AnglersChannel

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

by AnglersChannel

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 11^th 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

by AnglersChannel

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.

by AnglersChannel

Jared Lintner Wins Bassmaster Opens Championship At Table Rock

Jared Lintner of Arroyo Grande, Calif., takes the lead on the final day of the 2018 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Championship held on Table Rock Lake with a three-day total weight of 37 pounds.

Photo by James Overstreet/B.A.S.S.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 20, 2018

Jared Lintner Wins Bassmaster Opens Championship At Table Rock

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Dialing into the details was the ticket to victory for Jared Lintner, winner of the 2018 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Championship on Table Rock Lake.

Linter of Arroyo Grande, Calif., added 10 pounds, 15 ounces of bass today to push his winning total weight to 37 pounds for three days of fishing. Brandon Lester of Fayetteville, Tenn., took second \with 34-11, and Derek Hudnall of Baton Rouge, La., was third with 34-1. Bobby Lane Jr. of Lakeland, Fla., was fourth with 32-7, and Scott Suggs of Alexander, Ark., took fifth with 32-3.

Weather was a key factor throughout the three-day tournament. A chilly rain on Friday was braced by sunny, unseasonably warm weather on Thursday and Saturday. The best fishing occurred during the worst weather, when the bass were most active in the low-light conditions.

Everyone, especially including Lintner, knew the bass were in the fall transition, moving from deep to shallow water.

“I knew the bass were moving shallow, just not enough to put together a reliable pattern,” he said.

When the bites began Lintner, took note. He discovered greater concentrations of bass holding on steeper tapering shorelines used as migration routes.

“It started replicating itself so I went searching for similar areas,” he explained.

The steep dropoffs near shorelines where Lintner initially discovered the pattern were a 45-mile run from the launch site. Table Rock is a big lake, and Lintner decided to search nearer the weigh-in site. After two days, he found enough of the steep transition areas to complete a pattern. Lintner could spend more time fishing, allowing the continually moving bass to come to him.

On Thursday, Lintner moved into fourth place with 12-14, a respectable catch compared to the rest of the field. The next day, rain and overcast skies made the bite better, producing a limit weighing 13-3.

Today, the sun came out and the post-frontal funk set in. Lintner caught his limit by 8:30 a.m. The sun grew brighter, the wind went calm and the bite shut down.

“The low light compensated for the lack of wind, which made the pattern really click,” he said. “Without wind, the fish could see lures from farther away in the clearer water.”

By midday the wind picked up but the bite did not for Lintner. That made the early morning bite the saving grace for the Californian.

Lintner alternated between a Spro Mike McClelland RkCrawler 55 crankbait, and a Jackall MC/60. He also used a 3/4-ounce jig with a Strike King Rage Bug. He flipped the latter setup when encountering isolated cedar trees near the transition areas.

Lester used a technique that is popular on his native middle Tennessee bass fisheries during the wintertime. Called tight lining, it involves methodically fishing a lightweight jig across deepwater structure. Very little movement is necessary to make the fish bite.

“I found bass at the ends of bluffs but couldn’t make them bite anything,” he said. “I thought of tight lining and it worked.”

Lester used a 3.75-inch X Zone Lures Shiver Shad on a 1/8-ounce jighead for his tight-lining rig fished on 10-pound braid with a 6-pound test leader.

He further dialed into the pattern by finding bass staging where deep bluffs transitioned into other forms of structure, such as rocky points or gravel shorelines.

The Opens Championship was the climax of a year featuring eight events in as many states. The Top 28 pro and co-anglers in the point standings from the Central and Eastern divisions qualified for the championship.

Lintner and the Top 3 pro anglers in points from each division were invited to bass fishing’s premier event, the 2019 Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods. Frank Talley, Brad Whatley and Derek Hudnall advanced from the Central Division, while Brandon Lester, Bobby Lane Jr., and Garrett Paquette qualified from the Eastern Division. The Classic is set for March 15-17 in Knoxville, Tenn. Lester won the Eastern points title, while Frank Talley of Temple, Texas, won the Central title.

Lintner earned a Classic berth, $10,000 bonus cash and a Triton 19 TrX with Mercury 200 Pro XS and accessories worth $45,000.

Winning the $750 Phoenix Big Bass Award on the pro side was Mark Rose of Wynne, Ark., with a largemouth weighing 6-1. Alex Heintz of Denham Springs, La., won the co-angler $250 Phoenix Big Bass Award with a largemouth weighing 4-7.

Lane earned the Power-Pole Captain’s Cash Award of $500 on the pro side for being the highest-placing angler who is registered and eligible and uses client-approved product on his boat.

2018 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Championship 10/18-10/20
Table Rock Lake, Springfield MO.
(BOATER) Standings Day 3Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$

1. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 15 37-00 200 $56,500.00
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 13-03 Day 3: 5 10-15
2. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 15 34-11 199 $17,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-10 Day 2: 5 12-09 Day 3: 5 11-08
3. Derek Hudnall Baton Rouge, LA 15 34-01 198 $5,500.00
Day 1: 5 10-00 Day 2: 5 12-08 Day 3: 5 11-09
4. Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL 14 32-07 197 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 08-06 Day 2: 5 13-06 Day 3: 5 10-11
5. Scott Suggs Alexander, AR 14 32-03 196 $1,000.00
Day 1: 4 08-09 Day 2: 5 13-11 Day 3: 5 09-15
6. Carl Jocumsen Queensland TX AUSTRALIA 13 31-15 195 $600.00
Day 1: 4 07-12 Day 2: 5 13-05 Day 3: 4 10-14
7. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 13 31-08 194 $600.00
Day 1: 4 08-13 Day 2: 5 13-14 Day 3: 4 08-13
8. Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 14 30-10 193 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-09 Day 2: 4 10-02 Day 3: 5 09-15
9. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 11 28-15 192 $1,500.00
Day 1: 5 15-01 Day 2: 5 12-03 Day 3: 1 01-11
10. Mark Rose Wynne, AR 11 27-01 191 $2,750.00
Day 1: 5 15-09 Day 2: 3 06-01 Day 3: 3 05-07
11. Justin Atkins Florence, AL 11 26-06 190 $600.00
Day 1: 5 10-04 Day 2: 5 14-02 Day 3: 1 02-00
12. Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 8 22-13 189 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-06 Day 2: 3 08-07 Day 3: 0 00-00
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Mark Rose Wynne, AR 06-01 $750.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 10 111 250-00
2 18 117 285-10
3 6 43 93-06
----------------------------------
34 271 629-00

by AnglersChannel

Caleb Sumrall Takes Lead In Bassmaster Opens Championship At Table Rock

Caleb Sumrall of New Iberia, La., takes the lead on the second day of the 2018 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Championship held on Table Rock Lake with a two-day total weight of 27 pounds, 4 ounces.

Photo by James Overstreet/B.A.S.S.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 19, 2018

Caleb Sumrall Takes Lead In Bassmaster Opens Championship At Table Rock

RIDGEDALE, Mo. — Caleb Sumrall is turning a handicap in his favor, and today it earned him the lead at the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Championship on Table Rock Lake.

Fishing from a borrowed boat, Sumrall has no fish-finding electronics to function as his underwater eyes in his search for bass. Instead, he is relying on his own vision to pattern what is emerging as a winning pattern.

Sumrall, of New Iberia, La., today added 12 pounds, 3 ounces to his overall total of 27-4. Jared Lintner of Arroyo Grande, Calif., is second with 26-1, while Justin Atkins of Florence, Ala., moved into third place with 24-6. Brandon Lester is fourth with 23-3, and Tyler Rivet holds down fifth place with 22-13.

Sumrall, a Bassmaster Elite Series rookie, is targeting bass in transition between summer and fall fishing patterns. The bass are moving from deeper areas in the main lake into shallower creeks to feed on baitfish. Sumrall is wisely choosing to stay shallow to let the bass come to him.

He said the heavier largemouth he had been catching were being replaced by more aggressive, but smaller, spotted bass. “I made a key adjustment so I could get dialed back into the largemouth,” he said.

The payoff was adding a much-needed 4-pound largemouth to his livewell.

“Fishing without the electronics makes me think how many times we overthink, overanalyze the simple basics of finding fish,” he noted. “Honestly, with fishfinders I would probably be more distracted, not so dedicated to finding these key areas that are visible above water.”

For Sumrall that is the right combination of trees, rock and depth that are rest stops and ambush cover for the migrating bass.

“It’s likely I wouldn’t have found that combination if not forced to visually search while I fished,” Sumrall explained. “I’m literally going in and out of creeks, reading the water as I go, fishing with my eyes.”

Catching so many smallmouth in textbook areas normally favored by largemouth pleasantly baffles Lintner. On Thursday smallmouth filled his weigh-in bag; today only one largemouth occupied the space.

“I don’t get it at all because I’m flipping jigs into cedar trees in shallow water — classic largemouth areas,” he said.

Vital to the success of his pattern is wind, which adds a prismatic effect to break up the water clarity. Lures are less easy to identify, and the bass can be more easily fooled into biting.

“Cloudy wind, sunny wind, it doesn’t really matter,” he added. “I caught eight keepers off one windblown stretch where yesterday there were none.”

Sunny, mild weather on Thursday gave way to rainy, chilly conditions on Friday. Daytime temperatures struggled to reach the mid-40s and rain chilled the water even more.

Fishing in such miserable weather seems absurd unless you are fishing for the most coveted prizes in the sport. Those are seven coveted berths in the 2019 Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.

The Opens Championship is the climax of a year featuring eight events in as many states. The Top 28 pros and co-anglers in the point standings from the Central and Eastern divisions qualified for the championship.

The overall winner earns a Classic berth, $10,000 cash and a Triton 19 TrX with Mercury 200 Pro XS and accessories worth $45,000.

The Top 3 pro anglers in points from each division following the championship are also invited to the Classic, set for next March in Knoxville, Tenn.

The Thursday leaders of the Phoenix Big Bass Award still hold those spots. They are Mark Rose of Wynne, Ark., with a largemouth weighing 6-1, and co-angler Alex Heintz of Denham Springs, La., with a largemouth weighing 4-7.

Winning the co-angler division with a weight of 13-7 was Mandel Pettus. The angler of Miller Place, N.Y., won a Nitro Z18 with a Mercury 150 Pro XS outboard and accessories, $10,000 cash and paid entry fees in the 2019 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens division of his choice.

Pettus won the title in his rookie season as a co-angler in 2014, and is now able to make a dream come true.

“I just fished my last event as a co-angler, am going to live my dream, hone my trade as a boater and pro angler,” said Pettus, a fitness business owner.

The Top 12 anglers launch at 7:15 a.m. CT from Long Creek Marina. The Saturday weigh-in begins at 4:30 p.m. at Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World in Springfield.

On Saturday you can follow the action live on a special edition of Bassmaster LIVE, from 8-11 a.m. and Noon until 3 p.m. CT. Find the show on Bassmaster.com and see BASSTrakk real-time scores, updated photo galleries, videos, a live blog and articles.

2018 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Championship 10/18-10/20
Table Rock Lake, Springfield MO.
(BOATER) Standings Day 2Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$

1. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 10 27-04 200
Day 1: 5 15-01 Day 2: 5 12-03
2. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 10 26-01 199
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 13-03
3. Justin Atkins Florence, AL 10 24-06 198
Day 1: 5 10-04 Day 2: 5 14-02
4. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 10 23-03 197
Day 1: 5 10-10 Day 2: 5 12-09
5. Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 8 22-13 196
Day 1: 5 14-06 Day 2: 3 08-07
6. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 9 22-11 195
Day 1: 4 08-13 Day 2: 5 13-14
7. Derek Hudnall Baton Rouge, LA 10 22-08 194
Day 1: 5 10-00 Day 2: 5 12-08
8. Scott Suggs Alexander, AR 9 22-04 193
Day 1: 4 08-09 Day 2: 5 13-11
9. Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL 9 21-12 192
Day 1: 4 08-06 Day 2: 5 13-06
10. Mark Rose Wynnee, AR 8 21-10 191
Day 1: 5 15-09 Day 2: 3 06-01
11. Carl Jocumsen Queensland TX AUSTRALIA 9 21-01 190
Day 1: 4 07-12 Day 2: 5 13-05
12. Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 9 20-11 189
Day 1: 5 10-09 Day 2: 4 10-02
13. Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 10 20-10 188
Day 1: 5 09-04 Day 2: 5 11-06
14. Rob Digh Denver, NC 8 20-04 187
Day 1: 3 06-07 Day 2: 5 13-13
15. Toby Hartsell Afton, OK 9 20-04 186
Day 1: 4 08-15 Day 2: 5 11-05
16. Todd Auten Lake Wylie, SC 8 20-00 185
Day 1: 3 07-05 Day 2: 5 12-11
17. Harvey Horne Bella Vista, AR 9 19-11 184
Day 1: 4 09-07 Day 2: 5 10-04
18. Wesley Strader Spring City, TN 9 19-07 183
Day 1: 4 07-00 Day 2: 5 12-07
19. Mike Huff Corbin, KY 9 18-15 182
Day 1: 4 08-01 Day 2: 5 10-14
20. John Cox Debary, FL 8 18-08 181
Day 1: 3 06-05 Day 2: 5 12-03
21. Chad Pipkens Lansing, MI 9 18-07 180
Day 1: 4 09-06 Day 2: 5 09-01
22. Ed Loughran III Mechanicsville, VA 8 17-14 179
Day 1: 5 12-12 Day 2: 3 05-02
23. Garrett Paquette Canton, MI 7 17-05 178
Day 1: 3 06-03 Day 2: 4 11-02
24. Patrick Walters Ladson, SC 6 12-06 177
Day 1: 2 03-08 Day 2: 4 08-14
25. Frank Talley Temple, TX 6 11-12 176
Day 1: 4 07-14 Day 2: 2 03-14
26. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 5 11-04 175
Day 1: 2 04-06 Day 2: 3 06-14
27. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 3 07-00 174
Day 1: 2 04-11 Day 2: 1 02-05
28. Drew Cook Midway, FL 3 05-11 173
Day 1: 3 05-11 Day 2: 0 00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 10 111 250-00
2 18 117 285-10
----------------------------------
28 228 535-10

2018 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Championship 10/18-10/20
Table Rock Lake, Springfield MO.
(NON_BOATER) Standings Day 2

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

1. Mandel Pettus Miller Place, NY 6 13-07 200 $33,000.00
Day 1: 3 07-07 Day 2: 3 06-00
2. Alex Heintze Denham Springs, LA 5 12-07 199 $10,250.00
Day 1: 3 08-09 Day 2: 2 03-14
3. Austin Bonjour Templeton, CA 5 10-08 198 $10,000.00
Day 1: 2 04-12 Day 2: 3 05-12
4. Gary Haraguchi San Jose, CA 5 09-14 197 $2,000.00
Day 1: 2 03-09 Day 2: 3 06-05
5. Todd Lee Jasper, AL 4 09-06 196 $4,000.00
Day 1: 1 02-01 Day 2: 3 07-05
6. Brian Murphy Sulphur, LA 4 08-14 195 $2,000.00
Day 1: 1 02-10 Day 2: 3 06-04
7. Jordan Lane Conroe, TX 4 08-12 194 $1,500.00
Day 1: 1 01-13 Day 2: 3 06-15
8. Jared Rudd Salyersville, KY 4 08-08 193 $800.00
Day 1: 1 01-13 Day 2: 3 06-11
9. Jonathan Hankins North Tazewell, VA 4 08-05 192 $1,500.00
Day 1: 3 06-06 Day 2: 1 01-15
10. Noel Allen Jr Brandon, MS 4 07-10 191 $3,000.00
Day 1: 2 03-07 Day 2: 2 04-03
11. Jeff Wallace West Monroe, LA 3 06-11 190 $750.00
Day 1: 3 06-11 Day 2: 0 00-00
12. Brett Walker Pleasant Valley, MO 2 06-07 189 $1,300.00
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 06-07
13. Chad Smith Minnetonka, MN 4 06-07 188 $5,000.00
Day 1: 3 05-10 Day 2: 1 00-13
14. Todd Walters Ladson, SC 3 06-01 187 $1,300.00
Day 1: 1 01-13 Day 2: 2 04-04
15. John Connell Marion, IL 3 06-00 186 $4,000.00
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 3 06-00
16. Mark Powers Platteville, CO 3 05-11 185 $2,500.00
Day 1: 2 03-13 Day 2: 1 01-14
17. Bobby Bakewell Orlando, FL 2 04-12 184 $2,500.00
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 04-12
18. Steve Robbins Piketon, OH 2 04-12 183 $700.00
Day 1: 1 02-11 Day 2: 1 02-01
19. Joe Lee Midlothian, TX 2 04-01 182 $5,000.00
Day 1: 1 02-07 Day 2: 1 01-10
20. Paul Tabisz Virginia Bch, VA 2 03-14 181 $750.00
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 03-14
21. Daniel Corkern Florence, MS 2 03-12 180 $1,000.00
Day 1: 1 01-12 Day 2: 1 02-00
22. Beau Browning Hot Springs, AR 2 03-09 179 $900.00
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 03-09
23. Eulon Lee Jr. Eclectic, AL 2 03-07 178 $1,000.00
Day 1: 1 01-11 Day 2: 1 01-12
24. Dennis Akers South Portsmouth, KY 2 03-05 177 $900.00
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 03-05
25. Justin Leet Bartlett, TN 1 03-00 176 $700.00
Day 1: 1 03-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
26. Stephen Parnell Brandon, MS 1 02-07 175 $800.00
Day 1: 1 02-07 Day 2: 0 00-00
27. Skyler Anderson Harlem, GA 0 00-00 0 $550.00
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
27. William Mcnutt II Bossier City, LA 0 00-00 0 $550.00
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 5 34 74-06
2 8 47 97-09
----------------------------------
13 81 171-15

by AnglersChannel

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!

by AnglersChannel

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.

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

by AnglersChannel

Costa’s, Dave Bulthuis, Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award

(L to R) Glenn Hughes (ASA President), Dave Bulthuis, Chris Megan (ASA Chairman of the Board and publisher, On the Water, LLC)
Photo courtesy of the American Sportfishing Association.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Costa’s, Dave Bulthuis, Honored with
Lifetime Achievement Award

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – October 15, 2018 – Dave Bulthuis, Vice President of Industry Relations and Government Affairs for Costa Sunglasses, received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) during the organization’s annual summit on October 11.

“I am blessed to work with great people and for a great company,” said Bulthuis. “The entire team at Costa Sunglasses shares my passion and commitment to our industry and our sport.”

Bulthuis was honored with the ASA’s most prestigious award, recognizing his extraordinary leadership and lifelong commitment to recreational fishing and the sportfishing industry. Throughout his career, Bulthuis has always been devoted to the sportfishing industry, serving on ASA’s board of directors for eight years, including as Chairman of the Board from 2015 through 2016.

Bulthuis has been with Costa since 2003, where he began his career with the organization as Vice President of Sales. Prior to joining Costa, Bulthuis served as Director of Sales for several brands in the outdoor industry, including Cape Fear Rod Company, Jones and Company and various independent rep groups.

“We are so proud of Dave and how he has served our industry, our sport and our company for more than 15 years,” said Holly Rush, CEO of Costa Sunglasses. “He is truly an icon and has devoted his career and his time to passionately advocating for recreational fishing. We are thrilled he’s been recognized for his dedication and passion—no one deserves it more.”

About Costa
As the leading manufacturer of the world's clearest polarized performance sunglasses, Costa offers superior lens technology and unparalleled fit and durability. Still handcrafted today in Florida, Costa has created the highest quality, best performing sunglasses and prescription sunglasses (Rx) for outdoor enthusiasts since 1983. Born on the water, Costa works hard to protect the waters it calls home. Through programs like its Kick Plastic campaign, where the brand seeks to raise awareness about the growing plastic pollution problem threatening oceans worldwide, to serving as a long-term partner to shark research organization OCEARCH, Costa encourages people to help protect the Earth’s natural resources in any way they can. Find out more on Costa’s website and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter at @CostaSunglasses.

by AnglersChannel

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 1/16^th-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:

1^st: Joseph Thompson, Coatesville, Pa., 10 bass, 29-9, $66,000

2^nd: Ronnie Baker, Providence Forge, Va., nine bass, 27-1, $10,200

3^rd: Moo Bae, West Friendship, Md., nine bass, 26-2, $5,100

4^th: Ryan Bauman, Fleetwood, Pa., 10 bass, 25-13, $3,000

5^th: Chris Martinkovic, Hamilton, Ohio, 10 bass, 25-12, $2,000

6^th: Steven Wiseman, Bryans Road, Md., 10 bass, 25-6, $1,800

Rounding out the top-10 boaters were:

7^th: Dave Lauer, McConnelsville, Ohio, nine bass, 25-3, $1,600

8^th: Jon Werner, Nazareth, Pa., 10 bass, 24-10, $1,400

9^th: Otis Darnell, Linden, Va., 10 bass, 24-9, $1,200

10^th: 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:

1^st: Michael Bahnweg, Union Dale, Pa., nine bass, 22-6, $45,000

2^nd: William Allie, Wynantskill, N.Y., eight bass, 21-9, $5,200

3^rd: Henry McKee, Haddon Heights, N.J., 10 bass, 18-8, $2,550

4^th: Michael Nelms, Hartwood, Va., eight bass, 17-15, $1,500

5^th: Howard Smith, Hamilton, Ohio, six bass, 17-11, $1,000

6^th: David Williams, Fredericksburg, Va., five bass, 17-6, $900

Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers were:

7^th: Matthew Cozad, Okeana, Ohio, seven bass, 17-4, $800

8^th: Mike Geisler, Oxford, Ohio, eight bass, 16-12, $700

9^th: Cort Gardner, Jessup, Md., eight bass, 16-10, $600

10^th: 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.

by AnglersChannel

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 7^th and 8^th 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

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.

by AnglersChannel

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.

by AnglersChannel

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:

1^st: Troy Morrow, Eastanollee, Ga., 15 bass, 57-10, $65,000

2^nd: Matt Kinney, Bunnell, Fla., 15 bass, 51-0, $10,200

3^rd: Grant Kelly, Milledgeville, Ga., 13 bass, 49-11, $5,100

4^th: Jason Reed, Hollister, Fla., 15 bass, 49-10, $3,000

5^th: Nicholas Hoinig, Port St. Lucie, Fla., 15 bass, 49-6, $2,000

6^th: Kip Carter, Mansfield, Ga., 15 bass, 48-11, $2,800

Rounding out the top-10 boaters were:

7^th: George Kapiton, Inverness, Fla., 15 bass, 47-5, $1,600

8^th: Dylan Peppers, Good Hope, Ga., 15 bass, 47-4, $1,400

9^th: Kevin Dees, Montgomery, Ala., 14 bass, 42-5, $1,200

10^th: 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:

1^st: Randy Paquette, Sarasota, Fla., 10 bass, 34-10, $45,200

2^nd: Gary Murphy, Homer, Ga., 10 bass, 30-13, $5,050

3^rd: Donnie Davis, Greer, S.C., 11 bass, 26-7, $2,500

4^th: Ernie Thompson, Anthony, Fla., 13 bass, 24-2, $1,500

5^th: Frank Godwin Jr., Bainbridge, Ga., 13 bass, 23-13, $1,000

6^th: Levi Crossway, Jacksonville, Fla., 11 bass, 23-7, $900

Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers were:

7^th: Kenneth Hunnicutt, Jacksonville, Fla., 13 bass, 23-3, $800

8^th: Donald Dills, Mineral Bluff, Ga., 10 bass, 23-0, $700

9^th: Christian Greico, Tampa, Fla., 10 bass, 22-2, $600

10^th: 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.

About FLW

by AnglersChannel

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.

2nd place Snead State Community College: Garrett Warren & Eric Lampkin

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.

3rd place East Texas Baptist University: Chad Poulsen & Dustin Pearcy

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.

by AnglersChannel

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.”

by AnglersChannel

B.A.S.S. Nation Releases Full Four-Tournament Schedule For 2019

daho angler Chris Harvey shows off a nice largemouth during the 2018 B.A.S.S. Nation Western Regional on Clear Lake. The 2019 B.A.S.S. Nation schedule, which was released today, includes another stop in California — this time at Lake Shasta. B.A.S.S. Nation events will also be held on Alabama's Lake Guntersville, Sebago Lake in Maine and South Carolina's Lake Hartwell.

Photo by Brian Sak

Oct. 10, 2018

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — B.A.S.S. officials announced Thursday that the B.A.S.S. Nation, the popular grass-roots organization with affiliated clubs in 47 states and 10 nations worldwide, will once again hold three regional events and a year-end championship in 2019.

The Nation will visit Alabama’s Lake Guntersville for the Central Regional on April 17-19, California’s Lake Shasta for the Western Regional on May 8-10 and Sebago Lake in Maine for the Eastern Regional on Sept. 11-13.

The season will then culminate with the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship, which will be held on South Carolina’s Lake Hartwell at a date to be determined — most likely in October.

“We’re excited to have a schedule that includes well-known bass-fishing havens like Lake Guntersville, Lake Shasta and Lake Hartwell,” said B.A.S.S. Nation Director Jon Stewart. “Obviously, the tradition that B.A.S.S. has with those three lakes speaks for itself.

“But we’re also really excited about holding a B.A.S.S. Nation Regional event at a great site like Sebago Lake. It’s a place that we’ve visited for smaller divisional tournaments before, but a place that maybe a lot of people aren’t as familiar with as some of the others.”

The timing of the Guntersville event — right in heart of spring — should make for good weather and excellent fishing on a 69,000-acre Tennessee River fishery that is known for producing giant largemouth. The tournament will feature a field of 190 boats with 418 anglers, including alternates.

Guntersville has hosted 22 major B.A.S.S. tournaments, including the 1976 and 2014 Bassmaster Classics and Bassmaster Megabucks events in 1990 and 1992.

“All you have to say is ‘Guntersville,’ and bass fishermen perk up,” Stewart said. “Bass anglers of all skill levels understand what an opportunity it is to fish a lake like Guntersville, especially during the spring.”

The Lake Shasta tournament, which will be held in Redding, Calif., will have a field of 110 boats with 242 anglers — and history says it could be a spotted bass slugfest.

“When we were out there for the Nation Regional in 2017, anglers were saying you could pull up to any place you wanted to, throw any bait you wanted to throw and expect to catch fish,” Stewart said. “We had some incredible fish weighed in, mostly big spots. We hit it just right — and hopefully we will again.”

The final regional of the year, on Sebago Lake, will feature 180 boats with 396 anglers leaving from Point Sebago, Maine. The 30,000-acre fishery, which is the state’s second-deepest lake at 316 feet, has excellent populations of largemouth and smallmouth bass as well as landlocked salmon and lake trout.

Unlike 2018, when the site of the Nation Championship was announced well after the regional lineup, Lake Hartwell has already been identified as the site of the 2019 year-end event. The 56,000-acre fishery on the Georgia/South Carolina border has hosted three Bassmaster Classics, including the 2018 event that drew a record total attendance of 143,323.

The event will be hosted by Visit Anderson.

“Our team at Anderson county could not be more excited about hosting the 2019 B.A.S.S. Nation Championship again at Green Pond Landing and Lake Hartwell,” said Neil Paul, executive director of Visit Anderson. “Our community enjoys a tremendous amount of success whenever we’re hosting the great folks at B.A.S.S. We owe a great deal of credit to B.A.S.S. for their part in helping to make Lake Hartwell a championship fishery and Green Pond Landing one of the top facilities in the nation.

“We look forward to welcoming the anglers, their families and the entire B.A.S.S. Nation in 2019.”

The Top 3 finishers from the 2019 Nation Championship will earn a spot in the 2020 Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK'S Sporting Goods, and the overall Championship winner will receive an invitation to fish the 2020 Bassmaster Elite Series.

“When we refer to the B.A.S.S. Nation as a grass-roots organization, we mean exactly that,” said B.A.S.S. CEO Bruce Akin. “It’s an organization that gives anglers from all walks of life an opportunity to fish at the highest level of professional bass fishing.

“That’s what makes it truly special — and that’s why it’s still growing after 50 years.”

by AnglersChannel

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:

1^st: Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo., 15 bass, 46-3, $88,500

2^nd: Garrett Paquette, Canton, Mich., 14 bass, 43-6, $16,500

3^rd: Dennis Berhorst, Holts Summit, Mo., 15 bass, 43-5, $12,700

4^th: Stacey King, Reeds Spring, Mo., 13 bass, 43-3, $10,800

5^th: Austin Brown, Benton, Ky., 12 bass, 40-14, $9,600

6^th: Jason Vance, Battle Ground, Ind., 15 bass, 40-11, $8,250

7^th: Arnold Payne Jr., Kokomo, Ind., 14 bass, 39-11, $7,200

8^th: James Watson, Lampe, Mo., 14 bass, 39-8, $6,200

9^th: Shawn Kowal, Linn Creek, Mo., 14 bass, 39-7, $5,200

10^th: 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:

1^st: Steve Freeman, Eddyville, Ky., 13 bass, 33-12, $27,350 + Ranger Cup ($5,000)

2^nd: J.P. Sims, Cookeville, Tenn., 13 bass, 30-15, $5,250

3^rd: Phil Williams Jr., Jamestown, Ky., nine bass, 28-14, $4,250

4^th: Scott Parsons, Rogers, Ark., 11 bass, 28-14, $3,600

5^th: Max Wilson, Everton, Mo., 11 bass, 28-0, $3,100

6^th: Mike Youngblood, St. Louis, Mo., 11 bass, 25-9, $2,600

7^th: Brad Hostetler Jr., Franklin, Ind., nine bass, 24-6, $2,100

8^th: Jason Sandidge, Centerton, Ark., 10 bass, 23-7, $1,800

9^th: Joshua Dyrland, Imperial, Mo., eight bass, 22-2, $1,520

10^th: 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.

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

by AnglersChannel

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.”

by AnglersChannel

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.

by AnglersChannel

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 40^th 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

by AnglersChannel

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

by AnglersChannel

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. 16^th 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

by AnglersChannel

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.

by AnglersChannel

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!

by AnglersChannel

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.

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

by AnglersChannel

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.

by AnglersChannel

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.

by AnglersChannel

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

2018 Classic Final

by AnglersChannel

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:

1^st: Tommy Dickerson, Orange, Texas, 13 bass, 32-6, $80,503

2^nd: Kyle Cortiana, Coweta, Okla., 13 bass, 32-6, $13,199

3^rd: Brady Winans, Caddo Mills, Texas, 9 bass, 32-0, $10,371

4^th: Cody Bird, Granbury, Texas, 14 bass, 29-14, $8,451

5^th: Tommy Biffle, Wagoner, Okla., 9 bass, 29-14, $7,606

6^th: Mitchell Webb, Skiatook, Okla., 13 bass, 27-11, $6,761

7^th: Brandon Mosley, Choctaw, Okla., 11 bass, 27-9, $5,916

8^th: Ryan Wilbanks, Wagoner, Okla., 10 bass, 23-6, $5,070

9^th: Joel Baker, Talala, Okla., 9 bass, 23-5, $4,225

10^th: 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:

1^st: Johnny Burke, Bristow, Okla., 7 bass, 17-2, $27,100 + Ranger Cup ($5,000)

2^nd: Mason Roach, Willis, Texas, 5 bass, 11-0, $4,309

3^rd: Tate Brumnett, Wagoner, Okla., 4 bass, 10-5, $3,407

4^th: David See, Beggs, Okla., 4 bass, 10-1, $2,982

5^th: Charles Parker, Broken Arrow, Okla., 4 bass, 9-14, $2,556

6^th: Robin Babb, Tulsa, Okla., 3 bass, 9-14, $2,130

7^th: Johnny Horton, Collinsville, Okla., 3 bass, 9-5, $1,857

8^th: Phillip McBrien, Fairland, Okla., 4 bass, 9-5, $1,491

9^th: Toby Wallace, Tolar, Texas, 3 bass, 8-14, $1,431

10^th: 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.

by AnglersChannel

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

TBA Watch FLWFishing.com and HighSchoolFishing.org for details.

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.

by AnglersChannel

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.

Complete results

“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)

by AnglersChannel

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.

by AnglersChannel

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!

by AnglersChannel

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.

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.

"We understand how difficult this decision was for pro anglers ... everyone who has faced a potential career-changing move can relate to it, but the deadline has passed for the invitees and we now proudly have 80 individuals who have committed to a dream that goes beyond just a tournament payday," said MLF co-founder and PBTAA Vice President Boyd Duckett. "Sure, higher payouts are part of it, but for us this is not a competition we're in against other trails. It doesn't matter what B.A.S.S. or FLW does; our goal is different. These anglers know that and we're ecstatic to have them on board with the new MLF plans."

The full 80-man field includes Bassmaster Classic champions, FLW Forrest Wood Cup winners, Anglers of the Year and top tour performers from throughout the world of competitive bass fishing.

The 2019 MLF anglers are: Casey Ashley, Justin Atkins, Adrian Avena, Josh Bertrand, Tommy Biffle, Zack Birge, Stephen Browning, Brent Chapman, Jason Christie, Luke Clausen, Gary Clouse, Dustin Connell, Brandon Coulter, Cliff Crochet, Mark Daniels Jr., Mark Davis, Ott DeFoe, Boyd Duckett, Brent Ehrler, James Elam, Paul Elias, Edwin Evers, Todd Faircloth, Shinichi Fukae, Shaw Grigsby, Greg Hackney, Roy Hawk, Brett Hite, Tim Horton, Randy Howell, Mike Iaconelli, Alton Jones, Alton Jones Jr., Kelly Jordon, JT Kenney, Gary Klein, Jeff Kriet, Jason Lambert, Bobby Lane, Chris Lane, Russ Lane, Jordan Lee, Matt Lee, Dave Lefebre, Jared Litner, Justin Lucas, Aaron Martens, Mike McClelland, Cody Meyer, Ish Monroe, Andy Montgomery, Andy Morgan, John Murray, Britt Myers, Michael Neal, Takahiro Omori, Cliff Pace, Brandon Palaniuk, Keith Poche, Jacob Powroznik, Skeet Reese, Marty Robinson, Dean Rojas, Mark Rose, Fred Roumbanis, Bradley Roy, Terry Scroggins, Fletcher Shryock, Gerald Spohrer, Wesley Strader, Scott Suggs, Gerald Swindle, Randall Tharp, Jonathan VanDam, Kevin VanDam, Greg Vinson, David Walker, James Watson, Jacob Wheeler and Jesse Wiggins.

"This is a new day in professional bass fishing, with MLF and its team of anglers and partners now on a fast track to elevate the sport to a level comparable to that of other major league sporting events," MLF Commissioner Don Rucks said. "Our game is played on a 'field," and we have celebrities, fast action, rules, officials, penalties and a clock. Our participants like being role models and giving autographs, and we're going to make it easier for anglers and fans to share the passion of fishing going forward."

"I, we, are going into this new MLF venture with a different mentality," said Kevin VanDam, holder of many bass fishing titles. "To me, looking at this list is a very powerful statement about the future of the league. This group of anglers accepted the opportunity because they all believe in the vision and that we have the chance to do something very special for the sport of fishing. With all the anglers working hard for the same end goal, the future is going to be very exciting."

MLF will continue its popular Cup events and World Championship, airing on Outdoor Channel and CBS, respectively. New are the Bass Pro Tour competitions and championship, and eventually tour qualifiers, all of which will use the same entertaining and conservation-friendly catch, weigh and immediate-release format.

"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."

The expansions have been made possible through enthusiastic support from Bass Pro Shops, Outdoor Sportsman Group (OSG) and several other fishing industry and non-endemic sponsors who have been involved since MLF's first TV show in 2012.

Today MLF airs on Outdoor Channel, World Fishing Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network and Discovery Channel, and is available on-demand on My Outdoor TV (MOTV).

For current MLF schedules, rules and sponsors, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.

by AnglersChannel

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:

1^st: California Polytechnic State University – Sam Morita, Sebastopol, Calif., and Aren Abrahamian, Glendale, Calif., five bass, 20-1, $2,650

2^nd: Oregon State University – Biagio Capp, Discovery Bay, Calif., and Brandon Peeler, Lake Oswego, Ore., five bass, 14-7, $1,210

3^rd: California State University-Chico – Jack Geist, Davis, Calif., and Austin Crane, Oroville, Calif., five bass, 13-4, $500

4^th: Sonoma State University – Josh Hanna, Danville, Calif., and Tyler Owens, Santa Rosa, Calif., five bass, 11-9, $510

5^th: University of California-Merced – Herbie LeBlanc and Tshu Xiong, both of Merced, Calif., five bass, 10-12, $500

6^th: California State University-Chico – Matthew Pusateri, Grand Terrace, Calif., and Chad Sweitzer, Chico, Calif., five bass, 10-12

7^th: Arizona State University – Ryan Slivkoff, Tempe, Ariz., and Hayden Frey, San Tan Valley, Ariz., five bass, 9-15

8^th: Utah Valley University – Nick Forbush, Heber City, Utah, and Ben Levie, Salem, Utah, five bass, 9-15

9^th: Sonoma State University – B.J. Kendrick, Morgan Hill, Calif., and Brock Trudeau, Lancaster, Calif., five bass, 9-5

10^th: 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.

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by AnglersChannel

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:

1^st: Tony Eckler, Lebanon, Tenn., 10 bass, 28-0, $4,749

2^nd: Adam Wagner, Cookeville, Tenn., nine bass, 23-4, $2,465

3^rd: Jason Dies, Lebanon, Tenn., nine bass, 21-10, $1,350

4^th: Joel Trevino, Mt. Juliet, Tenn., nine bass, 19-10, $875

5^th: Rocco Simeri, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 10 bass, 18-12, $1,050

6^th: Lance Oligschlaeger, Gallatin, Tenn., eight bass, 17-12, $687

7^th: Hunter Bouldin, McMinnville, Tenn., seven bass, 16-7, $625

8^th: Josh Tramel, Smithville, Tenn., seven bass, 13-0, $562

9^th: Alex Hester, Crossville, Tenn., six bass, 12-8, $500

10^th: 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:

1^st: J.P. Sims, Cookeville, Tenn., seven bass, 11-6, $1,875

2^nd: Robert Russell, Smyrna, Tenn., five bass, 9-13, $1,037

3^rd: Chris O'Bryan, Harned, Ky., four bass, 7-10, $625

4^th: Brian Reed, Cookeville, Tenn., four bass, 7-2, $437

5^th: Brandon Davis, Canton, Ga., four bass, 6-14, $375

6^th: James Davis, Springfield, Tenn., four bass, 5-15, $344

7^th: Darren Kelly, Wartburg, Tenn., two bass, 5-12, $557

8^th: Austin Mitchell, Antioch, Tenn., three bass, 4-14, $281

9^th: Charles Olson, Byrdstown, Tenn., three bass, 4-4, $250

10^th: 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.

by AnglersChannel

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:

1^st: Aaron Sisk, Evansville, Ind., eight bass, 22-7, $4,457

2^nd: Sean Gillenwater, Bloomington, Ind., nine bass, 18-14, $2,228

3^rd: Luke Foli, Fishers, Ind., eight bass, 15-9, $1,420

4^th: Chris Martinkovic, Hamilton, Ohio, 10 bass, 14-5, $993

5^th: Michael Bays, Bellevue, Ky., seven bass, 13-7, $851

6^th: Joshua Brown, Corydon, Ind., six bass, 12-10, $780

7^th: Thomas Foster, Terre Haute, Ind., five bass, 12-9, $709

8^th: Jimmy Shepherd, Indianapolis, Ind., six bass, 12-7, $639

9^th: Jay Ellis, Celina, Ohio, seven bass, 10-9, $568

10^th: 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:

1^st: Robert Schmitt, Tennyson, Ind., eight bass, 13-5, $2,329

2^nd: Jeff Hale, New Castle, Ind., nine bass, 11-7, $1,064

3^rd: Dustin Burk, Brookville, Ind., six bass, 9-13, $709

4^th: Chad Ellis, Brownsburg, Ind., four bass, 8-2, $783

5^th: Derek Buchanan, Madison, Ind., six bass, 7-14, $426

6^th: Jeff Turner, Plainfield, Ill., five bass, 7-12, $390

7^th: Tim Knight, Bargersville, Ind., four bass, 5-14, $355

8^th: Nicole Foor, Greens Fork, Ind., four bass, 5-12, $319

9^th: James Rockhill, Anderson, Ind., three bass, 5-1, $284

10^th: 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.

by AnglersChannel

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:

1^st: Joe Beebee, The Woodlands, Texas, 10 bass, 27-14, $5,632

2^nd: Travis Kelehan, Lafayette, La., 10 bass, 27-1, $2,816

3^rd: Glen Freeman, Zwolle, La., 10 bass, 27-0, $2,077

4^th: Darold Gleason, Many, La., 10 bass, 26-15, $1,414

5^th: Thomas McMillan, Choudrant, La., 10 bass, 25-15, $1,126

6^th: Stephen Reitzell, Colfax, La., 10 bass, 25-5, $1,033

7^th: Kevin Lasyone, Dry Prong, La., seven bass, 24-1, $939

8^th: Derrick Fontenot, Krotz Springs, La., 10 bass, 23-15, $845

9^th: Jame Dubroc, Bunkie, La., nine bass, 23-2, $751

10^th: 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:

1^st: Russell Lewis, Pineville, La., seven bass, 20-3, $3,183

2^nd: Craig Strickland, Lumberton, Texas, eight bass, 18-10, $1,408

3^rd: Randy Pewthers, Pearland, Texas, seven bass, 18-1, $1,141

4^th: Fred Martin, North Little Rock, Ark., eight bass, 17-12, $707

5^th: Bobbie Moore, Temple, Texas, five bass, 16-8, $563

6^th: Lindy Hadley, Sam Rayburn, Texas, six bass , 16-3, $516

7^th: Douglas Littleton, New Caney, Texas, seven bass, 16-0, $469

8^th: Ben Faucheaux, Natchitoches, La., eight bass, 15-15, $422

9^th: Elbia Ebert, Porter, Texas, five bass , 14-8, $375

10^th: 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.

by AnglersChannel

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!

by AnglersChannel

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!”

by AnglersChannel

FLW ANNOUNCES 2019 T-H MARINE BASS FISHING LEAGUE SCHEDULE, NEW ADVANCEMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Beat Five Anglers From Your Regional at the All-American and Advance to the FLW Series Championship

MINNEAPOLIS (Oct. 2, 2018) – FLW announced today the schedule, rules and increased regional payouts for the 2019 T-H Marine Bass Fishing League (BFL), which includes the opportunity to fish 10 no-entry-fee championships awarding more than $3 million. Fishing the BFL puts local anglers in front of the largest fan base in the sport with coverage on FLWFishing.com and FLW’s social media outlets, including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter, that reach more than 1 million fans each month. Boaters and co-anglers also have the convenience of fishing close to home for advancement to seven BFL Regional Championships, the T-H Marine BFL All-American and the Forrest Wood Cup, plus a new opportunity to advance directly to the Costa FLW Series Championship.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers plus qualifying tournament winners in each division advance to Regional Championships.
Enter all five events in a division, fish at least two and automatically advance to the Wild Card Regional.
The top six boaters and co-anglers from each Regional Championship and the Wild Card Regional advance to the All-American.
The highest-finishing boater and co-angler from each Regional Championship and the Wild Card Regional at the All-American advance to the FLW Series Championship – you only have to beat five anglers from your regional to advance.
The winning boater at the All-American advances to the FLW Cup.
The winning boater and co-angler at the FLW Series Championship advance to the FLW Cup. The winning co-angler also receives use of a Ranger Z520L from the championship through the FLW Cup to fish as a pro. Minimum payout at the FLW Cup is $10,000.

For 2019 BFL anglers are eligible for FREE Bass Pro Shops FLW Tournament Incentives at basspro.com/flwincentives. BFL anglers receive a VIP discount card for 25 percent off Bass Pro Shops branded merchandise all year plus incredible tournament bonuses. Lucrative bonuses are also available from Ranger, Triton, Nitro, Evinrude, Mercury, Costa, Leer, Toyota, Power-Pole, T-H Marine and other FLW sponsors.

Guaranteed no-entry-fee Regional Championship payouts have increased to $70,000 for winning boaters and $50,000 for winning co-anglers, up from $65,000 and $45,000 in 2018. Each regional payout includes $10,000 for second and $5,000 for third on the boater side and $5,000 for second and $2,500 for third on the co-angler side. The top 24 boaters and co-anglers in each regional receive checks.

The 2019 All-American will feature FLW Live on-the-water coverage just like the FLW Tour to showcase BFL anglers and their sponsors to FLW’s worldwide audience. FLW Live weigh-in coverage will also be available from every BFL tournament in 2019 for enhanced media coverage at every level.

Entry fees have increased slightly to $300 per qualifier for boaters and $150 per qualifier for co-anglers. Super tournament entry fees remain the same at $350 for boaters and $175 for co-anglers. The popular “Win and You are In” format that automatically qualifies the winners from each of the 96 one-day qualifying tournaments and 24 two-day super tournaments to the Regional Championships along with the top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division based on point standings remains unchanged. In the BFL, anglers are never out of contention for advancement to a no-entry-fee championship.

"FLW was founded on providing affordable, close-to-home weekend tournaments for bass anglers," said T-H Marine BFL tournament director Daniel Fennel. "BFL anglers are the heart and soul of FLW, and we take great pride in providing them with the best possible tournaments along with a clear pathway for advancement to the sport's next levels - namely the Costa FLW Series and the FLW Tour. Nowhere else do anglers have the opportunity to fish five close-to-home tournaments with a shot at advancing to not just one, but three of the sport’s biggest championships, the All-American, FLW Series Championship and FLW Cup, where a BFL angler can win a total of $520,000."

For the complete 2019 BFL schedule, rules and payouts, visit FLWFishing.com.

DIVISION	TOURNAMENT	LOCATION	DATE
Arkie	Ouachita	Mount Ida, AR	February 23, 2019
Arkie	Dardanelle	Russellville, AR	March 23, 2019
Arkie	Hamilton	Hot Springs, AR	April 13, 2019
Arkie	Greers Ferry	Greers Ferry, AR	May 18, 2019
Arkie	Dardanelle	Russellville, AR	September 7 - 8, 2019
Bama	Martin	Alexander City, AL	March 9, 2019
Bama	Eufaula	Eufaula, AL	March 23, 2019
Bama	Lay	Columbiana, AL	May 11, 2019
Bama	Neely Henry	Gadsden, AL	June 8, 2019
Bama	Eufaula	Eufaula, AL	September 28 - 29, 2019
Buckeye	Grand Lake-St. Marys	Celina, OH	May 11, 2019
Buckeye	Ohio River-Tanners Creek	Lawrenceburg, IN	June 8, 2019
Buckeye	Indian	Lakeview, OH	July 27, 2019
Buckeye	Ohio River-Tanners Creek	Lawrenceburg, IN	August 17, 2019
Buckeye	Mosquito	Cortland, OH	September 21 - 22, 2019
Bulldog	Lanier	Gainesville, GA	February 23, 2019
Bulldog	Oconee	Buckhead, GA	March 23, 2019
Bulldog	Sinclair	Milledgeville, GA	April 13, 2019
Bulldog	Eufaula	Eufaula, AL	June 22, 2019
Bulldog	Lanier	Gainesville, GA	September 28 - 29, 2019
Choo Choo	Guntersville	Scottsboro, AL	February 16, 2019
Choo Choo	Wheeler	Rogersville, AL	March 16, 2019
Choo Choo	Lewis Smith	Jasper, AL	April 6, 2019
Choo Choo	Neely Henry	Gadsden, AL	May 4, 2019
Choo Choo	Guntersville	Guntersville, AL	September 14 - 15, 2019
Cowboy	Toledo Bend	Many, LA	January 26, 2019
Cowboy	Sam Rayburn	Brookeland, TX	March 2, 2019
Cowboy	Toledo Bend	Many, LA	April 13, 2019
Cowboy	Sam Rayburn	Brookeland, TX	June 8, 2019
Cowboy	Sam Rayburn	Brookeland, TX	September 21 - 22, 2019
Gator	Okeechobee	Clewiston, FL	January 26, 2019
Gator	Okeechobee	Okeechobee, FL	February 16, 2019
Gator	Okeechobee	Okeechobee, FL	March 16, 2019
Gator	Okeechobee	Clewiston, FL	March 30, 2019
Gator	Okeechobee	Clewiston, FL	September 21 - 22, 2019
Great Lakes	MS River-La Crosse	La Crosse, WI	May 18, 2019
Great Lakes	Wolf River Chain	Winneconne, WI	June 15, 2019
Great Lakes	MS River-La Crosse	La Crosse, WI	July 20, 2019
Great Lakes	MS River-Prairie Du Chien	Prairie Du Chien, WI	August 17, 2019
Great Lakes	MS River-La Crosse	La Crosse, WI	September 7 - 8, 2019
Hoosier	Patoka	Birdseye, IN	March 30, 2019
Hoosier	Patoka	Birdseye, IN	May 4, 2019
Hoosier	Monroe	Bloomington, IN	June 29, 2019
Hoosier	Ohio River-Rocky Point	Cannelton, IN	July 20 - 21, 2019
Hoosier	Ohio River-Tanners Creek	Lawrenceburg, IN	September 28, 2019
Illini	Rend	Whittington, IL	April 27, 2019
Illini	Shelbyville	Shelbyville, IL	June 8, 2019
Illini	Rend	Whittington, IL	June 29, 2019
Illini	Ohio River-Golconda	Golconda, IL	July 27, 2019
Illini	Shelbyville	Shelbyville, IL	September 7 - 8, 2019
LBL	Kentucky-Barkley	Buchanan, TN	March 2, 2019
LBL	Kentucky-Barkley	Gilbertsville, KY	March 23, 2019
LBL	Kentucky-Barkley	Gilbertsville, KY	May 18, 2019
LBL	Kentucky-Barkley	Buchanan, TN	June 15, 2019
LBL	Kentucky-Barkley	Gilbertsville, KY	September 14 - 15, 2019
Michigan	St. Clair	Harrison Township, MI	June 22, 2019
Michigan	St. Clair	Harrison Township, MI	July 13, 2019
Michigan	St. Clair	Harrison Township, MI	August 3, 2019
Michigan	Detroit River	Trenton, MI	August 24, 2019
Michigan	Detroit River	Trenton, MI	September 21 - 22, 2019
Mississippi	Ross Barnett	Brandon, MS	March 9, 2019
Mississippi	Pickwick	Iuka, MS	April 6, 2019
Mississippi	Pickwick	Iuka, MS	May 18, 2019
Mississippi	Ross Barnett	Brandon, MS	June 15, 2019
Mississippi	Pickwick	Iuka, MS	September 28 - 29, 2019
Mountain	Dale Hollow	Byrdstown, TN	February 23, 2019
Mountain	Cumberland	Burnside, KY	March 16, 2019
Mountain	Dale Hollow	Byrdstown, TN	May 4, 2019
Mountain	Barren River	Scottsville, KY	June 22, 2019
Mountain	Cherokee	Morristown, TN	September 7 - 8, 2019
Music City	Percy Priest	Smyrna, TN	March 9, 2019
Music City	Center Hill	Sparta, TN	March 30, 2019
Music City	Tims Ford	Winchester, TN	May 11, 2019
Music City	Old Hickory	Gallatin, TN	June 8, 2019
Music City	Old Hickory	Gallatin, TN	September 21 - 22, 2019
North Carolina	Norman	Mooresville, NC	February 23, 2019
North Carolina	Wylie	Lake Wylie, SC	March 23, 2019
North Carolina	Kerr	Henderson, NC	April 27, 2019
North Carolina	High Rock	Salisbury, NC	June 8, 2019
North Carolina	Norman	Mooresville, NC	September 21 - 22, 2019
Northeast	Chesapeake Bay	North East, MD	May 18, 2019
Northeast	Chesapeake Bay	North East, MD	June 15, 2019
Northeast	Champlain	Plattsburgh, NY	July 13, 2019
Northeast	Oneida	Brewerton, NY	August 3 - 4, 2019
Northeast	1000 Islands	Clayton, NY	September 14, 2019
Okie	Grand	Grove, OK	February 23, 2019
Okie	Arkansas River	Muskogee, OK	April 6, 2019
Okie	Eufaula	Eufaula, OK	April 27, 2019
Okie	Ft. Gibson	Wagoner, OK	June 22, 2019
Okie	Grand	Grove, OK	September 7 - 8, 2019
Ozark	Lake of the Ozarks	Osage Beach, MO	March 2, 2019
Ozark	Table Rock	Branson, MO	March 16, 2019
Ozark	Stockton	Greenfield, MO	May 4, 2019
Ozark	Truman	Warsaw, MO	June 29, 2019
Ozark	Lake of the Ozarks	Osage Beach, MO	September 14 - 15, 2019
Piedmont	Kerr	Henderson, NC	April 13, 2019
Piedmont	Smith Mountain	Huddleston, VA	May 11, 2019
Piedmont	High Rock	Salisbury, NC	June 22, 2019
Piedmont	James River	Henrico, VA	July 13, 2019
Piedmont	Smith Mountain	Huddleston, VA	September 7 - 8, 2019
Savannah River	Keowee	Seneca, SC	February 9, 2019
Savannah River	Clarks Hill	Appling, GA	March 2, 2019
Savannah River	Hartwell	Lavonia, GA	April 6, 2019
Savannah River	Hartwell	Anderson, SC	May 11, 2019
Savannah River	Hartwell	Anderson, SC	September 14 - 15, 2019
Shenandoah	Kerr	Henderson, NC	April 6, 2019
Shenandoah	Smith Mountain	Huddleston, VA	June 29, 2019
Shenandoah	Potomac	Marbury, MD	July 27, 2019
Shenandoah	Potomac	Marbury, MD	August 17, 2019
Shenandoah	James River	Henrico, VA	September 14 - 15, 2019
South Carolina	Hartwell	Anderson, SC	February 16, 2019
South Carolina	Santee Cooper	Summerton, SC	March 9, 2019
South Carolina	Clarks Hill	Appling, GA	March 30, 2019
South Carolina	Wylie	Lake Wylie, SC	May 18, 2019
South Carolina	Hartwell	Anderson, SC	September 28 - 29, 2019
Volunteer	Watts Bar	Rockwood, TN	March 2, 2019
Volunteer	South Holston	Bristol, TN	March 30, 2019
Volunteer	Douglas	Kodak, TN	April 27, 2019
Volunteer	Cherokee	Morristown, TN	May 18, 2019
Volunteer	Watts Bar	Rockwood, TN	September 14 - 15, 2019

The BFL is the nation’s largest and most rewarding weekend bass-fishing circuit. Nobody offers better rewards and media coverage to local anglers for a lower cost to compete. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division and tournament winners receive priority entry into the 2020 Costa FLW Series while All-American champions may advance directly to the FLW Tour, the world’s most competitive professional bass-fishing circuit.

Anglers can register for the 2019 BFL season at FLWFishing.com or by calling 270.252.1000 on the dates listed below:

November 12, 2018 – Hoosier, Michigan, Music City and Volunteer
November 13, 2018 – Bulldog, Cowboy, Great Lakes, Illini and Mississippi
November 14, 2018 – Bama, Buckeye, Choo Choo, Mountain and Ozark
November 15, 2018 – Arkie, LBL, North Carolina, Northeast and Okie
November 16, 2018 – Gator, Piedmont, Savannah River, Shenandoah and South Carolina

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

About FLW

by AnglersChannel

Kayak Bass Series Cancels KBS Classic set for Lake Fork later this month.

By Vance McCullough

October is here and with it comes cooler weather and shallower bites. Few anglers will be disappointed with that. For a number of kayak anglers who had qualified to fish the Kayak Bass Series Classic on Lake Fork, however, disappointment has indeed come.

The tourney, slated for October 12^th-14^th, has been cancelled.

Kori Whitchurch, who fishes with Kayak Anglers of Missouri, won KBS Angler of the Year for 2018.

Terry L. Manley posted this statement on the KBS Facebook page on behalf of himself and his partner Leigh Sullivan Roberge:

“Due to circumstances beyond our control we are going to cancel the KBS Classic. Everyone that paid for the classic will get a full refund and those that paid a membership in the last 30 days will also get a refund. Leigh Sullivan Roberge will be doing the refunds over the next few days.

“We are truly sorry, Leigh and I have put over 4 years and well over $200,000.00 into the KBS with no return, we have lost everything trying to keep going because we thought eventually it would grow enough to gain back just our loss.

“God Bless you all...!”

Author Vance McCullough is an avid Outdoorsman and Football Coach from Jacksonville, Florida. You can Follow Vance here on Facebook or here on Instagram.

by AnglersChannel

BROOKS HIGH SCHOOL WINS BASS PRO SHOPS FLW HIGH SCHOOL FISHING WHEELER LAKE OPEN PRESENTED BY YETI

DECATUR, Ala. (Oct. 1, 2018) – The Brooks High School duo of Karsten Rotten and Mason Hunt, both of Killen, Alabama, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 13 pounds, 12 ounces to win the 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Wheeler Lake Open presented by YETI.

According to post-tournament reports, the duo caught their limit targeting rocky bottoms with a green-pumpkin-colored jig near the dam.

A field of 43 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from Ingalls Harbor. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.

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

1st: Brooks High School, Killen, Ala. – Karsten Rotten and Mason Hunt, both of Killen, Ala., five bass, 13-12

2nd: Cedar Bluff High School, Cedar Bluff, Ala. – Colin McCullough, Cedar Bluff, Ala., and Justin Hamlin, Fort Payne, Ala., five bass, 12-10

3rd: Union County High School, Blairsville, Ga. – William Harkins and Logan Anderson, both of Blairsville, Ga., five bass, 12-1

4th: Sylvania High School, Sylvania, Ala. – Riley Johnson, Henegar, Ala., and Drake Casey, Sylvania Ala., five bass, 8-15

Rounding out the top 10 teams were:

5th: Fairview High School, Fairview, Ala. – Levi Harris and Bryar Chambers, both of Cullman, Ala., five bass, 8-10

6th: Tuscaloosa County High School, Northport, Ala. – Kole Key and Logan Hicks, both of North Port, Ala., five bass, 8-2

7th: Tuscaloosa County High School, Northport, Ala. – Austin Sullivan, Northport, Ala., and Christian Boyd, Berry, Ala., five bass, 7-12

8th: Fairhope High School, Fairhope, Ala. – Mason Guinn and Emilie Ann Eastman, both of Fairhope, Ala., five bass, 7-7

9th: Sylvania High School, Sylvania, Ala. – Dawson Campbell, Henegar, Ala., and Andrew Smart, Pisgah, Ala., four bass, 7-3

10th: Helena High School, Helena, Ala. – J.C. Sivley and Skyler Stevens, both of Helena, Ala., five bass, 6-13

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

The 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Wheeler 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.

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

About FLW

by AnglersChannel

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-STEVENS POINT WINS YETI FLW COLLEGE FISHING CENTRAL CONFERENCE FINALE ON LAKE OF THE OZARKS

OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (Oct. 1, 2018) – The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point duo of Reed Fredrick of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, and Nick Dagel of Round Lake Beach, Illinois, won the YETI FLW College Fishing event on Lake of the Ozarks presented by Bass Pro Shops Saturday with five bass weighing 17 pounds, 8 ounces. The victory earned the Pointers’ bass club $2,400 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 stayed in the Grand Glaize arm and fished the entire day barely a mile from the launch,” said Fredrick, a senior majoring in water resources. “We were fishing points where the channel swung up against them, just dragging a shaky-head off of the points and onto the ledges.”

“We had three to four areas that we were fishing, all of them 20- to 35-feet-deep,” added Dagel, a senior majoring in biochemistry. “We had 15 pounds by 9 a.m., then culled up slowly throughout the day. No one else was fishing out deep.”

The Pointers’ duo estimated they caught around 20 fish throughout the day – a dozen keepers – with green-pumpkin-magic-colored Zoom Magnum Trick Worms on 5/16-ounce shaky head rigs.

The top 10 teams that advanced to the 2019 College Fishing National Championship are:

1^st: University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point – Reed Fredrick, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., and Nick Dagel, Round Lake Beach, Ill., five bass, 17-8, $2,400

2^nd: St. Charles Community College – Dale McCrackin, Lake St. Louis, Mo., and Alana Simonsen, Troy, Mo., five bass, 17-1, $1,000

3^rd: University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point – Neal Wisinski, Stevens Point, Wis., and Jesse Pliska, Custer, Wis., five bass, 16-6, $500

4^th: Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville – Justin Lowry, Moro, Ill., and Brendan Magruder, Edwardsville, Ill., four bass, 16-4, $500

5^th: Kansas State University – Nate Gardner, Nickerson, Kan., and Zach Vielhauer, Shawnee, Kan., five bass, 16-3, $500

6^th: Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville – Bryce Peters, Camp Point, Ill., and Matt Fors, Batavia, Ill., five bass, 14-6, $200

7^th: Southeast Missouri State University – Nick Moore, Desoto, Mo., and Jacob Harris, Bonne Terre, Mo., five bass, 14-5, $200

8^th: Campbellsville University – Adam Carman, Berea, Ky., and Hunter Adams, Campbellsville, Ky., five bass, 14-4

9^th: Campbellsville University – Nick Ratliff, Vine Grove, Ky., and Bradley Dunagan, Monticello, Ky., five bass, 14-3, $250

10^th: McKendree University – James Brown, Decatur, Ill., and Trey Schroeder, Crestwood, Mo., five bass, 14-0

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

The YETI FLW College Fishing event on Lake of the Ozarks presented by Bass Pro Shops was hosted by the Tri-County Lodging Association. It was the third and final regular-season qualifying tournament for Central Conference anglers in 2018. The next YETI FLW College Fishing events 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.

by AnglersChannel

Ranger Boats Strengthen Ties with the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series for the 2019 Season

The Association of Collegiate Anglers along with the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series is proud to announce their renewed partnership with Ranger Boats for the upcoming 2019 season. As part of their committed relationship, Ranger Boats will continue to reach collegiate anglers throughout the nation at events on the national level with the one-of-a-kind Ranger Cup University program.

“At Ranger, we’re very passionate about college fishing,” said Ranger Boats Marketing Director Matt Raynor. “Our partnership with Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series lets us make an impact on the sport at an exciting level that’s only going to grow in participation and importance. We’re always looking to connect with the next generation of anglers, and this association lets us do that in a big way.”

Modeled after the most lucrative contingency reward program in the fishing industry, Ranger Cup University is the only program of its kind designed exclusively for collegiate anglers and is open to those competing in the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series events throughout the 2018-2019 season. Regardless of which boat brand they run, collegiate anglers in compliance with the guidelines can earn merchandise and prizes, as well as a once-in-a-lifetime fishing opportunity by qualifying for the Ranger Cup University Team Challenge held each Fall. Collegiate Anglers need to register for the program each year, regardless of past participation. Registration is completely free of charge and includes payout opportunities at each of the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series events this season.

“Ranger Boats’ support of bass fishing has always been legendary when you look at the history of our sport. It only goes without saying that their legacy in college fishing is also historical as they’re one of only a handful of companies that were involved in the early growth of college bass fishing. It continues to be an honor to call them our partners in the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series and the Ranger Cup University is one the top prize programs in all of college fishing,” said Wade Middleton, President of CarecoTV, and Director of the ACA.

by AnglersChannel

DISCOVERY BAY’S TROUGHTON WINS COSTA FLW SERIES WESTERN DIVISION FINALE ON CALIFORNIA DELTA

Gregory Troughton wraps up 2018 Costa FLW Series Western Division season with win, earns $77,000

BETHEL ISLAND, Calif. (Sept. 29, 2018) – Pro Gregory Troughton of Discovery Bay, California, brought five bass weighing 12 pounds, 13 ounces, to the scale Saturday to win the Costa FLW Series Western Division finale on the California Delta presented by Power-Pole. Troughton’s three-day total of 15 bass weighing 60 pounds, 2 ounces, was enough to earn him the grand prize of $77,691, including a brand new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.

“I’ve worked really, really hard to get to this point. This [win] has been 30 years of work [in the making],” said Troughton, who earned his first career win in FLW Series competition. “I focused on this event, put in tons of time and effort and made it happen. It’s been an incredible week.”

Troughton said he started out Thursday expecting to put together a decent limit with a Don Iovino’s bass pattern-colored Splash-It Popper, but as conditions changed, so did his approach.

“My son Carter and I pre-fished together, and I did well with the Splash-It in the morning. I thought I could get limits fairly quickly for about 12 or 13 pounds, but things changed, as they always do in these tournaments,” said Troughton. “On Thursday, I didn’t have any bites for an hour and a half. My co-angler caught a few on a drop-shot and I felt things were changing, so I decided to get to the punching water and go to work.”

Troughton said he primarily worked through grass mats near three flooded islands in the central region of the Delta, adding that he fished slowly in 6 to 8 feet of water.

“I had confidence in the secondary deal. Within five minutes Thursday, I had my first bite – a 4-pounder,” said Troughton. “I made a little move to another small grass mat and stuck a 3-pound, 8-ouncer. I rotated amongst several small mats, focusing on key parts of them. I noticed a new mat had formed with ‘cheese’ on it, which is hydrilla grass that grows from the bottom to the surface. When it gets hot, it blooms yellow, and we call it cheese. It tells you that there’s a good canopy with lots of thick grass and that’s where the big ones live. I punched in there and caught a 7-pounder – my fifth fish.”

Troughton said that both Thursday and Friday’s limits came on a 4½-inch green-pumpkin-colored Yamamoto Baits Flappin’ Hog on a 4/0-sized Gamakatsu Super Heavy Cover Flippin’ Hook with a 1½-ounce River2Sea tungsten weight.

“I focused on one island Friday and did the exact same rotation through the mats. I started out with two 5-pounders, and after about an hour I caught a 3. Then, after an hour and a half, boom – I caught the big one – a 9-pound, 4-ouncer,” said Troughton. “I followed that up with a 7, and then another 3. Then I stopped fishing and helped my co-angler catch his fish, that was enough for the day.”

On Saturday, Troughton mixed in some new baits, catching two keepers punching mats, two on the Splash-It, one on a ½-ounce, green-pumpkin Z-Man/Evergreen Jack Hammer ChatterBait with a Yamamoto Zako trailer. He also used a wacky-rigged, green-pumpkin Yamamoto Senko. He said the early bite died as the sun got up, so he finished out his day at one of his primary islands, noting that the conditions had changed.

“The wind blew out the cheese and there were clouds so you couldn’t see the grass underneath. We scrambled a bit – it was tough today,” said Troughton.

The top 10 pros on the California Delta finished:

1^st: Gregory Troughton, Discovery Bay, Calif., 15 bass, 60-2, $77,691

2^nd: Bobby Barrack, Maud, Texas, 15 bass, 53-7, $12,507

3^rd: Ish Monroe, Hughson, Calif., 15 bass, 52-15, $9,683

4^th: Ken Mah, Elk Grove, Calif., 15 bass, 52-12, $8,169

5^th: Jerred Jennings, Stockton, Calif., 15 bass, 51-4, $7,369

6^th: Jason Cordiale, Orinda, Calif., 15 bass, 51-2, $6,455

7^th: Nick Nourot, Benicia, Calif., 15 bass, 50-9, $5,648

8^th: Nicholas Cloutier, Oakley, Calif., 15 bass, 48-6, $4,842

9^th: Kyle Grover, Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., 15 bass, 45-10, $4,035

10^th: Jeremy McKay, Creswell, Ore., 13 bass, 39-15, $3,228

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

Troughton’s 9-pound, 4-ounce, largemouth was the biggest of the tournament in the Pro Division and earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $214.

Jacob Traba of Pacifica, California, won the Co-angler Division and a Ranger Z175 with a 90-horsepower outboard motor with a three-day total catch of 14 bass weighing 40 pounds, 2 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers on the California Delta finished:

1^st: Jacob Traba, Pacifica, Calif., 14 bass, 40-2, $27,142

2^nd: Jack Farage, Discovery Bay, Calif., 15 bass, 38-15, $4,174

3^rd: Rodney Brinser, Discovery Bay, Calif., 15 bass, 35-15, $3,309

4^th: Blaine Christiansen, San Jose, Calif., 15 bass, 35-2, $2,851

5^th: Daniel Lutz, Las Vegas, Nev., 15 bass, 34-11, $2,444

6^th: Aaron Sok-Jung Yun, Northridge, Calif., 14 bass, 34-1, $2,037

7^th: Chuck Kavros, Grass Valley, Calif., 14 bass, 29-0, $1,629

8^th: Scott Bern, San Rafael, Calif., 11 bass, 25-7, $1,426

9^th: Brad Shepherd, Templeton, Calif., 12 bass, 24-15, $1,222

10^th: Richard Rodriguez, Modesto, Calif., nine bass, 23-10, $1,089

Rodriguez caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division Thursday, a fish weighing 7 pounds, 3 ounces. For his catch, Rodriguez earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $71.

The Costa FLW Series on the California Delta was presented by Power-Pole was hosted by Russo's Marina and Sugar Barge RV Resort and Marina. It was the third and final FLW Series Western Division tournament of the 2018 regular season. The next Costa FLW Series tournament will be the Southwestern Division finale, held Oct. 4-6 on Fort Gibson Lake in Wagoner, Oklahoma, and is presented by Mercury. For a complete schedule, visit FLWFishing.com.

by AnglersChannel

FORT GIBSON LAKE SET FOR COSTA FLW SERIES SOUTHWESTERN DIVISION FINALE PRESENTED BY MERCURY

WAGONER, Okla. (Sept. 25, 2018) – As many as 250 regional boaters and co-anglers are set to fish Fort Gibson Lake Oct. 4-6 for the Costa FLW Series Southwestern Division finale at Fort Gibson Lake presented by Mercury. Hosted by the Wagoner Area Chamber of Commerce, the three-day bass-fishing tournament will feature a top prize of up to $85,000, including a brand new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard engine.

“The lake is going to fish differently than it has in previous years because of the amount of rain Oklahoma has received in the past week,” said Gene Larew pro Jeff Sprague of Point, Texas, who finished in eighth place when the FLW Series visited Fort Gibson Lake in September 2016. “The lake is going to be high this week and will eventually be falling. If it stabilizes by the time we get there, the fish will be set up on new stuff.

“There’s also a cold front coming in – the first one of the year – so the fishing is about to change,” continued Sprague. “There’s probably going to be a lot of fish in transition and moving around, and I think that’s going to be a big factor in how well someone does in this event. Trying to find them and stay ahead of them will be the key.”

Sprague said that a lot of Fort Gibson Lake will be in play for this event, and that he expects to see fish caught from one end to the other.

“The thing about Fort Gibson Lake is that they live all the way from the dam to the river,” said Sprague. “I think that guys will be spread out and we’ll see fish come from each end of the lake because the water’s been up and it’s going to pull a lot of the fish from the deeper water to the bank, or just up to feed at shallower rock piles and stuff like that.

“It’s going to come down to whoever finds the right rock pile or stretch of hard bottom where there’s a group of fish feeding and moving back out staging. If the bait’s positioned right, that will be key,” continued Sprague. “Just finding that right little area where the bait has moved in and the fish are keyed in on it. Where the current has positioned some fish due to the amount of high water will be a big deal.”

Sprague said that football-head jigs, spinnerbaits, shaky-head rigs, walking baits and buzzbaits will likely be favored by anglers.

“Gene Larew hard heads have been and always will be a big deal there. You can cover a lot of water with them and they can catch the big ones,” said Sprague. “Competitors are going to be able to catch fish in a lot of different ways.”

The Texas pro said that a three-day total of 51 pounds should be enough to take top honors.

Anglers will take off from Taylor's Ferry North, located on Dock Road, in Wagoner, at 7:30 a.m. CDT each day. Thursday and Friday’s weigh-ins will also take place at Taylor’s Ferry North, and will begin at 3:30 p.m. each day. Saturday’s final weigh-in will take place at Walmart, located at 410 S. Dewey Ave. in Wagoner and will begin at 4 p.m. All takeoffs and weigh-ins are free to attend and open to the public.

In Costa FLW Series regular-season competition, payouts are based on the number of participants competing in the event. At Fort Gibson Lake, pros will fish for a top prize of up to $85,000, including a brand new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard if Ranger Cup qualified. Co-anglers will cast for a brand new Ranger Z175 boat with a 90-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard, and $5,000 if Ranger Cup qualified.

by AnglersChannel

Bassmaster Elite Series To Visit Guntersville, Cayuga In 2019

The Bassmaster Elite Series will now be making stops at New York’s Cayuga Lake and Alabama’s Lake Guntersville in 2019.

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

September 27, 2018

B.A.S.S. officials announced major schedule changes Thursday for the 2019 Bassmaster Elite Series, responding directly to concerns voiced by anglers about the previous slate.

The trail is now set to visit Alabama’s famed Lake Guntersville on June 21-24 and Cayuga Lake in New York on Aug. 22-25.

When the Elite Series schedule was announced in July, two events were originally planned for the Western United States on the California Delta and the Columbia River in Washington. But after listening to anglers’ concerns about travel expenses and time away from their families, two venues that are more conveniently located to the anglers were selected.

“While it is our goal to take the Bassmaster Elite Series to new venues across the country, we are also very sensitive to the needs and wishes of our anglers,” said B.A.S.S. CEO Bruce Akin. “Many of them had legitimate concerns about the travel demands of our original schedule, and that was the basis for this decision.

“We are confident we’ve chosen two great fisheries.”

Scottsboro, Ala., will be the tournament headquarters at Lake Guntersville, which ranked ninth on the 2018 list of BassmasterMagazine’s 100 Best Bass Lakes. It has been the site of 22 major B.A.S.S. events, including the 2014 Bassmaster Classic. The lake is known for giant largemouth and aquatic grass that makes for excellent summertime fishing.

The official practice period for the Guntersville tournament will begin Tuesday, June 18. The competition days will be the following Friday through Monday (June 21-24).

Cayuga, which is New York’s longest glacial finger lake at just under 40 miles, ranked 13th in the Northeastern Division of Bassmaster Magazine’s 100 Best Bass Lakes. The fishery has hosted three major B.A.S.S. tournaments, dating back to 2012.

The Cayuga tournament dates of Aug. 22-25 were chosen specifically to cut down on anglers’ travel time. The Elite Series already has an event scheduled for New York’s St. Lawrence River on Aug. 15-18.

The official practice period for Cayuga will begin Aug. 19, the day after the St. Lawrence event ends.

“Guntersville is widely known as one of the best bass fisheries in the country, and it’s very centrally located for many of our competitors,” Akin said. “Cayuga is also an excellent fishery, and the timing of that tournament will allow our anglers to make one great trip to the Northeastern United States.”

The Cayuga event will be hosted by The Village of Union Springs with weigh-ins held at Frontenac Park. The City of Scottsboro, Ala., will host the Guntersville Elite event, which will be held at Goose Pond Colony Resort.

by AnglersChannel

B.A.S.S. Celebrates The 50th Birthday Of The B.A.S.S. Nation

Harold Sharp (left), the first tournament director at B.A.S.S. and a pioneer in competitive bass fishing, was the first to affiliate his Chattanooga Bass Club with B.A.S.S., and he was a leader in establishing the network of clubs that is now known as the B.A.S.S. Nation.

Photo by B.A.S.S.

Sept. 27, 2018BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Fifty years ago, Harold Sharp, a young railroad employee who loved to bass fish, became the second member of the newly organized Bass Anglers Sportsman Society, or B.A.S.S.

Sharp soon organized the Chattanooga Bass Club and affiliated it with the B.A.S.S. “mothership,” as he called it, creating what would later become known as the B.A.S.S. Nation of affiliated bass clubs.

Along with Ray Scott, founder, and Bob Cobb, editor of Bassmaster Magazine, Sharp helped mold B.A.S.S. into the “keeper of the culture” of bass fishing. Sharp died three years ago this month, but his legacy lives on in the B.A.S.S. Nation, which has affiliated B.A.S.S. clubs in 47 states and 10 nations worldwide.

“The Nation has been an integral part of B.A.S.S., and the sport of bass fishing,” said Jon Stewart, B.A.S.S. Nation director. “Over the past 50 years, the grass-roots club members of the B.A.S.S. Nation have turned millions of young anglers on to the sport, instilling in them the conservation ethic and the love of competition.”

The conservation ethic in bass fishing began with the B.A.S.S. “Don’t Kill Your Catch” program in 1972. Now, catch and release is the sporting standard in bass fishing. B.A.S.S. continues to lead on the conservation front through the state conservation directors of the B.A.S.S. Nation, who are dedicated to the improvement of local fisheries, lobby for angler access and focus on fish care during tournaments.

The Nation, which has enjoyed steady growth over the past five years and now numbers more than 30,000 members, is one of the prime organizers of high school bass tournaments at the local level. In addition, B.A.S.S. now has 958 high school clubs affiliated with the organization, which includes 10,585 young anglers. Growth in the college ranks continues to rise, as well, as B.A.S.S. now has over 200 colleges affiliated, including over 1,400 anglers. This spike in youth participation has injected new enthusiasm throughout the bass fishing industry.

“Nation club members are some of the most active and engaged anglers among our 500,000 members,” said B.A.S.S. CEO Bruce Akin. “They’re also some of the best amateur anglers in the world. Current Bassmaster Elite Series stars Michael Iaconelli and Brandon Palaniuk were B.A.S.S. Nation champions before earning their way into the Elite Series.”

Sharp’s other legacy was through his work as the original tournament director of the B.A.S.S. Tournament Trail, which he helped make the most competitive, fair and popular tournament series in the world.

“Today’s tournament anglers owe a huge debt of gratitude to Harold Sharp,” said Trip Weldon, B.A.S.S. tournament director. “For 50 years, a competition to see who can catch the heaviest daily limits of bass has been the gold standard all other tournaments are judged by.”

In the Bassmaster Elite Series, professional anglers fish for four days to determine who can catch the five heaviest each day. In the regular season finale on the St. Lawrence River at Waddington, N.Y., Matt Lee set a new record by weighing in the heaviest limit of smallmouth in Elite Series history, 27 pounds, 12 ounces.

That event, the Huk Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River presented by Black Velvet, witnessed the establishment of another record. Attendance over the four-day event totaled 36,200, according to local authorities, which exceeded the previous mark of 34,100, set in Waddington in 2013.

“Attendance is just one of the facets of growth we’re seeing in the sport,” Akin added. “Fans are consuming content about the Elite Series in increasing numbers. Our Bassmaster LIVE live-stream programs of Elite competition, which we are expanding to four days and more cameras next year, have already hit incredible marks with the season not yet over. Through last week’s Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship, LIVE programming drew almost 2.7 million views and recorded a total of 62 million minutes viewed.”

Akin noted that live programming is only part of the exposure focused on professional bass fishing and its athletes. In addition, many of the 1.1 million monthly unique visitors to Bassmaster.com go there for information about Elite Series tournaments, which also are covered by B.A.S.S. Times and Bassmaster Magazines, read by 4.4 million people per issue, according to independent media research statistics, he said. Add to that the 1.7 million social media followers of B.A.S.S., and there is no louder voice in the sport of bass fishing.

Exposure goes highest for anglers competing in the annual Bassmaster Classic, which will be held March 15-17, 2019, on the Tennessee River out of Knoxville, Tenn.

“We set attendance records for the Classic in Greenville, S.C., earlier this year,” said Akin. “It will surprise us if we don’t exceed those numbers in Knoxville next spring.” Alongside the incredible number of bass fishing fans attending the Classic and the anglers who qualified to fish the biggest event in bass fishing, there will stand an army of B.A.S.S. Nation volunteers behind the scenes to ensure the sport’s continued rise. After all, that is what this grass-roots group has done for half a century.

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

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

by AnglersChannel

AC Insider Podcast - National Signing Week.......

They boys wrap up the week with another Podcast talking "National Signing Day" as it seems to be on the interwebs this week. The boys talk the latest in BASS/MLF/FLW Rumors and facts and welcome newly announced MLF BPT Pro's Skeet Reese & Jason Lambert to the program. Its an educational filled podcast to say the least! Check it out!

by AnglersChannel

COSTA FLW SERIES SET TO VISIT CAL DELTA FOR TOURNAMENT PRESENTED BY POWER-POLE

BETHEL ISLAND, Calif. (Sept. 18, 2018) – More than 150 pros and co-anglers are set to close the Costa FLW Series Western Division regular season next week, Sept. 27-29, at the Costa FLW Series at the California Delta presented by Power-Pole. The tournament, hosted by Russo’s Marina and the Sugar Barge RV Resort and Marina, is the third and final regular-season event scheduled in the FLW Series Western Division. The event will feature anglers competing for a top award of up to $75,000, including a brand new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.

“Overall, the Delta is fishing a little differently than we’ve gotten used to,” said Yamamoto Baits pro Jimmy Reese of Witter Springs, California, a two-time Forrest Wood Cup qualifier. “We can always catch fish doing the normal, Delta-type fishing – current-related, flipping, a ChatterBait, a spinnerbait – all of those standard ways of catching fish are still there. But, a lot of the grass has been killed off. Guys are going to be searching – not for fish, but for vegetation. It’s going to bring quite a few different things into play.”

Reese said that he expects anglers that move around and have multiple different areas to do well as he doesn’t expect one area will hold enough fish to last for three days of competition.

“You can rely on one spot for a day, maybe a day and a half, but nothing will hold up for three days,” Reese said. “I think the key will be dialing in on something off-the-wall that people overlook in the community areas where people normally fish. I think someone who fishes outside the box will do really well.”

Reese predicted that the winner would weigh in around 23 pounds on Day One, 18 pounds on Day Two and 15 pounds on third and final day.

“What is that, 56 pounds?” Reese said. “That’s my prediction – a winning three-day total of 56 pounds and 2 ounces.”

Anglers will take off and weigh-in each day at Russo’s Marina, located at 2995 Willow Road, in Bethel Island. Takeoff will be held at 7 a.m. PDT each day of competition and weigh-ins will start at 3 p.m. All takeoffs and weigh-ins are free to attend and open to the public.

In Costa FLW Series regular-season competition, payouts are based on the number of participants competing in the event. At the California Delta event, pros will fish for a top prize of $75,000, including a brand new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard if Ranger Cup qualified. Co-anglers will cast for a brand new Ranger Z175 boat with a 90-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard, and $5,000 if Ranger Cup qualified.

by AnglersChannel

Jump Starting Power Packs Upgraded with Increased Power and More Features

Weego Produces Two New-and-Improved Models to Wow Outdoor Enthusiasts and Pros

WESTAMPTON, N.J. (September 25, 2018) – Weego announces the launch of its new and improved, innovative Jump Starting Power Packs, Weego 44 and Weego 66. These compact, rugged power packs feature increased power and additional features to ensure that users are never left without the ease of use and power they need to keep moving.

Spec’d out with 10 percent more true cranking amps of power, Weego 66 now offers an incredible 660 cranking amps (2500 peak amps) while Weego 44 has increased to 440 cranking amps (2100 peak amps). Tremendous power for such a compact size, Weego Jump Starting Power Packs are built to satisfy any of the jump starting needs of outdoor enthusiasts and professionals alike, including tow operators on land and sea doing multiple jumps a day. Users get the safest, most powerful, reliable and compact portable jump starters on the market.

The new and improved Weego 44 is also outfitted with Weego’s AutoBoost™ technology. Built into Weego 66, the technology enhances the jump starting experience for extra-challenging, low-voltage vehicle batteries. With AutoBoost, maximum power is automatically sent to dead batteries (batteries down to 1/2 volt) without an override button which can compromise safety. This new feature eliminates all guesswork but is still incredibly safe for the user.

“We listened and responded to what our customers want,” said Gerry Toscani, CEO, Weego. “The upgraded capabilities of Weego 44 and 66 provide increased power and ease of use at an unmatched value. The fact that our Jump Starting Power Packs can jump at such a low voltage without compromising safety for the user, their Weego or their vehicle is a testament to our continuous improvement initiatives. Weego’s mission is to always give customers safe, reliable, easy-to-use products that last. This is what sets us apart from the rest.”

Also new to both products are space-saving, vertical-format packaging. Their on-shelf presence is more arresting for the brick-and-mortar shopper because of the bright graphics with clear callouts to the increased cranking amps, updated Jump Starting Power Pack name and more expansive gas and diesel engine size compatibilities. Each sku is identified with new model numbers: 44.1 and 66.1.

The upgraded Weego 44 will be available this October and the upgraded Weego 66 will debut in December.

For more information on the entire line of Weego High Performance Jump Starting Power Packs, visit www.myweego.com.

by AnglersChannel

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by Dan O'Sullivan

Jason Borofka Leads Day One of 2018 WON Bass U.S. Open Bub Tosh Stands in Second after Opening Round

by Dan O'Sullivan

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

Courtesy of FLW Outdoors

Courtesy of ABA

Courtesy of FLW Outdoors

October 4, 2018

Courtesy FLW Fishing - Rob Newell

By Vance McCullough

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Jason Borofka Leads Day One of 2018 WON Bass U.S. Open
Bub Tosh Stands in Second after Opening Round

Day One of the 2018 WON Bass U.S. Open Cancelled Due to Unsafe Conditions
Extreme Winds Force Event Officials to Shorten Tournament