Photo Credit: Shane Durrance

Gainesville, GA (April 3, 2024) – Forty-seven top level anglers continued to battle it out on Lake Lanier for the newly formed Touring Anglers Association (TAA) inaugural tournament.  Sight fishing dominated the event on Day 1, but Mother Nature made it tougher on most of the field on Day 2.  Although overnight storms, and strong winds affected a good portion of the lake on Wednesday; Bassmaster Elite Series Pro, Chris Johnston, was able to widen his lead with 24.13 lbs.

According to Johnston, “It was another great day on Lanier, but today I was able to get a BIG fish to go with my others.”  The big fish he referred to was actually the Big Bass of the tournament, at 8.11 lbs., netting him a $5,000 bonus for the largest bass caught by the full field of competitors.  Johnston’s total is now 48.88 lbs., giving him over a six and half pound lead on fellow Elite Series Pro, Drew Cook of Georgia.

Cook was able to climb from 6^th place, to second, with the day’s second heaviest bag at 21.59 lbs. and a total of 42.33 lbs.  Drew, like many of his competitors spent the day shallow and using his eyes to his advantage.  “I was able to cover a lot of water looking specifically for those big females and I was able to run into a few today.  I’ve also found a few more for tomorrow, so I’m looking forward to getting back out there,” added Cook.

Major League Fishing Pro, Jared Lintner had a tougher Day 2, dropping a spot to third place, but still within ounces of Cook and well within reach of the top, with a total of 42 lbs.  According to Lintner, “My fish moved in behind a lot of bushes and I had a blast cracking those big fish and dragging them out of all that cover!”

The Top 12 fish tomorrow and the list includes:

1.  Chris Johnston                   48.88 lbs.
2. Drew Cook                          42.33 lbs.
3. Jared Lintner                       42.00 lbs.
4. Emil Wagner                       40.26 lbs.
5. David Williams                    39.15 lbs.
6. Joey Cifuentes                    39.13 lbs.
7. Rob Jordan                         38.84 lbs.
8. Corey Johnston                  38.34 lbs.
9. Caswell Anderson              36.86 lbs.
10. Jeff Gustafson                    36.69 lbs.
11. William Fletcher                 35.87 lbs.
12. Jimmy Millsaps                  35.53 lbs.

Full results of Day 1 can be found at: https://touringanglersassociation.com/leaderboard/

Everyone fishing the Final Day is guaranteed at least $10,000 in prize money, but big catches can earn big bucks in the 100% payout format.  The winning angler will take home $65,000.  Full payouts can be found at: https://touringanglersassociation.com/

Anglers will take off at 7 am EST and they are due to check in at 3 pm EST, with the weigh-in and live stream to follow, courtesy of Bass365.  They have also collaborated with key industry media partners to make sure fans can see the weigh-ins of this historic event.  Fans can tune in by following any of the platforms below on Facebook.

Bass365: https://www.facebook.com/basseast1

AnglersChannel.com: https://www.facebook.com/anglerschannel

AdvancedAngler.com: https://www.facebook.com/AdvancedAngler

Fish North Georgia: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fishnorthgeorgia

About TAA:

TAA is focused on a limited technology, high-stakes event, with low overhead and 100% payback, similar to the local “derbies” many fans of fishing are longing for.  The entry fee is $5,000 and the competition is stout, with many Bassmaster and Major League Fishing touring pros, as well as local aces, going head-to-head for a big payday.  More details can be found at: https://touringanglersassociation.com/