South African Varkevisser Grabs Lead At B.A.S.S. Nation Championship On Lake Hartwell
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Costa® Sunglasses Unveils Diego As Most Advanced Performance Frame to Date
Daytona Beach, Fla. – November 7, 2019 – Costa® Sunglasses, long-committed to creating the highest quality performance sunglasses for the most discerning watermen and women, used those very people as inspiration to create the new Diego frame. Constructed to keep you on the water longer, Diego is the most feature-laden, highly engineered frame the company has ever produced.
Named for the diverse and dynamic fisheries around San Diego, California, the Diego frame is up to the task whether chasing Yellowtail or the mighty Bluefin. Simply stated, this next evolution in eyewear is performance perfected—designed with capability in every detail:
- Innovative vented hinge system to maximize airflow and maximize comfort
- Vented nose pads reduce fogging
- Integrated top and side shields block light
- Sweat management system cools and wicks away moisture
- Flexible and keeper-ready temple tips enhance fit
“At Costa, we put our all into every frame we create, and we strive to bring innovation into our performance collection with each new design,” said John Sanchez, vice president of product development at Costa Sunglasses. “Our team doesn’t just live for the water, we come to life on the water and that’s exactly why we created Diego. This high-tech frame was over engineered to provide maximum-performance features to keep even the most hardcore adventurers on the water longer.”
Diego features Costa color-enhancing 580® lens technology in both Lightwave® glass and impact-resistant polycarbonate, which provides 100 percent UV protection and polarization. This patented 580 lens technology selectively filters out harsh yellow light for superior contrast and definition while absorbing high-energy blue light to cut haze and enhance sharpness. In addition, Costa lens technology reduces glare and eye fatigue, and its Lightwave glass is 20 percent thinner and 22 percent lighter than average polarized glass.
Diego is a large fit and comes in three frame colors, including Matte Black, Matte Midnight Blue and Matte Gray. The new style ranges in price from $199 to $279 depending on lens selection. For more information on Diego and the full line of Costa sunglasses, visit CostaSunglasses.com.
Belik Takes Lead At Opening Round Of B.A.S.S. Nation Championship On Lake Hartwell
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Two Tour Pro, Costa Champ & the loss of a Fishing Pioneer
This week Chris, Jason and the boys welcome in newly announced two-tour Pro John Cox to discuss the details and answers the hard questions as to why he has committed to both BASS and FLW Tours for 2020. Jason also talks to 2019 Costa Champ, Strike King, Lew's Pro Andrew Upshaw! Turn it up, we are comin' atcha!
What DeFoe, Scroggins, and Swindle did when nobody was watching
Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorhips
I was walking across a dark and wet parking lot a couple Saturday nights ago at Picwick Lake when I saw current Bassmaster Classic Champ, Ott DeFoe dang near standing on his head in the battery compartment of a boat he didn’t own. Next to “Otter” was 2-time Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year, Gerald Swindle. And beside Swindle, was his longtime buddy and $2 Million career prize money winner, Terry “Big Show” Scroggins.
The three very well-known pros had just finished making 450 amateur anglers feel like superstars at the 8th Annual Toyota Bonus Bucks tournament registration dinner and rules meeting. That’s where they discovered one team’s chance to participate the next morning was seriously threatened by the sort of marine wiring issues we’ve all dealt with.
“Gerald asked us how our day was in the registration line. We told him we’d lost all electrical power, been towed back to the ramp in the cold rain, and might not get to fish. He asked if we could go get the boat back at the house we were renting, and bring it back to the ramp for he and “Big Show” to try and fix,” says, Derrick Gray, team fishing partner of the boat’s owner, Jason Forsgren.
Gray, a career Air Force man and Tennessee Game Warden admits Swindle’s unbelievably generous offer blew him away and covered him in goosebumps of gratefulness.
He and Forsgren were quick to take Swindle up on his offer, and immediately upon their return with the troubled boat, DeFoe jumped in to help Swindle and Scroggins by targeting all the wiring in the battery compartment. Swindle became chief tool supplier, running back and forth to his Tundra’s toolbox, and Scroggins phoned for even more help in the form of hardworking Triton Boats technician, Kevin Davenport.
“Scroggins eventually climbed up under the driver’s console and figured out how to restore power to the outboard. But we had to improvise and limp through the tournament with portable navigation lights and a livewell pump we bought at Academy Sports later that night,” says Gray.
They did more than limp. Fact is, Gray and Forsgren caught an admirable 11 pounds, and finished barely out of the money by dragging a 3/8-ounce jig on the floor of the famed Tennessee River. Gray and Forsgren are both Toyota Tundra owners, and say they’ll be back for more Bonus Bucks Owners tournaments in the future.
“This was our third Bonus Bucks event to fish together. We love ‘em because there’s no entry fee, which expands our travel budget so we can bring the wives, rent a house, and make a mini vacation out of it. If you own a Toyota and you’re registered for Bonus Bucks – fishing in this annual event is a no-brainer in my opinion,” says Gray.
If it’s true the character of a man is best judged by what he does when nobody’s looking – then I’m glad I was there to see DeFoe, Scroggins and Swindle doing what most might never expect them to do. All I could do was hold a flashlight, marvel at their mechanical abilities, snap a photo, and make notes knowing this kind of goodness deserved to be shared.
The Big Bass Tour Special Edition
On this special episode of the AC Insider Podcast, Chris spends time at Big Bass Tour World Headquarters in Dallas, TX on opening day of 2020 Registration for the Big Bass Tour. Joined by Tournament Director Scott Gordon, Angler Experience Supervisor Greg Yates, BBT Angler Brayden Rakes and of the course the one and only KVD, This show is all about BIG BASS!
BPT Angler John Murray on Catching More Fall Bass!
Vance McCullough
Autumn. What a glorious time to be on the water. A camo-clad army of would-be anglers has headed to the woods and many of us have turned more than a little of our time and attention to football. You have more water to yourself and the bass are crushing spinnerbaits, crankbaits and topwaters.
Unless they aren’t.
Let’s be honest for a moment. As an outdoors writer, I’m supposed to sell you on this grand scene where bass fishing amid the blazing tones of turning leaves is the most fun you can have with your clothes on.
It can be.
But fall fishing can also be downright frustrating at times.
Let’s take a lesson from a pro who excels under conditions that challenge most of us. Originally from Arizona, Major League Fishing Pro John Murray has been getting his mail in East Tennessee for a couple of years now but he acquired his reputation, and his skills, as a talented finesse angler in the big desert lakes out West.
“Twelve months of the year, 24 hours a day, I’ve always got a dropshot rigged,” shares Murray. “Even on days that they’re eating the paint off a spinnerbait or something in the morning, sometimes by eleven o’clock you’re scratching.”
Murray’s go-to technique has produced in a variety of theatres. “I’ve won tournaments on Toledo Bend, the James River, different places, and the dropshot has been a key to those wins. It’s a great back up for when you have 3 good ones and just need 2 more. It’s always got a place in my fishing, especially in the fall because it’s so versatile I can catch them shallow or deep on it, depending how the fishing is going that day.”
Though it can be productive any time, Murray most often turns to the subtle tactic when the action slows. “In the fall, you usually have a feeding window, whether it’s in the early morning or maybe the afternoon, but then there are other times when they’re just not doing anything, but if you put a dropshot in their face, you’ll get a bite or two.
“I’ll put it in a different gear. Instead of running the trolling motor on high and running down grass lines or the bank, I’ll just take the foot off the trolling motor and start fishing the dropshot.
“It doesn’t matter. I don’t care if I’m flipping, I can throw a dropshot in there as well as anything else. If I’m in 60 feet of water with a jig or a spoon, I can throw a dropshot there. There’s no place that I’m fishing that I can’t catch them on a dropshot if it gets a little tough.”
In a departure from the ‘video game’ technique used by many dropshoters, Murray seldom goes vertical with his worm in autumn. “Even out on deep structure, I’m usually casting and dragging it uphill. I really like an uphill drag in the fall. Even when grass fishing, I’ll make a long cast. I tend to use a light weight in grass and swim it a little more. It’s a real finesse-looking bait coming through the water. I will let it settle in any holes or along the edge of grass. There’s not as much vertical fishing in the fall as in the winter or summer.”
Murray will pick the low-hanging fruit with fast-moving lures before mopping up. “If I’m fishing way out on a piece of a ridge and they’re eating a crankbait out there and they’re killing it in the morning and then they stop, that dropshot is the first thing going back out there to catch those last few. That’s also a big deal in the grass. You find an outer edge that has some fish on it with a reaction bait and you can come through a second time throwing a dropshot and catch a couple more that you wouldn’t have caught on those reaction baits.”
Some days a dropshot is Murray’s primary choice from the beginning. “Two things really push me that way. One is a lot of sun - bright, bright weather where you’ve got good visibility and you just can’t fool them with the reaction baits.
“The other is a lack of wind. You get a real calm, sunny day, I’ll probably go to a dropshot a lot faster than if it’s a windy day or a cloudy day. Usually on those low visibility days I’ll stick with a reaction bait because you can fool them just as well with that, but calm, sunny - I’m going to pick that dropshot up pretty quick.”
While many of us ask what bait the bass are chasing in autumn, Murray looks inward for the answer. “I’m always a confidence guy. My confidence here on the Tennessee River is usually a redbug color. It’s got the green fleck and the red hue. It’s got the crawdad colors. It’s got the shininess for a shad.” (Who - besides John Murray - knew ‘shininess’ was a word?)
“I’m not that big on color changing my day. I feel like, if I have the right bait and present it correctly, I’m going to catch them.”
While Murray notes that Gene Larew makes great shad colors, he relies heavily on redbug and the Sooner Run color for most situations. He’s comfortable with that slim color selection and, given his experience, that’s saying a lot.
As for lure shape and size, “I’m pretty much a 6-inch Gene Larew Tattletail guy. That’s the worm I designed. It’s got a swimming tail. It’s not a paddle tail and it’s not a straight tail. It’s got a little vibration to it, a little movement to it but it’s subtle.
“I will upsize to the 8-inch sometimes if I’m out in deeper water, looking for a bigger fish. Sometimes I’ll pinch a couple inches off and get down to 4 inches if I’m fishing out West where I want a smaller profile bait, but a 6-inch Tattle Tail pretty much covers all my fishing year-round.”
Rigging matters.
“I like it weedless because I’ll throw it anywhere. I don’t want to have an open hook and then come across a brush pile and I can’t throw it in there. I’m using a little offset light wire Gamakatsu hook and Texas-rigging it 90% of the time.
“The biggest thing for me is length of leader. I’ve seen that make a huge difference. My general starting size is 8-to-10-inches of leader off the bottom. Now, sometimes when it’s cold or the water gets a little dingy I’ll lower that down to a 3-or-4-inch leader, just off the bottom, and sometimes when the water is clear I like a long leader like 2-and-3-feet off the bottom because those fish tend to roam a little more in that clear water. Usually 10 inches is a good start and if I feel anything is off, I’ll change my leader length a little bit; try a different one.”
When imparting action to his worm, Murray is a drag. “I’m pulling it with a steady pull. I’m not a real big shaker. I don’t usually shake the rod tip. The only exception would be if there are spotted bass. I will shake the rod tip more then, but for largemouth or smallmouth I just like a steady drag. I just want that thing swimming like a minnow would, just swimming through. If it’s warmer I might start swimming it longer, might start reeling it slow, but if there’s any sort of fall weather I’ll probably let it settle. Just settle. Sometimes I’ll dead stick it and then pick it up again and drag it.”
The dragging action is a reason Murray likes to work uphill. “You’ve got that bottom contact. You can feel ‘oh, I’m coming into rocks now. I should get bit’ type of deal.”
Murray achieves that bottom contact with anything from a 3/16 to a 1/2 oz. tungsten weight, the heavy sinker generally getting the call in 40-plus feet of water. “If I’m throwing into shallow grass, I’m throwing a 3/16 or maybe even 1/8 ounce sometimes. A quarter ounce will cover most things. If a guy just wanted to have one dropshot weight, a quarter ounce would cover it.
“I use an 8-pound Gamma fluorocarbon leader. That’s a little heavy for where I grew up but here you need it because you can catch a 7-pounder any time on a dropshot.”
Murray attaches 5 feet of fluoro to 20-lb Gamma braid via a surgeon’s knot or a small swivel. He then ties the hook to the fluoro and forms his drop leader.
As stated, he will fish heavy cover with this finesse tactic, so his rod choice matches accordingly. “I use a 7’1” Enigma rod with a 3000-size spinning reel on it. Just a simple Enigma rod but I’ll use a medium action to medium-heavy rod. You see a lot of guys dropshoting with willow branches – real wimpy rods. I don’t want to. I use those for crappie rods. I’m fishing Texas-rigged most of the time, so I do want to have some power. I’m not setting the hook like you would with a Texas rig, but I’m reeling and pulling in and you want a rod with some stoutness to get that hookset.”
Deep water, where hooksets are more challenging on light line, and cold water may cause Murray to use an open hook on the nose of his worm. Otherwise, it’s the Texas rig, and not just for its weedless ways. “Fall time, I’ll almost never have an open hook. It’s more about boating fish. Sometimes those open hooks get every fish and sometimes you lose half of them – like, every big smallmouth you hook on them. A little, light Texas rig hook, you’ve got ‘em; you’ve got them pinned and they’re coming in the boat.”
Enjoy those fall feeding blitzes with fast lures but when the bite slows down, do the same and put John Murray’s tips to good use.
Jerry McKinnis, former B.A.S.S. co-owner, founder of JM Associates, and a legend in the fishing industry, passed away - Updated
Former B.A.S.S. Co-Owner, Outdoor Television Pioneer Jerry McKinnis Passes Away
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Jerry McKinnis, former B.A.S.S. co-owner, founder of JM Associates, and a legend in the fishing industry, passed away early Sunday morning. The 82-year-old McKinnis had been in the hospital for six weeks, dealing with an injury and infection sustained on a fishing trip in Wyoming.
McKinnis, along with Don Logan and Jim Copeland, purchased B.A.S.S. from ESPN in 2010, and then sold controlling interest in the organization to Anderson Media in 2017. He was the leader of JM Associates, producing award-winning television and Internet shows about fishing and the outdoors. McKinnis was also the beloved host of the television series The Fishin' Hole, which ran on ESPN for 44 years.
McKinnis was a member of the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame, the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame and the International Game Fish Association Hall of Fame.
“Jerry was a true friend of the angler,” said Bruce Akin, CEO of B.A.S.S. “He contributed so much to the sport of fishing, extending all the way from his days on The Fishin' Hole through his ownership of B.A.S.S.”
McKinnis and his partners hired Akin to lead the 500,000-member fishing organization shortly after they acquired it.
“Jerry was one of the most passionate people I’ve ever known as it relates to the world of bass fishing,” said Logan. “I don’t think I ever met anyone who spent more time than Jerry did thinking about how to make B.A.S.S. and bass fishing better — better for the anglers, better for the fans and members, and better for the sponsors.
“We came from very different backgrounds and totally different perspectives, but we always were able to reach common ground on any issue or problem we faced. He was not only a business partner, but he was also a true friend.”
A pioneer in outdoors television, McKinnis and his JM Associates production team took over production of the long-running television program The Bassmasters for B.A.S.S. and ESPN in 2001. Prior to that he helped create the FLW Tour and ESPN’s Great Outdoor Games, and he later developed the Redfish Cup and the Madfin Shark Series.
McKinnis was dedicated to bringing new participants into the sport of bass fishing. He held the first collegiate bass fishing championship and was instrumental in the creation of B.A.S.S.’s Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops and the Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors.
Bassmaster.com will have addition information on funeral arrangements in the coming days.
OKLAHOMA’S UPSHAW WINS COSTA FLW SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP ON LAKE CUMBERLAND
Missouri’s Chad Allison Claims Co-angler Title, $35k Prize Package
BURNSIDE, Ky. (Nov. 2, 2019) – Strike King pro Andrew Upshaw of Tulsa, Oklahoma, brought a five-bass limit to the stage weighing 12 pounds, 15 ounces, Saturday to claim the title of 2019 FLW Series Champion at the Costa FLW Series Championship on Lake Cumberland. Upshaw, with a three-day total of 15 bass for 42 pounds, 15 ounces, won by a 1-pound, 10-ounce margin over second-place angler Rob Burns of Plano, Texas, who caught a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 41-5. Upshaw led the championship tournament on the final two days of competition and took home the top prize of $50,000 plus a $2,500 Mercury Marine contingency bonus.
Saturday’s final weigh-in marked the finale of the 2019 FLW Series, which featured thousands of anglers from across the globe competing in 15 events across three divisions.
Upshaw said that his main pattern that he figured out was targeting main-lake transition bluffs that, “Had to have the river-channel swing on it. Not just a transition, but a swing.” He had found 15 different spots, from Conley Bottom down.
“This lake is absolutely full of smallmouth and I’ve always said that if you’re not catching them consistently, then you’re not doing the right thing,” Upshaw said. “So, during practice, I’d just run around and find areas where I was consistently finding a bunch of bites. I had about 15 spots – some of them didn’t ever fire like they did in practice, but some did better.”
Upshaw mentioned four baits as catching most of his fish this week. He caught a couple of bass each on a buzzbait, a football-head jig and a Ned rig – a Strike King Ned Ocho worm (green-pumpkin) with a 1/8-ounce Gene Larew Ned Rig Pighead. He said the majority of his keepers came on a 3/8- and 1/2-ounce Strike King Bitsy Flip Jig with a Strike King Baby Rage Craw (green-pumpkin).
“The first day they were eating it on the drop,” Upshaw said. “As soon as you flipped it up there they were just swimming off with it, right on the bank. Yesterday they kind of shifted out a little bit, and today they were even deeper.
“I was fishing the jig anywhere between 5 and 14 feet. I’d let it free fall on slack line and then let it just gradually fall down the bluff. I feathered it all the way down and that’s when they’d eat it. It was a timing deal – anytime between 10 (a.m.) and 3 (p.m.) is when they would really bite.
“I love catching fish, and I absolutely love these Kentucky and Tennessee smallmouth,” Upshaw went on to say. “They are the best, and they’ve made me a lot of money this year. I’ve been to Lake Cumberland a couple of times on Tour and fell in love with it. I couldn’t be happier to win again, on this lake.”
The top 10 pros at the 2019 Costa FLW Series Championship on Lake Cumberland finished:
1st: Strike King pro Andrew Upshaw, Tulsa, Okla., 15 bass, 42-15, $52,500
2nd: Rob Burns, Plano, Texas, 15 bass, 41-5, $25,200
3rd: Matt Pangrac, Broken Arrow, Okla., 14 bass, 38-6, $20,100
4th: Luke Plunkett, Pinson, Ala., 15 bass, 36-9, $15,000
5th: Travis Manson, Conshohocken, Pa., 14 bass, 35-1, $10,000
6th: Rusty Salewske, Alpine, Calif., 13 bass, 33-10, $8,000
7th: Laramy Strickland, Bushnell, Fla., 11 bass, 31-6, $7,000
8th: Steve Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 13 bass, 30-6, $8,000
9th: Brent Algeo, Ozark, Mo., 12 bass, 28-7, $5,000
10th: David Valdivia, Norwalk, Calif., nine bass, 24-1, $4,500
Full results for the entire field can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Co-angler Chad Allison of Carl Junction, Missouri, weighed in four bass totaling 11 pounds, 3 ounces, Saturday to win the top co-angler prize of $30,200, including a new Ranger Z175 with a 115-horsepower outboard, with a three-day total of nine bass weighing 24-10. Second place went to co-angler Mason Roach of Conroe, Texas, who weighed in a three-day total of nine bass weighing 21-5, good for $12,650.
The top 10 co-anglers at the 2019 Costa FLW Series Championship on Lake Cumberland finished:
1st: Chad Allison, Carl Junction, Mo., nine bass, 24-10, Ranger Z175 with a 115-horsepower outboard
2nd: Mason Roach, Conroe, Texas, nine bass, 21-5, $12,650
3rd: Justin Leet, Bartlett, Tenn., eight bass, 19-0, $10,500
4th: Jason Clark, Bixby, Okla., eight bass, 17-11, $7,500
5th: Scotty Walton, Yukon, Okla., seven bass, 16-14, $5,000
6th: Michael Catt, Jacksonville, Fla., seven bass, 16-12, $4,000
7th: Dustin Robinson, Glendale, Ariz., seven bass, 15-12, $3,500
8th: Josh Lockard, Somerset, Ky., seven bass, 15-7, $3,000
9th: Zack Freeman, Russellville, Ark., six bass, 14-9, $2,550
10th: Brian Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, six bass, 14-0, $2,250
The 2019 Costa FLW Series Championship at Lake Cumberland was hosted by the Somerset Tourist & Convention Commission and the Burnside Tourism Commission. The three-day, no entry fee tournament featured a field of 386 boaters and co-anglers from across the five U.S. FLW Series divisions and multiple international anglers from countries that compete in the FLW Series.
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.
UPSHAW LEADS AT DAY TWO OF COSTA FLW SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP ON LAKE CUMBERLAND
Texan Rob Burns Just 1-pound, 13 Ounces Back Going Into Final Day
BURNSIDE, Ky. (Nov. 1, 2019) – Strike King pro Andrew Upshaw of Tulsa, Oklahoma, crossed the stage Friday with a five-bass limit weighing 15 pounds, 1 ounce, for a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 30 pounds even, to lead after Day Two of the Costa FLW Series Championship on Lake Cumberland. Upshaw now holds a 1-pound, 13-ounce lead over pro Rob Burns of Plano, Texas, who weighed five bass totaling 14-10 – for a two-day total of 10 bass for 28-3 – in the FLW Series championship event that featured 193 boaters and co-anglers competing a top cash award of up to $100,000 on the pro side, including the keys to a new Ranger Z518L boat with a 200-horsepower outboard.
The field is now cut to just the top 10 boaters and co-anglers for the final day of competition in the no-entry fee bass-fishing championship, hosted by the Somerset Tourist & Convention Commission and the Burnside Tourism Commission, that featured the top 40 professionals and top 40 co-anglers from each of five U.S. FLW Series divisions, plus two pros and two co-anglers from each international country that competes in the FLW Series.
“I love smallmouth and I love fishing these types of Kentucky reservoirs – Lake Cumberland and Lake Cherokee,” said Upshaw, who earned the first FLW Tour victory of his career earlier this season on Lake Cherokee. “I feel like I have a pretty good understanding right now on how the fish are set up on cover, and that is helping me a lot.”
Upshaw said that he caught around 18 keepers today, with his first bite coming around 9:45 a.m.
“I knew that the first hour and a half was going to be slow,” Upshaw said. “The way I’m fishing, it’s a timing thing. I had to be there at the exact right time. It’s not necessarily a spot, though. I’m running a pattern. I found three or four other areas today that had them on it.”
Although Upshaw did not mention any specific baits that he threw on Day Two, he did say that he caught them Thursday on a buzzbait, a Ned rig and a jig. He thinks that the fish are actually already moving into their wintertime patterns.
“The way the fish are setting up, it’s almost more of a wintertime pattern than fall,” he said. “I’m fishing really slowly and thoroughly and that is a big key. I’m just keeping a couple of rods in my hand and just going fishing. I have a lot of confidence from how they’re setting up.
“I don’t think I’m going to have any problems tomorrow,” Upshaw went on to say. “If I can just go out there and put my head down and go fishing, I think I’ll be fine.”
The top 10 pros that advanced to the final day of competition on Lake Cumberland are:
1st: Strike King pro Andrew Upshaw, Tulsa, Okla., 10 bass, 30-0
2nd: Rob Burns, Plano, Texas, 10 bass, 28-3
3rd: Matt Pangrac, Broken Arrow, Okla., 10 bass, 26-8
4th: Steve Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 10 bass, 25-11
5th: Rusty Salewske, Alpine, Calif., 10 bass, 25-7
6th: Laramy Strickland, Bushnell, Fla., nine bass, 24-13
7th: Luke Plunkett, Pinson, Ala., 10 bass, 24-11
7th: Brent Algeo, Ozark, Mo., nine bass, 24-10
9th: Travis Manson, Conshohocken, Pa., 10 bass, 24-8
10th: David Valdivia, Norwalk, Calif., nine bass, 24-1
Full results for the entire field can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Mason Roach of Conroe, Texas, added to his lead in the co-angler division with four bass weighing 8 pounds, 2 ounces. His two-day total of nine bass totaling 21-5 gives him a strong 4-pound, 10-ounce lead over Jason Clark of Bixby, Oklahoma, who has weighed eight bass totaling 17-11, good for second place. Co-anglers are casting for a top prize of $35,000, including a new Ranger Z175 with a 115-horsepower outboard.
The top 10 co-anglers that will fish the final day on Lake Cumberland are:
1st: Mason Roach, Conroe, Texas, nine bass, 21-5
2nd: Jason Clark, Bixby, Okla., eight bass, 17-11
3rd: Scotty Walton, Yukon, Okla., seven bass, 16-14
4th: Justin Leet, Bartlett, Tenn., seven bass, 16-6
5th: Dustin Robinson, Glendale, Ariz., seven bass, 15-12
6th: Josh Lockard, Somerset, Ky., seven bass, 15-7
7th: Michael Catt, Jacksonville, Fla., six bass, 14-13
8th: Zack Freeman, Russellville, Ark., six bass, 14-9
9th: Brian Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, six bass, 14-0
10th: Chad Allison, Carl Junction, Mo., five bass, 13-7
The final 10 boaters and co-anglers will take off from General Burnside Island State Park, located at 8801 S. Hwy. 27 in Burnside, at 8 a.m. EDT Saturday. Saturday’s Championship weigh-in will be held at the State Park beginning at 4 p.m. All takeoff and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
The popular FLW Live on-the-water program will air on Saturday featuring live action from the boats of the tournament’s top pros each day. Host Travis Moran will be joined by four-time FLW Tour Angler of the Year, Polaris pro David Dudley to break down the extended action from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. On-the-water broadcasts will be live streamed on FLWFishing.com, the FLW YouTube channel and the FLW Facebook page.
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.
ZIMBABWE ANGLER COUSENS LEADS DAY ONE OF COSTA FLW SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP ON LAKE CUMBERLAND
Sacramento’s Nakatomi Just 3 Ounces Behind in Second Place
BURNSIDE, Ky. (Oct. 31, 2019) – A tournament field of 193 boats – each featuring a pro and a co-angler – began their three-day competition for a top cash award of $100,000 at the Costa FLW Series Championship on Lake Cumberland, in Burnside, Kentucky, Thursday. The no-entry fee bass-fishing championship, hosted by the Somerset Tourist & Convention Commission and the Burnside Tourism Commission, features the top 40 professionals and top 40 co-anglers from each of five U.S. FLW Series divisions, plus two pros and two co-anglers from each international country that competes in the FLW Series.
International angler Roger Cousens of Harare, Zimbabwe, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 17 pounds, 2 ounces to take the early lead after Day One of the three day event. Cousens now holds a slim 3-ounce, lead over pro Robert Nakatomi of Sacramento, California, who caught five bass weighing 16 pounds, 15 ounces, good for second place.
Cousens competed in the U.S. a few times in the 1990s, but the Evinrude and Mercury outboard technician has never fished a pro-level event with as much on the line as this one. Cousens’ limit that he weighed in Thursday included a mix bag of largemouths and smallmouths.
“It feels fantastic right now,” Cousens said. “It’s pretty hard to believe that I’m leading a tournament of this caliber with this number of anglers. It’s pretty amazing.”
Cousens said he’s a big-bass specialist, which he’s proven in his last two FLW events. To qualify for this week’s championship, he weighed in more than 100 pounds in three days of fishing at the FLW Zimbabwe Championship.
Thursday, despite miserable, rainy, windy weather, he caught a better quality of bass than many of his competitors.
“I fish for big fish back home,” Cousens said. “My game plan is not to go and catch five little fish. I go and throw big baits, and I want to catch five big fish. I fish a lot of tournaments back home, and it’s paid off over the years; just going for big fish.
“A bass is a bass,” he continued. “I brought my style of fishing from home. When I was preparing to come here, I looked at the lake on Google Earth and spent a lot of time studying it. I purposely did not look at any sort of fishing hints. I just wanted to come here with a totally open mind and just do my own thing. My practice was tough, but I caught a couple of nice fish and left the areas immediately. As soon as I’d catch a fish I’d leave. I went back to those areas today, and they panned out.”
Though he caught most of his fish in one area today, Cousens said he does have a pattern that’s working. He was able to get a couple of key bites on the way back to the ramp in the afternoon. He’s admittedly uncertain of what to expect from Cumberland tomorrow, when wind and rain will be replaced with sunshine, slick-calm water and temperatures that might dip below freezing in the morning, but he’s still confident in his ability to get big bites.
The top 20 pros after Day One on Lake Cumberland are:
1st : Roger Cousens, Harare, Zimbabwe, five bass, 17-2
2nd: Robert Nakamoti, Sacramento, Calif., five bass, 16-15
3rd: Shawn Kowal, Linn Creek, Mo., five bass, 15-7
4th: Mike Casada, Stearns, Ky., five bass, 15-0
5th: Andrew Upshaw, Tulsa, Okla., five bass, 14-15
6th: Steve Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, five bass, 14-13
7th: Bass Pro Shops pro Casey Scanlon, Lake Ozark, Mo., five bass, 14-5
7th: Luke Plunkett, Pinson, Ala., five bass, 14-5
9th: Kurt Mitchell, Milford, Del., Sarcoxie, Mo., five bass, 14-2
10th: Michael Wooley, Booneville, Miss., five bass, 14-1
11th: Dakota Ebare, Denham Springs, La., five bass, 14-0
11th: Brennon McCord, West Frankfort, Ill., five bass, 14-0
13th: David Valdivia, Norwalk, Calif., five bass, 13-12
14th: Costa pro Todd Castledine, Nacogdoches, Texas, five bass, 13-9
14th: Rob Burns, Plano, Texas, five bass, 13-9
14th: Bradley Hallman, Norman, Okla., five bass, 13-9
17th: Rusty Salewske, Alpine, Calif., five bass, 13-8
18th: Daniel Urbino, Bliss, N.Y., five bass, 13-7
19th: Andrew Loberg, Rocklin, Calif., five bass, 13-5
20th: Jason Vance, Battle Ground, Ind., five bass, 13-3
For a full list of results visitFLWFishing.com.
Mason Roach of Conroe, Texas, leads the co-angler division with five bass weighing 13 pounds, 3 ounces, followed by Zack Freeman of Russellville, Arkansas, who weighed five bass totaling 12-12, good for second place. Co-anglers are casting for a top prize of $35,000, including a new Ranger Z175 with a 115-horsepower outboard.
The top 20 co-anglers after Day One on Lake Cumberland are:
1st: Mason Roach, Conroe, Texas, five bass, 13-3
2nd: Zack Freeman, Russellville, Ark., five bass, 12-12
3rd: Joe Tucker, Osceola, Mo., four bass, 9-7
4th: Mike Power, Conroe, Texas, four bass, 9-2
5th: Spencer Sato, Warner Robins, Ga., five bass, 8-15
6th: Jim Hippensteel, Rochester, Ind., three bass, 8-13
7th: Zach Barnes, Chickamauga, Ga., five bass, 8-9
8th: William Puduski, Portsmouth, N.H., five bass, 8-8
9th: Chad Allison, Carl Junction, Mo., three bass, 8-6
10th: Casey Dunn, North Highlands, Calif., three bass, 8-0
11th: Jason Clark, Bixby, Okla., four bass, 7-13
12th: Robert Derr, Hawkins, Texas, four bass, 7-10
13th: James Lamons, Thomasville, Ga., three bass, 7-6
14th: Erick Fernengel, Lake Waukomis, Mo., four bass, 7-4
14th: Jim Short, Ocean Pines, Md., three bass, 7-4
14th: Wes Proctor, Manhattan, Kan., three bass, 7-4
17th: Dustin Robinson, Glendale, Ariz., three bass, 7-2
17th: Brandon Jones, London, Ky., three bass, 7-2
17th: Austin Archer, Anniston, Ala., two bass, 7-2
17th: Leo Reiter, Greenup, Ill., four bass, 7-2
Anglers will take off from the General Burnside Island State Park, located at 8801 S. Hwy. 27 in Burnside, at 8 a.m. EDT each morning. Each day’s weigh-in will be held at the State Park beginning at 4 p.m. All takeoff and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
The popular FLW Live on-the-water program will air on Friday and Saturday – Days Two and Three of the event – featuring live action from the boats of the tournament’s top pros each day. Host Travis Moran will be joined by four-time FLW Tour Angler of the Year, Polaris pro David Dudley to break down the extended action each day from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. On-the-water broadcasts will be live streamed onFLWFishing.com , the FLW YouTube channel and the FLW Facebook page.
For complete details and updated information visitFLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Costa FLW Series on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram andYouTube.
Al McCulloch with The National Professional Fishing League
In a special podcast episode, Chris and Jason welcome in owner/founder of The National Professional Fishing League to talk details about the new league that will kick off in March of 2021. The boys break it down, check it out and see of the TNPFL is right for you.
Major League Fishing Announces the 2020 Bass Pro Tour Schedule
October 31, 2019 (Tulsa, Okla.) Major League Fishing (MLF) announced today the 2020 Bass Pro Tour schedule and locations. A collection of eight Stages, the Bass Pro Tour 2020 season will begin Feb. 7 on Lake Eufaula in Eufaula, Ala. and conclude on Jul. 26 on Lake Champlain in Burlington, Vt.
| Stage | Date | Lake | City | Community Host |
| One | Feb. 7-12 | Lake Eufaula | Eufaula, Ala. | Eufaula Barbour Chamber of Commerce |
| Two | Feb. 21-26 | Lake Okeechobee | Okeechobee, Fla. | Okeechobee County Tourism Development Council |
| Three | Mar. 13-18 | Lake Fork | Emory, Texas | Lake Fork Area Chamber of Commerce |
| Four | Apr. 3-8 | Jordan Lake, Falls Lake, and Shearon Harris Reservoir | Raleigh, N.C. | Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance |
| Five | May 15-20 | Kissimmee Chain | Kissimmee, Fla. | Experience Kissimmee |
| Six | Jun. 5-10 | Lake Winnebago, Lake Butte des Morts, and Green Lake | Neenah, Wis. | Fox Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau |
| Seven | Jun. 26-Jul. 1 | St. Lawrence River | Ogdensburg, N.Y. | St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce and the City of Ogdensburg |
| Eight | Jul. 21-26 | Lake Champlain | Burlington, Vt. | Experience Vermont |
“This schedule is stocked with great fisheries and destinations,” remarked Michael Mulone, Senior Director of Events of Major League Fishing. “Working with the MLF angler advisory board and these outstanding community hosts, we have built an exciting 2020 schedule that will most benefit our fans.”
The Bass Pro Tour began in 2019 and features 80 of the best professional anglers in the world, including Kevin VanDam, Edwin Evers, Aaron Martens, Mike Iaconelli, Jordan Lee, and Skeet Reese. Each stage includes six days of competition using the Major League Fishing, catch-weigh-and-immediately-release format, where every bass over one-pound counts toward a cumulative weight total for the day. The field of 80 anglers is divided into two groups of 40 to compete on days one and two respectively for the Shotgun Round. On days three and four, the Elimination Round culls the field based on a combined 2-day total weight from each angler’s Shotgun and Elimination Round. The top 20 anglers from each group in the Elimination Round (40 total) advance to the Knockout Round on day five, which determines who will compete on that final day, the Championship Round, for the Stage title and $100,000.
In addition to the economic impact on a host community, Major League Fishing showcases the region through their award-winning, live and linear programming. Each Stage of the Bass Pro Tour is broadcast live on the Major League Fishing app, MyOutdoorTV (MOTV), and majorleaguefishing.com, totaling more than 325 hours of original programming. Fans can follow the fast-paced nature of the MLF format as it unfolds on the live leaderboard through “SCORETRACKER® updates.” Highlights from each Stage of the 2020 Bass Pro Tour will air on Discovery Network beginning in July 2020 and Sportsman Channel in early 2021.
“MLF offers the strongest broadcast presence in the industry to fans and sponsors,” said Jim Wilburn, President and CEO of Major League Fishing. “And with these lakes planned for this coming Bass Pro Tour, we know 2020 will be our best year yet as we continue to capture a broad audience of both longtime fishing fans and those new to the sport, thanks to our fast-paced, fan-friendly format,”
Acquisitions, New Tours and Fall Fishing with Z-Train!"
Chris is back from vacay and ready to tackle all the news going around in the bass fishing tournament world. From the MLFLW, to the National Professional Fishing League to more! Z-Train, Mark Zona talks about the 2019 Elite Season and Fall Fishing! Check it out!
John Cox to fish both Elites and FLW Pro Circuits in 2020
Vance McCullough - AnglersChannel.com
Photo Courtesy of FLW
John Cox has made a career of doing things nobody else will.
It’s been a great career, including a Forrest Wood Cup win among other trophies and cash that has piled up.
To say he goes his own way is only part of the story. Cox often makes a way where others don’t see one. He will put his aluminum Crestliner boat in places others can’t take their fiberglass rigs. If he has a transducer on his vessel, it’s usually lying on the back deck, having been knocked off by some shallow obstacle Cox had to hurdle. ‘Beauty marks’ commonly adorn his boat after the first practice session of the year.
But the guy can fish.
He double qualified for an invitation to fish the Bassmaster Elite Series in 2020 via his high standing in the Bassmaster Central and Eastern Opens trails in 2019.
Which begs the question: In 2020 should Cox, an FLW Tour veteran, fish on the newly formed FLW Pro Circuit now owned by Major League Fishing - or accept his spot on the Bassmaster Elite Series?
His answer to his latest quandary is classic Cox. “Yes.” To both.
“I’m just gonna go ahead and fish both of them,” said Cox. “I’m going to fish the FLW Circuit and the Elite Series and drop about $82,000 in entry fees and see what happens.”
The two schedules present a couple of conflicts. “I’ll have to make a decision in April whether I’m going to fish the Bassmaster Elite on Eufaula or the FLW on Cherokee. Also, the FLW Championship, if I go to the Elite tournament on the St. Lawrence River, I’ll be in the off limits for that championship, so I’ll be out of it too. But, bottom line, I can at least fish 6 of the 7 FLW tournaments.”
That’s as clear as the picture gets for now. The details are as muddy as a backwater Cox has plowed with his lower unit in search of fish.
He figures the highest he can finish in the FLW standings without full participation would be 51st place. The top 50 guys get to fish the championship.
Then there’s the question of whether points are awarded for fishing the championship. “There are a lot of unknowns about how they’re going to do it. If they don’t take points through the championship, then whatever place I finish will be my points for that year, so I might be able to get better than 51st, but if I’m not allowed to do the championship and they do points through the championship . . .”
The method of awarding points will affect his trajectory in the MLF organization for years as the league recently clarified that it will wait 2 seasons and average each angler’s points totals to determine who the top 10 pros are. At the end of the 2021 season, those top 10 anglers will be invited to join the Bass Pro Tour in 2022.
Prior to that, however, only the top 110 FLW pros at the end of 2020 will be invited back to the FLW Pro Circuit for 2021 in the first place.
Nobody, including Cox, knows where he will ultimately end up in 2022. But then, his focus is much more dialed-in on the short term.
“I think we’re going to find out stuff as it goes so I feel like the best thing for me to do is to jump in both (tours) and make the decision in April, when I have to decide on one or the other.”
Cox has his work cut out - not just to qualify for the FLW Pro Circuit and possibly the BPT, or the Elite Series, but just to turn a profit.
“I know a few people are going to get mad, but I’ve got to look at it as ‘where am I going to make the most money for the time and effort I’m putting in?’.”
Speaking of putting in the time and effort, it’s business as usual for Cox. “I’m already fishing that many tournaments, fishing both sets of the Opens, or if I would have picked up a Costa schedule and an Opens schedule, so I figured I might as well go all in and have a chance to win $100,000 at each event and, hopefully, cash a 10-grand check most of the time.”
Even if he cuts a bunch of those checks, Cox might still barely break even. He laughs at the thought, “I figure I’m going to have invested, staying in crappy hotels and eating Taco Bell, I’m going to have something like $136,000 invested in the season next year. As long as I come out winning two-and-a-quarter or two-fifty I’ll feel good.”
This is just another example of Cox doing things others won’t. “There are 5 of us who have the option to join the Elite Series and fish the FLW Pro Circuit too. I talked to the other guys and they said they aren’t going to.”
A few FLW guys will be defecting to the Elite Series. “A lot of the guys are like ‘I’m going to the Elites’ and they’re making that jump right away. I want to keep my options open and let it all play out. I’m not a fan of jumping on the new stuff right away. I’m still running the old trolling motor. I don’t use the electric steering one yet. I kind of wait things out, let all the bugs work out.”
Cox will be one to watch in 2020 not just because he can catch fish, but also because of the craft he’s going to catch them from. “So. B.A.S.S. isn’t going to let me swap boats when we go up North, which really sucks, so I’m running a walleye boat the entire season. A deep V. I’m sure after the first couple of tourneys go down everybody’s gonna be like ‘it’s unfair’ because I can’t even touch the water from my front deck it’s so high up. I’m like, six-and-a-half-feet tall now when I’m standing on the front of it. The downside is, when you get a fish hung up in the lily pads, you’ve got to get that fish all the way back to the middle part of the boat and get down in the floor to reach the water. So when you’re buried up, there’s no driving to it with the trolling motor and reaching it from the front. You’ll go right in.”
We’re in for an interesting 2020 tournament season and Cox has as big an interest as anybody. “I’m going to try it and if I don’t make any money, whatever, you know, I’ll regroup for the following year.
“But I feel good about it.”
Skeeter Boats/Yamaha Outboards and Bass Champs renew partnership through 2022, adding more guaranteed incentive bonus cash and marking 21 years with Bass Champs.
Haslet, Texas - Skeeter Boats Extends Agreement with Bass Champs another three (3) years following the release of the all new FXR boat. The continued partnership offers anglers the countries leading team tournament trail while incentivizing the competitors that own the leading boat brand, Skeeter. The agreement includes Bass Champs Title Sponsorship exclusivity, Skeeter Owners Tournament, TV show and exclusive branding on all marketing materials.
We have enjoyed the partnership with Bass Champs for the last 18 years and look forward to continuing for many years to come. Bass Champs continues to lead the country in providing the most popular, richest, guaranteed grass roots tournaments for the weekend angler in the United States. In doing so, we can showcase our latest and greatest as we strive to continue to build the best boat on the water. We are excited to showcase our new FXR model in 2020 and are certain that anglers will be impressed with the detail that goes into every one of our boats, but particularly this years newest addition, paired with the Yamaha VF250LA.
Jeff Stone, Senior Vice President, Skeeter Products
Eat. Sleep. Fish. For over 70 years, Skeeter boats have focused on just that. No other brand has done it better and no one has been more revolutionary in the bass boat market. Skeeters passion for producing an incredible boat is evident with every detail of the all-new FXR. The new 2020 Skeeter FXR was designed to create more room, promote even better fish-ability, and increase stability while including more features than ever before. Anglers will find two models including the FXR20 and FXR21 both powered by the proven Yamaha V MAX SHO 250 four-stroke outboard.
Skeeter will offer a new bonus program at every Bass Champs regular season event in 2020. The 3 highest finishing teams in a qualified Skeeter boat will win Skeeter bonus cash! The first highest finisher in a qualified Skeeter will win $2000, the second will win $1500 and the third will win $500. To win, anglers must be fishing in a Qualified Skeeter boat combined with a Yamaha motor with an original purchase date within the last 3 years. If that isnt awesome enough, make sure to carry a signed business card from any Skeeter dealer and the first team to weigh in an exact even weight will win a $250 bonus!
Skeeter/Yamaha have been incredible partners for many years. We are thrilled to extend that relationship and we cant wait to showcase this new FXR! Skeeter continues to WOW us each year with the attention to detail they put into every boat and we couldnt be more excited to see these new boats on the water competing this coming year. In addition, they are offering an unprecedented bonus program for the top 3 qualified finishers at Bass Champs events.
-Chad Potts, President of Bass Champs
Skeeter Bass Champs continues to over-deliver year after year with the best payouts, incentives and most professionally run events for amateur anglers. There is no better tournament trail to fish with the chance at some serious cash! Again in 2020, Skeeter Bass Champs is offering a guaranteed 1st place of $20,000 cash at every regular season event along with the opportunity to make additional cash with the Skeeter bonus program as well as many other incentives. Bass Champs will again be hosting the "Richest Guaranteed Open Team Tournament in the World," the Techron TX Shootout on Lake Sam Rayburn with a top prize of $50,000 Cash along with a $10,000 bonus if the winner is in a qualified Skeeter! The Skeeter Owners Tournament and the Big bass events will be even bigger and better in 2020.
Skeeter Bass Champs is the number one team tournament trail in the nation awarding the largest paybacks in the country, over $2.5 Million. Providing a safe, honest and enjoyable place for anglers of all levels to compete for huge payouts, Bass Champs has been THE trail to fish in Texas for over 20 years.
For more information on Skeeter Boats, visit SkeeterBoats.com.
For more information on Yamaha Motors, visit yamahaoutboards.com
For More information on Bass Champs or to register for tournaments, visit BassChamps.com or call (817) 439-3274.
Bass Champs paying out millions to weekend anglers in 2020!
2020 Skeeter Bass Champs schedule of events:
January 11, Sam Rayburn - $20,000 Guaranteed for 1st Place
January 18, Falcon - $20,000 Guaranteed for 1st Place
February 15, Toledo Bend - $20,000 Guaranteed for 1st Place
February 22, Amistad - $20,000 Guaranteed for 1st Place
February 29, Fork - $20,000 Guaranteed for 1st Place
March 7, Rayburn - $20,000 Guaranteed for 1st Place
March 14, LBJ - $20,000 Guaranteed for 1st Place
March 10, Rayburn - $20,000 Guaranteed for 1st Place
March 22, (Sunday) Mega Bass on Lake Fork - $20,000 Guaranteed EVERY HOUR + Skeeter Boat
March 28, Falcon - $20,000 Guaranteed for 1st Place
April 4, Cedar Creek - $20,000 Guaranteed for 1st Place
April 18, Travis - $20,000 Guaranteed for 1st Place
April 25, Amistad - $20,000 Guaranteed for 1st Place
May 2, Texoma - $20,000 Guaranteed for 1st Place
May 9, Toledo Bend - $20,000 Guaranteed for 1st Place
May 16, LBJ - $20,000 Guaranteed for 1st Place
June 6, Ray Roberts - $20,000 Guaranteed for 1st Place
June 12-14, Skeeter Owners Fork
June 28, (Sunday) TX Shootout Sam Rayburn - $50,000 Guaranteed for 1st Place
October 10-11, Team Championship T.B.A. - Over $200,000 Guaranteed
October 17-18, Berkley Big Bass Fork - Win 2 Skeeter Boats
Payback details, rules, and additional information is available on basschamps.com
Bradley Roy’s 7th Annual High School Open presented by Covercraft draws record field
Jamestown, Kentucky
High school fishing is a big deal in Kentucky. 200 teams converging on Lake Cumberland in Jamestown, KY to compete in the 7th Annual Bradley Roy High School Open presented by Covercraft, is proof of that.
177 high school teams and 23 junior teams (6-8 grade) competed October 11-12, making it the largest high school event on record in Kentucky.
The event was moved from Herrington Lake to the larger, more spacious Cumberland this year. The tournament is an officially-sanctioned high school event by the Kentucky Bass Nation and kicked off the 2019-20 season for many of the teams. The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources provided a release truck and allowed for a special, one-day size limit waiver so 12-inch smallmouth, largemouth, and spotted bass could be weighed-in.
Two spots in the 2020 Bassmaster High School National Championship were awarded to Saturday’s top finishers: Andrew Haney and Blake Marcrum (Cardinal Fishing Team) and Micah Adams and Chase Rawlins (Estill County). The winners weighed a mixed-bag totaling 12.09 pounds. The big fish of the event, a 4.29 largemouth, was caught by junior anglers Zachary Hayes and Jase Greenwood of Oldham County.
Immediately following the weigh-in was when a twist came and really ramped up the intensity. Roy gathered the top five teams and immediately cut off any information gathering from other teams in the event. He then began preparing all teams for a fish-off on Sunday.
The remaining teams were housed at the Lake Cumberland State Park Lodge and geared up for Major League Fishing-style tournament the next day. Each team was assigned boat officials trained by Roy who utilized manual score sheets and MLF-supplied scales. Bradley convened the group at the boat ramp on Sunday morning and provided a map of the boundary lines.
Teams were given thirty minutes to scout out the fishable water and “Lines In” began at 7am. Scoretracker Live was setup by Major League Fishing and fans followed the scoring live. Roy streamed commentary on his Facebook page as he covered the morning action. The teams fished two 2.5 hour sessions with a fifteen-minute break in between.
True to MLF form, the winner was decided in the final minutes of action. After all five boat officials had reported in, the team of Will Carnes and Jason Denney were crowned the champions on the water. They held off the Estill County team of Micah Adams and Chase Rawlins by just two ounces.
The top team members were each offered $10,000 scholarships to attend Campbellsville University by head coach Pete Hedgepath. Significant scholarships for all teams were made possible by Covercraft, First Southern National Bank, The Cain Pole, A Few Good Men Fishing Tournament, LCR Contracting, City of Jamestown, Angler’s Outpost and Marine, and Land Big Fish.
Additional prizes from sponsors of the event and Bradley Roy included: Mud Hole Custom Tackle, Triton Boats, Gruv, Solar Bat, D&L Tackle, Cabin Creek, Seaguar, and Whitetail Heaven Outfitters.
“There are so many aspects of this event that stand out in my mind; the number of boats, the quality of anglers, the new venue Lake Cumberland, the addition of the catch, weigh, release day on Sunday, but the one that stands out the most is the addition of college scholarships. Winning these Campbellsville University scholarships is a life-changing event for the winning team. The investment these sponsors made in providing scholarships for all of the top teams is a huge deal and I am so excited to look back in a few years and see how it helped these student anglers,” said Roy.
“We are proud to support high school fishing and this great event. To see students, coaches, volunteers, and the community so excited to be a part of a tournament like this is just awesome,” said Jeff Jegelewicz, Director Marketing at Covercraft.
“We were thrilled to host this event and so excited about the event having 200 boats. We are proud of our lake here and how ‘large’ it fishes for tournaments of this magnitude. We’re also excited to announce the 8thAnnual Bradley Roy High School Open presented by Covercraft will again be hosted here by the city of Jamestown, Kentucky with the date to be determined,” Nick Shearer, Russell County Chamber of Commerce.
Yamaha Marine Announces Unprecedented Payout Amounts for Power Pay Contingency Program
KENNESAW, Ga. - Oct. 29, 2019 — On the heels of launching Yamaha Power Pay, the first contingency program for Yamaha-powered anglers, Yamaha Marine announced today unprecedented cash bonus opportunities for anglers competing in B.A.S.S.® tournaments.
During the 2020 B.A.S.S. season, Power Pay registered anglers, not currently under a supported contract with Yamaha, have the opportunity to earn the following bonus amounts for the highest place finish in the following tournaments:
- $50,000 for the 2020 Bassmaster® Classic
- $20,000 for 2020 Angler of the Year
- $10,000 for 2020 B.A.S.S. Nation®
- $10,000 for the 2020 B.A.S.S. College Championship
- $10,000 for the 2020 B.A.S.S. High School Championship
“The potential to get paid for running Yamaha power during the 2020 B.A.S.S. tournament season is tremendous,” said David Ittner, Tournaments, Sponsorships and Pro Staff Manager, Yamaha Marine. “Power Pay allows Yamaha to support more anglers than ever before on a grassroots level. For competing anglers nationwide running Yamaha outboards five years or newer, this program is a win-win.”
Yamaha Power Pay yamahapowerpay.com, gives anglers not currently under a supported contract with Yamaha or its subsidiaries the opportunity to receive compensation for running Yamaha outboards during fresh and saltwater sanctioned tournaments. Eligible anglers running eligible Yamaha outboards within the stated criteria can sign up for the program by visiting yamahapowerpay.com. All applicants are required to accept and adhere to the Yamaha Angler Code of Ethics before completing the registration for the program. Once registered, the highest placing angler in specified Power Pay sanctioned tournaments that meets all eligibility requirements will be compensated by Yamaha accordingly.
“I’ve been fishing competitively for 28 years, and I’ve never seen a more supportive contingency program from the most reliable outboard company in the market,” said Yamaha Pro Angler Mark Menendez. “I wish Power Pay had been around when I got started. The extra momentum created by cash incentive opportunities can make a big difference for many anglers running Yamaha power.”
Some of the popular eligible Power Pay trails include the Bassmaster Classic, Bassmaster Angler of the Year, Bassmaster Opens, B.A.S.S.® Nation, Bassmaster Elites, Bassmaster College Series, Bassmaster High School Series, A.B.A. Ram Open Series, Alabama Bass Trail, Bass Champs, MWC, The National Walleye Tour®, AIM® Walleye, Kingfish Cup, Flatsmasters and HT3 Redfish.
For more information and complete terms and conditions about Power Pay, visit yamahapowerpay.com. Some restrictions apply. Void where prohibited by law.
Yamaha Marine products are marketed throughout the United States and around the world. Yamaha Marine Engine Systems, based in Kennesaw, Ga., supports its 2,000 U.S. dealers and boat builders with marketing, training and parts for Yamaha’s full line of products and strives to be the industry leader in reliability, technology and customer service. Yamaha Marine is the only outboard brand to have earned NMMA®’s C.S.I. Customer Satisfaction Index award every year since its inception. Visit www.yamahaoutboards.com.
Big Bass Junior Championship Crowns 2019 Champ
The one-day competition culminated the 2019 online tournament aimed at young anglers in high school and college. Cold and rainy weather conditions added to the challenges the anglers faced as they fished in waters they had never fished before.
“I’m honored to represent New Jersey and bring this win home for the entire state,” said an excited Elmore, who can be followed at www.reelmaxlife.com. “Fishing is a family tradition for us, and my Dad taught me all about how to catch bass.”
“I want to break down the traditional walls and get more anglers fishing,” said Bill
Siemantel, BBJC tournament director. “There is no need for expensive equipment. This is grassroots fishing at its finest, allowing young anglers at all skill levels to compete on a
national stage and have fun.”
Elmore, of Egg Harbor Township, took home a 2019 Bass Cat Margay bass boat fully equipped with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard engine, Lowrance electronics, Motorguide trolling motor, a peacock bass fishing trip to Brazil’s Amazon River staying at the Anglers Inn International lodge along with an appearance on “Stihl’s Reel in the Outdoors with Joe Thomas” to be aired on the Outdoor Channel. Competitors won nearly $400,000 in prizes including college scholarships, boat electronics, fishing tackle and fishing apparel and gear.
“Bill Siemantel called me and explained the BBJC event and the barriers he wanted to
break down to get more kids fishing. I immediately said count me in,” said James Hall, editor-in-chief of B.A.S.S. Publications.
“This event has given Bass Cat Boats the opportunity to give back to our sport,” said Bass Cat Boats’ Dallas Hodges. “We want to make sure that we pass on the passion and the environmental concerns of fishing. This is a catch-and-release, single-fish event and is a wonderful format that brings young anglers together from across the nation to Idaho at the Willows Club. It’s amazing, and we are excited about it.”
For more information about the Big Bass Junior Championship go to www.bigbassjuniorchampionship.com.
BREAKING NEWS: THE NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL FISHING LEAGUE TO LAUNCH IN 2021
The National Professional Fishing League ownership group is proud to announce the launch of a new angler centric tour in March of 2021. “THE NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL FISHING LEAGUE”. Our focus is to bring simplicity back to professional bass fishing. One lake, 125 anglers, three days of fishing the heaviest combined three day weight wins. The full field will compete on all three days. One in three anglers will get paid.
*125 angler field with a two-year contract; includes an
option for a third year
*No requalification for the first three years.
*Six qualifying tournaments, two spring, two summer
and two fall. $5,000 entry fee per event.
*NO ENTRY FEE National PFL Championship.
*Live Stream all three days, on the water. Live in-studio
commentator and live weigh-ins.
*Trailered weigh-ins; pull right up to the stage
showcasing your rig and sponsors.
*Angler committee comprised of active anglers will
liaison directly with the ownership group and the
tournament director. This ensures the angler always
has a seat at the table
PAYOUTS
Our goal is to make this a lucrative endeavor for those professionals who also hold (FAMILY) down a full-time job. We encourage anglers to fish as many other circuits as they desire. To the max extent possible, our schedule will be deconflicted from Bass Opens. Payouts have been vetted through 65 prominent anglers. They spoke and we listened! At their request, the top end of the payout bracket was distributed down. This ensures more anglers make a profit at each event:
*Half a million dollars in payouts.
*One in three anglers paid.
*No Entry Fee Championship with a minimum of
$250,000 in payouts
QUALIFYING EVENTS
1st $50,000 5th $14,000
2nd $30,000 6th – 25th $10,000
3rd $20,000 26th -44th $9,000
4th $15,000
CHAMPIONSHIP (TOP 25 in points) NO ENTRY FEE
1st $50,000 5th $14,000 9th $7,000
2nd $30,000 6th $12,000 10th $6,000
3rd $20,000 7th $10,000 11th -25th $5,000
4th $18,000 8th $8,000
OWNERSHIP GROUP
Majority Owner: Al McCulloch,
Second Majority Owner: Brad and Michele Fuller
Minority Owner: Paul Benson
We want to emphasize that this is a starting point. We are currently in negotiations with endemic and non-endemic sponsors. Our goal is to build an enduring tour with the anglers and their families at the forefront. Our sponsorship goals go deeper than dollars. We are striving for partners that share our values and our passion for the outdoors. This strategy gives us a certain amount of freedom to put the anglers first and build a trail that gets back to what the founders of bass fishing intended it to be!!
As revenue is added, our intention is to meet the below goals:
*$100,000 to each of the qualifying event winners.
*$500,000 to the Winner of the National Championship
*$100,000 to Angler of the year (determined by points)
*Pay one out of two anglers by year three
The field will be capped at 125 anglers. We are finalizing the rules, contract and expect them to be ready in the next 5 days. If you are interested in joining the field or just gathering more information, please reach out to one of the contacts listed below.
ROGER FITZPATRICK WINS T-H MARINE BFL REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ON GRAND LAKE
Maryland Heights’ Clark Wins Co-angler Division
GROVE, Okla. (Oct. 28, 2019) – Boater Roger Fitzpatrick of Eldon, Missouri, brought a three-day total of 15 bass to the scale weighing 50 pounds, 15 ounces, to win the no-entry fee T-H Marine FLW BFL Regional Championship on Grand Lake Saturday. For the win, Fitzpatrick earned $70,200, including a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Evinrude outboard and automatic entry into the 2020 BFL All-American Championship, April 30-May 2, at Lake Hartwell.
“I had a very good practice coming into the event and I really felt like I was dialed in,” said Fitzpatrick, who picked up his eighth career BFL win – second this season. “It was very sunny throughout my practice days, and I was targeting any shade – shade from trees, corners of docks, basically anything shallow that had a shade line. I caught quite a few good fish in practice and expected to do very well.
“When the tournament rolled around, there was no shade,” Fitzpatrick continued. “I had no targets to throw at, but I fished in the same areas. I noticed on my graph pretty early that a lot of fish were suspended in right around 6 feet of water. So, I backed off and slowrolled an Omega Genesis Ti spinnerbait. I caught a 3½-pounder and a 6½-pounder early, and that set the tone. Around 11 (a.m.) or 12 (p.m.) the fish moved up shallow, and I stuck with them. I had a dream day on day one – I caught at least three limits of fish and all came on the spinnerbait.”
After weighing in a big 24-pound, 12-ounce limit on day one the bite slowed down considerably for Fitzpatrick on days two and three.
“On the second and third day, the numbers and quantity went down – I only caught 8 to 10 fish each day,” Fitzpatrick said. “It reminded me a lot of springtime bass fishing in dirty water. The males were up shallow, but the females were still out. I threw an Omega Rapture vibrating jig with a smaller BioSpawn ExosSwim swimbait, and I really had to crawl it – painstakingly slow. Everything had to be slow, they did not want it on the bottom.”
Fitzpatrick threw the Rapture for most of the second day of competition to add a limit weighing 13 pounds, 10 ounces. On the third and final day of competition, Fitzpatrick had to audible again – this time to an Omega swimjig with a white BioSpawn ExoSwim swimbait – to add a limit weighing 12 pounds, 9 ounces and seal up his victory.
“The baits were the key,” Fitzpatrick went on to say. “The last day the sun popped out, and I was able to use the shade lines as a target. I love the Omega swimjig because it skips like a flat rock. I could put it underneath the tables, or way back in the shade.
“I just won the BFL Super-Tournament on Lake of the Ozarks last month, so to come away with another win is surprising and an absolutely great way to end the season.”
The top six boaters that qualified for the 2020 BFL All-American were:
1st: Roger Fitzpatrick, Eldon, Mo., 15 bass, 50-15, $20,200 + Ranger Z518L w/200-horsepower outboard
2nd: Chris Macy, Diamond, Mo., 15 bass, 47-1, $10,100
3rd: Dennis Berhorst, Holts Summit, Mo., 15 bass, 47-0, $5,000
4th: Dustin Lippe, Lampe, Mo., 15 bass, 44-13, $3,000
5th: Shawn Kowal, Linn Creek, Mo., 15 bass, 43-10, $2,000
6th: Andy Newcomb, Camdenton, Mo., 15 bass, 43-7, $1,800
Rounding out the top-10 boaters were:
7th: Wade Ramsey, Choctaw, Okla., 15 bass, 42-15, $1,600
8th: Terry Holsapple, Greenup, Ill., 15 bass, 42-10, $2,400
9th: Jason Beem, Gravette, Ark., 14 bass, 42-7, $1,200
10th: Lance Williams, Billings, Mo., 14 bass, 41-3, $1,000
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Spencer Clark of Maryland Heights, Missouri, weighed in 14 bass over three days totaling 33 pounds, 3 ounces to win the top prize package of $50,000, including a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Evinrude outboard.
The top six co-anglers that qualified for the 2020 BFL All-American were:
1st: Spencer Clark, Maryland Heights, Mo., 14 bass, 33-3, Ranger Z518L w/200-horsepower outboard
2nd: Andrew Wooley, Little Rock, Ark., 13 bass, 32-6, $5,200
3rd: Clark Moore, Nacogdoches, Texas, 11 bass, 27-6, $2,550
4th: Jeff Turner, Plainfield, Ill., nine bass, 23-4, $1,500
5th: Jim Budde, Waterloo, Ill., eight bass, 21-13, $1,000
6th: Larry Rothweil, Saint Charles, Mo., 10 bass, 20-5, $900
Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers were:
7th: Stan Harris, Searcy, Ark., nine bass, 20-0, $800
8th: Bruce Thompson, Roland, Ark., eight bass, 19-13, $700
9th: Julio Garza, Houston, Texas, seven bass, 19-10, $600
10th: Shaun Avery, Plainfield, Ill., nine bass, 19-6, $500
The T-H Marine FLW BFL Regional Championship on Grand Lake was hosted by the City of Grove. It featured the top pros and co-anglers from the Arkie (Arkansas), Cowboy (Texas-Louisiana), Illini (Illinois), and Ozark (Missouri) divisions.
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 2020 BFL All-American will be held April 30-May 2 at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina, and is hosted by Visit Anderson. 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.
B.A.S.S. Announces 2020 Schedules For College And High School Circuits
October 25, 2019
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Young anglers across the country can officially start marking their calendars after B.A.S.S. officials announced the 2020 schedules for the organization’s college and high school series Friday.
The ground-breaking youth circuits, which have helped reshape the direction of competitive angling for the better part of a decade, will each include four regular-season events, plus a season-ending championship.
Due to the soaring popularity of the trails, the field size will again be capped at 250 boats for both college and high school. Each high school event will also include a field of up to 50 Junior boats for competitors ranging from second to eighth grade.
“When you consider that we’ve had to cap the field size to keep the tournaments from being too big, that tells you all you need to know about the popularity of fishing at the college and high school levels,” said Hank Weldon, Tournament Director for B.A.S.S.’s College, High School and Junior Series. “There are thousands of young anglers who are hungry to compete — and as we’ve seen with so many former college and high school anglers now competing at the highest levels of bass fishing, it’s changing the sport from top to bottom.”
The Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops will begin Jan. 23-25 on Toledo Bend Reservoir in Many, La. It will then include three more springtime events on Smith Lake in Cullman, Ala. (Feb. 27-29), Lake Hartwell in Anderson S.C. (March 26-28) and Lake Cumberland in Russell County, Ky. (May 6-8).
The trail’s championship will be a summertime event on a northern fishery, but the exact date and location will not be announced until a later date. The Top 4 teams in the championship advance to the College Classic Bracket for an opportunity to earn a berth in the 2021 Bassmaster Classic.
Evidence of college fishing’s effect on the upper reaches of professional angling were evident this year with Brandon Cobb, a former member of the Clemson University fishing team, winning two Bassmaster Elite Series events. Also, 15 of the 2019 season’s 75 Elite Series pros fished for college programs.
“That’s one of the many benefits of the College Series,” Weldon said. “Anglers who want to fish professionally get to see a lot of different lakes under a lot of different conditions — and do it all while fishing against the best competition out there.
“Success on the college level is the perfect next step toward becoming a pro.”
The Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors will also include four regular-season events. The one-day events will be Jan. 26 on Toledo Bend Reservoir, March 1 on Smith Lake, May 9 on Lake Cumberland and June 20 on a northern fishery to be announced soon.
The college and high school events on Smith Lake will help kickoff festivities for the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk on Lake Guntersville, Ala., which is scheduled for March 6-8 with weigh-ins in Birmingham. The 2020 Bassmaster Classic, the 50th, will see 2019 College Classic Bracket champion Cody Huff of Bethel University competing against qualifiers from the Elite Series as well as Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens, Bassmaster Team and TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation champions.
“We are excited to welcome back the B.A.S.S. College series to Smith Lake for 2020,” said Roger Steele, Director of Tourism for the Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center. “We’re also thrilled to welcome for the first time the B.A.S.S. High School series to our area and look forward to introducing this group of students to the hospitality of Cullman County.
“Our community was so impressed by the friendliness and professionalism of the B.A.S.S. staff and participating anglers from last year’s event that we are more than happy to welcome everyone back for an even better year in 2020.”
The date and location for the High School Championship will be announced at a later time.
“We couldn’t be happier with the schedule we’ve put together,” Weldon said. “From Day 1, the Junior, High School and College Series have been about opportunity — and this schedule gives young anglers a chance to experience some of the best fisheries in the country.”
Online registration for the High School and Junior Series will open Nov. 12. Registration for the College Series will open Nov. 19. For more information, visit Bassmaster.com.
2020 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops
Jan. 23-25, Toledo Bend Reservoir, Many, La.
Feb. 27-29, Smith Lake, Cullman, Ala.
March 26-28, Lake Hartwell, Anderson, S.C.
May 6-8, Lake Cumberland, Russell County, Ky.
2020 Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors
Jan. 26, Toledo Bend Reservoir, Many, La.
March 1, Smith Lake, Cullman, Ala.
May 9, Lake Cumberland, Russell County, Ky.
June 20, TBD
Smallmouth win Toyota Bonus Bucks tourney
Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
Zach Tubbs and Austin Weaver make their living as utility linemen, and the two proved they were hard-wired to Pickwick’s legendary smallmouth population with a dominating 5-bass limit that weighed 22 pounds 13 ounces to win the 8th annual Toyota Bonus Bucks Owners event in Florence, AL.
They won the 200-boat tournament by four pounds, relying on tons of time on the water that yielded more than 20 honey holes. They hauled home a $5,000 check in the no entry fee, prize rich, event that guarantees a paycheck to the Top 30 teams in which only one team member is required to be a registered Toyota Bonus Bucks member.
“We covered more than 60 miles of water and hit 20 to 30 spots to catch our limit,” said Weaver. “There’s so many awesome fishermen on Pickwick that very few secret holes remain, so you have to hit a ton of them and cover lots of water to catch five good ones.”
Their lure selection was a one-two punch consisting of topwater baits up shallow, and a heavy ¾-ounce War Eagle spinnerbait in 18 feet of water with blades matched to the size of Pickwick’s shad.
When asked what he loved most about his 2016 Toyota 4Runner, Tubbs replied, “It’s a comfortable ride, but mostly, I love the fact I’ve put 70,000 miles on it and it’s never been in the shop for a repair.”
Tubbs and Weaver certainly weren’t the only winners on the shores of the Tennessee River. Three teams were randomly drawn for $500 cash reward from Toyota, the 31st place team got the LEER Truck Caps “Lucky Dog” prize of $750, and the two teams that tied for 15th place each received a $500 Bass Pro Shops gift cards. Plus, Tyler Mayhew took home a $500 Carhartt prize pack for catching the event’s biggest bass that weighed 6 pounds 4 ounces.
Two full days of rain, strong winds, and changing temps prior to Sunday’s competition made the event challenging to anglers and organizers, but after the last bass was weighed, hundreds of loyal Toyota owners who love bass fishing drove home with an electric grin.
Wesley Sams and Jordan Wiggins Claim 2019 Alabama Bass Trail Championship Crown
by Dan O’Sullivan
Pair Moves from 13th place to victory on Day Two
October 26, 2019 – Scottsboro, Ala. – The weather managed to throw several monkey wrenches into everyone’s plans at the 2019 Alabama Bass Trail Championship event at Lake Guntersville out of Scottsboro, Alabama’s Goose Pond Colony. With driving rains, falling water temperatures and heavy winds the theme for the event, no amount of prognosticating could predict the final outcome.
Along with the crapshoot of conditions, no amount of home field advantage could guarantee that anyone would play the favorites to win the Phoenix 819 Pro, 200 horsepower powered, Garmin and T-H Marine accessorized prize package; valued at more than $50,000.
As it turned out, the Smith Lake expert team of Wesley Sams and Jordan Wiggins brought their experience and a never say die attitude to move from 13th place on day one to leap to the lead and take the win with a total weight of 34.26 pounds. “This is absolutely amazing,” the longtime team pronounced. “This (winning a boat) is something we’ve wanted to do for a very long time, and it’s absolutely amazing to be standing here having won this event.”
The win didn’t come easily. The weather made fishing tough on most of the field, however, when the weights are relatively low, there is room for a team to make up ground, and other teams to stumble. That scenario played out perfectly, as day one leaders Joe McElroy and Chase Freeman couldn’t mimic their 22.10 pound limit, and the majority of the top teams stumbled, leaving the door open for Sams and Wiggins.
The pair produced 16.34 pounds on day one, then added 17.92 pounds on the final day to jump to the lead, then hold serve as the final 10 anglers came to the scales. They reported making long runs to the area around the Highway 431 bridge in the town of Guntersville, and catching the majority of their fish in one stretch. “We caught nine of our 10 fish that we weighed in one 50-yard stretch,” they said. “We caught most of them on Green Pumpkin Shad Jackhammers with matching Yamamoto Zako swimbaits as trailers. We also caught a few fish on a 5-inch white Zoom swimbait rigged on a belly weighted hook, retrieved across the grass.”
The pair was visibly shocked with their finish, but knew they had a chance at the start of the day. “We can’t believe this, but at the same time, knew there was a chance when we left this morning,” they reported. “This is something we’ve wanted for so long and it feels absolutely amazing to be standing here now knowing we’ve won – it’s just absolutely amazing.”
The team of Mark Meyer and Ty Campbell made the most remarkable move of the day, catching 20.20 pounds and leaping from 33rd place to finish second for the event with 33.75 pounds. The pair said that they figured out their best pattern late on day one. “We caught our fish on bladed jigs and spinnerbaits around docks that had green grass on them,” they said. “We’re obviously very happy with how today went, but if we would have figured it out a little earlier, we might have done better yesterday. But, we did the best we could today, and gave ourselves a chance. We’re pleased with the result, and happy for Wesley and Jordan. We’re from the same area, so it’s cool to see them win.” Meyer and Campbell earned $5,000 for the event.
Despite their hiccup on day two, McElroy and Freeman managed to finish the event in third place on the strength of their heavy day one bag – which included the 6.85-pound Mountain Dew Big Bass of the event. That $500 bonus, and their fourth place prize earned tem $4500 in earnings for the weekend. The father / son team of Kyle and Luke Glasgow produced consecutive 16-pound limits to finish fourth with 32.61 pounds; earning $3,000. They narrowly edged out Greg and Jeremy Tomlin, who earned $2500 in fifth place with 32.51 pounds.
Top 10 finishers are below, for complete standings go to: https://www.alabamabasstrail.org/tournament-series/lg-results/
| Place | Team | Day One Weight | Day Two Weight | Total Weight | Penalty | Big Fish | Winnings |
| 1 | Wesley Sams / Jordan Wiggins | 16.34 | 17.92 | 34.26 | 5.77 | 2019 Phoenix 819, 200HP Outboard, Garmin Electronics, T-H Marine Accessories | |
| 2 | Mark Meyer / Ty Campbell | 13.55 | 20.20 | 33.75 | 5.00 | $5,000 | |
| 3 | Joe McElroy / Chayse Freeman | 22.10 | 11.29 | 33.39 | 6.85 | $4,000 | |
| 4 | Kyle Glasgow / Luke Glasgow | 16.49 | 16.20 | 32.69 | 4.62 | $3,000 | |
| 5 | Greg Tomlin / Jeremy Tomlin | 16.42 | 16.09 | 32.51 | $2,500 | ||
| 6 | Josh Butler / Randy Tolbert Jr. | 16.73 | 15.30 | 32.03 | $2,000 | ||
| 7 | Brannon Hurst / Mike Freeman | 17.56 | 13.21 | 30.77 | $1,800 | ||
| 8 | Sam Long / Jason Atkins | 16.79 | 13.96 | 30.75 | $1,700 | ||
| 9 | Mark Mott / Justin Mott | 13.95 | 16.45 | 30.40 | $1,600 | ||
| 10 | Rickey Campbell / Chris Webb | 11.50 | 18.89 | 30.39 | 1.00 | $1,400 |
MAJOR LEAGUE FISHING AND FLW ANNOUNCE EXPANDED 2020 FLW SERIES AND T-H MARINE BFL DETAILS, SCHEDULES, ENTRY DATES, AND ADVANCEMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Enhancements Include New Lower Entry Fees, Increased Payout Percentages and $200,000 FLW Series Championship Award
TULSA, Okla. (Oct. 24, 2019) – Major League Fishing (MLF) and Fishing League Worldwide (FLW) announced today the expanded 2020 FLW Series and T-H Marine Bass Fishing League (BFL) details, schedules, rules, entry fees and payouts, highlighted by lower entry fees in both circuits and an expanded FLW Series schedule, along with upping the championship payout to $200,000 for first place and adding $10,000 bonuses for the highest-finishing pro from each of the eight U.S. FLW Series divisions and the International division.
The 2020 FLW Series season will consist of three events in eight divisions, up from five divisions in 2019. Anglers that fish all three qualifiers in any of the eight divisions and finish in the top 25 will qualify for the no-entry-fee FLW Series Championship for a shot at winning $200,000 cash, plus lucrative contingency bonuses. The winning co-angler at the championship earns a $30,000 17-foot bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard. The new win-and-you’re-in format guarantees that anglers are never out of contention to qualify for the Championship, too. Fish all three qualifiers in a division and win a tournament, and they’ll be on their way to the Championship. FLW Series entry fees have been reduced to $1,700 pro and $550 co-angler per tournament, while top payouts in each event remain $40,000 for pros and a $30,000 17-foot bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard for co-anglers. As field sizes increase, so do payouts, with top awards reaching $65,000 pro and $35,000 co-angler at 260 boats, and awards of $2,000 pro and $550 co-angler extending through 65th place. Complete payout details are listed below.
MLF and FLW are also rolling back entry fees in the T-H Marine BFL to give grassroots anglers – the heart and soul of the bass fishing community – the best payouts at the lowest cost available anywhere. Entry fees are now just $200 per boater and $100 per co-angler for one-day qualifiers and $300 per boater and $150 per co-angler for two-day Super Tournaments – the lowest levels since 2014. While entry fees have been lowered, BFL payouts remain the same as 2019 with boaters fishing for top awards of $6,000 plus contingency bonuses in each one-day qualifier and $9,000 plus contingency bonuses in each two-day Super Tournament. Co-anglers fish for top awards of $3,000 plus contingency bonuses in each one-day qualifier and $4,500 plus contingency bonuses in each two-day Super Tournament. Anglers also have the opportunity to qualify for six no-entry-fee regional championships with top awards of $60,000 boater and $50,000 co-angler, a no-entry-fee Wild Card regional, the no-entry-fee All-American with top awards of $100,000 boater and $50,000 co-angler, and even the FLW Series Championship with top awards of $200,000 pro/boater and $30,000 co-angler. Complete payout details are listed below.
“Major League Fishing was founded by tournament anglers, so we are an angler-driven league,” said Boyd Duckett, MLF co-founder and board director. “We respect and value the loyal FLW Series and BFL anglers, and we are very excited to announce the enhancements to what was already the best grassroots organization on the planet. I am confident that the anglers will be extremely satisfied with both the FLW Series and BFL circuits moving forward.”
The BFL is the stepping stone to the FLW Series, which is now the pathway to the new 150-angler FLW Pro Circuit and ultimately MLF’s Bass Pro Tour, where 80 of the world’s top pros compete with no entry fees. The FLW Series and BFL also put anglers in front of the sport’s largest fan base, with coverage on FLWFishing.com, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter reaching more than 1 million fans each month.
Earlier this month, MLF announced an agreement to acquire FLW. This deal, which brings together the largest grassroots organization in the world with the best pro anglers in the world, is expected to close in the coming days.
"It’s the best of both worlds for FLW anglers – what you’ve come to know and expect from FLW, now with the power of Major League Fishing behind us," said Kathy Fennel, FLW President of Operations. "We are proud of the fact that no other organization offers higher rewards for lower entry fees.”
Complete details, schedules, rules and more for the 2020 FLW Series can be found online at FLWFishing.com.
Registration for the 2020 FLW Series season opens Oct. 28, 2019, for the top 40 pros and co-anglers from each division of the 2019 FLW Series, the top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division of the 2019 BFL, the winner of each 2019 BFL tournament who paid an entry fee for all five tournaments in a division and fished at least two tournaments in the same division. These anglers have until Nov. 4, 2019, to secure their priority entry. Ranger boat owners may register beginning Nov. 5, 2019. Anglers who fished a full division of the 2019 FLW Series or 2019 BFL can register beginning Nov. 6, 2019, followed by Triton and Nitro boat owners Nov. 7, 2019. TBF members can register Nov. 8, 2019. All other entries will be accepted beginning Nov. 11, 2019. Register by calling 270.252.1000 or online at FLWFishing.com.
The complete 2020 T-H Marine BFL schedule, along with details, rules and payouts for the BFL season can be found online at FLWFishing.com.
Anglers can register for the 2020 T-H Marine BFL season at FLWFishing.com or by calling 270.252.1000 on the dates listed below:
- December 9, 2019 – Hoosier, Michigan, Music City and Volunteer
- December 10, 2019 – Bulldog, Cowboy, Great Lakes, Illini and Mississippi
- December 11, 2019 – Bama, Buckeye, Choo Choo, Mountain and Ozark
- December 12, 2019 – Arkie, LBL, North Carolina, Northeast and Okie
- December 13, 2019 – Gator, Piedmont, Savannah River, Shenandoah and South Carolina
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the FLW Series and the BFL on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Interviews, photos, logos and a Google map of the FLW Series tournaments are available on request.
2020 FLW Series Schedule:
Central Division
Feb. 27-29 Lake Chickamauga – Dayton, Tenn.
April 16-18 Dale Hollow Lake – Monroe, Tenn.
May 28-30 Pickwick Lake – Florence, Ala.
Eastern Division
March 3-5* Lake Hartwell – Seneca, S.C.
April 30-May 2 Lake Norman – Huntersville, N.C.
Sept. 10-12 Potomac River – Marbury, Md.
Northern Division
July 16-18 Lake Champlain – Plattsburgh, N.Y.
Aug. 20-22 St. Lawrence River – Massena, N.Y.
Sept. 17-19 Detroit River – Trenton, Mich.
Plains Division
March 26-28 Lake of the Ozarks – Osage Beach, Mo.
May 7-9 Table Rock Lake – Branson, Mo.
Sept. 17-19 Lake Dardanelle – Russellville, Ark.
Southeastern Division
March 26-28 Wheeler Lake – Decatur, Ala.
May 7-9 Lake Neely Henry – Gadsden, Ala.
June 4-6 Lake Eufaula – Eufaula, Ala.
Southern Division
Feb. 13-15 St. John's River – Palatka, Fla.
March 12-14 Lake Okeechobee – Clewiston, Fla.
April 16-18 Lake Seminole – Bainbridge, Ga.
Southwestern Division
Jan. 30-Feb. 1 Toledo Bend Reservoir – Many, La.
April 8-10** Fort Gibson Lake – Wagoner, Okla.
Oct. 15-17 Sam Rayburn Reservoir – Brookeland, Texas
Western Division
March 12-14 Lake Havasu – Lake Havasu City, Ariz.
April 30-May 2 California Delta – Bethel Island, Calif.
Sept. 24-26 Clear Lake – Lakeport, Calif.
FLW Series Championship
Nov 5-7 TBA, watch FLWFishing.com for details
* Tuesday – Thursday event
** Wednesday – Friday event
2020 FLW Series Payouts*:
160 Boat Qualifying Event:
Place Pro Co-angler
1 $40,000 $30,000 premium 17-foot bass
boat with 115 HP outboard
2 15,500 5,000
3 12,000 4,000
4 10,000 3,500
5 9,000 3,000
6 8,000 2,500
7 7,000 2,000
8 6,000 1,750
9 5,000 1,500
10 4,000 1,250
11 3,750 1,000
12 3,500 1,000
13-15 3,000 1,000
16-20 3,000 800
21-25 2,750 700
26-30 2,500 600
31-40 2,000 550
Big Bass 300 200
Entry Fee $1,700 $550
260 Boat Qualifying Event:
Place Pro Co-angler
1 $65,000 $30,000 premium 17-foot bass
Boat with 115 HP outboard + $5,000
2 27,500 8,000
3 18,000 6,500
4 16,000 5,000
5 15,000 4,500
6 11,500 3,750
7 10,000 3,250
8 8,500 2,500
9 7,500 1,800
10 5,500 1,600
11 5,000 1,200
12 4,250 1,200
13 3,750 1,200
14 3,750 1,200
15 3,750 1,200
16-20 3,750 1,000
21-25 3,000 850
26-30 2,700 800
31-40 2,350 725
41-45 2,300 700
46-50 2,250 675
51-55 2,200 600
56-60 2,100 570
61-65 2,000 550
Big Bass 300 200
Entry Fee $1,700 $550
*Payback is based on the number of paid entries for each tournament, scaling up for every 20 boats over 160 and scaling down for every boat below 160.
FLW Series Championship:
Place Pro Co-angler
1 $200,000 $30,000 premium 17-foot bass
boat with 115 HP outboard
2 40,000 12,500
3 30,000 10,000
4 25,000 7,500
5 20,000 5,000
6 14,000 4,000
7 13,000 3,500
8 12,000 3,000
9 11,000 2,500
10 10,000 2,000
11-15 4,500 1,500
16-20 3,500 1,000
21-25 3,000 900
26-30 2,500 800
31-40 2,000 700
Central Bonus 10,000
Eastern Bonus 10,000
Northern Bonus 10,000
Plains Bonus 10,000
Southeastern Bonus 10,000
Southern Bonus 10,000
Southwestern Bonus 10,000
Western Bonus 10,000
International Bonus 10,000
2020 T-H Marine BFL Payouts**:
Qualifying Event:
Place Boater Co-angler
1 $6,000 $3,000
2 3,000 1,500
3 2,000 1,000
4 1,400 700
5 1,200 600
6 1,100 550
7 1,000 500
8 900 450
9 800 400
10 700 350
11 630 315
12 580 290
13 560 280
14 530 265
15 500 250
16 480 240
17 460 230
18 440 220
19 420 210
20 400 200
21 390 195
22 380 190
23 370 185
24 360 180
25 350 175
26 340 170
27 330 165
28 320 160
29 310 155
30 300 150
31 290 145
32 280 140
33 270 135
34 260 130
35 250 125
36 240 120
37 230 115
38 220 110
39 210 105
40 200 100
Big Bass 1,000 500
Entry Fee $200 $100
BFL Super Tournament:
Place Boater Co-angler
1 $9,000 $4,500
2 4,500 2,250
3 3,000 1,500
4 2,100 1,050
5 1,800 900
6 1,650 825
7 1,500 750
8 1,350 675
9 1,200 600
10 1,050 525
11 950 475
12 870 435
13 840 420
14 800 400
15 750 375
16 720 360
17 690 345
18 660 330
19 630 315
20 600 300
21 590 295
22 570 285
23 560 280
24 540 270
25 530 265
26 510 255
27 500 250
28 480 240
29 460 �� 230
30 450 225
31 430 215
32 420 210
33 400 200
34 390 195
35 370 185
36 360 180
37 340 170
38 330 165
39 310 155
40 300 150
Big Bass 1,500 750
Entry Fee $300 $150
BFL Regional Championship:
Place Boater Co-angler
1 $60,000 * $50,000 *
2 $10,000 * $5,000 *
3 5,000 * 2,500 *
4 3,000 * 1,500 *
5 2,000 * 1,000 *
6 1,800 * 900 *
7 1,600 800
8 1,400 700
9 1,200 600
10-12 1,000 500
13-15 600 300
16-20 500 250
21-24 400 200
1st place boater receives a premium 18-foot bass boat with 200 HP outboard and $10,000
1st place co-angler receives a premium 18-foot bass boat with 200 HP outboard
Boat and engine brand details available at FLWFishing.com
* Top six boaters and co-anglers advance to the All-American
BFL All-American:
Place Boater Co-angler
1 $100,000 $50,000
2 20,000 10,000
3 15,000 6,000
4 14,000 5,000
5 13,000 4,500
6 12,000 4,000
7 11,000 3,500
8 10,000 3,000
9 9,000 2,500
10 8,000 2,000
11-20 3,000 1,500
-
- -30 2,000 1,000
31-55 1,500 750
The highest-finishing boater and co-angler from each Regional Championship (including the Wild Card) at the All-American advance to the FLW Series Championship for a shot at winning $200,000 and $30,000, respectively.
**Payback is based on the number of paid entries for each tournament.
About Major League Fishing
Founded in 2011, Major League Fishing (MLF) brings the high-intensity sport of competitive bass fishing into America’s living rooms on Outdoor Channel, Discovery, CBS, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network, Sportsman Channel and on-demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). New for 2019, the Bass Pro Tour consists of eight events and a championship streamed live onwww.MajorLeagueFishing.com and MOTV. MLF uses the entertaining and conservation-friendly catch, weigh and immediate-release format where every scorable bass counts and the winner is the angler with the highest cumulative weight.
For more information on the league and anglers, visit www.majorleaguefishing.com and follow MLF on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2019 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW and their partners conduct more than 290 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Namibia, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, and Zimbabwe. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Rookie of the Year - Drew Cook!
This week Jason welcomes in Bassmaster Elite Series Rookie of the Year Drew Cook to talk about his amazing 2019 Rookie Campaign and the goals he is setting for himself in 2020. Check it out!
Room for Two...
Vance McCullough - AnglersChannel.com
“Welcome to the Elite Series, where the fish are the stars of the show.” – Bassmaster emcee Dave Mercer.
The statement probably wasn’t meant as a shot across the bow, but it was interesting in a year when many of Bassmaster’s (and a few of FLW’s) top pros departed to join the newly-formed Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour.
Mercer made the comical quip as an angler encouraged the quick release of his fish before talking about the day’s events on stage. Fish care has always been a priority for the folks at Bassmaster who can point to an outstanding live release rate among the fish.
The release rate among anglers on the Elite Series was also high in 2019 with a field of 75 pros, down from the usual 100-to-110 contestants of recent years.
But if anything was amiss at Bassmaster this season, you couldn’t tell it by the thousands of fans who flocked to the shores of the St Johns River to watch another Elite Series showdown in Palatka. Weights were solid again. Rick Clunn won again. As he hoisted the trophy it was as if nothing had changed since the last time the Series visited the north-flowing river.
As for star power, there is still plenty on the Elite Series. And more coming.
“They’re just guys you haven’t heard of – yet,” said Mark Menendez, following a tourney wherein 95 pounds and an ounce earned him a 3rd-place finish behind Clunn (98-14) and young Canadian Chris Johnston (95-2).
The FLW Tour also went on as usual. Until Major League Fishing finalized a deal to purchase FLW. The acquisition answers questions about how MLF will recruit new talent, as the FLW organization has long had the strongest grassroots system to groom the stars of the future.
FLW boasts some of the top anglers in the world, Bryan Thrift having won the Cup this year and David Dudley taking Angler of the Year honors. Those guys, among others, will fit right in on the Bass Pro Tour. Eventually.
The difference is that the BPT is “for the anglers, by the anglers” said Gary Klein when I spoke with him after a competition day in Florida.
But is it ‘for the fans’? According to Shaw Grigsby, when we spoke after the first BPT event, “The viewer numbers, on the internet, are unheard of!” And that’s where the BPT excels – TV and internet viewership.
As for the in-person experience, there were scarcely 150 people scattered along the fence to watch ‘The Postgame Show’ – MLF’s answer to a weigh in.
Having watched the action on small screens and knowing how it all went down, fans didn’t show up to look at sponsor’s booths and talk with anglers. And these are the best-known names in the sport.
No live fish, no live audience.
I was a bit shocked.
Back to Mercer’s playful contention that the fish are the star of the show, B.A.S.S. has released it’s 2020 Elite Series schedule. This will be a return to the formula that made so many BPT pros famous to begin with – TV and internet coverage, yes, but also live interactions with fans and bunches of BIG bass.
It almost appears to be a direct attempt to be the anti-BPT by rewarding anglers who sack ‘em up big instead of the death by a thousand papercuts style at MLF where a guy can weigh 80 fish in a day and win, even if not one of them weighs more than two pounds.
Unlimited catches and winning weights that average less than 2 pounds per fish seem to be a turnoff for purists who are used to the 5-fish system that rewards anglers who catch fewer, but bigger fish.
Is this a legitimate gripe? “I have not changed one way that I fish,” said Wesley Strader, a veteran pro who has seen all the formats under B.A.S.S., FLW and now, MLF on the BPT. “Larry Nixon told me years ago, ‘you just keep catching limits, and the big ones will come’.”
Have the big ones come for BPT competitors? Perhaps, though you have to sit through a bunch of smaller catches to see them. Strader contends that anglers have to sort through a bunch of small ones in order to find the big ones under any format but because every catch counts on the BPT, viewers are shown all the fish, not just the ones that allow anglers to cull up and make a move on conventional 5-fish trails such as the Elite Series where such big fish are highlighted during Bassmaster’s live internet coverage. Fish that don’t make a difference are, understandably, not newsworthy under the 5-fish format.
“If you go back and look at the guys who did good in the Bass Pro Tour,” explains Strader, “9 times out of 10, the guy that has the heaviest 5 fish ends up winning the event anyway. When you see a guy with 25 pounds, you don’t see how he struggled all day long. He may have only gotten 5 bites. That really ain’t fair to the guy who caught 50 that day but just never had the big bites. At the end of the day it doesn’t matter if it’s 5, 10 or 100 fish.”
Fellow MLF Pro Brandon Coulter agrees, “I need to go catch every fish I can catch every time I go fishing, whether it’s a 5-fish tournament, an every-fish-counts tournament, whatever. I tried to change this year. I thought I had a good strategy. Man, I got beat. There were techniques I put on the back burner because I thought ‘that’s a 5-fish technique, I’m never going to catch enough to do well on that’. That was the worst mistake I made.
“I like to research stuff. I’m a student of the game. Bobby Lane won in this format, the world championship, on a frog. Greg Hackney won the world championship flipping a jig. Andy Morgan won Chickamauga with a long rod in his hand, and put it to us, flipping. Now, you look at his average weight and you say, ‘he only caught a 2-pound average and he’s on Chickamauga’. Well, his best 5 that day probably went 26 or 27 (pounds). You don’t see that on the scoreboard, but he put a hurting on us. He would have beat us in a 5-fish tournament, a 10-fish tournament or an every-fish tournament.
“When I see guys win, they fish their strengths. When Brent Ehrler wins people go ‘see – he’s a drop-shotter and that’s what you have to do to win’. He’s going to beat you on a drop shot in a 5-fish tournament too. Listen, when guys win, they fish their strengths.
“I think I turned a corner. I had couple of good tournaments toward the end of the year and started fishing the way I’ve always fished and making adjustments quicker and it’s helped me a lot.”
One of the stated objectives of MLF is to broaden the viewing audience beyond the existing fan base of diehard tournament fans. Some format changes are designed specifically to help the casual viewer follow the action. “When I go to the chiropractor,” says Strader, “his wife doesn’t fish; doesn’t care nothing about fishing, but when he was watching an episode of (Major League Fishing) she came by and saw it and said, ‘that’s pretty neat’. Now every Saturday she watches it.
“We’re gonna be on TV 52 weeks next year. 52 weeks. That’s unheard of. A solid year, every Saturday. The Discovery Channel, the Outdoor Channel, CBS. 52 weeks.
“We’re going to introduce a lot of people to the sport.” says Strader. “For our sport to become a true sport, everything has to count.”
Coulter, with a strong background in athletics, enjoys the new format. He has won an MLF tourney, but his initiation to the league was humbling. “When I fished my first tournament with Major League Fishing, I finished almost last, but driving home, I called my wife and said, ‘I don’t ever want to fish another way again’.”
Coulter has fished all the ‘other ways’ during nearly 15 years on the various pro trails. He was instantly drawn to MLF competition with its live virtual scoreboard on which everything matters.
“It had brought every memory, every aspect of sport back - or not back, but into - fishing, for the first time where I knew the score, I knew I was down, I knew I had to catch up. I knew I was getting beat. It’s something that, in fishing, we have been missing.
“People don’t like getting beat, but when you come back, that’s a high,” says the former multi-sport high school athlete whose son is now a college football coach at Birmingham Southern.
“Fishing is becoming a spectator sport, an on-TV sport,” says Coulter, noting a disparity between other sports fit for mass consumption versus bass tournament formats of old, “To get spectators involved, every fish has to matter. Name a sport – any sport – that only counts the 5 best plays. There isn’t one. Every play counts in every sport.
“You know how most football games are won? Not with Hail Mary’s. Football games are won on third-and-one with a minute-and-a-half left and the other team is out of time outs and you need a first down and you get a yard-and-a-half and it was the best play you had all year. A two-yard run.
“In every sport, every play during the day counts. Except for fishing.”
To Strader’s point about attracting new fans, Coulter shared a story. “I was talking on the phone with a writer. I was waiting in the parking lot at my daughter’s school. I said ‘In these 500 cars in this parking lot, how many people do you think watch Discovery Channel? (which is where we will air the show). Maybe 400?’ I said, ‘now if I knock on every one of their windows and ask, ‘what’s the standard format of a bass fishing tournament?’ how many of them are going to say ‘a 5-fish limit’? Maybe two. 398 of them don’t even know that. They want to be entertained’. That’s my goal.”
From the perspective of a longtime fan this writer is happy to, once again, have two tours to watch, but each with its own twist on the sport. Certainly, there is room for both.
As for the relationships among anglers on the different tours, Coulter was clear, “The industry has changed for the better across the board. I don’t want anybody to think MLF is the only way. I’ve got really good friends at B.A.S.S. and at FLW. In my opinion, the changes this year have benefitted every league and I just want to give a shout out to those guys. For the fans out there who think there are hard feelings, these are still some of my best friends and we wish them nothing but the best. Always have. I know social media likes to make it ‘B.A.S.S. vs. MLF or FLW’. I don’t wish ill will on any of them.
“The guys in this sport, we’re still buddies and we wish nothing but success for the other league. But we’re going to do our thing and we’re going to do it as well as we can.”
Tournament Director Mike Oglesbee Passes Away
Mike Oglesbee was the voice of the Wolfson Children's Hospital Bass Tournament in Palatka, Fla. for years, even making the trip down from Alabama in recent years after having moved from the Palatka area. Mike will also be remembered for running the OGS Tournament Trails. He passed away on Tuesday, October 22, 2019, following health complications.
DRURY UNIVERSITY WINS YETI FLW COLLEGE FISHING TOURNAMENT ON LAKE OF THE OZARKS
OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (Oct. 22, 2019) – The Drury University duo of Cole Breeden of Eldridge, Missouri and Cameron Smith, of Nixa, Missouri, won the YETI FLW College Fishing event on Lake of the Ozarks presented by Bass Pro Shops with a five-bass limit weighing 18 pounds, 9 ounces. The victory earned the Panthers’ bass club $2,650 and a slot in the 2020 FLW College Fishing National Championship.
“On our second day of practice for this tournament, we had found a few keepers biting out of brush piles in the Grand Glaize arm, so our plan was to start the tournament there,” said Smith, a junior at Drury University majoring in biology.
“Around 10 a.m. we had only caught two fish, and they were little ones,” added Breeden, a sophomore majoring in architecture. “We knew we weren’t around the fish that we needed to do well, so we ended up running 5 or 6 miles to some new areas that we had caught fish at last year – basically looking for brush piles around docks.”
The duo said that they caught around 10 fish throughout the day targeting the docks – Breeden throwing a ½-ounce brown Chompers Football Jig with a green-pumpkin-colored Strike King Rage Craw, and Smith throwing a green-pumpkin brush-style jig with a green-pumpkin and purple-colored Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craw trailer.
“We got our first bites when we were halfway back into the creeks, and that really clued us into where the fish were setting up, so we started hitting the middle halves of the creeks,” said Smith. “We were looking for bait – we could see big bowls of shad swimming around – and most of the fish came from the sides of the docks.”
The top 10 teams that advanced to the 2020 College Fishing National Championship are:
1st: Drury University – Cole Breeden, Eldridge, Mo., and Cameron Smith, Nixa, Mo., five bass, 18-9, $2,650
2nd: Eastern Kentucky University – Mason Moore, Waynesburg, Ky., and Logan Estes, Kings Mountain, Ky., five bass, 15-4, $1,200
3rd: McKendree University – Tyler Christy, Bolingbrook, Ill., and Devan Rathbun, five bass, 14-10, $500
4th: McKendree University – Blake Jackson, Carterville, Ill., and Trevor McKinney, Benton, Ill., five bass, 14-7, $500
5th: Bemidji State University – Luke Gillund, Ham Lake, Minn., five bass, 12-15, $500
6th: University of Wisconsin-Stout – Will Reichert, Vernon Hills, Ill., and Noah Lindus, Woodville, Wis., four bass, 12-13
7th: University of Wisconsin-Platteville – Seth Korb, Custer, Wis., and Josh Gruen, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 12-12
8th: McKendree University – Trey Schroeder, Crestwood, Mo., and Bailey Bleser, Burlington, Wis., five bass, 12-8
9th: Murray State University – Jordan Hartman, Murray, Ky., and Will Gentry, Utica, Ky., five bass, 11-12
10th: University of Wisconsin-La Crosse – Brady Fernette, La Crosse, Wis., and Devin Wallin, Soldiers Grove, Wis., five bass, 11-4
Complete results for the entire field can be found at FLWFishing.com.
The YETI FLW College Fishing event on Lake of the Ozarks presented by Bass Pro Shops was hosted by the Tri-County Lodging Association. It was the third and final regular-season qualifying tournament for Central Conference anglers. The final event of the 2019 sesaon for FLW College Fishing anglers will be a Southeastern Conference event – the YETI FLW College Fishing tournament on Lake Hartwell presented by Costa, Nov. 1 in Hartwell, Georgia.
YETI FLW College Fishing teams compete in three regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. All participants must be registered, full-time students at a college, university or community college and members of a college fishing club that is recognized by their school. The top 10 teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments and the top 20 teams from the annual FLW College Fishing Open will advance to the 2020 FLW College Fishing National Championship, scheduled for Feb. 26-28 on the Harris Chain of Lakes in Leesburg, Florida. Additional teams will qualify for the National Championship if the field size in regular-season events exceeds 100 boats.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow YETI FLW College Fishing on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagramand YouTube.
Matt Lee believes bubble trails lead to topwater success
Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
Carhartt-Yamaha pro Matt Lee isn’t sure if the theory is pure folklore, some sort of urban legend, or a paragraph plucked from the Farmers’ Almanac – but the accomplished young pro absolutely believes in the bass fishing theory stating a pronounced bubble trail behind your topwater walking lure or buzzbait means you probably ought to throw it all day long.
“Look, I got my degree from Auburn in engineering, not meteorology, so I’m not going to feed you some line about barometric pressure or relative humidity being the cause of a bubble trail, but I will tell you when that first cast of the day with a buzzbait or Sexy Dawg creates a long bubble trail, you’d better keep casting it all day long– especially in the fall,” Lee says emphatically.
To prove his point, the Cullman, AL native cites a recent charity tournament he and good buddy Clint Morgan fished on Smith Lake to benefit a sweet young lady named Chloe who was recently involved in a serious vehicle accident.
“Clint sells playground equipment for a living, but he absolutely loves to bass fish. In fact, he gets so excited when one eats his buzzbait it cracks me up,” laughs Lee. “But when morning clouds gave way to bright sun, he was ready to put down the buzzbait.”
“I told him as long as I had a bubble trail behind my 3/8 ounce Strike King Gurgle Toad I was going to throw it all day. That little derby was a 3-bass limit, but we ended up catching three good ones that totaled 9-pounds on the buzz, and won a check for $400 that we donated back to the charity,” smiles Lee.
Lee says as true as pronounced bubble trails lead to all day topwater bassin’ success, the belief that topwater fishing is mostly a lowlight pattern is absolutely false, and one of bass fishing’s most unfortunate misconceptions.
“I heard a guy on the dock at the Quantum High School and College Open say the slight fog delay was going to cost them a good topwater bite. After seeing the bubbles behind the Sexy Dawg I played around with from the shoreline that day, I sure hope that guy didn’t give up on a topwater,” lamented Lee.
Lee recommends using a reel with at least a 7.0:1 gear ratio, and says anglers should consider pairing their topwaters with a very affordable 7’ long medium heavy Quantum Accurist rod. He uses a braided line/monofilament set-up when fishing around aquatic vegetation, and goes with straight 17-pound Seaguar monofilament when fishing rocky lakes like Grand, Smith or Table Rock.
In conclusion, Lee says he can’t say for sure where he first heard about the bubble trail theory, but he’s certain of its amazing goodness.
“As a teenager, being a total bass fishing nerd, I probably first read about the bubble trail thing in Bassmaster or somewhere, so I started paying attention to it. And to this day, it absolutely holds true. If people reading this will look for it – and throw a topwater all day when they see it, I’ll promise you they’ll agree it holds true too,” says Lee.
AC Insider Podcast with Scott Canterbury!
While Chris is out on vacation, Jason and the Circus keep the ship afloat. They welcome in Bassmaster Angler of the Year Winner Scott Canterbury to discuss his 2019 AOY Trophy in his first season on the Elite Series. Check it out!
IOWA’S MYERS WINS T-H MARINE BFL REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ON KENTUCKY/BARKLEY LAKES
Dayton’s Bays Wins Co-angler Division
BUCHANAN, Tenn. (Oct. 22, 2019) – Boater Mark Myers of Cedar Falls, Iowa, brought a three-day total of 12 bass to the scale weighing 31 pounds even to win the no-entry fee T-H Marine FLW BFL Regional Championship on Kentucky/Barkley Lakes presented by Evinrude Saturday. For the win, Myers earned $70,000, including a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Evinrude outboard and automatic entry into the 2020 BFL All-American Championship, April 30-May 2, at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina.
Myers is a long-time BFL Great Lakes Division competitor, having fished events since 2005. Along the way, he has competed in several BFL Regionals, including several at this year’s venue. A change in his approach is what he attributes to his success this time around.
“I am a deep-water finesse angler, and I always tried to make it work on Kentucky Lake, and it never does for me. This time I abandoned that and committed to shallow water,” said Myers.
He committed to making the long run each day to New Johnsonville. What he had found was a backwater slough off the main river channel with a shallow flat and a ditch running through it. In this area were scattered stumps, wood, and, most importantly, bass feeding on baitfish.
The first day Myers made the hour-long run to his winning location, put the trolling motor down, and then never picked it up the rest of the day.
“I was fishing a bone-colored Heddon Super Spook and caught five fish, about one every hour. I had my limit at 12:30 and then went searching for new areas,” he said.
The second day brought different conditions, and he was only able to muster two fish for 4-5.
“I caught a 13-inch spotted bass right away, and then it went dead. The first day they were hitting my topwater aggressively, but on the second day, they were coming up and rolling on it and missing it,” Myers recalls.
Around midday, he noticed shad being pushed near the bank, and he edged his trolling motor as far as it could go in the shallow water. Myers then made a long cast with a bone-colored River2Sea Whopper Plopper 90 and hooked a 3-pounder. Then, near the end of the day, he broke off a solid keeper on a finesse jig, which gave him a clue for the final day.
Myers found himself in eighth place going into the third and final day. The morning arrived with less fog, and that allowed him to get to his area much more quickly than he had the previous two days.
“There were two ways to get in, and I went in the opposite direction of how I had been entering, and that allowed me to get to the prime areas much sooner. When I got there, I caught two spotted bass in the first 15 minutes, and then caught a largemouth close to 6 pounds shortly afterward,” Myers said.
With three quick fish in the livewell, Myers assured himself that his All-American berth was sewed up and committed to finishing out his tournament in the backwater. He added one more spotted bass on a Reaction Innovations Skinny Dipper and then went back to the log where he broke off a bass the previous day and added a 3-pounder on a jig.
“I was using a Lethal Weapon Lethal Bug in green pumpkin/orange with a green pumpkin Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craw. That is my ultimate confidence lure. I use it everywhere,” he said.
When asked for the key to his victory, Myers had two answers.
“The first thing was picking the right area of the lake. I knew that place had big fish potential,” he says. “The other key was that there are more spotted bass on that end of the lake.”
Of Myers’ 12 keeper bass, eight were largemouth, and four were spotted bass.
The top six boaters that qualified for the 2020 BFL All-American were:
1st: Mark Myers, Cedar Falls, Iowa, 12 bass, 31-0, $20,000 + Ranger Z518L w/200-horsepower outboard
2nd: Sam Caron, Pleasant Lake, Mich., eight bass, 28-0, $10,100
3rd: Kerry Frey, Middlebury, Ind., nine bass, 27-10, $5,000
4th: Mark Flick, Delton, Mich., 10 bass, 27-2, $3,000
5th: Troy Stokes, Brownstown, Mich., nine bass, 24-4, $2,000
6th: Matt McCoy, Indianapolis, Ind., eight bass, 23-10, $2,800
Rounding out the top-10 boaters were:
7th: Lloyd Pickett Jr., Bartlett, Tenn., 10 bass, 23-4, $1,600
8th: Marty Sisk, Evansville, Ind., nine bass, 22-8, $1,400
9th: Angel Rosario, Kalamazoo, Mich., seven bass, 22-3, $1,200
10th: Mike Winkler, Peshtigo, Wis., nine bass, 21-11, $1,000
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Lenny Bays of Dayton, Kentucky, weighed in six bass over three days totaling 19 pounds, 6 ounces to win the top co-angler prize package of $50,000, including a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Evinrude outboard.
The top six co-anglers that qualified for the 2020 BFL All-American were:
1st: Lenny Bays, Dayton, Ky., six bass, 19-6, Ranger Z518L w/200-horsepower outboard
2nd: Alan Bernicky, Joliet, Ill., six bass, 17-8, $5,100
3rd: Kristian Dus, Chicago, Ill., seven bass, 17-6, $2,550
4th: David Blankinship, Cushing, Okla., four bass, 16-10, $1,500
5th: John Baumert, Pryor, Okla., five bass, 16-5, $1,000
6th: Philip Borsa, Redford, Mich., six bass, 14-15, $900
Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers were:
7th: Shane McGlothlin, Anadarko, Okla., five bass, 12-7, $800
8th: Jeff McCarnan, Henderson, Ky., five bass, 9-7, $700
9th: Josh Yonak, Big Lake, Minn., four bass, 9-6, $600
10th: Matt Wright, Clay Center, Kan., three bass, 8-13, $500
The T-H Marine FLW BFL Regional Championship on Kentucky/Barkley Lakes presented by Evinrude was hosted by the Henry County Alliance. It featured the top pros and co-anglers from the Great Lakes (Minnesota-Wisconsin-Iowa), Hoosier (Iowa), Okie (Oklahoma), and Michigan divisions.
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 2020 BFL All-American will be held April 30-May 2 at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina, and is hosted by Visit Anderson. 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.
OHIO’S COLE FLOYD WINS T-H MARINE BFL REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ON LAKE GUNTERSVILLE PRESENTED BY MERCURY MARINE
Cherokee’s Steele Wins Co-angler Division
GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. (Oct. 21, 2019) – Boater Cole Floyd of Leesburg, Ohio, – an FLW College Fishing standout from Bethel University – brought a three-day total of 15 bass to the scale weighing 44 pounds, 15 ounces, to win the no-entry fee T-H Marine FLW BFL Regional Championship on Lake Guntersville presented by Mercury Marine Saturday. For the win, Floyd earned $71,200, including a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Evinrude outboard and automatic entry into the 2020 BFL All-American Championship, April 30-May 2, at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina.
Floyd, who won the LBL Division Angler of the Year title this year for the third year in a row, knew the tough fall conditions on Guntersville would call for some flexibility.
“The first day I fished an area, and it was just a bunch of schooling fish that were just keepers,” he said. “I tried to start there and catch a limit, and then I’d go to try to get a big bite or two. As tough as it was, I knew 14 pounds would be pretty good.”
He came up just short of that mark on day one with 12 pounds, 6 ounces, but the spot at which Floyd caught his schooling keepers on day one was good enough to return to each day to get a limit and some confidence for the rest of the day.
He was able to catch one 5-pounder there, but otherwise used it just as a limit spot. After that, his plan worked perfectly, as Floyd caught one or two big ones after he left.
After leaving his starting spot, Floyd fished new water every day and “junk-fished” for the most part, weighing in all his fish on several different baits: a Strike King Sexy Dawg, a Strike King Thunder Cricket with a Strike King Rage Twin Tail Menace trailer or a Strike King Rodent with a 1/2-ounce tungsten weight.
The Sexy Dawg, which did the heavy lifting to the tune of 16 pounds on day three, was perhaps the real key bait for Floyd’s victory, though.
“The final day I caught them all on it [the Sexy Dawg], and I caught them off a place I never caught them before,” he said.
The Leesburg, Ohio, native plans to make a push to fish professionally when he graduates from Bethel. For now, Floyd is just focused on adding more wins to his resume.
“It feels good,” he said. “I finished second the last couple years a handful of times, and I really didn’t think I was going to win. I thought I was going to get another second place. To finally pull one off and win a boat and everything is a pretty cool deal. I’m just excited.”
The top six boaters that qualified for the 2020 BFL All-American were:
1st: Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 15 bass, 44-15, $20,000 + Ranger Z518L w/200-horsepower outboard
2nd: Jeramiah Sifers, New Albany, Ind., 15 bass, 44-5, $10,100
3rd: Ryan Davidson, Branchland, W. Va., 15 bass, 42-7, $5,000
4th: Billy Schroeder, Paducah, Ky., 15 bass, 42-4, $3,000
5th: Mitch Crane, Columbus, Miss., 15 bass, 39-2, $2,000
6th: Jason Hester, Phil Campbell, Ala., 14 bass, 34-15, $1,800
Rounding out the top-10 boaters were:
7th: Dathan Jones, Harrodsburg, Ky., 15 bass, 32-15, $1,600
8th: Josh Stracner, Vandiver, Ala., 10 bass, 32-4, $1,400
9th: Mark Willins, Collierville, Tenn., 12 bass, 29-14, $1,200
10th: Matt Stanley, Alexandria, Tenn., 12 bass, 28-15, $1,000
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Dalton Steele of Cherokee, Alabama, weighed in nine bass over three days totaling 28 pounds, 2 ounces to win the top co-angler prize package of $50,000, including a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Evinrude outboard.
The top six co-anglers that qualified for the 2020 BFL All-American were:
1st: Dalton Steele, Cherokee, Ala., nine bass, 28-2, Ranger Z518L w/200-horsepower outboard
2nd: Joel Ross, Brandon, Miss., 11 bass, 28-1, $5,100
3rd: Taylor Wisniewski, Lexington, Ky., nine bass, 23-12, $2,550
4th: Joshua Moore, Petal, Miss., nine bass, 23-3, $1,500
5th: Don White, Columbus, Miss., nine bass, 22-0, $1,000
6th: Alan Scott, Shelbyville, Ind., six bass, 21-10, $900
Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers were:
7th: Tommy Nichols, Fayette, Ala., 10 bass, 21-7, $800
8th: Jimmy Tisdale, Ellisville, Miss., seven bass, 21-0, $700
9th: Michael Anderson, Newton, Ala., eight bass, 17-4, $600
10th: Nick Haunert, Maineville, Ohio, six bass, 17-2, $500
The T-H Marine FLW BFL Regional Championship on Lake Guntersville presented by Mercury Marine was hosted by the Marshall County Convention and Visitors Bureau. It featured the top pros and co-anglers from the Bama (Alabama), LBL (Kentucky), Mississippi, and Mountain (Kentucky-Tennessee) divisions.
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 2020 BFL All-American will be held April 30-May 2 at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina, and is hosted by Visit Anderson. 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.
SOUTH CAROLINA’S BRADFORD BEAVERS WINS T-H MARINE BFL REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ON POTOMAC RIVER
Virginia’s Blankenship Wins Co-angler Division
MARBURY, Md. (Oct. 21, 2019) – Summerville, South Carolina’s Bradford Beavers, brought a two-day total of 10 bass to the scale weighing 28 pounds, 8 ounces, to win the weather-shortened, no-entry fee T-H Marine FLW BFL Regional Championship on the Potomac River Saturday. The event was originally scheduled for three days, but tournament officials canceled competition on day one due to significant winds. For the win, Beavers earned $71,200, including a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Evinrude outboard and automatic entry into the 2020 BFL All-American Championship, April 30-May 2, at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina.
The cold front and significant winds didn’t just cancel the first day of the event; they drastically changed water levels and left anglers scrambling for any semblance of a pattern. A total of 37 pros never weighed in a fish either day, and Bradford Beavers sure felt like he might be one of them when he got to his planned starting spot and found it on dry ground. Yet, a little luck can go a long way in an event like that, and he got just the right amount of luck.
The FLW Tour pro found a magic pass through a grass flat that accounted for the majority of his weight, as he caught 13-15 and 14-9 over two days to win with a total of 28-8.
“I don’t really know why they were there,” said Beavers, who earned his fifth career victory in FLW competition. “There was nothing really different. But if I had gone 50 yards in either direction, I never would’ve found them.”
Beavers had only been to the Potomac once before – five years ago – for a Costa FLW Series event in the summertime. So he spent the majority of practice refamiliarizing himself with the fishery. Overall, practice was OK, and he figured he at least identified a starting spot for Thursday.
Then the storm happened, with winds gusting so hard the river went from flood stages to as low as what even locals had ever seen. Bryan Schmitt, who finished third in this event, guides on the river and said he’d never seen the Potomac change that much so quickly.
“The place was a mud hole,” added Beavers, who never ventured more than five miles from takeoff. “I was afraid I’d get stuck at blastoff because we were kicking up mud. I got to my first spot and it was practically dry. So I went to another spot that was a little deeper. I was fishing around, not catching anything, so I started fishing my way out because it was too shallow.”
As he fished his way out, he caught his first keeper. And then he caught another, and another, and another. He landed four keepers by 9:15 a.m. from a 50-yard stretch by alternating between a 1/2-ounce white spinnerbait and a black-and-blue homemade vibrating jig thrown on Dobyns Champion 734 C rods.
Beavers fished another five hours without a single bite, making it pretty easy for him to know where he’d be starting on Saturday.
“I lined up and made the exact same pass, and I had a limit by 9:30 a.m.,” said Beavers of the final morning. “It wasn’t a flurry or anything. You just had to grind and fish for them; make a lot of casts and eventually you ran into one.”
By the time Saturday was over, Beavers had managed to land nine keepers, with seven coming from that magic 50-yard stretch, to help him close out his season with consecutive victories.
“I won the BFL on Lake Hartwell in September to qualify for the Regional Championship,” said Beavers. “So, I’m extremely surprised and extremely satisfied to win the Regional. It’s the best way to end my season.”
The top six boaters that qualified for the 2020 BFL All-American were:
1st: Bradford Beavers, Summerville, S.C., 10 bass, 28-8, $20,000 + Ranger Z518L w/200-horsepower outboard
2nd: Al Fiorille, Mount Airy, Md., 10 bass, 25-11, $10,100
3rd: Bryan Schmitt, Deale, Md., 10 bass, 24-5, $5,000
4th: Dennis Burdette, Pembroke, Va., 10 bass, 23-12, $3,000
5th: Otto Hecht, Sneads Ferry, N.C., 10 bass, 23-5, $2,000
6th: Frank Ippoliti, Mercersburg, Pa., 10 bass, 23-4, $1,800
Rounding out the top-10 boaters were:
7th: Ryan Powroznik, Hopewell, Va., 10 bass, 23-3, $1,600
8th: Andrew Heivly, Malvern, Pa., 10 bass, 23-0, $1,400
9th: Chris Baldwin, Lexington, N.C., nine bass, 22-15, $1,200
10th: Derek Brown, Charlottesville, Va., 10 bass, 22-12, $1,000
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Mark Blankenship of Christiansburg, Virginia, weighed in 10 bass over two days totaling 21 pounds, 3 ounces to win the top co-angler prize package of $50,200, including a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Evinrude outboard.
The top six co-anglers that qualified for the 2020 BFL All-American were:
1st: Mark Blankenship, Christiansburg, Va., 10 bass, 21-3, Ranger Z518L w/200-horsepower outboard
2nd: Michael Duarte, Baltimore, Md., nine bass, 19-3, $5,050
3rd: Robert Wedding, Welcome, Md., 10 bass, 18-13, $2,500
4th: Chad Dorney, Macungie, Pa., 10 bass, 18-12, $1,500
5th: Brent Jones, Okeana, Ohio, 10 bass, 18-10, $1,000
6th: Timothy Kinder, Manassas, Va., 10 bass, 18-7, $900
Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers were:
7th: Patrick Hash, Roanoke, Va., 10 bass, 18-6, $800
8th: James Wilcox, Cincinnati, Ohio, nine bass, 18-3, $700
9th: Mike Wotanowski, Lake Hopatcong, N.J., 10 bass, 17-9, $600
10th: Cort Gardner, Jessup, Md., 10 bass, 17-4, $500
The T-H Marine FLW BFL Regional Championship on the Potomac River was hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners. It featured the top pros and co-anglers from the Buckeye (Ohio), Northeast (Maryland-New York), Piedmont (North Carolina-Virginia), and South Carolina divisions.
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 2020 BFL All-American will be held April 30-May 2 at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina, and is hosted by Visit Anderson. 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.
NORTH CAROLINA’S BRYAN NEW WINS T-H MARINE BFL REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ON LAKE SEMINOLE
South Carolina’s Beasley Wins Co-angler Division
BAINBRIDGE, Ga. (Oct. 14, 2019) – Boater Bryan New of Belmont, North Carolina, brought a three-day total of 15 bass to the scale weighing 63 pounds, 4 ounces, to win the no-entry fee T-H Marine FLW BFL Regional Championship on Lake Seminole Saturday. For the win, New earned $71,200, including a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Evinrude outboard and automatic entry into the 2020 BFL All-American Championship, April 30-May 2, at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina.
“I was mainly fishing in the Flint River,” said New, who earned his first win as a boater after three career victories as a co-angler in FLW competition. “I had a terrible practice, but I saw two or three fish in the grass on my side imaging and I figured that there was probably a bunch more in there. So I decided that was my best shot and chose to concentrate on the grass.
“I had 12 to 15 stretches of grass where I thought I could catch them,” New continued. “I had one little stretch that was the juice, though. I caught three keepers each day there. It wasn’t anything that special – just some sparse, topped-out matted clumps on the edge of a shallow bar on the river channel.”
New said that he wasn’t exactly sure what the difference maker was for him in comparison to the other competitors, but suspected it may have just been good timing.
“I never stayed in one place for a long time, I just kept rotating through my areas,” New said. “I’d pull in, make 15 casts or so, then leave it for an hour. I kept rotating through and eventually I’d catch one.”
New said his key baits throughout the week were a Guntersville shad-colored 3/8-ounce Greenfish Tackle swim jig with a Keitech 4.3 swimbait trailer, a Texas-rigged green-pumpkin Zoom Ol’ Monster worm and a prototype frog that he has been working on with Fitzgerald Fishing. He also caught one – his biggest fish of the tournament – on a Greenfish Toad Toter buzzbait with a white Zoom Horny Toad.
“The weights make it look like I was really dialed in, but I wasn’t,” New went on to say. “I would get a few good bites early every day, and that kept my confidence level high. I wasn’t catching a ton of fish, though. I only had six bites the first day, seven the second day and six again on the third day. I was definitely scrambling.”
The top six boaters that qualified for the 2020 BFL All-American were:
1st: Bryan New, Belmont, N.C., 15 bass, 63-4, $20,000 + Ranger Z518L w/200-horsepower outboard
2nd: Randall Allen, Owens Cross Roads, Ala., 15 bass, 48-9, $10,000
3rd: Kip Carter, Mansfield, Ga., 15 bass, 47-10, $5,100
4th: Stacy Adams, Hazlehurst, Ga., 15 bass, 41-9, $3,000
5th: Clabion Johns, Social Circle, Ga., 14 bass, 40-14, $2,000
6th: Nick Cupps, Chattanooga, Tenn., 13 bass, 40-14, $1,800
Rounding out the top-10 boaters were:
7th: John Polly, Nauvoo, Ala., 13 bass, 40-10, $1,600
8th: Dylan Peppers, Social Circle, Ga., 14 bass, 39-14, $1,400
9th: Mikey Keyso Jr., North Port, Fla., 13 bass, 36-2, $1,200
10th: Matt Baty, Bainbridge, Ga., 12 bass, 33-2, $1,000
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Bart Beasley of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, weighed in 15 bass over three days totaling 28 pounds, 6 ounces to win the top co-angler prize package of $50,000, including a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Evinrude outboard.
The top six co-anglers that qualified for the 2020 BFL All-American were:
1st: Bart Beasley, Mount Pleasant, S.C., 15 bass, 28-6, Ranger Z518L w/200-horsepower outboard
2nd: William Perdue, Hawkinsville, Ga., 13 bass, 27-5, $5,000
3rd: Donnie Gamble, Bessemer, Ala., 11 bass, 26-6, $2,500
4th: Jeff Rikard, Leesville, S.C., eight bass, 26-5, $1,700
5th: Bryce Goff, Haines City, Fla., nine bass, 25-10, $1,000
6th: John Hagins, Roswell, Ga., 12 bass, 25-5, $950
Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers were:
7th: Terry Smith, Tullahoma, Tenn., 10 bass, 22-12, $800
8th: Fernando Rosa, Plantation, Fla., seven bass, 21-1, $700
9th: Randy Paquette, Sarasota, Fla., nine bass, 20-8, $600
10th: Wendell Grantham, Athens, Ga., 10 bass, 19-9, $500
The T-H Marine FLW BFL Regional Championship on Lake Seminole was hosted by the Bainbridge Convention & Visitors Bureau. It featured the top pros and co-anglers from the Bulldog (Georgia), Choo Choo (Alabama), Gator (Florida), and Savannah River (Georgia-South Carolina) divisions.
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 2020 BFL All-American will be held April 30-May 2 at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina, and is hosted by Visit Anderson. 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.
ARKANSAS’ DYLAN HAYS WINS COSTA FLW SERIES TOURNAMENT AT LAKE OF THE OZARKS
Former FLW College Fishing Standout Earns First Career Victory – and $37,515
OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (Oct. 12, 2019) – Beginning the day in fourth place, Nitro Boats pro Dylan Hays of El Dorado, Arkansas, caught a five-bass limit Saturday weighing 14 pounds, 6 ounces, to jump to the top of the leaderboard and win the three-day Costa FLW Series at Lake of the Ozarks presented by Evinrude.
Hays’ three-day total of 15 bass weighing 43 pounds, 14 ounces was enough to earn him the victory by a slim 7-ounce margin over second-place angler and Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour pro James Watson of Lampe, Missouri, and earn Hays the top prize of $37,515. The tournament was the third and final regular-season tournament of the year for anglers competing in the Costa FLW Series Central Division.
“God is so good, man,” said an emotional Hays just moments after being declared the winner. “I am so fortunate, you have no idea. I caught a 5-pounder on my very last cast that literally came off in the net. It culled out a 15-incher. I threw it in the livewell and took off to check in. It was literally the very last cast. You can’t make that up.”
What Hays didn’t say on stage was that he hadn’t even planned to be there. Hays had planned to spend the last few minutes of his day at another spot, but when he looked at his clock he realized that he wasn’t going to have enough time to make it there and back before check in. He audibled, and conceded to fishing a brush pile that he had visited multiple times throughout the week.
“I hit this brush pile every day and never had a bite,” Hays said. “I wasn’t even planning to go there today but I didn’t have time to fish much else. As I was fishing up to it, I broke off my football jig, so I told myself ‘well, I guess I’m going to close out the day with a crankbait.’ I threw a (Strike King) 6XD up in there and bam.”
Hays said that had he not broke off he would have been throwing the football jig.
“Who knows, maybe it would have bit the jig, too. I still can’t believe it happened.”
Hays said the key to his win this week was staying persistent and confident in the mentally challenging tournament.
“I wasn’t getting many bites – I only had six the first day, six the second and nine bites today,” Hays said. “Every time I tried to go to the bank and throw topwater all I would catch were little ones. So I stuck to my game plan – fishing brush and docks around the Glaize Arm of the river – and it paid off.”
Hays jig of choice was a ¾-ounce peanut butter and jelly-colored Jewel football jig paired with a green-pumpkin-colored Zoom Super Speed Craw. He caught his biggest fish of the tournament on a green-pumpkin Zoom Brush Hog and also weighed in 2 or 3 each day on a blue herring-colored Strike King 6XD.
“To win an event, you have to never lose a fish and I didn’t lose one all week,” Hays went on to say. “There were some absolute studs in the top 10 today, and to come away with a win – good lord… wow.”
The top 10 pros on Lake of the Ozarks finished:
1st: Dylan Hays, El Dorado, Ark., 15 bass, 43-14, $37,515
2nd: James Watson, Lampe, Mo., 14 bass, 43-7, $13,978
3rd: Casey Scanlon, Lake Ozark, Mo., 15 bass, 42-9, $10,745
4th: Ben Verhoef, Osage Beach, Mo., 13 bass, 41-9, $8,954
5th: James Dill, Sunrise Beach, Mo., 15 bass, 39-1, $8,158
6th: Lance Williams, Billings, Mo., 15 bass, 38-10, $7,163
7th: Cory Steckler, Rocky Mount, Mo., 13 bass, 36-10, $6,268
8th: Brian Maloney, Osage Beach, Mo., 13 bass, 35-9, $5,372
9th: Dale Andrews, Jay, Okla., 15 bass, 32-15, $4,477
10th: Ladd Shannon, Atkins, Ark., eight bass, 28-4, $3,834
A complete list of results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Shannon caught the largest bass of the tournament Thursday, weighing 5 pounds, 11 ounces and earning him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $252.
Erick Fernengel of Lake Waukomis, Missouri, won the Co-angler Division Saturday with a three-day total of 11 bass weighing 27 pounds, 7 ounces. For his win, Fernengel took home the top prize package of a new Ranger Z175 boat with a 115-horsepower outboard motor, worth $27,100.
The top 10 co-anglers on Lake of the Ozarks finished:
1st: Erick Fernengel, Lake Waukomis, Mo., 11 bass, 27-7, $27,100
2nd: Roger Olson Jr., Eagle River, Wis., seven bass, 24-8, $4,581
3rd: Jamie Eynard, Jefferson City, Mo., 11 bass, 21-11, $3,665
4th: Justin Hake, Conway, Ark., eight bass, 21-10, $3,207
5th: Andrew Hegerty, Colgate, Wis., nine bass, 20-9, $3,049
6th: Joe Tucker, Osceola, Mo., nine bass, 18-9, $2,441
7th: Joe Lee, Midlothian, Texas, five bass, 17-15, $1,832
8th: Rob Crane, Fairview Heights, Ill., seven bass, 17-12, $1,603
9th: Ryan Jobe, De Soto, Kan., 11 bass, 17-10, $1,374
10th: Justin Layton, Forsyth, Mo., seven bass, 15-11, $1,145
Scott Parsons of Rogers, Arkansas, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division Thursday, a fish weighing 6 pounds, 9 ounces. He earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $168.
The Costa FLW Series on Table Rock Lake presented by Evinrude was hosted by the Tri-County Lodging Association. It was the third and final tournament in the 2019 regular season for Central Division anglers. The next tournament for FLW Series anglers will be the season finale – the Costa FLW Series Championship at Lake Cumberland, held Oct. 31- Nov. 2 in Burnside, 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.
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, Instagramand YouTube.
Salvucci Wins WON US Open!
Las Vegas, Nev. – October 17, 2019 – He had been close the past two years, including a frustrating second place finish in 2018. Nick Salvucci had said that he wanted to win the U.S. Open more than anything – now he can claim that title as his own.
After taking over the lead on day two, Paso Robles, Calif. pro Salvucci did enough on the final day to close out the victory, despite coming in to the Calville Bay sales one fish short of his daily limit. He did enough the first two days in posting consecutive 11-pound limits, and his more than two and a half pound lead allowed for a margin of error seldom seen in a U.S. Open on Lake Mead. He arrived as the final angler to present his fish to the scales, and when the screen hit 9.44 pounds, he had what he needed and more.
Salvucci’s total weight of 31.98 pounds eclipsed DeeJay Evans, who had taken over the lead with one of the largest bags of the event only moments earlier. For his efforts, Salvucci will receive $100,000 cash and the keys to a 2019 Bass Cat Puma FTD powered by a Mercury Pro XS 250 Four Stroke outboard.
More importantly, Salvucci gets to take home the hardware. “I’ve wanted this trophy for so long, and I’ve been fishing this lake so well for the past several years that it hurt to come so close,” he said. “Now, I get to put my hands on that trophy and I’ve got the perfect place for it at home; I can’t believe it’s finally happened.
Salvucci reported spending his tournament in the mid-lake area. Specifically, he fished the Echo Bay area of the Overton Arm, and worked his way back towards the main lake. He said he caught them on multiple lures. “I didn’t really have any one thing that I caught them on, I junk fished my way through, throwing what I felt l needed to throw,” he said. “The reel key to this week was to keep a positive attitude and just keep my head down. I pulled the hood of my Aftco shirt over my head and stayed focused – it feels amazing.”
Las Vegas, Nev. pro Evans’ final day creel was one of the largest of the event, and his total weight of 29.28 pounds earned him second place for the event. Evans reported catching his fish in one area, something that is unusual for Lake Mead. “I fished a pocket near Temple Bar that was not more than 100 yards by 100 yards,” he said. “I caught them on finesse fishing tactics, tubes and dropshot rigs; I just kept circling the area catching as many fish as I could on each pass.”
He knew that he had a lot of ground to make up on the leader starting the day, so he was thrilled with his finish. “I really did all I could, and doing the math at the tanks, I really didn’t think I had enough to catch Nick,” he said. “He did a great job all week, and I congratulate him on his win.”
Scott Hellesen, from Whittier, Calif. managed to put together a solid tournament, and finished with a total of 26.74 pounds to move up into third position. Ryan Yamagata, from Las Vegas, Nev. steadily climbed the leaderboard each day and finished fourth with 25.47 pounds. Dylan Maxon, from Phoenix, Ariz. rounded out the top five with 25.45 pounds for the tournament.
On the AAA side, day one leader Bo McNeely struggled on day two, but rebounded nicely on the final day with pro partner Ryan Yamagata to earn the win. The Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. angler ended the tournament with 26.92 pounds. Covina, Calif. AAA Brian Reeves finished second with 26.89 pounds, he was followed in third place by Brandon Smith of Indio, Calif. with 26.55 pounds. Joe Leonard of Windsor, Calif. Finished fourth with 25.88 pounds and James Robinson of Lake Havasu City, Ariz. finished fifth with 23.34 pounds.
Complete final standings can be found below.
That concludes the 2019 WON Bass US Open and the live broadcast, presented by Bridgford Foods and Life Source Water Systems brought all of the action to you from the waters of Lake Mead, the weigh-in at Calville Bay Marina, and the awards ceremony from the Railhead Room at Boulder Station Casino. All found at http://www.wonbass.com.
The Sponsors of the 2019 U.S. Open were: Bass Cat Boats, Mercury, Bridgford, Life Source Water Systems, Yo-Zuri, Seaguar Fluorcarbon, Storm, Kuiu, Daiwa, Lew's, Rapala, Last Chance Performance Marine, A&M Graphics, Siren Marine, Gamakatsu, St. Croix Rods, Century Marine, Costa, Anglers Marine, Phenix Rods, Sure Life, Alpine Beer Company, Sportsman’s Warehouse, Ben Green Insurance, Huntington Beach Honda, ZMan, Strike King, SKB and Techron Marine.
2019 WON Bass U.S. Open Final Pro Standings
| Place | Name | Hometown | Penalty | Big Fish | Total |
| 1 | Nick Salvucci | Paso Robles CA | 4.35 | 31.98 | |
| 2 | DeeJay Evans | Las Vegas NV | 0.2 | 2.70 | 29.28 |
| 3 | Scott Hellesen | Whittier CA | 2.20 | 26.74 | |
| 4 | Ryan Yamagata | Las Vegas NV | 2.81 | 25.47 | |
| 5 | Dylan Maxon | Phoenix AZ | 2.31 | 25.45 | |
| 6 | Brett Hite | Phoenix AZ | 3.31 | 24.92 | |
| 7 | Mark Williams | Lake Havasu City AZ | 3.31 | 24.83 | |
| 8 | Clifford Pirch | Payson AZ | 24.54 | ||
| 9 | Laythe Moore | Banning CA | 24.53 | ||
| 10 | Jordan Collom | Temecula CA | 3.91 | 24.39 | |
| 11 | David Baca | Prescott Valley AZ | 5.91 | 24.27 | |
| 12 | Andrew Napoleon | Mesa AZ | 24.26 | ||
| 13 | Justin Kerr | Simi Valley CA | 2.84 | 24.09 | |
| 13 | Brent Shores | Boise ID | 24.09 | ||
| 15 | Keegan Graves | Meridian ID | 4.06 | 24.08 | |
| 16 | Cody Spetz | Menifee CA | 2.99 | 23.76 | |
| 17 | Todd Kline | San Clemente CA | 23.68 | ||
| 18 | Luke Clausen | Otis Orchards WA | 23.42 | ||
| 19 | Kevin Hugo | Canyon Lake CA | 4.12 | 23.26 | |
| 20 | Marty Lawrence | Mesa AZ | 2.51 | 23.11 | |
| 21 | Austin Bonjour | Santa Maria CA | 0.2 | 3.22 | 22.72 |
| 22 | Randy Estrada, M.D. | Corona CA | 22.42 | ||
| 23 | Gabe Bolivar | Ramona CA | 22.37 | ||
| 24 | Tom Leedom | Escondido CA | 22.34 | ||
| 25 | John Murray | Spring City TN | 4.84 | 22.32 | |
| 26 | Kyle Grover | RCHO STA MARG CA | 22.29 | ||
| 27 | Bryan Grier | Hollister CA | 22.24 | ||
| 28 | Sean Torgrude | Henderson NV | 22.20 | ||
| 29 | Kevin Short | Mayflower AR | 22.00 | ||
| 30 | Mike Walsh | El Cajon CA | 0.4 | 21.96 | |
| 31 | Jesse A. Marquez | Brea CA | 21.56 | ||
| 32 | Daniel Elias | Phoenix AZ | 2.08 | 21.51 | |
| 33 | Ricky Shabazz | La Mesa CA | 21.17 | ||
| 34 | Jim Moynagh | Carver MN | 3.54 | 21.14 | |
| 35 | Jeff Martineau | Phoenix AZ | 21.10 | ||
| 36 | Jared Lintner | Arroyo Grande CA | 4.59 | 20.99 | |
| 37 | Aaron Martens | Leeds AL | 0.2 | 20.97 | |
| 38 | Julius Mazy | Phoenix AZ | 0.2 | 2.94 | 20.43 |
| 39 | Chad Randles | Elkhorn NE | 2.59 | 20.03 | |
| 40 | Jesse Parks | Avondale AZ | 20.01 | ||
| 41 | Raymond Archer | Greeley CO | 19.95 | ||
| 42 | Billy Hines | Vacaville CA | 19.78 | ||
| 43 | Sheldon Collings | Grove OK | 2.27 | 19.76 | |
| 43 | Shane Spinning | Canyon Lake CA | 19.76 | ||
| 45 | Garrett Howard | Riverside CA | 19.74 | ||
| 46 | Rusty Salewske | Alpine CA | 19.73 | ||
| 47 | Jim Wells | New Plymouth ID | 19.59 | ||
| 48 | Jay Cranney | Sandy UT | 2.36 | 19.37 | |
| 49 | Tommy Jonovich | Phoenix AZ | 2.13 | 19.36 | |
| 50 | Steve Klein | Oroville CA | 2.15 | 19.32 | |
| 51 | Matt Stefan | Junction City WI | 19.16 | ||
| 52 | Randy Blaukat | Joplin MO | 19.02 | ||
| 53 | Josh Bertrand | San Tan Valley AZ | 18.84 | ||
| 54 | Brent James | St George UT | 18.75 | ||
| 55 | Wade Strelic | El Cajon CA | 18.65 | ||
| 56 | Inder Lopez | Spring Valley CA | 0.2 | 18.64 | |
| 57 | Gabe Thomas | Tuscon AZ | 2.53 | 18.30 | |
| 58 | Kevin Finley | Phoenix AZ | 18.29 | ||
| 59 | Michael Phua | Chino CA | 18.23 | ||
| 60 | Chris Zaldain | San Jose CA | 18.12 | ||
| 61 | Steve Molinari | Waddell AZ | 17.91 | ||
| 62 | Blake Dyer | Walnut Creek CA | 2.07 | 17.89 | |
| 63 | Ted Holverson | El Cajon CA | 17.88 | ||
| 64 | Chris Teixeira | El Mirage AZ | 17.83 | ||
| 65 | Bill Brown | Grand Junction CO | 3.08 | 17.76 | |
| 66 | Matt Frazier | Delhi CA | 17.71 | ||
| 67 | Jeff Hudson | Las Vegas NV | 0.2 | 3.47 | 17.68 |
| 68 | John Stewart | Peoria AZ | 17.66 | ||
| 69 | Bryant Smith | Castro Valley CA | 17.62 | ||
| 70 | Brian Tressen | Corona CA | 17.49 | ||
| 71 | Dean Rojas | Lake Havasu City AZ | 17.47 | ||
| 72 | Joe Uribe, Jr. | Surprise AZ | 17.44 | ||
| 73 | Shaun Bailey | Lake Havasu City AZ | 17.38 | ||
| 74 | Sean Coffey | Mesa AZ | 17.29 | ||
| 75 | Shane Meisel | Alta Loma CA | 2.46 | 17.27 | |
| 76 | Jay Wright | Seal Beach CA | 17.26 | ||
| 77 | Travis Jewell | Sandy UT | 17.24 | ||
| 78 | Dung Van Vu | Paramount CA | 17.11 | ||
| 79 | Scott Frazier | Spring Valley CA | 2.35 | 17.02 | |
| 80 | Art Berry | Alpine CA | 16.88 | ||
| 81 | Neil Flores | Menifee CA | 3.16 | 16.84 | |
| 82 | Rich Willoughby | Downey CA | 0.2 | 16.82 | |
| 83 | Michael Perry | Goodyear AZ | 3.53 | 16.70 | |
| 84 | Jiggs Benn | Myrtle Creek OR | 16.63 | ||
| 85 | Scooter Griffith | Mesa AZ | 16.56 | ||
| 86 | Bradley Hallman | Norman OK | 16.50 | ||
| 87 | Clayton Eslick | Gilroy CA | 2.43 | 16.45 | |
| 88 | Tim Klinger | Boulder City NV | 16.42 | ||
| 89 | Donnie Scroggins | Kingman AZ | 16.19 | ||
| 90 | Melvin Williams | Chula Vista CA | 3.09 | 16.18 | |
| 91 | Ray Arbesu | Henderson NV | 2.66 | 16.10 | |
| 92 | Bobby Lanham | Cave Creek AZ | 2.73 | 16.03 | |
| 93 | Greg Halliman | Littlerock CA | 16.00 | ||
| 94 | Guy Savidan | NORCO CA | 15.97 | ||
| 95 | Ken Whalen | Lompoc CA | 15.91 | ||
| 96 | Kurt Dove | Del Rio TX | 15.73 | ||
| 97 | Todd Woods | Los Angeles CA | 15.64 | ||
| 98 | Jerren Slaton | Afton TX | 15.50 | ||
| 99 | Danny Clark | San Tan Valley AZ | 15.45 | ||
| 100 | Justin Patti | Peoria AZ | 3.43 | 15.34 | |
| 101 | Dan Merchant | Canyon Lake CA | 15.27 | ||
| 102 | Kona Borja | Henderson NV | 2.58 | 15.19 | |
| 103 | Bill O'Shinn | Auburn CA | 1 | 15.17 | |
| 104 | Jonathan Schuyler | Henderson NV | 15.13 | ||
| 105 | Patrick Touey | Nipomo CA | 14.99 | ||
| 106 | Jacob Lute | Yuma AZ | 3.57 | 14.96 | |
| 107 | Jeremy McKay | Cottage Grove OR | 14.92 | ||
| 108 | Vern Ridgway | Chandler AZ | 14.91 | ||
| 109 | Jacob Russell | Tuscon AZ | 3.26 | 14.72 | |
| 110 | Dan Frazier | Arroyo Grande CA | 2.47 | 14.54 | |
| 111 | Greg Miser | Spring Valley CA | 4.28 | 14.43 | |
| 112 | Cody Steckel | Las Vegas NV | 14.36 | ||
| 113 | Johnny Johnson | Lakeside AZ | 14.29 | ||
| 114 | George Kramer | Lake Elsinore CA | 2.52 | 14.20 | |
| 115 | Jamie Shaw | Coolidge AZ | 2.95 | 14.19 | |
| 116 | Trevor Reis | Alpine CA | 14.17 | ||
| 117 | Dustin Remy | Henderson NV | 14.12 | ||
| 118 | Steven Mack | Queen Creek AZ | 13.88 | ||
| 119 | Cory Kramer | Mesa AZ | 13.83 | ||
| 120 | Carlos Garcia | Murrieta CA | 13.17 | ||
| 121 | Cody Murray | Nampa ID | 3.46 | 13.11 | |
| 122 | Brad Smith | Riverside CA | 13.10 | ||
| 123 | Shawn Lee | Arroyo Grande CA | 0.2 | 13.07 | |
| 124 | Mike Mcclelland | Blue Eye MO | 3.55 | 13.06 | |
| 125 | Jim Elliott | Redding CA | 12.98 | ||
| 126 | John Zeolla | Oak Park CA | 12.96 | ||
| 127 | Kevin Wiggins | Las Vegas NV | 2.86 | 12.91 | |
| 128 | Oscar Lopez | Santa Paula CA | 12.83 | ||
| 129 | Tony Lain | Lake Havasu City AZ | 12.80 | ||
| 130 | Devin McDonald | Rio Ranch NM | 12.77 | ||
| 131 | Travis Pitt | Henderson NV | 12.70 | ||
| 132 | Russ Barger | Boise ID | 12.67 | ||
| 133 | Andrew Upshaw | Tulsa OK | 12.62 | ||
| 134 | Brett Leber | Dixon CA | 12.47 | ||
| 135 | Matthew Adamson | Farmington NM | 12.43 | ||
| 136 | Levi Samz | Green River WY | 2.42 | 12.41 | |
| 137 | Vince Borges | Salida CA | 0.2 | 12.22 | |
| 138 | Alex Klein | Oroville CA | 12.21 | ||
| 139 | Ken Mah | Elk Grove CA | 12.20 | ||
| 140 | Shannon Abbott | Oceanside CA | 12.13 | ||
| 141 | Pete Marino | Moreno Valley CA | 2.21 | 12.06 | |
| 142 | Andy Manahl | Mesa AZ | 11.99 | ||
| 142 | Gildardo Gollas | Las Vegas NV | 3.90 | 11.99 | |
| 144 | Carl Limbrick, Jr. | Bonita CA | 11.90 | ||
| 145 | Siwon Kang | Korea | 11.87 | ||
| 146 | Rod Wynn | Inglewood CA | 0.2 | 11.81 | |
| 147 | Jason Hickey | Weiser ID | 11.76 | ||
| 148 | Zack Holwerda | Maricopa AZ | 11.68 | ||
| 149 | Hobby Nelson | Peoria AZ | 11.52 | ||
| 150 | Jason Talbot | Page AZ | 3.62 | 11.50 | |
| 151 | Doug Gaskill | Las Vegas NV | 11.47 | ||
| 152 | Roy Hawk | Lake Havasu City AZ | 11.32 | ||
| 153 | Rodney Reed | Chelan WA | 11.28 | ||
| 154 | Jason Thompson | Phoenix AZ | 11.21 | ||
| 155 | Chip Gilbert | San Mateo CA | 11.02 | ||
| 156 | Gary Wasson | Visalia CA | 10.98 | ||
| 157 | Clayton Meyer | Henderson NV | 10.94 | ||
| 158 | Tom Ormsby | Parowan UT | 10.91 | ||
| 159 | Mark Dotterer | Phoenix AZ | 10.88 | ||
| 160 | Jason Swim | Peoria AZ | 10.84 | ||
| 161 | Kirk McKinney | Phoenix AZ | 10.82 | ||
| 162 | Kevin Caruso | Glendale AZ | 3.54 | 10.70 | |
| 163 | Jason Bradshaw | Sacramento CA | 10.58 | ||
| 164 | Derek Spetz | Menifee CA | 10.48 | ||
| 165 | Byung ho Kang | Korea | 10.47 | ||
| 165 | Tom Lowery | Lakeside CA | 10.47 | ||
| 167 | Dylan Denny | Prescott Valley AZ | 3.16 | 10.40 | |
| 168 | Jason Cloke | Alpine CA | 10.14 | ||
| 169 | Greg Gutierrez | Red Bluff CA | 9.96 | ||
| 170 | Tai Au | Glendale AZ | 9.89 | ||
| 170 | Paul Tassie | Lake Havasu City AZ | 9.89 | ||
| 172 | Joe Patz | Surprise AZ | 9.84 | ||
| 173 | Loren Bryant | Phoenix AZ | 9.80 | ||
| 174 | Matthew Williams | Lake Havasu City AZ | 9.78 | ||
| 175 | James Howard | Mesa AZ | 2.25 | 9.68 | |
| 176 | Dane Lawrence | Tillamook OR | 9.65 | ||
| 177 | Kyle Coppinger | Pheonix AZ | 9.64 | ||
| 178 | Jim McLaughlin | Bakersfield CA | 9.56 | ||
| 179 | Keith Diffey | Elk Grove CA | 2.47 | 9.51 | |
| 180 | Ish Monroe | Oakdale CA | 3.11 | 9.44 | |
| 181 | James Fenney Jr | Murrieta CA | 9.42 | ||
| 182 | Kyle Georgi | Descanso CA | 2.15 | 9.39 | |
| 182 | Ron Hammett | La Mesa CA | 0.4 | 9.39 | |
| 184 | Zachary Elrite | San Jose CA | 9.18 | ||
| 185 | Mike Rennie | Pioche NV | 9.15 | ||
| 186 | Tim Price | Glendale AZ | 3.86 | 9.14 | |
| 187 | Tom Nokes | Riverton UT | 9.10 | ||
| 188 | Ed Webb | Stanwood WA | 9.08 | ||
| 189 | Allen Clark | Florence AZ | 0.2 | 8.90 | |
| 190 | Dick Watson | Alta Loma CA | 8.78 | ||
| 191 | Jay Guterding | Redding CA | 8.77 | ||
| 192 | Mike Peterson | Valley Center CA | 8.70 | ||
| 193 | Bub Tosh | Turlock CA | 8.69 | ||
| 194 | Stephen Tauriello | Las Vegas CA | 8.63 | ||
| 194 | Mike Williams | Mesa AZ | 8.63 | ||
| 196 | Greg Garcia | Cibola AZ | 8.54 | ||
| 196 | Jiwoong Yoo | Korea | 8.54 | ||
| 198 | Delaney Dwyer | Scottsdale AZ | 8.52 | ||
| 199 | Jacob Roundtree | Show Low AZ | 2.96 | 8.38 | |
| 200 | David Naugle | Las Vegas NV | 8.35 | ||
| 201 | Derek Francom | Mesa AZ | 1 | 8.34 | |
| 202 | Todd Holverson | San Diego CA | 8.28 | ||
| 203 | Louis Fernandes | Santa Maria CA | 8.26 | ||
| 204 | Mark Poe | Coolidge AZ | 8.13 | ||
| 205 | Noy Vilaysane | San Diego CA | 0.2 | 8.04 | |
| 206 | Brett Posladek | Valley Center CA | 7.98 | ||
| 207 | Ian Boehm | Desrt Hills AZ | 7.92 | ||
| 208 | Shawn O'Connell | Brewster WA | 7.89 | ||
| 209 | Rick Mason | Glendale AZ | 7.88 | ||
| 209 | John Morrow | Kingman | 7.88 | ||
| 211 | Steve Gibson | Las Vegas NV | 7.81 | ||
| 212 | Miles Howe | San Juan Capistrano CA | 7.78 | ||
| 213 | Dusty Kahler | Paso Robles CA | 7.67 | ||
| 214 | Matt Shura | Gilbert AZ | 7.57 | ||
| 215 | Wade Headrick | South Jordan UT | 7.56 | ||
| 216 | Paul Hodges | Glendale AZ | 7.51 | ||
| 216 | Mac McCullough | Modesto CA | 7.51 | ||
| 218 | Rick Correa | Wilsonville OR | 7.21 | ||
| 218 | James Salazar | Las Vegas NV | 1 | 7.21 | |
| 220 | Gary Moore | Hemet CA | 7.12 | ||
| 221 | Douglas Jones | North Las vegas NV | 7.04 | ||
| 222 | Matthew Luna | Santee CA | 6.93 | ||
| 223 | Mike Brillhart | Waddell AZ | 6.91 | ||
| 224 | David Kemper | Tempe AZ | 6.78 | ||
| 225 | Sam Rosefsky | Morris IL | 6.74 | ||
| 226 | Trace Myers | Santaquin CA | 6.73 | ||
| 227 | Ron Ratlief | Lake Havasu City AZ | 6.49 | ||
| 228 | Robert Ostercamp | Chandler AZ | 2.08 | 6.29 | |
| 229 | Michael Crowther | Page AZ | 2.21 | 6.17 | |
| 230 | Benjamin Green | Pasadena CA | 6.04 | ||
| 231 | Vincent Melkus | Billings MT | 6.02 | ||
| 232 | Scott Davis | Preston ID | 5.92 | ||
| 233 | Jim Hallauer | Alpine CA | 5.85 | ||
| 234 | Jesse Slaton | Klamath Falls OR | 5.68 | ||
| 235 | Rich Vincent | Wildomar CA | 5.61 | ||
| 236 | Justin Ramsay | Peoria AZ | 4.99 | ||
| 237 | Cy Floyd | Spokane WA | 4.95 | ||
| 238 | Stephen Price | Surprise AZ | 4.53 | ||
| 239 | Philip Roesener | Logandale NV | 4.32 | ||
| 240 | Christopher Dixon | Granada Hills CA | 4.18 | ||
| 241 | Robert Zumwalt | Las Vegas NV | 4.14 | ||
| 242 | Michael Spain | Goodyear AZ | 3.93 | ||
| 243 | Bobby Hamner | Phenix AZ | 3.24 | ||
| 244 | Gary Freeman | Las Vegas NV | 3.20 | ||
| 245 | Guy Williams | Menifee CA | 2.76 | ||
| 246 | Darius Arberry | Las Vegas NV | 2.69 | ||
| 247 | George Fedor | Yucaipa CA | 2.64 | ||
| 248 | Cliff King | Ione CA | 2.63 | ||
| 249 | Trait Zaldain | Fort Worth TX | 2.55 | ||
| 250 | Cory Hoopes | Malad ID | 2.48 | ||
| 251 | Marvin Finley | Peoria AZ | 1.76 | ||
| 252 | Bryan Diehm | Las Vegas NV | 1.18 | ||
| 253 | Steven Bowlin | Coolidge AZ | 0.00 | ||
| 253 | Chase Colby | St. George UT | 0.00 | ||
| 253 | Brandon Ober | Camarillo CA | 0.00 |
2019 WON Bass U.S. Open Final AAA Standings
| Place | Name | Hometown | Penalty | Big Fish | Total |
| 1 | Bo McNeely | Rancho Cucamunga CA | 3.18 | 26.92 | |
| 2 | Brian Reaves | Covina CA | 3.29 | 26.89 | |
| 3 | Brandon Smith | Indio CA | 3.81 | 26.55 | |
| 4 | Joe Leonard | Windsor CA | 25.88 | ||
| 5 | James Robinson | Lake Havasu City CA | 23.34 | ||
| 6 | Kelly Burns | Avondale AZ | 2.24 | 22.96 | |
| 7 | Vincent A. Terranova | Scottsdale AZ | 22.77 | ||
| 8 | Michael Fisher | Santee CA | 22.66 | ||
| 9 | Dominick Mohameds | Oakley CA | 22.59 | ||
| 10 | Carol Martens | West Hills CA | 22.36 | ||
| 11 | James Rathjen | Woodland CA | 0.2 | 22.21 | |
| 12 | Aaron Heath | Phoenix AZ | 0.2 | 3.63 | 21.87 |
| 13 | Bill Hart | Lincoln CA | 21.71 | ||
| 14 | John D. Helm | Tempe AZ | 21.22 | ||
| 15 | Teddy Snyder | Redding CA | 2.33 | 21.11 | |
| 16 | Jason Ryan | Pheonix AZ | 2.42 | 20.85 | |
| 17 | Chuck Turner | Golden Valley AZ | 3.50 | 20.77 | |
| 18 | Lynn Irwin | Las Vegas | 3.47 | 20.64 | |
| 19 | Matt Gene | Menifee CA | 2.22 | 20.63 | |
| 20 | Ayaaz Ismail | Las Vegas NV | 20.57 | ||
| 21 | Damon Witt | Roseville CA | 2.71 | 20.50 | |
| 22 | Kyle Greenlaw | Morro Bay CA | 2.73 | 20.42 | |
| 23 | Robert A. Morris | Colorado Springs CO | 2.92 | 20.28 | |
| 24 | Evan Roorda | Redlands CA | 2.36 | 20.21 | |
| 25 | Steve Larsen | Henderson NV | 2.06 | 20.18 | |
| 26 | Shawn Plunkett | Tucson AZ | 19.92 | ||
| 27 | Cory Sautter | Phoenix AZ | 19.70 | ||
| 27 | Nathan Foreman | Queen Creek AZ | 19.70 | ||
| 29 | Robert Nicholson | Grand Terrace CA | 19.50 | ||
| 30 | James Scott | Lancaster CA | 1.95 | 19.41 | |
| 31 | Craig Morioka | Torrance CA | 19.35 | ||
| 32 | Freddy Aguero | Surprise AZ | 19.14 | ||
| 33 | Kevin H Duncan | LaVerne CA | 2.79 | 19.04 | |
| 34 | Bailey Hurst | Placerville CA | 1.95 | 18.99 | |
| 35 | Brian Presmyk | Prescott Valley AZ | 18.85 | ||
| 36 | Mark Bowman | San Dimas CA | 2.08 | 18.81 | |
| 37 | Kevin Miner | Saugus CA | 18.71 | ||
| 38 | John Schramer | Phoenix AZ | 2.28 | 18.60 | |
| 39 | Dean Yamagata | Las Vegas NV | 18.49 | ||
| 40 | Mark Zacher | Rapid City SD | 18.35 | ||
| 41 | Brian Mork | Pleasanton CA | 18.34 | ||
| 42 | Brian P. Day | San Diego CA | 2.27 | 18.32 | |
| 43 | Hector Gracia | Poway CA | 18.25 | ||
| 43 | Yusuke Konno | Japan | 18.25 | ||
| 45 | Christopher Owens | Las Vegas NV | 18.15 | ||
| 46 | Randy Droll | Apache Junction AZ | 2.36 | 18.06 | |
| 47 | Aaron Bartelt | Grand Junction CO | 0.4 | 17.87 | |
| 48 | Jake Frevert | Alpine CA | 17.86 | ||
| 49 | Kevin A. Smith | Phoenix AZ | 17.75 | ||
| 50 | Ted Romero | Lakewood CA | 17.74 | ||
| 51 | Kevin McBean | Shafter CA | 0.2 | 17.40 | |
| 52 | Nathan Billetdeaux | San Tan Valley AZ | 2.05 | 17.35 | |
| 53 | Luke Spreitzer | Phoenix AZ | 2.84 | 17.10 | |
| 54 | Mark Chadeayne | Pomona CA | 2.15 | 17.01 | |
| 55 | Liz Jones | Conoga Park CA | 16.97 | ||
| 56 | Jake Back | Gilbert AZ | 16.95 | ||
| 57 | Juan Diaz | Surprise CA | 16.94 | ||
| 57 | James Wiegand | Redding CA | 2.11 | 16.94 | |
| 59 | Dallas Braun | Eagar AZ | 16.83 | ||
| 60 | James Denny | Apache Junction AZ | 16.82 | ||
| 60 | Clifford Phipps | Trabuco Canyon CA | 16.82 | ||
| 62 | Aaron Manning | Mesa AZ | 2.46 | 16.79 | |
| 63 | Daniel Partida II | Las Vegas NV | 16.76 | ||
| 64 | Chris Allen | Grand Junction CO | 0.2 | 2.43 | 16.66 |
| 65 | David Bebawy | Chandler AZ | 0.2 | 2.99 | 16.64 |
| 66 | Joe Uribe, Sr. | Lake Havasu City AZ | 3.02 | 16.63 | |
| 67 | Kenneth Murata | Irvine CA | 2.44 | 16.53 | |
| 68 | Aaron Reese | Gilbert AZ | 0.2 | 16.52 | |
| 69 | Ralph Wells | Lake Havasu City AZ | 2.20 | 16.50 | |
| 70 | Joshua Palma | Surprise AZ | 16.43 | ||
| 71 | Len Scinto | Valencia CA | 2.99 | 16.40 | |
| 72 | Hunter Miller | Oak Hills CA | 16.36 | ||
| 73 | Victor Azevedo | Filer ID | 2.39 | 16.31 | |
| 74 | Russell Herring | Modesto CA | 16.21 | ||
| 75 | Mike Kizis | Bell River ON | 0.2 | 3.60 | 16.08 |
| 75 | Austin Kubica | Peoria AZ | 16.08 | ||
| 77 | Paul Reutlinger | Mineola TX | 2.20 | 16.05 | |
| 78 | Doug Hutchison | Santa Rosa CA | 16.02 | ||
| 79 | Darren Bowman | San Tan Valley AZ | 2.12 | 15.86 | |
| 80 | Adam Cacal | Las Vegas NV | 15.80 | ||
| 81 | Jim Poff | Apple Vally CA | 15.78 | ||
| 82 | Mark Dalton | Fountain Hills AZ | 15.71 | ||
| 83 | Chad Davis | Mesa AZ | 15.56 | ||
| 84 | Spencer Lazara | Las Vegas NV | 2.20 | 15.50 | |
| 85 | Geoff Peterson | Huntington Beach CA | 0.2 | 15.48 | |
| 86 | Marty Martinez | Colorado CA | 15.34 | ||
| 87 | Ben Foster | Tucson AZ | 2.50 | 15.30 | |
| 87 | Michael Vice | Rossville IL | 15.30 | ||
| 89 | Brent Benish | San Diego CA | 15.28 | ||
| 90 | John Bitting | Westminster CA | 15.19 | ||
| 90 | Troy Mays | Ione CA | 0.2 | 15.19 | |
| 92 | Mark Snitow | Lake Havasu City AZ | 15.06 | ||
| 93 | Jeff Lenard | Murrieta CA | 15.03 | ||
| 94 | Bryon Frevert | Alpine CA | 14.96 | ||
| 95 | Geoff Pierce | El Cajon CA | 14.94 | ||
| 96 | Richard Hanning | Tucson AZ | 2.60 | 14.85 | |
| 97 | Steve Watson | Phoenix AZ | 1.80 | 14.82 | |
| 98 | Zach Richard | Suisun CA | 1 | 14.80 | |
| 99 | Cole Wright | Alpine CA | 1.89 | 14.76 | |
| 100 | David Swendseid | Bend OR | 14.73 | ||
| 101 | Raymond Tak | Newbury Park CA | 1.81 | 14.68 | |
| 102 | TJ Golden | Canyon Country CA | 2.52 | 14.65 | |
| 103 | Jim Vretzos | El Dorodo Hills CA | 14.63 | ||
| 104 | Chris Nickerson | Hemet CA | 2.42 | 14.54 | |
| 105 | Tom Varden | Smithville TX | 14.50 | ||
| 106 | Austin Rojas | Lake Havasu City AZ | 2.32 | 14.49 | |
| 107 | Chuck Harrison | Fort Collins CO | 14.35 | ||
| 107 | Steve Jenkins | Mesa AZ | 14.35 | ||
| 107 | Ronald Slack, Jr. | Pahrump NV | 14.35 | ||
| 110 | Anthony Romano | Phoenix AZ | 14.32 | ||
| 111 | Joseph Verna | Atwater CA | 14.28 | ||
| 112 | Anthony Souza | Turlock CA | 14.23 | ||
| 113 | Jeremy Watney | Prosper TX | 14.20 | ||
| 113 | Tom Kruse | San Juan Capistrano CA | 2.24 | 14.20 | |
| 115 | Tom Creasy | Covina CA | 14.19 | ||
| 116 | Sonny Gibson | Las Vegas NV | 14.14 | ||
| 117 | Rick Cofield | Las Vegas NV | 14.01 | ||
| 118 | Taylor Parlanti | Las Vegas NV | 13.99 | ||
| 118 | Blaine Christiansen | San Francisco CA | 13.99 | ||
| 120 | Kristian Puga | La Mirada CA | 0.2 | 3.39 | 13.97 |
| 121 | Hayden Metz | Eastvalle CA | 13.93 | ||
| 122 | Mark Torrez | Camarillo CA | 13.92 | ||
| 123 | Terry Varden | Rockwall TX | 13.83 | ||
| 124 | Tyler Hogan | Newport Beach CA | 13.81 | ||
| 125 | Tom Cilluffo | Napa CA | 13.80 | ||
| 125 | Larry White | Sun City AZ | 13.80 | ||
| 127 | Jeff Mabry | Phoenix AZ | 13.77 | ||
| 128 | Stephen Byrum | Avondale AZ | 3.19 | 13.71 | |
| 129 | Coy Mott | Fruitland ID | 13.69 | ||
| 130 | Mandy Myers | Santaquin UT | 13.68 | ||
| 131 | Jose Torres | Tucson AZ | 13.51 | ||
| 132 | Ryan Mackenzie | Anthem AZ | 13.42 | ||
| 133 | Patrick S. Donoho | Las Vegas NV | 13.38 | ||
| 134 | Willie Waller | Temecula CA | 2.33 | 13.37 | |
| 135 | Jason Caine | Las Vegas NV | 13.36 | ||
| 136 | Michael Bidak | Phoenix AZ | 13.25 | ||
| 137 | Masashi Kato | Japan | 13.18 | ||
| 138 | Jeff Bias | Las Vegas NV | 12.99 | ||
| 139 | Rich Henson | Redding CA | 12.96 | ||
| 140 | Wade Goodwin | Wilton CA | 2.15 | 12.95 | |
| 141 | Tyson Oakley | Tulare CA | 12.89 | ||
| 142 | Szu Nien Yeh | Las Vegas NV | 12.87 | ||
| 143 | Matthew Delucia | South Pasadena CA | 12.85 | ||
| 144 | Gabriel Jones | Henderson NV | 12.72 | ||
| 145 | Cameron Rodriguez | San Diego CA | 1 | 2.43 | 12.52 |
| 146 | Nathan Cummings | Peoria AZ | 12.45 | ||
| 147 | Tim Karas | Las Vegas NV | 12.36 | ||
| 148 | Dan Zehring | Gilbert AZ | 12.35 | ||
| 148 | Colby King | Ione CA | 12.35 | ||
| 150 | Todd Curry | El Cajon CA | 12.34 | ||
| 151 | Chris Beverly | Mesa AZ | 12.30 | ||
| 152 | Derek Hasenbeck | Poway CA | 12.27 | ||
| 153 | Bob Horton | N Las Vegas NV | 12.25 | ||
| 154 | Brent Becker | Boulder City NV | 12.20 | ||
| 155 | Onelio J. Silva | Las Vegas NV | 12.19 | ||
| 156 | Jason Okamoto | Glendale AZ | 12.17 | ||
| 157 | Brad Hellum | Glendale AZ | 12.14 | ||
| 157 | Mike Gowey | Snowflake AZ | 2.56 | 12.14 | |
| 159 | Adam Brister | Green River WY | 12.04 | ||
| 160 | Ellison Hubbard | LAS VEGAS NV | 11.98 | ||
| 161 | Aaryn Coroneos | Henderson NV | 2.09 | 11.96 | |
| 162 | Marc Walker | Phoenix AZ | 11.90 | ||
| 163 | Jim Elie | El Segundo CA | 11.84 | ||
| 164 | Brian Mills | Phoenix AZ | 11.81 | ||
| 165 | Lyle Valador | Boulder City AZ | 0.2 | 11.79 | |
| 166 | Grayson Denny | Apache Junction AZ | 11.77 | ||
| 167 | Josh Kimmel | Colorado Springs CO | 11.70 | ||
| 168 | Mark Thompson | Horsley AU | 11.67 | ||
| 169 | Ryan Furno | Aloha OR | 11.50 | ||
| 170 | Ken Hromada | Chandler AZ | 11.48 | ||
| 171 | Corey Williams | Boulder City CA | 11.46 | ||
| 172 | Dink Mendez | Campbell CA | 11.45 | ||
| 172 | Jim Sanders | Gifford WA | 11.45 | ||
| 172 | Joshua Taylor | Winslow AR | 11.45 | ||
| 175 | Chad Roorda | Beaumont CA | 1.70 | 11.39 | |
| 176 | Alex Centner | Gilbert AZ | 11.34 | ||
| 177 | Brian Senter | Tucson AZ | 1.92 | 11.33 | |
| 178 | Steve Meza | El Monte CA | 1.96 | 11.31 | |
| 179 | John Hilland | Gilbert AZ | 11.29 | ||
| 180 | Angelo Aliotti | Aguanga CA | 11.26 | ||
| 181 | Kaito Masuda | Japan | 11.24 | ||
| 182 | Naoaki Fujimoto | Osaka,Japan | 11.23 | ||
| 183 | Robert Schneider | Temecula CA | 11.19 | ||
| 184 | Craig Hammett | Eagle ID | 10.98 | ||
| 185 | Bret Felter | Malad ID | 2.17 | 10.92 | |
| 186 | Kevin Gross | Claremont CA | 10.76 | ||
| 187 | Douglas Bullard | Anaheim CA | 10.75 | ||
| 188 | Jonathan Milburn | Mesa AZ | 10.70 | ||
| 189 | Kenny Johnson | Eager AZ | 10.66 | ||
| 190 | Ryan Wischnack | Valencia CA | 2.38 | 10.65 | |
| 191 | Brandon Morton | San Tan Valley AZ | 2.13 | 10.52 | |
| 192 | Larry Warren | Laverkin UT | 1.93 | 10.50 | |
| 193 | MIke Figueroa | Chino Hills CA | 10.48 | ||
| 194 | Jack Roorda | Beaumont CA | 10.44 | ||
| 195 | Nathan Hill | Las Vegas NV | 3.36 | 10.41 | |
| 196 | Bill Snyder | Las Vegas NV | 10.37 | ||
| 197 | John Browning | Surprise AZ | 10.36 | ||
| 197 | Tom Karavites | Payson AZ | 10.36 | ||
| 199 | Jan Prestella | San Dimas CA | 10.35 | ||
| 200 | Richard Downey | Cortaro AZ | 10.29 | ||
| 201 | Wayne St. John | Henderson NV | 10.23 | ||
| 202 | Jonathan Green | San Pablo CA | 10.21 | ||
| 203 | Cody Cook | Ventura CA | 0.4 | 10.20 | |
| 204 | Robby Rogers | Redondo Beach CA | 10.16 | ||
| 205 | Bobby Tidd | Mesa AZ | 10.13 | ||
| 206 | Hermie Romero | Las Vegas NV | 10.12 | ||
| 207 | Byung Gu Kim | Korea | 9.85 | ||
| 208 | Derick Cotten | Glendale AZ | 9.75 | ||
| 209 | Malcolm Stewart | Australia | 9.74 | ||
| 210 | Randall Bruce | Las Vegas NV | 2.40 | 9.72 | |
| 211 | Brian Eslick | Gilroy CA | 0.2 | 9.48 | |
| 212 | Randy Austin | Cedar City UT | 9.47 | ||
| 213 | Robert Chor | San Pedro CA | 8.92 | ||
| 214 | Gary Crouse | Covina CA | 8.80 | ||
| 215 | William McAninch | Yemecula CA | 2.85 | 8.48 | |
| 216 | Nick Teschler | Phoenix AZ | 8.43 | ||
| 217 | Cody Stentz | East Wenatchee WA | 8.38 | ||
| 218 | Mike Steckel | Las Vegas NV | 8.35 | ||
| 219 | Clifford Kinney | Mesa AZ | 7.92 | ||
| 220 | Chad Smith | Hughson CA | 7.85 | ||
| 221 | Lance Hunt | Mesa AZ | 7.78 | ||
| 222 | Erik Torres | Tucson AZ | 7.77 | ||
| 223 | William Penrod | Salome AZ | 7.66 | ||
| 224 | Patrick McLaren | Las Vegas NV | 7.45 | ||
| 225 | Nicholas Guerrero | Castaic CA | 7.42 | ||
| 226 | Warren Mauran II | Woodland Hills CA | 1 | 7.38 | |
| 227 | Ryan Gutierrez | Weiser ID | 7.19 | ||
| 228 | Kenny Myers | Lakeside AZ | 6.97 | ||
| 229 | Ron Pikul | Chino Vallet AZ | 6.91 | ||
| 230 | Keith Bridges | Mission Viejo CA | 6.66 | ||
| 231 | Todd Tobiasson | Las Vegas NV | 6.47 | ||
| 232 | Vincent Alcantara | Glendale AZ | 6.29 | ||
| 233 | Joshua Rojas | Fontana CA | 6.27 | ||
| 234 | Robert Kneeshaw | Australia | 6.15 | ||
| 235 | Raffi Demirjian | Australia | 6.11 | ||
| 236 | Thor Dusenberry | Pheonix CA | 6.06 | ||
| 237 | Grant Parker | Elgin OR | 5.98 | ||
| 238 | Danny Burnett | Casa Grande AZ | 5.78 | ||
| 239 | Ian Hastie | Cambridge ID | 5.51 | ||
| 240 | Tim Roden | Queen Creek AZ | 5.38 | ||
| 241 | Robert Lee Record, Jr. | Corona CA | 5.25 | ||
| 242 | Bret Nagelhout | Red Rock AZ | 5.19 | ||
| 243 | Zack Harback | Phoenix AZ | 5.07 | ||
| 244 | Kevin Russell | Chandler AZ | 4.86 | ||
| 245 | Ryan Borba | Atascadero CA | 4.70 | ||
| 246 | Rick Moore | Salinas CA | 4.12 | ||
| 247 | Tad Yellowhair | Surprise AZ | 4.10 | ||
| 248 | Tim Domingues | San Jose CA | 3.97 | ||
| 249 | Melissa Nokes | Lehi UT | 3.88 | ||
| 250 | Glenn Wyatt | Fremont CA | 3.07 | ||
| 251 | Christine Kramer | Mesa AZ | 1.92 | 2.88 | |
| 252 | Tony Neal | Australia | 2.36 | ||
| 253 | Bill Lansford | Needles CA | 1.77 | ||
| 254 | Jimmy Huynh | Mueeieta CA | 1.71 |
Huk Performance Fishing Signs On As Bassmaster Classic Presenting Sponsor
October 17, 2019
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Huk Performance Fishing announced an expanded partnership with B.A.S.S. as the apparel and gear brand became the presenting sponsor of the 2020 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic, sportfishing’s most iconic event. The world championship bass tournament will be held March 6-8 in Birmingham, Ala., with fishing competition taking place on Lake Guntersville.
“We are thrilled to be signing on as the presenting sponsor of the 50th annual Bassmaster Classic,” said Alvin P. Perkinson, Chief Marketing Officer for Huk. “Bass fishing is part of our brand’s DNA, and to be able to help present the sport’s biggest event is a real honor. We look forward to working with both B.A.S.S. and Academy to make this year’s Classic one for the history books!”
The 2020 edition of the Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk Performance Fishing will pit 53 of the world’s best bass anglers against each other as they compete for a purse of over $1 million. The three-day competition and Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo will attract thousands of fans to Birmingham and Lake Guntersville.
“B.A.S.S. is proud to have Huk Performance Fishing as a member of our sponsor family,” said Bruce Akin, CEO of B.A.S.S. “Bass anglers and fans alike are loyal Huk customers, and we are thrilled that they are partnering with us to continue growing our sport while having their clothing and gear showcased on fishing’s biggest stage.”
In addition to presenting sponsorship of the 2020 Classic, Huk will be a supporting sponsor of the Bassmaster Elite Series, Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors, Bassmaster Team Championship and the grass-roots TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation regional tournaments and championship.
About Huk Performance Fishing
In 2014, fueled by youthful anglers across the U.S seeking a brand with their same attitude and passion, Huk exploded onto the fishing scene and has since become the fastest growing brand in the sport. Huk appeals to anglers across all disciplines with its energetic vibe and its focus on bringing new color, style and technology to the outdoor community. Based in Charleston, SC, at the confluence of three major rivers and a stone’s throw from the Atlantic Ocean, Huk enjoys a dizzying array of sportfishing opportunities that help shape and mold its purpose-built fishing brand. For more information, go to www.hukgear.com
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 510,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2 and The Pursuit Channel), radio show (Bassmaster Radio), social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series, TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Series, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors, Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic.
MORE THAN 400 ANGLERS TO VISIT SOMERSET AND BURNSIDE FOR COSTA FLW SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP ON LAKE CUMBERLAND
Anglers From Around the World to Compete in Kentucky for $100,000 Top Prize
BURNSIDE, Ky. (Oct. 17, 2019) – The Costa FLW Series will close out the 2019 season next week, Oct. 31-Nov. 2, in Burnside, Kentucky, at the Costa FLW Series Championship on Lake Cumberland. The no-entry fee bass-fishing championship, hosted by the Somerset Tourist & Convention Commission and the Burnside Tourism Commission, will feature more than 400 of the best regional pros and co-anglers from around the world casting for a top prize of up to $100,000 on the pro side – including the keys to a new Ranger Z518L boat with a 200-horsepower outboard – and $35,000 on the co-angler side, including a new Ranger Z175 with a 115-horsepower outboard.
The Costa FLW Series consists of five U.S. divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western – along with an International division that features anglers from Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Namibia, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, and Zimbabwe. This event features the top 40 professionals and top 40 co-anglers from each of the five U.S. FLW Series divisions, plus two pros and two co-anglers from each international country.
“This is a really good time to be fishing on Lake Cumberland – most of the lake is fishing really well, and I expect that we will see all three species of bass – largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass – come into play,” said FLW pro Ryan Davidson of Branchland, West Virginia, who has one previous top-10 finish on Lake Cumberland in FLW competition. “The bass are moving into their typical fall patterns. The shad get back in the creeks, and the fish are migrating with the bait. Guys are going to be able to fish their strengths and catch them a lot of different ways.”
Davidson said that he expects “plopper-style baits” – like a River2Sea Whopper Plopper or a Berkley Choppo – to be heavily in play for tournament anglers, along with buzzbaits and other moving baits as anglers look to cover a lot of water.
“I don’t think this tournament will be a spot-specific tournament. We’re going to have to see a lot of water and fish for both smallmouth and largemouth,” Davidson said. “But, that doesn’t necessarily mean that anglers will have to fish super shallow for largemouth or out deep for smallmouth – the fish set up on a lot of the same stuff.
“Normally on Cumberland, tournaments are won targeting the smallmouth,” Davidson continued. “But, this time of year, I don’t think a guy can win solely with them. We’re going to need both species in our bag to be in contention for the win.”
Davidson went on to predict that the winning angler would weigh in three days of mixed-species totaling 48 to 52 pounds.
“I think it’ll take a minimum of 16 pounds a day – 48 total – to be there at the end, but it could be as high as 52,” Davidson went on to say. “We’re going to see a lot of nice fish caught and it’s going to be an extremely fun tournament to fish.”
Anglers will take off from the General Burnside Island State Park, located at 8801 S. Hwy. 27 in Burnside, at 8 a.m. EDT each morning. Each day’s weigh-in will be held at the State Park beginning at 4 p.m. All takeoff and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
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.
Morgenthaler Wins Berkley Big Bass event with 8.82lb Largemouth on Lake Fork
| RICHARD MORGENTHALER | Geneva | IL | 8.82 |
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| STEPHEN CRUMPLER | Bloomburg | TX | 2.98 |
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| CLIFTON JACKSON | Alba | TX | 5.25 |
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| RICHIE WHITE | Sulphur Springs | TX | 2.96 |
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| J J QUON | Celina | TX | 2.88 |
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| PAUL DARNELL | Paris | TX | 2.77 |
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| DIANE VINEYARD | Wylie | TX | 2.76 |
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| DAVID ROULSTON | Allen | TX | 2.74 |
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| RICHIE WHITE | Sulphur Springs | TX | 2.71 |
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| PAUL MECCA | Dallas | TX | 2.67 |
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| JEFFERY JOHNSON | Mineola | TX | 2.65 |
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| JEFF NELSON | Mineola | TX | 2.63 |
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| JEFFERY JOHNSON | Mineola | TX | 2.57 |
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| CHAD LOPEZ | Hartshorne | OK | 2.54 |
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| DAVID SORRELLS | Linden | TX | 2.84 |
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| JACOB ROSS | Rockwall | TX | 2.79 |
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| JOHN BLUE | Sachse | TX | 2.67 |
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| KENNETH GOODWIEN | Port St Lucie | FL | 2.59 |
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| DOUGLAS GIBBONS | Longview | TX | 2.57 |
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| BILL GUZMAN | Austin | TX | 2.54 |
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| LEONARD VAJGRT | Garnavillo | IA | 2.52 |
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| RYAN VAUGHAN | Cumby | TX | 2.52 |
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| MORRIS HERRING JR | Forney | TX | 2.52 |
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| CHARLIE GODWIN | Yantis | TX | 2.48 |
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| DON STAPLETON | Yantis | TX | 2.46 |
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| DAVID WOLFE | White Hall | AR | 2.45 |
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| RUBEN TORRES | Waco | TX | 2.42 |
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| GARY HAYNES | Alba | TX | 2.31 |
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| ROGER RITCHIE | Wichita Falls | TX | 2.74 |
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| STIJN LENS | Belgium | BG | 2.57 |
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| JAMAL ABUDALGHUSA | Keller | TX | 2.54 |
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| DUSTIN HOLMES | Murfreesboro | AR | 2.51 |
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| DANIEL VINAKALNS | Royse City | TX | 2.51 |
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| JERRY MASON | Ragley | LA | 2.50 |
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| KENNETH COBB | Jonesboro | LA | 2.47 |
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| JOE DAVID HICKS | Wichita Falls | TX | 2.46 |
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| JASON BRANHAM | Katy | TX | 2.45 |
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| ROBERT WAGGONER | Garland | TX | 2.42 |
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| JASON QUON | Celina | TX | 2.27 |
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| TROY BASS | Copperas Cove | TX | 2.27 |
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| HAROLD BREDEMEIR | Alba | TX | 2.22 |
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| BOBBY HIX | Glade Water | TX | 2.35 |
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| JOHN DUBEE | Godley | TX | 2.35 |
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| RONNIE CHARANZA | Brownwood | TX | 2.49 |
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| LARRY HUNTER | Grenada | MS | 2.48 |
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| NOAH GOODSON | Driftwood | TX | 2.13 |
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| LEGEND WOODARD | Paris | TX | 2.02 |
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| Trenvor Ford | Winnsboro | TX | 1.93 | 3rd Place Junior Division | |
| Colton Ford | Winnsboro | TX | 1.93 | 3rd Place Junior Division | |
| Randi White | Lawton | OK | 2.38 | $250 + 2nd Place Ladies Division | |
| Donna Escalante | Pipe Creek | TX | 2.29 | $200 + 3rd Place Ladies Division |
CAMDENTON HIGH SCHOOL WINS BASS PRO SHOPS FLW HIGH SCHOOL FISHING LAKE OF THE OZARKS OPEN PRESENTED BY COSTA
OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (Oct. 22, 2019) – The Camdenton High School duo of Reece Waters of Camdenton and Caden Kowal, of Linn Creek, Missouri, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 11 pounds, 7 ounces to win the 2019 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Lake of the Ozarks Open presented by Costa.
A field of 56 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from the Grand Glaize Recreation Area in Osage Beach and was hosted by the Tri-County Lodging Association. In FLW and The Bass Federation (TBF) High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top five teams on Lake of the Ozarks that advanced to the 2020 High School Fishing National Championship were:
1st: Camdenton High School, Camdenton, Mo. – Reece Waters, Camdenton, Mo., and Caden Kowal, Linn Creek, Mo., five bass, 11-7
2nd: Mount Vernon High School, Mount Vernon, Ill. – Tanner Koontz and Tanner Shaw, both of Mount Vernon, Ill., five bass, 10-11
3rd: Eureka High School, Eureka, Mo. – Steven Lafata, Eureka, Mo., and Cole Wiese, High Ridge, Mo., four bass, 9-13
4th: Kiefer High School, Kiefer, Okla. – Gabriel Boyd, Slick, Okla., and Gavin Ashford, Kiefer, Okla., three bass, 7-11
5th: Legacy Christian Academy, Lenexa, Kan. – Mason Chapman, Lake Quivira, Kan., and Ryder Mains, Lenexa, Kan., two bass, 7-5
Rounding out the top 10 teams were:
6th: Tremont High School, Tremont, Ill. – Dylan Micael and Logan Roller, both of Tremont, Ill., three bass, 6-6
7th: Carthage High School, Carthage, Mo. – Colson Brust and Tristan Beck, both of Carthage, Mo., two bass, 6-4
8th: PCR 3 Bass Fishing Club – Baylor Logan, Carl Junction, Mo., and Logan Stackhouse, Platte City, Mo., three bass, 5-14
9th: Bradleyville High School, Bradleyville, Mo. – Dalton Coffelt, Rueter, Mo., and Brock Rogers, Bradleyville, Mo, three bass, 5-9
10th: Purdy High School, Purdy, Mo. – Clay Henderson and Mason Harkey, both of Purdy, Mo., three bass, 5-9
Complete results from the event can be found at FLWFishing.com.
The 2019 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Open on Lake of the Ozarks presented by Costa was a two-person (team) event for students in grades 7-12, open to any Student Angler Federation (SAF) affiliated high school club in the United States. The top 10 percent of each Challenge, Open, and state championship field will advance to the 2020 High School Fishing National Championship on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The High School Fishing national champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice.
In addition to the High School Fishing National Championship, all High School Fishing anglers nationwide automatically qualify for the world’s largest open high school bass tournament, the 2020 High School Fishing World Finals, held in conjunction with the National Championship. At the 2019 World Finals more than $150,000 in scholarships and prizes were awarded.
Full schedules and the latest announcements are available at HighSchoolFishing.org and FLWFishing.com.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2019 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW and their partners conduct more than 290 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Namibia, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, and Zimbabwe. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Yamaha’s New Power Pay Program Rewards Anglers for Tournament Placement
KENNESAW, Ga. - Oct. 22, 2019 — Yamaha Marine today announced a new contingency program that provides a cash bonus to Yamaha anglers who place in sanctioned salt and freshwater tournaments. The new program, Power Pay, yamahapowerpay.com, gives anglers not currently under a supported contract with Yamaha, or its subsidiaries, the opportunity to receive compensation for running eligible Yamaha outboards.
Eligible anglers running Yamaha outboards can sign up for the program by visiting yamahapowerpay.com. All applicants are required to accept and adhere to the Yamaha Angler Code of Ethics before completing the registration for the program. Once registered, the highest placing angler in specified Power Pay sanctioned tournaments that meets all eligibility requirements will be compensated by Yamaha accordingly.
“Put Yamaha Power Pay on top of such a reliable product, and this becomes an awesome incentive that just makes sense for a ton of hardcore weekend bass anglers, as well as walleye and saltwater competitors. If anglers are not running it already, this program makes it a no brainer to choose Yamaha power,” said Brandon Palaniuk, 2017 Toyota® Bassmaster® Angler of the Year and former B.A.S.S. Nation® Champion.
Some of the popular eligible Power Pay trails include the Bassmaster Classic, Bassmaster Angler of the Year, Bassmaster Opens, B.A.S.S. Nation, Bassmaster Elites, Bassmaster College Series, Bassmaster High School series, A.B.A. Bass Pro Shops® Open Series, Alabama Bass Trail, Bass Champs, MWC, The National Walleye Tour®, AIM® Walleye, Kingfish Cup, Flatsmasters and HT3 Redfish.
“Power Pay broadens our brand and allows Yamaha and our dealers to support more anglers on a grassroots level,” said David Ittner, Manager, Tournaments, Sponsorships and Pro Staff, Yamaha Marine. “This initiative also underscores our Yamaha Angler Code of Ethics, which encourages conservation, environmental stewardship and exceptional sportsmanship. We look forward to the positive impact Power Pay will have within the salt and freshwater tournament markets.”
For more information and complete terms and conditions about Power Pay, visit yamahapowerpay.com. Some restrictions apply. Void where prohibited by law.
Yamaha Marine products are marketed throughout the United States and around the world. Yamaha Marine Engine Systems, based in Kennesaw, Ga., supports its 2,000 U.S. dealers and boat builders with marketing, training and parts for Yamaha’s full line of products and strives to be the industry leader in reliability, technology and customer service. Yamaha Marine is the only outboard brand to have earned NMMA®’s C.S.I. Customer Satisfaction Index award every year since its inception. Visit www.yamahaoutboards.com.
MLF shares details of FLW Pro Circuit 2020
Monday, October 21, 2019 (Tulsa, Okla.) Major League Fishing (MLF) hosted a conference call for the field of 150 FLW Tour anglers to share details and specifics about the evolution of the FLW Pro Circuit in 2020 as it relates to the acquisition of FLW by MLF..
"This is NOT a hostile takeover," said Boyd Duckett, MLF co-Founder. "This is an opportunity to continue to grow the sport of competitive bass fishing at all levels and sustain FLW; it's the perfect marriage."
In addition to specifics surrounding the tournament field size, length, and fishing format, MLF President and CEO Jim Wilburn discussed the expanded television and live coverage available to FLW Pro Circuit anglers in 2020. This includes 156, 2-hour airings between Outdoor Channel and Sportsman Channel for a total of 312 hours of television coverage, representing a significant increase over 2019's 40 hours of television programming.
To review the presentation shared with FLW Pro Circuit qualifying Anglers please click the link below.
FLW Angler Presentation - FINAL 10.21.19
Top talent wins Quantum HS College Open
Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
For the third straight autumn, Quantum rods and reels hosted yet another prize rich, no entry fee tournament for high school and college anglers at Grand Lake. And when the scales stopped spinning, previously proven talent rose to the very top of the leaderboard among the 101 impressive teams in attendance.
Former Oklahoma Junior B.A.S.S. Nation champion, Kollin Crawford won the high school division single handedly. He had no team partner, but was captained by his dad Lance, a very avid and accomplished tournament angler.
Flying solo, the young Crawford, from a tiny town north of Broken Bow, OK, caught his biggest fish shallow around wood habitat on a double willow spinnerbait, and complimented it by dragging a Biffle Bug a bit deeper to win the high school division with 11.33.
Top sticks prevailed on the college side too. Highly accomplished Trevor McKinney and Blake Jackson of reputable McKendree University, made the six-hour trip home from Grand Lake to Illinois loaded down with prizes from their 15 pound 6 ounce domination. Their win was driven largely by casting Chatterbaits and D & L jigs around docks in the back of pockets.
“We love this event, we’ve fished it all three years, but we didn’t like finishing second the last two years,” grinned McKinney, a senior who is student teaching. “We had a great tournament this past week at Lake of the Ozarks, and we rode that momentum into this Quantum event to finally get the win.”
Top talents like Crawford, McKinney and Jackson continue to support Quantum each autumn at this event not only because there is no entry fee and it’s very well coordinated, but also because the prizes are astonishing, and top pro Matt Lee does a great job emceeing and interacting with the student anglers.
Plus, they benefit greatly from the generosity of premium brands like Carhartt, Costa, Gene Larew, Lure Lock, Lowrance, Pelican, Seaguar, and of course, Quantum, who collectively already look forward to a successful 4th annual event next year.
Sportsmans Product Spotlight - Bryan Thrift & Fall Chatterbaits
Sportsmans Warehouse Pro Bryan Thrift talks about Chatterbaits and Fall Fishing, a match made in heaven!
AC Insider Podcast - The Deal is Done!
This week the boys record a special episode on the breaking news of Major League Fishing acquiring FLW. Jason and Chris welcome in FLW PR Director Joe Opager to help them understand all the dynamics in place and to answer a few other questions as well!
Major League Fishing To Acquire Fishing League Worldwide - Updated with Circuit information
October 10, 2019, (Tulsa, Okla.) Major League Fishing (MLF) announced today that it has reached an agreement to acquire Fishing League Worldwide (FLW), the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization. The Letter of Intent (LOI) sets in motion the most significant brand merger in competitive bass fishing history, linking a tour and original, award-winning programming featuring the top professional anglers in the world to an extensive grassroots organization that serves tens of thousands of competitive anglers from high school and college to weekenders and tour pros.
“We’re thrilled about welcoming FLW to the MLF team,” said Jim Wilburn, President and CEO of Major League Fishing. “FLW shares our commitment to creating tournaments and opportunities centered on the success of the angler. Through this acquisition, we are better positioned to support anglers and sponsors at all levels.”
“Our business plan always included reaching all levels of grassroots fishing,” said Boyd Duckett, MLF co-founder and President of the Professional Bass Tour Anglers’ Association (PBTAA). “FLW does it best with the Tour and grassroots tournaments; their reputation in competitive bass fishing is remarkable and their culture has always been pro-angler, which makes this the perfect opportunity for both organizations. We couldn’t be more excited about FLW: their team, anglers, and sponsors.”
“This announcement marks a thrilling new chapter in FLW’s history as we join Major League Fishing and begin a new era in the sport of competitive bass fishing,” said FLW President of Operations Kathy Fennel. “As part of the Major League Fishing team, we look forward to enhancing and expanding tournament offerings to our anglers and fans. Our teams have a very similar mission and vision – to support anglers at all levels, provide the industry with unmatched opportunities, and grow the sport. The complementary strengths of our organizations make this a win for the entire sport.”
Established in 2011, MLF began as a television product and has grown into a sports league with the launch of the Bass Pro Tour in January of 2019. MLF is a partnership between the PBTAA and Outdoor Sportsman Group (OSG), a division of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment.
“As MLF continues to grow, we’re committed to find the right opportunities to extend the Outdoor Sportsman Group properties,” Outdoor Sportsman Group President and CEO, Jim Liberatore said. “Through this acquisition, MLF can leverage our extensive media reach and award-winning content production to promote competitive bass fishing at all levels.”
Each year FLW offers thousands of anglers of all skill levels across the globe the opportunity to compete for millions of dollars in prize money in five tournament circuits. Under the leadership of Irwin Jacobs, FLW expanded the top level of competition to include the industry’s first seven-figure purse.
“It has been our mission since my father, Irwin Jacobs, purchased FLW in 1996 to bring the highest quality of tournaments to anglers, sponsors and fans around the world,” said Trish Blake, FLW President of Marketing. “By joining forces with Major League Fishing, the sport of professional tournament fishing will be taken to new heights for anglers across the world at all levels.”
Major League Fishing and Fishing League Worldwide anticipate an acquisition close date of October 31, 2019.
For more information about this acquisition, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com/FLWfishing.com
Additionally Courtesy of FLWfishing.com
2019 FLW SCHEDULE CONTINUES
All remaining 2019 events on the FLW tournament schedule will be contested as previously organized, with no changes to competition days/times, venues, payouts, etc.
That includes the Costa FLW Series Central Division event on Lake of the Ozarks and the 2019 Costa FLW Series Championship on Lake Cumberland; five remaining T-H Marine Bass Fishing League (BFL) Regionals that range from the Potomac River to Grand Lake; the Nov. 8 BFL Wild Card; and a handful of High School Fishing and College Fishing events scheduled for October and November.
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2020 FLW CIRCUITS
FLW High School Fishing, YETI FLW College Fishing, T-H Marine BFL and Costa FLW Series circuits will continue in 2020 and beyond, with the addition of three regions in the Costa FLW Series and reduced entry fees for both BFL and FLW Series boaters and co-anglers. The most significant alteration will occur at the top of the FLW professional tournament ladder.
THE NEW FLW PRO CIRCUIT
The 2020 season will see the birth of the FLW Pro Circuit, replacing the 24-year-old FLW Tour. The Pro Circuit will feature a 150-angler field, and will be contested over a seven-event regular season that leads to the FLW Angler of the Year Championship event. All anglers who qualified for the 2020 FLW Tour will be eligible to compete in the Pro Circuit.
The Pro Circuit will operate on a six-day competition schedule that features FLW’s traditional five-fish-limit format on days one through three, transitioning to the MLF catch, weigh, immediate-release/every-scoreable-bass-counts format on days four through six (which include two 10-angler Knockout Rounds and a final 10-angler Championship Round). As is the case in all rounds of the MLF Bass Pro Tour, MLF-appointed in-boat officials will manage the competition and weighing of fish on the final three days of the FLW Pro Circuit.
Payouts for the Pro Circuit will extend down to 75th place, representing a payday for half the field (a 12-percent increase in the number of anglers earning a check).
The new Angler of the Year Championship will serve as the signature final event of the FLW Pro Circuit, taking the place of the FLW Cup.
The most successful anglers (based on competition results) in the FLW Pro Circuit will qualify to compete in the MLF Bass Pro Tour. Details on qualification standards will be released in the coming weeks.
FLW SERIES EXPANDS
Costa FLW Series anglers will see an expansion of regions from five to eight in 2020, to make the Series geographically available to more anglers. The schedule will include three events per region, and an FLW Series Championship.
Entry fees for both boaters and co-anglers will be reduced: Boaters will pay $1,700, and co-anglers will pay $550 (down from $1,900 and $650 in 2019).
BFL REDUCES ENTRY FEES
The BFL competition structure will continue as-is in 2020, with the same number of regions, tournaments and Super Tournaments as in 2019, all competing under the traditional five-fish-limit format. Entry fees will be reduced to $200 for boaters and $100 for co-anglers for single-day events, and $300/$150 for the two-day Super Tournaments.
The same group of BFL tournament directors will continue to manage BFL competitions.
HIGH SCHOOL FISHING AND COLLEGE FISHING
FLW’s High School Fishing and YETI FLW College Fishing schedules will continue without change for the remainder of 2019 and beyond. Anglers and teams that qualified for 2020 events in 2019 can expect to proceed as planned.
“As time goes on, we’ll accomplish a lot for those FLW anglers. They should be assured that times are continuing to get better,” Duckett says. “Not that it wasn’t good already. FLW has done a great job in building a pro-angler culture that’s the strongest I’ve ever participated in, but if there is anything that MLF can do, we intend to make it better. That’s what I get up for every day – to make it better for the anglers.”
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete in more than 290 bass-fishing tournaments across five circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, FLW and their partners offer a High School Fishing and College Fishing Series, the Bass Fishing League (BFL) series for grassroots anglers, the Costa FLW Series for aspiring professionals and the FLW Tour, which showcases some of the top anglers in the world. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.
About Major League Fishing
Founded in 2011, Major League Fishing (MLF) brings the high-intensity sport of competitive bass fishing into America’s living rooms on Outdoor Channel, Discovery, CBS, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network, Sportsman Channel and on-demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). New for 2019, the Bass Pro Tour consists of eight events and a championship streamed live onwww.MajorLeagueFishing.com and MOTV. MLF uses the entertaining and conservation-friendly catch, weigh and immediate-release format where every scorable bass counts and the winner is the angler with the highest cumulative weight.
RAMPEY WINS T-H MARINE BFL REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ON LAKE HARTWELL PRESENTED BY NAVIONICS
Athen’s Kimmel Wins Co-angler Division
SENECA, S.C. (Oct. 7, 2019) – Boater Jayme Rampey of Liberty, South Carolina, brought a three-day total of 15 bass to the scale weighing 43 pounds, 12 ounces, to win the no-entry fee T-H Marine FLW BFL Regional Championship on Lake Hartwell presented by Navionics Saturday. For the win, Rampey earned $70,000, including a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Evinrude outboard and automatic entry into the 2020 BFL All-American Championship, April 30-May 2 – also at Lake Hartwell.
With the win, the Liberty angler earned his 11th career BFL victory and moved into a tie for No. 3 all-time for most BFL Boater wins – remarkable considering Rampey is just 33 years old. Five of his 11 wins have come on Lake Hartwell, including one just 2½ weeks ago.
“I caught them doing pretty much the same thing that I did just a few weeks ago,” said Rampey. “I’d start shallow every morning throwing a Zoom Horny Toad. I’d fish that until 11 (a.m.) or so, then I’d run to the lower end of the lake and fish purely topwater baits. I was throwing at isolated targets – timber, cane piles and rock piles – in 20 feet of water.”
Rampey’s first day limit Thursday consisted of five largemouth bass. On day two, his limit consisted of a mix of largemouth and spotted bass, and on the third and final day his limit was five spotted bass.
“I think it was due to the wind and the conditions – it was really blowing on day two – and it had the largemouth held real tight to the cover,” Rampey said. “I caught around 15 fish each day, and it was a good mix. I caught one or two shallow and the rest offshore on Thursday. Friday, I caught all of them offshore. Saturday I only caught one offshore and the rest were shallow.”
Rampey said his two main baits were a Ima Little Stik topwater bait, rigged with 30-pound-test Hi-Seas Grand Slam braided line, and a Zoom Horny Toad (green-pumpkin- and watermelon-colored) rigged with 65-pound Hi-Seas Grand Slam braid with a 6/0 Owner Twistlock Flipping Hook.
“The shallow fish were biting really well in practice, but it seemed to get worse and worse each day,” Rampey went on to say. “I think the difference was making the right decision to go offshore at the right time each day.”
The top six boaters that qualified for the 2020 BFL All-American were:
1st: Jayme Rampey, Liberty, S.C., 15 bass, 43-12, $20,000 + Ranger Z518L w/200-horsepower outboard
2nd: Ryan Deal, Marshville, N.C., 15 bass, 42-14, $10,000
3rd: Mike Miller, Trinity, N.C., 14 bass, 37-6, $5,000
4th: Wesley Sandifer, Chapin, S.C., 15 bass, 36-6, $3,000
5th: Clabion Johns, Social Circle, Ga., 15 bass, 35-0, $2,200
6th: Todd Goade, Suwanee, Ga., 15 bass, 33-6, $1,800
Rounding out the top-10 boaters were:
7th: Conrad Bolt, Seneca, S.C., 15 bass, 33-6, $1,700
8th: Ross Burns, Columbia, S.C., 15 bass, 33-4, $1,400
9th: Jason Burroughs, Hodges, S.C., 15 bass, 33-2, $1,200
10th: Joseph Marks, Duncan, S.C., 15 bass, 32-12, $1,000
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Justin Kimmel of Athens, Georgia, weighed in 15 bass over three days totaling 27 pounds, 10 ounces to win the top prize package of $50,000, including a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Evinrude outboard.
The top six co-anglers that qualified for the 2020 BFL All-American were:
1st: Justin Kimmel, Athens, Ga., 15 bass, 27-10, Ranger Z518L w/200-horsepower outboard
2nd: Nick Coker, Knoxville, Tenn., 15 bass, 27-2, $5,200
3rd: Wayne Smelser, Rural Retreat, Va., 15 bass, 24-14, $2,550
4th: Costas Melendez, Shenandoah, Va., 14 bass, 24-13, $1,500
5th: Kibbee McCoy, Knoxville, Tenn., 13 bass, 19-10, $1,000
6th: James Roten, West Jefferson, N.C., 14 bass, 19-9, $900
Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers were:
7th: Matt Langley, Lebanon, Tenn., 10 bass, 18-7, $800
8th: Sam Loveless, Somerset, Ky., nine bass, 18-6, $700
9th: Trace Bigelow, Salisbury, N.C., 11 bass, 17-8, $600
10th: Maverick Canipe, Kings Mountain, N.C., 10 bass, 16-11, $500
The T-H Marine FLW BFL Regional Championship on Lake Hartwell presented by Navionics was hosted by Visit Oconee SC. It featured the top pros and co-anglers from the Music City (West Tennessee), Shenandoah (Virginia-Maryland), North Carolina, and Volunteer (East Tennessee) divisions.
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 2020 BFL All-American will be held April 30-May 2 at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina, and is hosted by Visit Anderson. 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.
3 things every Lake St. Clair rookie should know
Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
Don’t be fooled by the fact Bassmaster Elite Series pro Tyler Rivet is smiling on a sunny afternoon in this photo. The day before it was taken,the Southern Louisiana rookie had his finger on the “man overboard” button of his Lowrance units, scared to death his boat might sink 20 miles from the Metro Park ramp on Lake St. Clair.
Rivet was on St. Clair trying to earn his first trip to the Bassmaster Classic when two or three big waves rolled over his back deck, and filled his battery compartment with water in seconds. Then, when he hit the manual bilge pump, nothing happened, and within seconds the failed bilge pump allowed at least 4” of water to flood the floor of his boat.
“I tried to leave, and realized I had so much water weight in the boat that I couldn’t get it on pad,” recalls Rivet, still emotionally shaken by the incident.
He asked his ride along B.A.S.S. Marshall, who happened to be a pretty big guy, to sit on the front deck, shifting enough weight forward in order to limp 20 miles back to the Bassmaster check-in at Metro Park. Once safely on the trailer, Rivet says water drained from the boat for more than an hour.
Rivet certainly won’t be the only first-timer to take on the big waves of St. Clair in search of world-class smallmouth, so he graciously lends the following advice to help others avoid a rookie catastrophe.
Buy an extra bilge
Obviously, make sure your automatic bilge pumps are working before you head to St. Clair. But make sure you take an extra step and carry an additional portable bilge easily purchased from your local marine dealer! This can’t be stressed enough.
Most experienced big water anglers simply lay the additional bilge on the floor behind their feet at the driver’s console. They run the corrugatedpump-out hose over the gunwale on the driver’s side, and zip tie the hose to a cleat to keep it in place. It’s also necessary to add alligator clamps to a few feet of additional wire you’ll want to tie-on to the wires that come rigged on it out of the package. That way you’ll have plenty of wire length to quickly clamp the portable bilge power wires to your battery posts in a time of need, without worrying that it’s a constant drain on your batteries when things are dry.
Don’t go alone
Nobody should fish huge waters like St. Clair alone if possible, and certainly not rookies. Furthermore, adding a companion to the back of deck of your rookie adventure adds false security. The best idea is to take on such waters with another boat of buddies nearby.
“Don’t go to a place like St. Clair alone. Run in packs. Form a small armada. The expansive flats and open water allow you to drift within sight of one another easily without crowding. In practice, Brock Mosley and Luke Palmer and I all sort of raked an area together, it will help you find fish faster, and it’s a whole lot safer than being out there alone,” says Rivet.
What to throw
Preparing your boat for safety is more important than stressing about tackle. Mother nature can be uncertain and cruel, but the fishing on St. Clair is actually relatively simple. Three or four lures will help you catch a huge percentage of the super sized smallmouth that swim there.
“You need a tube, a jerkbait, a drop shot, and a crankbait that will run about 16 feet deep,” says Rivet. “I like a ½ ounce weight in my tubes most days, but a ¾ if it’s super windy. I throw ¼ and 3/8 ounce weights on my dropshots, and a lot of guys throw a Strike King 6XD or a Rapala DT10, but my favorite is a deep diver from Blackjack Lures,” says Rivet.
“I can’t stress enough how you need to take a little extra time to add a bilge pump, and make sure you’re auto bilge pumps are working. I missed my chance to fish in my first Bassmaster Classic. An extra bilge pump may have saved that chance, but mostly, I just feel so fortunate that I lived to fish another day,” concludes Rivet in deeply grateful fashion.
The "Year-Round" Bait
Team Tournament Blogger - Luke Estel
How many times have you flipped a jig into a piece of cover, shook it a couple of times, and then reeled it back in? Then only to see a bass trying to grab it as you reeled in your cast. The light bulb should start flashing and then when it’s time to pick up a swim jig. The swim jig is one of the most unutilized baits out on the market today and when in fact it should be a staple for every tournament fisherman. The unique thing about a swim jig is that it can emulate three different forages that bass love. A shad, a bluegill, or a crawfish. This one bait can be thrown all year round with great success. Since fall is fast approaching we will start with that. Fall is the time of year when the shad start to concentrate and move into the backs of pockets. This is when I have a Smokey Shad colored swim jig tied on paired with a Ztoo or a blade minnow. I can pitch or cast this bait around any type of structure and work the bait back. There are several cadences you can use but generally a jerk, jerk, pause, and reel cadence works as well as any. It is more subtle than a spinnerbait or a bladed jig which can appeal to bass, especially on pressured lakes. Spring time is no different except I switch to a white swim jig. If I want to slow the fall down, I simply replace the Blade Minnow with a white Rage Craw.
If you are getting bites on a bladed jig but are not connecting, then a swim jig will get the job done. Summer time is when I have either a bluegill or crawfish colored swim jig tied on. I look for grassy areas and work it through the grass popping it and letting it fall. I typically use 17lb fluorocarbon and a 7’3” medium/heavy fast action rod. I want a little give in the tip yet have enough backbone to get the fish out, especially around heavy cover. Obviously the lake dictates your colors but a white, a bluegill/craw, and a shad color are all you will need. It is a year round bait that can help you fill your limit and even get that kicker fish. I have one tied on at all times and have witnessed firsthand how deadly a swim jig can be. As the bass and the forage transition into a fall pattern this year, make sure you have a swim jig ready.
"Challenge Accepted"
Vance McCullough
Major League Fishing Pro Brandon Coulter is hitting his stride in a tournament fishing format that still throws many of the sport’s best for a loop. They all seem to enjoy it, but it is a challenging way to compete: minimal practice, a ticking clock, and constant knowledge of how well you’re doing. Or not.
An athlete through and through, Coulter is not one to shy away from a challenge. In fact, he has an MLF Challenge Select Championship on his resume.
When he invited me to join him for what we knew would be a sporting effort to get a few topwater bites under record late September heat in the mountains of East Tennessee, I jumped at the opportunity. Oh, did I mention that Coulter has the hook-up with a beef jerky company?
“That’s the worst lake in Tennessee,” said another angler about our choice. Perfect. Challenge accepted.
Worst conditions on the worst lake in the region? I’m in. All we need now is some fishing gear with the lucky number 13 on it and we’re set for a day that would make a monk cuss.
Then again, it helps to have friends. Kenny Needham, owner of Crocket Creek Jerky met us at the boat ramp and rode along. We leaned on his knowledge of the lake, which will remain unnamed in this story as a nod of consideration to the locals who fish it – hey, the rest of us have nearby Chickamauga, Tellico, Watts Bar, the latter two are coming on strong as grass continues to grow in those reservoirs.
Coulter glides his Falcon boat into a pocket off the upper end of the main lake and immediately goes to work with a Trash Panda popping frog. It’s white. He expertly skips it into likely looking hidey holes beneath snaggy branches that lean far and low over the water and obscure the shoreline.
One such cast is appropriately rewarded. Coulter is tickled with the fish’s tenacity, if not its size.
Action slows and Coulter switches to a walking version of the Trash Panda. He’s betting on black now. “Color does matter, but I’m more concerned with contrast. Sometimes they can see a white, or light-colored bait against the sky better and sometimes they can see a dark one better,” says Coulter, noting that the skunk stripe on this black bait comes to a white spot on the lure’s nose. “That bright white spot makes it easier to keep track of.”
Coulter catches another feisty little bass. “The white spot disappeared so I set the hook,” laughs the affable pro. So far, the frog fish have been small.
As he ends a retrieve near the boat a big fish craters the surface at the edge of a sparsely matted grass bed. A swing-and-a-miss has Coulter shaking his head. “That was a big one!”
The pro fishes his way around the pocket and Needham suggests we visit another stretch of water where a friend of his caught 45 bass five days prior.
At first blush the pocket is identical to the others we’ve explored, except bigger. The water carries a light stain amid countless clumps of topped out grass in depths of no more than three feet.
“Most people wouldn’t think bass would be so shallow in 90-degree water,” says Coulter. But he’s found an exception, “We’re close to the upstream dam. The water up here is coming from the bottom of the next lake so not only is there a little current in this area, the water is much cooler. Fifteen degrees cooler than down the lake. While that’s a good deal, something people often miss is the fact that the temperature in these backwaters is somewhat cooler but it’s still closer to what the fish have become acclimated to and that extremely cool water coming down from the dam can push them off the main lake and back into these pockets where the temperature stays more moderate and not to either extreme.”
While the presence of grass doesn’t hurt, these bass are not hunkered beneath it hiding from the sun. We see them cruising between the clumps in the cool clear shallows. It’s a classic Goldilocks situation – not too hot, not too cool, just right.
So why aren’t fish crushing the frog? Sometimes you can’t explain; you just change. Coulter has been thinking out loud about switching to a worm for a while. Needham dives deep into the rear storage bin and comes up with a pack of 13 Fishing Joy Sticks. “This bait has a body segment shaped like a stickbait but it also has a tail designed to move water. It can be fished a lot of ways,” says Coulter.
The way he goes about fishing the Joy Stick on this trip is to rig it on a very light tungsten slip sinker with a swimbait hook that has a big gap. As he makes his first cast, we talk about the importance of decision making in the sport of tournament bass fishing and consider whether he just made a good choice. Coulter buzzes the bait over and around grass clumps.
A school of carp scatters in all directions and suddenly the worm gets blasted. Coulter kills the retrieve and the fish gets all of the worm. Coulter gets the fish. It’s the biggest of the day so far.
At this point Coulter has forced three frog catches and a near miss, for my camera, but we realize the worm is the way to go. Not only is it producing fast action, it is catching bigger fish than the three different frogs he has tried, which may seem a bit counter intuitive to most anglers.
Plus, the worm is versatile. “With this set up I can drop the bait on them if they short strike it,” notes Coulter. He encourages me to put down the camera and fish with him. We crushed them. For the next 45 minutes fish swatted, missed and came back for the swimming worm when we killed the retrieve. I caught a limit and a kicker. Most of them bit twice. Slowing down was not the ticket. They weren’t interested. Only a surface-bulging retrieve would trigger a response even though the fish were just playing with their food. Until it dropped right on their nose. The change in speed and direction was key. It’s a lot like the old tactic of locating bass with a buzzbait and then throwing back on them with a worm or stickbait when they miss except in this case, you have both lures at once and your bite-to-catch ratio soars.
The big girl was laid up in a foot of water. A small but rowdy worm piqued her curiosity without spooking her. In a spray of water, she missed at first but fell for the worm when it fell from the surface. I cranked the big reel handle, appreciating its length and the control it gave me during the fight. There was no doubt who was in charge of this situation. The outfit was also flexible enough to throw a nearly weightless worm long and accurate.
Bonus for MLF fans: I never committed a fish landing violation. Nor did Coulter. None of our fish hit the carpet. That’s good because as fast as they were biting, I’d hate to have to penalize myself for two minutes of that action.
Challenge conquered. Not only did Coulter provoke a few topwater bites for my camera, but a limit of bass for himself and the camera man. And all the beef jerky we could eat.
