DAY FOUR OF FLW TOUR AT SAM RAYBURN RESERVOIR POSTPONED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER

Courtesy of FLW

BROOKELAND, Texas (Jan. 13, 2019) – Sunday’s Day Four of the FLW Tour at Sam Rayburn Reservoir presented Polarishas been postponed due to inclement weather. The top 10 anglers scheduled to fish the final day of competition will now compete Monday to close out the season-opening tournament.

Strong winds moved into the area Saturday afternoon and continued throughout the night, creating rough conditions on Rayburn and forcing FLW officials to make the decision to push back the final day.

“After speaking with the entire team, including our pro anglers, we all feel that the best decision to be made for this event is to go ahead and cancel today and finish it up tomorrow,” says FLW Tour Tournament Director Bill Taylor. “The weather conditions are much more favorable for it tomorrow.”

The final 10-angler field will launch at a delayed start time of 8 a.m. CST on Monday in order to give Tour pros better visibility on the water. The added time will also allow for winds to subside and Rayburn’s waters to calm before takeoff. Anglers will still check in at 3:30 p.m., as originally planned. Weigh-in and takeoff will be held at the Umphrey Family Pavilion, located at 5438 Sam Rayburn Parkway, in Brookeland.

Television coverage of the FLW Tour at Sam Rayburn Reservoir presented by Polaris will premiere in 2019. 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 popular FLW Live on-the-water program will now air Monday, featuring live action from the boats of the tournament’s top pros each day. 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.

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, YouTube and Snapchat.

by AnglersChannel

Wade & Spriggs Win CAST Toledo Bend Event with the help of 10.84 Big Fish!!

Outlaw Outdoors Owners Clint Wade and Stacy Spriggs won the Toledo Bend CAST Association Couples Tournament on Toledo Bend with over 22 pounds thanks to the help of Clint’s new Personal Best 10.84 Big Fish!

More Results to come!

by AnglersChannel

Terry Bolton Maintains Lead Heiding Into Final Day on Rayburn

Courtesy of FLW

23-Year FLW Tour Veteran Closes In on First Win in Texas Shoot-Out

BROOKELAND, Texas (Jan. 12, 2019) – It was more of the same Saturday on Day Three of the FLW Tour at Sam Rayburn Reservoir presented Polaris – big limits, big bass and big smiles from tournament leader Rapala pro Terry Bolton of Benton, Kentucky. Bolton weighed a solid five-bass limit totaling 19 pounds, 10 ounces to maintain his lead heading into Championship Sunday in the tournament which features 170 of the world’s best bass-fishing professionals competing for a top prize of up to $125,000.

The field is now trimmed to the final 10 pros for Sunday, and Bolton (15 bass, 73-13) will start with a 4-pound, 12-ounce lead over second-place pro Nick LeBrun of Bossier City, Louisiana, (15 bass, 69-1) who led the first day of competition. Also in contention for the win in third place is the angler considered by many to be the best in the world, Bryan Thrift of Shelby, North Carolina, (15 bass, 68-14). Bolton and LeBrun are both seeking their first career Tour win – Lebrun in his first career Tour event – while Thrift has six career wins and surpassed Andy Morgan Saturday for the most career top-10 finishes in FLW Tour competition with 40.

“I’ve had a blast this week,” said Bolton, who is fishing in his 168^th career FLW Tour event – tied for 5^th most all-time. “This lake is fishing phenomenal. I mainly fished the same areas that I have been all week today, but I also tried some new ones. I caught some keepers, but nothing that would really help me. I probably didn’t catch quite as many today, but the wind was a factor.”

Bolton estimated that he caught around 40 fish Saturday, throwing the Rapala DT14 and DT16 crankbaits that used to bring 33 pounds to the scale Friday but also mixing in a ¾-ounce Accent spinnerbait.

“I weighed in one bass on it today,” Bolton said about the spinnerbait. “I caught them with it on the first day, but not the second. I throw it when it’s sunny, to see if I can get quality.”

Bolton has been in this position before, leading an FLW Tour event going into the final day. He has two second-place Tour finishes, two third-place Tour finishes, and four fifth-place Tour finishes. But, the victory has eluded him. His 168 career events without a victory is the most among active FLW Tour pros. Bolton, however, said that he’s not feeling the pressure and just enjoying the moment and going fishing.

“One thing that I’ve learned out here on the Tour is that when it’s your time, it’s your time – you can’t stop it. And if it’s not your time, there’s nothing that you can do about it. So I might as well enjoy it. I’m going to get to fish the final day, on a great fishery. Would I love to win? Sure, it’d be very big for me. But is it the end all, be all, stomp my feet and go home mad if I don’t win? No.

“I’ve been very fortunate this week and I’ve had a lot of fun. We’re going to do the same thing tomorrow.”

The top 10 pros advancing to the final day of competition on Sam Rayburn Reservoir are:

1^st: Rapala pro Terry Bolton, Benton, Ky., 15 bass, 73-13

2^nd: Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., 15 bass, 69-1

3^rd: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 15 bass, 68-14

4^th: Evinrude pro Jim Tutt, Longview, Texas, 15 bass, 62-13

5^th: Chad Warren, Sand Springs, Okla., 15 bass, 60-11

6^th: Jordan Osborne, Longview, Texas, 15 bass, 56-12

7^th: Tom Redington, Royse City, Texas, 15 bass, 54-13
8^th: Sam George, Athens, Ala., 15 bass, 54-3

9^th: Colby Schrumpf, Highland, Ill., 15 bass, 52-9
10^th: Charles Sim, Nepean, Ontario, Canada, 15 bass, 52-3

Finishing in 11^th through 30^th are:

11^th: Yamamoto Baits pro Tom Monsoor, La Crosse, Va., 15 bass, 51-9, $12,000
12^th: Miles Burghoff, Hixson, Tenn., 15 bass, 51-8, $12,000

13^th: Polaris pro David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., 15 bass, 50-6, $12,000

14^th:       Bass Pro Shops pro Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo., 15 bass, 50-4, $12,000
15^th:       Kyle Cortiana, Coweta, Okla., 15 bass, 50-1, $12,000
16^th:       Timmy Thompkins, Myrtle Beach, S.C., 15 bass, 49-9, $11,500
17^th:       Joseph Webster, Winfield, Ala., 15 bass, 49-3, $11,500
18^th:       Troy Morrow, Eastanollee, Ga., 15 bass, 49-3, $11,500

19^th:       Bryan Schmitt, Deale, Md., 15 bass, 49-1, $11,500
20^th:       Kurt Mitchell, Milford, Del., 15 bass, 48-15, $11,500
21^st:        Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla., 15 bass, 48-0, $10,500

22^nd: Andy Wicker, Pomaria, S.C., 15 bass, 47-14, $10,500

23^rd: Derek Fulps, Broken Arrow, Okla., 15 bass, 47-10, $10,500
24^th: Billy Shelton III, La Crosse, Va., 13 bass, 46-11, $10,500

25^th:       Darrel Robertson, Jay, Okla., 15 bass, 44-15, $10,500
26^th:       Strike King pro Andrew Upshaw, Tulsa, Okla., 15 bass, 44-4, $10,500
27^th:       Casey Scanlon, Lake Ozark, Mo., 15 bass, 44-3, $10,500
28^th:       Christopher Brasher, Longview, Texas, 15 bass, 44-2, $10,500

29^th: Jon Englund, Farwell, Minn., 15 bass, 43-14, $10,500
30^th: Billy McCaghren, Mayflower, Ark., 15 bass, 42-10, $10,500

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

Overall there were 148 bass weighing 443 pounds, 11 ounces caught by pros Saturday, Twenty-nine of the final 30 pros were able to bring a five-bass limit to the scale.

In FLW Tour competition, the full field of 170 pro anglers competed in the two-day opening round Thursday and Friday. The top 30 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advanced to fish on Saturday. Now, 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 Sam Rayburn Reservoir presented by Polaris is more than $860,000, including $9,000 through 65^th place in the Pro Division. The tournament is hosted by the Jasper County Development District.

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 7 a.m. CST Sunday from the Umphrey Family Pavilion, located at 5438 Sam Rayburn Parkway, in Brookeland. Sunday’s championship weigh-in will also be held at the pavilion, beginning at 4 p.m.

Prior to the weigh-in Sunday FLW will host a free Family Fishing Expo at the Umphrey Family Pavilion 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, and learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities.

The popular FLW Live on-the-water program will air Sunday, featuring live action from the boats of the tournament’s top pros each day. 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

Todd Woods Wins Inaugural WON Bass AZ Open

Courtesy WON BASS

Todd Woods rocked the inaugural WON BASS Arizona Open Pro Division, going wire to wire and piling up a 3-day total of 61.95 pounds to win. Woods cleaned up, claiming a Bass Cat Sabre FTD outfitted with a Mercury Pro XS 175 and more than $11,000 in cash.

ARIZONA OPEN at Lake Havasu

Final Pro Division Standings

January 11, 2019

Place	Name	Hometown	Fish	Weight	Penalty	Big Fish		Total	Points
1	Todd Woods	Los Angeles CA	15/15	61.95		5.22		61.95
2	Joe Uribe, Jr.	Surprise AZ	15/15	56.90		4.89		56.90
3	Ted Stewner	Canada	15/15	51.81		4.24		51.81
4	Justin Kerr	Simi Valley CA	15/15	50.97		5.97	*	50.97
5	Dean Rojas	Lake Havasu City AZ	15/15	50.78		4.62		50.78
6	Shannon Abbott	Oceanside CA	14/14	46.14		4.76		46.14
7	Mike Williams	Mesa AZ	15/15	43.86				43.86
8	Terrence Rath	Lake Havasu City AZ	15/15	42.69		4.42		42.69
9	Mark Williams	Lake Havasu City AZ	14/14	38.21				38.21
10	Matt Shura	Gilbert AZ	12/12	37.34		5.02		37.34
11	Mike Powell	Lake Havasu City AZ	11/11	35.92		4.98		35.92
12	Paul Tassie	Lake Havasu City AZ	15/15	35.77				35.77
13	Roy Hawk	Lake Havasu City AZ	13/13	35.71		4.28		35.71
14	Michael Nichelini	Napa CA	14/14	35.26		4.44		35.26
15	Johnny Johnson	Lakeside AZ	15/15	33.64		4.09		33.64
16	Jeffrey Scott Allen	Flagstaff AZ	10/10	33.02		4.32		33.02
17	Louis Fernandes	Santa Maria CA	15/15	31.23				31.23
18	Carl Limbrick, Jr.	Bonita CA	9/9	29.98		4.42		29.98
19	Shaun Bailey	Lake Havasu City AZ	15/15	28.92				28.92
20	Scott Stewart	Garden Grove CA	11/11	28.23		3.72		28.23
21	Ricky Shabazz	La Mesa CA	15/15	28.05				28.05
22	Chris Kinley	Lake Havasu City AZ	12/12	27.98		4.11		27.98
23	Kevin Short	Mayflower AR	10/10	26.80		4.18		26.80
24	Jason Marquez	Lake Havasu City AZ	10/10	26.45				26.45
25	Ted Romero	Lakewood CA	10/10	24.16				24.16
26	Vernon Shedd	Lake Havasu AZ	10/10	23.45				23.45
27	Andrew Napoleon	Mesa AZ	7/7	22.56		4.55		22.56
28	Troy Lindner	Los Angeles CA	12/12	22.28				22.28
29	Kenny Webb	Irvine CA	13/13	22.11		3.97		22.11
30	Ron Janke	Lake Havasu City AZ	8/8	21.84				21.84
31	Jeff Rutt	Winchester CA	9/9	21.80		3.38		21.80
32	Jason Cloke	Alpine CA	6/6	21.05		5.91		21.05
33	Patrick Spencer	Tucsan AZ	11/11	21.01				21.01
34	Mike Crothers	Chandler AZ	11/11	20.92		3.96		20.92
35	Carlos Garcia	Murrieta CA	10/10	19.91				19.91
36	Mike Brillhart	Waddell AZ	7/7	19.11		5.26		19.11
37	Michael Phua	Chino CA	8/8	18.63		3.57		18.63
38	Bill Brown	Grand Junction CO	7/7	18.04				18.04
39	Jay Wright	Seal Beach CA	8/8	17.78				17.78
40	Paul Hodges	Glendale AZ	10/10	17.62		3.27		17.62
41	Sunny Hawk	Midvale UT	7/7	17.49		4.14		17.49
42	Danny Clark	San Tan Valley AZ	8/8	17.34		3.99		17.34
43	Clifford Pirch	Payson AZ	7/7	16.43				16.43
44	Dung Van Vu	Paramount CA	6/6	15.93				15.93
45	Anthony Tejeda	Santee CA	8/8	14.58		2.99		14.58
46	Brian Nollar	Homer AK	4/4	14.29				14.29
47	Dave Davis	Mesa AZ	6/6	14.17				14.17
48	Matthew Luna	Santee CA	6/6	13.54				13.54
49	Robert Ostercamp	Chandler AZ	4/4	13.47				13.47
50	Marvin Finley	Peoria AZ	4/4	13.27		4.19		13.27
50	Tony Lain	Lake Havasu City AZ	6/6	13.27		5.29		13.27
52	Scooter Griffith	Mesa AZ	4/4	12.71		4.19		12.71
53	Todd Holverson	San Diego CA	6/6	12.60		3.29		12.60
54	Steve Jenkins	Mesa AZ	4/4	12.29				12.29
55	Patrick Whitaker	Gilbert AZ	4/4	11.08				11.08
56	Rod Wynn	Inglewood CA	5/5	10.78				10.78
57	Josh Bertrand	San Tan Valley AZ	5/5	10.13				10.13
58	Jamie Shaw	Coolidge AZ	5/5	10.09				10.09
59	Shawn Lee	Arroyo Grande CA	5/5	10.02				10.02
60	Michael Crowther	Page AZ	3/3	9.94				9.94
61	Tom Nokes	Riverton UT	4/4	9.78		4.90		9.78
62	Ron Hammett	La Mesa CA	4/4	9.72		4.40		9.72
63	Philip Roesener	Logandale NV	3/3	8.54				8.54
64	Jason Caine	Las Vegas NV	4/4	7.90		2.73		7.90
65	Eric Flannery	Surprise AZ	3/3	7.89				7.89
66	Melvin Williams	Chula Vista CA	5/5	7.79				7.79
67	Bob Francola	North Hollywood CA	4/4	7.04				7.04
68	Max Hernandez	Queen Creek AZ	3/3	6.95		2.91		6.95
69	Hobby Nelson	Peoria AZ	3/3	6.82				6.82
70	Dwight Shephard	Lake Havasu AZ	3/3	6.40				6.40
71	Ron Ratlief	Lake Havasu City AZ	4/4	5.89				5.89
72	Stanley Hendrix	San Diego CA	2/2	5.37		3.79		5.37
73	Jordon Erekson	Apache Junction AZ	1/1	2.87				2.87
74	Keith Diffey	Elk Grove CA	1/1	2.10				2.10
75	Onelio J. Silva	Las Vegas NV	1/1	1.94				1.94
76	Carson Sims	Boerne TX	1/1	1.24				1.24
77	Trace Myers	Santaquin CA	0/0	0.00				0.00
77	Filler Pro		0/0	0.00				0.00

by AnglersChannel

Ranger Pro Terry Bolton drops 33 Pounds on the scale to lead FLW Rayburn by 5 pounds!

Courtesy of FLW Fishing

23-Year FLW Tour Veteran Catches 33-pound Limit on Rapala Crankbait

BROOKELAND, Texas (Jan. 11, 2019) – Rapala pro Terry Bolton of Benton, Kentucky, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Friday weighing 33 pounds, 9 ounces, to vault to the top of the leaderboard on Day Two of the FLW Tour at Sam Rayburn Reservoir presented Polaris after starting the day in 10^th place. Bolton’s two day total of 10 bass weighing 54-3 will give him a 5-pound, 15-ounce advantage over second place angler Nick LeBrun of Bossier City, Louisiana, (48-4) who led the competition after Day One. The field of 170 anglers is now cut to just the top 30 as the world’s best bass fishing professionals continue their competition for the top award of up to $125,000.

“I think I caught more fish today than I caught all last year on Tour,” joked Bolton, a 13-time FLW Cup qualifier. “It was a really special day. I had a pretty good day yesterday and this was the same place that I caught my big ones. There is bigger fish there and it’s just a timing deal.

“I actually found the place in practice by pure luck,” Bolton continued. “I was idling along – I’m a Kentucky Lake ledge fisherman and I always watch my depth finder – and I happened to idle over the needle in the haystack. I thought there was some big ones there when I saw them, and I caught a 6-pounder and a keeper and left. Now that I’ve gotten to fish it for two days, I’m starting to figure it out.”

Bolton said that the fish are suspended, and he estimated that he caught more than 50 bass from the area on both Thursday and Friday. His baits of choice has been Rapala DT14 and Rapala DT16 crankbaits, in Demon and Caribbean Shad colors.

“It’s just something that happens here – early in the year those fish stage over the hydrilla,” Bolton said. “I’ve done it here in the past, and I know tournaments have been won here that way. When I got up around 26 to 27 pounds I started to leave. I thought, no, I’ll stay here just a little longer. Then I caught the 9-8 and I realized I was throwing back fish that were 5 pounds so I knew it was time to go.

“Tomorrow I’m going to do the exact same thing that I’ve done the last two days and just go fishing and enjoy myself. That’s what this year is all about – me having fun,” Bolton went on to say. “Last year, I had no fun. I thought about retiring. So this year I decided I’m going to come back and get back to just having fun. Now, of course, catching 33 pounds helps to have fun. But, regardless, the secret to doing well is enjoying yourself. Don’t let the highs get you too high – and this is definitely a high. But there will be lows, and you can’t let the lows get you too low.

“I may have to start over, tomorrow. But, I’m prepared for that and if so I’m going to enjoy myself.”

The top 30 pros that made the cut and will fish Saturday on Sam Rayburn Reservoir are:

1^st: Rapala pro Terry Bolton, Benton, Ky., 10 bass, 54-3

2^nd: Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., 10 bass, 48-4

3^rd: Evinrude pro Jim Tutt, Longview, Texas, 10 bass, 45-4

4^th: Chad Warren, Sand Springs, Okla., 10 bass, 44-6

5^th: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 10 bass, 43-15

6^th: Miles Burghoff, Hixson, Tenn., 10 bass, 42-8

7^th: Billy Shelton III, La Crosse, Va., 10 bass, 42-1
8^th: Jordan Osborne, Longview, Texas, 10 bass, 41-9

9^th: Sam George, Athens, Ala., 10 bass, 39-9

10^th:       Andy Wicker, Pomaria, S.C., 10 bass, 38-14
11^th:       Charles Sim, Nepean, Ontario, Canada, 10 bass, 38-7
12^th:       Colby Schrumpf, Highland, Ill., 10 bass, 37-6
13^th:       Kyle Cortiana, Coweta, Okla., 10 bass, 36-10
14^th:       Bass Pro Shops pro Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo., 10 bass, 36-8
15^th:       Tom Redington, Royse City, Texas, 10 bass, 35-14
16^th:       Joseph Webster, Winfield, Ala., 10 bass, 35-2
17^th:       Yamamoto Baits pro Tom Monsoor, La Crosse, Va., 10 bass, 34-5
18^th:       Bryan Schmitt, Deale, Md., 10 bass, 34-0
19^th:       Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla., 10 bass, 33-11

20^th: Kurt Mitchell, Milford, Del., 10 bass, 33-6
21^st: Polaris pro David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., 10 bass, 33-4

22^nd:       Jon Englund, Farwell, Minn., 10 bass, 32-9
23^rd:       Derek Fulps, Broken Arrow, Okla., 10 bass, 32-8
24^th:       Strike King pro Andrew Upshaw, Tulsa, Okla., 10 bass, 32-5
25^th:       Timmy Thompkins, Myrtle Beach, S.C., 10 bass, 32-0
26^th:       Casey Scanlon, Lake Ozark, Mo., 10 bass, 31-11
27^th:       Darrel Robertson, Jay, Okla., 10 bass, 31-10
28^th:       Billy McCaghren, Mayflower, Ark., 10 bass, 31-7
29^th:       Troy Morrow, Eastanollee, Ga., 10 bass, 31-6

30^th: Christopher Brasher, Longview, Texas, 10 bass, 31-5

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

Wicker earned Friday’s $500 Big Bass award in the pro division thanks to an 11-pound, 2-ounce largemouth. The fish was the 9^th largest Big Bass Award winner in FLW Tour history.

Overall there were 750 bass weighing 1,902 pounds, 8 ounces caught by 164 pros Friday. The catch included 136 five-bass limits.

In FLW Tour competition, the full field of 170 pro anglers competed in the two-day opening round Thursday and Friday. The top 30 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight now advance to fish on Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.

Anglers will take off at 7 a.m. CST each day from the Umphrey Family Pavilion, located at 5438 Sam Rayburn Parkway, in Brookeland. Saturday and Sunday’s weigh-ins will also be held at the pavilion, beginning at 4 p.m.

Prior to the weigh-ins FLW will host a free Family Fishing Expo at the Umphrey Family Pavilion from 2 to 6 p.m. each day. The Expo is a chance for fishing fans to meet their favorite anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, and 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 the pavilion on Saturday 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 1^st and 2^nd place anglers that catch the biggest 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 Saturday and Sunday, featuring live action from the boats of the tournament’s top pros each day. New for 2019, 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

Woods Maintains Lead in WON Bass Arizona Open!

Results and Photo Courtesy of WON BASS

ARIZONA OPEN PRO DIVISION Day 2

Jan 10, 2019

Place	Name	Hometown	Fish	Weight	Penalty	Big Fish		Total	Points
1	Todd Woods	Los Angeles CA	10/10	40.82		4.36		40.82
2	Justin Kerr	Simi Valley CA	10/10	37.44		5.97	*	37.44
3	Joe Uribe, Jr.	Surprise AZ	10/10	35.40		4.82		35.40
4	Ted Stewner	Canada	10/10	33.36		4.19		33.36
5	Jeffrey Scott Allen	Flagstaff AZ	10/10	33.02		4.32		33.02
6	Dean Rojas	Lake Havasu City AZ	10/10	32.28		4.62		32.28
7	Shannon Abbott	Oceanside CA	10/10	30.71		4.76		30.71
8	Mike Powell	Lake Havasu City AZ	9/9	29.05		4.98		29.05
9	Matt Shura	Gilbert AZ	9/9	27.97		3.99		27.97
10	Terrence Rath	Lake Havasu City AZ	10/10	27.33		4.42		27.33
11	Mike Williams	Mesa AZ	10/10	26.10				26.10
12	Mark Williams	Lake Havasu City AZ	9/9	24.87				24.87
13	Paul Tassie	Lake Havasu City AZ	10/10	23.45				23.45
14	Roy Hawk	Lake Havasu City AZ	8/8	22.75		4.28		22.75
15	Kevin Short	Mayflower AR	8/8	22.70		4.18		22.70
16	Ron Janke	Lake Havasu City AZ	8/8	21.84				21.84
17	Johnny Johnson	Lakeside AZ	10/10	21.56		4.09		21.56
18	Louis Fernandes	Santa Maria CA	10/10	21.09				21.09
19	Chris Kinley	Lake Havasu City AZ	8/8	19.80		4.11		19.80
20	Scott Stewart	Garden Grove CA	8/8	19.52		3.72		19.52
21	Michael Nichelini	Napa CA	9/9	19.05		3.41		19.05
22	Carl Limbrick, Jr.	Bonita CA	6/6	18.88		2.86		18.88
23	Jason Cloke	Alpine CA	5/5	18.18		5.91		18.18
24	Bill Brown	Grand Junction CO	7/7	18.04				18.04
25	Ricky Shabazz	La Mesa CA	10/10	17.66				17.66
26	Andrew Napoleon	Mesa AZ	6/6	17.64		4.55		17.64
27	Kenny Webb	Irvine CA	10/10	15.91		3.97		15.91
28	Shaun Bailey	Lake Havasu City AZ	10/10	14.67				14.67
29	Jeff Rutt	Winchester CA	6/6	14.62		3.38		14.62
30	Brian Nollar	Homer AK	4/4	14.29				14.29
31	Paul Hodges	Glendale AZ	8/8	14.14		3.27		14.14
32	Patrick Spencer	Tucsan AZ	6/6	13.72				13.72
33	Jay Wright	Seal Beach CA	6/6	13.47				13.47
34	Dung Van Vu	Paramount CA	4/4	12.60				12.60
35	Mike Brillhart	Waddell AZ	5/5	12.56		4.04		12.56
36	Jason Marquez	Lake Havasu City AZ	5/5	12.37				12.37
37	Matthew Luna	Santee CA	5/5	12.35				12.35
38	Steve Jenkins	Mesa AZ	4/4	12.29				12.29
39	Dave Davis	Mesa AZ	5/5	12.10				12.10
40	Troy Lindner	Los Angeles CA	7/7	11.84				11.84
41	Anthony Tejeda	Santee CA	6/6	11.81		2.99		11.81
42	Sunny Hawk	Midvale UT	5/5	11.73				11.73
43	Marvin Finley	Peoria AZ	3/3	11.66		4.19		11.66
44	Mike Crothers	Chandler AZ	6/6	11.62		3.96		11.62
45	Carlos Garcia	Murrieta CA	6/6	11.54				11.54
46	Ted Romero	Lakewood CA	5/5	11.07				11.07
47	Danny Clark	San Tan Valley AZ	5/5	10.94		3.99		10.94
48	Vernon Shedd	Lake Havasu AZ	5/5	10.83				10.83
49	Tony Lain	Lake Havasu City AZ	4/4	10.40		5.29		10.40
50	Scooter Griffith	Mesa AZ	3/3	10.19		4.19		10.19
51	Josh Bertrand	San Tan Valley AZ	5/5	10.13				10.13
52	Robert Ostercamp	Chandler AZ	3/3	10.01				10.01
53	Michael Crowther	Page AZ	3/3	9.94				9.94
54	Patrick Whitaker	Gilbert AZ	3/3	8.70				8.70
55	Rod Wynn	Inglewood CA	4/4	8.69				8.69
56	Shawn Lee	Arroyo Grande CA	4/4	8.11				8.11
57	Tom Nokes	Riverton UT	3/3	7.97		4.90		7.97
58	Melvin Williams	Chula Vista CA	5/5	7.79				7.79
59	Jamie Shaw	Coolidge AZ	4/4	7.43				7.43
60	Michael Phua	Chino CA	4/4	7.31		1.50		7.31
61	Eric Flannery	Surprise AZ	2/2	6.18				6.18
62	Philip Roesener	Logandale NV	2/2	6.10				6.10
63	Ron Ratlief	Lake Havasu City AZ	4/4	5.89				5.89
64	Jason Caine	Las Vegas NV	3/3	5.65		2.73		5.65
65	Bob Francola	North Hollywood CA	3/3	5.31				5.31
66	Hobby Nelson	Peoria AZ	2/2	4.75				4.75
67	Clifford Pirch	Payson AZ	2/2	4.20				4.20
68	Dwight Shephard	Lake Havasu AZ	1/1	2.42				2.42
69	Ron Hammett	La Mesa CA	1/1	2.15				2.15
70	Keith Diffey	Elk Grove CA	1/1	2.10				2.10
71	Todd Holverson	San Diego CA	1/1	1.40				1.40
72	Carson Sims	Boerne TX	1/1	1.24				1.24
73	Jordon Erekson	Apache Junction AZ	0/0	0.00				0.00
73	Stanley Hendrix	San Diego CA	0/0	0.00				0.00
73	Max Hernandez	Queen Creek AZ	0/0	0.00				0.00
73	Trace Myers	Santaquin CA	0/0	0.00				0.00
73	Filler Pro		0/0	0.00				0.00
73	Onelio J. Silva	Las Vegas NV	0/0	0.00				0.00

ARIZONA OPEN at Lake Havasu - AAA DIVISION

Day 2 of 3 - Jan 10, 2019

Place	Name	Hometown	Fish	Weight	Penalty	Big Fish		Total	Points
1	Joe Bolen	Pardise CA	10/10	35.30				35.30
2	Justin Taylor Bolen	Paradise CA	10/10	30.79		3.91		30.79
3	Paul Herber	Riverside CA	10/10	30.63				30.63
4	Carol Martens	West Hills CA	10/10	29.98				29.98
5	James Wiegand	Redding CA	8/8	27.37		5.78		27.37
6	Pete Marino	Moreno Valley CA	10/10	27.30				27.30
7	Charlie Schmidt	Golden Valley CA	10/10	26.52		3.54		26.52
8	Hunter Miller	Oak Hills CA	10/10	24.19				24.19
9	Bobby Tidd	Mesa AZ	8/8	23.92				23.92
10	Kelly Burns	Avondale AZ	5/5	23.70		7.74	*	23.70
11	Grant Lee Cooper	Forest Lakes AZ	6/6	23.50				23.50
11	Jeff Corbett	Las Vegas NV	8/8	23.50				23.50
13	John Schramer	Phoenix AZ	10/10	23.38		2.63		23.38
14	Ed Cox	Butte Valley CA	9/9	23.28				23.28
15	Dan Zehring	Gilbert AZ	10/10	22.72				22.72
16	Len Scinto	Valencia CA	7/7	22.69		4.01		22.69
17	Ken Whalen	Lompoc CA	7/7	21.82		4.46		21.82
18	John Browning	Surprise AZ	8/8	20.95		3.63		20.95
19	Nick Teschler	Phoenix AZ	6/6	19.18		3.23		19.18
20	David Crunden	Las Vegas NV	7/7	17.90		5.38		17.90
21	Joe Uribe, Sr.	Lake Havasu City AZ	6/6	17.63		5.18		17.63
22	Skyler Hawk	Midvale UT	5/5	17.50		5.67		17.50
23	Jack Roorda	Beaumont CA	6/6	17.25				17.25
24	William McAninch	CARSON CA	8/8	17.15		2.77		17.15
25	Kenneth Helms	Newman CA	7/7	16.67		3.67		16.67
26	Tom Karavites	Payson AZ	5/5	16.56				16.56
27	Nathan Foreman	Queen Creek AZ	5/5	16.26		3.86		16.26
28	Martin Keppeler	Lake Havasu City AZ	7/7	16.23		3.06		16.23
28	Austin Rojas	Lake Havasu City AZ	6/6	16.23		3.21		16.23
30	Clint L. Goodwin	Lake Havasu City AZ	10/10	15.93				15.93
31	James Ochs	Scottsdale AZ	6/6	15.78				15.78
32	Keith Bridges	Mission Viejo CA	8/8	15.13				15.13
33	Shane Meisel	Alta Loma CA	5/5	14.75				14.75
34	Derrek Stewart	Venice CA	7/7	14.74				14.74
35	Ed Shaver	Lake Havasu City AZ	5/5	14.67				14.67
36	Chris Morris	Kingman AZ	6/6	14.58		3.53		14.58
37	Todd Anderson	Surprise AZ	5/5	14.45				14.45
38	Adam Day	Alta Loma CA	7/7	14.28		2.94		14.28
39	Chad Roorda	Beaumont CA	5/5	14.15				14.15
40	Tracy Smart	Lake Havasu City AZ	5/5	13.97				13.97
41	Austin Melville	Gilbert AZ	7/7	13.90				13.90
42	Randy Bruno	Huntington Beach CA	6/6	13.75				13.75
43	Geoff Pierce	El Cajon CA	5/5	13.27		3.34		13.27
44	Rich Henson	Redding CA	5/5	12.75		4.66		12.75
45	Brian Ravelo	Las Vegas NV	7/7	12.70				12.70
46	Liz Jones	Conoga Park CA	4/4	11.85				11.85
47	Andy Sanchez	Antioch CA	6/6	11.42				11.42
48	James Denny	Apache Junction AZ	5/5	10.93				10.93
49	John Bitting	Westminster CA	4/4	10.69				10.69
50	Mark Snitow	Lake Havasu City AZ	5/5	10.57				10.57
51	Darring Sinclair	Lake Havasu City AZ	4/4	10.42		3.24		10.42
52	Jon Elms	Chandler AZ	5/5	9.79		2.52		9.79
53	Chad Walton	Fort Mohave AZ	5/5	9.66		2.63		9.66
54	Bryan Kuhn	Lake Havasu City AZ	6/6	9.38				9.38
55	Michael Nugent	Peoria AZ	4/4	8.93		2.68		8.93
56	Mark Hall	Temecula CA	3/3	8.83				8.83
57	Vince Gennaro	Henderson NV	4/4	8.54				8.54
58	Mandy Myers	Santaquin UT	4/4	8.23				8.23
59	Ralph Wells	Lake Havasu City AZ	3/3	7.48				7.48
60	Steve Rametta	Glendora CA	3/3	7.25				7.25
61	Gabriel Diaz	Nuevo CA	3/3	7.24		3.48		7.24
62	Aaron Bartelt	Grand Junction CO	3/3	7.08				7.08
63	Jeff Purinton	Heber AZ	2/2	7.02		2.83		7.02
64	Marc Weiting	San Tan Valley AZ	4/4	5.91				5.91
65	Shawn Carnahan	Gilbert AZ	3/3	5.65				5.65
66	Rick Melead	Yorba Linda CA	2/2	4.78				4.78
66	Michael Pryor	Yucaipa CA	1/1	4.78		4.78		4.78
68	Clifford Rubin	Lake Havasu City AZ	2/2	4.75				4.75
69	Joseph Weber	Albuquerque NM	2/2	4.17				4.17
70	Don Whitmer	Phoenix AZ	1/1	3.91				3.91
71	Kevin A. Smith	Phoenix AZ	2/2	3.61				3.61
72	Jennifer Kirchhoer	Benicia CA	2/2	3.34				3.34
73	Geoff Peterson	Huntington Beach CA	1/1	3.20				3.20
74	Craig Hammett	Eagle ID	2/2	2.28				2.28
75	Tom Kruse	San Juan Capistrano CA	1/1	2.11				2.11
76	Filler AAA		0/0	0.00				0.00
76	Josh Kimmel	Colorado Springs CO	5/5	0.00				0.00
76	Dale Roesener	Lav Vegas NV	0/0	0.00				0.00

by AnglersChannel

ROOKIE LEBRUN CATCHES 29-POUND LIMIT, LEADS DAY ONE OF FLW TOUR AT SAM RAYBURN

Courtesy of FLW

Reigning BFL All-American Champion Smacks 29-2 in First Career FLW Tour Event

BROOKELAND, Texas (Jan. 10, 2019) – Louisiana pro Nick LeBrun – fishing in his first career regular-season FLW Tour event – brought a massive 29-pound, 2-ounce five-bass limit to the scale Thursday to vault to the top of the leaderboard after Day One of the FLW Tour at Sam Rayburn Reservoir presented Polaris. Fellow rookie Sam George of Athens, Alabama, sits in second place with five bass weighing 28-5. The season-opening FLW Tour event features a field of 170 of the world’s best bass-fishing professionals casting for a top award of up to $125,000.

The fishing at flooded Sam Rayburn was excellent Thursday, with plenty of five-bass limits, multiple 8- and 9-pounders, and 10 anglers weighing limits that topped 20 pounds. LeBrun estimated that he caught around 20 fish throughout the day, but lacked the giant kicker that multiple anglers brought to the scale. His smallest fish was around 5 pounds, and his largest just 6½.

“We all have those days when we can’t do anything wrong, and today was one of those days for me,” said LeBrun, who qualified for the FLW Tour after winning the BFL All-American Championship in 2018. “I had 23 to 24 pounds by 10 a.m. I decided to run new water that I hadn’t looked at and the Good Lord blessed me with two more big bites. It’s just unbelievable.”

LeBrun said that all of his fish that he caught Thursday came off of one type of pattern. Although he remained tight-lipped about exactly what he was doing, he did share that the Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap has been the biggest player for him.

“The Trap is my confidence bait,” LeBrun said. “It’s how I found them in practice and it is my search bait. It’s nothing secret – a ½-ounce Rayburn Red or Red Crawfish color. But I’ve got a few other things that I evolved throughout practice that I’m doing as well.

“I’m going to do the same thing tomorrow,” LeBrun went on to say. “I’ve got some other spots where I think big ones live and I can try to get that big bite. I’m kind of jealous of the guys catching the 8- and 9-pounders. I never had a real giant bite today, so hopefully I can get that tomorrow. If I can get a few solid ones and maybe another big one or two, I’ll be right where I need to be.”

The top 10 pros after day one on Sam Rayburn Reservoir are:

1^st: Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., five bass, 29-2

2^nd: Sam George, Athens, Ala., five bass, 28-5

3^rd: Chad Warren, Sand Springs, Okla., five bass, 25-7

4^th: Jordan Osborne, Longview, Texas, five bass, 25-1

5^th: Polaris pro David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., five bass, 24-3

6^th: Jim Tutt, Longview, Texas, five bass, 23-9

7^th: Troy Morrow, Eastanollee, Ga., five bass, 22-12

8^th: Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla., five bass, 22-2

9^th: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., five bass, 20-15

10^th: Terry Bolton, Benton, Ky., five bass, 20-10

For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.

Osborne and Martin split the day's $500 Big Bass award in the pro division after each weighed in a largemouth totaling 9-pounds, 12-ounces.

Overall there were 724 bass weighing 1,869 pounds, 3 ounces caught by 165 pros Thursday. The catch included 126 five-bass limits.

In FLW Tour competition, the full field of 170 pro anglers compete in the two-day opening round 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.

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 at 7 a.m. CST each day from the Umphrey Family Pavilion, located at 5438 Sam Rayburn Parkway, in Brookeland. Friday’s weigh-in will be held at the pavilion beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s weigh-ins, Jan. 12-13, will also be held at the pavilion, but will begin at 4 p.m.

Also for youth, the FLW Foundation’s Unified Fishing Derby will be held at the pavilion on Saturday, Jan. 12 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 1^st and 2^nd place anglers that catch the biggest 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. New for 2019, 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

Mercury Marine Celebrates 80 Years in Business

Courtesy of the Fishing Wire

Mercury Marine will celebrate its 80th anniversary throughout 2019, reflecting on its strong heritage of innovation and leadership in the marine industry.

On January 22, 1939, E. Carl Kiekhaefer purchased a bankrupt engine manufacturing plant in Cedarburg, Wis. Now, 80 years later, the business that emerged from those modest beginnings, Mercury Marine, is a company with 7,000 global employees that is heralded as the world’s leading manufacturer of marine propulsion systems, as well as marine parts and accessories.

“80 years ago, Carl Kiekhaefer had a vision for Mercury and that was based around product innovation and technology – and it’s that vision that built the foundation for us to continue to innovate today, said John Pfeifer, Mercury Marine president. “Mercury has come a long way over the past eight decades because of the hard work and dedication of everyone who has been a part of our journey. While the past 80 years have been fantastic, we are looking forward to continued growth over the next 80 years and celebrating throughout 2019 with everyone that has made our success possible.”

Mercury, a division of Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC), has invested more than $1 billion globally since 2008 into the expansion of research, development and manufacturing capabilities. In 2018, Mercury successfully launched its largest engine platform in its 80-year history with 19 new four-stroke outboard engines covering the 175-300hp range in both V6 and V8. The global launches of this engine platform, both in February and May, we heralded in the marine industry and featured in national publications around the world.

Mercury will celebrate its 80th anniversary throughout the year and showcase some of its strong heritage during the 2019 boat show season.

“We have a lot to be thankful for and a lot to celebrate,” said Pfeifer. “I’m looking forward to sharing those celebrations around the world. 2019 will be yet another exciting year with more innovations to introduce.”

by AnglersChannel

Texas Toyota ShareLunker Program Turns out 486 Lunkers in 2018

Courtesy of Texas Share Lunker

AUSTIN – At the beginning of 2018, the Toyota ShareLunker program debuted a new year-long season for anglers to enter their 8 pound and larger bass for prizes, recognition, and to help the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department promote and enhance bass fishing in Texas. On Dec. 31, staff wrapped up the first year of the revamped program with a total of 380 anglers entering 486 “lunker” bass from 89 lakes across the state.

“2018 was a big year for the Toyota ShareLunker program,” said Kyle Brookshear, Toyota ShareLunker Program Coordinator. “Not only was it the first time we’ve had a year-long season since the program launched in 1986 – we also opened up the categories of entries to include bass 8 pounds or larger and launched a brand-new logo and look. We are excited to send off 2018 with such great participation and we hope to see even more anglers partner with us to help make bass fishing bigger and better in Texas in 2019.”

Anglers entered largemouth bass 8 pounds or larger into four categories in the Toyota ShareLunker program, including six “Legacy Class” bass 13 pounds or heavier that were entered during the spawning window Jan.1 through March 31 and loaned to TPWD for the selective breeding and stocking program. The total number of entries in other categories who provided citizen science data included: 5 "Lunker Legend" bass 13 pounds or heavier caught outside the Jan.1 through March 31 spawning window or not loaned for spawning, 107 "Lunker Elite" bass weighing 10 to 12.99 pounds, and 368 "Lunker" bass at least 24 inches or weighing between 8 and 9.99 pounds.

The top five ShareLunker producing lakes in 2018 included Lake Fork near Quitman with 73 entries, Lake Conroe near Houston with 41 entries, Lake Athens in Athens with 28 entries, Sam Rayburn Reservoir near Jasper with 21 entries, and O.H. Ivie Lake near San Angelo with 17 entries.

Lake Fork was also the top producer of 13 pound or larger “Legacy Class” bass last year with three entries, including a 13.06 pound bass caught March 11, a 13.00 pound basscaught March 8, and a 15.48 pound bass caught March 2. Other lakes producing 13 pound or larger “Legacy Class” bass last year included Sam Rayburn Reservoir, which produced a 13.06 pound bassMarch 31; Kurth Reservoir, which produced a 13.34 pound bass March 25; and Twin Buttes Reservoir, which produced a 13.40 pound bass March 14.

“The anglers who loaned their ‘Legacy Class’ bass to us last year for our selective breeding program made a generous and valuable contribution towards the future of bass fishing in Texas,” Brookshear said. “In addition to stocking their offspring back into the lakes where they were caught, we are incorporating offspring from the pure Florida largemouth bass ‘Legacy Class’ ShareLunkers into our hatchery broodstock so that in coming years we can stock millions of these selectively-bred big bass offspring statewide.”

Last year, four of the ‘Legacy Class’ fish spawned successfully at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens and thousands of those Toyota ShareLunker offspring were stocked in Twin Buttes Reservoir, Sam Rayburn Reservoir, Kurth Reservoir, and Lake Fork. Because the Kurth Reservoir fish was a pure Florida largemouth bass, hatchery staff were able to retain 18,000 fingerlings for the state’s largemouth bass ShareLunker broodstock development.

In return for loaning their fish to TPWD for selective breeding and stocking, anglers who enter “Legacy Class” Toyota ShareLunker bass over 13 pounds receive a catch kit, a 13lb+ Legacy decal, VIP access to awards programming at the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest, a replica of their fish, and an entry into both the “Legacy Class” and year-end ShareLunker Prize Drawing to win a $5,000 Bass Pro Shops shopping spree and an annual fishing license. The 2018 “Legacy Class” drawing winner was angler Michael Terrebonne of Cut Off, Louisiana, who caught ShareLunker 572 from Lake Fork March 8.

Anglers who enter a Toyota ShareLunker in every other category through Dec. 31 also receive great prizes, including a catch kit filled with merchandise and a drawing entry for a year-end $5,000 Bass Pro Shops shopping spree and annual fishing license. The year-end $5,000 Bass Pro Shops shopping spree and annual fishing license winner for 2018 will be announced in a Facebook Live broadcast at noon on Jan. 11 on the Toyota ShareLunker Facebook page.

With the 2019 season underway as of Jan. 1, anglers can enter their big bass catches in all categories on the Toyota ShareLunker app – available for free download from the Apple App Store and Google Play – or on the Toyota ShareLunker website, https://texassharelunker.com. The mobile app and website entry forms also include simple instructions for anglers who would like to provide a sample of fish scales from their lunker bass to TPWD researchers for genetic analysis.

Anglers who catch a 13 pound or larger “Legacy Class” bass through March 31 can enter by calling the program directly – any time of day – at (903) 681-0550.

For updates on the Toyota ShareLunker program visit https://www.facebook.com/ShareLunkerprogram and https://texassharelunker.com/.

by AnglersChannel

Hayabusa Adds 7 to its Promotional Staff for 2019 Tour Season

Courtesy of Hayabusa USA

January 10, 2019

Hayabusa U.S.A., Inc., the Headquarter Hayabusa Co., Ltd. (“Hayabusa”) in Japan, is excited to announce additional members to their U.S.A. Pro Staff. Hayabusa U.S.A. has signed agreements with FLW Tour Pro Bass Anglers, Bradley Hallman, Matt Reed, Bill McDonald, Nick LeBrun, Miles ‘Sonar’ Burghoff, Jay Brainard and Tyler Woolcott.

These anglers will join current Hayabusa FLW Tour Pro Bass Anglers, Casey Scanlon, Bryan Schmitt, Pete Ponds, Blake Smith and Grae Buck.

Hayabusa is the #1 selling bass fishing hook in Japan and is also known for their popular saltwater line, including the world renown SABIKItrademark" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_4">product.

“As we continue to grow our brand in the USA and expand with retailers in all parts of the country it is critical for us to market utilizing some of the best anglers in the bass fishing industry.” said Hayabusa General Manager, Kurt Dove. “We have a great mix of anglers competing on the FLW Tour, from a FLW Champions and angling veterans to young up and comers and FLW Tour Rookies. We feel that this is our appeal to consumers as well, a little something of the best for everyone.”

2-Time FLW Tour Champion, Bradley Hallman stated, “Hayabusa fishing hooks are the absolute best I have ever used. The attention to detail and different style of technique specific hook applications give me an edge that improves my chances of catching every fish that bites. Hayabusa will soon be clearly recognized as a big player in the bass fishing market. I am happy to get an opportunity to work closely with them early on in their brand growth.”

Yumi Shida is President of Hayabusa U.S.A., Inc. and the company is based in Denton, Texas.

Press Contact:

Kurt Dove, General Manager; [email protected]

by AnglersChannel

Clean up and Cash in - Navionics Trade in Program!

Clean up and cash in!

Get up to $ 75 USD back when you buy a new Navionics or Garmin card and trade in an old one.

The choice is yours

Switch to Navionics or Garmin. You can participate to the program even if you own a card from C-MAP, Fishing Hot Spots, LakeMaster, Lowrance Insight, Magellan or TrakMaps. Check GPS plotter compatibility.

How to obtain the rebate

BUY A NEW CARD

Visit your favorite authorized dealer and purchase a new Navionics or Garmin card.

COMPLETE YOUR REBATE FORM

Fill out the rebate envelope from your dealer or download and print it now.

RETURN YOUR OLD CARD

Be sure to include all the necessary documentation.

TRADE IN AN ELIGIBLE CARD FROM THIS LIST:

Navionics cards: Navionics+, Navionics+ Regions, Navionics Updates, HotMaps Platinum, Platinum+, Gold, Silver, HotMaps Premium, Marine & Lakes USA. Note: Navionics accessory cards will NOT work in Garmin devices.
Garmin cards: BlueChart® g2 HD, BlueChart® g2 Vision HD, LakeVü HD, LakeVü HD Ultra on SD/MSD.

Cards from other manufacturers: C-MAP: BDS, Essential, 4D, 4D Local, 4D Wide, 4D MAX, 4D MAX+, MAX N, MAX N+, MAX-N Bathy, MAX NT and MAX NT+ on SD/MSD; Fishing Hot Spots on SD, MSD and MMC; LakeMaster for Humminbird, LakeMaster ProMap for Lowrance and LakeMaster for Lowrance (newer versions); Lowrance Insight and Lowrance Insight HD on SD/MSD, Lowrance NauticPath on MMC; Magellan BlueNAV XL3; TrakMaps for Garmin on SD/MSD including the Demo Cards, TrakMaps for Lowrance.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS:

This trade-in rebate is redeemable only by residents of the U.S. and Canada and may not be combined with any other offer directly from Garmin. Garmin is not responsible for incomplete requests, loss in mail, postage due or c.o.d. receipts, or any consequential or incidental damages. Garmin reserves the right to rescind or change this offer. Rebate is paid in U.S. dollars. Recipient is responsible for any applicable taxes. Limit one trade-in rebate per purchase. All cards returned to Garmin will be verified; any found to be counterfeit will not be eligible for a rebate. Requests for multiple rebates from dealers, groups, clubs or organizations will not be honored. Purchases made through online auctions, excluding direct purchases from authorized dealers, are not eligible. eBay® purchases only valid if purchase is made from an authorized Garmin dealer. We do not accept PayPal® receipts. The product must be purchased in factory-new condition from a Garmin Authorized Dealer. Refurbished or newly overhauled products do not qualify for the rebate. Void where prohibited or otherwise restricted by law. Updates may be more economical if downloaded conveniently from the Navionics website, www.navionics.com. Garmin recommends making a copy of your receipt and completed rebate coupon for your records. Please allow 6-10 weeks to process your rebate request.

by AnglersChannel

Todd Woods Leads Day 1 of the WON Bass Arizona Open on Lake Havasu

ARIZONA OPEN - Pro Div Day 1

Jan 9, 2019

Place	Name	Hometown	Fish	Weight	Penalty	Big Fish		Total	Points
1	Todd Woods	Los Angeles CA	5/5	23.70		4.36		23.70
2	Ted Stewner	Canada	5/5	18.61		4.19		18.61
3	Jason Cloke	Alpine CA	5/5	18.18		5.91	*	18.18
4	Jeffrey Scott Allen	Flagstaff AZ	5/5	16.27		4.32		16.27
5	Shannon Abbott	Oceanside CA	5/5	16.26		4.76		16.26
6	Justin Kerr	Simi Valley CA	5/5	16.10				16.10
7	Andrew Napoleon	Mesa AZ	5/5	15.48		4.55		15.48
8	Joe Uribe, Jr.	Surprise AZ	5/5	15.28		4.01		15.28
9	Shaun Bailey	Lake Havasu City AZ	5/5	14.67				14.67
10	Dean Rojas	Lake Havasu City AZ	5/5	14.47		4.45		14.47
11	Mike Powell	Lake Havasu City AZ	5/5	14.42				14.42
12	Ron Janke	Lake Havasu City AZ	5/5	14.33				14.33
13	Terrence Rath	Lake Havasu City AZ	5/5	13.36		4.42		13.36
14	Mike Williams	Mesa AZ	5/5	13.29				13.29
15	Paul Tassie	Lake Havasu City AZ	5/5	13.27				13.27
16	Scott Stewart	Garden Grove CA	5/5	12.96		3.72		12.96
17	Mark Williams	Lake Havasu City AZ	5/5	12.82				12.82
18	Michael Nichelini	Napa CA	5/5	11.93		3.41		11.93
19	Chris Kinley	Lake Havasu City AZ	3/3	11.58		4.11		11.58
20	Dung Van Vu	Paramount CA	3/3	10.78				10.78
21	Ricky Shabazz	La Mesa CA	5/5	10.55				10.55
22	Matt Shura	Gilbert AZ	4/4	10.47		3.99		10.47
23	Brian Nollar	Homer AK	3/3	10.38				10.38
24	Sunny Hawk	Midvale UT	4/4	10.11				10.11
25	Carlos Garcia	Murrieta CA	5/5	9.64				9.64
26	Louis Fernandes	Santa Maria CA	5/5	9.52				9.52
27	Mike Brillhart	Waddell AZ	3/3	9.38		4.04		9.38
28	Kenny Webb	Irvine CA	5/5	9.29		3.97		9.29
29	Jason Marquez	Lake Havasu City AZ	4/4	9.17				9.17
30	Troy Lindner	Los Angeles CA	5/5	9.14				9.14
31	Danny Clark	San Tan Valley AZ	4/4	8.83		3.99		8.83
32	Josh Bertrand	San Tan Valley AZ	4/4	8.54				8.54
33	Johnny Johnson	Lakeside AZ	5/5	8.27				8.27
34	Paul Hodges	Glendale AZ	4/4	8.23		3.27		8.23
35	Melvin Williams	Chula Vista CA	5/5	7.79				7.79
36	Bill Brown	Grand Junction CO	3/3	7.62				7.62
37	Carl Limbrick, Jr.	Bonita CA	3/3	7.48				7.48
38	Marvin Finley	Peoria AZ	2/2	7.47				7.47
39	Jamie Shaw	Coolidge AZ	4/4	7.43				7.43
40	Patrick Spencer	Tucsan AZ	3/3	7.25				7.25
41	Roy Hawk	Lake Havasu City AZ	3/3	7.19				7.19
42	Dave Davis	Mesa AZ	3/3	6.96				6.96
43	Kevin Short	Mayflower AR	3/3	6.91		3.83		6.91
44	Tom Nokes	Riverton UT	2/2	6.65		4.90		6.65
45	Philip Roesener	Logandale NV	2/2	6.10				6.10
46	Michael Phua	Chino CA	3/3	5.81				5.81
47	Jason Caine	Las Vegas NV	3/3	5.65		2.73		5.65
48	Patrick Whitaker	Gilbert AZ	2/2	5.58				5.58
49	Michael Crowther	Page AZ	2/2	5.16				5.16
50	Steve Jenkins	Mesa AZ	2/2	5.08				5.08
51	Hobby Nelson	Peoria AZ	2/2	4.75				4.75
52	Matthew Luna	Santee CA	2/2	4.69				4.69
53	Scooter Griffith	Mesa AZ	1/1	4.19		4.19		4.19
54	Mike Crothers	Chandler AZ	1/1	3.96		3.96		3.96
55	Rod Wynn	Inglewood CA	2/2	3.91				3.91
56	Ron Ratlief	Lake Havasu City AZ	2/2	3.61				3.61
57	Jeff Rutt	Winchester CA	1/1	3.38		3.38		3.38
58	Shawn Lee	Arroyo Grande CA	1/1	2.83				2.83
59	Jay Wright	Seal Beach CA	1/1	2.10				2.10
60	Clifford Pirch	Payson AZ	1/1	2.02				2.02
60	Anthony Tejeda	Santee CA	1/1	2.02				2.02
62	Tony Lain	Lake Havasu City AZ	1/1	1.37				1.37
63	Carson Sims	Boerne TX	1/1	1.24				1.24
64	Keith Diffey	Elk Grove CA	0/0	0.00				0.00
64	Jordon Erekson	Apache Junction AZ	0/0	0.00				0.00
64	Eric Flannery	Surprise AZ	0/0	0.00				0.00
64	Bob Francola	North Hollywood CA	0/0	0.00				0.00
64	Ron Hammett	La Mesa CA	0/0	0.00				0.00
64	Stanley Hendrix	San Diego CA	0/0	0.00				0.00
64	Max Hernandez	Queen Creek AZ	0/0	0.00				0.00
64	Todd Holverson	San Diego CA	0/0	0.00				0.00
64	Trace Myers	Santaquin CA	0/0	0.00				0.00
64	Robert Ostercamp	Chandler AZ	0/0	0.00				0.00
64	Filler Pro		0/0	0.00				0.00
64	Ted Romero	Lakewood CA	0/0	0.00				0.00
64	Vernon Shedd	Lake Havasu AZ	0/0	0.00				0.00
64	Dwight Shephard	Lake Havasu AZ	0/0	0.00				0.00
64	Onelio J. Silva	Las Vegas NV	0/0	0.00				0.00

ARIZONA OPEN Day 1, AAA Div

Jan 9, 2019

Place	Name	Hometown	Fish	Weight	Penalty	Big Fish		Total	Points
1	Kelly Burns	Avondale AZ	5/5	23.70		7.74	*	23.70
2	Bobby Tidd	Mesa AZ	5/5	18.61				18.61
3	Joe Bolen	Pardise CA	5/5	18.18				18.18
4	John Schramer	Phoenix AZ	5/5	16.27		2.63		16.27
5	Nathan Foreman	Queen Creek AZ	5/5	16.26		3.86		16.26
6	Dan Zehring	Gilbert AZ	5/5	16.10				16.10
7	Len Scinto	Valencia CA	5/5	15.48				15.48
8	Charlie Schmidt	Golden Valley CA	5/5	15.28		3.54		15.28
9	Ed Shaver	Lake Havasu City AZ	5/5	14.67				14.67
10	Jeff Corbett	Las Vegas NV	5/5	14.47				14.47
11	Carol Martens	West Hills CA	5/5	14.42				14.42
12	Austin Rojas	Lake Havasu City AZ	5/5	14.33		3.21		14.33
13	James Ochs	Scottsdale AZ	5/5	13.36				13.36
14	Justin Taylor Bolen	Paradise CA	5/5	13.29				13.29
15	Geoff Pierce	El Cajon CA	5/5	13.27		3.34		13.27
16	Chris Morris	Kingman AZ	5/5	12.96		3.53		12.96
17	Hunter Miller	Oak Hills CA	5/5	12.82				12.82
18	Randy Bruno	Huntington Beach CA	5/5	11.93				11.93
19	James Wiegand	Redding CA	3/3	11.58		5.78		11.58
20	David Crunden	Las Vegas NV	3/3	10.78		5.38		10.78
21	Pete Marino	Moreno Valley CA	5/5	10.55				10.55
22	Ed Cox	Butte Valley CA	4/4	10.47				10.47
23	Tom Karavites	Payson AZ	3/3	10.38				10.38
24	Kenneth Helms	Newman CA	4/4	10.11				10.11
25	William McAninch	CARSON CA	5/5	9.64				9.64
26	Brian Ravelo	Las Vegas NV	5/5	9.52				9.52
27	John Browning	Surprise AZ	3/3	9.38		3.63		9.38
28	Paul Herber	Riverside CA	5/5	9.29				9.29
29	Mark Snitow	Lake Havasu City AZ	4/4	9.17				9.17
30	Adam Day	Alta Loma CA	5/5	9.14		2.94		9.14
31	James Denny	Apache Junction AZ	4/4	8.83				8.83
32	Vince Gennaro	Henderson NV	4/4	8.54				8.54
33	Clint L. Goodwin	Lake Havasu City AZ	5/5	8.27				8.27
34	Mandy Myers	Santaquin UT	4/4	8.23				8.23
35	Bryan Kuhn	Lake Havasu City AZ	5/5	7.79				7.79
36	Joe Uribe, Sr.	Lake Havasu City AZ	3/3	7.62		3.10		7.62
37	Ralph Wells	Lake Havasu City AZ	3/3	7.48				7.48
38	Rich Henson	Redding CA	2/2	7.47		4.66		7.47
39	Austin Melville	Gilbert AZ	4/4	7.43				7.43
40	Steve Rametta	Glendora CA	3/3	7.25				7.25
41	Ken Whalen	Lompoc CA	3/3	7.19				7.19
42	Chad Walton	Fort Mohave AZ	3/3	6.96		2.63		6.96
43	Keith Bridges	Mission Viejo CA	3/3	6.91				6.91
44	Mark Hall	Temecula CA	2/2	6.65				6.65
45	Skyler Hawk	Midvale UT	2/2	6.10				6.10
46	Michael Nugent	Peoria AZ	3/3	5.81		2.68		5.81
47	Shawn Carnahan	Gilbert AZ	3/3	5.65				5.65
48	Aaron Bartelt	Grand Junction CO	2/2	5.58				5.58
49	Martin Keppeler	Lake Havasu City AZ	2/2	5.16				5.16
50	Gabriel Diaz	Nuevo CA	2/2	5.08		3.48		5.08
51	Clifford Rubin	Lake Havasu City AZ	2/2	4.75				4.75
52	John Bitting	Westminster CA	2/2	4.69				4.69
53	Liz Jones	Conoga Park CA	1/1	4.19				4.19
54	Jack Roorda	Beaumont CA	1/1	3.96				3.96
55	Derrek Stewart	Venice CA	2/2	3.91				3.91
56	Kevin A. Smith	Phoenix AZ	2/2	3.61				3.61
57	Grant Lee Cooper	Forest Lakes AZ	1/1	3.38				3.38
58	Jeff Purinton	Heber AZ	1/1	2.83		2.83		2.83
59	Chad Roorda	Beaumont CA	1/1	2.10				2.10
60	Jennifer Kirchhoer	Benicia CA	1/1	2.02				2.02
60	Joseph Weber	Albuquerque NM	1/1	2.02				2.02
62	Nick Teschler	Phoenix AZ	1/1	1.37				1.37
63	Andy Sanchez	Antioch CA	1/1	1.24				1.24
64	Filler AAA		0/0	0.00				0.00
64	Todd Anderson	Surprise AZ	0/0	0.00				0.00
64	Jon Elms	Chandler AZ	0/0	0.00				0.00
64	Craig Hammett	Eagle ID	0/0	0.00				0.00
64	Josh Kimmel	Colorado Springs CO	0/0	0.00				0.00
64	Tom Kruse	San Juan Capistrano CA	0/0	0.00				0.00
64	Shane Meisel	Alta Loma CA	0/0	0.00				0.00
64	Rick Melead	Yorba Linda CA	0/0	0.00				0.00
64	Geoff Peterson	Huntington Beach CA	0/0	0.00				0.00
64	Michael Pryor	Yucaipa CA	0/0	0.00				0.00
64	Dale Roesener	Lav Vegas NV	0/0	0.00				0.00
64	Darring Sinclair	Lake Havasu City AZ	0/0	0.00				0.00
64	Tracy Smart	Lake Havasu City AZ	0/0	0.00				0.00
64	Marc Weiting	San Tan Valley AZ	0/0	0.00				0.00
64	Don Whitmer	Phoenix AZ	0/0	0.00				0.00

by AnglersChannel

AC Insider Podcast - Tournament Time is Here! Finally!

On this weeks episode Chris and Jason talk to Strike King Pro Ray Hanselman and get the 411 on his recent Costa Win on Lake Amistad.The boys also welcome in Clint & Stacy from Outlaw Outdoors to preview the Rayburn FLW this week and of course the show wouldnt be the show without News & Notes, Costa Countdown to Blastoff and more!

by AnglersChannel

THLIVEROS, HOLLOWELL AND PANGRAC TO JOIN “FLW LIVE” AS ANALYSTS FOR 2019 FLW TOUR SEASON

Courtesy of FLW Communications

MINNEAPOLIS (Jan. 8, 2019) – Fishing League Worldwide (FLW) the world’s largest tournament organization, announced today three additions to the “FLW Live” coverage team for the 2019 FLW Tour season – veteran FLW Tour pros Peter Thliveros and Todd Hollowell, as well as internet talk show personality Matt Pangrac. Thliveros and Hollowell will step off the front of the boat and into the FLW Live broadcast studio as the primary color commentators for six of the seven regular-season FLW Tour events, while Pangrac, a familiar face to fans as co-host of the popular internet show “Bass Talk Live”, stepping in for the Grand Lake event. The three personalities will share the “FLW Live” desk with host Travis Moran, who has been a mainstay on the show since its inception in early 2017.

“We wanted to bring in pros with extensive knowledge of what it’s like to be competitive on the FLW Tour. Peter T. is a legendary angler who is loved by fans, and Todd Hollowell has had many successful years on the Tour and continues to fish,” said Peyote Perryman, Executive Producer of “FLW Live” and the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show. “Matt Pangrac is a younger guy who reports on the industry and competes at the Costa FLW Series level. All of our additions have some sort of experience to share with our audience.”

Known as ‘Peter T.’ among friends and fans, Thliveros first joined the FLW Tour in 1996, winning the coveted FLW Tour Angler of the Year (AOY) title the same year. Thliveros went on to enjoy a 16-year run on the FLW Tour, and celebrated a victory at Michigan’s Lake St. Clair in 1999. The Florida pro also racked up six FLW Cup appearances and nearly $620,000 in career earnings during his tenure.

“I’m looking forward to the whole experience. With the amount of water I’ve fished over the years, I’m familiar with the terminology and have gained enough knowledge about the places the anglers are going to compete at,” said Thliveros. “For 35 years I was the one occasionally getting interviewed. Now I’m going to be on the other end of it, and to me it’s just as exciting.”

Hollowell first fished the FLW Tour as a co-angler in 2009 before joining as a full-time professional in 2012. Since, Hollowell has earned two FLW Cup appearances, two top-10 finishes in Tour competition and more than $250,000 in career earnings.

“I think FLW is on the cutting-edge of bringing the fans what they want to see through FLW Live,” said Hollowell. “As an angler who has been competing on the Tour for seven years, it’s an awesome opportunity to sit in the studio and get an inside look at how some of the best anglers in the world break down these lakes. I also believe I’ll be able to help communicate some of the thoughts and feelings some of these anglers are experiencing. I’m very thankful to be a part of it.”

The 2019 season of “FLW Live” kicks off this weekend with live, on-the-water coverage on Saturday, Jan. 12 and Sunday, Jan. 13 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. CST at the FLW Tour at Sam Rayburn Reservoir presented by Polaris. The live on-the-water broadcast will air on days three and four of all FLW Tour regular-season events from the boats of the tournaments’ top pros, as well as all three days of the FLW Cup. For additional coverage details, visit FLWFishing.com.

SAM RAYBURN FLW LIVE SCHEDULE

Thursday, Jan. 10

3 p.m. CT – Live weigh-in show (until weigh-in concludes)

Friday, Jan. 11

3 p.m. CT – Live weigh-in show (until weigh-in concludes)

Saturday, Jan. 12

8 a.m. - 2 p.m. CT – Live on-the-water coverage

4 p.m. CT – Live weigh-in show (until weigh-in concludes)

Sunday, Jan. 13

8 a.m. – 2 p.m. CT – Live on-the-water coverage

4 p.m. CT – Live weigh-in show (until weigh-in concludes)

More about FLW Live

The newly enhanced FLW Live show debuted at 2017 FLW Tour stop No. 2 at Lake Travis. The show now includes video feeds streamed live from the top five anglers’ boats on the final two days of FLW Tour events. It is hosted by popular internet fishing personality Travis Moran, FLW Tour pros Todd Hollowell and Peter Thliveros, and internet personality Matt Pangrac. FLW also continues its live broadcast of FLW Tour weigh-ins, which have been streamed online for more than a decade.

by AnglersChannel

Major League Fishing reveals on-air talent for MLF NOW! -

The new Major League Fishing MLF NOW! live stream broadcast team consists of (left to right): Rob Newell, JT Kenney, Marty Stone, Natalie Dillon and Chad McKee. The program will provide five hours of live streaming coverage during each competition day of MLF Bass Pro Tour series' events.

The Bass Pro Tour program will feature five hours of daily live stream coverage

TULSA, Okla. (Jan. 8, 2019) - Major League Fishing (MLF) today announced its five-person MLF NOW! talent lineup that will be calling the action during the program's five hours of live-streaming broadcast on each competition day of the new MLF Bass Pro Tour that kicks off Jan. 29 in Kissimmee, Fla.

For the play-by-play coverage, MLF veteran announcer Marty Stone will team with former pro angler JT Kenney, outdoors communicator Rob Newell, college sports announcer Chad McKee and social media personality Natalie Dillon.

"I really like the dynamics of this group we've assembled," said Randy White, MLF vice president for broadcast production. "We wanted people who had different strengths and perspectives, and to that effect we have a great mix of personalities and knowledge with Marty, JT, Rob, Chad and Natalie. With each of them having their own style, it will no doubt add to the entire on-the-water viewing experience for our livestream audience."

Stone is a color analyst for General Tire Major League Fishing Cup events that air on the Outdoor Channel and CBS Sports, and has been since the television show's debut in 2011. During his previous pro angling career, he garnered two wins among 20 Top 10s in B.A.S.S. and FLW events.

Kenney is a former MLF Select pro who earned 45 Top 10 finishes and more than $1.5 million throughout a 17-year career along the FLW tournament trail. He elected to join the MLF NOW! team instead of competing in the Bass Pro Tour series.

McKee is a veteran college basketball and football announcer for ESPNU, where he also hosted the network's "This Week in the Big 12" studio show. He additionally hosts football programming on the University of Oklahoma's Sooner Sports TV.

Newell is an outdoors communicator whose articles and photos have appeared in FLW and Bassmaster media outlets for years, and he was a regular on FLW Live. He's also covered MLF events since the beginning and therefore has one of the most thorough understandings of the league's format, rules, anglers and tournament-fishing strategies.

Dillon is a social media personality with a following for her "Nattie Up North" postings on YouTube and Instagram. She developed her passion for fishing and the outdoors at an early age in her home state of Minnesota.

MLF NOW! features 10 cameras/cameramen shooting on board competitors' boats throughout all six rounds of each Bass Pro Tour event. MLF opted for the five-person talent crew instead of going with the smaller lineup used at Major League Fishing Cup and MLF Select events because of the extended real-time coverage.

"At first we looked at just a three person set, but quickly realized that five live hours a day is a lot of time for a host, analyst and reporter to cover," White said. "It made perfect sense to have a bigger team for MLF NOW! in order to capture the full excitement and keep things moving."

The organization's inaugural 80-angler event on Florida's Kissimmee Chain of Lakes is Jan. 29 - Feb. 3. Each of the eight Bass Pro Tour events will produce roughly 40 hours of live-streamed content that can be followed on MajorLeagueFishing.com.

All Bass Pro Tour venues have been qualified during the site selection process to satisfy MLF's stringent connectivity requirements because MLF NOW! live stream and SCORETRACKER™ are critical parts throughout the competition days at every event.

Every Bass Pro Tour stop will also become a 2-hour television show to air on Discovery Channel in the fourth quarter of 2019, and then repeat on Sportsman Channel in first and second quarters 2020.

MLF also runs on Outdoor Channel, World Fishing Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network and Discovery Channel, and all episodes are available on-demand on My Outdoor TV (MOTV).

For more information about MLF and its anglers, rules and sponsors, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.

by AnglersChannel

Scholarships Awarded By Alabama Power/B.A.S.S. To Two Alabama Students

Jan. 8, 2018

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Two Alabama students were each awarded a $5,000 scholarship from B.A.S.S. and Alabama Power, the companies announced today.

“We are proud to partner with Alabama Power to support students who want to further their education in a trade,” said Bruce Akin, B.A.S.S. CEO. “And, we’re even more pleased to provide additional scholarship opportunities for students.”

Brenton Godwin of Stapleton and Grey Terry of Tuscaloosa are the recipients.

Godwin is currently a senior at Baldwin County High School (BCHS) in Bay Minette, Ala., and plans to attend Coastal Alabama Community College.

“I plan on starting my college career at Coastal Alabama Community College, then transferring to Auburn University to obtain my Bachelor’s Degree in Poultry Science Production,” said Godwin. “While in college, I aspire to fish at Auburn on the collegiate level.”

He has been an active member of the Baldwin County Fishing Team for the past three seasons, as well as several activities at school and in his community. He participates in Key Club, French Club, Technology Student Association, Future Farmers of America, National Honor Society and the BCHS Varsity baseball team.

“It means so much to me to have been chosen for this scholarship,” said Godwin. “I’ve always loved the sport of bass fishing, and the fact that I’m able to pay for college through this sport is something I never would have imagined 5 years ago.”

Terry, a senior at Northridge High School, has been a student in the welding program at Tuscaloosa Career and Technology Academy and Shelton State Community College’s Dual Enrollment Welding class.

“My goal is to complete an Associate’s Degree at Shelton State and pursue a career in welding,” Terry said. “Since I began taking these courses, I have learned so much about the importance of skilled trades.”

“Congratulations to Brenton and Grey for this acknowledgement of their environmental stewardship and hard work in the classroom,” said Zeke Smith, Alabama Power executive vice president of External Affairs. “These scholarships continue to help students develop the high-demand skills needed for a career in the future workforce of Alabama, and we are proud to partner with BASS to make it happen.”

Applications were open to students currently attending, or planning to attend, a technical school in the state of Alabama.

The scholarship recipients are able to apply the award toward tuition, textbooks or living expenses.

Applications for the 2019-2020 school year will open early this year. Visit Bassmaster.com for details.

About Alabama Power Company
Alabama Power, a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE:SO), provides affordable, reliable electricity to more than 1.4 million customers across the state. Learn more at www.alabamapower.com.

About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2 and Pursuit Channel), radio show (Bassmaster Radio), social media programs and events. For 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.

by AnglersChannel

B.A.S.S. announces angler-motivated rules changes

Courtesy of BASS Communications

The original plan for the 2019 Bassmaster Elite Series was to fish the first two days of every tournament with a full field of 75 pros before cutting to 20 during the semifinal round and 10 for the final round.

But the anglers asked for a change — and their request has been granted.

Instead of having only 20 anglers take part in the semifinal round, that day’s field will now be expanded to 35, giving more competitors a chance to improve their position in the standings — and perhaps even more importantly, allowing them to maximize the benefits of traveling to tournament venues.

“We’re there to fish,” said 2018 Elite Series Rookie of the Year Jake Whitaker. “A lot of movement happens in the standings on that third day — and we’ve all already made the trip there anyway. There’s no reason to limit it to 20 that day.”

Whitaker raised the issue in December during a meeting of the 2019 Elite Series field in Birmingham, Ala. The change was quickly given the go-ahead by B.A.S.S. officials, including CEO Bruce Akin.

“If that’s what the anglers want, we’re all for it,” Akin said. “We want to do whatever we can to help our competitors get the most out of the Elite Series tournament experience.”

In addition, a change in the format of the inaugural tournament of the season was made by B.A.S.S. after consultation with the Elite anglers.

In the past, the official practice days for a tournament that lasts Thursday through Sunday have been Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, with Wednesday’s practice cut short for the pre-tournament meeting. But the anglers voted overwhelmingly to have three days of practice in the future, followed by an off day prior to the start of the event whenever it’s practical.

Because of that change, instead of holding the annual preseason tournament meeting on Sunday, Feb. 3, as originally planned, the meeting has now been moved to Wednesday, Feb. 6 — the day before the opening round of the Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River in Palatka, Fla.

“It’s easy to see why having that day off before the tournament is important,” said B.A.S.S. Tournament Director Trip Weldon. “Instead of going out, fishing all day, then going to a meeting and having to go sort through tackle, now they can be a little more relaxed the day before the competition starts.

“That should make things easier on everyone.”

Weldon said no decisions have been made regarding inserting a Wednesday break into future Elite events.

“It’s tricky to do with only seven days in the week, and especially with six of our tournaments scheduled back-to-back. Steve Bowman, our angler relations manager, and I will discuss this further with the pros at Palatka,” he said.

by AnglersChannel

Eric & Dustin Blevins win Joe Bass team Trail Bull Shoals event with over 24 pounds!

Courtesy of Joebassteamtrail.com

37 teams launched from beautiful Buck Creek Marina in search of the first victory of 2019 and qualifying points for the Joe Bass Team Trails Championship at Truman Lake in October.

Lapping the field was Eric and Dustin Blevins. On what both described as a tough day with the change of weather, their five fish limit pushed the scales to 24.45 pounds! Topping off their stringer was the Ozark Chevrolet Big Bass of the event, a staunch 6.14 kicker. Dustin smiled as he said their Sport Boats USA Key to Success centered on crankbaits and A-rigs on a mix of shallow and deep spots. Their bites were sporadic which kept their Bass Cat on the run all day. The big fish fell to a crankbait in a stretch of dirty water to seal the victory.

The runner up position went to Gene Crisenberry and Keith Hannaford. Gene also smiled as he said there was no reason to lie about what they did, which to lean on the rig and a jigging spoon all day. Bringing 15.64 pounds to the weigh-in reflects a great day on the lake. However, Gene cautioned they only had one fish in the box at 12:30. Nonetheless, they maintained their slow approach on bluff banks in 35-45 feet of water to take second place on a tough day.

Rounding out the top three was Jim Martin and Ted Borchers. They also fished a-rigs both shallow and deep. Mixing in a jerkbait helped them boat 15.19 pounds of Bull Shoals bass. They explained they too experienced a tough bite, as they had to “grind” away to get 7 keepers on the day. Jim and Ted added to their paycheck by taking the Sport Boats USA Skeeter Bonus as they fished from their 2016 ZX225.

The next event in the Bull Shoals Division is January 26th at 7:00 am, Buck Creek Marina.

Results

Place	Team Members	Fish	B/F	TotWgt	Pts	Payout
1	Dustin Blevins – Eric Blevins	5	6.14	24.45	110	$2,040.00	1BB
2	Gene Crisenbery – Keith Hannaford	5	4.08	15.64	109	$1,090.00
3	Jim Martin – Ted Borchers	5	3.8	15.19	108	$890.00	Top Skeeter
4	Roger Harp – Kevin Hyde	5	3.24	14.1	107	$580.00
5	Don Parkin – Rodney Shockey	5	4.27	14.06	106	$390.00
6	Jeff Epley – Kelly Greer	5		12.6	105	$180.00
7	Buck Comstock – Greg Blair	5		12.17	104	$160.00
8	*fished aalone – Tommy Skinner	5	2.77	12.03	103
9	Matt Layman – Randy Colter	5		11.77	102
10	Arthur Fortin – Donald Bovat	5		11.06	101
11	Ed Young – Joey Penzo	5		10.86	100
13	Drew Sagely – Taylor Surly	5	2.35	9.62	98
14	David Rogers – *Laryme Campbell	4		9.22	97
15	Roger Morris – Gregg Sapp	4		9.17	96
16	Drew Tabor – Brock Tabor	4	2.6	9.14	95
17	Kevin Jackson – Bryan Jackson	5	3.18	8.89	94
18	*John Williams – Bob Capps	4		8.22	93
19	Tom Mason – Chris Reese	4	2.66	7.14	92
20	Gary Daniel – Jay Oliver	4		6.67	91
21	Larry Hurtt – Chris Adams	4		6.52	90
22	Wyatt Reed – Zach Pitney	3		5.86	89
23	Chad Stallcup – Jayce Mitchusson	4		4.81	88
24	Mark Thompson – Jim Smith	2		4.5	87
25	Corey Clayton – Seth Reed	1	3.75	3.75	86
26	Casey Brotherton – Mike White			0	10
26	Jason Davidson – Darren Tilley			0	10
26	Jacob Garrett – Kem Wallace			0	10
26	Aaron Hodge – James Bailey			0	10
26	Richie Huebner – Brandon Lowry			0	10
26	Rick Jones – Jeremy Gilbert			0	10
26	Kelly Jones – Roger Satterfield			0	10
26	Bruce Klatt – Ron Beard			0	10
26	Jim Phillips – Cody Combs			0	10
26	Mark Sanders – *Blake Hart			0	10
26	Landon Snelson – Ricky Jones			0	10
26	*Brock Knapp – Donald Wray			0	10
26	Bradley Walker – Ethan Grubaugh			0	10

by AnglersChannel

EVINRUDE EXTENDS FLW SPONSORSHIP, NAMED PRESENTING SPONSOR FOR FIVE FLW EVENTS IN 2019

Courtesy of FLW Communications

MINNEAPOLIS (Jan. 8, 2018) – Fishing League Worldwide (FLW), the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, announced today a sponsorship renewal with Evinrude for the 2019 season, marking the 18^th year the brands have aligned. The agreement ensures that Evinrude and its premier lineup of outboard engines will be showcased across all FLW tournament circuits and through exclusive digital content as well as remaining the official outboard sponsor of FLW.

“FLW is extremely pleased to announce our continued partnership with Evinrude,” said Trish Blake, President of FLW Marketing Division. “2019 marks 18 years of our longstanding relationship, which reinforces the commitment both companies have toward one another and the sport of professional bass fishing. Our fans and anglers have shown tremendous loyalty to our sponsors’ products and our tournaments offer the perfect showcase to display the efficient, reliable Evinrude outboards.”

Evinrude will be prominent at all FLW-sanctioned tournaments and outdoor expos with an Evinrude booth with featured products for fans to visit and experience. The Sturtevant, Wisconsin-based company will also be seen across the FLW’s various media platforms including FLWFishing.com, “FLW Live”, the FLW social media channels, FLW Bass Fishing magazine, and the Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show. Evinrude is slated to be the presenting sponsor for five events during the 2019 tournament season.

“We are very excited to continue our relationship with FLW,” said Tracy Crocker, president of the BRP Marine Group and senior vice president and general manager of Evinrude. “FLW events offer an ideal platform to demonstrate the industry-leading power, performance and value of our Evinrude E-TEC G2 outboards. We look forward to the results from this year’s tournament circuit and helping FLW, competing anglers and fans have a successful 2019 season.”

As part of the sponsorship agreement, Evinrude will continue to offer a contingency awards program for boaters competing in the T-H Marine Bass Fishing League (BFL). To participate, an angler must be the owner of a 2016 or newer 90- to 250-hp Evinrude E-TEC or G2 outboard engine. All contingency payouts will be administered by FLW, allowing for immediate payouts at each tournament.

Prizes are as follows:

$300 to the highest participating finisher in each qualifying tournament
$1,000 to the highest participating finisher in each of the six Regional events
$5,000 to the highest participating finisher at the BFL All-American; $1,500 to the second-highest participating finisher at the BFL All-American; $1,000 to the third-highest participating finisher at the BFL All-American; $500 to the fourth-highest participating finisher at the BFL All-American

Updated details and terms of the program will be posted at FLWFishing.com.

BRP's Evinrude engine line-up from 3.5 to 300 horsepower offers anglers superior value across a wide range of applications. Outboard engines are available at authorized Evinrude dealerships worldwide. For more details or to find a dealership near you, visit Evinrude.com. Follow Evinrude on social media at Facebook, Instagram and Twitter 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, Portugal, South Africa and Spain. 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, YouTube and Snapchat.

by AnglersChannel

Domby & Price Win Bass Junkyz Lake Martinez event with 17.45 Limit!

2nd Place Murry White and Taj White

3rd Place Matt Shura and Lon Armel

Photos Courtesy of Rick Barushok (ShokerActionAz)

by AnglersChannel

No ‘I’ in Team

The Team Tournament Blog by Luke Estel is brought to you courtesy of Strike King Lure Company

As tournament fishermen, we all have big dreams of making it big. Or do we?

There was a time that I thought that I would bust into the Elites and make it big. Not anymore.

In fact, right now in my life, that is the furthest thing from my mind. Let’s face it, would you leave your job, your family, your lifestyle, to go out and fish with the big boys? I am sure several of you would say yes, but the reality of it is there is no way. Why do I say this? Because it’s true.

Think about it for a minute. I mean really think hard. There are roughly 350 “Professional” fishermen in this country. There are tens of thousands of regular hard working weekend warriors out there. The chances are slim but they are possible. In my case here is what would most likely happen. I would leave my stable job from which I get paid every two weeks, drive all over the country spending countless nights in a hotel, rack up major credit cards, miss the real important things in life like my kids growing up and raising a family, and for what? A fraction of a chance to make it big. Not happening.

Now, before some of my professional fishing buddies get mad at me for saying this, let me say something to all of them, you are our role models, our heroes, and we look up to you. You all are able to balance fishing and family to make it work and I applaud you for it. For the rest of us, we do what we can just to be able to fish on the weekends. Let’s take this a step further. I fish two team circuits. One is USA Bassin and the other is Anglers Choice. There is a total of 1105 tournaments in one and 210 in the other. They are in multiple states and their classics pay out handsomely. If I had to guess on how many team tournaments there are across the country, the number would have to be 25,000 to 50,000. That’s a lot of team events.

What’s the point? The point is that team events are becoming the next big thing and I believe that major companies better take note of this wave that is happening. Some events are now televised, others give away a new boat in every event, payouts are getting bigger, and competition is getting stronger. Why leave all that when you and your partner can have fun and possibly have a chance to make some money doing it.

Let’s look at some numbers and I will use myself as an example. Let’s say I fish the Bassmaster Opens (which I have in the past and I love them). Entries are $1500.00 apiece, $1000.00 minimum a piece for expenses, and four weeks off from work using my vacation time. That’s $10,000.00 just to fish four events. Now for my team events.

For seventeen team tournaments it will cost me $1000.00 total in entries, and maybe $1000.00 total in expenses. No vacation time used. On top of that I am fishing lakes that I normally fish. So I can save $8000.00 and fish thirteen more events. No brainer for me.

Team tournaments are fun. There is nothing better than hanging out with your partner in a boat for eight hours trying to win the tournament. It also helps because you now do not have to make all of the decisions and with two in the boat, it makes it a little easier. The other advantage is the stress level is way down. It’s nice to come home after a tournament where you spent $100.00 and you won $300.00 versus, I was gone from work for a week, spent $2500.00 and I missed a check by three pounds.

Team tournaments are the future. If you and your partner have the time and money, start looking at other circuits in neighboring states. It will surprise you how many good paying team tournaments are out There. Good luck and have a great 2019 season.

Strike King Pro Luke Estel from Carbondale Illinois Fishes the BASS Opens, USA Bassin, AnglersChoice and other Team Tournaments across the midwest & SR. Luke and his partner are AnglersChoice Classic Champions and he's an all around great guy and fisherman as well as an accomplished writer.

by AnglersChannel

Howell takes ABA Win on Lake Seminole with over 27 pounds

Courtesy of American Bass Anglers

David Howell from Bainbridge, Ga. is one step closer to the Bass Pro Shops American Fishing Tour National Championship with a first place win in the Seminole Division 114 bass tournament held on Lake Seminole January 6, 2019. David’s limit weighed in at 27.85-pounds. Big Bass was awarded to Andrew Whitaker for catching a 7.71-lb largemouth.

These anglers are acquiring valuable points to ensure their birth into the Bass Pro Shops American Fishing Tour National Championship. Their points are also being used to determine the divisional angler of the year. The top angler by points earned in this division will represent the division in the Angler of the Year final round.

The top six anglers were:

1st	David Howell	27.85-lbs
2nd	Andrew Whitaker	24.37-lbs
3rd	Doug Davis	20.67-lbs
4th	Rick Tyindell	20.58-lbs
5th	Steve Phillips	20.30-lbs
6th	Nic Jeter	17.22-lbs

Conditions: Clear Bluebird skies with mild temp day! Waters temperatures were in the low 60's. Water was muddy.

Winning Strategy: David's pattern was fishing a Carolina rig in deep trees!

Next Divisional Tournament: This division’s next tournament will be February 3, 2019, on Lake Seminole at Seminole Lodge. For more information on this or any future event in this division contact Mitch Oldnettle 850-376-2628 or Len Lindahl 850-272-5305.

About the American Bass Anglers - American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler while offering an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers and all their bass tournament trails visit www.americanbassanglers.com.

by AnglersChannel

Prym1 Camo's Lance Walker with a Pickwick Stud!

Mississippi's Lance Walker has well been known as a big fish guru on Mississippi waters and his latest catch only solidifies this title. Here is Lance's take on his recent double digit bass from Pickwick Lake.

"With the amount of rain we had been having, Pickwick had rose about 4 feet and current was rolling thru and out the dam into Kentucky lake. I decided with the pretty weather (finally) after church to take spend a few hours with a friend on the water.

Noticing the water temp was back over 50 degrees (around 53) and some color in the water the thought was the fish that wanted to bite may move a little shallower especially later in the day as the water warmed. We found a stretch on the river with hydrilla in about 8 foot of water. We really could not believe that the current had not washed it away but it was good and green.

Fish number 1 was a 3 pound largemouth then a 3.5 pd smallmouth and then her. She bit a Shaker Z by Profound Outdoors and was landed on a 7’6 mh hammer rod and 12 pound test vicious flourocarbon. I knew she was over 12 when landing her but my scales were in Cole's (my son) boat so we started quickly looking for boats to find a scale. Luckily the second guys we stopped on were from Russellville and they had a scale we could use and they helped us weigh her and take pictures.

Immediately after, we took her right back to her grass bed for release. From now thru March is the time to catch giants on the TN river and it’s condition oriented. The 3 largest fish I’ve caught have been a 15.48, 13.30 and 12.7 and now this 12.24 have all came from Jan - March time frame."

by AnglersChannel

Ken Lawhon & Tim Garrison win with 11.35 lbs on Robinson

	Big	Total
13 Teams	Fish	Weight	Winnings	Points
Ken Lawhon/Tim Garrison	3.59	11.35	$681.00	110
Todd Butler/Chad Gainey	0	10.13	$200.00	109
Ryan West/Randy Crowley	0	9.27		108
Freddie Gibbs/Clark Gibbs	0	9.17		107
Mike Byrd/Clint Byrd	2.21	9.03		106
Thad Driggers	0	8.41		105
Calvin Griggs/Jimmy McFarlen	2.74	8.39		104
Don Hall/Shon Fales	3.48	7.71	$39.00	103
Scott McLamb/Miles Hair	0	7.38		102
Shawn Hicken/Jody Sykes	0	7.09		101
Tony Amerson/Hillary Pratt	0	5.65		100
James Bond/Allen Varner	0	5.25		99
Gene Winburn/Jason Murdock	0	3.82		98
Total Entrys			$1,040.00
BONUS $			$200.00
Total Paid At Ramp			$920.00
Robinson 2018 Fall Final Fund			$310.00
2019 CATT Championship Fund			$10.00
2018 Robinson Fall Final Fund Total			$560.00
2019 CATT Championship Fund Total			$2,450.00

by AnglersChannel

Jacob Wheeler Joins Duckett Fishing’s Famed Pro Staff

Guntersville, Ala., Jan. 7, 2019 — Jacob Wheeler, number one angler in Bass Fans World rankings, welcomed 2019 as the newest member of the Duckett Fishing Pro Staff. Under his contract, Wheeler will fish exclusively with Duckett Fishing products.

“Jacob’s talents are undeniable, and the fact that he chooses to fish with us is an honor,” stated Boyd Duckett, owner of Duckett Fishing. “He can resonate with aspiring anglers, providing them with a role model for exceptional fishing techniques.”

Wheeler’s success as an angler stems from his distinctive techniques, which perfectly align with Duckett Fishing’s “Pro-Driven” philosophy. As an angler-owned and angler-driven company, Duckett Fishing leads the design of each of its products with technique, not price and style like other manufacturers.

“Duckett’s rods and reels have a great reputation for quality,” said Wheeler. “Being a Pro-Driven company, these folks do this day in and day out. I can count on the fact they will always have a rod to fit my needs.”

In Spring 2019, Duckett Fishing and Wheeler will release to the public a new series of “Jacob Wheeler” rods and reels. The new line has been developed directly by Wheeler to match and support his style of fishing.

“Since I started to fish professionally, it has been a dream of mine to design a group of rods,” said Wheeler. “Designing my own series has given me the opportunity to create something specific that supports the right actions for everything I do, and now other anglers will have the opportunity to experience those same things on their rods.”

Wheeler joins the strong team of current Bass Pro Tour anglers and Duckett Fishing Pro Staff members Timmy Horton, Kelly Jordan, Gary Klein, Jason Lambert, Dean Rojas and Boyd Duckett.

by AnglersChannel

Texas Team Trail Kicks Off in 4 Weeks! Register Today!

by AnglersChannel

Strike King’s Hanselman Claims First Costa of 2019

Courtesy of FLW Fishing

Ray Hanselman earns Fifth Career Win in Costa FLW Series competition – Ties for Most All-Time – Takes Home $36,751

DEL RIO, Texas (Jan. 5, 2019) – Local pro Ray Hanselman of Del Rio,brought five bass weighing 12 pounds, 1 ounce, to the scale Saturday to win the 2019 season-opening Costa FLW Series at Lake Amistad presented by Ranger Boats. The tournament was shortened from three days to two after competition was cancelled Thursday due to bad weather. Anglers started competition Friday, with boater and co-angler winners determined by heaviest cumulative two-day weight on Saturday. Hanselman’s two-day total of 10 bass weighing 38 pounds even was enough to earn him the victory and a check for $36,751.

Hanselman last won on Lake Amistad in FLW Series competition in 2015, a season where he swept the Southeastern division and went on to win the Costa FLW Series Championship. The four-consecutive wins, dubbed “Hanselmania” by FLW web editors, was one of the most dominant performances in the history of tournament bass fishing.

“It’s sure nice when they have a tournament on your home lake like this,” said Hanselman. “I really like to fish this time of year, too.”

Hanselman’s win this year was anchored by a 25-pound limit, which he caught Friday working a flat basin in a creek arm. He looked for scattered grass in 15 to 25 feet of water and targeted bass that were transitioning from winter patterns to prespawn staging spots. He said he found his fish on three particular clumps of grass.

“There’s a subtle ditch that ran down the middle of it – the center of the ditch was 16 feet deep and the sides were 13 feet down and I was cranking the grass that laid over it,” said Hanselman. “It’s just little patches of it. That’s the way you want it because that congregates them on [a few] good patches. This place was set up good with grass that was growing a foot or two off the bottom. Once you find that grass with your bait, you can stay on it cast after cast. One of those grass beds had three giants in it, including one that was about 7 pounds.”

Hanselman threw an umbrella rig early in the day Friday, but cited a Strike King 5XD crankbait as his main bait. Noting that natural colors work best in the lake’s clear water, he chose a bluegill-shad pattern.

“I threw my baits on 10-pound-test Gamma fluorocarbon [line], just trying to get it down to the top of the grass,” said Hanselman. “I don’t want to bog it down. I just want to touch the grass every now and then.”On Saturday, Hanselman said he returned to the basin but had trouble getting bass to bite the crankbait early on.

“I caught one right off the bat on the crankbait, and I could see them on my graph, but they wouldn’t hit,” said Hanselman. “I picked up a drop-shot rig [with a KVD Magic-colored Strike King Dreamshot] and caught a limit, which settled me in.”

Hanselman said he left around 11:30 a.m. so he could let the area rest, and caught some small ones and a couple more keepers. He returned around 2:30 p.m. and caught one on the 5XD crankbait and one on a suspending jerkbait.

The top 10 pros on Lake Amistad finished:

1^st: Ray Hanselman, Del Rio, Texas, 10 bass, 38-0, $36,751

2^nd: Tyson Patrick, McCamey, Texas, nine bass, 25-15, $14,263

3^rd: Jeff Kriet , Ardmore, Okla., 10 bass, 25-4, $10,965

4^th: William Blaine, San Angelo, Texas, 10 bass, 24-10, $9,138

5^th: Tim Flowers, Midland, Texas, nine bass, 23-8, $8,224

6^th: Costa pro Todd Castledine, Nacogdoches, Texas, seven bass, 23-3, $7,310

7^th: T.R. Andreas, Kerrville, Texas, 10 bass, 23-2, $6,396

8^th: Kyle Cortiana, Coweta, Okla., nine bass, 22-14, $5,483

9^th: Clyde Glenn, Belton, Texas, nine bass, 22-5, $4,569

10^th: Lance Crawford, Broken Bow, Okla., 10 bass, 21-2, $3,655

A complete list of results will be posted at FLWFishing.com.

Roy Whisenhunt of Valliant, Oklahoma, weighed an 8-pound, 6-ounce, bass Friday – the biggest of the tournament in the Pro Division. For his catch, Whisenhunt earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $260.

Jay Childs of Houston, Texas, won the Co-angler Division and a Ranger Z175 with a 115-horsepower outboard motor with a two-day total catch of five bass weighing 20 pounds, 9 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers on Lake Amistad finished:

1^st: Jay Childs, Houston, Texas, five bass, 20-9, $27,000

2^nd: Chad McClendon, Grapevine, Texas, seven bass, 18-8, $4,756

3^rd: Ray Helveston, Powderly, Texas, five bass, 17-6, $3,898

4^th: Mason Roach, Conroe, Texas, 10 bass, 16-14, $3,309

5^th: Julian Machuca, Pecos, Texas, 10 bass, 16-4, $2,794

6^th: Russell Truitt, Liberty Hill, Texas, nine bass, 15-5, $2,328

7^th: Buddy Hicks, Port Neches, Texas, six bass, 15-3, $1,862

8^th: Mike Power, Conroe, Texas, eight bass, 14-12, $1,630

9^th: Scotty Walton, Yukon, Okla., seven bass, 13-3, $1,397

10^th: Rafael Menchaca, Del Rio, Texas, seven bass, 12-12, $1,164

Helveston caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division Friday, a fish weighing 8 pounds, 11 ounces. For his catch, Bates earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $200.

The Costa FLW Series on Lake Amistad presented by Ranger Boats was hosted by the Del Rio Chamber of Commerce. It was the first of three Southwestern Division tournaments of the 2019 regular season. The next Costa FLW Series tournament will be the Southeastern Division opener, held Jan. 31 - Feb. 2 on Lake Okeechobee in Clewiston, Florida. For a complete schedule, visit FLWFishing.com.

The Costa FLW Series consists of five U.S. divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western – along with the International division. Each U.S. division consists of three regular-season tournaments with competitors vying for valuable points that could earn them the opportunity to compete in the season-ending Costa FLW Series Championship. The 2019 Costa FLW Series Championship is being held Oct. 31 – Nov. 2 on Lake Cumberland in Burnside, Kentucky.

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

by AnglersChannel

Hanselman Leads Day 1 of Amistad Costa Series by almost 9 pounds!

Courtesy of FLWFishing.com

January 4, 2019

Suffice it to say that Ray Hanselman’s plan definitely came together – just a little earlier than he anticipated. The Del Rio, Texas, pro’s not griping, of course, as his limit catch of 25 pounds, 15 ounces leads by a wide margin at the Costa FLW Series Southwestern Division event presented by Ranger on Lake Amistad.

Complete results

Tournament details

Working the perimeter of a spawning bay, Hanselman looked for scattered grass in 15 to 25 feet. He targeted bass that were transitioning from winter patterns to prespawn staging spots.

Hanselman, who swept the division in 2015 in one of the most remarkable seasons of bass fishing ever, says he carried moderately optimistic expectations into his home lake this week and ended up pleasantly surprised to be carrying a lead of 9-7 into tomorrow’s final round. (After Thursday’s scheduled start was postponed due to severe weather, the event was shortened to two days of competition.)

“It’s an unbelievable feeling to catch a bag like that on your home lake,” Hanselman says. “I was thinking I’d get lucky and catch 15 pounds of fish. In practice I found schools of fish, but this cold weather must have really bunched them up, so I was fishing the way I like to.”

Hanselman found his fish on three particular clumps of grass.

“It’s just little patches of it. That’s the way you want it because that congregates them on [a few] good patches. This place was set up good with grass that was growing a foot or two off the bottom.

“Once you find that grass with your bait, you can stay on it cast after cast,” he says. “One of those grass beds had three giants in it, including one that was about 7 pounds.

He threw an umbrella rig early in the day, but a Strike King 5XD was his main bait. Noting that natural colors work best in the lake’s clear water, he chose a bluegill pattern.

“I threw my baits on 10-pound Gamma fluorocarbon, just trying to get it down to the top of the grass,” Hanselman says. “I don’t want to bog it down. I just want to touch the grass every now and then.

“Luckily, they were inhaling it. I was using a 7-6 Power Tackle 550 rod, and that really ‘gives’ it to them so they get the hooks good.”

As Hanselman explains, he hit all of his historical spots in two days of practice and found a particular area where three consecutive casts yielded three 2-pounders in practice.

“I thought I’d start there and get a limit, and I stayed there all day,” he adds. “It’s been kinda slim pickings on big ones lately. You’ll catch one or two good ones, but I guess that cold weather the last two days really pulled them in.”

TOP 10 PROS

1. Ray Hanselman – Del Rio, Texas – 25-15 (5)

2. Dave Parsons – Yantis, Texas – 16-8 (4)

3. Clyde Glenn – Belton, Texas – 14-15 (5)

3. Tim Flowers – Midland, Texas – 14-15 (5)

5. Jeff Kriet – Ardmore, Okla. – 14-6 (5)

6. Lance Crawford – Broken Bow, Okla. – 13-11 (5)

7. Colby Miller – Elmer, La. – 13-9 (5)

8. Randy Dixon – Borger, Texas – 13-3 (4)

8. Trent Holloway – Kingwood, Texas – 13-3 (5)

10. Rick Clunn – Ava, Mo. – 13-0 (4)

KICKER PUTS CHILDS ATOP CO-ANGLER FIELD

Normally, three fish won’t lead a tournament field, but for Houston co-angler Jay Childs, a trio that went 17-10 gave him the division lead by a margin of 3-3. Anchoring his bag was an 8-7 that fell just 4 ounces short of the co-angler division’s big fish – an 8-11 caught by Ray Helveston.

The cool part of this story is that Childs’ kicker was his first fish of the tournament, his first of 2019 and his first on an umbrella rig.

“I thought it was a striper because my boater, Roger Hughes, had been catching a bunch of stripers,” Childs recalls. “We went to another spot, and I caught another big one on the Alabama Rig. The first big fish was about 8 o’clock, and the second was about 2.”

Childs fitted his rig with Zoom Swimmin’ Super Fluke Juniors. He modified a five-arm rig by replacing hooked baits with decoys on the top two arms.

“When those fish bit, they really crushed it,” Childs says. “I was fortunate to catch one more fish on a Senko.”

TOP 10 CO-ANGLERS

1. Jay Childs – Houston, Texas – 17-10 (3)

2. Chad McClendon – Grapevine, Texas – 14-7 (5)

3. Randy Woodard – Paris, Texas – 11-13 (5)

4. David Doonan – Caldwell, Texas – 11-6 (4)

5. Scotty Walton – Yukon, Okla. – 10-1 (5)

6. Ray Helveston – Powderly, Texas – 8-11 (1)

6. Tommy (Shane) Ehrlich – Baytown, Texas – 8-11 (4)

8. Justin Lampier – San Angelo, Texas – 8-10 (5)

9. Keith Honeycutt – Temple, Texas – 8-8 (5)

10. Rafael Menchaca – Del Rio, Texas – 7-15 (4)

Complete results

by AnglersChannel

Winter's Triple Threat

Three Ways for More Winter Bass with B.A.S.S. Pro Mark Menendez

For many, winter’s time to hang up the bass gear and wait until spring ushers in warmer waters and the magic of the pre-spawn period.

But for others, like B.A.S.S. pro Mark Menendez, winter represents a great time to focus on large bass, albeit in conditions that require more substantial clothing and thinking outside the warm weather bass box in terms of fish behavior, location, and presentation choices.

“There are three ways I really enjoy fishing winter bass and a couple deviate from what most of the crowd does,” says Menendez. “The first is I love to crank a crankbait in winter. Secondly, one of my specialties is fishing a suspended jerkbait, and the final way—which nobody seems to fish anymore but I have the gray hair to remember how effective it is—is fishing a curly-tail grub.”

All three techniques play into his focus on main lake structure when fishing winter bass. “This goes against the grain with what most anglers think about winter bass fishing, that all bass end up deep, but that’s not necessarily true,” says Menendez. “What winter bass want is the shallow availability to get a bite to eat and then move to deep water to metabolize that food. Another thing anglers forget is cold water affects big bass less than smaller fish. Big bass are just like us, in that when you go to the buffet restaurant you’re trying the get the biggest meal possible for the least amount of energy extended, so that’s why I always like to sit right next to the buffet. When the water’s cold, big bass are the same way. That’s why they target gizzard shad, perch, and bluegills first rather than chasing threadfin shad, shiners, or those smaller minnows because they want to get the biggest meal possible so they don’t have to feed for two or three days with their metabolism being so slow.”

That said, when winter bass fishing, Menendez is constantly on the lookout for any kind of shallow flat, ledge, or other shallow area with deep water next to it. “You have to remember that in winter, bass are feeding in a vertical manner, moving up and down in the water column instead of moving long distances laterally to the backs of creeks and things like that. So I’m basically fishing main lake oriented structure in the winter with vertical-oriented techniques.”

WINTER CRANKIN’

Of Menendez’ favorite winter bass techniques, the crankbait rod is often the first to come out at the start of the day. And when it comes to how to work the bait, the key is exactly the same as it is when warm water crankin’—and that’s deflection. You still need to get your bait down to the bottom and get that bait bouncing off rocks and structure to get bites.

“The real question you have to ask when choosing a crankbait in winter,” says Menendez, “is do you want a wiggle or a wobble? Traditional thought processes want a wiggling crankbait in clear water and a wobbling crankbait in dirty water. But I tend to buck that system a bit in that even though bass are primarily sight-oriented feeding fish in cold water, I choose a wobbling versus wiggling bait. In the winter I like a crankbait with a very big, wide weight-laced wobble, so that leads me to a Strike King Series 4 crankbait, which is a little bit bigger than the average 10-foot diving plug as far as profile and it has a bill that extends at a downward angle for a really pronounced wobble and excellent deflection.”

Besides wobble and deflection, color also comes into play when chasing winter bass.

“One of the things that’s really important is how that color reacts under water and creates a pulse or flash. That makes Green Tomato my top choice—a red bait with a chartreuse belly and crawfish pattern. When it wobbles that chartreuse really throws a pulse of color out there so the bass can see it from a distance. My number two choice is Sexy Shad, a white-bellied bait that’s perfect when I’m fishing waters with gizzard shad. My third choice is actually a root beer color, which kind of gives me that perch or bluegill appearance.”

As far as gear for wintertime crankin’, Menendez says line choice is critical and opts for 12 pound Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon. “I’m bouncing that bait off rocks so extreme durability is key. I’m not doing it with a ton of force, but I am making that bait get down to the bottom and deflect and that’s how you get the majority of your bites. My favorite line for this technique is definitely Seaguar’s InvizX. It’s tough, nearly invisible to the fish, and extremely sensitive.”

Along with the line choice, Menendez is quick to share a line maintenance tip that’s been substantial in improving his winter bass game. “One of the tips I like to utilize in the winter—especially needing to crank slower in colder water anyway—is not filling the reel spool to the maximum. Always leave an 1/8- to a ¼ inch from the maximum spool fill and your reel gear ratio will actually go down to aid in slower cranking and will also make your line behave much better. You don’t have as many overruns on your casting and if you do have some ice or moisture build-up you don’t have to worry about that interfering with the behavior of the line and reel either.”

By filling his reel with less InvizX, Menendez actually decreases the gear ratio of his Lew’s BB1 from 5.1:1 to as low as 4.8:1 or 4.7:1, which he throws on a Lew’s 7-foot composite medium-heavy David Fritts Perfect Crankin’ Rod.

SUSPENDING JERKBAITS

Although Menendez loves crankin’ for winter bass, he’s quick to admit that fishing a suspending jerkbait often trumps all in terms of producing both numbers and good size bass during winter—and may be the absolute best way to catch your biggest bass of the entire season.

So why are jerkbaits so effective in cold water? Menendez explains it like this: “Here’s something you can say about a jerkbait. You can flip a jig under a boat dock, you can skip it under a pontoon boat, you can throw a jig into a brush pile, pitch it around lily pads, whatever… Like a jig, with most of our bass techniques we’re trying to position our bait towards the bass. But a jerkbait is the only bait we really have that the technique can pull the fish from the depths to the bait – so this is a lot of cat and mouse play that works well in cold water. You can also change your cadence on how you jerk the bait – mine’s normally a jerk, jerk, pause – but sometimes you have to jerk the rod down two or three times and jerk the rod up once to get that bait to do something different. Sometimes it’s just a single jerk, sometimes it’s four or five in a row, sometimes it’s sweeping the rod. So you have to be cognizant of the jerk method and what makes the fish bite it. That will tell you how you need to make your cadence.”

He continues: “The thing you have to remember is big bass are not affected as much by cold water. That said, fishing a jerkbait will catch you big largemouths, smallmouths, spotted bass, everything… The key to this is water clarity. You have to have a minimum of 18 inches of water clarity for jerkbaits to be effective. Anything less than that and the crankbait will shine.”

With Menendez, the proof’s in the pudding. Looking back, he won his first national B.A.S.S. tournament back in 1998 fishing a jerkbait in extremely cold water. What he discovered early on is the basic premise of jerkbait fishing is determining how hard to jerk the bait and how long to pause. Along those lines, the colder the water, the softer the jerk and the longer the pause. Of course, this requires a great deal of patience and angler control.

“One of the things I’ve found is when you’ve giving the bait a five, 10-, or 15-second pause, I’m much more efficient at fishing that bait when I sit down because as a person I’m far more patient sitting down than I am standing up, and I can control that bait a lot easier. Most of the time we’re on the main lake and generally exposed to wind in the wintertime and when I’m sitting down I have better balance, patience, and posture for fishing that jerkbait.”

Menendez’ solution? Take the back seat out of the boat and put in the front! “It looked kind of funny but that simple solution helped me win that national tournament when I was fishing in three- to four-foot waves. Sitting down, I was really able to focus on the bait and pause for long periods of time and subsequently won that tournament by over seven pounds.”

In terms of jerkbait choice, he’s recently been fishing the Strike King 300 Deep Jerkbait which dives a bit deeper than most baits on the market, hitting that nine or ten foot level. And he chooses his colors like he does with crankbaits; it’s all about pulse and flash.

“On sunny days, I really like to have something that throws a good pulse like a chrome pattern or something white so the bass can see it from a distance. On overcast days, I’m fishing more of a solid white color or something that throws a lot of color,” says Menendez.

Case in point, Menendez was recently fishing with TV host Mark Zona, both of them fishing different-colored jerkbaits.

“Zona was throwing a Crystal Shiner pattern and I was throwing a Strobe pattern, which is a purple back with a silver insert and bright chartreuse belly and in the deeper water along the dam in the lake we were fishing, I got every bite. We were sitting in 22 feet and casting up onto 13 to 14 foot water. There, Mark did not get a bite. Then we moved up the lake a little ways to a major point that stuck out where the water was shallower – 7 to 9 feet adjacent to a 14 foot drop-off by the point, and Mark got every bite on the Crystal Shiner pattern. We could not figure out why I caught them all down by the dam and he caught them all by the point. In both spots we were targeting shallower flat areas with nearby drop-offs to deeper water. But what it illustrates is how important color can be, especially in different depths.”

Like his choice of line for crankbait fishing, Menendez says it’s “absolutely critical” when fishing jerkbaits in the winter. And although fluorocarbon is his primary choice, there are times when he’ll switch to monofilament for more control.

“I do like to fish jerkbaits on 10-pound Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon 90% of the time but when the fish are ultra-picky in how they’re biting the bait I will go to 10-pound Seaguar Rippin’ monofilament because when they’re not biting very aggressively Seaguar fluorocarbon will transmit that bite to me so much faster and cleaner to my hand that I set the hook too quickly and actually pull the bait from the fish. With monofilament, which is not as sensitive, and has a lot more stretch than fluorocarbon but still a good deal of abrasion resistance, I’m fishing a little more blind and that allows the bass to get that jerkbait before I realize the fish has got it and I get better hookups.”

In terms of rod and reel set-up for winter jerkin’, Menendez uses a Team Lew’s baitcaster in a 6.8:1 gear ratio on a 6’ 7” Topwater Lew’s Custom Speed Stick.

A LOST ART: CURLY-TAIL GRUB FISHING IN COLD WATER

With so many cold-water presentation options on the scene: Alabama rigs, swimbaits, float & fly, et cetera, grub fishing has pretty much become a lost art. But for anglers like Menendez, they remember how effective the old-school technique can be, despite its decrease in popularity.

“The grub is a cold-water special, particularly in lakes that you have threadfin shad in; that’s what you’re mimicking. And it can catch a lot of fish,” says Menendez.

His choice? A Strike King Rage Grub. “The four-inch version on a ¼-ounce Tour Grade jig head is the one I use nine times out of 10, but it has a flange on it, and there are times when that flange creates too much disturbance, so take my pocketknife and slice off the flange to create a much quieter bait. So, depending on how I get the bite or how many fish I’m catching, I may or may not do that. I tend to cut that flange off in water with five or six feet of visibility just to allow the bait to move a little faster and quieter.”

In terms of grub colors, he keeps it pretty simple and sticks to three basic colors: Pearl Chartreuse, Pearl White, and the third is what he calls Bluegill, a Pearl White with smoked blue flake in it.

Again, line choice is important. “I use 8-pound Seaguar Tatsu fluorocarbon because it’s so soft, invisible, and behaves so well on spinning gear. I attach the bait with a Palomar knot and that’s it.”

When it comes to fishing the grub, Menendez describes himself as the laziest man in fishing and says if he can make a technique simpler, he certainly will. When it comes to grubs, that means two primary methods that have proven their efficacy in winter waters. And location-wise he’s typically fishing parallel to the bank, a bluff, rip-rap point, or a concrete structure along a dam.

“There are two ways I fish a grub in winter: I’ll swim it suspended in the water column or fish it on the fall. If I notice the fish are chasing shad balls in 10 or 12 feet of water, I’ll count that grub down 7 to 10 seconds and point my rod at about a 45-degree angle and then I’ll start a slow reeling, keeping that bait with those shad and off the bottom.”

He continues: “I want the grub near vertical habitat so I can work it horizontally in the same manner as the shad in these same areas and pull those bass to the bait. If I can’t get them to do that when they’re down 15, 18, 20 feet in freezing water, then it’s a complete vertical technique, and I let the bait pretty much fall on its own counting it down on a tight line 18, 20, 22, 25 feet to the bottom and then begin a very slow crawl back to the boat.”

In terms of rods for grub fishing, Menendez uses a 7-foot Lew’s spinning Custom Speed Stick Shakey Head Special Model with a 3000 series spinning reel on it.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Winter certainly presents its challenges on the water – wind, precipitation, and cold – but fact is, there’s plenty of good bass fishing to be had if you’re up to the challenge.

“Again, winter can be a fantastic season to chase all species of bass – green fish, brown fish, spotted fish – and can produce some really big bass,” says Menendez. “For me, putting these three techniques into play – crankbaits, suspending jerkbaits, and grubs – certainly ups my odds each time I unload the boat during the winter season.”

by AnglersChannel

Missile Baits To Hold No Entry Fee Tournaments

Release Courtesy of Missile Baits

Salem, Va. – January 4, 2019 – Fishing for money and paying no entry fee is no longer only for the pros. Missile Baits is beginning their No Entry Fee Tournament Series. The one day, team events will feature a guaranteed $2,500 total payout with the winning team walking away with a guaranteed $1,000. The teams will only be allowed to have Missile Baits soft plastics and Missile Jigs skirted jigs in their boat but any brands of terminal tackle will be allowed.

John Crews, company owner and pro angler, said, “My dream is for every angler to get to fish for no entry fee and have a chance to get some cool exposure. Our No Entry Fee Tournaments are going to be open to anyone and will be a fun experience for anglers of all skill levels. I know that when even more anglers have the incentive to fish with more Missile products, they will be into catching plenty of bass.”

The first event will be held on Lake Lanier in Northern Georgia on February 24^th. Hammond’s Fishing Center will be the host dealer and assist with the tournament logistics. The second tournament will be May 11^th on Old Hickory Lake, near Nashville, Tennessee. Flipper’s Bait and Tackle will be the host dealer and help with that tournament. Anglers can purchase Missile products from any retail location.

Anglers will be able to sign up on the Missile Baits web site or at the host dealers for the No Entry Fee Tournaments. The tournament weigh ins will be streamed live on YouTube and each event will be followed with a recap video with interviews of the top 5 finishers and other participants. Anglers may participate in additional side pots to increase their potential winnings. Follow Missile Baits social media for updates on when signups will begin, more tournament details, and other information as the events get closer.

MISSILE BAITS is a small company dedicated to creating SERIOUS soft plastic baits to help anglers catch more fish. The designs are straight off the top-level professional bass tour. Based in Salem, Virginia, MISSILE BAITS works relentlessly to make the best baits, show their customers how to use them, and stay on the cutting edge of bass fishing. Founded in January 2012, new products and videos will continue to be launched. Log onto www.MISSILEBAITS.com for videos, tips, and more.

For information: www.MISSILEBAITS.com, or

by AnglersChannel

The New Year is here & Podcast Season #2!

The boys are back from an extended Holiday to get the New Year kicked off right! They talk Santa Claus, New Years, New Years Resolutions, Cali, Progressive Bass Wrap up and highlight upcoming Derbies in this weeks Costa Countdown to Blast off.

No better way to start your year then with Chris and Jason on the AC Insider Podcast!

by AnglersChannel

Charlie Evans adds Bass Pro Shops

Courtesy of Charlie Evans Fishing

FLW Tour angler Charlie Evans and Bass Pro Shops have entered into an agreement for the 2019 season in which Bass Pro Shops will share top billing with Paw Patrol on Evans’ jersey, Toyota Tundra and Ranger Z520L.

Following a 28 year career with FLW Outdoors Evans began his second career in 2011 as a pro angler with the intention of promoting the sport that had been kind to him. “Lil Anglers was the perfect fit for me; their Kid Casters brand of Paw Patrol No-Tangler rods are ideal tools to introduce kids to fishing,” Evans said. “I jumped at the opportunity to share Lil Anglers’ mission of encouraging kids and their family to get outdoors.”

“The only thing that could improve having Paw Patrol’s Skye, Chase and Marshall along with me at tournaments and appearances is partnering with the company that provides more support to our sport than any other,” Evans added. “One of Bass Pro Shops’ key conservation initiatives is connecting kids and families to the outdoors.”

Christine Wamsley, Director of Marketing for Bass Pro Shops, said, “We are excited that Charlie has joined our Pro Staff. He brings a ton of industry experience with him and we love his involvement with kids through Paw Patrol. The Kid Casters rods are available in our stores and on our website.”

by AnglersChannel

Ranger Boats Announces 2019 Retail Sales Programs

Retail incentives available for a limited time to buyers of qualified models

FLIPPIN, Ark. (January 3, 2019) - Ranger Boats is providing additional incentives for potential boat buyers this year with the announcement of its 2019 retail sales promotions. With limited-time-only offers geared for both fiberglass and aluminum customers, qualifying purchases will receive benefits up to $2,950 in combined retail value for eligible models.

For freshwater fiberglass boat buyers, the 2019 Driven to Dominate Sales Event, powered by Mercury, runs from January 3 to March 31, 2019 and is designed to benefit the buyers of Ranger's most popular models. Any new, qualifying Z500 Comanche Series or Fisherman Series model equipped with a Mercury outboard sold during this time will receive a $1,000 Bass Pro Shops / Cabela's gift card, deluxe Ranger boat cover (retail value: $1,050) as well as two (2) custom Mustang inflatable PFDs (retail value: $600) and a $300 credit towards premium Ranger clothing and accessories available through Rangerwear.com.

Meanwhile, buyers of any new, qualifying Z500/Z100 Series, Angler or Fish-N-Play model equipped with a Mercury outboard sold during the Driven to Dominate promotion will receive a $500 Bass Pro Shops / Cabela's gift card, deluxe Ranger boat cover (retail value: $1,050) as well as one (1) custom Mustang inflatable PFD (retail value: $300) and a $200 credit towards premium Ranger clothing and accessories available through Rangerwear.com.

Complete details on the Driven to Dominate promotion, including available incentives for non-Mercury powered packages and Ranger Cup Equipped models are available online at Rangerboats.com

For saltwater enthusiasts, the 2019 Saltwater Series promotion runs from January 3 to March 31, 2019. Any new, qualifying Bay Ranger sold during this time will receive a $2,000 consumer cash discount plus a $100 credit towards premium Ranger clothing and accessories available through Rangerwear.com.

Finally, Ranger aluminum customers will also have exclusive purchase incentives available with the 2019 RT, RB & Deep V Series Bonus Offer. The offer, available from January 3 to March 31, 2019, includes a deluxe boat cover (retail value: $570), an aluminum wheel upgrade (retail value: $222) and a $100 credit towards premium Ranger clothing with the purchase of any qualifying RT, RB or Deep V Series model.

All programs are limited to the purchase of new, qualifying Ranger boats powered by Mercury, Evinrude or Yamaha engines that are sold by participating dealers during the promotion's timeframe and cannot be combined with other offers.

For more information on Ranger's 2019 retail promotions, including a complete list of specific model offerings, customers are encouraged to visit the "special offers" section on www.rangerboats.com

by AnglersChannel

Lew’s Holdings Corporation Lands Some Big Fish....Hackeny, Montgomery, Niggemeyer and more.

Lexington, S.C. (Jan. 2, 2018)– The success of Lew’s Fishing and our product line is no accident. We have surrounded ourselves with some of the most highly successful, and respected anglers throughout the industry. They represent an unmatched force in terms of product design and angling accolades. With the emergence of a third pro tour, the Lew’s team has reloaded for 2019 with a bevy of accomplished veterans as well as some of the sport’s brightest up and comers.

“If you look down the roster of pros who represent Lew’s or Strike King, you can’t help but be intimidated,” said Senior Vice President of Marketing for Lew’s Holdings, David May. “Legends have historically represented one or the other of our brands; such as Kevin VanDam, Denny Brauer and Mark Zona, who have long been faces of Strike King, Jason Christie who has been a Lew’s pro and Mark Rose who has been a benchmark for both brands, jump off the page. Now we’ve also added some names that will fly the banners of both brands.

“Among them, 2018 MLF World Champion Greg Hackney and arguably the world’s best jig skipper, Andy Montgomery, have been added to the Lew’s family. Along with them, you shouldn’t sleep on some of these young guns either,” May continued. James Niggemeyer was one bite away from winning the Forrest Wood Cup in 2018. I’m pretty sure Jeff Sprague hasn’t missed a Cup since he started fishing FLW, and Jared McMillan just flat scares folks in Florida. All three have decided to join with both brands.

All told, notable additions who will be wearing both the Lew’s and Strike King logo’s in 2019 include; MLF pros Andy Morgan, Hackney, Montgomery, Sprague, FLW Tour pros Niggemeyer, Todd Castledine, McMillan, Greg Bohannon Eric Jackson, Billy Hines and Andrew Upshaw, Bassmaster Elite Series pro Bill Lowen, and FLW Costa Series pros Melinda Mize and Brauer.

The Lew’s/Strike King Pro Team can be found at the top of pro-fishing leaderboards everywhere as well as on our websites, www.lews.comand www.strikeking.com.

by AnglersChannel

TEXAS COMPANY SETS $100,000 BOUNTY FOR STATE RECORD BASS

Press Release and Video Courtesy of Stanley Jigs / Hale Lures

HUNTINGTON, TX. – Hale Lures/Stanley Jigs, a leading manufacturer of trophy bass tackle, is putting their money behind their reputation. Effective January 1, 2019, through December 31, 2019, any angler catching a new state record largemouth bass that exceeds the weight of the current record bass exceeding 22lbs. 6oz on any Stanley Jig bait or Hale Lure bait will collect $100,000.00 in cold, hard, American cash.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWjQ_y-WDJc&fbclid=IwAR0e8UEqjQHbSbJXGv1LIcIcvxWjJIcd_-3TjV4V8VQ89CuDVDyd7XUoW3Q

Since the company’s founding nearly 40 years ago, Stanley lures have accounted for multiple state record and teen-class fish, including the world-famous Ethel, a 17.86 pound monster caught by Mark Stevenson on a Stanley Jig and a Hale Craw combo on Lake Fork in 1986. They’re not just for giants, though. They’ve also been responsible for hundreds of tournament victories across the country and across the world and have played a major part in at least two Bassmaster Classic wins.

“We have already caught so many monstrous bass on Stanley Lures, why not a world record?” company CEO John Hale asked.

Despite Stanley’s storied history and firm status in every serious bass fisherman’s boat, we continue to innovate, with recent creations like the Big Nasty Jig, New Mud Puppy, and Awesome Twin Spin making a major stir in the tournament world.

“With the new baits we have added to our lineup, we feel you even have a better chance to catch a fish of a lifetime,” said company founder Lonnie Stanley.

This a free contest that runs from January 1, 2019, till December 31, 2019. For more details and a complete set of rules, go to www.fishstanley.com and register immediately.

by AnglersChannel

Day One of FLW Costa Series Event on Lake Amistad Cancelled due to unsafe conditions

Advisory for Thursday, Jan. 3, 2019

WHAT: Day One of the season-opening Costa FLW Series event on Lake Amistad presented by Ranger Boats has been canceled due to strong winds. Originally scheduled to start today (Thursday, Jan. 3), the event is the first stop in the Southwestern Division.

WHERE: Costa FLW Series at Lake Amistad presented by Ranger Boats

East Diablo Launch Ramp

Highway 90 W.

Del Rio, Texas

NOTES: All boaters and co-anglers will now compete on Friday and Saturday, with the winner in each category determined by heaviest cumulative two-day weight.

“The forecast is pretty rough. It’s pretty rough right now, but the midday forecast is for upper 20-mph gusts, cold air temperatures and cold water temperatures,” Costa FLW Series Tournament Director Mark McWha said after announcing the cancelation. “We just decided we’re going to hold them off today.”

The pre-dawn air temperature in Del Rio, Texas, hovered just a few degrees above freezing, but a strong northwesterly wind amplified the chill. The National Weather Service out of Austin and San Antonio also issued a special weather statement for Val Verde County regarding the chance for freezing rain and sleet right up until shortly before takeoff.

The tournament field includes 130 boaters and their co-anglers partners.

Anglers will take off from the East Diablo Launch Ramp, at 7:30 a.m. CST both days of competition. Weigh-ins will be held at the Launch Ramp on Friday and Saturday beginning at 3:30 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.

by AnglersChannel

New Years Fishing Resolutions - What are you Wanting to Improve?

Story & Photo Courtesy of Luke Estel

Another year, another fishing season.

I myself have made some New Year resolutions. My wife has made some for me also.

Her number one resolution for me is to start being more romantic. Apparently I lack in that department. I told her I would try, but no guarantees.

Every year people try to do something different or change something that they did in the previous year. I have made myself a list for this year that I will try to conquer for the upcoming fishing season.

1. Be more versatile.

We all say it every year but do we really do it? I like to think I try but the majority of the time I fall back on my old habits. To be competitive now a days, a fisherman must know how to catch fish every way necessary in any condition. This is a never ending learning process. For me it would be jerk baits, shakey heads, and punching mats. To me, those techniques bore me. I can catch fish on all of them but I would much rather throw something else. So this year I decided to start early and took the boat out to the lake January 1st and fished a suspended jerkbait. I could lie and tell you I caught several but in reality I never had a bite, but at least I went. I am typically not a cold weather fisherman but this year I will make an attempt to do more of it.

2. Learn to read my units.

I know how to read side scan and all that but I am not “Chopper” good. My partner, Chopper, is one of the best I have ever seen. In fact, I let him run the boat when we are out looking for fish offshore. It’s time for me to learn for myself. I have watched him drive over an area, throw a marker buoy out, tell me there are three big fish there, and proceed to catch two of them. That’s impressive! So this year I will be doing a lot more sitting in the driver seat.

3. Practice more.

When it comes to big tournaments, I definitely put in the time, but when it comes to local tournaments, I hardly even go before the event. Since I fish the same lakes over and over, I sometimes trick myself into believing that I am good enough just to go out and catch them the day of. Well, I am not which usually results in me not getting a check. Not going to happen anymore. If I am going to get my butt kicked, I am going to go out swinging.

4. Have more fun.

In the last several years I have changed the way I fish. I tend not to worry about it as much as I used to. Of course I still get excited at blast off but I don’t act like it’s the end of the world if I don’t cash a check or if I lose a big bass. This year I am going to expand on that. Sometimes I take for granted on how lucky I really am to be able to do what I do. No, I am not a professional and no, I don’t plan or want to be one either. This year I want to help fishermen that are struggling and teach them to relax and have fun. After all, isn’t this why we do it? It’s Just Fishing!

I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year. Please be safe on the water. Help your fellow competitors out. Enjoy what God gave us. Relax and have fun. See you all on the water.

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

The Knight Rider Blog - “Its Time, Lets Roll!”

Looking ahead can be critical to success. Looking back can be important as well.

As do many professional bass anglers, 2015 Forrest Wood Cup Champion Brad Knight spends plenty of time in the woods during the offseason. Hunting is a way to rewind and refocus. Plus, there are the tangible benefits.

“I went to New Mexico and I killed a really nice elk with my bow,” says Knight. “That’s all we eat around my house. We don’t eat beef. We just pretty much eat the things that we kill, so that was good.”

Of course, hunting is not so much about the killing. “Deer season was really good. I hunted in Texas. I hunted in Canada a couple of times. I never did shoot one, but that was my preference. I was holding out for better opportunities. I had a chance to kill a new personal best several times but it still wasn’t what I had set my mind to. I had a great experience; great time in the outdoors.

“Being outdoors is really just a re-set, kind of a way to refocus my mind, to think about the year that passed and the year coming up. It was successful on that front, if not getting to shoot one. But that’s not really the main, primary deal anyway.

“It’s just therapeutic for me to be out there.”

When Knight looks ahead to ‘the year coming up’ he notes that the 2019 tournament season starts very soon - the FLW Tour kicks off on Sam Rayburn Reservoir January 10. He is preparing accordingly.

“It’s kind of strange that we’re starting out so early, being there the first week of January. Normally we start in mid-February in Florida so it’s going to shake everything up a little bit.

“I just got my new Phoenix bass boat in so I’m getting that dialed-in, getting all my graphs installed and getting my engine broke-in. I got all my new rods and reels from Lew’s so I’m spooling those up.”

If luck can be defined as the point where preparation meets opportunity, then Knight needs only for opportunity to smile on him in order to have some luck this season. He has addressed the preparation aspect. Thoroughly. For instance, “I’m going through my Red Eye Shad boxes – I’ve got 3 or 4 of those lined up – and I’m going through every one of them, making sure all the hooks are in good shape, none of them are rusty and all the points are in good shape.

“I have a system for how I set my crankbaits up. I have 12 colors. I have 5 of each one in a box. Two will have hooks. The other 3 don’t. My parents have a pool where I tune my crankbaits. I hand-tune each one to make sure they run perfectly, the two with hooks on them, so I know if I reach in the box, I can pull out a 1.5 square bill, or a 2.5, on game day without having to tune it on the water. All that work is done in advance.

“I try to think of everything I can control myself and take control of that variable. That doesn’t always equal success, doesn’t always equal tournament wins, but at least it’s one thing I know that doesn’t hurt me. I’m doing everything in my power to stay on top.”

One thing beyond Knight’s power is the Tour schedule. “Doing this as long as I have, I don’t really get too worked up about what the schedule is. I’m going to fish regardless. I don’t have many preconceived notions. I’m just going to show up, work as hard as I can at each one of them and see where I am when the smoke clears.”

Knight will drive his new F-350, Lance camper on top and Phoenix boat in tow, to Texas “a couple days early. I just want two or three days to sit in my boat and look at everything and get my mind right and focus on the season.”

He feels like high water levels on Rayburn will level the field for visiting anglers who must begin the season against a stout slate of Texans who have signed up for the Tour this year. “We could have us an old school fishing derby!”

Then again, Knight thinks the concept of a ‘homefield advantage’ is overrated anyway considering today’s technological advancements that reveal, in a matter of hours, secrets that locals may spend years learning. “I have two events that are within an hour drive of my house, on Cherokee and Chickamauga. That doesn’t mean anything this day and time because everybody is so good, they can spend 3 days of practice and figure out what I know from a lifetime of fishing here.”

Knight points to his Lowrance electronics as an example of the power and knowledge available to all bass anglers these days. “We have a new Live unit that I’m really excited about. The Active Imaging feature uses a new transducer that has excellent clarity at really long range on your Side Scan. Live View is going to be a game-changer for us as well. I’m excited to put that into play.”

Another advancement that will help Knight be efficient on the water and, surprisingly, within the relatively roomy confines of his Lance camper is his new Mercury Pro XS 4-stroke. “The new Pro XS – I just had a chance to take it out the other day and I was blown away at how that thing performs, plus, being a 4-stroke, I don’t have to worry about carrying oil any more. I stay in a truck camper, so every inch of space is spoken for. Being gone for 3 or 4 weeks at a time, that’s 8-to-10 gallons of oil that I don’t have to keep up with. That sounds minimal, but that frees up a lot of space for me.”

Knight likes a couple of other things about the Pro XS as well. “It’s a lot quicker and more fuel efficient, which is another advantage. It’s going to be fun to get out there and run that thing up and down the lake.”

One aspect of this past offseason Knight won’t miss is all the drama that circulated around the addition of MLF’s Bass Pro Tour and the associated roster changes at B.A.S.S. and FLW.

“I think after the turbulent offseason we had with the new trail and everybody switching around, I think everybody’s just ready to get back into the groove of fishing. Everybody’s kind of over the drama that was the offseason and everybody’s ready to get back to doing what we do. And that’s catching fish and enjoying ourselves and seeing everybody again. Let’s rock and roll and get back to work.

“It’s here, on us now.”

by AnglersChannel

SAM RAYBURN RESERVOIR READIES TO KICKOFF 24TH FLW TOUR SEASON

High Water Levels and Wintertime Temperatures to Keep Pros Guessing at Tournament presented by Polaris

BROOKELAND, Texas (Dec. 27, 2018) – Fishing League Worldwide (FLW), the world’s largest tournament fishing organization, is set to launch the 2019 FLW Tour season – the 24^thseason of the competitive Tour – Jan. 10-13, with the FLW Tour at Sam Rayburn Reservoir presented by Polaris. Hosted by the Jasper County Development District, the tournament will feature 170 of the world’s best bass-fishing professionals competing for a top award of up to $125,000 and valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2019 FLW Cup – the world championship of bass fishing.

The FLW Tour has visited Sam Rayburn three times previously, with 2019 marking the 4th visit in FLW’s 24-year history. When the Tour last visited the largest lake in Texas in 2014, FLW Tour superstar Bryan Thrift slowed way down – flipping and pitching a Texas-rigged Damiki Knock Out – to out-fish some of the biggest names in the sport and earn the sixth victory of his career. Thrift will be among the early tournament favorites for the upcoming event as well. The total purse for the FLW Tour at Sam Rayburn Reservoir presented by Polaris is more than $860,000, including $9,000 through 65^th place in the Pro Division.

“It’s always exciting to start another FLW Tour season, but it’s really exciting this year to be kicking off the season in Texas,” said local FLW Tour pro Jason Reyes of Huffman, Texas, a three-time FLW Cup qualifier who has three top-10 finishes on Sam Rayburn in FLW competition. “Sam Rayburn can be a bit intimidating if you haven’t fished it before – 100,000 acres of lake that is full of grass and hydrilla and everything looks good. But, it is a lake of opportunity and the potential is there for 10+ pound bass and 30+ pound limits. You can really separate yourself if you can catch a bag like that.”

Reyes said that the region has seen an influx of rain lately and the water levels are higher than normal for this time of year. The water temperature is currently steady between 53 to 55 degrees and with the fish still in their wintertime mode Reyes expects quite a few different patterns to be in play.

“The lake is fishing fairly well,” Reyes said. “Depending on the weather, this tournament will be all about what happens the week before the tournament. We might see everyone out fishing in cold weather gear or we might see everyone in shorts and sweatshirts. The big question will be if the fish move up shallow.

“I don’t think a guy will be able to win it from one spot – they’re going to have to have multiple areas,” Reyes continued. “Lipless crankbaits are always a big player on Rayburn this time of year. Carolina rigs, spinnerbaits, crankbaits and flipping a jig or soft-plastics will all produce as well. Both ends of the lake will be in play, and we’ll be able to catch them fishing whatever our strengths are.”

Reyes estimated that it would take a two-day total of 30 to 31 pounds for an angler to make the top 30 cut and fish the weekend. He predicted the winner would have a four-day total right around 72 pounds.

”This time of year, we can expect to see quite a few changes over the four-day tournament,” Reyes went on to say. “We may see a guy show out with a huge limit on Day One or Two and then struggle to catch half of that the next day. It’s going to be a fun tournament and a great fishery to kick off the 2019 FLW Tour season.”

Anglers will take off at 7 a.m. CST each day from the Umphrey Family Pavilion, located at 5438 Sam Rayburn Parkway, in Brookeland. Thursday and Friday’s weigh-ins, Jan. 10-11, will be held at the pavilion beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s weigh-ins, Jan. 12-13, will also be held at the pavilion, but will begin at 4 p.m.

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. New for 2019, host Travis Moran will be joined by veteran FLW Tour pros Todd Hollowell and Peter Thliveros 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.

Prior to the weigh-ins each day FLW will host a free Family Fishing Expo at the Umphrey Family Pavilion from 2 to 6 p.m. each day. The Expo is a chance for fishing fans to meet their favorite anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, and learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities.

As part of the FLW Tour’s community outreach initiative, FLW Tour anglers will visit patients, guests and staff at the Brookeland High School, located at 187 Wildcat Walk, in Brookeland on Wednesday, Jan. 9 from 9-10 a.m. to introduce students to fishing and outdoor activities in their community. During the presentations the pro anglers will reinforce how science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) relate to outdoor activities and the life as a professional angler as well as discussing different career paths within the outdoor industry.

In FLW Tour competition, the full field of 170 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.

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.

by AnglersChannel

"Taking my Talents to the Front of the Boat" - From Co to Pro - The Joel Willert Blog

In the 2018 season, I fished all 7 events on the FLW Tour as a co-angler. My ultimate goal was to cash checks and try to finish the year in the top 10 co-angler of the year standings to qualify to fish the tour in 2019 as a pro. I didn’t really know if I would have the funds to make the jump, but I was hoping to cash enough checks to help me make the move.

After the first couple tournaments, I cashed a couple checks that really helped get the ball rolling in the right direction. The 5^thplace finish in the third event at Lake Lanier really got the momentum going for me, and that lead to a win at Lake Cumberland. From Cumberland, I went down to Smith Lake and got back-to-back wins there. After Smith Lake I found myself sitting first in points in the co-angler AOY with only two tournaments to go. I felt like if I could just catch a few fish in the last two tournaments, I could stay inside my goal of the top ten and that would give me the chance to do what I felt was right for next year. Kentucky Lake didn’t go so well being the only tournament of the year where I didn’t cash a check. At the last event on Lake St. Clair I had a mediocre finish and cashed a check there. After it was all said and done, I ended up 3^rdin the points for the year.

My decision to move to the font of the boat was made a little easier because FLW eliminated the co-angler for the 2019 season. With the opportunity to go to the front and not really any other direction at this time, I figured what better time to go to the front and give it a shot rather than wait until next year.

I feel like spending time at the back of the boat as a co-angler helped prepare me to be a better fisherman at the front. The biggest benefit has been the opportunity to see different bodies of water and learning to fish for different types of bass. Just this past year, I saw a many different types of lakes and fish from the Florida largemouth to the Smith Lake spotted bass and those huge northern fisheries like Lake St. Clair. It is obviously different than the lakes I am used to fishing up north in Minnesota. Having the opportunity to see those different lakes and experience different types of fishing and really look at fishing as a business vs just going out fishing helped me to see how the other guys operate and treat it as a business. I learned a lot as a co-angler, and I am looking forward to putting what I learned to work next year.

During the off season I fished a few local tournaments with some success. I also spent time at Mille Lacs going there almost every weekend trying to keep everything fresh for new year. There was a cold snap here earlier than normal this year that made it tough to be out fishing this fall. Usually you can fish into the middle of November, but this year it ended a whole lot sooner.

Once the lakes pretty much froze up, I start packing the boat and going down to Kansas. My buddy bought a ranch down there, so I took my boat and camper down before winter set in while the roads were still good. I wanted to get it out of the elements of Minnesota so I wouldn’t have to drive it through all the salt once the season got closer. It sure is nice to have a buddy with a heated garage.

I didn’t hunt Wisconsin this year for the first time since I was 12 years old. When I took my boat down to Kansas, I spent about a week down there getting everything set up and ready to hunt. We spent some time hunting after Thanksgiving. I left there and spent a few days on Rayburn. Since I’ve never been on Rayburn before I thought I would spend a little time there to get my bearing straight and see where I can run- I didn’t necessary go to find fish. My biggest fear is the wind down there, so I wanted to ride around just in case the wind was bad during practice and I wouldn’t be able to run around and get a good look at the lake. I didn’t want practice to be the first time I saw the lake.

In just a few short weeks the 2019 FLW tour will be starting, and I am really looking forward to getting off to a good start at the front of the boat. I will check back in soon with an update.

Joel Willert is a Professional Fisherman from Rice Lake, Wisconsin. Joel has had tremendous success as a Co-Angler on the FLW Tour and is now taking his talents to the front of the boat and starting his rookie campaign on the FLW Tour in 2019.

by AnglersChannel

Ranger Boats Introduces Fish & Cruise Pontoon Models

Existing pontoon lines receive significant upgrade to features and styling for 2019

FLIPPIN, Ark. (December 18, 2018) - Ranger Boats brings together the best of both worlds with the introduction of the new Ranger^® Reata^® 223FC and 220FC. These all-new boats combine features for both cruising and fishing into multi-use designs to accommodate families and anglers. Sharp, new aesthetics and styling have been integrated in both Fish & Cruise as well as Ranger's existing Fish Series and Cruise Series, updating the entire lineup for 2019.

"We pride ourselves on listening to our customers and dealers on their wants and needs in our product lines," said Bart Schad, Ranger Boats Vice President of Sales and Marketing. "We have incorporated that feedback into these new models to create an ideal fish/cruise line that exceeds the needs of everyone on board. Combined with the upgraded aesthetics throughout the entire pontoon line, we have seen tremendous response and look forward to officially bringing these new boats to market."

The new pontoons' fish-and-play design brings together a host of creature comforts for pleasure cruising and fishing features valued by anglers. Both the 223FC and 220FC boast an expansive front deck with a comfortable couch with storage underneath and two new helm seats with self-leveling armrests. A port side gate with a new stainless steel latch offers wheelchair access to the deck.

Another lounging couch sits midship on the port side with additional storage hidden underneath. The custom, color-matched console with a new glove box door will accept electronics up to seven inches. A larger Bimini top, also new for 2019, straddles the railings midship for extra protection from the elements.

The stern houses two all-new fishing chairs and a fishing station, replete with an aerated livewell with integrated baitwell bucket, storage compartment, cup holders and tool holders. A back gate with an updated stainless steel latch gives access to the boarding platform with ladder.

Both the interior and exterior boasts a bold, fresh look with new fencing and exoskeleton that accommodates an optional trolling motor mounted on the bow along with updated graphics reminiscent of Ranger's fiberglass boats. All the new furniture features fully-wrapped custom upholstery with rich accents and integrated LED lighting. Each model offers a choice of grey or tan interiors complete with matching woven flooring covering the deck from bow to stern. Not to be outdone, the pontoon logs feature a rich, powder-coated finish, available in either black or charcoal for a fully custom look.

The 223FC and 220FC measure 24 feet, 2 inches, in overall length and 102 inches across. Both models are available with a wide selection of factory rigged outboards.

The original line of Ranger pontoon boats - 200F, 220F, 223F, 200C, 220C, 223C, 243C - have adopted the new fit and finish brought by the new Fish & Cruise models. These existing boats also received the updated seating, graphics, flooring, fence design with rounded corners, bold graphics, chrome badging and console. These models are offered in a multitude of configurations to fit each customer's needs.

Available in several rich color packages, Ranger Reata pontoons are competitively priced for a variety of budgets and are backed by one of the strongest warranties in the pontoon business. For more information on the new models and features for 2019, customers are encouraged to visit www.rangerboats.com or call 800-373-BOAT (2628).

2019 RANGER 220FC

Overall Length: 24 feet, 2 inches

Deck Width: 102 inches

Maximum HP: 150

Fuel Capacity: 32 gallons

Max Person Capacity 10 persons

Approx. Boat Weight: 2,120 lbs.

2019 RANGER 223FC

Overall Length: 24 feet, 2 inches

Deck Width: 102 inches

Maximum HP: 200

Fuel Capacity: 52 gallons

Max Person Capacity 11 persons

Approx. Boat Weight: 3,104 lbs.

About Ranger Boats

Headquartered in Flippin, Ark., Ranger Boats is the nation's premier manufacturer of legendary fiberglass and aluminum fishing boats, with acclaimed models and series in the bass, multi-species, fish 'n play, saltwater, waterfowl utility and pontoon boat segments. Founded in 1968 by Forrest L. Wood, Ranger Boats continues its commitment to building the highest-quality, strongest-performing boats on the water. For more information, go to RangerBoats.com.

by AnglersChannel

Lake Amistad to Host 2019 Costa FLW Series Season Opener Presented by Ranger Boats

DEL RIO, Texas (Dec. 20, 2018) – The 2019 Costa Fishing League Worldwide (FLW) Series tournament season is set to open at Lake Amistad, Jan. 3-5, with the Costa FLW Series at Lake Amistad presented by Ranger Boats. Hosted by the Del Rio Chamber of Commerce, the three-day Southwestern Division tournament will feature as many as 300 regional bass-fishing anglers and a top prize of up to $90,000, including a brand new Ranger Z518L boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard engine.

“In general, it’s going to be a tough event and the weights will be lower than we’re used to, but there will still be some anglers who catch some big ones in the 6- to 8-pound range,” said Costa pro Todd Castledine of Nacogdoches, Texas., who had a 2^ndplace finish in FLW Series competition at Lake Amistad in 2012. “Fish will either be 2 pounds or really big. It’s hard to catch those 2½ - 4½-pounders right now – there’s a big class of fish missing. If guys can get around a wolf pack of big ones, that will be good. It’s not like other lakes where you just find one fish alone. If you come across a fish, they’ll be in wolf packs. It’s just takes some time to find them.”

Castledine said anglers will be able to catch fish from one end of the lake to the other.

“Those wolf packs can be anywhere – they roam around based on the baitfish,” said Castledine. “That’s the beauty of Lake Amistad – you can win it anywhere. Every single place you go, it looks good for catching fish.”

The Texas pro said fish will likely be caught both shallow and out deep.

“There will be some shallow fish just kind of grinding up and down the bank,” said Castledine. “They’ll be around drop-offs, grass and bushes. For those fish, I see spinnerbaits, ChatterBaits, swimbaits, jerkbaits, and Rat-L-Trap-type baits being players.

“The big schools get out deep. You can catch them in 30 to 70 feet of water,” Castledine continued. “They’ll be on big ridges and points. There are phenomenal ledges that run way out to the middle of the lake and some of them even have bushes as deep as 30 or 35 feet down. Carolina rigs, big jigs and drop-shot rigs will be favored.”

As for a winning weight, Castledine said that the large gap in fish size makes it’s hard to pinpoint an exact number. He said it could take as little as 28 pounds to make the top-10 cut, with the winner posting up over 60 pounds.

“There’s no doubt that someone could weigh in on Day One and make the cut,” said Castledine. “Limits won’t be made up of 3s and 4s – someone could have a couple 8s and some small ones and do well. It’s hard to predict right now – its boom or bust.”

Anglers will take off from the East Diablo Launch Ramp, located off Highway 90 West in Del Rio, at 7:30 a.m. CST each day. Weigh-ins will also take place at the East Diablo Launch Ramp location, and will begin at 3:30 p.m. each day. All takeoffs and weigh-ins are free to attend and open to the public.

In Costa FLW Series regular-season competition, payouts are based on the number of participants competing in the event. At Lake Amistad, pros will fish for a top prize of up to $90,000 including a brand new Ranger Z518L boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard if Ranger Cup qualified. Co-anglers will cast for a brand new Ranger Z175 boat with a 115-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard, and $5,000 if Ranger Cup qualified.

by AnglersChannel

Sportsmans Warehouse Last Minute Deals!

A few last minute deals and steal from the fine folks at Sportsmans Warehouse! If you need an item fast, check them out!

by AnglersChannel

MLF Bass Pro Tour taps Raleigh, N.C., lakes for March 2019 destination

TULSA, Okla. (Dec. 20, 2018) - Major League Fishing today announced that Raleigh, N.C., is the third destination for the 2019 Bass Pro Tour, and that three prolific nearby lakes will be used over the course of the event's March 26-31 competition dates.

Falls Lake, Shearon Harris Reservoir and Jordan Lake are the waters to share in the prestige of hosting bass fishing's newest and highest profile tournament series, which features 80 of the best professional anglers in the country.

"North Carolina is well-known for its outdoors and natural beauty and our amazing lakes are no exception," said Tori Collins, Associate Director of the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance. "We're excited to showcase the fishing-rich culture of our region and all the Raleigh area has to offer to the best anglers in the country and spectators alike."

"Raleigh is a great example of how our Bass Pro Tour format allows us to take advantage of smaller venues with excellent fishing opportunities among multiple lakes instead of our having to pick a spot based only on size," said MLF's Michael Mulone. "I know our guys are excited about visiting these great bass fisheries during the prime spring period. It's sure to be a wildly entertaining competition."

Located in the Cape Fear River drainage, Shearon Harris Reservoir is a 4,000-acre power plant lake considered to be one of North Carolina's most prolific bass fisheries. A Wildlife Resources Commission fact sheet reports that an impressive 41 percent of the largemouth bass surveyed in 2017 were within the lake's 16- to 20-inch slot limit. It also noted that back-to-back tournaments in 2017 were won with five-fish limits weighing over 40 pounds.

North Carolina's Shearon Harris Reservoir is a power plant lake with a reputation for producing good numbers and quality-sized bass. A large percent of the bass population falls within the sizes protected from angler possession by a slot limit of 16 to 20 inches, but will count in MLF competition because of the league's catch, weight and immediate release format. (Photo courtesy of Visit Raleigh. Click to enlarge/download)

Falls Lake also gets high marks as a bass fishery. The 26-mile-long lake is said to have three very distinctive segments across its length, meaning that at least one area could be at the peak of bass spawning activity in the late March timeframe, potentially increasing the chances of a bass 10 pounds or more showing up.

Jordan Lake's record largemouth bass stands at 14 pounds, 6 ounces. The 14,000-acre impoundment offers a diversity of angling cover and structure - ditches, islands, pockets and aquatic vegetation - that make it appealing to MLF's anglers looking for springtime bass movement patterns.

North Carolina's Jordan Lake is a familiar destination for several tournaments local to the region, but only a few of the 80 Bass Pro Tour anglers will likely have any previous experience on the fishery. The 14,000-acre lake provides miles of undeveloped shoreline and a wealth of offshore bass cover.

MLF uses a conservation-minded catch, weigh and immediate-release-back-into-the-water format during competition, with no restriction as to the number of "scorable" bass allowed. As a result, the Bass Pro Tour often has the flexibility to go where other tournament trails can't. Most other major bass tournaments rules allow anglers to catch and hold their daily limits, usually five bass, in boat livewells for a ceremonious weigh-in at the competition day's end.

All Bass Pro Tour venues must also pass stringent MLF connectivity requirements because the MLF NOW! live stream and SCORETRACKER© are critical components to an event's execution.

Bass Pro Tour events feature five hours of live streaming on each competition day, with free access to the real-time broadcast available at www.majorleaguefishing.com. Also, the Raleigh Bass Pro Tour event will result in a two-hour television show that will air on Discovery Channel in the fourth quarter of 2019. It will repeat on Sportsman Channel in first and second quarters 2020.

MLF also has programming on Outdoor Channel, World Fishing Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network and Discovery Channel, and all episodes are available on-demand on My Outdoor TV (MOTV).

For more information about MLF and its anglers, rules and sponsors, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.

by AnglersChannel

Bass Pro Shops to Increase Support for Collegiate Team Bass Pro Contingency Program in 2019

Bass Pro Shops is stepping up their support of collegiate bass fishing with the Team Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Angler Contingency Program. Bass Pro Shops will be giving collegiate anglers the opportunity to apply to join Team Bass Pro field staff and be a part of the great team that Bass Pro Shops fields in fishing, hunting and the outdoors.

This program is tied directly to anglers competing in the 2019 Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series events and is growing to award gear packages at all four ACA events throughout the season! Exposure of the brand to this group of anglers is important because they will continue the legacy and traditions of the outdoors. This group is on the verge of having discretionary income and by showing support for the events they participate in we can create loyal customers as they create the next wave of future anglers.

“This is a unique opportunity for selected anglers while also providing prizes deep into the field during the upcoming season,” said Wade Middleton, Director of the Association of Collegiate Anglers and President of CarecoTV. “We’re excited to be working alongside Bass Pro Shops and looking for more ways to give back to college anglers competing in this Series.”

Team Bass Pro Collegiate Anglers – How to Qualify for Gear Packages

50 teams (100 anglers) will be selected to be represent Team Bass Pro, will be provided with a Bass Pro Shops hat to wear during Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series events and across the weigh-in stages. Team Bass Pro collegiate anglers must wear this hat to qualify for gear packages. This is a team contingency program, so anglers must sign up with the partner who they will fish the events with.

Team Bass Pro collegiate anglers must also use #TeamBassPro across all their social media postings, via personal and/or team/club accounts, between January 28, 2019 through May 25, 2019. Team Bass Pro collegiate anglers must use the #TeamBassProand post during an event to qualify for gear packages at that event. Anglers not meeting these criteria will not qualify to win gear packages.

Regular Event Gear Packages

TOP 3 Finish
- Bass pro Shops A/M 24 Auto Manual Inflatable Life Vest, Johnny Morris Patriot Rod, and Platinum Signature Reel.
TOP 10 Finish
- Both anglers to receive Bass Pro rod and reel combo: Johnny Morris Patriot Rod and Platinum Signature Reel.
TOP 20 Finish
- Both anglers to receive Bass Pro Shops XPS Stalker top Loader Tackle Bag with 4 boxes.

* Anglers can only win one of Top 3, Top 10 or Top 20 gear packages at each event*

Championship Event Gear Packages

Top 3 Finish
- Both anglers to receive: Bass Pro Shops 100MPH GORE-TEX Rain Parka, Bass pro Shops 100MPH GORE-TEX Rain Bibs, Bass pro Shops A/M 24 Auto Manual Inflatable Life Vest, Johnny Morris Patriot Rod, and Platinum Signature Reel.
Top 10 Finish
- Both anglers to receive: Bass pro Shops A/M 24 Auto Manual Inflatable Life Vest, Johnny Morris Patriot Rod, and Platinum Signature Reel.
Top 20 Finish
- Both anglers to receive: Johnny Morris Patriot Rod and Platinum Signature Reel.

How to Apply for Team Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Angler Contingency Program

Teams must submit their RSVP online for the Team Bass Pro bass fishing contingency program via the link below. Remember, this is a team contingency program, so please sign up with the partner who you will be fishing the events with for the year.

RSVP HERE!

This link to RSVP will be available till 50 teams have been selected for Team Bass Pro.

Be sure to RSVP early! Availability will fill up quickly!

2019 Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series Events

Texas Lunker Challenge presented by Mossy Oak Elements on Sam Rayburn Reservoir, February 3, 2019.
Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley on Kentucky Lake, March 9-10, 2019.
BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops on Pickwick Lake, May 23-24, 2019.
AFTCO Bass Fishing Open on Lake Dardanelle, October 26-27, 2019.

by AnglersChannel

Alabama Bass Trail Announces their 2019 ABT Open on Lay Lake!

For all the details check out their website here

Registration Opens February 1st!

by AnglersChannel

AC Insider featuring the Mercury Marine Pro XS 4 Stroke & Kevin "The Baitman" Baxter!

As Christmas and Tournament season approaches, The boys spend some time at Mercury Marine Dealer Wedowee Marine and talk the new 4 Stroke Mercury Pro XS with Wedowee GM Eric Morris. They also welcome in Kevin "The Baitman" Baxter to talk Post Black Friday, Last minute Christmas tackle stocking stuffer buys that need to be on your Christmas list. Check it out and Merry Christmas!!

by AnglersChannel

RANGER CUP UNIVERSITY ANNOUNCES 2019 PROGRAM DETAILS

Payouts, discounts available to both ACA- and FLW-affiliated

collegiate bass anglers

FLIPPIN, Ark. (December 17, 2018) - Collegiate bass anglers will have more opportunity to cash in on tournament success in 2019 thanks to the continued support of Ranger Cup University. The contingency program, designed by Ranger Boats exclusively for college anglers, is free of charge and open to any college angler, regardless of the brand of boat they own.

To remain qualified in the program, anglers need only adhere to simple clothing and logo requirements while fishing select ACA- and FLW-affiliated events. Additionally, Ranger has once again partnered with Gemini Custom Apparel, the industry's leading tournament apparel provider, who will offer custom jersey pricing for as low as $48 for Ranger Cup University anglers.

For the 2019 season, each qualified event will feature a cash prize paid to the Ranger Cup University-qualified team/angler with the highest place of finish. A $200 cash prize will be paid at each of the 15 Yeti FLW College Fishing qualifying events, while each of the select events below feature a $500 cash prize:

Texas Lunker Challenge presented by Mossy Oak Elements (Feb. 3, Sam Rayburn Reservoir)

Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley (Mar. 8-10, Kentucky Lake)

AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open (Oct. 25-27, Lake Dardanelle)

Yeti FLW College Fishing Open (Mar. 12, Kentucky-Barkley Lakes)

In addition to payouts at the above regular-season events, a $2,000 cash prize will be awarded to any Ranger Cup University-qualified team/angler that wins either the BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship or the Yeti FLW College Fishing National Championship. In the event that the winners of either major championship are not Ranger Cup University participants, a $1,000 cash prize will be paid to the Ranger Cup-qualified teams/anglers with the highest places of finish in the championship events.

Along with the cash prizes, the highest-finishing Ranger Cup University-qualified team/angler in each championship event will also receive automatic entry into the Ranger Cup University Team of the Year Challenge. The made-for-TV fish off, which will air on Pursuit Channel, NBC Sports Network and WGN America during episodes of Americana Outdoors and Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series, will feature the two Ranger Cup University teams competing for the title of 2019 Ranger Cup University Team of the Year and a $2,000 cash prize. Both teams will receive airfare, lodging and meals as part of an expense-paid trip to the tournament location where they will compete from fully rigged Ranger boats.

For complete program guidelines and details on Ranger Cup University, including payout, clothing requirements and informational videos, go online to https://rangercup.com/includes/staticPages/RangerCupUniversity.cfm

by AnglersChannel

Minn Kota, Humminbird And Talon Sign Multiyear Agreements To Become Premier Sponsors Of B.A.S.S.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Dec. 17, 2018

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Johnson Outdoors, one of the most innovative companies in the fishing and boating industries, has expanded its sponsorship of B.A.S.S. events, including the Bassmaster Classic and Bassmaster Elite Series.

Under the multiyear agreement announced today, three of Johnson Outdoors’ most powerful brands — Minn Kota, Humminbird and Talon — will be premier sponsors of B.A.S.S., the world’s largest fishing organization with more than 500,000 members, through 2019, 2020 and 2021. Minn Kota and Humminbird will continue their prominence at Bassmaster events. Minn Kota’s Talon shallow-water anchors brand is new to the family of premier sponsors of B.A.S.S.

“We at B.A.S.S. value our close relationship with Johnson Outdoors companies, and we appreciate their loyalty over the years,” said Bruce Akin, B.A.S.S. CEO. “We share a dedication to inspire more people to experience the great outdoors, and we look forward to working alongside Johnson Outdoors to accomplish that goal in the coming years.”

“We are excited to continue our long-standing partnership with B.A.S.S. as it reflects our mutual commitment to the sport of fishing,” said Johnson Outdoors Senior Director Joe Brown. “Minn Kota and Humminbird have deep roots in the fishing community. Educating and inspiring anglers from first-fish to high school competitions, and even up to the Bassmaster Elite Series, is the embodiment of our agreement, and it gives us a platform to connect with anglers at every stage of their passion.”

Johnson Outdoors Marine Electronics will serve as a premier sponsor in three categories — boating electronics, trolling motors and shallow-water anchors — for all levels of B.A.S.S. competition, including the Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, Bassmaster Elite Series, Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series, Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation presented by Magellan Outdoors, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops and Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series.

The Classic is set for March 15-17 in Knoxville, Tenn., with Minn Kota, Humminbird and Talon logos prominently on display at the Bassmaster Classic weigh-ins at Thompson-Boling Arena adjacent to the Tennessee River in Knoxville.

“The 2018 Classic in Greenville and Anderson, S.C., drew record attendance of more than 143,000, and we look forward to a similar turnout in Knoxville,” Akin added.

But before the Classic, the new premier partnerships will kick off Jan. 24-26 with the BassPro.comBassmaster Eastern Open on Florida’s Harris Chain of Lakes at Leesburg and will continue with two back-to-back Elite Series events, one on the St. Johns River at Palatka, Fla., Feb. 7-10, and another at Lake Lanier, Gwinnett, Ga., Feb. 14-17.

The nine-stop Elite Series circuit features a full field of 75 top-tier professional anglers striving to catch the heaviest five-bass daily limits on some of the hottest and most productive bass fisheries in the United States. In addition to $100,000 first-place prizes in each contest, the anglers will be gunning to qualify for the “Super Bowl of Bass Fishing,” the Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods. The career-making event will be held in the spring of 2020 and will mark the 50th Classic since the inaugural championship on Lake Mead, Nevada, in 1971.

In addition to connecting with anglers through 35 Bassmaster tournaments next year, Minn Kota, Humminbird and Talon will reach bass fishermen through B.A.S.S.’s diverse, industry-leading media, including Bassmaster.com, Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times magazines, The Bassmasterstelevision show, Bassmaster LIVE, Bassmaster Radio, social media and expos at the best-attended tournaments in existence — the Elite Series and Classic.

About Johnson Outdoors
Johnson Outdoors Marine Electronics, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Johnson Outdoors and consists of the Humminbird®, Minn Kota® and Talon® brands. Humminbird® is a leading global innovator and manufacturer of marine electronics products including fish finders, multifunction displays, autopilots, ice flashers, and premium cartography products. Minn Kota® is the world’s leading manufacturer of electric trolling motors, as well as battery chargers and marine accessories. Minn Kota® Talon® offers a complete line of shallow water anchors. http://www.johnsonoutdoors.com.

The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, BassPro.com Bassmaster Open Series, Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation Series presented by Magellan Outdoors, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series, Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.

by AnglersChannel

HARMONY HIGH SCHOOL WINS BASS PRO SHOPS FLW HIGH SCHOOL FISHING LAKE OKEECHOBEE OPEN

CLEWISTON, Fla. (Dec. 17, 2018) – The Harmony High School duo of Grady Johnson and Dawson Turner, both of St. Cloud, Florida, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 20 pounds, 1 ounce to win the 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Lake Okeechobee Open.

A field of 26 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from Roland and Mary Ann Martins Marina in Clewiston. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.

The top two teams on Lake Okeechobee that advanced to the 2019 High School Fishing National Championship were:

1st: Harmony High School, St. Cloud, Fla. – Grady Johnson and Dawson Turner, both of St. Cloud, Fla., five bass, 20-1

2nd: Union County High School, Blairsville, Ga. – Coby Thompson and Colby Elliot, both of Blairsville, Ga., five bass, 14-3

Rounding out the top 10 were:

3rd: Osceola High School, Kissimmee, Fla. – Clint Leonard and Caden McCammon, St. Cloud, Fla., five bass, 10-1

4th: Bassinators – Cayden Oltman, Richfield, Minn., and Nehemiah Glenn, Lakeville, Minn., five bass, 9-6

5th: Tioga High School, Tioga, La. – Kolton Mitchell, Dry Prong, La., and Rylon Ganey, Pineville, La., five bass, 9-3

6th: Okeechobee High School, Okeechobee, Fla. – David Daniel and Cody Wojcieszak, both of Okeechobee, Fla., five bass, 9-0

7th: Moore Haven High School, Moore Haven, Fla. – Caleb White, Clewiston, Fla., and Brice Prowant, Moore Haven, Fla., five bass, 9-0

8th: Bassinators – Conrad Couden, Fort Myers, Fla., and Solomon Glenn, Lakeville, Minn., five bass, 8-12

9th: Marion County Bass Masters – Zack Barrera, Morriston, Fla., and Alexander Cook, Ocala, Fla., five bass, 8-7

10th: Bartow High School, Bartow, Fla. – Bryson Royer, Bartow, Fla., and Dawson Troutt, Lakeland, Fla., five bass, 7-12

Complete results and photos of the top five finishers from the event can be found at FLWFishing.com.

The 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Lake Okeechobee Open was a two-person (team) event for students in grades 7-12, open to any Student Angler Federation (SAF) affiliated high school club in the United States. The top 10 percent of each Challenge, Open, and state championship field will advance to the 2019 High School Fishing National Championship on a body of water that has yet to be revealed. The High School Fishing national champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice.

In addition to the High School Fishing National Championship, all High School Fishing anglers nationwide automatically qualify for the world’s largest open high school bass tournament, the 2019 High School Fishing World Finals, held in conjunction with the National Championship. At the 2018 World Finals more than $150,000 in scholarships and prizes were awarded.

Full schedules and the latest announcements are available at HighSchoolFishing.org and FLWFishing.com.

by AnglersChannel

Reticulated Siren.....Will we see imitation lures soon?

Florida and Alabama have much in common.

The two states share a border, a sea, a passion for football and fishing, and, now, a monster.

Meet the Reticulated Siren.

David Steen, Ph.D. shared via Twitter – “Big News: Excited to finally introduce the Reticulated Siren, a "new" species of salamander I have been working to describe since 2009. It lives in Alabama & Florida & at nearly two feet long is one of the biggest amphibians in the world.”

Lure makers are sure to start selling Reticulated Siren imitators soon! Look for them in the trunks of cars at boat ramps before club tourney blast-offs all over the Heart of Dixie and the Sunshine State!

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

AnglersChannel

ARIZONA OPEN at Lake Havasu

Final Pro Division Standings

ARIZONA OPEN PRO DIVISION Day 2

ARIZONA OPEN at Lake Havasu - AAA DIVISION

Day 2 of 3 - Jan 10, 2019

Courtesy of the Fishing Wire

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ARIZONA OPEN at Lake Havasu

Final Pro Division Standings

ARIZONA OPEN PRO DIVISION Day 2

ARIZONA OPEN at Lake Havasu - AAA DIVISION

Day 2 of 3 - Jan 10, 2019

Courtesy of the Fishing Wire

Courtesy of Texas Share Lunker

Clean up and cash in!

The choice is yours

How to obtain the rebate

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COMPLETE YOUR REBATE FORM​

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TERMS AND CONDITIONS:

ARIZONA OPEN - Pro Div Day 1

ARIZONA OPEN Day 1, AAA Div

Courtesy of FLW Communications

SAM RAYBURN FLW LIVE SCHEDULE

Courtesy of BASS Communications

Courtesy of FLW Communications

The Team Tournament Blog by Luke Estel is brought to you courtesy of Strike King Lure Company

Mississippi's Lance Walker has well been known as a big fish guru on Mississippi waters and his latest catch only solidifies this title. Here is Lance's take on his recent double digit bass from Pickwick Lake.

Courtesy of FLWFishing.com

TOP 10 PROS

KICKER PUTS CHILDS ATOP CO-ANGLER FIELD

TOP 10 CO-ANGLERS

Release Courtesy of Missile Baits

Courtesy of Charlie Evans Fishing

Press Release and Video Courtesy of Stanley Jigs / Hale Lures

Story & Photo Courtesy of Luke Estel

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