Carhartt-B.A.S.S. Classic Beanie Raises $6,000 for South Carolina Lake Cleanup
Courtesy Dynamic Sponsorships
GREENVILLE, South Carolina– (April 18, 2018) – Carhartt-sponsored angler Jordan Lee winning back-to-back Bassmaster Classics wasn’t the only great story to come from the 2018 Bassmaster Classic. In addition to Lee’s win, a cooperative effort between Carhartt, B.A.S.S., and the South Carolina B.A.S.S. Nation epitomized the concept of working together for the greater good to collect a win of their own.
During the three-day 2018 Bassmaster Classic Outdoor Expo inside the Greenville Convention Center from March 16 -18, Shelby Horn and Savannah Sparks, two hard working associates from the Carhartt manufacturing facility in Kentucky, were in the Carhartt booth sewing the iconic B.A.S.S. logo on Carhartt’s famous “A18” acrylic watch cap.
Over the course of the exciting Classic consumer show, hundreds of gracious fans donated $5 to the South Carolina B.A.S.S. Nation Conservation fund at the Carhartt booth in exchange for one of the limited-edition hats ideally suited for cool weather work or fishing.
“I like the creativity involved in my job, and watching it all come together from a pattern to a finished garment is really rewarding. And having a lot of fishing fans at the Classic thank us for still making Carhartt in America has been really neat too,” said Sparks, a Carhartt employee of five years.
Alongside Sparks at the Bassmaster Classic was Horn, who also reflected on the goodness of the project. “Our little town of Irvine, Kentucky, is home to one of three Carhartt sewing facilities in America, and I love what I do so much that I actually bought a sewing machine for my home,” said Horn. “At first, I was nervous about being here at the Classic, but it’s been really neat because so many fishing fans have thanked us for being here, and our work is going toward conservation and lake cleanup.”
The net result was $6,000 raised for the South Carolina B.A.S.S. Nation for cleanup of 11 area bass fisheries. The money will be donated to the South Carolina B.A.S.S. Nation to buy gloves, boots, tools, and trash bags for high school anglers and other volunteers who will be cleaning up trash from the fisheries.
“This $6,000 donation will be huge to funding the more than 500 youth anglers in our South Carolina B.A.S.S. Nation during their trash pick-up this summer. In fact, we’ll probably make a friendly competition out of it to see what schools can pick up the most trash around the lakes. But it takes money to transport these kids and buy supplies for the cleanup, so this money is really, really, appreciated,” concludes Randy Mosley, President of the South Carolina B.A.S.S. Nation.
COLLEGE ANGLERS SET TO COMPETE AT YETI FLW COLLEGE FISHING AT SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE
BEDFORD, Va. (April 10, 2018) – YETI FLW College Fishing will continue the 2018 fishing season with an event April 21 on Smith Mountain Lake. The tournament, hosted by Visit Bedford, is the first of three regular-season events for anglers in the Northern Conference, and will feature a top prize of a $2,000 club scholarship and an invitation to compete in the 2019 College Fishing National Championship.
“The lake is fishing really good and this tournament could turn out to be an absolute slam-fest,” said local BFL angler Brian Calloway of Danville, Virginia, who has three top-10 finishes at Smith Mountain Lake in FLW competition. “The timing is just about perfect. There is a full moon coming, the fish should be on beds and it is going to be wide open.
“It’s been taking at least 20 pounds to win any tournament here since November,” Calloway continued. “Some teams will probably catch them with a spinnerbait or a crankbait in muddy water, but I think the best chance of winning the tournament will be sight-fishing.”
Calloway said that he expects Yamamoto Senkos, shaky-head rigs, Texas-rigged creature baits and Big Bite Baits WarMouth to all be popular with sight-fishing anglers. He said that jigs and swimbaits should be productive on wind-blown points.
“The main pattern will be targeting the spawning fish on the stumpy, flat points on the lower to middle end of the lake,” Calloway went on to say. “The docks could definitely play a role as well. I expect that it will take at least 22 to 24 pounds to win.”
Competitors will take off from the Parkway Marina, located at 16918 Smith Mountain Lake Parkway in Huddleston, at 6:30 a.m. EDT Saturday. Weigh-in will be held at the marina beginning at 2:30 p.m. Takeoff and weigh-in are free and open to the public.
Schools are allowed to register up until the morning of the tournament. Entries may be made either by phone or at CollegeFishing.com.
Schools registered to compete in the Smith Mountain Lake tournament include:
California University of Pennsylvania – Colton Higgins and Jakob Bissett, both of Waynesburg, Pa.
California University of Pennsylvania – Nick Fulks, Canonsburg, Pa., and David Blaker, Rices Landing, Pa.
Christopher Newport University – Thomas Carter, Sandston, Va., and Willson Baxley, Staunton, Va.
Clarkson University – Benjamin Seaman, Colchester, Vt., and Tyler Robinson, Madrid, N.Y.
Franklin & Marshall College – Collin Martin, Sykesville, Md., and Nicholas Brown, Manheim, Pa.
James Madison University – Blake Miles, Chesterfield, Va., and Cooper Casillas, Ashburn, Va.
James Madison University – Daniel Jenkins, Midlothian, Va., and Peter Chang, Harrisonburg, Va.
Kent State University – Eric Lamb, Amherst, Ohio, and Chandler Hildebrand, Solon, Ohio
Kent State University – Andrew George, Canton, Ohio, and Riley Minerd, Rocky River, Ohio
Kent State University – Tanner Ward, Coshocton, Ohio, and Jacob Klicman, Deerfield, Ohio
Lake Superior State University – Hunter Scharphorn, Grand Haven, Mich., and Taylor Wright, Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
Liberty University – Caleb Unger, Dry Fork, Va., and Alex Williamson, Gorham, Maine
Liberty University – Preston Kulakowski, Manassas, Va., and Jackson Monk, Fuquay Varina, N.C.
Mansfield University – Logan Murray, Easton, Pa., and Christopher Tanczos, Mansfield, Pa.
Mansfield University – Nicholas Hoffman, Dallastown, Pa., and James Grassi, Saxonburg, Pa.
Mansfield University – Lock Holmes, Fairport, N.Y., and Stephen Lowther, New Florence, Pa.
Marshall University – Evan Haley, Scott Depot, W.Va., and Chase Arkell, Winfield, W.Va.
Marshall University – Kevin Sansom, Wayne, W.Va., and Jacob Lingenfelter, Salt Rock, W.Va.
Ohio State University – Gardon Wycoff, Delaware, Ohio, and Patrick Henry, Stanhope, N.J.
Ohio State University – Nathan Durbin, Columbus, Ohio, and Romolo Rabasi, Newbury, Ohio
Pennsylvania College of Technology – Chad Burkholder, Palmyra, Pa., and Luke Thomas, Forksville, Pa.
Pennsylvania State University – Cam Young, Bloomsburg, Pa., and Caleb Meighen, Dubois, Pa.
Pennsylvania State University – Derek Horner and Matthew Huggler, both of State College, Pa.
Pennsylvania State University – Stephen Jesso, Plymouth, Pa., and Ryan Fox, Thornhurst, Pa.
Pennsylvania State University – George Gendler, Mountaintop, Pa., and Nicolas Vosburg, Ulster, Pa.
Pennsylvania State University – Jonathan Dietz, Corry, Pa., and Shane Rolle, Hanover, Pa.
Radford University – Tucker Dunaway, Powhatan, Va., and Nicholas Brognano, Gum Spring, Va.
Radford University – Matthew Cooley, Chesterfield, Va., and Zack Lemaster, Bedford, Va.
Roanoke College – Alex Watts, Greensboro, N.C., and Thomas Burchard, Burlington, Va.
Shippensburg University – Zachary Borger, Brodheadsville, Pa., and Nick Bertholdt, Shrewsbury, Pa.
Slippery Rock University – Nathan Quince and Samuel Jenesky, both of Pittsburgh, Pa.
State University of New York-Buffalo – Andy Wengender, Buffalo, N.Y., and Anthony DeGregorio, Queensbury, N.Y.
State University of New York-Buffalo – Austin Keppler, Hamburg, N.Y., and John Danvir, North Tonawanda, N.Y.
State University of New York-Buffalo – Austin Ocwieja, Webster, Nev., and Daniel Peltier, North Tonawanda, N.Y.
State University of New York-Buffalo – Corey Henderson, King George, Va., and Tyler Manthey, Marietta, N.Y.
The Apprentice School – Brian Weinz and Will Ivey, both of Newport News, Va.
The Apprentice School – Hunter Atkins, Carrsville, Va., and Kitt Moger, Suffolk, Va.
The Apprentice School – Sean Coast, Virginia Beach, Va., and Nicholas White, Hampton, Va.
The Apprentice School – Zachary Blarr, Newport News, Va., and Jordan Roth, Virginia Beach, Va.
University of Pittsburgh – Henry Colberg, Pittsburgh, Pa., and Dominic Vitale, Shickshinny, Pa.
Virginia Highland Community College – Clay Winebarger and Dustin Murray, both of Abingdon, Va.
Virginia Highland Community College – Ryan Strong, Bristol, Va., and Dylan Andis, Abingdon, Va.
Virginia Tech University – Cantley Krafft, Christianburg, Va., and Perry Marvin, Peru, N.Y.
Virginia Tech University – Junior Roberts, Ringgold, Va., and Ethan Stone, Charlottesville, Va.
Virginia Tech University – Clay Ferguson, Bedford, Va., and Hunter Woodford, Huddleston, Va.
Virginia Tech University – Jacob Honaker and Jacob Thompson, both of Moneta, Va.
Virginia Tech University – Robert Odum, Fort Chiswell, Va., and Cole Bitler, Earlysville, Va.
Virginia Tech University – Robert Swope, Orange, Va., and Jacob Pegelow, Fredericksburg, Va.
Virginia Tech University – Trey Gregg, Powhatan, Va., and Jeffery Cullop, Marion, Va.
Virginia Tech University – Tyler Dixon, Abingdon, Va., and Robert Pryor, Reidsville, Va.
Wytheville Community College – Eric Hawks, Galax, Va., and Landon Siggers, Dry Fork, Va.
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 2018 FLW College Fishing National Championship will take place May 30-June 1 on the Red River in Shreveport, Louisiana, and is hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission & Red River Waterway Commission.
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.
Seaguar - Superlative Lines Made in Superior Ways
Courtesy of Traditions Media/Seaguar Fishing Line
Seaguar maintains its technological edge in the manufacturing of fishing lines
New York, NY (April 10, 2018) - The fluorocarbon line revolution, propelled by Seaguar innovation, is one of the most important pathways that anglers can follow to catch more and bigger fish. In a wide variety of fresh and saltwater applications, fluorocarbon lines are, quite simply, superior to nylon monofilament or braided lines.
Fluorocarbons absorb less water than monofilament lines, and are impervious to UV rays, helping fluorocarbon lines remain strong and effective for longer periods of time. Fluorocarbons are more dense than other line choices, delivering baits into the strike zone faster. The enhanced abrasion resistance of fluorocarbon lines and leaders means fewer lost trophies when fishing in heavy cover. And when dealing with gin-clear water and ultra wary fish, fluorocarbon’s near invisibility beneath the surface enhances lifelike presentations and puts more fish in the boat.
Seaguar 100% fluorocarbon fishing lines and leaders are the singular choice of dedicated professional and recreational anglers, pursuing victories and personal-bests in fresh and saltwater. Not only did Seaguar invent and introduce the world’s first fluorocarbon fishing lines more than 45 years ago, but their innovations in chemistry and engineering have advanced the art and science of fluorocarbon fishing lines in ways never thought possible. Indeed, Seaguar is the only manufacturer of fluorocarbon fishing lines that produces its own resins and controls the manufacturing process from start to finished products. This makes Seaguar lines and leaders what they are: Always The Best.
Seaguar’s Exclusive Fluorocarbon Resins: At the heart of every fluorocarbon line is an elaborate polymer resin, poly (vinylidene fluoride), that is transformed and extruded into a thin diameter fishing line or leader. The chemical nature of this fluorine-enriched material is responsible for every one of fluorocarbon line’s unique properties, including their high density, abrasion resistance, water repellency and resiliency against UV rays.
Not only does Seaguar manufacture their own resin, but they produce an entire library of fluorocarbon polymers, each with their own unique chemical and physical properties. This allows Seaguar to manufacture a broad spectrum of 100% fluorocarbon fishing lines, each with its own specialty characteristics. For example, Seaguar AbrazX, the line that has carried Bassmaster Elite Series pro angler Jordan Lee to back-to-back Bassmaster Classic championships in 2017 and 2018, boasts twice the abrasion resistance of other fluorocarbon lines – an enhancement made possible by Seaguar’s custom fluorocarbon resins. “Seaguar AbrazX definitely boosts my confidence when I’m dragging baits on hard offshore cover because I get far fewer frays in my line,” Lee asserts.
Seaguar’s unique Double-Structure Fluorocarbons: Born of a desire to enhance knot strength for leader and tippet applications, Seaguar spearheaded a fishing line revolution in their perfection of Double-Structure Fluorocarbons. These premium lines and leaders represent a paradigm shift in line design, yielding a new standard with limitless possibilities that is exclusive to Seaguar.
Double-Structure Fluorocarbons are prepared by a unique and innovative method, one that unites two different fluorocarbon resins into the finest fishing line available. In Seaguar’s proprietary co-extrusion process, a strong, sensitive fluorocarbon core is encased within a soft, supple, fluorocarbon exterior. The bond between the two resins is intimate and unbreakable, and results in a Double-Structure Fluorocarbon line that exhibits the beneficial attributes of each of its two components. Forget about having to choose between strong and supple, or between sensitive and castable. With Seaguar’s Double-Structure Fluorocarbons, you can have it all, in a single spool of 100% fluorocarbon fishing line.
One Seaguar Double-Structure Fluorocarbon is Finesse, a favorite of FLW Tour angler Cody Meyer, who relies on this supple, micro-diameter line with optimized tensile and knot strength to hold onto highly-pressured fish in crystal-clear waters. Super strong, yet incredibly castable with finesse spinning tackle, Meyer depends on Seaguar Finesse to put that fifth fish in the livewell on tough tournament days. The Seaguar-exclusive Double-Structure Fluorocarbon process is also found in Tatsu mainline, Fluoro Premier and Blue Label leaders, as well as Max and Grand Max tippet.
Spooling up with Level Wind Technology: One way to preserve the advantages of Seaguar’s 100% fluorocarbon leaders between the factory and the water is to load bulk leader onto its spool with precision and accuracy. Seaguar’s Level Wind Technology is an exclusive, labor-intensive process for loading fluorocarbon leader onto its spool. By ensuring that the leader is laid down in a precise, side-by-side manner, it cannot cross over or cut into itself on the spool. As a result, when you tie a Seaguar leader on, you can rest assured that there will be no kinks or deformations that might cause it to behave poorly, or to fail at the hookset or while fishing a fish. Level Wind Technology is available for saltwater leaders including Fluoro Premier, Blue Label and Pink Label.
Seaguar’s manufacturing innovation continues to drive the fluorocarbon fishing line revolution, helping freshwater and saltwater anglers to hook and land more fish. Spool up with Seaguar, and you’ll soon learn why their 100% fluorocarbon lines and leaders are Always The Best!
Jaime Fajardo & Josh Hooks Win Piedmont Bass Classic Team Trail Win on Kerr Lake
PBC ACADEMY SPORTS & OUTDOORS $10,000 SPRING TEAM BASS TRAIL
QUALIFIER #4 RESULTS
Saturday April 14th, 2018 ~ Kerr Lake ~ Flemingtown Landing Wildlife Ramp
Another great turnout for the 2018 PBC Academy Sports & Outdoors $10,000 Spring Team Bass Trail Qualifier #4 at
Kerr Lake! 97 boats vied for the win on a warm day at Kerr. That morning the air temp was 64 degrees then warmed up
to 80 in the pm. Water temps averaged about 60 degrees. Winds were light at blastoff and then picked up to about 10
mph for the afternoon! For most of the anglers the bite was good with a lot of 2 pounders caught and also a lot of 4 lb.
class bass caught! The bass a Kerr are recovering very well from a gill disease in the past and look very healthy!!
Jaime Fajardo & Josh Hooks beat out the field weighing in 5 bass at 19.46 lbs. & also won the 1st Place TWT &
Skeeter Boats Easy Money for a total of $6,460 in winnings. The team found the fish in shallow water in the back of
coves in the bushes using plastics & jigs take home $2,209 in winnings.
John Anton & Bryce McClenney took 2nd place with 5 fish weighing 17.75 lbs. and won 1st Place Big Fish (5.85 lbs.) to
take home $2,209 in winnings.
3rd Place Team, Seth Ellis & Doug Stallings, had 5 healthy fish weighing 17.62 lbs. and
along with winning the 2nd place TWT they took home $1,518!! The 2nd Place Big Fish award (5.28 lbs.) went to the 11th
Place Team of Thanos Tsoumbos & Mike Stephenson for $839 in total prize money.
359 fish were weighed in for a total of 866 pounds for an average of 2.41 lbs. each. Most of the fish were caught on
flippin' plastics, jigs and shallow running squarebill crankbaits in anywhere from 2 to 7 feet of water. The warm weather
is coming but staggered with the cold weather making it tough to predict the spawn and anticipated 'good' bite!!!
I want to thank all the anglers that participated and all our sponsors that support this trail. Our next tournament is
Saturday April 21st, the Tobacco Bass Invitational at Kerr Lake out of Flemingtown Landing Wildlife Ramp. This is an
invite event only and is not open to the general public. All the info can be found at this link:
http://piedmontbassclassics.com/TobaccoBassInvitational.html
Following that will be the PBC Academy Sports & Outdoors $10,000 Spring Team Bass Trail Qualifier #5, Saturday
April 28th at Jordan Lake.
All the information on our tournaments can be found http://piedmontbassclassics.com/
Now here are the full results:
1st Place: Jaime Fajardo & Josh Hooks of Fuquay Varina & Apex...5 bass...19.46 lbs...$1,570
2nd Place: John Anton & Bryce McClenney of Chapel Hill & Cary...5 bass...17.75 lbs...$865
3rd Place: Seth Ellis & Doug Stalling of Durham...5 bass...17.62 lbs...$708
4th Place: Brian Morgan & Roger Pope of Newton & Statesville...5 bass...16.79 lbs...$630
5th Place: Paul Owens & Tyler Faggart of Raleigh...5 bass...16.71 lbs...$550
6th Place: Johnny Wilder & Mike Harris of Butner & Oxford...5 bass...16.19 lbs...$470
7th Place: Matt Dean & Stanton McDuffie of Clayton & Raleigh...5 bass...16.17 lbs...$391
8th Place: Stump Bledsoe & Glenn Elliott of Hope Mills & Fayetteville...5 bass...14.96 lbs...$330
9th Place: Troy Searcy & Bryan Welch of Pleasant Garden & Greensboro...5 bass...14.71 lbs...$305
10th Place: Howard & Justin Bohannan of Durham & Bahama...5 bass...14.68 lbs...$285
11th Place: Mike Stephenson & Thanos Tsoumbos of Bahama & Oxford...5 bass..14.41 lbs...$263
12th Place: Bobby & David Matthews of Durham & Stoval...5 bass...14.16 lbs...$235.50...Tie
12th Place: Mark Williams & Eric Leifheit of Wilmington...5 bass...14.16 lbs...$235.50...Tie
14th Place: Bud Whitt & Spencer Moody of Staley & Siler City...5 bass...13.99 lbs...$200
15th Place: Vinston Nettles & Mike Cole of Pittsboro & Siler City...5 bass...13.91 lbs...$176
16th Place: Ronnie Hart & Danny Woodell of Bunn Level & Erwin...5 bass...13.89 lbs...$159
17th Place: Thomas Sheffer & Ken McNeill of Cary & Raleigh...5 bass...13.85 lbs...$138
18th Place: Stacy Hobson & Brandon Pearce of Angier...5 bass...13.79 lbs...$129
19th Place: Larry Hipps & Dean Larison of Cary & Wendell...5 bass...13.66 lbs...$120
1st Place Big Fish..2nd Place Team above...5.85 lbs...$1,344
2nd Place Big Fish..11th Place Team above...5.28 lbs...$576
1st Place TWT..1st Place Team above...19.46 lbs...$1,890
2nd Place TWT..3rd Place Team above: 17.62 lbs...$810
Contact Information:
Phil McCarson...Tournament Director---922 Valetta Rd.---Durham, NC 27712
Home: 919-471-1571 Cell: 919-971-5042
email: [email protected] website: http://piedmontbassclassics.com
Flash Butts Wins $5920.00 On Lake Gaston
Courtesy of AmericanBassAnglers.com
ATHENS, Ala. – Flash Butts of Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina won the American Bass Anglers Open Series event held 4/14/2018 on Lake Gaston. Running out of Holly Grove Marina in Bracey Virginia, Flash weighed in a five-bass limit weighing 15.97 pounds, with a6.25 pound kicker. For the win he took home a check for $5000.00. For having the biggest bass weighed in for the boaters Flash took home an additional $920.00. Also, for having the biggest bass of the tournament and because the bass was caught using an ABU Garcia reel Flash took home an ABU Garcia reel valued at $160.00.
“It’s really no secret, I found a pocket I could catch a quick limit sight fishing. I caught five in about 30 minutes including the big fish. I was able to cull up a couple of times during the day,” said Butts.
In second for the boaters Jared Sasnett of Kinston, North Carolina landed a five basslimit weighing 15.61 pounds. Jared took home a check for $1700.00 for the effort.
“I caught five keepers today. I caught one on a buzz bait and the rest sight fishing a jig,” said Sasnett.
Shawn Hammack of Gasburg, Virginia took third for the boaters with a five bass limit weighing 14.72 pounds. He took home a check for $1130.00 for his catch.
“The day started slow for me. I was sight fishing but I kept losing them. I finally started getting them in the boat around 11:00. I think I caught around 15 bass today,” said Hammack
In fourth place for the boaters Brandon Gray of Bullock, North Carolina weighed in a five bass limit for 14.37 pounds. Rounding out the top five Brad Weese of Petersburg, West Virginia weighed in a five bass limit for 14.02 pounds. Also for be the highest finishing Triton Owner and being in the Triton Gold program, Weese qualified for additional monies from Triton.
In the Co-AnglerDivision Ralph Taylor of Rockville, Virginia weighed in a three bass limit weighing 8.30 pounds, anchored by a bass that weighed 4.69 pounds. Ralph took home a check for $1200.00 for the win. He also collected an additional $110.00 for weighing in the largest bass caught by a co-angler.
“I had most of my weight in about 45 minutes on a spinnerbait. I was able to cull up on my small fish a couple of times,” said Taylor.
Taking second for the co-anglers, Michael Trivette of Blackstone, Virginia brought in a three bass co-angler limit weighing 7.63 pounds. He collected $400.00 for the effort.
“I caught three bass within the first hour and I caught them on a Neko rig,” said Trivette.
Ernest McIntyre Jr. of Fayetteville, North Carolina placed third among the co-anglers with three bass weighing 7.53 pounds. He earned $350.00 for the effort.
“I Caught probably nine fish today, all on a weightless senko,” said McIntyre.
In fourth among the co-anglers Travis Garrett of Charlottesville, Virginia weighed in a three bass limit weighing 6.62 pounds and rounding out the top five was Cameron Newhouse of Manson, North Carolina with three bass weighing 6.41 pounds.
Slated for June 23, 2018 the next Virginia Division tournament will be held on Kerr Lake Launching from Nutbush Park in Henderson North Carolina.
About American Bass Anglers: American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler and at the same time offer each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers, the Open Series, the American Fishing Tour or the American Couples Series, visit www.americanbassanglers.com.
Blustery conditions on Belton give way to big wins for Ryan Warren and Jason Derrick at Bass Champs
| By: Patty Lenderman/Bass Champs |
| Lake Belton is a favorite stop for many anglers fishing the Central Region of Bass Champs. Having their fourth event of the season on April 14, over $54,000 was up for grabs and 172 teams had their work cut out for them to get a portion of it. Ryan Warren and Jason Derrick weighed in the only sack in excess of twenty pounds to win over $20,000!
Blustery just doesn’t quite describe the windy conditions on Belton during the tournament. Sustained winds of 25 mph plus higher gusts had boaters searching for the best cover they could find while still hunting for good places to fish. Adding to their challenges was to find areas not already covered up by other contenders. These skilled anglers didn’t shy away, finding solid bites throughout the day, with checks awarded to the top 23 teams. Winners Ryan Warren and Jason Derrick had their work cut out for them coming into the tournament. “We hadn’t done any pre-fishing, and really didn’t have a game plan. When we got on the water, we just drove, looking for a spot to fish with no other boats in it.” They started out catching fish, but they weren’t what they were looking for. “We caught white bass, stripers – we had to change it up.” They decided to try another area, and caught a three pounder plus another keeper. “It was getting close to 10:00, and we finally started putting it together.” They fished everything from windy main lake areas to backs of pockets in search of the fish they needed, using flukes, jerk baits, crank baits and Alabama rigs. “It was the end of the day, and we didn’t have a lot of time left. We needed to make one more big cull. We went to this spot, and caught a small fish on the A-rig. As I was reeling it in, we noticed a big fish following the bait.” Pausing the lure to see what the big fish would do, it darted underneath the boat. Then, all of a sudden, it grabbed the bait and they landed a six pounder, increasing their overall weight by about three pounds! When they got to the scales, their total was 21.30 lbs to win the event and the guaranteed $20,000 1st place check plus bonuses from Lowrance and Sure Life. “Normally Jason and I fish against each other in tournaments, but got together and decided to team up and fish Bass Champs. I guess that was a good decision, it turned out to be our day. We’re looking forward to fishing LBJ!” 2nd place was won by Garrett Hennig and Brandon McQueen. They had just enough to hold the spot with 19.30 lbs, just 3/100ths of a pound ahead of the third place team. “It was hard earned, I promise you!” Garrett stated. “Between the wind and the cold, it shut our fish down.” They started out fishing areas protected from the wind with 3/8 and ½ ounce spinnerbaits, but didn’t yield any bites. On top of that, Garrett was not feeling well and had a fever. “We normally come in with a game plan and stick to it no matter what. We weren’t getting any bites, then Brandon got hung up.” Garrett stopped reeling in his spinnerbait, and while Brandon was working on retrieving his lure, a three pounder latched onto Garrett’s spinnerbait. “That was our clue. From that I got the idea to move deeper, using 1 ounce spinnerbaits.” They focused on ledges in 15-20 depths close to river bends, out in the open wind. “We just slow rolled the spinnerbaits, and it started producing. The fish were spread out, but when one bit, it was a quality fish. If Brandon didn’t get hung, we wouldn’t have keyed in to where we needed to be! They won $3,500 for their finish, then Skeeter Boats doubled their winnings for being the highest finishing team in a qualified Skeeter boat. “It just went flawless for us. We didn’t miss any fish, and we are so grateful. We’ve been fishing Bass Champs since 2008, and this is our best finish yet! For Ryan Crawford and his step son Elliott Latham, they had a tough start but lined it out as the day wore on. “We really didn’t have a for sure starting spot, just looked for an open spot to fish with no boats. The wind made a lot of areas un-fishable,” Ryan recalled. “We caught a 3# early, then missed one soon after that.” Their main baits were flukes and spinnerbaits, and they stayed on the move covering about six miles of water. “After we caught the first fish, the bite just died until around 10:30. By noon we had a limit in the boat, and were able to cull three times after that, adding around two pounds to our total.” Their biggest fish was between 5 and 6 pounds, with their smallest being around 3. “We had a really good day, and got lucky getting a lot of bites. It was great fishing it with Elliott, he had a great time and it was a good experience. We’re looking forward to the next tournament!” Bass Champs awarded the duo a check for $2,500 for their 3rd place finish. The 4th place and Big Bass winners were Todd Irvin’s and Billy McCrary II. “We started out using spinnerbaits,” Todd began. “There was a good fish on a bed in 18’-20’, and we boated the male first. Billy kept pitching to it, and the female would hit it and let go. About the fourth time he hooked her, and the fight was on.” She wasn’t going to make it easy on them to get her in, wrapping around the prop of the motor as he wrestled her closer to the boat. “She finally came up and made a jump, and I netted her on the first try!” She weighed 7.60 lbs, and by 7:30 the team had fourteen pounds in the boat. “We were pretty pumped, everything was going really good. We caught another on a top water bait, then the bite slowed down to a crawl until about 1:00. We caught one more on a Texas rigged craw worm, and spent the rest of the time trying to cull our last two pounder.” While they weren’t able to make that last cull, they wound up with 18.44 lbs to win 4th place and $2,000. They won an additional $500 for Big Bass, and the Abu Garcia bonus, plus the Sportsman’s Auto Bonus worth over $5,000! Bass Champs paid the top 23 teams, with the last check going to Cris Tatum and Justin Tatum having 14.15 pounds. Three out of four tournaments for the Central Region are now in the books. The points for Anglers of the Year are racking up. Lee Beuershausen and Randy Grounds were the points leaders coming into this event, and stayed on top going into the final tournament. The rest of the top five line up got shook up pretty good, with the top five teams all in sights of taking the Anglers of the Year title. Who will come out on top after the final tournament for the Central Region on May 5th at LBJ? Good luck to all teams! There are just a few regular season events left, and they are open to anyone who would like to fish – so don’t miss out! |
HOPKINS WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL MUSIC CITY DIVISION EVENT ON PERCY PRIEST LAKE PRESENTED BY NAVIONICS
Courtesy of FLW Communications
Brinson Grabs Co-angler Title
SMYRNA, Tenn. (April 16, 2018) – Boater John Hopkins of Hendersonville, Tennessee, caught a five-bass limit weighing 15 pounds, 2 ounces, Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Music City Division event on Percy Priest Lake presented by Navionics. For his efforts, Hopkins took home $4,177.
According to post-tournament reports, Hopkins caught his fish in the mid-lake area, fishing in 6 to 10 feet of water throwing a jig.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: John Hopkins, Hendersonville, Tenn., five bass, 15-2, $4,177
2nd: Dwight Fox, Gainesboro, Tenn., five bass, 14-13, $1,589
3rd: Cornell Creciun III, Nolensville, Tenn., five bass, 14-12, $992
4th: Hunter Carmichael, Nolensville, Tenn., five bass, 13-13, $695
5th: Ronald Perry, Gallatin, Tenn., five bass, 13-12, $595
6th: John Wilkerson, Nashville, Tenn., five bass, 13-4, $546
7th: Adam Wagner, Cookeville, Tenn., five bass, 13-3, $496
8th: Matt Farrar, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 12-14, $447
9th: John Graves, Mount Juliet, Tenn., five bass, 12-13, $397
10th: Tony Eckler, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 12-8, $347
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
David Milan of Memphis, Tennessee, brought a 5-pound, 15-ounce bass to the scale – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $340.
Bryan Brinson of Hendersonville, Tennessee, won the Co-angler Division and $1,489 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 13 pounds, 4 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Bryan Brinson, Hendersonville, Tenn., five bass 13-4, $1,489
2nd: Howard Dowdy, Livingston, Tenn., four bass, 13-3, $844
3rd: Michael Dority, Winchester, Tenn., five bass, 12-6, $497
4th: Eric Eden, Hartsville, Tenn., five bass, 12-1, $347
5th: Michael Penix, Chapel Hill, Tenn., five bass, 11-15, $298
6th: Brandon Eden, Hartsville, Tenn., five bass, 11-10, $260
6th: Darren Kelly, Wartburg, Tenn., five bass, 11-10, $310
8th: Jonathan Wiley, Smyrna, Tenn., four bass, 10-15, $223
9th: Jacob Jewell, Chapel Hill, Tenn., five bass, 10-8, $198
10th: Brandon Davis, Canton, Ga., five bass, 10-5, $174
Derrick Harris of Mount Juliet, Tennessee, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division weighing in at 5 pounds, 13 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $170.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 18-20 BFL Regional Championship on Lake Norman in Huntersville, North Carolina. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2018 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2018 BFL All-American will be held May 31-June 2 at Cross Lake in Shreveport, Louisiana, and is hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission. 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.
Mossy Oak Adds Matt Lee to Pro Fishing Team
WEST POINT, MS - Mossy Oak is excited to announce the addition of Matt Lee to the Mossy Oak Fishing Team.
Established this year in conjunction with the launch of Mossy Oak Elements Agua, the Mossy Oak Fishing Team is growing with bassmasters KevinVanDam, Jordan Lee, Ott DeFoe, Brandon Palaniuk and Gerald Swindle.
Originally from Cullman, Alabama, Matt Lee started fishing at a young age with his brother, 2-Time Bassmaster Classic Champion, Jordan Lee. During his Junior year at Auburn he won the College BASS College Bracket which jumpstarted his career and allowed him to compete in the 2013 Bassmaster Classic. Now, Matt Lee competes on the Bassmaster Elite Series and continues to finish as one of the top finalists in events fished.
"Living in North Alabama, Mossy Oak has always had a huge presence," said Lee. "It is a brand that everyone knows of and trusts in. Carhartt has been a title sponsor of mine from day one and just as Carhartt is a brand everyone can relate to, Mossy Oak is as well. I'm pumped to see what the future holds for this new partnership and showing that Mossy Oak definitely is a lifestyle brand everyone should want to be a part of."
"The professionalism and talent Matt displays event-after-event made us excited about partnering with him," said Ben Maki, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Mossy Oak. "Adding him to the Mossy Oak Fishing Team was a must. He is a powerful player in his sport and a true ambassador for the sport and the Mossy Oak Fishing Team."
For more information on Matt Lee, visit www.mattleefishing.com or follow him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mattleefishing and Twitter at https://twitter.com/mattleefishing. To learn more about Mossy Oak's Elements pattern, visit https://www.mossyoak.com.
HOLLISTER’S REED WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL GATOR DIVISION EVENT ON LAKE OKEECHOBEE
Courtesy of FLW Communications
Miami’s Mut Grabs Co-angler Title
CLEWISTON, Fla. (April 16, 2018) – Boater Jason Reed of Hollister, Florida, caught five bass Saturday weighing 28 pounds, 2 ounces, to take top honors at the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Gator Division event on Lake Okeechobee. Reed earned $4,246 for his win.
Reed said he picked apart scattered eel grass in 3 feet of water in the Harney Pond area of the lake. He said he used a black and blue-colored Gambler Heavy Cover Southern Swim Jig with a Reaction Innovations Skinny Dipper trailer of the same color and caught around 40 keepers throughout the day.
“I found a big wave of fish that was moving in there to spawn during practice on Thursday and they were still there on Saturday,” said Reed, who earned his first career victory in BFL competition. “I fished the same two-acre area all day long and really caught them.”
Reed said the bite was slow in the morning, but picked up as soon as the sun rose higher and the wind started blowing.
“I think my fluorocarbon line helped me get more bites,” said Reed. “I had a lot of boats around me, but everyone was throwing braided line. I think that was my edge out there.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Jason Reed, Hollister, Fla., five bass, 28-2, $4,246
2nd: Dillon McMillan, Belle Glade, Fla., five bass, 27-7, $2,423
3rd: Greg Harp, Vero Beach, Fla., five bass, 26-7, $1,348
4th: Nicholas Hoinig, Delray Beach, Fla., five bass, 25-5, $944
5th: Mikey Keyso Jr., North Port, Fla., five bass, 24-11, $809
6th: Jim Hurlock Jr., West Palm Beach, Fla., five bass, 22-6, $742
7th: Clay Batson, Bradenton, Fla., five bass, 21-3, $674
8th: Justin Morgan, Okeechobee, Fla., five bass, 20-8, $573
8th: Chris Crow, Lake Placid, Fla., five bass, 20-8, $573
10th: Mike Jackson, San Mateo, Fla., five bass, 19-10, $472
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Donald Dunnam of Okeechobee, Florida, brought a 9-pound, 8-ounce bass to the scale – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $555.
Alex Mut of Miami, Florida, won the Co-angler Division and $2,223 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 19 pounds, 15 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Alex Mut, Miami, Fla., five bass, 19-15, $2,223
2nd: Kenneth Hunnicutt, Jacksonville, Fla., five bass, 19-4, $1,288
3rd: Brian Malys, Bartow, Fla., five bass, 18-13, $724
4th: Dana Bass, Miami, Fla., five bass, 13-1, $472
5th: Jeff Claiborne, Pembroke Pines, Fla., five bass, 12-9, $388
5th: Jerry Heaton, Webster, Fla., five bass, 12-9, $388
7th: Shannon Bryson, Merritt Island, Fla., five bass, 12-6, $337
8th: Clyde Arnold, Coconut Creek, Fla., four bass, 11-13, $303
9th: Anthony Cilladi, Orlando, Fla., five bass, 11-12, $270
10th: Timothy Hibbs, Bradenton, Fla., five bass, 11-11, $236
Hunnicutt caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division weighing in at 8 pounds, 7 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $277.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 11-13 BFL Regional Championship on the Saint Johns River in Palatka. Florida. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2018 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2018 BFL All-American will be held May 31-June 2 at Cross Lake in Shreveport, Louisiana, and is hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission. 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.
HUTSON WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL SOUTH CAROLINA DIVISION EVENT ON SANTEE COOPER LAKES
Courtesy of FLW Communications
Mount Pleasant’s Simmons Tops Co-angler Division
SUMMERTON, S.C. (April 16, 2018) – Boater Mark Hutson of Moncks Corner, South Carolina, caught a five-bass limit weighing 30 pounds, 14 ounces, Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) South Carolina Division event on Santee Cooper Lakes. For his win, Hutson netted $5,536.
“I fished the upper end of Lake Marion and caught everything off of spawning beds. Most were within a 50-yard stretch of trees,” said Hutson, who notched his third career win on the Santee Cooper Lakes in FLW competition. “I used craws in different shapes and colors with 3/16th-ounce weights. I wanted enough weight to hold the bait in place, but still have it light enough to inch along easier in the bed.”
Hutson said he was able to put 12 keepers in the boat throughout the tournament. He added that he caught the majority of his weight between 7:30 a.m. and 9 a.m.
“I caught a 7-pound, 10-ounce bass on my first cast. It was a great way to start out the morning,” said Hutson.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Mark Hutson, Moncks Corner, S.C., five bass, 30-14, $5,536
2nd: Chad Cook, Cross, S.C., five bass, 29-3, $2,668
3rd: Cecil Wolfe, Goose Creek, S.C., five bass, 26-5, $1,780
4th: Freddie Gibbs, Darlington, S.C., five bass, 26-0, $1,245
5th: Jeremiah Jensen, Columbia, S.C., five bass, 24-2, $1,067
6th: Daniel Howell, Prosperity, S.C., five bass, 23-11, $978
7th: Derek Schlotterback, Simpsonville, S.C., five bass, 23-10, $989
8th: Allan Williams, Goose Creek, S.C., five bass, 22-14, $800
9th: Adam Waters, Denver, N.C., five bass, 22-12, $712
10th: Ronnie McCoy, Lamar, S.C., five bass, 22-10, $1,463
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
McCoy brought an 8-pound, 12-ounce bass to the scale – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $840.
James Simmons of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, won the Co-angler Division and $2,582 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 19 pounds, 13 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: James Simmons, Mount Pleasant, S.C., five bass, 19-13, $2,582
2nd: Chris Williams, West Columbia, S.C., five bass, 15-14, $1,693
3rd: Christopher Scott, Sumter, S.C., five bass, 15-2, $863
4th: Bobby Henderson, Charlotte, N.C., five bass, 13-15, $603
5th: Beau Wilder, Charlotte, N.C., five bass, 13-12, $716
6th: Tristen Trull, Mount Holly, N.C., three bass, 12-12, $473
7th: Kenny Mathis, Boiling Springs, S.C., three bass, 12-3, $430
8th: John Christian McKenzie, Hampton, S.C., four bass, 12-1, $387
9th: Jack Daniel Hoy, Hollywood, S.C., four bass, 11-12, $394
10th: Tyler Dover, Blacksburg, S.C., four bass, 11-11, $301
Williams caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division weighing in at 8 pounds, 1 ounce. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $402.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 18-20 BFL Regional Championship on Lake Norman in Huntersville, North Carolina. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2018 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2018 BFL All-American will be held May 31-June 2 at Cross Lake in Shreveport, Louisiana, and is hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission. 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.
LIEBLONG, LAYTON TIE FOR WIN AT T-H MARINE FLW BFL ARKIE DIVISION EVENT ON GREERS FERRY LAKE PRESENTED BY GEARED
Boater Chris Layton (left) and co-angler Eric Pinter (right) Pictured Above
Courtesy of FLW Communications
Little Rock’s Pinter Grabs Co-angler Title
GREERS FERRY, Ark. (April 16, 2018) – Boaters Chris Layton of North Little Rock, Arkansas, and Jason Lieblong of Conway, Arkansas, each caught five bass Saturday weighing 12 pounds, 15 ounces, to tie for the win at the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Arkie Division event on Greers Ferry Lake presented by GEARED. After contingency bonuses Layton earned $5,207, while Lieblong took home $4,672.
“I started out throwing a crawdad-colored Strike King 3XD crankbait and caught my first largemouth right after 7 (a.m.),” said Layton, who earned his first win in FLW competition. “There’s a big buck brush flat in the Edgemont area that is generally loaded with fish after the spawn. I figured out that they were actually outside of the brush in 10 to 12 feet of water. I paralleled them with a ChatterBait and a white Mister Twister Twister Tail trailer and caught a 6-pound, 7-ouncer.”
Following his kicker bite, Layton said a cold front moved in which prompted him to target smallmouth. He said he fished a flat with rocks in the Shiloh Park area and finished his limit with the crankbait.
“Around 2 (p.m.) I caught a smallmouth that gave me a ½–pound upgrade – that was key for me,” said Layton.
Lieblong took advantage of the flipping bite and caught his first three largemouth using a green-pumpkin and red-colored lizard around buck brush.
“I’m pretty sure they were on beds, but the water was too dingy to know for sure,” said Lieblong, who logged his third win in FLW competition. “Two of them were on the backside of the brush and one was out front. It took a couple hours to get them in the boat. The water was rising so I think they were scattered.”
Around 1 p.m., Lieblong finished his limit with a Megabass 110 jerkbait fishing main-lake points and bluff walls.
“Within 10 minutes I caught a spotted bass and then a 5-pound largemouth – that’s when I knew I had a chance to win,” said Lieblong.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Chris Layton, North Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 12-15, $4,207 + $1,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
1st: Jason Lieblong, Conway, Ark., five bass, 12-15. $3,672 + $1,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
3rd: Shawn Gordon, Russellville, Ark., five bass, 12-7. $1,422
4th: Tyler Matlock, Omaha, Ark., five bass, 12-6, $925
5th: Mike Brower, Texarkana, Texas, five bass, 11-13, $793
6th: Fred Martin, North Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 11-9, $1,027
7th: Nicholas Brown, Mayflower, Ark., five bass, 11-8, $660
8th: Russell Richmond, Sheridan, Ark., five bass, 11-7, $594
9th: Reid Prescott, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 10-14, $528
10th: Kyle Hess, Wynne, Ark., five bass, 10-12, $439
10th: Wayne Dixon, Morrilton, Ark., five bass, 10-12, $439
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Layton’s 6-pound, 7-ounce largemouth was the heaviest caught in the Boater Division, and earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $535.
Eric Pinter of Little Rock, Arkansas, won the Co-angler Division and $1,944 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 11 pounds, 7 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Eric Pinter, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 11-7, $1,944
2nd: Steve Belew, Beebe, Ark., five bass, 10-2, $810
2nd: Robert Scott, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 10-2, $810
4th: Jason Mullins, Benton, Ark., five bass, 9-7, $454
5th: Matt Russell, England, Ark., four bass, 9-5, $389
6th: Nicholas Bergt, Atlanta, Texas, five bass, 9-4, $356
7th: Spencer Clark, Maryland Heights, Mo., five bass, 9-3, $308
7th: Dusty Rhoades, Gravelly, Ark., five bass, 9-3, $508
9th: Randy Bridges, Quitman, Ark., five bass, 9-2, $259
10th: Jonathan Lourenco, Lee's Summit, Mo., five bass, 9-1, $227
David Adams of Roland, Arkansas, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division weighing in at 4 pounds, 13 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $262.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 25-27 BFL Regional Championship on Lake of the Ozarks in Osage Beach, Missouri. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2018 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2018 BFL All-American will be held May 31-June 2 at Cross Lake in Shreveport, Louisiana, and is hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission. 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.
12 Named To 2018 Bassmaster High School All-American Fishing Team
|
|
OWENS, BROUSSARD WEIGH-IN OVER 32 POUNDS TO CLAIM LAKE AMISTAD TEXAS TEAM TRAIL WIN
By David A. Brown
The second place team of Kris Wilson and Harold Moon spent their day in Mexican waters, fished creeks up the Rio Grande and sacked up a second-place limit of 20.53. Wilson said he and his partner targeted hydrilla in 18-25 feet and caught their fish on 6th Sense hollow body swimbaits.
 |
 |
|
 |
Robinson And Fulmer Win Bassmaster High School Eastern Open On Lake Hartwell
|
|
Gerald Swindle Joins Millennium Marine Pro Staff
Pearl, Mississippi— Millennium Outdoors, the proud manufacturers of Millennium Treestands and Millennium Marine, is thrilled to announce the addition of professional bass fisherman Gerald Swindle to the Millennium Marine pro staff roster.
Swindle is a two-time Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year. He has competed in B.A.S.S. events for more than 20 years.
“Gerald is a respected, admired angler across the nation, and we could not be more excited for him come aboard the Millennium Marine Pro Staff,” said William Vancor, National Sales Manager of Millennium Outdoors Marine/Aviation Division. “His skills and personality are the perfect fit for what Millennium represents.”
In addition to his exceptional fishing skills, Swindle is also known for his sense of humor and his popular nickname, “G-Man.”
“Millennium Marine is an iconic brand in the angling world,” Swindle said. “I’m a huge fan of Millennium Outdoors as a whole. I constantly use Millennium when I’m hunting and fishing because of their awesome quality. I am passionate about their products and am honored to be a part of this team.”
Swindle’s additional accolades in the angling world include 17 Bassmaster Classic appearances and 52 Top 10 finishes.
About Millennium Outdoors
Headquartered in Pearl, Mississippi, Millennium Outdoors has shown a long-standing commitment to quality in everything they craft. This commitment has positioned Millennium for sound growth within the outdoor lifestyle space, as they continue to meticulously design and engineer an impressive array of products in the hunting, fishing, and boating segments. Known primarily for their excellence in comfort and performance, Millennium Outdoors is remaining focused on hunting and fishing safety, success, and enjoyment. For more information on Millennium Outdoors, visit https://millennium-outdoors.com/
LureLock Adds Jonathon VanDam
BASS Elite Series Angler Takes Tackle Storage to the Next Level with Lure Lock in 2018
Ettrick, Wisconsin – Lure Lock is excited to announce that it has entered into a multi-year partnership with Bassmaster Elite Series Angler, Jonathon Van Dam. Van Damn burst onto the Bassmaster Elite Series in 2011, following two successful year’s competing in the Bassmaster Opens. Over his career with BASS, Van Dam has recorded two wins and has 18 top-ten finishes.
“The energy and excitement about Lure Lock is growing each and every time we see our pro team on stage representing our brand,” stated Jessica Kriesel, Lure Lock Marketing Coordinator. “Jonathon began this season with a 9th place finish on Lake Martin and we are proud to say that he had Lure Lock cases securing his tackle during that event.”
With its proprietary gel, Lure Lock cases securely hold hard baits and terminal tackle firmly in place, preventing movement when running down the lake, or from accidental spilling when the case is knocked over.
“Growing up in a tackle shop, I have been around tackle boxes my entire life, and until now they all functioned basically the same way. The Lure Lock cases are changing the game when it comes to tackle storage - giving anglers a storage solution they have been wanting for some time.” stated Van Dam. “And it isn’t just bass fisherman using Lure Lock cases, over this past winter, the cases have been selling well at D&R Sports Center for ice fisherman as well.”
Lure Lock boxes come in three sizes LL1, LL2 and LL3 and are available in Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s, Academy, Sportsman’s Warehouse, Tackle Warehouse and key independent sporting goods dealers at $15.99, $17.99 and $19.99. Lure Lock gel kits (for retro-fitting other boxes) range from $6.99 to $9.99, depending upon size.
For more information about Lure Lock products please visit http://www.lurelock.com,
Sportsmans Warehouse Pro Bryan Thrift Wins FLW Tour Event on Lake Cumberland!
North Carolina Pro Earns Sixth Career FLW Tour Victory, $125,000
SOMERSET, Ky. (April 15, 2018) – Pro Bryan Thrift of Shelby, North Carolina, added to his ever-growing list of accolades Sunday, bringing another five-bass limit of smallmouth to the scale, this one weighing 18 pounds, 10 ounces, to win the FLW Tour at Lake Cumberland presented by General Tire and the top prize of $125,000 – his sixth career FLW Tour win. Thrift’s four-day total of 20 bass weighing 70-2 gave him the win by a 1-pound, 10-ounce margin over second place pro Allen Boyd of Salem, Indiana, the TBF “Living The Dream” package winner who weighed 20 bass for 68-8 to finish second and earn $30,000.
“I’ve had a phenomenal week,” said Thrift, the reigning Pennzoil Marine Angler of the Year who moved into a tie for third all-time for most career FLW Tour wins. “I was starting down in Indian Creek and fishing my way back to Burnside each day.”
Thrift weighed in a limit of smallmouth bass each day by fishing points, bluffs, lead-in banks and the mouth of the creek. He credited his equipment setup as being the key to his win.
“I caught all of my fish this week on two main baits – a 3-inch Damiki Armor Shad (flash shad) and a 3½-4-inch swimbait (Tennessee shad),” said Thrift. “I used the Armor Shad when it was sunny the first two days. When it got cloudy, I started throwing the bigger swimbait. The Armor Shad is a more subtle swimbait.”
Thrift threw the swimbaits on 8-pound-test P-Line Tactical Fluorocarbon line, a 7-foot, medium-heavy Fitzgerald Fishing Stunner HD rod, and an Abu Garcia Revo MGX baitcasting reel.
“I feel like the 8-pound line helped me get a lot more bites,” he said. “A lot of people don’t like using that light of line on a baitcaster, but you just have so much more control over your bait. I never lost any fish this week and the key was the combination of my rod, reel and line.”
The top 10 pros on Lake Cumberland finished:
1st: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 20 bass, 70-2, $125,200
2nd: Allen Boyd, Salem, Ind., 20 bass, 68-8, $30,100
3rd: Clent Davis, Montevallo, Ala., 20 bass, 67-10, $25,000
4th: Greg Bohannan, Bentonville, Ark., 20 bass, 65-9, $20,000
5th: Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 20 bass, 65-4, $19,000
6th: Chris Johnston, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, 20 bass, 63-1, $18,000
7th: Chris McCall, Palmer, Texas, 20 bass, 62-11, $17,000
8th: James Watson, Lampe, Mo., 20 bass, 62-2, $16,000
9th: Darrel Robertson, Jay, Okla., 20 bass, 61-14, $15,000
10th: Kerry Milner, Bono, Ark., 20 bass, 60-3, $14,000
Complete results for the entire field can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Overall there were 50 bass weighing 162 pounds, 15 ounces caught by pros Sunday. All of the final 10 pros weighed in five-bass limits.
Joel Willert of Prior Lake, Minnesota, won the Co-angler Division and $20,000 Friday with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 24 pounds, 2 ounces, followed by Robert Case III of Point, Texas, who finished in second place with 10 bass totaling 23-15, worth $7,550.
Television coverage of the FLW Tour at Lake Cumberland presented by General Tire will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) May 23 from Noon-1 p.m. EST. The Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide.
The total purse for the FLW Tour at Lake Cumberland presented by General Tire was more than $930,000. The tournament was hosted by the Somerset Tourist and Convention Commission and the Burnside Tourism Commission. The next event for FLW Tour anglers will be the FLW Tour at Lewis Smith Lake presented by T-H Marine, April 26-29 in Jasper, Alabama, hosted by the Chamber of Commerce Walker County.
In FLW Tour competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day, with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers. The full field of 366 anglers competed in the two-day opening round. Co-angler competition concluded following Friday’s weigh-in, while the top 30 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advanced to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continued competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2018 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of professional bass fishing. The 2018 Forrest Wood Cup will be on Lake Ouachita in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Aug. 10-12 and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the sport’s top anglers on the FLW Tour on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
THRIFT OVERTAKES MORGAN TO LEAD AT FLW TOUR AT LAKE CUMBERLAND PRESENTED BY GENERAL TIRE
Courtesy FLW Outdoors
Final-Day Showdown Looms for Championship Sunday
SOMERSET, Ky. (April 14, 2018) – Reigning Pennzoil Marine Angler of the Year (AOY) Bryan Thrift of Shelby, North Carolina, brought an 18-pound, 11-ounce limit of smallmouth bass to the weigh-in stage Saturday to overtake Andy Morgan of Dayton, Tennessee, and vault to the top of the leaderboard at the FLW Tour at Lake Cumberland presented by General Tire. Thrift, who has weighed 15 smallmouth totaling 51-8 over the first three days of competition, will bring a slim 7-ounce lead into Championship Sunday over second-place pro Morgan, who led the first two days of competition.
The showdown between Thrift and Morgan is an exciting rivalry for bass-fishing fans, as one of the two anglers has won the Tour AOY in four of the last five seasons. The duo have combined for more than $4.3 million in career earnings, are 1-2 for most career Top-10 finishes on the FLW Tour, and both frequently debated as being the best angler on Tour by their fellow anglers and peers.
Also still in contention are two-time The Bass Federation (TBF) Living The Dream package winner Allen Boyd of Salem, Indiana (3rd, 50-6), who weighed the largest limit of the tournament Saturday at 19-9, pro Greg Bohannan of Bentonville, Arkansas (4th, 49-9), whose limit weight has increased in each of the three days of competition, and Clent Davis of Montevallo, Alabama (5th, 49-5), the 2012 FLW Tour Rookie of the Year and the only angler to weigh a limit of at least 16 pounds each day.
“I caught a lot of fish today and had a lot of fun,” said Thrift, who weighed his 52nd consecutive limit in FLW Tour competition Saturday, extending the all-time Tour record. “The first two days were a bit of a struggle, but I went out today and caught 30 or 40. You never know when these smallmouth are going to quit biting, so I was just trying to catch as much as I could. I don’t know if they’ll bite tomorrow, but I’m ready to get out there and see.”
Although he has caught three small largemouth this week, Thrift has brought a limit of smallmouth to the scale each day and said that he hopes to do the same Sunday. He said that he is fishing three or four different moving baits slowly along a one-mile stretch of water.
“I’ve had a couple of good days, but I honestly still don’t know what these smallmouth are doing,” Thrift said. They’re scattered – everywhere. I’ll catch one on a point, then one in the back of a pocket. Then one out on the main lake, then one in a creek. I’m not covering a whole lot of water, I think I just found an area where fish live.
“Tomorrow I’m just going to go out there and do what I have been doing – fishing by the seat of my pants,” Thrift went on to say. “I’ll pull in somewhere and fish what looks good until it feels like I need to go somewhere else.”
The top 10 pros advancing to the final day of competition on Lake Cumberland are:
1st: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 15 bass, 51-8
2nd: Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 15 bass, 51-1
3rd: Allen Boyd, Salem, Ind., 15 bass, 50-6
4th: Greg Bohannan, Bentonville, Ark., 15 bass, 49-9
5th: Clent Davis, Montevallo, Ala., 15 bass, 49-5
6th: Kerry Milner, Bono, Ark., 15 bass, 48-1
7th: Darrel Robertson, Jay, Okla., 15 bass, 47-2
8th: Chris McCall, Palmer, Texas, 15 bass, 45-15
9th: James Watson, Lampe, Mo., 15 bass, 45-10
10th: Chris Johnston, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, 15 bass, 45-8
Finishing in 11h through 30th are:
11th: Chad Grigsby, Maple Grove, Minn., 15 bass, 45-3, $12,000
12th: Jeff Sprague, Point, Texas, 15 bass, 45-0, $12,000
13th: Ramie Colson Jr., Cadiz, Ky., 15 bass, 44-10, $12,000
14th: Billy McCaghren, Mayflower, Ark., 15 bass, 44-5, $12,000
15th: Carl Jocumsen, Queensland, Australia, 15 bass, 44-4, $12,000
16th: Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., 15 bass, 43-13, $12,000
17th: General Tire pro Mark Rose, West Memphis, Ark., 15 bass, 43-6, $12,000
18th: Billy Hines, Vacaville, Calif., 15 bass, 43-6, $12,000
19th: Bob Morin, Seymour, Tenn., 15 bass, 43-3, $12,000
20th: Clayton Batts, Macon, Ga., 15 bass, 43-2, $12,000
21st: Kyle Cortiana, Coweta, Okla., 15 bass, 42-5, $10,000
22nd: Grae Buck, Harleysville, Pa., 15 bass, 41-13, $10,000
23rd: Glenn Chappelear, Acworth, Ga., 15 bass, 41-12, $10,000
24th: Shawn Murphy, Nicholasville, Ky., 15 bass, 41-10, $10,000
25th: Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla., 15 bass, 41-1, $10,000
26th: James Niggemeyer, Van, Texas, 15 bass, 40-12, $10,000
27th: Brian Latimer, Belton, S.C., 15 bass, 40-9, $10,000
28th: Justin Atkins, Florence, Ala., 15 bass, 40-5, $10,000
29th: Terry Bolton, Paducah, Ky., 15 bass, 37-15, $10,000
30th: Polaris pro David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., 15 bass, 37-7, $10,000
For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.
Overall there were 150 bass weighing 445 pounds, 7 ounces caught by pros Saturday, All of the final 30 pros were able to bring a five-bass limit to the scale.
Joel Willert of Prior Lake, Minnesota, won the Co-angler Division and $20,000 Friday with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 24 pounds, 2 ounces, followed by Robert Case III of Point, Texas, who finished in second place with 10 bass totaling 23-15, worth $7,550.
In FLW Tour competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day, with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers. The full field of 366 anglers competed in the two-day opening round. Co-angler competition concluded following Friday’s weigh-in, while the top 30 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advanced to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros now continue competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.
The total purse for the FLW Tour at Lake Cumberland presented by General Tire is more than $930,000. The tournament is hosted by the Somerset Tourist and Convention Commission and the Burnside Tourism Commission.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2018 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of professional bass fishing. The 2018 Forrest Wood Cup will be on Lake Ouachita in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Aug. 10-12 and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.
The final 10 anglers will take off at 7 a.m. EDT Sunday from General Burnside Island State Park, located at 8801 S. Highway 27, in Burnside, Kentucky. Sunday’s final weigh-in will be held at the park beginning at 4 p.m.
Prior to the weigh-in Sunday, FLW will host a free Family Fishing Expo at General Burnside Island State Park from noon to 4 p.m. each day. The Expo is a chance for fishing fans to meet their favorite anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, and learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities.
Television coverage of the FLW Tour at Lake Cumberland presented by General Tire will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) May 23 from Noon-1 p.m. EST. The Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the sport’s top anglers on the FLW Tour on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
MORGAN MAINTAINS LEAD ON DAY TWO OF FLW TOUR AT LAKE CUMBERLAND PRESENTED BY GENERAL TIRE - TOP 30 FISH SATURDAY
Courtesy of FLWFishing.com
Minnesota’s Willert Wins Co-angler Title, $20K
SOMERSET, Ky. (April 13, 2018) – Pro Andy Morgan of Dayton, Tennessee, brought a 15-pound, 12-ounce limit of bass to the scale Friday to maintain his lead after Day Two of the FLW Tour at Lake Cumberland presented by General Tire. Morgan’s two-day total of 10 bass weighing 34 pounds, 11 ounces gives him a 1-pound, 6-ounce advantage heading into the third day of competition in the four-day event that featured a field of 183 of the world’s best bass-fishing professionals and co-anglers competing for top awards of up to $125,000 cash in the pro division and up to $25,000 cash in the co-angler division.
The field is now cut to 30 as anglers resume competition Saturday morning, with only the top 10 anglers advancing to Championship Sunday. Former Forrest Wood Cup Champions Darrel Robertson (2nd place, 33-5), Polaris pro David Dudley (22nd place, 28-0), Scott Martin (24th place, 27-13), and Justin Atkins (29th place, 27-4) remain in competition, along with reigning Pennzoil Marine Angler of the Year Bryan Thrift (4th place, 32-13).
Thrift weighed another five-bass limit Friday – his 51st consecutive limit weighed in FLW Tour competition – breaking the FLW Tour’s all-time record of 50, set in 2014 by pro Cody Meyer of Auburn, California. Thrift has the opportunity to extend his record Saturday.
“Despite my weight being down, today was actually a better day for me,” said tournament leader Morgan, a 20-year Tour veteran who has 38 career top-10 Tour finishes. “I caught a lot more fish, and I had a shot at a really good bag. It might have just been bad luck, but a lot of fish were just slapping at my bait and would come off, for no real rhyme or reason. I lost four or five really good ones today – including a 5-pound largemouth.”
Morgan is fishing in the lower end of the lake, running pockets and covering water with a spinnerbait and a jig. He estimated that he caught around 20 keepers on Friday and weighed in a limit consisting of four largemouth and one smallmouth bass.
“I started the day running totally new water, but this afternoon I ended up going back through some things that I did yesterday,” Morgan said. “The water is fairly clean, but a little windblown in some places. It really didn’t matter where I fished, though. They were biting.
“Tomorrow I think everyone will blast them again and we’re going to see a lot of fish caught,” Morgan went on to say. “Anyone fishing can still win this deal. There is a 20-pound bag lurking around out there, and 20 pounds can go far here. I’m going to continue to do more of the same, and going to keep doing it until it quits.”
The top 30 pros that made the first cut and will fish Saturday on Lake Cumberland are:
1st: Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn.., 10 bass, 34-11
2nd: Darrel Robertson, Jay, Okla., 10 bass, 33-5
3rd: Clent Davis, Montevallo, Ala., 10 bass, 32-15
4th: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 10 bass, 32-13
5th: Kerry Milner, Bono, Ark., 10 bass, 31-6
6th: Greg Bohannan, Bentonville, Ark., 10 bass, 30-14
7th: Allen Boyd, Salem, Ind., 10 bass, 30-13
8th: Chris McCall, Palmer, Texas, 10 bass, 30-11
9th: Ramie Colson Jr., Cadiz, Ky., 10 bass, 30-8
10th: Carl Jocumsen, Queensland, Australia, 10 bass, 30-5
11th: General Tire pro Mark Rose, West Memphis, Ark., 10 bass, 30-3
12th: Chad Grigsby, Maple Grove, Minn., 10 bass, 29-14
13th: Bob Morin, Seymour, Tenn., 10 bass, 29-11
14th: James Watson, Lampe, Mo., 10 bass, 29-3
15th: Glenn Chappelear, Acworth, Ga., 10 bass, 29-0
16th: Kyle Cortiana, Coweta, Okla., 10 bass, 28-8
17th: Chris Johnston, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, 10 bass, 28-7
18th: Brian Latimer, Belton, S.C., 10 bass, 28-7
19th: Clayton Batts, Macon, Ga., 10 bass, 28-5
20th: Billy McCaghren, Mayflower, Ark., 10 bass, 28-3
21st: Jeff Sprague, Point, Texas, 10 bass, 28-1
22nd: Polaris pro David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., 10 bass, 28-0
23rd: Grae Buck, Harleysville, Pa., 10 bass, 27-13
24th: Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla., 10 bass, 27-13
25th: Billy Hines, Vacaville, Calif., 10 bass, 27-12
26th: Shawn Murphy, Nicholasville, Ky., 10 bass, 27-12
27th: Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., 10 bass, 27-6
28th: Terry Bolton, Paducah, Ky., 10 bass, 27-4
29th: Justin Atkins, Florence, Ala., 10 bass, 27-4
30th: James Niggemeyer, Van, Texas, 10 bass, 27-4
For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.
Kurt Mitchell of Milford, Delaware, earned Friday's $500 Simms Big Bass award in the Pro Division thanks to a 5-pound, 15-ounce bass.
Overall there were 872 bass weighing 2,190 pounds, 2 ounces, caught by 181 pros Friday. The catch included 161 five-bass limits.
Joel Willert of Prior Lake, Minnesota, won the Co-angler Division and $20,000 Friday with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 24 pounds, 2 ounces, followed by Robert Case III of Point, Texas, who finished in second place with 10 bass totaling 23-15, worth $7,550.
The top 10 co-anglers finished:
1st: Joel Willert, Prior Lake, Minn., 10 bass, 24-2, $20,000
2nd: Robert Case III, Point, Texas, 10 bass, 23-15, $7,550
3rd: Shane Melton, Kokomo, Ind., 10 bass, 23-11, $5,000
4th: Pat Eichmann, Nancy, Ky., 10 bass, 23-7, $4,000
5th: Todd Lee, Jasper, Ala., nine bass, 23-5, $3,000
6th: Robert Case Jr., Point, Texas, 10 bass, 23-4, $2,500
7th: J.P. Sims, Cookeville, Tenn., 10 bass, 23-2, $2,000
8th: Keith Honeycutt, Temple, Texas, nine bass, 22-12, $2,050
9th: Mike Casada, Stearns, Ky., 10 bass, 22-12, $1,700
10th: Joe Rucker, Nicholasville, Ky., nine bass, 22-12, $1,850
Honeycutt earned $250 for the Simms Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division Friday with a 7-pound, 7-ounce bass.
Overall there were 578 bass weighing 1,137 pounds, 10 ounces, caught by 157 co-anglers Friday. The catch included 70 five-bass limits.
In FLW Tour competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day, with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers. The full field of 366 anglers competed in the two-day opening round. Co-angler competition concluded following Friday’s weigh-in, while the top 30 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advance to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.
The total purse for the FLW Tour at Lake Cumberland presented by General Tire is more than $930,000. The tournament is hosted by the Somerset Tourist and Convention Commission and the Burnside Tourism Commission.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2018 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of professional bass fishing. The 2018 Forrest Wood Cup will be on Lake Ouachita in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Aug. 10-12 and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.
Anglers will take off at 7 a.m. EDT each morning from General Burnside Island State Park, located at 8801 S. Highway 27, in Burnside, Kentucky. Saturday and Sunday’s weigh-ins, April 14-15, will be held at the park, beginning at 4 p.m.
Prior to the weigh-ins Saturday and Sunday, April 14-15, FLW will host a free Family Fishing Expo at General Burnside Island State Park from noon to 4 p.m. each day. The Expo is a chance for fishing fans to meet their favorite anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, and learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities.
Also for youth, the FLW Foundation’s Unified Fishing Derby will be held at Pulaski County Park, located at 1200 State Highway 3189 in Nancy, Kentucky on Saturday, April 14 from 8:30-10:30 a.m. The event is hosted by FLW Foundation pro Cody Kelley along with other FLW Tour anglers, and is free and open to anyone under the age of 18 and Special Olympics athletes. Rods and reels are available for use, but youth are encouraged to bring their own if they own one. The 1st and 2nd place anglers that catch the biggest fish will be recognized Saturday on the FLW Tour stage, just prior to the pros weighing in.
Television coverage of the FLW Tour at Lake Cumberland presented by General Tire will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) May 23 from Noon-1 p.m. EST. The Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the sport’s top anglers on the FLW Tour on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
MORGAN LEADS DAY ONE OF FLW TOUR AT LAKE CUMBERLAND PRESENTED BY GENERAL TIRE
Courtesy of FLW Outdoors
Three-Time Pennzoil Marine Angler of the Year Catches 18-15 of Lake Cumberland Largemouth
SOMERSET, Ky. (April 12, 2018) – Pro Andy Morgan of Dayton, Tennessee, weighed an 18-pound, 5-ounce limit of largemouth bass to take the lead on Day One of the FLW Tour at Lake Cumberland presented by General Tire. Morgan will bring a 1-pound, 6-ounce lead into Day Two of the four-day event that features a field of 183 of the world’s best bass-fishing professionals and co-anglers competing for top awards of up to $125,000 cash in the pro division and up to $25,000 cash in the co-angler division.
“It felt good today to get out and get some bites,” said Morgan, a three-time Pennzoil Marine Angler of the Year who has logged two triple-digit Tour finishes this season for the first time since 2006. “I knew coming in here that I was going to fish my way. I didn’t care if the smallmouth were biting off the hook, I was going to fish exactly how I liked and I was going to do it all day.
“It wasn’t like I smashed them and caught a ton of fish today, but I had some quality,” Morgan continued. “The five fish that I weighed today were probably the prettiest limit of fish that I have ever caught. They were all female, full of eggs, and not a blemish on them. Just fat, chunky and gorgeous.”
Morgan said he spent the day covering water with a crankbait, spinnerbait, ChatterBait and flipping. He said he caught around 10 keepers, including two spotted bass and one little smallmouth.
“It’s really pretty random – you don’t know what the next one is going to be beside, or how deep he’s even going to be,” Morgan said. “I struggled for a pretty good portion of the day. I caught one every hour or so. Later in the day seemed to be a little better – I think we’ll see some bigger bags tomorrow.”
The top 10 pros after day one on Lake Cumberland are:
1st: Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., five bass, 18-15
2nd: Jason Meninger, Saint Augustine, Fla., five bass, 17-9
3rd: Grae Buck, Harleysville, Pa., five bass, 16-13
4th: Jared McMillan, Belle Glade, Fla., five bass, 16-12
5th: Allen Boyd, Salem, Ind., five bass, 16-5
6th: Clent Davis, Montevallo, Ala., five bass, 16-2
7th: Billy Hines, Vacaville, Calif., five bass, 15-15
7th: Darrel Robertson, Jay, Okla., five bass, 15-15
9th: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., five bass, 15-13
10th: Glenn Chappelear, Acworth, Ga., five bass, 15-11
10th: Kyle Cortiana, Coweta, Okla., five bass, 15-11
For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.
Wes Logan of Springville, Alabama, earned the day's $500 Simms Big Bass award in the pro division thanks to a 5-pound, 9-ounce bass.
Overall there were 824 bass weighing 1,870 pounds even caught by 180 pros Thursday. The catch included 145 five-bass limits.
Reigning Pennzoil Marine Angler of the Year pro Bryan Thrift of Shelby, North Carolina, weighed a five-bass limit Thursday – his 50th consecutive limit weighed in FLW Tour competition – tying the FLW Tour’s all-time record of 50, set in 2014 by pro Cody Meyer of Auburn, California. Thrift can break the record if he is successful in bringing a limit of bass to the scale Friday.
Richard Littlepage of Cincinnati, Ohio, leads the co-angler division with five bass weighing 13 pounds even, followed by Robert Case III of Point, Texas, who weighed five bass totaling 12-11, good for second place.
The top 10 co-anglers after day one on Lake Cumberland are:
1st: Richard Littlepage, Cincinnati, Ohio, five bass, 13-0
2nd: Robert Case III, Point, Texas, five bass, 12-11
3rd: J.P. Sims, Cookeville, Tenn., five bass, 12-0
4th: Joe Rucker, Nicholasville, Ky., four bass, 11-11
4th: Denver Eaton, Monticello, Ky., five bass, 11-11
6th: Joel Willert, Prior Lake, Minn., five bass, 11-8
7th: Warren Shores, Bulls Gap, N.Y., five bass, 11-6
8th: Pat Eichmann, Nancy, Ky., five bass, 11-4
9th: Wataru Iwahori, Palestine, Texas, five bass, 10-14
10th: Christopher Kanute, Clover, S.C., four bass, 10-12
Rucker earned $250 for the Simms Big Bass award in the co-angler division with a 4-pound, 14-ounce bass.
Overall there were 425 bass weighing 795 pounds, 5 ounces caught by 147 co-anglers Thursday. The catch included 34 five-bass limits.
In FLW Tour competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day, with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers. The full field of 366 anglers competes in the two-day opening round. Co-angler competition concludes following Friday’s weigh-in, while the top 30 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advance to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.
The total purse for the FLW Tour at Lake Cumberland presented by General Tire is more than $930,000. The tournament is hosted by the Somerset Tourist and Convention Commission and the Burnside Tourism Commission.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2018 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of professional bass fishing. The 2018 Forrest Wood Cup will be on Lake Ouachita in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Aug. 10-12 and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.
Anglers will take off at 7 a.m. EDT each morning from General Burnside Island State Park, located at 8801 S. Highway 27, in Burnside, Kentucky. Friday’s weigh-in, April 13, will be held at the park beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s weigh-ins, April 14-15, will also be held at the park, but will begin at 4 p.m.
Prior to the weigh-ins Saturday and Sunday, April 14-15, FLW will host a free Family Fishing Expo at General Burnside Island State Park from noon to 4 p.m. each day. The Expo is a chance for fishing fans to meet their favorite anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, and learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities.
Also for youth, the FLW Foundation’s Unified Fishing Derby will be held at Pulaski County Park, located at 1200 State Highway 3189 in Nancy, Kentucky on Saturday, April 14 from 8:30-10:30 a.m. The event is hosted by FLW Foundation pro Cody Kelley along with other FLW Tour anglers, and is free and open to anyone under the age of 18 and Special Olympics athletes. Rods and reels are available for use, but youth are encouraged to bring their own if they own one. The 1st and 2nd place anglers that catch the biggest fish will be recognized Saturday on the FLW Tour stage, just prior to the pros weighing in.
Television coverage of the FLW Tour at Lake Cumberland presented by General Tire will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) May 23 from Noon-1 p.m. EST. The Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the sport’s top anglers on the FLW Tour on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
Navionics Warm up for Spring April Webinar Line-up
Warm Up for Spring with Our April Webinar Lineup |
| Boat Safer. Fish Smarter. Get ready to catch more fish in 2018 with our April webinars, including tournament tips & tricks, freshwater bass, and inshore saltwater techniques. Visit navionics.com to see the updated webinar schedule. |
| April 12th, 10 PM EDT
Targeting Kelp Bed Calicos Erik Landesfeind |
|
|
|
|
|
| April 24th, 8 PM EDT
Fishing Inshore in the Southeast Capt. Stephen Fields |
|
| April 26th, 8 PM EDT
Breaking Down Your Lake Spring Fishing Terry Baksay |
|
Bassmaster Open Anglers Should Find Arkansas River In Prime Shape For Big Catches
|
|
TABLE ROCK LAKE SET FOR COSTA FLW SERIES CENTRAL DIVISION OPENER
Courtesy of FLW Fishing
BRANSON, Mo. (April 10, 2018) – The top bass anglers from around the region will converge on Table Rock Lake April 19-21 for the Costa FLW Series Central Division opener at Table Rock Lake presented by Lowrance. Hosted by ExploreBranson.com, the event will feature a field of more than 300 competitors and a top award of up to $85,000, including a brand new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard in the Pro Division.
“Table Rock Lake fished better this winter than it has the past few winters,” said FLW Tour pro Jeremy Lawyer of Sarcoxie, Missouri, who finished seventh in the 2016 Costa FLW Series Championship on Table Rock Lake. “The lake is in good shape and the fish are fat and healthy – as healthy as I’ve seen them in a long time. They’re definitely going to do their part in this event.”
Lawyer said due to unseasonably cold weather, anglers will primarily be targeting prespawn bass in this derby.
“When the schedule was first released, I really thought this would be a full-blown sight-fishing tournament,” said Lawyer. “But with snow falling in the area as late as last week, Mother Nature won’t let the lake warm up. I think we’ll see a little bit of sight-fishing, but it won’t be as dominant as in past years.
“It will be anyone’s game because it will be a bank-beating tournament,” continued Lawyer. “There are a lot of bushes in the water and wood for them to get around. We’ve also had a lot of rain, which means more color in the water and better fishing. If the water is gin-clear, it’d be a little tougher, but these fish will really be comfortable and get up shallow.”
Lawyer said a variety of lures will be in play including crankbaits, worms, spinnerbaits and umbrella rigs.
“I think it will take 54 to 55 pounds caught over the three days to win,” said Lawyer. “Someone will have a good 20-pound day to start and then fall back to 14 or 15 the next day. Table Rock is known for not giving them up each day of a tournament, but there’s going to be a lot of limits weighed in. It’s going to be a fun tournament.”
Anglers will take off from Table Rock State Park Marina, located at 380 State Park Marina Road, in Branson, at 6:30 a.m. CDT each day. Thursday and Friday’s weigh-ins will be held at the state park, and will begin at 2:30 p.m. Saturday’s final weigh-in will take place at the Branson Landing, located at 100 Branson Landing, and will begin at 3:30 p.m. All takeoffs and weigh-ins are free to attend and open to the public.
In Costa FLW Series regular-season competition, payouts are based on the number of participants competing in the event. At Table Rock Lake, pros will fish for a top prize of up to $85,000, including a brand new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard if Ranger Cup qualified. Co-anglers will cast for a brand new Ranger Z175 boat with a 90-horsepower Evinrude outboard, and $5,000 if Ranger Cup qualified.
The Costa FLW Series consists of five U.S. divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western – along with the International division. Each U.S. division consists of three regular-season tournaments with competitors vying for valuable points that could earn them the opportunity to compete in the season-ending Costa FLW Series Championship. The 2018 Costa FLW Series Championship is being held Nov. 1-3 on Lake Guntersville in Guntersville, Alabama, and is hosted by the Marshall County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Costa FLW Series on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
Mr. Scan Man
AC Contributor Luke Estel
It’s coming!
I'm not talking about the spawn, although I really look forward to that time of year. I am talking about the post spawn/summer scanning that fishermen do all over the lake.
Side scanning, structure scanning, or whatever you want to call it is getting ready to happen in less than a month. Kentucky Lake is notorious for the scanning gps pirates and other lakes on the TVA also have the same problem.
But I am not going to go into detail about that right now. The trend I see happening is more people scanning and less fishing. Then when tournament time comes the same fishermen fish their spots and they are either gone or they aren’t the quality size they need.
We fishermen are not FISHING!
That’s the whole point is to fish.
I have scanned for days before and then to only get disappointed in my results in the tournament. Yes, scanning is one of the fastest ways to find fish offshore but I believe it is starting to hurt anglers more now than help them.
They are relying too much on what is on their screen.
You hear phrases like this all the time,
“ I scanned several spots and there was no fish on them so I left.” Scanning is not 100% accurate. Bass can actually hide if you didn’t know that already.
The angle at which you drove over can make a difference, maybe the fish were swimming 50 yards away at the time. There are a lot of variables which can help or hurt you while scanning.
The solution is simple.
Try fishing the spot.
Yes, I said fish.
Just because you didn’t see them doesn’t mean that they aren’t there.
Before side scanning was on everyone’s boat, fishermen had to fish their spots to see if they had fish on them.
I believe that getting a bite or two on a spot can elevate your confidence more than just hitting a waypoint on the mega school you just thought you found.
Go back to the basics.
Get out on the lake and go fishing.
You may surprise yourself at what you can actually find just by taking a cast.
April 11 - Costa Countdown to Blastoff with John Byrne & Robbie Digh
AnglersChannel's John Byrne and AC Pro Staffer Robbie Digh Talk about the Santee Cooper Costa Event, the upcoming BFL and Big Bass Tour on Smith Mountain Lake! Check it out!
Knoxville To Host 2019 Bassmaster Classic On The Tennessee River
|
|
Abu Garcia Renews with Collegiate Bass Fishing Series and the Association of Collegiate Anglers
Abu Garcia and the Association of Collegiate Anglers have announced the renewal of their partnership for the 2018 Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series. As a Series partner, Abu Garcia will enjoy a wide range of promotions with collegiate anglers throughout the nation at each of the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series events including being the presenting sponsor of the Cabela’s School of the Year.
A leader in performance and innovation, Abu Garcia continually advances its technology to offer anglers equipment they can trust. Abu Garcia rods and reels are packed with features serious anglers demand to make them more efficient and effective on the water.
“Partnering with the ACA and Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series is exciting,” said Neil Eibeler, CEO of Pure Fishing. “We are committed to providing anglers with the highest quality reels and rods, and this sponsorship demonstrates our dedication to the sport and support for these young competitors.”
Abu Garcia will be a featured sponsor of the Cabela’s Big Bass Bash, as well as the Yamaha Angler Appreciation night casting contest at the Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship. In addition to those aspects, collegiate anglers competing in the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series will have an opportunity to win Abu Garcia Revo reels by catching the big bass of each day, at each of the four events. To qualify to win, the collegiate anglers must catch the daily big bass on a qualifying Abu Garcia reel.
“We are extremely proud to have the continued support of Abu Garcia on board for the 2018 Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series. Their continued support of the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series illustrates their commitment to the young men and women who make up the ACA and college fishing,” said Wade Middleton, President of CarecoTV and Director of the Association of Collegiate Anglers.
Abu Garcia is also proud to support the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Angler with a discount program. To qualify, an angler must be fishing one of the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series events and have a valid college email address. For more details, please email [email protected].
AnglersChannel Insider Podcast Episode 9.2 Featuring Texas Tournament Zone Champ & Texas Share Lunker Winner Stacy Spriggs!
Wrapping up this weeks Podcast Episode's, Chris & Jason get a unique interview with Stacy Spriggs from Huntsville, TX.
Stacy and her Team Partner Clint Wade recently won a Texas Tournament Zone Event with over 37 pounds and a week later Stacy bought a 13.06 Largemouth
to claim the last Texas Sharelunker Legacy Class Bass of 2018. Stacy gives us all the details and the download on how she caught that behemoth and more!
Check it out and Share it with your friends!!
Got Me Under Pressure
Story by Vance McCullough - Photos Courtesy of National Weather Service & Trintec.com
After his big Elite Series win on the St Johns River a couple of years ago, legendary bass pro Rick Clunn said that if he was just staring out in the sport, the first thing he would study is the effect that barometric pressure has on fish behavior.
When the barometer is high, fish stick tight to cover, often tucking beneath matted grass or anything that offers a canopy. They will use sheer water depth as cover when none other is available.
In this situation it becomes important to pick apart the cover with well-placed presentations and give fish a little extra time to react.
When the barometer drops, fish tend to roam farther in search of bait. They may chew the paint off of fast moving lures at these times. Move fast and pick off the aggressive fish in more open water.
You’ve likely heard the old saw: ‘Wind out of the east, fish bite the least. Wind out of the west, fish bite the best. Wind from the north, don’t venture forth. Wind from the south blows the bait in the fish’s mouth.’
While overly simplistic, these old axioms are based on centuries of observation. However, wind direction is not so much the driving force as is the pressure generated by the frontal systems that cause them.
So how do we know what the barometer is doing – without owning a barometer? Sky and wind, especially the changein wind direction give big clues.
High pressure systems move in a clockwise fashion so if the wind switches from NW to N to NE and around to the east over the course of a day or two, then high barometric pressure is dominating the region. And the fish feel the effects. So will anglers as they work hard to pull a few bass from thick cover or deep water.
Low pressure systems, hurricanes being an extreme example, rotate in a counter-clockwise direction. So when the wind dials back from the NW to the W and eventually the south, fish should be playing fast and loose in areas where even a novice can cast without getting hung up.
This is a time when smart anglers don’t waste time dragging a worm or doing anything else slow. You’ve got to strike while the iron is hot, as they say. The best action may come just minutes before a heavy downpour. If you run off the lake before getting wet you may also be leaving behind some fast fishing action. Simms makes clothing for these conditions.
Of course, it’s not worth getting struck by lightning so be smart. Besides, lightning will put fish down and absolutely kill the most aggressive bite, especially in clear water.
John Byrne, owner of AnglersChannel.com, turned me on to a great weather resource – Intellicast.com.
Pilots have to know what the weather is going to do. Many of them trust this site for its dependable, no fluff forecasting. Type in your location and get a local report. You can check historical data and recent observations. There’s even a column on the far right that predicts barometric trends.
I also have, and frequently consult, the My Radar app on my phone. Real time color weather radar. Need I say more?
Fishing so close to the water as we do in kayaks, we learn to rely heavily on our instincts. For all the variables we study and the electronics that help us do so, one of the most important questions can only be answered by making a few casts. And the answer can change without notice - so pay constant attention.
The question is simply: ‘Tight, or loose’?
When I fished Lake El Salto, Mexico with popular Bassmaster Elite Series pro Mike ‘Ike’ Iaconelli, he paid careful attention to determine how tightly the fish were oriented to cover. Once he figured out that they would roll out from their hiding spots and attack a topwater plug he tied-on a popper and put on a show!
Throughout the day Ike kept asking, “So, are they still loose? Or have they tightened up to cover yet?”
The answer depends more on barometric pressure than anything else, though the intensity of sunlight also has an influence. And that answer dictates lure choice, lure placement and pace of retrieve for anglers who are clued-in.
One great indicator that a topwater bite is eminent is the bubble trail left by a lure as it disturbs the surface. If the hemispherical bubbles stay big and ride on the water’s surface for a while, you need to toss a topwater. If not, look deeper.
Call it the ‘broke man’s barometer’.
Another clue would be how high the birds are flying. If they appear as pepper flakes in the stratosphere, the pressure is correspondingly high. If they are low and circling, the fish are probably feeding as well.
No need for expensive weather-measuring equipment. Check the forecast before you go and then trust your instincts while on the water.
And answer that question – “tight, or loose?”
Tight weights and big wins at Bass Champs on Ray Roberts – Scott McDaniel takes the cake topping over 200 teams
| By: Patty Lenderman |
| Blustery conditions greeted 212 teams to fish the second Bass Champs North Region tournament on Ray Roberts April 7, 2018. Nearly $64,000 was up for grabs and the fight for the bite was on. Weights were stacked up tight, but in the end it was Scott McDaniel & Keith Krzeminski who came out on top – by only 4/100ths of a pound!
Air temperatures were already in the 30’s as anglers embarked on their mission to land their fish. The weather service had issued high wind advisories, so for safety reasons everyone was allowed to trailer their boats to launches closer to their fishing spots. The wind velocity was in excess of 25 mph at times, feeling like it was straight off of an ice berg. Adding to this were waves creating white caps and some fog. Vying for protected areas to fish in, the lake may have felt ‘skinny’ for this mass of anglers all shooting for similar areas. Going into the event, Keith Krzeminski knew he would have to leave early to get to a family commitment. Nevertheless, he and Scott McDaniel headed out to catch what they could in the time they had. “It was so cold!”, Keith recalled. “Soon after we got on the water, I checked the weather on my phone. Temperature 33, ‘feels like’ 25. We went to a cove to fish in less than 3’ of water with flukes and chatter baits.” Staying in their first spot for three hours, they put three fish in the boat and one of them was their kicker weighing in at 7.43 lbs. “When Keith got that bite, the fish wrapped around a limb. We started scrambling, fighting the wind, trolling to it, then getting the net under it just before the line broke!” Securing their big fish, they went on hitting four locations, all similar and close to each other. Scott caught a six pounder around 2pm, and that was their 5th fish. Time was ticking, with Keith needing to leave early they only had an hour left to fish. “We just kept at it, and just before we had to wrap it up we caught one more, and was able to cull up six or eight ounces with it.” They locked down their gear and headed to the weigh in site. Scott was the first to weigh in, having a five fish limit of 21.73 pounds. “We figured we had a pretty good chance to win a check, but figured it would take 25 pounds to win.” For the next few hours, Scott watched as everyone else brought in their catch. It was a grueling wait until the scales closed – especially when the top weights were so tight! “I called Keith near the end of the weigh in,” Scott stated. “I told him he wasn’t going to believe this, but we just might win!” As luck would have it, they pulled out the win by an extremely narrow margin to win the guaranteed $20,000 check for 1st place. “To win a tournament like this, as competitive as everyone who fishes Bass Champs is – it is nothing less than a dream come true!” They added “We would like to thank Bass Champs for always looking after everyone’s safety, and allowing us to trailer in this event. Also a special thanks to our wives, for letting us do this thing we love!” The 2nd place winners WT Dyson II and Patrick Jorski headed straight to a protected cove, finding a little shelter to fish in. “It was right off the main lake, with deep water 30-40’ leading into the area,” WT explained. “We stuck to the edges, around 6’ deep, with standing timber, rock and buck brush.” Using a wacky rigged senko, they fished the area thoroughly. “We had four fish in the boat by 10am, weighing around 14 pounds. A few hours went by, and I was waiting to eat a sandwich, but wanted to catch one more before I did.” Switching to deep structure, WT got his bite, landing their 6.94 lb kicker. “We got one more bite after that, around 3pm. I had just adjusted my drag, and when she bit she took off. When I got her turned, she came up then wrapped around a limb, popping the hook out of her mouth. She probably weighed around 5 pounds. If we landed her, we would have won the tournament!” Still in all, they came in with 21.69 lbs to win 2nd place and $5,000. “This is our first year fishing Bass Champs. We had a great day, and practice paid off. We only hope to keep getting better!” 3rd place was won by Don Meek and Merle Little with 20.63 lbs. “We had a great time – Bass Champs always does a good job at these tournaments,” Don exclaimed. “I live on this lake, and feel like I know it pretty good,” Don continued. “With the weather the way it was, I figured everyone would be in or looking for protected areas to be in. Merle and I decided to go to a less obvious spot that had some protection.” It was a stretch of 300 to 400 yards with lay downs, brush and stumps. Using soft plastics and chatter baits, they landed their first fish at 8:15. “We figured out that willow stick-ups were key. If there was a willow stick-up by a stump, you could count on a fish being there!” It took all day to wrap up a limit, then at 3:30 they made their only cull, switching it with their first fish of the day and gaining a pound and a half. They were awarded $4,000 for their finish. Rounding out the top five teams include (4th) Craig Dowis & Michael Vasquez with 19.99 lbs for $3,000, (5th) Pete Brandt and Keith McMillan with 19.90 lbs winning $2,500. The Sportsman’s Auto Bonus (worth over $5,000) went to 6th place Ky Martin and Chris Moore, having 19.22 lbs for another $2,000. Cole and Jeff Massey doubled their 11th place $1,100 winnings with the Skeeter bonus, having 16.27 lbs. They also won the Lowrance and Fun N Sun bonuses. It took 13.02 lbs to win a check in 29 places paid. The last check winners were Tim Brockway and Kevin Dritschler. The biggest bass of the day weighed in at 9.35 lbs, brought in by Jeff Pitrucha and Brad Williams. This catch anchored their 7th place finish with 17.29 lbs, winning $1,500 for their overall finish, another $1,000 for their big bass, plus they won the Abu Garcia and Amphibia bonuses as well. All total there are four qualifying events in each region. The North Region now has two tournaments in the books, and the Anglers of the Year race is well underway. The current top five points leaders are: The next tournament for the North Region will be on Lake Tawakoni on May 19. In the meantime, Bass Champs staff and crew are headed to Lake Belton for another Central Region event.
|
AC Insider Podcast Episode 9.1 Featuring KBF National Champion Dwayne Taff and Kayak Bass Fishing Founder Chad Hoover!
In a crazy cool week of podcast fun and entertainment, we are featuring two episodes this week! Part 1 of this weeks 9th Episode, Hosts Chris & Vance talk to Kayak Bass Fishing National Champion Dwayne Taff. Taff who recently won $100,000 in a two-day Kayak Tournament tells us how he did it and why he loves Kayak Fishing. We also talk to KBF Founder & President Chad Hoover on how this all started and the future of Kayak Bass Fishing! Check it out! Part 2 will air tomorrow!
ELIZABETHTON’S CHAMBERS WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE VOLUNTEER DIVISION EVENT ON SOUTH HOLSTON RESERVOIR
Kingsport’s Blakely Grabs Co-angler Title
BRISTOL, Tenn. (April 9, 2018) – Boater Chip Chambers of Elizabethton, Tennessee, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Volunteer Division event on South Holston Reservoir Saturday after catching five bass weighing 18 pounds, 4 ounces. Chambers earned $6,718 for his win.
“I started out cranking some secondary points for prespawn bass on the lower end of the lake,” said Chambers, who notched his first career win in FLW competition. “They were sitting out in 8 to 12 feet of water just waiting for the conditions to be right to head up and spawn.”
Chambers said he used a Rapala DT6 crankbait, custom painted by Norris Lake Baits, and a CP Custom Baits Series 3 crankbait to catch his fish. Around 10 a.m., a change in the weather made Chambers switch patterns and target fish in deeper water.
“I picked up a Sexy Lavender-colored (Major League Lures) Boom Shad swimbait with a ½-ounce head and moved out to more main-channel points,” said Chambers. “The points had some mud and a mix of clay and chunk rock and I ended up catching two 5-pound smallmouth.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Chip Chambers, Elizabethton, Tenn., five bass, 18-4, $4,718 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Todd Nidiffer, LaFollette, Tenn., five bass, 17-4, $1,859
3rd: Kevin Powers, Unicoi, Tenn., five bass, 17-3, $1,238
4th: Wes Crager, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 16-5, $867
5th: Steve Coleman, Clayton, Ga., five bass, 16-3, $744
6th: Eddie Ball, Newport, Tenn., five bass, 15-13, $651
6th: Craig Powers, Rockwood, Tenn., five bass, 15-13, $1,136
8th: Steven Brady, Woodlawn, Va., five bass, 15-6, $558
9th: Brian Bogart, Jonesborough, Tenn., five bass, 15-2, $496
10th: Jessie Hall, Sweetwater, Tenn., five bass, 14-14, $634
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Craig Powers brought a 6-pound, 4-ounce bass to the scale – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $485.
David Blakely of Kingsport, Tennessee, won the Co-angler Division and $1,959 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 13 pounds, 8 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: David Blakely, Kingsport, Tenn., five bass, 13-8, $1,959
2nd: Colton Bryan, Sevierville, Tenn., four bass, 11-8, $929
3rd: Jose Ramirez, Barbourville, Ky., three bass, 11-2, $526
3rd: Shawn Hudson, Bristol, Va., four bass, 11-2, $526
5th: Chad Ball, Abingdon, Va., four bass, 10-11, $372
6th: Richard Pugh, Knoxville, Tenn., three bass, 10-1, $341
7th: Austin Compton, Raven, Va., four bass, 9-15, $310
8th: Ryan Godsey, Chickamauga, Ga., three bass, 9-6, $279
9th: Cody Hammons, Bluff City, Tenn., four bass, 8-14, $232
9th: Joshua Jernigan, Rocky Top, Tenn., three bass, 8-14, $232
Scott Pittman of Powell, Tennessee, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division weighing in at 6 pounds, 13 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $242.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 18-20 BFL Regional Championship on Lake Norman in Huntersville, North Carolina. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2018 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2018 BFL All-American will be held May 31-June 2 at Cross Lake in Shreveport, Louisiana, and is hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission. 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.
SHEETS MEMORIAL CHRISTIAN SCHOOL WINS BASS PRO SHOPS FLW HIGH SCHOOL FISHING HIGH ROCK LAKE OPEN IN NORTH CAROLINA
LEXINGTON, N.C. (April 9, 2018) – The Sheets Memorial Christian School duo of Brody McCullogh, of Lexington, North Carolina, and Ryan Bame, of Salisbury, North Carolina, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 23 pounds, 4 ounces to win the 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing High Rock Lake Open. The win advanced the team to the 2018 High School Fishing National championship, held June 26-30, on Pickwick Lake in Florence, Alabama.
A field of 34 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from the Southmont Boat Ramp in Lexington. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top three teams on High Rock Lake that advanced to the 2018 High School Fishing National Championship were:
1st: Sheets Memorial Christian School, Lexington, N.C. – Brody McCullogh, Lexington, N.C., and Ryan Bame, Salisbury, N.C., five bass, 23-4
2nd: Holston High School, Damascus, Va.– Mason Steele and Parker Newton, both of Damascus, Va., five bass, 17-9
3rd: South Caldwell High School, Hudson, N.C. – Lane Bailey and Jake Cantrell, both of Granite Falls, N.C., five bass, 16-12
Rounding out the top 10 teams were:
4th: North Carolina Student Angler Federation – Isaac Bost and Panner Bost, both of Kannapolis, N.C., five bass, 16-4
5th: St. Josephs Regional High School, Montvale, N.J. – Eric Bocchino and Michael Bocchino, both of Washington Township, N.J., five bass, 16-2
6th: North Carolina Student Angler Federation – Jeffrey Olson, Harrisburg, N.C., and Brayden Mueller, Moorsville, N.C., five bass, 15-7
7th: Carrol County High School, Hillsville, Va. – Justin Carico, Fancy Gap, Va., and Ashton Frost, Galax, Va., five bass, 14-13
8th: Franklin County High School, Rocky Mount, Va. – Peyton Brown and Ryan Shelton, both of Rocky Mount, Va., five bass 14-4
9th: Piedmont High School, Monroe, N.C. – Ian York, Monroe, N.C., and Ethan Whitley, Marshville, N.C., five bass, 14-2
10th: Badin Bandits – Carson Palmer and Luke Miller, both of Richfield, N.C., five bass, 13-9
Complete results from the event can be found at FLWFishing.com.
The 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing High Rock Lake 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 High School Fishing National Championship. 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 high school bass tournament, the 2018 High School Fishing World Finals, held in conjunction with the National Championship. At the 2017 World Finals more than $60,000 in scholarships and prizes were awarded.
Full schedules and the latest announcements are available at HighSchoolFishing.org and FLWFishing.com.
GUNTERSVILLE’S SUMMERLIN WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE CHOO CHOO DIVISION EVENT ON LEWIS SMITH LAKE
Jasper’s Stephenson Takes Co-angler Title
JASPER, Ala. (April 9, 2018) – Boater Gil Summerlin of Guntersville, Alabama, caught a five-bass limit weighing 16 pounds, 3 ounces, Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Choo Choo Division event on Lewis Smith Lake. For his win, Summerlin earned $4,652.
Summerlin spent the event fishing a long clay point, a few miles from the dam, where he’d caught a good keeper in practice.
“I casted to the same place I’d caught the big one in practice and got hung up on a tree that I didn’t know was there,” said Summerlin, who earned his second career win in BFL competition. “I retrieved my bait, returned to my waypoint and casted back to it and caught a 4-pound spotted bass. It ended up being my magic tree.”
Summerlin said the tree was the only one along the point and was 20 feet deep.
“About every 30 minutes the tree reloaded,” said Summerlin. “They came up schooling on that point all day long until about 11 a.m. We probably caught 40 to 45 fish from that one spot all day.”
Summerlin said that his most productive baits were a Fish Head Spin with a Sexy Shad-colored Big Bite Baits Swimbait and a wacky-rigged green-pumpkin-colored Strike King KVD Perfect Plastic Ocho.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Gil Summerlin, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 16-3, $4,652
2nd: Jeff Kitchens, Auburn, Ala., five bass, 15-8, $2,326
3rd: Mitch Mitchell, Muscle Shoals, Ala., five bass, 14-12, $1,751
4th: David Milsaps, Ranger, Ga., five bass, 14-10, $1,486
5th: Lee Black, Danville, Ala., five bass, 14-1, $930
6th: Todd Lee, Jasper, Ala., five bass, 13-15, $853
7th: Griffin Phillips, Mount Olive, Ala., five bass, 13-14, $697
7th: Danny Shell, Albertville, Ala., five bass, 13-14, $697
7th: Matt Graves, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 13-14, $697
10th: Jake Roberson, Tuscumbia, Ala., five bass, 13-10, $543
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Scott Wright of Carbon Hill, Alabama, brought a 4-pound, 10-ounce bass to the scale – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $685.
Justin Stephenson of Jasper, Alabama, won the Co-angler Division and $2,288 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 14 pounds, 4 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Justin Stephenson, Jasper, Ala., five bass, 14-4, $2,288
2nd: William Ryan, Jasper, Ala., five bass, 13-15, $1,144
3rd: Brian Warfel, Woodbridge, Va., five bass, 12-10, $862
4th: Tyler Power, Birmingham, Ala., five bass, 12-7, $534
5th: Larry Hughes, Summertown, Tenn., five bass, 11-11, $458
6th: Larry McNeil, Huntsville, Ala., five bass, 11-10, $419
7th: Daniel Douglas, Meridianville, Ala., five bass, 11-9, $431
8th: Jody Moore, Hixson, Tenn., five bass, 11-7, $343
9th: Josh Clark, Logan, Ala., four bass, 11-2, $305
10th: Michael Park, Birmingham, Ala., four bass, 11-1, $267
Leandra McClendon Jr. of Trussville, Alabama, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division weighing in at 4 pounds, 13 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $332.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 25-27 BFL Regional Championship on Lake Chickamauga in Dayton, Tennessee. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2018 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2018 BFL All-American will be held May 31-June 2 at Cross Lake in Shreveport, Louisiana, and is hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission. 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.
NORTHEASTERN STATE UNIVERSITY WINS YETI FLW COLLEGE FISHING EVENT ON LAKE TEXOMA
DENISON, Texas (April 9, 2018) – The Northeastern State University team of Cody Metzger of Wagoner, Oklahoma, and Blayke Haggard of Gans, Oklahoma, won the YETI FLW College Fishing event on Lake Texoma on Sunday with a five-bass limit weighing 19 pounds, 4 ounces. The victory earned the Riverhawk bass club $2,600 and a spot in the 2019 FLW College Fishing National Championship.
The duo said that they spent the day targeting smallmouth bass on main-lake points, about 5 to 8 miles away from the takeoff ramp at Highport Marina.
“We were wearing short sleeves in practice, but the temperature dropped to 32 degrees the morning of the tournament,” said Metzger, a senior majoring in criminal justice. “We knew that fishing for largemouth were going to be tough, so we decided to target the smallmouth.”
“We focused on the points where the wind was blowing the hardest, fishing the mid to southeastern areas of the lake,” said Haggard, a sophomore majoring in cellular and molecular biology. “We had five or six points that we rotated through that all looked very similar, fishing in 4 to 10 feet.”
The Riverhawk club cited citrus shad-colored Bandit 200 crankbaits and a prototype Bandit squarebill crankbait as their most productive lures. They said that they caught 10 to 12 keepers.
“I think our timing was really key,” Metzger said. “The key was finding the right spots and then sticking it out to find a couple of good bites. A couple of people were fishing next to us, but they weren’t staying long enough. It had to be at the right time.”
“We had great execution,” Haggard went on to say. “I caught a 4-pounder early, then three casts later Cody put a 3½-pounder in the boat. Those early fish clued us in that we were doing the right thing. It also helped that we didn’t lose any fish, all day.”
The top 10 teams on Lake Texoma that advanced to the 2019 College Fishing National Championship are:
1st: Northeastern State University – Cody Metzger, Wagoner, Okla., and Blayke Haggard, Gans, Okla., five bass, 19-4, $2,400
2nd: Louisiana Tech University – Spencer White and Greg Herman, both of Minden, La., five bass, 18-14, $1,000
3rd: Colorado State University-Pueblo – Danielle Dupont and Austin Miles, both of Pueblo, Colo., five bass, 18-6, $500
4th: University of Louisiana-Monroe – Jacob Andrews, Monroe, La., and Luke O’Neal, Madisonville, La., five bass, 18-0, $500
5th: University of Arkansas – Samuel Meaders, Fayetteville, Ark., and Kyle Jessie, Pearcy, Ark., five bass, 17-15, $500
6th: Northeastern State University – Caleb Gibson and Tyler Winn, both of Tahlequah, Okla., five bass, 17-14
7th: Southern Arkansas University – Drake Vines, El Dorado, Ark., and Reed Barham, Hope, Ark., five bass, 17-10
8th: Oklahoma State University – Rhett Meyer, Stilwell, Okla., and Jake Biram, Tulsa, Okla., five bass, 17-4
9th: Tarleton State University – Hayden Pittman, Bergheim, Texas and Jarrett Robertson, Kerrville, Texas, five bass, 17-3
10th: University of Louisiana-Monroe – Hunter Freeman, Monroe, La., and Wesley Banks, Calhoun, La., five bass, 17-1
Complete results for the entire field can be found at FLWFishing.com.
The YETI FLW College Fishing event on Lake Texoma was hosted by the Denison Area Chamber of Commerce, and was the second of three regular-season qualifying tournaments for Southern Conference anglers in 2018. The next YETI FLW College Fishing event takes place April 21, when Northern Division anglers compete at the YETI FLW College Fishing event at Smith Mountain Lake in Bedford, Virginia.
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 2018 FLW College Fishing National Championship will take place May 30-June 1 on the Red River in Shreveport, Louisiana, and is hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission & Red River Waterway Commission.
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.
Stanfill & Abbott win Carolina Bass Challenge with over 23 pounds!! on Lake Greenwood
Courtesy of CBC:
The 3rd stop for the CBC Trail in SC was at Lake Greenwood April 7th launching from the Greenwood State Park! Cool and wet weather was with us the whole day but it was still a good day on the water for some! The CBC pays back $11,000.00 above the entry fees!
Bobby Stanfill & Shane Abbott go in on some the Skeeter action with 5 bass weighing 23.82 lbs good for 1st Place and the 1st Skeeter Bonus! They took home $12,000.00!
Barry Holloman & Joey Bramlett claimed the 2nd Skeeter Bonus plus 2nd place money with 5 bass weighing 21.63 lbs! They also weighed in the BF of the day at 7.26 lbs. All total Barry & Joey pocketed $7,000.00!
Scott Farmer & Samuel Freeman took 3rd with 5 bass weighing 19.08 lbs and they earned $2,000.00!
Cole Winn & Lee Sawyer grabbed the 3rd Skeeter Bonus with their 4th Place bag weighing up at 19.04 lbs! They took home $3,500.00!
Even Weaver & Tripp Clark rounded out the top 5 with a limit weighing 17.86! They collected $1,000.00!
The 4th Skeeter Bonus went to Derek Smithson & Chad Pennell with a limit totaling up to $16.16 lbs! They received $1,600.00!
Complete Results:
| Place | Team Name | Team # | #Fish | Weight | Big Fish | Points | Winnings | Winnings | Winnings |
| 1 | Bobby Stanfill - Shane Abbott | 79 | 5 | 23.82 | 5.89 | 310 | $8,000.00 | $4,000.00 | $12,000.00 |
| 2 | Barry Holloman - Joey Bramlett | 28 | 5 | 21.63 | 7.26 | 309 | $3,000.00 | $3,000.00 | $7,000.00 |
| 3 | Scott Farmer - Samuel Freeman | 46 | 5 | 19.08 | 0 | 308 | $2,000.00 | $2,000.00 | |
| 4 | Cole Winn - Lee Sawyer | 82 | 5 | 19.04 | 0 | 307 | $1,500.00 | $2,000.00 | $3,500.00 |
| 5 | Evan Weaver - Tripp Clark | 27 | 5 | 17.86 | 5.67 | 306 | $1,000.00 | $1,000.00 | |
| 6 | J.w. Smith - Jonathan Sutton | 1 | 5 | 17.08 | 7.09 | 305 | $800.00 | $800.00 | |
| 7 | Derek Smithson - Chad Pennell | 52 | 5 | 16.16 | 6.27 | 304 | $600.00 | $1,000.00 | $1,600.00 |
| 8 | Michael Murphy - Kevin Sanders | 89 | 5 | 16.06 | 5.9 | 303 | $500.00 | $500.00 | |
| 9 | Wayne Frierson - Ronnie Mueller | 50 | 5 | 15.26 | 0 | 302 | $475.00 | $475.00 | |
| 10 | Kenny Brice - Kenny Fenters | 98 | 5 | 15.14 | 0 | 301 | $425.00 | $425.00 | |
| 11 | Rodney Cromer - Roger Farr | 32 | 5 | 14.95 | 0 | 300 | $375.00 | $375.00 | |
| 12 | James Clements - Steve Taylor | 69 | 5 | 14.68 | 0 | 299 | $350.00 | $350.00 | |
| 13 | Vinson Blanton - Randy Settle | 78 | 5 | 14.49 | 7.09 | 298 | $300.00 | $300.00 | |
| 14 | Marty Quesada - guy dana | 39 | 5 | 14.28 | 0 | 297 | $250.00 | $250.00 | |
| 15 | Alan Fletcher - Donald Hinson | 19 | 5 | 14.23 | 0 | 296 | $225.00 | $225.00 | |
| 16 | Albert Darminio - Steve Harris | 71 | 5 | 14.22 | 0 | 295 | $200.00 | $200.00 | |
| 17 | Thomas Vickers - Brian Huskins | 44 | 5 | 13.92 | 0 | 294 | |||
| 18 | Gary Atkinson - Troy Buffington | 8 | 5 | 13.84 | 0 | 293 | |||
| 19 | Tim McKinney - Yurgen Harter | 20 | 5 | 13.73 | 4.02 | 292 | |||
| 20 | Rusty Bullard - Eric Martin | 83 | 5 | 13.56 | 0 | 291 | |||
| 21 | Kevin Chandler - Bradley Chandler | 10 | 5 | 12.79 | 0 | 290 | |||
| 22 | Keith Porter - Tony Price | 2 | 5 | 12.72 | 0 | 289 | |||
| 23 | Justin Stoltzfus - Matthew Benge | 41 | 5 | 12.52 | 0 | 288 | |||
| 24 | Donald Poteat - Larry Yancey | 63 | 3 | 12.36 | 6.47 | 287 | |||
| 25 | Kevin Rake - terry morris | 75 | 5 | 12.28 | 0 | 286 | |||
| 26 | Eric Jeter - Darren Jeter | 30 | 5 | 12.25 | 0 | 285 | |||
| 27 | Jesus Loaces - Tracy Mccready | 43 | 5 | 12.16 | 0 | 284 | |||
| 28 | Sam Hopkins - Craig Matthews | 93 | 5 | 12.05 | 0 | 283 | |||
| 29 | jesse brooks - ross parris | 60 | 5 | 11.98 | 0 | 282 | |||
| 30 | Robert Wood - Justin Wood | 12 | 5 | 11.96 | 0 | 281 | |||
| 31 | Rob Ross - Lee Morris | 34 | 5 | 11.89 | 0 | 280 | |||
| 31 | Russ Padgett - Meredith Havird | 80 | 5 | 11.89 | 0 | 280 | |||
| 33 | Blake Wright - Greg Wright | 100 | 5 | 11.87 | 0 | 278 | |||
| 34 | John Allen - Scott Stallings | 94 | 5 | 11.85 | 0 | 277 | |||
| 35 | Dennis Reedy - Jeffrey Thomas | 16 | 5 | 11.84 | 3.87 | 276 | |||
| 36 | Larry Parker - Glenn Altman | 6 | 5 | 11.81 | 0 | 275 | |||
| 37 | Deron Donohoo - Davey Thomas | 35 | 5 | 11.65 | 0 | 274 | |||
| 38 | Justin Harvey - Michael Sprouse | 3 | 5 | 11.59 | 0 | 273 | |||
| 39 | Michael Smith - Joshua Queen | 54 | 5 | 11.4 | 0 | 272 | |||
| 40 | Toby Keisler - Bill Wilson | 48 | 5 | 11.38 | 0 | 271 | |||
| 41 | Allen Eaker - Jason Eaker | 70 | 5 | 11.25 | 0 | 270 | |||
| 42 | Terry Odom - Freddie Gibbs | 96 | 5 | 11.17 | 0 | 269 | |||
| 43 | Bo Chappell - Judy Chappell | 61 | 5 | 10.99 | 0 | 268 | |||
| 44 | Chase Stewart - Andrew Allen | 88 | 5 | 10.88 | 0 | 267 | |||
| 45 | Glenn Gentry - Shannon Jordan | 23 | 5 | 10.62 | 0 | 266 | |||
| 46 | Roger Hoover - Scott Hamrick | 72 | 5 | 10.52 | 0 | 265 | |||
| 47 | Rodney Bell - Tommy Jones | 15 | 4 | 10.42 | 5.28 | 264 | |||
| 48 | Tommy Williams - Thomas Hardwick | 53 | 5 | 10.37 | 0 | 263 | |||
| 49 | Stan Gunter - Kevin Ashley | 91 | 5 | 10.36 | 0 | 262 | |||
| 50 | Greg Rikard - Norm Attaway | 99 | 5 | 10.35 | 0 | 261 | |||
| 51 | Travis Parrish - rodney tapp | 64 | 5 | 10.33 | 0 | 260 | |||
| 52 | JESS WHITE - Hunter Spivey | 59 | 5 | 10.32 | 0 | 259 | |||
| 53 | Craig Opperman - Joseph E. Vaughn Jr. | 86 | 5 | 10.12 | 0 | 258 | |||
| 54 | Gary Avery - Mike Goodman | 58 | 5 | 10.06 | 0 | 257 | |||
| 55 | leonard moore - Ronnie Crapps | 97 | 5 | 10.05 | 0 | 256 | |||
| 56 | Kenny hollingsworth - Gerald Owen | 14 | 5 | 9.88 | 0 | 255 | |||
| 57 | Tim Chapman - Marcus Leech | 36 | 5 | 9.65 | 0 | 254 | |||
| 58 | Steve Christie - Sammy Freeman | 17 | 5 | 9.64 | 0 | 253 | |||
| 59 | Sammie Grier - David Strickland | 33 | 5 | 9.42 | 0 | 252 | |||
| 60 | Robbie Harrelson - Justin Barfield | 92 | 5 | 9.18 | 0 | 251 | |||
| 61 | Chris Morris - Clint Postell | 42 | 5 | 8.6 | 0 | 250 | |||
| 62 | Todd Gambrell - Brandt Tumberg | 24 | 5 | 8.56 | 0 | 249 | |||
| 63 | Winkey Watford - scotty mixon | 9 | 4 | 8.31 | 0 | 248 | |||
| 64 | Perry Banks - Corey Banks | 49 | 5 | 7.84 | 0 | 247 | |||
| 65 | chris miller - Joey Miller | 13 | 3 | 6.75 | 0 | 246 | |||
| 66 | todd sinclair - Jeff Horton | 51 | 3 | 6.64 | 0 | 245 | |||
| 67 | Larry Mckissick - Larry Boykin | 90 | 3 | 6.42 | 0 | 244 | |||
| 68 | Wesley Bray - Tommy Purvis | 21 | 2 | 5.9 | 0 | 243 | |||
| 69 | Terry Thomas - David Kneece | 29 | 3 | 5.75 | 0 | 242 | |||
| 70 | Thomas King - Clayton King | 5 | 3 | 5.58 | 0 | 241 | |||
| 71 | Larry Moss - Michelle McLain | 26 | 3 | 4.36 | 0 | 240 | |||
| 72 | Juddie Revels | 77 | 1 | 4.1 | 0 | 239 | |||
| 73 | James 007 Bond - gerald bennett | 38 | 2 | 3.57 | 0 | 238 | |||
| 74 | Kipton Burba - Kiwon Anderson | 45 | 2 | 3.51 | 0 | 237 | |||
| 75 | Bradley Formby - David Miller | 68 | 1 | 2.33 | 0 | 236 | |||
| 76 | Robert Murdock - Jason Moyer | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 235 | |||
| 76 | Jimmy Bass - Johnny Houser | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 235 | |||
| 76 | randy moss - John parker | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 235 | |||
| 76 | Michael Williams - Kevin Richbourg | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 235 | |||
| 76 | Michael Fuller - Chris Morris | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 235 | |||
| 76 | Brad Nappier - Nathan Luke | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 235 | |||
| 76 | Amy Faulkner - Kenneth Broome | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 235 | |||
| 76 | James Cook - Justin Hallman | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 235 | |||
| 76 | Steve Wicker - Cameron Kaihara | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 235 | |||
| 76 | George Lauster - Bryan Tilly | 47 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 235 | |||
| 76 | Wesley Cashwell - Shane Doughtie | 55 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 235 | |||
| 76 | Ryan Raley - Mike Raley | 56 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 235 | |||
| 76 | Chris Coxey - Stacey James | 57 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 235 | |||
| 76 | Alton Rockett - Robert Kale | 62 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 235 | |||
| 76 | Jonathon Peeler - Colt Peeler | 65 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 235 | |||
| 76 | BRENT bartman - Ben Smith | 66 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 235 | |||
| 76 | Jason McClendon - Chad Griffin | 67 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 235 | |||
| 76 | Jason Miles - Andy Rutledge | 73 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 235 | |||
| 76 | Mike Boatright - Gary Angel | 74 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 235 | |||
| 76 | Gary Elenbark - Curtis Williams | 76 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 235 | |||
| 76 | Brian Randolph - Ronald Moss | 81 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 235 | |||
| 76 | Daryl Watson - Ken McFarland | 84 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 235 | |||
| 76 | Kiel Kelly - Chuck Whittaker | 85 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 235 | |||
| 76 | Darrin Albertson - Terri Albertson | 87 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 235 | |||
| 76 | Sean Anderson - George Berry | 95 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 235 |
Chase Stewart Wins American Bass Anglers AFT-D96 Event on Laker Greenwood!
The day started out at 39 degrees with a 15 mph NNE wind. At the 3pm weigh-in it was 60 degrees with a light NE wind. Cloudy and cold until 12 noon when the sun came out and the wind laid down to 5 to 10 mph.
There were 24 anglers fishing this Division 96 1-day qualifier tournament out of Greenwood State Park near Ninety Six, SC.
First place, Chase Stewart had 5 fish weighing 15.31 pounds. Chase was fishing the middle and lower parts of the lake and caught some of his fish early on a chatterbait and the rest bed fishing. The combined payback for first place and first place option pot earned Chase $725 with the first place trophy.
Paul Selle was second with 5 fish weighing 14.92 pounds. He caught some of his fish early on the lower part of the lake with a swimbait and then went to the upper part for the remainder of his limit fishing a shakey head and a chatterbait. Paul took home the second place trophy and $445 for second place, second place option pot.
Andrew Allen took third place with 5 fish weighing 13.08 pounds. He had a kicker fish of 4.12 pounds to anchor his limit. Andrew won third place trophy and $123.
Fourth place was Wayman Coleman with 4 fish weighing 11.47 pounds. Wayman won a $94 for his fourth place finish.
Fifth place and ALX Rod Big Fisn Winner was James Stone with 3 fish weighing 10.53 that included the tournament big fish at 6.89 pounds. James won $120 for Big fish and a $25 Gift Certificate from Wolfstone Tungsten for fifth place.
The next D-96 tournament for the 2018 season is May 20, 2018 on Clarks Hill Lake out of the Dorn Facility near McCormick, SC.
Here’s how we finished:
|
Timothy Hatcher and Shane Underwood win 2018 Alabama Bass Trail Lake Eufaula South Event!
by Dan O’Sullivan
April 8, 2018 – Eufaula, Ala. – Once known as the Big Bass Capital of the World, Lake Eufaula has shown repeatedly that it is still an impressive fishery. Home to many historical tales and legendary bass fishing industry companies, Eufaula has been fishing very well of late, with big bags being the norm at events for much of the spring.
Word in the week leading up to the third event of the 2018 Alabama Bass Trail’s Southern Division schedule was that an expected cold front was going to knock the fishing back a bit. Many anglers thought that the overall weights would be lower.
Eufaula and the 225 boat strong ABT Southern Division field proved that prognosticators were not very good at prognosticating.
The team of Timothy Hatcher and Shane Underwood produce five quality largemouth on a cold, rainy day at Eufaula that weighed 27.41 pounds and took home the victory along with the $10,000 winner’s prize this week. The team from Leeds and Trussville, Ala. used a strategy that revolved around the shad spawn early from Lakepoint to Town Creek, then probing brushpiles from White Oak to the dam as the day wore on.
They said a pair of jigs was the key. “We used a white Fat Daddy swim jig with a Reaction Innovations Twerk trailer during the shad spawn, and switched to a 5/8-ounce brown and blue Fat Daddy’s casting jig with a Twerk trailer on the brushpiles in the afternoon’ we were truly blessed.”
The pair reported that their main action was spread apart by a few hours. “We caught three of fish that we weighed out of the grass during the shad spawn – a big one and two four pounders on the swim jig,” they said. “We had a couple other small fish as well, but culled them with our big fish ( a 7.15) and another five pounder down lake around one o’clock, and that was the end of our day; we had fun, and excited to be standing here having won the tournament.”
Austin Lang and Michael Vinson from Dothan and Enterprise, Ala. came into the event with high expectation having won a tournament on the lake a week early. They were able to continue producing quality bites, but the big fish they needed never showed up. “We caught good ones until about 11:30, and had one bite that felt really good, but it pulled of before we ever got a chance to see it,” they said. “We were deep cranking for postspawn fish on offshore structure in the lower third of the lake; the wind changed directions midday and our bite absolutely shut off.” They reported making a 20-minute run first thing and using a minimum of six different colors of Strike King 5XD and 6XD crankbaits to produce their limit; they took home $5,000 for their efforts.
The team of John Skipper and Jeremy Headley finished the day in third place with a 25.19-pound limit that earned them $4,000. The Mountain Dew Big Bass of the Tournament went to the Georgia based team of Bill Cook and Trent Adams. The 8.83-pound largemouth anchored their 19.41-pound limit and earned them the $500 big bass bonus prize.
The Top 10 Standings are below, for complete standings visit: http://www.alabamabasstrail.org/tournament-series/le-results/
| Place | Team | Weight | Big Fish | Winnings |
| 1 | Timothy Hatcher / Shane Underwood | 27.41 | 7.15 | $10,000 |
| 2 | Austin Lang / Micheal Vinson | 25.40 | $5,000 | |
| 3 | John Skipper / Jeremy Headley | 25.19 | $4,000 | |
| 4 | Foster Bradley / Clint Ellis | 22.49 | $3,000 | |
| 5 | Shane Horton / Brandon Horton | 22.08 | 7.84 | $2,000 |
| 6 | Marc Frazier / John Nolan | 21.17 | $1,500 | |
| 7 | Nolan Brannan / Angel Garcia | 20.94 | $1,100 | |
| 8 | Les Bratcher / Larry McDonald | 20.82 | 6.61 | $1,100 |
| 9 | Nicholas Turner / Joe Lay | 20.77 | $1,100 | |
| 10 | Steven Morris / Matt Vanzant | 20.56 | $1,100 |
Lew’s Selects Murski-Breeding as Sales Agency for MINK, SE and TALO Regions
Springfield, MO (April 9, 2018) - Legendary fishing tackle manufacturer Lew’s Fishing has announced that they have entered into an agreement with Dallas, TX based sales agency Murski-Breeding Sales to represent their business in the extremely important MINK, TALO and SE regions.
Murski-Breeding Sales has served the fishing and hunting industries for more than sixty years and with a stout staff which covers the entire eastern half of the U.S.
The headquarters of some the largest retailers in the outdoor space, including Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Academy Sports & Outdoors reside in these territories. In addition, the Southeast region is the heart of the bass fishing universe so effective representation is critical to success to any company in the fishing realm.
Murski-Breeding Sales has been associated with Strike King Lure Company (which Lew’s Holdings Corp. acquired in late 2017) for over thirty years, so it makes sense that Lew’s would go this direction.
Lew’s CEO Gary Remensnyder echoed this sentiment: “The relationship between Murski-Breeding and Strike King spans for decades. We are excited to now have the team at Murski-Breeding also represent the Lew’s brand in the key TALO, MINK and SE territories.”
Matt Breeding, President of Murski-Breeding Sales, stated that this relationship is exciting for him both professionally and personally. “My first day working for Ray Murski over 27 years ago was at the Lew’s/Browning Fishing sales meeting, and I can’t tell you how excited the Murski-Breeding team is to partner with the team at Lew’s. Combining the strengths of Lew’s and Strike King while capitalizing on the many synergies that can already exist, should pave the pathway for continued growth of these iconic industry brands.”
ABOUT Lew’s Fishing
Lew's is a Springfield, Missouri based supplier of fishing equipment and tackle. The Company supplies branded fishing reels, rods, and related accessories through the mass market, sporting goods, and specialty outdoor channels. For further information about Lew’s, please visit www.lews.com.
CHARLIE GANTENBEIN & CLYDE GLENN TOP 171 TEAMS ON BELTON WITH OVER 20 POUNDS AND WIN $10,000
WINNERS - Charlie Gantenden & Clyde Glenn
2nd PLACE - Scott Meads / Tom Gridley
3RD PLACE - Craig Cordova / Shawn Tamez
Complete Results:
| 1 | CHARLIE GANTENBEIN | CLYDE GLENN | 5 | 7.45 | 20.15 | $10,000 |
| 2 | SCOTT MEADS | TOM GRIDLEY | 5 | 19.99 | $5,000 | |
| 3 | SHAWN TAMEZ | CRAIG CORDOVA | 5 | 6.69 | 18.77 | $3,500 |
| 4 | STAN GERZENYI | MICHAEL PERKINS | 5 | 7.40 | 18.45 | $1,500 |
| 5 | CRIS TATUM | JUSTIN TATUM | 5 | 6.83 | 18.00 | $1,250 |
| 6 | CHARLES WHITED | BILL POLKINGHORN | 5 | 17.67 | $1,000 | |
| 7 | THOMAS HOWE | PHILIP THOMPSON | 5 | 17.61 | $900 | |
| 8 | BILL GUZMAN | TIM STEWART | 5 | 6.22 | 17.13 | $800 |
| 9 | RONNIE GRIGGS | RUSSELL MATHIS | 5 | 16.55 | $700 | |
| 10 | RONNY MAYNARD | ERIC CRUMLEY | 5 | 7.47 | 16.50 | $600 + $1,710 Big Bass |
| 11 | DAVID ACHILLES | JOHN MILLS | 5 | 16.11 | $550 | |
| 12 | GARRETT NELSON | JUSTIN POLLEI | 5 | 15.89 | $500 | |
| 13 | RANDY GROUNDS | LEE BEUERSHAUSEN | 5 | 15.74 | $450 | |
| 14 | BILLY FORD | WILLIAM LYNCH | 5 | 15.67 | $400 | |
| 15 | JOSH COX | KEN BAILEY | 5 | 15.59 | $350 | |
| 16 | TOM LORDEN | ANDY ZAVALA | 5 | 15.16 | $350 | |
| 17 | BRANDON DAY | CADE WILSON | 5 | 15.07 | $300 | |
| 18 | LYNN PIERCE | TERRY HALL | 5 | 14.74 | $300 | |
| 19 | BRUCE MARTIN | 5 | 14.52 | |||
| 20 | MICHAEL ROBERTS | BOBBY AMIDON | 5 | 14.37 | ||
| 21 | BRIAN BUSTILLOZ | MICHAEL PROVENZANO | 5 | 14.33 | ||
| 22 | BARRY MOTT | MATT HILL | 5 | 14.19 | ||
| 23 | ALLEN GASS | JASON STAFFORD | 5 | 14.07 | ||
| 24 | KEVIN THRESS | JUSTIN MAY | 5 | 14.03 | ||
| 25 | CRAIG BULLOCK | DAVID BARATZ | 5 | 13.96 | ||
| 26 | DUSTIN SMITH | JARED SMITH | 5 | 3.95 | 13.94 | |
| 27 | THOMAS WELLS JR | BJ CAROTHERS | 5 | 13.66 | ||
| 28 | EDWARD HASHBARGER | ROWDI BIZZELL | 5 | 13.63 | ||
| 29 | JESSE RIVERA | MARK RIBERA | 5 | 13.55 | ||
| 30 | JAMES HESTER | DAVID SHUSTER | 5 | 13.48 | ||
| 31 | TAMMY SMITH | BRENT SMITH | 5 | 13.33 | ||
| 32 | MARK BENNETT | CASEY BENNETT | 5 | 13.21 | ||
| 32 | GARRETT SHEPPERD | GREG SHEPPERD | 5 | 13.21 | ||
| 34 | JOSHUA PRICE | ASHER PRICE(Y) | 5 | 13.19 | ||
| 35 | TODD IVINS | COLT DIETZ | 5 | 13.15 | ||
| 36 | CHISOLM CARRUTH | 5 | 13.08 | |||
| 37 | MANDI GLASS | LANDON GLASS | 5 | 12.94 | ||
| 38 | MICHAEL WERSIG | MARK WERSIG | 5 | 12.93 | ||
| 39 | JARROD SANDERS | MICHAEL WALDROP | 5 | 12.92 | ||
| 39 | RONNIE MATHIS | DON SCHUETZE | 5 | 12.92 | ||
| 41 | JAMES VALCHAR | MICHAEL HARRIS(Y) | 5 | 12.83 | ||
| 42 | TRENT BLAKE | BEAU REED | 5 | 12.81 | ||
| 43 | JJ LARSON | JASON LARSON | 5 | 12.76 | ||
| 44 | JOHN WARD | DAVID BUECHE | 5 | 12.71 | ||
| 45 | BRANDON MCQUEEN | GARRETT HENNIG | 5 | 12.51 | ||
| 46 | BRET GIFFORD | BILL STEARNS | 5 | 12.44 | ||
| 47 | TERRY ROBERTS | JAMES COTTINGHAM | 5 | 12.28 | ||
| 48 | JARRETT RABROKER | LOGAN COUCAL | 5 | 12.10 | ||
| 49 | JAMES CANTWELL | RANDEL CANTWELL | 5 | 11.98 | ||
| 50 | DAVID FULLER | RUSSELL TRUITT | 5 | 5.35 | 11.95 | |
| 51 | DAN TAYLOR | ERIC FIDDLER | 5 | 11.94 | ||
| 52 | SCOTT ROSS | MICHAEL FREEMAN | 5 | 11.89 | ||
| 53 | JOHN-MICHAEL DUNAWAY | DEREK TAYLOR | 5 | 11.88 | ||
| 54 | KWEN KARR | GEORGE LITTON | 5 | 11.82 | ||
| 55 | CHRISTOPHER WASHINGTON | JARRID HOHENSEE | 5 | 11.78 | ||
| 56 | MATT CANNON | JARED SIEGELER | 5 | 11.77 | ||
| 57 | DANNY LANGLEY | BRET STAFFORD | 5 | 11.72 | ||
| 58 | DONNIE O'NEAL | KENNETH MCDONNEL | 5 | 11.66 | ||
| 59 | KEVIN MASON | CHUCK SEWELL | 4 | 4.78 | 11.64 | |
| 60 | ROBERT SCOTT | SHAWN VICKERS | 5 | 11.60 | ||
| 61 | JAMIE SLAYDEN | BRANDON HOUSTON | 5 | 11.50 | ||
| 62 | MATTHEW YEZAK | 5 | 11.47 | |||
| 63 | CHRIS WOEHL | CHRIS CLEMENTS | 5 | 11.46 | ||
| 64 | ERIC GARCIA | ANTHONY GARCIA | 5 | 11.35 | ||
| 65 | JOHN BOURLAND | RODNEY THOMPSON | 5 | 11.32 | ||
| 66 | TREY GROCE | JOE BILL HALE | 5 | 11.30 | ||
| 67 | MIKE CEARLEY | DERON MUELLER JR | 5 | 11.23 | ||
| 68 | ROBBIE THORSTEINSON | DAVID REID | 5 | 11.12 | ||
| 69 | GERALD MUELLER | PAT MURPHY | 5 | 11.08 | Pre-Registration Winner!! 2 pairs of Costa Sunglasses | |
| 70 | JAYSON KISSELBURG | DEAN GOLMON | 5 | 11.06 | ||
| 71 | PAYMON HABIB | SAM MORROW | 5 | 5.76 | 11.05 | |
| 72 | TRAVIS MCCOLLOUGH | BOBBY WILSON | 5 | 11.04 | ||
| 72 | BRANDON BRAY | JESSE FRY | 5 | 11.04 | ||
| 72 | LEONARD PHILLIP | HUNTER ARTHUR | 5 | 11.04 | ||
| 75 | DAMON ROSS | DONNIE ROSS | 5 | 10.95 | ||
| 76 | MIKE RICHARDSON | ANDREW FOULKROD | 5 | 10.94 | ||
| 77 | SHAE SEALE | LARRY HOLYBEE | 5 | 10.93 | ||
| 78 | ROBERT MILLER | JACKY ROBERTS | 5 | 10.89 | ||
| 79 | TONY THOMPSON | BENNETT COWAN | 5 | 10.81 | ||
| 80 | RICK HAMILTON | TONY MALDONADO | 4 | 10.74 | ||
| 81 | JAY STIDHAM | PATRICK GAMBLE | 5 | 10.61 | ||
| 81 | RYAN BODE | ANDY WHITEHEAD | 5 | 10.61 | ||
| 83 | DAVID DODSON | FRED MCWILLIAM | 5 | 10.54 | ||
| 84 | MICKEY SANDERS | ROGER MEEK | 5 | 10.49 | ||
| 85 | NATHEN LABAY | DONALD HUISENGA | 4 | 10.43 | ||
| 86 | ADRIAN BARNES | DANIEL BARNES | 5 | 10.41 | ||
| 87 | RANDY HIBLER | RANDALL CHRISTIAN | 5 | 10.29 | ||
| 88 | JAMES COMBS | SHANE SHERMAN | 3 | 10.27 | ||
| 88 | PHIL WARREN | BRIAN MATER | 5 | 10.27 | ||
| 90 | ED COLE | BILLY FREEMAN | 5 | 10.24 | ||
| 91 | CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON | DANNY BUHISAN | 5 | 10.21 | ||
| 92 | DANIEL KURTZ | DANIEL WILLIS | 5 | 10.19 | ||
| 93 | DAVID DELGADO | TRENT ERXLEBEN | 3 | 6.91 | 10.10 | |
| 94 | BRYAN COTTER | JUSTIN FISHER | 5 | 10.05 | ||
| 95 | PATRICK ANDERSON | 5 | 10.02 | |||
| 96 | RICHARD GIBSON | DANIEL GIBSON | 5 | 9.94 | ||
| 97 | BRYAN RICHARDS | MAT KEVIL | 5 | 9.93 | ||
| 98 | MICHAEL GLYNN | VICTOR MELLADO | 5 | 9.71 | ||
| 99 | ERIC BRIGMAN | HAROLD MOORE | 5 | 9.58 | ||
| 100 | LOGAN CLARK | MIKE CLARK | 5 | 9.52 | ||
| 101 | RICK BARNDS | MATT STEELE | 5 | 9.47 | ||
| 102 | JOSEPH MAUGHON | DAVION SPILLER(Y) | 4 | 9.38 | ||
| 103 | JASON BUCHANAN | TERRY KIRCUS | 5 | 9.21 | ||
| 103 | LORNE DORNAK | JIMMY LYNN | 5 | 9.21 | ||
| 105 | STEVE VAN MEETEREN | CINDY VAN MEETEREN | 3 | 9.15 | ||
| 105 | GARY SHARP | DUSTIN TRIMUAR | 5 | 9.15 | ||
| 107 | JUSTIN MADDING | STERLING MARTIN | 5 | 9.08 | ||
| 108 | JACOB LONG | ANDER MEINE | 5 | 8.94 | ||
| 109 | RYAN WORMLEY | TONY ACEVEDO | 5 | 8.92 | ||
| 110 | SCOTT SMITH | LANCE RAY | 5 | 8.83 | ||
| 111 | JOSHUA TULLOCK | JOSHUA BINGHAM | 3 | 8.73 | ||
| 112 | GARRETT KOSLAN | MARSHALL KOSLAN | 5 | 8.59 | ||
| 113 | DAVE MANGELSDORF | MATTHEW WHITTINGTON | 5 | 8.45 | ||
| 114 | GREG STEVENS | CHRIS CONNER | 3 | 8.36 | ||
| 115 | FRED CATES | HUDSON CARLTON | 5 | 8.34 | ||
| 116 | ANIBAL GUZMAN | GARY JOHNSON | 5 | 8.31 | ||
| 117 | GUS DUNCAN | JACKIE SPENCER | 5 | 8.16 | ||
| 118 | STEVE HILL | CHARLES DORTCH | 4 | 8.06 | ||
| 119 | PAUL REYNOLDS | BRIAN HOLMES | 5 | 8.02 | ||
| 120 | ROBERT MASTERS | MICHAEL MASTERS | 4 | 7.82 | ||
| 121 | PHILLIP MASSOLETTI | NOEL LOWE | 5 | 7.79 | ||
| 122 | BILLY MCCRARY II | KEITH HEINRICH | 5 | 7.65 | ||
| 123 | WAYNE ALBERTHAL | JAMES WHITE | 4 | 7.55 | ||
| 124 | JUSTIN HUMMEL | LEONARD DEBRASKA | 5 | 7.27 | ||
| 125 | TONY FERDINANDO | SHANE LOGAN | 3 | 6.94 | ||
| 126 | LANDRE WILSON | JIM WILSON | 4 | 6.80 | ||
| 127 | NORM WILSON SR | NORM WILSON JR | 4 | 6.65 | ||
| 128 | CALEB WESTBROOK | WES JOHANNESSEN | 3 | 5.44 | ||
| 129 | CHARLIE GILBERT | DAVID KITCHENS | 3 | 5.36 | ||
| 130 | CHRIS BERTELSON | PEYTON KURIO | 3 | 4.98 | ||
| 131 | JAKE MASSEY | MARTY MASSEY | 3 | 4.55 | ||
| 132 | GERARD RUMSEY | ERIC VASQUEZ | 3 | 4.40 | ||
| 133 | CASON MALONE(Y) | MICHAEL KILE | 1 | 3.24 | ||
| 134 | DAVID WENCIL | 1 | 1.56 | |||
| 135 | JUDY RENEAU | TIM RENEAU | ||||
| 135 | CHAD THIEL | BRUCE DAVIS | ||||
| 135 | MARK MAYNARD | BRET MIRICK | ||||
| 135 | BEVERLY SHEPHERD | STEVE SHEPHERD | ||||
| 135 | DARRELL WUENSCHE | |||||
| 135 | FELLER SMITH | HANK FRY | ||||
| 135 | RONALD SISK | JOHNNY MATTHEWS | Costa Conservation Bonus-two pairs of Costa Sunglasses | |||
| 135 | DON GORDON | JAMES ROBERTS | ||||
| 135 | BUBBA WAMPLER | ROWDY CALVERT | ||||
| 135 | DALE READ | JIM SUNVISON | ||||
| 135 | BOBBY THRASHER | JAMES OLSON | ||||
| 135 | ANDREW SWEET | PHILLIP DOUBEK | ||||
| 135 | CANYON CAROTHERS | ELLIOTT LANHAM | ||||
| 135 | BLAKE WOOLBRIGHT | SAM JONES | ||||
| 135 | MIKE BATES | TYE HEINEMAN | ||||
| 135 | ROBBY PAYNE | |||||
| 135 | DARREL ROUTON | JACK CULBREATH | ||||
| 135 | GROVER CHAMBLISS | JAMES MOORE | ||||
| 135 | BRINTON HASKINS | JOHN ENCISO | ||||
| 135 | DENNIS BOWERS | NATHAN BOWERS(Y) | ||||
| 135 | VINCENT NEAL | TED PATE | ||||
| 135 | TOMMY DURHAM | CLINT MAY | ||||
| 135 | TULLY WILLIAMS | PAT WASHBURN | ||||
| 135 | JEFFREY PIEL | BRANDON KITCHENS | ||||
| 135 | EDDIE PELFREY | DAVID LANDRY | ||||
| 135 | JASON WILLIAMS | ANTHONY SKOUBY | ||||
| 135 | LEE EVANS | WADE MEHAFFEY | ||||
| 135 | KEN WILKINS | RICHIE LAND | ||||
| 135 | BLAIR COBBLE | TERRY COBBLE | ||||
| 135 | ZACHARY HARRIS | ZACKERY PHILLIPS | ||||
| 135 | CHARLES YOUNG | RONNIE ANDREWS | ||||
| 135 | DAVID SAPPINGTON | CLIFTON WATTERS | ||||
| 135 | JOEY MARTIN | JACKIE IKONEN | Shimano Loyalty Program Curado K or Curado Rod | |||
| 135 | MARK BULLOCK | BRYAN GANO | ||||
| 135 | JAMES SCOGIN | ROLAND LOERA | ||||
| 135 | JOEY KIRKLAND | LUPE CONTRERAS | ||||
| 135 | BRYAN FINCH |
Luke Palmer Wins the ABA Ray Scott Championship on the Red River!!
ATHENS, Ala. – The 2018 Ray Scott National Championship on the Red River in Shreveport & Bossier City, LA has come to an astonishing close! Throughout challenges and difficult waters, the anglers brought their best to the water for a strong and competitive event.
Angler Luke Palmer of Coalgate, OK finished the event with a strong final day to take home the winning prize from the Red River. He moved up from 8th place after day 3 to take the lead with an overall weight of 38.57 lbs from 16 fish throughout the 4-day event. Palmer took home a new Triton 21 TrX boat, outfitted with a Mercury 250 ProXS motor, MotorGuide trolling motor, and Garmin electronics. He also walked away with a check for $50,000!
“The Lord blessed me and that’s all that matters,” Palmer explained. “I missed good fish all week, but I executed well today. I lost a good one early this morning on a stump, so I let it rest for a while then came back. This time I was able to put her in the boat. She was my biggest fish, and that put my limit to where it was today because I was also able to keep them on the hook to get them in the boat.”
Coming in second for the event is Robert Branagh out of Malabar, FL. Branagh maintained a consistent quality weight of fish each day, totaling out to 36.85 lbs with 20 fish. For the 2nd place effort, he took home a check for $10,000.
“I had a good week,” Branagh said. “After day 1, I had to put my head down. I knew it was going to take a limit every day. I’ve got to thank Aquamarine, Bass Cat, and Halo Rods, as well as the ABA. Without them this would not be possible.”
Finishing in 3rd for the championship event is Billy Graves from Montgomery, LA. Billy totaled 18 fish for the week with a cumulative weight of 36.79 lbs. He was able to take home a $8,000 check for the event.
“It was a hard tournament, but I wish some of the other guys could have been here when the river was good,” stated Graves. “I was making long runs every day to get away from the field. I had some fish down in pool 4 in the jungle that I was going to. The first three days I bounced around from 2 different spots to catch what I brought to the scales. Even though the weather was terrible, day 2 turned out to be the best for me. I was shocked on day 3 when I took the lead with only a 5-pound bag. Today just didn’t pan out because it was so cold.”
The top 10 on the boater side was rounded out by the following anglers:
4th – Josh Cameron of Meridian, MS - 36.71 lbs
5th – John Anderson of McKinney, TX - 35.44 lbs
6th – Terry Peacock of Royse City, TX - 34.11 lbs
7th – Mike Quinlin of Mooresville, IN - 33.97 lbs
8th – Dustin Seaborn of Guin, AL - 32.43 lbs
9th – Scott Dean of Terrell, TX - 31.87 lbs
10th – Tyler Rivet or Raceland, LA - 31.84 lbs
For the coangler side of the championship event, Shane Cashman had a solid final day on the river to come in first place overall. He brought in a total of 9 fish for the week weighing at 19.89 lbs, including a 3.03 lb larger bass. For his first-place win, Cashman took home a new Triton 19 TrX boat, outfitted with a Mercury 200 ProXS motor, MotorGuide trolling motor, and Garmin electronics. He also walked away with a check for $25,000!
“The win is starting to sink in,” Cashman stated after the event. “I was able to talk to my wife and daughter and they are so excited. I knew I was close but didn’t think I would take the lead because I was 4 pounds back. Especially with the way things were this week, and there was a big gap to close. Today was just a fun day of fishing. My boater put me on some good fish. The first bite this morning hit me pretty hard on a spinner bait, which is what I was hoping for, and it gave me the confidence to keep throwing it all day. Catching six keepers, I culled a couple of times. It’s hard to express my feelings right now, but my wife and daughter are ready to see the point and I’m excited to get home.”
Second for the coanglers is Eric Andrews out of Davenport, FL. He managed to bring in 10 fish during the event that totaled 18.77 lbs overall. For being able to finish in second, Andrews took home a check for $5,000.
“I was here for practice and only caught one keeper,” explained Andrews. “I decided to try something different, fishing soft plastics all week long. Caught them on the same bait for the first day, but it didn’t work on day 2 so I changed it up and caught again. I went back and forth between the two the rest of the event.”
Rounding out third place for the coanglers is Herbert Hall out of Harrison, TN. Hall brought in 10 fish during the week for a cumulative total of 18.49 lbs. He also took home a check for $4,000 for his efforts.
“I had good boaters all week that put me on the fish, and I wish I could fish with them again,” stated Hall. “I just enjoyed it. It was a good event.”
The top 10 on the coangler side was rounded out by the following anglers:
4th – Brian Murphy of Sulphur, LA - 17.61 lbs
5th – Jared West of Mont Belvieu, TX - 16.82 lbs
6th – Brian Lasiter of Elba, AL - 16.66 lbs
7th – Sam Fish of Alexander City, AL - 15.80 lbs
8th – Anthony Kashiwsky of Aliquippa, PA - 15.64 lbs
9th – Doug File of Salisbury, NC - 15.50 lbs
10th – Jeffery Sanford of Decatur, AL - 14.99 lbs
The largest bass of the entire event for the boaters was caught by Joseph Hethcoat on the first day with a weight of 5.72 lbs. The big biggest bass of the event for the coanglers was caught by Brian Murphy on day 2, weighing 6.51 pounds.
The field of championship anglers launched out from Red River South Marina at 6:35 am on April 5th and began checking in for weigh-in at 3pm. Look forward to another eventful day of fishing competition on the river as day 2 takes off at daybreak on April 6th.
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 ABA Open Series, the Triton 100% Plus Team Tour, or the American Couples Series, visit www.americanbassanglers.com
MCCOY WINS COSTA FLW SERIES SOUTHEASTERN DIVISION FINALE ON SANTEE COOPER LAKES
Story & Photos Courtesy of FLW Outdoors Staff
Lamar’s Ronnie McCoy Tops 196-Boat Field, Takes Home $93,500 Prize Package
SUMMERTON, S.C. (April 7, 2018) – Pro Ronnie McCoy of Lamar, South Carolina, brought a five-bass limit weighing 26 pounds, 2 ounces, to the weigh-in stage Saturday – his second 26+ pound limit of the tournament – to win the Costa FLW Series Southeastern Division tournament on the Santee Cooper Lakes presented by Bass Pro Shops. McCoy’s three-day total of 15 bass weighing 73 pounds, 8 ounces, was enough to earn him the grand prize package worth $93,500, including a brand new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.
“I fished clean this week, from up in the swamp all the way down to the dam. It was fantastic,” said McCoy, who earned his first career win in Costa FLW Series competition. “I started each morning of the event targeting the shad spawn above the I-95 bridge and would catch a limit weighing around 15 to 18 pounds. From there, I’d fish all day to try and upgrade.”
McCoy said he used a homemade ½-ounce white double willow leaf spinnerbait with a white Black Flagg Slikk Shadd trailer and a white Z-Man/Evergreen Jack Hammer ChatterBait with the same Slikk Shadd trailer to target bass feeding on shad near cypress trees.
Following the morning bite on Thursday, McCoy said he went sight-fishing and ended up catching the largest bass of the tournament.
“I put a 9-pound, 9-ouncer and a 7-pounder in the boat from the same bed in Potato Creek using a Texas-rigged green-pumpkin-colored (Zoom) Road Kill with a ½-ounce tungsten weight,” said McCoy. “I also caught some good ones in Wyboo Creek, but those two big ones were the most important.”
On Friday, McCoy followed the same schedule but was only able to catch two small fish from beds. On championship Saturday, McCoy abandoned sight-fishing altogether and stayed above I-95, fishing the cypress trees to finish out the tournament.
“I was really fortunate to get those two for nearly 18 pounds on Thursday – they anchored my catch this week. I’m just really blessed.”
The top 10 pros on Santee Cooper Lakes finished:
1st: Ronnie McCoy, Lamar, S.C., 15 bass, 73-8, $93,500
2nd: Daniel Howell, Prosperity, S.C., 15 bass, 67-13, $19,500
3rd: Jonathan Canada, Pelham, Ala., 15 bass, 65-2, $14,100
4th: Joey Sabbagha, Prosperity, S.C., 15 bass, 63-14, $12,000
5th: Robert Crosnoe, Inverness, Fla., 15 bass, 60-12, $11,000
6th: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 14 bass, 58-8, $9,300
7th: Kent Ware, Guntersville, Ala., 14 bass, 57-1, $7,800
8th: Mark Hutson, Moncks Corner, S.C., 15 bass, 56-10, $6,800
9th: Buddy Gross, Chickamauga, Ga., 14 bass, 54-9, $5,800
10th: Lex Costas, Daniel Island, S.C., 13 bass, 49-10, $4,400
A complete list of results will be posted at FLWFishing.com
McCoy’s 9-pound, 9-ounce fish that he weighed on Thursday was the biggest of the tournament in the Pro Division. For his catch, McCoy earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $300.
Spencer McNeill of Ladson, South Carolina, won the Co-angler Division and a Ranger Z175 with a 90-horsepower outboard motor. McNeill earned his win with a three-day total catch of 11 bass weighing 42 pounds even.
The top 10 co-anglers on Santee Cooper Lakes finished:
1st: Spencer McNeill, Ladson, S.C., 11 bass, 42-0, $28,200
2nd: Jim Short, Ocean Pines, Md., eight bass, 30-7, $6,050
3rd: Keith Westrick, Dallas, N.C., nine bass, 30-5, $4,800
4th: Mark Lamb, Wake Forest, N.C., eight bass, 29-14, $3,900
5th: Coulby Lewis, Macon, Ga., 10 bass, 29-10, $3,400
6th: James Wegmann, Fruitland Park, Fla., 12 bass, 29-9, $2,900
7th: Gerald Bozeman, Sylvester, Ga., 12 bass, 27-6, $2,400
8th: Brian Scott, Sumter, S.C., nine bass, 23-5, $1,950
9th: Dearal Rodgers, Camden, S.C., eight bass, 22-5, $1,580
10th: Shawn York, Sarasota, Fla., eight bass, 20-8, $1,330
Bud McKelvey of Knoxville, Tennessee, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division Thursday, a fish weighing 8 pounds, 12 ounces that earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $200.
The Costa FLW Series on Santee Cooper Lakes presented by Bass Pro Shops was hosted by the Clarendon County Chamber of Commerce. It was the third and final FLW Series Southeastern Division tournament of the 2018 regular season. The next Costa FLW Series tournament will be the Central Division opener, held April 19-21 on Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri and is presented by Lowrance. For a complete schedule, visit FLWFishing.com.
$125K UP FOR GRABS AT FLW TOUR ON LAKE CUMBERLAND PRESENTED BY GENERAL TIRE
World’s Top Professional Anglers Set to Compete on 50,000-acre Central Kentucky Mountain Reservoir in Internationally-Televised Event
SOMERSET, Ky. (March 29, 2018) – The FLW Tour, the most competitive Tour in professional bass-fishing, returns to the water next week, April 12-15, with the FLW Tour at Lake Cumberland presented by General Tire. Hosted by the Somerset Tourist and Convention Commission, the tournament will feature 368 of the world’s best bass-fishing professionals and co-anglers casting for top awards of up to $125,000 cash in the pro division and up to $25,000 cash in the co-angler division.
The FLW Tour has visited Lake Cumberland two times previously, with 2018 marking the third visit in the Tour’s 23-year history. When the Tour visited the Central Kentucky mountain reservoir in 2017, some of the biggest names in the sport ended up competing on Championship Sunday, including two former Forrest Wood Cup champions (Scott Martin, Anthony Gagliardi) and three former Pennzoil Marine Angler of the Year (AOY) winners (Martin, Gagliardi, Clark Wendlandt). Martin won the event, weighing 20 bass totaling 60 pounds, 1 ounce, focusing on creeks on the lower end of the reservoir with a deep-diving jerkbait and flipping a jig.
Different this year, anglers will be able to keep any bass above the statewide size limit of 12 inches. Normally, Lake Cumberland has a 15-inch minimum size limit for largemouth bass and an 18-inch minimum size limit for smallmouth bass. However, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources recently announced a study on the impact of allowing anglers participating in fishing tournaments to keep shorter bass in lakes with special regulations. The three-year test is limited to two spring and two fall tournaments each year on Lake Cumberland, and will help fisheries biologists determine if these limited exceptions to the bass size limits will significantly affect the overall fishery in the lake. The FLW Tour at Lake Cumberland presented by General Tire is the first tournament to be a part of the test regulations.
“I think the tournament weights will be higher this year, throughout the field, because of the new length limits,” said three-time AOY Clark Wendlandt of Leander, Texas, who has two top-10 finishes on Lake Cumberland in his two career visits. “We’re going to see a whole lot of spotted bass caught, but I still think that largemouth and smallmouth are going to dominate the event.”
Wendlandt said the he expects some fish could be on beds by the time the Tour event starts, but that the timing is a little early for a full-on bed-fishing tournament.
“The conditions should be fairly similar to last year,” Wendlandt said. “The spawn will be close – we may see some bedding fish – but with water temperatures in the mid- to upper-50s and I think the majority will be prespawn. I think it’s going to take a four-day total in the mid-60-pound range to win.”
Anglers will take off at 7 a.m. EST each morning from General Burnside Island State Park, located at 8801 S. Highway 27, in Burnside, Kentucky. Thursday and Friday’s weigh-ins, April 12-13, will be held at the park beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s weigh-ins, April 14-15, will also be held at the park, but will begin at 4 p.m.
The total purse for the FLW Tour at Lake Cumberland presented by General Tire is more than $930,000, including $10,000 through 60th place in the Pro Division.
Television coverage of the FLW Tour at Lake Cumberland presented by General Tire will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) May 23 from Noon-1 p.m. EST. The Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide.
“We are excited to welcome FLW back to Somerset, Kentucky, for the second consecutive year,” said Leslie Ikerd, Director of Tourism with the Somerset Tourist and Convention Commission. “Since raising the lake levels in 2014, Lake Cumberland has seen an abundance of new vegetation that has truly created a fisherman’s paradise. We were thrilled to hear that many of the FLW Tour pros that competed in last year’s event agreed with us and shared a new-found love and appreciation for our lake. Somerset offers many hotels, restaurants, shopping and family-friendly activities, making it the perfect tournament venue.”
Prior to the weigh-ins Saturday and Sunday, April 14-15, FLW will host a free Family Fishing Expo at General Burnside Island State Park from noon to 4 p.m. each day. The Expo is a chance for fishing fans to meet their favorite anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, and learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities.
Also for youth, the FLW Foundation’s Unified Fishing Derby will be held at Pulaski County Park, located at 1200 State Highway 3189 in Nancy, Kentucky on Saturday, April 14 from 8:30-10:30 a.m. The event is hosted by FLW Foundation pro Cody Kelley along with other FLW Tour anglers, and is free and open to anyone under the age of 18 and Special Olympics athletes. Rods and reels are available for use, but youth are encouraged to bring their own if they own one. The 1st and 2nd place anglers that catch the biggest fish will be recognized Saturday on the FLW Tour stage, just prior to the pros weighing in.
As part of the FLW Tour’s community outreach initiative, FLW Tour pro anglers will visit patients, guests and staff at the Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital, located at 305 Langdon St., in Somerset on Wednesday, April 11 from 8:30-9:45 a.m. to interact with guests, snap photos and sign autographs for patients, give away some goodie bags and share fishing stories.
In FLW Tour competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day, with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers. The full field of 368 anglers competes in the two-day opening round. Co-angler competition concludes following Friday’s weigh-in, while the top 30 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advance to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2018 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of professional bass fishing. The 2018 Forrest Wood Cup will be on Lake Ouachita in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Aug. 10-12 and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the sport’s top anglers on the FLW Tour on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
Howells Lead Shrinks but He’s Still In Control Heading into Final Day
April 6, 2018
Santee Cooper is one of those rare places where catching 18 pounds on the second day of a tournament could be considered leaving the door open.
Consider the plight Daniel Howell of Prosperity, S.C. On day one of the Costa FLW Series Southeastern Division tournament presented by Bass Pro Shops and hosted by the Clarendon County Chamber of Commerce, he caught a tremendous 30 pounds, 6 ounces to take the lead by 3-7, then backed it up today with 18 pounds. He now only leads by a single pound.
Welcome to Santee Cooper.
With only about 7 pounds now separating first from 10th going into the final day tomorrow, the trophy for this event is still available to anyone in the top 10.
“The way this place is fishing, I was shocked I kept the lead with 18 pounds today,” Howell says. “I really thought I only had 15 pounds, and I was seriously worried about not even making the top 10. That’s the way this place makes you start thinking, like, ‘If I don’t have 25 a day, I won’t even make the top 10.’”
Howell’s slower day was a result of his “frog hole” not producing any giants like it did yesterday.
“I started the day in a shad spawn place just to get a quick limit,” Howell says. “Then I fished some other stuff and couldn’t catch much to help me. So I went back into my frog hole, and I’m afraid it’s toast. It gave me two big ones yesterday, but nothing today. I was really hoping to save it for tomorrow, but I tried it today, and I think that deal is over.”
Howell spent the rest of his day “just fishing.” He spent some of his time in the lower end of the upper lake with no improvement to his weight, so he thinks he’ll scrap that for tomorrow.
“I think my chance to win is up the lake, so that’s where I’m spending all my time tomorrow,” he adds. “The right ones live up there, so that’s where I’m going to stay.”
TOP 10 PROS
1. Daniel Howell – Prosperity, S.C. – 48-6 (10)
2. Ronnie McCoy – Lamar, S.C. – 47-6 (10)
3. Robert Crosnoe – Inverness, Fla. – 46-6 (10)
4. Jonathan Canada – Pelham, Ala. – 46-0 (10)
5. Bryan Thrift – Shelby, N.C. – 45-14 (10)
6. Joey Sabbagha – Prosperity, S.C. – 45-0 (10)
7. Mark Hutson – Moncks Corner, S.C. – 42-3 (10)
8. Kent Ware – Guntersville, Ala. – 41-11 (10)
9. Buddy Gross – Chickamauga, Ga. – 41-9 (10)
10. Lex Costas – Daniel Island, S.C. – 41-7 (10)
Complete results
MCNEILL DOMINATING CO-ANGLER DIVISION
While the pro tournament is still a heated contest, the battle on the co-angler side is extremely lopsided in favor of Spencer McNeill, who’s now led the tournament for both days.
After catching 20-13 yesterday, McNeill added another 19-4 today for a two-day total of 40-1. He now enjoys a lead of more than 13 pounds going into the final day.
TOP 10 CO-ANGLERS
1. Spencer McNeill – Ladson, S.C. – 40-1 (10)
2. Keith Westrick – Dallas, N.C. – 26-11 (8)
3. Jim Short – Ocean Pines, Md. – 23- 5 (6)
4. James Wegmann – Fruitland Park, Fla. – 22-8 (10)
5. Dearal Rodgers – Camden, S.C. – 22-5 (8)
6. Gerald Bozeman – Sylvester, Ga. – 21-11 (9)
7. Coulby Lewis – Macon, Ga. – 21-5 (8)
8. Mark Lamb – Wake Forest, N.C. – 20-13 (6)
9. Shawn York – Sarasota , Fla. – 20-8 (8)
10. Brian Scott – Sumter, S.C. – 19-7 (7)
Complete results
SATURDAY'S YETI FLW COLLEGE FISHING EVENT AT LAKE TEXOMA POSTPONED UNTIL SUNDAY
Advisory for Friday, April 6, 2018
WHAT: The YETI FLW College Fishing tournament at Lake Texoma scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday, April 7, has been postponed until Sunday, April 8, due to inclement weather. With high winds and sustained wind gusts, conditions on the lake have been deemed unsafe by Kevin Hunt, FLW College Fishing's Director of Tournament Operations.
NOTES: The tournament, hosted by the Denison Area Chamber of Commerce, will be held on Sunday with all original takeoff and weigh-in locations and times remaining the same.
Competitors will take off from the Highport Marina, located at 120 Texoma Harbor in Pottsboro, at 7 a.m. CST Sunday. Weigh-in will be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. Takeoff and weigh-in are free and open to the public.
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 2018 FLW College Fishing National Championship will take place May 30-June 1 on the Red River in Shreveport, Louisiana, and is hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission & Red River Waterway Commission.
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.
Anderson Leads Day 1 of ABA Ray Scott Championship on Red River!
ATHENS, Ala. – The 2018 Ray Scott National Championship is underway on the Red River near Shreveport & Bossier City, LA and the first day has come to a close on April 5th with a challenging day for the anglers trying to gain early positions in the event.
Angler John Anderson of McKinney, TX took the first lead over a field of 143 boaters with a total weight of 16.53 from a 5-fish bag after his first day on the water. Anderson locked down his weight with a 5.29 pound kicker, and he will be looking forward to maintaining his current lead on day two. “We had a little backwater area to ourselves with a little bit of clear water, and we just got lucky,” Anderson explained after weigh-in.
Trent Menees of Saginaw, TX. moved into second place awith 5 fish weighing a total of 14.89. Although he has a gap to cover looking to the leading position, Trent has set himself up nicely for the days ahead.
In third place is Nick LeBrun, right out of Bossier City, LA. Nick also came in with a limit bag of 5 fish weighing in at 14.40 lbs, which he is aiming to improve on for day two tomorrow.
The current top 10 on the boater side is rounded out by the following anglers:
4th – Luke Palmer of Coalgate, OK - 13.32 lbs
5th – Scott Dean of Terrell, TX - 12.63 lbs
6th – Eric Silverstrim of Indian Mound, TN - 12.50 lbs
7th – Billy Graves of Montgomery, LA - 11.35 lbs
8th – Donald Tripoli of Webster, NY - 11.27 lbs
9th – Tyler Rivet of Raceland, LA - 11.17 lbs
10th – Albert Collins of Nacogdoches, TX - 11.01 lbs
For the coangler side of the house, Keith Whipple out of Iuka, MS is currently in control of the lead with a total weight of 8.88 lbs, held with his biggest fish at 3.68 lbs. His 3-fish limit bag gives him a reliable start going into day two. “I caught everything on a crank bait, a shaky head,” informed Whipple. “We stayed just off the river. We had a breakdown this afternoon but had a good day regardless.”
Second for the coanglers is Brandon Foard out of Rincon, GA. His 3-fish bag provided him with an overall weight of 7.88 lbs with a larger bass hitting 5.06 pounds.
In third place for the coanglers after the first day on the river is Dante Gray out of Ruther Glen, VA. His bag came to the scales with a weight of 7.28 lbs, held down with a 3.94 lbs kicker.
The current top 10 on the coangler side is rounded out by the following anglers:
4th – Brian Lasiter of Elba, AL - 7.00 lbs
5th – Jared West of Mont Belvieu, TX - 6.99 lbs
6th – Ike Gray of Kissimmee, FL - 6.89 lbs
7th – Randy Depto of Kane, PA - 6.89 lbs
8th – Michael Nantz of Ben Wheeler, TX - 6.63 lbs
9th – Rudy Staab of Roxbury, NY - 6.31 lbs
10th – Samuel Thomas of Lexington, NC - 6.08 lbs
The largest bass of the day for the boaters was caught by Joseph Hethcoat with a weight of 5.72 lbs. “I caught my big bass back in some clear water. Everybody knows about it, but everyone was flipping and I wanted to do something different. So, I just kept cranking and finally it paid off,” stated Hethcoat
The big bass for the coanglers was brought in by Brandon Foard weighing in at 5.06 lbs. “I threw a brush hog all day, didn’t put it down all day,” Foard explained. “I had three bites, and got three fish. I had a great boater, so it worked out good.”
The field of championship anglers launched out from Red River South Marina at 6:35 am on April 5th and began checking in for weigh-in at 3pm. Look forward to another eventful day of fishing competition on the river as day 2 takes off at daybreak on April 6th.
The public is invited to attend the Ray Scott Championship daily weigh-ins at Red River Marina South starting Thursday, April 5th at 3 pm. The final weigh-in will be on Sunday, April 8th with the top 25 boater and co-anglers. Red River Marina South is located at 250 Red River South Marina Road, Bossier City, LA 71112, (318) 747-9545.
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 ABA Open Series, the Triton 100% Plus Team Tour, or the American Couples Series, visit www.americanbassanglers.com
Howell Busts over 30 Pounds for Day 1 Costa Santee Cooper Lead!
April 5, 2018
Story & Photos Courtesy of FLW Outdoors / Rob Newell
Before the Costa FLW Series Southeastern Division event began on Santee Cooper Lakes, reports of 30-pound limits being caught in tournaments had become commonplace around the lakes.
In an event just last weekend a South Carolina pro by the name of Daniel Howell weighed in an eye-popping 33-pound limit to win.
Howell followed up his double-3s from last weekend with yet another 30 pounds, 6 ounces today to set the leading bar on day one of the Costa FLW Series event, which is presented by Bass Pro Shops and hosted by the Clarendon County Chamber of Commerce.
Clearly, Howell is onto something pretty spectacular on Santee Cooper.
“I started the morning throwing a frog in a little pocket up the lake,” Howell says. “The first two I caught on it were 7-pounders. After that I ran down the lake to some spawning pockets where I had marked some big ones on beds during practice. I didn’t really sight-fish them; I just knew where they were set up, and I caught three that way. After that I just went looking to find some more fish for tomorrow.
“The ones I have left on beds are not that big,” he adds. “I really need that frog bite to shine again in the morning to catch a big bag again tomorrow.”
TOP 10 PROS
1. Daniel Howell – Prosperity, S.C. – 30-6 (5)
2. Jonathan Canada – Pelham, Ala. – 26-15 (5)
3. Ronnie McCoy – Lamar, S.C. – 26-0 (5)
4. Tony Couch – Buckhead, Ga. – 25-14 (5)
5. Buddy Gross – Chickamauga, Ga. – 25-11 (5)
6. Ken Ellis – Bowman, S.C. – 24-3 (5)
7. Chuck Howard – Elloree, S.C. – 23-7 (5)
8. Barry Wilson – Birmingham, Ala. – 23-5 (5)
9. Clint Brown – Bainbridge, Ga. – 22-15 (5)
10 (tie). Bryan New – Belmont, N.C. – 22-11 (5)
10 (tie). Robert Clarke III – Pineville, S.C. – 22-11 (5)
MCNEILL LEADS CO-ANGLERS
Spencer McNeill of Ladson, S.C., leads the co-angler division on day one with five fish weighing 20 pounds, 13 ounces.
McNeill found a YUM Dinger to be the key to his success in the back of the boat.
TOP 10 CO-ANGLERS
1. Spencer McNeill – Ladson, S.C. – 20 - 13 (5)
2. Mark Lamb – Wake Forest, N.C. – 15 - 4 (5)
3. Adam Beckum – Martinez, Ga. – 14 - 3 (5)
4. Bud McKelvey – Knoxville, Tenn. – 13 - 9 (3)
5. Keith Westrick – Dallas, N.C. – 13 - 6 (3)
6. Gerald Bozeman – Sylvester, Ga. – 12 - 3 (5)
7. Roger Hahn – Fairfield, Ohio – 12 - 1 (4)
8. Max Terry – Sumter, S.C. – 11 - 13 (5)
9. Roger Stubbs – Locust Grove, Ga. – 11 - 12 (2)
10. Randy Brown – Lugoff, S.C. – 11 - 11 (5)
Pro Results - Day 1
| PLACE | ANGLER | DAY 1&2 WT (Fish) |
WINNINGS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DANIEL HOWELL | 30 - 6 (5) | |
| 2 | JONATHAN CANADA | 26 - 15 (5) | |
| 3 | RONNIE MCCOY | 26 - 0 (5) | $300 |
| 4 | TONY COUCH | 25 - 14 (5) | |
| 5 | BUDDY GROSS | 25 - 11 (5) | |
| 6 | KEN ELLIS | 24 - 3 (5) | |
| 7 | CHUCK HOWARD | 23 - 7 (5) | |
| 8 | BARRY WILSON | 23 - 5 (5) | |
| 9 | CLINT BROWN | 22 - 15 (5) | |
| 10 | BRYAN NEW | 22 - 11 (5) | |
| 10 | ROBERT CLARKE III | 22 - 11 (5) | |
| 12 | BRADFORD BEAVERS | 22 - 8 (5) | |
| 12 | JT KENNEY | 22 - 8 (5) | |
| 14 | LINDWOOD THORNHILL | 22 - 6 (5) | |
| 15 | CLAYTON BATTS | 22 - 5 (5) | |
| 16 | RYAN BOWLES | 21 - 9 (5) | |
| 16 | BRYAN SCHMITT | 21 - 9 (4) | |
| 18 | DONALD HINSON | 21 - 8 (5) | |
| 19 | CHAD PROUGH | 21 - 1 (5) | |
| 20 | JOSEPH MARKS | 21 - 0 (5) | |
| 21 | LEE NUNNALLY | 20 - 13 (5) | |
| 22 | BRYAN THRIFT | 20 - 11 (5) | |
| 23 | ROBERT CROSNOE | 20 - 7 (5) | |
| 24 | PETER THLIVEROS | 20 - 5 (5) | |
| 25 | MARK HUTSON | 20 - 4 (5) | |
| 26 | LEX COSTAS | 20 - 3 (5) | |
| 26 | JOHN COX | 20 - 3 (5) | |
| 28 | JESSIE MIZELL | 19 - 13 (4) | |
| 28 | BRETT MITCHELL | 19 - 13 (5) | |
| 30 | KENT WARE | 19 - 9 (5) | |
| 31 | BARRON ADAMS | 19 - 5 (5) | |
| 32 | JOEY SABBAGHA | 19 - 4 (5) | |
| 32 | TODD SMITH | 19 - 4 (5) | |
| 34 | DUSTIN SMITH | 19 - 1 (5) | |
| 35 | PATRICK WALTERS | 19 - 0 (5) | |
| 36 | WES LOGAN | 18 - 14 (5) | |
| 37 | KYLE WALTERS | 18 - 10 (5) | |
| 38 | DAVID HUDSON | 18 - 8 (5) | |
| 38 | BRENT BARNES | 18 - 8 (5) | |
| 40 | RODGER BEAVER | 18 - 5 (5) | |
| 41 | BRANDON MEDLOCK | 18 - 3 (5) | |
| 42 | JEREMY PRIDGEN | 18 - 0 (5) | |
| 43 | TERRY TUCKER | 17 - 13 (5) | |
| 44 | TIM FREDERICK | 17 - 12 (5) | |
| 44 | PHIL CURY | 17 - 12 (5) | |
| 46 | SCOTT GIBBS | 17 - 11 (5) | |
| 47 | CODY GREEN | 17 - 7 (4) | |
| 48 | MARSHALL DEAKINS | 17 - 3 (5) | |
| 49 | FURMAN (JOE) THOMPSON | 17 - 2 (3) | |
| 50 | NICK THLIVEROS | 16 - 4 (5) | |
| 51 | JAY KENDRICK | 16 - 0 (5) | |
| 52 | DEREK HICKS | 15 - 14 (5) | |
| 52 | MARTY BROWN | 15 - 14 (4) | |
| 54 | BAILEY BOUTRIES | 15 - 12 (5) | |
| 54 | BRAD HARMON | 15 - 12 (4) | |
| 56 | MASON BOYLAN | 15 - 11 (5) | |
| 56 | AUSTIN MURRAY | 15 - 11 (5) | |
| 58 | RON NELSON | 15 - 10 (5) | |
| 58 | WADE GROOMS | 15 - 10 (5) | |
| 58 | WAYNE FRIERSON | 15 - 10 (5) | |
| 61 | JIM NEECE JR | 15 - 6 (5) | |
| 61 | FRANK CLARK | 15 - 6 (5) | |
| 63 | MIKE MILLER | 15 - 3 (4) | |
| 64 | JASON ABRAM | 15 - 2 (5) | |
| 64 | JASON S. SMITH | 15 - 2 (5) | |
| 66 | JIM MOYNAGH | 15 - 0 (5) | |
| 67 | ROBBY FRASHIER | 14 - 14 (5) | |
| 67 | TONY DAVIS | 14 - 14 (5) | |
| 67 | ROB DIGH | 14 - 14 (5) | |
| 70 | DEREK YASINSKI | 14 - 13 (5) | |
| 71 | JEFF HOLLAND | 14 - 10 (5) | |
| 71 | HENSLEY POWELL | 14 - 10 (5) | |
| 73 | KEITH PACE | 14 - 7 (5) | |
| 74 | DAVID SHEFFIELD | 14 - 6 (5) | |
| 74 | DARRELL DAVIS | 14 - 6 (5) | |
| 76 | STEVE THORNHILL | 14 - 5 (5) | |
| 77 | CHRIS HENSLEY | 13 - 15 (5) | |
| 78 | BILL TROYER | 13 - 14 (5) | |
| 79 | MATTHEW NETTLES | 13 - 13 (5) | |
| 79 | BRIAN ELDER | 13 - 13 (5) | |
| 81 | NICK GAINEY | 13 - 12 (5) | |
| 82 | PAUL GETTYS | 13 - 11 (5) | |
| 83 | MATT BATY | 13 - 9 (5) | |
| 84 | LYNN JOHNSON | 13 - 7 (5) | |
| 84 | JOSHUA WEAVER | 13 - 7 (5) | |
| 86 | KOBY KREIGER | 13 - 2 (5) | |
| 86 | SHANE POWELL | 13 - 2 (5) | |
| 88 | JARED THOMPSON | 12 - 15 (5) | |
| 88 | THOMAS OLTORIK | 12 - 15 (3) | |
| 88 | BRYAN COOK | 12 - 15 (5) | |
| 91 | JOSH MCDERMOTT | 12 - 14 (5) | |
| 92 | JOEY WEAVER | 12 - 11 (4) | |
| 93 | NATHAN THOMAS | 12 - 9 (4) | |
| 93 | ERIC PANZIRONI | 12 - 9 (5) | |
| 95 | JARED DIAL | 12 - 7 (5) | |
| 95 | TRENT PALMER | 12 - 7 (4) | |
| 97 | PAT FISHER | 12 - 5 (5) | |
| 98 | SCOTT TOWRY | 12 - 2 (4) | |
| 99 | MICHAEL BLACK | 11 - 15 (3) | |
| 99 | ROBERT GIBBS | 11 - 15 (5) | |
| 101 | CARLTON THOMPKINS | 11 - 14 (4) | |
| 101 | JUSTIN HAMNER | 11 - 14 (5) | |
| 103 | CHAD MORGENTHALER | 11 - 13 (5) | |
| 103 | JOHN MOBLEY | 11 - 13 (4) | |
| 105 | SANDY MELVIN | 11 - 9 (5) | |
| 106 | JASON MULLINAX | 11 - 8 (5) | |
| 107 | BRADLEY ENFINGER | 11 - 7 (5) | |
| 108 | JAMIE PIERCE | 11 - 5 (5) | |
| 109 | NELSON WALKER | 11 - 1 (4) | |
| 110 | JOEY THIGPEN | 10 - 14 (5) | |
| 110 | DENNIS MAGOTO | 10 - 14 (3) | |
| 112 | ALLEN ARMOUR | 10 - 12 (4) | |
| 113 | MIKEY KEYSO JR | 10 - 10 (4) | |
| 114 | HAL CERCOPELY | 10 - 9 (4) | |
| 115 | BRANDON CLASSON SR | 10 - 5 (5) | |
| 116 | VAL OSINSKI | 10 - 3 (3) | |
| 117 | ZACH CRIDER | 10 - 1 (4) | |
| 117 | MICHAEL CORBISHLEY | 10 - 1 (4) | |
| 119 | TONY HOGAN | 9 - 15 (4) | |
| 119 | JOHN BITTER | 9 - 15 (5) | |
| 121 | TOMMY DICKERSON | 9 - 13 (4) | |
| 122 | STEPHEN CRAWLEY | 9 - 9 (4) | |
| 123 | CURREY HOLLEY | 9 - 8 (4) | |
| 124 | BRANDON JOHNSON | 9 - 7 (4) | |
| 125 | DEAN BORUFF | 9 - 3 (2) | |
| 126 | HUNTER BOZEMAN | 9 - 0 (4) | |
| 127 | MICHAEL MAXFIELD | 8 - 15 (3) | |
| 127 | ANTHONY FORD | 8 - 15 (3) | |
| 129 | KYLE MONTI | 8 - 12 (4) | |
| 130 | TIMMY THOMPKINS | 8 - 11 (4) | |
| 131 | BRAD SCHWARTZ | 8 - 8 (4) | |
| 132 | SCOTT BYRD | 8 - 7 (4) | |
| 133 | JEFF CANNON | 8 - 3 (3) | |
| 134 | LEE FRYE | 8 - 0 (2) | |
| 135 | TODD OLDS | 7 - 12 (4) | |
| 136 | AL ODOM | 7 - 10 (2) | |
| 137 | JOHN BRAZZELL | 7 - 9 (2) | |
| 137 | DANNY ALLEN | 7 - 9 (4) | |
| 139 | CODY NICHOLS | 7 - 7 (3) | |
| 139 | GEORGE KAPITON | 7 - 7 (3) | |
| 139 | RON BROWN | 7 - 7 (2) | |
| 142 | TIM WILSON | 7 - 5 (3) | |
| 142 | CHRIS FERGUSON | 7 - 5 (3) | |
| 144 | BRIAN MERRIMAN | 7 - 3 (2) | |
| 145 | LAVOYD LEMMOND | 7 - 1 (2) | |
| 146 | ROBERT HOLCOMB | 6 - 14 (3) | |
| 146 | TROY GIBSON | 6 - 14 (3) | |
| 148 | ALEX DEMPSEY | 6 - 12 (3) | |
| 149 | KOBY NEWMAN | 6 - 10 (2) | |
| 150 | RICK CORN | 6 - 7 (1) | |
| 151 | FRANK KITCHENS III | 6 - 5 (3) | |
| 152 | BRADLEY DORTCH | 6 - 3 (2) | |
| 152 | YOAN ALVAREZ | 6 - 3 (1) | |
| 154 | SCOTT ASHMORE | 6 - 1 (2) | |
| 155 | SCOTT KIRSCH | 5 - 15 (2) | |
| 156 | GERRY BROUSSEAU | 5 - 14 (3) | |
| 157 | LONNIE ONEAL | 5 - 13 (2) | |
| 157 | SEAN SKEY | 5 - 13 (2) | |
| 159 | RANDY GARDNER | 5 - 12 (2) | |
| 160 | DANIEL WEAVER | 5 - 10 (3) | |
| 160 | BILLY HALL | 5 - 10 (2) | |
| 160 | JIMMY WILSON | 5 - 10 (2) | |
| 163 | RICKIE KNIGHT | 5 - 6 (2) | |
| 164 | KIM CARVER | 5 - 5 (2) | |
| 165 | OMARI NAVIES | 5 - 4 (2) | |
| 166 | TIM ARNOLD | 5 - 1 (2) | |
| 167 | JOHN DIAL | 4 - 15 (3) | |
| 168 | JEFF FITTS | 4 - 14 (2) | |
| 169 | MCCOY (SIMON) BORJA | 4 - 13 (2) | |
| 170 | LEON WILLIAMS | 4 - 12 (2) | |
| 171 | BRANDON MCINTOSH | 4 - 10 (2) | |
| 172 | BRENT RILEY | 4 - 7 (2) | |
| 172 | DANIEL GREEN | 4 - 7 (2) | |
| 174 | DENNIS REDD | 4 - 6 (2) | |
| 175 | HARRY MOORE | 4 - 3 (2) | |
| 176 | MATTHEW MOLLOHAN | 4 - 1 (2) | |
| 177 | JEFF JENNINGS | 3 - 11 (1) | |
| 178 | JIMMY BASS | 3 - 6 (1) | |
| 179 | TY SOLIS | 2 - 4 (1) | |
| 180 | DAVID GOSHORN | 2 - 1 (1) | |
| 180 | TRENT PARDUE | 2 - 1 (1) | |
| 182 | JERRY PELFREY | 1 - 11 (1) | |
| STEVE YOUNG | |||
| CHRIS HEATH | |||
| MICHAEL HALL | |||
| JOHNNY JOHNSTON | |||
| JOHN DUARTE | |||
| MACK COOK | |||
| RAYMOND JONES III | |||
| WARREN SHORES | |||
| TONY WOOD | |||
| STEVE PINKSTON | |||
| MIKE WATSON | |||
| MARK ABBOTT | |||
| WAYNE CHRISTOPHER | |||
| DAVID GASTON |
Bassmaster Elite At The Sabine River Rescheduled For June 7-10
|
|||
|
Texas Team Trail heads back to Lake Amistad
| Record payouts, exceptional fishing expected for third TXTT event of 2018 |
| NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. (April 3, 2018) - The Texas Team Trail (TXTT) presented by Cabela's will host its third regular-season event on Saturday, April 14, at Amistad Reservoir. The TXTT previously visited the Rio Grande impoundment for the 2012 TXTT championship.
Registration for the event is already underway - anglers can secure an opportunity to pre-fish Friday, April 13, by completing their registration online or via phone prior to midnight on Thursday, April 12. Additionally, all anglers that pre-register online at www.texasteamtrail.com will be entered into a drawing for a $100 Cabela's gift card. The Amistad event is the third regular-season event of four 2018 qualifying events that guarantee a fully rigged, 18-foot boat, motor, trailer package as first-place prize. The winning anglers at Amistad will walk away with a brand-new Triton 189TRX powered by a 150HP Mercury, valued at $30,495. In addition to the payout, the event offers anglers an unprecedented opportunity in terms of sponsor bonuses and television coverage. The budget-friendly $250 entry fee, plus multiple contingency programs and a guaranteed, over-100 percent payback at every event provides tremendous value to the weekend angler. On-site registration is set for Friday, April 13, from 4-6 p.m. at Diablo East Marina. At least one team member must attend, as boat numbers will be assigned during this time. The tournament will launch Saturday, April 14, at safe light from the marina with anglers returning to the Diablo East Marina for the weigh-in at 3 p.m. Anglers with questions or anyone interested in more details on the event are encouraged to visit www.texasteamtrail.com or call 210-281-1752 or 210-788-4143. Texas Team Trail events are made possible through the sponsorship and continued support of these well-respected brands: Cabela's, Ranger Boats, Lucas Oil, Evinrude, Mercury, Minn Kota, Triton Boats, Power-Pole, NITRO, Lowrance, Protect the Harvest, Garmin, Valley Fashions, T-H Marine, Atlas, G-Juice, Navionics, Amphibia, Powertex Group.
Remaining 2018 TXTT scheduled events: April 14 - Amistad May 5 - Ray Roberts
Championship June 2-3 - Sam Rayburn |
April: Month of the Somewhat Forgotten Lizard
Story & Photos Courtesy of Alan McGuckin
In my little universe, April is as much about soft plastic lizards as the Easter Bunny and the Masters at Augusta National. In fact, while the Chinese Zodiac calendar spotlights 2018 as the “Year of the Dog” -- I’d like to go ahead an officially nominate April as forever being bass fishing’s “Month of the Lizard.”
Like my Carhartt raingear, I don’t leave home in April without several bags of 5, 6, and 8” soft plastic lizards during this often rain-soaked month centered around various phases of the annual spring spawn.
Yet, you’d be hard pressed to find a professional bass tournament in recent years where a lizard was
credited with being the winning lure, or even playing a huge role in the victor’s creel.
Has the lizard fallin out of fashion? Has this highly versatile lure that was a mainstay in the 1980s and 1990s lost its fish catching ability? It certainly hasn’t for me, but what do the best anglers on the planet and the lure manufacturers say?
Mike Iaconelli: “Lures are kinda like clothes – designs and shapes fall in and out of fashion, but I’ll promise you this, there’s a Flambeau box full of lizards in my boat right now, and it’ll stay there all year with the exception of the dead of winter,” says the Team Toyota pro.
“The thing that makes a soft plastic lizard special is the flat belly paired with a tail and legs that have great but subtle swimming action,” says Iaconelli. “It glides perfectly behind a Carolina Rig in the pre-spawn, and all the way into summer, plus it’s also great Texas rigged shallow around the spawn because its slender shape gets in and out of brush and vegetation without hanging up.”
“As for the reason you don’t hear about it more – I think it’s because guys don’t want to spotlight it. They keep it kinda under the collar. But again, come check my boat, and you’ll find a box full of lizards right now,” he says adamantly.
“Oh, and the 9 pound 11 ounce beast I caught last year at the Bassmaster Classic on Lake Conroe came on a 6” green pumpkin Berkley Power Lizard,” adds Ike for emphasis on the lizard’s modern day effectiveness.
Jacob Powroznik: “One of the reasons we used lizards a lot more 20 years ago is because our options on soft plastic lures were a lot more limited than they are these days,” says Quantum pro Jacob Powroznik. “We didn’t have the beaver style lures or the wide variety of creature baits like the J-Bug I designed for V & M Lures. So we used a lizard, and trust me … it got the job done.”
“And I’ll promise you it still gets the job done. Just like it did two decades ago when we were constantly pitching them into flooded bushes or Carolina Rigging them, and smokin’ a lot of good bass on them,” says the Virginia pro.
What do the Sales Numbers say about Lizards?
It would be difficult to argue Zoom Lure Company didn’t have the biggest hand in the popularity boom of soft plastic lizards in the late 1980s. Avid angler Chris Baxter has been employed by the super successful Georgia-based lure company most of his adult life, and has had a front row seat to the soft plastic lizard’s life cycle to date.
Even though they may not be as trendy on pro angling trails as they once were, Baxter watched the lizard’s rise to popularity 25 years ago, and for the most part, says it has stayed there, according to retail sales numbers.
“Zoom Lure Company started in 1977, and by 1987 and 1988 everybody was wanting our pumpkin seed colored lizards to Carolina Rig,” remembers Baxter.
“I think we’re selling as many lizards now in 2018 as we ever did because anglers are more comfortable throwing larger lures than they once were. So the 8” Magnum Lizard we make offers another sales opportunity we couldn’t capitalize on as well 30 years ago, and the 6” still remains a very important part of most every amateur angler’s tackle collection,” says Baxter.
While the 8” variety is most often Texas rigged and pitched to shallow flooded habitat, the 4” is good for early spawn. The 6” is most versatile, and hence the 6” is the top selling size according to Baxter.
“Back in the early 1990s it seemed like everybody flipped and pitched a lizard shallow, and by the mid 1990s a Carolina-rigged lizard was big time popular. Our overall bait selection wasn’t as versatile back then – so we leaned on lizards to catch a ton of fish,” reflects Baxter. “And the fact is, they still would catch a ton of fish, if we’d just simplify our approach and tied one on more often.”
I agree with Baxter. In a fishing universe with an often-overwhelming number of choices in soft plastic shapes and sizes, there’s one sure way to simplify things. Be like “Ike” and keep a few bags of lizards in your boat nearly year round.
Texas rigged or Carolina rigged, their effectiveness remains as dependable as the Azaleas bushes blooming each April at Augusta National for the Masters.
April 4th - Costa Countdown to Blastoff with John Byrne & Sportsmans Warehouse's CJ Freeman
John Byrne & Sportsmans Warehouse CJ Freeman Discuss this weeks happening tournaments & events coming up on the Costa Countdown to Blastoff! Check it out!
