the water, but Stone knows he'll be itching to go after New Year's. "I always love to start out the season," he said. "It happens every year. If you stay away long enough, when the season starts, you can't wait to go fishing again."

Notable

> Stone said a new sponsorship with Tru-Tungsten "is pretty much a done deal. There's some opportunity there to help develop some products. We've got some really neat ideas as far as weight systems go for pegging plastics. It's 10 years ahead of everything that's ever been out there."