Grand Valley State Duo Wins Bassmaster College Series Event On Smith Lake
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VONORE’S BUTLER WINS COSTA FLW SERIES TOURNAMENT ON LAKE CHICKAMAUGA PRESENTED BY T-H MARINE
Anchored by a 37-pound limit of bass on Day Two – the fifth-largest weighed in Costa FLW Series history – pro angler Brent Butler wins at Lake Chickamauga
DAYTON, Tenn. (March 23, 2019) – Fishing in his sixth event with Fishing League Worldwide (FLW), pro Brent Butler of Vonore, Tennessee, caught a five-bass limit Saturday weighing 16 pounds, 11 ounces, to win the Costa FLW Series at Lake Chickamauga presented by T-H Marine. Butler’s three-day total of 15 bass weighing 68 pounds, 8 ounces, was enough to earn him the victory at the Southeastern Division tournament and a check for $45,800.
In route to victory, Butler posted an above-average start to the tournament Thursday, catching 14 pounds of bass to sit in 40thplace. He said he put together his limit fishing shallow bars and shell beds mid-lake, with a ½-ounce, chrome-colored Strike King Red Eye Shad crankbait.
Heading into Friday, Butler said he knew he needed more weight to have a shot at winning. He switched patterns completely, fishing seven new areas near major creek mouths, and produced a 37-pound, 5-ounce haul – the fifth-largest limit in FLW Series history.
“All I was catching [Thursday] was buck bass, and with 14 [pounds] and change, I knew I needed to swing for the fences,” said Butler, who earned his first win in FLW competition. “I started looking for staging areas for both prespawn and postspawn females. I went offshore, and honestly, I got my timing down and saw what the bait was doing – how it was hanging out off of ledges and things of that nature. I just kept paying attention to it and the wind direction and I would occasionally see them on the graph and knew they were in the area. They were following gizzard shad. I sat in 30 feet and caught them out of 15 feet of water.
“I think they were heading in [prespawn], but the two big ones – two 10-plus pounders – were postspawn,” continued Butler. “I caught them almost on back-to-back casts.”
Butler said he had seven bites Friday. He said he used a custom Super G Lures umbrella rig with 4.3-inch, shad-colored Keitech swimbaits to catch three of the monster limit and a chartreuse and shad-colored Lucky Craft Flash Pointer 100 jerkbait for the other two.
On Saturday, Butler didn’t catch nearly as much weight as he did Friday, but was able to put together the right bites at the end of the day.
“I ran those areas again today, and I saw the bait down in the creek and river channels. I only saw one school of gizzard shad come up under my graph in 15 of water and I could see two [bass] following it, but I couldn’t get them to cooperate. That was the only school I saw out of all those areas.”
With only one small bass in the boat at 1 [p.m.], Butler again made a change, running 32 miles to fish shallow ledges with stumps between the Highway 60 bridge and Mud Creek. He caught a couple more fish on the umbrella rig, one on the Red Eye Shad and three on the Lucky Craft jerkbait.
The top 10 pros on Lake Chickamauga finished:
1st: Brent Butler, Vonore, Tenn., 15 bass, 68-8, $45,800
2nd: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 15 bass, 63-0, $17,200
3rd: Derek Hicks, Rocky Face, Ga., 15 bass, 61-0, $12,850
4th: Cody Nichols, Fayette, Ala., 15 bass, 57-11, $10,750
5th: David Gaston, Sylacauga, Tenn., 15 bass, 53-13, $9,750
6th: Rusty White, Harrison, Tenn., 10 bass, 52-10, $8,675
7th: Dustin Evans, Eads, Tenn., 15 bass, 49-8, $7,300
8th: Brandon Stanley, Johnson City, Tenn., 12 bass, 48-12, $6,300
9th: Buddy Gross, Chickamauga, Ga., 14 bass, 48-3, $5,300
10th: Steve Stanfill, Dawsonville, Ga., 10 bass, 38-14, $4,200
A complete list of results will be posted at FLWFishing.com.
One of Butler’s giants on Friday weighed 11 pounds, 10 ounces, and was the biggest of the tournament in the Pro Division. For his catch, Butler also earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $300.
Scott Ostmann of Cincinnati, Ohio, won the Co-angler Division with a three-day total catch of 15 bass weighing 54 pounds, 12 ounces. For his win, Ostmann took home a prize package including a Ranger Z175 with a 115-horsepower outboard motor and $5,000.
The top 10 co-anglers on Lake Chickamauga finished:
1st: Scott Ostmann, Cincinnati, Ohio, 15 bass, 54-12, $32,800
2nd: Doug Iorio II, Kennerdell, Pa., 14 bass, 41-15, $5,375
3rd: Kevin Gordon, Aiken, S.C., 12 bass, 40-9, $4,350
4th: Alan Hults, Gautier, Miss., 13 bass, 38-14, $3,900
5th: Josh Womack, Gallatin, Tenn., 14 bass, 35-8, $3,150
6th: Don Lewis, Jacksonville, Fla., 10 bass, 32-15, $2,650
7th: Michael Leach, The Woodlands, Texas, 10 bass, 32-0, $2,150
8th: Stephen Kocell, Waxhaw, N.C., nine bass, 25-15, $1,925
9th: Josh Lockard, Somerset, Ky., 10 bass, 22-10, $1,530
10th: Tony Prince, Pulaski, Tenn., nine bass, 22-7, $1,290
Scott Towry of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division Friday, a behemoth largemouth weighing 11 pounds, 2 ounces. For his catch, Towry earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $200.
The Costa FLW Series on Lake Chickamauga presented by T-H Marine was hosted by Fish Dayton. It was the second of three Southeastern Division tournaments of the 2019 regular season. The next tournament for FLW Series anglers will be the Costa FLW Series at Kentucky Lake presented by Lowrance, held April 4 - 6 in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. For a complete schedule, visit FLWFishing.com.
The Costa FLW Series consists of five U.S. divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western – along with the International division. Each U.S. division consists of three regular-season tournaments with competitors vying for valuable points that could earn them the opportunity to compete in the season-ending Costa FLW Series Championship. The 2019 Costa FLW Series Championship is being held Oct. 31 – Nov. 2 on Lake Cumberland in Burnside, Kentucky.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Costa FLW Series on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Butler moves from 40th to First with 37-5 Limit in Costa on Chickamauga!!!!
Courtesy of FLW
March 22, 2019 by Justin Onslow
Day two of the Costa FLW Series presented by T-H Marine on Lake Chickamauga was fairly humdrum until Brent Butler walked to the weigh-in stage. Weighing in 37 pounds, 5 ounces, Butler rocketed up from 40th to first with a 51-13 total, and made his mark on the record books in the process. Though the top four one-day catches of all-time in the Costa FLW Series are all from Falcon Lake, the Vonore, Tenn., angler is now fifth on the list, and the first to put a lake outside of Florida, California or Texas in the top 10.
Heaviest one-day catches in Costa FLW Series history
| 1 | Keith Combs | 41-1 | Falcon Lake | 1/7-1/9/10 |
| 2 | Richard Cathey | 39-1 | Falcon Lake | 1/15-1/17/09 |
| 3 | Joe Don Setina | 38-14 | Falcon Lake | 1/15-1/17/09 |
| 4 | Michael Yoder | 38-4 | Falcon Lake | 1/7-1/9/10 |
| 5 | Brent Butler | 37-5 | Lake Chickamauga | 3/21-3/23/19 |
| 6 | Mike Andrews | 36-3 | California Delta | 5/14-5/17/08 |
| 7 | Larry Peacher | 35-12 | Falcon Lake | 1/15-1/17/09 |
| 8 | Brandon Medlock | 35-7 | Lake Okeechobee | 1/19 - 1/21/12 |
| Steve Sapp | 35-7 | California Delta | 5/3-5/6/06 | |
| 10 | Bob Ramsdell | 34-13 | Falcon Lake | 1/9-1/11/08 |
Going into the final day, Butler will have a 5-6 lead over day-one leader Rusty White. That seems like a good margin, but Butler himself showed no lead is comfortable on Chickamauga.
“To be honest with you, I was trying to [crack 40] because these guys here, man…” says Butler. “I went out today swinging for the fences. I knew I had ground to make up. Like [day-one leader Rusty White], he had 28. If he busts another 28 or 30 or what I had, it’d be way out there. I thought I needed to catch all I can catch. I just swung for the fence and fished big-fish holes just looking for five big bites.”
Those bites came, and they came often. Butler’s largest fish, which he caught on an Alabama rig, came in just shy of 12 pounds.
“I thought it was a rockfish,” he explains. “I was like, ‘man it’s a rockfish,’ and then I caught a glimpse of it and I thought it was a drum, and then as it got up closer I was like, ‘it’s a largemouth and it’s a giant.
“I thought it might weigh more than 11, but my scales, the clip wouldn’t fit on it.”
Surprisingly – or unsurprisingly for a guy who fishes Chickamauga a lot – that’s not the biggest bass Butler has caught on the famed Tennessee River fishery. He previously caught a 12-7 on Chick, where he fishes a lot of team tournaments.
While Butler has weighed 36-plus bags in team tournaments on Chick (and five total over 30 pounds), 37-5 is easily his biggest solo stringer to date. Day two of this tournament was a good time to do it.
Butler may have a little luck rolling over from his last Costa FLW Series finish on Chick. The last time around, in 2017, he took fifth place with a 41-1 two-day total. He says he used some of that $11,000 in winnings to pay his entry fee to fish this event. He’s been saving that money for just such an occasion.
Coming anywhere close to replicating his day-two performance on Saturday will be a tall task for Butler, though. Conditions on the lake have changed drastically each day, with water rising, current settling and the sun doing just about everything but what anglers want it to do. It’s been so inconsistent that Butler completely scrapped everything he found in practice and “just fished” the last two days.
“Everything is changing,” he explains. “I had a good practice. Everything I found in practice, it’s gone. I just went fishing. Every time you have a high-pressure system, I kind of know what it does to them here.
“I went from fishing the banks and shallow bars and all that to just offshore. That’s how I love to catch them – offshore.”
Butler is on a pattern, and it’s working well enough that he doesn’t want to give anything away. He does admit, though, that he’s working just two baits: an Alabama rig and a jerkbait, which he calls his “one-two punch.”
The spots Butler has been fishing are areas in which fish are cycling through to spawn. He has multiple spots – 15 he didn’t even run on day two – and his three best produced all his big fish on Friday. But, as the last two days have shown, everything can change in less than a day.
“I’m just going to go fishing,” he repeats. “That’s all I’m going to do, just like today. I scrapped everything I found in practice and went fishing.”
One more day of “just fishing” and Butler will be hoisting the first-place trophy on Saturday.
Top 10 pros
1. Brent Butler – Vonore, Tenn. – 51-13 (10)
2. Rusty White – Harrison, Tenn. – 46-7 (8)
3. Brandon Stanley – Johnson City, Tenn. – 43-15 (10)
4. Derek Hicks – Rocky Face, Ga. – 41-4 (10)
5. Bryan Thrift – Shelby, N.C. – 40-1 (10)
6. Steve Stanfill – Dawsonville, Ga. – 38-14 (10)
7. Cody Nichols – Fayette, Ala. – 38-12 (10)
8. David Gaston – Sylacauga, Ala. – 37-6 (10)
9. Dustin Evans – Eads, Tenn. – 36-13 (10)
10. Buddy Gross – Chickamauga, Ga. – 35-14 (9)
OSTMANN MOVES INTO CO-ANGLER LEAD
Co-angler leader Scott Ostmann hauled in an 8-pound, 14-ounce monster largemouth to bolster his 22-8 bag on day two and pull into the lead with an impressive 37-3 total.
Despite fishing different conditions in a different area with a different boater than on day one, Ostmann was able to find and catch some quality fish with just one bait – a bait he’s remaining tight-lipped about until after the event.
Ostmann and his boater, Frank Clark (12-9 on day two), spent much of the day targeting fish on current breaks in the mid-lake area of the main lake. Sticking with that one bait, he “milked it all day” and made the most of the fish Clark put him on.
“He put me on fish and it was great,” says Ostmann. “This is my fourth time down here. I fished the Costa here two years ago and didn’t do very well. This is a little redemption trip for me.”
With a sizeable lead heading into the final day of competition – and only nine other co-anglers to compete with – that redemption trip could prove to be much more for the Cincinnati, Ohio native.
Top 10 co-anglers
1. Scott Ostmann – Cincinnati, Ohio – 37-3 (10)
2. Michael Leach – The Woodlands, Texas – 29-7 (9)
3. Doug Iorio II – Kennerdell, Pa. – 29-5 (10)
4. Captain Don Lewis – Jacksonville, Fla. – 27-6 (8)
5. Kevin Gordon – Aiken, S.C. – 26-13 (8)
6. Stephen Kocell – Waxhaw, N.C. – 23-13 (8)
7. Josh Lockhard – Somerset, Ky. – 22-10 (10)
8. Tony Prince – Pulaski, Tenn. – 22-7 (9)
9. Alan Hults – Gautier, Miss. – 21-15 (8)
10. Josh Womack – Gallatin, Tenn. – 21-12 (9)
Alabama Team Moves Into Lead In Bassmaster College Series Shootout On Smith Lake
JT Russell and Porter James of the University of Montevallo take the lead on Day 2 of the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series at Smith Lake presented by Bass Pro Shops out of Cullman, Ala., with a two-day total of 38 pounds, 10 ounces.
Photo by Chris Brown/B.A.S.S.
March 22, 2019
CULLMAN, Ala. — JT Russell and Porter James aren’t catching many bass on Lewis Smith Lake this week during the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series tournament presented by Bass Pro Shops.
But the duo from the University of Montevallo (Ala.) is proving that success must be judged by the quality, and not necessarily the quantity, of the catch.
Russell and James caught a five-bass limit today that weighed a tournament-high 20 pounds, 9 ounces, which gave them a two-day total of 38-10 and more than a 4-pound cushion over the other 11 duos that survived today’s cut from 249 to 12 teams.
It’s a fairly remarkable total, given that Russell and James only caught seven keeper bass today. They had a similar output Thursday, on Day 1 of the tournament, when they weighed an 18-1 limit despite going more than three hours before catching their first bass.
“It’s not like we’re catching a bunch,” Russell said. “We’re having to work for everything we get. But it’s worked out so far because, when we get bit, it’s generally been a big one.”
Smith Lake is just more than an hour’s drive north of Montevallo, so Russell and James are familiar with the fishery. They apparently haven’t found a honey hole of note, however, as they’ve crisscrossed the 21,000-acre lake numerous times in search of the best bites.
Russell said he and James are “junk fishing,” and they had as many as 15 rods on the deck at one point today. That’s fitting, given that many anglers report having to change fishing techniques at least once as Smith Lake bass apparently are beginning to spawn.
Today, Russell caught the biggest bass of the event so far — a 6-7 largemouth that leads the Carhartt Big Bass standings. That fish followed a 6-pound largemouth James boated on Thursday. They’ve caught two of the tournament’s three heaviest bass.
“That big one today bit about 5 feet from the boat,” Russell said. “I set the hook, and all I could do then was scream, ‘Get the net!’ I ended up boat flipping it because it was right there before I even knew it.”
After catching a mixed bag of spotted and largemouth bass Thursday, Russell and James caught all largemouth today. Feeling no lead is big enough, the Montevallo tandem said they plan to go for broke on the third and final day of the tournament.
“We’re at the point that it’s either zero or hero,” James said. “We’re going to swing for the fences.”
Day 1 leaders Lucas Murphy and Mitchell Gunn of Michigan’s Grand Valley State University dropped to second place overall with a 34-5 two-day total. They held a 12-ounce lead on Russell and James Thursday, but fell behind with a 15-8 limit on Friday.
Trevor McKinney and Ethan Jones of McKendree University in Illinois are in third place (32-0 overall;) and Derek Freeman and Caleb Allgood of Clemson University are fourth with 31-5.
Cal Culpepper and Mason Waddell, who also fish for Montevallo, had the second heaviest bag of the day — a 20-5 limit that was anchored by a 6-6 largemouth. That bag vaulted them into fifth place with 30 pounds through two days. They were the biggest movers of the day after being in 97th place following Thursday’s weigh-in.
Rounding out the Top 12 teams that will fish Saturday are, Dax Ewart/KJ Queen, Bethel University, Tenn., sixth with 27-12; Jason Felter/Joseph McClosky, Bethel University, seventh with 27-8; Luke Lamb/Wilson Smith, Bethel University, eighth with 27-6; Nolan Minor/Casey Lanier, West Virginia, ninth with 27-3; Joshua Gruen/Riley Blair, University of Wisconsin-Platteville, 10th with 26-12; Trevor St. John/Bailey Fain, Bryan College, Tenn., 11th with 26-11; and Aaron Denny/Williams Mathews, Grand Valley State, 12th with 26-3.
The 12 remaining teams will take off from Smith Lake Park at 7 a.m. Saturday. Teams will check in at the park at 3 p.m. with final weigh-in taking place at nearby Wallace State Community College. Live coverage will begin at approximately 3:45 p.m. on Bassmaster.com.
The dozen remaining teams will split a pool of $8,500 cash for their respective bass fishing teams. The winning duo will earn $2,500 for their school’s squad.
Teams from 74 different schools and 28 states began the tournament Thursday. The Top 25 teams in the tournament standings after today automatically qualified for the Bassmaster College Series Championship, which will be held this year on a fishery to be disclosed later.
Carhartt Bassmaster College Series at Smith Lake presented by Bass Pro Shops 3/21/2019 - 3/23/2019 Smith Lake - Smith Lake Park - Cullman, AL
Place Name Total
Fish / Weight Day 1
Fish / Weight Day 2
Fish / Weight
1 J T Russell - Porter James
University of Montevallo 10 / 38 - 10 5 / 18 - 1 5 / 20 - 9
2 Lucas Murphy - Mitchell Gunn
Grand Valley State University 10 / 34 - 5 5 / 18 - 13 5 / 15 - 8
3 Trevor McKinney - Ethan Jones
McKendree University 10 / 32 - 0 5 / 17 - 1 5 / 14 - 15
4 Derek Freeman - Caleb Allgood
Clemson University 10 / 31 - 5 5 / 14 - 11 5 / 16 - 10
5 Cal Culpepper - Mason Waddell
University of Montevallo 10 / 30 - 0 5 / 9 - 11 5 / 20 - 5
6 Dax Ewart - KJ Queen
Bethel University 10 / 27 - 12 5 / 13 - 14 5 / 13 - 14
7 Jason Felter - Joseph McClosky
Bethel University 10 / 27 - 8 5 / 14 - 14 5 / 12 - 10
8 Luke Lamb - Wilson Smith
Bethel University 10 / 27 - 6 5 / 15 - 15 5 / 11 - 7
9 Nolan Minor - Casey Lanier
West Virginia University 10 / 27 - 3 5 / 14 - 3 5 / 13 - 0
10 Joshua Gruen - Riley Blair
University of Wisconsin- Platteville 10 / 26 - 12 5 / 11 - 12 5 / 15 - 0
11 Trevor St. John - Bailey Fain
Bryan College 10 / 26 - 11 5 / 13 - 8 5 / 13 - 3
12 Aaron Denny - William Mathews
Grand Valley State University 10 / 26 - 3 5 / 11 - 11 5 / 14 - 8
13 Jared Turnbloom - Thomas Milstead
University of Alabama 10 / 26 - 1 5 / 14 - 7 5 / 11 - 10
14 Miller Spivey - Trey Dickert
University of Montevallo 10 / 25 - 15 5 / 11 - 3 5 / 14 - 12
15 Tristan McCormick - Dakota Pierce
Bethel University 10 / 25 - 11 5 / 13 - 2 5 / 12 - 9
16 Nicholas Inzeo - Nick Montilino
Murray State University 10 / 25 - 10 5 / 13 - 5 5 / 12 - 5
17 JP Kimbrough - Ryan Antee
LSU- Shreveport 10 / 25 - 7 5 / 12 - 3 5 / 13 - 4
18 Logan Parks - Lucas Lindsay
Auburn University 10 / 25 - 4 5 / 12 - 14 5 / 12 - 6
19 Logan Tate - Chase Chastain
Jacksonville State University 10 / 25 - 2 5 / 12 - 8 5 / 12 - 10
20 Liam West - Brady Waits
Clemson University 9 / 25 - 2 5 / 12 - 9 4 / 12 - 9
21 Jacob Louis - Nathan Doty
McKendree University 10 / 25 - 1 5 / 14 - 4 5 / 10 - 13
22 Thad Simerly - Ethan Shaw
Bryan College 10 / 25 - 0 5 / 14 - 8 5 / 10 - 8
23 Payton Morgan - Heath Alread
Kennesaw State University 10 / 24 - 14 5 / 11 - 8 5 / 13 - 6
24 Grant Ehlenfeldt - Seth Korb
University of Wisconsin- Platteville 10 / 24 - 13 5 / 11 - 3 5 / 13 - 10
25 David Dueland - Cameron Glasscock
University of Montevallo 9 / 24 - 11 5 / 15 - 14 4 / 8 - 13
26 Cole Sands - Conner Dimauro
Bryan College 10 / 24 - 10 5 / 10 - 7 5 / 14 - 3
27 Tyler Price - Preston Kendrick
Bryan College 10 / 24 - 5 5 / 9 - 0 5 / 15 - 5
28 Tyler Lubbat - Harold Wells
University of Alabama 10 / 24 - 3 5 / 10 - 8 5 / 13 - 11
29 Peyton McCord - Cole Burdeshaw
Auburn University 10 / 24 - 1 5 / 12 - 4 5 / 11 - 13
30 Griffin Fernandes - Gunner Wilson
Adrian College 10 / 23 - 15 5 / 11 - 13 5 / 12 - 2
31 Justin Carr - Austin Carr
Illinois State University 10 / 23 - 14 5 / 13 - 5 5 / 10 - 9
32 Brady Harp - Jordan McCaleb
Auburn University 10 / 23 - 12 5 / 10 - 0 5 / 13 - 12
33 Anthony Fazio - Luke Jasper
Illinois State 10 / 23 - 12 5 / 12 - 7 5 / 11 - 5
34 Zeke Gossett - Hayden Bartee
Jacksonville State University 9 / 23 - 7 5 / 14 - 3 4 / 9 - 4
35 Jake Lee - Dalton Price
Bryan College 10 / 23 - 4 5 / 12 - 8 5 / 10 - 12
36 Parker Nesbit - Joe Bardill
Murray State University 9 / 23 - 3 5 / 13 - 11 4 / 9 - 8
37 Dillon Bryant - Dustin Wagner
Patrick Henry Community College 10 / 23 - 3 5 / 10 - 8 5 / 12 - 11
38 Blake Albertson - Boris Moskoff
Murray State University 10 / 23 - 2 5 / 13 - 6 5 / 9 - 12
39 Cameron Simmons - Dexter Flick
Oklahoma State University 8 / 22 - 15 5 / 14 - 7 3 / 8 - 8
40 Zachary Asher - Jacob Klicman
Kent State University 10 / 22 - 13 5 / 13 - 2 5 / 9 - 11
41 Cameron Smith - Cole Breeden
Drury University 9 / 22 - 13 5 / 12 - 12 4 / 10 - 1
42 Taylor Hamburger - Tristen Turley
Oklahoma State University 9 / 22 - 12 4 / 10 - 1 5 / 12 - 11
43 Spencer Guthrie - Ryan Kennedy
Kennesaw State University 10 / 22 - 11 5 / 12 - 14 5 / 9 - 13
44 Robert Moody - Nathaniel Winters
Missouri State University 10 / 22 - 10 5 / 9 - 0 5 / 13 - 10
45 Sean Murphy - William Phillips
Auburn University 9 / 22 - 7 4 / 10 - 15 5 / 11 - 8
46 Brian Linder - Nathan Thompson
Bemidji State 10 / 22 - 4 5 / 9 - 7 5 / 12 - 13
47 Jacob Griffin - Will Schibig
Tennessee Tech 9 / 22 - 3 4 / 7 - 12 5 / 14 - 7
48 Justin Barnes - Adam Carroll
University of Montevallo 9 / 22 - 2 5 / 13 - 12 4 / 8 - 6
49 Trevor Sagrecy - Abby Greynolds
Campbellsville University 8 / 21 - 14 5 / 15 - 0 3 / 6 - 14
50 Rudy Worley - John Nowlin
Blue Mountain College 10 / 21 - 14 5 / 10 - 1 5 / 11 - 13
51 Will Delaney - Hunter Porter
Shelton State Community College 10 / 21 - 14 5 / 10 - 6 5 / 11 - 8
52 Peyton Cox - Dakota Cantrell
Campbellsville University 9 / 21 - 10 4 / 8 - 10 5 / 13 - 0
53 Hunter Bailey - Jr Young
Jacksonville State University 10 / 21 - 10 5 / 11 - 7 5 / 10 - 3
54 Conner Choate - Hunter DeSplinter
University of Wisconsin - Platteville 9 / 21 - 6 5 / 12 - 15 4 / 8 - 7
55 Fisher Overton - Alden Keel Jr
Blue Mountain College 7 / 21 - 4 5 / 16 - 8 2 / 4 - 12
56 Evan Hughes - Ryan Teems
Erskine College 8 / 21 - 4 4 / 11 - 10 4 / 9 - 10
57 Jonnie Koenen - Blake Lawston
U. of Wisconsin Platteville 8 / 21 - 4 4 / 9 - 12 4 / 11 - 8
58 Jack Hippe - Chase Serafin
Adrian College 9 / 21 - 1 4 / 8 - 6 5 / 12 - 11
59 Jarrett Brown - Tyler Harless
University of Montevallo 10 / 20 - 14 5 / 9 - 12 5 / 11 - 2
60 Mason Sapp - Morgan Miracle
Campbellsville University 8 / 20 - 7 5 / 11 - 14 3 / 8 - 9
61 Hunter Stewart - Luke Slaton
University of North Georgia 9 / 20 - 7 5 / 10 - 11 4 / 9 - 12
62 Ryan Winchester - Tyler Black
Bethel University 10 / 20 - 3 5 / 11 - 2 5 / 9 - 1
63 Scotty Yunke - Adam Jusinio
Jeff State Community College 9 / 20 - 1 5 / 9 - 9 4 / 10 - 8
64 Anthony Vintson - Brandon Mathews
Auburn University 9 / 20 - 0 4 / 8 - 11 5 / 11 - 5
65 Chris Lasley - Logan Coleman
University of Kentucky 8 / 19 - 14 3 / 5 - 13 5 / 14 - 1
66 Joseph Lacy - Breanna Wyatt
Faulkner University 9 / 19 - 14 4 / 7 - 15 5 / 11 - 15
67 Wyatt Reid - Gehrig DeFronzo
Erskine College 7 / 19 - 13 5 / 16 - 4 2 / 3 - 9
68 Nicholas Moore - Jacob Harris
Southeast Missouri State University 9 / 19 - 12 4 / 8 - 12 5 / 11 - 0
69 Landon Smith - Jordan Thompson
Calhoun Community College 9 / 19 - 10 5 / 10 - 5 4 / 9 - 5
70 Griffin Heffington - Mason Cizek
Bryan College 8 / 19 - 8 5 / 13 - 0 3 / 6 - 8
71 Robert Cruvellier - Preston Hatz
Auburn University 9 / 19 - 5 4 / 9 - 1 5 / 10 - 4
72 Mason Huey - Conner Crosby
Southern Union State Community College 7 / 19 - 3 4 / 13 - 15 3 / 5 - 4
73 Jesse Dodson - Lucas Harrison
University of Kentucky 9 / 19 - 2 5 / 11 - 10 4 / 7 - 8
74 Lee Mattox - Mitchell Naler
University of Alabama 7 / 19 - 0 5 / 13 - 13 2 / 5 - 3
75 Jarred Jones - Devin Mobbs
Jacksonville State University 9 / 18 - 15 5 / 9 - 9 4 / 9 - 6
76 Austin Phillips - Samuel Scott
Arkansas Tech University 8 / 18 - 14 5 / 12 - 3 3 / 6 - 11
77 Hunter Sales - Tristan Stalsworth
Carson-Newman University 10 / 18 - 12 5 / 9 - 5 5 / 9 - 7
77 Benjamin Statly - Grant Gallagher
Adrian College 10 / 18 - 12 5 / 9 - 5 5 / 9 - 7
79 John Garrett - Kyle Palmer
Bethel University 7 / 18 - 6 2 / 5 - 0 5 / 13 - 6
80 Caiden Sinclair - Shawn Potwardowski
University of Alabama 6 / 18 - 4 1 / 2 - 8 5 / 15 - 12
81 Gilliam Tharpe - Jacob Moore
North Carolina State University 9 / 18 - 3 4 / 9 - 10 5 / 8 - 9
82 Brad Ableman - Seth Roberts
Bethel University 6 / 17 - 14 4 / 12 - 3 2 / 5 - 11
83 Robert Gee - Grayson Perkins
University of Tennessee 8 / 17 - 13 3 / 5 - 7 5 / 12 - 6
84 William Martin - Jack Baron
University of Montevallo 8 / 17 - 13 3 / 7 - 3 5 / 10 - 10
85 Colton Breeding - Lee Hale
Tennessee Tech University 6 / 17 - 12 1 / 3 - 7 5 / 14 - 5
86 Carter McNeil - Cole Floyd
Bethel University 8 / 17 - 12 3 / 8 - 3 5 / 9 - 9
87 Hunter Scharphorn - Tanner Johnson
Lake Superior State University 9 / 17 - 12 5 / 9 - 1 4 / 8 - 11
88 Hunter Presley - Caleb Dennis
Central Alabama Comm College 9 / 17 - 11 4 / 7 - 7 5 / 10 - 4
89 Cole Lamb - Tristan Weaver
Arkansas Tech 7 / 17 - 10 4 / 9 - 13 3 / 7 - 13
90 Jordon Leahy - Michal Wolan
University of Alabama 7 / 17 - 9 4 / 11 - 5 3 / 6 - 4
91 Joshua Butts
Wallace State Community College 8 / 17 - 8 5 / 10 - 13 3 / 6 - 11
92 Corey Elliott - Blake Riley
Eastern Kentucky University 8 / 17 - 7 3 / 5 - 7 5 / 12 - 0
93 Cole Hopson - Noah Campbell
Georgia College 8 / 17 - 7 5 / 10 - 15 3 / 6 - 8
94 Ty Cox - Chandler Boman
Blue Mountain College 8 / 17 - 2 5 / 11 - 10 3 / 5 - 8
95 Jake Maddux - Chace Gregory
Southern Union 8 / 17 - 2 3 / 6 - 6 5 / 10 - 12
96 Mitch Moore - Clark Mannas
Texas A&M University 8 / 16 - 15 5 / 11 - 9 3 / 5 - 6
97 Jared Penton - Dustin Pearcy
East Texas Baptist University 7 / 16 - 15 2 / 5 - 8 5 / 11 - 7
98 Chase Clarke - K.D. Sizemore
Auburn University 7 / 16 - 15 5 / 11 - 6 2 / 5 - 9
99 Luke Mason - Justin Lane
University of North Alabama 7 / 16 - 14 5 / 11 - 14 2 / 5 - 0
100 Tyler Vanbrandt - Ben Barrus
Adrian College 7 / 16 - 13 2 / 4 - 13 5 / 12 - 0
101 Chandler Fogg - Austin Goins
Bryan College 8 / 16 - 12 5 / 11 - 14 3 / 4 - 14
102 Josh Hart - Ben Dominque
Clemson University 7 / 16 - 11 2 / 5 - 3 5 / 11 - 8
103 Noah Ziadie - Reese Kingston
Brewton-Parker College 7 / 16 - 8 2 / 5 - 2 5 / 11 - 6
104 Armando Ortiz - Dylan McKee
Auburn University 7 / 16 - 8 3 / 5 - 15 4 / 10 - 9
105 Zeb Holland - Jacob Silver
Western Carolina University 7 / 16 - 7 4 / 9 - 4 3 / 7 - 3
106 Bennett Pierce - Chase Gallaway
Arkansas Tech University 8 / 16 - 6 3 / 6 - 10 5 / 9 - 12
107 Nash Henrichs - Tommy Torkelson
University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point 7 / 16 - 5 5 / 11 - 7 2 / 4 - 14
108 Braden Ketchum
Rochester Institute of Technology 7 / 16 - 5 3 / 5 - 15 4 / 10 - 6
109 Corey Skaggs - Ethan Troutman
University of Louisville 8 / 16 - 4 3 / 6 - 2 5 / 10 - 2
110 Adam White - Cody Stahl
SCAD 7 / 16 - 3 5 / 12 - 12 2 / 3 - 7
111 Garrett Warren - Eric Lampkin
Snead State Community College 7 / 16 - 3 5 / 11 - 8 2 / 4 - 11
112 Andrew Mega - Amren Strigo
UNC-Charlotte 7 / 16 - 3 3 / 8 - 2 4 / 8 - 1
113 Noah Boyett - Hunter Hanby
University of Arkansas 7 / 16 - 2 2 / 4 - 15 5 / 11 - 3
114 Jon Kilpatrick - Connor Caffrey
University of Alabama 8 / 16 - 2 5 / 10 - 10 3 / 5 - 8
115 Mason Moore - Logan Estes
Eastern Kentucky University 8 / 15 - 15 3 / 5 - 2 5 / 10 - 13
116 Andrew Fisher - Bennett Kudder
Bryan College 6 / 15 - 13 3 / 9 - 1 3 / 6 - 12
117 Chris Carroll - Austin Smith
BREWTON-PARKER COLLEGE 8 / 15 - 12 3 / 6 - 1 5 / 9 - 11
118 Josh Worth
Colorado Mesa University 5 / 15 - 11 0 5 / 15 - 11
119 Nathon Portch - Cully Scroggins
Bethel University 7 / 15 - 11 2 / 3 - 13 5 / 11 - 14
120 Dalton Childers - Blake Spradlin
Auburn University 6 / 15 - 10 4 / 7 - 4 2 / 8 - 6
121 Luke Barrett - Tyler Watts
Western Carolina University 7 / 15 - 7 2 / 5 - 1 5 / 10 - 6
122 Nick Ratliff - Bradley Dunagan
Campbellsville University 8 / 15 - 7 3 / 5 - 15 5 / 9 - 8
123 Will Leonard - Jared Page
Kennesaw State University 6 / 15 - 6 1 / 2 - 1 5 / 13 - 5
124 Kopeland Rosser - Cade Holcomb
University of Montevallo 7 / 15 - 5 5 / 11 - 13 2 / 3 - 8
125 Caleb Gibson - Bo Adams
Northeastern State University 7 / 15 - 5 4 / 8 - 2 3 / 7 - 3
126 Landon Nelson - Hunter Brazier
Calhoun Community College 7 / 15 - 4 5 / 11 - 2 2 / 4 - 2
127 Austin Young - Colin Glover
University of North Georgia 7 / 15 - 1 5 / 11 - 12 2 / 3 - 5
128 Louis Monetti
UNC-Charlotte 7 / 15 - 1 4 / 8 - 2 3 / 6 - 15
129 Zach Kronewitter - Ethan Urey
Clemson University 6 / 14 - 14 2 / 5 - 1 4 / 9 - 13
130 Jared Baker - Kyle Jackson
Georgia Southern University 7 / 14 - 12 2 / 3 - 14 5 / 10 - 14
131 Reed Fredrick - Nick Dagel
University of Wisconsin Stevens Point 6 / 14 - 11 2 / 3 - 11 4 / 11 - 0
132 Denver Monteith - Trevor Lay
Trevecca Nazarene University 7 / 14 - 10 4 / 8 - 12 3 / 5 - 14
133 Neal Wisinski - Jesse Pliska
University of Wisconsin Stevens Point 5 / 14 - 8 1 / 2 - 10 4 / 11 - 14
134 Peyton Wates - Mike Cawthon
Auburn University 7 / 14 - 8 5 / 10 - 4 2 / 4 - 4
135 Houston Calvert - Drake Tavel
University of North Alabama 7 / 14 - 5 5 / 9 - 15 2 / 4 - 6
136 Chase Dawson - John Lambert
University of Tennessee 7 / 14 - 4 2 / 4 - 2 5 / 10 - 2
137 Bryce Fowler - Curtis Dillon
East Carolina University 5 / 14 - 3 4 / 12 - 2 1 / 2 - 1
138 Cody Huff - Garrett Enders
Bethel University 7 / 14 - 3 5 / 10 - 6 2 / 3 - 13
139 Trey Schroeder - Tyler Christy
McKendree University 7 / 14 - 3 5 / 10 - 2 2 / 4 - 1
140 Luke Gillund - Jack Kons
Bemidji State University 5 / 14 - 2 1 / 3 - 0 4 / 11 - 2
141 Blake Jackson - Christian Hernandez
McKendree University 7 / 14 - 2 4 / 8 - 7 3 / 5 - 11
142 Weston Hollar - Hunter Ward
University of Montevallo 7 / 13 - 14 5 / 9 - 13 2 / 4 - 1
143 Brady Bowden - Tyler Pennington
Faulkner University 7 / 13 - 13 4 / 8 - 7 3 / 5 - 6
144 Blake Knies - Noah Whalen
University of Evansville 6 / 13 - 10 5 / 11 - 3 1 / 2 - 7
145 Aidan England - Braden Perry
Carson-Newman University 6 / 13 - 10 3 / 5 - 14 3 / 7 - 12
146 Myles Bennett - Blade Parker
Bryan College 6 / 13 - 8 5 / 11 - 2 1 / 2 - 6
147 Zachary Martin - Harbor Lovin
Murray State University 7 / 13 - 3 3 / 5 - 1 4 / 8 - 2
148 Nathan Ragsdale - Justin Sisavath
University of Georgia 6 / 13 - 2 1 / 2 - 14 5 / 10 - 4
149 Jacob Daily - Drew Deloney
University of Alabama 6 / 13 - 2 3 / 6 - 11 3 / 6 - 7
150 Chase Parsons - Lane Frye
Shelton State Community College 5 / 13 - 1 4 / 10 - 8 1 / 2 - 9
151 Tanner Barnes - Ezra Oliver
Campbellsville University 6 / 13 - 1 4 / 9 - 3 2 / 3 - 14
152 Gabe Sanford
Shelton State Community College 5 / 13 - 0 4 / 11 - 2 1 / 1 - 14
153 Nathan Doss - Trey Rieser
University of North Alabama 6 / 12 - 15 1 / 1 - 14 5 / 11 - 1
154 Dakota Ornelas - Andrew Shepard
Missouri State University 6 / 12 - 10 4 / 7 - 10 2 / 5 - 0
155 Cole Amedee - Seth Naquin
Nicholls State University 6 / 12 - 8 4 / 7 - 11 2 / 4 - 13
156 Ryan Nevil - Nathan Wood
Dallas Baptist University 6 / 12 - 4 1 / 2 - 9 5 / 9 - 11
157 Jacob Biram - Rhett Meyer
Oklahoma State University 6 / 12 - 4 3 / 6 - 1 3 / 6 - 3
158 Preston Crowley - Wesley Hall
Shelton State Community College 5 / 12 - 2 5 / 12 - 2 0
159 Tanner Ward - Rory Franks
Kent State University 6 / 12 - 1 5 / 10 - 1 1 / 2 - 0
160 Garrett Guinan - James Haggerty
Kennesaw State University 5 / 12 - 1 2 / 5 - 8 3 / 6 - 9
161 Calvin Landsberg - Cody Coogan
University of Alabama 6 / 12 - 0 4 / 8 - 0 2 / 4 - 0
162 Eric Rasmussen - Bradley Winkel
U. of Wisconsin Platteville 5 / 12 - 0 2 / 5 - 13 3 / 6 - 3
163 Alex Henderson - Zach Manneback
Adrian College 5 / 11 - 12 1 / 2 - 3 4 / 9 - 9
164 Nathan Adams - Will O'Rourke
Murray State University 5 / 11 - 12 2 / 4 - 9 3 / 7 - 3
165 Brett Clark - Cody Ross
East Texas Baptist University 5 / 11 - 10 5 / 11 - 10 0
166 Atom Ward - Gavin Lagle
Indiana University Southeast 5 / 11 - 10 3 / 7 - 0 2 / 4 - 10
167 Matt Baker - Kory England
Arkansas Tech University 5 / 11 - 9 5 / 11 - 9 0
168 Ryleigh Tyson - Abigale Devane
SCAD 5 / 11 - 9 3 / 6 - 1 2 / 5 - 8
169 Michael Chase Owens - Will Monti
North Carolina State University 5 / 11 - 7 5 / 11 - 7 0
170 Matthew Roberts - Richard Cornett
Allice Lloyd College 5 / 11 - 6 5 / 11 - 6 0
171 Jack Rankin - Jacob Welch
Drury University 4 / 11 - 6 1 / 2 - 4 3 / 9 - 2
172 Foster Dubroc - Nathan Hardin
Brewton-Parker College 5 / 11 - 2 3 / 6 - 4 2 / 4 - 14
173 Daniel Kennedy
SCAD 5 / 10 - 11 2 / 4 - 3 3 / 6 - 8
174 Blake Davenport - Steven Corvin
Jefferson State 5 / 10 - 5 5 / 10 - 5 0
175 Ricky Huge - Cordell Beckman
Greenville University 4 / 10 - 2 2 / 5 - 13 2 / 4 - 5
176 Cade Crocker - Grant Rogers
Shelton State Community College 6 / 9 - 13 1 / 2 - 9 5 / 7 - 4
177 Ben Ford - Jeffery Foltz
Augustana College 4 / 9 - 11 3 / 7 - 11 1 / 2 - 0
178 Ryan Wood - Hunter Scott
Dallas Baptist University 5 / 9 - 10 3 / 6 - 0 2 / 3 - 10
179 Zach Clisch - Alec Garrison
U. of Wisconsin Platteville 5 / 9 - 10 2 / 3 - 14 3 / 5 - 12
180 David Brashear - Mitchel Goodin
Georgia Southern University 5 / 9 - 8 2 / 3 - 11 3 / 5 - 13
181 Grayson Wages - Garrett Beem
Kennesaw State University 4 / 9 - 7 1 / 2 - 13 3 / 6 - 10
182 Josh Dugger - Jacob Dugger
Arkansas Tech University 5 / 9 - 2 5 / 9 - 2 0
182 Eli Lubbehusen - Seth Mendel
University of Evansville 5 / 9 - 2 0 5 / 9 - 2
184 Taylor Cox - Jake Buchanan
University of West Georgia 5 / 9 - 2 1 / 1 - 14 4 / 7 - 4
185 Justin Baxley - James Whitacre
Wallace State Community College 5 / 9 - 2 4 / 6 - 11 1 / 2 - 7
186 Abigail Askew - Haley Porter
SCAD 4 / 9 - 2 2 / 4 - 13 2 / 4 - 5
187 Dakota Koepp - Jayden Schmitz
University of Wisconsin- Stephens Point 3 / 8 - 10 0 3 / 8 - 10
188 Jacob Keith - Mason Beatty
East Texas Baptist University 3 / 8 - 8 0 3 / 8 - 8
189 Conner Young - Ryan Richardson
University of Florida 4 / 8 - 7 2 / 3 - 13 2 / 4 - 10
190 Sean Hall - Wyatt Michel
SCAD 4 / 8 - 6 3 / 5 - 9 1 / 2 - 13
191 Jacob Schrimsher - Nathan Wight
Calhoun Community College 4 / 8 - 5 1 / 2 - 12 3 / 5 - 9
192 Kele Maney - Christian Cole
Kennesaw State University 3 / 8 - 2 3 / 8 - 2 0
193 Joseph Bruener - Bailey Bleser
McKendree University 3 / 8 - 2 2 / 4 - 11 1 / 3 - 7
194 Jett Harris - Dalton Dunlap
Brewton Parker College 4 / 8 - 2 2 / 4 - 1 2 / 4 - 1
195 Tanner Metler - Spencer Belcher
Tennessee Tech University 4 / 7 - 15 1 / 2 - 6 3 / 5 - 9
196 Chad Matthews - Jack Martin
Auburn University 4 / 7 - 14 2 / 4 - 6 2 / 3 - 8
197 Dalton Combs - Grant Harris
Drury University 4 / 7 - 13 2 / 3 - 5 2 / 4 - 8
198 Adam Hays - Brent Khusid
University of Flordia 4 / 7 - 13 2 / 4 - 4 2 / 3 - 9
199 Dylan Pugh - Zach Lineberry
Troy University 3 / 7 - 12 3 / 7 - 12 0
200 Zack Phillips - Clayton Boone
Central Alabama Community College 4 / 7 - 10 2 / 3 - 14 2 / 3 - 12
201 Da'kendrick Patterson - Drew Traffanstedt
University of Montevallo 4 / 7 - 8 1 / 1 - 12 3 / 5 - 12
202 Bailey Stover - Chase Christie
University of West Georgia 3 / 7 - 4 1 / 2 - 0 2 / 5 - 4
203 Cody Henderson - Will Spencer
University of North Alabama 3 / 7 - 3 3 / 7 - 3 0
204 Riley Rathbun - Reece Crabtree
Missouri State University 3 / 7 - 2 3 / 7 - 2 0
205 Brock Lederman - Kyle Schwibinger
University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point 3 / 7 - 1 0 3 / 7 - 1
206 Trever Stephens - Evan Wieber
Polk State College 3 / 6 - 15 3 / 6 - 15 0
207 Laura Foshee - Chasten Whitfield
SCAD 3 / 6 - 13 0 3 / 6 - 13
208 Riley Fletcher - Jack Long
Drury University 3 / 6 - 12 1 / 2 - 6 2 / 4 - 6
209 Andrew Kelley - Lane Collier
Central AL Community College 3 / 6 - 11 0 3 / 6 - 11
210 Gavin Clayton - Brad Hamilton
University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point 4 / 6 - 8 4 / 6 - 8 0
211 Logan Calloway - Erik Van Dyke 2 / 6 - 6 0 2 / 6 - 6
212 Chase Farris - Peyton Vinson
University of North Georgia 3 / 6 - 6 1 / 2 - 1 2 / 4 - 5
213 Mary Goode - Dustin Lewis
Brewton-Parker College 3 / 6 - 6 1 / 2 - 2 2 / 4 - 4
214 Justin Mayfield - Caleb Stephenson
Campbellsville University 3 / 6 - 6 1 / 2 - 8 2 / 3 - 14
215 Jordan Hartman - Will Gentry
Murray State University 3 / 6 - 4 3 / 6 - 4 0
216 Ethan Stokes - Austin Porter
Arkansas Tech University 3 / 6 - 3 3 / 6 - 3 0
217 Christopher Lupo - Tommie Roden
Calhoun Community College 3 / 6 - 3 2 / 4 - 2 1 / 2 - 1
218 Ryan Michael - Jacob Lamb
University of Alabama Huntsville 3 / 6 - 2 3 / 6 - 2 0
219 Blaine Voyles - Colton Dean
Sam Houston State University 3 / 6 - 1 3 / 6 - 1 0
220 Drew Pridgen - Chasten Beck
Lander University 3 / 6 - 1 1 / 1 - 15 2 / 4 - 2
221 Isaac Duncan
Blue Mountain College 3 / 5 - 15 2 / 3 - 6 1 / 2 - 9
222 Justin Tingle - Fisher Young
Blue Mountain College 3 / 5 - 11 2 / 4 - 2 1 / 1 - 9
223 Dylan Bucci - Rick Lassiter
University of Florida 3 / 5 - 9 2 / 3 - 10 1 / 1 - 15
224 Briana Tucker - Tanner Eaves
Calhoun Community College 2 / 5 - 6 0 2 / 5 - 6
225 Blayde Dill - Anthony Elliott
University of Alabama 3 / 5 - 4 3 / 5 - 4 0
226 Christopher Thomas
Faulkner University 2 / 5 - 3 2 / 5 - 3 0
227 Christian Rines - Beau Barkley
Faulkner University 2 / 5 - 1 1 / 2 - 7 1 / 2 - 10
228 Justin Bun - Jacob Eaton
Polk State College 2 / 4 - 12 2 / 4 - 12 0
229 Blake Miles - Noah Beckley
James Madison University 2 / 4 - 2 1 / 2 - 3 1 / 1 - 15
229 Thomas Tidstrom - Mitchell Stone
Indiana University Southeast 2 / 4 - 2 1 / 1 - 15 1 / 2 - 3
231 Jesse Smith - Kevin Mogensen
Central AL Community College 1 / 3 - 14 0 1 / 3 - 14
232 Parker Reed - Kirk Elijah
Bryan College 2 / 3 - 13 2 / 3 - 13 0
233 Hunter Haraway - Graham Beatty
Calhoun Community College 2 / 3 - 8 1 / 1 - 11 1 / 1 - 13
234 Travis Kem - Hunter Loftin
Missouri State University 2 / 3 - 3 2 / 3 - 3 0
235 Jeff Hopkins - Austin Handley
Auburn University 1 / 2 - 8 1 / 2 - 8 0
236 Ty Mossburg
University Of West Georgia 1 / 2 - 5 1 / 2 - 5 0
237 Zach McMillan
Indiana University 1 / 2 - 1 1 / 2 - 1 0
238 Brady Rufenacht - Jacob Ely
University of Wisconsin- Platteville 2 / 2 - 0 2 / 2 - 0 0
239 DJ Barber - Dannon Grubb
Bryan College 1 / 2 - 0 1 / 2 - 0 0
240 Trey Gerhardt - Brandon Bland
University of South Alabama 1 / 1 - 15 0 1 / 1 - 15
240 Will Godbee - Cooper Reichert
University of West Georgia 1 / 1 - 15 1 / 1 - 15 0
240 Justin Hill - Jules Williams
North Carolina State University 1 / 1 - 15 1 / 1 - 15 0
243 Savannah Perry - Andrew Bailey
University of Florida 1 / 1 - 14 1 / 1 - 14 0
244 Brandon Brant - Cameron Brant
University of Wisconsin Platteville 1 / 1 - 11 1 / 1 - 11 0
245 Jaron Deal - Reid Fletcher
Kennesaw State University 0 / 0 - 0 0 0
245 Drew Elrod - Luke Byerly
University of Tennessee 0 / 0 - 0 0 0
245 Joseph Hawkins - Cole Jackson
University of North Georgia 0 / 0 - 0 0 0
245 Hunter McCarty - Sloan Pennington
University of North Alabama 0 / 0 - 0 0 0
245 Garrison Thomas - Tyler Anderson
Texas A&M University 0 / 0 - 0 0 0
245 Austin Thompson
Tennessee Tech 0 / 0 - 0 0 0
Exclusive Look into JLuc's Secret Shakey Head Box
Sportsmans Warehouse Product Spotlight JLuc Secret Box
2018 BASS Angler of the Year Justin Lucas gives a sneak peek inside one of his go-to secret Bass Mafia Boxes.
Grand Valley State Leads Carhartt College event on Smith Lake with over 18 pounds!
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White leads Chickamagua Costa with over 28 pounds!!
Courtesy of FLW
March 21, 2019 by Justin Onslow
Overall, the fishing wasn’t quite what some expected out of Chickamauga on day one of the Costa FLW Series Southeastern Division event. However, even a slightly off Chickamauga is really impressive, and Rusty White of Harrison, Tenn., put it to them to the tune of 28 pounds, 11 ounces to take the day-one lead. The event, which is presented by T-H Marine, still produced a ton of big fish, with an 11-plus-pounder taking Big Fish honors on the co-angler side and a 9-plus leading on the pro side. Behind White, Cody Nichols and Steve Stanfill both cracked the 25-pound mark, and a total of 12 pros managed better than 20 pounds.
As is often the case on the Tennessee River, White did the bulk of his damage off one spot. Though he is running a pattern, the big ones aren't everywhere.
“Personally, I think these fish are moving,” he explains. “They’re staging up. They’re coming. I’m fishing transition places. These are places where they’re coming through. I just stay with it and stay after it.”
White is fishing shallow, and he’s doing it with an unspecified lipless crankbait of varying colors. He had to adjust his color selection as conditions changed throughout the day, which happened pretty frequently on Thursday.
Though he's fishing other areas, one spot is the juice.
“There’s one particular place that’s got some big fish on it,” he says. “I can go other places and catch fish doing the same thing, but that particular place has big ones on it. I caught all but one there.
“Saturday, I pulled up there and did about 25 pounds off it. Yesterday, I pulled up, made three casts, caught a 6-pounder and left.”
It’s fortuitous that White found a spot that keeps producing given his limited time on Chickamauga over the last few days – which was by design for the local who moved to the area about two and a half years ago.
“I didn’t practice [much] this week,” White adds. “I came out Saturday and Sunday, and then I came out yesterday, just because I knew there was going to be a bunch of boats out and I didn’t want to mess up my confidence. I basically just stayed away from it.”
Confidence can be hard to come by when anglers are catching bunches of 8- and 9-pounders everywhere on the lake, and knowing the competition is going to get its share of big fish is an element of this tournament that could have an adverse effect. White stayed away from that, and, being a local, he’s familiar enough with Chick to know what works and what doesn’t.
It also helps to weigh in some huge fish, which White did on day one. One fish in particular put his one-day total over the top: a 9-pound, 6-ounce behemoth that White was apprehensive to overestimate.
“I didn’t think it was that much,” he explains. “Originally, I thought 8, but then I was like, ‘I hate overestimating,’ so I went small. It was 9-6.”
Asked if his spot is good enough to keep producing on day two, White pointed to the uncertainty of whether or not he’ll be able to get to his spot before other boats in the morning.
“If I can get to my starting place, I think I can do 20 again,” he estimates.
And if he does, there’s a good chance he’s fishing near the top of the leaderboard on day three as well.
Top 10 pros
1. Rusty White – Harrison, Tenn. – 28-11 (5)
2. Cody Nichols – Fayette, Ala. – 25-5 (5)
3. Steve Stanfill – Dawsonville, Ga. – 25-1 (5)
4. Derek Hicks – Rocky Face, Ga. – 24-9 (5)
5. Brandon Stanley – Johnson City, Tenn. – 23-14 (5)
6. Scotty Estes – Holly Pond, Ala. – 22-13 (5)
7. Jeff Cannon – Douglasville, Ga. – 22-11 (5)
8. Jay Shipe – Mineola, Texas – 22-8 (5)
9. Michael Conley – Bainbridge, Ga. – 21-11 (5)
10. Robert Crosnoe – Inverness, Fla. – 21-4 (5)
IORIO FINDS THE RIGHT BOAT AT THE RIGHT TIME
Doug Iorio II is a terrific angler in his own right, but part of being a successful co-angler is also having a boater who can put his fishing partner in the right place at the right time.
Iorio certainly had that in Steve Stanfill, who enters day two in third place with 25-1. The latter cracked a big bag, but his co-angler came awfully close to weighing in just as much with 22 pounds, 3 ounces.
“[Stanfill] has just got an area that they’re coming to hot and heavy,” Iorio says. “He was in the right spot.”
Still, being there and catching fish are two entirely separate things, especially when you’re on a body of water that’s fairly unfamiliar.
“This is only the second time I’ve been here,” he explains. “I came down as a co-angler when they had the Tour here. I didn’t do so bad at Okeechobee (in the first Southeastern event), so I kind of feel like I’m still in the hunt to make the Championship. Last year in the Championship I finished fifth as a co-angler.”
In this tournament, making another top 10 will come down to adjustments. The weather is changing every day (along with water levels), and Iorio will have a different boater on day two. But on Thursday, his adjustments were good enough to get the job done in a big way.
“[Stanfill] is throwing something slightly different,” he says. “I’m just trying to catch the ones he’s not. I’ve got one bait that’s working for me that’s been working for me all week. That’s really it. I caught all but one of my fish on that one bait. It’s the most basic thing. I think everybody is throwing it.”
What that bait is remains a mystery, but it certainly did the job.
Top 10 co-anglers
1. Doug Iorio II – Kennerdell, Pa. – 22-3 (5)
2. Captain Don Lewis – Jacksonville, Fla. – 19-13 (5)
3. Scott Towry – Lawrenceburg, Tenn. – 16-10 (3)
4. Michael Leach – The Woodlands, Texas – 16-8 (4)
5. Kevin Gordon – Aiken, S.C. – 15-8 (5)
6. Scott Ostmann – Cincinnati, Ohio – 14-11 (5)
7. Jeff Carreker – Locust Grove, Ga. – 14-6 (5)
8. Spencer Howerton – Melbourne Beach, Fla. – 12-10 (5)
9. Mike Collake – Harrison, Tenn. – 12-5 (3)
10. Billy Wright – Marion, N.C. – 12-4 (4)
Ott DeFoe and Mark Daniels Jr. collect a Classic Bonus
Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
Ott DeFoe and Mark Daniels Jr. both relied heavily on red craw colored crankbaits and the Toyota Tundras they purchased to ride to the top of the 2019 Bassmaster Classic leaderboard. And as a result, both cashed in on Toyota Bonus Bucks.
“The chance to win Bonus Bucks was the biggest reason I switched to a Toyota a couple seasons ago,” says new Classic Champion, DeFoe. “And I also believe it’s our responsibility as anglers to support the brands like Toyota that give so generously to our sport.”
For Mark Daniels Jr. his decision to purchase a Toyota was largely about reliability. “I’m going to be honest, I used to be a die-hard Chevy man, but the reliability you get with a Toyota is just awesome,” says Daniels. “The Tundra I tow with has 77,000 miles on it, and the only thing it’s ever been in the shop for is new tires and oil changes.”
You don’t have to fish in the Bassmaster Classic to win Bonus Bucks. You just have to drive a 2015 or newer Toyota Truck, sign up Free for Bonus Bucks, and be the highest finishing registered participant in one of the hundreds of tournaments supported by the program.
To learn more, please visit www.toyotafishing.com, or call (918) 742-6424 and ask for Kendell or Chip and they will help you get signed-up.
Caddick & Rappleye Win Best Bass Event on New Melones with over 21 pounds!
Big Boat
| Place | Angler | Angler | Total Fish | Big Fish | Total Weight | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike Caddick | Tyson Rappleye | 5 | 6.06 | 21.22 | $2,845.00 |
| 2 | Christian Ostrander | Ronnie Heil | 5 | 5.77 | 18.30 | $1,840.00 |
| 3 | Bill Vernon | Jason Hopper | 5 | 4.57 | 16.92 | $915.00 |
| 4 | Dan Byker | Wilton Harvey | 5 | 6.87 | 16.54 | $1,155.00 |
| 5 | John Myers | Don Longton | 5 | 4.60 | 15.70 | $445.00 |
| 6 | Bill K Goodman | Mike P Goodman | 5 | 0.00 | 15.25 | $345.00 |
| 7 | Mike Martinez | Brian Orange | 5 | 5.04 | 15.20 | $210.00 |
| 8 | Rich Ingram | Ron Ingram | 5 | 3.34 | 15.13 | $195.00 |
| 9 | Todd K Rocha | Amber B Rocha | 5 | 0.00 | 14.35 | $175.00 |
| 10 | Tom Gomez | Joey A Verna Jr | 5 | 6.94 | 14.26 | $655.00 |
| 11 | Bruce Able | William J Hartlett | 5 | 4.39 | 14.13 | $155.00 |
| 12 | Mike Jackson | Brandon Youngblood | 5 | 0.00 | 14.00 | $140.00 |
| 13 | Troy H Nakai | Bryce M Nakai | 5 | 4.30 | 13.61 | $0.00 |
| 14 | Edward A Zinda Jr | John W Zinda | 5 | 3.62 | 13.58 | $0.00 |
| 15 | Collin Degough | Jace Degough | 5 | 0.00 | 13.56 | $0.00 |
| 16 | Mike Newton | Steve Nincioni | 5 | 3.00 | 13.37 | $0.00 |
| 17 | Hayden Lee | Mitchell Menzes | 5 | 3.69 | 13.28 | $0.00 |
| 18 | Andrew Stilley | Bruce Stearns | 5 | 5.14 | 13.01 | $0.00 |
| 19 | Troy Thomas | Shad E Sullivan | 5 | 4.57 | 12.76 | $0.00 |
| 20 | Charles Welch | Jimmy Welch Jr | 5 | 0.00 | 12.75 | $0.00 |
| 21 | Russ Trapp | Marc Zanotto | 5 | 4.19 | 12.57 | $0.00 |
| 22 | Douglas B Goodman | Paul D Goodman | 5 | 3.14 | 12.37 | $0.00 |
| 23 | Jake Arbuckle | Paul Baptista | 5 | 3.70 | 12.23 | $0.00 |
| 24 | Jimmy Sweeney | Donovan J Rice | 5 | 0.00 | 11.80 | $0.00 |
| 25 | Jeff Hobbs | Keith McGraw | 5 | 0.00 | 11.70 | $0.00 |
| 26 | Hunter B Jacobson | Jonas Alger | 5 | 4.19 | 11.55 | $0.00 |
| 27 | Bryan Coy | Mike Brossard | 5 | 0.00 | 11.44 | $0.00 |
| 28 | Tyler D Frey | Jeff D Frey | 5 | 0.00 | 11.39 | $0.00 |
| 29 | Gabriel S Cardenas | 5 | 0.00 | 11.05 | $0.00 | |
| 30 | Jimmy M Kuroki | Scott C Mackenzie | 5 | 2.65 | 10.95 | $0.00 |
| 31 | Ryan Orozco | Michael S Bryant II | 5 | 0.00 | 10.72 | $0.00 |
| 32 | Anthony Pimentel | Norval A Pimentel | 5 | 4.29 | 10.65 | $0.00 |
| 33 | Jeff Tonnesen | Pat M Vaughn | 5 | 2.59 | 10.63 | $0.00 |
| 34 | Bill Martin | Ray Yamada | 5 | 0.00 | 10.31 | $0.00 |
| 35 | Cody W Robinson | Sean A Robinson | 5 | 0.00 | 10.05 | $0.00 |
| 36 | Nick Dulleck | Adrian Murar | 5 | 0.00 | 10.03 | $0.00 |
| 37 | Billy Redding | Austin J Harden | 5 | 0.00 | 9.95 | $0.00 |
| 38 | Andres Mendivil | Marshal Smith | 5 | 3.31 | 9.94 | $0.00 |
| 39 | Wyatt R Taylor | Christopher C Marcallino | 5 | 0.00 | 9.93 | $0.00 |
| 40 | Matthew P Ludwig | Jacob Schmidt | 5 | 0.00 | 9.85 | $0.00 |
| 41 | Daniel J McAlister | Pat Ammerman | 5 | 0.00 | 9.68 | $0.00 |
| 42 | Brian Payne | Jeremiah Payne | 5 | 0.00 | 9.67 | $0.00 |
| 43 | Mike Callahan | Mike D Freudenthal | 5 | 0.00 | 9.58 | $0.00 |
| 44 | John L Simpson | Reynold H Hysell | 5 | 0.00 | 9.36 | $0.00 |
| 45 | Jerrod M Voight | Steven Larussa Jr | 5 | 0.00 | 9.20 | $0.00 |
| 46 | Jared K Anderson | Albert L Anderson Jr | 5 | 3.58 | 8.92 | $0.00 |
| 47 | Javier Martinez | Mike D Johnson | 5 | 0.00 | 8.68 | $0.00 |
| 48 | Ray Keenom | Joanne Keenom | 5 | 0.00 | 8.64 | $0.00 |
| 49 | Jeff Amstutz | Sara Amstutz | 5 | 0.00 | 8.59 | $0.00 |
| 50 | Garth Jantz | Derek Jantz | 5 | 0.00 | 8.49 | $0.00 |
| 51 | Dave Perez | Byron Atwater | 5 | 0.00 | 8.44 | $0.00 |
| 52 | Butch Bray | Jeff S Whited | 5 | 0.00 | 8.13 | $0.00 |
| 53 | Jim Giancola | Cindy Silacci | 5 | 3.88 | 7.92 | $0.00 |
| 54 | Chris Peters | Darryl Peters | 5 | 0.00 | 7.71 | $0.00 |
| 55 | Don Bays | Darren Urban | 5 | 0.00 | 7.58 | $0.00 |
| 56 | Lawrence S Rios | Marshal W Bryan | 5 | 0.00 | 6.45 | $0.00 |
| 57 | Tim Ecklund | Rick Perez | 5 | 0.00 | 6.39 | $0.00 |
| 58 | Kenny R Cramer Jr | Kody G Cramer | 5 | 0.00 | 6.35 | $0.00 |
| 59 | Mark Fishburn | Tom Fishburn | 3 | 0.00 | 4.04 | $0.00 |
| 60 | James D Leach | Jordan D Leach | 1 | 0.00 | 1.36 | $0.00 |
| 61 | Michael J Beevers | Matt Beevers | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | $0.00 |
| 61 | Will Duncan | Robert L Duncan | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | $0.00 |
| 61 | Jeremy Pitts | Ron Pitts | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | $0.00 |
Scott Tassi tops field in ABA D126 event on Stockton Lake with over 15-pounds!
Kansas angler, Scott Tassi, topped the leader board at the Bass Pro Shops Fishing Tour D126 tournament presented by American Bass Anglers held on Stockton Lake March 16, 2019. After weather forced cancellation of two previous tournaments, this was the first one for the spring/summer events. Anglers launched from Old State Park Sat 7:30 a.m. The air temperature was about 30˚ with 40˚ water temps. It was a bright and sunny day with temperatures rising into the upper 50’s.
Tassi weighed in a 5-fish limit that went 15.18-lbs on the scales it was anchored with Big Bass of the tournament, a largemouth bass that weighed 6.02-lbs.
Robert Cowen took 2nd place with a limit weighing 12.06-lbs.
Dale Boothe was 3rd with 10.68-lb limit.
Fourth place went to Lucas Fornelli with 10.41-lbs.
Fifth place was 9.61-lbs caught by Eric Craft.
Full results of this tournament can be found at www.centralmidwestbass.com. Information about this and other tournaments will also be posted on centralmidwestbass facebook page.
This was one in a series of tournaments all to be held on Stockton Lake. Anglers are fishing for cash, prizes and points which will qualify them to fish a 2019 Championship to be held August 3-4, 2019 and then a National Championship on Eufaula Lake, AL October 13-18, 2019. Many of the prizes are donated by local sponsors including Ken’s Kafe, Pete’s Short Stop and Albers Marine. The next D126 tournament is scheduled for April 13, 2019.
A full 2019 schedule can be seen at www.centralmidwestbass.com along with the full results of previous tournaments with pictures of many of the anglers. There are also results with pictures of other ABA Divisions from Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.
D126 is a national draw circuit designed for the week-end angler. Boaters and non-boaters from age 14 are encouraged to compete. ABA membership is $35/year; entry fee is $70 with a $10 Big Bass option pot. Read more about American Bass Anglers at www.americanbassanglers.com. Call Becky with any questions at 316 644-1454.
About American Bass Anglers - American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler while offering an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers and all their bass tournament trails visit www.americanbassanglers.com.
Sipe Wins ABA Event on Badin Lake with over 12 pounds!
Billy Sipe of Albemarle, NC is one step closer to the Bass Pro Shops Fishing Tour National Championship with a first place win on Badin Lake on 03/16/2019. Sipe weighed in five bass, which weighed 16.31-pounds. Second place went to Don Sprinkle of Lexington, NC with five bass weighing 12.70-pounds. Third place went to John Orchard of Winston Salem, NC with four bass weighing in at 10.01-pounds. Fourth place went to Brent Walser of Welcome, NC with 3 bass weighing in at 8.20-pounds. Congratulations to our lucky winners.
At launch time the temperatures were in the upper 30's with partly cloudy skies and NE wind at 10 to 15 mph. The day’s conditions continued with partly cloudy skies, and NE winds at 10 to 15 mph, and temperatures topped out in the low 60's. Water temperatures were in the low 50's.
The winning pattern came fishing a shallow crank bait in and around grass. Congratulations Billy! See you at High Rock on the 30th of March at Southmont Access.
Top five Anglers:
| 1st | William "Billy" Sipe | 16.31-lbs |
| 2nd | Don Sprinkle | 12.70-lbs |
| 3rd | John Orchard | 10.01-lbs |
| 4th | Brent Walser | 8.20-lbs |
| 5th | Lance Eckford | 8.14-lbs |
Big bass honors went to Don Sprinkle of Lexington, NC who caught a 5.54 pound largemouth.
The next tournament in division 14 is scheduled for March 30th on High Rock Lake out of Southmont Access.
For information about this division and future events visit Americanbassanglers.com or contact the local director for North Carolina-Charlotte – Lance Eckford at (919)628-3383.
About American Bass Anglers - American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler while offering an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers and all their bass tournament trails visit www.americanbassanglers.com.
York Wins ABA Open Series on Kentucky Lake with over 17 Pounds!
ATHENS, Ala. – Cory York of Benton, Kentucky won the Bass Pro Shops Open Series Kentucky tournament, held March 16th on the Kentucky Lake. Running out of Kentucky Dam Marina near Gilbertsville, KY York caught four bass weighing 17.49-pounds. For the Boater Division victory, he took home a check for $1800.
“I caught my bass early in the morning north of Blood River. I was fishing between 3 and 7 feet deep. I caught my fish on a crankbait,” said York.
In second for the boaters, Chris Beaudrie of Princeton, KY landed a five-bass tournament limit weighing 14.70-pounds.
“All of my bass were caught on a stringer bait. I also fished just north of Blood River. I fished in between 2 and 10 feet of water,” Martin said.
Craig Middleton of Harrodsburg, KY took third for the boaters with four bass weighing 14.02-pounds.
“Most of my bass were caught between 4 and 9 feet of water. I caught them between the twin bridges, and I used a Stringer to catch them,” Middleton said.
In the Co-Angler Division, Tom Ballowe of Eddyville, KY won with the three bass limit at 12.65-pounds. He pocketed a check for $700 for his first place win.
“Well I caught my fish all over. I fished in about 3 to 10 foot of water. I caught my fish with digs from Cabin Bate and Tackle Shop,” Ballowe said.
Taking second for the co-anglers, Dean Hesse of Brandenburg, KY brought in two good looking bass weighing 9.55-pounds.
“I fished about 3 to 6 feet of water for my catches. I caught both of them on a swimbait. I caught them so far down south, I was in Cuba,” Hesse said.
Nick Emerson placed third for the Co-Anglers with his first entry ever in American Bass Anglers tournament. He weighed 2 fish with a total weight of 8.44 pounds.
“I fished between two bridges in about 3 to 6 feet of water. I fished with a crankbait all day,” Emerson said.
The biggest bass for the boaters was caught by Charlie Craycraft, pictured on the left, that weighed a whopping 8.03-pounds. The biggest bass for the Co-Anglers was caught by Dean Hesse, pictured on the right, that weighed in at 5.73-lbs.
Slated for April 20th, the next tournament will be held on the Lake Barkley out of Kuttawa Lyon County in Kuttawa, KY.
At the end of the season, the best anglers from across the nation advance the 2020 Ray Scott Championship to be held at Lake Hartwell in April, 2020.
For more information on this tournament, call Shelby McElyea, tournament manager, at 256-230-5633 or ABA at 256-232-0406. On line, see www.americanbassanglers.com
About American Bass Anglers: American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler while offering an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers and their bass tournament trails visit www.americanbassanglers.com.
Its Rocky Top Time! The Champ is Here!!!!!
This week the boys are humbled and excited to welcome in 2019 Bassmaster Classic Champ Ott Defoe to the show, just days after winning the coveted Classic Trophy in his hometown of Knoxville, TN. They talk about his win, BASS and MLF and looking ahead to the rest of 2019.
Chris also jumps on a stump in light of some recent Major League Fishing Social Media posts and the state of the sport and the Classic as a whole. This is one episode you won't want to miss!
Navionics Gear Review - BlueChart g3 Vision marine charts and LakeVü g3 and LakeVü g3
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How'd He Do it? ~ How Chris Zaldain caught the biggest limit of the 2019 Bassmaster Classic
By Vance McCullough - Photo by Caden Brown
The magician revealed his secret, but I was sworn to keep it such, at least, until the tournament was over. On Day 2 of the 2019 Bassmaster Classic Chris Zaldain caught what was easily the biggest bag of the 3-day event at 21 pounds, 12 ounces.
“I did it the way I love to fish, man,” said Zaldain. “A big swimbait. That’s how I roll.”
In a tournament that was dominated by small crankbaits, spinnerbaits and bladed jigs, Zaldain rebounded from a slow start in the opening round to become a contender by throwing a 6-inch Megabass Magdraft swimbait on the 2ndday.
“I didn’t do it yesterday. The conditions weren’t right. And I got led off by a 6-pounder I caught in practice way up Tellico, so I did that Day 1.”
Zaldain had spent most of his practice looking for a swimbait bite. When conditions got right for the technique on the 2ndday of competition, he knocked their lights out doing it.
“Today I threw a swimbait along bluff walls with laydowns.”
While the big bait may seem an odd choice, Zaldain was actually matching the hatch – at least as far as the big female bass were concerned, and those are the type of fish that make a difference in a major tournament.
“Large profile bait because they’re eating gizzard shad.”
A slight change in conditions opened the bite window for a swimbait. Zaldain was ready. “The biggest factor is the water is clearing so I replaced the big Jason Christie single Colorado spinnerbait that we used in practice - because of the mud - and replaced that with a big ol’ swimbait because the water cleared up and those big fish love that bait.”
Zaldain also threw the Magdraft just to give the fish a different look. “Here on the Tennessee River people still don’t throw the big swimbait. They just don’t do it. The fish have seen a million spinnerbaits, a million squarebills and DT6’s. So when you introduce a big ol’ piece of plastic, mixed in with the big, 9-inch gizzard shad that they’re eating, that bait just imitates them so well. And they haven’t seen it. I really think those big fish see a spinnerbait and shy away from it, but that swimbait – they connect every time.”
As for his set up, Zaldain always swims the 6-inch Magdraft on 15-pound Seaguar InvizX line paired with a 7:1 reel and a 7’2” Megabass Orochi XX Perfect Pitch jig rod.
Zaldain is happy with the stock hooks that come on the Magdraft.
Swimbait aficionados will tell you that most important thing to know about a swimbait is when to put it down, especially if you’re tournament fishing. Zaldain was committed to take the Classic title with his favorite lure but conditions on the final day did not help him. He cobbled together a pair of smallish bass and placed 12th.
But for a day, he smashed them with the swim bait.
Classic Coverage is brought to you by DD26 Fishing Mean Mounts and Mean Stops. There is no safer way to secure your outboard than with a Mean Mount. Check the out below.
Author Vance McCullough is an avid Outdoorsman and Football Coach from Jacksonville, Florida. You can Follow Vance here on Facebook or here on Instagram.
Carpenter Wins Ed Watkins Marine Lake Norman Event with over 11 pounds!
Mark Carpenter took the win Sunday on Norman with 11.44lbs, just edging out the second place team of Alfred Kiesle and Michael Chronister with their 11.26lbs.
Josh Hoyle cut a check in third place with 10.92lbs. Randy Coleman caught the biggest fish of the day at 3.78lbs.
Even with many of our fishermen and women attending the Bass Master Classic we still had a 17 boat field.
SINGLETON WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE MOUNTAIN DIVISION TOURNAMENT ON DALE HOLLOW LAKE
Co-Angler Title Goes to Parrott
BYRDSTOWN, Tenn. (March 18, 2019) – Boater Aaron Singleton of La Grange, Kentucky, brought five bass to the scale Saturday weighing 19 pounds, 5 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Mountain Division tournament on Dale Hollow Lake. For his catch, Singleton took home $6,319.
“I worked through three or four mid-lake pockets and primarily fished laydowns. I caught fish in 15 to 20 feet of water and ended up with eight keepers,” said Singleton, who earned his first career victory as a boater on Dale Hollow Lake. “At the start of the morning I used a white custom spinnerbait with a white trailer that I’d done well with in practice, but after 9 [a.m.] or so, the sun got up and that bite died off. I switched over to a shaky-head rig and immediately started catching fish. I pretty much upgraded throughout the day.”
Singleton’s shaky-head rig consisted of a green-pumpkin-colored Zoom Trick Worm on a 3/8-ounce Buckeye Lures Spot Remover jig head. He said he ended up weighing four largemouth and one smallmouth – two from the spinnerbait and three from the shaky-head rig. His day was capped off with a 5½-pound smallmouth, which he caught on the shaky-head with 20 minutes left to fish.
“This was an awesome win for me. I got my first win here as a co-angler back in 2007, and now I have my first win as a boater here,” said Singleton.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Aaron Singleton, La Grange, Ky., five bass, 19-5, $4,319 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Dathan Jones, Harrodsburg, Ky., five bass, 18-11, $2,059
3rd: Blake Townsend, Irvine, Ky., five bass, 15-7, $1,374
4th: Robert Reagan, Byrdstown, Tenn., five bass, 14-6, $961
5th: Michael Kennedy, Monroe, Tenn., five bass, 14-2, $924
6th: Pat Eichmann, Nancy, Ky., five bass, 14-0, $1,005
7th: Bryan Drury, Lexington, Ky., five bass, 13-14, $686
8th: Tim Smiley, White Pine, Tenn., five bass, 13-13, $918
9th: Aaron Bidarian, Lexington, Ky., five bass, 13-10, $549
10th: J.B. King, Byrdstown, Tenn., five bass, 13-8, $480
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Bennie Mutter of Glasgow, Kentucky, caught a 5-pound, 8-ounce bass – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $565.
Travis Parrott of Byrdstown, Tennessee, won the Co-angler Division and $2,259 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 14 pounds, 9 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Travis Parrott, Byrdstown, Tenn., five bass, 14-9, $2,259
2nd: Charles Bennington, Scottsville, Ky., three bass, 11-2, $1,030
3rd: Jeremiah Williams, Livingston, Tenn., three bass, 10-7, $1,019
4th: Matt Smith, Bowling Green, Ky., three bass, 10-0, $480
5th: Justin Davis, Cookeville, Tenn., three bass, 9-9, $412
6th: Glen Ruth, Frankfort, Ky., four bass, 8-5, $378
7th: Darren Kelly, Wartburg, Tenn., four bass, 8-2, $493
8th: Taylor Wisniewski, Lexington, Ky., four bass, 8-0, $309
9th: Shane Vickers, Tyner, Ky., three bass, 7-13, $275
10th: Casey Shearer, Nicholasville, Ky., three bass, 7-9, $240
Williams caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 5 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $282.
The tournament was hosted by Star Point Resort in Byrdstown, Tennessee.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 17-19 BFL Regional Championship on Lake Guntersville in Guntersville, Alabama, presented by Mercury. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.
The 2019 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2019 BFL All-American will be held May 30-June 1 at the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland, and is hosted by the Charles County Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism and the Commissioners of Charles County. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
TERESCENKO WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE GATOR DIVISION TOURNAMENT ON LAKE OKEECHOBEE PRESENTED BY NAVIONICS
Zephyrhill’s Schroeder Wins Co-Angler Title
OKEECHOBEE, Fla. (March 18, 2019) – Boater Alex Terescenko of West Palm Beach, Florida, brought five bass to the scale weighing 20 pounds, 8 ounces, Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Gator Division tournament on Lake Okeechobee presented by Navionics. For his win, Terescenko pocketed $3,792.
“The lake has dropped 6 inches in the past week, so I was pretty much in open water casting to the outside grass line on the north end near the Tin House area. The cleaner water drew me to the area,” said Terescenko, who notched his first career win in FLW competition. “I fished a 60-yard stretch. During practice I fished through a lot of water, and the rule of thumb on the lake is finding where the dirtier water meets the clean water, and that stretch was where it happened.”
Terescenko said he caught his fish on a Texas-rigged, Ice Breaker-colored Gambler Lures Big EZ swimbait on a 5/0-sized Gamakatsu SuperLine EWG Offset Hook and Gambler Lures Hollow Point. He also used a Texas-rigged, Gold Rush-colored Gambler EZ Vibez Swimbait on the same Gamakatsu hook, but 4/0-sized, and a Hawgtech 3/8-ounce tungsten weight with a black and blue-colored punch skirt. He added that he caught all of his fish on a custom MHX MB904 rod.
“The first thing in the morning I heard fish busting on top eating shad, so I ran the Big EZ over the top of the grass,” said Terescenko. “After they stopped showing on top, I switched to the Vibez swimmer and slow-rolled it just below the surface. I prefer this over a swim jig in heavier grass because the swimbait is Texas-rigged, making it more weedless than a swim jig. Also, the punch skirt from Gambler gives the same flair effect of a swim jig.”
At 11 a.m., Terescenko let the area rest. He said he ran to some spots that he’d had some success at recently, but found them to be unproductive and ended up returning. In all, the Florida boater caught about 12 keepers throughout the tournament.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Alex Terescenko, West Palm Beach, Fla., five bass, 20-8, $3,792
2nd: David Anderson, Fort Myers, Fla., five bass, 19-1, $1,796
3rd: John Adkinson, Winter Haven, Fla., five bass, 18-15, $1,301
4th: Clay Batson, Bradenton, Fla., five bass, 18-9, $838
5th: Eric Johnson, Millis, Mass., five bass, 18-0, $718
6th: Chris McBeath, Bradenton, Fla., five bass, 17-13, $629
6th: Brett Cannon, Parkland, Fla., five bass, 17-13, $629
8th: Bradley MacQueen, West Palm Beach, Fla., five bass, 17-7, $789
9th: Lionel Botha, Malabar, Fla., five bass, 17-4, $449
9th: Nicholas Hoinig, Port St. Lucie, Fla., five bass, 17-4, $449
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Dean Meckes of Clayton, New York, caught a 7-pound, 11-ounce bass – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $460.
Chad Schroeder of Zephyrhills, Florida, won the Co-angler Division and $2,176 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 18 pounds, 9 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Chad Schroeder, Zephyrhills, Fla., five bass, 18-9, $2,176
2nd: Ernie Johnson, Okeechobee, Fla., four bass, 15-8, $1,098
3rd: Shannon Pitts, Vero Beach, Fla., five bass, 14-15, $648
4th: Brad Ballard, Winona, Minn., five bass, 14-9, $419
5th: Dana Bass, Miami, Fla., five bass, 14-7, $359
6th: Shannon Bryson, Merritt Island, Fla., three bass, 13-5, $314
6th: William House, Davie, Fla., five bass, 13-5, $314
8th: Jeff Peterson, Lake Worth, Fla., five bass, 12-14, $269
9th: Donald Frank, Fridley, Minn., five bass, 12-9, $239
10th: Cody Farnham, Port St Lucie, Fla., five bass, 12-8, $199
10th: Jason Nantz, Valrico, Fla., five bass, 12-8, $199
Schroeder also caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 9 pounds even. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $230.
The tournament was hosted by the Okeechobee County Tourist & Development Council.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 10-12 BFL Regional Championship on Lake Seminole in Bainbridge, Georgia. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.
The 2019 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2019 BFL All-American will be held May 30-June 1 at the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland, and is hosted by the Charles County Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism and the Commissioners of Charles County. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Eddie Glascock Wins ABA Open Series on Kerr Lake with over 19 Pounds for 5K Payday!
ATHENS, Ala. – Eddie Glascock of Scottsburg, VA won the Bass Pro Shops Open Series Virginia event held on Kerr Lake on 3/16/19. Running out of Nut Bush Park in Henderson, North Carolina Glascock weighed in a five bass limit totaling 19.87-pounds. His limit was anchored by a bass weighing 5.40-pounds. He took home a check for $5000.00 for the win.
Glascock was tight lipped on the specifics of his day. He advised he got lucky, catching his fish on spinnerbaits, crankbaits and various other baits.
In second for the boaters, Cavin Young of Prince George, Virginia weighed in a five bass limit weighing 15.51-pounds. His catch was anchored by a bass weighing 4.93-pounds. Also being the highest finisher in the Triton Gold program, Young qualified for additional monies from Triton Boats.
“I think I had around 12 keepers today. I caught my keepers on a spinnerbait and a jerkbait,” said Young.
Taking third for the boaters Mike May of Simms, North Carolina weighed in a five bass limit weighing 14.87-pounds.
“I had 9 keepers today. I caught them on a spinnerbait, a jerkbait, and a rattletrap,” said May.
In fourth place for the boaters, Ryan Harrell of Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina weighed in five bass for 14.43-pounds. Rounding out the top 5 James Taylor of Ruther Glen, Virginia weighed in five bass for 14.18-pounds.
Taking big bass honors on the boater side Tyler Calloway of Blairs, Virginia weighed in a bass at 5.73-pounds. He took home $690.00 for that bass.
In the Co-angler Division, Roderick Mangum of Durham, NC weighed in three bass for 13.13-pounds. His catch was anchored by a bass weighing 4.58-pounds which was the largest bass weighed in by a co-angler. Mangum took home a total of $885.00 for his win.
“I had probably 20 bites today. I was able to cull several times during the day. My fish were caught on a spinnerbait and a crankbait,” said Mangum
Taking second for the co-anglers, Jim Lewis of Bracey, Virginia weighed in three bass weighing 8.60-pounds. His catch was anchored by a bass weighing 4.02-pounds.
“I had four keepers today,” said Lewis. “My catch came on a spinnerbait and a Carolina rig.”
Taking third for the co-anglers, Kevin Jones of Sanford, North Carolina weighed in three bass for 7.50-pounds.
“I had three keepers today all caught on a crankbait,” said Jones.
In fourth for the co-anglers Randy Walsh of Stafford, North Carolina weighed in three bass weighing 7.16-pounds. Rounding out the top five Dylan Walsh of Greensboro, North Carolina weighed in three bass weighing 6.91-pounds.
Slated for March 23, 2019 the next event for the Virginia Division will be held on Lake Gaston, launching from Holly Grove Marina in Bracey, Virginia.
About American Bass Anglers - American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler while offering an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers and all their bass tournament trails visit www.americanbassanglers.com.
Rick Simons tops over 1600 anglers at the 2019 MEGA BASS on Lake Fork with an 11.93!!
Belton, TX, angler, Rick Simons tops over 1600 anglers at the 2019 MEGA BASS on Lake Fork with an 11.93 and takes home
$15,000 Cash + a New Skeeter ZX 200 - Yamaha SHO
| Angler | City | State | Weight | Prize Amount | |
| RICK SIMONS | Belton | TX | 11.93 |
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| MARK SPAETH | Emory | TX | 8.56 |
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| WILLIAM GOODHUE | Barling | AR | 7.98 |
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| ROBERT BROOKS | Ardmore | OK | 2.79 |
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| BRANDON TINGLE | Stonewall | LA | 2.63 |
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| ROBERT FREESE | Willow Park | TX | 2.56 |
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| CHRIS COOK | Vernon | TX | 2.53 |
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| MARK TRULL | Kennedy | AL | 9.47 |
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| HAROLD BREDEMEIER | Alba | TX | 2.75 |
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| JAMES PHILLIPS | Greenwood | MS | 2.67 |
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| JOSEPH EDWARDS | Sachse | TX | 2.58 |
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| DAVID VANDERBURG | Paris | TX | 2.53 |
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| CODY SISSON | Bossier City | LA | 2.44 |
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| RAYMOND MILLER | Pecan Gap | TX | 2.67 |
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| WESLEY BURNETT | Hot Springs | AR | 2.64 |
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| LADD THOMPSON | Mineola | TX | 2.55 |
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| MARK MAYBEN | Plano | TX | 2.51 |
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| SHAWN O MALLEY | Wylie | TX | 2.51 |
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| JAKE MASON | Forney | TX | 2.51 |
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| JAMES THOMPSON | Fruitvale | TX | 2.51 |
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| RANDY STEELE | Sulphur Springs | TX | 2.43 |
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| KYLE HOLCOMB | Forney | TX | 2.42 |
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| VERLON CRONEY | Alba | TX | 2.66 |
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| COREY STOKES | Weatherford | TX | 2.62 |
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| MARK LESTER | Shawnee | OK | 2.51 |
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| DONNA ANDERSON | San Antonio | TX | 2.43 |
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| MIKE WORLEY | Quitman | TX | 2.41 |
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| RICKY CARROLL | Henderson | TX | 2.40 |
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| JOHN BIONDI | Arlington | TX | 2.40 |
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| MATTHEW RILEY | North Richland Hills | TX | 2.65 |
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| DELL BROWN | Arlington | TX | 2.47 |
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| TODD PFEIL | Forney | TX | 2.46 |
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| CHARLES LIVINGSTON | Stephenville | TX | 2.40 |
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| KIMBERLY JAMES | Shreveport | LA | 2.38 |
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| DARRELL CAMPBELL | Alba | TX | 2.35 |
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| JESSE CHAMBERS | Irving | TX | 2.62 |
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| JACOB WILTON | Cresson | TX | 2.45 |
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| ROCKIE RAMSHUR | Winnfield | LA | 2.45 |
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| KENNETH STEPHENS | Ardmore | OK | 2.39 |
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| DAVID BRYANT | DeBerry | TX | 2.37 |
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| JONATHAN FERGUSON | Grapevine | TX | 2.35 |
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| JOSEPH HOING | Diana | TX | 2.33 |
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| JEFFERY SANSOM | Paris | TX | 2.49 |
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| DONNY GOSSETT | North Richland Hills | TX | 2.44 |
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| TOMMY DUNN | Montgomery | TX | 2.36 |
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| DALE DZIERZANOWSKI | Devine | TX | 2.26 |
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| JOSEPH EDWARDS | Sachse | TX | 2.42 |
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| NICK BROWN | Lindale | TX | 2.42 |
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| EDWARD OCHOA | Weatherford | TX | 2.30 |
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| CURT CULBERTSON | Fort Worth | TX | 2.30 |
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| KYLE ELMORE | Hot Springs | AR | 2.48 |
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| RICK CLARK | Terrell | TX | 2.35 |
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| CRAIG WELCH | Waxachie | TX | 2.34 |
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| KEVIN HEBERT | Longview | TX | 2.34 |
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| JUSTIN GARNETT | Fairfield | TX | 2.34 |
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| JOE POTTS | Garland | TX | 2.40 |
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| NICK BROWN | Lindale | TX | 2.40 |
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| NICK FONTENOT | Cleburne | TX | 2.25 |
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| JONATHAN FERGUSON | Grapevine | TX | 2.25 |
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| JOHN MIRALDI | Terrell | TX | 2.44 |
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| ANDY MEDINA | Canton | TX | 2.39 |
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| ADAM BERNASCO | Millstadt | IL | 2.34 |
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| MICHAEL SCHUPP | Celina | TX | 2.24 |
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| DAVID JACKSON | Crowley | TX | 2.32 |
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| WILLIAM QUALLS | Jackson | MO | 2.32 |
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| GREG HOLMES | Quitman | TX | 2.43 |
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| AL JORDAN | Alba | TX | 2.38 |
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| BRIAN THEUT | Dickinson | TX | 2.38 |
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| RICH STRINGER | Alba | TX | 2.28 |
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| BOBBY PEEK | Greenville | TX | 2.22 |
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DAYTON READIES FOR COSTA FLW SERIES AT LAKE CHICKAMAUGA PRESENTED BY T-H MARINE
Courtesy of FLW
DAYTON, Tenn. (March 12, 2019) – The 2019 Costa Fishing League Worldwide (FLW) Series Southeastern division continues the season next week at Lake Chickamauga, March 21-23, with the Costa FLW Series at Lake Chickamauga presented by T-H Marine. Hosted by Fish Dayton, the three-day tournament will feature more than 360 of the best regional bass-fishing pros and co-anglers casting for a top prize of up to $100,000, including a brand new Ranger Z518L boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard in the pro division.
“The water has dropped six feet back down to winter pool in the last week and a half and the water is muddy and cool – around 49 to 50 degrees,” said FLW Tour pro Buddy Gross of Chickamauga, Georgia, who has two top-10 finishes on Lake Chickamauga in FLW competition. “Most of the grass is gone and it has pretty much eliminated the river fishing. This one won’t be a ‘locals’ tournament – it’s anybody’s game.”
Gross predicted that anglers would likely find the most success fishing eddies or any other areas that they could find that were current-related, or up shallow on the bank. He said that Rat-L-Traps, crankbaits, jigs and even Alabama rigs would be popular baits thrown by tournament competitors.
“The weather conditions keep changing – cold, warm, cold, warm – and it has these fish moving out,” Gross said. “That being said, I still think the winner is going to find them in 12-feet-of-water or less. The key is going to be covering new water and finding the big ones.
“They’re really catching them right now on Chick. In a local tournament this weekend we saw a 29-pound limit, a 28, and multiple 25s,” Gross went on to say. “I don’t know if someone can do that for three days, but I think the winner is going to need at least 60 to 65 pounds to walk away with the big check.”
Anglers will take off from the Dayton Boat Dock located at 175 Lakeshore Street in Dayton at 7:30 a.m. EDT each day of competition. Thursday and Friday’s weigh-ins will be held at the Dayton Boat Dock beginning at 3:30 p.m. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Bass Pro Shops in Chattanooga, located at 1000 Bass Pro Drive, beginning at 4:30 p.m.
In Costa FLW Series regular-season competition, payouts are based on the number of participants competing in the event. At Lake Chickamauga, pros will fish for a top prize of up to $100,000 including a brand new Ranger Z518L boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard if Ranger Cup qualified. Co-anglers will cast for a brand new Ranger Z175 boat with a 115-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard, and $5,000 if Ranger Cup qualified.
The Costa FLW Series consists of five U.S. divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western – along with the International division. Each U.S. division consists of three regular-season tournaments with competitors vying for valuable points that could earn them the opportunity to compete in the season-ending Costa FLW Series Championship. The 2019 Costa FLW Series Championship is being held Oct. 31 – Nov. 2 on Lake Cumberland in Burnside, Kentucky.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Costa FLW Series on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
LIPPE WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE OZARK DIVISION OPENER ON TABLE ROCK LAKE
Illinois’ Peterson Grabs Co-Angler Title
BRANSON, Mo. (March 18, 2019) – Boater Dustin Lippe of Lampe, Missouri, caught five bass weighing 17 pounds, 15 ounces, Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Ozark Division tournament on Table Rock Lake. Lippe earned $6,229 for his efforts and 250 points in the Ozark Division presented by Bassing Bob standings. Should he go on to win the division’s Angler of the Year title, he will earn another $3,000.
Lippe said he spent his day fishing deep points, mid-lake, up the Long Creek, White River and the James River arms.
“I was targeting standing pole timber in the 25- to 35-foot range,” said Lippe, who now has back-to-back victories in BFL Ozark Division competition on Table Rock Lake. “I decided to fish out deep on the main-lake and main-river points because of the weather we had on Saturday – bluebird skies and no wind.
“I had around 13 keepers on the day. I ran a lot of spots and I probably burned around 40 gallons of gas,” continued Lippe. “I weighed a mixed bag – one smallmouth, one Kentucky bass and three largemouth.”
Lippe used 2.8- or 3.3-inch, Tennessee Shad-colored Keitech Fat Swing swimbaits on a ¼-ounce, shad-colored Jewel Gem Shad Swimbait hook on a 7-foot medium-action Denali Lithium drop-shot rod and Lew’s spinning reel.
“The rod was pretty crucial – you could really feel them load up on it,” said Lippe. “Once the wind picked up I also caught a good one – a 5-pound, 1-ounce largemouth – on an umbrella rig with [Albino Shad-colored] Zoom Super Fluke Jr. swimbaits.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Dustin Lippe, Lampe, Mo., five bass, 17-15, $6,229
2nd: Austin Lowrey, Webb City, Mo., five bass, 16-4, $2,614
3rd: Brent Algeo, Ozark, Mo., five bass, 16-3, $2,045
4th: Wes Endicott, Joplin, Mo., five bass, 15-14, $1,220
5th: Chris Macy, Diamond, Mo., five bass, 15-4, $1,046
6th: Andy Newcomb, Camdenton, Mo., five bass, 15-1, $959
7th: Jeremy Medina, Camdenton, Mo., five bass, 15-0, $1,686
8th: Steve Gregg, Florissant, Mo., five bass, 14-13, $940
8th: Steve Grizzle, Edwardsville, Ill., five bass, 14-13, $740
10th: Bryan Tracy, St. Peters, Mo., five bass, 14-7, $710
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Medina caught a bass weighing 6 pounds even – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $815.
Mark Peterson of Bethalto, Illinois, won the Co-angler Division and $2,614 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 17 pounds, 4 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Mark Peterson, Bethalto, Ill., five bass, 17-4, $2,614
2nd: Josh Rushing, Point Lookout, Mo., five bass, 13-9, $1,307
3rd: Brent Luers, Johnston, Iowa, five bass, 12-0, $872
4th: Jonathan Jones, Grain Valley, Mo., five bass, 11-11, $710
5th: Crosley Welch, Branson, Mo., four bass, 11-1, $573
6th: Ryan Jobe, De Soto, Kan., five bass, 11-0, $479
7th: Paul Davis, Battlefield, Mo., four bass, 10-14, $436
8th: Jeff Moss, Oronogo, Mo., five bass, 10-11, $392
9th: Derek Henderson, Saint Charles, Mo., four bass, 10-8, $349
10th: Carl Breeden, Valley Park, Mo., three bass, 9-15, $305
Johnny Ward Jr. of Waynesville, Missouri, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 6 pounds, 6 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $407.
The tournament was hosted by ExploreBranson.com.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 24-26 BFL Regional Championship on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma, presented by Mercury. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.
The 2019 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2019 BFL All-American will be held May 30-June 1 at the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland, and is hosted by the Charles County Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism and the Commissioners of Charles County. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
JEWELL WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL CHOO CHOO DIVISION TOURNAMENT ON WHEELER LAKE
Nashville’s Markus Takes Co-Angler Title
ROGERSVILLE, Ala. (March 18, 2019) – Boater Eddie Jewell of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 21 pounds even to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Choo Choo Division tournament on Wheeler Lake. Jewell earned $3,747 for his efforts.
Jewell said he primarily ran chunk rock banks and gravel bars on the lower end of the lake near First and Second creeks, and caught the majority of his fish in 4 to 6 feet of water. He described his main area as a chunk rock and gravel point heading into a pocket off of the main river.
“I struggled early – it was probably 8 [a.m.] by the time I found my fish,” said Jewell, who earned his first win in FLW competition. “On Monday in practice I’d found a couple fish on a spot with gravel and chunk rock, and when I went to it Saturday, they were loaded on it. I pretty much stayed there all day.”
Jewell said he used a chartreuse and white-colored custom vibrating jig with a white Zoom Super Fluke Jr. trailer and a crawfish-colored Strike King 1.5 KVD Rattling square-billed crankbait to catch his fish. He estimated that he caught 15 fish on the vibrating jig, with three largemouth and one smallmouth reaching the scale, and six or seven fish on the crankbait, with one smallmouth topping off the limit.
“I started off with the vibrating jig, and went to the crankbait every once in a while,” said Jewell. “In clear water I went with the crankbait, and when it was stained I used the vibrating jig.”
During the final 90 minutes of his day, Jewell said he made a “milk-run” through some “big-fish” spots, eventually landing the heaviest bass of the tournament in the Boater Division – a 6-pound, 3-ouncer.
“The fish was on big chunk rock offshore and there was a boat sitting right on top of it. I waited for the boat to leave, then threw up there and caught it on the vibrating jig,” said Jewell. “It was out in 12 feet of water.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1sT: Eddie Jewell, Lawrenceburg, Tenn., five bass, 21-0, $3,747
2nd: Lavoyd Lemmond, Decatur, Ala., five bass, 18-12, $1,868
3rd: Rick Williams, Decatur, Ala., five bass, 18-2, $1,112
4th: Donny Beck, Killen, Ala., five bass, 16-10, $779
5th: Tony Harvey, Rogersville, Ala., five bass, 16-7, $667
6th: Jimmy Mason, Rogersville, Ala., five bass, 16-6, $612
7th: Ricky Parpolowicz, Decatur, Ala., five bass, 16-1, $556
8th: Chaz McMahan, Leoma, Tenn., five bass, 16-0, $501
9th: Jett Loach, Chickamauga, Ga., four bass, 15-11, $545
10th: Trey Gamble, Helena, Ala., five bass, 15-5, $369
10th: Kenneth Smith, Tullahoma, Tenn., five bass, 15-5, $369
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Jewell’s 6-pound, 3-ounce bass also earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $410.
Zach Markus of Nashville, Tennessee, won the Co-angler Division and $1,873 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 18 pounds even.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Zach Markus, Nashville, Tenn., five bass, 18-0, $1,873
2nd: Cody Davis, Hico, Texas, four bass, 15-3, $834
3rd: Tony Hill, Chatsworth, Ga., five bass, 14-5, $658
4th: Charles Billingsley, Huntsville, Ala., five bass, 13-12, $361
4th: Audie Aultman, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 13-12, $361
6th: Jeff Morgan, Kennesaw, Ga., five bass, 13-11, $356
7th: Shane Jewell, Lawrenceburg, Tenn., three bass, 13-4, $278
8th: Raymond Hanlon, Chattanooga, Tenn., five bass, 13-1, $250
9th: Randall Wiggins, Birmingham, Ala., five bass, 13-0, $222
10th: Ethan Flack, Cullman, Ala., three bass, 11-10, $195
Markus also caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 6 pounds, 3 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $205.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 10-12 BFL Regional Championship on Lake Seminole in Bainbridge, Georgia. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.
The 2019 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2019 BFL All-American will be held May 30-June 1 at the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland, and is hosted by the Charles County Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism and the Commissioners of Charles County. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Oklahoma's Grand Lake to Host MLF Bass Pro Tour Stage Seven
High-profile, big bass events are no stranger to the 79-year-old lake, especially in more
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Retired Major League Fishing boat official, Oklahoma's John Bond, shows off the kind of quality Grand Lake bass the MLF pros likely will see during their visit to his home lake at the end of May. (click to enlarge)
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recent years since the City of Grove, the Oklahoma Dept. of Wildlife Conservation and the Grand River Dam Authority have teamed up to complete millions of dollars in improvements to the Wolf Creek Park and Boat Ramp area near downtown Grove.
"Few places can rival the venue, enthusiasm and expertise afforded by Grand Lake, the Wolf Creek facility and the folks of Grove," said Michael Mulone, MLF Senior Director, Events & Partnerships. "There's no doubt the red carpet will be rolled out for this event and that the fishing here will make for a genuine shootout among the country's very best anglers.
Bryan College Rides Fast Start To College Classic Victory
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Bassmaster Classic Final Day Weigh-In
Photo Credit: Chris Brown, Caden Brown & Jacob Fine - Anglerschannel.com & Silo Creative
Tennessee Native Ott Defoe Wins the 2019 Bassmaster Classic!!!
Vance McCullough
The Thompson-Bolling Arena boiled with excitement long before Ott DeFoe took the stage.
In our constantly-connected world fans were glued to their screens as Bassmaster broadcast its, as usual, excellent Live coverage of the 49thClassic. The buzz was that the hometown favorite had done well. Well enough to win.
Probably.
Maybe.
Well, you never really can tell, can you?
Not until it’s over.
DeFoe had a solid bag of bass and was projected to retake the lead on the day that matters most, the final day.
DeFoe tried to shrug off some of the pressure the day before this tournament began, “Professionally, it would have meant just as much to me to win at Hartwell. I want to win every one I fish.” Then he admitted, “This would be special because I’m here in front of my family and friends.”
As Dave Mercer read Jacob Wheeler’s insufficient weight at the scale and pronounce DeFoe the champion, DeFoe sobbed on stage.
His daughter called before it happened. This week, she chalked a message in the driveway where DeFoe parks, “The 2019 Bassmaster Classic Champion lives here.”
Correct.
How did he do it?
He credited “A full bladder and Keith Poche” on stage when comically telling the story of his chance conversation with Poche during which Poche told him about a dock that had produced quality bites. Because Poche did not catch enough of those fish to make the cut, DeFoe made an important adjustment and changed areas on the final day.
“A lot of my fish came from around the Concord area of the lake. That’s an area that I’ve fished forever. I’ve always done well in that area of the lake. My fish today, though, came from down around the dam.”
A lipless crankbait, the Storm Arashi Vibe, accounted for 4 of DeFoe’s Day 1 fish, 2 of his 2ndround fish on 1 fish today. The factory color is called Rusty Craw but DeFoe did a little art work to make it just right for his needs. “I took a red and a black Sharpie and made it a much prettier bait than what it already is.”
DeFoe cranked the Vibe on a Bass Pro 7’6” medium heavy Crankin’ Stick rod, Johnny Morris Platinum Series reel (6.8:1 gear ratio) and 17-pound Bass Pro XPS Fluorocarbon.
DeFoe used a 3/8 ounce chartreuse and white bladed jig with a fluke-style trailer to catch 3 small fish on Saturday and 4 big fish today.
He cranked the bladed jig with the same rod but a Johnny Morris Carbon Lite reel with a 7.5:1 gear ratio and the same line as above.
He caught one other fish, a Day 1 keeper, on a Rapala DT4 in the Dark Brown Craw color. Same rod, the Platinum Series reel and 14-pound Bass Pro XPS Fluorocarbon.
“I switched all my treble hooks to VMC short shank trebles” - #2 on the Vibe and #4 on the DT4.
Gear aside, DeFoe’s biggest advantage – by far – was his extensive local knowledge of the fishery.
A lot of the small offshore targets are hard to find. When an angler does locate one, it’s hard to tell a productive spot from a time-waster.
DeFoe’s mentality was key. He focused, not on the outcome, but on the process. “It was never about the winning moment. It was always about ‘how am I going to catch the next fish?’.”
That mindset is a way of life for our Classic champ. “I try to take each day at a time. I get in trouble for that a lot because Jenny says I don’t prepare very well. I don’t think too far into the future. I just worry about the here-and-now. We’ll take the rest of it as it comes.”
| Total Fish / Weight |
Day 1 Fish / Weight |
Day 2 Fish / Weight |
Day 3 Fish / Weight |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 / 49 - 3 | 5 / 20 - 0 | 5 / 10 - 5 | 5 / 18 - 14 | |
| 2 | 15 / 45 - 5 | 5 / 14 - 11 | 5 / 17 - 11 | 5 / 12 - 15 | |
| 3 | 15 / 43 - 14 | 5 / 10 - 11 | 5 / 15 - 15 | 5 / 17 - 4 | |
| 4 | 15 / 42 - 9 | 5 / 9 - 2 | 5 / 19 - 7 | 5 / 14 - 0 | |
| 5 | 15 / 41 - 12 | 5 / 14 - 8 | 5 / 17 - 6 | 5 / 9 - 14 | |
| 6 | 15 / 40 - 5 | 5 / 9 - 11 | 5 / 12 - 0 | 5 / 18 - 10 | |
| 7 | 15 / 39 - 8 | 5 / 10 - 14 | 5 / 17 - 2 | 5 / 11 - 8 | |
| 8 | 15 / 39 - 7 | 5 / 8 - 12 | 5 / 16 - 0 | 5 / 14 - 11 | |
| 9 | 15 / 35 - 6 | 5 / 9 - 4 | 5 / 14 - 1 | 5 / 12 - 1 | |
| 10 | 12 / 34 - 15 | 3 / 8 - 3 | 5 / 12 - 6 | 4 / 14 - 6 | |
| 11 | 13 / 34 - 4 | 5 / 17 - 11 | 5 / 9 - 15 | 3 / 6 - 10 | |
| 12 | 11 / 34 - 0 | 4 / 9 - 0 | 5 / 21 - 12 | 2 / 3 - 4 | |
| 13 | 15 / 32 - 10 | 5 / 12 - 15 | 5 / 11 - 5 | 5 / 8 - 6 | |
| 14 | 15 / 32 - 9 | 5 / 13 - 4 | 5 / 10 - 5 | 5 / 9 - 0 | |
| 15 | 14 / 31 - 13 | 4 / 8 - 10 | 5 / 13 - 7 | 5 / 9 - 12 | |
| 16 | 11 / 31 - 10 | 4 / 12 - 3 | 5 / 11 - 15 | 2 / 7 - 8 | |
| 17 | 12 / 31 - 9 | 5 / 16 - 7 | 5 / 10 - 9 | 2 / 4 - 9 | |
| 18 | 12 / 31 - 8 | 5 / 16 - 11 | 3 / 9 - 3 | 4 / 5 - 10 | |
| 19 | 13 / 30 - 13 | 5 / 14 - 8 | 5 / 9 - 10 | 3 / 6 - 11 | |
| 20 | 15 / 30 - 1 | 5 / 10 - 2 | 5 / 11 - 4 | 5 / 8 - 11 | |
| 21 | 12 / 27 - 1 | 5 / 12 - 1 | 5 / 10 - 14 | 2 / 4 - 2 | |
| 22 | 10 / 26 - 7 | 5 / 13 - 4 | 5 / 13 - 3 | 0 | |
| 23 | 11 / 25 - 6 | 5 / 12 - 9 | 5 / 10 - 15 | 1 / 1 - 14 | |
| 24 | 10 / 25 - 3 | 5 / 13 - 9 | 3 / 6 - 8 | 2 / 5 - 2 | |
| 25 | 11 / 23 - 11 | 5 / 10 - 14 | 5 / 10 - 6 | 1 / 2 - 7 | |
| 26 | 9 / 19 - 14 | 4 / 9 - 5 | 5 / 10 - 9 | 0 | |
| 27 | 6 / 18 - 13 | 1 / 4 - 1 | 5 / 14 - 12 | 0 | |
| 28 | 9 / 18 - 13 | 5 / 11 - 5 | 4 / 7 - 8 | 0 | |
| 29 | 10 / 18 - 5 | 5 / 10 - 1 | 5 / 8 - 4 | 0 | |
| 30 | 10 / 18 - 2 | 5 / 9 - 9 | 5 / 8 - 9 | 0 | |
| 31 | 10 / 18 - 1 | 5 / 8 - 15 | 5 / 9 - 2 | 0 | |
| 32 | 10 / 17 - 7 | 5 / 7 - 6 | 5 / 10 - 1 | 0 | |
| 33 | 9 / 17 - 5 | 4 / 7 - 0 | 5 / 10 - 5 | 0 | |
| 34 | 8 / 17 - 1 | 4 / 7 - 14 | 4 / 9 - 3 | 0 | |
| 35 | 7 / 16 - 9 | 5 / 11 - 15 | 2 / 4 - 10 | 0 | |
| 36 | 7 / 15 - 6 | 2 / 3 - 3 | 5 / 12 - 3 | 0 | |
| 37 | 7 / 15 - 3 | 4 / 8 - 4 | 3 / 6 - 15 | 0 | |
| 38 | 7 / 14 - 15 | 3 / 6 - 6 | 4 / 8 - 9 | 0 | |
| 39 | 10 / 14 - 14 | 5 / 9 - 2 | 5 / 5 - 12 | 0 | |
| 40 | 6 / 14 - 7 | 3 / 8 - 1 | 3 / 6 - 6 | 0 | |
| 41 | 7 / 14 - 5 | 4 / 6 - 10 | 3 / 7 - 11 | 0 | |
| 42 | 8 / 13 - 10 | 5 / 8 - 6 | 3 / 5 - 4 | 0 | |
| 43 | 6 / 12 - 14 | 3 / 8 - 4 | 3 / 4 - 10 | 0 | |
| 44 | 7 / 12 - 12 | 4 / 7 - 6 | 3 / 5 - 6 | 0 | |
| 45 | 6 / 12 - 2 | 2 / 3 - 12 | 4 / 8 - 6 | 0 | |
| 46 | 7 / 11 - 10 | 5 / 8 - 12 | 2 / 2 - 14 | 0 | |
| 47 | 4 / 9 - 8 | 2 / 3 - 5 | 2 / 6 - 3 | 0 | |
| 48 | 3 / 9 - 1 | 2 / 7 - 7 | 1 / 1 - 10 | 0 | |
| 49 | 5 / 8 - 13 | 0 | 5 / 8 - 13 | 0 | |
| 50 | 4 / 6 - 15 | 4 / 6 - 15 | 0 | 0 | |
| 51 | 4 / 6 - 5 | 4 / 6 - 5 | 0 | 0 | |
| 52 | 3 / 4 - 7 | 2 / 2 - 14 | 1 / 1 - 9 | 0 |
Headland Cranks Into High School Classic Win
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Wheeler Takes the Lead, Zaldain and MDJ Hot on His Heels
A State of Mind
Getting anglers to divulge specifics about their tactics, techniques and strategies during a major tournament . . . you might as well ask them for their eye tooth.
When that tournament is the most major of all, say, the Bassmaster Classic, you can forget about it.
Even when talking about something as seemingly innocuous as their emotions going into the final day, some are guarded are deceptive.
However, our top group of pros today was fairly open about how they feel as they prepare to do something tomorrow that will change one of their lives forever.
Jacob Wheeler is excited about his chances, but he’s happy for a couple of friends too. “No matter what, we’re going to have a party tomorrow. I’m pretty good friends with Ott DeFoe and Mark Daniels, Jr so if I had to shoot it out with a couple of guys, I’d want it to be them.”
Jacob Powroznik has been comfortably consistent for two days. He said yesterday he would like to sneak into the final round in 7thor 8th place and “fish relaxed” while the guys at the top draw all the spectator attention and pressure.
Looks like Powroznik got his wish. He said today, just before weighing-in, “I feel confident going into tomorrow. I admit, I got a little excited for a few minutes today when I caught a good one, but I settled back down. I’m going to do what I can tomorrow and they’re just going to have to bite.”
Mark Daniels Jr was all smiles as he hopped out of his truck before riding into the arena and taking the stage in front of thousands of bassheads. He is looking forward to the final day. And if you need to know how excited is, just check out the footage of his big bass catch from today on Bassmaster.com.
Ott DeFoe recognizes the pressure of performing in front of the home crowd. Maybe he will be a little more relaxed fishing from behind the lead instead of having a proverbial target on his back tomorrow.
Mike Iaconelli has been here before. And won. Yet, he is excited.
Chris Zaldain is excited for Ike. Zaldain caught what may stand as the biggest bag of the tournament (21 pounds, 12 ounces) to vault from back in the pack to near the top of the leaderboard. “I like Ike,” said Zaldain as we watched Iaconelli rock the crowd with 19-7. “I look forward to fishing with him tomorrow.”
Mental control is part of the job for professional anglers, but the biggest stage of all can rattle anyone’s nerves. We’ll find out tomorrow who can master the fish, the competition, and themselves.
Mark Daniels Jr - 17.6 for two day total of 31.14 pounds - Currently in 2nd place
Chris Zaldain - 21.12 pounds for two day total of 30.12 pounds - Currently in 3rd Place.
Ott Defoe - 10.5 for Two Day Total of 30.5 pounds - Currently in 4th Place.
Roy Hawk - 9.15 Pounds - Two Day Total of 27.10 Pounds
Edwin Evers - 16.0 Pounds - Two Day Total of 24.12 Pounds
Standings Day 2
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Jacob Wheeler Harrison, TN 10 32-06 0 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 17-11
2. Mark Daniels Jr. Tuskegee, AL 10 31-14 0
Day 1: 5 14-08 Day 2: 5 17-06
3. Chris Zaldain Laughlin, NV 9 30-12 0
Day 1: 4 09-00 Day 2: 5 21-12
4. Ott DeFoe Blaine, TN 10 30-05 0 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 20-00 Day 2: 5 10-05
5. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 10 28-09 0
Day 1: 5 09-02 Day 2: 5 19-07
6. Wesley Strader Spring City, TN 10 28-00 0
Day 1: 5 10-14 Day 2: 5 17-02
7. Roy Hawk Lk Havasu Cty, AZ 10 27-10 0
Day 1: 5 17-11 Day 2: 5 09-15
8. Justin Lucas Guntersville, AL 10 27-00 0
Day 1: 5 16-07 Day 2: 5 10-09
9. Jesse Wiggins Cullman, AL 10 26-10 0
Day 1: 5 10-11 Day 2: 5 15-15
10. Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 10 26-07 0
Day 1: 5 13-04 Day 2: 5 13-03
11. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 8 25-14 0
Day 1: 5 16-11 Day 2: 3 09-03
12. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 10 24-12 0
Day 1: 5 08-12 Day 2: 5 16-00
13. Adrian Avena Vineland, NJ 10 24-04 0
Day 1: 5 12-15 Day 2: 5 11-05
14. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, KS 10 24-02 0
Day 1: 5 14-08 Day 2: 5 09-10
15. Kyle Dorsett Odenville, AL 9 24-02 0
Day 1: 4 12-03 Day 2: 5 11-15
16. Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL 10 23-09 0
Day 1: 5 13-04 Day 2: 5 10-05
17. James Elam Tulsa, OK 10 23-08 0
Day 1: 5 12-09 Day 2: 5 10-15
18. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 10 23-05 0
Day 1: 5 09-04 Day 2: 5 14-01
19. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 10 22-15 0
Day 1: 5 12-01 Day 2: 5 10-14
20. Seth Feider New Market, MN 9 22-01 0
Day 1: 4 08-10 Day 2: 5 13-07
21. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 10 21-11 0
Day 1: 5 09-11 Day 2: 5 12-00
22. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 10 21-06 0
Day 1: 5 10-02 Day 2: 5 11-04
23. Cliff Pace Petal, MS 10 21-04 0
Day 1: 5 10-14 Day 2: 5 10-06
24. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 8 20-09 0
Day 1: 3 08-03 Day 2: 5 12-06
25. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 8 20-01 0
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 3 06-08
26. Frank Talley Temple, TX 9 19-14 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 09-05 Day 2: 5 10-09
27. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 6 18-13 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 1 04-01 Day 2: 5 14-12
28. Josh Bertrand San Tan Valley, AZ 9 18-13 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 4 07-08
29. Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 10 18-05 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-01 Day 2: 5 08-04
30. Chris Lane Guntersville, AL 10 18-02 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-09 Day 2: 5 08-09
31. Jake Whitaker Fairview, NC 10 18-01 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 08-15 Day 2: 5 09-02
32. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 10 17-07 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 07-06 Day 2: 5 10-01
33. Derek Hudnall Baton Rouge, LA 9 17-05 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 07-00 Day 2: 5 10-05
34. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 8 17-01 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 07-14 Day 2: 4 09-03
35. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 7 16-09 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-15 Day 2: 2 04-10
36. Keith Poche Pike Road, AL 7 15-06 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 2 03-03 Day 2: 5 12-03
37. Garrett Paquette Canton, MI 7 15-03 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 08-04 Day 2: 3 06-15
38. Randall Tharp Port St. Joe, FL 7 14-15 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 3 06-06 Day 2: 4 08-09
39. Andy Montgomery Blacksburg, SC 10 14-14 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-02 Day 2: 5 05-12
40. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 6 14-07 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 3 08-01 Day 2: 3 06-06
41. Nick Ratliff Vine Grove, KY 7 14-05 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 06-10 Day 2: 3 07-11
42. Jordan Lee Cullman, AL 8 13-10 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 08-06 Day 2: 3 05-04
43. Brent Ehrler Redlands, CA 6 12-14 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 3 08-04 Day 2: 3 04-10
44. Gerald Spohrer Gonzales, LA 7 12-12 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 07-06 Day 2: 3 05-06
45. Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 6 12-02 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 2 03-12 Day 2: 4 08-06
46. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 7 11-10 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 08-12 Day 2: 2 02-14
47. Matthew Robertson Kuttawa, KY 4 09-08 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 2 03-05 Day 2: 2 06-03
48. Alton Jones Jr. Lorena, TX 3 09-01 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 2 07-07 Day 2: 1 01-10
49. Jacopo Gallelli Firenze ITALY 5 08-13 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 08-13
50. Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 4 06-15 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 06-15 Day 2: 0 00-00
51. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 4 06-05 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 06-05 Day 2: 0 00-00
52. Randy Pierson Oakdale, CA 3 04-07 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 2 02-14 Day 2: 1 01-09
Classic Coverage is brought to you by DD26 Fishing Mean Mounts and Mean Stops. There is no safer way to secure your outboard than with a Mean Mount. Check the out below.
Classic Day 2 Rewind - "There is No Substitute for Time on the Water."
Regardless of who wins the 49thBassmaster Classic, you can learn a lot from watching a local, Ott DeFoe for instance, fish his home lake. You can learn even more riding around with a local, Brad Knight for instance, while watching.
While filming today for the Progressive Bass Wrap Up TV Show, Bassmaster Classic episode, we rode the lake with Forrest Wood Cup Champion, Knight, who grew up fishing these waters and still lives near the ramp from which we launched.
One of the more pertinent details Knight pointed out was that while Mark Daniels Jr continued to pound the rocks along the shore, Ott Defoe pulled up nearby and worked a subtle, unseen rock pile just a step deeper.
DeFoe quickly pulled up the trolling motor and blasted across the lake to make a handful of casts to a specific piece of something that hung his crankbait for a moment.
Minutes later he led his small navy of spectators to the next little cove around the corner and repeated the process.
“I could literally go to the next spot he’s going to fish, set up and be waiting for him,” said Knight. “We all fish the same stuff. And the advantage for him is that, while this is a spring time tournament and a guy like MDJ can see a lot of the targets, there’s a lot of stuff just off the bank that you don’t see and that is not so obvious on your electronics.”
It is true pattern fishing and DeFoe understood the differences in the spots he chose as he attempted to decipher the daily puzzle.
“So much of tournament fishing these days comes down to just finding an area and then catching all you can off that spot,” said Knight. “Ott is actually trying to figure a pattern that he can run.”
Mike Iaconelli apparently found a subtle spot and worked it over. Not sure if he can more like it and run a pattern, but he had a flurry of action off a flat rock out in front of some obvious-looking rip rap which he ignored. Over the next 40 minutes Ike put more than a dozen bass. It gave him an unofficial lead on BassTrakk.
But then, as we said in yesterday’s story on AnglersChannel.com, BassTrakk lies.
It is fun to follow though.
What you may not ascertain from BassTrakk stats though, are the techniques our anglers use to post those weights.
“People sometimes poke fun at us (Knoxville area anglers) for using a spinning rod with our crankbaits,” shared Knight as we watched DeFoe work, “but we grew up fishing with Shad Raps and small, light, flat-sided crankbaits made of balsa that are made here locally. A spinning rod gives you the distance and control you need in this wind. If you’re picking out a backlash, you’re not covering water. And it can all come down just one cast that you made or didn’t make.”
Classic Coverage is brought to you by DD26 Fishing Mean Mounts and Mean Stops. There is no safer way to secure your outboard than with a Mean Mount. Check the out below.
Bassmaster Classic Day 1 Weigh-In Gallery
Photo Credit: Caden Brown & Jacob Fine
"You Can't Win the Classic on Day One, but you sure can lose it today."
2019 Classic Day 1 thoughts:
BassTrak lies.
But that’s part of the fun of following a Bassmaster Classic as it unfolds – even with all the behind the scenes vantage points afforded by today’s technology, human error, or simple sandbagging, still occurs.
One of the big surprises was Roy Hawk – BassTrak estimate, 14 pounds, 12 ounces. Actual weight, 17-11 which put him in the lead most of the way through the 52-angler weigh in. UNTIL Ott Defoe (17-11 on BassTrak) dropped 20 pounds-even and took the lead.
So much for technology.
On the other hand, Edwin Evers shared some disappointing surprises that he experienced on the water today. “Weird day. I missed a lot of fish. They were just nipping at it. They act like pressured fish.”
These lakes have a reputation for fishing small and not holding up well to angling pressure. The pressure of simply having spectator boats along with anglers pounding the shallows could make for a difficult bite over the final 2 days of this Classic.
But somebody always makes a big comeback (another one of those fun surprises). Who will it Be? Gerald Swindle gave us a big hint. “Look down the standings after the first day. Anybody with over 12 pounds has a shot, but you’ve got to have that 12-pound start in order to have any real chance of winning. Then if you can back it up with 17 and 17 the next 2 days, you’ve got a shot.”
Skeet Reese echoed that estimate just before weigh in today. “I’m hoping I have at least 12 pounds. That’s what it’s going to take to stay in the hunt.” He weighed 12-1. Another pleasant surprise.
Smallmouth will be a factor this week. Jacob Powroznik showed us a nice one before he rolled into the arena and dropped 13-4 on the scale.
Brent Ehrler also had a big, beautiful smallmouth to show off. He only had 2 other fish to go with it. Catching numbers of brown bass over the 18-inch length limit will be difficult for anybody to do.
Mark Daniels rode a 5-pounder to a great start. With 14-8 he is right where he wants to be.
Todd Faircloth had a quiet confidence that could make him a dangerous man. With 13-9, he’s off to the right kind of start.
Speaking of ‘right where they want to be’, Jacob Powroznik said, “I want to go into the final day in 7thor 8thplace because then you fish relaxed and let it happen while the guys fighting for the lead . . .” and then he made a choking gesture with his hands around his neck.
Powroznik may get his wish. He has 13-4.
In making sure we bring you the Classic in authentic fashion, We interviews the Anglers so you can hear it straight from the "Horse's Mouth" so to speak.
Wesley Strader - 10.14 Pounds - 17th Place
Justin Lucas - 16.07 Pounds - 4th Place
Gerald Swindle - 11.15 Pounds - 15th Place
Roy Hawk - 17.11 Pounds - 2nd Place
Kevin VanDam - 10.2 Pounds - 20th Place
Full Results:
| Place | Name | Total Fish / Weight |
Day 1 Fish / Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 / 20 - 0 | 5 / 20 - 0 | |
| 2 | 5 / 17 - 11 | 5 / 17 - 11 | |
| 3 | 5 / 16 - 11 | 5 / 16 - 11 | |
| 4 | 5 / 16 - 7 | 5 / 16 - 7 | |
| 5 | 5 / 14 - 11 | 5 / 14 - 11 | |
| 6 | 5 / 14 - 8 | 5 / 14 - 8 | |
| 6 | 5 / 14 - 8 | 5 / 14 - 8 | |
| 8 | 5 / 13 - 9 | 5 / 13 - 9 | |
| 9 | 5 / 13 - 4 | 5 / 13 - 4 | |
| 9 | 5 / 13 - 4 | 5 / 13 - 4 | |
| 11 | 5 / 12 - 15 | 5 / 12 - 15 | |
| 12 | 5 / 12 - 9 | 5 / 12 - 9 | |
| 13 | 4 / 12 - 3 | 4 / 12 - 3 | |
| 14 | 5 / 12 - 1 | 5 / 12 - 1 | |
| 15 | 5 / 11 - 15 | 5 / 11 - 15 | |
| 16 | 5 / 11 - 5 | 5 / 11 - 5 | |
| 17 | 5 / 10 - 14 | 5 / 10 - 14 | |
| 17 | 5 / 10 - 14 | 5 / 10 - 14 | |
| 19 | 5 / 10 - 11 | 5 / 10 - 11 | |
| 20 | 5 / 10 - 2 | 5 / 10 - 2 | |
| 21 | 5 / 10 - 1 | 5 / 10 - 1 | |
| 22 | 5 / 9 - 11 | 5 / 9 - 11 | |
| 23 | 5 / 9 - 9 | 5 / 9 - 9 | |
| 24 | 4 / 9 - 5 | 4 / 9 - 5 | |
| 25 | 5 / 9 - 4 | 5 / 9 - 4 | |
| 26 | 5 / 9 - 2 | 5 / 9 - 2 | |
| 26 | 5 / 9 - 2 | 5 / 9 - 2 | |
| 28 | 4 / 9 - 0 | 4 / 9 - 0 | |
| 29 | 5 / 8 - 15 | 5 / 8 - 15 | |
| 30 | 5 / 8 - 12 | 5 / 8 - 12 | |
| 30 | 5 / 8 - 12 | 5 / 8 - 12 | |
| 32 | 4 / 8 - 10 | 4 / 8 - 10 | |
| 33 | 5 / 8 - 6 | 5 / 8 - 6 | |
| 34 | 4 / 8 - 4 | 4 / 8 - 4 | |
| 35 | 3 / 8 - 4 | 3 / 8 - 4 | |
| 36 | 3 / 8 - 3 | 3 / 8 - 3 | |
| 37 | 3 / 8 - 1 | 3 / 8 - 1 | |
| 38 | 4 / 7 - 14 | 4 / 7 - 14 | |
| 39 | 2 / 7 - 7 | 2 / 7 - 7 | |
| 40 | 5 / 7 - 6 | 5 / 7 - 6 | |
| 41 | 4 / 7 - 6 | 4 / 7 - 6 | |
| 42 | 4 / 7 - 0 | 4 / 7 - 0 | |
| 43 | 4 / 6 - 15 | 4 / 6 - 15 | |
| 44 | 4 / 6 - 10 | 4 / 6 - 10 | |
| 45 | 3 / 6 - 6 | 3 / 6 - 6 | |
| 46 | 4 / 6 - 5 | 4 / 6 - 5 | |
| 47 | 1 / 4 - 1 | 1 / 4 - 1 | |
| 48 | 2 / 3 - 12 | 2 / 3 - 12 | |
| 49 | 2 / 3 - 5 | 2 / 3 - 5 | |
| 50 | 2 / 3 - 3 | 2 / 3 - 3 | |
| 51 | 2 / 2 - 14 | 2 / 2 - 14 | |
| 52 | 0 / 0 - 0 | 0 |
Classic Coverage is brought to you by DD26 Fishing Mean Mounts and Mean Stops. There is no safer way to secure your outboard than with a Mean Mount. Check the out below.
2019 Bassmaster Classic - Take Off Day 1
2019 Bassmaster Classic Media Day Interviews
AnglersChannel's Jason Duran talks tp a few anglers as they prepare for Day 1 of the 2019 Bassmaster Classic.
This Classic, the 49th edition of bass fishing’s most major event, will be special for many reasons.
Vance McCullough
Photo Credit: Jacob Fine
For one, well, it is the Classic. That alone makes it special.
But this instalment marks the end of an era. It also marks the beginning of a new era that will give us new characters and new adventures, along with some of the legends we’ve grown to love – remember the Elite Series tourney on the St Johns River last month? Some guy named Clunn smashed almost 100 pounds.
But this week, right now, this is the end of something truly outstanding. When ESPN bought B.A.S.S. some years ago they wanted TV-friendly action. They made no secret that they wanted to showcase the personalities behind the consoles of those gleaming bass rockets that roster-tailed across some of America’s greatest fisheries.. The lakes, too, became rock stars. Amistad, Falcon, Clear Lake, the entire TVA system, Okeechobee, the St Johns River have all thrilled us with eye-popping catches. And the personalities . . . Skeet Reese, Mike Iaconelli, Ish Monroe, Kevin VanDam, Gerald Swindle – fans fell in love with them.
To address the elephant in the room, 36 of the competitors in this year’s Classic no longer compete on the Elite Series. They now ply their trade on the new Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour. Therefore, unless any one of those guys wins this Classic and the right to defend as Champion next year, this will be the last Bassmaster Classic for those guys for the foreseeable future. A few of them are fishing the Bassmaster Opens in the hopes of qualifying for the Classic via that route, but there will, mathematically, be very few who can do that.
This is the last Bassmaster Classic of an era in our sport; the high point for a generation of pros that took it to a new level.
As such, it means more. To some anglers.
“You can feel it,” said Swindle. “There’s a certain number of guys here that know, and even within that group there are guys who haven’t really accepted the weight of that – that they might not be back here – and there’s a certain amount that have, so yeah, there’s a big sense of urgency to win this one.
“This is the best of the best, the strongest field you can get so let’s do it.”
Ott Defoe said, “For two-thirds of the field, this is our last Classic in the foreseeable future so there is absolutely an added sense of urgency to be able to win one.”
Iaconelli agrees that it would be special to win this Classic against his longtime peers, but he also notes that the guys who have nearly won yet never hoisted the trophy may have the most motivation this week. “The saving grace for me is for me is I’ve got (a Classic win). Would I love to win again? Absolutely, but I think some of the other guys may be even more motivated – or stressed, depending on how you look at it – the guys that haven’t won yet.”
One of ‘the guys that haven’t won yet’, despite some strong showings, is Bobby Lane. “I don’t know if this will be my last Classic or if I’ve got 5 more to fish. You never know. I am fishing the Opens (in an attempt to requalify) but I think everybody has that same mentality this week, like ‘this is the one to win’. This might be some guys’ absolute last Bassmaster Classic.
“I have been there, been close. I feel like I’ve let a couple slip away. It’s only that one cast. And it’s like it wasn’t meant to be. I won the Open last year by 13 pounds. It was meant to be. I want to win a Classic like that but this body of water is going to be a tough challenge.
“But this one would mean more than the world, my brother and me both being here and I turned 45 last week so I’m not getting any younger but to win this one would definitely be a way to put the icing on the cake.”
Brandon Palaniuk also fits under the heading of guys who have come close but not yet won a Classic. “I’ve really tried not to add any pressure by thinking about it being the last, because I don’t know that it will be . . . the last. It could be, but it’s too early to know what all is going on in the industry.
“But I’ve tried not to get caught up in that because you can put too much pressure on yourself and try to force things to happen instead of allowing your mind to be open to change. We’re going to have a lot of change this week.”
VanDam has a chance to win an unprecedented 5thClassic this week. Given the circumstances, is the experience here different? “You know, I thought it really would be, but it’s not. I’m putting in the same effort as I do every year. Next year might be a whole lot different but right now I’m just focused on the moment, trying to come up with the best game plan, thinking about the weather, the same things I go through for any tournament.”
2012 Classic Champ Chris Lane says this time around things are different, though not because he feels added pressure. “For me it’s a lot more relaxed. When they call your name, your number in the morning, it’s time to go try to win what’s, probably, going to be my last Classic.”
Lane paused, sighed and added, “For me it’s a sense of closure, I think,” his voice trailing off in almost a question mark and another pause before concluding, “This is the Bassmaster Classic. This is the biggest and the baddest of all the tournaments right now. To hoist that trophy and know that this will change your life . . .
“and all the sponsors that help you, that’s why I want this event I want this for everybody that sponsors Chris Lane Fishing because they’re the reason we’re here.”
In addition to the intensity that always accompanies the Classic as well as the extra dimension of urgency mentioned above, Defoe has the added pressure of being a home-standing angler. He puts it in proper perspective. “Winning the Classic last year at Hartwell would have meant just as much, professionally, but personally, this one would obviously mean a lot because I’m in front of my family and friends. But I want to win them all.”
Wesley Strader is feeling the local pride. “It feels like a dream come true to be able to fish a Bassmaster Classic here on a body of water that I grew up fishing when I was a kid. It’s like getting to play the Super Bowl in your high school stadium. That’s what I equate it to.”
As for tactics, this one is looks to be a straight forward prespawn power fishing derby. Flat-sided crankbaits will get plenty of play. Spinnerbaits and bladed jigs should show up big as well. A couple of guys were willing to divulge some details.
Andy Montgomery is high on Strike King’s new Thunder Cricket. “It could be a player for sure. We got some rain and this lake can dirty-up really, really fast.”
Palaniuk thinks everybody will have a Shad Rap or similar tied on.
VanDam predicts, “This going to be, predominantly, a crankbait tournament. There’s no doubt that a majority of the guys are going to be power-fishing, There’s going to be a lot of crankbaits, a lot of spinnerbaits and then, a lot of jigs. But with the water level being low, it really makes it conducive for fishing crankbaits.
Iaconelli agrees, “This, to me, does not set up to be a finesse, slow, light line, take-your-time tournament. This tournament is going to lend itself to power-fishing, covering a lot of water, fishing reaction baits. I think you’re going to see some fireworks this week.”
Swindle says, “You’re going to see a lot of DT-6, Brats (referring to a couple of Rapala’s most popular offerings), a lot of boys are going to be throwing hand-carved, flat-sided crankbaits – the Knoxville area is where a lot of those kind of lures come from so you’ll see a lot of that.”
The weather is supposed turn progressively colder with daytime highs in the 50’s over the weekend and a light freeze at night. Some anglers doubt the cool down will affect these fish much. “It won’t affect the ones that are already up there,” says Montgomery, who has fished 4 national tournaments on these lakes, “but it may stop any more of them from coming.”
Whether or not the weather affects the bite, boat pressure certainly will. This place fishes small and there will be competitors, spectators, and apparently, some locals may even try to help the pros catch all the fish.
That said, it may be hard to catch up on Saturday and Sunday. A solid start in Friday’s opening round will be especially important.
VanDam says, “It’s really going to be critical here to not have a bad day. You just can’t. It’s not the type of fishery that has a ton of big fish where you can catch a big one and come back. You’re going to have to be consistent.”
Strader thinks it will take around 50 pounds to win. That seems to be the consensus among the anglers. And he agrees that Day 1 might present the best chance to get headed in that direction. “This place doesn’t hold up well to pressure. I think the first day is going to be the optimum because it’s going to have the best weather conditions, more favorable for catching better bass.”
Smallmouth will be a factor, maybe. They must measure 18 inches on these lakes and they have been elusive. They have shown up, incidentally, along with the largemouth when they’ve shown up at all. If anybody has figured out how to target smallmouth, specifically, they are keeping quiet about it. Strader thinks the water will be too dirty to do much of that anyway.
Swindle reminds us, “You can’t win this tomorrow, but you can lose it. You’ve got to get to that 12-to-13-pound mark the first day to stay in the game. You don’t have to lead it tomorrow, but you’ve got to have 12 or 13 pounds and then back it up on Saturday and Sunday.
“Tomorrow is a key day. Don’t worry about who’s winning it, look down the list. Everybody with over 12 pounds has a chance to win it.”
Classic Coverage is brought to you by DD26 Fishing Mean Mounts and Mean Stops. There is no safer way to secure your outboard than with a Mean Mount. Check the out below.
Iaconelli guarantees crankbait will win Classic
Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
Team Toyota’s Mike Iaconelli will be the first to tell you the past few months have been among the most challenging of his life. But on the eve of the 2019 Bassmaster Classic in Knoxville he seems to be in a very good place. Full of laughter, kindness, and confidence, and even guaranteeing what the winning lure will be.
Q: Other than the 2003 Classic you won in New Orleans, what do you consider your single greatest Classic moment?
Ike: This will surprise you, but it wasn’t one of the Classics I competed in. My greatest Classic moment was watching Rick Clunn come from behind to win the 1990 Classic on the James River as a teenager. It gave me chills, and I knew after watching that TV show this was absolutely what I wanted to do for a living.
Q: What is your greatest concern going into this Classic?
Ike: My biggest concern is if the TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) quits running current. Current is a huge key for me this week. With more rain forecasted, I doubt they’ll slow it down much. At least I hope not.
Q: When the scales stop spinning on Friday, what will the leader’s weight be?
Ike: I’d say 20 or 21 pounds. I doubt the same guy catches 20 pounds all three days, and I’ll almost bet two of the five keepers the leader weighs-in will be smallmouth.
Q: What’s the coolest thing you’ve experienced in Knoxville since you arrived in town last week?
Ike: That’s easy. Going out to Ott and Jennie DeFoe’s house, seeing their new place, and visiting with Ott about all the custom crankbait work he’s doing for Rapala right now.
Q: Name 4 lures fans can expect to see the Classic competitors throw most this week?
Ike: Yep, no problem, in fact, I’ll rank these in order. First, crankbaits like a DT6 or Shad Rap. Second, double Colorado-bladed spinnerbaits. Third, vibrating jigs. And fourth, old school ½ ounce pitching jigs. And because the water temps are in the low 50s, and muddy to off colored water, coupled with current, lots of current, I’ll go on record and guarantee this Classic will be won on a crankbait -- 100% guarantee it!
Classic Coverage is brought to you by DD26 Fishing Mean Mounts and Mean Stops. There is no safer way to secure your outboard than with a Mean Mount. Check the out below.
3 Classic Questions with Jordan Lee
Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships
Carhartt pro Jordan Lee could make history here on the Tennessee River this week. Last year, Jordan joined Kevin VanDam and Rick Clunn as the only anglers to ever post back-to-back Bassmaster Classic wins after his triumph on Lake Hartwell in 2018. If Lee were to hoist the trophy this Sunday in Knoxville he’d become the only angler in history to win fishing’s most coveted trophy three years in a row.
To keep the “3” momentum moving, we spent a few minutes with Jordan and asked him a trio of three part questions, ranging from what techniques he expects will shine this weekend, to advice Lee has for the younger generation of anglers.
Q – What are 3 lures or techniques you expect to excel this week on the Tennessee River?
J. Lee –
1. Crawfish Crankbait
2. Flippin’ jig
3. A big spinnerbait
“Those three presentations are what I’ll be relying on at least,” Lee admitted. “The way this body of water sets up I think the Classic will be won by fishing stretches of bankor flats as opposed to one particular spot. The time of the year and water clarity set this tournament up to be a power fishing clinic. I’d expect someone covering a lot of water in the 2-ft to 6-ft to be the winner on Sunday.”
2019 marks Lee’s 5th time competing in the BassmasterClassic. As many anglers before him have alluded to, it’s not only the level of competition that makes a Classic one of the hardest tournaments to win. The weeklongproduction of meetings, dinners, and media obligations has a way of frazzling even the most collected anglers.
Q – You’ve competed in several Classics now, based upon your experience what are 3 things you pack for the Bassmaster Classic week, unrelated to fishing, that help you throughout the week?
J. Lee –
1. My wife, Kristen
2. My dog, Sage
3. Milo’s Sweet Tea
“Obviously I don’t “pack” my wife or my dog,” Lee joked. “But having Kristen with me for a tournament like this helps a ton. She makes my life easier and is the first to pick me up or calm me down when I need it. With practice and all the events, the Classic really ends up being a long week or two away from home. Having my dog Sage with us just kind of makes me feel at home believe it or not.
“And Milo’s tea… man that’s clutch! It’s good stuff and, I don’t know, it just seems like when I can find Milo’s Sweet Tea it helps me win tournaments,” said Lee with a laugh.
Lee qualified for his first Bassmaster Classic through the Carhartt College Bassmaster Series and really cut his teeth competitively in the college ranks. While Lee may be 27 years young, his back-to-back Classic victories and consistency at the highest levels of competition prove he is wise beyond his years, especially when it comes to catching bass.
Q – What are your 3 best tips for an up-and-coming collegiate or high school angler who dreams of fishing professionally one day?
J. Lee –
1. Time on the water
2. Fish different types of fisheries
3. Step outside your comfort zone, competition wise
“The first and most important tip I give anyone is simply time on the water,” Lee said. “Practice really does make perfect and if you aren’t out there working at it, someone else is. Next is to fish different types of lakes and in different conditions. If you want to be a pro fisherman, you need to be able to catch ‘em whether the water is clear or dirty; whether the sun is shining or it’s miserable out. Being well rounded is key nowadays.
“Lastly I always advise young anglers to step outside their comfort zone and fishing against competition who is supposed to be better than you. You’re going to get beat more than you win in fishing, but gaining even a little confidence against talented groups of anglers will go a long ways. Just keep working at it!”
Classic Coverage is brought to you by DD26 Fishing Mean Mounts and Mean Stops. There is no safer way to secure your outboard than with a Mean Mount. Check the out below.
The 49th BASSMASTER Classic - By the #’s
Looking ahead as we prepare for this weeks Bassmasters Classic, for those of you into box scores here are a few stats for you:
*Among the 52 Competitors in the 2019 Classic, 36 are former Elite Series Pro’s who now fish the Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour.
*Of those 36 former Elite Pro’s, 8 are previous Classic Winners with both Jordan Lee and Kevin VanDam holding multiple titles.
*There are 12 Current Elite Series Anglers that are a part of the field as well. None have ever won a Classic.
*5 of those anglers are not only Elite Series Rookies but also Classic Rookies
*2018 ROY Jake Whitaker is also a Classic Rookie
*Returning Elite Anglers to the Classic:
*Drew Benton – 2nd Classic Appearance
*Seth Feider – 2nd Classic Appearance
*Micah Frazier – 3rd Classic Appearance
*Brandon Lester – 4th Classic Appearance
*Chris Zaldain – 4th Classic Appearance
*Cliff Pirch – 6th Classic Appearance
*The remaining 4 Classic Competitors are also Classic Rookies but are not fishing a Pro Tour currently. They qualified through the BASS Nation and Bassmaster Team Championship slots.
Dubbed as the “last great” Classic due to the high level of competition in this weeks event, this one will no doubt be one for the record books. The Tennessee River is flowing at a high capacity and local favorite Wesley Strader said in a recent podcast interview, “It’s not as high as I have ever seen it, but it is flowing more than I’ve ever seen.” Strader went on to say “I think it will take between 16-18 pounds a day to win this deal, this is the smallest lake on the chain and I don’t think it can take 50 of the best anglers in the world pounding on it for 3 days.”
As Media Day kicks off later today, make sure and stay tuned to us here at AnglersChannel.com and our social media channels as we bring you Classic coverage from beginning to end with video, photo galleries, articles and more.
Classic Coverage is brought to you by DD26 Fishing Mean Mounts and Mean Stops. There is no safer way to secure your outboard than with a Mean Mount. Check the out below.
"Hero to Zero" ~ Team Tournament Blog
Luke Estel
Exactly one year ago I was sitting in my garage staring at the boat my partner and I had just won. It was surreal. There are no words to describe how it feels when you win the biggest team tournament of the year. Everything went right. From the decision making to the massive fish catches, we could do no wrong.
Today I sit in my same garage staring into space wondering how I missed the mark. We practiced hard and came up empty. I still don’t know what or how it happened but it did.
The Anglers Choice Team Classic held on Lake Guntersville is the one tournament I look most forward to. The lake itself also holds a special place in my heart due to the fact I have been there so many times and dream of living there in the near future. I have friends there that are like family to me so going to this lake is like going to my local lake. I am expected to do well and I place a lot of pressure on myself to do so.
This year the lake was high and flood waters had ravaged the Tennessee River Chain. The gates on every body of water along the Tennessee were all wide open. Guntersville was pulling 200,000 CFM and it was like trying to fish the Mississippi River. From what we gathered in practice, the bass were holing in current breaks. The problem was that we could only catch one fish per spot. Our game plan was to run a bunch of spots and catch one off of each place and then move. Except I know how Gville is and there is always a group of big fish somewhere and when someone finds them, they will load the boat quick.
Well, we never found that magic spot. We caught fifteen pounds the first day and went looking for the mother load the second day and never came across it. Our good friends, Marc Sheffer and Kevin Reynolds did find “the spot” and camped on it for two days. They caught twenty eight pounds the first day and twenty three pounds the second day to take home first place. Fishing a current break with a grass flat behind it, they stroked them using rattle traps and chatterbaits. That makes it two years in a row that thetrophy has come back to Southern Illinois. Gongrats guys.
Mark Menendez once told me that the tournaments you think you will win are the ones you fail, and the tournaments you don’t expect to do well are the ones that you shine in. Those are wise words from a man who has seen and done it all. Maybe next year Chopper and I can redeem ourselves. I am alrady looking forward to next year.
Swindle trying to find more honey holes
Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
Fans know Gerald Swindle as bass fishing’s funniest man. But what they may not realize is the former house framer is one of the deepest thinkers on tour. Thoughts about everything from relationships, to country music, and spinnerbaits often spin around in his head like the blade of a circular saw.
The predawn of the 2019 Bassmaster Classic’s final practice day was no exception. Swindle appeared fun and calm on the outside while poking fun at his buddy Wesley Strader’s shoes. But simultaneously, thoughts raced inside his closely shaved melon about how he’d add more productive water to what he’s already found.
“I have about four areas right now I feel good about, but I really feel like I need to have 12. So today is about expanding on my confidence areas,” says the Toyota pro. “You take a local guy like Wesley Strader or Ott DeFoe, and they’re going to have lots of alternative places to run to if their water gets crowded or muddy. But I’m still trying to add options to my list today.”
Speaking of muddy water, Swindle says one of the things he’s contending with is the orange red mudlines that result from boat wakes when several competitors run into areas where shorelines are made of red clay.
Hence the reason a double Colorado spinnerbait could be a player in this derby. In cleaner, clearer waters, he says fans should look for pros to cast old school flat sided crankbaits this region is famous for, as well as Rapala DT6 cranks, and Shad Raps.
But more importantly for Swindle, the chance to finally add a Bassmaster Classic victory to his highly accomplished career comes down to making sure his mental approach stays level and plumb.
“I’ve got to stay focused on finding stuff that’s not in the community holes, stay in control of the things I do best, fish clean and efficient, adapt well to change, and stay in my own head,” Swindle concludes.
Confucius, Aristotle, Ben Franklin -- all known for being great thinkers. And in bass fishing realms, add Swindle to the list as well.
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Jackson & McKinney of McKendree University Lead FLW College Fishing Event on Kentucky Lake
March 12, 2019 by Justin Onslow
Blake Jackson and Trevor McKinney of McKendree University outpaced an incredibly productive field on day one of the YETI FLW College Fishing Open to lock up the day one lead on Kentucky Lake. The duo weighed in a bag that primarily consisted of smallmouths weighing 23 pounds, 11 ounces. They hold a two-ounce lead over Bethel University's Cole Floyd and Carter McNeil.
The top 10 of this event is absolutely stacked, and even to be in the top 20 required a bag of at least 20-1. That's some seriously good fishing on Kentucky Lake, and Jackson and McKinney were the best of the best on day one.
After what the pair called an “awful practice,” Jackson and McKinney entered day one of the Open with one spot they felt confident in. It was a spot they found with only an hour left in practice on Monday, the afternoon before the event.
“Yesterday afternoon we made the decision to change to a different boat ramp, and we went out and made the most of what we had,” McKinney says. “We found one point where we doubled up on smallmouth, and we went back there this morning and had 20 pounds within 30 minutes. They were really there.”
In all, the McKendree standouts caught 10 smallmouth over 3 pounds on the day, and only one of the fish they brought to the weigh-in stage was a largemouth — which they found close to the takeoff ramp that culled out a 4-pound smallmouth.
“We had a blast today,” Jackson says. “It went better than I’d ever imagined it was going to go. Every fish we hooked we got in the boat. We had 10 smallmouth and the smallest one was 3 pounds. Any time you can catch that caliber of smallmouth and that many of them, it’s just a blessed day.”
That might even be an understatement considering the quality of fish weighed in on day one. The entire field of 196 teams weighed in 21 bags over 20 pounds and 21 more over 15 pounds. Kentucky Lake showed out in a big way, and McKinney and Jackson made sure it showed out best for them.
The area the duo was fishing was what McKinney calls a “magical spot,” where there’s a bunch of current near deep water. It’s a point on the lake much like many others, but this one held a big school of smallmouths that seemed to replenish as the day went on.
“We checked back later in the day and caught a couple fish and they were still there,” says Jackson of that spot.
“Once we had it dialed in, it was easy,” adds McKinney. “You could just throw right to where they were. Smallmouth are easy to catch once you find them, and they usually reload.”
The day-one leaders only relied on one type of bait to do their damage: a craw-color crankbait, specifically a Spro Mike McClelland RkCrawler mid-diving crankbait. When the school got fired up, that’s all it really took.
Catching 23-plus pounds and leading a team event isn’t all about finding one good spot, though. For Jackson and McKinney, it’s just as much about trust and confidence in one another.
“We trust each other,” Jackson explains. “You’ve got to go with your gut feeling. We made a couple decisions throughout the day, but the one that kind of sticks out with us is we came back up this way a little bit, and we went into a pocket and started fishing. We caught a few, and something stuck out that was out of the ordinary. [McKinney] said, ‘We need to go hit that.’
“It wasn’t big — it wasn’t a big point — it was something real specific. We went back there and caught our only largemouth of the day.”
That confidence in each other’s decision-making comes with comfortability and familiarity. The duo just works well together.
“We’ve fished quite a bit together,” McKinney says. “We work very well together on the water. Typically, we both have the same feel for what we’re going to do, and it’s not hard to make decisions with [Jackson]. If there’s something he wants to do that I’m not sure about, usually we’ll do it anyway. We have a lot of confidence in each other’s decision-making skills.”
If that confidence and that one “magical spot” is repeatable one more day, the McKendree duo is in great shape to take home the title on Kentucky Lake on Wednesday.
Top 10 Teams
1. Blake Jackson, Trevor McKinney – McKendree University – 23-11 (5)
2. Cole Floyd, Carter McNeil – Bethel University – 23-9 (5)
3. Blake Johnson, Ben Statly – Adrian College – 23-8 (5)
4. Dustin Jones, Dakota Cantrell – Campbellsville University – 23-5 (5)
5. Jonathan Creed, Jared Latone – Youngstown State University – 23-4 (5)
6. Clayton Winebarger, Ryan Strong – Virginia Highland Community College – 23-1 (5)
7. Kyle Palmer, John Coble Garrett – Bethel University – 22-13 (5)
8. Alex Henderson, Zach Manneback – Adrian College – 22-11 (5)
9. Tristan McCormick, Dakota Pierce – Bethel University – 22-9 (5)
10. Nolan Minor, Casey Lanier – West Virginia University – 22-6 (5)
Who will win the Toyota Bonus Bucks?
Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
An oversized cardboard Toyota Bonus Bucks cardboard check sat unassigned and on display as Bassmaster Classic competitors passed by the Toyota booth on angler registration day Tuesday at the Bassmaster Classic in Knoxville.
A huge number of Classic competitors tow with a Toyota, and are eligible to win, including Casey Ashley, Brent Chapman, and Todd Faircloth. All three signed up for Bonus Bucks, and could add the sizeable $7,500 fringe benefit from Toyota to the $300,000 first place prize from B.A.S.S. should they become the 2019 Bassmaster Classic Champ.
Ashley, Chapman, and Faircloth talked about why they love Toyota, and how they’d spend the $7,500 should they win this Classic in Knoxville.
Why have you been loyal to Toyota for so many years?
Ashley:The first vehicle I ever drove as a teenager was a 1988 Toyota, and as a pro I won nearly enough money the first year I was signed-up for Bonus Bucks to pay for a Tundra.
Chapman:Pure and simple, they’re awesome trucks.
Faircloth:I believe when a company supports our sport as generously as Toyota has for so many years, it’s our responsibility as anglers to support them in return.
What are your favorite qualities of a Toyota Tundra?
Ashley:It pulls like crazy, and as long as I keep the gas tank full and fresh tires on it, I don’t have to worry about mechanical failures.
Chapman:Low maintenance, and it pulls my boat as well as a diesel.
Faircloth:It tows great, and I have a great relationship with my local Toyota dealer.
If you win the 2019 Bassmaster Classic, and pick up the $7,500 Toyota Bonus Bucks check, what are you going to spend it on?
Ashley:An asphalt driveway for the house I’m building.
Chapman:A tractor to build deer hunting food plots, and also to use on the 20 acres we’re about to build a house on.
Faircloth:It would be spent on all sorts of things related to a whitetail deer lease.
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Toyota adds Bassmaster Elite Series Anglers Matt Arey and Brandon Lester
Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
Texas-based Toyota Motor North America proudly announces the expansion of their professional bass angling team to include Bassmaster Elite Series anglers Matt Arey and Brandon Lester.
Arey, who passed his driver’s test 22 years ago in a Toyota truck, has won nearly $1 Million in his pro angling career, and qualified for 10 Forrest Wood Cup Championships before joining the Bassmaster Elite Series this season.
“I passed my driver’s test in a 1993 four-wheel drive, extended cab, Toyota pick-up truck with BFG All Terrain tires on it. If you can’t tell that truck still means the world to me 22 years later,” smiles Arey, who holds a degree in Business Agriculture from North Carolina State.
“These days, I’m driving my fifth full-size Toyota Tundra,” says Arey. “It’s all about reliability. I’ve never had a mechanical issue with any of the five Tundras I’ve bought, and the Bonus Bucks program is a no-brainer if you’re a tournament fisherman.”
Brandon Lester is truly one of bass fishing’s brightest young stars, and he too has been a loyal Tundra owner during his short but illustrious career that includes (23) Top 20s and 3 Bassmaster Classics.
“I bought my first Tundra because I wanted to be eligible for Bonus Bucks, but it’s just a top-quality vehicle, and the huge 38-gallon fuel tank they have today is just awesome for those of us that tow a bass boat long distances,” says Lester.
“Honestly, I’m both honored and humbled to be a part of Team Toyota because there’s no other company in the world that has done more to support bass fishing during the six years I’ve been a pro than Toyota,” says Lester.
“Toyota is proud to have two Bassmaster Elite Series pro anglers who have been long-time customers, and successful in the Bonus Bucks Program join the Toyota Fishing Team,” concluded Matt Ozawa, Engagement Marketing Manager, Toyota North America.
Keeping that Momentum Train Rolling - AC Rookie Podcast
This week Jason checks in with FLW Tour Rookie Hunter Freeman and discuss details of Hunters first Championship Sunday cut on Lake Seminole. Hunter goes into detail how he found his fish and his tactics to help him make the Saturday and ultimately the Sunday final cut as well as looks ahead to upcoming events and how he feels about his season.
