Gustafson, Canterbury, and Arey make predictions at St. Johns Elite
Courtesy of Alan McGuckin
They come from three different regions of North America, and collectively they’ve won nearly $3 Million catching bass. Ontario, Canada’s Jeff Gustafson, Alabama’s Scott Canterbury, and North Carolina’s Matt Arey are three of pro angling’s really good guys, the kind of dudes you’d want to help raise your kids, and they graciously share what fans can expect on the eve of the first Bassmaster Elite Series event of the new season at the St. Johns River.
What’s the coolest thing you experienced during the off season?
“Gussy” – Getting engaged to my hott and sweet girlfriend Shelby Larson.
Canterbury – Hunting with my daughter Taylor, and going on a family cruise.
Arey – Watching my neighbors son-in-law kill a 6-year-old whitetail buck.
What excites you most about competing in the 2019 Bassmaster Elite Series?
“Gussy” – Getting to chirp at emcee Dave Mercer
Canterbury – The chance to fish in the 2020 Bassmaster Classic
Arey – Competing against a field of 75 pros versus the 175 I’m used to.
What will be the biggest challenge in this event?
“Gussy”- Meeting the expectations myself and my friends have for me.
Canterbury – Intersecting the bass that are moving up to spawn.
Arey – Overcoming my poor history in Florida tournaments, and on tidal rivers.
How much weight will you need to catch on average each day to make the final day cut?
“Gussy” – 15 pounds
Canterbury – 16 pounds
Arey – 16 pounds
Name four lures fans can expect the pros to throw a lot this week.
“Gussy” – soft stick bait, topwater prop bait, a frog, and a Z Man Chatterbait
Canterbury – Bang O Lure Spintail, soft plastic stick worm, a swim jig, and something to cast at a spawn bed.
Arey – soft stick bait, topwater prop bait, lipless crankbait, Chatterbait
What percentage of the bass brought to weigh-in will be caught from a spawning bed anglers can visibly see?
“Gussy” – 10% - because the water is fairly dirty.
Canterbury – 30%
Arey – 40%
Todd Auten talks eel grass, early spawners, and wallpaper paste
Courtesy of Dynamic Sponsorships / Alan McGuckin
At age 52, with a long history of competing at the pro level, including qualifying for the prestigious Bassmaster Classic on three occasions, Todd Auten has seen pretty much everything modern day tournament angling has to offer.
But after three days of practice, he’s still not sure if this week’s Bassmaster Elite on the St. Johns River will be won with a wave of early spawners, maybe out deep off a shell bed, or perhaps, somewhere in between.
What he is sure of is the aquatic vegetation known as eel grass that helped make this Northeastern Florida fishery famous is almost nowhere to be found after recent hurricanes and extensive periods of really high water wiped it out.
“Everything is setting up for a wave of early spawners to make their way to the bank,” says Auten. “In Florida, when a run of cold weather is followed by a week of nice warm nights like we’re having this week, the early spawners will make their move to the beds. But with the water being high, and a lack of eel grass, being able to see fish on beds is going to be pretty tough.”
The veteran pro from Lake Wylie, SC may be slightly perplexed by bass on the St. Johns right now, but there are two things in life he’s certain of. He knows bass fishing beats the heck out of hanging wallpaper for a living, and he’s clear on his choice of truck brands.
“Every now and then, my wife will put me to work hanging wallpaper. She’s been getting paid to hang wallpaper for 30 years, and she really enjoys it. But I’ll promise you it’s not nearly as fun as catching fish for a living,” grins Auten.
It’s also not as fun as getting paid a cash bonus for driving a Toyota. Auten was one of the very first anglers to sign-up for the now popular Toyota Bonus Bucks program, and he’s cashed more checks, and driven more Tundras than he can count.
“I think this truck I’m driving now is my third Tundra, but it might be my fourth. Heck, I’m not sure, I just know I love the vehicle,” smiles Auten.
He’s also smiling over recent changes to the Bassmaster Elite Series. “Lower entry fees, 75 anglers instead of 105, and a guaranteed paycheck, are all awesome reasons to be excited about 2019,” he proclaims.
“This should be an exciting week for fans, because there’s still a lot of big fish in this river, and you’ll see guys catching them in a variety of ways. Chatter Baits, lipless crankbaits, swim jigs, and pitchin’ a heavy ‘punch bait’ will all be in play. And guys who know where the deeper shell beds are will be crankin’ and dragging a Carolina Rig,” promises Auten.
He’s guessing 15 pounds per day will be good enough to make Sunday’s final cut round, and he absolutely positive this week on the St. Johns will be way better than playing with wallpaper paste.
B.A.S.S. Pros Trust their Boats to Gator Guards
Gator Guards Names 2019 Bassmaster Elite Series Team
Farmington, IL February 5, 2019 - Gator Guards, the leading global innovator of boat protection products, announced their Bassmaster Elite Pro Anglers for the 2019 season.
Headlined by anglers who embody the values of our company on and off the water, we’re happy to host an exciting group this season that understand the need to grow our industry. “Not only are they great anglers, but they have a passion in common for sharing their knowledge with their followers and the next generation to help ensure the growth of the sport.” Says Gator Guards, Nick Barr.
In addition to a variety of regional and local team members across the country. Each of them will have a KeelShield® protecting their hulls and leading the way as their boats endure the rigors of the 2019 Bassmaster Elite season.
Gator Guards 2019 Bassmaster Elite Series Team:
Hunter Shryock, a Phoenix Boats 21PHX pro from Newcomerstown, OH is a 2nd year Elite Series Pro and is not a stranger to high-stakes competition. Formerly a motocross professional. You can follow the trek through his sophomore season on the elite’s by subscribing to his exciting YouTube series - 496Films. Hunter knows that confidence and convenience with his equipment is key. “Gator Guards protection will allow me to keep focused on fishing and less worrying about damaging my boat.”
Matt Arey, running a Ranger 521L from Shelby, NC is no ordinary rookie on the Elite Series. He’s a former FLW Champion and veteran professional. You can catch Matt on Facebook via his popular live talk show with Bryan Thrift, called “Let’s Talk Fish”. Matt needs few words to explain his decision “Gator Guards provides American-made lifelong lasting products like the KeelShield to protect my investment through a rugged season.”
Brandon Card, a Bass Cat Lynx pro from Knoxville, TN competed for the University of Kentucky and is the first Bassmaster College Series angler to qualify for the Elite Series. Brandon is now a consistent veteran on the Elites and spends much of his time helping support outreach missions with his local church. He has trusted Gator Guards for his protection needs throughout his career. “The affordable price to protect my investment is the reason I made my first purchase, but the performance and lifelong durability are the reasons for a KeelShield on all my boats since.”
Skylar Hamilton, the young Xpress Boats Pro from Dandridge, TN was raised on Bassmaster open events and has quickly become a consistent competitor on the pro tour. Entering his 3rd season he’s primed to reach that upper echelon. A natural and gifted shallow water angler, he’ll be taking his Xpress into some slim places this season protected with his KeelShield.
Brett Preuett, A former BASS Collegiate Champion and Falcon Boats Pro from Monroe, LA is no stranger to the Elite Series. Qualifying through the Opens back in 2015, he is excited to make the jump back on the Elites to test his mettle against the best. He grew up on the backwaters of Louisiana, knowing that protecting your boat from stumps, debris, and rural boat ramps is key to keeping your equipment in good shape.
Chris Groh, a sophomore Phoenix Boats pro from Spring Grove, IL is looking to make that second year jump on the Elite Series after a solid rookie campaign. Known as the “Chain Rat” for his Northern Illinois fishing roots, the schedule lays out well for him this year to take advantage of similar fisheries. A career craftsman, he knows how important it is to take great care of your equipment throughout the year.
To find a local Gator Guards team member near you, just click Here to view our roster.
Cardinals baseball, bass boats, and Classic dreams fuel Clouse’s passion
Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
The jacked up Tundra sporting a massive Phoenix Boats logo is impossible to miss as it rolls on to the Palatka City Boat Ramp early Tuesday morning for the final day of practice at the St. Johns River Bassmaster Elite. But only the most observant eye might spy a tiny St. Louis Cardinals sticker on the dew soaked windshield of the boat.
Out of the truck steps tall lanky former high school basketball player, Gary Clouse - known best by most bass anglers as the owner and founder of Phoenix Boats. However, make no mistake, Clouse is a Bassmaster Elite Series angler because of his proven ability to catch bass, not because he owns a popular boat company.
At age 59, Clouse is chasing a dream he’s had since age 14, back in the days when he’d listen to Jack Buck and Mike Shannon bring to life the stellar plays of Lou Brock and Joe Torre, not on television or a live web stream – but through the simplicity of a radio.
“I was raised in a pretty strict and religious home in Missouri, and like a lot of Americans, listening to Cardinal baseball on the radio provided good clean entertainment,” reflects Clouse.
However, Gary Clouse didn’t dream of growing up to be a Cardinal. Nope. Instead, for 47 years now, he’s dreamed of fishing in a Bassmaster Classic.
“That’s the whole reason I’m here. For a chance to fish in the Bassmaster Classic. It’s that simple. There’s only one Bassmater Classic. And I’ve never qualified for it. Fishing the Elite Series gives me that chance,” says Clouse with a laser-focused tone.
If he’s going to make a lifelong dream come true, a great first Elite Series event of the year in Northeast Florida is pretty essential this week, and with 14 rods and reels sprayed across the front deck on the final day of practice, Clouse is obviously still trying to figure things out.
“I’ve only been to the St. Johns one other time in my life. It had to be in the early 1980s for a Bassmaster Invitational or something. All I remember is wasting two hours trying to catch a giant bass from a spawning bed that I never did hook up with in that tournament,” reflects Clouse.
This week won’t be nearly as much about spawners, but instead, cranking shell bars in 10-feet of water with a Strike King 5XD, and tossing a Cotton Cordell Boy Howdy topwater prop bait around the shallows of the St. Johns.
“This Boy Howdy looks old, but it’s really not. I just scraped the gold paint off it, to make it look a little more natural and less obnoxious. I throw it on monofilament because fluorocarbon sinks, which obviously doesn’t work well with a topwater lure, and braided line is so stout you run the risk of tearing the hooks out of a big fish’s mouth,” he explains.
Fact is, Clouse is tied to a dream this season with the equivalent of 80-pound braided line. And while he’d love to spend a day hanging out with his favorite Cardinal of all time, Ozzie Smith – more than anything – Clouse wants to be a Bassmaster Classic Champion.
Humminbird® and Minn Kota® Introduce Expanded Pro Team on Bassmaster Elite Series
RACINE, Wis., Feb. 5, 2019 – The first Bassmaster Elite Series event on the St. John’s River will see the debut of four new Humminbird® and Minn Kota® pro team members, as well as three new Elite anglers who are legacy members of the pro team.
New to the pro team are Chris Zaldain, Chad Pipkens, Harvey Horne and Dale Hightower. Zaldain and Pipkens are veterans on the Elite Series, with each earning an invitation for the 2012 and 2013 seasons respectively. Horne and Hightower have recently moved up the ranks through the Bassmaster Opens Series to qualify for the 2019 Elite Series.
New to the Elites, but not to the Humminbird and Minn Kota pro team, are Jeff “Gussy” Gustafson, Carl Jocumsen and Koby Krieger. They, along with the new pro team members, join Keith Combs, Seth Feider, Matt Herren and Bill Lowen to make up the Humminbird and Minn Kota pro team for the Bassmaster Elite Series.
“We’re excited about the additions to our pro team and the experience each brings to the group,” said Tim Price, Humminbird and Minn Kota Field Promotions Manager. “With Humminbird units, the Ultrex and Talons that are connected through our One-Boat Network™, this group of anglers will be a threat to win every event thanks to unmatched mapping, best-in-class sonar and imaging and unprecedented boat control.”
Each of these anglers will be running Humminbird electronics, a Minn Kota Ultrex™ trolling motor and Talon shallow water anchors. The competitive advantage comes with the new innovations Humminbird and Minn Kota are consistently bringing to the table. The Minn Kota Ultrex, a revolutionary trolling motor with power steering and now built-in MEGA Down Imaging+™, literally changed bass fishing forever upon its introduction. With features like Spot-Lock, and i-Pilot® Link™, anglers can stay on a precise spot, move in 5-foot increments with the push of a button, follow exact depth contours and much more. Ultrex basically controls boat positioning on its own, so anglers can focus on catching fish.
Anglers can also see fish more clearly with Humminbird’s exclusive and best-in-class imaging capabilities. New MEGA Imaging+™ technology is in the megahertz range with performance that’s three times greater than traditional 455 kHz frequencies, providing the clearest, sharpest imaging returns ever and unlocking more fish and structure. Through the One-Boat Network™, Humminbird and Minn Kota connectivity allows anglers to operate the trolling motor and deploy Talon shallow water anchors from their fish finder.
“Designed to work together, Humminbird, Minn Kota and Talon connectivity will allow these anglers the ability to concentrate on the presentation and the hookset while we take care of everything else. Our technologies will give these anglers an edge in competition and we look forward to seeing their performance on this year’s Elite Series,” Price says.
For more information visit www.humminbird.com or www.minnkotamotors.com.
So far, Pierson loves his new Tundra more than the St. Johns
Courtesy of Alan McGuckin / Dynamic Sponsorships
Three months ago, Californian Randy Pierson was a 47-year-old husband and father of two who had just endured a corporate pay cut, and was considering a job change, when the homemade hair jig he cast into fast moving current on Pickwick Lake, TN won him a B.A.S.S. Nation National Championship and an invitation to become a fulltime Elite Series angler.
He accepted the beyond his wildest dreams sort of invite, and this week, he finds himself a 40-hour drive from home trying to figure out the storied and massive, St. Johns River in Northeastern Florida. B.A.S.S. has brought an Elite Series event here three times in the last seven years, and well-known pros Alton Jones, Chris Lane and Rick Clunn hoisted the hardware. Randy Pierson had never been here in his life until this week.
So there was Pierson Monday evening at nearly dark, following two long days of practice, loading his Phoenix Boat to the back of a Toyota Tundra still sporting fresh new temporary paper license plate tags, and proclaiming with a grin, “I can tell you I love this new Toyota way more than I love the St. Johns River.”
“This is a massive body of water. I’m used to the California Delta, but that seems way smaller than this,” says Pierson.
And much like he’s never been to the St. Johns, until last week, he had never towed with a Toyota. “I’d been a Chevy man all my life, but I wanted to support Toyota because they support B.A.S.S., and it will give me more opportunities to promote my sponsors once I have time to get my graphic wrap on it,” says Pierson, who literally bought the truck two days before he packed it, and started the four day, 40 hour drive alone to his best buddy and traveling companion Steve Taylor’s house in Georgia.
“I’m blown away. From the towing power to the Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, the big 38-gallon fuel tank, and just the overall comfort that doesn’t leave you feeling beat after driving all day, I’m serious, I love this truck,” proclaims Pierson. “Plus, I’m eligible to win Toyota Bonus Bucks.”
“Oh, and you know the other thing I love about it?” quizzed Pierson. “The color. It’s called “Cement.””
So while the former WON Bass Western Classic Champion and current B.A.S.S. Nation Champion may be brand new to the Elite Series, and still finds himself hunting for reasons to the love the St. Johns after two full days of practice – once thing’s for certain -- he’s already declared himself forever a Toyota man going forward.
And you can write that in stone. Or in Pierson’s case, cement.
LAKE SEMINOLE READIES FOR WEEKEND OF FLW YOUTH BASS-FISHING TOURNAMENTS
Courtesy of FLW
YETI FLW College Fishing tournament set for Friday, Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Open tournament to follow Saturday
BAINBRIDGE, Ga. (Jan. 29, 2019) – Fishing League Worldwide (FLW) is set to visit the Bainbridge area next week, Feb. 8-9, with the YETI FLW College Fishing event at Lake Seminole and the Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Open at Lake Seminole. The tournaments, hosted by the Bainbridge Convention and Visitors Bureau, will showcase some of the top young anglers from across the region competing for cash and prizes and angling for their chance to advance to the FLW College Fishing National Championship and High School Fishing National Championship events.
“This is going to be a fun weekend of fishing,” said local angler Clint Brown of Bainbridge, who has a win and a third-place finish on Lake Seminole in FLW Series competition. “I predict that at least one team catches a limit over 25 pounds, and I’d be willing to bet that they’re going to need at least 20 (pounds) to be in the top 5. It’s fixing to get really good, and if the weather holds up, the kids are going to really catch them.”
Brown said that he expects the bass will still be in their prespawn patterns, but suggested that the anglers target the likely staging areas.
“The fish are ready to start spawning, but we’ve had some cold weather and the rivers are all pretty muddy,” Brown said. “My best advice would be to fish nearby to bedding areas. It’s a wide range, but any deep water – 10 feet or less – close to bedding areas. They’re going to be biting lipless crankbaits and vibrating jigs. I’d be throwing a Buddha Baits Swagger Jig around deeper hydrilla – black and blue or shad colors. Something that can get a reaction bite from them.
“The key will be figuring out how to catch the suspended bass,” Brown went on to say. “The winning fish like to suspend around the grass, but they can be very tough to bite. You can throw at them 8, 10 casts in a row and they won’t move. The key is going to be finding the right bait to get those fish to fire. If a team can find the right school, they can fill the boat real quick.”
The college anglers will kick off competition on Friday, Feb. 8, at 7:30 a.m. EST at the Bainbridge Earle May Boat Basin, located at 100 Boat Basin Circle in Bainbridge. The weigh-in will be held at the boat basin Friday at 3 p.m. The high school anglers will then compete on Saturday, launching at 7:30 a.m. from the boat basin and weighing in at 3 p.m. All takeoffs and weigh-ins are free to attend and open to the public, and will be streamed live online at FLWFishing.com.
YETI FLW College Fishing teams compete in three regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. All participants must be registered, full-time students at a college, university or community college and members of a college fishing club that is recognized by their school. The top 10 teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments and the top 20 teams from the annual FLW College Fishing Open will advance to the 2020 FLW College Fishing National Championship. Additional teams will qualify for the National Championship if the field size in regular-season events exceeds 100 boats. The Potomac River and Marbury, Maryland, will play host to the 2019 FLW College Fishing National Championship, June 4-6, 2019.
The Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Open tournaments are free, two-person (team) events for students in grades 7-12 and open to any FLW and Student Angler Federation-affiliated high school clubs. The top 10 percent of teams at each Open event along with the TBF High School Fishing state championships will advance to the 2019 High School Fishing National Championship on Pickwick Lake in June. The High School Fishing national champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow YETI FLW College Fishing and the Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Opens at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Bassmaster Elite Series Anglers Are Looking For Giant Bass In Season Opener On St. Johns River
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 31, 2019 |
PALATKA, Fla. — The St. Johns River has been a familiar destination for the Bassmaster Elite Series since the circuit first visited there in 2011.
But this year’s Elite Series visit will be different than all the rest.
Really, really different.
The 2019 Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River is scheduled for Feb. 7-10 with daily takeoffs at 7:30 a.m. ET from Palatka City Dock and Boat Ramp and weigh-ins at 4:10 p.m. each day at Palatka Riverfront Park.
It will be the season opener for the new-look Elite Series, which now features a smaller field of 75 anglers — down from more than 110 in years past — and a new payout scale that assures every competitor in the field will leave with a check.
The anglers will also find a new-look fishery, since much of the eelgrass the St. Johns River has long been famous for was decimated by Hurricane Irma last summer and has yet to return.
“To say that I’m excited for this tournament would be an understatement,” said Cliff Prince, a Palatka, Fla., resident and an eight-year Elite Series veteran. “Not only am I starting the season on my home water, but this is also a whole new ballgame, a whole new Elite Series. B.A.S.S. has given us an opportunity to really showcase what we can do — and I can’t wait!”
With that said, Prince knows the wealth of knowledge he’s acquired from living on the fishery may not help as much as it has in year’s past when he finished sixth, 56th and 16th in three previous Elite Series events on the river.
The hurricane changed things in ways that might force many anglers with experience on the fishery to start from scratch.
“In 2016, there was a lot more grass up and down the river from one end of it to the other,” Prince said. “When that storm came through last year, it just dumped so much rain. What grass didn’t get torn up by the storm got shaded out by the high water.
“This river was as high as I’ve seen it in my lifetime, and it stayed that way for a long time. Our tides are really just now getting back to normal.”
During past Elite Series events on the St. Johns, anglers who couldn’t find a solid pattern elsewhere could almost always rely on the tremendous number of bass that spawn in Lake George. But even that once-dependable area will require a different approach.
“Lake George is just not in good shape,” said Bernie Schultz, a Gainesville, Fla., angler who has fished the Elite Series since its inception in 2006. “There’s plenty of dollar weed — those little, small lily pads that grow in about 2 feet of water. But that won’t filter the water like it needs to.
“Eelgrass is a great filter. That’s why bass go to it —good cover, good filtration, lots of oxygen and it’s an ideal place to spawn.”
The number of bass that are spawning could play a major role in how much weight it takes to win the event’s $100,000 first-place prize.
Temperatures in the region have been colder than normal for the past 10 days. But a warming trend is predicted for this weekend, and several warm days could raise the water temperatures enough to send a wave of fish to the spawning areas.
“When the water temperature reaches the high 50s, there will be some fish go to the bank,” Prince said. “So there will be some fish caught sight fishing, I’m sure. In Florida, in February, you can’t afford not to at least look for them.”
With the absence of eelgrass, anglers will likely turn to dollar pads, wood, reeds, lily pads and even boat docks. Despite all the changes, Prince said he expects the usual tactics to play — topwater lures, bladed jigs, swim jigs, lipless baits, swimbaits and even standard Texas-rigged worms.
One thing he doesn’t expect, however, is the signature five-bass limits of big bass that have anchored the four-day weights of past winners.
“In 2016, Rick Clunn had a 31-pound bag and then three more good, solid days that helped him win,” Prince said. “That’s usually the way it works here. But if you look at the results from tournaments around here since the grass has disappeared, we just haven’t been having those 30-pound days.
“If you have a 25- to 27-pound bag and then back it up with a 20-pound bag and a couple of 15-pound bags, that’s gonna be strong.”
The St. Johns tournament, like all Elite Series events, is a free, family-friendly celebration of bass fishing, with activities for all ages.
The Elite Series Expo at Palatka City Ramp will be open Saturday and Sunday starting at 10 a.m. ET. Fans will have a chance to take a demo ride in a Nitro, Skeeter or Triton boat, look over the newest Toyotas, develop fishing skills in the Berkley/Abu Garcia Experience trailer, and win prizes and check out new products from leading companies in the fishing industry.
Fans can meet the Elites at Angler Alley on Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m., and on Championship Sunday, they can join the Elite LIVE Watch Party and hang out with anglers and other special guests as they watch the final hours of Bassmaster LIVE. Elite angler clinics will be held onstage from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, which is also Military and First Responder Appreciation Day.
FLW Pros Trust their Boats to Gator Guards
Latimer, Scanlon, Niggemeyer, Hunter to protect their hulls with KeelShield
Farmington, IL February 1, 2019 - Gator Guards, the leading global innovator of boat protection products, announced their FLW Pro Anglers for the 2019 season.
Headlined by anglers who embody the values of our company on and off the water, we’re happy to welcome back FLW Tour anglers Brian Latimer and Casey Scanlon, while bringing on James Niggemeyer and John Hunter to round out the team. “Not only are they great anglers, but they have a passion in common for sharing their knowledge with their followers and the next generation to help ensure the growth of the sport”. Says Gator Guards, Nick Barr.
In addition to a variety of regional and local team members across the country. Each of them will have a KeelShield protecting their hulls and leading the way as their boats endure the rigors of the tournament season.
Brian Latimer, running a Falcon Boats F205 from Belton, SC is a rising star on the FLW Tour and social media as his down to earth approach with fishing and fans allows him to share his daily experienceson the road and connect with anglers who wish they were out there with him.
Latimer insists protecting what is valuable to him on tour. “The Gator Guards KeelShield is my first line of defense to protect my boat from damage.”
Casey Scanlon, a Nitro Boats & Bass Pro Shops pro from Lake Ozark, MO is one of the most successful up and coming anglers from the Midwest. Recently switching from BASS to the FLW Tour, he found much success and continues to build on a solid resume on and off the water within the midwest fishing community. Scanlon understands that protecting your boat is a no-brainer investment. “If you own a fiberglass boat, a Gator Guards KeelShield is a must. A smart and simple investment to protect your hull.”
James Niggemeyer, a veteran Cabela’s & Ranger pro from Van City, TX has found a new home on the FLW Tour and has continued to excel across the country. “I take pride in keeping my boat in great shape for the next owner and Gator Guards provides durable and lasting products like the KeelShield to protect my investment through a rugged season.”
John Hunter, a Falcon Boats Pro from Kentucky has climbed the ranks from co-angler to the front of the boat quickly, starting his second year on the FLW Tour this season after qualifying for his first Forrest Wood Cup back in 2015. “I’m always looking for ways keep my boat in great shape throughout the season, and nothing does that better than Gator Guards”.
To find a local Gator Guards team member near you, just click Hereto view our roster.
About Gator Guards:
Gator Guards™, a family business from Farmington, IL is celebrating its 25th anniversary protecting all types of watercraft with easy solutions for the everyday boater. With their innovative, durable product line they have become the trusted protection supplier of over 30 boat builders including Triton, Nitro, and Skeeter Boats.
Carroll Wins ABA Alabama South Open Series Event on Lake Eufaula with over 23 pounds!
ATHENS, Ala. – Kenny Carroll of Opelika, AL won the Bass Pro Shops Open Series Alabama South Division tournament, held January 26th on the Lake Eufaula. Running out of Lakepoint Resort State Park in Eufaula, AL Kenny caught five bass weighing 23.45-pounds. For the Boater Division victory, Carroll took home a check for $5500 for his win.
“I was fishing the mid-lake area out on the river and caught all my fish in one place on one stump in 12ft of water. My co-angler caught a 4-pounder there also. All our fish came around mid-morning. It was a good day,” Carroll said.
In second for the boaters, Mitchell Jennings of Auburn, AL landed a five-bass tournament limit going 20.36-pounds.
“I caught my fish all over the lake today. I was fishing shallow swimming a jig, throwing a chatter-bait, flipping, and caught some on a square-bill crankbait,” Jennings said.
Alan Glasgow of Ashville, AL took third for the boaters with five bass going 20.05-pounds.
“I also caught my fish today mid-lake above the bridges. I also caught my fish flipping, chatter-bait, and on a crankbait,” Glasgow said.
The big bass award for the boaters went to Rodger Beaver Jr. of Dawson, GA for a big bass that weighed 7.50-pounds
“I caught that big bass on a jig in 10ft of water,” Beaver said.
Finishing fourth, Josh Stracner of Vandiver, AL landed a five-bass limit for 18.35-pounds. Ryan Horton of Palmetto, GA rounded out the top five boaters with five bass at 18.08-pounds.
In the Co-Angler Division, Hulan Mattox of Alexander City, AL won with three bass going 11.95-pounds. He pocketed a check for $1200 for his win.
“I caught my fish today on a wormy-bug 1/8oz jig in 6ft of water. It’s a homemade bait that I make. We were fishing the south end of the lake targeting docks,” Mattox said.
Taking second for the co-anglers, Donnie Dawson of Brunswick, GA brought in a three-bass division limit weighing 11.22-pounds.
“I caught my fish shallow on a rat-l-trap over some grass. I lost one around 5 pounds at the boat that would’ve helped me. I had a great boater today,” Dawson said. “
Michael Anderson of Newton, AL placed third among the co-anglers with three bass going 10.78-pounds.
“I was skipping a Berkley General under docks in 4ft or water. I caught my biggest fish, a 5.79-pounder, then a 3-pounder, and a smaller fish that I couldn’t cull. I caught all my fish in the first hour and only had three bites today. We were fishing the south end of the lake,” Anderson said.
The big bass award for the co-anglers went to Lamar Crowe of Andalusia, AL for a big bass that weighed 6.91-pounds.
“I caught that big bass on a Carolina-rig in 15ft of water around 11:00 am on the lower end of the lake targeting ledges,” Crowe said.
In fourth place among the co-anglers, Ryan Muccio of Headland, AL brought in three bass for 7.44-pounds. Bill Mogan of Mobile, AL finished in fifth place with two bass for 7.36-pounds.
Top 50 Boaters (FULL RESULTS)
| PL | Angler | Fish | Penalty | Big Bass | Total | Points | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenny M. Carroll | 5 | 0.00 | 6.89 | 23.45 | 250 | 5500 |
| 2 | Mitchell L. Jennings | 5 | 0.00 | 4.50 | 20.36 | 249 | 1200 |
| 3 | Allan Glasgow | 5 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 20.05 | 248 | 850 |
| 4 | Josh Stracner | 5 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 18.35 | 247 | 700 |
| 5 | Ryan Horton | 5 | 0.00 | 5.72 | 18.08 | 246 | 600 |
| 6 | David H. Lowery | 5 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 18.00 | 245 | 575 |
| 7 | Jonathan Jon R. Adams | 5 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 17.81 | 244 | 500 |
| 8 | Cole Phillips | 5 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 17.58 | 243 | 475 |
| 9 | Rodger Beaver Jr | 5 | 0.00 | 7.50 | 17.18 | 242 | 1250 |
| 10 | Mark Succi | 5 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 15.89 | 241 | 320 |
| 11 | DeAndrae L. Kimbrough | 5 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 15.65 | 240 | 300 |
| 12 | Keith Bardolf | 5 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 15.28 | 239 | 275 |
| 13 | Ethan Greene | 4 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 14.72 | 238 | 250 |
| 14 | Jason W. Nixon | 5 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 14.27 | 237 | 240 |
| 15 | Andy Norris | 5 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 14.05 | 236 | 225 |
| 16 | Bo Washam | 5 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 13.63 | 235 | 220 |
| 17 | Clayton T. Shoupe | 5 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 13.36 | 234 | 200 |
| 18 | Charles J. Eubanks | 5 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 13.27 | 233 | 0 |
| 19 | Michael M. Smith | 5 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 13.04 | 232 | 0 |
| 20 | Bradford Brad Hambric | 5 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 12.24 | 231 | 0 |
Slated for March 2nd, the next tournament will be held on Lay Lake out of Beeswax Creek Park in Columbiana, AL. At the end of the season, the best anglers from across the nation advance the 2020 Ray Scott Championship to be held at Lake Hartwell in April 2020.
About American Bass Anglers: American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler while offering an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers and their bass tournament trails visit www.americanbassanglers.com.
Hunter Harwell Wins ABA Open Series North Carolina Opener
ATHENS, Ala. – Hunter Harwell of Hickory, North Carolina won the Bass Pro Shops Open Series North Carolina event held on Lake Norman on 2/1/19. Running out of the Pinnacle Wildlife access in Mooresville North Carolina, Harwell weighed in a five bass limit totaling 12.46-pounds. His limit was anchored by a bass weighing 3.18-pounds. Harwell took home a check for $2600.00 for the win.
“I made the last-minute decision to switch over from a co-angler to a boater and that was one of the best decisions I have made in a while. I caught my fish on a variety of baits. I caught some on a swimbait, crankbait, and a jerk bait. I had my fish before 11:00,” said Harwell.
In second for the boaters, Kelly Logan of Morganton, North Carolina weighed in a five bass limit weighing 11.01-pounds.
“I had 5 keepers today. I caught them on a crankbait very shallow in about 5 feet of water,” said Logan.
Taking third for the boaters, Michael Stephens of Gastonia, North Carolina, weighed in af ive bass limit weighing 10.34-pounds.
“I caught fish early on a shallow running crankbait and when that bite died, I moved out and caught some in the 40-foot range with a football head jig,” said Stephens.
In fourth place for the boaters, Scott Hamrick of Denver, North Carolina weighed in four bass weighing 10.21-pounds. Rounding out the top five, Michael Fox of Statesville, North Carolina weighed in five bass weighing 9.95-pounds.
The big bass honors for the boaters was caught by Michael Fox of Statesville, North Carolina for a bass weighing 3.40-pounds. Fox collected $500.00 for his bass.
In the Co-angler Division Shane Maultsby of Huntington, West Virginia won with three bass weighing 6.92-pounds with a 2.71-pound kicker fish. Maultsby pocketed $1300.00 for the win.
“I used a variety of baits today. The bite was really slow for me until around 2:00. I caught around 15 fish today,” said Maultsby.
Taking second for the co-anglers, Thomas McDermott of Madison, North Carolina weighed in a three bass limit weighing 6.60-pounds.
“At 7:37 I had already boated two keepers on a jerk bait,” said McDermott. “The bite just stopped after that. I didn’t catch my third keeper until 3:00.”
Taking third for the co-anglers, Chris Anderson of Mooresville, North Carolina weighed in three bass weighing 6.27-pounds.
“I caught 4 keepers today in deeper water on a jig,” said Anderson.
In fourth for the co-anglers Ronald Hearn of Mt. Holly North Carolina, weighed in two bass weighing 6.19-pounds. Rounding out the top five, Adam Gum of Princeton, West Virginia weighed in three bass weighing 6.13-pounds.
The big bass for the co-anglers was a 3.39-pounder weighed in by Adam Gum. He collected $265.00 for his bass.
Top 20 Boaters (FULL RESULTS)
| PL | Angler | Fish | Penalty | Big Bass | Total | Points | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hunter C. Harwell | 5 | 0.00 | 3.18 | 12.46 | 250 | 2600 |
| 2 | Kelly W. Logan | 5 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 11.01 | 249 | 1250 |
| 3 | Michael D. Stephens | 5 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 10.34 | 248 | 950 |
| 4 | Scott Hamrick | 4 | 0.00 | 2.92 | 10.21 | 247 | 800 |
| 5 | Michael L. Fox | 5 | 0.00 | 3.40 | 9.95 | 246 | 1100 |
| 6 | Jake Frye | 5 | 0.00 | 2.83 | 9.60 | 245 | 500 |
| 7 | James Wall | 5 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 9.38 | 244 | 450 |
| 8 | Randy A. Childers | 5 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 9.22 | 243 | 375 |
| 9 | George V. Baucom | 5 | 0.00 | 2.15 | 9.17 | 242 | 263 |
| 9 | Matthew B. McBee | 5 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 9.17 | 242 | 263 |
| 11 | Richard Rick J. Bradford | 5 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.76 | 240 | 200 |
| 12 | Jeffrey Queen | 5 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.26 | 239 | 0 |
| 13 | Paul G. Tsiolkas | 5 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 7.63 | 238 | 0 |
| 14 | Parks Jones | 5 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 7.57 | 237 | 0 |
| 14 | Patrick L. King | 5 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 7.57 | 237 | 0 |
| 16 | James Jay S. Salloum | 5 | 0.00 | 2.55 | 7.52 | 235 | 0 |
| 17 | Jason Wilson | 5 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 7.33 | 234 | 0 |
| 18 | Dan Funderburk | 4 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 7.17 | 233 | 0 |
| 19 | Richard Scott Henley | 5 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 7.07 | 232 | 0 |
| 20 | Jeff Hager | 4 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.73 | 231 | 0 |
Slated for March, 9th the next event for the North Carolina Division will be held on Lake Wylie launching from South Point Wildlife Access.
About American Bass Anglers - American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler while offering an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers and all their bass tournament trails visit www.americanbassanglers.com.
Anderson & Burkhart Win Tennessee Team Trail Opener on Chickamauga with 31.46 Limit!
February 2nd, 2019 – Lake Chickamauga Tennessee Team Trail Results
| Place | Team | Fish | Wgt | Pen | Bonus | B/F | TotWgt | Pts |
| 1 | TRAVIS ANDERSON-CODY BURKHART | 5/5 | 31.46 | 9.60 | 31.46 | |||
| 2 | BRENT BUTLER-SETH DAVIS | 5/5 | 28.95 | 28.95 | ||||
| 3 | GARAN HORNER-CHAD HENSLEY | 3/3 | 24.55 | *12.91 | 24.55 | |||
| 4 | CORY VETTEN-KEVIN DRAKE | 5/5 | 22.63 | 22.63 | ||||
| 5 | KEVIN EDWARDS-STAN HACKWORTH | 3/3 | 21.47 | 11.47 | 21.47 | |||
| 6 | BILLY NORRIS-JOSH NORRIS | 5/5 | 21.25 | 21.25 | ||||
| 7 | PAUL SWEET-RUSS POPE | 5/5 | 20.72 | 20.72 | ||||
| 8 | DEWAYNE WILSON-CORY OWNBY | 5/5 | 18.44 | 7.08 | 18.44 | |||
| 9 | TOM HELTON-JEFF KNIGHT | 5/5 | 18.37 | 18.37 | ||||
| 10 | GRIFFIN HEFFINGTON-THAD SIMERLY | 5/5 | 18.36 | 18.36 | ||||
| 11 | TIM LEONARD-TOM LEONARD | 3/3 | 18.15 | 9.09 | 18.15 | |||
| 12 | ROBERT ROCHE-MIKE MILES | 5/5 | 17.57 | 17.57 | ||||
| 13 | *CALEB EAKENS->RYAN DALTON | 5/5 | 16.48 | 16.48 | ||||
| 14 | TROY JONES-DENTON JONES | 5/5 | 15.68 | 15.68 | ||||
| 15 | DYLAN BROWN-JACK BROWN II | 3/3 | 15.67 | 15.67 | ||||
| 16 | LYNN GREEN-SHANE ROLLER | 5/5 | 15.29 | 15.29 | ||||
| 17 | STEVEN HARRISON-WES LEMONS | 5/5 | 15.23 | 15.23 | ||||
| 18 | CARL POST-JEREMY HARRISON | 5/5 | 14.98 | 14.98 | ||||
| 19 | ANDREW BRACKETT-COLE SANDS | 5/5 | 14.83 | 14.83 | ||||
| 20 | TOMMY BROWN-SPENCER BROWN | 5/5 | 14.36 | 14.36 | ||||
| 21 | LEE LANDS-HARLEY DAVIS | 5/5 | 14.34 | 14.34 | ||||
| 22 | J.P. BIONDO-DARIN BLEDSOE | 2/2 | 14.16 | 10.95 | 14.16 | |||
| 23 | BRAD PADGETT-DANIEL PADGETT | 5/5 | 14.08 | 14.08 | ||||
| 24 | CHASE HENLEY-MICHAEL VANOSDALE | 5/5 | 13.87 | 13.87 | ||||
| 25 | JOHN FRENCH-STACEY NEWBERRY | 5/5 | 13.75 | 13.75 | ||||
| 26 | BRIAN YARBROUGH-WENDELL COOPER | 3/3 | 13.65 | 9.10 | 13.65 | |||
| 27 | DOUGLAS BUTZINE-JOSHUA TRENT | 5/5 | 13.62 | 6.84 | 13.62 | |||
| 28 | *RANDY MCKEE->JASON POTTER | 3/3 | 13.23 | 13.23 | ||||
| 29 | DAN LONG-JOE YOCUM | 4/4 | 13.16 | 13.16 | ||||
| 30 | RODNEY CRADDOCK-CHAD WADDELL | 2/2 | 12.63 | 9.52 | 12.63 | |||
| 31 | JOEL WHEELON-TIM WHEELON | 5/5 | 12.48 | 12.48 | ||||
| 32 | DEWEY SHEPHERD-FREDDIE SHEPHERD | 4/4 | 12.46 | 5.97 | 12.46 | |||
| 33 | ANTHONY REVIS-JAMES BURCHARD | 4/4 | 12.44 | 12.44 | ||||
| 34 | DON MCCURDY-NANCY MCCURDY | 5/5 | 12.12 | 12.12 | ||||
| 35 | KEVIN MCKAMEY-CHRIS BULLOCK | 5/5 | 12.10 | 12.10 | ||||
| 36 | JR HENARD-TRAVIS CARPENTER | 5/5 | 12.08 | 12.08 | ||||
| 37 | CASEY MAJNI-STEVEN HUNLEY | 5/5 | 12.03 | 12.03 | ||||
| 38 | CARL PRATER-JERRETT PIERCE | 4/4 | 11.40 | 11.40 | ||||
| 39 | JAMES GANN-THOMAS GANN | 3/3 | 11.35 | 11.35 | ||||
| 40 | NICK WELCH-VIC WELCH | 3/3 | 11.32 | 5.76 | 11.32 | |||
| 41 | KENDALE ROACH-KOLEMAN ROACH | 3/3 | 11.25 | 11.25 | ||||
| 42 | JAKE SWIDAN-LUKAS PHILLIPS | 4/4 | 11.04 | 11.04 | ||||
| 43 | RICKY ROBINSON-RICKY ROBINSON JR | 4/4 | 10.98 | 10.98 | ||||
| 44 | SCOTT WINCHESTER-KURT HOPE | 4/4 | 10.56 | 10.56 | ||||
| 45 | RANDY OLIVER-LARRY MINNICK | 5/5 | 10.48 | 10.48 | ||||
| 46 | ROGER ODELL-HUGH ODELL | 4/4 | 10.30 | 10.30 | ||||
| 47 | ZACK BATTS-DUSTIN WEAVER | 2/2 | 10.24 | 10.24 | ||||
| 48 | GAVIN AINSLIE-CHRIS PETERS | 3/3 | 10.20 | 10.20 | ||||
| 49 | CHARLIE LANE-TODD HEMBRE | 4/4 | 10.08 | 10.08 | ||||
| 50 | KEVIN TODD-MIKE LYKE | 4/4 | 9.68 | 9.68 | ||||
| 51 | RODNEY BEELER-MATTHEW BEELER | 3/3 | 9.63 | 9.63 | ||||
| 52 | JAMES BULLARD-JONATHAN BULLARD | 4/4 | 9.45 | 9.45 | ||||
| 53 | TAVIN NAPIER-JON DAILEY | 4/4 | 9.27 | 9.27 | ||||
| 54 | SETH JOLLEY-DON CARR | 3/3 | 9.24 | 9.24 | ||||
| 55 | JAKE LEE-DALTON PRICE | 3/3 | 9.06 | 9.06 | ||||
| 56 | JAMES HUTCHESON-SHAWN STRADER | 5/5 | 9.03 | 9.03 | ||||
| 57 | NICK TATE-EDWARD NEWELL | 3/3 | 8.80 | 8.80 | ||||
| 58 | TIM SMILEY-BOBBY CHAMBERS | 2/2 | 8.63 | 8.63 | ||||
| 59 | JAY ADAIR-JAMIE ROOP | 3/3 | 8.60 | 8.60 | ||||
| 59 | JAMES BAKER-COREY WILLIAMS | 3/3 | 8.60 | 8.60 | ||||
| 61 | TONY WILSON-KENT SMITH | 3/3 | 8.34 | 8.34 | ||||
| 62 | SAM WINTER-AUSTIN WINTER | 3/3 | 8.22 | 8.22 | ||||
| 63 | CODY DISON-KEITH DISON | 1/1 | 8.15 | 8.15 | 8.15 | |||
| 64 | ROBERT HELTON-ERIC EVANS | 3/3 | 8.10 | 8.10 | ||||
| 65 | JOHNNY DAKE-DUSTY FUGATE | 3/3 | 8.09 | 8.09 | ||||
| 66 | SPENCER PETERS-JUSTIN OWNBY | 3/3 | 8.03 | 8.03 | ||||
| 67 | CODY GREEN-TOM SPANGLER | 4/4 | 7.93 | 7.93 | ||||
| 68 | RONALD ELLIS-JOSEPH ELLIS | 3/3 | 7.92 | 7.92 | ||||
| 69 | PRESTON CRAIG-JOSH SHARP | 3/3 | 7.91 | 7.91 | ||||
| 70 | DALE PELFREY-JONATHON BOWLING | 4/4 | 7.84 | 7.84 | ||||
| 71 | TIM WACKER-NO PARTNER | 2/2 | 7.77 | 7.77 | ||||
| 72 | JASON UNDERWOOD-DONALD DUNCAN | 3/3 | 7.65 | 7.65 | ||||
| 73 | CHRIS HELLEBUYCK-ERIC TRUNICK | 5/5 | 7.42 | 7.42 | ||||
| 74 | MICHAEL PATTERSON-HOUSTON KRESS | 2/2 | 7.21 | 7.21 | ||||
| 74 | BRIAN SCATES-STANLEY MCLEMORE | 2/2 | 7.21 | 7.21 | ||||
| 76 | MARCUS JACKSON-JEFFREY MOORE | 3/3 | 6.95 | 6.95 | ||||
| 76 | TROY REDWINE-KOLBY REDWINE | 2/2 | 6.95 | 6.95 | ||||
| 78 | NIK LEEVER-COLBY PARTIN | 3/3 | 6.79 | 6.79 | ||||
| 79 | KENT LODARI-TROY BIGELOW | 3/3 | 6.78 | 6.78 | ||||
| 80 | ALLEN TADLOCK-BILL BOLLINGER | 3/3 | 6.68 | 6.68 | ||||
| 81 | JEREMY GRIFFITH-JOEY GRIFFITH | 2/2 | 6.62 | 6.62 | ||||
| 82 | BRAD EARLY-BRAD VINEYARD | 3/3 | 6.42 | 6.42 | ||||
| 83 | MIKE KINSER-RYAN KINSER | 2/2 | 6.39 | 6.39 | ||||
| 84 | HUNTER BAILEY-MICHAEL WOODS | 2/2 | 6.23 | 6.23 | ||||
| 85 | JOSEPH GOINS-BRIAN MILLER | 3/3 | 6.17 | 6.17 | ||||
| 86 | SHANE SLOAN-NO PARTNER | 2/2 | 5.89 | 5.89 | ||||
| 87 | DANNY CRASS-KENNY RIDINGS | 3/3 | 5.83 | 5.83 | ||||
| 88 | ZACH DUNCAN-BRANDON MALONE | 2/2 | 5.80 | 5.80 | ||||
| 89 | JACK DUNAWAY-RANDY HARRIS | 3/3 | 5.67 | 5.67 | ||||
| 90 | JOE SCEALF-BRANDON HARRIS | 3/3 | 5.64 | 5.64 | ||||
| 91 | RANDY BROWN-JAMES (2) GOODIN | 2/2 | 5.60 | 5.60 | ||||
| 92 | BRIAN BEELER-CHAD BEELER | 2/2 | 5.59 | 5.59 | ||||
| 93 | CHRIS CARDEN-JAMES MANLEY | 2/2 | 5.58 | 5.58 | ||||
| 94 | WILLIAM LEE-JAKE RENFRO | 1/1 | 5.52 | 5.52 | 5.52 | |||
| 95 | DEWAYNE FOUST-JONATHAN PHILLIPS | 3/3 | 5.50 | 5.50 | ||||
| 95 | RYAN INKELBARGER-JAKE GARDNER | 1/1 | 5.50 | 5.50 | 5.50 | |||
| 97 | JOSH GARDNER-RYAN JOHNSON | 2/2 | 5.47 | 5.47 | ||||
| 97 | TEDDIE SCALF-DWYANE SCALF | 2/2 | 5.47 | 5.47 | ||||
| 97 | TIMOTHY TIPTON-RALPH THOMAS | 2/2 | 5.47 | 5.47 | ||||
| 100 | SHANE ENIX-STEPHEN YEARY | 2/2 | 5.36 | 5.36 | ||||
| 101 | KEN MOORE-JEFF ALLEN | 2/2 | 5.35 | 5.35 | ||||
| 102 | CHRIS BUSWELL-JASON MARTIN | 3/3 | 5.29 | 5.29 | ||||
| 103 | M. BRAD GRAVES-CODY GRAVES | 2/2 | 5.26 | 5.26 | ||||
| 104 | RYAN POPE-CHRISTIAN SMITH | 2/2 | 5.17 | 5.17 | ||||
| 105 | DAVE NORMAN-CURTIS NORMAN | 1/1 | 5.09 | 5.09 | 5.09 | |||
| 106 | DEREK-KY TURNER-JOHN MILES | 2/2 | 5.03 | 4.03 | 5.03 | |||
| 107 | DUSTIN FRANKLIN-ROB BOWERS | 1/1 | 5.01 | 5.01 | 5.01 | |||
| 108 | ALLEN SHELDON-DUSTIN MAYTON | 2/2 | 4.99 | 4.99 | ||||
| 109 | BO GOODIN-BILL DUNN | 2/2 | 4.94 | 4.94 | ||||
| 110 | RONNIE TAYLOR-TROY MELTON | 2/2 | 4.85 | 4.85 | ||||
| 111 | MICHAEL ROBERTS-GREG JOHNSON | 2/2 | 4.81 | 4.81 | ||||
| 111 | BRAD STAPLETON-KENNETH STAPLETON | 2/2 | 4.81 | 4.81 | ||||
| 113 | LARRY ROLEN-DONNIE STAMEY | 2/2 | 4.79 | 4.79 | ||||
| 114 | MIKE WALL-FREDERICK CASTO | 1/1 | 4.77 | 4.77 | 4.77 | |||
| 115 | MICHAEL FICKEY-JAMIE LAWSON | 1/1 | 4.68 | 4.68 | 4.68 | |||
| 116 | STEVE REDMOND-JIMMY CRUM | 2/2 | 4.59 | 4.59 | ||||
| 117 | GREGORY MOORE-TERRELL HENDREN | 2/2 | 4.41 | 4.41 | ||||
| 118 | DOUG PLEMONS-JAMES NUCKOLS | 2/2 | 4.38 | 4.38 | ||||
| 119 | MIKE PILKEY-PAUL PILKEY | 1/1 | 4.18 | 4.18 | 4.18 | |||
| 119 | GARY WHITMORE-DILLON MCKINNEY | 1/1 | 4.18 | 4.18 | 4.18 | |||
| 121 | RUSSELL MURPHY-MIKE LAWSON | 2/2 | 4.17 | 4.17 | ||||
| 122 | BOYD BRUMFIELD-COREY COOK | 3/3 | 4.16 | 4.16 | ||||
| 123 | RICHARD MOORE-ANDREW SMITH | 2/2 | 4.12 | 4.12 | ||||
| 124 | JASON PALMER-WAYMON COX | 2/2 | 4.00 | 4.00 | ||||
| 125 | STEPHEN LOVEDAY-DANIEL LOVEDAY | 2/2 | 3.79 | 3.79 | ||||
| 126 | WES CRAGER-SCOTT PITTMAN | 2/2 | 3.57 | 3.57 | ||||
| 127 | DEWAYNE ALLISON-THOMAS ALLMER | 1/1 | 3.32 | 3.32 | 3.32 | |||
| 128 | FRANK HODGE-RICK EVANS | 3/3 | 3.30 | 3.30 | ||||
| 129 | DEREK- TN TURNER-MICHAEL HEMBREE | 1/1 | 3.04 | 3.04 | 3.04 | |||
| 130 | DAVID MILLER-BILLY PERKINS JR | 1/1 | 2.80 | 2.80 | 2.80 | |||
| 131 | MIKE THOMPSON-JIMBO HARRIS | 2/2 | 2.75 | 2.75 | ||||
| 132 | >NO PARTNER-*DENNIS NAPIER | 1/1 | 2.54 | 2.54 | 2.54 | |||
| 133 | DAVID ALBRIGHT-TANNER HERNDON | 1/1 | 2.48 | 2.48 | 2.48 | |||
| 134 | MATT BURGESS-LARRY KELLEY | 1/1 | 2.26 | 2.26 | 2.26 | |||
| 135 | JORDAN BURDETTE-MICHAEL BURDETTE | 1/1 | 2.18 | 2.18 | 2.18 | |||
| 136 | MARK MADISON-JOHN ELY | 1/1 | 2.17 | 2.17 | 2.17 | |||
| 137 | BRIAN HARVEY-MARK MAULDIN | 1/1 | 2.16 | 2.16 | 2.16 | |||
| 138 | TIM HOSKINS-NO PARTNER | 1/1 | 2.13 | 2.13 | 2.13 | |||
| 139 | CHRIS TAYLOR-MIKE TAYLOR | 1/1 | 2.10 | 2.10 | 2.10 | |||
| 140 | CARL GUFFEY-NO PARTNER | 1/1 | 2.08 | 2.08 | 2.08 | |||
| 141 | ALAN PARKER-AARON PARKER | 1/1 | 2.02 | 2.02 | 2.02 | |||
| 142 | GREG MCDAVID-JEREMY SWANSON | 1/1 | 1.54 | 1.54 | 1.54 | |||
| 143 | BILLY BOYD-FOY ELKINS | 1/1 | 1.43 | 1.43 | 1.43 | |||
| 144 | JOHN AMOS-DOUG BENTON | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | TIM BANDY-JEFF MCPHERSON | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | WADE BEST-DALE BEST | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | KYLE BLAIR-DAVE BRUMFIELD | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | DERRICK BLAKE-GAVIN DANIELS | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | CHRIS BROWN-CHUCK COONEY | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | BRAD BROWN-CRAIG SMITH | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | BRUCE BUSH-MELVIN JR PARTIN | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | DERRICK CLARK-LYNN KING | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | MICHAEL COLE-TONY MAYLE | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | BRIAN COOPER-JOSEPH BRAKEBILL | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | WILBUR CURTIS-BRYANT AILOR | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | TOMMY DEVANEY-SAM BALDWIN | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | DAVID ECON-MICHAEL D JENKINS | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | JIM EDMONDSON-JAMES DIAL | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | DILLON FALARDEAU-ROBERT MOORE | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | TYLER FARR-JOSH DAVIS | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | JASON FORSGREN-DAVID COLLINS | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | DARRYL FRITTS-ZACH BREAZEALE | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | JOHN GILLEY-J.T. GILLEY | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | PHILIP GORDON-JEREMY GORDON | 5/5 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | RICK GREEN-JASON YATES | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | CALEB GREGORY-JORDAN MCCULLA | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | RYAN GRUBB-MARK GRUBB | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | JAMES HEADRICK-BRADLEY HEADRICK | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | JAMES HOLSENBACK-DOUGLAS CARPENTER | 5/5 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | RUFUS JOHNSON IV-CRAIG BREWER | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | ROGER JONES-DAVID KING | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | MATT KAGLEY-PHIL SKOFIELD | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | MICKEY LASH-LOGAN TAYLOR | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | TIMOTHY LEE-JEFF RUSSELL | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | RYAN LETT-SCOTT HIGGINS | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | GARY LIGHT-WILLIAM WYRICK | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | TIM LONG-MIKE PAINE | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | BRIAN LOYD-NO PARTNER | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | ANDY LUSK-SHAUN LUSK | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | LEA MASHBURN-JACOB MASHBURN | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | MICHAEL MCGEE-ALEX MCGEE | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | GREGORY MOORE-BEN COLLINS | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | TONY MORTON-JOSH CUPP | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | BRAD MUSGRAVE-RON MUSGRAVE | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | KENNY NEEDHAM-ROB NOYES | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | ANOTHONY NEWPORT-NOAH NEWPORT | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | *TODD NIDIFFER->BILLY WHEAT | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | WAYNE NORMAN-TIM PETREY | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | KEITH PHILLIPS-ROGER PHILLIPS | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | DAVID PRESLEY-TOBY STEELE | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | TED RIDLEY-JAMES BENTLEY | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | KEVIN ROACH-KEITH CHADWELL | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | RYAN ROGERS-BILL GARNER | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | DAN RUNYAN-MICHAEL POWERS | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | JEFFREY RUSSELL-SAM MULLINS | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | CODY SEEBER-CHRIS SEEBER | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | EDDY SHIPLEY-DENNIS SHIPLEY | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | DONNIE SLIGER-CHAD GREEN | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | SCOTT SMITH-GREG DANNELS | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | ROBBIE SNOW-CLIFF ROWLAND | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | CODY SNYDER-AUSTIN SNYDER | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | LYNN SPEARS-WILLIAM MONTGOMERY | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | DERRICK STAFFORD-CHRIS WILLIS | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | LUKE TAYLOR-KEVIN TAYLOR | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | JAMES TIPTON-LANCE GRIGSBY | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | WILL VANETTEN-SCOTT WALLACE | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | JACK WADE-ANDY VENABLE | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | DARRELL WAGES-JIM SPALDING | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | ADAM WALDEN-ANDY POE | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | JEFF WALKER-LARRY GRIFFITH | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | BRENTON WARD-MALCOLM SHERBINE | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | RONALD WHITTED-FELIX FUGATE | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | WYATT WILSON-HEATH LEWIS | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | MIKE WOLFENBARGER-STEVE MIRACLE | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | ZACK WOLLARD-BEN NAILL | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | TRAVIS WORMSLEY-JOHN CARROLL | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| 144 | JON WRIGHT-BEN PARKER | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Jordan Lee Grabs Inaugural MLF Bass Pro Tour Title
Courtesy of Major League Fishing, By Joel Shangle - February 3, 2019
KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Is there any level of fishing competition that MLF pro Jordan Lee doesn’t excel at? So far in the Alabama pro’s career, it sure doesn’t seem like he has any limitations.
Lee won a national collegiate championship in 2013 at the age of 21, and put back-to-back Bassmaster Classic trophies on his mantle in Grant, Ala., in 2017 and 2018. At the age of 27, Lee owns the most prolific Top 10 success rate in the sport (he’s made the Top 10 in just over 35 percent of his tour-level tournaments).
And now a 43-pound piece of hardware that nobody else will ever be able to claim: the inaugural MLF Bass Pro Tour championship trophy.
After finding an area of clean water on the north end of Lake Garcia, Lee put together a flurry of 2- and 3-pounders in the third period winding a vibrating jig through the grass, adding over 32 pounds to SCORETRACKER in the period to distance himself from Edwin Evers and Jared Lintner.
Lee finished the day with 55-1 on 26 to Evers’ 44-3 and Lintner’s 33-9.
“(The third period) was an unbelievable period,” Lee said. “I fished my way into that last area and got bite after bite after bite – and caught good ones, too – and just found myself in a spot with clear water and a lot of fish. Fish were moving in to spawn, so there were bigger fish in there. Edwin was coming on strong right there at the end, it feels pretty darn good.”
Evers did his best to overtake Lee. The Oklahoma pro matched Lee fish-for-fish in the final 2 ½ hours of competition – Evers and Lee both caught 16 fish – but couldn’t match Lee’s quality. Only three of Evers’ fish in the period were over 2 pounds, while 11 of Lee’s were between 2-4 and 4-11.
“I had the bites today, I just wasn’t on the right fish,” Evers said. “It was that simple. I thought I’d find a few bigger ones, but I never could get on bigger ones consistently.”
Lintner looked like he might be the man to beat until Lee and Evers put the hammer down in the final period. The Southern California pro put back-to-back fish of 4-1 and 3-15 on SCORETRACKER late in Period 1 flipping a 3-inch hand-poured black/blue/silver-flake craw, and then took the lead just before the end of Period 2 with the Berkley Big Bass of the day, a 5-5.
His flipping bite faltered in the final period, though. Lintner landed six scorable fish in the final 2 ½ hours, all but one of them between 1-3 and 1-7.
The battle for fourth through seventh was the tightest grouping of the day. Anthony Gagliardi finished fourth with 24-5, trailed by Alton Jones, Jr., (23-3), Randy Howell (22-2) and Michael Neal (21-8). Jess Sprague (18-9), Dustin Connell (14-12) and Takahiro Omori (12-11) finished out the Championship Rounds standings.
Championship Round
| Rank | Angler | Total Weight | # Fish | Avg Weight | Largest Fish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Jordan Lee | 55 - 01 | 26 | 2 - 02 | 4 - 11 |
| 2nd | Edwin Evers | 44 - 03 | 28 | 1 - 09 | 3 - 09 |
| 3rd | Jared Lintner | 33 - 09 | 19 | 1 - 12 | 5 - 05 |
| 4th | Anthony Gagliardi | 24 - 05 | 15 | 1 - 10 | 2 - 12 |
| 5th | Alton Jones Jr | 23 - 03 | 13 | 1 - 12 | 3 - 04 |
| 6th | Randy Howell | 22 - 02 | 14 | 1 - 09 | 4 - 02 |
| 7th | Michael Neal | 21 - 08 | 11 | 1 - 15 | 3 - 14 |
| 8th | Jeff Sprague | 18 - 09 | 14 | 1 - 05 | 1 - 13 |
| 9th | Dustin Connell | 14 - 12 | 7 | 2 - 02 | 4 - 00 |
| 10th | Takahiro Omori | 12 - 11 | 9 | 1 - 07 | 3 - 09 |
Chad Crosby & Keith Britt win Carolina Bass Challenge on Santee Cooper with 34.18 lbs & 10.81 lb BF
Results For :Santee Cooper 02-02-2019
SANTEE COOPER 02-02-2019
FLW TOUR HEADS TO LAKE TOHO FOR FOUR-DAY EVENT PRESENTED BY RANGER BOATS
Courtesy of FLW
Second Stop of 2019 Tour Season Brings Bass Fishing Action and Family Fun to Kissimmee Area
KISSIMMEE, Fla. (Jan. 24, 2018) – The Fishing League Worldwide (FLW) Tour, professional bass fishing’s most lucrative tournament circuit, heads to Lake Toho, Feb. 7-10, for the FLW Tour at Lake Toho presented by Ranger Boats. The event, hosted by Experience Kissimmee and the Kissimmee Sports Commission, will feature 170 of the world’s most decorated bass-fishing professionals casting for a top award of up to $125,000 cash in the Pro Division.
Now in its 24th season of competition, the FLW Tour has made the trek to Lake Toho five times in its history. When the circuit last visited in 2015, pro J.T. Kenney took top honors primarily working pad fields in Lake Toho and Lake Kissimmee with a black-and-blue stick worm. This year, the fishery is expected to host another productive week of bass fishing.
“If the weather slowly warms up it could be really good fishing. It’s possible to break 100 pounds [in four days] there,” said FLW Tour pro John Cox, a former FLW Cup champion with 12 career top-10 finishes in Florida – including one on Lake Toho. “I hear the water is still really high at Lake Toho, but the grass bite will probably be pretty good. There’s usually a couple of guys who figure out something in Kissimmee, Cypress and Hatchineha, too. There’s a lot of water to cover, and it’s always exciting when the Tour visits Florida.”
Cox predicted that the majority of the fish would be in the pre-spawn to spawn phase, but said that doesn’t necessarily mean close to the bank.
“There is not much spawning that happens inside the grass like in years past,” Cox said. “They used to scrape the lake and you’d have a nice clean bottom, but they haven’t scraped in a long time, so a lot of those fish actually spawn offshore now. There will be a lot of anglers out in the open-water hydrilla. Those bigger groups of fish are off the bank.”
Cox said that lipless crankbaits and Carolina rigs would be popular with anglers fishing off the bank, while Texas-rigged Yamamoto Senkos and Berkley Power Worms would likely see a lot of action shallow. The Florida veteran predicted it would take around 18 pounds a day – 72 pounds total – to win the tournament.
"We're thrilled to welcome the Fishing League Worldwide Tour to our destination," said John Poole, Executive Director of Kissimmee Sports Commission. "We pride ourselves on our area’s championship bass fishing lakes, which have been home to many marquee tournaments throughout the years. We appreciate the opportunity to host an event of this prestige and impact in the fishing industry, as well as raise awareness about the sport and the opportunities for anglers in the destination.”
Anglers will take off at 7 a.m. EST each day from Big Toho Marina, located at 69 Lakeview Drive, in Kissimmee. Thursday and Friday’s weigh-ins, Feb. 7-8, will be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s weigh-ins, Feb. 9-10, will also be held at the marina, but will begin at 4 p.m.
Television coverage of the FLW Tour at Lake Toho presented by Ranger Boats will premiere in 2019. The exact air-date will be announced soon. The Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show airs each Saturday night at 7 p.m. EST and is broadcast to more than 63 million cable, satellite and telecommunications households in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean on the World Fishing Network (WFN), the leading entertainment destination and digital resource for anglers throughout North America. FLW television is also distributed internationally to FLW partner countries, including Canada, China, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Portugal, Spain and South Africa.
The popular FLW Live on-the-water program will air on Days Three and Four of the event, featuring live action from the boats of the tournament’s top pros each day. Host Travis Moran will be joined by veteran FLW Tour pro Peter Thliveros to break down the extended action each day from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. On-the-water broadcasts will be live streamed on FLWFishing.com, the FLW YouTube channel and the FLW Facebook page.
Prior to weigh-in each day FLW will host a free Family Fishing Expo at Big Toho Marina from 2 to 6 p.m. The Expo is a chance for fishing fans to meet their favorite anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, and learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities.
Also for youth, the FLW Foundation’s Unified Fishing Derby will be held at the marina on Saturday, Feb. 9, from Noon-2 p.m. The event is hosted by FLW Foundation pro Cody Kelley along with other FLW Tour anglers, and is free and open to anyone under the age of 18 and Special Olympics athletes. Rods and reels are available for use, but youth are encouraged to bring their own if they own one. The 1st and 2nd place anglers that catch the biggest fish will be recognized Saturday on the FLW Tour stage, just prior to the pros weighing in.
In FLW Tour competition, the full field of 170 pro anglers compete in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The top 30 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advance to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2019 FLW Cup, the world championship of professional bass fishing. The 2019 FLW Cup will be on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Aug. 9-11 and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the sport’s top anglers on the FLW Tour on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
NICK THLIVEROS WINS COSTA FLW SERIES ON LAKE OKEECHOBEE
25-Year-Old Son of Bass-Fishing Legend Peter Thliveros Earns First Career Victory as a Boater, $54,000
CLEWISTON, Fla. (Feb. 2, 2019) – Florida boater Nick Thliveros of Saint Augustine, Florida, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 10 pounds, 15 ounces – enough to win the 2019 Costa FLW Series at Lake Okeechobee presented by Power-Pole. Thliveros, son of legendary bass angler Peter Thliveros, weighed in 15 bass over three days of competition totaling 46 pounds, 1 ounce, besting second-place angler Cody Nichols of Fayette, Alabama, by more than 4 pounds. For his victory, Thliveros earned the grand prize package worth $54,000.
“This feels amazing – one of those things that you lay in bed and dream about at night,” said Thliveros, who was fishing in his 11th career tournament as a boater in FLW competition. “I’ve won fishing as a co-angler before, but to win as a pro in an event that I fished alongside my father is really, really cool. He is an amazing mentor, a heck of a teacher, and I wouldn’t be here today without him.”
Thliveros’ limits weighing 15-14 on Thursday and 19-4 on Friday came from the same area of Lake Okeechobee – the Hendry Canal. He threw a crack-colored Lucky Craft RC 2.0 squarebill crankbait to catch all of his fish on the first two days of competition, an estimated 8 keepers on Thursday and 10 keepers on Friday.
“The key for me was the condition of the lake,” Thliveros said. “I went and found the most stable water that I could find, where the weather and low water wouldn’t affect the fish. That was in the rim ditches, catching fish that were trying to spawn.
“Today, the fish moved up and I couldn’t figure them out,” Thliveros continued. “I only had two little fish on the crankbait this morning, so I had to scrap that whole pattern around 10:45 (a.m.) and just went junk-fishing. I made my way to the back of the Monkey Box and was able to salvage 10 pounds and thankfully that was enough.”
Thliveros fished a black and blue Nichols jig with a blue bug-colored Strike King Rage Craw and a Texas-rigged black, blue and silver-colored Bitters Salty Sling with a 1/32-ounce tungsten Bullet Weight to catch his limit Saturday.
“The rest of the southeastern division events set up really well for me, so I’m excited to see how everything shakes out this season,” Thliveros went on to say. “This was definitely a great way to start the year.”
The top 10 pros on Lake Okeechobee finished:
1st: Nick Thliveros, Saint Augustine, Fla., 15 bass, 46-1, $54,000
2nd: Cody Nichols, Fayette, Ala., 15 bass, 42-0, $22,200
3rd: Jason Abram, Piney Flats, Tenn., 15 bass, 42-0, $15,350
4th: Brett Preuett, Monroe, La., 14 bass, 39-9, $13,250
5th: Sandy Melvin, Boca Grande, Fla., 15 bass, 38-2, $12,250
6th: Bryan New, Belmont, N.C., 15 bass, 38-2, $9,625
7th: Lance Oligschlaeger, Gallatin, Tenn., 13 bass, 38-1, $8,300
8th: David Parsons, Dothan, Ala., 15 bass, 35-10, $7,300
9th: Billy Hall, Greenback, Tenn., 15 bass, 34-6, $6,300
10th: Val Osinski, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., 15 bass, 32-4, $4,700
A complete list of results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Casey Warren of Galivants Ferry, South Carolina, weighed a 7-pound, 14-ounce, bass Friday – the biggest of the tournament in the Pro Division. For his catch, Warren earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $300.
Andy Niles of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, won the Co-angler Division, a Ranger Z175 with a 115-horsepower outboard motor and $5,000 with a three-day total of 10 bass weighing 40 pounds, 8 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers on Lake Okeechobee finished:
1nd: Andy Niles, Ocean Springs, Miss., 10 bass, 40-8, Ranger Z175 w/115-horsepower outboard + $5,000 Ranger Cup
2nd: Todd Scherr, Coral Springs, Fla., 15 bass, 32-11, $6,725
3rd: Rodney Tapp, North Augusta, S.C., 15 bass, 32-7, $5,350
4th: Kyle Gelles, Pingree, Idaho, 14 bass, 32-6, $4,350
5th: Darin Mitchell, Rutledge, Ga., 13 bass, 30-12, $3,650
6th: Don Lewis, Jacksonville, Fla., 12 bass, 27-14, $3,150
7th: James Hatch, Gainesville, Fla., 11 bass, 27-1, $2,650
8th: Josh Driver, Hiram, Ga., 14 bass, 24-8, $2,075
9th: Calvin Clatterbuck, Conway, S.C., 10 bass, 22-4, $1,630
10th: Bryan Ray, Lake Leelanau, Mich., 11 bass, 19-9, $1,390
Gelles caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division Thursday, a fish weighing 7 pounds, 8 ounces. For his catch, Gelles earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $200.
The Costa FLW Series on Lake Okeechobee presented by Power-Pole was hosted by Roland & Mary Ann Martin’s Marina & Resort and the Hendry County Tourism Development Council. It was the first of three Southeastern Division tournaments of the 2019 regular season. The next Costa FLW Series tournament will be the Western Division opener, held Feb. 28 - March 2 on Lake Mead in Las Vegas, Nevada. For a complete schedule, visit FLWFishing.com.
The Costa FLW Series consists of five U.S. divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western – along with the International division. Each U.S. division consists of three regular-season tournaments with competitors vying for valuable points that could earn them the opportunity to compete in the season-ending Costa FLW Series Championship. The 2019 Costa FLW Series Championship is being held Oct. 31 – Nov. 2 on Lake Cumberland in Burnside, Kentucky.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Costa FLW Series on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
MLF Bass Pro Tour set for Championship Sunday on Garcia Reservoir
 |
|
Brett Hite's 9-13 from the Knockout Round. (Click to enlarge/download)
|
Connell’s Clutch Catches Carry Him to Championship Round
Courtesy of Major League Fishing & Mason Prince - February 2, 2019
KISSIMMEE, Fla. – While drama was unfolding near the Elimination Line during Period 3 of the Knockout Round, MLF pro Dustin Connell climbed his way to the top of the SCORETRACKER. Now, he’s getting ready to compete in the first-ever Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One Championship Round.
Connell finished the day with 14 bass for 49 pounds, 10 ounces, which is 6-12 ahead of Jeff Sprague, who finished second. But Connell wasn’t dominant from the start of the day. The Alabama native was in 36th place with only an hour left in the round and only had hauled in 11-9. He needed a miracle to make it to the Championship Round, and he got one.
“I started on Kissimmee today and wasn’t having any bites,” Connell recalled. “I only caught two there this morning so I left. Finally, at 2:30 I came back to that place I started, and they were there, dude.”
Connell made the decision to move to deeper water offshore, and he used the same bait and the same rod for the rest of his round: a 10-inch Googan Baits Mondo Worm on a Favorite 7:3 Heavy Rush rod. His crunch-time decision making made all the difference.
His run started with a 3-12 with only 59 minutes left in the round. Then, 16 minutes later, a 2-14. Connell then landed 6 bass in 11 minutes weighing a combined total of more than 22 pounds.
“I started fishing a shell bed, and you need sun for an area like that to work,” Connell explained. “Well, they got there and once they did it was on.”
MLF pro Dustin Connell stunned viewers by catching more than 38 pounds in the last hour of the Knockout Round. He caught this 9 pound, 4 ounce bass.
Finally, the monster bite made his day. With 17 minutes left in the round, Connell set the hook on a 9-4, securing his spot in the Championship Round.
“That’s the biggest bass I’ve ever caught in Florida,” Connell said. “When he came up I thought he was a 12-pounder because his mouth was so massive. It was unreal. I was kind of upset we had to leave.”
Connell hopes to carry his hot streak into the Championship Round and walk away with a $100,000 paycheck. However, to do so, he will have to beat out nine other anglers on Lake Garcia, a body of water he has never fished.
“I told myself during practice that I wasn’t going to go down there,” Connell explained. “I said if I make it to the Championship Round I’ll just fish by the seat of my pants. That’s what I’m best at anyway.”
The Top 10 anglers’ weights will reset as they begin Sunday’s Championship Round. Only one angler will walk away with the Stage One trophy and a $100,000 paycheck. Watch MLF NOW! starting at 10 a.m. EST on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MLF app.
Day 5
| Rank | Angler | Total Weight | # Fish | Avg Weight | Largest Fish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Dustin Connell | 49 - 10 | 14 | 3 - 09 | 9 - 04 |
| 2nd | Jeff Sprague | 42 - 14 | 24 | 1 - 13 | 4 - 08 |
| 3rd | Takahiro Omori | 40 - 09 | 16 | 2 - 09 | 7 - 00 |
| 4th | Randy Howell | 38 - 04 | 20 | 1 - 15 | 4 - 08 |
| 5th | Alton Jones Jr | 33 - 08 | 19 | 1 - 12 | 3 - 11 |
| 6th | Jordan Lee | 33 - 02 | 20 | 1 - 11 | 4 - 03 |
| 7th | Anthony Gagliardi | 32 - 01 | 18 | 1 - 12 | 5 - 00 |
| 8th | Edwin Evers | 31 - 09 | 20 | 1 - 09 | 2 - 15 |
| 9th | Jared Lintner | 31 - 00 | 17 | 1 - 13 | 2 - 10 |
| 10th | Michael Neal | 29 - 13 | 17 | 1 - 12 | 3 - 13 |
| 11th | Mike Iaconelli | 29 - 09 | 20 | 1 - 08 | 2 - 05 |
| 12th | Bobby Lane | 27 - 03 | 20 | 1 - 06 | 2 - 03 |
| 13th | Andy Montgomery | 24 - 08 | 12 | 2 - 01 | 5 - 01 |
| 14th | Dave Lefebre | 24 - 05 | 15 | 1 - 10 | 2 - 14 |
| 15th | Mark Daniels | 24 - 02 | 13 | 1 - 14 | 2 - 09 |
| 16th | Ott DeFoe | 22 - 14 | 16 | 1 - 07 | 2 - 03 |
| 17th | Greg Hackney | 22 - 11 | 14 | 1 - 10 | 3 - 01 |
| 18th | John Murray | 21 - 15 | 12 | 1 - 13 | 3 - 12 |
| 19th | Terry Scroggins | 21 - 07 | 10 | 2 - 02 | 6 - 05 |
| 20th | Ish Monroe | 20 - 13 | 8 | 2 - 10 | 5 - 14 |
| 21st | Brent Ehrler | 20 - 12 | 10 | 2 - 01 | 4 - 01 |
| 22nd | Gerald Spohrer | 19 - 15 | 11 | 1 - 13 | 3 - 07 |
| 23rd | Marty Robinson | 19 - 14 | 15 | 1 - 05 | 2 - 00 |
| 24th | Adrian Avena | 19 - 01 | 8 | 2 - 06 | 3 - 01 |
| 25th | Brett Hite | 18 - 06 | 6 | 3 - 01 | 9 - 12 |
| 26th | Chris Lane | 16 - 14 | 11 | 1 - 08 | 2 - 14 |
| 27th | Jacob Wheeler | 16 - 11 | 11 | 1 - 08 | 2 - 00 |
| 28th | Jason Christie | 16 - 00 | 6 | 2 - 11 | 3 - 15 |
| 29th | Randall Tharp | 15 - 04 | 8 | 1 - 15 | 3 - 00 |
| 30th | Jacob Powroznik | 15 - 00 | 8 | 1 - 14 | 4 - 10 |
| 31st | Fletcher Shryock | 14 - 15 | 7 | 2 - 02 | 3 - 01 |
| 32nd | Jonathon VanDam | 13 - 07 | 5 | 2 - 11 | 4 - 10 |
| 33rd | Mark Davis | 12 - 11 | 7 | 1 - 13 | 3 - 14 |
| 34th | Brandon Palaniuk | 12 - 07 | 8 | 1 - 09 | 2 - 06 |
| 35th | Alton Jones | 10 - 06 | 7 | 1 - 08 | 1 - 13 |
| 36th | Gerald Swindle | 10 - 05 | 5 | 2 - 01 | 4 - 08 |
| 37th | Aaron Martens | 9 - 02 | 4 | 2 - 04 | 4 - 11 |
| 38th | Brandon Coulter | 6 - 07 | 4 | 1 - 10 | 2 - 06 |
| 39th | Zack Birge | 5 - 03 | 4 | 1 - 05 | 1 - 09 |
| 40th | Kelly Jordon | 4 - 06 | 3 | 1 - 07 | 1 - 10 |
Elimination Round Survivors: 40 Anglers Advance to Saturday Knockout Round in Kissimmee
 |
|
Jacob Powroznik's 6-2 bass anchored his day's performance in the Elimination Round. He stayed in the Top 10 of the 40 anglers who advanced to the Knockouts
|
Theliveros in control in Okeechobee Costa Event
February 1, 2019
by Kyle Wood / Courtesy of FLW
In his fourth year as a pro in the Costa FLW Series, Nick Thliveros is one day away from putting his hands on his first title trophy from the front of the boat. Thliveros caught 15 pounds, 14 ounces yesterday to open the tournament in second and bettered that with 19-4 today to put him in the lead by 4-7 in the Southeastern Division event presented by Power-Pole on Lake Okeechobee.
While many pros have been waiting out a kicker bite late in the day, Thliveros takes advantage early.
“The first keeper I caught yesterday was a 5-12,” says Thliveros. “My first fish today was a 6-pounder. I had six fish hooked today and landed five of them. I’m not getting many bites, but when I do get bit it’s a good one. These fish are big and fat and want to pull up [to spawn]. I’m just worried the lake is going to turn on, and I don’t know if what I’m doing could keep up if that happens.”
There are definitely signs the females want to spawn. Throughout weigh-in most of the big fish were clean with white bellies – a sign that they are new to the shallow water where they’ll spawn.
Having experience on Okeechobee has helped Thliveros to a degree, but he’s mostly focused on playing the hand that was dealt.
“With the lake in the condition it’s in and fishing a lot smaller I wanted to find a place with consistent water,” says the St. Augustine, Fla., pro. “I’m actually catching my fish in the same area I caught fish last year. I’m expanding and running new water in the area looking for specific stuff that fits the pattern. I can catch some fish off the same stretch, but I’m just expanding on what my previous knowledge of the area is.”
With a tight race among the top pros it’s fair that Thliveros is reluctant to give up too much about his pattern. Though, he is dialed enough to only need one rod tomorrow.
“I’ll have two rods on the deck tomorrow,” Thliveros says. “Well, I’ll have one in my hand and another on the deck that’s rigged with the exact same bait as a backup.
“I know there are fish pulling up. The weather is getting right,” he says. “I know what I should be looking for to catch those fish, and I do have a backup plan for tomorrow, but I really hope I don’t have to do it.”
Top 10 pros:
1. Nick Thliveros – St. Augustine, Fla. – 35-2 (10)
2. Lance Oligschlaeger – Gallatin, Tenn. – 30-11 (9)
3. Cody Nichols – Fayette, Ala. – 30-0 (10)
4. Brett Preuett – Monroe, La. – 27-6 (9)
5. David Parsons – Dothan, Ala. – 26-7 (10)
6. Sandy Melvin – Boca Grande, Fla. – 26-5 (10)
7. Bryan New – Belmont, N.C. – 24-14 (10)
8. Jason Abram – Piney Flats, Tenn. – 24-12 (10)
9. Val Osinski – Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – 24-9 (10)
10. Billy Hall – Greenback, Tenn. – 24-5 (10)
Scherr consistent for co-angler lead
Like Thliveros, co-angler Todd Scherr of Coral Springs, Fla., is in position to earn his first win tomorrow.
Scherr caught 12-9 on day one and added another 12-8 today to bring his total to 25-1 and give him a 2-2 lead going into the final day.
“I live an hour from Okeechobee, so I fish it a fair amount,” says Scherr. “I haven’t fished it for fourth months before this, but I know what to do when you’re on this lake. From there, it’s a matter of who you draw.”
Lucky for him, pros and co-anglers are paired by standings on the final day, so Scherr will get to fish with Thliveros as they both chase a title.
Top 10 co-anglers:
1. Todd Scherr – Coral Springs, Fla. – 25-1 (10)
2. Kyle Gelles – Pingree, Idaho – 22-15 (9)
3. Don Lewis – Jacksonville, Fla. – 20-6 (7)
4. Andy Niles – Ocean Springs, Miss. – 18-9 (5)
5. James Hatch – Gainesville, Fla. – 18-2 (6)
6. Rodney Tapp – North Augusta, S.C. – 18-1 (10)
7. Darin Mitchell – Rutledge, Ga. – 18-0 (8)
8. Bryan Ray – Lake Leelanau, Mich. – 17-15 (10)
9. Calvin Clutterbuck – Conway, S.C. – 17-14 (8)
10. Josh Driver – Hiram, Ga. – 17-14 (10)
Toyota Bonus Bucks Pays College Anglers to Fish
Courtesy of Luke Stoner / Dynamic Sponsorships
It’s the dream of most college anglers who compete in tournaments to get paid to fish. Cash winnings at the college level help to offset travel, lodging, food, and tackle expenses for collegiate anglers who typically participate in tournaments on a tight budget. The Toyota Bonus Bucks College Series program makes that dream a reality.
The Toyota Bonus Bucks College Series program is simple and very similar to general Bonus Bucks. The main difference, you can drive any yearof Toyota tow vehicle and you’ll be eligible for the College program. For a full list of supported events, rules, FAQs, or to get registered for program click here - https://www.toyotatrucksbonusbucks.com/college- but as a general overview:
- Drive a Toyota
- Use any owned or leased Toyota Tundra, Tacoma, Sequoia, or 4Runner to tow your boat to the tournament and you’re eligible for the program. (Vehicle can be in parent(s)’ or legal guardian’s name & there are no year restrictions on the College Series.)
- Register (for FREE)
- You can register online at: https://www.toyotatrucksbonusbucks.com/college/registrationor in person at any College B.A.S.S. or YETI FLW College Fishing tournaments.
- Fish
- All Carhartt College B.A.S.S., YETI FLW College Fishing, and select ACA Collegiate Bass Fishing Series tournaments are supported.
- Must finish within the top 50% of the field to be eligible for Highest Finisher payouts (minimum field size of no less than 30 boats).
- Redeem
- Submit an official contingency claim form within 30-days of the tournament. Upon verification and approval, you’ll be sent your contingency payment!
It’s that easy. If you tow with an eligible Toyota vehicle, fish in supported collegiate tournaments, and aren’t signed up for Bonus Bucks, you are missing out on a chance at free money! If you any comments or questions on the program you can contact Luke Stoner by email - [email protected], or by phone at (918) 742-6424.
Lane, Swindle Edge Passed Faircloth in Tense Elimination Round
Courtesy of MLF , By Mason Prince - Photo Credit Garrick Dixon
February 1, 2019
KISSIMMEE, Fla. – It was another nail-biter. For the second straight day, the final spot in the Elimination Round of the MLF Bass Pro Tour B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One came down to the final minutes. Bobby Lane, Gerald Swindle and Todd Faircloth battled each other for the last 30 minutes, with Lane and Faircloth securing their spot in Saturday’s Knockout Round.
“It’s very disappointing and very frustrating,” Faircloth said after finishing below the Elimination Line by 1 pound, 8 ounces. “You always hurt for the first man out and I was that guy today. I just didn’t fish real clean. You can’t do that against this caliber of guys and expect to make it.”
With 30 minutes remaining in the round, Swindle landed a 2-13 that shot him just below Faircloth. Then, with 23 minutes until “lines out”, G-Man reeled in a 1-6 putting him just 11 ounces behind Faircloth for the final spot. His final strike, a 2-6 with only 7 minutes left in the round that pushed him ahead of Faircloth and Lane, securing the 19th spot. Swindle knew if he was going to make it, he was going to have to keep an eye out for Bobby Lane.
“It was stressful because you don’t want to be in Florida and have Bobby ahead of you or right behind you,” Swindle recapped. “The Lane brothers can catch them here and you know that they can make the last-minute decisions.”
The three-fish run that vaulted Swindle above the cutline was the difference, but his stress level was understandably high during that time.
“If you wanted good TV you got it today,” Swindle chuckled. “It sucks when you’re holding a fishing pole I tell you that much.”
As for Lane, with only 30 minutes remaining in the round he found himself 1-8 behind Faircloth for that final spot inside the Top 20.
“I knew I had to catch at least two more fish to even have a shot at getting in to the next round,” Lane explained.
He did exactly that. The Florida native reeled in a 1-2 with 19 minutes left to move within 6 ounces of Faircloth. The final blow: A 1-14 with only three minutes left on the clock.
“It’s the best feeling in the world because I love these bodies of water,” Lane explained while wrapping up his rods. “It’s unfortunate it was that close for me but tomorrow I open up a new book and go somewhere else. The worst I can do now is 40thplace.”
The 40-man field is set for Saturday’s Knockout Round. All weights are zeroed out as the anglers compete to make it inside the Top 10 and the right to move on to Sunday’s Championship Round. Catch the action on MLF NOW! streaming exclusively on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MLF app starting at 10 a.m. EST.
Troy Roder Leads Costa on Big O with over 19 pounds!
January 31, 2019 by Kyle Wood
In his last few trips to Okeechobee for Costa FLW Series events, Troy Roder of Brookeland, Texas, has brought a little over 21 pounds to the scale total. This year, he’s almost matched that after just one day. In the season opener of the Southeastern Division, which is presented by Power-Pole, Roder weighed a solid 19-pound, 15-ounce limit. That bag has him 4 pounds ahead of Nick Thliveros and ready to see what tomorrow brings.
Dismal practices were the rule in this tournament, not the exception. Roder struggled like many, yet had one spot he felt confident in. Turns out, it was the right spot.
“I made a long run to my spot, and when I got to it there was a shiner guide on it,” says Roder, who’s also a rookie on the FLW Tour. “I started fishing around and watched the guide catch a bunch of fish. I only caught a few.
“The five fish I had were the only bites I got all day,” he adds. “I got in my area, and I didn’t move for the rest of the day. I bet I saw the guide catch 12 5-pounders. And they broke one off that was 8 and another close to 7. The potential is there, and with the way the lake is setting up right now it could get good.”
Roder is reluctant to divulge too much information about how he’s catching fish, and you can’t blame him. He notes that he caught his weight on a variety of baits.
Aside from being a rookie on Tour, this is Roder’s third season in the Costa FLW Series. In 2017, he qualified for the championship via the Central Division, where he finished 38th overall. When it comes to major tournament experience, he lacks some, and his only worry is that his inexperience might hurt him.
“Two years ago I was in fourth after day one on Dardanelle,” Roder says. “The next day I zeroed. So, I’m trying to be more positive because I haven’t been doing this for too long. But it’s hard not to think about something like that. I know things can change on this lake.”
Despite lack of experience, Roder is poised and ready for tomorrow. Plus, he says the shiner guide won’t be out there, so he can rest easy knowing he may have the juice to himself.
Top 10 pros:
1. Troy Roder – Brookeland, Texas – 19-15 (5)
2. Nick Thliveros – St. Augustine, Fla. – 15-14 (5)
3. Kyle Welcher – Opelika, Ala. – 14-10 (5)
4. Will Yelverton – Hazel Green, Ala. – 14-9 (5)
5. Lance Oligschlaeger – Gallatin, Tenn. – 14-6 (4)
6. Matt Wieteha – Miami, Fla. – 14-1 (5)
7. Brianne McMillan – Belle Glade, Fla. – 13-15 (4)
8. Bryan Thrift – Shelby, N.C. – 13-14 (5)
9. Sandy Melvin – Boca Grande, Fla. – 13-13 (5)
10. Koby Newman – Kennedy, Ala. – 13-5 (5)
Niles way out front on co-angler side
Andy Niles of Ocean Springs, Miss., took a commanding lead after day one on a tough Okeechobee when he dropped 18 pounds, 9 ounces on the scale to take charge by nearly 6 pounds.
When you come to Okeechobee, usually you can find a bite that suits your style. Niles got to experience that today.
“I caught them my way; power fishing,” says Niles. “It was better when the sun came out midday, but I think if I get around some tomorrow I can catch them the way I like to fish.”
Niles caught 10 keepers on the day and is ready to put himself in position to compete on Saturday.
Top 10 co-anglers:
1. Andy Niles – Ocean Springs, Miss. – 18-9 (5)
2. Kyle Gelles – Pingree, Idaho – 12-12 (4)
3. Todd Scherr – Coral Springs, Fla. – 12-9 (5)
4. Randy Forbes – Pleasant Plain, Ohio – 11-9 (5)
4. Jonathan Kelley – Old Forge, Pa. – 11-9 (5)
6. Travis Harley – Sherwood, Ark. – 11-6 (5)
7. Todd Lee – Jasper, Ala. – 11-0 (5)
8. Antoni Bicy – Lehigh, Fla. – 10-11 (5)
9. James Hatch – Gainesville, Fla. – 10-7 (3)
10. Darin Mitchell – Rutledge, Ga. – 10-5 (5)
Garrett Paquette - "I'm Ready for the Show!"
This week Jason talks to 2019 Bassmaster Classic Qualifier and Elite Series Rookie Garrett Paquette. The Michigan Native remembers when Michigans own KVD won the Classic in 2005 and that's when he decided what he wanted to pursue in life. This is a great interview to get to know one of the sports fastest up and coming anglers!
Jordon, Montgomery make big moves on first MLF Bass Pro Tour Elimination Round
Andy Montgomery with one of the quality fish that fueled his Elimination Round comeback. Photo by Phoenix Moore.
Courtesy of Joel Shangle / Major League Fishing - January 31, 2019
KISSIMMEE, Fla. – There’s an old joke about Florida’s sky in the winter: “If you don’t like the weather right now, don’t worry, it’ll change in 5 minutes.”
Florida weather has nothing on the MLF Bass Pro Tour SCORETRACKER.
On a day when 20th place – and a spot in the Knockout Round – was the ultimate goal, the Bass Pro Tour’s live-scoring software was given a workout. Ish Monroe continued to dominate Group A, punching his way to 20 pounds, 7 ounces for a two-day total of 61-4 and the Phoenix Boats Daily Leader award.
But the most frenetic action happened further down the standings on Day 3 of the B & W Trailer Hitches Stage One presented By Power-Pole on the Kissimmee Chain:
-Kelly Jordon, who started the day in 36th place with 3 pounds, 13 ounces, stacked 42 pounds, 7 ounces on SCORETRACKER to leap into sixth place.
-Andy Montgomery, who had a miserable Shotgun Round with only one fish for 1-14, put together 12 fish and 32-1 to battle his way over the Elimination Line and into the Top 20, ending with a two-day total of 33-15.
-Takahiro Omori, Jared Lintner, Edwin Evers and Brett Hite significantly improved their Shotgun Round weights to climb well above the elimination line. Omori put 32-9 on the board, Lintner had 25-12, Evers weighed 24-11 and Hite added 22-10.
“I found a spot in Kissimmee on Google Earth the night after I got my butt kicked in the first round,” Montgomery admitted. “I had never seen that spot in my life, but I got two bites right when I got in there. I didn’t land either of those fish, but that helped my confidence, so I just stayed there, and picked the area apart with a Strike King Rodent.”
Montgomery leaned heavily on quality fish, going back-to-back-to-back on a 4-6, a 5-6 and a 4-13 in a 35-minute span that officially pushed him into the Top 20.
Jordon, on the other hand, played the numbers game. The MLF veteran recorded 26 fish for 42-7 after making some quick adjustments to his overall approach.
“I knew where some good areas where, and just really tried to force it the first day,” Jordon said. “It’s the first tournament of the year, and you might be way more hard-headed than you should be. I went back and did the same kind of stuff today, started catching them right off the bat and got back in it.”
Quotable
Jordan Lee (20th/30-12) – “I spent the majority of day today where I caught my fish on the first day and didn’t catch hardly anything. I had about 45 minutes left, only had one fish the whole day, and just made a switch to a different area. I caught a 4 right off the bat, then another, and then a 2 with 2 minutes left. It was just crazy, but it just shows you that you’re never out of it.”
Brett Hite (18th/33-7) – “I flip-flopped my day, which worked out really well. I started the morning where I ended the day yesterday, and started catching them right off the bat. The condition today were a little bit better for what I like to do. Hopefully we get a little rain or it gets a little warmer. I’ve had 24 pounds here on five fish, it could happen real quick if those big females move up. We could see some fireworks in the Knockout Round.”
Jared Lintner (12th/39-9) – “I was in the cut, then out of the cut, then in … then out, all day long. It’s just a different game. It’s exciting, but I’m fried. All the decisions that add up based on SCORETRACKER is just a totally different dynamic. don’t know how many casts I made today. I threw a reaction bait, just going, going, going, covered a lot of water. I can’t even think right now. My wife was like “What are you going to have for dinner?” I don’t even know what I’m doing to do in the next 20 minutes.”
Elimination Round
| Rank | Angler | Day 1 | Day 2 | Total Weight | # Fish | Avg Weight | Largest Fish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Ish Monroe | 40 - 13 | 20 - 07 | 61 - 04 | 24 | 2 - 08 | 3 - 15 |
| 2nd | Ott DeFoe | 34 - 14 | 25 - 10 | 60 - 08 | 25 | 2 - 07 | 4 - 02 |
| 3rd | Zack Birge | 36 - 09 | 21 - 00 | 57 - 09 | 21 | 2 - 16 | 6 - 06 |
| 4th | Randy Howell | 49 - 12 | 7 - 08 | 57 - 04 | 29 | 2 - 03 | 4 - 06 |
| 5th | Takahiro Omori | 19 - 12 | 32 - 09 | 52 - 05 | 27 | 2 - 01 | 2 - 10 |
| 6th | Kelly Jordon | 3 - 13 | 42 - 07 | 46 - 04 | 26 | 1 - 13 | 3 - 14 |
| 7th | Gerald Spohrer | 35 - 04 | 10 - 00 | 45 - 04 | 23 | 1 - 14 | 2 - 13 |
| 8th | Randall Tharp | 28 - 11 | 15 - 04 | 43 - 15 | 15 | 2 - 14 | 2 - 15 |
| 9th | Chris Lane | 18 - 00 | 25 - 02 | 43 - 02 | 23 | 1 - 14 | 4 - 04 |
| 10th | Dave Lefebre | 26 - 06 | 15 - 07 | 41 - 13 | 23 | 1 - 13 | 3 - 15 |
| 11th | Mark Davis | 24 - 03 | 16 - 10 | 40 - 13 | 24 | 1 - 12 | 3 - 09 |
| 12th | Jared Lintner | 13 - 13 | 25 - 12 | 39 - 09 | 23 | 1 - 12 | 2 - 08 |
| 13th | Brandon Coulter | 32 - 05 | 5 - 04 | 37 - 09 | 21 | 1 - 10 | 1 - 13 |
| 14th | Michael Neal | 13 - 14 | 23 - 04 | 37 - 02 | 20 | 1 - 13 | 3 - 03 |
| 15th | Jacob Wheeler | 23 - 09 | 12 - 04 | 35 - 13 | 18 | 1 - 15 | 2 - 06 |
| 16th | Edwin Evers | 11 - 00 | 24 - 11 | 35 - 11 | 19 | 1 - 13 | 4 - 02 |
| 17th | Andy Montgomery | 1 - 14 | 32 - 01 | 33 - 15 | 12 | 2 - 06 | 5 - 06 |
| 18th | Brett Hite | 10 - 13 | 22 - 10 | 33 - 07 | 20 | 1 - 10 | 3 - 11 |
| 19th | Mark Daniels | 20 - 13 | 11 - 14 | 32 - 11 | 14 | 2 - 05 | 5 - 02 |
| 20th | Jordan Lee | 17 - 05 | 13 - 07 | 30 - 12 | 15 | 2 - 01 | 4 - 05 |
| 21st | Greg Vinson | 18 - 13 | 11 - 13 | 30 - 10 | 19 | 1 - 10 | 3 - 04 |
| 22nd | Stephen Browning | 13 - 00 | 16 - 05 | 29 - 05 | 16 | 2 - 00 | 6 - 13 |
| 23rd | Matt Lee | 17 - 15 | 11 - 01 | 29 - 00 | 13 | 2 - 03 | 2 - 02 |
| 24th | Cody Meyer | 10 - 03 | 18 - 12 | 28 - 15 | 17 | 1 - 13 | 2 - 02 |
| 25th | Russ Lane | 16 - 01 | 11 - 00 | 27 - 01 | 13 | 2 - 01 | 3 - 04 |
| 26th | Roy Hawk | 12 - 12 | 13 - 10 | 26 - 06 | 11 | 2 - 07 | 3 - 13 |
| 27th | David Walker | 6 - 04 | 19 - 08 | 25 - 12 | 14 | 1 - 15 | 2 - 15 |
| 28th | Tim Horton | 9 - 04 | 15 - 06 | 24 - 10 | 12 | 2 - 01 | 4 - 03 |
| 29th | Casey Ashley | 13 - 00 | 9 - 00 | 22 - 00 | 11 | 1 - 16 | 4 - 00 |
| 30th | Mike McClelland | 4 - 00 | 14 - 13 | 18 - 13 | 10 | 1 - 12 | 3 - 03 |
| 31st | Fred Roumbanis | 5 - 12 | 11 - 11 | 17 - 07 | 11 | 1 - 09 | 4 - 07 |
| 32nd | Andy Morgan | 9 - 14 | 7 - 03 | 17 - 01 | 10 | 2 - 07 | 4 - 07 |
| 33rd | Gary Klein | 12 - 14 | 2 - 08 | 15 - 06 | 10 | 1 - 07 | 1 - 05 |
| 34th | James Watson | 9 - 00 | 6 - 02 | 15 - 02 | 10 | 1 - 08 | 2 - 00 |
| 35th | Jason Lambert | 7 - 00 | 7 - 05 | 14 - 05 | 9 | 1 - 10 | 2 - 00 |
| 36th | James Elam | 3 - 04 | 10 - 15 | 14 - 03 | 9 | 1 - 07 | 2 - 08 |
| 37th | Tommy Biffle | 4 - 03 | 9 - 12 | 13 - 15 | 7 | 2 - 00 | 2 - 08 |
| 38th | Justin Lucas | 1 - 06 | 11 - 12 | 13 - 02 | 4 | 2 - 10 | 6 - 06 |
| 39th | Keith Poche | 3 - 14 | 4 - 11 | 8 - 09 | 6 | 1 - 07 | 2 - 02 |
| 40th | Shin Fukae | 2 - 06 | 3 - 14 | 6 - 04 | 5 | 1 - 04 | 1 - 06 |
Gill Launches S1 19 Collection
|
New technical fishing apparel and accessories emphasize Gill’s manufacturing legacy, and certify the company’s commitment to anglers worldwide |
|
Buford, GA (January 31, 2019) – Gill’s latest season today became available for purchase. The large collection is spearheaded in the fishing category by the brands’ iconic Fusion Jacket, designed to meet the needs of the professional angler with advanced technological details for the ultimate protection. This design philosophy and commitment to 100% water testing is reflected in the innovative new products rolled out across the whole collection. Please see the attached for an overview of the entire season. The new collection builds on the company’s unrivaled experience and expertise in technical clothing developed over 40 years; all Gill products are created using Gill’s proprietary fabrics and materials. The iconic British brand is proud to release over 60 new products, including fishing jackets and bibs, bags, sunglasses, watches, UV tech t-shirts and shorts, hats, and boots. For the new season, Gill has incorporated colors such as blue, graphite and tango to bring energy and cutting-edge style to the new collection. Some of the standout products include: |
|
|
FUSION SYSTEM: Inspired by the offshore lineup, the FUSION collection offers a more accessible, multifunctional 3-layer jacket, smock and trousers with appealing user innovations suitable for anglers in all conditions and with the signature stylish tango flair of the season. |
|
|
OS2 SYSTEM: Gill has revamped their most popular line of 2-layer clothing designed to protect against the elements with new features and colors, and now offering a dedicated drop-seat trouser design for women. |
|
|
|
UV Tech: Gill is bringing a wide new collection of multi-activity, multisport clothing for fun and adventure in and around the water, with built-in UV protection, including t-shirts, polos, shorts, skorts, trousers and board shorts. |
|
|
Performance Footwear: Gill’s latest three models of boots are designed for extreme conditions and optimized for the perfect balance of protection, quick drying, grip and comfort. |
|
|
Eyewear: Gill’s latest sunglasses offer stylish, floating eye protection, whether it’s fishing in any weather condition, throwing a fly on the river, trekking along the coast in all conditions or enjoying drinks in the sun with friends on shore. |
|
Matt Clark, Product Development Director at Gill said: “Our latest range is our best yet, it combines all of our technical know how from the last forty years with more innovative designs to increase performance of the garments. Our Race Ocean System has been tested for more than 700 hours by some exceptional athletes in the toughest conditions. We can therefore say without hesitation that the best just got better!” Launched in conjunction with a new look logo and creative direction Gill is confident about the S119 season. |
|
|
|
2019: Big Year for the Spinnerbait?
By Vance McCullough
The spinnerbait has been less prominent in recent years on major tournament trails due to a number of factors, most having nothing to do with its continued effectiveness.
Swimbaits have come into favor during the spring-loaded Tour schedules have put that style of lure in the spotlight. Ditto for the bladed jig, a genre that has experienced a huge revival with the popularity of the Z-Man/Evergreen Jackhammer.
Of course, across the calendar, spinnerbaits can be found in nearly every angler’s boat. And for good reason.
According to our friends at Strike King, spinnerbaits have always been top sellers and continue to be such.
But in the early stages of 2019, spinnerbaits have played a major role in a couple of high stakes victories and a solid runner-up performance. While crankbaits have captured the headlines – and a lot of big bass – the silent spinners have quietly helped pros close out some impressive performances.
Terry Bolton put a big feather in his proverbial hat when he nailed-down his first tour victory after decades as an otherwise accomplished veteran pro. Bolton held off stiff competition and weird weather and water conditions at the FLW Tour kickoff on Sam Rayburn Reservoir. He did so largely on the strength of 3 sizes of the Rapala DT series crankbaits, but the man known as “Blades” also relied on a big blade to carve out the win.
Bolton’s slow-rolling weapon of choice was a white ¾ oz. Accent spinnerbait.
Hot on Bolton’s heels was rookie phenom Nick LeBrun. Having won the All-American championship and fished in the 2018 Forrest Wood Cup, LeBrun is quickly amassing major accolades. He finished runner-up in his Tour debut by leaning heavily on a Strike King 5XD, especially during the opening round when he put over 29 pounds on the scale to take the early lead.
But as the tournament progressed, LeBrun discovered a deep spinnerbait bite with ¾ oz. and 1 oz. V&M Lures prototypes. The new lure has been named “The Big LeBoom” and is headed to tackle retailers now.
On to Florida and a weather-shortened Bassmaster Eastern Open.
Ohio pro Whitney Stephens crushed it with a 2-day total of 57 pounds, 8 ounces and a winning margin of 11-9. By contrast, Jesse Wiggins won in 2017 on the same Harris Chain of Lakes with 59 pounds, 4 ounces – and he had 3 days to do it.
Stephens mostly did his work by dragging a couple of Zoom baits, Magnum Trick Worm and a Speed Worm, around hydrilla in 8-to-12 feet of water on a Carolina Rig.
Then the blade made another appearance.
“I had a 7- to 8-pound cull on my last stop,” Stephens said. “I had high teens and I went to 24 on my last stop. It was just incredible.” – according to David A. Brown’s report for Bassmaster.com.
A custom spinnerbait was the ticket.
Then there’s this personal anecdote. Last weekend my son Hunter and I had the privilege of sharing a day on the water with Gillz Gear pro Will Mansfield - @barefootkayakingangler on Instagram – who was leading the Kayak Bass Fishing Florida State Challenge at the time. Check the Tourney X web site or app to see if he can close out the win at the end of the month!
We each paddled our own kayaks and made our own lure choices. I got them going on the Jackhammer in thick hydrilla as a stiff breeze blew us across a South Florida fish factory.
It’s almost like cheating. That bait continues to catch fish by the dozen.
But, every time we go to that lake Hunter catches one of the biggest bass of the day on a spinnerbait.
And so it went on this trip. Hunter threw a Hildebrandt Tin Roller - designed by Bassmaster Elite Series veteran Bernie Schultz specifically for fishing shallow, thick grass. As he reeled-up to make another cast, he saw a bucket of a mouth open beneath the lure right beside his seat. A swing and a miss. But still. Of all the lures we threw as we drifted over miles of flooded grass, the biggest bass we saw that day had attacked a spinnerbait. In fact, our “two best bass!” – apologies to FLW Tour emcee Chris Jones – bit spinnerbaits.
Full disclosure: this article cites a pair of events that featured a strong hydrilla bite in 8-to-14 feet of water on both lakes. Also, slow-rolling is a time-honored cold-water technique. So, the scales tip slightly in favor of the spinning blades in these events. Bladed baits were absent at the Costa Series event on Lake Amistad. Point is, last year it seemed as if every bass on earth was hunting down a Jackhammer Chatterbait. Have we over-exposed a generation of fish to this hard-thumping lure? Probably not. Still, might this be the year that we see a return to a subtler approach; a silent killer?
Robinson’s Late-Day Surge Powers Him to Top of Shotgun Round
By Joel Shangle - January 30, 2019
KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Let today serve as a warning to all 80 anglers competing on the MLF Bass Pro Tour: No lead is ever safe. But on the flipside – and as daily winner Marty Robinson happily proved on Wednesday – you’re rarely out of it in the Bass Pro Tour’s “every fish counts” competition format.
Propelled by one of the most frenetic fish-catching displays in MLF history, Robinson rocketed from near the bottom of the 40-man field competing in Group B at the B & W Trailer Hitches Stage One presented By Power-Pole on the Kissimmee Chain to win the round by over 14 pounds.
After struggling mightily with one fish for 2 pounds, 3 ounces over the first six hours of the day, Robinson racked up 33 fish for 53-13 over the final two hours of competition, blazing past Anthony Gagliardi (41-14), Jacob Powroznik (33-8), Greg Hackney (31-6) and Fletcher Shryock (30-1) to claim his first Bass Pro Tour round win.
“I’d say this was a pretty memorable day,” Robinson said. “My first day of competition on the Bass Pro Tour, to come from almost at the bottom and win it like that, I don’t think I could’ve written it any better. I can tell you one thing for sure, it was about as much fun as I’ve had in awhile.”
Based on his previous experience fishing tournaments in Florida, Robinson had entered the event with the plan to fish offshore submergent vegetation. While he didn’t count on that plan producing big bites, he knew he might locate enough sizable groups of largemouth that would allow him to take advantage of MLF’s “every scorable fish” format.
That plan seemed like a failure for most of the day as Robinson struggled to locate fish. But once he did land on a school, it proved to be the Mother Lode.
“About noon, I was wondering if I shouldn’t have just gotten up there and started flipping the bank like everybody else,” he said. “When I finally ran into them, I just sat there and wrecked ‘em. By that time, I knew that a big school was about the only way I was going to catch up, so I stayed on those fish for the rest of the day.”
Robinson’s key baits were a green pumpkin Buckeye Lures swim jig and albino Zoom Super Fluke.
Gagliardi hangs on to second
Until Robinson started his epic run, the day looked like it belonged to Gagliardi.
After a relatively slow start to the morning where the South Carolina pro caught three fish in the first two hours, Gagliardi keyed into an open-water jerkbait bite late in the first period, recording 10 fish in a 27-minute flurry just before the period break. That burst added 20-10 to Gagliardi’s weight, pushing him past Hackney and into the lead, which he added to with six fish and 12-5 in the second period.
But not long after that, Gagliardi hit an afternoon lull where he failed to catch a scorable bass for nearly two hours, and Robinson went on his tear.
“To me, it’s all about positioning myself well in that Top 20 (to advance out of the Elimination Round), so today was a successful day for me,” Garliardi said. “I coudn’t ask for a better way to kick off this new part of my career.’
Waiting on the sunshine
Frontal activity continued throughout the day in Central Florida, keeping temperatures in the low 50s, with an intermittent 10-mph north wind and very little sunshine. Unlike Shotgun Round 1 yesterday, when afternoon sunshine stimulated a Period 3 bite, the bite cooled dramatically in the second half of competition.
Extended forecasts call for daytime highs to climb into the low 70s by the second Elimination Round on Friday, and 75 by the Championship on Sunday, Feb. 3.
“These Florida fish just don’t like the cold,” said Powroznik. “They hunker right down on the bottom or get up under the thickest cover then can find, and they don’t want to move. It’s a patience deal at that point – you have to fish slow. And I mean SLOW slow. We don’t need it to warm up much, though. I’d really like to make it to the weekend, because things could get good by then.”
Quotable
Jacob Powroznik: “The weather here dictates how this place fishes. I’ve been fishing here 15, 16 years, have seen these cold fronts come and go, and I just realized a long time ago that you have to put a flipping stick in your hand and go fishing. Cut and dried, that’s what you have to do to catch both numbers and size. I fished slow all day, really took my time. That’s just what you have to do here in this kind of weather.”
Greg Hackney: “The morning was better than I expected and the afternoon wasn’t as good as I expected: it was reversed from the way I thought it would be. But I have a good base. I’d like to be leading it – the way I started off this morning, I thought I had a legit chance to make it (post Elimination) on the first day alone. I’m in a good position, though. There are a lot of guys who have to make a lot of weight to catch up on Friday. That’s a good thing. It’s still not over until it’s over, though.”
Fletcher Shryock: “My plan was to catch 30 pounds and I had 30-1, so it went pretty well to plan. I expected to get a lot of bites, but I was hoping to catch some more big ones. I feel pretty good about my chances of making it on to Saturday, so I plan to practice more on Friday. I hope to save my fish to try to make a run into the Top 10.”
Shotgun Round – Group 2
| Angler | Qualified | Total Weight Caught | Number of Fish Caught | Average Weight | Largest Fish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marty Robinson | 1st | 56 - 00 | 34 | 1 - 10 | 4 - 06 |
| Anthony Gagliardi | 2nd | 41 - 14 | 20 | 2 - 01 | 4 - 05 |
| Jacob Powroznik | 3rd | 33 - 08 | 20 | 1 - 11 | 3 - 06 |
| Greg Hackney | 4th | 31 - 06 | 14 | 2 - 04 | 6 - 06 |
| Fletcher Shryock | 5th | 30 - 01 | 20 | 1 - 08 | 2 - 12 |
| Alton Jones | 6th | 30 - 01 | 17 | 1 - 12 | 3 - 04 |
| Adrian Avena | 7th | 30 - 01 | 14 | 2 - 02 | 3 - 10 |
| Jason Christie | 8th | 29 - 00 | 12 | 2 - 07 | 6 - 03 |
| Aaron Martens | 9th | 27 - 15 | 13 | 2 - 02 | 6 - 01 |
| Jonathon VanDam | 10th | 26 - 02 | 13 | 2 - 00 | 3 - 10 |
| Alton Jones Jr | 11th | 24 - 10 | 9 | 2 - 12 | 5 - 08 |
| Wesley Strader | 12th | 23 - 05 | 13 | 1 - 13 | 3 - 05 |
| Mike Iaconelli | 13th | 22 - 11 | 14 | 1 - 10 | 2 - 11 |
| Terry Scroggins | 14th | 22 - 04 | 9 | 2 - 08 | 5 - 14 |
| John Murray | 15th | 21 - 05 | 9 | 2 - 06 | 5 - 02 |
| Todd Faircloth | 16th | 20 - 14 | 14 | 1 - 08 | 2 - 12 |
| Bobby Lane | 17th | 20 - 06 | 13 | 1 - 09 | 3 - 04 |
| Gerald Swindle | 18th | 20 - 05 | 12 | 1 - 11 | 4 - 00 |
| Brent Ehrler | 19th | 18 - 14 | 11 | 1 - 12 | 2 - 06 |
| Bradley Roy | 20th | 18 - 13 | 9 | 2 - 01 | 3 - 06 |
| Jeff Sprague | 21th | 16 - 03 | 8 | 2 - 00 | 4 - 10 |
| Brandon Palaniuk | 22th | 15 - 05 | 5 | 3 - 01 | 5 - 07 |
| Jesse Wiggins | 23th | 15 - 01 | 10 | 1 - 08 | 3 - 09 |
| Mark Rose | 24th | 15 - 01 | 8 | 1 - 14 | 3 - 02 |
| Shaw Grigsby | 25th | 13 - 07 | 8 | 1 - 11 | 2 - 15 |
| Kevin VanDam | 26th | 12 - 00 | 6 | 2 - 00 | 3 - 15 |
| Luke Clausen | 27th | 11 - 09 | 7 | 1 - 10 | 1 - 14 |
| Brent Chapman | 28th | 7 - 04 | 4 | 1 - 13 | 2 - 11 |
| Dean Rojas | 29th | 6 - 12 | 4 | 1 - 11 | 2 - 10 |
| Dustin Connell | 30th | 6 - 01 | 5 | 1 - 03 | 1 - 07 |
| Paul Elias | 31th | 5 - 12 | 3 | 1 - 15 | 2 - 06 |
| Skeet Reese | 32th | 5 - 01 | 4 | 1 - 04 | 1 - 13 |
| Cliff Pace | 33th | 4 - 11 | 4 | 1 - 03 | 1 - 04 |
| Cliff Crochet | 34th | 4 - 10 | 2 | 2 - 05 | 2 - 15 |
| Scott Suggs | 35th | 4 - 08 | 3 | 1 - 08 | 2 - 01 |
| Justin Atkins | 36th | 2 - 14 | 2 | 1 - 07 | 1 - 14 |
| Britt Myers | 37th | 2 - 11 | 2 | 1 - 05 | 1 - 08 |
| Jeff Kriet | 38th | 2 - 07 | 1 | 2 - 07 | 2 - 07 |
| Josh Bertrand | 39th | 2 - 04 | 2 | 1 - 02 | 1 - 04 |
| Boyd Duckett | 40th | 2 - 02 | 1 | 2 - 02 | 2 - 02 |
Team Tournament Blog - MLF is HERE - My Pro's & Con's
By: Luke Estel
It’s been months of anticipation waiting for the all new Major League Fishing League to start. A new format, new rules, and some of the best anglers in the world competing for the first ever MLF trophy. I watched most of the entire show on line today and here is what I think.
The Pros
Great on the water coverage. There was a lot of on the water action today and the quality was there.
The commentary was also very good. The hosts were well spoken and they knew what they were talking about.
The constant live update of the actual pounds that each angler had caught so far was good to see.
Everything in real time. It doesn’t get much better than that. Watching the action unfold right in front of your eyes is something that has never been done.
I like it.
The Cons
The coverage was spotty and I do understand cell phone coverage can be bad at times.
Cover more anglers. I am not certain, but I believe I only saw seven or eight anglers fishing.
There were some technical difficulties with the site at times but I am sure that is a part of it when you go live.
I like to listen to the anglers as they are live so it lets the audience know what’s going on in their mind and or what they are doing to catch them. There was some of that, but not as much as I would have liked to see.
As the season progresses I believe everything about the MLF will get better.
I am anxious to see how the final day of fishing goes this weekend but I give it a B+, possibly an A- for its first run.
AC Insider Podcast - Its Go Time! MLF is HERE!
As the Inaugural Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour Kicks off the boys gives their commentary on the first day of competition, the good, the bad, the ugly and more! They also welcome in BASS Opens Winner and 2020 Classic Qualifier Whitney Stephens & FLW Pro Kurt Dove gives us some valuable info on Hayabusa hooks and some Podcasting tips. Chris applies for his Dream Job and more shenanigans, Check it out!
Scott Locklear drops over 22 pounds on the scales to win ABA Eufaula Open
ATHENS, Ala. – Scott Locklear of Atlanta, GA won the Bass Pro Shops Open Series Georgia Division tournament, held January 26th on the Lake Eufaula. Running out of Lakepoint Resort State Park in Eufaula, AL Scott caught five-bass weighing 22.24-pounds. For the Boater Division victory, Locklear took home a check for $5000 for his win.
“I only had seven bites today, one of which was a jack-fish. I was fishing the south end of the lake within sight of the dam all day. I caught my fish on a crankbait in 5ft-6ft of water,” Locklear said.
In second for the boaters, Mitchell Jennings of Auburn, AL landed a five-bass tournament limit going 21.80-pounds.
“I caught my fish between here and the dam. I caught three shallow and two deep. I lost one fish today, but I don’t think it would have helped me,” Jennings said.
Andy Norris of Columbus, GA took third for the boaters with five bass going 20.75-pounds.
“I caught my fish today on a rattletrap. It was a grind today. I only caught five fish,” Norris said.
The big bass award for the boaters went to Carl Hayes of Eatonton, GA for a big bass that weighed 7.35-pounds.
“I caught that fish on a crankbait in about 6ft of water,” Hayes said.
Finishing fourth, Clayton Shoupe of Newton, AL landed a five-bass limit for 16.34-pounds. Michael Smith of Andalusia, AL rounded out the top five boaters with five bass at 16.22-pounds.
In the Co-Angler Division, Bo Washam of Midland, GA won with three bass going 10.76-pounds. He pocketed a check for $950 for his win.
“I was fishing the south end of the lake today flipping a jig. I had six bites and caught six fish,” Washam said.
Taking second for the co-anglers, Emory Walden of Newnan, GA brought in two bass weighing 10.11 pounds that included a 7.53-pound big bass.
“I caught my fish today on a jig. The big bass was in about 3ft-4ft of water. I had the third one on but it came off. Just wasn’t my lucky day,” Walden said.
Jeremiah Hitt of Lutz, FL placed third among the co-anglers with two bass going 7.91-pounds.
“I have no idea where we were but we were in 20ft-25ft of water. I missed one fish but don’t think it would have helped me win,” Hitt said.
In fourth place among the co-anglers, Robert Enke of Columbus, GA brought in three bass for 7.72-pounds. Donnie Dawson of Brunswick, GA finished in fifth place with two bass for 5.42-pounds.
Slated for March 9th, the next tournament will be held on Lake Hartwell out of Green Pond Facility in Anderson, SC. At the end of the season, the best anglers from across the nation advance the 2020 Ray Scott Championship to be held at Lake Hartwell in April 2020.
Top 40 Boater Results (Full Results Link)
| PL | Angler | Fish | Penalty | Big Bass | Total | Points | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scott Locklear | 5 | 0.00 | 6.42 | 22.24 | 250 | 5000 |
| 2 | Mitchell L. Jennings | 5 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 21.80 | 249 | 1000 |
| 3 | Andy Norris | 5 | 0.00 | 5.98 | 20.75 | 248 | 700 |
| 4 | Clayton T. Shoupe | 5 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 16.34 | 247 | 500 |
| 5 | Michael M. Smith | 5 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 16.22 | 246 | 400 |
| 6 | George Haynie | 5 | 0.00 | 4.28 | 15.89 | 245 | 380 |
| 7 | Kenny M. Carroll | 5 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 14.95 | 244 | 325 |
| 8 | Lee Gissendaner | 5 | 0.00 | 5.66 | 14.75 | 243 | 300 |
| 9 | David H. Lowery | 4 | 0.00 | 5.65 | 14.74 | 242 | 300 |
| 10 | Steve Dobbs | 5 | 0.00 | 3.73 | 12.53 | 241 | 280 |
| 11 | Grant T. Kelly | 4 | 0.00 | 6.57 | 12.26 | 240 | 225 |
| 12 | Shane Powell | 5 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 12.14 | 239 | 200 |
| 13 | Jimmy Parker | 3 | 0.00 | 7.33 | 11.39 | 238 | 0 |
| 14 | Tim Howell | 3 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 11.16 | 237 | 0 |
| 15 | Kim Carver | 3 | 0.00 | 5.54 | 10.03 | 236 | 0 |
| 16 | Carl AOY-D72 H. Hayes | 2 | 0.00 | 7.35 | 9.75 | 235 | 640 |
| 17 | Rick E. Chavez | 2 | 0.00 | 5.25 | 9.52 | 234 | 0 |
| 18 | Cole Burdeshaw | 4 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 9.22 | 233 | 0 |
| 19 | Scott Hayes | 3 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.76 | 232 | 0 |
| 20 | Michael David Meason | 5 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.50 | 231 | 0 |
| 21 | Ronnie Ray | 2 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.01 | 230 | 0 |
| 22 | Kip Carter | 3 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 7.88 | 229 | 0 |
| 23 | Patrick J. Brown | 2 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.73 | 228 | 0 |
| 24 | Jason T. Wiley | 4 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.60 | 227 | 0 |
| 25 | Mark Holloway | 3 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.43 | 226 | 0 |
| 26 | Ethan Greene | 3 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.34 | 225 | 0 |
| 27 | Joshua M. George | 2 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.05 | 224 | 0 |
| 28 | John E. Holder | 2 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 5.96 | 223 | 0 |
| 29 | Mark Succi | 2 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 5.43 | 222 | 0 |
| 30 | Casey Smith | 2 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 5.38 | 221 | 0 |
| 31 | Jay Carter | 2 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 5.37 | 220 | 0 |
| 32 | Ched M. McClure | 2 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 5.07 | 219 | 0 |
| 33 | Randy Smith | 2 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 4.07 | 218 | 0 |
| 34 | Jim C. Windham | 1 | 0.00 | 3.29 | 3.29 | 217 | 0 |
| 35 | Durward Henderson | 1 | 0.00 | 3.10 | 3.10 | 216 | 0 |
| 35 | Scott Huff | 1 | 0.00 | 3.10 | 3.10 | 216 | 0 |
| 37 | Steven Stebo C. McKissack | 1 | 0.00 | 2.54 | 2.54 | 214 | 0 |
| 38 | Bradley S. Durden | 1 | 0.00 | 2.48 | 2.48 | 213 | 0 |
| 39 | Shaun Mulhall | 1 | 0.00 | 2.22 | 2.22 | 212 | 0 |
| 40 | Gerald Bozeman | 1 | 0.00 | 1.82 | 1.82 | 211 | 0 |
About American Bass Anglers - American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler while offering an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers and all their bass tournament trails visit www.americanbassanglers.com.
Ross Burns Claims ABA Open Title on Santee Cooper with over 20 Pounds!!
ATHENS, Ala. – Ross Burns of Columbia, South Carolina won the Bass Pro Shops Open Series South Carolina event held on Santee Cooper on 1/26/2019. Running out of John C Land Boating Facility in Manning, South Carolina, Burns weighed in a five bass limit totaling 20.48-pounds. For the boater division victory, Burns took home a check for $2200.00.
“I caught my fish today fishing eel grass in the lower lake on a rattletrap,” said Burns.
In second for the boaters, Brett E. Mitchell of Timmonsville, South Carolina weighed in a five bass limit weighing 20.16-pounds.
“I caught my fish today on a Keitech swimbait around shell beds,” said Mitchell.
Taking third for the boaters, Ron Brown of Cross, South Carolina weighed in a five bass limit weighing 13.19-pounds.
“I caught 12-13 bass today. I caught some on a rattletrap and some on a shakeyhead,” said Brown.
In fourth place for the boaters, Paul M Selle of Lexington, South Carolina weighed in four bass weighing 11.68-pounds. Rounding out the top five, Todd Pearson of Anderson, South Carolina weighed in three bass weighing 10.32-pounds.
The big bass honors for the boaters was caught by Norm Attaway of Clearwater, South Carolina for a bass weighing 6.84-pounds. Attaway collected $340.00 for his bass.
In the Co-angler Division Chris Odom of Charlotte, North Carolina won with three bass weighing 11.54-pounds with a 5.14-pound kicker fish. Odom pocketed $750.00 for the win.
“I caught all of my fish on a rattletrap around stump fields,” said Odom.
Taking second for the co-anglers, Zachary Liles or Mooresville, North Carolina weighed in a three bass limit weighing 10.70-pounds.
“I fished with the second-place boater today. I fished slow with a senko,” said Liles.
Taking third for the co-anglers, Anthony Petrella of Charlotte, North Carolina weighed in a three bass limit weighing 8.05-pounds.
“I caught my fish today on a rattletrap,” said Patrella.
In fourth for the co-anglers Damon Phillips of Anderson, South Carolina weighed in one bass weighing 8.05-pounds. Rounding out the top five, Wesley Mullins of Bloomingdale, Georgia weighed in two bass weighing 5.54-pounds.
The big bass for the co-anglers was an 8.05-pounder weighed in by Damon Phillips of Anderson, South Carolina. He took home $130.00 for the bass.
Slated for February 23rd, the next event will be held on Lake Murray out of Dreher Island State Park.
Top 20 Boater Results (Full Results)
| PL | Angler | Fish | Penalty | Big Bass | Total | Points | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ross W. Burns | 5 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 20.48 | 250 | 2200 |
| 2 | Brett E. Mitchell | 5 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 20.16 | 249 | 950 |
| 3 | Ron Brown | 5 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 13.19 | 248 | 650 |
| 4 | Paul M. Selle | 4 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 11.68 | 247 | 550 |
| 5 | Todd Pearson | 3 | 0.00 | 4.89 | 10.32 | 246 | 400 |
| 6 | Norm Attaway | 2 | 0.00 | 6.84 | 10.02 | 245 | 740 |
| 7 | Sandy E. Oliver | 4 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 9.76 | 244 | 300 |
| 8 | Randall Jar R. Hillyer | 3 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 9.67 | 243 | 200 |
| 9 | Christopher L. Chavis | 4 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 9.59 | 242 | 0 |
| 10 | Nolan Pulley | 4 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 9.52 | 241 | 0 |
| 11 | Joe Anders | 3 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 7.95 | 240 | 0 |
| 12 | James Gibbons | 1 | 0.00 | 7.86 | 7.86 | 239 | 0 |
| 13 | Lonnie B. Drusch | 3 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.33 | 238 | 0 |
| 14 | Barry Thames | 2 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.21 | 237 | 0 |
| 15 | David H. Rush | 2 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 4.80 | 236 | 0 |
| 16 | Russell BIGWORM P. Ludwig IV | 2 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 4.58 | 235 | 0 |
| 17 | Joseph Toth | 2 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 4.57 | 234 | 0 |
| 18 | Bradley L. Sears | 1 | 0.00 | 3.36 | 3.36 | 233 | 0 |
| 19 | Richard Mitch W. Mitchell | 1 | 0.00 | 2.70 | 2.70 | 232 | 0 |
| 20 | Justin DeBose | 1 | 0.00 | 2.18 | 2.18 | 231 | 0 |
About American Bass Anglers - American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler while offering an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers and all their bass tournament trails visit www.americanbassanglers.com.
Howell Leads Group A in Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour Inaugural Event
Courtesy of MLF / Joe Shangle
January 29, 2019
KISSIMMEE, Fla. – New competition format, new all-star lineup of players in the game of professional bass fishing. But as the first Shotgun Round of the MLF Bass Pro Tour B & W Trailer Hitches Stage One presented By Power-Pole wound down Tuesday on the Kissimmee Chain, some ages-old truths about Florida largemouth proved themselves.
Truth 1: Florida-strain largemouth love sunshine.
Truth 2: Wind – no matter which direction it’s blowing – changes the way fish bite.
Day 1 weight leader Randy Howell took advantage of both.
On a day that started out flat calm with air temperatures in the lower 40s at takeoff, and got progressively warmer and windier, Howell piled 26 fish for 49 pounds, 12 ounces on SCORETRACKER, thanks mainly to two afternoon flurries.
Howell caught six fish for 11-5 in a 41-minute span (most of it on a 3-inch Bass Pro Shops Speed Shad swimbait and a homemade lipless crankbait), and then added nine fish for 15-9 in the final hour of Period 3 to distance himself from Ish Monroe (40-13), Zack Birge (36-0), Gerald Spohrer (35-4) and Ott DeFoe (35-14)
“The wind changed direction three times this afternoon, so my biggest task was to adjust to how it would move the bait around,” Howell said. “We had these windows where cormorants were really chasing the bait, and I was just trying to stay where the bait was. I’d move ahead of them and let the wind blow me back through them, and that’s when I had those flurries.”
Monroe took a decidedly different approach, catching 11 of his fish punching a Missle Baits Craw Father. The California native, who was a pre-event favorite because of his previous success in big-fish fisheries, caught seven fish 3 pounds or heavier, including a 5-4 and a 4-15.
He’ll head into the Elimination Round on Thursday with a comfortable cushion to advance to the Knockout Round, a fact that Monroe plans to use to his strategic advantage.
“I didn’t do anything really great today – I probably left 15 pounds of fish out there that I didn’t execute on – but my goal in the Elimination Round is to catch 10 pounds and then spend the rest of the day looking for new stuff,” Monroe admitted. “I figure I’m pretty safe with 10 pounds (to add to his 40-13). The guys down around the cut would have to catch 37, 38 pounds to pass me – it’s totally possible here, for sure, but I’d love to get to 10 and then go practice.”
Birge put the big fish of the day on SCORETRACKER midway through Period 2, landing a 6-12 on a small swimbait. The Oklahoma pro added a 5-3 in the final minute of competition to jump into the Top 5. Spohrer, fishing his first MLF-format event, started strong early, putting seven fish on the board in Period 1 and hovering in the Top 5 all day long. DeFoe consistently scored throughout the day, building his weight around a 4-8 and a 4-2.
Notes
The 40 anglers from today’s Group A will compete again on Thursday, Jan. 31, adding their totals from today’s round to their Elimination Round. The Top 20 weights from Elimination will advance to the Knockout Round.
Group B will follow the same format, fishing tomorrow’s Shotgun Round and carrying their weights forward to the second Elimination Round (Friday, Feb. 1).
| Angler | Qualified | Total Weight Caught | Number of Fish Caught | Average Weight | Largest Fish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Randy Howell | 1st | 49 - 12 | 26 | 1 - 15 | 3 - 06 |
| Ish Monroe | 2nd | 40 - 13 | 15 | 2 - 12 | 5 - 04 |
| Zack Birge | 3rd | 36 - 09 | 15 | 2 - 07 | 6 - 12 |
| Gerald Spohrer | 4th | 35 - 04 | 17 | 2 - 01 | 4 - 10 |
| Ott DeFoe | 5th | 34 - 14 | 14 | 2 - 08 | 4 - 08 |
| Brandon Coulter | 6th | 32 - 05 | 17 | 1 - 14 | 3 - 08 |
| Randall Tharp | 7th | 28 - 11 | 9 | 3 - 03 | 6 - 04 |
| Dave Lefebre | 8th | 26 - 06 | 15 | 1 - 12 | 4 - 10 |
| Mark Davis | 9th | 24 - 03 | 15 | 1 - 10 | 4 - 14 |
| Jacob Wheeler | 10th | 23 - 09 | 11 | 2 - 02 | 4 - 02 |
| Mark Daniels | 11th | 20 - 13 | 8 | 2 - 10 | 4 - 08 |
| Takahiro Omori | 12th | 19 - 12 | 8 | 2 - 08 | 4 - 04 |
| Greg Vinson | 13th | 18 - 13 | 12 | 1 - 09 | 3 - 09 |
| Chris Lane | 14th | 18 - 00 | 10 | 1 - 13 | 3 - 02 |
| Matt Lee | 15th | 17 - 15 | 7 | 2 - 09 | 4 - 01 |
| Jordan Lee | 16th | 17 - 05 | 9 | 1 - 15 | 2 - 15 |
| Russ Lane | 17th | 16 - 01 | 7 | 2 - 05 | 4 - 12 |
| Michael Neal | 18th | 13 - 14 | 8 | 1 - 12 | 3 - 06 |
| Jared Lintner | 19th | 13 - 13 | 8 | 1 - 12 | 2 - 11 |
| Stephen Browning | 20th | 13 - 00 | 10 | 1 - 05 | 3 - 04 |
| Casey Ashley | 21th | 13 - 00 | 6 | 2 - 03 | 3 - 09 |
| Gary Klein | 22th | 12 - 14 | 8 | 1 - 10 | 2 - 04 |
| Roy Hawk | 23th | 12 - 12 | 5 | 2 - 09 | 3 - 07 |
| Edwin Evers | 24th | 11 - 00 | 8 | 1 - 06 | 2 - 02 |
| Brett Hite | 25th | 10 - 13 | 8 | 1 - 06 | 1 - 12 |
| Cody Meyer | 26th | 10 - 03 | 5 | 2 - 01 | 3 - 08 |
| Andy Morgan | 27th | 9 - 14 | 8 | 1 - 04 | 1 - 07 |
| Tim Horton | 28th | 9 - 04 | 6 | 1 - 09 | 2 - 08 |
| James Watson | 29th | 9 - 00 | 6 | 1 - 08 | 3 - 06 |
| Jason Lambert | 30th | 7 - 00 | 4 | 1 - 12 | 2 - 01 |
| David Walker | 31th | 6 - 04 | 3 | 2 - 01 | 3 - 07 |
| Fred Roumbanis | 32th | 5 - 12 | 4 | 1 - 07 | 1 - 15 |
| Tommy Biffle | 33th | 4 - 03 | 2 | 2 - 01 | 3 - 02 |
| Mike McClelland | 34th | 4 - 00 | 3 | 1 - 05 | 1 - 09 |
| Keith Poche | 35th | 3 - 14 | 3 | 1 - 05 | 1 - 10 |
| Kelly Jordon | 36th | 3 - 13 | 2 | 1 - 15 | 1 - 15 |
| James Elam | 37th | 3 - 04 | 3 | 1 - 01 | 1 - 02 |
| Shin Fukae | 38th | 2 - 06 | 2 | 1 - 03 | 1 - 03 |
| Andy Montgomery | 39th | 1 - 14 | 1 | 1 - 14 | 1 - 14 |
| Justin Lucas | 40th | 1 - 06 | 1 | 1 - 06 | 1 - 06 |
ABA Adds 150 Series to its Tournament Line up
Courtesy of ABA
Athens, AL – Bass Pro Shops and American Bass Anglers announced the 2019 Bass Pro Shops 150 Series season details today. The Bass Pro Shops 150 Series is a team format providing competition for boat owners with 150hp - or smaller outboards. In 2019, there will be four qualifying tournaments held in different regions of the country in connection with a local Bass Pro Shops location. The top 20 teams by place of finish from each of these events will be invited to the Bass Pro Shops 150 Series Championship on Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri in late September.
With a $200 per team entry, each qualifying tournament will award a new Tracker Pro Team 175 XTE boats with Mercury 75hp 4 stroke engine valued at $20,995. The Bass Pro Shops 150 Series Championship will offer two (2) Tracker Pro Team 195 XTE boats with Mercury 150 Pro XS 4 stroke engine valued at $28,905. Cash payout will be to the remaining top 20% of the field at all events.
Early VIP Registration for the 2019 qualifying events will begin February 4, 2019 at 8am for Nitro and Tracker owners. Owners of a 2018 and 2019 Nitro and Tracker boat with a 150hp or less will receive a one-year free membership when registering for any qualifying event.
Open Registration for the 2019 qualifying events will begin February 5, 2019 at 8am. Anglers may register on line at www.americanbassanglers.com/150 or call American Bass Anglers at 256-232-0460
| One-Day Schedules | ||||
| Dates | City | Lake | Launch | Bass Pro Shop On-Site Registration Location |
| 4/20/2019 | Shreveport, LA | Red River | Red River South Marina 250 Red River South Rd Bossier City, LA |
Bass Pro Shops 100 Bass Pro Drive Bossier City, LA |
| 4/27/2019 | Huntersville, NC | Lake Norman | Blythe Landing 15901 NC-73 Huntersville, NC |
Bass Pro Shops 8181 Concord Mills Blvd Concord, NC |
| 6/29/2019 | Gallatin, TN | Old Hickory | Flippers Marina 200 Odoms Bend Road Gallatin, TN |
Bass Pro Shops 323 Opry Mills Drive Nashville, TN |
| 7/13/2019 | Pell City, AL | Logan Martin | Lake Side Park 2801 Stemley Bridge Rd Cropwell, AL |
Bass Pro Shops 5000 Bass Pro Blvd Leeds, AL |
| Two-Day Championship (Friday/Saturday) | ||||
| 9/27-27/2019 | Branson, MO | Table Rock | Table Rock State Park 5175 MO-165 Branson, MO |
Bass Pro Shops 1 Bass Pro Drive Branson, MO |
What is the Bass Pro Shops 150 Series?
This is a Team Series where participation is limited to boats with 150hp motors or smaller. Both fiberglass or aluminum boats qualify (any brand). It is designed to provide a different platform for boat owners to fish tournaments without having to compete with larger boats with larger motors.
1. There will be four (4) one-day events held in conjunction with Bass Pro Shops locations.
2. Entry Fee $200
3. Pay back will be a Bass Tracker Bass Boat package* for qualifying events and two Tracker Bass Boat packages* for the Championship plus a cash payback to the top 20% of the field.
4. Field is limited to bass boats with 150hp or smaller (see Rules).
5. No Pros or guides are allowed (Bass Elite or FLW Tour anglers, see Rules)
6. Draw prizes at registration meetings held at Bass Pro Shops
7. No Off-limits for qualifying events
8. On-Site Registration Meetings will be held on Fridays from 3pm to 6:30pm the afternoon prior to each tournament at the hosting Bass Pro Shops location.
9. Nitro Boats Contingency* is available for these events.
10. *Sponsors reserve the right to change and/or modify prizes at any time at their discursion.
11. Important Requirements;
a. $200.00 entry fee per team
b. $10.00 (Optional Big Bass Pot)
c. Be an ABA Member
d. Open to all anglers who own a boat with a 150hp or smaller (see Rules).
e. Anglers must sign a Liability Release form
f. All events are subject to a Polygraph
g. See more information at ABA web site www.americanbassanglers.com/150
With New Tours and Changes - Bass Rankings Needed a refresher as well
Courtesy of BassRankings.com / Sean Ostruzka
The creation of the Bass Pro Tour and the subsequent shifting of anglers between the now three major-level tours was something that shook up the entire sport. Everyone has needed to evolve and adapt, Bass Rankings included.
The three-major-level-tours landscape has added a new dynamic to statistically and unbiasedly comparing anglers from one tour to another. Thus, we have recognized a need to adjust our ranking algorithm to continue to rank anglers in an unbiased manner. In addition, we have added back-end coding to allow us to run analytics on angler rosters to better understand the differences (experience level, technique-specific, etc.).
See the updated Major-Level Rankings
Below are results from our analysis for the rosters of the three major-level tours. These statistical comparisons, in no way, are meant to be an expression of bias to any trail, but merely the current status of the anglers on each roster.
NOTES: Anglers have readily switched trails throughout their careers, and thus, their experiences may not have been entirely gained from the organization they currently compete. Also, these averages only include tournaments dating back to 2000, as this is as far back as we have data across all trails that we are able to track accurately.
As you can see, each trail is different in its own accord. Thus, our new algorithm has been updated to take this into consideration. It factors in veterans vs new anglers on each tour, while at the same time giving new anglers an opportunity to shine. As always, there are no bonus points; the algorithm is 100% statistical, simply accommodating the differences in the rosters of each tour. The end result allows our rankings to measure anglers across all three tours in a fair, just and sound way.
As we said, we’ve all had to adapt. Yet, this offseason and the subsequent adaptations have created more opportunities than ever for anglers and fans to enjoy the sport as it continues to grow.
Major League Fishing's Bass Pro Tour Post-Game Show to Kick Off in Kissimmee
|
MLF broadcaster Steven "Lurch" Scott (left), shown here with MLF pro angler Greg Hackney, will emcee the league's new MLF Bass Pro Tour Post-Game Show that kicks off with this week's event opener in Kissimmee, Florida.
|
 |
|
MLF's Aly Atkins will be reporting from behind the scenes during MLF's Bass Pro Tour Post-Game Show, interviewing MLF pro anglers in line as they stage and prepare for entry. (Click to enlarge/download)
|
Johnny Morris Makes First Cast to Start New MLF Bass Pro Tour in Florida
|
Johnny Morris (left), Bass Pro Shops founder and CEO, fires the first cast to signal the official start of the new MLF Bass Pro Tour which begins today on Florida's Lake Toho. Also pictured are MLF pro angler Kevin VanDam (middle) and MLF broadcaster Steven "Lurch" Scott.
|
Pro-Angler Alex Niapas has a three day total of 62.95 pounds to Win Wild West Pro-Am on Shasta!
Pro-Angler Alex Niapas has a three day total of 62.95 pounds! On the second day, Alex was able to reel in a 13 pound largemouth and an 8 pound spot.
PRO
| PLACE | ANGLER | DAY 1 | DAY 2 | DAY 3 | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alex Niapas | 20.92 | 30.22 | 11.81 | 62.95 |
| 2 | Jason Castaneda | 12.11 | 11.54 | 13.90 | 37.55 |
| 3 | Joey Reggio | 14.67 | 10.34 | 10.79 | 35.80 |
| 4 | Greg Gutierrez | 15.29 | 10.60 | 9.56 | 35.45 |
| 5 | Cliff King | 12.05 | 12.12 | 11.12 | 35.29 |
| 6 | Bryant Smith | 11.85 | 12.45 | 10.93 | 35.23 |
| 7 | Alex Klein | 12.31 | 11.81 | 10.47 | 34.59 |
| 8 | Jim Riley | 11.98 | 12.17 | 10.33 | 34.48 |
| 9 | Christopher Gosselaar | 11.14 | 12.63 | 10.14 | 33.91 |
| 10 | Mark Gomez | 12.65 | 11.67 | 9.10 | 33.17 |
| 11 | Philip Garcia | 12.98 | 10.63 | 23.61 | |
| 12 | Nick Wood | 11.16 | 12.35 | 23.51 | |
| 13 | Shane Peirson | 10.89 | 12.57 | 23.46 | |
| 14 | Richard Dobyns | 10.89 | 12.55 | 23.44 | |
| 15 | Keegan Graves | 10.84 | 12.24 | 23.08 | |
| 16 | Zack Thompson | 12.48 | 10.48 | 22.96 | |
| 17 | Wade Durling | 12.81 | 10.11 | 22.92 | |
| 18 | Earl Dalton III | 11.28 | 11.59 | 22.87 | |
| 19 | Damon Witt | 13.43 | 9.39 | 22.82 | |
| 20 | Nathan Bromley | 11.90 | 10.89 | 22.79 | |
AM
| PLACE | ANGLER | DAY 1 | DAY 2 | DAY 3 | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richard Leal | 11.62 | 12.44 | 9.34 | 33.40 |
| 2 | Eric Fernandes | 10.96 | 10.58 | 10.82 | 32.36 |
| 3 | Glen Wyatt | 11.37 | 11.41 | 9.32 | 32.10 |
| 4 | Robert Couts | 12.00 | 10.20 | 9.51 | 31.71 |
| 5 | Joe Karlowsky | 11.09 | 10.45 | 10.14 | 31.68 |
| 6 | Brian Conder | 10.18 | 11.21 | 10.17 | 31.56 |
| 7 | Nick Fiscus | 10.25 | 11.36 | 8.85 | 30.46 |
| 8 | Will Doud-Martin | 10.45 | 11.12 | 8.84 | 30.41 |
| 9 | Bill Townsend | 11.27 | 11.17 | 7.66 | 30.10 |
| 10 | Kerry Harris | 11.69 | 9.72 | 8.60 | 30.01 |
| 11 | Kurt Forrister | 10.39 | 10.75 | 21.14 | |
| 12 | Jacob Fleming | 10.02 | 10.94 | 20.96 | |
| 13 | Jason Lazzerini | 11.07 | 9.85 | 20.92 | |
| 14 | Oneal Martin | 10.73 | 10.11 | 20.84 | |
| 15 | James Rodgers | 9.61 | 11.22 | 20.83 | |
| 16 | Tyler Frost | 10.09 | 10.44 | 20.53 | |
| 17 | Chad Leblanc | 8.95 | 11.54 | 20.49 | |
| 18 | Daryn Avalos | 10.03 | 10.34 | 20.37 | |
| 19 | Jordan Pinasco | 10.99 | 9.29 | 20.28 | |
| 19 | Bob Ayers | 11.18 | 9.10 | 20.28 | |
Gator Guards to Support MLF Bass Pro Tour
Farmington, IL (Jan 28, 2019) - Gator Guards, the leading global innovator of boat protection products, announced today that the brand has signed on as a sponsor and the official keel protector of the new Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour.
The partnership is especially fitting because it brings together a long trusted supplier of Bass Pro Shops and the White River Marine Group (Nitro & Triton Boats) with the new beacon in the sport of professional bass fishing. Sharing a common goal to see the boating and fishing lifestyle continue to reach new audiences and be passed down to the next generation.
"We are very excited to partner with the MLF Bass Pro Tour for its inaugural season" “The energy, engagement, and new path forward for the sport is sure to excite all boaters and anglers. We’ve focused for 25 years to bring boaters easy and simple solutions to protect their investment. Many of which starts with the pride in ownership and maintenance of their first boat.” says Gator Guards’ Scott Smith.
Gator Guards’ sponsorship includes protecting the hulls the Bass Pro Tour fleet of Nitro Z21’s with KeelShield® as they traverse across the nation’s rigorous waters covering the anglers and capturing the best content to bring to you on “MLF NOW!”. The free live stream program will deliver seven hours of real-time coverage during each competition day on www.MajorLeagueFishing.com.
In addition to the support of the Bass Pro Tour, longtime MLF competitor and Classic Champion Randy Howell has officially joined the Gator Guards pro team to protect his Triton as he embarks on the new MLF Bass Pro Tour season.
About the MLF Bass Pro Tour:
The 80-angler MLF Bass Pro Tour field includes Bassmaster Classic champions, FLW Forrest Wood Cup winners, Anglers of the Year and top tour performers from throughout the world of competitive bass fishing. The 2019 Bass Pro Tour season opens Jan. 29 in Kissimmee, Fla. The tour concludes with a championship event in August
.
Each Bass Pro Tour event will result in a two-hour television show that will air on Discovery Channel in the fourth quarter of 2019, and then repeat on Sportsman Channel in first and second quarters 2020.
MLF also has programming on Outdoor Channel, World Fishing Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network and Discovery Channel, and all episodes are available on-demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV).
Cody Clark & Blake Harvey win Outlaw Outdoors event on Rayburn with over 34lbs!!!
Cody Clark & Blake Harvey - Win the Season opening Outlaw Outdoors Sweet Sixteen event with 34.56lbs!!!! Full Results below!
FORT MYERS’ ANDERSON WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE GATOR DIVISION OPENER ON LAKE OKEECHOBEE
Co-angler Title Goes to Bradenton’s Hibbs
CLEWISTON, Fla. (Jan. 28, 2019) – Boater David Anderson of Fort Myers, Florida, caught five bass Saturday weighing 18 pounds, 1 ounce, to win the 2019 T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) season opener on Lake Okeechobee. For his win, Anderson earned $4,479.
Anderson said he spent his day on the north end of the lake fishing the outside of the Kissimmee grass line and dragging baits through beds.
“I was pretty much around bedding fish – they were either coming in or going out,” said Anderson, who earned his first career win in FLW competition. “I worked the outside before I went into the middle ground. It rained a little bit and was windy and cold, so the weather made me go to the middle ground instead of me cutting off the fish as they came and went. It was so windy that I had to primarily concentrate on fish that were bedding.”
He said his two key dragging baits were a black and blue Gambler Fat Ace with a 3/8-ounce Flat Out tungsten weight on 20-pound-test fluorocarbon line and a black and blue Bass Addiction Gear Boss Craw with a ½-ounce Flat Out tungsten weight on 50-pound Goat Rope braid line.
“I was fishing blind with both baits, just dragging them through beds. I used the lighter bait when there wasn’t much wind,” said Anderson.
Anderson said he caught his fish between 1 p.m. and 2:45 p.m., citing his 7-foot, 3-inch medium-heavy Reaper rod as especially helpful in feeling the bites.
“My Reaper let me feel those critical sensitive bites, which is important when you’re fishing blind. The fish only pick the bait up and move it for a few seconds, and I needed to be able to feel that in the wind.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: David Anderson, Fort Myers, Fla., five bass, 18-1, $4,479
2nd: Larry Cahan, East Palatka, Fla., five bass, 17-13, $2,140
3rd: Brian MacDougal, La Belle, Fla., five bass, 16-1, $1,426
4th: Chuck Webb, Sarasota, Fla., five bass, 15-6, $998
5th: William Schmitt, West Palm Beach, Fla., five bass, 15-0, $856
6th: Sandy Melvin, Boca Grande, Fla., five bass, 14-8, $785
7th: Timothy Feller, Coral Springs, Fla., five bass, 14-0, $713
8th: Mark Lundgren, Saint Cloud, Fla., five bass, 13-7, $642
9th: Ben Cox, Andrews, S.C., five bass, 12-14, $571
10th: Jody Gardner, Tippecanoe, Ohio, five bass, 12-11, $599
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Rodney Marks of Apopka, Florida, caught a 9-pound, 3-ounce bass – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $605.
Timothy Hibbs of Bradenton, Florida, won the Co-angler Division and $2,140 Saturday after catching four bass weighing 14 pounds, 15 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Timothy Hibbs, Bradenton, Fla., four bass, 14-15, $2,140
2nd: Ernie Johnson, Okeechobee, Fla., five bass, 13-7, $1,170
3rd: Mitch Avant, Johnsonville, S.C., five bass, 12-6, $712
4th: Matthew May, North Fort Myers, Fla., four bass, 12-0, $549
5th: Brandon St. Pierre, Lehigh Acres, Fla., five bass, 11-10, $428
6th: Randy Paquette, Sarasota, Fla., five bass, 10-7, $392
7th: Wayman Mobley, Miami, Fla., five bass, 9-11, $339
7th: Kenneth Hunnicutt, Jacksonville, Fla., five bass, 9-11, $339
9th: Tony Kromke, La Crosse, Wis., three bass, 9-10, $267
9th: Chris Mitchell, Cocoa, Fla., five bass, 9-10, $267
Charles Kilgore of Titusville, Florida, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 8 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $302.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 10-12 BFL Regional Championship on Lake Seminole in Bainbridge, Georgia. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.
The 2019 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2019 BFL All-American will be held May 30-June 1 at the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland, and is hosted by the Charles County Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism and the Commissioners of Charles County. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
B.A.S.S. Airs Week Of Programming To Preview 2019 Elite Series
| Jan. 28, 2019 |
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Fishing fans who just can’t wait for the official kickoff of the 2019 Bassmaster Elite Series Feb. 7 on the St. Johns River, Florida, can get a sneak preview of the fishing action during a special “Bassmaster LIVE Preview Week” on Bassmaster.com every day through Friday.
“Since we introduced live-streamed, on-the-water tournament coverage to the world in 2015, bass fishing fans have clamored for more,” said Mike McKinnis, vice president of media content for JM Associates and producer of Bassmaster LIVE and The Bassmasters TV show. “We are expanding LIVE coverage from 18 to 24 hours for each Elite event this season, and we’re adding more cameras to cover more anglers.
“We think fans will appreciate getting a taste of what’s in store for them this year through this
week-long push of LIVE and pre-produced content served on all B.A.S.S. social and digital media outlets.”
The special programming is designed to entertain and educate fans and will be anchored by the Dream Team of tournament broadcast coverage — Tommy Sanders, Mark Zona, Davy Hite, Dave Mercer, Ronnie Moore and Mike Suchan — along with a host of players from the Toyota Bassmaster Studios and from throughout the country.
The special programming kicks off today with the “2019 Bassmaster Elite Series Preview,” a one-hour studio show featuring video and special reports on each of the nine regular-season Elite tournaments, including video, graphics and interviews with Elite Series anglers. Long-time B.A.S.S. members will want to tune in for a special guest appearance by Bob Cobb, the former editor of Bassmaster Magazine and founding producer of The Bassmasters.
The parade of big-bass lakes begins with Elite No. 1 on the St. Johns River at Palatka, Fla., Feb. 7-10, and continues the following week with a visit to Gwinnett, Ga., and Lake Lanier, renowned for its big spotted bass.
The season takes a break for the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods in Knoxville, Tenn., March 15-17, and the Classic is the focus of Tuesday’s preview show, airing on Bassmaster.com at 11 a.m. ET. The program incorporates historical footage of memorable Classics, along with video of Knoxville and the Tennessee River fishery, plus interviews with some of the 52 Classic contenders.
Fans of Fantasy Fishing will want to tune in to Wednesday’s show, “Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing 2019 — Meet the Pros,” debuting at 11 a.m. ET. With a number of rookies and other newcomers this year, the field will be harder to handicap without insights from the Bassmaster LIVE crew and other experts.
Registration for Fantasy Fishing is now open on Bassmaster.com. The top scorer of each Elite event will earn a $2,500 gift card to Bass Pro Shops, and the overall winner will receive a fully rigged Triton/Yamaha boat-and-motor combo valued at more than $35,000.
Thursday features a fun-filled competition, the “B.A.S.S. Brawl,” during which Zona and Hite are paired with Elite anglers Drew Benton and Drew Cook for a four-hour live-stream team competition on Bassmaster LIVE. The show will be streamed from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET and will be hosted from the Toyota Bassmaster Studios.
And on Friday, “Zona LIVE” presents a fun-filled fishing trip with Zona and Benton as they cut up on the water and preview the upcoming Elite No. 1 on the St. Johns River. “Zona LIVE” is a spinoff of the hugely popular Zona’s Awesome Fishing Show on the Outdoor Channel.
“We’ve adopted the theme — ‘Big Bass. Big Stage. Big Dreams.’ — for our 2019 Bassmaster Elite Series season,” noted Bruce Akin, B.A.S.S. CEO. “Fans who tune in for our special ‘Bassmaster LIVE Preview Week’ will quickly understand why that theme is so fitting.
“We hope they’ll follow the Elite anglers throughout the year as they try to catch the heaviest limits of big bass and fulfill their dreams of grabbing the spotlight on the biggest stages in bass fishing — the Elite Series and the Bassmaster Classic.”
PITT WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE COWBOY DIVISION OPENER ON TOLEDO BEND RESERVOIR PRESENTED BY NAVIONICS
Thibodaux’s Fussell Wins Co-angler Division
MANY, La. (Jan. 28, 2019) – Local angler Cody Pitt of Many, caught five bass Saturday weighing 24 pounds, 5 ounces, to win the 2019 T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) season opener on Toledo Bend Reservoir presented by Navionics. Pitt earned $6,349 for his efforts.
Pitt said he caught his fish in and around Housen Bay, first targeting prespawn bass back in a creek channel before heading out to the main lake. He used one lure to catch his limit – a Powder Blue Back Chartreuse-colored Strike King Pro Model 6XD crankbait.
“Timing was the biggest part of my success,” said Pitt, who logged his second career win on Toledo Bend Reservoir in BFL competition. “In practice, I tried to find the early morning bite, but it was pretty much non-existent. The first bite I could find was the prespawn bite, but it didn’t really get going until 8:30 or 9 [a.m.] I knew going into the tournament that if I could just make myself wait, they’d be pulled up and schooling and I could get some good bites.”
By 9:30 a.m., Pitt had 18 pounds of bass in the boat. He described his first area as a creek channel bend that met a secondary point, and said the fish were on the point waiting to head back and spawn. From there, he decided to concentrate on the main lake.
“My [main-lake] spots had hard bottoms and the fish were more in a wintertime pattern. I found that they were out there from around 10 [a.m.] to 1 [p.m.] – a window of time I’d narrowed down from practice,” said Pitt. “I used the 6XD and caught my best fish, including three that I think were each about 5 pounds.”
Pitt said he ended up catching approximately 20 keepers throughout his day.
“My Lowrance electronics were key to finding my fish. I spent a lot of time idling and down-scanning and side-scanning, just looking for either hard spots or fish themselves.”
.The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Cody Pitt, Many, La., five bass, 24-5, $6,349
2nd: Benjamin Gulett, Converse, La., five bass, 20-0, $2,775
3rd: Jeffrey Grubbs, Goodrich, Texas, five bass, 19-13, $1,782
4th: Josh Champagne, Breaux Bridge, La., five bass, 19-8, $1,248
5th: Albert Collins, Nacogdoches, Texas, five bass, 19-1, $1,070
6th: Travis Kelehan, Lafayette, La., five bass, 17-14, $981
7th: Justin Shelton, Kemp, Texas, five bass, 17-10, $892
8th: Bryan McDonough, Katy, Texas, five bass, 17-6, $802
9th: Ryan Pinkston, Center, Texas, five bass, 17-0, $713
10th: Andre Martin, Lena, La., five bass, 16-14, $893
10th: Eason Dowden, Many, La., five bass, 16-14, $593
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Shannon Frick of Hemphill, Texas, caught an 8-pound, 7-ounce bass – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $850.
Bill Fussell of Thibodaux, Louisiana, won the Co-angler Division and $2,675 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 15 pounds, 8 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Bill Fussell, Thibodaux, La., five bass, 15-8, $2,675
2nd: James Callaghan, De Berry, Texas, five bass, 14-4, $1,537
3rd: Chance Vicknair, Hemphill, Texas, five bass, 13-15, $941
4th: Jerry Strother, Glenmora, La., five bass, 13-9, $624
5th: Joseph Sciple, Lumberton, Texas, five bass, 13-4, $535
6th: Charles Dake, Carencro, La., five bass, 13-1, $490
7th: Jeff Grubbs Jr., Kemah, Texas, five bass, 12-15, $446
8th: Clark Moore, Nacogdoches, Texas, five bass, 12-5, $401
9th: Brian Murphy, Sulphur, La., five bass, 11-7, $357
10th: David Dennis, Mesquite, Texas, four bass, 11-5, $296
10th: Robert Bean, Daisetta, Texas, five bass, 11-5, $296
Carl Broussard of Converse, Louisiana, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 6 pounds, 12 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $425.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 24-26 BFL Regional Championship on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.
The 2019 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2019 BFL All-American will be held May 30-June 1 at the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland, and is hosted by the Charles County Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism and the Commissioners of Charles County. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
FLW Veteran Terry Bolton Credits One-Boat Network from Minn Kota and Humminbird for First Tour Win on Sam Rayburn
Photos courtesy of FLW/Jody White
FLW pro angler Terry Bolton kicked off the 2018 pro bass fishing season right by sealing his first professional tour victory on Sam Rayburn. The 24-year pro reeled in 91-pounds, 3-ounces over the course of four days relying heavily on the combined capabilities of his Humminbird Helix and Minn Kota Ultrex, core parts of the One-Boat Network.
Bolton credits two big decision in his win, both stemming from what he saw on his Humminbird Helix G3 during the practice period. With just a couple hours left on the last day of practice, Bolton was running down imaging on his Humminbird when something caught his eye.
“I found tall grass in 17-feet of water that went up to about 6-feet of the surface,” Bolton said. “Cruising around the contour visible on my LakeMaster map, I found a drain that made a wall in the grass, and dropped a waypoint. I knew I found something special; I just didn’t realize how special it was until the tournament began.”
Over the first two days of the tournament, Bolton caught more than 54 pounds of bass on just that one spot.
“Every cast, I was catching a fish,” he said. “Without Spot-Lock on my Minn Kota Ultrex, I wouldn’t have been able to pull it off. It made it so easy to cast, land and go to the live well without my boat drifting from the hot spot. It was incredible.”
After a 33-9 stringer on day two and a steady day three, Bolton knew he was going to need more to get the win heading into the final day. With another crucial decision on his hands, he turned back to his LakeMaster map to try and find a school of fish he marked during practice days earlier.
“I hadn’t seen the school all week and had no idea how big they were, but I was running around all day and wasn’t catching anything,” he said. “By following the 12 to 14-foot contour on my LakeMaster Map, I was able to track them down and lo and behold they were good ones.”
Bolton found a 4 1/2-pounder and a couple 3-pounders in that spot, which was enough to lock up the first professional tour win in his 24-year career. Quite a turnaround considering Bolton almost walked away from the sport just a few months earlier.
After a rough 2018 season, in which he admits he didn’t give his best effort, Bolton said he was leaning 60-40 in favor of retirement. After deciding to give it another go around, Bolton had one goal heading into this season, to give his best effort and just have fun fishing.
“This is obviously a very special victory for me, and I have to say, it was well worth the wait,” Bolton said. “No question, I wouldn’t have been able get this win without the One-Boat Network and my Humminbird Helix and Minn Kota Ultrex. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the year has in store.”
Stephens Notches Dominant Win At Bassmaster Open On Harris Chain
|
|
Stephens Hammers 32.12 for the Opens Lead on Harris Chain!!
| Courtesy of BASS
|
|
Sportsmans Warehouse Weekend Report
AC's John Byrne and Sportsman's Warehouse Fishing Manager Sam Johnson Talk upcoming tournaments in this weeks Sportsmans Warehouse Weekend Report. Check it out!
Sportsmans Warehouse Weekend Report
AC's John Byrne and Sportsman's Warehouse Fishing Manager Sam Johnson Talk upcoming tournaments in this weeks Sportsmans Warehouse Weekend Report. Check it out!
SEAGUAR HIGH-VISIBILITY SMACKDOWN FLASH GREEN NOW AVAILABLE
Courtesy of Seaguar
Seaguar’s new high-visibility braid sets a new standard for ultra-finesse fishing and bite detection
Louisville, KY (January 25, 2019) Smackdown is Seaguar’s premium braided line, made with 8 ultra-thin strands woven into a perfectly round profile for quiet, exceptionally long, laser-precise casts. Smackdown’s tight weave makes it one of the thinnest-diameter braids available—so thin that 20 lb. test has the diameter of 6 lb. monofilament—which dramatically enhances its sensitivity. A remarkably strong line, Smackdown provides exceptional knot and tensile strength with unparalleled abrasion resistance.
And now, all of Smackdown’s advantages are paired with a high visibility color, Flash Green, which is easy for anglers to see under a wide range of ambient light conditions. The visibility is better for bite detection, with Hi-Vis Smackdown Flash Green letting you see the slightest line movements and detect the most subtle bites.
Bass expert and Seaguar pro angler Mark Zona has been fishing the line since the very first samples were available before mass distribution. “I was one of the first anglers to test the Hi-Vis Smackdown Flash Green and here’s one of the things that’s overlooked in braided line is how well the line holds its color, which is critical. There are a lot of hi-vis braids on the market that lose that hi-vis aspect after a month of fishing, and I know Seaguar put a lot of time and effort into Flash Green holding its color,” says Zona.
Of course, this translates to long-term and excellent bite detection, which Zona has noticed shooting TV shows across the country. “Over the years I have used tons of hi-vis braids and when it comes to any finesse, bottom-bouncing technique nothing emits bites better than this color, which literally jumps like the green light flashing at an intersection to go. It literally tells you when a fish inhales your lure.”
The combination of lack of stretch, sensitivity, and high-visibility for better bite detection have moved Zona to respool 80% of his finesse rod and reel pairings to feature Seaguar’s new Hi-Vis Smackdown Flash Green. “10 to 15 years ago a lot of us laughed at hi-vis braid, wondering ‘What on Earth do I need this for? I need camouflage!” remarks Zona. “Well, that’s gone by the way wayside.
Now, you combine the castability, lack of stretch, sensitivity, and visibility, and you’re just putting more odds in your corner to land more fish. Period. I’m now fishing it any time I’m fishing a wacky rig, Neko rig, power shotting, drop shotting, or fishing small finesse swimbaits. And the deeper I’m fishing, the more important the line becomes, even more important than my rod, really, for telegraphing bites.”
Zona has also noticed how the smoothness of Smackdown Flash Green not only translates to longer casts but is comparatively quieter than other products on the market. “Hi-Vis Smackdown Flash Green is very, very quiet coming through your guides, and when you hook a fish it doesn’t sound like you’re sawing wood!”
Pair Smackdown – Flash Green with a Seaguar 100% fluorocarbon leader for the ultimate finesse rig that is easy for anglers to see above the water, but nearly invisible to fish as they inspect the lure. For Zona, that’s Seaguar’s AbrazX given the amount of cover he’s used to navigating on a daily basis – from timber to zebra mussels.
Seaguar Smackdown – Flash Green is now available in line tests of 10, 15, 20 and 30 lbs., in 150 yards spools and sets a new standard in high visibility braided lines – fish it once, and you’ll understand why Seaguar is Always The Best!
For more information, visit us on the Web at www.seaguar.com or on Facebook.
#Seaguar
From Co to Pro - Willert Learning Life Lessons and Loving Life on the Road
Jason sits down with Former FLW Tour Co-Angler Joel Willert and discusses his move to the front of the boat and breaks down Sam Rayburn and the missed opportunities there. They also talk Camping Life and looking ahead to the next event in Florida.
