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Matt Arey on hot summer spoonin’

Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships

Team Toyota’s Matt Arey had just slapped 21 pounds of Guntersville bass on the scales to take the tournament lead, yet he seemed equally as thrilled when a buddy handed him a giant, freshly squeezed $5 lemonade from a Bassmaster vendor located a short cast from the weigh-in stage.

It was hot. Like beat you down while you’re covered in sweat kinda hot. And while Arey had done most of his damage with a prototype ¾-ounce Titan Tungsten football jig, one of summer’s best-kept secrets sat ready to play nearby – an oversized 6” 2.5-ounce “flutter spoon” or what some call a “structure spoon.”

While not nearly as popular as mid-summer’s first string players such as football jigs, deep cranks, and giant plastic worms --- pros like Arey know anytime you’re on a southern body of water full of big bass and plenty of shad – few lures fire up a fat school of largemouth like these flashy oversized spoons.

“The perfect time for a flutter spoon is anytime bass are ganged-up offshore and feeding somewhat deep on shad,” says the North Carolina pro, who has earned nearly $1 Million in prize money.

Where to throw it

While perhaps easiest to utilize in open water situations away from the bank, big spoons have proven super effective in recent years around the shade lines of deeper floating boat docks, and can also be fantastic to coax lethargic summer bass suspended deep in underwater treetops. Just don’t throw into a brushpile, because your chances of snagging it, and not getting it back run higher than the mercury in a mid-summer thermometer.

Don’t throw them far

Unlike a deep summertime crankbait -- where Olympic distance casts are critical to the lure reaching and staying in the strike zone – a big, heavy spoon can find its way into a limited strike zone with quick precision. So a short underhanded cast or pitch is far better to probe a specific zone like a dock’s shade line, or the sweet spot on a road bed, or point.

The gear

“You’re dealing with a big lure, so a big rod with plenty of backbone is critical. I use a heavy action 7’ 6” rod like I’d use for pitching heavy cover,” says Arey. “And it’s really important to use a fast reel with an 8.1:1 gear ratio.” He spools the reel with 17-pound fluorocarbon for 6” spoons, and 20-pound fluro for even bigger spoons.

Add a stinger hook

While big spoons feature a meaty treble on their tail, Arey says adding an additional ‘stinger hook’ to the top of the spoon near the spit ring will not only increase your catch rates, but can actually help you catch two-at-a-time.

While some anglers tether a hook directly to the split ring, Arey adds a feathered treble through a rigging he credits former FLW pro Kyle Mabrey with teaching him, before Mabrey died tragically in a 2017 single vehicle accident. He uses a barrel swivel with a 12” leader tied between it and the feathered treble, to allow the extra hook to slide up and down the main line, so that when two bass are hooked at the same time they stayed buttoned-up.

While big oversized spoons are still far less popular than deep diving crankbaits, big worms, and football jigs in the heat of summer, their ability to fire up a lethargic school of fat largemouth is as undeniably good as an icy cold, fresh squeezed lemonade after a sweltering hot day on the water.

by AnglersChannel

GEORGIA’S KILGORE WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE TOURNAMENT ON LAKE NEELY HENRY

GADSDEN, Ala. – Boater Andy Kilgore of Kingston, Georgia, caught five bass Saturday weighing 19 pounds, 7 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) tournament on Lake Neely Henry. Kilgore pocketed $4,426 for his win in the event and earned 250 points in the Bama Division Angler of the Year (AOY) standings. The winner of the division’s AOY title after five tournaments will win $3,000.

“Everything that I caught on Saturday came flipping,” said Kilgore, who earned his first career BFL victory. “I was fishing grass in the lower lake in around 2-feet of water. I threw a frog around a little bit, but I never did have any blowups. I caught them flipping a beaver-style bait in black and blue and green pumpkin.”

Kilgore said he caught eight fish throughout the day, including a spotted bass that Kilgore joked, “was lost.” He described his key area as a shallow grass flat with a ditch in front of it. He had his boat sitting in four feet of water and was flipping into two feet of water.

“I think the key was the precise location,” he said. “There were other boats fishing around and I guess I just got lucky.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st: Andy Kilgore, Kingston, Ga., five bass, 19-7, $4,426

2nd: Terry Fisher, Jacksonville, Fla., five bass, 15-15, $1,427

2nd: Kris Colley, Ragland, Ala., five bass, 15-15, $1,427

4th: Adam Brown, Rainbow City, Ala., five bass, 15-14, $799

5th: Kyle Dorsett, Odenville, Ala., five bass, 14-7, $685

6th: Terry Tucker, Gadsden, Ala., five bass, 13-4, $828

6th: Mark McCaig, Oxford, Ala., five bass, 13-0, $571

8th: Kenny Pannell, Springville, Ala., five bass, 12-12, $514

9th: Brent Reaves, Alexander City, Ala., five bass, 12-11, $457

10th: Jeff Kitchens, Auburn, Ala., five bass, 12-10, $500

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Scott Daughtry of Abbeville, Alabama, caught a 6-pound bass – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $430.

Cameron Isbell of Ashville, Alabama, won the Co-angler Division and $1,713 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 10 pounds, 1 ounce.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st: Cameron Isbell, Ashville, Ala., five bass, 10-1, $1,713

2nd: Gary Marlowe, Montgomery, Ala., four bass, 10-0, $1,056

3rd: Roman Robinson, Steele, Ala., five bass, 9-10, $571

4th: Marcus Corbett, Anniston, Ala., five bass, 9-9, $571

4th: Matthew Haizel, Dallas, Ga., five bass, 9-9, $371

6th: Lew Moore, Roanoke, Ala., five bass, 9-8, $314

7th: Jacob Davis, Talladega, Ala., five bass, 9-6, $285

8th: Jeremy Carter, Harpersville, Ala., four bass, 9-5, $257

9th: Michael Corbett, Oxford, Ala., five bass, 8-12, $328

10th: Ty Story, Prattville, Ala., five bass, 8-9, $200

Sean Allen of Phenix City, Alabama caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 4 pounds, 9 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $215.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 24-26 BFL Regional Championship on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.

The 2019 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2020 BFL All-American will be held April 30-May 2 at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina, and is hosted by Visit Anderson. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

by AnglersChannel

ICAST is all about innovation.

Courtesy of Vance McCullough

ICAST is all about innovation.

So is Patrick Sebile.

The man has designed over 200 fishing lures, many anonymously for other companies, a handful for his namesake Sebile Lures.

The Magic Swimmer and the Flat Shad gained widespread popularity in bass fishing circles before Patrick sold his company to Pure Fishing a couple of years ago. He stayed on as a consultant for a while.

But creators gotta create.

Patrick has a new venture – A Band of Anglers(ABOA) – for which he has already developed dozens of designs.

Brian Anderson serves as President/CEO of the new venture. “We stopped at our attorney’s office and filed 13 patents. In one day!’” said Anderson. He spoke of Patrick Sebile’s pure genius, his energy and love for all things fishing and how Sebile has almost died at least twice in his pursuit of fish.

That passionate, relentless pursuit of piscatorial opponents has produced over 300 world records for Sebile who has visited 69 countries; caught fish in 68. “The 69^thcountry was The Vatican,” notes Anderson. The tiny city-state is landlocked without even a freshwater lake.

“But they have a goldfish pond,” says Sebile with a sly smile.

“That’s what I need,” says Anderson, “video of Patrick getting arrested with a pocket fisherman rod and reel trying to catch goldfish at The Vatican. Heck, given his personality, he’d have the Pope out there fishing with him.”

“It is all about the love of fishing,” shared Sebile in his thick accent that has not abated after two years of proud American citizenship. “Take this guy here,” he gestured toward Anderson. “He could be the worst at catching fish. Just terrible at casting and hooking fish, but if he has love for the sport, that’s all that matters. So, A Band Of Anglers is all about the love of fishing. If we share that, we are connected.”

In case anyone doubts Sebile’s love of the sport, I was on a trip with him in May. We met with a large group to have lunch on Pigeon Key, near Marathon, Fla. While others stood in line nearby to dig into a huge bowl of paella, Sebile casted one of his new creations – the Dartspin – along the shore. He promptly caught a barracuda.

Of all Sebile’s latest brainchildren, bass fishermen will be especially interested in the Dartspin.

There are several brands under the ABOA umbrella. Hyperlastics features lures, such as the Dartspin and some soon-to-be-revealed designs, all made of a super plastic known as Softough.

When I first saw the Dartspin I said, ‘bass fishermen have been quietly adding small spinner blades to soft plastics, such as the Senko for a while with great results. So, this is a sound concept’. “Yes”, said Anderson, “but these spinners won’t tear out, get slung out or otherwise lost, no matter how hard or long you fish them.”

As a demonstration two men played tug of war with a Dartspin, stretching it nearly two feet, and it was the split ring that eventually gave way, leaving one man with a blade in hand while the other held the lure body, tiny corkscrew still firmly locked in the Softough tail.

During testing one angler reportedly caught 148 bass on a single Dartspin.

The Softough Dartspin has held up to everything from giant tarpon to the aforementioned toothy barracuda. I’ve caught barracuda on it myself with no sign of wear nor tear afterward.

The ultra-new lure blurs the lines that once separated spinnerbaits from swimbaits. It may become your single best choice for blitzing shallow bass, especially in clear water environs.

No, the Dartspin doesn’t have any tournament pros endorsing its virtues – yet. It really is THAT new, and that’s why you want to be the first to show it to the bass on your home water.

It can be rigged a number of ways, including on jig heads for deep slow rolling applications, on a weedless EWG hook (belly-weighted models work best) even nose-hooked. They work well behind a swim jig. Chatterbait trailer, anyone? The race is on to see how versatile the Dartspin ultimately proves to be.

The Softough material has just enough rigidity to allow for the molding of a generous hook slot. This will readily expose the hook but it also makes these lures slightly less weedless than most soft plastics, probably about the same as most spinnerbaits – hence, my classification of the Dartspin as more of a spinnerbait than a soft plastic swimbait, although it could easily fall into both categories.

So that’s just one lure from the Hyperlastics family that anglers can search out and buy now by checking the dealer locator tab on the ABOA web site: https://abandofanglers.com/pages/store-locator

We will see more at ICAST.

Not only will ABOA exhibit at ICAST, “We will have one of the biggest booths,” said Hai Truong, Social Media Manager for the aggressive new company.

We will also see offerings from the Engage Baits line that includes the Twitshad, a hard-bodied, slow-sinking, fast-rising lure that works similar to a fluke style soft plastic. While fishing a Twitshad, this writer caught a giant Jack Crevalle on the surface over 200 feet of water one day.

I went to Miami the next day, fished with Truong, and caught a 4-pound peacock bass that raced from unseen depths to outrun two others its size and inhale the lure.

By the way, you can fish with Truong too as he guides for peacocks in the Miami area. It’s a unique experience you won’t forget. – HaiTruongFishing on Instagram and Hai Truong on Facebook.

The Twitshad will catch bass. Again, be the first to fish it on your waters.

ABOA boasts other product lines such as Ocean Born that cater to saltwater casters and SpoolTek which should appeal to the big swimbait crowd.

Keep an eye on AnglersChannel.com next week as we bring you more from A Band Of Anglers and tons of other latest and greatest fish-catching technology from ICAST 2019 in Orlando!

by AnglersChannel

OHIO’S CAMPBELL WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE TOURNAMENT ON ROUGH RIVER LAKE PRESENTED BY NAVIONICS

Campbell Wins Third BFL Event of 2019 Season – Hamilton’s Sykes Earns Co-Angler Title

FALLS OF ROUGH, Ky. (July 1, 2019) – Boater Brody Campbell of Oxford, Ohio, won the rescheduled T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Hoosier Division tournament on Rough River Lake presented by Navionics Sunday after catching four bass weighing 7 pounds, 13 ounces. Campbell earned $5,703 for his win.

“I should have won the BFL tournament on Saturday as well, but I had a few dead fish penalties – it was very hot – and I finished second,” said Campbell, who earned his third BFL victory of the season on Sunday. “I went back out on a mission.

“I started the day targeting early-morning schooling fish by the dam for an hour or so, then I ran up to the North Fork area and flipped flooded willow bushes,” Campbell said. “I caught around 20 fish in that first hour, but there were a lot of little ones. North Fork was a lot tougher, and I only had three or four bites there.”

Campbell said he threw a Heddon Zara Spook and a fluke while targeting the schooling fish, then flipped a green-pumpkin-colored Strike King Rodent and a ½-ounce peanut butter and jelly-colored jig with a green-pumpkin Strike King Rage Craw trailer to the willow bushes.

“I think the key to my victory was just capitalizing on the bites that I did get,” Campbell went on to say. “I was around fish, but I only had four or five keeper bites all day. It was tough, it was hot. And it was important that I landed every keeper fish that bit.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st: Brody Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, four bass, 7-13, $3,703 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

2^nd: Bob Drake, Noblesville, Ind., four bass, 7-4, $1,602

3^rd: Bryce Kalen, Greenwood, Ind., two bass, 6-10, $1,401

4^th: Matt McCoy, Indianapolis, Ind., three bass, 6-7, $931

5^th: Doug Ruster, New Palestine, Ind., three bass, 6-4, $641

6^th: Chris Gable, Hopkinsville, Ky., three bass, 5-14, $646

7^th: Jake Morris, McKee, Ky., three bass, 5-7, $451

8^th: Marty Sisk, Evansville, Ind., three bass, 5-6, $405

9^th: Jimmy Shepherd, Indianapolis, Ind., four bass, 5-4, $360

10^th: Todd Hensley, New Albany, Ind., three bass, 5-3, $315

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Kalen caught a bass weighing 4 pounds, 12 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $300.

Ryan Sykes of Hamilton, Ohio, won the Co-angler Division and $1,547 Sunday after catching four bass weighing 7 pounds, 14 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st: Ryan Sykes, Hamilton, Ohio, four bass, 7-14, $1,547

2^nd: Mark Dehart, Brownstown, Ind., four bass, 6-8, $674

3^rd: Jordan Loveless, Indianapolis, Ind., three bass, 5-0, $381

3^rd: Gary Critser, Covington, Ind., two bass, 5-0, $526

5^th: John Young, Franklin, Ind., three bass, 4-15, $269

6^th: Leroy Miller, Napoleon, Ohio, two bass, 4-4, $247

7^th: Mark Redman, Pendleton, Ky., two bass, 3-15, $213

7^th: Bo Bivins, Evansville, Ind., two bass, 3-15, $213

9^th: Michael Dehart, Franklin, Ind., two bass, 3-11, $180

10^th: Brant Gish, Evansville, Ind., two bass, 3-10, $157

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 17-19 BFL Regional Championship presented by Evinrude on Kentucky Lake in Paris, Tennessee. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.

by AnglersChannel

CORYDON’S MELTON WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE TOURNAMENT ON ROUGH RIVER LAKE

Co-Angler Title Goes to Martinsville’s Pruitt

FALLS OF ROUGH, Ky. (July 1, 2019) – Boater John Melton of Corydon, Indiana, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Hoosier Division tournament on Rough River Lake Saturday after catching five bass weighing 13 pounds, 12 ounces. Melton netted $4,838 for his win.

According to post-tournament reports, Melton caught his limit near the dam, throwing a topwater lure and soft plastics.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st: John Melton, Corydon, Ind., five bass, 13-12, $2,838 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

2^nd: Brody Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, five bass, 13-9, $1,734

3^rd: Todd Hensley, New Albany, Ind., four bass, 9-10, $1,255

4^th: Mike Quinlin, Mooresville, Ind., five bass, 9-10, $805

5^th: Rob Flowers, Lawrenceburg, Ind., four bass, 9-2, $718

6^th: Jake Morris, McKee, Ky., four bass, 8-6, $520

7^th: Jay Ellis, Celina, Ohio, five bass, 7-10, $573

8^th: Richard Ison, New Washington, Ind., three bass, 7-6, $426

9^th: Scott Bateman, Jasper, Ind., three bass, 7-5, $378

10^th: Drew Boggs, Lebanon, Tenn., four bass, 6-13, $331

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Campbell caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 5 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $315.

Michael Pruitt of Martinsville, Indiana, won the Co-angler Division and $1,374 Saturday after catching four bass weighing 8 pounds, 9 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st: Michael Pruitt, Martinsville, Ind., four bass, 8-9, $1,374

2^nd: Roger Seitzinger, Lawrenceville, Ill., three bass, 7-12, $989

3^rd: Talmadge Marcum, McKee, Ky., three bass, 6-12, $459

4^th: Mike Hamaker, Cicero, Ind., three bass, 6-4, $321

5^th: Jordan Loveless, Indianapolis, Ind., two bass, 5-15, $275

6^th: Ronnie Gill, Indianapolis, Ind., two bass, 5-4, $252

7^th: Leroy Miller, Napoleon, Ohio, three bass, 4-8, $229

8^th: William Kissinger, Knoxville, Tenn., two bass, 4-7, $206

9^th: James McWhorter, Hamilton, Ohio, three bass, 4-6, $183

10^th: Tim McCue, New Whiteland, Ind., three bass, 4-3, $160

by AnglersChannel

PINCKNEYVILLE’S JENKEL WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE TOURNAMENT ON REND LAKE

Co-Angler Title Goes to West Frankfort’s Campbell

WHITTINGTON, Ill. (July 1, 2019) – Boater Derek Jenkel of Pinckneyville, Illinois, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Illini Division tournament on Rend Lake Saturday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 15 pounds, 8 ounces. Jenkel earned $4,384 for his victory.

“I was flipping bushes in the mid-lake region,” said Jenkel, who earned his third career win in BFL competition. “I didn’t have a specific bay or creek or anything like that, but I figured out a pattern flipping buck brush and I was able to replicate it in multiple areas.

“Traditionally, the bass on Rend Lake love to be shallow – like fins sticking out of the water ridiculously shallow,” Jenkel continued. “However, they just weren’t there. I figured out that the fish were holding on deeper bushes, which really was odd to me. They were not supposed to be there. But they were, and once I figured that out I was able to apply that in multiple different areas.”

Jenkel said that the fishing was a little slow, as he and his co-angler only had about 13 keeper bites throughout the day. He said he fished six different areas, mainly flipping a watermelon-red-colored Zoom Brush Hog, but also adding one keeper on a Strike King Rage Bug.

“The key, honestly, was figuring out the depth,” Jenkel went on to say. “It had to be bushes in three feet of water.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st: Derek Jenkel, Pinckneyville, Ill., five bass, 15-8, $4,384

2^nd: Jerry Walker, Zeigler, Ill., five bass, 14-1, $1,767

3^rd: Terry Holsapple, Greenup, Ill., five bass, 13-8, $1,077

4^th: James Powell, Murphysboro, Ill., five bass, 13-6, $684

5^th: Mike Barnes, Mackinaw, Ill., five bass, 12-7, $587

6^th: Brad Porter, Bluford, Ill., five bass, 11-15, $538

7^th: Ray Cortivo, Troy, Ill., four bass, 11-13, $824

8^th: Toby Corn, Calvert City, Ky., five bass, 11-3, $590

9^th: James Williams, Neoga, Ill., five bass, 11-1, $366

9^th: Brennon McCord, West Frankfort, Ill., five bass, 11-1, $366

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Cortivo caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 10 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $335.

Gabe Campbell of West Frankfort, Illinois, won the Co-angler Division and $1,602 Saturday after catching four bass weighing 11 pounds, 3 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st: Gabe Campbell, West Frankfort, Ill., four bass, 11-3, $1,602

2^nd: Dave Dobill, Royalton, Ill., four bass, 10-12, $721

3^rd: Amanda Black, Greenup, Ill., four bass, 9-2, $633

4^th: Jacob Greco, Edwardsville, Ill., five bass, 8-12, $336

5^th: Aaron Arning, Walnut Hill, Ill., three bass, 8-8, $488

6^th: Tad Cain, La Place, Ill., three bass, 7-4, $264

7^th: James Lang, Benton, Ill., three bass, 6-14, $240

8^th: Drew Cress, Highland, Ill., two bass, 5-13, $216

9^th: Eugene Kim, Lindenhurst, Ill., three bass, 5-9, $230

9^th: Jamie Ebbert, Canton, Ill., two bass, 5-9, $230

by AnglersChannel

DANVILLE’S SIGGERS WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE TOURNAMENT ON SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE

Co-Angler Title Goes to Max Meadows’ Rakes

HUDDLESTON, Va. (July 1, 2019) – Boater Dennis Siggers of Danville, Virginia, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Shenandoah Division tournament on Smith Mountain Lake Saturday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 19 pounds, 1 ounce. For his victory, Siggers earned $2,585 for his victory.

“I would say the key to my win was my 30 years of experience on this lake,” said Siggers, who earned his first career victory in FLW competition. “On Tuesday they filled the lake up, and I saw the bass swimming on the bank lines. So I started working down the bank lines, just throwing a topwater. I knew I’d catch them – I didn’t know that I’d catch 19 pounds – but it all worked out nicely.”

Siggers said he threw a Rebel Pop-R topwater bait until 10:30 a.m., then switched to a green-pumpkin and purple-colored Zoom Trick Worm.

“I would say that I caught around 10 keepers, and of the five that I brought to the scale, three came on the topwater bait and two came on the Trick Worm. My big one came on the Pop-R,” Siggers went on to say.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st: Dennis Siggers, Danville, Va., five bass, 19-1, $2,585

2^nd: Dennis Burdette, Pembroke, Va., five bass, 16-11, $1,375

3^rd: Rick Hawkins, Roanoke, Va., five bass, 15-7, $784

4^th: William Johnson, Moneta, Va., five bass, 14-7, $548

5^th: Jack Dice, Lynchburg, Va., five bass, 13-15, $720

6^th: Trevis Towe, Daleville, La., five bass, 13-12, $531

7^th: Ryan Spicer, Narrows, Va., four bass, 13-10, $392

8^th: Timothy Kowalewski, Bumpass, Va., five bass, 13-5, $502

9^th: Derik Hudson, Concord, Va., four bass, 13-3, $613

10^th: Michael Delvisco, Dandridge, Tenn., four bass, 13-1

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Siggers also earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $235 after weighing in a bass totaling 5 pounds, 12 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division.

Bobby Rakes of Max Meadows, Virginia, won the Co-angler Division and $1,250 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 12 pounds, 5 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st: Bobby Rakes, Max Meadows, Va., five bass, 12-5, $1,250

2^nd: Austin Burdette, Pembroke, Va., five bass, 10-14, $625

3^rd: J.C. Miller, Washington, Pa., five bass, 9-5, $384

4^th: Jarrod Egolf, Frederick, Md., five bass, 8-11, $268

5^th: Joshua Dudley, Rustburg, Va., four bass, 8-1, $230

6^th: Billy Brown, Dahlgren, Va., two bass, 6-8, $361

7^th: David Deciucis, Chester, Va., four bass, 6-1, $192

8^th: Anthony Shanz, Selbyville, Del., three bass, 5-9, $272

9^th: Guy Maupin, Barboursville, Va., two bass, 5-8, $153

10^th: Matt Leicester, Hertford, N.C., three bass, 5-4

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 3-5 BFL Regional Championship presented by Navionics on Lake Hartwell in Seneca, South Carolina. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.

by AnglersChannel

SUNRISE BEACH’S HARLIN WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE TOURNAMENT ON LAKE OF THE OZARKS

Sunrise Beach’s McKnight Wins Co-angler Division

OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (July 1, 2019) – Boater Michael Harlin of Sunrise Beach, Missouri, caught five bass Saturday weighing 24 pounds, 9 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) tournament on Lake of the Ozarks. Harlin pocketed $4,463 for his win in the event and 250 points in the Ozark Division presented by Bassing Bob standings. The winner of the division’s Angler of the Year title after five tournaments will win $3,000.

“I basically fished from the dam to the mouth of the Gravois arm,” said Harlin, who earned his first career win in FLW competition. “I had spent my practice mainly idling around and graphing, looking for schools that were off the beaten path. I had found five or six good spots that had fish on them and weren’t getting pressured, and Saturday they were there.

“I had around 15 keepers and was pretty much done fishing by 10:30 (a.m.),” Harlin continued. “I was throwing back 3-pounders like they were nothing. I lost a couple of big ones, too. I’m very confident I could have weighed in 26 pounds if everything had stayed buttoned up.”

Harlin said that all of his fish came on a chartreuse and powder blue-colored Strike King 6XD crankbait.

“The key was really my electronics and throwing a specific line,” Harlin went on to say. “I wasn’t fishing around spots – I was making exact casts and bringing my crankbait right through the school. I was catching them every single cast.”

.The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st: Michael Harlin, Sunrise Beach, Mo., five bass, 24-9, $4,463

2^nd: Brad Jelinek, Deepwater, Mo., five bass, 21-3, $2,232

3^rd: Austin Lowrey, Webb City, Mo., five bass, 20-15, $1,489

4^th: Kirk Smith, Edmond, Okla., five bass, 20-13, $1,041

5^th: Rick Johnston, Webb City, Mo., five bass, 20-4, $893

6^th: Chuck Austin, Saint Peters, Mo., five bass, 19-14, $818

6^th: Mike Roller, Purdy, Mo., five bass, 19-9, $944

8^th: Larry Stoafer, Leavenworth, Kan., five bass, 19-8, $1,019

9^th: Brett Govreau, House Springs, Mo., five bass, 18-15, $595

10^th: Rob Bueltmann, Osage Beach, Mo., five bass, 18-10, $473

10^th: Cory Steckler, Rocky Mount, Mo., five bass, 18-10, $473

10^th: Mark Wiese, High Ridge, Mo., five bass, 18-10, $473

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Raymond Bates of Lake Quivira, Kansas, caught a 6-pound, 10-ounce bass – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $640.

Kevin McKnight of Sunrise Beach, Missouri, won the Co-angler Division and $2,232 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 19 pounds, 8 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st: Kevin McKnight, Sunrise Beach, Mo., five bass, 19-8, $2,232

2^nd: Andrew Messina, Valley Park, Mo., five bass, 17-8, $1,116

3^rd: Anthony Johnson, Excelsior Springs, Mo., five bass, 16-14, $743

4^th: Matthew Hargarten, Bolivar, Mo., five bass, 16-10, $841

5^th: Dillon Saffle, Ballwin, Mo., five bass, 16-9, $446

6^th: Dennis Young, Olathe, Kan., five bass, 16-6, $659

7^th: Ralph Laney, Rogersville, Mo., five bass, 16-0, $372

8^th: Bruce Lyford, Liberty, Mo., five bass, 15-15, $366

9^th: Dewey Lewis, Asbury, Mo., five bass, 15-15, $316

10^th: Michael Fey Sr., Cuba, Mo., five bass, 15-8, $260

Hargarten caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 6 pounds, 10 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $320.

by AnglersChannel

Plano Brings New In-Depth Lineup to ICAST

Grand Prairie, Tx. (July 2, 2019) - Plano continues to be the leading innovators of tackle storage solutions with the release of their most technologically advanced storage series to date - EDGE.

Comprising of 10 new product SKUs, EDGE is built on the familiar Plano 3600 and 3700 Stowaway footprints. Four EDGE boxes are built for general storage in either standard, thin, or deep box configurations. Six additional boxes are designed specifically for custom storage solutions including terminal tackle, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, blade baits and jigs, and soft plastics. These products are immediately recognizable with their modern design, heavy-duty build, Duraview™ crystal-clear lids, revolutionary Rustrictor™infused bases, stainless-steel hinge pins, Dri-Loc™ rubber gaskets, and oversized single-handed latches. The EDGE series also feature Water Wick™ - a water-absorbing, rechargeable, desiccant divider, pre-cut vented dividers, and an innovative labeling system.

The new EDGE line implements a three-pronged defense against moisture and corrosion while protecting tackle and keep it organized.

First, the Dri-Loc™ rubber gasketscreate watertight seal between the lid and base that moisture that cannot penetrate. In addition, all EDGE series storage boxes feature Duraview™ crystal-clear lid and have a one-handed, easy to use latch, so anglers can find what they are looking for quickly and get to it fast. Durable steel pin hinges finish off the rugged lid and marry it to the EDGE's base.

Plano's exclusive Rustrictor™ material is infused into every new EDGE box, preventing terminal tackle and expensive baits from corroding. To help increase airflow throughout the box and to facilitate rust-preventative properties of Rustrictor™, the boxes include unique pre-separated, vented dividers. They also recess into the base, keeping terminal tackle and smaller items secure in their cell.

Finally, the EDGE series utilize Water Wick™ - a water-absorbing, rechargeable, desiccant divider. If any water makes it into an EDGE box, Water Wick™ quickly absorbs it and keeps it away from the lures.

Compartmentalize terminal tackle with the unique lift-out boxes included in the EDGE Terminal box. The boxes within-a-box design is a great way to store weights, hooks, and small parts. Small enough to put in your pocket, the revolutionary lift-out boxes are ideal to sort small items and keep the handy.

The EDGE Jig/Blade Bait box employs multiple vertical dividers to keep up to 70 jigs or bladed baits neat and organized. The vertical dividers individually lock jigs into place, keeping them from tangling or crushing hair or skirts.

Built to hold a large number of spinnerbaits, Plano's EDGE Spinnerbait box has a rugged one-piece construction base. The base has a center rail for hanging baits so that they dry naturally while not kinking their skirts. The depth of the box is deep enough to accommodate larger buzz baits and trailer hooks. Included are four adjustable dividers so that anglers can organize them by color, style or weight.

Soft plastic hoarders rejoice. The EDGE Plastics/Bulk Utility box is a large watertight enclosure allows you to bring along more bags of soft plastics than one could ever need. The box feature two movable dividers to help keep soft plastics and molded swim baits organized. In addition, they dividers can removed so the box can double as a dry-box.

The EDGE Crankbait boxes use patent pending silicone "fingers" to protect the lures, hooks, and finishes. The intricate silicone finger design eliminates the possibility of tangled hooks that often result in wasted time. These boxes also protect the lifelike finishes on today's premium hardbaits as they securely nestle among the fingers. The EDGE Crankbait boxes comes in two sizes, extra-large, for storing deep running, lipped crankbaits and other oversized lures. The smaller size is ideal for jerkbaits, low-profile search baits and spy baits.

See Plano's new EDGE line along with their other new products in booth #4618 at ICAST 2019, July 9-12 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL.

Product Features:

Dri-Loc™ - watertight seal
Rustrictor™ - rust prevention infused base
Duraview™ crystal-clear lid
One-Handed latch
Water Wick™ - water absorbing desiccant divider
Innovative labeling system
Pre-cut, pre-separated vented dividers
Ribbed lid and steel-pin hinges for durability
Available sizes: 3600 Standard, 3700 Thin, 3700 Standard, 3700 Deep: Terminal Box, Jig/Blade Bait Box, Spinnerbait Box, Plastics/Bulk Utility Box, and Crankbait boxes.

For more information, please visit: www.planomolding.com

by AnglersChannel

REDCREST Championship Field Set with Top 30 Anglers

Courtesy of Major League Fishing by Mason Prince - July 1, 2019

TULSA, Okla. – The picture that was once muddled with different scenarios and points calculations is now clear and concise, we have our 30 pros that will be competing in the first-ever Bass Pro Tour REDCREST Championship. After eight grueling Stages on the Bass Pro Tour, these 30 anglers rose above the rest to qualify for a chance to win the final trophy of the year.

Edwin Evers – 510 points
Jeff Sprague – 500 points
Brent Ehrler – 491 points
Jacob Wheeler – 488 points
Michael Neal – 470 points
Todd Faircloth – 468 points
Jordan Lee – 460 points
Dustin Connell – 445 points
Bobby Lane – 437 points
Mark Rose – 431 points
Andy Morgan – 428 points
Mike Iaconelli – 417 points
Casey Ashley – 414 points
Aaron Martens – 413 points
Andy Montgomery – 413 points
Ott DeFoe – 406 points
Wesley Strader – 406 points
Jared Lintner – 406 points
Greg Hackney – 406 points
Fred Roumbanis – 405 points
Bradley Roy – 402 points
Stephen Browning – 399 points
Jacob Powroznik – 390 points
Zack Birge – 385 points
Takahiro Omori – 376 points
Greg Vinson – 374 points
Brandon Palaniuk – 371 points
Mark Daniels, Jr. – 369 points
Cody Meyer – 365 points
Randall Tharp – 361 points

by AnglersChannel

2019 FLW Cup Roster

July 1, 2019 by FLW

With Casey Scanlon’s win at Lake Champlain in the books – not to mention the crowning of David Dudley as Angler of the Year for the fourth time and Ron Nelson as Polaris Rookie of the Year – the 2019 FLW Tour season is complete. Now, focus turns to Hot Springs, Ark., and the 2019 FLW Cup August 9-11.

Fifty-two of the world’s best anglers will compete on Lake Hamilton for the $300,000 top prize and the chance to hoist the most prestigious trophy in professional bass fishing.

This year, the FLW Cup field will include the top 40 pros from the 2019 FLW Tour Angler of the Year standings plus an additional two replacement spots for the 2018 FLW Cup champion and 2018 FLW Tour Angler of the Year, who both would have automatically qualified had they fished the FLW Tour this season. FLW Tour pro Ryan Salzman double-qualified through the Costa FLW Series, so a 43rd spot has been added, as well.

In addition to the top Tour pros, the highest-finishing pro from each of five U.S. divisions and the International division at the 2018 Costa FLW Series Championship are included in the field, along with the 2019 T-H Marine Bass Fishing League (BFL) All-American boater champion, the 2019 The Bass Federation boater champion and both 2019 YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship winning teammates (a first this year).

Here’s a full rundown of the 2019 FLW Cup field.

Complete details

David Dudley

2019 FLW TOUR STANDINGS

1 David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va.

2 John Cox, DeBary, Fla.

3 Joseph Webster, Winfield, Ala.

4 Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla.

5 Buddy Gross, Chickamauga, Ga.

6 Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C.

7 Terry Bolton, Benton, Ky.

8 Brian Latimer, Belton, S.C.

9 Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich.

10 Braxton Setzer, Wetumpka, Ala.

11 Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo.

12 Bradford Beavers, Summerville, S.C.

13 Brandon McMillan, Clewiston, Fla.

14 Matt Becker, Finleyville, Pa.

15 Miles Burghoff, Hixson, Tenn.

16 Billy McCaghren, Mayflower, Ark.

17 Matt Reed, Madisonville, Texas

18 J Todd Tucker, Moultrie, Ga.

19 Josh Douglas, Isle, Minn.

20 Austin Felix, Eden Prairie, Minn.

21 Brad Knight, Lancing, Tenn.

22 Bryan Schmitt, Deale, Md.

23 Joel Willert, Prior Lake, Minn.

24 Kurt Mitchell, Milford, Del.

25 Jared McMillan, Belle Glade, Fla.

26 Chris Brasher, Longview, Texas

27 Dakota Ebare, Denham Springs, La.

29 Wade Strelic, Alpine, Calif.

30 Larry Nixon, Quitman, Ark.

31 Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La.

32 Josh Weaver, Macon, Ga.

33 Todd Castledine, Nacogdoches, Texas

34 Kurt Dove, Del Rio, Texas

35 Andrew Upshaw, Tulsa, Okla.

36 Sheldon Collings, Grove, Okla.

37 Tommy Dickerson, Orange, Texas

38 John Voyles, Petersburg, Ind.

39 Casey Scanlon, Lake Ozark, Mo.

40 Jordan Osborne, Longview, Texas

41 Matt Stefan, Junction City, Wis.

42 Tom Redington, Royse City, Texas

43 Jason Reyes, Huffman, Texas

HIGHEST-FINISHING PROS, 2018 COSTA FLW SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP, EACH DIVISION

44 Southeastern - Kyle Walters, Grant Valkaria, Fla.

45 Southwestern - Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla.

28 Central - Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala.

46 Northern - Cory Johnston, Cavan, Ont.

47 Western - Jon Griffith, Mesa, Ariz.

48 International - Erik Luzak, Fenelon Falls, Ont.

Brennon McCord

2019 BFL ALL-AMERICAN BOATER CHAMPION

49 Brennon McCord, Westfrankfort, Ill.

2019 TBF BOATER CHAMPION

50 Preston Craig, Philadelphia, Tenn.

Adam Puckett, Blake Albertson

2019 FLW COLLEGE FISHING CHAMPIONS (MURRAY STATE)

51 Adam Puckett, Bloomington, Ind.

52 Blake Albertson, Bloomington, Ind.

2019 FLW CUP PRIZE STRUCTURE

Place Pro

1 $300,000 + 2020 FLW Cup entry

2 $60,000

3 $50,000

4 $37,500

5 $30,000

6 $24,000

7 $23,000

8 $22,000

9 $21,000

10 $20,000

11-20 $12,000

21-52 $10,000

by AnglersChannel

Humminbird's® Best-In-Class Sonar Advances, Now Includes MEGA 360 Imaging™

RACINE, Wis., June 28, 2019 – The first to take sonar into the Megahertz range with the launch of MEGA Imaging, Humminbird^® now extends MEGA Imaging^™ to its Humminbird 360 Imaging^® transducer.

Providing sonar clarity more than three-times traditional 455 kHz frequencies, Humminbird’s MEGA 360 Imaging^™ is the only sonar option that gives a high-resolution 360-degree view around the boat and is integrated to allow full use of the trolling motor. MEGA Imaging provides clearer, sharper underwater views, making fish more identifiable, and fish holding to structure easy to find, so anglers can spend more time fishing the most productive water.

“Humminbird MEGA 360 sonar technology allows full use of the trolling motor while using the transducer and is another best-in-class element of Humminbird and Minn Kota’s One-Boat Network, which provides the ultimate in connectivity for angler navigation, boat control and sonar technologies,” said Joe Brown, senior director brand management, Johnson Outdoors Marine Electronics.

The MEGA 360 Imaging transducer mounts independently to the trolling motor, keeping a constant orientation and imaging in a 360-degree circle out to 125 feet. A key benefit to MEGA 360 is its ability to provide full use of the trolling motor, so anglers can utilize Spot-Lock^™ and other important Minn Kota^®features without impacting their ability to use 360-degree sonar. This imaging technology provides anglers with a clear understanding of what’s below the water all around the boat – allowing anglers to mark and cast to structure accurately. Anglers can select the full 360-degree view, or customize the viewing area in 10-degree increments.

Humminbird’s new MEGA 360 Imaging can be viewed side-by-side with Dual Spectrum CHIRP sonar or mapping. Dual Spectrum CHIRP sonar shows a 2D representation of what is below the boat, while GPS and lake maps keep navigation and waypoint details at your fingertips, and allows anglers to access the best in mapping information with LakeMaster^® mapping.

“My Humminbird 360 played a big role in me winning this year’s Bassmaster Classic,” said Ott Defoe, Humminbird pro angler and 2019 Bassmaster Classic champion. “Knowing that MEGA Imaging will now be incorporated is very exciting to tournament anglers because it will provide the MEGA Imaging we’ve come to rely on, with Side- and Down-Imaging, into another one of our favorite on-the-water tools. When you combine MEGA 360 with Spot-Lock and the other One-Boat Network products, we will be able to pick apart entire structures knowing we aren’t leaving anything behind.”

Humminbird is part of the One-Boat Network^™, which along with Minn Kota and Talon^® products, provides anglers effortless command of their boat, elevates their experience, and helps them find, stay on and catch more fish. MEGA 360 Imaging delivers a unique One-Boat tool to see around the boat while fishing, which can be used simultaneously with Spot-Lock and other Minn Kota features without interference.

The new imaging technology can be mounted on bow mount Minn Kota trolling motors – Ultrex^®, Fortrex^®or Maxxum^®. Humminbird MEGA 360 Imaging can be directly connected to all SOLIX^® model fish finders and all HELIX^® models that have MEGA Imaging+^® capabilities. These units can share MEGA 360 imaging data over ethernet to all SOLIX models and HELIX G2N and G3N units.

Humminbird MEGA 360 Imaging will be available in December 2019 and will retail for $1,199. For more information call Humminbird at 800-633-1468 or visit www.humminbird.com/MEGA360.

by AnglersChannel

Pace Races to Bass Pro Tour Championship at Evinrude Stage Eight presented by Tracker Off Road

NEENAH, Wis. (June 30, 2019) - Out of all of the well-known bass factories that the Bass Pro Tour visited this year, who would have guessed that Green Lake, Wisconsin, would be one of the top producers? It proved to be an excellent venue for the 2019 regular-season finale and Championship Round of the Evinrude Stage Eight Presented by Tracker Off Road.

Sunday's championship battle required a hefty total to win (more than 81 pounds) and easily outdistanced the winning weight for Lakes Toho, Conroe, Smith, and Chickamauga.

That's because the day was defined mostly by non-stop action on SCORETRACKER®, except for the midday weather delay due to a strong band of rain, thunder, and lightning that covered the entirety of the nearly 8,000-acre lake.

Once fishing resumed, Cliff Pace took over and ran away with the title. Bobby Lane made a late charge, but in the end, Pace was the pace-setter, winning by over 12 pounds.

Pace Races Away With It

Pace grabbed the lead in the second period and never looked back. The windy and cloudy conditions played a significant role in his victory, and how he was able to catch 47 bass for 81-9.

Pace keyed on a mix of rock and sand, with most of his fishing coming on a Jackall Rerange Jerkbait, but he also caught some on a Jackall Crosstail Shad fished on a drop-shot rig.

The majority of Pace's fish fell for a Jackall Rerange Jerkbait, but he started the day plucking them off with a Jackall Crosstail Shad fished on a drop-shot rig.

"After the delay, the wind was still blowing, and when we went back out, I caught one on the jerkbait on the first cast," Pace said. "I never put it down after that. It was all about the conditions. I was looking for areas with rock since there was so much sand everywhere. The main thing on natural lakes is to find where there is a mix of rock and sand."

For his win, he takes home $100,000 and the title of Stage Eight Champion.

Lane's Rally Falls Short

Once Pace got on a roll, he proved to be too far out of reach for Lane and the rest of the field.

"I just couldn't keep pace with Cliff Pace today," Lane admitted. "Every time I would get on a little roll, he would start catching them again. He was just too far ahead."

Lane mixed in a jerkbait and drop-shot to finish a distant second. His key drop-shot baits were a Berkley PowerBait MaxScent 4-inch The General in black and green pumpkin.

Ehrler Finishes Third

Brent Ehrler started slow, but he rose toward the top of standings midday. Part of his ascension was thanks to quality smallmouths over 3 pounds at the start of Period 3.

"I got on one little deal with a jerkbait, topwater, Neko rig, drop-shot, and a spybait - it was all typical smallmouth stuff, I just didn't have enough areas to do it," said the California pro, who finished the Championship Round with 29 bass for 56-8. His catch included a smallmouth weighing 4-2.

Ashley Rallies Late for Fourth Place

With so many willing smallmouth biting, Ashley spent most of the day chasing brown bass before heading to the bank late in the day. He put on a largemouth clinic for those watching the MLF NOW! live stream.

Smallmouth have a reputation for vanishing in moments, and Ashley admitted that they're not his favorite target species. But going into the day, he thought he needed them to have a chance.

"After the storms moved through there were hardly any boats on the lake and the rest of our guys were out chasing smallmouth," said Ashley, who ended the day with 26 fish for 55-12. "I wish I would have gone for largemouth sooner because they were not as pressured."

The Wheels Fell Off for Wheeler

Out of the 10 anglers fishing today, only Wheeler took the time for the four-hour ride around on Green Lake during the off day earlier this week.

Early on, it appeared that his homework was going to pay off as he came out of the gates swinging. After the first period, he had 11 bass for 27-14 including several nice smallmouth. At this point, he held a commanding seven-pound lead over Bobby Lane.

From there, the conditions changed, and he only mustered four bass the rest of the day. He continued to fall down the standings and finished up in sixth place with 15 bass for 35-14.

Daily Winners

Shotgun Round daily awards were:

* The Berkley Big Bass of the day was Andy Morgan's 4-14 largemouth.

* Cliff Pace won the Berkley Catch Count award with 47 bass on the day.

* Pace also earned the Phoenix Boats Daily Leader award with 81-09.

Looking Ahead

For the 30 anglers who qualified for the REDCREST, they are rewarded with a return trip to Wisconsin in August. The event will be held on the Mississippi River out of La Crosse on August 21-25.

Final Results

To see all results for today's Championship Round, as well as all results for each competition day, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com and click "Results."

by AnglersChannel

SCANLON WINS FLW TOUR AT LAKE CHAMPLAIN PRESENTED BY T-H MARINE

Missouri Pro Commits to Largemouth Bite, Wins $100,000 at FLW Tour Regular Season Finale on Lake Champlain

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (June 30, 2019) – After starting the day in second place, pro Casey Scanlon of Lake Ozark, Missouri, caught a five-bass limit weighing 19 pounds, 10 ounces, Sunday to vault to the top of the leaderboard and win the FLW Tour at Lake Champlain presented by T-H Marine with a four-day total of 20 bass weighing 76 pounds, 2 ounces. Scanlon’s weight was enough to edge second place angler Jackson Kayak pro Eric Jackson by 1 pound, 11 ounces, in the event that featured 163 of the world’s most decorated bass anglers competing over four days on Lake Champlain.

“It’s been a long time coming. I’ve been doing this for eight years now and on a couple of different tours. I’ve had the opportunity to win several times and haven’t gotten it done, so today is a pretty special day,” said Scanlon, who earned his first career win in FLW Tour competition. “I’ve been fishing tournaments since I was 15 and it’s not easy out here, but days like this make it all worth it.”

Scanlon spent the event targeting largemouth down near Ticonderoga. Early in the tournament, most of his bass came off shallow rock inside of a milfoil edge. As the tournament progressed, though, he caught more fish from the grass, with all of his keepers today coming from the grass.

“I did junk it up a little bit, but I got myself in some decent areas, and I tried to make the most out of them by switching baits and trying some different stuff throughout the tournament,” said Scanlon.

Scanlon did have a primary area that produced his initial limits on days one through three – a pair of main-lake points along Champlain’s eastern shoreline that were swept by current. Today, the area didn’t produce, but he was able to make the necessary adjustments to put together a solid limit.

“The fish were obviously using the current to feed, and there was bait there, which was a big key,” said Scanlon. “You’d see a lot of activity in the grass. That’s probably the main reason those fish were there.”

In his areas, Scanlon used a 3/8-ounce chartreuse and white Z-Man ChatterBait with a white soft jerkbait trailer for rocks and scattered milfoil, and a green copper shad-colored Luck-E-Strike Series 3 square-billed crankbait on rocks and in looser grass. A few fish early in the tournament bit a Luck-E-Strike Pow Stik, rigged with either a 3/16- or 1/4-ounce Bass Pros Shops tungsten weight, and a black and blue Bass Pros Shops tube. He also ran a 1/2-ounce Trophy Swim Jig through lily pads and pencil reeds in shallow water.

“Depending on the cover I’d always start with a moving bait, usually the ChatterBait, and when it was sparser grass I’d use the crankbait. When I’d catch a few, I would slow down and pick it apart with the Pow Stik,” said Scanlon. “I was just fortunate to dial into the fish every day – locations and baits changed daily on me.”

With his win, Scanlon earned enough points to qualify for the FLW Cup – the world championship of bass fishing – August 9-11 on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

“I needed a big derby to make the FLW Cup,” said Scanlon. “I knew I probably needed a top-12 [finish] here to make it and we’re sitting here now. I’m ready to go to Hot Springs.”

The top 10 pros on Lake Champlain finished:

1^st: Casey Scanlon, Lake Ozark, Mo., 20 bass, 76-2, $102,700

2^nd: Jackson Kayak pro Eric Jackson, Walling, Tenn., 20 bass, 74-7, $30,000

3^rd: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 20 bass, 73-15, $25,100

4^th: Christopher Brasher, Longview, Texas, 20 bass, 73-15, $20,000

5^th: Hensley Powell, Whitwell, Tenn., 20 bass, 73-12, $19,000

6^th: Daryl Biron, South Windsor, Conn., 20 bass, 72-6, $18,000

7^th: Polaris pro David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., 20 bass, 72-4, $17,000

8^th: A.J. Slegona, Pine Bush, N.Y., 20 bass, 71-9, $16,000

9^th: Tyler Stewart, West Monroe, La., 19 bass, 68-10, $15,000

10^th: Tom Redington, Royse City, Texas, 18 bass, 62-3, $14,000

Complete results for the entire field can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Overall there were 47 bass weighing 164 pounds, 1 ounces, caught by pros Sunday. The catch included eight five-bass limits.

Polaris pro David Dudley of Lynchburg, Virginia, won the prestigious 2019 FLW Tour Angler of the Year (AOY) Saturday, becoming the first angler in the history of the FLW Tour to claim four titles (2019, 2012, 2011 and 2008). He narrowly edged out Berkley pro John Cox of DeBary, Florida, by just 17 points in a tightly contested race that was too close to call until Cox’s 28th place finish. Dudley, who received $100,000 for the title, will also receive an automatic berth into the 2020 FLW Cup.

Pro Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs, Michigan, clinched the Polaris 2019 FLW Tour Rookie of the Year (ROY) award Saturday, which is awarded to the rookie pro angler who finishes the season with the highest point total. For his efforts, Nelson won a Polaris Sportsman® 570 ATV.

Television coverage of the FLW Tour at Lake Champlain presented by T-H Marine will premiere in 2019. The exact air-date will be announced soon. The Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show airs each Saturday night at 7 p.m. EST and is broadcast to more than 63 million cable, satellite and telecommunications households in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean on the World Fishing Network (WFN), the leading entertainment destination and digital resource for anglers throughout North America. FLW television is also distributed internationally to FLW partner countries, including Canada, China, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Portugal, Spain and South Africa.

The total purse for the FLW Tour at Lake Champlain presented by T-H Marine was more than $860,000. The tournament was hosted by the City of Plattsburgh and the Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau. The next event for FLW anglers on Lake Champlain will be the Costa FLW Series at Lake Champlain presented by Polaris in Plattsburgh, July 18-30. A limited number of co-angler spots are still open. To register or see more information, visit FLWFishing.com.

In FLW Tour competition, the full field of 163 pro anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The top 30 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advanced to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continued competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.

Throughout the season, anglers were also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2019 FLW Cup, the world championship of professional bass fishing. The 2019 FLW Cup will be on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Aug. 9-11 and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the sport’s top anglers on the FLW Tour on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

by AnglersChannel

STEWART STILL ON TOP, DUDLEY CLINCHES AOY TITLE AT FLW TOUR EVENT ON LAKE CHAMPLAIN PRESENTED BY T-H MARINE

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (June 29, 2019) – Pro Tyler Stewart of West Monroe, Louisiana, caught a five-bass limit Saturday weighing 18 pounds, 5 ounces, to keep the lead after day three of the FLW Tour at Lake Champlain presented by T-H Marine. Stewart’s three-day total of 58-6 will lead the final 10 pros into Championship Sunday, where the top prize of up to $125,000 will be up for grabs.

“The day started off kind of slow. I got down to my main places and it was crowded – there was a [local] tournament out of Ticonderoga and someone was fishing one of my main holes for fun,” said Stewart, who is looking to win his first career FLW Tour event. “I ended up catching a 4½-pounder and got some good momentum going. I just grinded all day – caught some good fish and kept the wheels on. I ran some new stuff, too – stuff that looks right.”

Stewart said he caught the majority of his largemouth flipping a jig. He also weighed one from a square-billed crankbait and a 3½-pound smallmouth on a Keitech swimbait, which culled out a largemouth toward the end of the day.

“The largemouth are in about 6 inches of water, and I think a lot of people are overlooking that. I’m catching them super shallow and on current- and bait-related stuff,” said Stewart. “I’d love to be able to get on my stuff tomorrow and fish it thoroughly.”

On Championship Sunday, Stewart said he plans to stay the course and fish Ticonderoga – the area that’s produced the majority of his weight all week – no matter what challenges the weather may pose.

“I don’t care if takes me three hours to get to Ticonderoga – that’s where I’m going,” Stewart went on to say.

The top 10 pros advancing to the final day of competition Sunday on Lake Champlain are:

1^st: Tyler Stewart, West Monroe, La., 15 bass, 58-6

2^nd: Casey Scanlon, Lake Ozark, Mo., 15 bass, 56-8

3^rd: Jackson Kayak pro Eric Jackson, Walling, Tenn., 15 bass, 55-13

4^th: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 15 bass, 55-6

5^th: Daryl Biron, South Windsor, Conn., 15 bass, 55-2

6^th: Polaris pro David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., 15 bass, 55-2

7^th: A.J. Slegona, Pine Bush, N.Y., 15 bass, 54-15

8^th: Tom Redington, Royse City, Texas, 15 bass, 54-15

9^th: Christopher Brasher, Longview, Texas, 15 bass, 54-11

10^th: Hensley Powell, Whitwell, Tenn., 15 bass, 54-4

Finishing 11^th through 30^th are:

11^th: Bryan Schmitt, Deale, Md., 15 bass, 54-2, $12,000

12^th: Lowrance pro Austin Felix, Eden Prairie, Minn., 15 bass, 53-13, $12,000

13^th: Joseph Webster, Winfield, Ala., 15 bass, 53-13, $12,000

14^th: Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich., 15 bass, 53-12, $12,000

15^th: Kurt Dove, Del Rio, Texas, 15 bass, 53-4, $12,000

16^th: John Voyles, Petersburg, Ind., 15 bass, 53-0, $11,500

17^th: Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., 15 bass, 53-0, $11,500

18^th: Charles Sim, Nepean, Ontario, Canada, 15 bass, 52-10, $11,500

19^th: Chad Warren, Sand Springs, Okla., 15 bass, 51-13, $11,500

20^th: Joel Willert, Prior Lake, Minn., 15 bass, 51-7, $11,500

21^st: Lowrance pro Jeff Dobson, Bartlesville, Okla., 15 bass, 51-4, $10,500

22^nd: Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla., 15 bass, 51-3, $10,500

23^rd: Tommy Dickerson, Orange, Texas, 15 bass, 51-0, $10,500

24^th: Matt Becker, Finleyville, Pa., 15 bass, 50-13, $10,500

25^th: Shawn Murphy, Nicholasville, Ky., 15 bass, 50-12, $10,500

26^th: Kurt Mitchell, Milford, Del., 15 bass, 50-9, $10,500

27^th: Joshua Weaver, Macon, Ga., 15 bass, 49-3, $10,500

28^th: Berkley pro John Cox, DeBary, Fla., 15 bass, 49-1, $10,500

29^th: Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., 15 bass, 47-4, $11,000

30^th: Robert Behrle, Hoover, Ala., 13 bass, 42-0, $10,500

For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.

Overall there were 148 bass weighing 493 pounds, 3 ounces, caught by 30 pros Saturday. The catch included 29 five-bass limits.

Anglers were also vying for the prestigious 2019 FLW Tour Angler of the Year (AOY) title that is determined by the most points accumulated over the seven Tour events in 2019.

Polaris pro David Dudley of Lynchburg, Virginia, won the AOY title Saturday, becoming the first angler in the history of the FLW Tour to claim four titles (2019, 2012, 2011 and 2008). He narrowly edged out Berkley pro John Cox of DeBary, Florida, by just 17 points in a tightly contested race that was too close to call until Cox’s 28th place finish today. Dudley, who received $100,000 for the title, will also receive an automatic berth into the 2020 FLW Cup.

In FLW Tour competition, the full field of 163 pro anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The top 30 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advanced to Saturday. Now, only the top 10 pros continue will competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.

The total purse for the FLW Tour at Lake Champlain presented by T-H Marine is more than $860,000. The tournament is hosted by the City of Plattsburgh and the Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau.

Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2019 FLW Cup, the world championship of professional bass fishing. The 2019 FLW Cup will be on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Aug. 9-11 and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.

Anglers will take off for the final day of competition at 6:30 a.m. EST Sunday from Plattsburgh City Marina, located at 5 Dock St., in Plattsburgh. Sunday’s championship weigh-in will be held at the marina beginning at 4 p.m.

In conjunction with the weigh-in, FLW will host a free Family Fishing Expo at Plattsburgh City Marina from 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday. The Expo is a chance for fishing fans to meet their favorite anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, as well as learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities.

The popular FLW Live on-the-water program will air on Sunday, featuring live action from the boats of the tournament’s top pros each day. Host Travis Moran will be joined by veteran FLW Tour pro Todd Hollowell to break down the extended action from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. On-the-water broadcasts will be live streamed on FLWFishing.com, the FLW YouTube channel and the FLW Facebook page.

by AnglersChannel

STEWART HOLDS LEAD FOLLOWING DAY TWO OF FLW TOUR EVENT ON LAKE CHAMPLAIN PRESENTED BY T-H MARINE

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (June 28, 2019) – Pro Tyler Stewart of West Monroe, Louisiana, held his lead after day two of the FLW Tour at Lake Champlain presented by T-H Marine after catching a five-bass limit weighing 17 pounds, 14 ounces. Stewart’s two-day total of 40-1 will lead the final 30 pros into the third day of the event, with John Voyles of Petersburg, Indiana, in second with 38-12 and Daryl Biron of South Windsor, Connecticut, right behind in third with 38-3. Only the final 10 pros will continue on to Championship Sunday, where the winner will receive up to $125,000.

Stewart spent his day targeting largemouth in the Ticonderoga area of the lake, flipping plastics to a variety of cover.

“It started off good this morning. The first place I pulled up to I caught one that was close to 4 pounds,” said Stewart, who is eyeing his first top-10 FLW Tour finish. “I jumped around a little bit, caught a few fish here and there and then I ended up catching one that was about 4½ around 10 [a.m.]. At that point, I had about 16 pounds. I culled a few more times before catching one right at the end of the day that put me up another 2 pounds to get close to 18.

“I think they’re postspawn bass that are feeding up. The fish are just so healthy, it’s crazy,” continued Stewart. “All of my stuff I fished was main-lake stuff, so I think they’re all just really healthy, postspawn fish.”

Stewart said he ran some new water today, but also played defense on some of his best spots. In total, he said he put about 15 keepers in the boat.

“I think the areas will hold up for days three and four as long as I don’t have a bunch of company,” said Stewart. “If I have it to myself I feel like I could potentially catch a couple more good limits.”

The top 30 pros that made the cut and will fish Saturday on Lake Champlain are:

1^st: Tyler Stewart, West Monroe, La., 10 bass, 40-1

2^nd: John Voyles, Petersburg, Ind., 10 bass, 38-12

3^rd: Daryl Biron, South Windsor, Conn., 10 bass, 38-3

4^th: Hensley Powell, Whitwell, Tenn., 10 bass, 38-2

5^th: Casey Scanlon, Lake Ozark, Mo., 10 bass, 37-11

6^th: Lowrance pro Austin Felix, Eden Prairie, Minn., 10 bass, 37-11

7^th: A.J. Slegona, Pine Bush, N.Y., 10 bass, 37-5

8^th: Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., 10 bass, 37-0

9^th: Tom Redington, Royse City, Texas, 10 bass, 36-15

10^th: Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich., 10 bass, 36-11

11^th: Tommy Dickerson, Orange, Texas, 10 bass, 36-9

12^th: Polaris pro David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., 10 bass, 36-4

13^th: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 10 bass, 35-15

14^th: Christopher Brasher, Longview, Texas, 10 bass, 35-15

15^th: Jackson Kayak pro Eric Jackson, Walling, Tenn., 10 bass, 35-14

16^th: Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., 10 bass, 35-12

17^th: Joseph Webster, Winfield, Ala., 10 bass, 35-9

18^th: Joel Willert, Prior Lake, Minn., 10 bass, 35-6

19^th: Lowrance pro Kurt Mitchell, Milford, Del., 10 bass, 35-5

20^th: Lowrance pro Jeff Dobson, Bartlesville, Okla., 10 bass, 35-4

21^st: Charles Sim, Nepean, Ontario, Canada, 10 bass, 35-4

22^nd: Chad Warren, Sand Springs, Okla., 10 bass, 35-3

23^rd: Shawn Murphy, Nicholasville, Ky., 10 bass, 35-3

24^th: Joshua Weaver, Macon, Ga., 10 bass, 35-3

25^th: Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla., 10 bass, 35-1

26^th: Kurt Dove, Del Rio, Texas, 10 bass, 34-15

27^th: Robert Behrle, Hoover, Ala., 10 bass, 34-14

28^th: Bryan Schmitt, Deale, Md., 10 bass, 34-12

29^th: Matt Becker, Finleyville, Pa., 10 bass, 34-9

30^th: Berkley pro John Cox, DeBary, Fla., 10 bass, 34-6

For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.

Jordan Osborne of Longview, Texas, earned the $500 Big Bass award Friday after bringing a 4-pound, 13-ounce bass to the scale – the heaviest fish of the day.

Overall there were 785 bass weighing 2,351 pounds, 11 ounces, caught by 162 pros Friday. The catch included 148 five-bass limits.

In FLW Tour competition, the full field of 163 pro anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The top 30 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight now advance to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continue will competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.

The total purse for the FLW Tour at Lake Champlain presented by T-H Marine is more than $860,000. The tournament is hosted by the City of Plattsburgh and the Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau.

Anglers will take off at 6:30 a.m. EST Saturday and Sunday from Plattsburgh City Marina, located at 5 Dock St., in Plattsburgh. Saturday and Sunday’s weigh-ins will also be held at the marina beginning at 4 p.m.

In conjunction with the weigh-ins, FLW will host a free Family Fishing Expo at Plattsburgh City Marina from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The Expo is a chance for fishing fans to meet their favorite anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, as well as learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities.

Also for youth, the FLW Foundation’s Unified Fishing Derby will be held at Wilcox Dock, located at 90 Cumberland Ave., in Plattsburgh, on Saturday, June 29, from Noon-2 p.m. The event is hosted by FLW Foundation pro Cody Kelley along with other FLW Tour anglers, and is free and open to anyone under the age of 18 and Special Olympics athletes. Rods and reels are available for use, but youth are encouraged to bring their own if they own one. The 1st and 2nd place anglers that catch the most fish will be recognized Saturday on the FLW Tour stage, just prior to the pros weighing in.

The popular FLW Live on-the-water program will air on Saturday and Sunday, featuring live action from the boats of the tournament’s top pros each day. Host Travis Moran will be joined by veteran FLW Tour pro Todd Hollowell to break down the extended action each day from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. On-the-water broadcasts will be live streamed on FLWFishing.com, the FLW YouTube channel and the FLW Facebook page.

by AnglersChannel

STEWART LEADS AFTER DAY ONE OF FLW TOUR EVENT ON LAKE CHAMPLAIN PRESENTED BY T-H MARINE

Louisiana pro targets largemouth, weighs sole 22-pound limit to sit atop the leaderboard after Day One

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (June 27, 2019) – Pro Tyler Stewart of West Monroe, Louisiana, caught a five-bass limit weighing 22 pounds, 3 ounces to sit atop the leaderboard after day one of the FLW Tour at Lake Champlain presented by T-H Marine. Tied for second place with 20-7 are pros John Voyles of Petersburg, Indiana, and Tom Redington of Royse City, Texas. The full field of 163 anglers, who are casting for a top award of up to $125,000, will continue competition Friday on day two, with just the top 30 fishing Saturday and the final 10 competing Sunday.

“On the first day of practice, I spent the whole day [focusing] on largemouth. On day two, I tried smallmouth, but just really couldn’t anything going,” said Stewart, a second-year FLW Tour pro. “On the third day of practice I focused on largemouth again and got a little something going, and that’s kind of what I ran with today.

“It started happening pretty quick [this morning]. I caught my weight by like 10:30 [a.m.],” continued Stewart. “I had a 2-pounder in my livewell, and at 11, I caught a 4-pounder that culled, then I left. I’m keeping a flipping stick in my hand all day. I only have a couple of small areas and that’s basically what I’m doing – flipping them up in pretty shallow water.”

Stewart said he caught around 10 keepers throughout his day. He did weigh one smallmouth, a fish he caught after leaving his primary areas.

“I ended up making a quarter-pound cull, which could be pretty crucial,” said Stewart.

The top 10 boaters after day one on Lake Champlain are:

1^st: Tyler Stewart, West Monroe, La., five bass, 22-3

2^nd: John Voyles, Petersburg, Ind., 20-7

2^nd: Tom Redington, Royse City, Texas, five bass, 20-7

4^th: Casey Scanlon, Lake Ozark, Mo., five bass, 20-0

5^th: Lowrance pro Kurt Mitchell, Milford, Del., five bass, 19-15

6^th: Hensley Powell, Whitwell, Tenn., five bass, 19-14

7^th: Daryl Biron, South Windsor, Conn., five bass, 19-12

8^th: Lowrance pro Jeff Dobson, Bartlesville, Okla., five bass, 19-9

9^th: Tommy Dickerson, Orange, Texas, five bass, 19-8

10^th: Kurt Dove, Del Rio, Texas, five bass, 19-5

For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.

Ryan Salzman of Huntsville, Alabama, earned Thursday’s $500 Big Bass award after bringing a 5-pound, 12-ounce bass to the scale – the largest fish of the day.

Overall there were 804 bass weighing 2,494 pounds, 3 ounces, caught by 163 pros Thursday. The catch included 157 five-bass limits.

In FLW Tour competition, the full field of 163 pro anglers compete in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The top 30 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advance to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.

The total purse for the FLW Tour at Lake Champlain presented by T-H Marine is more than $860,000. The tournament is hosted by the City of Plattsburgh and the Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau.

Anglers will take off at 6:30 a.m. EST each day from the Plattsburgh City Marina, located at 5 Dock St., in Plattsburgh. Friday’s weigh-in will be held at the marina beginning at 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s weigh-ins will also be held at the marina, but will begin at 4 p.m.

In conjunction with the weigh-ins, FLW will host a free Family Fishing Expo at Plattsburgh City Marina from 2 to 6 p.m. The Expo is a chance for fishing fans to meet their favorite anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, as well as learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities.

The popular FLW Live on-the-water program will air on Days Three and Four of the event, featuring live action from the boats of the tournament’s top pros each day. Host Travis Moran will be joined by veteran FLW Tour pro Todd Hollowell to break down the extended action each day from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. On-the-water broadcasts will be live streamed on FLWFishing.com, the FLW YouTube channel and the FLW Facebook page.

by AnglersChannel

The Show must go on.....

When the cats away the mice will play and that's exactly what Jason and the circus do this week as Chris steps away for a long weekend at the beach. Before he left Chris and Kenneth welcome in Bassmaster correspondence and former Classic and Cup Champ Davy Hite to the show to recap Guntersville and to talk about his Bass Fishing Hall of Fame induction coming up. Jason and the boys finish up with the Costa Countdown to blast off, check it out!

by AnglersChannel

Hartman Bounces “Back”

Vance McCullough

A year ago, to the week, AnglersChannel.com shared the news that Jamie Hartman had taken a medical leave from the remainder of the 2018 Bassmaster Elite Series due to an extreme case of sciatica that was severe enough to drive him to the hospital.

“If I could just lay on the deck and cast a Senko I would,” lamented Hartman at the time. He said then that a fire burned inside him and he was bent on making a return to competitive fishing.

In a rare Monday evening final weigh in and a storm-shortened show lacking the usual pomp and circumstance, and suspense that the televised Elite Series weigh ins are known for, Hartman watched from the hot seat-turned-wet seat as several anglers were rushed across the stage, none able to unseat him.

“They just said ‘you’re the winner! Here’s your trophy! Y’all seek shelter immediately!’.”

It was a fitting ending to a most unusual week for Hartman who has placed in the Top 10 a few times in his 3-year Elite career, but never won an Elite Series tourney and never fished Lake Guntersville.

Hartman has made some lifestyle changes and regained his health. Once a professional truck driver, Hartman became a road warrior of a different stripe when he disposed of most of his belongings, including his home, and rang-in 2017 by scouting the waters on which he would fish his rookie season of the Elite Series.

All of that time sitting behind the steering wheel can bring on nerve ailments such as the sciatica Hartman wrestled with last year.

Also, the eating habits of travelers are not ideal, unless you make prior arrangements. “I changed my diet quite a bit. I’ve lost 20 or 25 pounds, something like that. I knew I’d have to do it.

“I wasn’t fat, but you put a little extra weight on from eating bad. I do a lot of prepared meals and take them all with me now, so I don’t have the urge to eat bad.”

As a result of his new routines, Hartman is feeling much better. “I have the usual ‘old man’ pains when I wake up,” laughs the straight-shooting 47-year-old.

Has his overall fitness level influenced his performance on the water?

“Absolutely. Absolutely.”

Hartman has been a competitive threat from the start of his career. He may be, finally, hitting full stride.

Hartman has found a new home in Russellville, Arkansas. He had friends there. “Now I’ve got a girlfriend there that I’ve had for 9 months too. All is good.”

His lady was present, in a boat with some of those friends to watch Hartman take the lead on the final day at Guntersville though she gave no indication that he had done so because the pros had agreed not to look at BASSTrak standings before weighing their fish at the end of the day.

Now that he has the big blue trophy in hand, Hartman has admitted to feeling “a weird intuition” about winning this tournament even before he launched his boat for practice.

“I just had this vision and this, I don’t know man, it was like a, just a weird feeling. I’ve never had it before. I’m very humble. I’ve never said ‘I’m gonna win this event’. I know how fishing is and there are far too many variables. I told my girlfriend, I said ‘I think I’m going to go and win this event’. And it was just strange, man.”

Hartman’s strange intuition proved so true that not even a couple of bouts of bad luck could knock him out of the running in a tournament that he never led - until it counted most.

“I had a situation on Day 2 that came over me at the end of the day. It gave me goosebumps after I caught the fish. Trying to get into the Top 35 cut, I didn’t know if I was going to make it because I bombed so bad on Day 1, and I looked back in my livewell with like, 35 minutes to go, and I realized one of my fish was dead. It was my number two fish from the morning that I stuck in the tongue and I nursed it all day long, for seven hours.

“I was freaking out. I thought ‘there goes my 4 ounces. I needed that. I’m not going to make it now’.

“So I turned my livewell to ‘fill’ to flush all the acid and the dead fish gook out of my livewell for my alive fish. I went back to the front and I kept fishing and I got to thinking ‘Dummy! You’re putting hot water into the livewell after you’ve been cooling ‘em all day’. So I let it run because I still wanted to get the stuff out of there. So I’m going down the grass line, punching matted grass and I went to turn around to go back to turn my livewell off. I turned back around and then I turned around again to set my rod down and go turn my livewell off and put ice in it, and I just looked forward and I saw, I don’t even know, it wasn’t even that much of a sweet spot in front of me, but I turned around and made myself make one more pitch before I put my rod down and when I did that, I caught a 5-something.

“I got freaking goosebumps.

“Something made me not put my rod down.

“It was unexplainable, and I just let it out, like, I told my marshal what went over me. It was just crazy.”

Hartman may have had The Force working in his favor, but he deserves much credit for fishing clean and executing superbly. Most of the time.

“I lost one in the last hour-and-a-half before check in. I lost a big one on a log with a jig. I got him hung under the log. When he came out the other side of the log, I could see him roll down there and I kept steady pressure on him; never did get a good hookset on him because as soon as he hit me, he went under the log. All of a sudden, he came out. I don’t even know how I got him out, but he came out and then he comes right up and jumps and lands and I’ve got him on still. I walked that fish from the back of the boat, and I was going to come around the other side and grab him because I knew I didn’t get a good hook in him, he came out by the motor and he jumped again and spit the jig. My buddy was right there and captured the whole thing. He said ‘Dude, I don’t know how big that thing was, but wait ‘til you see the pictures. It was big.’ I lost that fish and I was mad because I had a 3-3 in the livewell and that would have been the big one, but it swam back into the log. They always swim out.

“After that I just shook it off, went back to punching the mat. Then I made a decision to make a run. Thank God I did.”

Hartman followed his instincts to the end. “I went scouting (even on) the last day; went to fresh water, something I had looked at the day before, but I went to try and expand on that, looking for more fish because the wind was atrocious. It was tough to flip in that wind.”

As bad as the weather was on the final day, Hartman’s biggest obstacle was the slow start in the tournament’s opening round that almost caused him to miss the first cut. He made a bold decision that night.

“I totally abandoned that stuff (his deep ledge fishing pattern). It was ‘you gotta change. You have to make a change. You have to adapt’. And I went and did stuff that I never even practiced.

“I didn’t have any flippin’ sticks rigged up. I wasn’t ready for the grass. I didn’t have any Chatterbaits ready. I had planned to fish offshore and stay offshore.

“I had to switch because the fish started abandoning the offshore stuff, which is crazy for this time of year, and I just went to the grass. I switched up.

“Going and fishing eight-feet-and-under was the ticket.

“It was a concern because I didn’t even make a pitch into the grass during practice or anything. But immediately I got bit, and I got bit again, and I got bit again.

“I was like ‘damn, this is going to work’.

“I just said ‘I’m going to put my trolling motor down and I’m just going to flip. I don’t know what’s in front of me, but I’m gonna just keep going.”

Given his druthers, Hartman would like to catch ‘em “Deep. Definitely. I think I can get on a school of fish and wear ‘em out. I can figure out different ways to catch them when they shut down and what not. That’s why I (initially) stayed out deep. I had two good schools of fish located out deep in practice, but we had pretty good winds in practice, every day, but it was the same wind – southwest – and then Day 1, slick as slick could be and hot as Hell. And Day 2, same thing. Day 3, same thing. My schools disappeared.”

But then late on the final day, having settled into a dependable grass bite, Hartman looked at the wind-whipped waters of Lake Guntersville and scrapped it all once more and, again, found the fish he needed to validate his “strange intuition”.

“I made that choice with, I don’t even know, an hour and fifteen minutes left, to go run and check that deep school that I had in practice that was gone because we had the wind again.

“I had my graph on. I rolled over it one time. That’s all I needed. I didn’t even have to check them again. I rolled over it and I go ‘Dude, they’re loaded!’.

“I turned around and I just started catching them. I caught the 4-4 that culled-out the 3-3.

“That was the one.”

After losing the 5-pounder on a shallow log, Hartman had made the snap decision to run to a deep ledge and catch a bass that would ultimately give him a 6-ounce margin of victory.

As the winds that had brought his fish back to the ledge tore apart the tent behind the weigh in stage and buckets of rain sent the crowd of spectators scrambling for cover, a grateful Jamie Hartman hugged his first blue trophy. Alone on a rain-soaked stage.

The difference a year makes.

by AnglersChannel

GoFundMe Account for Former Elite Series Pro Derek Remitz

Guntersville Guide and Former Elite Series Pro Derek Remitz was in a horrible accident Friday night during the storms that went through Alabama and has been in ICU since then. From his GoFund Me page, Derek is as Zona coined him the Wolverine, a lot called him Hammer and those who know him know his undying love for family and friends. The first thing he wrote while in and out of consciousness was "Austin". If you know Derek, you know how great of a father he is, how great of a son, brother, uncle and friend he is. Derek is still fighting for his life and still has surgeries needed and we are all praying he makes a full recovery. Derek is the type of guy who wouldn't ask anyone for anything but is always there in a second to help a anyone in need. These funds will be used to help with any additional care for his soon to be 3 yr old son Austin and any help that is needed to help keep his mind at rest while he fights for his life. Even if Derek could speak he wouldn't ask so I am asking for him, please support Derek and Austin in any way you can. If you can't donate please keep him and his family in your prayers.

Derek Remitz Go Fund Me Account

by AnglersChannel

PENNSYLVANIA’S ELIZABETHTOWN HIGH SCHOOL WINS 2019 TBF/FLW HIGH SCHOOL FISHING WORLD FINALS ON PICKWICK LAKE

FLORENCE, Ala. (June 24, 2019) – Pennsylvania’s Elizabethtown High School duo of Anthony Cicero IV and Dakota Snyder, both of Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, caught three bass weighing in at 16 pounds, 6 ounces to win the 2019 TBF Student Angler Federation High School Fishing World Finals on Pickwick Lake. Edging their closest competitors by 1 pound, 9 ounces, the Elizabethtown High School duo won their choice of scholarship offers from Bethel University (Tennessee), Simpson University (California) or Kentucky Christian University.

Snyder said he plans on joining the United States Marines after his upcoming senior year, while Cicero says the victory will have a life-changing impact on his future.

“I might go to college now since we won,” Cicero said. “At first, I wasn’t sure if I’d go, but I might go now.”

While many of their competitors opted for Pickwick’s traditional offshore ledge game, the winning anglers quickly determined that their best opportunities would be found shallower. Working in the Mulberry Creek area, upriver from Kroger Island, Cicero and Snyder focused on shallow grass with wood and caught fish from 8 inches of water to five feet. They had plenty of area at their disposal, but ended up sealing the deal on a single piece of cover.

“We were fishing this stump where we had caught a couple in practice and we caught our three best fish there today and ended it all,” Cicero said.

Anchoring their limit was a 7-pound, 7-ounce largemouth that earned Big Bass honors for the day.

Bladed jigs produced all of the winners’ fish. They mixed up their presentations between a Z-Man ChatterBait Jack Hammer and a Phenix Vibrator Jig. Both wore green pumpkin Lake Fork Live Magic Shad trailers.

“In the morning, we would burn it right above the grass and later in the day we would slow roll it to get it down deeper in the grass,” Cicero said.

The top 10 teams at the TBF Student Angler Federation High School Fishing World Finals on Pickwick Lake finished:

1st: Elizabethtown High School, Elizabethtown, Pa. – Anthony Cicero IV and Dakota Snyder, both of Elizabethtown, Pa., three bass, 16-6

2nd: Gardendale High School, Gardendale, Ala. – Griffin Phillips and Fletcher Phillips, both of Mount Olive, Ala., three bass, 14-13

3rd: Lawrence County High School, Lawrenceburg, Tenn. – Will Daniels and Kade Suratt, both of Lawrenceburg, Tenn., three bass, 13-3

4th: Lawrence County High School, Lawrenceburg, Tenn. – J.D. Bedford, Lawrenceburg, Tenn., and Walker Brown, Loretto, Tenn., three bass, 12-10

5th: Hamburg High School, Hamburg, Ark. – Austin Fleming, Hamburg, Ark., and Ben Brockwell, Crossett, Ark., three bass, 12-5

6th: North Augusta High School, North Augusta, S.C. – Dustin Williamson, Aiken, S.C., and Nathan Boatwright, Warrenville, S.C., three bass, 12-2

7th: Corner High School, Dora, Ala. – Ethan Franklin, Empire, Ala., and Hayden McCarty, Dora, Ala., three bass, 12-0

8th: Marshall County High School, Benton, Ky. – Tristan Barrett, Benton, Ky., and Harlan Thomas, Gilbertsville, Ky., three bass, 11-6

9th: McCracken County High School, Paducah, Ky. – Sarah Morehead and Hunter Valerius, both of Paducah, Ky., three bass, 10-12

10th: Mount Bethel Christian Academy, Marietta, Ga. – Brooks Anderson and David Britt, both of Marietta, Ga., three bass, 10-8

Complete results from the event, along with the weigh-ins, can be found at HighSchoolFishing.org.

The 2019 TBF/FLW High School Fishing World Finals on Pickwick Lake, open to any High School Fishing team across the country, was a four-day event that saw a field of 389 teams compete. The World Finals field was cut to just 31 for day four and the weights were zeroed with the winner determined by heaviest final-day weight. The largest High School Fishing Open event in the country lived up to the hype crushing records in attendance, number of contenders and participating states.

The 2019 TBF/FLW High School Fishing World Finals on Pickwick Lake was hosted by the Florence/Lauderdale Tourism Bureau.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow FLW/TBF High School Fishing on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2019 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW and their partners conduct more than 290 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Namibia, Portugal, South Africa, Spain and Zimbabwe. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

by AnglersChannel

VIRGINIA’S VILLA WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE TOURNAMENT ON HIGH ROCK LAKE

Bedford’s Howard Tops Co-Angler Field

SALISBURY, N.C. (June 24, 2019) – Boater Martin Villa of Charlottesville, Virginia, won Saturday’s T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Piedmont Division tournament on High Rock Lake after catching a five-bass limit weighing 20 pounds, 10 ounces. For his win, Villa pocketed $3,932.

“I started out at a point where I’d caught a 5-pounder in practice Friday, but didn’t catch anything,” said Villa, who earned his first career victory in FLW competition. “I was planning on fishing the shoreline there, but eight to 10 boats showed up and after an hour and a half, I didn’t have anything and I didn’t see anyone else catching anything.

“I jumped across the cove within eyeshot of the first area, flipped a laydown and caught a 2-pounder,” continued Villa. “I went down the shoreline and lost a 5-pounder. I went further down and at the next point, caught a 6-pounder and lost a good one off of a boat dock.”

Villa said he stayed in the same southwestern arm of the lake as Tamarac Marina, the same marine where the field launched from, and that he eventually caught 12 keepers throughout the day.

“I essentially junk-fished and realized after eight or nine catches that everything was on points,” said Villa. “You had to look for the dominant piece of structure on the point to catch fish – it didn’t matter if it was wood, rock or a dock. I steadily caught fish throughout the day and made my last cull at 12:30 [p.m.], which put me at about 20 pounds.”

Villa’s key baits included a Texas-rigged Zoom Brush Hog with a 5/16-ounce Strike King Tour Grade tungsten weight and a Zoom Trick Worm in Green-Pumpkin and Red and Redbug colors. The lures were rigged on 17-pound-test Gamma Edge fluorocarbon line. Villa said he also threw the Trick Worm with a 1/8-ounce Strike King Tour Grade shaky-head rig, on a Carolina-rig and weightless depending on the circumstances.

“I have [Garmin] Panoptix on my boat and I noticed that fish were all up underneath the trolling motor, including some big ones,” said Villa. “So, I’d throw that worm weightless and they’d get it as soon as it hit the water.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st: Martin Villa, Charlottesville, Va., five bass, 20-10, $3,932

2^nd: Landon Whicker, Winston-Salem, N.C., five bass, 18-2, $2,066

3^rd: Todd Walters, Kernersville, N.C., five bass, 17-15, $1,410

4^th: Jeffrey Davis, Williamston, N.C., five bass, 17-5, $847

5^th: Chad Poteat, Mount Airy, N.C., five bass, 15-15, $976

6^th: Powell Kemp, Scotland Neck, N.C., five bass, 15-11, $666

7^th: Derik Hudson, Concord, Va., five bass, 15-10, $605

8^th: Jerry Davis, Lexington, N.C., five bass, 15-6, $545

9^th: Jack Dice, Lynchburg, Va., five bass, 15-1, $484

10^th: Todd Harris, Clemmons, N.C., five bass, 14-14, $424

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Ben Reynolds of Callands, Virginia, caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 7 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $465.

Scott Howard of Bedford, Virginia, won the Co-angler Division and $2,016 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 12 pounds, 1 ounce.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st: Scott Howard, Bedford, Va., five bass, 12-1, $2,016

2^nd: Pat Kendrick, Bumpass, Va., four bass, 11-4, $958

3^rd: J.C. Miller, Washington, Pa., five bass, 11-1, $606

4^th: Timothy Kinder, Manassas, Va., four bass, 10-11, $424

5^th: Charles Wood, Thomasville, N.C., five bass, 10-1, $363

6^th: Robert Raymond, Farmville, Va., four bass, 9-8, $333

7^th: Tim Privette Jr., Wendell, N.C., five bass, 9-5, $303

8^th: Robert Bruguiere, Mechanicsville, Va., four bass, 9-2, $272

9^th: Brad Hendrix, Greensboro, N.C., four bass, 8-12, $242

10^th: Bruce Pettiford, Roxboro, N.C., one bass, 8-6, $444

Pettiford caught the heaviest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 8 pounds, 6 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $232.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 17-19 BFL Regional Championship on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.

by AnglersChannel

BOWLING WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE TOURNAMENT ON BROKEN BOW LAKE

Wellston’s Hooker Claims Co-Angler Title

BROKEN BOW, Okla. (June 24, 2019) – Local boater John Bowling of Broken Bow won Saturday’s T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Okie Division tournament on Broken Bow Lake after catching five bass weighing 19 pounds, 8 ounces. For his win, Bowling earned $6,440.

Bowling said he fished offshore ledges toward the southeast end of the lake.

“I only fished one ledge that was about 200-yards long,” said Bowling, whose win came in his first-ever event with FLW. “I didn’t catch a fish until noon, but put an 11-pounder in the boat around 1:45 p.m.

“I had let the ledge sit for five to 10 mins, and after I returned she bit on the second cast,” Bowling continued. “It was one of those ‘being in the right place at the right time’ kind of deals.”

Bowling said he used a ¾-ounce PB&J-colored Buckeye Lures Mop jig with a green-pumpkin Strike King Rage Tail Craw trailer and caught a total of six fish.

“I was fishing deep – 23 to 24 feet down,” said Bowling. “I also used a one-ounce version of the jig to get down there because of wind.”

Bowling threw the jig on a 7-foot, 4-inch Duckett Triad Series heavy-action casting rod and a Lew’s Super Duty Wide Speed Spool reel with 20-pound-test Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon line.

“I couldn’t have done it without my Lowrance electronics, they helped me find the fish,” said Bowling. “The Spot Lock feature on my Minn Kota Ultrex was also crucial, as it held me in place when the wind picked up.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st: John Bowling, Broken Bow, Okla., five bass, 19-8, $4,440 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

2^nd: Brandon Snow, Broken Bow, Okla., five bass, 15-4, $1,773

3^rd: Christopher Jones, Bokoshe, Okla., five bass, 13-8, $1,281

4^th: Mark Shadowens, Kiefer, Okla., five bass, 13-2, $827

5^th: Darin Crowder, Claremore, Okla., five bass, 13-0, $709

6^th: Trevis Unger, Towanda, Kan., five bass, 12-13, $650

7^th: Mason Spencer, Broken Bow, Okla., five bass, 12-9, $591

8^th: Brent Haggard, Gans, Okla., five bass, 11-13, $532

9^th: Nick Kincaid, Coweta, Okla., five bass, 11-12, $593

9^th: Chris Ogan, Broken Arrow, Okla., five bass, 11-12, $443

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Bowling’s big bass weighed 11 pounds, 3 ounces and was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $445.

Sanford Hooker of Wellston, Oklahoma, won the Co-angler Division and $1,773 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 11 pounds even.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st: Sanford Hooker, Wellston, Okla., five bass , 11-0, $1,773

2^nd: Shane McGlothlin, Anadarko, Okla., five bass, 10-11, $1,086

3^rd: Alan Hill, Ada, Okla., five bass, 10-4, $591

4^th: Darin Comstock, Denison, Texas, five bass, 10-3, $414

5^th: Michael Shinstine, Springdale, Ark., four bass, 9-14, $355

6^th: Colton Johnson, Allen, Okla., four bass, 9-10, $310

6^th: Jackie Copeland, Sallisaw, Okla., five bass, 9-10, $310

8^th: Dalton French, Broken Bow, Okla., five bass, 9-6, $266

9^th: Rick Blosser, Tulsa, Okla., five bass, 9-5, $286

10^th: Dalton Ross, Cave Springs, Ark., five bass, 9-4, $207

Leroy Sheperd of Mountain View, Oklahoma, caught the heaviest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 7 pounds even. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $222.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 17-19 BFL Regional Championship on Kentucky and Barkley lakes in Buchanan, Tennessee, presented by Evinrude. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.

by AnglersChannel

GREENE AND ROSARIO TIE FOR WIN AT T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE OPENER ON LAKE ST. CLAIR

Co-Angler Title Awarded to Illinois’ Fanning

HARRISON TOWSHIP, Mich. (June 24, 2019) – Boaters Kyle Greene of Ortonville, Michigan, and Angel Rosario of Kalamazoo, Michigan, each caught five bass weighing 23 pounds, 7 ounces, to tie for the win at Saturday’s T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Michigan Division opener on Lake St. Clair. For their efforts, Greene took home $3,376 while Rosario pocketed $5,176 after contingency awards.

“I fished a jerkbait and a tube on the main lake and pretty much the entire lower half of the St. Clair River,” said Greene, who earned his second career win in BFL competition on Lake St. Clair. “I worked scattered weeds in 6 to 10 feet of water on the lake and targeted grass in similar depths on the river. I just bounced around and probably hit 20 places throughout the day.”

Greene said he used a Lucky Craft Pointer 100 jerkbait and a Fiesta Melon-colored Provider tube with a ¼-ounce jig inserted into it.

“I caught over 30 keepers. The sun was crucial – we haven’t had good sunshine for about two months,” Greene went on to say. “It helped me see a little better and positon the fish.”

Rosario said he preferred a Duo Realis Spinbait 90 spybait, and that he caught around 15 keepers throughout the day.

“I fished deeper – around 16 feet of water with a spybait for the most part,” said Rosario, who notched his first win in FLW competition. “It was a half-mile stretch on the north side of the main lake and I was targeting grass. My Humminbird electronics really helped me figure it out.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st: Kyle Greene, Ortonville, Mich., five bass, 23-7, $3,376

1^st: Angel Rosario, Kalamazoo, Mich., five bass, 23-7, $3,176 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

3^rd: Tom Beale, St. Clair Shores, Mich., five bass, 22-0, $2,003

4^th: Hugh Cosculluela, The Woodlands, Texas, five bass, 21-15, $1,088

5^th: Jason Elliott, Warsaw, Ind., five bass, 21-8, $847

6^th: Jason Root, Fostoria, Ohio, five bass, 21-5, $776

7^th: Heath Wagner, Angola, Ind., five bass, 21-4, $670

7^th: Derwin Thomas, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 21-4, $670

9^th: Matt Elkins, Spencerville, Ohio, five bass, 21-2, $529

9^th: Steve York, Bronson, Mich., five bass, 21-2, $529

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Beale caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 13 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $590.

Craig Fanning of Elwood, Illinois, won the Co-angler Division and $2,118 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 21 pounds, 13 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st: Craig Fanning, Elwood, Ill., five bass, 21-13, $2,118

2^nd: Jeffrey Thomson, Birmingham, Mich., five bass, 21-6, $1,059

3^rd: Aaron Stahley, Batavia, Ohio, five bass, 20-12, $906

4^th: Leo Reiter, Greenup, Ill., five bass, 20-6, $544

5^th: Nicholas Veselka, Fishers, Ind., five bass, 20-2, $574

6^th: Joshua Yeazel, Plymouth, Ind., five bass, 19-14, $388

7^th: Greg Medell, Grand Haven, Mich., five bass, 19-8, $353

8^th: Andy White, Canton, Mich., five bass, 19-7, $318

9^th: Edison Prendi, Fraser, Mich., five bass, 19-6, $282

10^th: Robert Keller, Chesterfield, Mich., five bass, 19-4, $247

Thomas Matual of Chicago, Illinois, caught the heaviest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 4 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $295.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 17-19 BFL Regional Championship on Kentucky and Barkley lake in Buchanan, Tennessee, presented by Evinrude. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.

by AnglersChannel

WILSON WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE TOURNAMENT ON BARREN RIVER

Loyall’s James Earns Co-Angler Title

GLASGOW, Ky. (June 24, 2019) – Boater Jeffrey Wilson of Lancaster, Kentucky, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Mountain Division tournament on the Barren River Saturday after catching five bass weighing 16 pounds, 6 ounces. For his day on the water, Wilson pocketed $3,753.

“I mainly stayed up around mid-lake and got in the back of the creeks where the bushes were flooded. There was some standing and floating timber and I threw a shaky-head in there,” said Wilson, who logged his first win in FLW competition. “Everything I caught came anywhere from 1 to 5 feet of water.”

Wilson said he ran his pattern in a main creek, located across from the Narrows Marina Boat Ramp, until 11 a.m. He then worked a little pocket off of a corner of Coon Creek before hitting some small main-lake pockets on the way back to the boat ramp. He added that he caught five keepers and several short fish.

“I was looking for shade on the banks once the sun got up. I believe they were trying to keep cool in it,” said Wilson. “I worked the bait slow. I would drag it instead of popping it like normal.”

Wilson said his setup included a green-pumpkin-colored Zoom Trick Worm with a 5/16-ounce, green-pumpkin BC Lures Round Shaky Head and a 7-foot 4-inch Phenom Titanium Gen2 Series Enigma Casting rod.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st: Jeffrey Wilson, Lancaster, Ky., five bass, 16-6, $3,753

2^nd: William Merrick, Mount Juliet, Tenn., five bass, 15-14, $1,877

3^rd: John Rediess, Smiths Grove, Ky., five bass, 15-5, $1,185

4^th: Aaron Singleton, La Grange, Ky., five bass, 14-6, $829

5^th: Brian Wilson, Somerset, Ky., five bass, 14-2, $1,011

6^th: Clay Reece, Lexington, Ky., five bass, 13-8, $651

7^th: Pat Eichmann, Nancy, Ky., five bass, 13-6, $842

8^th: Jeramiah Sifers, New Albany, Ind., four bass, 12-15, $958

8^th: Allen Boyd, Salem, Ind., five bass, 12-15, $503

10^th: Mike Lemons, Huntington, W. Va., five bass, 12-10, $415

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Sifers caught a bass weighing 4 pounds, 12 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $455.

Ernest James of Loyall, Kentucky, won the Co-angler Division and $1,777 Saturday after catching four bass weighing 11 pounds, 4 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st: Ernest James, Loyall, Ky., four bass, 11-4, $1,777

2^nd: Kenny Botts, Alvaton, Ky., three bass, 10-10, $888

3^rd: Jason Barr, Woodlawn, Tenn., five bass, 10-8, $742

4^th: Jarrod Conn, Burgin, Ky., five bass, 9-15, $415

5^th: Joey Von Hoene, Erlanger, Ky., three bass, 8-2, $555

6^th: Timothy Vaughan, Bowling Green, Ky., two bass, 7-5, $553

7^th: Tracy Helton, London, Ky., four bass, 7-4, $296

8^th: Shane Vickers, Tyner, Ky., three bass, 7-1, $317

9^th: Lucas Reagan, Byrdstown, Tenn., two bass, 6-4, $210

9^th: Paul Singleton, La Grange, Ky., four bass, 6-4, $210

9^th: Danell McKinney, West Liberty, Ky., three bass, 6-4, $210

Vaughan caught the heaviest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 4 pounds, 9 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $227.

The tournament was hosted by the Glasgow-Barren County Tourist & Convention Commission.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 17-19 BFL Regional Championship on Lake Guntersville in Guntersville, Alabama, presented by Mercury. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.

by AnglersChannel

SOCIAL CIRCLE’S JOHNS WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE TOURNAMENT ON LAKE EUFAULA

Co-Angler Title Goes to Conyer’s Salva

EUFAULA, Ala. (June 24, 2019) – Boater Clabion Johns of Social Circle, Georgia, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Bulldog Division tournament on Lake Eufaula Saturday after catching five bass weighing 19 pounds, 9 ounces. Johns netted $6,237 for his win.

“On Friday, there was a tremendous mayfly hatch. I ran to my first stretch of bugs on Saturday, but couldn’t get a bite,” said Johns, who earned his first win in FLW compeittion. “I ran up the Chattahoochee River to above Hatchechubee Creek, but never found any active mayflies, so I turned around and went with my backup plan – flipping mixed grass. I ran three stretches where I’ve caught them in the past, which had a mix of primose, pond weed and hyacinth and really picked them apart.”

Johns said his stretches spanned from Cowikee Creek to Florence Marina, and that he flipped a Hematoma-colored Big Bite Baits Real Deal Craw with a 1½-ounce Picasso weight and 4/0-sized Owner Jungle Flippin’ hook. His set up was paired with a 7-foot, 9-inch Extra Heavy-action Big Bear rod with an Abu Garcia Revo SX reel and spooled with 65-pound-test SpiderWire Stealth braided line.

“In the morning I got a ton of bites, but couldn’t land them. It was frustrating,” said Johns. “I didn’t lose any big fish, though. The first one I put in the boat was a 5-pounder. I probably had 15 keepers throughout the day and only upgraded once in the afternoon.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st: Clabion Johns, Social Circle, Ga., five bass, 19-9, $4,237 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

2^nd: Travis Northey, Headland, Ala., five bass, 19-6, $2,019

3^rd: Lee Nunnally, Social Circle, Ga., five bass, 18-1, $1,717

4^th: Jack Tibbs, Eufaula, Ala., five bass, 18-0, $942

5^th: Josh Stracner, Vandiver, Ala., five bass, 17-15, $1,057

6^th: Ronnie Ray, Phenix City, Ala., five bass, 16-7, $740

7^th: Shane Powell, Dothan, Ala., five bass, 16-6, $673

8^th: Mike Cavender, Phenix City, Ala., five bass, 16-2, $606

9^th: Jason Ninas, Phenix City, Ala., five bass, 16-1, $538

10^th: Andrew Whitaker, Iron City, Ga., five bass, 15-15, $471

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Jerome Hubbard Sr. of Albany, Georgia, caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 15 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $272.

Edgar Salva of Conyers, Georgia, won the Co-angler Division and $2,169 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 20 pounds even.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st: Edgar Salva, Conyers, Ga., five bass, 20-0, $2,169

2^nd: Flint Murray, Leesburg, Ga., five bass, 15-14, $1,009

3^rd: Cameron McBride, McDonough, Ga., five bass, 15-11, $675

4^th: Chris Graham, Blue Ridge, Ga., five bass, 14-12, $472

5^th: Ronald Harris, Jefferson, Ga., five bass, 13-8, $454

6^th: Clifford Avery, Bonaire, Ga., five bass, 13-4, $370

7^th: Blake Yarbrough, Fitzgerald, Ga., five bass, 12-11, $336

8^th: Thom Dickson, Cartersville, Ga., five bass, 12-5, $303

9^th: Preston Hatz, Marietta, Ga., five bass, 11-12, $269

10^th: Frank Godwin Jr., Bainbridge, Ga., five bass, 11-10, $235

Graham caught the heaviest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 6 pounds, 13 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $272.

The tournament was hosted by the Eufaula-Barbour County Chamber of Commerce.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 10-12 BFL Regional Championship on Lake Seminole in Bainbridge, Georgia. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.

by AnglersChannel

AC Insider Podcast - Finals Week!

On this weeks Progressive Bass Wrap up the guys look at the weekends past results, discuss Championship Monday on the Elite Series and prepare themselves (and you) for the finale of the FLW Tour and the MLF BPT "Minnie Winnie" Showdown happening this week! Check it out!

by AnglersChannel

Final-Day Comeback At Guntersville Gives Hartman First Elite Series Victory

New York pro Jamie Hartman jumps the field from 10th place to win the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville after weighing 23 pounds, 15 ounces for a combined four-day total of 79-10.

Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.

June 24, 2019

SCOTTSBORO, Ala. — When Jamie Hartman burst onto the scene with the Bassmaster Elite Series in 2017, he seemed like a virtual lock to eventually hoist one of the trail’s coveted blue winner’s trophies.

He had five Top 10s that first season — including a second- and a third-place showing — prompting many to believe he could be a true superstar in professional bass fishing.

A back ailment cut Hartman’s season short in 2018 and delayed his quest for an Elite Series win.

But it couldn’t derail it.

The New York native, who now lives in Arkansas, caught five bass Monday that weighed 23 pounds, 15 ounces and claimed his first Elite Series victory with a four-day total of 79-10 at the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville.

“It’s just a godsend to be back here on the Bassmaster Elite Series,” Hartman said. “I’m just so happy to be able to do this for a living and to finally get over the hump with a win.

“I never say this — and I really don’t even know how to describe it. But I had a creepy, creepy feeling coming into this week that I was going to win.”

Having never seen Lake Guntersville before the official practice period began Tuesday, Hartman did what most anglers would likely do — he headed straight for the lake’s famous ledges and tried to find big schools of bass deep. But he struggled deep on Day 1, bringing in only 14-13 and landing in 46th place.

That’s when he finally admitted to himself that he needed to commit to a shallow pattern he had identified along a grassy stretch of shoreline. He caught 20-10 on Day 2 and 20-4 on Day 3 to begin Championship Monday in 10th place.

“It’s the third week of June, so there was no reason not to go deep,” Hartman said. “But that bite got progressively worse every day from practice through the first day of the tournament.

“I had several schools located deep. But on that first day when we lost the wind, I lost two of those schools.”

That’s when he moved to a spot that was loaded with fish in 3 feet of water. He described it as a “simple cutout along the bank that probably wouldn’t stand out to anyone.”

He caught some of fish flipping and punching baits through thick grass. But he did all of his damage Monday with an unspecified bone-colored walking topwater lure.

He had more than 18 pounds by 7:30 a.m. and continued culling up throughout the day. His biggest fish — a largemouth that weighed 6-7 — came around 1 p.m.

“The wind made that spot better today — and the cloudy conditions,” Hartman said. “I felt going out like there was a chance they would be stacked in there, and they were stacked.

“To come from behind in a tournament like this — and to catch all of the fish on top — it just doesn’t get much better than that.”

Hartman outscored Texas pro Chris Zaldain and Matt Arey who both weighed in 79-4, by 6 ounces. Louisiana pro Caleb Sumrall brought 77-10 to the scales to finish fourth.

A major storm rolled through Scottsboro just as Hartman was handed the trophy — and in the chaos of 40 mph winds, he wasn’t sure of even the smallest details.

He just knew he won.

“I don’t know if I won by an ounce or 10 ounces,” he said. “And it really doesn’t matter.”

Florida angler Bernie Schultz earned $1,500 for Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the week with a 7-0 largemouth he caught on Day 1. Another Florida pro, Drew Cook, took the lead in the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings and the DICK’S Sporting Goods Rookie of the Year race.

Hartman won the Toyota Bonus Bucks prize of $3,000 for being the highest-finishing eligible angler, and Sumrall collected $2,000 on Toyota Bonus Bucks for finishing second-highest.

2019 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite Series Tournament at Lake Guntersville 6/21-6/24
                           Lake Guntersville, Scottsboro  AL.
                            (PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 4

   Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts   Total $$$

1.  Jamie Hartman          Newport, NY             20  79-10  100 $100,000.00
  Day 1: 5   14-13     Day 2: 5   20-10     Day 3: 5   20-04     Day 4: 5   23-15
2.  Chris Zaldain          Fort Worth, TX          20  79-04   99  $25,000.00
  Day 1: 5   17-03     Day 2: 5   19-13     Day 3: 5   23-10     Day 4: 5   18-10
3.  Matt Arey              Shelby, NC              20  79-04   98  $20,000.00
  Day 1: 5   22-10     Day 2: 5   21-06     Day 3: 5   18-13     Day 4: 5   16-07
4.  Caleb Sumrall          New Iberia, LA          20  77-10   97  $15,000.00
  Day 1: 5   20-02     Day 2: 5   16-10     Day 3: 5   20-13     Day 4: 5   20-01
5.  Matt Herren            Ashville, AL            20  77-07   96  $15,000.00
  Day 1: 5   18-11     Day 2: 5   20-11     Day 3: 5   19-12     Day 4: 5   18-05
6.  Chad Pipkens           Lansing, MI             20  76-10   95  $15,000.00
  Day 1: 5   18-04     Day 2: 5   18-05     Day 3: 5   20-11     Day 4: 5   19-06
7.  Lee Livesay            Gladewater, TX          20  72-11   94  $15,000.00
  Day 1: 5   20-08     Day 2: 5   15-14     Day 3: 5   22-06     Day 4: 5   13-15
8.  Hank Cherry Jr         Lincolnton, NC          20  72-03   93  $15,000.00
  Day 1: 5   21-06     Day 2: 5   17-15     Day 3: 5   17-06     Day 4: 5   15-08
9.  Brandon Lester         Fayetteville, TN        20  72-00   92  $15,000.00
  Day 1: 5   22-00     Day 2: 5   21-07     Day 3: 5   14-13     Day 4: 5   13-12
10. Kelley Jaye            Dadeville, AL           20  71-05   91  $15,000.00
  Day 1: 5   14-09     Day 2: 5   24-12     Day 3: 5   17-12     Day 4: 5   14-04
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
     Bernie Schultz           Gainesville, FL     07-00      $1,500.00

by AnglersChannel

Jason Bonds & James Nitschke win over $50,000 at Techron TX Shootout on Sam Rayburn

DISPLAY JUNIOR TEAMS / DISPLAY ALL TEAMS

Place

JASON BONDS
LUFKIN , TX

JAMES NITSCHKE
WILLIS , TX

9.89

26.34

$50000.00 + $500 Power Pole+$250 Lowrance

PERRY HOOKS
DOUGLASS , TX

KENNY JONES
ETOILE , TX

23.98

$10000.00

DAVID CURTIS
TRINITY , TX

MARK MUECK
LIVINGSTON , TX

23.09

$8000.00

MATTHEW DELANEY
POLLOCK , LA

MATTHEW NUGENT
DRY PRONG , LA

22.22

$5000.00

SPIKE STOKER
STEPHENVILLE , TX

SKEETER FOWLER
GRAND SALINE , TX

22.16

$3000.00 + $2000 Sportsmans Auto Network

LARRY COTTEN
HUFFMAN , TX

NICK DIBERARDINO
JASPER , TX

21.78

$2500.00

JOSH RODGERS
BEAUMONT , TX

CASEY BURLEIGH
ORANGE , TX

21.26

$2000.00

TERRY PEACOCK
ROYSE CITY , TX

CHAD TAYLOR
ROYSE CITY , TX

10.70

21.22

$1600.00 + $1000.00 Big Bass

RANDY TURNER
LUFKIN , TX

JUSTIN MORTON
ETOILE , TX

21.02

$1300.00

COLE BREWER
LEESVILLE , LA

DALLAS COLE
LEESVILLE , LA

20.96

$1120.00

SCOOTER CLARK
CENTER , TX

ZAC CLARK
CENTER , TX

20.96

$1120.00

CORY RAMBO
ORANGE , TX

RUSTY CLARK
SAM RAYBURN , TX

20.35

$1080.00

JONATHAN SIMON
ORANGE , TX

COREY STANLEY
ORANGE , TX

20.23

$1070.00

JESSE MOODY
APPLE SPRINGS , TX

BRANDON MOODY
APPLE SPRINGS , TX

19.72

$1060.00

KEVIN WOLFORD
ORANGE , TX

GROVER MANSFIELD
BROOKELAND , TX

19.46

$1050.00

DYLAN FRILOUX
LAFAYETTE , LA

CHUCK NAOMI
BRANCH , LA

19.31

$1040.00

JARED DEAN
HUNTINGTON , TX

ROBERT DAVIS
LUFKIN , TX

19.03

$1030.00

RANDY DEARMAN
ONALASKA , TX

JAMES WILLIAMS
JASPER , TX

18.96

$1020.00

DALE BOREN
FORT WORTH , TX

RICK SCOTT
BREMOND , TX

18.52

$1010.00

CLAYTON BOULWARE
ZAVALLA , TX

ALBERT COLLINS
NACOGDOCHES , TX

18.50

$1000.00

KRIS WILSON
MONTGOMERY , TX

HAROLD MOORE
CALDWELL , TX

18.12

$1000.00

MICHAEL SWALLOW
MARQUEZ , TX

DEREK THOMAS
MARQUEZ , TX

18.02

$1000.00

ROBERT HOWARD
CYPRESS , TX

BILL DEVER
KATY , TX

18.01

$1000.00

RICHARD WAGNON
CALL , TX

GREG GREEN
LUMBERTON , TX

17.93

$1000.00

JOEL MAYFIELD
PERKINSTON , MS

RYAN PATTERSON
PASCAGOULA , MS

17.04

$1000.00

DANNY CROSS
LUFKIN , TX

STEVE DILLARD
LUFKIN , TX

17.01

$1000.00

JAY KENDRICK
HIGHLAND PARK , TX

MICHAEL GROSSMAN
DALLAS , TX

17.00

COLT DEAR
BUNA , TX

RALPH DEAR
BUNA , TX

16.71

JASON STOVALL
CLEVELAND , TX

JOHN COLEMAN
SPLENDORA , TX

16.63

ANTHONY SHOFFITT
LUFKIN , TX

RYAN WILLIAMS
LUFKIN , TX

16.60

MIKE GODEAUX
BUNA , TX

ZACK LUCAS
VIDOR , TX

16.58

JASON MOOREHEAD
JASPER , TX

TY MOORHEAD
JASPER , TX

16.46

DONALD RANDALL
NACOGDOCHES , TX

DON TAYLOR
NACOGDOCHES , TX

16.40

BLAKE SCHROEDER
WHITEHOUSE , TX

EASTON HEIGLEY
BROOKELAND , TX

16.37

BJ CAROTHERS
GATESVILLE , TX

THOMAS WELLS JR
TEMPLE , TX

16.35

STEVE PHILLIPS
DIBOLL , TX

SHAINE CAMPBELL
BROOKELAND , TX

16.14

SCOTT REBHOLZ
EL DORADO , KS

TODD MCCLURE
EL DORADO , KS

16.03

MIKE RICHARDSON
THORNDALE , TX

CHANCE WOODS
MILLERSVIEW , TX

15.94

JOSHUA TORRES
ETOILE , TX

HENRY SARGENT III
ETOILE , TX

15.92

CLINT WEST
BEAUMONT , TX

NATHAN PRINE
BUNA , TX

15.83

JUSTIN LONG
IRVING , TX

RYAN LONG
MIDLOTHIAN , TX

15.82

TEDDY CLOIDE
VIDOR , TX

WESLEY DAWSON
CHESTER , TX

15.72

JOHN MADDOX
LUFKIN , TX

JEFFERY WISE
LUFKIN , TX

15.66

NORMAN LAND
CLEVELAND , TX

TRAVIS MOORE
CLEVELAND , TX

15.64

KEVIN MASON
COLDSPRING , TX

BUD PRUITT
HOUSTON , TX

15.58

RICKY COLLINS
WOODVILLE , TX

JOHNNY MCKEE
WOODVILLE , TX

15.53

ALLEN SHELTON
FARMERS BRANCH , TX

STRIDER BROWNING
GUN BARREL CITY , TX

15.32

ALAN BOND
VIDOR , TX

TOMMY FREDREGILL
HUNTSVILLE , TX

15.15

TREVOR ROBERTSON
KERRVILLE , TX

JARRETT ROBERTSON
KERRVILLE , TX

14.89

TERRY LUEDTKE
BURTON , TX

DOYLE REEVES
BURTON , TX

14.68

ROGER JOHNSON JR
VIDOR , TX

KIRK LELEUX
KIRBYVILLE , TX

14.61

BRANNON MIRE
YOUNGSVILLE , LA

JAKE DAIGLE
BROUSSARD , LA

14.56

RYAN PINKSTON
CENTER , TX

BRETT CLARK
CENTER , TX

14.45

JAMES HESTER
SALADO , TX

SAM JONES
ROGERS , TX

14.44

CURT HYDE
ORANGE , TX

DILLON SONNIER
ORANGE , TX

14.41

RICK HARRIS
DEL RIO , TX

DYLAN THOMPSON
DEL RIO , TX

14.23

TERRY STEVENS
HUTTO , TX

JASON HARPER
MONTGOMERY , TX

14.15

BILLY PENICK JR
DEER PARK , TX

DAVID MOREAU
CROSBY , TX

14.14

KURTICE FLOYD
NEWTON , TX

GREG LEBLANC
NEDERLAND , TX

13.99

BOB SIGNORIN
OAKHURST , TX

TRAVIS SIGNORIN
WILLIS , TX

13.80

TIM WILCOXSON
ROCKWALL , TX

TIM WILCOXSON
EDGEWOOD , TX

13.65

BOBBY VICE
GROVES , TX

RICKY GUY
HUMBLE , TX

13.64

BLAKE SYLVESTER
PLAQUEMINE , LA

MARK SYLVESTER
PLAQUEMINE , LA

13.64

DAVID GORE
KOUNTZE , TX

JUSTIN SOWELL
SILSBEE , TX

13.51

JOHN VINAKALNS
FARMERSVILLE , TX

DANIEL VINAKALNS
ROYCE CITY , TX

13.25

CULLEN NEWMAN
KOUNTZE , TX

JUSTIN CYR
BROOKELAND , TX

13.04

BRUCE BENEDICT
FORNEY , TX

COLT BENEDICT
RICHLAND HILLS , TX

12.74

KELLEY MAULDIN
COPPELL , TX

MARK SAMIENEGO
NEW BRAUNSFELS , TX

12.50

TYLER MEEKS
HEMPHILL , TX

ZACHARY CHRISTIAN
HEMPHILL , TX

12.47

JORDAN BABIN
CROSBY , TX

GARY MIETTINEN
BROOKELAND , TX

12.35

TOMMY LOVING
CYPRESS , TX

WYATT LOVING
CYPRESS , TX

12.28

GERALD BOLIN
FRUITVALE , TX

HAROLD MERONEY
FRUITVALE , TX

12.12

JAMES CHANDLER
LIBERTY , TX

MICHAEL WEEMS
HULL , TX

11.94

MARK HOOKER
MONTGOMERY , TX

MASON HOKE
MONTGOMERY , TX

11.21

STERLING MARTIN
BEEVILLE , TX

JAKE ATKINSON
KENEDY , TX

11.09

ANTHONY JONES
WILLIS , TX

MARLON LYDIA
TROUP , TX

10.87

BRIAN BAYLESS
HOUSTON , TX

CHRIS CAVITT
PORTER , TX

10.84

LARRY BENEFIELD
HUFFMAN , TX

JIMMY ROZELL JR
PORTER , TX

10.82

MATTHEW HATHAWAY
LULING , TX

ALLEN WILLIAMS
SAN MARCOS , TX

9.93

ROBERT JONES
CLUTE , TX

GORDON HUNTINGTON III
LAKE JACKSON , TX

9.62

WILLIAM MADDOX
KATY , TX

RUSTY NEUGEBAUER
MONTGOMERY , TX

8.22

CHANS MARTIN
FAIR OAKS RANCH , TX

THOMAS VEILLEUX
ELGIN , TX

7.33

MICHAEL LAFLEUR
ORANGEFIELD , TX

JOHN DICKERSON
ORANGE , TX

0.00

JACK TINDEL III
ORANGE , TX

DALTON DOLIZ
ORANGE , TX

0.00

KEVIN WALKER JR
BUNA , TX

JEFF BRIDGES
LUMBERTON , TX

0.00

BRANDON MARKS
BUNA , TX

TRACE MARKS
BUNA , TX

0.00

LOUIS FERGUSON
WOODVILLE , TX

JJ MATZKE
LEAGUE CITY , TX

0.00

RICKEY ELLIOTT
SPRING , TX

RALPH MEISENHEIMER
EDMOND , OK

0.00

RALPH DUPUY
GROVES , TX

BRYANT RODRIGUEZ
PORT NECHES , TX

0.00

MARK EVERETT
ARP , TX

LUKE HUFFMAN
TERRELL , TX

0.00

DENNY PARROTT
HOUSTON , TX

0.00

TROY SPARKS
DUBLIN , TX

JACK HOPKINS
MINGUS , TX

0.00

$250 Conservation Bonus

JUSTIN WOJCIK
BULVERDE , TX

THOMAS HOWE
NEW BRAUNFELS , TX

0.00

LOGAN WOOD
NEDERLAND , TX

MIKE SOLIZ
ORANGE , TX

0.00

DANNY FERRARO
MONTGOMERY , TX

MICK RAYDON
MAGNOLIA , TX

0.00

SCOTT PETERSON
CONROE , TX

RICHARD YATES
PLANTERSVILLE , TX

0.00

JOHN DURIO
HEMPHILL , TX

SHANNON DURIO
HEMPHILL , TX

0.00

CLINT WADE
HUNTSVILLE , TX

STACY SPRIGGS
HUNTSVILLE , TX

0.00

SAM MCCOLLUM
CORSICANA , TX

EARL SCHWARTZLANDER
CORSICANA , TX

0.00

TOBY JONES
STONEWALL , LA

JADEN PARRISH
LIBERTY , TX

0.00

BRYAN LOHR
LUMBERTON , TX

RYAN LOHR
JASPER , TX

0.00

LANDON WARE
JEWETT , TX

KLINT MYERS
HAMSHIRE , TX

0.00

BRET STAFFORD
BELTON , TX

TIM RENEAU
RICHLAND SPINGS , TX

0.00

JOSH MARPAR
STAR CITY , AR

WESTON ESAU
DUMAS , AR

0.00

RICKY MADOLE
MANY , LA

RONNIE MADOLE
SHREVEPORT , LA

0.00

ERIC WILSON
MARSHALL , TX

HOWARD WILSON
NACOGDOCHES , TX

0.00

SIDNEY AUCOIN
PATTERSON , LA

ROBERT GANN
FLORIEN , LA

0.00

PHILIP SMITH JR
HEMPHILL , TX

RANDY WILLIAMS
SHELBYVILLE , TX

0.00

PHIL ADDISON
BAYTOWN , TX

DEAN WOOD
NEDERLAND , TX

0.00

WILLIAM BLAINE
SAN ANGELO , TX

TYSON PATRICK
MIDLAND , TX

0.00

LARRY WEPPLER
HOUSTON , TX

DENNIS FIKES
HOUSTON , TX

0.00

JUSTIN MADDING
ROUND ROCK , TX

ANIBAL GUZMAN
HARKER HEIGHTS , TX

0.00

DANNY BENNETT
HUNTSVILLE , TX

CHAD HOKE
MONTGOMERY , TX

0.00

BRADLEY HILLEBRANDT
RAGLEY , LA

MICHEAL SCILISE
PORT ALLEN , LA

0.00

DAVID PERCIFUL
CONROE , TX

WESLEY IALACCI
CONROE , TX

0.00

CHARLES GUTHRIE
CONROE , TX

MICHAEL CARROLL
NEW BRAUNFELS , TX

0.00

MIKE SAWYER
HAMMOND , IL

CHRIS SHIVES
ZAVALAL , TX

0.00

RICKY BLANKINSHIP
HOMER , LA

DAVID CURTIS
BROOKLAND , TX

0.00

CODY NICHOLSON
ANDERSON , TX

JEREMY LEMMONS
TOMBALL , TX

0.00

WYATT FRANKENS
CORRIGAN , TX

ALEC CASTONGUAY
ROYSE CITY , TX

0.00

ANTHONY THOMPSON
SHREVEPORT , LA

MADISON THOMPSON
SHREVEPORT , LA

0.00

TOM WALLS
PORTER , TX

JEREMY BAWCUM
SAN ANTONIO , TX

0.00

HAROLD BLYTHE
ZAVALLA , TX

BREYER ABSHIRE
KIRBYVILLE , TX

0.00

DEWAYNE REESE
DIBOLL , TX

JOHN COX
LUFKIN , TX

0.00

MIKE ATCHLEY
MOSCOW , TX

PAUL SHIRLEY
LEGGETT , TX

0.00

BRYCE STODGHILL
MILSAP , TX

AUSTYN GRABOWSKI
WEATHERFORD , TX

0.00

WADE MCDANIEL
SULPHUR SPRINGS , TX

BRADLEY DRAKE
PARIS , TX

0.00

DUANE PITTMAN
PRAIRIEVILLE , LA

ZACHARY GAGNARD
MANY , LA

0.00

RANDY PATIN
LAFAYETTE , LA

SHANNON THIBODEAUX
HEMPHILL , TX

0.00

LUCAS RAGUSA
GONZALES , LA

BLAKE CANELLA
PLAQUEMINE , LA

0.00

LEE BATSON
HEATH , TX

JASON GREER
HEATH , TX

0.00

TOMMY DURHAM
WHITNEY , TX

DANNY CHERRY
KIRBYVILLE , TX

0.00

JOSH ALLIEN
KOUNTZE , TX

GARRETT LEACH
KATY , TX

0.00

$500 Early Entry Bonus

LANCE FISHER
PURCELL , OK

JEREMY PRUITT
LEXINGTON , OK

0.00

JEDIDAH HOLT
LIVINGSTON , TX

CODY MILLER
LIVINGSTON , TX

0.00

CHANCE WOODARD
PARIS , TX

MICHAEL ALLEN
CLARKSVILLE , TX

0.00

JOHN ILES
LUFKIN , TX

BRIAN SHOOK
CHINA , TX

0.00

JIMMY LLOYD
LUMBERTON , TX

ROBERT CRUSE
LUMBERTON , TX

0.00

HARLAN DUBOIS
WINNFIELD , LA

0.00

BRIAN LOWRANCE
NACOGDOCHES , TX

JARRETT LATTA
CEDAR PARK , TX

0.00

JOHN HARDIN
HARRISON , AR

NICOLE REDDING
HARRISON , AR

0.00

$250 Conservation Bonus

BRIAN SCHOTT
LONGVIEW , TX

SETH KELM
CANYON LAKE , TX

0.00

NICK ABSHIRE
SULPHUR , LA

JACOB EBERT
OAKDALE , LA

0.00

ERIC WHITESEL
EDMOND , OK

HUNTER REILLEY
EDMOND , OK

0.00

CLIFFORD MCCARTY
LONGVIEW , TX

CHARLIE BROWN III
FLINT , TX

0.00

BRAD NELSON
ATHENS , TX

REAGAN NELSON
ATHENS , TX

0.00

KYLE ROWE
WACO , TX

TED PATE
ALEXANDRIA , LA

0.00

LUKE REED
BAYTOWN , TX

BO REED
BAYTOWN , TX

0.00

RANDY MILLENDER
TEAGUE , TX

KATLIN KEATON
TEAGUE , TX

0.00

LARRY ODSTRCIL
SHEPHERD , TX

JAMES ODSTRCIL
CLEVELAND , TX

0.00

STEVEN SHAFER
CLEVELAND , TX

JASON MANNERS
CLEVELAND , TX

0.00

MIKE PERKINS
DALLAS , TX

STAN GERZSENYI
DEL RIO , TX

0.00

GREG OSTERTAG
MT VERNON , TX

BRENT EDWARDS
MIDLOTHIAN , TX

0.00

DEAN COLEMAN
HUMBLE , TX

JIMMY EMMONS JR
NEW CANEY , TX

0.00

ALLEN GASS
LLANO , TX

TONY FERDINANDO
SPICEWOOD , TX

0.00

DILLON YBARBO
BUNA , TX

KYLE GUIDRY
OPELOUSAS , LA

0.00

WILLIAM STARK
EVADALE , TX

CHRISTOPHER STARK
SILSBEE , TX

0.00

JARROD ANDERSON
LUFKIN , TX

CARTER WILLMON
LUFKIN , TX

0.00

PITNEY BRAMHALL
WILLS POINT , TX

SCOTTIE REVEN
FORNEY , TX

0.00

JOHN FRAZIER
PINELAND , TX

ANGELA FRAZIER
PINELAND , TX

0.00

DAVID HOWARD
ETOILE , TX

PAUL HOWARD
HUNTINGTON , TX

0.00

CHRIS HUEBEL
NEDERLAND , TX

TODD WRIGHT
HEMPHILL , TX

0.00

ERNIE PAUL
LONGVIEW , TX

BUZ CRAFT
VADILIA , LA

0.00

STEVE EVANS
LUFKIN , TX

CODY WISE
CHIRENO , TX

0.00

WILLIAM HILLEBRANDT
RAGLEY , LA

JORDAN BREAUX
SULPHUR , LA

0.00

SHANE BARNES
MIDWAY , TX

MATTHEW BENEFIELD
HUFFMAN , TX

0.00

CHRIS RUSSELL
MONTGOMERY , TX

MIKE POWER
CONROE , TX

0.00

LAMARCUS MCCRAY
HOUSTON , TX

JAMES ROZELL
HOUSTON , TX

0.00

LARRY BYRD
LAKE CHARLES , LA

TRAVIS BROUSSARD
LAKE CHARLES , LA

0.00

JOHN BOWEN
HEMPHILL , TX

BEN MATSUBU
MILAM , TX

0.00

GARY GROSSMAN
YANTIS , TX

TONI JONES
YANTIS , TX

0.00

RORY LAYNE
EMORY , TX

RORY LAYNE
DALLAS , TX

0.00

GEORGE SHIPPEY
MT PLEASANT , TX

VINCENT REYNOLDS
FORT WORTH , TX

0.00

BUBBA FRAZIER
PINELAND , TX

TOMMY HILL
PINELAND , TX

0.00

LINDY HADLEY
BROOKELAND , TX

TRAVIS KELEHAN
BROUSSARD , LA

0.00

CHRIS EAVES
HUMBLE , TX

LORI EAVES
HUMBLE , TX

0.00

JAMES COLE
SPRINGHILL , LA

CHRISTOPHER EVANS
CASTROVILLE , TX

0.00

JASON AUCOIN
MORGAN CITY , LA

HENRY AUCOIN JR
MORGAN CITY , LA

0.00

PRUITT PERKINS
ORANGE , TX

DUSTIN GUNSTREAM
VIDOR , TX

0.00

LARRY DEAN
HUMBLE , TX

DENNIS GAU
MAGNOLIA , TX

0.00

JASON MOORE
BUNA , TX

JOHN SINGLETARY
FRED , TX

0.00

BRAD HENSLEY
CLEVELAND , TX

LANCE DUFF
LUMBERTON , TX

0.00

GARY MCDONALD
CENTER , TX

CLARENCE DENBY
ETOILE , TX

0.00

SAMMY CHRISTIAN
LUMBERTON , TX

ALLAN SHIVERS
JASPER , TX

0.00

DANIEL METREYEON
BEAUMONT , TX

MARSHALL HUGHES
HEMPHILL , TX

0.00

RUSSELL GLENEWINKEL
CONROE , TX

0.00

BRYAN CARETHERS
SILSBEE , TX

MARK DAVIS
SILSBEE , TX

0.00

SAM HUCKABEE
SHREVEPORT , LA

SHAWN CHAMBERLAIN
SHREVEPORT , LA

0.00

JERRY FOSTER
CARLSBAD , NM

0.00

CHASE ULERY
ORANGE , TX

GARRETT GRANGER
ORANGE , TX

0.00

TOMMY MURRAY
BEDFORD , TX

0.00

RICK SCHEEN
AUSTIN , TX

MIKE HARMAN
BASTROP , TX

0.00

WILL WEST
NACOGDOCHES , TX

KEVIN JURECKA
NACOGDOCHES , TX

0.00

KEVIN BURKS
KOUNTZE , TX

JAMES MOORE
LUMBERTON , TX

0.00

JAMES LEE
ORANGE , TX

JESSE LEE
ORANGE , TX

0.00

CHRISTOPHER WADE
CANTON , TX

ARCHIE WADE
CANTON , TX

0.00

PHILLIP CRELIA
CENTER , TX

TJ GOODWYN
CENTER , TX

0.00

JOSEPH CHILDERS
SULPHUR , LA

DARREN YOUNGBLOOD
SULPHUR , LA

0.00

VIC COOPER
SHELBYVILLE , TX

RICKY SIMS
CENTER , TX

0.00

DANNY LASHLEY
BOYCE , LA

MICHAEL IVEY
OTIS , LA

0.00

WESLEY BAXLEY
CYPRESS , TX

ANDREW ROSS
SPRING , TX

0.00

DONALD LUKER
CLEVELAND , TX

KURT LUKER
CLEVELAND , TX

0.00

KENNETH CATES
ZAVALLA , TX

MICHAEL DELOACH
SAN AUGUSTINE , TX

0.00

GERALD MITCHELL
JENA , LA

NICK LEBRUN
BOSSIER CITY , LA

0.00

KEVIN BONDS
CLEVELAND , TX

WILLIAM ROBISON
COLDSPRING , TX

0.00

JERRY MEECE
LUFKIN , TX

BRANDY SMART
HUNTINGTON , TX

0.00

JUSTIN PRIEST
CANTON , TX

JOSH PRIEST
QUITMAN , TX

0.00

CHAD KEMP
BRIDGE CITY , TX

BRENT KEMP
ORANGE , TX

0.00

$500 Conservation Bonus

BRIAN BRANUM
ROCKWALL , TX

CHARLES SHOFNER JR
JASPER , TX

0.00

JOHN MCCALMONT
ROCKWALL , TX

BRAD DRAKE
IRVING , TX

0.00

ANDRE MARTIN
LENA , LA

GLEN FREEMAN
ZWOLLE , LA

0.00

RODNEY DOTSON
BROOKELAND , TX

ASHLEY ADAMS
BUNA , TX

0.00

CHARLES COOK JR
PERRYTON , TX

KARSON COOK
PERRYTON , TX

0.00

LANCE LAMOON
LIVINGSTON , TX

JEFFERY TATE
BRANCH , LA

0.00

JACE GREEN
BUNA , TX

DEREK TORTORIS
VIDOR , TX

0.00

JOHN SPENCER IV
ETOILE , TX

JUSTIN PARKS
ETOILE , TX

0.00

STEVE WRIGHT
PLANO , TX

RONALD RISENHOOVER
LUFKIN , TX

0.00

MIKE GARRETT
HOUSTON , TX

JOHN BILBO
ORANGE , TX

0.00

by AnglersChannel

LOUISIANA’S NORTHLAKE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL WINS 2019 TBF/FLW HIGH SCHOOL FISHING NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ON PICKWICK LAKE

FLORENCE, Ala. (June 24, 2019) – The Northlake Christian School Fishing Team of Christopher Capdeboscq of Covington, Louisiana, and Sam Acosta of Madisonville, Louisiana, brought in three bass totaling 9 pounds, 7 ounces on the final day of competition to win the 2019 TBF/FLW High School Fishing National Championship on Pickwick Lake. The duo’s three-day total of nine bass weighing 35 pounds, 12 ounces gave them the win by a thin 1-ounce margin over the second-place team of Colin McCullough and Justin Hamlin who caught 35-11 for Alabama’s Cedar Bluff High School. For the win, Capdeboscq and Acosta each won a four-year $40,000 scholarship to Kentucky Christian University.

Capdeboscq said the final day’s mostly calm, sunny conditions were less favorable than the previous two days’ cloudy skies and moderate winds. Developing options for both scenarios, he said, was essential to his team’s success.

“We had a really good 1-2 punch going this week, which was good for whether the bite was on fire or it was slow,” Capdeboscq said. “Sam was dragging a 3/4-ounce Strike King Jointed Structure Head with a Zoom Magnum Trick Worm and I was deep cranking with a 6th Sense Cloud 9 C20. The crankbait would get them fired up when they were feeling it and it would catch all the big ones.”

Capdeboscq said that using lighter line — 12-pound-test Seaguar Tatsu fluorocarbon — was key to getting his crankbait to maximum depth and keeping it in the strike zone.

The pair also tried to fish offshore areas with a bit less pressure.

“Everybody’s fishing ledges this time of year, so we just tried to find stuff that got less pressure,” said Capdeboscq. “Creek intersections, main river ledges. I’ve never practiced so hard for a tournament, but we found enough stuff to get us by and that’s what we did.”

A field of 215 teams competed in the event, which launched from McFarland Park in Florence.

The top 10 teams at the TBF/FLW High School Fishing National Championship on Pickwick Lake finished:

1st: Northlake Christian School, Covington, La. – Sam Acosta, Madisonville, La., and Christopher Capdeboscq, Covington, La., nine bass, 35-12, $40,000 Scholarship x2

2nd: Cedar Bluff School, Cedar Bluff, Ala. – Colin McCullough, Cedar Bluff, Ala., and Justin Hamlin, Fort Payne, Ala., nine bass, 35-11

3rd: North Augusta High School, North Augusta, S.C. – Nathan Boatwright, Warrenville, S.C., and Dustin Williamson, Aiken, S.C., nine bass, 35-5

4th: Lawrence County High School, Lawrenceburg, Tenn. – Walker Brown, Loretto, Tenn., and Jon David Bedford, Lawrenceburg, Tenn., nine bass, 33-7

5th: North Mississippi Student Anglers – Hayze Hutzel, Pelahatchie, Miss., and Dalton Smith, Brandon, Miss., nine bass, 32-11

6th: McCracken County High School, McCracken County, Ky. – Hunter Valerius and Sarah Morehead, both of Paducah, Ky., nine bass, 32-6

7th: Harmony High School, Harmony, Fla. – Grady Johnson and Dawson Turner, both of St. Cloud, Fla., nine bass, 31-12

8th: Grand Rapids High School, Grand Rapids, Minn. – Nick Dumke and Easton Fothergill, both of Grand Rapids, Minn., nine bass, 31-5

9th: Marietta BassMasters, Marietta, Ga. – Brooks Anderson and David Britt, both of Marietta, Ga., nine bass, 28-11

10th: Clay High School, Green Cove Springs, Fla. – Dalton Barnard and Parker Stalvey, both of Green Cove Springs, Fla., six bass, 21-8

Complete results and photos from the event can be found at FLWFishing.com.

The 2019 TBF/FLW High School Fishing National Championship on Pickwick Lake was a three-day event that saw the entire field of 215 teams compete for two days. The National Championship field was cut to the top 10 for day three and the winner was determined by heaviest three-day cumulative weight. Each member of the winning team received a four-year $40,000 scholarship to Kentucky Christian University. The tournament featured the top anglers from the 2019 TBF High School Fishing State Championships and Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Open events.

The 2019 TBF/FLW High School Fishing National Championship on Pickwick Lake was hosted by the Florence/Lauderdale Tourism Bureau.

by AnglersChannel

Arey Maintains Lead As Bassmaster Elite Series Enters Final Round At Lake Guntersville

North Carolina pro Matt Arey maintains the lead after Day 3 of the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville after weighing 18 pounds, 13 ounces for a combined three-day total of 62-13.

Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.

June 23, 2019

SCOTTSBORO, Ala. — Matt Arey said coming into the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville that if he could just make it to Monday, he’d have a genuine chance to win.

He not only made it, but he will lead the remaining Top 10 anglers into Monday’s final round with a three-day weight of 62 pounds, 13 ounces — a total that includes the 18-13 he weighed in during Sunday’s semifinal round.

“With tomorrow being Monday, we’re going to be able to really run around and get in a rotation without a lot of pressure,” said Arey, who held onto the lead for a second straight day. “With just 10 of our competitors out there and it being the first of the week, it could be really good.”

Arey has made no secret of the fact that he’s fishing Lake Guntersville’s famed river ledges — mostly with a jig and a crankbait.

He said the generation schedule from the Tennessee Valley Authority, which calls for much heavier current Monday than the lake has seen the past two days, could lead to some big sacks being weighed in.

“A lot of the stuff where I’ve been catching them is in creeks down south, and I don’t think it’s affected that much by current,” Arey said. “But I do have some main-channel schools that I haven’t done much good on — and if they start ripping that current, I may check out some of those.”

Regardless of the conditions, after catching 22-10, 21-6 and 18-13 the first three days, Arey knows he can’t afford to slip with only a slim lead heading into the final day.

“Somebody’s likely to bring in 26 or 27 pounds tomorrow with the way things are going,” he said. “Everything should be right tomorrow, and I need to make the most of it.”

Closest to Arey in the standings is Texas pro Chris Zaldain, who has a three-day mark of 60-10 — just 2-3 out of the lead.

Zaldain has been targeting shallow grass with a spoon that only seems to be attractive to larger bass. He caught his total weight of 23-10 before 11 a.m.

“Today when I went up shallow on my spot, I noticed that the bass weren’t just cruising the way they do in the springtime,” Zaldain said. “They were zipping through there — and because of that, I started ripping that bait through there to draw those reaction strikes.

“They do not want anything slow. It has to be moving.”

Alabama pro Matt Herren will enter Championship Monday in third place with a three-day total of 59-2. Like Zaldain, Herren has been shying away from the Guntersville ledges in favor of shallow grass.

“When it comes to the place where I’ve been catching most of my fish, I’ve been fortunate,” Herren said. “I’ve been able to move around a little bit and let that spot rest. I probably haven’t fished it two hours a day, total.

“Tomorrow, I’m gonna lean on it and see what’s there.”

Herren said there are also some deep areas he’d like to try, but the boat traffic on the lake has kept him from it this week. He’s hoping those areas will be clear Monday, partly because he believes he’ll need at least one truly giant bass to have a chance to win.

“I need to catch a 7-pounder to go with all of those 3 1/2- and 4-pounders I’ve been catching,” Herren said. “I can do it. I caught a 9-pounder in practice out of one hole and then lost another big one the first day of the tournament out of the same hole.

“Maybe that’s where my 7-pounder comes from tomorrow.”

Only one 7-pounder has been weighed in so far, and that was a 7-0 caught by Florida pro Bernie Schultz during Friday’s opening round. That fish still leads the race for Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the week.

Lee Livesay climbed from 13th Saturday to fourth in the standings today on the strength of a 22-6 limit, but Brandon Lester dropped from second to fifth after boating only 14-13 today, his lightest catch of the week.

The tournament will conclude Monday with the Top 10 remaining pros taking off from Goose Pond Colony at 6 a.m. CT. The weigh-in will be held back at Goose Pond at 2:15 p.m., with the winning angler earning a coveted blue Elite Series trophy and a $100,000 paycheck.

2019 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite Series Tournament at Lake Guntersville 6/21-6/24
                          Lake Guntersville, Scottsboro  AL.
                           (PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 3

   Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts   Total $$$

1.  Matt Arey              Shelby, NC              15  62-13  100
  Day 1: 5   22-10     Day 2: 5   21-06     Day 3: 5   18-13
2.  Chris Zaldain          Fort Worth, TX          15  60-10   99
  Day 1: 5   17-03     Day 2: 5   19-13     Day 3: 5   23-10
3.  Matt Herren            Ashville, AL            15  59-02   98
  Day 1: 5   18-11     Day 2: 5   20-11     Day 3: 5   19-12
4.  Lee Livesay            Gladewater, TX          15  58-12   97
  Day 1: 5   20-08     Day 2: 5   15-14     Day 3: 5   22-06
5.  Brandon Lester         Fayetteville, TN        15  58-04   96
  Day 1: 5   22-00     Day 2: 5   21-07     Day 3: 5   14-13
6.  Caleb Sumrall          New Iberia, LA          15  57-09   95
  Day 1: 5   20-02     Day 2: 5   16-10     Day 3: 5   20-13
7.  Chad Pipkens           Lansing, MI             15  57-04   94
  Day 1: 5   18-04     Day 2: 5   18-05     Day 3: 5   20-11
8.  Kelley Jaye            Dadeville, AL           15  57-01   93
  Day 1: 5   14-09     Day 2: 5   24-12     Day 3: 5   17-12
9.  Hank Cherry Jr         Lincolnton, NC          15  56-11   92
  Day 1: 5   21-06     Day 2: 5   17-15     Day 3: 5   17-06
10. Jamie Hartman          Newport, NY             15  55-11   91
  Day 1: 5   14-13     Day 2: 5   20-10     Day 3: 5   20-04
11. Seth Feider            New Market, MN          15  55-09   90  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   18-08     Day 2: 5   17-03     Day 3: 5   19-14
12. Ray Hanselman Jr       Del Rio, TX             15  54-07   89  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   16-02     Day 2: 5   24-01     Day 3: 5   14-04
13. Drew Benton            Panama City, FL         15  54-02   88  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   21-03     Day 2: 5   18-04     Day 3: 5   14-11
14. Bill Lowen             Brookville, IN          15  53-06   87  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   18-07     Day 2: 5   19-09     Day 3: 5   15-06
15. Tyler Rivet            Raceland, LA            15  51-13   86  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   20-08     Day 2: 5   14-03     Day 3: 5   17-02
16. Carl Jocumsen          Queensland TX AUSTRALIA 15  51-09   85  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   20-06     Day 2: 5   15-06     Day 3: 5   15-13
17. Robbie Latuso          Gonzales, LA            15  51-01   84  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   16-00     Day 2: 5   18-01     Day 3: 5   17-00
18. Greg DiPalma           Millville, NJ           15  50-10   83  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   19-08     Day 2: 5   13-08     Day 3: 5   17-10
19. Brock Mosley           Collinsville, MS        15  49-14   82  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   18-14     Day 2: 5   15-12     Day 3: 5   15-04
20. Mark Menendez          Paducah, KY             15  48-12   81  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   13-00     Day 2: 5   19-05     Day 3: 5   16-07
21. Clent Davis            Montevallo, AL          15  48-11   80   $7,500.00
  Day 1: 5   20-00     Day 2: 5   12-10     Day 3: 5   16-01
22. Scott Canterbury       Odenville, AL           15  48-10   79   $7,500.00
  Day 1: 5   18-13     Day 2: 5   14-02     Day 3: 5   15-11
23. Clark Wendlandt        Leander, TX             15  48-05   78   $7,500.00
  Day 1: 5   20-14     Day 2: 5   13-04     Day 3: 5   14-03
24. Bernie Schultz         Gainesville, FL         15  48-04   77   $7,500.00
  Day 1: 5   20-07     Day 2: 5   12-04     Day 3: 5   15-09
25. Drew Cook              Midway, FL              15  47-10   76   $7,500.00
  Day 1: 5   17-10     Day 2: 5   16-00     Day 3: 5   14-00
26. Chris Johnston         Peterborough Ontario CA 15  47-09   75   $7,500.00
  Day 1: 5   21-14     Day 2: 5   15-15     Day 3: 5   09-12
27. Bill Weidler           Helena, AL              15  47-05   74   $7,500.00
  Day 1: 5   18-15     Day 2: 5   14-11     Day 3: 5   13-11
28. Garrett Paquette       Canton, MI              15  46-04   73   $7,500.00
  Day 1: 5   19-15     Day 2: 5   11-11     Day 3: 5   14-10
29. Brandon Cobb           Greenwood, SC           15  46-01   72   $7,500.00
  Day 1: 5   19-12     Day 2: 5   12-11     Day 3: 5   13-10
30. Shane Lineberger       Lincolnton, NC          15  45-13   71   $7,500.00
  Day 1: 5   14-07     Day 2: 5   17-12     Day 3: 5   13-10
31. Randy Pierson          Oakdale, CA             15  45-02   70   $7,500.00
  Day 1: 5   18-14     Day 2: 5   15-13     Day 3: 5   10-07
32. Gary Clouse            Winchester, TN          15  44-12   69   $7,500.00
  Day 1: 5   18-03     Day 2: 5   14-04     Day 3: 5   12-05
33. Cory Johnston          Cavan CANADA            14  44-10   68   $7,500.00
  Day 1: 5   18-07     Day 2: 5   16-04     Day 3: 4   09-15
34. Dale Hightower         Mannford, OK            14  43-14   67   $7,500.00
  Day 1: 5   20-04     Day 2: 5   16-01     Day 3: 4   07-09
35. Quentin Cappo          Prairieville, LA        14  38-12   66   $7,500.00
  Day 1: 5   18-04     Day 2: 5   13-09     Day 3: 4   06-15
----------------------------------------------------------------

by AnglersChannel

Arey Builds On Strong Start, Takes Lead At Lake Guntersville Bassmaster Elite Event

North Carolina pro Matt Arey leads after Day 2 of the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville after weighing 21 pounds, 6 ounces for a combined two-day total of 44 pounds.

Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.

June 22, 2019

SCOTTSBORO, Ala. — Even after a solid start on Friday, North Carolina pro Matt Arey sounded less than confident heading out for Saturday’s second round of the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville.

Guntersville, after all, is one of the most popular bass fishing lakes in the world — and since a Saturday in June usually means a crowded waterway, he was worried the areas he fished Friday would no longer be reachable.

His worries proved unnecessary, however, as he caught five bass that weighed 21 pounds, 6 ounces to take the lead with a two-day total of 44 pounds.

“There were a lot of boats out there for sure,” Arey said. “But it seemed like a lot of locals were staying off a lot of the obvious stuff, and I was really pleased with the way things played out.

“When I was running to my first spot, I probably saw 50 locals that were already out there before we blasted off. But you could tell they were fishermen — very respectful.”

Arey’s day didn’t start well at all. At 10:30 a.m., he only had two fish that he described as “two of the smallest 15-inchers in the lake.”

But since he’s fishing ledges in 15 to 20 feet of water — and those areas tend to be hit or miss throughout the day — he didn’t panic.

“Yesterday I had all of my weight by about 10:30, and today I couldn’t get a decent bite until after 10:30,” Arey said. “Then from 10:30 until about 1:30 or 2, it was good. They turned the current on, and the fishing just got better.”

Arey’s big day put him just 9 ounces ahead of Tennessee pro Brandon Lester, who spent much of his time Saturday on the same offshore roadbed he fished for hours Friday. The area produced a Saturday limit of 21-7.

The catch pushed Lester’s two-day total to 43-7 and kept him on pace for a remarkable eighth Top 10 finish in his last 13 B.A.S.S. events.

“The spot I’m fishing got a little more popular today, and I’m not surprised,” said Lester, who is seeking his first Elite Series victory. “Everybody knows what to look for, and everybody’s got the same map cards.

“There’s still two days left. But there’s tons of fish out there — it’s amazing how healthy the fishery is right now — and I’ve got places that I haven’t even been to.”

Lester said the bass bit earlier Saturday than they did on Day 1 — and the presence of wind might have aided the success he had using a crankbait.

“When that wind pushes out of Brown’s Creek and hits that roadbed, it washes bait up on it,” Lester said. “When you see bait on the graph, you know it’s getting ready to go down because the bass are only coming in there to feed.”

The two biggest bags of the tournament were caught Saturday — a 24-12 limit that pushed Alabama angler Kelley Jaye into sixth place with a two-day mark of 39-5 and a 24-1 limit that lifted Texas pro Ray Hanselman Jr., into third place with a two-day weight of 40-3.

Hanselman had much of his success Saturday on a giant area that is only holding bass in certain places.

“I started on a bar off the main river that has a hard edge with a good drop on one side,” he said. “It’s about a mile-long bar, and there’s little patches of fish up and down it. When you find them, they might be 200 yards from where they were the day before.

“The only way to find them is to fish the whole thing.”

Hanselman said he caught probably 20 bass on the stretch early before making a move. After relocating, he culled twice, adding his biggest fish of the day — a 6-pound largemouth.

“I was still fishing bars, but a little bit deeper,” he said. “Just some little isolated patches of grass that were holding fish.

“I’ll probably start tomorrow on the same place where I started today.”

The tournament will resume Sunday with the Top 35 remaining pros taking off from Goose Pond Colony at 6 a.m. CT. The weigh-in will be held back at Goose Pond at 2:15 p.m., and only the Top 10 anglers will advance to Championship Monday.

Florida pro Bernie Schultz maintained the lead in the race for the Phoenix Boats Big Bass award with the 7-0 largemouth he caught Friday.

The Elite Series Expo continues Sunday at Goose Pond Colony in Scottsboro, where fans can meet the Elites at Angler Alley from 1 to 3 p.m., learn advanced techniques at the Elite Angler Clinics from 1 to 2:15 p.m., and enjoy the Elite LIVE Watch Party from 1 to 3:30 p.m. to watch Bassmaster LIVE and hang out with special guests. There will also be boat demo rides, food and beverage vendors and activities for kids. All events are free.

2019 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite Series Tournament at Lake Guntersville 6/21-6/24
                           Lake Guntersville, Scottsboro  AL.
                             (PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 2

   Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts   Total $$$

1.  Matt Arey              Shelby, NC              10  44-00  100
  Day 1: 5   22-10     Day 2: 5   21-06
2.  Brandon Lester         Fayetteville, TN        10  43-07   99
  Day 1: 5   22-00     Day 2: 5   21-07
3.  Ray Hanselman Jr       Del Rio, TX             10  40-03   98
  Day 1: 5   16-02     Day 2: 5   24-01
4.  Drew Benton            Panama City, FL         10  39-07   97
  Day 1: 5   21-03     Day 2: 5   18-04
5.  Matt Herren            Ashville, AL            10  39-06   96
  Day 1: 5   18-11     Day 2: 5   20-11
6.  Kelley Jaye            Dadeville, AL           10  39-05   95
  Day 1: 5   14-09     Day 2: 5   24-12
7.  Hank Cherry Jr         Lincolnton, NC          10  39-05   94
  Day 1: 5   21-06     Day 2: 5   17-15
8.  Bill Lowen             Brookville, IN          10  38-00   93
  Day 1: 5   18-07     Day 2: 5   19-09
9.  Chris Johnston         Peterborough Ontario CA 10  37-13   92
  Day 1: 5   21-14     Day 2: 5   15-15
10. Chris Zaldain          Fort Worth, TX          10  37-00   91
  Day 1: 5   17-03     Day 2: 5   19-13
11. Caleb Sumrall          New Iberia, LA          10  36-12   90
  Day 1: 5   20-02     Day 2: 5   16-10
12. Chad Pipkens           Lansing, MI             10  36-09   89
  Day 1: 5   18-04     Day 2: 5   18-05
13. Lee Livesay            Gladewater, TX          10  36-06   88
  Day 1: 5   20-08     Day 2: 5   15-14
14. Dale Hightower         Mannford, OK            10  36-05   87
  Day 1: 5   20-04     Day 2: 5   16-01
15. Carl Jocumsen          Queensland TX AUSTRALIA 10  35-12   86
  Day 1: 5   20-06     Day 2: 5   15-06
16. Seth Feider            New Market, MN          10  35-11   85
  Day 1: 5   18-08     Day 2: 5   17-03
17. Jamie Hartman          Newport, NY             10  35-07   84
  Day 1: 5   14-13     Day 2: 5   20-10
18. Tyler Rivet            Raceland, LA            10  34-11   83
  Day 1: 5   20-08     Day 2: 5   14-03
19. Randy Pierson          Oakdale, CA             10  34-11   82
  Day 1: 5   18-14     Day 2: 5   15-13
20. Cory Johnston          Cavan CANADA            10  34-11   81
  Day 1: 5   18-07     Day 2: 5   16-04
21. Brock Mosley           Collinsville, MS        10  34-10   80
  Day 1: 5   18-14     Day 2: 5   15-12
22. Clark Wendlandt        Leander, TX             10  34-02   79
  Day 1: 5   20-14     Day 2: 5   13-04
23. Robbie Latuso          Gonzales, LA            10  34-01   78
  Day 1: 5   16-00     Day 2: 5   18-01
24. Bill Weidler           Helena, AL              10  33-10   77
  Day 1: 5   18-15     Day 2: 5   14-11
25. Drew Cook              Midway, FL              10  33-10   76
  Day 1: 5   17-10     Day 2: 5   16-00
26. Greg DiPalma           Millville, NJ           10  33-00   75
  Day 1: 5   19-08     Day 2: 5   13-08
27. Scott Canterbury       Odenville, AL           10  32-15   74
  Day 1: 5   18-13     Day 2: 5   14-02
28. Bernie Schultz         Gainesville, FL         10  32-11   73
  Day 1: 5   20-07     Day 2: 5   12-04
29. Clent Davis            Montevallo, AL          10  32-10   72
  Day 1: 5   20-00     Day 2: 5   12-10
30. Brandon Cobb           Greenwood, SC           10  32-07   71
  Day 1: 5   19-12     Day 2: 5   12-11
31. Gary Clouse            Winchester, TN          10  32-07   70
  Day 1: 5   18-03     Day 2: 5   14-04
32. Mark Menendez          Paducah, KY             10  32-05   69
  Day 1: 5   13-00     Day 2: 5   19-05
33. Shane Lineberger       Lincolnton, NC          10  32-03   68
  Day 1: 5   14-07     Day 2: 5   17-12
34. Quentin Cappo          Prairieville, LA        10  31-13   67
  Day 1: 5   18-04     Day 2: 5   13-09
35. Garrett Paquette       Canton, MI              10  31-10   66
  Day 1: 5   19-15     Day 2: 5   11-11
36. Frank Talley           Temple, TX              10  31-07   65   $5,000.00
  Day 1: 5   12-11     Day 2: 5   18-12
37. David Mullins          Mt Carmel, TN           10  31-03   64   $5,000.00
  Day 1: 5   12-08     Day 2: 5   18-11
38. Clifford Pirch         Payson, AZ              10  30-10   63   $5,000.00
  Day 1: 5   16-10     Day 2: 5   14-00
39. Skylar Hamilton        Dandridge, TN           10  30-08   62   $5,000.00
  Day 1: 5   13-09     Day 2: 5   16-15
40. Yusuke Miyazaki        Forney, TX              10  30-07   61   $5,000.00
  Day 1: 5   15-10     Day 2: 5   14-13
41. Jason Williamson       Wagener, SC             10  30-06   60   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   14-07     Day 2: 5   15-15
42. John Crews Jr          Salem, VA               10  29-15   59   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   12-06     Day 2: 5   17-09
43. Rick Morris            Lake Gaston, VA         10  29-13   58   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   16-06     Day 2: 5   13-07
44. Brian Snowden          Reeds Spring, MO        10  29-10   57   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   15-00     Day 2: 5   14-10
45. Keith Combs            Huntington, TX          10  29-08   56   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   16-00     Day 2: 5   13-08
46. Chris Groh             Spring Grove, IL         8  29-06   55   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 4   16-10     Day 2: 4   12-12
47. Luke Palmer            Coalgate, OK            10  29-03   54   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   13-05     Day 2: 5   15-14
48. Derek Hudnall          Baton Rouge, LA         10  29-02   53   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   12-05     Day 2: 5   16-13
49. Shane LeHew            Catawba, NC             10  28-14   52   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   17-09     Day 2: 5   11-05
50. Stetson Blaylock       Benton, AR              10  28-07   51   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   14-14     Day 2: 5   13-09
51. Kyle Monti             Okeechobee, FL          10  28-04   50   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   15-10     Day 2: 5   12-10
52. Steve Kennedy          Auburn, AL              10  28-02   49   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   18-01     Day 2: 5   10-01
53. Cliff Prince           Palatka, FL             10  27-13   48   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   18-12     Day 2: 5   09-01
54. David Fritts           Lexington, NC           10  27-02   47   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   13-02     Day 2: 5   14-00
55. Todd Auten             Lake Wylie, SC          10  26-12   46   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   15-11     Day 2: 5   11-01
56. Brad Whatley           Bivins, TX              10  26-12   45   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   12-04     Day 2: 5   14-08
57. Patrick Walters        Summerville, SC         10  26-04   44   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   09-06     Day 2: 5   16-14
58. Koby Kreiger           Alva, FL                10  26-04   43   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   11-09     Day 2: 5   14-11
59. Brett Preuett          Monroe, LA               9  25-10   42   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 4   10-07     Day 2: 5   15-03
60. Hunter Shryock         Newcomerstown, OH       10  25-10   41   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   13-07     Day 2: 5   12-03
61. Jake Whitaker          Fairview, NC            10  24-14   40   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   10-10     Day 2: 5   14-04
62. Micah Frazier          Newnan, GA              10  24-12   39   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   12-04     Day 2: 5   12-08
63. Chad Morgenthaler      Reeds Spring, MO        10  24-09   38   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   09-10     Day 2: 5   14-15
64. Brandon Card           Knoxville, TN           10  24-09   37   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   11-03     Day 2: 5   13-06
65. Rob Digh               Denver, NC              10  24-00   36   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   10-13     Day 2: 5   13-03
66. Ed Loughran III        Richmond, VA            10  23-02   35   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   13-11     Day 2: 5   09-07
67. Jeff Gustafson         Keewatin Ontario CANADA 10  23-01   34   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   11-14     Day 2: 5   11-03
68. Paul Mueller           Naugatuck, CT            5  22-14   33   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   22-14     Day 2: 0   00-00
69. Jay Yelas              Lincoln City, OR         7  20-03   32   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   15-05     Day 2: 2   04-14
70. Mike Huff              Corbin, KY               8  17-10   31   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 3   07-12     Day 2: 5   09-14
71. Harvey Horne           Bella Vista, AR          7  15-13   30   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 2   01-14     Day 2: 5   13-15
72. Randy Sullivan         Breckenridge, TX         6  15-02   29   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 1   02-06     Day 2: 5   12-12
73. Rick Clunn             Ava, MO                  6  13-06   28   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 3   05-12     Day 2: 3   07-10
74. Tyler Carriere         Youngsville, LA          6  12-13   27   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 2   03-11     Day 2: 4   09-02

by AnglersChannel

Sam Houston State Duo Tops Field At Bassmaster College Series On St. Lawrence River

Jackson Carrell and Bryton Kurtz of Sam Houston State University win the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series at St. Lawrence River presented by Bass Pro Shops out of Waddington, N.Y., with a three-day total of 72 pounds, 13 ounces.

Photo by Justin Brouillard/B.A.S.S.

June 21, 2019

WADDINGTON, N.Y. — Sam Houston State University anglers Jackson Carrell and Bryton Kurtz traveled more than 1,700 miles to compete in the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series at St. Lawrence River presented by Bass Pro Shops.

They made it a trip to remember.

Carrell and Kurtz caught 15 bass over three days that weighed a whopping 72 pounds, 13 ounces. That output, which averaged an equally impressive 24-4 limit per day, was enough to top the 149-team field and clinch victory in the fourth and final Bassmaster College Series regular-season tournament of 2019.

The victors also secured a berth in the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops. That tournament, which will feature more than 100 of the top college duos from across the U.S., will be held Aug. 1-3 on Chickamauga Lake in Tennessee.

Carrell and Kurtz entered the final day on the St. Lawrence third among the 12 teams that survived Thursday’s cut. They briefly held the Day 1 lead, but quickly relinquished it on a record-breaking day that saw 85 teams catch at least 20 pounds of bass.

The anglers from Sam Houston, which is located in Huntsville, Texas, stayed near the top of the leaderboard, however, holding second place on Wednesday with a 25-13 limit and then third place on Thursday when they followed with a 22-5 limit.

The key, however, was the 24-11 bag Carrell and Kurtz produced Friday. It was nearly 2 pounds heavier than any other team in the final round — and with first place and 12th place separated by just more than 4 pounds, that bump was significant.

The St. Lawrence smallmouth were spawning this week, and Carrell and Kurtz were among the many teams that caught fish off beds. The water was extremely clear, as well, which made spotting the bass possible in as much as 10 feet of water.

“We started sight fishing on Wednesday morning and by 9:30, we had 25 1/2 pounds,” Carrell said. “That allowed us to go pre-fish for the next day.”

The ability to scout new areas benefited the winners, as foul weather moved into upstate New York on Thursday. With sight-fishing not possible that day, communication was crucial as one angler manned the electronics and the other laid belly down on the deck of the boat waiting for word to set the hook.

“It was absolute teamwork,” Kurtz said. “You’re working a bait with no clue what the fish are doing beneath you.” He said one angler lay on the deck of the boat, looking through a “flogger,” a device for peering underwater, while his partner maneuvered his lure. The spotter would tell his partner where to move the lure and when to pop or jig it, and then a bass would bite.

“It was blind trust,” Carrell said. “We just had to believe in one another.”

Carrell and Kurtz worked riverbanks looking for differences in color, which typically signified an attractive area for bedding bass. They caught most of their fish on Ned Rigs in the PB&J color — which they said resembled the crawfish they spotted in the area — as well as a Z Man Real Deal in green pumpkin and white, which they said matched the gobies in the river.

On Friday, they threw 3.75 Keitech swimbaits toward a bridge that had current moving underneath.
“The smallmouth were sitting in a grass patch, and as soon as bait would come by, they’d snatch it up,” Kurtz said. “So we just slow-rolled those swimbaits and it was what they wanted today.”

The Texas tandem doesn’t have much experience fishing for smallmouth, and with such a long distance between home and upstate New York, they actually considered skipping the trip, despite not yet qualifying for Nationals.

“The weights were so tight, we had to catch every fish we could,” Carrell said. “We were catching 20 pounds a day in practice, and I knew everyone else had to be catching them just as good. They were, but when we had almost 26 pounds, everything kept working for us from there.”

The tournament will go down in the Bassmaster College Series record books.

The Day 1 cumulative weight of 3,031-3 was nearly 600 pounds heavier than the previous one-day record of 2,439-1 set at Arkansas’ Bull Shoals Lake in April. The 149 boats competing this week combined to catch 5687-4, more than 1,000 pounds better than the previous record of 4,631-10, also at Bull Shoals. There were 50 fewer boats entered in the St. Lawrence event, as well, which underscores the week’s bounty.

Logan Parks and Lucas Lindsay had the Day 2 lead, but caught only 11-9 on Friday and slipped to 12thplace. They did win the Carhartt Big Bass Award for the 6-7 smallmouth Lindsay caught Wednesday. Minor and Lanier won the Nitro Big Bag Award after posting a 26-6 limit, also on Wednesday.

2019 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series at St. Lawrence River presented by Bass Pro Shops 6/19-6/21
St. Lawrence River, Waddington NY.
(BOATER) Standings Day 3

Angler Club/School

1. Jackson Carrell - Bryton Kurtz Sam Houston State University
Day 1: 5 25-13 Day 2: 5 22-05 Day 3: 5 24-11 Total: 15 72-13
2. Jack Hippe - Chase Serafin Adrian College
Day 1: 5 24-07 Day 2: 5 23-10 Day 3: 5 22-15 Total: 15 71-00
3. Shane Nelson - Brayden Federer Adrian College
Day 1: 5 23-02 Day 2: 5 24-02 Day 3: 5 21-14 Total: 15 69-02
4. Brian Linder - Nathan Thompson Bemidji State University
Day 1: 5 25-09 Day 2: 5 23-04 Day 3: 5 18-11 Total: 15 67-08
5. Nolan Minor - Casey Lanier West Virginia University- WV
Day 1: 5 26-06 Day 2: 5 21-11 Day 3: 5 19-00 Total: 15 67-01
6. John Garrett - Kyle Palmer Bethel University- TN
Day 1: 5 23-06 Day 2: 5 22-03 Day 3: 5 21-08 Total: 15 67-01
7. Ben Seaman - Dante Piraino Clarkson University
Day 1: 5 24-14 Day 2: 5 22-03 Day 3: 5 18-12 Total: 15 65-13
8. Perry Marvin - Cantley Krafft Virginia Tech University
Day 1: 5 25-10 Day 2: 5 19-06 Day 3: 5 20-06 Total: 15 65-06
9. Nick Ratliff - Bradley Dunagan Campbellsville University
Day 1: 5 24-12 Day 2: 5 21-14 Day 3: 5 18-12 Total: 15 65-06
10. Tanner Ward - Rory Franks Kent State University
Day 1: 5 24-05 Day 2: 5 20-10 Day 3: 5 16-10 Total: 15 61-09
11. Lucas Murphy - Mitchell Gunn Grand Valley State University
Day 1: 5 24-03 Day 2: 5 21-02 Day 3: 5 16-02 Total: 15 61-07
12. Logan Parks - Lucas Lindsay Auburn University
Day 1: 5 25-05 Day 2: 5 23-13 Day 3: 5 11-09 Total: 15 60-11

by AnglersChannel

Mueller Flexes His Muscles On Lake Guntersville Again, Takes Day 1 Elite Series Lead

Paul Mueller's historic success on Lake Guntersville continues as he takes the lead on Day 1 of the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville with 22 pounds, 14 ounces.

Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.

June 21, 2019

SCOTTSBORO, Ala. — More than half the field caught at least 16 pounds of bass during Friday’s opening round of the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville, and 14 anglers topped the coveted 20-pound mark.

Meanwhile, Connecticut pro Paul Mueller showed once again why Guntersville is one of his favorite lakes in the United States.

Mueller, who finished second in the 2014 Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods on Guntersville, took Friday’s opening-round lead on the famed fishery with five bass that weighed 22 pounds, 14 ounces.

“I didn’t really see this coming because I didn’t catch a lot of big fish in practice,” Mueller said. “The fish aren’t doing what they should for this time of year, so it’s been mentally exhausting trying to figure them out.

“But you only need five — and I’m glad I was able to put something together.”

Mueller’s first claim to fame in the big leagues of bass fishing came when he had a whopping catch of 32-3 on the second day of the 2014 Classic. That was a February event, and Mueller — who had qualified for that Classic through the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship for grass-roots anglers — was quick to point out that none of that strategy played into his success Friday, when temperatures rose to the low 90s.

Despite his heavy weight, he said Friday was anything but easy — and BASSTrakk statistics backed up that claim. The five bass he weighed were caught at 7:25 a.m., 8:09 a.m., 11:02 a.m., 1:59 p.m.and 2:07 p.m.

The weigh-in began at Goose Pond Colony at 2:15 p.m.

“For a while there, I was just worried about getting a limit,” said Mueller, who earned his first Elite Series victory earlier this season at Lake Lanier. “Then I kind of put it together late.”

Mueller attributed his late-afternoon success to a slight change in technique.

“I downsized a little bit,” he said. “I caught them on a 10-inch Reins Bubbling Shaker in the morning on a Magnum Shaky Head. Then I switched over to a 7-inch Bubbling Shaker on a drop-shot rig.

“I spent the last part of the afternoon using a spinning reel.”

Mueller will enter Saturday’s second round with just a 4-ounce lead over North Carolina pro Matt Arey, who weighed in 22-10.

Arey was less specific about how he caught bass than Mueller, but he said Lake Guntersville’s famous summer boat traffic — which always increases greatly on Saturdays — could play a role in how he does on Day 2.

“What I did today is definitely repeatable,” Arey said. “In a perfect world — if I could get out there and rotate through my places without company — absolutely I could do it again. But on a lake that gets this much pressure, we all know that’s not going to happen.”

The only other pro who reached the 22-pound mark Friday was Brandon Lester. The Fayetteville, Tenn., angler, who has extensive experience on Guntersville, caught 22-0 and rests just 14 ounces out of the lead.

“I’m not gonna call this my home lake, but it’s probably as close to home as I’ll ever get to fish in an Elite Series tournament,” Lester said. “I’ve got quite a bit of experience here — and to my surprise, I was able to get on pretty much everything I wanted to fish today.”

Lester said he’s fishing offshore — and even with more boat traffic Saturday, he’s confident he’ll be able to reach at least some of the areas where he was successful Friday.

“The one spot where I caught most of my fish is a really big spot,” Lester said. “There are five or six little sweet spots on it, and there’s not likely to be a boat on every single one of them.

“But I will say — from past experience on this lake — when the boat traffic increases, it really affects these fish. So, who knows what will happen tomorrow?”

Veteran Florida pro Bernie Schultz took the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass with a largemouth that weighed 7-0.

The tournament will resume Saturday with takeoff from Goose Pond Colony at 6 a.m. CT The weigh-in will be held back at Goose Pond at 2:15 p.m., with only the Top 35 anglers advancing to Sunday’s semifinal round.

B.A.S.S. Nation members, Bassmaster High School anglers and dozens of other volunteers will fan out across the Lake Guntersville shoreline to take part in the B.A.S.S. Nation Cleanup project, which will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday. Other volunteers wanting to help out in the cleanup are welcome to participate.

While competition is underway, the Miracle Mile Festival at Goose Pond will feature live entertainment, prize giveaways, food vendors and more. The Festival begins at 11 a.m. The Mercury Concert Series will provide live music prior to the weigh-in.

 2019 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite Series Tournament at Lake Guntersville 6/21-6/24
                           Lake Guntersville, Scottsboro  AL.
                             (PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 1

   Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts   Total $$$

1.  Paul Mueller           Naugatuck, CT            5  22-14  100
  Day 1: 5   22-14
2.  Matt Arey              Shelby, NC               5  22-10   99
  Day 1: 5   22-10
3.  Brandon Lester         Fayetteville, TN         5  22-00   98
  Day 1: 5   22-00
4.  Chris Johnston         Peterborough Ontario CA  5  21-14   97
  Day 1: 5   21-14
5.  Hank Cherry Jr         Lincolnton, NC           5  21-06   96
  Day 1: 5   21-06
6.  Drew Benton            Panama City, FL          5  21-03   95
  Day 1: 5   21-03
7.  Clark Wendlandt        Leander, TX              5  20-14   94
  Day 1: 5   20-14
8.  Lee Livesay            Gladewater, TX           5  20-08   93
  Day 1: 5   20-08
8.  Tyler Rivet            Raceland, LA             5  20-08   93
  Day 1: 5   20-08
10. Bernie Schultz         Gainesville, FL          5  20-07   91
  Day 1: 5   20-07
11. Carl Jocumsen          Queensland TX AUSTRALIA  5  20-06   90
  Day 1: 5   20-06
12. Dale Hightower         Mannford, OK             5  20-04   89
  Day 1: 5   20-04
13. Caleb Sumrall          New Iberia, LA           5  20-02   88
  Day 1: 5   20-02
14. Clent Davis            Montevallo, AL           5  20-00   87
  Day 1: 5   20-00
15. Garrett Paquette       Canton, MI               5  19-15   86
  Day 1: 5   19-15
16. Brandon Cobb           Greenwood, SC            5  19-12   85
  Day 1: 5   19-12
17. Greg DiPalma           Millville, NJ            5  19-08   84
  Day 1: 5   19-08
18. Bill Weidler           Helena, AL               5  18-15   83
  Day 1: 5   18-15
19. Brock Mosley           Collinsville, MS         5  18-14   82
  Day 1: 5   18-14
19. Randy Pierson          Oakdale, CA              5  18-14   82
  Day 1: 5   18-14
21. Scott Canterbury       Odenville, AL            5  18-13   80
  Day 1: 5   18-13
22. Cliff Prince           Palatka, FL              5  18-12   79
  Day 1: 5   18-12
23. Matt Herren            Ashville, AL             5  18-11   78
  Day 1: 5   18-11
24. Seth Feider            New Market, MN           5  18-08   77
  Day 1: 5   18-08
25. Cory Johnston          Cavan CANADA             5  18-07   76
  Day 1: 5   18-07
25. Bill Lowen             Brookville, IN           5  18-07   76
  Day 1: 5   18-07
27. Quentin Cappo          Prairieville, LA         5  18-04   74
  Day 1: 5   18-04
27. Chad Pipkens           Lansing, MI              5  18-04   74
  Day 1: 5   18-04
29. Gary Clouse            Winchester, TN           5  18-03   72
  Day 1: 5   18-03
30. Steve Kennedy          Auburn, AL               5  18-01   71
  Day 1: 5   18-01
31. Drew Cook              Midway, FL               5  17-10   70
  Day 1: 5   17-10
32. Shane LeHew            Catawba, NC              5  17-09   69
  Day 1: 5   17-09
33. Chris Zaldain          Fort Worth, TX           5  17-03   68
  Day 1: 5   17-03
34. Clifford Pirch         Payson, AZ               5  16-10   67
  Day 1: 5   16-10
35. Chris Groh             Spring Grove, IL         4  16-10   66
  Day 1: 4   16-10
36. Rick Morris            Lake Gaston, VA          5  16-06   65
  Day 1: 5   16-06
37. Ray Hanselman Jr       Del Rio, TX              5  16-02   64
  Day 1: 5   16-02
38. Keith Combs            Huntington, TX           5  16-00   63
  Day 1: 5   16-00
39. Robbie Latuso          Gonzales, LA             5  16-00   62
  Day 1: 5   16-00
40. Todd Auten             Lake Wylie, SC           5  15-11   61
  Day 1: 5   15-11
41. Kyle Monti             Okeechobee, FL           5  15-10   60
  Day 1: 5   15-10
42. Yusuke Miyazaki        Forney, TX               5  15-10   59
  Day 1: 5   15-10
43. Jay Yelas              Lincoln City, OR         5  15-05   58
  Day 1: 5   15-05
44. Brian Snowden          Reeds Spring, MO         5  15-00   57
  Day 1: 5   15-00
45. Stetson Blaylock       Benton, AR               5  14-14   56
  Day 1: 5   14-14
46. Jamie Hartman          Newport, NY              5  14-13   55
  Day 1: 5   14-13
47. Kelley Jaye            Dadeville, AL            5  14-09   54
  Day 1: 5   14-09
48. Shane Lineberger       Lincolnton, NC           5  14-07   53
  Day 1: 5   14-07
48. Jason Williamson       Wagener, SC              5  14-07   53
  Day 1: 5   14-07
50. Ed Loughran III        Richmond, VA             5  13-11   51
  Day 1: 5   13-11
51. Skylar Hamilton        Dandridge, TN            5  13-09   50
  Day 1: 5   13-09
52. Hunter Shryock         Newcomerstown, OH        5  13-07   49
  Day 1: 5   13-07
53. Luke Palmer            Coalgate, OK             5  13-05   48
  Day 1: 5   13-05
54. David Fritts           Lexington, NC            5  13-02   47
  Day 1: 5   13-02
55. Mark Menendez          Paducah, KY              5  13-00   46
  Day 1: 5   13-00
56. Frank Talley           Temple, TX               5  12-11   45
  Day 1: 5   12-11
57. David Mullins          Mt Carmel, TN            5  12-08   44
  Day 1: 5   12-08
58. John Crews Jr          Salem, VA                5  12-06   43
  Day 1: 5   12-06
59. Derek Hudnall          Baton Rouge, LA          5  12-05   42
  Day 1: 5   12-05
60. Micah Frazier          Newnan, GA               5  12-04   41
  Day 1: 5   12-04
61. Brad Whatley           Bivins, TX               5  12-04   40
  Day 1: 5   12-04
62. Jeff Gustafson         Keewatin Ontario CANADA  5  11-14   39
  Day 1: 5   11-14
63. Koby Kreiger           Alva, FL                 5  11-09   38
  Day 1: 5   11-09
64. Brandon Card           Knoxville, TN            5  11-03   37
  Day 1: 5   11-03
65. Rob Digh               Denver, NC               5  10-13   36
  Day 1: 5   10-13
66. Jake Whitaker          Fairview, NC             5  10-10   35
  Day 1: 5   10-10
67. Brett Preuett          Monroe, LA               4  10-07   34
  Day 1: 4   10-07
68. Chad Morgenthaler      Reeds Spring, MO         5  09-10   33
  Day 1: 5   09-10
69. Patrick Walters        Summerville, SC          5  09-06   32
  Day 1: 5   09-06
70. Mike Huff              Corbin, KY               3  07-12   31
  Day 1: 3   07-12
71. Rick Clunn             Ava, MO                  3  05-12   30
  Day 1: 3   05-12
72. Tyler Carriere         Youngsville, LA          2  03-11   29
  Day 1: 2   03-11
73. Randy Sullivan         Breckenridge, TX         1  02-06   28
  Day 1: 1   02-06
74. Harvey Horne           Bella Vista, AR          2  01-14   27
  Day 1: 2   01-14

by AnglersChannel

Crews compares Guntersville 2010 to this week

Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships

Guntersville is truly one of America’s all time great big bass factories, and it’s played host to B.A.S.S. events with about the same frequencyVegas hosts prize fights. And when the Elite Series was here in 2010, it was an absolute post-spawn slugfest and longtime Toyota Bonus Bucks participant John Crews was right in the thick of the boxing match.

Skeet Reese threw the final punch in 2010, catching 100 pounds of bass in four days to win, but Davy Hite and John Crews stayed squarely in the fight.

So as the Elites blasted-off for Day 1 Friday morning, Crews reflected clearly on how it all went down nine years ago, and how he expects it to go this week in 2019.

“The offshore bite in 2010 would have scored a 9 out of 10, but this year, for Guntersville, I’ll rate it a 3 out of 10 -- which is about the equivalent of a 5 out of 10 on most reservoirs,” says the Salem, VA pro who owns Missile Bait Company.

In other words, Crews is by no means saying it’s terrible here where the Tennessee River carves a bass infested path through the Southern Appalachians. Twenty-pound limits will still be plentiful, but fans probably shouldn’t expect the megabags pros like him pulled from these waters nine years ago.

“I caught 99% of my bass that week on a Spro Little John DD which hits bottom in 16 to 18 feet of water, and most of the bass were positioned at about 12 feet,” he recalls fondly.

Crews weighed in a jaw dropping 28 pounds on Day 3 of the 2010 event, and says he fished a very clean and efficient derby with no regrets, despite a bass that was well over 10 pounds jumping off ---an image that’s still hooked clearly in his memory.

“I’ll commit to fishing deep today, but I’m only on a couple schools of fish, not the strong schools we saw here nine years ago. You could catch 12, 15, 20 bass off one spot that year, but this week, I think it will be a ‘one here-one there’ kinda deal,” predicts Crews.

He netted $20,000 for his high finish nine years ago, plus a fat Toyota Bonus Bucks check, maybe this week Crews will have to fight a little harder, but don’t bet against him landing his share of leaderboard busting jabs, and a shot at the $100,000 top prize.

by AnglersChannel

Arey and Canterbury talk saltwater, Sasquatch, and ducks at Guntersville

Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships

Matt Arey and Scott Canterbury have won more than $2 Million in their veteran pro angling careers -- including an impressive collection of tour level tournaments. The two comical class acts are now roommates on the Bassmaster Elite Series, and they took a moment to share what fans can expect to take place on Alabama’s largest and arguably most famous reservoir when the event kicks-off Friday morning.

Q: It’s been six weeks since the last Elite Series tournament. What’s the coolest thing you did during that time?

Canterbury: Caught a bunch of saltwater fish, including a 21-pound Snapper, on a trip to Orange Beach, AL.

Arey: Watched my daughter Reese graduate from kindergarten.

Q: How many 25-pound limits or bigger will be weighed-in on Day 1.

Canterbury: Two

Arey: One

Q: What’s your favorite thing about Lake Guntersville?

Canterbury: It’s close to home, and you can catch bass here from 3 to 25 feet deep on a variety of patterns.

Arey: The duck hunting. I discovered how many ducks call this place home during a winter bass tournament years ago, and my buddies and I have made several annual trips here to hunt gadwalls, canvasbacks and other species.

Q: Name four lures fans can expect Elite Series pros to throw a lot this week.

Canterbury: Deep crankbait, 11” NetBait C-Mac worm, 6” swimbait, Drop Shot.

Arey: Football jig, deep crankbait, 6” flutter spoon, hair jig.

Q: What will surprise fans most about this tournament?

Canterbury: How several pros will be fishing the same spots.

Arey: Agree. A lot of guys will be fishing for the same exact schools of fish.

Q: You were asked to choose one lure that’s applicable to Guntersville for the photo. Why did you choose a jig?

Canterbury: Because I can fish a 5/8 ounce Matt Herren jig from Dirty Jigs with a Net Bait trailer as a pitchin’ lure, or drag it on the bottom out deep just about anywhere on this lake.

Arey: I chose a ¾ Titan Tungsten football jig to drag around the deeper schools of bass. It’s a prototype with a skirt that’s hand-tied in Cleveland County, NC where “Knobby” the Sasquatch lives.

by AnglersChannel

Auburn University Anglers Claim Lead In College Series Tournament On St. Lawrence River

Logan Parks and Lucas Lindsay of Auburn University take the lead on Day 2 of the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series at St. Lawrence River presented by Bass Pro Shops out of Waddington, N.Y., with a two-day total of 49 pounds, 2 ounces.

Photo by Justin Brouillard/B.A.S.S.

June 20, 2019

WADDINGTON, N.Y. — Steady rains soaked competitors today in the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series at St. Lawrence River presented by Bass Pro Shops, but the foul weather hardly affected what has become a record-setting event.

Logan Parks and Lucas Lindsay of Auburn (Ala.) University lead the slugfest with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 49 pounds, 2 ounces. The Tigers caught a five-bass limit Thursday that weighed 23-13, which was an outstanding compliment to the 25-5 limit they boated Wednesday.

The ability to catch big bass has been key to the leaders’ success so far. Parks boated a 6-5 smallmouth today, after landing the tournament’s biggest bass so far — a 6-7 smallie he caught Wednesday.

“Lucas is usually the ‘Big Fish Guy,’” Parks said with a laugh. “So the roles have switched a little bit. They like me more this week.”

Parks and Lindsay knew they were in good shape when they had a five-bass limit weighing 20 pounds in the livewell less than an hour after take-off today. Parks caught the giant smallmouth at about 9:30 a.m., and that fish vaulted them from fifth place into the lead.

Lindsay said he’s not worried about finding a few more big bass. After all, the St. Lawrence has been extremely generous to anglers this week. Bass have been so plentiful that the Auburn team was able to find their entire catch in areas they had not scouted prior to today.

Many other teams are also catching heavy limits of bass, which is keeping the pressure on the leaders as they enter the final round Friday. The field was cut to 12 teams after the Day 2 weigh-in, and the remaining dozen teams should encounter much more agreeable weather than the wind, rain and chill they experienced today.

Brian Linder and Nathan Thompson of Minnesota’s Bemidji State University are in second place with a two-day total of 48-13. Thursday’s weather seemingly scuttled their spot of choice, so Linder and Thompson covered a lot of water, and expect to do so again Friday.

“Today, we went to our first spot and only caught one fish,” Linder said. “We switched it up and went to another place, but we only caught two there. Then we went to ‘new water,’ and things started happening. We caught a 5-5 and a 4 1/2-pound fish.”

“We have a few spots we’re going to hit that have had fish on them, but we’ll have to find new fish again tomorrow,” Thompson said. “I think we’ll find them. It’s unbelievable how well this place has fished the past couple days.”

Jackson Carrell and Bryton Kurtz of Sam Houston State University in Texas dropped from second to third with a two-day weight of 48-2. Day 1 leaders Nolan Minor and Casey Lanier of West Virginia University are in fourth with 48-1, and Jack Hippe and Chase Serafin of Michigan’s Adrian College are fifth, also with 48-1 overall.

Other teams surviving the cut are: Shane Nelson and Brayden Federer, Adrian College, sixth, 47-4; Ben Seaman and Dante Piraino, Clarkson University (NY), seventh, 47-1; Nick Ratliffe and Bradley Dunagan, Campbellsville (Kent.) University, eighth, 46-10; John Garrett and Kyle Palmer, Bethel University (Tenn.), ninth, 45-9; Lucas Murphy and Mitchell Gunn, Grand Valley State University (Mich.), 10th 45-5; Perry Marvin and Cantley Krafft, Virginia Tech, 11th, 45-0; and Tanner Ward and Rory Franks, Kent Sate (Ohio), 12th, 44-15.

After weighing a whopping 3,031 pounds, 3 ounces of bass Wednesday on the St. Lawrence River, the 149 tandems combined to haul 2,425-3 to the scales Thursday. That was the third-highest one-day cumulative weight in Bassmaster College Series history.

The highest total, of course, came Wednesday when the combined catch was nearly 600 pounds heavier than the previous one-day college series record of 2,439-1. That mark was set on the first day of the tournament at Arkansas’ Bull Shoals Lake in April.

There were 199 boats entered at Bull Shoals — 50 more than are fishing in upstate New York this week.

Parks and Lindsay maintain the tournament lead for the Carhartt Big Bass Award for the 6-7 smallmouth caught Wednesday. Minor and Lanier still lead for the Nitro Big Bag Award after posting a 26-6 limit Wednesday.

The St. Lawrence event is the fourth and final regular-season tournament of the 2019 Bassmaster College Series. The Top 10 percent of teams from each of the four tournaments will advance to the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops. The championship is scheduled for Aug. 1-3 on Chickamauga Lake in Tennessee.

Teams also can qualify for the championship through their individual state tournaments or by finishing in the Top 25 of the Team of the Year standings.

Friday’s take-off is scheduled for 5:30 a.m. at Whittaker Park in Waddington. The final weigh-in moves to Clarkson University in nearby Potsdam and will begin at 2:30 p.m.

Follow all the action on Bassmaster.com.

2019 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series at St. Lawrence River presented by Bass Pro Shops 6/19-6/21
St. Lawrence River, Waddington NY.
(BOATER) Standings Day 2

Angler Club/School
1. Logan Parks - Lucas Lindsay Auburn University
Day 1: 5 25-05 Day 2: 5 23-13 Total: 10 49-02
2. Brian Linder - Nathan Thompson Bemidji State University
Day 1: 5 25-09 Day 2: 5 23-04 Total: 10 48-13
3. Jackson Carrell - Bryton Kurtz Sam Houston State University
Day 1: 5 25-13 Day 2: 5 22-05 Total: 10 48-02
4. Nolan Minor - Casey Lanier West Virginia University- WV
Day 1: 5 26-06 Day 2: 5 21-11 Total: 10 48-01
5. Jack Hippe - Chase Serafin Adrian College
Day 1: 5 24-07 Day 2: 5 23-10 Total: 10 48-01
6. Shane Nelson - Brayden Federer Adrian College
Day 1: 5 23-02 Day 2: 5 24-02 Total: 10 47-04
7. Ben Seaman - Dante Piraino Clarkson University
Day 1: 5 24-14 Day 2: 5 22-03 Total: 10 47-01
8. Nick Ratliff - Bradley Dunagan Campbellsville University
Day 1: 5 24-12 Day 2: 5 21-14 Total: 10 46-10
9. John Garrett - Kyle Palmer Bethel University- TN
Day 1: 5 23-06 Day 2: 5 22-03 Total: 10 45-09
10. Lucas Murphy - Mitchell Gunn Grand Valley State University
Day 1: 5 24-03 Day 2: 5 21-02 Total: 10 45-05
11. Perry Marvin - Cantley Krafft Virginia Tech University
Day 1: 5 25-10 Day 2: 5 19-06 Total: 10 45-00
12. Tanner Ward - Rory Franks Kent State University
Day 1: 5 24-05 Day 2: 5 20-10 Total: 10 44-15
13. Brandon Buckley - Michael Orris Penn State University
Day 1: 5 24-10 Day 2: 5 20-03 Total: 10 44-13
14. Matthew Davis - Jarrod Layton Adrian College
Day 1: 5 24-15 Day 2: 5 19-11 Total: 10 44-10
15. Ty Black - Avry Thomason Georgia Southern University
Day 1: 5 23-07 Day 2: 5 21-02 Total: 10 44-09
16. Ty Cox - Chandler Boman Blue Mountain College
Day 1: 5 24-11 Day 2: 5 19-10 Total: 10 44-05
17. Jacob Moore - Gilliam Tharpe North Carolina State University
Day 1: 5 23-07 Day 2: 5 20-13 Total: 10 44-04
18. Anthony Fazio - Luke Jasper Illinois State University
Day 1: 5 20-15 Day 2: 5 23-04 Total: 10 44-03
19. Chase Chastain - Will Brown Jacksonville State University
Day 1: 5 23-06 Day 2: 5 20-12 Total: 10 44-02
20. Cody Huff - Garrett Enders Bethel University
Day 1: 5 23-02 Day 2: 5 21-00 Total: 10 44-02
21. KJ Queen - Dax Ewart Bethel University
Day 1: 5 22-13 Day 2: 5 21-00 Total: 10 43-13
22. Jonathan Kelley - Grant Tattersall Coastal Carolina University
Day 1: 5 22-10 Day 2: 5 21-02 Total: 10 43-12
23. Griffin Fernandes - Gunner Wilson Adrian College
Day 1: 5 24-03 Day 2: 5 19-08 Total: 10 43-11
24. Dan Dubose - Jon Kilpatrick University of Alabama
Day 1: 5 23-03 Day 2: 5 20-05 Total: 10 43-08
25. Nathan Ragsdale - Justin Sisavath University of Georgia
Day 1: 5 23-03 Day 2: 5 20-03 Total: 10 43-06
26. Tyler Lubbat - Calvin Landsberg University of Alabama
Day 1: 5 24-13 Day 2: 5 18-08 Total: 10 43-05
27. Fisher Overton - Alden Keel Jr Blue Mountain College
Day 1: 5 21-10 Day 2: 5 21-08 Total: 10 43-02
28. Colton Lindsey - Allex Conner Ohio State University
Day 1: 5 21-14 Day 2: 5 21-02 Total: 10 43-00
29. Caleb Gibson - Bo Adams Northeastern State University
Day 1: 5 22-05 Day 2: 5 20-08 Total: 10 42-13
30. Cully Scroggins - Nathon Portch Bethel University
Day 1: 5 22-13 Day 2: 5 19-15 Total: 10 42-12
31. Robert Cruvellier - Chase Clarke Auburn University
Day 1: 5 23-11 Day 2: 5 19-00 Total: 10 42-11
32. Justin Carr - Austin Carr Illinois State University
Day 1: 5 23-08 Day 2: 5 19-03 Total: 10 42-11
33. Blake Miles - Noah Beckley James Madison University
Day 1: 5 22-06 Day 2: 5 20-05 Total: 10 42-11
34. Drew Tiano - Tristen Bauer SUNY Cobleskill
Day 1: 5 22-12 Day 2: 5 19-13 Total: 10 42-09
35. Jacob Louis - Nathan Doty McKendree University- IL
Day 1: 5 23-04 Day 2: 5 19-02 Total: 10 42-06
36. Tyler Lawwill - Chris Carnes UNC Charlotte
Day 1: 5 21-09 Day 2: 5 20-12 Total: 10 42-05
37. Blake Knies - Eli Lubbehusen University of Evansville
Day 1: 5 22-11 Day 2: 5 19-09 Total: 10 42-04
38. Miller Spivey - Trey Dickert University of Montevallo
Day 1: 5 23-12 Day 2: 5 18-03 Total: 10 41-15
39. Taylor Hamburger - Tristen Turley Oklahoma State University- OK
Day 1: 5 22-06 Day 2: 5 19-08 Total: 10 41-14
40. Alex Henderson - Zach Manneback Adrian College
Day 1: 5 22-04 Day 2: 5 19-08 Total: 10 41-12
41. Zeke Gossett - Hayden Bartee Jacksonville State University- A
Day 1: 5 23-12 Day 2: 5 17-11 Total: 10 41-07
41. Tyler Vanbrandt - Ben Barrus Adrian College
Day 1: 5 23-12 Day 2: 5 17-11 Total: 10 41-07
43. Trevor Topken - University of South Carolina
Day 1: 5 23-07 Day 2: 5 18-00 Total: 10 41-07
44. Chase Farris - Peyton Vinson University of North Georgia
Day 1: 5 22-11 Day 2: 5 18-11 Total: 10 41-06
45. Zachary Asher - Jacob Klicman Kent State University
Day 1: 5 22-07 Day 2: 5 18-14 Total: 10 41-05
46. Hunter Scharphorn - Jordan Hurst Lake Superior State University
Day 1: 5 23-05 Day 2: 5 17-15 Total: 10 41-04
47. Nicholas Vandam - Peter Lombado Grand Valley State University
Day 1: 5 22-08 Day 2: 5 18-11 Total: 10 41-03
48. Derek Freeman - Caleb Allgood Clemson University
Day 1: 5 21-09 Day 2: 5 19-10 Total: 10 41-03
49. Weston Hollar - Hunter Ward University of Montevallo
Day 1: 5 23-05 Day 2: 5 17-13 Total: 10 41-02
50. Austin Young - Colin Glover University of North Georgia
Day 1: 5 21-04 Day 2: 5 19-13 Total: 10 41-01
51. Anthony Vintson - Brandon Mathews Auburn University
Day 1: 5 22-00 Day 2: 5 18-15 Total: 10 40-15
52. Justin Rozema - Bob Visicaro Paul Smith's College
Day 1: 5 21-14 Day 2: 5 18-13 Total: 10 40-11
53. Nick Fulks - David Blaker California University of Pennsyl
Day 1: 5 19-09 Day 2: 5 21-01 Total: 10 40-10
54. Joshua Lopez - John Neubauer Western Michigan University
Day 1: 5 21-06 Day 2: 5 19-03 Total: 10 40-09
55. Griffin Heffington - Mason Cizek Bryan College- TN
Day 1: 5 20-01 Day 2: 5 20-02 Total: 10 40-03
56. Louis Monetti - UNC-Charlotte
Day 1: 5 22-12 Day 2: 5 17-06 Total: 10 40-02
57. Zach Kronewitter - Jacob McLaighlin Clemson University
Day 1: 5 20-09 Day 2: 5 19-04 Total: 10 39-13
58. Ricky Huge - Cordell Beckman Greenville University
Day 1: 5 17-10 Day 2: 5 21-11 Total: 10 39-05
59. Joshua Butts - Wallace State Community College
Day 1: 5 22-11 Day 2: 5 16-09 Total: 10 39-04
60. Isaac Duncan - Blue Mountain College- MS
Day 1: 5 22-07 Day 2: 5 16-13 Total: 10 39-04
61. Sam Clark - Hunter Osborne Georgetown College
Day 1: 5 18-13 Day 2: 5 20-05 Total: 10 39-02
62. Tyler Anderson - Garrison Thomas Texas A&M University
Day 1: 5 22-13 Day 2: 5 16-04 Total: 10 39-01
63. Michael Chase Owens - Will Monti North Carolina State University
Day 1: 5 22-08 Day 2: 5 16-06 Total: 10 38-14
64. Hunter Bailey - Jr Young Jacksonville State University
Day 1: 5 21-03 Day 2: 5 17-10 Total: 10 38-13
65. Neal Wisinski - Jesse Pliska University of Wisconsin Stevens
Day 1: 5 22-09 Day 2: 5 16-02 Total: 10 38-11
66. Thad Simerly - Bennett Kudder Bryan College
Day 1: 5 19-02 Day 2: 5 19-09 Total: 10 38-11
67. Austin Ocwieja - Anthony Degregorio University of Buffalo
Day 1: 5 22-11 Day 2: 5 15-14 Total: 10 38-09
68. Jordon Leahy - Michal Wolan University of Alabama
Day 1: 5 22-00 Day 2: 5 16-09 Total: 10 38-09
69. Dalton Childers - Auburn University
Day 1: 5 19-05 Day 2: 5 19-04 Total: 10 38-09
70. Will Hughes - River Lee Stephen F Austin State Universit
Day 1: 5 18-02 Day 2: 5 20-06 Total: 10 38-08
71. Josh Frederick - Logan Anderson NC State
Day 1: 5 21-15 Day 2: 5 16-08 Total: 10 38-07
72. Sean Murphy - William Phillips Auburn University
Day 1: 5 22-11 Day 2: 5 15-11 Total: 10 38-06
73. Luke Le Blanc - Jared Parsons SUNY Cobleskill
Day 1: 5 22-10 Day 2: 5 15-12 Total: 10 38-06
74. Matt Joyce - Quinten Smith University of Rio Grande
Day 1: 5 17-04 Day 2: 5 21-00 Total: 10 38-04
75. Brad Ableman - Seth Roberts Bethel University
Day 1: 5 23-00 Day 2: 5 14-15 Total: 10 37-15
76. Branden Newcome - Garrett Thompson West Virginia University
Day 1: 5 17-08 Day 2: 5 20-07 Total: 10 37-15
77. Dylan Harter - Izayah McGill Paul Smith's College
Day 1: 5 17-11 Day 2: 5 20-04 Total: 10 37-15
78. David Brashear - Ryan Kent Georgia Southern University
Day 1: 5 19-12 Day 2: 5 18-02 Total: 10 37-14
79. Liam West - Brady Waits Clemson University
Day 1: 5 20-12 Day 2: 5 16-13 Total: 10 37-09
80. Evan Slentz - Colin Slentz Lander University
Day 1: 5 20-04 Day 2: 5 17-04 Total: 10 37-08
81. Justin Mayfield - Caleb Stephenson Campbellsville University
Day 1: 5 19-14 Day 2: 5 17-08 Total: 10 37-06
82. Trevor Sagrecy - Jordan Smallwood Campbellsville University
Day 1: 5 19-07 Day 2: 5 17-12 Total: 10 37-03
83. Wyatt Ivers - Jack Goodwyn James Madison University
Day 1: 5 18-05 Day 2: 5 18-11 Total: 10 37-00
84. Cole Zagrzebski - Ryan Bradway Western Michigan University
Day 1: 5 23-08 Day 2: 4 13-07 Total: 9 36-15
85. Ben Kinney - Whit Edmonds Lander University
Day 1: 5 18-01 Day 2: 5 18-13 Total: 10 36-14
86. Ryan Fox - Jonathan Dietz Penn State University
Day 1: 5 16-10 Day 2: 5 20-01 Total: 10 36-11
87. Daniel Jenkins - Cooper Casillas James Madison University
Day 1: 5 20-11 Day 2: 5 15-14 Total: 10 36-09
88. Trevor McKinney - Ethan Jones McKendree University
Day 1: 5 20-08 Day 2: 5 16-00 Total: 10 36-08
89. Evan Bowman - Eli Daniels University of Rio Grande
Day 1: 5 19-15 Day 2: 5 16-08 Total: 10 36-07
90. Brandon Johnson - Jon Herrman Paul Smith's College
Day 1: 5 22-12 Day 2: 5 13-08 Total: 10 36-04
91. Atom Ward - Gavin Lagle Indiana University Southeast
Day 1: 5 20-02 Day 2: 5 16-01 Total: 10 36-03
92. Robert Gee - Grayson Perkins University of Tennessee
Day 1: 5 19-05 Day 2: 5 16-14 Total: 10 36-03
93. Drew Camp - Connor Fenwick Christopher Newport University
Day 1: 5 18-01 Day 2: 5 17-12 Total: 10 35-13
94. Joseph Bruener - Bailey Bleser McKendree University
Day 1: 5 18-03 Day 2: 5 17-08 Total: 10 35-11
95. Ryan Winchester - Cole Walker Bethel University
Day 1: 5 20-08 Day 2: 5 15-01 Total: 10 35-09
96. Joe Long - Logan Wade Indiana University
Day 1: 5 19-09 Day 2: 5 15-13 Total: 10 35-06
97. Benjamin Statly - Grant Gallagher Adrian College
Day 1: 5 23-05 Day 2: 5 11-13 Total: 10 35-02
98. Rudy Worley - John Nowlin Blue Mountain College- MS
Day 1: 5 22-03 Day 2: 5 12-15 Total: 10 35-02
99. Hunter Sales - Tristan Stalsworth Carson-Newman University
Day 1: 5 19-02 Day 2: 5 15-14 Total: 10 35-00
100. Logan Brewster - Drew Elrod University of Tennessee
Day 1: 5 18-11 Day 2: 5 16-01 Total: 10 34-12
101. Grayson Wages - Garrett Beem Kennesaw State University
Day 1: 5 16-11 Day 2: 5 18-00 Total: 10 34-11
102. Dakota Cantrell - Dustin Jones Campbellsville University
Day 1: 5 21-08 Day 2: 5 13-02 Total: 10 34-10
103. Jj Kocevar - Tanner Shriver Kent State University
Day 1: 5 17-01 Day 2: 5 17-08 Total: 10 34-09
104. Jonathan Creed - Jared Latone Youngstown State University
Day 1: 5 18-07 Day 2: 5 16-00 Total: 10 34-07
105. Jake Lee - Dalton Price Bryan College
Day 1: 5 16-14 Day 2: 5 17-08 Total: 10 34-06
106. Matthew Roberts - Richard Cornett Allice-Lloyd College
Day 1: 5 18-03 Day 2: 4 16-01 Total: 9 34-04
107. Jason Zubris - Joe Maese Penn State University
Day 1: 5 19-01 Day 2: 5 15-01 Total: 10 34-02
108. Nolan Pyle - Aaron Bunting Gannon University
Day 1: 5 18-13 Day 2: 5 15-05 Total: 10 34-02
109. Bryce Fowler - Jerris Bush East Carolina University
Day 1: 5 19-01 Day 2: 5 14-15 Total: 10 34-00
110. Matt Bernard - Hunter Stone Clarkson University
Day 1: 5 16-14 Day 2: 5 17-02 Total: 10 34-00
111. Tyler Robinson - Noah Lantz Clarkson University
Day 1: 5 19-09 Day 2: 5 13-11 Total: 10 33-04
112. Nathan Perrotta - David Crandall Clarkson University
Day 1: 5 18-03 Day 2: 5 14-09 Total: 10 32-12
113. Justin Grigg - Collins Janus Winthrop University
Day 1: 5 16-07 Day 2: 5 16-04 Total: 10 32-11
114. Nicholas Petrou - Thomas Patwell SUNY Cobleskill
Day 1: 5 19-14 Day 2: 5 12-09 Total: 10 32-07
115. Jeremy Severic - Tyler Tamburo LSU Shreveport
Day 1: 5 19-14 Day 2: 5 12-08 Total: 10 32-06
116. Colin Bope - Ben Wiley Ohio State University
Day 1: 5 20-10 Day 2: 5 11-11 Total: 10 32-05
117. Jack Reed - Gavin Haley Liberty University
Day 1: 5 16-09 Day 2: 5 15-02 Total: 10 31-11
118. Charlie Ippolito - Bo Howland James Madison University
Day 1: 5 11-07 Day 2: 5 20-03 Total: 10 31-10
119. Charley Kuhn - Reese Penfield University of South Carolina- Be
Day 1: 5 20-02 Day 2: 5 11-03 Total: 10 31-05
120. Austin Keppler - Harry Day University of Buffalo
Day 1: 5 19-08 Day 2: 5 11-10 Total: 10 31-02
121. Jeremy McLaughlin - Nathan Mclaughlin Ohio State University
Day 1: 5 16-15 Day 2: 5 14-03 Total: 10 31-02
122. Mason Sapp - Morgan Miracle Campbellsville University
Day 1: 5 18-00 Day 2: 5 13-00 Total: 10 31-00
123. Michael Clark - Jacob Cotton Liberty University
Day 1: 5 15-11 Day 2: 5 15-05 Total: 10 31-00
124. Cameron Cornelius - Conner Johnson Georgetown College
Day 1: 5 17-01 Day 2: 5 13-14 Total: 10 30-15
125. Andrew Mega - Amren Strigo UNC-Charlotte
Day 1: 5 19-04 Day 2: 5 11-09 Total: 10 30-13
126. Drew Pridgen - Corey Waits Lander University
Day 1: 5 21-11 Day 2: 3 08-10 Total: 8 30-05
127. Curtis Dillon - East Carolina University
Day 1: 5 18-15 Day 2: 5 11-00 Total: 10 29-15
128. Cullen Lamm-Hoover - Hampden-Sydney College
Day 1: 5 18-13 Day 2: 4 11-00 Total: 9 29-13
129. Aidan England - Braden Perry Carson-Newman University
Day 1: 5 15-05 Day 2: 5 14-07 Total: 10 29-12
130. Armando Ortiz - Patrick Pelt Auburn University
Day 1: 5 13-14 Day 2: 5 15-13 Total: 10 29-11
131. Ike Andrews - Christopher Newport University
Day 1: 5 15-03 Day 2: 5 12-15 Total: 10 28-02
132. Justin Bun - Jacob Eaton Polk State College
Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 5 14-02 Total: 10 27-12
133. Ben Coolidge - Tyler Keim Paul Smith's College
Day 1: 5 16-13 Day 2: 5 10-14 Total: 10 27-11
134. Luke Jenkins - Colin Johnson Northern Kentucky University
Day 1: 4 11-06 Day 2: 5 15-10 Total: 9 27-00
135. Chandler Hildebrand - Garrett Belich Kent State University
Day 1: 5 14-02 Day 2: 5 12-09 Total: 10 26-11
136. David Hendel - Mason Dejarnette Ohio State University
Day 1: 5 15-02 Day 2: 5 09-12 Total: 10 24-14
137. Colby Bryant - Sam Houston State University
Day 1: 5 24-01 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 24-01
138. Patrick Henry - Gardon Wycoff Ohio State University
Day 1: 5 14-04 Day 2: 4 09-00 Total: 9 23-04
139. Jules Williams - Phillip Pittman North Carolina State University
Day 1: 5 15-04 Day 2: 3 07-12 Total: 8 23-00
140. Brandon Brant - Cameron Brant University of Wisconsin Plattevi
Day 1: 5 21-14 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 21-14
141. Mason Vernia - Zach Van Kampen Western Michigan University
Day 1: 5 21-12 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 21-12
142. Stephen Kinard - Jimmy Mitchum Lander University
Day 1: 5 16-00 Day 2: 2 05-02 Total: 7 21-02
143. Michael Galeana - Maciek Chmielewski Marquette University
Day 1: 5 18-15 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 18-15
144. Josh Hart - Ben Dominque Clemson University
Day 1: 5 18-01 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 18-01
145. Adam Cook - Nate Overocker Greenville University
Day 1: 5 17-04 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 17-04
146. Taggert Tesdal - Josef Rogers Iowa State University
Day 1: 5 15-14 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 15-14
147. Kyle Kuty - Caleb Null St. Lawrence University
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 4 13-13 Total: 4 13-13
148. Bo Thomas - Blake Anderson Western Michigan University
Day 1: 4 13-12 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 4 13-12
149. Josh Dugger - Jacob Dugger Arkansas Tech University
Day 1: 5 13-06 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 13-06
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 146 738 3031-03
2 132 688 2425-03
----------------------------------
278 1426 5456-06

by AnglersChannel

Stupid is as Stupid Does.....

This week the boys welcome in Sam Rayburn Costa winner Kris Wilson to discuss his wire-to-wire win. Chris jumps on a stump over some industry news. The circus joins the show to go over picks as David tries to steal the coved AC Bass trophy from Kenneth. Check it out!

by AnglersChannel

Platinum+ and HotMaps Platinum charts - AnglersChannel.com Gear Review - Whats new for 2019!

Courtesy of Navionics

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SonarChart Shading, created from the high-definition contour data within SonarChart, presents a detailed rendering of the lake bottoms in varying shades of blue. A great way to give you more information on what below the boat, Sonar Chart Shading will you define the details of a particular spot and help you find that sweet spot. Customers who own a Platinum+ or HotMaps Platinum chart with an active subscription can download the combined satellite overlay and SonarChart™ Shading layer for their region via the Chart Installer.

Platinum+ charts provide marine charts, with 1’ contours inshore and nearshore and 3’ and 6’ contours offshore beyond 90’. Includes tides and currents, safety depth contours, navaids, coastal points of interest and port services information. The tried and true counter map for all serious tournament bass anglers. If your not using Platinum + then you are missing out.

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by AnglersChannel

West Virginia Team’s Huge Catch Takes Lead In Bassmaster College Tour At St. Lawrence River

Nolan Minor and Casey Lanier of West Virginia University take the lead on Day 1 of the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series at St. Lawrence River presented by Bass Pro Shops out of Waddington, N.Y., with a total of 26 pounds, 6 ounces.

Photo by Justin Brouillard/B.A.S.S.

WADDINGTON, N.Y. — West Virginia University’s Nolan Minor and Casey Lanier outfished nearly 300 other college anglers today in what was a slugfest day of fishing at the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series at St. Lawrence River presented by Bass Pro Shops.

The 149-boat field produced a total weight of 3,031 pounds, 3 ounces to begin this tournament in upstate New York. All but three of the teams caught limits of five bass and of that number, 85 teams weighed more than 20 pounds on Day 1.

The tremendous catches came courtesy of ideal conditions on the St. Lawrence River, including water temperatures right at 60 degrees, a fishing season that began only five days ago and local bass in the throes of a full spawn.

Minor and Lanier took advantage of the bounty. The West Virginia duo caught five smallmouth bass on Wednesday that weighed 26-6 — a one-day total that normally would blow most competitors out of the water, but was good for only a 9-ounce cushion on the bountiful St. Lawrence River.

The Mountaineer duo had a limit within an hour of launching from Whittaker Park on Wednesday and culled four or five times later in the morning. Among their early catches was a 6-2 smallmouth Minor got off a bed. It was a personal best for him and the highlight of a day that saw the leaders scouting new water by 10 a.m.

Minor and Lanier are no strangers to success. They finished fourth in last year’s Bassmaster College Series Team of the Year standings and they were in third place in the race entering this event — the fourth and final regular-season stop for college anglers of 2019.

While a win here would be a thrill, Minor and Lanier previously secured a spot in August’s Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops on Tennessee’s Chickamauga Lake.

“There was no pressure on us today,” Minor said. “This is a great place to fish and just have fun. We’ve already qualified for Nationals, and, although we’re in third place in the Team of the Year points, we’re pretty far behind the top two teams. We weren’t worried about finishing in a certain place in the standings here. We just wanted to catch big ones.”

The St. Lawrence River was a perfect stage for doing that. The question now is whether Minor and Lanier can replicate today’s success on Thursday?

“Nothing we came across after 10 o’clock was as big as the 6-2 that Nolan caught today, but we saw some really great fish out there. We can get 20 or 21 pounds Thursday and maybe cull up to 23 or 24. But anything more than that is going to be tough.”

With a target to shoot at, the rest of the 149-boat field will do its best to pressure the leaders the next two days.

Jackson Carrell and Bryton Kurtz of Sam Houston State University in Texas are in second place after catching a limit of smallmouth bass weighing 25-13. While limits of largemouth weighing in the 25-pound range are not uncommon on Texas fisheries, the team didn’t expect anything like the smallmouth bite they encountered on the St. Lawrence.

“To catch a 25-pound bag of only smallmouth just blows my mind,” Kurtz said. “It’s one of the best places I’ve ever been.”

Carrell stopped short of saying that catching bass was easy on Wednesday, but he admitted the Sam Houston State team didn’t have to work hard to figure out the bite.

“We had one rod on deck the whole day and had the trolling motor high, running banks just like everyone else,” he said. “The water is so clean, you can see the fish at depths anywhere from 4 to 15 feet.”

Perry Marvin and Cantley Krafft of Virginia Tech University are third with 25-10. Brian Linder and Nathan Thompson of Bemidji (Minn.) State University are fourth with 25-9, and Logan Parks and Lucas Lindsay of Auburn (Ala.) University are fifth with 25-5.

The college event on the St. Lawrence follows similar derbies held earlier this year on North Carolina’s Lake Norman in February, Alabama’s Smith Lake in March and Arkansas’ Bull Shoals Lake in April.

The Top 10 percent of teams from each of those tournaments, as well as the ongoing event at the St. Lawrence, qualify for the national tournament on Chickamauga on Aug. 1-3. Duos can also qualify for the championship through their individual state tournaments or by finishing in the Top 25 of the Team of the Year standings.

Parks and Lindsay boated a monster 6-7 smallmouth that leads competition for the Carhartt Big Bass Award, which earns winners a $500 gift certificate. Minor and Lanier are in the lead for the Nitro Big Bag Award and the $250 gift certificate that will accompany it.

The full field of 149 teams will take off from Whittaker Park Thursday at 5:30 a.m. ET with weigh-in scheduled for 1:30 p.m. The Top 12 duos will fish on Friday for cash and prizes.

Follow all the action on Bassmaster.com.

(BOATER) Standings Day 1
St. Lawrence River, Waddington NY.
2019 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series at St. Lawrence River presented by Bass Pro Shops 6/19-6/21

Angler Club/School Pts

1. Nolan Minor - Casey Lanier West Virginia University- WV 500
Day 1: 5 26-06 Total: 5 26-06
2. Jackson Carrell - Bryton Kurtz Sam Houston State University 96.64
Day 1: 5 25-13 Total: 5 25-13
3. Perry Marvin - Cantley Krafft Virginia Tech University 93.29
Day 1: 5 25-10 Total: 5 25-10
4. Brian Linder - Nathan Thompson Bemidji State University 89.93
Day 1: 5 25-09 Total: 5 25-09
5. Logan Parks - Lucas Lindsay Auburn University 86.58
Day 1: 5 25-05 Total: 5 25-05
6. Matthew Davis - Jarrod Layton Adrian College 83.22
Day 1: 5 24-15 Total: 5 24-15
7. Ben Seaman - Dante Piraino Clarkson University 79.87
Day 1: 5 24-14 Total: 5 24-14
8. Tyler Lubbat - Calvin Landsberg University of Alabama 76.51
Day 1: 5 24-13 Total: 5 24-13
9. Nick Ratliff - Bradley Dunagan Campbellsville University 73.15
Day 1: 5 24-12 Total: 5 24-12
10. Ty Cox - Chandler Boman Blue Mountain College 469.8
Day 1: 5 24-11 Total: 5 24-11
11. Brandon Buckley - Michael Orris Penn State University 66.44
Day 1: 5 24-10 Total: 5 24-10
12. Jack Hippe - Chase Serafin Adrian College 63.09
Day 1: 5 24-07 Total: 5 24-07
13. Tanner Ward - Rory Franks Kent State University 59.73
Day 1: 5 24-05 Total: 5 24-05
14. Griffin Fernandes - Gunner Wilson Adrian College 56.38
Day 1: 5 24-03 Total: 5 24-03
14. Lucas Murphy - Mitchell Gunn Grand Valley State University 56.38
Day 1: 5 24-03 Total: 5 24-03
16. Colby Bryant - Sam Houston State University 49.66
Day 1: 5 24-01 Total: 5 24-01
17. Zeke Gossett - Hayden Bartee Jacksonville State University- A46.31
Day 1: 5 23-12 Total: 5 23-12
17. Miller Spivey - Trey Dickert University of Montevallo 46.31
Day 1: 5 23-12 Total: 5 23-12
17. Tyler Vanbrandt - Ben Barrus Adrian College 46.31
Day 1: 5 23-12 Total: 5 23-12
20. Robert Cruvellier - Chase Clarke Auburn University 36.24
Day 1: 5 23-11 Total: 5 23-11
21. Justin Carr - Austin Carr Illinois State University 32.89
Day 1: 5 23-08 Total: 5 23-08
21. Cole Zagrzebski - Ryan Bradway Western Michigan University 32.89
Day 1: 5 23-08 Total: 5 23-08
23. Ty Black - Avry Thomason Georgia Southern University 26.17
Day 1: 5 23-07 Total: 5 23-07
23. Jacob Moore - Gilliam Tharpe North Carolina State University 26.17
Day 1: 5 23-07 Total: 5 23-07
23. Trevor Topken - University of South Carolina 26.17
Day 1: 5 23-07 Total: 5 23-07
26. Chase Chastain - Will Brown Jacksonville State University 16.11
Day 1: 5 23-06 Total: 5 23-06
26. John Garrett - Kyle Palmer Bethel University- TN 16.11
Day 1: 5 23-06 Total: 5 23-06
28. Weston Hollar - Hunter Ward University of Montevallo 409.4
Day 1: 5 23-05 Total: 5 23-05
28. Hunter Scharphorn - Jordan Hurst Lake Superior State University 409.4
Day 1: 5 23-05 Total: 5 23-05
28. Benjamin Statly - Grant Gallagher Adrian College 409.4
Day 1: 5 23-05 Total: 5 23-05
31. Jacob Louis - Nathan Doty McKendree University- IL 99.33
Day 1: 5 23-04 Total: 5 23-04
32. Dan Dubose - Jon Kilpatrick University of Alabama 95.97
Day 1: 5 23-03 Total: 5 23-03
32. Nathan Ragsdale - Justin Sisavath University of Georgia 95.97
Day 1: 5 23-03 Total: 5 23-03
34. Cody Huff - Garrett Enders Bethel University 89.26
Day 1: 5 23-02 Total: 5 23-02
34. Shane Nelson - Brayden Federer Adrian College 89.26
Day 1: 5 23-02 Total: 5 23-02
36. Brad Ableman - Seth Roberts Bethel University 82.55
Day 1: 5 23-00 Total: 5 23-00
37. Tyler Anderson - Garrison Thomas Texas A&M University 79.19
Day 1: 5 22-13 Total: 5 22-13
37. KJ Queen - Dax Ewart Bethel University 79.19
Day 1: 5 22-13 Total: 5 22-13
37. Cully Scroggins - Nathon Portch Bethel University 79.19
Day 1: 5 22-13 Total: 5 22-13
40. Brandon Johnson - Jon Herrman Paul Smith's College 69.13
Day 1: 5 22-12 Total: 5 22-12
40. Louis Monetti - UNC-Charlotte 69.13
Day 1: 5 22-12 Total: 5 22-12
40. Drew Tiano - Tristen Bauer SUNY Cobleskill 69.13
Day 1: 5 22-12 Total: 5 22-12
43. Joshua Butts - Wallace State Community College 59.06
Day 1: 5 22-11 Total: 5 22-11
43. Chase Farris - Peyton Vinson University of North Georgia 59.06
Day 1: 5 22-11 Total: 5 22-11
43. Blake Knies - Eli Lubbehusen University of Evansville 59.06
Day 1: 5 22-11 Total: 5 22-11
43. Sean Murphy - William Phillips Auburn University 59.06
Day 1: 5 22-11 Total: 5 22-11
47. Austin Ocwieja - Anthony Degregorio University of Buffalo 45.64
Day 1: 5 22-11 Total: 5 22-11
48. Jonathan Kelley - Grant Tattersall Coastal Carolina University 42.28
Day 1: 5 22-10 Total: 5 22-10
48. Luke Le Blanc - Jared Parsons SUNY Cobleskill 42.28
Day 1: 5 22-10 Total: 5 22-10
50. Neal Wisinski - Jesse Pliska University of Wisconsin Stevens 35.57
Day 1: 5 22-09 Total: 5 22-09
51. Michael Chase Owens - Will Monti North Carolina State University 32.21
Day 1: 5 22-08 Total: 5 22-08
51. Nicholas Vandam - Peter Lombado Grand Valley State University 32.21
Day 1: 5 22-08 Total: 5 22-08
53. Zachary Asher - Jacob Klicman Kent State University 325.5
Day 1: 5 22-07 Total: 5 22-07
53. Isaac Duncan - Blue Mountain College- MS 325.5
Day 1: 5 22-07 Total: 5 22-07
55. Taylor Hamburger - Tristen Turley Oklahoma State University- OK 18.79
Day 1: 5 22-06 Total: 5 22-06
55. Blake Miles - Noah Beckley James Madison University 18.79
Day 1: 5 22-06 Total: 5 22-06
57. Caleb Gibson - Bo Adams Northeastern State University 12.08
Day 1: 5 22-05 Total: 5 22-05
58. Alex Henderson - Zach Manneback Adrian College 08.72
Day 1: 5 22-04 Total: 5 22-04
59. Rudy Worley - John Nowlin Blue Mountain College- MS 05.37
Day 1: 5 22-03 Total: 5 22-03
60. Jordon Leahy - Michal Wolan University of Alabama 02.01
Day 1: 5 22-00 Total: 5 22-00
60. Anthony Vintson - Brandon Mathews Auburn University 02.01
Day 1: 5 22-00 Total: 5 22-00
62. Josh Frederick - Logan Anderson NC State 295.3
Day 1: 5 21-15 Total: 5 21-15
63. Colton Lindsey - Allex Conner Ohio State University 91.95
Day 1: 5 21-14 Total: 5 21-14
63. Justin Rozema - Bob Visicaro Paul Smith's College 91.95
Day 1: 5 21-14 Total: 5 21-14
65. Brandon Brant - Cameron Brant University of Wisconsin Plattevi85.23
Day 1: 5 21-14 Total: 5 21-14
66. Mason Vernia - Zach Van Kampen Western Michigan University 81.88
Day 1: 5 21-12 Total: 5 21-12
67. Drew Pridgen - Corey Waits Lander University 78.52
Day 1: 5 21-11 Total: 5 21-11
68. Fisher Overton - Alden Keel Jr Blue Mountain College 75.17
Day 1: 5 21-10 Total: 5 21-10
69. Derek Freeman - Caleb Allgood Clemson University 71.81
Day 1: 5 21-09 Total: 5 21-09
69. Tyler Lawwill - Chris Carnes UNC Charlotte 71.81
Day 1: 5 21-09 Total: 5 21-09
71. Dakota Cantrell - Dustin Jones Campbellsville University 265.1
Day 1: 5 21-08 Total: 5 21-08
72. Joshua Lopez - John Neubauer Western Michigan University 61.74
Day 1: 5 21-06 Total: 5 21-06
73. Austin Young - Colin Glover University of North Georgia 58.39
Day 1: 5 21-04 Total: 5 21-04
74. Hunter Bailey - Jr Young Jacksonville State University 55.03
Day 1: 5 21-03 Total: 5 21-03
75. Anthony Fazio - Luke Jasper Illinois State University 51.68
Day 1: 5 20-15 Total: 5 20-15
76. Liam West - Brady Waits Clemson University 48.32
Day 1: 5 20-12 Total: 5 20-12
77. Daniel Jenkins - Cooper Casillas James Madison University 44.97
Day 1: 5 20-11 Total: 5 20-11
78. Colin Bope - Ben Wiley Ohio State University 41.61
Day 1: 5 20-10 Total: 5 20-10
79. Zach Kronewitter - Jacob McLaighlin Clemson University 38.26
Day 1: 5 20-09 Total: 5 20-09
80. Trevor McKinney - Ethan Jones McKendree University 234.9
Day 1: 5 20-08 Total: 5 20-08
80. Ryan Winchester - Cole Walker Bethel University 234.9
Day 1: 5 20-08 Total: 5 20-08
82. Evan Slentz - Colin Slentz Lander University 28.19
Day 1: 5 20-04 Total: 5 20-04
83. Charley Kuhn - Reese Penfield University of South Carolina- Be24.83
Day 1: 5 20-02 Total: 5 20-02
83. Atom Ward - Gavin Lagle Indiana University Southeast 24.83
Day 1: 5 20-02 Total: 5 20-02
85. Griffin Heffington - Mason Cizek Bryan College- TN 18.12
Day 1: 5 20-01 Total: 5 20-01
86. Evan Bowman - Eli Daniels University of Rio Grande 14.77
Day 1: 5 19-15 Total: 5 19-15
87. Justin Mayfield - Caleb Stephenson Campbellsville University 11.41
Day 1: 5 19-14 Total: 5 19-14
87. Nicholas Petrou - Thomas Patwell SUNY Cobleskill 11.41
Day 1: 5 19-14 Total: 5 19-14
89. Jeremy Severic - Tyler Tamburo LSU Shreveport 204.7
Day 1: 5 19-14 Total: 5 19-14
90. David Brashear - Ryan Kent Georgia Southern University 01.34
Day 1: 5 19-12 Total: 5 19-12
91. Nick Fulks - David Blaker California University of Pennsyl97.99
Day 1: 5 19-09 Total: 5 19-09
91. Joe Long - Logan Wade Indiana University 97.99
Day 1: 5 19-09 Total: 5 19-09
91. Tyler Robinson - Noah Lantz Clarkson University 97.99
Day 1: 5 19-09 Total: 5 19-09
94. Austin Keppler - Harry Day University of Buffalo 87.92
Day 1: 5 19-08 Total: 5 19-08
95. Trevor Sagrecy - Jordan Smallwood Campbellsville University 84.56
Day 1: 5 19-07 Total: 5 19-07
96. Dalton Childers - Auburn University 81.21
Day 1: 5 19-05 Total: 5 19-05
96. Robert Gee - Grayson Perkins University of Tennessee 81.21
Day 1: 5 19-05 Total: 5 19-05
98. Andrew Mega - Amren Strigo UNC-Charlotte 174.5
Day 1: 5 19-04 Total: 5 19-04
99. Hunter Sales - Tristan Stalsworth Carson-Newman University 71.14
Day 1: 5 19-02 Total: 5 19-02
99. Thad Simerly - Bennett Kudder Bryan College 0
Day 1: 5 19-02 Total: 5 19-02
101. Bryce Fowler - Jerris Bush East Carolina University 64.43
Day 1: 5 19-01 Total: 5 19-01
101. Jason Zubris - Joe Maese Penn State University 64.43
Day 1: 5 19-01 Total: 5 19-01
103. Curtis Dillon - East Carolina University 57.72
Day 1: 5 18-15 Total: 5 18-15
103. Michael Galeana - Maciek Chmielewski Marquette University 57.72
Day 1: 5 18-15 Total: 5 18-15
105. Sam Clark - Hunter Osborne Georgetown College 51.01
Day 1: 5 18-13 Total: 5 18-13
105. Cullen Lamm-Hoover - Hampden-Sydney College 51.01
Day 1: 5 18-13 Total: 5 18-13
105. Nolan Pyle - Aaron Bunting Gannon University 51.01
Day 1: 5 18-13 Total: 5 18-13
108. Logan Brewster - Drew Elrod University of Tennessee 40.94
Day 1: 5 18-11 Total: 5 18-11
109. Jonathan Creed - Jared Latone Youngstown State University 37.58
Day 1: 5 18-07 Total: 5 18-07
110. Wyatt Ivers - Jack Goodwyn James Madison University 34.23
Day 1: 5 18-05 Total: 5 18-05
111. Joseph Bruener - Bailey Bleser McKendree University 30.87
Day 1: 5 18-03 Total: 5 18-03
111. Nathan Perrotta - David Crandall Clarkson University 30.87
Day 1: 5 18-03 Total: 5 18-03
111. Matthew Roberts - Richard Cornett Allice-Lloyd College 30.87
Day 1: 5 18-03 Total: 5 18-03
114. Will Hughes - River Lee Stephen F Austin State Universit20.81
Day 1: 5 18-02 Total: 5 18-02
115. Drew Camp - Connor Fenwick Christopher Newport University 17.45
Day 1: 5 18-01 Total: 5 18-01
115. Josh Hart - Ben Dominque Clemson University 17.45
Day 1: 5 18-01 Total: 5 18-01
115. Ben Kinney - Whit Edmonds Lander University 17.45
Day 1: 5 18-01 Total: 5 18-01
118. Mason Sapp - Morgan Miracle Campbellsville University 07.38
Day 1: 5 18-00 Total: 5 18-00
119. Dylan Harter - Izayah McGill Paul Smith's College 04.03
Day 1: 5 17-11 Total: 5 17-11
120. Ricky Huge - Cordell Beckman Greenville University 00.67
Day 1: 5 17-10 Total: 5 17-10
121. Branden Newcome - Garrett Thompson West Virginia University 97.32
Day 1: 5 17-08 Total: 5 17-08
122. Adam Cook - Nate Overocker Greenville University 93.96
Day 1: 5 17-04 Total: 5 17-04
122. Matt Joyce - Quinten Smith University of Rio Grande 93.96
Day 1: 5 17-04 Total: 5 17-04
124. Cameron Cornelius - Conner Johnson Georgetown College 87.25
Day 1: 5 17-01 Total: 5 17-01
125. Jj Kocevar - Tanner Shriver Kent State University 83.89
Day 1: 5 17-01 Total: 5 17-01
126. Jeremy McLaughlin - Nathan Mclaughlin Ohio State University 80.54
Day 1: 5 16-15 Total: 5 16-15
127. Matt Bernard - Hunter Stone Clarkson University 77.18
Day 1: 5 16-14 Total: 5 16-14
127. Jake Lee - Dalton Price Bryan College 77.18
Day 1: 5 16-14 Total: 5 16-14
129. Ben Coolidge - Tyler Keim Paul Smith's College 70.47
Day 1: 5 16-13 Total: 5 16-13
130. Grayson Wages - Garrett Beem Kennesaw State University 67.11
Day 1: 5 16-11 Total: 5 16-11
131. Ryan Fox - Jonathan Dietz Penn State University 63.76
Day 1: 5 16-10 Total: 5 16-10
132. Jack Reed - Gavin Haley Liberty University 60.4
Day 1: 5 16-09 Total: 5 16-09
133. Justin Grigg - Collins Janus Winthrop University 57.05
Day 1: 5 16-07 Total: 5 16-07
134. Stephen Kinard - Jimmy Mitchum Lander University 53.69
Day 1: 5 16-00 Total: 5 16-00
135. Taggert Tesdal - Josef Rogers Iowa State University 50.34
Day 1: 5 15-14 Total: 5 15-14
136. Michael Clark - Jacob Cotton Liberty University 46.98
Day 1: 5 15-11 Total: 5 15-11
137. Aidan England - Braden Perry Carson-Newman University 43.62
Day 1: 5 15-05 Total: 5 15-05
138. Jules Williams - Phillip Pittman North Carolina State University 40.27
Day 1: 5 15-04 Total: 5 15-04
139. Ike Andrews - Christopher Newport University 36.91
Day 1: 5 15-03 Total: 5 15-03
140. David Hendel - Mason Dejarnette Ohio State University 33.56
Day 1: 5 15-02 Total: 5 15-02
141. Patrick Henry - Gardon Wycoff Ohio State University 30.2
Day 1: 5 14-04 Total: 5 14-04
142. Chandler Hildebrand - Garrett Belich Kent State University 26.85
Day 1: 5 14-02 Total: 5 14-02
143. Armando Ortiz - Patrick Pelt Auburn University 23.49
Day 1: 5 13-14 Total: 5 13-14
144. Bo Thomas - Blake Anderson Western Michigan University 20.13
Day 1: 4 13-12 Total: 4 13-12
145. Justin Bun - Jacob Eaton Polk State College 16.78
Day 1: 5 13-10 Total: 5 13-10
146. Josh Dugger - Jacob Dugger Arkansas Tech University 13.42
Day 1: 5 13-06 Total: 5 13-06
147. Charlie Ippolito - Bo Howland James Madison University 10.07
Day 1: 5 11-07 Total: 5 11-07
148. Luke Jenkins - Colin Johnson Northern Kentucky University 6.71
Day 1: 4 11-06 Total: 4 11-06
149. Kyle Kuty - Caleb Null St. Lawrence University 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00

by AnglersChannel

It’s Our Fault

Luke Estel - Tournament Team Blogger

Call it the “MeToo” generation, the “everyone gets a trophy”, or the “parents want to be their kids friends instead of being a parent” generation, we screwed up. It’s our own fault. We let it happen and now we can’t seem to stop it. Since this article is about bass fishing and not really a “how to raise your kids the right way” story, let’s jump right in.

College fishing. It’s booming and a lot of young anglers have made the transition to the big leagues and are doing well. Good for them. I definitely would have stayed in college if they had that way back when. Now high school fishing is taking off. This is great for the sport. This brings young kids into the outdoors and what a great way to stay in school when you have activities like that to keep you going.

But,………………there is a problem. Somewhere along the line, the teachers or the parents forgot to teach these kids the basics of fishing etiquette. This isn’t every college angler, but I am talking to a handful of you, at least.

When I started tournament fishing it was about respect. You looked up to the old guys and tried to become as good as they were. Things that my uncle and his partner taught me were things like don’t cut a guy off down a bank. Be courteous on the water. Find you own fish. No one owns a “spot”. It’s a public lake. Don’t brag when you win, be humble. Back in the day if you cut a guy off, after the weigh in you were probably going to get your butt kicked. Literally. Guys didn’t put up with that. So, myself not being a good fighter, I never dared to do something like that.

That’s obviously not the case anymore. It is more cut throat than ever all for the glory and no one will stand in your way. News flash, that cocky attitude you got will get you a bad reputation. Good luck getting sponsors.

Here are some simple rules for all you young, inspiring tournament anglers.

DO NOT be a “bent pole”or “sight fisherman.”This means when you are driving down the lake and you see another boat catching a fish, you drive over to where they are fishing and start fishing yourself. This is a big no no.

Find your own fish. This is the only way you will get better. Yes, the internet is great and so is social media, but if you cannot find your own fish, you will never make it.

It’s not your spot! If you take off in the morning and get to your starting spot and there is a boat already there, leave. Do not nose in there or cut right in front of them. That is just part of the game. Wait until they leave, go fish somewhere else.

You do not walk on water! Even if your parents put you on a pedestal and even bought you a fancy boat. The kid in the 84 Ranger has just as much right to be on the water as you do. Don’t make fun of others that are less fortunate. What goes around, comes around.

You want to make it in this sport? Go shake the winners hand and tell them good job. Suck it up. There’s always next tournament.

Learn from your mistakes and work harder. I know you probably have never heard this before but if you work hard for it, you will actually appreciate it more. I know, you got everything handed to you and it’s hard to comprehend in that adolescent brain of yours, but it’s true.

Life in general is tough. Be thankful you have the opportunity to compete in tournaments at the college level. Work hard at it. You will reap the rewards. Remember these few little rules and I can guarantee you, it will take you farther.

Strike King Pro Luke Estel from Carbondale Illinois Fishes the BASS Opens, Is an AnglersChoice Classic Champion and an all around great guy and fisherman as well as accomplished writer.

by AnglersChannel

Lester predicts a “Ledge Fest” on Guntersville

Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships

Brandon Lester hesitates to call Guntersville his home lake, but it’s only 80 minutes south of he and wife Kimberly’s home. And he pretty much cut his tournament angling teeth on Guntersville, fishing club derbies and college events during his days at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

But he won’t balk at calling this week’s Bassmaster Elite Series on Alabama’s largest lake a “Ledge Fest.”

“Heck yea, man, 110-percent yes! -- it’s going to be a Ledge Fest here this week – it’s late June on the Tennessee River,” says Lester with a confident grin, amid his well-groomed signature beard.

However, Lester advises the term “ledge fishing” can be somewhat misleading – explaining that while most big limits will be caught in 12 to 25 feet of water this week – not all those bass are relating to the actual Tennessee River channel that flows through this legendary 69,000 surface acre reservoir.

Perhaps the term “Off Shore Fest” would be more accurate according to Lester.

“It might be a rock pile, or it could be a natural underwater spring that bass are anchored to – but it’s not always the main river channel here,” says Lester. “Instead, it’s just about anything away from the shoreline in somewhat deeper water, that’s likely surrounded by a harder bottom, and washed by the current.”

Lester stresses the importance of locating a hard bottom, and says anglers can expect to see the bottom contour line on their sonar appear thicker and brighter when they’ve found a freshwater mussel shell bed, or other hard bottom substrate bass love.

Tackle Picks

Asked to choose two key lures he won’t be without this week, Lester showcased a Strike King 6XD that hits the 18 foot deep zone, and an 11” X Zone Blitz Worm on a ½ ounce jig head.

He fishes the big worm on 17-pound fluorocarbon line, and takes time to swap out the hooks on his crankbait with #2 round bend trebles from Mustad.

Lester predicts winning weight, and makes Fantasy Fishing picks

“I’m gonna say 89 total pounds to win – that’s about 22 to 23 pounds a day on average, but on Day 1 (Friday) I think fans can expect to see a couple limits that will weigh 25 pounds or more,” predicts Lester.

And as for his pro insider Bassmaster Fanatsy Fishing picks, he chose deep cranking Texas pro Keith Combs, and highly talented Elite Series pro Scott Canterbury, who lives less than two hours south of Guntersville.

Oh, and don’t hesitate to put Brandon Lester on your team. He feels very much at home here too.

by AnglersChannel

Walker & Stroman drop 29.87 on the scales to win the Bass Champs Ray Roberts Event!

Place

AARON WALKER
MT VERNON , TX

STEVEN STROMAN
SCROGGINS , TX

7.75

29.87

$20000.00 + $250 Lowrance

KEITH IVY
PONDER , TX

TOMMY MURRAY
BEDFORD , TX

27.70

$4350.00 + $4350 Skeeter Bonus Cash+$250 Berkley+$500 FunnSun

MARK SPURGIN
MCKINNEY , TX

TYLER HOLMES
RICHARDSON , TX

6.83

25.44

$3350.00

MATT MCMILLAN
FORT WORTH , TX

TREVOR ROMANS
CELINA , TX

7.09

24.62

$2300.00 + SportsmansAutoNetwork+$150 BerkleyCash

ANDY SALLEE
CLEBURNE , TX

MARK CHILD
ARLINGTON , TX

24.19

$2000.00

ZACH PARKER
DENTON , TX

HEATH MOODY
SOUTHLAKE , TX

7.72

22.62

$1500.00

JOE ROME
FLOWER MOUND , TX

JOEL MCBRIDE
CORINTH , TX

22.31

$1300.00+$1000 SportsmansAutoNetwork

JD LAUGHERY
ROCKWALL , TX

STAN LAWING
POETRY , TX

21.16

$1200.00

BUSTER JOHNSON
KRUM , TX

ZEB STRICKLAND
AUBREY , TX

21.14

$1100.00

TAD KIRCHOFF
GAINESVILLE , TX

TAMARA GRISOLIA
TIOGA , TX

20.97

$1040.00

BRANDEN HOLLINGSHEAD
AZLE , TX

JEREMY LAMBERT
DECATUR , TX

20.84

$1030.00

LANCE FISHER
PURCELL , OK

ED FISHER
LEXINGTON , OK

7.49

20.68

$1020.00

DREW SLOAN
SCURRY , TX

TERRY HAWKINS
CORSICANA , TX

20.65

$1010.00

CODY MORRISON
COLLINSVILLE , TX

BARRETT MCCLENDON
DENTON , TX

7.56

19.92

$1000.00

KEVIN DRITSCHLER
PROSPER , TX

TIM BROCKWAY
KAUFMAN , TX

8.36

19.88

$1000.00+$500.00 BigBass+AbuGarcia+$250 Amphibia

STEVE LYNAM
SOUTHLAKE , TX

JUSTIN DUBOSE
JUSTIN , TX

19.67

$1000.00

SHAWN TACINA
AUBREY , TX

ANDRUE TACINA
AUBREY , TX

19.59

$1000.00

DAVID THOMAS
MCKINNEY , TX

KYLE ROBINSON
ANNA , TX

8.03

17.99

$1000.00

GLEN STOGSDILL
SANGER , TX

LEVI SMITHERS
SANGER , TX

17.45

$900.00

LEE BATSON
HEATH , TX

JASON GREER
HEATH , TX

16.91

$850.00

STEVE SIMS
DENTON , TX

RONNIE SIMS
LEWISVILLE , TX

16.61

$800.00

RYAN COHLMEYER
WEATHERFORD , TX

DARREN HEAVNER
FORT WORTH , TX

16.30

$800.00

MONTE COON
FORT WORTH , TX

GARY ABLES
KENNEDALE , TX

16.16

$750.00

JEFF NORRIS
DECATUR , TX

RONNIE NORRIS
BOYD , TX

16.10

$700.00

DIRK SMITH
FARMERSVILLE , TX

NOLAN JACKSON
QUINLAN , TX

15.95

$700.00

TIM WILCOXSON
EDGEWOOD , TX

JERAMY MARINELLI
ROYSE CITY , TX

7.09

15.92

Fun n Sun First Out Bonus

RYAN WARREN
GATESVILLE , TX

JASON DERRICK
VALLEY MILLS , TX

15.84

BILL SWEETEN
YANTIS , TX

SEAN GOODSON
ALBA , TX

15.39

MARK BIONDI SR
BURLESON , TX

MARK BIONDI JR
BURLESON , TX

15.38

JOHN MAYBEN
DALLAS , TX

MARK MAYBEN
PLANO , TX

7.59

15.30

SCOTT BARNETT
MANSFIELD , TX

BRIAN CLARK
HALTOM CITY , TX

15.25

TED MARTIN
DALLAS , TX

BOB LAUCK
FLOWER MOUND , TX

14.93

STEVE SCHMIDT
MIDLOTHIAN , TX

RICK NEWTON
COLLEYVILLE , TX

14.31

JAKE MEEKS
FARMERSVILLE , TX

CHAD MADDUX
WYLIE , TX

13.89

DALE GOSSETT
GREENVILLE , TX

SEAN GOSSETT
EMORY , TX

13.88

JIM HUDNETT
PILOT POINT , TX

BUTCH MATTHEWS
THACKERVILLE , OK

13.65

CRAIG HATCHEL
WHITESBORO , TX

RICKEY RAMSEY
WHITESBORO , TX

13.62

RANDALE DAVIS
SANGER , TX

CLINT CLOPTON
LITTLE ELM , TX

13.55

DENNIS MATLOCK
COLLINSVILLE , TX

TONY SMITH
COLLINSVILLE , TX

13.52

CODY BURDINE
BRIDGEPORT , TX

BOBBY POINTER
ALVORD , TX

13.45

WELDON DUFF
RINGGOLD , TX

JOE BARNHILL
BOWIE , TX

13.20

MIKE BURNS
LUCAS , TX

BEN BURNS
LUCAS , TX

13.11

KENT SIKES
ROANOKE , TX

DARRELL CAMPBELL
ALBA , TX

13.00

MATTHEW LEE
NORTH RICHLAND HILLS , TX

CHRIS BAUGH
PROSPER , TX

12.88

TIM WILCOXSON
ROCKWALL , TX

ERIC ELDER
ROYSE CITY , TX

12.82

JOHN ADAMS
FRISCO , TX

RICK CLARK
TERRELL , TX

12.82

JUSTIN KEITHLEY
ARLINGTON , TX

JOSH KEITHLEY
WILLOW PARK , TX

12.70

DON MEEK
PILOT POINT , TX

MERLE LITTLE
FARMERSVILLE , TX

12.44

BRIAN WHITE
CELINA , TX

TRISTAN WHITE
CELINA , TX

12.44

DELL BROWN
ARLINGTON , TX

RYKER HOLMES
ARLINGTON , TX

12.36

AARON DAVIS
RED OAK , TX

FARREN HANSEN
RED OAK , TX

12.30

KEITH PIPPENGER
COMBINE , TX

DANNY MAGEE
MESQUITE , TX

12.19

RANDY STEELE
SULPHUR SPRINGS , TX

CHARLES ARNOLD
QUITMAN , TX

12.19

ALLEN SHELTON
FARMERS BRANCH , TX

JOHN MCCALMONT
ROCKWALL , TX

12.14

DON KUYKENDALL
GUN BARRREL CITY , TX

VIRGIL KUYKENDALL
GUN BARRELL CITY , TX

12.00

MARC SCHILLING
CARROLLTON , TX

SHAWN TEMPLE
CARROLLTON , TX

11.93

DONNIE MOORE
RHOME , TX

DARRYL ROACH
BENBROOK , TX

11.74

JACOB ROANE
CELINA , TX

GG BOYD
AZLE , TX

11.63

AARON ASHMORE
IVANHOE , TX

TIMOTHY KING
RAVENNA , TX

11.57

COREY WALDROP
FT WORTH , TX

CRAIG WALDROP
BENBROOK , TX

11.54

BRAD SHUFLIN
SANGER , TX

WILLIAM NELMS
SANGER , TX

11.53

JAMES CURGUS
FRISCO , TX

ROB BURNS
PLANO , TX

11.23

DOUG WHITLEY
QUINLAN , TX

BRYON HARRISON
QUINLAN , TX

11.16

CHRIS FORD
WINNSBORO , TX

BILLY DEATON
BURLESON , TX

11.05

MATT TALLAS
CANTON , TX

ERNIE SISTRUNK
WILLS POINT , TX

11.03

RUSTY EDWARDS
BOWIE , TX

ANDREW STONE
BOWIE , TX

11.02

TRENT MENEES
NORTHLAKE , TX

TERRY BOLLOM
FRISCO , TX

11.00

RYAN VAUGHAN
CUMBY , TX

RUSTY VAUGHAN
CUMBY , TX

10.40

ALAN SWARTS
MT VERNON , TX

ARCHIE HAYLEY
MT VERNON , TX

10.31

LIONEL SERNA
MEXIA , TX

JUSTIN GARRETT
FAIRFEILD , TX

10.30

STEPHEN DYER
RYAN , OK

JARED DYER
HASTINGS , OK

10.13

PAUL SEWELL
COMBINE , TX

KENNETH MOORE
RED OAK , TX

10.10

CHAD SCHRAMME
CELINA , TX

AARON BURKETT
CELINA , TX

9.96

BILLY JOHNSON
ROCKWALL , TX

ANDY MEDINA
CANTON , TX

9.49

JOHNNY TRAMMELL
QUITMAN , TX

NORMAN WOOLDRIDGE
KERMIT , TX

9.45

DAVID REYNOLDS
MCKINNEY , TX

ROBERT BROCK JR
MCKINNEY , TX

9.39

BRUCE POWELL
COMO , TX

SCOTT SCROGGINS
SULPHUR SPRNGS , TX

9.24

DALE BOREN
FORT WORTH , TX

RICK SCOTT
BREMOND , TX

9.12

KEITH TAYLOR
ROCKWALL , TX

LARRY LADNIER
ROCKWALL , TX

9.08

REX LEE
NORMANGEE , TX

RICK CARTER
ALBA , TX

9.03

PHIL ELDER
QUITMAN , TX

ANDY WILBURN
ROYSE CITY , TX

8.80

WESLEY BARNARD
HALLSVILLE , TX

ANDREW SCOTT
MARSHALL , TX

8.63

PERRY POWELL
MCKINNEY , TX

JARED TAYLOR
PRINCETON , TX

8.61

SHANNON MCCALEB
JOSHUA , TX

JAMES MCCALEB
JOSHUA , TX

7.69

CHRIS GILROY
FRISCO , TX

MICHAEL FULLER
BLUE RIDGE , TX

7.55

GEORGE RIDDLE
MCKINNEY , TX

COLAN GONZALES
JEWETT , TX

7.53

JONATHAN KINCAID
WEATHERFORD , TX

JEREMY WILSON
LEWISVILLE , TX

6.97

KENT SKOGLUND
TIOGA , TX

KYLE SKOGLUND
SANGER , TX

6.35

JOSHUA GLASGOW
KAUFMAN , TX

WAYNE KENT
LARUE , TX

6.10

COY GREATHOUSE
CORINTH , TX

KEVIN BRYANT
GRAPEVINE , TX

6.02

JEFFREY WILSON
ARLINGTON , TX

SAMMY BROWN
FERRIS , TX

5.93

CHRISTOPHER MCMINN
BALKO , OK

TYLER MCMINN
CHICKASA , OK

5.92

MICHAEL KEETON
DALLAS , TX

SEAN WINTERS
ARLINGTON , TX

5.45

CODY CARTWRIGHT
GRANBURY , TX

JORDAN ALLEN
GRANBURY , TX

5.43

JOEY HUBBLE
KELLER , TX

ROBERT LAPENNA
EULESS , TX

5.16

JOHNNY HALE
IRVING , TX

JAMES DANIEL
NOCONA , TX

4.39

CLINT WHIDDEN
GRANBURY , TX

CHAD HAMM
GRANBURY , TX

4.35

JUSTIN WOOLARD
BEDFORD , TX

ROBERT SMITH
NORTH RICHLAND HILLS , TX

4.09

JUNIOR MITCHELL
KRUGERVILLE , TX

TRAVIS HENDERSON
KRUM , TX

3.99

100

DAVID BURTON
MCKINNEY , TX

TIM HAWKINS
ANNA , TX

3.92

101

MARK NICKELLS
LANTANA , TX

TUCKER NICKELLS
LANTANA , TX

3.85

102

CHRIS COOLEY
QUINLAN , TX

RYAN COOLEY
QUINLAN , TX

3.61

103

TERRY HILLGER
ENNIS , TX

RAUL ZUNIGA
CORSICANA , TX

2.90

104

MARK VOS
PLANO , TX

DANIEL RUEDI
DALLAS , TX

1.55

105

KY MARTIN
GRANDVIEW , TX

CHRIS MOORE
ROCKWALL , TX

0.00

105

BRADY MATASKA
PETROLIA , TX

RAY MATASKA
PETROLIA , TX

0.00

105

DAVID SPEAKMAN
PLANO , TX

GARY LEE
ROCKWALL , TX

0.00

105

GARY KINARD
FORNEY , TX

JACOB KINARD
FORNEY , TX

0.00

105

DEAN TRUDELL
HIGHLAND VILLAGE , TX

MIKE KUBANEK
HIGHLAND VILLAGE , TX

0.00

105

JEFF PIERCE
HENRIETTA , TX

MARK ELGIN
WICHITA FALLS , TX

0.00

105

ADAM BOYDSTON
GRAPEVINE , TX

MICHAEL BOYDSTON
GRAPEVINE , TX

0.00

105

PETE BRANDT
AUBREY , TX

KEITH MCMILLAN
QUINLAN , TX

0.00

105

JAYSON TOERCK
NOCONA , TX

AUSTIN KILLEN
NOCONA , TX

0.00

105

STEVE TRIMBLE
DUNCANVILLE , TX

DAKOTA TRIMBLE
KAUFMAN , TX

0.00

105

STEVE MULHOLLAND
TERRELL , TX

RANDY SQUIER
LAKE DALLAS , TX

0.00

105

TERRY JOHNSON
FATE , TX

TODD JOHNSON
FORNEY , TX

0.00

105

JASON ZITO
MIDLOTHIAN , TX

BOBBY BRINKLEY
KAUFMAN , TX

0.00

105

ROB MEDDERS
MCKINNEY , TX

ROB WILSON
SHERMAN , TX

0.00

105

ALAN SMITH
GUN BARREL CITY , TX

STEVE WHITE
EUSTACE , TX

0.00

105

ROCKIE MARTIN
ROCKWALL , TX

CLINT NOWELL
FORT WORTH , TX

0.00

105

DALE HUGHES
GRANBURY , TX

RANDY HAVARD
SAN ANGELO , TX

0.00

105

KELVIN HOGG
ARLINGTON , TX

BRIAN ROUSSEL
ARLINGTON , TX

0.00

105

BILL ROTEN
CRESSON , TX

STEVEN MARTIN
FT WORTH , TX

0.00

105

DEVIN BUSHLAND
ALLEN , TX

0.00

105

CHARLES GRAHAM
DALLAS , TX

0.00

105

KURT KLOSOWSKI
PLANO , TX

DAVID RUSSELL
BEDFORD , TX

0.00

105

PAUL DELGADO
GRAPEVINE , TX

GREG CHAPMAN
SOUTHLAKE , TX

0.00

105

TORY SWEATMAN
SANGER , TX

NATHAN SPRABARY
SANGER , TX

0.00

105

TATE OAKLEY
WHITESBORO , TX

AUSTIN PURDOM
WHITESBORO , TX

0.00

105

BRAD DRAKE
IRVING , TX

COLE MASSEY
PONDER , TX

0.00

105

STEVE MCCONNELL
SANGER , TX

WILLIAM CHAIN
STILLWATER , OK

0.00

105

JEREMY WHITSON
DENISON , TX

RYAN BERGMAN
SHERMAN , TX

0.00

105

RICHARD OSBORN
CARROLLTON , TX

0.00

105

CHRIS MCLAIN
SANGER , TX

HEATH COLMAN
CARROLLTON , TX

0.00

105

BRETT TAYLOR
FORT WORTH , TX

BRUCE TAYLOR
DENISON , TX

0.00

105

GABE KNOX
ARLINGTON , TX

BRENT LYON
HEATH , TX

0.00

105

WILLIE BENSLEY
MESQUITE , TX

BILLY MCCORD
ROWLETT , TX

0.00

105

DAX DAVIS
EMORY , TX

KEVIN DESHANE
MIDLOTHIAN , TX

0.00

105

JASON CHILDERS
OAK POINT , TX

KLINT KRHOVJAK
TOOL , TX

0.00

105

SHANE STAFFORD
BELTON , TX

GARRET CUTLER
ALEDO , TX

0.00

105

MONTE REAGAN
BURLESON , TX

LANCE KENNY
NORTH RICHLAND HILLS , TX

0.00

105

RICKY MAYO
ARDMORE , OK

DON MOYERS
LONE GROVE , OK

0.00

105

RUSSELL LEE
SACHSE , TX

0.00

105

MARK LAMB
TROPHY CLUB , TX

SHANE THOMPSON
FORNEY , TX

0.00

105

CHRIS GOODMAN
STEPHENVILLE , TX

JOSH MURPHREE
RISING STAR , TX

0.00

105

JASON COLLETT
SANGER , TX

COLTON SATTERLY
SANGER , TX

0.00

105

WILLIAM GOFF
ROWLETT , TX

MICHAEL GOFF
ROWLETT , TX

0.00

105

JAMES DISLER
LEANDER , TX

DAVID DISLER
CONROE , TX

0.00

105

TOM MOCNY
LITTLE ELM , TX

RUSTY THOMAS
SANGER , TX

0.00

105

MICHAEL BENNETT
LUCAS , TX

JORDAN BABIN
CROSBY , TX

0.00

105

ROGER MAHONEY
BLOOMING GROVE , TX

MIKE WITHROW
CORSICANA , TX

0.00

105

JEFF WHITEHEAD
SLATON , TX

JEFF WHITEHEAD
RED OAK , TX

0.00

105

RICH DALBEY
GREENVILLE , TX

MARK HOWARD
MESQUITE , TX

0.00

105

MARK MITCHELL
MESQUITE , TX

MIKE MCWHORTER
TERRELL , TX

0.00

105

MATT MORTON
DALLAS , TX

BLAKE LITTLE
MCKINNEY , TX

0.00

105

JERRY DAVID II
PILOT POINT , TX

JON JOHNSON
PILOT POINT , TX

0.00

105

CHRIS BACHTA
GRAPEVINE , TX

KIRK MAREZ
LEWISVILLE , TX

0.00

105

W T DYSON II
LAKE DALLAS , TX

PATRICK JORSKI
COPPELL , TX

0.00

105

JEFF PITRUCHA
GREENVILLE , TX

BRAD WILLIAMS
COPPERAS COVE , TX

0.00

105

BRYAN KELM
CORSICANA , TX

DONNIE STARK
CORSICANA , TX

0.00

105

KEVIN HATHAWAY
KINGSTON , OK

SHAWN GARRISON
KINGSTON , OK

0.00

105

EDDIE HALL
CADDO MILLS , TX

BRANDON BREWER
CADDO MILLS , TX

0.00

105

SKYLAR LONG
SULPHUR SPRINGS , TX

TYLER ROANE
GUNTER , TX

0.00

105

MARK WYLIE
KELLER , TX

MARK PARKER
GRAPEVINE , TX

0.00

105

BYRON BIONDI
KENNEDALE , TX

JASON GREENFIELD
KENNEDALE , TX

0.00

105

KEITH KRZEMINSKI
AUBREY , TX

SCOT MCDONALD
CELINA , TX

0.00

105

CHUCK RIZUTO
ALBA , TX

DON OVERSTREET
SULPHUR SPRINGS , TX

0.00

105

MICHAEL DRECHSEL
FORT WORTH , TX

WESLEY PRICE
GRAPEVINE , TX

0.00

105

PAUL JEFFCOAT
AZLE , TX

DAVID LUTTRULL
AZLE , TX

0.00

105

ROBERT FINTA
WYLIE , TX

CHRIS DERRICK
MCKINNEY , TX

0.00

105

GIB COATS
FORT WORTH , TX

BILL WILCOX
SCURRY , TX

0.00

105

CASIE TELLES
PRINCETON , TX

0.00

105

VINCENT REYNOLDS
FORT WORTH , TX

GEORGE SHIPPEY
MT PLEASANT , TX

0.00

105

ARTHUR TUCKER
ALVARADO , TX

HERSHEL SMITH
FORT WORTH , TX

0.00

105

MATT FRANCE
COLLEYVILLE , TX

JOHN BYLER
SOUTHLAKE , TX

0.00

105

JOHN MCDIFFITT
GRANBURY , TX

BOBBY VINCENT
HUDSON OAKS , TX

0.00

105

JAMES REAVES
HENRIETTA , TX

HIMEY MATASKA
WICHITA FALLS , TX

0.00

105

MORRIS HERRING JR
FORNEY , TX

JAY BROWNE
GARLAND , TX

0.00

105

DWIGHT BOUTTE
FRISCO , TX

DAMON NEAL
PROSPER , TX

0.00

105

RON ROGERS
ROCKWALL , TX

CARSON KIRKHUFF
COLLEYVILLE , TX

0.00

105

SCOTTY GALBREAITH
WEATHERFORD , TX

JASON GALBREAITH
BURLESON , TX

0.00

105

KEITH BRYAN
DECATUR , TX

COLBY BRYAN
DECATUR , TX

0.00

105

STEVEN RIZZO
PROSPER , TX

CHRIS STRATTA
LITTLE ELM , TX

0.00

105

JUSTIN STALEY
NORTHLAKE , TX

JOE MAHAN
KELLER , TX

0.00

105

DAVID WALLER
FORT WORTH , TX

TAMMY WALLER
FORT WORTH , TX

0.00

105

MARQUS HUMPHREY
ROYSE CITY , TX

RICHARD GARAY
FORNEY , TX

0.00

105

THOMAS MARTENS
JONESTOWN , TX

DEAN ALEXANDER
JONESTOWN , TX

0.00

105

RYAN DUSEK
AZLE , TX

CODY DAVIS
HICO , TX

0.00

105

BRYAN JONES
HIDEAWAY , TX

JOHN JACKSON
FORT WORTH , TX

0.00

105

CHRIS PELS
SANGER , TX

ADAM PELS
PILOT POINT , TX

0.00

105

BOBBY BADARACK
FT WORTH , TX

TYLER LUBERHUSEN
JOSHUA , TX

0.00

by AnglersChannel

ILLINOIS’ SAMO WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE TOURNAMENT ON WOLF RIVER CHAIN OF LAKES

Puterbaugh and Rockey Tie for Co-Angler Title

WINNECONNE, Wis. (June 17, 2019) – Boater Curtis Samo of Rochelle, Illinois, won Saturday’s T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Great Lakes Division tournament on the Wolf River Chain of Lakes with five bass weighing 15 pounds even. For his win, Samo took home $5,794.

According to post-tournament reports, Samo caught his fish flipping Chompers tubes and running buzzbaits on Lake Winneconne.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st: Curtis Samo, Rochelle, Ill., five bass, 15-0, $3,794 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

2^nd: Joe Pollak, Lake Geneva, Wis., five bass, 14-6, $2,097

3^rd: Kyler Chelminiak, Franklin, Wis., five bass, 13-4, $1,565

4^th: Clayton Reitz, Morton, Ill., five bass, 13-3, $885

5^th: Jason Skutt, Menomonie, Wis., five bass, 12-10, $759

6^th: Brian Fitzpatrick, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 12-9, $696

7^th: Jeff Ritter, Prairie du Chien, Wis., five bass, 12-5, $982

8^th: Chris Aswegan, Tiffin, Iowa, five bass, 12-3, $537

8^th: William Schultz, Viroqua, Wis., five bass, 12-3, $537

10^th: Dylan Drephal, Black Creek, Wis., five bass, 12-1, $593

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Mike Feldermann of Galena, Illinois, caught a bass weighing 4 pounds, 2 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $495.

Mike Puterbaugh of Montello, Wisconsin, and Joe Rockey of Schaumburg, Illinois, each caught 13 pounds, 4 ounces, worth of bass Saturday to tie for the win in the Co-angler Division. For their efforts, each angler took home $1,423.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st: Mike Puterbaugh, Montello, Wis., five bass, 13-4, $1,423

1^st: Joe Rockey, Schaumburg, Ill., five bass, 13-4, $1,423

3^rd: Josh Yonak, Big Lake, Minn., five bass, 12-0, $983

4^th: Rick Ragner, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 11-8, $443

5^th: Andy Heisler, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 11-6, $379

6^th: Alan Bernicky, Joliet, Ill., five bass, 10-14, $498

7^th: Tom Lyskawka, Arlington Heights, Ill., four bass, 10-9, $316

8^th: Gage Griffin, Lake Forest, Ill., five bass, 10-1, $285

9^th: Andrew Hegerty, Colgate, Wis., five bass, 9-14, $253

10^th: Brad Bernau, Caledonia, Minn., five bass, 9-13, $221

Josh Mohn of Lansing, Iowa, caught the heaviest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 3 pounds, 10 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $247.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 17-19 BFL Regional Championship on Kentucky and Barkley lakes in Buchanan, Tennessee, presented by Evinrude. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.

by AnglersChannel

ROBERTSON WINS TWO T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE TOURNAMENTS ON KENTUCKY LAKE IN SAME WEEKEND

BUCHANAN, Tenn. (June 17, 2019) – Boater Matt Robertson of Kuttawa, Kentucky, swept the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) LBL Division this weekend after winning back-to-back tournaments on Kentucky and Barkley lakes presented by Navionics, the first on Saturday and then again on Sunday. For his wins, Robertson earned a total of $7,842.

“I was fishing the mid-section of Kentucky Lake – from the Blood River to the Highway 68 Bridge,” said Robertson, who earned his first two wins in FLW competition. “I didn’t catch a whole lot of fish Saturday – probably seven keepers. The high water had the schools busted up.”

Robertson said his key baits Saturday were a Blue and Chartreuse-colored Strike King 5XD crankbait and an Ole Smokey- or Natural Light-colored Scottsboro Tackle swimbait. His rod setup included a Lew’s 7-foot, 6-inch Custom Pro Mark Rose Ledge Casting rod with a Lew’s Wide Spool Super Duty Casting reel.

“I was just fishing points at the mouths of the bays, where the fish would come to after they spawned,” said Robertson. “I think the lake is about a month behind, and a lot of them are just now getting done.”

On Sunday, Robertson said he returned to a couple of spots he’d fished Saturday, but they didn’t produce. He went searching and found a couple of small schools around the mouth of Jonathan Creek. He again fished the Scottsboro Tackle swimbaits, but said he caught the majority of his fish on a Texas-rigged, green-pumpkin-colored Strike King KVD Perfect Plastic Bullworm. Robertson said he caught around 10 keepers Sunday.

“My fish were all largemouth this weekend,” said Robertson. “I just had to keep an open mind and not get too stuck on where I’d been catching them. The fish are moving a lot with the rising water.”

The top 5 boaters Saturday finished the tournament in:

1^st: Matt Robertson, Kuttawa, Ky., five bass, 21-12, $4,046

2^nd: Drew Boggs, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 20-11, $2,098

3^rd: Bill Schroeder III, Paducah, Ky., five bass, 19-6, $949

4^th: Michael Wasden, Paris, Tenn., five bass, 17-14, $664

5^th: Daniel Langton, Haubstadt, Ind., five bass, 17-7, $569

Andrew Matuszak of Washington, Indiana, won the Co-angler Division and $1,523 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 15 pounds, 7 ounces.

The top 5 co-anglers Saturday finished the tournament in:

1^st: Andrew Matuszak , Washington, Ind., five bass, 15-7, $1,523

2^nd: Shane Cansler, Crofton, Ky., three bass, 14-0, $923

3^rd: Bobby Wade, Mayfield, Ky., two bass, 9-8, $475

4^th: Jerry Ivy, Dawson Springs, Ky., three bass, 9-3, $332

5^th: Charles Richardson III, Dyersburg, Tenn., two bass, 9-0, $285

Complete results and Big Bass award winners from Saturday’s BFL event can be found at FLWFishing.com.

The top 5 boaters Sunday finished the tournament:

1^st: Matt Robertson, Kuttawa, Ky., five bass, 21-8, $3,796

2^nd: Hunter Louden, Springville, Tenn., five bass, 20-6, $1,668

3^rd: Kevin Caskey, Madisonville, Ky., five bass, 16-12, $864

4^th: Brad Baldwin, Waynesville, Ohio, five bass, 16-6, $606

5^th: Bob Drake, Noblesville, Ind., five bass, 15-4, $769

Bobby Wade of Mayfield, Kentucky, won the Co-angler Division and $1,298 Sunday after catching three bass weighing 10 pounds, 4 ounces.

The top 5 co-anglers Sunday finished the tournament:

1^st: Bobby Wade, Mayfield, Ky., three bass, 10-4, $1,298

2^nd: Ricky Boehringer, Troy, Ohio, two bass, 9-13, $984

3^rd: Tim Burke, Petersburg, Ky., three bass, 8-12, $432

4^th: Joseph Gulash, Edwardsville, Ill., two bass, 8-10, $353

5^th: Paul McBride, Vienna, Ill., four bass, 8-4, $260

Complete results and Big Bass award winners from Sunday’s tournament can be found at FLWFishing.com.

The two tournaments were hosted by the Henry County Alliance.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 17-19 BFL Regional Championship on Lake Guntersville in Guntersville, Alabama, presented by Mercury. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.

by AnglersChannel

NEW JERSEY’S SENTORE WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE TOURNAMENT ON CHESAPEAKE BAY

Pennsylvania’s Herr Tops Co-angler Field

NORTH EAST, Md. (June 17, 2019) – Boater Michael Sentore of Gloucester City, New Jersey, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Northeast Division tournament on the Chesapeake Bay Saturday with a five-bass limit weighing 19 pounds even. For his finish, Sentore netted $3,362.

Sentore said he stayed in the North East River and Furnace Bay during the tournament, and caught all of his fish flipping a ½-ounce, green-pumpkin-colored Riot Baits Minima Jig with a Riot Baits Tantrum trailer of the same color.

“The Chesapeake Bay has been getting a lot of pressure, and by using a bait with a smaller profile, but still on 20-pound-test [Bass Pro Shops 100-percent fluorocarbon] line, it allowed me to get some bites behind other boaters,” said Sentore, who earned his first win FLW competition. “I was basically flipping laydowns and dock pilings. I caught them throughout the day – I’d get handful of bites each hour.”

Sentore said he caught around nine keepers and about 10 short fish on the day.

“I’d say high-tide in Furnace Bay was the best for flipping laydowns,” said Sentore. “In Furnace Bay there are essentially two sides – the Mill Creek side and the rest of Furnace Bay. The Mill Creek shoreline laydowns produced a handful of my keeper fish. And I got a couple of keeper bites on the lower water – the North East river. When the water was low and off the banks there was fish on the dock pilings. That kind of broke my day up.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st: Michael Sentore, Gloucester City, N.J., five bass, 19-0, $3,632

2^nd: Travis Manson, Conshohocken, Pa., five bass, 17-13, $2,016

3^rd: Rick McFaul, Phoenix, Md., five bass, 16-2, $1,310

4^th: Luke Shrader, Barrington, N.J., five bass, 16-0, $847

5^th: Jonathan Dietz, Corry, Pa., five bass, 15-6, $726

6^th: Sheron Brown, Leominster, Mass., five bass, 15-2, $666

7^th: John Vanore, Mullica Hill, N.J., five bass, 12-8, $855

8^th: John Hauserman, Towson, Md., five bass, 12-7, $545

9^th: Robert Bidniuk, Chambersburg, Pa., three bass, 11-14, $949

10^th: Ronald Tracy, Marlton, N.J., five bass, 11-12, $424

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Bidniuk caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 5 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $465.

Chris Herr of Denver, Pennsylvania, won the Co-angler Division and $1,816 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 14 pounds, 8 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st: Chris Herr, Denver, Pa., five bass, 14-8, $1,816

2^nd: Daniel Fiori, Voorhees, N.J., five bass, 13-6, $908

3^rd: Chad Dorney, Macungie, Pa., four bass, 10-0, $606

4^th: Scott Gropp, Trenton, N.J., four bass, 9-12, $524

5^th: John Chacosky, Media, Pa., four bass, 8-8, $548

5^th: Christopher Trovinger, Smithsburg, Md., three bass, 8-8, $348

7^th: Michael Bahnweg, Union Dale, Pa., three bass, 8-1, $403

8^th: Bill Klaips, Shavertown, Pa., two bass, 6-13, $272

9^th: Dylan Martin, Narvon, Pa., two bass, 6-12, $242

10^th: C.J. Tuite, Succasunna, N.J., two bass, 6-3, $212

Matthew Gaeng of Greeley, Pennsylvania, caught the heaviest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 5 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $232.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 17-19 BFL Regional Championship on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.

by AnglersChannel

SULLIVAN WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE TOURNAMENT ON ROSS BARNETT RESERVOIR

Co-Angler Title Awarded to Ellisville’s Tisdale

BRANDON, Miss. (June 17, 2019) – Local boater Corey Sullivan of Brandon, Mississippi, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Mississippi Division tournament on Ross Barnett Reservoir Saturday after catching five bass weighing 17 pounds, 5 ounces. For his win, Sullivan pocketed $3,377.

“It was a cloudy day and I threw a frog. The reservoir is notorious for frog fishing this time of year, and I made up my mind Friday that that’s what I was going to do,” said Sullivan, who earned his second career win on Ross Barnett Reservoir in BFL competition. “I stayed upriver, north of the Ratliff Ferry Trading Post and covered a ton of water. I fished thick pads close to deep water – the river’s edge, an old channel edge – anything. The reservoir has got a lot of pads and the fish love them this time of year.”

Sullivan said he used a Black Widow-colored Spro Dean Rojas Bronzeye 65 frog and a Pearl White Strike King KVD Sexy frog. He threw them on 7-foot, medium-heavy Bass Pro Shops Johnny Morris Signature Series Casting rods with Johnny Morris Signature Series baitcast and Abu Garcia Revo reels.

“During the morning I caught some that were short and put one keeper on the boat,” said Sullivan. “It started getting cloudy around 10 [a.m.] and whenever the clouds blocked the sun they started looking up a bit more. The key was covering water.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st: Corey Sullivan, Brandon, Miss., five bass, 17-5, $3,377

2^nd: Ivy Bradshaw, Brandon, Miss., five bass, 15-13, $1,689

3^rd: Mitch Crane, Columbus, Miss., five bass, 15-3, $1,578

4^th: Jason Cordell, Pelahatchie, Miss., five bass, 14-11, $888

5^th: Larry Savell, Brandon, Miss., five bass, 13-9, $675

6^th: Jason Hannah, Forest, Miss., five bass, 13-5, $713

6^th: Dudley Salers, Brandon, Miss., five bass, 13-5, $563

6^th: Glenn Page, Union, Miss., five bass, 13-5, $563

9^th: Brandon Perkins, Counce, Tenn., five bass, 12-15, $450

10^th: Brandon Bolton, West Point, Miss., five bass, 12-3, $394

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Lake Blasingame caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 1 ounce – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $415.

Jimmy Tisdale of Ellisville, Mississippi, won the Co-angler Division and $1,644 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 13 pounds even.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st: Jimmy Tisdale, Ellisville, Miss., five bass, 13-0, $1,644

2^nd: Tim Beale, Hernando, Miss., five bass, 12-14, $1,120

3^rd: Morris Collins, Kettering, Ohio, five bass, 10-13, $549

4^th: Ryan Godwin, Meridian, Miss., four bass, 10-9, $384

5^th: Tommy Nichols, Fayette, Ala., five bass, 9-14, $329

6^th: Tyler Helms, Meridian, Miss., five bass, 9-13, $501

7^th: Shane Cade, Clinton, Miss., four bass, 8-12, $274

8^th: Dylan Cornelius, Bear Creek, Ala., five bass, 8-11, $247

9^th: Scott Brown, Lucedale, Miss., three bass, 7-10, $219

10^th: Tom Miles, Chadds Ford, Pa., three bass, 7-9, $192

Beale and Kenneth Amos of Greenville, Mississippi, both caught a bass weighing in at 5 pounds, 11 ounces, and split the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $196.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 17-19 BFL Regional Championship on Lake Guntersville in Guntersville, Alabama, presented by Mercury. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.

by AnglersChannel

Swindle untwists summer’s big plastic worms

Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships

A plastic worm goes with summer bass fishing like fireworks and the 4^thof July. And as a kid, the plastic worm was the first artificial lure top pro Gerald Swindle remembers learning to use on trips with his dad, Tommy – one heck of an angler in his own right.

These days the Team Toyota pro utilizes long soft plastic worms to cash tournament paychecks when water temps heat up, but the 30 years of wisdom he shares about using them might surprise you, and help you catch more fat summer largemouth too.

Ribbon tails, Straight tails and “The lamprey factor”

Swindle uses two types of big worms in the heat of summer – ribbon tails and straight tails, and his choice of which is largely determined by similar looking jawless fish known as lamprey.

“Look, I don’t claim to know much about the life history of fresh water lampreys, but I can tell you based on three decades of bass fishing, they love to live around underwater shell beds on all the Tennessee River reservoirs. And lampreys seem most prominent earlier in the summer, so that’s when I use a ribbon tail worm that resembles them,” reasons Swindle.

Swindle’s correct. At least a half-dozen species of lamprey inhabit his home state’s waters, and most spawn and hatch larvae from late spring into early summer. But as summer enters its final stretch, and the bass have seen a ton of the popular ribbon tail worms, he’ll typically use a straight tail worm to give them a look they haven’t seen much.

Standup Head instead of Texas Rig

Whether he’s fishing a Zoom Ol’ Monster in June and July or the 7” Magnum Trick Worm in the dog days of August, you might be shocked to learn he almost never rigs them Texas style like he learned as a teen. Instead the 2-time Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year usually rigs them on a stand up style jig head.

“Buckeye Lures makes a wide range of sizes, but most of the time, I’m fishing 12 to 20’ deep in summer, so I use their ½ ounce stand up head, and there’s two reasons for that. First, a stand up style head won’t twist your line like a Texas rig will. Secondly, obviously, it helps the worm to stand-up a lot more vertical as you’re dragging it across the bottom,” he explains.

You only need two colors

Like a lot of lure manufacturers, Zoom makes dozens of colors in each of the two large worm style Swindle uses most. But according to the veteran pro you really only need two. “I throw “plum apple” early in the day, or anytime I’ve got low light, and “green pumpkin” under sunny skies,” he says.

Rod, reel, and line

Swindle uses a 7’ 6” medium heavy Quantum rod, and either 12 or 14 pound Sunline Shooter fluorocarbon spooled to a 6.6:1 Quantum Smoke S3 reel when slinging oversized summer worms. “I just feel like by using anything much faster than a 6.6:1, and you might be prone to overfish it. Plus, I like the spool size on the Smoke S3 because it’s compact in the hand, but holds plenty of line for making long cast across deeper structure.”

There’s a strong chance no lure in history has caught more largemouth bass than a plastic worm – especially in hot weather. Try Gerald Swindle’s tips for fishing them this summer, and you’re sure to help keep that trend as prosperous as it’s always been.

by AnglersChannel

Grinders

By Luke Estel

If you are an outdoorsman, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of Illinois?

The number one answer from people not living in my home state is “big bucks.” That is most defiantly true as we have a great deer population and some true giants running around our woods and fields.

What out of staters do not think about is the bass fishing.

This is also true as we do not have very large lakes and the fishing is, what I would describe, as ok. This is what makes Illinois fishermen so competitive when some of us go outside this state to compete.

We are grinders.

Most of us grew up fishing shallow where flipping and throwing a spinnerbait are the norm.

What sets us apart from most other states is the amount of fish we have in our lakes. Therefore it takes way more patience than most anglers are willing to give.

To give the most common example is the bite to fish catch ratio. Unlike other lakes in the surrounding states, and even down south, we just do not get that many bites.

Most tournaments are decided when one or two anglers actually catches a limit in a tournament. Yes, I said a limit. Think about going all day praying for five bites. Not fifty, not twenty, five!

You have to be on your game to land every fish that bites. Yes, there are tournaments where we cull and have one of those special days but for the most part, catching a limit is a feat in itself.

When I started branching out fishing lakes like Kentucky or Guntersville, it shocked me. My problem was there were so many fish, it was hard to leave a spot to go find bigger ones because I was actually catching so many fish.

We never have that problem around here. That is why anglers in this state seem to shine when they branch out and fish other lakes.

Case in point, Brennon McCord recently won the BLF All American.

He worked one small stretch of bank to take home first place. That doesn’t surprise me at all. He is a grinder.

That’s how he grew up fishing and that’s what helped him win.

I myself have had similar success just grinding it out. A few years ago on the Red River I fished one small area for three days getting just a few bites each day. My bite to fish catching ratio was 14 bites and boated 13 keepers.

Basically, if you get a bite, you better put him in the boat.

Another thing that most of us around here use, are jon boats. Yep, we are a jon boat state.

Who needs a big glass boat when you can fish every lake in the state out of a piece of aluminum?

Put us in a nice glass boat and you would have thought we won the lottery.

Now, I am not taking away from all the other great anglers in the rest of the states.

Trust me, if and when I move, it will be south where the fishing is much better.

It is just that we have to work a lot harder for that “bite” than most states, which is why we call ourselves grinders.

by AnglersChannel

Burning those Summertime Spinnerbaits

By Vance McCullough

Spinnerbaits.

They slay glorious sacks of bass in the springtime and serve us well during the shad spawn as days begin to grow longer.

But as soon as temperatures spike, many anglers opt for “more productive” summertime lures – deep crankbaits and worms offshore - or maybe their attention is dominated by dreams of topwater strikes around shallow cover (hey, no shame there!).

Don’t put those spinnerbaits away. Among the most versatile lures ever devised, those blinged-out blades produce bass year-round for savvy anglers. They also tend to draw strikes from big fish when other lures won’t.

The biggest reason to keep throwing spinnerbaits is they’re just plain fun to fish, especially if you pick up the pace – a tactic perfectly suited to early summer. “It’s a fun way to fish,” says Bernie Schultz, Bassmaster Elite Series veteran and noted lure designer.

Schultz has done some of his best work for Hildebrandt, designing the Blade and the Tin Roller, two spinnerbaits featuring heads made of tin, not lead.

“Tin is harder to work with and more expensive than lead, so these lures cost a little more, but tin has unique properties that make it very well suited for fishing around grass, which we have a lot of in the South, as well as in certain pockets of the country.”

In addition to tin’s ability to ride over snaggy or mushy cover better than small, dense lead lures of the same weight, Schultz notes what may be the most important drawing card of the material, “A good spinnerbait is going to vibrate, from the wire frame, though the blades, the head, and even the hook. Tin transmits this vibration very well. The skirt will flare and pulse better. Tin transmits vibration, whereas lead dampens the vibration.

“I like to burn a 3/4 -ounce - maybe 1/2 -ounce, depending on depth and cover - Tin Roller over and around grass and submerged vegetation, also around docks, laydowns and cypress knees, just anything that will hold bass up shallow as they start to feed heavily after the spawn,” continues Schultz. “You can fish that Tin Roller at any speed, and it will stay straight and vertical.

“It’s also easy to change the blade because there’s a small tube on the shaft that you can slide down and expose the R-bend in the wire so it’s super easy to swap out the blade. If you downsize the blade just one increment you pick up more speed and that will trigger more strikes this time of year until the dog days of late summer set in.”

Few lures come through, over and around the fresh emergent grass of early summer better than a spinnerbait. When vegetation has not yet matted-out on top, spinnerbaits are wonderful tools for combing that skinny, open layer just beneath the face of the water.

Schultz has had success burning a blade under the surface “when bass are in, or even on top of the grass.”

Conventional wisdom says spinnerbaits perform best when there’s a little wind, maybe even a storm brewing. Schultz agrees, for the most part, but notes, “I have had some phenomenal days under calm, bluebird skies fishing a spinnerbait around grass.” Part of the secret is the realistic head shapes of his tin lures, along with natural colored skirts.

Even at night, a popular time to fish in summer, Schultz may stick with light-colored skirts. “If I’m fishing around lighted docks, I’ll usually just go with the shad patterns. If I’m fishing in the dead of night, with no artificial light sources, I like darker colors and I’ll probably switch that back blade to an Indianan style. Hildebrandt makes beautiful black nickel blades that are perfect for night fishing. The small Colorado up front and the Indiana trailing it – that’s my go to night fishing combination.”

You’ll recall the Hildebrandt Quick Change system referred to earlier. That makes the aforementioned blade changes easy, even under cover of darkness. It also increases the versatility and, therefore, the value of these otherwise slightly more expensive tin spinnerbaits.

Interesting side note: Schultz spoke with us from Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin where he was testing some new Mercury outboards. “Motorguide has a new trolling motor coming out – it will be a big reveal at ICAST this summer. It has GPS positioning, anchoring capabilities. It’s outstanding!”

Y’all be sure to watch as AnglersChannel.com brings you this new Motorguide, and all the latest and greatest from the big ICAST industry trade show next month!

Author Vance McCullough is an avid Outdoorsman and Football Coach from Jacksonville, Florida. You can Follow Vance here on Facebook or here on Instagram.

by AnglersChannel

Jimmy Miller and Mark Stillwell Win 2019 Alabama Bass Trail event on Lake Eufaula with over 29 pounds!!!

June 15, 2019 – Eufaula, Ala. – Every once in a while, a lake hits a cycle and a single tournament shows exactly what the lake is capable of producing. Known as “The Big Bass Capital of the World,” Lake Eufaula lived up to its billing when the Alabama Bass Trail’s Southern Division closed out its 2019 season on Saturday.

Often, with an impressive winning weight, the field will struggle, but that wasn’t the case at Eufaula. Not only was the winning weight heavy, but the field produced 24 limits weighing in excess of 20 pounds, and it required 18.30 pounds to collect the final paycheck in 40^th place.

Leading the way was the team of Jimmy Miller and Mark Stillwell, who produced a massive 29.83-pound limit to take the win, and claim the $10,000 first prize. The pair said that they burned a lot of gas and fished hard to complete the victory. “This lake is 70 miles long, and we covered most of it,” they said. “We had 52 gallons of gas today, and when we got back here, we had four gallons left; we’re tired, but feel great.”

The winning pair said that they primarily used pearl colored Big Bite Bait Company Suicide Shad swimbaits rigged on 3/8 to 5/8-ounce jigheads to catch their fish on offshore structure. “We caught a few fish on a Strike Zone Edgebuster spinnerbait, but most of the fish came on the swimbait,” they said. “This is the biggest win we’ve ever had, it feels really great to be here.”

The team of Marty Giddens and Josh Stracner produced a 26.38-pound limit to finish second for the day and earn the $5,000 runners up prize. They reported fishing midlake in six to 15 feet of water with a trio of baits to catch their limit. “We caught them on a crankbait, jig and swimbait mostly, but our biggest fish came on a 1/8-ounce Shaky Head and worm,” they said. “We lost a couple of good fish, but they wouldn’t have helped us overtake the winners; we did all we could and are happy with the results.”

Ashley Brasher and Derrick Moore finished the day in third place with 26.27 pounds, collecting $4,000 for their efforts.

The $500 Mountain Dew Big Bass award of the tournament went to the team of Jonathon White and Chris Payne. The 8.31-pound beast anchored their 20.97-pound limit, which was good for 20^th place in the final standings.

The Top 10 Standings are below, for complete standings, visit: https://www.alabamabasstrail.org/tournament-series/le-results/

Place

Anglers

Fish Weighed / Dead Fish

Weight

Penalty

Big Fish

Winnings

Jimmy Miller / Mark Stillwell

5/5

29.83

6.61

$10,000

Marty Giddens / Josh Stracner

5/5

26.38

7.22

$5,000

Ashley Brasher / Derrick Moore

5/5

26.27

6.84

$4,000

Brian Jones / Barry Jones

5/1

24.82

1.00

5.68

$3,000

Ken Walters / Jason Beasley

5/5

24.19

$2,000

Mike McCullers / Steven Welcher

5/5

23.84

6.22

$1,500

Charlie Williams / Michael Smith

5/5

23.71

7.29

$1,100

Brian Adamson / Ryan Lloyd

5/5

23.58

$1,100

Cody Harrell / Ryan Schroeder

5/5

23.43

5.23

$1,100

Mark Mott / Justin Mott

5/5

23.27

$1,100

In the Angler of the Year race, the team of Chris Rutland and Coby Carden entered the event leading the standings following their win at Lay Lake in the previous Southern Division event in May. They came into the event needing to produce an 87^th place finish or above to secure the title. They reported struggling to find quality fish, but managed to scrape together enough shallow fish to produce 17.26 pounds, and finish the day in 48^th place; securing their second Alabama Bass Trail Anglers of the Year title.

In doing so, they become the first team to repeat as Angler of the Year, and the pair said it is a great feeling. “We worked really hard this year because we felt like we had something to prove,” they said. “Cody having surgery last year made it tough on us, and we weren’t fishing as good as we usually do, so we ratcheted up the effort; it feels really good to have earned this against this crew; it’s a very tough field.”

The Top 10 in the Angler of the Year Standings are below, for complete, season standings, visit: https://www.alabamabasstrail.org/tournament-series/south-division-standings/

PLACE

ANGLERS

POINTS

Chris Rutland/Coby Carden

1051

Ken Walters/Jason Beasley

1030

Foster Bradley/Nick Harris

984

Jimmy Miller/Jeremy Miller

974

Rob Lee/Steve Winslett

969

Mark McCaig/Tim Hurst

944

John Pollard/Dallas Weldon

937

Myles Palmer/B.J. Barnett

920

Marty Giddens/Josh Stracner

920

Mike McCullers/Steven Welcher

901

The sponsors of the 2019 Alabama Bass Trail include; Phoenix Bass Boats, Bill Penney Toyota, Garmin, Academy Sports & Outdoors, America’s First Federal Credit Union, Sweet Home Alabama, Alabama Tourism Department, Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association, T-H Marine Supplies, Wedowee Marine, Buffalo Rock, Mountain Dew, Jack’s, Fish Neely Henry Lake.com, Alabama Power Company, Lew’s Fishing, AFTCO, YETI, Power Pole, Big Bite Bait Company and E3 Apparel.

For information about Alabama Bass Trail and for complete tournament standings visit www.alabamabasstrail.org.

by AnglersChannel

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