Good Morning Obots!
Meet Alfred Williams
The first African-American male Pro Angler was Alfred Williams of Jackson, Mississippi. He broke through the bass fishing color barrier in 1976 when he fished a B. A. S. S. pro event. In 1984 he was the first African-American to qualify and fish the Bassmasters Classic. Williams finished in the top 10.
In 2003, Tyson Foods launched a professional anglers team to compete in tournaments worldwide and Alfred Williams was tapped to lead it.
Alfred is known as “The Frog Master” throughout the B.A.S.S. circuit for his expertise on frog bait – you just have to read it!
Legendary Jackson, Miss., B.A.S.S. pro Alfred Williams earned the nickname “The Frog Master” through his uncanny ability to catch monster bass from lily pads and surface slop on rubber croakers. The two time Classic qualifier has boated largemouth exceeding 9 pounds, and he has won a host of local and regional tournaments by targeting the most impenetrable surface cover in hot weather.”If I’m on a lake with any type of surface mat, whether I’m fishing competitively or for fun, I’ll reach for a frog,” Williams says.Frog fishin’ demands stout tackle, he stresses. “Because of the extreme density of this cover and the size of the bass you’re likely to encounter in it, you need a long, heavy rod to control the fish. I use a 7 1/2-foot graphite flipping stick; the extra length allows long casts and reduces tangles by keeping the line off the mat during the retrieve. I pair this with an Ambassadeur 5500 reel; this has heavy-duty pinion gears and a 4.7:1 retrieve ratio for maximum winching power. High speed reels lack the guts to get a lunker bass out of this slop once you’ve hooked it. Spool up with heavy line — I recommend 20- to 25-pound mono or 50-pound Berkley FireLine for froggin’.”Williams’ favorite slop lure is the Snag Proof Tournament Frog, a hollow soft plastic critter with rubber skirts in place of legs, built-in rattle and weight insert for maximum castability.”This frog is totally weedless in everything from pond scum to pads, and it has twin upswept hooks that won’t straighten when you’re reeling in a big bass and a pile of vegetation at the same time,” he says.
More on his expert baiting at Alfred Williams dances with frogs .