"Sweet Home Alabama" - Why the "Bama" Boys are so Dang Good!
Drivers traveling to Alabama are greeted by a sign at the state line that reads, “Welcome to Sweet Home Alabama.” There is great meaning behind the sign and the reference to the Lynyrd Skynyrd song Sweet Home Alabama. This song has long been the anthem of many Alabamians. 
Numerous people travel to the state for various reasons, and in recent years anglers have moved to Alabama to sharpen their fishing skills on some of the best lakes in the country. Consequently, they are now learning what some of the home-grown anglers have known for years… Alabama is home to some really sweet fishing.
The major tournament trails are stacked with great anglers. Many of this year’s strong rookie class in both the Elites Series and FLW Tour have honed their skills in Alabama. Three of the top four anglers in Bassmaster Rookie of the Year (ROY) standings have Alabama listed as their home state. The Elite Series ROY Dustin Connell along with FLW ROY Bradley Dortch both are Alabama natives.
Nineteen anglers in the Elite series have Alabama listed as their home state, more than any other state in the field. Last year’s Bassmaster Classic Champion, Jordan Lee is from Alabama. The 2017 FLW Cup Champion, Justin Atkins lists Alabama as his home.
This brings to question why is Alabama sweet home to so many anglers?
Kay Donaldson, Program Director of the Alabama Bass Tournament Trail (ABT), which hosts tournaments all over the state, says the key to good fishing is “Alabama has very mineral rich resources” like the Tennessee River, the Alabama River and the Coosa River chain. The Tennessee River supplies North Alabama with 4 amazing lakes: Guntersville, Wheeler, Wilson and Pickwick. The Alabama River is an additional resource that runs just north of Montgomery south and empties into the Mobile Delta. The Coosa River system is well-known for its spotted bass fishing. “Our lakes are well managed.” The Department of Conservation, Tennessee Valley Authority and other organizations conduct numerous studies to look at the quality of the fishery which helps set creel limits to be satisfactory to what the lakes can produce. “Overall we have a lot of people interested in the health of the lakes.”
Elite Rookie Jessie Wiggins from Cullman, Alabama says the fishing in Alabama is just so diverse between the Coosa River, the Tennessee River and the highland impoundments such as Smith Lake. Jessie has fished all his life. Fishing is a big deal in Alabama. “That’s what we do on the weekends and we can fish year-round.” Bass fishing is so competitive in Alabama. Alabama is home to a lot of great anglers “you grow up and have to whack them from a young age if you want to win.” One of the keys to Wiggins success is spending as much time fishing as he can on all the lakes in Alabama. He and his brother, Jordan, won the 2016 ABT North Angler of the Year. Fishing the ABT opened Wiggins’ eyes to other lakes in Alabama like the Tennessee River, Neely Henry, Wise Lake and Logan Martin. To be competitive in Alabama “you have to do different things; you can’t just throw the same bait the whole time. My main focus since I fished my first tournament at five years old was to win. I realize you can’t win every time you go out, but every time out I want to win. I put just as much pressure on myself at the Thursday night jack pot tournament at Smith Lake as I do on the Elite Series events.”
This brings another question to mind… Does Alabama help you prepare to fish at the next Level?
Many current pros have moved from other areas of the country to Alabama. Being centrally located in the southeast was one of the reasons former FLW and Current Elite Pro, Justin Lucas chose to move to Alabama from northern California in 2010. The fishing reminded him of what it was like in northern California. “In a couple hours’ drive you have many different types of fisheries.” Another factor for Lucas were rivers with current that pulled water every day like the Tennessee River. Lucas knew it was important to learn how to fish these waters in order to be more successful as a fisherman. Living in Alabama has helped him be closer to the tournaments and has given him more opportunities to be with family instead of having to drive all the way back to California.
Anglers wanting to be successful at the next level must learn to adjust to challenging lakes and conditions. Alabama waters offer anglers varying opportunities from learning to read electronics to locate deep underwater structure in lakes that were flooded in the 1900’s and 1950’s to fishing shallow stump flats. At the same time, anglers have to learn how fish react to generation schedules and why they hang out in eel grass, hydrilla and millfold. “You can sit in one spot at Pickwick at any given time and catch a 30lb catfish, a 6lb smallmouth, a 7lb largemouth and a bunch of brim within 25 casts. It’s kind of like being a baseball player; you are not going to get any better if you don’t practice. There is no other place where someone can drive within two hours and be more diversified than the state of Alabama” said Donaldson.
When you fish a tournament in Alabama there is one guy on each lake who is the best angler on that particular lake every time you fish. “You’re competing against the best in the Southeast,” Donaldson said. This helps anglers who fish in Alabama move on to the next level because not only do they gain tournament experience, but they gain confidence fishing against some of the best.
Dustin Connell, Elite Series rookie from Clanton, Alabama, not only won the 2017 ROY but also won the Elite Series event at Ross Barnett in his rookie season. He says, “Alabama fishermen have a variety of places they can go and learn.” Connell who lives just twelve miles from Lake Mitchell and Lake Jordan and really close to the Alabama River says, “I can go and fish any technique I want just twelve miles from my house.” The guys who have spent time fishing in Alabama “have learned a lot and every place they go they probably have seen that kind of water before.”
Connell says he’s been fishing all over the Southeast and none of those are like Saturday mornings in Alabama. On any given Saturday morning in Alabama “a gas station near a lake is filled with boats” gassing up for a day on the lake; “it doesn’t matter what city you’re in, every station near a lake is filled up. It’s just what we do.”
FLW Tour rookie and 2017 FLW Cup Champion Justin Atkins, has also been tournament fishing since he was a kid in Mississippi. He fished through the college ranks, Costa Series and now calls Florence, Alabama his home. Atkins believes when it comes to
fishing style “Alabama has every availability to do whatever you may do anywhere else in the world. Guys in Alabama are more dialed because of that.” Shallow water river fishing at the Coosa and pitching docks to deep ledge current fishing on the Tennessee River helped him learn how to find and catch more fish and move to the next level because he was more prepared.
Bradley Dortch the 2017 FLW ROY, who grew up in South Alabama says, “Alabama fishing is so good.” Dortch grew up fishing tidal river systems and traveling from his home in Atmore to fish Lake Martin for deep spotted bass. One of his favorite lakes is Lay Lake because the different options it offers: “in one lake you can fish grass, swim a jig, crankbait, top water, brush piles, flip docks or fish the main river coming out of Logan Martin. Dortch said fishing in Alabama has helped him prepare for the next level because “I can pick up a drop shot, spoon in 30-40 feet of water, and I’m just as comfortable in 2 feet of water.”
Bass fishing continues to be great in Alabama. The latest 2016 BAIT Report* (which summarizes the results of 14,778 tournaments in Alabama) states the average bass weight caught has increased by 8% over last year. Harris, Pickwick, Wilson, Eufaula, and Guntersville were the top five big bass lakes in Alabama according to the report.
If you are looking to hone your fishing skills or just have a good time out on the water, Alabama should be on your list to visit. The lakes are home to some of the best fishing in the country, and the weather offers more time for you to get out on the water and maybe even consider making Alabama your home.
http://www.outdooralabama.com/bass-fishing-quality-bait-reports
OKLAHOMA’S REYNOLDS WINS COSTA FLW SERIES SOUTHWESTERN DIVISION FINALE ON LAKE TEXOMA
Oklahoma Angler Takes Home $80,167 including New Ranger Boat
Link to photo of tournament champion Jeff Reynolds
DENISON, Texas (Sept. 23, 2017) – Boater Jeff Reynolds of Calera, Oklahoma, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 15 pounds, 9 ounces Saturday to win the Costa FLW Series Southwestern Division tournament on Lake Texoma presented by Frabill. Reynolds’ three-day total of 15 bass weighing 51 pounds, 9 ounces was enough to earn him $80,167, including a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
“I put a lot of work into preparing for this event,” said Reynolds, who earned his first career-victory in FLW Series competition. “The payday means more than anything to me right now. I’m building a house and we have a baby on the way, so any money helps.
“I played the wind a lot this week – it was one of the biggest factors in where I decided to fish,” continued Reynolds. “On Day One it was blowing really hard so I stayed shallow. On Day Two it was a bit lighter so I was able to catch some out deep. On Day Three, it was so calm that all but one came from deep water.”
Reynolds said his most productive bait up shallow was a Heddon Super Spook topwater. He said his shallow areas were primarily on the main lake.
“I focused on flat points and banks with rock, sand and clay,” said Reynolds. “The biggest key was the shad. If I could find shad pushed up on the flats, I knew I could catch them.”
For the deep bite, Reynolds worked through stumps, brush and rock piles with a Texas-rigged green-pumpkin-colored Zoom Trick Worm with a ½-ounce weight.
“I had deeper areas both on the main lake and in pockets,” said Reynolds “Some keepers came as shallow as 10 feet, but most were 20 to 25 feet down.”
The top 10 pros on Lake Texoma finished:
1st: Jeff Reynolds, Calera, Okla., 15 bass, 51-9, $80,167
2nd: Don McFarlin, Gordonville, Texas, 15 bass, 47-1, $13,627
3rd: T.R. Andreas, Kerrville, Texas, 15 bass, 44-6, $10,750
4th: Alton Wilhoit, Noble, Okla., 15 bass, 44-6, $8,892
5th: Kevin Gressett, Tioga, Texas, 15 bass, 43-2, $7,913
6th: Hayden Burkett, Bokchito, Okla., 15 bass, 42-7, $7,033
7th: Jeff Sprague, Point, Texas, 15 bass, 42-7, $6,154
8th: Dicky Newberry, Houston, Texas, 15 bass, 41-7, $5,275
9th: Brandon Mosley, Choctaw, Okla., 15 bass, 40-13, $4,396
10th: Ricci Head, Shawnee, Okla., 11 bass, 37-14, $3,517
A complete list of results will be posted at FLWFishing.com.
Joe Lane of Republic, Missouri, caught a 6-pound, 11-ounce bass Thursday – the biggest of the tournament in the Boater Division. For his catch, Lane earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $242.
Dan Wilson of Pilot Point, Texas, won the Co-angler Division, $5,000 and a new Ranger Z175 with a 90-horsepower Evinrude outboard motor. Wilson earned his win with a three-day total catch of 15 bass weighing 37 pounds, 15 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers on Lake Texoma finished:
1st: Dan Wilson, Pilot Point, Texas, 15 bass, 37-15, $27,200 + $5,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Daren Scott, Aledo, Texas, 12 bass, 35-0, $4,588
3rd: Rick Parker, Kaufman, Texas, 14 bass, 31-12, $3,541
4th: J.C. Thompson, Calera, Okla., 11 bass, 27-7, $3,099
5th: Joe Copeland, Roff, Okla., 10 bass, 26-13, $2,656
6th: Andrew Brandstrom, White Bear Lake, Minn., 10 bass, 25-11, $2,263
7th: Chris Weaver, Lawton, Okla., 11 bass, 21-14, $1,771
8th: Chad Witten, Elgin, Okla., 10 bass, 21-2, $1,549
9th: Hugh Rose, Davis, Okla., nine bass, 20-15, $1,328
10th: Bruce Jones, Arlington, Texas, eight bass, 20-2, $1,107
Chris Jeffery caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division Thursday – a fish weighing 6 pounds, 7 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $161.
The Costa FLW Series on Lake Texoma presented by Frabill was hosted by the Denison Area Chamber of Commerce. It was the third and final Southwestern Division tournament of the 2017 season. The next Costa FLW Series event will be a Western Division tournament, held Sept. 28-30 on Clear Lake in Lakeport, California. For a complete schedule, visit FLWFishing.com.
The Costa FLW Series consists of five U.S. divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western. Each division consists of three tournaments with competitors vying for valuable points that could earn them the opportunity to fish in the Costa FLW Series Championship. The 2017 Costa FLW Series Championship is being held Nov. 2-4 on Kentucky Lake in Paris, Tennessee, and is hosted by the Henry County Tourism Authority.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Costa FLW Series on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
Jeff Reynolds Jumps from 10th to 1st Heading into Championship Saturday
September 22, 2017
by David A. Brown - FLW Outdoors
A diverse game plan blessed with a late-day kicker yielded a limit catch of 19 pounds, 4 ounces to move Jeff Reynolds from 10th place into first with 36 even on day two of the Costa FLW Series Southwestern Division event presented by Frabill on Lake Texoma.
“I was able to fish some more of my stuff more today,” Reynolds says. “I have a couple places that have them in there pretty good and I had probably 16 pounds early this morning and I caught a lot of them out of one area.”
Reynolds says he fished shallow and deep – from zero to 25 feet. Playing the day’s conditions was intrinsic to his success. Contrasting yesterday’s sunny, windy conditions, day two brought mostly cloudy skies through noon, less wind and slightly cooler temperatures.
“I think the biggest difference today was the cloudy conditions,” Reynolds says. “For some of the stuff I’m doing, I need the sun. I really feel like I can catch the big ones if I get sun because of the way the shad work (rise to the surface). But, this morning when it was cloudy, I caught them pretty good too.”
Reynolds threw topwaters during the morning and he approached other scenarios with a Carolina rig, Texas-rigged worms and shaky heads. No one bait dominated his day, so he kept rotating to keep a fresh look in front of the fish.
“I’m really running spots, not as much a pattern. It’s all according to what the wind and the sun are doing," says Reynolds. "When it was cloudy, I’d fish shallow and when the sun was out, I’d go out deep and fish brush piles.”
Securing a good limit early afforded him the confidence to go big-fish hunting.
“When I had the 16 pounds early, I knew I had enough to make the cut,” Reynolds says. “So I laid off a lot of my stuff that I knew I could catch them on. On this lake, when you’re trying to catch a 4- or 5-pounder, you can catch them out of 2 feet of water or 20 feet of water. So, I really just went fishing the majority of the day and I got lucky and caught a big one (5-13) right there at the end.”
Top 10 pros
1. Jeff Reynolds – Calera, Okla. – 36-0 (10)
2. T.R. Andreas – Kerrville, Texas – 33-7 (10)
3. Alton Wilhoit – Noble, Okla. – 32-12 (10)
4. Hayden Burkett – Bokchito, Okla. – 32-4 (10)
5. Kevin Gressett – Tioga, Texas – 30-7 (10)
6. Dicky Newberry – Houston, Texas – 30-3 (10)
7. Jeff Sprague – Point, Texas – 29-15 (10)
8. Don McFarlin – Gordonville, Texas – 29-14 (10)
9. Brandon Mosley – Choctaw, Okla. – 29-3 (10)
10. Ricci Head – Shawnee, Okla. – 29-2 (9)
Scott grinds it out for co-angler lead
He started the morning in 10th place, but after fishing a day he described as more functional than fanciful, Daren Scott, of Aledo, Texas sacked up a limit of 15-8 and rose to first place in the co-angler division with 26-6. His day-two catch was the heaviest of the tournament.
“It was a grind. I only had five keeper bites all day,” says Scott, who fished behind Dylan Hays. “It wasn’t one thing, I caught fish on four different baits. Today was mostly slow baits, yesterday was mostly reaction baits. Today, I fished mostly deep and yesterday was mostly shallow.”
Scott caught his day-two fish mostly on points with scattered brush and isolated rock. His bites were spread throughout the day, but a late rally produced good keepers for him and Hays.
“I caught my first fish on my fifth cast, but I didn’t have my limit until 2:15,” Scott says.
Powroznik Earns Fourth Straight Classic Berth As Last Man Standing At Pokegama Lake
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Billy Cline Leads Texoma FLW Costa Event with over 19 pounds!
by David A. Brown - FLW Outdoors
Conventional wisdom tells us that finding the food means finding the bass, especially when fall’s approach signals the need to feed. Texas pro Billy Cline followed that logic, only with a subtle twist, and sacked up a Lake Texoma limit of 19 pounds, 4 ounces to lead day one of the Costa FLW Series Southwestern Division event presented by Frabill.
Like most, Cline was mindful of the large schools of shad roaming around the lake. However, his success hinged more on quality than quantity.
“There were some big wads of bait in the area, but we found the bigger fish weren’t really around the big schools," says Cline. "They were chasing the isolated gizzard shad.”
Cline describes his day as “junk fishing,” in which he looked for isolated shallow-water targets on and around main-lake points and rotated through topwaters, crankbaits and shaky heads. Fortunately, his day got off to a quick start.
“I caught all my fish by about 9:15 a.m.,” says Cline. “I only caught one keeper after that, but it didn’t help me. I caught my first keeper around 7:30 and then I didn’t catch another one until 8:45. So between 8:45 and 9:15, I caught the rest of my weight.”
Cline attributes that early lull to a pair of competitors who sandwiched him on his first spot. When the fishing pressure shut down that spot, Cline ran to a spot he’d intended to save for day two and ended up filling his limit there.
Top 10 pros
1. Billy Cline – Grapevine, Texas – 19-4 (5)
2. Russell Cecil – Willis, Texas – 18-2 (5)
3. T.R. Andreas – Kerrville, Texas – 18-0 (5)
3. Brian Clark – Haltom City, Texas – 18-0 (5)
5. Alton Wilhoit – Noble, Okla. – 17-13 (5)
6. Brady Winans – Caddo Mills, Texas – 17-12 (5)
7. Christopher Digino – Dallas, Texas – 16-15 (5)
7. Don McFarlin – Gordonville, Texas – 16-15 (5)
9. Brandon Mosley – Choctaw, Okla. – 16-14 (5)
10. Jeff Reynolds – Calera, Okla. – 16-12 (5)
Local knowledge lands Wilson atop co-angler field
Typically, co-anglers fish what their pro partners choose, but when Dan Wilson had the opportunity to point the way, he did not hesitate to leverage his intimate knowledge of Texoma to select productive waters that yielded a leading limit of 13-7.
“The guy that I fished with was a nice guy and he knew I lived here, so he asked ‘do you have some places?’,” Wilson says. “That really made a difference and we both caught fish.”
Frequent moves were the cornerstone of Wilson’s plan, as he and pro Jerod Hawkes hopped around to several spots. Brush, rocks and docks comprised the targets that accounted for all of Wilson’s weight.
“I’d say we probably caught our better fish off the rocks with the wind on them,” Wilson says. “Squarebill crankbaits produced all of my fish.”
Top 10 co-anglers
1. Dan Wilson – Pilot Point, Texas – 13-7 (5)
2. Jim Zaleski – Parsons, Kan. – 13-1 (4)
3. Brian Pierce – Colorado Springs, Colo. – 12-7 (5)
4. Joe Copeland – Roff, Okla. – 12-6 (5)
5. Cedric Jackson – Sicily Island, La. – 12-5 (4)
6. Melinda Hays – Sheridan, Ark. – 11-10 (5)
7. Rick Parker – Kaufman, Texas – 11-4 (5)
8. Fred Fielder – Vian, Okla. – 11-1 (5)
9. Chad Witten – Elgin, Okla. – 10-15 (5)
10. Daren Scott – Aledo, Texas – 10-14 (5)
And Then There Were Two.......Monroe, Powroznik Win Bracket Matches, Will Battle For Berth In Bassmaster Classic
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Raymarine Axiom Software Update 9.21.17
New LightHouse 3.2 Offers Additional Enhancements
WILSONVILLE, OR (September 21, 2017) - One of the best ways to get the most out of any marine electronics is to update software when it becomes available. Make this a habit and you’re sure to stay on the cutting edge—all without any additional investment.
For boaters and anglers using Raymarine Axiom units, the new LightHouse 3.2 operating software update provides numerous enhancements and an even more intuitive, seamless, and fluid user experience.
Installing the new update is simple via wireless network or PC. For updating via wireless network, simply connect your Axiom to your home Wi-Fi or your phone’s mobile hotspot. Yes, you can actually update your Axiom software while you’re on the water! You can also download Lighthouse 3.2 via Raymarine’s website here.
Lighthouse 3.2 enhancements include:
- Navionics Dock-to-Dock Autorouting, SonarChart Live, and advanced charting options
- C-MAP Chart support including Easy Routing, Active Captain, high-resolution bathymetry and sport fishing data
- 1-touch “Autoroute to Here” navigation with both C-MAP and Navionics charts
- Wireless HD Display streaming to external monitors and HDTVs using Miracast HDMI over Wi-Fi
- Remote control of both Fusion and Rockford Fosgate entertainment system using NMEA2000
- Expanded waypoint viewing options, color palettes, and transducer calibration options in RealVision 3D sonar
- Expanded support for upgrades of attached network devices and accessories
LightHouse 3.2 includes all features added in version 3.196, including:
3D Sonar GPS Track Mode: This is the new default operating mode for RealVision 3D. The 3D image responds in real-time to inputs from its internal gyro-stabilization, plus the GPS system. When you turn, you’ll see the 3D image turn as well. When you speed up, it matches your speed. When you stop, it stops. As you make multiple passes around the same area the 3D image continuously updates and gets larger. Adjacent passes are stitched together into a comprehensive view of the bottom, structure and water column. Fish and bait that were in one location on pass one and shown in their new location in pass two, three, four, etc. Depending on the depth where you are fishing, the system can display 10 minutes (or more) of prior history. Deeper water gives you more time.
Sonar Scroll Back: You can now pause and rewind any sonar channel on the system. If you’re looking at more than one sonar channel simultaneously, pausing one pauses them all and when rewound, they all rewind together. This lets you go back and take a second look, add waypoints, etc.
Historical Sonar Sensitivity: If you adjust any of the sonar sensitivity settings (gain, filtering, etc.), it not only applies to new data coming in, but also to all of that prior scroll-back history, too. For example, you might increase or decrease the surface filter or gain and suddenly see fish in your past history that were previously concealed.
3D Waypoint Placement: You can now touch anywhere on the 3D display and drop a waypoint. There is a mechanism there, too, that allows you to fine-tune that waypoint to get it right on the desired spot.
Wi-Fi connectivity to RayRemote and RayControl Apps for Apple and Android Devices
New SideVision and DownVision Default Settings: Raymarine sonar engineers have re-adjusted the default levels for target intensity and gain on SideVision and DownVision channels. These new settings offer increased clarity and definition without additional user adjustment.
Evolution Autopilot Control Interface
Expanded Support for RMK-10 Wired Keypad
Monroe, Iaconelli, Lefebre, Powroznik Earn Semifinal Berths In Classic Bracket
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Carhartt Countdown to Blastoff - BIG BASS TOUR - Lake Murray
Anglerschannel.com's John Byrne and Sportsman's Warehouse Fishing Manager CJ Freeman talk Big Bass Tour on Lake Murray, Just over a month since Ranger Boats Pro Justin Atkins took home the FLW Cup from that same body of water. Up for grabs is a brand new Boat, Motor and Trailer package! It only takes one bite to win a boat! Check it out, get signed up and get your catch to the scales!
Classic Bracket Starts Strong On Pokegama Lake
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Combs Talks Elite Season and his AOY Tournament Win
“This was a great way to end the season,” says Keith Combs of his win this past weekend in the Bassmaster Angler of the Year tournament on Mille Lacs Lake.
“I had solid season, but I was never in a position to win. It seemed like everything I found in practice went away once competition began.
“This was the first tournament this year where what I found in practice held up during the tournament.”
“I caught all of my fish on a 1 oz. Strike King jig.”
He fished the same stuff he found last year during the 2016 AOY tourney on Mille Lacs. He just had to fish a little deeper this time. “I found them in 20-to-25 feet of water but in the same areas as last year.”
He had a blast doing it. “Oh my God dude, you can catch 25 pounds in 30 minutes!”
Combs caught nearly 25 pounds both of the first 2 days – bringing in 24-15 each day until he closed with 22-07 in Sunday’s final round.
“Usually you have to catch them on spinning rods. I was catching them on a baitcaster and a flippin’ stick.”
Combs never trailed in the AOY tourney. He piled-up 72 pounds, 5 ounces over 3 days to best James Elam by a pound, 10 ounces. And Elam never weighed-in less than 23 pounds on any day of the event.
Mille Lacs would be worth the trip if that’s how it fishes – and holds up for multiple days.
The tourney’s $25,000 top prize, and bonus money paid-out based on place of finish in the AOY points race will help fund The American Dream for Combs. “We bought some land this year and we want to build on it.”
Author: Vance McCullough
YETI FLW COLLEGE FISHING SOUTHERN CONFERENCE HEADS TO RED RIVER
BOSSIER CITY, La. (Sept. 12, 2017) – YETI FLW College Fishing is heading to the Red River on Sept. 23 for the second of three regular-season stops in the Southern Conference for a tournament presented by Bass Pro Shops. A full field of college fishing clubs will be competing for the top award of a $2,000 club scholarship and a berth into the 2018 College Fishing National Championship, which will also be hosted on the Red River next May.
“The Red River has a lot of grass in it,” said FLW Tour pro Jim Dillard of Monroe, Louisiana. “It’s very unique because there are a number of different jetties, rocks and bends – so many different areas to fish. You can catch fish a number of different ways.”
Dillard suggested that anglers would be throwing standard shallow water river baits, including topwater baits, crankbaits, spinnerbaits and buzzbaits.
“You don’t need to go into the backwaters to catch fish, but some teams still will,” Dillard said. “Teams will be fishing spread out way up and down the river. If the conditions get real tough, some of the finesse fisherman could do real well.”
A five-bass limit weighing 14 to 16 pounds is expected to be enough to take home the win in this Southern Conference tournament.
Anglers will take off from the Red River South Marina, located at 250 Red River South Marina Road, in Bossier City, at 7 a.m. CDT Saturday. Weigh-in will be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. Takeoff and weigh-in are free and open to the public.
Schools are allowed to register up until the morning of the tournament. Entries may be made either by phone or at CollegeFishing.com.
Schools registered to compete in the Red River tournament, which is hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier City Sports Commission, include:
Arkansas Tech University – Philip Gottsponer, Morrilton, Ark., and Ethan Stokes, Lee’s Summit, Mo.
Colorado State University-Pueblo – Austin Miles, Durango, Colo., and Tyler Hassler, Fountain, Colo.
Harding University – Cole Swede, Little Rock, Ark., and Ethan Flowers, Dexter, Mo.
Louisiana State University – Jack Thomas, Prairieville, La., and Connor Turner, Albany, La.
Northeastern State University – Conner Schwab, Broken Arrow, Okla., and Kyler Morgan, Muldrow, Okla.
Northwestern State University – John Joseph Ledet, Natchitoches, La., and Dustin Nash, Leesville, La.
Rogers State University – Alex Torkleson, Sand Springs, Okla., and Alec Murphy, Claremore, Okla.
Rogers State University – David Stellfox, Collinsville, Okla., and Kelsey Winnie, Stillwater, Okla.
Rogers State University – Dillon Roberts, Claremore, Okla., and Ty Crutchfield, Inola, Okla.
Rogers State University – Lane McCartney, Catoosa, Okla., and Tyler Hastings, Claremore, Okla.
Southeastern Louisiana University – Lewis Laurent, Watson, La., and Bryce Coleman, Denham Springs, La.
Southern Arkansas University – Warren Basinger and Dalton Keith, both of Magnolia, Ark.
Southern Arkansas University – Cade Coleman, Minden, La., and Douglas Bell, Texarkana, Ark.
Sowela Technical Community College – Conner Chappell, Sulpher, La., and Blake Fontenot, Lake Charles, La.
Sowela Technical Community College – Casey Trosclair and Colby Breaux, both of Sulphur, La.
Sowela Technical Community College – Logan Bruchhaus and Garrett Downs, both of Sulphur, La.
Stephen F. Austin State University – Seth Hausman, Nacogdoches, Texas, and Chance Forrest, Anna, Texas
Stephen F. Austin State University – Garrett Bradford, Lufkin, Texas, and Cody Barchenger, Taylor, Texas
Tarleton State University – Cason Kelly, Stephenville, Texas, and Carson McCone, Crowley, Texas
Tarleton State University – Corbin Bogart, Joshua, Texas, and Spencer Suitt, Cleburne, Texas
Texas A&M University – Bo McGraw, Conroe, Texas, and Evan Cook, La Porte, Texas
The Woodlands College Park – Joe Beebee, The Woodlands, Texas, and Chris Oakes, Conroe, Texas
University of Louisiana at Lafayette – Dakota Moofe, Leesville, La., and Dawson Cranford, Stonewall, La.
University of Oklahoma – Blaine Timonera, Batesville, Ind., and Colton Harper, Spiro, Okla.
FLW College Fishing teams compete in three regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top ten teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments and the top 20 teams from the annual FLW College Fishing Open will advance to the 2018 FLW College Fishing National Championship on the Red River, May 30 - June 2, hosted by Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission & Red River Waterway Commission. Additional teams will qualify for the National Championship if the field size in regular-season events exceeds 100 boats.
College Fishing is free to enter. All participants must be registered, full-time students at a college, university or community college and members of a college fishing club that is recognized by their school.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow College Fishing on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing. Visit FLWFishing.com to sign up or to start a club at your school.
JOSH BARR WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL MICHIGAN DIVISION FINALE ON DETROIT RIVER PRESENTED BY NAVIONICS
Milan’s Polenz Takes Co-angler Title
TRENTON, Mich. (Sept. 18, 2017) – Joshua Barr of Stow, Ohio, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Michigan Division tournament on the Detroit River presented by Navionics Sunday with a two-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 49 pounds, 1 ounce. Barr pocketed $7,397 for his win.
“It was really satisfying to come out on top of such a competitive field,” said Barr, who earned his first career win after three prior top-10 finishes on the Detroit River in FLW competition. “I knew that I was on a couple of good schools in practice, but I didn’t realize how big they were. It was a pleasant surprise come tournament time.”
Barr committed each day to making a run south to Lake Erie.
“I live in the Cleveland area, so I was spending a lot of time around the Ohio and Pelee Islands,” said Barr. “I was fishing the typical off-shore Lake Erie isolated rock piles. I caught most of my fish on Day One with a drop-shot rig. On Day Two, all of my quality fish came on a tube.”
Barr said that he fished a perch-colored fluke-style bait on his drop-shot rig Saturday, but opted for a standard 3½-inch green pumpkin tube on Sunday.
“I don’t think the color really mattered,” Barr said. “My co-angler and I both caught 6-pounders on a tube and he had a different color.”
Barr estimated that he caught 10 to 15 smallmouth on Day One and around 20 on Day Two.
“Finding the right schools meant everything,” Barr went on to say. “When I would idle over the rocks, I couldn’t see them very well on my electronics. I’m not sure if my motor was spooking them, but when I would turn it off and drift over them my graphs would light up.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Joshua Barr, Stow, Ohio, 10 bass, 49-1, $5,397 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Jared Rhode, Port Clinton, Ohio, 10 bass, 47-3, $2,598
3rd: Michael Sitko, Pinckney, Mich., 10 bass, 46-4, $1,833
4th: Scott Dobson, Clarkston, Mich., 10 bass, 45-12, $1,513
5th: Jamie Jacobus, Johnstown, Ohio, 10 bass, 44-2, $1,039
6th: Kyle Greene, Ortonville, Mich., 10 bass, 43-15, $953
7th: Pat Upthagrove, Monroe, Mich., 10 bass, 41-5, $866
8th: Aaron Stumpf, Johnstown, Ohio, 10 bass, 40-7, $780
9th: Mike Cunningham, Fenton, Mich., 10 bass, 40-4, $693
10th: Eric Cook, Marblehead, Ohio, 10 bass, 40-1, $606
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Charles Mackintosh of Brighton, Michigan, caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 1 ounce – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the Boater Big Bass award of $652.
Gary Polenz of Milan, Michigan, caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 43 pounds, 7 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $2,669.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Gary Polenz, Milan, Mich., 10 bass, 43-7, $2,669
2nd: Tony Mitchell, Plainwell, Mich., 10 bass, 42-2, $1,284
3rd: Cody Bertrand, Dyer, Ind., 10 bass, 41-12, $858
4th: Aaron Stahley, Batavia, Ohio, 10 bass, 39-3, $649
5th: Christopher Slone, Shelby Township, Mich., 10 bass, 39-1, $514
6th: Steve Pinkerton, Anderson, Ind., 10 bass, 38-9, $471
7th: Justin Sawyer, Dearborn Heights, Mich., 10 bass, 38-3, $750
8th: Erik Jacques. Harrison Township, Mich., 10 bass, 38-0, $385
9th: Mike Eldridge, Blacklick, Pa., 10 bass, 36-7, $342
10th: Kenneth Johnson, Canton, Mich., 10 bass, 35-2, $300
Sawyer caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 5 pounds, 15 ounces – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $322.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional Championship on the Barren River in Scottsville, Kentucky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
T.J. McMeniman Joins Costa as Vice President of Marketing
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Sept. 19, 2017) -- Costa Del Mar, manufacturer of premium polarized sunglasses for life on and off the water, announced today that T.J. McMeniman has joined as the brand’s new vice president of marketing. An experienced marketer, athlete, and leader, McMeniman will spearhead all of Costa’s strategic global brand initiatives across channels and categories, including sunglasses and apparel.
“T.J. brings exceptional leadership strength to our team, which has been refined throughout his life and career,” said Holly Rush, Costa’s CEO. “He has a wealth of experience for us to draw from at this important stage of our growth - he knows what it means to develop an iconic brand, protect the core of the business and foster growth with new consumers and in new markets. All of which is crucial for us at Costa.”
McMeniman joins Costa from Bauer Hockey, where he led global marketing for eight years, helping to restore their position as the leader in the performance sport category.
"I am excited to join the Costa team and have the chance to lead a brand with such a rich heritage and loyal following. Costa is not just committed to making great products that our consumers are extremely passionate about – it’s also a brand built on a strong set of beliefs and purpose. It’s one thing to provide best in class technology, but it’s another to relentlessly strive to help protect our ocean’s and waterways with initiatives like OCEARCH and Kick Plastic.”
Previous to Bauer, McMeniman led marketing for the iconic brand Sweet Baby Ray’s, and with Kraft Foods. He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and served five years in the U.S. Army, rising to Captain before beginning his business and marketing career.
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About Costa: As the leading manufacturer of the world's clearest polarized performance sunglasses, Costa offers superior lens technology and unparalleled fit and durability. Still handcrafted today in Florida, Costa has created the highest quality, best performing sunglasses and prescription sunglasses (Rx) for outdoor enthusiasts since 1983.
Born on the water, Costa works hard to protect the ocean it calls home. Through programs like its Kick Plastic campaign, where the brand seeks to raise awareness about the growing plastic pollution problem threatening oceans worldwide, to serving as a long-term partner to shark research organizations like OCEARCH, Costa encourages people to help protect the Earth’s natural resources in any way they can.
Find out more on Costa’s website and join the conversation on Facebook , Instagram or on Twitter at @CostaSunglasses
MURFREESBORO’S SIMERI WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL MUSIC CITY DIVISION FINALE ON OLD HICKORY LAKE
Monroe’s Puckett Takes Co-angler Title
GALLATIN, Tenn. (Sept. 18, 2017) – Rocco Simeri of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Music City Division event on Old Hickory Lake Sunday with a two-day cumulative catch of eight bass weighing 22 pounds, 8 ounces. For his win, Simeri took home $6,731.
“I probably hit 10 to 15 areas each day of the tournament,” said Simeri, who earned first career-victory in FLW competition. “It was kind of a one-two punch of upper end- and mid-lake-fish, but I stayed mid-lake Sunday. I only had eight keepers all weekend, but still felt lucky. A lot of the anglers only brought in a couple each day.
“I primarily fished secondary creek points,” continued Simeri. “They were basically prespawn or postspawn staging areas. The fish and shad were pulled out due to receding water. My boat sat in 12 feet of water and I casted into spots that were 5 to 7 feet down.”
Simeri said his primary lure was a 5/6-ounce Texas Craw-colored Jewel Bait Finesse Jig with a Watermelon Red-colored Zoom Z Craw Jr. trailer.
“I fished it slow with some short hops,” said Simeri. “I made long casts to the bank and then brought it halfway back to the boat.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Rocco Simeri, Murfreesboro, Tenn., eight bass, 22-8, $4,731 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Hunter Bouldin, McMinnville, Tenn., 10 bass, 19-1, $2,365
3rd: Brandon Edel, Hendersonville, Tenn., 10 bass, 17-11, $1,511
4th: Adam Wagner, Cookeville, Tenn., 10 bass, 17-2, $1,057
5th: Clark Cowley, Lebanon, Tenn., nine bass, 16-9, $906
6th: John Graves, Mount Juliet, Tenn., seven bass, 14-11, $831
7th: Tony Eckler, Lebanon, Tenn., seven bass, 13-15, $1,272
8th: Josh Tramel, Smithville, Tenn., eight bass, 13-7, $680
9th: Jack Poindexter, Livingston, Tenn., seven bass, 12-4, $604
10th: Mickey Beck, Lebanon, Tenn., six bass, 11-1, $529
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Eckler caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 13 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the Boater Big Bass award of $517.
Travis Puckett of Monroe, Tennessee, caught a two-day total of six bass weighing 10 pounds, 4 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $2,266.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Travis Puckett, Monroe, Tenn., six bass, 10-4, $2,266
2nd: Robert Russell, Smyrna, Tenn., six bass, 10-3, $1,233
3rd: John Wilkerson, Nashville, Tenn., six bass, 8-5, $805
4th: Brandon Taylor, Russellville, Ky., three bass, 5-4, $529
5th: Sterling Brenneis, Goodlettsville, Tenn., three bass, 5-1, $453
6th: Ron Poland, Murfreesboro, Tenn., two bass, 5-0, $415
7th: Charles Bennington, Scottsville, Ky., five bass, 4-15, $378
8th: Richard Walker, Franklin, Tenn., two bass, 4-7, $340
9th: Todd Knois, Shelbyville, Tenn., two bass, 4-1, $302
10th: Edward Lovely, Manchester, Tenn., two bass, 3-10, $264
Joey Myers of Gallatin, Tennessee, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 3 pounds, 10 ounces – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $259.
The T-H Marine FLW BFL Music City Division tournament on Old Hickory Lake was hosted by the Sumner County Convention & Visitors Bureau.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional Championship on Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Alabama. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
MOUNT VERNON’S MULLINS WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL ILLINI DIVISION FINALE ON REND LAKE
Paris’ Eslinger Grabs Co-angler Title
WHITTINGTON, Ill. (Sept. 18, 2017) – Greg Mullins of Mount Vernon, Illinois, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Illini Division tournament on Rend Lake Sunday with a two-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 28 pounds, 10 ounces. Mullins was awarded $4,869 for his win.
Mullins said he spent the event fishing four stretches – each 200 to 300 yards long – on the north end of the lake. He said he targeted bass on banks that had a combination of riprap and wood, and was able to catch 13 keepers.
“There weren’t as many bites up there compared to the main lake, but they were good-sized fish,” said Mullins, who logged his first career win as a boater in BFL competition. “I think the fish were up against those hard banks to feed because there were a lot of shad. They weren’t schooling up yet, though.”
Mullins said he used a 3/8-ounce chartreuse and white-colored Z-Man ChatterBait with a green-pumpkin-colored Zoom Super Chunk to catch the majority of his fish. He added that his largest bass Saturday came on a green-pumpkin Zoom Ultravibe Speed Worm.
“I threw the ChatterBait any time I came to a good piece of wood, then flipped the worm to it,” said Mullins. “Most of the fish were in 6 inches of water, while I sat in anywhere from 6 inches to 2½ feet of water. My Crestliner was really key in helping me navigate the shallows.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Greg Mullins, Mount Vernon, Ill., 10 bass, 28-10, $4,869
2nd: Neil McCord, West Frankfort, Ill., 10 bass, 25-9, $3,219
3rd: Dan Morehead, Paducah, Ky., 10 bass, 24-0, $1,623
4th: Timothy Rivest, Champaign, Ill., eight bass, 21-7, $1,136
5th: Brian Futch, Vienna, Ill., 10 bass, 21-1, $1,074
6th: Marty Sisk, Evansville, Ind., nine bass, 19-15, $893
7th: Mike Barnes, Mackinaw, Ill., 10 bass, 19-9, $1,111
8th: Mike McGill, Findlay, Ill., nine bass, 19-5, $730
9th: Toby Corn, Calvert City, Ky., 10 bass, 19-4, $649
10th: Jerry Walker, Zeigler, Ill., seven bass, 19-3, $568
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
McCord caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 3 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the Boater Big Bass award of $585.
Archie Eslinger of Paris, Illinois, caught a two-day total of nine bass weighing 19 pounds, 11 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $2,372.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Archie Eslinger, Paris, Illinois, nine bass, 19-11, $2,372
2nd: Jim Brown, Coulterville, Ill., six bass, 11-10, $1,186
3rd: Jacob Bovara, Wadsworth, Ill., five bass, 10-14, $1,077
4th: Jeffrey Lee, Olney, Ill., five bass, 10-10, $553
5th: Aaron Arning, Walnut Hill, Ill., four bass, 9-12, $674
6th: Scott Strausbaugh, Hillsboro, Ill., five bass, 9-8, $435
7th: Steve Kehrer, Woodlawn, Ill., five bass, 9-4, $395
8th: Ryan Fancher, Olney, Ill., four bass, 9-3, $406
9th: Phil Santefort, Roberts, Ill., four bass, 8-8, $316
10th: Adam Brookman, Bonnie, Ill., four bass, 8-5, $277
Bovara caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 3 pounds, 14 ounces – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $285.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 5-7 BFL Regional Championship on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
JAYME RAMPEY WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL SAVANNAH RIVER DIVISION FINALE ON LAKE HARTWELL
Missouri’s Govreau Nabs Co-angler Title
ANDERSON, S.C. (Sept. 18, 2017) – Jayme Rampey of Liberty, South Carolina, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Savannah River Division tournament on Lake Hartwell Sunday with a two-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 26 pounds, 6 ounces. For his win, Rampey pocketed $7,112.
“I caught them from the clear main-lake water to all the way up the Tugaloo River,” said Rampey, who logged his sixth career-win in BFL competition. “I fished fast and shallow along a 30-mile stretch and threw to whatever looked good.”
Rampey said he focused on stumps, wood and docks. He said he ended up weighing eight keepers from a white Zoom Horny Toad, and two from a Buckeye Lures jig with a green-pumpkin-colored Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craw trailer.
“There wasn’t really any rhyme or reason to what I was doing,” said Rampey. “The wind and rain from the outskirts of Hurricane Irma had the fish spread out. I don’t think they were adjusted back to normal weather conditions yet.”
Rampey’s two-day total was highlighted by a 6-pound, 4-ouncer, which he caught Saturday on the Horny Toad near a laydown.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Jayme Rampey, Liberty, S.C., 10 bass, 26-6, $7,112
2nd: Rob Jordan, Flowery Branch, Ga., 10 bass, 25-6, $3,121
3rd: Brad Fowler, Townville, S.C., 10 bass, 23-12, $2,282
4th: Kerry Partain, Elberton, Ga., 10 bass, 23-11, $1,456
5th: Brad Benfield, Cornelia, Ga., 10 bass, 22-14, $1,248
6th: Joey Nichols, Cumming, Ga., 10 bass, 22-13, $1,444
7th: Franklin Ramey III, Abbeville, S.C., 10 bass, 22-7, $1,140
8th: Taylor Ashley, Warrior, Ala., 10 bass, 22-2, $936
9th: Troy Morrow, Eastanollee, Ga., 10 bass, 21-14, $832
10th: Todd Goade, Suwanee, Ga., 10 bass, 21-1, $728
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Rampey’s 6-pound, 4-ounce bass was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned him the Big Bass award of $870.
Beau Govreau of Cedar Hill, Missouri, caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 20 pounds, 9 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $3,121.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Beau Govreau, Cedar Hill, Mo., 10 bass, 20-9, $3,121
2nd: Darren Jeter, Marshall, N.C., 10 bass, 20-5, $1,660
3rd: Jimmi Leuthner, Tamassee, S.C., 10 bass, 19-8, $1,092
4th: Donnie Davis, Greer, S.C., 10 bass, 19-6, $728
5th: Brandon Brock, Honea Path, S.C., 10 bass, 19-6, $624
6th: Michael Miller, Greenville, S.C., 10 bass, 18-10, $572
7th: Keith Lewis, Franklin, N.C., eight bass, 18-9, $955
8th: Tim Watson, Martin, Ga., eight bass, 17-6, $468
9th: Kevin Landreth, Seneca, S.C., nine bass, 17-6, $416
10th: Mark Denney, Bonaire, Ga., 10 bass, 17-6, $364
Lewis caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 4 pounds, 8 ounces – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $435.
The T-H Marine FLW BFL Savannah River Division tournament on Lake Hartwell was hosted by the Anderson Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 19-21 BFL Regional Championship on Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Georgia. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
SYKORA WINS T-H MARINE FLW BBFL OZARK DIVISION FINALE ON LAKE OF THE OZARKS
Camdenton’s Strohkirch Takes Co-angler Title
OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (Sept. 18, 2017) – Local angler Marcus Sykora of Osage Beach, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Ozark Division tournament on Lake of the Ozarks Sunday with a two-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 37 pounds, 14 ounces. For his victory, Sykora earned $7,071.
According to post-tournament reports, Sykora caught his fish in 14 feet of water near mid-lake brush piles using an unnamed crankbait and a Zoom Brush Hog.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Marcus Sykora, Osage Beach, Mo., 10 bass, 37-14, $7,071
2nd: Roger Cook, Lebanon, Mo., 10 bass, 36-8, $3,436
3rd: Adam Boehle, Warrenton, Mo., 10 bass, 35-9, $2,796
4th: Greg Glandt, Fenton, Mo., 10 bass, 35-1, $1,603
5th: Dennis Berhorst, Holts Summit, Mo., 10 bass, 34-1, $1,374
6th: David McCormick, Lee’s Summit, Mo., 10 bass, 32-15, $1,360
7th: Roger Fitzpatrick, Eldon, Mo., 10 bass, 32-5, $1,145
8th: Mark Tucker, Kirkwood, Mo., 10 bass, 32-2, $1,031
9th: Andy Newcomb, Camdenton, Mo., 10 bass, 32-2, $916
10th: Bob Bueltmann, Osage Beach, Mo., 10 bass, 31-9, $802
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Boehle caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 15 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the Boater Big Bass award of $506.
Aaron Strohkirch of Camdenton, Missouri, caught a two-day total of eight bass weighing 28 pounds, 1 ounce, to win the Co-angler Division and $3,436.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Aaron Strohkirch, Camdenton, Mo., eight bass, 28-1, $3,436
2nd: Reid Kesel, Bonnots Mill, Mo., 10 bass, 27-1, $1,918
3rd: Ray Larson, Springfield, Ill., 10 bass, 23-1, $1,195
4th: Nathan Portell, Festus, Mo., nine bass, 22-11, $802
5th: Charles Frick, Saint Louis, Mo., eight bass, 19-2, $687
6th: Jordan Williams, Oak Grove, Mo., eight bass, 19-1, $630
7th: Stephen Delgado, Lee’s Summit, Mo., eight bass, 18-13, $573
8th: Brandon Hecker, Camdenton, Mo., six bass, 17-15, $515
9th: Ernie Wooten, New London, Mo., eight bass, 17-12, $458
10th: Taylor Harris, Paola, Kan., seven bass, 17-0, $401
Bob Keeth of Dixon, Missouri, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 6 pounds, 6 ounces – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $506.
The T-H Marine FLW BFL Ozark Division tournament on Lake of the Ozarks was hosted by the Tri-County Lodging Association/Convention & Visitors Bureau.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 5-7 BFL Regional Championship on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
Dustin Connell Talks Rookie Year on the Elites & Winning ROY
Vance McCullough
“Coming in, Hartman had, like a 29-point lead on me,” explains Dustin Connell. With only 50 boats in the Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship tournament it’s hard to make up 29 points. “I knew I had to have a great tournament and he had to stumble; leave the door open for me. That’s exactly what happened.”
With a great finish to his first season on the Elite Series, Connell took Rookie of the Year honors.
“It feels really good to close the season on a strong note,” said Connell.
The rookie from Alabama said the highlight of the tourney on Mille Lacs – and the whole northern swing of the Elite Series – was getting to catch a bunch of big smallmouth. “I don’t get to fish for smallmouth a whole bunch, but I love to catch spotted bass and I just used what I have learned from chasing Coosa River spots and I took it north with me and I caught big smallmouth with it.”
As for go-to techniques, Connell relied on dropshots and jerkbaits.
Connell credits the diversity of Alabama’s lakes for his well-rounded bassing abilities. “We have grass lakes so if I go to a grass lake anywhere in the country I can catch them. We also have deep clear lakes so any time I can throw a dropshot or a jerkbait, that’s a good deal for me.”
He’s thrilled about earning entry into the 2018 Bassmaster Classic. “Every Elite Series Angler has the goal of making the Classic. That’s huge.”
Through 9 Elite Series tourneys Connell was a human ATM, cashing checks in 7 events. He says the toughest part of this season was keeping his head up after those low finishes.
“I could have gotten down after those, but I stayed positive and made it happen.”
Connell’s biggest advantage this year boiled down to time spent on the water. “I pre-fished every lake we went to. I would go spend 3 or 4 days before cutoff and learn the lakes, learn where the structure was.”
This approached helped more at some fisheries than at others. “It made a big difference at Cherokee.”
With the increased sponsor demands that accompany success in the angling game, will Connell have time to pre-fish to the same extent next year? “There is a business side to this sport, but those high finishes on the water are important to me.”
Connell looks forward to next year’s Elite Series starting point – in Alabama. “Lake Martin is right down the road from me. I’m looking to start the season off with a strong showing.”
A solid start could lend some momentum heading into the Classic on Lake Hartwell. Connell could be a dangerous man in 2018.
MONSOOR WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE GREAT LAKES DIVISION FINALE ON MISSISSIPPI RIVER
Minnesota’s Conrad Claims Co-angler Title
LA CROSSE, Wis. (Sept. 18, 2017) – Yamamoto Baits pro Tom Monsoor of La Crosse, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Great Lakes Division tournament on the Mississippi River Sunday with a two-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 36 pounds, 10 ounces. For his efforts, Monsoor took home $8,175.
“I fished weeds that were 5 feet down and near the current, but not in it. I think the fish like having the food brought right by them,” said Monsoor, who earned his sixth career BFL win on the Mississippi River. “I had 15 areas, but only worked through six of them each day. I also had some deeper spots in the 20-foot range that produced good fish for me.”
Monsoor said he threw his signature Humdinger Swim Jig Saturday, paired with a white 3½-inch Yamamoto Swim Senko trailer. Sunday he switched to a black and blue swim jig and swapped out the Swim Senko for a 3¾-inch Yamamoto Flappin’ Hog.
“The wind really picked up and muddied the water Sunday, so I went with darker colors,” said Monsoor. “The bite slowed down, too. There weren’t any big flurries. On Saturday, the water was clearer and you could catch 20 fish in a spot, but Sunday you’d only have one or two every so often.”
Monsoor said he trimmed off all but the tail from the Flappin’ Hog. He said it was the same setup he used to win the four-day FLW Tour event on the Potomac River in June.
“When you only throw one lure, that’s when you’re doing the best,” said Monsoor. “Give me a swimming jig around weeds and I’m in Heaven.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Yamamoto Baits pro Tom Monsoor, La Crosse, Wis., 10 bass, 36-10, $6,175 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Dan Mohn, Lansing, Iowa, 10 bass, 34-12, $3,088
3rd: Cade Laufenberg, Winona, Minn., 10 bass, 33-11, $3,107
4th: Jeff Benson, Holmen, Wis., 10 bass, 31-13, $1,441
5th: Luke Ledvina, Tomah, Wis., 10 bass, 31-12, $1,235
6th: Glenn Walker, Savage, Minn., 10 bass, 31-2, $1,132
7th: Terry Fitzpatrick, Waukon, Iowa, 10 bass, 31-1, $1,029
8th: Mark Myers, Cedar Falls, Iowa, 10 bass, 30-14, $1,026
9th: Robby Tufte, Fountain City, Wis., 10 bass, 30-9, $823
10th: Nick O’Keefe, La Crosse, Wis., 10 bass, 30-5, $720
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Laufenberg caught a bass weighing 4 pounds, 12 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the Boater Big Bass award of $847.
Richard Conrad of Burnsville, Minnesota, caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 27 pounds, 11 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $3,088.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Richard Conrad, Burnsville, Minn., 10 bass, 27-11, $3,088
2nd: Ronald Syverson, Holmen, Wis., 10 bass, 26-15, $1,544
3rd: Tony Seiler, River Falls, Wis., 10 bass, 25-14, $1,030
4th: Greg Oppegard, West Saint Paul, Minn., 10 bass, 25-3, $820
5th: Kevin Andera, Calmar, Iowa, nine bass, 25-1, $618
6th: Jake Schultz, Rochester, Minn., 10 bass, 24-10, $616
7th: Brad Juen, La Crosse, Wis., 10 bass, 24-10, $515
8th: Mike Kochanski, Bolingbrook, Ill., 10 bass, 24-4, $463
9th: Josh Mohn, Lansing, Iowa, 10 bass, 24-4, $412
10th: Tong Lor, La Crosse, Wis., 10 bass, 24-3, $360
Steve Esser of Dubuque, Iowa, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 4 pounds, 11 ounces – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $424.
The T-H Marine FLW BFL Great Lakes Division tournament on the Mississippi River was hosted by the La Crosse County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional Championship on the Barren River in Scottsville, Kentucky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
Mustang Survival Continues Support of the ACA as Sponsor of the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series
The Association of Collegiate Anglers is pleased to announce the continued support received from Mustang Survival for the 2018 Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series. This nationally televised series consists of the Texas 
Lunker Challenge presented by Mossy Oak Elements, Cabela’s Collegiate Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley, Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Open, and the season-ending BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship.
Anglers throughout the world have come to know Mustang Survival as the premier Personal Flotation Device (PFD) brand for active bass fishermen. Mustang Survival PFDs are designed to integrate seamlessly into the fishing lifestyle while delivering comfort, function, and most importantly, safety.
“Safety is a large priority in the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series. The products made by Mustang Survival are what I personally wear and they are designed with the angler in mind. They are lightweight, easy to use, and easy to maintain. We look forward to promoting their line of recreational products during the upcoming Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series and through our various others means at the ACA,” said Wade Middleton, President of CarecoTV and Director of the ACA.
“We are excited to continue our great relationship with the ACA and the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series,” comments Shannon Ward, Director of Business Development & Marketing at Mustang Survival. “As the future of our industry, these anglers inspire us to continually evolve and strengthen our product line so we can equip them with the confidence to fish all day in any environment.”
For more information on Mustang Survival, visit www.mustangsurvival.com
For more information on the ACA, or the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series, visit www.CollegiateBassChampionship.com. For more information on Cabela’s visit Cabelas.com, for more information on CarecoTV, visit www.carecotv.com.
About Mustang Survival
Established in 1967, Mustang Survival has been designing and manufacturing lifesaving solutions for more than 45 years. Through constant innovation and application of new technologies, Mustang Survival is the leading supplier of quality flotation and personal protective equipment to the most demanding maritime and aviation customers including the Coast Guard, Law Enforcement, Water Rescue Teams, Fighter Pilots, Commercial Mariners and Recreational Boaters. Mustang Survival is part of The Safariland Group family of brands. For more information, please visit www.mustangsurvival.com.
About the ACA
The Association of Collegiate Anglers, a division of Careco TV, is a sanctioning body developed to facilitate growth, development, and structure within competitive collegiate bass fishing. The ACA provides support to dozens of school operated regional events nationwide and owns the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series, the largest participatory collegiate tournament circuit in the country. With dedicated collegiate fishing programming on several television networks, four nationally televised collegiate bass fishing events, and thousands of members, the ACA is the leader in competitive collegiate bass fishing.
Palaniuk’s Longtime Loyalty to Toyota Paid Off
Story & Photo Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
The 2017 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year title that Brandon Palaniuk won Sunday at Lake Mille Lacs started with a dream when he was an 8-year-old boy growing up in Idaho. Then it caught speed in 2010 when he purchased his first Tundra, and began to cash-in on Toyota Bonus Bucks.
“I was running heavy equipment and cutting down trees for a living to try and save enough money to launch a pro career. And there were times when my buddy and I were down to our last dollars, and thought we’d have to wash dishes on our way back from tournaments to make it home to Idaho.”
“Then in 2010 I won $20,000 as a co-angler, and bought my first Tundra,” Palaniuk remembers vividly. “That year became magical, I won the B.A.S.S. Nation National Championship which qualified me for the Elites and the 2011 Classic, and the Toyota Bonus Bucks I won helped give me the money I needed to survive the first year of the Elites.”
At times during his rookie year on the Elite Series – it was just that – “surviving.” He often slept in the back of his Toyota in what he famously termed the “Tundra Suites” to save from paying for a hotel room.
Over the past six years, Brandon’s loyalty to Toyota has continued to pay him Bonus Bucks, and the days of wondering if he might have to wash dishes or cut down trees in the Idaho lumberjack woods have long since faded in the rearview mirror.
His brand new title of 2017 AOY Champion pays him $100,000, and his continued participation in the Bonus Bucks program is sure to pay dividends for years to come.
However you don’t have to be a full time pro, a Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year, or even win your local tournament to cash-in on Bonus Bucks. You just have to be a registered participant in any of the dozens of tournaments sanctioned by Bonus Bucks, and be the highest-placing participant.
To learn more and get signed-up, please visit http://www.toyotatrucksbonusbucks.com/ or phone (918) 742-6424, and ask for Jessica or Kendell and they can also help you get signed-up.
COSTA FLW SERIES SOUTHWESTERN DIVISION TOURNEY PRESENTED BY FRABILL SET FOR LAKE TEXOMA
DENISON, Texas (Sept. 12, 2017) – As many as 400 pros and co-anglers are set to compete in the Costa FLW Series Southwestern Division event at Lake Texoma, Sept. 21-23. The tournament, which is presented by Frabill, is the third and final regular-season event scheduled in the FLW Series Southwestern Division. Hosted by the Denison Area Chamber of Commerce, anglers will be competing for a top award of up to $40,000 in cash and a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
“Lake Texoma should be fishing pretty good for a late September tournament,” said FLW Tour pro Andrew Upshaw, who finished in 11th place when the FLW Series last visited Lake Texoma in 2015. “We didn’t get too much of the nasty weather from the hurricanes, so the lake levels will be normal and we’re going to have a fun tournament.
“You’re going to see the typical fall patterns in this one,” Upshaw continued. “It will be junk fishing 101. A lot of guys will be fishing docks or throwing topwater baits, fishing in the backs of creeks. The fish don’t replenish great this time of year, so covering a lot of water and having a lot of different patterns going on will be the key.”
Upshaw said that he expects his key baits will be a Bill Lewis StutterStep 4.0 and a Rat-L-Trap.
“Rat-L-Traps are always great in the fall,” Upshaw said. “I downsize to ¼-ounce and throw a chrome and black if it’s sunny or a white one if it’s cloudy.
“I think to make the top-10 cut and fish the final day it’s going to take 22 to 24 pounds,” Upshaw went on to say. “I think the winner will likely have a three-day total of 45 to 47 pounds.”
Anglers will take off from the Highport Marina, located at 120 Texoma Harbor Drive, in Pottsboro, at 7 a.m. CDT each day. Weigh-ins will be held at the marina each day beginning at 3 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public. The event is hosted by the Denison Area Chamber of Commerce.
In Costa FLW Series regular-season competition, payouts are based on the number of participants competing in the event. At Lake Texoma pros will fish for as much as $40,000 and a Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard if Ranger Cup qualified. Co-anglers will cast for a Ranger Z175 boat with a 90-horsepower Evinrude outboard, and an additional $5,000 if Ranger Cup qualified.
The Costa FLW Series consists of five U.S. divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western. Each division consists of three tournaments with competitors vying for valuable points that could earn them the opportunity to fish in the Costa FLW Series Championship. The 2017 Costa FLW Series Championship is being held Nov. 2-4 on Kentucky Lake in Paris, Tennessee.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Costa FLW Series on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
Palaniuk Caps Magical Season With Toyota Bassmaster Angler Of The Year Title
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Last Minute Big Fish Helps Palanuik Hold On To Lead In AOY Race At Mille Lacs
With one day of competition left in the 2017 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship held on Mille Lacs Lake out of Onamia, Minn., Brandon Palaniuk of Hayden, Idaho, holds on to first place in AOY points.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
September 15, 2017
ONAMIA, Minn. — After two days of the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship, Brandon Palaniuk is still clinging to his lead in the race for the AOY season title.
But it’s been anything but easy.
The noted smallmouth specialist from Hayden, Idaho, caught just 10 smallies from Mille Lacs Lake Friday — and if hadn’t been for a 6-pounder that bit extremely late, he might have actually fallen out of the AOY lead.
“I just struggled to get bit,” Palaniuk said. “I was just catching one here, one there — and I wasn’t really catching any big ones. But then at 3:14 (p.m.), I made one final drop and caught a 6-pounder.”
That fish helped Palaniuk weigh in 21 pounds 1 ounce, which was good for 20th place in the daily standings and enough to keep him in the AOY lead. With 902 total points, Palaniuk leads Jason Christie (890) and Jacob Wheeler (885) by margins that can still be made up if things go wild in the final round.
Palaniuk’s big fish came so late Friday that he barely made it back to the check-in on time.
“I caught the fish at 3:14, check-in was 3:20 and I was 3 miles away,” Palaniuk said. “On top of that, I still had to cull.
“I ended up making it back with 40 seconds to spare. But that fish was a 3-pound cull. Without it, who knows where I would be?”
Since Palaniuk came into this event with a 15-point lead in the AOY standings, the ideal situation would have been for him to pile up the weight while his closest competitors — Christie and Wheeler — struggled.
That hasn’t happened.
After catching 20-8 Thursday, Christie caught 22-9 Friday and jumped from 26th place to 17th. That helped him move to within 12 points of Palaniuk in the standings, meaning another fantastic day — coupled with a tough day for Palaniuk — could land Christie his first career AOY title.
Christie said Thursday that he hoped for a weather change that might mess up other people’s patterns — presumably Palaniuk’s and Wheeler’s — and he regretted it today. “I got what I wanted,” he said, “but it just made those fish bite for them.
“Today, at 8 o’clock, I was kind of wishing I hadn’t said that.”
The higher winds and larger waves made it hard for Christie to keep his trolling motor in the water and to see the fish on the Garmin Panoptix unit he relies on. He said most of his bass came out of one school he felt fortunate to find.
“Luckily, I came across one group and I caught 22 pounds in probably 10 to 15 minutes,” he said. “The rest of the day, I caught one here and one there, but I never caught a big one.”
While Palaniuk and Christie had it tough, Wheeler said “fun would be an understatement” to describe the day he had on Mille Lacs. The first-year pro from Tennessee caught 24-5 and moved into fourth place in the daily standings.
He still trails Christie by five points and Palaniuk by 17 in the AOY race.
“It was flat-out awesome,” Wheeler said. “It was probably one of the best days of smallmouth fishing I’ve ever had. I probably caught 30-plus smallmouth — and there were a lot of times when I would be disappointed to realize it was ‘just another 4-pounder’ when I set the hook.”
New York angler Jamie Hartman, whose stated goal was to win the Bassmaster Rookie of the Year award when the season began, took the lead in that race by weighing in 23-10 Friday and jumping from 48th to 36th place in the daily standings. That gives him a 776 to 770 lead over Alabamian Dustin Connell in the ROY race.
Texas angler Keith Combs is threatening to run away with the daily standings after landing 24-15 for the second straight day. His two-day mark of 49-14 is more than 2 pounds better than that of second-place angler James Elam (47-4).
Combs stands to win $25,000 if he retains the lead through the end of competition, but the rest of the $1 million purse will go to him and the rest of the field based on their final standings in AOY points.
The full field will fish again Sunday to determine the AOY Championship and the event winner. Takeoff will be at 6:50 a.m. CT from Eddy's Resort, and the final weigh-in will be held at 3:45 p.m. at Grand Casino Mille Lacs.
The field will take a break Saturday for Bassmaster University. Anglers will be conducting seminars and greeting fans near the weigh-in stand at Grand Casino Mille Lacs in conjunction with the Bassmaster Elite Series Outdoors Expo. Companies such as Toyota, Huk, Power-Pole and Berkley will be onsite featuring their latest products. Fans will be able to enjoy free boat and motor demo rides from Skeeter, Yamaha, Nitro, Triton and Mercury. There will also be arts and crafts and food vendors and activities for kids.
All venues are free and open to the public. The expo will begin at 11 a.m. CT. For more information and a full list of activities, visit Bassmaster.com/news/attend-toyota-bassmaster-angler-year-championship.
The championship is hosted by Grand Casino Mille Lacs.
PROFESSIONAL
ELITE SERIES
as of 15-Sept-2017
Angler Points Lbs-Oz
1 Brandon Palaniuk Hayden, ID 902 345- 3
2 Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 890 337- 2
3 Jacob Wheeler Harrison, TN 885 352- 4
4 Jordan Lee Grant, AL 825 335- 1
5 Edwin Evers Talala, OK 819 318-15
6 Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 815 327-15
7 Ott DeFoe Blaine, TN 805 333- 5
8 Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 789 326- 1
9 Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 776 324-12
10 Keith Combs Huntington, TX 771 326-10
11 Dustin Connell Clanton, AL 770 330- 0
12 Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 763 322- 5
13 Brent Ehrler Redlands, CA 758 320- 6
14 Seth Feider Isle, MN 751 319- 9
15 Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 741 306- 8
16 Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 739 316-11
17 Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 726 311- 3
18 Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL 726 307- 7
19 Matt Lee Guntersville, AL 723 317- 0
20 Mark Daniels Jr. Tuskegee, AL 722 315- 8
21 Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 721 315-12
22 Mark Davis Mount Ida, AR 713 322- 9
23 Russ Lane Prattville, AL 706 318-10
24 Brandon Coulter Knoxville, TN 697 314- 8
25 Luke Clausen Otis Orchards, WA 696 287-14
26 Cliff Pace Petal, MS 695 314-12
27 James Elam Tulsa, OK 685 313-10
28 Alton Jones Lorena, TX 678 300- 4
29 Randy Howell Guntersville, AL 676 316- 9
30 John Crews Jr Salem, VA 675 303- 1
31 Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 671 310-15
32 Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 669 306- 5
33 Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 669 304- 6
34 Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 667 295- 2
35 David Walker Sevierville, TN 666 295- 0
36 Josh Bertrand San Tan Valley, AZ 662 305- 1
37 Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 660 300- 9
38 Jesse Wiggins Cullman, AL 652 308- 2
39 Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 652 303-10
40 Jonathon VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 641 303- 9
41 Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 641 302- 8
42 Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 639 302- 0
43 Dave Lefebre Erie, PA 633 299- 0
44 Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 633 288-15
45 Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 631 299- 8
46 Adrian Avena Vineland, NJ 626 300-12
47 Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 617 284- 4
48 Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 615 292-12
49 Mike McClelland Bentonville, AR 612 298- 1
50 Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 612 289- 6
2017 Rookie of the Year
as of 15-Sept-2017
Angler Points Lbs-Oz
1 Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 776 324-12
2 Dustin Connell Clanton, AL 770 330- 0
3 Mark Daniels Jr. Tuskegee, AL 722 315- 8
4 Jesse Wiggins Cullman, AL 652 308- 2
5 Alton Jones Jr. Lorena, TX 454 238- 6
6 Gerald Spohrer Gonzales, LA 378 224- 0
7 Jesse Tacoronte Orlando, FL 373 234-13
8 Darrell Ocamica New Plymouth, ID 247 196- 4
9 Robbie Latuso Gonzales, LA 225 164-10
10 Tyler Carriere Youngsville, LA 210 197- 0
11 Skylar Hamilton Dandridge, TN 208 186- 9
VanDam’s 18 pounds of disappointment
Story & Photo Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
Be honest, if a genie in a bottle offered you an 18-pound limit of bass every time you went fishing, you’d jump on it like a 5-pound smallmouth on a soft shell crawdad.
So would I.
But for the greatest bass angler of all time, bringing an 18-pound limit of smallmouth to the scales on Day 1 of the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship on Lake Mille Lacs felt like Christmas without presents. Or, maybe a good old fashioned kick in the fishin’ shorts.
“Yea, absolutely I’d call it disappointing,” said Kevin VanDam in the predawn light just before heading out in search of a bigger sack of bronze bombers on Day 2.
“I actually caught more bass than I expected to yesterday, but so many of my bites yesterday were 2 or 2 ½ pound fish. I just never got a real big bite,” he explained.
Ironically, even though 29 of the 50 competitors caught at least a 20-pound limit on Day 1, nearly all of them still insist that Mille Lacs is fishing stingy.
“You look at that leaderboard, and you’re thinking we just went out there and blasted ‘em yesterday – but trust me, that ain’t the deal. It’s a grind. Even a lot of the guys who caught ‘em really good yesterday only got seven or eight bites all day long,” explains the career long Quantum pro.
“In my opinion, the population structure here is different than most northern smallmouth fisheries we compete on,” says VanDam. “Instead of tons of three and four pounders like you might see at a place like St. Clair or the St. Lawrence River, it seems like there are fewer fish here, but there’s some really old fish here that grow to be giants – there’s just not tons of them.”
But today is a brand new day. And boy is it different. Instead of calm winds and bright sunny skies, clouds are heavy grey and the winds are blowing steady out of the North-Northeast at 10 mph.
“You watch the leaderboard today,” warns VanDam. “This weather change is gonna shake things up big time. All that finesse fishing guys were doing yesterday, is going to be tougher to do today.”
Faster moving lures like jerkbaits, crankbaits and spinnerbaits will be much bigger players. And if VanDam had a genie in a bottle – that’s exactly what he’d wish for.
So keep an eye on the leaderboard. And don’t be shocked if the 7-time Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year makes a jump toward the top like a 5-pound smallie.
Palaniuk Remains On Top Of Season Points Race After First Round Of AOY Championship
Brandon Palaniuk of Hayden, Idaho, holds on to first place in the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year race on the first day of the 2017 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship held on Mille Lacs Lake, Minnesota, with 903 points.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
September 14, 2017
ONAMIA, Minn. — It’s rare for an angler to finish 19th in the first round of a major tournament and end up totally setting the buzz for the event.
It’s rarer still for that angler to seem totally satisfied with his performance.
But after catching 21 pounds, 4 ounces of smallmouth bass and placing 19th Thursday, Brandon Palaniuk seemed to sense he was closing in on the goal he set before this week’s Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship — and that was to win his first career AOY title.
His 19th-place finish on Mille Lacs Lake — combined with a 26th-place finish by his closest AOY competitor Jason Christie (20-8) and a ninth-place showing by Tennessee pro Jacob Wheeler (22-10) — kept Palaniuk in the AOY lead by a margin of 22 points.
The three-time B.A.S.S. winner from Hayden, Idaho, is now just two more solid days away from the biggest accomplishment of his pro-fishing career.
“I was hoping to catch 23 pounds a day,” Palaniuk said. “I figured that would be enough to give me a chance to win the actual event this week — and if I win, the AOY will take care of itself. So now, I just have to go out and catch 25 (Friday) to even it out.”
Palaniuk started near the launch site at Eddy's Resort, but he rarely stayed in one spot long as he culled his way up to 21-4.
“I ran a lot,” he said. “I just hopped from place to place to place. I’m trying to fish the highest-percentage areas I can, and I haven’t found any one place where I felt confident there was a big school where I could go in and catch them like I did the last time we were here.”
Though there was some talk during practice that the fishing at Mille Lacs had slowed down a little since it burst onto the national scene during last year’s AOY Championship, the lake showed out again Thursday. It was ranked No. 1 in the nation on Bassmaster Magazine’s 100 Best Bass Lakes list this year.
The Top 29 anglers — more than half of the 50-man field — caught at least 20-4, and only four anglers failed to break 15-0.
Christie, who came into the day trailing Palaniuk by 15 points in the AOY Standings (811-796) caught 20-8 and finished 26th in the daily standings. He actually lost ground in the AOY race and is now trailing Palaniuk by 22 points, 903-881.
“Compared to the practice I had, I really had an okay day here today,” Christie said. “I just didn’t catch any of those great big ones — that 5 1/2-pounder or 5 1/4 that you really need to make up a lot of ground here.”
Christie said he weighed in five fish that were in the 4 1/2-pound range — and he was glad to have them.
“I was a little bit worried about even catching one,” he said. “In the position I’m in this week, if you get out there and start worrying about not catching one, you start moving around a lot. Catching a few early kind of settled me down.”
Wheeler’s ninth-place finish left him 23 points back of Palaniuk, but it moved him to within one point of Christie (881-880) in the race for second place.
“This is exactly what I needed,” Wheeler said. “A lot of people have been saying this is a two-man race between Brandon and Jason. But realistically, if you have one bad day on this lake, you’re in 40th place.
“So, this was exactly what I needed. I just need to go out and do it a couple of more times.”
Alabama angler Dustin Connell finished 24th Thursday with 20-9 and took the lead in the Toyota Bassmaster Rookie of the Year standings with 765 total points. New York pro Jamie Hartman fell to second, and despite finishing in 48th place on the first day of competition is only one point behind with 764 for ROY.
Unlike the last two years, there will be prize money and a trophy awarded to the angler who has the best three-day weight during the AOY Championship.
Texas angler Keith Combs grabbed the early lead in that race Thursday with a bag of 24-15. Michigan angler Jonathon VanDam was second with 24-2, and Pennsylvania angler Dave Lefebre was third with 23-7.
The full field will fish again Friday and Sunday to determine the AOY Championship and the event winner. Daily takeoffs will be held each day at 6:50 a.m. CT from Eddy's Resort, and daily weigh-ins will be held at 3:45 p.m. at Grand Casino Mille Lacs.
The field will take a break Saturday for Bassmaster University. Anglers will be conducting seminars and greeting fans near the weigh-in stand at Grand Casino Mille Lacs in conjunction with the Bassmaster Elite Series Outdoors Expo. Companies such as Toyota, Huk, Power-Pole and Berkley will be onsite featuring their latest products. Fans will be able to enjoy free boat and motor demo rides from Skeeter, Yamaha, Nitro, Triton and Mercury. There will also be arts and crafts and food vendors and activities for kids.
All venues are free and open to the public. The expo will begin at 11 a.m. CT. For more information and a full list of activities, visit Bassmaster.com/news/attend-toyota-bassmaster-angler-year-championship.
The championship is hosted by Grand Casino Mille Lacs.
Angler Points Lbs-Oz
1 Brandon Palaniuk Hayden, ID 903 324- 2
2 Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 881 314- 9
3 Jacob Wheeler Harrison, TN 880 327-15
4 Jordan Lee Grant, AL 825 312- 3
5 Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 815 310- 2
6 Edwin Evers Talala, OK 804 295- 8
7 Ott DeFoe Blaine, TN 803 314-10
8 Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 787 306-14
9 Keith Combs Huntington, TX 771 301-11
10 Dustin Connell Clanton, AL 765 308- 0
11 Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 764 301- 2
12 Brent Ehrler Redlands, CA 760 301- 0
13 Seth Feider Isle, MN 753 297- 8
14 Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 750 300- 0
15 Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 744 285- 4
16 Mark Daniels Jr. Tuskegee, AL 729 294- 1
17 Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 726 297-13
18 Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 724 294-10
19 Matt Lee Guntersville, AL 723 293- 5
20 Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL 722 287-10
21 Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 717 286- 4
22 Russ Lane Prattville, AL 708 296- 7
23 Mark Davis Mount Ida, AR 701 301- 5
24 Cliff Pace Petal, MS 700 294- 4
25 John Crews Jr Salem, VA 698 290- 3
26 Luke Clausen Otis Orchards, WA 693 264-15
27 Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 684 290- 2
28 Brandon Coulter Knoxville, TN 682 291-15
29 James Elam Tulsa, OK 682 289-11
30 Randy Howell Guntersville, AL 680 298- 8
31 Alton Jones Lorena, TX 679 279- 0
32 Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 673 289- 6
33 David Walker Sevierville, TN 672 279- 1
34 Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 669 285-14
35 Jesse Wiggins Cullman, AL 664 290-10
36 Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 660 271- 0
37 Josh Bertrand San Tan Valley, AZ 658 284- 9
38 Dave Lefebre Erie, PA 658 282-15
39 Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 657 282- 6
40 Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 649 284- 0
41 Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 646 285- 1
42 Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 646 284- 2
43 Jonathon VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 644 280-12
44 Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 634 272-14
45 Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 633 271-14
46 Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 627 278- 9
47 Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 625 275- 1
48 Adrian Avena Vineland, NJ 621 278- 0
49 Mike McClelland Bentonville, AR 616 279- 9
50 Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 610 267-14
Michael Nutter Wins Area 8 American Bass Anglers Ram Truck Open Series Championship on the Potomac
Michael Nutter of LaPlata, Maryland won the Ram Truck Open Series Area 8 championship held Sept. 9th 10th, 2017 on the Potomac River. Running out of Smallwood State Park, on Day 1 Michael weighed in the largest five fish limit of the tournament at 19.73 pounds. This also included a bass that weighed 5.67 pounds. On day 2 Michael weighed in another five-bass limit weighing 10.91 pounds for a two day total of 30.64 pounds securing his victory. Michael took home a check for $10,000.00 for his win.
“I fished a 300 yard stretch in Belmont Bay both days,” said Nutter. “I caught most of my fish on either a green pumpkin or white chatter bait, I also caught some on a buzz bait and a key fish on a popper.”
In second for the boaters, Brian Calloway of Danville, Virginia weighed in a five-bass limit day 1 with a weight of 14.54 pounds and a five bass limit day 2 that weighed 11.61 pounds giving him a two day total weight of 26.15 pounds. Calloway took home a check for $1050.00 for the effort.
“My best fish came each day on a buzz bait” said Calloway. “I would catch two or three a day on that and the rest of my fish came on a 3/8 ounce jig flipping boat docks.”
Taking third place for the boaters was Barton Wines of Marshall, Virginia. Barton weighed in a five-bass limit day 1 weighing 13.15 pounds and a five bass limit day 2 with a weight of 12.39 pounds giving him a two day total weight of 25.54 pounds. Wines took home $800.00 for his catch.
“I caught all of my fish on a top water popper” said Wines. “The bite was early morning for less than two hours and then it was over.”
Finishing fourth, Mike Moran of Ruffs Dale, Pa. weighed in a five bass limit both days with a total weight of 25.20 pounds. Rounding out the top five was Craig Carnes of Noblesville, IN. who weighed in two five bass limits with a total weight of 23.25 pounds.
Danny Moffat Sr. of Waldorf MD. took home the big bass honors with a fish that weighed 6.02 pounds. Danny collected $620.00 and for having the biggest bass of the tournament, he also took home an ABU Garcia reel valued at $160.00.
In the Co-Angler Division, Travis Garrett of Charlottesville, Virginia took top honors by catching two co angler limits weighing a total of 15.15 pounds. Travis took home $5000.00 for the win.
“I caught 3 fish on day one with a senko and three fish on day two. I caught two on a worm and one on a frog. It was a slow bite and I was done around 10:00.” Said Garrett.
Randy Ruffin of Norfolk, Virginia with the help of a big day two weight of 11.41 pounds and a bass that weighed 4.57 pounds went all the way to second place with a two day weight of 13.36 pounds. Randy took home $350.00 for the effort.
Taking third for the co anglers Randy Walsh of Stafford, Virginia weighed in two co angler limits for a total weight of 13.28 pounds. Randy took home 250.00 for his catch.
Finishing fourth with a two day total weight of 13.18 pounds was Andy Strickler of York, PA and rounding out the top five was Anthony Kashiwsky of Catonsville, MD with a two day total weight of 12.93 pounds.
The co angler big bass honors went to Andrew Myers of Arbutus, MD with a bass that weighed 5.28 pounds. Andrew took home a total of $400.00.
The next tournament will be the Ray Scott championship. The best anglers from across the nation advance the 2018 Ray Scott Championship, slated for the Red River in Shreveport-Bossier Louisiana in April 2018.
About American Bass Anglers: American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler and at the same time offer each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers, the Ram Truck Open Series, the American Fishing Tour or the American Couples Series, visit www.americanbassanglers.com.
Eric Silverstrim wins Area 1 American Bass Anglers Championship on Chickamauga
Eric Silverstrim of Indian Mound, TN won the American Bass Anglers, RAM Truck Open Series Area 1 two-day Championship, held on September 9th-10th 2017 on Lake Chickamauga. Running out Dayton Boat Dock in Dayton, TN Eric brought back a five-fish limit that locked in the scales at 13.26 lbs. On day two he stayed consistent and brought in another five-fish limit that went for 17.51 lbs. giving him a two- day total weight of 30.77 lbs. Eric took home a check for $10,000 for his first-place finish.
“I caught all my fish on a Fishing 45 football head jig in Texas Craw. I was just flipping that’s how I caught all my fish this weekend. That Fishing 45 Jig with the Trokar hooks just kept them hooked up, and that little bit of chartreuse just drew them out of that scattered brush.” Said Silverstrim. “My Mercury Pro XS got a good work out this week, and I can’t thank Mercury Marine enough. That Pro XS is by far the best motor on the market and it really showed it this week. I also want to thank C&O Marine, and Fishing 45, with those Trokar hooks and their swim bait lines there’s just nothing any better out there. I want to thank the ABA for the tournament series they put on and I feel grateful, it’s a lot of hard work and it just worked out this weekend.”
Taking Second was Wayne Boyd of Rome, Ga. On day one Wayne brought back 5 keepers that locked in at 16.75 lbs. Day, he landed 5 more to add 11.55 lbs. to his total weight, giving him a two-day total of 28.30 lbs. Wayne took home $1100 dollars for his efforts.
“I Fished clean for two days, I didn’t lose any fish at all. I caught all my fish on a white chatter bait in scattered grass. It was a grind out there.” Said Boyd.
Third place was claimed by Matt Stanley of Alexandria, TN. Matt brought back a 5-fish limit both days for a two-day total weight of 27.69 lbs. Matt pocketed $900 for his placement.
“I was flipping grass, wood, and rock banks. I just kept moving and trying to find the fish.” Said Stanley.
Fourth was taken by Steve Barnes of Harrison, TN. Steve landed a limit both days for a total weight of 23.07 lbs.
Brad Harmon rounded out the top 5 with 8 fish over two days for a total weight of 22.06 lbs.
Douglas Webster of Pinson, AL took big fish honors with a gorgeous 7.60 lb. largemouth. Douglas took home $700 for that fish.
Taking First for the Co-Anglers was Joseph Casey of Trenton, GA. Joseph managed to bring in 5 fish over the two days for a total weight of 16.15 lbs. He anchored his catch with a 4.40 lb. kicker sealing his victory. He took home a check for $5000 for his victory.
“I caught all my key fish deep on edge breaks where the grass would stop, on a strike king cutter worm Texas rigged. I fished the river and Hiwassee both days. I caught all my bigger fish in the first 15-20 minutes both days. I want to thank my wife, my family, and my friend from work Harley.” Said Casey.
Second amongst the Co-Anglers was Herbert Hall of Harrison, TN. Herbert brought in 4 fish during the tournament for a total weight of 12.03 lbs. He Anchored his catch with a beautiful 6.96 lb. largemouth, which also took Co-Angler Big Bass. Herbert took home a $350 for his placement and an additional $240 for his Big Bass.
“I was using a white Cho Cho custom jig, but I got hung up and lost it. I couldn’t find another one, but I had the same jig in a different color. I tied it on and that’s what I caught the big one on. I thought I was hung up again, until it started moving back, it was a fun fish to catch.” Said Hall.
Taking third for the Co-Anglers was Kevin Shrader of Valley Head, AL. He brought in a total of 5 fish, they locked in the scales for a two-total weight of 11.92 lbs. Kevin took home a check for $250 for his efforts.
“I caught every one of my fish on square bill crank bait. I was jerking it through the grass like a rattle trap. I probably caught 35 fish total, just not a lot of big ones.” Said Shrader.
Fourth place was claimed by Robert Henze of Lavergne, TN. He brought in a 3-fish limit both days for a total weight of 11.03 lbs.
Rounding out the top 5 was Jake Cross of Byrdstown, TN with a two-day total weight of 10.24 lbs.
The next tournament will be the Ray Scott Championship. The best anglers from across the nation advance the 2018 Ray Scott Championship, slated for the Red River in Shreveport-Bossier, Louisiana in April 2018.
For more information on this tournament, call Kristin Malott, tournament manager, at 256-771-3709 or ABA at 256-232-0406. On line, see www.ramopenseries.com .
About American Bass Anglers: American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler and at the same time offer each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers, the Ram Truck Open Series, the American Fishing Tour or the American Couples Series, visit www.americanbassanglers.com.
Oh Deer, Swindle a Bit Distracted as AOY Championship Begins
Story & Photo Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
One year ago, the pressure Gerald and LeAnn Swindle felt during Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship week on Mille Lacs was on par with a Crimson Tide pass rush.
The couple persevered, they prayed, they leaned on each other, and they limped out of the pocket to score Gerald’s second career Toyota Angler of the Year title.
This week on Mille Lacs, the pressure is gone. So much so that LeAnn had to step through a line of fans and media at Day 1 launch to jokingly remind Gerald of their rule: “No talk of deer hunting on tournament day.”
Now don’t get the wrong idea, “Lulu” loves to hunt. But as she kindly explains, “He gets distracted easily, especially when deer season gets close to tournament season, so sometimes I have to step in and remind him of our rule, especially when I see him showing-off trail camera pictures five minutes before tournament blast-off.”
The couple has shared 13 great years of marriage, and time in the deer woods together is a treasured part of their matrimony. In fact, they stopped at the 200-acre hunting property they lease in Illinois as they traveled from home in Alabama to Mille Lacs.
“Yep, I spent all last Thursday afternoon, and all day Friday, planting ‘green fields’ with my son-in-law Zach to get us ready for deer season, before we came on up to Mille Lacs,” says Swindle with a joyful grin.
“I was telling Dan Quinn from Rapala this morning not to get too concerned about not seeing a lot of deer on trail cameras right now in September, because this time of year they’re still eating natural food sources, and they don’t come to food you put out in front of a camera near as much as they will later in the fall. They’re like smallmouth on a sonar screen. Sometimes they hug the bottom so close you can’t see ‘em – but that don’t mean they aren’t there,” explains the Quantum pro.
A couple weeks from now Swindle will kick off the hunting season with a Montana elk hunting trip, followed by time in a treestand for Illinois whitetail.
“The thing I’m looking forward to most this year in hunting season is not walking with a bad limp. I feel healthy. Heck, last year I had to kill a 140” buck with one crutch under my arm,” says Swindle.
But first, there is a bass tournament taking place in Central Minnesota. And this year, it’s a tournament the Swindles are enjoying far more.
“This week last year was the single most stressful week of our married life,” admits LeAnn. “There were tears, there were prayers, and there was stress like we’d never experienced.”
But this week the Swindles are relaxed, just jockeying for a few more Angler of the Year points, sharing life off the water with their old buddy Skeet Reese, and showing-off big buck pictures on a cell phone – well, at least until “Lulu” reminded “G” of their rule.
Jordan Lee and Casey Ashley Preview AOY Championship
Story & Photo Courtesy of Alan McGuckin ~ Dynamic Sponsorships
Jordan Lee and Casey Ashley both sit inside the Top 10 of the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points race, and the two Quantum pros graciously offered their input on everything from fried catfish to sturgeon, and of course smallmouth bass, on the eve of competition at Lake Mille Lacs.
Last year was a slugfest here at Mille Lacs. How do conditions compare this year?
Jordan Lee: The weather is a lot warmer. Last year we were wearing Carhartt beanies on our heads to stay warm, and the lake does seem to be fishing tougher.
Casey Ashley: It’s so much tougher this year. It’s like these fish got a good education between last year and now. There aren’t any dumb ones left swimming here now.
The Northern U.S. is rich with a wide variety of freshwater fish species. What’s your most noteworthy catch amid all the Elite Series events you’ve fished ‘up north’ this summer?
Jordan Lee: Oh, for sure the 60-pound sturgeon I fought for 71 minutes on Zona Live at Lake St. Clair!
Casey Ashley: I hooked a northern pike so big that I wasn’t about to wrestle him for my jerkbait. I just let him take it with him.
Speaking of lures, name three lures that pros will use most this week on Mille Lacs:
Jordan Lee: Jerkbait, drop shot, and a tube.
Casey Ashley: A crankbait that will run 10 to 12-feet deep, a jerkbait, and a drop shot.
How much weight will you have to average each day to finish in the Top 12 here?
Jordan Lee: 20 pounds
Casey Ashley: 20 pounds
People in this part of the country love to eat walleye, yellow perch and crappie – what is your favorite fish to eat?
Jordan Lee: I like walleye. And I like grouper. But my go-to standard is grilled catfish at the Cracker Barrel.
Casey Ashley: Fried flathead catfish caught near home in South Carolina.
B.A.S.S. To Conduct Telethon To Benefit Hurricane Victims In Fish And Wildlife Agencies
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Swindle talks AOY, knees, guitars, and Mille Lacs
Story & Photo Courtesy Alan McGuckin ~ Dynamic Sponsorships
One year ago in mid-September, Gerald Swindle became only the 11th professional bass angler in history to win more than one Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year title when he hauled home the coveted trophy to Alabama from Lake Mille Lacs, Minnesota.
He’s back at Mille Lacs this week for the same event, and he sits solidly near the top of the year-end points race in 14th place. He graciously took time at the end of a long practice day, on a mosquito laden boat ramp, to reflect on memories of Mille Lacs last year, as well as the challenges and triumphs he’s experienced since.
When you reflect back on Mille Lacs a year ago, what do you remember most?
“There are a couple things that stand out. First, was just physically touching that trophy, and all the emotion tied to finally knowing it was mine, but also how much pressure “Lulu” and I dealt with that week, and the toll it took on her and me,” he reflects. “I think she wore out two pair of blue jeans that week praying. There was definitely a serious feeling of relief when that week was finally over.”
Soon after winning the AOY title, and being at the sport’s pinnacle, you found yourself in a hospital bed facing deeply concerning and unexpected complications from what was expected to be a fairly routine knee surgery – how are your knees doing now?
“They’re pretty good. I’d say they’re at 85% compared to about 40% and a whole lot of Advil this time last year,” grinned the Quantum pro.
What’s the coolest thing that’s happened to your life as a direct result of being the reigning Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year?
“No huge changes, really. The big things have never really jumped out at me – it’s the smaller but hugely meaningful things that go a long way with me, like kids writing me letters, or the custom guitar made for me by Duane Calkins’ woodshop class that I love the most,” says Swindle.
You’ve had another awesome season this year, what’s been the biggest key to keeping you atop your game?
“I think we’ve focused even more on fishing this year. I mean, we’ve worked hard for our sponsors off the water, but we’ve tried even harder to keep our eye on the ball, and focused on the game itself,” says the Lake Guntersville resident.
Let’s talk about this week. Give us the unfiltered “G-Man” pregame analysis of what fans can expect this week on Mille Lacs.
“I think you’ll see a lot of decent weights again. But like an Alabama football score, just because the numbers on the scoreboard indicate a big win, doesn’t mean the game itself won’t be a grind,” says Swindle. “You’ll see a few 25-pound bags, but not as many as last year. There seems to be an algae bloom that’s making the water a bit cloudier, and with smallmouth being such sight-oriented feeders, I think it’s slowed the bite down just a little. I think a 23-pound per day average can win this week.”
Knee health to algae blooms. Custom guitars to college football. Life’s always in proper perspective for Gerald Swindle.
Carhartt Countdown to Blast Off with Alan McGuckin and Strike King Pro Matt Lee
Dynamic Sponsorships Alan McGuckin talks to Strike King Pro Matt Lee as he prepares for the final day of practice in the BASS Angler of the Year Championship on Lake Mille Lacs.
2018 Carhartt Bassmaster College, High School Series Schedules Announced With Exciting Changes
September 12, 2017
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops and the Bassmaster High School Series presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods schedules were announced today with intriguing updates for 2018.
The High School Series has been expanded to four Opens in 2018, and the Bassmaster College Series will showcase a new format enabling college bass fishing teams to compete in a national tour comprising four tournaments and the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops.
Through this year, a college team could only compete in the event within their regional “conference,” plus a wild card qualifier that gave anglers a second chance to reach the national championship. The 2018 college tour will consist of Central, Eastern, Western and Southern events — providing higher-payout incentives and more opportunities to qualify for the 2018 College Series National Championship.
The College Series tour will begin Jan. 25-27 at the Central qualifier on Toledo Bend Reservoir, Louisiana, which was recently ranked fourth in the Central Division of Bassmaster Magazine’s 100 Best Bass Lakes for 2017.
“Toledo Bend Lake Country/Sabine Parish Tourist Commission/Sabine River Authority are looking forward to hosting the Bassmaster High School and the Bassmaster College Series on Toledo Bend during the 2018 season,” said Linda Curtis-Sparks, director, Sabine Parish Tourist Commission. “We are excited about having these young anglers to our area. We feel that they represent the future in the fishing industry, plus they will be here during a prespawn period for our lake, so the weights could be record setting. It is going to be fun!”
From there, college anglers will travel to the Southern event hosted by the Florence/Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau on Pickwick Lake, Alabama, April 19-21.
“We are super excited to be hosting the 2018 Bassmaster College Series in Florence, Ala.,” said Suzie Shoemaker, manager, sport/event sales at the Florence/Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau. “College anglers bring fantastic economic impact to our community, and we look forward to having them back!”
Cherokee Lake, Tennessee, will be the third fishery on tour at the Eastern event on May 10-12 — the Economic Development Alliance of Jefferson County, Tenn. will be the host. And finally, anglers will head west to Clear Lake, California, May 23-25, where the tournament is hosted by the Konocti Vista Resort & Marina.
In addition to the four tour events, the Bassmaster College Series will also partner with the B.A.S.S. Nation to hold state-qualifying tournaments. Anglers will now be able to compete for a berth in the national championship through their respective state’s event — formats will vary.
All tour events will be open to any college or university interested in participating. Teams can attend all four Opens and the state qualifier if they chose to do so.
Also new this year, anglers will vie for the opportunity to become the 2018 Bassmaster College Series Team of the Year. Each of the tour’s three-day events will feature point system scoring, based on field size, allowing anglers to compete for the title, cash and prizes.
The goal for the restructure is to allow anglers five opportunities — the four tour events and a state-qualifying event — to compete for a berth in the national championship and a shot at becoming the Bassmaster College Series Team of the Year.
“The college demographic continues to change and evolve,” said B.A.S.S. College and High School Series Senior Manager Hank Weldon. “We want to continue to offer a series that accommodates all college anglers, whether that be a team who can compete in a multievent tour or anglers who can only travel to a state-run event. The 2017-18 competition year should be really exciting to watch.”
Much like the College Series, the 2018 Bassmaster High School Series will now feature four Opens events — Central, Southern, Eastern and the new Western Open.
The High School Opens will continue to be one-day tournaments with a briefing and sponsor greeting held the night before competition. However, also new this year for the High School Series are up-to-the-minute competition updates.
“The one thing we hear from parents and fans watching the coverage on Bassmaster.com is that they would like to know where their teams stand throughout the competition,” Weldon noted. “In 2018, we are launching BASSTrakk on each team’s boat for all High School tournaments — fans will be able to follow their teams closely on the water at each event.”
The kickoff event will be Jan. 28 at the High School Series Central Open on Toledo Bend Reservoir, just one day after the first College tournament. Toledo Bend Lake Country will be the host for this event, as well.
From there, teams will travel to Lay Lake, Alabama, for the Southern Open on March 24 hosted by Visit Shelby County, Ala.
Visit Anderson, S.C., will host the Eastern Open and third stop for the High School Series on April 14 on Lake Hartwell, which is also the fishery for the 2018 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods slated for March 16-18. The final regular-season stop will be the Western Open at Clear Lake, California, on May 2 also hosted by the Konocti Vista Resort & Marina.
High school teams in each of the four Opens will be competing for berths in the Bassmaster High School Championship presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods. The dates and location of that event will be later announced.
To view registration dates for both college and high school tournaments, and for more information on the Bassmaster College Series state-qualifying events, visit Bassmaster.com.
2018 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops
Event Title Lake City Date
Central Tour Event Toledo Bend Reservoir Many, La. Jan. 25-27
Southern Tour Event Pickwick Lake Florence, Ala. April 19-21
Eastern Tour Event Cherokee Lake Jefferson City, Tenn. May 10-12
Western Tour Event Clear Lake Lakeport, Calif. May 23-25
2018 Bassmaster High School Series presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods
Event Title Lake City Date
Central Open Toledo Bend Reservoir Many, La. Jan. 28
Southern Open Lay Lake Shelby County, Ala. March 24
Eastern Open Lake Hartwell Anderson, S.C. April 14
Western Open Clear Lake Lakeport, Calif. May 26
PBC CASHION FISHING RODS 'End of Year' TEAM BASS FISHING TRAIL September 9th, 2017 ~ Falls Lake
Hunting season arrived and the qualifier #5 of PBC Cashion Fishing Rods 'End of Year' Trail at Falls Lake took a hit
with only 30 teams showing up and the weights took a hit too! Air temps ranged from 54 degrees in the am on up to
70 at the 3pm weighin. Water temps averaged about 74 degrees. Winds were nonexistent in the am up to about 10
mph in the afternoon. The bite was good but it was tough to get 5 good fish...most were small.
The veteran team of Todd Massey & Tim Parker won 1st Place weighing in 5 bass at 19.04 lbs., 1st Place Big Fish
(7.33 lbs.)and also won the 1st Place Tournament within a Tournament (TWT) for a total of $1,707 in winnings. The
team said most of their bass were caught off channel points & dropoffs in 3 to 10' of water with crankbaits & worm
rigs.
Jaime Fajardo & Josh Hooks came in 2nd place with 5 fish weighing 15.32 lbs. & also won 2nd Place TWT to pocket
a total of $705. 3rd place team Bobby Houser & Matt Dean won $350 with 5 weighing 14.85 lbs. The 2nd Place Big
Fish weighed 6.14 lbs. and was caught by David Bullock & Jimmy Henderson netting them $168 in prize money!!
Only 63 fish were weighed in for a total of 171 pounds for an average of 2.71 lbs. each. Most of the fish were caught
on Texas rigs, Carolina rigs, Jig combos and Crankbaits in 3 to 10' of water off main point dropoffs and creek
channels.
I want to thank all the anglers that participated and all our sponsors that support this trail. The next Cashion Fishing
Rods 'End of Year' Tournament Trail Qualifier will be September 23rd at Kerr Lake. Go to this webpage for the info
on the 'End of Year' Trail: http://piedmontbassclassics.com/2017CashionEOYTrailMainPage.html
All the information on our tournaments can be found http://piedmontbassclassics.com/
Now here are the full results:
1st Place: Todd Massey & Tim Parker of Chapel Hill & New Hill...5 bass...19.04 lbs...$860
2nd Place: Jaime Fajardo & Josh Hooks of Fuquay Varina & Apex...5 bass...15.32 lbs...$510
3rd Place: Bobby Houser & Matt Dean of Raleigh & Clayton...5 bass...14.85 lbs...$350
4th Place: Doug Stallings & Seth Ellis of Durham & Charlotte...5 bass...14.77 lbs...$270
5th Place: Tony & Chase Stanley of Four Oaks...5 bass...114.20 lbs...$220
6th Place: Tony Woodard & Stewart Adams of Four Oaks...5 bass...14.06 lbs...$190
1st Place Big Fish..1st Place Team above...7.33 lbs...$392
2nd Place Big Fish..David Bullock & Jimmy Henderson of Durham & Wake Forest...6.14 lbs...$168
1st Place TWT..1st Place Team above...19.04 lbs...$455
2nd Place TWT..2nd Place Team above...15.32 lbs...$195
Power-Pole Continues Support of Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series
As the 2017-2018 college fishing season gets underway, Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series and the Association of College Anglers announced that Power-Pole ® shallow water anchors will continue their support of the series and will offer a rebate to all collegiate anglers.
“We’re proud to continue our support of the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series. These young anglers represent the future of the sport and through our Power-Pole rebate program we offer to help them gain the competitive edge that will allow them to grow their careers,” said Curt Hill, Advertising Manager for Power-Pole shallow water anchors, which is based in Tampa, Florida.
As Power-Pole remains committed to the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series, many anglers will continue to rely on their shallow water anchors and are able to display exceptional boat control with the addition of single or dual Power-Pole anchors.
“Power-Pole has been a sponsor of our Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series since the very first year and as go into our thirteenth year of collegiate bass fishing, we’re excited and proud to continue this relationship that dates back to the beginning of college bass fishing,” said Wade Middleton, President of CarecoTV and Director of the Association of Collegiate Anglers.
The 2018 Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series will consist of four nationally televised Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing tournaments, including the BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship, which are scheduled for the following dates:
Texas Lunker Challenge – Sam Rayburn Reservoir – February 11, 2018
Cabela’s Collegiate Big Bass Bash Presented by Berkley – Kentucky Lake – March 10-11, 2018
BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship – Pickwick Lake – May 23-25, 2018
Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Open – Lake Dardanelle – October 10-12, 2018
More information on other discount and contingency programs for collegiate anglers can be found at: http://www.collegiatebasschampionship.com/discounts-incentives.html
To see additional coverage on our Facebook, click here: https://www.facebook.com/CollegiateBassChampionship
Also, follow us on Instagram and Twitter at @CollegiateBass
About the Association of Collegiate Anglers
The Association of Collegiate Anglers, a division of Careco TV, is a sanctioning body developed to facilitate growth, development, and structure within competitive collegiate bass fishing. The ACA provides support to dozens of school operated regional events nationwide and owns the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series, the largest participatory collegiate tournament circuit in the country. With dedicated collegiate fishing programming on several television networks, three nationally televised collegiate bass fishing events, and thousands of members, the ACA is the leader in competitive collegiate bass fishing. For more information on the ACA, or the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series, visit www.CollegiateBassChampionship.com. For more information on CarecoTV, visit www.carecotv.com.
TRAVIS MANSON WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL NORTHEAST DIVISION FINALE ON 1000 ISLANDS
Hudson’s Tiano Claims Co-angler Title
CLAYTON, N.Y. (Sept. 11, 2017) – Travis Manson of Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Northeast Division tournament on 1000 Islands Sunday with a two-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 44 pounds, 2 ounces. Manson pocketed $6,437 for his win.
Manson said he spent both days of the tournament targeting fish on Lake Ontario.
“On Saturday I worked on a ledge where fish were congregating in anywhere from 18 to 40 feet of water,” said Manson, who notched his first career-win in FLW competition. “They were all in one 50-yard area, and I caught more than 20 keepers over 4 pounds.”
Manson said every fish he weighed in came on a 4-inch Smoke Purple and Blue Highlight-colored Gajo Baits Spirit Shad on a drop-shot rig.
“On Sunday, I returned to the area and within 30 minutes I knew it wasn’t going to pan out,” said Manson. “I ended up burning about 47 gallons of fuel to hit 15 spots and come up with my weight. They were mostly isolated rock clumps, but were areas I’ve had history on. When you lose a school of fish, you just have to run what you know.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Travis Manson, Conshohocken, Pa., 10 bass, 44-2, $6,437
2nd: Robert Reesey, Newfoundland, Pa., 10 bass, 43-5, $2,759
3rd: Dale Gorrell, Hatfield, Pa., 10 bass, 42-13, $2,239
4th: A.J. Slegona, Pine Bush, N.Y., 10 bass, 42-11, $1,287
5th: Chris Panetta, West Simsbury, Conn., 10 bass, 41-5, $1,103
6th: Ronald Penders Jr., Rochester, N.Y., 10 bass, 40-14, $1,012
7th: Matt Stasiak, Pittsburgh, Pa., 10 bass, 40-0, $920
8th: Patrick Hildenbrand, Germantown, N.Y., 10 bass, 38-7, $828
9th: Brian Bylotas, Scott Township, Pa., 10 bass, 37-10, $736
10th: Casey Smith, Macedon, N.Y., 10 bass, 36-8, $644
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Manson also caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 6 ounces Saturday – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the Boater Big Bass award of $720.
Drew Tiano of Hudson, New York, caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 40 pounds, 13 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $2,752.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Drew Tiano, Hudson, N.Y., 10 bass, 40-13, $2,752
2nd: Christy Tiano, Hudson, N.Y., 10 bass, 36-15, $1,476
3rd: Kyle Esterly, Drexel Hill, Pa., eight bass, 33-1, $968
4th: Bill Baldwinn, Chittenango, N.Y., 10 bass, 32-2, $642
5th: Jim Buehler, Montoursville, Pa., nine bass, 31-15, $550
6th: Brandon Humbertson, Walkersville, Md., nine bass, 31-11, $505
7th: Griffen Hurt, Bound Brook, N.J., 10 bass, 31-7, $459
8th Glenn Kingree-Key, Reading, Pa., 10 bass, 30-2, $413
9th: Andrew Heivly, Malvern, Pa., 10 bass, 29-8, $367
10th: Craig Dubois, Sprakers, N.Y., nine bass, 29-1, $321
Sky Friend of Ridgewood, New Jersey, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 5 pounds, 12 ounces – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $352.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional Championship on the James River in Williamsburg, Virginia. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
CLYDE MCNARON WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL HOOSIER DIVISION FINALE ON OHIO RIVER
North Vernon’s Krider Claims Co-angler Title
LAWRENCEBURG, Ind. (Sept. 11, 2017) – Clyde McNaron of Trenton, Ohio, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Hoosier Division tournament on the Ohio River Sunday with a two-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 18 pounds even. For his efforts, McNaron took home $8,143.
“I started out Saturday flipping a (Zoom) Brush Hog and (Mizmo) Tube in Tanner’s Creek and caught three keepers,” said McNaron, who earned his second career-win on the Ohio River in BFL competition. “The water was low, so I fished laydowns off the bank and started catching them off the ends. They fish were pretty close to the channel.
“As the day went on, the water got clearer and I started fishing flats,” continued McNaron. “I casted a topwater bait to some laydowns and stumps and put a 4-pounder in the boat.”
McNaron said the water got muddier as he progressed down the creek, so he switched back to flipping and caught a 3-pound bass.
“I culled my last fish in Hogan’s Creek and that’s what I had for the day,” said McNaron.
On Sunday, McNaron said he began his day in Tanner’s Creek throwing a topwater, but couldn’t get any bites. He said he switched to flipping the Brush Hog and was able to catch three within 90 minutes.
“I flipped bushier trees and caught them off the ends again,” said McNaron. “I moved to a small creek mouth within Tanner’s Creek and picked up one on a spinnerbait, and then another one from the same area a while later around 10:15 (a.m.) After that I couldn’t get anything else to cull, so I brought in what I had.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Clyde McNaron, Trenton, Ohio, 10 bass, 18-0, $6,143 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Doug Ruster, New Palestine, Ind., 10 bass, 15-7, $2,723
3rd: Bryce Kalen, Indianapolis, Ind., 10 bass, 15-1, $2,016
4th: Chris Wilkinson, Farmersburg, Ind., 10 bass, 14-11, $1,271
5th: Lucas McDaniel, Fishers, Ind., nine bass, 14-0, $1,389
6th: Michael Powell Jr., Greendale, Ind., 10 bass, 13-12, $1,098
7th: Mark Dove, North Vernon, Ind., 10 bass, 12-13, $908
8th: Daniel Langton, Haubstadt, Ind., eight bass, 12-10, $817
9th: Frank McClain, Scottsburg, Ind., eight bass, 10-9, $726
10th: Brandon Houston, Burlington, Ky. seven bass, 9-7, $635
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
McNaron’s 4-pound, 1-ounce bass was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the Boater Big Bass award of $697.
Jim Krider of North Vernon, Indiana, caught a two-day total of five bass weighing 11 pounds, 2 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $3,005.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Jim Krider, North Vernon, Ind., five bass, 11-2, $3,005
2nd: Benjamin Barker, Loveland, Ohio, seven bass, 7-9, $1,332
3rd: Nicole Foor, Greens Fork, Ind., six bass, 7-6, $1,089
4th: Ryan Sykes, Hamilton, Ohio, six bass, 7-3, $672
5th: Travis Edgar, North Webster, Ind., six bass, 7-2, $533
6th: Brandon Knapmeyer, Union, Ky., five bass, 5-14, $488
7th: Kenny Smith, Austin, Ind., three bass, 5-11, $444
8th: Scottie Davis, Martinsville, Ind., five bass, 5-0, $400
9th: Brian Liming, Dilsboro, Ind., three bass, 4-11, $355
10th: Kevin Spivey, Hamilton, Ohio, five bass, 4-9, $311
Krider caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 4 pounds, 11 ounces – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $341.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 5-7 BFL Regional Championship on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
COLE FLOYD WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL LBL DIVISION FINALE ON KENTUCKY/BARKLEY LAKES
Brandenburg’s Dowell Takes Co-angler Title
GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. (Sept. 11, 2017) – Cole Floyd of Leesburg, Ohio, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) LBL Division tournament on Kentucky and Barkley lakes Sunday with a two-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 40 pounds, 10 ounces. For his efforts, Floyd took home $5,504.
“I fished near Paris and worked through 15 different areas with bars and flats,” said Floyd, who earned his first career-victory in FLW competition. “Some of them had stumps and wood mixed in, and I got a couple of bites at each. When I got bit, they were the right kind of fish.”
Floyd said he caught 90 to 95 percent of his fish throwing a Bone-colored Evergreen SB 125 Topwater Plug. He said he put 15 keepers in the boat each day, and that they came from 1 to 2 feet of water.
“I feel like a lot of the field did the same thing out there,” said Floyd. “They fished flats and big bass areas, but didn’t know where their next bite would come from. I put down my Power Poles and fished small stretches – some were even as small as 20 by 20 feet. If I didn’t get a bite, I moved on and could usually get something going. I didn’t waste much time looking for them.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 10 bass, 40-10, $5,504
2nd: Drew Boggs, Lebanon, Tenn., 10 bass, 32-1, $2,752
3rd: Terry Bolton, Paducah, Ky., 10 bass, 31-2, $3,040
4th: Brandon Hunter, Benton, Ky., six bass, 22-9, $1,384
5th: Dwight Fox, Gainesboro, Tenn., seven bass, 21-4, $1,101
6th: Dustin Vaal, Hardin, Ky., five bass, 20-15, $1,009
7th: John Hopkins, Hendersonville, Tenn., six bass, 20-1, $917
8th: Craig Hipsher, Benton, Ky., seven bass, 20-0, $826
9th: David Carroll, Manitou, Ky., seven bass, 19-12, $734
10th: Jim Eakin, Clarksville, Tenn., seven bass, 19-0, $642
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Bolton caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 11 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the Boater Big Bass award of $705.
Ryan Dowell of Brandenburg, Kentucky, caught a two-day total of eight bass weighing 22 pounds, 12 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $2,752.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Ryan Dowell, Brandenburg, Ky., eight bass, 22-12, $2,752
2nd: Jeff Johnston, Nashville, Tenn., six bass, 16-10, $1,576
3rd: Ray Arning Jr, Walnut Hill, Ill., four bass, 12-8, $968
4th: Chris Brunt, Elkhart, Ind., four bass, 12-7, $642
5th: Trey Shearer, Nicholasville, Ky., five bass, 12-4, $550
6th: Wesley Dunn, Paducah, Ky., three bass, 11-10, $857
7th: Chuck Rounds, Benton, Ky., four bass, 9-2, $459
8th: Rick Lemar, Saint Louis, Mo., four bass, 8-6, $413
9th: Kerry Conkle, Bartlett, Tenn., two bass, 8-6, $367
10th: Danny Robinson, Fairland, Ind., three bass, 8-3, $321
Dunn caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 6 pounds, 6 ounces – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $352.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional Championship on the Barren River in Scottsville, Kentucky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
ROBERT WALSER WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL NORTH CAROLINA DIVISION FINALE ON LAKE NORMAN
Raleigh’s Lawson Grabs Co-angler Title
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Sept. 11, 2017) – Robert Walser of Lexington, North Carolina, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) North Carolina Division tournament on Lake Norman Sunday with a two-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 25 pounds, 6 ounces. For his efforts, Walser pocketed $6,014.
“On Saturday I focused on fish on the north end of the lake,” said Walser, who earned his 10th career-victory in FLW competition. “I caught them early on points using a white buzzbait, and then switched to a (Zoom) Finesse Worm for bass near isolated wood.”
Walser said he had a limit of fish heading into Saturday afternoon, but eventually hit a lull. Around 2 p.m., he said he decided to work through a stretch of docks above the Highway 150 bridge that he had fished during practice. He said he switched to a Zoom Baby Brush Hog and was able to put a 6-pound, 2-ounce bass in the boat.
“On Sunday I switched things up and headed down south,” said Walser. “I used the buzzbait and was culling by 8:30 (a.m.) I had all of my weight by 10 (a.m.), but wasn’t sure I had enough to win. There are a lot of talented anglers around Lake Norman, and they know how to make the right adjustments. Luckily everything worked out.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Robert Walser, Lexington, N.C., 10 bass, 25-6, $6,014
2nd: John Allen, Concord, N.C., 10 bass, 23-13, $2,539
3rd: Rob Digh, Denver, N.C., 10 bass, 23-7, $1,894
4th: Artie Phillips, Monroe, N.C., 10 bass, 23-6, $1,185
5th: John Parker, Gaffney, S.C., 10 bass, 23-0, $1,015
6th: Shane LeHew, Catawba, N.C., 10 bass, 22-9, $1,031
7th: Shane Lineberger, Lincolnton, N.C., 10 bass, 21-13, $846
8th: Bryan New, Belmont, N.C., 10 bass, 21-9, $762
9th: Dylan Fulk, Concord, N.C., 10 bass, 21-0, $677
10th: Cody Hoyle, Rutherfordton, N.C., 10 bass, 20-4, $592
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Walser’s 6-pound, 2-ouncer was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the Boater Big Bass award of $637.
Tobey Lawson of Raleigh, North Carolina, caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 18 pounds, 10 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $2,739.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Tobey Lawson, Raleigh, N.C., 10 bass, 18-10, $2,739
2nd: Kevin Jones, Hope Mills, N.C., nine bass, 18-2, $1,269
3rd: Brian Transon, Sherrills Ford, N.C., 10 bass, 16-15, $846
4th: Adam Lockler, Charlotte, N.C., nine bass, 15-13, $642
5th: Phillip Rogers, Cornelius, N.C., seven bass, 14-12, $508
6th: Hunter Harwell, Hickory, N.C., nine bass, 13-8, $465
7th: Tyler Ward, Grover, N.C., seven bass, 13-7, $423
8th: Paul Foley, Mooresville, N.C., seven bass, 12-15, $381
9th: Steven Spivey, Whiteville, N.C., seven bass, 12-6, $339
10th: Thomas McDermott, Madison, N.C., six bass, 11-14, $296
Nathan Grose of Summersville, West Virginia, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 3 pounds, 11 ounces – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $319.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional Championship on the James River in Williamsburg, Virginia. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
BRAD WILEY WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL BULLDOG DIVISION FINALE ON LAKE LANIER
Warner Robins’ Sato Takes Co-angler Title
GAINESVILLE, Ga. (Sept. 11, 2017) – Brad Wiley of Alto, Georgia, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Bulldog Division tournament on Lake Lanier Sunday with a two-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 28 pounds, 2 ounces. For his efforts, Wiley took home $5,942.
Wiley said he spent his weekend fishing on the south end of the lake, near the dam. He said he targeted schooling fish and rotated through five areas throughout the tournament.
“I concentrated on a hump, a ridge, a channel swing and some standing timber,” said Wiley, who earned his first career-win in FLW competition. “The wind made the tournament difficult. On Saturday, there were gusts up to 20 mph, and on Sunday they reached 40 mph. I couldn’t get anything going in the creeks, so there wasn’t much shelter.”
Wiley said he used a white Fish Head Spin Underspin with a White Pearl-colored Zoom Super Fluke to catch the majority of his fish.
“With the strong winds there weren’t many options for lures, especially yesterday (Sunday),” said Wiley. “The Underspin worked well because it handled the gusts and got down into those 40-foot depths where fish were suspended in the trees. Standing timber ended up being the most productive cover for me.”
Wiley said he also caught key fish using a Megabass Ito Vision 110 jerkbait.
“I used the jerkbait in the morning until the wind picked up,” said Wiley. “I actually caught my heaviest fish on it, including one Sunday that came early on my third or fourth cast.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Brad Wiley. Alto, Ga., 10 bass, 28-2, $5,942
2nd: Kip Carter, Social Circle, Ga., 10 bass, 26-15, $2,971
3rd: Brock Turner, Jasper, Ga., 10 bass, 25-2, $1,983
4th: Rob Jordan, Flowery Branch, Ga., 10 bass, 24-9, $1,386
5th: Phil Johnson, Alpharetta, Ga., 10 bass, 23-8, $1,188
6th: John Duvall, Madison, Ga., 10 bass, 21-14, $1,289
7th: Patrick Bone, Cleveland, Ga., eight bass, 21-8, $990
8th: Chris Baxter, Winder, Ga., 10 bass, 20-15, $1,191
9th: Trent Palmer, Alpharetta, Ga., 10 bass, 20- 8, $792
10th: Heath Pack, Ellijay, Ga., nine bass, 19-12, $693
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Kim Carver of Milledgeville, Georgia, caught a bass weighing 3 pounds, 14 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the Boater Big Bass award of $802.
Spencer Sato of Warner Robins, Georgia, weighed a two-day cumulative total of nine bass totaling 22 pounds, 4 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $2,971.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Spencer Sato, Warner Robins, Ga., nine bass, 22-4, $2,971
2nd: Mark Denney, Bonaire, Ga., eight bass, 18-12, $1,586
3rd: Ben Brisbois, Gainesville, Ga., eight bass, 18-9, $989
4th: James Akins, Cumming, Ga., nine bass, 18-4, $693
5th: Sam Naib, Atlanta, Ga., nine bass, 17-1, $594
6th: Drew Harbin, Winder, Ga., eight bass, 16-5, $595
7th: Tony DiMauro, Watkinsville, Ga., eight bass, 16-2, $495
8th: Harold Grizzle, Gainesville, Ga., seven bass, 15-0, $446
9th: Randy Smith, Fayetteville, Ga., seven bass, 14-0, $396
10th: Undre Montgomery, Cumming, Ga., seven bass, 12-12, $347
Kevin Haggarty of Flowery Branch, Georgia, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 4 pounds, 1 ounce – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $401.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional Championship on Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Alabama. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
CURT WARREN WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL OKIE DIVISION FINALE ON GRAND LAKE
Ada’s Hill Takes Co-angler Title
GROVE, Okla. (Sept. 11, 2017) – Curt Warren of Rose, Oklahoma, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Okie Division tournament on Grand Lake Sunday with a two-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 31 pounds, 15 ounces. For his win, Warren earned $6,534.
“The bite was funny this weekend,” said Warren, who logged his first career-win in BFL competition. “It wasn’t as bad Saturday, but Sunday I missed several bites. I don’t know if it was weather or what, but they were finicky. Thankfully my 7-foot Falcon (Cara T7) rod helped me feel the bites, or else I may have missed more.
“I was mainly junk-fishing – just beating the banks,” continued Warren. “I was on the north end of the lake, not too far from takeoff. I fished docks and shallow wood cover. I probably had 50 different stops. All my fish came from less than 10 feet of water.”
Warren said everything he weighed in came on a ½-ounce Bass-X football-head jig with an unnamed green pumpkin-colored trailer. He said he caught six keepers each day of the event.
“If I pulled up to an area and there weren’t any shad, I usually kept moving,” said Warren. “They were really close to the surface.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Curt Warren, Rose, Okla., 10 bass, 31-15, $6,534
2nd: Paul Smith, Copan, Okla., eight bass, 29-8, $3,467
3rd: Cade Alsbury, Springdale, Ark., 10 bass, 28-11, $2,276
4th: Benjamin King, Garnett, Kan., 10 bass, 26-6, $1,525
5th: Tim Hickson, Cleveland, Okla., 10 bass, 26-4, $1,307
6th: Dylan Duncan, Kansas, Okla., 10 bass, 26-2, $1,198
7th: Sheldon Collings, Grove, Okla., seven bass, 25-13, $1,089
8th: Thomas Canady, Collinsville, Okla., 10 bass, 23-14, $980
9th: Chris Torkleson, Sand Springs, Okla., eight bass, 23-4, $871
10th: Tye Smith, Fort Gibson, Okla., eight bass, 22-5, $762
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Mark Teply of Midwest City, Oklahoma, caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 4 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the Boater Big Bass award of $937.
Alan Hill of Ada, Oklahoma, caught a two-day total of eight bass weighing 22 pounds, 9 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $3,267.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Alan Hill, Ada, Okla., eight bass, 22-9, $3,267
2nd: Patrick Weir, Broken Arrow, Okla., seven bass, 18-15, $1,633
3rd: Keltyn Hendrix, Goldsby, Okla., eight bass, 16-2, $1,091
4th: Jason Buckley, Canute, Okla., six bass, 15-14, $762
5th: Jacob Sloan, Paola, Kan., seven bass, 15-13, $853
6th: Nolan Wright, Blanchard, Okla., six bass, 14-10, $599
7th: Josh Sloan, Paola, Kan., four bass, 14-4, $544
8th: Sam Bremmerkamp, Joplin, Mo., four bass, 14-4, $540
9th: Rick Blosser, Tulsa, Okla., six bass, 14-3, $436
10th: Nathan Colwell, Pryor, Okla., seven bass, 13-12, $381
Tom Verdine of Yukon, Oklahoma, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 6 pounds, 4 ounces – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $469.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 19-21 BFL Regional Championship on the Red River in Bossier City, Louisiana. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
Quantum and The Lee Brothers Hosting High School and College Tournament
Two of the most accomplished young anglers in bass fishing are teaming with cutting-edge rod and reel brand Quantum to host the 1st Annual “Next Generation High School & College Open” on Sunday October 22nd at Grand Lake, OK.
This is a No Entry Fee event, and is open to all high school and college teams to participate.
Roughly $30,000 in product and prizes is up for grabs, along with free food and seminars at the mandatory 5:00 p.m. angler meeting on Saturday evening October 21st at the Grove Civic Center on South Main Street in Grove, OK.
This is an Association of Collegiate Angler Cabela’s School of the Year points eligible event.
To register for this unique tournament please visit https://www.qflseries.com/quantum-next-gen-open or call Joe Davis at Quantum at (918) 831-6970.
https://anglerschannel.com/tournaments/quantum-fishing-lee-brothers-high-school-college-open/
ADRIAN COLLEGE WINS YETI FLW COLLEGE FISHING TOURNAMENT AT LAKE ERIE
SANDUSKY, Ohio (Sept. 11, 2017) – The Adrian College duo of Chase Serafin of Highland, Michigan, and Cody Batterson, of Pleasant Hill, Iowa, won the YETI FLW College Fishing Northern Conference tournament at Lake Erie presented by Bass Pro Shops Saturday with a five-bass limit weighing 17 pounds, 2 ounces. The victory earned the Adrian bass club $2,000 and the team will now advance to compete at the 2018 FLW College Fishing National Championship, scheduled for May 30-June 2 on the Red River in Shreveport, Louisiana.
It was the second-straight Northern Conference victory for the Adrian College bass club teammates Jarrett Martin and Zachary Graham earned a win on Lake Chautauqua in New York in July.
“It felt great to get the win,” said Serafin, a junior, majoring in business marketing. “We’ve got a lot of experience on Erie, and we had caught some good fish in practice. But, there was a small-craft advisory on the lake Saturday, so we were restricted to fish just in Sandusky Bay.
“We scrambled to look at our maps and we found two marinas that looked promising,” Serafin continued. “The first one we pulled into, another team from Adrian College was already in there. So we went to our second one and we started smashing them, right in the mouth of the marina. We drifted into the marina. There were only eight docks, but we caught at least 50 largemouth there.”
Serafin said that they caught their first limit on an Ike’s Old School-colored Rapala DT6 crankbait, then Serafin switched to a custom jig – homemade by teammate Conner Goff – with a Bugsy Baits USA Sick Craw trailer, while Batterson switched to a Smack Daddy Tube.
“You had to be snapping or cracking the jig and tube,” Serafin said. “You’d snap it two or three times and they’d crush it on the fall.
“I think the key for us was just finding that marina,” Serafin went on to say. “I think the fish were trying to leave and go to the main lake, but the wind just grouped them up back into the marina. It was an awesome day of fishing.”
The top 10 teams that advanced to the 2018 College Fishing National Championship are:
1st: Adrian College – Chase Serafin, Highland, Mich., and Cody Batterson, Pleasant Hill, Iowa, five bass, 17-2, $2,400
2nd: University of Michigan-Dearborn – Vincenzo Puleo, Wyandotte, Mich., and Austin Klotz, Westland, Mich., five bass, 16-12, $1,000
3rd: Slippery Rock University – Ryan Kozlowski, Cranberry Township, Pa., and Nathan Quince, Imperial, Pa., five bass, 15-2, $700
4th: Adrian College – Jarrett Martin and Zachary Graham, both of Gallipolis, Ohio, five bass, 14-12, $500
5th: Hocking College – Ross Holbrook, Somerset, Ohio, and Kyle Waller, Thornhill, Ohio, five bass, 14-3, $500
6th: Bowling Green State University – Corey Miller, Perrysburg, Ohio, and Jason Bailey, Port Clinton, Ohio, five bass, 14-1
7th: Adrian College – Zach Manneback, Howell, Mich., and Gunner Wilson, Fenton, Mich., five bass, 14-0
8th: University of Pittsburgh – Michael Dunn and Henry Colberg, both of Pittsburgh, Pa., five bass, 12-13
9th: Ohio State University – Jacob Jesionek, Hudson, Ohio, and Mason Dejarnette, Marysville, Ohio, five bass, 12-9
10th: Ramapo College – Alex Johnson, Milltown, N.J., and Zachary Orsino, Westville, N.J., five bass, 12-0
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
This YETI FLW College Fishing Northern Conference event at Lake Erie was the third and final regular-season qualifying tournament for Northern Conference anglers in 2017. The next YETI FLW College Fishing event will be a Southern Conference tournament, scheduled for Sept. 23 on the Red River in Shreveport, Louisiana.
YETI FLW College Fishing teams compete in three regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top ten teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments, along with an additional qualifier for every 10 teams over 100 that compete, along with the top 20 teams from the annual YETI FLW College Fishing Open advance to the 2018 FLW College Fishing National Championship.
College Fishing is free to enter. All participants must be registered, full-time students at a college, university or community college and members of a college fishing club that is recognized by their school.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow College Fishing on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing. Visit FLWFishing.com to sign up or to start a club at your school.
Nick Salvucci Wins Wild West Bass Trail Lucas Oil Western Classic on Lake Mead!
Photo & Results Courtesy of Wild West Bass Trail FB Page.
Registration Open for American Bass Anglers 2018 Ram 100% Team Tour
September 8, 2017, Athens, AL – Registration for the 2018 Ram 100% Team Tour will open Monday morning at 8 am CST by phone for package registrations. A package registration is when teams pay in full or deposit for all five of their division’s events.
All Ram Truck and Triton Owners registering as a package September 11-15, 2017 will receive exclusive saving and additional savings and incentives. All package registrations will also be offered savings and incentives.
Registration can be placed by phone at (256)232-0406 starting September 11-15, 2017 starting 8 am CST. After September 15, 2017, registrations may be placed online at any time or by phone during normal business hours (8 am – 5 pm CST)
Advantages for registering early:
• Package registrations will receive special incentives September 11-15, 2017
• Teams registering prior to December 1, 2017, may pay a $500 deposit to secure your slot for all events of the season. Each event balance ($150) is to be paid by Wednesday the week of the event online or by phone. (This is considered a package registration)
• Teams may register and pay in full $1,250 for the season through Wednesday prior to the first event (This is considered a package registration).
• All package registrations receive personalized event results and points updates after each event.
• Special Draw Prizes at Team Tour registration meetings for Package Registered Teams
Phone Number to register Monday (256)232-0406
American Bass Anglers announced the 2018 Ram 100% Plus Team Tour season details today. The Ram 100% Plus Team Tour provides team tournament competition that includes a Triton/Mercury boat package for first place at each divisional event. The year-end championship will offer two (2) Triton/Mercury boat package to the winning team and a combined payout of up to $80,000 in cash, prizes and bonuses based on a full field.
Registration for the 2018 season: September 11-15, 2017 starting 8am
- Ram Truck Owners
(Package Special Plus Special Incentive)
- Triton Boat Owners
(Package Special Plus Special Incentive)
- All Package Registrations
(Special Incentives)
(Teams must call in registration to receive special incentive packages September 11-15, 2017)
September 18, 2017 – December 1
- All Entries (Special Incentives)
The 2018 season will offer two divisions, each holding four one-day Sunday divisional events. One located in Northern Alabama and the other in the Kentucky Lake/Central Tennessee area. Teams who fish three divisional events in one division will be invited to the two-day championship.
North Alabama Division
2/11/2018 - Guntersville - Goosepond
(Scottsboro, AL)
3/4/2018 - Neely Henry - Coosa Landing
(Gadsden, AL)
5/20/2018 - Wheeler - Ingalls Harbor
(Decatur, AL)
7/1/2018 - Weiss - Leesburg Landing
(Leesburg, AL)
Tennessee/Kentucky Division
2/18/2018 - Kentucky - Paris Landing State Park
(Paris, TN)
4/22/2018 - Kentucky - Paris Landing State Park
(Paris, TN)
5/13/2018 - Old Hickor - Sanders Ferry
(Hendersonville, AL)
9/23/2018 - Kentucky - Paris Landing State Park
(Paris, TN)
Team Championship
11/3-4/2018 - Pickwick Lake - McFarland Park
(Florence, AL)
Divisional team winners will receive a Triton/Mercury boat packages loaded with sponsor products from companies like Garmin, T-H Marine, Carlisle Tire and Wheel, and MotorGuide and the top 20% of the field will receive a check.
The Championship winners will receive two (2) Triton/Mercury boat packages loaded with sponsor products. Based on a full field there will be up to $80,000 in total payout including cash, prizes, and bonuses.
The Ram 100% Plus Team Tour is part of the Triton Gold program offering anglers who own a Triton Boat up to $7,000 in contingency payout at each event.
There are contingency programs that offer rewards for each of these events, here are ABA Sponsor programs: Triton Gold, Mercury Marine, MotorGuide, T-H Marine Atlas Rewards, Power Pole Captain's Cash, Abu Garcia Revo Big Bass Bonus.
What is the 100% Plus Team Tour
The 100% Plus Team Tour is for bass anglers who want a shot at larger payouts in a Team format. The tour offers two divisions, one in North Alabama and in Central Tennessee up to Kentucky Lake. Each division offers 4 qualifying events each offering more than 100% plus payback. First place at all events is a 2018 Triton 17TX with a Mercury four stroke 60hp outboard. The retail value fully rigged is estimated at $20,000.
In 2018, the Alabama North Division will fish 4 different lakes. Guntersville, Neely Henry, Wheeler Lake and Wiess Lake. The Tennessee division will fish 2 different lakes Kentucky and Old Hickory Lakes.
At the end of the season, in the fall of 2018, the two divisions will send their best team to Pickwick Lake where the teams will fish for cash and awards. The Championship team will be award two Triton 17TX Boats with a Mercury four stroke 60hp outboards. The retail value fully rigged is estimated at $40,000.
• No other trail offers bigger payouts for a $250 entry fee for the pure weekend bass angler.
• 100% Plus Payout
• There are no late fees
• Register through Wednesday prior to the event
• Pay a deposit ($500) the season and pay each event balance ($150) by Wednesday the week of each event.
• Draw Prizes at all Team Tour registration meetings
• ABA Polygraphs all Team Tour Events
• No Pros are allowed (Bass Elite or FLW Tour anglers allowed)
• No Off-limits (except the team championship)
• Team Meeting Exemption Pass (EZ Pass) available for the 2018 season ($50)
• You can get your entire season entry fees paid for through the ABA Alliance Program
• Contingency programs available through Triton, Mercury, MotorGuide, T-H Marine, Garmin, Power Pole and others.
• The top 20% at all events get a check. Example 200 boats – 40 places, 250 boats – 50 places
Advantages for registering early:
• Package registrations will receive special incentives September 11-15, 2017
• Teams registering prior to December 1, 2017 may pay a $500 deposit to secure your slot for all events of the season. Each event balance ($150) is to be paid by Wednesday the week of the event online or by phone. (This is considered a package registration)
• Teams may register and pay in full $1,250 for the season through Wednesday prior to the first event (This is considered a package registration).
• All package registrations receive personalized event results and points updates after each event.
• Special Draw Prizes at Team Tour registration meetings for Package Registered Teams
Package Registration: A package registration is when a team registers for all events for a season within a division.
About American Bass Anglers:
American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler and at the same time offer each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers, the Ram Truck Open Series, the Ram Truck American Fishing Tour, the American Couples Series, Military Team Bass Tournament and the Ram Truck 100% Plus Team Tour. To learn more about ABA visit www.americanbassanglers.com or call (256) 232-0406.
American Bass Anglers, Inc. is supported by Ram Trucks, Triton Boats, Mercury Marine, Carlstar, T-H Marine, Abu Garcia, Berkley, Hydrowave, Livingston Lures, Best Western Hotels, Simms, SiriusXM® Radio, SiriusXM® Marine Weather, Garmin, Maui Jim, LiT Coolers, Power Pole, GEICO, and DivideIT.
Website: www.teamtrail.com
Follow the team trail on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ABATeamTrail/
Defoe Goes Wire-to-Wire to Win BASS Open on Douglas
Ott DeFoe of Knoxville, Tenn., wins the 2017 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Open No. 3 held on Douglas Lake out of Dandridge, Tenn., with a three-day total weight of 50 pounds, 3 ounces.
Photo by Ronnie Moore/B.A.S.S.
Courtesy BASS Communications
September 9, 2017
DANDRIDGE, Tenn. — Bassmaster Elite Series pro Ott DeFoe sealed the deal today with a Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Open victory on Douglas Lake.
The Knoxville, Tenn., pro went wire-to-wire to win on his home lake — his second career Opens victory on the fishery — and received the top prize of a Triton 19 TrX/Mercury 200 Pro XS rig valued at $45,000, along with $5,291 in cash. He weighed in a 15-pound, 9-ounce limit to finish with 50-3. His previous victory on Douglas came in May 2014.
DeFoe ran up the French Broad River again with his Tracker tunnel hull aluminum boat that produced 17-5 limits the first two days. He struggled early Saturday and caught only five keepers all day, but it was enough to clinch the victory.
“The water has not been stable all week,” DeFoe said. “I was thinking today could be really, really good just because the French Broad had been falling. But there was some extra flow in the Pigeon River this morning, and it seemed to kind of throw the fishing off a little.”
The local favorite caught his first fish of the day on a bladed jig and his second flipping a black-and-blue 1/2-ounce Terminator Pro Jig with a Bass Pro Shops Elite Chunk. Switching to a Texas-rigged Bass Pro Shops Bull Hog, DeFoe caught his next two keepers and still had three hours to catch his fifth bass. He went to a bank where he had caught big fish in the past and boated a 4 1/2-pounder on the Terminator Jig that clinched the victory.
All of his fish throughout the tournament came from 1 to 3 feet of water.
Newcomerstown, Ohio, pro Hunter Shryock camped on his best spot Saturday, and it produced a 9-14 limit to move him into second place.
“I fished the way that I like to fish — junk fishing — and I kind of learned something as the tournament was going on,” said Shryock, who finished with 39-13. Shryock learned he could catch bass as shallow as 6 inches on isolated wood cover either swimming a 1/4-ounce swim jig with a Berkley Chigger Craw trailer or flipping a Texas-rigged Berkley Chigger Craw.
Other Top 5 finishers were Brian Latimer of Belton, S.C., who was third with 39-11, David Williams of Newton, N.C., who was fourth with 36-1 and Alex Wetherell of Middletown, Conn., who placed fifth with 33-4.
Using a spinnerbait, he bought last night at the Bass Pro Shops in Kodak, Tenn., Barry Brandt Jr. caught a three-bass limit weighing 7-13 to win the nonboater division. The 27-year-old commercial fisherman from Newport News, Va., finished the tournament with 18-4 and took home a $30,000 Nitro Z18/Mercury 150 Pro XS package.
The $750 Phoenix Boats Big Bass award on the pro side went to Chad Pipkens of Lansing, Mich., with a 5-11 largemouth. Chancey Hatfield of Mayking, Ky., weighed in a 4-13 largemouth to earn the $250 Phoenix Boats Big Bass award on the co-angler side.
DeFoe also received the Livingston Lures Leader Award of $250 for finishing as the top pro on Day 2. Finishing as the Day 2 leader on the co-angler side, Jon Abbott of Versailles, Ky., received a Livingston Lures gift pack worth $250.
Williams 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 a client-approved product on his boat.
The event was hosted by the Economic Development Alliance of Jefferson County, Tenn.
2017 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Title Sponsor: Bass Pro Shops
2017 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2017 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Premier Sponsors: Nitro Boats, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha, Berkley, Huk, Humminbird, Mercury, Power-Pole, Shell Rotella, Minn Kota
2017 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Supporting Sponsors: Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels, Livingston Lures, Lowrance, Phoenix Boats, Shimano, T-H Marine, Advance Auto Parts, Carhartt
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2), radio show (Bassmaster Radio), social media programs and events. For more than 45 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation presented by Magellan Outdoors, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Costa Bassmaster High School Series presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.
-30-
Media Contact: JamieDay Matthews, 205-313-0945, [email protected] or Dave Precht, 205-313-0931, [email protected]
2017 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Open Douglas Lake 9/7-9/9
Douglas Lake, Dandridge TN.
(BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Ott DeFoe Knoxville, TN 15 50-03 200 $50,541.00
Day 1: 5 17-05 Day 2: 5 17-05 Day 3: 5 15-09
2. Hunter Shryock Newcomerstown, OH 15 39-13 199 $12,565.00
Day 1: 5 14-04 Day 2: 5 15-11 Day 3: 5 09-14
3. Brian Latimer Belton, SC 15 39-11 198 $9,424.00
Day 1: 5 14-14 Day 2: 5 14-01 Day 3: 5 10-12
4. David Williams Newton, NC 15 36-01 197 $8,932.00
Day 1: 5 14-07 Day 2: 5 14-11 Day 3: 5 06-15
5. Alex Wetherell Middletown, CT 15 33-04 196 $7,357.00
Day 1: 5 10-12 Day 2: 5 13-11 Day 3: 5 08-13
6. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 11 32-12 195 $6,283.00
Day 1: 5 14-09 Day 2: 5 16-14 Day 3: 1 01-05
7. Toshinari Namiki Tokyo JAPAN 14 31-12 194 $5,291.00
Day 1: 5 12-09 Day 2: 5 12-10 Day 3: 4 06-09
8. Wil Hardy Harlem, GA 13 31-06 193 $4,216.00
Day 1: 5 15-07 Day 2: 5 09-04 Day 3: 3 06-11
9. Brad Burkhart Speedwell, TN 15 29-03 192 $3,141.00
Day 1: 5 11-03 Day 2: 5 10-14 Day 3: 5 07-02
10. Allen Brooks Canton, GA 11 27-08 191 $2,893.00
Day 1: 5 13-02 Day 2: 4 10-13 Day 3: 2 03-09
11. Al Farace Jr Hunt Valley, MD 15 27-05 190 $2,645.00
Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 5 11-01 Day 3: 5 05-03
12. Mike Huff Corbin, KY 12 25-11 189 $2,480.00
Day 1: 5 13-02 Day 2: 5 10-14 Day 3: 2 01-11
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Chad Pipkens Lansing, MI 05-11 $750.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 50 422 807-12
2 47 410 780-11
3 7 47 84-01
----------------------------------
104 879 1672-08
2017 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Open Douglas Lake 9/7-9/9
Douglas Lake, Dandridge TN.
(NON_BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Barry Brandt Jr. Newport News, VA 8 18-04 200 $30,000.00
Day 1: 2 05-01 Day 2: 3 05-06 Day 3: 3 07-13
2. Bobby Drinnon Rogersville, TN 6 18-00 199 $4,051.00
Day 1: 3 10-08 Day 2: 0 00-00 Day 3: 3 07-08
3. Jon Abbott Versailles, KY 7 17-00 198 $3,059.00
Day 1: 3 08-07 Day 2: 1 04-10 Day 3: 3 03-15
4. Hermilo Salgado Artemus, KY 9 16-09 197 $2,067.00
Day 1: 3 05-10 Day 2: 3 05-05 Day 3: 3 05-10
5. Chad Smith Minnetonka, MN 9 15-07 196 $1,901.00
Day 1: 3 04-04 Day 2: 3 06-00 Day 3: 3 05-03
6. Charles Fochtman Moneta, VA 8 14-11 195 $1,819.00
Day 1: 3 06-08 Day 2: 3 04-05 Day 3: 2 03-14
7. George Beville Jr Apex, NC 8 14-09 194 $1,736.00
Day 1: 2 02-12 Day 2: 3 06-09 Day 3: 3 05-04
8. Don Bible II Knoxville, TN 7 12-09 193 $1,653.00
Day 1: 2 03-10 Day 2: 3 06-06 Day 3: 2 02-09
9. Frank Meyer Marianna, FL 7 12-07 192 $1,571.00
Day 1: 3 06-04 Day 2: 3 04-14 Day 3: 1 01-05
10. Scott Peters Knoxville, TN 6 12-06 191 $1,405.00
Day 1: 3 08-06 Day 2: 2 02-15 Day 3: 1 01-01
11. Kenneth Lodwick Dandridge, TN 4 10-14 190 $1,240.00
Day 1: 3 09-04 Day 2: 1 01-10 Day 3: 0 00-00
12. Tim Leonard Greeneville, TN 4 10-07 189 $1,157.00
Day 1: 3 09-07 Day 2: 0 00-00 Day 3: 1 01-00
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Chancey Hatfield Mayking, KY 04-13 $250.00
FLW ANNOUNCES 2018 BFL ALL-AMERICAN AND COLLEGE FISHING NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Two championship events to be held at Bass Pro Shops in Shreveport-Bossier City
MINNEAPOLIS (Sept. 8, 2017) – FLW announced today the dates and location for the 2018 T-H Marine Bass Fishing League (BFL) All-American and the 2018 YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship. The 35th annual BFL All-American will be held May 31-June 2 on Cross Lake in Shreveport, Louisiana, while the College Fishing National Championship will take place on the Red River on May 30-June 2, also in Shreveport.
The two fisheries have played host to multiple FLW championship events over the years, including the 2002 and 2011 BFL All-American (Cross Lake), the 2002 Forrest Wood Cup (Cross Lake) and the 2013 Forrest Wood Cup (Red River). Both the All-American and the College Fishing National Championship are being hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier City Sports Commission and the Red River Waterway Commission.
“The Shreveport-Bossier City area and north Louisiana are known as the Sportsman’s Paradise,” said Kelly Wells, Executive Director of the Shreveport-Bossier City Sports Commission. “The Red River and Cross Lake are two of the crown jewels of our region and we are excited to partner with FLW on these two prestigious championships next June. While the anglers are competing on the water, families will have plenty to do on shore. Dozens of museums, shopping and family attractions, hundreds of restaurants, and of course the casinos will ensure everyone in the family has something to enjoy during their stay with us in Shreveport-Bossier City.”
The BFL All-American weigh-ins and the final two days of competition of the College Fishing National Championship will be showcased to bass-fishing fans at the Bass Pro Shops in Bossier City, Louisiana.
“We have hosted some of the biggest bass-fishing tournaments in the country here on the Red River,” said Eric Gilmore, Marketing Director for the Red River Waterway Commission. “We believe the return of the BFL All-American and hosting the FLW College Fishing National Championship are great indicators that the Red River is among the top fisheries in the nation. There are a lot of moving parts in landing tournaments of this stature, and it takes a coordinated effort from all involved. We are pleased to be working with the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission and others for these great events.”
2018 T-H Marine FLW BFL All-American
- May 31- June 2 Cross Lake Shreveport, La.
2018 YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship
- May 30-June 1 Red River Shreveport, La.
- June 2 – Fish-Off Undisclosed Fishery Shreveport, La.
Both events will be internationally televised on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show. “FLW” airs on the NBC Sports Network (NBCSN), the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.
Anglers competing in the BFL All-American on Cross Lake will cast for a cash prize of up to $120,000 in the Boater Division and $60,000 in the Co-angler Division. In addition to the six-figure payday, the top boater will also receive an invitation to compete for bass fishing’s most coveted prize – the Forrest Wood Cup – held Aug. 10-12 on Lake Ouachita in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
The 2018 FLW College Fishing National Championship awards the top team a $30,000 prize package, including a Ranger Z175 boat with a 90-horsepower outboard engine and an entry into the 2018 Forrest Wood Cup. The winning team will compete against each other on June 2 on a yet to be disclosed location to determine which team member will compete as a professional at the Forrest Wood Cup.
The complete schedule and rules for the 2018 BFL and FLW College Fishing season will be announced soon. The full schedule and rules for both circuits will be posted online at FLWFishing.com.
For a full schedule of events, complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
