Hehr and Johnston win Bassmaster College Series event at Sam Rayburn Reservoir
May 17, 2024
Hehr and Johnston win Bassmaster College Series event at Sam Rayburn Reservoir
JASPER, Texas — Ashton Hehr and Trevor Johnston went where no one else went and did what no one else did.
Such intrepid ambition delivered big results for the Texas A&M University anglers, who tallied a two-day total of 42 pounds, 7 ounces and won the Strike King Bassmaster College Series at Sam Rayburn Reservoir presented by Bass Pro Shops.
On Day 1, Hehr and Johnston placed second with 19-14. Adding a final-round limit of 22-9 — the event’s heaviest bag — the winners edged Cade Lipham and Caleb Coleman of Drury University by 2-1. Hehr and Johnston took home the top prize of $4,930.
“If you would have told me five or six years ago that this would happen, I would not have believed it,” Hehr said. “Trevor and I have fished all our lives and we’ve seen the struggles of tournament fishing.
“This year has been incredible; we’ve also had a first place on another trail. We’re seeing our hard work pay off.”
Where they fished
Hehr and Johnston, both juniors majoring in Business Management and Ag Leadership, respectively, committed their event to Ayish Bayou on the lake’s east side. With their competitors dispersed throughout the western side, they fished shallow hard spots in strategic solitude.
“There wasn’t anyone going up there, so we knew we’d have it all to ourselves,” Hehr said.
As Johnston explained, their game plan allowed them to fish at their own pace and effectively manage their fish.
“We didn’t have to worry about anyone else fishing around us, so we milked five spots all day,” he said. “We would fish a spot, then leave for a while to let the fish reload.”
Best baits
Johnston said he and his partner used two baits to catch their fish. First was a 7/16-ounce Strike King Tour Grade Football Finesse Jig paired with a Strike King Rage Craw, both in Okeechobee Craw.
They also caught fish on a 10-inch Strike King Rage Anaconda worm. The winners Texas rigged the big worm on a 5/0 hook with a 3/8-ounce weight.
“The finesse jig was definitely the (most productive),” Johnston said. “The key was slowly milking each spot. We’d make multiple casts to where the fish were.”
Hehr said he and Johnston had their limit by 8:30 a.m. both days, but it took them until about noon to complete each day’s final weight.
“The early mornings were a struggle, but once it picked up, it was pretty steady,” Hehr said. “I think the fish were pulled way up in some of the creeks and they hadn’t pulled out onto those hard spots until later.”
Memorable moment
Hehr said their largest fish was a 7-pounder. A kicker of that size is noteworthy enough, but their big bass put on a show that turned frustration into victory.
“The highlight of the day was when I make a bad cast with the finesse jig and got hung in a tree,” Hehr said. “The jig was dangling over a tree limb and that big 7-pounder came up and ate it on top while it was dangling.
“That was the coolest blow up I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Second and third
Lipham and Coleman finished second with 40-6. After placing fifth on Day 1 with 18-12, the Drury University anglers added 21-10.
Lipham said he and Coleman fished around the 147 Bridge. They based their plan on local knowledge.
“My grandparents have a house on the lake, right around Veach Creek and, looking at the history of the lake, it looks like 80% of the tournaments get won from that Cassels-Boykin area down to (the Veach area),” Lipham said. “We focused our practice on that area and that’s where we found them.”
Lipham and Coleman targeted hydrilla in 14 feet of water. They caught their bass on Texas-rigged 10-inch Berkley Power Worms and Berkley Hit Worms.
They also caught keepers on a Carolina-rigged Senko. As Lipham recalled, the Texas rigs produced their best bites, including a Day 1 kicker that dramatically changed their fortune.
“The first day, we caught a 7 1/2 on the big worm,” Lipham said. “Without that fish yesterday we would have been middle of the pack.”
Of their stronger Day 2 performance, Lipham said: “We were able to milk that school that we had found. On Day 1, we left them biting because we didn’t want to burn them up. But today we really swung on them.”
Caleb Hudson and Tanner Hadden or University of South Carolina Union finished third with 39-7. Their daily weights were 18-3 and 21-4.
Hampton Shull of Lander University in Greenwood, S.C., won the Big Bass award with a 9-8. Shull finished 16th with 29-15.
The Jasper-Lake Sam Rayburn Area Chamber of Commerce and Jasper County hosted the event.
2024 Bassmaster College Series Title Sponsor: Strike King
2024 Bassmaster College Series Presenting Sponsor: Bass Pro Shops
2024 Bassmaster College Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2024 Bassmaster College Series Premier Sponsors: Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Progressive Insurance, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2024 Bassmaster College Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew's, Lowrance, Marathon, Triton Boats, VMC
2024 Bassmaster College Series Youth Sponsors: Seaguar, Shimano
About B.A.S.S.B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, 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 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
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2024 Strike King Bassmaster College Series at Sam Rayburn Reservoir presented by Bass Pro Shops 5/16-5/17
Sam Rayburn Reservoir, Jasper TX.
(BOATER) Standings Day 2
Angler Club/School Pts
1. Ashton Hehr - Trevor Johnston Texas A&M University 250
Day 1: 5 19-14 Day 2: 5 22-09 Total: 10 42-07
2. Cade Lipham - Caleb Coleman Drury University 249
Day 1: 5 18-12 Day 2: 5 21-10 Total: 10 40-06
3. Caleb Hudson - Tanner Hadden University of South Carolina - U 248
Day 1: 5 18-03 Day 2: 5 21-04 Total: 10 39-07
4. Jackson Paden - Joey Bissing University of Tennessee 247
Day 1: 5 21-06 Day 2: 5 13-14 Total: 10 35-04
5. Caden Denny - Cody Monlezun Texas A&M University 246
Day 1: 5 19-10 Day 2: 5 12-06 Total: 10 32-00
6. Tripp Bowman - Matthew Nesbit LSU - Shreveport 245
Day 1: 5 13-01 Day 2: 5 18-13 Total: 10 31-14
7. Dawson Lynch - Sonny Mann Tarleton State University 244
Day 1: 5 14-10 Day 2: 5 17-01 Total: 10 31-11
8. Nathan Fideldy - Laindree Richardson Drury University 243
Day 1: 5 17-10 Day 2: 5 14-00 Total: 10 31-10
9. Kade Hillestad - John Kyle Pearce University of Louisiana Monroe ( 242
Day 1: 5 12-09 Day 2: 5 18-15 Total: 10 31-08
10. Bryce Balentine - Giancarlo Russo Florida Gateway College 241
Day 1: 5 11-15 Day 2: 5 19-08 Total: 10 31-07
11. Ryan Thomas - Jack Alexander University of Montevallo 240
Day 1: 5 17-06 Day 2: 5 13-12 Total: 10 31-02
12. Trace Antunes III - Slade Davis University of Montevallo 239
Day 1: 5 12-15 Day 2: 5 17-11 Total: 10 30-10
13. Anderson Jones - Lander University 238
Day 1: 5 13-14 Day 2: 5 16-10 Total: 10 30-08
14. Elijah Jackson - University Of Alabama Bass Fishi 237
Day 1: 5 13-08 Day 2: 5 16-11 Total: 10 30-03
15. Tyler Chmelar - Kase Kramer Tarleton State University 236
Day 1: 5 13-03 Day 2: 5 16-13 Total: 10 30-00
16. Hampton Shull - Lander University 235
Day 1: 5 11-12 Day 2: 5 18-03 Total: 10 29-15
17. Stetson Southard - Walker Wilburn Tarleton State University 234
Day 1: 5 17-09 Day 2: 5 12-06 Total: 10 29-15
18. Luke Wenger - Braxon Hightower Dallas Baptist University 233
Day 1: 5 14-15 Day 2: 5 14-15 Total: 10 29-14
19. Miles Smith - LSU - Shreveport 232
Day 1: 5 09-07 Day 2: 5 20-05 Total: 10 29-12
20. Robert Hunt - Dillon Robertshaw Missouri State University 231
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 5 15-02 Total: 10 28-13
21. Dylan May - Evan Newell Carson-Newman University 230
Day 1: 5 10-11 Day 2: 5 17-12 Total: 10 28-07
22. Grayson Ball - Sellers Odom Calhoun Community College 229
Day 1: 5 12-01 Day 2: 5 16-06 Total: 10 28-07
23. Connor Dunn - Cade Johnson Texas A&M University 228
Day 1: 5 11-13 Day 2: 5 16-08 Total: 10 28-05
24. Brayden Ruckman - Cason Price Carson-Newman University 227
Day 1: 5 15-06 Day 2: 5 12-15 Total: 10 28-05
25. Parker Lambert - Aaron Shumaker Lander University 226
Day 1: 5 09-07 Day 2: 5 18-13 Total: 10 28-04
26. Callaway Robinson - Tucker Pearson Georgia College 225
Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 5 17-02 Total: 10 28-03
27. Drake Wadsworth - Stone Smith Northwestern State University 224
Day 1: 5 11-13 Day 2: 5 16-05 Total: 10 28-02
28. William Tew - Brayden Nichols LSU - Shreveport 223
Day 1: 5 17-03 Day 2: 5 10-14 Total: 10 28-01
29. Kaden Buchmann - Chase Wodzinski Lander University 222
Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 5 15-09 Total: 10 28-01
30. Bryant Martin - Luke Batts LSU - Shreveport 221
Day 1: 5 14-04 Day 2: 5 13-13 Total: 10 28-01
31. Seth Jones - Bryson O' Steen Florida Gateway College 220
Day 1: 5 12-15 Day 2: 5 14-10 Total: 10 27-09
32. Brody Robison - Colton White University of Montevallo 219
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 5 14-02 Total: 10 27-07
33. Connor Koch - Kane Weekley Southeastern University 218
Day 1: 5 12-00 Day 2: 5 15-01 Total: 10 27-01
34. Austin Wadzinski - Stone Robertson University of Tennessee 217
Day 1: 5 14-05 Day 2: 5 12-12 Total: 10 27-01
35. Hunter Keller - Garrett Christy Catawba Valley Community College 216
Day 1: 5 14-06 Day 2: 5 12-07 Total: 10 26-13
36. Matthew McGrehor - Cody Tiemann Calhoun Community College 215
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 13-15 Total: 10 26-13
37. Hunter Greer III - Luke Iles Northwestern State University 214
Day 1: 5 14-01 Day 2: 5 12-10 Total: 10 26-11
38. Colby Ullery - Hayes Pate Faulkner University 213
Day 1: 5 13-04 Day 2: 5 13-07 Total: 10 26-11
39. Mason Lyons - Dalton Blakley Kentucky Christian University 212
Day 1: 5 17-07 Day 2: 5 09-02 Total: 10 26-09
40. Lane Clark - Tallis Morrison Erskine College 211
Day 1: 5 10-00 Day 2: 5 16-08 Total: 10 26-08
41. Aric Szambelan - Alex Wood Missouri State University 210
Day 1: 5 12-15 Day 2: 5 13-08 Total: 10 26-07
42. Brant Langley - Cody Morgan Southeastern University Fishing 209
Day 1: 5 12-02 Day 2: 5 14-04 Total: 10 26-06
43. Christian Moore - John Mizell Tarleton State University 208
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 5 12-15 Total: 10 26-04
44. Layton Brown - Parker Brown Dallas Baptist University 207
Day 1: 5 14-01 Day 2: 5 12-00 Total: 10 26-01
45. Josh Finnerty - Cody Gaynes Georgia College 206
Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 11-04 Total: 10 26-00
46. Joe Bezold - Jordan Bezold Nku Bassmasters Club 205
Day 1: 5 11-06 Day 2: 5 14-09 Total: 10 25-15
47. Cody Domingos - Matthew Dettling University of Tennessee 204
Day 1: 5 12-01 Day 2: 5 13-12 Total: 10 25-13
48. Beau Browning - University of Montevallo 203
Day 1: 5 12-05 Day 2: 5 13-07 Total: 10 25-12
49. Gabe Hannon - Alexander Blanchard LSU 202
Day 1: 5 13-07 Day 2: 5 12-04 Total: 10 25-11
50. Storm Cline - Gabe Fishlock Carson-Newman University 201
Day 1: 5 11-14 Day 2: 5 13-12 Total: 10 25-10
51. Luke Bennett - Tarleton State University 200
Day 1: 5 13-02 Day 2: 5 12-07 Total: 10 25-09
52. Easton Bouma - Zachary Ward Drury University 199
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 12-11 Total: 10 25-09
53. Curt Ferguson - David Derubertis Drury University 198
Day 1: 5 12-13 Day 2: 5 12-12 Total: 10 25-09
54. Andrew Ready - Trey Garrett Southeastern University 197
Day 1: 5 12-10 Day 2: 5 12-14 Total: 10 25-08
55. Will Harris - Cole Rankin Carson-Newman University 196
Day 1: 5 14-15 Day 2: 5 10-06 Total: 10 25-05
56. Colby Bryan - Alex Standerfer Catawba Valley Community College 195
Day 1: 5 12-03 Day 2: 5 13-02 Total: 10 25-05
57. Asa Putnam - Briar Dodson University of Montevallo 194
Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 5 12-13 Total: 10 25-05
58. Shaden Farley - Trace Kight III Murray State College 193
Day 1: 5 09-09 Day 2: 5 15-11 Total: 10 25-04
59. Skyler Stevens - Bryson Caudle Faulkner University 192
Day 1: 5 11-04 Day 2: 5 14-00 Total: 10 25-04
60. Kaden Raichel - Mason Kornegay University of Montevallo 191
Day 1: 5 10-05 Day 2: 5 14-13 Total: 10 25-02
61. Brendon Brones - Porter Welch Lamar State College Orange 190
Day 1: 5 16-06 Day 2: 5 08-11 Total: 10 25-01
62. Alex Gore - Colby Reece Carson-Newman University 189
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 10-05 Total: 10 25-00
63. Dallas Copeland - Mario Botan Texas A&M University 188
Day 1: 5 13-08 Day 2: 5 11-08 Total: 10 25-00
64. Jeremy Monda - Will Boyd Jr Florida Gateway College 187
Day 1: 5 11-07 Day 2: 5 13-08 Total: 10 24-15
65. Drew Pitts - Nicholas Dellaporta Carson-Newman University 186
Day 1: 5 13-14 Day 2: 5 11-00 Total: 10 24-14
66. James Dubose - Daylon Milam University of Montevallo 185
Day 1: 5 13-01 Day 2: 5 11-12 Total: 10 24-13
67. Jacob Witkowski - Mark Harris Dallas Baptist Univesity 184
Day 1: 5 11-00 Day 2: 5 13-11 Total: 10 24-11
68. Hayden Gaddis - Ben Cully Carson-Newman University 183
Day 1: 5 12-12 Day 2: 5 11-15 Total: 10 24-11
69. Ryan Pero - Ben Tschoerner Stephen F Austin State Universit 182
Day 1: 5 13-08 Day 2: 5 11-02 Total: 10 24-10
70. Grant Dohle - Jake Mantovani Missouri State University 181
Day 1: 5 10-05 Day 2: 5 14-01 Total: 10 24-06
71. Brodie Paige - Cooper Arthur Louisiana Tech University 180
Day 1: 5 13-03 Day 2: 5 11-03 Total: 10 24-06
72. Triston Richardson - Mason Mccormick LSU - Shreveport 179
Day 1: 5 14-04 Day 2: 5 10-00 Total: 10 24-04
73. Stevie Mills - Andrew Turner Carson-Newman University 178
Day 1: 5 11-04 Day 2: 5 13-00 Total: 10 24-04
74. Roy Crush IV - Brice Hudler Texas A&M University 177
Day 1: 5 10-07 Day 2: 5 13-12 Total: 10 24-03
75. Wyatt Ford - Joseph Stingley University of Montevallo 176
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 5 10-06 Total: 10 24-01
76. Andrew Oswalt - Evan Mabrey University of Montevallo 175
Day 1: 5 10-14 Day 2: 5 13-03 Total: 10 24-01
77. Cross Campbell - Dylan Armstrong East Texas Baptist University 174
Day 1: 5 13-04 Day 2: 5 10-12 Total: 10 24-00
78. Carson Huether - Zachary Wolfe Carson-Newman University 173
Day 1: 5 11-11 Day 2: 5 12-03 Total: 10 23-14
79. Brooks Leonard - Stran Stevens Lone Star College 172
Day 1: 5 13-14 Day 2: 5 09-15 Total: 10 23-13
80. Andrew Howell - Jordan Pennington University of Montevallo 171
Day 1: 5 12-02 Day 2: 5 11-11 Total: 10 23-13
81. Connor Foreman - Joe Krejci Texas A&M University 170
Day 1: 5 18-15 Day 2: 3 04-12 Total: 8 23-11
82. Parker O'Bryan - Miller Dowling University of Montevallo 169
Day 1: 5 08-11 Day 2: 5 15-00 Total: 10 23-11
83. Caden Gettys - Cole Weaver Catawba Valley Community College 168
Day 1: 5 14-15 Day 2: 5 08-12 Total: 10 23-11
84. Garrett Smith - Andrew Blanton Lander University 167
Day 1: 5 07-09 Day 2: 5 15-12 Total: 10 23-05
85. Dylan Breaux - Joel Richard Nicholls State University 166
Day 1: 5 13-07 Day 2: 5 09-14 Total: 10 23-05
86. Khristian Rousseve - Shamar Pierre LSU - Shreveport 165
Day 1: 5 10-07 Day 2: 5 12-14 Total: 10 23-05
87. William Reeder - Tyler Richardson Louisiana Tech University 164
Day 1: 5 11-14 Day 2: 5 11-07 Total: 10 23-05
88. Sam Semper - Tarleton State University 163
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 5 09-09 Total: 10 23-04
89. Andrew Rickman - Ty Manterola Dallas Baptist University 162
Day 1: 5 09-07 Day 2: 5 13-11 Total: 10 23-02
90. Jeremy Dellinger - William Hammond Lander University 161
Day 1: 5 10-13 Day 2: 5 12-05 Total: 10 23-02
91. Noah Trant - Evan Howe Northwestern State University 160
Day 1: 5 14-10 Day 2: 5 08-07 Total: 10 23-01
92. Corey Morris - Brayden Mercer East Texas Baptist University 159
Day 1: 4 12-06 Day 2: 5 10-11 Total: 9 23-01
93. Nathan MacDonald - James Ikerd II Mississippi State University 158
Day 1: 5 11-04 Day 2: 5 11-13 Total: 10 23-01
94. Brayden Batchelor - Alex Belin Georgia Southern University 157
Day 1: 5 10-13 Day 2: 5 12-03 Total: 10 23-00
95. Hunter Jenkins - Dallas Baptist University 156
Day 1: 5 14-10 Day 2: 5 08-05 Total: 10 22-15
96. William Hadraba - Andrew Price Baylor University 155
Day 1: 5 13-01 Day 2: 5 09-11 Total: 10 22-12
97. Blair Erickson - Jackson Pontius University of Montevallo 154
Day 1: 5 11-09 Day 2: 5 11-03 Total: 10 22-12
98. Peyton Matherne - Beau Landry LSU 153
Day 1: 5 10-12 Day 2: 5 11-15 Total: 10 22-11
99. Peyton Bryant - Brezlyn Hightower Murray State College 152
Day 1: 5 11-04 Day 2: 5 11-07 Total: 10 22-11
100. Ryan Rhodes - Blake Beste Tarleton State University 151
Day 1: 5 12-15 Day 2: 5 09-10 Total: 10 22-09
101. Ty Allison - Dyson Lewis Catawba Valley Community College 150
Day 1: 5 12-04 Day 2: 5 10-01 Total: 10 22-05
102. Landon Brown - Grant Rice Morehead State University 149
Day 1: 5 09-13 Day 2: 5 12-07 Total: 10 22-04
103. Camden Kozikoski - Dayne Kobriger Drury University 148
Day 1: 5 08-07 Day 2: 5 13-12 Total: 10 22-03
104. Zach Williams - Austin Comer MS State 147
Day 1: 5 11-09 Day 2: 5 10-09 Total: 10 22-02
105. Edward San Juan - Joshua Sonnier Lamar State College Orange 146
Day 1: 5 09-12 Day 2: 5 12-03 Total: 10 21-15
106. Dylan Reed - Cooper Hughes 145
Day 1: 5 09-04 Day 2: 5 12-10 Total: 10 21-14
107. Xander Patton - Stephen Brooks Emmanuel College 144
Day 1: 5 10-15 Day 2: 5 10-15 Total: 10 21-14
108. Aiden Neely - Ryan Blair Tarleton State University 143
Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 5 10-11 Total: 10 21-12
109. Luke McGuffin - Rylan Green Erskine College 142
Day 1: 5 10-00 Day 2: 5 11-11 Total: 10 21-11
110. Robert Campbell - Nick Manning MS State 141
Day 1: 5 13-08 Day 2: 5 08-01 Total: 10 21-09
111. Josh Kerr - Ty Mechler Texas A&M University - Aggie Ang 140
Day 1: 5 10-07 Day 2: 5 11-01 Total: 10 21-08
112. Chance Shelby - Southeastern Louisiana Universit 139
Day 1: 5 11-15 Day 2: 5 09-08 Total: 10 21-07
113. Chase Hubble - Brent May University of Florida 138
Day 1: 5 08-14 Day 2: 5 12-08 Total: 10 21-06
114. Devan Perkins - Kade Palmer LSU 137
Day 1: 5 11-11 Day 2: 5 09-08 Total: 10 21-03
115. Brody Hopper - Carson Palmer Carson-Newman University 136
Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 5 10-01 Total: 10 21-02
116. Grant Gale - Bryce Atkinson Tarleton State University 135
Day 1: 5 11-00 Day 2: 5 10-02 Total: 10 21-02
117. Brayden Stoker - Tucker Kendall Tarleton State University 134
Day 1: 5 10-15 Day 2: 5 10-02 Total: 10 21-01
118. Braydon Kelley - East Texas Baptist University 133
Day 1: 5 09-15 Day 2: 5 11-01 Total: 10 21-00
119. Matthew Owen - Daniel May Sam Houston State 132
Day 1: 5 09-00 Day 2: 5 11-14 Total: 10 20-14
120. Matthew Massey - Matthew Gunn Erskine College 131
Day 1: 5 11-08 Day 2: 5 09-06 Total: 10 20-14
121. Caleb Bomer - Reed Allen Texas A&M University 130
Day 1: 5 10-01 Day 2: 5 10-13 Total: 10 20-14
122. Connor Green - Joshua Roberts Faulkner University 129
Day 1: 5 10-03 Day 2: 5 10-10 Total: 10 20-13
123. Gracie Gregory - Noah Brooks Kentucky Christian University 128
Day 1: 5 11-00 Day 2: 5 09-12 Total: 10 20-12
124. Garrett Sullivan - Matthew Poss Faulkner University 127
Day 1: 5 09-06 Day 2: 5 11-03 Total: 10 20-09
125. Avery Myers - Kyran Hepko Missouri State University 126
Day 1: 5 08-07 Day 2: 5 12-01 Total: 10 20-08
126. Christian Gerlach - Kenneth Clark IV University Of Mary Baylor Hardin 125
Day 1: 5 10-11 Day 2: 5 09-12 Total: 10 20-07
127. Luke Salvail - Kyle Johnson Calhoun Community College 124
Day 1: 5 07-06 Day 2: 5 13-00 Total: 10 20-06
128. Baylen Guy - Teurlings Catholic High School - 123
Day 1: 5 10-01 Day 2: 5 10-05 Total: 10 20-06
129. CJ Lawrence - Carson Owen Murray State College 122
Day 1: 5 15-11 Day 2: 2 04-10 Total: 7 20-05
130. Sean Ferguson - Miguel Cooper Kansas State University 121
Day 1: 5 09-11 Day 2: 5 10-10 Total: 10 20-05
131. Hunter Stuart - Tarleton State University 120
Day 1: 5 10-05 Day 2: 5 10-00 Total: 10 20-05
132. JD Sewell - Holden Hatcher Lamar State College Orange 119
Day 1: 5 09-12 Day 2: 5 10-08 Total: 10 20-04
133. Atlan Pfluger - Breckett Long Texas A&M University 118
Day 1: 5 10-06 Day 2: 5 09-13 Total: 10 20-03
134. Tyler Gunter - Cabe Mackey Catawba Valley Community College 117
Day 1: 5 08-08 Day 2: 5 11-10 Total: 10 20-02
135. Landon Hernandez - Gavin Gomez Texas A&M University 116
Day 1: 5 08-09 Day 2: 5 11-09 Total: 10 20-02
136. Drake Hemby - Ewing Minor Carson-Newman University 115
Day 1: 4 08-11 Day 2: 5 11-06 Total: 9 20-01
137. Carson Hickman - Jacob Dobbs Tarleton State University 114
Day 1: 5 11-07 Day 2: 5 08-08 Total: 10 19-15
138. Wes Smith II - Grant Harris Catawba Valley Community College 113
Day 1: 5 10-14 Day 2: 5 09-01 Total: 10 19-15
139. AJ Bowdoin - Preston Waltisperger Texas A&M University 112
Day 1: 5 10-09 Day 2: 5 09-06 Total: 10 19-15
140. Austin Rose - Dylan Benson East Texas Baptist University 111
Day 1: 5 09-12 Day 2: 5 10-03 Total: 10 19-15
141. Storm Clark - River Eubanks University of Montevallo 110
Day 1: 5 10-01 Day 2: 5 09-13 Total: 10 19-14
142. Ian Carter - Bryce Distefano LSU - Shreveport 109
Day 1: 5 11-10 Day 2: 5 08-03 Total: 10 19-13
143. Solomon Glenn - University of Montevallo 108
Day 1: 5 10-11 Day 2: 5 09-01 Total: 10 19-12
144. Tanner Smith - Cameron Gates Kentucky Christian University 107
Day 1: 5 10-08 Day 2: 5 09-04 Total: 10 19-12
145. Willem Van Der Heijden - Jack Middlebrook Tarleton State University 106
Day 1: 5 09-01 Day 2: 4 10-09 Total: 9 19-10
146. Tucker Evans - Stephen F Austin State Universit 105
Day 1: 5 10-10 Day 2: 5 08-14 Total: 10 19-08
147. Aaron Hawkins - Broxson Daigle Texas A&M University 104
Day 1: 5 09-01 Day 2: 5 10-07 Total: 10 19-08
148. Christian Boyd - Landon Sexton Shelton State Community College 103
Day 1: 5 09-04 Day 2: 4 10-02 Total: 9 19-06
149. Turner Barksdale - Jared Walters Shelton State Community College 102
Day 1: 5 10-08 Day 2: 5 08-13 Total: 10 19-05
150. Benjamin Lewis - Jase Blanco Nicholls State University 101
Day 1: 4 06-01 Day 2: 5 13-03 Total: 9 19-04
151. Cole Klasing - Adam Green Greenville College Bass Fishing 100
Day 1: 5 10-06 Day 2: 5 08-12 Total: 10 19-02
152. Logan Howarter - Carrson Sizemore Kentucky Christian University 99
Day 1: 5 09-10 Day 2: 5 09-07 Total: 10 19-01
153. Ben Hatcher - Sam Hatcher University of Alabama 98
Day 1: 5 09-00 Day 2: 5 10-00 Total: 10 19-00
154. Tyler Morris - Hunter Hamilton LSU - Shreveport 97
Day 1: 5 09-06 Day 2: 5 09-10 Total: 10 19-00
155. Drew Blasi - Noah Amundson Kansas State University 96
Day 1: 5 11-00 Day 2: 5 07-14 Total: 10 18-14
156. Clayton Easter - Trevor Easter Tarleton State University 95
Day 1: 5 08-13 Day 2: 5 10-01 Total: 10 18-14
157. Braden Lankford - Sam Sutter Murray State College 94
Day 1: 5 09-11 Day 2: 5 09-01 Total: 10 18-12
158. Dylan Mclaughlin - Matt Brault Erskine College Bass Fishing 93
Day 1: 5 09-12 Day 2: 5 08-14 Total: 10 18-10
159. Caden Cardoza - Judd Morgan University of Tennessee 92
Day 1: 5 10-02 Day 2: 5 08-05 Total: 10 18-07
160. Brett Jolley Jr. - Cade Nettles East Texas Baptist University 91
Day 1: 5 08-10 Day 2: 4 09-10 Total: 9 18-04
161. Palmer Parrish - Clemson University 90
Day 1: 5 13-04 Day 2: 3 04-15 Total: 8 18-03
162. Will Rhyne - Lander University 89
Day 1: 5 09-07 Day 2: 5 08-12 Total: 10 18-03
163. Blake Wheat - Zachary Helton Carson-Newman University 88
Day 1: 5 09-06 Day 2: 5 08-13 Total: 10 18-03
164. Clay Henderson - Brant Rowland Drury University 87
Day 1: 5 09-11 Day 2: 5 08-07 Total: 10 18-02
165. Savannah Goode - Fisher Edwards Georgia College 86
Day 1: 5 09-10 Day 2: 5 08-07 Total: 10 18-01
166. Dylan Reid - Jaxson Smoak Georgia Southern University 85
Day 1: 4 09-06 Day 2: 5 08-11 Total: 9 18-01
167. Christian Bales - Dylan Mcgee Kentucky Christian University 84
Day 1: 5 08-07 Day 2: 5 09-09 Total: 10 18-00
168. David Bartlett - Drake Longstaff Greenville College Bass Fishing 83
Day 1: 5 09-03 Day 2: 5 08-12 Total: 10 17-15
169. Jase White - Lane King Drury University 82
Day 1: 5 08-09 Day 2: 5 09-02 Total: 10 17-11
170. Holt Avery - Skyler Meuse Texas A&M University 81
Day 1: 5 09-01 Day 2: 5 08-06 Total: 10 17-07
171. Peter West - Braylin Lewis Faulkner University 80
Day 1: 4 07-09 Day 2: 5 09-12 Total: 9 17-05
172. Landon Robbins - Mason Thompson University of Tennessee 79
Day 1: 5 09-10 Day 2: 5 07-10 Total: 10 17-04
173. Nick Pemberton - University of Montevallo 78
Day 1: 5 07-12 Day 2: 5 09-03 Total: 10 16-15
174. Carson Dillinger - Texas A&M University 77
Day 1: 4 05-12 Day 2: 5 10-15 Total: 9 16-11
175. Tyler Gentry - Jackson Wyatt Texas A&M University 76
Day 1: 5 08-00 Day 2: 5 08-05 Total: 10 16-05
176. Dallas Taylor - Kentucky Christian University 75
Day 1: 1 05-12 Day 2: 5 09-10 Total: 6 15-06
177. Shepard Rowe - East Texas Baptist University 74
Day 1: 4 11-00 Day 2: 2 04-01 Total: 6 15-01
178. Zane Stroman - Logan Clark East Texas Baptist University 73
Day 1: 4 06-06 Day 2: 5 08-11 Total: 9 15-01
179. Will Wester - TJ McKenzie Emmanuel College 72
Day 1: 5 08-00 Day 2: 4 06-09 Total: 9 14-09
180. Michael Canonica - Seth Proctor University of Tennessee 71
Day 1: 5 09-12 Day 2: 2 03-13 Total: 7 13-09
181. Kaleb Brown - Cole Moulton Lander University 70
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 13-08 Total: 5 13-08
182. Luke Frankowicz - Louisiana Tech University 69
Day 1: 5 08-08 Day 2: 3 04-11 Total: 8 13-03
183. Collin Burgess - Reagan Smith Tarleton State University 68
Day 1: 5 12-11 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 12-11
184. Cody Clifton - Samuele Amodeo Missouri State University 67
Day 1: 4 06-00 Day 2: 3 06-06 Total: 7 12-06
185. Colden Harman - Lance Fuhr Clemson University 66
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 11-15 Total: 5 11-15
186. Jordan Sylvester - Julien Meyer University Of Louisiana Lafayet 65
Day 1: 5 11-12 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 11-12
187. Taylor McMullen - Anna Kay Emmanuel College 64
Day 1: 4 07-05 Day 2: 2 03-14 Total: 6 11-03
188. London Copelin - Jacob Wandel University Of Arkansas 63
Day 1: 5 10-15 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 10-15
189. Jake Leinonen - Clemson University 62
Day 1: 1 02-15 Day 2: 5 07-11 Total: 6 10-10
190. Gus McLarry - Jared West Texas A&M Commerce Fishing Club 61
Day 1: 5 10-05 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 10-05
191. Jackson Plyler - Cambell Hall NC State University 60
Day 1: 5 08-12 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 08-12
192. Andrew Sell - Missouri State University 59
Day 1: 5 08-10 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 08-10
193. JD Clarke - Kaden Mueck Stephen F Austin State Universit 58
Day 1: 5 08-08 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 08-08
194. Walter Trulock - MS State 57
Day 1: 5 08-03 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 08-03
195. Riley Aebi - Ben Burns Stephen F Austin State Universit 56
Day 1: 4 07-08 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 4 07-08
196. Lane Bailey - Catawba Valley Community College 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
------------------------------
BIG BASS OF TOURN
Hampton Shull Greenville, SC 09-08 $0.00
------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 180 946 2210-15
2 174 906 2172-12
------------------------------
354 1852 4383-11
Brandon Coulter Paces Group A on Day 1 of Major League Fishing’s General Tire Heavy Hitters on the Kissimmee Chain
KISSIMMEE, Fla. (May 18, 2023) – While the bite on the first day of General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops was feast or famine for much of the 15-angler field, Florida’s Kissimmee Chain of Lakes served up everything a bass angler could ask for. Kissimmee produced quality bites on a diverse mix of techniques and surrendered a 9-pound Florida stud for the first Heavy Hitters big-bass bonus of the event.
Knoxville, Tennessee pro Brandon Coulter led the group after catching 12 bass for 39 pounds, 3 ounces, a near 7-pound lead over Brent Ehrler of Redlands, California, who weighed 10 scorable bass totaling 32-1 to end the day in second place.
With tight weights, every angler still has a legitimate chance to advance to the Knockout Round, where the stakes are raised and the big bass payout increases to $30,000.
Huntsville, Alabama pro Ryan Salzman, who finished the day in third place, caught the heaviest bass of the day Saturday right at the end of Period 1 – a largemouth that weighed in at 9 pounds, 3 ounces. The fish came on Z-Man ChatterBait Jack Hammer with a Houdini-colored Z-Man RaZor Shadz trailer. For the lunker, Salzman will take home a $10,000 Big Bass Bonus. Big Bass Bonuses are awarded each day throughout the competition, with payouts of $10,000, $30,000 and $100,000 being awarded for the single biggest fish in the Qualifying, Knockout and Championship rounds.
The 15 anglers in Group A will now have the day off Sunday, while the 15 anglers in Group B will begin their Day 1 Qualifying Round. Group A will complete their two-day Qualifying Round of competition on Monday.
After a slow start to the day, where he failed to catch a scoreable bass for the first two hours, Coulter caught fire for the rest of the day. He estimates catching well over 60 bass, with a dozen reaching this round's 2-pound variable minimum weight. Coulter is also right on the mark for his goal weight and shouldn't have to catch many more fish to advance when his group returns to the water on Monday.
"It was a heck of a day, and I barely missed my goal – I was hoping for 40 pounds and came up a little short," he said. "The first period, I didn't have anything going until right before the period ended. What a day it turned into after that, once I figured out the bite."
Coulter surmised that switching from a punching pattern to a frog was the key.
“I didn’t even have a bite on a frog in practice and was catching them in the hydrilla punching,” he said. “Toward the end of practice, I noticed I was getting bites as soon as the bait came through the mat, which told me they were higher in the water column, so I threw a few frogs in the boat.”
Since his mat-punching pattern was so strong in practice, he stuck with it until switching to a bone Berkley Swamp Lord frog at the end of the first period.
“My first bite was a 4-15 and she choked it,” Coulter said. “We started counting and it was 62 bass on that same frog, which was brand new out of the package earlier in the day. A lot of the fish were around 1-12, and I don’t care who you are; that’s still fun to catch a bunch of fish that size in the slop.”
Coulter fished his frog on a 7-foot, 5-inch extra-heavy Fenwick World Class rod with an 8.3:1 Abu Garcia Zenon X reel and 65-pound Berkley X5 braided line. Another key was reading the grass and finding the right areas.
“It’s the same thing I do on Guntersville and Chickamauga, and when you find the right grass mix, it becomes much easier,” he said. “It was an absolutely perfect day for frog fishing since many people haven’t gotten on the bite yet. It’s like when the fish first get out on the ledges and haven’t been harassed yet.”
Coulter is thrilled with his catch, but looking ahead knows that things will change when he returns to Kissimmee on Friday.
“The conditions are going to be different, and I know I’m going to do some different stuff,” he said. “I’ll treat Monday as a practice day to expand and try my best to catch the biggest bass of the day.”
The standings for the 15 pros from Qualifying Group A after Day 1 on the Kissimmee Chain are:
1st: Brandon Coulter, Knoxville, Tenn., 12 bass, 39-3
2nd: Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., 10 bass, 32-1
3rd: Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., six bass, 29-15
4th: Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tenn., seven bass, 22-1
5th: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., six bass, 21-10
6th: Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., four bass, 18-11
7th: Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, four bass, 10-8
8th: Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala., three bass, 10-4
9th: Scott Suggs, Alexander, Ark., four bass, 9-15
10th: Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., four bass, 9-13
11th: David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., three bass, 8-13
12th: Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., two bass, 8-9
13th: Alton Jones, Jr., Waco, Texas, three bass, 8-5
14th: Marty Robinson, Lyman, S.C., two bass, 7-1
15th: Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla., one bass, 2-9
Full results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 71 bass weighing 239 pounds, 6 ounces caught by the 15 pros on Saturday, which included one 9-pounder, one 7-pounder and four 6-pounders caught from the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes.
The General Tire Heavy Hitters at the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes Presented by Bass Pro Shops features the MLF catch, weigh, immediate-release format, in which anglers catch as much weight as they can each day, while also feeling the pressure and intensity of the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard. A bass must meet the 2-pound minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable in the Qualifying and Knockout Rounds, but for the final day Championship Round a bass must weigh at least 3 pounds to be deemed scorable.
The 15 Anglers in Group A compete in their two-day qualifying round on Saturday and Monday – the 15 anglers in Group B on Sunday and Tuesday. After each two-day qualifying round is complete, the top eight anglers from both groups advance to Wednesday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round weights are zeroed, and the remaining 16 anglers compete to finish in the top 10 to advance to the Championship Round. In Thursday’s final-day Championship Round, weights are zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.
In addition to the tournament, Big Bass Bonuses are awarded in each round of competition with payouts of $10,000, $30,000 and $100,000 awarded to the single biggest fish in the Group A and B Qualifying, Knockout and Championship rounds.
Anglers will launch each day at 7:30 a.m. ET from Big Toho Marina located at 69 Lakeview Drive in Kissimmee. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will be held at the park, beginning at 4 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLFNOW! live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
On Day 2 of the event, Sunday, May 19, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. MLF will welcome fans of all ages to visit Big Toho Marina located at 69 Lakeview Drive in Kissimmee, to watch the pros live on the MLFNOW! big screen, enjoy free food, enter to win hourly giveaways and cheer on their favorite pros. The first 50 kids 14 and under will receive a free rod and reel from Pure Fishing. Heavy Hitters competitors will cross the stage at 4:30 p.m. following lines out and will be available to meet and greet fans, sign autographs and take selfies.
To qualify for General Tire Heavy Hitters, the weight of an angler’s single-largest bass from each event of the seven 2023 Bass Pro Tour events was recorded. The 30 anglers with the heaviest total from those seven bass qualified to compete in this event.
The MLFNOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action live on all six days of competition from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET. MLFNOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app, and Rumble.
Television coverage of the General Tire Heavy Hitters 2024 Presented by Bass Pro Shops will be showcased across six two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, Aug. 10 and running each Saturday through Sept. 14 on Discovery. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on the Outdoor Channel.
Proud sponsors of General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops include: Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Barbasol, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, BUBBA, Fishing Clash, General Tire, Kubota, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak Fishing, NITRO, Onyx, Plano, Power-Pole, REDCON1, Star brite, Toyota, U.S. Air Force and YETI.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Joe Uribe Closes out Second WON Bass Lake Havasu Open Championship
LAKE HAVASU CITY, Ariz. – May 17, 2024 –– If there had been a betting line on a list of anglers that had the best odds of winning the 2024 Ranger Boats WON Bass Lake Havasu Open presented by Mercury, Bridgford Foods pro Joe Uribe Jr. would have been right at the top of that list. The Phoenix, Ariz pro has had a long history of major wins at Lake Havasu, and he added to that list today in the shadow of London Bridge.
Uribe, who led by less than an ounce after conclusion of the second day over second place Del Rio, Tex. pro Kurt Dove, and only slightly more than Micah Jones of Kingman, Ariz. in third place. Word amongst the competitors was that the angler amongst the top three who managed to post 18 pounds on the final day would likely take the win.
Uribe came to the Riviera Marina as the last angler to weigh-in and dropped 17.93 pounds on the WON Bass scales to claim his second victory in a WON Bass Lake Havasu Open with a three-day winning weight of 57.31 pounds. Jones finished third for the event with 54.40 pounds, while Dove slipped to third place with 53.38 pounds. He was followed in fourth place by Lake Havasu City, Ariz. pro Roy Hawk with 53 pounds and pro Todd Kline of San Clemente, Calif. finished fifth with 51.88 pounds.
The veteran pro used a variety of techniques to weigh fish during the three-day event. He described his first day as a “junk fishing fest” to try and figure out exactly what he needed to set up on. Late in the first afternoon, he put all of the pieces of the puzzle together to what became the ultimate pattern. “I figured out a particular combination of depth, cover and technique that afternoon, and once that came together, I could see exactly what I needed to target,” he said. “I weighed a couple of fish on a spinnerbait and a squarebill, but the majority of the weight came from flipping matted grass and laydown tules in 3 to 5 feet of water, and that was the key.”
Uribe said that the pattern was inspired by the late Aaron Martens, the three-time WON Bass U.S. Open Champion who won a Bassmaster Elite Series on Lake Havasu by targeting matted tules in deeper water with a Flipping rig. “I remembered that Aaron had won this time of the year, so I put that in my memory bank as something to look for in the event,” he said. “When I found the bite, I got excited, and each time I caught a fish, I said a little thank you to Aaron; I could feel him looking down on me.”
The pattern was one that relied on a slightly scaled down “Finesse Flipping” setup. He paired a 7’3” heavy action Daiwa Taula Elite Takahiro Omori Pitching rod with an 8.1:1 Tatula Elite Pitching and Flipping reel spooled with 40-pound-test Sunline SX-2 braided line. He threaded a 3/4-ounce VOSS Tungsten Flipping weight and tied a 3/0 Gamakatsu Finesse Flipping hook which he rigged with a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver 4.20 in Big Texan color.
He reported that the postspawn females he was targeting were taking refuge in the shad around the matted vegetation that was blown into pockets in Windsor Bay and around the mouth of the river itself. “I am so blessed to have won this tournament, I went out here and fished free and clean and just felt like The Lord was watching over me,” he said. “It was just a great event, and a lot of fun; I don’t think I’ll ever grow tired of playing this game and having a chance to do well.”
Second place finisher Jones spent much of his event behind the wheel of his boat. In an interview with WON Bass Tournament Director Bill Egan, Jones described his week. “I ran a total of 210 miles in the three days of the event and I’m exhausted,” he said. “I used a spinnerbait and a Raid Baits swimbait to catch all of my fish this week, and while I’d loved to have won, these are hard tournaments to get; I’m stoked to have finished second.”
In the AAA Division, James Fenney III of Vista, Calif. claimed the title of Champion with a three-day total weight of 51.62 pounds. He outlasted David Crunden of Lake Havasu City, Ariz. who finished second with 51.24 pounds. Third place in the AAA Division went to Adam Gragg of Acton, Calif. with 50.92 pounds, he was followed in fourth place by Ronnie Orbaker of Madera, Calif. with 50.22 pounds and Eric Norgard of Monrovia, Calif. finished fifth with 50.08 pounds.
Each of the pros and AAA anglers who finish in the top five will also earn a Golden Ticket berth into the 2025 Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Championship for a chance to qualify for the Bassmaster Classic
The top 10 in each division are posted below: for complete standings, visit https://wonbassevents.com/
|
WON Bass Lake Havasu Open 5/15 to 5/17/2024 |
||||||||
|
Place |
Pro Day 3 | Hometown |
Fish |
Pnlty |
Day 1 |
Day 2 |
Day 3 |
Total |
|
1 |
Joe Uribe, Jr. | Surprise AZ |
15-15 |
17.21 |
22.17 |
17.93 |
57.31 |
|
|
2 |
Micah Jones | Kingman AZ |
15-15 |
20.86 |
18.37 |
15.17 |
54.40 |
|
|
3 |
Kurt Dove | Del Rio TX |
15-15 |
18.49 |
20.79 |
14.10 |
53.38 |
|
|
4 |
Roy Hawk | Lake Havasu City AZ |
15-15 |
17.39 |
17.69 |
17.92 |
53.00 |
|
|
5 |
Todd Kline | San Clemente CA |
15-15 |
18.38 |
17.52 |
15.98 |
51.88 |
|
|
6 |
Zack Hayes | Blythe CA |
15-15 |
17.14 |
17.70 |
16.55 |
51.39 |
|
|
7 |
Jerry Ballesteros | Rancho Cucamonga CA |
15-15 |
18.15 |
14.58 |
17.72 |
50.45 |
|
|
8 |
Bill Brown | Grand Junction CO |
15-15 |
16.73 |
15.70 |
18.01 |
50.44 |
|
|
9 |
David Thies | Lake Havasu City CA |
15-15 |
17.05 |
16.25 |
15.75 |
49.05 |
|
|
10 |
J D Blackamore | Yorba Linda CA |
15-15 |
15.42 |
16.60 |
16.68 |
48.70 |
|
|
Place |
AAA Angler Day 3 | Hometown |
Fish |
Pnlty |
Day 1 |
Day 2 |
Day 3 |
Total |
|
1 |
James Fenney, III | Vista CA |
15-15 |
19.94 |
15.23 |
16.45 |
51.62 |
|
|
2 |
David Crunden | Lake Havasu City AZ |
15-15 |
0.50 |
15.20 |
22.17 |
13.87 |
51.24 |
|
3 |
Adam Gragg | Acton CA |
15-15 |
18.41 |
14.03 |
18.48 |
50.92 |
|
|
4 |
Ronnie Orbaker | Madera CA |
15-15 |
20.86 |
14.04 |
15.32 |
50.22 |
|
|
5 |
Eric Norgard | Monrovia CA |
15-15 |
15.59 |
17.24 |
17.25 |
50.08 |
|
|
6 |
Wesley Nunley | Washington UT |
15-15 |
16.73 |
19.04 |
13.81 |
49.58 |
|
|
7 |
Anthony Hunt | Clovis CA |
15-15 |
17.05 |
15.61 |
16.78 |
49.44 |
|
|
8 |
Dave Phillips | Nampa ID |
15-15 |
16.82 |
15.95 |
16.07 |
48.84 |
|
|
9 |
David Childress | Bakersfield CA |
15-15 |
17.52 |
15.11 |
15.95 |
48.58 |
|
|
10 |
Damon Motley | Orange CA |
15-15 |
17.26 |
13.33 |
17.92 |
48.51 |
|
As the winner of the 2024 Ranger Boats WON Bass Lake Havasu Open presented by Mercury, Joe Uribe Jr. earns the Ranger Boats / Mercury Motor prize boat provided by Bass Pro Shops, and the Golden Tickets to the 2025 Bassmaster BASS Nation National Championship will be awarded to the top five Pro and AAA anglers and will further develop the season long competition to see who will receive guaranteed slots into the 2025 Bassmaster Opens Elite Qualifiers.
The 2024 WON Bass Western Opens Series of events consisting of five events in California, Arizona and Nevada moves next to the California Open at Clear Lake April 17 to 19, 2024. The series will culminate with the 2024 WON Bass U.S. Open at Lake Mohave in October. The full schedule of the five event dates are as follows:
Jan. 31–Feb. 2, Lake Shasta - Champion Nick Wood – 47.42 pounds
April 17-19, Clear Lake – Champion Austin Bonjour – 83.28 pounds
May 15-17, Lake Havasu – Champion Joe Uribe Jr. – 57.31 pounds
Sept. 18-20, Lake Mead
Oct. 14-16, U.S. Open at Lake Mohave
For complete details to register for future events, or to find results, look to wonbassevents.com and WONews.com to hear the latest news about the 2024 season and beyond and follow along at Facebook.com/
The 2024 WON Bass Lake Havasu Open was brought to you by Bass Pro Shops, Ranger Boats, Mercury Marine, Nitro Boats, Triton Boats, Bridgford Foods, Phenix Rods, Yamamoto Baits, Bill Lewis Lures, Buckeye Lures, Steel Shad, Bioenno Power, SOG Knives, Cold Steel Knives, Gamma Line, Power Pole, Lowrance, Daiwa, AFTCO, Costa, Berkley, Abu Garcia, DD26 Fishing, Anderson Toyota, A&M Graphics, Anglers Marine and Signature Gates.
Local presenting sponsors were Go Lake Havasu, Anderson Toyota and Riviera Marina. Daily takeoffs and weigh-ins were being conducted at Riviera Marina.
Cherokee Lake Set to Host 41st annual Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American Presented by T-H Marine
Jefferson City gears up for $120,000 grassroots bass-fishing championship, offering weekend anglers advancement opportunities to the 2024 Toyota Series Championship and REDCREST 2025
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. (May 16, 2024) – Major League Fishing (MLF) returns to Tennessee, next week, May 29-31, for the 41st annual Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) All-American Championship Presented by T-H Marine on Cherokee Lake. The three-day tournament, hosted by Visit Jefferson County TN, will showcase the nation’s best weekend grassroots anglers, and awards the winning boater a top prize of up to $120,000, and an automatic qualification into REDCREST 2025, MLF’s most prestigious event.
In addition to the automatic REDCREST 2025 qualification and the chance to win $300,000, the highest-finishing boaters and co-anglers from each of the seven regionals at the All-American advance to the 2024 Toyota Series Championship, where they will have a shot at winning up to $235,000, including the lucrative $35,000 Phoenix MLF Bonus, and $33,500, respectively.
Jefferson County, Tennessee, played host to a very successful All-American Championship in 2021. That event, however, was held on Douglas Lake. Church Hill, Tennessee boater Brant Grimm, who called Douglas and Cherokee lakes his “home fisheries” added his name to the illustrious list of BFL All-American winners.
“We are thrilled to once again be hosting the All-American Championship in Jefferson County, this time on Cherokee Lake,” said Lauren Hurdle, Director of Tourism for Visit Jefferson County TN. “The tournament could not be scheduled for a better time of year, as it is going to really showcase just how amazing this fishery is. Cherokee Lake has hosted numerous Major League Fishing events, including the Bass Pro Tour and countless Phoenix Bass Fishing League events. It will be so exciting to see what these top grassroot anglers are able to produce on these waters.”
The BFL All-American serves as a pathway for anglers who wish to advance to the Toyota Series, Tackle Warehouse Invitationals and ultimately the Bass Pro Tour. Former All-American champions who currently compete on the Bass Pro Tour and the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals include Shaw Grigsby (1984), Stephen Browning (1996), Jacob Wheeler (2011), Jeremy Lawyer (2016), Nick LeBrun (2018) and Connor Cunningham (2022).
Local Toyota Series pro Jimmy Neece Jr. of Bristol, Tennessee, said he expects to see a lot of action on Cherokee Lake during this event.
“I don’t think they could have picked a better time of year to hit Cherokee Lake,” said Neece. “The weather should be great, and the fish are in the perfect bite window, so this should be a pretty exciting, diverse event.
“I think we’ll see a lot of fish caught out deep and some up in the shallow cover. The upper end of the lake should play really well with the flipping and topwater bite.”
Neece said he thinks it will take about 13 pounds per day to make it into the top 10 on Championship Friday and 16 pounds per day to win the event.
“I’ve fished Cherokee Lake my whole life and can remember a time when you never caught a smallmouth,” said Neece. “But the fishery has shifted through the years. Smallmouth have been dominant for the last few years, but largemouth are starting to make a comeback now and this event is really setting up to be won with a combination of species.”
Cherokee Lake, also known as Cherokee Reservoir, is an artificial reservoir formed by the impoundment of the Holston River behind Cherokee Dam. The dam was built by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in 1941 to create hydroelectric energy during World War II.
“Cherokee Lake is a TVA lake, designed for power generation,” said Neece. “The TVA typically draws water out of the lake each fall, sometimes up to 30 to 50 feet, but with the spring rain, the lake starts rising and is usually at full pool by now. However, it’s currently still about 6-8 foot low.
“We’ve had a lot of rain, so it should start getting better and be at full pool by the time the tournament starts next week, which will make for a better topwater bite,” Neece explained. “On the mid to lower end of the lake, I expect to see a lot of fish caught out deep – deep-cranking, swimbaits and things like that – but the topwater bite should be good down there as well.”
Neece said go-to-baits like the Heddon Zara Spook Walking Bait and a Carolina rig are usually key staples on the fishery.
“I expect to see a combination of shallow and deep fishing during this event,” said Neece. “There will be a lot of [Garmin] LiveScoping going on, and I expect to see guys doing really good live scoping, but also think we’ll see other guys do well fishing up shallow or fishing the river.
“In this event, river rats, ‘scopers and traditional fisherman can all do really well,” Neece continued. “There’s a lot of backwater, creeks and shallow flats in Cherokee Lake. You can catch fish on bluff walls or in the backs of creeks, it all depends on who’s got the ability to get the furthest north up the river.”
Anglers will launch each day at 6:30 a.m. ET from the TVA Cherokee Dam Boat Launch, located at 2805 N. Highway 92 in Jefferson City. Weigh-in each day will be held at the boat launch and will begin at 2:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and weigh-in events and encouraged to follow the event’s online coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The MLFNOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee and Rob Newell will break down the extended action live on Championship Friday from 6:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. ET. MLFNOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
The full field of 49 boaters and 49 Strike King co-anglers will compete on Days 1 (Wednesday) and 2 (Thursday) of the event. After two days of competition, the field is cut to just the top 10 boaters and co-anglers, based on two-day total cumulative weight, and the final 10 anglers compete on Championship Friday. The boater and co-angler that catch the heaviest three-day total weight will be crowned the 41st Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American Champions.
The 2023 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine was 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 Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, advanced to one of six Regional Championships where they competed to finish in the top six, which then advanced them to compete in the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
Television coverage of the 2024 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American will premiere November 16 on CBS Sports. The full television air schedule can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Paden and Bissing manage windy conditions to lead Bassmaster College Series event at Sam Rayburn Reservoir
May 16, 2024
Paden and Bissing manage windy conditions to lead Bassmaster College Series event at Sam Rayburn Reservoir
JASPER, Texas — While anglers often state that they’d rather be lucky than good, Jackson Paden and Joey Bissing of the University of Tennessee combined the two and sacked up a five-bass limit of 21 pounds, 6 ounces to lead Day 1 of the Strike King Bassmaster College Series at Sam Rayburn Reservoir presented by Bass Pro Shops.
In the final of three events on the series’ new Lunkers Trail, Paden and Bissing were the only team to break 20 pounds. Their opening effort leads Ashton Hehr and Trevor Johnston of Texas A&M University by 1-8.
“We were just bouncing around, in and out, and trying to get bites,” Bissing said. “I feel like we may have gotten a little lucky today.”
Noting that he and his partner fished far uplake, Bissing said they worked five main areas where they focused most of their efforts on brush and wood.
“It wasn’t as much about the size of the bushes, but where they were located,” Paden said. “If it was on a point, it seems like we could get bit.”
Rotating through their spots yielded a limit by about 8:30 a.m. Paden and Bissing made their final cull at noon.
“We caught a lot of our weight just off the bank on a drop shot with a finesse worm, but we also caught fish flipping bushes with a Texas-rigged Big Bite Baits Scentsation Cliff Hanger Worm,” Paden said. “We also fished a Carolina rig out deep. That produced our biggest fish — a 5 3/4 — around noon.
“It was never really slow for us. We caught 20 to 25 keepers. We caught fish from a foot of water to 15 feet, but up shallow produced best. There was a lot of bait in the area, but there was definitely a lot of fry guarders up there too.”
An approaching weather system brought a day of windy conditions and afternoon thunderstorms. Paden said he and Bissing leveraged the day’s complexion by focusing on windblown banks where the water movement stimulated the fish.
“It was windy all day, so we started flipping a heavier weight when the wind picked up,” Paden said. “We went from a 3/8- to a 1/2-ounce.”
Looking ahead to Friday’s championship round, the leaders are confident their overall game plan can hold up. However, they’re concerned about the storm’s impact. They’ll visit some of the same areas they fished today, but they’ll be ready to adjust as needed.
“We’re gonna try to replicate what we did today,” Paden said. “Hopefully all this rain and thunder didn’t mess our spots up too much, but we’ll just have to figure it out tomorrow.”
Hehr and Johnston are in second place with 19-14, while Caden Denny and Cody Monlezun — also of Texas A&M University — are in third place with 19-10
Mason Lyons and Dalton Blakley of Kentucky Christian University are in the lead for Big Bass honors with a 9-5. Lyons and Blakley placed ninth with 17-7.
Friday’s takeoff is scheduled for 6 a.m. CT at Umphrey Family Pavilion. The weigh-in will be held at the pavilion at 2 p.m.
The Jasper-Lake Sam Rayburn Area Chamber of Commerce and Jasper County are hosting the event.
2024 Bassmaster College Series Title Sponsor: Strike King
2024 Bassmaster College Series Presenting Sponsor: Bass Pro Shops
2024 Bassmaster College Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2024 Bassmaster College Series Premier Sponsors: Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Progressive Insurance, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2024 Bassmaster College Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew's, Lowrance, Marathon, Triton Boats, VMC
2024 Bassmaster College Series Youth Sponsors: Seaguar, Shimano
About B.A.S.S.B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, 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 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
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Massive Day Two vaults Joe Uribe into Lead on day two at WON Bass Arizona Open
LAKE HAVASU CITY, Ariz. – May 16, 2024 –– With conditions maintaining in the mild category on the second day of the 2024 Ranger Boats WON Bass Arizona Open presented by Mercury, it was a solid bet that there would be some fireworks. That solid bet paid off.
Turn 121 of the premier tournament anglers on a body of water like Lake Havasu, and you’re bound to see some impressive displays of angling skill. Give the cream of the crop of that field the second consecutive day of calm conditions, and the results could be scary.
When the morning of day two dawned and Phoenix, Ariz. pro Joe Uribe Jr. – a multi-time winner on Lake Havasu – saw the conditions, he knew exactly what to do. Armed with his understanding of the fishery, the conditions presented and his particular skillsets, Uribe turned loose a shallow water attack that produced 22.17 pounds that catapulted him from 21st place into the day two lead with 39.38 pounds.
That’s not to say that Uribe has the event sewn up, Kurt Dove, the veteran pro from Del Rio, Tex. posted a 20.79-pound limit on day two that moved him into the runner-up position with 39.28 pounds after being in a tie for seventh place after day one.
Keeping the two of them honest was the second-place finisher from the first day of competition, Micah Jones. Jones, from Kingman, Ariz. backed up his first round weight of 20.86 pounds with an 18.37-pund day to finish third for the day with 39.23 pounds. Todd Kline, who has also claimed victory on Havasu in the recent past, the San Vicente, Calif. pro had a second consecutive day crowding the 18-pound mark to finish fourth with 35.90 pounds. Roy Hawk, a two-time U.S. Open Champion from Lake Havasu City, Ariz. and longtime national touring pro rounded out the day in fifth place with 35.08 pounds.
Uribe said that he spent the first day trying to dial in what to do, but as the day progressed, he figured out what would produce the better quality bites. “I really had to junk fish on day one because we did have that overcast conditions, but once the sun came up, I figured out what they were doing,” he said. “I adjusted to that program around nine o’clock this morning and had a great day.”
The Bridgford Foods pro said that he went shallow and stayed there. “I have this certain mixture of ingredients that I had to find involving a certain depth range and cover that are producing the right bites,” he said. “I didn’t get a lot of bites today – probably six or seven – but when I did, they were the right ones.”
He also said things would change tomorrow, and that he would have to adjust again. “It looks like we’re going to get some wind and I’ll have to change again, but that’s what I do – always open minded,” he reported. “I will go out there and do the best I can, and if it goes well, it will work out, I’m just going to have to go fishing and let the rest fall into place.”
Dove, a veteran of the Bassmaster Elite Series, FLW Tour and MLF Big 5 Tackle Warehouse circuits said that he feels like he’ll have to have at least 18 pounds to have a shot. “It’s really anybody’s game right there,” the Megaware Keelguard pro said. "We’re all so tight in the top three that I know I have to perform.”
The Texas based pro revealed that he is using a two-pronged approach that relies on a topwater pattern, backed up by a pair of finesse techniques in “The Bowl” area of Lake Havasu. “I got more bites on the first day, but got two of the right bites today [including the 7.31-pound Big Bass of the Day on the pro side] and it really helped, but we’ll see what tomorrow brings.”
Mitch Southern from Yucaipa, Calif. took the lead in the AAA division by being a part of Dove’s 20.79-pound day with a total weight of 37.58 pounds. Second place went to David Crunden of Lake Havasu City, Ariz. with 37.37 pounds. Anthony Matthews of Parks, Ariz. placed third for the day with a total weight of 36.01 pounds while the fourth place AAA went to Wesley Nunes of Washington, Utah with 35.77 pounds and Chad Procaska of Blythe, Calif rounded out the top five with 35.35 pounds.
The top 10 in each division are posted below: for complete standings, visit https://wonbassevents.com/
|
WON Bass Lake Havasu Open 5/15 to 5/17/2024 |
||||||||
|
Place |
Pro Day 2 | Hometown |
Fish |
B/B |
Pnlty |
Day 1 |
Day 2 |
Total |
|
1 |
Joe Uribe, Jr. | Surprise AZ |
10-10 |
5.47 |
17.21 |
22.17 |
39.38 |
|
|
2 |
Kurt Dove | Del Rio TX |
10-10 |
7.31 |
18.49 |
20.79 |
39.28 |
|
|
3 |
Micah Jones | Kingman AZ |
10-10 |
6.63 |
20.86 |
18.37 |
39.23 |
|
|
4 |
Todd Kline | San Clemente CA |
10-10 |
18.38 |
17.52 |
35.90 |
||
|
5 |
Roy Hawk | Lake Havasu City AZ |
10-10 |
4.03 |
17.39 |
17.69 |
35.08 |
|
|
6 |
Zack Hayes | Blythe CA |
10-10 |
3.98 |
17.14 |
17.70 |
34.84 |
|
|
7 |
Shaun Bailey | Fontana CA |
10-10 |
5.25 |
16.79 |
17.40 |
34.19 |
|
|
8 |
Chris Raza | Orangvale CA |
10-10 |
7.68 |
18.59 |
15.58 |
34.17 |
|
|
9 |
Jeff Baird | Washington UT |
10-10 |
5.25 |
18.41 |
15.50 |
33.91 |
|
|
10 |
Jim Moulton | Merced CA |
10-10 |
5.61 |
15.15 |
18.65 |
33.80 |
|
|
Place |
AAA Angler Day 2 | Hometown |
Fish |
B/B |
Pnlty |
Day 1 |
Day 2 |
Total |
|
1 |
Mitch Southern | Yucaipa CA |
10-10 |
4.51 |
16.79 |
20.79 |
37.58 |
|
|
2 |
David Crunden | Lake Havasu City AZ |
10-9 |
0.50 |
15.20 |
22.17 |
37.37 |
|
|
3 |
Anthony Matthews | Parks AZ |
10-10 |
4.41 |
18.49 |
17.52 |
36.01 |
|
|
4 |
Wesley Nunley | Washington UT |
10-10 |
4.40 |
16.73 |
19.04 |
35.77 |
|
|
5 |
Chad Prochaska | Blythe CA |
10-10 |
17.11 |
18.24 |
35.35 |
||
|
6 |
James Fenney, III | Vista CA |
10-10 |
6.21 |
19.94 |
15.23 |
35.17 |
|
|
7 |
Ronnie Orbaker | Madera CA |
10-10 |
20.86 |
14.04 |
34.90 |
||
|
8 |
Mason Herrera | Star Valley AZ |
10-10 |
17.14 |
16.85 |
33.99 |
||
|
9 |
John Harris | San Diego CA |
10-10 |
18.59 |
15.37 |
33.96 |
||
|
10 |
Craig Klatt | Las Vegas NV |
10-10 |
17.91 |
15.97 |
33.88 |
||
The winner of the 2024 WON Bass Lake Havasu Open earns the Ranger Boats / Mercury Motor prize boat provided by Bass Pro Shops, and the Golden Tickets to the 2025 Bassmaster BASS Nation National Championship will be awarded to the top five Pro and AAA anglers and will further develop the season long competition to see who will receive guaranteed slots into the 2025 Bassmaster Opens Elite Qualifiers.
Each of the pros and AAA anglers who finish in the top five will also earn a Golden Ticket berth into the 2025 Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Championship for a chance to qualify for the Bassmaster Classic
The 2024 WON Bass Western Opens Series of events Consisting of five events in California, Arizona and Nevada moves next to the California Open at Clear Lake April 17 to 19, 2024. The series will culminate with the 2024 WON Bass U.S. Open at Lake Mohave in October. The full schedule of the five event dates are as follows:
Jan. 31–Feb. 2, Lake Shasta - Champion Nick Wood – 47.42 pounds
April 17-19, Clear Lake – Champion Austin Bonjour – 83.28 pounds
May 15-17, Lake Havasu
Sept. 18-20, Lake Mead
Oct. 14-16, U.S. Open at Lake Mohave
For complete details to register for future events, or to find results, look to wonbassevents.com and WONews.com to hear the latest news about the 2024 season and beyond and follow along at Facebook.com/
The 2024 WON Bass Lake Havasu Open is brought to you by Bass Pro Shops, Ranger Boats, Mercury Marine, Nitro Boats, Triton Boats, Bridgford Foods, Phenix Rods, Yamamoto Baits, Bill Lewis Lures, Buckeye Lures, Steel Shad, Bioenno Power, SOG Knives, Cold Steel Knives, Gamma Line, Power Pole, Lowrance, Daiwa, AFTCO, Costa, Berkley, Abu Garcia, DD26 Fishing, Anderson Toyota, A&M Graphics, Anglers Marine and Signature Gates.Local presenting sponsors are Go Lake Havasu, Anderson Toyota and Riviera Marina. Daily takeoffs and weigh-ins are being conducted at Riviera Marina.
Max Hernandez takes Day One Lead at WON Bass Arizona Open with 22.27 pounds.
LAKE HAVASU CITY, Ariz. – May 15, 2024 –– One thing about desert lakes… you never know what you’re gonna get.
With a Colorado River impoundment like Lake Havasu, there are plenty of opportunities to fish however you want. You can choose power or finesse techniques, and the chances are, you’ll have a chance to be competitive. If you prefer to fish for largemouth or smallmouth, you’ll still have a shot at placing in the money.
On day one of the 2024 Ranger Boats WON Bass Lake Havasu Open presented by Mercury, the 121-boat field filled with Pro and AAA anglers headed out onto the calm waters of Lake Havasu. The conditions seemed surreal, as the area was blanketed in an overcast sky that typically means sturdy desert winds, yet there was barely a breath of a breeze.
The conditions alternated throughout the day, yet one thing that did not was the plan that day one leader Max Hernandez of Queen Creek, Ariz. used to post 22.27 pounds and take the lead on day one of the event. He and his AAA partner for the day, Kadyn Jaramillo used the patterns Hernandez developed in practice to take the day one lead.
They were followed in second place by Kingman, Ariz pro Micah Jones and his AAA partner Ronnie Orbaker with 20.87 pounds. Third place for the day went to Desert Hills, Ariz. pro Ian Boehm and AAA Frank One with 20.09 pounds while fourth place was claimed by Wildomar, Calif. pro Rich Vincent and AAA James Feeney III with 19.94 pounds. Pro Conrad Demecs of Phoenix, Ariz and his AAA partner James Meeks rounded out the day one top five with 18.90 pounds.
Hernandez had limited practice due to his work schedule at Arizona’s Salt River Power Company and his HMR Marine Carpet Restoration Company, so he made the best use of the time. “I really had to focus because I only had Monday and Tuesday to practice,” he said. “I found my primary pattern on Monday and developed something I thought might help on my second day, that really helped.”
Hernandez fished two spots all day and was surprised he was able to get on his first area. “I was boat 93 today, and I ended up having the area all to myself – I had 14 pounds at 11:00,” he said. “My afternoon pattern really produced; we culled four of the fish we caught in the morning to get our 22 pounds.”
He is looking forward to the second day of the event. “I feel really good about what I’ve been doing,” he said. “I feel like it’s going to get better; it’s a mixture of two different things and I’ll keep rotating through them.”
Jones said that he struck early and was able to save something going into the second day. “I fished shallow, mostly in the river, but did go out on the lake to do some ‘Scoping (Livescoping),” he said. “I had most of my weight at around 11:00 today but kept looking around to try and expand things. I’m fishing for postspawn fish, and If I can locate them tomorrow, I feel really good about what I can do.”
Each of the pros and AAA anglers who finished in the top five have earned a Golden Ticket berth into the 2025 Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Championship for a chance to qualify for the Bassmaster Classic
The top 10 in each division are posted below: for complete standings, visit https://wonbassevents.com/
|
WON Bass Lake Havasu Open 5/15 to 5/17/2024 Day One Standings |
||||||
|
Place |
Pro Day 1 | Hometown |
Fish |
Day 1 |
B/B |
Total |
|
1 |
Max Hernandez | Queen Creek AZ |
5-5 |
22.27 |
3.61 |
25.88 |
|
2 |
Micah Jones | Kingman AZ |
5-5 |
20.86 |
6.63 |
27.49 |
|
3 |
Ian Boehm | Desrt Hills AZ |
5-5 |
20.09 |
5.90 |
25.99 |
|
4 |
Rich Vincent | Wildomar CA |
5-5 |
19.94 |
4.16 |
24.10 |
|
5 |
Conrad Demecs | Phoenix AZ |
5-5 |
18.90 |
18.9 |
|
|
6 |
Chris Raza | Orangvalle CA |
5-5 |
18.59 |
7.68 |
26.27 |
|
7 |
Kurt Dove | Del Rio TX |
5-5 |
18.49 |
18.49 |
|
|
8 |
Taj White | Glendale AZ |
5-5 |
18.49 |
6.22 |
69.86 |
|
9 |
Jeff Baird | Washington UT |
5-5 |
18.41 |
5.25 |
23.66 |
|
10 |
Todd Kline | San Clemente CA |
5-5 |
18.38 |
18.38 |
|
|
Place |
AAA Angler Day 1 | Hometown |
Fish |
Day 1 |
B/B |
Total |
|
1 |
Kadyn Jaramillo | Cottonwood CA |
5-5 |
22.27 |
5.37 |
27.64 |
|
2 |
Ronnie Orbaker | Madera CA |
5-5 |
20.86 |
20.86 |
|
|
3 |
Frank Ono | Hidden Valley Lake CA |
5-5 |
20.09 |
3.39 |
73.53 |
|
4 |
James Fenney, III | Vista CA |
5-5 |
19.94 |
6.21 |
26.15 |
|
5 |
Jeff Meeks | Blythe CA |
5-5 |
18.90 |
18.90 |
|
|
6 |
John Harris | San Diego CA |
5-5 |
18.59 |
18.59 |
|
|
7 |
Kevin Hoppe | Lake Havasu City AZ |
5-5 |
18.49 |
18.49 |
|
|
8 |
Adam Gragg | Acton CA |
5-5 |
18.41 |
18.41 |
|
|
9 |
Adam Gragg | Acton CA |
5-5 |
18.41 |
18.41 |
|
|
10 |
Michael Grisham | Glendale AZ |
5-5 |
18.38 |
18.38 |
|
The winner of the 2024 WON Bass Lake Havasu Open earns the Ranger Boats / Mercury Motor prize boat provided by Bass Pro Shops, and the Golden Tickets to the 2025 Bassmaster BASS Nation National Championship will be awarded to the top five Pro and AAA anglers and will further develop the season long competition to see who will receive guaranteed slots into the 2025 Bassmaster Opens Elite Qualifiers.
The 2024 WON Bass Western Opens Series of events Consisting of five events in California, Arizona and Nevada moves next to the California Open at Clear Lake April 17 to 19, 2024. The series will culminate with the 2024 WON Bass U.S. Open at Lake Mohave in October. The full schedule of the five event dates are as follows:
Jan. 31–Feb. 2, Lake Shasta - Champion Nick Wood – 47.42 pounds
April 17-19, Clear Lake – Champion Austin Bonjour – 83.28 pounds
May 15-17, Lake Havasu
Sept. 18-20, Lake Mead
Oct. 14-16, U.S. Open at Lake Mohave
For complete details to register for future events, or to find results, look to wonbassevents.com and WONews.com to hear the latest news about the 2024 season and beyond and follow along at Facebook.com/
The 2024 WON Bass Lake Havasu Open is brought to you by Bass Pro Shops, Ranger Boats, Mercury Marine, Nitro Boats, Triton Boats, Bridgford Foods, Phenix Rods, Yamamoto Baits, Bill Lewis Lures, Buckeye Lures, Steel Shad, Bioenno Power, SOG Knives, Cold Steel Knives, Gamma Line, Power Pole, Lowrance, Daiwa, AFTCO, Costa, Berkley, Abu Garcia, DD26 Fishing, Anderson Toyota, A&M Graphics, Anglers Marine and Signature Gates.
Local presenting sponsors are Go Lake Havasu, Anderson Toyota and Riviera Marina. Daily takeoffs and weigh-ins are being conducted at Riviera Marina.
Kyle Welcher Takes Day One NPFL Lead on a Tough Lake Hartwell
Making a key decision to change his approach first thing this morning, Alabama pro Kyle Welcher takes the day one NPFL lead at Lake Hartwell with 16 pounds, 11 ounces. His effort gives him a 7-ounce cushion over Will Harkins going into day two.
“I gambled a little bit this morning and decided I was going to change how I started the event,” he said. “I really thought it was going to be easier to catch some 2.5-pound fish but the sun made them not want to commit – they would go down on a bait but not come up.”
Welcher expects the cloud and storms forecasted for day two to help the bite and notes that the off day Wednesday moved a bunch of his spawning fish off the beds. “Most of those fish left,” he added. “I do have a few left on beds, but if I could have, I would have caught them today. The weather tomorrow in practice made the fish bite a lot better, so hopefully that is the case tomorrow.”
Will Harkins
A man on a mission, NPFL pro Will Harkins is continuing to get it done in 2024. Taking the win on Logan Martin in February, Harkins picked up where he left off and sits in the second-place spot on day one with a total weight of 16 pounds, 4 ounces.
Knowing throughout practice that Lake Hartwell was fishing tough, Harkins dedicated his practice to locating as many “transition type areas” as possible and ended up with over 120 areas he thought may play, and has several sneaky places he is confident he has to himself.
“Practice was all about running around and marking things I thought may be “different” from the normal,” he said. “I feel like most of the folks fishing offshore are targeting similar type things, and I am fishing more off the wall, if that makes sense.”
An expert with his electronics, Harkins is fishing how he is comfortable and rotating through as many waypoints as possible. While keeping an eye on where boats are focusing, he is mixing in community holes on Lake Hartwell and hoping to land in the right area at the right time.
“I don’t know if I burned my best places today or not, but I caught 30 to 40 bass,” he added. “I am starting my morning on some shad spawn areas, gambling a little bit, and then settling into my program. I am hoping the weather tomorrow helps.”
Buddy Gross
In the third-place spot, Georgia pro Buddy Gross caught 15 pounds, 14 ounces on day one on Lake Hartwell.
Jason Burroughs
With 15 pounds, 9 ounces, Jason Burroughs sits in the fourth-place spot on day one. Dealing with misfortune in the form of boat problems and lost fish, he is thrilled with a solid start to the tournament.
“It was not the best day, but not terrible,” he said. “I caught about what I was thinking I could catch with the weather conditions, but leaving take-off I broke my hot foot spring and ran wide open on Hartwell today.”
Once he got settled in, he got to work catching fish, but one lost fish cost him a much better bag. “I wasted the first part of the morning fishing the shad spawn and it did not work, besides a few small fish. It was a gamble but I was able to make it work later on fishing targeting transition area and ended up losing one good fish. With the weather tomorrow, they are going to bite.”
Matt Mollohan
South Carolina pro Matt Mollohan sits in the fifth-place spot on Lake Hartwell with a day-one weight of 14 pounds, 12 ounces. After a tough practice, he skipped out on the shallow herring bite and focused his efforts on the offshore fish to get his tournament off to a good start,
“In 2022, I screwed myself here and missed out on the deal. This go around, I came in expecting the herring to be going off and that just wasn't the case,” he said. “I made a change late in practice to fish deeper water and caught a bunch of bass. With the sun high today, I had to make yet another change. I went back to the bank and adjusted on the fly – it worked out.”
Mollohan is the highest-finishing Bass Cat Boats pro angler on day one.
Richard Kee
With 14 pounds, 7 ounces on day one, Tennessee pro-Richard Kee sits in the sixth-place spot on Lake Hartwell. After a slow start to the morning, he started to get into some fish and salved his day. “Will (Harkins) and I were not sure how the sun would affect things, but it worked out,” he said. “I found some fish mid-morning and was able to get a few in the boat, but I ran around a bit, burned 30 gallons of gas, and survived. We thought this may be a day to survive, and if we could, we felt like we could do okay. We will see how that plays out.”
Rest of the Best:
Chris Whisenant 14-0
Isaac Peavyhouse 14-0
Jacoby Adkins 13-14
Michael Stout 13-12
Wolfson Children’s Hospital 35th annual Bass Tournament returns to Palatka this week with three-day event
May 15, 2024 Wolfson Children’s Hospital 35th annual Bass Tournament returns to Palatka this week with three-day event
Competition benefits the C. Herman and Mary Virginia Terry Heart Institute at Wolfson Children’s.
What: The 35th annual Wolfson Children's Hospital Bass Tournament kicks off on Thursday with the Lads & Lasses Tournament, VIP & Friends Tournament on Friday and the main Tournament on Saturday. On-site registration for Lads & Lasses will open Thursday, May 16, at 4 am; On-site registration for VIP & Friends will open Friday, May 17, at 4 am; and on-site registration for the main Tournament will open Saturday, May 18, at 3 am.
Where: Palatka City Docks, 309 River Street, Palatka, Fla. 32177.
Tournament schedule:
- Thursday, May 16: Weigh-in begins at 3 pm. Lads & Lasses winners announced.
- Friday, May 17: Weigh-in begins at 3 pm. VIP & Friends winners announced.
- Saturday, May 18: Weigh-in begins at 3 pm.
Visuals and interview opportunities at Saturday, May 18, event:
- Anglers participating in and bystanders enjoying the bass fishing events.
- Tournament weigh-ins for participating anglers.
- Interviews with Wolfson Children’s Hospital President Allegra Jaros and Wolfson Children’s Bass Tournament Committee Co-Chairs Sam Dean and Brian Seay.
- Interviews with tournament winners, once announced.
Wolfson Children’s Hospital representative Katie Nussbaum will be on-site Saturday and can be reached at 770.519.0698.
The highlights:
- More than $48,000 in cash prizes will be awarded to competitors.
- For a suggested donation of $20, anyone may enter a drawing for a chance to win a 21’ 2024 Bullet Boat model 21XRS with a trailer, courtesy of Bullet Boats, valued at $97,000 (motor to be included). All proceeds from the drawing will help fund new technology for the C. Herman and Mary Virginia Terry Heart Institute at Wolfson Children’s Hospital. To enter the bass boat drawing, visit wolfsonbasstournament.com. Ticket sales close Friday, May 31, 2024, at 12 pm (this date and time are subject to change).
- This year’s bass boat drawing will be held on Saturday, June 1, 2024 (this date is subject to change).
- Now in its 35th year, the Wolfson Children's Bass Tournament is one of the largest and longest-running bass fishing tournaments in Florida.
- Since the first tournament in 1989, the event has raised more than $7 million for Wolfson Children’s and the patients treated there.
For more information about the Wolfson Children’s Hospital Bass tournament, enter the bass boat drawing or donate to the hospital’s mission, visit wolfsonbasstournament.com.
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Wolfson Children’s Hospital relies on the generosity of members of our community. To support Wolfson Children’s Hospital, please visit wolfsonchildrens.com/give.
About Wolfson Children’s Hospital of Jacksonville
Nonprofit Wolfson Children’s Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida, is a part of Baptist Health, Northeast Florida’s most comprehensive health system serving every stage of life. Wolfson Children’s is the only children’s hospital in Northeast Florida and serves as the pediatric referral center for North Florida, South Georgia and beyond. Staffed 24/7 by pediatric nurses and other healthcare professionals specially trained to work with children, the 281-bed, patient- and family-centered hospital features the latest pediatric medical technology in a welcoming, child-friendly environment. At Wolfson Children’s, nationally recognized pediatric specialists representing nearly every medical and surgical specialty work with pediatricians to provide care for children of all ages with congenital heart conditions, cancer, neurological disorders, diabetes and endocrinology disorders, orthopedic conditions, behavioral health conditions, traumatic injuries, and more. Wolfson Children’s collaborates with pediatric organizations, including Nemours Children’s Health, Jacksonville, the University of Florida College of Medicine—Jacksonville and Mayo Clinic Florida. A Magnet™-designated hospital since 2010, Wolfson Children’s Hospital has been named among the U.S. News & World Report 50 Best Children’s Hospitals year after year, and in 2021, was selected as one of only eight children’s hospitals in the country as a Leapfrog Top Children’s Hospital, a recognition of patient quality and safety. For additional information, please visit wolfsonchildrens.com.
Lake Hartwell Preview – A different Hartwell this go around
The NPFL returns to Lake Hartwell to kick off stop #2 of the 2024 NPFL Season. With the 2024 Championship event behind us, the NPFL returns to action this week at Green Pond Landing, on the famous Lake Hartwell. Hosted by Anderson County, Lake Hartwell produced for the NPFL field in April of 2022, where Drew Six took the victory by targeting deep spawning fish, and outlasted the shad spawn bites as the final scales closed.
Collin Smith
This year, a month later in the season with several natural factors at play, Lake Hartwell is looking a lot different. Colin Smith knows the lake as well as anyone in the field and says despite May and June being two of his favorite months to fish, it might be a tougher week than most expected due to major weather that swept through the area recently. “We have had it all recently – crazy weather, tornados and trees and power lines down,” he said on Saturday, before the official practice period.
“Our neighboring counties had it worse, but the fish will be biting and someone will catch them well. I love this time of year; there is so much happening and so many things that ‘should’ be playing out here. However, it has been tough.”
With everything said, Smith said some of the local events have seen some decent weights, but it's been tough to be consistent day over day. In the NPFL, those who come out on top will have strung together three good days. 3-pound bites could be tough to come by with added pressure on the lake in the weeks leading up to the event.
“I’d guess it's about 80% post-spawn, which means the fish are in thank ‘funk’ and nothing is for certain each day as things change,” he added. “This is an event where getting a big bite will make a huge difference. Under normal circumstances, it should be fishing better than it is, but the pressure on this lake has been unreal the last few weeks. Combined with the post-spawn deal, it could be hard to come by a 3-pound fish. It’s a marathon this week, not a sprint. You need to fish throughout practice, and the tournament, with an open mind because things are changing”
Brandon Perkins
In 2022, with the weights tight at the top, Brandon Perkins was right where he wanted to be on the final day. Weather and fishing pressure affected his bite and threw him a curve ball on the final day. His shallow “sight-fishing” pattern faded quickly. Now in 2024, Perkins is fresh off a victory at the inaugural NPFL Championship which changes the entire outlook of his season. Practice kicked off on Sunday and Perkins was bouncing around trying to figure out how he should focus his practice period.
“Water temperatures are a lot warmer and they are way further along in the spawning process,” he said. “There are some fish spawning, but for the most part, it seems like, as of now, most of the fish are not shallow.”
With the weather on Sunday, Perkins was hoping to get a good look around in shallow water to determine if he should continue focusing a portion of his practice on the bank, where he had success in 2022. With lots of anglers offshore fishing for pressured fish, he hopes to avoid fishing in a crowd as much as possible and hopes to find less pressured bass.
“The places from 2022 are dirtier and different, and the majority of the fish I have seen and caught have been offshore,” he noted. “The problem is, those fish are super hard to catch, there are boats all over them, and the few I have caught have been smaller sized. Looking forward to tomorrow and Tuesday, I feel like I know where and what I need to do, where the fish are at, but it’s going to come down to figuring out how to catch a few of the bigger fish – and fishing less pressured areas.”
Jesse Wise
Making a top ten on Hartwell in 2022, Jesse Wise has been super consistent throughout his time on the NPFL with top-five Progressive Angler of the Year finishes. Wise has had an up-and-down practice, through the midpoint of Tuesday and like Collin Smith, knows a big bite or two will make or break the event.
“These fish are super educated but the one thing we have is the low light bite – you can get a few fish to commit,” he said. “I have been able to do that during practice, but the next day I only caught a few keepers, so being consistent is tough.”
Wise noted lots of boats are fishing “the same types of things” and the fish show interest but are very hard to get to bite. Like the others, he feels like local pressure and fishing being in “the funk” are responsible, but like always, someone will catch them.
“These fish are tired and not wanting to eat,” he added. “I like these tougher events, but it’s stressful. If you don’t land a few big fish, you are not getting paid out here this week. I was thinking more before, but now 12 pounds per day should cash a check, and maybe 47 pounds total to win.”
How to Watch
Tune in daily from May 16 through 18 to watch daily action from Lake Hartwell with Live Coverage here and on the FREE PHYX TV App beginning on Thursday. Follow along and watch the daily LIVE Leaderboard, LIVE Blog, and on-the-water photo galleries and blogs of the anglers on Lake Hartwell.
Under the Go Live Tab, choose LIVE Broadcast or check out the real-time leaderboard on the Weigh Live Tracker with estimated weights entered by the anglers on the water and join us for the LIVE Weigh-ins, here!
And be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, & Twitter.
NPFL Stop #2 on Lake Hartwell is hosted by Anderson County. For more event Information, click here.
WIX Filters Signs on as Official Sponsor of Major League Fishing
Leading manufacturer and distributor of innovative filtration products named presenting sponsor of MLF Bass Pro Tour Stage Five
BENTON, Ky. (May 14, 2024) – Major League Fishing (MLF), the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, announced today that WIX Filters, a global manufacturer and distributor of quality filters designed to exceed performance demands, has signed on as an Official Sponsor of Major League Fishing and been named the Presenting Sponsor of MLF Bass Pro Tour U.S. Air Force Stage Five at the Chowan River Presented by WIX Filters.
Founded in 1939 in an old cotton mill in Gastonia, North Carolina, WIX Filters now has 11 facilities in eight different countries and manufactures more than 210 million filters annually. An industry leader in filtration product line breadth, WIX revolutionized the filtration industry, turning the filter market upside down and quickly becoming the industry standard with the invention and patent of a spin-on oil filter design.
“WIX Filters has a long history of supporting fishing enthusiasts through our extensive lines of filtration products for boats, personal watercraft, off-road vehicles and the trucks that pull them,” said Tina Davis, Senior Marketing Manager for WIX Filters. “Major League Fishing provides an ideal platform for WIX Filters to reach an audience of fiercely self-reliant do-it-yourselfers who value the craftsmanship, quality and performance that we deliver.”
The agreement provides significant brand exposure on the MLFNOW! livestream and across all MLF platforms, including the Bass Pro Tour, Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats, Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine, Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI and MLF High School Fishing Presented by Tackle Warehouse circuits.
For 85 years, WIX Filters has been committed to continued product innovations and development to support its customers. From lawnmowers to locomotives, WIX has the right filter for everyone.
“We are thrilled to welcome WIX Filters into the growing list of Major League Fishing sponsors,” said Chris Bork, MLF Vice President of Sponsorship. “WIX provides the coverage, quality and service anglers need, and its dedication to innovation and performance partners perfectly with the mission and goals of MLF.”
For more information on WIX Filters and its premium quality filters designed to exceed performance demands, visit www.wixfilters.com. For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing, its tournaments and sponsors, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.
About WIX Filters
Since 1939, WIX® Filters has been an innovator in filtration products. WIX designs, manufactures and distributes products for automotive, diesel, agricultural, industrial and specialty filter markets. Its product line includes oil, air, cabin interior, fuel, coolant, transmission and hydraulic filters for automobiles, trucks, off-road equipment and manufacturing applications. Follow WIX Filters on Facebook at facebook.com/wixfilters, Instagram at @wixfilters or YouTube at youtube.com/TheWixFilters.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Seven Non-Fishing Things to Love About Bear Trail Lodge
By Pete Robbins - Half Past First Cast
We probably wouldn’t vacation as often in Alaska if the state didn’t have such incredible fishing. Don’t get me wrong – there are lots of non-angling sights and activities to explore, enough to keep us coming back several times, but it’s the world class populations of trout, salmon and saltwater species like halibut that make the Last Frontier such a compelling repeat destination.
Bear Trail Lodge, in Bristol Bay, has now hosted me three times, and led me to numerous amazing catches, from king salmon to sockeye to silvers to rainbow trout to Dolly Vardens to grayling. In addition to the constantly-changing Naknek River out their back door, they have over 20 different flyout locations available, so I’ve only tasted a fraction of their angling greatness. I want to head back early in the king salmon season, and then again in the fall for the truly jumbo rainbows – but I know that no matter when I return, or for how long, the product will be consistently excellent. Here are seven things that have next to nothing to do with fishing that mean it should be on your list, too.
It's a Family Affair – The lodge is run by Nanci Morris Lyon and her husband Heath Lyon, and her 24 year-old daughter Rylie Booth is now a partner, along with her husband Wade. All of them are warm and inviting (along with being superior anglers and guides) and they immediately make you feel like a part of the family. Unlike some places we’ve been where there’s a very “corporate” or detached feeling, once you’re on the grounds everything is hands-on. It creates an inviting atmosphere where all of the guests and staff intermingle seamlessly.
Window on the World – The main lodge features a huge window overlooking the Naknek, mostly clear with some stained glass accents, that provides a window into the outdoors while you enjoy a libation, appetizers and conversation. Not only can you gauge what the conditions are going to be like that day, but on two of my three trips to the lodge I’ve observed bears while sitting there. You get the respite of being indoors and catered to while still enjoying the sights of Bristol Bay.
Dinner Companions – The guides and staff eat with the guests every night. It’s something that I’ve only seen happen regularly at one other lodge (in Zimbabwe) and again it makes the whole operation feel more intimate. I want to know not only about the fishing we’ll enjoy, but also about where they come from, how they ended up in Bristol Bay, and what they plan to do with the rest of their lives. We’ve become lifelong friends with some of the guides not only as the result of time in the boat or on the stream, but through these meals.
Kicking Plastic – Each guest is issued a BTL water bottle upon arrival, and there are two refill stations with filtered water throughout the lodge. Not only does this encourage you to stay hydrated, and to take a full water bottle on all of your flyouts, but it also substantially reduces plastic waste. As with Casa Vieja Lodge, we like when outfitters show respect for the environment that provides their way of life.
Drink of the Day – In addition to free-flowing wine and beer, each day during Happy Hour there’s a bartender (usually Nanci herself) mixing up a “Drink of the Day,” something special to get the fish stories flowing. On our most recent trip, I recall Moscow Mules and the Fintip (aka, margarita) and may have had a few too many of the others to remember, but I can assure you they were good.
“Open Fridge” Policy – No one should every go hungry at Bear Trail Lodge. There’s a ridiculous breakfast buffet, the lunchtime sandwiches are too big for many of us to get our mouths around, and the pre-dinner appetizers really preclude the need for the subsequent three-course meal (although we consistently indulge anyway). Nevertheless, there is an open door policy on the refrigerator, so if you crave milk and cookies at midnight, or a pre-breakfast cinnamon bun, all you need to do is sneak into the kitchen and grab what you want.
Strong Swag Game – Most fishing lodges recognize that shirts and hats repping their brand fill a customer need, produce additional revenue, and serve as a source of advertising. Nevertheless, not all of them invest in quality or extensive lineups of gear. Bear Trail Lodge is a standout in this respect – with a wide variety of colors, styles and sizes from premium brands like Simms and Patagonia. Take what you want, tell them what you took, and they’ll add it to your bill at the end. Hanna and our friend Lisa spent a portion of every happy hour “shopping” in the hallway and they came home with some killer gear.
I cannot stress enough that everyone needs to go to Alaska at some point in their lifetime, and for many of you Bear Trail Lodge is the turnkey way to get a taste of the state’s best fishing. If you’d like to book a trip, or learn more about the experience, email us and let’s get the ball rolling.
Walters scores wire-to-wire victory in Bassmaster Elite Series event at Lake Murray
May 13, 2024
Walters scores wire-to-wire victory in Bassmaster Elite Series event at Lake Murray
PROSPERITY, S.C. — Despite the gloomy weather, Monday brought bright prospects for Patrick Walters, who leveraged the opportunity to inflict a straight-up South Carolina smackdown en route to notching a wire-to-wire victory in the Minn Kota Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray.
“What an amazing week; I don’t even know where to start,” said Walters, who notched his fifth major victory with B.A.S.S. “Today, I would have been happy with 17 pounds. Every single spot we went to today, we caught ’em.”
Following Thursday’s storms, which postponed the event’s scheduled start to Friday, a mostly cloudy Day 1 saw Walters catch 25 pounds, 8 ounces and establish a lead of 3-3. Adding a second-round limit of 19-13 kept Walters on top and expanded his margin to 4-15. With 21-14 on Day 3, Walters carried a margin of 8-4 into the final round.
Saving the best for last, he rocked Championship Monday with 26-12 — the Rapala CrushCity Monster Bag of the Tournament worth a $2,000 bonus — and tallied an incredible four-day total of 93-15. Besting Missouri pro Cody Huff by 12-11, Walters won his third blue trophy and the $102,000 top prize. He also has two career wins in the St. Croix Bassmaster Opens presented by SEVIIN.
“I did not think I was going to catch 25 or 26 pounds this week,” Walters said. “To do that on the final day — that’s how you do it. That’s how you get it done.”
Notably, Walters, who also won Elite titles at Lake Fork (2020) and the St. Lawrence River (2023) set the Bassmaster Elite record for the largest winning margin of 29-10 during his Lake Fork win. This was the third Elite event in a row won by a double-digit margin and the sixth in Elite Series history.
Walters, who weighed the biggest bag on Days 1, 3 and 4, said the final round’s complexion — overcast, sporadic light rain — kept the bite rolling all day. The first day saw similar conditions, while days 2 and 3 were clear and bright.
Like many of his competitors, Walters focused on bass that were targeting blueback herring near the surface. This time of year, herring spawn in the early morning hours and disperse once the rising sun intensifies. Dimmer skies prolong the surface bite.
“The clouds definitely helped,” Walters said. “I thought they absolutely chewed today. I probably caught four 20-pound bags today. I caught a bunch of 3-pounders.
“You kinda felt like you’re doing something wrong because you’re catching so many fish. It was one of those days.”
All week, Walters targeted the surface feeders with a Zoom Super Fluke on a 1/0 VMC Neko hook, a Rapala Precision XTreme Jowler 127 and a Clutch Darter glidebait. After the topside action subsided, he’d go deep with a Zoom Brush Hog Carolina-rigged on a 4/0 VMC EWG hook.
“I would throw the Carolina rig when the fish weren’t schooling, when they were just not active at all,” Walters said. “You could see them moving around, that’s when I would slow down and drag the ball and chain. That was when I was waiting on them to school.
“The Carolina rig didn’t produce any today, but it produced a big one the first three days,” Walters said. “Day 2, I caught my biggest one on it and Day 3, I caught one of my bigger ones on it.”
Walters opened Monday on a point not far from takeoff. After sacking up 20 pounds by about 8:30 a.m., he relocated to another point near the Dreher Shoals Dam, where he added several big culls.
“I was like, ‘I’ve got the tournament won, unless something crazy happens and someone catches 29 pounds,’” Walters said. “I was like, ‘I have 20 pounds, let’s go have fun and close the door.’
“I went down there and closed the door. I caught a 6-7 and two 5s. It was unbelievable.”
Hailing from Ava, Mo., Huff also turned in his best effort in the final round. That limit of 25-3, added to this previous weights of 22-1, 13-13 and 20-3 totaled 81-4.
“It went from the lowest lows to the highest highs,” Huff said of his day’s unfolding. “First thing this morning, I had them blowing my baits out of the water and missing them. But boy, did my day turn around.”
Huff anchored his big final-round effort with a 7-6. He caught his fish on wakebaits, a flat-side crankbait and a jighead minnow rig.
Rookie JT Thompkins of Myrtle Beach, S.C., finished third with 77-13. His daily weights were 21-1, 19-5, 18-9 and 18-14.
Thompkins also targeted the herring eaters and caught his fish on topwaters, Yamamoto D-Shads and Yamamoto Senkos rigged with tail spinners. Essential to his success was that ability to make long, precise casts to breaking fish.
“With herring fish, you have a lot of schoolers and a lot of pressure and you need a good quality rod and reel to make a long cast,” Thompkins said. “I was using a 7-7 FX Extreme Custom Rods medium-heavy with a SEVIIN reel. That rod has a good parabolic bend and I was able to easily hook up with a high percentage of these fish.”
Huff won the $1,000 award for the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the day with a 7-6. That fish also earned Huff the $2,000 Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the tournament award.
Huff took home an additional $3,000 for being the highest-placing entrant in the Toyota Bonus Bucks program, while sixth-place finisher Trey McKinney of Carbondale, Ill., earned $2,000 for being the second-highest placing entrant.
As part of the Yamaha Power Pay program, Walters earned an additional $4,000 while McKinney claimed an additional $1,500 for being the second-highest placing entrant.
McKinney leads the Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings with 478 points. Jordan Lee of Cullman, Ala., is in second with 448, followed by Chris Johnston of Otonabee, Canada, with 423, Cory Johnston of Cavan, Canada, with 415, and Huff with 413.
McKinney also leads the Dakota Lithium Bassmaster Rookie of the Year standings, followed by Thompkins with 378 points, Kyle Patrick of Cooperstown, N.Y., with 365, Alabama pro Wesley Gore with 363 and Tennessee pro John Garrett with 360.
The event was hosted by Capital City Lake Murray Country.
2024 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2024 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Progressive Insurance, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2024 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew's, Lowrance, Marathon, Triton Boats, VMC
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, 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 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
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Connect with #Bassmaster on Facebook, Instagram, Twitte
Media Contact: Chad Gay, Communications Manager, 865-201-6458, cgay@bassmaster.
Farmersburg’s Wilkinson Gets Win No. 10 at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Ohio River
New Castle’s Senter Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division
CANNELTON, Ind. (May 13, 2024) – Boater Chris Wilkinson of Farmersburg, Indiana, caught a five-bass limit weighing 11 pounds, 10 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on the Ohio River at Rocky Point. The tournament was the second event of the season for the BFL Hoosier Division. Wilkinson earned $4,437 for his victory.
Wilkinson is no stranger to the Ohio River. The MLF veteran has now won 10 BFL tournaments, with eight of them coming on stretches of the river. So he knew how to handle the muddy water that followed storms and heavy rains during the week.
“I was just trying to find a little bit cleaner water,” he said. “That’s kind of what I was searching for. I was able to find a couple spots. They’re basically creeks. I fished creeks the whole time and didn’t fish the main river at all.”
Wilkinson fished wood the entire day and started out flipping a Hog Snatcher Baits creature bait. He caught a few keepers that way early on.
“It seemed like when the sun came up in practice I was catching most of my fish on spinnerbaits and buzzbaits,” he said. “So when the sun got up (in the tournament), I switched to the spinnerbait and buzzbait. That’s how I caught most of the fish in the afternoon.”
The buzzbait produced two key bites. The rest came on a spinnerbait from Hook Some Bass Bait Company. Overall, Wilkinson landed about 15 keeper bass on the day to earn his win.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Chris Wilkinson, Farmersburg, Ind., five bass, 11-10, $4,437
2nd: Ryan Deal, Evansville, Ind., five bass, 11-5, $1,958
3rd: James Whitaker, Cincinnati, Ohio, five bass, 9-4, $1,307
4th: Jeramiah Sifers, Sellersburg, Ind., five bass, 8-10, $914
5th: Mark Dove, North Vernon, Ind., five bass, 7-3, $750
5th: Kevin Meunier, Lamar, Ind., five bass, 7-3, $750
7th: Nick Uebelhor, Jasper, Ind., five bass, 6-10, $1,120 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
7th: John Melton, Corydon, Ind., five bass, 6-10, $620
9th: Blake Knies, Jasper, Ind., five bass, 6-2, $522
10th: William Briere, Mooresville, Ind., four bass, 5-9, $457
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Wilkinson caught a bass that weighed 3 pounds, 2 ounces, and also earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $520.
Brian Senter of New Castle, Indiana, won the Strike King co-angler division and $2,071 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 8 pounds, 12 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: Brian Senter, New Castle, Ind., five bass, 8-12, $2,071
2nd: Tony Burke, Bloomington, Ind., five bass, 6-12, $960
3rd: Jarrod Pickel, Indianapolis, Ind., five bass, 6-4, $641
4th: Rod Yoder, West Lafayette, Ind., three bass, 6-3, $448
5th: Steven Atwood, Lexington, Ind., two bass, 5-13, $739
6th: Darrell Duke, Hawesville, Ky., three bass, 5-9, $352
7th: Bo Bivins, Evansville, Ind., five bass, 5-8, $320
8th: Scott Roberts, Jeffersonville, Ind., four bass, 5-7, $288
9th: Paul Eckert, Jasper, Ind., four bass, 5-4, $256
10th: John Thomas, Quincy, Ind., four bass, 5-1, $224
Steven Atwood of Lexington, Indiana, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $255, catching a bass that weighed in at 4 pounds, 9 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After two events, James Whitaker of Cincinnati, Ohio, leads the Fishing Clash Hoosier Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 497 points, while Paul Eckert of Jasper, Indiana, leads the Fishing Clash Hoosier Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 490 points.
The next event for BFL Hoosier Division anglers will be held June 15, at Ohio River-Tanners Creek in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 10-12 BFL Regional tournament on Mississippi River Pools 13-17 in Quad Cities, Illinois. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard.
The 2024 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL 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.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Louisiana’s Fleming Throws Spinnerbait to Post Second Career Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Lake Sardis
Samuel Jones of Fuquay Varina, North Carolina, Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division
SARDIS, Miss. (May 13, 2024) – Boater Dakota Fleming of Oak Grove, Louisiana, caught a five-bass limit weighing 14 pounds Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Sardis. The tournament was the third event of the season for the BFL Mississippi Division. Fleming earned $2,694 for his victory.
For Fleming, winning at Sardis was all about adapting to changing water levels and fishing pressure.
“A week ago, I thought I had something dialed in,” he said. “As the water’s been rising, it’s been coming up on grass. Not marine vegetation, but just grass that grew on these flats while the lake was low. And the fish were keying on that.”
Fleming found three key grass areas, but he wasn’t sure they would hold out with conditions changing. Plus, he was boat No. 30. Knowing that a lot of anglers were dialed into the flooded grass, Fleming was pretty sure he’d have to get in line to fish those spots if he hit them first thing in the morning. So, he made a change at takeoff.
“I was so unsure about even catching a limit,” Fleming said. “He (the tournament director) called my number, and I dropped the trolling motor and started fishing an island by where we were taking off. I caught one about three casts into the day. They were still calling boat numbers.”
Fleming landed another keeper on the island then spent the rest of the day fishing flooded grass with a white and chartreuse spinnerbait and fishing points where he had had some luck with a crankbait in practice. He kept the rotation up all day, even though the crankbait bite never materialized.
“It was all spinnerbait,” he said. “I never could get anything going flipping. The cranking bite was no good. I heard there were people that caught them on frogs, but I never found anything great with topwater except gar.
“It’s a pain to fish it (the spinnerbait) in the grass and try to keep it clean, but to me it was getting bit better than the ChatterBait. So I was willing to keep cleaning it off just to get a couple extra bites.”
Fleming boxed a limit by about 10:30. Then he caught one more keeper and made a crucial cull at about 1 p.m., replacing a 1-pounder with a 4-pounder. That fish was the difference-maker in his win.
“I already had one in the box that was 4 1/2 and then had that 4. It went a long way in that type of tournament where it’s just that tough.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Dakota Fleming, Oak Grove, La., five bass, 14-0, $2,694
2nd: Hayze Hutzel, Flowood, Miss., five bass, 12-1, $1,122
2nd: Daniel Walker, Collierville, Tenn., five bass, 12-1, $1,122
4th: John Anderson, Bay Springs, Miss., five bass, 12-0, $1,429 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
5th: Logan Main, Lumberton, Miss., five bass, 10-10, $539
6th: Jeff Johnston, Marion, Ark., five bass, 10-6, $494
7th: Chris Jones, Senatobia, Miss., four bass, 9-8, $449
8th: Steve Hatch, Long Beach, Miss., four bass, 9-4, $381
8th: Michael Swider, Oxford, Miss., four bass, 9-4, $381
10th: Michael Aycock, Petal, Miss., four bass, 8-12, $314
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Bill Brock of Amory, Mississippi, caught a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 15 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $290.
Samuel Jones of Fuquay Varina, North Carolina, won the Strike King co-angler division and $1,347 Saturday, after bringing four bass to the scale that totaled 8 pounds, 1 ounce.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: Samuel Jones, Fuquay Varina, N.C., four bass, 8-1, $1,347
2nd: Joseph Breeden, Brandon, Miss., four bass, 7-14, $674
3rd: Randy Maples, Amory, Miss., three bass, 7-5, $594
4th: Jeff Ingle, Como, Miss., four bass, 7-4, $314
5th: Michael Marlin, Nesbit, Miss., two bass, 6-7, $269
6th: Toby Finch, Olive Branch, Miss., two bass, 5-12, $247
7th: Marian Hall, Hattiesburg, Miss., three bass, 5-3, $225
8th: Shane Long, Pontotoc, Miss., two bass, 4-12, $191
8th: Brandon Mast, Mathiston, Miss., three bass, 4-12, $191
10th: Mike Gebhart, Baton Rouge, La., three bass, 4-9, $157
Randy Maples of Amory, Mississippi, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $145, catching a bass that weighed in at 4 pounds, 6 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After three events, Dakota Fleming of Oak Grove, Louisiana, leads the Fishing Clash Mississippi Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 733 points, while Randy Maples of Amory, Mississippi, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 733 points.
The next event for BFL Mississippi Division anglers will be held July 20, at Lake Ferguson in Greenville, Mississippi. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 17-19 BFL Regional tournament on Wright Patman Lake in Texarkana, Texas. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard.
The 2024 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL 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.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Wartburg’s Dagley Earns First Career Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Douglas Lake
Kentucky’s Shrader Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division
DANDRIDGE, Tenn. (May 13, 2024) – Boater Jonathan Dagley of Wartburg, Tennessee, caught a five-bass limit weighing 12 pounds, 9 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Douglas Lake. Hosted by the Jefferson County Dept. of Tourism, the tournament was the third event of the season for the BFL Volunteer Division. Dagley earned $4,037 for his victory.
For Dagley, high water was a big factor in the win, but it took a clue from his co-angler, Darren Kelly, and an audible midway through the morning to unlock the go-to pattern.
“I got on a really good crankbait bite on Thursday, and I tried to force-feed it for an hour and a half today (Saturday),” Dagley said. “Nothing happened. I pulled up in this shallow pocket, and my co-angler caught a fish on a ChatterBait. Then I picked up a spinnerbait and threw it for a little while. He caught another fish on a ChatterBait. Then I dropped everything and started running shallow brush in the first third of cuts.”
Dagley put down the crankbait, picked up the ChatterBait and spent the rest of the day slow-rolling it around flooded brush and yards. He burned through water in an area about 6 miles from takeoff, never fishing the same cut twice. In addition to Dagley earning the win, Kelly finished fourth among co-anglers, and they caught about 35 keepers between them.
All of Dagley’s bass came on a 1/2-ounce Z-Man Evergreen ChatterBait Jack Hammer fished on a 7-foot, 3-inch rod from Dixie Custom Rods. Dagley’s limit included one nice smallmouth. The rest were largemouth bass, and all were postspawn.
“We had the trolling motor on 9 for almost nine straight hours – eight and a half hours, basically,” Dagley said. “We fished behind a lot of boaters that were flipping. Everybody was flipping, and we just kept that ChatterBait in our hand. I wanted to throw a spinnerbait, but they would not eat it like they would the ChatterBait.
“It was the funnest way to catch them,” he added. “That’s the way I love fishing. I was really disappointed in the crankbait, but the ChatterBait made my day.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Jonathan Dagley, Wartburg, Tenn., five bass, 12-9, $4,037
2nd: Derrick Snavely, Piney Flats, Tenn., five bass, 11-12, $2,019
3rd: Donavan Carson, Bluff City, Tenn., five bass, 11-5, $1,143
3rd: Hayden Gaddis, Dandridge, Tenn., five bass, 11-5, $1,143
5th: Steven Redmond, Sevierville, N.C., five bass, 11-4, $807
6th: Chip Chambers, Elizabethton, Tenn., five bass, 11-3, $706
6th: Tyler Altizer, Abingdon, Va., five bass, 11-3, $706
8th: Timothy Wacker, Clinton, Tenn., five bass, 11-1, $606
9th: Tim Saylor, Johnson City, Tenn., five bass, 10-15, $504
9th: Ronnie Getz, Strunk, Ky., five bass, 10-15, $504
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Jordan Mullins of Pikeville, Kentucky, caught a bass that weighed 4 pounds, 3 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $545.
Luke Shrader of Monticello, Kentucky, won the Strike King co-angler division and $2,285 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 12 pounds, 5 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: Luke Shrader, Monticello, Ky., five bass, 12-5, $2,285
2nd: Josh Massengale, Oliver Springs, Tenn., five bass, 11-6, $1,000
3rd: Cody Krabbe, Palisade, Colo., five bass, 10-2, $666
4th: Darren Kelly, Wartburg, Tenn., five bass, 9-7, $567
5th: Keith Gunsauls, Dandridge, Tenn., five bass, 9-0, $400
6th: Billy Farck, Harriman, Tenn., five bass, 8-11, $367
7th: Tim Martin, Jonesborough, Tenn., five bass, 8-10, $333
8th: Cody Stokes, Ooltewah, Tenn., five bass, 8-9, $300
9th: T.J. Blakely, Kingsport, Tenn., five bass, 8-7, $267
10th: Bud McKelvey, Knoxville, Tenn., four bass, 8-3, $233
Shrader tied Tyler Andrew of Maryville, Tennessee, for the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award, with each of them catching a bass that weighed in at 4 pounds, 12 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day. They each earned $135 for their share of the award.
After three events, Hunter McClaskey of Elizabethton, Tennessee, leads the Fishing Clash Volunteer Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 715 points, while Keith Gunsauls of Dandridge, Tennessee, leads the Fishing Clash Volunteer Division Co-angler of the Year race with 730 points.
The next event for BFL Volunteer Division anglers will be held June 8, at Watts Bar Lake in Spring City, Tennessee. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 17-19 BFL Regional tournament on Clarks Hill Lake in Appling, Georgia. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard.
The 2024 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL 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.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Delaware Boater Mike Morris Wins at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at the Potomac River
North Carolina’s Barr Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division
MARBURY, Md. (May 13, 2024) – Boater Mike Morris of Dover, Delaware, caught a five-bass limit weighing 16 pounds, 7 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on the Potomac River. Hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners, the tournament was the second event of the season for the BFL Shenandoah Division. Morris earned $5,475 for his victory.
While preparing for the Potomac River tournament, Morris practiced in all the major creeks, fishing “all the way from the bottom to the top” of the system. He figured out that he could get bit fishing a variety of cover and structure, with grass, laydowns and riprap being his best targets.
“I caught a few on laydowns; not that many,” Morris said. “My bigger fish actually came on some riprap throwing a Big Mouth Lures spinnerbait in a blue herring color.”
Once he left the riprap, Morris ran to a few areas with pea gravel banks.
“There was some grass sitting in about 3 feet of water off those pea gravel banks, and I figured out that I could catch those fish throwing a spinnerbait and a shaky head,” he said. “It was a 1/8-ounce shaky head with a watermelon candy Zoom Finesse Worm, and I was dipping the tail with chartreuse dye. I was also throwing a drop-shot in that grass as well. The majority of those fish were postspawners.”
Morris worked the grass by sitting on the outside edge and throwing up to the pea gravel. Then he’d work his lure out to the inside grass edge.
Altogether, Morris had plenty of areas to cycle through. The biggest key in determining which ones to fish was the wind.
“I had to run them in accordance with the way the wind was blowing,” he said. “If the wind was blowing on my spots, I couldn’t get bit.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Mike Morris, Dover, Del., five bass, 16-7, $5,475
2nd: Robert Hoyt Jr., Union Hall, Va., five bass, 16-6, $2,737
3rd: Derek Brown, Charlottesville, Va., five bass, 16-4, $1,827
4th: Mark Tornai, Fredericksburg, Va., five bass, 16-3, $2,147
5th: Peter Davis, North Dinwiddie, Va., five bass, 16-1, $1,049
5th: Joseph Thompson, Coatesville, Pa., five bass, 16-1, $1,549 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
7th: Fred Aldridge, Brandy Station, Va., five bass, 15-15, $912
8th: Lee Cox, Frederick, Md., five bass, 15-12, $821
9th: Brian Laclair, Denton, Md., five bass, 15-3, $730
10th: Gary Marean, Manassas, Va., five bass, 15-1, $639
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Mark Tornai of Fredericksburg, Virginia, caught a bass that weighed 6 pounds, 13 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $870.
Stephen Barr of Wilmington, North Carolina, won the Strike King co-angler division and $2,737 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 16 pounds, 13 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: Stephen Barr, Wilmington, N.C., five bass, 16-13, $2,737
2nd: Brian Bruce, Bumpass, Va., five bass, 16-1, $1,904
3rd: Rumnea (Rum) Kelly, Boyds, Md., five bass, 15-2, $913
4th: Andre Wynn, Windsor Mill, Md., five bass, 15-0, $639
5th: Kevin Farley, Cana, Va., five bass, 14-15, $547
6th: James (Boo) Burtner, Penn Laird, Va., five bass, 14-11, $502
7th: Jeff McBeth, New Philadelphia, Ohio, five bass, 14-10, $456
8th: Shaquille Freeman, Farmville, Va., five bass, 14-8, $411
9th: David Williams, Fredericksburg, Va., five bass, 13-13, $515
10th: Troy Bowings, Essex, Md., five bass, 13-4, $319
Brian Bruce of Bumpass, Virginia, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $435, catching a bass that weighed in at 4 pounds, 11 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After two events, Chris Brummett of Lynch Station, Virginia, leads the Fishing Clash Shenandoah Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 489 points, while James (Boo) Burtner of Penn Laird, Virginia, leads the Fishing Clash Shenandoah Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 494 points.
The next event for BFL Shenandoah Division anglers will be held June 22, at Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 3-5 BFL Regional tournament on Kerr Lake in Henderson, North Carolina. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard.
The 2024 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL 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.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Lawrence Holds on to Win Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 4 at Lake Eufaula
Buchanan, Tennessee pro outlasts 149 pros to win by 11-ounce margin and take home the top prize of $115,000
EUFAULA, Ala. (May 12, 2024) – Heading into the season, the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals field was stacked with fascinating rookie talent, and some would say that pro Jake Lawrence of Buchanan, Tennessee, led the pack. After a 2023 season at the lower levels that featured constant success, he entered national competition with two Toyota Series wins under his belt, plus a bunch of other tournament-fishing successes.
This week at Stop 4 Presented by E3 Sport Apparel at Lake Eufaula, Lawrence got it done at the Invitationals level (the third level he’s won at with MLF), which earned him a hefty payday, put him in the lead of the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year race and qualified him for REDCREST 2025.
After topping 20 pounds each of the first two days, Lawrence entered the final day with a moderate lead, and he needed about all of it to win. Weighing in 16 pounds, 4 ounces on Day 3, he totaled 59-10 for the win and the $115,000 top prize. In second, Paul Marks, Jr., of Cumming, Georgia, totaled 58-11, and pro Colby Miller of Elmer, Louisiana, rocketed up to third with 20-11 on Day 3, which gave him a 57-2 total.
One of the original ledge lakes, the best of the Tennessee River have a solid history on Eufaula. At the right time of year, the fish set up offshore a lot like they do on Kentucky Lake, Pickwick Lake or any of the other famous reservoirs on the chain. This week, to beat out a Top 10 filled with some of the best young talent and best locals that could be found anywhere, Lawrence was able to lean on his roots.
“I’ve spent very little time on Eufaula, but I have about 20 years’ worth of offshore fishing experience and knowledge to fall back on,” Lawrence said. “It’s something I take for granted, but to have that foundation of knowledge of offshore fishing, I’m comfortable out there; I love doing that. If I can make that happen, you bet that’s where I’m going to be.”
Lawrence got into the game early on Kentucky Lake, having grown up in the area and fished collegiately at Bethel University. Kentucky is where he got his first big win – a Toyota Series triumph in 2018, when he ran from Barkley south of Paris and blew the field away with three days of masterful fishing. This week, Lawrence put in his time behind the wheel to find the fish in practice, and then put it together on derby day.
“I really wasn’t exactly sure what I had,” he said. “A lot of us, including myself, spent a tremendous amount of time idling this week in practice, made very, very few casts, and so we weren’t really sure what we were on, or how well they would bite.”
Fishing schools in creeks and on the main river, Lawrence ended up relying on a handful of baits, one of which he thinks set him apart. Like many in the Top 10, he threw a few minnows on jigheads, including a Rapala CrushCity Freeloader and a Jenko Tremor Shad, on 3/16- to 1/2-ounce heads. Lawrence also dragged a jig a little, and a lizard on a Carolina rig, but the ace up his sleeve was a 3/4-ounce long bill Tennessee River Tremor Head with a 5-inch Castaic Jerky J.
“I didn’t see anybody else throwing it,” said the Tennessee pro of his scrounger setup. “Even though we were all rotating the same schools, I feel like I caught a couple each day that I don’t know how else I would have been able to trigger them – just because everything else I was throwing was the same as the rest of the field.”
Targeting the most tightly clustered portions of schools with the Tremor Head, Lawrence was able to catch some key fish on it each day.
“These were fairly small groups of fish, but inside of that group, there would be a smaller cluster that would be competitive and work with each other to bite,” he said. “I would pan through the school until I found that one little section.
“Once I found that, most of the time I would make my cast and just retrieve it,” he detailed. “You wanted to keep it about 2 or 3 feet off the bottom. I would speed it up and not stop it but slow myself back down. I wanted to envision one racing up to it, and I’d scurry it away, and then they’d basically run into it. You’d get 30 followers for every one that would touch it, and then you’d only catch one out of every four or five that would touch it. Usually, when they’re on that Tremor Head, you can’t get it through the school.”
The bite was not easy all tournament with plenty of pros fishing for hours with little to show for it, and some being in the right place at the right time for big flurries. That seemed to catch up to the whole field on the last day, when only Miller and pro Justin Barnes topped 20 pounds. Lawrence didn’t crack, though, and still brought enough back to Lakepoint Resort State Park at the end of it to earn the win.
“I expected to be able to pull up on my morning hole and get a 17- to 19-pound limit and cruise through day and free myself up to look for some new groups,” he said. “I was very fortunate yesterday to catch that bag early and gave myself three hours yesterday afternoon to look for some schools. Today, it was extremely tough to trigger a bite. I knew I had to continue to bounce the schools and run the schools as efficiently as I could.”
In the end, the former insurance salesman turned fishing guide turned tournament pro was able to defend his lead and come away with the trophy.
“There’s so many grimy days that we have, long days away from family, it’s days like today that push us through and keep us going,” he said with trophy in hand. “To be able to get the win here, it’s something I’ve always dreamed of; it’s something I’ve always wanted. When it’s gametime, it’s just to catch the next bass. To have it all come together this week, it’s fantastic, and I can’t thank everybody enough.”
The top 30 pros at the Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 4 on Lake Eufaula Presented by E3 Sports Apparel are:
1st: Jake Lawrence, Buchanan, Tenn., 15 bass, 59-10, $115,000
2nd: Paul Marks, Jr., Cumming, Ga., 15 bass, 58-15, $50,000
3rd: Colby Miller, Elmer, La., 15 bass, 57-2, $20,000
4th: Tucker Smith, Birmingham, Ala., 15 bass, 56-15, $18,000
5th: Cal Lane, Guntersville, Ala., 15 bass, 56-5, $17,000
6th: Justin Barnes, Ellaville, Ga., 15 bass, 55-12, $16,000
7th: Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., 15 bass, 54-11, $15,000
8th: Kyle Hall, Granbury, Texas, 15 bass, 52-9, $14,000
9th: Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, 15 bass, 52-9, $13,000
10th: Emil Wagner, Marietta, Ga., 15 bass, 50-14, $12,000
11th: Brock Reinkemeyer, Warsaw, Mo., 15 bass, 50-14, $10,000
12th: Jaden Parrish, Liberty, Texas, 15 bass, 49-12, $10,000
13th: Mark Condron, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 14 bass, 49-1, $10,000
14th: Nick Hatfield, Greeneville, Tenn., 15 bass, 49-1, $10,000
15th: Marshall Hughes, Hemphill, Texas, 15 bass, 48-13, $10,000
16th: Brad Jelinek, Lincoln, Mo., 15 bass, 47-13, $10,000
17th: Jacob Walker, Springville, Ala., 15 bass, 47-7, $10,000
18th: Braxton Setzer, Wetumpka, Ala., 15 bass, 46-14, $10,000
19th: Keith Carson, DeBary, Fla., 15 bass, 46-7, $10,000
20th: Alex Davis, Albertville, Ala., 15 bass, 46-7, $10,000
21st: Buddy Benson, Dahlonega, Ga., 15 bass, 46-6, $10,000
22nd: Alec Morrison, Peru, N.Y., 15 bass, 46-3, $10,000
23rd: Andrew Nordbye, Guntersville, Ala., 15 bass, 46-0, $10,000
24th: Flint Davis, Leesburg, Ga., 15 bass, 45-13, $11,000
25th: Blake Hall, Rogersville, Ala., 15 bass, 45-10, $10,000
26th: Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., 15 bass, 45-5, $10,000
27th: Rusty Salewske, Alpine, Calif., 15 bass, 42-15, $10,000
28th: Kyle Cortiana, Broken Arrow, Okla., 15 bass, 42-11, $10,000
29th: Ethan King, Wilsonville, Ala., 12 bass, 41-15, $10,000
30th: Matt Baty, Bainbridge, Ga., 15 bass, 41-13, $10,000
Complete results for the entire field can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 146 bass weighing 429 pounds even caught by the final 30 pros Sunday. Of the 30 final day competitors, 28 brought a five-bass limit to the scale.
The three-day tournament, hosted by the Eufaula Barbour County Chamber of Commerce, featured a roster of 150 anglers competing for a top prize of up to $115,000. The next Tackle Warehouse Invitational event will take place June 15-17 at the Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 5 Presented by 7Brew on Lake Champlain in Plattsburgh, New York.
In Tackle Warehouse Invitational competition, the full field of 150 anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Friday and Saturday in a five-fish, weigh-in format. Only the top 30 pros, based on their two-day cumulative weight, advanced to the final round on Championship Sunday, where competed for the grand prize of up to $115,000. The winner of the Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 4 at Lake Eufaula Presented by E3 Sports Apparel was determined by the heaviest three-day cumulative weight and now receives an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2025 on Lake Guntersville in Huntsville, Alabama.
Television coverage of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Stop 4 at Lake Eufaula Presented by E3 Sports Apparel will air as a two-hour episode, premiering at 9 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 26 on CBS Sports Network.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3 Sports Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak Fishing, Onyx, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Tackle Warehouse Invitational updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Walters widens his lead as Bassmaster Elite Series event winds down at Lake Murray
May 12, 2024
Walters widens his lead as Bassmaster Elite Series event winds down at Lake Murray
PROSPERITY, S.C. — The thrill of a blistering start more than offset any frustrations of a long dry spell, as Patrick Walters held on to his lead for a third day in the Minn Kota Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray.
Day 1 saw the two-time Elite Series champion from Eutawville, S.C., launch what has thus far been a dominant performance with the tournament’s heaviest bag — 25-8. That opening pace-setter gave Walters a 3-3 lead.
Adding a second-round limit of 19-13 kept him in the top spot and expanded his margin to 4-15. Then with 21-14 on Semifinal Sunday, Walters pushed his three-day total to 67-3 and now heads into Championship Monday with a margin of 8-4 over rookie JT Thompkins. (Severe weather postponed the event’s scheduled start by one day).
“I had most of my weight by 8:30,” Walters said. “It doesn’t matter when you get ’em or how you get ’em, as long as you get ’em in the boat.”
Since Day 1, Walters has done the majority of his damage by targeting the early-morning blueback herring spawn. Bass feed aggressively when these large baitfish become distracted with reproduction, so he has been mimicking the profile and motion of this food source with topwater baits and soft-plastic jerkbaits.
Walters is mainly fishing points where spawning herring congregate. He’ll work the shallows until the sun’s increasing intensity ends that morning action and then he’ll move out a little deeper and drag a Carolina-rigged Zoom Brush Hog.
While the C-rig yielded a solid bass each of the first two days, the third saw that shallow action delivering the goods. In Walters’ view, success hinges on selecting the right point from Murray’s many options.
“I think it’s just time and place, I really do,” Walters said. “You have to stop on the right spot and we’ve been blessed to stop on the right one every day.”
Notably, Walters admitted that doing so required a little early-morning perseverance. As he recalled, Day 3’s early activity, it was not immediate.
“Each day, I have not caught my weight off my first spot,” Walters said. “It was my second, third or fourth spot. Today, I caught one or two fish on my first spot and then caught a limit of about 10 pounds on my next one.
“I thought they were biting pretty good because they were schooling, so I thought, ‘I’m going to run to my big-fish spot.’ They’re tough to get, but I thought, ‘If they’re biting I’m going to go utilize it.’”
Good call. As Walters described, the bass were primed and ready.
“When I pulled up, it was gangbusters,” he said. “It was lights-out and I caught all of my weight in 45 minutes.
“When I set the boat down, I was going to stop 200 yards out and go in. But I saw them blowing up, so I put the boat back on pad and ran straight to them.”
After his morning smash fest, Walters was unable to upgrade. He fished in and out of his areas the rest of the day, but despite the drought, he knew he had positioned himself well.
“I knew when I got to 20 pounds, I was going to be in good shape,” he said. “When you catch 20 pounds a day, that’s a really good herring bite. Out there on the points, it’s hard to catch 25 a day. They really gotta be biting.”
No surprise, Walters said he plans on sticking with the game plan that has carried him for three days. In his estimation, meeting his Day 3 level will slam the door shut.
“Catch another 20, seal the deal and go from there,” Walters said. “No matter how we have to catch ’em — even if we have to catch ’em dragging a worm.
“I’ll try to catch them early and try to take the pressure off. I think we have some clouds coming in, so I think the fish are really going to bite.”
Hailing from Myrtle Beach, S.C., Thompkins is in second place with 58-15. On Day 1, Thompkins caught 21-1 and tied for seventh place. A second-day limit of 19-5 moved him up five spots to second, and a Day 3 catch that went 18-9 kept him there.
Despite a solid outcome, Thompkins said Semifinal Sunday did not begin well.
“This morning was one of the worst mornings I’ve had (in terms of) hooking up with fish,” Thompkins said of his topwater troubles. “I had a good bag in the morning, but I lost a 25-pound bag. It was just really hard to set the hook.”
Fortunately, Thompkins regrouped and made a key adjustment that helped him improve his hookup efficiency.
“I made a big change and started throwing a bait with one hook,” he said. “I started throwing a Fluke and that had a better hookup ratio.”
Rookie Trey McKinney of Carbondale, Ill., is in third place with 58-13. His daily weights have been 21-9, 16-13 and 20-7.
McKinney said his first two stops were disappointing, but making the right adjustment led him to a productive day.
“Finally, I pulled into the right spot and caught one, caught two, then I caught three, then I caught four and I was like, ‘I got 18 pounds,’” McKinney said. “Then I caught a 5-pounder and I’m like, ‘I got 20 pounds.’
“It happened that fast. That’s something that can happen anywhere.”
McKinney caught his bass on soft-plastic jerkbaits and small topwater baits.
Luke Palmer of Coalgate, Okla., won the $1,000 award for the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the day with a 7-4. That bass also now leads the race for Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the tournament honors.
Walters is in the lead for the Rapala CrushCity Monster Bag of the Tournament award with his 25-8 on Day 1.
McKinney leads the Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings with 481 points. Jordan Lee of Cullman, Ala., is in second with 448, followed by Chris Johnston of Otonabee, Canada, with 423, Cory Johnston of Cavan, Canada, with 415 and Cody Huff of Ava, Mo., with 408
McKinney also leads the Dakota Lithium Bassmaster Rookie of the Year standings.
The Top 10 remaining anglers will take off at 7 a.m. ET Monday from Dreher Island State Park. The weigh-in will be held at the park at 3 p.m., with the winning angler earning $100,000.
The event is being hosted by Capital City Lake Murray Country.
2024 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2024 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Progressive Insurance, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2024 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew's, Lowrance, Marathon, Triton Boats, VMC
About B.A.S.S.B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, 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 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
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Media Contact: Chad Gay, Communications Manager, 865-201-6458, cgay@bassmaster.
2024 Minn Kota Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray 5/10-5/13
Lake Murray, Columbia SC.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Patrick Walters Eutawville, SC 15 67-03 103
Day 1: 5 25-08 Day 2: 5 19-13 Day 3: 5 21-14
2. JT Thompkins Myrtle Beach, SC 15 58-15 102
Day 1: 5 21-01 Day 2: 5 19-05 Day 3: 5 18-09
3. Trey McKinney Carbondale, IL 15 58-13 101
Day 1: 5 21-09 Day 2: 5 16-13 Day 3: 5 20-07
4. Lee Livesay Longview, TX 15 57-06 100
Day 1: 5 22-05 Day 2: 5 16-02 Day 3: 5 18-15
5. Jay Przekurat Plover, WI 15 56-15 99
Day 1: 5 19-11 Day 2: 5 19-12 Day 3: 5 17-08
6. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 15 56-10 98
Day 1: 5 19-07 Day 2: 5 19-12 Day 3: 5 17-07
7. Cody Huff Ava, MO 15 56-01 97
Day 1: 5 22-01 Day 2: 5 13-13 Day 3: 5 20-03
8. Will Davis Jr Sylacauga, AL 15 54-15 96
Day 1: 5 19-14 Day 2: 5 17-13 Day 3: 5 17-04
9. John Garrett Union City, TN 15 54-01 95
Day 1: 5 21-01 Day 2: 5 13-12 Day 3: 5 19-04
10. Ed Loughran III Richmond, VA 15 53-09 94
Day 1: 5 19-00 Day 2: 5 16-04 Day 3: 5 18-05
11. Austin Felix Eden Prairie, MN 15 53-07 93 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-08 Day 2: 5 18-03 Day 3: 5 15-12
12. Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 15 53-04 92 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-09 Day 2: 5 16-15 Day 3: 5 16-12
13. Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 15 53-04 91 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-06 Day 2: 5 18-07 Day 3: 5 18-07
14. Wes Logan Springville, AL 15 52-10 90 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-12 Day 2: 5 17-03 Day 3: 5 18-11
15. Marc Frazier Newnan, GA 15 52-05 89 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-04 Day 2: 5 20-04 Day 3: 5 19-13
16. Justin Hamner Northport, AL 15 52-05 88 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-14 Day 2: 5 16-03 Day 3: 5 17-04
17. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 15 51-14 87 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-15 Day 2: 5 18-11 Day 3: 5 16-04
18. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 15 51-02 86 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-05 Day 2: 5 13-09 Day 3: 5 18-04
19. Bryan Schmitt Deale, MD 15 50-13 85 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-14 Day 2: 5 19-15 Day 3: 5 14-00
20. John Cox Debary, FL 15 50-10 84 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-02 Day 2: 5 19-01 Day 3: 5 14-07
21. Matt Arey Shelby, NC 15 50-09 83 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-11 Day 2: 5 17-06 Day 3: 5 17-08
22. Pat Schlapper Eleva, WI 15 50-05 82 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-14 Day 2: 5 16-03 Day 3: 5 14-04
23. Chris Johnston Otonabee Ontario CANADA 15 50-05 81 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-03 Day 2: 5 18-07 Day 3: 5 14-11
24. Cory Johnston Otonabee CANADA 15 50-02 80 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-10 Day 2: 5 21-00 Day 3: 5 13-08
25. Wesley Gore Clanton, AL 15 50-02 79 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-05 Day 2: 5 16-00 Day 3: 5 16-13
26. Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 15 49-12 78 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-09 Day 2: 5 15-02 Day 3: 5 19-01
27. Mike Huff London, KY 15 49-07 77 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-05 Day 2: 5 12-08 Day 3: 5 15-10
28. Chris Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 15 49-07 76 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-00 Day 2: 5 14-03 Day 3: 5 18-04
29. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 15 49-04 75 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 17-02 Day 3: 5 19-04
30. Taku Ito Dalton GA JAPAN 15 49-04 74 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-11 Day 2: 5 15-05 Day 3: 5 17-04
31. Jordan Lee Cullman, AL 15 48-14 73 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-11 Day 2: 5 20-05 Day 3: 5 10-14
32. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 15 47-15 72 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-12 Day 2: 5 12-11 Day 3: 5 15-08
33. Robert Gee Knoxville, TN 15 47-14 71 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-01 Day 2: 5 16-04 Day 3: 5 15-09
34. Bob Downey Detroit Lakes, MN 15 47-13 70 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-06 Day 2: 5 15-06 Day 3: 5 15-01
35. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 15 47-09 69 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-01 Day 2: 5 18-03 Day 3: 5 15-05
36. David Gaston Sylacauga, AL 15 47-08 68 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-12 Day 2: 5 13-00 Day 3: 5 13-12
37. Kyle Patrick Cooperstown, NY 15 47-08 67 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-14 Day 2: 5 14-00 Day 3: 5 15-10
38. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 15 47-03 66 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-06 Day 2: 5 16-12 Day 3: 5 16-01
39. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 15 46-11 65 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-14 Day 2: 5 13-03 Day 3: 5 16-10
40. Shane LeHew Catawba, NC 15 46-09 64 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-03 Day 2: 5 14-10 Day 3: 5 15-12
41. Jacob Foutz Charleston, TN 15 46-04 63 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-06 Day 2: 5 11-09 Day 3: 5 15-05
42. Drew Cook Cairo, GA 15 45-01 62 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-02 Day 2: 5 12-11 Day 3: 5 12-04
43. Logan Parks Auburn, AL 15 44-11 61 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-13 Day 2: 5 12-11 Day 3: 5 13-03
44. Jeff Gustafson Kenora, ON Ontario CANA 15 44-10 60 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-13 Day 2: 5 12-07 Day 3: 5 13-06
45. Ray Hanselman Jr Del Rio, TX 14 43-15 59 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-15 Day 2: 5 14-10 Day 3: 4 08-06
46. Gregory DiPalma Millville, NJ 15 42-11 58 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-04 Day 2: 5 15-12 Day 3: 5 12-11
47. Jason Williamson Aiken, SC 15 41-03 57 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-11 Day 2: 5 16-00 Day 3: 5 09-08
48. Joseph Webster Hamilton, AL 15 40-10 56 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-09 Day 2: 5 14-12 Day 3: 5 10-05
49. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 12 38-01 55 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-12 Day 2: 5 14-09 Day 3: 2 06-12
50. Hunter Shryock Ooltewah, TN 11 36-14 54 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-05 Day 2: 5 13-08 Day 3: 1 02-01
------------------------------
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1 Joseph Webster Hamilton, AL 06-06 $1,000.00
2 Bryan Schmitt Deale, MD 06-03 $1,000.00
3 Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 07-04 $1,000.00
------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 94 492 1633-07
2 85 471 1407-02
3 47 242 779-08
------------------------------
226 1205 3820-01
Iaconelli’s Blueback Herring Blueprint
By Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships
Team Toyota pro Mike Iaconelli has fished all three Elite Series tournaments held on South Carolina’s Lake Murray, and after day twos’ weigh-in concluded, he’s still yet to miss a paycheck on this fishery. The veteran Iaconelli tied for second place here in 2011, 11th place in 2023, and backed those performances up with another strong tournament on Murray this week, heading into semifinal Sunday in 29th place.
Iaconelli believes there are several reasons he gels with this 50,000-acre reservoir on the Saluda River, perhaps most pointedly is his experience catching bass that feed on herring. But Ike’s experience is drawn from bass that chase alewife herring on fisheries like Lake Champlain, not the blueback herring present in Lake Murray.
“Alewife and blueback herring are like distant cousins but the way they spawn, and how bass set up to feed on them is almost exactly the same,” Iaconelli explained. “When the bass spawn ends, the herring spawn starts, regardless of species.
“Herring are dispersion spawners. They seek out places like flat shoals, a hard spot on a point, and gravel banks or red clay bottom here in South Carolina. Any kind of hard substrate is key when targeting a herring spawn. Low-light time periods are critical for both species as well.”
The longtime Yamaha Outboards pro got an early education on alewife herring and how they affect bass fishing a place called Fairview Lake in the Pocono Mountains. As Iaconelli explained, there are a lot of parallels with bass focused on either species of herring. So even though Iaconelli doesn’t have a plethora of experience on lakes with bluebacks to draw from, he’s comfortable leaning on his familiarity with alewives.
There are also similarities in terms of bait selection. Iaconelli laid out some of the nuances he’s learned when targeting bass feeding on herring.
“Herring, alewives and bluebacks, they move different than other baitfish,” Iaconelli offered. “They move differently than threadfin or gizzard shad, different than bluegills or golden shiners. Herring are their own animal when it comes to movement. The best way I can describe it is, it’s a straight-line movement.”
Not all bass fishermen are straight-shooters but according to Iaconelli all herring are straight-swimmers. You see this reflected in Iaconelli’s bait selection for herring chasers, but he even tailors his retrieve and cadence to mimic a herring’s straight swimming tendency.
This week on Lake Murray, and most anytime he visits a fishery with herring as a predominate forage base, Iaconelli employs a pencil-popper style topwater, a soft plastic jerkbait, and a shallow-diving crankbait.
“A Berkley Cane Walker, a PowerBait Jerk Shad, and Berkley Frittside 5 squarebill have been my key lures on Murray,” Iaconelli said. “Those are staples for herring lakes, but more than just the lures I change up my retrieve on these fisheries.
“I pull my Jerk Shad on herring lakes instead of twitching it. Instead of walking a topwater like normal, I spend most of my retrieve straight reeling or sprinting my topwater and throw in a few back-and-forth walks every so often. Then a Frittside naturally has very straight forward movement, which is key.”
Pure pattern fishing has been one of Iaconelli’s biggest strengths throughout his 27-years as a professional angler. There are few better at figuring out and then replicating a pattern than Iaconelli, and perhaps no one better at articulating his thoughts and process to fishing fans. That same passion that started 700 miles away in the Pocono Mountains is alive and well at Lake Murray this week.
Tennessee’s Jake Lawrence Catches 22-6 to Take Lead on Day 2 at Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 4 at Lake Eufaula
Forward-facing sonar expert targets Eufaula ledges to bring 1-pound, 7-ounce lead into Championship Sunday
EUFAULA, Ala. (May 11, 2024) – The offshore game stayed strong on Day 2 of the Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 4 Presented by E3 Sport Apparel on Lake Eufaula, but not everyone was able to take full advantage, as evidenced by the amount of fluctuation on the leaderboard. Moving up from sixth, pro Jake Lawrence of Buchanan, Tennessee, caught 22 pounds, 6 ounces to take the lead with a 43-6 total. In second, Guntersville, Alabama’s Cal Lane moved up from fifth with 20-11 for a 41-15 total, just 1-7 back of Lawrence.
In third, pro Paul Marks Jr., of Cumming, Georgia, tallied 41-3, and Day 1 leader Tucker Smith of Birmingham, Alabama, caught 18-1 to drop to fourth with 40-12. Heading into the final day, the Top 30 features many of the best anglers the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals has to offer, and at least the top four are all within striking distance of a win.
Born and bred on the Tennessee River, Lawrence is no stranger to offshore fishing – his first Toyota Series win came back in the days before forward-facing sonar, with fish he wormed up off a Kentucky Lake bar. Now, with his knowledge from years past and some great technological skills, Lawrence is in hot pursuit of his first Invitationals win.
“We’ve had a lot of changes with the water level, and the color of the water, and it’s really changing a lot of stuff,” Lawrence said. “It’s moving them around, and I’m fortunate that I’ve got one little hole that’s really holding up so far. And nobody seems to be messing with it, so I’m able to go in there and get a decent little limit, and then catch one or two here and there.”
Fishing mostly offshore schools and ledges, Lawrence says the bites are not very easy to come by.
“I’m straight Tennessee River,” he said. “I’ve got some brush, but I really haven’t been able to make that happen this week. I’ve caught a few, and I caught a big one in practice, but I can just tell that’s not the deal – or at least in the areas that I’m doing it. These schools are so sporadic. You really have to spend all day to get five to seven big bites. It’s not your typical school fishing, where we know we’re going to catch 30 or 40 of them. You just don’t get very many of them to bite.”
According to Lawrence, rising water has scattered the bass around the offshore spots, when they should be grouping up better by the day.
“With all this current you would think that it would really congregate them and pull them together, but it’s actually done the opposite,” he said. “It’s really scattered them. A lot of them have gone up top (on the ledges), like way up on top of it, on the flat portion of it, and just scattered out. On top, there will be one every 10 or 15 feet. You have to have competition – something to make these fish bite – because if you find a solo out there, you might as well not even throw at it.”
On Days 1 and 2, Lawrence caught some of his best weight out of a school in the back of a creek, which he should be able to get on again on Day 3. Putting time in behind the console looking for offshore fish is right up his alley.
“It was the second [day of practice] that I started finding a bunch, so that’s when I knew that things were going to line up and be what I wanted them to be,” he said. “It’s one of those deals – out there is my comfort zone. My home away from home. I think it’s going to be fun.”
Lawrence is coming off a close call in the season-opener on Sam Rayburn, when he finished second to Drew Gill, and then a disappointment at his home waters of Kentucky Lake. So, he badly wants to win.
“Even in a $100 jackpot I’ve never come that close to winning and not won; I just needed five more minutes,” said Lawrence of his runner-up at Rayburn. “That lit a fire under me. I thought I wanted to win before Rayburn, but when I got that close …
“And of course, coming on the backside of Kentucky Lake, which was kind of a subpar – you know, it didn’t really pan out the way I expected. It would mean the world to me. I almost can’t even put that into words what it would mean to me. I want a win so bad.”
Only the top 30 pros, based on their two-day cumulative weight, now advance to Championship Sunday. The three-day tournament, hosted by the Eufaula Barbour County Chamber of Commerce, featured a roster of 150 anglers competing for a top prize of up to $115,000 and an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2025.
The top 30 pros advancing to the final day of competition on Alabama’s Lake Eufaula are:
1st: Jake Lawrence, Buchanan, Tenn., 10 bass, 43-6
2nd: Cal Lane, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 41-15
3rd: Paul Marks, Jr., Cumming, Ga., 10 bass, 41-3
4th: Tucker Smith, Birmingham, Ala., 10 bass, 40-12
5th: Mark Condron, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 10 bass, 39-10
6th: Ethan King, Wilsonville, Ala., 10 bass, 38-7
7th: Kyle Hall, Granbury, Texas, 10 bass, 37-4
8th: Colby Miller, Elmer, La., 10 bass, 36-7
9th: Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., 10 bass, 35-14
10th: Justin Barnes, Ellaville, Ga., 10 bass, 35-9
11th: Emil Wagner, Marietta, Ga., 10 bass, 35-7
12th: Marshall Hughes, Hemphill, Texas, 10 bass, 35-4
13th: Nick Hatfield, Greeneville, Tenn., 10 bass, 35-4
14th: Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, 10 bass, 35-3
15th: Brock Reinkemeyer, Warsaw, Mo., 10 bass, 34-0
16th: Buddy Benson, Dahlonega, Ga., 10 bass, 33-7
17th: Braxton Setzer, Wetumpka, Ala., 10 bass, 33-6
18th: Kyle Cortiana, Broken Arrow, Okla., 10 bass, 33-4
19th: Jaden Parrish, Liberty, Texas, 10 bass, 33-3
20th: Keith Carson, DeBary, Fla., 10 bass, 33-1
21st: Brad Jelinek, Lincoln, Mo., 10 bass, 32-15
22nd: Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 32-15
23rd: Alex Davis, Albertville, Ala., 10 bass, 32-8
24th: Alec Morrison, Peru, N.Y., 10 bass, 32-7
25th: Flint Davis, Leesburg, Ga., 10 bass, 32-2
26th: Matt Baty, Bainbridge, Ga., 10 bass, 32-2
27th: Blake Hall, Rogersville, Ala., 10 bass, 32-1
28th: Jacob Walker, Springville, Ala., 10 bass, 31-15
29th: Rusty Salewske, Alpine, Calif., 10 bass, 31-6
30th: Andrew Nordbye, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 31-5
Complete results for the entire field can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Saturday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass award was split by pros Alec Morrison and Kyle Hall, as each brought a bass to the scale that weighed at 5 pounds, 3 ounces.
Overall, there were 598 bass weighing 1,593 pounds, 10 ounces caught by 131 pros Saturday. The catch included 103 five-bass limits.
In Tackle Warehouse Invitational competition, the full field of 150 anglers compete in the two-day opening round on Friday and Saturday in a five-fish, weigh-in format. Only the top 30 pros, based on their two-day cumulative weight, advance to the final round on Championship Sunday, where they will compete for the grand prize of up to $115,000. The winner of the Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 4 at Lake Eufaula Presented by E3 Sports Apparel will be determined by the heaviest three-day cumulative weight and will receive an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2025 on Lake Guntersville in Huntsville, Alabama.
The final 30 anglers will launch at 6:30 a.m. CT Sunday from Lakepoint Resort State Park, located at 104 Lakepoint Drive in Eufaula. Sunday’s Championship weigh-in will also be held at the State Park and will begin at 2:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and weigh-in events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLFNOW!® live stream and coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The MLFNOW! broadcast team of Chad McKee and Rob Newell will break down the extended action live on Championship Sunday from 7 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. CT. MLFNOW! will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
Television coverage of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Stop 4 at Lake Eufaula Presented by E3 Sports Apparel will air as a two-hour episode, premiering at 9 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 26 on CBS Sports Network.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3 Sports Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak Fishing, Onyx, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Tackle Warehouse Invitational updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Walters expands lead in Bassmaster Elite Series event at Lake Murray
May 11, 2024
Walters expands lead in Bassmaster Elite Series event at Lake Murray
PROSPERITY, S.C. — Patrick Walters admitted he missed his goal by a few ounces, but you wouldn’t know it from the Day 2 standings.
After turning in an opening-round limit of 25 pounds, 8 ounces — the tournament’s heaviest bag — the pro from Eutawville, S.C., added 19-13. Tallying 45-5, Walters leads rookie J.T. Thompkins by 4-15, as the Top 50 anglers head into Semifinal Sunday of the Minn Kota Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray. (severe weather postponed the event’s scheduled start by one day).
“I knew it was going to be a slower day,” Walters said of the day’s calm, sunny conditions, which contrasted Friday’s cloudy, windy makeup. “The goal was to just survive and get 20 pounds, but I was just a few ounces shy of that.
“The sunny skies don’t bother me, but it means the bite is probably going to end quicker. At 9:30, it shut off for me and I felt like it did for the whole lake.”
At the day’s beginning, Walters knew he was facing a do-or-die scenario. With no time to dally, he went to work on the blueback herring spawn.
“The biggest thing is you have to catch them quick,” Walters said. “The (lack of) wind is what made it tough,” he said. “But I figured it was going to be tough on everybody, so if I could just grind 20 today, I would survive and probably step ahead a little bit.”
Walters caught most of his morning fish on a combination of topwater lures and soft-plastic jerkbaits.
Once the morning bite died, Walters stayed with the fish that had been targeting the herring spawn. Without the congregating stimulus of distracted forage, the bass dispersed, but remained in the general area.
Walters adjusted by tracking down targets with his forward-facing sonar. Saturday’s heavy pleasure boat traffic created a challenge by stirring the lake, but Walters stayed focused on convincing less active fish to bite.
“I did the same thing all day,” Walters said. “I’m putting a square peg in a round hole.”
This strategy yielded a few bites, while a Carolina-rigged Zoom Brush Hog produced a solid keeper later in the day.
Walters said he’s optimistic about the third round’s potential. He’s not expecting an easier day, but a high level of comfort and confidence fuels his enthusiasm.
“This is how I like catching ’em; this is what makes me happy,” Walters said. “When it’s your time, it’s your time. Hopefully, we can maintain this the rest of the tournament.
“All you can ask for is a chance to be in contention and that’s what we did. We’re going into Semifinal Sunday. Let’s see if we can make it to Championship Monday.”
Thompkins, who makes his home in Myrtle Beach, S.C., is in second place with 40-6. After posting a Day 1 limit of 21-1, he added 19-5 and gained five spots.
Thompkins said his day started slowly, but he believes a lot of that was due to a timing challenge.
“I got in a rotation behind five or six guys and I had 12 pounds at midday,” Thompkins said. “I started putting it together later in the day and getting my technique figured out.”
A key element of Thompkins’ success involved targeting areas that were a little less obvious. He also found that varying his soft jerkbait presentations made a big difference.
“I was fishing places that you’re not going to find just by going down the bank,” he said. “I was fishing points, humps, rock ridges — something where it had a steep drop-off.”
Jay Przekurat of Plover, Wis., is in third place with 39-7. Turning in a consistent performance, the 2022 Rookie of the Year caught 19-11 on Day 1 and backed that up with 19-12 Saturday.
Przekurat found the day’s sunny conditions challenging, but adapting to a scenario he also saw during practice enabled him to capitalize on key bites.
“I caught one fish, a 5 1/2-pounder, about 30 minutes into the day,” he said. “I didn’t really catch that fish doing herring stuff. It was on a herring point, but I wasn’t fishing herring lures. I fished a slow, finesse style.
“I knew there were big fish around. I was just trying to finesse them to get them to bite. I only caught seven or eight fish today and they were all doing something different.”
Przekurat said his day ended up becoming a hodgepodge of point hopping, fishing fry guarders and targeting bed fish.
Bryan Schmitt of Deale, Md., won the $1,000 award for the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the day with a 6-3.
Joseph Webster of Hamilton, Ala., is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the tournament honors with his 6-6.
Rookie Trey McKinney of Carbondale, Ill., leads the Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings with 478 points. Jordan Lee of Cullman, Ala., is in second with 472, followed by Chris Johnston of Otonabee, Canada, with 429, Cory Johnston of Otonabee, Canada, with 428, and Justin Hamner of Northport, Ala., with 402.
McKinney also leads the Dakota Lithium Bassmaster Rookie of the Year standings.
Sunday’s takeoff is scheduled for 7 a.m. ET at Dreher Island State Park. The weigh-in will be held at the park at 3 p.m., with only the Top 10 advancing to Championship Monday with a chance at the 100,000 first-place prize.
On Semifinal Sunday, watch live coverage on FS1from 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and on Bassmaster.com from 12:30-3 p.m. On Championship Monday watch live coverage on Bassmaster.com from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The event is being hosted by Capital City Lake Murray Country.
2024 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2024 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Progressive Insurance, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2024 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew's, Lowrance, Marathon, Triton Boats, VMC
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, 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 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
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Connect with #Bassmaster on Facebook, Instagram, Twitte
Media Contact: Chad Gay, Communications Manager, 865-201-6458, cgay@bassmaster.
2024 Minn Kota Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray 5/10-5/13
Lake Murray, Columbia SC.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 2
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Patrick Walters Eutawville, SC 10 45-05 103
Day 1: 5 25-08 Day 2: 5 19-13
2. JT Thompkins Myrtle Beach, SC 10 40-06 102
Day 1: 5 21-01 Day 2: 5 19-05
3. Jay Przekurat Plover, WI 10 39-07 101
Day 1: 5 19-11 Day 2: 5 19-12
4. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 10 39-03 100
Day 1: 5 19-07 Day 2: 5 19-12
5. Lee Livesay Longview, TX 10 38-07 99
Day 1: 5 22-05 Day 2: 5 16-02
6. Trey McKinney Carbondale, IL 10 38-06 98
Day 1: 5 21-09 Day 2: 5 16-13
7. Jordan Lee Cullman, AL 10 38-00 97
Day 1: 5 17-11 Day 2: 5 20-05
8. Will Davis Jr Sylacauga, AL 10 37-11 96
Day 1: 5 19-14 Day 2: 5 17-13
9. Austin Felix Eden Prairie, MN 10 37-11 95
Day 1: 5 19-08 Day 2: 5 18-03
10. Bryan Schmitt Deale, MD 10 36-13 94 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-14 Day 2: 5 19-15
11. Cory Johnston Otonabee CANADA 10 36-10 93
Day 1: 5 15-10 Day 2: 5 21-00
12. Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 10 36-08 92
Day 1: 5 19-09 Day 2: 5 16-15
13. John Cox Debary, FL 10 36-03 91
Day 1: 5 17-02 Day 2: 5 19-01
14. Pat Schlapper Eleva, WI 10 36-01 90
Day 1: 5 19-14 Day 2: 5 16-03
15. Cody Huff Ava, MO 10 35-14 89
Day 1: 5 22-01 Day 2: 5 13-13
16. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 10 35-10 88
Day 1: 5 16-15 Day 2: 5 18-11
17. Chris Johnston Otonabee Ontario CANADA 10 35-10 87
Day 1: 5 17-03 Day 2: 5 18-07
18. Ray Hanselman Jr Del Rio, TX 10 35-09 86
Day 1: 5 20-15 Day 2: 5 14-10
19. Ed Loughran III Richmond, VA 10 35-04 85
Day 1: 5 19-00 Day 2: 5 16-04
20. Justin Hamner Northport, AL 10 35-01 84
Day 1: 5 18-14 Day 2: 5 16-03
21. Hunter Shryock Ooltewah, TN 10 34-13 83
Day 1: 5 21-05 Day 2: 5 13-08
22. John Garrett Union City, TN 10 34-13 82
Day 1: 5 21-01 Day 2: 5 13-12
23. Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 10 34-13 81
Day 1: 5 16-06 Day 2: 5 18-07
24. Wes Logan Springville, AL 10 33-15 80
Day 1: 5 16-12 Day 2: 5 17-03
25. Mike Huff London, KY 10 33-13 79
Day 1: 5 21-05 Day 2: 5 12-08
26. David Gaston Sylacauga, AL 10 33-12 78
Day 1: 5 20-12 Day 2: 5 13-00
27. Wesley Gore Clanton, AL 10 33-05 77
Day 1: 5 17-05 Day 2: 5 16-00
28. Matt Arey Shelby, NC 10 33-01 76
Day 1: 5 15-11 Day 2: 5 17-06
29. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 10 32-14 75
Day 1: 5 19-05 Day 2: 5 13-09
30. Drew Cook Cairo, GA 10 32-13 74
Day 1: 5 20-02 Day 2: 5 12-11
31. Bob Downey Detroit Lakes, MN 10 32-12 73
Day 1: 5 17-06 Day 2: 5 15-06
32. Marc Frazier Newnan, GA 10 32-08 72
Day 1: 5 12-04 Day 2: 5 20-04
33. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 10 32-07 71
Day 1: 5 19-12 Day 2: 5 12-11
34. Robert Gee Knoxville, TN 10 32-05 70
Day 1: 5 16-01 Day 2: 5 16-04
35. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 10 32-04 69
Day 1: 5 14-01 Day 2: 5 18-03
36. Taku Ito Dalton GA JAPAN 10 32-00 68
Day 1: 5 16-11 Day 2: 5 15-05
37. Kyle Patrick Cooperstown, NY 10 31-14 67
Day 1: 5 17-14 Day 2: 5 14-00
38. Jason Williamson Aiken, SC 10 31-11 66
Day 1: 5 15-11 Day 2: 5 16-00
39. Logan Parks Auburn, AL 10 31-08 65
Day 1: 5 18-13 Day 2: 5 12-11
40. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 10 31-05 64
Day 1: 5 16-12 Day 2: 5 14-09
41. Jeff Gustafson Kenora, ON Ontario CANA 10 31-04 63
Day 1: 5 18-13 Day 2: 5 12-07
42. Chris Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 10 31-03 62
Day 1: 5 17-00 Day 2: 5 14-03
43. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 10 31-02 61
Day 1: 5 14-06 Day 2: 5 16-12
44. Jacob Foutz Charleston, TN 10 30-15 60
Day 1: 5 19-06 Day 2: 5 11-09
45. Shane LeHew Catawba, NC 10 30-13 59
Day 1: 5 16-03 Day 2: 5 14-10
46. Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 10 30-11 58
Day 1: 5 15-09 Day 2: 5 15-02
47. Joseph Webster Hamilton, AL 10 30-05 57 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-09 Day 2: 5 14-12
48. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 10 30-01 56
Day 1: 5 16-14 Day 2: 5 13-03
49. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 10 30-00 55
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 17-02
50. Gregory DiPalma Millville, NJ 10 30-00 54
Day 1: 5 14-04 Day 2: 5 15-12
51. Justin Atkins Florence, AL 10 29-15 53 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 16-01 Day 2: 5 13-14
52. Matty Wong Honolulu, HI 10 29-12 52 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 17-13 Day 2: 5 11-15
53. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 10 29-12 51 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 12-04 Day 2: 5 17-08
54. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 10 29-06 50 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 18-00 Day 2: 5 11-06
55. Cooper Gallant Bowmanville Ontario CAN 9 29-06 49 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 16-14 Day 2: 4 12-08
56. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 10 29-03 48 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 17-15 Day 2: 5 11-04
57. Kenta Kimura Osaka OK JAPAN 10 29-01 47 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 18-07 Day 2: 5 10-10
58. Caleb Kuphall Mukwonago, WI 10 28-15 46 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 16-05 Day 2: 5 12-10
59. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 10 28-14 45 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 10-15 Day 2: 5 17-15
60. Bryan New Leesville, SC 10 28-13 44 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 14-10 Day 2: 5 14-03
61. Alex Wetherell Middletown, CT 10 28-11 43 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 15-11 Day 2: 5 13-00
62. Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 10 28-11 42 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 5 15-06
63. Scott Martin Clewiston, FL 10 28-10 41 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 17-07 Day 2: 5 11-03
64. Derek Hudnall Zachary, LA 10 28-10 40 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 13-13 Day 2: 5 14-13
65. Alex Redwine Blue Ash, OH 10 28-07 39 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 16-14 Day 2: 5 11-09
66. Bryant Smith Roseville, CA 10 28-05 38 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 18-07 Day 2: 5 09-14
67. John Soukup Sapulpa, OK 10 28-03 37 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 16-04 Day 2: 5 11-15
68. Seth Feider New Market, MN 10 28-03 36 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 5 15-13
69. Kyle Welcher Valley, AL 10 28-03 35 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 15-00 Day 2: 5 13-03
70. Kyle Norsetter Cottage Grove, WI 10 28-02 34 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 15-15 Day 2: 5 12-03
71. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 8 28-01 33 $2,500.00
Day 1: 3 07-09 Day 2: 5 20-08
72. Jake Whitaker Hendersonville, NC 10 27-11 32 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 15-02 Day 2: 5 12-09
73. Brandon Card Salisbury, NC 10 27-11 31 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 13-13 Day 2: 5 13-14
74. Scott Canterbury Odenville, AL 10 27-08 30
Day 1: 5 12-12 Day 2: 5 14-12
75. KJ Queen Catawba, NC 10 27-08 29
Day 1: 5 13-03 Day 2: 5 14-05
76. Clark Wendlandt Leander, TX 10 26-15 28
Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 5 14-07
77. Buddy Gross Chattanooga, TN 10 26-14 27
Day 1: 5 13-14 Day 2: 5 13-00
78. Jonathan Kelley Old Forge, PA 8 26-12 26
Day 1: 5 18-13 Day 2: 3 07-15
79. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 10 26-06 25
Day 1: 5 15-09 Day 2: 5 10-13
80. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 10 26-06 24
Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 5 12-12
81. Logan Latuso Gonzales, LA 8 26-04 23
Day 1: 5 15-01 Day 2: 3 11-03
82. Kyoya Fujita Yamanashi CA JAPAN 9 26-02 22
Day 1: 4 12-01 Day 2: 5 14-01
83. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 10 26-02 21
Day 1: 5 12-15 Day 2: 5 13-03
84. Tyler Williams Belgrade, ME 9 25-09 20
Day 1: 5 14-02 Day 2: 4 11-07
85. Ben Milliken New Caney, TX 7 25-08 19
Day 1: 5 20-12 Day 2: 2 04-12
86. Timothy Dube Nashua , NH 8 25-01 18
Day 1: 4 12-04 Day 2: 4 12-13
87. Jason Christie Dry Creek, OK 7 24-15 17
Day 1: 5 19-04 Day 2: 2 05-11
88. Todd Auten Clover, SC 8 24-13 16
Day 1: 5 15-02 Day 2: 3 09-11
89. Matt Robertson Kuttawa, KY 7 24-09 15
Day 1: 5 20-08 Day 2: 2 04-01
90. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 10 23-10 14
Day 1: 5 12-12 Day 2: 5 10-14
91. Chad Pipkens Dewitt, MI 10 23-03 13
Day 1: 5 09-10 Day 2: 5 13-09
92. Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 7 22-10 12
Day 1: 2 03-10 Day 2: 5 19-00
93. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 9 22-09 11
Day 1: 5 10-13 Day 2: 4 11-12
94. Frank Talley Belton, TX 8 21-12 10
Day 1: 5 15-06 Day 2: 3 06-06
95. Koby Kreiger Alva, FL 8 20-10 9
Day 1: 5 13-12 Day 2: 3 06-14
96. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 7 20-08 8
Day 1: 4 11-07 Day 2: 3 09-01
97. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 8 19-04 7
Day 1: 3 08-08 Day 2: 5 10-12
98. Cole Sands Calhoun , TN 5 16-03 6
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 16-03
99. Joey Cifuentes III Clinton, AR 6 16-03 5
Day 1: 5 14-05 Day 2: 1 01-14
100. Carl Jocumsen Queensland TN AUSTRALIA 6 16-00 4
Day 1: 5 14-07 Day 2: 1 01-09
101. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 6 14-14 3
Day 1: 5 13-03 Day 2: 1 01-11
102. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 5 10-11 2
Day 1: 2 05-08 Day 2: 3 05-03
------------------------------
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1 Joseph Webster Hamilton, AL 06-06 $1,000.00
2 Bryan Schmitt Deale, MD 06-03 $1,000.00
------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 94 492 1633-07
2 85 471 1407-02
------------------------------
179 963 3040-09
The ACA Announces Program Details for the 2024-25 Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia
San Antonio, TX (May 10, 2024) – A new season of the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia is set to begin on June 8, 2024. In preparation for this new season to start, the Association of Collegiate Anglers (ACA) is announcing the program details and the current points qualifying events for this upcoming campaign.
“The Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia is one of the most thrilling races, and coveted titles, in all of collegiate bass fishing,” said Wade Middleton, ACA Director and President of CarecoTV. “Over the course of 12 months, hundreds of college fishing teams from across the country have the opportunity to represent their school, compete in a variety of events ranging from major, national, double points tournaments to local and regional events, all while vying to finish as high up as possible in this National Rankings system. This past season has been extremely competitive and tightly contested, and these program details for 2024-25 will create the same excitement and anticipation around the School of the Year race.”
View the 2024-25 Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia program details here.
The Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia is college fishing’s only all-encompassing national rankings system. Hundreds of college teams compete at a variety of events, both regionally and nationally, to earn thousands of valuable points. Each of these schools enter the year with the hopes of being ranked inside of the coveted Top 25, and possibly even finishing the year ranked number one. The Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia is managed by the Association of Collegiate Anglers. This upcoming season will begin on June 8, 2024, and run through May 23, 2025.
“College sports create a sense of team spirit and pride that is unmatched! Being able to wear their school colors and represent their college/university at a national level is something that these anglers highly value,” noted Kyle Curry, ACA Managing Director. “Entering this new season, the goal for each team will obviously be to finish the year ranked number one. However, earning the most points possible and managing to be inside of the coveted Top 25 is a major achievement.”
The first points eligible event for the 2024-25 Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia will be contested on June 8th. The 2024-25 campaign will conclude with the triple points, 20th edition of the Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops, where a number one school will be honored at Green Pond Landing on the shores of Lake Hartwell in Anderson, SC. Over the course of the 12-month season, college bass fishing clubs/teams will be able to earn points at a wide range of events nationwide. View the current qualifying events schedule here.
To apply to host a school-run/other sanctioned event during the 2024-25 Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia, email [email protected].
Trim goes wire to wire in B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at the Mississippi River
May 10, 2024
Trim goes wire to wire in B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at the Mississippi River
LA CROSSE, Wis. — When you’re dialed in, not even losing a big bass can derail the victory train. Just ask Nick Trim, who overcame a final-round frustration to complete a wire-to-wire win in the Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at the Mississippi River presented by Lowrance.
Trim, who makes his home in Galesville, Wis., set the Day 1 high mark with a limit of 24 pounds, 4 ounces — the event’s biggest bag — added a second-round bag that weighed 21-12 and entered Championship Friday with a lead of 4-1.
Finishing with a Day 3 limit of 19-4, Trim tallied a three-day total of 65-4 and edged fellow Wisconsin angler Cade Laufenberg by 5-14.
Collecting the top prize of $11,072, Trim, along with the rest of the Top 20 finishers, qualified for the 2024 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Championship presented by Lowrance, scheduled for Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees in Grove, Okla., Nov. 6-8.
“There’s no place I’d rather do this than right here,” said Trim, who’s also pursuing Bassmaster Elite Series qualification through the Tackle Warehouse Elite Qualifiers (EQ) of the St. Croix Bassmaster Opens presented by SEVIIN. “The motivation is huge to remind myself that I can really do this.”
Trim said he crafted his final-round game plan after the one that delivered his Day 1 success. He started in Pool 8, fished key morning areas and then locked up to Pool 7 where he completed his effort.
In both pools, Trim looked for spawning smallmouth over gravel bottom in 3 to 6 feet of water, with adjacent depths of 12 to 14. Notably, Trim gave his first spot in Pool 8 a rest on Day 2, but he felt it was ready for a final-day look.
“I started on the same spot where I caught 19 pounds on Day 1,” he said. “I thought some fresh fish had moved in and they did and I caught 15-11.
“After that, I locked up to Pool 7, went to my big-fish spot and culled twice up there. I fished really clean, but I lost one 5-pounder at the end of the day. But I guess it didn’t matter.”
At 12:45 p.m., with what would be the winning weight in his livewell, Trim returned to Pool 8 and spent the remains of his day fishing near the tournament site.
Trim said he caught all of his weight on a Ned rig, a wacky-rigged Senko and a Texas-rigged Missile Baits D Bomb in the bruiser flash color with a 3/8-ounce tungsten weight. For the Ned worm and the Senko, he used green pumpkin with chartreuse tails.
“I used that chartreuse tail because the water was a little dirty,” Trim said. “The fish could pick it up a little better.”
While he was unable to spot bedding fish with line of sight observation, Trim said his Garmin LiveScope and Humminbird MEGA 360 helped him locate and monitor spawning bass.
“My fish required multiple casts; my (biggest fish) took 35 minutes to catch,” Trim said. “You couldn’t see the fish, but my electronics allowed me to keep my bait in the beds.”
Hailing from Onalaska, Wis., Laufenberg finished second place with 59-6. His daily weights were 21-9, 20-6 and 17-7.
Splitting his time between pools 8 and 9, Laufenberg fished slack water areas where he targeted spawning smallmouth in 2 to 3 feet. He caught his bass by flipping a Texas-rigged Strike King Rage Bug and a Strike King Menace with 1/8-ounce weights.
“The first two days, I had most of my weight by 10 a.m., but Day 3 was an all-day grind,” Laufenberg said. “I think it was the pressure of all the other boats fishing.
“The biggest key for me to survive and come up with a good bag today was (the fact that) I had identified a particular area in practice where the water temperature wasn’t quite right for spawning. As the tournament progressed, this area got right and I had new groups of fish moving in.”
Laufenberg said his area produced a pair of 4-pounders on Day 2 and another set of 4s in the final round.
Nic Rand of Paw Paw, Mich., finished third place with 57-4. Rand caught limits of 19-3, 19-13 and 18-4.
Kent Johnson of McGregor, Iowa, won the Big Bass award with his 5-15.
Tanner Morgan of Byron, Ill. won the nonboater division with a three-day total of 31-10. Morgan turned in daily weights of 12-10, 10-7 and 8-9.
Derek Ehrhardt of Garnavillo, Iowa, won the Big Bass award among nonboaters with a 5-13.
Explore La Crosse hosted the event.
2024 Bassmaster Nation Series Title Sponsor: Mercury
2024 Bassmaster Nation Series Presenting Sponsor: Lowrance
2024 Bassmaster Nation Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2024 Bassmaster Nation Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Progressive Insurance, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2024 Bassmaster Nation Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew's, Lowrance, Marathon, Triton Boats, VMC
2024 Bassmaster Nation Series Youth Sponsors: Seaguar, Shimano
About B.A.S.S.B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, 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 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
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Connect with #Bassmaster on Facebook, Instagram, Twitte
Media Contact: Chad Gay, Communications Manager, 865-201-6458, cgay@bassmaster.
2024 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at Mississippi River presented by Lowrance 5/8-5/10
Mississippi River, La Crosse WI.
(BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Nick Trim Galesville, WI 15 65-04 0 $11,072.00
Day 1: 5 24-04 Day 2: 5 21-12 Day 3: 5 19-04
2. Cade Laufenberg Onalaska, WI 15 59-06 0 $5,378.00
Day 1: 5 21-09 Day 2: 5 20-06 Day 3: 5 17-07
3. Nic Rand Paw Paw, MI 15 57-04 0 $3,796.00
Day 1: 5 19-03 Day 2: 5 19-13 Day 3: 5 18-04
4. Brady Hanna Silvis, IL 15 53-07 0 $3,163.00
Day 1: 5 21-01 Day 2: 5 16-15 Day 3: 5 15-07
5. Bill Baker Winnebago, IL 15 53-07 0 $2,752.00
Day 1: 5 17-10 Day 2: 5 19-03 Day 3: 5 16-10
6. Clayton Weber West Salem, WI 15 52-15 0 $2,531.00
Day 1: 5 19-01 Day 2: 5 18-01 Day 3: 5 15-13
7. Bryan Close Fairbank, IA 15 51-15 0 $2,372.00
Day 1: 5 19-06 Day 2: 5 18-09 Day 3: 5 14-00
8. Luke Gritter Otsego, MI 15 50-13 0 $2,214.00
Day 1: 5 18-08 Day 2: 5 17-02 Day 3: 5 15-03
9. Corey Lindsey Marion, OH 15 49-10 0 $1,740.00
Day 1: 5 15-07 Day 2: 5 16-03 Day 3: 5 18-00
10. Jeremiah Shaver Holmen, WI 15 48-03 0 $1,423.00
Day 1: 5 18-02 Day 2: 5 15-04 Day 3: 5 14-13
11. Adam Hamann Prairie Du Chien, IA 15 47-10 0 $1,265.00
Day 1: 5 16-03 Day 2: 5 16-09 Day 3: 5 14-14
12. Tony Puelz Garnavillo, IA 15 47-08 0 $1,107.00
Day 1: 5 15-14 Day 2: 5 15-14 Day 3: 5 15-12
13. Matt McCoy Indianapolis, IN 15 47-07 0 $870.00
Day 1: 5 16-01 Day 2: 5 16-01 Day 3: 5 15-05
14. Steve Lee Crystal, MN 15 47-06 0 $870.00
Day 1: 5 16-02 Day 2: 5 15-13 Day 3: 5 15-07
15. Brian Post Janesville, WI 15 47-00 0 $1,370.00
Day 1: 5 17-04 Day 2: 5 17-00 Day 3: 5 12-12
16. Nick Koehne Manteno, IL 15 46-08 0 $870.00
Day 1: 5 17-06 Day 2: 5 14-06 Day 3: 5 14-12
17. Rich Lindgren Lakeville, MN 15 46-06 0 $870.00
Day 1: 5 16-03 Day 2: 5 15-04 Day 3: 5 14-15
18. Taylor Umland Carlock, IL 15 46-05 0 $870.00
Day 1: 5 17-03 Day 2: 5 15-04 Day 3: 5 13-14
19. Bryden Mugleston Mount Juliet, TN 14 43-13 0 $870.00
Day 1: 5 15-07 Day 2: 5 16-09 Day 3: 4 11-13
20. Dustin Bliss Brooklyn Park, MN 11 33-12 0 $870.00
Day 1: 5 15-04 Day 2: 5 16-03 Day 3: 1 02-05
------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 118 712 1911-13
2 105 644 1758-01
3 18 95 296-10
------------------------------
241 1451 3966-08
2024 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at Mississippi River presented by Lowrance 5/8-5/10
Mississippi River, La Crosse WI.
(NON_BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Tanner Morgan Byron, IL 9 31-10 0 $4,205.00
Day 1: 3 12-10 Day 2: 3 10-07 Day 3: 3 08-09
2. Dakota Brantmeyer McFarland, WI 9 30-07 0 $2,403.00
Day 1: 3 09-05 Day 2: 3 12-01 Day 3: 3 09-01
3. Adam Buss Bonduel, WI 9 28-01 0 $1,202.00
Day 1: 3 09-04 Day 2: 3 07-12 Day 3: 3 11-01
4. Bryan Kalen Mooresville, IN 9 27-09 0 $1,113.00
Day 1: 3 09-11 Day 2: 3 08-12 Day 3: 3 09-02
5. Kristopher Gaertner Morris, IL 9 27-02 0 $823.00
Day 1: 3 09-04 Day 2: 3 09-10 Day 3: 3 08-04
6. Renee Hensley Edwardsburg, MI 9 26-14 0 $691.00
Day 1: 3 09-07 Day 2: 3 10-04 Day 3: 3 07-03
7. Jesse Stewart Lima, OH 8 26-07 0 $618.00
Day 1: 3 09-00 Day 2: 3 11-02 Day 3: 2 06-05
8. Nathan Lechtenberg La Crosse, WI 9 26-05 0 $577.00
Day 1: 3 07-10 Day 2: 3 09-10 Day 3: 3 09-01
9. Derek Ehrhardt Garnavillo, IA 9 25-12 0 $541.00
Day 1: 3 08-03 Day 2: 3 09-14 Day 3: 3 07-11
10. Colten Didion Port Clinton, OH 9 25-05 0 $481.00
Day 1: 3 09-11 Day 2: 3 08-11 Day 3: 3 06-15
11. Perry See Rochester, MN 8 24-13 0 $481.00
Day 1: 3 06-02 Day 2: 3 11-09 Day 3: 2 07-02
12. Jeffrey Lopez Bolingbrook, IL 9 24-09 0 $421.00
Day 1: 3 05-13 Day 2: 3 11-06 Day 3: 3 07-06
13. Ian Mangino Sunbury, OH 9 24-02 0 $360.00
Day 1: 3 09-00 Day 2: 3 08-03 Day 3: 3 06-15
14. Dillon Sears Mason City, IA 8 21-04 0 $360.00
Day 1: 3 11-02 Day 2: 3 06-05 Day 3: 2 03-13
15. Terry Bunch Naperville, IL 7 20-15 0 $300.00
Day 1: 2 05-11 Day 2: 3 11-04 Day 3: 2 04-00
16. Adam Troyer Brownsburg, IN 7 20-14 0 $300.00
Day 1: 3 08-04 Day 2: 3 09-11 Day 3: 1 02-15
17. Brett Anderson Frederic, WI 7 20-13 0 $300.00
Day 1: 3 10-00 Day 2: 3 07-03 Day 3: 1 03-10
18. Matthew Marques Seneca, IL 7 19-03 0 $300.00
Day 1: 3 07-10 Day 2: 3 09-13 Day 3: 1 01-12
19. Greg Poetz Winsted, MN 7 18-10 0 $300.00
Day 1: 3 10-00 Day 2: 3 06-09 Day 3: 1 02-01
20. Justin Schmadeke Brandon, IA 7 18-10 0 $300.00
Day 1: 3 09-09 Day 2: 3 06-13 Day 3: 1 02-04
------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 54 225 569-01
2 60 232 606-14
3 11 46 125-02
------------------------------
125 503 1301-01
Walters grabs early advantage in Bassmaster Elite Series event at Lake Murray
May 10, 2024
Walters grabs early advantage in Bassmaster Elite Series event at Lake Murray
PROSPERITY, S.C. — With more than 48,000 acres, Lake Murray has plenty of places to find a bite. Dialing in the better ones is a process of elimination that favored home-state pro Patrick Walters.
Sacking up a limit of 25 pounds, 8 ounces, the pro from Eutawville, S.C., leads Day 1 of the Minn Kota Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray.
Exemplifying the importance of multiple options, the two-time Elite Series champion leveraged the morning blueback herring spawn, but also found consistent action throughout the day.
“It’s important to have (a diverse game plan) because you can start on the wrong spot,” Walters said. “You need options because you can run around little bit and make a couple of decisions.”
As Walters explained, his day did not begin as he had planned. Thankfully, he was able to regroup and establish a productive course.
“On my first spot, I thought I was going to catch a lot more weight than I did,” Walters said. “I caught one little one off of it and that was it.
“On my next spot, I caught another one. I didn’t want to leave; I would have stayed there all day if they had been good ones, but you have to move.”
Surmising that the baitfish he’d found spawning during practice had left, Walters said the area still held bass. However, without the herring spawn, the predictable feeding activity was nonexistent.
Reconnecting with the bite-making activity became his priority. As Walters explained, overlapping forage created interesting variables.
“You can target herring or threadfin shad spawns, but as we’re getting later in the year, you can find shad spawning (alongside) the herring,” Walters said. “You can go to certain areas and target just shad eaters and certain areas to target herring eaters.
“The key is you just have to find the bait.”
When he located spots where bass were targeting baitfish spawns, Walters used a variety of reaction baits to mimic the frantic forage appearance. After this action subsided, he transitioned to other undisclosed patterns that allowed him to complete his weight by around 11:30 a.m.
“There are a lot of shallow fish still left and there are a lot of fish moving deep,” said Walters, who anchored his limit with a 5-5. “It was about being able to go back and forth between shallow and deep.”
Walters said he fished Murray top to bottom. While the lower end of a reservoir typically offers the clearest water, Walters said that was not his focus. Ultimately, for the postspawners he sought, it was all about the food.
“I was not looking for clarity because clarity doesn’t really matter right now,” he said. “You don’t want dirty water, but clarity isn’t (most important).”
Walters kept his bait selection guarded, but he noted that he complemented his reaction bait assortment with a Carolina rig. He again kept his details slim, but offered a coy hint.
“You can fish a Carolina rig in 3 inches of water,” he grinned.
Looking ahead to the second round, Walters said he’ll try to replicate his Day 1 success, but he’s taking a realistic approach to the event’s progression.
“They bit today really well, but the fish are going to get pressured and the pods of fish are going to get broken up,” he said.
Lee Livesay of Longview, Texas, is in second place with 22-5. Starting his day on Murray’s lower end, Livesay caught most of his bass by targeting baitfish spawns, then moved uplake to fish riverine habitat.
“I like the lower end in the morning because the water’s clear; then I think it’s a little easier to get bit up the river later in the day because the water’s dirtier,” Livesay said. “I caught four of my fish in the lower end and one in the upper end.”
Livesay caught his bass on a chrome 6th Sense Catwalk topwater bait and a white Netbait Super Twitch. Speed was the key for both presentations.
Cody Huff of Ava, Mo., is in third place with 22-1. After enjoying a quick start to his day, Huff started running a mix of shallow targets and finished his opening round effort.
“I had a limit of 19 pounds pretty quickly and then I caught two big ones in the afternoon,” he said. “It was just one of those days when your moves just feel right.
“I caught a 5-pounder today, so it was just a good day where everything worked out.”
Huff said he caught all of his fish on reaction baits. However, he was not actually fishing a shad or herring spawn. His bass were in areas where the baitfish do spawn, but he believes that seasonal pattern was dwindling in his areas.
Joseph Webster of Hamilton, Ala. is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 6-6.
Cole Sands of Calhoun, Tenn., was found in violation of an element of the Bassmaster Sportsmanship rules. His first day’s catch was disqualified.
Rookie Trey McKinney of Carbondale, Ill., leads the Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Angler of the Year points standings with 480 points. Jordan Lee of Cullman, Ala., is in second with 444, followed by Huff with 412, Chris Johnston of Otonabee, Canada, with 407, and Jacob Foutz of Charleston, Tenn., with 403.
McKinney also leads the Dakota Lithium Bassmaster Rookie of the Year standings.
Saturday’s takeoff is scheduled for 7 a.m. ET at Dreher Island State Park. The weigh-in will be held at the park at 3 p.m., with only the Top 50 anglers advancing to Semifinal Sunday.
Follow all the action on FS1 from 7:30-10:30 a.m. and on Bassmaster.com from 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. ET. On Semifinal Sunday, watch live coverage on FS1from 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and on Bassmaster.com from 12:30-3 p.m. On Championship Monday watch live coverage on Bassmaster.com from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The event is being hosted by Capital City Lake Murray Country.
2024 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2024 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Progressive Insurance, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2024 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew's, Lowrance, Marathon, Triton Boats, VMC
About B.A.S.S.B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, 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 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
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Connect with #Bassmaster on Facebook, Instagram, Twitte
Media Contact: Chad Gay, Communications Manager, 865-201-6458, cgay@bassmaster.
2024 Minn Kota Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray 5/10-5/13
Lake Murray, Columbia SC.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Patrick Walters Eutawville, SC 5 25-08 103
Day 1: 5 25-08
2. Lee Livesay Longview, TX 5 22-05 102
Day 1: 5 22-05
3. Cody Huff Ava, MO 5 22-01 101
Day 1: 5 22-01
4. Trey McKinney Carbondale, IL 5 21-09 100
Day 1: 5 21-09
5. Mike Huff London, KY 5 21-05 99
Day 1: 5 21-05
6. Hunter Shryock Ooltewah, TN 5 21-05 98
Day 1: 5 21-05
7. John Garrett Union City, TN 5 21-01 97
Day 1: 5 21-01
7. JT Thompkins Myrtle Beach, SC 5 21-01 97
Day 1: 5 21-01
9. Ray Hanselman Jr Del Rio, TX 5 20-15 95
Day 1: 5 20-15
10. David Gaston Sylacauga, AL 5 20-12 94
Day 1: 5 20-12
10. Ben Milliken New Caney, TX 5 20-12 94
Day 1: 5 20-12
12. Matt Robertson Kuttawa, KY 5 20-08 92
Day 1: 5 20-08
13. Drew Cook Cairo, GA 5 20-02 91
Day 1: 5 20-02
14. Pat Schlapper Eleva, WI 5 19-14 90
Day 1: 5 19-14
15. Will Davis Jr Sylacauga, AL 5 19-14 89
Day 1: 5 19-14
16. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 5 19-12 88
Day 1: 5 19-12
17. Jay Przekurat Plover, WI 5 19-11 87
Day 1: 5 19-11
18. Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 5 19-09 86
Day 1: 5 19-09
19. Austin Felix Eden Prairie, MN 5 19-08 85
Day 1: 5 19-08
20. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 5 19-07 84
Day 1: 5 19-07
21. Jacob Foutz Charleston, TN 5 19-06 83
Day 1: 5 19-06
22. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 5 19-05 82
Day 1: 5 19-05
23. Jason Christie Dry Creek, OK 5 19-04 81
Day 1: 5 19-04
24. Ed Loughran III Richmond, VA 5 19-00 80
Day 1: 5 19-00
25. Justin Hamner Northport, AL 5 18-14 79
Day 1: 5 18-14
26. Jeff Gustafson Kenora, ON Ontario CANA 5 18-13 78
Day 1: 5 18-13
26. Jonathan Kelley Old Forge, PA 5 18-13 78
Day 1: 5 18-13
26. Logan Parks Auburn, AL 5 18-13 78
Day 1: 5 18-13
29. Kenta Kimura Osaka OK JAPAN 5 18-07 75
Day 1: 5 18-07
30. Bryant Smith Roseville, CA 5 18-07 74
Day 1: 5 18-07
31. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 5 18-00 73
Day 1: 5 18-00
32. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 5 17-15 72
Day 1: 5 17-15
33. Kyle Patrick Cooperstown, NY 5 17-14 71
Day 1: 5 17-14
34. Matty Wong Honolulu, HI 5 17-13 70
Day 1: 5 17-13
35. Jordan Lee Cullman, AL 5 17-11 69
Day 1: 5 17-11
36. Scott Martin Clewiston, FL 5 17-07 68
Day 1: 5 17-07
37. Bob Downey Detroit Lakes, MN 5 17-06 67
Day 1: 5 17-06
38. Wesley Gore Clanton, AL 5 17-05 66
Day 1: 5 17-05
39. Chris Johnston Otonabee Ontario CANADA 5 17-03 65
Day 1: 5 17-03
40. John Cox Debary, FL 5 17-02 64
Day 1: 5 17-02
41. Chris Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 5 17-00 63
Day 1: 5 17-00
42. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 5 16-15 62
Day 1: 5 16-15
43. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 5 16-14 61
Day 1: 5 16-14
43. Cooper Gallant Bowmanville Ontario CAN 5 16-14 61
Day 1: 5 16-14
43. Alex Redwine Blue Ash, OH 5 16-14 61
Day 1: 5 16-14
43. Bryan Schmitt Deale, MD 5 16-14 61
Day 1: 5 16-14
47. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 5 16-12 57
Day 1: 5 16-12
47. Wes Logan Springville, AL 5 16-12 57
Day 1: 5 16-12
49. Taku Ito Dalton GA JAPAN 5 16-11 55
Day 1: 5 16-11
50. Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 5 16-06 54
Day 1: 5 16-06
51. Caleb Kuphall Mukwonago, WI 5 16-05 53
Day 1: 5 16-05
52. John Soukup Sapulpa, OK 5 16-04 52
Day 1: 5 16-04
53. Shane LeHew Catawba, NC 5 16-03 51
Day 1: 5 16-03
54. Justin Atkins Florence, AL 5 16-01 50
Day 1: 5 16-01
54. Robert Gee Knoxville, TN 5 16-01 50
Day 1: 5 16-01
56. Kyle Norsetter Cottage Grove, WI 5 15-15 48
Day 1: 5 15-15
57. Matt Arey Shelby, NC 5 15-11 47
Day 1: 5 15-11
57. Alex Wetherell Middletown, CT 5 15-11 47
Day 1: 5 15-11
57. Jason Williamson Aiken, SC 5 15-11 47
Day 1: 5 15-11
60. Cory Johnston Otonabee CANADA 5 15-10 44
Day 1: 5 15-10
61. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 5 15-09 43
Day 1: 5 15-09
61. Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 5 15-09 43
Day 1: 5 15-09
61. Joseph Webster Hamilton, AL 5 15-09 43
Day 1: 5 15-09
64. Frank Talley Belton, TX 5 15-06 40
Day 1: 5 15-06
65. Todd Auten Clover, SC 5 15-02 39
Day 1: 5 15-02
65. Jake Whitaker Hendersonville, NC 5 15-02 39
Day 1: 5 15-02
67. Logan Latuso Gonzales, LA 5 15-01 37
Day 1: 5 15-01
68. Kyle Welcher Valley, AL 5 15-00 36
Day 1: 5 15-00
69. Bryan New Leesville, SC 5 14-10 35
Day 1: 5 14-10
70. Carl Jocumsen Queensland TN AUSTRALIA 5 14-07 34
Day 1: 5 14-07
71. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 5 14-06 33
Day 1: 5 14-06
72. Joey Cifuentes III Clinton, AR 5 14-05 32
Day 1: 5 14-05
73. Gregory DiPalma Millville, NJ 5 14-04 31
Day 1: 5 14-04
74. Tyler Williams Belgrade, ME 5 14-02 30
Day 1: 5 14-02
75. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 5 14-01 29
Day 1: 5 14-01
76. Buddy Gross Chattanooga, TN 5 13-14 28
Day 1: 5 13-14
77. Brandon Card Salisbury, NC 5 13-13 27
Day 1: 5 13-13
77. Derek Hudnall Zachary, LA 5 13-13 27
Day 1: 5 13-13
79. Koby Kreiger Alva, FL 5 13-12 25
Day 1: 5 13-12
80. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 5 13-10 24
Day 1: 5 13-10
81. Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 5 13-05 23
Day 1: 5 13-05
82. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 5 13-03 22
Day 1: 5 13-03
82. KJ Queen Catawba, NC 5 13-03 22
Day 1: 5 13-03
84. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 5 12-15 20
Day 1: 5 12-15
85. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 5 12-14 19
Day 1: 5 12-14
86. Scott Canterbury Odenville, AL 5 12-12 18
Day 1: 5 12-12
86. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 5 12-12 18
Day 1: 5 12-12
88. Clark Wendlandt Leander, TX 5 12-08 16
Day 1: 5 12-08
89. Seth Feider New Market, MN 5 12-06 15
Day 1: 5 12-06
90. Marc Frazier Newnan, GA 5 12-04 14
Day 1: 5 12-04
90. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 5 12-04 14
Day 1: 5 12-04
92. Timothy Dube Nashua , NH 4 12-04 12
Day 1: 4 12-04
93. Kyoya Fujita Yamanashi CA JAPAN 4 12-01 11
Day 1: 4 12-01
94. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 4 11-07 10
Day 1: 4 11-07
95. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 5 10-15 9
Day 1: 5 10-15
96. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 5 10-13 8
Day 1: 5 10-13
97. Chad Pipkens Dewitt, MI 5 09-10 7
Day 1: 5 09-10
98. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 3 08-08 6
Day 1: 3 08-08
99. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 3 07-09 5
Day 1: 3 07-09
100. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 2 05-08 4
Day 1: 2 05-08
101. Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 2 03-10 3
Day 1: 2 03-10
102. Cole Sands Calhoun , TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 94 492 1633-07
------------------------------
94 492 1633-07
MLF Phoenix BFL Music City Division Event on Center Hill Lake Cancelled Due to High Water Levels
WHAT:
The Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine (BFL) Music City Division tournament on Center Hill Lake, scheduled for Sat. May 11, has been cancelled by MLF Tournament Director Robert Evans due to extremely high water levels and unsafe conditions for competitors.
The tournament date has been rescheduled to Sunday, June 16, and will now be held on Old Hickory Lake. This will follow the already scheduled BFL tournament on Old Hickory Lake on Saturday, June 15.
WHEN:
Sunday, June 16, 2024
Takeoff: 6:30 a.m. CT
Weigh-In: 2:30 p.m. CT
WHERE:
Old Hickory Lake, Bulls Creek Access, Gallatin, Tenn.
NOTES:
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 17-19 BFL Regional tournament on Clarks Hill Lake in Appling, Georgia. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard.
The 2024 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL 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.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Fishin' Tip Friday with Drew Benton
AC Insider Vance McCullough caught up with Bassmaster Elite Series Pro, Drew Benton on the St. John's River. Drew has earned over a MILLION dollars fishing with BASS and a lot of it has been done on the banks. Drew knows how to catch those shallow fish in all stages of the spawn, but ESPECIALLY when he's looking at 'em. Drew gives us a few pointers on fishing the spawn on tidal waters...take a look for yourself!
Fish a Shakey Head Like a Pro
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MLF Stays in Town – Eufaula, Oklahoma Set to Host Toyota Series at Lake Eufaula
The three-day tournament, hosted by Vision Eufaula, is the third and final event of the year for Central Division anglers. The event will feature a roster of the region’s best bass-fishing pros and Strike King co-anglers competing for a top prize of up to $100,000 in the pro division and a new Phoenix 518 Pro boat with a 115-horsepower outboard motor plus $5,000 in the co-angler division.
Local pro Chris Jones of Bokoshe, Oklahoma, said he hasn’t been on the fishery since his seventh place finish at the Phoenix Bass Fishing League event there in March, but is looking forward to an exciting tournament.
“We were able to see the current condition of the fishery last week when the Bass Pro Tour was on Lake Eufaula,” said Jones. “Nearly 70 percent of the lake is still flooded, so it’s probably going to fish a lot smaller than what it would normally fish.”
The Oklahoma native grew up on Lake Eufaula and said he’s had a lot of good and bad tournaments on the state’s largest lake.
“Eufaula’s been really good to me over the years,” said Jones. “I’ve had a lot of top-five and other good finishes out on that lake. I don’t know if it will show its true potential next week, with the recent weather and how tough it’s been, but it will still be a great event.”
Back-to-back weather systems and daily rain has pummeled the fishery over the past week, but Jones said he’s hoping the water will come down some before the start of the tournament.
“I expect to see guys flipping and fishing a lot of flooded bushes, as well as throwing a spinnerbait and a ChatterBait – just think we’ll see a power-fishing kind of deal throughout this tournament,” said Jones. “The event is really going to depend on who can find the right little areas that can maintain fish and continue to replenish for three days.
“I think it’s going to take about 15 to 17 pounds per day to win the event,” Jones continued. “A lot of the bass were trying to spawn last week, so I think the majority of the bass will be postspawn by the time we get there. That means they’ll potentially be a little lighter in weight and probably won’t be feeding as much. There may be a shad spawn going on by then, so there might be a few with some ‘meat on their bones’, but I think it will fish very similar to the Bass Pro Tour event.”
Jones said Lake Eufaula is a bit unique and reminds him of Lake Texoma.
“There’s a lot of sand towards the dam, but the majority of the lake is a mix of a little bit of clay and a lot of rock – slate rock, big boulders and bluff banks,” said Jones. “The good thing is you can typically fish clearer water towards the dam, or go north or south and fish stained water, so guys can really pick their poison on which area of the lake they want to fish.”
Anglers will launch at 6:30 a.m. CT each day from the Peter’s Point-Nichols Point Boat Ramp, located at 400 Lakeshore Drive in Eufaula. Weigh-ins will also be held at the ramp and will begin at 2:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend and encouraged to follow the event online through the “MLF Live” weigh-in broadcasts and daily coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
In Toyota Series regular-season competition, payouts are based on the number of participants competing in the event, scaling up for every 20 boats over 160 and scaling down for every boat below 160. With a 160-boat field, pros fish for a top prize of up to $75,000, if Phoenix MLF Bonus qualified. Strike King co-anglers cast for the top prize of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard (valued at $33,500). With a 260-boat field, pros fish for a top award of up to $100,000, if Phoenix MLF Bonus qualified. Strike King co-anglers cast for the top prize of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard plus $5,000 cash.
The 2024 Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats consists of six divisions – Central, Northern, Plains, Southern, Southwestern and the Western Division Presented by Tackle Warehouse – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International and Wild Card divisions. Anglers who fish in any of the six divisions or the Wild Card division and finish in the top 25 will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series Championship for a shot at winning up to $235,000 and a qualification to REDCREST 2025. The winning Strike King co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard. The 2024 Toyota Series Championship will be held Nov. 7-9 on Wheeler Lake in Huntsville, Alabama, and is hosted by the Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Madison County Commission, and the Huntsville Sports Commission.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Toyota Series include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, FX Custom Rods, General Tire, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters, YETI.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Toyota Series updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
One Fish for $100K – MLF’s General Tire Heavy Hitters All-Star Event Set to Compete on Kissimmee Chain Next Week
KISSIMMEE, Fla. (May 9, 2024) – One lucky angler is going to catch one bass on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes next week and walk away $100,000 richer.
Major League Fishing (MLF), the world’s largest tournament fishing organization, is set to return to Kissimmee, Florida, May 18-23, for the fifth-annual General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops at the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes.
Hosted by Experience Kissimmee, the All-Star tournament will showcase the 30 pros that qualified from the 2023 Bass Pro Tour season competing in a no-entry-fee tournament for a top prize of $100,000 to the winner. Anglers will also be awarded Big Bass Bonuses during the competition, that pay up to $100,000 for catching the single biggest bass.
To qualify for General Tire Heavy Hitters, the weight of an angler’s single-largest bass from each event of the seven 2023 Bass Pro Tour events was recorded. The 30 anglers with the heaviest total from those seven bass qualified to compete in this event.
"We are pleased to welcome back Major League Fishing Heavy Hitters to Lake Toho and the Kissimmee area,” said Tyler Weyant, Director of Sports Development for the Kissimmee Sports Commission. “We're honored to host this prestigious event once again, building on the success of our collaboration back in June 2020. To all participants, families, and friends joining us for the tournament, I encourage you to take full advantage of your time here in Kissimmee. Explore local shops, savor the flavors of our diverse restaurants, and immerse yourselves in the culture of our city. Your support not only enhances your experience but also contributes to the vitality of our community."
This event marks the fourth time that the MLF Bass Pro Tour will hold an event on the Kissimmee Chain – extending Kissimmee’s record as the most-visited venue on the Bass Pro Tour. The first ever Bass Pro Tour event was held on the Kissimmee Chain in January of 2019, with a return to Kissimmee in June of 2020 for the inaugural General Tire Heavy Hitters event.
When the Bass Pro Tour last visited the venue to open the season in 2023, Power-Pole pro Chris Lane used his encyclopedic knowledge of Lake Kissimmee and understanding of Florida bass to coax bites from the heavily pressured fishery and catch enough bass to take home the big red trophy and $100,000 payday.
“The Kissimmee Chain is a big bass factory – we’re going to catch them all over the place,” said Lane, who grew up fishing the chain with his grandfather, father and brothers. “I think it’ll take an 8-plus-pounder every day to win the big bass award. It’s a great time of the year to be fishing there, I am ready to go and can’t wait to get back out there again.”
Lane said that he expects the majority of fish to be in their postspawn patterns, but he wouldn’t be at all surprised if there still were some fish found on beds.
“You just never know down there. Two years ago, at Lake Okeechobee, they flooded the banks in May,” Lane said. “Now obviously that’s a little different story than here, but it goes to show that you never know what the fish are going to be doing until you get there. I can definitely see guys catching some spawners.
“All four lakes – Hatchineha, Cypress, Toho and Kissimmee – are good, and any cast on the chain could be a giant,” Lane continued. “I think guys are going to spread out, and we’re going to see some substantial weights. I’ll be interested to see how much forward-facing sonar plays next week. It will probably be a factor.”
Lane said that he’ll have his signature baits tied on and expects to use them all heavily – the River2Sea Lane Changer, Bass Pro Shops XPS Chaos Shad, Bass Pro Shops XPS Crawdigy Craw, and the bait that he won on in 2023 – the Bass Pro Shops Stik-O Worm.
“The key is going to be not going more than an hour without a bite,” Lane said. “If you get in a lull there, you’re in trouble. In a five-fish format, you can weather those lulls, but in the Bass Pro Tour format, you need to keep stacking them on the SCORETRACKER. It’s going to be important to keep the momentum up for as long as you can.”
Anglers will launch each day at 7:30 a.m. ET from Big Toho Marina located at 69 Lakeview Drive in Kissimmee. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will be held at the park, beginning at 4 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLFNOW! live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
On Days 1 and 2 of the event, Saturday, May 18 and Sunday, May 19, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. MLF will welcome fans of all ages to visit Big Toho Marina located at 69 Lakeview Drive in Kissimmee, to watch the pros live on the MLFNOW! big screen, enjoy free food, enter to win hourly giveaways and cheer on their favorite pros. The first 50 kids 14 and under will receive a free rod and reel from Pure Fishing each day. Heavy Hitters competitors will cross the stage at 4:30 p.m. following lines out and will be available to meet and greet fans, sign autographs and take selfies.
The General Tire Heavy Hitters at the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes Presented by Bass Pro Shops features the MLF catch, weigh, immediate-release format, in which anglers catch as much weight as they can each day, while also feeling the pressure and intensity of the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard. A bass must meet the 2-pound minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable in the Qualifying and Knockout Rounds, but for the final day Championship Round a bass must weigh at least 3 pounds to be deemed scorable.
The 15 Anglers in Group A compete in their two-day qualifying round on Saturday and Monday – the 15 anglers in Group B on Sunday and Tuesday. After each two-day qualifying round is complete, the top eight anglers from both groups advance to Wednesday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round weights are zeroed, and the remaining 16 anglers compete to finish in the top 10 to advance to the Championship Round. In Thursday’s final-day Championship Round, weights are zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.
In addition to the tournament, Big Bass Bonuses are awarded in each round of competition with payouts of $10,000, $30,000 and $100,000 awarded to the single biggest fish in the Group A & B Qualifying, Knockout and Championship rounds.
The 30 anglers that will be competing in General Tire Heavy Hitters at the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes Presented by Bass Pro Shops are:
Group A:
Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J.
Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tenn.
Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala.
Brandon Coulter, Knoxville, Tenn.
Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn.
David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va.
Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas
Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif.
Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla.
Alton Jones, Jr., Waco, Texas
Marty Robinson, Lyman, S.C.
Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala.
Scott Suggs, Alexander, Ark.
Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C.
Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn.
Group B:
Todd Faircloth, Jasper, Texas
Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C.
Dylan Hays, Hot Springs, Ark.
Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala.
Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala.
Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C.
Britt Myers, Lake Wylie, S.C.
Takahiro Omori, Tokyo, Japan
Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala.
Mark Rose, Wynne, Ark.
Gerald Spohrer, Gonzales, La.
Jeff Sprague, Wills Point, Texas
Randall Tharp, Port Saint Joe, Fla.
Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich.
Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala.
The MLFNOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action live on all six days of competition from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET. MLFNOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app, and Rumble.
Television coverage of the General Tire Heavy Hitters 2024 Presented by Bass Pro Shops will be showcased across six two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, Aug. 10 and running each Saturday through Sept. 14 on Discovery. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on the Outdoor Channel.
Proud sponsors of General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops include: Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Barbasol, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, BUBBA, Fishing Clash, General Tire, Kubota, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak Fishing, NITRO, Onyx, Plano, Power-Pole, REDCON1, Star brite, Toyota, U.S. Air Force and YETI.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
“Game Changer” Plug & Play Trolling Motor Rigging System
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“Game Changer” Plug & Play Trolling Motor Rigging System |
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Connect-Ease® RCE24VBCHK & RCE24VSCK Kit Systems Offer Anglers Plug & Play Solutions For Rigging 24V Trolling Motors and Batteries |
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PRIOR LAKE, MN (May 9, 2024) – One of the hassles of fishing is dealing with boat batteries, whether you use lead acid, AGM, gel, or lithium. Ultimately, we all want our electronics and trolling motor to work flawlessly on the water, providing enough power to see us through a long day filling the live well—or a couple days—without the need for recharging. And anglers’ boats come in all sizes, shapes, and species-specific styles. From fishing kayaks to 14- and 16-foot all-purpose fishing boats, to dual “cast & blast” jon boats, to walleye and bass boats, center consoles, and big water rigs, anglers use all kinds of vessels to chase gamefish. And here’s a fact: Most anglers in the U.S. do not run big, fancy boats requiring the latest in 36V trolling motors. Reality is, the majority of anglers fish from rigs with 12 or 24V trolling motors, which supply more than enough power, whether used on the bow or transom. Not forgetting about this quorum, Connect-Ease is pleased to offer anglers and boaters running 24V trolling motors with a “game changing” plug & play trolling motor system that provides clean power, easy rigging, as well as Quik-Connect plugs to remove your battery or batteries without a wrench and spilled nuts and washers. |
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The Connect-Ease “Game Changer” (RCE24VBCHK) is an easy-to-use system for anglers and outdoor enthusiasts who want to quickly connect, remove, or just disconnect their batteries for charging, replacement, storage, or theft elimination. Connect-Ease’s patented system takes the guesswork and frustration our of hooking up 24V trolling motors, correctly connecting batteries in series every time. Industrial-grade, corrosion-free connections provide clean voltage, keeping high-output trolling motor in top condition. The “Game Changer” also makes for easy battery removal and replacement in seconds from tight boating compartments without any tools. Again, the product features corrosion-free connections and provides the voltage vital for marine equipment performance and longevity. And once Connect-Ease products are installed, no tools are needed for the removal, replacement or storage of expensive marine batteries. Using Connect-Ease series products allows connecting any 12V marine battery with any equipment or device at any time, any place, easily and quickly, by simply snapping the plug & play Quik-Connect connectors together. |
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FEATURES
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
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24V “IGNITE” Single Case Lithium Battery Connection System Lithium batteries have significantly reduced weight while greatly increasing consistent voltage and power, as well as runtime. Designed specifically for lithium battery users, meet the Connect-Ease® IGNITE Single Case Lithium Battery Connection System (RCE24VSCK). Designed to power any 24V trolling motor on the market, the Connect-Ease IGNITE Single Case kit features 6-gauge wire, onboard charging leads, 60 amp circuit breaker, and negative connection block—offering anglers quick installation with everything preconfigured for proven, reliable performance. The 24V IGNITE Single Case Lithium Battery Connection System is the best power connection for any trolling motor with 60-100Ah lithium single-case batteries from Dakota Lithium, Amped Outdoors, Norsk Lithium, Monster Lithium, Abyss, and many others. FEATURES
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
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Blueback Basics with Brandon Lester
By Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships
When Brandon Lester thinks of Lake Murray, he immediately thinks about blueback herring. These unique baitfish and Lake Murray are linked together like a Toyota Tundra towing a bass boat for the even-keeled Tennessee pro. Targeting bass that are keying on bluebacks is exactly how Lester plans to fish the 2024 Minn Kota Bassmaster Elite on Lake Murray.
Luckily for Lester, he drew boat #2 for the first day of competition, so he’ll have his choice of starting spots in the morning. This is a huge deal on lakes where blueback herring are a predominate forage for bass, perhaps none more important than this fishery.
“In my opinion this is probably the most famous herring lake in the country,” Lester said. “Which means these are highly educated fish that have seen just about everything. It’s almost like Tennessee River ledges… a lake might be known for something, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. You can catch the fire out of them one day and want to pull your hair out the next.”
Blueback herring as a species are anadromous, which means they live in the sea and migrate into freshwater to spawn. The bluebacks in Lake Murray were introduced here in the 90s, but they are progeny of their saltwater ranging ancestors. This history is thought to be part of the reason why blueback herring move so much and so fast. They are on the menu for a lot of different fish and other critters in saltwater environments.
Lester is hopeful his good boat draw will help him get off to a solid start the first day which is one of his three keys to his success in this tournament and on lakes where bluebacks are on the menu. Lester said the first hour of fishing will be crucial, along with getting into a good rotation of spots and then hopefully cracking the code of how to make bass focused on herring bite when they aren’t actively feeding.
“Murray was stingy in practice but if you can get a bait if front of the bass when they are busting and boiling on herring you will more than likely catch them,” Lester explained. “But figuring out how to make those fish bite when they aren’t actively feeding is the key to a great tournament this week. I couldn’t do that with any consistency in practice, so I’m hoping I can figure more out during the tournament.”
Lester has Carolina staples like a big walking topwater and a weightless soft plastic jerkbait rigged to his signature line of Mustad BLF Instinct Elite rods, as well as a LIVETARGET Twitch Minnow to pick off roaming Murray largemouth. The Team Toyota pro hopes to have some tricks up his sleeve with a few sneakier offerings to show these herring eaters this week, but for the most part he plans to stick to the basics.
“This will be all about timing and decision making, the techniques are pretty basic,” Lester admitted. “I guess you could say that about most tournaments, but it’s magnified on Murray. A fast start and a rotation of a handful of spots that produce a few good fish will be crucial. I don’t have confidence in milking any one spot for a big bag on this lake. I have to run and gun a bit to put a strong limit together.”
In 2023 on Lake Murray Lester dabbled with bass chasing bluebacks en route to one of his impressive forty-nine top twenty Bassmaster finishes, but he had a few other patterns to fall back on. This year Lester is all in on the herring deal, which can be feast or famine, but few anglers have a more consistent record of feasting than Lester in his eight years as a full-time pro.
Alfred Williams Casts Historic Line as First African-American Inducted into Bass Fishing Hall of Fame
By Charity Muehlenweg • Major League Fishing
It’s early summer of 1953, and Saturday mornings can’t come fast enough for Alfred Williams. Every Saturday morning, 6-year-old Williams wakes up early and mills around the house, hoping for an invite on a fishing adventure with Grandma. He’s in charge of carrying her bucket and keeping the snakes away during their outing, a big job for such a little guy.
“Grandma smoked a pipe, and she’d get that pipe lit and settled in the corner of her mouth and sit so quiet….and so content…and I’d just watch her,” Williams said. “I wasn’t fishing much back in those days; I was just watching. Waiting. Learning.”
Those tranquil moments would prove pivotal for Williams as he learned to navigate an uncertain world with quiet grace and got his first glimpse into a sport he would grow to love for the next 70 years. Alfred Williams was born on April 9, 1947, in Jackson, Mississippi, where he spent his youth with a cane pole in hand, casting along the banks of the Pearl River with friends and family.
“Fishing was a way to bring people together in a time of racial tension,” Williams said. “There were groups of every race fishing down on the river. We always had a good time, but we weren’t fishing for sport – we were fishing to put food on the table.”
But the hook had been set. By the age of 10, Williams was fishing anywhere and everywhere he could, with anyone who would take him. By 14, Williams could often be seen on the banks of the Pearl River, alone or with friends.
Young Williams had no idea that he was embarking on a journey that would see him become the first African-American to qualify for the Bassmaster Classic in 1983, and a lifetime later in 2024, the first African-American to be inducted into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame.
In March of 1970, Williams returned from a tour in Vietnam at the age of 23. After three long years in the military without touching a fishing rod, he immediately hopped on a boat to go crappie fishing with a friend and felt the excitement course through his veins as his love for the sport came rushing back.
That was it for Williams. He bought a little boat with a 50-horsepower outboard and spent the next three years bass fishing every chance he could get. In 1973, he strolled into a Woolco department store and bought a Raycraft bass boat for $529.
“I couldn’t get that boat on the water fast enough,” Williams said. “I brought it back home, took the motor off the little runabout boat I had and put it on the bass boat. We picked the boat up from Woolco at 9 a.m. and were out on the Ross Barnett Reservoir by 2 p.m. that afternoon.”
Williams fished his first local bass tournament in 1975 in Jackson, Mississippi, in the beginning of the post-Civil Rights Movement era.
Although racial desegregation had been mandated by federal law and court rulings in the 1950s and 60s, the process of integration was extremely slow and in many cases, painful. Barriers between races continued to exist across the South, especially in the Jackson, Mississippi, area where Williams grew up.
“I went into a store and saw an application for the Have a Heart Bass Classic, and I really wanted to fish that tournament,” Williams explained. “So, I looked over the application and thought about it for a while, then called the number to talk to the tournament director. “I said, ‘Listen, I’m calling about this tournament and I really want to fish this event,’ and he said they’d be happy to have me. I said, ‘Well, look, I’m black – do you guys have any problems with me fishing this event?’
While African-American citizens and athletes had begun breaking down racial barriers by 1975, African-American athletes had been largely excluded from full participation in most professional sports, relegating them to compete in segregated leagues, which offered lower pay and visibility than the pro leagues. “I won’t ever forget his response,” Williams said. “He said, ‘You are absolutely welcome. This tournament is for the Heart Association and it’s for everybody. If you want to fish it, send your application in and if anybody says anything to you about fishing it, you call me. We want you to fish.’
“If he’d waivered or said it might be a problem, I wasn’t going to worry about it, I just wasn’t going to fish it. But he assured me that we were more than welcome.”
Williams filled out his application and mailed it in along with his entry fee. Although Williams speaks about the racial inequality of those times with grace, this first brush with the world of tournament bass fishing was around the same timeframe that Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s home run record (1974) and received hundreds of thousands of hate mail letters and death threats for beating a white man’s record.
It was also around the same time as the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968 and his mother, Mrs. Alberta King, in 1974.
“We were a little nervous about it all,” Williams admitted. “My wife Gracie and I were raised in the South and just knew how things were back then. But just hearing the tournament director say how glad they would be for us to come eased our nerves a bit.”
Williams excitedly rigged his tackle and got geared up for his first tournament, then he and Gracie dressed to the nines and headed to the pre-tournament banquet.
“Back then, there was a banquet the night before every tournament, and those banquets were huge social gatherings,” Williams said. “We walked into our first banquet at this fancy, exclusive restaurant – there must have been 400 to 500 people in there – and when we walked through the door, you could have heard a pin drop. Everyone stopped what they were doing and just stared at us. We looked around and saw an empty table and found a seat.”
What happened next was a pivotal moment for Williams and his wife, Gracie, and is still a pivotal moment in the history of bass fishing.
“We had barely gotten seated when a well-dressed white gentleman walked up to our table,” Williams said. “We watched him approach with a little apprehension, and he said, ‘You don’t know me, but I see you catching fish behind my house out on the [Ross Barnett] reservoir all the time. My wife and I would be honored if y’all would come over and sit at our table and have dinner with us.’ And of course we did, and that broke the ice.
“He was the general manager for a well-known car dealer and was on television commercials and well respected. Everyone in the room went back to talking and socializing, and from that day on, he and I were really, really good friends up until he passed away.”
Williams drew avid hunter, fisherman and NFL football pro Perry Lee Dunn in that first event, finishing 33rd, only a few places from making a check.
“That was my first tournament, and my first response from the bass-fishing community, and I was absolutely hooked,” Williams said. “I’d proven myself and shown that I knew what I was doing, and I couldn’t wait to get back out there for the next tournament a couple weeks later.”
While racial inequality was still prevalent in the 70s and 80s, Williams said he and Gracie found not only acceptance, but respect, friendship and camaraderie in the bass-fishing community from day one and the couple has never dealt with any open racial discrimination over the nearly 50 years he’s been in the sport.
“It was just a feeling of relief, honestly, being free to do what I loved,” Williams said. “After that I just felt accepted.”
Williams began fishing tournaments with B.A.S.S. and Operation Bass – which later became FLW, then Major League Fishing (MLF), in 1983 and has fished a total of 98 tournaments with B.A.S.S. and 178 tournaments with MLF over the past 41 years, winning four events and earning numerous Top 10s. Williams fished professionally with B.A.S.S. from 1987-2003 and professionally with FLW from 1997-1998 and 2004-2008. To this day, Williams enjoys fishing the occasional Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) tournament in the Mississippi Division.
None of the bass clubs in Mississippi in the 70s and 80s had African-American members, so Williams and his fellow
black anglers fished in their own club. “Back then, all the bass clubs were full, and there were only three or four tournaments each spring, they didn’t have one every weekend like we do now,” Williams said. “We had a few white guys start joining our club in the late 70s, early 80s. We won a state tournament in 1983, which qualified me for the state team. We then fished a divisional tournament and won, and as the top team member, I qualified for the 1983 Bassmaster Classic.”
Williams was the first African-American angler to qualify for the Classic, which was being held on the Ohio River that year, a fishery Williams had never visited. In fact, the Mississippi native had only fished on Ross Barnett Reservoir up to that point.
“My boat was parked with Hank Parker on one side and Rick Clunn on the other side,” Williams said. “I just couldn’t believe it at the time – I still can’t believe it today.”
Williams said the whole experience was something he would never forget – from being chauffeured around town, dining out at every meal with the whole Classic entourage, and being catered to throughout the entire event. Williams finished 10th out of 42 competitors, ranking ahead of Parker, Clunn, Denny Brauer and Roland Martin – no small feat for his first major tournament, especially on a new body of water.
“Things really started happening for me after that time,” Williams said. “Beating so many of the guys that I’d read about in Bassmaster magazine, I felt such a sense of accomplishment. It was amazing and really gave me the confidence and determination to continue pursuing my dream.”
Williams received numerous congratulations after the Classic, including encouraging words from Paul Elias, who advised him to talk to Forrest L. Wood – founder of Ranger Boats – about competing professionally.
“I spoke with Forrest, thanking him for letting me use the boat during the Classic, and giving me the opportunity to fish,” Williams said. “I told him I really wanted to get into tournament fishing more and asked if there was anything he could do to help me get started. He told me to write him a letter when I got back home.”
Williams wrote the letter, and Wood and Ranger endorsed him and provided his tournament boat for the next 28 years.
“I can’t thank Forrest enough for that opportunity and for supplying me with a state-of-the-art boat all those years to follow my passion,” Williams said. The first tournament I ever won was the Dr. Pepper Open back in 1978. I took home a check for $2,500, which was a huge payday in the late 70s, but knowing my boat was taken care of each year was a huge blessing.”
Fast forward to 2024 and the bass-fishing community is celebrating yet another milestone with Williams and his family – as the first African-American to be inducted into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame. Mark Daniels Jr., an African-American pro who fishes the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour, met Williams through a mutual friend back in 2015, and the two became fast friends. However, Daniels said he’s been looking up to Alfred long before that first meeting.
“I was ate up with fishing from a young age, and you just never saw anyone who was African-American fishing professionally, so I was really inspired by Alfred,” Daniels said. “I belonged to a bass club, and we had some African-American weekend warriors, but no pros.”
Daniels expressed the importance for aspiring anglers to see professional anglers that they can identify with but said that Williams’ influence on the sport runs much deeper than the color of his skin.
“Every time the water temp gets above 55 degrees, we can’t wait to fish topwater and throw a frog – and every time I throw a frog, I think of Alfred,” Daniels said. “Regular, hollow-body frogs came out many years ago, with semi-hard plastic legs. Alfred had the inclination to cut off the plastic legs, then cut the skirt off a spinnerbait and push the spinnerbait skirt through the holes on the frog, so it now has spinner-bait style legs as opposed to hard legs.”
While Williams didn’t create the frog, he has been attributed for helping put it on the map and helping create the modern-day frog experience. Williams is also credited with adding weight to his favorite Snag Proof models to make them ride lower in the water, dramatically improving his hooksets, as well as adding a rattle chamber to the belly to draw more strikes. Snag Proof incorporated some of Williams’ frog modifications in certain tournament models of its frogs.
“You see those types of frogs everywhere now,” Daniels said. “From the highest-end baits made in Japan, to all the American-made baits and everything in between, every hollow-body frog has skirted legs and that is literally Alfred’s design. That blows my mind.
“There’s always somebody that takes that first step and breaks the mold, and Alfred is that guy. He’s truly a pioneer in our sport. One can only imagine how apprehensive he was when he first started out, yet he overcame all of that and had a very successful career as a tournament angler. I’m very proud of him and his accomplishments and am happy to call him a friend.”
Williams’ success over the years has attracted more African-American anglers, and opened the door for Daniels, Ish Monroe, Brian Latimer and other African-American anglers along the way. But his impact and his legacy have been far-reaching throughout the entire bass world.
Dudley Salers is a lifelong friend of Williams who’s competed with him for over 50 years. Salers and Williams fished the former Red Man Trail together in the 70s – now known as the Phoenix Bass Fishing League – but never let their competitive nature come before their friendship.
“I have a lot of respect for Alfred and am proud to call him my friend. He’s just a genuinely nice person and treats everyone with respect,” said the 83-year-old Salers.
“He called to tell me he’d been nominated, and I was so happy for him. I told him it’s an honor just to be nominated, but when they selected him, I was thrilled. Alfred’s had a lot of success in his lifetime, and a lot of opportunities that could have changed him, but he’s never let it go to his head. He’s just always been the same old Alfred.”
That sentiment is shared throughout the bass community. Bill Taylor – former MLF Tournament Director and the longest-tenured tournament director in the company’s history – said he started watching Williams when he fished for Bassmaster in the 70s, not realizing at the time that he was watching history in the making.
“I watched him his first few years, then followed him on the Red Man Trail, but I didn’t meet him until the late 80s when he was fishing the BFL’s,” Taylor said. “I took a liking to Alfred because he was a great angler and was very well respected. His wife, Gracie, traveled with him on tour and they were just a lovely couple. Everyone loved him. “Alfred inspired a lot of people throughout his lifetime and continues to inspire today. I grew up in the 50s and 60s and saw firsthand the racial tension throughout the country. Race was never brought up the entire time I worked with Alfred, but I admire him deeply for getting involved in professional fishing when he did, because it had to have been a challenge.”
Williams said after everything he’s experienced in his lifetime, being inducted into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame is just the icing on the cake.
“I feel very, very honored,” he said. “I want to thank all the people who not only supported me but believed in me. I’m just overwhelmed, really, to be the first African-American inducted into the Hall of Fame. There can only be one ‘first’ and it truly means a lot to me to be the first.”
Kathy Fennel, MLF Executive Vice President and General Manager, had only been on the bass-fishing scene for one year when the Mississippi Division of the Red Man Trail was launched in 1983. Fennel was the assigned Tournament Administrator for that division and remembers Williams’ start on the Red Man Trail fondly.
“Alfred was a fierce competitor, but was such a gentleman and always extremely professional,” Fennel said. “From the moment we met, I was impressed by his demeanor and the way he presented himself. He was – and still is – a pioneer in our industry and a great representative for his sponsors.”
Fennel, who was inducted into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame in 2022 and serves as a member of the Hall of Fame board, said she’s excited about Williams’ induction and feels it has been a long time coming. “It makes me very proud to see the Hall of Fame recognize Alfred for his accomplishments,” Fennel said. “Beyond his ability as a competitor and his longevity in the sport, he has a unique opportunity to influence a larger audience that hasn’t been as engaged in professional tournament fishing and we’re honored to be a part of his story.”
Williams doesn’t take that sentiment or the responsibility it requires lightly.
“I’m just so thankful that I was able to accomplish these feats and have individuals follow me and my journey over the years,” Williams said. “All the black anglers who have fished with me over the past 40-something years, have thanked me for my influence and accomplishments. I feel fortunate to be the one that it happened to, all those years ago.”
But success like Williams’ doesn’t just “happen.” It comes from a lot of hard work and not being afraid to step out and take chances, and it requires respect, grace, admiration and trust – all trademarks of Williams’ life story. A life story that’s far from over.
“At 77, I still fish tournaments almost every weekend and I would still be out on tour, but I finally decided enough’s enough,” Williams said, laughing. “I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. When I started fishing tournaments, I wasn’t thinking about trying to qualify for the Classic or where I was going to be later in life, I was just focused on fishing the tournament in front of me.”
Williams said that was the key to longevity in the sport, but even more than that, endurance – and success – in everyday life.
“Always put yourself in a position to do well, in whatever you do in life,” Williams said. “If you believe in yourself, then you aren’t going to be dependent on anybody else to show you the way.”
For complete details and updated information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.
Cicada Snacks and Bass Funk on Lake Murray
By Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships
The fifth stop of the Bassmaster Elite Series season was set to begin this morning on scenic Lake Murray in South Carolina before severe thunderstorms forced B.A.S.S. to wisely postpone day one until Friday, May 10 th . Even before the weather curveball, angler reports after practice paint the picture of a tougher Lake Murray than the Elites experienced in late April of 2023.
Pro anglers are also professional sandbaggers, but the general consensus is that the bass are being a stingier this year due to several factors including, but not limited to: the bass, blueback herring, and shad being at the tail-end of their spawn, this event being a few weeks later in the year, post-spawn funkiness, storms, and a 13-year cicada hatch, dubbed Brood XIX, affecting the dinner menu for resident bass.
To sift through the dock talk, we caught up with former college fishing standouts and Toyota Bonus Bucks contenders Cody Huff and Logan Parks as well as Team Toyota pro Matt Arey to ask their expectations before competition begins.
Q – Last year it took over 17-lbs per day to make the top fifty cut. Will it take more or less weight to make Saturday’s cut this week?
Cody Huff – “I would think less, last year there were still a lot of spawning bass and herring up shallow. Both of those things are still going on this year, but not nearly as many groups of fish doing either of those deals. That alone makes the fishing a little tougher.”
Logan Parks – “I’m going to hope less. I didn’t fish this event last year, but I watched the coverage and was super excited to fish this lake… but it seems like the fish are in that weird post-spawn funky mood.”
Matt Arey – “I think a pound or so less. There are still a lot of big bass in here, but these fish get harder and harder to catch every time I come to this lake. We’re also here a couple weeks later which has pulled a lot of fish from shallow water.”
Q – Lake Murray is known for its blueback herring population; do you approach bass fishing differently on fisheries with herring as a primary forage?
Huff – “I do for sure. Herring move so much more than your typical bait fish, and when they cross paths with bass, the bass get fired up. I move around a lot more and try to find the active fish on these herring lakes more than I typically would.”
Parks – “I don’t have a ton of experience fishing herring lakes, but the fish seem to act different. They are lean, long, and strong cause they are always chasing those baitfish. Generally, I find myself fishing a little faster.”
Arey – “100% yes. Herring act differently than threadfin shad, so you as a fishermen have to act a little different as well. It can be a total feast or famine deal on these lakes, but you sometimes have to chase the herring. ‘Cause it is not easy to catch those bass without them.”
Q – The massive cicada hatch has been quite the buzz this week, figuratively and literally. We know bass eat them, but how much money would it take for you to eat one?
Huff – “Hmm… It would be a pretty fair amount. They are large, juicy bugs. The sound they make when you step on one, I couldn’t imagine that in between my teeth, so it would take a lot. But I’d eat one for a limit of five pounders each day.”
Parks – “I’d probably eat one for $10,000.”
Arey – “Eww… I’m not a bug eater, man. It would take a lot of money. If it’s dead and cooked, $10,000. If it’s alive and buzzing it would take six figures.”
Q – What are two lures / techniques you believe will play a major role in this tournament?
Huff – “Big walking topwater bait, and a fluke style bait will be players.”
Parks – “I’m going to say a Berkley Magic Swimmer (jointed swimbait) and a drop shot. Opposite ends of the spectrum.”
Arey – “Soft plastic jerkbait and a walking topwater bait. Blueback fishing 101.”
B.A.S.S. postpones Day 1 of Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray
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AC Insider Podcast - BPT Champ Zack Birge
The guys catch up with Zack Birge fresh off his first Bass Pro Tour win on Lake Eufaula. Hear how it all went down from Zack himself. From the baits, to the final day spot, we get into all the details that put that big red trophy in his hands!
American Baitworks is proud to announce the Launch of BaitFuel Freshwater Hardbait Stick
BaitFuel Hardbait Stick now shipping to Retailers and selling out across the country.
OCEAN SPRINGS, MISSISSIPPI — May 7, 2024 — American Baitworks is proud to announce the launch of the BaitFuel Freshwater Hardbait Stick, an innovative addition to our lineup of fish attractant products and the secret to Justin Hamner’s 2024 Bassmaster Classic win.
The BaitFuel Hardbait Stick is setting a new standard in fishing technology. The Hardbait Stick is designed to be easily rubbed onto any lure to take scent where it has never gone before- on a hard bait. Your crankbaits, jerk baits, topwater baits, and even spinnerbaits can now use the added advantage of BaitFuel Scent Technology.
Innovative Features for Enhanced Fishing
Packed into a convenient 0.5 oz twist-up tube for easy, mess-free application, the BaitFuel Hardbait Stick offers hundreds of uses from a single tube. It is SUPERCHARGED with F.A.S.T. (Fish Active Scent Technology), scientifically engineered to stimulate a fish’s predator instinct, which leads to more bites and longer hold times.
BaitFuel’s powerful attractants and taste enhancers, ensure effectiveness cast after cast. Designed to revolutionize the use of scents in fishing, the Hardbait Stick can be easily applied to any smooth-sided bait where a liquid or gel-based attractant will not stick.
Availability
The BaitFuel X55 Freshwater Hardbait Stick’s first full production run is now shipping and will soon be available at local retailers everywhere, offering anglers the most innovative new product in fishing scent technology.
About American Baitworks
American Baitworks Co. is a leader in the fishing tackle industry, known for innovative fishing products and a steadfast commitment to quality. With a portfolio including NetBait, Halo Fishing, Snag Proof, Scum Frog, Freedom Tackle, and BaitFuel., American Baitworks is innovating the fishing experience for anglers worldwide.
For more information on BaitFuel visit www.baitfuel.com.
PR Contact:
Valerie Dixon
Marketing Operations Manager
[email protected]
844-466-5738
Oologah-Talala High School Fishing Team Joins MLF Pros and Fisheries Management Division to Deploy Artificial Fish Habitat into Lake Eufaula
EUFAULA, Okla. (May 8, 2024) – Inclement weather has wreaked havoc across Oklahoma for the past week, but MLF pros and the Oologah-Talala High School Fishing Team managed to put a few hours of sunshine to good use during the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour MillerTech Stage Four Presented by REDCON1. The MLF Fisheries Management Division (FMD) partnered with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) to complete the Minn Kota Habitat Restoration Project supported by Humminbird on Lake Eufaula on Thursday, May 2.
Bass Pro Tour anglers Josh Bertrand, Stephen Browning, Ott DeFoe, Edwin Evers, Gary Klein, John Murray, Britt Myers, Micheal Neal, Skeet Reese, Colby Schrumpf, and Greg Vinson joined the Oologah-Talala High School Bass Fishing Team, ODWC, Choctaw Nation Wildlife Conservation, MossBack Fish Habitat founder David King, and Director of the MLF FMD Steven Bardin, , to construct MossBack fish habitat products including 60” Conservation Cubes, Safe Haven XLs and John Godwin Crappie Towers. The structures were weighted down using supplies donated by local Lowes Home Improvement store #2571 and deployed into Eufaula Cove.
The Bass Pro Tour anglers in attendance spoke with the group, took photos, signed autographs and built structures with the high school team and other volunteers, before handing off deployment of the structures to the students and ODWC staff.
The project was part of a four-year large-scale habitat restoration program for Lake Eufaula that the ODWC began earlier this year. The ODWC will receive an annual donation from the City of Eufaula which they plan to increase through federal matching programs. The potential value of the four-year project is more than $150,000 for the ODWC.
Eufaula Cove is an important part of the 105,000-surface-acre fishery due to the number of tournaments hosted out of the cove’s marinas. After most five-fish tournaments at Peter’s Point-Nichols Point on Lake Eufaula, fish are released back into the cove, making habitat designed to improve fish recovery a valuable resource.
“ODWC’s commitment to our fisheries is unmatched and being able to experience this project with the Oolagah-Talala High School Fishing Team is an extremely valuable opportunity,” said Edwin Evers, just before loading the students on the bus to buy them lunch.
The MLF FMD hopes to continue using this blueprint across other projects, to maximize grants and further increase the impact to local communities on the Bass Pro Tour.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the MLF Fisheries Management Division, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com/
About MLF Fisheries Management Division
Major League Fishing’s Fisheries Management Division is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through Research, Education, Fisheries Enhancement and Fish Care. Under the leadership of MLF, in collaboration with Hall of Fame bass angler Gary Klein and renowned fisheries biologist Steven Bardin, the Fisheries Management Division provides opportunities to engage in initiatives that extend the life of the sport of bass fishing. These initiatives include targeted research programs, providing fans, anglers and youth with access to educational materials that help them become better stewards of our fisheries resources, and collaborating with local and state agencies to improve habitat essential for bass to thrive. From maximizing the health of an individual fish post-catch to stocking juvenile fish into waterbodies, the MLF Fisheries Management Division is committed to the health of our bass populations.
The Young Guns - John Garrett
By Brady Harp - AC Insider
Jordan Lee. Brandon Palaniuk. Jacob Wheeler. Every year, it seems that there is a new youngin’ that takes the fishing world by storm. Every year we try to label which angler is the next “generational talent” to stake their claim in the industry. And in the first season sans-Kevin VanDam, this year feels more pivotal than most in terms of identifying who is going to fill the cosmic void left in the GOAT’s wake. But what if it weren’t that simple?
What if the new-age of fishing isn’t identified as an individualistically-dominant sport, but rather a collective effort from a wealth of anglers? I find it more than coincidental that the year KVD retires, the sport sees an overwhelmingly successful crop of rookies competing, and winning, at the highest level.
Perhaps this is symbolic of a passing of the torch between eras? These young guys are here to stay and are ready to leave their mark on this storied sport- in their own way. Best get to know ‘em.
Why are these guys doing so well? It’s too easy, and quite frankly lazy, to pin it on merely a greater capacity to understand Forward Facing Sonar (FFS). That assuredly plays somewhat of a role, but fish are fish, and you still have to make them bite one way or another. What if these young anglers are simply better prepared to compete at the highest level and therefore have more refined skills well beyond their years?
This crop of rookies is the first to truly get a complete youth-oriented experience of tournament fishing. Sure, any previous generation had more weekend and club tournaments to fish than they could handle as they grew into the sport, but nobody has had the opportunity this crop has. This new wave of anglers has cut their teeth competing in national-level events on the junior, high school, and collegiate levels all in advance of professional-level events. Much like a prodigy golfer or star quarterback that has trained their whole lives tuning their craft, this group of rookies finally have had the same opportunity to compete against those on their same level and gradually build-up their craft over time.
In short, this generation is better equipped to fish on the national stage at a much younger age than their predecessors. The lights aren’t too bright.
Meet John Garrett: a grit-and-grinder through and through that refuses to take all the credit for his success. You’ll see what I mean.
John is the epitome of this new era of fisherman. Hailing from Tennessee, he helped construct his high school’s fishing team just as the sport was materializing in the prep ranks. Surely, the recent rookie champion was naturally a dominant angler, right? Wrong… at least according to him.
“I’ll be honest, we only had one good tournament in all of high school. It was at Wheeler lake, and we had just enough to qualify for the national championship which featured all of 10
boats. And I think we finished 9th,” John told me, laughing.
At the end of the day, John was a senior in high school without a ton of tournament success sifting through what the future held, and he didn’t think it would be college, much less fishing professionally. Pretty ironic if you’re familiar with his collegiate success.
So how did this Tennessee kid with no ambitions of going to college go on to complete one of the most storied collegiate careers ever? He wouldn’t take credit for it.
“It started with [Fishing Coach] Garry Mason at Bethel. He saw something in me he must have thought had potential and offered me a scholarship. I’m extremely thankful he did. Without that, I probably would be a fishing or hunting guide, I’m really not sure. I wouldn’t be where I am now, that’s for sure.”
So back in 2014, how did this freshman in college, lacking much tournament success, put the pieces together? Surely, he put his nose to the grindstone and made it happen with just good, old-fashioned hard work, right? Wrong. Again, he wouldn’t take credit for the jump in success.
“Man, I didn’t even think I could compete with these guys. I was just excited to fish. I learned so much from just being around the team, talking fishing, and soaking up everything my older friends would teach me like a sponge.”
John didn’t hold back when talking about how much he realized he had to learn, either.
“My freshman year, we fished an event on my home lake, Kentucky Lake. All day, me and my partner were making fun of everyone we saw throwing Alabama rigs and running all over the lake. Turns out, those dudes smashed ‘em while we zeroed. Day 2, we swallowed our pride, threw the [Alabama] rig, and caught 26 pounds.”
It was this dose of humility that I believe began John’s upward trajectory in the college ranks. It takes a certain level of open-mindedness to realize you’re always growing as an angler. John figured that out to the detriment of his peers.
Fast forward a few years later, and John had taken the fishing world by storm. It’s 2017, he’s won the Bassmaster College Classic Bracket and earned a spot in the Bassmaster Classic. Not to mention, he got his 2017 Bassmaster Opens paid for, along with some industry relationships that have stood the test of time.
“Ever since the College Class Bracket, I’ve had fantastic relationships with Strike King, Lews, Skeeter, Yamaha, and Hypertech. They have supported me without question from the beginning. I can’t thank them enough.”
Now, call it an obsession, call it a man chasing his dream, call it whatever, but John competed both in a majority of the Bassmaster Opens and the College Series that year. Thankfully, there isn’t an hour enrollment requirement to compete collegiately, as he relayed it was this unquenchable thirst to compete that left him in need of a 5th year to graduate Bethel with his degree in Business Management. Graduation left John with a choice: do I go back home, settle down, and find a job? Or do I chase this dream of qualifying for the Elite Series one time? Anyone that’s kept up with fishing the last few years knows the answer to this question.
John competed, successfully I might add, in the Opens for 4 full seasons. Much has been made of how grueling the competition has become, and John is the shining example of to what degree. John finished his first few seasons on the Opens well within the upper-echelon of anglers, yet was left without an Elite Series bid.
“Every year, I said it was going to be my last attempt at it. And every year, I would do just good enough that I would give it another go the next year. And every year, it was the same result. I really did feel like I was just a day late and a dollar short with fishing professionally.”
But really, just how close was he to qualifying for the Elite Series? Flashback to June 2020. John is in the thick of the points race in the Opens and is leading the event at the Arkansas River. A win all but ensures an Elite Series qualification and guarantees a spot in the Bassmaster Classic. If you don’t know where this is headed, go ahead and get the Kleenex’s out.
“It’s Championship Day. The water was just chocolate milk, completely muddy. I was having a good tournament and went to make a cull. I thought, correctly, that I already had 5 in the box, but the water was so muddy in my livewells, I couldn’t see in there at all. I managed to grab 4 of my fish and probably counted them 10 times, making sure I was only adding a 5th fish. What I couldn’t see was that one of my fish had slipped out of his cull tag and had gotten stuck between my recirculation vent and the middle divider in my livewell. I ended up figuring out what happened minutes later after I had begun to fish with 6 fish in the boat, and knew I had to make a call (as this is a Bassmaster rules violation).”
John had a camera boat on him, so there was no way to act as if this honest mistake didn’t happen, but I fully believe he would have owned up to this even if there was nobody within three miles of him. It’s who he is. John self-reported the incident, was penalized 2 pounds, lost the tournament, and more importantly, ended up losing a tiebreaker for Elite Series qualification. Brutal. Absolutely crushing. How do you come back from that?
Call it a test of character, call it a showing of his true colors, call it whatever you want. But John rebounded like he always did. After a few more seasons in the Opens, he was able to qualify. Why bring up this snapshot of arguably the lowest point in his career? To know John is to know his character. And I’d say it’s the truest sense of unraveling just the kind of person John is. The immediate response to do the right thing without complaining? You don’t see that often. That’s genuine.
A piece of those grueling seasons that isn’t talked about enough is the sacrifice it takes to compete each and every year traveling across the country. John’s a self-proclaimed blessed man, because, well, what else would you expect from him?
“This profession, man, it asks you to be pretty selfish. I’ve been blessed with a supporting cast that not only lets me fish, but encourages me to do so with the freedom and mindset you need. I almost felt bad. It takes a certain level of selfishness to compete every year, away from those you love, without making much money in the process. Any year before this one, I’d be guiding hunts back home during the winter but be competing in The Opens all through the spring and summer. It takes a wild support system in order to be able to do this.”
The support system referenced? Call it a one-two punch between his wife and grandpa.
“My wife, Morgan, and I have been together for over ten years, and we’re approaching four years of marriage. She’s such a blessing. I’d say I’m selfish, but not her. Her support gives me the freedom to chase these fish. Especially now that we’ve just welcomed in Blaire, our nine-month old, she’s been everything. I want to be at home with them all the time, but whenever I’m on the road I know she’s taking care of things. It means the world to me.”
Life at home is taken care of, but where does his grandpa come into play?
“My grandpa is the one who introduced me to fishing. He taught me how to cast, fish, everything. He boat captained for me in high school. And when it was time for me to fish the Opens, he jumped in them with me as a co-angler, traveling with me, spitting gas, everything. I know he loves to fish as much as the next guy, but I know he did it just to spend time with me. That’s everything, knowing you’ve got a family that loves you and cares so much for you. I definitely can fish clearer because of it, for sure.”
And there it is. Now it all makes sense. If you asked people who John is as a person, they wouldn’t say he’s the center of attention type. They wouldn’t say he’s the most outspoken. What you would hear is that John’s a family man, wise above his years, and as dedicated to his craft as they come. Just look back at his family dynamic and it’s easy to see why. All the loyalty, love, and selflessness that his family showers him with? He gives it back to everyone else.
Call him a pro’s pro. Call him a dang good dude. Or just call him John. I’m sure he’d love to say hey.
YETI ANNOUNCES 1ST ANNUAL YETI OPEN TOURNAMENT
Explore Branson & Table Rock Lake to host first annual YETI Open Tournament
Austin, Texas (March 19, 2024) –– The first annual YETI Open Tournament will be held at Table Rock Lake, September 26-28th, 2024. YETI has partnered with Trifecta Fishing (Big Bass Tour) to manage the tournament marketing and event operations. Trifecta operates one of the largest big bass tournament organizations in the country and has been in business since 2010.
The tournament is open to amateurs only (see Rules) and will feature an hourly big bass format for the three-day event. With over $200,000 in total guaranteed prizes and payouts and the largest bass of the event will take home $50,000 cash for first place. Official registration will open May 10th, 2024. This big bass event features seven hourly weigh-ins per day with over $63,000 in hourly paybacks.
Event details
• Sept 25th: Angler on-site registration & check in 12-7pm.
• Sept 26-28th Tournament fishing days. (anglers can fish any combination of days)
• Open to amateur anglers only.
• Seven hourly weigh-ins daily with top 10 in each hour winning cash payouts.
• $200,000+ in cash and prizes with $50,000 grand prize winner
• Anglers are allowed up to three anglers total in their boat during tournament hours, each angler must be a registered entrant.
• The first 250 online entrants will receive a YETI GoBox 15 Gear Case & Fenwick Eagle Series Casting Rod.
• All entrants will receive a custom YETI Open 20 OZ TUMBLER and a YETI Open hat.
For all Official Rules, Payouts & Registration information visit: www.yetiopen.com
About YETI
Roy and Ryan Seiders founded YETI in 2006 based on a deep love for the outdoors and the belief that if something doesn’t work, fix it. And if it doesn’t exist, build it. Since then, we've been designing products that last for generations, get you out into the Wild, and keep you there longer. The coolers Roy and Ryan grew up with couldn’t meet the demands of serious anglers or last in the relentless Texas heat. So, they made their own – designing the legendary Tundra® with enough insulation to keep ice for days and durability to last a lifetime. We’ve expanded into other products and categories since those first coolers, but our bull-simple approach to design hasn’t changed. Focus on quality. Design for durability. Never cut corners on form or function. It’s the same philosophy we’ve used to make drinkware, soft coolers, chairs, bags, cargo and more. Built for the Wild™ means it’s built to last. From hog hunts to happy hours and the backcountry to backstage, our products have been embraced by communities and outdoor pros across the world all connected through a single common thread – that the gear you rely on should never let you down. YETI was founded on a simple desire to spend more time in the wild. And with more time spent outside, the more we understand our responsibility to protect the places we love. Learn more about how we’re actively working towards our key commitments to our people, products, and places.
Minn Kota & Humminbird Owner’s Tournament Set to Visit Pickwick Landing
The Second Annual Minn Kota and Humminbird Owners Tournament will be held at Pickwick Landing State Park on May 30th to June 1st, 2024.
The 2023 Minn Kota & Humminbird Owner’s tournament paid out over $150,000 in cash and prizes with 50% of the anglers participating in the tournament either receiving a prize or cash payout during the two day competition. Building off the success of last year’s event, the 2024 tournament is poised to be even bigger and better adding even more cash and prizes along with a third day of competition.
The tournament is open to any amateur* boat captain with at least one Minn Kota or Humminbird product installed on their vessel. Co-anglers without these products can participate. The 1st place finisher will receive a grand prize of $50,000, with a total of over $180,000 in cash and prizes paid out to the entire field during the event. Additionally, those placing in the top 5 overall will have a chance to win Minn Kota and Humminbird products, and other exciting prizes.
Over the span of the three days of competition, anglers have the flexibility to compete in one, two, or all three days of competition, vying for hourly prizes. This big bass tournament showcases seven hourly weigh-ins daily, providing anglers of all skill levels with multiple opportunities to secure top 10 cash and merchandise prizes by catching the biggest fish every hour.
Event details
- May 29th: Registration Day where one angler must check in
- May 30th – June 1st: Tournament fishing days (anglers can fish one, two or all three days)
- Open to amateur anglers owning at least one Minn Kota or Humminbird product
- Co-anglers (non-boat owners) are not required to own Minn Kota or Humminbird product
- Seven hourly weigh-ins daily with top 10 in each winning cash & prizes
- Overall event top 5 winning cash & prizes
- Over $180,000 in cash and prizes expected to be paid out with a $50,000 grand prize winner
- Anglers are allowed up to three anglers total in their boat during tournament hours
- Three day $275 | Two day $175 | One day $125 (Entry fees per angler)
*No professional anglers or guides are permitted
For more information or to register for the Minn Kota & Humminbird Owners Tournament, visit minnkotaowners.com
SoCal Jr. Bass Anglers Win MLF Abu Garcia High School Fishing Presented by Tackle Warehouse Open on Lake Havasu
LAKE HAVASU CITY, Ariz. (May 6, 2024) – The MLF High School Fishing team of Bryce Deheyn of San Marcos, California, and Talon Patton of Santee, California, brought five bass to the scale Sunday weighing 19 pounds, 1 ounce to win the MLF Abu Garcia High School Fishing Presented by Tackle Warehouse Open at Lake Havasu in Havasu City, Arizona.
A field of 16 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which was hosted by Go Lake Havasu. In MLF High School Fishing competition, the top 10 percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top 10 teams finished:
1st: SoCal Jr. Bass Club, Poway, Calif. – Bryce Deheyn and Talon Patton, five bass, 19-1
2nd: Lake Havasu, Lake Havasu City, Ariz. – Daniel McCoy and Logan Maltese, five bass, 16-6
3rd: Arizona High School Bassmasters – Wyatt Massey and Degan Dougherty, five bass, 16-2
4th: Chandler High School, Chandler, Ariz. – Ty Lauzon and Robbie Livar, five bass, 15-11
5th: SoCal Jr. Bass Club, Poway, Calif. – Ryder and Brenner Lynn, five bass, 14-6
6th: Oakdale High School, Oakdale, Calif. – David Onsager and Luke Walther, five bass, 14-4
7th: Oakdale High School, Oakdale, Calif. – Gage Galdos and Ivan Nieto, five bass, 13-3
8th: SoCal Jr. Bass Club, Poway, Calif. – Kaine Navarro and Chris Cangas, five bass, 13-3
9th: Delta Teen Team, Oakley, Calif. – Ruby Bulling and Evan Birck, five bass, 12-12
10th: Valley Bass Club, Ariz. – Cooper Springsteel and Dylan Mladick, four bass, 9-13
Complete results from the event can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
MLF Abu Garcia High School Fishing presented by Tackle Warehouse tournaments are free, two-person (team) events for students in grades 7-12 and are open to any MLF and TBF Student Angler Federation-affiliated high school club. The top 10 percent of teams at each Open event, along with the TBF High School Fishing state championships, advance to the High School Fishing National Championship. Tournaments held on or before May 6, 2024, advance teams to the 2024 National Championship. Tournaments held after May 6, 2024, advance teams to the 2025 National Championship.
The 2024 Abu Garcia High School Fishing National Championship & World Finals events will take place June 19-22, at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina. The High School Fishing National Champions each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice and advance to the 2024 MLF Toyota Series Championship to compete as co-anglers.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Abu Garcia High School Fishing Presented by Tackle Warehouse include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular High School Fishing updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 13 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Simpson University Wins MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Tournament on Lake Havasu
LAKE HAVASU CITY, Ariz. (May 6, 2024) – The Simpson University duo of Landon Ford of Rescue, California, and James Hawkinson of Granite Bay, California, won the MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI event on Lake Havasu Presented by Tackle Warehouse Sunday with a five-bass limit weighing 15 pounds, 2 ounces. The victory earned the Red Hawks’ bass club a qualification into the 2025 MLF College Fishing National Championship.
According to Ford, a combination of presentations and “a lot of junk-fishing” got it done for the Red Hawks.
“Practice was a little rough for us,” said Ford. “On the second day we stumbled on a couple of bed fish. First thing this morning, we ran there and caught one. It was our big fish. It was just over 4 (pounds). And then my partner caught two on a glide bait. Then we just kind of needed to fill a limit, so we went down a bank with a drop-shot and filled our limit and culled a couple times.”
They spent the tournament in the mid-lake section of Havasu. That’s where the best water temperature was, said Hawkinson.
Their key baits included a Deps Slide Swimmer 250 glide bait. Switching from slower moving baits to the glider was key for triggering strikes. The drop-shot was rigged with a 4-inch Keitech Easy Shiner Swimbait. Adding Pro Cure scent to their presentations helped convert short strikes into solid bites.
“We were fishing the drop-shot on random points with gravel bottoms mixed with grass,” Hawkinson added. “The swimbait was the only way we were able to get them to go on the drop-shot.”
The top five College Fishing teams on Lake Havasu finished:
1st: Simpson University – Landon Ford, Rescue, Calif., and James Hawkinson, Granite Bay, Calif., five bass, 15-2
2nd: Simpson University – Aiden Grad, Pasco, Wash., and David Berry, Palm Desert, Calif., five bass, 13-9
3rd: Simpson University – Dylan Grad, Pasco, Wash., and Brennan Osborn, Beaverton, Ore., five bass, 13-7
4th: Fresno State – Seth Moua and Kent Moua, both of Fresno, Calif., five bass, 13-2
5th: University of Idaho – Ethan Leininger, Vina, Calif., four bass, 10-11
The full list of National Championship qualifiers and complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI event on Lake Havasu was hosted by Go Lake Havasu. The next tournament for MLF College Fishing anglers will be the Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI event on the California Delta, June 8 in Oakley, California.
The 2024 MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI season features college teams from across the country competing in nine regular-season tournaments. The top 12 percent of teams from each regular-season tournament advance to the 2025 Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI National Championship.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular College Fishing updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Bland’s Meyer Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Lake of the Ozarks
Kansas Angler Bean Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division
OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (May 6, 2024) – Boater Kyle Meyer of Bland, Missouri, caught a five-bass limit weighing 20 pounds, 11 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake of the Ozarks. The tournament was the third event of the season for the BFL Ozark Division. Meyer earned $4,729 for his victory.
There were a lot of bass spawning on Lake of the Ozarks, but Meyer said looking at fish on beds is not his style.
“The biggest thing was basically finding spawning areas and then targeting prespawn and postspawn fish, kind of that stuff half to three-quarters of the way back,” Meyer said. “I fished jigs and caught a couple on a crankbait. Just kind of junk-fishing around. I sorted through a whole bunch of keepers to catch 20.”
Secondary points leading into spawning pockets and coves were the key target areas. He used a Zoom Brush Hog and Rapala DT Series crankbaits.
One of the keys for Meyer was running a ton of water and fishing hard.
“I’m extremely tired and wore out,” said Meyer, an insurance agent and president of the Mid Mo Fishing Team, a local The Bass Federation club. “You exert so much energy whenever you’re that mentally focused. I very much earned it today.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Kyle Meyer, Bland, Mo., five bass, 20-11, $4,729
2nd: Jeffrey Barrickman, Forsyth, Mo., five bass, 16-15, $2,364
3rd: Michael Harlin, Sunrise Beach, Mo., five bass, 16-10, $1,576
4th: Matt Krekovich, Granite City, Ill., five bass, 16-5, $1,103
5th: Josh Pladies, Belton, Mo., five bass, 16-1, $946
6th: Adam Boehle, Warrenton, Mo., five bass, 15-8, $867
7th: Joe Ingram, Ava, Mo., five bass, 15-7, $788
8th: Nalon Jones, Marshfield, Mo., five bass, 14-12, $1,209 (includes $500 Phoenix Bonus)
9th: Garrett Weiss, Chesterfield, Mo., five bass, 14-5, $631
10th: Kevin Rogers, Pleasant Hill, Mo., five bass, 14-2, $552
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Tom Silber of Labadie, Missouri, caught a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 10 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $705.
Mike Bean of Manhattan, Kansas, won the Strike King co-angler division and $2,364 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 13 pounds, 8 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: Mike Bean, Manhattan, Kan., five bass, 13-8, $2,364
2nd: Oliver Siebert, Fenton, Mo., five bass, 12-5, $1,182
3rd: Tyler Neis, Arnold, Mo., four bass, 11-10, $788
4th: Kirk Short, St. Clair, Mo., five bass, 10-11, $552
5th: Stanislav Sedletskii, Springfield, Mo., five bass, 10-9, $453
5th: Justin Wright, New Florence, Mo., five bass, 10-9, $453
7th: DJ Pugh, Overland Park, Kan., five bass, 9-12, $394
8th: Wes Proctor, Manhattan, Kan., five bass, 9-10, $355
9th: Tim Bowers, Thayer, Mo., five bass, 9-2, $315
10th: Jeff Moss, Oronogo, Mo., five bass, 9-1, $526
Peyton Keathley of Ashland, Missouri, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $352, catching a bass that weighed in at 6 pounds, 5 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After three events, Eric Olliverson of Shell Knob, Missouri, leads the Fishing Clash Ozark Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 712 points, while Kirk Short of St. Clair, Missouri, leads the Fishing Clash Ozark Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 735 points.
The next event for BFL Ozark Division anglers will be held June 15, at Truman Lake in Warsaw, Missouri. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 3-5 BFL Regional tournament on Pickwick Lake in Counce, Tennessee. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard.
The 2024 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL 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.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Union, Kentucky’s Adrian Urso Earns First Career Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Kentucky-Barkley Lakes
Whitesville’s Fitzgerald Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division
GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. (May 6, 2024) – Boater Adrian Urso of Union, Kentucky, caught a five-bass limit weighing 26 pounds, 1 ounce, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Kentucky-Barkley Lakes . Hosted by the Kentucky Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau, the tournament was the third event of the season for the BFL LBL Division. Urso earned $4,498 for his victory.
Efficiency was the key for Urso. More specifically, he used forward-facing sonar to make accurate casts to stumps, working his way up to a very impressive winning weight. Urso’s limit included four largemouth bass and one smallmouth.
“I was fishing around the Kenlake area,” he said. “Fishing for fish living on stumps in anywhere from 5 to 15 feet with a drop-shot.”
Urso’s best stumps were current-related on the edge of bars.
“I was running as many stumps as I could,” he said. “A lot of them (the bass) you can see (on forward-facing sonar), but some of them you can’t. So you always have to keep them honest and make a cast.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Adrian Urso, Union, Ky., five bass, 26-1, $4,498
2nd: Lane Olson, Forest Grove, Ore., five bass, 21-9, $3,049 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
3rd: Jake Lawrence, Buchanan, Tenn., five bass, 21-7, $1,498
4th: Clint Knight, Lewisburg, Ky., five bass, 20-1, $1,050
5th: Gary Singleton, Dickson, Tenn., five bass, 19-13, $900
6th: Terry Bolton, Benton, Ky., five bass, 19-10, $825
7th: Matteo Turano, Puryear, Tenn., five bass, 19-2, $750
8th: Brad Hutcheson, Hornbeak, Tenn., five bass, 18-4, $675
9th: Justin Berger, Murray, Ky., five bass, 17-12, $1,245
10th: Harbor Lovin, New Concord, Ky., five bass, 17-5, $525
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Justin Berger of Murray, Kentucky, caught a bass that weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $645.
Carson Fitzgerald of Whitesville, Kentucky, won the Strike King co-angler division and $2,179 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 14 pounds, 10 ounces.
The top 12 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: Carson Fitzgerald, Whitesville, Ky., five bass, 14-10, $2,179
2nd: Philip Wright, Bedford, Ky., five bass, 14-3, $1,402
3rd: Daniel Nolen, Lexington, Tenn., five bass, 13-0, $725
4th: William Burch, Nashville, Ind., five bass, 12-8, $509
5th: Bo Bivins, Evansville, Ind., four bass, 11-15, $436
6th: Steve Freeman, Eddyville, Ky., five bass, 11-5, $400
7th: Cody Burke, Lexington, Tenn., four bass, 10-5, $363
8th: Dave Willmore, West Frankfort, Ill., four bass, 10-2, $327
9th: Dave Maxfield, Gilbertsville, Ky., five bass, 10-0, $291
10th: John Lovin, Fayetteville, Ohio, five bass, 9-14, $231
10th: Mark Manley, Bowling Green, Ky., five bass, 9-14, $231
10th: Zach Falder, Sedalia, Ky., four bass, 9-14, $231
Philip Wright of Bedford, Kentucky, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $312, catching a bass that weighed in at 4 pounds, 13 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After three events, Clint Knight of Lewisburg, Kentucky, leads the Fishing Clash LBL Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 737 points, while John Lovin of Fayetteville, Ohio, leads the Fishing Clash LBL Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 726 points.
The next event for BFL LBL Division anglers will be held July 20, at Kentucky-Barkley Lakes in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 3-5 BFL Regional tournament on Pickwick Lake in Counce, Tennessee. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard.
The 2024 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL 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.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Eclectic’s Robinson Wins His Second Phoenix Bass Fishing League Title at Lake Demopolis
Texan Barnett Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division
DEMOPOLIS, Ala. (May 6, 2024) – Boater Dusty Robinson of Eclectic, Alabama, caught a five-bass limit weighing 13 pounds, 11 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Demopolis . Hosted by the City of Demopolis and the Demopolis Sportsplex, the tournament was the third event of the season for the BFL Bama Division. Robinson earned $3,164 for his victory.
With the water level down and many backwaters inaccessible, Robinson went to a small connected lake and camped there the entire day.
“I found a couple of areas that had a mixture of spawning and postspawn fish,” he said. “I kind of lingered around those areas in practice and found the most productive areas as far as the bigger spawning fish. I kind of just stuck to that all day where I found the most amount of spawning fish.
“I was really blind-fishing for them because the water’s pretty stained,” he added. “It was a slow, methodical style of fishing.”
Robinson kept his boat in 2 to 4 feet of water and specifically targeted shady areas midday.
“I used a swim jig,” he said. “The swim jig was kind of a tattle-tail. I’d get them to kind of react to the swim jig and watch the water. I’d either see them boil on it or there’d be some movement, and I would follow it up with a jig or Texas-rigged worm.”
Reflecting on the win, Robinson said that not running and gunning, but instead sticking to one area he knew had quality fish, was critical to his success in what turned out to be a low-weight tournament.
“I knew that place was fishing tough, and I wasn’t really getting a lot of quality bites anywhere else. So it just made sense to ride it out there.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Dusty Robinson, Eclectic, Ala., five bass, 13-11, $3,164
2nd: Morgan Brown, Spanish Fort, Ala., five bass, 13-2, $2,262
3rd: Allan Glasgow, Ashville, Ala., five bass, 10-11, $1,554 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
4th: Clay Madison, Northport, Ala., five bass, 10-6, $738
5th: Donald Griffith, Robertsdale, Ala., five bass, 10-2, $633
6th: Daniel Buswell Jr., Fayetteville, Ga., five bass, 9-11, $580
7th: Triton Graham, Citronelle, Ala., four bass, 9-8, $527
8th: Ronnie McDonough, Birmingham, Ala., five bass, 9-4, $475
9th: Robbie Robinson, Mobile, Ala., five bass, 9-1, $395
9th: Chris Payne, Vance, Ala., five bass, 9-1, $395
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Morgan Brown of Spanish Fort, Alabama, caught a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 10 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $380.
Steve Barnett of Conroe, Texas, won the Strike King co-angler division and $1,772 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 8 pounds, 10 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: Steve Barnett, Conroe, Texas, five bass, 8-10, $1,772
2nd: Nick Glenn, Hamilton, Ala., five bass, 8-9, $791
3rd: Austin Finley, Wetumpka, Ala., five bass, 8-0, $526
4th: Brad Mahan, Clanton, Ala., five bass, 7-6, $369
5th: Scott Cagle, Jasper, Ala., five bass, 7-5, $316
6th: Daniel Arnberg, Auburn, Ala., five bass, 6-15, $290
7th: Justin Girdner, Wetumpka, Ala., five bass, 6-12, $264
8th: William Yoerg, Springville, Ala., five bass, 6-7, $224
8th: Michael Petras, Biloxi, Miss., five bass, 6-7, $474
10th: Phillip Easterling, Clanton, Ala., four bass, 6-3, $185
Barnett also earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $190, catching a bass that weighed in at 3 pounds, 13 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After three events, Morgan Brown of Spanish Fort, Alabama leads the Fishing Clash Bama Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 733 points, while Nick Glenn of Hamilton, Alabama, leads the Fishing Clash Bama Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 728 points.
The next event for BFL Bama Division anglers will be held July 20, at Neely Henry Lake in Gadsden, Alabama. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 10-12 BFL Regional tournament on Santee Cooper Lakes in Clarendon County, South Carolina. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard.
The 2024 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL 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.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Barnes, Grooms Tie for Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Kerr Lake
Maiden’s Burke Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division
HENDERSON, N.C. (May 6, 2024) – Boaters Jason Barnes of Concord, North Carolina, and Wade Grooms of Bonneau, South Carolina, each caught five-bass limits weighing 16 pounds, 13 ounces, Saturday to tie for the win at the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Kerr Lake . Hosted by the Vance County Tourism Development Authority, the tournament was the third event of the season for the BFL North Carolina Division. For their share of the victory, Barnes earned $10,412, which includes the lucrative $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus, and Grooms took home $2,502.
Barnes and Grooms fished unique patterns to earn their share of a tie.
“What I found was really a postspawn bite,” Grooms said. “The fish were grouped up. I caught them on a pencil popper running real shallow points.”
Grooms rotated through about eight points – all but one on the main lake – and each was good for multiple fish. He made three rotations throughout the day, keeping his boat in about 6 feet and casting up into about 4 feet.
“I did have one in a creek that was real good, but most of them were main lake,” he said. “They were probably the first point out from a spawning pocket or creek where they would go to spawn.”
Barnes caught his fish targeting shallow wood cover.
“I pretty much just ran up the lake, and we were running shallow pockets, pretty well power-fishing throwing buzz baits and a spinnerbait. I did catch some flipping a creature bait,” he said.
Barnes only managed seven keeper bites all day, but they were the right ones, including a 5-pound, 13-ounce kicker that earned him the Berkley Big Bass award of $410.
The key to his success? Simple: “Staying persistent,” he said. “Keeping at it.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Jason Barnes, Concord, N.C., five bass, 16-3, $10,412 (includes $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
1st: Wade Grooms, Bonneau, S.C., five bass, 16-3, $2,502
3rd: Rob Digh, Denver, N.C., five bass, 16-0, $1,112
4th: Joseph Sharpe, Henderson, N.C., five bass, 15-11, $779
5th: Marty Warren, Elon, N.C., five bass, 15-4, $667
6th: Greg Lahr, Fayetteville, N.C., five bass, 14-14, $612
7th: Scott Hamrick, Denver, N.C., five bass, 14-10, $556
8th: Tom Wilkinson, Oxford, N.C., five bass, 14-6, $501
9th: David Wright, Lexington, N.C., five bass, 14-3, $417
9th: Scooter Lilley, Williamston, N.C., five bass, 14-3, $417
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Nicholas Burke of Maiden, North Carolina, won the Strike King co-angler division and $1,668 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 15 pounds, 6 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: Nicholas Burke, Maiden, N.C., five bass, 15-6, $1,668
2nd: Keith Wood, Mooresville, N.C., five bass, 13-2, $834
3rd: Jared Jones, Denver, N.C., five bass, 12-14, $558
4th: Arthur Harris, York, S.C., five bass, 11-13, $389
5th: Jean Lacerte, Elm City, N.C., five bass, 11-0, $334
6th: Jonathan Ceaser, Maidens, Va., five bass, 10-13, $306
7th: Brandon Miskell, Vienna, Va., five bass, 10-11, $278
8th: Russell Nicewander, Bluefield, W.Va., five bass, 10-5, $250
9th: Robert Green, Sedalia, N.C., five bass, 10-4, $222
10th: Amos Minard, Akron, Ohio, five bass, 10-3, $195
Samuel Jones of Fuquay Varina, North Carolina, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $205, catching a bass that weighed in at 4 pounds, 11 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After three events, Lucas Murphy of West Columbia, South Carolina, leads the Fishing Clash North Carolina Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 723 points, while Jared Jones of Denver, North Carolina, leads the Fishing Clash North Carolina Co-Angler of the Year race with 736 points.
The next event for BFL North Carolina Division anglers will be held June 15, at High Rock Lake in Lexington, North Carolina. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 10-12 BFL Regional tournament on Santee Cooper Lakes in Clarendon County, South Carolina. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard.
The 2024 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL 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.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Lee & Ware Go Back-to-Back on Richland Chambers with 35-10!
CORSICANA, Tx (May 4, 2024) – For the final stop of the 2024 Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s Texas Team Trail presented by Progressive regular season, anglers were met with unpredictable fishing conditions on Richland Chambers in Corsicana, Texas. The TXTT visited the lake in 2023, and the winning team was Russell Lee and Landon Ware with a weight of 31-01 This year, trying to defend their title, they came to weigh-in with a five-bass limit in their Rapala “Crush City” bag weighing 35-10 to take the back-to-back victory. For the win, the team takes home a 2024 Nitro Z-18 with 150hp Mercury motor, a new Garmin graph, Power-Pole Charge system, and Angler’s Advantage cash. In total, the duo cashed in on $45,078 in cash & prizes.
“Today was all about fishing history, and doing a lot of what we did last year to win this tournament,” said the team. “We fished a lot of rocky areas with an XCITE Baits Raptor Tail Worm to catch all of our keepers.”
The team went on to say during their post tournament interview that they didn’t catch all of their weight until around 1:30pm in the afternoon. They started the day out with a flurry but then things just got really slow and they finished out their limit with that last afternoon bite.
“Our experience on this lake really helps us out a lot here, and we just fished clean all day.”
Lee & Ware also earned the Power-Pole Big Bass Award with a 9-09 Richland Chambers monster. In addition to everything they took home for the win, they also have a new Power-Pole Pro Series II for the Big Bass honors.
Eufaula, Alabama Readies for MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 4 on Lake Eufaula Presented by E3 Sports Apparel
Top prize of up to $115,000 and qualification into REDCREST 2025 on the line for 150 tournament anglers competing in Eufaula, Alabama next week
EUFAULA, Ala. (May 6, 2024) – Major League Fishing (MLF) is set to launch the fourth Tackle Warehouse Invitational event of the season this week, May 10-12, with the MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 4 at Lake Eufaula Presented by E3 Sports Apparel. The three-day tournament features a roster of 150 anglers competing for a top prize of up to $115,000 and an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2025 – the Bass Pro Tour championship – for the chance to win up to $300,000.
Hosted by the Eufaula Barbour County Chamber of Commerce, the event also showcases competitors competing for valuable points to win the coveted Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) title – including a $50,000 payout – and to qualify for the 2025 Bass Pro Tour, MLF’s premiere circuit.
“We are always excited for our good friends at Major League Fishing to return and fish Lake Eufaula,” said Ann Sparks, Executive Director of Main Street Eufaula and Tourism. “We appreciate their professionalism, willingness to give back to the community and friendship. It means a lot to our community and the local benefits from their tournaments are astronomical. We hope everyone catches a lot of big bass and has a great time!”
Lake Eufaula, often referred to as the “Big Bass Capital of the World” is a familiar venue for MLF, as the fishery has played host to numerous major bass tournaments over the years, including multiple FLW Tour and Tackle Warehouse Invitational tournaments and REDCREST 2021, MLF’s most prestigious event. In this year’s tournament, expect to see a postspawn event, with most of the fish expected to be caught out of brush according to Eufaula, Alabama, competitor Ethan Greene, who will be among the 150 competitors on the water.
“This is going to be a postspawn tournament – most of the fish have just gotten off the bed not too long ago and they’re working their way out to brush,” said Greene, who has six top-10 finishes on Lake Eufaula in MLF competition. “This might make things kind of tough – the fish are moving, and they could be in that postspawn funk.
“But, if I’m wrong on timing and the fish are starting to pull out to the ledges, it’s going to be an absolute slugfest,” Greene continued. “When those fish get out on the ledges for the first time of the year, you can throw a bare hook and catch ‘em. I’m just not sure if we’ve had enough warm weather yet to see them in that stage yet, so I think the tournament is likely going to be won fishing brush.”
Greene said that the reason brush will be so popular is because of the shad spawn. He said the shad spawn in the brush, so he expects reaction baits – jerkbaits and moving baits – to be strong choices for competitors, especially in the mornings.
“I think jerkbaits and jigs are going to be dominant,” Greene said. “Another strong player will be Damiki-rigged baits – something like a 5-inch (Deps) Sakamata Shad soft jerkbait over the brush. Everywhere you go, that’s how tournaments are being won right now. And it works. I also think we’ll see guys throwing big worms and shaky-head rigs.”
Greene offered two weight predictions, depending on where the fish are located.
“If they end up moving out and they’re out on the ledges, we’ll see quite a few 20-pound bags. The top 10 will have 19 to 20 pounds,” Green said. “If they’re still in the transition and in the brush, it’s going to be tougher – 15 pounds is going to be a good limit. That is what is going to set you apart in this event – catching 14 to 16 pounds every day when other guys can’t.”
Anglers will launch at 6:30 a.m. CT each day from Lakepoint Resort State Park, located at 104 Lakepoint Drive in Eufaula. Weigh-ins will also be held at the State Park and will begin at 2:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and weigh-in events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLFNOW!® live stream and coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The 2024 Tackle Warehouse Invitationals feature a field of 150 professional anglers competing across six invitational tournaments around the country, for a total purse of $3.9 million and valuable Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) points to qualify for a coveted spot on the MLF Bass Pro Tour, the sport’s top level.
In Tackle Warehouse Invitational competition, the full field of 150 anglers compete in the two-day opening round on Friday and Saturday in a five-fish, weigh-in format. Only the top 30 pros, based on their two-day cumulative weight, advance to the final round on Championship Sunday, where they will compete for the grand prize of up to $115,000. The winner of the Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 4 at Lake Eufaula Presented by E3 Sports Apparel will be determined by the heaviest three-day cumulative weight and will receive an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2025 on Lake Guntersville in Huntsville, Alabama.
The MLFNOW! broadcast team of Chad McKee and Rob Newell will break down the extended action live all three days of competition from 7 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. CT. MLFNOW! will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
Television coverage of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Stop 3 at Lake Eufaula Presented by E3 Sports Apparel will air as a two-hour episode, premiering at 9 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 26 on CBS Sports Network.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3 Sports Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak Fishing, Onyx, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Tackle Warehouse Invitational updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Registration for 2024 Bassmaster High School Combine opens May 7
Registration for 2024 Bassmaster High School Combine opens May 7
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — One hundred young anglers will show their on-the-water skills when the fourth Bassmaster High School Combine presented by Skeeter returns to Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Ala., Sept. 13-15. The weekend will feature skills challenges and recruiting visits to 25 potential colleges in hopes of reeling in scholarship money. The inaugural Combine kicked off in 2021 to great success, with the program generating $4.5 million in scholarships in its first two years. Heading into its fourth year, the program's momentum shows no signs of slowing down.
“B.A.S.S. is constantly looking for ways to grow the High School and College platforms and give young anglers opportunities to excel not only in the sport, but also in the industry,” said Glenn Cale, B.A.S.S. Nation tournament manager — College, High School and Junior. “This is becoming a very popular event to attend for student anglers. The opportunity for these student anglers and their families to be under one roof for three days with some of the best colleges in the country offering scholarships in some form or fashion is awesome.
“These past three Bassmaster High School Combines have been a great success, and we’re looking forward to growing this experience for both these high school anglers and the coaches who attend,” Cale added. “This has truly become the preeminent event for colleges looking to find and recruit talent from across the country.”
Only schools offering bass fishing scholarships are invited to the High School Combine, and coaches from 25 colleges have already expressed interest in attending. The experience offers young anglers and college coaches a chance to leverage rare face time into finding the best fit for students ready to further both their education and their fishing at the next level.
The Bassmaster High School
After three challenges — Long-Distance Casting, Technical and Casting Accuracy — the 2023 combine’s overall points winner was Joe McNamara of Rockford, Ill. With a three-event total of 368 points, the junior at Boylan Catholic High School took home the Overall Skills Competition trophy. In addition to the Overall trophy, McNamara also tied for the win in the Technical Challenge with fellow competitor Eli French of Lucedale, Miss.
When McNamara heard about the Bassmaster High School Combine, he knew he wanted to be a part of the event to help put his fishing career on the fast track to success.
“There’s really no other event like this,” McNamara said. “We signed up the day that registration opened just to make sure we could be here.”
The Illinois angler took full advantage of being exposed to the top college fishing programs in the country by finishing inside the Top 10 in all three skills challenges and winning the Overall Skills Challenge by a convincing margin of 21 points.
“I just wanted to go out and do my best,” he said. “I knew that I had a chance to do pretty well, but I really didn’t expect to win.”
Once more, attendees will use the well-placed Ingalls Harbor and Pavilion on the shores of Wheeler Lake as base for the three-day event that won the Decatur Morgan County Tourism’s 2023 Event of the Year Award.
“Decatur is honored to partner with B.A.S.S. to continue serving as host of the Bassmaster High School Combine,” said Don Dukemineer, director of sports development for the Decatur Morgan County Tourism. “Now in our fourth year, our joint efforts with B.A.S.S. continue to strengthen this prestigious event in providing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for these anglers to showcase their talents. Ingalls Harbor and Pavilion offer the perfect set-up for this unique event, and we are thrilled with this beneficial relationship that highlights Decatur and Morgan County as a fishing destination.”
Registration for the Bassmaster High School Combine presented by Skeeter will open at 9 a.m. CT on May 7 at Bassmaster.com/high-school
For more information, visit Bassmaster.com/high-
2023 Bassmaster High School
2023 Bassmaster Youth Sponsors: Seaguar, Shimano
Connect with #Bassmaster on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, 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 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
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Media Contact: Chad Gay, B.A.S.S. Communications Manager, 865-201-6458, [email protected]
Butler completes wire-to-wire win in Bassmaster Open at Logan Martin Lake
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LINCOLN, Ala. — 
