Even though he lives about 50 miles north, Billy Black says he only visits the Mobile Delta every few years.

With that in mind Saturday (Sept. 14) on the Delta, Black and team partner Donald Henderson made a long run north to the Alabama River in the final Alabama B.A.S.S. Nation (ABN) qualifier of the year. The long run proved productive for both Black and Henderson on a day that otherwise proved ultra stingy farther south in the Delta.

After years of competing in events, Black won his first-ever ABN tournament, boating a 13.79 limit of largemouth to easily top a small field of competitors in the event staged out of Live Oak Landing near Bay Minette. Henderson also fished his way to a three-fish limit of 6.72 for the co-angler title. The duo also took him money by winning the team competition as well.

“I’ve been fishing these events forever,” Black said, “even before there was a B.A.S.S. Nation since the early 90s.

“I’m from Monroeville, and I’ve fished the Alabama River all my life. I don’t get down here but every couple of years. I was just more comfortable and more confident in catching fish by making that long run.”

Black said he had flirted with ABN wins, including in the Smith Lake qualifier earlier this year, when he finished third. The extended ride up the Alabama River allowed him to bring home his first title, however.

“I had never won (an ABN event),” he said. “I had been third, fourth, and ninth through the years.”

Bruce Sargent (Birmingham Bass Club) took second place, and Gregg Quinley (Tennessee Valley Bass Club) finished third. Rounding out the top five among boaters were Dale Westmoreland (New Line Bass Club) and Tony Hogan (New Line Bass Club).

Sargent also boated the Academy Sports + Outdoors Big Fish, a 3.44-lb. spotted bass.

Following Henderson in the co-angler standings were Jonathon Trowbridge (Birmingham Bass Club), Francis Beard (Neely Henry Bassmasters), Michael Cochran (LA PO Boys), and Avery Ward (Winfield Bassmasters).

In a fishery where tournament anglers routinely run the 80 miles to Claiborne Dam on the Alabama River, Black and Henderson boated about 50 miles to a cold-water creek with some current, and both limited out on largemouth by mid-morning. They fished about a 100-yard stretch of the creek, where the water was in the mid-70s. The water temps around the launch area were in the high 80s.

“I knew that with this neap tide that my best bet was to make a run,” Black said.

The neap tide – when the difference between high and low tide varies little and current is minimal – makes fishing difficult in general but especially for bass fishermen. During the course of the tournament day, water levels changed very little in the Delta.

Upriver, Black started out flipping abundant wood cover in the creek, but a change in tactics proved decisive.

“Something in the back of my mind told me to pick up a buzzbait,” he said. “Within a few casts, I lost a good one, and then I caught about a three. The better quality fish were on the buzzbait.”

In fact, he boated four solid keepers, topped by the three-pounder, before the buzzbait action slowed, and he added his fifth keeper flipping around the wood cover. He culled two times later in the morning and had the fish that he weighed in the boat by about 10:30.

Henderson didn’t mind the long run because he quickly caught a couple of quality fish on a spinnerbait. When that bite slowed down, he switched to a shaky head and caught his biggest fish, a three-plus largemouth. He made the most of his three keeper bites.

Not even a bit of boat trouble on the way back to the weigh-in stopped Black and Henderson. They received some help from a group of high school anglers who were also fishing a tournament out of Live Oak.

“We flagged them down because we knew we weren’t going to make it,” Black said. “We threw our fish in their boat and took off and got here in time.”

In the team standings, Black and Henderson easily won the title although they had previously qualified to compete in the state team championship, which is scheduled for Nov. 1-2 on Lake Guntersville. Last year, the top four teams out of the state championship advanced to the Toyota Bonus Bucks Team Championship, which was fished on the Harris Chain in Florida.

Because some of the top finishers had already qualified for the state championship in the fall, other teams down the list of standings qualified for Guntersville, including Danny Grantham and Cochran, Hogan and Johnny Clark, Sam Fish and Donald Fish, Tony South and Jonathan Barnette, and Eulon Lee and Lee Hanvey.

Final prizes in the tournament went to Black and Sargent, who were the top Fishin’ 4 A Cure (F4AC) participants. Competitors pay an optional $25 per tournament to F4AC, and the money goes to help combat childhood diseases at Children’s of Alabama in Birmingham. Airport Marine and Office Partners are the F4AC sponsors.

Sponsors for the ABN include Academy, Airport Marina, Office Partners, Triton Boats, Mercury, Motor Guide, Lowrance, NetBait, Shell, Hammer Rods, Daiwa, Shelby County, StrikeZone Lure Co., Charlie’s BBQ, Davis Bait Company, and George Paint and Body.

The ABN wraps up its year on Guntersville in November, where both individuals and teams will compete for titles. Angler of the Year races in both the boater and co-angler divisions will also be determined in that event.

More Tournament Photos can be found at https://flic.kr/s/aHsmGXrNHm

Greg McCain is a freelance writer with current credits in Alabama Outdoor News, Great Days Outdoors, Alabama Game & Fish, and CrappieNOW online magazine in addition to producing content and photos for this website. He is a member of the Belgreen Bass Club, an ABN chapter near Russellville.