Stone's Swoon in Full Swing

In the 2005 CITGO Bassmaster Angler of the Year race, Marty Stone battled eventual winner Aaron Martens down to the last day of the season. In fact, the North Carolina pro missed making the finals of the last tournament by one spot and had to watch from shore as Martens wrapped up the coveted title.

It was one of the closest Angler of the Year battles in BASS history.

That dramatic finish must be a distant memory these days for Stone, who has not been a factor in the Angler of the Year race this season. Just the opposite; he has endured the rockiest season in his career.

Entering the final four CITGO Bassmaster Elite Series events, Stone is mired in 86th place and a long shot at even qualifying for the 2007 CITGO Bassmaster Classic after a stream of finishes that reads 86th, 21st, 63rd, 79th, 86th, 97th and 54th.

What happened? The 40-year-old angler has struggled to answer that query all season.

“That’s a good question,” Stone said during a break in the Bassmaster Elite Series schedule. “It’s been funny the way it’s happened. It shows the way things can swing in this very humbling sport.”

After much analyzing, Stone and Elite Series roommate and friend Gerald Swindle have come up with a reasonable explanation for the North Carolina angler’s dismal performance – one that has been dominated by losing bass and breaking off fish.

“I’ve got a bad excuse and that’s all it is,” Stone said. “A lot of people won’t realize this, but I changed some things equipment-wise this season. I changed my line and my rods. And I didn’t do my research, which is what killed me.

“The line I was using was very good line and the line I’m using now is very good line. But it’s not one in the same. I didn’t realize that until about two tournaments ago. There is nothing wrong with either of the products, and it’s nobody’s fault but my own.”

Basically, Stone did not realize that there was a significant difference in the diameter of the same line tests of the two different brands of monofilament. In other words, the diameter of the 12-pound test he utilized last season is larger than his current brand of 12-pound test. That has led to problems, as Stone handled hook-sets and landings with the same force he used last season with the larger-diameter line.

“I didn’t discover this until the Grand Lake tournament,” he said. “So all year long when I’m using 17-pound test on a spinnerbait, I’m really using 12-pound test compared to what I was used to using. Just because it says 17 on both packages doesn’t mean that they are equal.” With four tournaments remaining, Stone seems like the longest of long shots to qualify for the Bassmaster Classic.

Stone joked that he has put himself in prime position to compete for the 2007 Toyota Horizon Award, which honors the Bassmaster Elite Series pro who makes the greatest comeback from one season to the next.

From BASS