Posted By Barresi on 14 Oct 2011 06:59 PM
The Jelly Worm is the bomb!! April 7, 2008, Eufaula, AL - Paul Elias shattered the BASS records books with his win at the Bassmaster Elite Series Falcon Lake, Texas tournament. When the scales stopped Paul's 4-day total weight was an astonishing 132 pounds 8 ounces for 20 bass - just over a 6.5 pound average per fish. The weight eclipsed Steve Kennedy's prior record of 122 pounds 14 ounces from California's Clear Lake in 2007, a record that many thought would never be broken. With the win Elias pocketed a cool $100,000 and his first Bassmaster Elite Series victory. Most of his weight was caught on a Manns crankbait and the 12 in. Jelly Worm...Carolina rigged...
Hey Barresi, I've been watching Paul Elias fish since I joined B.A.S.S. back in the '70's. Remember "Reelin' & Kneelin'"? Paul used to kneel down on the deck and hold the rod down in the water, sometimes clear to the reel! That was
before today's super-deep diving crankbaits. This action prompted lure makers like Mann's to come out with a crank that would reach 20 feet deep. Boy Howdy, did Paul look cool when he hooked a big bass doing that! He was like a rock star to kids like me...and he's still winning tournaments. So many of the others he fished against then are long since retired...again...kind of like Mick Jagger!