Miller closes in on Coteau Bass Hustlers title

Published 12:59 pm Monday, October 15, 2018

MILAM, Texas — Fishing by himself in one of the smallest bass boats the Coteau Bass Hustlers launched at Toledo Bend, Blaine Miller of rural Iberia Parish made the biggest statement in the bass club’s two tournaments Oct. 5-6 on the sprawling lake shared by Texas and Louisiana.

Miller all but clinched his second Angler of the Year title in the bass club with a win on the second day and a strong showing on the first day of a very tough tournament on Toledo Bend. With one tournament remaining in 2018, the 33-year-old service technician/installer with Premier Air Heating and Cooling LLC. is in first place with a commanding lead — 940-866 — over his nearest challenger, Keith Altazin.

“I’ve got it sealed up. All I’ve got to do is show up for the next tournament,” Miller said matter-of-factly Friday night.

He wants to do more than show up for the 12th and final contest of 2018.

“I want to win the last tournament and put a stamp on the title,” he said.

With a big assist from his friend, Dustin Dore of New Iberia, Miller cemented the lead he has held for the latter part of the season. Based on his one and only day of scouting Oct. 4, he had nothing to go on.

“Toledo Bend was tough. It was a grind,” Miller said. “When I went scouting I caught only one keeper. I scouted kind of the midlake area — Patroon.”

Dore, fishing alone in a 16-foot aluminum boat, unselfishly invited his fishing buddy to fish the area he was going to fish. That was Housen Creek.

“He told me to follow him down there. The first thing in the morning (of the first tournament), I saw him catch a 5-pounder,” Miller said.

“I left to do my own thing,” he said, noting he stayed in Housen.

“I didn’t have a fish at noon. I caught between 1 and 2:30, then picked up to go to the weigh-in.”

Miller’s four keeper bass (14 inches or longer) weighing 6.64 pounds didn’t threaten the leader on that Saturday. Dore’s five-bass limit included a 5.03-pounder that anchored the 11.54-pound stringer, easily enough to win the first day.

Marlin Hebert and Colby Hebert’s limit weighed 9.24 pounds, good enough for second place that day in the 11-boat field. Tim Sturm and Troy Menard were third with five bass weighing 7.91 pounds. 

Milller finished the opener with four bass weighing 6.64 pounds and more confidence. After all, he said, Dore’s bite shut off soon after the sun rose high over the horizon. Miller caught his three bass on a darker-colored artificial lure.

That was the key on Saturday. The three bass he put on the scale weighed 8.44 pounds. Nearly half that weight was a 4.17-pounder he boated at approximately 2:30 p.m.

“I got a keeper early and didn’t catch another fish until about 1:30 p.m. At the last little island before I had to go back to the landing, I caught the biggest one. It actually broke my (Boyd) Duckett rod when I flipped it in the boat,” he said, adding it was one of three fishing rods he broke that weekend.

Miller, who has been in the bass club at least a decade, was followed on the second day by the Heberts, who had the most consistent showing, with five bass weighing 8.43 pounds, and Dore, who followed up his first day victory with four chunky bass weighing 8.10 pounds.

Most of Miller’s bass that hit the scale were caught on a green pumpkin swim jig, he said. He flipped and pitched into hay grass.

“The key was trolling motor on high and covering water,” he said.

• COTEAU BASS 

HUSTLERS Oct. 5 

at Toledo Bend

1, (*) Dustin Dore (5), 11.54. 2, Marlin Hebert-Colby Hebert (5), 9.24. 3, Tim Sturm-Troy Menard (3), 7.91. 4, Blaine Miller (4), 6.64. 5, Irvin “Peanut” Guillote-B.J. Maturin (1), 3.23. 6, Robbie Mayer-Mike Sinitiere (2), 3.12. 7, Keith Altazin-Damon Bowers (2), 3.02. 8, Ralph Leleux-Brandon Sellers (1), 1.92.

(*) Tournament’s lunker bass, 5.03.

• COTEAU BASS 

HUSTLERS Oct. 6 at Toledo Bend1, (*) Blaine Miller (3), 8.44. 2, Marlin Hebert-Colby Hebert (5), 8.43. 3, Dustin Dore (4), 8.10. 4, Doyle Louvere-Steve Doumit (4), 6.10. 5, Ralph Leleux-Brandon Sellers (3), 5.94. 6, Keith Altazin-Damon Bowers (4), 5.59. 7, Tim Sturm-Troy Menard (3), 4.75. 8, Irvin “Peanut” Guillote-B.J. Maturin (1), 2.45. 9, Robbie Mayer-Mike Sinitiere (1), 1.56. 10, Jason Jones-T.J. Jones (1), 1.33.

(*) Tournament’s lunker bass, 4.17.

• COTEAU BASS 

HUSTLERS 2018 

POINT STANDINGS

1, Blaine Miller, 940. 2, Keith Altazin, 866. 3, Doyle Louviere, 862. 4, Marlin Hebert, 854. 5, Tim Sturm, 844. 6, Dustin Dore, 823. 7, Steve Doumit, 820. 8, Jason Jones, 811. 9, Joey Trahan, 787. 10, Brandon Sellers, 703. 11, Johnny Schexnayder, 680. 12, Ralph Leleux, 678. 13, Colby Hebert, 563. 14, Robbie Mayer, 533. 15, Irvin “Peanut” Guillote, 486. 16, (tie) Charles Jefferson and Bryce Louviere, 375. 18, Bryce Louviere, 264. 19, Gerald Frederick, 256. 20, Todd Trahan, 216. 21, Nolan “Pee Wee” Doucet, 200. 22, Paul Trahan, 40. 23, Ramon Ladner, 10.