AnglersChannel

Hoover & Hamrick Win Carolina's Bass Challenge Classic on Lake Wylie with over 26 pounds!

Courtesy of CBC

The 2018 CBC season to a close this past weekend on Lake Wylie with 207 teams entered!

Anglers from Va, West Va, NC aand SC competed! We want to give thanks to Visit York County and the great people at Ebenezer park for hosting our event! www.visityorkcounty.com

The CBC is known for outstanding payback and at Lake Wylie the cash was flowing freely! We had 207 entries which totaledup to $41,400.00 and we paid back a total of $106,900.00!

Scott Hamrick & Roger Hoover weighed in 10 bass at 26.38 lbs to take 1st Place and $50,000.00 at the 2018 CBC Classic on Lake Wylie on a very tough weekend to be on the water! Scott reported they caught their fish shallow on chatterbaits and crankbaits!

Jody Wright & James Dyer claimed 2nd with 10 bass weighing 26.06 lbs! They stashed away a cool $10,000.00!

3rd went to Chris Baumgardner & Glenn Sparrow with another 10 bass limit weighing up at 25.91 lbs and took home $5,000.00!

Wesley Cashwell & Shane Doughtie finished 4th with 25.35 lbs and claimed the 1st Skeeter BONUS of $4,000.00! Add in their $3000.00 4th Place money and they earned $7,000.00!

Our 2nd Place Skeeter BONUS winners were Keith Porter & Tony Price with a 2 day total of 23.93 lbs! They also weighed in the BF of the Classic at 5.16 lbs! Their Skeeter BONUS was $3,000.00 and their total winnings was $6,000.00!

The 3rd Skeeter BONUS worth $2,000.00 went to Stacey Richards & Brian Triplett with 9 bass weighing 23.61 lbs! Stacey & Brian took home a total of $3,350.00!

Our Last Skeeter BONUS Place of $1,000.00 went to Steve Sink and Tony Foster with 10 bass weighing 22.69 lbs. They collected a total of $1,900.00!

We paid back a total of 34 places! Thanks for fishing with us and see you next year!

Place	Team Name	# Fish	Fish	Weight	Winnings	Bonus	Winnings
1	Roger Hoover - Scott Hamrick	10	0.00	26.38	$50,000.00		$50,000.00
2	Jody Wright - james dyer	10	0.00	26.06	$10,000.00		$10,000.00
3	Chris Baumgardner - Glenn Sparrow	10	0.00	25.91	$5,000.00		$5,000.00
4	Wesley Cashwell - Shane Doughtie	10	0.00	25.35	$3,000.00	$4,000.00	$7,000.00
5	Thomas Richmond - Artie Phillips	10	0.00	25.26	$2,500.00		$2,500.00
6	Keith Porter - Tony Price	8	5.16	23.93	$2,000.00	$3,000.00	$6,000.00
7	Mike Stephens - cody young	10	0.00	23.78	$1,500.00		$1,500.00
8	Stacey Richards - Brian Triplett	9	4.31	23.61	$1,350.00	$2,000.00	$3,350.00
9	James Clements - Steve Taylor	10	4.90	23.53	$1,250.00		$1,250.00
10	Gene Webster - Guy Eaker	10	3.98	22.72	$1,050.00		$1,050.00
11	Aaron Jordan - Adam Lockler	10	0.00	22.72	$1,050.00		$1,050.00
12	Steve Sink - Tony Foster	10	0.00	22.69	$900.00	$1,000.00	$1,900.00
13	Larry LeHew - Mike Langford	10	3.15	22.16	$850.00		$850.00
14	Billy Scoggins - Jacob Scoggins	10	0.00	21.80	$800.00		$800.00
15	Kevin Chandler - Bradley Chandler	10	0.00	21.66	$775.00		$775.00
16	Thomas Hardwick - Tommy Williams	9	4.30	21.10	$1,250.00		$1,250.00
17	Bryan Welch - Mark Inman	8	4.04	20.79	$700.00		$700.00
18	David Winters - Russell Winters	10	0.00	20.63	$675.00		$675.00
19	Brent Long - dave stevens	10	0.00	20.61	$650.00		$650.00
20	Ronald Farrow - Roger Farrow	8	0.00	20.39	$625.00		$625.00
21	Ron Weyersberg - Ed Douthit	10	0.00	19.93	$600.00		$600.00
22	Steve Addington - Scott Beattie	10	0.00	19.33	$575.00		$575.00
23	Ric Rhyne - John parker	10	0.00	18.98	$550.00		$550.00
24	Chad Cook - tony cook	7	0.00	18.95	$525.00		$525.00
25	Bradford Beavers - Dwight Beavers	9	0.00	18.75	$1,500.00		$1,500.00
26	Jason Wilson - Kelly Logan	10	0.00	18.71	$475.00		$475.00
27	Stan Gunter - Kevin Ashley	10	0.00	18.49	$450.00		$450.00
28	Joshua Queen - Mike Queen	10	0.00	18.34	$425.00		$425.00
29	Derek Smithson - Chad Pennell	9	0.00	18.21	$400.00		$400.00
30	Jeffery Cox - Derek Cummings	8	0.00	18.12	$375.00		$375.00
31	Mike Holland - Kevin Newman	10	0.00	18.10	$350.00		$350.00
32	Terry Wike - Greg Deal	9	0.00	17.79	$300.00		$300.00
33	Chad Sims - David Anderson	8	3.87	17.48	$250.00		$250.00
34	Sean Skey - Tim Harmon	8	0.00	17.47	$200.00		$200.00
35	Danny Nifong - Dale Surrett	10	0.00	17.37
36	Louie Hull - Ryan Hull	9	0.00	16.93
37	Chris Richey - George Bost	8	0.00	16.68
38	Thomas Vickers - Brian Huskins	9	0.00	16.55
39	Don Sprinkle - Wayne Skipworth	7	0.00	16.45
40	Tyler Hoopaugh - Chris Hoopaugh	8	0.00	16.12
41	Matt Stout	8	0.00	16.02
42	Paul Guthrie - David knox	7	0.00	15.82
43	Kyle Whisnant - James Ball	8	0.00	15.39
44	Sam Hopkins - Craig Matthews	8	0.00	15.34
45	Sandy Oliver	9	0.00	15.12
46	Ladd Whicker - Landon Whicker	7	0.00	14.93	$500.00		$500.00
47	Jesus Loaces - Tracey Mccready	5	0.00	14.90
47	Robbie Harrelson - Justin Barfield	8	0.00	14.90
49	Ben Lattimore - Roger Hamrick	7	0.00	14.70
50	Brian Travis - Ashley Brotherton	8	0.00	14.66
51	Rodney Morrow	9	0.00	14.32
52	Ron Brown - Robert Brown	8	0.00	14.21
53	Craig Jurgonski - Jack Belt	9	0.00	13.96
54	Kiel Kelly - Chuck Whittaker	9	0.00	13.84
55	Donald Poteat - John Allen	7	0.00	13.67
56	Rusty Bullard - Eric Martin	9	0.00	13.46
57	Ronnie McCoy - Jason McCoy	8	0.00	13.17
58	Justin Harvey - Michael Sprouse	7	0.00	12.90
59	Reggie Guffey - Tommy Chapman	7	0.00	12.47
60	thomas wike - Terry Herman	7	0.00	12.29
61	Chad Poteat - George Lambeth	5	0.00	12.27
62	Sammie Grier - David Strickland	7	0.00	12.17
63	todd sinclair - Jeff Horton	8	0.00	11.99
64	bobby snyder - Tim Cline	6	2.00	11.91
65	Bernie Davis - Conrad Manuel	5	0.00	11.73
66	Blake Wright - Greg Wright	6	0.00	11.69
67	Johnny Guffey - Wesley Bell	7	0.00	11.66
68	Larry Moss - Michelle McLain	7	0.00	11.42
69	Brad Petway - TYLER JACKSON	5	0.00	11.37
70	Jason Thomas - Steve Summer	5	0.00	11.19
71	Lee Morris - Robert Ross	5	0.00	11.13
72	Thomas Gavin - Tracy Brown	5	0.00	11.05
73	Phil Hennessee - Lee Hoilman	6	0.00	10.58
74	Kenny Seagle - Drew Montgomery	5	3.70	10.51
75	Brent Berry - David Puckett	6	0.00	10.32
76	Michael Murphy - Kevin Sanders	5	0.00	10.28
77	Travis Parrish - rodney tapp	6	0.00	9.85
78	Adam Ridings - Michael Ridings	5	0.00	9.36
79	Paul Brittain - Robert Church	5	0.00	9.14
80	Jimmy Bass - Johnny Houser	4	0.00	9.11
81	Conrad Bolt - Kevin Dickson	5	0.00	9.05
82	Craig Chambers - Keith Ogden	5	0.00	8.86
83	Erik Myers - Dakota Roberts	5	0.00	8.47
84	Robin Collins - Ronnie White	5	0.00	8.31
85	Chris Tarbush - Chris Haas	5	0.00	8.23
86	Brandon Jeffcoat - Wendell Causey	4	3.03	8.21
87	Duke Denison - Walt Bowen	5	1.60	8.14
88	Rick Crumley - Earnest Crenshaw	5	0.00	8.01
89	David Ford - Kevin Farley	4	2.85	7.79
90	Kevin Glenn - Brian Silvers	4	0.00	7.56
91	grady allen - Calvin Hewitt	4	0.00	7.45
92	Michael Pelchat - Brandon Abernathy	4	0.00	7.36
93	Lester Elton - Chris Martin	4	0.00	7.35
94	Richard Robinson lll	3	0.00	7.12
95	Kenneth Kanipe - Kevin Lynch	5	0.00	7.04
96	Morris Elliott - Kyle Creed	3	2.79	6.91
97	Tom McCombs - curtis lail	3	3.27	6.82
98	Scott Farmer - Samuel Freeman	4	0.00	6.81	$250.00		$250.00
99	Eric Jeter - Darren Jeter	3	0.00	6.68
100	Rob Nicholson - Noah Nicholson	3	0.00	6.59
101	Paul Kiser - David Cheek	4	0.00	6.47
102	Chris Graham - Ricky Byrd	3	0.00	6.34
103	Kevin Holiday - Johnathan Frady	3	0.00	6.32
104	Randall Wallace - Andrew Wallace	4	0.00	6.21
105	Joel Ketcham - scott ketcham	3	0.00	6.17
106	Bill Grier - Robby Byrum	2	3.56	6.13
107	Corey Ingram - Brandon Ashley	3	0.00	5.95
108	Rodney Bell - Tommy Jones	4	0.00	5.93
109	James Clark - Rick Carson	4	0.00	5.90
110	Tim Gaines - Mike Bryant	3	0.00	5.70
111	John Sturkie - Blake Strickland	3	0.00	5.54
112	Mike Davis - Dean Talbert	2	0.00	5.38
113	Ryan Raley - Mike Raley	3	0.00	5.20
114	Jeremy Talbert - Brian Robbins	2	0.00	5.09	$1,000.00		$1,000.00
115	Ronnie Britt - Jim Britt	2	0.00	5.08
116	Chris Dover - Robert Fowler	3	0.00	4.99	$250.00		$250.00
117	Randy Christy - Chris Corriher	3	0.00	4.96
118	Samuel Thomas - John Harris	3	0.00	4.95
119	craig hamilton - Jimmy fortson	2	0.00	4.79
120	Thomas Simmerson - Doug Young	3	0.00	4.68
121	Dan Funderburk - Butch Drew	3	0.00	4.65
122	Shane Cantley - Michael Richardson	3	0.00	4.64
123	Jerry Davis - tony tysinger	2	0.00	4.50
124	Kevin Richbourg - Michael Williams	3	0.00	4.44
125	Jordan Marlowe - Justin Marlowe	2	0.00	4.41
125	Russell Hoyle - Jerry Pruitt	2	0.00	4.41
127	Tim Chapman - Marcus Leech	3	0.00	4.23
128	Dwight Dellinger - Doug Dellinger	2	0.00	4.16
129	Robert Osborne - Bobby Osborne	2	0.00	3.81
130	Alton Rockett - Randy Huffman	2	0.00	3.73
131	Aric Dwyer - Robert Anderson	2	0.00	3.55
132	Gary Michaud	2	0.00	3.47
133	Steven Gawthrop - KENNETH MARTIN	2	0.00	3.19
134	Eddie Smith - Michael Carson	2	0.00	3.08
135	Gary Atkinson - troy buffington	2	0.00	3.03
136	Gary Avery - Mike Goodman	1	2.87	2.87
137	shane sharpe - Mark Williams	1	2.61	2.61
138	Ron Wolfarth - Larry Inman	1	2.48	2.48
139	Gary Angel - Mike Boatright	2	0.00	2.35
140	Norman Lowe - John Miller	1	2.33	2.33
141	Deron Donohoo - Davey Thomas	1	2.30	2.30
142	Mack Cook - Patrick Cook	2	0.00	2.16
143	Dennis Allen - John Sneed	1	1.97	1.97
144	Darren Sigmon - Brian Huffman	1	1.75	1.75
145	Jerry Lineberger - Anthony Johnson	1	1.73	1.73
146	Joe Floyd - Chris Tinsley	1	1.66	1.66
147	George Lauster - Bryan Tilly	1	1.63	1.63
148	Jimmy Cummings - Jesse Smith	1	1.55	1.55
149	scott mcginnis - Caleb Propst	1	1.53	1.53
149	Steve Christie - Sammy Freeman	1	1.53	1.53
151	james burr - Barry Davis	1	1.52	1.52
152	Michael Smith - Roger Pope	1	1.49	1.49
153	shane kennedy - Curt Lare	0	0.00	0.00
154	Glenn Gentry - Shannon Jordan	0	0.00	0.00
155	J.w. Smith	0	0.00	0.00
156	Jeff McQuaigue - Eric Moser	0	0.00	0.00
157	David Wright - Jeff Coble	0	0.00	0.00
158	Brian Randolph - Ronald Moss	0	0.00	0.00
159	Dempsey Carter - Chad Atchley	0	0.00	0.00
160	Darrin Albertson - Terri Albertson	0	0.00	0.00
161	Jason Barnes - KEITH BARNES	0	0.00	0.00
162	Tyler Osterhout - Brandon Borleis	0	0.00	0.00
163	Chip Crews - Joshua Stafford	0	0.00	0.00
164	Larry Parker - Glenn Altman	0	0.00	0.00
165	Vinson Blanton - Randy Settle	0	0.00	0.00
166	Jerry Craig - Bobby Latuch	0	0.00	0.00
167	Eric Self - Tyler Beam	0	0.00	0.00
168	Michael Cribb - Roger Cribb	0	0.00	0.00
169	Josh Huffman - Dennis Caudle	0	0.00	0.00
170	Justin Stoltzfus - Matthew Benge	0	0.00	0.00
171	Scott Griffin - Jerry Goble	0	0.00	0.00
172	MATT HAYES - Derek Lilley	0	0.00	0.00
173	Andrew Swaim - Adam Fillmore	0	0.00	0.00
174	Dale Duncan - Donnie Woody	0	0.00	0.00
175	Todd Garner - Shane Hartman	0	0.00	0.00
176	Albert Darminio - Steve Harris	0	0.00	0.00
177	Vince Parker - Mark Parker	0	0.00	0.00
178	Jordon Venable - Jim Venable	0	0.00	0.00
179	Milton Yancey - Larry Yancey	0	0.00	0.00
180	Steve Yoder - Dennis Hensley	0	0.00	0.00
181	byron brush - Byron Brush Sr.	0	0.00	0.00
182	Nick Beaver - Roger Beaver	0	0.00	0.00
183	Clint Benbow - Jeremi Beatty	0	0.00	0.00
184	Wayne Ingram - Chris Brown	0	0.00	0.00
185	Keith Speece - Wendell Ireland	0	0.00	0.00
186	Jay Adams - Tony Colacurcio	0	0.00	0.00
187	Mike Allman - Mike Allman	0	0.00	0.00
188	Doug Easton - Pete Bejte	0	0.00	0.00
189	Jack Caldwell - Michael Hobbs	0	0.00	0.00
190	Mike Clark - Chris Anderson	0	0.00	0.00
191	Scott Tate - Grant McPeters	0	0.00	0.00
192	Ryan Thompsom - Casey Warren	0	0.00	0.00
193	Chris Niehaus - lance deitz	0	0.00	0.00
194	Cole Winn - Lee Sawyer	0	0.00	0.00
195	Matt Queen - Shawn Wallace	0	0.00	0.00
196	Danny Mason - Lionel Mason	0	0.00	0.00
197	Alan Fletcher - Donald Hinson	0	0.00	0.00
198	Mike Ray - Orlando Giles	0	0.00	0.00
199	T.J. Murphy jr - Matthew Burke	0	0.00	0.00
200	Ryan Bentley - greg berst	0	0.00	0.00
201	Jonathon Peeler - Colt Peeler	0	0.00	0.00
202	Billy Dean Jacobs - Mark Cummings	0	0.00	0.00
203	Mike Seawright - Greg Lovelace	0	0.00	0.00
204	Daryl Watson - Ken McFarland	0	0.00	0.00
205	Brad Nappier - Nathan Luke	0	0.00	0.00
206	Travus Lovell - Bryan Lewis	0	0.00	0.00
207	Chris Wagner - Chase Deal	0	0.00	0.00

by AnglersChannel

Obscure crankbait wins 7thAnnual Toyota Bonus Bucks tournament

Courtesy of Alan McGuckin / Dynamic Sponsorships

It’s hard to believe the winning lure at the no entry fee Toyota Trucks Bonus Bucks Owners event was so obscure not even legendary pros Gerald Swindle and Mike Iaconelli had heard of it, but that’s exactly what happened Sunday afternoon on Table Rock Lake when KC Choosakul and Steven Jacobs dredged up 15 pounds 7 ounces on a liquid-filled Core Strike S.O.B. crankbait to haul the $5,000 first place prize back to North Carolina.

The somewhat secret series of lures are manufactured in Mississippi, and are filled with a liquid that not only helps them sink to the lake floor, but also stand on their diving bill to maintain constant bottom contact, and help prevent the treble hooks from snagging.

The winning team caught most of their fish in 16 feet of water along a creek channel, and tied the little known lures to 15-pound fluorocarbon line. Their winning weight topped second place finishers Brett and Beau Govreau of Missouri by two pounds. The Govreau brothers caught their respectable weight using a hard head swivel head jig trimmed with a Strike King Menace grub.

Of the 210 teams that registered, all went home with a custom made Bass Pro Shops weigh-in bag full of Carhartt garments, Toyota hats, flashlights, rod socks, and even custom made lures from Terry “Big Show” Scroggins, and the top 30 teams in the final standings all got a paycheck for at least $150.

Three lucky anglers who finished outside of the Top 30 went home with $500 cash from a random drawing at weigh-in courtesy of Toyota. The 15^thplace finisher, Derek Felton won a $1,000 Bass Pro Shops Gift Certificate, and 31^stplace finisher Cay Fields of Arkansas won $750 cash from LEER Truck Caps and Tonneau Covers.

And everybody, including Swindle and Iaconelli, took away knowledge of a previously unfamiliar ‘sinking’ crankbait from the fun and fellowship rich event.

by AnglersChannel

Adam Bain and Kris Colley Win Alabama Bass Trail Championship at Neely Henry Lake

Team Overcomes Changing Conditions to Claim $45,000 Phoenix 819 Prize Boat
by Dan O’Sullivan

October 28, 2018 – Gadsden, Ala. – For its fifth season, the Alabama Bass Trail brought its culminating championship event to the town of Gadsden, Ala. and the waters of Neely Henry Lake. The Coosa River fishery has been a stop for the ABT’s Northern Division each year since its 2014 inception, but this is the first time it has hosted the two-day Alabama Bass Trail Championship.

The team of Adam Bain and Kris Colley; who finished the 2017 Alabama Bass Trail in the runners up position, managed to string together a strong, 18.75-pound limit that took the lead on day one, then produced a follow up 11.29-pound performance on day two that earned them the victory with 30.04 pounds. Their prize for winning the event was a 2019 Phoenix 819 bass boat equipped with the latest 200 horsepower Four-Stroke outboard and Garmin electronics valued at $45,000.

While Neely Henry Lake is known for producing numbers of bass with a few true quality specimens during a weigh-in, it proved to be a little tougher overall this year due to varying weather patterns. While the area had been unseasonably warm recently, in the week leading up to the event, the temperatures dropped into the low 40’s overnight, and the skies turned grey and brought rain overnight on the eve of the tournament, through its first day. After the front passed, the skies cleared partly, and the conditions changed again.

Bain and Colley were able to ride a pattern that featured throwing a black War Eagle buzzbait around isolated water willow patches on the main river from mid-lake to the southern end. “We moved a lot, covered a ton of water with that buzzbait and managed to get seven or eight bites a day,” they reported. “We tried other things along the way, but we only got the kind of bites we needed with the buzzbait.”

The pair was exhausted, but thrilled with their finish. “We worked really hard preparing for this event,” they said. “This is obviously a much sweeter feeling than finishing second at this Logan Martin last year; we couldn’t be happier right now.”

Second place finishers Brad Shelton and Eric White began day two in sixth place after posting an opening round weight of 14.49 pounds. They followed that up with a steady 13.29-pound limit to bring their total weight to 27.78 pounds; they earned $5,000 for their runner up finish.

They reported catching all of their fish by flipping a handmade “Natural Craw” colored jig tipped with a coordinating Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craw as a trailer. They fished from Minnesota Bend to the island at Hokes Bluff upriver looking for wood cover near deep water. “We feel really good about how we did on the water, we fished clean and had a good tournament,” they said. “It’s not really fun to finish second in an event like this but to move up and be in contention is something we had hoped for. We are pleased with how the event went for us; we couldn’t have done any better than we did, so knowing that, we’re happy with the finish.”

The team of Duane and Brandon Edel caught the Mountain Dew Big Bass of the tournament on day one. Their 6.45-pound largemouth anchored their day one limit, and helped propel them to a fifth place finish with a total weight of 26.82 pounds, and a total of $3,000 in earnings with their big fish bonus money in hand.

The rest of the Top 10 Standings are below, for complete standings visit: https://www.alabamabasstrail.org/tournament-series/nhl-results/

Place	Anglers	Weight	Winnings
1	Adam Bain / Kris Colley	30.04	$45,000 Phoenix Boat
2	Brad Shelton / Eric White	27.78	$5,000
3	Mark McCaig / Tim Hurst	27.09	$4,000
4	Gabe Aldridge / Wes Wiggins	27.05	$3,000
5	Duane Edel / Brandon Edel	26.82	$2,500
6	Shane Horton / Brandon Horton	26.68	$2,000
7	Bradley Jones / Andy Kilgore	26.44	$1,800
8	Brannon Hurst / Mike Freeman	25.91	$1,700
9	Jamie Starnes / Ricky Fowler	25.78	$1,600
10	Anthony Goggins / Jeremy Headley	25.51	$1,400

That wraps up the 2018 Alabama Bass Trail season, the 2019 season begins with the Southern Division kickoff February 16 at Lake Martin in Alexander City, Ala.

The sponsors of the 2018 Alabama Bass Trail include; Phoenix Bass Boats, Bill Penney Toyota, Garmin, Academy Sports & Outdoors, America’s First Federal Credit Union, Wind Creek Hospitality – Wetumpka, Wind Creek Hospitality – Montgomery, Alabama Tourism Department, T-H Marine Supplies, Wedowee Marine, Buffalo Rock, Jack’s, Fish Neely Henry Lake.com, Alabama Power Company, Trapper Tackle, Lew’s Fishing, AFTCO, YETI, and E3 Apparel.

For information about Alabama Bass Trail and for complete tournament standings visit www.alabamabasstrail.org.

by AnglersChannel

LAKE GUNTERSVILLE SET TO HOST COSTA FLW SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP

GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. (Oct. 18, 2018) – More than 200 of the top semi-professional bass anglers from both the United States and around the world will visit the Guntersville area Nov. 1-3 for the 2018 Costa FLW Series Championship at Lake Guntersville. The three-day event, hosted by the Marshall County Convention & Visitors Bureau, features a top prize of $95,000 in the Pro Division, including a Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and an automatic qualification to the 2019 Forrest Wood Cup – the world championship of bass fishing.

Competitors qualified for the Costa FLW Series Championship through five U.S. divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western – and an International division that features anglers from Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa and Spain. The highest finishing pro from each U.S. division and the International division will qualify for the 2019 FLW Cup. A total of six FLW Series boaters will advance to the 2019 FLW Cup, which will be held at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Aug. 9-11.

“Overall, Lake Guntersville should fish well for this event,” said FLW Tour pro Alex Davis of Albertville, Alabama, who has logged three career wins on Lake Guntersville in FLW competition. “There should still be some grass left, but it will be more scattered instead of matted up. Most of the lake should be productive, especially Mud Creek, Crow Creek and the Goose Pond area. The area around Alred Marina on the lower end should produce some notable bites as well. Those locations have the most amount of grass right now.”

Davis said that fans should expect to see a variety of lures being used to pick apart the grass.

“It will be your typical frog deals on the grass mats, as well as some flipping and punching beaver-style baits,” said Davis. “A buzzbait and a spinnerbait should be good as well. There’s been some wind and rain which moves the grass and makes the mats a lot smaller. If the grass keeps decreasing the way it is, an umbrella rig could be a factor as well.”

Davis went on to say that it will likely take a three-day cumulative of about 54 pounds to win the event.

“Finding that 3½- to 4½-pound bite instead of the [more common] 2- and 3-pound bass will be key,” said Davis.

Anglers will take off from Guntersville City Harbor, located at 201 Blount Ave., in Guntersville, at 7:30 a.m. CDT each day. Thursday and Friday’s weigh-ins will also take place at the harbor, and will begin at 3 p.m. Saturday’s final weigh-in will take place at Cabela's, located at 7090 Cabela Drive in Huntsville, Alabama, and will begin at 3:30 p.m. All takeoffs and weigh-ins are free to attend and open to the public.

Area youth are encouraged to attend the free FLW Foundation Unified Fishing Derby at Guntersville City Harbor on Saturday, Nov. 3, from 1-2:30 p.m. The all-inclusive event is open to youth (18 and under) and Special Olympics athletes (all ages). Tackle, bait and expert assistance will be provided. Registration begins on site at noon.

In Costa FLW Series competition, each U.S. division consists of three regular-season tournaments with competitors vying for valuable points that could earn them the opportunity to compete in the season-ending Costa FLW Series Championship.

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

by AnglersChannel

Avena, Lane, Swindle Win Final Matches At Bassmaster Classic Bracket On Carters Lake

Gerald Swindle, Chris Lane and Adrian Avena clinched their spots in the 2019 Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK'S Sporting Goods after claiming the top spots at the Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster Classic Bracket on Carters Lake.

Photo by B.A.S.S.

October 26, 2018

ELIJAY, Ga. — Adrian Avena told his followers on social media Thursday night that Friday’s final round of the Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster Classic Bracket on Carters Lake would be the most important six hours of his career.

Then he went out and made the most of the opportunity.

The New Jersey pro was one of three anglers — along with Gerald Swindle and Chris Lane of Alabama — who won their head-to-head matches during the Bracket finals to earn berths into the 2019 Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.

Avena, who will be making his first trip to the Super Bowl of Professional Bass Fishing, caught a five-bass limit that weighed 8 pounds, 11 ounces, to easily win his match with Japanese pro Shin Fukae, who boated only one keeper that weighed 1-5.

“Today was all about making a dream come true,” Avena said. “I’ve never had a day of fishing that meant more, and I’m so glad it happened the way it did for me.”

The pressure of the moment was so immense that Avena had trouble sleeping Thursday night, and he used that insomnia to his advantage to make some adjustments to a bait that would be the key to his success Friday.

Avena hand-painted a 1 1/2-ounce spoon pink and white at midnight Thursday and rigged it with a size No. 2 Berkley Fusion treble hook. He then used the bait to catch a good limit of spotted bass by 10:30 a.m. Friday.

With Fukae struggling, the match was essentially over at that point.

“I used basically three techniques this week, and they were all important,” Avena said. “I used a drop shot with a 4-inch hand-poured worm, and I used a longer 2-foot leader because I was fishing for suspended fish. I also used a jerkbait, which served as a great search tool, and then I caught most of my fish today on the spoon.”

Swindle also threw several baits to catch his Friday limit of five bass that weighed 11 pounds, 6 ounces.

He caught a 12-ounce keeper just five minutes into the competition on a Rapala DT10 crankbait and then added 1-6 keeper less than an hour later on a buzzbait. For the rest of the day, in cloudy conditions that were ideal for a surface or near-surface bite, he used a jerkbait to fill out his limit.

His match was also a bit anticlimactic because his opponent, Arkansas pro Scott Rook, struggled for most of the day. Rook caught just one bass that weighed 1-14.

“I used a little bit of everything this week,” Swindle said. “I used a River2Sea spoon, a DT10 crankbait, a jerkbait, a buzzbait and then a shaky head.

“The shaky head with a Zoom green pumpkin/blue flake trick worm was probably the biggest bait for me — and most of the fish I caught on it came from 35 to 45 feet of water.”

Lane fished all week with larger topwater presentations that produced only a few bites, but larger fish on average. He stuck with that approach Friday and landed the biggest limit of the day — five bass that weighed 10-12.

His first keeper was a 2-3 spot that bit a Luck-E-Strike jerkbait at 8:09 a.m. He added a 2-9 on the same lure at 8:58 and a 3-11 at 9:01 during a furious stretch that put his match with fellow Alabama pro Greg Vinson out of reach.

Vinson finished with five bass that weighed 5-14.

“It all happened on top for me this week,” Lane said. “I switched from a wakebait to a Whopper Plopper and then I really just switched up today to that Luck-E-Strike jerkbait. The name of the game was cover, cover, cover — just cover a lot of water.”

One of the key moments for Lane came when he tied into a big fish that actually came unhooked.

“That big fish came off and then another one grabbed it,” Lane said. “If I had gotten that fish up next to the boat and then it came off, I might not have had that shot.”

2018 Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster Classic Bracket 10/23-10/26
Carters Lake, Elijay, Ga.
Standings Day 4

Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz
Scott Rook Litte Rock, Ark. 1/1-14
Gerald Swindle Guntersville, Ala. 5/11-6

Greg Vinson Wetumpka, Ala. 5/5-14
Chris Lane Guntersville, Ala. 5/10-12

Shin Fukae Palestine, Texas 1/1-5
Adrian Avena Vineland, N.J. 5/8-11

by AnglersChannel

Six Anglers Advance To Final Round Of Bassmaster Classic Bracket On Carters Lake

Scott Rook of Little Rock, Ark., had the heaviest two-day total of bass, 10 pounds, 14 ounces, on the third day of the Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster Classic Bracket on Carters Lake out of Elijay, Ga. The final round of competition will begin on Friday where the six advancing anglers' weights will start back at zero, and the winners of each match will advance to the 2019 Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK'S Sporting Goods.

Photo by B.A.S.S.

October 25, 2018

ELIJAY, Ga. — The picture is steadily growing clearer at the Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster Classic Bracket on Carters Lake, with the two-day semifinal round now complete and six anglers qualified for Friday’s finals.

A trio of head-to-head matchups on Friday will pit Gerald Swindle vs. Scott Rook, Chris Lane vs. Greg Vinson and Adrian Avena vs. Shin Fukae. The anglers’ weights will start back at zero, and they will fish from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. ET with the winners of each match advancing to the 2019 Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.

Lane had one of the most impressive days Thursday, landing three big spotted bass that weighed 8 pounds, 9 ounces. Combined with the 2-3 he caught Wednesday, it gave him a two-day total of 10-12 that was more than enough to win his match against Michigan angler Chad Pipkens, who finished with 7-11.

“Knowing I had a little bit of a lead allowed me to fish with an eye toward tomorrow,” said Lane, a former Bassmaster Classic winner who lives in Alabama. “Tomorrow’s going to be amazing with a Classic berth on the line. It’ll either be really exciting or really disappointing.”

Lane’s biggest bass came at 8:18 a.m. when he landed a gigantic 4-10 spotted bass near a boat dock. He added two more fish on a Whopper Plopper the rest of the way to seal the win.

Pipkens caught a nice bass on a jerkbait with just over 30 minutes remaining in the morning session to keep pressure on Lane. But it wasn’t enough.

“I don’t think I would have made any different decisions today except maybe picking up a jerkbait a little earlier,” Pipkens said. “But that’s the way it goes. I’m already looking forward to next year.”

Also during the morning session, Swindle caught two bass that weighed 1-7 and pushed his two-day total to 8-4. It was enough to help him pass Arkansas pro and longtime friend Mike McClelland, who finished with 8-1.

“Mike is one of my best friends ever,” said Swindle, a veteran Alabama pro. “So that was like one of the most joyous sucking victories of my life. I hate it because it seemed like the two of us had the biggest weights, but that’s how this format works.”

Avena, who makes his home in New Jersey, caught just one bass during the morning session, but still managed to win his match with Texas angler Ray Hanselman Jr. Avena’s two-day total of 6-0 — which was helped greatly by the 4-15 he caught Wednesday — was nearly 3 pounds better than that of Hanselman’s 3-2.

The story of the afternoon session was the amazing comeback by Rook.
The veteran Arkansas pro, who has announced his intentions to retire when the season is over, zeroed Wednesday and came into the day trailing Arkansas angler Fred Roumbanis by 6-13. But Rook, who primarily used a Whopper Plopper, caught five bass that weighed 10-14 and slipped by Roumbanis who managed only two fish and finished with 9-9.

“From zero to hero, daddy,” Rook quipped as time expired. “The weather made a difference today. After a full moon at night, they just don’t bite in the mornings — and I couldn’t catch them when I had to fish the morning session yesterday.

"I was bound and determined to catch them on a Plopper, and with this cloud cover it worked out.”

Roumbanis, who had been one of the most consistent anglers since the tournament began with the seeding round Tuesday, seemed baffled by his struggles Thursday.

“Hat’s off to Scott,” Roumbanis said. “Even if I was fishing tomorrow, I wouldn’t have anything to fish. But it was a great tournament.”

Vinson, an Alabama pro who caught 4-7 Wednesday, didn’t boat a fish during Thursday’s afternoon session. But that total of 4-7 was still enough to help him past Alabama pro Dustin Connell, who caught 2-8 Thursday and finished with a two-day total of 4-1.

Texas pro Keith Combs caught one fish Wednesday and one more Thursday for a two-day total of 2-10. He lost his head-to-head match with Fukae, who finished with 6-13.

Friday’s full-day event will utilize the catch-weigh-release format with all bass weighed on the water and immediately released. The action will be carried live on Bassmaster.com.

2018 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota

2018 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Power-Pole, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha, Abu Garcia, Berkley, Huk, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats

2018 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Academy Sports + Outdoors, Carhartt, Livingston Lures, Lowrance, Phoenix Boats, T-H Marine

2018 Bassmaster Elite Series Elite Partner: Black Velvet

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

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

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Media contact: Dave Precht, 205-313-0931, dprecht@bassmaster.com

2018 Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster Classic Bracket 10/23-10/26
Carters Lake, Elijay, Ga.
Standings Day 3

Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz
Fred Roumbanis Russellville, Ark. 7/9-9
Scott Rook Litte Rock, Ark. 5/10-14

Gerald Swindle Guntersville, Ala. 5/8-4
Mike McClelland Bentonville, Ark. 3/8-1

Greg Vinson Wetumpka, Ala. 5/4-7
Dustin Connell Clanton, Ala. 4/4-1

Chris Lane Guntersville, Ala. 4/10-12
Chad Pipkens Lansing, Mich. 6/7-11

Keith Combs Huntington, Texas 2/2-10
Shin Fukae Palestine, Texas 4/6-13

Ray Hanselman Jr. Del Rio, Texas 3/3-2
Adrian Avena Vineland, N.J. 5/6-0

by AnglersChannel

Carters Lake Proves Demanding During Semifinals Of Bassmaster Classic Bracket

Fred Roumbanis of Russellville, Ark., and Gerald Swindle of Guntersville, Ala., caught the most weight, 6 pounds, 13 ounces, on the second day of the Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster Classic Bracket on Carters Lake out of Elijay, Ga.

Photo by B.A.S.S.

October 24, 2018

ELIJAY, Ga. — Twelve anglers took part in six head-to-head matchups during Wednesday’s semifinal round of the Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster Classic Bracket on Carters Lake.

The lake was stingy — and that’s putting it mildly.

After a bright full moon that likely caused the bass to feed heavily throughout the previous night, Arkansas angler Fred Roumbanis turned in the biggest weight of the morning session, landing five bass that totaled a modest 6 pounds, 13 ounces.

That was more than enough to give the top-seeded Roumbanis the lead in his bracket-style matchup with 12th-seeded Scott Rook who zeroed for the morning. The seeding order was determined Tuesday during a one-day fish-off.

“With this full moon, the fish are feeding all night long and that makes them really finicky,” Roumbanis said. “Using Garmin LiveScope, I can see the bass down there and I can see exactly what they’re doing. But you still have to trick a fish that’s full into biting.”

The morning session featured six anglers in three head-to-head matchups that lasted from 8-11 a.m. ET. Roumbanis started early with a 13-ounce keeper and then finished his limit with a 1-11 spotted bass at 10:43 a.m.

“I’m just following big schools of bait in about 20 feet of water and catching suspended bass,” Roumbanis said. “It’s not easy to force a bite.”

Rook, who has already announced his intentions to retire after this season, focused primarily on topwater fishing and failed to put a keeper in the boat.

During the other morning matches, Texas pro Keith Combs, the third-seeded angler in the event, caught just one spot that weighed 15 ounces and fell behind 10th-seeded Japanese pro Shin Fukae, who caught two bass for a total of 3-7.

No. 2 seed Greg Vinson of Alabama, was one of only two anglers to catch a five-bass limit Wednesday, and his total of 4-7 gave him the lead over 11th-seeded Dustin Connell who managed just two fish for 1-9.

“I just wanted to try to keep going up by a pound at a time, and that’s about what I did,” Vinson said. “With only three hours to fish, I was proud to get five.”

During the afternoon session, which lasted from 12:30-3:30 p.m., Alabama pro Gerald Swindle tied Roumbanis for the day’s heaviest weight with three fish that totaled 6-13. That gave Swindle, the sixth seed, a lead over seventh-seeded Arkansas angler Mike McClelland who caught only one fish that weighed 2-7.
“Knowing that we’re only fishing three hours — and that our weights carry over to tomorrow — my goal was just to get on the scoreboard,” Swindle said. “Getting five would have been nice, but I’m glad just to be above zero starting tomorrow.”

Swindle’s biggest hit came just 10 minutes before the session ended when he landed a 3-5 spot that ranked as the biggest fish of the day.

“I saw that big joker sitting there on my screen,” Swindle said, referring to the depthfinder he uses at the bow of his boat. “It was sitting there the whole time, and I just kept drifting and drifting and drifting. He finally bit.”

Elsewhere during the afternoon matches, ninth-seeded New Jersey pro Adrian Avena came close to securing a limit with four bass that weighed 4-15. He had a harrowing day, fighting hard to land one bass that stayed hung up in a brushpile for several minutes and then putting his fourth fish in the boat with just seconds remaining in the session.

Fourth-seeded Ray Hanselman Jr., who caught two bass that weighed 2-3, now trails Avena by nearly 3 pounds.

Eighth-seeded Michigan angler Chad Pipkens caught three bass that weighed 3-0 and barely leads fifth-seeded Alabama pro Chris Lane who caught just one fish that weighed 2-3.

The weights will carry over to Thursday, as the six pros who fished the afternoon session Wednesday will swap to the mornings and vice versa. The six matches will be decided based on the total weight from both days.

The six advancing anglers will fish in three head-to-head matches from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday, with the three winners earning berths to the 2019 Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.

2018 Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster Classic Bracket 9/19-9/22
Carters Lake, Elijay, Ga.
Standings Day 2

Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz
Fred Roumbanis Russellville, Ark. 5/6-13
Scott Rook Litte Rock, Ark. 0/0-00

Gerald Swindle Guntersville, Ala. 3/6-13
Mike McClelland Bentonville, Ark. 1/2-7

Greg Vinson Wetumpka, Ala. 5/4-7
Dustin Connell Clanton, Ala. 2/1-9

Chris Lane Guntersville, Ala. 1/2-3
Chad Pipkens Lansing, Mich. 3/3-0

Keith Combs Huntington, Texas 1/0-15
Shin Fukae Palestine, Texas 2/3-7

Ray Hanselman Jr. Del Rio, Texas 2/2-3
Adrian Avena Vineland, N.J. 4/4-15

by AnglersChannel

A.R.E. INTRODUCES NEXT-GENERATION TECHNOLOGY WITH THE NEW CX REVO AND CX EVOLVE TRUCK CAPS

MASSILLON, Ohio - October 16, 2018 – A.R.E. Accessories LLC, a Truck Hero company, takes accessorizing trucks to the next level by offering truck owners the latest truck cap technology and design with their all-new CX Revo and CX Evolve. These new models introduce current automotive glass technology into A.R.E.’s product line, allowing the caps to truly complement the modern styling of today’s trucks.

The CX Revo and CX Evolve feature an industry-first, frameless all-glass, tailgate-formed rear door. This revolutionary door follows the styling of each truck’s tailgate by forming the glass down and over the tailgate for superior styling and security.

Tailgate Formed Rear Door.jpg

Both covers feature OneMotion^ handle and ActiveTilt^ auto on/off lighting technology. The OneMotion^ handle offers an intuitive design for greater ease of use, as well as optional keyless entry to lock and unlock using your truck’s factory key fob for added security. The ActiveTilt^ system uses magnet technology to turn the LED lighting on and off when opening and closing the rear door.

OneMotion Handle.jpg

“Our new rear door technology removes the bottom contour strip that makes the transition from the glass to the tailgate on current doors,” explains Bryan Mutchler, marketing manager, A.R.E. Accessories. “This complex forming and shaping of the glass to cover the rear tailgate is what we see the future of truck caps becoming.”

Complementing its new rear door, the CX Revo features the latest side and front window technology. A.R.E. uses urethane technology to install new frameless all-glass side and front windows. These windows and the install method allows for a superior interior and exterior appearance and enhanced protection from the elements.

The CX Evolve features the new rear door technology blended with A.R.E.’s classic aluminum-frame side and front windows, giving customers exceptional functionality and value while still providing truck specific modern OE styling.

Visit www.4are.com/product/revo and www.4are.com/product/evolve for more details and available applications.

About A.R.E. Accessories, LLC

A.R.E. Accessories, a Truck Hero company, began manufacturing wood frame truck caps in 1969 and has become a leading manufacturer of fiberglass truck caps and hard tonneau covers for consumer and fleet/commercial use. At its ISO 9001:2015 certified manufacturing facilities, A.R.E.’s skilled employees create the products that are sold through a network of independent authorized dealers. For more information, visit www.4are.com.

by AnglersChannel

DuraSafe Leads Marine Security Products Category with Keyed-Alike Capability

New Berlin, Wis. – Oct. 24, 2018 – DuraSafe, a leading marine security products manufacturer, is finding solutions to keep boats, trailers and the marine electronic accessories that accompany these recreational vehicles safe. DuraSafe’s Keyed-Alike Capability results in specialty locks custom built to work with the same key, eliminating the need for multiple keys.

In addition to the marine line of Keyed-Alike locks DuraSafe manufactures, (E-LOCK®s and Swivel Mount Locks for marine electronics, Bow Mount Locks for trolling motors, Transom Mount Locks and Quick Release Bracket Locks), they have just announced a new line of trailer locks. These new locks include receiver locks, coupler locks, a universal spare tire lock, swing away tongue trailer lock, cable lock and chain wheel lock. All with the capability of being built under the same key.

Customers have the flexibility to choose the locks they need and have all locks keyed alike with one key. Additional locks can be purchased at any time and keyed to the locks already owned.

“We aim to provide our customers with innovative products to protect their investments,” said Cathy Frantz, CMO. “We create American made locks that are easy to install, keeping expensive outdoor equipment safe, so people can spend more time on the road and on the water and less time worrying.”

Keyed-Alike locks and other DuraSafe products are manufactured in the United States and can be found on the company’s new website, www.durasafelocks.com.

About DuraSafe
DuraSafe is a family-owned and family-run company founded in 2003. DuraSafe products are manufactured in the United States with high-quality stainless steel and marine grade materials. DuraSafe has been recognized by the National Marine Manufacturers Association for product innovation. DuraSafe has been manufacturing locks and lock components for over 30 years and continues to introduce products that solve problems and save time. For more information on DuraSafe products visit www.durasafelocks.com.

by AnglersChannel

Twelve Anglers Advance After First Round Of Bassmaster Classic Bracket On Carters Lake

Twelve anglers will advance to the upcoming three-day, bracket-style competition during the Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster Classic Bracket on Carters Lake out of Elijay, Ga. Fred Roumbanis brought in the heaviest five-bass limit today with 16 pounds, 1 ounce.

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

October 23, 2018

ELIJAY, Ga. — The first round of the Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster Classic Bracket on Carters Lake was a one-day tournament to determine the seeding for three separate competitions that will each send an angler to the 2019 Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.

With that one-day tournament in the history books, the stakes will now get higher every moment until the Classic Bracket concludes Friday.

After Tuesday’s opening round, 15 anglers were allowed to weigh their five biggest bass with the Top 12 advancing to the upcoming three-day, bracket-style competition. The anglers qualified in the following order: 1. Fred Roumbanis (16 pounds 1 ounce), 2. Greg Vinson (13-10), 3. Keith Combs (12-6), 4. Ray Hanselman Jr. (10-0), 5. Chris Lane (9-12), 6. Gerald Swindle (9-10), 7. Mike McClelland (9-0), 8. Chad Pipkens (8-8), 9. Adrian Avena (6-13), 10. Shin Fukae (6-11), 11. Dustin Connell (5-5) and 12. Scott Rook (5-4).

Marty Robinson (4-12), Takahiro Omori (1-15) and Bill Lowen (0-0) were eliminated.

“Today’s goal was just to advance,” said Hanselman, of Del Rio, Texas. “I just wanted to try and fish clean and make sure I made it into that Top 12. I figured a little something out (during Monday’s practice round), and it helped me today. But there aren’t a whole lot of places to do it on this lake.”

Starting Wednesday, the weights will go back to zero, and six matches will be held from 8-11 a.m. ET, pitting No. 1 vs. No. 12, No. 2 vs. No. 11 and No. 3 vs. No. 10. Then during the afternoon session from 12:30-3:30 p.m., three additional matches will pit No. 4 vs. No. 9, No. 5 vs. No. 8 and No. 6 vs. No. 7.

Wednesday’s weights will carry over to Thursday when the morning and evening lineups will be flipped. After Thursday’s round of 12, the six advancing anglers will fish head-to-head on Friday with their weights back at zero once again.

Friday’s three winners will advance to the Classic.

Carters Lake is a 3,200-acre highland reservoir known for big spotted bass that gorge themselves on the lake’s abundant population of blueback herring. Schools of herring sometimes cause the bass to congregate in large numbers along the surface, allowing anglers to catch big limits quickly.

But that wasn’t the case for most of the 15-angler field Tuesday.

“I didn’t get too many bites out there today,” said Elite Series pro Keith Combs of Texas. “But when I did get them, they were good ones. I usually try to cover a lot of water. But today I kind of punted on that, and at least it got me the five fish I needed.”

Chad Pipkens, an Elite Series angler from Michigan, said the lake could change a lot during the next three days.

“It’s anybody’s game out there,” he said. “The fish are moving around so much. I think I caught one bass today where I caught them in practice.”

Pipkens said having only three hours to fish the next three days will make things tough.

“I tried to learn a little bit more today and add that to what I learned in practice,” he said. “You’ve just got to put your bait in places where they live — and with only three hours to fish, you’ll have to do it right away.”

Since B.A.S.S. is using a catch-weigh-release format for the event, there will be no weigh-ins the rest of the week. All fish will be weighed by onboard judges and released immediately.

All of the action will be carried live on Bassmaster.com.

by AnglersChannel

Bassmaster Opens Winners In 2019 Can Qualify For The 50th Bassmaster Classic

Registration for the 2019 Bassmaster Opens Series began today with an early-entry period for current Bassmaster Elite Series pros and top performers from the 2018 Opens Series.

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

October 23, 2018

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — After a one-year experiment with a Bassmaster Opens Championship, B.A.S.S. is returning to the popular “win-and-you’re-in” qualifying system from the Opens to the Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.

“While those who competed in last week’s Opens Championship really enjoyed the event, most who compete in one of the Opens divisions let us know that the additional postseason event created time and travel constraints for most of the field,” said Chris Bowes, senior tournament manager for the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series. “We listened, and we decided to go back to win-and-you’re-in.”

Anglers who win one of the eight Opens tournaments in 2019 are eligible to compete in the 2020 Classic — which will mark the 50th world championship since its inception in 1971 — if they compete in all four Opens tournaments in the division in which they won. To reach the 2019 Classic, Opens anglers had to either win the Opens Championship on Table Rock Lake Oct. 18-20 or finish among the Top 3 in performance points on either the Central or Eastern Division.

The Opens Series also is the main pathway to the prestigious Bassmaster Elite Series. In 2019, the Top 5 in points from each division will be invited to compete in the 2020 Elites.

Bowes said entry fees have been held at 2018 levels: $1,500 per tournament for the pros and $425 per tournament for co-anglers. Registration for the Opens began today with an early-entry period for current Bassmaster Elite Series pros and top performers from the 2018 Opens Series.

Preference is given to anglers who sign up for all four events in a division. B.A.S.S. Nation members and B.A.S.S. Life Members may sign up online beginning Oct. 30 if they are “linked” to a co-angler. B.A.S.S. members linking to co-anglers can register online Nov. 1; non-linking Life and Nation members can register Nov. 6 online and Nov. 8 by phone; non-linking B.A.S.S. members can sign up online and by phone Nov. 13 and 15, respectively. Members signing up for single events may register online Nov. 27 or by phone Nov. 29.

Information is available at Bassmaster.com, where online registration also takes place. Those preferring to enter by phone can call 877-227-7872.

The 2019 season kicks off for the Eastern Opens Division with a visit to Florida’s Harris Chain of Lakes Jan. 24-26. Others in the division are Lake Chickamauga at Dayton, Tenn., May 23-25; James River, Richmond, Va., July 25-27; and Oneida Lake, Syracuse, N.Y., Sept. 5-7. Central Division tournaments include Toledo Bend, Many, La., Feb. 20-22 (a Wednesday-Friday schedule); Smith Lake, Jasper, Ala., April 25-27; Mississippi River, La Crosse, Wis., Aug. 1-3; and Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees, Grove, Okla., Sept. 12-14.

by AnglersChannel

Mossy Oak Fishing Adds Pro Angler Greg Hackney

WEST POINT, MS - Mossy Oak has announced the addition of Greg Hackney to the Mossy Oak Fishing Team.

Fishing out of Gonzales, Louisiana, Hackney has won every major competitive bass fishing title with the exception of the Bassmaster Classic. Notable victories on Hackney's resume include, but are not limited to:

2018 Major League Fishing World Champion

2014 Bassmaster AOY

6-Time Bassmaster Tour Champion

2009 FLW Cup

"I'm an outdoors addict," said Hackney. "Partnering with Mossy Oak was an easy decision for me. As a company, they make a pattern for every day of my life, whether for hunting or fishing. As a brand, they fully represent who I am as an outdoorsman and a conservationist."

Hackney will fish the 2019 season representing Mossy Oak Fishing and wearing its pattern, Elements Agua.Mossy Oak launched its first fishing pattern, Elements Agua, at the ICAST show in July 2017. Since then, Elements Agua has been named the official pattern of B.A.S.S., Major League Fishing, the Cabela's Collegiate Bass Fishing Series and the Bassmaster High School Tournament Series. In conjunction with the launch of Elements Agua, the Mossy Oak Fishing Team has continued to grow since the additions of KevinVanDam (Team Leader), Jordan Lee, Ott DeFoe, Brandon Palaniuk, Gerald Swindle and Matt Lee.

"Greg is one of the most respected anglers in competitive bass fishing," said Ben Maki, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Mossy Oak. "His passion for the outdoors as an angler, a hunter and a conservationist makes him a perfect addition to the Mossy Oak family. We're proud to have him on our team."

To learn more about Mossy Oak Fishing, or to enjoy free, timely and entertaining hunting and outdoors content, visit https://www.mossyoak.com.

by AnglersChannel

AC Insider Podcast - The Boys are Back in Town! - Featuring US Open Winner Bub Tosh & BASS Opens Champ Jared Lintner!

The Boys are back! Jason returns and talks about his Mission trip to Africa & Chris returns from his annual vacation cruise with his wife and has a laundry list of things to discuss about that adventure as well. They also welcome 2018 WON BASS US Open Winner Bub Tosh to the program to hear about his winning details on Lake Mead & also talk to the "Milk Man" Jared Lintner on how he was able to defeat Table Rock and 27 other Opens contender for a spot in the 2019 Bassmasters Classic. All this and more on the AC Insider Podcast!

by AnglersChannel

DeFoe Repeats on Douglas Lake using the FishSmart App from Humminbird!

Courtesy of Humminbird - Photos Courtesy of BASS/Ronnie Moore & James Overstreet

Winner borrows boat from friend and fishes the entire tournament with no boat-mounted electronics

In this era of high-definition side image and detailed mapping, when is the last time a major bass fishing event was won without a single fish finder mounted on the winner’s boat?

If you guessed as recent as one month ago, you are correct.

When B.A.S.S. announced that tunnel hull boats, like the one Ott DeFoe used to win the Bassmaster Open at Douglas Lake in 2017, would not be allowed in 2018, the Humminbird/Minn Kota pro considered not even fishing the event. In fact, he didn’t even enter the tournament until just before the cut-off when he made the decision to borrow a friend’s flat-bottom aluminum boat to head up the French Broad River to ply the waters in the mountains of eastern Tennessee for another tournament-winning stringer.

“My buddy hadn’t even fished out of his boat but he was kind enough to let me use it so I could access some skinnier water, which I knew would likely be key to my success in the tournament,” explains DeFoe. “He hadn’t even put electronics on it. It was basically a blank canvas.”

DeFoe got to work rigging the boat, immediately mounting an Minn Kota Ultrex on the bow.

“I knew I’d be fishing some pretty heavy current and Spot-Lock would be critical,” DeFoe added. “Ever since I won the first tournament I ever fished with an Ultrex on the Mississippi, I’ve been a staunch believer that when you can concentrate on fishing and leave boat control to the experts, you significantly increase the odds of success. It was proven once again on Douglas where I used Spot-Lock to position my boat exactly where it needed to be to make the best presentation possible.”

For those who have seen the Minn Kota Ultrex change the face of fishing over the last couple years, the addition of the groundbreaking trolling motor to his friend’s boat isn’t much of a surprise. But when it came time to consider electronics, Ott made a move many would find counterintuitive for an angler accustomed to fishing with all the bells and whistles of a tournament-style bass rig.

“The area I planned to fish is shallow. I knew I wouldn’t really need a depthfinder. I could see bottom. But I needed a GPS and flawless mapping,” said DeFoe. “Rather than spend the limited time I had leading up to the tournament rigging a locator, I simply relied on my Humminbird FishSmart app to navigate to my fishing area each day.”

Operating through a clean, intuitive interface directly on his iPhone6 and working with the device’s GPS, FishSmart allowed DeFoe to view his precise location at every point in his journey upriver. He had previously downloaded the high-definition LakeMaster map for Douglas.

FishSmart was introduced by Humminbird in March 2018. Within the app, users can purchase and download any of the 1,500+ high-definition LakeMaster maps. From there, they can highlight depth contours and shallow water, offset the water depth based on seasonal changes, or even mark waypoints or routes.

“The water level dropped every day of the tournament. The water level offset and shallow water highlight features were incredibly important as I was able to adjust my map to the actual current depths and identify places I was able to run my boat,” DeFoe explained. “The boat was obviously not as fast as the Nitro I typically run so if I could pick up a couple minutes on my commute by taking a shortcut here and there, I wanted to do it. Plus it was a bit foggy a couple mornings of the tournament so having the map in front of me was important to stay on course. It’s amazing that I can have all that information on my phone.”

Individual high-definition LakeMaster lake maps like the one DeFoe downloaded for Douglas Lake are easy to search, buy, and download within the free FishSmart app. Once purchased within the app, maps can wirelessly transfer to a Bluetooth®-enabled HELIX® and SOLIX® Series fish finder.

On DeFoe’s part, he doesn’t have plans to strip his regular tournament rig of his Humminbird electronics anytime soon, but he certainly learned to trust the FishSmart app during his victorious run on Douglas Lake.

“I see plenty of uses for the FishSmart app, from downloading high-definition maps for single lakes, navigating smaller boats or boats without sophisticated electronics and even updating the software on Humminbird units. Plus, I use it religiously to study lake maps at home before ever hitting the water. FishSmart will always be on my phone and will get plenty of use from here on out, I can promise you that.”

by AnglersChannel

Fowler Wins Berkley Big Bass on Lake Fork with 8.95 Giant!

Zach Fowler, holds off a record field of over 1150 anglers at the 13th Annual Berkley Big Bass event on Lake Fork with an 8.95 lb Giant and wins a new Skeeter ZX 200/ Yamaha/ Lowrance / Power Pole rig + $1000.

ZACH FOWLER

Aledo

8.95

Skeeter ZX 200 Yamaha SHO Lowrance PowerPole

THOMAS YOUNG

Eros

2.60

Skeeter ZX 190 Yamha SHO Lowrance PowerPole

ZACH FOWLER

Aledo

8.95

$1000.00

THOMAS YOUNG

Eros

2.60

$1000.00

RONALD MORRISON

Durant

2.52

$1000.00

DAVID CROW

Henderson

2.51

$1000.00

GENE DENNIS

Emory

2.51

$1000.00

LYNN ROLLER

Fort Worth

2.50

$1000 Abu Garcia Exact Weight Bonus

MIKE EDWARDS

Emory

2.50

$1000.00

LYNN ROLLER

Fort Worth

2.50

$1000.00+$1000 Abu Garcia Exact Weight Bonus

JAY SHIPE

Mineola

2.50

$1000.00

TREY ESCHBERGER III

Lindale

2.42

$1000.00

DON OVERSTREET

Sulphur Springs

2.38

$1000.00

SCOTT SWENSON

Saginaw

2.33

$1000.00

FRANK HENRY

Downsville

2.33

$1000.00

RONNY MCADAMS

Fairfield

2.30

$1000.00

JUSTIN WEBB

Texarkana

2.29

$1000.00

JIM KIRKPATRICK

Golden

2.52

$400.00

BUDDY LEE

Calhoun

2.48

$400.00

LANE SHAW

Plano

2.42

$400.00

HERSHEL MADDOX

Jonesboro

2.42

$400.00

TIM HAWKINS

Anna

2.39

$400.00

CHRIS NEWTON

Heath

2.38

$400.00

JIMMY BRAY

Tulsa

2.37

$400.00

JESSIE AYERS

Antlers

2.33

$400.00

MARK BRITAIN

Gordonville

2.28

$400.00

KIT LOHR SR

Rockwall

2.22

$400.00

MARK VAN WINKLE

Converse

2.21

$400.00

TOM PEGODA

Tomball

2.21

$400.00

VERLON CRONEY

Alba

2.10

$400.00

JAMES HAMM

Jefferson

2.40

$350.00

ROBERT BENTON

Hudson Oaks

2.40

$350.00

JIMMY QUALLS

Euless

2.46

$300.00

TOMMY CORNELIUS

Terrell

2.41

$300.00

MICHAEL STEVENS

White Oak

2.40

$300.00

JOSH WINFREE

Converse

2.40

$300.00

BRET NEW

Rhome

2.33

$300.00

CURTIS DANIELS

Emory

2.32

$300.00

RICKY PHILLIPS

Trinidad

2.32

$300.00

JULIE ARRANT

West Monroe

2.31

Ladies Division 1st Place

MIKE DUGGER

Tool

2.24

$300.00

ALAN PAYNE

Kerens

2.19

$300.00

ROGER NIXON

Homer

2.17

$300.00

CODY BENSON

Combine

2.11

$300.00

PENNY MCCURDY

Gilliam

2.09

$300.00

RILEY MUDFORD

Texarkana

2.00

Junior Division 1st Place

GREG HOLDER

Eden

2.34

$275.00

GARRY DUHON

Lafayette

2.34

$275.00

JACOB MOORHEAD

Celina

2.44

$250.00

GARRY DUHON

Lafayette

2.37

$250.00

by AnglersChannel

SPRING HILL HIGH SCHOOL WINS BASS PRO SHOPS FLW HIGH SCHOOL FISHING LAKE MURRAY OPEN

PROSPERITY, S.C. (Oct. 15, 2018) – The Spring Hill High School duo of Aaron Weed and Robert Wise, both of Columbia, South Carolina, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 15 pounds, 13 ounces to win the 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Lake Murray Open presented by Berkley.

According to post-tournament reports, the duo caught their fish targeting points and humps near the dam with a white Zoom Fluke.

A field of 73 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from Dreher Island State Park. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship. Due to a tie between 7^th and 8^th place teams, both teams will advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.

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

1st: Spring Hill High School, Richland County, S.C. – Aaron Weed and Robert Wise, both of Columbia, S.C., five bass, 15-13

2nd: Woodruff High School, Woodruff, S.C. – Austin Lanford, Greer, S.C., and Clayton Caldwell, Woodruff, S.C., five bass, 15-5

3rd: North Augusta High School, North Augusta, S.C. – Landon Williamson and Brycen Williamson, both of Wagener, S.C., five bass, 14-7

4th: Greenbrier High School, Evans, Ga. – Henry Garrett and Joshua Ortt, both of Evans, Ga., five bass, 12-14

5th: Morgan County High School, Madison, Ga. – Cole Holloway and Landon Huff, both of Madison, Ga., five bass, 11-13

6th: Union County High School, Union, S.C. – Hunter Enlow and Tanner Duncan, both of Union, S.C., four bass, 10-7

7th: Clarks Hill Youth Fishing Team – Corey Yaden, Evans, Ga., and Brayden Batchelor, Greensboro, Ga., five bass, 9-15

8th: Greenbrier High School, Evans, Ga. – Tanner Hadden and Cy Casey, both of Evans, Ga., five bass, 9-15

Rounding out the top 10 teams were:

9th: North Augusta High School, North Augusta, S.C. – Maddux Sutton, North Augusta, S.C., and Logan Geisler, Warrenville, S.C., three bass, 9-10

10th: Travelers Rest High School, Travelers Rest, S.C. – David Ackerman and Bobby Long, both of Greenville, S.C., four bass, 9-9

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

The 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Lake Murray Open presented by Berkley was a two-person (team) event for students in grades 7-12, open to any Student Angler Federation (SAF) affiliated high school club in the United States. The top 10 percent of each Challenge, Open, and state championship field will advance to the 2019 High School Fishing National Championship on a body of water that has yet to be revealed. The High School Fishing national champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice.

In addition to the High School Fishing National Championship, all High School Fishing anglers nationwide automatically qualify for the world’s largest open high school bass tournament, the 2019 High School Fishing World Finals, held in conjunction with the National Championship. At the 2018 World Finals more than $150,000 in scholarships and prizes were awarded.

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

About FLW

FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2018 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW and their partners conduct 286 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa and Spain. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.

by AnglersChannel

PENNSYLVANIA’S THOMPSON WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ON THE CHESAPEAKE BAY

Bahnweg Takes Co-angler Title

NORTH EAST, Md. (Oct. 15, 2018) – Boater Joseph Thompson of Coatesville, Pennsylvania, caught a two-day cumulative total of 10 bass weighing 29 pounds, 9 ounces, to win the weather-shortened T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Regional championship on the Chesapeake Bay presented by Lowrance. Thompson pocketed $66,000 for his efforts, including a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and automatic entry into the 2019 BFL All-American Championship.

Originally scheduled for Oct. 11-13, competition Friday, Oct. 12, was cancelled by FLW officials due to high winds. As a result, the winner was determined by combining Thursday and Saturday’s weights.

“I really struggled on the first day until about noon,” said Thompson, who earned his second career win in BFL competition. “Every piece of structure in the North East River was covered with two or three boats because the fishing was so tough out on the flats.

“I went up into the North East Creek and found a little spot where there was just enough room for one more boat on a small piece of structure – a tree laydown. I fished it with a (green-pumpkin-colored) Zoom Finesse Worm on a drop-shot rig, and managed to catch a limit just before the end of the day.”

With just over 10 pounds of bass on Day One, Thompson knew he needed a big catch on Day Two to break into the top six – his ultimate goal.

“On the final morning I got a water temperature reading and found it had dropped 8 or 9 degrees,” said Thompson. “I was happy with how cold it got. With some history in mind, I knew people would have a hard time with the cold front, but also felt that I would excel.”

Thompson said he re-rigged a couple of rods for the conditions and proceeded to work through three big-fish areas.

“These are my home waters and there are three areas that I feel hold the big fish,” said Thompson. “In the morning, I targeted a dock in the North East River. I fished an Avocado-colored grub, very slowly, on a light, plain ball-headed jig and had two fish at noon. When the tide started to fall, I moved out into about 13 feet of water and fished a (green-pumpkin) Yamamoto Senko with a 1/16^th-ounce (Picasso) tungsten bullet weight. I let the current move it along the bottom and got three bites.”

Thompson went on to give Susquehanna Fishing Tackle in Columbia, Pennsylvania, a special thanks for delivering all of the necessary tackle and credited his Minn Kota Ultrex trolling motor as his key piece of equipment at the event.

“This is the biggest win I’ve ever had and my Ultrex played a big role in it,” said Thompson. “The wind was really blowing on Day Two, but I was able to use the Spot Lock feature and focus on the fishing. The bites were subtle and I had to pay attention.”

The top six boaters that qualified for the 2019 BFL All-American were:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rounding out the top-10 boaters were:

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

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

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

10^th: Ryan Powroznik, Hopewell, Va., 10 bass, 24-8, $1,000

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Michael Bahnweg of Union Dale, Pennsylvania, won the Co-angler Division and a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard with a two-day cumulative catch of nine bass weighing 22 pounds, 6 ounces.

The top six co-anglers that qualified for the 2019 BFL All-American were:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers were:

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

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

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

10^th: Michael Duarte, Baltimore, Md., seven bass, 16-1, $500

The T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on the Chesapeake Bay presented by Lowrance was hosted by Cecil County Tourism.

The 2018 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2019 BFL All-American will take place May 30-June 1 on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland, and is hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners and the Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.

by AnglersChannel

MORROW WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ON THE ST. JOHNS RIVER PRESENTED BY RANGER

Sarasota’s Paquette Grabs Co-angler Title

PALATKA, Fla. (Oct. 15, 2018) – FLW Tour pro Troy Morrow of Eastanollee, Georgia, caught a three-day cumulative total of 15 bass weighing 57 pounds, 10 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Regional championship on the St. Johns River presented by Ranger. Morrow earned $65,000 for his efforts, including a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and automatic entry into the 2019 BFL All-American Championship.

“I had a rough start to practice. I got in late and had issues with my boat, so I missed some time,” said Morrow, who logged his fourth career victory in BFL competition. “I elected to stay close to where I was staying and learn as much as I could about the area, which was from the north end of Lake George to Little Lake George. I ended up fishing there all three days.

“As practice progressed, I found two shell beds they were schooled up on, so I started there on Day One,” Morrow continued. “I had a limit by the time I got to the second one, but they weren’t as big as they were in practice. After the second shell bed, I ran to some docks. I didn’t want to burn too many docks from my main area, so at about 12:30 (p.m.) I focused on a row of new docks and caught another big one.”

Morrow said that in addition to his keeper on Day One, those particular docks produced a 7-pound, 12-ouncer, on Day Three.

On Day Two, Morrow said he made the same milk run, but the fishing was slower. He said it took him longer to put together a limit and leave his main area.

“Day Three was even slower – I only had five keeper bites and thought I blew it,” said Morrow. “I stayed close to takeoff for the first 20 minutes and caught a keeper. The outgoing tide was later each day, and by Day Three it was approximately 11 (a.m.) before I felt comfortable fishing my key stuff. I went to the shoals, but didn’t get anything. At my main docks, I did get one that was close to 4 pounds at slack tide, which was a bonus. Once the tide got moving I caught the 7-pound, 12-ouncer.”

Morrow finished out the day by catching two keepers at the shoals.

For lures, Morrow said he used a Texas-rigged, Black Grape-colored Zoom Ol’ Monster Worm on a 5/0-sized Gamakatsu round bend hook with a ¼-ounce tungsten weight for both the shoals and the docks. His rig was attached to 20-pound-test Sunline fluorocarbon line and a 7-foot, 6-inch heavy-action Duckett Fishing rod. He also worked in a chrome-colored topwater bait at the shoals.

The top six boaters that qualified for the 2019 BFL All-American were:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rounding out the top-10 boaters were:

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

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

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

10^th: Stacy Adams, Hazlehurst, Ga., 15 bass, 41-8, $1,000

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Randy Paquette of Sarasota, Florida, won the Co-angler Division and a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard with a three-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 34 pounds, 10 ounces.

The top six co-anglers that qualified for the 2019 BFL All-American were:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers were:

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

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

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

10^th: Spencer Sato, Warner Robins, Ga., nine bass, 21-6, $500

The T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on the St. Johns River presented by Ranger was hosted by the Putnam County Tourist Development Council.

by AnglersChannel

Bud Pruitt & Kevin Mason crowned 2018 Skeeter Bass Champs CHAMPIONS

By: Patty Lenderman

It has been an incredible season for four regions of Skeeter Bass Champs. On October 13-14, 2018 the two day championship was held for the first time on Lake Texoma with a record 275 teams competing for the crown. Rainy conditions, rising water and tough teams were but some of the challenges each angler faced. Not only was the title up for grabs, but two Skeeter boats powered by Yamaha and outfitted with Lowrance were in the sights for these qualifiers. The leaderboard showed major shifts over the course of the event as many teams climbed the ladder to top positions. In all, over $218,000 was awarded in cash and prizes – an amazing 269% payback! Skill, tenacity and maybe a little luck mixed in paid off for the winners Bud Pruitt and Kevin Mason.

Contenders were allowed to trailer to any available boat launch on Lake Texoma to launch closer to their fishing areas. This helped a great deal considering the weather conditions with huge downpours of rain and wind over the playing field. Texoma produced a lot of solid sacks at the scales!

Bud Pruitt of Sam Rayburn, TX and Kevin Mason of Coldspring captivated 1st place with a dominating two pound spread. “We started with a phenomenal practice,” the team agreed. “The first day we had some boat pressure where we were fishing, but managed an initial limit in 45 minutes. After that we moved to another area and upgraded our fish a few times.” At the end of the first day, they had 17.94 pounds, putting them in a top five position going into day two. “The lake rose every day significantly. One thing I have always lived by,” Bud stated, “is you never tell the bass where they are supposed to be. You have to follow them.” They found the bass were keyed in on clean spots between weeds, roadbeds and trails. They found their best spot on the second day, and using bladed baits and swim jigs trailered with black & blue Rage Craws and Reaction Innovation ‘Twerks’ as well as Strike King spinnerbaits, they amassed a second day limit of 18.80 pounds. In two days they tallied 36.74 pounds of bass to win the Championship and the top prize – a Skeeter FX20 powered by a Yamaha SHO and outfitted with Lowrance electronics. “We had such a blessed weekend. Everything just lined up. We lost as many fish as we caught!” Bud and Kevin would also like to tip their hats at the Bass Champs staff and crew, Skeeter Bass Boats “and all of the guys who fished this brutal weather weekend!”

2nd place winners were Adam Dunn of Houston and Joshua Ware of New Caney, TX. “The first day it was so windy, and the rain was pretty heavy,” Adam recalled. “We hit about five different spots the first day using topwater baits. Our better fish came in the afternoon.” Bringing in around 15 pounds on Day 1, they were sitting in 22nd position. “The second day the water was slick and calm. The bass would hit our bait, but not take it.” They were catching a few, but knew they needed more. “We kept moving, looking for the fish we needed. We switched to buzz baits and flukes, and with only twenty minutes to go the wind switched out of the north and put a little chop on the water. That’s exactly what we needed! The shad were busting in spots, and while it seemed that it was white bass and striper after them, the better black bass was there with them. We were able to cull three more times before having to pack it in.” They caught 19 pounds on the final day, and had a two day total weight of 34.73 lbs to win a Skeeter ZX225 powered by a Yamaha SHO with Lowrance electronics.

Chad Bailey of Comanche, OK and Lee Livesay of Gladewater, TX landed in 3rd place overall. “Lee found our spot in practice, and we stayed there both days,” Chad explained. “We only used Frogs, and stayed way back in the flooded woods and fields.” They culled a few times by mere ounces, ending up with 16.06 lbs for the first day in a 13th place position. “We went right back there to our starting spot on the second day. It was being hit pretty hard by other boats. We decided to stick it out and made a million circles covering it.” Lee reeled in their biggest fish so far, then right after that lost a nice one. “We let that spot rest for a little bit then came back to it. We didn’t get bit where he lost the fish, so we decided to scoot out just a little to see if it moved down the bank some.” That’s when Chad landed their kicker with only five minutes left to fish. It was their last cull, giving them a day two sack weighing 16.68 lbs. Their two day total was 32.74 lbs winning 3rd place and $6,000. “We’d like to thank Lake Fork Resort, R&K Distributing, Anheuser-Busch and Honey Hole Tackle Shop in West Monroe, LA.” An additional congratulations to each of these men as Chad recently welcomed an addition to his family and Lee has qualified to fish the Elite Series in 2019. “We will both take next year off from Bass Champs, but we’ll be back!”

The biggest bass of the tournament was reeled in by Keith McMillen from Quinland, TX, fishing with Pete Brandt of Garland. “We found some good fish in practice, and stayed in one cove both days of the tournament,” Pete recalled. They caught fish on a variety of baits, including a buzz bait, frog, and swim jigs. “The first day we fished there until around noon, and left the fish biting as we checked out a couple of other spots. The rain was horrible.” They had 14.23 pounds putting them in 38th place going into Day 2. “On the second day, the lake had risen quite a bit. Our fish had moved, and at 9:30 we still didn’t have a single fish in the boat.” They had confidence in their fish and in the area. “We moved in shallower to freshly flooded shoreline. It was covered in debris from the storms and rising water. That’s when we got our first bite of the day.” At 9:45am Keith caught the 6.86 lb’r that won Big Bass of the tournament. “We kept fishing frogs in literally 6” of water in the flooded grass.” Their efforts landed four fish for the final day, weighing in at 14.41 lbs. They finished in 12th place overall with 28.64 lbs, winning $1,500 plus $750 for Big Bass and the Abu Garcia bonus.

“This has been such a great season,” declared Chad Potts, Bass Champs President. “We would like to congratulate all of the teams as well as the champions at this event. It is each of you in every region that makes Bass Champs what it is, and all of us here would like to thank everyone who has fished with us. Our goal is to just keep making it better and better, so we will look forward to seeing you again next year!”

BUD PRUITT
HOUSTON , TX

KEVIN MASON
COLDSPRING , TX

36.74

SKEETER FX20 YAMAHA SHO Lowrance

ADAM DUNN
HOUSTON , TX

JOSHUA WARE
NEW CANEY , TX

34.73

SKEETER ZX 225 YAMAHA SHO Lowrance+$1000 Lowrance

CHAD BAILEY
COMANCHE , OK

LEE LIVESAY
GLADEWATER , TX

32.74

$6000.00

DAVID REYNOLDS
MCKINNEY , TX

ROBERT BROCK JR
PRINCETON , TX

32.47

$5000.00

CHARLES WHITED
SAN MARCOS , TX

BILL POLKINGHORN
CANYON LAKE , TX

31.46

$4000.00

BRANDEN HOLLINGSHEAD
AZLE , TX

JEREMY LAMBERT
DECATUR , TX

31.23

$3000.00 + $2500 Sportsmans Auto Bonus

BRADLEY HILLEBRANDT
RAGLEY , LA

JORDAN BREAUX
SULPHUR , LA

31.13

$2000.00

AARON WALKER
MT VERNON , TX

STEVEN STROMAN
SCROGGINS , TX

6.36

29.65

$1800.00

SHAWN VERINSKY
LUMBERTON , TX

BLAKE COLE
GROVES , TX

29.63

$1700.00

PHILLIP CRELIA
CENTER , TX

TJ GOODWYN
CENTER , TX

29.15

$1600.00

TOBY JONES
STONEWALL , LA

CARL JONES
DAYTON , TX

28.73

$1500.00

PETE BRANDT
GARLAND , TX

KEITH MCMILLAN
QUINLAN , TX

6.86

28.64

$1500.00 + $750.00 Big Bass Day 2+Abu Garcia Bonus

MATT HILL
JONESTOWN , TX

BARRY MOTT
LIBERTY HILL , TX

28.52

$1500.00 + $1500 Skeeter Bonus

WILL CARSTENS
ALEXANDRIA , LA

ROSS BRYANT
ALEXANDRIA , LA

28.45

$1500.00

CHARLIE GANTENBEIN
SALADO , TX

JIMMY WILLOUGHBY
TEMPLE , TX

28.28

$1500.00

DAVID UNDERWOOD
WACO , TX

CHARLES SIMMONS
WACO , TX

28.05

$1500.00

MARK PERRY
ROANOKE , TX

MIKE PETROVIC
ALVIN , TX

27.96

$1500.00

ADAM CLARK
DRIPPING SPRINGS , TX

RICK CLARK
TERRELL , TX

27.83

$1500.00

MIKE COON
KERRVILLE , TX

WESLEY GRAHAM
EMORY , TX

27.63

$1500.00

CHUCK BLACK
LOGAN , NM

CHAD BLACK
SAN ANTONIO , TX

27.48

$1500.00

BILL GARZA JR
FLORESVILLE , TX

IRA LYNN
ADKINS , TX

27.44

$1500.00

ERIC WASHBURN
GATESVILLE , TX

ZANE WASHBURN
GATESVILLE , TX

27.09

$1500.00

SHAWN ONEAL
DRY PRONG , LA

MATT BATES
ALEXANDRIA , LA

26.91

$1500.00

BOB SIGNORIN
OAKHURST , TX

TRAVIS SIGNORIN
OAKHURST , TX

4.93

26.86

$1500.00

JACOB JOHNSON
LAKE CHARLES , LA

SHANE CORMIER
RAGLEY , LA

26.72

$1500.00

BRIAN MATER
AUSTIN , TX

PHILLIP WARREN
AUSTIN , TX

26.53

$1200.00

JOHN BYLER
SOUTHLAKE , TX

MATT FRANCE
COLLEYVILLE , TX

26.51

$1200.00

ANTHONY JONES
IRVING , TX

CRAIG BROWN
FLOWER MOUND , TX

26.41

$1200.00

STEVE MAGNELIA
AUSTIN , TX

MICHAEL TENNANT
PFLUGERVILLE , TX

25.96

$1200.00

LOGAN SHERRER
BOSSIER CITY , LA

RYAN LAVIGNE
GONZALES , LA

25.95

$1200.00

CORY RAMBO
ORANGE , TX

RUSTY CLARK
SAM RAYBURN , TX

25.91

$1200.00

GARRETT HENNIG
BELTON , TX

BRANDON MCQUEEN
BELTON , TX

25.42

$1200.00

COY GREATHOUSE
CORINTH , TX

KEVIN BRYANT
FLOWER MOUND , TX

5.26

25.37

$1200.00

CODY BURDINE
BRIDGEPORT , TX

BOBBY POINTER
ALVORD , TX

5.06

24.92

$1200.00

DAVID LAINE
HORSESHOE BAY , TX

WILLIAM FESLER
LAMPASAS , TX

24.88

$1200.00

CHANS MARTIN
FAIR OAKS RANCH , TX

MAX MARTIN
CLOVIS , NM

5.73

24.65

$1000.00

ANDY WILBURN
ROYSE CITY , TX

CLAYTON PASS
GUN BARRELL CITY , TX

24.56

$1000.00

JD LAUGHERY
ROCKWALL , TX

STAN LAWING
TERRELL , TX

24.51

$1000.00

KYLE ROWE
WACO , TX

TED PATE
ALEXANDRIA , LA

24.29

$1000.00

MATT MCMILLAN
FORT WORTH , TX

TREVOR ROMANS
CELINA , TX

24.24

$1000.00

SPIKE STOKER
STEPHENVILLE , TX

STUART JEFFREY
ANSON , TX

6.01

24.02

$1000.00

TIM WILCOXSON
EDGEWOOD , TX

JERAMY MARINELLI
ROYSE CITY , TX

6.09

24.00

$1000.00

MARTIN ELSHOUT
ABITA SPRINGS , LA

MARK PRICE
RUSTON , LA

23.70

$1000.00

GARY ABLES
KENNEDALE , TX

MONTE COON
FORT WORTH , TX

23.66

$1000.00

DONNIE ONEAL
PFLUGERVILLE , TX

KENNETH MCDONNEL
GRANGER , TX

23.62

$1000.00

JOE ROME
FLOWER MOUND , TX

JOEL MCBRIDE
CORINTH , TX

23.11

$1000.00

BO MCGRAW
COLLEGE STATION , TX

CLINT LIPHAM
MONTGOMERY , TX

23.04

$1000.00

KENNETH CUMMINS
PAIGE , TX

JIMMY CHAPMAN
HUTTO , TX

22.97

ROB BURNS
PLANO , TX

JAMES CURGUS
FRISCO , TX

22.92

SHANE HENDERSON
YANTIS , TX

CHADD DEAREN
ROWLETT , TX

22.50

by AnglersChannel

TENNESSEE’S PICKETT GOES WIRE-TO-WIRE, WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ON KENTUCKY LAKE PRESENTED BY EVINRUDE

Mississippi’s Ladnier Takes Co-angler Title

GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. (Oct. 22, 2018) – Boater Lloyd Pickett Jr. of Bartlett, Tennessee, caught a three-day cumulative total of 10 bass weighing 32 pounds, 12 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Regional championship on Kentucky and Barkley lakes presented by Evinrude. Pickett earned $65,000 for his efforts, including a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and automatic entry into the 2019 BFL All-American Championship.

“The goal was to make the All-American. This makes No. 7 for me,” said Pickett, who earned his sixth win in FLW competition. “I’ve been second and third a couple times in these Regionals, and it’s always a back-breaker. So to win this, it feels real good.”

Pickett targeted bass on main-lake gravel bars, secondary points and secondary pockets to catch his fish.

“If you found the shad, you got bit, but if you found the skipjack, you caught big ones,” said Pickett. “I fished some gravel bars out on the main lake, and when that wasn’t happening, I fished secondary points in the creeks.”

The winning spots, all located around the Paris, Tenn., area, varied from about 1 to 7 feet deep.

“I had eight holes that had fish on them,” said Pickett. “I only hit two the first day, three yesterday [Friday], and I hit two today [Saturday]. I only re-fished one spot each day, but I didn’t really catch much on it.”

The speed at which he fished allowed Pickett to get by with so few spots while many of his competitors fished dozens of places a day. Limiting his travel between spots was also part of a strategy to make the most of his competition time after making the long run south and dealing with high winds.

“When you run that far down there, you burn two hours [round trip], and when you [use a] Carolina rig as slow as I do, I can burn three hours just like that,” said Pickett.

He dragged his Carolina rig about as slow as possible and milked each spot for all it had, not changing locations until he was no longer seeing any bass or bait.

Pickett’s Carolina rig was baited with a Zoom Brush Hog in green pumpkin, watermelon candy or blueberry (black with purple fleck) on a 4/0-sized Gamakatsu EWG hook. Occasionally, he mixed in another creature bait. Pickett used a 3- to 5-foot-long leader of 12-pound-test Bass Pro Shops XPS Fluorocarbon line connected to 15-pound-test XPS main line and added a couple of glass beads – for extra sound – between his swivel and either a 3/4- or 1-ounce weight. The Tennessean used a custom Muddy River Rods model 714.

Other than dragging painfully slow, the biggest key to Pickett’s presentation was to keep it natural.

“I like to get off the side of the point and throw over the end of the point,” said Pickett. “If there’s current, I’ll pull with the current. If I’m fishing a secondary pocket with wind blowing in, I come around and pull with the wind the way the shad would be coming. On gravel bars, I just throw as far as I can.”

The top six boaters that qualified for the 2019 BFL All-American were:

1^st: Lloyd Pickett Jr., Bartlett, Tenn., 10 bass, 32-12, $65,000

2^nd: John Devries, Fishers, Ind., seven bass, 30-1, $10,200

3^rd: Doug Ruster, New Palestine, Ind., nine bass, 29-1, $5,000

4^th: Nick Uebelhor, Jasper, Ind., 10 bass, 26-11, $3,100

5^th: Rich Fye, Galveston, Ind., eight bass, 25-10, $2,000

6^th: Ken Garbe, Wyoming, Ohio, seven bass, 23-5, $1,800

Rounding out the top-10 boaters were:

7^th: Frank McClain, Scottsburg, Ind., six bass, 22-1, $1,600

8^th: Daniel Houser, Washington Township, Mich., eight bass, 21-10, $1,400

9^th: Clayton Reitz, Morton, Ill., seven bass, 19-12, $1,200

10^th: Marcus Sykora, Osage Beach, Mo., seven bass, 19-1, $1,000

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Brent Ladnier of Wiggins, Mississippi, won the Co-angler Division and a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard with a three-day cumulative catch of six bass weighing 22 pounds, 8 ounces.

The top six co-anglers that qualified for the 2019 BFL All-American were:

1^st: Brent Ladnier, Wiggins, Miss., six bass, 22-8, $45,000

2^nd: Carl Breeden, Valley Park, Mo., five bass, five bass, 14-10, $5,200

3^rd: Leroy Miller, Napoleon, Ohio, two bass, 8-2, $2,500

4^th: Jacob Sloan, Paola, Kan., two bass, 8-7, $1,550

5^th: Daniel Dumais, Trenton, Mich., three bass, 9-12, $1,000

6^th: Ryan Helbling, Martinsville, Ind., four bass, 10-8, $900

Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers were:

7^th: Joshua Shinault, Baldwyn, Miss., four bass, 10-6, $800

8^th: Steve Garman, Dayton, Ohio, three bass, 9-15, $700

9^th: Dan O’Neil, Canton, Mich., two bass, 9-2, $600

10^th: Justin Kivett, Indianapolis, Ind., three bass, 9-2, $500

The T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Kentucky Lake presented by Evinrude was hosted by the Kentucky Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau.

by AnglersChannel

LEXINGTON’S WALSER WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ON LAKE NORMAN PRESENTED BY COSTA SUNGLASSES

Virginia’s Smelser Grabs Co-angler Title

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (Oct. 22, 2018) – Boater Robert Walser of Lexington, North Carolina, caught a three-day cumulative total of 15 bass weighing 35 pounds, 8 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Regional championship on Lake Norman presented by Costa Sunglasses. Walser earned $66,000 for his efforts, including a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and automatic entry into the 2019 BFL All-American Championship.

Walser said he made a 20- to 25-minute run to the Buffalo Shoals Road bridge near Long Island, North Carolina, each morning of the tournament and fished his way back to the takeoff ramp. Along his route, he flipped docks using a Texas-rigged, green-pumpkin-colored Zoom Baby Brush Hog and a Zoom Z Craw Jr. with 5/16^th-ounce Echo Pro tungsten weights and 3/0-sized Berkley Fusion19 offset hooks. He also caught some bass on the bank between docks with a Rush Lures spinnerbait.

“I probably hit 80 to 100 docks each day. I’d fish three or four in a stretch and then move on,” said Walser, the 2006 BFL All-American champion who logged his 11^th career victory in BFL competition. “A lot of the docks I targeted had brush, which I could see on my Garmin Panoptix electronics, so that’s where I concentrated my casts. All of my fish came from less than 10 feet of water.

“I keyed in on docks that have had fish on them over the past couple of weeks. Depth- and structure-wise, there wasn’t really anything that made one dock better than the next, they just needed to have fish,” continued Walser. “You could have three or four bites at one dock, and then not have anything at any others in the area.”

Walser said he caught 8 or 10 keepers each day Thursday and Friday, and at least three or four limits on Saturday. He used an 8-foot Lamiglas 806 flipping rod with a Pflueger 7:1 Supreme reel and 20-pound-test Berkley Trilene 100-percent fluorocarbon line.

“I think the south wind pushing the cold front toward us made them bite better Saturday,” said Walser. “There was also less fishing pressure [since only the top 12 anglers fish on Saturday].”

Walser went on to say that in addition to catching fish, he also had to deal with various mechanical issues. The North Carolina boater said he ended up needing to use a different boat each day of the event.

“An employee at Angler’s Choice Marine brought me the other boat I own on Thursday, which I used until a gasket failed on Friday. I’d like to give them a special thanks for helping me,” said Walser. “The mental strain of having all that stuff fail was a lot, but I got through it and it all worked it out.”

The top six boaters that qualified for the 2019 BFL All-American were:

1^st: Robert Walser, Lexington, N.C., 15 bass, 35-8, $66,000

2^nd: Scott Beattie, Lincolnton, N.C., 15 bass, 32-1, $10,000

3^rd: Dylan Fulk, Concord, N.C., 15 bass, 30-10, $5,200

4^th: Bryan New, Belmont, N.C., 15 bass, 29-14, $3,100

5^th: Michael Fox, Statesville, N.C., 15 bass, 29-11, $2,000

6^th: Travis Young, Charlotte, N.C., 15 bass, 29-9, $1,800

Rounding out the top-10 boaters were:

7^th: Jack Dice, Lynchburg, Va., 15 bass, 29-4, $1,600

8^th: Jake Frye, Charlotte, N.C., 13 bass, 27-7, $1,400

9^th: Chad Poteat, Mount Airy, N.C., 15 bass, 27-1, $1,200

10^th: Cole Huskins, Mt. Holly, N.C., 12 bass, 25-8, $1,000

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Wayne Smelser of Rural Retreat, Virginia, won the Co-angler Division and a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard with a three-day cumulative catch of 15 bass weighing 28 pounds, 12 ounces.

The top six co-anglers that qualified for the 2019 BFL All-American were:

1^st: Wayne Smelser, Rural Retreat, Va., 15 bass, 28-12, $45,200

2^nd: Larry Freeman Jr., La Crosse, Va., 13 bass, 27-11, $5,000

3^rd: Tristen Trull, Mt. Holly, N.C., 13 bass, 25-13, $2,500

4^th: Ben Dacey, Chesterfield, Va., 15 bass, 25-3, $1,550

5^th: Jeff Rikard, Leesville, S.C., 12 bass, 23-7, $1,000

6^th: Khris Williams, Mount Holly, N.C., 13 bass, 21-3, $900

Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers were:

7^th: Ronnie Cutshall, Piedmont, S.C., 12 bass, 18-15, $800

8^th: Darren Kelly, Wartburg, Tenn., 10 bass, 18-8, $700

9^th: David Blakely, Kingsport, Tenn., 10 bass, 18-6, $600

10^th: Bart Beasley, Mount Pleasant, S.C., eight bass, 16-13, $500

The T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Lake Norman presented by Costa Sunglasses was hosted by Visit Lake Norman, Visit Charlotte and Mecklenburg County Park & Recreation.

by AnglersChannel

OKLAHOMA STUDENT ANGLER FEDERATION WINS BASS PRO SHOPS FLW HIGH SCHOOL FISHING GRAND LAKE OPEN PRESENTED BY YETI

GROVE, Okla. (Oct. 22, 2018) – The Oklahoma Student Angler Federation duo of Owen Williams, Afton, Oklahoma, and Easton Hitt, Bella Vista, Arkansas, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 14 pounds, 5 ounces, to win the 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Grand Lake Open presented by YETI.

A field of 68 teams competed in the no-entry-fee tournament, which launched from Grove City Ramp at Wolf Creek Park. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10 percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.

According to the post-tournament report, Williams and Hitt caught their fish flipping ledges and docks on the lower end of the lake using green-pumpkin-colored, football-headed jigs.

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

1st: Oklahoma Student Angler Federation – Owen Williams, Afton, Okla., and Easton Hitt, Bella Vista, Ark. five bass, 14-5

2nd: Ketchum High School, Ketchum, Okla. – Austin Chandler and Ty Bishop, both of Ketchum, Okla., five bass, 12-7, $600

3rd: Vinita High School, Vinita, Okla. – Tyler Lake and Jesse Woodward, both of Vinita, Okla., five bass, 10-12

4th: Rogers County Bass Anglers – James Cagle and Jordan Gotcher, both of Claremore, Okla., five bass, 10-8

5th: Mannford High School, Mannford, Okla. – Charley Williams and Joseph Case, both of Mannford, Okla., five bass, 9-1

6th: Jenks High School, Jenks, Okla. – Jake Peck, Tulsa, Okla., and Garrison Snedon, Jenks, Okla., four bass, 8-7

Rounding out the top 10 teams were:

7th: Deer Creek High School, Oklahoma County, Okla. – Lane Whitsell and Davis Greaud, both of Edmond, Okla., five bass, 8-6

8th: Branson High School, Branson, Mo. – Skyler McGrath, Branson, Mo., and Keegan Barber, Reed Spring, Mo., two bass, 7-10

9th: Broken Arrow High School, Broken Arrow, Okla. – Michael Reiss and Max Klein, both of Broken Arrow, Okla., four bass, 7-9

10th: Rogers County Bass Anglers – Dakota Page, Catoosa, Okla., and Bryce Page, Claremore, Okla., three bass, 7-2, $200

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

The 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Grand Lake Open presented by YETI was a two-person (team) event for students in grades 7-12, open to any Student Angler Federation (SAF) affiliated high school club in the United States. The top 10 percent of each Challenge, Open, and state championship field will advance to the 2019 High School Fishing National Championship on a body of water that has yet to be revealed. The High School Fishing national champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice.

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

About FLW

by AnglersChannel

Lamb & Porter's 2-day Total of 35.96 Wins Chattanooga Bass Association Classic on Chick!

Courtesy of WRCB News

CHATTANOOGA (WRCB) - The team of Haden Lamb and Trevor Porter caught a 2 day total of 35.96 pounds topping out the field of 116 anglers to win first place and $10,000.00 in the Tow Boat US Chattanooga Bass Association 2018 Classic Bass Tournament. This 2 day bass event was held October 20^th and 21st 2018 out of Chester Frost Boat Ramp.

Haden said “We didn’t have a great day one, catching 13 pounds around grass beds. We changed patterns on day 2 throwing swim baits and looking for areas that had lots of bait in 12 feet of water. We had a 5 fish limit by 8:30 a.m. and later in the day caught a giant 10 pound bass that took us to 22 pounds. This tournament is hard to win and this is our second classic win in 15 years. You have to get a monster bass and we were lucky to get the right bite”.

Steve Barnes and Spenser Smith had day 1 big bass a nice 9.00 largemouth bass. Good for 400 dollars. Second big bass on day 1 was caught by David Powell a 7.73 largemouth. Good for 170 dollars.

Day 2 big bass went to Haden Lamb and Trevor Porter a nice 10.44 largemouth good for 400 dollars. Second big bass went to Logan Kokozka a 7.48 largemouth good for 170 dollars.

The top 10 places are as follows:

Haden Lamb and Trevor Porter, 35.96 pounds, $10,000
Jim Cofer and Matt Wendorf , 33.96 pounds, $4000
Chuck James and Brad James 32.97 $3000
Josh Wofford 31.95 pounds $2500
Scott Gilley and Wes Hardin 31.76 pounds $2000
Mark Keith and Mark Varaday 31.55 pounds $1800
Jeff Knight and Michael Knight 30.52 pounds $1600
Jayme Cophenever and Adam Dysart 29.96 pounds $1400
Steve Barnes and Spenser Smith 28.69 pounds $1200
Logan Kokozka 28.27 pounds $1100

by AnglersChannel

Tharp Hurricane Help - Go Fund Me

Tharp Hurricane Help

Thanks to Hurricane Michael, Our friends, Randall and Sara Tharp, have had significant damage to the ground floor area of their home.
Randy and Sara are looking at an expensive rebuild that insurance will not cover.
All funds raised will be used to return the Tharp’s home to its original condition before Michael paid the coast a visit.
We are just friends trying to help friends get back to normal.

All funds will go directly to Randy and Sara as I have the campaign withdrawals set up to go directly to their account.

Click Here to Donate

Thank you for helping!

by AnglersChannel

Crankbaits rule Quantum Next Generation tourney on Grand Lake

Courtesy of Alan McGuckin / Dynamic Sponsorships

Of the 102 high school and college teams that participated in the no entry fee, prize rich Quantum Next Generation Open event on Oklahoma’s Grand Lake, crankbaits were among the most popular choice of lures. And whether cast into shallow muddy water uplake, or dredged deep in the southern end’s clearer water, treble hooked diving plugs of both varieties eventually proved victorious.

The high school team of Noah and Micah Belt caught the highest winning weight overall with 17 pounds 8 ounces using Tennessee Shad colored shallow diving sqaurebill crankbaits tied to 12-pound Seaguar line.

“This is incredible. What an awesome event! Our family drove three hours up here to Grand from home, and rented a house on the lake to have sort of a vacation around the tournament, and to win is just unbelievable,” says Noah Belt, whose dad Lloyd served as their boat captain.

In great contrast, the highest winning weight posted by a college team was 13 pounds 8 ounces from much deeper cleaner water by Blaine Timonera and Colton Harper of the University of Oklahoma, who caught their fish in nearly 20-feet of water on a Strike King 6XD crankbait.

This fast growing event begins Saturday evening with a registration meeting featuring truckloads of free pizza, a chance to visit with pro angler Matt Lee, and a pitching contest. And by its conclusion on Sunday, nearly every team walks away with incredible prizes from Carhartt, Costa, Garmin, Honey Creek Tackle Store, Lowrance, PowerPole, Plano, Yamaha, and Quantum.

“As somebody who came up through the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series, it just blows my mind how incredible the prizes are at this event, and the whole thing is just so well run and organized. It’s just awesome,” says Matt Lee.

The large team of Zebco Brands employees who graciously volunteer to organize this popular event are already making plans for the 2019 edition of the fast-growing tournament, and encourage all young anglers to follow Quantum.Fishing on Instagram for more details.

by AnglersChannel

Fogelman & Perkins Win PBC Jordan Lake Derby with over 19 pounds!

PBC CASHION FISHING RODS 'End of Year' TEAM TOURNAMENT BASS FISHING TRAIL

QUALIFIER #8 RESULTS
Saturday October 20th, 2018 ~ Jordan Lake ~ Farrington Point Wildlife Ramp

Well we finally got a little rain during the tournament! The Final PBC Cashion Fishing Rods 'End of Year' Trail Qualifier #8
at Jordan Lake was fished by 32 boats on a cool 57 degree morning with stiff 15 mph winds. The winds finally let up about
10 am then the rain moved in about 11:30 and kept up until weighin at 3 pm. when air temps were about 69.
Water temps averaged about 68 degrees. The bite was wild with plenty of dinks caught everywhere! We did have a good
number of 'fall weight' bags brought in so it wasn't too bad. We also had 4 bass over 7 lbs. and plenty of 5's & 6's weighed
in! Actually the bite was pretty good considering how high Jordan got and how much water was released after the storm.

First time winners this year, Jay Fogleman & Robert Perkins, took 1st Place weighing in 5 bass at 19.67 lbs. and also
won 1st Place TWT for a total of $1,690 in winnings.
Zach Hall & Ricky Parker came in 2nd place with 5 fish
weighing 17.64 lbs. & also won 2nd Place TWT to pocket a total of $867. 3rd place team, Dennis Reedy & Tommy
Marrow won $385 with 5 weighing 16.80 lbs. The 4th Place Team of Jerry Marshburn & his sub Randy Parker had 5
at 16.34 lbs. and the Big Fish for the day at 7.78 lbs. netting them $730. Money got spread around pretty good!

94 fish were weighed in for a total of 275 pounds for an average of 2.93 lbs. each. Most of the fish were caught on
Wacky Worms, Carolina rigs, Rat-L-Traps, jerk baits and Crankbaits in 2 to 10' of water way up in the woods &
bushes, off main point dropoffs, wood & rock ledges and creek channels.

I want to thank all the anglers that participated and all our sponsors that support this trail. The next Cashion Fishing
Rods 'End of Year' Tournament will be the Championship for qualifiers only, October 27th at Falls Lake out of Ledge
Rock Wildlife Ramp. Go to this webpage for the info on the 'End of Year' Trail:
http://piedmontbassclassics.com/2018CashionEOYTrailMainPage.html
All the information on our tournaments can be found http://piedmontbassclassics.com/

Now here are the full results:

1st Place: Jay Fogleman & Robert Perkins of Durham & Rougemont...5 bass...19.67 lbs...$920
2nd Place: Zach Hall & Ricky Parker of Holly Springs & Pittsboro...5 bass...17.64 lbs...$537
3rd Place: Dennis Reedy & Tommy Marrow of Oxford & Siler City...5 bass...16.80 lbs...$385
4th Place: Jerry Marshburn & Tim Parker of Sanford & New Hill...5 bass...16.34 lbs...$282
5th Place: Keith Deal & Tony Miller of Holly Springs...5 bass...15.85 lbs...$231
6th Place: Clay Ausley & Allen Parker of Fuquay Varina & Sanford...5 bass...15.79 lbs...$205

1st Place Big Fish..4th Place Team above...7.78 lbs...$448
2nd Place Big Fish..Chuck Byrd & Gale Watson of Sanford...7.65 lbs...$192

1st Place TWT..1st Place Team above...19.67 lbs...$770

2nd Place TWT..2nd Place Team above...17.64 lbs...$330

by AnglersChannel

Californian Bub Tosh Wins 2018 WON Bass U.S. Open Oklahoma’s Matt Pangrac Wins AAA Division

by Dan O'Sullivan

Las Vegas, Nev. - September 17, 2018 – When the first day of the 2018 WON Bass U.S. Open concluded, Jason Borofka’s 13.84 pounds held little more than a half pound lead over Bub Tosh’s 13.20 pounds. With the first day having been cancelled due to extreme winds causing unsafe conditions, the shortened event became more of a shootout with the anglers competing for two days instead of three.

The stiff winds continued into the following day, and anglers found that they had to adjust to the conditions. As can happen during bass fishing tournaments, the conditions made a complete 180-degree turn, and the final day brought high skies, light winds with very little surface disturbance.

While the conditions didn’t make for a typical power fishing bite, Tosh managed to ride a Double Soft Jerkbait rig in the Vegas Wash and produce enough quality bites to post an 11.74-pound limit to close out the victory in the weather shortened 2018 WON Bass U.S. Open presented by Bass Cat Boats and Mercury Marine with a two-day total weight of 24.94.

Tosh said he employed a method he learned from Lake Mead and Western bass fishing legend Pat Donoho when he was a kid. “I talked to my dad when I came down here and he reminded me of how Pat prepared for this event, and that was to look for bait,” he said. “I spent my whole practice period driving around and looking for clouds of baitfish; and I spent the whole tournament fishing in those few areas.”

He said he caught the primarily on a pair of Yamamoto D Shad soft jerkbaits in shad colors rigged on an 7’ medium heavy IRod AIR Series casting rod. The key was a special swivel that he is developing for Paycheck Baits. “The swivel helps me cast the rig without it getting me tangled, it is a very important part of the rig,” he said. “I threw it around shallow grass and rocks in the Vegas Wash, and the current in the back of it was very important factor as well.”

Tosh takes home a 2018 Bass Cat Puma FTD powered by a Mercury 250ProXS rigged with Lowrance Electronics and MotorGuide Trolling Motor valued at $64,000 and $52,000 cash plus bonuses to bring his total earnings for the event to over $116,000.

Nick Salvucci, who has won on Lake Mead in the past, started day two in 11^th place with 11.41 pounds, posted 12.89 to leap all the way to second place with 24.30; his second top five in a row. Salvucci said that he caught his fish in the Overton Arm on bladed jigs and buzz baits. But, he said that he was a little disappointed overall. “I didn’t come here for another top five, I came here to win this event,” he said. “I’m not happy with a second place finish, but I did all I could do, and this is how this sport goes. I wish I could have done a little more, but I’ll take the finish and let it drive me for next year.” Salvucci takes home $21,600 for his efforts.

The AAA Division was won by Oklahoma’s Matt Pangrac; who works for U.S. Open broadcast partner BASSZONE.com. He practiced with fellow Soomer State pro Bradley Hallman, and drew Salvucci and Arizona’s Matt Shura, and thanked them all profusely. “We all meshed really well and got into a rhythm,” he said. “I had a great time, and learned a lot. This is a great event, and because of my Pro partners and my boss Mark Jeffreys who allowed me the time to fish it, I was able to do something I would have never imagined; I can’t believe I won the U.S. Open.” Pangrac earned $10,600 for his tournament.

Complete final standings can be found below.

That wraps up the 2018 WON Bass U.S. Open from Lake Mead. The event was presented by Bass Cat Boats and Mercury Marine, and the live streaming broadcasts of the event were brought to you by Costa.

The Sponsors of the 2018 U.S. Open are: Bass Cat Boats, Mercury, Costa, Daiwa, St. Croix, Lowrance, Yo-Zuri, Bridgford, Seaguar Fluorcarbon, Rapala, Hayabusa, Plano, Frabill, MotorGuide, Phenix Rods, Lew's, Kuiu, Sure Life, Sportsman’s Warehouse, Storm, Anglers Marine, Century Marine, Boatmasters, Last Chance Performance Marine, Strike King, BG Insurance, Chevy Montebello and Boulder Station Casino.

2018 WON Bass U.S. Open Final Pro Standings

Place	Name	Hometown	Big Fish	Total
1	Steve Tosh, Jr.	Modesto CA	3.91	24.94
2	Nick Salvucci	Paso Robles CA	4.05	24.30
3	Jason Borofka	Salinas CA	3.79	22.68
4	Kurt Dove	Del Rio TX		22.08
5	Scott Helleson	Whittier CA	3.22	21.37
6	Kevin Short	Mayflower AR	4.14	21.14
7	Todd Woods	Los Angeles CA	2.73	20.91
8	Chase Colby	Heber City UT		20.27
9	Kevin Finley	Phoenix AZ	3.13	20.21
10	Randy Blaukat	Joplin MO	3.74	20.05
11	Bill O'Shinn	Bakersfield CA		19.68
12	Michael Crowther	Page AZ		19.67
13	Bill Brown	Grand Junction CO	3.96	19.66
14	Steve Kennedy	Auburn AL		19.63
15	Matt Stefan	Junction City WI	3.41	19.58
16	Kona Borja	Henderson NV	3.60	19.40
16	Chris Zaldain	San Jose CA	2.82	19.40
18	Ricky Shabazz	La Mesa CA	3.22	19.35
19	Bradley Hallman	Norman OK		19.33
20	Tommy Jonovich	Phoenix AZ	3.65	19.31
21	Greg Miser	La Mesa CA		19.24
22	David Kemper	Tempe AZ		18.95
23	Matt Shura	Gilbert AZ		18.47
24	Roy Hawk	Lake Havasu City AZ	3.25	18.40
25	Sean Coffey	Mesa AZ	3.04	18.17
26	Randy Estrada, M.D.	Corona CA	3.32	18.15
27	Justin Hanold	Poway CA		17.98
28	Shannon Abbott	Oceanside CA	3.70	17.88
29	Doug Gaskill	Las Vegas NV		17.80
30	Ken Mah	Elk Grove CA	2.95	17.75
31	Scooter Griffith	Mesa AZ		17.74
31	Rich Vincent	Wildomar CA	2.40	17.74
33	Joe Patz	Surprise AZ		17.69
34	Kyle Grover	Trabuco Canyon CA		17.61
35	Matthew Williams	Lake Havasu City AZ	3.91	17.60
36	Clayton Eslick	Gilroy CA	2.92	17.53
37	Aaron Martens	Leeds AL		17.52
38	Jess Torre	Riverside CA		17.46
39	Chris Kinley	Lake Havasu City AZ		17.38
40	Tom Leedom	Escondido CA		17.32
41	Bryan Grier	Salinas CA		17.30
42	Luke Clausen	Oakdale CA		17.16
42	John Mackey	Boulder City NV		17.16
44	Julius Mazy	Phoenix AZ		17.11
45	Tyler Rempe	Sierra Vista AZ	2.90	17.08
46	Mike Wood	Bayfield CO	2.45	17.00
47	Michael McLernon	Oceanside CA		16.93
48	Clayton Meyer	Henderson NV	3.02	16.89
49	Tai Au	Glendale AZ	2.48	16.67
50	Johnny Johnson	Lakeside AZ		16.62
50	Justin Kerr	Simi Valley CA		16.62
52	Tom Lowery	Lakeside CA		16.60
53	Tim Price	Glendale AZ		16.55
54	Guy Savidan	NORCO CA		16.50
54	Jerren Slaton	Afton TX		16.50
56	John Stewart	Peoria AZ	4.06	16.39
57	Travis Jewell	Sandy UT		16.37
58	Dan Merchant	Canyon Lake CA	3.02	16.33
59	Rusty Salewske	Alpine CA		16.30
60	Richard Garcia	Beaumont CA		16.29
61	Kevin Caruso	Glendale AZ		16.22
62	Scott Frazier	El Cajon CA		16.20
63	Todd Holverson	San Diego CA	2.85	16.16
64	John Morrow	Brea CA		16.14
65	Todd Kline	San Clemente CA		16.12
66	Kevin Wiggins	Las Vegas NV		16.10
67	Jay Guterding	Redding CA		16.04
68	Joe Uribe, Jr.	Surprise AZ		16.02
69	Mike Peterson	Valley Center CA		15.96
70	Todd Herman	Gilbert AZ		15.93
71	Matthew Luna	Santee CA		15.92
71	Dick Watson	Alta Loma CA		15.92
73	Brent Shores	Boise ID		15.87
74	Michael Phua	Chino CA		15.84
75	Bryant Smith	Castro Valley CA		15.83
76	Adam Hinkle	San Diego CA		15.79
77	Jason Hickey	Weiser ID		15.78
78	Paul Hodges	Glendale AZ		15.77
79	Cody Spetz	Menifee CA	3.24	15.62
80	Mike Brillhart	Waddell AZ	2.35	15.60
81	Keegan Graves	Meridian ID	3.95	15.59
82	Tyler Brinks	Spokane WA		15.54
82	Don Iglinski	Henderson NV	3.31	15.54
84	Patrick Touey	Nipomo CA	2.73	15.51
85	Thomas Wennerlund	Queen Creek AZ		15.50
86	James Salazar	Las Vegas NV		15.49
87	Noah Cook	Lancaster CA		15.45
88	Jeff Martineau	Phoenix AZ		15.44
89	Mark Dotterer	Phoenix AZ		15.42
90	Chris Bozarth	Henderson NV	3.34	15.38
91	Andrew Napoleon	Mesa AZ		15.28
92	Tom Ormsby	Parowan UT		15.25
93	Dylan Maxon	Phoenix AZ		15.23
94	Brett Hite	Phoenix AZ	2.35	15.17
95	Gerard Thomas	Ralston WY	2.10	15.11
96	Raymond Archer	Greeley CO	3.81	15.08
96	Tony Lain	Lake Havasu City AZ		15.08
98	Ben Byrd	Moab UT		15.07
99	Carlos Garcia	Murrieta CA	3.14	15.03
100	Jim Moynagh	Carver MN		14.95
101	Carl Limbrick, Jr.	Bonita CA	3.49	14.79
102	Chad Randles	Elkhorn NE	3.14	14.77
103	Laythe Moore	Banning CA		14.73
104	Mike Powell	Lake Havasu City AZ		14.71
104	Derek Spetz	Menifee CA		14.71
106	Mitch Southern	Yucaipa CA		14.69
107	Wade Strelic	El Cajon CA		14.57
108	Cliff King	Ione CA		14.55
109	Jeremy Fasuga	Peoria AZ		14.41
110	Anthony Salazar	Pahrunp NV		14.40
111	Jamie Shaw	Coolidge AZ		14.39
112	Jay Wright	Seal Beach CA	3.83	14.22
113	Mark Rauenzahn	San Diego CA		14.21
114	Dung Van Vu	Paramount CA	2.22	14.20
115	Bobby Lanham	Cave Creek AZ	3.18	14.19
116	Jason Bradshaw	Sacramento CA	2.82	14.16
116	Mike Simon	Henderson NV		14.16
118	Tyler Bailey	Logandale NV		14.14
119	Mike Williams	Mesa AZ		14.13
120	Jonathan Schuyler	Henderson NV		14.09
121	Rodney Reed	Chelan WA		14.02
122	Pete Marino	Moreno Valley CA		14.01
123	Jordan Collom	Temecula CA		14.00
124	Mark Williams	Lake Havasu City AZ		13.98
125	David Baca	Prescott Valley AZ		13.96
126	Jim Hawkes	Apache Junction AZ	3.07	13.91
127	Jason Haley	Medford OR		13.86
128	Gabe Thomas	Tuscon AZ		13.73
129	Paul Tassie	Lake Havasu City AZ	2.38	13.70
130	John Zeolla	Oak Park CA		13.61
131	Jim Wells	New Plymouth ID		13.54
132	Douglas Jones	North Las vegas NV		13.50
133	Fred Proudfoot	Kingman AZ	2.39	13.43
134	Dustin Remy	Lake Havasu City AZ		13.40
135	Andy Manahl	Mesa AZ		13.37
136	Kevin Hugo	Canyon Lake CA		13.21
137	Vince Borges	Salida CA		13.13
138	Mike Rennie	Pioche NV	2.05	13.09
139	Andrew Upshaw	Tulsa OK		13.08
140	Morizo Shimizu	Osaka JP	2.56	13.05
141	Hobby Nelson	Peoria AZ		13.03
142	Gary Robbins	Burbank CA		12.89
143	Gary Moore	Hemet CA		12.79
144	Matt Raynor	Henderson NV	1.80	12.59
145	Ryan Yamagata	Las Vegas NV	2.09	12.57
146	Billy Hines	Vacaville CA		12.53
147	Ray Arbesu	Henderson NV		12.50
148	Vince Gennaro	Henderson NV		12.47
149	Jim Elliott	Redding CA		12.41
150	Kyle Richins	Washington UT		12.22
151	Tim Rath	Lake Havasu City AZ		12.18
152	Justin Patti	Phoenix AZ		12.14
153	Vern Ridgway	Chandler AZ		11.94
154	Daniel Devries	Page AZ		11.93
155	Sheldon Collings	Grove OK		11.90
156	Miles Howe	San Juan Capistrano CA		11.83
157	Kazuki Kodama	Tokyo Japan		11.78
158	Eddie Lero	Bryan TX		11.77
159	Ryan Chambers	Chandler AZ		11.72
159	Steve Molinari	Waddell AZ		11.72
161	Jimmy Reese	Ukiah CA		11.64
162	Keith Diffey	Elk Grove CA		11.62
163	Louis Fernandes	Santa Maria CA		11.58
164	Jim McLaughlin	Bakersfield CA		11.56
165	Garrett Howard	Riverside CA		11.54
165	Miles Peshlakai	Las Vegas NV		11.54
167	Jordon Erekson	Apache Junction AZ	2.84	11.50
168	Brian Tressen	Corona CA		11.48
169	Jeff Van Nimwegen	Menifee CA		11.46
170	Shane Spinning	Canyon Lake CA		11.42
171	Russ Barger	Boise ID		11.36
172	Mike Walsh	El Cajon CA		11.35
172	Benjamin Green	Pasadena CA		11.35
174	Steve Gibson	Las Vegas NV		11.28
175	Onelio J. Silva	Las Vegas NV		11.21
176	Stephen Tauriello	Las Vegas CA	2.17	11.10
177	Shane Edgar	Glendale AZ		10.91
178	Ken Whalen	Lompoc CA		10.89
179	Clifford Pirch	Payson AZ		10.81
180	Murray White	Glendale AZ		10.73
181	James Broughton	Henderson NV		10.69
182	Nathan Foreman	Queen Creek AZ		10.65
183	Brent James	St George UT		10.61
184	Steve Lund	Glendale AZ		10.54
185	Danny Clark	San Tan Valley AZ		10.48
186	Shaun Bailey	Lake Havasu City AZ		10.37
187	Gary Freeman	Sun City AZ		10.29
188	Kirk McKinney	Phoenix AZ		10.08
188	Trait Zaldain	Fort Worth TX	3.56	10.08
190	Tim Klinger	Boulder City NV		9.82
191	Justin Ramsay	Peoria AZ		9.78
192	Tom Nokes	Riverton UT		9.77
193	Jiggs Benn	Myrtle Creek OR		9.73
194	Ellison Hubbard	LAS VEGAS NV		9.70
195	Ron Hammett	La Mesa CA		9.57
196	Scott Davis	Preston ID		9.35
197	Rod Wynn	Inglewood CA		9.15
198	Jason Swim	Peoria AZ		9.02
199	John Basmadjian	Fullerton CA		8.81
200	Robert Sedillo, Jr.	Chino CA		8.48
201	Cy Floyd	Spokane WA		8.26
202	Greg Espinoza	Henderson NV	2.52	8.09
203	Jeff Hudson	Las Vegas NV		7.98
204	Matt Massey	Littleton CO		7.85
205	Trace Myers	Santaquin CA		7.80
206	Eddie Rodriguez	Lakewood CO		7.67
207	Aaron Britt	Yuba City CA		7.32
208	Patrick Whitaker	Gilbert AZ		7.17
209	David Davis	Big Piney WY		7.13
210	Sam Rosefsky	Morris IL		7.04
211	Mike Crothers	Chandler AZ		6.87
212	Kenneth Cates	Suncity West AZ		6.85
213	Zack Holwerda	Maricopa AZ		6.72
214	Greg Garcia	Cibola AZ		6.49
215	Elliott Holsbo	Lakeside CA		6.36
216	Joey Letsinger	Wilton CA		6.06
217	George Kramer	Lake Elsinore CA		5.83
218	Dusty Kahler	Paso Robles CA		4.94
219	Allen Clark	Florence AZ		4.43
220	Delaney Dwyer	Scottsdale AZ		3.80
221	Kyle Coppinger	Pheonix AZ		3.30
222	Brett Leber	Dixon CA		2.68
223	Robert Ostercamp	Chandler AZ		2.20
224	Ed Webb	Stanwood WA		1.31

2018 WON Bass U.S. Open Final AAA Standings

Place	Name	Hometown	Big Fish	Total
1	Matt Pangrac	Broken Arrow OK	3.50	21.78
2	Scott Robertson	Norco CA	4.30	21.16
3	Larry White	Sun City AZ	2.72	21.00
4	Kelly Burns	Avondale AZ	1.82	20.99
5	Steve Pectol	Las Vegas NV	3.12	20.61
6	David Peltier	Henderson NV	2.79	20.14
7	William McAninch	CARSON CA		20.12
8	Bobby Hamner	Phenix AZ	3.30	20.11
9	Rick Cofield	Las Vegas NV	2.87	19.85
10	Wade Goodwin	Wilson CA		19.57
11	Mike McCrossen	Bakersfield CA	1.95	19.37
12	Shawn Carnahan	Gilbert AZ	2.86	19.26
13	Brian Eslick	Gilroy CA	3.77	19.12
14	Ryan Borba	Atascadero CA	3.37	19.09
15	Byron Steed	Downey ID		18.87
16	Randy Droll	Apache Junction AZ	5.23	18.81
17	Jake Back	Mesa AZ	4.26	18.73
18	Todd Anderson	Surprise AZ		18.52
19	Chuck Kavros	Grass Valley CA		18.45
20	Shawn Cooley	Qual Valley CA	2.02	18.40
21	Cole Wright	Alpine CA	2.87	18.30
22	David Swendseid	Bend OR	2.79	18.15
23	Nathan Cummings	Peoria AZ		18.05
24	Randall Bruce	Las Vegas NV	3.09	17.91
25	Jordan Schwartzkopf	Peoria AZ	2.35	17.81
26	Tony Neal	Australia		17.78
27	Preston Smith	Cave Creek AZ		17.69
28	Coy Mott	Fruitland ID		17.68
29	Zach Holt	Las Vegas NV		17.63
29	John Tubbs	Oxnard CA		17.63
31	Brian Senter	Tucson AZ		17.56
32	Gabriel Jones	Henderson NV	2.61	17.49
33	Russell Leise	Beaverton OR	2.86	17.47
34	Sam Piacenza	Las Vegas NV		17.45
35	Hermie Romero	Las Vegas NV	2.85	17.40
36	Keith Gunsauls	El Cajon CA		17.32
37	Brett Posladek	Valley Center CA	2.16	17.27
38	Terry Stark	Georgetown TX	2.51	17.23
39	Hector Gracia	Poway CA	2.30	17.19
40	James Ochs	Scottsdale AZ		17.17
40	Michael Powell	Fort Mohave AZ	2.00	17.17
42	Tom Karavites	Payson AZ		17.13
43	Rusty Rath	Page AZ		17.12
44	Kevin Gross	Claremont CA		17.11
45	Kevin McBean	Shafter CA		17.09
46	Mike Gowey	Snowflake AZ		17.06
47	Glenn Wyatt	Fremont CA		17.02
48	Rachel Uribe	Long Beach CA		16.91
49	Michael Renteria	El Mirage AZ		16.87
50	Brian P. Day	Rancho SM CA	2.51	16.84
50	Thomas D. White, Jr.	Costa Mesa CA		16.84
52	Josh Kimmel	Colorado Springs CO		16.77
53	Patrick McLaren	Las Vegas NV	2.79	16.72
53	Brian Reaves	Covina CA		16.72
55	Yasuhiro Okada	Los Angeles CA		16.70
56	John Bryson	Las Vegas NV	1.49	16.64
57	Ryan Wischnack	Valencia CA	2.28	16.48
58	Doug Slaton	Salinas CA		16.44
59	Keith Bridges	Mission Viejo CA		16.42
60	Colby King	Ione CA	2.77	16.40
61	Craig Hammett	Eagle ID		16.21
62	Chris Allen	Grand Junction CO		16.18
63	Jason Okamoto	Glendale AZ	1.83	16.17
64	Rick Grover	Trabucco Canyon CA	2.45	16.11
65	Eric Hammer	Peoria AZ	3.10	16.05
65	Aaron Bartelt	Grand Junction CO		16.05
67	Geoff Peterson	Huntington Beach CA		16.02
68	Christopher Owens	Las Vegas NV		15.99
69	Cody Steckel	Las Vegas NV	2.22	15.97
70	Teddy Snyder	Redding CA	4.43	15.92
71	Bernie Villalobos	Las Vegas NV		15.91
72	Jacob Shull	Willcox AZ		15.86
73	Bret Felter	Malad ID	3.56	15.80
74	Steve Amata	Norco CA		15.77
75	Paul Reutlinger	Mineola TX		15.73
76	Adam Buchholz	Elk Grove CA		15.67
77	Austin Melville	Gilbert AZ	2.77	15.62
78	Ray Caldwell	Quartz Hill CA		15.59
78	Cameron Rodriguez	San Diego CA		15.59
80	Rick Melead	Yorba Linda CA	3.04	15.47
81	Broc Lindauer	Honeyville UT		15.42
82	Joshua Rojas	Fontana CA	2.47	15.41
83	Ron Ratlief	Lake Havasu City AZ		15.32
84	Terrence Rath	Lake Havasu City AZ		15.29
85	Robert A. Morris	Colorado Springs CO		15.22
86	Nathan Hill	Las Vegas NV		15.19
87	Robert Lee Record, Jr.	Lake Elsinore CA		15.18
88	Ken Hromada	Chandler AZ		15.14
89	Joseph George, Jr.	El Dorado Hils CA	2.31	15.11
89	Yoshikazu Komada	Japan		15.11
91	Brent Benish	San Diego CA		15.08
92	Brad Smith	Riverside CA		15.05
93	Steve Jenkins	Mesa AZ		14.99
94	Robert Schneider	Temecula CA		14.97
95	Ian Hastie	Cambridge ID	3.03	14.95
96	Jeff Przybylek	Canyon Lake CA		14.94
97	Jim Poff	Apple Vally CA	2.52	14.93
98	David Bebawy	Chandler AZ		14.85
99	Donnie Scroggins	Kingman AZ		14.81
100	Jake Anderegg	Henderson NV		14.79
101	Ron Chambers	Tonto Basin AZ		14.71
101	Mario Saucedo	Hollister CA	1.94	14.71
103	Levi Samz	Green River WY		14.64
104	Ian Boehm	Desrt Hills AZ	2.21	14.55
105	Niko Romero	Prescott AZ		14.53
106	Rich Henson	Redding CA		14.51
107	Brandon Smith	Indio CA		14.47
108	Sonny Gibson	Las Vegas NV		14.44
109	Joshua Taylor	Winslow AR	2.00	14.36
110	Shawn Plunkett	Tucson AZ		14.26
111	Douglas Mulford	Henderson NV	2.15	14.25
112	Bryan Klem	San Diego CA		14.17
112	Dwayne Stiles	Oxnard CA		14.17
114	Javier Franco	Sun Valley CA		14.16
115	Mark Snitow	Lake Havasu City AZ		14.05
116	Dan Frazier	Arroyo Grande CA		14.00
117	Dave Gerhardt	Durango CO	3.98	13.95
118	Jesstin McNett	Escondido CA		13.94
119	Dante Ray	Fernley NV		13.92
120	Bryan Coy	Clovis CA		13.91
120	Conrad Demecs	Phoenix AZ		13.91
122	Lyle Valador	Boulder City AZ	3.04	13.90
123	Joe Uribe, Sr.	Lake Havasu City AZ	2.21	13.89
124	Joe Ahrens	San Diego CA		13.87
125	Mona Dunlap	Cottage Grove OR	1.89	13.85
126	Robert Nicholson	Grand Terrace CA		13.84
127	Jeff Mabry	Phoenix AZ	3.59	13.72
128	Larry Warren	Laverkin UT	1.93	13.63
129	Kyle Greenlaw	Morro Bay CA	1.76	13.60
129	Lindsee Jonovich	Phoenix AZ	2.51	13.60
129	Szu Nien Yeh	Las Vegas NV		13.60
132	Kota Hamai	Konocti V 232		13.58
133	Victor Azevedo	Filer ID		13.40
134	Thor Dusenberry	Pheonix CA	4.42	13.20
135	Todd Tobiasson	Las Vegas NV		13.10
136	Mark Chadeayne	Pomona CA		13.01
137	Randy Austin	Cedar City UT	1.84	12.99
138	Jonathan Green	San Pablo CA		12.98
139	Joe Ramos	Arvada CO		12.97
140	Dave Kiesgen	Peorea AZ		12.93
141	Bret Nagelhout	Red Rock AZ		12.80
142	Bryan Hunt	Santee CA		12.77
143	Evan Roorda	Redlands CA	2.15	12.75
144	Kenny Myers	Lakeside AZ		12.72
144	Tim Roden	Queen Creek AZ		12.72
146	George Fedor	Yucaipa CA		12.71
147	Stephen Pike	Las Vegas NV		12.66
148	Dink Mendez	Campbell CA		12.59
149	Ted Romero	Lakewood CA	2.90	12.58
150	Steve Larsen	Henderson NV		12.54
151	Brian Mills	Phoenix AZ		12.52
151	William Penrod	Salome AZ		12.52
153	Bill Lansford	Needles CA	2.91	12.47
154	Dan Zehring	Gilbert AZ		12.34
155	Matt Frazier	Delhi CA		12.32
156	Jimmy Pinkerman	Fleming Island FL		12.30
157	Geroge Azevedo	Desert Hot Springs CA		12.27
158	Tyler Hogan	Newport Beach CA		12.18
159	Scott Stanard	Solana Beach CA	3.50	12.14
160	Carol Martens	West Hills CA	2.14	12.13
161	Marvin Finley	Peoria AZ		12.06
162	Mike Contreras	Ontario CA	2.78	11.99
162	John Browning	Surprise AZ		11.99
164	Taj White	Glendale AZ		11.94
164	Cody Stentz	East Wenatchee WA		11.94
166	Steve Watson	Phoenix AZ		11.85
167	John D. Helm	Tempe AZ		11.76
168	Matt Gene	Menifee CA	3.42	11.69
169	Chris Rains	Soledad CA		11.61
170	Bill Hart	Lincoln CA		11.57
171	Brian Kemp	Perris CA		11.54
172	Liz Jones	Conoga Park CA		11.34
173	Daniel Partida II	Las Vegas NV		11.22
174	Chad Roorda	Beaumont CA		11.18
175	Chris Martens	Lancaster CA		11.03
176	Akiko Totsuka	Japan		10.89
177	Jason Caine	Las Vegas NV		10.80
178	Bryan Partak	Marseilles IL		10.71
179	Dallas Braun	Eagar AZ		10.60
180	Kevin H Duncan	Brea CA	2.18	10.57
181	Anthony Souza	Turlock CA		10.55
182	Aaron Manning	Mesa AZ		10.46
183	Erik Tuenge	Henderson NV		10.40
184	Michael Fisher	Santee CA		10.33
185	Ryan Gutierrez	Weiser ID		10.24
185	Larry Upshaw	Hemphill TX		10.24
187	Tim Domingues	San Jose CA	2.68	10.22
188	Nicholas Guerrero	Castaic CA		10.09
189	Tom Cilluffo	Napa CA	1.71	9.84
190	Jack Roorda	Beaumont CA		9.68
191	Chris Teixeira	El Mirage AZ	2.12	9.63
192	Mark Torrez	Camarillo CA	2.26	9.57
193	Ed Shaver	Lake Havasu City AZ		9.56
194	Marty Martinez	Colorado CA		9.37
195	Len Scinto	Valencia CA		9.36
196	Ralph Wells	Lake Havasu City AZ		9.30
197	Jeremy Burns	Santa Margarita CA		9.25
198	Lynn Irwin	Las Vegas		9.24
199	John Bitting	Westminster CA	3.16	9.23
199	Kenny Johnson	Eager AZ		9.23
201	Dave Davis	Mesa AZ	2.55	9.00
202	Kenneth Helms	Newman CA	2.88	8.87
203	Jim Sanders	Gifford WA		8.76
204	David Burrows	Placentia CA		8.38
205	Eric Toms	Las Vegas NV		8.18
206	Steve Mawson	Mesa AZ		8.14
207	Troy Dennis	Apple Valley CA		8.02
208	Gale Fox Jr.	Shelton WA		7.84
209	Todd Barnes	Murrietta CA		7.79
210	Richard Hanning	Tucson AZ		7.42
211	Todd Belzner	Scottsdale AZ		7.40
212	Brant List	Huntington Beach CA		7.17
213	Bo McNeely	Rancho Cucamunga CA		7.16
214	Jay Cranney	Sandy UT	3.42	7.12
215	Ryan Furno	Aloha OR		6.83
216	Daniel Trejo	Covina CA		6.40
217	Jason Akins	Apple Valley CA		6.34
218	Ron Christensen	Las Vegas NV		6.31
219	Kevin A. Smith	Phoenix AZ		6.25
220	Robert Chor	San Pedro CA	3.77	6.23
221	Rufus Cassadas	Thousand Palms CA		5.99
222	Robert Zumwalt	Las Vegas NV		5.44
223	Robby Rogers	Redondo Beach CA		5.39
224	Tracy Purtee	Payson AZ		5.00

by AnglersChannel

FLW Tour loses 4; keeps Dudley

David Dudley is fishing the FLW Tour in 2019.

He had an invite to join the Bassmaster Elite Series. He turned it down.

There has been much speculation as to how B.A.S.S. would fill out its Elite Series roster which is far short of the projected 80-angler field upon which the exciting new entry fees and payout structures were based.

It would appear that B.A.S.S. has tried to siphon a few top pros from the FLW Tour.

Jeff Gustafson and Clark Wendlandt have accepted invites to fish the Elite Series next year instead of the FLW Tour where they competed this season.

And the Bass Pro Tour just took another bite out of FLW as well. They have enlisted the services of Jeff Sprague and Anthony Gagliardi – two FLW Tour veterans.

The upheaval continues. Stay tuned.

by AnglersChannel

Jared Lintner Wins Bassmaster Opens Championship At Table Rock

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

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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 20, 2018

Jared Lintner Wins Bassmaster Opens Championship At Table Rock

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

by AnglersChannel

Caleb Sumrall Takes Lead In Bassmaster Opens Championship At Table Rock

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

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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 19, 2018

Caleb Sumrall Takes Lead In Bassmaster Opens Championship At Table Rock

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

by AnglersChannel

Rose Leads Day 1 of Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Championship on Table Rock Lake

Mark Rose is fishing by the seat of his pants and that approach is paying off for him so far as he holds the early lead by a half-pound at the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Championship on Table Rock Lake.

Rose has 15 pounds, 9 ounces.

Caleb Sumrall has 15-1. Tyler Rivet is 3rd with 14-6. Jared Lintner is 4th with 12-14. Ed Loughran III holds the 5th spot with 12-12.

The typical fall migration of shad, and therefore, bass, is taking place. That means the fish may move shallower every day, perhaps inundating the back ends of creeks before the event is over.

Rose says things change rapidly on Ozarks lakes and he intentionally skipped the scouting period prior to the championship. He is relying on his instincts and fishing the moment. He caught fish as deep as 35 feet and as shallow as the bank.

In spite of his Day 1 success, Rose plans to completely change up his game plan on Friday as the forecast calls for rain and cooler temps - the opposite of what happened Thursday.

The old saying goes, "make hay while the sun is shining". The top anglers Thursday bucked that advice, covering water and catching bass best during brief periods of cloud cover. Friday's weather bodes well for some bass snatchin' action.

Stay tuned!

by AnglersChannel

Jason Borofka Leads Day One of 2018 WON Bass U.S. Open

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

by Dan O'Sullivan

Las Vegas, Nev. - September 16, 2018 – Following the cancellation of the first scheduled day of the 2018 WON Bass U.S. Open due to extreme winds, Jason Borofka battled the post front conditions to post a 13.84-pound limit to grab the lead on the first day of competition.

He is followed in second place by Bub Tosh with 13.20 pounds, and third place by FLW Tour pro Kurt Dove with 12.85 pounds.

Borofka said that he made a 40-minute run and fished a few key areas to get his limit, and left fish biting midday. “I made the long run, which took a little longer than usual because of the wind, and caught 25 to 30 fish, finishing our final limit by 11:00 this morning,” he said. “I have four rods on my deck, and when I get to grass, I pick one up, when I get rock, I pick up a different one; it was a good day, and feel pretty good about tomorrow.”

Tosh, said that he had a pair of casualties that cost him, but that he really enjoyed their day. “I made a long run, and lost a couple of big ones, so I had to regroup, but it worked out,” he said. “I really covered a lot of water, fished far and close, and junk fished with several baits. My partner caught a big one, and was really excited, and that is what this is all about. I’m happy to be here, and we’ll see what tomorrow holds.”

Dove, from Del Rio, Tex. is fishing his second WON Bass U.S. Open, and is excited to be where he is. “I had to scramble a little to catch ‘em, but that’s the name of this game,” he said. “I feel good about what I did today, and am looking forward to getting back out there tomorrow.”

The amateur partners earned the shared weight equal to that of their pro partners for the day. Robert Schneider ended the day in first place with 13.84 pounds followed by Thor Dusenberry, with 13.20 pounds, and third place AAA Brian Eslick with 12.85. Full Standings are posted below.

The final day of the weather shortened 2018 WON Bass Open will occur tomorrow, and the pro winner will receive the keys to a 2018 Bass Cat Puma FTD powered by a Mercury Pro XS 250 outboard. The live broadcast, presented by COSTA will bring all of the final day’s action to you from the waters of Lake Mead, the weigh-in at Callville Bay Marina, and the awards ceremony from the Railhead Room at Boulder Station Casino.

2018 WON Bass U.S. Open Day One Pro Standings

Place	Name	Hometown	Big Fish	Total Weight
1	Jason Borofka	Salinas CA	3.79	13.84
2	Steve Tosh, Jr.	Modesto CA	2.86	13.20
3	Kurt Dove	Del Rio TX		12.85
4	Matt Stefan	Junction City WI	3.41	12.75
5	Kona Borja	Henderson NV	3.60	12.44
6	Chase Colby	Heber City UT		12.24
7	Randy Blaukat	Joplin MO	3.74	11.84
8	Chris Bozarth	Henderson NV	3.34	11.74
9	Bill Brown	Grand Junction CO	3.37	11.61
10	Ricky Shabazz	La Mesa CA	3.22	11.47
11	Nick Salvucci	Paso Robles CA		11.41
12	Chris Zaldain	San Jose CA	2.82	11.21
13	Kevin Short	Mayflower AR		10.81
14	Shannon Abbott	Oceanside CA	3.70	10.79
15	Tommy Jonovich	Phoenix AZ	3.65	10.72
16	Jess Torre	Riverside CA		10.68
17	Michael Crowther	Page AZ		10.50
18	Thomas Wennerlund	Queen Creek AZ		10.47
19	Roy Hawk	Lake Havasu City AZ	3.25	10.39
20	Shaun Bailey	Lake Havasu City AZ		10.37
21	Steve Kennedy	Auburn AL		10.19
22	Todd Woods	Los Angeles CA	2.73	10.17
23	David Kemper	Tempe AZ		10.11
24	Julius Mazy	Phoenix AZ		10.07
25	Richard Garcia	Beaumont CA		10.04
26	Clayton Eslick	Gilroy CA	2.92	10.03
27	Bradley Hallman	Norman OK		9.99
28	Jason Bradshaw	Sacramento CA	2.82	9.96
29	Dylan Maxon	Phoenix AZ		9.76
30	Ellison Hubbard	LAS VEGAS NV		9.70
31	Jerren Slaton	Afton TX		9.67
32	Mike Brillhart	Waddell AZ	2.35	9.62
33	Kyle Grover	Trabuco Canyon CA		9.59
34	John Stewart	Peoria AZ	4.06	9.58
35	Kazuki Kodama	Tokyo Japan		9.50
36	Dan Merchant	Canyon Lake CA	3.02	9.48
37	Michael McLernon	Oceanside CA		9.39
38	Jordan Collom	Temecula CA		9.26
39	Todd Holverson	San Diego CA	2.85	9.23
39	Mike Wood	Bayfield CO		9.23
41	Brent Shores	Boise ID		9.21
42	Jason Hickey	Weiser ID		9.19
43	Chris Kinley	Lake Havasu City AZ		9.17
44	Don Iglinski	Henderson NV	3.31	9.16
45	Justin Kerr	Simi Valley CA		9.13
45	Tim Price	Glendale AZ		9.13
47	Miles Peshlakai	Las Vegas NV		9.11
47	Guy Savidan	NORCO CA		9.11
49	Laythe Moore	Banning CA		9.10
50	Carl Limbrick, Jr.	Bonita CA	3.49	9.08
51	Dung Van Vu	Paramount CA	2.22	9.04
52	Gerard Thomas	Ralston WY	2.10	9.00
53	Doug Gaskill	Las Vegas NV		8.98
54	Noah Cook	Lancaster CA		8.93
55	Johnny Johnson	Lakeside AZ		8.90
56	Aaron Martens	Leeds AL		8.87
57	Garrett Howard	Riverside CA		8.86
58	Bryan Grier	Salinas CA		8.83
59	Fred Proudfoot	Kingman AZ	2.39	8.80
60	Clayton Meyer	Henderson NV	3.02	8.78
61	Michael Phua	Chino CA		8.72
61	Matthew Williams	Lake Havasu City AZ		8.72
63	Patrick Touey	Nipomo CA	2.73	8.67
64	Tom Lowery	Lakeside CA		8.63
65	Tyler Rempe	Sierra Vista AZ		8.59
66	Scooter Griffith	Mesa AZ		8.58
67	Jim Hawkes	Apache Junction AZ	3.07	8.54
67	Tom Leedom	Escondido CA		8.54
69	Kevin Caruso	Glendale AZ		8.52
69	Ken Mah	Elk Grove CA		8.52
71	Kevin Hugo	Canyon Lake CA		8.49
72	Todd Kline	San Clemente CA		8.45
73	Stephen Tauriello	Las Vegas CA	2.17	8.44
74	Ben Byrd	Moab UT		8.43
75	James Salazar	Las Vegas NV		8.39
76	Carlos Garcia	Murrieta CA	3.14	8.38
76	Matthew Luna	Santee CA		8.38
78	Jordon Erekson	Apache Junction AZ	2.84	8.37
78	Cody Spetz	Menifee CA		8.37
80	Rich Vincent	Wildomar CA	2.40	8.31
81	Bryant Smith	Castro Valley CA		8.23
82	Gabe Thomas	Tuscon AZ		8.22
83	Clifford Pirch	Payson AZ		8.14
84	Rod Wynn	Inglewood CA		8.12
85	Tim Rath	Lake Havasu City AZ		8.11
86	Matt Shura	Gilbert AZ		8.10
87	Greg Espinoza	Henderson NV	2.52	8.09
88	Tom Ormsby	Parowan UT		8.02
88	Rodney Reed	Chelan WA		8.02
90	John Morrow	Brea CA		8.01
91	Justin Hanold	Poway CA		7.98
92	Danny Clark	San Tan Valley AZ		7.97
93	Scott Helleson	Whittier CA		7.96
93	Trait Zaldain	Fort Worth TX	3.56	7.96
95	Greg Miser	La Mesa CA		7.95
95	Wade Strelic	El Cajon CA		7.95
97	Kevin Finley	Phoenix AZ		7.93
97	Kevin Wiggins	Las Vegas NV		7.93
99	Rusty Salewske	Alpine CA		7.90
100	Andrew Napoleon	Mesa AZ		7.85
101	Todd Herman	Gilbert AZ		7.84
102	Onelio J. Silva	Las Vegas NV		7.83
103	Luke Clausen	Oakdale CA		7.80
103	Jim Moynagh	Carver MN		7.80
105	Kyle Richins	Washington UT		7.79
106	Vern Ridgway	Chandler AZ		7.78
107	Mike Powell	Lake Havasu City AZ		7.70
108	Jeff Martineau	Phoenix AZ		7.69
109	Bill O'Shinn	Bakersfield CA		7.65
110	Jim Wells	New Plymouth ID		7.58
111	Joe Patz	Surprise AZ		7.54
111	Ryan Yamagata	Las Vegas NV		7.54
113	Anthony Salazar	Pahrunp NV		7.51
114	Jason Swim	Peoria AZ		7.40
115	Keegan Graves	Meridian ID		7.39
116	Andy Manahl	Mesa AZ		7.36
117	Cliff King	Ione CA		7.34
118	Scott Frazier	El Cajon CA		7.32
119	Matt Raynor	Henderson NV	1.80	7.29
120	Mike Rennie	Pioche NV	2.05	7.27
121	Tyler Bailey	Logandale NV		7.20
121	Jim McLaughlin	Bakersfield CA		7.20
123	Sheldon Collings	Grove OK		7.17
123	Jeremy Fasuga	Peoria AZ		7.17
123	Patrick Whitaker	Gilbert AZ		7.17
126	Billy Hines	Vacaville CA		7.16
126	Pete Marino	Moreno Valley CA		7.16
128	James Broughton	Henderson NV		7.14
129	David Davis	Big Piney WY		7.13
130	Adam Hinkle	San Diego CA		7.12
131	Mark Dotterer	Phoenix AZ		7.11
132	Travis Jewell	Sandy UT		7.10
133	Jay Guterding	Redding CA		7.09
134	John Mackey	Boulder City NV		7.07
135	Dick Watson	Alta Loma CA		7.02
136	Louis Fernandes	Santa Maria CA		7.01
137	Jeff Hudson	Las Vegas NV		7.00
138	Joe Uribe, Jr.	Surprise AZ		6.99
139	Vince Gennaro	Henderson NV		6.97
140	Benjamin Green	Pasadena CA		6.92
141	Douglas Jones	North Las vegas NV		6.87
141	Matt Massey	Littleton CO		6.87
143	Derek Spetz	Menifee CA		6.86
144	Bobby Lanham	Cave Creek AZ		6.85
145	Sean Coffey	Mesa AZ		6.83
146	Nathan Foreman	Queen Creek AZ		6.82
147	Cy Floyd	Spokane WA		6.81
147	Tony Lain	Lake Havasu City AZ		6.81
149	Brent James	St George UT		6.78
149	Jamie Shaw	Coolidge AZ		6.78
151	Tai Au	Glendale AZ		6.77
152	Hobby Nelson	Peoria AZ		6.76
153	Ryan Chambers	Chandler AZ		6.75
154	Gary Freeman	Sun City AZ		6.74
154	Justin Patti	Phoenix AZ		6.74
156	Zack Holwerda	Maricopa AZ		6.72
157	Mike Peterson	Valley Center CA		6.71
158	Kirk McKinney	Phoenix AZ		6.66
159	Trace Myers	Santaquin CA		6.57
160	Brett Hite	Phoenix AZ	2.35	6.55
161	Gary Robbins	Burbank CA		6.52
162	Jason Haley	Medford OR		6.47
162	Tom Nokes	Riverton UT		6.47
164	Elliott Holsbo	Lakeside CA		6.36
165	Raymond Archer	Greeley CO		6.34
165	Jiggs Benn	Myrtle Creek OR		6.34
165	Jonathan Schuyler	Henderson NV		6.34
168	Eddie Lero	Bryan TX		6.31
169	Mark Rauenzahn	San Diego CA		6.25
170	Chad Randles	Elkhorn NE		6.23
171	John Zeolla	Oak Park CA		6.20
172	Paul Tassie	Lake Havasu City AZ	2.38	6.13
173	Mike Walsh	El Cajon CA		6.12
174	Mark Williams	Lake Havasu City AZ		6.10
175	Joey Letsinger	Wilton CA		6.06
175	Steve Molinari	Waddell AZ		6.06
177	Randy Estrada, M.D.	Corona CA		5.99
178	Jim Elliott	Redding CA		5.97
179	Russ Barger	Boise ID		5.88
180	George Kramer	Lake Elsinore CA		5.83
181	Shane Edgar	Glendale AZ		5.77
182	Brian Tressen	Corona CA		5.72
183	Eddie Rodriguez	Lakewood CO		5.66
184	Vince Borges	Salida CA		5.51
185	Mitch Southern	Yucaipa CA		5.44
186	Andrew Upshaw	Tulsa OK		5.38
187	Ron Hammett	La Mesa CA		5.31
188	Steve Gibson	Las Vegas NV		5.27
189	Mike Williams	Mesa AZ		5.20
190	Paul Hodges	Glendale AZ		5.13
191	Steve Lund	Glendale AZ		4.99
192	Gary Moore	Hemet CA		4.96
193	Dusty Kahler	Paso Robles CA		4.94
194	Robert Sedillo, Jr.	Chino CA		4.88
195	Morizo Shimizu	Osaka JP	1.91	4.78
196	Jeff Van Nimwegen	Menifee CA		4.74
197	Ray Arbesu	Henderson NV		4.73
198	Scott Davis	Preston ID		4.45
199	Jay Wright	Seal Beach CA		4.35
200	Dustin Remy	Lake Havasu City AZ		4.32
201	Mike Simon	Henderson NV		4.30
202	Tim Klinger	Boulder City NV		4.16
203	David Baca	Prescott Valley AZ		4.15
204	Miles Howe	San Juan Capistrano CA		4.13
205	Tyler Brinks	Spokane WA		4.04
206	Greg Garcia	Cibola AZ		3.94
207	Jimmy Reese	Ukiah CA		3.93
208	Delaney Dwyer	Scottsdale AZ		3.80
209	Sam Rosefsky	Morris IL		3.78
210	Murray White	Glendale AZ		3.72
211	Ken Whalen	Lompoc CA		3.70
212	Keith Diffey	Elk Grove CA		3.55
213	Kenneth Cates	Suncity West AZ		3.42
214	Allen Clark	Florence AZ		3.30
214	Kyle Coppinger	Pheonix AZ		3.30
216	Daniel Devries	Page AZ		3.25
217	Shane Spinning	Canyon Lake CA		2.72
218	Brett Leber	Dixon CA		2.68
219	Justin Ramsay	Peoria AZ		2.59
220	Mike Crothers	Chandler AZ		2.34
221	Aaron Britt	Yuba City CA		2.33
222	John Basmadjian	Fullerton CA		2.04
223	Ed Webb	Stanwood WA		1.31
224	Robert Ostercamp	Chandler AZ		0.00

2018 WON Bass U.S. Open Day One AAA Standings

Place	Name	Hometown	Big Fish	Total Weight
1	Robert Schneider	Temecula CA		13.84
2	Thor Dusenberry	Pheonix CA	4.42	13.20
3	Brian Eslick	Gilroy CA	3.77	12.85
4	Ian Hastie	Cambridge ID	3.03	12.75
5	Randall Bruce	Las Vegas NV	3.09	12.44
6	Ryan Borba	Atascadero CA	3.37	12.24
7	Bobby Hamner	Phenix AZ	3.30	11.84
8	David Peltier	Henderson NV	2.79	11.74
9	Chuck Kavros	Grass Valley CA		11.61
10	Terry Stark	Georgetown TX	2.51	11.47
11	Matt Pangrac	Broken Arrow OK	3.50	11.41
12	Joshua Rojas	Fontana CA	2.47	11.21
13	Cody Steckel	Las Vegas NV	2.22	10.81
14	Shawn Cooley	Qual Valley CA		10.79
15	Kevin McBean	Shafter CA		10.72
16	Randy Droll	Apache Junction AZ	5.23	10.68
17	Rick Melead	Yorba Linda CA	3.04	10.50
18	Hermie Romero	Las Vegas NV	2.85	10.47
19	Josh Kimmel	Colorado Springs CO		10.39
20	John Browning	Surprise AZ		10.37
21	Cameron Rodriguez	San Diego CA		10.19
22	Nathan Cummings	Peoria AZ		10.17
23	Austin Melville	Gilbert AZ	2.77	10.11
24	Gabriel Jones	Henderson NV	2.61	10.07
25	Rick Cofield	Las Vegas NV	2.87	10.04
26	John Tubbs	Oxnard CA		10.03
27	Daniel Partida II	Las Vegas NV		9.99
28	David Swendseid	Bend OR	2.79	9.96
29	Patrick McLaren	Las Vegas NV	2.79	9.76
30	Russell Leise	Beaverton OR	2.86	9.70
31	Rick Grover	Trabucco Canyon CA	2.45	9.67
32	Cole Wright	Alpine CA	1.68	9.62
33	Coy Mott	Fruitland ID		9.59
34	Ray Caldwell	Quartz Hill CA		9.58
35	Jake Back	Mesa AZ	4.26	9.50
36	Wade Goodwin	Wilson CA		9.48
37	Kevin Gross	Claremont CA		9.39
38	Cody Stentz	East Wenatchee WA		9.26
39	John Bitting	Westminster CA	3.16	9.23
39	Shawn Plunkett	Tucson AZ		9.23
41	Rachel Uribe	Long Beach CA		9.21
42	Ted Romero	Lakewood CA	2.90	9.19
43	Joe Uribe, Sr.	Lake Havasu City AZ	2.21	9.17
44	James Ochs	Scottsdale AZ		9.16
45	Jason Okamoto	Glendale AZ	1.83	9.13
45	Scott Robertson	Norco CA		9.13
47	Nicholas Guerrero	Castaic CA		9.11
47	Tony Neal	Australia		9.11
49	Donnie Scroggins	Kingman AZ		9.10
50	Ron Chambers	Tonto Basin AZ		9.08
51	Mike McCrossen	Bakersfield CA	1.95	9.04
52	Dave Davis	Mesa AZ	2.55	9.00
53	Zach Holt	Las Vegas NV		8.98
54	Jordan Schwartzkopf	Peoria AZ	2.35	8.93
55	Doug Slaton	Salinas CA		8.90
56	Preston Smith	Cave Creek AZ		8.87
57	Szu Nien Yeh	Las Vegas NV		8.86
58	Steve Amata	Norco CA		8.83
59	Michael Renteria	El Mirage AZ		8.80
60	William McAninch	CARSON CA		8.78
61	Keith Bridges	Mission Viejo CA		8.72
61	Larry White	Sun City AZ	2.72	8.72
63	Brian Reaves	Covina CA		8.67
64	Geoff Peterson	Huntington Beach CA		8.63
65	Steve Watson	Phoenix AZ		8.59
66	Jeff Mabry	Phoenix AZ	2.27	8.58
67	Anthony Souza	Turlock CA		8.54
67	Joshua Taylor	Winslow AR		8.54
69	Jason Caine	Las Vegas NV		8.52
69	Robert Lee Record, Jr.	Lake Elsinore CA		8.52
71	Yasuhiro Okada	Los Angeles CA		8.49
72	Dave Gerhardt	Durango CO	2.23	8.45
73	Joe Ramos	Arvada CO		8.44
74	Bryan Coy	Clovis CA		8.43
75	Keith Gunsauls	El Cajon CA		8.39
76	David Burrows	Placentia CA		8.38
76	Craig Hammett	Eagle ID		8.38
78	Kyle Greenlaw	Morro Bay CA	1.76	8.37
78	Sam Piacenza	Las Vegas NV		8.37
80	Ron Ratlief	Lake Havasu City AZ		8.31
81	Paul Reutlinger	Mineola TX		8.23
82	Mike Gowey	Snowflake AZ		8.22
83	Brian P. Day	Rancho SM CA		8.14
84	Mark Torrez	Camarillo CA	2.26	8.12
85	Todd Tobiasson	Las Vegas NV		8.11
86	Kelly Burns	Avondale AZ	1.82	8.10
87	Eric Hammer	Peoria AZ		8.09
88	Troy Dennis	Apple Valley CA		8.02
88	Brett Posladek	Valley Center CA		8.02
90	Jake Anderegg	Henderson NV		8.01
91	George Fedor	Yucaipa CA		7.98
92	Shawn Carnahan	Gilbert AZ		7.97
93	David Bebawy	Chandler AZ		7.96
93	Matt Frazier	Delhi CA		7.96
95	Aaron Manning	Mesa AZ		7.95
95	Brian Mills	Phoenix AZ		7.95
97	John D. Helm	Tempe AZ		7.93
97	Brad Smith	Riverside CA		7.93
99	Brian Kemp	Perris CA		7.90
100	Rusty Rath	Page AZ		7.85
101	Jacob Shull	Willcox AZ		7.84
102	Hector Gracia	Poway CA	2.30	7.83
103	Broc Lindauer	Honeyville UT		7.80
103	Chad Roorda	Beaumont CA		7.80
105	Todd Barnes	Murrietta CA		7.79
106	Colby King	Ione CA	2.77	7.78
107	Tom Karavites	Payson AZ		7.70
108	Kenny Myers	Lakeside AZ		7.69
109	Ken Hromada	Chandler AZ		7.65
110	Ryan Wischnack	Valencia CA		7.58
111	Bryan Klem	San Diego CA		7.54
111	Terrence Rath	Lake Havasu City AZ		7.54
113	Chris Teixeira	El Mirage AZ		7.51
114	Todd Belzner	Scottsdale AZ		7.40
115	Javier Franco	Sun Valley CA		7.39
116	Dwayne Stiles	Oxnard CA		7.36
117	Yoshikazu Komada	Japan		7.34
118	Robert Nicholson	Grand Terrace CA		7.32
119	Tom Cilluffo	Napa CA	1.71	7.29
120	Aaron Bartelt	Grand Junction CO		7.27
121	Adam Buchholz	Elk Grove CA		7.20
121	Steve Pectol	Las Vegas NV	2.38	7.20
123	Steve Larsen	Henderson NV		7.17
123	Brant List	Huntington Beach CA		7.17
123	Michael Powell	Fort Mohave AZ		7.17
126	Nathan Hill	Las Vegas NV		7.16
126	Bo McNeely	Rancho Cucamunga CA		7.16
128	Mario Saucedo	Hollister CA	1.94	7.14
129	Byron Steed	Downey ID		7.13
130	Rich Henson	Redding CA		7.12
131	Bryan Hunt	Santee CA		7.11
132	Niko Romero	Prescott AZ		7.10
133	Mike Contreras	Ontario CA	2.78	7.09
134	Dante Ray	Fernley NV		7.07
135	Jonathan Green	San Pablo CA		7.02
136	Larry Warren	Laverkin UT	1.93	7.01
137	Robert A. Morris	Colorado Springs CO		7.00
138	Dan Frazier	Arroyo Grande CA		6.99
139	Levi Samz	Green River WY		6.97
140	Brian Senter	Tucson AZ		6.92
141	Ralph Wells	Lake Havasu City AZ		6.87
141	Glenn Wyatt	Fremont CA		6.87
143	Kota Hamai	Konocti V 232		6.86
144	Ian Boehm	Desrt Hills AZ		6.85
145	Jeff Przybylek	Canyon Lake CA		6.83
146	Steve Jenkins	Mesa AZ		6.82
147	Gale Fox Jr.	Shelton WA		6.81
147	Ryan Gutierrez	Weiser ID		6.81
149	Joe Ahrens	San Diego CA		6.78
149	Michael Fisher	Santee CA		6.78
151	John Bryson	Las Vegas NV	1.49	6.77
152	Christopher Owens	Las Vegas NV		6.76
153	Teddy Snyder	Redding CA		6.75
154	Chris Allen	Grand Junction CO		6.74
154	Kevin H Duncan	Brea CA	2.18	6.74
156	Brandon Smith	Indio CA		6.72
157	Jesstin McNett	Escondido CA		6.71
158	Mona Dunlap	Cottage Grove OR		6.66
159	Bernie Villalobos	Las Vegas NV		6.57
160	Bryan Partak	Marseilles IL		6.55
161	Joseph George, Jr.	El Dorado Hils CA	2.31	6.52
162	Sonny Gibson	Las Vegas NV		6.47
162	Carol Martens	West Hills CA		6.47
164	Todd Anderson	Surprise AZ		6.36
165	Jason Akins	Apple Valley CA		6.34
165	Dallas Braun	Eagar AZ		6.34
165	Dave Kiesgen	Peorea AZ		6.34
168	Ron Christensen	Las Vegas NV		6.31
169	Kevin A. Smith	Phoenix AZ		6.25
170	Robert Chor	San Pedro CA	3.77	6.23
171	Conrad Demecs	Phoenix AZ		6.20
172	Jack Roorda	Beaumont CA		6.13
173	Jeremy Burns	Santa Margarita CA		6.12
174	Thomas D. White, Jr.	Costa Mesa CA		6.10
175	Marvin Finley	Peoria AZ		6.06
175	Len Scinto	Valencia CA		6.06
177	Rufus Cassadas	Thousand Palms CA		5.99
178	Bret Nagelhout	Red Rock AZ		5.97
179	William Penrod	Salome AZ		5.88
180	Brent Benish	San Diego CA		5.83
181	Jim Poff	Apple Vally CA		5.77
182	Lindsee Jonovich	Phoenix AZ		5.72
183	Chris Martens	Lancaster CA		5.66
184	Stephen Pike	Las Vegas NV		5.51
185	Robert Zumwalt	Las Vegas NV		5.44
186	Tim Roden	Queen Creek AZ		5.38
187	Mark Snitow	Lake Havasu City AZ		5.31
188	Kenneth Helms	Newman CA	2.88	5.27
189	Jimmy Pinkerman	Fleming Island FL		5.20
190	Ed Shaver	Lake Havasu City AZ		5.13
191	Tyler Hogan	Newport Beach CA		4.99
192	Chris Rains	Soledad CA		4.96
193	Marty Martinez	Colorado CA		4.94
194	Akiko Totsuka	Japan		4.88
195	Randy Austin	Cedar City UT	1.84	4.78
196	Dink Mendez	Campbell CA		4.74
197	Taj White	Glendale AZ		4.73
198	Victor Azevedo	Filer ID		4.45
199	Douglas Mulford	Henderson NV		4.35
200	Bill Hart	Lincoln CA		4.32
201	Bret Felter	Malad ID		4.30
202	Bill Lansford	Needles CA	2.91	4.16
203	Erik Tuenge	Henderson NV		4.15
204	Mark Chadeayne	Pomona CA		4.13
205	Lyle Valador	Boulder City AZ		4.04
206	Lynn Irwin	Las Vegas		3.94
207	Liz Jones	Conoga Park CA		3.93
208	Dan Zehring	Gilbert AZ		3.80
209	Geroge Azevedo	Desert Hot Springs CA		3.78
210	Evan Roorda	Redlands CA		3.72
211	Jay Cranney	Sandy UT		3.70
212	Eric Toms	Las Vegas NV		3.55
213	Matt Gene	Menifee CA	3.42	3.42
214	Jim Sanders	Gifford WA		3.30
214	Scott Stanard	Solana Beach CA		3.30
216	Kenny Johnson	Eager AZ		3.25
217	Robby Rogers	Redondo Beach CA		2.72
218	Tim Domingues	San Jose CA	2.68	2.68
219	Steve Mawson	Mesa AZ		2.59
220	Tracy Purtee	Payson AZ		2.34
221	Daniel Trejo	Covina CA		2.33
222	Larry Upshaw	Hemphill TX		2.04
223	Richard Hanning	Tucson AZ		1.31
224	Ryan Furno	Aloha OR		0.00

by AnglersChannel

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

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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

by AnglersChannel

PENNSYLVANIA’S THOMPSON WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ON THE CHESAPEAKE BAY PRESENTED BY LOWRANCE

With just over 10 pounds of bass on Day One, Thompson knew he needed a big catch on Day Two to break into the top six – his ultimate goal.

Thompson said he re-rigged a couple of rods for the conditions and proceeded to work through three big-fish areas.

The top six boaters that qualified for the 2019 BFL All-American were:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rounding out the top-10 boaters were:

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

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

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

10^th: Ryan Powroznik, Hopewell, Va., 10 bass, 24-8, $1,000

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

The top six co-anglers that qualified for the 2019 BFL All-American were:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers were:

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

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

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

10^th: Michael Duarte, Baltimore, Md., seven bass, 16-1, $500

The T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on the Chesapeake Bay presented by Lowrance was hosted by Cecil County Tourism.

About FLW

by AnglersChannel

SPRING HILL HIGH SCHOOL WINS BASS PRO SHOPS FLW HIGH SCHOOL FISHING LAKE MURRAY OPEN PRESENTED BY BERKLEY