DeFoe Repeats on Douglas Lake using the FishSmart App from Humminbird!
Courtesy of Humminbird - Photos Courtesy of BASS/Ronnie Moore & James Overstreet
Winner borrows boat from friend and fishes the entire tournament with no boat-mounted electronics
In this era of high-definition side image and detailed mapping, when is the last time a major bass fishing event was won without a single fish finder mounted on the winner’s boat?
If you guessed as recent as one month ago, you are correct.
When B.A.S.S. announced that tunnel hull boats, like the one Ott DeFoe used to win the Bassmaster Open at Douglas Lake in 2017, would not be allowed in 2018, the Humminbird/Minn Kota pro considered not even fishing the event. In fact, he didn’t even enter the tournament until just before the cut-off when he made the decision to borrow a friend’s flat-bottom aluminum boat to head up the French Broad River to ply the waters in the mountains of eastern Tennessee for another tournament-winning stringer.
“My buddy hadn’t even fished out of his boat but he was kind enough to let me use it so I could access some skinnier water, which I knew would likely be key to my success in the tournament,” explains DeFoe. “He hadn’t even put electronics on it. It was basically a blank canvas.”
DeFoe got to work rigging the boat, immediately mounting an Minn Kota Ultrex on the bow.
“I knew I’d be fishing some pretty heavy current and Spot-Lock would be critical,” DeFoe added. “Ever since I won the first tournament I ever fished with an Ultrex on the Mississippi, I’ve been a staunch believer that when you can concentrate on fishing and leave boat control to the experts, you significantly increase the odds of success. It was proven once again on Douglas where I used Spot-Lock to position my boat exactly where it needed to be to make the best presentation possible.”
For those who have seen the Minn Kota Ultrex change the face of fishing over the last couple years, the addition of the groundbreaking trolling motor to his friend’s boat isn’t much of a surprise. But when it came time to consider electronics, Ott made a move many would find counterintuitive for an angler accustomed to fishing with all the bells and whistles of a tournament-style bass rig.
“The area I planned to fish is shallow. I knew I wouldn’t really need a depthfinder. I could see bottom. But I needed a GPS and flawless mapping,” said DeFoe. “Rather than spend the limited time I had leading up to the tournament rigging a locator, I simply relied on my Humminbird FishSmart app to navigate to my fishing area each day.”
Operating through a clean, intuitive interface directly on his iPhone6 and working with the device’s GPS, FishSmart allowed DeFoe to view his precise location at every point in his journey upriver. He had previously downloaded the high-definition LakeMaster map for Douglas.
FishSmart was introduced by Humminbird in March 2018. Within the app, users can purchase and download any of the 1,500+ high-definition LakeMaster maps. From there, they can highlight depth contours and shallow water, offset the water depth based on seasonal changes, or even mark waypoints or routes.
“The water level dropped every day of the tournament. The water level offset and shallow water highlight features were incredibly important as I was able to adjust my map to the actual current depths and identify places I was able to run my boat,” DeFoe explained. “The boat was obviously not as fast as the Nitro I typically run so if I could pick up a couple minutes on my commute by taking a shortcut here and there, I wanted to do it. Plus it was a bit foggy a couple mornings of the tournament so having the map in front of me was important to stay on course. It’s amazing that I can have all that information on my phone.”
Individual high-definition LakeMaster lake maps like the one DeFoe downloaded for Douglas Lake are easy to search, buy, and download within the free FishSmart app. Once purchased within the app, maps can wirelessly transfer to a Bluetooth®-enabled HELIX® and SOLIX® Series fish finder.
On DeFoe’s part, he doesn’t have plans to strip his regular tournament rig of his Humminbird electronics anytime soon, but he certainly learned to trust the FishSmart app during his victorious run on Douglas Lake.
“I see plenty of uses for the FishSmart app, from downloading high-definition maps for single lakes, navigating smaller boats or boats without sophisticated electronics and even updating the software on Humminbird units. Plus, I use it religiously to study lake maps at home before ever hitting the water. FishSmart will always be on my phone and will get plenty of use from here on out, I can promise you that.”
Fowler Wins Berkley Big Bass on Lake Fork with 8.95 Giant!
Zach Fowler, holds off a record field of over 1150 anglers at the 13th Annual Berkley Big Bass event on Lake Fork with an 8.95 lb Giant and wins a new Skeeter ZX 200/ Yamaha/ Lowrance / Power Pole rig + $1000.
Angler | City | State | Weight | Prize Amount | |
ZACH FOWLER | Aledo | TX | 8.95 |
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THOMAS YOUNG | Eros | LA | 2.60 |
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ZACH FOWLER | Aledo | TX | 8.95 |
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THOMAS YOUNG | Eros | LA | 2.60 |
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RONALD MORRISON | Durant | OK | 2.52 |
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DAVID CROW | Henderson | TX | 2.51 |
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GENE DENNIS | Emory | TX | 2.51 |
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LYNN ROLLER | Fort Worth | TX | 2.50 |
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MIKE EDWARDS | Emory | TX | 2.50 |
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LYNN ROLLER | Fort Worth | TX | 2.50 |
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JAY SHIPE | Mineola | TX | 2.50 |
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TREY ESCHBERGER III | Lindale | TX | 2.42 |
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DON OVERSTREET | Sulphur Springs | TX | 2.38 |
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SCOTT SWENSON | Saginaw | TX | 2.33 |
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FRANK HENRY | Downsville | LA | 2.33 |
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RONNY MCADAMS | Fairfield | TX | 2.30 |
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JUSTIN WEBB | Texarkana | TX | 2.29 |
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JIM KIRKPATRICK | Golden | TX | 2.52 |
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BUDDY LEE | Calhoun | TX | 2.48 |
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LANE SHAW | Plano | TX | 2.42 |
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HERSHEL MADDOX | Jonesboro | LA | 2.42 |
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TIM HAWKINS | Anna | TX | 2.39 |
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CHRIS NEWTON | Heath | TX | 2.38 |
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JIMMY BRAY | Tulsa | OK | 2.37 |
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JESSIE AYERS | Antlers | OK | 2.33 |
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MARK BRITAIN | Gordonville | TX | 2.28 |
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KIT LOHR SR | Rockwall | TX | 2.22 |
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MARK VAN WINKLE | Converse | LA | 2.21 |
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TOM PEGODA | Tomball | TX | 2.21 |
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VERLON CRONEY | Alba | TX | 2.10 |
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JAMES HAMM | Jefferson | TX | 2.40 |
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ROBERT BENTON | Hudson Oaks | TX | 2.40 |
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JIMMY QUALLS | Euless | TX | 2.46 |
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TOMMY CORNELIUS | Terrell | TX | 2.41 |
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MICHAEL STEVENS | White Oak | TX | 2.40 |
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JOSH WINFREE | Converse | LA | 2.40 |
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BRET NEW | Rhome | TX | 2.33 |
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CURTIS DANIELS | Emory | TX | 2.32 |
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RICKY PHILLIPS | Trinidad | TX | 2.32 |
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JULIE ARRANT | West Monroe | LA | 2.31 |
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MIKE DUGGER | Tool | TX | 2.24 |
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ALAN PAYNE | Kerens | TX | 2.19 |
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ROGER NIXON | Homer | LA | 2.17 |
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CODY BENSON | Combine | TX | 2.11 |
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PENNY MCCURDY | Gilliam | LA | 2.09 |
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RILEY MUDFORD | Texarkana | AR | 2.00 |
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GREG HOLDER | Eden | TX | 2.34 |
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GARRY DUHON | Lafayette | LA | 2.34 |
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JACOB MOORHEAD | Celina | TX | 2.44 |
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GARRY DUHON | Lafayette | LA | 2.37 |
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SPRING HILL HIGH SCHOOL WINS BASS PRO SHOPS FLW HIGH SCHOOL FISHING LAKE MURRAY OPEN
PROSPERITY, S.C. (Oct. 15, 2018) – The Spring Hill High School duo of Aaron Weed and Robert Wise, both of Columbia, South Carolina, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 15 pounds, 13 ounces to win the 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Lake Murray Open presented by Berkley.
According to post-tournament reports, the duo caught their fish targeting points and humps near the dam with a white Zoom Fluke.
A field of 73 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from Dreher Island State Park. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship. Due to a tie between 7th and 8th place teams, both teams will advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top eight teams on Lake Murray that advanced to the 2019 High School Fishing National Championship were:
1st: Spring Hill High School, Richland County, S.C. – Aaron Weed and Robert Wise, both of Columbia, S.C., five bass, 15-13
2nd: Woodruff High School, Woodruff, S.C. – Austin Lanford, Greer, S.C., and Clayton Caldwell, Woodruff, S.C., five bass, 15-5
3rd: North Augusta High School, North Augusta, S.C. – Landon Williamson and Brycen Williamson, both of Wagener, S.C., five bass, 14-7
4th: Greenbrier High School, Evans, Ga. – Henry Garrett and Joshua Ortt, both of Evans, Ga., five bass, 12-14
5th: Morgan County High School, Madison, Ga. – Cole Holloway and Landon Huff, both of Madison, Ga., five bass, 11-13
6th: Union County High School, Union, S.C. – Hunter Enlow and Tanner Duncan, both of Union, S.C., four bass, 10-7
7th: Clarks Hill Youth Fishing Team – Corey Yaden, Evans, Ga., and Brayden Batchelor, Greensboro, Ga., five bass, 9-15
8th: Greenbrier High School, Evans, Ga. – Tanner Hadden and Cy Casey, both of Evans, Ga., five bass, 9-15
Rounding out the top 10 teams were:
9th: North Augusta High School, North Augusta, S.C. – Maddux Sutton, North Augusta, S.C., and Logan Geisler, Warrenville, S.C., three bass, 9-10
10th: Travelers Rest High School, Travelers Rest, S.C. – David Ackerman and Bobby Long, both of Greenville, S.C., four bass, 9-9
Complete results from the event can be found at FLWFishing.com.
The 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Lake Murray Open presented by Berkley was a two-person (team) event for students in grades 7-12, open to any Student Angler Federation (SAF) affiliated high school club in the United States. The top 10 percent of each Challenge, Open, and state championship field will advance to the 2019 High School Fishing National Championship on a body of water that has yet to be revealed. The High School Fishing national champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice.
In addition to the High School Fishing National Championship, all High School Fishing anglers nationwide automatically qualify for the world’s largest open high school bass tournament, the 2019 High School Fishing World Finals, held in conjunction with the National Championship. At the 2018 World Finals more than $150,000 in scholarships and prizes were awarded.
Full schedules and the latest announcements are available at HighSchoolFishing.org and FLWFishing.com.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2018 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW and their partners conduct 286 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa and Spain. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
PENNSYLVANIA’S THOMPSON WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ON THE CHESAPEAKE BAY
Bahnweg Takes Co-angler Title
NORTH EAST, Md. (Oct. 15, 2018) – Boater Joseph Thompson of Coatesville, Pennsylvania, caught a two-day cumulative total of 10 bass weighing 29 pounds, 9 ounces, to win the weather-shortened T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Regional championship on the Chesapeake Bay presented by Lowrance. Thompson pocketed $66,000 for his efforts, including a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and automatic entry into the 2019 BFL All-American Championship.
Originally scheduled for Oct. 11-13, competition Friday, Oct. 12, was cancelled by FLW officials due to high winds. As a result, the winner was determined by combining Thursday and Saturday’s weights.
“I really struggled on the first day until about noon,” said Thompson, who earned his second career win in BFL competition. “Every piece of structure in the North East River was covered with two or three boats because the fishing was so tough out on the flats.
“I went up into the North East Creek and found a little spot where there was just enough room for one more boat on a small piece of structure – a tree laydown. I fished it with a (green-pumpkin-colored) Zoom Finesse Worm on a drop-shot rig, and managed to catch a limit just before the end of the day.”
With just over 10 pounds of bass on Day One, Thompson knew he needed a big catch on Day Two to break into the top six – his ultimate goal.
“On the final morning I got a water temperature reading and found it had dropped 8 or 9 degrees,” said Thompson. “I was happy with how cold it got. With some history in mind, I knew people would have a hard time with the cold front, but also felt that I would excel.”
Thompson said he re-rigged a couple of rods for the conditions and proceeded to work through three big-fish areas.
“These are my home waters and there are three areas that I feel hold the big fish,” said Thompson. “In the morning, I targeted a dock in the North East River. I fished an Avocado-colored grub, very slowly, on a light, plain ball-headed jig and had two fish at noon. When the tide started to fall, I moved out into about 13 feet of water and fished a (green-pumpkin) Yamamoto Senko with a 1/16th-ounce (Picasso) tungsten bullet weight. I let the current move it along the bottom and got three bites.”
Thompson went on to give Susquehanna Fishing Tackle in Columbia, Pennsylvania, a special thanks for delivering all of the necessary tackle and credited his Minn Kota Ultrex trolling motor as his key piece of equipment at the event.
“This is the biggest win I’ve ever had and my Ultrex played a big role in it,” said Thompson. “The wind was really blowing on Day Two, but I was able to use the Spot Lock feature and focus on the fishing. The bites were subtle and I had to pay attention.”
The top six boaters that qualified for the 2019 BFL All-American were:
1st: Joseph Thompson, Coatesville, Pa., 10 bass, 29-9, $66,000
2nd: Ronnie Baker, Providence Forge, Va., nine bass, 27-1, $10,200
3rd: Moo Bae, West Friendship, Md., nine bass, 26-2, $5,100
4th: Ryan Bauman, Fleetwood, Pa., 10 bass, 25-13, $3,000
5th: Chris Martinkovic, Hamilton, Ohio, 10 bass, 25-12, $2,000
6th: Steven Wiseman, Bryans Road, Md., 10 bass, 25-6, $1,800
Rounding out the top-10 boaters were:
7th: Dave Lauer, McConnelsville, Ohio, nine bass, 25-3, $1,600
8th: Jon Werner, Nazareth, Pa., 10 bass, 24-10, $1,400
9th: Otis Darnell, Linden, Va., 10 bass, 24-9, $1,200
10th: Ryan Powroznik, Hopewell, Va., 10 bass, 24-8, $1,000
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Michael Bahnweg of Union Dale, Pennsylvania, won the Co-angler Division and a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard with a two-day cumulative catch of nine bass weighing 22 pounds, 6 ounces.
The top six co-anglers that qualified for the 2019 BFL All-American were:
1st: Michael Bahnweg, Union Dale, Pa., nine bass, 22-6, $45,000
2nd: William Allie, Wynantskill, N.Y., eight bass, 21-9, $5,200
3rd: Henry McKee, Haddon Heights, N.J., 10 bass, 18-8, $2,550
4th: Michael Nelms, Hartwood, Va., eight bass, 17-15, $1,500
5th: Howard Smith, Hamilton, Ohio, six bass, 17-11, $1,000
6th: David Williams, Fredericksburg, Va., five bass, 17-6, $900
Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers were:
7th: Matthew Cozad, Okeana, Ohio, seven bass, 17-4, $800
8th: Mike Geisler, Oxford, Ohio, eight bass, 16-12, $700
9th: Cort Gardner, Jessup, Md., eight bass, 16-10, $600
10th: Michael Duarte, Baltimore, Md., seven bass, 16-1, $500
The T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on the Chesapeake Bay presented by Lowrance was hosted by Cecil County Tourism.
The 2018 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 take place May 30-June 1 on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland, and is hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners and the Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism. 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.
MORROW WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ON THE ST. JOHNS RIVER PRESENTED BY RANGER
Sarasota’s Paquette Grabs Co-angler Title
PALATKA, Fla. (Oct. 15, 2018) – FLW Tour pro Troy Morrow of Eastanollee, Georgia, caught a three-day cumulative total of 15 bass weighing 57 pounds, 10 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Regional championship on the St. Johns River presented by Ranger. Morrow earned $65,000 for his efforts, including a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and automatic entry into the 2019 BFL All-American Championship.
“I had a rough start to practice. I got in late and had issues with my boat, so I missed some time,” said Morrow, who logged his fourth career victory in BFL competition. “I elected to stay close to where I was staying and learn as much as I could about the area, which was from the north end of Lake George to Little Lake George. I ended up fishing there all three days.
“As practice progressed, I found two shell beds they were schooled up on, so I started there on Day One,” Morrow continued. “I had a limit by the time I got to the second one, but they weren’t as big as they were in practice. After the second shell bed, I ran to some docks. I didn’t want to burn too many docks from my main area, so at about 12:30 (p.m.) I focused on a row of new docks and caught another big one.”
Morrow said that in addition to his keeper on Day One, those particular docks produced a 7-pound, 12-ouncer, on Day Three.
On Day Two, Morrow said he made the same milk run, but the fishing was slower. He said it took him longer to put together a limit and leave his main area.
“Day Three was even slower – I only had five keeper bites and thought I blew it,” said Morrow. “I stayed close to takeoff for the first 20 minutes and caught a keeper. The outgoing tide was later each day, and by Day Three it was approximately 11 (a.m.) before I felt comfortable fishing my key stuff. I went to the shoals, but didn’t get anything. At my main docks, I did get one that was close to 4 pounds at slack tide, which was a bonus. Once the tide got moving I caught the 7-pound, 12-ouncer.”
Morrow finished out the day by catching two keepers at the shoals.
For lures, Morrow said he used a Texas-rigged, Black Grape-colored Zoom Ol’ Monster Worm on a 5/0-sized Gamakatsu round bend hook with a ¼-ounce tungsten weight for both the shoals and the docks. His rig was attached to 20-pound-test Sunline fluorocarbon line and a 7-foot, 6-inch heavy-action Duckett Fishing rod. He also worked in a chrome-colored topwater bait at the shoals.
The top six boaters that qualified for the 2019 BFL All-American were:
1st: Troy Morrow, Eastanollee, Ga., 15 bass, 57-10, $65,000
2nd: Matt Kinney, Bunnell, Fla., 15 bass, 51-0, $10,200
3rd: Grant Kelly, Milledgeville, Ga., 13 bass, 49-11, $5,100
4th: Jason Reed, Hollister, Fla., 15 bass, 49-10, $3,000
5th: Nicholas Hoinig, Port St. Lucie, Fla., 15 bass, 49-6, $2,000
6th: Kip Carter, Mansfield, Ga., 15 bass, 48-11, $2,800
Rounding out the top-10 boaters were:
7th: George Kapiton, Inverness, Fla., 15 bass, 47-5, $1,600
8th: Dylan Peppers, Good Hope, Ga., 15 bass, 47-4, $1,400
9th: Kevin Dees, Montgomery, Ala., 14 bass, 42-5, $1,200
10th: Stacy Adams, Hazlehurst, Ga., 15 bass, 41-8, $1,000
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Randy Paquette of Sarasota, Florida, won the Co-angler Division and a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard with a three-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 34 pounds, 10 ounces.
The top six co-anglers that qualified for the 2019 BFL All-American were:
1st: Randy Paquette, Sarasota, Fla., 10 bass, 34-10, $45,200
2nd: Gary Murphy, Homer, Ga., 10 bass, 30-13, $5,050
3rd: Donnie Davis, Greer, S.C., 11 bass, 26-7, $2,500
4th: Ernie Thompson, Anthony, Fla., 13 bass, 24-2, $1,500
5th: Frank Godwin Jr., Bainbridge, Ga., 13 bass, 23-13, $1,000
6th: Levi Crossway, Jacksonville, Fla., 11 bass, 23-7, $900
Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers were:
7th: Kenneth Hunnicutt, Jacksonville, Fla., 13 bass, 23-3, $800
8th: Donald Dills, Mineral Bluff, Ga., 10 bass, 23-0, $700
9th: Christian Greico, Tampa, Fla., 10 bass, 22-2, $600
10th: Spencer Sato, Warner Robins, Ga., nine bass, 21-6, $500
The T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on the St. Johns River presented by Ranger was hosted by the Putnam County Tourist Development Council.
The 2018 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 take place May 30-June 1 on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland, and is hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners and the Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism. 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.
Bud Pruitt & Kevin Mason crowned 2018 Skeeter Bass Champs CHAMPIONS
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It has been an incredible season for four regions of Skeeter Bass Champs. On October 13-14, 2018 the two day championship was held for the first time on Lake Texoma with a record 275 teams competing for the crown. Rainy conditions, rising water and tough teams were but some of the challenges each angler faced. Not only was the title up for grabs, but two Skeeter boats powered by Yamaha and outfitted with Lowrance were in the sights for these qualifiers. The leaderboard showed major shifts over the course of the event as many teams climbed the ladder to top positions. In all, over $218,000 was awarded in cash and prizes – an amazing 269% payback! Skill, tenacity and maybe a little luck mixed in paid off for the winners Bud Pruitt and Kevin Mason.
Contenders were allowed to trailer to any available boat launch on Lake Texoma to launch closer to their fishing areas. This helped a great deal considering the weather conditions with huge downpours of rain and wind over the playing field. Texoma produced a lot of solid sacks at the scales! Bud Pruitt of Sam Rayburn, TX and Kevin Mason of Coldspring captivated 1st place with a dominating two pound spread. “We started with a phenomenal practice,” the team agreed. “The first day we had some boat pressure where we were fishing, but managed an initial limit in 45 minutes. After that we moved to another area and upgraded our fish a few times.” At the end of the first day, they had 17.94 pounds, putting them in a top five position going into day two. “The lake rose every day significantly. One thing I have always lived by,” Bud stated, “is you never tell the bass where they are supposed to be. You have to follow them.” They found the bass were keyed in on clean spots between weeds, roadbeds and trails. They found their best spot on the second day, and using bladed baits and swim jigs trailered with black & blue Rage Craws and Reaction Innovation ‘Twerks’ as well as Strike King spinnerbaits, they amassed a second day limit of 18.80 pounds. In two days they tallied 36.74 pounds of bass to win the Championship and the top prize – a Skeeter FX20 powered by a Yamaha SHO and outfitted with Lowrance electronics. “We had such a blessed weekend. Everything just lined up. We lost as many fish as we caught!” Bud and Kevin would also like to tip their hats at the Bass Champs staff and crew, Skeeter Bass Boats “and all of the guys who fished this brutal weather weekend!” 2nd place winners were Adam Dunn of Houston and Joshua Ware of New Caney, TX. “The first day it was so windy, and the rain was pretty heavy,” Adam recalled. “We hit about five different spots the first day using topwater baits. Our better fish came in the afternoon.” Bringing in around 15 pounds on Day 1, they were sitting in 22nd position. “The second day the water was slick and calm. The bass would hit our bait, but not take it.” They were catching a few, but knew they needed more. “We kept moving, looking for the fish we needed. We switched to buzz baits and flukes, and with only twenty minutes to go the wind switched out of the north and put a little chop on the water. That’s exactly what we needed! The shad were busting in spots, and while it seemed that it was white bass and striper after them, the better black bass was there with them. We were able to cull three more times before having to pack it in.” They caught 19 pounds on the final day, and had a two day total weight of 34.73 lbs to win a Skeeter ZX225 powered by a Yamaha SHO with Lowrance electronics. Chad Bailey of Comanche, OK and Lee Livesay of Gladewater, TX landed in 3rd place overall. “Lee found our spot in practice, and we stayed there both days,” Chad explained. “We only used Frogs, and stayed way back in the flooded woods and fields.” They culled a few times by mere ounces, ending up with 16.06 lbs for the first day in a 13th place position. “We went right back there to our starting spot on the second day. It was being hit pretty hard by other boats. We decided to stick it out and made a million circles covering it.” Lee reeled in their biggest fish so far, then right after that lost a nice one. “We let that spot rest for a little bit then came back to it. We didn’t get bit where he lost the fish, so we decided to scoot out just a little to see if it moved down the bank some.” That’s when Chad landed their kicker with only five minutes left to fish. It was their last cull, giving them a day two sack weighing 16.68 lbs. Their two day total was 32.74 lbs winning 3rd place and $6,000. “We’d like to thank Lake Fork Resort, R&K Distributing, Anheuser-Busch and Honey Hole Tackle Shop in West Monroe, LA.” An additional congratulations to each of these men as Chad recently welcomed an addition to his family and Lee has qualified to fish the Elite Series in 2019. “We will both take next year off from Bass Champs, but we’ll be back!” The biggest bass of the tournament was reeled in by Keith McMillen from Quinland, TX, fishing with Pete Brandt of Garland. “We found some good fish in practice, and stayed in one cove both days of the tournament,” Pete recalled. They caught fish on a variety of baits, including a buzz bait, frog, and swim jigs. “The first day we fished there until around noon, and left the fish biting as we checked out a couple of other spots. The rain was horrible.” They had 14.23 pounds putting them in 38th place going into Day 2. “On the second day, the lake had risen quite a bit. Our fish had moved, and at 9:30 we still didn’t have a single fish in the boat.” They had confidence in their fish and in the area. “We moved in shallower to freshly flooded shoreline. It was covered in debris from the storms and rising water. That’s when we got our first bite of the day.” At 9:45am Keith caught the 6.86 lb’r that won Big Bass of the tournament. “We kept fishing frogs in literally 6” of water in the flooded grass.” Their efforts landed four fish for the final day, weighing in at 14.41 lbs. They finished in 12th place overall with 28.64 lbs, winning $1,500 plus $750 for Big Bass and the Abu Garcia bonus. “This has been such a great season,” declared Chad Potts, Bass Champs President. “We would like to congratulate all of the teams as well as the champions at this event. It is each of you in every region that makes Bass Champs what it is, and all of us here would like to thank everyone who has fished with us. Our goal is to just keep making it better and better, so we will look forward to seeing you again next year!”
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TENNESSEE’S PICKETT GOES WIRE-TO-WIRE, WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ON KENTUCKY LAKE PRESENTED BY EVINRUDE
Mississippi’s Ladnier Takes Co-angler Title
GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. (Oct. 22, 2018) – Boater Lloyd Pickett Jr. of Bartlett, Tennessee, caught a three-day cumulative total of 10 bass weighing 32 pounds, 12 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Regional championship on Kentucky and Barkley lakes presented by Evinrude. Pickett earned $65,000 for his efforts, including a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and automatic entry into the 2019 BFL All-American Championship.
“The goal was to make the All-American. This makes No. 7 for me,” said Pickett, who earned his sixth win in FLW competition. “I’ve been second and third a couple times in these Regionals, and it’s always a back-breaker. So to win this, it feels real good.”
Pickett targeted bass on main-lake gravel bars, secondary points and secondary pockets to catch his fish.
“If you found the shad, you got bit, but if you found the skipjack, you caught big ones,” said Pickett. “I fished some gravel bars out on the main lake, and when that wasn’t happening, I fished secondary points in the creeks.”
The winning spots, all located around the Paris, Tenn., area, varied from about 1 to 7 feet deep.
“I had eight holes that had fish on them,” said Pickett. “I only hit two the first day, three yesterday [Friday], and I hit two today [Saturday]. I only re-fished one spot each day, but I didn’t really catch much on it.”
The speed at which he fished allowed Pickett to get by with so few spots while many of his competitors fished dozens of places a day. Limiting his travel between spots was also part of a strategy to make the most of his competition time after making the long run south and dealing with high winds.
“When you run that far down there, you burn two hours [round trip], and when you [use a] Carolina rig as slow as I do, I can burn three hours just like that,” said Pickett.
He dragged his Carolina rig about as slow as possible and milked each spot for all it had, not changing locations until he was no longer seeing any bass or bait.
Pickett’s Carolina rig was baited with a Zoom Brush Hog in green pumpkin, watermelon candy or blueberry (black with purple fleck) on a 4/0-sized Gamakatsu EWG hook. Occasionally, he mixed in another creature bait. Pickett used a 3- to 5-foot-long leader of 12-pound-test Bass Pro Shops XPS Fluorocarbon line connected to 15-pound-test XPS main line and added a couple of glass beads – for extra sound – between his swivel and either a 3/4- or 1-ounce weight. The Tennessean used a custom Muddy River Rods model 714.
Other than dragging painfully slow, the biggest key to Pickett’s presentation was to keep it natural.
“I like to get off the side of the point and throw over the end of the point,” said Pickett. “If there’s current, I’ll pull with the current. If I’m fishing a secondary pocket with wind blowing in, I come around and pull with the wind the way the shad would be coming. On gravel bars, I just throw as far as I can.”
The top six boaters that qualified for the 2019 BFL All-American were:
1st: Lloyd Pickett Jr., Bartlett, Tenn., 10 bass, 32-12, $65,000
2nd: John Devries, Fishers, Ind., seven bass, 30-1, $10,200
3rd: Doug Ruster, New Palestine, Ind., nine bass, 29-1, $5,000
4th: Nick Uebelhor, Jasper, Ind., 10 bass, 26-11, $3,100
5th: Rich Fye, Galveston, Ind., eight bass, 25-10, $2,000
6th: Ken Garbe, Wyoming, Ohio, seven bass, 23-5, $1,800
Rounding out the top-10 boaters were:
7th: Frank McClain, Scottsburg, Ind., six bass, 22-1, $1,600
8th: Daniel Houser, Washington Township, Mich., eight bass, 21-10, $1,400
9th: Clayton Reitz, Morton, Ill., seven bass, 19-12, $1,200
10th: Marcus Sykora, Osage Beach, Mo., seven bass, 19-1, $1,000
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Brent Ladnier of Wiggins, Mississippi, won the Co-angler Division and a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard with a three-day cumulative catch of six bass weighing 22 pounds, 8 ounces.
The top six co-anglers that qualified for the 2019 BFL All-American were:
1st: Brent Ladnier, Wiggins, Miss., six bass, 22-8, $45,000
2nd: Carl Breeden, Valley Park, Mo., five bass, five bass, 14-10, $5,200
3rd: Leroy Miller, Napoleon, Ohio, two bass, 8-2, $2,500
4th: Jacob Sloan, Paola, Kan., two bass, 8-7, $1,550
5th: Daniel Dumais, Trenton, Mich., three bass, 9-12, $1,000
6th: Ryan Helbling, Martinsville, Ind., four bass, 10-8, $900
Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers were:
7th: Joshua Shinault, Baldwyn, Miss., four bass, 10-6, $800
8th: Steve Garman, Dayton, Ohio, three bass, 9-15, $700
9th: Dan O’Neil, Canton, Mich., two bass, 9-2, $600
10th: Justin Kivett, Indianapolis, Ind., three bass, 9-2, $500
The T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Kentucky Lake presented by Evinrude was hosted by the Kentucky Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau.
The 2018 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 take place May 30-June 1 on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland, and is hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners and the Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism. 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.
LEXINGTON’S WALSER WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ON LAKE NORMAN PRESENTED BY COSTA SUNGLASSES
Virginia’s Smelser Grabs Co-angler Title
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (Oct. 22, 2018) – Boater Robert Walser of Lexington, North Carolina, caught a three-day cumulative total of 15 bass weighing 35 pounds, 8 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Regional championship on Lake Norman presented by Costa Sunglasses. Walser earned $66,000 for his efforts, including a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and automatic entry into the 2019 BFL All-American Championship.
Walser said he made a 20- to 25-minute run to the Buffalo Shoals Road bridge near Long Island, North Carolina, each morning of the tournament and fished his way back to the takeoff ramp. Along his route, he flipped docks using a Texas-rigged, green-pumpkin-colored Zoom Baby Brush Hog and a Zoom Z Craw Jr. with 5/16th-ounce Echo Pro tungsten weights and 3/0-sized Berkley Fusion19 offset hooks. He also caught some bass on the bank between docks with a Rush Lures spinnerbait.
“I probably hit 80 to 100 docks each day. I’d fish three or four in a stretch and then move on,” said Walser, the 2006 BFL All-American champion who logged his 11th career victory in BFL competition. “A lot of the docks I targeted had brush, which I could see on my Garmin Panoptix electronics, so that’s where I concentrated my casts. All of my fish came from less than 10 feet of water.
“I keyed in on docks that have had fish on them over the past couple of weeks. Depth- and structure-wise, there wasn’t really anything that made one dock better than the next, they just needed to have fish,” continued Walser. “You could have three or four bites at one dock, and then not have anything at any others in the area.”
Walser said he caught 8 or 10 keepers each day Thursday and Friday, and at least three or four limits on Saturday. He used an 8-foot Lamiglas 806 flipping rod with a Pflueger 7:1 Supreme reel and 20-pound-test Berkley Trilene 100-percent fluorocarbon line.
“I think the south wind pushing the cold front toward us made them bite better Saturday,” said Walser. “There was also less fishing pressure [since only the top 12 anglers fish on Saturday].”
Walser went on to say that in addition to catching fish, he also had to deal with various mechanical issues. The North Carolina boater said he ended up needing to use a different boat each day of the event.
“An employee at Angler’s Choice Marine brought me the other boat I own on Thursday, which I used until a gasket failed on Friday. I’d like to give them a special thanks for helping me,” said Walser. “The mental strain of having all that stuff fail was a lot, but I got through it and it all worked it out.”
The top six boaters that qualified for the 2019 BFL All-American were:
1st: Robert Walser, Lexington, N.C., 15 bass, 35-8, $66,000
2nd: Scott Beattie, Lincolnton, N.C., 15 bass, 32-1, $10,000
3rd: Dylan Fulk, Concord, N.C., 15 bass, 30-10, $5,200
4th: Bryan New, Belmont, N.C., 15 bass, 29-14, $3,100
5th: Michael Fox, Statesville, N.C., 15 bass, 29-11, $2,000
6th: Travis Young, Charlotte, N.C., 15 bass, 29-9, $1,800
Rounding out the top-10 boaters were:
7th: Jack Dice, Lynchburg, Va., 15 bass, 29-4, $1,600
8th: Jake Frye, Charlotte, N.C., 13 bass, 27-7, $1,400
9th: Chad Poteat, Mount Airy, N.C., 15 bass, 27-1, $1,200
10th: Cole Huskins, Mt. Holly, N.C., 12 bass, 25-8, $1,000
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Wayne Smelser of Rural Retreat, Virginia, won the Co-angler Division and a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard with a three-day cumulative catch of 15 bass weighing 28 pounds, 12 ounces.
The top six co-anglers that qualified for the 2019 BFL All-American were:
1st: Wayne Smelser, Rural Retreat, Va., 15 bass, 28-12, $45,200
2nd: Larry Freeman Jr., La Crosse, Va., 13 bass, 27-11, $5,000
3rd: Tristen Trull, Mt. Holly, N.C., 13 bass, 25-13, $2,500
4th: Ben Dacey, Chesterfield, Va., 15 bass, 25-3, $1,550
5th: Jeff Rikard, Leesville, S.C., 12 bass, 23-7, $1,000
6th: Khris Williams, Mount Holly, N.C., 13 bass, 21-3, $900
Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers were:
7th: Ronnie Cutshall, Piedmont, S.C., 12 bass, 18-15, $800
8th: Darren Kelly, Wartburg, Tenn., 10 bass, 18-8, $700
9th: David Blakely, Kingsport, Tenn., 10 bass, 18-6, $600
10th: Bart Beasley, Mount Pleasant, S.C., eight bass, 16-13, $500
The T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Lake Norman presented by Costa Sunglasses was hosted by Visit Lake Norman, Visit Charlotte and Mecklenburg County Park & Recreation.
The 2018 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 take place May 30-June 1 on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland, and is hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners and the Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism. 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.
OKLAHOMA STUDENT ANGLER FEDERATION WINS BASS PRO SHOPS FLW HIGH SCHOOL FISHING GRAND LAKE OPEN PRESENTED BY YETI
GROVE, Okla. (Oct. 22, 2018) – The Oklahoma Student Angler Federation duo of Owen Williams, Afton, Oklahoma, and Easton Hitt, Bella Vista, Arkansas, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 14 pounds, 5 ounces, to win the 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Grand Lake Open presented by YETI.
A field of 68 teams competed in the no-entry-fee tournament, which launched from Grove City Ramp at Wolf Creek Park. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10 percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
According to the post-tournament report, Williams and Hitt caught their fish flipping ledges and docks on the lower end of the lake using green-pumpkin-colored, football-headed jigs.
The top six teams on Grand Lake that advanced to the 2019 High School Fishing National Championship were:
1st: Oklahoma Student Angler Federation – Owen Williams, Afton, Okla., and Easton Hitt, Bella Vista, Ark. five bass, 14-5
2nd: Ketchum High School, Ketchum, Okla. – Austin Chandler and Ty Bishop, both of Ketchum, Okla., five bass, 12-7, $600
3rd: Vinita High School, Vinita, Okla. – Tyler Lake and Jesse Woodward, both of Vinita, Okla., five bass, 10-12
4th: Rogers County Bass Anglers – James Cagle and Jordan Gotcher, both of Claremore, Okla., five bass, 10-8
5th: Mannford High School, Mannford, Okla. – Charley Williams and Joseph Case, both of Mannford, Okla., five bass, 9-1
6th: Jenks High School, Jenks, Okla. – Jake Peck, Tulsa, Okla., and Garrison Snedon, Jenks, Okla., four bass, 8-7
Rounding out the top 10 teams were:
7th: Deer Creek High School, Oklahoma County, Okla. – Lane Whitsell and Davis Greaud, both of Edmond, Okla., five bass, 8-6
8th: Branson High School, Branson, Mo. – Skyler McGrath, Branson, Mo., and Keegan Barber, Reed Spring, Mo., two bass, 7-10
9th: Broken Arrow High School, Broken Arrow, Okla. – Michael Reiss and Max Klein, both of Broken Arrow, Okla., four bass, 7-9
10th: Rogers County Bass Anglers – Dakota Page, Catoosa, Okla., and Bryce Page, Claremore, Okla., three bass, 7-2, $200
Complete results from the event can be found at FLWFishing.com.
The 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Grand Lake Open presented by YETI was a two-person (team) event for students in grades 7-12, open to any Student Angler Federation (SAF) affiliated high school club in the United States. The top 10 percent of each Challenge, Open, and state championship field will advance to the 2019 High School Fishing National Championship on a body of water that has yet to be revealed. The High School Fishing national champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice.
In addition to the High School Fishing National Championship, all High School Fishing anglers nationwide automatically qualify for the world’s largest open high school bass tournament, the 2019 High School Fishing World Finals, held in conjunction with the National Championship. At the 2018 World Finals more than $150,000 in scholarships and prizes were awarded.
Full schedules and the latest announcements are available at HighSchoolFishing.org and FLWFishing.com.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2018 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW and their partners conduct 286 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa and Spain. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
Lamb & Porter's 2-day Total of 35.96 Wins Chattanooga Bass Association Classic on Chick!
CHATTANOOGA (WRCB) - The team of Haden Lamb and Trevor Porter caught a 2 day total of 35.96 pounds topping out the field of 116 anglers to win first place and $10,000.00 in the Tow Boat US Chattanooga Bass Association 2018 Classic Bass Tournament. This 2 day bass event was held October 20th and 21st 2018 out of Chester Frost Boat Ramp.
- Haden Lamb and Trevor Porter, 35.96 pounds, $10,000
- Jim Cofer and Matt Wendorf , 33.96 pounds, $4000
- Chuck James and Brad James 32.97 $3000
- Josh Wofford 31.95 pounds $2500
- Scott Gilley and Wes Hardin 31.76 pounds $2000
- Mark Keith and Mark Varaday 31.55 pounds $1800
- Jeff Knight and Michael Knight 30.52 pounds $1600
- Jayme Cophenever and Adam Dysart 29.96 pounds $1400
- Steve Barnes and Spenser Smith 28.69 pounds $1200
- Logan Kokozka 28.27 pounds $1100
Tharp Hurricane Help - Go Fund Me
Thanks to Hurricane Michael, Our friends, Randall and Sara Tharp, have had significant damage to the ground floor area of their home.
Randy and Sara are looking at an expensive rebuild that insurance will not cover.
All funds raised will be used to return the Tharp’s home to its original condition before Michael paid the coast a visit.
We are just friends trying to help friends get back to normal.
All funds will go directly to Randy and Sara as I have the campaign withdrawals set up to go directly to their account.
Thank you for helping!
Crankbaits rule Quantum Next Generation tourney on Grand Lake
Courtesy of Alan McGuckin / Dynamic Sponsorships
Of the 102 high school and college teams that participated in the no entry fee, prize rich Quantum Next Generation Open event on Oklahoma’s Grand Lake, crankbaits were among the most popular choice of lures. And whether cast into shallow muddy water uplake, or dredged deep in the southern end’s clearer water, treble hooked diving plugs of both varieties eventually proved victorious.
The high school team of Noah and Micah Belt caught the highest winning weight overall with 17 pounds 8 ounces using Tennessee Shad colored shallow diving sqaurebill crankbaits tied to 12-pound Seaguar line.
“This is incredible. What an awesome event! Our family drove three hours up here to Grand from home, and rented a house on the lake to have sort of a vacation around the tournament, and to win is just unbelievable,” says Noah Belt, whose dad Lloyd served as their boat captain.
In great contrast, the highest winning weight posted by a college team was 13 pounds 8 ounces from much deeper cleaner water by Blaine Timonera and Colton Harper of the University of Oklahoma, who caught their fish in nearly 20-feet of water on a Strike King 6XD crankbait.
This fast growing event begins Saturday evening with a registration meeting featuring truckloads of free pizza, a chance to visit with pro angler Matt Lee, and a pitching contest. And by its conclusion on Sunday, nearly every team walks away with incredible prizes from Carhartt, Costa, Garmin, Honey Creek Tackle Store, Lowrance, PowerPole, Plano, Yamaha, and Quantum.
“As somebody who came up through the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series, it just blows my mind how incredible the prizes are at this event, and the whole thing is just so well run and organized. It’s just awesome,” says Matt Lee.
The large team of Zebco Brands employees who graciously volunteer to organize this popular event are already making plans for the 2019 edition of the fast-growing tournament, and encourage all young anglers to follow Quantum.Fishing on Instagram for more details.
Fogelman & Perkins Win PBC Jordan Lake Derby with over 19 pounds!
PBC CASHION FISHING RODS 'End of Year' TEAM TOURNAMENT BASS FISHING TRAIL
QUALIFIER #8 RESULTS
Saturday October 20th, 2018 ~ Jordan Lake ~ Farrington Point Wildlife Ramp
Well we finally got a little rain during the tournament! The Final PBC Cashion Fishing Rods 'End of Year' Trail Qualifier #8
at Jordan Lake was fished by 32 boats on a cool 57 degree morning with stiff 15 mph winds. The winds finally let up about
10 am then the rain moved in about 11:30 and kept up until weighin at 3 pm. when air temps were about 69.
Water temps averaged about 68 degrees. The bite was wild with plenty of dinks caught everywhere! We did have a good
number of 'fall weight' bags brought in so it wasn't too bad. We also had 4 bass over 7 lbs. and plenty of 5's & 6's weighed
in! Actually the bite was pretty good considering how high Jordan got and how much water was released after the storm.
First time winners this year, Jay Fogleman & Robert Perkins, took 1st Place weighing in 5 bass at 19.67 lbs. and also
won 1st Place TWT for a total of $1,690 in winnings.
Zach Hall & Ricky Parker came in 2nd place with 5 fish
weighing 17.64 lbs. & also won 2nd Place TWT to pocket a total of $867. 3rd place team, Dennis Reedy & Tommy
Marrow won $385 with 5 weighing 16.80 lbs. The 4th Place Team of Jerry Marshburn & his sub Randy Parker had 5
at 16.34 lbs. and the Big Fish for the day at 7.78 lbs. netting them $730. Money got spread around pretty good!
94 fish were weighed in for a total of 275 pounds for an average of 2.93 lbs. each. Most of the fish were caught on
Wacky Worms, Carolina rigs, Rat-L-Traps, jerk baits and Crankbaits in 2 to 10' of water way up in the woods &
bushes, off main point dropoffs, wood & rock ledges and creek channels.
I want to thank all the anglers that participated and all our sponsors that support this trail. The next Cashion Fishing
Rods 'End of Year' Tournament will be the Championship for qualifiers only, October 27th at Falls Lake out of Ledge
Rock Wildlife Ramp. Go to this webpage for the info on the 'End of Year' Trail:
http://piedmontbassclassics.com/2018CashionEOYTrailMainPage.html
All the information on our tournaments can be found http://piedmontbassclassics.com/
Now here are the full results:
1st Place: Jay Fogleman & Robert Perkins of Durham & Rougemont...5 bass...19.67 lbs...$920
2nd Place: Zach Hall & Ricky Parker of Holly Springs & Pittsboro...5 bass...17.64 lbs...$537
3rd Place: Dennis Reedy & Tommy Marrow of Oxford & Siler City...5 bass...16.80 lbs...$385
4th Place: Jerry Marshburn & Tim Parker of Sanford & New Hill...5 bass...16.34 lbs...$282
5th Place: Keith Deal & Tony Miller of Holly Springs...5 bass...15.85 lbs...$231
6th Place: Clay Ausley & Allen Parker of Fuquay Varina & Sanford...5 bass...15.79 lbs...$205
1st Place Big Fish..4th Place Team above...7.78 lbs...$448
2nd Place Big Fish..Chuck Byrd & Gale Watson of Sanford...7.65 lbs...$192
1st Place TWT..1st Place Team above...19.67 lbs...$770
2nd Place TWT..2nd Place Team above...17.64 lbs...$330
Californian Bub Tosh Wins 2018 WON Bass U.S. Open Oklahoma’s Matt Pangrac Wins AAA Division
by Dan O'Sullivan
Las Vegas, Nev. - September 17, 2018 – When the first day of the 2018 WON Bass U.S. Open concluded, Jason Borofka’s 13.84 pounds held little more than a half pound lead over Bub Tosh’s 13.20 pounds. With the first day having been cancelled due to extreme winds causing unsafe conditions, the shortened event became more of a shootout with the anglers competing for two days instead of three.
The stiff winds continued into the following day, and anglers found that they had to adjust to the conditions. As can happen during bass fishing tournaments, the conditions made a complete 180-degree turn, and the final day brought high skies, light winds with very little surface disturbance.
While the conditions didn’t make for a typical power fishing bite, Tosh managed to ride a Double Soft Jerkbait rig in the Vegas Wash and produce enough quality bites to post an 11.74-pound limit to close out the victory in the weather shortened 2018 WON Bass U.S. Open presented by Bass Cat Boats and Mercury Marine with a two-day total weight of 24.94.
Tosh said he employed a method he learned from Lake Mead and Western bass fishing legend Pat Donoho when he was a kid. “I talked to my dad when I came down here and he reminded me of how Pat prepared for this event, and that was to look for bait,” he said. “I spent my whole practice period driving around and looking for clouds of baitfish; and I spent the whole tournament fishing in those few areas.”
He said he caught the primarily on a pair of Yamamoto D Shad soft jerkbaits in shad colors rigged on an 7’ medium heavy IRod AIR Series casting rod. The key was a special swivel that he is developing for Paycheck Baits. “The swivel helps me cast the rig without it getting me tangled, it is a very important part of the rig,” he said. “I threw it around shallow grass and rocks in the Vegas Wash, and the current in the back of it was very important factor as well.”
Tosh takes home a 2018 Bass Cat Puma FTD powered by a Mercury 250ProXS rigged with Lowrance Electronics and MotorGuide Trolling Motor valued at $64,000 and $52,000 cash plus bonuses to bring his total earnings for the event to over $116,000.
Nick Salvucci, who has won on Lake Mead in the past, started day two in 11th place with 11.41 pounds, posted 12.89 to leap all the way to second place with 24.30; his second top five in a row. Salvucci said that he caught his fish in the Overton Arm on bladed jigs and buzz baits. But, he said that he was a little disappointed overall. “I didn’t come here for another top five, I came here to win this event,” he said. “I’m not happy with a second place finish, but I did all I could do, and this is how this sport goes. I wish I could have done a little more, but I’ll take the finish and let it drive me for next year.” Salvucci takes home $21,600 for his efforts.
The AAA Division was won by Oklahoma’s Matt Pangrac; who works for U.S. Open broadcast partner BASSZONE.com. He practiced with fellow Soomer State pro Bradley Hallman, and drew Salvucci and Arizona’s Matt Shura, and thanked them all profusely. “We all meshed really well and got into a rhythm,” he said. “I had a great time, and learned a lot. This is a great event, and because of my Pro partners and my boss Mark Jeffreys who allowed me the time to fish it, I was able to do something I would have never imagined; I can’t believe I won the U.S. Open.” Pangrac earned $10,600 for his tournament.
Complete final standings can be found below.
That wraps up the 2018 WON Bass U.S. Open from Lake Mead. The event was presented by Bass Cat Boats and Mercury Marine, and the live streaming broadcasts of the event were brought to you by Costa.
The Sponsors of the 2018 U.S. Open are: Bass Cat Boats, Mercury, Costa, Daiwa, St. Croix, Lowrance, Yo-Zuri, Bridgford, Seaguar Fluorcarbon, Rapala, Hayabusa, Plano, Frabill, MotorGuide, Phenix Rods, Lew's, Kuiu, Sure Life, Sportsman’s Warehouse, Storm, Anglers Marine, Century Marine, Boatmasters, Last Chance Performance Marine, Strike King, BG Insurance, Chevy Montebello and Boulder Station Casino.
2018 WON Bass U.S. Open Final Pro Standings
Place | Name | Hometown | Big Fish | Total |
1 | Steve Tosh, Jr. | Modesto CA | 3.91 | 24.94 |
2 | Nick Salvucci | Paso Robles CA | 4.05 | 24.30 |
3 | Jason Borofka | Salinas CA | 3.79 | 22.68 |
4 | Kurt Dove | Del Rio TX | 22.08 | |
5 | Scott Helleson | Whittier CA | 3.22 | 21.37 |
6 | Kevin Short | Mayflower AR | 4.14 | 21.14 |
7 | Todd Woods | Los Angeles CA | 2.73 | 20.91 |
8 | Chase Colby | Heber City UT | 20.27 | |
9 | Kevin Finley | Phoenix AZ | 3.13 | 20.21 |
10 | Randy Blaukat | Joplin MO | 3.74 | 20.05 |
11 | Bill O'Shinn | Bakersfield CA | 19.68 | |
12 | Michael Crowther | Page AZ | 19.67 | |
13 | Bill Brown | Grand Junction CO | 3.96 | 19.66 |
14 | Steve Kennedy | Auburn AL | 19.63 | |
15 | Matt Stefan | Junction City WI | 3.41 | 19.58 |
16 | Kona Borja | Henderson NV | 3.60 | 19.40 |
16 | Chris Zaldain | San Jose CA | 2.82 | 19.40 |
18 | Ricky Shabazz | La Mesa CA | 3.22 | 19.35 |
19 | Bradley Hallman | Norman OK | 19.33 | |
20 | Tommy Jonovich | Phoenix AZ | 3.65 | 19.31 |
21 | Greg Miser | La Mesa CA | 19.24 | |
22 | David Kemper | Tempe AZ | 18.95 | |
23 | Matt Shura | Gilbert AZ | 18.47 | |
24 | Roy Hawk | Lake Havasu City AZ | 3.25 | 18.40 |
25 | Sean Coffey | Mesa AZ | 3.04 | 18.17 |
26 | Randy Estrada, M.D. | Corona CA | 3.32 | 18.15 |
27 | Justin Hanold | Poway CA | 17.98 | |
28 | Shannon Abbott | Oceanside CA | 3.70 | 17.88 |
29 | Doug Gaskill | Las Vegas NV | 17.80 | |
30 | Ken Mah | Elk Grove CA | 2.95 | 17.75 |
31 | Scooter Griffith | Mesa AZ | 17.74 | |
31 | Rich Vincent | Wildomar CA | 2.40 | 17.74 |
33 | Joe Patz | Surprise AZ | 17.69 | |
34 | Kyle Grover | Trabuco Canyon CA | 17.61 | |
35 | Matthew Williams | Lake Havasu City AZ | 3.91 | 17.60 |
36 | Clayton Eslick | Gilroy CA | 2.92 | 17.53 |
37 | Aaron Martens | Leeds AL | 17.52 | |
38 | Jess Torre | Riverside CA | 17.46 | |
39 | Chris Kinley | Lake Havasu City AZ | 17.38 | |
40 | Tom Leedom | Escondido CA | 17.32 | |
41 | Bryan Grier | Salinas CA | 17.30 | |
42 | Luke Clausen | Oakdale CA | 17.16 | |
42 | John Mackey | Boulder City NV | 17.16 | |
44 | Julius Mazy | Phoenix AZ | 17.11 | |
45 | Tyler Rempe | Sierra Vista AZ | 2.90 | 17.08 |
46 | Mike Wood | Bayfield CO | 2.45 | 17.00 |
47 | Michael McLernon | Oceanside CA | 16.93 | |
48 | Clayton Meyer | Henderson NV | 3.02 | 16.89 |
49 | Tai Au | Glendale AZ | 2.48 | 16.67 |
50 | Johnny Johnson | Lakeside AZ | 16.62 | |
50 | Justin Kerr | Simi Valley CA | 16.62 | |
52 | Tom Lowery | Lakeside CA | 16.60 | |
53 | Tim Price | Glendale AZ | 16.55 | |
54 | Guy Savidan | NORCO CA | 16.50 | |
54 | Jerren Slaton | Afton TX | 16.50 | |
56 | John Stewart | Peoria AZ | 4.06 | 16.39 |
57 | Travis Jewell | Sandy UT | 16.37 | |
58 | Dan Merchant | Canyon Lake CA | 3.02 | 16.33 |
59 | Rusty Salewske | Alpine CA | 16.30 | |
60 | Richard Garcia | Beaumont CA | 16.29 | |
61 | Kevin Caruso | Glendale AZ | 16.22 | |
62 | Scott Frazier | El Cajon CA | 16.20 | |
63 | Todd Holverson | San Diego CA | 2.85 | 16.16 |
64 | John Morrow | Brea CA | 16.14 | |
65 | Todd Kline | San Clemente CA | 16.12 | |
66 | Kevin Wiggins | Las Vegas NV | 16.10 | |
67 | Jay Guterding | Redding CA | 16.04 | |
68 | Joe Uribe, Jr. | Surprise AZ | 16.02 | |
69 | Mike Peterson | Valley Center CA | 15.96 | |
70 | Todd Herman | Gilbert AZ | 15.93 | |
71 | Matthew Luna | Santee CA | 15.92 | |
71 | Dick Watson | Alta Loma CA | 15.92 | |
73 | Brent Shores | Boise ID | 15.87 | |
74 | Michael Phua | Chino CA | 15.84 | |
75 | Bryant Smith | Castro Valley CA | 15.83 | |
76 | Adam Hinkle | San Diego CA | 15.79 | |
77 | Jason Hickey | Weiser ID | 15.78 | |
78 | Paul Hodges | Glendale AZ | 15.77 | |
79 | Cody Spetz | Menifee CA | 3.24 | 15.62 |
80 | Mike Brillhart | Waddell AZ | 2.35 | 15.60 |
81 | Keegan Graves | Meridian ID | 3.95 | 15.59 |
82 | Tyler Brinks | Spokane WA | 15.54 | |
82 | Don Iglinski | Henderson NV | 3.31 | 15.54 |
84 | Patrick Touey | Nipomo CA | 2.73 | 15.51 |
85 | Thomas Wennerlund | Queen Creek AZ | 15.50 | |
86 | James Salazar | Las Vegas NV | 15.49 | |
87 | Noah Cook | Lancaster CA | 15.45 | |
88 | Jeff Martineau | Phoenix AZ | 15.44 | |
89 | Mark Dotterer | Phoenix AZ | 15.42 | |
90 | Chris Bozarth | Henderson NV | 3.34 | 15.38 |
91 | Andrew Napoleon | Mesa AZ | 15.28 | |
92 | Tom Ormsby | Parowan UT | 15.25 | |
93 | Dylan Maxon | Phoenix AZ | 15.23 | |
94 | Brett Hite | Phoenix AZ | 2.35 | 15.17 |
95 | Gerard Thomas | Ralston WY | 2.10 | 15.11 |
96 | Raymond Archer | Greeley CO | 3.81 | 15.08 |
96 | Tony Lain | Lake Havasu City AZ | 15.08 | |
98 | Ben Byrd | Moab UT | 15.07 | |
99 | Carlos Garcia | Murrieta CA | 3.14 | 15.03 |
100 | Jim Moynagh | Carver MN | 14.95 | |
101 | Carl Limbrick, Jr. | Bonita CA | 3.49 | 14.79 |
102 | Chad Randles | Elkhorn NE | 3.14 | 14.77 |
103 | Laythe Moore | Banning CA | 14.73 | |
104 | Mike Powell | Lake Havasu City AZ | 14.71 | |
104 | Derek Spetz | Menifee CA | 14.71 | |
106 | Mitch Southern | Yucaipa CA | 14.69 | |
107 | Wade Strelic | El Cajon CA | 14.57 | |
108 | Cliff King | Ione CA | 14.55 | |
109 | Jeremy Fasuga | Peoria AZ | 14.41 | |
110 | Anthony Salazar | Pahrunp NV | 14.40 | |
111 | Jamie Shaw | Coolidge AZ | 14.39 | |
112 | Jay Wright | Seal Beach CA | 3.83 | 14.22 |
113 | Mark Rauenzahn | San Diego CA | 14.21 | |
114 | Dung Van Vu | Paramount CA | 2.22 | 14.20 |
115 | Bobby Lanham | Cave Creek AZ | 3.18 | 14.19 |
116 | Jason Bradshaw | Sacramento CA | 2.82 | 14.16 |
116 | Mike Simon | Henderson NV | 14.16 | |
118 | Tyler Bailey | Logandale NV | 14.14 | |
119 | Mike Williams | Mesa AZ | 14.13 | |
120 | Jonathan Schuyler | Henderson NV | 14.09 | |
121 | Rodney Reed | Chelan WA | 14.02 | |
122 | Pete Marino | Moreno Valley CA | 14.01 | |
123 | Jordan Collom | Temecula CA | 14.00 | |
124 | Mark Williams | Lake Havasu City AZ | 13.98 | |
125 | David Baca | Prescott Valley AZ | 13.96 | |
126 | Jim Hawkes | Apache Junction AZ | 3.07 | 13.91 |
127 | Jason Haley | Medford OR | 13.86 | |
128 | Gabe Thomas | Tuscon AZ | 13.73 | |
129 | Paul Tassie | Lake Havasu City AZ | 2.38 | 13.70 |
130 | John Zeolla | Oak Park CA | 13.61 | |
131 | Jim Wells | New Plymouth ID | 13.54 | |
132 | Douglas Jones | North Las vegas NV | 13.50 | |
133 | Fred Proudfoot | Kingman AZ | 2.39 | 13.43 |
134 | Dustin Remy | Lake Havasu City AZ | 13.40 | |
135 | Andy Manahl | Mesa AZ | 13.37 | |
136 | Kevin Hugo | Canyon Lake CA | 13.21 | |
137 | Vince Borges | Salida CA | 13.13 | |
138 | Mike Rennie | Pioche NV | 2.05 | 13.09 |
139 | Andrew Upshaw | Tulsa OK | 13.08 | |
140 | Morizo Shimizu | Osaka JP | 2.56 | 13.05 |
141 | Hobby Nelson | Peoria AZ | 13.03 | |
142 | Gary Robbins | Burbank CA | 12.89 | |
143 | Gary Moore | Hemet CA | 12.79 | |
144 | Matt Raynor | Henderson NV | 1.80 | 12.59 |
145 | Ryan Yamagata | Las Vegas NV | 2.09 | 12.57 |
146 | Billy Hines | Vacaville CA | 12.53 | |
147 | Ray Arbesu | Henderson NV | 12.50 | |
148 | Vince Gennaro | Henderson NV | 12.47 | |
149 | Jim Elliott | Redding CA | 12.41 | |
150 | Kyle Richins | Washington UT | 12.22 | |
151 | Tim Rath | Lake Havasu City AZ | 12.18 | |
152 | Justin Patti | Phoenix AZ | 12.14 | |
153 | Vern Ridgway | Chandler AZ | 11.94 | |
154 | Daniel Devries | Page AZ | 11.93 | |
155 | Sheldon Collings | Grove OK | 11.90 | |
156 | Miles Howe | San Juan Capistrano CA | 11.83 | |
157 | Kazuki Kodama | Tokyo Japan | 11.78 | |
158 | Eddie Lero | Bryan TX | 11.77 | |
159 | Ryan Chambers | Chandler AZ | 11.72 | |
159 | Steve Molinari | Waddell AZ | 11.72 | |
161 | Jimmy Reese | Ukiah CA | 11.64 | |
162 | Keith Diffey | Elk Grove CA | 11.62 | |
163 | Louis Fernandes | Santa Maria CA | 11.58 | |
164 | Jim McLaughlin | Bakersfield CA | 11.56 | |
165 | Garrett Howard | Riverside CA | 11.54 | |
165 | Miles Peshlakai | Las Vegas NV | 11.54 | |
167 | Jordon Erekson | Apache Junction AZ | 2.84 | 11.50 |
168 | Brian Tressen | Corona CA | 11.48 | |
169 | Jeff Van Nimwegen | Menifee CA | 11.46 | |
170 | Shane Spinning | Canyon Lake CA | 11.42 | |
171 | Russ Barger | Boise ID | 11.36 | |
172 | Mike Walsh | El Cajon CA | 11.35 | |
172 | Benjamin Green | Pasadena CA | 11.35 | |
174 | Steve Gibson | Las Vegas NV | 11.28 | |
175 | Onelio J. Silva | Las Vegas NV | 11.21 | |
176 | Stephen Tauriello | Las Vegas CA | 2.17 | 11.10 |
177 | Shane Edgar | Glendale AZ | 10.91 | |
178 | Ken Whalen | Lompoc CA | 10.89 | |
179 | Clifford Pirch | Payson AZ | 10.81 | |
180 | Murray White | Glendale AZ | 10.73 | |
181 | James Broughton | Henderson NV | 10.69 | |
182 | Nathan Foreman | Queen Creek AZ | 10.65 | |
183 | Brent James | St George UT | 10.61 | |
184 | Steve Lund | Glendale AZ | 10.54 | |
185 | Danny Clark | San Tan Valley AZ | 10.48 | |
186 | Shaun Bailey | Lake Havasu City AZ | 10.37 | |
187 | Gary Freeman | Sun City AZ | 10.29 | |
188 | Kirk McKinney | Phoenix AZ | 10.08 | |
188 | Trait Zaldain | Fort Worth TX | 3.56 | 10.08 |
190 | Tim Klinger | Boulder City NV | 9.82 | |
191 | Justin Ramsay | Peoria AZ | 9.78 | |
192 | Tom Nokes | Riverton UT | 9.77 | |
193 | Jiggs Benn | Myrtle Creek OR | 9.73 | |
194 | Ellison Hubbard | LAS VEGAS NV | 9.70 | |
195 | Ron Hammett | La Mesa CA | 9.57 | |
196 | Scott Davis | Preston ID | 9.35 | |
197 | Rod Wynn | Inglewood CA | 9.15 | |
198 | Jason Swim | Peoria AZ | 9.02 | |
199 | John Basmadjian | Fullerton CA | 8.81 | |
200 | Robert Sedillo, Jr. | Chino CA | 8.48 | |
201 | Cy Floyd | Spokane WA | 8.26 | |
202 | Greg Espinoza | Henderson NV | 2.52 | 8.09 |
203 | Jeff Hudson | Las Vegas NV | 7.98 | |
204 | Matt Massey | Littleton CO | 7.85 | |
205 | Trace Myers | Santaquin CA | 7.80 | |
206 | Eddie Rodriguez | Lakewood CO | 7.67 | |
207 | Aaron Britt | Yuba City CA | 7.32 | |
208 | Patrick Whitaker | Gilbert AZ | 7.17 | |
209 | David Davis | Big Piney WY | 7.13 | |
210 | Sam Rosefsky | Morris IL | 7.04 | |
211 | Mike Crothers | Chandler AZ | 6.87 | |
212 | Kenneth Cates | Suncity West AZ | 6.85 | |
213 | Zack Holwerda | Maricopa AZ | 6.72 | |
214 | Greg Garcia | Cibola AZ | 6.49 | |
215 | Elliott Holsbo | Lakeside CA | 6.36 | |
216 | Joey Letsinger | Wilton CA | 6.06 | |
217 | George Kramer | Lake Elsinore CA | 5.83 | |
218 | Dusty Kahler | Paso Robles CA | 4.94 | |
219 | Allen Clark | Florence AZ | 4.43 | |
220 | Delaney Dwyer | Scottsdale AZ | 3.80 | |
221 | Kyle Coppinger | Pheonix AZ | 3.30 | |
222 | Brett Leber | Dixon CA | 2.68 | |
223 | Robert Ostercamp | Chandler AZ | 2.20 | |
224 | Ed Webb | Stanwood WA | 1.31 |
2018 WON Bass U.S. Open Final AAA Standings
Place | Name | Hometown | Big Fish | Total |
1 | Matt Pangrac | Broken Arrow OK | 3.50 | 21.78 |
2 | Scott Robertson | Norco CA | 4.30 | 21.16 |
3 | Larry White | Sun City AZ | 2.72 | 21.00 |
4 | Kelly Burns | Avondale AZ | 1.82 | 20.99 |
5 | Steve Pectol | Las Vegas NV | 3.12 | 20.61 |
6 | David Peltier | Henderson NV | 2.79 | 20.14 |
7 | William McAninch | CARSON CA | 20.12 | |
8 | Bobby Hamner | Phenix AZ | 3.30 | 20.11 |
9 | Rick Cofield | Las Vegas NV | 2.87 | 19.85 |
10 | Wade Goodwin | Wilson CA | 19.57 | |
11 | Mike McCrossen | Bakersfield CA | 1.95 | 19.37 |
12 | Shawn Carnahan | Gilbert AZ | 2.86 | 19.26 |
13 | Brian Eslick | Gilroy CA | 3.77 | 19.12 |
14 | Ryan Borba | Atascadero CA | 3.37 | 19.09 |
15 | Byron Steed | Downey ID | 18.87 | |
16 | Randy Droll | Apache Junction AZ | 5.23 | 18.81 |
17 | Jake Back | Mesa AZ | 4.26 | 18.73 |
18 | Todd Anderson | Surprise AZ | 18.52 | |
19 | Chuck Kavros | Grass Valley CA | 18.45 | |
20 | Shawn Cooley | Qual Valley CA | 2.02 | 18.40 |
21 | Cole Wright | Alpine CA | 2.87 | 18.30 |
22 | David Swendseid | Bend OR | 2.79 | 18.15 |
23 | Nathan Cummings | Peoria AZ | 18.05 | |
24 | Randall Bruce | Las Vegas NV | 3.09 | 17.91 |
25 | Jordan Schwartzkopf | Peoria AZ | 2.35 | 17.81 |
26 | Tony Neal | Australia | 17.78 | |
27 | Preston Smith | Cave Creek AZ | 17.69 | |
28 | Coy Mott | Fruitland ID | 17.68 | |
29 | Zach Holt | Las Vegas NV | 17.63 | |
29 | John Tubbs | Oxnard CA | 17.63 | |
31 | Brian Senter | Tucson AZ | 17.56 | |
32 | Gabriel Jones | Henderson NV | 2.61 | 17.49 |
33 | Russell Leise | Beaverton OR | 2.86 | 17.47 |
34 | Sam Piacenza | Las Vegas NV | 17.45 | |
35 | Hermie Romero | Las Vegas NV | 2.85 | 17.40 |
36 | Keith Gunsauls | El Cajon CA | 17.32 | |
37 | Brett Posladek | Valley Center CA | 2.16 | 17.27 |
38 | Terry Stark | Georgetown TX | 2.51 | 17.23 |
39 | Hector Gracia | Poway CA | 2.30 | 17.19 |
40 | James Ochs | Scottsdale AZ | 17.17 | |
40 | Michael Powell | Fort Mohave AZ | 2.00 | 17.17 |
42 | Tom Karavites | Payson AZ | 17.13 | |
43 | Rusty Rath | Page AZ | 17.12 | |
44 | Kevin Gross | Claremont CA | 17.11 | |
45 | Kevin McBean | Shafter CA | 17.09 | |
46 | Mike Gowey | Snowflake AZ | 17.06 | |
47 | Glenn Wyatt | Fremont CA | 17.02 | |
48 | Rachel Uribe | Long Beach CA | 16.91 | |
49 | Michael Renteria | El Mirage AZ | 16.87 | |
50 | Brian P. Day | Rancho SM CA | 2.51 | 16.84 |
50 | Thomas D. White, Jr. | Costa Mesa CA | 16.84 | |
52 | Josh Kimmel | Colorado Springs CO | 16.77 | |
53 | Patrick McLaren | Las Vegas NV | 2.79 | 16.72 |
53 | Brian Reaves | Covina CA | 16.72 | |
55 | Yasuhiro Okada | Los Angeles CA | 16.70 | |
56 | John Bryson | Las Vegas NV | 1.49 | 16.64 |
57 | Ryan Wischnack | Valencia CA | 2.28 | 16.48 |
58 | Doug Slaton | Salinas CA | 16.44 | |
59 | Keith Bridges | Mission Viejo CA | 16.42 | |
60 | Colby King | Ione CA | 2.77 | 16.40 |
61 | Craig Hammett | Eagle ID | 16.21 | |
62 | Chris Allen | Grand Junction CO | 16.18 | |
63 | Jason Okamoto | Glendale AZ | 1.83 | 16.17 |
64 | Rick Grover | Trabucco Canyon CA | 2.45 | 16.11 |
65 | Eric Hammer | Peoria AZ | 3.10 | 16.05 |
65 | Aaron Bartelt | Grand Junction CO | 16.05 | |
67 | Geoff Peterson | Huntington Beach CA | 16.02 | |
68 | Christopher Owens | Las Vegas NV | 15.99 | |
69 | Cody Steckel | Las Vegas NV | 2.22 | 15.97 |
70 | Teddy Snyder | Redding CA | 4.43 | 15.92 |
71 | Bernie Villalobos | Las Vegas NV | 15.91 | |
72 | Jacob Shull | Willcox AZ | 15.86 | |
73 | Bret Felter | Malad ID | 3.56 | 15.80 |
74 | Steve Amata | Norco CA | 15.77 | |
75 | Paul Reutlinger | Mineola TX | 15.73 | |
76 | Adam Buchholz | Elk Grove CA | 15.67 | |
77 | Austin Melville | Gilbert AZ | 2.77 | 15.62 |
78 | Ray Caldwell | Quartz Hill CA | 15.59 | |
78 | Cameron Rodriguez | San Diego CA | 15.59 | |
80 | Rick Melead | Yorba Linda CA | 3.04 | 15.47 |
81 | Broc Lindauer | Honeyville UT | 15.42 | |
82 | Joshua Rojas | Fontana CA | 2.47 | 15.41 |
83 | Ron Ratlief | Lake Havasu City AZ | 15.32 | |
84 | Terrence Rath | Lake Havasu City AZ | 15.29 | |
85 | Robert A. Morris | Colorado Springs CO | 15.22 | |
86 | Nathan Hill | Las Vegas NV | 15.19 | |
87 | Robert Lee Record, Jr. | Lake Elsinore CA | 15.18 | |
88 | Ken Hromada | Chandler AZ | 15.14 | |
89 | Joseph George, Jr. | El Dorado Hils CA | 2.31 | 15.11 |
89 | Yoshikazu Komada | Japan | 15.11 | |
91 | Brent Benish | San Diego CA | 15.08 | |
92 | Brad Smith | Riverside CA | 15.05 | |
93 | Steve Jenkins | Mesa AZ | 14.99 | |
94 | Robert Schneider | Temecula CA | 14.97 | |
95 | Ian Hastie | Cambridge ID | 3.03 | 14.95 |
96 | Jeff Przybylek | Canyon Lake CA | 14.94 | |
97 | Jim Poff | Apple Vally CA | 2.52 | 14.93 |
98 | David Bebawy | Chandler AZ | 14.85 | |
99 | Donnie Scroggins | Kingman AZ | 14.81 | |
100 | Jake Anderegg | Henderson NV | 14.79 | |
101 | Ron Chambers | Tonto Basin AZ | 14.71 | |
101 | Mario Saucedo | Hollister CA | 1.94 | 14.71 |
103 | Levi Samz | Green River WY | 14.64 | |
104 | Ian Boehm | Desrt Hills AZ | 2.21 | 14.55 |
105 | Niko Romero | Prescott AZ | 14.53 | |
106 | Rich Henson | Redding CA | 14.51 | |
107 | Brandon Smith | Indio CA | 14.47 | |
108 | Sonny Gibson | Las Vegas NV | 14.44 | |
109 | Joshua Taylor | Winslow AR | 2.00 | 14.36 |
110 | Shawn Plunkett | Tucson AZ | 14.26 | |
111 | Douglas Mulford | Henderson NV | 2.15 | 14.25 |
112 | Bryan Klem | San Diego CA | 14.17 | |
112 | Dwayne Stiles | Oxnard CA | 14.17 | |
114 | Javier Franco | Sun Valley CA | 14.16 | |
115 | Mark Snitow | Lake Havasu City AZ | 14.05 | |
116 | Dan Frazier | Arroyo Grande CA | 14.00 | |
117 | Dave Gerhardt | Durango CO | 3.98 | 13.95 |
118 | Jesstin McNett | Escondido CA | 13.94 | |
119 | Dante Ray | Fernley NV | 13.92 | |
120 | Bryan Coy | Clovis CA | 13.91 | |
120 | Conrad Demecs | Phoenix AZ | 13.91 | |
122 | Lyle Valador | Boulder City AZ | 3.04 | 13.90 |
123 | Joe Uribe, Sr. | Lake Havasu City AZ | 2.21 | 13.89 |
124 | Joe Ahrens | San Diego CA | 13.87 | |
125 | Mona Dunlap | Cottage Grove OR | 1.89 | 13.85 |
126 | Robert Nicholson | Grand Terrace CA | 13.84 | |
127 | Jeff Mabry | Phoenix AZ | 3.59 | 13.72 |
128 | Larry Warren | Laverkin UT | 1.93 | 13.63 |
129 | Kyle Greenlaw | Morro Bay CA | 1.76 | 13.60 |
129 | Lindsee Jonovich | Phoenix AZ | 2.51 | 13.60 |
129 | Szu Nien Yeh | Las Vegas NV | 13.60 | |
132 | Kota Hamai | Konocti V 232 | 13.58 | |
133 | Victor Azevedo | Filer ID | 13.40 | |
134 | Thor Dusenberry | Pheonix CA | 4.42 | 13.20 |
135 | Todd Tobiasson | Las Vegas NV | 13.10 | |
136 | Mark Chadeayne | Pomona CA | 13.01 | |
137 | Randy Austin | Cedar City UT | 1.84 | 12.99 |
138 | Jonathan Green | San Pablo CA | 12.98 | |
139 | Joe Ramos | Arvada CO | 12.97 | |
140 | Dave Kiesgen | Peorea AZ | 12.93 | |
141 | Bret Nagelhout | Red Rock AZ | 12.80 | |
142 | Bryan Hunt | Santee CA | 12.77 | |
143 | Evan Roorda | Redlands CA | 2.15 | 12.75 |
144 | Kenny Myers | Lakeside AZ | 12.72 | |
144 | Tim Roden | Queen Creek AZ | 12.72 | |
146 | George Fedor | Yucaipa CA | 12.71 | |
147 | Stephen Pike | Las Vegas NV | 12.66 | |
148 | Dink Mendez | Campbell CA | 12.59 | |
149 | Ted Romero | Lakewood CA | 2.90 | 12.58 |
150 | Steve Larsen | Henderson NV | 12.54 | |
151 | Brian Mills | Phoenix AZ | 12.52 | |
151 | William Penrod | Salome AZ | 12.52 | |
153 | Bill Lansford | Needles CA | 2.91 | 12.47 |
154 | Dan Zehring | Gilbert AZ | 12.34 | |
155 | Matt Frazier | Delhi CA | 12.32 | |
156 | Jimmy Pinkerman | Fleming Island FL | 12.30 | |
157 | Geroge Azevedo | Desert Hot Springs CA | 12.27 | |
158 | Tyler Hogan | Newport Beach CA | 12.18 | |
159 | Scott Stanard | Solana Beach CA | 3.50 | 12.14 |
160 | Carol Martens | West Hills CA | 2.14 | 12.13 |
161 | Marvin Finley | Peoria AZ | 12.06 | |
162 | Mike Contreras | Ontario CA | 2.78 | 11.99 |
162 | John Browning | Surprise AZ | 11.99 | |
164 | Taj White | Glendale AZ | 11.94 | |
164 | Cody Stentz | East Wenatchee WA | 11.94 | |
166 | Steve Watson | Phoenix AZ | 11.85 | |
167 | John D. Helm | Tempe AZ | 11.76 | |
168 | Matt Gene | Menifee CA | 3.42 | 11.69 |
169 | Chris Rains | Soledad CA | 11.61 | |
170 | Bill Hart | Lincoln CA | 11.57 | |
171 | Brian Kemp | Perris CA | 11.54 | |
172 | Liz Jones | Conoga Park CA | 11.34 | |
173 | Daniel Partida II | Las Vegas NV | 11.22 | |
174 | Chad Roorda | Beaumont CA | 11.18 | |
175 | Chris Martens | Lancaster CA | 11.03 | |
176 | Akiko Totsuka | Japan | 10.89 | |
177 | Jason Caine | Las Vegas NV | 10.80 | |
178 | Bryan Partak | Marseilles IL | 10.71 | |
179 | Dallas Braun | Eagar AZ | 10.60 | |
180 | Kevin H Duncan | Brea CA | 2.18 | 10.57 |
181 | Anthony Souza | Turlock CA | 10.55 | |
182 | Aaron Manning | Mesa AZ | 10.46 | |
183 | Erik Tuenge | Henderson NV | 10.40 | |
184 | Michael Fisher | Santee CA | 10.33 | |
185 | Ryan Gutierrez | Weiser ID | 10.24 | |
185 | Larry Upshaw | Hemphill TX | 10.24 | |
187 | Tim Domingues | San Jose CA | 2.68 | 10.22 |
188 | Nicholas Guerrero | Castaic CA | 10.09 | |
189 | Tom Cilluffo | Napa CA | 1.71 | 9.84 |
190 | Jack Roorda | Beaumont CA | 9.68 | |
191 | Chris Teixeira | El Mirage AZ | 2.12 | 9.63 |
192 | Mark Torrez | Camarillo CA | 2.26 | 9.57 |
193 | Ed Shaver | Lake Havasu City AZ | 9.56 | |
194 | Marty Martinez | Colorado CA | 9.37 | |
195 | Len Scinto | Valencia CA | 9.36 | |
196 | Ralph Wells | Lake Havasu City AZ | 9.30 | |
197 | Jeremy Burns | Santa Margarita CA | 9.25 | |
198 | Lynn Irwin | Las Vegas | 9.24 | |
199 | John Bitting | Westminster CA | 3.16 | 9.23 |
199 | Kenny Johnson | Eager AZ | 9.23 | |
201 | Dave Davis | Mesa AZ | 2.55 | 9.00 |
202 | Kenneth Helms | Newman CA | 2.88 | 8.87 |
203 | Jim Sanders | Gifford WA | 8.76 | |
204 | David Burrows | Placentia CA | 8.38 | |
205 | Eric Toms | Las Vegas NV | 8.18 | |
206 | Steve Mawson | Mesa AZ | 8.14 | |
207 | Troy Dennis | Apple Valley CA | 8.02 | |
208 | Gale Fox Jr. | Shelton WA | 7.84 | |
209 | Todd Barnes | Murrietta CA | 7.79 | |
210 | Richard Hanning | Tucson AZ | 7.42 | |
211 | Todd Belzner | Scottsdale AZ | 7.40 | |
212 | Brant List | Huntington Beach CA | 7.17 | |
213 | Bo McNeely | Rancho Cucamunga CA | 7.16 | |
214 | Jay Cranney | Sandy UT | 3.42 | 7.12 |
215 | Ryan Furno | Aloha OR | 6.83 | |
216 | Daniel Trejo | Covina CA | 6.40 | |
217 | Jason Akins | Apple Valley CA | 6.34 | |
218 | Ron Christensen | Las Vegas NV | 6.31 | |
219 | Kevin A. Smith | Phoenix AZ | 6.25 | |
220 | Robert Chor | San Pedro CA | 3.77 | 6.23 |
221 | Rufus Cassadas | Thousand Palms CA | 5.99 | |
222 | Robert Zumwalt | Las Vegas NV | 5.44 | |
223 | Robby Rogers | Redondo Beach CA | 5.39 | |
224 | Tracy Purtee | Payson AZ | 5.00 |
FLW Tour loses 4; keeps Dudley
David Dudley is fishing the FLW Tour in 2019.
He had an invite to join the Bassmaster Elite Series. He turned it down.
There has been much speculation as to how B.A.S.S. would fill out its Elite Series roster which is far short of the projected 80-angler field upon which the exciting new entry fees and payout structures were based.
It would appear that B.A.S.S. has tried to siphon a few top pros from the FLW Tour.
Jeff Gustafson and Clark Wendlandt have accepted invites to fish the Elite Series next year instead of the FLW Tour where they competed this season.
And the Bass Pro Tour just took another bite out of FLW as well. They have enlisted the services of Jeff Sprague and Anthony Gagliardi – two FLW Tour veterans.
The upheaval continues. Stay tuned.
Jared Lintner Wins Bassmaster Opens Championship At Table Rock
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Caleb Sumrall Takes Lead In Bassmaster Opens Championship At Table Rock
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Rose Leads Day 1 of Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Championship on Table Rock Lake
Mark Rose is fishing by the seat of his pants and that approach is paying off for him so far as he holds the early lead by a half-pound at the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Championship on Table Rock Lake.
Rose has 15 pounds, 9 ounces.
Caleb Sumrall has 15-1. Tyler Rivet is 3rd with 14-6. Jared Lintner is 4th with 12-14. Ed Loughran III holds the 5th spot with 12-12.
The typical fall migration of shad, and therefore, bass, is taking place. That means the fish may move shallower every day, perhaps inundating the back ends of creeks before the event is over.
Rose says things change rapidly on Ozarks lakes and he intentionally skipped the scouting period prior to the championship. He is relying on his instincts and fishing the moment. He caught fish as deep as 35 feet and as shallow as the bank.
In spite of his Day 1 success, Rose plans to completely change up his game plan on Friday as the forecast calls for rain and cooler temps - the opposite of what happened Thursday.
The old saying goes, "make hay while the sun is shining". The top anglers Thursday bucked that advice, covering water and catching bass best during brief periods of cloud cover. Friday's weather bodes well for some bass snatchin' action.
Stay tuned!
Jason Borofka Leads Day One of 2018 WON Bass U.S. Open
Jason Borofka Leads Day One of 2018 WON Bass U.S. Open
Bub Tosh Stands in Second after Opening Round
by Dan O'Sullivan
Las Vegas, Nev. - September 16, 2018 – Following the cancellation of the first scheduled day of the 2018 WON Bass U.S. Open due to extreme winds, Jason Borofka battled the post front conditions to post a 13.84-pound limit to grab the lead on the first day of competition.
He is followed in second place by Bub Tosh with 13.20 pounds, and third place by FLW Tour pro Kurt Dove with 12.85 pounds.
Borofka said that he made a 40-minute run and fished a few key areas to get his limit, and left fish biting midday. “I made the long run, which took a little longer than usual because of the wind, and caught 25 to 30 fish, finishing our final limit by 11:00 this morning,” he said. “I have four rods on my deck, and when I get to grass, I pick one up, when I get rock, I pick up a different one; it was a good day, and feel pretty good about tomorrow.”
Tosh, said that he had a pair of casualties that cost him, but that he really enjoyed their day. “I made a long run, and lost a couple of big ones, so I had to regroup, but it worked out,” he said. “I really covered a lot of water, fished far and close, and junk fished with several baits. My partner caught a big one, and was really excited, and that is what this is all about. I’m happy to be here, and we’ll see what tomorrow holds.”
Dove, from Del Rio, Tex. is fishing his second WON Bass U.S. Open, and is excited to be where he is. “I had to scramble a little to catch ‘em, but that’s the name of this game,” he said. “I feel good about what I did today, and am looking forward to getting back out there tomorrow.”
The amateur partners earned the shared weight equal to that of their pro partners for the day. Robert Schneider ended the day in first place with 13.84 pounds followed by Thor Dusenberry, with 13.20 pounds, and third place AAA Brian Eslick with 12.85. Full Standings are posted below.
The final day of the weather shortened 2018 WON Bass Open will occur tomorrow, and the pro winner will receive the keys to a 2018 Bass Cat Puma FTD powered by a Mercury Pro XS 250 outboard. The live broadcast, presented by COSTA will bring all of the final day’s action to you from the waters of Lake Mead, the weigh-in at Callville Bay Marina, and the awards ceremony from the Railhead Room at Boulder Station Casino.
The Sponsors of the 2018 U.S. Open are: Bass Cat Boats, Mercury, Costa, Daiwa, St. Croix, Lowrance, Yo-Zuri, Bridgford, Seaguar Fluorcarbon, Rapala, Hayabusa, Plano, Frabill, MotorGuide, Phenix Rods, Lew's, Kuiu, Sure Life, Sportsman’s Warehouse, Storm, Anglers Marine, Century Marine, Boatmasters, Last Chance Performance Marine, Strike King, BG Insurance, Chevy Montebello and Boulder Station Casino.
2018 WON Bass U.S. Open Day One Pro Standings
Place | Name | Hometown | Big Fish | Total Weight |
1 | Jason Borofka | Salinas CA | 3.79 | 13.84 |
2 | Steve Tosh, Jr. | Modesto CA | 2.86 | 13.20 |
3 | Kurt Dove | Del Rio TX | 12.85 | |
4 | Matt Stefan | Junction City WI | 3.41 | 12.75 |
5 | Kona Borja | Henderson NV | 3.60 | 12.44 |
6 | Chase Colby | Heber City UT | 12.24 | |
7 | Randy Blaukat | Joplin MO | 3.74 | 11.84 |
8 | Chris Bozarth | Henderson NV | 3.34 | 11.74 |
9 | Bill Brown | Grand Junction CO | 3.37 | 11.61 |
10 | Ricky Shabazz | La Mesa CA | 3.22 | 11.47 |
11 | Nick Salvucci | Paso Robles CA | 11.41 | |
12 | Chris Zaldain | San Jose CA | 2.82 | 11.21 |
13 | Kevin Short | Mayflower AR | 10.81 | |
14 | Shannon Abbott | Oceanside CA | 3.70 | 10.79 |
15 | Tommy Jonovich | Phoenix AZ | 3.65 | 10.72 |
16 | Jess Torre | Riverside CA | 10.68 | |
17 | Michael Crowther | Page AZ | 10.50 | |
18 | Thomas Wennerlund | Queen Creek AZ | 10.47 | |
19 | Roy Hawk | Lake Havasu City AZ | 3.25 | 10.39 |
20 | Shaun Bailey | Lake Havasu City AZ | 10.37 | |
21 | Steve Kennedy | Auburn AL | 10.19 | |
22 | Todd Woods | Los Angeles CA | 2.73 | 10.17 |
23 | David Kemper | Tempe AZ | 10.11 | |
24 | Julius Mazy | Phoenix AZ | 10.07 | |
25 | Richard Garcia | Beaumont CA | 10.04 | |
26 | Clayton Eslick | Gilroy CA | 2.92 | 10.03 |
27 | Bradley Hallman | Norman OK | 9.99 | |
28 | Jason Bradshaw | Sacramento CA | 2.82 | 9.96 |
29 | Dylan Maxon | Phoenix AZ | 9.76 | |
30 | Ellison Hubbard | LAS VEGAS NV | 9.70 | |
31 | Jerren Slaton | Afton TX | 9.67 | |
32 | Mike Brillhart | Waddell AZ | 2.35 | 9.62 |
33 | Kyle Grover | Trabuco Canyon CA | 9.59 | |
34 | John Stewart | Peoria AZ | 4.06 | 9.58 |
35 | Kazuki Kodama | Tokyo Japan | 9.50 | |
36 | Dan Merchant | Canyon Lake CA | 3.02 | 9.48 |
37 | Michael McLernon | Oceanside CA | 9.39 | |
38 | Jordan Collom | Temecula CA | 9.26 | |
39 | Todd Holverson | San Diego CA | 2.85 | 9.23 |
39 | Mike Wood | Bayfield CO | 9.23 | |
41 | Brent Shores | Boise ID | 9.21 | |
42 | Jason Hickey | Weiser ID | 9.19 | |
43 | Chris Kinley | Lake Havasu City AZ | 9.17 | |
44 | Don Iglinski | Henderson NV | 3.31 | 9.16 |
45 | Justin Kerr | Simi Valley CA | 9.13 | |
45 | Tim Price | Glendale AZ | 9.13 | |
47 | Miles Peshlakai | Las Vegas NV | 9.11 | |
47 | Guy Savidan | NORCO CA | 9.11 | |
49 | Laythe Moore | Banning CA | 9.10 | |
50 | Carl Limbrick, Jr. | Bonita CA | 3.49 | 9.08 |
51 | Dung Van Vu | Paramount CA | 2.22 | 9.04 |
52 | Gerard Thomas | Ralston WY | 2.10 | 9.00 |
53 | Doug Gaskill | Las Vegas NV | 8.98 | |
54 | Noah Cook | Lancaster CA | 8.93 | |
55 | Johnny Johnson | Lakeside AZ | 8.90 | |
56 | Aaron Martens | Leeds AL | 8.87 | |
57 | Garrett Howard | Riverside CA | 8.86 | |
58 | Bryan Grier | Salinas CA | 8.83 | |
59 | Fred Proudfoot | Kingman AZ | 2.39 | 8.80 |
60 | Clayton Meyer | Henderson NV | 3.02 | 8.78 |
61 | Michael Phua | Chino CA | 8.72 | |
61 | Matthew Williams | Lake Havasu City AZ | 8.72 | |
63 | Patrick Touey | Nipomo CA | 2.73 | 8.67 |
64 | Tom Lowery | Lakeside CA | 8.63 | |
65 | Tyler Rempe | Sierra Vista AZ | 8.59 | |
66 | Scooter Griffith | Mesa AZ | 8.58 | |
67 | Jim Hawkes | Apache Junction AZ | 3.07 | 8.54 |
67 | Tom Leedom | Escondido CA | 8.54 | |
69 | Kevin Caruso | Glendale AZ | 8.52 | |
69 | Ken Mah | Elk Grove CA | 8.52 | |
71 | Kevin Hugo | Canyon Lake CA | 8.49 | |
72 | Todd Kline | San Clemente CA | 8.45 | |
73 | Stephen Tauriello | Las Vegas CA | 2.17 | 8.44 |
74 | Ben Byrd | Moab UT | 8.43 | |
75 | James Salazar | Las Vegas NV | 8.39 | |
76 | Carlos Garcia | Murrieta CA | 3.14 | 8.38 |
76 | Matthew Luna | Santee CA | 8.38 | |
78 | Jordon Erekson | Apache Junction AZ | 2.84 | 8.37 |
78 | Cody Spetz | Menifee CA | 8.37 | |
80 | Rich Vincent | Wildomar CA | 2.40 | 8.31 |
81 | Bryant Smith | Castro Valley CA | 8.23 | |
82 | Gabe Thomas | Tuscon AZ | 8.22 | |
83 | Clifford Pirch | Payson AZ | 8.14 | |
84 | Rod Wynn | Inglewood CA | 8.12 | |
85 | Tim Rath | Lake Havasu City AZ | 8.11 | |
86 | Matt Shura | Gilbert AZ | 8.10 | |
87 | Greg Espinoza | Henderson NV | 2.52 | 8.09 |
88 | Tom Ormsby | Parowan UT | 8.02 | |
88 | Rodney Reed | Chelan WA | 8.02 | |
90 | John Morrow | Brea CA | 8.01 | |
91 | Justin Hanold | Poway CA | 7.98 | |
92 | Danny Clark | San Tan Valley AZ | 7.97 | |
93 | Scott Helleson | Whittier CA | 7.96 | |
93 | Trait Zaldain | Fort Worth TX | 3.56 | 7.96 |
95 | Greg Miser | La Mesa CA | 7.95 | |
95 | Wade Strelic | El Cajon CA | 7.95 | |
97 | Kevin Finley | Phoenix AZ | 7.93 | |
97 | Kevin Wiggins | Las Vegas NV | 7.93 | |
99 | Rusty Salewske | Alpine CA | 7.90 | |
100 | Andrew Napoleon | Mesa AZ | 7.85 | |
101 | Todd Herman | Gilbert AZ | 7.84 | |
102 | Onelio J. Silva | Las Vegas NV | 7.83 | |
103 | Luke Clausen | Oakdale CA | 7.80 | |
103 | Jim Moynagh | Carver MN | 7.80 | |
105 | Kyle Richins | Washington UT | 7.79 | |
106 | Vern Ridgway | Chandler AZ | 7.78 | |
107 | Mike Powell | Lake Havasu City AZ | 7.70 | |
108 | Jeff Martineau | Phoenix AZ | 7.69 | |
109 | Bill O'Shinn | Bakersfield CA | 7.65 | |
110 | Jim Wells | New Plymouth ID | 7.58 | |
111 | Joe Patz | Surprise AZ | 7.54 | |
111 | Ryan Yamagata | Las Vegas NV | 7.54 | |
113 | Anthony Salazar | Pahrunp NV | 7.51 | |
114 | Jason Swim | Peoria AZ | 7.40 | |
115 | Keegan Graves | Meridian ID | 7.39 | |
116 | Andy Manahl | Mesa AZ | 7.36 | |
117 | Cliff King | Ione CA | 7.34 | |
118 | Scott Frazier | El Cajon CA | 7.32 | |
119 | Matt Raynor | Henderson NV | 1.80 | 7.29 |
120 | Mike Rennie | Pioche NV | 2.05 | 7.27 |
121 | Tyler Bailey | Logandale NV | 7.20 | |
121 | Jim McLaughlin | Bakersfield CA | 7.20 | |
123 | Sheldon Collings | Grove OK | 7.17 | |
123 | Jeremy Fasuga | Peoria AZ | 7.17 | |
123 | Patrick Whitaker | Gilbert AZ | 7.17 | |
126 | Billy Hines | Vacaville CA | 7.16 | |
126 | Pete Marino | Moreno Valley CA | 7.16 | |
128 | James Broughton | Henderson NV | 7.14 | |
129 | David Davis | Big Piney WY | 7.13 | |
130 | Adam Hinkle | San Diego CA | 7.12 | |
131 | Mark Dotterer | Phoenix AZ | 7.11 | |
132 | Travis Jewell | Sandy UT | 7.10 | |
133 | Jay Guterding | Redding CA | 7.09 | |
134 | John Mackey | Boulder City NV | 7.07 | |
135 | Dick Watson | Alta Loma CA | 7.02 | |
136 | Louis Fernandes | Santa Maria CA | 7.01 | |
137 | Jeff Hudson | Las Vegas NV | 7.00 | |
138 | Joe Uribe, Jr. | Surprise AZ | 6.99 | |
139 | Vince Gennaro | Henderson NV | 6.97 | |
140 | Benjamin Green | Pasadena CA | 6.92 | |
141 | Douglas Jones | North Las vegas NV | 6.87 | |
141 | Matt Massey | Littleton CO | 6.87 | |
143 | Derek Spetz | Menifee CA | 6.86 | |
144 | Bobby Lanham | Cave Creek AZ | 6.85 | |
145 | Sean Coffey | Mesa AZ | 6.83 | |
146 | Nathan Foreman | Queen Creek AZ | 6.82 | |
147 | Cy Floyd | Spokane WA | 6.81 | |
147 | Tony Lain | Lake Havasu City AZ | 6.81 | |
149 | Brent James | St George UT | 6.78 | |
149 | Jamie Shaw | Coolidge AZ | 6.78 | |
151 | Tai Au | Glendale AZ | 6.77 | |
152 | Hobby Nelson | Peoria AZ | 6.76 | |
153 | Ryan Chambers | Chandler AZ | 6.75 | |
154 | Gary Freeman | Sun City AZ | 6.74 | |
154 | Justin Patti | Phoenix AZ | 6.74 | |
156 | Zack Holwerda | Maricopa AZ | 6.72 | |
157 | Mike Peterson | Valley Center CA | 6.71 | |
158 | Kirk McKinney | Phoenix AZ | 6.66 | |
159 | Trace Myers | Santaquin CA | 6.57 | |
160 | Brett Hite | Phoenix AZ | 2.35 | 6.55 |
161 | Gary Robbins | Burbank CA | 6.52 | |
162 | Jason Haley | Medford OR | 6.47 | |
162 | Tom Nokes | Riverton UT | 6.47 | |
164 | Elliott Holsbo | Lakeside CA | 6.36 | |
165 | Raymond Archer | Greeley CO | 6.34 | |
165 | Jiggs Benn | Myrtle Creek OR | 6.34 | |
165 | Jonathan Schuyler | Henderson NV | 6.34 | |
168 | Eddie Lero | Bryan TX | 6.31 | |
169 | Mark Rauenzahn | San Diego CA | 6.25 | |
170 | Chad Randles | Elkhorn NE | 6.23 | |
171 | John Zeolla | Oak Park CA | 6.20 | |
172 | Paul Tassie | Lake Havasu City AZ | 2.38 | 6.13 |
173 | Mike Walsh | El Cajon CA | 6.12 | |
174 | Mark Williams | Lake Havasu City AZ | 6.10 | |
175 | Joey Letsinger | Wilton CA | 6.06 | |
175 | Steve Molinari | Waddell AZ | 6.06 | |
177 | Randy Estrada, M.D. | Corona CA | 5.99 | |
178 | Jim Elliott | Redding CA | 5.97 | |
179 | Russ Barger | Boise ID | 5.88 | |
180 | George Kramer | Lake Elsinore CA | 5.83 | |
181 | Shane Edgar | Glendale AZ | 5.77 | |
182 | Brian Tressen | Corona CA | 5.72 | |
183 | Eddie Rodriguez | Lakewood CO | 5.66 | |
184 | Vince Borges | Salida CA | 5.51 | |
185 | Mitch Southern | Yucaipa CA | 5.44 | |
186 | Andrew Upshaw | Tulsa OK | 5.38 | |
187 | Ron Hammett | La Mesa CA | 5.31 | |
188 | Steve Gibson | Las Vegas NV | 5.27 | |
189 | Mike Williams | Mesa AZ | 5.20 | |
190 | Paul Hodges | Glendale AZ | 5.13 | |
191 | Steve Lund | Glendale AZ | 4.99 | |
192 | Gary Moore | Hemet CA | 4.96 | |
193 | Dusty Kahler | Paso Robles CA | 4.94 | |
194 | Robert Sedillo, Jr. | Chino CA | 4.88 | |
195 | Morizo Shimizu | Osaka JP | 1.91 | 4.78 |
196 | Jeff Van Nimwegen | Menifee CA | 4.74 | |
197 | Ray Arbesu | Henderson NV | 4.73 | |
198 | Scott Davis | Preston ID | 4.45 | |
199 | Jay Wright | Seal Beach CA | 4.35 | |
200 | Dustin Remy | Lake Havasu City AZ | 4.32 | |
201 | Mike Simon | Henderson NV | 4.30 | |
202 | Tim Klinger | Boulder City NV | 4.16 | |
203 | David Baca | Prescott Valley AZ | 4.15 | |
204 | Miles Howe | San Juan Capistrano CA | 4.13 | |
205 | Tyler Brinks | Spokane WA | 4.04 | |
206 | Greg Garcia | Cibola AZ | 3.94 | |
207 | Jimmy Reese | Ukiah CA | 3.93 | |
208 | Delaney Dwyer | Scottsdale AZ | 3.80 | |
209 | Sam Rosefsky | Morris IL | 3.78 | |
210 | Murray White | Glendale AZ | 3.72 | |
211 | Ken Whalen | Lompoc CA | 3.70 | |
212 | Keith Diffey | Elk Grove CA | 3.55 | |
213 | Kenneth Cates | Suncity West AZ | 3.42 | |
214 | Allen Clark | Florence AZ | 3.30 | |
214 | Kyle Coppinger | Pheonix AZ | 3.30 | |
216 | Daniel Devries | Page AZ | 3.25 | |
217 | Shane Spinning | Canyon Lake CA | 2.72 | |
218 | Brett Leber | Dixon CA | 2.68 | |
219 | Justin Ramsay | Peoria AZ | 2.59 | |
220 | Mike Crothers | Chandler AZ | 2.34 | |
221 | Aaron Britt | Yuba City CA | 2.33 | |
222 | John Basmadjian | Fullerton CA | 2.04 | |
223 | Ed Webb | Stanwood WA | 1.31 | |
224 | Robert Ostercamp | Chandler AZ | 0.00 |
2018 WON Bass U.S. Open Day One AAA Standings
Place | Name | Hometown | Big Fish | Total Weight |
1 | Robert Schneider | Temecula CA | 13.84 | |
2 | Thor Dusenberry | Pheonix CA | 4.42 | 13.20 |
3 | Brian Eslick | Gilroy CA | 3.77 | 12.85 |
4 | Ian Hastie | Cambridge ID | 3.03 | 12.75 |
5 | Randall Bruce | Las Vegas NV | 3.09 | 12.44 |
6 | Ryan Borba | Atascadero CA | 3.37 | 12.24 |
7 | Bobby Hamner | Phenix AZ | 3.30 | 11.84 |
8 | David Peltier | Henderson NV | 2.79 | 11.74 |
9 | Chuck Kavros | Grass Valley CA | 11.61 | |
10 | Terry Stark | Georgetown TX | 2.51 | 11.47 |
11 | Matt Pangrac | Broken Arrow OK | 3.50 | 11.41 |
12 | Joshua Rojas | Fontana CA | 2.47 | 11.21 |
13 | Cody Steckel | Las Vegas NV | 2.22 | 10.81 |
14 | Shawn Cooley | Qual Valley CA | 10.79 | |
15 | Kevin McBean | Shafter CA | 10.72 | |
16 | Randy Droll | Apache Junction AZ | 5.23 | 10.68 |
17 | Rick Melead | Yorba Linda CA | 3.04 | 10.50 |
18 | Hermie Romero | Las Vegas NV | 2.85 | 10.47 |
19 | Josh Kimmel | Colorado Springs CO | 10.39 | |
20 | John Browning | Surprise AZ | 10.37 | |
21 | Cameron Rodriguez | San Diego CA | 10.19 | |
22 | Nathan Cummings | Peoria AZ | 10.17 | |
23 | Austin Melville | Gilbert AZ | 2.77 | 10.11 |
24 | Gabriel Jones | Henderson NV | 2.61 | 10.07 |
25 | Rick Cofield | Las Vegas NV | 2.87 | 10.04 |
26 | John Tubbs | Oxnard CA | 10.03 | |
27 | Daniel Partida II | Las Vegas NV | 9.99 | |
28 | David Swendseid | Bend OR | 2.79 | 9.96 |
29 | Patrick McLaren | Las Vegas NV | 2.79 | 9.76 |
30 | Russell Leise | Beaverton OR | 2.86 | 9.70 |
31 | Rick Grover | Trabucco Canyon CA | 2.45 | 9.67 |
32 | Cole Wright | Alpine CA | 1.68 | 9.62 |
33 | Coy Mott | Fruitland ID | 9.59 | |
34 | Ray Caldwell | Quartz Hill CA | 9.58 | |
35 | Jake Back | Mesa AZ | 4.26 | 9.50 |
36 | Wade Goodwin | Wilson CA | 9.48 | |
37 | Kevin Gross | Claremont CA | 9.39 | |
38 | Cody Stentz | East Wenatchee WA | 9.26 | |
39 | John Bitting | Westminster CA | 3.16 | 9.23 |
39 | Shawn Plunkett | Tucson AZ | 9.23 | |
41 | Rachel Uribe | Long Beach CA | 9.21 | |
42 | Ted Romero | Lakewood CA | 2.90 | 9.19 |
43 | Joe Uribe, Sr. | Lake Havasu City AZ | 2.21 | 9.17 |
44 | James Ochs | Scottsdale AZ | 9.16 | |
45 | Jason Okamoto | Glendale AZ | 1.83 | 9.13 |
45 | Scott Robertson | Norco CA | 9.13 | |
47 | Nicholas Guerrero | Castaic CA | 9.11 | |
47 | Tony Neal | Australia | 9.11 | |
49 | Donnie Scroggins | Kingman AZ | 9.10 | |
50 | Ron Chambers | Tonto Basin AZ | 9.08 | |
51 | Mike McCrossen | Bakersfield CA | 1.95 | 9.04 |
52 | Dave Davis | Mesa AZ | 2.55 | 9.00 |
53 | Zach Holt | Las Vegas NV | 8.98 | |
54 | Jordan Schwartzkopf | Peoria AZ | 2.35 | 8.93 |
55 | Doug Slaton | Salinas CA | 8.90 | |
56 | Preston Smith | Cave Creek AZ | 8.87 | |
57 | Szu Nien Yeh | Las Vegas NV | 8.86 | |
58 | Steve Amata | Norco CA | 8.83 | |
59 | Michael Renteria | El Mirage AZ | 8.80 | |
60 | William McAninch | CARSON CA | 8.78 | |
61 | Keith Bridges | Mission Viejo CA | 8.72 | |
61 | Larry White | Sun City AZ | 2.72 | 8.72 |
63 | Brian Reaves | Covina CA | 8.67 | |
64 | Geoff Peterson | Huntington Beach CA | 8.63 | |
65 | Steve Watson | Phoenix AZ | 8.59 | |
66 | Jeff Mabry | Phoenix AZ | 2.27 | 8.58 |
67 | Anthony Souza | Turlock CA | 8.54 | |
67 | Joshua Taylor | Winslow AR | 8.54 | |
69 | Jason Caine | Las Vegas NV | 8.52 | |
69 | Robert Lee Record, Jr. | Lake Elsinore CA | 8.52 | |
71 | Yasuhiro Okada | Los Angeles CA | 8.49 | |
72 | Dave Gerhardt | Durango CO | 2.23 | 8.45 |
73 | Joe Ramos | Arvada CO | 8.44 | |
74 | Bryan Coy | Clovis CA | 8.43 | |
75 | Keith Gunsauls | El Cajon CA | 8.39 | |
76 | David Burrows | Placentia CA | 8.38 | |
76 | Craig Hammett | Eagle ID | 8.38 | |
78 | Kyle Greenlaw | Morro Bay CA | 1.76 | 8.37 |
78 | Sam Piacenza | Las Vegas NV | 8.37 | |
80 | Ron Ratlief | Lake Havasu City AZ | 8.31 | |
81 | Paul Reutlinger | Mineola TX | 8.23 | |
82 | Mike Gowey | Snowflake AZ | 8.22 | |
83 | Brian P. Day | Rancho SM CA | 8.14 | |
84 | Mark Torrez | Camarillo CA | 2.26 | 8.12 |
85 | Todd Tobiasson | Las Vegas NV | 8.11 | |
86 | Kelly Burns | Avondale AZ | 1.82 | 8.10 |
87 | Eric Hammer | Peoria AZ | 8.09 | |
88 | Troy Dennis | Apple Valley CA | 8.02 | |
88 | Brett Posladek | Valley Center CA | 8.02 | |
90 | Jake Anderegg | Henderson NV | 8.01 | |
91 | George Fedor | Yucaipa CA | 7.98 | |
92 | Shawn Carnahan | Gilbert AZ | 7.97 | |
93 | David Bebawy | Chandler AZ | 7.96 | |
93 | Matt Frazier | Delhi CA | 7.96 | |
95 | Aaron Manning | Mesa AZ | 7.95 | |
95 | Brian Mills | Phoenix AZ | 7.95 | |
97 | John D. Helm | Tempe AZ | 7.93 | |
97 | Brad Smith | Riverside CA | 7.93 | |
99 | Brian Kemp | Perris CA | 7.90 | |
100 | Rusty Rath | Page AZ | 7.85 | |
101 | Jacob Shull | Willcox AZ | 7.84 | |
102 | Hector Gracia | Poway CA | 2.30 | 7.83 |
103 | Broc Lindauer | Honeyville UT | 7.80 | |
103 | Chad Roorda | Beaumont CA | 7.80 | |
105 | Todd Barnes | Murrietta CA | 7.79 | |
106 | Colby King | Ione CA | 2.77 | 7.78 |
107 | Tom Karavites | Payson AZ | 7.70 | |
108 | Kenny Myers | Lakeside AZ | 7.69 | |
109 | Ken Hromada | Chandler AZ | 7.65 | |
110 | Ryan Wischnack | Valencia CA | 7.58 | |
111 | Bryan Klem | San Diego CA | 7.54 | |
111 | Terrence Rath | Lake Havasu City AZ | 7.54 | |
113 | Chris Teixeira | El Mirage AZ | 7.51 | |
114 | Todd Belzner | Scottsdale AZ | 7.40 | |
115 | Javier Franco | Sun Valley CA | 7.39 | |
116 | Dwayne Stiles | Oxnard CA | 7.36 | |
117 | Yoshikazu Komada | Japan | 7.34 | |
118 | Robert Nicholson | Grand Terrace CA | 7.32 | |
119 | Tom Cilluffo | Napa CA | 1.71 | 7.29 |
120 | Aaron Bartelt | Grand Junction CO | 7.27 | |
121 | Adam Buchholz | Elk Grove CA | 7.20 | |
121 | Steve Pectol | Las Vegas NV | 2.38 | 7.20 |
123 | Steve Larsen | Henderson NV | 7.17 | |
123 | Brant List | Huntington Beach CA | 7.17 | |
123 | Michael Powell | Fort Mohave AZ | 7.17 | |
126 | Nathan Hill | Las Vegas NV | 7.16 | |
126 | Bo McNeely | Rancho Cucamunga CA | 7.16 | |
128 | Mario Saucedo | Hollister CA | 1.94 | 7.14 |
129 | Byron Steed | Downey ID | 7.13 | |
130 | Rich Henson | Redding CA | 7.12 | |
131 | Bryan Hunt | Santee CA | 7.11 | |
132 | Niko Romero | Prescott AZ | 7.10 | |
133 | Mike Contreras | Ontario CA | 2.78 | 7.09 |
134 | Dante Ray | Fernley NV | 7.07 | |
135 | Jonathan Green | San Pablo CA | 7.02 | |
136 | Larry Warren | Laverkin UT | 1.93 | 7.01 |
137 | Robert A. Morris | Colorado Springs CO | 7.00 | |
138 | Dan Frazier | Arroyo Grande CA | 6.99 | |
139 | Levi Samz | Green River WY | 6.97 | |
140 | Brian Senter | Tucson AZ | 6.92 | |
141 | Ralph Wells | Lake Havasu City AZ | 6.87 | |
141 | Glenn Wyatt | Fremont CA | 6.87 | |
143 | Kota Hamai | Konocti V 232 | 6.86 | |
144 | Ian Boehm | Desrt Hills AZ | 6.85 | |
145 | Jeff Przybylek | Canyon Lake CA | 6.83 | |
146 | Steve Jenkins | Mesa AZ | 6.82 | |
147 | Gale Fox Jr. | Shelton WA | 6.81 | |
147 | Ryan Gutierrez | Weiser ID | 6.81 | |
149 | Joe Ahrens | San Diego CA | 6.78 | |
149 | Michael Fisher | Santee CA | 6.78 | |
151 | John Bryson | Las Vegas NV | 1.49 | 6.77 |
152 | Christopher Owens | Las Vegas NV | 6.76 | |
153 | Teddy Snyder | Redding CA | 6.75 | |
154 | Chris Allen | Grand Junction CO | 6.74 | |
154 | Kevin H Duncan | Brea CA | 2.18 | 6.74 |
156 | Brandon Smith | Indio CA | 6.72 | |
157 | Jesstin McNett | Escondido CA | 6.71 | |
158 | Mona Dunlap | Cottage Grove OR | 6.66 | |
159 | Bernie Villalobos | Las Vegas NV | 6.57 | |
160 | Bryan Partak | Marseilles IL | 6.55 | |
161 | Joseph George, Jr. | El Dorado Hils CA | 2.31 | 6.52 |
162 | Sonny Gibson | Las Vegas NV | 6.47 | |
162 | Carol Martens | West Hills CA | 6.47 | |
164 | Todd Anderson | Surprise AZ | 6.36 | |
165 | Jason Akins | Apple Valley CA | 6.34 | |
165 | Dallas Braun | Eagar AZ | 6.34 | |
165 | Dave Kiesgen | Peorea AZ | 6.34 | |
168 | Ron Christensen | Las Vegas NV | 6.31 | |
169 | Kevin A. Smith | Phoenix AZ | 6.25 | |
170 | Robert Chor | San Pedro CA | 3.77 | 6.23 |
171 | Conrad Demecs | Phoenix AZ | 6.20 | |
172 | Jack Roorda | Beaumont CA | 6.13 | |
173 | Jeremy Burns | Santa Margarita CA | 6.12 | |
174 | Thomas D. White, Jr. | Costa Mesa CA | 6.10 | |
175 | Marvin Finley | Peoria AZ | 6.06 | |
175 | Len Scinto | Valencia CA | 6.06 | |
177 | Rufus Cassadas | Thousand Palms CA | 5.99 | |
178 | Bret Nagelhout | Red Rock AZ | 5.97 | |
179 | William Penrod | Salome AZ | 5.88 | |
180 | Brent Benish | San Diego CA | 5.83 | |
181 | Jim Poff | Apple Vally CA | 5.77 | |
182 | Lindsee Jonovich | Phoenix AZ | 5.72 | |
183 | Chris Martens | Lancaster CA | 5.66 | |
184 | Stephen Pike | Las Vegas NV | 5.51 | |
185 | Robert Zumwalt | Las Vegas NV | 5.44 | |
186 | Tim Roden | Queen Creek AZ | 5.38 | |
187 | Mark Snitow | Lake Havasu City AZ | 5.31 | |
188 | Kenneth Helms | Newman CA | 2.88 | 5.27 |
189 | Jimmy Pinkerman | Fleming Island FL | 5.20 | |
190 | Ed Shaver | Lake Havasu City AZ | 5.13 | |
191 | Tyler Hogan | Newport Beach CA | 4.99 | |
192 | Chris Rains | Soledad CA | 4.96 | |
193 | Marty Martinez | Colorado CA | 4.94 | |
194 | Akiko Totsuka | Japan | 4.88 | |
195 | Randy Austin | Cedar City UT | 1.84 | 4.78 |
196 | Dink Mendez | Campbell CA | 4.74 | |
197 | Taj White | Glendale AZ | 4.73 | |
198 | Victor Azevedo | Filer ID | 4.45 | |
199 | Douglas Mulford | Henderson NV | 4.35 | |
200 | Bill Hart | Lincoln CA | 4.32 | |
201 | Bret Felter | Malad ID | 4.30 | |
202 | Bill Lansford | Needles CA | 2.91 | 4.16 |
203 | Erik Tuenge | Henderson NV | 4.15 | |
204 | Mark Chadeayne | Pomona CA | 4.13 | |
205 | Lyle Valador | Boulder City AZ | 4.04 | |
206 | Lynn Irwin | Las Vegas | 3.94 | |
207 | Liz Jones | Conoga Park CA | 3.93 | |
208 | Dan Zehring | Gilbert AZ | 3.80 | |
209 | Geroge Azevedo | Desert Hot Springs CA | 3.78 | |
210 | Evan Roorda | Redlands CA | 3.72 | |
211 | Jay Cranney | Sandy UT | 3.70 | |
212 | Eric Toms | Las Vegas NV | 3.55 | |
213 | Matt Gene | Menifee CA | 3.42 | 3.42 |
214 | Jim Sanders | Gifford WA | 3.30 | |
214 | Scott Stanard | Solana Beach CA | 3.30 | |
216 | Kenny Johnson | Eager AZ | 3.25 | |
217 | Robby Rogers | Redondo Beach CA | 2.72 | |
218 | Tim Domingues | San Jose CA | 2.68 | 2.68 |
219 | Steve Mawson | Mesa AZ | 2.59 | |
220 | Tracy Purtee | Payson AZ | 2.34 | |
221 | Daniel Trejo | Covina CA | 2.33 | |
222 | Larry Upshaw | Hemphill TX | 2.04 | |
223 | Richard Hanning | Tucson AZ | 1.31 | |
224 | Ryan Furno | Aloha OR | 0.00 |
Costa’s, Dave Bulthuis, Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award
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PENNSYLVANIA’S THOMPSON WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ON THE CHESAPEAKE BAY PRESENTED BY LOWRANCE
NORTH EAST, Md. (Oct. 15, 2018) – Boater Joseph Thompson of Coatesville, Pennsylvania, caught a two-day cumulative total of 10 bass weighing 29 pounds, 9 ounces, to win the weather-shortened T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Regional championship on the Chesapeake Bay presented by Lowrance. Thompson pocketed $66,000 for his efforts, including a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and automatic entry into the 2019 BFL All-American Championship.
Originally scheduled for Oct. 11-13, competition Friday, Oct. 12, was cancelled by FLW officials due to high winds. As a result, the winner was determined by combining Thursday and Saturday’s weights.
“I really struggled on the first day until about noon,” said Thompson, who earned his second career win in BFL competition. “Every piece of structure in the North East River was covered with two or three boats because the fishing was so tough out on the flats.
“I went up into the North East Creek and found a little spot where there was just enough room for one more boat on a small piece of structure – a tree laydown. I fished it with a (green-pumpkin-colored) Zoom Finesse Worm on a drop-shot rig, and managed to catch a limit just before the end of the day.”
With just over 10 pounds of bass on Day One, Thompson knew he needed a big catch on Day Two to break into the top six – his ultimate goal.
“On the final morning I got a water temperature reading and found it had dropped 8 or 9 degrees,” said Thompson. “I was happy with how cold it got. With some history in mind, I knew people would have a hard time with the cold front, but also felt that I would excel.”
Thompson said he re-rigged a couple of rods for the conditions and proceeded to work through three big-fish areas.
“These are my home waters and there are three areas that I feel hold the big fish,” said Thompson. “In the morning, I targeted a dock in the North East River. I fished an Avocado-colored grub, very slowly, on a light, plain ball-headed jig and had two fish at noon. When the tide started to fall, I moved out into about 13 feet of water and fished a (green-pumpkin) Yamamoto Senko with a 1/16th-ounce (Picasso) tungsten bullet weight. I let the current move it along the bottom and got three bites.”
Thompson went on to give Susquehanna Fishing Tackle in Columbia, Pennsylvania, a special thanks for delivering all of the necessary tackle and credited his Minn Kota Ultrex trolling motor as his key piece of equipment at the event.
“This is the biggest win I’ve ever had and my Ultrex played a big role in it,” said Thompson. “The wind was really blowing on Day Two, but I was able to use the Spot Lock feature and focus on the fishing. The bites were subtle and I had to pay attention.”
The top six boaters that qualified for the 2019 BFL All-American were:
1st: Joseph Thompson, Coatesville, Pa., 10 bass, 29-9, $66,000
2nd: Ronnie Baker, Providence Forge, Va., nine bass, 27-1, $10,200
3rd: Moo Bae, West Friendship, Md., nine bass, 26-2, $5,100
4th: Ryan Bauman, Fleetwood, Pa., 10 bass, 25-13, $3,000
5th: Chris Martinkovic, Hamilton, Ohio, 10 bass, 25-12, $2,000
6th: Steven Wiseman, Bryans Road, Md., 10 bass, 25-6, $1,800
Rounding out the top-10 boaters were:
7th: Dave Lauer, McConnelsville, Ohio, nine bass, 25-3, $1,600
8th: Jon Werner, Nazareth, Pa., 10 bass, 24-10, $1,400
9th: Otis Darnell, Linden, Va., 10 bass, 24-9, $1,200
10th: Ryan Powroznik, Hopewell, Va., 10 bass, 24-8, $1,000
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Michael Bahnweg of Union Dale, Pennsylvania, won the Co-angler Division and a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard with a two-day cumulative catch of nine bass weighing 22 pounds, 6 ounces.
The top six co-anglers that qualified for the 2019 BFL All-American were:
1st: Michael Bahnweg, Union Dale, Pa., nine bass, 22-6, $45,000
2nd: William Allie, Wynantskill, N.Y., eight bass, 21-9, $5,200
3rd: Henry McKee, Haddon Heights, N.J., 10 bass, 18-8, $2,550
4th: Michael Nelms, Hartwood, Va., eight bass, 17-15, $1,500
5th: Howard Smith, Hamilton, Ohio, six bass, 17-11, $1,000
6th: David Williams, Fredericksburg, Va., five bass, 17-6, $900
Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers were:
7th: Matthew Cozad, Okeana, Ohio, seven bass, 17-4, $800
8th: Mike Geisler, Oxford, Ohio, eight bass, 16-12, $700
9th: Cort Gardner, Jessup, Md., eight bass, 16-10, $600
10th: Michael Duarte, Baltimore, Md., seven bass, 16-1, $500
The T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on the Chesapeake Bay presented by Lowrance was hosted by Cecil County Tourism.
The 2018 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 take place May 30-June 1 on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland, and is hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners and the Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism. 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.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2018 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW and their partners conduct 286 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa and Spain. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
SPRING HILL HIGH SCHOOL WINS BASS PRO SHOPS FLW HIGH SCHOOL FISHING LAKE MURRAY OPEN PRESENTED BY BERKLEY
PROSPERITY, S.C. (Oct. 15, 2018) – The Spring Hill High School duo of Aaron Weed and Robert Wise, both of Columbia, South Carolina, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 15 pounds, 13 ounces to win the 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Lake Murray Open presented by Berkley.
According to post-tournament reports, the duo caught their fish targeting points and humps near the dam with a white Zoom Fluke.
A field of 73 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from Dreher Island State Park. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship. Due to a tie between 7th and 8th place teams, both teams will advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top eight teams on Lake Murray that advanced to the 2019 High School Fishing National Championship were:
1st: Spring Hill High School, Richland County, S.C. – Aaron Weed and Robert Wise, both of Columbia, S.C., five bass, 15-13
2nd: Woodruff High School, Woodruff, S.C. – Austin Lanford, Greer, S.C., and Clayton Caldwell, Woodruff, S.C., five bass, 15-5
3rd: North Augusta High School, North Augusta, S.C. – Landon Williamson and Brycen Williamson, both of Wagener, S.C., five bass, 14-7
4th: Greenbrier High School, Evans, Ga. – Henry Garrett and Joshua Ortt, both of Evans, Ga., five bass, 12-14
5th: Morgan County High School, Madison, Ga. – Cole Holloway and Landon Huff, both of Madison, Ga., five bass, 11-13
6th: Union County High School, Union, S.C. – Hunter Enlow and Tanner Duncan, both of Union, S.C., four bass, 10-7
7th: Clarks Hill Youth Fishing Team – Corey Yaden, Evans, Ga., and Brayden Batchelor, Greensboro, Ga., five bass, 9-15
8th: Greenbrier High School, Evans, Ga. – Tanner Hadden and Cy Casey, both of Evans, Ga., five bass, 9-15
Rounding out the top 10 teams were:
9th: North Augusta High School, North Augusta, S.C. – Maddux Sutton, North Augusta, S.C., and Logan Geisler, Warrenville, S.C., three bass, 9-10
10th: Travelers Rest High School, Travelers Rest, S.C. – David Ackerman and Bobby Long, both of Greenville, S.C., four bass, 9-9
Complete results from the event can be found at FLWFishing.com.
The 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Lake Murray Open presented by Berkley was a two-person (team) event for students in grades 7-12, open to any Student Angler Federation (SAF) affiliated high school club in the United States. The top 10 percent of each Challenge, Open, and state championship field will advance to the 2019 High School Fishing National Championship on a body of water that has yet to be revealed. The High School Fishing national champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice.
In addition to the High School Fishing National Championship, all High School Fishing anglers nationwide automatically qualify for the world’s largest open high school bass tournament, the 2019 High School Fishing World Finals, held in conjunction with the National Championship. At the 2018 World Finals more than $150,000 in scholarships and prizes were awarded.
Full schedules and the latest announcements are available at HighSchoolFishing.org and FLWFishing.com.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2018 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW and their partners conduct 286 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa and Spain. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
About The Bass Federation
The Bass Federation Inc., (TBF) is a member of the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. TBF is owned by those we serve and dedicated to the sport of fishing. The Federation is the largest and oldest, organized grassroots fishing, youth and conservation organization there is. TBF, our affiliated state federations and their member clubs conduct more than 20,000 events each year and have provided a foundation for the entire bass fishing industry for more than 45 years. TBF founded the Student Angler Federation and the National High School Fishing program in 2008 to promote clean family fun and education through fishing. Visit bassfederation.com or highschoolfishing.org and “LIKE US” on Facebook.
Day One of the 2018 WON Bass U.S. Open Cancelled Due to Unsafe Conditions
Day One of the 2018 WON Bass U.S. Open Cancelled Due to Unsafe Conditions
Extreme Winds Force Event Officials to Shorten Tournament
by Dan O'Sullivan
Las Vegas, Nev. - September 15, 2018 – Due to extreme winds out of the north buffeting the surface of Lake Mead, WON Bass Tournament officials have been forced to cancel the first day of the 2018 WON Bass U.S. Open due to unsafe conditions. Sustained winds of 25 to 35 miles per hour, with projected gusts to 50, created a situation where participant safety became paramount.
The event will commence tomorrow with takeoff from Calville Bay Marina and the event will now become a two-day tournament, as opposed to the standard three-day format.
The 224 boat field gathered for takeoff on day one, and tournament officials conducted boat checks, but staged the field in the parking lot to allow officials to decide what the best option for the day was. After safe light, Tournament Director Bill Egan took a ride into the main basin outside of Calville Bay, and returned to make the announcement that the event was cancelled.
Egan said the situation on the water was uncomfortable at best. “Once we got outside of the marina, it became obvious that safety was a concern,” said Egan. “It was a really tough decision, but our anglers and friends are the most important part of what we do, so the decision was made to cancel the first day of the event. We will resume tomorrow with the same boat order as was planned for today.”
Rick Pierce, president of Bass Cat Boats said agreed with the decision. “Our customers are our friends, and we want to make sure everyone is safe,” said Pierce. “This is a unique event, and when you factor in the AAA anglers who have to go along for the ride, we are wholeheartedly in support of the decision.”
The 2018 WON Bass U.S. Open will commence tomorrow, and the full field of anglers will compete for two days to crown a champion. As for the past six years, the Costa Live broadcasts will begin at 9:00AM Pacific Time on day two.
The Sponsors of the 2018 U.S. Open are: Bass Cat Boats, Mercury, Costa, Daiwa, St. Croix, Lowrance, Yo-Zuri, Bridgford, Seaguar Fluorcarbon, Rapala, Hayabusa, Plano, Frabill, MotorGuide, Phenix Rods, Lew's, Kuiu, Sure Life, Sportsman’s Warehouse, Storm, Anglers Marine, Century Marine, Boatmasters, Last Chance Performance Marine, Strike King, BG Insurance, Chevy Montebello and Boulder Station Casino.
Morrow Wins T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on the St. Johns River Presented by Ranger
PALATKA, Fla. (Oct. 15, 2018) – FLW Tour pro Troy Morrow of Eastanollee, Georgia, caught a three-day cumulative total of 15 bass weighing 57 pounds, 10 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Regional championship on the St. Johns River presented by Ranger. Morrow earned $65,000 for his efforts, including a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and automatic entry into the 2019 BFL All-American Championship.
“I had a rough start to practice. I got in late and had issues with my boat, so I missed some time,” said Morrow, who logged his fourth career victory in BFL competition. “I elected to stay close to where I was staying and learn as much as I could about the area, which was from the north end of Lake George to Little Lake George. I ended up fishing there all three days.
“As practice progressed, I found two shell beds they were schooled up on, so I started there on Day One,” Morrow continued. “I had a limit by the time I got to the second one, but they weren’t as big as they were in practice. After the second shell bed, I ran to some docks. I didn’t want to burn too many docks from my main area, so at about 12:30 (p.m.) I focused on a row of new docks and caught another big one.”
Morrow said that in addition to his keeper on Day One, those particular docks produced a 7-pound, 12-ouncer, on Day Three.
On Day Two, Morrow said he made the same milk run, but the fishing was slower. He said it took him longer to put together a limit and leave his main area.
“Day Three was even slower – I only had five keeper bites and thought I blew it,” said Morrow. “I stayed close to takeoff for the first 20 minutes and caught a keeper. The outgoing tide was later each day, and by Day Three it was approximately 11 (a.m.) before I felt comfortable fishing my key stuff. I went to the shoals, but didn’t get anything. At my main docks, I did get one that was close to 4 pounds at slack tide, which was a bonus. Once the tide got moving I caught the 7-pound, 12-ouncer.”
Morrow finished out the day by catching two keepers at the shoals.
For lures, Morrow said he used a Texas-rigged, Black Grape-colored Zoom Ol’ Monster Worm on a 5/0-sized Gamakatsu round bend hook with a ¼-ounce tungsten weight for both the shoals and the docks. His rig was attached to 20-pound-test Sunline fluorocarbon line and a 7-foot, 6-inch heavy-action Duckett Fishing rod. He also worked in a chrome-colored topwater bait at the shoals.
The top six boaters that qualified for the 2019 BFL All-American were:
1st: Troy Morrow, Eastanollee, Ga., 15 bass, 57-10, $65,000
2nd: Matt Kinney, Bunnell, Fla., 15 bass, 51-0, $10,200
3rd: Grant Kelly, Milledgeville, Ga., 13 bass, 49-11, $5,100
4th: Jason Reed, Hollister, Fla., 15 bass, 49-10, $3,000
5th: Nicholas Hoinig, Port St. Lucie, Fla., 15 bass, 49-6, $2,000
6th: Kip Carter, Mansfield, Ga., 15 bass, 48-11, $2,800
Rounding out the top-10 boaters were:
7th: George Kapiton, Inverness, Fla., 15 bass, 47-5, $1,600
8th: Dylan Peppers, Good Hope, Ga., 15 bass, 47-4, $1,400
9th: Kevin Dees, Montgomery, Ala., 14 bass, 42-5, $1,200
10th: Stacy Adams, Hazlehurst, Ga., 15 bass, 41-8, $1,000
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Randy Paquette of Sarasota, Florida, won the Co-angler Division and a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard with a three-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 34 pounds, 10 ounces.
The top six co-anglers that qualified for the 2019 BFL All-American were:
1st: Randy Paquette, Sarasota, Fla., 10 bass, 34-10, $45,200
2nd: Gary Murphy, Homer, Ga., 10 bass, 30-13, $5,050
3rd: Donnie Davis, Greer, S.C., 11 bass, 26-7, $2,500
4th: Ernie Thompson, Anthony, Fla., 13 bass, 24-2, $1,500
5th: Frank Godwin Jr., Bainbridge, Ga., 13 bass, 23-13, $1,000
6th: Levi Crossway, Jacksonville, Fla., 11 bass, 23-7, $900
Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers were:
7th: Kenneth Hunnicutt, Jacksonville, Fla., 13 bass, 23-3, $800
8th: Donald Dills, Mineral Bluff, Ga., 10 bass, 23-0, $700
9th: Christian Greico, Tampa, Fla., 10 bass, 22-2, $600
10th: Spencer Sato, Warner Robins, Ga., nine bass, 21-6, $500
The T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on the St. Johns River presented by Ranger was hosted by the Putnam County Tourist Development Council.
The 2018 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 take place May 30-June 1 on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland, and is hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners and the Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism. 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.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2018 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW and their partners conduct 286 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa and Spain. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
Blue Mountain College Freshmen Come from Outside the Top 10 to Best Talented Field
The more time an angler spends on the water, the more knowledge they gain, and in turn the greater chances one has for success. That is the common model used for anglers to be successful at any level. At Lake Dardanelle this week, freshmen anglers dominated the field. The AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open saw two teams of freshmen finish 1st and 2nd once the scales closed Saturday afternoon.
Finishing in the top spot is the all freshmen pairing of Rudy Worley and John David Nowlin. Representing Blue Mountain College, the young anglers weighed in 15.12 lbs on day two to amass a total weight of 27.62 lbs. Entering this event as the 52nd ranked school in the Cabela’s School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia, Worley and Nowlin had lofty expectations for their first ever college tournament. “We wanted to do good. Mainly our goal was top 20,” said Worley. They managed to exceed expectations by topping a field of nearly 200 boats. The field this week at Lake Dardanelle was comprised of close to 400 of the best talent in the country. Both of the Blue Mountain College freshmen realize the significance of this major victory. “It’s incredible, especially since it’s my first. Since we just started our team, it’s big for our team and our school,” added Nowlin.
The pair spent the past two days on Lake Dardanelle targeting shad. Using a one-two punch of several specific baits, Worley and Nowlin loaded the boat with fish. “We caught most of our fish on a rattle trap, but a lot of our bigger fish came off of a spook,” noted Worley. Around 12:30 PM a strong storm system settled over the Russellville area. Heavy rain pelted the anglers and air temperatures dropped ever so slightly. This sudden change in conditions had an instant impact on the bite. “I would say it helped. Water temp dropping a little bit more, getting them fish fired up. For the way we fished, yes it helped I would say a lot,” said Nowlin. With the change in the weather, both Blue Mountain College freshmen capitalized on their opportunity to land the winning fish.
Weights at the top of the leaderboard were extremely close. The top three teams were separated by only 0.28 lbs. Finishing just 0.13 lbs behind first were Eric Lampkin and Garrett Warren from Snead State Community College. They flipped heavy mats to total 27.49 lbs of bass. “We’re flipping a flipping stick obviously, 65 lb test braid. We rotate a little bit between a 1 &1/4 oz weight and a 1 & 1/2 oz weight. Flipping a beaver style bait or a craw. Just flip it in there, they’ll hit it as soon as it comes through the mat,” said Lampkin. Flipping matted grass was not a common pattern we heard on Lake Dardanelle this week, so it is likely this duo was fishing for less pressured fish. Given that roughly 200 boats competed in this tournament, low pressured areas were very key.
By having a pattern dialed in, Snead State Community College, currently ranked 130th, was around the fish all week. When the foul weather blew in, they too were near the fish when they decided to bite. “Today it was a tough morning. Real slow morning, only had two fish at 11 o’clock. Right before that front blew in we just started catching them. Caught a four pounder, and that really changed the momentum for us,” said Lampkin. Like the 1st place team in front of them, Lampkin and Warren are both freshmen. Being new to the college fishing scene they traveled to Lake Dardanelle both excited and confident. “We were really looking forward to it. We thought we had just as good as odds as anybody else. We work just as hard. We fish just as much, and we put in our time,” explained Warren. It’s easy to get dejected when you come so close to winning but come up just short in the end. Warren went on to state that they don’t plan on letting this one loss effect the rest of their season, “It’s going to happen eventually. We’ll get a win here in the next couple.”
Representing East Texas Baptist University, Chad Poulsen and Dustin Pearcy claimed 3rd place. The duo weighed in 14.85 lbs of Lake Dardanelle bass on this rainy Saturday. Combined with yesterday’s weight, the Texas based anglers tallied 27.34 lbs for two days. Bites came early and often for Poulsen and Pearcy today. “We started out throwing reaction baits. It was on a shad kind of deal. We had our limit by about 8:30,” explained Poulsen. Once they managed a decent limit, the gameplan was to move towards the bank and target shallow wood with jigs. This proved to be a critical decision. “Once we just started hitting those laydowns, I mean, we knocked out I want to say a 4.5 yesterday, and a 3.5 today,” said Pearcy. Finding ways to catch four plus pound fish was an instant path to success this week. Numerous limits of 10 pounds came to the scales. Catching one difference maker proved to be enough to separate a team from the rest of the pack.
Lake Dardanelle provided a true challenge the past two days. Leading up to this event many anglers warned of the potential for these fish to be there one day and gone the next. One look at the leaderboard shows this to be true for this tournament. All three of the top teams from day one dropped out of the top 10. In turn, each of the final top three moved up from 14th, 9th, and 15th respectively. Combined with the flip flop in the leaderboard, the teams were also separated by a narrow margin. This made for quite a suspenseful weigh-in today.
For a look at the complete results, click HERE.
This has been a great week in Russellville, AR at Lake Dardanelle. A great turnout of close to 400 anglers helped to make the first fall event in the history of the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series a great success. Throughout the next week we will take a closer look at the AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open, as well as break down the impact of this event on the Cabela’s School of the Year Presented by Abu Garcia. Continue to stay up to date with the latest in college bass fishing by following our various social media channels.
For more information about the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series, please visit www.CollegiateBassChampionship.com.
Opens Pro Clouse, de-commits from MLF and accepts BASS Elite Invitation
Courtesy Gary Clouse/Phoenix Boats
Oct. 13, 2018 – Winchester, Tenn. — Gary Clouse has had a passion for bass fishing since he was a boy. Any of us that tournament fish or bass fish can probably trace back to the spark that launched our love of fishing. Maybe it was a first fish; maybe it was a first tournament. For Clouse, it was picking up his first issue of Bassmaster magazine. Since that first magazine, which he still carries with him decades later to remind him of what he’s chasing in this sport, all he has envisioned is standing on the Bassmaster Classic stage and fulfilling a lifelong dream.
The professional bass fishing world has been shaken to its roots in the last several weeks with the announcement of the Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour. A great group of professional anglers from both FLW and BASS made the change to continue chasing their own dreams on this new tour.
“I was so honored to be invited to fish the Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour in 2019,” Clouse said. “But in my heart, I felt I had unfinished business with qualifying for the Bassmaster Elite Series and making my first Classic. That dream and promise I’ve had to myself to make it and qualify for the Classic has fueled my passion in tournament fishing for a lot of years.”
Clouse has been fishing the BASS Opens the last several years and has missed qualifying for the Elite Series by just a few points several times. When he realized he was going to get an invite to fish the Bass Pro Tour, he reached out to BASS and asked if there would be more opportunities for Open anglers at the top of the standings to fish the Elite Series next year. At that point in the process, that was not an option, so he accepted his invite from the Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour.
Fast forward to last week, and the call came for the top 15 BASS Open anglers to come fish the Elite Series, and the chance to realize a childhood dream was now a reality.
“I have accepted my invite to fish the Bassmaster Elite Series in 2019. This decision has weighed heavily on me for the last week. I have nothing but respect for Major League Fishing, the people running it and the anglers that chose to fish it. But I follow my heart, and my heart has been chasing the dream of the Bassmaster Classic for a long time.
“I can’t just walk away from the opportunity now. I have been so close to qualifying for the Elite Series, it was hard to just let go of that pursuit. I may be the only angler in professional fishing that doesn’t care about payouts or entry fees or any of that. All I care about is making it onto that stage and realizing this dream I am so passionate about.
“I have talked to Boyd Duckett, and he understood where my heart was and was fully supportive of my decision. He and many of those anglers have already realized a lot of their own childhood dreams at BASS, and making this change was a logical next step in their process. For me, the next part of my process in this sport I love so dearly is trying to qualify for the Bassmaster Classic and fishing next season as an Elite Series pro.
“I know this is the right decision for me, and I am as passionate as I have ever been about the sport of bass fishing.”
B.A.S.S. Nation Releases Full Four-Tournament Schedule For 2019
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JEREMY LAWYER WINS COSTA FLW SERIES CENTRAL DIVISION FINALE ON LAKE OF THE OZARKS
Sarcoxie’s Lawyer wraps up 2018 Costa FLW Series Central Division season with win, earns $88,500
OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (Oct. 13, 2018) – FLW Tour pro Jeremy Lawyer of Sarcoxie, Missouri, brought a five-bass limit weighing 13 pounds, 12 ounces, to the scale Saturday to win the Costa FLW Series Central Division finale on Lake of the Ozarks presented by Evinrude. Lawyer’s three-day total of 15 bass totaling 46 pounds, 3 ounces, was enough to earn the win by a 3-pound, 3-ounce margin and the top prize of $88,500, including a brand new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.
“I spent the first two days of the tournament fishing between the Toll Bridge and the Gravois Arm,” said Lawyer, who earned his first career victory on Lake of the Ozarks after 10 prior top-10 finishes on the lake in FLW competition. “I tried to not fish any waypoints or history and just rely on my fishing instinct. If there’s one thing on the Tour that I have learned that has really helped me, it’s visiting a bunch of new lakes and not having waypoints. I feel more confident and comfortable fishing like that, and that is something that I really tried to do this week.
“I started out on the same stretch this morning and ran back into some creeks that I hadn’t been to yet,” Lawyer continued. “I had a limit in the first 45 to 50 minutes – including a 4½-pounder – and that settled me down a bit. I pulled the plug around 10:30 and went to the Hurricane Deck area and ended up culling up three more times.”
Lawyer credited a Zoom Magnum Trick worm and a Freedom Tackle Swing Buzz buzzbait as being his key baits throughout the week that, “helped me get five each day.” Saturday he caught one good one on the Magnum Trick worm and the rest came on a River2Sea Whopper Plopper, custom-painted by Fall Creek Lures.
“They’ve got a color – midnight shad – that I’ve got a lot of confidence in,” Lawyer said. “I also threw the original bone color this week as well.
“So many guys had the opportunity to do well this week with that Plopper and they just lost them,” Lawyer continued. “I was fortunate enough to not lose them when they bit. I really credit my Lew’s Heavy Cover Carbon Pro rod for that. It’s a heavy-duty rod, but still parabolic. It takes a little bit of the shock out of them when you initially set the hook.”
Lawyer bested a stacked final-day field that included some of the top Lake of the Ozarks anglers of all-time. He was extremely humbled and proud of his accomplishment Saturday.
“I still can’t believe it happened for me today,” he went on to say. “I grew up watching Stacey (King) fishing on television and he has been the man here for many years. Dennis Berhorst wins everything. I told my wife back when I started that if I could compete with Dennis, Roger (Fitzpatrick) and Marcus Sykora that I could survive anywhere. And that was back in 2005. I have so much respect for all of those guys. It feels good to be on top this week, but next week I’m sure one of those guys will be on top again.”
The top 10 pros on Lake of the Ozarks finished:
1st: Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo., 15 bass, 46-3, $88,500
2nd: Garrett Paquette, Canton, Mich., 14 bass, 43-6, $16,500
3rd: Dennis Berhorst, Holts Summit, Mo., 15 bass, 43-5, $12,700
4th: Stacey King, Reeds Spring, Mo., 13 bass, 43-3, $10,800
5th: Austin Brown, Benton, Ky., 12 bass, 40-14, $9,600
6th: Jason Vance, Battle Ground, Ind., 15 bass, 40-11, $8,250
7th: Arnold Payne Jr., Kokomo, Ind., 14 bass, 39-11, $7,200
8th: James Watson, Lampe, Mo., 14 bass, 39-8, $6,200
9th: Shawn Kowal, Linn Creek, Mo., 14 bass, 39-7, $5,200
10th: David Ryan, Levasy, Mo., 11 bass, 36-13, $4,100
Complete results for the remaining field can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Will Yelverton of Hazel Green, Alabama, caught a 7-pound, 1-ounce fish on Thursday that earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $300. King won the Boater Big Bass award on Friday with a 6-pound, 13-ounce bass worth $300.
Steve Freeman of Eddyville, Kentucky, won the Co-angler Division and a Ranger Z175 with a 90-horsepower outboard motor plus a $5,000 Ranger Cup bonus with a three-day total catch of 13 bass weighing 33 pounds, 12 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers on Lake of the Ozarks finished:
1st: Steve Freeman, Eddyville, Ky., 13 bass, 33-12, $27,350 + Ranger Cup ($5,000)
2nd: J.P. Sims, Cookeville, Tenn., 13 bass, 30-15, $5,250
3rd: Phil Williams Jr., Jamestown, Ky., nine bass, 28-14, $4,250
4th: Scott Parsons, Rogers, Ark., 11 bass, 28-14, $3,600
5th: Max Wilson, Everton, Mo., 11 bass, 28-0, $3,100
6th: Mike Youngblood, St. Louis, Mo., 11 bass, 25-9, $2,600
7th: Brad Hostetler Jr., Franklin, Ind., nine bass, 24-6, $2,100
8th: Jason Sandidge, Centerton, Ark., 10 bass, 23-7, $1,800
9th: Joshua Dyrland, Imperial, Mo., eight bass, 22-2, $1,520
10th: Tyrone Phillips, Little Rock, Ark., 10 bass, 20-1, $1,270
Ray Larson of Springfield, Illinois, caught a 6-pound, 1-ounce bass on Thursday that won the day one Co-angler Big Bass award worth $200. Rick Parker of Kaufman, Texas, won the Co-angler Big Bass award on day two with a 5-pound, 9-ounce fish worth $200.
The Costa FLW Series on Lake of the Ozarks was presented by Evinrude and hosted by the Tri-County Lodging Association. It was the third and final FLW Series Central Division tournament of the 2018 regular season. The next Costa FLW Series tournament will be the the season-ending Costa FLW Series Championship, held Nov. 1-3 on Lake Guntersville in Guntersville, Alabama, and hosted by the Marshall County Convention and Visitors Bureau. 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.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Costa FLW Series on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
Bassmaster Opens Championship Will Decide Classic Berths At Table Rock Lake
October 12, 2018
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — A year-long tournament circuit that included eight events in eight states and thousands of anglers from across the country will reach its conclusion next week with the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Championship on Table Rock Lake.
The Top 28 pro and co-anglers from the regular-season standings will fish Oct. 18-20, with daily takeoffs at 7:15 a.m. CT from Long Creek Marina. Weigh-ins the first two days will be back at the marina at 3:15 p.m., with the final-day weigh-in shifting to the Bass Pro Shops in Springfield, Mo., at 4:30 p.m.
All three bass species — largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass — could play a role in deciding the seven berths that are at stake for the Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.
“The lake is full of fish, but it’s like fall fishing anywhere else,” said Brock Mosley, a Bassmaster Elite Series pro from Collinsville, Miss. “You can expect a lot of bites. But with the 15-inch minimum size limit, it can be hard to find keepers.
“You’ll catch a mixture of all three species — and I wouldn’t be surprised to see some 15-pound bags that have at least one of each.”
That diversity in the bass population will force competitors to make difficult choices, and no one can say for sure which anglers’ strengths will play best.
If smallmouth and spots are the dominant species, deep-water specialists could locate big schools of offshore fish and grab center stage. But shallow-water anglers might also dial in a largemouth bite that gives them an advantage.
Another wild card could be the weather. Fall is trying to take hold in the area with temperatures expected to be in the low 30s Monday night, but then back into the mid-60s by Saturday.
“This is not going to be a straight, down-the-line, this-is-what-will-happen kind of tournament,” said Carl Jocumsen, an Australian-born angler who now lives in Texas. “The lake is going to change every day at this time of year. Keeping an open mind and keeping an eye on the conditions is going to be a massive part of this tournament.”
The regular-season Opens circuit included four tournaments each in the Central and Eastern divisions. The Top 10 from the season points standings in each division qualified for the championship, along with the winners of all eight events.
When the dust settles at Table Rock, the overall winner of the Opens Championship will receive a Classic berth, plus $10,000 cash and a Triton 19 TrX with Mercury 200 Pro XS package worth $45,000. The Top co-angler receives a Nitro Z18 with a Mercury 150 Pro XS outboard.
The Top 3 pro anglers in points from each division following the championship will also be invited to the Classic.
Frank Talley, Brad Whatley and Toby Hartsell currently occupy the Top 3 spots in the Central Division standings, while Bobby Lane, Brandon Lester and Garrett Paquette lead the Eastern Division.
John Cox, a Florida pro who finished the regular season fourth in the Eastern standings, said a Classic berth is his main objective — and he doesn’t believe it’ll happen unless he hoists the Opens Championship trophy.
“The way the standings line up, there’s no way I’m going to make it into the Top 3 in points,” Cox said. “So really, the only way I’m going to make it into the Classic is if one of the guys in front of me wins or if I win.
“So, it would be nice to take some of the mystery out of it and just win.”
Jocumsen said he’ll be working from a similar game plan.
“This is the best tournament I’m ever going to fish because it’s win or nothing,” he said. “I have to win to get that Classic berth. There’s no other option. There’s no risk in doing that. I have to do that.
“That makes it fun.”
Rogers State University Takes the Lead After Day 1 in the AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open
San Antonio, TX (October 12, 2018) – The scales are closed as competition for day one of the AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open has come to an end. Lake Dardanelle provided a difficult test for nearly 400 of the best college anglers in the nation. Mother Nature played a part in today’s outcome as well. A steady rain pestered the anglers for most of the morning, and increased cloud cover provided a different setting than the past two days leading up to competition. None the less, this field of collegiate anglers found a way to catch them and fill their livewells with fish.
The team that figured out Lake Dardanelle the best today by bringing 15.99 lbs of bass to the scales is Ty Crutchfield and Alec Murphy from Rogers State University. The Oklahoma anglers feel very comfortable at this body of water. The Arkansas River runs just miles away from their campus in Claremore, OK. Crutchfield and Murphy are very familiar with this river system. They used this knowledge to their advantage by flipping shallow cover. Unlike many teams in the field who caught their fish in quick flurries throughout the day, the pair from Rogers State maintained a solid bite all day long. With a total weight of 15.99 lbs, Crutchfield and Murphy lead 2nd place by just 0.79 lbs.
Sitting in that 2nd place spot, less than a pound out of first, are Cole Lamb and Tristan Weaver. Representing Arkansas Tech University, the Arkansas natives wrangled up 15.20 lbs. “The day went pretty much as planned. We just stuck to our gameplan, and we caught fish pretty much all day long,” says Lamb. Lake Dardanelle is known for having a variety of cover. That includes rock, flooded timber, and shoreline vegetation. Lamb & Weaver fished all types of water focusing solely on shad and baitfish.
Being located here in Russellville, AR, one would assume that local knowledge played a key today. For these underclassmen, that was not the case. “We actually fished a spot we’ve never fished before. It helped a little, but we did some stuff today, places we’ve never fished, something we’ve never done,” adds Lamb. Going into tomorrow the team sounds fairly confident. They believe that if they can catch 15 lbs again that they will have a solid chance of claiming the title here at the AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open.
Completing the top three are Griffin Heffington and Mason Cizek with 15.10 lbs. Fishing for Bryan College, this duo was just one of four teams to break the 15 lb mark. Currently ranked outside of the top 20 for the Cabela’s School of the Year Presented by Abu Garcia, Bryan College is looking to regain their recent success. The team from Tennessee claimed the SOY title in 2017, a first for their university. With valuable points on the line this week, Heffington and Cizek will be looking to help their team by finishing high up on the leaderboard tomorrow.
For a complete look at the day one standings, click here.
Focusing on the current race for Cabela’s School of the Year Presented Abu Garcia, Grand Valley State University is the lone team in the top three of the SOY standings to have a strong showing today. Lucas Murphy and Bill Mathews weighed in 12.83 lbs to claim 10th place overall going into day two of the AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open. This is a double points event, and with GVSU only sending one team to Russellville, AR, they will only be able to earn points for one team. Bethel University, on the other hand, sent a total of 11 boats to compete this week. The reigning SOY champions are set up well to cash in on the double points format. Bethel has two teams inside the top 13 following today’s action. This gives them a good opportunity to end Saturday much higher up in the standings for Cabela’s School of the Year Presented by Abu Garcia. Entering the AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open, Bethel is 8th overall in the SOY race.
To see the current SOY standings, click here.
Day two is shaping up to be an exciting final day of competition. Weather will once again play a key role in tournament action. There is a 100% chance of rain forecasted for Saturday. The chance of rain is at its highest during the afternoon. With the top 10 separated by less than 3.5 lbs, there is a good chance to see change near the top of the leaderboard. Be sure to stay up to date through our live blog and social media channels tomorrow as we prepare to crown a winner for the 2018 AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open.
Martin Truex Jr. Foundation Sweepstakes offers chance to win a Toyota Tundra and Bass Tracker Boat
Time is running out for fishing and racing fans to take a chance at winning a Toyota Tundra and a TRACKER Heritage Edition Boat, simply by making a $25 donation to a very good cause.
NASCAR Cup Series Champion and avid angler Martin Truex Jr., and The Martin Truex Jr. Foundation, have created a sweepstakes where one lucky winner will receive a 2018 Toyota Tundra and Bass TRACKER® Heritage Edition Boat.
A portion of the proceeds will help in the construction of the Martin Truex Jr. Pediatric Emergency Department at Novant Health in Charlotte, N.C., and help raise awareness, boost advocacy, and generate financial support for initiatives specific to ovarian and childhood cancers.
In May, Truex, the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series Champion, and long-time partner Sherry Pollex presented a check for $1.2 million from the foundation to Novant Health for these projects during the foundation’s ninth annual Catwalk for a Cause charity event.
“It’s great to have two of my long-time sponsors, Bass Pro Shops and Toyota, come together to support the long-term efforts of the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation and SherryStrong.org,” said Truex, “Novant Health has been such an important part of our lives the past few years so it’s an honor to give back to them for all they’ve done for Sherry and me. This program also allows us to continue other ongoing programs in the fight against ovarian and childhood cancers.”
“I can’t thank you enough for supporting Martin Truex Jr. Foundation and Sherry Strong,” said Pollex. “You are helping us by providing financial support for underfunded cancer research initiatives specific to ovarian and childhood cancers. You truly are a part of our family by donating $25.00 to help improve lives, inspire smiles and realize dreams. Who knows, you may win an awesome Toyota Tundra and Bass Boat as well. Martin and I appreciate your donation very much!”
The Toyota truck is a 2018 Tundra Crew Max SR5 4x4. Factory Options include the TRD Off Road Package, Entune Premium Audio, SR5 Upgrade Package. The exterior color is Super White 040 and the interior is Black FB20.
The Bass TRACKER 40th Anniversary Heritage Edition boat pays homage to the fishing boat TRACKER founder Johnny Morris first introduced in the late 1970s that revolutionized the boating industry. The classically-styled design features chocolate brown carpet, rich tan marine-grade upholstery, white wheels and moon-style chrome hubcaps. Each Heritage Edition boat carries the original Bass TRACKER logo and is equipped with a Mercury
AC Insider Podcast - What the Pro's are saying about the "Goat Farm" - AKA, The MLF Bass Pro Tour
With Jason in Africa, Chris spent a few days at the Strike King/Lews Media event before he left for vacation and interviewed a couple of Veterans and a couple of young guns and talked about why they chose to make the move to MLF. Some of the answers might surprise you, guess you'd better listen to find out! #GoatFarm
BASS PRO SHOPS FLW HIGH SCHOOL FISHING OPEN TOURNAMENT PRESENTED BY YETI SET FOR GRAND LAKE
Advisory for Tuesday, October 9, 2018
WHAT: Fishing League Worldwide (FLW) High School Fishing will continue the 2018 fishing season with the upcoming Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Grand Lake Open bass-fishing tournament presented by YETI. The no-entry fee event is open to High School Fishing teams from across the country, and the top 10-percent of finishers will automatically advance to the 2019 High School Fishing National Championship.
WHEN: Saturday, October 20, 2018
WHERE: Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Grand Lake Open presented by YETI
Grove City Ramp at Wolf Creek Park
1007 N. 16th St. W.
Grove, Okla.
NOTES: The Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Grand Lake Open is a two-person (team) event for students in grades 7-12. Registration for anglers and their coach, who will provide the boat they compete in, is online at FLWFishing.com. Takeoff will be at Grove City Ramp at Wolf Creek Park at 7:30 a.m. CDT and the weigh-in will also be held at the ramp, beginning at 3:30 p.m. High School Fishing takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public. For more information about this event contact the FLW High School Fishing National Youth Director Scott Ellison at (270)-205-6864.
A preliminary list of schools participating will not be available as teams can still register up until the morning of the event. Complete event details can be found here.
All FLW and TBF High School Fishing tournaments are free to enter. The tournaments are two-person (team) events for students in grades 7-12 and open to any Student Angler Federation-affiliated high school club. The top 10 percent of each Challenge, Open, and state championship field will advance to the 2019 High School Fishing National Championship on a body of water that has yet to be revealed. The High School Fishing national champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Opens on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2018 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW and their partners conduct 286 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa and Spain. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
KENTUCKY LAKE SET FOR T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE REGIONAL TOURNAMENT PRESENTED BY EVINRUDE
GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. (Oct. 9, 2018) – The T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) is heading to Kentucky and Barkley lakes Oct. 18-20 for one of six BFL Regional Championship Tournaments. The three-day event, presented by Evinrude, will feature the highest-ranked 45 boaters and 45 co-anglers from each of the Hoosier, Ozark, Michigan and Mississippi BFL divisions, along with the five individual qualifying event winners.
The winning boater will receive a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Evinrude outboard and a check for $20,000, while the winning co-angler will receive a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Evinrude outboard. The top six boaters and co-anglers at each regional will advance to one of the longest-running championships in bass fishing – the 2019 BFL All-American, which will take place May 30-June 1 on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland.
“It’s going to be tough out there. It’s been abnormally warm for October – the water temperature is still around 80 degrees,” said 23-year FLW Tour veteran Terry Bolton of Paducah, Kentucky. “I think the fish have been on early morning, late evening and overnight feeding patterns. I know there’s some cooler weather on the way, which should drop water temperatures. Hopefully that will make them more active during the day.”
Bolton said that both Kentucky and Barkley lakes will be utilized by the field.
“If a competitor wants shallow, off-color water, it’ll be in Barkley. If he or she wants more open, cleaner water, it’ll be Kentucky Lake,” said Bolton. “Shallow flats will always be the key piece of the equation. But which lake will it be on? Will it be on the main lake, or in the mouth or back of a creek? Those will be key decisions.”
Bolton went on to say that he expects a variety of lures to make an appearance.
“Topwater baits will always play a major role this time of year. I also think we’ll see someone do well using a shallow-running, lipless crankbait in the back of a shallow creek,” said Bolton. “Spinnerbaits are a big producer here in the fall. Anything that mimics a shad – like swimbaits – are also good. Going against the norm will be key, just based on the way the lakes have been fishing.”
Anglers will take off from Moors Resort & Marina, located at 570 Moors Road in Gilbertsville, at 7 a.m. CDT each day. Weigh-ins will be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
The T-H Marine BFL Regional Tournament on Kentucky and Barkley lakes is hosted by the Kentucky Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau.
The 2018 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 take place May 30-June 1 on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland.
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.
Down but not Out, How BASS Plans to Become ELITE again -AC Insider Podcast
This week the boys talk with Dave Precht, VP & Director of Communications for BASS about the impact the loss of 68 anglers made when they moved to Major League Fishing's new tournament trail. They also discuss field size and how they plan to market each Elite Series Angler in 2019 & Beyond. They boys also welcome in 2014 Classic Champ and recent addition to the MLF Tour, Randy Howell. Check it out, one you wont want to miss!
NOBLESVILLE HIGH SCHOOL WINS BASS PRO SHOPS FLW HIGH SCHOOL FISHING LAKE MONROE OPEN
Courtesy of FLW Outdoors
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (Oct. 8, 2018) – The Noblesville High School duo of Jackson Baltz and Carter Bell, both of Noblesville, Indiana, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 13 pounds, 4 ounces to win the 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Lake Monroe Open.
According to post-tournament reports, the duo caught their limit targeting grass with topwaters, buzz frogs and a Texas-rigged Yamamoto Senko worm.
A field of 33 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from the Cutright Boat Ramp. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top three teams on Lake Monroe that advanced to the 2019 High School Fishing National Championship were:
1st: Noblesville High School, Noblesville, Ind. – Jackson Baltz and Carter Bell, both of Noblesville, Ind., five bass, 13-4
2nd: Mount Vernon High School, Fortville, Ind. – Casey Cornelius, Indianapolis, Ind., and Devan Skaggs, Fortville, Ind., four bass, 10-5
3rd: Bloomington South High School, Bloomington, Ind. – Colby Reed and Jenna Albertson, both of Bloomington, Ind., four bass, 9-1
Rounding out the top 10 teams were:
4th: Trinity High School, Louisville, Ky. – Justin Risk, Louisville, Ky., and Hayden Bailey, Goshen, Ky., three bass, 7-9
5th: Spencer County High School, Taylorsville, Ky. – Dillon Stallings and Max Sullivan, Taylorsville, Ky., four bass, 6-15
6th: Owen Valley Community High School, Spencer, Ind. – Nathan Phelps and Aiden Clark, both of Spencer, Ind., three bass, 6-15
7th: Westfield High School, Westfield, Ind. – William Dobbs and Keyden Effinger, both of Westfield, Ind., one bass, 6-13
8th: Scottsburg High School, Scottsburg, Ind. – Hunter Breedman, Underwood, Ind., and Wyatt Harmon, Scottsburg, Ind., two bass, 6-2
9th: Crothersville High School, Crothersville, Ind. – Taylor Tatlock and Joeseph Tatlock, both of Crothersville, Ind., three bass, 5-1
10th: Bloomington South High School, Bloomington, Ind. – Gregory Dobbs and Dillan White, both of Bloomington, Ind., two bass, 4-3
Complete results from the event can be found at FLWFishing.com.
The 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Lake Monroe Open was a two-person (team) event for students in grades 7-12, open to any Student Angler Federation (SAF) affiliated high school club in the United States. The top 10 percent of each Challenge, Open, and state championship field will advance to the 2019 High School Fishing National Championship on a body of water that has yet to be revealed. The High School Fishing national champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice.
In addition to the High School Fishing National Championship, all High School Fishing anglers nationwide automatically qualify for the world’s largest open high school bass tournament, the 2019 High School Fishing World Finals, held in conjunction with the National Championship. At the 2018 World Finals more than $150,000 in scholarships and prizes were awarded.
Full schedules and the latest announcements are available at HighSchoolFishing.org and FLWFishing.com.
Simms wins Mobile Delta ABA AFT D41 Event
Courtesy of ABA
Jimmy Sims of Mobile, Alabama won the American Fishing Tour District 41 tournament presented by American Bass Anglers. Running out of Live Oak Landing near Stockton, Alabama, Sims brought back five-fish that locked in the scales at 9.71 pounds anchored by a 3.37-pound kicker. For the victory, Sims took home a check for $522.
Second place was claimed by Chip Lindy with five-fish and a total weight of 9.44-pounds. For his efforts, Lindy took home $308 in prize money.
Jackson Hamil took third with five-fish and a total weight of 9.42-pounds and took home $101 in prize money.
The Biggest Bass of the tournament was caught by Jimmy Sims. His fish locked in the scales at 3.37-pounds earning him $95.
Top five finishers:
1. Jimmy Sims | 9.71 pounds | |
2. Chip Lindy | 9.44 pounds | |
3. Jackson Hamil | 9.42 pounds | |
4. Larry Foshee | 6.24 pounds | |
5. Scott Wiley Jr | 5.03 pounds |
The next tournament in this division will take place on November 17 launching from Live Oak Landing.
For more information on this event or division please contact local director Barry Woodward at 251-423-0753 or visit www.americanbassanglers.com
These anglers earn valuable points toward the divisional angler of the year title. The points champion from each division will compete in the annual American Bass Anglers AFT Angler of The Year Final Round at the AFT Championship. In addition, the top 500 anglers from the various divisions will earn the right to compete in the three-day ABA, AFT National Championship tournament.
The American Fishing Tour offers low cost, close to home bass tournaments that are designed for the weekend angler. All anglers fish for money and points. The points advance the angler to their divisional championship and the top 500 anglers in the US are invited to the American Fishing Tour National Championship.
Sportsmans Warehouse Product Spotlight - October 8, 2018
AC's John Byrne and Sportsman's Warehouse Fishing Manager Sam Johnson talk about fall fishing and what you need to put more fish in the boat.
Jeffrey & Clay Ross Win Anglers Choice Marine Championship on Smith Mountain Lake
The team of Jeff and Clay Ross were the big winners at the Angler’s Choice Team Tournament Classic event held at Smith Mountain Lake.
Their 2 Day total of 39.84 lbs won them a 2018 Ranger Z518 with a Mercury motor valued just over $42,000
TEXAN DICKERSON WINS COSTA FLW SERIES SOUTHWESTERN DIVISION FINALE ON FORT GIBSON LAKE PRESENTED BY MERCURY
Courtesy of FLW Outdoors
Tommy Dickerson wraps up 2018 Costa FLW Series Southwestern Division season with win, earns $80,503
WAGONER, Okla. (Oct. 6, 2018) – Pro Tommy Dickerson of Orange, Texas, brought three bass weighing 5 pounds, 13 ounces, to the scale Saturday to win the Costa FLW Series Southwestern Division finale on Fort Gibson Lake presented by Mercury. Dickerson’s three-day total of 13 bass weighing 32 pounds, 6 ounces, was enough to earn him the top prize of $80,503, including a brand new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.
Dickerson actually finished with the same three-day total weight as Coweta, Oklahoma, pro Kyle Cortiana. However, according to tournament rules, ties on day three are resolved by day two standings. Dickerson was in first place after day two, and Cortiana in fourth, so Dickerson was declared the champion.
The Texas pro caught his fish using a Santone spinnerbait in the back of a creek far up the Grand River. Accessing the creek required him to pull and grind his way over a shallow shoal with his trolling motor – a perfect scenario to avoid the heavy fishing pressure from other competitors on the main lake. On day one, accessing the creek went smooth and easy. On day two, getting in and out was a much bigger challenge due to falling water.
“I got stuck several times and began to think I wasn’t going to get back out,” Dickerson recalls.
By the final morning, the water had dropped enough that, despite 30 minutes of work, Dickerson couldn’t get in. He spent a couple hours fishing secondary areas on the main river, where he noticed a clue that eventually led to his winning move.
“The current was running in the river, and the water was coming back up,” he says. “I’ve heard this lake can come up a foot in a couple of hours, so I decided to fish out on the river for a while, bide my time and try it [getting into the smaller creek] again later.”
When Dickerson returned, he skated easily over the shoal and into the deeper water beyond it. Dickerson slow-rolled his spinnerbait in waters that were about 4 feet deep, intentionally making contact with rocky areas and boulders that were about 2 feet down.
“The water was too stained to see the rocks, so I just fluttered the spinnerbait down there until I felt the rock,” he says. “If I could get that spinnerbait to deflect off a rock, one would eat it.”
With his time cut short due to the falling water, Dickerson wasn’t able to work the creek over as thoroughly as he’d have liked, but with three keepers he weighed in just enough to get his third FLW victory.
“Yeah, you might say it’s been a week of ounces and inches,” Dickerson adds. “That just shows you how hard it is to win one of these things. The last one I won was 12 years ago at Lake Texoma. And trust me, the older you get, the more you appreciate these wins because you just don’t know how many more chances you’re going to get.”
The top 10 pros on Fort Gibson Lake finished:
1st: Tommy Dickerson, Orange, Texas, 13 bass, 32-6, $80,503
2nd: Kyle Cortiana, Coweta, Okla., 13 bass, 32-6, $13,199
3rd: Brady Winans, Caddo Mills, Texas, 9 bass, 32-0, $10,371
4th: Cody Bird, Granbury, Texas, 14 bass, 29-14, $8,451
5th: Tommy Biffle, Wagoner, Okla., 9 bass, 29-14, $7,606
6th: Mitchell Webb, Skiatook, Okla., 13 bass, 27-11, $6,761
7th: Brandon Mosley, Choctaw, Okla., 11 bass, 27-9, $5,916
8th: Ryan Wilbanks, Wagoner, Okla., 10 bass, 23-6, $5,070
9th: Joel Baker, Talala, Okla., 9 bass, 23-5, $4,225
10th: Darrel Robertson, Jay, Okla., 7 bass, 22-15, $3,380
A complete list of results will be posted at FLWFishing.com.
Randy Despino of Colfax, Louisiana, caught a 6-pound, 7-ounce fish on Thursday that earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $230. Brady Winans of Caddo Mills, Texas, won the Boater Big Bass award on Friday with a 4-pound, 10-ounce bass worth $230.
Johnny Burke of Bristow, Oklahoma, won the Co-angler Division and a Ranger Z175 with a 90-horsepower outboard motor plus a $5,000 Ranger Cup bonus with a three-day total catch of 7 bass weighing 17 pounds, 2 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers on Fort Gibson Lake finished:
1st: Johnny Burke, Bristow, Okla., 7 bass, 17-2, $27,100 + Ranger Cup ($5,000)
2nd: Mason Roach, Willis, Texas, 5 bass, 11-0, $4,309
3rd: Tate Brumnett, Wagoner, Okla., 4 bass, 10-5, $3,407
4th: David See, Beggs, Okla., 4 bass, 10-1, $2,982
5th: Charles Parker, Broken Arrow, Okla., 4 bass, 9-14, $2,556
6th: Robin Babb, Tulsa, Okla., 3 bass, 9-14, $2,130
7th: Johnny Horton, Collinsville, Okla., 3 bass, 9-5, $1,857
8th: Phillip McBrien, Fairland, Okla., 4 bass, 9-5, $1,491
9th: Toby Wallace, Tolar, Texas, 3 bass, 8-14, $1,431
10th: Ronnie Kane, Gravois Mills, Mo., 3 bass, 7-14, $1,065
Toby Wallace of Tolar, Texas, caught a 4-pound, 13-ounce bass on Thursday that won the day one Co-angler Big Bass award worth $153. Johnny Horton of Collinsville, Oklahoma, won the Co-angler Big Bass award on day two with a 4-pound, 6-ounce fish worth $153.
The Costa FLW Series on Fort Gibson Lake was presented by Mercury and hosted by the Wagoner Area Chamber of Commerce. It was the third and final FLW Series Southwestern Division tournament of the 2018 regular season. The next Costa FLW Series tournament will be the Central Division finale, held Oct. 10-12 on Lake of the Ozarks in Osage Beach, Missouri, and is presented by Evinrude. 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 2018 Costa FLW Series Championship is being held Nov. 1-3 on Lake Guntersville in Guntersville, Alabama, and is hosted by the Marshall County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Costa FLW Series on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
FLW TAPS HUNT AS NEW HIGH SCHOOL FISHING DIRECTOR, ANNOUNCES SCHEDULE, RULES AND ENTRY DATES FOR 2019 YETI FLW COLLEGE FISHING, BASS PRO SHOPS FLW HIGH SCHOOL FISHING
Both Members of Winning Team at YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship Advance to the Forrest Wood Cup, Second, Third and Fourth-place Teams Advance to the T-H Marine BFL All-American to Compete as Boaters.
MINNEAPOLIS (Oct. 4, 2018) – FLW announced Thursday the schedule, rules and entry dates for the 2019 YETI FLW College Fishing and Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing seasons, highlighted by expanded FLW Live on-the-water coverage at the 2019 FLW College Fishing National Championship on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland, new advancement opportunities for young anglers to compete in the T-H Marine BFL All-American, Costa FLW Series Championship and the FLW Cup, and implementation of a new National School of the Year title, as well as titles in each individual conference.
Among the changes for FLW College Fishing in 2019 is the elimination of the National Championship Fish-Off. Now both members of the winning team at the YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship will advance to the FLW Cup where they are each guaranteed $10,000 plus a shot at winning $300,000. Both members of the second, third, and fourth-place teams at the 2020 National Championship will advance to the T-H Marine BFL All-American to compete as boaters where they are guaranteed $1,500 plus a shot at winning $120,000. Both members of the fifth and sixth-place teams at the 2020 National Championship advance to the All-American to compete as co-anglers where they are guaranteed $750 plus a shot at winning $60,000. Additionally, each angler finishing in the top 10 at the 2020 National Championship receives priority entry into the 2021 FLW Series.
Each FLW College Fishing angler competing in the All-American has a chance to qualify for the FLW Series Championship plus a second shot at qualifying for the FLW Cup.
“I am excited for the 2019 season and am confident that it will be the biggest and best College Fishing season yet,” said Kevin Hunt, Director of Tournament Operations, College and High School Fishing. “The fact that both anglers from the National Championship winning team will now advance to the FLW Cup, along with multiple qualifiers to the BFL All-American, is a fantastic opportunity for the teams and something that no other circuit can offer. I expect that these improvements will be very well received by college anglers, and I’m looking forward to getting the season kicked off in early February on Lake Seminole in Bainbridge, Georgia.”
In addition to FLW Live on-the-water coverage at the FLW College Fishing National Championship, each regular-season tournament and the Open will feature FLW Live weigh-in coverage.
Other improvements to the program include new YETI FLW College Fishing School of the Year titles, awarded to the top overall school of the season as well as the top school from each of the five conferences. Schools earn points based on their top two teams in each tournament. The school with the most points in each conference and overall at the end of the season win.
All FLW College Fishing anglers are now eligible for FREE Bass Pro Shops FLW Tournament Incentives at basspro.com/flwincentives. FLW College Fishing anglers receive a VIP discount card for 25 percent off Bass Pro Shops branded merchandise all year plus tournament bonuses. A nominal entry fee of $75 per team will be implemented for each event. Entries will be accepted starting Dec. 10 2018. Teams can register at FLWFishing.com or by calling 270.252.1000.
FLW College Fishing teams compete in three regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top ten teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments and the top 20 teams from the annual FLW College Fishing Open advance to the following year’s FLW College Fishing National Championship. Additional teams qualify for the National Championship if the field size in regular-season events exceeds 100 boats or 200 boats in the Open. The 2019 YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship is on the Potomac River, June 4-6, and hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners and the Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism.
For 2019 FLW College Fishing tournaments in the Central, Northern, Southern and Southeastern conferences will be held on Fridays. Western conference tournaments will continue to be held on Saturdays.
2019 FLW College Fishing Schedule:
FLW College Fishing Open
- March 12-13 Kentucky Lake Gilbertsville, Ky.
Central Conference
- April 12 Lake Cumberland Burnside, Ky.
- July 19 Mississippi River Wabasha, Minn.
- Oct. 18 Lake of the Ozarks Osage Beach, Mo.
Northern Conference
- April 26 Smith Mountain Lake Huddleston, Va.
- May 31 Chesapeake Bay Edgewood, Md.
- Sept. 6 Lake Erie Sandusky, Ohio
Southeastern Conference
- Feb. 8 Lake Seminole Bainbridge, Ga.
- March 1 Lake Guntersville Guntersville, Ala.
- Nov. 1 Lake Hartwell Hartwell, Ga.
Southern Conference
- Feb. 22 Sam Rayburn Reservoir Zavalla, Texas
- April 5 Lake Texoma Pottsboro, Texas
- Sept. 20 Arkansas River North Little Rock, Ark.
Western Conference
- March 2 Lake Mead Las Vegas, Nev.
- May 18 Clear Lake Lakeport, Calif.
- Sept. 28 California Delta Bethel Island, Calif.
FLW College Fishing National Championship
- June 4-6 Potomac River Marbury, Md.
2019 FLW College Fishing Payouts:
YETI FLW College Fishing Open
Place Club
1 $30,000 Ranger Z175 with a 115-horsepower outboard
Top 20 teams advance to the 2020 National Championship. One additional team advances for every 10 teams over 200 competing.
Qualifiers
Place Club
1 $2,000
2 1,000
3 500
4 500
5 500
Top 10 teams advance to the 2020 National Championship. One additional team advances for every 10 teams over 100 competing.
2019 National Championship – No Entry Fee
Place Club
1 $30,000 Ranger Z175 with a 115-horsepower outboard + 2019 FLW Cup entry
2 5,000
3 4,000
4 3,000
5 2,000
Both members of the winning team advance to the 2019 FLW Cup where they are guaranteed $10,000 and can win as much as $300,000.
Complete rules for the 2019 YETI FLW College Fishing program can be found online at FLWFishing.com.
In addition to his FLW College Fishing duties, Hunt has been tapped to lead FLW’s High School Fishing tournaments. He succeeds tournament director Dave Maxfield, who will lead two BFL divisions as tournament director.
Hunt has served as an FLW tournament director since 2004 and overseen the implementation and growth of the FLW College Fishing circuit since its implementation in 2008.
“I’m thrilled for the opportunity to continue to work with college anglers and look forward to helping cultivate the next generation of anglers through the FLW High School Fishing program,” Hunt said. “I expect the transition will be near seamless, and I am excited to introduce myself to and work with the hundreds of high school fishing teams and coaches along with the tens of thousands of young anglers participating in High School Fishing.”
To foster mentoring opportunities between college and high school teams and introduce High School Fishing anglers to college opportunities awaiting them as they continue their education, all Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Opens will be held on Saturdays following a YETI FLW College Fishing tournament. This will allow students and parents to network with prospective college teams and coaches during Friday’s registration immediately following the college weigh-ins. California and Nevada tournaments will be held on Sundays with registration on Saturdays following college weigh-ins.
FLW also unveiled an unprecedented new opportunity for high school anglers participating in the Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Opens and The Bass Federation/Student Angler Federation State Championships and Challenge tournaments to advance to the BFL All-American as co-anglers. In addition to receiving a $10,000 scholarship ($5,000 per student), both members of the winning team at the 2019 High School Fishing National Championship qualify to compete as co-anglers in the 2020 All-American, where they are each guaranteed $750 and can win as much as $60,000. Students must be at least 16 years old as of the 2020 All-American or the next highest finishing student who meets age requirements will advance.
All FLW High School Fishing anglers are eligible for FREE Bass Pro Shops FLW Tournament Incentives, including valuable tournament bonuses. Sign up at basspro.com/flwincentives.
2019 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Opens Schedule:
- Feb. 9 Lake Seminole Bainbridge, Ga.
- Feb. 23 Sam Rayburn Reservoir Zavalla, Texas
- March 2 Lake Guntersville Guntersville, Ala.
- March 3 Lake Mead Las Vegas, Nev.
- April 6 Lake Texoma Pottsboro, Texas
- April 13 Lake Cumberland Burnside, Ky.
- April 27 Smith Mountain Lake Huddleston, Va.
- May 19 Clear Lake Lakeport, Calif.
- June 1 Chesapeake Bay Edgewood, Md.
- July 20 Mississippi River Wabasha, Minn.
- Sept. 7 Lake Erie Sandusky, Ohio
- Sept. 21 Arkansas River North Little Rock, Ark.
- Sept. 29 California Delta Bethel Island, Calif.
- Oct. 19 Lake of the Ozarks Osage Beach, Mo.
- Nov. 2 Lake Hartwell Hartwell, Ga.
2019 High School Fishing World Finals and National Championship
All FLW and TBF High School Fishing tournaments are free to enter. The tournaments are two-person (team) events for students in grades 7-12 and open to any Student Angler Federation-affiliated high school club. The top 10 percent of teams in each tournament advance to the High School Fishing National Championship. Tournaments held before June 9, 2019, advance teams to the 2019 National Championship. Tournaments held after June 9, 2019, advance teams to the 2020 National Championship. All participating teams automatically qualify to compete in the High School Fishing World Finals for more than $150,000 in scholarships and prizes. Visit FLWFishing.com and HighSchoolFishing.org for schedules.
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 on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
CORTIANA LEADS THE PACK AT FORT GIBSON
October 4, 2018
Courtesy FLW Fishing - Rob Newell
Given the stingy state of fishing affairs at Oklahoma’s Fort Gibson Lake, many pros fishing the Costa FLW Series Southwestern Division event presented by Mercury this week predicted local anglers would be hard to beat. In fact, Kyle Cortiana of nearby Coweta, Okla., was one pro who was pretty candid in offering his opinion that the home court advantage would go a long way in such a challenging Fort Gibson event.
After day one, Cortiana is looking like a prophet. Not only did he take the early lead with five fish for 15 pounds, 8 ounces, but the top five also includes Fort Gibson legend Tommy Biffle and Ryan Wilbanks, both from Wagoner.
“When the water is up and the current is flowing and the fish are biting here, it’s anyone’s game,” Cortiana says. “But the lake is fishing pretty stingy right now. Whenever that happens, the local guys shine.”
A small line of showers rolled through Fort Gibson this morning during takeoff, which Cortiana saw as bonus.
“Anytime you have some kind of change like that, it helps,” he says. “I had my limit this morning by 8:50. It happened pretty quickly. After that I left the area and just starting running new water and caught two more keepers, one of which helped me.”
Before the event began, Cortiana mentioned that finding something out of the norm and off the beaten path would be key in this tournament. That’s what he looked for in practice.
“Where I fished this morning is pretty standard stuff here, but I’m fishing for those fish in a unique way,” he explains. “I had some special things happen to me this morning. Things went my way for sure. After that I ran some water that includes something that’s somewhat new to this lake. I have one place where I caught two 4-pounders in practice, and I have not been back to that yet. I’m trying to save it for later.”
Cortiana enters day two with a 1-pound, 1-ounce lead. He has an early boat number tomorrow, which he hopes might help his cause even more.
Top 10 pros
1. Kyle Cortiana – Coweta, Okla. – 15-8 (5)
2. Tommy Dickerson – Orange, Texas – 14-7 (5)
3. Tommy Biffle – Wagoner, Okla. – 12-15 (4)
4. Ryan Wilbanks – Wagoner, Okla. – 12-5 (5)
5. Casey Scanlon – Lake Ozark, Mo. – 12-1 (5)
6. Randy Despino – Colfax, La. – 11-8 (4)
7. Justin Wojcik – Bulverde, Texas – 11-7 (4)
8. Mitchell Webb – Skiatook, Okla. – 11-1 (5)
9. Joel Baker – Talala, Okla. – 10-6 (4)
10. Cody Bird – Granbury, Texas – 10-4 (5)
Babb leads co-anglers
Robin Babb of Tulsa, Okla., leads the co-angler division after day one with two bass weighing 8 pounds, 7 ounces. Babb spent the day fishing behind pro Derek Fulps of Broken Arrow, Okla., who won the Fort Gibson Costa FLW Series event in 2016.
“I had a good ride today,” Babb says. “Derek was a great boater. He is very considerate and obviously had me around some good fish.”
Top 10 co-anglers
1. Robin Babb – Tulsa, Okla. – 8-7 (2)
2. David See – Beggs, Okla. – 8-3 (3)
3. Charles Parker – Broken Arrow, Okla. – 7-3 (3)
4. Toby Wallace – Tolar, Texas – 6-11 (2)
5. Mason Roach – Willis, Texas – 6-10 (3)
6. Randy Baskins – Owasso, Okla. – 6-6 (3)
6. Johnny Burke – Bristow, Okla. – 6-6 (3)
8. Cameron Foster – Wagoner, Okla. – 6-3 (2)
9. Alan Bernicky – Joliet, Ill. – 6-0 (2)
10. John Moon – Brookeland, Texas – 5-13 (3)
FLW ANNOUNCES OLD HICKORY LAKE AS 2018 BFL WILD CARD VENUE
MINNEAPOLIS (Oct. 4, 2018) – FLW announced today that the 2018 T-H Marine BFL Wild Card tournament will take place on Old Hickory Lake in Gallatin, Tennessee, Nov. 9-10. The two-day event, hosted by the Sumner County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, will launch from the Bulls Creek Access at Flipper’s Bait and Tackle, located at 200 Odoms Bend Road in Gallatin, Tennessee.
In order to be eligible to fish the no-entry-fee BFL Wild Card tournament, anglers must have entered all five events within a BFL division during the 2018 season and fished at least two of them. In addition, anglers who have already qualified for a BFL regional are ineligible.
During the BFL Wild Card tournament, the full field competes both days, with winners determined by the heaviest two-day catch. The top six boaters and top six co-anglers will advance to the 2019 T-H Marine BFL All-American, held on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland, May 30-June 1, hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners and the Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism.
An optional pot is available to anglers who elect to participate at the BFL Wild Card tournament. Entry fees for the optional pot will be $250 for boaters and $125 for co-anglers, with the top 20 percent of anglers who elect to participate in the optional pot receiving checks. There will be no official practice period or off-limits period prior to the pretournament meeting for the Wild Card. No contestant may be on tournament waters for the purpose of locating bass or potential fishing waters after the start of the pretournament meeting except during tournament hours.
Entry for the BFL Wild Card is now open and runs through Thursday, November 8, 2018, at 6 p.m. CDT. You may enter by phone on or before Wednesday, November 7, at 270.252.1000. Entries on November 8 will be taken onsite at the pretournament meeting at the Bulls Creek Access.
The 2018 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. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
AC Insider PRO-Files Featuring 2019 FLW Tour Rookie Joel Willert
On this episode of the AC Insider PRO-Files Chris and Jason catch up with former FLW Co-Angler Joel Willert and talk about his move to the front of the boat and starting his rookie campaign on the 2019 FLW Tour. Great angler you will want to learn more about!
Major League Fishing Announces 80 Anglers Set for New Bass Pro Tour
Several Major League Fishing anglers were present during league planning activities held this week at Big Cedar Lodge in Missouri, at which the 80-angler field for the new MLF Bass Pro Tour was announced. (Back row, left to right) Dean Rojas, James Watson, Wesley Strader, Scott Suggs, Fred Roumbanis, Mark Davis, Gary Klein, Skeet Reese, Kevin VanDam and Boyd Duckett. (Front) Mark Rose, Mike McClelland, Jeff Kriet, Shaw Grigsby, Keith Poche, Kelly Jordon and Tim Horton.
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RIDGEDALE, Mo. (October 3, 2018) - Major League Fishing (MLF) leadership today announced the official roster of the 80 anglers who have committed to compete in the new-for-2019 Bass Pro Tour and MLF Cup events. The final list was made public during an MLF meeting held this week at Big Cedar Lodge with several of its sponsors and anglers present to discuss plans in follow up to the league's recent announcement of significant expansion for the purpose of growing the sport.
"It might seem like this expansion roll out happened in a hurry, but in reality it's been six years in development. Ever since Gary Klein and Boyd first had the MLF concept, we've had a great team of people working diligently on the bigger picture," MLF President and CEO Jim Wilburn said. "The extensive strategic planning will become much more obvious over the next few weeks as we reveal more and more of the elements. The new MLF is fulfilling the dream of so many to grow this great sport."
CAL POLY WINS YETI FLW COLLEGE FISHING WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALE ON CALIFORNIA DELTA PRESENTED BY COSTA
BETHEL ISLAND, Calif. (Oct. 1, 2018) – The California Polytechnic State University duo of Sam Morita of Sebastopol, California, and Aren Abrahamian of Glendale, California, won the YETI FLW College Fishing event on the California Delta presented by CostaSaturday with five bass weighing 20 pounds, 1 ounce. The victory earned the Mustang’s bass club $2,650 and a slot in the 2019 FLW College Fishing National Championship, scheduled for June 4-6, 2019 at the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland.
“We started our day fishing on the south-southeast side, near Mandeville Island,” said Abrahamian, a senior majoring in environmental science. “We were fishing riprap banks with squarebill crankbaits. We had figured out the squarebill deal in practice and we knew we could put together a quick 6- or 7-pound limit and then go looking for upgrades, so that’s what we did.”
The duo threw unnamed craw-pattern, light red squarebill crankbaits to put together an estimated 7-pound limit by 10 a.m., then moved to another pattern, fishing old dock pilings with Yamamoto Senkos.
“We moved to another spot that had a bunch of pilings – probably around 100 – and caught three big ones flipping Senkos,” Abrahamian said. “Sam was fishing a green-pumpkin and red flake color, Texas-rigged; I was fishing just a green Senko and had mine wacky-rigged. We only had three bites doing that, but they were 4-, 5- and 6-pounders.”
The Mustangs estimated that they caught around 20 keeper fish throughout the day – 40 total. They said that 95% of their bass came on the squarebill.
“We got lucky with the Senkos, but if we wouldn’t have thrown the squarebills early than we wouldn’t have had a limit,” Abrahamian went on to say. “We usually don’t throw that here, but it was a random call that Sam made in practice and it ended up working out – even better than we thought it would.”
The top 10 teams that advanced to the 2019 College Fishing National Championship are:
1st: California Polytechnic State University – Sam Morita, Sebastopol, Calif., and Aren Abrahamian, Glendale, Calif., five bass, 20-1, $2,650
2nd: Oregon State University – Biagio Capp, Discovery Bay, Calif., and Brandon Peeler, Lake Oswego, Ore., five bass, 14-7, $1,210
3rd: California State University-Chico – Jack Geist, Davis, Calif., and Austin Crane, Oroville, Calif., five bass, 13-4, $500
4th: Sonoma State University – Josh Hanna, Danville, Calif., and Tyler Owens, Santa Rosa, Calif., five bass, 11-9, $510
5th: University of California-Merced – Herbie LeBlanc and Tshu Xiong, both of Merced, Calif., five bass, 10-12, $500
6th: California State University-Chico – Matthew Pusateri, Grand Terrace, Calif., and Chad Sweitzer, Chico, Calif., five bass, 10-12
7th: Arizona State University – Ryan Slivkoff, Tempe, Ariz., and Hayden Frey, San Tan Valley, Ariz., five bass, 9-15
8th: Utah Valley University – Nick Forbush, Heber City, Utah, and Ben Levie, Salem, Utah, five bass, 9-15
9th: Sonoma State University – B.J. Kendrick, Morgan Hill, Calif., and Brock Trudeau, Lancaster, Calif., five bass, 9-5
10th: California State University-Chico – Frank Tomasello and Jakob Conlan, both of Chico, Calif., five bass, 8-10
Complete results for the entire field can be found at FLWFishing.com.
The YETI FLW College Fishing event on the California Delta presented by Costa was hosted by Russo’s Marina & Sugar Barge RV Resort. It was the third and final regular-season qualifying tournament for Western Conference anglers in 2018. The next YETI FLW College Fishing event takes place Nov. 3, when Southern Conference anglers compete at the final YETI FLW College Fishing event of the season on Toledo Bend Reservoir presented by Bass Pro Shops, in Many, Louisiana.
YETI FLW College Fishing teams compete in three regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top ten 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 2019 FLW College Fishing National Championship, June 4-6 at the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland. Additional teams will qualify for the National Championship if the field size in regular-season events exceeds 100 boats.
YETI FLW College Fishing is free to enter. 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.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow YETI FLW College Fishing on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
About FLW
LEBANON’S ECKLER WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE MUSIC CITY DIVISION FINALE ON OLD HICKORY LAKE
Cookeville’s Sims Grabs Co-angler Title
GALLATIN, Tenn. (Oct. 1, 2018) – Boater Tony Eckler of Lebanon, Tennessee, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Music City Division tournament on Old Hickory Lake Sunday with a two-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 28 pounds even. For his win, Eckler took home $4,749.
Eckler primarily flipped green-pumpkin-colored creature baits in 1- to 3-feet of water to catch his fish Saturday. He said he flipped wood and trash piles, fishing both the main-lake and in the creeks in the mid-section of Old Hickory Lake.
“On Sunday I caught a couple of keepers on a (Blue Chrome-colored) Heddon Super Spook at a spot with schooling fish, which was a main-river ledge near the mouth of a creek,” said Eckler. “I also lost a 2-pounder on a Keitech swimbait and a 3-pounder on the Spook – all in the first 15 minutes. I was pretty frustrated.
“After a few slow hours, I caught a 4-pounder on a Texas-rigged (Plum-colored) Zoom Ol’ Monster Worm off of a drop at the same spot they’d been schooling,” said Eckler. “My instincts told me to try dragging something and it worked.”
Eckler said he entered the final hour of the tournament with four fish totaling about 10 pounds. He said he went flipping and switched from green-pumpkin-colored baits to watermelon colors because of the clearer water.
“I caught my fifth fish and culled three times in the last hour and that’s what won me the tournament,” said Eckler. “Even though I’d lost the 2- and 3- pounders early, I didn’t give up.”
Eckler noted that his recently-purchased Nitro Z21 boat and Mercury outboard helped him stay focused on fishing.
“The Nitro and Mercury are a dependable combo. It eases my mind to know that I have good equipment after fishing out of a used boat for several years. I had some issues, but now I don’t have to worry as much and I have a good sense of security.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Tony Eckler, Lebanon, Tenn., 10 bass, 28-0, $4,749
2nd: Adam Wagner, Cookeville, Tenn., nine bass, 23-4, $2,465
3rd: Jason Dies, Lebanon, Tenn., nine bass, 21-10, $1,350
4th: Joel Trevino, Mt. Juliet, Tenn., nine bass, 19-10, $875
5th: Rocco Simeri, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 10 bass, 18-12, $1,050
6th: Lance Oligschlaeger, Gallatin, Tenn., eight bass, 17-12, $687
7th: Hunter Bouldin, McMinnville, Tenn., seven bass, 16-7, $625
8th: Josh Tramel, Smithville, Tenn., seven bass, 13-0, $562
9th: Alex Hester, Crossville, Tenn., six bass, 12-8, $500
10th: Chris Holland, Winchester, Tenn., seven bass, 11-11, $437
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Wagner caught a bass weighing 3 pounds, 15 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the Boater Big Bass award of $390.
J.P. Sims of Cookeville, Tennessee, caught a two-day total of seven bass weighing 11 pounds, 6 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $1,875.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: J.P. Sims, Cookeville, Tenn., seven bass, 11-6, $1,875
2nd: Robert Russell, Smyrna, Tenn., five bass, 9-13, $1,037
3rd: Chris O'Bryan, Harned, Ky., four bass, 7-10, $625
4th: Brian Reed, Cookeville, Tenn., four bass, 7-2, $437
5th: Brandon Davis, Canton, Ga., four bass, 6-14, $375
6th: James Davis, Springfield, Tenn., four bass, 5-15, $344
7th: Darren Kelly, Wartburg, Tenn., two bass, 5-12, $557
8th: Austin Mitchell, Antioch, Tenn., three bass, 4-14, $281
9th: Charles Olson, Byrdstown, Tenn., three bass, 4-4, $250
10th: Chad Hill, Marion, Ill., two bass, 3-12, $219
Kelly caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 4 pounds, 8 ounces – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $195.
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. 18-20 BFL Regional Championship on Lake Norman in Huntersville, North Carolina. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2018 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 take place May 30-June 1 on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland.
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.
EVANSVILLE’S SISK WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE HOOSIER DIVISION FINALE ON ROUGH RIVER LAKE
Co-angler Title Goes To Tennyson’s Schmitt
FALLS OF ROUGH, Ky. (Oct. 1, 2018) – Boater Aaron Sisk of Evansville, Indiana, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Hoosier Division tournament on Rough River Lake Sunday with a two-day cumulative catch of eight bass weighing 22 pounds, 7 ounces. Sisk took home $4,457 for his catch.
Sisk said he mainly fished in the North Fork area of Rough River Lake, focusing on docks.
“I mainly fished docks on the inside of pockets – close to the main lake – and mixed it up between a ChatterBait and a buzzbait,” said Sisk, who notched his first win BFL competition. “The only areas I focused on were ones that had shade. If I pulled up and it was sunny, I wouldn’t even fish it. I had to plan my day around the sun.
“I probably fished 60 docks a day. I didn’t really sit in one area – I was running and gunning,” Sisk continued. “The biggest key was timing out my day to work with the sun. When the sun was out, I’m sure the fish were suspended out deeper, and once the bank got shady, the fish would move up to feed.”
Sisk said he caught six keepers total Saturday, following it up with another three on Sunday. He used a Green Shad-colored Z-Man/Evergreen Jack Hammer ChatterBait with a White Ice- or Smoking Shad-colored Zoom Super Fluke Jr. For the buzzbait, he preferred a black ½-ounce R&S Baits/Bass Alarm Chatterbuzz with a trailer hook.
“First I’d throw the buzzbait for fish that were likely right near the docks, and then then I’d turn and come back with the ChatterBait for the fish that were suspended 3 or 4 feet down.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Aaron Sisk, Evansville, Ind., eight bass, 22-7, $4,457
2nd: Sean Gillenwater, Bloomington, Ind., nine bass, 18-14, $2,228
3rd: Luke Foli, Fishers, Ind., eight bass, 15-9, $1,420
4th: Chris Martinkovic, Hamilton, Ohio, 10 bass, 14-5, $993
5th: Michael Bays, Bellevue, Ky., seven bass, 13-7, $851
6th: Joshua Brown, Corydon, Ind., six bass, 12-10, $780
7th: Thomas Foster, Terre Haute, Ind., five bass, 12-9, $709
8th: Jimmy Shepherd, Indianapolis, Ind., six bass, 12-7, $639
9th: Jay Ellis, Celina, Ohio, seven bass, 10-9, $568
10th: Trevor Windgassen, Alexandria, Ky., five bass, 10-0, $969
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Windgassen caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 6 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the Boater Big Bass award of $472.
Robert Schmitt of Tennyson, Indiana, caught a two-day total of eight bass weighing 13 pounds, 5 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $2,329.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Robert Schmitt, Tennyson, Ind., eight bass, 13-5, $2,329
2nd: Jeff Hale, New Castle, Ind., nine bass, 11-7, $1,064
3rd: Dustin Burk, Brookville, Ind., six bass, 9-13, $709
4th: Chad Ellis, Brownsburg, Ind., four bass, 8-2, $783
5th: Derek Buchanan, Madison, Ind., six bass, 7-14, $426
6th: Jeff Turner, Plainfield, Ill., five bass, 7-12, $390
7th: Tim Knight, Bargersville, Ind., four bass, 5-14, $355
8th: Nicole Foor, Greens Fork, Ind., four bass, 5-12, $319
9th: James Rockhill, Anderson, Ind., three bass, 5-1, $284
10th: Chad Sims, Brownsburg, Ind., four bass, 4-15, $248
Ellis caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 3 pounds, 12 ounces – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $236.
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. 18-20 BFL Regional Championship on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2018 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 take place May 30-June 1 on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland.
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.
TEXAN BEEBEE WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE COWBOY DIVISION FINALE ON TOLEDO BEND LAKE
Pineville’s Lewis Grabs Co-angler Title
MANY, La. (Oct. 1, 2018) – Boater Joe Beebee of The Woodlands, Texas, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Cowboy Division tournament on Toledo Bend Lake Sunday with a two-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 27 pounds, 14 ounces. For his win, Beebee netted $5,632.
Beebee spent the event fishing in Housen Bayou, focusing on a mile-long stretch of hydrilla, pepper grass and lily pads where they all mixed together.
“I fished in 2 feet of water or less, but there was deep water nearby – that was key,” said Beebee, who earned his first win in BFL competition. “I primarily caught them on two lures – frogs and Texas rigs.”
Beebee used a Black Shadow-colored Strike King KVD Popping Perch to catch the majority of his fish Saturday. He also caught one keeper on a Texas-rigged, green-pumpkin Xcite Baits Hawgalicious.
“On Sunday there were some shad flickering, so I used the same Strike King frog in white and caught a 3½-pounder right off of the bat,” said Beebee. “Soon after that I picked up a (Green Tree-colored Spro Dean Rojas Bronzeye 65) frog and caught a 6-pounder – my biggest of the tournament.”
Beebee said the frog bite subsided following the big catch, so he slowed down and started fishing hydrilla off of the bank. He used the same Texas-rigged Xcite Baits Hawgalicious and finished out his limit, culling once in the process.
“I used a 7-foot, 4-inch extra-heavy Impulse Original Series rod and a Shimano Curado (200XG) reel and they were key for me, especially getting that 6-pounder out of the lily pads.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Joe Beebee, The Woodlands, Texas, 10 bass, 27-14, $5,632
2nd: Travis Kelehan, Lafayette, La., 10 bass, 27-1, $2,816
3rd: Glen Freeman, Zwolle, La., 10 bass, 27-0, $2,077
4th: Darold Gleason, Many, La., 10 bass, 26-15, $1,414
5th: Thomas McMillan, Choudrant, La., 10 bass, 25-15, $1,126
6th: Stephen Reitzell, Colfax, La., 10 bass, 25-5, $1,033
7th: Kevin Lasyone, Dry Prong, La., seven bass, 24-1, $939
8th: Derrick Fontenot, Krotz Springs, La., 10 bass, 23-15, $845
9th: Jame Dubroc, Bunkie, La., nine bass, 23-2, $751
10th: Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., 10 bass, 22-11, $657
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Dwight Abshire of Santa Fe, Texas, caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 12 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the Boater Big Bass award of $735.
Russell Lewis of Pineville, Louisiana, caught a two-day total of seven bass weighing 20 pounds, 3 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $3,183.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Russell Lewis, Pineville, La., seven bass, 20-3, $3,183
2nd: Craig Strickland, Lumberton, Texas, eight bass, 18-10, $1,408
3rd: Randy Pewthers, Pearland, Texas, seven bass, 18-1, $1,141
4th: Fred Martin, North Little Rock, Ark., eight bass, 17-12, $707
5th: Bobbie Moore, Temple, Texas, five bass, 16-8, $563
6th: Lindy Hadley, Sam Rayburn, Texas, six bass , 16-3, $516
7th: Douglas Littleton, New Caney, Texas, seven bass, 16-0, $469
8th: Ben Faucheaux, Natchitoches, La., eight bass, 15-15, $422
9th: Elbia Ebert, Porter, Texas, five bass , 14-8, $375
10th: James Callaghan, De Berry, Texas, seven bass, 13-7, $329
Lewis also caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 6 pounds, 12 ounces – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $367.
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. 25-27 BFL Regional Championship on Lake of the Ozarks in Osage Beach, Missouri. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2018 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 take place May 30-June 1 on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland.
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.
AC Insider Episode 37 - Featuring BASS AOY Champ Justin Lucas and Elite Series Pro Bill Lowen
This week Chris & Jason catch up with 2018 BASS Angler of the Year Justin Lucas and talk about his AOY Victory and his recent announcement to move to Major League Fishing. The boys also welcome Elite Series Pro Bill Lowen to the show to discuss why he chose to forgo the MLF Invitation and remain at BASS moving forward. Both conversation you will not want to miss! Check it out!
James “Worldwide” Watson Joins Cashion Rods
SANFORD, North Carolina – Cashion Rods is proud to announce their partnership with US Army Veteran, US Bass Team angler and FLW, Major League Fishing professional angler, James Watson.
Cashion Fishing Rods was founded by Dr. Matthew Cashion who received a Ph.D. in chemistry with a concentration in advanced materials from Virginia Tech. Upon graduation his ambition was to combine his knowledge of material science with his passion for fishing. With that combination came the birth of Cashion Fishing Rods. Each rod is designed to be the best fishing rod for each type of fishing. Matthew and his team have an undeniable obsession for fishing and it shows.
“Adding James Watson to the Cashion Family from the angler side is a no
brainer but we are most proud to have him represent us with the manner in
which he conducts himself as a veteran and in the benevolence side of his
charity and community service contributions. James is a giver and does not
take for granted his public position as a professional angler.” Dr. Matthew Cashion. President and Founder.
“We are really excited to bring James on board for 2019. His energy and enthusiasm stand out and we feel his ability to connect to anglers on all levels will be key. James takes pride in what he does on and off the water and we feel he will add a lot to the family atmosphere we have created here at Cashion Fishing Rods. We look forward to his new ideas and input with products will we be introducing early next year!” Paul Benson. Vice President.
Having known James for a while, the first thing we noticed is that he offers all his sponsors is his unbelievable work ethic. James is the first one in and last one out at almost every show we have worked together. He finds a way to make time for all the folks he represents and even some for companies he just considers friends. His knowledge base of the business side of the industry is invaluable and he truly understands what it takes to help a company grow and increase sales year over year. James is always a team player and his positivity and leadership style lends to help others in our organization grow and become a better tighter knit family.
Cashion Fishing Rods are American made and they stand behind each and every every fishing rod they build.
James says, “I had the pleasure of drawing Paul Benson when I won the BASS Open three years ago. We've been friends ever since. Matthew and Paul are great people. Cashion's business model is one that I believe in and want to be involved with. As a professional angler my future direction must be with companies that I have influence and input with.”
James Watson, also known as JMFW Worldwide, began his fishing career in 2009 at the back of the boat earning himself a trip to the Forrest Wood Cup. The following year Watson made the move to the front of the boat. Residing in Lampe, Missouri Watson has had a successful journey thus far. As an exceptional leader in the U.S. Army, he quickly established himself and was promoted to the rank of Sergeant First Class. Upon being honorably discharged from the U.S. Army Watson began a real estate career with Realty Executives quickly climbing to the top with over $100 million in residential homes sales. Watson has qualified to fish the Bassmaster Classic, Forrest Wood Cup, PAA Events and the Texas Toyota Bass Classic. Watson was this year’s winner of the FLW Sportsman and Community Leadership Award winner for his philanthropy efforts and support of Shriners Hospital for Children. As a Shriner himself he will continue to support Shriners throughout his fishing career.
Watson adds, “I am pumped to join the Cashion Rods team and work closely with some of my aristocrats like Fat Cat Newton. His two Classic victories in June of 1987 are still unprecedented. I hope that I get his autograph and possibly get some schooling from he and Bobby soon!”