Spring City newcomer a Bassmaster champion

Spring City resident John Murray shows off his two big bass from Saturday's collection that helped propel him to the Bassmaster Elite tournament victory Sunday in Louisiana. He earned $100,000 for his four-day haul of 77 pounds, 10 ounces.
Spring City resident John Murray shows off his two big bass from Saturday's collection that helped propel him to the Bassmaster Elite tournament victory Sunday in Louisiana. He earned $100,000 for his four-day haul of 77 pounds, 10 ounces.

Many people know that Rhea County is home to three regular contenders in the top Fishing League Worldwide bass tournament series, including its points champion three of the last four years.

But now the county is home to a Bassmaster Elite Series tournament winner as well.

John Murray, a lifelong Phoenix resident who moved to Spring City a year and a half ago, came from 34th place on the second day of the Bassmaster Elite at Toledo Bend to winning the Louisiana event by five pounds on Sunday. His prize was $100,000.

His four-day total of 77 pounds, 10 ounces included the biggest third- and fourth-day totals of 23-7 and 24-15. On Saturday two of his five keepers weighed 7-10 and 6-12, and two of his five Sunday weighed 7-9 and 7-7.

It was his first win in the Elite Series, which was started in 2006, but he won two previous B.A.S.S. events, including the Open Championship on the Toledo Bend Reservoir in 2003.

"I've been on the Elite Series since its inception," Murray said in a B.A.S.S. release on the day of his victory. "All that time I've been trying to win one, and I always thought I would. But as the years went by and the competition kept getting better and better, I was starting to think maybe it wasn't going to happen.

"To finally really do it it just feels like a dream. I keep expecting my alarm to go off in a minute and wake me up."

He started last Thursday with a 13th-place first round, but he plummeted in the standings with only 11-7 on Friday. He located some big bass but couldn't bring them.in.

"The second day got real dead still. There was no breeze at all, and I just couldn't get those big ones in the boat," he said Wednesday from Biloxi, Miss., where he was enjoying his 8-year-old son's spring break while his wife worked.

After two days Murray passed on his big-bass spot at the south end of the lake and returned to a favorite area near the launch site. About 200 yards, he said, from where he had his main success in the 2003 Open, he began reeling in his comeback haul - and it took him all the way to the top.

"I think they were feeding on little baby white bass," Murray told B.A.S.S., describing an area with about four or five feet of water above an old house foundation that seemed to be holding fish.

"I think the white bass were in there feeding on shad, and then the bigger bass were feeding on the white bass. Throwing a shad-sized bait worked earlier in the day, but once the sun got up you needed something bigger. So I went to a bigger-sized jerkbait."

Apparently Murray now can stay in Rhea County, where he lives on Watts Bar Lake. He said he has known Spring City's Wesley Strader and Dayton's Andy Morgan and Michael Neal, the FLW Tour regulars, for years, "and they're great guys. But I didn't catch much last year, and I've been joking that they told me I'd have to move back to Arizona if I didn't start catching more fish."

He and his wife picked Spring City to live for a lot of reasons, but one in particular.

"We lived in a motorhome for four years and we've seen a lot of places even before that," he said Wednesday. "The fishing was a big part of the decision, and it's in a good location for traveling to tournaments, but the main thing was I thought it was the best area to raise my son."

Contact Ron Bush at rbush@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6291.

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