2019 TH Marine Atlas Awards Information
T-H Marine Supplies Inc. is excited to announce the return of the Atlas Awards Program for the 2019 tournament fishing season! T-H Marine will award cash prizes to Atlas Awards members who are the winners or highest qualifying finisher of sanctioned events, giving everyone the opportunity to win like the top-level pros!
The Atlas Awards program is just $29.99 for a one year (Jan. 1, 2019 – Dec. 31, 2019) membership and gives anglers the chance to compete for, and win, extra money just for having T-H Marine parts on their boat. This also includes one T-H Marine hat and 2 logo decals. Some of our rules have changed, so please see below for full rules and regulations.
The payouts below will be for SANCTIONED tournaments with a 50 boat minumum. If your tournament is not listed,have your tournament director submit this form to be qualified. So Many Ways To Win! Please see official rules for more details.
Each item is valued by credits, one credit is worth $20 in cash, or $50 in store credit.
For More Information and to Sign Up!
WEATHERING THE STORM - Introducing the UA Fish Shoreman Collection. When you’re protected from the elements, you’re powerful.
Success on the water correlates directly with the time you spend on the water. Sticking it out when the weather turns foul requires only the determination to keep casting, and the gear to maintain peak performance. Whether you’re fifty miles offshore, or fifty minutes from weigh-in, you put your trust in your gear, not the local weatherman.
Introducing the new Under Armour Fish Shoreman Collection. Conquer all conditions and fish without limits in UA Stormproof, UA Storm and GORE-TEX technologies. Rebuilt for every angler in any season, the Shoreman jacket and pant utilizes a lightweight GORE-TEX Paclite® Ripstop fabric that boasts waterproofing and extreme durability, and is ideal for packing into bags or storage compartments.
As drags sing, rods bend, and you lean into the fight, body-mapped ripstop construction provides extra durability where you need it.
The Shoreman Collection includes jackets, hoodies, pants and shorts in several colorways. Bibs will be added to the collection in January of 2019.
Be ready to weather the storm.
PEAK ROCK CAPITAL PORTFOLIO COMPANY, LEW’S, ACQUIRES SOUTHERN PLASTICS
Austin, Texas, November 6, 2018 – Lew’s Holdings Corporation (“Lew’s”), a rapidly growing supplier of fishing and hunting products with industry leading brands, including Lew’s, Strike King, and Hunters Specialties, announced today that it has acquired Southern Plastics Company, Inc. (“Southern Plastics”), a leading manufacturer of soft plastic fishing lures.
Southern Plastics is a leading manufacturer of soft plastic lures utilizing a unique variety of scents, additives, and colors supported by industry leading operational capabilities. Southern Plastics has manufactured soft plastics for Strike King for over twenty years. Based in Eufaula, Alabama, Southern Plastics benefits from an exceptional team of managers and employees.
Peter Leibman, Managing Director of Peak Rock Capital, said, “We are excited about the opportunity to partner with one of the industry’s best-known manufacturers as Lew’s continues to grow organically and through strategic acquisitions. The addition of Southern Plastics enhances our presence in the fast-growing soft plastic lures category. Strike King and Southern Plastics are highly complementary, and we’re excited to utilize the capabilities of Southern Plastics to support the continued strong growth of Strike King.”
Ken Eubanks, CEO of Lew’s commented, “Southern Plastics shares with Lew’s a dedication to providing industry leading products and service levels to our business partners. I am excited to support Southern Plastics in continuing the tradition of exceptional service to our business partners and consumers. Terry Spence and Lisa Hagler, along with their dedicated employees, have done a tremendous job driving growth at Southern Plastics, and we are excited that they will remain involved with the company going forward.”
ABOUT SOUTHERN PLASTICS
Based in Eufaula, Alabama, Southern Plastics is a leading manufacturer of soft plastic fishing lures. The company supplies soft baits utilizing a variety of scents, additives, and color schemes resulting in industry leading quality products.
ABOUT LEW’S HOLDINGS CORPORATION
Lew’s Holdings Corporation is a Springfield, Missouri based outdoor consumer products company with a portfolio of brands, including Lew’s, Strike King, Hunters Specialties, and Buck Bomb. The company supplies branded fishing and hunting gear and accessories through the mass market, sporting goods, and specialty outdoor channels.
Pure Fishing sold to private equity group for $1.3 billion
Courtesy of Angling-International.com
Newell Brands has today announced that it has agreed the sale of Pure Fishing to a New York-based private equity group in a deal that is worth $1.3 billion.
Sycamore Partners is the surprise choice of new owner for the business. It is unknown in fishing circles and owns no outdoor leisure-related industries. It specialises in consumer, distribution and retail-related investments.
In the same press release, Newell announced the sale of Jostens, another brand deemed surplus to requirements, for $1.3 billion. The two deals will add approximately $2.5 billion to the Newell Brands balance sheet.
The proceeds of the sale of Pure Fishing will come as a surprise to many analysts and those within the industry who valued the business at between $500 million and $1billion.
“We are pleased to announce another step forward in our Accelerated Transformation Plan, with the signing of the Pure Fishing and Jostens transactions,” said Michael Polk, Newell Brands President and Chief Executive Officer. “We have full confidence that these businesses will continue to thrive under new ownership, as they leverage their strong positions in the market place.”
Newell Brands took control of Pure Fishing when it acquired the Jarden Corporation for $16 billion in April 2016, but its future with the new owner has been under a cloud for much of the time and it was officially put up for sale in May of this year.
In 2017 Pure Fishing’s net sales from its top-end brands that include Penn, Abu Garcia, Greys and Berkley, were approximately $556 million.
AC Insider - Election Day & More featuring Elite Series Pro Brandon Cobb & Costa Champ Kyle Walters!
This week your vote counts and it looks like you all voted for Bass! Thats right, we welcome in new BASS Elite Series Pro Brandon Cobb to the show to talk about his decision to move over to the Elites as well as discuss his recent China trip, some good times there. We also welcome in the Costa Series Champ Kyle Walters and talk about his pattern on Lake Guntersville as he flipped up over 44 pounds of Large heads and took home over 92K! All this and more, right here!
2019 MLF Bass Pro Tour Dates Posted "Framed Around a 'Family Friendly' Schedule"
TULSA, Oklahoma – It was a telling moment as Major League Fishing Reporter Aly Akers chatted with MLF pro Keith Poche before a competition day at the Challenge Cup: Halloween morning, and Poche knew he would be missing the evening’s trick-or-treat festivities with his daughters.
“I’m glad to be here fishing, but I’d love to be home tonight for Halloween,” Poche confessed.
That’s been a common occurrence for years for Poche and the other 79 anglers on the Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour: tournament schedules have frequently forced them to be on the road on holiday weekends like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and the Fourth of July.
“We haven’t necessarily had tournaments fall right on the holidays, but our previous schedules have almost always had us traveling on every major holiday weekend in spring, summer and early fall,” says 25-year veteran Randy Howell. “We’ve frequently had to travel on Saturday or Sunday of those holiday weekends to get to the venues to start practice on Mondays. Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July – it feels like I’ve always been driving somewhere on those weekends.”
But when Gary Klein, Boyd Duckett and MLF Bass Pro Tour league officials drew up tournament dates for 2019, they were adamant about framing both the eight regular-season events and four Cup competitions around important family holidays. The result: a family-friendly schedule that has the anglers home on Easter weekend, Memorial Day weekend, Father’s Day weekend, Mother’s Day weekend, the Fourth of July, and Halloween.
“The schedule was something we wanted to address from the get-go,” says Klein. “As professional anglers, we really didn’t appreciate having to travel on holidays, so (holiday travel) just wasn’t going to happen. Right from the start, we knew that we weren’t going to put our schedule where guys would have to leave their families on the holidays to get to practice.”
The family-focused schedule should also improve the anglers’ travel experience overall. Instead of being on the road during the most hectic weekends of the year – AAA estimates that over 140 million Americans travel on Memorial Day, Labor Day and Fourth of July weekends alone – they can delay their long drives to the week after those busy spring, summer and fall holidays.
“Everybody travels to see family during those holiday weekends, so we’ve always had to deal with extra traffic and more people trying to get somewhere,” Howell said. “This will be a nice break for all of us. Not only to be with our families but to avoid some of that heavy holiday traffic.”
Here's a look at MLF's 2019 Schedule:
The MLF Bass Pro Tour events are in yellow. Those events will be open to the public, and there will be opportunities for you and your family to interact with your favorite anglers. The MLF Cup events are in blue. The Cups are shot in the dark, which means they will not be open to the public and the results will be kept a secret until the episodes air on television.
FLORIDA’S WALTERS WINS COSTA FLW SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP ON LAKE GUNTERSVILLE
Courtesy of FLW
GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. (Nov. 3, 2018) – Pro Kyle Walters of Grant-Valkaria, Florida, caught a five-bass limit weighing 24 pounds, 4 ounces Saturday – the largest limit of the event – to win the weather-shortened Costa FLW Series Championship on Lake Guntersville with a two-day cumulative total of 10 bass weighing 44 pounds, 3 ounces. Walters’ efforts earned him $92,700, including a brand new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard motor and a slot in the 2019 FLW Cup - the world championship of professional bass fishing.
“If you would’ve told me 15, 20 years ago when I started fishing [T-H Marine Bass Fishing League] BFLs that I’d eventually be standing here as the Costa FLW Series Champion – and going to the Forrest Wood Cup – I would’ve told you that you’re crazy,” said Walters, who earned his third win in FLW competition. “To come out here and fish with all the guys you watch on TV is really special. Guys like Bryan Thrift, J.T. Kenney and John Cox – guys from Florida. There are only a few lakes that I feel like I can compete with them at and Lake Guntersville is one of them. It fits the way I like to fish.”
Walters tapped into his Florida-bred instincts this week, flipping for bass in grass mats on the main-river channel, a strategy that also helped him win a BFL Regional Tournament on Lake Guntersville back in the fall of 2013. Walters said he was able to pick apart the channel-facing hydrilla in 2013, but due to recent heavy winds and high water flow washing out the outer edge he was forced to move to the bank side of the same mats this year.
“When I showed up here, I wanted something on the main river,” said Walters. “In 2013, everything was on the main-river channel, so I immediately went and looked for hydrilla there. Well, I couldn’t find it – when I pulled out of Waterfront [boat ramp] it was gone. So I went up the river – it’s what’s we do in Florida – and I looked for something. I got a few bites the first couple of hours I was here, and I said I was going to commit to it one way or the other.
“I fished my main stretch a pretty good distance in practice,” Walters continued. “I’d get a couple bites and then I’d start fishing fast. If I got another couple of bites, I’d mark them. Then in the tournament I’d expand on them both ways and keep moving.”
Walters had two primary areas along his stretch this week – grass mats in 4- to 5-feet-of-water about a mile above of the BB Comer Bridge, and hydrilla in 8-feet-of-water a couple of miles below the bridge. His grass mats consisted of a mix of hydrilla and milfoil. Dead eelgrass and other vegetation had blown in on top of the grass and created dead, brown mats.
“I caught eight of the 10 I weighed in up there. It was milfoil, and hydrilla was growing from the bottom and then the ‘cut grass’ was all loaded up inside,” said Walters. “When one [lure] would go in, it would fall free and into a cavern and they’d kind of attack it. The big ones seemed to be within the first two feet of the mats.”
Walters said he used beaver-style baits, citing a Green Pumpkin Black Blue-colored Gambler Stinger. The lures were Texas-rigged with a 1½-ounce Picasso tungsten sinker on a 4/0-sized straight shank hook and 75-pound-test Halo Winch braided line. To hoist bass out of the vegetation, he preferred to use a Halo 7-foot, 11-inch J.T. Kenney Signature Series rod.
“In practice, I didn’t get a lot of bites at the stretch below the bridge, but I caught one big fish there each day,” said Walters. “I could never get multiple bites going on there, so when I went there, it was one of those deals where I was really going to have to fish for them to get the bites. I caught my last 4 or 5 pounder there today with an hour to go.”
The top finishing boater from each of the six Costa FLW Series divisions that qualified for the 2019 FLW Cup were:
Southeastern
1st: Kyle Walters, Grant-Valkaria, Fla., 10 bass, 44-3, $92,700
Southwestern
7th: Zach Birge, Blanchard, Okla., 10 bass, 29-2, $7,000
Central
11nd: Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., 10 bass, 27-11, $4,000
Northern
12th: Power-Pole pro Cory Johnston, Cavan, Ontario, Canada, nine bass, 27-10, $4,000
Western
4th: John Griffith, Mesa, Ariz., 10 bass, 31-6, $15,000
International
37th: Erik Luzak, Orillia, Ontario, Canada, eight bass, 21-5, $2,000
The top 10 overall anglers finished:
1st: Kyle Walters, Grant-Valkaria, Fla., 10 bass, 44-3, $92,700
2nd: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 10 bass, 39-8, $25,100 + $5,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
3rd: Robert Crosnoe, Inverness, Fla., 10 bass, 37-5, $20,000 + $3,500 Ranger Cup Bonus
4th: Jon Griffith, Mesa, Ariz., 10 bass, 31-6, $15,000
5th: Bryan New, Belmont, N.C., nine bass, 30-0, $10,000 + $1,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
6th: Troy Gibson, Mountain Home, Ark., 10 bass, 29-5, $8,000
7th: Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., 10 bass, 29-2, $7,000
8th: Terry Tucker, Gadsden, Ala., 10 bass, 28-13, $6,000
9th: John Cox, DeBary, Fla., 10 bass, 28-2, $5,000
10th: Jake Ormond, Sterlington, La., 10 bass, 28-1, $4,500
A complete list of results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Competitors qualified for the Costa FLW Series Championship through five U.S. divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western – and an International division that features anglers from Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa and Spain.
The 2019 FLW Cup will be held at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Aug. 9-11.
Jacob Traba of Pacifica, California, won the Co-angler Division and $30,000, including a Ranger Z175 boat with a 90-horsepower Evinrude outboard with a two-day total of eight bass weighing 23 pounds, 12 ounces. Scott Parsons of Rogers, Arkansas, finished in second place with nine bass weighing 23 pounds, 1 ounce, good for $12,600.
The top 10 co-anglers finished:
1st: Jacob Traba, Pacifica, Calif., eight bass, 23-12, $30,000
2nd: Scott Parsons, Rogers, Ark., nine bass, 23-1, $12,600
3rd: Roger Stubbs, Locust Grove, Ga., seven bass, 21-6, $10,050
4th: Robbie Bartoszek, Hampshire, Tenn., seven bass, 20-7, $7,500
5th: Doug Iorio II, Kennerdell, Pa., eight bass, 20-2, $5,000
6th: Bradley Robbins, Wilmington, N.C., eight bass, 19-10, $4,000
7th: Brad Hostetler Jr., Franklin, Ind., eight bass, 19-9, $3,500
8th: Alex Redwine, Cincinnati, Ohio, six bass, 18-6, $3,000
9th: Jared West, Mont Belvieu, Texas, five bass, 17-15, $2,500
10th: Wes Proctor, Manhattan, Kan., seven bass, 17-13, $2,000
The Costa FLW Series Championship on Lake Guntersville was hosted by the Marshall County Convention & Visitors Bureau.
In Costa FLW Series competition, each U.S. division consists of three regular-season tournaments with competitors vying for valuable points that could earn them the opportunity to compete in the season-ending Costa FLW Series Championship.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Costa FLW Series on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2018 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW and their partners conduct 286 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa and Spain. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
Carl Jocumsen Leads Day 1 of Costa Championship with over 20 pounds!
November 2, 2018 by Curtis Niedermier
For the last four or five years, FLW pro Carl Jocumsen has been tinkering and testing, experimenting and dialing in ways to incorporate glide baits into his tournament arsenal. He’s been trying to figure out how it can shift gears from being a big-bass bait to a tournament tool.
Apparently, he’s getting really close to nailing down those details. Today, Jocumsen used a glide bait to pound out a 20-pound, 2-ounce limit at Lake Guntersville to establish the lead at the 2018 Costa FLW Series Championship.
“It’s one of those days you’ll never forget,” he says. “I hope I can back it up tomorrow.”
A glide bait is a type of specialty hard-plastic jointed swimbait that’s typically fished with a slow, seductive presentation. It’s a big-fish bait, but it’s also known to be a highly niche option that’s sometimes better at getting big bass to show themselves than to actually eat the bait. Conditions have to be right for it to work, and according to Jocumsen, usually that means windy with sunshine. But not always.
Jocumsen, a native Australian who now lives in Frisco, Texas, has nicknamed 2018 the “year of the glide bait,” and one thing he’s noticed during his recent experimentation is that overcast, windy conditions are actually pretty good for getting them to eat the glide, too. Those were the conditions he had on Saturday during practice, when he had a great glide bait day. And those were the conditions today. The similarity tipped him off that he might be able to glide his way to a big bag.
“We’ve been off the water for two days [a mandatory off day and a cancellation day due to severe weather],” Jocumsen says. “I knew I was just going to have to go fishing. I picked up the big glide bait and a pretty decent sized swimbait and was just kind of going for it.”
Throughout the day, Jocumsen traded punches with his co-angler, Jared West, who leads the amateur division with 17 pounds, 15 ounces. The fish they were targeting were chasing shad, but they weren’t giving the anglers a lot of long opportunities. Shad would flip up against the grass edge, or get stirred up by Jocumsen’s Hydrowave, then big fish – multiple 20-pound stringers – would cruise through the area making chase. Jocumsen and West had to capitalize on their chances quickly.
They caught fish on a few baits, which, looking back, Jocumsen says kept him from committing to the glide all day. Had he done so, he might’ve popped a mega-bag.
With about two hours to fish, he had four quality keepers in the bag. That’s when he finally swore off all other options and glued the glide in his hand.
“I wouldn’t usually pick the glide up with two hours to go, but I had some big bites on it on Saturday in the same conditions,” he adds.
Following his gut paid off with two 5-pound-class kickers to finish off the day. All five of the keepers Jocumsen brought to weigh-in were caught on the glide bait.
Jocumsen knows there are still plenty of quality fish in the area where he caught them today, and other boats around him weren’t dialed in on the juice the way he was. So he’s confident that he’ll be in the neighborhood of a winning bag. The only catch is that, outside of that Saturday prep outing, Jocumsen says he had a terrible practice. Tomorrow’s forecast, which calls for sunny skies, means similar conditions to what he had to deal with on those tough pre-tournament days.
“I’m going to have to adjust,” he says. “I can’t get them to eat the glide in sunny, slick conditions.”
In bright skies, he says the fish see the glide bait too well and don’t commit to eating it. He hopes maybe a little stain in the water from yesterday’s storms might serve as a sort of faux cloud cover, but probably the conditions won’t be ideal to have another magical glide bait day.
“If everything goes to plan I can get on that early morning bite and get five by 10 o’clock, and then I can pick up the glide and things could get pretty scary,” he says. “I think I need to get two big bites, but I don’t think I can get five. These fish are the smartest fish I’ve ever fished for right now.”
Jocumsen has just a 3-ounce lead over Florida’s Kyle Walters, who won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League Regional on Guntersville in October 2013. The entire field fishes in tomorrow’s final round because day one was cancelled due to severe storms.
West, who caught his fish on swimbaits fishing behind Jocumsen, leads the co-angler division by 1-14 over Roger Stubbs.
TOP 10 PROS
1. Carl Jocumsen – Frisco, Texas – 20-2 (5)
2. Kyle Walters – Grant Valkaria, Fla. – 19-15 (5)
3. Bryan Thrift – Shelby, N.C. – 18-3 (5)
4. Cole Floyd – Leesburg, Ohio – 18-2 (5)
5. Casey Smith – Macedon, N.Y. – 17-8 (5)
6. Dennis Shawn Perrigo – Rienzi, Miss. – 17-6 (5)
7. Terry Tucker – Gadsden, Ala. – 16-6 (5)
8. David Hudson – Jasper, Ala. – 16-3 (5)
9. Brandon Perkins – Counce, Tenn. – 15-7 (5)
9. Troy Gibson – Mountain Home, Ark. – 15-7 (5)
TOP 10 CO-ANGLERS
1. Jared West – Mont Belvieu, Texas – 17-15 (5)
2. Roger Stubbs – Locust Grove, Ga. – 16-1 (5)
3. Brad Hostetler Jr. – Franklin, Ind. – 13-15 (5)
4. Alex Redwine – Cincinnati, Ohio – 13-11 (4)
5. Jeremy Johnson – Kansas City, Kan. – 13-1 (5)
6. Robbie Bartoszek – Hampshire, Tenn. – 12-9 (4)
7. James Callaghan – De Berry, Texas – 12-7 (5)
8. Robert Olivier – Amanzimtoti, South Africa – 12-5 (5)
9. Glenn Mason – Alpharetta, Ga. – 12-3 (4)
10. Scott Bern – San Rafael, Calif. – 11-3 (5)
DD26 Fishing Releases Two New Innovative Product Families A Cull System and Motor Support for the New Mercury Four-Stroke Engines Highlight Launch
Mesa, Ariz. - October 23, 2018- DD26 Fishing announces the release of two new product families, the Mean Mount and Bandit Families. The Bandit Family consists of a one of a kind Culling Beam called the “Bandit Beam” and a Cull Tag Kit called the “Cull Bandit.” The second is the Mean Mount Series anchored by the most attractive and durable transom saver on the market.
The first DD26 Transom Savers to be released will be for the New Mercury Pro XS V8 Four-Stroke engine and the 2-Stroke Mercury Pro XS motors. Along with the Transom Saver, DD26 Fishing introduces a new take on steering stabilizers with the Mean Mount Steering Locks that match the Transom Savers in appearance and durability.
Listening to the marketplace, and then exceeding the need with innovation and functionality is what DD26 Fishing does best. Being the first to design a quality Motor Tote for the new Mercury Four-Stroke engines is an example of DD26 listening to what consumers want and engineering something unique and durable to tackle the demands of the application and of our loyal customers.
The DD26 Mean Mount Motor Tote Transom Saver and Steering Locks are unlike anything else on the market. The Toter itself is more than robust. The looks are amazing, sharp and color customizable, with the mass and bulk of a heavy weight champion. Every once in a while, the market gets stagnant and we get used to products just because they are all that’s available. The Mean Mount family is set to rejuvenate the stagnant steering locks and transom saver market, bringing the cool factor back to the function factor.
DD26 didn’t stop at the transom. The Bandit Beam may be the most dynamic Culling Beam ever made. The details are edgy and flawless. The three unique mounting options provide functionality to match the sharp looks. The Bandit Beam screams of quality right down to the custom Billet handle. One of the more unique attributes of the Bandit Beam is the ability to match the color to your Steer Stops and your Transom Saver. There are seven custom colors for you to choose from.
To make the system complete, the DD26 Cull Bandit Non-Puncture Culling System is a perfect complement to the Bandit Beam and made to work together to provide accurate culls and simplicity in use. The tags are a joint venture with Cal Coast Fishing using their highly regarded Clip-n-Cull 2.0 as the basis of the system. In addition to the great products, DD26 will also have a contingency program with the Cull Bandit Tags. Find out more at www.dd26fishing.com/contingency.
All of the Mean Mount and Bandit Family products are available at www.dd26fishing.com, direct to consumer for the time being. However, dealer programs are ready so retailers interested in carrying these unique products can visit www.dd26fishing.com/dealers for more details and to become a dealer.
DAY ONE OF COSTA FLW SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP ON LAKE GUNTERSVILLE CANCELLED DUE TO HIGH WINDS, STRONG STORMS IN THE AREA
Advisory for Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018
WHAT: The first day of competition at the Costa FLW Series Championship on Lake Guntersville was cancelled by FLW officials Thursday due to high winds and strong storms in the area. Competition will resume Friday, Nov. 2, and conclude Saturday, Nov. 3.
“Based on the weather fronts that we saw in the area, including tornados that had already touched down, we decided not to take a chance,” said FLW Series Tournament Director Ron Lappin. “Forecasters said it may move to the north, but the fact that there are sustained winds in the 17- to 20- mile-per-hour range with gusts up to 27 – enough for a small craft advisory – we elected to not participate today and send everyone out the next two days. Safety is always the number one priority.”
NOTES: The full field of anglers will now compete Friday and Saturday, with the winner being determined by a two-day cumulative weight.
Anglers will take off from Guntersville City Harbor, located at 201 Blount Ave., in Guntersville, at 7:30 a.m. CDT each day. Friday’s weigh-in will take place at the harbor, and will begin at 3 p.m. Saturday’s final weigh-in, originally scheduled to take place at Cabela's in Huntsville at 3:30 p.m. will now remain at Guntersville City Harbor, and will begin at 3 p.m.
Competitors qualified for the Costa FLW Series Championship through five U.S. divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western – and an International division that features anglers from Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa and Spain. The highest finishing pro from each U.S. division and the International division will qualify for the 2019 FLW Cup. A total of six FLW Series boaters will advance to the 2019 FLW Cup, which will be held at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Aug. 9-11.
The Costa FLW Series Championship is hosted by the Marshall County Convention & Visitors Bureau, and features a top prize of $95,000 in the Pro Division, including a Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
In Costa FLW Series competition, each U.S. division consists of three regular-season tournaments with competitors vying for valuable points that could earn them the opportunity to compete in the season-ending Costa FLW Series Championship.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Costa FLW Series on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
Shop the Costa Sunglasses 2018 Holiday Gift Guide!
Welcome to the Costa 2018 Holiday Gift Guide. We put together some of our year’s most popular polarized sunglasses, clothing and accessories to help make your holiday shopping easier.
Have a look around and make someone’s holiday special with gifts from Costa. Share the Season.
POLARIS ACQUIRES MINORITY INTEREST IN FLW, FORMS NEW STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP
MINNEAPOLIS (Nov. 1, 2018) – Fishing League Worldwide (FLW), the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, and Polaris Industries Inc., the leading global powersports manufacturer, announced today a strategic partnership that will extend and expand the outdoor brands’ complementary relationship. The terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
The partnership leverages both companies’ consumer base, market presence and industry expertise, and will include collaboration across the organizations as well as enhanced activation and cross-marketing opportunities at select FLW and Polaris events. In particular, Polaris will have an increased presence at all FLW events and within the competition’s television programming.
“Our anglers, members, and loyal fans are always looking for more ways to enjoy the outdoors, and Polaris’ innovative products, along with their similar values and target audience make them a natural partner for FLW,” said FLW President of Marketing Trish Blake. “We’re excited to announce this partnership with Polaris and look forward to leveraging our respective customer bases, cross selling, and mutually growing our businesses.”
“Our portfolio of products offers an array of options for those looking to create lasting memories in the great outdoors,” said Bob Mack, senior vice president of Corporate Development & Strategy, and president of Adjacent Markets & Boats for Polaris. “With recreational fishing being a popular and growing sport in the U.S., this strategic partnership allows us to leverage insights and more deeply engage with FLW’s networks, fishing consumers, and outdoor enthusiasts across the globe to promote our products and brands.”
FLW will continue to be operated under the leadership of Blake and FLW President of Operations, Kathy Fennel, in their current Benton, Kentucky and Minneapolis, Minnesota locations.
Polaris will continue to be represented in FLW competitions by 23-year Tour veteran David Dudley of Lynchburg, Virginia, the 2003 Forrest Wood Cup champion and FLW’s all-time leading money winner with more than $3.6 million in career earnings. Dudley, who has represented Polaris on Tour for the past two seasons, is fresh off of a 12th place showing at the 2018 season-ending Forrest Wood Cup championship on Lake Ouachita in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is already making preparations to kick off the 2019 season Jan. 10-13, on Sam Rayburn Reservoir in Brookeland, Texas.
For more information on Polaris or to locate an authorized Polaris dealer, please visit http://www.polaris.com. For more information about FLW, their tournaments and sponsors, visit FLWFishing.com
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2018 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW and their partners conduct 286 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa, and Spain. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
About Polaris
Polaris Industries Inc. (NYSE: PII) is a global powersports leader that has been fueling the passion of riders, workers and outdoor enthusiasts for more than 60 years. With annual 2017 sales of $5.4 billion, Polaris’ innovative, high-quality product line-up includes the RANGER®, RZR® and Polaris GENERAL™ side-by-side off-road vehicles; the Sportsman® and Polaris ACE® all-terrain off-road vehicles; Indian Motorcycle® mid-size and heavyweight motorcycles; Slingshot® moto-roadsters; snowmobiles; and pontoon, deck and cruiser boats. Polaris enhances the riding experience with parts, garments and accessories, along with a growing aftermarket portfolio, including Transamerican Auto Parts. Polaris’ presence in adjacent markets globally includes military and commercial off-road vehicles, quadricycles, and electric vehicles. Proudly headquartered in Minnesota, Polaris serves more than 100 countries across the globe. Visit www.polaris.com for more information.
New Junior Division Unveiled As B.A.S.S. Announces College And High School Slates For 2019
October 31, 2018
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Just when it seemed B.A.S.S. couldn’t possibly provide more competitive opportunities for anglers, the organization announced today that it will be adding a Junior Bassmaster Division to its annual slate of events in the Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series.
High school tournaments are scheduled for Lake Hartwell in Anderson, S.C., on March 2; Lake Guntersville in Guntersville, Ala., on March 30; Norfork Lake in Mountain Home, Ark., on April 28; and Lake Shasta in Redding, Calif., on May 11. A field of up to 50 junior division teams will compete in each event with accompanying coaches or team captains.
“This is another aggressive step toward giving more young people a chance to fish competitively,” said Hank Weldon, B.A.S.S. senior manager for college and high school. “More parents are realizing that children who fish often avoid a lot of the more harmful aspects of our culture — and by creating a division for second- to eighth-graders, we’re helping parents start them out even earlier.”
Another new feature for the high school circuit will be maximum field size of 250 boats.
The schedule itself should be exciting to anglers of both age groups, with stops on lakes like Hartwell, the site of three previous Bassmaster Classics, and Guntersville, which is nationally known for producing big largemouth bass throughout the year.
“We are very excited to once again host the great folks from B.A.S.S. in Anderson County and Lake Hartwell,” said Neil Paul, executive director of Visit Anderson. “The future in bass fishing is our high school anglers, and we look forward to the opportunity to host them all in our community.”
In addition to the announcement of the high school schedule today, B.A.S.S. officials unveiled the schedule for the 2019 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops. That lineup includes stops at North Carolina’s Lake Norman on Feb. 21-23; Smith Lake in Cullman, Ala., March 21-23; Bull Shoals Lake in Mountain Home, Ark., April 25-27; and the St. Lawrence River in Waddington, N.Y., June 20-22.
As past Bassmaster Elite Series events there have shown, a tournament on the St. Lawrence River during summer could create a dynamic atmosphere for college anglers. In August, a new Elite record was set for the heaviest daily limit of smallmouth bass — 27 pounds, 12 ounces.
“We could not be more excited about this opportunity,” said Benjamin Seaman, president and founder of the bass fishing club at Clarkson University, which will host the St. Lawrence River event. “With the Adirondack Mountains and St. Lawrence River Valley in our backyard, Clarkson University is well known among outdoor enthusiasts for its access to great hiking, mountain biking, hunting and fishing — especially world-class bass fishing.”
Unlike past years, when college tournaments were only open to anglers from corresponding regions, all events will be open to competitors from across the country. Teams will still accumulate points during the season toward an overall Team of the Year title.
“Our hope is that every college angler who wants to compete will now have a chance,” Weldon said. “You’re not limited to fishing a certain conference or region. If you want to travel to any one of these events — or all of them — you’re free to do that.”
The Bull Shoals college tournament will take place just prior to the high school event on Norfork Lake, giving Mountain Home four bass fishing-filled days in a row.
“Mountain Home and the Twin Lakes Area is thrilled to host another B.A.S.S. event,” said Jeff Pipkin, president of the Mountain Home Area Chamber of Commerce. “We are grateful B.A.S.S. has chosen to bring the college and high school circuits to lakes Norfork and Bull Shoals in 2019.
“We fully support the educational benefits young men and women have to gain through the sport of fishing. Our entire community is equally excited to share why we call this beautiful place our home.”
Dates for the high school and college championships, as well as the annual College Series Classic Bracket, which qualifies one outstanding college angler for the Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, will be announced at a later time.
2019 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops Schedule
Event Lake State Date
Tour #1 Lake Norman North Carolina Feb. 21-23
Tour #2 Smith Lake Alabama March 21-23
Tour #3 Bull Shoals Lake Arkansas April 25-27
Tour #4 St. Lawrence River New York June 20-22
2019 Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Schedule
Event Title Lake State Date
Eastern Open Lake Hartwell South Carolina March 2
Southern Open Lake Guntersville Alabama March 30
Central Open Norfork Lake Arkansas April 28
Western Open Lake Shasta California May 11
Lucas Credits Humminbird and Minn Kota Technologies with Huge Role in Angler of the Year Title
Courtesy of Johnson Outdoors
A Bassmaster Elite Series Angler of the Year title does not come easy. A little bit of good fortune goes a long way. As does astute decision-making, a positive mental mindset, detailed game-planning and solid execution. And while 2018 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year and Minn Kota/Humminbird Pro Team Member Justin Lucas will acknowledge the positive impact of all these on his season, he is quick to point to the power of Minn Kota and Humminbird technologies on his Phoenix bass boat and give credit to a good friend for getting the most out of those products.
“I’ve always felt very comfortable fishing shallow,” explains Lucas, fresh off of closing out the 2018 season on Lake Chatuge. “But I never really felt like I could contend in every tournament because I just wasn’t as strong in derbies that were won offshore.”
“My friend Brandon Palaniuk was running Humminbird and Minn Kota and he was kind enough to let me hop in his boat and see how he used everything to be a more complete angler. After seeing how he used all the technologies together, I knew that if I wanted to compete in every single tournament including those where fishing productively offshore was critical, I needed to make the switch.”
So, before the 2017 season, Lucas put four Humminbird SOLIX 12 units on his boat along with a Minn Kota Ultrex, Humminbird 360 and two 10-foot Minn Kota Talons. In 2018, he put it all to work.
“I can point to several Humminbird and Minn Kota technologies that I relied on at every single stop on the Elite Series in 2018. There is zero doubt in my mind that without them on my boat, I don’t win the Angler of the Year title.”
Staying Put
The two 10-foot Talons played a huge role on the Sabine River, Grand Lake and Kentucky Lake where staying firmly planted while flipping and picking apart shallow cover was a huge part of being productive. But Lucas was most impressed with the Talons’ performance on Pool 8 of the Mississippi River where he fished his way to a Top 12 finish, working over main river jetties with a chatterbait and swim jig.
“The river was high, and the main river was ripping,” explained Lucas. “I spent my tournament days in that heavy current and my 10-foot Talons kept me locked in place, so I could pick that structure apart with a few different baits.”
Finding the Winning Fish
In tournaments where the bite was off the bank, that’s where his Humminbird units and Minn Kota Ultrex really shined.
For Lucas, much of the preparation for a tournament happens before the boat hits the water as he uses LakeMaster mapping to break down a lake and find fish-holding areas.
“On Lake Martin, where I finished sixth, it was all about contours. I was looking for the steepest contours on short points. When I pulled up to a spot I found on my LakeMaster map, I didn’t even spend time graphing. I put the trolling motor down and fished the juice. That’s how much confidence I have in their maps.”
Once he has an initial read on a body of water, Lucas relies on MEGA Imaging from Humminbird to really understand what’s under the water. He calls that technology and its ability to clearly define bottom structure his most valuable tool in finding fish offshore.
“I had never been to Oahe, along with most of the Elite Series field. I know I maximized my practice time over those using competitive units. There is a lot of black sand and bare banks on that body of water, which translates to lots of water with no fish. But I set my Humminbird Side Imaging at 125-feet and looked for isolated rock or rock veins. With MEGA Imaging, there was never any question what I was looking at – I knew every little detail of every spot.
I’d punch in waypoints on that structure, then go back and fish it, using Humminbird 360 to keep myself about 100-feet off the spot and cast right to it. It was a deadly combination of effective search and productive fishing.”
Efficiency in Fishing
Lucas considers Humminbird 360 a secret weapon for traveling anglers, tournament fishermen or anyone who is on a body of water that is not overly familiar to them.
“On your home body of water, you can line up the perfect cast. Position your boat on a spot and cast towards a landmark and you’ll flat out catch them. We are on a new body of water every week with limited travel time. So, using Humminbird 360 to see exactly where you need to cast is incredibly helpful. It eliminates the need to have the perfect lineup using onshore cues.”
While all these technologies played an important role in Lucas’ big year, the one that had a starring role in virtually every tournament was Minn Kota’s game-changing Spot-Lock technology found in his Ultrex trolling motor. No matter the conditions or the scenario, being able to hold his boat firmly in place and focus on fishing allowed him to be more efficient in practice and tournaments alike.
Reflecting on the 2018 season, Lucas affirms it was the combination of all these technologies that gave him a real shot at the title.
“I feel like the key to my AOY title was improving significantly at fishing off the bank. I firmly believe I’m twice the offshore fisherman I was two years ago, and I know the tools provided by Minn Kota and Humminbird were the difference maker.
“I have confidence in LakeMaster mapping and MEGA Imaging makes me feel like I know each spot intimately. Using that information and relying on Humminbird 360 and Spot-Lock to fish an area efficiently is the deadliest combination in fishing today.”
While Lucas looks forward to 2019, he knows that the stiffest competition will likely come from pros running that same combination of product, even his good friend Brandon Palaniuk who turned him onto Humminbird and Minn Kota just a couple years ago.
"I’ve always been close with Justin and although we are competitive with each other, we also help one another out,” said Palaniuk. “I knew he would benefit from using the same technologies I have been using. With back-to-back AOY titles between the two of us, I would say the advantage is clear. The only question is whose turn it will be next year.”
Scroggins made 12,000 worms for Toyota event
Courtesy of Alan McGuckin / Dynamic Sponsorships
Terry “Big Show” Scroggins is one of those guys who can make just about anything -- including 11 Bassmaster Classics, the best grilled rib eye steak you’ve ever tasted, and more than $2 Million as a pro angler.
Scroggins is also a “tinkerer” who recently began making his own soft plastic lures. And for the recent Toyota Bonus Bucks Owners event on Table Rock, he made 12,000 Kicker Tail worms for the 400+ amateur anglers who participated in the tournament.
“I can make about 1,000 worms an hour, so I’ve got about 12 hours in this project, but it’s really cool to be able to share something I made with all these great people that love to fish and drive a Toyota,” says Scroggins.
The roots of his soft plastics garage operation actually date back to his teenage angling years when he befriended famous lure maker Bobby Ditto – whose Gator Tail worm won a brutally tough Bassmaster Classic for Larry Nixon in 1983.
Scroggins’ time around the gracious and friendly Ditto family ultimately led to him being treated like an adopted son, and in an ironic twist of fate, he was actually able to purchase some of Ditto’s treasured molds years after Bobby Ditto passed away in 2011.
“Between the molds I bought, and those I’ve tooled myself, I’m able to make about 50 different styles of lures,” says Scroggins. “The most popular ones are the Fireclaw, Ecto Craw, a 3.8” swimbait that I caught a 33-pound limit on, and the 5.5” Kicker Tail worms I poured for the Toyota event,” says the St. Johns River pro.
For the Toyota event on Table Rock, Scroggins poured the Kicker Tail in three colors – watermelon, green pumpkin, and green pumpkin candy. He recommends throwing it on spinning tackle with 10-pound braided line, a 6-pound fluorocarbon leader, rigged on a 3/16-ounce shaky head.
“I designed the Kicker tail myself at the house one night. The guy who makes my molds was there, and we tested the prototypes in my swimming pool. When we saw how incredible the action was on a shaky head, he started working on a production mold immediately, and I caught 25-pounds on the first ones we poured,” shares Scroggins with a prideful grin.
“Pouring soft plastics is sort of addicting to be honest with ya. But so far it’s really just a hobby, and not a profit center. Mostly, it’s just a way to help myself and my buddies catch more fish,” concludes Scroggins.
Fitting perspective from the Florida pro best know for feeding people, and giving away everything from his GPS waypoints to marinated rib eye steaks. And most recently, 12,000 soft plastic worms.
MLF Bass Pro Tour anglers vote no entry fees for 2019
Lake Eufaula to Host the 2019 AFT Championship
ATHENS, Ala. – October 30, 2018 -- American Bass Anglers announced today the 2019 American Fishing Tour Championship, will be hosted by the Eufaula/Barbour County Chamber of Commerce and will take place Oct. 13-18, 2019 at Lake Point Resort State Park on the Walter F. George Lake (Lake Eufaula) in Eufaula, AL. The onsite registration and dinner will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019.
Lake Eufaula is a 45,000-acre lake located on the Chattahoochee River that extends across Alabama and Georgia. This beautiful lake is nationally known for being a great bass fishery and its beautiful scenery. Eufaula/Barbour County Chamber of Commerce has hosted numerous events for American Bass Anglers in which the anglers receive a warm welcome from the local community with its small hometown charm.
“The City of Eufaula is excited to host the 2019 AFT National Championship. The fishing on Lake Eufaula during October should be wonderful, and the anglers will enjoy their time on the lake. The Eufaula Alabama community has a lot to offer anglers during their visitsuch as local shopping, great eateries, and multiple lodging options all with a great small-town feel.” said Jack Tibbs Mayor of Eufaula.
This event will be open to anglers that are in the top 500 points standings nationally. There will be three new Triton Boats with Mercury Outboards, Garmin electronics, and T-H Marine products on the line for anglers from over 30 states that qualify for this event.
“Lake Eufaula is the perfect location for this event, I know anglers are looking forward to coming to one of Alabama’s most talked about lakes and experience the hospitality of the city of Eufaula and Barbour County,” said Morris Sheehan, President of American Bass Anglers. “Mayor Tibbs and all of Eufaula/Barbour County always rolls out the red carpet for our anglers, weigh-in will be at 3 pm daily and the public is invited”
Since Lake Eufaula sits on the Alabama-Georgia line, anglers can fish the lake with a license from either state. For Eufaula Barbour County area information, visit www.eufaulachamber.com.
For more information on this tournament, call ABA at 256-232-0406 or see www.americanbassanglers.com.
American Bass Anglers commitment is to provide 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 and the American Fishing Tour, the Open Series, the Triton 100% Plus Team Tour, or the American Couples Series visit www.americanbassanglers.com.
AC Insider Podcast Featuring MLF, BASS & FLW News along with 2019 Elite Series Rookie Patrick Walters!
This week the boys are back in studio and recapping the weekends Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Series Championship as well as looking over the recent additions to the BASS Elite Series for 2019. They also welcome in 2019 Elite Series Rookie Patrick Walters and talk about the upcoming transition from College to the Opens and now to the Elites. Jason looks ahead in the Costa Countdown to Blastoff and Simms Shout out and more on this weeks AC insider Podcast!
MLF Bass Pro Tour & MLF Cups: How's it all going to work?
Courtesy of MajorLeagueFishing.com
By Rachel Dubrovin - October 29, 2018
The 2019 season will be nothing short of historic for Major League Fishing and the 80 anglers who have decided to compete in the brand-new MLF Bass Pro Tour.
As the season kicks off, MLF will be airing Bass Pro Tour events live on MajorLeagueFishing.com and at the same time, you’ll see new episodes of MLF Cup events on Outdoor Channel (Saturdays from 2-4pm ET)… And while that’s all happening, we’ll be shooting new MLF Cup shows for the 2020 season. So how will the MLF Bass Pro Tour and the MLF Cups co-exist?
Let’s take a look:
- 8 MLF Bass Pro Tour events feed into 4 MLF Cup events and 2 Championships
- All 80 anglers compete in each MLF Bass Pro Tour event
- Every fish counts: MLF Pros will earn points at each MLF Bass Pro Tour event based on the scoreable bass they catch
- After two tour events, the top 30 anglers based on points will move on to compete in the first MLF Cup event. This will repeat every two tour events, feeding different groups of 30 into all four MLF Cup events
- At the conclusion of the MLF Bass Pro Tour 8-event season, the top 30 anglers in year-long total points earn a spot in the MLF Redcrest.
- FORMAT: The format for MLF Bass Pro Tour events will be similar to the General Tire World Championship events that you saw on CBS in 2017 and 2018.
- The 80 anglers will be separated into two groups, 40 anglers in each
- Day 1-2 = Shotgun Round 1-2
- 40 anglers (divided into Group A and Group B) compete to catch the highest weight each day
- All anglers move on to Elimination Rounds
- Anglers’ Shotgun Round weight carries over to the Elimination Round
- Day 3-4 = Elimination Round 1
- 40 anglers (Group A and Group B) compete to catch the highest weight
- Anglers’ Shotgun Round weight is combined with the weight they catch in the Elimination Round
- Top 20 anglers from each group advance to Sudden Death Round
- Day 5 = Knockout Round
- 40 anglers (top 20 from each Elimination Round) compete
- All anglers will begin the Knockout round with zero weight
- Top 10 anglers advance to the Championship Round
- Day 6 = Championship Round
- 10 anglers compete to catch the highest weight
- A camera in every boat will livestream the action on MajorLeagueFishing.com
Four MLF Cup events and the General Tire World Championship will be shot in the dark (meaning the results are confidential until the show airs) and you will see them on TV in 2020
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- 30 anglers will compete in each MLF Cup event, based on the points they accumulate during MLF Bass Pro Tour events
- You will recognize some of the names of the events, others are new:
- Heritage Cup
- Summit Cup
- Patriot Cup
- Challenge Cup
- Each MLF Cup event will result in six 2-hour television shows that will air on Outdoor Channel
- Starting on January 5, 2019, you will see the final season of MLF Select Events (watch it on Outdoor Channel, Saturdays from 2-4pm ET)
- FORMAT: The format for MLF Cup events will be familiar to fans
- Days 1-3 = Elimination Round 1-3
- 10 different anglers will compete each day to catch the highest weight
- The top 6 anglers with the highest weight daily move on to Sudden Death
- Day 4-5 = Sudden Death Round 1-2
- Anglers race to a predetermined target weight
- The first 4 anglers to hit the target weight daily move on to the Championship Round
- Day 6 = Championship Round
- 8 anglers compete to catch the highest weight
- At the end of the day, the angler with the most weight wins the Cup
- The top 3 anglers in each MLF Cup event earn a spot in the General Tire World Championship
- Days 1-3 = Elimination Round 1-3
- GENERAL TIRE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP: After the 4 MLF Cup events have been completed, the qualifiers for the General Tire World Championship will be determined.
- The General Tire World Championship will also be shot in the dark, and it will result in six 1-hour episodes on CBS Network and six 2-hour television episodes that will air on the Discovery Channel.
- 16 anglers compete
- 12 qualify in MLF Cup events (top 3 from each of the 4 MLF Cup events)
- Top 2 anglers based on MLF Cup points
- 1 Redcrest Champion
- 1 reigning General Tire World Championship
MLF is an angler-driven league and the event rules and formats are subject to change at any time as determined by the Pro Bass Tour Anglers Association (PBTAA).
YETI FLW COLLEGE FISHING EVENT PRESENTED BY BASS PRO SHOPS SET FOR TOLEDO BEND LAKE
MANY, La. (Oct. 23, 2018) – The YETI FLW College Fishing season will continue with an event next week, Nov. 3, at the YETI FLW College Fishing on Toledo Bend Lake presented by Bass Pro Shops. The tournament, hosted by the Sabine Parish Tourist Commission, is the third and final regular-season event for college anglers in the Southern Conference and will award a top prize of a $2,000 club scholarship and an invitation to compete in the 2019 College Fishing National Championship to the winners.
“The fishing on Toledo Bend Lake has been a bit tough the past couple of months,” said 2018 BFL All-American Champion Nick LeBrun of Bossier City, Louisiana. “We had a BFL Super Tournament there a few weeks ago and it only took a two-day total of 27 pounds to win. Normally, it takes about that much at a one-day event to win. I’m hoping the cooler weather we’ve been getting will help out the bite. This cold snap could be just what the lake needs.
“I think it’s going to be more of a shallow deal [for the collegiate anglers]. Right now, guys up shallow are getting 10 to 12 pounds in a day, but in a couple of weeks that could be more in the 15- to 17-pound range,” continued LeBrun. “Anglers in those areas will be focused on the grass and lily pads. There’s not much of that stuff this year, but it will be a player. Topwater baits will be a good bet, as well as swim jigs and spinnerbaits. Basically any kind of shad-imitating bait will be good.”
LeBrun said that on the north end of the lake, there’s also potential for some offshore bites.
“It’s a deal where you’re sitting in around 20 feet of water and you’re casting into 10 to 12 feet, and usually to shallower ridges,” said LeBrun. “Competitors in those areas will probably throw a big worm, a soft-plastic on a Carolina rig or a jig.”
LeBrun went on to say that the top duo will likely need to bring in five bass weighing around 19 pounds to win the event.
“Fishing for the right five bites will be crucial. Lately, it seems like the angler catching 20 fish a day only has 10 or 12 pounds, but the angler who has only five bites or so is catching heavier fish, so getting dialed in on what the big ones are doing will be the key.”
Competitors will take off from Cypress Bend Park, located at 3462 Cypress Bend Drive, in Many, at 7:30 a.m. CDT Saturday. Weigh-in will be held at the takeoff location 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 currently registered to compete in the Toledo Bend Lake tournament include:
Abilene Christian University – Corbin Craft, Fort Worth, Texas, and John Biavati, Dallas, Texas
Abilene Christian University – Zach Pendleton, Austin, Texas, and Ethan Edwards, Abilene, Texas
Angelo State University – Steven Armstrong, Brownwood, Texas, and Nathan Ahle, Plano, Texas
East Texas Baptist University – Brett Clark, Center, Texas, and Cody Ross, Livingston, Texas
East Texas Baptist University – Colby Simmons and Brandon Barber, both of Elysian Fields, Texas
East Texas Baptist University – Jared Penton, Grand Junction, Colo., and Ashlynn Boyer, Haughton, La.
East Texas Baptist University – Mason Beatty, Hallsville, Texas, and Jacob Keith, Jefferson, Texas
Louisiana College – Jace Dennis, Pineville, La., and Judah Morris, Forest Hill, La.
Louisiana College – Trace Moore, Bridge City, La., and Ben South, Jasper, Texas
Louisiana Tech University – Jacob Mitcham and Huff McIntosh, both of Ruston, La.
McNeese State University – Annabelle Guins and Hayden Williams, both of Lake Charles, La.
Nicholls State University – Cole Amedee, Donaldsonville, La., and Seth Naquin, Gray, La.
Northeast Texas Community College – Danny Boyd, Winnsboro, Texas, and Austin King, Hughes Springs, Texas
Northeastern State University-Tahlequah – Caleb Gibson, Locust Grove, Okla., and Bo Adams, Henryetta, Okla.
Northwestern State University – Gage Ulrich, Pineville, La., and Jackson McGee, Shreveport, La.
Rogers State University – Dillon Roberts, Claremore, Okla. and Jalen Dickinson, North Platte, Neb.
Sam Houston State University – Kasey Sanders, Montgomery, Texas, and Spencer Fair, Streetman, Texas
Stephen F. Austin State University – Kyle Dragulski, Mansfield, Texas, and Chandler Burgay, Timpson, Texas
Stephen F. Austin State University – River Lee, Normangee, Texas, and Garrett Goodson, Livingston, Texas
Tarleton State University-Stephenville – Chad Jones, Stephenville, Texas, and Graham Godwin, Princeton, Texas
Tarleton State University-Stephenville – Jared Stone, Bowie, Texas, and Matthew Ford, Burleson, Texas
Tarleton State University-Stephenville – Jason Lau, Flower Mound, Texas, and Tyler Geer, Granbury, Texas
Texas A&M University-Commerce – Michael Wallace, Plano, Texas, and William Fitzgerald, Quinlan, Texas
Texas A&M University-Texarkana – Justin Striplin, Texarkana, Texas, and Nicole Gilliland, Texarkana, Ark.
Texas A&M University – Geoffrey Polefko, Cypress, Texas, and Brooklyn Goldsmith, Orange, Texas
Texas A&M University at Galveston – Mathew Dove, Deer Park, Texas, and Aaron Batten, Houston, Texas
Texas State University – Fletcher Burchell, Grand Saline, Texas, and Collin Lansdale, Georgetown, Texas
Texas State University – Gregory Lundvick and Dean Bartleet, both of San Marcos, Texas
Texas Tech University – Colton Ashcraft and Bryson Batla, both of Lubbock, Texas
Texas Tech University – Lucas Jensen, Lubbock, Texas, and Victor Martinez, Laredo, Texas
Tyler Junior College – Hudson Daille, Tyler, Texas, and Austin Davis, Whitehouse, Texas
University of Central Oklahoma – Drew Douglas, Tulsa, Okla., and Zachariah Edwards, Wellston, Okla.
University of North Texas at Dallas – Hunter Benner and Brandon Benner, both of Cedar Hill, Texas
University of Oklahoma – Keith Sherwood, McAlester, Okla. and Randy Geyer, Arlington, Texas
YETI FLW College Fishing teams compete in three regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top ten teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments and the top 20 teams from the annual FLW College Fishing Open will advance to the 2019 FLW College Fishing National Championship. Additional teams will qualify for the National Championship if the field size in regular-season events exceeds 100 boats. The Potomac River and Marbury, Maryland, will play host to the 2019 FLW College Fishing National Championship, June 4-6, 2019.
YETI FLW College Fishing is free to enter. All participants must be registered, full-time students at a college, university or community college and members of a college fishing club that is recognized by their school.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow YETI FLW College Fishing on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
ALABAMA’S SUMMERLIN WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ON LAKE CHICKAMAUGA PRESENTED BY REALTREE FISHING
Blasingame Takes Co-angler Title
DAYTON, Tenn. (Oct. 29, 2018) – Boater Gil Summerlin of Guntersville, Alabama, caught a three-day cumulative total of 15 bass weighing 47 pounds, 3 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Regional championship on Lake Chickamauga presented by Realtree Fishing. Summerlin earned $65,000 for his efforts, including a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and automatic entry into the 2019 BFL All-American Championship.
Summerlin said he spent the event in a bay on the lower end of the lake near the Chester Frost Park area, focusing on six waypoints he had marked.
“My first keeper ended up being my biggest of the event,” said Summerlin, who earned his third career win in FLW competition. “It came on a (Sparrow-colored) Bobby’s Perfect Snag Proof Frog out of peppergrass. The frog bite died off for me when the conditions changed, but I saw some schooling-fish so I started throwing a topwater. I ended up catching the majority of my keepers on it Thursday – a (Shad White-colored) Mean Mouth Walker hardbait.
“I started out with the topwater again Friday morning, but they weren’t coming up and eating shad,” Summerlin continued. “I knew they were there holding in the little indentions in the grass line, but they weren’t showing themselves. I tried a lot of different baits before they finally ate a fluke, so I stuck with it.”
Summerlin said the bass preferred a Texas-rigged Glimmer Blue-colored Zoom Super Fluke Jr. on a 5/0-sized Lazer Trokar Wide Gap EWG Worm Hook.
“We had the same conditions Saturday as we did on Friday, so I used the fluke again and caught five keepers,” said Summerlin. “On my second-to-last cast, right before I had return to the ramp, I lost a four-plus-pounder. She didn’t really get hooked – just clamped down and then opened her mouth and the fluke came out. I thought that fish cost me the tournament.”
The top six boaters that qualified for the 2019 BFL All-American were:
1st: Gil Summerlin, Guntersville, Ala., 15 bass, 47-3, $65,000
2nd: Matt Stanley, Alexandria, Tenn., 14 bass, 45-15, $10,200
3rd: Brennon McCord, West Frankfort, Ill., 15 bass, 42-14, $5,000
4th: Cody Santel, Benton, Ky., 15 bass, 40-0, $3,000
5th: Tommy Williams, Shepherdsville, Ky., 15 bass, 38-6, $2,000
6th: Seth Davis, Harrison, Tenn., 15 bass, 37-5, $1,900
Rounding out the top-10 boaters were:
7th: Greg Lamb, Harrison, Tenn., 14 bass, 37-1, $1,600
8th: Casey O'Donnell, Guntersville, Ala., 15 bass, 35-11, $1,400
9th: Sam Morgan, Coalmont, Tenn., 15 bass, 34-13, $1,200
10th: Michael Black, Toledo, Ill., 11 bass, 32-0, $1,000
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Lake Blasingame of Killen, Alabama, won the Co-angler Division and a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard with a three-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 26 pounds, 12 ounces.
The top six co-anglers that qualified for the 2019 BFL All-American were:
1st: Lake Blasingame, Killen, Ala., 10 bass, 26-12, $45,200
2nd: Mitch Murphy, Metropolis, Ill., eight bass, 24-7, $5,050
3rd: Todd Blakeman, Chatham, Ill., 11 bass, 24-3, $2,500
4th: Wayne Kilgore, Attalla, Ala., seven bass, 21-14, $1,500
5th: Terry Smith, Tullahoma, Tenn., nine bass, 20-15, $1,000
6th: Gary Megson, Dayton, Ohio, eight bass, 20-9, $900
Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers were:
7th: Harry Peyton, Decatur, Ala., nine bass, 20-9, $800
8th: Chase Maddox, Crane Hill, Ala., eight bass, 18-6, $700
9th: Billy Gardner, Livingston, Tenn., eight bass, 16-0, $600
10th: Amanda Black, Greenup, Ill., seven bass, 15-14, $500
The T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Lake Chickamauga presented by Realtree Fishing was hosted by the Rhea Economic & Tourism Council.
The 2018 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2019 BFL All-American will take place May 30-June 1 on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland, and is hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners and the Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
SHAWANO HIGH SCHOOL WINS BASS PRO SHOPS FLW HIGH SCHOOL FISHING MOSQUITO LAKE OPEN
CORTLAND, Ohio (Oct. 29, 2018) – The Shawano High School duo of Harmon Marien of Eagle River, Wisconsin, and Jacob Bigelow of Cecil, Wisconsin, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 15 pounds, 11 ounces to win the 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Mosquito Lake Open.
According to post-tournament reports, the duo battled through rainy and cold conditions and caught their fish targeting weed lines in bays with jigs.
A field of 28 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from Mosquito Lake State Park. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top two teams on Mosquito Lake that advanced to the 2019 High School Fishing National Championship were:
1st: Shawano High School, Shawano, Wis. – Harmon Marien, Eagle River, Wis., and Jacob Bigelow, Cecil, Wis., five bass, 15-11
2nd: Camp Hill High School, Camp Hill, Pa. – Andrew Zulli and Casey Zulli, both of Camp Hill, Penn., five bass, 12-15
Rounding out the top 10 teams were:
3rd: Padua Franciscan High School, Parma, Ohio – Lenny Bunsey, Parma, Ohio, and Joseph Pinjuh, Independence, Ohio, five bass, 11-4
4th: Prime Time Anglers – Gavin Schulz, Massillon, Ohio, and Luke Haymaker, Canal Fulton, Ohio, four bass, 8-0
5th: Christian Life Academy, Woodland Heights, Pa. – Jacob Black, Oil City, Pa., and Caleb Glancy, Utica, Pa., four bass, 7-11
6th: Renegades Bass Club – Brent Moore, Kenton, Ohio, and Kobe Thompson, New Lexington, Ohio, two bass, 6-12
7th: Kokosing Valley School, Gambier, Ohio – Adam Kinnear and William Hux, both of Mount Vernon, Ohio, two bass, 4-8
8th: Prime Time Anglers – Kyle Shinko, Avon Lake, Ohio, and Nathan Markley, Mentor, Ohio., two bass, 4-2
9th: Nordonia High School, Macedonia, Ohio – Tyler Lewis and Justin Lewis, both of Macedonia, Ohio, one bass, 3-15
10th: Aurora Central Catholica High School, Aurora, Ill. – David Bartlett, Aurora, Ill., and John Murray, Cortland, Ohio, bass, 3-8
Complete results from the event can be found at FLWFishing.com.
The 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Mosquito Lake Open was a two-person (team) event for students in grades 7-12, open to any Student Angler Federation (SAF) affiliated high school club in the United States. The top 10 percent of each Challenge, Open, and state championship field will advance to the 2019 High School Fishing National Championship on a body of water that has yet to be revealed. The High School Fishing national champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice.
In addition to the High School Fishing National Championship, all High School Fishing anglers nationwide automatically qualify for the world’s largest open high school bass tournament, the 2019 High School Fishing World Finals, held in conjunction with the National Championship. At the 2018 World Finals more than $150,000 in scholarships and prizes were awarded.
Full schedules and the latest announcements are available at HighSchoolFishing.org and FLWFishing.com.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2018 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW and their partners conduct 286 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa and Spain. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
ILLINOIS’ FELDERMANN WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ON LAKE OF THE OZARKS PRESENTED BY MERCURY
Arkansas’s Larson Grabs Co-angler Title
OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (Oct. 29, 2018) – Boater Mike Feldermann of Galena, Illinois, caught a three-day cumulative total of 15 bass weighing 45 pounds, 4 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Regional championship on Lake of the Ozarks presented by Mercury. Feldermann earned $66,200 for his efforts, including a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and automatic entry into the 2019 BFL All-American Championship.
“I knew going into this tournament that Lake of the Ozarks is a topwater lake,” said Felderman, who earned his 10th win in BFL competition. “But I also knew, from years of fishing, that you can get your feelings hurt on any topwater bite. Between not getting bites and losing them, it can go bad fairly quickly.”
Feldermann said he ended up fishing the Osage arm during the event, working through a 10-mile stretch of major creek arms and shallow main-river pockets.
“It was rainy and overcast when the tournament started. I couldn’t catch anything off of wood,” said Feldermann. “I ended up catching all of my keepers from suspended docks in 2 to 7 feet of water.”
The Illinois boater said he caught all of his keepers on his spinnerbait, noting that his limits consisted of three good-sized fish and two 15-inchers each day.
“The spinnerbait was homemade and had a small Colorado blade,” said Feldermann. “It gets down in the water column faster and it’s less affected by the wind, so my casts were more accurate. Another key was the 5:1 gear ratio on my [Shimano Calais] reel. In these events, it’s easy to get revved up and fish faster, but the ratio helped offset that.”
The top six boaters that qualified for the 2019 BFL All-American were:
1st: Mike Feldermann, Galena, Ill., 15 bass, 45-4, $66,200
2nd: Wade Ramsey, Choctaw, Okla., 15 bass, 43-11, $10,000
3rd: Jeremy Johnson, Henryetta, Okla., 15 bass, 41-14, $5,000
4th: Brad Leifermann, Andover, Minn., 13 bass, 41-3, $3,100
5th: Shawn Gordon, Russellville, Ark., 14 bass, 40-9, $2,000
6th: Dennis Berhorst, Holts Summit, Mo., 15 bass, 40-8, $1,800
Rounding out the top-10 boaters were:
7th: Rob Leidholdt, Milton, Wis., 15 bass, 38-4, $1,600
8th: Joseph Norris, Bossier City, La., 14 bass, 36-14, $1,400
9th: Jaret Rushing, Hampton, Ark., 13 bass, 35-8, $1,200
10th: Randy Ramsey Jr., Chicago, Ill., 12 bass, 34-8, $1,000
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Dewey Larson of Fayetteville, Arkansas, won the Co-angler Division and a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard with a three-day cumulative catch of 11 bass weighing 28 pounds, 1 ounce.
The top six co-anglers that qualified for the 2019 BFL All-American were:
1st: Dewey Larson, Fayetteville, Ark., 11 bass, 28-1, $45,100
2nd: Matt Finkeldei, Davenport, Iowa, 11 bass, 28-0, $5,050
3rd: Alan Bernicky, Joliet, Ill., 12 bass, 27-11, $2,500
4th: Jimmy Green, Tulsa, Okla., 10 bass, 24-13, $1,500
5th: Brandon Ackerson, Afton, Okla., 10 bass, 22-10, $1,000
6th: Eugene Moore III, Little Rock, Ark., six bass, 21-10, $900
Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers were:
7th: Bryan Schuster, Oklahoma City, Okla., eight bass, 21-2, $800
8th: Ben Faucheaux, Natchitoches, La., 10 bass, 18-5, $700
9th: Bill Wiles, Arcadia, Okla., six bass, 17-0, $600
10th: Cannon Rush, Grand Prairie, Texas, eight bass, 16-4, $500
The T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Lake of the Ozarks presented by Mercury was hosted by the Tri-County Lodging Association.
The 2018 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2019 BFL All-American will take place May 30-June 1 on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland, and is hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners and the Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
Hoover & Hamrick Win Carolina's Bass Challenge Classic on Lake Wylie with over 26 pounds!
Courtesy of CBC
The 2018 CBC season to a close this past weekend on Lake Wylie with 207 teams entered!
Anglers from Va, West Va, NC aand SC competed! We want to give thanks to Visit York County and the great people at Ebenezer park for hosting our event! www.visityorkcounty.com
The CBC is known for outstanding payback and at Lake Wylie the cash was flowing freely! We had 207 entries which totaledup to $41,400.00 and we paid back a total of $106,900.00!
Scott Hamrick & Roger Hoover weighed in 10 bass at 26.38 lbs to take 1st Place and $50,000.00 at the 2018 CBC Classic on Lake Wylie on a very tough weekend to be on the water! Scott reported they caught their fish shallow on chatterbaits and crankbaits!
Jody Wright & James Dyer claimed 2nd with 10 bass weighing 26.06 lbs! They stashed away a cool $10,000.00!
3rd went to Chris Baumgardner & Glenn Sparrow with another 10 bass limit weighing up at 25.91 lbs and took home $5,000.00!
Wesley Cashwell & Shane Doughtie finished 4th with 25.35 lbs and claimed the 1st Skeeter BONUS of $4,000.00! Add in their $3000.00 4th Place money and they earned $7,000.00!
Our 2nd Place Skeeter BONUS winners were Keith Porter & Tony Price with a 2 day total of 23.93 lbs! They also weighed in the BF of the Classic at 5.16 lbs! Their Skeeter BONUS was $3,000.00 and their total winnings was $6,000.00!
The 3rd Skeeter BONUS worth $2,000.00 went to Stacey Richards & Brian Triplett with 9 bass weighing 23.61 lbs! Stacey & Brian took home a total of $3,350.00!
Our Last Skeeter BONUS Place of $1,000.00 went to Steve Sink and Tony Foster with 10 bass weighing 22.69 lbs. They collected a total of $1,900.00!
We paid back a total of 34 places! Thanks for fishing with us and see you next year!
| Place | Team Name | # Fish | Fish | Weight | Winnings | Bonus | Winnings |
| 1 | Roger Hoover - Scott Hamrick | 10 | 0.00 | 26.38 | $50,000.00 | $50,000.00 | |
| 2 | Jody Wright - james dyer | 10 | 0.00 | 26.06 | $10,000.00 | $10,000.00 | |
| 3 | Chris Baumgardner - Glenn Sparrow | 10 | 0.00 | 25.91 | $5,000.00 | $5,000.00 | |
| 4 | Wesley Cashwell - Shane Doughtie | 10 | 0.00 | 25.35 | $3,000.00 | $4,000.00 | $7,000.00 |
| 5 | Thomas Richmond - Artie Phillips | 10 | 0.00 | 25.26 | $2,500.00 | $2,500.00 | |
| 6 | Keith Porter - Tony Price | 8 | 5.16 | 23.93 | $2,000.00 | $3,000.00 | $6,000.00 |
| 7 | Mike Stephens - cody young | 10 | 0.00 | 23.78 | $1,500.00 | $1,500.00 | |
| 8 | Stacey Richards - Brian Triplett | 9 | 4.31 | 23.61 | $1,350.00 | $2,000.00 | $3,350.00 |
| 9 | James Clements - Steve Taylor | 10 | 4.90 | 23.53 | $1,250.00 | $1,250.00 | |
| 10 | Gene Webster - Guy Eaker | 10 | 3.98 | 22.72 | $1,050.00 | $1,050.00 | |
| 11 | Aaron Jordan - Adam Lockler | 10 | 0.00 | 22.72 | $1,050.00 | $1,050.00 | |
| 12 | Steve Sink - Tony Foster | 10 | 0.00 | 22.69 | $900.00 | $1,000.00 | $1,900.00 |
| 13 | Larry LeHew - Mike Langford | 10 | 3.15 | 22.16 | $850.00 | $850.00 | |
| 14 | Billy Scoggins - Jacob Scoggins | 10 | 0.00 | 21.80 | $800.00 | $800.00 | |
| 15 | Kevin Chandler - Bradley Chandler | 10 | 0.00 | 21.66 | $775.00 | $775.00 | |
| 16 | Thomas Hardwick - Tommy Williams | 9 | 4.30 | 21.10 | $1,250.00 | $1,250.00 | |
| 17 | Bryan Welch - Mark Inman | 8 | 4.04 | 20.79 | $700.00 | $700.00 | |
| 18 | David Winters - Russell Winters | 10 | 0.00 | 20.63 | $675.00 | $675.00 | |
| 19 | Brent Long - dave stevens | 10 | 0.00 | 20.61 | $650.00 | $650.00 | |
| 20 | Ronald Farrow - Roger Farrow | 8 | 0.00 | 20.39 | $625.00 | $625.00 | |
| 21 | Ron Weyersberg - Ed Douthit | 10 | 0.00 | 19.93 | $600.00 | $600.00 | |
| 22 | Steve Addington - Scott Beattie | 10 | 0.00 | 19.33 | $575.00 | $575.00 | |
| 23 | Ric Rhyne - John parker | 10 | 0.00 | 18.98 | $550.00 | $550.00 | |
| 24 | Chad Cook - tony cook | 7 | 0.00 | 18.95 | $525.00 | $525.00 | |
| 25 | Bradford Beavers - Dwight Beavers | 9 | 0.00 | 18.75 | $1,500.00 | $1,500.00 | |
| 26 | Jason Wilson - Kelly Logan | 10 | 0.00 | 18.71 | $475.00 | $475.00 | |
| 27 | Stan Gunter - Kevin Ashley | 10 | 0.00 | 18.49 | $450.00 | $450.00 | |
| 28 | Joshua Queen - Mike Queen | 10 | 0.00 | 18.34 | $425.00 | $425.00 | |
| 29 | Derek Smithson - Chad Pennell | 9 | 0.00 | 18.21 | $400.00 | $400.00 | |
| 30 | Jeffery Cox - Derek Cummings | 8 | 0.00 | 18.12 | $375.00 | $375.00 | |
| 31 | Mike Holland - Kevin Newman | 10 | 0.00 | 18.10 | $350.00 | $350.00 | |
| 32 | Terry Wike - Greg Deal | 9 | 0.00 | 17.79 | $300.00 | $300.00 | |
| 33 | Chad Sims - David Anderson | 8 | 3.87 | 17.48 | $250.00 | $250.00 | |
| 34 | Sean Skey - Tim Harmon | 8 | 0.00 | 17.47 | $200.00 | $200.00 | |
| 35 | Danny Nifong - Dale Surrett | 10 | 0.00 | 17.37 | |||
| 36 | Louie Hull - Ryan Hull | 9 | 0.00 | 16.93 | |||
| 37 | Chris Richey - George Bost | 8 | 0.00 | 16.68 | |||
| 38 | Thomas Vickers - Brian Huskins | 9 | 0.00 | 16.55 | |||
| 39 | Don Sprinkle - Wayne Skipworth | 7 | 0.00 | 16.45 | |||
| 40 | Tyler Hoopaugh - Chris Hoopaugh | 8 | 0.00 | 16.12 | |||
| 41 | Matt Stout | 8 | 0.00 | 16.02 | |||
| 42 | Paul Guthrie - David knox | 7 | 0.00 | 15.82 | |||
| 43 | Kyle Whisnant - James Ball | 8 | 0.00 | 15.39 | |||
| 44 | Sam Hopkins - Craig Matthews | 8 | 0.00 | 15.34 | |||
| 45 | Sandy Oliver | 9 | 0.00 | 15.12 | |||
| 46 | Ladd Whicker - Landon Whicker | 7 | 0.00 | 14.93 | $500.00 | $500.00 | |
| 47 | Jesus Loaces - Tracey Mccready | 5 | 0.00 | 14.90 | |||
| 47 | Robbie Harrelson - Justin Barfield | 8 | 0.00 | 14.90 | |||
| 49 | Ben Lattimore - Roger Hamrick | 7 | 0.00 | 14.70 | |||
| 50 | Brian Travis - Ashley Brotherton | 8 | 0.00 | 14.66 | |||
| 51 | Rodney Morrow | 9 | 0.00 | 14.32 | |||
| 52 | Ron Brown - Robert Brown | 8 | 0.00 | 14.21 | |||
| 53 | Craig Jurgonski - Jack Belt | 9 | 0.00 | 13.96 | |||
| 54 | Kiel Kelly - Chuck Whittaker | 9 | 0.00 | 13.84 | |||
| 55 | Donald Poteat - John Allen | 7 | 0.00 | 13.67 | |||
| 56 | Rusty Bullard - Eric Martin | 9 | 0.00 | 13.46 | |||
| 57 | Ronnie McCoy - Jason McCoy | 8 | 0.00 | 13.17 | |||
| 58 | Justin Harvey - Michael Sprouse | 7 | 0.00 | 12.90 | |||
| 59 | Reggie Guffey - Tommy Chapman | 7 | 0.00 | 12.47 | |||
| 60 | thomas wike - Terry Herman | 7 | 0.00 | 12.29 | |||
| 61 | Chad Poteat - George Lambeth | 5 | 0.00 | 12.27 | |||
| 62 | Sammie Grier - David Strickland | 7 | 0.00 | 12.17 | |||
| 63 | todd sinclair - Jeff Horton | 8 | 0.00 | 11.99 | |||
| 64 | bobby snyder - Tim Cline | 6 | 2.00 | 11.91 | |||
| 65 | Bernie Davis - Conrad Manuel | 5 | 0.00 | 11.73 | |||
| 66 | Blake Wright - Greg Wright | 6 | 0.00 | 11.69 | |||
| 67 | Johnny Guffey - Wesley Bell | 7 | 0.00 | 11.66 | |||
| 68 | Larry Moss - Michelle McLain | 7 | 0.00 | 11.42 | |||
| 69 | Brad Petway - TYLER JACKSON | 5 | 0.00 | 11.37 | |||
| 70 | Jason Thomas - Steve Summer | 5 | 0.00 | 11.19 | |||
| 71 | Lee Morris - Robert Ross | 5 | 0.00 | 11.13 | |||
| 72 | Thomas Gavin - Tracy Brown | 5 | 0.00 | 11.05 | |||
| 73 | Phil Hennessee - Lee Hoilman | 6 | 0.00 | 10.58 | |||
| 74 | Kenny Seagle - Drew Montgomery | 5 | 3.70 | 10.51 | |||
| 75 | Brent Berry - David Puckett | 6 | 0.00 | 10.32 | |||
| 76 | Michael Murphy - Kevin Sanders | 5 | 0.00 | 10.28 | |||
| 77 | Travis Parrish - rodney tapp | 6 | 0.00 | 9.85 | |||
| 78 | Adam Ridings - Michael Ridings | 5 | 0.00 | 9.36 | |||
| 79 | Paul Brittain - Robert Church | 5 | 0.00 | 9.14 | |||
| 80 | Jimmy Bass - Johnny Houser | 4 | 0.00 | 9.11 | |||
| 81 | Conrad Bolt - Kevin Dickson | 5 | 0.00 | 9.05 | |||
| 82 | Craig Chambers - Keith Ogden | 5 | 0.00 | 8.86 | |||
| 83 | Erik Myers - Dakota Roberts | 5 | 0.00 | 8.47 | |||
| 84 | Robin Collins - Ronnie White | 5 | 0.00 | 8.31 | |||
| 85 | Chris Tarbush - Chris Haas | 5 | 0.00 | 8.23 | |||
| 86 | Brandon Jeffcoat - Wendell Causey | 4 | 3.03 | 8.21 | |||
| 87 | Duke Denison - Walt Bowen | 5 | 1.60 | 8.14 | |||
| 88 | Rick Crumley - Earnest Crenshaw | 5 | 0.00 | 8.01 | |||
| 89 | David Ford - Kevin Farley | 4 | 2.85 | 7.79 | |||
| 90 | Kevin Glenn - Brian Silvers | 4 | 0.00 | 7.56 | |||
| 91 | grady allen - Calvin Hewitt | 4 | 0.00 | 7.45 | |||
| 92 | Michael Pelchat - Brandon Abernathy | 4 | 0.00 | 7.36 | |||
| 93 | Lester Elton - Chris Martin | 4 | 0.00 | 7.35 | |||
| 94 | Richard Robinson lll | 3 | 0.00 | 7.12 | |||
| 95 | Kenneth Kanipe - Kevin Lynch | 5 | 0.00 | 7.04 | |||
| 96 | Morris Elliott - Kyle Creed | 3 | 2.79 | 6.91 | |||
| 97 | Tom McCombs - curtis lail | 3 | 3.27 | 6.82 | |||
| 98 | Scott Farmer - Samuel Freeman | 4 | 0.00 | 6.81 | $250.00 | $250.00 | |
| 99 | Eric Jeter - Darren Jeter | 3 | 0.00 | 6.68 | |||
| 100 | Rob Nicholson - Noah Nicholson | 3 | 0.00 | 6.59 | |||
| 101 | Paul Kiser - David Cheek | 4 | 0.00 | 6.47 | |||
| 102 | Chris Graham - Ricky Byrd | 3 | 0.00 | 6.34 | |||
| 103 | Kevin Holiday - Johnathan Frady | 3 | 0.00 | 6.32 | |||
| 104 | Randall Wallace - Andrew Wallace | 4 | 0.00 | 6.21 | |||
| 105 | Joel Ketcham - scott ketcham | 3 | 0.00 | 6.17 | |||
| 106 | Bill Grier - Robby Byrum | 2 | 3.56 | 6.13 | |||
| 107 | Corey Ingram - Brandon Ashley | 3 | 0.00 | 5.95 | |||
| 108 | Rodney Bell - Tommy Jones | 4 | 0.00 | 5.93 | |||
| 109 | James Clark - Rick Carson | 4 | 0.00 | 5.90 | |||
| 110 | Tim Gaines - Mike Bryant | 3 | 0.00 | 5.70 | |||
| 111 | John Sturkie - Blake Strickland | 3 | 0.00 | 5.54 | |||
| 112 | Mike Davis - Dean Talbert | 2 | 0.00 | 5.38 | |||
| 113 | Ryan Raley - Mike Raley | 3 | 0.00 | 5.20 | |||
| 114 | Jeremy Talbert - Brian Robbins | 2 | 0.00 | 5.09 | $1,000.00 | $1,000.00 | |
| 115 | Ronnie Britt - Jim Britt | 2 | 0.00 | 5.08 | |||
| 116 | Chris Dover - Robert Fowler | 3 | 0.00 | 4.99 | $250.00 | $250.00 | |
| 117 | Randy Christy - Chris Corriher | 3 | 0.00 | 4.96 | |||
| 118 | Samuel Thomas - John Harris | 3 | 0.00 | 4.95 | |||
| 119 | craig hamilton - Jimmy fortson | 2 | 0.00 | 4.79 | |||
| 120 | Thomas Simmerson - Doug Young | 3 | 0.00 | 4.68 | |||
| 121 | Dan Funderburk - Butch Drew | 3 | 0.00 | 4.65 | |||
| 122 | Shane Cantley - Michael Richardson | 3 | 0.00 | 4.64 | |||
| 123 | Jerry Davis - tony tysinger | 2 | 0.00 | 4.50 | |||
| 124 | Kevin Richbourg - Michael Williams | 3 | 0.00 | 4.44 | |||
| 125 | Jordan Marlowe - Justin Marlowe | 2 | 0.00 | 4.41 | |||
| 125 | Russell Hoyle - Jerry Pruitt | 2 | 0.00 | 4.41 | |||
| 127 | Tim Chapman - Marcus Leech | 3 | 0.00 | 4.23 | |||
| 128 | Dwight Dellinger - Doug Dellinger | 2 | 0.00 | 4.16 | |||
| 129 | Robert Osborne - Bobby Osborne | 2 | 0.00 | 3.81 | |||
| 130 | Alton Rockett - Randy Huffman | 2 | 0.00 | 3.73 | |||
| 131 | Aric Dwyer - Robert Anderson | 2 | 0.00 | 3.55 | |||
| 132 | Gary Michaud | 2 | 0.00 | 3.47 | |||
| 133 | Steven Gawthrop - KENNETH MARTIN | 2 | 0.00 | 3.19 | |||
| 134 | Eddie Smith - Michael Carson | 2 | 0.00 | 3.08 | |||
| 135 | Gary Atkinson - troy buffington | 2 | 0.00 | 3.03 | |||
| 136 | Gary Avery - Mike Goodman | 1 | 2.87 | 2.87 | |||
| 137 | shane sharpe - Mark Williams | 1 | 2.61 | 2.61 | |||
| 138 | Ron Wolfarth - Larry Inman | 1 | 2.48 | 2.48 | |||
| 139 | Gary Angel - Mike Boatright | 2 | 0.00 | 2.35 | |||
| 140 | Norman Lowe - John Miller | 1 | 2.33 | 2.33 | |||
| 141 | Deron Donohoo - Davey Thomas | 1 | 2.30 | 2.30 | |||
| 142 | Mack Cook - Patrick Cook | 2 | 0.00 | 2.16 | |||
| 143 | Dennis Allen - John Sneed | 1 | 1.97 | 1.97 | |||
| 144 | Darren Sigmon - Brian Huffman | 1 | 1.75 | 1.75 | |||
| 145 | Jerry Lineberger - Anthony Johnson | 1 | 1.73 | 1.73 | |||
| 146 | Joe Floyd - Chris Tinsley | 1 | 1.66 | 1.66 | |||
| 147 | George Lauster - Bryan Tilly | 1 | 1.63 | 1.63 | |||
| 148 | Jimmy Cummings - Jesse Smith | 1 | 1.55 | 1.55 | |||
| 149 | scott mcginnis - Caleb Propst | 1 | 1.53 | 1.53 | |||
| 149 | Steve Christie - Sammy Freeman | 1 | 1.53 | 1.53 | |||
| 151 | james burr - Barry Davis | 1 | 1.52 | 1.52 | |||
| 152 | Michael Smith - Roger Pope | 1 | 1.49 | 1.49 | |||
| 153 | shane kennedy - Curt Lare | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 154 | Glenn Gentry - Shannon Jordan | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 155 | J.w. Smith | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 156 | Jeff McQuaigue - Eric Moser | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 157 | David Wright - Jeff Coble | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 158 | Brian Randolph - Ronald Moss | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 159 | Dempsey Carter - Chad Atchley | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 160 | Darrin Albertson - Terri Albertson | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 161 | Jason Barnes - KEITH BARNES | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 162 | Tyler Osterhout - Brandon Borleis | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 163 | Chip Crews - Joshua Stafford | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 164 | Larry Parker - Glenn Altman | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 165 | Vinson Blanton - Randy Settle | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 166 | Jerry Craig - Bobby Latuch | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 167 | Eric Self - Tyler Beam | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 168 | Michael Cribb - Roger Cribb | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 169 | Josh Huffman - Dennis Caudle | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 170 | Justin Stoltzfus - Matthew Benge | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 171 | Scott Griffin - Jerry Goble | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 172 | MATT HAYES - Derek Lilley | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 173 | Andrew Swaim - Adam Fillmore | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 174 | Dale Duncan - Donnie Woody | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 175 | Todd Garner - Shane Hartman | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 176 | Albert Darminio - Steve Harris | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 177 | Vince Parker - Mark Parker | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 178 | Jordon Venable - Jim Venable | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 179 | Milton Yancey - Larry Yancey | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 180 | Steve Yoder - Dennis Hensley | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 181 | byron brush - Byron Brush Sr. | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 182 | Nick Beaver - Roger Beaver | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 183 | Clint Benbow - Jeremi Beatty | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 184 | Wayne Ingram - Chris Brown | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 185 | Keith Speece - Wendell Ireland | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 186 | Jay Adams - Tony Colacurcio | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 187 | Mike Allman - Mike Allman | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 188 | Doug Easton - Pete Bejte | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 189 | Jack Caldwell - Michael Hobbs | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 190 | Mike Clark - Chris Anderson | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 191 | Scott Tate - Grant McPeters | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 192 | Ryan Thompsom - Casey Warren | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 193 | Chris Niehaus - lance deitz | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 194 | Cole Winn - Lee Sawyer | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 195 | Matt Queen - Shawn Wallace | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 196 | Danny Mason - Lionel Mason | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 197 | Alan Fletcher - Donald Hinson | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 198 | Mike Ray - Orlando Giles | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 199 | T.J. Murphy jr - Matthew Burke | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 200 | Ryan Bentley - greg berst | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 201 | Jonathon Peeler - Colt Peeler | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 202 | Billy Dean Jacobs - Mark Cummings | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 203 | Mike Seawright - Greg Lovelace | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 204 | Daryl Watson - Ken McFarland | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 205 | Brad Nappier - Nathan Luke | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 206 | Travus Lovell - Bryan Lewis | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 207 | Chris Wagner - Chase Deal | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Obscure crankbait wins 7thAnnual Toyota Bonus Bucks tournament
Courtesy of Alan McGuckin / Dynamic Sponsorships
It’s hard to believe the winning lure at the no entry fee Toyota Trucks Bonus Bucks Owners event was so obscure not even legendary pros Gerald Swindle and Mike Iaconelli had heard of it, but that’s exactly what happened Sunday afternoon on Table Rock Lake when KC Choosakul and Steven Jacobs dredged up 15 pounds 7 ounces on a liquid-filled Core Strike S.O.B. crankbait to haul the $5,000 first place prize back to North Carolina.
The somewhat secret series of lures are manufactured in Mississippi, and are filled with a liquid that not only helps them sink to the lake floor, but also stand on their diving bill to maintain constant bottom contact, and help prevent the treble hooks from snagging.
The winning team caught most of their fish in 16 feet of water along a creek channel, and tied the little known lures to 15-pound fluorocarbon line. Their winning weight topped second place finishers Brett and Beau Govreau of Missouri by two pounds. The Govreau brothers caught their respectable weight using a hard head swivel head jig trimmed with a Strike King Menace grub.
Of the 210 teams that registered, all went home with a custom made Bass Pro Shops weigh-in bag full of Carhartt garments, Toyota hats, flashlights, rod socks, and even custom made lures from Terry “Big Show” Scroggins, and the top 30 teams in the final standings all got a paycheck for at least $150.
Three lucky anglers who finished outside of the Top 30 went home with $500 cash from a random drawing at weigh-in courtesy of Toyota. The 15thplace finisher, Derek Felton won a $1,000 Bass Pro Shops Gift Certificate, and 31stplace finisher Cay Fields of Arkansas won $750 cash from LEER Truck Caps and Tonneau Covers.
And everybody, including Swindle and Iaconelli, took away knowledge of a previously unfamiliar ‘sinking’ crankbait from the fun and fellowship rich event.
Adam Bain and Kris Colley Win Alabama Bass Trail Championship at Neely Henry Lake
Team Overcomes Changing Conditions to Claim $45,000 Phoenix 819 Prize Boat
by Dan O’Sullivan
October 28, 2018 – Gadsden, Ala. – For its fifth season, the Alabama Bass Trail brought its culminating championship event to the town of Gadsden, Ala. and the waters of Neely Henry Lake. The Coosa River fishery has been a stop for the ABT’s Northern Division each year since its 2014 inception, but this is the first time it has hosted the two-day Alabama Bass Trail Championship.
The team of Adam Bain and Kris Colley; who finished the 2017 Alabama Bass Trail in the runners up position, managed to string together a strong, 18.75-pound limit that took the lead on day one, then produced a follow up 11.29-pound performance on day two that earned them the victory with 30.04 pounds. Their prize for winning the event was a 2019 Phoenix 819 bass boat equipped with the latest 200 horsepower Four-Stroke outboard and Garmin electronics valued at $45,000.
While Neely Henry Lake is known for producing numbers of bass with a few true quality specimens during a weigh-in, it proved to be a little tougher overall this year due to varying weather patterns. While the area had been unseasonably warm recently, in the week leading up to the event, the temperatures dropped into the low 40’s overnight, and the skies turned grey and brought rain overnight on the eve of the tournament, through its first day. After the front passed, the skies cleared partly, and the conditions changed again.
Bain and Colley were able to ride a pattern that featured throwing a black War Eagle buzzbait around isolated water willow patches on the main river from mid-lake to the southern end. “We moved a lot, covered a ton of water with that buzzbait and managed to get seven or eight bites a day,” they reported. “We tried other things along the way, but we only got the kind of bites we needed with the buzzbait.”
The pair was exhausted, but thrilled with their finish. “We worked really hard preparing for this event,” they said. “This is obviously a much sweeter feeling than finishing second at this Logan Martin last year; we couldn’t be happier right now.”
Second place finishers Brad Shelton and Eric White began day two in sixth place after posting an opening round weight of 14.49 pounds. They followed that up with a steady 13.29-pound limit to bring their total weight to 27.78 pounds; they earned $5,000 for their runner up finish.
They reported catching all of their fish by flipping a handmade “Natural Craw” colored jig tipped with a coordinating Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craw as a trailer. They fished from Minnesota Bend to the island at Hokes Bluff upriver looking for wood cover near deep water. “We feel really good about how we did on the water, we fished clean and had a good tournament,” they said. “It’s not really fun to finish second in an event like this but to move up and be in contention is something we had hoped for. We are pleased with how the event went for us; we couldn’t have done any better than we did, so knowing that, we’re happy with the finish.”
The team of Duane and Brandon Edel caught the Mountain Dew Big Bass of the tournament on day one. Their 6.45-pound largemouth anchored their day one limit, and helped propel them to a fifth place finish with a total weight of 26.82 pounds, and a total of $3,000 in earnings with their big fish bonus money in hand.
The rest of the Top 10 Standings are below, for complete standings visit: https://www.alabamabasstrail.org/tournament-series/nhl-results/
| Place | Anglers | Weight | Winnings |
| 1 | Adam Bain / Kris Colley | 30.04 | $45,000 Phoenix Boat |
| 2 | Brad Shelton / Eric White | 27.78 | $5,000 |
| 3 | Mark McCaig / Tim Hurst | 27.09 | $4,000 |
| 4 | Gabe Aldridge / Wes Wiggins | 27.05 | $3,000 |
| 5 | Duane Edel / Brandon Edel | 26.82 | $2,500 |
| 6 | Shane Horton / Brandon Horton | 26.68 | $2,000 |
| 7 | Bradley Jones / Andy Kilgore | 26.44 | $1,800 |
| 8 | Brannon Hurst / Mike Freeman | 25.91 | $1,700 |
| 9 | Jamie Starnes / Ricky Fowler | 25.78 | $1,600 |
| 10 | Anthony Goggins / Jeremy Headley | 25.51 | $1,400 |
That wraps up the 2018 Alabama Bass Trail season, the 2019 season begins with the Southern Division kickoff February 16 at Lake Martin in Alexander City, Ala.
The sponsors of the 2018 Alabama Bass Trail include; Phoenix Bass Boats, Bill Penney Toyota, Garmin, Academy Sports & Outdoors, America’s First Federal Credit Union, Wind Creek Hospitality – Wetumpka, Wind Creek Hospitality – Montgomery, Alabama Tourism Department, T-H Marine Supplies, Wedowee Marine, Buffalo Rock, Jack’s, Fish Neely Henry Lake.com, Alabama Power Company, Trapper Tackle, Lew’s Fishing, AFTCO, YETI, and E3 Apparel.
For information about Alabama Bass Trail and for complete tournament standings visit www.alabamabasstrail.org.
LAKE GUNTERSVILLE SET TO HOST COSTA FLW SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP
GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. (Oct. 18, 2018) – More than 200 of the top semi-professional bass anglers from both the United States and around the world will visit the Guntersville area Nov. 1-3 for the 2018 Costa FLW Series Championship at Lake Guntersville. The three-day event, hosted by the Marshall County Convention & Visitors Bureau, features a top prize of $95,000 in the Pro Division, including a Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and an automatic qualification to the 2019 Forrest Wood Cup – the world championship of bass fishing.
Competitors qualified for the Costa FLW Series Championship through five U.S. divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western – and an International division that features anglers from Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa and Spain. The highest finishing pro from each U.S. division and the International division will qualify for the 2019 FLW Cup. A total of six FLW Series boaters will advance to the 2019 FLW Cup, which will be held at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Aug. 9-11.
“Overall, Lake Guntersville should fish well for this event,” said FLW Tour pro Alex Davis of Albertville, Alabama, who has logged three career wins on Lake Guntersville in FLW competition. “There should still be some grass left, but it will be more scattered instead of matted up. Most of the lake should be productive, especially Mud Creek, Crow Creek and the Goose Pond area. The area around Alred Marina on the lower end should produce some notable bites as well. Those locations have the most amount of grass right now.”
Davis said that fans should expect to see a variety of lures being used to pick apart the grass.
“It will be your typical frog deals on the grass mats, as well as some flipping and punching beaver-style baits,” said Davis. “A buzzbait and a spinnerbait should be good as well. There’s been some wind and rain which moves the grass and makes the mats a lot smaller. If the grass keeps decreasing the way it is, an umbrella rig could be a factor as well.”
Davis went on to say that it will likely take a three-day cumulative of about 54 pounds to win the event.
“Finding that 3½- to 4½-pound bite instead of the [more common] 2- and 3-pound bass will be key,” said Davis.
Anglers will take off from Guntersville City Harbor, located at 201 Blount Ave., in Guntersville, at 7:30 a.m. CDT each day. Thursday and Friday’s weigh-ins will also take place at the harbor, and will begin at 3 p.m. Saturday’s final weigh-in will take place at Cabela's, located at 7090 Cabela Drive in Huntsville, Alabama, and will begin at 3:30 p.m. All takeoffs and weigh-ins are free to attend and open to the public.
Area youth are encouraged to attend the free FLW Foundation Unified Fishing Derby at Guntersville City Harbor on Saturday, Nov. 3, from 1-2:30 p.m. The all-inclusive event is open to youth (18 and under) and Special Olympics athletes (all ages). Tackle, bait and expert assistance will be provided. Registration begins on site at noon.
In Costa FLW Series competition, each U.S. division consists of three regular-season tournaments with competitors vying for valuable points that could earn them the opportunity to compete in the season-ending Costa FLW Series Championship.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Costa FLW Series on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
Avena, Lane, Swindle Win Final Matches At Bassmaster Classic Bracket On Carters Lake
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Six Anglers Advance To Final Round Of Bassmaster Classic Bracket On Carters Lake
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Carters Lake Proves Demanding During Semifinals Of Bassmaster Classic Bracket
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A.R.E. INTRODUCES NEXT-GENERATION TECHNOLOGY WITH THE NEW CX REVO AND CX EVOLVE TRUCK CAPS
MASSILLON, Ohio - October 16, 2018 – A.R.E. Accessories LLC, a Truck Hero company, takes accessorizing trucks to the next level by offering truck owners the latest truck cap technology and design with their all-new CX Revo and CX Evolve. These new models introduce current automotive glass technology into A.R.E.’s product line, allowing the caps to truly complement the modern styling of today’s trucks.
The CX Revo and CX Evolve feature an industry-first, frameless all-glass, tailgate-formed rear door. This revolutionary door follows the styling of each truck’s tailgate by forming the glass down and over the tailgate for superior styling and security.
Both covers feature OneMotion handle and ActiveTilt auto on/off lighting technology. The OneMotion handle offers an intuitive design for greater ease of use, as well as optional keyless entry to lock and unlock using your truck’s factory key fob for added security. The ActiveTilt system uses magnet technology to turn the LED lighting on and off when opening and closing the rear door.
“Our new rear door technology removes the bottom contour strip that makes the transition from the glass to the tailgate on current doors,” explains Bryan Mutchler, marketing manager, A.R.E. Accessories. “This complex forming and shaping of the glass to cover the rear tailgate is what we see the future of truck caps becoming.”
Complementing its new rear door, the CX Revo features the latest side and front window technology. A.R.E. uses urethane technology to install new frameless all-glass side and front windows. These windows and the install method allows for a superior interior and exterior appearance and enhanced protection from the elements.
The CX Evolve features the new rear door technology blended with A.R.E.’s classic aluminum-frame side and front windows, giving customers exceptional functionality and value while still providing truck specific modern OE styling.
Visit www.4are.com/product/revo and www.4are.com/product/evolve for more details and available applications.
About A.R.E. Accessories, LLC
A.R.E. Accessories, a Truck Hero company, began manufacturing wood frame truck caps in 1969 and has become a leading manufacturer of fiberglass truck caps and hard tonneau covers for consumer and fleet/commercial use. At its ISO 9001:2015 certified manufacturing facilities, A.R.E.’s skilled employees create the products that are sold through a network of independent authorized dealers. For more information, visit www.4are.com.
DuraSafe Leads Marine Security Products Category with Keyed-Alike Capability
New Berlin, Wis. – Oct. 24, 2018 – DuraSafe, a leading marine security products manufacturer, is finding solutions to keep boats, trailers and the marine electronic accessories that accompany these recreational vehicles safe. DuraSafe’s Keyed-Alike Capability results in specialty locks custom built to work with the same key, eliminating the need for multiple keys.
In addition to the marine line of Keyed-Alike locks DuraSafe manufactures, (E-LOCK®s and Swivel Mount Locks for marine electronics, Bow Mount Locks for trolling motors, Transom Mount Locks and Quick Release Bracket Locks), they have just announced a new line of trailer locks. These new locks include receiver locks, coupler locks, a universal spare tire lock, swing away tongue trailer lock, cable lock and chain wheel lock. All with the capability of being built under the same key.
Customers have the flexibility to choose the locks they need and have all locks keyed alike with one key. Additional locks can be purchased at any time and keyed to the locks already owned.
“We aim to provide our customers with innovative products to protect their investments,” said Cathy Frantz, CMO. “We create American made locks that are easy to install, keeping expensive outdoor equipment safe, so people can spend more time on the road and on the water and less time worrying.”
Keyed-Alike locks and other DuraSafe products are manufactured in the United States and can be found on the company’s new website, www.durasafelocks.com.
About DuraSafe
DuraSafe is a family-owned and family-run company founded in 2003. DuraSafe products are manufactured in the United States with high-quality stainless steel and marine grade materials. DuraSafe has been recognized by the National Marine Manufacturers Association for product innovation. DuraSafe has been manufacturing locks and lock components for over 30 years and continues to introduce products that solve problems and save time. For more information on DuraSafe products visit www.durasafelocks.com.
Twelve Anglers Advance After First Round Of Bassmaster Classic Bracket On Carters Lake
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Bassmaster Opens Winners In 2019 Can Qualify For The 50th Bassmaster Classic
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Mossy Oak Fishing Adds Pro Angler Greg Hackney
WEST POINT, MS - Mossy Oak has announced the addition of Greg Hackney to the Mossy Oak Fishing Team.
Fishing out of Gonzales, Louisiana, Hackney has won every major competitive bass fishing title with the exception of the Bassmaster Classic. Notable victories on Hackney's resume include, but are not limited to:
2018 Major League Fishing World Champion
2014 Bassmaster AOY
6-Time Bassmaster Tour Champion
2009 FLW Cup
"I'm an outdoors addict," said Hackney. "Partnering with Mossy Oak was an easy decision for me. As a company, they make a pattern for every day of my life, whether for hunting or fishing. As a brand, they fully represent who I am as an outdoorsman and a conservationist."
Hackney will fish the 2019 season representing Mossy Oak Fishing and wearing its pattern, Elements Agua.Mossy Oak launched its first fishing pattern, Elements Agua, at the ICAST show in July 2017. Since then, Elements Agua has been named the official pattern of B.A.S.S., Major League Fishing, the Cabela's Collegiate Bass Fishing Series and the Bassmaster High School Tournament Series. In conjunction with the launch of Elements Agua, the Mossy Oak Fishing Team has continued to grow since the additions of KevinVanDam (Team Leader), Jordan Lee, Ott DeFoe, Brandon Palaniuk, Gerald Swindle and Matt Lee.
"Greg is one of the most respected anglers in competitive bass fishing," said Ben Maki, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Mossy Oak. "His passion for the outdoors as an angler, a hunter and a conservationist makes him a perfect addition to the Mossy Oak family. We're proud to have him on our team."
To learn more about Mossy Oak Fishing, or to enjoy free, timely and entertaining hunting and outdoors content, visit https://www.mossyoak.com.
AC Insider Podcast - The Boys are Back in Town! - Featuring US Open Winner Bub Tosh & BASS Opens Champ Jared Lintner!
The Boys are back! Jason returns and talks about his Mission trip to Africa & Chris returns from his annual vacation cruise with his wife and has a laundry list of things to discuss about that adventure as well. They also welcome 2018 WON BASS US Open Winner Bub Tosh to the program to hear about his winning details on Lake Mead & also talk to the "Milk Man" Jared Lintner on how he was able to defeat Table Rock and 27 other Opens contender for a spot in the 2019 Bassmasters Classic. All this and more on the AC Insider Podcast!
DeFoe Repeats on Douglas Lake using the FishSmart App from Humminbird!
Courtesy of Humminbird - Photos Courtesy of BASS/Ronnie Moore & James Overstreet
Winner borrows boat from friend and fishes the entire tournament with no boat-mounted electronics
In this era of high-definition side image and detailed mapping, when is the last time a major bass fishing event was won without a single fish finder mounted on the winner’s boat?
If you guessed as recent as one month ago, you are correct.
When B.A.S.S. announced that tunnel hull boats, like the one Ott DeFoe used to win the Bassmaster Open at Douglas Lake in 2017, would not be allowed in 2018, the Humminbird/Minn Kota pro considered not even fishing the event. In fact, he didn’t even enter the tournament until just before the cut-off when he made the decision to borrow a friend’s flat-bottom aluminum boat to head up the French Broad River to ply the waters in the mountains of eastern Tennessee for another tournament-winning stringer.
“My buddy hadn’t even fished out of his boat but he was kind enough to let me use it so I could access some skinnier water, which I knew would likely be key to my success in the tournament,” explains DeFoe. “He hadn’t even put electronics on it. It was basically a blank canvas.”
DeFoe got to work rigging the boat, immediately mounting an Minn Kota Ultrex on the bow.
“I knew I’d be fishing some pretty heavy current and Spot-Lock would be critical,” DeFoe added. “Ever since I won the first tournament I ever fished with an Ultrex on the Mississippi, I’ve been a staunch believer that when you can concentrate on fishing and leave boat control to the experts, you significantly increase the odds of success. It was proven once again on Douglas where I used Spot-Lock to position my boat exactly where it needed to be to make the best presentation possible.”
For those who have seen the Minn Kota Ultrex change the face of fishing over the last couple years, the addition of the groundbreaking trolling motor to his friend’s boat isn’t much of a surprise. But when it came time to consider electronics, Ott made a move many would find counterintuitive for an angler accustomed to fishing with all the bells and whistles of a tournament-style bass rig.
“The area I planned to fish is shallow. I knew I wouldn’t really need a depthfinder. I could see bottom. But I needed a GPS and flawless mapping,” said DeFoe. “Rather than spend the limited time I had leading up to the tournament rigging a locator, I simply relied on my Humminbird FishSmart app to navigate to my fishing area each day.”
Operating through a clean, intuitive interface directly on his iPhone6 and working with the device’s GPS, FishSmart allowed DeFoe to view his precise location at every point in his journey upriver. He had previously downloaded the high-definition LakeMaster map for Douglas.
FishSmart was introduced by Humminbird in March 2018. Within the app, users can purchase and download any of the 1,500+ high-definition LakeMaster maps. From there, they can highlight depth contours and shallow water, offset the water depth based on seasonal changes, or even mark waypoints or routes.
“The water level dropped every day of the tournament. The water level offset and shallow water highlight features were incredibly important as I was able to adjust my map to the actual current depths and identify places I was able to run my boat,” DeFoe explained. “The boat was obviously not as fast as the Nitro I typically run so if I could pick up a couple minutes on my commute by taking a shortcut here and there, I wanted to do it. Plus it was a bit foggy a couple mornings of the tournament so having the map in front of me was important to stay on course. It’s amazing that I can have all that information on my phone.”
Individual high-definition LakeMaster lake maps like the one DeFoe downloaded for Douglas Lake are easy to search, buy, and download within the free FishSmart app. Once purchased within the app, maps can wirelessly transfer to a Bluetooth®-enabled HELIX® and SOLIX® Series fish finder.
On DeFoe’s part, he doesn’t have plans to strip his regular tournament rig of his Humminbird electronics anytime soon, but he certainly learned to trust the FishSmart app during his victorious run on Douglas Lake.
“I see plenty of uses for the FishSmart app, from downloading high-definition maps for single lakes, navigating smaller boats or boats without sophisticated electronics and even updating the software on Humminbird units. Plus, I use it religiously to study lake maps at home before ever hitting the water. FishSmart will always be on my phone and will get plenty of use from here on out, I can promise you that.”
Fowler Wins Berkley Big Bass on Lake Fork with 8.95 Giant!
Zach Fowler, holds off a record field of over 1150 anglers at the 13th Annual Berkley Big Bass event on Lake Fork with an 8.95 lb Giant and wins a new Skeeter ZX 200/ Yamaha/ Lowrance / Power Pole rig + $1000.
| Angler | City | State | Weight | Prize Amount | |
| ZACH FOWLER | Aledo | TX | 8.95 |
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| THOMAS YOUNG | Eros | LA | 2.60 |
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| ZACH FOWLER | Aledo | TX | 8.95 |
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| THOMAS YOUNG | Eros | LA | 2.60 |
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| RONALD MORRISON | Durant | OK | 2.52 |
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| DAVID CROW | Henderson | TX | 2.51 |
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| GENE DENNIS | Emory | TX | 2.51 |
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| LYNN ROLLER | Fort Worth | TX | 2.50 |
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| MIKE EDWARDS | Emory | TX | 2.50 |
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| LYNN ROLLER | Fort Worth | TX | 2.50 |
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| JAY SHIPE | Mineola | TX | 2.50 |
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| TREY ESCHBERGER III | Lindale | TX | 2.42 |
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| DON OVERSTREET | Sulphur Springs | TX | 2.38 |
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| SCOTT SWENSON | Saginaw | TX | 2.33 |
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| FRANK HENRY | Downsville | LA | 2.33 |
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| RONNY MCADAMS | Fairfield | TX | 2.30 |
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| JUSTIN WEBB | Texarkana | TX | 2.29 |
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| JIM KIRKPATRICK | Golden | TX | 2.52 |
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| BUDDY LEE | Calhoun | TX | 2.48 |
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| LANE SHAW | Plano | TX | 2.42 |
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| HERSHEL MADDOX | Jonesboro | LA | 2.42 |
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| TIM HAWKINS | Anna | TX | 2.39 |
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| CHRIS NEWTON | Heath | TX | 2.38 |
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| JIMMY BRAY | Tulsa | OK | 2.37 |
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| JESSIE AYERS | Antlers | OK | 2.33 |
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| MARK BRITAIN | Gordonville | TX | 2.28 |
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| KIT LOHR SR | Rockwall | TX | 2.22 |
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| MARK VAN WINKLE | Converse | LA | 2.21 |
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| TOM PEGODA | Tomball | TX | 2.21 |
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| VERLON CRONEY | Alba | TX | 2.10 |
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| JAMES HAMM | Jefferson | TX | 2.40 |
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| ROBERT BENTON | Hudson Oaks | TX | 2.40 |
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| JIMMY QUALLS | Euless | TX | 2.46 |
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| TOMMY CORNELIUS | Terrell | TX | 2.41 |
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| MICHAEL STEVENS | White Oak | TX | 2.40 |
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| JOSH WINFREE | Converse | LA | 2.40 |
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| BRET NEW | Rhome | TX | 2.33 |
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| CURTIS DANIELS | Emory | TX | 2.32 |
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| RICKY PHILLIPS | Trinidad | TX | 2.32 |
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| JULIE ARRANT | West Monroe | LA | 2.31 |
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| MIKE DUGGER | Tool | TX | 2.24 |
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| ALAN PAYNE | Kerens | TX | 2.19 |
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| ROGER NIXON | Homer | LA | 2.17 |
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| CODY BENSON | Combine | TX | 2.11 |
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| PENNY MCCURDY | Gilliam | LA | 2.09 |
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| RILEY MUDFORD | Texarkana | AR | 2.00 |
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| GREG HOLDER | Eden | TX | 2.34 |
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| GARRY DUHON | Lafayette | LA | 2.34 |
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| JACOB MOORHEAD | Celina | TX | 2.44 |
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| GARRY DUHON | Lafayette | LA | 2.37 |
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SPRING HILL HIGH SCHOOL WINS BASS PRO SHOPS FLW HIGH SCHOOL FISHING LAKE MURRAY OPEN
PROSPERITY, S.C. (Oct. 15, 2018) – The Spring Hill High School duo of Aaron Weed and Robert Wise, both of Columbia, South Carolina, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 15 pounds, 13 ounces to win the 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Lake Murray Open presented by Berkley.
According to post-tournament reports, the duo caught their fish targeting points and humps near the dam with a white Zoom Fluke.
A field of 73 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from Dreher Island State Park. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship. Due to a tie between 7th and 8th place teams, both teams will advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top eight teams on Lake Murray that advanced to the 2019 High School Fishing National Championship were:
1st: Spring Hill High School, Richland County, S.C. – Aaron Weed and Robert Wise, both of Columbia, S.C., five bass, 15-13
2nd: Woodruff High School, Woodruff, S.C. – Austin Lanford, Greer, S.C., and Clayton Caldwell, Woodruff, S.C., five bass, 15-5
3rd: North Augusta High School, North Augusta, S.C. – Landon Williamson and Brycen Williamson, both of Wagener, S.C., five bass, 14-7
4th: Greenbrier High School, Evans, Ga. – Henry Garrett and Joshua Ortt, both of Evans, Ga., five bass, 12-14
5th: Morgan County High School, Madison, Ga. – Cole Holloway and Landon Huff, both of Madison, Ga., five bass, 11-13
6th: Union County High School, Union, S.C. – Hunter Enlow and Tanner Duncan, both of Union, S.C., four bass, 10-7
7th: Clarks Hill Youth Fishing Team – Corey Yaden, Evans, Ga., and Brayden Batchelor, Greensboro, Ga., five bass, 9-15
8th: Greenbrier High School, Evans, Ga. – Tanner Hadden and Cy Casey, both of Evans, Ga., five bass, 9-15
Rounding out the top 10 teams were:
9th: North Augusta High School, North Augusta, S.C. – Maddux Sutton, North Augusta, S.C., and Logan Geisler, Warrenville, S.C., three bass, 9-10
10th: Travelers Rest High School, Travelers Rest, S.C. – David Ackerman and Bobby Long, both of Greenville, S.C., four bass, 9-9
Complete results from the event can be found at FLWFishing.com.
The 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Lake Murray Open presented by Berkley was a two-person (team) event for students in grades 7-12, open to any Student Angler Federation (SAF) affiliated high school club in the United States. The top 10 percent of each Challenge, Open, and state championship field will advance to the 2019 High School Fishing National Championship on a body of water that has yet to be revealed. The High School Fishing national champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice.
In addition to the High School Fishing National Championship, all High School Fishing anglers nationwide automatically qualify for the world’s largest open high school bass tournament, the 2019 High School Fishing World Finals, held in conjunction with the National Championship. At the 2018 World Finals more than $150,000 in scholarships and prizes were awarded.
Full schedules and the latest announcements are available at HighSchoolFishing.org and FLWFishing.com.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2018 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW and their partners conduct 286 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa and Spain. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
PENNSYLVANIA’S THOMPSON WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ON THE CHESAPEAKE BAY
Bahnweg Takes Co-angler Title
NORTH EAST, Md. (Oct. 15, 2018) – Boater Joseph Thompson of Coatesville, Pennsylvania, caught a two-day cumulative total of 10 bass weighing 29 pounds, 9 ounces, to win the weather-shortened T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Regional championship on the Chesapeake Bay presented by Lowrance. Thompson pocketed $66,000 for his efforts, including a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and automatic entry into the 2019 BFL All-American Championship.
Originally scheduled for Oct. 11-13, competition Friday, Oct. 12, was cancelled by FLW officials due to high winds. As a result, the winner was determined by combining Thursday and Saturday’s weights.
“I really struggled on the first day until about noon,” said Thompson, who earned his second career win in BFL competition. “Every piece of structure in the North East River was covered with two or three boats because the fishing was so tough out on the flats.
“I went up into the North East Creek and found a little spot where there was just enough room for one more boat on a small piece of structure – a tree laydown. I fished it with a (green-pumpkin-colored) Zoom Finesse Worm on a drop-shot rig, and managed to catch a limit just before the end of the day.”
With just over 10 pounds of bass on Day One, Thompson knew he needed a big catch on Day Two to break into the top six – his ultimate goal.
“On the final morning I got a water temperature reading and found it had dropped 8 or 9 degrees,” said Thompson. “I was happy with how cold it got. With some history in mind, I knew people would have a hard time with the cold front, but also felt that I would excel.”
Thompson said he re-rigged a couple of rods for the conditions and proceeded to work through three big-fish areas.
“These are my home waters and there are three areas that I feel hold the big fish,” said Thompson. “In the morning, I targeted a dock in the North East River. I fished an Avocado-colored grub, very slowly, on a light, plain ball-headed jig and had two fish at noon. When the tide started to fall, I moved out into about 13 feet of water and fished a (green-pumpkin) Yamamoto Senko with a 1/16th-ounce (Picasso) tungsten bullet weight. I let the current move it along the bottom and got three bites.”
Thompson went on to give Susquehanna Fishing Tackle in Columbia, Pennsylvania, a special thanks for delivering all of the necessary tackle and credited his Minn Kota Ultrex trolling motor as his key piece of equipment at the event.
“This is the biggest win I’ve ever had and my Ultrex played a big role in it,” said Thompson. “The wind was really blowing on Day Two, but I was able to use the Spot Lock feature and focus on the fishing. The bites were subtle and I had to pay attention.”
The top six boaters that qualified for the 2019 BFL All-American were:
1st: Joseph Thompson, Coatesville, Pa., 10 bass, 29-9, $66,000
2nd: Ronnie Baker, Providence Forge, Va., nine bass, 27-1, $10,200
3rd: Moo Bae, West Friendship, Md., nine bass, 26-2, $5,100
4th: Ryan Bauman, Fleetwood, Pa., 10 bass, 25-13, $3,000
5th: Chris Martinkovic, Hamilton, Ohio, 10 bass, 25-12, $2,000
6th: Steven Wiseman, Bryans Road, Md., 10 bass, 25-6, $1,800
Rounding out the top-10 boaters were:
7th: Dave Lauer, McConnelsville, Ohio, nine bass, 25-3, $1,600
8th: Jon Werner, Nazareth, Pa., 10 bass, 24-10, $1,400
9th: Otis Darnell, Linden, Va., 10 bass, 24-9, $1,200
10th: Ryan Powroznik, Hopewell, Va., 10 bass, 24-8, $1,000
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Michael Bahnweg of Union Dale, Pennsylvania, won the Co-angler Division and a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard with a two-day cumulative catch of nine bass weighing 22 pounds, 6 ounces.
The top six co-anglers that qualified for the 2019 BFL All-American were:
1st: Michael Bahnweg, Union Dale, Pa., nine bass, 22-6, $45,000
2nd: William Allie, Wynantskill, N.Y., eight bass, 21-9, $5,200
3rd: Henry McKee, Haddon Heights, N.J., 10 bass, 18-8, $2,550
4th: Michael Nelms, Hartwood, Va., eight bass, 17-15, $1,500
5th: Howard Smith, Hamilton, Ohio, six bass, 17-11, $1,000
6th: David Williams, Fredericksburg, Va., five bass, 17-6, $900
Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers were:
7th: Matthew Cozad, Okeana, Ohio, seven bass, 17-4, $800
8th: Mike Geisler, Oxford, Ohio, eight bass, 16-12, $700
9th: Cort Gardner, Jessup, Md., eight bass, 16-10, $600
10th: Michael Duarte, Baltimore, Md., seven bass, 16-1, $500
The T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on the Chesapeake Bay presented by Lowrance was hosted by Cecil County Tourism.
The 2018 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2019 BFL All-American will take place May 30-June 1 on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland, and is hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners and the Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
MORROW WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ON THE ST. JOHNS RIVER PRESENTED BY RANGER
Sarasota’s Paquette Grabs Co-angler Title
PALATKA, Fla. (Oct. 15, 2018) – FLW Tour pro Troy Morrow of Eastanollee, Georgia, caught a three-day cumulative total of 15 bass weighing 57 pounds, 10 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Regional championship on the St. Johns River presented by Ranger. Morrow earned $65,000 for his efforts, including a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and automatic entry into the 2019 BFL All-American Championship.
“I had a rough start to practice. I got in late and had issues with my boat, so I missed some time,” said Morrow, who logged his fourth career victory in BFL competition. “I elected to stay close to where I was staying and learn as much as I could about the area, which was from the north end of Lake George to Little Lake George. I ended up fishing there all three days.
“As practice progressed, I found two shell beds they were schooled up on, so I started there on Day One,” Morrow continued. “I had a limit by the time I got to the second one, but they weren’t as big as they were in practice. After the second shell bed, I ran to some docks. I didn’t want to burn too many docks from my main area, so at about 12:30 (p.m.) I focused on a row of new docks and caught another big one.”
Morrow said that in addition to his keeper on Day One, those particular docks produced a 7-pound, 12-ouncer, on Day Three.
On Day Two, Morrow said he made the same milk run, but the fishing was slower. He said it took him longer to put together a limit and leave his main area.
“Day Three was even slower – I only had five keeper bites and thought I blew it,” said Morrow. “I stayed close to takeoff for the first 20 minutes and caught a keeper. The outgoing tide was later each day, and by Day Three it was approximately 11 (a.m.) before I felt comfortable fishing my key stuff. I went to the shoals, but didn’t get anything. At my main docks, I did get one that was close to 4 pounds at slack tide, which was a bonus. Once the tide got moving I caught the 7-pound, 12-ouncer.”
Morrow finished out the day by catching two keepers at the shoals.
For lures, Morrow said he used a Texas-rigged, Black Grape-colored Zoom Ol’ Monster Worm on a 5/0-sized Gamakatsu round bend hook with a ¼-ounce tungsten weight for both the shoals and the docks. His rig was attached to 20-pound-test Sunline fluorocarbon line and a 7-foot, 6-inch heavy-action Duckett Fishing rod. He also worked in a chrome-colored topwater bait at the shoals.
The top six boaters that qualified for the 2019 BFL All-American were:
1st: Troy Morrow, Eastanollee, Ga., 15 bass, 57-10, $65,000
2nd: Matt Kinney, Bunnell, Fla., 15 bass, 51-0, $10,200
3rd: Grant Kelly, Milledgeville, Ga., 13 bass, 49-11, $5,100
4th: Jason Reed, Hollister, Fla., 15 bass, 49-10, $3,000
5th: Nicholas Hoinig, Port St. Lucie, Fla., 15 bass, 49-6, $2,000
6th: Kip Carter, Mansfield, Ga., 15 bass, 48-11, $2,800
Rounding out the top-10 boaters were:
7th: George Kapiton, Inverness, Fla., 15 bass, 47-5, $1,600
8th: Dylan Peppers, Good Hope, Ga., 15 bass, 47-4, $1,400
9th: Kevin Dees, Montgomery, Ala., 14 bass, 42-5, $1,200
10th: Stacy Adams, Hazlehurst, Ga., 15 bass, 41-8, $1,000
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Randy Paquette of Sarasota, Florida, won the Co-angler Division and a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard with a three-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 34 pounds, 10 ounces.
The top six co-anglers that qualified for the 2019 BFL All-American were:
1st: Randy Paquette, Sarasota, Fla., 10 bass, 34-10, $45,200
2nd: Gary Murphy, Homer, Ga., 10 bass, 30-13, $5,050
3rd: Donnie Davis, Greer, S.C., 11 bass, 26-7, $2,500
4th: Ernie Thompson, Anthony, Fla., 13 bass, 24-2, $1,500
5th: Frank Godwin Jr., Bainbridge, Ga., 13 bass, 23-13, $1,000
6th: Levi Crossway, Jacksonville, Fla., 11 bass, 23-7, $900
Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers were:
7th: Kenneth Hunnicutt, Jacksonville, Fla., 13 bass, 23-3, $800
8th: Donald Dills, Mineral Bluff, Ga., 10 bass, 23-0, $700
9th: Christian Greico, Tampa, Fla., 10 bass, 22-2, $600
10th: Spencer Sato, Warner Robins, Ga., nine bass, 21-6, $500
The T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on the St. Johns River presented by Ranger was hosted by the Putnam County Tourist Development Council.
The 2018 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2019 BFL All-American will take place May 30-June 1 on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland, and is hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners and the Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
Bud Pruitt & Kevin Mason crowned 2018 Skeeter Bass Champs CHAMPIONS
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It has been an incredible season for four regions of Skeeter Bass Champs. On October 13-14, 2018 the two day championship was held for the first time on Lake Texoma with a record 275 teams competing for the crown. Rainy conditions, rising water and tough teams were but some of the challenges each angler faced. Not only was the title up for grabs, but two Skeeter boats powered by Yamaha and outfitted with Lowrance were in the sights for these qualifiers. The leaderboard showed major shifts over the course of the event as many teams climbed the ladder to top positions. In all, over $218,000 was awarded in cash and prizes – an amazing 269% payback! Skill, tenacity and maybe a little luck mixed in paid off for the winners Bud Pruitt and Kevin Mason.
Contenders were allowed to trailer to any available boat launch on Lake Texoma to launch closer to their fishing areas. This helped a great deal considering the weather conditions with huge downpours of rain and wind over the playing field. Texoma produced a lot of solid sacks at the scales! Bud Pruitt of Sam Rayburn, TX and Kevin Mason of Coldspring captivated 1st place with a dominating two pound spread. “We started with a phenomenal practice,” the team agreed. “The first day we had some boat pressure where we were fishing, but managed an initial limit in 45 minutes. After that we moved to another area and upgraded our fish a few times.” At the end of the first day, they had 17.94 pounds, putting them in a top five position going into day two. “The lake rose every day significantly. One thing I have always lived by,” Bud stated, “is you never tell the bass where they are supposed to be. You have to follow them.” They found the bass were keyed in on clean spots between weeds, roadbeds and trails. They found their best spot on the second day, and using bladed baits and swim jigs trailered with black & blue Rage Craws and Reaction Innovation ‘Twerks’ as well as Strike King spinnerbaits, they amassed a second day limit of 18.80 pounds. In two days they tallied 36.74 pounds of bass to win the Championship and the top prize – a Skeeter FX20 powered by a Yamaha SHO and outfitted with Lowrance electronics. “We had such a blessed weekend. Everything just lined up. We lost as many fish as we caught!” Bud and Kevin would also like to tip their hats at the Bass Champs staff and crew, Skeeter Bass Boats “and all of the guys who fished this brutal weather weekend!” 2nd place winners were Adam Dunn of Houston and Joshua Ware of New Caney, TX. “The first day it was so windy, and the rain was pretty heavy,” Adam recalled. “We hit about five different spots the first day using topwater baits. Our better fish came in the afternoon.” Bringing in around 15 pounds on Day 1, they were sitting in 22nd position. “The second day the water was slick and calm. The bass would hit our bait, but not take it.” They were catching a few, but knew they needed more. “We kept moving, looking for the fish we needed. We switched to buzz baits and flukes, and with only twenty minutes to go the wind switched out of the north and put a little chop on the water. That’s exactly what we needed! The shad were busting in spots, and while it seemed that it was white bass and striper after them, the better black bass was there with them. We were able to cull three more times before having to pack it in.” They caught 19 pounds on the final day, and had a two day total weight of 34.73 lbs to win a Skeeter ZX225 powered by a Yamaha SHO with Lowrance electronics. Chad Bailey of Comanche, OK and Lee Livesay of Gladewater, TX landed in 3rd place overall. “Lee found our spot in practice, and we stayed there both days,” Chad explained. “We only used Frogs, and stayed way back in the flooded woods and fields.” They culled a few times by mere ounces, ending up with 16.06 lbs for the first day in a 13th place position. “We went right back there to our starting spot on the second day. It was being hit pretty hard by other boats. We decided to stick it out and made a million circles covering it.” Lee reeled in their biggest fish so far, then right after that lost a nice one. “We let that spot rest for a little bit then came back to it. We didn’t get bit where he lost the fish, so we decided to scoot out just a little to see if it moved down the bank some.” That’s when Chad landed their kicker with only five minutes left to fish. It was their last cull, giving them a day two sack weighing 16.68 lbs. Their two day total was 32.74 lbs winning 3rd place and $6,000. “We’d like to thank Lake Fork Resort, R&K Distributing, Anheuser-Busch and Honey Hole Tackle Shop in West Monroe, LA.” An additional congratulations to each of these men as Chad recently welcomed an addition to his family and Lee has qualified to fish the Elite Series in 2019. “We will both take next year off from Bass Champs, but we’ll be back!” The biggest bass of the tournament was reeled in by Keith McMillen from Quinland, TX, fishing with Pete Brandt of Garland. “We found some good fish in practice, and stayed in one cove both days of the tournament,” Pete recalled. They caught fish on a variety of baits, including a buzz bait, frog, and swim jigs. “The first day we fished there until around noon, and left the fish biting as we checked out a couple of other spots. The rain was horrible.” They had 14.23 pounds putting them in 38th place going into Day 2. “On the second day, the lake had risen quite a bit. Our fish had moved, and at 9:30 we still didn’t have a single fish in the boat.” They had confidence in their fish and in the area. “We moved in shallower to freshly flooded shoreline. It was covered in debris from the storms and rising water. That’s when we got our first bite of the day.” At 9:45am Keith caught the 6.86 lb’r that won Big Bass of the tournament. “We kept fishing frogs in literally 6” of water in the flooded grass.” Their efforts landed four fish for the final day, weighing in at 14.41 lbs. They finished in 12th place overall with 28.64 lbs, winning $1,500 plus $750 for Big Bass and the Abu Garcia bonus. “This has been such a great season,” declared Chad Potts, Bass Champs President. “We would like to congratulate all of the teams as well as the champions at this event. It is each of you in every region that makes Bass Champs what it is, and all of us here would like to thank everyone who has fished with us. Our goal is to just keep making it better and better, so we will look forward to seeing you again next year!”
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TENNESSEE’S PICKETT GOES WIRE-TO-WIRE, WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ON KENTUCKY LAKE PRESENTED BY EVINRUDE
Mississippi’s Ladnier Takes Co-angler Title
GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. (Oct. 22, 2018) – Boater Lloyd Pickett Jr. of Bartlett, Tennessee, caught a three-day cumulative total of 10 bass weighing 32 pounds, 12 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Regional championship on Kentucky and Barkley lakes presented by Evinrude. Pickett earned $65,000 for his efforts, including a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and automatic entry into the 2019 BFL All-American Championship.
“The goal was to make the All-American. This makes No. 7 for me,” said Pickett, who earned his sixth win in FLW competition. “I’ve been second and third a couple times in these Regionals, and it’s always a back-breaker. So to win this, it feels real good.”
Pickett targeted bass on main-lake gravel bars, secondary points and secondary pockets to catch his fish.
“If you found the shad, you got bit, but if you found the skipjack, you caught big ones,” said Pickett. “I fished some gravel bars out on the main lake, and when that wasn’t happening, I fished secondary points in the creeks.”
The winning spots, all located around the Paris, Tenn., area, varied from about 1 to 7 feet deep.
“I had eight holes that had fish on them,” said Pickett. “I only hit two the first day, three yesterday [Friday], and I hit two today [Saturday]. I only re-fished one spot each day, but I didn’t really catch much on it.”
The speed at which he fished allowed Pickett to get by with so few spots while many of his competitors fished dozens of places a day. Limiting his travel between spots was also part of a strategy to make the most of his competition time after making the long run south and dealing with high winds.
“When you run that far down there, you burn two hours [round trip], and when you [use a] Carolina rig as slow as I do, I can burn three hours just like that,” said Pickett.
He dragged his Carolina rig about as slow as possible and milked each spot for all it had, not changing locations until he was no longer seeing any bass or bait.
Pickett’s Carolina rig was baited with a Zoom Brush Hog in green pumpkin, watermelon candy or blueberry (black with purple fleck) on a 4/0-sized Gamakatsu EWG hook. Occasionally, he mixed in another creature bait. Pickett used a 3- to 5-foot-long leader of 12-pound-test Bass Pro Shops XPS Fluorocarbon line connected to 15-pound-test XPS main line and added a couple of glass beads – for extra sound – between his swivel and either a 3/4- or 1-ounce weight. The Tennessean used a custom Muddy River Rods model 714.
Other than dragging painfully slow, the biggest key to Pickett’s presentation was to keep it natural.
“I like to get off the side of the point and throw over the end of the point,” said Pickett. “If there’s current, I’ll pull with the current. If I’m fishing a secondary pocket with wind blowing in, I come around and pull with the wind the way the shad would be coming. On gravel bars, I just throw as far as I can.”
The top six boaters that qualified for the 2019 BFL All-American were:
1st: Lloyd Pickett Jr., Bartlett, Tenn., 10 bass, 32-12, $65,000
2nd: John Devries, Fishers, Ind., seven bass, 30-1, $10,200
3rd: Doug Ruster, New Palestine, Ind., nine bass, 29-1, $5,000
4th: Nick Uebelhor, Jasper, Ind., 10 bass, 26-11, $3,100
5th: Rich Fye, Galveston, Ind., eight bass, 25-10, $2,000
6th: Ken Garbe, Wyoming, Ohio, seven bass, 23-5, $1,800
Rounding out the top-10 boaters were:
7th: Frank McClain, Scottsburg, Ind., six bass, 22-1, $1,600
8th: Daniel Houser, Washington Township, Mich., eight bass, 21-10, $1,400
9th: Clayton Reitz, Morton, Ill., seven bass, 19-12, $1,200
10th: Marcus Sykora, Osage Beach, Mo., seven bass, 19-1, $1,000
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Brent Ladnier of Wiggins, Mississippi, won the Co-angler Division and a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard with a three-day cumulative catch of six bass weighing 22 pounds, 8 ounces.
The top six co-anglers that qualified for the 2019 BFL All-American were:
1st: Brent Ladnier, Wiggins, Miss., six bass, 22-8, $45,000
2nd: Carl Breeden, Valley Park, Mo., five bass, five bass, 14-10, $5,200
3rd: Leroy Miller, Napoleon, Ohio, two bass, 8-2, $2,500
4th: Jacob Sloan, Paola, Kan., two bass, 8-7, $1,550
5th: Daniel Dumais, Trenton, Mich., three bass, 9-12, $1,000
6th: Ryan Helbling, Martinsville, Ind., four bass, 10-8, $900
Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers were:
7th: Joshua Shinault, Baldwyn, Miss., four bass, 10-6, $800
8th: Steve Garman, Dayton, Ohio, three bass, 9-15, $700
9th: Dan O’Neil, Canton, Mich., two bass, 9-2, $600
10th: Justin Kivett, Indianapolis, Ind., three bass, 9-2, $500
The T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Kentucky Lake presented by Evinrude was hosted by the Kentucky Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau.
The 2018 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2019 BFL All-American will take place May 30-June 1 on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland, and is hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners and the Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
LEXINGTON’S WALSER WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ON LAKE NORMAN PRESENTED BY COSTA SUNGLASSES
Virginia’s Smelser Grabs Co-angler Title
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (Oct. 22, 2018) – Boater Robert Walser of Lexington, North Carolina, caught a three-day cumulative total of 15 bass weighing 35 pounds, 8 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Regional championship on Lake Norman presented by Costa Sunglasses. Walser earned $66,000 for his efforts, including a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and automatic entry into the 2019 BFL All-American Championship.
Walser said he made a 20- to 25-minute run to the Buffalo Shoals Road bridge near Long Island, North Carolina, each morning of the tournament and fished his way back to the takeoff ramp. Along his route, he flipped docks using a Texas-rigged, green-pumpkin-colored Zoom Baby Brush Hog and a Zoom Z Craw Jr. with 5/16th-ounce Echo Pro tungsten weights and 3/0-sized Berkley Fusion19 offset hooks. He also caught some bass on the bank between docks with a Rush Lures spinnerbait.
“I probably hit 80 to 100 docks each day. I’d fish three or four in a stretch and then move on,” said Walser, the 2006 BFL All-American champion who logged his 11th career victory in BFL competition. “A lot of the docks I targeted had brush, which I could see on my Garmin Panoptix electronics, so that’s where I concentrated my casts. All of my fish came from less than 10 feet of water.
“I keyed in on docks that have had fish on them over the past couple of weeks. Depth- and structure-wise, there wasn’t really anything that made one dock better than the next, they just needed to have fish,” continued Walser. “You could have three or four bites at one dock, and then not have anything at any others in the area.”
Walser said he caught 8 or 10 keepers each day Thursday and Friday, and at least three or four limits on Saturday. He used an 8-foot Lamiglas 806 flipping rod with a Pflueger 7:1 Supreme reel and 20-pound-test Berkley Trilene 100-percent fluorocarbon line.
“I think the south wind pushing the cold front toward us made them bite better Saturday,” said Walser. “There was also less fishing pressure [since only the top 12 anglers fish on Saturday].”
Walser went on to say that in addition to catching fish, he also had to deal with various mechanical issues. The North Carolina boater said he ended up needing to use a different boat each day of the event.
“An employee at Angler’s Choice Marine brought me the other boat I own on Thursday, which I used until a gasket failed on Friday. I’d like to give them a special thanks for helping me,” said Walser. “The mental strain of having all that stuff fail was a lot, but I got through it and it all worked it out.”
The top six boaters that qualified for the 2019 BFL All-American were:
1st: Robert Walser, Lexington, N.C., 15 bass, 35-8, $66,000
2nd: Scott Beattie, Lincolnton, N.C., 15 bass, 32-1, $10,000
3rd: Dylan Fulk, Concord, N.C., 15 bass, 30-10, $5,200
4th: Bryan New, Belmont, N.C., 15 bass, 29-14, $3,100
5th: Michael Fox, Statesville, N.C., 15 bass, 29-11, $2,000
6th: Travis Young, Charlotte, N.C., 15 bass, 29-9, $1,800
Rounding out the top-10 boaters were:
7th: Jack Dice, Lynchburg, Va., 15 bass, 29-4, $1,600
8th: Jake Frye, Charlotte, N.C., 13 bass, 27-7, $1,400
9th: Chad Poteat, Mount Airy, N.C., 15 bass, 27-1, $1,200
10th: Cole Huskins, Mt. Holly, N.C., 12 bass, 25-8, $1,000
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Wayne Smelser of Rural Retreat, Virginia, won the Co-angler Division and a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard with a three-day cumulative catch of 15 bass weighing 28 pounds, 12 ounces.
The top six co-anglers that qualified for the 2019 BFL All-American were:
1st: Wayne Smelser, Rural Retreat, Va., 15 bass, 28-12, $45,200
2nd: Larry Freeman Jr., La Crosse, Va., 13 bass, 27-11, $5,000
3rd: Tristen Trull, Mt. Holly, N.C., 13 bass, 25-13, $2,500
4th: Ben Dacey, Chesterfield, Va., 15 bass, 25-3, $1,550
5th: Jeff Rikard, Leesville, S.C., 12 bass, 23-7, $1,000
6th: Khris Williams, Mount Holly, N.C., 13 bass, 21-3, $900
Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers were:
7th: Ronnie Cutshall, Piedmont, S.C., 12 bass, 18-15, $800
8th: Darren Kelly, Wartburg, Tenn., 10 bass, 18-8, $700
9th: David Blakely, Kingsport, Tenn., 10 bass, 18-6, $600
10th: Bart Beasley, Mount Pleasant, S.C., eight bass, 16-13, $500
The T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Lake Norman presented by Costa Sunglasses was hosted by Visit Lake Norman, Visit Charlotte and Mecklenburg County Park & Recreation.
The 2018 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2019 BFL All-American will take place May 30-June 1 on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland, and is hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners and the Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
OKLAHOMA STUDENT ANGLER FEDERATION WINS BASS PRO SHOPS FLW HIGH SCHOOL FISHING GRAND LAKE OPEN PRESENTED BY YETI
GROVE, Okla. (Oct. 22, 2018) – The Oklahoma Student Angler Federation duo of Owen Williams, Afton, Oklahoma, and Easton Hitt, Bella Vista, Arkansas, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 14 pounds, 5 ounces, to win the 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Grand Lake Open presented by YETI.
A field of 68 teams competed in the no-entry-fee tournament, which launched from Grove City Ramp at Wolf Creek Park. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10 percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
According to the post-tournament report, Williams and Hitt caught their fish flipping ledges and docks on the lower end of the lake using green-pumpkin-colored, football-headed jigs.
The top six teams on Grand Lake that advanced to the 2019 High School Fishing National Championship were:
1st: Oklahoma Student Angler Federation – Owen Williams, Afton, Okla., and Easton Hitt, Bella Vista, Ark. five bass, 14-5
2nd: Ketchum High School, Ketchum, Okla. – Austin Chandler and Ty Bishop, both of Ketchum, Okla., five bass, 12-7, $600
3rd: Vinita High School, Vinita, Okla. – Tyler Lake and Jesse Woodward, both of Vinita, Okla., five bass, 10-12
4th: Rogers County Bass Anglers – James Cagle and Jordan Gotcher, both of Claremore, Okla., five bass, 10-8
5th: Mannford High School, Mannford, Okla. – Charley Williams and Joseph Case, both of Mannford, Okla., five bass, 9-1
6th: Jenks High School, Jenks, Okla. – Jake Peck, Tulsa, Okla., and Garrison Snedon, Jenks, Okla., four bass, 8-7
Rounding out the top 10 teams were:
7th: Deer Creek High School, Oklahoma County, Okla. – Lane Whitsell and Davis Greaud, both of Edmond, Okla., five bass, 8-6
8th: Branson High School, Branson, Mo. – Skyler McGrath, Branson, Mo., and Keegan Barber, Reed Spring, Mo., two bass, 7-10
9th: Broken Arrow High School, Broken Arrow, Okla. – Michael Reiss and Max Klein, both of Broken Arrow, Okla., four bass, 7-9
10th: Rogers County Bass Anglers – Dakota Page, Catoosa, Okla., and Bryce Page, Claremore, Okla., three bass, 7-2, $200
Complete results from the event can be found at FLWFishing.com.
The 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Grand Lake Open presented by YETI was a two-person (team) event for students in grades 7-12, open to any Student Angler Federation (SAF) affiliated high school club in the United States. The top 10 percent of each Challenge, Open, and state championship field will advance to the 2019 High School Fishing National Championship on a body of water that has yet to be revealed. The High School Fishing national champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice.
In addition to the High School Fishing National Championship, all High School Fishing anglers nationwide automatically qualify for the world’s largest open high school bass tournament, the 2019 High School Fishing World Finals, held in conjunction with the National Championship. At the 2018 World Finals more than $150,000 in scholarships and prizes were awarded.
Full schedules and the latest announcements are available at HighSchoolFishing.org and FLWFishing.com.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2018 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW and their partners conduct 286 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa and Spain. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
Lamb & Porter's 2-day Total of 35.96 Wins Chattanooga Bass Association Classic on Chick!
CHATTANOOGA (WRCB) - The team of Haden Lamb and Trevor Porter caught a 2 day total of 35.96 pounds topping out the field of 116 anglers to win first place and $10,000.00 in the Tow Boat US Chattanooga Bass Association 2018 Classic Bass Tournament. This 2 day bass event was held October 20th and 21st 2018 out of Chester Frost Boat Ramp.
- Haden Lamb and Trevor Porter, 35.96 pounds, $10,000
- Jim Cofer and Matt Wendorf , 33.96 pounds, $4000
- Chuck James and Brad James 32.97 $3000
- Josh Wofford 31.95 pounds $2500
- Scott Gilley and Wes Hardin 31.76 pounds $2000
- Mark Keith and Mark Varaday 31.55 pounds $1800
- Jeff Knight and Michael Knight 30.52 pounds $1600
- Jayme Cophenever and Adam Dysart 29.96 pounds $1400
- Steve Barnes and Spenser Smith 28.69 pounds $1200
- Logan Kokozka 28.27 pounds $1100
Tharp Hurricane Help - Go Fund Me
Thanks to Hurricane Michael, Our friends, Randall and Sara Tharp, have had significant damage to the ground floor area of their home.
Randy and Sara are looking at an expensive rebuild that insurance will not cover.
All funds raised will be used to return the Tharp’s home to its original condition before Michael paid the coast a visit.
We are just friends trying to help friends get back to normal.
All funds will go directly to Randy and Sara as I have the campaign withdrawals set up to go directly to their account.
Thank you for helping!
Crankbaits rule Quantum Next Generation tourney on Grand Lake
Courtesy of Alan McGuckin / Dynamic Sponsorships
Of the 102 high school and college teams that participated in the no entry fee, prize rich Quantum Next Generation Open event on Oklahoma’s Grand Lake, crankbaits were among the most popular choice of lures. And whether cast into shallow muddy water uplake, or dredged deep in the southern end’s clearer water, treble hooked diving plugs of both varieties eventually proved victorious.
The high school team of Noah and Micah Belt caught the highest winning weight overall with 17 pounds 8 ounces using Tennessee Shad colored shallow diving sqaurebill crankbaits tied to 12-pound Seaguar line.
“This is incredible. What an awesome event! Our family drove three hours up here to Grand from home, and rented a house on the lake to have sort of a vacation around the tournament, and to win is just unbelievable,” says Noah Belt, whose dad Lloyd served as their boat captain.
In great contrast, the highest winning weight posted by a college team was 13 pounds 8 ounces from much deeper cleaner water by Blaine Timonera and Colton Harper of the University of Oklahoma, who caught their fish in nearly 20-feet of water on a Strike King 6XD crankbait.
This fast growing event begins Saturday evening with a registration meeting featuring truckloads of free pizza, a chance to visit with pro angler Matt Lee, and a pitching contest. And by its conclusion on Sunday, nearly every team walks away with incredible prizes from Carhartt, Costa, Garmin, Honey Creek Tackle Store, Lowrance, PowerPole, Plano, Yamaha, and Quantum.
“As somebody who came up through the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series, it just blows my mind how incredible the prizes are at this event, and the whole thing is just so well run and organized. It’s just awesome,” says Matt Lee.
The large team of Zebco Brands employees who graciously volunteer to organize this popular event are already making plans for the 2019 edition of the fast-growing tournament, and encourage all young anglers to follow Quantum.Fishing on Instagram for more details.
Fogelman & Perkins Win PBC Jordan Lake Derby with over 19 pounds!
PBC CASHION FISHING RODS 'End of Year' TEAM TOURNAMENT BASS FISHING TRAIL
QUALIFIER #8 RESULTS
Saturday October 20th, 2018 ~ Jordan Lake ~ Farrington Point Wildlife Ramp
Well we finally got a little rain during the tournament! The Final PBC Cashion Fishing Rods 'End of Year' Trail Qualifier #8
at Jordan Lake was fished by 32 boats on a cool 57 degree morning with stiff 15 mph winds. The winds finally let up about
10 am then the rain moved in about 11:30 and kept up until weighin at 3 pm. when air temps were about 69.
Water temps averaged about 68 degrees. The bite was wild with plenty of dinks caught everywhere! We did have a good
number of 'fall weight' bags brought in so it wasn't too bad. We also had 4 bass over 7 lbs. and plenty of 5's & 6's weighed
in! Actually the bite was pretty good considering how high Jordan got and how much water was released after the storm.
First time winners this year, Jay Fogleman & Robert Perkins, took 1st Place weighing in 5 bass at 19.67 lbs. and also
won 1st Place TWT for a total of $1,690 in winnings.
Zach Hall & Ricky Parker came in 2nd place with 5 fish
weighing 17.64 lbs. & also won 2nd Place TWT to pocket a total of $867. 3rd place team, Dennis Reedy & Tommy
Marrow won $385 with 5 weighing 16.80 lbs. The 4th Place Team of Jerry Marshburn & his sub Randy Parker had 5
at 16.34 lbs. and the Big Fish for the day at 7.78 lbs. netting them $730. Money got spread around pretty good!
94 fish were weighed in for a total of 275 pounds for an average of 2.93 lbs. each. Most of the fish were caught on
Wacky Worms, Carolina rigs, Rat-L-Traps, jerk baits and Crankbaits in 2 to 10' of water way up in the woods &
bushes, off main point dropoffs, wood & rock ledges and creek channels.
I want to thank all the anglers that participated and all our sponsors that support this trail. The next Cashion Fishing
Rods 'End of Year' Tournament will be the Championship for qualifiers only, October 27th at Falls Lake out of Ledge
Rock Wildlife Ramp. Go to this webpage for the info on the 'End of Year' Trail:
http://piedmontbassclassics.com/2018CashionEOYTrailMainPage.html
All the information on our tournaments can be found http://piedmontbassclassics.com/
Now here are the full results:
1st Place: Jay Fogleman & Robert Perkins of Durham & Rougemont...5 bass...19.67 lbs...$920
2nd Place: Zach Hall & Ricky Parker of Holly Springs & Pittsboro...5 bass...17.64 lbs...$537
3rd Place: Dennis Reedy & Tommy Marrow of Oxford & Siler City...5 bass...16.80 lbs...$385
4th Place: Jerry Marshburn & Tim Parker of Sanford & New Hill...5 bass...16.34 lbs...$282
5th Place: Keith Deal & Tony Miller of Holly Springs...5 bass...15.85 lbs...$231
6th Place: Clay Ausley & Allen Parker of Fuquay Varina & Sanford...5 bass...15.79 lbs...$205
1st Place Big Fish..4th Place Team above...7.78 lbs...$448
2nd Place Big Fish..Chuck Byrd & Gale Watson of Sanford...7.65 lbs...$192
1st Place TWT..1st Place Team above...19.67 lbs...$770
2nd Place TWT..2nd Place Team above...17.64 lbs...$330
Californian Bub Tosh Wins 2018 WON Bass U.S. Open Oklahoma’s Matt Pangrac Wins AAA Division
by Dan O'Sullivan
Las Vegas, Nev. - September 17, 2018 – When the first day of the 2018 WON Bass U.S. Open concluded, Jason Borofka’s 13.84 pounds held little more than a half pound lead over Bub Tosh’s 13.20 pounds. With the first day having been cancelled due to extreme winds causing unsafe conditions, the shortened event became more of a shootout with the anglers competing for two days instead of three.
The stiff winds continued into the following day, and anglers found that they had to adjust to the conditions. As can happen during bass fishing tournaments, the conditions made a complete 180-degree turn, and the final day brought high skies, light winds with very little surface disturbance.
While the conditions didn’t make for a typical power fishing bite, Tosh managed to ride a Double Soft Jerkbait rig in the Vegas Wash and produce enough quality bites to post an 11.74-pound limit to close out the victory in the weather shortened 2018 WON Bass U.S. Open presented by Bass Cat Boats and Mercury Marine with a two-day total weight of 24.94.
Tosh said he employed a method he learned from Lake Mead and Western bass fishing legend Pat Donoho when he was a kid. “I talked to my dad when I came down here and he reminded me of how Pat prepared for this event, and that was to look for bait,” he said. “I spent my whole practice period driving around and looking for clouds of baitfish; and I spent the whole tournament fishing in those few areas.”
He said he caught the primarily on a pair of Yamamoto D Shad soft jerkbaits in shad colors rigged on an 7’ medium heavy IRod AIR Series casting rod. The key was a special swivel that he is developing for Paycheck Baits. “The swivel helps me cast the rig without it getting me tangled, it is a very important part of the rig,” he said. “I threw it around shallow grass and rocks in the Vegas Wash, and the current in the back of it was very important factor as well.”
Tosh takes home a 2018 Bass Cat Puma FTD powered by a Mercury 250ProXS rigged with Lowrance Electronics and MotorGuide Trolling Motor valued at $64,000 and $52,000 cash plus bonuses to bring his total earnings for the event to over $116,000.
Nick Salvucci, who has won on Lake Mead in the past, started day two in 11th place with 11.41 pounds, posted 12.89 to leap all the way to second place with 24.30; his second top five in a row. Salvucci said that he caught his fish in the Overton Arm on bladed jigs and buzz baits. But, he said that he was a little disappointed overall. “I didn’t come here for another top five, I came here to win this event,” he said. “I’m not happy with a second place finish, but I did all I could do, and this is how this sport goes. I wish I could have done a little more, but I’ll take the finish and let it drive me for next year.” Salvucci takes home $21,600 for his efforts.
The AAA Division was won by Oklahoma’s Matt Pangrac; who works for U.S. Open broadcast partner BASSZONE.com. He practiced with fellow Soomer State pro Bradley Hallman, and drew Salvucci and Arizona’s Matt Shura, and thanked them all profusely. “We all meshed really well and got into a rhythm,” he said. “I had a great time, and learned a lot. This is a great event, and because of my Pro partners and my boss Mark Jeffreys who allowed me the time to fish it, I was able to do something I would have never imagined; I can’t believe I won the U.S. Open.” Pangrac earned $10,600 for his tournament.
Complete final standings can be found below.
That wraps up the 2018 WON Bass U.S. Open from Lake Mead. The event was presented by Bass Cat Boats and Mercury Marine, and the live streaming broadcasts of the event were brought to you by Costa.
The Sponsors of the 2018 U.S. Open are: Bass Cat Boats, Mercury, Costa, Daiwa, St. Croix, Lowrance, Yo-Zuri, Bridgford, Seaguar Fluorcarbon, Rapala, Hayabusa, Plano, Frabill, MotorGuide, Phenix Rods, Lew's, Kuiu, Sure Life, Sportsman’s Warehouse, Storm, Anglers Marine, Century Marine, Boatmasters, Last Chance Performance Marine, Strike King, BG Insurance, Chevy Montebello and Boulder Station Casino.
2018 WON Bass U.S. Open Final Pro Standings
| Place | Name | Hometown | Big Fish | Total |
| 1 | Steve Tosh, Jr. | Modesto CA | 3.91 | 24.94 |
| 2 | Nick Salvucci | Paso Robles CA | 4.05 | 24.30 |
| 3 | Jason Borofka | Salinas CA | 3.79 | 22.68 |
| 4 | Kurt Dove | Del Rio TX | 22.08 | |
| 5 | Scott Helleson | Whittier CA | 3.22 | 21.37 |
| 6 | Kevin Short | Mayflower AR | 4.14 | 21.14 |
| 7 | Todd Woods | Los Angeles CA | 2.73 | 20.91 |
| 8 | Chase Colby | Heber City UT | 20.27 | |
| 9 | Kevin Finley | Phoenix AZ | 3.13 | 20.21 |
| 10 | Randy Blaukat | Joplin MO | 3.74 | 20.05 |
| 11 | Bill O'Shinn | Bakersfield CA | 19.68 | |
| 12 | Michael Crowther | Page AZ | 19.67 | |
| 13 | Bill Brown | Grand Junction CO | 3.96 | 19.66 |
| 14 | Steve Kennedy | Auburn AL | 19.63 | |
| 15 | Matt Stefan | Junction City WI | 3.41 | 19.58 |
| 16 | Kona Borja | Henderson NV | 3.60 | 19.40 |
| 16 | Chris Zaldain | San Jose CA | 2.82 | 19.40 |
| 18 | Ricky Shabazz | La Mesa CA | 3.22 | 19.35 |
| 19 | Bradley Hallman | Norman OK | 19.33 | |
| 20 | Tommy Jonovich | Phoenix AZ | 3.65 | 19.31 |
| 21 | Greg Miser | La Mesa CA | 19.24 | |
| 22 | David Kemper | Tempe AZ | 18.95 | |
| 23 | Matt Shura | Gilbert AZ | 18.47 | |
| 24 | Roy Hawk | Lake Havasu City AZ | 3.25 | 18.40 |
| 25 | Sean Coffey | Mesa AZ | 3.04 | 18.17 |
| 26 | Randy Estrada, M.D. | Corona CA | 3.32 | 18.15 |
| 27 | Justin Hanold | Poway CA | 17.98 | |
| 28 | Shannon Abbott | Oceanside CA | 3.70 | 17.88 |
| 29 | Doug Gaskill | Las Vegas NV | 17.80 | |
| 30 | Ken Mah | Elk Grove CA | 2.95 | 17.75 |
| 31 | Scooter Griffith | Mesa AZ | 17.74 | |
| 31 | Rich Vincent | Wildomar CA | 2.40 | 17.74 |
| 33 | Joe Patz | Surprise AZ | 17.69 | |
| 34 | Kyle Grover | Trabuco Canyon CA | 17.61 | |
| 35 | Matthew Williams | Lake Havasu City AZ | 3.91 | 17.60 |
| 36 | Clayton Eslick | Gilroy CA | 2.92 | 17.53 |
| 37 | Aaron Martens | Leeds AL | 17.52 | |
| 38 | Jess Torre | Riverside CA | 17.46 | |
| 39 | Chris Kinley | Lake Havasu City AZ | 17.38 | |
| 40 | Tom Leedom | Escondido CA | 17.32 | |
| 41 | Bryan Grier | Salinas CA | 17.30 | |
| 42 | Luke Clausen | Oakdale CA | 17.16 | |
| 42 | John Mackey | Boulder City NV | 17.16 | |
| 44 | Julius Mazy | Phoenix AZ | 17.11 | |
| 45 | Tyler Rempe | Sierra Vista AZ | 2.90 | 17.08 |
| 46 | Mike Wood | Bayfield CO | 2.45 | 17.00 |
| 47 | Michael McLernon | Oceanside CA | 16.93 | |
| 48 | Clayton Meyer | Henderson NV | 3.02 | 16.89 |
| 49 | Tai Au | Glendale AZ | 2.48 | 16.67 |
| 50 | Johnny Johnson | Lakeside AZ | 16.62 | |
| 50 | Justin Kerr | Simi Valley CA | 16.62 | |
| 52 | Tom Lowery | Lakeside CA | 16.60 | |
| 53 | Tim Price | Glendale AZ | 16.55 | |
| 54 | Guy Savidan | NORCO CA | 16.50 | |
| 54 | Jerren Slaton | Afton TX | 16.50 | |
| 56 | John Stewart | Peoria AZ | 4.06 | 16.39 |
| 57 | Travis Jewell | Sandy UT | 16.37 | |
| 58 | Dan Merchant | Canyon Lake CA | 3.02 | 16.33 |
| 59 | Rusty Salewske | Alpine CA | 16.30 | |
| 60 | Richard Garcia | Beaumont CA | 16.29 | |
| 61 | Kevin Caruso | Glendale AZ | 16.22 | |
| 62 | Scott Frazier | El Cajon CA | 16.20 | |
| 63 | Todd Holverson | San Diego CA | 2.85 | 16.16 |
| 64 | John Morrow | Brea CA | 16.14 | |
| 65 | Todd Kline | San Clemente CA | 16.12 | |
| 66 | Kevin Wiggins | Las Vegas NV | 16.10 | |
| 67 | Jay Guterding | Redding CA | 16.04 | |
| 68 | Joe Uribe, Jr. | Surprise AZ | 16.02 | |
| 69 | Mike Peterson | Valley Center CA | 15.96 | |
| 70 | Todd Herman | Gilbert AZ | 15.93 | |
| 71 | Matthew Luna | Santee CA | 15.92 | |
| 71 | Dick Watson | Alta Loma CA | 15.92 | |
| 73 | Brent Shores | Boise ID | 15.87 | |
| 74 | Michael Phua | Chino CA | 15.84 | |
| 75 | Bryant Smith | Castro Valley CA | 15.83 | |
| 76 | Adam Hinkle | San Diego CA | 15.79 | |
| 77 | Jason Hickey | Weiser ID | 15.78 | |
| 78 | Paul Hodges | Glendale AZ | 15.77 | |
| 79 | Cody Spetz | Menifee CA | 3.24 | 15.62 |
| 80 | Mike Brillhart | Waddell AZ | 2.35 | 15.60 |
| 81 | Keegan Graves | Meridian ID | 3.95 | 15.59 |
| 82 | Tyler Brinks | Spokane WA | 15.54 | |
| 82 | Don Iglinski | Henderson NV | 3.31 | 15.54 |
| 84 | Patrick Touey | Nipomo CA | 2.73 | 15.51 |
| 85 | Thomas Wennerlund | Queen Creek AZ | 15.50 | |
| 86 | James Salazar | Las Vegas NV | 15.49 | |
| 87 | Noah Cook | Lancaster CA | 15.45 | |
| 88 | Jeff Martineau | Phoenix AZ | 15.44 | |
| 89 | Mark Dotterer | Phoenix AZ | 15.42 | |
| 90 | Chris Bozarth | Henderson NV | 3.34 | 15.38 |
| 91 | Andrew Napoleon | Mesa AZ | 15.28 | |
| 92 | Tom Ormsby | Parowan UT | 15.25 | |
| 93 | Dylan Maxon | Phoenix AZ | 15.23 | |
| 94 | Brett Hite | Phoenix AZ | 2.35 | 15.17 |
| 95 | Gerard Thomas | Ralston WY | 2.10 | 15.11 |
| 96 | Raymond Archer | Greeley CO | 3.81 | 15.08 |
| 96 | Tony Lain | Lake Havasu City AZ | 15.08 | |
| 98 | Ben Byrd | Moab UT | 15.07 | |
| 99 | Carlos Garcia | Murrieta CA | 3.14 | 15.03 |
| 100 | Jim Moynagh | Carver MN | 14.95 | |
| 101 | Carl Limbrick, Jr. | Bonita CA | 3.49 | 14.79 |
| 102 | Chad Randles | Elkhorn NE | 3.14 | 14.77 |
| 103 | Laythe Moore | Banning CA | 14.73 | |
| 104 | Mike Powell | Lake Havasu City AZ | 14.71 | |
| 104 | Derek Spetz | Menifee CA | 14.71 | |
| 106 | Mitch Southern | Yucaipa CA | 14.69 | |
| 107 | Wade Strelic | El Cajon CA | 14.57 | |
| 108 | Cliff King | Ione CA | 14.55 | |
| 109 | Jeremy Fasuga | Peoria AZ | 14.41 | |
| 110 | Anthony Salazar | Pahrunp NV | 14.40 | |
| 111 | Jamie Shaw | Coolidge AZ | 14.39 | |
| 112 | Jay Wright | Seal Beach CA | 3.83 | 14.22 |
| 113 | Mark Rauenzahn | San Diego CA | 14.21 | |
| 114 | Dung Van Vu | Paramount CA | 2.22 | 14.20 |
| 115 | Bobby Lanham | Cave Creek AZ | 3.18 | 14.19 |
| 116 | Jason Bradshaw | Sacramento CA | 2.82 | 14.16 |
| 116 | Mike Simon | Henderson NV | 14.16 | |
| 118 | Tyler Bailey | Logandale NV | 14.14 | |
| 119 | Mike Williams | Mesa AZ | 14.13 | |
| 120 | Jonathan Schuyler | Henderson NV | 14.09 | |
| 121 | Rodney Reed | Chelan WA | 14.02 | |
| 122 | Pete Marino | Moreno Valley CA | 14.01 | |
| 123 | Jordan Collom | Temecula CA | 14.00 | |
| 124 | Mark Williams | Lake Havasu City AZ | 13.98 | |
| 125 | David Baca | Prescott Valley AZ | 13.96 | |
| 126 | Jim Hawkes | Apache Junction AZ | 3.07 | 13.91 |
| 127 | Jason Haley | Medford OR | 13.86 | |
| 128 | Gabe Thomas | Tuscon AZ | 13.73 | |
| 129 | Paul Tassie | Lake Havasu City AZ | 2.38 | 13.70 |
| 130 | John Zeolla | Oak Park CA | 13.61 | |
| 131 | Jim Wells | New Plymouth ID | 13.54 | |
| 132 | Douglas Jones | North Las vegas NV | 13.50 | |
| 133 | Fred Proudfoot | Kingman AZ | 2.39 | 13.43 |
| 134 | Dustin Remy | Lake Havasu City AZ | 13.40 | |
| 135 | Andy Manahl | Mesa AZ | 13.37 | |
| 136 | Kevin Hugo | Canyon Lake CA | 13.21 | |
| 137 | Vince Borges | Salida CA | 13.13 | |
| 138 | Mike Rennie | Pioche NV | 2.05 | 13.09 |
| 139 | Andrew Upshaw | Tulsa OK | 13.08 | |
| 140 | Morizo Shimizu | Osaka JP | 2.56 | 13.05 |
| 141 | Hobby Nelson | Peoria AZ | 13.03 | |
| 142 | Gary Robbins | Burbank CA | 12.89 | |
| 143 | Gary Moore | Hemet CA | 12.79 | |
| 144 | Matt Raynor | Henderson NV | 1.80 | 12.59 |
| 145 | Ryan Yamagata | Las Vegas NV | 2.09 | 12.57 |
| 146 | Billy Hines | Vacaville CA | 12.53 | |
| 147 | Ray Arbesu | Henderson NV | 12.50 | |
| 148 | Vince Gennaro | Henderson NV | 12.47 | |
| 149 | Jim Elliott | Redding CA | 12.41 | |
| 150 | Kyle Richins | Washington UT | 12.22 | |
| 151 | Tim Rath | Lake Havasu City AZ | 12.18 | |
| 152 | Justin Patti | Phoenix AZ | 12.14 | |
| 153 | Vern Ridgway | Chandler AZ | 11.94 | |
| 154 | Daniel Devries | Page AZ | 11.93 | |
| 155 | Sheldon Collings | Grove OK | 11.90 | |
| 156 | Miles Howe | San Juan Capistrano CA | 11.83 | |
| 157 | Kazuki Kodama | Tokyo Japan | 11.78 | |
| 158 | Eddie Lero | Bryan TX | 11.77 | |
| 159 | Ryan Chambers | Chandler AZ | 11.72 | |
| 159 | Steve Molinari | Waddell AZ | 11.72 | |
| 161 | Jimmy Reese | Ukiah CA | 11.64 | |
| 162 | Keith Diffey | Elk Grove CA | 11.62 | |
| 163 | Louis Fernandes | Santa Maria CA | 11.58 | |
| 164 | Jim McLaughlin | Bakersfield CA | 11.56 | |
| 165 | Garrett Howard | Riverside CA | 11.54 | |
| 165 | Miles Peshlakai | Las Vegas NV | 11.54 | |
| 167 | Jordon Erekson | Apache Junction AZ | 2.84 | 11.50 |
| 168 | Brian Tressen | Corona CA | 11.48 | |
| 169 | Jeff Van Nimwegen | Menifee CA | 11.46 | |
| 170 | Shane Spinning | Canyon Lake CA | 11.42 | |
| 171 | Russ Barger | Boise ID | 11.36 | |
| 172 | Mike Walsh | El Cajon CA | 11.35 | |
| 172 | Benjamin Green | Pasadena CA | 11.35 | |
| 174 | Steve Gibson | Las Vegas NV | 11.28 | |
| 175 | Onelio J. Silva | Las Vegas NV | 11.21 | |
| 176 | Stephen Tauriello | Las Vegas CA | 2.17 | 11.10 |
| 177 | Shane Edgar | Glendale AZ | 10.91 | |
| 178 | Ken Whalen | Lompoc CA | 10.89 | |
| 179 | Clifford Pirch | Payson AZ | 10.81 | |
| 180 | Murray White | Glendale AZ | 10.73 | |
| 181 | James Broughton | Henderson NV | 10.69 | |
| 182 | Nathan Foreman | Queen Creek AZ | 10.65 | |
| 183 | Brent James | St George UT | 10.61 | |
| 184 | Steve Lund | Glendale AZ | 10.54 | |
| 185 | Danny Clark | San Tan Valley AZ | 10.48 | |
| 186 | Shaun Bailey | Lake Havasu City AZ | 10.37 | |
| 187 | Gary Freeman | Sun City AZ | 10.29 | |
| 188 | Kirk McKinney | Phoenix AZ | 10.08 | |
| 188 | Trait Zaldain | Fort Worth TX | 3.56 | 10.08 |
| 190 | Tim Klinger | Boulder City NV | 9.82 | |
| 191 | Justin Ramsay | Peoria AZ | 9.78 | |
| 192 | Tom Nokes | Riverton UT | 9.77 | |
| 193 | Jiggs Benn | Myrtle Creek OR | 9.73 | |
| 194 | Ellison Hubbard | LAS VEGAS NV | 9.70 | |
| 195 | Ron Hammett | La Mesa CA | 9.57 | |
| 196 | Scott Davis | Preston ID | 9.35 | |
| 197 | Rod Wynn | Inglewood CA | 9.15 | |
| 198 | Jason Swim | Peoria AZ | 9.02 | |
| 199 | John Basmadjian | Fullerton CA | 8.81 | |
| 200 | Robert Sedillo, Jr. | Chino CA | 8.48 | |
| 201 | Cy Floyd | Spokane WA | 8.26 | |
| 202 | Greg Espinoza | Henderson NV | 2.52 | 8.09 |
| 203 | Jeff Hudson | Las Vegas NV | 7.98 | |
| 204 | Matt Massey | Littleton CO | 7.85 | |
| 205 | Trace Myers | Santaquin CA | 7.80 | |
| 206 | Eddie Rodriguez | Lakewood CO | 7.67 | |
| 207 | Aaron Britt | Yuba City CA | 7.32 | |
| 208 | Patrick Whitaker | Gilbert AZ | 7.17 | |
| 209 | David Davis | Big Piney WY | 7.13 | |
| 210 | Sam Rosefsky | Morris IL | 7.04 | |
| 211 | Mike Crothers | Chandler AZ | 6.87 | |
| 212 | Kenneth Cates | Suncity West AZ | 6.85 | |
| 213 | Zack Holwerda | Maricopa AZ | 6.72 | |
| 214 | Greg Garcia | Cibola AZ | 6.49 | |
| 215 | Elliott Holsbo | Lakeside CA | 6.36 | |
| 216 | Joey Letsinger | Wilton CA | 6.06 | |
| 217 | George Kramer | Lake Elsinore CA | 5.83 | |
| 218 | Dusty Kahler | Paso Robles CA | 4.94 | |
| 219 | Allen Clark | Florence AZ | 4.43 | |
| 220 | Delaney Dwyer | Scottsdale AZ | 3.80 | |
| 221 | Kyle Coppinger | Pheonix AZ | 3.30 | |
| 222 | Brett Leber | Dixon CA | 2.68 | |
| 223 | Robert Ostercamp | Chandler AZ | 2.20 | |
| 224 | Ed Webb | Stanwood WA | 1.31 |
2018 WON Bass U.S. Open Final AAA Standings
| Place | Name | Hometown | Big Fish | Total |
| 1 | Matt Pangrac | Broken Arrow OK | 3.50 | 21.78 |
| 2 | Scott Robertson | Norco CA | 4.30 | 21.16 |
| 3 | Larry White | Sun City AZ | 2.72 | 21.00 |
| 4 | Kelly Burns | Avondale AZ | 1.82 | 20.99 |
| 5 | Steve Pectol | Las Vegas NV | 3.12 | 20.61 |
| 6 | David Peltier | Henderson NV | 2.79 | 20.14 |
| 7 | William McAninch | CARSON CA | 20.12 | |
| 8 | Bobby Hamner | Phenix AZ | 3.30 | 20.11 |
| 9 | Rick Cofield | Las Vegas NV | 2.87 | 19.85 |
| 10 | Wade Goodwin | Wilson CA | 19.57 | |
| 11 | Mike McCrossen | Bakersfield CA | 1.95 | 19.37 |
| 12 | Shawn Carnahan | Gilbert AZ | 2.86 | 19.26 |
| 13 | Brian Eslick | Gilroy CA | 3.77 | 19.12 |
| 14 | Ryan Borba | Atascadero CA | 3.37 | 19.09 |
| 15 | Byron Steed | Downey ID | 18.87 | |
| 16 | Randy Droll | Apache Junction AZ | 5.23 | 18.81 |
| 17 | Jake Back | Mesa AZ | 4.26 | 18.73 |
| 18 | Todd Anderson | Surprise AZ | 18.52 | |
| 19 | Chuck Kavros | Grass Valley CA | 18.45 | |
| 20 | Shawn Cooley | Qual Valley CA | 2.02 | 18.40 |
| 21 | Cole Wright | Alpine CA | 2.87 | 18.30 |
| 22 | David Swendseid | Bend OR | 2.79 | 18.15 |
| 23 | Nathan Cummings | Peoria AZ | 18.05 | |
| 24 | Randall Bruce | Las Vegas NV | 3.09 | 17.91 |
| 25 | Jordan Schwartzkopf | Peoria AZ | 2.35 | 17.81 |
| 26 | Tony Neal | Australia | 17.78 | |
| 27 | Preston Smith | Cave Creek AZ | 17.69 | |
| 28 | Coy Mott | Fruitland ID | 17.68 | |
| 29 | Zach Holt | Las Vegas NV | 17.63 | |
| 29 | John Tubbs | Oxnard CA | 17.63 | |
| 31 | Brian Senter | Tucson AZ | 17.56 | |
| 32 | Gabriel Jones | Henderson NV | 2.61 | 17.49 |
| 33 | Russell Leise | Beaverton OR | 2.86 | 17.47 |
| 34 | Sam Piacenza | Las Vegas NV | 17.45 | |
| 35 | Hermie Romero | Las Vegas NV | 2.85 | 17.40 |
| 36 | Keith Gunsauls | El Cajon CA | 17.32 | |
| 37 | Brett Posladek | Valley Center CA | 2.16 | 17.27 |
| 38 | Terry Stark | Georgetown TX | 2.51 | 17.23 |
| 39 | Hector Gracia | Poway CA | 2.30 | 17.19 |
| 40 | James Ochs | Scottsdale AZ | 17.17 | |
| 40 | Michael Powell | Fort Mohave AZ | 2.00 | 17.17 |
| 42 | Tom Karavites | Payson AZ | 17.13 | |
| 43 | Rusty Rath | Page AZ | 17.12 | |
| 44 | Kevin Gross | Claremont CA | 17.11 | |
| 45 | Kevin McBean | Shafter CA | 17.09 | |
| 46 | Mike Gowey | Snowflake AZ | 17.06 | |
| 47 | Glenn Wyatt | Fremont CA | 17.02 | |
| 48 | Rachel Uribe | Long Beach CA | 16.91 | |
| 49 | Michael Renteria | El Mirage AZ | 16.87 | |
| 50 | Brian P. Day | Rancho SM CA | 2.51 | 16.84 |
| 50 | Thomas D. White, Jr. | Costa Mesa CA | 16.84 | |
| 52 | Josh Kimmel | Colorado Springs CO | 16.77 | |
| 53 | Patrick McLaren | Las Vegas NV | 2.79 | 16.72 |
| 53 | Brian Reaves | Covina CA | 16.72 | |
| 55 | Yasuhiro Okada | Los Angeles CA | 16.70 | |
| 56 | John Bryson | Las Vegas NV | 1.49 | 16.64 |
| 57 | Ryan Wischnack | Valencia CA | 2.28 | 16.48 |
| 58 | Doug Slaton | Salinas CA | 16.44 | |
| 59 | Keith Bridges | Mission Viejo CA | 16.42 | |
| 60 | Colby King | Ione CA | 2.77 | 16.40 |
| 61 | Craig Hammett | Eagle ID | 16.21 | |
| 62 | Chris Allen | Grand Junction CO | 16.18 | |
| 63 | Jason Okamoto | Glendale AZ | 1.83 | 16.17 |
| 64 | Rick Grover | Trabucco Canyon CA | 2.45 | 16.11 |
| 65 | Eric Hammer | Peoria AZ | 3.10 | 16.05 |
| 65 | Aaron Bartelt | Grand Junction CO | 16.05 | |
| 67 | Geoff Peterson | Huntington Beach CA | 16.02 | |
| 68 | Christopher Owens | Las Vegas NV | 15.99 | |
| 69 | Cody Steckel | Las Vegas NV | 2.22 | 15.97 |
| 70 | Teddy Snyder | Redding CA | 4.43 | 15.92 |
| 71 | Bernie Villalobos | Las Vegas NV | 15.91 | |
| 72 | Jacob Shull | Willcox AZ | 15.86 | |
| 73 | Bret Felter | Malad ID | 3.56 | 15.80 |
| 74 | Steve Amata | Norco CA | 15.77 | |
| 75 | Paul Reutlinger | Mineola TX | 15.73 | |
| 76 | Adam Buchholz | Elk Grove CA | 15.67 | |
| 77 | Austin Melville | Gilbert AZ | 2.77 | 15.62 |
| 78 | Ray Caldwell | Quartz Hill CA | 15.59 | |
| 78 | Cameron Rodriguez | San Diego CA | 15.59 | |
| 80 | Rick Melead | Yorba Linda CA | 3.04 | 15.47 |
| 81 | Broc Lindauer | Honeyville UT | 15.42 | |
| 82 | Joshua Rojas | Fontana CA | 2.47 | 15.41 |
| 83 | Ron Ratlief | Lake Havasu City AZ | 15.32 | |
| 84 | Terrence Rath | Lake Havasu City AZ | 15.29 | |
| 85 | Robert A. Morris | Colorado Springs CO | 15.22 | |
| 86 | Nathan Hill | Las Vegas NV | 15.19 | |
| 87 | Robert Lee Record, Jr. | Lake Elsinore CA | 15.18 | |
| 88 | Ken Hromada | Chandler AZ | 15.14 | |
| 89 | Joseph George, Jr. | El Dorado Hils CA | 2.31 | 15.11 |
| 89 | Yoshikazu Komada | Japan | 15.11 | |
| 91 | Brent Benish | San Diego CA | 15.08 | |
| 92 | Brad Smith | Riverside CA | 15.05 | |
| 93 | Steve Jenkins | Mesa AZ | 14.99 | |
| 94 | Robert Schneider | Temecula CA | 14.97 | |
| 95 | Ian Hastie | Cambridge ID | 3.03 | 14.95 |
| 96 | Jeff Przybylek | Canyon Lake CA | 14.94 | |
| 97 | Jim Poff | Apple Vally CA | 2.52 | 14.93 |
| 98 | David Bebawy | Chandler AZ | 14.85 | |
| 99 | Donnie Scroggins | Kingman AZ | 14.81 | |
| 100 | Jake Anderegg | Henderson NV | 14.79 | |
| 101 | Ron Chambers | Tonto Basin AZ | 14.71 | |
| 101 | Mario Saucedo | Hollister CA | 1.94 | 14.71 |
| 103 | Levi Samz | Green River WY | 14.64 | |
| 104 | Ian Boehm | Desrt Hills AZ | 2.21 | 14.55 |
| 105 | Niko Romero | Prescott AZ | 14.53 | |
| 106 | Rich Henson | Redding CA | 14.51 | |
| 107 | Brandon Smith | Indio CA | 14.47 | |
| 108 | Sonny Gibson | Las Vegas NV | 14.44 | |
| 109 | Joshua Taylor | Winslow AR | 2.00 | 14.36 |
| 110 | Shawn Plunkett | Tucson AZ | 14.26 | |
| 111 | Douglas Mulford | Henderson NV | 2.15 | 14.25 |
| 112 | Bryan Klem | San Diego CA | 14.17 | |
| 112 | Dwayne Stiles | Oxnard CA | 14.17 | |
| 114 | Javier Franco | Sun Valley CA | 14.16 | |
| 115 | Mark Snitow | Lake Havasu City AZ | 14.05 | |
| 116 | Dan Frazier | Arroyo Grande CA | 14.00 | |
| 117 | Dave Gerhardt | Durango CO | 3.98 | 13.95 |
| 118 | Jesstin McNett | Escondido CA | 13.94 | |
| 119 | Dante Ray | Fernley NV | 13.92 | |
| 120 | Bryan Coy | Clovis CA | 13.91 | |
| 120 | Conrad Demecs | Phoenix AZ | 13.91 | |
| 122 | Lyle Valador | Boulder City AZ | 3.04 | 13.90 |
| 123 | Joe Uribe, Sr. | Lake Havasu City AZ | 2.21 | 13.89 |
| 124 | Joe Ahrens | San Diego CA | 13.87 | |
| 125 | Mona Dunlap | Cottage Grove OR | 1.89 | 13.85 |
| 126 | Robert Nicholson | Grand Terrace CA | 13.84 | |
| 127 | Jeff Mabry | Phoenix AZ | 3.59 | 13.72 |
| 128 | Larry Warren | Laverkin UT | 1.93 | 13.63 |
| 129 | Kyle Greenlaw | Morro Bay CA | 1.76 | 13.60 |
| 129 | Lindsee Jonovich | Phoenix AZ | 2.51 | 13.60 |
| 129 | Szu Nien Yeh | Las Vegas NV | 13.60 | |
| 132 | Kota Hamai | Konocti V 232 | 13.58 | |
| 133 | Victor Azevedo | Filer ID | 13.40 | |
| 134 | Thor Dusenberry | Pheonix CA | 4.42 | 13.20 |
| 135 | Todd Tobiasson | Las Vegas NV | 13.10 | |
| 136 | Mark Chadeayne | Pomona CA | 13.01 | |
| 137 | Randy Austin | Cedar City UT | 1.84 | 12.99 |
| 138 | Jonathan Green | San Pablo CA | 12.98 | |
| 139 | Joe Ramos | Arvada CO | 12.97 | |
| 140 | Dave Kiesgen | Peorea AZ | 12.93 | |
| 141 | Bret Nagelhout | Red Rock AZ | 12.80 | |
| 142 | Bryan Hunt | Santee CA | 12.77 | |
| 143 | Evan Roorda | Redlands CA | 2.15 | 12.75 |
| 144 | Kenny Myers | Lakeside AZ | 12.72 | |
| 144 | Tim Roden | Queen Creek AZ | 12.72 | |
| 146 | George Fedor | Yucaipa CA | 12.71 | |
| 147 | Stephen Pike | Las Vegas NV | 12.66 | |
| 148 | Dink Mendez | Campbell CA | 12.59 | |
| 149 | Ted Romero | Lakewood CA | 2.90 | 12.58 |
| 150 | Steve Larsen | Henderson NV | 12.54 | |
| 151 | Brian Mills | Phoenix AZ | 12.52 | |
| 151 | William Penrod | Salome AZ | 12.52 | |
| 153 | Bill Lansford | Needles CA | 2.91 | 12.47 |
| 154 | Dan Zehring | Gilbert AZ | 12.34 | |
| 155 | Matt Frazier | Delhi CA | 12.32 | |
| 156 | Jimmy Pinkerman | Fleming Island FL | 12.30 | |
| 157 | Geroge Azevedo | Desert Hot Springs CA | 12.27 | |
| 158 | Tyler Hogan | Newport Beach CA | 12.18 | |
| 159 | Scott Stanard | Solana Beach CA | 3.50 | 12.14 |
| 160 | Carol Martens | West Hills CA | 2.14 | 12.13 |
| 161 | Marvin Finley | Peoria AZ | 12.06 | |
| 162 | Mike Contreras | Ontario CA | 2.78 | 11.99 |
| 162 | John Browning | Surprise AZ | 11.99 | |
| 164 | Taj White | Glendale AZ | 11.94 | |
| 164 | Cody Stentz | East Wenatchee WA | 11.94 | |
| 166 | Steve Watson | Phoenix AZ | 11.85 | |
| 167 | John D. Helm | Tempe AZ | 11.76 | |
| 168 | Matt Gene | Menifee CA | 3.42 | 11.69 |
| 169 | Chris Rains | Soledad CA | 11.61 | |
| 170 | Bill Hart | Lincoln CA | 11.57 | |
| 171 | Brian Kemp | Perris CA | 11.54 | |
| 172 | Liz Jones | Conoga Park CA | 11.34 | |
| 173 | Daniel Partida II | Las Vegas NV | 11.22 | |
| 174 | Chad Roorda | Beaumont CA | 11.18 | |
| 175 | Chris Martens | Lancaster CA | 11.03 | |
| 176 | Akiko Totsuka | Japan | 10.89 | |
| 177 | Jason Caine | Las Vegas NV | 10.80 | |
| 178 | Bryan Partak | Marseilles IL | 10.71 | |
| 179 | Dallas Braun | Eagar AZ | 10.60 | |
| 180 | Kevin H Duncan | Brea CA | 2.18 | 10.57 |
| 181 | Anthony Souza | Turlock CA | 10.55 | |
| 182 | Aaron Manning | Mesa AZ | 10.46 | |
| 183 | Erik Tuenge | Henderson NV | 10.40 | |
| 184 | Michael Fisher | Santee CA | 10.33 | |
| 185 | Ryan Gutierrez | Weiser ID | 10.24 | |
| 185 | Larry Upshaw | Hemphill TX | 10.24 | |
| 187 | Tim Domingues | San Jose CA | 2.68 | 10.22 |
| 188 | Nicholas Guerrero | Castaic CA | 10.09 | |
| 189 | Tom Cilluffo | Napa CA | 1.71 | 9.84 |
| 190 | Jack Roorda | Beaumont CA | 9.68 | |
| 191 | Chris Teixeira | El Mirage AZ | 2.12 | 9.63 |
| 192 | Mark Torrez | Camarillo CA | 2.26 | 9.57 |
| 193 | Ed Shaver | Lake Havasu City AZ | 9.56 | |
| 194 | Marty Martinez | Colorado CA | 9.37 | |
| 195 | Len Scinto | Valencia CA | 9.36 | |
| 196 | Ralph Wells | Lake Havasu City AZ | 9.30 | |
| 197 | Jeremy Burns | Santa Margarita CA | 9.25 | |
| 198 | Lynn Irwin | Las Vegas | 9.24 | |
| 199 | John Bitting | Westminster CA | 3.16 | 9.23 |
| 199 | Kenny Johnson | Eager AZ | 9.23 | |
| 201 | Dave Davis | Mesa AZ | 2.55 | 9.00 |
| 202 | Kenneth Helms | Newman CA | 2.88 | 8.87 |
| 203 | Jim Sanders | Gifford WA | 8.76 | |
| 204 | David Burrows | Placentia CA | 8.38 | |
| 205 | Eric Toms | Las Vegas NV | 8.18 | |
| 206 | Steve Mawson | Mesa AZ | 8.14 | |
| 207 | Troy Dennis | Apple Valley CA | 8.02 | |
| 208 | Gale Fox Jr. | Shelton WA | 7.84 | |
| 209 | Todd Barnes | Murrietta CA | 7.79 | |
| 210 | Richard Hanning | Tucson AZ | 7.42 | |
| 211 | Todd Belzner | Scottsdale AZ | 7.40 | |
| 212 | Brant List | Huntington Beach CA | 7.17 | |
| 213 | Bo McNeely | Rancho Cucamunga CA | 7.16 | |
| 214 | Jay Cranney | Sandy UT | 3.42 | 7.12 |
| 215 | Ryan Furno | Aloha OR | 6.83 | |
| 216 | Daniel Trejo | Covina CA | 6.40 | |
| 217 | Jason Akins | Apple Valley CA | 6.34 | |
| 218 | Ron Christensen | Las Vegas NV | 6.31 | |
| 219 | Kevin A. Smith | Phoenix AZ | 6.25 | |
| 220 | Robert Chor | San Pedro CA | 3.77 | 6.23 |
| 221 | Rufus Cassadas | Thousand Palms CA | 5.99 | |
| 222 | Robert Zumwalt | Las Vegas NV | 5.44 | |
| 223 | Robby Rogers | Redondo Beach CA | 5.39 | |
| 224 | Tracy Purtee | Payson AZ | 5.00 |
FLW Tour loses 4; keeps Dudley
David Dudley is fishing the FLW Tour in 2019.
He had an invite to join the Bassmaster Elite Series. He turned it down.
There has been much speculation as to how B.A.S.S. would fill out its Elite Series roster which is far short of the projected 80-angler field upon which the exciting new entry fees and payout structures were based.
It would appear that B.A.S.S. has tried to siphon a few top pros from the FLW Tour.
Jeff Gustafson and Clark Wendlandt have accepted invites to fish the Elite Series next year instead of the FLW Tour where they competed this season.
And the Bass Pro Tour just took another bite out of FLW as well. They have enlisted the services of Jeff Sprague and Anthony Gagliardi – two FLW Tour veterans.
The upheaval continues. Stay tuned.