Bryant Smith Drops 20 pounds on the Scales to Lead Day 1 of FLW Costa Series Western Event

September 28, 2017  by David A. Brown

With all the head nodding and shaking from anglers in disbelief of the bite, you’d think Konocti Vista Casino Resort & Marina was hosting a bobble head convention. But despite Clear Lake’s supremely challenging conditions, Bryant Smith of Castro Valley, Calif., caught a limit of 20 pounds, 15 ounces and took the early lead at the final Costa FLW Series Western Division event presented by Evinrude.

Indeed, the weigh-in saw plenty of long faces; but despite the limitations of widespread aquatic weed eradication, funky water clarity and a recent fish kill, this western rock star still holds good numbers of bass and a high percentage of quality fish. For Smith, the key was a blend of presentation patience and area ambition.

“I fished slow; as fast as I could,” Smith says. “I made as many casts as I could, but I was still fishing a slow bait. I was covering water and hoping I drop one on a fish’s head.”

Noting a day-long bout with inconsistency, Smith says he caught his fish in a variety of depths and habitat features.

“I’d catch one out of 2 feet, I’d catch one out of 10 feet, I’d catch one out of 12,” he says.

Smith didn’t divulge specifics on his bait selection, but he did note that it was, essentially, a finesse technique. Much of his fishing took place around shallow cover, so he fished with 15-pound fluorocarbon.

“When I get bites around the docks, I need to get them out,” Smith says of his beefed-up finesse technique. “I’ve never fished like that. I’ve fished here a lot, but I’ve never fished the way I had to fish today. It’s really tough for me, but I know the quality is there.”

Smith points to efficiency as a key element of his performance. The fish showed little aggression today and even those that fed were not chasing baits.

“You had to make so many casts and the bait literally has to drop on their head,” Smith says.

Running the entire lake today, Smith says he did his best to hit as many of his familiar spots as possible.

“I was just hitting the key areas that I know hold fish and making as many casts as possible,” Smith says. “I kinda just went down the bank. I have a lot of history on this lake and I know where they should be this time of year; I just had to slow down to catch them.”

In terms of when he caught his fish, Smith says he saw periods of quality and periods of quantity.

“In the morning, I got all my better bites,” he says. “I got more bites in the afternoon, but my quality was better in the morning. I’d been catching a couple of good ones in the afternoon. That’s when I went by them and that’s when they ate.”

 

Top 10 pros:

1. Bryant Smith – Castro Valley, Calif. – 20-15 (5)

2. Clayton Eslick – Gilroy, Calif. – 19-12 (5)

3. Kyle Grover – Trabuco Canyon, Calif. – 19-1 (5)

4. Richard Dobyns – Marysvillle, Calif. – 18-1 (5)

5. Jimmy Reese – Witter Springs, Calif. – 16-7 (5)

6. Carl Limbrick Jr. – Bonita, Calif. – 15-12 (5)

6. Rusty Salewske – Alpine, Calif. – 15-12 (5)

8. Billy Hines – Vacaville, Calif. – 15-11 (5)

9. Greg Huey – McMinnville, Ore. – 14-15 (5)

9. Brett Leber – Dixon, Calif. – 14-15 (5)

 

Co-angler Jack Farage

Prepared Farage tops co-anglers

He practiced north, he practiced south and the diverse range of scenarios and presentations with which Jack Farage of Discovery Bay, Calif., became familiar proved indispensable in his taking the co-angler lead with a limit of 18-9.

“I only had one day of practice, so I fished both ends (of Clear Lake) from daylight ’til dark,” he says. “It took me so long to figure out how to catch them on the north end and it took me so long to figure out how to catch them on the south end. But once I did, I could catch them pretty good.”

Noting that his north and south end tactics varied significantly, Farage says he mixed up his presentations with drop-shots, squarebill crankbaits and vibrating jigs.

“I could get bit in the tules with a ChatterBait,” Farage says. “On the rocks, it was the squarebill and when we stopped moving, I’d pull out the drop-shot and a jig.”

Positioning, Farage says, is critical right now. While he observed a lot of anglers fishing close to the tules, he found his better bites away from the cover in deeper adjacent water.

by AnglersChannel

Fukae Grabs Lead In Warm Conditions At Bassmaster Southern Open On Smith Lake

Shin Fukae of Palestine, Texas, takes the lead on the first day of the 2017 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open No. 3 held on Smith Lake out of Jasper, Ala., with 15 pounds, 4 ounces.
Photo by James Overstreet/B.A.S.S.

Sept. 28, 2017

JASPER, Ala. — Many anglers predicted the bass would be tightlipped in temperatures that climbed into the low 90s during Thursday’s first round of the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open on Smith Lake.

They were right.

But a handful of the 175 pros still managed to boat nice bags, including Shin Fukae who led the way with a five-bass limit that weighed 15 pounds, 4 ounces.

The Japanese-born pro, who now lives in Texas, said he didn’t fare well during practice on the 21,000-acre fishery, but that changed when competition began. His bag was anchored by a 4-15 bass that tied for the second largest of the day.

“(Practice was) bad, bad, bad,” Fukae said. “But I found two good spots, and I went to one spot the last two days. I don’t know if I’ll keep catching, but I was catching today.”

For Fukae, it was an important start to the final Southern Open of the season.

The angler who is victorious here this week will earn a spot in the 2018 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods scheduled for March on South Carolina’s Lake Hartwell. Even if Fukae doesn’t win, a good showing could earn him a spot in the Top 5 of the overall Southern Opens standings.

The anglers who occupy those Top 5 spots will qualify to fish in the 2018 Bassmaster Elite Series.

Jesse Wiggins of Cullman, Ala., who fished his rookie season on the Elite Series this year, isn’t fighting for a Classic berth because he already won the season’s first Southern Open on Florida’s Harris Chain of Lakes to lock up his spot.

Instead, he’s fishing for a generous cash prize, as well as a Skeeter boat/Yamaha motor package that would accompany yet another Opens victory for the pro.

Wiggins is in second place after Thursday with a limit that weighed 15-2. He’s already proven he can win big tournaments on his home lake — he won the 2016 Southern Open on Smith Lake to gain a spot in the 2017 Bassmaster Classic — and another win here would further cement his bragging rights on the reservoir.

“I actually had more weight today than I thought I did,” Wiggins said. “This lake is awesome and we saw that last April. We’re waiting on the weather that would really turn this place on, but I’m happy with the start today. One-third of the work is done.”

Besides Fukae, Lucas Ragusa of Gonzales, La., was the only non-Alabama angler to crack the Top 5, and he too had a 4-15 bass in his bag. Ragusa’s Day 1 total of 13-14 put him in third place.

Defending Classic champion Jordan Lee lives in nearby Guntersville, Ala., and fishes Smith often. The experience paid off as he caught 13-11 to land in fourth place.

David Kilgore lives even closer to Smith Lake than Wiggins or Lee. The Jasper, Ala., resident is tied for fifth place with Helena, Ala., pro Bill Weidler. Both caught 12-12 limits.

Benjie Seaborn of Guin, Ala., is leading the co-angler division with a three-bass limit that weighed 8-3.

Brent Crow of Hartselle, Ala., leads the pro division for the Phoenix Big Bass Award after the first day of competition with a 5-6 largemouth. Leading the nonboater division for the Phoenix Boats Big Bass Award is Charles Fochtman of Moneta, Va., with a 4-15 spotted bass.

Friday’s takeoff is scheduled for 6:30 a.m. CT at Smith Lake Dam Access. The weigh-in will be held at the same location at 2:30 p.m.

The event is hosted by the Walker County Chamber of Commerce.

Smith Lake, Jasper AL.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1

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

1. Shin Fukae Palestine TX JAPAN 5 15-04 200
Day 1: 5 15-04
2. Jesse Wiggins Cullman, AL 5 15-02 199
Day 1: 5 15-02
3. Lucas Ragusa Gonzales, LA 5 13-14 198
Day 1: 5 13-14
4. Jordan Lee Grant, AL 5 13-11 197
Day 1: 5 13-11
5. David Kilgore Jasper, AL 5 12-12 196
Day 1: 5 12-12
5. Bill Weidler Helena, AL 5 12-12 196
Day 1: 5 12-12
7. Rick Morris Lake Gaston, VA 5 12-08 194
Day 1: 5 12-08
8. Brian Morris Cullman, AL 5 12-07 193
Day 1: 5 12-07
9. Michael Murphy Lexington, SC 5 12-06 192
Day 1: 5 12-06
10. Hunter Shryock Newcomerstown, OH 5 11-12 191
Day 1: 5 11-12
11. David Fritts Lexington, NC 4 11-11 190
Day 1: 4 11-11
12. William Smith Birmingham, AL 5 11-07 189
Day 1: 5 11-07
13. Kyle Monti Okeechobee, FL 5 11-01 188
Day 1: 5 11-01
14. Jayme Rampey Liberty, SC 4 10-15 187
Day 1: 4 10-15
15. John Hunter Jr Shelbyville, KY 5 10-14 186
Day 1: 5 10-14
16. Garrett Riles Potts Camp, MS 5 10-13 185
Day 1: 5 10-13
17. Brent Long Iron Station, NC 4 10-11 184
Day 1: 4 10-11
18. Freddy Palmer Estill Springs, TN 5 10-10 183
Day 1: 5 10-10
19. Kenny Johnson Moreland, GA 5 10-10 182
Day 1: 5 10-10
20. Jamie Butler Jasper, AL 5 10-08 181
Day 1: 5 10-08
21. Gary Isgrigg Mt Washington, KY 5 10-00 180
Day 1: 5 10-00
22. Will Davis Jr Sylacauga, AL 3 10-00 179
Day 1: 3 10-00
23. Jeff Holland Winter Springs, FL 5 09-14 178
Day 1: 5 09-14
23. Justin Lucas Guntersville, AL 5 09-14 178
Day 1: 5 09-14
25. Hensley Powell Whitwell, TN 5 09-13 176
Day 1: 5 09-13
26. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 4 09-11 175
Day 1: 4 09-11
27. Greg Pugh Cullman, AL 5 09-10 174
Day 1: 5 09-10
28. Ken Iyobe Tokoname-Shi JAPAN 5 09-10 173
Day 1: 5 09-10
29. Brandon Card Knoxville, TN 5 09-08 172
Day 1: 5 09-08
29. Josh Douglas Mound, MN 5 09-08 172
Day 1: 5 09-08
31. Darrell Pons Gainesville, FL 4 08-13 170
Day 1: 4 08-13
32. Miles Burghoff Santa Cruz, CA 4 08-10 169
Day 1: 4 08-10
32. Jordan Wiggins Cullman, AL 4 08-10 169
Day 1: 4 08-10
34. Blake Nick Trussville, AL 5 08-05 167
Day 1: 5 08-05
34. Wesley Strader Spring City, TN 5 08-05 167
Day 1: 5 08-05
36. Al Farace Jr Hunt Valley, MD 5 08-01 165
Day 1: 5 08-01
37. Todd Auten Lake Wylie, SC 4 07-15 164
Day 1: 4 07-15
37. Greg Vinson Wetumpka, AL 4 07-15 164
Day 1: 4 07-15
39. Neil Davis Clermont, FL 3 07-15 162
Day 1: 3 07-15
40. Jade Keeton Killen, AL 4 07-12 161
Day 1: 4 07-12
41. Arnie Lane Lakeland, FL 4 07-11 160
Day 1: 4 07-11
42. Rex Chambers Baileyton, AL 4 07-10 159
Day 1: 4 07-10
43. Deron Patrick Cullman, AL 3 07-10 158
Day 1: 3 07-10
44. Kyle Fox Lakeland, FL 4 07-09 157
Day 1: 4 07-09
45. Roland Martin Naples, FL 4 07-06 156
Day 1: 4 07-06
46. Johnny Patterson Grant, AL 4 07-05 155
Day 1: 4 07-05
47. Jeff Fellows Orlando, FL 3 07-05 154
Day 1: 3 07-05
47. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 3 07-05 154
Day 1: 3 07-05
49. Brent Crow Hartselle, AL 2 07-01 152
Day 1: 2 07-01
50. David Hudson Jasper, AL 3 07-00 151
Day 1: 3 07-00
51. Michael Johnson Talking Rock, GA 3 06-15 150
Day 1: 3 06-15
52. Kameron Harbin Abbeville, SC 4 06-14 149
Day 1: 4 06-14
53. David Perdue Wirtz, VA 4 06-14 148
Day 1: 4 06-14
54. Stephen Mui Bartlett, IL 4 06-13 147
Day 1: 4 06-13
55. Cody Harrison Tuscumbia, AL 4 06-12 146
Day 1: 4 06-12
56. Tim Frederick Leesburg, FL 4 06-08 145
Day 1: 4 06-08
57. Wes Logan Springville, AL 3 06-08 144
Day 1: 3 06-08
58. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 3 06-07 143
Day 1: 3 06-07
59. Johnny McCombs Morris, AL 3 06-06 0
Day 1: 3 06-06
59. Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 3 06-06 141
Day 1: 3 06-06
61. Kazuki Kitajima Orlando, FL 3 06-05 140
Day 1: 3 06-05
61. Jimmy Mason Rogersville, AL 3 06-05 140
Day 1: 3 06-05
63. Charlie Evans Berea, KY 4 06-04 138
Day 1: 4 06-04
64. Jim Dillard West Monroe, LA 3 06-01 137
Day 1: 3 06-01
65. Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 3 06-00 136
Day 1: 3 06-00
66. Eric Conant Lakeland, FL 3 05-15 135
Day 1: 3 05-15
67. Allen Brooks Canton, GA 2 05-14 134
Day 1: 2 05-14
68. Clayton Batts Lizella, GA 3 05-13 133
Day 1: 3 05-13
69. Carl Svebek III Orange, TX 2 05-12 132
Day 1: 2 05-12
70. Steven Priest New Lexington, OH 3 05-10 131
Day 1: 3 05-10
71. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 3 05-08 130
Day 1: 3 05-08
72. Scott Mcgehee Madison, MS 2 05-07 129
Day 1: 2 05-07
73. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 3 05-04 128
Day 1: 3 05-04
74. Cody Detweiler Orlando, FL 3 05-03 127
Day 1: 3 05-03
75. Matt Lee Guntersville, AL 3 05-02 126
Day 1: 3 05-02
76. Chaz Carrington Virginia Beach, VA 2 05-02 125
Day 1: 2 05-02
77. Terry Segraves Kissimmee, FL 2 05-01 124
Day 1: 2 05-01
78. Yoan Alvarez Miami, FL 2 04-15 123
Day 1: 2 04-15
78. Michael Reid Brookville, OH 2 04-15 123
Day 1: 2 04-15
80. Hunter Eubanks Inman, SC 3 04-14 121
Day 1: 3 04-14
81. Jeff Mathews Maitland, FL 2 04-14 120
Day 1: 2 04-14
82. Joshua Stracner Vandiver, AL 2 04-13 119
Day 1: 2 04-13
83. Derek Hudnall Baton Rouge, LA 2 04-09 118
Day 1: 2 04-09
84. Jennings Earnest Guin, AL 2 04-04 117
Day 1: 2 04-04
85. Todd Murray Prarrieville, LA 2 04-03 116
Day 1: 2 04-03
86. Josh Aaron Dora, AL 2 04-02 115
Day 1: 2 04-02
86. Charlie Hartley Grove City, OH 2 04-02 115
Day 1: 2 04-02
88. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, FL 2 04-01 113
Day 1: 2 04-01
89. Rich Howes Oviedo, FL 2 04-00 112
Day 1: 2 04-00
90. Sam George Athens, AL 2 03-15 111
Day 1: 2 03-15
91. John Cox Debary, FL 2 03-14 110
Day 1: 2 03-14
91. Eric Gilchrist Plaquemine, LA 2 03-14 110
Day 1: 2 03-14
91. Seiji Kato Shiga JAPAN 2 03-14 110
Day 1: 2 03-14
91. William Shipes II Williston, SC 2 03-14 110
Day 1: 2 03-14
95. Griffin Phillips Mount Olive, AL 2 03-13 106
Day 1: 2 03-13
96. Jon Canada Pelham, AL 2 03-11 105
Day 1: 2 03-11
96. Buddy Gross Chickamauga, GA 2 03-11 105
Day 1: 2 03-11
98. Rick Harris San Angelo, TX 2 03-09 103
Day 1: 2 03-09
98. Michael Neal Dayton, TN 2 03-09 103
Day 1: 2 03-09
100. Brian Elder Locust Grove, GA 2 03-08 101
Day 1: 2 03-08
101. Ed Stiefel Jr. Lake Worth, FL 1 03-08 100
Day 1: 1 03-08
102. Joey Spradley Gloverville, SC 2 03-06 99
Day 1: 2 03-06
103. Guy Eaker Cherryville, NC 2 03-03 98
Day 1: 2 03-03
103. James Swindle Parrish, AL 2 03-03 98
Day 1: 2 03-03
103. B.J. Usie Houma, LA 2 03-03 98
Day 1: 2 03-03
106. Steve Barnes Harrison, TN 2 03-02 95
Day 1: 2 03-02
106. Larry Gaines Valparaiso, FL 2 03-02 95
Day 1: 2 03-02
108. Eric Panzironi Longwood, FL 1 03-01 93
Day 1: 1 03-01
109. Blaine Partee Oviedo, FL 2 02-11 92
Day 1: 2 02-11
110. Jimmy Johnson Holmen, WI 1 02-08 91
Day 1: 1 02-08
111. Brent Bonadona Port Allen, LA 1 02-06 90
Day 1: 1 02-06
111. Richard Burgreen Athens, AL 1 02-06 90
Day 1: 1 02-06
111. Brad Knight Lancing, TN 1 02-06 90
Day 1: 1 02-06
114. Ronald Ryals Jr Live Oak, FL 1 02-05 87
Day 1: 1 02-05
115. Jeff Bunch Nacogdoches, TX 1 02-03 86
Day 1: 1 02-03
116. Preston Johnson Rice Lake, WI 1 02-02 85
Day 1: 1 02-02
117. Marty Nester Mount Airy, NC 1 02-01 84
Day 1: 1 02-01
117. Brian Rufty Berea, KY 1 02-01 84
Day 1: 1 02-01
119. Shaw Grigsby Jr. Gainesville, FL 1 02-00 82
Day 1: 1 02-00
119. Garrett Rocamora Lithia, FL 1 02-00 82
Day 1: 1 02-00
121. Stan Gunter Saluda, SC 1 01-15 80
Day 1: 1 01-15
121. Ryan Hoover Valrico, FL 1 01-15 80
Day 1: 1 01-15
121. Chad Morgenthaler Reeds Spring, MO 1 01-15 80
Day 1: 1 01-15
124. Paul Elias Laurel, MS 1 01-14 77
Day 1: 1 01-14
125. Jimmy Charbonnet Saint Amant, LA 1 01-13 76
Day 1: 1 01-13
125. Bill Cooper Ashland City, TN 1 01-13 76
Day 1: 1 01-13
125. Grant Galloway Houlka, MS 1 01-13 76
Day 1: 1 01-13
125. Steven Kellam Dry Ridge, KY 1 01-13 76
Day 1: 1 01-13
125. Brad Webb Hampton, VA 1 01-13 76
Day 1: 1 01-13
130. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 1 01-12 71
Day 1: 1 01-12
131. David Cornelius Apison, TN 1 01-11 70
Day 1: 1 01-11
131. Larry Giamanco Pierre Part, LA 1 01-11 70
Day 1: 1 01-11
131. Joseph Sancho New Windsor, NY 1 01-11 70
Day 1: 1 01-11
134. John Brazzell Winter Garden, FL 1 01-10 67
Day 1: 1 01-10
134. Teb Jones Hattiesburg, MS 1 01-10 67
Day 1: 1 01-10
136. Brian Hatfield Spring City, TN 1 01-09 65
Day 1: 1 01-09
136. Mitch Liss Saint Cloud, FL 1 01-09 65
Day 1: 1 01-09
138. Jon Englund Farwell, MN 1 01-08 63
Day 1: 1 01-08
138. Luke Estel Murphysboro, IL 1 01-08 63
Day 1: 1 01-08
138. Hunter Parra Houma, LA 1 01-08 63
Day 1: 1 01-08
141. Sandy Melvin Boca Grande, FL 1 01-06 60
Day 1: 1 01-06
141. MJ Vihnanek Jr Walnut Hill, FL 1 01-06 60
Day 1: 1 01-06
143. Joey Nania Cropwell, AL 1 01-05 58
Day 1: 1 01-05
144. Chris Hensley Marbury, AL 1 00-09 57
Day 1: 1 00-09
145. Tim Arnold Cullman, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
145. Jerome Baird Williamsburg, KY 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
145. Chris Blanchette Irmo, SC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
145. Scott Bonvillain Dequincy, LA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
145. Christiana Bradley Goldvein, VA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
145. Jeffrey Brooks Boca Raton, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
145. Jeffrey Clark Hoover, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
145. Erik Crawford Hayden, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
145. Ryan Davidson Branchland, WV 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
145. Darrell Davis Dover, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
145. Clay Dyer Fayetteville, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
145. Tyler Ellis Battlefield, MO 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
145. David Gaston Sylacauga, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
145. Kyle Glasgow Guin, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
145. Wayne Hauser Jr Mooresville, NC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
145. Chad Hazel Quinton, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
145. Bill Hutchison Jr. Bessemer, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
145. Eric Johnson Millis, MA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
145. Vernon Kemp Umatilla, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
145. Scott Luster Prattville, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
145. Allen Mcreath Cullman, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
145. Dustin Neat Dunnville, KY 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
145. John Paulk Counce, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
145. John Pollard Eclectic, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
145. Kenny Sammons Pinetta, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
145. Kyle Schutta Forest Lake, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
145. Johnathon Seaborn Guin, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
145. Rick Shannon Woodlawn, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
145. Tom Stark III Angola, IN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
174. Destin DeMarion Grove City, PA 0 -1-00 0
Day 1: 0 -01-00
174. Ed Stiefel Mahwah, NJ 0 -1-00 0
Day 1: 0 -01-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 28 400 843-06
----------------------------------
28 400 843-06

2017 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open Smith Lake 9/28-9/30
Smith Lake, Jasper AL.
(NON_BOATER) Standings Day 1

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

1. Benjie Seaborn Guin, AL 3 08-03 200
Day 1: 3 08-03
2. Carlton Tipp Grand Bay, AL 3 06-10 199
Day 1: 3 06-10
3. Mike Spears Jasper, AL 2 06-06 198
Day 1: 2 06-06
4. Ricky Congero Windermere, FL 3 06-04 197
Day 1: 3 06-04
5. Sawyer Adams Richmond, KY 3 06-02 196
Day 1: 3 06-02
6. Hermilo Salgado Artemus, KY 3 06-01 195
Day 1: 3 06-01
7. Beecher Strunk Somerset, KY 3 06-00 194
Day 1: 3 06-00
8. Scott Saucer Frisco City, AL 3 05-15 193
Day 1: 3 05-15
9. Todd Lee Jasper, AL 2 05-09 192
Day 1: 2 05-09
10. Chad Smith Holly Pond, AL 2 05-08 191
Day 1: 2 05-08
11. Kent Biggs Morristown, TN 3 05-06 190
Day 1: 3 05-06
11. Shane Douglas Albany, GA 3 05-06 190
Day 1: 3 05-06
11. Chris Farmer Mathews, AL 3 05-06 190
Day 1: 3 05-06
14. Curtis King Plaquemine, LA 3 05-03 187
Day 1: 3 05-03
15. Charles Fochtman Moneta, VA 1 04-15 186
Day 1: 1 04-15
16. Jerrod Albright Kissimmee, FL 3 04-13 185
Day 1: 3 04-13
17. Chad Viator Wilsonville, AL 2 04-11 184
Day 1: 2 04-11
18. Daniel Kendrick Chatsworth, GA 1 04-11 183
Day 1: 1 04-11
19. Bill Hunter Murfreesboro, TN 2 04-10 182
Day 1: 2 04-10
20. Don Harvey Franklin, TN 2 04-08 181
Day 1: 2 04-08
21. Bert Cooper Huntsville, TN 2 04-03 180
Day 1: 2 04-03
22. John Goul Philadelphia, MS 2 04-00 179
Day 1: 2 04-00
22. Greg Neal Arley, AL 2 04-00 179
Day 1: 2 04-00
22. Michael Vice Rossville, IL 2 04-00 179
Day 1: 2 04-00
22. Alan Woodford Winslow, IN 2 04-00 179
Day 1: 2 04-00
26. Terry Proctor Pensacola, FL 2 03-13 175
Day 1: 2 03-13
27. Greg O'Neal Winchester, TN 2 03-12 174
Day 1: 2 03-12
27. Geoff Percival Lincoln, AL 2 03-12 174
Day 1: 2 03-12
27. Mark Wethington Liberty, KY 2 03-12 174
Day 1: 2 03-12
30. Barry Stalcup Marble, NC 2 03-11 171
Day 1: 2 03-11
31. Curtis Hall II Battle Creek, MI 1 03-08 170
Day 1: 1 03-08
32. Tony Sears Dahlonega, GA 2 03-07 169
Day 1: 2 03-07
33. Phillip Lovett Florence, AL 1 03-02 168
Day 1: 1 03-02
34. Travis Warthen Saint Gabriel, LA 2 03-01 167
Day 1: 2 03-01
35. Mark Bartosch Clarksville, TN 1 02-15 166
Day 1: 1 02-15
36. Slaton Jemison Mathews, AL 2 02-13 165
Day 1: 2 02-13
37. Jeff Keever Decatur, GA 1 02-13 164
Day 1: 1 02-13
38. Jim Sulcer Jr Athens, AL 1 02-11 163
Day 1: 1 02-11
39. Travis Dehart Greenville, SC 1 02-10 162
Day 1: 1 02-10
39. Mike Duke Summerville, GA 1 02-10 162
Day 1: 1 02-10
39. Chuck Thurlow Auburn, AL 1 02-10 162
Day 1: 1 02-10
39. Jody White Gilbertsville, KY 1 02-10 162
Day 1: 1 02-10
43. Blake Barrett Logan, AL 1 02-09 158
Day 1: 1 02-09
44. Buck Hilliard Peachtree City, GA 1 02-07 157
Day 1: 1 02-07
45. John Goebel Lumberton, TX 1 02-06 156
Day 1: 1 02-06
45. Chandler Sickafoose Dora, AL 1 02-06 156
Day 1: 1 02-06
47. Jonathan Barnette Jasper, AL 1 02-05 154
Day 1: 1 02-05
47. Steven Dyer Louisville, TN 1 02-05 154
Day 1: 1 02-05
49. Kraig Carmickle Orlando, FL 1 02-04 152
Day 1: 1 02-04
49. Roy Hurst Jr Birmingham, AL 1 02-04 152
Day 1: 1 02-04
49. Kenneth Shumate Elkin, NC 1 02-04 152
Day 1: 1 02-04
49. David Welch Birmingham, AL 1 02-04 152
Day 1: 1 02-04
53. Carl Hunter Snellville, GA 1 02-03 148
Day 1: 1 02-03
53. Doug Logan Springville, AL 1 02-03 148
Day 1: 1 02-03
55. Thomas Brewbaker Nashville, TN 1 02-02 146
Day 1: 1 02-02
55. Scott Byrd Ocklawaha, FL 1 02-02 146
Day 1: 1 02-02
57. William Gaston Sylacauga, AL 1 02-01 144
Day 1: 1 02-01
57. Benny Widerman Deltona, FL 1 02-01 144
Day 1: 1 02-01
59. Drew Osborn Maryville, TN 1 02-00 142
Day 1: 1 02-00
60. Radney Atchison Prattville, AL 1 01-15 141
Day 1: 1 01-15
60. Brett Hobson Clermont, FL 1 01-15 141
Day 1: 1 01-15
60. Ross Spina Vestavia, AL 1 01-15 141
Day 1: 1 01-15
63. Johnathan Crossland Chapin, SC 1 01-14 138
Day 1: 1 01-14
63. Phillip Lee Eustis, FL 1 01-14 138
Day 1: 1 01-14
63. Steven Roosen Charlotte, NC 1 01-14 138
Day 1: 1 01-14
63. Ronald Young Lake Wales, FL 1 01-14 138
Day 1: 1 01-14
67. Jennifer Nevans Dayton, TN 1 01-13 134
Day 1: 1 01-13
68. David Earnest Oakman, AL 1 01-12 133
Day 1: 1 01-12
68. Chris Kingree Inverness, FL 1 01-12 133
Day 1: 1 01-12
70. Richard Arnold Owens Cross Roads, AL 1 01-11 131
Day 1: 1 01-11
70. Eulon Lee Jr. Eclectic, AL 1 01-11 131
Day 1: 1 01-11
70. Jeremy Maye Windsor, VA 1 01-11 131
Day 1: 1 01-11
70. Don Ramsey Orlando, FL 1 01-11 131
Day 1: 1 01-11
70. Marvin Stith Jr. Piscataway, NJ 1 01-11 131
Day 1: 1 01-11
75. Mike Entile Aurora, IL 1 01-10 126
Day 1: 1 01-10
75. Marc Melancon Livingston, LA 1 01-10 126
Day 1: 1 01-10
75. Roger Shiflett Hayden, AL 1 01-10 126
Day 1: 1 01-10
75. Tucker Weidler Helena, AL 1 01-10 126
Day 1: 1 01-10
75. Jay West Canton, GA 1 01-10 126
Day 1: 1 01-10
80. David Chamberlain Keasbey, NJ 1 01-09 121
Day 1: 1 01-09
80. Joe Moore Kissimmee, FL 1 01-09 121
Day 1: 1 01-09
80. Jenny Sander Byron, GA 1 01-09 121
Day 1: 1 01-09
80. Billy Watson III Murfreesboro, TN 1 01-09 121
Day 1: 1 01-09
84. George Beville Jr Apex, NC 1 01-09 117
Day 1: 1 01-09
85. Blaine Freeman Dadeville, AL 1 01-08 116
Day 1: 1 01-08
85. Jon Oliver Russellville, AL 1 01-08 116
Day 1: 1 01-08
85. James Simmons Houma, LA 1 01-08 116
Day 1: 1 01-08
88. Luke Glasgow Guin, AL 1 01-07 113
Day 1: 1 01-07
88. Caleb Keith Beaufort, SC 1 01-07 113
Day 1: 1 01-07
88. Keith Raney Tullahoma, TN 1 01-07 113
Day 1: 1 01-07
88. Evan Rice Shalimar, FL 1 01-07 113
Day 1: 1 01-07
92. Miriam Donohoo San Mateo, FL 1 01-07 109
Day 1: 1 01-07
93. Chad Smith Minnetonka, MN 1 01-06 108
Day 1: 1 01-06
94. Donnie Aderholt Haleyville, AL 1 00-11 107
Day 1: 1 00-11
95. Rodney Anderson Young Harris, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Charles Anderson Rocky Face, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Glenn Bailey Temple Terrace, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Clayton Barnes Milton, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Joshua Bauer Random Lake, WI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Cale Beck Petersburg, IN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Michael Benson Cullman, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Johnny Bigger II Spring Hill, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Lee Black Moulton, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Brandon Bolton West Point, MS 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. David Booth Erin, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Justin Braswell Winter Haven, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Bill Bruce Hendersonville, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Scap Cicero Wetumpka, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Zach Clark Newnan, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Curt Clark Bentonville, AR 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Rodrigo Cruz Clermont, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Wesley Dennis Anniston, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Charlie Eisert Pomona, IL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Michael Florio Cartersville, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Jason Fontenot Lake Charles, LA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Garrett Geouge Lanexa, VA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Mitchell Gowen Decatur, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Bruce Griffin Jasper, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Stephen Griffing Port Charlotte, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Gary Hall Delbarton, WV 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Colby Harrison Brilliant, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Meredith Havird Chappells, SC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Robert Holcomb Longwood, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. William Holley Addis, LA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Kyle Jenkins Groton, CT 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Brian Jones Fayetteville, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Zach Kirby Shelbyville, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Jimmy Lee Jasper, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Tim Lollar Cullman, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Bill Mandikas Tampa, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Barry Maner Trinity, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Larry Maring Minneola, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Marc Marsh Prosperity, SC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Greg Mauldin Archdale, NC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Lee McClendon Jr Trussville, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Jordan McDonald Jackson, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Steve Moeller Waterloo, SC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Bill Mogan Mobile, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Michael Norris Mountain Brk, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Blake Oswalt Jasper, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. David Ottman Terry, MS 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Luke Patterson Middleburg, KY 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Tim Patterson Chattanooga, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Jason Patterson Markle, IN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Pete Patterson Kingsport, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Tyler Pendergrass Cullman, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Daniel Phillips Lawrenceville, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Anthony Plescia III Pearl River, LA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. JJ Polak Covington, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Charles Poland Denham Springs, LA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Trevor Prichard Knoxville, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Jeff Prisza Camden, MI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Michael Rench Armuchee, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Scott Rice Cobden, IL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Landon Rich Owens Cross Roads, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Rodger Riddle Moulton, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Fred Rigdon Belleview, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Edward Ruth Jasper, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Michael Scalise Port Allen, LA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Ken Sharkey Spring Lake, MI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Gregory Spitzer Jr Pensacola, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Bobby Stalcup Murphy, NC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Bradley Sterner Manchester, PA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Clayton Stoering Waterville, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Rick Surguine Mount Juliet, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Rodney Tapp Inman, SC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Derek Taylor Montgomery, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Christian Thompson Lake City, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Thomas Warren Bolingbrook, IL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Ronald Wiggins II Palatka, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Tom Wilkins Alexandria, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Jesse Windsor Orlando, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
95. Tyler Woolcott Port Orange, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
174. Eric Simpson Lakeland, GA 0 -1-00 0
Day 1: 0 -01-00
174. Douglas Vierling Gulfport, MS 0 -1-00 0
Day 1: 0 -01-00

by AnglersChannel

Nick LeBrun Wins ABA Ram Truck Open Area 6 Championship!

ATHENS, Ala. – Nick LeBrun won the American Bass Anglers Ram Truck Open Series Area 6 Championship, held September 23rd and 24th at Toledo Bend Reservoir. Running out of Cypress Bend Park near Many, LA, Nick still fresh off his win from Sam Rayburn just a couple weeks earlier was able to put together 2 solid days and bring in 2 limits for a total of 34.37 lbs, taking home the guaranteed boater division prize of $10,000.00.

Day 1 brought a picture-perfect morning for the National Anthem and a very calm day.  Not a ripple on the lake until 30 minutes before weigh in which for Toledo Bend is a very rare occasion.  The weather was great all weekend, but fishing conditions made the bite very tough for most leading up to the first day and throughout the tournament.  Some anglers did get the big bites as 2 fish over 8 lbs were caught, and many more over 5 lbs were brought to the scales.

Day one closed out with Lebrun sitting towards the top of the field with a solid catch of 16.48 lbs.  When the scales closed at the end of day 2, he had taken the lead and held back the rest of the field for the victory.

“This morning I definitely wasn’t expecting this.  I lost a good one right off the bat and it deflated me pretty quickly.  I figured I was fishing for a top 20 at that point.  This place is so tough right now you have got to make every bite count and get them in the boat. I have to take my hat off to all these guys though.  This field is so competitive, it really pushes you to your limit and makes you stay on top of your game.  This was a great event.” LeBrun said.

In second for the boaters, Ryan Pinkston of Center, TX finished less than 1 lb. behind the leader with 2 limits of fish for 33.65 lbs.

“I fished structure, deep structure.  I say deep but it was really about 10-15 feet.  I had 10 rods on the deck all weekend and today, all my fish came on different baits than yesterday.  It was a grind and we put something together.  You just had to keep your head down but it took all day to get them.” Said Ryan

Albert Collins of Nacogdoches, TX took third for the boaters weighing a 5 fish limit each day for a 2-day total of 32.91.  Albert was also the highest finishing Triton Gold member and will be receiving his bonus from Triton Boats.

“I came over a week before last and spent a couple days without a bite.  I just went out fishing and found a couple spots that had some so I beat them to death and was fortunate enough to catch what I did.”  Stated Collins.

In fourth, Logan Sheerer of Karnack, TX came in with 2 solid bags for a total of 29.79 lbs.  Finishing 5th was Terry Peacock of Royse City, TX with 28.72 lbs.
Logan also weighed in a beautiful 8.03 lb. Big Bass on day 1 that held up for the boater division for the weekend.  Logan pocketed $480.00 for that fish.

In the Co-Angler Division, Robert Moffett of Silsbee, TX came from the middle of the pack on day 2 with a great bag of fish for 11.97 lbs to propel him to the top with a 2-day total of 17.74 lbs to take over and hold the lead.  Robert earned the $5000.00 guaranteed first place prize.

“Thank you! This is great. Well, the first day we went north and it went well, I just didn’t get the big bite but today I did.  My boater ran south today and I caught her on my 2nd bite.  (6.57 lbs) I culled a couple times and everything worked out great.  I couldn’t be happier.” said Robert.

Taking second for the co-anglers, Robert Royal of Vidor, TX came in with his 2nd 3-fish limit of 10.07 to land himself a 2-day total of 17.53 lbs.  Just ounces behind the leader his catch secured him the 2nd place finish.

“The first day we went south and flipped grass all day.  Today we went North and threw a frog.  I had 5 keepers.  2 different techniques and the only common thing was the grass.  I fished in both spots and both were successful.”  Robert stated.

Chris Pearson of Marthaville, LA placed third among the co-anglers. Landing only 4 fish over both days for 16.56 lbs, Chris was getting the bites he needed and one fish was really good.  8.01 lbs and captured the big bass of the tournament for the coanglers.

“I only had 4 keepers to bring in over the weekend and every one of them was on a different bait.  I had the just one bite today at it was the big fish.  I caught her on the 3rd cast this morning about 10 minutes into the day.” Explained Pearson.

In fourth place among the co-anglers, Rondell Joseph of Pearland, TX brought in five fish over the 2 days for a total of 15.47 lbs.  Jeremy Phillips of Nacogdoches, TX finished in fifth place with four bass (2-day total) for 12.95 lbs.

The week of April 1st through the 7th, 2018, the best anglers from across the nation will compete in the Ray Scott National Championship, slated for the Red River in Shreveport & Bossier City, LA.

For more information on this tournament, call Chris Wayand, tournament manager, at 256-230-5627 or ABA at 256-232-0406. On line, see www.ramopenseries.com .

About American Bass Anglers: American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler and at the same time offer each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers, the Ram Truck Open Series, the American Fishing Tour or the American Couples Series, visitwww.americanbassanglers.com.

American Bass Anglers, Inc. is supported by Ram Trucks, Triton Boats, Mercury Outboards, Carlisle Tires, GEICO, Berkley, Abu Garcia, T-H Marine, Livingston Lures, Best Western Hotels, Maui Jim, Power Pole, Simms, Garmin, Divide-It, and SiriusXM Marine Weather. American Bass Anglers, Inc. can be contacted at (256) 232-0406 or by visiting americanbassanglers.com

by AnglersChannel

Palanuik Talks AOY and his Incredible 2017 Elite Series Journey

“I still don’t even know if has sunk in yet,” said Brandon Palaniuk a few days after winning the 2017 Bassmaster angler of the Year title.

“I’ve been so busy since it happened I haven’t sat and thought about it. I didn’t know what to expect, but it was a different feeling than what I have felt, really, in anything else. You want to win something so bad and then as it gets closer and closer you just want it that much more and then all of a sudden, in an instant, its real. It’s in your hand. The competitive side of me is like ‘ok, I accomplished that, let’s go get the next one’ but at the same time I want to make the most of this one. I want to enjoy it. I want to remember it and do as much as I can with it to, one, better my career and, two, hopefully better the sport.”

On the final morning of the AOY Championship tourney Palaniuk fished through a slow bite. Surely doubts arose in his mind. Right? “No. I was actually surprisingly calm.

“I woke up Sunday morning feeling like I was going to catch them. I was at ease with it; felt good about it and at 10:30 I even looked at my camera guy and told him ‘man, I should be freaking out right now’. I had one bass in the livewell and wasn’t even that worried. I wasn’t stressed out about it, I wasn’t in a panic.

“I just felt like at some point in the day it was going to happen.

“Next thing you know, like, 15 minutes later, I pull up to a rock proceed to catch 12 fish off of it. And that’s pretty much what did it for me. Then I went to another spot and caught two 4-and-a-half-pounders on back-to-back drops.

“That quick it just changes.”

During the AOY tourney Palaniuk caught all of his weigh-in fish on a smoke/purple Zoom Super Fluke on a dropshot rig.

Across his award-winning season he relied heavily on 3 lures: swim jig, 3/8 or ½ oz., white, black and chartreuse with a white Zoom Super Speed Craw on the back. “I caught fish on that everywhere.” A Storm Arashi Top Walker. And, “Pretty much the entire northern swing I caught fish on a Zoom Z Drop on a dropshot.”

The road to success is littered with bumps and potholes. Palaniuk experienced on early on in the 2017 season. “Okeechobee. Finishing 105th and battling back from that to get in a position to win Angler of the Year.”

Palaniuk could have felt sorry for himself after the disappointment at the ‘Big O’. But . . .

“I had a little bit of a chip on my shoulder.

“Going from a Top 12 at Cherokee to bombing at Okeechobee – I felt like I went from having a really good shot at making a run at Angler of the Year to essentially having to start my climb all the way over.”

Climb he did. The summit of Palaniuk’s season was the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest on Lake Sam Rayburn in May, which he won with a total weight of 93 pounds, 12 ounces. “It was just a super fun week. I really enjoyed it.

“And that also automatically qualified me for the Classic. So, I didn’t really change the way I was fishing after that, but there was also a part of me that knew, no matter what happened the rest of the year, that weight was lifted off my chest. 2018 Classic – qualified. Now you’re focused on catching as many fish as you can.”

Palaniuk never wants to know where he stands in the points. The reason for this dovetails with the reason for his free-swinging attitude following an automatic Classic berth. “For some guys, it’s a motivator to know where they stand in the points. For me, I feel like if I know where I’m at in the points my decision-making process is different, somewhere in the back of my mind. If I have no idea, the points essentially become irrelevant and all of my decision-making process is based on catching the 5 biggest fish I can each day, which is what everyone should do anyway. But that’s easier said than done.”

Decision-making is a key element in good tournament fishing. Palaniuk recounts his best decision this season. “Toledo Bend, on day 3 of the tournament I just completely abandoned where I had been fishing the first 2 days and started in a completely new area that I hadn’t fished yet in the tournament. It ended up carrying me to a Top 12. I felt like I really made the right adjustment in that one.”

109 of the top pros in America set out to win the Bassmaster Angler of the Year title this season. What separated Palaniuk from the rest? “I fished with a super open mind. I tried to fish based 100% on current conditions.”

Palaniuk enjoys as much family support as any angler on tour. His sponsors have also been loyal to him, a point not lost on the 29-year old pro. “It’s a personal win for me but it’s also a win for my team and that includes my sponsors, all the people that believed in me before I ever even made my first cast in the Elite Series. I will always have a special place in my heart for those kind of people that took a chance on me.

“Skeeter and Yamaha have been with me from day 1 and Rigid has been with me since my 2nd year on Tour – my title sponsor for 5 years now which is big for a non-endemic company to stick with me that long and have faith in me.

“I’ve been with Buck Knives, Storm, Rapala, VMC, even my buddy Scott at ProCise Outdoors – we’ve kind of grown and built that into something together.”

So what does a young guy do with the type of money Palaniuk has earned this year? “Been looking at possibly building a new house for me and Tiffany. I’ll be smart with it, invest it back into my video projects, use it wisely where it will end up making more money down the road.”

 

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

by AnglersChannel

Moore & Wilson Walk Away With the Win in Texas Tournament Zone Championship on Rayburn - Win $30,000

by AnglersChannel

SHUFFIELD WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL ARKIE DIVISION FINALE ON LAKE HAMILTON PRESENTED BY GEARED

Benton’s Delaney Takes Co-angler Title

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. (Sept. 25, 2017) – Local angler Spencer Shuffield of Hot Springs, weighed a two-day cumulative of 10 bass totaling 20 pounds, 8 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Arkie Division tournament on Lake Hamilton presented by Geared. Shuffield took home $5,277 for his efforts.

According to post-tournament reports, Shuffield caught his fish on a buzzbait in less than 2 feet of water.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:          Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., 10 bass, 20-8, $5,277

2nd:         Fred Martin, North Little Rock, Ark., 10 bass, 18-1, $2,939

3rd:          Justin Swayze, Gurdon, Ark., eight bass, 17-14, $2,331

4th:          Matt Wood, Jessieville, Ark., 10 bass, 17-9, $1,185

5th:          Huey Applegate, Jessieville, Ark., nine bass, 17-0, $1,015

6th:          Leland Nixon, Bee Branch, Ark., 10 bass, 16-12, $931

7th:          Danny Gwinn, Mount Ida, Ark., 10 bass, 16-1, $846

8th:          Jake Ormond, Sterlington, La., 10 bass, 16-1, $762

9th:          Dustin Huggins, Russellville, Ark., 10 bass, 16-0, $677

10th:        Jamey Black, Sheridan, Ark., 10 bass, 15-6, $592

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Swayze caught a 5-pound, 5-ounce bass – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the Boater Big Bass award of $637.

Trevor Delaney of Benton, Arkansas, caught a two-day total of 10 bass bass weighing 18 pounds, 7 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $2,539.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st:          Trevor Delaney, Benton, Ark., 10 bass, 18-7, $2,539

2nd:         Steve Standridge, Conway, Ark., seven bass, 13-4, $1,269

3rd:          Michael Lucas, Forrest City, Ark., seven bass, 12-5, $846

4th:          Jody Jones, Harvey, Ark., eight bass, 11-0, $592

5th:          Rod Martinez, Benton, Ark., seven bass, 10-12, $608

6th:          Mark Stevens, Hot Springs, Ark., six bass, 10-8, $784

7th:          Stephen  Simms, Hot Springs, Ark., eight bass, 10-4, $423

8th:          Jerry Tabler, Mineral Springs, Ark., seven bass, 9-15, $431

9th:          Steven Sherrill, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 9-1, $339

10th:        Joey Taylor, Benton, Ark., seven bass, 8-10, $296

Stevens caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 4 pounds, 11 ounces – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $319.

The T-H Marine FLW BFL Arkie Division tournament on Lake Hamilton was hosted by Visit Hot Springs.

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. 19-21 BFL Regional Championship on the Red River in Bossier City, Louisiana. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.

The 2017 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 2018 All-American will be held on Cross Lake in Shreveport, Louisiana, May 31-June 2 and is hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier City Sports Commission and the Red River Waterway Commission. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

by AnglersChannel

ALABAMA’S O’DONNELL WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL MOUNTAIN DIVISION FINALE ON THE BARREN RIVER

Illinois’ Hill Nabs Co-angler Title

SCOTTSVILLE, Ky. (Sept. 25, 2017) – Casey O’Donnell of Langston, Alabama, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Mountain Division tournament on the Barren River Sunday with a two-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 23 pounds, 15 ounces. O’Donnell pocketed $5,082 for his efforts.

O’Donnell said he spent the majority of the tournament working through one area on the south end of the river.

“I fished the ends of channel swing banks, anywhere from 2½ to 5 feet of water, and caught them from laydowns and stumps,” said O’Donnell, a former Tour co-angler who notched his first career win as a boater in BFL competition. “I run an aluminum Ranger boat, so it’s not as fast as some of the others out there but it’s more efficient up shallow.”

O’Donnell said nine of his 10 fish came flipping a ½-ounce Gambler Jigzilla with a green-pumpkin-colored Strike King Twin Tail Menace Grub trailer. He said he caught his heaviest bass Saturday using an albino-colored Spro Dean Rojas Poppin’ Frog.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:          Casey O'Donnell, Langston, Ala., 10 bass, 23-15, $5,082

2nd:         Ryan Davidson, Branchland, W. Va., nine bass, 23-12, $2,541

3rd:          Daniel Johnson, Lebanon, Tenn., eight bass, 21-7, $1,625

4th:          Taylor Stumbo, Prestonsburg, Ky., seven bass, 18-15, $1,139

5th:          Jerry Reagan, Byrdstown, Tenn., nine bass, 18-13, $976

6th:          Charles Morrison, Georgetown, Ky., eight bass, 17-0, $895

7th:          Joe Haunert, West Chester, Ohio, eight bass, 16-6, $814

8th:          Brent Anderson, Kingston Springs, Tenn., seven bass, 15-5, $732

9th:          Jason Bean, Scottsville, Ky., six bass, 15-3, $651

10th:        Barry Smith, Catlettsburg, Ky., seven bass, 13-15, $570

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

J.J. Dean of Huntington, West Virginia, caught a 4-pound, 8-ounce bass – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the Boater Big Bass award of $600.

Chad Hill of Marion, Illinois, caught a two-day total of nine bass weighing 19 pounds, 15 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $2,441.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st:          Chad Hill, Marion, Ill., nine bass, 19-15, $2,441

2nd:         Alex Straubing, Cincinnati, Ohio, eight bass, 15-5, $1,320

3rd:          Ralph Feldman, Lancaster, Ky., six bass, 12-3, $814

4th:          Colton Smith, Somerset, Ky., six bass, 11-3, $620

5th:          Bob Wiles, Huntington, W. Va., five bass, 10-14, $488

6th:          Danell McKinney, West Liberty, Ky., five bass, 9-9, $447

7th:          Jared Rudd, Salyersville, Ky., five bass, 9-9, $407

8th:          Lucas Devere, Berea, Ky., four bass, 8-11, $366

9th:          Raymond Manis, Jamestown, Tenn., four bass, 8-10, $325

10th:        Chris O'Bryan, Harned, Ky., four bass, 8-9, $285

Cole McCourt of Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 3 pounds, 7 ounces – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $300.

The T-H Marine FLW BFL Mountain Division tournament on the Barren River was hosted by the Glasgow-Barren County Tourist & Convention Commission.

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. 5-7 BFL Regional Championship on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.

The 2017 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 2018 All-American will be held on Cross Lake in Shreveport, Louisiana, May 31-June 2 and is hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier City Sports Commission and the Red River Waterway Commission. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

by AnglersChannel

TOMMY HENSLEY WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL BAMA DIVISION FINALE ON PICKWICK LAKE PRESENTED BY MUD HOLE CUSTOM TACKLE

Mississippi’s Maben Nabs Co-angler Title

FLORENCE, Ala. (Sept. 25, 2017) – Tommy Hensley of Jackson, Georgia, weighed a two-day cumulative of 10 bass totaling 28 pounds, 11 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Bama Division tournament on Pickwick Lake presented by Mud Hole Custom Tackle. For his win, Hensley took home $5,143.

According to post-tournament reports, Hensley caught his fish in the mid-lake area, near isolated wood using a white 3/8-ounce Z-Man ChatterBait.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:          Tommy Hensley, Jackson, Ga., 10 bass, 28-11, $5,143

2nd:         Austin Weaver, Sheffield, Ala., 10 bass, 26-7, $2,471

3rd:          Jason Lambert, Michie, Tenn., 10 bass, 26-5, $1,648

4th:          Roger Stegall, Iuka, Miss., 10 bass, 26-4, $1,153

5th:          Justin Atkins, Florence, Ala., 10 bass, 25-11, $1,089

6th:          Kyle Lewellen, Byhalia, Miss., 10 bass, 24-8, $906

7th:          Donny Beck, Killen, Ala., 10 bass, 24-7, $824

8th:          Mark McCaig, Oxford, Ala., 10 bass, 24-2, $741

9th:          Dennis Shawn Perrigo, Rienzi, Miss., 10 bass, 24-0, $659

10th:        Jennings Earnest, Guin, Ala., 10 bass, 23-10, $577

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

John Jeter of Birmingham, Alabama, caught a 6-pound, 13-ounce bass – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the Boater Big Bass award of $607.

Josh Hamilton of Maben, Mississippi, caught a two-day total of eight bass weighing 20 pounds, 15 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $2,671.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st:          Josh Hamilton, Maben, Miss., eight bass, 20-15, $2,671

2nd:         Radney Atchison, Prattville, Ala., nine bass, 20-14, $1,236

3rd:          Kyle Smith, Crane Hill, Ala., six bass, 17-3, $822

4th:          Chris Hawkins, Adger, Ala., six bass, 16-6, $931

5th:          Mason Smith, Decatur, Ala., seven bass, 14-11, $494

6th:          David Cornelius, Maylene, Ala., seven bass, 14-8, $453

7th:          Collin Bruce, Florence, Ala., five bass, 12-12, $412

8th:          Leandra McClendon Jr., Trussville, Ala., six bass, 11-2, $371

9th:          Ronnie Seawright, Corinth, Miss., five bass, 10-11, $330

10th:        Bradley Henderson, Opelika, Ala., four bass, 10-5, $288

Hawkins caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 4 pounds, 4 ounces – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $304.

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. 12-14 BFL Regional Championship on Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Alabama. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.

The 2017 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 2018 All-American will be held on Cross Lake in Shreveport, Louisiana, May 31-June 2 and is hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier City Sports Commission and the Red River Waterway Commission. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

by AnglersChannel

MIZELL WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL GATOR DIVISION FINALE ON LAKE OKEECHOBEE

Port Charlotte’s LaPorta Grabs Co-angler Title

CLEWISTON, Fla. (Sept. 25, 2017) – Jessie Mizell of Sarasota, Florida, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Gator Division tournament on Lake Okeechobee Sunday with a two-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 42 pounds, 12 ounces. For his win, Mizell earned $5,848.

According to post-tournament reports, Mizell targeted schooling fish in the northeast area of the lake using a 6th Sense crankbait.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:          Jessie Mizell, Sarasota, Fla., 10 bass, 42-12, $5,848

2nd:         Richard Sasina, Port St. Lucie, Fla., 10 bass,   37-9, $2,824

3rd:          Donald Locke, Loxahatchee, Fla., 10 bass, 36-11, $2,182

4th:          Mason Boylan, Melbourne, Fla., 10 bass, 34-4, $1,318

5th:          Cody Wright, Okeechobee, Fla., 10 bass, 34-3, $1,130

6th:          Matthew Wieteha, Miami, Fla., 10 bass, 33-1, $1,135

7th:          Joey Roberts, Jensen Beach, Fla., 10 bass, 33-1, $941

8th:          William Schmitt, West Palm Beach, Fla., 10 bass, 30-12, $847

9th:          Jason Pike, Greenacres, Fla., 10 bass, 30-12, $753

10th:        Steve Broughton, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., 10 bass, 30-3, $659

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Dustin Royer of Davie, Florida, caught a 7-pound, 8-ounce bass – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the Boater Big Bass award of $750.

Mike LaPorta of Port Charlotte, Florida, caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 38 pounds, 4 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $2,824.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st:          Mike LaPorta, Port Charlotte, Fla., 10 bass, 38-4, $2,824

2nd:         Richard Mongiovi, Indian Lake Estates, Fla., 10 bass, 33-8, $1,412

3rd:          Rusty Lacy, Plantation, Fla., 10 bass, 30-5, $940

4th:          James Tyler, Deltona, Fla., 10 bass, 26-4, $659

5th:          Nik Kayler, Apopka, Fla., 10 bass, 25-13, $565

6th:          Garrett Colbert, Orlando, Fla., 10 bass, 25-12, $518

7th:          Junior Iriban, Lantana, Fla., 10 bass, 25-4, $671

8th:          James Ryba, West Palm Beach, Fla., 10 bass, 23-15, $424

9th:          Bill Wight, Punta Gorda, Fla., 10 bass, 22-15, $377

10th:        Ernie Thompson, Anthony, Fla., 10 bass, 22-13, $379

Delfin Pernas of Miami, Florida, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 6 pounds, 1 ounce – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $375.

The T-H Marine FLW BFL Gator Division tournament on Lake Okeechobee was hosted by Roland & Mary Ann Martin's Marina & Resort.

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. 19-21 BFL Regional Championship on Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Georgia. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.

The 2017 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 2018 All-American will be held on Cross Lake in Shreveport, Louisiana, May 31-June 2 and is hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier City Sports Commission and the Red River Waterway Commission. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

by AnglersChannel

HOLCOMB WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL VOLUNTEER DIVISION FINALE ON WATTS BAR LAKE

Virginia’s Viers Nabs Co-angler Title

ROCKWOOD, Tenn. (Sept. 25, 2017) – Brian Holcomb of Madisonville, Tennessee, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Volunteer Division tournament on Watts Bar Lake Sunday with a two-day cumulative catch of nine bass weighing 22 pounds, 1 ounce. For his win, Holcomb pocketed $6,804.

Holcomb said he started out the event fishing mid-lake pockets near Euchee Marina and Resort.

“I caught them on Saturday throwing a white 3/8-ounce buzzbait,” said Holcomb, who earned his first career-victory in FLW competition. “I targeted isolated milfoil clumps and caught four keepers in less than 2 feet of water.

“On Sunday I went back to the same area, but I couldn’t get a bite on the buzzbait,” continued Holcomb. “I switched to a (Gambler Cane) toad and was able to put together a limit.”

Holcomb said he worked through numerous pockets between 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., and caught seven keepers to finish out the tournament.

“There had to be a transition on the bottom to the grass,” said Holcomb. “That was the key for me. If there wasn’t deeper water in front of the grass, they wouldn’t be there. I just kept relying on my judgement and it worked out for me.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:          Brian Holcomb, Madisonville, Tenn., nine bass, 22-1, $4,804 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

2nd:         Kevin Edwards, Knoxville, Tenn., 10 bass, 19-15, $2,302

3rd:          Tommy Brown, Louisville, Tenn., seven bass   , 19-8, $1,636

4th:          Joshua Short, Bean Station, Tenn., seven bass, 17-12, $1,074

5th:          Glenn Carter, Rockwood, Tenn., nine bass, 17-8, $921

6th:          Kyle Smith, Elizabethton, Tenn., seven bass, 16-14, $844

7th:          Jesse Burnett, Knoxville, Tenn., 10 bass, 16-13, $767

8th:          Jack Faulkner II, Jacksboro, Tenn., seven bass, 15-6, $691

9th:          Derrick Blake, Rockwood, Tenn., seven bass, 15-4, $614

10th:        Cody Seeber, Clinton, Tenn., four bass, 14-11, $1,077

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Seeber caught a 6-pound, 10-ounce bass – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the Big Bass award of $540.

Chris Viers of Haysi, Virginia, caught a two-day total of four bass weighing 14 pounds, 4 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $2,270.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st:          Chris Viers, Haysi, Va., four bass, 14-4, $2,270

2nd:         Cameron Crider, Dwale, Ky., five bass, 12-2, $1,135

3rd:          Dennis Napier, Dandridge, Tenn., three bass, 11-0, $1,023

4th:          Don Bible, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 10-0, $530

5th:          Jim Neece Sr., Bristol, Va., four bass, 8-14, $454

6th:          Jason Khym, Maryville, Tenn., two bass, 7-12, $416

7th:          Darren Kelly, Wartburg, Tenn., four bass, 7-4, $478

8th:          Justin McGaha, Knoxville, Tenn., three bass, 7-3, $391

9th:          Steve Hall, Hillsville, Va., three bass, 6-2, $303

10th:        Colton Chambers, Elizabethton, Tenn., two bass, 5-5, $265

Napier caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 6 pounds, 2 ounces – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $266.

The T-H Marine FLW BFL Volunteer Division tournament on Watts Bar Lake was hosted by the Roane County Visitors Bureau.

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. 12-14 BFL Regional Championship on the James River in Williamsburg, Virginia. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.

The 2017 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 2018 All-American will be held on Cross Lake in Shreveport, Louisiana, May 31-June 2 and is hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier City Sports Commission and the Red River Waterway Commission. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

by AnglersChannel

Bassmaster Southern Open On Smith Lake Will Fill Another Classic Spot

More than 360 competitors will take on Smith Lake during the final Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open held out of Jasper, Ala., Sept. 28-30. 

Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sept. 22, 2017

JASPER, Ala. — There may be no professional bass angler in the sport who understands the potential of Smith Lake better than David Kilgore.

The native Alabamian lives and works just minutes from the 21,000-acre lake, and he won a 2014 event on Smith with a three-day total of 54 pounds, 11 ounces, that easily ranks as the heaviest weight ever caught during a B.A.S.S. event on the fishery.

But as much as he’d like to believe the fishing will be that good during next week’s Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open on Smith, he thinks the timing could be just a little off.

“I still think there will be a lot of fish caught,” said Kilgore, a two-time qualifier for the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods. “But as far as the lake really showing out, we’re probably another two weeks away from the good fall fishing.

“We just haven’t had enough cool weather in this part of the country yet.”

The tournament will be held Sept. 28-30, with takeoffs each day at 6:30 a.m. CT from Smith Lake Dam access and weigh-ins Thursday and Friday at 2:30 p.m. back at the access. The final day weigh-in will be held at Bass Pro Shops in Leeds, Ala., at 3:45 p.m.

Through the years, winning weights on Smith Lake have been in the 35- to 38-pound range for most B.A.S.S. events. Even the earliest B.A.S.S. tournaments on the fishery — the ones that featured a 10-bass daily limit instead of the five-bass limit that is standard for today’s events — didn’t crack the 50-pound mark.

But during the past 10 to 15 years, an invasive species of baitfish known as the blueback herring was illegally introduced. Though it is unknown what effect herring will have on the long-term ecology of the lake, they’ve had a profound short-term effect on the bass fishing.

“Before the herring, things were totally different,” Kilgore said. “After the winter and spring fishing, you just didn’t go to Smith unless you went at night.

“Now that the herring are in there, you can go a lot of times during the summer and actually catch several fish.”

Even with the herring, things are still best during cooler temperatures — and Kilgore said the current 10-day forecast, which calls for highs in the upper 80s and nighttime lows in the mid-60s, won’t be enough to have a positive effect on the lake.

“I’ve been way off before,” he said. “But I think, if you give me about 41 pounds for the week, I’d feel really good. If I could catch 13 to 13 1/2 pounds a day, I would be happy.”

Kilgore, who is one of the tallest anglers in B.A.S.S. history at 6 feet, 9 inches, said he’ll be “going for the slam dunk instead of the layup.” It’s a clever analogy that means he’ll only be satisfied with a victory and the automatic Classic berth that goes with it.

He’s made the Classic twice before via Opens victories, including the 2015 Classic on South Carolina’s Lake Hartwell where he finished a respectable 22nd and came away believing he should have done much better. The 2018 Classic is also set for Lake Hartwell.

“I’d love to get back to Hartwell again,” Kilgore said. “I felt like I had things dialed in the last time I was there, and it just didn’t quite work out.”

As for what he expects to see happen on Smith, he said 95 percent of the field will likely be sitting on points “herring fishing” — which means they’ll be waiting for giant schools of baitfish to surface and targeting the hungry spotted bass that are busting through them.

Regardless of what happens, he expects the event to be good for his hometown.

“There are a lot more tournaments on Smith than there used to be, and that has meant a lot more pressure on the fish,” he said. “There probably isn’t a bass out there feeding on those herring that hasn’t seen some kind of artificial lure by now.

“But that’s obviously what you want. You want more people to come visit. It’s good for the lake, and it’s good for Jasper.”

In addition to the Classic berth, the winner in the pro division will receive a Skeeter ZX200 powered by a Yamaha SHO 200. The co-angler champion will receive a Triton 179 TrX powered by a Mercury 115 ELPT Four Stroke.

The event is hosted by the Walker County Chamber of Commerce.

2017 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Title Sponsor: Bass Pro Shops

2017 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota

2017 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Premier Sponsors: Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha, Berkley, Huk, Humminbird, Mercury, Power-Pole, Shell Rotella, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats

2017 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Supporting Sponsors: Livingston Lures, Lowrance, Phoenix Boats, Shimano, T-H Marine, Advance Auto Parts, Carhartt, Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels

by AnglersChannel

FLW ANNOUNCES 2018 FLW TOUR RULES, ENTRY DATES

MINNEAPOLIS (Sept. 25, 2017) – Fishing League Worldwide (FLW), the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, announced Monday its rules and entry dates for the 2018 FLW Tour. The season will consist of a 160-boat field competing in seven-regular season events and culminating with the 2018 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of professional bass fishing, to be held on Lake Ouachita in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

“We couldn’t be more excited to get the 2018 FLW Tour season under way,” said Bill Taylor, FLW Senior Director of Tournament Operations. “We’ve put together a great seven-event regular season schedule that is a nice mix of familiar and new fisheries. The FLW Tour pros are the best anglers in the world, and we look forward to another fantastic season showcasing the finest lakes in the United States.”

Among the changes for 2018, the FLW Tour will now feature a cut to the top 30 pros – not 20 – on Day 3 of all regular-season qualifier tournaments. Pro anglers will still compete for up to $125,000 and co-anglers will be vying for up to $25,000 in each tournament including Ranger Cup contingency bonuses. Paybacks include $10,000 through 50th place on the pro side and $1,000 on the co-angler side. Entry fees are unchanged from 2017 at $31,500 for pros, who must fish all seven qualifiers, and $800 per tournament for co-anglers.

The top 40 pros from the 2018 FLW Tour will qualify for the 2018 Forrest Wood Cup, which will consist of 56 professional anglers. In addition to the top 40 pros from the Tour, qualifiers will also include the highest finishing pro from each of five U.S. divisions and the International division at the 2017 Costa FLW Series Championship, plus the top five pros not already selected as the highest finisher in a division at the 2017 FLW Series Championship, the 2018 BFL All-American boater champion, the 2018 TBF boater champion, the 2018 FLW College Fishing champion, the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup champion and the 2017 FLW Tour Angler of the Year.

Registration is now open for the top 100 pros and co-anglers from the 2017 FLW Tour, the top 10 pros and co-anglers from each division of the 2017 FLW Series, the 2017 TBF National Champion from the boater and co-angler division and the boater and co-angler champion from the 2017 BFL All-American. These anglers have until Dec. 4, 2017, to secure their priority entry. Entries from Ranger boat owners and FLW Tour sponsors will be accepted beginning Dec. 5, 2017. Pros and co-anglers who fished the full 2017 FLW Tour or a full division of the 2017 FLW Series will be accepted beginning Dec. 6, 2017, followed by TBF members beginning Dec. 7, 2017. All other entries will be accepted beginning Dec. 8, 2017. Qualified anglers can register by calling 270.252.1000 or online at FLWFishing.com.

Complete rules for the 2018 FLW Tour can be found at FLWFishing.com.

2018 Payouts:

FLW Tour Qualifiers:

Place                                   Pro            Ranger Cup                Co-angler      Ranger Cup

1                                 $100,000                   $25,000                   $20,000               $5,000

2                                     30,000                                                        7,500

3                                     25,000                                                        5,000

4                                     20,000                                                        4,000

5                                     19,000                                                        3,000

6                                     18,000                                                        2,500

7                                     17,000                                                        2,000

8                                     16,000                                                        1,800

9                                     15,000                                                        1,700

10                                   14,000                                                        1,600

11-20                              12,000                                                        1,500

21-50                              10,000                                                        1,000

Big Bass – Day 1               500                                                           250

Big Bass – Day 2               500                                                           250

 

Angler of the Year:          

$100,000 + 2019 Forrest Wood Cup entry

 

Co-angler of the Year:

Place                                                                        

1                                Ranger Z518C with 200 HP outboard

2                                   $10,000

3                                      9,000

4                                      8,000

5                                      7,000

6                                      6,000

7                                      5,500

8                                       5,000

9                                       4,500

10                                     4,000

 

Forrest Wood Cup:

Place                                   Pro                               

1                                $300,000 + 2019 Forrest Wood Cup entry

2                                    60,000

3                                    50,000

4                                    37,500

5                                    30,000

6                                    24,000

7                                    23,000

8                                     22,000

9                                    21,000

10                                  20,000

11-20                             15,000

21-56                             10,000

 

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishingand on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

by AnglersChannel

LSU-SHREVEPORT WINS YETI FLW COLLEGE FISHING TOURNAMENT ON RED RIVER

BOSSIER CITY, La. (Sept. 25, 2017) – The Louisiana State University-Shreveport duo of Harrison Hopkins of Bossier City, and Ryan Antee, of Hosston, Louisiana, won the YETI FLW College Fishing Southern Conference tournament at the Red River presented by Bass Pro Shops Saturday with a five-bass limit weighing 11 pounds, 7 ounces. The victory earned the Shreveport bass club $2,000 and the team will now advance to compete at the 2018 FLW College Fishing National Championship, which will also be hosted on the Red River, May 30-June 2.

The duo said that they stayed in Pool No. 5 of the river, fishing the entire day within 100 to 200 yards of the launch site at the Red River South Marina in Bossier City.

“The Red River is basically our backyard,” said Hopkins, a sophomore majoring in business. “We fish there all the time. Practice was really key for us in this tournament. We found our fish on Wednesday and left them alone until the morning of the tournament. Luckily, they were still there.

“We started out throwing black buzzbaits in 3 to 4 feet of water through stump fields,” Hopkins continued. “We caught our biggest kicker bass in the morning, then once the sun came up the buzzbait bite shut down. We spent the rest of the day flipping stumps and laydowns.”

The Shreveport club said that their flipping bait of choice was a black and red-colored Texas-rigged Zoom Speed Craw.

“Even though we won, it was still a bit of a struggle,” Hopkins went on to say. “We lost a few fish that would have put us around 15 pounds, and we definitely didn’t think that 11½ pounds would be enough to win. I’m glad that we had the outcome that we did.”

The top 10 teams that advanced to the 2018 College Fishing National Championship are:

1st: Louisiana State University-Shreveport – Harrison Hopkins, Bossier City, La., and Ryan Antee, Hosston, La., five bass, 11-7, $2,000

2nd: University of Texas-Tyler – James Shamburger and Cameron Bradbury, both of Tyler, Texas, five bass, 11-2, $1,000

3rd: Oklahoma State University – Bates Enmeier, Enid, Okla., and Dexter Flick, Stillwater, Okla., five bass, 11-1, $900

4th: Oklahoma State University – Kobe Payton, Pauls Valley, Okla., and Blaise Weimer, of Grapevine, Texas, five bass, 10-8, $500

5th: Texas A&M University – Connor Whisenant, The Woodlands, Texas, and Carter Henderson, Tyler, Texas, five bass, 10-0, $500

6th: Northeastern State University – Tyler Winn and Ethan Burris, both of Tahlequah, Okla., five bass, 10-0

7th: Louisiana Tech University – Scott McClellan, Leesville, La., and Adam Forester, Pineville, La., five bass, 9-14

8th: Northwestern State University – Hunter Malmay, Zwolle, La., and Robert Jones, Minden, La., five bass, 9-12

9th: University of Louisiana-Monroe – Koby Dortch, Clarks, La., and Hogan Beckley, Grayson, La., five bass, 9-6

10th: Sam Houston State University – Jackson Carrell, Anderson, Texas, and Kyle Pasket, Tomball, Texas, five bass, 9-4

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

This YETI FLW College Fishing Southern Conference event at the Red River was hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission and was the second of three regular-season qualifying tournament for Southern Conference anglers in 2017. The third and final YETI FLW College Fishing event for Southern Conference anglers is scheduled for Oct. 14 at Fort Gibson Lake in Wagoner, Oklahoma.

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, along with an additional qualifier for every 10 teams over 100 that compete, along with the top 20 teams from the annual YETI FLW College Fishing Open advance to the 2018 FLW College Fishing National Championship on the Red River, hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission & Red River Waterway Commission.

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 regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow College Fishing on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing. Visit FLWFishing.com to sign up or to start a club at your school.

by AnglersChannel

"Sweet Home Alabama" - Why the "Bama" Boys are so Dang Good!

Drivers traveling to Alabama are greeted by a sign at the state line that reads, “Welcome to Sweet Home Alabama.” There is great meaning behind the sign and the reference to the Lynyrd Skynyrd song Sweet Home Alabama. This song has long been the anthem of many Alabamians. Numerous people travel to the state for various reasons, and in recent years anglers have moved to Alabama to sharpen their fishing skills on some of the best lakes in the country. Consequently, they are now learning what some of the home-grown anglers have known for years… Alabama is home to some really sweet fishing.

The major tournament trails are stacked with great anglers. Many of this year’s strong rookie class in both the Elites Series and FLW Tour have honed their skills in Alabama. Three of the top four anglers in Bassmaster Rookie of the Year (ROY) standings have Alabama listed as their home state.  The Elite Series ROY Dustin Connell along with FLW ROY Bradley Dortch both are Alabama natives.

Nineteen anglers in the Elite series have Alabama listed as their home state, more than any other state in the field. Last year’s Bassmaster Classic Champion, Jordan Lee is from Alabama. The 2017 FLW Cup Champion, Justin Atkins lists Alabama as his home.

 

This brings to question why is Alabama sweet home to so many anglers?

2017 Elite Series Rookie Jesse Wiggins had already qualified for the 2018 Classic before ever fishing an Elite Series Event and now has double qualified for the event.

Kay Donaldson, Program Director of the Alabama Bass Tournament Trail (ABT), which hosts tournaments all over the state, says the key to good fishing is “Alabama has very mineral rich resources” like the Tennessee River, the Alabama River and the Coosa River chain.  The Tennessee River supplies North Alabama with 4 amazing lakes: Guntersville, Wheeler, Wilson and Pickwick. The Alabama River is an additional resource that runs just north of Montgomery south and empties into the Mobile Delta. The Coosa River system is well-known for its spotted bass fishing.  “Our lakes are well managed.” The Department of Conservation, Tennessee Valley Authority and other organizations conduct numerous studies to look at the quality of the fishery which helps set creel limits to be satisfactory to what the lakes can produce. “Overall we have a lot of people interested in the health of the lakes.”

Elite Rookie Jessie Wiggins from Cullman, Alabama says the fishing in Alabama is just so diverse between the Coosa River, the Tennessee River and the highland impoundments such as Smith Lake. Jessie has fished all his life. Fishing is a big deal in Alabama. “That’s what we do on the weekends and we can fish year-round.” Bass fishing is so competitive in Alabama. Alabama is home to a lot of great anglers “you grow up and have to whack them from a young age if you want to win.” One of the keys to Wiggins success is spending as much time fishing as he can on all the lakes in Alabama. He and his brother, Jordan, won the 2016 ABT North Angler of the Year. Fishing the ABT opened Wiggins’ eyes to other lakes in Alabama like the Tennessee River, Neely Henry, Wise Lake and Logan Martin.  To be competitive in Alabama “you have to do different things; you can’t just throw the same bait the whole time.  My main focus since I fished my first tournament at five years old was to win. I realize you can’t win every time you go out, but every time out I want to win. I put just as much pressure on myself at the Thursday night jack pot tournament at Smith Lake as I do on the Elite Series events.”

 

This brings another question to mind… Does Alabama help you prepare to fish at the next Level?

Alabama Transplant Justin Lucas, originally from California moved to Alabama several years ago for the diversity and proximity of lakes and rivers in Alabama.

Many current pros have moved from other areas of the country to Alabama. Being centrally located in the southeast was one of the reasons former FLW and Current Elite Pro, Justin Lucas chose to move to Alabama from northern California in 2010. The fishing reminded him of what it was like in northern California. “In a couple hours’ drive you have many different types of fisheries.” Another factor for Lucas were rivers with current that pulled water every day like the Tennessee River. Lucas knew it was important to learn how to fish these waters in order to be more successful as a fisherman.  Living in Alabama has helped him be closer to the tournaments and has given him more opportunities to be with family instead of having to drive all the way back to California.

Anglers wanting to be successful at the next level must learn to adjust to challenging lakes and conditions. Alabama waters offer anglers varying opportunities from learning to read electronics to locate deep underwater structure in lakes that were flooded in the 1900’s and 1950’s to fishing shallow stump flats. At the same time, anglers have to learn how fish react to generation schedules and why they hang out in eel grass, hydrilla and millfold.  “You can sit in one spot at Pickwick at any given time and catch a 30lb catfish, a 6lb smallmouth, a 7lb largemouth and a bunch of brim within 25 casts. It’s kind of like being a baseball player; you are not going to get any better if you don’t practice. There is no other place where someone can drive within two hours and be more diversified than the state of Alabama” said Donaldson.

When you fish a tournament in Alabama there is one guy on each lake who is the best angler on that particular lake every time you fish. “You’re competing against the best in the Southeast,” Donaldson said. This helps anglers who fish in Alabama move on to the next level because not only do they gain tournament experience, but they gain confidence fishing against some of the best.

2017 Elite Series Rookie of the Year and Alabama Native Dustin Connell Showing off some nice Bama Bass

Dustin Connell, Elite Series rookie from Clanton, Alabama, not only won the 2017 ROY but also won the Elite Series event at Ross Barnett in his rookie season. He says, “Alabama fishermen have a variety of places they can go and learn.” Connell who lives just twelve miles from Lake Mitchell and Lake Jordan and really close to the Alabama River says, “I can go and fish any technique I want just twelve miles from my house.” The guys who have spent time fishing in Alabama “have learned a lot and every place they go they probably have seen that kind of water before.”

Connell says he’s been fishing all over the Southeast and none of those are like Saturday mornings in Alabama. On any given Saturday morning in Alabama “a gas station near a lake is filled with boats” gassing up for a day on the lake; “it doesn’t matter what city you’re in, every station near a lake is filled up. It’s just what we do.”

FLW Tour rookie and 2017 FLW Cup Champion Justin Atkins, has also been tournament fishing since he was a kid in Mississippi. He fished through the college ranks, Costa Series and now calls Florence, Alabama his home.  Atkins believes when it comes to

FLW Cup Champion Justin Atkins.

fishing style “Alabama has every availability to do whatever you may do anywhere else in the world. Guys in Alabama are more dialed because of that.” Shallow water river fishing at the Coosa and pitching docks to deep ledge current fishing on the Tennessee River helped him learn how to find and catch more fish and move to the next level because he was more prepared.

Bradley Dortch the 2017 FLW ROY, who grew up in South Alabama says, “Alabama fishing is so good.” Dortch grew up fishing tidal river systems and traveling from his home in Atmore to fish Lake Martin for deep spotted bass. One of his favorite lakes is Lay Lake because the different options it offers: “in one lake you can fish grass, swim a jig, crankbait, top water, brush piles, flip docks or fish the main river coming out of Logan Martin. Dortch said fishing in Alabama has helped him prepare for the next level because “I can pick up a drop shot, spoon in 30-40 feet of water, and I’m just as comfortable in 2 feet of water.”

Bass fishing continues to be great in Alabama. The latest 2016 BAIT Report* (which summarizes the results of 14,778 tournaments in Alabama) states the average bass weight caught has increased by 8% over last year.  Harris, Pickwick, Wilson, Eufaula, and Guntersville were the top five big bass lakes in Alabama according to the report.

If you are looking to hone your fishing skills or just have a good time out on the water, Alabama should be on your list to visit. The lakes are home to some of the best fishing in the country, and the weather offers more time for you to get out on the water and maybe even consider making Alabama your home.

http://www.outdooralabama.com/bass-fishing-quality-bait-reports

 

 

 

Author Jason Duran, An Avid Outdoorsman and Alabama Bass Trail Angler from Mississippi. You can find Jason here on Facebook or on Twitter

 

by AnglersChannel

OKLAHOMA’S REYNOLDS WINS COSTA FLW SERIES SOUTHWESTERN DIVISION FINALE ON LAKE TEXOMA

Oklahoma Angler Takes Home $80,167 including New Ranger Boat

Link to photo of tournament champion Jeff Reynolds

DENISON, Texas (Sept. 23, 2017) – Boater Jeff Reynolds of Calera, Oklahoma, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 15 pounds, 9 ounces Saturday to win the Costa FLW Series Southwestern Division tournament on Lake Texoma presented by Frabill. Reynolds’ three-day total of 15 bass weighing 51 pounds, 9 ounces was enough to earn him $80,167, including a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.

“I put a lot of work into preparing for this event,” said Reynolds, who earned his first career-victory in FLW Series competition. “The payday means more than anything to me right now. I’m building a house and we have a baby on the way, so any money helps.

“I played the wind a lot this week – it was one of the biggest factors in where I decided to fish,” continued Reynolds. “On Day One it was blowing really hard so I stayed shallow. On Day Two it was a bit lighter so I was able to catch some out deep. On Day Three, it was so calm that all but one came from deep water.”

Reynolds said his most productive bait up shallow was a Heddon Super Spook topwater. He said his shallow areas were primarily on the main lake.

“I focused on flat points and banks with rock, sand and clay,” said Reynolds. “The biggest key was the shad. If I could find shad pushed up on the flats, I knew I could catch them.”

For the deep bite, Reynolds worked through stumps, brush and rock piles with a Texas-rigged green-pumpkin-colored Zoom Trick Worm with a ½-ounce weight.

“I had deeper areas both on the main lake and in pockets,” said Reynolds “Some keepers came as shallow as 10 feet, but most were 20 to 25 feet down.”

The top 10 pros on Lake Texoma finished:

1st: Jeff Reynolds, Calera, Okla., 15 bass, 51-9, $80,167

2nd: Don McFarlin, Gordonville, Texas, 15 bass, 47-1, $13,627

3rd: T.R. Andreas, Kerrville, Texas, 15 bass, 44-6, $10,750

4th: Alton Wilhoit, Noble, Okla., 15 bass, 44-6, $8,892

5th: Kevin Gressett, Tioga, Texas, 15 bass, 43-2, $7,913

6th: Hayden Burkett, Bokchito, Okla., 15 bass, 42-7, $7,033

7th: Jeff Sprague, Point, Texas, 15 bass, 42-7, $6,154

8th: Dicky Newberry, Houston, Texas, 15 bass, 41-7, $5,275

9th: Brandon Mosley, Choctaw, Okla., 15 bass, 40-13, $4,396

10th: Ricci Head, Shawnee, Okla., 11 bass, 37-14, $3,517

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

Joe Lane of Republic, Missouri, caught a 6-pound, 11-ounce bass Thursday – the biggest of the tournament in the Boater Division. For his catch, Lane earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $242.

Dan Wilson of Pilot Point, Texas, won the Co-angler Division, $5,000 and a new Ranger Z175 with a 90-horsepower Evinrude outboard motor. Wilson earned his win with a three-day total catch of 15 bass weighing 37 pounds, 15 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers on Lake Texoma finished:

1st: Dan Wilson, Pilot Point, Texas, 15 bass, 37-15, $27,200 + $5,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

2nd: Daren Scott, Aledo, Texas, 12 bass, 35-0, $4,588

3rd: Rick Parker, Kaufman, Texas, 14 bass, 31-12, $3,541

4th: J.C. Thompson, Calera, Okla., 11 bass, 27-7, $3,099

5th: Joe Copeland, Roff, Okla., 10 bass, 26-13, $2,656

6th: Andrew Brandstrom, White Bear Lake, Minn., 10 bass, 25-11, $2,263

7th: Chris Weaver, Lawton, Okla., 11 bass, 21-14, $1,771

8th: Chad Witten, Elgin, Okla., 10 bass, 21-2, $1,549

9th: Hugh Rose, Davis, Okla., nine bass, 20-15, $1,328

10th: Bruce Jones, Arlington, Texas, eight bass, 20-2, $1,107

Chris Jeffery caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division Thursday – a fish weighing 6 pounds, 7 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $161.

The Costa FLW Series on Lake Texoma presented by Frabill was hosted by the Denison Area Chamber of Commerce. It was the third and final Southwestern Division tournament of the 2017 season. The next Costa FLW Series event will be a Western Division tournament, held Sept. 28-30 on Clear Lake in Lakeport, California. For a complete schedule, visit FLWFishing.com.

The Costa FLW Series consists of five U.S. divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western. Each division consists of three tournaments with competitors vying for valuable points that could earn them the opportunity to fish in the Costa FLW Series Championship. The 2017 Costa FLW Series Championship is being held Nov. 2-4 on Kentucky Lake in Paris, Tennessee, and is hosted by the Henry County Tourism Authority.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Costa FLW Series on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

by AnglersChannel

Jeff Reynolds Jumps from 10th to 1st Heading into Championship Saturday

September 22, 2017

by David A. Brown - FLW Outdoors

A diverse game plan blessed with a late-day kicker yielded a limit catch of 19 pounds, 4 ounces to move Jeff Reynolds from 10th place into first with 36 even on day two of the Costa FLW Series Southwestern Division event presented by Frabill on Lake Texoma.

Complete results 

“I was able to fish some more of my stuff more today,” Reynolds says. “I have a couple places that have them in there pretty good and I had probably 16 pounds early this morning and I caught a lot of them out of one area.”

Reynolds says he fished shallow and deep – from zero to 25 feet. Playing the day’s conditions was intrinsic to his success. Contrasting yesterday’s sunny, windy conditions, day two brought mostly cloudy skies through noon, less wind and slightly cooler temperatures.

“I think the biggest difference today was the cloudy conditions,” Reynolds says. “For some of the stuff I’m doing, I need the sun. I really feel like I can catch the big ones if I get sun because of the way the shad work (rise to the surface). But, this morning when it was cloudy, I caught them pretty good too.”

Reynolds threw topwaters during the morning and he approached other scenarios with a Carolina rig, Texas-rigged worms and shaky heads. No one bait dominated his day, so he kept rotating to keep a fresh look in front of the fish.

Jeff Reynolds

“I’m really running spots, not as much a pattern. It’s all according to what the wind and the sun are doing," says Reynolds. "When it was cloudy, I’d fish shallow and when the sun was out, I’d go out deep and fish brush piles.”

Securing a good limit early afforded him the confidence to go big-fish hunting.

“When I had the 16 pounds early, I knew I had enough to make the cut,” Reynolds says. “So I laid off a lot of my stuff that I knew I could catch them on. On this lake, when you’re trying to catch a 4- or 5-pounder, you can catch them out of 2 feet of water or 20 feet of water. So, I really just went fishing the majority of the day and I got lucky and caught a big one (5-13) right there at the end.”

 

Top 10 pros

1. Jeff Reynolds – Calera, Okla. – 36-0 (10)

2. T.R. Andreas – Kerrville, Texas – 33-7 (10)

3. Alton Wilhoit – Noble, Okla. – 32-12 (10)

4. Hayden Burkett – Bokchito, Okla. – 32-4 (10)

5. Kevin Gressett – Tioga, Texas – 30-7 (10)

6. Dicky Newberry – Houston, Texas – 30-3 (10)

7. Jeff Sprague – Point, Texas – 29-15 (10)

8. Don McFarlin – Gordonville, Texas – 29-14 (10)

9. Brandon Mosley – Choctaw, Okla. – 29-3 (10)

10. Ricci Head – Shawnee, Okla. – 29-2 (9)

Complete results 

 

Daren Scott

Scott grinds it out for co-angler lead

He started the morning in 10th place, but after fishing a day he described as more functional than fanciful, Daren Scott, of Aledo, Texas sacked up a limit of 15-8 and rose to first place in the co-angler division with 26-6. His day-two catch was the heaviest of the tournament.

“It was a grind. I only had five keeper bites all day,” says Scott, who fished behind Dylan Hays. “It wasn’t one thing, I caught fish on four different baits. Today was mostly slow baits, yesterday was mostly reaction baits. Today, I fished mostly deep and yesterday was mostly shallow.”

Scott caught his day-two fish mostly on points with scattered brush and isolated rock. His bites were spread throughout the day, but a late rally produced good keepers for him and Hays.

“I caught my first fish on my fifth cast, but I didn’t have my limit until 2:15,” Scott says.

Complete results 

by AnglersChannel

Powroznik Earns Fourth Straight Classic Berth As Last Man Standing At Pokegama Lake

Jacob Powroznik of Port Haywood, Va., won the 2017 Bassmaster Classic Bracket held out of Grand Rapids, Minn., Friday, earning a berth in the 2018 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods. 

Photo illustration by B.A.S.S.
Sept. 22, 2017GRAND RAPIDS, Minn. — For the past three years, Jacob Powroznik has qualified for the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods by finishing inside the cut in the season-long Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points standings on the Bassmaster Elite Series.

This year, he had to work overtime to get to the Classic.

But he’ll be there just the same.

Powroznik defeated four anglers in five days to win this week’s Classic Bracket on Pokegama Lake, outscoring Steve Kennedy in the two-day first round, Dave Lefebre in the semifinals and Ish Monroe in Friday’s closely contested finale.

The Virginia pro caught 16 pounds, 11 ounces of bass Friday — compared to the 14-8 landed by Monroe — to earn the tournament’s automatic Classic berth.

“It’s unbelievable, man,” Powroznik said with tears in his eyes. “It’s just such a relief. It’s the most pressure I’ve ever fished under — and I mean ever.

“To tell you the truth, I don’t ever want to go through that again.”

The Classic Bracket featured the Top 8 finishers in the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings who failed to qualify for the Classic. The seeds were: 1. Kennedy, 2. Michael Iaconelli, 3. Jonathon VanDam, 4. Kelley Jaye, 5. Lefebre, 6. Monroe, 7. Adrian Avena and 8. Powroznik.

All 24 hours of the catch-weigh-release event were aired on Bassmaster LIVE online at Bassmaster.com and on ESPN3 — and by Friday, only Monroe and Powroznik remained. As is often the case with competitive bass angling, early-morning decisions were big for both anglers.

Powroznik, who spent much of the earlier rounds fishing boat docks with a spinning reel, switched to a baitcaster and a swimbait and scored early with a 3-4 largemouth on his first cast. He added a 1-2 on his second cast and steadily built a solid five-bass limit of 11-4 before an hour had passed.

He upgraded with a 3-14 largemouth around 10 a.m. and then had one of the strangest occurrences of the Elite Series season when he landed a solid bass with a yellow cull tag clipped in its mouth.

The tag had likely been placed there by an angler in a previous tournament who then somehow failed to remove it when the bass was released.

Monroe’s on-boat judge, B.A.S.S. Nation Director Jon Stewart, originally ruled that the cull tag had to be removed before the fish could be weighed. But Powroznik objected.

“That’s the way it was when I caught it,” he said. “If the bass had a bluegill in its throat, I would get to weigh the bluegill. If it had a lamprey stuck to it, I would get to weigh the lamprey.”

Stewart consulted B.A.S.S. Tournament Director Trip Weldon, who advised him to weigh the fish both ways — with the tag and without. The weight in both situations was 3-3.

“I’ve fished over a thousand tournament days, and I’ve never seen anything like that,” said Bassmaster LIVE commentator and former Elite Series pro Davy Hite.

Once the sun began to break, Powroznik moved away from his largemouth areas and went looking for smallmouth. That’s when he put the tournament away with smallies that weighed 4-3 and 3-0.

“That place I started this morning, I had fished it so many times,” Powroznik said. “I knew they were there because I had been catching every time I went. This morning, I decided I was going to do something different and I started with that swimbait. It was the right move.”

Monroe’s early-morning strategy carried him into a small, picturesque canal that led into a weed-lined pond known as “Little Pokegama.” The decision proved to be a tough one, as Monroe got only two bites in the area — both of which came from northern pike.

He finally caught his first bass — a small 1-3 largemouth — at 8:53 a.m. and followed quickly with a 3-6 at 8:57. But the big bite like the 5-1 smallmouth he landed during the semifinals Thursday never came, and he wasn’t able to catch Powroznik.

Just before the final round ended, Monroe — who has long been known as one of the fiercest competitors in the sport — hooked a fish and lost it, causing him to throw his rod in frustration.

When time ran out, he cranked his outboard and motored back toward the launch in total silence.

The local host for the event was Visit Grand Rapids.
2017 Bassmaster Classic Bracket 9/19-9/22
Pokegama Lake, Grand Rapids, Minn.
Standings Day 4 - FinalAngler              Hometown                 No./lbs-oz

Jacob Powroznik     Port Haywood, Va.        5/16-11
Ish Monroe          Hughson, Calif.          5/14-8

by AnglersChannel

Billy Cline Leads Texoma FLW Costa Event with over 19 pounds!

by David A. Brown - FLW Outdoors

Conventional wisdom tells us that finding the food means finding the bass, especially when fall’s approach signals the need to feed. Texas pro Billy Cline followed that logic, only with a subtle twist, and sacked up a Lake Texoma limit of 19 pounds, 4 ounces to lead day one of the Costa FLW Series Southwestern Division event presented by Frabill.

Complete results

Top five patterns 

Like most, Cline was mindful of the large schools of shad roaming around the lake. However, his success hinged more on quality than quantity.

“There were some big wads of bait in the area, but we found the bigger fish weren’t really around the big schools," says Cline. "They were chasing the isolated gizzard shad.”

Cline describes his day as “junk fishing,” in which he looked for isolated shallow-water targets on and around main-lake points and rotated through topwaters, crankbaits and shaky heads. Fortunately, his day got off to a quick start.

“I caught all my fish by about 9:15 a.m.,” says Cline. “I only caught one keeper after that, but it didn’t help me. I caught my first keeper around 7:30 and then I didn’t catch another one until 8:45. So between 8:45 and 9:15, I caught the rest of my weight.”

Cline attributes that early lull to a pair of competitors who sandwiched him on his first spot. When the fishing pressure shut down that spot, Cline ran to a spot he’d intended to save for day two and ended up filling his limit there.

 

Top 10 pros

1. Billy Cline – Grapevine, Texas – 19-4 (5)

2. Russell Cecil – Willis, Texas – 18-2 (5)

3. T.R. Andreas – Kerrville, Texas – 18-0 (5)

3. Brian Clark – Haltom City, Texas – 18-0 (5)

5. Alton Wilhoit – Noble, Okla. – 17-13 (5)

6. Brady Winans – Caddo Mills, Texas – 17-12 (5)

7. Christopher Digino – Dallas, Texas – 16-15 (5)

7. Don McFarlin – Gordonville, Texas – 16-15 (5)

9. Brandon Mosley – Choctaw, Okla. – 16-14 (5)

10. Jeff Reynolds – Calera, Okla. – 16-12 (5)

Complete results 

 

Dan Wilson

Local knowledge lands Wilson atop co-angler field

Typically, co-anglers fish what their pro partners choose, but when Dan Wilson had the opportunity to point the way, he did not hesitate to leverage his intimate knowledge of Texoma to select productive waters that yielded a leading limit of 13-7.

“The guy that I fished with was a nice guy and he knew I lived here, so he asked ‘do you have some places?’,” Wilson says. “That really made a difference and we both caught fish.”

Frequent moves were the cornerstone of Wilson’s plan, as he and pro Jerod Hawkes hopped around to several spots. Brush, rocks and docks comprised the targets that accounted for all of Wilson’s weight.

“I’d say we probably caught our better fish off the rocks with the wind on them,” Wilson says. “Squarebill crankbaits produced all of my fish.”

 

Top 10 co-anglers
1. Dan Wilson – Pilot Point, Texas – 13-7 (5)

2. Jim Zaleski – Parsons, Kan. – 13-1 (4)

3. Brian Pierce – Colorado Springs, Colo. – 12-7 (5)

4. Joe Copeland – Roff, Okla. – 12-6 (5)

5. Cedric Jackson – Sicily Island, La. – 12-5 (4)

6. Melinda Hays – Sheridan, Ark. – 11-10 (5)

7. Rick Parker – Kaufman, Texas – 11-4 (5)

8. Fred Fielder – Vian, Okla. – 11-1 (5)

9. Chad Witten – Elgin, Okla. – 10-15 (5)

10. Daren Scott – Aledo, Texas – 10-14 (5)

Complete results 

by AnglersChannel

And Then There Were Two.......Monroe, Powroznik Win Bracket Matches, Will Battle For Berth In Bassmaster Classic

During the semifinal round of the Bassmaster Classic Bracket held on the Pokegama Lake out of Grand Rapids, Minn., Ish Monroe defeated Michael Iaconelli and Jacob Powroznik defeated Dave Lefebre to advance to the championship match on Friday. The weights will go back to zero and both anglers will fish six hours, from 7:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. CT.

Photos by B.A.S.S.
Sept. 21, 2017

GRAND RAPIDS, Minn. — When the Bassmaster Elite Series season began, 110 of the best pro fishermen in the world had a chance to qualify for the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.

Now, after eight months and thousands of miles traveled on the nation’s interstates and waterways, that race for a last-chance berth is down to two.

California pro Ish Monroe and Virginia pro Jacob Powroznik both won their matches during Thursday’s semifinal round of the Bassmaster Classic Bracket event on Pokegama Lake, Minnesota. That means they’ll battle head-to-head Friday from 7:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. CT for an automatic Classic berth.

The Classic Bracket started Tuesday with the Top 8 anglers from the final Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings who failed to qualify for the Classic. All of the action from the catch-weigh-release event has been carried by Bassmaster LIVE online at Bassmaster.com.

Here’s a look at how the semifinals played out.

Ish Monroe vs. Michael Iaconelli

The two anglers, who are close friends and frequent roommates on the Elite Series, were close in the standings most of the day, with Monroe using a plastic frog to catch largemouth around shallow grass and Iaconelli relying heavily on a jerkbait to catch offshore smallmouth.

But one frenetic stretch provided separation just after noon.

After Iaconelli had taken a slim lead with a largemouth that weighed 2 pounds, 15 ounces, Monroe jumped back ahead with a 3-0 smallmouth that was weighed and released just seconds later.

Then Monroe had the moment of the week so far, landing a monster smallmouth that tipped the scales at a whopping 5-1. The biggest bass caught from Pokegama this week provided Monroe a cull of more than 2 pounds and gave him a hefty lead of 16-7 to 13-3.

“I think I caught that same fish in practice, roughly about 30 feet from where it was today,” Monroe said. “That was definitely the one I needed today.

“I think those fish stay out in deep water a lot of the time. But then when they want to feed, they move up onto a shallow flat — and that’s where that big one was.”

Iaconelli made one small upgrade during the final 10 minutes, but Monroe still triumphed 16-7 to 13-5.

For Monroe, the victory means he still has a shot at his 11th career Classic appearance. For Iaconelli, the loss ended his chances of earning a 17th consecutive Classic berth and the 19th overall for his career.

“It looks easy, but it isn’t,” Monroe said. “It’s tough having a Classic berth on the line against one of your best friends — and there’s still one more day.”

Jacob Powroznik vs. Dave Lefebre

At one point, Powroznik seemed to be catching bass at will off a short stretch of shoreline filled with boat docks. He landed a 2-12 and a 2-5 largemouth off the same dock on back-to-back casts around 9:15 a.m., and then followed with a 2-7, a 2-2 and a 2-4 in the span of about 15 minutes.

His biggest fish of the day was a 3-4 largemouth that also came off a dock just before noon.

“When you’re fishing a good stretch of docks, it can happen just that fast,” said Powroznik, who has qualified for the Classic three straight years.

Powroznik won the match 13-6 to 12-7 — and that slim margin is likely to haunt Lefebre, who had numerous chances to surpass the veteran Virginia pro.

Using a green pumpkin Terminator jig to fish around docks and offshore pencil reeds, Lefebre nearly matched Powroznik fish for fish. But he lost a bass that he believed to be a 3-plus-pounder before noon and another one in that range just before the round ended.

“That’s the really tough thing about our sport,” Lefebre said. “You can make the right decision, make a great cast, get the right bite — and things still just don’t work out.”

Powroznik was happy with the victory, but well aware there is work left to be done.

“I feel really good, but I’m also stressed out again,” he said. “There were a lot of fish caught today, but a lot of 2-pounders. You know the big ones are in here because Ish caught the 5-pounder. That’s what it’s going to take.”

The local host for this event is Visit Grand Rapids.

2017 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota

2017 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Minn Kota, Power-Pole, Shell Rotella, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha, Berkley, Huk, Humminbird, Nitro Boats, Mercury

2017 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Academy Sports + Outdoors, Carhartt, Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels, Livingston Lures, Lowrance, Phoenix Boats, T-H Marine, Shimano, Advance Auto Parts

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 more than 45 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, Costa Bassmaster High School Series presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.

-30-

Media Contact: JamieDay Matthews, 205-313-0945, [email protected] or Dave Precht, 205-313-0931, [email protected]
2017 Bassmaster Classic Bracket 9/19-9/22
Pokegama Lake, Grand Rapids, Minn.
Standings Day 3

Angler              Hometown                 No./lbs-oz
Ish Monroe          Hughson, Calif.          5/16-7

Michael Iaconelli   Pittsgrove, N.J.         5/13-5
Jacob Powroznik     Port Haywood, Va.        5/13-6
Dave Lefebre        Erie, Pa.                5/12-7

by AnglersChannel

Raymarine Axiom Software Update 9.21.17

New LightHouse 3.2 Offers Additional Enhancements

WILSONVILLE, OR (September 21, 2017) - One of the best ways to get the most out of any marine electronics is to update software when it becomes available. Make this a habit and you’re sure to stay on the cutting edge—all without any additional investment.

For boaters and anglers using Raymarine Axiom units, the new LightHouse 3.2 operating software update provides numerous enhancements and an even more intuitive, seamless, and fluid user experience.

Installing the new update is simple via wireless network or PC. For updating via wireless network, simply connect your Axiom to your home Wi-Fi or your phone’s mobile hotspot. Yes, you can actually update your Axiom software while you’re on the water! You can also download Lighthouse 3.2 via Raymarine’s website here.

 

Lighthouse 3.2 enhancements include:

  • Navionics Dock-to-Dock Autorouting, SonarChart Live, and advanced charting options
  • C-MAP Chart support including Easy Routing, Active Captain, high-resolution bathymetry and sport fishing data
  • 1-touch “Autoroute to Here” navigation with both C-MAP and Navionics charts
  • Wireless HD Display streaming to external monitors and HDTVs using Miracast HDMI over Wi-Fi
  • Remote control of both Fusion and Rockford Fosgate entertainment system using NMEA2000
  • Expanded waypoint viewing options, color palettes, and transducer calibration options in RealVision 3D sonar
  • Expanded support for upgrades of attached network devices and accessories

 

 

 

LightHouse 3.2 includes all features added in version 3.196, including:

3D Sonar GPS Track Mode: This is the new default operating mode for RealVision 3D. The 3D image responds in real-time to inputs from its internal gyro-stabilization, plus the GPS system. When you turn, you’ll see the 3D image turn as well.  When you speed up, it matches your speed. When you stop, it stops. As you make multiple passes around the same area the 3D image continuously updates and gets larger. Adjacent passes are stitched together into a comprehensive view of the bottom, structure and water column. Fish and bait that were in one location on pass one and shown in their new location in pass two, three, four, etc.  Depending on the depth where you are fishing, the system can display 10 minutes (or more) of prior history. Deeper water gives you more time.
Sonar Scroll Back: You can now pause and rewind any sonar channel on the system. If you’re looking at more than one sonar channel simultaneously, pausing one pauses them all and when rewound, they all rewind together. This lets you go back and take a second look, add waypoints, etc.
Historical Sonar Sensitivity: If you adjust any of the sonar sensitivity settings (gain, filtering, etc.), it not only applies to new data coming in, but also to all of that prior scroll-back history, too. For example, you might increase or decrease the surface filter or gain and suddenly see fish in your past history that were previously concealed.
3D Waypoint Placement: You can now touch anywhere on the 3D display and drop a waypoint. There is a mechanism there, too, that allows you to fine-tune that waypoint to get it right on the desired spot.
Wi-Fi connectivity to RayRemote and RayControl Apps for Apple and Android Devices
New SideVision and DownVision Default Settings: Raymarine sonar engineers have re-adjusted the default levels for target intensity and gain on SideVision and DownVision channels. These new settings offer increased clarity and definition without additional user adjustment.
Evolution Autopilot Control Interface
Expanded Support for RMK-10 Wired Keypad

by AnglersChannel

Monroe, Iaconelli, Lefebre, Powroznik Earn Semifinal Berths In Classic Bracket

After the second day of the Bassmaster Classic Bracket held on Pokegama Lake out of Grand Rapids, Minn., the Match One winner (Powroznik) will move on to fish against the Match Two winner (Lefebre) Thursday, and the Match Three winner (Monroe) will move on to fish against the Match Four winner (Iaconelli). The weights will go back to zero, and all anglers will fish six hours, from 7:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. CT.

Photo illustration by B.A.S.S.

Sept. 20, 2017

GRAND RAPIDS, Minn. — After two full days of fishing the Bassmaster Classic Bracket last-chance tournament on Pokegama Lake, four anglers moved a step closer to earning a berth in the 2018 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods to be held on South Carolina’s Lake Hartwell.

During the morning session, California pro Ish Monroe won his head-to-head battle with Jonathon VanDam and earned a spot in the semifinals, while New Jersey veteran Michael Iaconelli kept his chances alive for a 17th straight Classic berth with a victory over second-year B.A.S.S. pro Adrian Avena.

During the afternoon session, Virginia pro Jacob Powroznik cruised past top-seeded pro, Steve Kennedy, who finished second in the 2017 Classic. Pennsylvania pro Dave Lefebre earned his spot in the semifinal round by defeating Alabamian Kelley Jaye.

The four remaining anglers will fish from 7:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. CT Thursday, with the weights starting back at zero. Iaconelli will face Monroe, and Lefebre will square off against Powroznik. The two anglers who survive Thursday’s round will fish head-to-head on Friday with a Classic berth on the line.

Here’s a look at how the matches played out Wednesday during the catch-weigh-release event that featured start-to-finish coverage by Bassmaster LIVE on Bassmaster.com.

Morning matches

No. 2 Michael Iaconelli vs. No. 7 Adrian Avena

The two New Jersey pros put on an entertaining show Wednesday, but it was Avena’s struggles on the first day of competition that ultimately made the difference.

Ike caught five fish Tuesday that weighed 10-0, while Avena managed just four that weighed 7-12. They were almost even Wednesday, with Iaconelli bringing in a five-bass limit that weighed 14-0 and Avena catching five that weighed 13-7.

But Avena’s one missing fish loomed large as Iaconelli won 24-0 to 21-3.

Avena promised a big change for Wednesday after his opening struggles, and it came in the form of a buzzbait that produced for him throughout the day. But Iaconelli never wavered.

After landing a nice fish from some pencil reeds late Tuesday, Ike returned to those reeds Wednesday with a Missile Baits Mini-Flip jig and caught bass almost constantly. On the rare occasions when a fish missed on the jig, Iaconelli would follow up with a wacky-rigged worm to put the bass in the boat.

“When I caught that last fish Tuesday, I said it was big in more ways than one,” Iaconelli remembered. “It showed me what I needed to be doing today.”

Now, it could also be big the rest of the week as Ike moves on to the semifinals.

For Avena, his season will end for the second straight year without a trip to the Classic.

“I told myself after yesterday that I wanted to come out and have fun with it,” Avena said. “That’s what I did. I just didn’t get enough bites, and Ike did his job.”

No. 3 Jonathon VanDam vs. No. 6 Ish Monroe

Monroe didn’t have quite the luck Wednesday that he had Tuesday afternoon. But then, he didn’t really need it.

Monroe caught five bass Tuesday that weighed 12 pounds, 15 ounces, while VanDam of Michigan caught just two that weighed 3-8.

So, when Monroe caught a decent fish on topwater just 10 minutes into the morning session Wednesday — and then followed with a 2-13 and a 2-5 during the next 30 minutes — the competition was all but over.

VanDam fared slightly better Wednesday after switching from a jerkbait to a spinnerbait. He landed a 1-4 less than 10 minutes into the session and followed quickly with a 1-5 and a 1-2.

But JVD’s Wednesday total of 6-14 added to his Tuesday mark of 3-8 gave him a two-day score of 10-6. That was more than 11 pounds back of Monroe’s two-day mark of 22-9.

Afternoon matches

No. 1 Steve Kennedy vs. No. 8 Jacob Powroznik

The two anglers started in a tight battle after Powroznik landed 13-7 Tuesday and Kennedy reeled in 11-9.

But the match quickly turned into a blowout as Kennedy — a noted swimbait specialist — struggled to catch a bass until after 2:30.

“I’m a little bit nervous about these bluebird skies,” Kennedy said as the afternoon session began at 12:30 p.m. CT. “The fish are here, but they’re not relating to the bottom.”

While Kennedy caught only two bass and a few small yellow perch, Powroznik seemingly could do no wrong. He landed a 2-4 at 12:38, a 3-0 at 12:55, a 2-11 at 12:57 and a 1-5 at 1:15.

He seemed able to call his shot, moving into the shoreline occasionally to catch fish from under docks and then moving offshore to catch fish on a drop-shot rig. His total for the day was 12-14, and his final two-day total was 26-5.

“I’ve got one spot that I found in practice where I caught some 3 1/2-pounders, and I haven’t even been there yet,” Powroznik said. “So, I’m feeling pretty good right now. But things can really change in a hurry.”

Kennedy finished with just 2-9 Wednesday, and his two-day total for the event was 14-2.

No. 4 Kelley Jaye vs. No. 5 Dave Lefebre

The other afternoon matchup was also close at the beginning after Lefebre caught 12-13 on Tuesday and Jaye landed 9-3.

But Jaye got a bit of a bad omen early when he pulled up on a spot expecting to catch smallmouth and quickly landed two big northern pike on a jerkbait. When he finally caught a bass, it was a skinny largemouth that weighed just 1-2 — and it was the last fish he would catch for more than an hour.

Lefebre, meanwhile, was on a roll targeting shoreline boat docks with precision casts.

He caught a 1-15 at 12:32 off the first dock he fished. Then he continued exploiting docks to catch nine bass that weighed 16-14. His biggest five weighed 11-8, and his official two-day total for the match was 24-5.

“Even though I caught two early, I was starting to feel like I was fishing used water,” Lefebre said. “Then I caught a 2 1/2-pounder, and it really helped me relax.

“That changed the way I fished. I caught a 2-15 around 1:30 that I wouldn’t have caught if I hadn’t already had a limit because I wouldn’t have picked that place apart like I did.”

For the day, Jaye finished with three bass that weighed 3-15. His final two-day total was 13-2.

The local host for this event is Visit Grand Rapids.

2017 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota

2017 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Mercury, Minn Kota, Power-Pole, Shell Rotella, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha, Berkley, Huk, Humminbird, Nitro Boats

2017 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Livingston Lures, Academy Sports + Outdoors, Carhartt, Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels, Lowrance, Phoenix Boats, T-H Marine, Shimano, Advance Auto Parts

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 more than 45 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, Costa Bassmaster High School Series presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.

-30-

Media Contact: JamieDay Matthews, 205-313-0945, [email protected] or Dave Precht, 205-313-0931, [email protected]
2017 Bassmaster Classic Bracket 9/19-9/22
Pokegama Lake, Grand Rapids, Minn.
Standings Day 2

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

Jacob Powroznik     Port Haywood, Va.        5/12-14        10/26-5

Steve Kennedy       Auburn, Ala.             2/2-9          6/14-2
Dave Lefebre        Erie, Pa.                5/11-8         10/24-5
Kelly Jaye          Dadeville, Ala.          3/3-15         8/13-2          
Ish Monroe          Hughson, Calif.          5/9-10         10/22-9
Jonathon VanDam     Kalamazoo, Mich.         5/6-14         7/10-6
Michael Iaconelli   Pittsgrove, N.J.         5/14-0         10/24-0
Adrian Avena        Vineland, N.J.           5/13-7         9/21-3

by AnglersChannel

Carhartt Countdown to Blastoff - BIG BASS TOUR - Lake Murray

Anglerschannel.com's John Byrne and Sportsman's Warehouse Fishing Manager CJ Freeman talk Big Bass Tour on Lake Murray, Just over a month since Ranger Boats Pro Justin Atkins took home the FLW Cup from that same body of water. Up for grabs is a brand new Boat, Motor and Trailer package! It only takes one bite to win a boat! Check it out, get signed up and get your catch to the scales!

by AnglersChannel

Classic Bracket Starts Strong On Pokegama Lake

Jacob Powroznik of Port Haywood, Va., caught the most weight — a 13 pound, 7 ounce limit of bass — on the first day of the Bassmaster Classic Bracket held on Pokegama Lake. The quarterfinals will continue Sept. 20 with Match Three (VanDam vs. Monroe) and Match Four (Iaconelli vs. Avena) fishing in the morning and Match One (Kennedy vs. Powroznik) and Match Two (Jaye vs. Lefebre) moving to the afternoon.

Photo by B.A.S.S.
Sept. 19, 2017

GRAND RAPIDS, Minn. — Last week, 39 anglers qualified for the 2018 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods through the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship.

But eight more barely missed their shot at a Classic berth — and they’re getting one more chance this week with all of the action shown on Bassmaster LIVE.

The Classic Bracket at Pokegama Lake features the first eight anglers to miss Classic qualification battling it out in a head-to-head, match-style format. Every fish caught during the catch-weigh-release event will be aired live on Bassmaster.com — and when the dust settles on Friday, the final angler standing will receive an automatic berth into the Classic, which will be held on South Carolina’s Lake Hartwell next March.

Competition began Monday with two three-hour sessions, with four anglers competing in the morning, followed by the remaining four anglers competing in the afternoon. All eight anglers will advance to Wednesday’s second round, with only the four match winners moving onto Thursday’s semifinals.

Morning matches

No. 1 Steve Kennedy vs. No. 8 Jacob Powroznik

Top-seeded Steve Kennedy of Auburn, Ala., found a few decent bass during his allotted three hours and claimed a good early lead in his matchup with eighth-seeded Jacob Powroznik of Virginia. But Powroznik kept chipping away and finished the morning session in the lead with 13 pounds, 7 ounces.

Kennedy trails by almost 2 pounds with a mark of 11-9.

“Things started off a little slow, but it just got steadily better,” Powroznik said after using a wacky-rigged worm and a drop-shot rig to catch all largemouth in a Pokegama Lake fishery that features both largemouth and smallmouth.

Kennedy, the Alabama pro who earned his fifth career B.A.S.S. victory on Lake Dardanelle earlier this year, started his day with a swimbait in an area where he’d been seeing fish break the surface. His decision resulted in a 4-2 smallmouth on his first cast and a 2-15 largemouth just minutes later, but he boated only two small keepers after that.

“That was right where my waypoint was, and they gave themselves away by jumping,” Kennedy said. “That was the biggest school of fish I could find. I never expected (to start with those big fish).”

Powroznik started slow, with a flurry of small fish around docks before 8:30 a.m. But he began steadily culling up 30 minutes later and finished with a flurry, landing a 3-3 and 2-4 back to back as time was expiring.

No. 4 Kelley Jaye vs. No. 5 Dave Lefebre

Pennsylvania pro Dave Lefebre finished the morning session with five bass that weighed 12-13. That gave him more than a 3-pound lead over Alabamian Kelley Jaye who weighed in only 9-3.

Lefebre got on the board quickly with a 2-8 smallmouth on a Senko and then seemed to find larger fish than Jaye throughout the day.

While Jaye said he was intent on “1-pounding Lefebre to death,” Lefebre switched back and forth between a drop-shot rig and a jig to catch better bass, including a 2-6 from under a dock at 10:17 a.m. and a 3-8 as time literally expired.

“That was a clutch fish right there,” Lefebre said. “It’s early yet, but that could be a Classic fish. This was fun. Give me three hours tomorrow, and it’ll be a different ball game.”

Afternoon matches

No. 3 Jonathon VanDam vs No. 6 Ish Monroe

The conditions seemed to play right into Ish Monroe’s hands, as the California pro who’s known for fishing a jig and a plastic frog was able to do both with great success.

Monroe fished a black Ike’s 3/4-ounce Flip-Out jig with a Missile Baits D-Bomb for a trailer and the Ish’s Phat Matt Daddy Frog that he designed for River2Sea. The frog was also in a black pattern.

He started slowly with a couple of 15-ouncers that bit under boat docks just after the session began. But just after 1:15 p.m., he made a perfect cast under a dock with his frog and landed a nice largemouth that weighed 3-3.

After pulling one more good fish from beneath a dock, he moved to shoreline grass and put on a show with the frog, landing a 1-10, a 2-9, a 2-14 and a 2-7. Monroe’s five best fish from the round weighed 12-15.

Meanwhile, Michigan pro Jonathon VanDam applied a vastly different approach and didn’t fare quite as well. VanDam targeted mainly offshore cover in search of smallmouth and brought back only two fish that weighed 3-8.

No. 2 Michael Iaconelli vs. No. 7 Adrian Avena

In a battle of New Jersey pros, the veteran Michael Iaconelli seemed to be the more comfortable of the two from the start.

The 18-time Classic qualifier used a Missile Baits Mini-Flip 1/2-ounce jig to catch fish repeatedly around windblown docks. He caught a 1-13 at 12:52 p.m., a 1-14 at 1:43, a 1-3 smallmouth at 3:13 around offshore reeds and a 2-11 at 3:25 from those same reeds.

“That last fish (the 2-11) was big for me in more ways than one,” Iaconelli said. “Obviously, it helps me today. But it also tells me a lot about what I need to be doing tomorrow.”

Avena, who never quite seemed comfortable after changing locations before he made a single cast, caught just four fish that weighed 7-12.

“I’ve got to do something totally different tomorrow,” said Avena, who is attempting to earn his first Classic berth. “Maybe I’ll run points and hope to run into five quality ones. With us fishing in the morning, maybe those boat docks will be good. They haven’t been for me yet.”

All eight anglers will fish again Wednesday with the schedule inverted. The Iaconelli-Avena and Monroe-VanDam matchups will begin at 7:30 a.m. CT, while the Kennedy-Powroznik and Lefebre-Jaye matchups will shift to the afternoon at 12:30 p.m.

The local host for this event is Visit Grand Rapids.

2017 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota

2017 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Nitro Boats, Mercury, Minn Kota, Power-Pole, Shell Rotella, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha, Berkley, Huk, Humminbird

2017 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Advance Auto Parts, Livingston Lures, Academy Sports + Outdoors, Carhartt, Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels, Lowrance, Phoenix Boats, T-H Marine, Shimano

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 more than 45 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, Costa Bassmaster High School Series presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.

-30-

Media Contact: JamieDay Matthews, 205-313-0945, [email protected] or Dave Precht, 205-313-0931, [email protected]
2017 Bassmaster Classic Bracket 9/19-9/22
Pokegama Lake, Grand Rapids, Minn.
Standings Day 1

Angler              Hometown                 No./lbs-oz

Steve Kennedy       Auburn, Ala.             4/11-9
Jacob Powroznik     Port Haywood, Va.        5/13-7
Kelly Jaye          Dadeville, Ala.          5/9-3
Dave Lefebre        Erie, Pa.                5/12-13
Jonathon VanDam     Kalamazoo, Mich.         2/3-8
Ish Monroe          Hughson, Calif.          5/12-15
Michael Iaconelli   Pittsgrove, N.J.         5/10-0
Adrian Avena        Vineland, N.J.           4/7-12

by AnglersChannel

Combs Talks Elite Season and his AOY Tournament Win

“This was a great way to end the season,” says Keith Combs of his win this past weekend in the Bassmaster Angler of the Year tournament on Mille Lacs Lake.

“I had solid season, but I was never in a position to win. It seemed like everything I found in practice went away once competition began.

“This was the first tournament this year where what I found in practice held up during the tournament.”

“I caught all of my fish on a 1 oz. Strike King jig.”

He fished the same stuff he found last year during the 2016 AOY tourney on Mille Lacs. He just had to fish a little deeper this time. “I found them in 20-to-25 feet of water but in the same areas as last year.”

He had a blast doing it. “Oh my God dude, you can catch 25 pounds in 30 minutes!”

Combs caught nearly 25 pounds both of the first 2 days – bringing in 24-15 each day until he closed with 22-07 in Sunday’s final round.

“Usually you have to catch them on spinning rods. I was catching them on a baitcaster and a flippin’ stick.”

Combs never trailed in the AOY tourney. He piled-up 72 pounds, 5 ounces over 3 days to best James Elam by a pound, 10 ounces. And Elam never weighed-in less than 23 pounds on any day of the event.

Mille Lacs would be worth the trip if that’s how it fishes – and holds up for multiple days.

The tourney’s $25,000 top prize, and bonus money paid-out based on place of finish in the AOY points race will help fund The American Dream for Combs. “We bought some land this year and we want to build on it.”

 

Author: Vance McCullough

by AnglersChannel

YETI FLW COLLEGE FISHING SOUTHERN CONFERENCE HEADS TO RED RIVER

 BOSSIER CITY, La. (Sept. 12, 2017) – YETI FLW College Fishing is heading to the Red River on Sept. 23 for the second of three regular-season stops in the Southern Conference for a tournament presented by Bass Pro Shops. A full field of college fishing clubs will be competing for the top award of a $2,000 club scholarship and a berth into the 2018 College Fishing National Championship, which will also be hosted on the Red River next May.

“The Red River has a lot of grass in it,” said FLW Tour pro Jim Dillard of Monroe, Louisiana. “It’s very unique because there are a number of different jetties, rocks and bends – so many different areas to fish. You can catch fish a number of different ways.”

Dillard suggested that anglers would be throwing standard shallow water river baits, including topwater baits, crankbaits, spinnerbaits and buzzbaits.

“You don’t need to go into the backwaters to catch fish, but some teams still will,” Dillard said. “Teams will be fishing spread out way up and down the river. If the conditions get real tough, some of the finesse fisherman could do real well.”

A five-bass limit weighing 14 to 16 pounds is expected to be enough to take home the win in this Southern Conference tournament.

Anglers will take off from the Red River South Marina, located at 250 Red River South Marina Road, in Bossier City, at 7 a.m. CDT Saturday. Weigh-in will be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. Takeoff and weigh-in are free and open to the public.

Schools are allowed to register up until the morning of the tournament. Entries may be made either by phone or at CollegeFishing.com.

Schools registered to compete in the Red River tournament, which is hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier City Sports Commission, include:

Arkansas Tech University – Philip Gottsponer, Morrilton, Ark., and Ethan Stokes, Lee’s Summit, Mo.

Colorado State University-Pueblo – Austin Miles, Durango, Colo., and Tyler Hassler, Fountain, Colo.

Harding University – Cole Swede, Little Rock, Ark., and Ethan Flowers, Dexter, Mo.

Louisiana State University – Jack Thomas, Prairieville, La., and Connor Turner, Albany, La.

Northeastern State University – Conner Schwab, Broken Arrow, Okla., and Kyler Morgan, Muldrow, Okla.

Northwestern State University – John Joseph Ledet, Natchitoches, La., and Dustin Nash, Leesville, La.

Rogers State University – Alex Torkleson, Sand Springs, Okla., and Alec Murphy, Claremore, Okla.

Rogers State University – David Stellfox, Collinsville, Okla., and Kelsey Winnie, Stillwater, Okla.

Rogers State University – Dillon Roberts, Claremore, Okla., and Ty Crutchfield, Inola, Okla.

Rogers State University – Lane McCartney, Catoosa, Okla., and Tyler Hastings, Claremore, Okla.

Southeastern Louisiana University – Lewis Laurent, Watson, La., and Bryce Coleman, Denham Springs, La.

Southern Arkansas University – Warren Basinger and Dalton Keith, both of Magnolia, Ark.

Southern Arkansas University – Cade Coleman, Minden, La., and Douglas Bell, Texarkana, Ark.

Sowela Technical Community College – Conner Chappell, Sulpher, La., and Blake Fontenot, Lake Charles, La.

Sowela Technical Community College – Casey Trosclair and Colby Breaux, both of Sulphur, La.

Sowela Technical Community College – Logan Bruchhaus and Garrett Downs, both of Sulphur, La.

Stephen F. Austin State University – Seth Hausman, Nacogdoches, Texas, and Chance Forrest, Anna, Texas

Stephen F. Austin State University – Garrett Bradford, Lufkin, Texas, and Cody Barchenger, Taylor, Texas

Tarleton State University – Cason Kelly, Stephenville, Texas, and Carson McCone, Crowley, Texas

Tarleton State University – Corbin Bogart, Joshua, Texas, and Spencer Suitt, Cleburne, Texas

Texas A&M University – Bo McGraw, Conroe, Texas, and Evan Cook, La Porte, Texas

The Woodlands College Park – Joe Beebee, The Woodlands, Texas, and Chris Oakes, Conroe, Texas

University of Louisiana at Lafayette – Dakota Moofe, Leesville, La., and Dawson Cranford, Stonewall, La.

University of Oklahoma – Blaine Timonera, Batesville, Ind., and Colton Harper, Spiro, Okla.

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 2018 FLW College Fishing National Championship on the Red River, May 30 - June 2, hosted by Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission & Red River Waterway Commission. Additional teams will qualify for the National Championship if the field size in regular-season events exceeds 100 boats.

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 regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow College Fishing on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing. Visit FLWFishing.com to sign up or to start a club at your school.

by AnglersChannel

JOSH BARR WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL MICHIGAN DIVISION FINALE ON DETROIT RIVER PRESENTED BY NAVIONICS

Milan’s Polenz Takes Co-angler Title

TRENTON, Mich. (Sept. 18, 2017) – Joshua Barr of Stow, Ohio, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Michigan Division tournament on the Detroit River presented by Navionics Sunday with a two-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 49 pounds, 1 ounce. Barr pocketed $7,397 for his win.

“It was really satisfying to come out on top of such a competitive field,” said Barr, who earned his first career win after three prior top-10 finishes on the Detroit River in FLW competition. “I knew that I was on a couple of good schools in practice, but I didn’t realize how big they were. It was a pleasant surprise come tournament time.”

Barr committed each day to making a run south to Lake Erie.

“I live in the Cleveland area, so I was spending a lot of time around the Ohio and Pelee Islands,” said Barr. “I was fishing the typical off-shore Lake Erie isolated rock piles. I caught most of my fish on Day One with a drop-shot rig. On Day Two, all of my quality fish came on a tube.”

Barr said that he fished a perch-colored fluke-style bait on his drop-shot rig Saturday, but opted for a standard 3½-inch green pumpkin tube on Sunday.

“I don’t think the color really mattered,” Barr said. “My co-angler and I both caught 6-pounders on a tube and he had a different color.”

Barr estimated that he caught 10 to 15 smallmouth on Day One and around 20 on Day Two.

“Finding the right schools meant everything,” Barr went on to say. “When I would idle over the rocks, I couldn’t see them very well on my electronics. I’m not sure if my motor was spooking them, but when I would turn it off and drift over them my graphs would light up.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:          Joshua Barr, Stow, Ohio, 10 bass, 49-1, $5,397 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

2nd:         Jared Rhode, Port Clinton, Ohio, 10 bass, 47-3, $2,598

3rd:          Michael Sitko, Pinckney, Mich., 10 bass, 46-4, $1,833

4th:          Scott Dobson, Clarkston, Mich., 10 bass, 45-12, $1,513

5th:          Jamie Jacobus, Johnstown, Ohio, 10 bass, 44-2, $1,039

6th:          Kyle Greene, Ortonville, Mich., 10 bass, 43-15, $953

7th:          Pat Upthagrove, Monroe, Mich., 10 bass, 41-5, $866

8th:          Aaron Stumpf, Johnstown, Ohio, 10 bass, 40-7, $780

9th:          Mike Cunningham, Fenton, Mich., 10 bass, 40-4, $693

10th:        Eric Cook, Marblehead, Ohio, 10 bass, 40-1, $606

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Charles Mackintosh of Brighton, Michigan, caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 1 ounce – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the Boater Big Bass award of $652.

Gary Polenz of Milan, Michigan, caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 43 pounds, 7 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $2,669.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st:          Gary Polenz, Milan, Mich., 10 bass, 43-7, $2,669

2nd:         Tony Mitchell, Plainwell, Mich., 10 bass, 42-2, $1,284

3rd:          Cody Bertrand, Dyer, Ind., 10 bass, 41-12, $858

4th:          Aaron Stahley, Batavia, Ohio, 10 bass, 39-3, $649

5th:          Christopher Slone, Shelby Township, Mich., 10 bass, 39-1, $514

6th:          Steve Pinkerton, Anderson, Ind., 10 bass, 38-9, $471

7th:          Justin Sawyer, Dearborn Heights, Mich., 10 bass, 38-3, $750

8th:          Erik Jacques. Harrison Township, Mich., 10 bass, 38-0, $385

9th:          Mike Eldridge, Blacklick, Pa., 10 bass, 36-7, $342

10th:        Kenneth Johnson, Canton, Mich., 10 bass, 35-2, $300

Sawyer caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 5 pounds, 15 ounces – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $322.

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. 12-14 BFL Regional Championship on the Barren River in Scottsville, Kentucky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.

The 2017 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.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

by AnglersChannel

T.J. McMeniman Joins Costa as Vice President of Marketing

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Sept. 19, 2017) -- Costa Del Mar, manufacturer of premium polarized sunglasses for life on and off the water, announced today that T.J. McMeniman has joined as the brand’s new vice president of marketing. An experienced marketer, athlete, and leader, McMeniman will spearhead all of Costa’s strategic global brand initiatives across channels and categories, including sunglasses and apparel.

“T.J. brings exceptional leadership strength to our team, which has been refined throughout his life and career,” said Holly Rush, Costa’s CEO. “He has a wealth of experience for us to draw from at this important stage of our growth - he knows what it means to develop an iconic brand, protect the core of the business and foster growth with new consumers and in new markets. All of which is crucial for us at Costa.”

McMeniman joins Costa from Bauer Hockey, where he led global marketing for eight years, helping to restore their position as the leader in the performance sport category.

"I am excited to join the Costa team and have the chance to lead a brand with such a rich heritage and loyal following. Costa is not just committed to making great products that our consumers are extremely passionate about – it’s also a brand built on a strong set of beliefs and purpose. It’s one thing to provide best in class technology, but it’s another to relentlessly strive to help protect our ocean’s and waterways with initiatives like OCEARCH and Kick Plastic.”

Previous to Bauer, McMeniman led marketing for the iconic brand Sweet Baby Ray’s, and with Kraft Foods. He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and served five years in the U.S. Army, rising to Captain before beginning his business and marketing career.

###

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 ocean 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 organizations like 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 on Twitter at @CostaSunglasses

by AnglersChannel

MURFREESBORO’S SIMERI WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL MUSIC CITY DIVISION FINALE ON OLD HICKORY LAKE

Monroe’s Puckett Takes Co-angler Title

GALLATIN, Tenn. (Sept. 18, 2017) – Rocco Simeri of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Music City Division event on Old Hickory Lake Sunday with a two-day cumulative catch of eight bass weighing 22 pounds, 8 ounces. For his win, Simeri took home $6,731.

“I probably hit 10 to 15 areas each day of the tournament,” said Simeri, who earned first career-victory in FLW competition. “It was kind of a one-two punch of upper end- and mid-lake-fish, but I stayed mid-lake Sunday. I only had eight keepers all weekend, but still felt lucky. A lot of the anglers only brought in a couple each day.

“I primarily fished secondary creek points,” continued Simeri. “They were basically prespawn or postspawn staging areas. The fish and shad were pulled out due to receding water. My boat sat in 12 feet of water and I casted into spots that were 5 to 7 feet down.”

Simeri said his primary lure was a 5/6-ounce Texas Craw-colored Jewel Bait Finesse Jig with a Watermelon Red-colored Zoom Z Craw Jr. trailer.

“I fished it slow with some short hops,” said Simeri. “I made long casts to the bank and then brought it halfway back to the boat.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:          Rocco Simeri, Murfreesboro, Tenn., eight bass, 22-8, $4,731 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

2nd:         Hunter Bouldin, McMinnville, Tenn., 10 bass, 19-1, $2,365

3rd:          Brandon Edel, Hendersonville, Tenn., 10 bass, 17-11, $1,511

4th:          Adam Wagner, Cookeville, Tenn., 10 bass, 17-2, $1,057

5th:          Clark Cowley, Lebanon, Tenn., nine bass, 16-9, $906

6th:          John Graves, Mount Juliet, Tenn., seven bass, 14-11, $831

7th:          Tony Eckler, Lebanon, Tenn., seven bass, 13-15, $1,272

8th:          Josh Tramel, Smithville, Tenn., eight bass, 13-7, $680

9th:          Jack Poindexter, Livingston, Tenn., seven bass, 12-4, $604

10th:        Mickey Beck, Lebanon, Tenn., six bass, 11-1, $529

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Eckler caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 13 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the Boater Big Bass award of $517.

Travis Puckett of Monroe, Tennessee, caught a two-day total of six bass weighing 10 pounds, 4 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $2,266.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st:          Travis Puckett, Monroe, Tenn., six bass, 10-4, $2,266

2nd:         Robert Russell, Smyrna, Tenn., six bass, 10-3, $1,233

3rd:          John Wilkerson, Nashville, Tenn., six bass, 8-5, $805

4th:          Brandon Taylor, Russellville, Ky., three bass, 5-4, $529

5th:          Sterling Brenneis, Goodlettsville, Tenn., three bass, 5-1, $453

6th:          Ron Poland, Murfreesboro, Tenn., two bass, 5-0, $415

7th:          Charles Bennington, Scottsville, Ky., five bass, 4-15, $378

8th:          Richard Walker, Franklin, Tenn., two bass, 4-7, $340

9th:          Todd Knois, Shelbyville, Tenn., two bass, 4-1, $302

10th:        Edward Lovely, Manchester, Tenn., two bass, 3-10, $264

Joey Myers of Gallatin, Tennessee, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 3 pounds, 10 ounces – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $259.

The T-H Marine FLW BFL Music City Division tournament on Old Hickory Lake was hosted by the Sumner County Convention & Visitors Bureau.

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. 12-14 BFL Regional Championship on Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Alabama. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.

The 2017 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.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

by AnglersChannel

MOUNT VERNON’S MULLINS WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL ILLINI DIVISION FINALE ON REND LAKE

Paris’ Eslinger Grabs Co-angler Title

WHITTINGTON, Ill. (Sept. 18, 2017) – Greg Mullins of Mount Vernon, Illinois, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Illini Division tournament on Rend Lake Sunday with a two-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 28 pounds, 10 ounces. Mullins was awarded $4,869 for his win.

Mullins said he spent the event fishing four stretches – each 200 to 300 yards long – on the north end of the lake. He said he targeted bass on banks that had a combination of riprap and wood, and was able to catch 13 keepers.

“There weren’t as many bites up there compared to the main lake, but they were good-sized fish,” said Mullins, who logged his first career win as a boater in BFL competition. “I think the fish were up against those hard banks to feed because there were a lot of shad. They weren’t schooling up yet, though.”

Mullins said he used a 3/8-ounce chartreuse and white-colored Z-Man ChatterBait with a green-pumpkin-colored Zoom Super Chunk to catch the majority of his fish. He added that his largest bass Saturday came on a green-pumpkin Zoom Ultravibe Speed Worm.

“I threw the ChatterBait any time I came to a good piece of wood, then flipped the worm to it,” said Mullins. “Most of the fish were in 6 inches of water, while I sat in anywhere from 6 inches to 2½ feet of water. My Crestliner was really key in helping me navigate the shallows.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:          Greg Mullins, Mount Vernon, Ill., 10 bass, 28-10, $4,869

2nd:         Neil McCord, West Frankfort, Ill., 10 bass, 25-9, $3,219

3rd:          Dan Morehead, Paducah, Ky., 10 bass, 24-0, $1,623

4th:          Timothy Rivest, Champaign, Ill., eight bass, 21-7, $1,136

5th:          Brian Futch, Vienna, Ill., 10 bass, 21-1, $1,074

6th:          Marty Sisk, Evansville, Ind., nine bass, 19-15, $893

7th:          Mike Barnes, Mackinaw, Ill., 10 bass, 19-9, $1,111

8th:          Mike McGill, Findlay, Ill., nine bass, 19-5, $730

9th:          Toby Corn, Calvert City, Ky., 10 bass, 19-4, $649

10th:        Jerry Walker, Zeigler, Ill., seven bass, 19-3, $568

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

McCord caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 3 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the Boater Big Bass award of $585.

Archie Eslinger of Paris, Illinois, caught a two-day total of nine bass weighing 19 pounds, 11 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $2,372.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st:          Archie Eslinger, Paris, Illinois, nine bass, 19-11, $2,372

2nd:         Jim Brown, Coulterville, Ill., six bass, 11-10, $1,186

3rd:          Jacob Bovara, Wadsworth, Ill., five bass, 10-14, $1,077

4th:          Jeffrey Lee, Olney, Ill., five bass, 10-10, $553

5th:          Aaron Arning, Walnut Hill, Ill., four bass, 9-12, $674

6th:          Scott Strausbaugh, Hillsboro, Ill., five bass, 9-8, $435

7th:          Steve Kehrer, Woodlawn, Ill., five bass, 9-4, $395

8th:          Ryan Fancher, Olney, Ill., four bass, 9-3, $406

9th:          Phil Santefort, Roberts, Ill., four bass, 8-8, $316

10th:        Adam Brookman, Bonnie, Ill., four bass, 8-5, $277

Bovara caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 3 pounds, 14 ounces – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $285.

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. 5-7 BFL Regional Championship on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.

The 2017 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.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

by AnglersChannel

JAYME RAMPEY WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL SAVANNAH RIVER DIVISION FINALE ON LAKE HARTWELL

Missouri’s Govreau Nabs Co-angler Title

ANDERSON, S.C. (Sept. 18, 2017) – Jayme Rampey of Liberty, South Carolina, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Savannah River Division tournament on Lake Hartwell Sunday with a two-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 26 pounds, 6 ounces. For his win, Rampey pocketed $7,112.

“I caught them from the clear main-lake water to all the way up the Tugaloo River,” said Rampey, who logged his sixth career-win in BFL competition. “I fished fast and shallow along a 30-mile stretch and threw to whatever looked good.”

Rampey said he focused on stumps, wood and docks. He said he ended up weighing eight keepers from a white Zoom Horny Toad, and two from a Buckeye Lures jig with a green-pumpkin-colored Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craw trailer.

“There wasn’t really any rhyme or reason to what I was doing,” said Rampey. “The wind and rain from the outskirts of Hurricane Irma had the fish spread out. I don’t think they were adjusted back to normal weather conditions yet.”

Rampey’s two-day total was highlighted by a 6-pound, 4-ouncer, which he caught Saturday on the Horny Toad near a laydown.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:          Jayme Rampey, Liberty, S.C., 10 bass, 26-6, $7,112

2nd:         Rob Jordan, Flowery Branch, Ga., 10 bass, 25-6, $3,121

3rd:          Brad Fowler, Townville, S.C., 10 bass, 23-12, $2,282

4th:          Kerry Partain, Elberton, Ga., 10 bass, 23-11, $1,456

5th:          Brad Benfield, Cornelia, Ga., 10 bass, 22-14, $1,248

6th:          Joey Nichols, Cumming, Ga., 10 bass, 22-13, $1,444

7th:          Franklin Ramey III, Abbeville, S.C., 10 bass, 22-7, $1,140

8th:          Taylor Ashley, Warrior, Ala., 10 bass, 22-2, $936

9th:          Troy Morrow, Eastanollee, Ga., 10 bass, 21-14, $832

10th:        Todd Goade, Suwanee, Ga., 10 bass, 21-1, $728

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Rampey’s 6-pound, 4-ounce bass was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned him the Big Bass award of $870.

Beau Govreau of Cedar Hill, Missouri, caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 20 pounds, 9 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $3,121.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st:          Beau Govreau, Cedar Hill, Mo., 10 bass, 20-9, $3,121

2nd:         Darren Jeter, Marshall, N.C., 10 bass, 20-5, $1,660

3rd:          Jimmi Leuthner, Tamassee, S.C., 10 bass, 19-8, $1,092

4th:          Donnie Davis, Greer, S.C., 10 bass, 19-6, $728

5th:          Brandon Brock, Honea Path, S.C., 10 bass, 19-6, $624

6th:          Michael Miller, Greenville, S.C., 10 bass, 18-10, $572

7th:          Keith Lewis, Franklin, N.C., eight bass, 18-9, $955

8th:          Tim Watson, Martin, Ga., eight bass, 17-6, $468

9th:          Kevin Landreth, Seneca, S.C., nine bass, 17-6, $416

10th:        Mark Denney, Bonaire, Ga., 10 bass, 17-6, $364

Lewis 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 $435.

The T-H Marine FLW BFL Savannah River Division tournament on Lake Hartwell was hosted by the Anderson Convention and Visitors Bureau.

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. 19-21 BFL Regional Championship on Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Georgia. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.

The 2017 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.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

by AnglersChannel

SYKORA WINS T-H MARINE FLW BBFL OZARK DIVISION FINALE ON LAKE OF THE OZARKS

Camdenton’s Strohkirch Takes Co-angler Title

OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (Sept. 18, 2017) – Local angler Marcus Sykora of Osage Beach, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Ozark Division tournament on Lake of the Ozarks Sunday with a two-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 37 pounds, 14 ounces. For his victory, Sykora earned $7,071.

According to post-tournament reports, Sykora caught his fish in 14 feet of water near mid-lake brush piles using an unnamed crankbait and a Zoom Brush Hog.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:          Marcus Sykora, Osage Beach, Mo., 10 bass, 37-14, $7,071

2nd:         Roger Cook, Lebanon, Mo., 10 bass, 36-8, $3,436

3rd:          Adam Boehle, Warrenton, Mo., 10 bass, 35-9, $2,796

4th:          Greg Glandt, Fenton, Mo., 10 bass, 35-1, $1,603

5th:          Dennis Berhorst, Holts Summit, Mo., 10 bass, 34-1, $1,374

6th:          David McCormick, Lee’s Summit, Mo., 10 bass, 32-15, $1,360

7th:          Roger Fitzpatrick, Eldon, Mo., 10 bass, 32-5, $1,145

8th:          Mark Tucker, Kirkwood, Mo., 10 bass, 32-2, $1,031

9th:          Andy Newcomb, Camdenton, Mo., 10 bass, 32-2, $916

10th:        Bob Bueltmann, Osage Beach, Mo., 10 bass, 31-9, $802

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Boehle caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 15 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the Boater Big Bass award of $506.

Aaron Strohkirch of Camdenton, Missouri, caught a two-day total of eight bass weighing 28 pounds, 1 ounce, to win the Co-angler Division and $3,436.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st:          Aaron Strohkirch, Camdenton, Mo., eight bass, 28-1, $3,436

2nd:         Reid Kesel, Bonnots Mill, Mo., 10 bass, 27-1, $1,918

3rd:          Ray Larson, Springfield, Ill., 10 bass, 23-1, $1,195

4th:          Nathan Portell, Festus, Mo., nine bass, 22-11, $802

5th:          Charles Frick, Saint Louis, Mo., eight bass, 19-2, $687

6th:          Jordan Williams, Oak Grove, Mo., eight bass, 19-1, $630

7th:          Stephen  Delgado, Lee’s Summit, Mo., eight bass, 18-13, $573

8th:          Brandon Hecker, Camdenton, Mo., six bass, 17-15, $515

9th:          Ernie Wooten, New London, Mo., eight bass, 17-12, $458

10th:        Taylor Harris, Paola, Kan., seven bass, 17-0, $401

Bob Keeth of Dixon, Missouri, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 6 pounds, 6 ounces – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $506.

The T-H Marine FLW BFL Ozark Division tournament on Lake of the Ozarks was hosted by the Tri-County Lodging Association/Convention & Visitors Bureau.

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. 5-7 BFL Regional Championship on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.

The 2017 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.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

by AnglersChannel

Dustin Connell Talks Rookie Year on the Elites & Winning ROY

 

Vance McCullough

“Coming in, Hartman had, like a 29-point lead on me,” explains Dustin Connell. With only 50 boats in the Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship tournament it’s hard to make up 29 points. “I knew I had to have a great tournament and he had to stumble; leave the door open for me. That’s exactly what happened.”

With a great finish to his first season on the Elite Series, Connell took Rookie of the Year honors.

“It feels really good to close the season on a strong note,” said Connell.

The rookie from Alabama said the highlight of the tourney on Mille Lacs – and the whole northern swing of the Elite Series – was getting to catch a bunch of big smallmouth. “I don’t get to fish for smallmouth a whole bunch, but I love to catch spotted bass and I just used what I have learned from chasing Coosa River spots and I took it north with me and I caught big smallmouth with it.”

As for go-to techniques, Connell relied on dropshots and jerkbaits.

Connell credits the diversity of Alabama’s lakes for his well-rounded bassing abilities. “We have grass lakes so if I go to a grass lake anywhere in the country I can catch them. We also have deep clear lakes so any time I can throw a dropshot or a jerkbait, that’s a good deal for me.”

He’s thrilled about earning entry into the 2018 Bassmaster Classic. “Every Elite Series Angler has the goal of making the Classic. That’s huge.”

Through 9 Elite Series tourneys Connell was a human ATM, cashing checks in 7 events. He says the toughest part of this season was keeping his head up after those low finishes.

“I could have gotten down after those, but I stayed positive and made it happen.”

Connell’s biggest advantage this year boiled down to time spent on the water. “I pre-fished every lake we went to. I would go spend 3 or 4 days before cutoff and learn the lakes, learn where the structure was.”

This approached helped more at some fisheries than at others. “It made a big difference at Cherokee.”

With the increased sponsor demands that accompany success in the angling game, will Connell have time to pre-fish to the same extent next year? “There is a business side to this sport, but those high finishes on the water are important to me.”

Connell looks forward to next year’s Elite Series starting point – in Alabama. “Lake Martin is right down the road from me. I’m looking to start the season off with a strong showing.”

A solid start could lend some momentum heading into the Classic on Lake Hartwell. Connell could be a dangerous man in 2018.

by AnglersChannel

MONSOOR WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE GREAT LAKES DIVISION FINALE ON MISSISSIPPI RIVER

Minnesota’s Conrad Claims Co-angler Title

LA CROSSE, Wis. (Sept. 18, 2017) – Yamamoto Baits pro Tom Monsoor of La Crosse, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Great Lakes Division tournament on the Mississippi River Sunday with a two-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 36 pounds, 10 ounces. For his efforts, Monsoor took home $8,175.

“I fished weeds that were 5 feet down and near the current, but not in it. I think the fish like having the food brought right by them,” said Monsoor, who earned his sixth career BFL win on the Mississippi River. “I had 15 areas, but only worked through six of them each day. I also had some deeper spots in the 20-foot range that produced good fish for me.”

Monsoor said he threw his signature Humdinger Swim Jig Saturday, paired with a white 3½-inch Yamamoto Swim Senko trailer. Sunday he switched to a black and blue swim jig and swapped out the Swim Senko for a 3¾-inch Yamamoto Flappin’ Hog.

“The wind really picked up and muddied the water Sunday, so I went with darker colors,” said Monsoor. “The bite slowed down, too. There weren’t any big flurries. On Saturday, the water was clearer and you could catch 20 fish in a spot, but Sunday you’d only have one or two every so often.”

Monsoor said he trimmed off all but the tail from the Flappin’ Hog. He said it was the same setup he used to win the four-day FLW Tour event on the Potomac River in June.

“When you only throw one lure, that’s when you’re doing the best,” said Monsoor. “Give me a swimming jig around weeds and I’m in Heaven.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:          Yamamoto Baits pro Tom Monsoor, La Crosse, Wis., 10 bass, 36-10, $6,175 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

2nd:         Dan Mohn, Lansing, Iowa, 10 bass, 34-12, $3,088

3rd:          Cade Laufenberg, Winona, Minn., 10 bass, 33-11, $3,107

4th:          Jeff Benson, Holmen, Wis., 10 bass, 31-13, $1,441

5th:          Luke Ledvina, Tomah, Wis., 10 bass, 31-12, $1,235

6th:          Glenn Walker, Savage, Minn., 10 bass, 31-2, $1,132

7th:          Terry Fitzpatrick, Waukon, Iowa, 10 bass, 31-1, $1,029

8th:          Mark Myers, Cedar Falls, Iowa, 10 bass, 30-14, $1,026

9th:          Robby Tufte, Fountain City, Wis., 10 bass, 30-9, $823

10th:        Nick O’Keefe, La Crosse, Wis., 10 bass, 30-5, $720

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Laufenberg caught a bass weighing 4 pounds, 12 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the Boater Big Bass award of $847.

Richard Conrad of Burnsville, Minnesota, caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 27 pounds, 11 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $3,088.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st:          Richard Conrad, Burnsville, Minn., 10 bass, 27-11, $3,088

2nd:         Ronald Syverson, Holmen, Wis., 10 bass, 26-15, $1,544

3rd:          Tony Seiler, River Falls, Wis., 10 bass, 25-14, $1,030

4th:          Greg Oppegard, West Saint Paul, Minn., 10 bass, 25-3, $820

5th:          Kevin Andera, Calmar, Iowa, nine bass, 25-1, $618

6th:          Jake Schultz, Rochester, Minn., 10 bass, 24-10, $616

7th:          Brad Juen, La Crosse, Wis., 10 bass, 24-10, $515

8th:          Mike Kochanski, Bolingbrook, Ill., 10 bass, 24-4, $463

9th:          Josh Mohn, Lansing, Iowa, 10 bass, 24-4, $412

10th:        Tong Lor, La Crosse, Wis., 10 bass, 24-3, $360

Steve Esser of Dubuque, Iowa, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 4 pounds, 11 ounces – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $424.

The T-H Marine FLW BFL Great Lakes Division tournament on the Mississippi River was hosted by the La Crosse County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

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. 12-14 BFL Regional Championship on the Barren River in Scottsville, Kentucky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.

The 2017 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.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

by AnglersChannel

Mustang Survival Continues Support of the ACA as Sponsor of the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series

The Association of Collegiate Anglers is pleased to announce the continued support received from Mustang Survival for the 2018 Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series.  This nationally televised series consists of the Texas Lunker Challenge presented by Mossy Oak Elements, Cabela’s Collegiate Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley, Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Open, and the season-ending BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship.

Anglers throughout the world have come to know Mustang Survival as the premier Personal Flotation Device (PFD) brand for active bass fishermen.  Mustang Survival PFDs are designed to integrate seamlessly into the fishing lifestyle while delivering comfort, function, and most importantly, safety.

“Safety is a large priority in the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series. The products made by Mustang Survival are what I personally wear and they are designed with the angler in mind. They are lightweight, easy to use, and easy to maintain. We look forward to promoting their line of recreational products during the upcoming Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series and through our various others means at the ACA,” said Wade Middleton, President of CarecoTV and Director of the ACA.

 

“We are excited to continue our great relationship with the ACA and the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series,” comments Shannon Ward, Director of Business Development & Marketing at Mustang Survival. “As the future of our industry, these anglers inspire us to continually evolve and strengthen our product line so we can equip them with the confidence to fish all day in any environment.”

For more information on Mustang Survival, visit www.mustangsurvival.com

For more information on the ACA, or the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series, visit www.CollegiateBassChampionship.com.  For more information on Cabela’s visit Cabelas.com, for more information on CarecoTV, visit www.carecotv.com.

About Mustang Survival

Established in 1967, Mustang Survival has been designing and manufacturing lifesaving solutions for more than 45 years. Through constant innovation and application of new technologies, Mustang Survival is the leading supplier of quality flotation and personal protective equipment to the most demanding maritime and aviation customers including the Coast Guard, Law Enforcement, Water Rescue Teams, Fighter Pilots, Commercial Mariners and Recreational Boaters.  Mustang Survival is part of The Safariland Group family of brands.  For more information, please visit www.mustangsurvival.com.

About the ACA

The Association of Collegiate Anglers, a division of Careco TV, is a sanctioning body developed to facilitate growth, development, and structure within competitive collegiate bass fishing.  The ACA provides support to dozens of school operated regional events nationwide and owns the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series, the largest participatory collegiate tournament circuit in the country.  With dedicated collegiate fishing programming on several television networks, four nationally televised collegiate bass fishing events, and thousands of members, the ACA is the leader in competitive collegiate bass fishing.

by AnglersChannel

Palaniuk’s Longtime Loyalty to Toyota Paid Off

Story & Photo Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships

The 2017 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year title that Brandon Palaniuk won Sunday at Lake Mille Lacs started with a dream when he was an 8-year-old boy growing up in Idaho. Then it caught speed in 2010 when he purchased his first Tundra, and began to cash-in on Toyota Bonus Bucks.

“I was running heavy equipment and cutting down trees for a living to try and save enough money to launch a pro career. And there were times when my buddy and I were down to our last dollars, and thought we’d have to wash dishes on our way back from tournaments to make it home to Idaho.”

“Then in 2010 I won $20,000 as a co-angler, and bought my first Tundra,” Palaniuk remembers vividly. “That year became magical, I won the B.A.S.S. Nation National Championship which qualified me for the Elites and the 2011 Classic, and the Toyota Bonus Bucks I won helped give me the money I needed to survive the first year of the Elites.”

At times during his rookie year on the Elite Series – it was just that – “surviving.” He often slept in the back of his Toyota in what he famously termed the “Tundra Suites” to save from paying for a hotel room.

Over the past six years, Brandon’s loyalty to Toyota has continued to pay him Bonus Bucks, and the days of wondering if he might have to wash dishes or cut down trees in the Idaho lumberjack woods have long since faded in the rearview mirror.

His brand new title of 2017 AOY Champion pays him $100,000, and his continued participation in the Bonus Bucks program is sure to pay dividends for years to come.

However you don’t have to be a full time pro, a Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year, or even win your local tournament to cash-in on Bonus Bucks. You just have to be a registered participant in any of the dozens of tournaments sanctioned by Bonus Bucks, and be the highest-placing participant.

 

To learn more and get signed-up, please visit http://www.toyotatrucksbonusbucks.com/ or phone (918) 742-6424, and ask for Jessica or Kendell and they can also help you get signed-up.

by AnglersChannel

COSTA FLW SERIES SOUTHWESTERN DIVISION TOURNEY PRESENTED BY FRABILL SET FOR LAKE TEXOMA

DENISON, Texas (Sept. 12, 2017) – As many as 400 pros and co-anglers are set to compete in the Costa FLW Series Southwestern Division event at Lake Texoma, Sept. 21-23. The tournament, which is presented by Frabill, is the third and final regular-season event scheduled in the FLW Series Southwestern Division. Hosted by the Denison Area Chamber of Commerce, anglers will be competing for a top award of up to $40,000 in cash and a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.

“Lake Texoma should be fishing pretty good for a late September tournament,” said FLW Tour pro Andrew Upshaw, who finished in 11th place when the FLW Series last visited Lake Texoma in 2015. “We didn’t get too much of the nasty weather from the hurricanes, so the lake levels will be normal and we’re going to have a fun tournament.

“You’re going to see the typical fall patterns in this one,” Upshaw continued. “It will be junk fishing 101. A lot of guys will be fishing docks or throwing topwater baits, fishing in the backs of creeks. The fish don’t replenish great this time of year, so covering a lot of water and having a lot of different patterns going on will be the key.”

Upshaw said that he expects his key baits will be a Bill Lewis StutterStep 4.0 and a Rat-L-Trap.

“Rat-L-Traps are always great in the fall,” Upshaw said. “I downsize to ¼-ounce and throw a chrome and black if it’s sunny or a white one if it’s cloudy.

“I think to make the top-10 cut and fish the final day it’s going to take 22 to 24 pounds,” Upshaw went on to say. “I think the winner will likely have a three-day total of 45 to 47 pounds.”

Anglers will take off from the Highport Marina, located at 120 Texoma Harbor Drive, in Pottsboro, at 7 a.m. CDT each day. Weigh-ins will be held at the marina each day beginning at 3 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public. The event is hosted by the Denison Area Chamber of Commerce.

In Costa FLW Series regular-season competition, payouts are based on the number of participants competing in the event. At Lake Texoma pros will fish for as much as $40,000 and a Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard if Ranger Cup qualified. Co-anglers will cast for a Ranger Z175 boat with a 90-horsepower Evinrude outboard, and an additional $5,000 if Ranger Cup qualified.

The Costa FLW Series consists of five U.S. divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western. Each division consists of three tournaments with competitors vying for valuable points that could earn them the opportunity to fish in the Costa FLW Series Championship. The 2017 Costa FLW Series Championship is being held Nov. 2-4 on Kentucky Lake in Paris, Tennessee.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Costa FLW Series on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

by AnglersChannel

Palaniuk Caps Magical Season With Toyota Bassmaster Angler Of The Year Title

Brandon Palaniuk of Hayden, Idaho, won the 2017 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year title at Mille Lacs Lake held out of Onamia, Minn., Sunday.

Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
Sept. 17, 2017ONAMIA, Minn. — As the 2017 Bassmaster Elite Series season progressed, Brandon Palaniuk always had a sense that he was in contention for the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year crown.

But he never let himself look at the standings. He never even allowed himself to think about the race.

Now, he may never stop thinking about it.

The 29-year-old pro from Hayden, Idaho, caught 62 pounds, 3 ounces of bass to finish in 20th place at this week’s Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship on Mille Lacs Lake, Minnesota. That allowed him to finish 14 points ahead of Oklahoma pro Jason Christie and secure his first career AOY title.

“I didn’t know if it would ever happen,” said Palaniuk, who topped Christie by a final margin of 902 to 888 in the AOY standings. “This has been a dream of mine since I was 8 years old. I decided 21 years ago that this is what I was going to do.

“I just made up my mind that I wanted to fish for a living — and every decision I’ve made for 21 years has led to this point.”

Hoisting the AOY trophy was the culmination of a phenomenal season that saw Palaniuk record six Top 12 finishes, including a victory on Sam Rayburn Reservoir. The only time he finished outside the Top 30 in 10 Elite Series events was a disastrous 105th-place showing in the second event of the year on Florida’s Lake Okeechobee.

Palaniuk said he feared that finish might haunt him for the rest of the career — until he worked some late magic during Friday’s second round.

With only six minutes left before check-in, Palaniuk landed a 6-pound Mille Lacs smallmouth that proved to be his biggest fish of the event. He put the bass in his livewell and made it back to the weigh-in with only 40 seconds to spare.

“That’s when I really got the feeling that this was meant to be, and I think that’s why I was so calm today,” Palaniuk said. “When that happened, it gave me a completely different mental outlook on the whole week.

“It was like some light switch went off in my head. I think that’s why I went to bed and woke up this morning feeling like it was going to happen.”

Palaniuk spent the majority of the tournament using a drop-shot rig with a Zoom Super Fluke in the purple smoke color pattern with a 2/0 straight-shank hook and a 3/8-ounce drop-shot weight. He threw the rig on a 6-foot-10 Alpha Angler DSR rod and a Daiwa Exist 2500 reel spooled with 15-pound Seaguar Smackdown braid and an 8-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader.

But afterward, tackle and techniques seemed far secondary to his career accomplishment. The $100,000 he claimed with the AOY title pushed his career earnings past $1 million with B.A.S.S.

“When I first started fishing, I was running heavy equipment, cutting trees down and fishing local tournaments,” he said. “I would stash away as much money as I could during the summer from fishing local club tournaments. Then I just had one incredible year in 2010 when I qualified for the Elites when it seemed like everywhere I went in the country I caught fish.

“That’s when it all started happening for me — and that’s what helped me get here today.”

While most of the attention this week was heaped on the battle between Palaniuk, Christie and eventual third-place finisher Jacob Wheeler, the Bassmaster Rookie of the Year race was also decided.

Alabama pro Dustin Connell claimed that title by finishing 24th this week with 60-13. Connell’s closest competition — New York pro Jamie Hartman — had a tough week, finishing in 48th place with 41-7. That allowed Connell to win the ROY race by the thinnest of margins, 765-764.

“I set three goals this year,” Connell said. “I wanted to make the Classic, make the AOY Championship and win Rookie of the Year. Then, I also won a tournament (at Ross Barnett in Mississippi), so this has just been an awesome year.”

Unlike the first three years of the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship, a trophy and prize money was awarded this year to the angler with the heaviest weight for the week. The title of Toyota Mille Lacs Champion and the $25,000 bonus that came with it went to veteran Texas pro Keith Combs, who bested the field with 72-5.

“I’m a Texas guy, and that means I’m a long way from home up here this week,” Combs said. “So, to get to come up here and jack these big smallmouth with a big bait and a big stick was just an awesome experience for me.” The “big bait” was a 1-ounce Strike King jig in green pumpkin with a Rage Craw trailer in the Alabama craw color, which exactly matched the color of crawfish bass had been spitting up in his livewell.

Combs won the Livingston Lures Day 2 Leader Award of $500 for leading the tournament on Friday’s second day of competition. He also won the Toyota Bonus Bucks Award of $3,000 for being the highest-placing eligible entrant in the program.

Each qualifier went home with at least $11,000. Payouts from the $1 million purse were based on the anglers’ final standings in the AOY points race.

The second-highest-placing eligible entrant, James Elam of Tulsa, Okla., received $2,000.

Aaron Martens of Leeds, Ala., claimed the $1,500 Phoenix Boats Big Bass Award for a 6-pound, 1-ounce smallmouth he caught during Thursday’s opening round.

Grand Casino Mille Lacs hosted the championship.

 
2017 Points Report
PROFESSIONAL ELITE SERIES
as of 17-Sept-2017
Angler                                          Points      Lbs-Oz
1 Brandon Palaniuk Hayden, ID                   902         365- 1
2 Jason Christie Park Hill, OK                  888         356- 4
3 Jacob Wheeler Harrison, TN                    885         374-11
4 Jordan Lee Grant, AL                          823         356- 1
5 Edwin Evers Talala, OK                        817         338- 5
6 Casey Ashley Donalds, SC                      814         336-14
7 Ott DeFoe Blaine, TN                          810         348-14
8 Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA                     794         343- 0
9 Keith Combs Huntington, TX                    771         349- 1
10 Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI                   769         344- 6
11 Brent Ehrler Redlands, CA                    766         343- 5
12 Dustin Connell Clanton, AL                   765         348- 4
13 Jamie Hartman Newport, NY                    764         329- 4
14 Seth Feider Isle, MN                         750         340- 6
15 Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL              735         334- 1
16 Aaron Martens Leeds, AL                      733         324- 9
17 Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL                  731         328-12
18 Mark Daniels Jr. Tuskegee, AL                723         337- 3
19 Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ                    722         331-14
20 Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX                    720         329-10
21 Mark Davis Mount Ida, AR                     717         343-14
22 Russ Lane Prattville, AL                     710         341-12
23 Luke Clausen Otis Orchards, WA               700         311- 0
24 Brandon Coulter Knoxville, TN                698         333- 5
25 Matt Lee Guntersville, AL                    698         323- 9
26 Cliff Pace Petal, MS                         694         334- 2
27 James Elam Tulsa, OK                         685         337- 1
28 Randy Howell Guntersville, AL                680         331-13
29 Josh Bertrand San Tan Valley, AZ             674         329-15
30 Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC                673         316-13
31 Micah Frazier Newnan, GA                     672         330-11
32 Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY                    672         321- 9
33 Skeet Reese Auburn, CA                       672         319- 4
34 John Crews Jr Salem, VA                      672         311- 9
35 David Walker Sevierville, TN                 668         305- 4
36 Alton Jones Lorena, TX                       663         310- 2
37 Jesse Wiggins Cullman, AL                    657         330- 0
38 Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN              657         309- 3
39 Jason Williamson Wagener, SC                 648         318-14
40 Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL                     644         312-13
41 Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ            642         324- 4
42 Jonathon VanDam Kalamazoo, MI                638         323-12
43 Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL                    637         315- 7
44 Dave Lefebre Erie, PA                        634         318-11
45 Ish Monroe Hughson, CA                       634         299- 7
46 Adrian Avena Vineland, NJ                    627         321-10
47 Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA      623         298-15
48 Mike McClelland Bentonville, AR              616         315- 6
49 Bill Lowen Brookville, IN                    610         305- 6
50 Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS                609         292- 02017 Rookie of the Year
as of 17-Sept-2017
Angler                                          Points      Lbs-Oz
1 Dustin Connell Clanton, AL                    765         348- 4
2 Jamie Hartman Newport, NY                     764         329- 4
3 Mark Daniels Jr. Tuskegee, AL                 723         337- 3
4 Jesse Wiggins Cullman, AL                     657         330- 0
5 Alton Jones Jr. Lorena, TX                    454         238- 6
6 Gerald Spohrer Gonzales, LA                   378         224- 0
7 Jesse Tacoronte Orlando, FL                   373         234-13
8 Darrell Ocamica New Plymouth, ID              247         196- 4
9 Robbie Latuso Gonzales, LA                    225         164-10
10 Tyler Carriere Youngsville, LA               210         197- 0
11 Skylar Hamilton Dandridge, TN                208         186- 9

by AnglersChannel

Melinda Mize Hays Wins Lady Bass Anglers Dardanelle Wildcard

by AnglersChannel

Last Minute Big Fish Helps Palanuik Hold On To Lead In AOY Race At Mille Lacs

With one day of competition left in the 2017 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship held on Mille Lacs Lake out of Onamia, Minn., Brandon Palaniuk of Hayden, Idaho, holds on to first place in AOY points.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.

September 15, 2017

ONAMIA, Minn. — After two days of the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship, Brandon Palaniuk is still clinging to his lead in the race for the AOY season title.

But it’s been anything but easy.

The noted smallmouth specialist from Hayden, Idaho, caught just 10 smallies from Mille Lacs Lake Friday — and if hadn’t been for a 6-pounder that bit extremely late, he might have actually fallen out of the AOY lead.

“I just struggled to get bit,” Palaniuk said. “I was just catching one here, one there — and I wasn’t really catching any big ones. But then at 3:14 (p.m.), I made one final drop and caught a 6-pounder.”

That fish helped Palaniuk weigh in 21 pounds 1 ounce, which was good for 20th place in the daily standings and enough to keep him in the AOY lead. With 902 total points, Palaniuk leads Jason Christie (890) and Jacob Wheeler (885) by margins that can still be made up if things go wild in the final round.

Palaniuk’s big fish came so late Friday that he barely made it back to the check-in on time.

“I caught the fish at 3:14, check-in was 3:20 and I was 3 miles away,” Palaniuk said. “On top of that, I still had to cull.

“I ended up making it back with 40 seconds to spare. But that fish was a 3-pound cull. Without it, who knows where I would be?”

Since Palaniuk came into this event with a 15-point lead in the AOY standings, the ideal situation would have been for him to pile up the weight while his closest competitors — Christie and Wheeler — struggled.

That hasn’t happened.

After catching 20-8 Thursday, Christie caught 22-9 Friday and jumped from 26th place to 17th. That helped him move to within 12 points of Palaniuk in the standings, meaning another fantastic day — coupled with a tough day for Palaniuk — could land Christie his first career AOY title.

Christie said Thursday that he hoped for a weather change that might mess up other people’s patterns — presumably Palaniuk’s and Wheeler’s — and he regretted it today. “I got what I wanted,” he said, “but it just made those fish bite for them.

“Today, at 8 o’clock, I was kind of wishing I hadn’t said that.”

The higher winds and larger waves made it hard for Christie to keep his trolling motor in the water and to see the fish on the Garmin Panoptix unit he relies on. He said most of his bass came out of one school he felt fortunate to find.

“Luckily, I came across one group and I caught 22 pounds in probably 10 to 15 minutes,” he said. “The rest of the day, I caught one here and one there, but I never caught a big one.”

While Palaniuk and Christie had it tough, Wheeler said “fun would be an understatement” to describe the day he had on Mille Lacs. The first-year pro from Tennessee caught 24-5 and moved into fourth place in the daily standings.

He still trails Christie by five points and Palaniuk by 17 in the AOY race.

“It was flat-out awesome,” Wheeler said. “It was probably one of the best days of smallmouth fishing I’ve ever had. I probably caught 30-plus smallmouth — and there were a lot of times when I would be disappointed to realize it was ‘just another 4-pounder’ when I set the hook.”

New York angler Jamie Hartman, whose stated goal was to win the Bassmaster Rookie of the Year award when the season began, took the lead in that race by weighing in 23-10 Friday and jumping from 48th to 36th place in the daily standings. That gives him a 776 to 770 lead over Alabamian Dustin Connell in the ROY race.

Texas angler Keith Combs is threatening to run away with the daily standings after landing 24-15 for the second straight day. His two-day mark of 49-14 is more than 2 pounds better than that of second-place angler James Elam (47-4).

Combs stands to win $25,000 if he retains the lead through the end of competition, but the rest of the $1 million purse will go to him and the rest of the field based on their final standings in AOY points.

The full field will fish again Sunday to determine the AOY Championship and the event winner. Takeoff will be at 6:50 a.m. CT from Eddy's Resort, and the final weigh-in will be held at 3:45 p.m. at Grand Casino Mille Lacs.

The field will take a break Saturday for Bassmaster University. Anglers will be conducting seminars and greeting fans near the weigh-in stand at Grand Casino Mille Lacs in conjunction with the Bassmaster Elite Series Outdoors Expo. Companies such as Toyota, Huk, Power-Pole and Berkley will be onsite featuring their latest products. Fans will be able to enjoy free boat and motor demo rides from Skeeter, Yamaha, Nitro, Triton and Mercury. There will also be arts and crafts and food vendors and activities for kids.

All venues are free and open to the public. The expo will begin at 11 a.m. CT. For more information and a full list of activities, visit Bassmaster.com/news/attend-toyota-bassmaster-angler-year-championship.

The championship is hosted by Grand Casino Mille Lacs.

PROFESSIONAL
ELITE SERIES
as of 15-Sept-2017
Angler Points Lbs-Oz
1 Brandon Palaniuk Hayden, ID 902 345- 3
2 Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 890 337- 2
3 Jacob Wheeler Harrison, TN 885 352- 4
4 Jordan Lee Grant, AL 825 335- 1
5 Edwin Evers Talala, OK 819 318-15
6 Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 815 327-15
7 Ott DeFoe Blaine, TN 805 333- 5
8 Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 789 326- 1
9 Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 776 324-12
10 Keith Combs Huntington, TX 771 326-10
11 Dustin Connell Clanton, AL 770 330- 0
12 Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 763 322- 5
13 Brent Ehrler Redlands, CA 758 320- 6
14 Seth Feider Isle, MN 751 319- 9
15 Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 741 306- 8
16 Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 739 316-11
17 Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 726 311- 3
18 Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL 726 307- 7
19 Matt Lee Guntersville, AL 723 317- 0
20 Mark Daniels Jr. Tuskegee, AL 722 315- 8
21 Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 721 315-12
22 Mark Davis Mount Ida, AR 713 322- 9
23 Russ Lane Prattville, AL 706 318-10
24 Brandon Coulter Knoxville, TN 697 314- 8
25 Luke Clausen Otis Orchards, WA 696 287-14
26 Cliff Pace Petal, MS 695 314-12
27 James Elam Tulsa, OK 685 313-10
28 Alton Jones Lorena, TX 678 300- 4
29 Randy Howell Guntersville, AL 676 316- 9
30 John Crews Jr Salem, VA 675 303- 1
31 Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 671 310-15
32 Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 669 306- 5
33 Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 669 304- 6
34 Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 667 295- 2
35 David Walker Sevierville, TN 666 295- 0
36 Josh Bertrand San Tan Valley, AZ 662 305- 1
37 Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 660 300- 9
38 Jesse Wiggins Cullman, AL 652 308- 2
39 Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 652 303-10
40 Jonathon VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 641 303- 9
41 Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 641 302- 8
42 Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 639 302- 0
43 Dave Lefebre Erie, PA 633 299- 0
44 Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 633 288-15
45 Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 631 299- 8
46 Adrian Avena Vineland, NJ 626 300-12
47 Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 617 284- 4
48 Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 615 292-12
49 Mike McClelland Bentonville, AR 612 298- 1
50 Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 612 289- 6

2017 Rookie of the Year
as of 15-Sept-2017
Angler Points Lbs-Oz
1 Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 776 324-12
2 Dustin Connell Clanton, AL 770 330- 0
3 Mark Daniels Jr. Tuskegee, AL 722 315- 8
4 Jesse Wiggins Cullman, AL 652 308- 2
5 Alton Jones Jr. Lorena, TX 454 238- 6
6 Gerald Spohrer Gonzales, LA 378 224- 0
7 Jesse Tacoronte Orlando, FL 373 234-13
8 Darrell Ocamica New Plymouth, ID 247 196- 4
9 Robbie Latuso Gonzales, LA 225 164-10
10 Tyler Carriere Youngsville, LA 210 197- 0
11 Skylar Hamilton Dandridge, TN 208 186- 9

by AnglersChannel

Costa Pro Melinda Mize-Hays Leads LBAA Wildcard on Dardanelle

 

by AnglersChannel

VanDam’s 18 pounds of disappointment

Story & Photo Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships

 

Be honest, if a genie in a bottle offered you an 18-pound limit of bass every time you went fishing, you’d jump on it like a 5-pound smallmouth on a soft shell crawdad.

So would I.

But for the greatest bass angler of all time, bringing an 18-pound limit of smallmouth to the scales on Day 1 of the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship on Lake Mille Lacs felt like Christmas without presents. Or, maybe a good old fashioned kick in the fishin’ shorts.

“Yea, absolutely I’d call it disappointing,” said Kevin VanDam in the predawn light just before heading out in search of a bigger sack of bronze bombers on Day 2.

“I actually caught more bass than I expected to yesterday, but so many of my bites yesterday were 2 or 2 ½ pound fish. I just never got a real big bite,” he explained.

Ironically, even though 29 of the 50 competitors caught at least a 20-pound limit on Day 1, nearly all of them still insist that Mille Lacs is fishing stingy.

“You look at that leaderboard, and you’re thinking we just went out there and blasted ‘em yesterday – but trust me, that ain’t the deal. It’s a grind. Even a lot of the guys who caught ‘em really good yesterday only got seven or eight bites all day long,” explains the career long Quantum pro.

“In my opinion, the population structure here is different than most northern smallmouth fisheries we compete on,” says VanDam. “Instead of tons of three and four pounders like you might see at a place like St. Clair or the St. Lawrence River, it seems like there are fewer fish here, but there’s some really old fish here that grow to be giants – there’s just not tons of them.”

But today is a brand new day. And boy is it different. Instead of calm winds and bright sunny skies, clouds are heavy grey and the winds are blowing steady out of the North-Northeast at 10 mph.

“You watch the leaderboard today,” warns VanDam. “This weather change is gonna shake things up big time. All that finesse fishing guys were doing yesterday, is going to be tougher to do today.”

Faster moving lures like jerkbaits, crankbaits and spinnerbaits will be much bigger players. And if VanDam had a genie in a bottle – that’s exactly what he’d wish for.

So keep an eye on the leaderboard. And don’t be shocked if the 7-time Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year makes a jump toward the top like a 5-pound smallie.

 

by AnglersChannel

Palaniuk Remains On Top Of Season Points Race After First Round Of AOY Championship

Brandon Palaniuk of Hayden, Idaho, holds on to first place in the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year race on the first day of the 2017 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship held on Mille Lacs Lake, Minnesota, with 903 points.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.

September 14, 2017

ONAMIA, Minn. — It’s rare for an angler to finish 19th in the first round of a major tournament and end up totally setting the buzz for the event.

It’s rarer still for that angler to seem totally satisfied with his performance.

But after catching 21 pounds, 4 ounces of smallmouth bass and placing 19th Thursday, Brandon Palaniuk seemed to sense he was closing in on the goal he set before this week’s Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship — and that was to win his first career AOY title.

His 19th-place finish on Mille Lacs Lake — combined with a 26th-place finish by his closest AOY competitor Jason Christie (20-8) and a ninth-place showing by Tennessee pro Jacob Wheeler (22-10) — kept Palaniuk in the AOY lead by a margin of 22 points.

The three-time B.A.S.S. winner from Hayden, Idaho, is now just two more solid days away from the biggest accomplishment of his pro-fishing career.

“I was hoping to catch 23 pounds a day,” Palaniuk said. “I figured that would be enough to give me a chance to win the actual event this week — and if I win, the AOY will take care of itself. So now, I just have to go out and catch 25 (Friday) to even it out.”

Palaniuk started near the launch site at Eddy's Resort, but he rarely stayed in one spot long as he culled his way up to 21-4.

“I ran a lot,” he said. “I just hopped from place to place to place. I’m trying to fish the highest-percentage areas I can, and I haven’t found any one place where I felt confident there was a big school where I could go in and catch them like I did the last time we were here.”

Though there was some talk during practice that the fishing at Mille Lacs had slowed down a little since it burst onto the national scene during last year’s AOY Championship, the lake showed out again Thursday. It was ranked No. 1 in the nation on Bassmaster Magazine’s 100 Best Bass Lakes list this year.

The Top 29 anglers — more than half of the 50-man field — caught at least 20-4, and only four anglers failed to break 15-0.

Christie, who came into the day trailing Palaniuk by 15 points in the AOY Standings (811-796) caught 20-8 and finished 26th in the daily standings. He actually lost ground in the AOY race and is now trailing Palaniuk by 22 points, 903-881.

“Compared to the practice I had, I really had an okay day here today,” Christie said. “I just didn’t catch any of those great big ones — that 5 1/2-pounder or 5 1/4 that you really need to make up a lot of ground here.”

Christie said he weighed in five fish that were in the 4 1/2-pound range — and he was glad to have them.

“I was a little bit worried about even catching one,” he said. “In the position I’m in this week, if you get out there and start worrying about not catching one, you start moving around a lot. Catching a few early kind of settled me down.”

Wheeler’s ninth-place finish left him 23 points back of Palaniuk, but it moved him to within one point of Christie (881-880) in the race for second place.

“This is exactly what I needed,” Wheeler said. “A lot of people have been saying this is a two-man race between Brandon and Jason. But realistically, if you have one bad day on this lake, you’re in 40th place.

“So, this was exactly what I needed. I just need to go out and do it a couple of more times.”

Alabama angler Dustin Connell finished 24th Thursday with 20-9 and took the lead in the Toyota Bassmaster Rookie of the Year standings with 765 total points. New York pro Jamie Hartman fell to second, and despite finishing in 48th place on the first day of competition is only one point behind with 764 for ROY.

Unlike the last two years, there will be prize money and a trophy awarded to the angler who has the best three-day weight during the AOY Championship.

Texas angler Keith Combs grabbed the early lead in that race Thursday with a bag of 24-15. Michigan angler Jonathon VanDam was second with 24-2, and Pennsylvania angler Dave Lefebre was third with 23-7.

The full field will fish again Friday and Sunday to determine the AOY Championship and the event winner. Daily takeoffs will be held each day at 6:50 a.m. CT from Eddy's Resort, and daily weigh-ins will be held at 3:45 p.m. at Grand Casino Mille Lacs.

The field will take a break Saturday for Bassmaster University. Anglers will be conducting seminars and greeting fans near the weigh-in stand at Grand Casino Mille Lacs in conjunction with the Bassmaster Elite Series Outdoors Expo. Companies such as Toyota, Huk, Power-Pole and Berkley will be onsite featuring their latest products. Fans will be able to enjoy free boat and motor demo rides from Skeeter, Yamaha, Nitro, Triton and Mercury. There will also be arts and crafts and food vendors and activities for kids.

All venues are free and open to the public. The expo will begin at 11 a.m. CT. For more information and a full list of activities, visit Bassmaster.com/news/attend-toyota-bassmaster-angler-year-championship.

The championship is hosted by Grand Casino Mille Lacs.

 

Angler Points Lbs-Oz
1 Brandon Palaniuk Hayden, ID 903 324- 2
2 Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 881 314- 9
3 Jacob Wheeler Harrison, TN 880 327-15
4 Jordan Lee Grant, AL 825 312- 3
5 Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 815 310- 2
6 Edwin Evers Talala, OK 804 295- 8
7 Ott DeFoe Blaine, TN 803 314-10
8 Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 787 306-14
9 Keith Combs Huntington, TX 771 301-11
10 Dustin Connell Clanton, AL 765 308- 0
11 Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 764 301- 2
12 Brent Ehrler Redlands, CA 760 301- 0
13 Seth Feider Isle, MN 753 297- 8
14 Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 750 300- 0
15 Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 744 285- 4
16 Mark Daniels Jr. Tuskegee, AL 729 294- 1
17 Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 726 297-13
18 Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 724 294-10
19 Matt Lee Guntersville, AL 723 293- 5
20 Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL 722 287-10
21 Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 717 286- 4
22 Russ Lane Prattville, AL 708 296- 7
23 Mark Davis Mount Ida, AR 701 301- 5
24 Cliff Pace Petal, MS 700 294- 4
25 John Crews Jr Salem, VA 698 290- 3
26 Luke Clausen Otis Orchards, WA 693 264-15
27 Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 684 290- 2
28 Brandon Coulter Knoxville, TN 682 291-15
29 James Elam Tulsa, OK 682 289-11
30 Randy Howell Guntersville, AL 680 298- 8
31 Alton Jones Lorena, TX 679 279- 0
32 Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 673 289- 6
33 David Walker Sevierville, TN 672 279- 1
34 Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 669 285-14
35 Jesse Wiggins Cullman, AL 664 290-10
36 Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 660 271- 0
37 Josh Bertrand San Tan Valley, AZ 658 284- 9
38 Dave Lefebre Erie, PA 658 282-15
39 Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 657 282- 6
40 Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 649 284- 0
41 Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 646 285- 1
42 Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 646 284- 2
43 Jonathon VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 644 280-12
44 Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 634 272-14
45 Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 633 271-14
46 Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 627 278- 9
47 Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 625 275- 1
48 Adrian Avena Vineland, NJ 621 278- 0
49 Mike McClelland Bentonville, AR 616 279- 9
50 Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 610 267-14

by AnglersChannel

Michael Nutter Wins Area 8 American Bass Anglers Ram Truck Open Series Championship on the Potomac

Michael Nutter of LaPlata, Maryland won the Ram Truck Open Series Area 8 championship held Sept. 9th 10th, 2017 on the Potomac River. Running out of Smallwood State Park, on Day 1 Michael weighed in the largest five fish limit of the tournament at 19.73 pounds. This also included a bass that weighed 5.67 pounds.  On day 2 Michael weighed in another five-bass limit weighing 10.91 pounds for a two day total of 30.64 pounds securing his victory. Michael took home a check for $10,000.00 for his win.

“I fished a 300 yard stretch in Belmont Bay both days,” said Nutter. “I caught most of my fish on either a green pumpkin or white chatter bait, I also caught some on a buzz bait and a key fish on a popper.”

In second for the boaters, Brian Calloway of Danville, Virginia weighed in a five-bass limit day 1 with a weight of 14.54 pounds and a five bass limit day 2 that weighed 11.61 pounds giving him a two day total weight of 26.15 pounds. Calloway took home a check for $1050.00 for the effort.

“My best fish came each day on a buzz bait” said Calloway. “I would catch two or three a day on that and the rest of my fish came on a 3/8 ounce jig flipping boat docks.”

Taking third place for the boaters was Barton Wines of Marshall, Virginia. Barton weighed in a five-bass limit day 1 weighing 13.15 pounds and a five bass limit day 2 with a weight of 12.39 pounds giving him a two day total weight of 25.54 pounds. Wines took home $800.00 for his catch.

“I caught all of my fish on a top water popper” said Wines. “The bite was early morning for less than two hours and then it was over.”

Finishing fourth, Mike Moran of Ruffs Dale, Pa. weighed in a five bass limit both days with a total weight of 25.20 pounds. Rounding out the top five was Craig Carnes of Noblesville, IN. who weighed in two five bass limits with a total weight of 23.25 pounds.

Danny Moffat Sr. of Waldorf MD. took home the big bass honors with a fish that weighed 6.02 pounds. Danny collected $620.00 and for having the biggest bass of the tournament, he also took home an ABU Garcia reel valued at $160.00.

In the Co-Angler Division, Travis Garrett of Charlottesville, Virginia took top honors by catching two co angler limits weighing a total of 15.15 pounds. Travis took home $5000.00 for the win.

“I caught 3 fish on day one with a senko and three fish on day two. I caught two on a worm and one on a frog. It was a slow bite and I was done around 10:00.” Said Garrett.

Randy Ruffin of Norfolk, Virginia with the help of a big day two weight of 11.41 pounds and a bass that weighed 4.57 pounds went all the way to second place with a two day weight of 13.36 pounds. Randy took home $350.00 for the effort.

Taking third for the co anglers Randy Walsh of Stafford, Virginia weighed in two co angler limits for a total weight of 13.28 pounds. Randy took home 250.00 for his catch.

Finishing fourth with a two day total weight of 13.18 pounds was Andy Strickler of York, PA and rounding out the top five was Anthony Kashiwsky of Catonsville, MD with a two day total weight of 12.93 pounds.

The co angler big bass honors went to Andrew Myers of Arbutus, MD with a bass that weighed 5.28 pounds. Andrew took home a total of $400.00.

The next tournament will be the Ray Scott championship. The best anglers from across the nation advance the 2018 Ray Scott Championship, slated for the Red River in Shreveport-Bossier Louisiana in April 2018.

About American Bass Anglers: American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler and at the same time offer each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers, the Ram Truck Open Series, the American Fishing Tour or the American Couples Series, visit www.americanbassanglers.com.

by AnglersChannel

Eric Silverstrim wins Area 1 American Bass Anglers Championship on Chickamauga

Eric Silverstrim of Indian Mound, TN won the American Bass Anglers, RAM Truck Open Series Area 1 two-day Championship, held on September 9th-10th 2017 on Lake Chickamauga. Running out Dayton Boat Dock in Dayton, TN Eric brought back a five-fish limit that locked in the scales at 13.26 lbs.  On day two he stayed consistent and brought in another five-fish limit that went for 17.51 lbs. giving him a two- day total weight of 30.77 lbs.  Eric took home a check for $10,000 for his first-place finish.

“I caught all my fish on a Fishing 45 football head jig in Texas Craw. I was just flipping that’s how I caught all my fish this weekend.  That Fishing 45 Jig with the Trokar hooks just kept them hooked up, and that little bit of chartreuse just drew them out of that scattered brush.”  Said Silverstrim.  “My Mercury Pro XS got a good work out this week, and I can’t thank Mercury Marine enough.  That Pro XS is by far the best motor on the market and it really showed it this week.  I also want to thank C&O Marine, and Fishing 45, with those Trokar hooks and their swim bait lines there’s just nothing any better out there. I want to thank the ABA for the tournament series they put on and I feel grateful, it’s a lot of hard work and it just worked out this weekend.”

Taking Second was Wayne Boyd of Rome, Ga.  On day one Wayne brought back 5 keepers that locked in at 16.75 lbs.  Day, he landed 5 more to add 11.55 lbs. to his total weight, giving him a two-day total of 28.30 lbs.  Wayne took home $1100 dollars for his efforts.

“I Fished clean for two days, I didn’t lose any fish at all. I caught all my fish on a white chatter bait in scattered grass.  It was a grind out there.”  Said Boyd.

Third place was claimed by Matt Stanley of Alexandria, TN.  Matt brought back a 5-fish limit both days for a two-day total weight of 27.69 lbs.  Matt pocketed $900 for his placement.

“I was flipping grass, wood, and rock banks. I just kept moving and trying to find the fish.”  Said Stanley.

Fourth was taken by Steve Barnes of Harrison, TN.  Steve landed a limit both days for a total weight of 23.07 lbs.

Brad Harmon rounded out the top 5 with 8 fish over two days for a total weight of 22.06 lbs.
Douglas Webster of Pinson, AL took big fish honors with a gorgeous 7.60 lb. largemouth.  Douglas took home $700 for that fish.

Taking First for the Co-Anglers was Joseph Casey of Trenton, GA.  Joseph managed to bring in 5 fish over the two days for a total weight of 16.15 lbs.  He anchored his catch with a 4.40 lb. kicker sealing his victory.  He took home a check for $5000 for his victory.

“I caught all my key fish deep on edge breaks where the grass would stop, on a strike king cutter worm Texas rigged.  I fished the river and Hiwassee both days.  I caught all my bigger fish in the first 15-20 minutes both days.  I want to thank my wife, my family, and my friend from work Harley.”  Said Casey.

Second amongst the Co-Anglers was Herbert Hall of Harrison, TN. Herbert brought in 4 fish during the tournament for a total weight of 12.03 lbs.  He Anchored his catch with a beautiful 6.96 lb. largemouth, which also took Co-Angler Big Bass.  Herbert took home a $350 for his placement and an additional $240 for his Big Bass.

“I was using a white Cho Cho custom jig, but I got hung up and lost it.  I couldn’t find another one, but I had the same jig in a different color. I tied it on and that’s what I caught the big one on. I thought I was hung up again, until it started moving back, it was a fun fish to catch.”  Said Hall.

Taking third for the Co-Anglers was Kevin Shrader of Valley Head, AL.  He brought in a total of 5 fish, they locked in the scales for a two-total weight of 11.92 lbs.  Kevin took home a check for $250 for his efforts.

“I caught every one of my fish on square bill crank bait.  I was jerking it through the grass like a rattle trap.  I probably caught 35 fish total, just not a lot of big ones.” Said Shrader.

Fourth place was claimed by Robert Henze of Lavergne, TN. He brought in a 3-fish limit both days for a total weight of 11.03 lbs.

Rounding out the top 5 was Jake Cross of Byrdstown, TN with a two-day total weight of 10.24 lbs.

The next tournament will be the Ray Scott Championship. The best anglers from across the nation advance the 2018 Ray Scott Championship, slated for the Red River in Shreveport-Bossier, Louisiana in April 2018.

For more information on this tournament, call Kristin Malott, tournament manager, at 256-771-3709 or ABA at 256-232-0406. On line, see www.ramopenseries.com .

About American Bass Anglers: American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler and at the same time offer each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers, the Ram Truck Open Series, the American Fishing Tour or the American Couples Series, visit www.americanbassanglers.com.

by AnglersChannel

Oh Deer, Swindle a Bit Distracted as AOY Championship Begins

Story & Photo Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships

 

One year ago, the pressure Gerald and LeAnn Swindle felt during Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship week on Mille Lacs was on par with a Crimson Tide pass rush.

The couple persevered, they prayed, they leaned on each other, and they limped out of the pocket to score Gerald’s second career Toyota Angler of the Year title.

This week on Mille Lacs, the pressure is gone. So much so that LeAnn had to step through a line of fans and media at Day 1 launch to jokingly remind Gerald of their rule: “No talk of deer hunting on tournament day.”

Now don’t get the wrong idea, “Lulu” loves to hunt. But as she kindly explains, “He gets distracted easily, especially when deer season gets close to tournament season, so sometimes I have to step in and remind him of our rule, especially when I see him showing-off trail camera pictures five minutes before tournament blast-off.”

The couple has shared 13 great years of marriage, and time in the deer woods together is a treasured part of their matrimony. In fact, they stopped at the 200-acre hunting property they lease in Illinois as they traveled from home in Alabama to Mille Lacs.

“Yep, I spent all last Thursday afternoon, and all day Friday, planting ‘green fields’ with my son-in-law Zach to get us ready for deer season, before we came on up to Mille Lacs,” says Swindle with a joyful grin.

“I was telling Dan Quinn from Rapala this morning not to get too concerned about not seeing a lot of deer on trail cameras right now in September, because this time of year they’re still eating natural food sources, and they don’t come to food you put out in front of a camera near as much as they will later in the fall. They’re like smallmouth on a sonar screen. Sometimes they hug the bottom so close you can’t see ‘em – but that don’t mean they aren’t there,” explains the Quantum pro.

A couple weeks from now Swindle will kick off the hunting season with a Montana elk hunting trip, followed by time in a treestand for Illinois whitetail.

“The thing I’m looking forward to most this year in hunting season is not walking with a bad limp. I feel healthy. Heck, last year I had to kill a 140” buck with one crutch under my arm,” says Swindle.

But first, there is a bass tournament taking place in Central Minnesota. And this year, it’s a tournament the Swindles are enjoying far more.

“This week last year was the single most stressful week of our married life,” admits LeAnn. “There were tears, there were prayers, and there was stress like we’d never experienced.”

But this week the Swindles are relaxed, just jockeying for a few more Angler of the Year points, sharing life off the water with their old buddy Skeet Reese, and showing-off big buck pictures on a cell phone – well, at least until “Lulu” reminded “G” of their rule.

by AnglersChannel

Jordan Lee and Casey Ashley Preview AOY Championship

Story & Photo Courtesy of Alan McGuckin ~ Dynamic Sponsorships

Jordan Lee and Casey Ashley both sit inside the Top 10 of the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points race, and the two Quantum pros graciously offered their input on everything from fried catfish to sturgeon, and of course smallmouth bass, on the eve of competition at Lake Mille Lacs.

Last year was a slugfest here at Mille Lacs. How do conditions compare this year?
Jordan Lee: The weather is a lot warmer. Last year we were wearing Carhartt beanies on our heads to stay warm, and the lake does seem to be fishing tougher.
Casey Ashley: It’s so much tougher this year. It’s like these fish got a good education between last year and now. There aren’t any dumb ones left swimming here now.

The Northern U.S. is rich with a wide variety of freshwater fish species. What’s your most noteworthy catch amid all the Elite Series events you’ve fished ‘up north’ this summer?
Jordan Lee: Oh, for sure the 60-pound sturgeon I fought for 71 minutes on Zona Live at Lake St. Clair!
Casey Ashley: I hooked a northern pike so big that I wasn’t about to wrestle him for my jerkbait. I just let him take it with him.

Speaking of lures, name three lures that pros will use most this week on Mille Lacs:
Jordan Lee: Jerkbait, drop shot, and a tube.
Casey Ashley: A crankbait that will run 10 to 12-feet deep, a jerkbait, and a drop shot.

How much weight will you have to average each day to finish in the Top 12 here?
Jordan Lee: 20 pounds
Casey Ashley: 20 pounds

People in this part of the country love to eat walleye, yellow perch and crappie – what is your favorite fish to eat?
Jordan Lee: I like walleye. And I like grouper. But my go-to standard is grilled catfish at the Cracker Barrel.
Casey Ashley: Fried flathead catfish caught near home in South Carolina.

by AnglersChannel

B.A.S.S. To Conduct Telethon To Benefit Hurricane Victims In Fish And Wildlife Agencies

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission employees rescue Florida flood victims in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma. Some of the state employees also suffered tremendous losses in the storm.

Photo courtesy of Fish and Wildlife Foundation of Florida
September 13, 2017

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Game wardens, fisheries biologists and other personnel in the fish and game departments of Texas and Florida were among the first responders in the back-to-back catastrophic hurricanes that slammed those two states.

After those heroes worked tirelessly to rescue people from flooded and storm-ravaged homes, many of them returned from duty to find their own homes severely damaged or destroyed.

In response to their losses and in recognition of their sacrifices, B.A.S.S. is launching a fundraising campaign through its innovative Bassmaster LIVE broadcasts from the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship this week at Mille Lacs Lake, Minnesota.

The first-ever Bassmaster LIVE “telethon” will take place during coverage of the year-end championship, which will crown the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year and determine berths in the 2018 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.

More than 100,000 fishing fans will tune in for the LIVE shows, which are streamed on Bassmaster.com this week and WatchESPN from 8-11 a.m. and 12:30-3:30 p.m. ET Thursday, Friday and Sunday.

“In the aftermath of hurricanes Harvey and Irma, the needs are so great they’re mind-boggling,” said Bruce Akin, B.A.S.S. CEO. “We want to do whatever we can to help, and we also want to be confident that these funds go directly to the people who need it most. That’s why we’re proud to partner with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation and the Fish and Wildlife Foundation of Florida to directly benefit the men and women of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.”

The two foundations are non-profit organizations dedicated to providing private funding to help their respective conservation agencies protect and improve fish and wildlife resources.

“Knowing that things like this would happen, we set up a fund sometime back to provide emergency relief for our fish and wildlife workers,” said Andy Walker, president and CEO of the Fish and Wildlife Foundation of Florida. “That fund was exhausted in the first 48 hours.”

Because of the nature of their jobs, a disproportionate number of Florida fish and wildlife employees live and work in coastal areas — especially the Florida Keys — that received the brunt of Irma’s fury, he said.

Anne Brown, executive director of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, added that numerous parks and wildlife employees also reside in coastal areas hardest hit by Hurricane Harvey, and more than 100 have been displaced due to damage or loss of their homes. The foundation has raised and distributed about $250,000 for the relief effort so far.

During the LIVE broadcasts, hosts Tommy Sanders and Davy Hite will interview Elite anglers and B.A.S.S. Nation members from Texas and Florida, including some who used their own boats to rescue people stranded in the floods. Officials in both states have commended fishermen and hunters for their quick response and credited them for saving numerous lives.

Walker noted that 150 wildlife and fisheries workers from Florida worked “around the clock” in Texas to help rescue people there, and more than 350 Texas Parks and Wildlife employees reciprocated by converging on Florida this week to help in the wake of Hurricane Irma.

Akin also pointed out that a number of B.A.S.S. sponsors have been active in relief efforts. Yamaha and G3 provided boats to be used in the Houston rescue operation, as did Tracker dealers in the area.

And Toyota is working with the St. Bernard Project (SBP) — an initiative launched in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana — with a long-term view of recovery.

“In this spirit, we spent $1 million to establish our long-time partner, the St Bernard Project, in southeast Texas,” said Mike Goss, president of Toyota USA Foundation. “They are helping people mitigate mold and avoid contractor fraud, and they help the uninsured navigate government funding. Eventually, SBP will rebuild homes for residents who cannot afford it on their own.

“Often this entire process takes many years in the wake of a huge disaster, so Toyota wants to help make full recovery go faster.”

Fans who tune in to the Bassmaster LIVE shows beginning Thursday will be given directions on how they can donate to the relief efforts.

Those who want to help fish and wildlife personnel in Florida can contribute to a fund set up by the Fish and Wildlife Foundation of Florida: https://www.fishwildlifeflorida.org/irma/.

The Texas foundation has set up two funds: the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Employee Relief Fund (www.tpwf.org/employee-harvey-relief) and the Restoration of Natural Resources Fund (www.tpwf.org/resources-harvey-relief).

by AnglersChannel

Swindle talks AOY, knees, guitars, and Mille Lacs

Story & Photo Courtesy Alan McGuckin ~ Dynamic Sponsorships

 

One year ago in mid-September, Gerald Swindle became only the 11th professional bass angler in history to win more than one Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year title when he hauled home the coveted trophy to Alabama from Lake Mille Lacs, Minnesota.

He’s back at Mille Lacs this week for the same event, and he sits solidly near the top of the year-end points race in 14th place. He graciously took time at the end of a long practice day, on a mosquito laden boat ramp, to reflect on memories of Mille Lacs last year, as well as the challenges and triumphs he’s experienced since.

 

When you reflect back on Mille Lacs a year ago, what do you remember most?

“There are a couple things that stand out. First, was just physically touching that trophy, and all the emotion tied to finally knowing it was mine, but also how much pressure “Lulu” and I dealt with that week, and the toll it took on her and me,” he reflects. “I think she wore out two pair of blue jeans that week praying. There was definitely a serious feeling of relief when that week was finally over.”

 

Soon after winning the AOY title, and being at the sport’s pinnacle, you found yourself in a hospital bed facing deeply concerning and unexpected complications from what was expected to be a fairly routine knee surgery – how are your knees doing now?

“They’re pretty good. I’d say they’re at 85% compared to about 40% and a whole lot of Advil this time last year,” grinned the Quantum pro.

 

What’s the coolest thing that’s happened to your life as a direct result of being the reigning Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year?

 “No huge changes, really. The big things have never really jumped out at me – it’s the smaller but hugely meaningful things that go a long way with me, like kids writing me letters, or the custom guitar made for me by Duane Calkins’ woodshop class that I love the most,” says Swindle.

 

You’ve had another awesome season this year, what’s been the biggest key to keeping you atop your game?

“I think we’ve focused even more on fishing this year. I mean, we’ve worked hard for our sponsors off the water, but we’ve tried even harder to keep our eye on the ball, and focused on the game itself,” says the Lake Guntersville resident.

 

Let’s talk about this week. Give us the unfiltered “G-Man” pregame analysis of what fans can expect this week on Mille Lacs.

“I think you’ll see a lot of decent weights again. But like an Alabama football score, just because the numbers on the scoreboard indicate a big win, doesn’t mean the game itself won’t be a grind,” says Swindle. “You’ll see a few 25-pound bags, but not as many as last year. There seems to be an algae bloom that’s making the water a bit cloudier, and with smallmouth being such sight-oriented feeders, I think it’s slowed the bite down just a little. I think a 23-pound per day average can win this week.”

 

Knee health to algae blooms. Custom guitars to college football. Life’s always in proper perspective for Gerald Swindle.

by AnglersChannel

Carhartt Countdown to Blast Off with Alan McGuckin and Strike King Pro Matt Lee

Dynamic Sponsorships Alan McGuckin talks to Strike King Pro Matt Lee as he prepares for the final day of practice in the BASS Angler of the Year Championship on Lake Mille Lacs.

by AnglersChannel

2018 Carhartt Bassmaster College, High School Series Schedules Announced With Exciting Changes

September 12, 2017

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops and the Bassmaster High School Series presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods schedules were announced today with intriguing updates for 2018.

The High School Series has been expanded to four Opens in 2018, and the Bassmaster College Series will showcase a new format enabling college bass fishing teams to compete in a national tour comprising four tournaments and the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops.

Through this year, a college team could only compete in the event within their regional “conference,” plus a wild card qualifier that gave anglers a second chance to reach the national championship. The 2018 college tour will consist of Central, Eastern, Western and Southern events — providing higher-payout incentives and more opportunities to qualify for the 2018 College Series National Championship.

The College Series tour will begin Jan. 25-27 at the Central qualifier on Toledo Bend Reservoir, Louisiana, which was recently ranked fourth in the Central Division of Bassmaster Magazine’s 100 Best Bass Lakes for 2017.

“Toledo Bend Lake Country/Sabine Parish Tourist Commission/Sabine River Authority are looking forward to hosting the Bassmaster High School and the Bassmaster College Series on Toledo Bend during the 2018 season,” said Linda Curtis-Sparks, director, Sabine Parish Tourist Commission. “We are excited about having these young anglers to our area. We feel that they represent the future in the fishing industry, plus they will be here during a prespawn period for our lake, so the weights could be record setting. It is going to be fun!”

From there, college anglers will travel to the Southern event hosted by the Florence/Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau on Pickwick Lake, Alabama, April 19-21.

“We are super excited to be hosting the 2018 Bassmaster College Series in Florence, Ala.,” said Suzie Shoemaker, manager, sport/event sales at the Florence/Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau. “College anglers bring fantastic economic impact to our community, and we look forward to having them back!”

Cherokee Lake, Tennessee, will be the third fishery on tour at the Eastern event on May 10-12 — the Economic Development Alliance of Jefferson County, Tenn. will be the host. And finally, anglers will head west to Clear Lake, California, May 23-25, where the tournament is hosted by the Konocti Vista Resort & Marina.

In addition to the four tour events, the Bassmaster College Series will also partner with the B.A.S.S. Nation to hold state-qualifying tournaments. Anglers will now be able to compete for a berth in the national championship through their respective state’s event — formats will vary.

All tour events will be open to any college or university interested in participating. Teams can attend all four Opens and the state qualifier if they chose to do so.

Also new this year, anglers will vie for the opportunity to become the 2018 Bassmaster College Series Team of the Year. Each of the tour’s three-day events will feature point system scoring, based on field size, allowing anglers to compete for the title, cash and prizes.

The goal for the restructure is to allow anglers five opportunities — the four tour events and a state-qualifying event — to compete for a berth in the national championship and a shot at becoming the Bassmaster College Series Team of the Year.

“The college demographic continues to change and evolve,” said B.A.S.S. College and High School Series Senior Manager Hank Weldon. “We want to continue to offer a series that accommodates all college anglers, whether that be a team who can compete in a multievent tour or anglers who can only travel to a state-run event. The 2017-18 competition year should be really exciting to watch.”

Much like the College Series, the 2018 Bassmaster High School Series will now feature four Opens events — Central, Southern, Eastern and the new Western Open.

The High School Opens will continue to be one-day tournaments with a briefing and sponsor greeting held the night before competition. However, also new this year for the High School Series are up-to-the-minute competition updates.

“The one thing we hear from parents and fans watching the coverage on Bassmaster.com is that they would like to know where their teams stand throughout the competition,” Weldon noted. “In 2018, we are launching BASSTrakk on each team’s boat for all High School tournaments — fans will be able to follow their teams closely on the water at each event.”

The kickoff event will be Jan. 28 at the High School Series Central Open on Toledo Bend Reservoir, just one day after the first College tournament. Toledo Bend Lake Country will be the host for this event, as well.

From there, teams will travel to Lay Lake, Alabama, for the Southern Open on March 24 hosted by Visit Shelby County, Ala.

Visit Anderson, S.C., will host the Eastern Open and third stop for the High School Series on April 14 on Lake Hartwell, which is also the fishery for the 2018 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods slated for March 16-18. The final regular-season stop will be the Western Open at Clear Lake, California, on May 2 also hosted by the Konocti Vista Resort & Marina.

High school teams in each of the four Opens will be competing for berths in the Bassmaster High School Championship presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods. The dates and location of that event will be later announced.

To view registration dates for both college and high school tournaments, and for more information on the Bassmaster College Series state-qualifying events, visit Bassmaster.com.

2018 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops

Event Title                             Lake                                       City                                     Date            
Central Tour Event                 Toledo Bend Reservoir           Many, La.                             Jan. 25-27
Southern Tour Event               Pickwick Lake                        Florence, Ala.                      April 19-21
Eastern Tour Event                 Cherokee Lake                        Jefferson City, Tenn.            May 10-12
Western Tour Event                Clear Lake                               Lakeport, Calif.                    May 23-25

2018 Bassmaster High School Series presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods

Event Title                             Lake                                       City                                   Date             
Central Open                          Toledo Bend Reservoir           Many, La.                          Jan. 28
Southern Open                        Lay Lake                                 Shelby County, Ala.         March 24
Eastern Open                          Lake Hartwell                         Anderson, S.C.                 April 14
Western Open                         Clear Lake                               Lakeport, Calif.                May 26

by AnglersChannel

PBC CASHION FISHING RODS 'End of Year' TEAM BASS FISHING TRAIL September 9th, 2017 ~ Falls Lake

Hunting season arrived and the qualifier #5 of PBC Cashion Fishing Rods 'End of Year' Trail at Falls Lake took a hit

with only 30 teams showing up and the weights took a hit too! Air temps ranged from 54 degrees in the am on up to
70 at the 3pm weighin. Water temps averaged about 74 degrees. Winds were nonexistent in the am up to about 10
mph in the afternoon. The bite was good but it was tough to get 5 good fish...most were small.

The veteran team of Todd Massey & Tim Parker won 1st Place weighing in 5 bass at 19.04 lbs., 1st Place Big Fish
(7.33 lbs.)and also won the 1st Place Tournament within a Tournament (TWT) for a total of $1,707 in winnings. The
team said most of their bass were caught off channel points & dropoffs in 3 to 10' of water with crankbaits & worm
rigs.


Jaime Fajardo & Josh Hooks came in 2nd place with 5 fish weighing 15.32 lbs. & also won 2nd Place TWT to pocket
a total of $705. 3rd place team Bobby Houser & Matt Dean won $350 with 5 weighing 14.85 lbs. The 2nd Place Big
Fish weighed 6.14 lbs. and was caught by David Bullock & Jimmy Henderson netting them $168 in prize money!!

Only 63 fish were weighed in for a total of 171 pounds for an average of 2.71 lbs. each. Most of the fish were caught
on Texas rigs, Carolina rigs, Jig combos and Crankbaits in 3 to 10' of water off main point dropoffs 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 Trail Qualifier will be September 23rd at Kerr Lake. Go to this webpage for the info
on the 'End of Year' Trail: http://piedmontbassclassics.com/2017CashionEOYTrailMainPage.html
All the information on our tournaments can be found http://piedmontbassclassics.com/

Now here are the full results:

1st Place: Todd Massey & Tim Parker of Chapel Hill & New Hill...5 bass...19.04 lbs...$860
2nd Place: Jaime Fajardo & Josh Hooks of Fuquay Varina & Apex...5 bass...15.32 lbs...$510
3rd Place: Bobby Houser & Matt Dean of Raleigh & Clayton...5 bass...14.85 lbs...$350
4th Place: Doug Stallings & Seth Ellis of Durham & Charlotte...5 bass...14.77 lbs...$270
5th Place: Tony & Chase Stanley of Four Oaks...5 bass...114.20 lbs...$220
6th Place: Tony Woodard & Stewart Adams of Four Oaks...5 bass...14.06 lbs...$190

1st Place Big Fish..1st Place Team above...7.33 lbs...$392
2nd Place Big Fish..David Bullock & Jimmy Henderson of Durham & Wake Forest...6.14 lbs...$168

         1st Place TWT..1st Place Team above...19.04 lbs...$455

         2nd Place TWT..2nd Place Team above...15.32 lbs...$195

by AnglersChannel