Nick Klein Leads Day One of 2024 WON Bass Clear Lake Open, Joe Mariani in Second
LAKEPORT, Calif. – April 17, 2024 –– The conditions leading up to the 2024 Ranger Boats WON Bass Clear Lake Open presented by Mercury had become the conversation. Long range forecasts predicted warm and mild conditions, however the colder weather seemed to be hanging around, and one began to wonder if the forecasts were going to ring true.
As practice progressed it appeared that the forecasts for the 177 pros and their AAA anglers were going to come to fruition as if Nostradamus himself predicted them. The field was blessed with Chamber of Commerce type weather with high skies, warm temperatures, no rain and very light breezes. For a field expecting to target bedding bass as a part of their tactics, the conditions could not be better.
There was also a lot of discussion about the potential for a lot of heavy weights to be weighed in during the 2024 Clear Lake Open, and on the first day of the event, the field – and Clear Lake – did not disappoint. Nick Klein, from Oroville, Calif. and his AAA partner Jiongbo (Bob) Zhang lead day one with 35.59 pounds. He is followed by Winters, Calif. pro Joe Mariani who totaled 34.34 pounds with his AAA partner Chase Harrell of San Jose, Calif. finished the day in second place.
Third place for the day went Templeton, Calif. pro Austin Bonjour and his AAA Anthony Madrigal of Auburn Calif. with 33.84 pounds. They were followed in fourth place by Turlock, Calif. pro Christian Ostrander and AAA Daniel Martinez of Murrieta, Calif. with 31.83 pounds, and pro Vance Hayes of Chico, Calif. and his AAA partner Mike Flores of San Diego, Calif. rounded out the top five with 31.17 pounds.
In all, there were six limits on the first day of the 2024 WON Bass Clear Lake Open that eclipsed the 30-pound mark and 55 five fish limits that eclipsed 20 pounds for the day. With that many heavy weight limits touching the scales, one might assume that there were some individual big bass weighed in as well, and that would be correct.
Bill Brown of Grand Junction, Colo. Weighed a 9.93-pound largemouth that was the big bass on the pro side, and Damon Motley of Orange, Calif. brought a 9.39-pound monster to the scales that was big bass in the AAA Division. Altogether, across both divisions, there were seven bass over 9 pounds that were weighed in, six more that topped 8 pounds, seven more that eclipsed 7 pounds and another seven bass that weighed greater than 6 pounds on day one.
The 27-year-old Klein, who is the son of Steve Klein, brother of Alex and nephew of Bass Fishing Hall of Famer Gary Klein, said that it was a good day. “I had a limit that weighed 30 pounds by noon and was able to cull up five more pounds in the afternoon,” he said. “I feel pretty good that I can have a good day tomorrow, but it’s spring and these fish can decide to move up any time.”
What may make him sleep a little easier overnight is that he is running through several different areas. “I covered a lot of the lake today, and I caught them on several different baits, so hopefully I’ll be able to continue with similar results,” he said. “All I can say is that today was a really fun day.”
Mariani, in contrast to Klein’s multitude of areas, caught his first limit of pre spawn fish by 8:30 AM – which topped 30 pounds – off of one spot. “I have a little spot that I’ve had to myself so far, and it’s got good ones on it,” he said. “I was able to leave them biting and catch the best bed fish I found at 10:30 to get my weight. I thought she was seven pounds until I hooked her, and then I thought she was a ten pounder – she weighed 9.21. I feel pretty good about tomorrow, if the fish on my early stuff are still there and don’t move toward the beds.”
Day Two of the Clear Lake Open will commence at Safe Light Friday April 18, 2024, from Library Park in Lakeport, Calif. with the first flight due to return at 2:30 PM. Daily Weigh-ins are streamed on Facebook.com/
The winner of the 2024 WON Bass Clear Lake Open will earn the Ranger Boats / Mercury Motor prize boat provided by Bass Pro Shops, and the Golden Tickets to the 2025 Bassmaster BASS Nation National Championship will be awarded to the top five Pro and AAA anglers and will further develop the season long competition to see who will receive guaranteed slots into the 2025 Bassmaster Opens Elite Qualifiers.
The top 10 in each division are posted below: for complete standings, visit https://wonbassevents.com/
|
WON Bass Clear Lake Open 4/17 to 4/19/2024 |
|||||
|
Place |
Pro Day 1 | Hometown |
Fish |
B/B |
Day 1 Total |
|
1 |
Nick Klein | Oroville, Ca |
5-5 |
8.85 |
35.59 |
|
2 |
Joe Mariani | Winters, CA |
5-5 |
9.21 |
34.34 |
|
3 |
Austin Bonjour | Templeton, CA |
5-5 |
7.86 |
33.84 |
|
4 |
Christian Ostrander | Turlock, CA |
5-5 |
31.83 |
|
|
5 |
Vance Hayes | Chico, CA |
5-5 |
9.29 |
31.17 |
|
6 |
John Hampel | Sparks, NV |
5-5 |
30.37 |
|
|
7 |
Julius Mazy | Phoenix, AZ |
5-5 |
8.62 |
28.50 |
|
8 |
Scooter Griffith | Mesa, AZ |
5-5 |
9.92 |
27.47 |
|
9 |
Randy Pierson | Oakdale, CA |
5-5 |
7.41 |
27.46 |
|
10 |
Kyle Grover | RCHO STA MARG, CA |
5-5 |
8.22 |
26.99 |
|
Place |
AAA Angler Day 1 | Hometown |
Fish |
B/B |
Day 1 Total |
|
1 |
Jiongbo (Bob) Zhang | Walnut Creek, CA |
5-5 |
35.59 |
|
|
2 |
Chase Harrell | San Jose, Ca |
5-5 |
34.34 |
|
|
3 |
Anthony Madrigal | Auburn, CA |
5-5 |
33.84 |
|
|
4 |
Daniel Martinez | Murrieta, CA |
5-5 |
9.30 |
31.83 |
|
5 |
Mike Flores | San Diego, CA |
5-5 |
31.17 |
|
|
6 |
Damon Motley | Orange, CA |
5-5 |
9.39 |
30.37 |
|
7 |
Joe Uribe, Sr. | Havasu City, AZ |
5-5 |
28.50 |
|
|
8 |
Frank Ortega | Upland, CA |
5-5 |
27.47 |
|
|
9 |
Thor Dusenberry | Pheonix, CA |
5-5 |
27.46 |
|
|
10 |
Larry Bonjour | Santa Maria, CA |
5-5 |
26.99 |
|
The 2024 WON Bass Western Opens Series of events Consisting of five events in California, Arizona and Nevada moves next to the California Open at Clear Lake April 17 to 19, 2024. The series will culminate with the 2024 WON Bass U.S. Open at Lake Mohave in October. The full schedule of the five event dates are as follows:
Jan. 31–Feb. 2, Lake Shasta - Champion Nick Wood – 47.42 pounds
April 17-19, Clear Lake
May 15-17, Lake Havasu
Sept. 18-20, Lake Mead
Oct. 14-16, U.S. Open at Lake Mohave
For complete details to register or find results, look to wonbassevents.com and WONews.com to hear the latest news about the 2024 season and beyond and follow along at Facebook.com/
The 2024 WON Bass Northern California Lake Shasta Open is brought to you by Bass Pro Shops, Ranger Boats, Mercury Marine, Nitro Boats, Triton Boats, Bridgford Foods, Phenix Rods, Yamamoto Baits, Bill Lewis Lures, Buckeye Lures, Steel Shad, Bioenno Power, SOG Knives, Cold Steel Knives, Gamma Line, Power Pole, Lowrance, Daiwa, AFTCO, Costa, Berkley, Abu Garcia, DD26 Fishing, Anderson Toyota, A&M Graphics, Anglers Marine and Signature Gates.
Local presenting sponsors are Clear Lake Outdoors and the City of Lakeport. Daily takeoffs and weigh-ins will happen at Library Park in the City of Lakeport, California.
Montevallo’s Erickson and Pontius take lead in Bassmaster College Series event on Kentucky Lake
April 17, 2024
Montevallo’s Erickson and Pontius take lead in Bassmaster College Series event on Kentucky Lake
PARIS, Tenn. — Kentucky Lake looked very much like one of the nation’s legendary fisheries on Day 1 of the Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops.
Blair Erickson and Jackson Pontius of the University of Montevallo (Ala.) caught the heaviest bag on Wednesday, weighing five bass for a total of 22 pounds, 8 ounces. That was one of 145 limits caught by 216 teams entered in this two-day derby — a sure sign that Kentucky Lake has rebounded after enduring a few lean years due mainly to an influx of the invasive Asian carp.
This is the first B.A.S.S. event on the mammoth fishery since 2020 when the Bassmaster High School National Championship was held here. As was proved at that tournament, and again on Wednesday, the smallmouth bite is especially strong on Kentucky Lake.
“We caught a mix of smallmouth and largemouth today,” Erickson said, “but we wound up weighing five smallmouth bass.”
“We upgraded with a 4-14 smallmouth to finish the day,” Pontius said. “And we actually came in an hour early. It was a really good day.”
Fortune smiled early on the pair of 21-year-old juniors. They had 21 pounds in the livewell by 9 a.m., fishing current in anywhere from 4 to 13 feet of water. But the duo struggled to improve on that total until the kicker smallie later in the day.
Erickson said the overcast skies early on Wednesday helped their bite, but bright sun and warmer conditions as the morning wore on slowed things considerably.
Fishing pressure was also a factor, the Day 1 leaders said.
“The area we were in got pretty loaded,” Erickson said. “We burned that area to the ground today, but we have another tomorrow that’s hopefully as good.”
Pontius said he’s confident they can make a run for the tournament title on Thursday.
“I think we can catch 17 or 18 pounds tomorrow, at the worst,” he said. “And we should be able to get 20. That gives us a chance.”
Jack Hay and Eli Jaime of Southwestern Michigan College are in second place with 20-11. Rounding out the Top 5 after Day 1 are Dylan Fogerty and Hunter Fillmore of Bethel University (Tenn.), third, 20-5; Easton Fothergill and Nick Dumke of Montevallo, fourth, 20-4; and Dylan Akins and Chase Cary of Emmanuel College (Ga.), fifth,19-13.
Fothergill and Dumke were the Bassmaster College Series Team of the Year in 2023.
The teams of Sam Moll and Will Burch of Murray State (Ky.) University, and Quade Lobo and Nick Owens of Adrian College (Mich.), each weighed a 6-13 smallmouth on Wednesday to tie for the heaviest bass on Day 1.
This week’s College Series stop at Kentucky Lake is the second of three events on the new Legends Trail, the first being held on South Carolina’s Lake Murray in January and the final tournament set for Michigan’s Saginaw Bay in June. Teams finishing in the top 10% of the field at any of the college events will qualify for the Strike King Bassmaster College National Championship scheduled for Aug. 22-24 at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, S.C.
The second and final day of competition on Kentucky Lake will begin at 6:30 a.m. CT. The closing weigh-in is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. Follow the action on Bassmaster.com.
The Henry County Tourism Authority is hosting the event.
2024 Bassmaster College Series Title Sponsor: Strike King
2024 Bassmaster College Series Presenting Sponsor: Bass Pro Shops
2024 Bassmaster College Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2024 Bassmaster College Series Premier Sponsors: Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Progressive Insurance, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2024 Bassmaster College Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew's, Lowrance, Marathon, Triton Boats, VMC
2024 Bassmaster College Series Youth Sponsors: Seaguar, Shimano
About B.A.S.S.B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting-edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
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Media Contact: Chad Gay, Communications Manager, 865-201-6458, cgay@bassmaster.
2024 Strike King Bassmaster College Series at Kentucky Lake presented by Bass Pro Shops 4/17-4/18
Kentucky Lake, Paris TN.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Club/School Pts
1. Blair Erickson - Jackson Pontius University of Montevallo 250
Day 1: 5 22-08 Total: 5 22-08
2. Jack Hay - Eli Jaime Southwestern Michigan College 249
Day 1: 5 20-11 Total: 5 20-11
3. Dylan Fogarty - Hunter Fillmore Bethel University 248
Day 1: 5 20-05 Total: 5 20-05
4. Easton Fothergill - Nick Dumke University of Montevallo 247
Day 1: 5 20-04 Total: 5 20-04
5. Dylan Akins - Chase Carey Emmanuel College 246
Day 1: 5 19-13 Total: 5 19-13
6. Derek Rodriguez Jr. - Dalton Mollenkopf Adrian College 245
Day 1: 5 19-11 Total: 5 19-11
7. Drake Sturgill - Beau Browning University of Montevallo 244
Day 1: 5 19-10 Total: 5 19-10
8. Banks Shaw - Nathan Reynolds University of North Alabama 243
Day 1: 5 19-08 Total: 5 19-08
9. Colby Carrier - Justin Frey Bethel University 242
Day 1: 5 19-07 Total: 5 19-07
10. Lane Stephens - Ethan Fields McKendree University 241
Day 1: 5 19-06 Total: 5 19-06
11. Brenton Godwin - Hunter Odom University of Montevallo 240
Day 1: 5 19-03 Total: 5 19-03
12. Collin Barnett - Sander Ludeman Minnesota State University - Man 239
Day 1: 5 19-02 Total: 5 19-02
13. Jackson Kulijof - Aiden Clark Murray State University 238
Day 1: 5 19-01 Total: 5 19-01
14. Andrew Howell - Jordan Pennington University of Montevallo 237
Day 1: 5 18-13 Total: 5 18-13
15. Adrian Urso - Corbin Templon Murray State University 236
Day 1: 5 18-10 Total: 5 18-10
16. Hunter Russell - Benny Blank Wabash Valley College 235
Day 1: 5 18-07 Total: 5 18-07
17. Daniel Schroeder - Jacob Autry Murray State University 234
Day 1: 5 18-06 Total: 5 18-06
18. Quade Lobo - Nick Owens Adrian College 233
Day 1: 5 18-04 Total: 5 18-04
18. Chase Milholen - Koltyn Harbin Bethel University 233
Day 1: 5 18-04 Total: 5 18-04
20. Elliot Wielgopolski - Aaron Jagdfeld Adrian College 231
Day 1: 5 18-03 Total: 5 18-03
21. Hayden Marbut - Auburn University 230
Day 1: 5 17-12 Total: 5 17-12
22. Henry Vincent - Tommy Parker Adrian College 229
Day 1: 5 17-12 Total: 5 17-12
23. Benjamin Travis - Brendin Simich Auburn University 228
Day 1: 5 17-11 Total: 5 17-11
23. Carson Tucker - Kade MacDonald University of Wisconsin - Whitew 228
Day 1: 5 17-11 Total: 5 17-11
25. Sam Moll - Will Burch Murray State University 226
Day 1: 5 17-09 Total: 5 17-09
25. Hank Sturm - Matt Amosby Adrian College 226
Day 1: 5 17-09 Total: 5 17-09
27. Lucas Washburn - Braylon Eggerding Adrian College 224
Day 1: 5 17-07 Total: 5 17-07
28. Tyler Finley - Christopher Kistler University of North Alabama 223
Day 1: 5 17-01 Total: 5 17-01
28. Tyler Leachman - Mark Bixler Murray State University 223
Day 1: 5 17-01 Total: 5 17-01
30. Jerry Brumbaugh Jr. - Brady Pinwar Adrian College 221
Day 1: 5 17-00 Total: 5 17-00
31. Kai Barnett - Parker Welch McKendree University 220
Day 1: 5 16-14 Total: 5 16-14
31. Carter Nutt - Dylan Nutt University of North Alabama 220
Day 1: 5 16-14 Total: 5 16-14
33. Logan Plueger - Charlie Wright University of Montevallo 218
Day 1: 5 16-13 Total: 5 16-13
33. Peyton Rose - Brogan Gregg Wabash Valley College 218
Day 1: 5 16-13 Total: 5 16-13
35. Tyler Eggers - Dustin Swafford Catawba Valley Community College 216
Day 1: 5 16-11 Total: 5 16-11
36. Hayden Fry - Vance Roberts McKendree University 215
Day 1: 5 16-11 Total: 5 16-11
37. Austin Marley - Jack Richardson Georgia Southern University 214
Day 1: 5 16-10 Total: 5 16-10
38. Cameron Smith - Thomas Phillips Ohio State University 213
Day 1: 5 16-10 Total: 5 16-10
39. Luke Davis - Chance Schwartz University of Montevallo 212
Day 1: 5 16-09 Total: 5 16-09
39. Nick Seitz - Paxton Giem Adrian College 212
Day 1: 5 16-09 Total: 5 16-09
41. Cy Lambert - Austin King University of North Alabama 210
Day 1: 5 16-08 Total: 5 16-08
42. Ryan Olsen - Delaney Platt Southwestern Michigan College 209
Day 1: 5 16-07 Total: 5 16-07
43. Blayner Leeman - Cameron Dials Kentucky Christian University 208
Day 1: 5 16-06 Total: 5 16-06
44. Lake Norsworthy - Calup Williams Blue Mountain Christian Universi 207
Day 1: 5 16-05 Total: 5 16-05
45. Brody Robison - Colton White University of Montevallo 206
Day 1: 5 16-05 Total: 5 16-05
46. Kyle Hopping - Colsyn Head McKendree University 205
Day 1: 5 16-04 Total: 5 16-04
47. Jonah Potts - Connor Lacy Murray State University 204
Day 1: 5 15-15 Total: 5 15-15
48. Max Heaton - Brooks Anderson Emmanuel College 203
Day 1: 5 15-13 Total: 5 15-13
49. Dawson Burton - Ethan Burnette Kentucky Christian University 202
Day 1: 5 15-12 Total: 5 15-12
49. Owen Januszewski - Mitch Straffon Adrian College 202
Day 1: 5 15-12 Total: 5 15-12
49. Brady Metzger - Mason Bohland Purdue University 202
Day 1: 5 15-12 Total: 5 15-12
52. Wyatt Pearman - Ridge Rutledge Campbellsville University 199
Day 1: 5 15-10 Total: 5 15-10
53. Harrison Terry - Zachary Bowen Bethel University 198
Day 1: 5 15-09 Total: 5 15-09
54. Jonathon Garbacz - Owen Moss University of North Georgia 197
Day 1: 5 15-08 Total: 5 15-08
55. Chandler Pruett - Wes Bailey Blue Mountain Christian Universi 196
Day 1: 5 15-07 Total: 5 15-07
56. Zane Roberts - Elijah McDonald University of North Alabama 195
Day 1: 5 15-06 Total: 5 15-06
56. Harlan Thomas - Jack Thompson Murray State University 195
Day 1: 5 15-06 Total: 5 15-06
58. Hunter Petrovic - Kaiya Ziga Southwestern Michigan College 193
Day 1: 5 15-05 Total: 5 15-05
58. Ethan Tedder - Hunter Brewer University of North Alabama 193
Day 1: 5 15-05 Total: 5 15-05
60. Reece Keeney - Brantley Anders Kentucky Christian University 191
Day 1: 5 15-04 Total: 5 15-04
61. Chris Baker - Elijah Kelley Kentucky Christian University 190
Day 1: 5 15-02 Total: 5 15-02
61. Brennan Berglund - Neal Braddy University of Montevallo 190
Day 1: 5 15-02 Total: 5 15-02
61. James Willoughby - Phillip Herring University of Montevallo 190
Day 1: 5 15-02 Total: 5 15-02
64. Jarrett Prunty - Chase Fleenor Western Kentucky University 187
Day 1: 5 14-15 Total: 5 14-15
64. Jake Thornbury - Lane Pohlman Campbellsville University 187
Day 1: 5 14-15 Total: 5 14-15
66. Dylan Levin - Dalton DeFelice Southwestern Michigan College 185
Day 1: 5 14-14 Total: 5 14-14
67. Will Gordon - Murray State University 184
Day 1: 5 14-13 Total: 5 14-13
67. Payton Sodervick - Adam Troyer Indiana University 184
Day 1: 5 14-13 Total: 5 14-13
69. Riley Lawson - Joe Bob Burchett Kentucky Christian University 182
Day 1: 5 14-12 Total: 5 14-12
70. Connor Westerman - Michael Mcnulty West Virginia University 181
Day 1: 5 14-11 Total: 5 14-11
71. Jordan Bezold - Joe Bezold Nku Bassmasters Club 180
Day 1: 5 14-10 Total: 5 14-10
72. Hagan Marlin - Chris Fallon University of Montevallo 179
Day 1: 5 14-08 Total: 5 14-08
72. Levi Seagraves - Scooter Ligon Jr Emmanuel College 179
Day 1: 5 14-08 Total: 5 14-08
74. Hunter Shelton - Colten Drawdy Bethel University 177
Day 1: 5 14-06 Total: 5 14-06
74. Jack Stephens - Jason Qualich McKendree University 177
Day 1: 5 14-06 Total: 5 14-06
76. Harmon Marien - Maxwell Trotter McKendree University 175
Day 1: 5 14-05 Total: 5 14-05
77. Tyler Altizer - Landon Lawson King University 174
Day 1: 5 14-03 Total: 5 14-03
77. Jacob Swanson - Zack Cooper University of Montevallo 174
Day 1: 5 14-03 Total: 5 14-03
79. Joseph Woods - Anthony Cicero IV Bethel University 172
Day 1: 5 14-03 Total: 5 14-03
80. Tomas Matual - Colton Hill McKendree University 171
Day 1: 5 14-02 Total: 5 14-02
81. TJ McKenzie - Will Wester Emmanuel College 170
Day 1: 5 13-12 Total: 5 13-12
82. Tucker Dottley - Jordan Hampton Bethel University 169
Day 1: 5 13-11 Total: 5 13-11
83. Dalton Phelps - Gannon Stork Wabash Valley College 168
Day 1: 5 13-09 Total: 5 13-09
83. Nathan Preston - Reece Tremaglio Auburn University 168
Day 1: 5 13-09 Total: 5 13-09
85. Jack Mcillwain - Jake Krauth University of North Alabama 166
Day 1: 5 13-08 Total: 5 13-08
86. Cole Hadlock - Braiden Koerber Murray State University 165
Day 1: 5 13-07 Total: 5 13-07
86. Andrew Jones - Tyler Malone Southern Union State Community C 165
Day 1: 5 13-07 Total: 5 13-07
88. Joe Lutz - Jake Monti UNC - Charlotte 163
Day 1: 5 13-06 Total: 5 13-06
88. Max Pierlott - Mike Pierlott UNC - Charlotte 163
Day 1: 5 13-06 Total: 5 13-06
90. Nick Redlin - Ben Redlin University of Wisconsin - Platte 161
Day 1: 5 13-05 Total: 5 13-05
91. Kaleb Brown - Cole Moulton Lander University 160
Day 1: 5 13-03 Total: 5 13-03
91. Luke Dardeen - Connor Becker Wabash Valley College 160
Day 1: 5 13-03 Total: 5 13-03
93. Andrew Oswalt - Evan Mabrey University of Montevallo 158
Day 1: 5 13-01 Total: 5 13-01
94. Carson Calvert - Austin Thomas University of North Alabama 157
Day 1: 5 13-01 Total: 5 13-01
95. Nick Shoffner - Drake Page UNC - Charlotte 156
Day 1: 5 12-15 Total: 5 12-15
96. Brock Blazier - Colby Joseph Campbellsville University 155
Day 1: 5 12-14 Total: 5 12-14
96. Logan East - Conner Giles Bryan College 155
Day 1: 5 12-14 Total: 5 12-14
98. Kobe Thompson - Cole Carr Adrian College 153
Day 1: 5 12-11 Total: 5 12-11
99. Bryson Hatcher - Matthew Dopp Bryan College 152
Day 1: 5 12-10 Total: 5 12-10
99. Karsten Raney - Ben Sadler Campbellsville University 152
Day 1: 5 12-10 Total: 5 12-10
101. Jackson Holbert - Joshua Hayes University of North Alabama 150
Day 1: 5 12-09 Total: 5 12-09
101. Caden Pearson - Nathan Kallstrand Wabash Valley College 150
Day 1: 5 12-09 Total: 5 12-09
103. Jake Peck - Carty Shoen Auburn University 148
Day 1: 4 12-09 Total: 4 12-09
104. Will Hart - Logan Fisher Emmanuel College 147
Day 1: 5 12-08 Total: 5 12-08
105. Carter Smith - Sam Ausbrooks Wabash Valley College 146
Day 1: 4 12-08 Total: 4 12-08
106. Emily Freeman - Charly Hutson Murray State University 145
Day 1: 5 12-07 Total: 5 12-07
107. Zach Pocos - Tucker Siminak McKendree University 144
Day 1: 5 12-06 Total: 5 12-06
107. Kyle Smith - Aaron Mills Kentucky Christian University 144
Day 1: 5 12-06 Total: 5 12-06
109. Wes Newman Jr. - Holden Zinda Liberty University 142
Day 1: 5 12-04 Total: 5 12-04
110. Jake Kimbrough - Tyler Hill Blue Mountain Christian Universi 141
Day 1: 5 12-04 Total: 5 12-04
111. Jack Carroll - Joseph Senn Bethel University 140
Day 1: 5 12-03 Total: 5 12-03
111. Max Newkirk - Makenzie Shelton Murray State University 140
Day 1: 5 12-03 Total: 5 12-03
111. Hunter Palmer - Eli Stevenson Bryan College 140
Day 1: 5 12-03 Total: 5 12-03
114. Jackson Smith - Sawyer Williams Bethel University 137
Day 1: 5 12-03 Total: 5 12-03
115. Nick Pemberton - Will Holloway University of Montevallo 136
Day 1: 5 12-01 Total: 5 12-01
115. Dustin Weinberg - Sawyer Brady Blue Mountain Christian Universi 136
Day 1: 5 12-01 Total: 5 12-01
117. Gus Dietrich - Jack Wilson University of Alabama 134
Day 1: 5 12-00 Total: 5 12-00
118. Jonathan Yazdi - James Yuska Indiana University 133
Day 1: 5 11-15 Total: 5 11-15
119. Hunter Sandschafer - Blake Beckmann Wabash Valley College 132
Day 1: 5 11-13 Total: 5 11-13
120. Harrison McCall - Cameron Yates Lander University 131
Day 1: 5 11-13 Total: 5 11-13
121. Nate Triplett - Holden Johnson University of North Alabama 130
Day 1: 5 11-12 Total: 5 11-12
122. William Vickery - Hunter Starling Georgia Southern University 129
Day 1: 5 11-12 Total: 5 11-12
123. Dylan Bush - Tyler Hudson Western Kentucky University 128
Day 1: 5 11-11 Total: 5 11-11
123. Branson Campbell - Hayden Short Kentucky Christian University 128
Day 1: 5 11-11 Total: 5 11-11
123. Colton Odom - Tyler Madden Auburn University 128
Day 1: 5 11-11 Total: 5 11-11
123. Ethan Vue - Christian Vue UNC - Charlotte 128
Day 1: 5 11-11 Total: 5 11-11
127. TJ Davis - Dillan Mcglothern Webber International University 124
Day 1: 5 11-09 Total: 5 11-09
127. Tristen Dubbs - Parker Wilburn Grace College 124
Day 1: 5 11-09 Total: 5 11-09
127. Allen Powe - Jonathan Combs Campbellsville University 124
Day 1: 5 11-09 Total: 5 11-09
127. Evan Sutton - Grant Olsen McKendree University 124
Day 1: 5 11-09 Total: 5 11-09
131. Peyton Harris - Dalton Head University of Montevallo 120
Day 1: 5 11-07 Total: 5 11-07
131. Turner Hart - Summer Dees Bryan College 120
Day 1: 5 11-07 Total: 5 11-07
131. Jake Hope - Alex Nesmith Murray State University 120
Day 1: 5 11-07 Total: 5 11-07
134. Bryce Dimauro - Tripp Berlinsky Bryan College 117
Day 1: 5 11-04 Total: 5 11-04
134. Chase Loftus - University of Iowa 117
Day 1: 5 11-04 Total: 5 11-04
136. Ben Brockwell - Will Rooker Kentucky Christian University 115
Day 1: 5 11-02 Total: 5 11-02
137. Evan Barker - Corey Yarish Campbellsville University 114
Day 1: 5 11-01 Total: 5 11-01
138. Braden Cox - Joel Berelsman Ohio State University 113
Day 1: 4 11-01 Total: 4 11-01
139. Carson Winn - Grady Mcclendon University of North Alabama 112
Day 1: 5 11-00 Total: 5 11-00
140. Tyler Cory - Scott Sledge University of Montevallo 111
Day 1: 5 10-14 Total: 5 10-14
141. William Brogan - Cole Bubenzer Indiana University 110
Day 1: 5 10-12 Total: 5 10-12
142. Jake Brown - Walker Brown University of North Alabama 109
Day 1: 5 10-03 Total: 5 10-03
143. Caleb Bridges - Jonathan Fann Bryan College 108
Day 1: 4 10-02 Total: 4 10-02
144. Gavyn Rapp - Ephraim Cretsinger Adrian College 107
Day 1: 5 09-15 Total: 5 09-15
145. Spencer Grooms - Kyle Knoll Auburn University 106
Day 1: 5 09-13 Total: 5 09-13
146. Dylan Thomson - Trey Marco King University 105
Day 1: 5 09-12 Total: 5 09-12
147. Campbell Coyle - Tanner Davis University of Kentucky 104
Day 1: 4 09-12 Total: 4 09-12
148. Jadon Spencer - Chase Martin Catawba Valley Community College 103
Day 1: 5 09-10 Total: 5 09-10
149. Mitch Johnson - Jonathan Fitch Kentucky Christian University 102
Day 1: 4 09-09 Total: 4 09-09
150. William Henry - Hunter Heckman Purdue University 101
Day 1: 5 09-08 Total: 5 09-08
151. Dade Vincent - Murray State University 100
Day 1: 4 09-06 Total: 4 09-06
152. Dawson Woerner - Wyatt Cash Purdue University 99
Day 1: 4 09-04 Total: 4 09-04
153. Casey Cornelius - Zion Dunaway Purdue University 98
Day 1: 4 09-02 Total: 4 09-02
154. Aidan Kolb - Tanner Brockman Murray State University 97
Day 1: 4 08-13 Total: 4 08-13
155. Drew Bradstreet - Florida Gateway College 96
Day 1: 4 08-07 Total: 4 08-07
156. Nickolas Illobre - Bethel University 95
Day 1: 4 08-01 Total: 4 08-01
157. Brooks Parker - Hudson Choquette University of Montevallo 94
Day 1: 5 07-15 Total: 5 07-15
158. Lucas Thornton - Lucas Snyder University of North Alabama 93
Day 1: 3 07-15 Total: 3 07-15
159. Hayden Pirman - Luke Chaddock West Virginia University 92
Day 1: 3 07-14 Total: 3 07-14
160. Nick Harenda - Nick Mallmann Conto University of Wisconsin-Whitewat 91
Day 1: 4 07-11 Total: 4 07-11
160. Gavin Sheffer - Liberty University 91
Day 1: 4 07-11 Total: 4 07-11
162. Braden Thompson - Mason Gross Wabash Valley College 89
Day 1: 2 07-11 Total: 2 07-11
163. Tyler Dubois - Grayden Scibilia Bethel University 0
Day 1: 3 07-10 Total: 3 07-10
164. River Blanton - Brock Catlett Campbellsville University 87
Day 1: 4 07-08 Total: 4 07-08
165. Cole Berry - Braci Ault Purdue University 86
Day 1: 3 07-07 Total: 3 07-07
166. Easton Lindus - Seth Jenkins Emmanuel College 85
Day 1: 3 07-06 Total: 3 07-06
167. Briggs Alavezos - Solomon Glenn University of Montevallo 84
Day 1: 3 07-03 Total: 3 07-03
167. Billy Erdakos - Davis Klimczak Southwestern Michigan College 84
Day 1: 3 07-03 Total: 3 07-03
169. Coleman Self - David Gummow Bethel University 82
Day 1: 3 07-02 Total: 3 07-02
170. Cal Austin - Robert Richbourg Catawba Valley Community College 81
Day 1: 3 06-15 Total: 3 06-15
171. Bryson Dotson - Kobi May Bryan College 80
Day 1: 4 06-08 Total: 4 06-08
172. Jacob Highley - William Copley Kentucky Christian University 79
Day 1: 3 06-08 Total: 3 06-08
173. Kyle Zainitzer - Brock Vogel University of North Alabama 78
Day 1: 3 06-08 Total: 3 06-08
174. Chris McGregor - Preston Kolisek University of North Alabama 77
Day 1: 3 06-07 Total: 3 06-07
175. Tanner Herndon - Bryan College 76
Day 1: 2 05-14 Total: 2 05-14
176. Josh Richardson - Logan Greeno 75
Day 1: 3 05-08 Total: 3 05-08
176. Jaxson Smoak - Dylan Reid Georgia Southern University 75
Day 1: 3 05-08 Total: 3 05-08
178. Colin Chavers - Aiden Macks Southern Union State Community C 73
Day 1: 2 05-06 Total: 2 05-06
179. Garrett Ring - Peyton Sorrow University of Montevallo 72
Day 1: 3 05-03 Total: 3 05-03
180. Sam Harvey - Jordan Brewer Auburn University 71
Day 1: 1 05-03 Total: 1 05-03
181. Jacob Butts - Mark Kershaw-Klara University of South Carolina - U 70
Day 1: 2 05-02 Total: 2 05-02
182. Thomas Smith - Kaleb Butts University of South Carolina - U 69
Day 1: 2 05-01 Total: 2 05-01
183. Owen Wheeler - Caleb Neu Bethel University 68
Day 1: 2 05-00 Total: 2 05-00
184. Butler Cochran - Bryce Evans University of South Carolina 67
Day 1: 2 05-00 Total: 2 05-00
185. Carter Doren - Brett Hill Campbellsville University 66
Day 1: 2 04-11 Total: 2 04-11
186. Ryan Thomas - Nathaniel Harper University of Pikeville 65
Day 1: 2 04-08 Total: 2 04-08
187. Hunter Barrow - Caleb Dugger King University 64
Day 1: 2 04-06 Total: 2 04-06
188. Ryan Foster - Will Hornsby McKendree University 63
Day 1: 2 04-00 Total: 2 04-00
189. Kolby Clark - Rees Williams University of North Alabama 62
Day 1: 2 03-11 Total: 2 03-11
190. Gage Starks - Anthony Ethridge Murray State University 61
Day 1: 2 03-10 Total: 2 03-10
191. Luke Caylor - Joe Gollmer Indiana University 60
Day 1: 2 03-05 Total: 2 03-05
192. Hampton Shull - Lander University 59
Day 1: 1 02-15 Total: 1 02-15
193. William Travis - Caleb Griffin Bryan College 58
Day 1: 1 02-08 Total: 1 02-08
194. Nick Staub - Sam Schmitz University of North Alabama 57
Day 1: 1 02-05 Total: 1 02-05
195. Carson Aarup - Matt Peine UNC - Charlotte 56
Day 1: 1 02-01 Total: 1 02-01
195. Brendan Vinton - Jacob Vanscoik Catawba Valley Community College 56
Day 1: 1 02-01 Total: 1 02-01
197. Sam Hoesley - Malcolm Patton Auburn University 54
Day 1: 1 01-12 Total: 1 01-12
198. Jaxson Freeman - Connor Hall McKendree University 53
Day 1: 1 01-08 Total: 1 01-08
199. Clayton Cruze - Murray State University 52
Day 1: 4 00-00 Total: 4 00-00
200. Victor Alford - Christian Misciagna Bryan College 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Kyle Ashe - Bobby Beck JR University at Buffalo 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Blake Bullock - John Mark Berry Blue Mountain Christian Universi 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Lynn Chitwood - Trevor Moore Virginia Tech 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Ryan Daugherty - Brantley Barrentine Campbellsville University 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Owen Day - Morehead State University 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Allen Everett - Matthew Tomolonis Murray State University 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Alex Geroulis - Harrison Bomba Indiana University 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Gavin Grossman - Nicholas Jones Indiana University 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. William Gully - Preston Barnett Southern Union State Community C 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Jeffrey Jones - Coleman Bingham Bethel University 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Camden Lewis - TJ Edwards Jr Blue Mountain Christian Universi 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Aaron Mcgill - Coastal Carolina University 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Blake Milligan - Carson Maddux Auburn University 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Kevin Palmer - Sydney Rice Pellissippi State Community Coll 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Ty Reynolds - Murray State University 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Alan Ter Molen - Luke Rosebrook Grace College 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 145 874 2454-06
------------------------------
145 874 2454-06
Scroggins makes St. Johns predictions
Team Toyota’s Terry “Big Show” Scroggins competes on Major League Fishing’s Bass Pro Tour these days. So, obviously he won’t be an entrant this week in the Bassmaster Elite Series on his home waters of the St. Johns River, but who better to ask what fans can expect to see than Scroggins, a guy who has lived here for 40 years, notched three Top 10 Bassmaster finishes on this famed fishery, and still fishes here constantly when he’s not on the road?
Water levels are the wildcard
“The same 40-60 mph South winds that caused the Bassmaster Elite Series to be postponed at the Harris Chain last Thursday blew through here, and when that happens, it blows the water out of this tidal river in a big way. It’s still low, and that leaves the lily pads high and dry, and that’s the only vegetation we really have left here,” explains Scroggins.
Scroggins says the forecast for light winds this week, coupled with natural tide flow will help restore water levels to normal, but not to the point an angler can count on swimming a jig in lily pads to win. There simply won’t be enough of them available to carry an angler through four days of competition.
Mix it up. No single pattern will win.
“There’s a lot going on right now. Sure, there will be guys using forward-facing sonar in Rodman Reservoir that will do well. The creek channels and stump-filled flats on Rodman play well to that. There will also be guys who get a Top 10 here targeting the shad spawn around Crescent Lake, plus, off-shore shell beds will be a player, and they’ll even be some spawners weighed-in. But the guy who wins will have to do a little bit of all that,” Scroggins confidently predicts.
18-a-day to do well
Scroggins predicts an angler who can average 18 pounds each day will make a Top 10. He says a 30-pound mega limit like Rick Clunn’s iconic 31-pound Saturday catch here in 2016 is still very possible, but seldom does that happen, and when it does, it’s often complimented by more realistic 15-pound limit the day prior or the day after.
Lures that’ll play
“Again, I think the water levels will get back to normal enough for a swim jig to be a popular choice this week, and so will a spinnerbait, but of course, don’t leave your front-looker sonar minnows in the truck either,” grins the always comical Scroggins.
Comical, but confident. There’s simply no better bass fishing wisdom with more tournament earnings from this Northwest Florida fishery than “Big Show” the past 20 years. He got the nickname around here for a reason, you know.
A Team Effort...the AC Insider Story
By Danny Blandford ~ AC Insider
Over the past year or two, fans of fishing have seen lots of changes, with certainly more to come. From the brands that support the industry, to the leagues and formats, to the anglers themselves, we're seeing big shifts in the fishing biz. Our readers and followers may have noticed a few changes in style and feel around Anglerschannel.com and our social properties as well. Today we wanted to give some credit where credit is due.
Our “world” of bass fishing here at Anglers Channel encompasses everything from the highest level professional events, to grass roots events that feed our industry with aspiring tournament anglers. That landscape is broad: multiple events, multiple leagues, and a variety of platforms to reach the consumer all make it a bit complex for a two-man band, like me and Vance McCullough. We knew we needed a full team of passionate folks to aggregate meaningful and timely content in the same way we’ve succeeded in aggregating news over the years.
The rapidly-evolving social landscape required a young perspective who knew it well and a vested interest in staying ahead of the curve…fortunately I already “knew a guy” who was doing some impressive things in the space. Bringing in a personal friend and colleague, Jeffery Johnson, made a noticeable impact starting on Day 1. We won’t bore you with his impressive social gains for the brand, but we know several thousand folks are being introduced to Anglers Channel on a daily basis…which I guess deserves a Fist Bump Emoji…or something like that.
As the platform grew, we needed more relevant content from events. Our AC Insider, Vance McCullough, also “knew a guy” who was doing some impressive things in that space too. He actually didn’t need any introduction to me, I was already a fan myself. I’d been following Ricky Bodsford’s work since the BassEast days, and I frequently checked in on his Bass365 platform regardless of what job title I had over the past twenty years.
Bass365 is a fitting title for his group because that’s exactly what they are, Bass Fishing 365 days a year. Bodsford will never boast on his own work, but I will! He’s been at more take offs, weigh-ins, and industry functions than most of us can imagine as an "embedded" reporter, and he has both passion AND talent. Enough talent to feed his own growing client list and platform, as well as coordinating with our team to make sure we're getting the onsite event content we need for our audience and partners. Our collaboration is already produced eye-popping results, and its only April. We're all looking forward to watching this transformative season unfold and delivering all things bass fishing as they unfold.
In addition to media, I also wanted an AC Insider who was a true participant in the sport…someone dealing with entry fees, travel schedules, sponsors, and everything that goes into life as a “touring pro”, and I wanted someone with fresh eyes, and preferably not yet jaded by the toll that the lifestyle can take on a person. A chance meeting at Green Pond Landing on Lake Hartwell during the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship sparked something for me.
I had the opportunity to meet Drew Gill during a battery swap, and let’s just say my Spidey Senses told me there was something there. We scheduled an episode of the AC Insider podcast, and within a day of posting it, I picked up the phone and partnered with Drew. Luckily, I got it done prior to his first cast on the Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour; before the invitation for that matter. Drew has blasted out of the gate, and if you don’t know of him yet, you will!
I recently had another stroke of good fortune, when our AC Travel Insiders at Half Past First Cast passed along what seemed like a simple enough email. It was from Pete Robbins and went something like, “I was introduced to Brady Harp through a mutual friend of ours, Dave Mansue. I thought he might be a good fit for Anglers Channel.” A recommendation from Pete and Dave, and a quick web search was all it took and I said, “Yep, I’d love to meet him and talk!” A quick chat, and once again my Sidey Senses went into overdrive.
Brady’s pedigree and story is an awesome one that I’m excited to share. Brady’s passion for fishing started with drowning red worms with his dad in the neighborhood pond and catching bluegill. Somewhere along the way he picked up a plastic worm and caught his first bass, and at that point he was hooked. He was a quarterback for his middle school football team, yet he always found himself longing for practice to hurry up and get over so he could head to the pond for the rest of the afternoon. Seeing his passion and thirst for knowledge, which his parents couldn’t seem to quench, they signed him up for Kurt Dove’s Pro Bass Youth Camp in the 6th grade! Brady loved it so much, he went every year from the 6th through 12th grade, AND came back as an instructor once he aged out of the program.
According to Brady, “I genuinely attribute so much of my love of bass fishing to Kurt, Dave Mansue, and even Denny Brauer. Having mentors like these men in the Pro Bass Youth Camp actually changed my life, and I can’t thank them enough.”
Brady put down the football and spent as much time as he could fishing, ultimately finding himself on the Spain Park High School Fishing Team, setting his sights on college fishing with Auburn University after graduation. He hit the ground running at Auburn, volunteering for roles in the club as Secretary, followed by Chaplain, and ultimately finishing his college career as President of the Auburn University Bass Fishing Team
Ironically, Brady doesn’t want to be a touring pro, he just wants to stay connected to the industry and the sport that has helped shape him. He has grown up with some of the hottest young anglers in the space. They all started their journey together as teammates, classmates, and most importantly, friends.
In our interview, I likened him to Clark Kent…he’s an accountant during business hours, but he’s a bass fishing fanatic as soon as he’s covered his “day job”.
He added, “I chose a job that I could do effectively as a remote worker and part of that was so that I could travel and fish…not day in and day out like a pro, but the flexibility was VERY important to me. I love fishing the Alabama Bass Trail with my dad, and as a matter of the fact I’m on my way to the lake to get in a little practice for an upcoming event.”
Harp went on to add, “At the end of the day, I want to be involved in this industry on the media side, whether it be writing, videography, or some combination of both…I want to help keep telling the kind of stories that have meant so much to me.”
Brady will start applying some of his passion as an AC Insider by bringing us special interest pieces on those young men and women, the “Young Guns” who will be taking the reins from some of us “old dogs” and we’re thinking he can even teach us a few tricks along the way.
On a recent AC Insider Podcast, co-host Vance McCullough casually dropped some knowledge that resonated with me. We were talking about the future of our sport and V added this, “The only way to live eternally is to pour what we’ve learned into the younger generation in hopes that it matters enough for them to do the same for someone else later in their life …”
On the topic of the podcast, we’ll be pulling the AC Insider “Crew” together for a special AC Insider Podcast and we hope you'll join us for the "Meet and Greet". It'll take a bit to coordinate it all.
Drew’s been busy with the Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour AND the Tacklewarehouse Invitationals. Ricky and his crew have been tied up making magic with both Major League Fishing AND the Bassmaster Elite Series, sometimes both at the same time.
In the meantime, Vance and I will make sure it all keeps humming along! We hope you’ll tune in to hear the sum of all our parts; between the “young guns” and the “old dogs”, we make a pretty good team!
The rest of 2024 will be an exciting year both on and off the water and our team of AC Insiders will be bringing it to you as it happens. Our combination of news, event coverage, and special interest pieces will make sure Anglers Channel is your Number One resource for tournament bass fishing!
Join us and give us follow:
McKinney's Tundra smells like Bonus Bucks
The dozen Little Tree auto fresheners 19-year-old bass fishing phenom Trey McKinney has hanging from the rearview mirror of his Toyota Tundra makes it obvious he likes the inside of his cab to smell good.
“I mean look, let’s be honest, I kind of live out of this Tundra, and that sometimes includes wet rain suits and scented lures, so the Little Trees are kind of a buffer to offset all those bad odors, and rather than throw the old ones away, I just keep collecting them,” grins the highly approachable Illinois pro.
His decision to buy a Toyota Tundra and sign-up for the Toyota Bonus Bucks contingency program also has him collecting additional cash when he’s the highest placing Toyota owner in sanctioned tournaments like the Bassmaster Opens and Elite Series.
“I bought this Tundra because of the Bonus Bucks you can win, and because I was tired of my diesel breaking down. That’s a fact. And as a duck hunter, I’ve pulled two or three guys out of the mud with it too,” he grins.
McKinney used a wide variety of lures to finish 6 th at the Harris Chain of Lakes, from an old school Chug Bug to a big glide bait, but when it comes to favorite scents of Little Trees, he chooses Leather and Black Ice.
Whatever the scent of Little Tree, there’s no doubt he may very well have the best smelling Tundra on tour. And there’s nothing stinky about winning Toyota Bonus Bucks either when you tow with a 2020 or newer Toyota tow vehicle and get registered like Trey did at https://www.toyotatrucksbonusbucks.com/.
Local Volunteers Join MLF Pros and Fisheries Management Division to Deploy Artificial Fish Habitat into Center Hill Reservoir
BYRDSTOWN, Tenn. (April 16, 2024) – Although Center Hill Reservoir is already a hot spot for largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass, the surrounding community should be on the lookout for even more places to catch bass in the near future.
MLF Bass Pro Tour anglers Alton Jones, Alton Jones Jr, Brent Chapman , Cliff Crochet, Kelly Jordon, Mark Rose and Nick LeBrun joined the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency (TWRA), Dekalb County High School Bass Fishing Team, Tyler Anderson of TylersReelFishing and MLF Fishing Management Director Steven Bardin at Tennessee’s Center Hill Reservoir last week during PowerStop Brakes Stage Three at Dale Hollow Lake Presented by Mercury to complete a Minn Kota Habitat Restoration Project supported by Humminbird.
This team of volunteers built 20 40-inch MossBack Fish Habitat Conservation Cubes, which were deployed in pairs in locations in Indian and Holmes creeks. The GPS locations were recorded on the TWRA habitat barge’s Humminbird Helix 10 and will be available in the coming weeks on the TWRA website. Each cube was weighted down using cinder block anchors supplied by the Dayton Lowes Home Improvement Store No. 2866.
Photos from the Minn Kota Habitat Restoration Project on Center Hill Reservoir
Throughout 2024, Minn Kota and the Major League Fishing Fisheries Management Division will continue to improve habitat on fisheries using the Bass Recovery Zone model near popular tournament destinations.
The next Minn Kota Habitat Restoration Project supported by Humminbird will take place in Eufaula Oklahoma, in conjunction with the MLF Bass Pro Tour MillerTech Stage Four.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the MLF Fisheries Management Division, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com/
About MLF Fisheries Management Division
Major League Fishing’s Fisheries Management Division is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through Research, Education, Fisheries Enhancement and Fish Care. Under the leadership of MLF, in collaboration with Hall of Fame bass angler Gary Klein and renowned fisheries biologist Steven Bardin, the Fisheries Management Division provides opportunities to engage in initiatives that extend the life of the sport of bass fishing. These initiatives include targeted research programs, providing fans, anglers and youth with access to educational materials that help them become better stewards of our fisheries resources, and collaborating with local and state agencies to improve habitat essential for bass to thrive. From maximizing the health of an individual fish post-catch to stocking juvenile fish into waterbodies, the MLF Fisheries Management Division is committed to the health of our bass populations.
Eight Reasons You Should Join Us in Panama in January 2025
By Pete Robbins - Half Past First Cast
When we first visited Sport Fish Panama Island Lodge in April 2021 – thanks to the insistence of our friend Elliott Stark and after some discussions with Captain Shane Jarvis – we assumed it was going to be a “one and done” adventure. By the time we left, we knew we were coming back later that year. It was that life-changing.
We’ve now been a total of three times, and we’re heading back for Round Four in May. That trip is full, so we added another one just under eight months later, in early January of 2025. The goal is to never have a repeat of 2023, when we didn’t go at all. Hell, if I could just figure out a way to spend a couple of months down there each year I’d do just about whatever I could to make it happen.
You may never have considered this type of trip, but if you like to fish (for anything), if you like adventure, and you like beautiful places, I’m encouraging you to consider it. It’s that good. Here are some of my top reasons:
- Remoteness and Accessibility Combined – It’s easy to get to Panama City, with many direct flights from all over the US, and then to the town of David, but once you’re on Isla Parida (where the lodge is located) it feels like Gilligan and the Skipper should be around every corner. You have all of the creature comforts you need, including A/C, a loaded bar, and internet, but it’s not like you’re at some corporate resort or big town, with tourists everywhere. It’s relaxing and intimate and a great way to get away from any other stresses you have in your life.
- Variety is the Spice of Life – The trip is not inexpensive, but I consider it a value proposition. Many of us have been on bargain charters, where you spend a fair amount to putter around and come back to the marina at the first possible opportunity. This is not that. Instead, the captains work their balls off to put you on fish and keep you on fish. More importantly, it’s not just a marlin trip or a tuna trip or an inshore trip. It’s all of those things in one.
- Fewer Conflicts – For most of you, January is a dog crap time of year. The heart of deer season is over, you don’t have any fishing tournaments, and the weather is miserable at home. The holidays are over, but rather than sinking into a funk, it pays to keep the merriment going and there’s no better way to do that than by getting out of dodge.
- Accessible to all Experience Levels – As we proved, you don’t need to be an experienced offshore angler to get a lot out of this trip. We caught numerous species every time, including some true giants, without knowing what the hell we were doing. Nevertheless, Capt. Shane hosts luminaries from the saltwater world all the time. They can go anywhere but that’s where they choose to spend their time and money because it offers so much in terms of opportunity for serious anglers.
- First Class Gear Across the Board – Remember that awful bargain charter I mentioned above. They had old rods from the 80s and reels spooled up with Original Blue Stren monofilament that’s older than that. Well, if you’re a gear snob, SFPIL is for you. Shane and his captains have all top-flight equipment, perfectly suited to each species and presentation, and they take meticulous care of it all.
- Make a Meat Run – The food is exceptional on the island, but even better – you can take sushi-grade yellowfin fillets home with you. Bring a cooler (or buy one there) and they have a commercial-grade vacuum sealer and freezer that’ll get you situated. We’re just about out of tuna, which is an important (but comparatively minor) reason we need to get back there asap.
- Our No-Assholes Rule – If you’re worried about fishing and traveling with people you don’t know, put that aside. We’ve met some of our best friends in the world – people from vastly different walks of life than our own – through these trips. We endeavor to keep everyone present, level, and recognizing that the best way for each person to have a good time is for everyone to have a good time.
- You Don’t Even Need a Partner – Many people would like to go on these trips, but don’t have a partner or friends to join them, which makes the price as a single angler prohibitive. We do the dirty work of putting the group together, you fish with new people each day, and you end up paying what you’d pay if you went with your three best friends. So many of the unexpected partners have turned into long-term fishing buddies, it makes s extremely happy.
If this listicle alone doesn’t convince you, I’m happy to put you in touch with any of the people who’ve traveled to SPFIL with us in the past. I don’t know anyone who thinks the trip was anything less than exceptional. Just shoot me an email and I’ll send you a list. Ask them and I think you’ll be convinced.
I know that January seems like a long time away, but this gives you time to plan, time to save (if necessary), time to hit the gym (to winch in giant fish), and time to build up some anticipation for what I promise will be amazing.
[NOTE: We’ve already filled 12 spots, but there’s a fourth boat available, so we have room for up to four more anglers, in singles, pairs or one quartet. Don’t hesitate to join us!]
Midday kicker seals Garrett’s wire-to-wire win in Bassmaster Elite at Harris Chain
April 15, 2024
Midday kicker seals Garrett’s wire-to-wire win in Bassmaster Elite at Harris Chain
LEESBURG, Fla. — Sometimes, you close the door.
Other times, you slam it shut.
John Garrett did the latter and tallied a four-day total of 84 pounds, 5 ounces to claim his first Bassmaster win with a wire-to-wire victory at the Lowrance Bassmaster Elite at Harris Chain of Lakes.
The rookie from Union City, Tenn., endured a final-round emotional roller coaster that started with unexpected bonuses, followed by a desert of disappointment. Thankfully, the ride ended with a fist-pumping, “Let’s go!” kinda moment that sent a blue trophy to Garrett’s mantle and a $103,000 top prize to his bank account.
“I used to watch the Bassmaster Elites on the weekends with my grandad (former St. Croix Bassmaster Opens co-angler Johnnie Garrett),” said a clearly emotional Garrett. “It was a hard choice whether to watch the Elite weigh-in or go fishing all weekend.
“I never thought that I would be on this stage, let alone win one of these trophies. The Lord had His hand above me all this week.”
After taking the lead with a Day 1 limit of 24-2 — the event’s heaviest bag — Garrett added limits of 19-13, 19-3 and 21-3. Garrett edged rookie JT Thompkins of Myrtle Beach, S.C., by 10-9. This is only the 14th time in Elite Series history a competitor has recorded a double-digit winning margin.
The only angler to break 20 pounds twice, Garrett is the second rookie to win an Elite event this season. Fellow rookie, sixth-place finisher Trey McKinney of Carbondale, Ill., won the year’s second event at Lake Fork.
Lamenting a lean practice that left him with minimal options, Garrett devoted the majority of his tournament to a 75-yard stretch of shellbar on Lake Carlton’s northwest side. With quality bass rubbing fins with tilapia and catfish, he methodically worked up and down the hard-bottom zone in hopes of triggering bites.
Garrett caught his bass on a Strike King 5XD, a deep-diving crankbait, a Strike King 1.5 squarebill, a white hair jig and a Carolina-rigged Strike King Ocho.
Earlier in the week, Garrett said he settled into this pattern largely because he had nothing else going. Having grown up on the Tennessee River, Garrett is very familiar with fishing bars, so committing to a familiar pattern helped keep his head in the game.
“During the off day (Thursday’s scheduled start was postponed by extreme weather), something told me to take a chance on this tournament,” Garrett said. “I was about to go to Lake Griffin and play it safe. But I heard this little voice in my head that said, ‘Go for those big ones.’
“Since I made that decision, the Lord was with me all week. Whether it was a bait change or location change, I could not do anything wrong.”
Each day, Garrett started on what he called a “limit spot,” where he would put five keepers in livewell to settle his nerves before proceeding to his big-fish spot. The first three days, he ended up culling all of those small bass, but Day 4 delivered 3 1/4- and 4-pound surprises that put him ahead of schedule when he transitioned to his big-fish spot.
Unbeknownst to Garrett, Thompkins was craftily mounting the heartbreak campaign, by picking off solid fish with a Clutch Boss glidebait. Notably, Garrett finished second to Thompkins in the 2023 St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Elite Qualifiers standings.
Fortunately for Garrett, his school of big fish saved the best for last. Leading Thompkins by about 1 1/2 pounds (according to BassTrakk’s unofficial standings), Garrett overcame a temporary impediment and connected with his biggest catch of the tournament — a 7-4 that effectively put the event out of reach.
“I’d been waiting all week for that fish,” Garrett said. “My shellbar had gotten overrun by gar, but I scanned around for about 30 minutes and relocated the school. When I caught that big fish, I didn’t necessarily think I had won, but I knew I had a good chance.”
Garrett would make one more cull about 20 minutes later. Confident he had done all he could likely do, he headed in early to ensure no complications could doom his efforts.
Thompkins kept himself in the hunt all week. Starting with a Day 1 limit of 19-11, he tied Mississippi pro Brock Mosley for eighth place. Adding 17-1 in the second round moved him up to fourth.
With a third-round limit of 19-13, Thompkins improved his position to second before a Championship Monday bag of 17-3 settled him in the No. 2 spot with a tournament total of 73-12.
“I gave it everything I had and that’s all I can ask for,” Thompkins said. “I just tried to get my bait in front of as many fish as I could. I’m pleased with what I have.”
Thompkins split his time between lake Dora and Beauclair. He said he found the most promising conditions in those two lakes.
KJ Queen of Catawba, N.C., placed third with 72 pounds. His daily weights were 19-0, 15-7, 18-15 and 18-10.
Queen spent his tournament in a small canal off Lake Harris where he targeted a mix of cypress trees and lily pads. He amassed his weight by catching postspawn “floaters” — recuperating fish holding high in the water column — and late spawners.
Queen caught his fish on a wacky-rigged Zoom Zlinky and a Queen Tackle Tungsten Switchblade (bladed jig).
“I kept the same thing going every day and then I got into a little area that had a lot of big fish,” Queen said. “I was catching some off bed and some cruising down the bank. It’s a fun way to catch them.”
Garrett won the $1,000 Phoenix Boats Big Bass award for Day 4 with his 7-4. He also won the $2,000 Rapala CrushCity Monster Bag Award.
Jacob Powroznik of North Prince George, Va., won the $2,000 Phoenix Boats Big Bass award for his 10-8.
Chris Zaldain of Fort Worth, Texas, won the $1,000 BassTrakk contingency award.
Trey McKinney of Carbondale, Ill., won the $1,000 award for leading the Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Angler of the Year race with 293 points. Tyler Williams of Belgrade, Maine, is in second with 285, followed Jordan Lee of Cullman, Ala., with 283, reigning Bassmaster Classic Champion Justin Hamner of Northport, Ala., with 269, and Thompkins of Myrtle Beach, S.C., with 267.
McKinney and Williams also lead the Dakota Lithium Bassmaster Rookie of the Year standings.
Illinois pro McKinney also took home an additional $4,000 for being the highest-placing entrant in the Toyota Bonus Bucks program, while Jason Christie of Dry Creek, Okla., earned $2,000 for being the second-highest placing entrant.
As part of the Yamaha Power Pay program, Garrett earned an additional $4,000 while Thompkins claimed an additional $1,500 for being the second-highest placing entrant.
This event was hosted by the Greater Orlando Sports Commission.
2024 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2024 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Progressive Insurance, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2024 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew's, Lowrance, Marathon, Triton Boats, VMC
About B.A.S.S.B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting-edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
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Media Contact: Chad Gay, Communications Manager, 865-201-6458, cgay@bassmaster.
2024 Lowrance Bassmaster Elite at Harris Chain 4/12-4/15
Harris Chain Of Lakes, Leesburg FL.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 4
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. John Garrett Union City, TN 20 84-05 103 $103,000.00
Day 1: 5 24-02 Day 2: 5 19-13 Day 3: 5 19-03 Day 4: 5 21-03
2. JT Thompkins Myrtle Beach, SC 20 73-12 102 $35,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-11 Day 2: 5 17-01 Day 3: 5 19-13 Day 4: 5 17-03
3. KJ Queen Catawba, NC 20 72-00 101 $30,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-00 Day 2: 5 15-07 Day 3: 5 18-15 Day 4: 5 18-10
4. Tyler Williams Belgrade, ME 20 66-03 100 $25,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-02 Day 2: 5 17-09 Day 3: 5 16-14 Day 4: 5 14-10
5. Jordan Lee Cullman, AL 20 66-00 99 $20,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-06 Day 2: 5 09-04 Day 3: 5 17-10 Day 4: 5 17-12
6. Trey McKinney Carbondale, IL 20 65-07 98 $20,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-14 Day 2: 5 17-02 Day 3: 5 15-02 Day 4: 5 15-05
7. Joseph Webster Hamilton, AL 20 61-07 97 $18,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-15 Day 2: 5 10-15 Day 3: 5 16-00 Day 4: 5 13-09
8. Ed Loughran III Richmond, VA 20 60-11 96 $17,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-03 Day 2: 5 20-09 Day 3: 5 12-05 Day 4: 5 10-10
9. Jason Christie Dry Creek, OK 20 60-10 95 $16,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-06 Day 2: 5 18-07 Day 3: 5 17-15 Day 4: 5 09-14
10. Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 19 56-00 94 $15,500.00
Day 1: 5 22-00 Day 2: 5 16-13 Day 3: 5 11-04 Day 4: 4 05-15
------------------------------
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1 Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 07-14 $500.00
1 Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 07-14 $500.00
2 Austin Felix Eden Prairie, MN 08-07 $1,000.00
3 Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA10-08 $1,000.00
4 John Garrett Union City, TN 07-04 $1,000.00
------------------------------
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA10-08 $2,000.00
CRUSHCITY MONSTER BAG
John Garrett Union City, TN 24-02 $2,000.00
------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 95 499 1248-05
2 97 499 1168-05
3 47 247 609-04
4 9 49 144-11
------------------------------
248 1294 3170-09
South Carolina’s Tidwell Targets the Spawn to Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Lake Hartwell
Wilson, of Easley, S.C., Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division
LAVONIA, Ga. (April 15, 2024) – Boater Brian Tidwell of Seneca, South Carolina, caught a five-bass limit weighing 20 pounds even Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Hartwell. Hosted by the City of Lavonia, the tournament was the third event of the season for the BFL Savannah River Division. Tidwell earned $3,684 for his victory.
For Tidwell, the winning strategy revolved around the spawn and … the spawn. That’s the bass spawn and the blueback herring spawn.
“I just tried to look for spawning bass and also points that had the herring spawning on them,” he said. “I started out on some herring spawn points, and it was kind of slow. I went to the bank and caught one of the spawners that I’d located from the day before (during pre-fish). And I kind of leap-frogged back and forth between the herring spawn points and spawning fish and culled up throughout the day.”
Tidwell said he caught eight or nine keepers. He might’ve caught more fish had one giant bass not eluded him for so long. Tidwell caught a 6-pounder – the day’s Berkley Big Bass – off a bed, and saw another fish that was even bigger hanging with it.
“I probably worked on it (the bigger fish) for four hours,” he said, but he never could get that fish to bite.
Tidwell’s keepers came on a watermelon red Zoom Brush Hog when he was sight-fishing and a three-wire Alabama rig when he was targeting bass feeding on blueback herring. A final key, he said, was to search for overlooked points where the herring were spawning, which helped him avoid some of the fishing pressure.
Also, he credited the support and encouragement he received from his co-angler, Orion Hunt, for helping him to stay focused and positive throughout the day.
“That’s what it takes to win one of these things is somebody who’s positive and encouraging,” Tidwell said. “It was a neat day.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Brian Tidwell, Seneca, S.C., five bass, 20-0, $3,684
2nd: Tucker Smith, Birmingham, Ala., five bass, 17-3, $1,644
3rd: Paul Marks Jr., Cumming, Ga., five bass, 16-1, $1,097
4th: Derek Lehtonen, Woodruff, S.C., five bass, 15-6, $1,267 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
5th: Buddy Benson, Dahlonega, Ga., five bass, 15-4, $658
6th: Chris Blair, Newnan, Ga., five bass, 15-3, $603
7th: Sammy Moody, Piedmont, S.C., five bass, 14-14, $548
8th: Kyle Brown, Easley, S.C., five bass, 14-12, $493
9th: Kyle Ricker, Greenville, S.C., five bass, 14-9, $438
10th: Justin Raines, Easley, S.C., five bass, 14-3, $684
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Tidwell caught a bass that weighed 6 pounds and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $395.
Chris Wilson of Easley, South Carolina, won the Strike King co-angler division and $1,841 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 15 pounds, 4 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: Chris Wilson, Easley, S.C., five bass, 15-4, $1,841
2nd: Trey Paul, Anderson, S.C., five bass, 13-0, $822
3rd: Andy Burgess, Greenville, S.C., five bass, 12-9, $549
4th: Russell Woodson, Jonesville, S.C., five bass, 11-14, $384
5th: Lee Foster, Summerton, S.C., five bass, 11-10, $329
6th: Brock Martin, Cross Hill, S.C., five bass, 11-0, $301
7th: David Allen, Mableton, Ga., five bass, 10-11, $274
8th: Mark Johnson, Appling, Ga., five bass, 10-9, $247
9th: Harold Addison II, Columbia, S.C., five bass, 10-6, $469
10th: Mark Black, La France, S.C., five bass, 10-3, $192
Wilson also earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $197, catching a bass that weighed in at 4 pounds, 4 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After three events, Joe Anders of Easley, South Carolina, leads the Fishing Clash Savannah River Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 713 points, while Chris Wilson of Easley, South Carolina, leads the Fishing Clash Savannah River Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 719 points.
The next event for BFL Savannah River Division anglers will be held June 15, at Clarks Hill in Appling, Georgia. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 3-5 BFL Regional tournament on Pickwick Lake in Counce, Tennessee. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard.
The 2024 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Townsville’s Purcell Throws Spinnerbait to Post First Career Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Kerr Lake
Timberlake’s Hinger Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division
HENDERSON, N.C. (April 15, 2024) – Boater Tyler Purcell of Townsville, North Carolina, caught a five-bass limit weighing 16 pounds, 11 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Kerr Lake . Hosted by the Vance County Tourism Development Authority, the tournament was the second event of the season for the BFL North Carolina Division. Purcell earned $3,545 for his victory.
Purcell made the weather work to his advantage for the win at Kerr.
“I think most of them are prespawn,” he said. “It (the winning pattern) was pretty much running windy points, throwing a spinnerbait.
“(The key was) just being in the wind as much as you can take it. The more wind the better.”
While Kerr has spotted bass and largemouth, Purcell weighed all largemouths for his victory. He said he enjoyed a consistent bite and culled several times throughout the day. Two key midday fish really sealed his victory.
“At around 12 o’clock, I was heading up the lake,” Purcell recalled. “The waves were so bad at the dam I ended up turning around. I had a decent limit. I hit a point and caught a 3 1/2-pounder on a Jackall DoooN spinnerbait. After that, I sat down and tied on a big swimbait, and I told my co-angler if I get a bite, it’s gonna be a good one. And, literally, first cast, I had a 4-plus-pounder bite.
“I want to thank my dad and the Good Lord for a blessed day.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Tyler Purcell, Townsville, N.C., five bass, 16-11, $3,545
2nd: Michael Wilson, Burnsville, N.C., five bass, 16-7, $2,273 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
3rd: David G. Williams, Newton, N.C., 16-0, $1,181
4th: Shawn Hammack, Gasburg, Va., five bass, 15-9, $1,272
5th: Bradford Beavers, Summerville, S.C., five bass, 15-7, $709
6th: Scott Hamrick, Denver, N.C., five bass, 15-2, $650
7th: Tyler Trent, Nathalie, Va., five bass, 14-8, $591
8th: Bryson Peed, Clarksville, Va., five bass, 13-14, $532
9th: David Wright, Lexington, N.C., five bass, 13-12, $473
10th: Lucas Murphy, West Columbia, S.C., five bass, 13-8, $414
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Shawn Hammack of Gasburg, Virginia, caught a bass that weighed 6 pounds, 6 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $445.
Jason Hinger of Timberlake, North Carolina, won the Strike King co-angler division and $2,323 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 13 pounds, 7 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: Jason Hinger, Timberlake, N.C., five bass, 13-7, $2,323
2nd: Alex Moss, Lambsburg, Va., five bass, 12-4, $886
3rd: Tony Toombs, Drakes Branch, Va., five bass, 12-2, $591
4th: Russell Nicewander, Bluefield, W.Va., five bass, 12-1, $414
5th: Dale Surrett, Midland, N.C., four bass, 11-6, $355
6th: Christopher Davis, Roanoke Rapids, N.C., four bass, 11-1, $547
7th: Travis Ruff, Connelly Springs, N.C., five bass, 10-7, $295
8th: Hunter Alexander, China Grove, N.C., five bass, 10-3, $266
9th: Chad Cleckner, Spring Lake, N.C., five bass, 10-1, $236
10th: Lemar Shore, Raleigh, N.C., four bass, 9-11, $207
Christopher Davis of Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $222, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 3 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After two events, David Williams of Newton, North Carolina, leads the Fishing Clash North Carolina Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 485 points, while Hunter Alexander of China Grove, North Carolina, leads the Fishing Clash North Carolina Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 490 points.
The next event for BFL North Carolina Division anglers will be held May 4, at Kerr Lake in Henderson, North Carolina. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 10-12 BFL Regional tournament on Santee Cooper Lakes in Clarendon County, South Carolina. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard.
The 2024 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
West Virginia’s Davidson Posts Fourth Career Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Lake Cumberland
Crouch, of Jamestown, Tenn., Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division
MONTICELLO, Ky. (April 15, 2024) – Boater Ryan Davidson of Branchland, West Virginia, caught a five-bass limit weighing 17 pounds, 13 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Cumberland . The tournament was the third event of the season for the BFL Mountain Division. Davidson earned $11,066, including the lucrative $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus, for his victory.
Spawning smallmouths, keen eyesight and perspective mode on Garmin LiveScope were the keys to Davidson’s victory at Cumberland.
It started in practice, when Davidson hunted for rock transitions where he suspected smallmouths would be spawning.
“It’s all rock, but it’s not all the same rock,” he said of Cumberland’s shoreline. “There are transitions where we go from chunk rock to pea gravel or bluff rock to chunk rock. Or any of those transition places; something that’s different. You kind of target those areas and maybe 50 yards to either side of one of those transitions. That’s your high-percentage stuff.”
Once in the right areas, Davidson said the bass were typically too deep to sight-fish. So during practice, he blind-casted, trying to get fish to show themselves on his bait. Once he saw the fish chase or roll, he made a very detailed waypoint, so he’d know exactly where to look for the fish in the tournament.
On tournament Saturday, Davidson spent the first 90 minutes trying to catch a smallmouth with no luck.
“So I ran shallow and caught three 3-plus-pound largemouth,” he said. “After that, the sun got up and we had some wind, and it kind of brought everything back to life. It just kind of felt dead this morning.”
Only one of those largemouth bass (a 4-plus) made the trip to weigh-in. Davidson was able to cull out the rest with smallmouths using his LiveScope in perspective mode to scan the water on his waypoints, looking for movement from the bass he’d previously located on beds.
Davidson was careful to fish thoroughly on each spot, since there were typically clusters of spawning fish. But he was also playing a “numbers game” and making sure to cover water.
While Davidson was guarded about what he used to catch his fish, he did reveal that a Ned rig was in play. More importantly, the key to his win was rolling with the punches for what the day gave him.
“The smallmouth didn’t go in the morning, so I went largemouth fishing just to basically get some fish and get my day rolling and get a little momentum,” he said. “It’s also easier to fish if you’ve got something in the box.
“Things just went to course.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Ryan Davidson, Branchland, W.Va., five bass, 17-13, $11,066 (includes $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
2nd: Danny Abrams, Greens Fork, Ind., five bass, 17-2, $2,383
3rd: Ron Smith, Walton, Ky., five bass, 16-1, $1,256
4th: Lee Stephens, Columbia, Ky., five bass, 15-6, $879
5th: Bailey Gay, Union, Ky., five bass, 15-2, $753
6th: Joe Rucker, Nicholasville, Ky., five bass, 14-14, $690
7th: Isaac Peavyhouse, Jamestown, Tenn., five bass, 14-9, $753
8th: Tim Akers, Richmond, Ky., five bass, 14-6, $533
8th: Jordan Garrett, Jamestown, Tenn., five bass, 14-6, $533
10th: Talmadge Marcum, McKee, Ky., five bass, 14-4, $439
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Danny Abrams of Greens Fork, Indiana, caught a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 3 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $500.
James Crouch of Jamestown, Tennessee, won the Strike King co-angler division and $2,259 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 13 pounds even.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: Wayne Crouch, Jamestown, Tenn., five bass, 13-0, $2,259
2nd: Jonathan Gregory, Somerset, Ky., five bass, 12-12, $1,171
3rd: Johnny Poston, Hilham, Tenn., five bass, 11-13, $619
4th: Jerry Wittmer, Shepherdsville, Ky., four bass, 9-0, $434
5th: Timothy Ernst, Winchester, Ky., five bass, 8-4, $372
6th: Levi Allgeier, Bardstown, Ky., five bass, 8-1, $325
6th: Eugene Lowe, Huntsville, Tenn., four bass, 8-1, $325
8th: David Carey, Harrodsburg, Ky., four bass, 8-0, $413
8th: Luke Shrader, Monticello, Ky., three bass, 8-0, $413
10th: Nathan Nester, Cookeville, Tenn., three bass, 7-11, $217
Jonathan Gregory of Somerset, Kentucky, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $242, catching a bass that weighed in at 4 pounds, 3 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After three events, Bailey Gay of Union, Kentucky, leads the Fishing Clash Mountain Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 725 points, while Luke Shrader of Monticello, Kentucky, leads the Fishing Clash Mountain Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 719 points.
The next event for BFL Mountain Division anglers will be held June 22, at Barren River Lake in Scottsville, Kentucky. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 3-5 BFL Regional tournament on Pickwick Lake in Counce, Tennessee. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard.
The 2024 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Muncie’s Gregory Norris Earns First Career Victory at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Lake Patoka
Bremen’s Malcom Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division
BIRDSEYE, Ind. (April 15, 2024) – Boater Gregory Norris of Muncie, Indiana, caught a five-bass limit weighing 19 pounds, 5 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Patoka . The tournament was the first event of the season for the BFL Hoosier Division. Norris earned $6,582, including the lucrative $2,500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus, for his victory.
A lab manager for a wastewater treatment plant, Norris wasn’t sure he’d even fish the tournament due to some mechanical issues. However, everything just seemed to line up.
Norris had his boat at Brownie’s Marine, who put in some extra time to get him up and running. His brother, Jonny Norris, also fished the tournament and finished 15th, and he helped convince Greg to take a shot. Before the tournament, Jonny offered to cover the entry fees for any co-angler who’d link up with him to ensure his spot. Jonny’s linked co-angler was Cory Malcom, who wound up being Greg’s co-angler partner, and coincidentally, Malcom went on to win the Strike King co-angler division in Greg’s boat.
On top of that, Greg and Jonny had some extra “help” in this one.
“We lost my dad a couple months ago and weren’t thinking we were going to fish this year,” Greg said. “We decided to ‘just fish one.’ I think my dad pulled some strings for us.”
Whatever got them to the tournament, for the Norris brothers, it was all about execution – good or bad – come tournament day. Jonny lost a couple key fish that cost him his shot at the win. For Greg, things just went right.
“I didn’t get to practice or anything, so I actually started next to my brother, who practiced a little bit,” Greg said. “I watched him catch a couple 5-pounders in the morning, and my co-angler caught one close to 5 behind me. We got out of there and just started covering bank. After a few hours, I caught one on a spinnerbait and one on a crankbait, and it started blowing so we started chasing wind.”
That’s when they slid out deeper to target windy banks in 12 to 20 feet of water with a swimbait.
“The last 30 minutes he (Malcom) caught one more and I caught my fifth fish, and then I had a decent cull,” Greg said. “We tried to fish something similar and saw a little patch of grass, and we caught three fish off it to finish the day.”
Greg’s limit included a big 5-pound smallmouth. The remaining four in his limit were all largemouth.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Gregory Norris, Muncie, Ind., five bass, 19-5, $6,582 (includes $2,500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
2nd: James Whitaker, Cincinnati, Ohio, five bass, 17-9, $2,041
3rd: Bryce Kalen, Greenwood, Ind., five bass, 17-0, $1,487
4th: Jason Roberts, Bargersville, Ind., four bass, 16-12, $952
5th: Blake Cross, Coatesville, Ind., five bass, 16-5, $816
6th: Caleb Carnes, Guston, Ky., five bass, 16-2, $748
7th: John Melton, Corydon, Ind., five bass, 15-14, $680
8th: Jerry Koller, Paragon, Ind., four bass, 15-12, $1,172
9th: Brian Funkhouser, Bloomington, Ind., five bass, 14-1, $544
10th: Dave Tinsman, Losantville, Ind., four bass, 12-14, $476
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Jerry Koller of Paragon, Indiana, caught a bass that weighed 6 pounds, 2 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $560.
Cory Malcom of Bremen, Indiana, won the Strike King co-angler division and $2,041 Saturday, after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 12 pounds, 13 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: Cory Malcom, Bremen, Ind., three bass, 12-13, $2,041
2nd: Christopher Lemon, Martinsville, Ind., four bass, 12-10, $1,021
3rd: Paul Eckert, Jasper, Ind., three bass, 11-2, $683
4th: Ryan Zwick, Oxford, Ohio, three bass, 10-5, $626
5th: John Chaney, Evansville, Ind., three bass, 9-15, $408
6th: Ryan Cannon, Indianapolis, Ind., three bass, 9-6, $374
7th: Kyler Mason, Bedford, Ind., three bass, 8-15, $340
8th: Greg Roberts, Columbus, Ind., two bass, 8-11, $306
9th: Adam Lohr, Boonville, Ind., three bass, 8-5, $272
10th: Andy Vance, Danville, Ind., two bass, 8-1, $338
Dylan Everett of Columbus, Indiana, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $280, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 9 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
The next event for BFL Hoosier Division anglers will be held May 11, at Ohio River-Rocky Point in Cannelton, Indiana. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 10-12 BFL Regional tournament on the Mississippi River Pools 13-17 in Quad Cities, Illinois. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard.
The 2024 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Section’s Atkins Posts Second Career Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Lake Guntersville
Boaz’s Ramsey Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division
SCOTTSBORO, Ala. (April 15, 2024) – Boater Jason Atkins of Section, Alabama, caught a five-bass limit weighing 22 pounds, 13 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Guntersville . Hosted by the Mountain Lakes Chamber of Commerce, the tournament was the third event of the season for the BFL Choo Choo Division. Atkins earned $11,601, including the lucrative $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus, for his victory.
A part-time Guntersville guide and a steel mill worker, Atkins knows the lake well. His experience paid off with him making the right moves to counter a somewhat tough bite.
“It was very slow,” he said. “They didn’t move any water. So it was a very tough bite. You could tell by the weights. This morning (Saturday) we started just fishing real slow, and it just turned out it worked out for us.”
Atkins said the bass are transitioning to spawn, and he located some quality fish on beds prior to the tournament. However, he wasn’t able to get there to sight-fish for them before other anglers. Instead, he caught his fish on four prespawn and spawning flats using a shad-colored swim jig fished on a steady retrieve. The deepest bass came out of about 6 feet. The rest were shallower.
“It was a very slow bite,” he added. “I just had to slow way down.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Jason Atkins, Section, Ala., five bass, 22-13, $11,601 (includes $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
2nd: Dillon Falardeau, Hixson, Tenn., five bass, 18-9, $2,023
3rd: Mel Kennedy, Hiawassee, Ga., five bass, 18-2, $1,348
4th: Steve Lopez, Oconomowoc, Wis., five bass, 17-9, $944
5th: Danny Hall, Ellijay, Ga., five bass, 17-8, $809
6th: Fisher Anaya, Eva, Ala., five bass, 17-6, $742
7th: Jeff Knight, Cleveland, Tenn., five bass, 16-14, $674
8th: Tanner Hadden, Appling, Ga., five bass, 16-6, $573
8th: Ben Yarbrough, Athens, Ala., five bass, 16-6, $573
10th: Tim Thornbury, Red Bank, Tenn., five bass, 15-12, $472
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Atkins caught a bass that weighed 7 pounds, 8 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $555.
James Ramsey of Boaz, Alabama, won the Strike King co-angler division and $2,023 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 17 pounds, 6 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: James Ramsey, Boaz, Ala., five bass, 17-6, $2,023
2nd: Rodney Stewart, Decatur, Ala., five bass, 15-14, $1,011
3rd: Todd McBride, Huntsville, Ala., five bass, 14-10, $674
4th: Joshua Green, Cartersville, Ga., three bass, 14-4, $472
5th: Alex Roberts, Franklin, Tenn., four bass, 13-14, $405
6th: Logan Jones, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 13-7, $471
7th: Scott Sexton, Corryton, Tenn., five bass, 12-11, $337
8th: Shunsuke Miyashima, Chattanooga, Tenn., five bass, 12-10, $303
9th: Richard Bailey, Florence, Ala., four bass, 12-5, $270
10th: Cason Sanchez, Fayetteville, Tenn., five bass, 12-1, $236
Michael Matlock of Olivehill, Tennessee, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $277, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 7 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After three events, Fisher Anaya of Eva, Alabama, leads the Fishing Clash Choo Choo Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 742 points, while Todd Mowery of Madison, Alabama, leads the Fishing Clash Choo Choo Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 715 points.
The next event for BFL Choo Choo Division anglers will be held July 13, at Neely Henry Lake in Gadsden, Alabama. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 17-19 BFL Regional tournament on Clarks Hill Lake in Appling, Georgia. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard.
The 2024 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Isaacs targets docks to win Bassmaster Kayak Series event at Possum Kingdom
April 15, 2024
Isaacs targets docks to win Bassmaster Kayak Series event at Possum Kingdom
GRAFORD, Texas — Jason Isaacs hates fishing docks. But during the Yamaha Rightwaters Bassmaster Kayak Series at Possum Kingdom powered by TourneyX, Isaacs decided to target his least favorite piece of structure and it paid off in a big way.
With a five-bass limit measuring 101.25 inches, the angler from Columbus, Ohio, claimed the victory on Possum Kingdom, earning the first-place prize of $10,000 in the weather-shortened event. Missouri’s Brandon Prince finished second with 96.75 inches and Mississippi’s Clint Pippen was third with 95.25.
“Once I caught that last 21-incher, I thought I had a shot here,” he said. “Then I was worried sick because half the field may not have had service and put their fish in yet. Some people sandbag and wait until the standings are turned off.”
Isaacs had never been to Possum Kingdom prior to this week, and after having “the worst practice of my life,” he did not anticipate catching a single bass on Day 1.
Heavy winds and the threat of severe weather forced a Saturday cancellation, which allowed him to make an adjustment to his game plan and follow a lead from his father Tim.
“I decided I was going to put in and fish where my dad was fishing, so I was fishing around him. There were probably 55 docks in the area I fished and I pounded those docks,” Isaacs said. “He only caught two bass in this area in practice, but that’s what we went with during the tournament.”
Isaacs pitched a 5-inch Z-Man FattyZ on a 1/8-ounce shaky head to the walkways of floating docks, catching mostly postspawn largemouth. The majority of the bass he caught were in about 6 feet of stained water.
“I fished a number of ways between the docks,” Isaacs said. “If there was 3 or 4 feet of water I would throw a spinnerbait, just trying to pick a fish up in between and there was nothing. I threw the shaky head on some big rocks, and there was nothing. They were all on the walkways of the docks.”
One particular dock yielded three of his bigger bass.
“I casted to the same spot three times because I knew there were fish there,” he explained. “The third cast I caught a 19, and then the fifth cast I caught a 21.75 and the sixth cast I caught a 21. All on the same dock post. It was insane.”
His biggest bass of the day was a 23.25 behemoth largemouth, which weighed in at over 9 pounds on his personal scale.
“I thought it was a catfish,” Isaacs said. “I set the hook and it just started digging. It just kept digging and digging and swam all the way around the boat. I was playing with it thinking it was a catfish and then it came up beside me and I was like, ‘Oh my god.’”
Prince, meanwhile, caught a mix of pre- and postspawn largemouth that were staging in standing timber leading into a spawning area. With the base of the timber in 15 to 20 feet of water, Prince used his forward-facing sonar to locate bass suspended in 10 to 12 feet of water under the branches.
“My last day of practice I switched ends of the lake and found some cruisers around standing timber. I pulled out a little with my LiveScope and found some bigger bass in the trees,” he said. “So today, I found those bass still sitting on the trees and threw everything I could at them.”
In practice, he used a glidebait to coax the bass out to see the size. When the tournament began, he could only get the bass to eat a weightless wacky rig.
“I caught all three of my 20-inchers in a 20-minute stretch,” he said. “It was pretty wild.”
All of his bass came in the first couple hours of the day, and with about four hours to go, Prince stumbled onto a spawning female he estimated to be close to 9-pounds. He spent the rest of the day trying to catch that bass, but came up just short.
“She was a giant,” Prince said. “She kept making smaller and smaller circles and I knew she would eventually lock on. With 30 minutes left, she started nosing down on my bait. Then with 5 minutes left, she picked it up and took off with it. I set the hook and she took the bait. She never had the hook in her mouth.
“I knew it was probably going to take that fish to win it.”
Pippen fished around shallow grass and brush around dirty water in one of the more popular areas of Possum Kingdom to claim his third-place finish.
“I found the fish I fished for today on Monday. The rest of practice I never found anything else. I came back today and they were still there,” Pippen said. “My first fish came 10 minutes into the day and I don’t think I caught anything after 10 a.m. I caught them quickly and then it slowed down.”
His top bait was a Snag Proof Zoo Pop, a newer frog-style popping bait. Pippen caught mostly postspawners, but his biggest bite of the day (a 22.75) was a largemouth he believed was likely still on bed.
“A lot of the schools of fry were in that grass and I think that's what was holding a lot of those bass in there,” he said.
New Mexico’s Matt Ramey caught a 24.25-inch largemouth, claiming Big Bass of the Tournament honors and a $500 prize.
The final results from the Yamaha Rightwaters Bassmaster Kayak Series at Possum Kingdom powered by TourneyX can be found here.
The Possum Kingdom Chamber of Commerce hosted the tournament.
2024 Bassmaster Kayak Series Title Sponsor: Yamaha Rightwaters2024 Bassmaster Kayak Series Partner: MotorGuide, YakGear2024 Bassmaster Kayak Series Angler of the Year Sponsor: Dakota Lithium
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Fothergill & Dumke from 2nd Ranked Montevallo Win the Hartwell Slam
Anderson, SC (April 14, 2024) – Tournament competition is complete for the first Association of Collegiate Anglers event on the 2024 Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series. A full field of close to 500 anglers competed on Lake Hartwell in Anderson, SC, in hopes of catching a limit of bass that could help propel them into the Top 20 to earn a prize payout, or even win the no-entry-fee event that paid out over $20,000 in prizes and contingencies.
Easton Fothergill & Nicholas Dumke from 2nd ranked University of Montevallo win the Hartwell Slam with a total weight of 34.48 pounds. Following Day 1 of tournament competition, the duo was in 4th place out of the 220 boat field. On the final day, Dumke & Fothergill weighed 15.92 pounds to take home top honors. The victory pays out over $3,500 in prizes and contingencies, as well as 1,750 points to count towards the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.
View the final tournament standings.
Finishing the event in 2nd are Ryan Lachniet & Tavin Hodgens from 3rd ranked Campbellsville University. Sitting in 20th after Day 1, Lachniet & Hodgens weighed in 16.51 pounds on the final day to jump 18 places. Entering this event ranked 3rd, Campbellsville finishes the Hartwell Slam with two teams in the Top 12. Those could prove to be valuable points as the team from Kentucky looks to have its highest-ever end of year ranking during the 2023-24 campaign.
Rounding out the Top 3 are Nick Owens & Quade Lobo from 14th ranked Adrian College. The anglers from Michigan were in 5th after Day 1. With a two-day total of 32.40 pounds, the Adrian College anglers finished in 3rd overall. Adrian College’s two highest-finishing teams placed 3rd and 9th. Sitting in 14th in college fishing’s only all-encompassing National Rankings system, these two Top 10 finishes could help Adrian College to make a major jump up in the standings.
The full field of anglers again found great success out on Lake Hartwell. Weather conditions mirrored those which anglers faced on Day 1, allowing them to lock in a pattern and target a lot of bites. The sheer amount of fish caught and weighed in by the field speaks to the quality of the fishery which Lake Hartwell is. All total, for the weekend, anglers weighed in almost 2,000 bass.
Stay tuned to the ACA website, and social media pages, for in-depth breakdowns, feature articles, and video footage of the Hartwell Slam. The ACA will update the points standings for the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia this upcoming week, to include complete analysis of the newest rankings.
The ACA would again like to thank the team at Visit Anderson for their assistance with the event this weekend, and helping to provide a phenomenal facility for the anglers to utilize.
Visit the ACA website for complete story.
Jacob Wheeler Clinches Eighth MLF Bass Pro Tour Win at PowerStop Brakes Stage Three at Dale Hollow Lake Presented by Mercury
Tennessee pro catches 39 bass totaling 116-6 on final day to earn top award of $100,000
BYRDSTOWN, Tenn. (April 14, 2024) – Before making a cast in the Championship Round at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour PowerStop Brakes Stage Three Presented by Mercury, Jacob Wheeler of Harrison, Tennessee , knew he was about to send Dale Hollow Lake’s bass into a feeding frenzy. He even warned MLFNOW! viewers not to expect much commentary from him, as he planned to be too busy boating bass.
It took less than two minutes for Wheeler to make good on his promise with a 3-pound, 7-ounce largemouth. That sparked a bass barrage for the ages.
Wheeler followed that fish with another 3-pounder, then a 2-3 and a 2-8 — all in the first 10 minutes. In the opening hour, he stacked 14 scorable bass for 43 pounds, 3 ounces on SCORETRACKER®. By the end of the first period, he’d amassed 70-6, all but burying the other nine anglers on the water.
Wheeler would cruise to a 116-6 total on 39 scorable bass – more than 30 pounds clear of Michael Neal of Dayton, Tennessee, in second place. This marks the second victory of the season for Wheeler, who also took home the title at Stage Two on Santee Cooper . It also adds to his Bass Pro Tour-best win total, hoisting his eighth trophy since the inception of the league in 2019 and doing so on one of his favorite lakes in the country.
“This is like my lake; this is my home away from home,” the Harrison, Tennessee, native said of Dale Hollow. “My wife literally jokes that we should have moved to Dale Hollow, you like it so much, like giving me crap about it. And I just love it, man. ... First big, national tournament on the lake, to get that win, it means a lot.”
Wheeler sowed the seeds for his Sunday morning blitzkrieg days earlier. As noted above, he spends quite a bit of time fun-fishing on Dale Hollow, so he knew to check the area during practice — which he described as a flat, main-lake drain protected by an island cluster. The islands act like a funnel, concentrating baitfish, and the flatter topography serves as fruitful spawning territory, making it a bass magnet.
“Basically, you had a cut-through between an island, and there’s current flow that comes out of the Wolf (River) that goes through there,” Wheeler said. “So, water comes through there; there’s current flow that funnels through there. It’s a great prespawn, postspawn place for these fish to set up.
“It’s a shallow, flat drain. There’s not a lot of flat drains on Dale Hollow, and that place is like one of five main flat drains. And what I mean by that is they’re literally creek channels, but they’re flatter. There’s more room for the fish to spread out. There’s a lot of spawning habitat right there around that area."
Wheeler caught a handful of fish from the area during the two-day Qualifying Round. At that point, he saw a few small groups of bass roaming offshore. But, showcasing the strategic acumen that separates him from his touring peers, he spent as much time as possible during his first two days on the water in practice mode, scouting new areas and keeping tabs on where the fish were moving. When he saw baitfish, and thus bass, concentrating in windblown, offshore areas, he knew he needed to return to the spot.
“The wind blew on (Friday), and it tightened up, and there was literally groups of 100 bass schooled up,” Wheeler said. “It was absolutely insane. The wind congregated the bait in there, and they went crazy.”
Wheeler planned to start there during the Knockout Round. However, when he arrived Saturday morning, he found Drew Gill already in the area. Undeterred, Wheeler turned to Plan B, heading to a school of largemouth he figured could produce enough weight for him to make the Top 10, but likely not enough to win the Championship Round shootout. He caught more than 50 pounds out of that school in the opening period, keeping pace with Gill’s torrid start, then eventually nipped Gill by 3 pounds for the Knockout Round win.
With first pick of starting spots, Wheeler made a beeline for the pocket where he’d found Gill the day prior. Gill, by far his closest competition during the Knockout Round, fished within sight.
In the bass fishing version of a drag race, Wheeler proved that he could outduel the hottest young angler on tour at his own game, using forward-facing sonar and a yet-to-be-released Rapala CrushCity Mooch Minnow to catch bass at will. The highlight of his heater was a 5-pound largemouth that earned him an extra $1,000 as the day’s Berkley Big Bass. Gill stacked up 35-15 during the opening period — nothing to sneeze at but only about half of Wheeler’s weight.
Airtight efficiency, another Wheeler hallmark, was key to taking advantage of the calm, low-light morning conditions and amassing his gaudy weight early.
“I’m big on throwing heavier line for my leader,” he said. “I throw 10-pound fluorocarbon leader so I can really reel those fish in. If I’m throwing 8 or 6, I’m going to have to retie a lot. And so, I’m more about generating a lot of bites and doing it as fast as I possibly can and getting those fish to the boat. Also, I didn’t spend a lot of time on (MLFNOW!) explaining things early on because I knew how important that first period was. I just went straight to work, and I put my head down and I caught them as fast as I possibly could.”
As incredible as his opening flurry was, Wheeler truly separated himself from his nearest competition once the bite slowed. Neal started nearly as strong, racking up 56-7 in the opening stanza. At one point late in Period 1, he climbed within 6 pounds of Wheeler’s total.
But when the action ground to a halt for Neal (and just about everyone else), Wheeler steadily added to his total. He caught 10 scorable bass for 28-5 during the second period. While modest compared to his morning, that expanded his cushion beyond 30 pounds.
Wheeler pointed to his precise jighead selection as one reason he was able to generate bites even when the bass weren’t actively feeding. He kept an array of spinning rods on deck rigged with "a hodgepodge of heads” ranging from 1/8 to 5/8 ounce, opting for the lighter options to entice finnicky fish or heavier ones when he needed to get his bait in front of a group moving quickly.
“I slowly learned what was the right jighead weight for the right scenario,” he said. “Obviously, when they were moving really fast, I might throw a 1/2-ounce out there and get it to them. If there’s 50 of them there and I throw a 1/2-ounce, I get it to them; otherwise, if you throw a 1/4, you’re missing them. It’s all about efficiency. But then I might throw a 1/8 on a single fish that’s 10 feet down, because he’s not going to bite a 1/2 — it doesn’t have the best action.”
By the start of the third period, everyone else on the water knew they were fishing for second place. Wheeler spent the final few hours basking in his win, his wife, Alicia, among a flotilla of friends and supporters cheering him on from the water. His final tally marked not only the best single-day weight caught by any angler on Dale Hollow this week, but the biggest day all year in Bass Pro Tour competition.
Wheeler has grown accustomed to lifting Bass Pro Tour trophies. In addition to his eight wins, he’s now up to an absurd 31 Top 10s in 45 events, earning more than $1.6 million from Bass Pro Tour competition. And he’s showing no signs of slowing down — if anything, he’s accelerating. Since the start of the 2021 campaign, he’s racked up 24 Top 10s and six wins in 32 events. He's made all four Championship Rounds in 2024 and technically won back-to-back Bass Pro Tour regular-season events, with a sixth-place finish at REDCREST between his triumphs on Santee Cooper and Dale Hollow.
All that success hasn’t made him numb to winning, though. Instead, it’s taught him to appreciate the moment. Wheeler assured he’s not taking this one for granted.
“I told Dustin (Connell) this when we talked about it last night: When you’re on this streak of just winning, you don’t have the opportunity to really celebrate those moments,” he said. “You go, and then you go onto the next one, you think about the next one. You have about a 6-hour period where you’re celebrating, you’re pumped up, and you’re like, alright, what’s going on next? What are we going to do in Oklahoma? What’s going to happen at Eufaula? But this one, to me, is super, super meaningful.”
The top 10 pros from the PowerStop Brakes Stage Three at Dale Hollow Lake Presented by Mercury finished:
1st: Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., 39 bass, 116-6, $100,000
2nd: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 28 bass, 85-10, $45,000
3rd: Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., 29 bass, 85-5, $38,000
4th: Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., 27 bass, 78-8, $32,000
5th: Alton Jones Jr., Waco, Texas, 23 bass, 74-0, $30,000
6th: Marshall Robinson, Landrum, S.C., 21 bass, 61-14, $26,000
7th: Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., 20 bass, 60-14, $23,000
8th: Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., 13 bass, 38-4, $21,000
9th: Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., 14 bass, 36-12, $19,000
10th: Alton Jones, Lorena, Texas, seven bass, 20-7, $16,000
A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 221 scorable bass weighing 658 pounds even caught by the 10 pros Sunday, which included one 5-pounder, 14 4-pounders and 70 3-pounders.
Wheeler also won Championship Sunday’s Berkley Big Bass Award, with a largemouth totaling 5 pounds even in the first period. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament. Gill earned the $3,000 Berkley Big Bass award for the overall largest bass of the event with his 5-pound, 12-ounce smallmouth that was weighed on Day 1 of competition.
Wheeler not only added to his prodigious trophy collection and winnings total at Dale Hollow; he padded his lead in the chase for another trophy and $100,000 payday. Wheeler now leads the season-long Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) race by 17 points.
Overcoming that deficit will be a tall task for his pursuers. Wheeler, who won AOY in 2021 and 2022 before finishing second in 2023, has been an exceptional closer in recent years, never finishing worse than 11th and notching three wins in stages four through seven across the last three seasons. Connell now sits second with 222 points, closely followed by Alton Jones Jr. (219) and Jesse Wiggins (218).
Fishing Clash, an interactive 3D fishing simulation game that’s played by more than 80 million people worldwide, is the official AOY sponsor of the Bass Pro Tour, Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, Toyota Series and Phoenix Bass Fishing League. You can download Fishing Clash for free in the App Store and on Google Play or log on to www.fishingclash.game for more information.
The PowerStop Brakes Stage Three at Dale Hollow Lake Presented by Mercury featured the MLF catch, weigh, immediate-release format, in which anglers caught as much weight as they could each day, while also feeling the pressure and intensity of the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard. The tournament featured anglers competing with a 2-pound minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. The MLF Fisheries Management Division determines minimum weights for each body of water that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.
The six-day tournament, hosted by the Byrdstown-Pickett County Chamber of Commerce & Bill Dance Signature Lakes, showcased 79 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing for a purse of $659,000, including a top payout of $100,000 and valuable Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) points in hopes of qualifying for the General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and REDCREST 2025, the Bass Pro Tour championship.
Television coverage of the PowerStop Brakes Stage Three at Dale Hollow Lake Presented by Mercury Knockout Round will air as a two-hour episode starting at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 5 on Discovery, with the Championship Round premiering on Oct. 6. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on Outdoor Channel.
The Bass Pro Tour features a field of 79 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2025 championship.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, BUBBA, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Garmin, General Tire, Humminbird, Lowrance, Mercury, MillerTech, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak Fishing, NITRO, Onyx, Plano, Power-Pole, Rapala, StarBrite, Suzuki, Toyota and U.S. Air Force.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Bait change keeps Garrett atop Bassmaster Elite Series event at Harris Chain of Lakes
April 14, 2024
Bait change keeps Garrett atop Bassmaster Elite Series event at Harris Chain of Lakes
LEESBURG, Fla. — Things got a little hairy for John Garrett, but that transitional period helped the Tennessee pro amass a five-bass limit of 19 pounds, 3 ounces and extend his lead at the Lowrance Bassmaster Elite at Harris Chain of Lakes.
In the best performance of his rookie season, Garrett took the Day 1 lead with a limit of 24-2 — the event’s heaviest bag — and held the top position with a second-round bag that went 19-13.
Heading into Championship Monday (the event’s scheduled start was delayed one day by Thursday’s severe weather) with a three-day total of 63-2, Garrett holds a margin of 6-9 over fellow rookie JT Thompkins of Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Facing the potential for a wire-to-wire Elite win, Garrett said: “I’m just going to try my best to sleep well tonight and fish calm tomorrow. Last night, I didn’t sleep very well and today, before I got my big bites, I started thinking, ‘Alright, something needs to happen.
“Tomorrow, I just really want to be calm, do my thing and fish hard. If it’s meant to happen, I’ll get those bites.”
Returning to Lake Carlton, where he has spent the majority of his time focusing on a 75-yard shellbar, Garrett followed his standing strategy of boxing an early limit and then hunting big bites.
The past two days, his window of opportunity has come later in the morning, but when the big fish he was watching on his forward-facing sonar refused to engage, Garrett made a game-changing adjustment.
“I went through my area while the fish were there at the right time with a crankbait; I only stuck one or two and never caught one,” Garrett said. “I left the fish alone for 45 minutes and I picked up a 5/8-ounce white hair jig, stayed way off of them and bomb cast it up there.
“It’s just something they hadn’t seen yet. They’ve seen it now because I wore out my welcome quickly. I got four good bites on it and caught three of them.”
The hair jig produced Garrett’s three best bass. He caught his other two limit fish on a deep-diving crankbait.
After a windy Day 2, Semifinal Sunday brought mostly flat conditions. Garrett said this created a challenging scenario that made it even tougher to wait out the big fish, which have been most active between approximately 11 and 1.
“It was super sunny and slick and they just were not biting (as well),” Garrett said. “I threw at more fish than I’ve seen all week.
“It’s pretty scary, because I’ll fish and fish and fish and never catch anything. It takes a lot of patience and trust.”
Earlier, Garrett had briefly yielded the top spot to Joseph Webster of Hamilton, Ala., who capitalized on the morning shad spawn for a quick limit of approximately 14 1/2 pounds. Once his big fish started chewing, Garrett put a 5-pounder in the boat at 10:47 a.m. and added a 4-11 about 10 minutes later.
From there, Garrett continued to pick off big bites and held off Thompkins’ persistent charge.
Looking ahead, Garrett said he’s sticking with his spot, if for no other reason than a lack of options.
“I don’t know if I’ll get another bite there tomorrow, but that’s about all I’ve got,” he said. “I’ll just pray that I have another decent day.”
After looking for a big glidebait bite all week, Thompkins got a chunky bass to eat his Clutch Boss Sunday and that 5-pounder helped him gain two notches to second place with 56-9. Thompkins has turned in daily limits of 19-11, 17-1 and 19-13.
“I said going into this event, ‘If I get one bite a day on a glidebait, I’ll win,’” Thompkins said. “This was the first day I’ve produced one on a glidebait. I’m looking at a ton of giants on (Garmin) LiveScope, but it’s too hard to get them to bite. They’re super smart, super educated.
“If I can get one or more of those bites tomorrow, I could step into dangerous territory and maybe take a run at the win.”
Fishing lakes Dora and Beauclair, Thompkins filled the rest of his limit with a jerkbait, a jig and a Neko rig.
KJ Queen of Catawba, N.C., placed third with 53-6. After posting limits of 19-0 and 15-7, Queen added a third-round bag that weighed 18-15.
Devoting his day to a small canal off Lake Harris, Queen fished a mix of cypress trees and lily pads. He saw plenty of bass, but the key to his success was targeting the right ones.
“I was looking for floaters; the fish that had spawned out and were cruising high in the water column,” Queen said. “I saw a lot of big, fat fish, but I could not get them to bite.
“Every time I saw a skinny one, I said, ‘There’s one that will bite.’ If it was fat, pretty and healthy, I couldn’t get them to bite.”
Queen caught his bass on a wacky-rigged Zoom Zlinky.
Jacob Powroznik of North Prince George, Va., is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with a monster 10-8 he landed Sunday.
Rookie Trey McKinney of Carbondale, Ill., leads the Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Angler of the Year race with 293 points. Tyler Williams of Belgrade, Maine, is in second with 285, followed by Jordan Lee of Cullman, Ala., with 279, Justin Hamner of Northport, Ala., with 269, and JT Thompkins of Myrtle Beach, S.C., with 267.
McKinney and Williams also lead the race for Dakota Lithium Bassmaster Rookie of the Year.
Monday’s final takeoff, featuring the Top 10 remaining anglers, is scheduled for 7 a.m. ET at Venetian Gardens (Ski Beach). The weigh-in will be held at the Ski Beach at 3 p.m., with the winner receiving $100,000.
The event is being hosted by the Greater Orlando Sports Commission.
2024 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2024 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Progressive Insurance, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2024 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew's, Lowrance, Marathon, Triton Boats, VMC
About B.A.S.S.B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting-edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
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Connect with #Bassmaster on Facebook, Instagram, Twitte
Media Contact: Chad Gay, Communications Manager, 865-201-6458, cgay@bassmaster.
2024 Lowrance Bassmaster Elite at Harris Chain 4/12-4/15
Harris Chain Of Lakes, Leesburg FL.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. John Garrett Union City, TN 15 63-02 103
Day 1: 5 24-02 Day 2: 5 19-13 Day 3: 5 19-03
2. JT Thompkins Myrtle Beach, SC 15 56-09 102
Day 1: 5 19-11 Day 2: 5 17-01 Day 3: 5 19-13
3. KJ Queen Catawba, NC 15 53-06 101
Day 1: 5 19-00 Day 2: 5 15-07 Day 3: 5 18-15
4. Tyler Williams Belgrade, ME 15 51-09 100
Day 1: 5 17-02 Day 2: 5 17-09 Day 3: 5 16-14
5. Jason Christie Dry Creek, OK 15 50-12 99
Day 1: 5 14-06 Day 2: 5 18-07 Day 3: 5 17-15
6. Trey McKinney Carbondale, IL 15 50-02 98
Day 1: 5 17-14 Day 2: 5 17-02 Day 3: 5 15-02
7. Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 15 50-01 97 $500.00
Day 1: 5 22-00 Day 2: 5 16-13 Day 3: 5 11-04
8. Ed Loughran III Richmond, VA 15 50-01 96
Day 1: 5 17-03 Day 2: 5 20-09 Day 3: 5 12-05
9. Jordan Lee Cullman, AL 15 48-04 95
Day 1: 5 21-06 Day 2: 5 09-04 Day 3: 5 17-10
10. Joseph Webster Hamilton, AL 15 47-14 94
Day 1: 5 20-15 Day 2: 5 10-15 Day 3: 5 16-00
11. Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 15 46-14 93 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-08 Day 2: 5 14-01 Day 3: 5 21-05
12. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 15 45-14 92 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-13 Day 2: 5 11-02 Day 3: 5 12-15
13. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 15 45-08 91 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-00 Day 2: 5 13-06 Day 3: 5 19-02
14. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 15 45-07 90 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 5 16-07 Day 3: 5 15-11
15. John Cox Debary, FL 15 45-00 89 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 22-05 Day 2: 5 07-07 Day 3: 5 15-04
16. Kyle Norsetter Cottage Grove, WI 15 44-14 88 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-06 Day 2: 5 15-13 Day 3: 5 11-11
17. David Gaston Sylacauga, AL 15 43-09 87 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-03 Day 2: 5 11-05 Day 3: 5 12-01
18. Kyle Patrick Cooperstown, NY 15 42-06 86 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 5 13-09 Day 3: 5 16-07
19. Austin Felix Eden Prairie, MN 15 42-04 85 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-07 Day 2: 5 19-07 Day 3: 5 10-06
20. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 15 42-04 84 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-01 Day 2: 5 15-12 Day 3: 5 13-07
21. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 15 41-01 83 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-11 Day 2: 5 13-00 Day 3: 5 08-06
22. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 15 40-09 82 $10,500.00
Day 1: 5 17-13 Day 2: 5 17-00 Day 3: 5 05-12
23. Cody Huff Ava, MO 15 40-07 81 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-03 Day 2: 5 09-14 Day 3: 5 13-06
24. Chris Johnston Otonabee Ontario CANADA 15 40-04 80 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 17-01 Day 3: 5 08-07
25. Logan Latuso Gonzales, LA 15 40-04 79 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-13 Day 2: 5 13-00 Day 3: 5 12-07
26. Justin Hamner Northport, AL 15 40-03 78 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 14-10 Day 3: 5 12-11
27. Lee Livesay Longview, TX 15 39-12 77 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-04 Day 2: 5 15-09 Day 3: 5 09-15
28. Timothy Dube Nashua , NH 15 39-11 76 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-02 Day 2: 5 09-13 Day 3: 5 11-12
29. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 14 39-02 75 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-09 Day 2: 4 07-12 Day 3: 5 15-13
30. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 15 39-00 74 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-12 Day 2: 5 10-08 Day 3: 5 12-12
31. Mike Huff London, KY 15 38-08 73 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-09 Day 2: 5 10-01 Day 3: 5 12-14
32. Jeff Gustafson Kenora, ON Ontario CANA 15 38-01 72 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-05 Day 2: 5 14-03 Day 3: 5 09-09
33. Will Davis Jr Sylacauga, AL 15 37-00 71 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-07 Day 2: 5 17-12 Day 3: 5 08-13
34. Jake Whitaker Hendersonville, NC 15 36-15 70 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-05 Day 2: 5 14-09 Day 3: 5 08-01
35. Bryant Smith Roseville, CA 15 36-11 69 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-13 Day 2: 5 09-11 Day 3: 5 12-03
36. Alex Redwine Blue Ash, OH 15 36-06 68 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-00 Day 2: 5 15-10 Day 3: 5 09-12
37. Carl Jocumsen Queensland TN AUSTRALIA 14 35-15 67 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-08 Day 2: 5 13-05 Day 3: 4 12-02
38. Jacob Foutz Charleston, TN 15 35-12 66 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-13 Day 2: 5 14-02 Day 3: 5 11-13
39. Hunter Shryock Ooltewah, TN 15 35-01 65 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-02 Day 2: 5 15-00 Day 3: 5 08-15
40. Robert Gee Knoxville, TN 15 34-13 64 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-08 Day 2: 5 10-06 Day 3: 5 09-15
41. Drew Cook Cairo, GA 15 34-12 63 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-05 Day 2: 5 14-03 Day 3: 5 11-04
42. Koby Kreiger Alva, FL 15 34-10 62 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 06-09 Day 2: 5 19-14 Day 3: 5 08-03
43. Cory Johnston Otonabee CANADA 15 34-10 61 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 5 12-13 Day 3: 5 09-07
44. Alex Wetherell Middletown, CT 15 34-03 60 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-00 Day 2: 5 12-01 Day 3: 5 11-02
45. Brandon Card Salisbury, NC 15 33-10 59 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-15 Day 2: 5 12-11 Day 3: 5 07-00
46. Clark Wendlandt Leander, TX 15 32-03 58 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 06-14 Day 2: 5 16-07 Day 3: 5 08-14
47. Todd Auten Clover, SC 15 32-03 57 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-11 Day 2: 5 12-07 Day 3: 5 07-01
48. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 14 30-05 56 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-02 Day 2: 5 11-03 Day 3: 4 05-00
49. Jonathan Kelley Old Forge, PA 14 30-02 55 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 12-08 Day 2: 5 10-08 Day 3: 5 07-02
50. Wes Logan Springville, AL 14 29-08 54 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-13 Day 2: 5 08-04 Day 3: 4 05-07
------------------------------
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1 Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 07-14 $500.00
1 Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 07-14 $500.00
2 Austin Felix Eden Prairie, MN 08-07 $1,000.00
3 Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA10-08 $1,000.00
------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 95 499 1248-05
2 97 499 1168-05
3 47 247 609-04
------------------------------
239 1245 3025-14
Missouri Angler Cole Breeden Wins MLF Toyota Series at Grand Lake
With an Abu Garcia College Fishing National Championship win to his credit on Grand, Breeden is no stranger to the lake or Ozark-style fisheries. This week, he dropped the trolling motor and was pretty much dialed from the get-go.
“Literally in practice, I put my trolling motor down on a good one,” he said. “It went well the whole time. I expected (fish) to be in that transition area, around spawning stuff, and I started there, and that’s where they were. I just went with it all week, and it was good the whole time.
“In practice, I had a ton of bites,” he added. “The first day of practice, I had 19 ½ pounds, and I shook off a lot of them, or, I tried to. Every day, I’d find a couple areas. In the tournament even, I found some new areas. It just seemed like it was rolling for me, and the stuff that looked right, was.”
Catching most of his fish on a Texas-rigged Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Creature Hawg, Breeden also applied a Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Hit Worm Magnum on a Neko rig. For his Texas rig, he used a 7-foot, 6-inch, heavy Abu Garcia Fantasista X paired with an Abu Garcia Zenon X, 17-pound Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon, a 4/0 hook and a ¼-ounce Picasso weight.
Roaming from the Horse Creek area as far down as Drowning and Duck creeks, Breeden ‘Scoped up nearly all of his fish fairly shallow, targeting a specific mix of features.
“It was similar everywhere I had fish,” he explained. “A little flatter bank, if it was a creek, the flatter side of the creek. Or, just a flat pocket close to the main lake. It was all pea gravel, or pea gravel that had tennis ball-sized rock mixed in. It was spawning areas, spawning flats or pockets. I’d catch them either on the way to the backs, or if it was a main lake pocket, I’d catch them in the back. The first day, I caught 22 pounds in the back of a couple pockets, but it was closer to deeper water. The stuff that was further from deep water, I’d catch them closer to the secondary points and stuff.
“Typically, they were on something,” he added. “There’s a lot of trash fish in Grand, it seems like every lake I go to with a lot of trash fish, fish always hold to something. I think on the chunkier rock, they will sit in the rock. But, on the pea gravel banks, you need a bigger rock, or a piece of metal, or a little brush, or a stump. Just something there that they’re holding to. I think they make beds next to that as well, I could tell some of them were spawning, because the fish would just be making little circles around a little spot.”
While most of his fish came from smaller pieces of cover, Breeden caught a few out of significant brush piles, with some as big as 9 feet tall holding fish. One brush fish stymied him on Day 2, and then escaped him and Strike King co-angler Matt Krekovich on Day 3.
“I went back to that fish I missed, and the wind was blowing on that stretch pretty good,” he said. “There was another brush pile just down the bank from it, and I pulled up, on the pile I saw her on, and she wasn’t there. About 2 minutes later, my co-angler in the back of the boat says ‘Oh I’ve got one.’ I look back, and about a 7-pounder jumps out of the water. He broke the hook on his jerkbait, it came off, and she was sitting on that brush pile just down the bank.”
Still, missed lunker aside, Breeden had a special week.
“It’s freakin’ awesome,” he said of the win. “It feels like so many times you’re not even close. Then, you have a week where it goes your way the whole time. I just caught big fish everywhere I went. When it’s going your way, it’s just going your way.”
The top 10 pros on Grand Lake finished:
1st: Cole Breeden, Lebanon, Mo., 15 bass, 62-15, $37,965
2nd: Jake Lawrence, Buchanan, Tenn., 15 bass, 56-5, $15,595 (includes $1,000 Phoenix MLF Bonus)
3rd: Jordan Hartman, Benton, Ky., 15 bass, 55-3, $11,299
4th: Jackson Ryley, Clinton, Ind., 15 bass, 54-15, $9,416
5th: Ethan Fields, Breese, Ill., 15 bass, 54-5, $8,475
6th: Matteo Turano, Puryear, Tenn., 15 bass, 53-14, $7,533
7th: Kyle Kitts, Joplin, Mo., 15 bass, 53-12, $6,591
8th: Jason Bonds, Lufkin, Texas, 15 bass, 53-7, $5,650
9th: Casey Scanlon, Eldon, Mo., 15 bass, 53-7, $4,708
10th: Tate Brumnett, Wagoner, Okla., 15 bass, 51-2, $3,766
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Pro Joshua Teply of Harrah, Oklahoma won the $500 Day 1 Berkley Big Bass award in the pro division Thursday with a bass weighing 7 pounds, 13 ounces. On Friday, pro Troy O’Rourke of Bentonville, Arkansas, earned the $500 Berkley Big Bass prize after bringing a bass weighing 6 pounds even to the scale.
Larence took home an extra $1,000 as the highest finishing Phoenix MLF Bonus member. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $35,000 per event in each Toyota Series tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the Phoenix MLF Bonus contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.
Matt Krekovich of Granite City, Illinois, won the Strike King Co-angler Division Thursday with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 49 pounds, 6 ounces. Krekovich took home the top prize package worth $33,500, including a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard motor.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers on Grand Lake finished:
1st: Matt Krekovich, Granite City, Ill., 15 bass, 49-6, Phoenix 518 Pro boat w/115-hp Mercury outboard
2nd: Fred Fielder, Fort Gibson, Okla., 14 bass, 39-14, $4,734
3rd: Oliver Siebert, Fenton, Mo., 15 bass, 39-10, $3,787
4th: Scott Parsons, Rogers, Ark., 15 bass, 37-9, $3,314
5th: Justin Layton, Kirbyville, Mo., 12 bass, 37-4, $2,990
6th: Todd Adamitis, Glen Carbon, Ill., 14 bass, 36-15, $2,367
7th: Terry Duffel, Cave Springs, Ark., 13 bass, 35-5, $1,894
8th: Dan Bowman, Osage Beach, Mo., 12 bass, 34-12, $$1,657
9th: Mark Talley, Grove, Okla., 12 bass, 34-0, $1,420
10th: Lee Roberts, Shattuck, Okla., 10 bass, 33-14, $1,184
Justin Layton of Kirbyville, Missouri, was the Berkley Big Bass $150 award winner in the Strike King co-angler division, Thursday, with a 6-pound, 5-ounce bass, while the Day 2 $150 award went to Mark King of Gurdon, Arkansas, with a 6-pound, 3-ounce bass.
With two regular-season events in the Toyota Series Plains Division now complete, pro Jake Lawrence of Buchanana, Tennessee, leads the Plains Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 519 points, while Todd Adamitis of Glen Carbon, Illinois, leads the Strike King Co-angler Division AOY race with 515 points.
The Toyota Series at Grand Lake, hosted by the City of Grove was the second of three regular-season events for the Toyota Series Plains Division. The next event for Toyota Series anglers will be the Toyota Series at Lake Chickamauga, May 2-4, in Dayton, Tennessee. For a complete schedule of events, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The 2024 Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats consists of six divisions – Central, Northern, Plains, Southern, Southwestern and the Western Division Presented by Tackle Warehouse – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International and Wild Card divisions. Anglers who fish in any of the six divisions or the Wild Card division and finish in the top 25 will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series Championship for a shot at winning up to $235,000 and a qualification to REDCREST 2025. The winning Strike King co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard. The 2024 Toyota Series Championship will be held Nov. 7-9 on Wheeler Lake in Huntsville, Alabama, and is hosted by the Huntsville Sports Commission.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Toyota Series include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, FX Custom Rods, General Tire, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak Fishing, Onyx, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Toyota Series, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Tackle Warehouse Invitational updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook , Instagram and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Hodge & Malley Take Home New Ranger Boat at TXTT on Lake Fork
YANTIS, TX (April 13, 2024) – Anglers left the dock at Caney Point Recreation Area to a beautiful Texas sunrise, all with the hopes off conquering Lake Fork, stop #3 of the 2024 Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s Texas Team Trail presented by Progressive. The day presented perfect conditions for fishing up shallow chasing spawning fish, and overall tournament conditions that anglers dream of each event. But when the dust settled and all numbers were calculated, the Lake Fork local team of Steve Hodge & Shawn Malley walked away the newest champions of TXTT. The team weighed in a Rapala “Crush City” bag worth 13-04, anchored by a very impressive over-slot-limit fish. For their victory, the team wins a 2024 Ranger Z-518 with 150hp Mercury motor, a new Garmin graph, Power-Pole Charge system, and Angler’s Advantage cash. In total, they team cashed in on $57, 978 in cash & prizes, plus valuable points toward the 2024 TXTT Championship in June on Toledo Bend where, if qualified, they will fish for over $100,000 in cash & prizes.
“We started off the day in an area where we found some fish spawning in a high spot. It was a tough start, because our first three fish we had to throw back [slot-limit]. We then moved around trying to locate a few other areas we knew fish would be bedding but either the fish were gone or were surrounded by boats,” said the winning team. “We then went back to our original starting spot and were able to catch the ‘over’ throwing a white fluke rigged on a EWG Gamakatsu hook. That gave us a lot of momentum, and luckily we just went looking for more fish ‘sight-fishing’ and were able to catch three other keepers.”
The team reported catching their last keeper around 1:30 in the afternoon. Hodge & Malley wanted to go on and thank their sponsors, local marine dealership, and all of their supporting friends and family.
Ranger Boat owners Lowell Bennett & Landen Bennett Finish Second, Plus Power-Pole Big Bass
“The big fish came on my son’s first cast of the morning, which made us both sick- but helped us relax knowing catching an over ‘slot’ would help us tremendously,” said Ranger Boats owner Lowell of the father-and-son team. “The rest of the day we just looked up shallow and fished for bedding fish”.
For second place, the team weighed in 12-14 and took home $5,928.00, which included Angler’s Advantage, the $300 Garmin Bonus (awarded to the highest finishing team with exclusively all Garmin electronics), and the Power-Pole Big Bass Award. The Power-Pole Big Bass was a 10-08 Lake Fork monster, and awarded the team a Power-Pole Pro Series II shallow water system.
“The big fish my son caught was on a spinnerbait. But the rest of our bites came on flipping a Strike King Menace onto beds. All of our rods are rigged up with Sunline Shooter Fluorocarbon Line.”
The team also wanted to give a shout-out to the family, especially Lowell’s wife, for allowing them to fish so many tournaments as father-and-son.
Rest of the Top-10
- 3rd: Thomas Martens & Dean Alexander: 9-04, $4,146.50
- 3rd: Cole Mitchell & Connor Theiler: 9-04, $2,386.50
- 5th: Jared West & Joe West: 9-01, $2,692.00
- 6th: Terry Peacock & Scott Dean: 8-14, $2,390.00
- 7th: Shane Howell & William Davis: 8-09, $1,699.00
- 8th: Nick Brown & Byron Chaves: 8-07, $1,585.00
- 9th: Michael Rollert & Gandy Stubblefield: 8-04, $1,437.00
- 10th: James Harrison & Kyle Swearingen: 8-03, $1,558.00
Full results can be found through the link here.
To register for the 2024 Texas Team Trail tournaments, please read the updated 2024 RULES and then follow this link to register today: https://outdoorteamworks.com/ trail/txtt/registration/ 2024 Texas Team Trail Schedule:
- February 17th - Brookeland, TX | Sam Rayburn Reservoir
- March 23rd - Brookeland, TX | Sam Rayburn Reservoir
- April 13th - Yantis, TX | Lake Fork
- May 4th - Corsicana, TX | Richland Chambers
- June 8-9th - Many, LA | Toledo Bend Reservoir - CHAMPIONSHIP
For more information about Texas Team Trail, including sponsor incentives, official tournament results and photos, visit TexasTeamTrail.com. Be sure to subscribe to the e-newsletter to receive all the up-to-date news and announcements.
About Texas Team Trail Texas Team Trail is a part of the Outdoor TeamWorks family of fishing tournaments. The OTW brand offers a wide range of fishing events from professional tournaments to grassroots fishing derbies. All events are supported by some of the top companies in the nation and include on-site activation and activities, as well as extensive media support. For additional live updates and information, follow TXTT on Facebook and Instagram.
Jacob Wheeler Leads Top Ten to Championship Round at PowerStop Brakes Stage Three at Dale Hollow Lake Presented by Mercury
Tennessee pro catches 25 bass weighing 79-13 to lead Knockout Round, final 10 anglers set for Championship Sunday in final-day shootout for top prize of $100,000
BYRDSTOWN, Tenn. (April 13, 2024) – Each of the 10 anglers who qualified for the Championship Round on Dale Hollow Lake will start Sunday morning with zero pounds, but it sure feels like two have separated from the rest of the pack in the chase for the trophy at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour PowerStop Brakes Stage Three Presented by Mercury.
On a day during which many of the 20 anglers on the water struggled to generate consistent bites, two-time Angler of the Year (AOY) winner Jacob Wheeler of Harrison, Tennessee, and rookie Drew Gill of Mount Carmel, Illinois , seemingly stacked weight on SCORETRACKER® at will. While it took 31 pounds, 2 ounces on the day to earn a spot in the Top 10 and a berth to the Championship Round, both Wheeler and Gill surpassed that mark within the first 90 minutes. Each eclipsed 50 pounds in Period 1 before easing off the throttle, saving as many fish as possible for what’s looking like a final-day prize fight.
Wheeler ultimately finished atop the leaderboard with 25 scorable bass for 79-13. That put him 3-7 ahead of Gill, with a sizable gap to Alton Jones Jr. of Waco, Texas, in third place at 54-7.
Still, with several of the best anglers in the game at using forward-facing sonar to find and catch schools of bass (Jones Jr., Dustin Connell, Michael Neal, Spencer Shuffield) among the Top 10, the only sure thing entering Championship Sunday is that whoever prevails will have to earn it.
The final 10 anglers are now set, and competition resumes Sunday morning with the Championship Round. In the Championship Round, weights are zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.
When Wheeler won his seventh Bass Pro Tour trophy at Stage Two on Santee Cooper, he quipped that he had to keep pace with Connell, his travel roommate and close friend who had won the prior event on Toledo Bend. So, after Connell prevailed again at last month’s REDCREST championship, there was some semi-serious speculation that Wheeler would have no choice but to win at Dale Hollow.
Suddenly, the possibility appears very real. While Wheeler is more focused on trying to add to his record BPT victory tally and consolidate his lead in the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year competition, he’d be happy to continue the trend.
“It would be cool, obviously,” he said. “(Connell) won the first one, I won the second one, he won the third one. It’d be nice to win this one, for sure. Right now, the house is undefeated.”
Usually an ironclad lock to make the Championship Round (he’s now up to an astounding 31 Top 10s in 45 career BPT events), Wheeler admitted that it took him a bit longer than he expected to figure out the bass on Dale Hollow this week, especially considering that he visits the lake regularly. He started competition fishing around the bank, but by Saturday morning, he’d realized that the offshore, forward-facing sonar pattern that has dominated tournament fishing all year would once again be the way to win.
“I really anticipated this tournament to be a shallow-water tournament,” he said. “It’s April, the trees are blooming. Now, this lake right here is well known for forward-facing sonar, and half my fish have come that way this week; the other half didn’t, I wasn’t looking at my screen. But I fully believe that it’ll be won doing that.”
That’s fine by Wheeler, who’s proven himself as effective as anyone with the technology. He started Saturday morning on an offshore school of largemouth. Using a jighead minnow, he put together a furious flurry that saw him boat 17 scorable bass totaling 53-13 in less than two hours.
“I thought it was going to take 50 pounds to probably make it, and I was able to catch that pretty quickly this morning,” Wheeler said. “And so, I was able to practice the rest of the day and look around and ultimately come up with a pretty solid game plan.”
Despite the fact that smallmouth accounted for the majority of the scorable bass caught by the field Saturday for the first time, 22 of Wheeler’s 25 fish were largemouth. That was by design.
“I was targeting largemouth for the most part,” Wheeler said. “I’ve spent a lot of time here in the wintertime, and I know the typical zones those bass live in.”
As good as Wheeler’s opening period was, he’s not committed to revisiting that spot to start Sunday’s action. In typical Wheeler fashion, once he amassed enough weight that he didn’t have to worry about the cut line, he spent the final five or so hours scouting new water. He found a few new areas that piqued his interest, and as the first boat to launch, he’ll have his pick of real estate on the 28,000-acre reservoir.
“I was able to eliminate a lot of stuff,” Wheeler said of his afternoon. “Now, I still have some stuff that I need to go look at. I found some stuff late; I realized what was transpiring late. So, I’m going to have to practice tomorrow as well.”
While he might practice in the sense that he’ll continue searching for the winning fish, there will be no easing off his efforts to catch them during the Championship Round. Wheeler believes it will take at least 100 pounds to claim the trophy, maybe more.
“I think 100 pounds will probably win,” Wheeler said. “I mean, it could take even as much as 120 or more. Heck, I don’t know. Obviously, a lot of guys put some pressure on their fish, but a lot of guys are sandbagging, too.”
The top 10 pros from Saturday’s Knockout Round that now advance to Sunday’s Championship Round on Dale Hollow Lake are:
1st: Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., 25 bass, 79-13
2nd: Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., 25 bass, 76-6
3rd: Alton Jones Jr., Waco, Texas, 17 bass, 54-7
4th: Marshall Robinson, Landrum, S.C., 17 bass, 49-6
5th: Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., 18 bass, 49-0
6th: Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., 16 bass, 43-15
7th: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 14 bass, 43-0
8th: Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., 14 bass, 39-3
9th: Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., 11 bass, 31-9
10th: Alton Jones, Lorena, Texas, 11 bass, 31-2
Finishing in 11th through 20th place are:
11th: Shin Fukae, Osaka, Japan, seven bass, 26-5
12th: Britt Myers, Lake Wylie, S.C., eight bass, 26-2
13th: Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala., nine bass, 23-6
14th: David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., eight bass, 23-3
15th: Grae Buck, Green Lane, Penn., six bass, 19-15
16th: Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., seven bass, 17-11
17th: Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C., six bass, 15-14
18th: Jeff Sprague, Wills Point, Texas, five bass, 12-5
19th: Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., four bass, 12-1
20th: Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., four bass, 9-6
A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 232 scorable bass weighing 684 pounds, 1 ounce caught by the 20 pros Saturday, which included two 5-pounders, 14 4-pounders and 91 3-pounders.
General Tire pro Britt Myers of Lake Wylie, South Carolina, caught a 5-pound, 3-ounce smallmouth on a jig in the first period to claim Saturday’s Berkley Big Bass Award. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament.
The six-day tournament, hosted by the Byrdstown-Pickett County Chamber of Commerce & Bill Dance Signature Lakes, showcases 79 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing for a purse of $659,000, including a top payout of $100,000 and valuable Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) points in hopes of qualifying for the General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and REDCREST 2025, the Bass Pro Tour championship.
The 40 Anglers in Group A competed in their two-day Qualifying Round on Tuesday and Thursday – the 39 anglers in Group B on Wednesday and Friday. After the two-day Qualifying Rounds were complete, the anglers that finished first through 10th from both groups advanced to Saturday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round, weights were zeroed, and the remaining 20 anglers competed to finish in the top 10 to advance to Sunday’s Championship Round. Tomorrow, in the final-day Championship Round, weights are zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.
The final 10 anglers competing in Sunday’s Championship Round will launch at 7:30 a.m. CT from Sunset Marina and Resort, located at 2040 Sunset Dock Road in Monroe. The General Tire Takeout will be held at the marina, beginning at 4 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard and event coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com .
The MLFNOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action live on Championship Sunday from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT. MLFNOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
On Sunday, April 14, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. MLF welcomes fans of all ages to visit Sunset Marina and Resort for the MLF Watch Party, Kids Fishing Derby and Trophy Celebration. Fans can watch the pros live on the MLFNOW! big screen, enjoy free food, enter to win hourly giveaways and cheer on their favorite pros. The first 50 kids 14 and under will receive a free rod and reel from Pure Fishing. Additional fishing gear will be provided onsite for the fishing derby or kids can bring their own. The final 10 Championship Round Bass Pro Tour anglers will be on hand at the trophy celebration to meet and greet fans, sign autographs and take selfies.
Television coverage of the PowerStop Brakes Stage Three at Dale Hollow Lake Presented by Mercury Knockout Round will air as a two-hour episode starting at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 5 on Discovery, with the Championship Round premiering on Oct. 6. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on Outdoor Channel.
The PowerStop Brakes Stage Three at Dale Hollow Lake Presented by Mercury features the MLF catch, weigh, immediate-release format, in which anglers catch as much weight as they can each day, while also feeling the pressure and intensity of the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard. The tournament features anglers competing with a 2-pound minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. The MLF Fisheries Management Division determines minimum weights for each body of water that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.
The Bass Pro Tour features a field of 79 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2025 championship.
Wheeler will have a chance to not only hoist his second trophy of the young season but further build his lead in the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year race, where the winner of the season-long competition will take home an additional $100,000 check. Wheeler, who won AOY in 2021 and 2022 before finishing second last year, entered Stage Three with a lead of seven points over Jesse Wiggins. Wiggins narrowly missed out on the Championship Round, finishing 13th, while reigning Angler of the Year Matt Becker failed to qualify for the Knockout Round after arriving at Dale Hollow in third place.
Fishing Clash, an interactive 3D fishing simulation game that’s played by more than 80 million people worldwide, is the official AOY sponsor of the Bass Pro Tour, Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, Toyota Series and Phoenix Bass Fishing League. You can download Fishing Clash for free in the App Store and on Google Play, or log on to www.fishingclash.game for more information.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, BUBBA, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Garmin, General Tire, Humminbird, Lowrance, Mercury, MillerTech, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak Fishing, NITRO, Onyx, Plano, Power-Pole, Rapala, StarBrite, Suzuki, Toyota and U.S. Air Force.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Garrett fishes the familiar to retain lead in Bassmaster Elite Series event at Harris Chain of Lakes
April 13, 2024
Garrett fishes the familiar to retain lead in Bassmaster Elite Series event at Harris Chain of Lakes
LEESBURG, Fla. — More than 800 miles separate John Garrett’s home in Union City, Tenn., from Leesburg, Fla., but the Elite rookie said he feels like he’s fishing at home.
Leveraging the confidence and comfort born of such familiarity, Garrett sacked a Day 2 limit of 19 pounds, 13 ounces to retain the lead in the Lowrance Bassmaster Elite at the Harris Chain of Lakes with a two-day total of 43-15.
Building on his Day 1 limit of 24-2 — the event’s heaviest bag — Garrett heads into Semifinal Sunday with a lead of 5-2 over Brad Whatley of Bivins, Texas.
“The good Lord has absolutely blessed me the past two days,” Garrett said. “I got some good bites and I really didn’t expect this whatsoever. I’m fishing the way that I grew up fishing and the way I love to fish.
“I hope I can get five, maybe 10 more of the right ones.”
Drawing on his lifetime of fishing Tennessee River shellbars, Garrett focused most of his effort on a 75-yard stretch of Harris Chain mussels in about 12 feet of water. On the same spot that yielded his first-round weight, postspawn bass were mixing with tilapia and running up and down the bar.
“Like yesterday, from 10 to 1 is the sweet time,” Garrett said. “Today, at 1 o’clock, the wind slicked off and I did not get another bite. Today, the fish were there better — I could see them on my Humminbird 360 — I just could not catch them.
“I’m just covering as much water as I can in that zone and making as many casts as I can.”
Garrett started his day on a limit spot to settle his nerves by putting five small keepers in the boat. After that, he hunkered down on his main area and diligently picked it apart with crankbaits, including a Strike King 5XD.
“Once I knew I’d made the Day 3 cut (on the limit spot), I spent all day on my big-fish area,” Garrett said. “I got six big bites and I caught two of them. I had the bites to maybe have a little more weight today, I just couldn’t get them in the boat.
“There’s not a lot of fish there and when I get them to bite, it’s a reaction. I’m getting most of them on the bait’s back hook.”
Garrett said he’s committed to his game plan for at least one more day. He might show his big fish a broader selection of baits, including single-hook plastics, but he believes his best shot at winning awaits on that shellbar.
“I don’t know how Sunday’s going to play out,” Garrett said. “I’ll probably start on my limit hole, fish for an hour and then head over to my big-fish place and stay all day.”
Whatley placed second with 38-13. After placing third on Day 1 with 22 pounds, he added 16-13.
On Day 1, Whatley found a 7-14 and a 7-12 on the same spot. He tried that area again, but found no second-round additions. Changing areas, he fished multiple spots and found his bites in a consistent shallow water scenario.
“I know what I’m looking for now, so when I’m running down the lake and I see what I like, I’ll shut it down and go over there,” Whatley said. “It’s just where the fish are setting up — and it changes.
“In the morning time, they’re in certain areas and, as the day goes on, they change up a little bit. I think the bait has a lot to do with it. The bait’s moving around and they’re just following that bait.”
Reflecting on his second-round experience, Whatley said he’s optimistic that he’s even more dialed in than he was on Day 1. He’ll pursue the same general game plan, in hopes of earning a spot in Championship Monday’s Top 10 field.
“I figured some stuff out late in the day and I’m pretty excited about it,” Whatley said. “I feel like everything I’m doing is the right move and that doesn’t come around very often.”
Ed Loughran III of Richmond, Va., placed third with 37-12. After placing 15th on Day 1 with 17-3, Loughran added 20-9 — the second day’s only bag over 20 pounds.
Loughran anchored his Day 2 limit with a late-day kicker — a 7-15 that bit just minutes before 3 o’clock.
“I had a good bag before, but that fish bumped me up to a different level,” Loughran said. “I caught that fish on a brushpile in 12 feet of water that I had found (during a previous visit to the Harris Chain).”
Describing the course that led him to his biggest bass in two days, Loughran attributed his success to a change of game plan.
“It was a strange day; I had plans to do one thing and I ended up doing the exact opposite,” he said. “I had a late boat number today and after going to Lake Apopka yesterday and flipping with 65-pound braid, I stayed in Harris, Eustis and Dora and fished brushpiles with a drop shot with a Missile Baits Magic Worm.”
As Loughran explained, when he reached the 14-pound mark, he had intended to return to Apopka. However, catching a 5-pounder around 10 o’clock convinced him to stay.
“I knew I was going to make the Top 50 cut at that point,” Loughran said. “Without that 5-pounder, I would not have caught that (7-15).”
Austin Felix of Eden Prairie, Minn., is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with an 8-7.
Rookie Trey McKinney of Carbondale, Ill., leads the Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Angler of the Year points standings with 294 points. Tyler Williams of Belgrade, Maine, is in second with 282, followed by Jordan Lee of Cullman, Ala., with 271, Justin Hamner of Northport, Ala., with 268, and JT Thompkins of Myrtle Beach, S.C., with 265.
McKinney and Williams also lead the race for Dakota Lithium Bassmaster Rookie of the Year.
Sunday’s takeoff is scheduled for 7 a.m. ET from Venetian Gardens (Ski Beach). The weigh-in will be held at the Ski Beach at 3 p.m.
Follow all the action on FS1from 8-11 a.m. and on Bassmaster.com from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
The event is being hosted by the Greater Orlando Sports Commission.
2024 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2024 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Progressive Insurance, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2024 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew's, Lowrance, Marathon, Triton Boats, VMC
About B.A.S.S.B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting-edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
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Connect with #Bassmaster on Facebook, Instagram, Twitte
Media Contact: Chad Gay, Communications Manager, 865-201-6458, cgay@bassmaster.
2024 Lowrance Bassmaster Elite at Harris Chain 4/12-4/15
Harris Chain Of Lakes, Leesburg FL.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 2
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. John Garrett Union City, TN 10 43-15 103
Day 1: 5 24-02 Day 2: 5 19-13
2. Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 10 38-13 102
Day 1: 5 22-00 Day 2: 5 16-13
3. Ed Loughran III Richmond, VA 10 37-12 101
Day 1: 5 17-03 Day 2: 5 20-09
4. JT Thompkins Myrtle Beach, SC 10 36-12 100
Day 1: 5 19-11 Day 2: 5 17-01
5. Trey McKinney Carbondale, IL 10 35-00 99
Day 1: 5 17-14 Day 2: 5 17-02
6. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 10 34-13 98
Day 1: 5 17-13 Day 2: 5 17-00
7. Tyler Williams Belgrade, ME 10 34-11 97
Day 1: 5 17-02 Day 2: 5 17-09
8. KJ Queen Catawba, NC 10 34-07 96
Day 1: 5 19-00 Day 2: 5 15-07
9. Kyle Norsetter Cottage Grove, WI 10 33-03 95
Day 1: 5 17-06 Day 2: 5 15-13
10. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 10 32-15 94
Day 1: 5 21-13 Day 2: 5 11-02
11. Jason Christie Dry Creek, OK 10 32-13 93
Day 1: 5 14-06 Day 2: 5 18-07
12. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 10 32-11 92
Day 1: 5 19-11 Day 2: 5 13-00
13. Joseph Webster Hamilton, AL 10 31-14 91
Day 1: 5 20-15 Day 2: 5 10-15
14. Austin Felix Eden Prairie, MN 10 31-14 90
Day 1: 5 12-07 Day 2: 5 19-07
15. Chris Johnston Otonabee Ontario CANADA 10 31-13 89
Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 17-01
16. David Gaston Sylacauga, AL 10 31-08 88
Day 1: 5 20-03 Day 2: 5 11-05
17. Jordan Lee Cullman, AL 10 30-10 87
Day 1: 5 21-06 Day 2: 5 09-04
18. Lee Livesay Longview, TX 10 29-13 86
Day 1: 5 14-04 Day 2: 5 15-09
19. John Cox Debary, FL 10 29-12 85
Day 1: 5 22-05 Day 2: 5 07-07
20. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 10 29-12 84
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 5 16-07
21. Jake Whitaker Hendersonville, NC 10 28-14 83
Day 1: 5 14-05 Day 2: 5 14-09
22. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 10 28-13 82
Day 1: 5 13-01 Day 2: 5 15-12
23. Jeff Gustafson Kenora, ON Ontario CANA 10 28-08 81
Day 1: 5 14-05 Day 2: 5 14-03
24. Will Davis Jr Sylacauga, AL 10 28-03 80
Day 1: 5 10-07 Day 2: 5 17-12
25. Timothy Dube Nashua , NH 10 27-15 79
Day 1: 5 18-02 Day 2: 5 09-13
26. Logan Latuso Gonzales, LA 10 27-13 78
Day 1: 5 14-13 Day 2: 5 13-00
27. Justin Hamner Northport, AL 10 27-08 77
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 14-10
28. Cody Huff Ava, MO 10 27-01 76
Day 1: 5 17-03 Day 2: 5 09-14
29. Alex Redwine Blue Ash, OH 10 26-10 75
Day 1: 5 11-00 Day 2: 5 15-10
30. Brandon Card Salisbury, NC 10 26-10 74
Day 1: 5 13-15 Day 2: 5 12-11
31. Koby Kreiger Alva, FL 10 26-07 73
Day 1: 5 06-09 Day 2: 5 19-14
32. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 10 26-06 72
Day 1: 5 13-00 Day 2: 5 13-06
33. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 10 26-04 71
Day 1: 5 15-12 Day 2: 5 10-08
34. Hunter Shryock Ooltewah, TN 10 26-02 70
Day 1: 5 11-02 Day 2: 5 15-00
35. Kyle Patrick Cooperstown, NY 10 25-15 69
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 5 13-09
36. Mike Huff London, KY 10 25-10 68
Day 1: 5 15-09 Day 2: 5 10-01
37. Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 10 25-09 67
Day 1: 5 11-08 Day 2: 5 14-01
38. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 10 25-05 66
Day 1: 5 14-02 Day 2: 5 11-03
39. Cory Johnston Otonabee CANADA 10 25-03 65
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 5 12-13
40. Todd Auten Clover, SC 10 25-02 64
Day 1: 5 12-11 Day 2: 5 12-07
41. Robert Gee Knoxville, TN 10 24-14 63
Day 1: 5 14-08 Day 2: 5 10-06
42. Bryant Smith Roseville, CA 10 24-08 62
Day 1: 5 14-13 Day 2: 5 09-11
43. Wes Logan Springville, AL 10 24-01 61
Day 1: 5 15-13 Day 2: 5 08-04
44. Jacob Foutz Charleston, TN 10 23-15 60
Day 1: 5 09-13 Day 2: 5 14-02
45. Carl Jocumsen Queensland TN AUSTRALIA 10 23-13 59
Day 1: 5 10-08 Day 2: 5 13-05
46. Drew Cook Cairo, GA 10 23-08 58
Day 1: 5 09-05 Day 2: 5 14-03
47. Clark Wendlandt Leander, TX 10 23-05 57
Day 1: 5 06-14 Day 2: 5 16-07
48. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 9 23-05 56
Day 1: 5 15-09 Day 2: 4 07-12
49. Alex Wetherell Middletown, CT 10 23-01 55
Day 1: 5 11-00 Day 2: 5 12-01
50. Jonathan Kelley Old Forge, PA 9 23-00 54
Day 1: 4 12-08 Day 2: 5 10-08
51. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 10 22-15 53
Day 1: 5 12-03 Day 2: 5 10-12
52. Chris Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 10 22-13 52
Day 1: 5 10-07 Day 2: 5 12-06
53. Marc Frazier Newnan, GA 10 22-12 51
Day 1: 5 11-11 Day 2: 5 11-01
54. Matt Arey Shelby, NC 10 22-10 50
Day 1: 5 12-02 Day 2: 5 10-08
55. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 10 22-06 49
Day 1: 5 13-04 Day 2: 5 09-02
56. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 10 22-05 48
Day 1: 5 08-15 Day 2: 5 13-06
57. John Soukup Sapulpa, OK 10 22-00 47
Day 1: 5 08-15 Day 2: 5 13-01
58. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 10 22-00 46
Day 1: 5 11-04 Day 2: 5 10-12
59. Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 10 22-00 45
Day 1: 5 10-15 Day 2: 5 11-01
60. Chad Pipkens Dewitt, MI 10 21-15 44
Day 1: 5 13-00 Day 2: 5 08-15
61. Jay Przekurat Plover, WI 10 21-12 43
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 5 08-01
62. Patrick Walters Eutawville, SC 10 21-11 42
Day 1: 5 14-08 Day 2: 5 07-03
63. Kyle Welcher Valley, AL 10 21-10 41
Day 1: 5 10-00 Day 2: 5 11-10
64. Kenta Kimura Osaka OK JAPAN 10 21-09 40
Day 1: 5 08-04 Day 2: 5 13-05
65. Kyoya Fujita Yamanashi CA JAPAN 10 21-09 39
Day 1: 5 10-03 Day 2: 5 11-06
66. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 10 21-06 38
Day 1: 5 11-14 Day 2: 5 09-08
67. Shane LeHew Catawba, NC 10 20-07 37
Day 1: 5 12-10 Day 2: 5 07-13
68. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 10 20-07 36
Day 1: 5 12-05 Day 2: 5 08-02
69. Matty Wong Honolulu, HI 10 20-06 35
Day 1: 5 12-15 Day 2: 5 07-07
70. Scott Martin Clewiston, FL 10 20-06 34
Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 5 07-14
71. Pat Schlapper Eleva, WI 10 20-06 33
Day 1: 5 11-02 Day 2: 5 09-04
72. Logan Parks Auburn, AL 10 20-06 32
Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 5 09-05
73. Frank Talley Belton, TX 10 19-15 31
Day 1: 5 07-14 Day 2: 5 12-01
74. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 10 19-15 30
Day 1: 5 11-10 Day 2: 5 08-05
75. Caleb Kuphall Mukwonago, WI 8 19-12 29
Day 1: 3 04-08 Day 2: 5 15-04
76. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 10 19-09 28
Day 1: 5 10-04 Day 2: 5 09-05
77. Ray Hanselman Jr Del Rio, TX 10 19-07 27
Day 1: 5 08-08 Day 2: 5 10-15
78. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 10 19-05 26
Day 1: 5 09-00 Day 2: 5 10-05
79. Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 10 19-00 25
Day 1: 5 06-14 Day 2: 5 12-02
80. Justin Atkins Florence, AL 10 18-12 24
Day 1: 5 10-01 Day 2: 5 08-11
81. Seth Feider New Market, MN 10 18-07 23
Day 1: 5 06-10 Day 2: 5 11-13
82. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 10 18-02 22
Day 1: 5 07-08 Day 2: 5 10-10
83. Cooper Gallant Bowmanville Ontario CAN 10 17-13 21
Day 1: 5 08-13 Day 2: 5 09-00
84. Bryan Schmitt Deale, MD 10 17-12 20
Day 1: 5 11-15 Day 2: 5 05-13
85. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 9 17-05 19
Day 1: 5 11-10 Day 2: 4 05-11
86. Bryan New Leesville, SC 10 17-03 18
Day 1: 5 09-00 Day 2: 5 08-03
87. Gregory DiPalma Millville, NJ 10 16-15 17
Day 1: 5 10-09 Day 2: 5 06-06
88. Wesley Gore Clanton, AL 10 16-14 16
Day 1: 5 09-09 Day 2: 5 07-05
89. Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 10 16-14 15
Day 1: 5 08-05 Day 2: 5 08-09
90. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 10 16-13 14
Day 1: 5 09-01 Day 2: 5 07-12
91. Clent Davis Montevallo, AL 10 16-13 13
Day 1: 5 08-13 Day 2: 5 08-00
92. Cole Sands Calhoun , TN 10 16-11 12
Day 1: 5 08-11 Day 2: 5 08-00
93. Taku Ito Dalton GA JAPAN 9 16-09 11
Day 1: 4 04-09 Day 2: 5 12-00
94. Buddy Gross Chattanooga, TN 10 16-04 10
Day 1: 5 10-15 Day 2: 5 05-05
95. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 10 15-11 9
Day 1: 5 09-01 Day 2: 5 06-10
96. Jason Williamson Aiken, SC 9 14-14 8
Day 1: 4 04-12 Day 2: 5 10-02
97. Joey Cifuentes III Clinton, AR 7 14-09 7
Day 1: 2 03-07 Day 2: 5 11-02
98. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 10 14-00 6
Day 1: 5 04-14 Day 2: 5 09-02
99. Derek Hudnall Zachary, LA 10 12-13 5
Day 1: 5 07-00 Day 2: 5 05-13
100. Ben Milliken New Caney, TX 8 10-09 4
Day 1: 4 05-11 Day 2: 4 04-14
101. Scott Canterbury Odenville, AL 7 09-05 3
Day 1: 5 06-10 Day 2: 2 02-11
102. Matt Robertson Kuttawa, KY 3 04-15 2
Day 1: 3 04-15 Day 2: 0 00-00
103. Bob Downey Detroit Lakes, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
------------------------------
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1 Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 07-14 $0.00
1 Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 07-14 $0.00
2 Austin Felix Eden Prairie, MN 08-07 $0.00
------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 95 499 1248-05
2 97 499 1168-05
------------------------------
192 998 2416-10
Rookie Marshall Robinson Wins Group B Qualifying Round at PowerStop Brakes Stage Three at Dale Hollow Lake Presented by Mercury
South Carolina pro catches two-day total of 115-11 to win Group B Qualifying Round, field of 20 set for Saturday’s Knockout Round
BYRDSTOWN, Tenn. (April 12, 2024) – Maintaining his spot atop SCORETRACKER® wasn’t Marshall Robinson of Landrum, South Carolina's primary focus during a windy, cold second day of qualifying for Group B at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour PowerStop Brakes Stage Three Presented by Mercury. But the 20-year-old still managed to catch enough Dale Hollow Lake bass while exploring new water Friday that he stayed ahead of Alton Jones Jr. of Waco, Texas, Dustin Connell of Clanton, Alabama , and the rest of his pursuers. Robinson boated eight scorable bass that combined to weigh 23 pounds, 3 ounces, bringing his two-day total to 115-11.
While Jones and Connell both finished within 3-2 of Robinson’s total, the primary drama didn’t come from the top of the leaderboard but the cut line. Seven anglers finished within 10 pounds of 10th place, all of them holding a spot within the Top 10 at some point during Friday’s action. Ultimately, it was Alton Jones Sr. of Lorena, Texas, who claimed the final spot with a two-day total of 71-15.
The remaining 20 anglers – the top 10 from each group – now advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round, where weights are zeroed, and anglers compete to finish in the top 10 to advance to the Championship Round on Sunday. In Sunday’s final day Championship Round, weights are zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.
Link to Hi-Res Photo of Qualifying Group B Winner Marshall Robinson
Link to HD Video – Fish-Catch Highlights of Group B Qualifying Round Day 2 on Dale Hollow Lake
Link to Photo Gallery of Group B’s Day 2 Qualifying Round Highlights on Dale Hollow Lake
A cold north wind howled across Dale Hollow throughout the competition day, increasing until it culminated in a storm that dumped rain and even some hail. Given those conditions, which made it difficult for anglers fishing away from the bank to position their boats and present baits accurately, Robinson was grateful for his 90-plus-pound effort on Wednesday, still the best day of anyone in the field so far. As a result, he didn’t have to catch a scorable bass Friday to qualify for the Knockout Round.
“I told my boat official and my camera guy — we were looking around, there’s like 4-footers crashing around us — and I’m like, ‘Man, it’s a good day to not have to catch them,'” Robinson said. “I definitely enjoyed that. That was super relaxing.”
Robinson didn’t visit any of the areas he’d explored during practice or the first day of competition, instead searching for new spots that fit the pattern he’s discovered. Targeting mostly smallmouth, which accounted for seven of his eight scorable bass Friday, he’s hitting areas that contain gravel, shelf rock and deep-water access in close proximity.
“If you can find that mix on a bank that has good, deep water close by, it’s like a light switch,” he said.
While he’s using forward-facing sonar to locate fish, Robinson said they’re not chasing shad. He believes the smallmouth have mostly been spawners. He’s used a few different finesse techniques to catch them, primarily leaning on a 3-inch Yamamoto Scope Shad in either Tennessee shad or sexy shad on a homemade, ¼-ounce ball head.
“I think they’re on beds, but I’m making them come up and eat,” Robinson explained. “I’ll see a lot of them on bottom, and I’ll throw over top of them, they come flying up and eat it out of anger.”
Robinson thinks the bite will improve as Saturday brings more mild weather. But in his case, his lower weight Friday had more to do with his approach than the conditions. Every time he caught a fish, Robinson said, he saw others with it, but he purposely avoided catching more than one from any group, hoping to save them for the Knockout and Championship Rounds.
“When I would catch one, a lot of times there’d be more, eight or 10 more, and I wouldn’t throw back in there,” he said. “So, I feel good that I found some new stuff.”
Looking to make his first Championship Round appearance in just his third Bass Pro Tour event, Robinson already has a goal in mind for the Knockout Round: 55 to 60 pounds. If he can hit that mark, he thinks he’ll be comfortably clear of the cut line, and he might even give himself more time to practice for a shot at his first professional win.
“I feel good about tomorrow,” Robinson said. “I feel like I need to catch 55 or 60 pounds. ... So, I’m going to go out there and try and hit that mark, and if I reach it earlier than expected, I may do some more practicing, try to find some new stuff then.”
While Mother Nature prevented the cut weight from climbing as high as many might have expected given that 11 anglers topped 40 pounds during Group B’s first day on the water, Friday’s brawl to finish among the Top 10 proved to be especially crowded. Eleven anglers wound up finishing within 13-2 of one another, ranging from Shin Fukae in seventh place to Keith Carson in 17th.
Carson started the day in 10th place, but a slow morning caused him to tumble out of the Top 10. Wesley Strader, Luke Clausen, Dean Rojas and Dave Lefebre all hovered around the cut line for most of the day but wound up just short. Mark Davis and Nick LeBrun both made spirited comebacks to put themselves in contention. Davis started the day in 18th place and stacked more than 36 pounds on SCORETRACKER® using a Carolina rig but ultimately finished 8 pounds shy. LeBrun started all the way back in 32nd and climbed as high as 10th with the biggest total of anyone in the field (53-10), but he found himself one spot out of the Top 10 at lines out.
Anthony Gagliardi and Grae Buck, meanwhile, pulled off successful rallies. Starting the day in 14th, Gagliardi started slow with just one scorable bass in the first 3 ½ hours before catching fire and climbing to ninth. Buck totaled 41-3 to vault from 16th to eighth and make his first Bass Pro Tour Knockout Round.
Jones Sr. and Fukae did just enough to keep their spots among the Top 10 after strong Day 1 performances. Jones Sr. came through in the clutch, catching a pair of scorable bass in the final 30 minutes to cement his spot in the Knockout Round.
The top 10 pros from Group B that now advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round on Dale Hollow Lake are:
1st: Marshall Robinson, Landrum, S.C., 37 bass, 115-11
2nd: Alton Jones Jr., Waco, Texas, 38 bass, 112-14
3rd: Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., 39 bass, 112-9
4th: Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., 34 bass, 99-1
5th: Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., 32 bass, 93-5
6th: Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C., 30 bass, 83-6
7th: Shin Fukae, Osaka, Japan, 23 bass, 75-8
8th: Grae Buck, Green Lane, Penn., 26 bass, 75-3
9th: Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., 27 bass, 74-15
10th: Alton Jones, Lorena, Texas, 26 bass, 71-15
Eliminated from competition are:
11th: Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., 21 bass, 67-4
12th: Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 25 bass, 67-2
13th: Luke Clausen, Spokane, Wash., 24 bass, 64-7
14th: Dave Lefebre, Erie, Penn., 26 bass, 64-6
15th: Mark Davis, Mount Ida, Ark., 23 bass, 63-15
16th: Dean Rojas, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., 23 bass, 63-5
17th: Keith Carson, DeBary, Fla., 24 bass, 62-6
18th: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 19 bass, 51-1
19th: Todd Faircloth, Jasper, Texas, 18 bass, 47-6
20th: Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 17 bass, 46-11
21st: Jared Lintner, Covington, Ga., 18 bass, 45-10
22nd: Kelly Jordon, Flint, Texas, 16 bass, 44-15
23rd: Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala., 16 bass, 43-14
24th: Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo., 17 bass, 43-14
25th: Dylan Hays, Hot Springs, Ark., 14 bass, 43-14
26th: Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., 16 bass, 43-1
27th: Matthew Stefan, Junction City, Wis., 14 bass, 42-6
28th: Cliff Crochet, Pierre Part, La., 14 bass, 38-11
29th: Brandon Coulter, Knoxville, Tenn., 13 bass, 37-7
30th: Mark Daniels Jr., Tuskegee, Ala., 14 bass, 35-11
31st: Jason Vance, Battle Ground, Ind., 13 bass, 34-8
32nd: Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C., 11 bass, 30-7
33rd: Brent Chapman, Lake Quivira, Kan., 10 bass, 29-6
34th: Mark Rose, Wynne, Ark., 10 bass, 28-14
35th: Marty Robinson, Lyman, S.C., nine bass, 26-5
36th: Jonathon VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., seven bass, 25-2
37th: Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky., eight bass, 22-9
38th: Justin Cooper, Zwolle, La., seven bass, 21-10
39th: Boyd Duckett, Guntersville, Ala., four bass, 10-9
A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 315 scorable bass weighing 892 pounds, 4 ounces caught by 39 pros Friday, which included 108 3-pounders, 11 4-pounders and one 5-pounder.
Friday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award was awarded to Fukae, who weighed in a 5-pound, 1-ounce smallmouth that bit his drop-shot rig in Period 2. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament.
The six-day tournament, hosted by the Byrdstown-Pickett County Chamber of Commerce & Bill Dance Signature Lakes, showcases 79 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing for a purse of $659,000, including a top payout of $100,000 and valuable Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) points in hopes of qualifying for the General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and REDCREST 2025, the Bass Pro Tour championship.
The 40 Anglers in Group A competed in their two-day Qualifying Round on Tuesday and Thursday – the 39 anglers in Group B on Wednesday and Friday. Now that each two-day Qualifying Round is complete, the anglers that finish first through 10th from both groups advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the remaining 20 anglers compete to finish in the top 10 to advance to Sunday’s Championship Round. In the final-day Championship Round, weights are zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.
Anglers will launch at 7:30 a.m. CT each day from Sunset Marina and Resort, located at 2040 Sunset Dock Road in Monroe. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will be held at the park, beginning at 4 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard and event coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The MLFNOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action live on the final four days of competition from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT. MLFNOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
On Saturday and Sunday, April 13-14, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. MLF welcomes fans of all ages to visit Sunset Marina and Resort for the MLF Watch Party and Kids Fishing Derby. Fans can watch the pros live on the MLFNOW! big screen, enjoy free food, enter to win hourly giveaways and cheer on their favorite pros. The first 50 kids 14 and under will receive a free rod and reel from Pure Fishing each day. Additional fishing gear will be provided onsite for the fishing derby or kids can bring their own. The final 10 Championship Round Bass Pro Tour anglers will be on hand at the trophy celebration on Championship Sunday to meet and greet fans, sign autographs and take selfies.
The PowerStop Brakes Stage Three at Dale Hollow Lake Presented by Mercury features the MLF catch, weigh, immediate-release format, in which anglers catch as much weight as they can each day, while also feeling the pressure and intensity of the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard. The tournament features anglers competing with a 2-pound minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. The MLF Fisheries Management Division determines minimum weights for each body of water that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.
The Bass Pro Tour features a field of 79 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2025 championship.
The 79 anglers taking on Dale Hollow this week aren’t just battling for a first-place trophy and $100,000 payday. Valuable points in the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year race are also up for grabs. The winner of the season-long competition will take home an additional $100,000 check.
Fishing Clash, an interactive 3D fishing simulation game that’s played by more than 80 million people worldwide, is the official AOY sponsor of the Bass Pro Tour, Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, Toyota Series and Phoenix Bass Fishing League. You can download Fishing Clash for free in the App Store and on Google Play or log on to www.fishingclash.game for more information.
Television coverage of the PowerStop Brakes Stage Three at Dale Hollow Lake Presented by Mercury Knockout Round will air as a two-hour episode starting at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 5 on Discovery, with the Championship Round premiering on Oct. 6. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on Outdoor Channel.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, BUBBA, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Garmin, General Tire, Humminbird, Lowrance, Mercury, MillerTech, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak Fishing, NITRO, Onyx, Plano, Power-Pole, Rapala, StarBrite, Suzuki, Toyota and U.S. Air Force.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Garrett’s gamble delivers Day 1 lead at Bassmaster Elite Series event on Harris Chain of Lakes
April 12, 2024
Garrett’s gamble delivers Day 1 lead at Bassmaster Elite Series event on Harris Chain of Lakes
LEESBURG, Fla. — The combination of quantity and quality define bass tournament success, and John Garrett gladly sacrificed the former for the latter’s potential.
The Tennessee angler’s decision paid big dividends with a five-bass limit of 24 pounds, 2 ounces, which leads Day 1 of the Lowrance Bassmaster Elite at Harris Chain of Lakes.
“I only got seven bites today, but they were the right ones,” Garrett said. “This was a totally blessed day.”
After extreme weather postponed Thursday’s scheduled start, anglers fished under clear, sunny postfrontal conditions. Thankfully the front did not significantly drop air and water temperatures.
More importantly, the fish Garrett found in practice held their ground.
“I kinda gambled today; I went to an area that I knew had the right size fish in it,” he said. “There aren’t many fish there and they’re extremely hard to catch.”
Garrett said he made a long run from the take-off site on Lake Harris’ northwestern corner. The round-trip journey burned a big chunk of his day, but he said it was a calculated risk.
“It was so tough everywhere else, I knew if I caught one fish there, it would equal two or three of the fish I was catching (elsewhere in practice),” he said. “I knew if I could catch two or three fish on the spot I ran to, I’d have the right ones.
“The size is there. I know the winning caliber of fish are there; it’s just getting some of them in the boat.”
The bass Garrett targeted were patrolling shell bottom, often running with tilapia. A mix of reaction baits earned his bites.
“There was a lot of clear water in this area,” Garrett said. “Those fish were just cruising and when they’d swim through, you might catch one, you might not.”
Garrett said he believes he was catching fish that had spawned several months ago.
“These fish have had a lot of time to recover,” he said. “They’re the healthiest fish I’ve seen on the chain.”
Garrett said he committed to his game plan fully expecting a tedious day. The pace, however, became more stressful than he’d anticipated.
“I didn’t have a fish at 10 o’clock today,” Garrett said. “I caught all of my fish between 10 and 1. I had a bite about every hour.”
As for Round 2, Garrett said he’ll return to his sweet spot in hopes of grinding out another good bag.
John Cox of DeBary, Fla., is in second place with 22-5. Sampling several lakes, he settled into one location and channeled lessons from his early instructor to sack up three big bass in a 20-foot section of Kissimmee grass.
“I grew up here fishing with (the late) Joe Kremer and he pretty much taught me how to fish the Harris Chain,” Cox said. “It was unreal today, I pulled into an area and I was like, ‘Joe always used to catch a couple here.’
“I caught a good one and for some reason, in my head, it was where I remember seeing him make a flip. I ended up catching two more big ones on that spot.”
Cox caught all of his bass on a Texas-rigged Berkley MaxScent The General in the tilapia color.
Brad Whatley of Bivins, Texas, is in third place with 22 pounds. His day started with a big bite, but he then endured a painfully slow morning, before returning to the scene of his early success for a second helping.
“I caught a big one that weighed 7-14 at 8:30 and I did not catch another fish until probably 11,” Whatley said. “I swapped lakes and filled out my limit. Then I came back to where I caught that first big one and caught a 7-12.”
Using a mix of reaction baits and slow presentations, Whatley said he was catching postspawn fish that were holding in grass that was 4 to 7 feet deep. During practice, he caught a 5-pounder on his main spot, but he said catching two nearly 8-pounders in competition was a pleasant surprise.
“That’s typical Florida fishing — a big fish goes a long way,” Whatley said. “I was just fortunate enough to get two good ones.
“I know there are some more there. I had one more giant (hooked) and I didn’t get him.”
Whatley and Paul Mueller of Naugatuck, Conn., share the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors, each with a 7-14.
Rookie Trey McKinney of Carbondale, Ill., leads the Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Angler of the Year race with 287 points. Jordan Lee of Cullman, Ala., is in second with 283, followed by Patrick Walters of Summerville, S.C., with 273, Tyler Williams of Belgrade, Maine, with 272, and J.T. Thompkins of Myrtle Beach, S.C., with 261.
Saturday’s takeoff is scheduled for 7 a.m. ET at Venetian Gardens (Ski Beach). The weigh-in will be held at the Ski Beach at 3 p.m.
Follow all the action on FS1 from 7:30-10:30 a.m. and on Bassmaster.com from 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. ET. On Semifinal Sunday, watch live coverage on FS1from 8-11 a.m. and on Bassmaster.com from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
The event is being hosted by the Greater Orlando Sports Commission.
2024 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2024 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Progressive Insurance, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2024 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew's, Lowrance, Marathon, Triton Boats, VMC
About B.A.S.S.B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting-edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
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Connect with #Bassmaster on Facebook, Instagram, Twitte
Media Contact: Chad Gay, Communications Manager, 865-201-6458, cgay@bassmaster.
2024 Lowrance Bassmaster Elite at Harris Chain 4/12-4/15
Harris Chain Of Lakes, Leesburg FL.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. John Garrett Union City, TN 5 24-02 103
Day 1: 5 24-02
2. John Cox Debary, FL 5 22-05 102
Day 1: 5 22-05
3. Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 5 22-00 101
Day 1: 5 22-00
4. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 5 21-13 100
Day 1: 5 21-13
5. Jordan Lee Cullman, AL 5 21-06 99
Day 1: 5 21-06
6. Joseph Webster Hamilton, AL 5 20-15 98
Day 1: 5 20-15
7. David Gaston Sylacauga, AL 5 20-03 97
Day 1: 5 20-03
8. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 5 19-11 96
Day 1: 5 19-11
8. JT Thompkins Myrtle Beach, SC 5 19-11 96
Day 1: 5 19-11
10. KJ Queen Catawba, NC 5 19-00 94
Day 1: 5 19-00
11. Timothy Dube Nashua , NH 5 18-02 93
Day 1: 5 18-02
12. Trey McKinney Carbondale, IL 5 17-14 92
Day 1: 5 17-14
13. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 5 17-13 91
Day 1: 5 17-13
14. Kyle Norsetter Cottage Grove, WI 5 17-06 90
Day 1: 5 17-06
15. Cody Huff Ava, MO 5 17-03 89
Day 1: 5 17-03
15. Ed Loughran III Richmond, VA 5 17-03 89
Day 1: 5 17-03
17. Tyler Williams Belgrade, ME 5 17-02 87
Day 1: 5 17-02
18. Wes Logan Springville, AL 5 15-13 86
Day 1: 5 15-13
19. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 5 15-12 85
Day 1: 5 15-12
20. Mike Huff London, KY 5 15-09 84
Day 1: 5 15-09
20. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 5 15-09 84
Day 1: 5 15-09
22. Logan Latuso Gonzales, LA 5 14-13 82
Day 1: 5 14-13
22. Bryant Smith Roseville, CA 5 14-13 82
Day 1: 5 14-13
24. Chris Johnston Otonabee Ontario CANADA 5 14-12 80
Day 1: 5 14-12
25. Robert Gee Knoxville, TN 5 14-08 79
Day 1: 5 14-08
25. Patrick Walters Eutawville, SC 5 14-08 79
Day 1: 5 14-08
27. Jason Christie Dry Creek, OK 5 14-06 77
Day 1: 5 14-06
28. Jeff Gustafson Kenora, ON Ontario CANA 5 14-05 76
Day 1: 5 14-05
28. Jake Whitaker Hendersonville, NC 5 14-05 76
Day 1: 5 14-05
30. Lee Livesay Longview, TX 5 14-04 74
Day 1: 5 14-04
31. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 5 14-02 73
Day 1: 5 14-02
32. Brandon Card Salisbury, NC 5 13-15 72
Day 1: 5 13-15
33. Jay Przekurat Plover, WI 5 13-11 71
Day 1: 5 13-11
34. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 5 13-05 70
Day 1: 5 13-05
35. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 5 13-04 69
Day 1: 5 13-04
36. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 5 13-01 68
Day 1: 5 13-01
37. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 5 13-00 67
Day 1: 5 13-00
37. Chad Pipkens Dewitt, MI 5 13-00 67
Day 1: 5 13-00
39. Matty Wong Honolulu, HI 5 12-15 65
Day 1: 5 12-15
40. Justin Hamner Northport, AL 5 12-14 64
Day 1: 5 12-14
41. Todd Auten Clover, SC 5 12-11 63
Day 1: 5 12-11
42. Shane LeHew Catawba, NC 5 12-10 62
Day 1: 5 12-10
43. Scott Martin Clewiston, FL 5 12-08 61
Day 1: 5 12-08
44. Jonathan Kelley Old Forge, PA 4 12-08 60
Day 1: 4 12-08
45. Austin Felix Eden Prairie, MN 5 12-07 59
Day 1: 5 12-07
46. Cory Johnston Otonabee CANADA 5 12-06 58
Day 1: 5 12-06
46. Kyle Patrick Cooperstown, NY 5 12-06 58
Day 1: 5 12-06
48. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 5 12-05 56
Day 1: 5 12-05
49. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 5 12-03 55
Day 1: 5 12-03
50. Matt Arey Shelby, NC 5 12-02 54
Day 1: 5 12-02
51. Bryan Schmitt Deale, MD 5 11-15 53
Day 1: 5 11-15
52. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 5 11-14 52
Day 1: 5 11-14
53. Marc Frazier Newnan, GA 5 11-11 51
Day 1: 5 11-11
54. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 5 11-10 50
Day 1: 5 11-10
54. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 5 11-10 50
Day 1: 5 11-10
56. Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 5 11-08 48
Day 1: 5 11-08
57. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 5 11-04 47
Day 1: 5 11-04
58. Pat Schlapper Eleva, WI 5 11-02 46
Day 1: 5 11-02
58. Hunter Shryock Ooltewah, TN 5 11-02 46
Day 1: 5 11-02
60. Logan Parks Auburn, AL 5 11-01 44
Day 1: 5 11-01
61. Alex Redwine Blue Ash, OH 5 11-00 43
Day 1: 5 11-00
61. Alex Wetherell Middletown, CT 5 11-00 43
Day 1: 5 11-00
63. Buddy Gross Chattanooga, TN 5 10-15 41
Day 1: 5 10-15
63. Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 5 10-15 41
Day 1: 5 10-15
65. Gregory DiPalma Millville, NJ 5 10-09 39
Day 1: 5 10-09
66. Carl Jocumsen Queensland TN AUSTRALIA 5 10-08 38
Day 1: 5 10-08
67. Will Davis Jr Sylacauga, AL 5 10-07 37
Day 1: 5 10-07
67. Chris Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 5 10-07 37
Day 1: 5 10-07
69. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 5 10-04 35
Day 1: 5 10-04
70. Kyoya Fujita Yamanashi CA JAPAN 5 10-03 34
Day 1: 5 10-03
71. Justin Atkins Florence, AL 5 10-01 33
Day 1: 5 10-01
72. Kyle Welcher Valley, AL 5 10-00 32
Day 1: 5 10-00
73. Jacob Foutz Charleston, TN 5 09-13 31
Day 1: 5 09-13
74. Wesley Gore Clanton, AL 5 09-09 30
Day 1: 5 09-09
75. Drew Cook Cairo, GA 5 09-05 29
Day 1: 5 09-05
76. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 5 09-01 28
Day 1: 5 09-01
76. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 5 09-01 28
Day 1: 5 09-01
78. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 5 09-00 26
Day 1: 5 09-00
78. Bryan New Leesville, SC 5 09-00 26
Day 1: 5 09-00
80. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 5 08-15 24
Day 1: 5 08-15
80. John Soukup Sapulpa, OK 5 08-15 24
Day 1: 5 08-15
82. Clent Davis Montevallo, AL 5 08-13 22
Day 1: 5 08-13
82. Cooper Gallant Bowmanville Ontario CAN 5 08-13 22
Day 1: 5 08-13
84. Cole Sands Calhoun , TN 5 08-11 20
Day 1: 5 08-11
85. Ray Hanselman Jr Del Rio, TX 5 08-08 19
Day 1: 5 08-08
86. Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 5 08-05 18
Day 1: 5 08-05
87. Kenta Kimura Osaka OK JAPAN 5 08-04 17
Day 1: 5 08-04
88. Frank Talley Belton, TX 5 07-14 16
Day 1: 5 07-14
89. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 5 07-08 15
Day 1: 5 07-08
90. Derek Hudnall Zachary, LA 5 07-00 14
Day 1: 5 07-00
91. Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 5 06-14 13
Day 1: 5 06-14
91. Clark Wendlandt Leander, TX 5 06-14 13
Day 1: 5 06-14
93. Scott Canterbury Odenville, AL 5 06-10 11
Day 1: 5 06-10
93. Seth Feider New Market, MN 5 06-10 11
Day 1: 5 06-10
95. Koby Kreiger Alva, FL 5 06-09 9
Day 1: 5 06-09
96. Ben Milliken New Caney, TX 4 05-11 8
Day 1: 4 05-11
97. Matt Robertson Kuttawa, KY 3 04-15 7
Day 1: 3 04-15
98. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 5 04-14 6
Day 1: 5 04-14
99. Jason Williamson Aiken, SC 4 04-12 5
Day 1: 4 04-12
100. Taku Ito Dalton GA JAPAN 4 04-09 4
Day 1: 4 04-09
101. Caleb Kuphall Mukwonago, WI 3 04-08 3
Day 1: 3 04-08
102. Joey Cifuentes III Clinton, AR 2 03-07 2
Day 1: 2 03-07
103. Bob Downey Detroit Lakes, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
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PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1 Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 07-14 $0.00
1 Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 07-14 $0.00
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 95 499 1248-05
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95 499 1248-05
Fishin' Tip Friday - Hooksets with Kayak Champ Drew Gregory
By Vance McCullough
It's hard to get a solid hookset when fishing from a kayak, as opposed to a big boat. The ultralight boat doesn't offer much water resistance to anchor the effort. Here, 2024 Bassmaster Kayak Series Champion Drew Gregory offers helpful advice for setting the hook from small craft.
The Association of Collegiate Anglers Announces the Schedule for its 20th Season in 2025
SAN ANTONIO, TX (April 12, 2024) – In 2025, the Association of Collegiate Anglers will celebrate its 20th season of hosting major collegiate bass fishing tournaments. What first started with an approximately 50 boat field at the National Championship event on Lake Lewisville in 2006, almost 20 years later has grown into a robust tournament circuit featuring four major events each year, a robust National Rankings system with the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia program, support for numerous small school-run events, as well as programs to help college anglers gain access to products to go fishing.
Every major ACA no-entry-fee event features a total prize payout of more than $20,000 in prizes and contingencies, as well as double points, with media coverage on a variety of streaming platforms, live coverage, social media promotions and is nationally televised on several networks. The ACA is excited to announce its complete tournament schedule for 2025 which will be a celebration of providing 20 years of non-stop support to growing fishing through collegiate fishing.
Here is a look at the complete schedule of 2025 Major Events:
2025 Pickwick Slam
April 5-6, 2025 – Pickwick Lake | Florence, AL
2025 Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops
May 22-23, 2025 – Lake Hartwell | Anderson, SC
2025 Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley
September 19-20, 2025 – Kentucky Lake | Henry County & Paris, TN
2025 AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open
October 11-12, 2025 – Lake Dardanelle | Russellville, AR
*Tournament dates are subject to change
In 2025, teams will again be able to earn automatic qualification into the Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops via top finishes at ACA regular season events. Anglers finishing in the Top 15 at the 2025 Pickwick Slam will qualify to compete in the 2025 Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops. The Top 10 finishing anglers at the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley will earn a spot in the 2026 ACA National Championship. The Top 10 finishing anglers/teams at the 2025 AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open will also earn automatic qualification into the year-end tournament in 2026. Stay tuned for additional details on this and other incentives for each event.
The 20th season in 2025 promises to be another great year out on the collegiate trail as the Association of Collegiate Anglers competes at several of the top fisheries in the nation. Stay up to date on all things college fishing to see additional announcements in the future, as well as learn about exciting new programs and ways to promote & grow college fishing!
Britt Myers Earns Group A Qualifying Round Win at PowerStop Brakes Stage Three at Dale Hollow Lake Presented by Mercury
General Tire pro boats two-day total of 140-8 to win Group A Qualifying Round, Top 10 pros advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round
BYRDSTOWN, Tenn. (April 11, 2024) – At one point Thursday afternoon, General Tire pro Britt Myers of Lake Wylie, South Carolina, felt a bass bite his bait, but he didn't set the hook. Not wanting to educate too many of the fish he’s found prior to the Knockout Round at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour PowerStop Brakes Stage Three Presented by Mercury on Dale Hollow Lake, the South Carolina native waited, hoping the bass would spit out his jighead minnow, then tried to shake it off. Somehow, he still hooked the 3-pound, 10-ounce smallmouth and added it to his rapidly ballooning weight total.
The second day of qualifying was “one of those days” for Myers — in the best way possible. With everything seemingly going his way, Myers boated 24 scorable bass for nearly 80 pounds, bringing his two-day total to 140 pounds, 8 ounces and topping the leaderboard in Group A.
“It was just one of those days where you couldn’t do anything wrong,” Myers said. “I’ve had those days before in practice, but never during a major event. It was just super fun.”
The top 10 anglers advancing from Group A will now have an off day from competition Friday, while the 39 anglers competing in Group B will complete their two-day Qualifying Round. The top 10 anglers from each group advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the remaining 20 anglers compete to finish in the top 10 to advance to the Championship Round. In Sunday’s final day Championship Round, weights are zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.
Myers, who entered the day more than 17 pounds behind Day 1 leader pro Drew Gill of Mount Carmel, Illinois, wasted little time chipping away at the deficit. He stacked a whopping 42-5 onto SCORETRACKER® during the first period. Even after Myers started running new water, he barely slowed down, adding 12 more scorable bass for 37-9 to his tally.
Myers took the lead in the final minutes of the second period and finished the day 16-4 ahead of Gill. Those two, plus the rest of the Top 10 finishers in Group A, earned spots in Saturday’s Knockout Round, where they will face off with the Top 10 anglers from Group B.
In the months prior to the start of the 2024 Bass Pro Tour season, Myers worked with his son, Tackle Warehouse Invitationals angler Britt Myers Jr. , to learn the intricacies of chasing offshore fish with forward-facing sonar. The elder Myers was excited to show off his new skillset at the first two events, but they didn’t quite go as planned. Myers finished 71st at Toledo Bend and 65th at Santee Cooper.
As a result, the fact that he leaned on Garmin LiveScope to amass more than 80 pounds made Thursday even sweeter.
“I went to Toledo, I was so excited, because I wanted to use that technique, and even Santee Cooper,” Myers said. “But fish just moved, and things didn’t work out. So, I desperately needed this tournament.”
Myers caught his Day 1 total using the same technique — a jighead minnow and forward-facing sonar — but did so much shallower, due in large part to gusting winds that forced him to stay in protected pockets and coves. But something he noticed Tuesday gave him a clue about a pattern he thought he might be able to replicate around the lake given the right conditions.
It didn’t take long for him to be proven right. Myers started Thursday morning in an area he’d caught bass during practice, then ran 10 to 15 more areas that set up similarly. He caught fish from all of them. Not wanting to divulge too many of the details, Myers said depth hasn’t seemed to matter — he caught fish anywhere from 4 feet to 30 feet Thursday — but the key is “how the bass are positioned.”
“Literally, I never fished anywhere today that I fished the first day,” Myers said. “I think those fish are just roaming anywhere from 4 foot to 30 foot. And I know it sounds crazy. I don’t understand that. It’s against everything in the bass fishing handbook. But that’s what’s going on.”
Myers didn’t just find schools of bass at each of the spots he visited, but big ones. He landed five 4-plus-pounders Thursday. Through three days at Dale Hollow, it’s become clear that finding groups of those bigger-than-average bass will be key to outdueling other anglers in an event where getting bites isn’t an issue.
“The crazy thing is, I caught two 4-pound smallmouth, and then I caught two 4-pound largemouth,” Myers said. “It’s just a day you won’t forget.”
Looking to make his first ever Championship Round appearance on the Bass Pro Tour, the most important question Myers will have to answer prior to Saturday is which of the myriad areas he found Thursday to focus on. He'll give that plenty of thought during his day off the water. In the meantime, he’ll be basking in the excitement of his magical day.
“I guess you start where you had the most bites, and where the highest concentration of fish is,” Myers said. “I just can’t even explain the day, to be honest with you. I’m still kind of puzzled.”
Entering the event, one of the primary subplots to the action on Dale Hollow figured to be whether the lake’s smallmouth or largemouth would comprise the winning catch. In most past tournaments on the Kentucky-Tennessee border reservoir, largemouth have dominated, but that’s resulted in part from the lake’s slot limit, which prohibits anglers from possessing smallmouth between 16 and 21 inches in length. With the Bass Pro Tour’s catch-weigh-immediate release format, anglers don’t have to worry about the slot, freeing them up to show off the smallmouth population Dale Hollow is best known for.
So far, most anglers have caught a mixture of species, and it doesn’t seem to matter. Largemouth have accounted for about two-thirds of the scorable bass caught through the first three days of competition, but the average size has been similar, with a scorable largemouth weighing 2.8 pounds on average compared to 2.9 pounds for smallmouth.
Interestingly, Myers caught mostly smallmouth for the second day in a row, with 15 of his 24 fish being brown ones. Gill, on the other hand, predicted prior to the event that the winning total would consist of 75 percent smallmouth, yet he’s caught 29 largemouth to 11 smallmouth across the first two days.
“Before the tournament started, I thought if you fished for smallmouth, you would occasionally catch a decent largemouth, but you wouldn’t catch many largemouth," Myers said. “And actually, it’s just been the opposite of that. So, I’m really fishing for smallmouth, but the largemouth are sharing the same areas.”
Rather than which species will win, the bigger question seems to be whether anglers fishing around the bank can keep up with those using forward-facing sonar to target offshore schools of fish. The offshore game has dominated so far, with each of the top four finishers in Group A eclipsing 100 pounds that way. But with shallow specialists like Ott DeFoe, Jeff Sprague and David Dudley all making the Top 10 and the weather forecast to warm this weekend, it’s possible we could see a wave of bass hit the banks and give one of those anglers a chance to spoil the forward-facing sonar party.
The top 10 pros from Group A that now advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round on Dale Hollow Lake are:
1st: Britt Myers, Lake Wylie, S.C., 43 bass, 140-8
2nd: Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., 42 bass, 125-2
3rd: Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., 37 bass, 104-15
4th: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 34 bass, 101-4
5th: Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., 34 bass, 85-14
6th: Jeff Sprague, Wills Point, Texas, 31 bass, 85-7
7th: David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., 33 bass, 85-0
8th: Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala., 30 bass, 82-10
9th: Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., 30 bass, 79-12
10th: Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., 28 bass, 76-0
Eliminated from competition are:
11th: Martin Villa, Charlottesville, Va., 28 bass, 75-2
12th: Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 24 bass, 72-5
13th: Nick Hatfield, Greeneville, Tenn., 23 bass, 70-13
14th: Terry Scroggins, San Mateo, Fla., 21 bass, 63-11
15th: Jacob Wall, New Hope, Ala., 22 bass, 58-8
16th: Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich., 21 bass, 56-14
17th: Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tenn., 19 bass, 53-9
18th: David Walker, Huntingdon, Tenn., 16 bass, 51-11
19th: Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif., 18 bass, 49-7
20th: James Elam, Tulsa, Okla., 15 bass, 49-1
21st: Fletcher Shryock, Guntersville, Ala., 18 bass, 48-9
22nd: Josh Bertrand, Queen Creek, Ariz., 18 bass, 48-6
23rd: Randy Howell, Guntersville, Ala., 15 bass, 48-4
24th: John Hunter, Shelbyville, Ky., 17 bass, 47-14
25th: Matt Lee, Cullman, Ala., 18 bass, 46-10
26th: Stephen Browning, Hot Springs, Ark., 18 bass, 46-1
27th: Scott Suggs, Alexander, Ark., 16 bass, 45-4
28th: Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., 16 bass, 44-4
29th: Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla., 18 bass, 43-8
30th: Gerald Spohrer, Gonzales, La., 13 bass, 40-13
31st: Joshua Weaver, Macon, Ga., 12 bass, 38-4
32nd: Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla., 13 bass, 36-6
33rd: John Murray, Spring City, Tenn., 13 bass, 34-0
34th: Takahiro Omori, Tokyo, Japan, 12 bass, 33-7
35th: Colby Schrumpf, Highland, Ill., 12 bass, 32-13
36th: Greg Vinson, Wetumka, Ala., eight bass, 21-12
37th: Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., seven bass, 20-0
38th: Jacopo Gallelli, Florence, Italy, five bass, 14-13
39th: Fred Roumbanis, Russellville, Ark., five bass, 13-12
40th: Gary Klein, Mingus, Texas, three bass, 7-7
A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 400 scorable bass weighing 1,126 pounds, 7 ounces caught by the 40 pros Thursday, which included 26 4-pounders, 110 3-pounders and 264 2-pounders.
Pro Takahiro Omori of Tokyo, Japan, earned Thursday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award with an 4-pound, 8-ounce smallmouth bass that he caught on a jig during Period 1. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament.
The six-day tournament, hosted by the Byrdstown-Pickett County Chamber of Commerce & Bill Dance Signature Lakes, showcases 79 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing for a purse of $659,000, including a top payout of $100,000 and valuable Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) points in hopes of qualifying for the General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and REDCREST 2025, the Bass Pro Tour championship.
The 40 Anglers in Group A competed in their two-day Qualifying Round on Tuesday and Thursday – the 40 anglers in Group B on Wednesday and Friday. After each two-day Qualifying Round is complete, the anglers that finish first through 10th from both groups advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the remaining 20 anglers compete to finish in the top 10 to advance to Sunday’s Championship Round. In the final-day Championship Round, weights are zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.
Anglers will launch at 7:30 a.m. CT each day from Sunset Marina and Resort, located at 2040 Sunset Dock Road in Monroe. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will be held at the park, beginning at 4 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard and event coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The MLFNOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action live on the final four days of competition from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT. MLFNOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
On Saturday and Sunday, April 13-14, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. MLF welcomes fans of all ages to visit Sunset Marina and Resort for the MLF Watch Party and Kids Fishing Derby. Fans can watch the pros live on the MLFNOW! big screen, enjoy free food, enter to win hourly giveaways and cheer on their favorite pros. The first 50 kids 14 and under will receive a free rod and reel from Pure Fishing each day. Additional fishing gear will be provided onsite for the fishing derby or kids can bring their own. The final 10 Championship Round Bass Pro Tour anglers will be on hand at the trophy celebration on Championship Sunday to meet and greet fans, sign autographs and take selfies.
The PowerStop Brakes Stage Three at Dale Hollow Lake Presented by Mercury features the MLF catch, weigh, immediate-release format, in which anglers catch as much weight as they can each day, while also feeling the pressure and intensity of the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard. The tournament features anglers competing with a 2-pound minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. The MLF Fisheries Management Division determines minimum weights for each body of water that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.
The Bass Pro Tour features a field of 79 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2025 championship.
The 79 anglers taking on Dale Hollow this week aren’t just battling for a first-place trophy and $100,000 payday. Valuable points in the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year race are also up for grabs. The winner of the season-long competition will take home an additional $100,000 check.
Fishing Clash, an interactive 3D fishing simulation game that’s played by more than 80 million people worldwide, is the official AOY sponsor of the Bass Pro Tour, Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, Toyota Series and Phoenix Bass Fishing League. You can download Fishing Clash for free in the App Store and on Google Play or log on to www.fishingclash.game for more information.
Television coverage of the PowerStop Brakes Stage Three at Dale Hollow Lake Presented by Mercury Knockout Round will air as a two-hour episode starting at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 5 on Discovery, with the Championship Round premiering on Oct. 6. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on Outdoor Channel.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, BUBBA, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Garmin, General Tire, Humminbird, Lowrance, Mercury, MillerTech, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak Fishing, NITRO, Onyx, Plano, Power-Pole, Rapala, StarBrite, Suzuki, Toyota and U.S. Air Force.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Big Show's Homemade Minnows
Terry “Big Show” Scroggins is well known as a tackle tinkerer and someone who likes to be hands on with all the equipment he uses on the Bass Pro Tour. The Team Toyota pro builds his own Mud Hole rods, has custom designed the Big Show Soft Plastics line from Stanford Baits, and still pours most of the soft plastics he fishes with at home in his garage in Palatka, FL.
Big Show is also one of the first resources fellow BPT competitors turn to if they have an issue with equipment on their boat or truck. Whether it’s electronics issues, a leaky hull, or a good meal… Scroggins can fix just about anything. Stage Three on Dale Hollow has found Scroggins fixing up some new homemade “front lookin’ minnows”, as he calls them.
“Coming into Stage Three, I believed livescoping would be the deal on Dale Hollow, but it’s been super hard to get my hands on good colors of hot baits like the Deps Sakamata shad or Rapala Freeloader,” Scroggins explained. “So, I looked online and found a mold that had the right shape. I bought a couple molds and got them the day before I left for practice on Dale Hollow.
“I travel with all the gear I need to pour soft plastics in a box in the back of my Tundra anyway, so I threw those molds in my truck and hit the road. After the first day of practice, I poured up a few different colors of front-lookin’ minnows and the fish seem to like ‘em just fine!”
Like many competitors this week, Scroggins is leaning on FFS to catch both largemouth and smallmouth roaming the depths of Dale Hollow. But instead of paying $10+ for a pack of popular soft plastics, Scroggins is catching them on custom minnows he’s pouring at his Air BnB each night after he gets off the water.
Scroggins road-ready plastic pouring equipment can be seen in the photo below. No matter where the Bass Pro Tour takes him, he always travels with a microwave, a hand
full of lure molds, about two gallons of plastisol, DeWalt Clamps he’s had for 10 years, an injector, two mixing cups, colorant (paint), MR-7 release agent, a pair of gloves and a
paint mixing stick.
With this system, Big Show can build his own baits or re-stock his buddies supply anywhere he goes. Swimbaits, different styles of worms, crawfish imitators, and flipping baits have been amongst Scroggins homemade repertoire for years but after this week Big Show can add front-looking minnows to his list of accomplished creations. Scroggins had a strong day one on Dale Hollow, catching over 36-lbs of bass and sitting just below the Knockout Round qualification line.
“Pinging a minnow is nice when you pour your own baits because you can glue the bait to your jighead and you can catch up to twenty fish on a single lure,” Scroggins said with a smile. “It also makes it easy to customize your colors so you can show fish something a little different. Having an off day with the BPT format is pretty much tailor made for a tackle tinkerer. I get a whole day to pour plastics, adjust colors, or make anything I think will help me catch more than the field the next day.”
Scroggins and his front-lookin’ minnows are continuing to catch fish regularly during day two of his Qualifying Round as he looks to stay in tenth place or better so he can make Saturday’s Knockout Round. Follow Big Show and the rest of the Bass Pro Tour competitors on MajorLeagueFishing.com and MLFNOW! Live Stream.
Canary in the Coalmine
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Recent move made by a state agency signals next-level concerns over forward-facing and 360-degree sonar. |
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Forestville, WI (April 11, 2024) – How can the Wisconsin DNR Spring Hearings potentially affect anglers nationwide? Because this round, they’re calling out fishing technology.
The Spring Hearings are part of a process that guides the Wisconsin DNR to make laws affecting the resources, and use of the resources, by the public. The process has been used for years, and although its effective, the general angling and hunting public need to pay close attention to what is being proposed this time around… The first step in the process is getting public input on questions concerning potential legislation. That first step is happening now and the WI DNR is accepting online comments. (You do not need to be a Wisconsin resident to participate.) Question #22 stands to be the most controversial amongst anglers. It reads as such: Background for Question #22: Ban live scopes and 360° imaging locations in Wisconsin waters (280123) With the ability of these types of units to detect fish, as far as 180’ from the user, anglers have become more efficient at locating and catching fish. This type of pressure could reduce fish populations, which may lead to reduced bag limits for anglers. Question 22: Would you support banning the use of live scopes, and similar 360° imaging electronics in all Wisconsin waters? |
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Technology, especially forward-facing sonar (FFS), have been debated nationally. And should those utilizing the technology not voice their opinion and it goes through the process to become law, it could be a spark that starts an unmanageable wildfire from coast to coast. If FFS is outlawed, what next? (States like Texas, Minnesota, and North Dakota are also collecting data and getting input about FFS.) The use of these technologies is dividing our sport, and that is concerning. Whether you employ the technology or not, we need to understand that a regulation to make a certain technology illegal will be detrimental to the sport. FFS is used by guides, captains, tournament anglers and the general angling public to increase success on the water. It has also attracted many younger anglers who embrace technology. If you choose not to utilize these technologies, fine. If you use it and catch more fish, great, but you also need to respect the resource and mitigate harvest. Just because you’re able to catch more fish, doesn’t mean you should keep a limit every time you fish. How these technologies affect fish populations is the linchpin, so it’s prudent to be conservative in your take. Anglers must be heard before such substantial decisions are made. |
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Why the Lesters Love Florida
The Bassmaster Elite Series begins a two-week run of events in Florida, and Fayetteville, TN based pro, Brandon Lester and his family couldn’t be happier. From manatee parks to Top 5 tournament finishes, the Sunshine State’s enriched their lives.
The Team Toyota angler scored a 5 th place finish the last time the Elite Series was here on The Harris Chain of Lakes two years ago, and took home $20,000. Plus, he finished 5 th in 2019 here at the Bassmaster Open, and let’s not forget he won a Bassmaster Open just down the road at Kissimmee in 2022. Not bad for a Tennessee River rat who compliments countless days on Guntersville and Pickwick with lots of time on deep and clear Tims Ford Lake in Tennessee.
So how do his home waters, a 10-hour drive from Lake County, Florida, translate to such impressive success on Florida’s shallow, aquatic vegetation filled lakes? “I was really lucky early in my career to get the chance to pick the brains of some of Central Florida’s best bass anglers. I tried to learn a ton from them, because I knew as a young touring pro that I had to be
successful in Florida if I wanted long-term success in this sport,” he explains.
“Plus, I just really love it down here. I feel at home when I’m in Florida. I live in a sportsmen’s paradise in Tennessee, but when it’s freezing cold there in January and February, you can come down here and fish for 8-pound spawners. Not to mention, it’s beautiful. If you’ve never idled through the Dora Canal, I’d really encourage you to see it,” smiles Lester.
However, it’s not just about bass fishing, it’s about family. His wife Kim loves it here equally as much, and says the long-term goal is to be snowbirds in retirement and fly south from Tennessee for winter here in Lake County.
But today it was a family field trip to see manatees, Kim’s favorite wild critter, at Blue Springs State Park. They saw a dozen different species of fish too, ranging from bluegill to gar, and young daughter Shiloh hauled home a multi-colored stuffed manatee as proof of time well spent. “We love all the small communities here in Lake County, but you’re also not far at all from the huge attractions like SeaWorld and Disney in Orlando. For a young family, you just can’t hardly beat a week at a Bassmaster event on the Harris Chain of Lakes,” smiles Mrs. Lester, a personal fitness instructor.
Only one thing could put an exclamation mark on an already great week in Lake County for the Lesters – hoisting their second blue Elite Series trophy. If that happens, they might not wait until retirement to move here.
B.A.S.S. postpones Day 1 of Bassmaster Elite at Harris Chain of Lakes
April 11, 2024
LEESBURG, Fla. — After consulting with the National Weather Service, B.A.S.S. officials are postponing Day 1 of competition at the Lowrance Bassmaster Elite at Harris Chain of Lakes due to high winds and the possibility of severe weather, including sustained winds of 20 to 30 miles per hour with gusts up to 40 to 45 miles per hour. This afternoon’s forecast includes the possibility of lightning and hail as well as wind gusts of up to 50 to 60 miles per hour.
The full field of anglers will now compete on Friday and Saturday, with the Top 50 competing Sunday and the Top 10 advancing to Championship Monday. Harris Chain of Lakes is off limits today.
Daily takeoffs will be held from Ski Beach at 7 a.m. ET and weigh-ins each day back at the launch site at 3 p.m. Bassmaster LIVE will be streaming on Bassmaster.com all four days, and coverage will also be available on FS1 on Saturday and Sunday.
The tournament is being hosted by the Greater Orlando Sports Commission.
2024 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2024 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Progressive Insurance, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2024 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew's, Lowrance, Marathon, Triton Boats, VMC
About B.A.S.S.B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting-edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
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Connect with #Bassmaster on Facebook, Instagram, Twitte
Media Contact: Chad Gay, Communications Manager, 865-201-6458, cgay@bassmaster.
Rookie Marshall Robinson Cruises to Group B Lead at MLF Bass Pro Tour PowerStop Brakes Stage Three Presented by Mercury at Dale Hollow Lake
South Carolina pro leads Group B by 4 pounds, 1 ounce after Day 1, Group A to wrap up two-day Qualifying Round Thursday
BYRDSTOWN, Tenn. (April 10, 2024) – Talk of a youth revolution has become a hot topic in the tournament bass-fishing world, as a cadre of teenaged and 20-something anglers seems to be qualifying for top tours and winning trophies with increased frequency.
Through two days of competition on Dale Hollow Lake in Tennessee, the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour PowerStop Brakes Stage Three Presented by Mercury has followed the same script. Twenty-year-old Marshall Robinson of Landrum, South Carolina, the youngest angler on the Bass Pro Tour , boated 29 scorable bass for a massive total of 92 pounds, 8 ounces on Wednesday, the first day of qualifying for Group B. Robinson battled with Dustin Connell of Clanton, Alabama, for the top spot on SCORETRACKER® throughout the day, ultimately finishing 4-1 clear of the reigning REDCREST champion.
The six-day tournament, hosted by the Byrdstown-Pickett County Chamber of Commerce & Bill Dance Signature Lakes, showcases 79 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing for a purse of $659,000, including a top payout of $100,000 and valuable Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) points in hopes of qualifying for the General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and REDCREST 2025, the Bass Pro Tour championship.
Robinson’s impressive showing comes a day after 21-year-old Drew Gill of Mount Carmel, Illinois, claimed the top spot during Group A’s first day on the water. Robinson headlines a loaded Group B leaderboard, with Connell, Alton Jones Jr., Jacob Wheeler and Justin Lucas — all past BPT winners — lurking right behind him.
Inextricably linked with the discussion about the recent success of young anglers has been the polarizing debate about forward-facing sonar and finesse fishing, most notably the jighead minnow. Perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise that’s how Robinson amassed his weight Wednesday.
“I’m throwing a minnow a lot,” he said. “And then I also have a few key bottom baits. I’m throwing a Ned rig some and a drop-shot, just picking off some of those fish that might be spawning, locked on and don’t want to come off their bed. But I kept it pretty simple. I don’t think I threw more than four rods today.”
Robinson identified the pattern that keyed his hot start on the first day of practice. The fish had moved a bit by Wednesday, but once he figured out how they were setting up, the action was fast and furious. He replicated his success on multiple spots across the lake, which should bode well for the coming days.
“I don’t think I caught more than four or five fish (apiece) off of one area,” Robinson said. “I would just jump from area to area running my pattern and pick up three, four, five fish over and over again.”
During practice, Robinson caught mostly largemouth. On Wednesday, however, he did the majority of his damage with smallmouth, catching 20 scorable brown fish compared to nine green ones.
It wasn’t just Robinson but Group B as a whole that caught more smallmouth than the anglers in Group A did during their first day on the water. The brown fish Dale Hollow is best known for comprised nearly 37% of the 448 scorable bass weighed on the day, although a 5-11 largemouth caught by Andy Morgan won Berkley Big Bass honors.
More important for Robinson was the fact that, regardless of species, he not only found fish in bulk quantities but impressive quality. Of the 23 total bass that tipped the scales at 4 pounds or more Wednesday, Robinson caught five of them. Connell boated two more scorable bass than Robinson, but Robinson’s average size (3.19 pounds) earned him the top spot.
“You’re going to have a bunch of guys who catch the same amount of fish, so the only thing that’s going to set you apart is figuring out what those bigger fish are doing, ... because you can catch one fish that weighs what two of theirs does,” Robinson said.
Almost certainly assured a spot in the Knockout Round even if he fails to catch a keeper on the second day of qualifying, Robinson said he plans to use Friday to explore new water and hopefully find more places that fit his pattern. He’s optimistic that targeting offshore schools with forward-facing sonar, which dominated Wednesday, will be the way to win, but he’s not totally counting out the shallow bite.
“I really think there’s a chance that shallow fish could play, but it’s all dependent on if they make a push (to spawn) or not,” he said. “I don’t see the tournament being won on the bank unless a big wave moves up (to spawn). I definitely think the deeper ‘Scope bite is dominant right now.”
The son of Bass Pro Tour veteran Marty Robinson of Lyman, South Carolina , and Polaris Rookie of the Year winner on the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals last year, the younger Robinson isn’t nervous about holding an early lead. While he’s still looking for his first professional win, he’s fished – and held his own – against big-name competition before.
However, he acknowledged that seeing his name atop SCORETRACKER® in just his third BPT event feels a bit surreal.
"It feels almost too good to be true,” he said. “I might puke, but it is a really good feeling. It makes you feel accomplished.”
The 39 anglers in Group B will now have an off day from competition Thursday, while the 40 anglers competing in Group A will wrap up their two-day Qualifying Round. Group B will finish their Qualifying Round on Friday.
The top 20 pros in Group B after Day 1 on Dale Hollow Lake are:
1st: Marshall Robinson, Landrum, S.C., 29 bass, 92-8
2nd: Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., 31 bass, 88-7
3rd: Alton Jones Jr., Waco, Texas, 22 bass, 66-12
4th: Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., 20 bass, 60-4
5th: Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., 21 bass, 59-3
6th: Alton Jones, Lorena, Texas, 19 bass, 54-5
7th: Shin Fukae, Osaka, Japan, 16 bass, 52-8
8th: Luke Clausen, Spokane, Wash., 18 bass, 47-10
9th: Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C., 17 bass, 44-10
10th: Keith Carson, DeBary, Fla., 16 bass, 42-2
11th: Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 15 bass, 41-7
12th: Dave Lefebre, Erie, Penn., 15 bass, 37-8
13th: Dean Rojas, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., 13 bass, 36-15
14th: Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., 13 bass, 35-8
15th: Kelly Jordon, Flint, Texas, 12 bass, 34-10
16th: Grae Buck, Green Lane, Penn., 12 bass, 34-0
17th: Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 11 bass, 30-2
18th: Mark Davis, Mount Ida, Ark., 10 bass, 27-14
19th: Jared Lintner, Covington, Ga., 11 bass, 27-11
20th: Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo., 11 bass, 27-4
A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Pro Andy Morgan of Dayton, Tennessee, earned the $1,000 Berkley Big Bass award after a 5-pound,11-ounce largemouth bit his jerkbait in Period 3. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day, and another $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament.
The 40 Anglers in Group A compete in their two-day Qualifying Round on Tuesday and Thursday – the 39 anglers in Group B on Wednesday and Friday. After each two-day Qualifying Round is complete, the anglers that finish first through 10th from both groups advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the remaining 20 anglers compete to finish in the top 10 to advance to Sunday’s Championship Round. In the final-day Championship Round, weights are zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.
Anglers will launch at 7:30 a.m. CT each day from Sunset Marina and Resort, located at 2040 Sunset Dock Road in Monroe. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will be held at the park, beginning at 4 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard and event coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The MLFNOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action live on the final four days of competition from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT. MLFNOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
On Saturday and Sunday, April 13-14, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. MLF welcomes fans of all ages to visit Sunset Marina and Resort for the MLF Watch Party and Kids Fishing Derby. Fans can watch the pros live on the MLFNOW! big screen, enjoy free food, enter to win hourly giveaways and cheer on their favorite pros. The first 50 kids 14 and under will receive a free rod and reel from Pure Fishing each day. Additional fishing gear will be provided onsite for the fishing derby or kids can bring their own. The final 10 Championship Round Bass Pro Tour anglers will be on hand at the trophy celebration on Championship Sunday to meet and greet fans, sign autographs and take selfies.
The PowerStop Brakes Stage Three at Dale Hollow Lake Presented by Mercury features the MLF catch, weigh, immediate-release format, in which anglers catch as much weight as they can each day, while also feeling the pressure and intensity of the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard. The tournament features anglers competing with a 2-pound minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. The MLF Fisheries Management Division determines minimum weights for each body of water that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.
The Bass Pro Tour features a field of 79 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2025 championship.
The 79 anglers taking on Dale Hollow this week aren’t just battling for a first-place trophy and $100,000 payday. Valuable points in the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year race are also up for grabs. The winner of the season-long competition will take home an additional $100,000 check.
Fishing Clash, an interactive 3D fishing simulation game that’s played by more than 80 million people worldwide, is the official AOY sponsor of the Bass Pro Tour, Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, Toyota Series and Phoenix Bass Fishing League. You can download Fishing Clash for free in the App Store and on Google Play or log on to www.fishingclash.game for more information.
Television coverage of the PowerStop Brakes Stage Three at Dale Hollow Lake Presented by Mercury Knockout Round will air as a two-hour episode starting at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 5 on Discovery, with the Championship Round premiering on Oct. 6. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on Outdoor Channel.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, BUBBA, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Garmin, General Tire, Humminbird, Lowrance, Mercury, MillerTech, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak Fishing, NITRO, Onyx, Plano, Power-Pole, Rapala, StarBrite, Suzuki, Toyota and U.S. Air Force.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Kentucky Lake ready to shine again for Bassmaster College Series return
April 10, 2024
Kentucky Lake ready to shine again for Bassmaster College Series return
PARIS, Tenn. — What was once the premier bass fishery in the country is ready to shine once again as the Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops makes its return to Kentucky Lake.
Tristan McCormick, a two-time qualifier for the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Jockey Outdoors, believes impressive numbers will be caught.
“The population of bass we have now is incredible,” McCormick said. “I’m seeing big improvements.”
Tournament dates will be April 17-18, with anglers launching from Paris Landing Marina at 6:30 a.m. CT each day and returning for daily weigh-ins at 2:30 p.m. This is the second of three tournaments on the new Legends Trail, and the top 10% of the field will punch their tickets to the 2024 Strike King Bassmaster College National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops scheduled for Aug. 22-24 on Lake Hartwell in Anderson, S.C.
Once a premier destination on the Bassmaster Tournament Trail, Kentucky Lake has seen its share of struggles throughout the past 10 years, largely due to the influx of Asian carp. But the last two or three years, the bass fishing has improved dramatically thanks to a couple of good spawning cycles — and this event could mark a big reawakening for the lake on the national tournament scene.
“Last year, we had a pretty mild prespawn. The water didn’t jump up and down too much. So, we had a better spawn than we would normally have,” McCormick said.
The last time the Bassmaster Elite Series competed on the giant reservoir in May 2018, Wesley Strader claimed the blue trophy by flipping shallow wood. The last B.A.S.S. event held there was the 2020 Bassmaster High School National Championship, an event won by Tucker Smith and Hayden Marbut with 47 pounds, 5 ounces of mostly smallmouth over three days.
That high school event was the first glimpse at what Kentucky Lake has become, which is a really good smallmouth fishery. So much so that tournaments are being won strictly with brown fish, which would have been unheard of in the fishery’s heyday.
With that said, McCormick believes two different scenarios could play out, and which one prevails depends on the water level.
“It could be the spawn or it could be prespawn,” he said. “It is kind of that in-between. If the water comes up, it will be won on largemouth. If the water is stable, it is going to be a smallmouth deal and they will blow it out of the water.”
At the beginning of April, the Tennessee Valley Authority began the process of filling the lake to summer pool. As of Monday morning, the lake was 2 feet above normal pool.
McCormick said this sets up well for prespawn and spawning smallmouth. Main-river bars, points and pea gravel will be key areas to target. Smallies can be caught on swimbaits and Damiki rigs with forward-facing sonar as well as Carolina rigs, Ned rigs and tubes.
Largemouth will also pull out to some of these areas.
“If they are pulling a lot of current, that is when the prespawn Rat-L-Trap and ChatterBait bite comes into effect,” McCormick said. “All of those bass are staging to go spawn and are all sitting on the main current break.”
The Pickwick Dam tailrace could also factor.
In normal water conditions, prespawn largemouth will also hang around the mouths of the creeks and channel swings in the creeks.
“They will get as close to their spawning areas as they can without being on their spawning area,” McCormick said. “They will roam on the shallow flats in front of the bushes waiting to go up.”
The tournament is being hosted by the Henry County Tourism Authority.
2024 Bassmaster College Series Title Sponsor: Strike King
2024 Bassmaster College Series Presenting Sponsor: Bass Pro Shops
2024 Bassmaster College Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2024 Bassmaster College Series Premier Sponsors: Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Progressive Insurance, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2024 Bassmaster College Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew's, Lowrance, Marathon, Triton Boats, VMC
2024 Bassmaster College Series Youth Sponsors: Seaguar, Shimano
About B.A.S.S.B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting-edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
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Lake Hartwell Primed for Spring Fishing Slugfest
SAN ANTONIO, TX (April 10, 2024) – This upcoming weekend, the Association of Collegiate Anglers will contest its first event of 2024 on the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series. The Hartwell Slam will be held at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, SC on April 13-14. With a total prize payout of more than $20,000 in prizes and contingencies, the ACA double points tournament is a no-entry-fee event, with close to 250 teams registered to compete, which also includes media coverage on a variety of streaming platforms, live coverage, social media promotions and is nationally televised on several networks.
The Hartwell Slam will mark the second time in which the ACA has contested a major college event at Lake Hartwell. Last summer, 400 of the nation’s top collegiate anglers competed at Lake Hartwell for the Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops. That event was contested during the early summer, in late May. This year, the ACA is visiting during the middle of spring as bass are preparing to move shallow to spawn.
Lake Hartwell is a 56,000 acre fishery featuring a healthy population of both largemouth and spotted bass. The lake has a variety of fish holding habitat, including rocks, flooded timber, and boat docks. The forage in this fishery also makes it very unique. Along with the common baitfish and prey, Lake Hartwell is also home to a thriving blueback herring population. The combination of all of these variables makes Lake Hartwell a world-class fishery that has been the stage for many major national-level events throughout the years.
April at Lake Hartwell is considered to be the peak of the spawn for Lake Hartwell bass. Water temperatures are rising steadily with strong warming trends, which has the bass on the move. At the start of this event, a majority of the bass in Lake Hartwell will either be shallow or moving through transition areas on their way into popular spawning locations.
Lake Hartwell boasts fairly clear water conditions across the lake. This will set up well for anglers looking to sight fish. In these scenarios, both Texas rig and weightless soft plastics will be the primary baits anglers use to target these fish.
If bass are not on the bank spawning, they are likely in the prespawn phase.
These bass will be moving through ditches and drains in major creeks, as well as setting up on points and other key transition areas. Baitfish, including shad and blueback herring, will be what the prespawn bass are keying on. In these scenarios, anglers will be throwing a variety of baits to get bites. Swimbaits and glide baits will warrant the bigger bites. Weather conditions will also impact which other patterns may be at play.
The weather forecast this week in the Anderson, SC area looks pretty typical for the spring. Early in the week, there is a chance for rain. High temperatures are projected to be in the low to mid 70’s, with nightly lows dipping down to around 50 degrees. Currently, for both tournament days, it is looking like there will be minimal clouds and breezy winds. High temperatures for Saturday and Sunday will be between 75 and 80 degrees.
If the forecast holds true, presenting anglers with sunny, warm conditions, boat docks could also be key areas for anglers to target. During the spring, bass will set up around docks as a transition spot, or even move up to the shallow walkways near the shore to spawn. A combination of jigs and soft plastics will be what most anglers tie on to target bass around boat docks.
Colby Pearson Crowned First-Ever BAM ProTour Champion At Lake Martinez
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Shallow Water Bass Battle Won In A Foot Of Water ByJody Only YUMA, Arizona – Following a 1,000-plus mile journey from Klamath Falls, Oregon, Colby Pearson has become the first-ever BAM Pro Tour champion at Lake Martinez sacking up a five-fish limit on the final day that went 16.29 and earned $14,502 in event winnings. It was an extraordinary win for the Southern Oregon angler, after just squeaking into the Day Three field cut. “I’ve had many top-10’s; I can’t tell you how many times I’ve fished on Championship Sunday,” said Pearson. “To play my cards right and seal the deal is amazing. I’ve waited my whole career for it, and I’ve been fishing tournaments for years. It feels amazing and I just want to keep doing’ it.” Super-Shallow Water, Three Baits And A No Quit Attitude For The Win Pearson’s path to the final field cut came from the upper reaches of the Ferguson area.“There were a lot of fry guarders, and I knew I had to make as many presentations as humanly possible,” Pearson stated. “I was casting and burning a spinnerbait all day and I caught a couple on glide bait as well.” His first day’s 15 scorable bass notched a best five of 18.22 that put Pearson in 8th place, trailing by four-pounds by weight and six fish by keeper count. “By Day Two I had put a pretty good hurting on my area, but I was able to catch seven,” he shared. His best five were 11.79; but the addition of the seven scorables bumped his keeper count to 22, just enough to secure 10th place, and lock in a spot for Championship Sunday. Bass Catching Strategy Change For Final Day Of Competition With weights zeroing out for Day Three, Pearson began at a level playing field for the final fishing day and although he wasn’t ultra-confident that his primary location had the fish for the win, it was his intention to start there and find his first limit. Plans changed when the water had dropped out. “My area was significantly lower, and I wasn’t able to get anywhere near it,” he recalled. With out a single keeper at 10 a.m., the pressure was on. “I was kind of scrambling around, but mentally I just tried to stay in the zone,” he said. With a strategy adjustment focused around less-pressured water, void of his competitors, Pearson made a critical decision that paid off. “I just wanted to get into back waters, off the beaten path, not necessarily hard to get into but maybe they had a long idle,” he stated. Late in the day, Pearson’s back water search ended at the mother lode, producing the winning bag as he boated his two biggest in a foot of water after 2 p.m. “There were probably 40 in the three to four-pound range, and one that was probably a double-digit on a bed,” he revealed. Bass Baits To Win Lake Martinez Pearson tied a seven-inch KGB Chad Shad on a light swimbait rod for the glide. His spinnerbait was a trailer-less, tandem blade 3/8-ounce War Eagle with a small Colorado and willow leaf. “It was a color like mouse,” he said. “I fished it on a 7’4” heavy-action bait caster rod with 15-pound fluorocarbon on a Shimano Metanium 7.4:1 reel.” A five-inch Yamamoto Senko on a spinning rod with eight-pound-test was responsible for the rest of his fish. “I had a few different colors; but the best was Green Pumpkin with Green and Purple flake,” he said. “I had to hustle those bigger fish out of some heavy cover, so I was pretty fortunate to get them in.” Pearson and the rest of the BAM Pro Tour will make their next appearance at Lake Almanor, more info is available here. BAM Pro Tour Top-10 Rankings And Payout 1 16.29 Colby Pearson $14,502.00 + $500 Garmin Contingency 2 15.93 Karl Okerman $5,525.00 + $500 Bass Boat Technologies Contingency 3 14.97 Nicholas Cloutier $4,604.00 4 14.52 Greg Gutierrez $4,143.00 5 14.20 Cameron Karber $3,683.00 6 11.27 Ish Monroe $3,223.00 7 10.68 Zack Thompson $2,647.00 7 10.68 Mark Pilgrim $2,647.00 9 9.63 Bill O'Shinn $2,532.00 10 8.92 Conrad Demecs $2,532.00 Pro Tour Ranking Method BAMPro Tour anglers are ranked in the Pro Tour events by both biggest five fish limit and numbers of scorable bass caught. First place is held by the angler with five biggest bass and second place is the highest keeper count. The standings then continue to alternate by weight/numbers. Anglers ranked by weight are denoted with an asterisk. Field is cut to top-10 on final for a final day of fishing. The final 10 represents the five anglers with the heaviest two-day totals and five anglers with he most scorable bass. Rankings are zeroed out for Day Three and all anglers blast off on Championship Sunday on a level playing field. It is anybody’s game! |
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About BAM Tournament TrailThe Bass Angler Magazine TournamentTrail (BAM TT) offers an unparalleled media platform for anglers and sponsors alike combining vast exposure opportunities that celebrate the skills of western bass anglers. The circuit garners extensive coverage across television, print magazines, websites, video, digital magazine, and multiple social media channels. |
Rookie Drew Gill Grabs Early Lead at Major League Fishing PowerStop Brakes Stage Three Presented by Mercury at Dale Hollow Lake
Illinois pro weighs in 77 pounds, 15 ounces to lead after Day 1 for Group A – Group B begins competition Wednesday
BYRDSTOWN, Tenn. (April 9, 2024) – In the months since Major League Fishing announced the Bass Pro Tour would bring its catch-weigh-immediate release model to Dale Hollow Lake for PowerStop Brakes Stage Three Presented by Mercury, anglers have anticipated an epic shootout, with some even predicting record weights. However, a chilly three-day practice period brought a trickier bite than many expected, causing some of that excitement to be replaced with trepidation.
Through one day of competition, at least, the lake is living up to its pre-practice billing.
Pro Drew Gill of Mount Carmel, Illinois, stacked 26 scorable bass weighing 77 pounds, 15 ounces onto SCORETRACKER® Tuesday, giving him more than 16 pounds of cushion over pro Jeff Sprague of Wills Point, Texas at the top of Group A. In all, 10 anglers eclipsed 40 pounds on the day.
The six-day tournament, hosted by the Byrdstown-Pickett County Chamber of Commerce & Bill Dance Signature Lakes, showcases 79 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing for a purse of $659,000, including a top payout of $100,000 and valuable Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) points in hopes of qualifying for the General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and REDCREST 2025, the Bass Pro Tour championship.
The 40 anglers in Group A will now have an off day from competition Wednesday, while the 39 anglers competing in Group B will begin their first day of competition. Group A will resume competition on Thursday.
Gill said he believes most of Dale Hollow’s bass are currently in the midst of their annual transition from the prespawn feed to spawning mode, but the majority haven’t locked onto beds yet. While the Day 1 results might not show it, that’s made it tough to find a consistent bite.
“We really hit it just about as perfect as we could have hit it between what I’d call prespawn and the spawn,” Gill said. “If we’d been here just a hair earlier or a hair later, it would have been a lot more consistent."
However, in the final hour of the three-day practice period, Gill found a more stable, and totally separate, population of bass to target.
Gill firmly believes that not every bass spawns every year. He’s chasing those fish on Dale Hollow, targeting them suspended in 20 to 30 feet of water. While they’re not necessarily relating to schools of baitfish, having shad or other forage nearby seems to help.
“I'm fishing 20 to 30 feet deep – like, the fish are that deep,” he explained. “And I’m trying to stay around the forage if I can. I’m not directly fishing bait, but I’m trying to stay around it. It makes the fish a little bit more agreeable.”
Gill, whose fishing mind belies his 21 years of age, explained that those fish are more willing to bite because they’re solely focused on feeding, not spawning. As a result, even though there might be greater numbers of bass around the banks, he’s able to catch more offshore.
“The issue on this lake is I’m fishing for the easiest-to-catch population,” Gill said. “Here, it’s not like I’m trying to get around fish. You’re around fish everywhere on this place. What I’m trying to do is get around the population that’s the easiest to catch.”
The one thing that surprised Gill Tuesday was that, after he caught mostly smallmouth in practice, 22 of his 26 scorable bass were largemouth. That proportion more or less mirrored the rest of the field, as smallmouth accounted for about 22% of the 406 scorable bass that hit the scales Tuesday.
However, the quality of those brown bass – which normally wouldn’t be reflected in tournament weights due to Dale Hollow’s strict slot limit that prohibits anglers from possessing smallmouth between 16 and 21 inches – made up for the lack of quantity. The highlight of Gill’s day was a 5-12 smallmouth that earned him $1,000 as the Berkley Big Bass, and the three heaviest fish caught on the day were all smallmouth.
Gill hopes to continue targeting both species.
“Today, the largemouth showed up, and they showed up in droves,” he said. “And I’m super cool with it. Largemouth here are a little bit less fickle, they’re a little bit less condition prone – the offshore largemouth, anyways – those largemouth are a little bit more consistent than the smallmouth are. So, I'm tickled that the largemouth showed up. Because my plan was to fish for smallmouth, but if you can fish for both on a lake that has good ones, both smallmouth and largemouth, by all means, fish for both."
Gill caught his fish Tuesday using forward-facing sonar and finesse tactics. That’s no surprise; his Garmin LiveScope mastery is a major reason he’s launched himself into the national spotlight this year, racking up a Tackle Warehouse Invitationals win at Sam Rayburn, a third-place finish at Toledo Bend in his Bass Pro Tour debut and three other top-11 finishes in 2024 alone.
Gill has no plans to change techniques, saying what he’s doing is going to win the event. The key over the coming days will be keeping track of the fish as they move and finding new, unpressured schools. Gill plans to take advantage of his 36-plus-pound cushion over the cut line by using the second day of qualifying to prepare for the Knockout and Championship Rounds.
“It will be really important for me to look around a lot,” he said. “But it’s not quite what I’d call true – like truly practicing for a tournament, in my opinion, is trying to like reinvent your wheel. I’m not going to be practicing a new ‘what,’ I’m just going to be fishing some new ‘wheres.’ Generally speaking, on this lake, if you’re fishing the right type of stuff, if it’s a deal and not just a spot – like, you’re going to run all over and you’re going to catch them everywhere that sets up that way.
“It’s going to be really important to me to be able to fish free on Thursday and have an opportunity the whole day to just play the conditions and see what happens. Really, it’s not as much a day of trying to collect spots as much as it is a day for me to try and understand what’s going on a little better.”
The top 20 pros in Group A after Day 1 on Dale Hollow Lake are:
1st: Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., 26 bass, 77-15
2nd: Jeff Sprague, Wills Point, Texas, 22 bass, 61-11
3rd: Britt Myers, Lake Wylie, S.C., 19 bass, 60-10
4th: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 20 bass, 60-7
5th: Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., 21 bass, 54-7
6th: Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 16 bass, 53-2
7th: David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., 17 bass, 45-15
8th: Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., 15 bass, 42-4
9th: Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., 15 bass, 41-13
10th: Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., 15 bass, 41-2
11th: Martin Villa, Charlottesville, Va., 16 bass, 39-6
12th: Terry Scroggins, San Mateo, Fla., 12 bass, 36-3
13th: Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala., 13 bass, 36-3
14th: Scott Suggs, Alexander, Ark., 12 bass, 35-15
15th: Randy Howell, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 34-5
16th: John Hunter, Shelbyville, Ky., 11 bass, 31-15
17th: Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tenn., 12 bass, 31-11
18th: Josh Bertrand, Queen Creek, Ariz., 11 bass, 30-13
19th: Matt Lee, Cullman, Ala., 10 bass, 25-13
20th: Fletcher Shryock, Guntersville, Ala., nine bass, 24-13
A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Gill also earned Tuesday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award after a 5-pound, 12-ounce smallmouth bit his jig in Period 2. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day, and another $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament.
The 40 Anglers in Group A compete in their two-day Qualifying Round on Tuesday and Thursday – the 39 anglers in Group B on Wednesday and Friday. After each two-day Qualifying Round is complete, the anglers that finish first through 10th from both groups advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the remaining 20 anglers compete to finish in the top 10 to advance to Sunday’s Championship Round. In the final-day Championship Round, weights are zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.
Anglers will launch at 7:30 a.m. CT each day from Sunset Marina and Resort, located at 2040 Sunset Dock Road in Monroe. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will be held at the park, beginning at 4 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard and event coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The MLFNOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action live on the final four days of competition from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT. MLFNOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
On Saturday and Sunday, April 13-14, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. MLF welcomes fans of all ages to visit Sunset Marina and Resort for the MLF Watch Party and Kids Fishing Derby. Fans can watch the pros live on the MLFNOW! big screen, enjoy free food, enter to win hourly giveaways and cheer on their favorite pros. The first 50 kids 14 and under will receive a free rod and reel from Pure Fishing each day. Additional fishing gear will be provided onsite for the fishing derby or kids can bring their own. The final 10 Championship Round Bass Pro Tour anglers will be on hand at the trophy celebration on Championship Sunday to meet and greet fans, sign autographs and take selfies.
The PowerStop Brakes Stage Three at Dale Hollow Lake Presented by Mercury features the MLF catch, weigh, immediate-release format, in which anglers catch as much weight as they can each day, while also feeling the pressure and intensity of the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard. The tournament features anglers competing with a 2-pound minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. The MLF Fisheries Management Division determines minimum weights for each body of water that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.
The Bass Pro Tour features a field of 79 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2025 championship.
The 79 anglers taking on Dale Hollow this week aren’t just battling for a first-place trophy and $100,000 payday. Valuable points in the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year race are also up for grabs. The winner of the season-long competition will take home an additional $100,000 check.
Fishing Clash, an interactive 3D fishing simulation game that’s played by more than 80 million people worldwide, is the official AOY sponsor of the Bass Pro Tour, Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, Toyota Series and Phoenix Bass Fishing League. You can download Fishing Clash for free in the App Store and on Google Play or log on to www.fishingclash.game for more information.
Television coverage of the PowerStop Brakes Stage Three at Dale Hollow Lake Presented by Mercury Knockout Round will air as a two-hour episode starting at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 5 on Discovery, with the Championship Round premiering on Oct. 6. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on Outdoor Channel.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, BUBBA, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Garmin, General Tire, Humminbird, Lowrance, Mercury, MillerTech, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak Fishing, NITRO, Onyx, Plano, Power-Pole, Rapala, StarBrite, Suzuki, Toyota and U.S. Air Force.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
See What’s Out ThereⓇ with Costa’s Lifestyle Collection
New additions to the popular Del Mar Collection, Keramas, Nusa & Ulu, are designed for days by the water, with colors and patterns that embody the spirit of the sea
JUPITER, FL. (April 9, 2024) – Costa Sunglasses, manufacturer of the first color-enhancing all-polarized glass lens, welcomes three new frames to its popular Del Mar Collection of lifestyle frames, inspired by life on the water and crafted for wanderlusting souls. Boasting bold and fashion-forward details , Keramas, Nusa and Ulu bring a new level of diversification to the Del Mar portofolio.
With colors, patterns, and textures inspired by the sea, these coastal classics were built with meticulous attention to detail. The temples of each frame feature custom corewire with a laser-etched wave pattern, sleek logo placement under resin, and premium 5-barrel hinges. Exclusively available in Costa’s 580 mineral glass, the lenses are inset within each Bio-Acetate frame. Whether spending the day on the beach or crossing the globe to your dream destination, these new expressive frames will both reflect and connect you to your surroundings.
“Our Del Mar Collection was introduced as a way to broaden our product offering to include more expressive and stylistic lifestyle frame options for those who love being on and around the water, but don’t necessarily need sunglasses for performance,” explains John Sanchez, VP of Global Product Strategy at Costa. “Our Del Mar frames make their way to the top of our best seller list year over year and have organically allowed us to reach a whole new audience. You’ll notice we’ve turned up the boldness a bit with these new styles, but I think that’s just what our ever-growing community wants to see.”
Named after the powerful Indonesian surf break, Keramas wears its boldness and distinctiveness on its sleeve. More masculine in design and featuring a sharp square lens shape with a light top-to-bottom taper and subtle key-hole bridge, this handmade frame is crafted for those who push a bold yet refined attitude.
Nusa is a testament to bold expressiveness and the ideal choice for those who appreciate standout eyewear. Drawing inspiration from the stunning waters of Indonesia, the elegant and feminine Nusa frame features an oversized soft-square lens shape with a gentle brow dip and subtle lens set back for unique stylistic expression.
Just like the surf break known to wow Bali visitors for generations, Ulu’s distinct craftsmanship is legendary. The unisex frame features a soft square lens shape, with a corewire temple sporting a laser-etched design pulled straight from the waves it was named after.
As with all Costa sunglasses, Keramas, Nusa, and Ulu feature Costa’s patented polarized, color-enhancing 580® lens technology to block glare, and boost color and contrast. The Del Mar Collection comes exclusively in Costa’s mineral glass lenses, providing scratch resistance and water repellency.
In addition, the lightweight and durable Bio-Acetate frame reduces the carbon footprint of each new pair by 54% when compared with industry standard acetate.This is just one example of Costa’s efforts to protect the watery world it calls home. To learn more about Costa’s ongoing commitment to conservation and sustainability, check out Costa's Sustainability Hub.
Keramas, Nusa and Ulu start at $242 and are currently available in a variety of lens and frame color options on Costa’s website or at local dealers around the world.
About Costa Sunglasses
More than 40 years ago, a group of anglers created Costa Sunglasses to stand up to the harsh light, unforgiving salt and rough conditions of a day at sea. The gear they made was up to the task, and it’s been on the water ever since. Today, Costa combines its superior 580® lens technology with unparalleled fit and durability to make the highest-quality sunglasses and prescription eyewear for adventures on the water. Committed to protecting the watery world it calls home, sustainability and conservation is woven throughout everything they do. From building products made of responsible materials, to Costa-owned initiatives like Kick Plastic® and #OneCoast, and its partnerships with 40+ mission-aligned conservation organizations, Costa inspires its community to help protect the earth’s resources and #SeeWhatsOutThere. Find out more on Costa’s website and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter at @CostaSunglasses.
School of the Osage Team Wins MLF Abu Garcia High School Fishing Presented by Tackle Warehouse Open on Table Rock Lake
BRANSON, Mo. (April 8, 2024) – The MLF High School Fishing team of Kolton Dauber of Osage Beach, Missouri, and Skyler Hutzler of Kaiser, Missouri, representing Osage Beach, Missouri’s School of the Osage, brought five bass to the scale Saturday weighing 20 pounds, 2 ounces to win the MLF Abu Garcia High School Fishing Presented by Tackle Warehouse Open at Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri.
A field of 50 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which was hosted by ExploreBranson.com. In MLF High School Fishing competition, the top 10 percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top five teams that advanced to the 2024 High School Fishing National Championship are:
1st: School of the Osage, Osage Beach, Mo. – Kolton Dauber and Skyler Hutzler, five bass, 20-2
2nd: Kick Back Bass Club, Johnson County, Kan. – Myles McDaniel and Will Shepherd, five bass, 17-1
3rd: Camdenton High School, Camdenton, Mo. – Corbin Bailey and Kaden Messina, five bass, 16-6
4th: Baldwin High School, Baldwin City, Kan. – Cayden Harmon and Cooper Shannon, five bass, 15-11
5th: Melissa High School, Melissa, Texas – Camden Sarrett and Andrew Waters, five bass, 15-5
Rounding out the top 10 teams were:
6th: Live Oak High School, Denham Springs, La. – Jaden Lawdermilt and Rowdie Thacker, five bass, 15-0
7th: Kaneland High School, Maple Park, Ill. – JD McBroom and Carter Pjesky, five bass, 13-13
8th: Salem Community High School, Salem, Ill. – Peyton Bumgardner and Colten Starnes, five bass, 12-2
9th: Circle High School, Towanda, Kan. – Brooks Clevenger and Hal Leep, five bass, 11-5
10th: Southwest Iowa Fishing Team, Grant Nore and Evan Powell, four bass, 10-15
Complete results from the event can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
MLF Abu Garcia High School Fishing presented by Tackle Warehouse tournaments are free, two-person (team) events for students in grades 7-12 and are open to any MLF and TBF Student Angler Federation-affiliated high school club. The top 10 percent of teams at each Open event, along with the TBF High School Fishing state championships, advance to the High School Fishing National Championship. Tournaments held on or before May 6, 2024, advance teams to the 2024 National Championship. Tournaments held after May 6, 2024, advance teams to the 2025 National Championship.
The 2024 Abu Garcia High School Fishing National Championship & World Finals events will take place June 19-22, at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina. The High School Fishing National Champions each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice and advance to the 2024 MLF Toyota Series Championship to compete as co-anglers.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Abu Garcia High School Fishing Presented by Tackle Warehouse include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular High School Fishing updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 13 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Georgia’s Murray Posts Fifth Career Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Lake Eufaula
Columbus, Georgia’s Cook Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division
EUFAULA, Ala. (April 8, 2024) – Boater Jim Murray Jr. of Parrott, Georgia, caught a five-bass limit weighing 25 pounds, 12 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Eufaula. Hosted by the Eufaula-Barbour County Chamber of Commerce, the tournament was the third event of the season for the BFL Bulldog Division. Murray earned $4,046 for his victory.
Murray describes himself as old school. And he’s been fishing tournaments on Eufaula long enough to have a pretty solid milk run of spots where he can get bit this time of year.
With all that knowledge at his disposal, Murray didn’t have to follow the trend of using live sonar technology to win. Instead, he power fished his way to victory with a homemade spinnerbait (it resembles a big gizzard shad), a Z-Man Evergreen ChatterBait Jack Hammer and a swimbait.
“I’m 49 years old,” Murray said. “I’ve been fishing for a long time. I still think in one-day derbies you can power fish to win. But I don’t know in a multiple-day derby if you can. It’s hard to beat that black box.”
According to Murray, about half the bass in Eufaula have already spawned. With the fish in transition, he targeted isolated pieces of cover and structure.
“Isolated is the main thing,” he said. “This time of year, I like to focus on clay because you have a shad spawn coming up. Or isolated stumps off a bar. Just something where one fish can set up for a day or two to decide whatever it’s going to do. I caught some fish off chunk rock out of 5, 6, 7 foot of water off the bank. I caught some off manmade brush. The biggest thing is having enough targets.”
After catching a limit of spotted bass early, Murray ran his milk run and landed about 15 keepers. He never really got a big kicker bite. But, with solid quality in his limit, Murray finished more than 5 1/2 pounds ahead of second place to sew up his fifth career BFL win dating back to 2002.
“It was a fun day of fishing,” Murray added. “You can’t beat that.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Jim Murray Jr., Parrott, Ga., five bass, 25-12, $4,046
2nd: Buddy Benson, Dahlonega, Ga., five bass, 21-2, $2,023
3rd: Todd Beaver, Richland, Ga., five bass, 20-6, $1,848 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
4th: John Lee, Cataula, Ga., five bass, 19-15, $944
5th: Sam Hanggi, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 18-15, $809
6th: Bobby D. Padgett, Lagrange, Ga., five bass, 18-14, $742
7th: Donald Griffith, Robertsdale, Ala., five bass, 18-3, $1,229
8th: Mason White, Moultrie, Ga., five bass, 18-2, $607
9th: Ashley Drake, Box Springs, Ga., five bass, 18-0, $539
10th: Rodger Beaver, Dawson, Ga., five bass, 17-15, $472
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Donald Griffith of Robertsdale, Alabama, caught a bass that weighed 6 pounds, 6 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $555.
Jeff Cook of Columbus, Georgia, won the Strike King co-angler division and $2,023 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 14 pounds, 13 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: Jeff Cook, Columbus, Ga., five bass, 14-13, $2,023
2nd: Jeffrey Webb, Watkinsville, Ga., five bass, 14-3, $1,011
3rd: Josten Harvey, Fairburn, Ga., five bass, 13-0, $674
4th: Conery Williams, Macon, Ga., five bass, 12-12, $472
5th: Anthony Fattal, Warner Robins, Ga., five bass, 11-8, $405
6th: Isaiah Payne, Jasper, Ga., five bass, 11-2, $371
7th: Jaquas Dobbs, Conyers, Ga., five bass, 11-0, $337
8th: Chris Davies, Milner, Ga., three bass, 10-13, $303
9th: Bradley Hoff, Brooks, Ga., five bass, 10-10, $270
10th: Richard Causey, Perry, Ga., five bass, 10-3, $236
Brad Beard of Moreland, Georgia, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $277, catching a bass that weighed in at 7 pounds, 2 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After three events, Brooks Anderson of Marietta, Georgia, leads the Fishing Clash Bulldog Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 708 points, while Jaquas Dobbs of Conyers, Georgia, leads the Fishing Clash Bulldog Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 723 points.
The next event for BFL Bulldog Division anglers will be held April 27, at Lake Sinclair in Milledgeville, Georgia. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 10-12 BFL Regional tournament on Santee Cooper Lakes in Clarendon County, South Carolina. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard.
The 2024 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Liberty’s Parrish Posts Second Career Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Sam Rayburn Reservoir
Jacksonville’s Beckham Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division
BROOKELAND, Texas. (April 8, 2024) – Boater Jaden Parrish of Liberty, Texas, caught a five-bass limit weighing 27 pounds, 11 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Sam Rayburn Reservoir . Hosted by the Jasper County Development District, the tournament was the fourth event of the season for the BFL Cowboy Division. Parrish earned $11,052, including the lucrative $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus, for his victory.
Anytime you catch 27 pounds of bass, you’ve had an incredible day. Interestingly, when reflecting on his win, Parrish felt like he left a little bit out there.
“I could’ve had more,” he said.
The biggest culprit was a fog delay that kept Parrish from fully capitalizing on the morning crankbait bite. Regardless, it was still an impressive outing.
Parrish began the day on a small secondary point; a transition area where fish were moving in and out of a spawning area. This was one of three areas he targeted with a deep-diving crankbait.
“I caught roughly 16 pounds on a 6th Sense (Crush) 300DD crankbait,” Parrish said. “And then after that I just rotated through like 50 brush piles and just got two big ones to bite throwing a 6th Sense Whale (swimbait).”
Those “big ones” were giants: a 7-12 and a 9-4 that won Berkley Big Bass for the day.
Parrish used Garmin LiveScope to check each brush pile before he made a cast. Those two big ones were the only good ones he spied – and the only bass he tried to catch off the brush.
It’s been an impressively successful spring for Parrish. In addition to this win, he finished in the top 13 at the Toledo Bend Toyota Series event, the January 6 BFL event on Sam Rayburn, the Tackle Warehouse Invitational on Rayburn and the Toyota Series event on Rayburn.
“It’s going pretty good right now,” said Parrish, who’s in third place in the Toyota Series Southwestern Division standings. “I need to keep it rolling.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Jaden Parrish, Liberty, Texas, five bass, 27-11, $11,052 (includes $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
2nd: Bryan McDonough, Brookeland, Texas, five bass, 21-2, $1,796
3rd: Jerry Mason, Ragley, La., five bass, 19-12, $1,201
4th: Red Ballard, Sulphur, La., five bass, 19-11, $838
5th: Hayden Heck, Lufkin, Texas, five bass, 19-9, $718
6th: Neal Gilmore, Magnolia, Texas, five bass, 17-0, $659
7th: Dylan Sorrells, Dallas, Texas, five bass, 14-14, $599
8th: Maverick Winford, Humble, Texas, five bass, 13-7, $539
9th: Tiffany Hart, Marquez, Texas, five bass, 12-10, $479
10th: Jacob Keith, Jefferson, Texas, five bass, 12-3, $419
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Parrish caught a bass that weighed 9 pounds, 4 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $460.
Neill Beckham of Jacksonville, Texas, won the Strike King co-angler division and $1,796 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 13 pounds, 12 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: Neill Beckham, Jacksonville, Texas, five bass, 13-12, $1,796
2nd: Tony Irby, Baytown, Texas, five bass, 12-12, $898
3rd: Allen Musser, Ada, Okla., five bass, 12-1, $598
4th: Michael Glynn, Boerne, Texas, five bass, 11-10, $419
5th: Colton Hatzold, Montgomery, Texas, five bass, 11-9, $359
6th: Adrian Galvan, Deridder, La., five bass, 11-6, $329
7th: Zachary Hebert, Lake Charles, La., five bass, 11-0, $299
8th: Al Longoria, Pottsboro, Texas, five bass, 10-3, $254
8th: Tyrell Harmon, Manor, Texas, five bass, 10-3, $254
10th: Velin Sims, Spring, Texas, five bass, 9-12, $210
Jay Carranza of Houston, Texas, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $230, catching a bass that weighed in at 7 pounds, 14 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After four events, Tater Reynolds of Florien, Louisiana, leads the Fishing Clash Cowboy Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 984 points, while Allen Musser of Ada, Oklahoma, leads the Fishing Clash Cowboy Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 963 points.
The next event for BFL Cowboy Division anglers will be held Sept. 7-8, at Sam Rayburn Reservoir in Brookeland, Texas. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 17-19 BFL Regional tournament on Wright Patman Lake in Texarkana, Texas. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard.
The 2024 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Murray State’s Drew Morgan Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Kentucky-Barkley Lakes
Indiana’s Salzman Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division
GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. (April 8, 2024) – Boater Drew Morgan of Noblesville, Indiana, caught a five-bass limit weighing 22 pounds, 9 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley . Hosted by the Kentucky Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau, the tournament was the second event of the season for the BFL LBL Division. Morgan earned $4,541 for his victory.
Morgan is a collegiate angler at Murray State University. On Friday, he competed in the Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI event at Table Rock Lake, then blitzed back home Friday night to get into the BFL event on Kentucky Lake the next morning.
The engineering major is also a local hammer around Kentucky Lake. Morgan won a major springtime tournament on the lake a week prior with 27 pounds and change.
While weights were a bit lower in the BFL, Morgan was able to lock up the win and move to fourth place in the LBL Division standings.
“I was catching them on swimbaits in 8 to 14 feet of water,” he said. “(I was) really just seeing them on (Garmin) LiveScope. I’d try to cover a lot of water because half of them wouldn’t eat.”
Morgan said he caught about 40 fish for the day, fishing areas from Paris, Tennessee, clear to Kentucky Dam. All five fish in his limit were smallmouth bass.
Though there was no real pattern to the specific areas he targeted, Morgan said most of the more productive spots were near areas where the fish will eventually spawn. His biggest key was just covering as much water as possible.
“A lot of fish I’d see roaming, but there’s a lot of bait in the lake, too,” he said. “I caught a couple fish around bait.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Drew Morgan, Noblesville, Ind., five bass, 22-9, $4,541
2nd: Levi Kohl, Edinburg, Ill., five bass, 22-8, $2,270
3rd: Jordan Hartman, Benton, Ky., five bass, 22-0, $1,514
4th: Clint Knight, Lewisburg, Ky., five bass, 21-13, $1,060
5th: Clayton Ellis, Saltillo, Miss., five bass, 21-2, $908
6th: Connor DeWeese, Evansville, Ind., five bass, 20-12, $833
7th: Matteo Turano, Puryear, Tenn., five bass, 19-9, $1,379
7th: BJ Fitzgerald, Whitesville, Ky., five bass, 19-9, $719
9th: Marty Sisk, Evansville, Ind., five bass, 19-8, $605
10th: Harbor Lovin, New Concord, Ky., five bass, 19-0, $530
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Matteo Turano of Puryear, Tennessee, caught a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 15 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $660.
Douglas Salzman of Newburgh, Indiana, won the Strike King co-angler division and $2,236 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 16 pounds, 7 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: Douglas Salzman, Newburgh, Ind., five bass, 16-7, $2,236
2nd: Joshua Smith, Benton, Ky., five bass, 16-6, $1,118
3rd: Daniel Effinger, Springville, Tenn., five bass, 14-13, $745
4th: Patrick Thomas, Clarksville, Tenn., five bass, 14-7, $522
5th: John Lovin, Fayetteville, Ohio, five bass, 13-5, $447
6th: Dave Maxfield, Gilbertsville, Ky., five bass, 12-8, $410
7th: Chris Medlin, Dumas, Miss., five bass, 12-6, $373
8th: Dustin Miller, Sparland, Ill., five bass, 11-15, $335
9th: Barry Gunter, Trafalger, Ind., four bass, 11-9, $298
10th: Ed Daniell, West Frankfort, Ill., four bass, 11-5, $411
Mark Manley of Bowling Green, Kentucky, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $325, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 5 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After two events, Clint Knight of Lewisburg, Kentucky, leads the Fishing Clash LBL Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 490 points, while John Lovin of Fayetteville, Ohio, leads the Fishing Clash LBL Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 485 points.
The next event for BFL LBL Division anglers will be held May 4, at Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 3-5 BFL Regional tournament on Pickwick Lake in Counce, Tennessee. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard.
The 2024 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Lynch Station’s Brummett Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Smith Mountain Lake
Grose, of Nettie, West Virginia, Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division
HUDDLESTON, Va. (April 8, 2024) – Boater Chris Brummett of Lynch Station, Virginia, caught a five-bass limit weighing 27 pounds, 9 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Smith Mountain Lake. The tournament was the first event of the season for the BFL Shenandoah Division. Brummett earned $7,701 for his victory.
After 12 top-10 finishes in BFL competition, Brummett finally earned his first win. And he did it in a very loud way. His impressive 27-pound, 9-ounce limit was nearly 6 pounds better than second place.
Not only that, but Brummett didn’t even need the whole day to get it done.
“I put all the rods up at 1:30, and I took my co-angler for a ‘guide trip,’” he joked.
Before the tournament, a wave of bass had moved up to spawn, but then a cold front swept through and pushed most of those fish off the beds.
“There were so many empty beds during practice,” Brummett said. “It pushed them off to isolated cover – anything rock-related.”
Luckily for Brummett, not every bass abandoned the bed. At the very end of his practice, he found a little bit of Smith Mountain gold – a 4 1/2-pounder on a bed, with another fish swimming nearby that he figured was about 7 pounds.
“I was boat 183, and I figured there was no way I would get to that fish first,” he said. “And I rolled up there and my very first cast with the jig was an 8-pounder. My second cast was with a drop-shot, and the 4 1/2-pounder ate the drop-shot. I set the hook but the fish came off. So, I put another worm on and threw it over and he ate it again and came in the boat.”
The 8-pounder was the Berkley Big Bass for the day.
Brummett spent the rest of the day hitting isolated targets. It was mostly rock under and around boat docks.
“It’s not very big stuff, so not everybody knows where it is,” he said.
Brummett also hit a couple rare isolated patches of hydrilla. It’s all stuff he’s found while fishing the lake over the years.
“I probably fished 25 of those types of spots today for 6 bites,” Brummett added.
To catch his final bass, Brummett pitched a jig up under a dock to a rock vein.
“I actually cast under that dock six times and finally that fish bit,” he said. “But when that fish bit, I put that one in the boat, and it was a 6-pounder. I traded a 6 for a 2.75, and that upgraded me to 27 and change. That’s when I put my rods up.”
The top 11 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Chris Brummett, Lynch Station, Va., five bass, 27-9, $7,701
2nd: Zach Peaslee, Draper, Va., five bass, 21-12, $2,960
3rd: Wyatt Kelley, Altavista, Va., five bass, 20-6, $1,974
4th: Brandon Pritchett, Goode, Va., five bass, 20-0, $1,382
5th: Chris Daves, Spring Grove, Va., five bass, 19-12, $1,184
6th: Todd Langford, Great Falls, Va., five bass, 18-11, $1,585 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
7th: Bryan Elrod, Mechanicsville, Va., five bass, 18-1, $987
8th: Michael Taylor, Sandston, Va., five bass, 17-5, $888
9th: Stefan Ward, Wirtz, Va., five bass, 17-4, $789
10th: Robert Lee, Covington, Va., five bass, 16-15, $656
10th: Brandon Gray, Bullock, N.C., five bass, 16-15, $656
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Brummett caught a bass that weighed 8 pounds even and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $980.
Mason Grose of Nettie, West Virginia, won the Strike King co-angler division and $3,437 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 18 pounds, 4 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: Mason Grose, Nettie, W.Va., five bass, 18-4, $3,437
2nd: James (Boo) Burtner, Penn Laird, Va., five bass, 15-13, $1,476
3rd: Ben Dacey, Powhatan, Va., five bass, 15-4, $1,134
4th: Cody Howard, Snow Hill, N.C., five bass, 13-8, $689
5th: Konnor Sweet, Abingdon, Va., five bass, 13-3, $590
6th: Richard Williams, Sutherland, Va., five bass, 12-12, $541
7th: Dan Garner, Littleton, N.C., four bass, 12-4, $492
8th: Ryan Lemmon, Mount Pleasant, Pa., four bass, 11-10, $443
9th: Jonathan Ceaser, Maidens, Va., three bass, 11-2, $369
9th: William Lisenby, Centreville, Va., five bass, 11-2, $369
Mason Grose of Nettie, West Virginia, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $485, catching a bass that weighed in at 8 pounds, 11 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
The next event for BFL Shenandoah Division anglers will be held May 11, at the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 3-5 BFL Regional tournament on Kerr Lake in Henderson, North Carolina. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard.
The 2024 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Ridgeville’s Austin Posts Second Career Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Santee Cooper Lakes
Inman’s Huntley Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division
SUMMERTON, S.C. (April 8, 2024) – Boater Kyle Austin of Ridgeville, South Carolina, caught a five-bass limit weighing 22 pounds, 14 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Santee Cooper Lakes . Hosted Clarendon County Chamber of Commerce, the tournament was the second event of the season for the BFL South Carolina Division. Austin earned $3,632 for his victory.
You could say it was just another day at the lake for Austin, and as ordinary as that may sound, he’s no ordinary angler. A local bass and catfish guide, Austin spent the week putting his clients on some big cats before jumping in the tournament “kind of for fun.” It turned out to be another fantastic weekend for Austin, as he earned his second big win at Santee Cooper this year – the other being the Bassmaster Open that Austin won in mid-March.
“That was probably the first wave of spawners that came to the bank was during that event,” he said of the Open. “The weather was perfect, so we had a big wave of fish pull up three weeks ago. Ever since then, it’s just been an up-and-down roller coaster.”
Changing weather, cold fronts, fluctuating water levels; all the usual springtime changes have challenged local anglers. Those challenges continued in the tournament thanks to strong winds.
Austin started his morning on an area with some cypress trees where he’d been seeing birds working all week. It was loaded with shad, and he thought there might be an early shad spawn happening. He just couldn’t tell for sure because of the wind crashing into the spot. In fact, the wind was so strong he had to shift how he fished the trees.
“I went around the backside of the trees. It was like a little island,” he said. “I caught them pretty much every other cast for 10 to 15 minutes early this (Saturday) morning. That was kind of the key to start.”
The spot was adjacent to a backwater area. Austin described it as a “highway” where bass pass by on their way into the backwater to spawn.
“I caught them all on a spinnerbait and a bladed jig, and we got right in a hurry,” he added.
He spent the rest of the day running isolated cypress trees that were in relatively deeper water – about 3 to 4 feet. Though he never got a real big bite, Austin was able to cull up twice to get from 21 pounds to his final weight of 22-14. It turned out, he needed every bit of those final two fish. Austin finished just 1 ounce ahead of runner-up Conrad Manuel.
Austin said his go-to lures were a Strike King Thunder Cricket vibrating jig with a Strike King ElazTech Z Too trailer and a Treeshaker Tackle Company spinnerbait.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Kyle Austin, Ridgeville, S.C., five bass, 22-14, $3,632
2nd: Conrad Manuel, Pilot Mountain, N.C., five bass, 22-13, $1,816
3rd: Freddie Gamble Jr., Manning, S.C., five bass, 22-9, $1,675
4th: Wade Grooms, Bonneau, S.C., five bass, 19-13, $847
5th: Ronnie McCoy, Lamar, S.C., five bass, 18-15, $726
6th: Derek Schlotterback, Simpsonville, S.C., five bass, 16-13, $666
7th: Scott Browning, Franklin, N.C., five bass, 16-7, $605
8th: Jeff Coble, Manson, N.C., five bass, 16-0, $514
8th: Oakley Connor, Travelers Rest, S.C., five bass, 16-0, $514
10th: Justin Cromer, Sumter, S.C., five bass, 15-5, $424
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Freddie Gamble Jr. of Manning, South Carolina, caught a bass that weighed 7 pounds, 14 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $465.
Todd Huntley of Inman, South Carolina, won the Strike King co-angler division and $1,816 Saturday, after bringing four bass to the scale that totaled 11 pounds, 10 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: Todd Huntley, Inman, S.C., four bass, 11-10, $1,816
2nd: Andrew Pitman, Clover, S.C., two bass, 11-9, $908
3rd: Brian Tucci, Myrtle Beach, S.C., four bass, 10-9, $606
4th: Kyle Nash, Chapin, S.C., four bass, 9-9, $424
5th: Brandon Driggers, Timmonsville, S.C., three bass, 9-7, $363
6th: Bobby Henderson, Charlotte, N.C., three bass, 9-2, $433
7th: Marvin Godard, Charlotte, N.C., three bass, 8-7, $303
8th: Brennan Gunther, Johns Island, S.C., one bass, 7-9, $504
9th: Colby Cotterill, Alpharetta, Ga., one bass, 5-10, $242
10th: Austin Stamey, Inman, S.C., two bass, 5-9, $212
Brennan Gunther of Johns Island, South Carolina, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $232, catching a bass that weighed in at 7 pounds, 9 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After two events, Kevin Chandler of New London, North Carolina, leads the Fishing Clash South Carolina Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 480 points, while Todd Huntley of Inman, South Carolina, leads the Fishing Clash South Carolina Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 494 points.
The next event for BFL South Carolina Division anglers will be held April 27, at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 3-5 BFL Regional tournament on Kerr Lake in Henderson, North Carolina. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard.
The 2024 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Turbo CrawZ™ Tricks SoCal Lake Record Largemouth
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Vexus® Boats Launches Tackle Warehouse Bonus Program for High School and College Anglers
Flippin, Arkansas-based Vexus® Boats, recently announced a first-of-its-kind bonus program for high school and college anglers that rewards young anglers up to $1,000 in free merchandise from premium online retailer Tackle Warehouse, along with commemorative banners to hang in their boat garage, bedroom, or dorm room.
The new Vexus Varsity™ program rewards qualifying high school teams who win a sanctioned tournament while competing in a Vexus boat with a Tackle Warehouse gift card for $500, while a qualifying college team who wins a sanctioned tournament in a Vexus boat will win a $1,000 Tackle Warehouse gift card through the new Vexus University™ program.
Vexus Executive Keith Daffron stated, “We’re extremely excited to expand on our current REV Rewards™ contingency program by including and supporting young anglers as they begin their careers. High school and collegiate tournaments have grown exponentially over the past decade, and we feel it is important to recognize and celebrate these anglers’ success through our new Vexus Varsity™ and Vexus University™ programs.”
This news is just a portion of the excitement that comes with Tackle Warehouse now being the Official Tackle Retailer of Vexus Boats. Not only will high school and college anglers benefit from the unique partnership, but purchasers of new Vexus boats will also receive Tackle Warehouse discount codes to use as they rig up their boats.
Laindree Richardson, who owns a Vexus 1980 and fishes for Drury University, was the first collegiate angler to sign up for this exciting new program, and other young anglers who wish to join her are encouraged to register on the “Info” page at vexusboats.com.
Alabama Angler Rusty Cooper Wins MLF Toyota Series at Smith Lake
CULLMAN, Ala. (April 6, 2024) – A 20-plus-pound limit at Smith Lake isn’t unheard of, but it sure isn’t expected. And of all people, Rusty Cooper of Gurley, Alabama, was the last to expect it to happen after only bringing in four bass on Day 2 of the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at Smith Lake event.
Cooper, though, had the kind of Championship Saturday all bass anglers dream about, and it culminated in a $95,500 payday (including Phoenix and Berkley Big Bass bonuses) and his first MLF trophy – on his first time fishing Smith Lake, against a field of 241 other anglers.
Over the three days of competition Cooper weighed in 14 bass totaling 50-10 to earn the win by a 6-pound, 4-ounce margin over Addison, Alabama pro Jesse Wiggins, who finished second with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 44-6, good for $25,000.
“Man, everything went perfect today,” Cooper said. “I couldn’t ask for a better day. I had lots of stuff happen that will probably never go right again. I had fish that were tangled up in stuff and they stayed on until I got to them and could get them out. Everything just went right.”
That may be the understatement of the entire season. Outside of Cooper’s 20-pound, 14-ounce limit on Day 3, the largest bag caught at Smith in the tournament was Wiggins’ 17-5 that he caught Saturday – the only bag that eclipsed the 17-pound mark.
As good as Smith Lake is fishing, finding a bag that averages more than 4 pounds per fish is not ordinary. Throughout the week, the field leaned on spotted bass and some largemouth, but no one worked on either species as well as Cooper did on his largemouth on Saturday. He didn’t even catch a single spotted bass in practice or during the event proper.
A big part of Cooper’s success came down to what he considered a terrible two days of practice. Not finding much outside of a couple good bites in a creek pocket, Cooper went to that pocket on Day 1 with the intention of staying there as long as he could. That proved to be the right call.
“Day 1 I was pretty blessed,” he said. “I kind of laid off it because I knew I had that area for three days and knew I was going to stay there and grind. The second day I only had four fish. My co-angler had a 6-pounder. The fish were still there. I just couldn’t catch them for whatever reason, but I knew they were still coming, and I knew I had to stay in there and grind it out.”
Cooper’s largemouth were moving in and out of his area in waves, and while they were undoubtedly using that pocket to spawn, he said he never visibly saw any of the fish he was catching on beds. Almost all of them came on a combination of moving baits that included a Scottsboro swim jig with a Reaction Innovations Skinny Dipper trailer, a 4- or 6-inch Scottsboro swimbait or a Scottsboro glide bait. Only a couple of the keepers he weighed in were caught on a finesse presentation – a wacky-rigged Xcite Baits stickbait.
The large baits approach, at least on Day 3, was by design. Having weighed in just four keepers for 13-5 on Day 2, Cooper knew he’d have to swing for the fences to have a shot at the win, which he never really expected to come to fruition in the first place.
“I thought there was no way,” he admitted. “I though the second day was going to cost me. Not having that other keeper, that was at least 2 pounds I was behind. I thought there was no way I could pull it off with four fish on Day 2.
“I just put the big baits in my hand today and said I’m going to go for it. I need a big bag. I’m either going to catch them or I’m not.”
And catch them he did. The Huntsville firefighter, who couldn’t commit to a full season of Toyota Series events last year but who finished 79th at Guntersville to start the Central Division season in February this year, now has his ticket punched to the Toyota Series Championship on Wheeler Lake in early November.
“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” he said. “I’m just on cloud nine right now. The Lord truly blessed me all week.”
The top 10 pros on Smith Lake finished:
1st: Rusty Cooper, Gurley, Ala., 14 bass, 50-10, $95,500 (includes $35,000 Phoenix MLF Bonus)
2nd: Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala., 15 bass, 44-6, $25,000
3rd: Austin Swindle, Parrish, Ala., 15 bass, 44-4, $17,000
4th: Jeremy Gordon, Rutledge, Tenn., 15 bass, 42-15, $15,000
5th: Flint Davis, Leesburg, Ga., 15 bass, 42-10, $14,000
6th: Isaac Peavyhouse, Jamestown, Tenn., 15 bass, 42-4, $10,500
7th: Laker Howell, Guntersville, Ala., 15 bass, 41-12, $9,000
8th: Blake Knies, Jasper, Ind., 15 bass, 41-4, $8,000
9th: Tristan McCormick, Burns, Tenn., 15 bass, 40-15, $7,000
10th: Wesley Sams, Vinemont, Ala., 15 bass, 40-11, $5,000
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Pro Chandler Brewer of Meridanville, Alabama, won the $500 Day 1 Berkley Big Bass award in the pro division Thursday with a bass weighing 4 pounds, 12 ounces. On Friday, Cooper earned the $500 Berkley Big Bass prize after bringing a 4-pound, 10-ounce bass to the scale.
Cooper took home an extra $35,000 as the highest finishing Phoenix MLF Bonus member. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $35,000 per event in each Toyota Series tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the Phoenix MLF Bonus contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.
Justin Stephenson of Jasper, Alabama, won the Strike King Co-angler Division Saturday with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 34 pounds, 2 ounces. Stephenson took home the top prize package worth $36,000, including a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard motor.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers on Smith Lake finished:
1st: Justin Stephenson, Jasper, Ala., 15 bass, 34-2, Phoenix 518 Pro boat w/115-hp Mercury outboard + $2,500
2nd: Pop Catalin, Cookeville, Tenn., 15 bass, 34-0, $7,500
3rd: Jeff Thompson, McFarland, Wis., 15 bass, 33-5, $6,000
4th: Cody Abbott, Woodruff, S.C., 15 bass, 32-7, $4,500
5th: James Steve Burgess, Killen, Ala., 13 bass, 32-5, $4,150
6th: Larry Franks Jr., Wilsonville, Ala., 14 bass, 31-12, $3,500
7th: Chris Bensel, Abbeville, S.C., 15 bass, 31-1, $3,000
8th: Cooper Jett, Norton Shores, Mich., 14 bass, 30-6, $2,250
9th: Johnny Suratt, Lawrenceburg, Tenn., 15 bass, 29-9, $1,700
10th: Oliver Siebert, Fenton, Mo., 15 bass, 29-8, $1,500
Jonathan Majors of Chelsea, Alabama, was the Berkley Big Bass $150 award winner in the Strike King co-angler division, Thursday, with a 5-pound, 4-ounce bass, while the Day 2 $150 award went to Eddie Barton of Smiths Grove, Kentucky, with a bass weighing 6 pounds even.
With two of the three regular-season events in the Toyota Series Central Division now complete, pro Austin Swindle of Parrish, Alabama, leads the Central Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 513 points, while Chris Bensel of Abbeville, South Carolina, leads the Strike King Co-angler Division AOY race with 492 points.
The Toyota Series at Smith Lake, hosted by Visit Cullman, was the second of three regular-season events for the Toyota Series Central Division. The next event for Toyota Series anglers will be the Toyota Series at Grand Lake, April 11-13, in Grove, Oklahoma. For a complete schedule of events, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The 2024 Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats consists of six divisions – Central, Northern, Plains, Southern, Southwestern and the Western Division Presented by Tackle Warehouse – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International and Wild Card divisions. Anglers who fish in any of the six divisions or the Wild Card division and finish in the top 25 will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series Championship for a shot at winning up to $235,000 and a qualification to REDCREST 2025. The winning Strike King co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard. The 2024 Toyota Series Championship will be held Nov. 7-9 on Wheeler Lake in Huntsville, Alabama, and is hosted by the Huntsville Sports Commission.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Toyota Series include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, FX Custom Rods, General Tire, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak Fishing, Onyx, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota and YETI.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Toyota Series, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Tackle Warehouse Invitational updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTub
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Johnson scores wire-to-wire win at B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at Arkansas River
MUSKOGEE, Okla. — Enduring a painfully slow day that starkly contrasted the previous activity levels, Chris Johnson’s steadfast belief in his area allowed him to tally a three-day total of 51 pounds, 3 ounces and claim the wire-to-wire win at the Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at the Arkansas River presented by Lowrance.
“Holy cow, this whole week has been unbelievable,” said the Farmington, Ark., angler. “I’ve been at this tournament thing since I was 11 and this is my first major win. I’ve been really close a lot of times.
“I’ve wanted to be here my whole life. You imagine standing here and what you might say, but it just escapes you.”
After taking the early lead with a Day 1 limit of 19-6, Johnson added 17-15 and held on to the top spot. On Championship Friday, he squeaked out a final-round limit of 13-14, edged Blake Capps of Muskogee, Ark., by 1-9, and took home the top prize of $12,065.
The Top 20 anglers qualified for the 2024 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Championship presented by Lowrance, scheduled for Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees in Grove, Okla., Nov. 6-8.
Staying true to the game plan that put him in position to win, Johnson returned to the same backwater ponds he fished the first two days. Running a few miles upriver from takeoff, he snuck through breaks in the rock levees to access the protected waters where he targeted prespawn fish.
As Johnson noted, the fish were positioned about the same as the first two days, but the pacing of his five bites stoked his stress level.
“Today was an absolutely nerve-racking day,” he said. “Fishing had been tough and I knew I was fishing for five to six bites a day.
“I got to my area and had the spot all to myself. I fished 1 1/2 hours with no bites. I finally got a bite and it was my biggest fish — a 4-pounder — about 9:30, but then it was back to the grind.”
With no competition, Johnson thought he should have been catching fish more frequently, but he knew the bites would eventually happen, so he kept on track.
He added his second fish around 10, then another at 11. His fourth keeper came at 1 o’clock and his limit-filler bit at 2:30.
“It played out just like it should,” Johnson said. “The first two fish were deeper, but later in the day, the fish moved shallow. I attribute that to a colder morning that slowed down the bite and then, as the day got warmer, the fish moved up closer to the bank.”
Johnson caught all of his fish on a 3/8-ounce tandem Colorado/willow-leaf spinnerbait with a Zoom Split Tail trailer. A chartreuse/white skirt produced earlier in the day, with a shad pattern getting the afternoon work.
“The main thing all week was keeping that retrieve slow,” Johnson said. “I’d cast close to the bank and keep that bait on a slow, steady reel.”
While the pressure of having many friends and family members on site for this event occasionally whispered in his ear, Johnson said his commitment to a game plan ultimately carried him to victory.
“Mainly, it was just being able to settle in one area and keep grinding because I knew there were good fish in there,” he said. “I just kept making passes over good water and I wasn’t preoccupied with other areas.
“When your mind starts wandering, you have to tell yourself to stay there and stay after it.”
Statistically, the most consistent angler in the final field, Capps placed sixth on Day 1 with 16-1 and improved to second with a Day 2 limit of 16-12. Adding a third-round limit of 16-13, he settled in second place with 49-10.
Each day, Capps locked down to the Kerr Pool, where he fished spawning bays with a mix of coontail and reeds. He caught his fish by throwing a Booyah Pad Crasher frog and flipping a YUM Baby Christie Critter.
“I was fishing that frog really fast,” Capps said. “A lot of those fish were bedding and you could get a reaction bite. If they missed, I’d flip in there and a lot of times, I’d catch that fish.”
Capps ended each day by saving about an hour of fishing time for when he locked back up to the Muskogee Pool. There, he’d flip bigger rocks with the Baby Christie Critter, but his biggest fish on Day 2 — a 4-pounder — bit a wacky-rigged YUM Dinger.
Jeremy Norris of Ama, La., placed third with 46-15. His daily weights were 14-5, 18-6 and 14-4.
Spending most of his time in Kerr, Norris focused on the same 200-yard drain all three days. In depths of 2 to 4 feet, he flipped lighter vegetation with a Jaboom Bait Co. Boom Bug.
In thicker mats, he channeled his Louisiana roots and punched a Jaboom Bait Co. Beaver Ball with a 1/2- and 3/4-ounce weight. He used the Cali 420 color in clear areas and black/blue in stained water.
“I knew that with the clear skies and high pressure, they’d be under those mats,” Norris said. “It felt right in my wheelhouse.”
Jeff Clark of Van Buren, Ark., topped the Big Bass standings with his 6-9.
Charlie Miglicco of Cypress, Texas, won the nonboater division with a three-day total of 24-1. Turning in daily three-bass limits of 4-15, 9-9 and 9-9, Miglicco won $4,911.
Shayne Dupree of Haslet, Texas, topped the Big Bass standings in the nonboater division with his 5-8.
This event was hosted by Visit Muskogee.
2024 Bassmaster Nation Series Title Sponsor: Mercury
2024 Bassmaster Nation Series Presenting Sponsor: Lowrance
2024 Bassmaster Nation Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2024 Bassmaster Nation Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Progressive Insurance, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2024 Bassmaster Nation Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew's, Lowrance, Marathon, Triton Boats, VMC
2024 Bassmaster Nation Series Youth Sponsors: Seaguar, Shimano
About B.A.S.S.B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting-edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
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Connect with #Bassmaster on Facebook, Instagram, Twitte
Media Contact: Chad Gay, Communications Manager, 865-201-6458, cgay@bassmaster.
2024 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at Arkansas River presented by Lowrance 4/3-4/5 Arkansas River, Muskogee OK. (BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$ 1. Chris Johnson Farmington, AR 15 51-03 0 $12,065.00 Day 1: 5 19-06 Day 2: 5 17-15 Day 3: 5 13-14 2. Blake Capps Muskogee, OK 15 49-10 0 $5,860.00 Day 1: 5 16-01 Day 2: 5 16-12 Day 3: 5 16-13 3. Jeremy Norris Ama, LA 15 46-15 0 $4,136.00 Day 1: 5 14-05 Day 2: 5 18-06 Day 3: 5 14-04 4. Jesse Parks Goodyear, AZ 15 45-01 0 $3,300.00 Day 1: 5 14-05 Day 2: 5 16-07 Day 3: 5 14-05 5. Chris Jones Bokoshe, OK 15 44-14 0 $2,980.00 Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 5 15-04 Day 3: 5 15-15 6. Jesse Jordan Stilwel, KS 15 44-02 0 $2,758.00 Day 1: 5 12-12 Day 2: 5 11-15 Day 3: 5 19-07 7. Scott Dooley Ashland, MO 15 42-01 0 $2,585.00 Day 1: 5 11-13 Day 2: 5 12-07 Day 3: 5 17-13 8. Kazuki Kitajima Corinth, TX 15 40-11 0 $2,413.00 Day 1: 5 12-02 Day 2: 5 16-12 Day 3: 5 11-13 9. Alex Torkleson Coweta, OK 15 39-07 0 $1,551.00 Day 1: 5 11-06 Day 2: 5 10-12 Day 3: 5 17-05 10. Brett King Kinta, OK 13 38-14 0 $1,530.00 Day 1: 5 16-10 Day 2: 5 16-01 Day 3: 3 06-03 11. Brandon Morton San Tan Valley, AZ 12 36-06 0 $1,379.00 Day 1: 5 16-00 Day 2: 2 07-02 Day 3: 5 13-04 12. Greg Vance Delhi, IA 15 36-04 0 $975.00 Day 1: 5 13-07 Day 2: 5 12-04 Day 3: 5 10-09 13. Hunter Litchfield Macomb, IL 11 32-05 0 $948.00 Day 1: 5 17-11 Day 2: 2 05-01 Day 3: 4 09-09 14. Hunter King North Platte, NE 13 32-01 0 $948.00 Day 1: 5 10-01 Day 2: 4 11-07 Day 3: 4 10-09 15. Jeff Clark Van Buren, AR 9 30-10 0 $948.00 Day 1: 5 18-01 Day 2: 3 10-07 Day 3: 1 02-02 16. Sam Mitchell Kiowa, OK 9 29-15 0 $948.00 Day 1: 2 07-10 Day 2: 5 18-00 Day 3: 2 04-05 17. Lane Kindle Stilwell, OK 11 29-08 0 $948.00 Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 5 14-05 Day 3: 1 01-08 18. Trevor Rogge Canyon Lake, TX 10 28-02 0 $948.00 Day 1: 2 05-12 Day 2: 5 15-12 Day 3: 3 06-10 19. Tony Baldridge Oklahoma City, OK 11 27-11 0 $948.00 Day 1: 5 11-10 Day 2: 5 13-12 Day 3: 1 02-05 20. Randy Campbell Tijeras, NM 11 26-13 0 $948.00 Day 1: 4 10-15 Day 2: 5 10-14 Day 3: 2 05-00 ------------------------------------------------------------ ----------- Totals Day #Limits #Fish Weight 1 33 433 1112-01 2 31 359 940-08 3 11 76 213-09 ------------------------------ ---- 75 868 2266-02
2024 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at Arkansas River presented by Lowrance 4/3-4/5
Arkansas River, Muskogee OK.
(NON_BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Charlie Miglicco Cypress, TX 9 24-01 0 $4,911.00
Day 1: 3 04-15 Day 2: 3 09-09 Day 3: 3 09-09
2. Wade Roberts Lake Charles, LA 7 23-00 0 $2,806.00
Day 1: 1 02-05 Day 2: 3 10-07 Day 3: 3 10-04
3. Matt Jurcin Pueblo, CO 7 22-08 0 $1,403.00
Day 1: 3 11-07 Day 2: 1 02-05 Day 3: 3 08-12
4. Ken Mcdonald Crossett, AR 7 20-08 0 $1,299.00
Day 1: 3 08-06 Day 2: 1 01-15 Day 3: 3 10-03
5. James Halford Pryor, OK 6 18-05 0 $961.00
Day 1: 1 02-11 Day 2: 2 07-13 Day 3: 3 07-13
6. Chad Nolan Muldrow, OK 6 17-12 0 $807.00
Day 1: 3 08-04 Day 2: 2 07-12 Day 3: 1 01-12
7. Shea Breznik Kansas City, MO 6 17-09 0 $721.00
Day 1: 2 06-11 Day 2: 2 06-05 Day 3: 2 04-09
8. Mark Cowart Kearney, MO 7 16-12 0 $673.00
Day 1: 1 02-11 Day 2: 3 08-00 Day 3: 3 06-01
9. Colten Hutson Edmond, OK 6 16-06 0 $631.00
Day 1: 1 02-11 Day 2: 3 07-12 Day 3: 2 05-15
10. Thomas Edwards Gilbert, AZ 7 16-03 0 $561.00
Day 1: 3 05-08 Day 2: 3 08-10 Day 3: 1 02-01
11. Matt Gnoth Sharon, KS 5 15-10 0 $561.00
Day 1: 3 08-06 Day 2: 1 02-13 Day 3: 1 04-07
12. Elliott Thorn Tahlequah, OK 6 15-02 0 $491.00
Day 1: 2 03-11 Day 2: 3 08-05 Day 3: 1 03-02
13. Russ Seaman Norfolk, NE 7 14-14 0 $421.00
Day 1: 3 06-12 Day 2: 2 03-10 Day 3: 2 04-08
14. Jeremiah Proulx Cherokee Village, AR 6 14-10 0 $351.00
Day 1: 2 03-06 Day 2: 3 08-13 Day 3: 1 02-07
15. Kevin Turner Sand Springs, OK 4 14-07 0 $351.00
Day 1: 3 11-12 Day 2: 0 00-00 Day 3: 1 02-11
16. Kenny Keovilayphone Taylorsville, UT 6 13-10 0 $351.00
Day 1: 3 07-15 Day 2: 2 04-00 Day 3: 1 01-11
17. Sky Wooten Farmington, NM 5 12-11 0 $351.00
Day 1: 3 09-04 Day 2: 2 03-07 Day 3: 0 00-00
18. Mark Sloan Harrison, AR 4 12-06 0 $351.00
Day 1: 3 10-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Day 3: 1 02-06
19. Zac Ortiz Kaysville, UT 5 12-05 0 $351.00
Day 1: 2 04-09 Day 2: 2 05-06 Day 3: 1 02-06
20. Mike Turner Berryton, KS 3 09-08 0 $351.00
Day 1: 3 09-08 Day 2: 0 00-00 Day 3: 0 00-00
------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 17 128 312-13
2 15 117 293-08
3 6 33 90-09
------------------------------
38 278 696-14
Sunline Continues Partnership with ACA to Sponsor 2024 Collegiate Bass Fishing Series
San Antonio, TX (April 4, 2024) -The Association of Collegiate Anglers announces a continued partnership with Sunline to sponsor and support the 2024 Collegiate Bass Fishing Series, and collegiate anglers nationwide. In addition to extensive promotion of the complete lineup of Sunline products, the 2024 sponsorship includes special discounted Sunline pricing offered solely to anglers competing in any of the Collegiate Bass Fishing Series events during 2024, to include the Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops on Pickwick Lake in May.
“Collegiate anglers are learning on and off the water as new fishing techniques and technology are leading the US market. Collegiate anglers are leading the charge with these new techniques and strategies. Sunline takes the same approach with fishing line to continuously develop new and better lines to help anglers catch more and larger fish,” Nobuyuki Kajio, President-Sunline America.
“The ACA is excited to announce this continued partnership with Sunline,” noted Wade Middleton, Director of the ACA and President of CarecoTV. “Sunline has long been a supporter of collegiate anglers, providing a one-of-a kind discount program. The top-level discount program offered to college anglers provides them a chance to gear up with the same high-quality products that top touring pros rely on.”
Sunline has an extensive lineup of fishing lines and line storage solutions for anglers of all skill levels. From monofilament to fluorocarbon, and braided line…there is a Sunline fishing line designed for any technique you might throw. When it comes to storing that fishing line, Sunline also has many different line storage solutions that help to keep you organized and protect your line to preserve its strength.
Active college anglers fishing ACA events may take advantage of special collegiate pricing, courtesy of Sunline and the Association of Collegiate Anglers. Visit the Discounts and Incentives page on the Collegiate Bass Fishing Series website for more details.
Sunline will again be present during the Angler & Sponsor Banquet at the 2024 Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops. Each year, anglers look forward to the opportunity to stop by the Sunline booth to spool one reel with free fishing line. At Pickwick Lake in May, anglers will again be able to bring a reel and spool up with free Sunline.
Sunline America is the US subsidiary of Sunline Japan, the largest stand-alone line factory in the World. Sunline America offers exclusive products developed for the US market for anglers of all skill level. Sunline America offers a complete range of nylon, fluorocarbon and braided lines. You can find them on Facebook or Instagram.
About the Association of Collegiate Anglers
The Association of Collegiate Anglers (ACA) is a division of CarecoTV that was created to facilitate growth, development, and structure within competitive collegiate bass fishing, with emphasis on competitive fishing events nationwide. The ACA created the original BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Series 19 seasons ago. That single event has evolved into the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series, which is now recognized as the longest-running consecutive collegiate bass fishing series in existence.
The ACA lineup of major college fishing events includes a variety of tournaments nationwide that are multi-day tournaments, all of which are televised on several networks, as well as streamed on a variety of connected platforms. The ACA also provides support to numerous schools operating regional events nationwide which is an effort to provide more opportunities to grow the exposure and awareness of college fishing.
The ACA owns the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series, Bass Pro Shops School of Year presented by Abu Garcia program, and associated assets which is widely regarded as the most comprehensive and prestigious collegiate bass fishing title today.
Thanks in part to the large diversity of media exposure the ACA provides, the series boasts the largest amount of televised and streaming coverage of any collegiate fishing series. This includes a dedicated television series on numerous television networks and streaming platforms, as well as additional coverage of select events inside other programs.
This combination includes coverage from Discovery Channel, CBS Sports, Bally Sports, Pursuit Channel, as well as other regional and national networks. You can also find coverage online at any time of past events thanks to coverage on OutdoorActionTV.com and PursuitUp.com
For more information on the ACA or the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series, visit www.CollegiateBassChampionship.com.
For more information on CarecoTV, visit www.CarecoTV.com
Stay Up To Date and Follow Us — Click Links Below!
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Best Bait Container You’ll Ever Own
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Caldwell, ID (April 5, 2024) – Saltwater or freshwater, live bait is sometimes the only path to fishing success – hard stop. As much as we like throwing the latest and greatest soft plastics and hardbaits, there are instances when live bait will outproduce 10 to 1. To that, EGO Fishing puts their pledge to protect your capital live bait expenditure with the exceptional and tactical Soft Sided Bait Cooler. (Available in Kryptek TYPHON and POTUS.) |
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ABOUT EGO Fishing Fourteen years ago, we set out on a simple mission – to develop a better fishing landing net solution that addressed the many functional and performance problems that existed with the traditional products. What started out as a small landing net company has now grown into the innovation leader in the fishing net and accessories category of the sport fishing industry. EGO products are sold at most major sporting goods retail chains and are carried by a large network of distributors and independent dealers in the United States. Distribution has also grown internationally to include countries such as Canada, Russia, South Africa, South Korea and Japan. |
2024 WON Bass Clear Lake Open Begins April 17
Anglers look forward to potential big bass slugfest at California’s premier largemouth lake.
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. – April 4, 2024 –– Clear Lake, nestled in the Coast Ranges of California mountains, at the foot of Mount Konocti is known as being the largest natural lake entirely in the state of California. It is known for its picturesque scenery from any direction and for being a rich, fertile body of water.
It is also known as one of the best bass fisheries in the world. For many years, Clear Lake has been ranked as one of the top 10 bass fisheries in the country by BASSMASTER Magazine, and the northern California waterway has been the site of fireworks for WON Bass and the Clear Lake Open before.
Clear Lake has seen record setting performances in the past, with Byron Velvick winning a Bassmaster Invitational in 2000 with a then three-day record of 83 pounds, 5 ounces and in 2007, Steve Kennedy set a four-day record with 122 pounds, 14 ounces in winning the Bassmaster Elite Series Golden State Shootout.
In other words, having winning weights that average more than 25 pounds per day in a Clear Lake event are common, as evidenced by Nathan Phillips winning the Clear Lake Open in 2023 with 76.34 pounds. According to Ish Monroe, the Oakdale, Calif. pro who is fitting the 2024 Clear Lake Open into his national event schedule, more of the same can be expected.
Monroe said that anything will go later this month. “The lake should be fishing fairly large with the higher water levels, and the field should be able to do anything from finesse fishing to sightfishing and have a chance to win,” he said. “I expect that the weights will be good, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see someone win running a pattern, or that someone could win on a one cast spot – it really has the potential to be a great event.”
When asked what his thoughts about the outlook for the event, 2023 WON Bass U.S. Open Champion Kyle Grover replied, “epic.” The Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. pro said that the conditions looked amazing. “I really think the fish are in a stage, and the weather conditions are going to collide at a point that it should be an amazing event,” he said. “I think the pressure could get to the lake a little, but it’s still going to take someone averaging in the high 20’s daily to win; it’s just that good of a fishery.”
To combat the pressure of a large field, Grover suggested that anglers have two or three areas to remain competitive, and he said that boat draw would be a factor. “I think you’ll need a few areas to rotate through to win the event, but that’s also going to depend on where you get slotted for takeoff,” he said. “Being able to get on your areas will dictate a lot, but I really think it’s going to be an epic event.”
The winner of the 2024 WON Bass Clear Lake Open will earn the Ranger Boats / Mercury Motor prize boat, and the Golden Tickets to the 2025 Bassmaster BASS Nation National Championship will be awarded to the top five Pro and AAA anglers and will further develop the season long competition to see who will receive guaranteed slots into the 2025 Bassmaster Opens Elite Qualifiers.
There are currently more than 156 pro anglers and more than 180 AAA partners signed up for the event. WON Bass is seeking more Pro anglers to balance the field - signups remain open until April 12, 2024.
AAA anglers looking to enter will now be required to sign up with a Pro partner not currently registered for the event to guarantee their entry, and there is of course more room for individual Pro anglers to register currently.
The 2024 WON Bass Western Opens Series of events Consisting of five events in California, Arizona and Nevada moves next to the California Open at Clear Lake April 17 to 19, 2024. The series will culminate with the 2024 WON Bass U.S. Open at Lake Mohave in October. The full schedule of the five event dates are as follows:
Jan. 31–Feb. 2, Lake Shasta - Champion Nick Wood – 47.42 pounds
April 17-19, Clear Lake
May 15-17, Lake Havasu
Sept. 18-20, Lake Mead
Oct. 14-16, U.S. Open at Lake Mohave
For complete details or to register, look to wonbassevents.com and WONews.com to hear the latest news about the 2024 season and beyond and follow along at Facebook.com/
The 2024 WON Bass Northern California Lake Shasta Open is brought to you by Bass Pro Shops, Ranger Boats, Mercury Marine, Nitro Boats, Triton Boats, Bridgford Foods, Phenix Rods, Yamamoto Baits, Bill Lewis Lures, Buckeye Lures, Steel Shad, Bioenno Power, SOG Knives, Cold Steel Knives, Gamma Line, Power Pole, Lowrance, Daiwa, AFTCO, Costa, Berkley, Abu Garcia, Anderson Toyota, A&M Graphics, Anglers Marine and Signature Gates.
Local presenting sponsors are Clear Lake Outdoors and the City of Lakeport. Daily takeoffs and weigh-ins will happen at Library Park in the City of Lakeport, California.
Fine-Tuning for Success
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Whitewater Fishing pro ambassadors drill down into the details of what elevated them in the 2024 Bassmaster Classic. |
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MUSKEGON, Mich. (April 4, 2024) – Nicknamed the “Super Bowl of Bass Fishing,” there is no higher reward for bass anglers worldwide than to qualify for the BASSMASTER Classic. And to finish near the top with real-time changes in weather, fish behavior, and numerous other factors? That simply distills the “best of the best.” Whitewater Fishing is proud to announce that two of its pro ambassadors did precisely that. Both hailing from Wisconsin—yet competing on the southern waters of Grand Lake O’ The Cherokees near Tulsa, Oklahoma—Adam Rasmussen and Jay Przekurat, finished second and fourth, respectively. Adam Rasmussen, all-around expert tournament walleye and bass angler, charter captain, and veteran fishing guide, finished second with 55-4 for a $50,000 payday; 24-year-old bass pro, Jay Przekurat, finished fourth with 50-1 for $30,000. |
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HUMMINBIRD MEGA Live |
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Speaking to his MEGA Live use, Rasmussen has learned how to truly optimize it for results like his 2nd place finish on Grand. “I set my MEGA Live to 100 feet so I can stay as far away from the fish as possible, which is also about as far as you’re ever going to cast. I also use a Humminbird APEX 16 screen and a dedicated high-voltage lithium battery to get the best imaging possible—a Powerhouse 16v 80Ah. You can’t hook up your live imaging to a dual purpose cranking battery and expect good results.” |
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HUMMINBIRD 360 |
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In terms of specific FF sonar settings, he says a lot of anglers don’t realize what a difference water clarity, temperature, and other factors play in providing the best image possible, so he’s constantly adjusting range, sensitivity, and contrast manually depending on the waters fished. “That's where a lot of anglers go wrong. They think you can just plug it in and turn it on and go fishing. That's not the case, but you can get them dialed in. Generally, I like my MEGA Live contrast set between 6 and 8 and sensitivity between 12 and 16. And I really like looking out 100 feet. 360 looks even farther and will tell me where a brush pile is, then I shine it with forward-facing sonar as I inch closer, keeping the boat as far away as possible. This is especially important for catching the highly-pressured bass in southern waters.” |
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Rasmussen’s Presentations “Second,” he says, “was having the right baits, which came down to jigs and spinnerbaits. Trailers on both were the new Rapala CrushCity baits, which I have 100% confidence in and have been fishing hard for over a year. I fished a craw on the back of the jig and a 3-inch minnow on the spinnerbait. All I carry now are Rapala’s CrushCity plastics. The baits work all over the country, so that gave me a lot of confidence.” |
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Dressing For Spring Classic Success Rasmussen says he was without a clothing sponsor until he noticed what his friends and colleagues – anglers from The Next Bite and Jay and Jason Przekurat – were always out there testing. “So, I approached Whitewater and basically said ‘Give me a chance, this stuff was designed by people I trust’, and we’ve gone from there, well before the Classic,” remarks Rasmussen. “It’s 45 degrees outside right now, so I’m wearing the Whitewater Torque Heated Vest, which I also wore under the Great Lakes Pro Suit during the Classic. I didn’t take it off once while I was fishing Grand.” Rasmussen says that it didn’t really rain where he fished, it was “kind of cold and windy,” which the Great Lakes Pro Jacket and Bibs combated admirably. “On Day 2, I had the vest cranked up to high underneath the Great Lakes Pro jacket and bibs all day. On Day 3, I had enough blood going through my system that I didn’t need the vest.” |
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Rasmussen mentions that he’s also a fan of the Whitewater Tamer Jacket and Bibs. “I was wearing that stuff down in Wichita when the high each day was only 45 degrees, and it kept me warm and protected from the wind.” According to Rasmussen, with Whitewater designers, the brand pros, and guides they worked with put all the “little, important things that tournament anglers demand” into the new apparel. He adds: “Plus, it works in all elements and is comfortable.” |
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Continuing with comfort, Rasmussen concludes: “I don't like to have big, baggy clothes on. I'm a bigger dude, too, so I don’t want to constantly get caught up on stuff in the boat when I move around. The fabric moves with you, so if I lay on the bow to grab a fish, there’s zero restriction. It’s got a snug fit that stretches with your fishing movements.” Speaking to his transition from working as a walleye pro, guide, and charter captain to the professional bass circuit, Rasmussen notes: “the biggest thing is just fishing. I’ve spent years on the water, so that helps, but fish are fish—they swim around and have to eat. They all have common characteristics like they need cover at certain times—and they react to weather changes. But they still have to eat.” |
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JAY’S 4TH PLACE FINISH 24-year-old Whitewater Pro, Jay Przekurat, has made quite a name for himself in professional bass fishing over the past few years. Adding to that, he recently placed fourth at the Bassmaster Classic on Grand Lake. “It was a pretty challenging practice for me. I never really found anything that I thought was a winning pattern,” says Przekurat. “I was catching my fish on isolated brush, but I kind of knew with the wind picking up that probably wasn't going to be the primary deal, because when the fish were around that brush, it was pretty calm.” He said that worked the first day of the tournament, which was calm, throwing a jerkbait in 4- to 8-feet of water. But on days two and three the situation changed. Przekurat offers: “I found a couple of spawning areas. There was good-looking pea gravel that tapered out into 4 feet of water or so. And I believe the fish were actually starting to spawn even though the water was chilly. And that's how I caught my fish the remainder of the event.” |
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Staying Comfortable for 4th In terms of apparel, Przekurat says it was cold the week before the tournament, especially the mornings, so he dressed in layers. Close to his skin, Przekurat wore a long-sleeve Whitewater shirt, followed by the Torque heated vest, and then a Whitewater Buoy sweatshirt, and the soon-to-be-released insulated Whitewater suit. “That the deal for me that week. And I also wore the Whitewater Wool Fingerless Gloves every single day.” During the event, Przekurat wore the Whitewater Tamer Suit when it was in the mid-50s to 60 degrees. “And then, obviously, I wore the Great Lakes Pro during the actual event when we had some rain on that first morning. That’s what I wore throughout the entire event until we got that one cold snap that I had to switch back to the insulated suit on that last day.” |
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Images courtesy of B.A.S.S. |
Top Tournament Performers Have Something in Common
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Five of the top 12 finishers at the 2024 Bassmaster Classic are NPAA members; “no coincidence” says President, Pat Neu. |
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Forestville, WI (April 4, 2024) – While the 2024 Bassmaster Classic is now history, it is still worth talking about. And not just how these esteemed anglers caught their springtime fish… Turns out, five of the top 12 finishers in the event are National Professional Anglers Association (NPAA) members, an organization that helps tournament anglers, guides, charter captains, and fishing industry folks turn their “Passion into Profession.” The NPAA organization also provides resources, conferences, networking opportunities, and frequent member-only media content that helps members grow in their careers to exemplify NPAA’s core tenets of determination, commitment, focus, and ethics. NPAA members also have access to discounts on key fishing/marine manufacturers’ products. |
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“It’s no coincidence that five of the top 12 Classic finishers are NPAA members,” states NPAA President, Pat Neu. “A total of seven NPAA members qualified for and fished the Classic including last year’s Classic Winner NPAA member, Jeff ‘Gussy’ Gustafson, and again, five of those anglers finished in the Top 12.” In terms of actual five NPAA finishers in the top 12, the recent Classic played out like this: 2nd Place, Adam Rasmussen ;4th Place, Jay Przekurat; 6th Place, Cory Johnston; 7th Place, Kyle Patrick; and 12th Place, Cooper Gallant. Neu continues: “I think this says a lot about our organization and our member-anglers who are reaching the top of their game because they’ve learned how to treat angling as a business.” |
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“Just what are the odds that among 60- to 70,000 tournament anglers in this country who would have loved to fish the 2024 Bassmaster Classic, seven NPAA members qualified and four finished in the Top 10? It’s not a coincidence…” “This is just an example of how NPAA member anglers take tournament angling seriously; hence our continued efforts to grow the organization and its resources to benefit aspiring anglers who want to make a living fishing. These anglers are examples of individuals who are serious and professional and treat angling as their business,” concludes Neu. |
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Adam Rasmussen A fishing guide since high school, 2nd Place Classic finisher, Adam Rasmussen, knew early on he wanted to make a living in the fishing industry, working as both a guide and charter captain, and a tournament angler. In 2020, Rasmussen said he felt like he was financially stable enough to go chase his dream of fishing the Elites and qualifying for a Bassmaster Classic. That is the year that Adam started fishing the Bassmaster Opens, now the EQ’s. “The NPAA has been there with its network of people who’ve helped me along the way. That’s what it’s there for—to help anglers. It’s amazing that it happened to me in such a short period of time—qualifying to fish a Classic. I received a lot of good advice from some of the top anglers in the country through the NPAA and I gained access to a lot of great information. The NPAA can help any aspiring guide or angler, new or old. Now I will look to them to help me with social media and how to develop my brand now that people know me as a bass tournament angler.” |
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Jay Przekurat 24-year-old 4th Place Classic finisher, Jay Przekurat, said his first couple of NPAA conferences “opened his mind” to learn from other anglers and helped teach him how to interact with companies and potential sponsors. “I like the NPAA conferences because you get face-to-face interaction with those in the fishing business. It really broke the learning curve for me at a young age,” Przekurat went on to say. He added: “It’s a very easy way to make new connections and do things you wouldn't be able to do over email or the phone.” |
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Kyle Patrick Kyle Patrick, an NPAA board member, and 2024 Bassmaster Classic 7th Finisher had this to say about the NPAA. “The NPAA has helped me merge my passion for fishing—which comes natural—with the business side of building partnerships with potential sponsors and with other anglers on the same track.” “The organization is always there to bounce ideas off of, whether that’s as simple as figuring out how to make my dollars go farther as a tournament angler or how to approach a boat sponsor. You can’t make a living at this by just being good at catching fishing. There’s the business side—and the NPAA is a very easy way to catapult yourself into a higher level of making fishing your fulltime profession.” |
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Cooper Gallant 12th Place 2024 Bassmaster Classic Finisher, Cooper Gallant, has been an NPAA member for about as long as he’s been fishing professionally—unbelievably, only a little more than three years. “For me, being so new to everything, the NPAA was a quick way to meet new people, develop relationships with sponsors, and learn the business side of the sport, which is ongoing, and I know NPAA will continue to help me with,” concludes Gallant. |
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Images courtesy of B.A.S.S. |
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About the National Professional Anglers Association The National Professional Anglers Association (NPAA) is a non-profit, member-based association dedicated to sportfishing. The NPAA’s membership is composed of professional guides, tournament anglers, angler educators and sportfishing/marine industry professionals who are passionate about the sport. For more NPAA partner, member and industry news, go to www.npaa.net . |
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CONTACTS: Pat Neu NPAA President/FAF President (612) 708-7339 Noel Vick Traditions Media (612) 708-7339 |
