Its Back!!!!! The New Season of the Progressive Bass Wrap Up Show!!
The 2017 Season of the Progressive Bass Wrap Up Show is about to be underway!!!!!
Kicking off this Saturday Afternoon, We will be bringing you highlights and behind the scenes footage of the 2017 Bassmasters Classic from Houston, Tx!!
Complete with Strike King Tip of the Week, Sportsman's Product Spotlight, Progressive Insider and Much More! Make sure you are tuned in and have that DVR set for Saturdays at 3:30 EST only on the Pursuit Channel!
Bigger, Fatter Bass Awaiting Bassmaster Opens Anglers At Oneida Lake - BASS Communications
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Alfred Williams Stakes Claim on ABA RAM Open Series Event on Ross Barnett with 16.64-pound Limit!
Alfred Williams of Jackson, MS won the American Bass Anglers Ram Truck Open Series Mississippi tournament, held June 24th on Ross Barnett Reservoir. A cold front and torrential rains the night before the tournament set the tone. The skies lifted throughout the day allowing for overcast morning and sun filled afternoon.
Running out of Madison landing near Ridgeland, MS, Williams brought in a five-fish limit weighing 16.64 pounds, anchoring his bag with 5.08-pound kicker. For the Boater Division victory, he took home a check for $5000.00.
“I’ve been catching about 14-15 lbs. a day during practice and I knew it was gonna be tough. I expected it to take a lot more than that honestly because it took more to win some of the past tournaments. We got started early this morning and when you catch a couple good ones that quick the day just really picks up and goes from there. We caught a good bit of fish too. 25-30 and most of them were keepers. Even with the storm and front that passed last night, once you get them stacked up in an area you can catch them. You won’t have one on every cast but if you can get the bait in front of them they will bite it. I’m happy because we fished clean. We didn’t lose any, and they all made it in the boat.” Williams said.
In second for the boaters, Ray King of Brandon, MS landed a five-bass limit going 16.42 pounds. His bag was anchored by a 5.59-pound kicker, which turned out to be big bass for the boaters. He collected $800.00 for placing and $530.00 for big bass.
“I started off up the lake and threw crankbaits all day long. I was shallow, not any deeper than 6 ft. and managed about 20 fish today. I just never got the real big bites to push me up over the top. I only needed a few more ounces today but sometimes more than others that’s all the difference ever is.” Ray said.
Thomas B Smith of Pearl, MS took third for the boaters with five bass going 13.46 pounds to earn $600.00.
“Started off a little rough this morning with some engine issues but got it fixed. I stayed with top water baits and managed about 8 keepers. As soon as that sun come out though it was over.” Said Thomas.
In fourth, Shannon Denson of Brandon, MS came in with 13.13 lbs.
Finishing 5th was Jason Cordell of Pelahatchie, MS with 12.22.
In the Co-Angler Division, David “Flip” Flippo of Amory, MS won with three bass going 12.19 pounds. He sealed his victory with a 5.84-pound kicker. For the Co-Angler Division victory, David took home a check for $850. His 5.84-pound kicker gave him an additional $95 for the Co-Angler big bass, it was also the biggest bass caught in the tournament.
“The fella I was fishing with told me we were gonna have limits. I’m not from down here so I didn’t know anything about the lake other than one spot. I caught 4 keepers today and the big one bit at 10:45 AM and I couldn’t be happier. This was a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to the 2 day.” Flip said.
Taking second for the co-anglers, Glen Mire of Brandon, MS brought in a three-bass limit weighing 8.24 pounds. He collected $250.00 for the effort.
“I caught mine on a frog pretty much all day. We stayed in the main lake and I stuck with it. I culled a couple times but it ended up working out.” Said Glen.
Nathan Martin of Golden, MS placed third among the co-anglers with three bass going 7.83 pounds to earn $200.00
“Buddy it was a grind. The first 2 keepers came pretty quick this morning and then it stopped. It was a long day catching a couple shorts in between but my last keeper finally came about 20 minutes before we had to be in.” Nathan said.
In fourth place among the co-anglers, Anthony Thomas of Jackson, MS brought in three bass for 6.78.
Marion Hall of Hattiesburg, MS finished in fifth place with three bass at 6.76 pounds.
Slated for October 7th and 8th, the next tournament will be the $10,000.00 and $5000.00 first place guarantee at the 2-day Championship held on Lake Pickwick McFarland Park, near Florence, AL October 7th and 8th. Anglers must have fished in 3 of the Mississippi divisional events to qualify. At the end of the season, the best anglers from across the nation advance to the 2018 Ray Scott Championship, slated for the Red River in Bossier City, LA.
For more information on this tournament, call Chris Wayand, tournament manager, at 256-230-5627 or ABA at 256-232-0406. On line, see www.ramopenseries.com .
About American Bass Anglers: American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler and at the same time offer each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers, the Ram Truck Open Series, the American Fishing Tour or the American Couples Series, visit www.americanbassanglers.com.
MILLS, BECKLEY TIE FOR WIN AT T-H MARINE FLW BFL LBL DIVISION EVENT ON KENTUCKY/BARKLEY LAKES
Taylorsville’s Basham Takes Co-angler Title
GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. (June 26, 2017) – Hunter Mills of Mayfield, Kentucky, and Don Beckley of Paducah, Kentucky, each brought five bass weighing 21 pounds, 12 ounces, to the scale Saturday to tie for the win at the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) LBL Division tournament on Kentucky and Barkley lakes. For their limits, Mills earned $5,462 after contingency bonuses, while Beckley took home $3,462.
“I fished north of Jonathan Creek on the east side of the main-river channel,” said Beckley, who notched his first career-win in BFL competition. “I sat in 25 to 30 feet of water, which is a lot deeper than most people go. When I got to my area, I stayed there all day because there was a lot of wind and boat traffic.”
Beckley said he was able to catch 12 to 15 keepers throughout the tournament.
“I stayed south of the sweet spot about 50 yards, and every hour I’d ease in there and catch a 4-pounder,” said Beckley. “It was important that I let the fish rest. I used a ¾-ounce football-head jig with a green pumpkin-colored (Strike King Rage Tail) Craw trailer and dragged it as slow as I possibly could.”
“I did a lot of cranking, mostly in 25 to 27 feet of water,” said Mills, a current FLW College Fishing Murray State University angler who also earned his first career-win on the BFL circuit. “The Tennessee Valley Authority was pulling water which created a lot of current and that was a big factor for the crankbait bite.”
Mills said he spent his morning on the north side of Eggner’s Ferry Bridge, and after 9:30 a.m. he moved south. Mills said he fished around eight areas throughout the event, and used a Profound Outdoors Randy Haynes’ Azuma Z Boss 25 crankbait to catch his fish.
“Some of the bass were on top of the ledges, and some were hanging right off of the lip,” said Mills. “There was a north wind that impacted how I fished. Normally the wind is from the south and I have to face it and cast into it, but on Saturday, I had to reposition the boat a few times because they would only bite the bait if it was coming from a certain direction.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Hunter Mills, Mayfield, Ky., five bass, 21-12, $3,462 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
1st: Don Beckley, Paducah, Ky., five bass, 21-12, $3,462
3rd: Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, five bass, 21-11, $1,551
4th: Brent Anderson, Kingston Springs, Tenn., five bass, 21-5, $942
4th: Stuart Eversole, Middletown, Ohio, five bass, 21-5, $942
6th: Jordan Hartman, Murray, Ky., five bass, 20-12, $798
7th: David Young, Mayfield, Ky., five bass, 20-6, $725
8th: Tommy Williams, Shepherdsville, Ky., five bass, 19-4, $653
9th: Thomas O'Bryant, Cedar Grove, Tenn., five bass, 17-11, $515
9th: Sam White, Gilbertsville, Ky., five bass, 17-11, $515
9th: Keith Amerson, Bethel Springs, Tenn., five bass, 17-11, $515
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Rob Vannerson of Benton, Kentucky, caught a fish weighing 7 pounds, 2 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $615.
Dan Basham of Taylorsville, Kentucky, won the Co-angler Division and $2,375 Saturday after weighing five bass totaling 18 pounds, 2 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Dan Basham, Taylorsville, Ky., five bass, 18-2, $2,375
2nd: Bryce Morrison, Collierville, Tenn., five bass, 17-12, $1,138
3rd: Mike Beasley, Cookeville, Tenn., five bass, 17-2, $726
4th: Taylor Genz, Indian Mound, Tenn., five bass, 16-8, $507
5th: Benton Peoples, Bardstown, Ky., five bass, 16-3, $742
6th: Craig Middleton, Harrodsburg, Ky., five bass, 15-8, $399
7th: Jake Steinkuhl, Evansville, Ind., five bass, 15-6, $363
8th: Scott Sims, Morgantown, Ind., five bass, 15-3, $326
9th: Dean Dearwester, Cincinnati, Ohio, four bass, 14-2, $290
10th: Colby Shaver, Owensboro, Ky., five bass, 13-8, $254
Peoples caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 5 pounds, 10 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $307.
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.
WAGGONER WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL OZARK DIVISION EVENT ON LAKE OF THE OZARKS
Kansas’ Sloan Earns Co-angler Title
WARSAW, Mo. (June 26, 2017) – Joe Waggoner of Carthage, Missouri, caught a five-bass limit weighing 18 pounds, 15 ounces, Saturday to earn top honors at the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Ozark Division tournament on Lake of the Ozarks. For his efforts, Waggoner pocketed $4,672.
“I focused on main-lake and secondary points with brush, from mid-lake down to the lower end,” said Waggoner, who earned his first career-victory as a boater in BFL competition. “I probably hit 12 areas and revisited the ones that were the most productive.”
Waggoner said his primary points were littered with bait after local authorities pulled water to bring the lake level down.
“My Lowrance units helped me see the bait on the points, which gave me more confidence to stop and fish them,” said Waggoner. “I caught almost all of my weight by 8 (a.m.) and after that it died off. They actually stopped pulling water the morning of the tournament, and I think that’s what scattered them.”
Waggoner said he caught his limit on a plum-colored Zoom Ol’ Monster Worm with a ½-ounce Bullet Weights tungsten slip sinker.
“In the afternoon I caught three good ones on points that were across from each other to finish out my day,” said Waggoner. “I guess I just ran the right points at the right time.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Joe Waggoner, Carthage, Mo., five bass, 18-15, $4,672
2nd: Stan Tucker, Festus, Mo., five bass, 18-11, $2,236
3rd: Brett Govreau, House Springs, Mo., five bass, 18-9, $1,492
4th: Jeremy Johnson, Kansas City, Kan., five bass, 17-14, $968
4th: Tom Alsop, Overland Park, Kan., five bass, 17-14, $1,068
6th: Bryan Tracy, Saint Peters, Mo., five bass, 17-8, $820
7th: Matthew Roberts, Osage Beach, Mo., five bass, 17-5, $745
8th: Mike Roller, Purdy, Mo., five bass, 15-15, $671
9th: Drew Sanford, Springfield, Mo., five bass, 15-12, $596
10th: Wesley Myers, Raytown, Mo., five bass, 15-9, $522
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Roger Fitzpatrick of Eldon, Missouri, caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 9 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $650.
Jacob Sloan of Paola, Kansas, won the Co-angler Division and $2,436 Saturday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 17 pounds, 13 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Jacob Sloan, Paola, Kan., five bass, 17-13, $2,436
2nd: Derrick Tyree, Owensville, Mo., five bass, 16-4, $1,168
3rd: Kory Ries, Union, Mo., five bass, 15-3, $745
4th: Matt Wertheimer, Arnold, Mo., five bass, 15-2, $522
5th: Daniel Ashby, Independence, Mo., five bass, 15-1, $447
6th: Chris Dale, Chanute, Kan., five bass, 14-1, $410
7th: Rich Carpenter, Parkville, Mo., five bass, 12-11, $373
8th: Quenten Reed, Osage Beach, Mo., five bass, 11-13, $335
9th: Alan Quick, Springfield, Mo., four bass, 11-10, $298
10th: Brandon Hecker, Camdenton, Mo., four bass, 10-11, $261
Charles Frick of Saint Louis, Missouri, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 5 pounds, 11 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $325.
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.
Flournoy & Chumley hit a Bullseye at Techron TX Shootout on Rayburn with over 33 pounds!
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| After dodging a bullet with the first tropical storm of the season making its way through East Texas, William Flournoy and James Chumley hit a bullseye fishing the 3rd Annual Techron TX Shootout on Sam Rayburn, cashing in over $60K! Nearly 300 teams participated in this world’s largest one day team event hosted by Bass Champs that paid back over $137,000 in cash and prizes. It may have been the recent weather having the bass all stirred up, giving way to the tremendous fish seen at the scales.
The timing was just right for this highly-coveted event on June 25, 2017, with tropical storm Cindy just having passed through the area just scant days before. The elements came together just right for these teams to find the biting bass they needed to cash in on this world’s richest team event. The excitement started just before 2:00 when the first team to weigh hit the scales with their huge sack of bass. William Flournoy and James Chumley christened the scales with a 33.02 lb sack that included an 8.89 lb kicker! They had a long wait to see if their incredible weight would hold up as the rest of the field were yet to come in. Watching the entire field bring in their catch with a few close calls rivaling their weight, finally the scales closed to declare them the winners of this tremendous event. “We drew boat #235, so we were having to fish behind other boats,” they explained. Using a combination of worms and jigs in open water for their catch, they lucked on to the fish they were looking for and caught nearly all the fish they weighed before 8am. “We only caught eight keepers all day, and caught our last 8 pounder about 1:00 on a Stanley Jig.” They knew they had over 30 pounds in the boat, and needed to get the fish weighed to be released back into Sam Rayburn. They were shocked when the scales locked in at 33.02 lbs. “We were a nervous wreck!” When it was all said and done, they had won 1st place and the guaranteed $50,000 purse. Their winnings didn’t stop there – they were also the highest finishing team in a qualified Skeeter boat for another $10,000. Lowrance added to their winnings as well with the GEN3 bonus for an incredible finish to their day. “We would like to thank our wives for their encouragement and support, as well as a special thanks to Lonnie Stanley!” So many teams brought in sacks exceeding the twenty-pound mark, the line-up was stacking up tight. Three different teams brought in huge kickers bumping ten pounds anchoring several huge limits brought in. The anticipation from the crowd and the contenders continued to grow with each team that came in to weigh. Incredibly, the 2nd place winners also had an excessive bag, weighing in at 31 pounds even! Brothers Ronnie and Ricky Madole reported that their morning bite was on, using 10XD crank baits. “The fish were really biting for us, and we basically had all of our fish by 10am. After that we were only catching four pounders. We lost several good fish but had a great day!” Their 2nd place finish landed a check for $10,000. Husband and wife Michael and Crystal Lowery slid into 3rd place with another great sack weighing 28.95 pounds. Included in their limit was a 9.17 lb kicker! Michael is a seasoned tournament angler, but his wife Crystal is pretty new to bass fishing. Chad Potts asked the couple how their day went, and Crystal explained that she caught a lot of sun and learned how to net! Nevertheless, the duo finished the day with an $8,000 payday. Twenty teams brought in limits exceeding 20 pounds. Rounding out the top 10: There were two other nine pounders brought in. A 9.56 lb’r anchored the 8th place finish for Troy Roder & Dakota Ebare. The team who caught the $1,000 check for biggest bass of the day was Chris and Rusty Harvey with their 9.73 lb sow. This money fish bit at 2pm for them on a Texas rigged Ol’ Monster worm. “We really appreciate everyone for coming out and fishing this event with us,” Chad Potts announced. “Techron has become a big part of this event, helping to make it the world’s richest team tournament!” Bass Champs continues to provide tournament angling opportunities open to anyone who would like a chance to win and have fun. The 12th Annual Berkley Big Bass tournament on Lake fork will happen October 21-22. All of the information and details can be found at www.BassChamps.com – be sure and sign up to fish! The 2018 schedules for all of Bass Champs events have now been posted. Be sure and mark your calendars for next years’ tournaments! In the meantime, Bass Champs TV show has several special and exciting episodes coming up on the WFN channel. Don’t miss out!
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SAMO, FELDERMANN TIE FOR WIN AT T-H MARINE FLW BFL GREAT LAKES EVENT ON WOLF RIVER CHAIN
Knox, Pliwko Tie for Co-angler Title
WINNECONNE, Wis. (June 26, 2017) – Curtis Samo of Rochelle, Illinois, and Mike Feldermann of Galena, Illinois, each caught five bass Saturday weighing 13 pounds, 10 ounces, Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Great Lakes Division tournament on the Wolf River Chain. For their efforts, Feldermann earned $5,731 after contingency bonuses, while Samo took home $3,431.
“I flipped brush, grass and rocks in Lake Winneconne,” said Samo, who logged his fifth career-win in BFL competition. “It was post-frontal conditions, and in my opinion, flipping is the best technique after a front moves through.”
Samo said he had five areas that he focused on, and that he caught every fish on a green-pumpkin and purple-colored Chompers Ultra Pro Tube.
“I dipped the tail in orange as well,” said Samo. “A little bit of orange flash works great on Winneconne because when you open the livewell, it’s filled with orange crawdads that the bass regurgitate.”
“I targeted bass in a slough right off of the main river that had some good grass, coontail and laydowns in it,” said Feldermann, who earned his ninth career-win on the BFL circuit. “I used a black and blue-colored (Berkley Havoc Grass Pig) swimbait in about 3 feet of clean water. The stretch was about a mile long. I stayed in there all day and only had five bites.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Curtis Samo, Rochelle, Ill., five bass, 13-10, $3,431
1st: Mike Feldermann, Galena, Ill., five bass, 13-10, $3,731 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
3rd: Jim Jones, Big Bend, Wis., five bass, 13-6, $1,725
4th: Cade Laufenberg, Winona, Minn., five bass, 13-0, $1,168
5th: Jason Howland, Albert Lea, Minn., five bass, 12-15, $877
5th: Clayton Reitz, Morton, Ill., four bass, 12-15, $877
7th: Brad Leifermann, Andover, Minn., five bass, 12-12, $763
8th: Mike Wilmoth, Onalaska, Wis., five bass, 12-11, $686
9th: Rick Martin, Winter, Wis., five bass, 12-6, $610
10th: Kyler Chelminiak, McKenzie, Tenn., five bass, 12-3, $534
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Mike Ratz of Hudson, Wisconsin, caught a 4-pound, 5-ounce bass – the heaviest of the day in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $665.
Matt Knox of Metamora, Illinois, and John Pliwko of Plover, Wisconsin, each weighed five bass totaling 10 pounds, 7 ounces, to tie for the win in the Co-angler Division. Each angler pocketed $1,716 for their limits.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Matt Knox, Metamora, Ill., five bass, 10-7, $1,716
1st: John Pliwko, Plover, Wis., five bass, 10-7, $1,716
3rd: Mongshoua Xiong, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 9-8, $762
4th: Mike Puterbaugh, Montello, Wis., three bass, 8-15, $534
5th: Tom Lyskawka, Arlington Heights, Ill., four bass, 8-11, $458
6th: Steve Ubersox, Cherry Valley, Ill., four bass, 8-3, $419
7th: Paul Vonwald, La Crosse, Wis., four bass, 7-14, $362
7th: Jaz Duncan, Eau Claire, Wis., four bass, 7-14, $362
9th: Mike Kochanski, Bolingbrook, Ill., four bass, 7-9, $305
10th: Charles Novotny, Mauston, Wis., three bass, 7-7, $267
Rex McTier of Endeavor, Wisconsin, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 3 pounds, 7 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $332.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 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.
MIKE CUNNINGHAM WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL MICHIGAN DIVISION OPENER ON DETROIT RIVER
Redford’s Borsa Claims Co-angler Title
TRENTON, Mich. (June 26, 2017) – Mike Cunningham of Fenton, Michigan, caught five bass weighing 23 pounds, 1 ounce, Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Michigan Division opener on the Detroit River. Cunningham took home $3,718 for his victory.
“I’ve been fishing BFL tournaments for a long time and this is my first win – it’s pretty special,” said Cunningham, whose previous top finish in BFL competition was a 19th-place showing on Lake St. Clair in 2015. “I targeted a ridge in Lake Erie that had a nice flat. It stayed active until noon and then it shut down.”
Cunningham said he began his day using a green pumpkin-colored Smack Daddy Baby Elite Tube. He said he put a couple of good fish in the boat, but decided to switch techniques after losing two 4- and 5-pounders.
“After I lost the bigger fish I picked up my drop-shot rod and went to work,” said Cunningham. “I used a Poor Boy’s Erie Darter in 12 feet of water and stuck them hard. I probably caught 40 fish, and was releasing 4-pounders at one point. It ended up being a great day out there.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Mike Cunningham, Fenton, Mich., five bass, 23-1, $3,718
2nd: Arthur Teper, Lake Orion, Mich., five bass, 22-1, $2,544
3rd: Kyle Greene, Ortonville, Mich., five bass, 21-12, $1,338
4th: Dan Mittlestat, Woodhaven, Mich., five bass, 20-9, $867
5th: David Reault, Livonia, Mich., five bass, 19-11, $744
6th: Mark Modrak, China Township, Mich., five bass, 19-5, $982
7th: Randy Ramsey, Burlington, Mich., five bass, 19-0, $620
8th: Michael Sitko, Pinckney, Mich., five bass, 18-12, $558
9th: Freddy Hurley, Somerset, Ky., five bass, 18-10, $496
10th: Jerry Arnett, Mexico, Ind., five bass, 18-9, $434
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Teper caught a 5-pound, 11-ounce bass – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $485.
Philip Borsa of Redford, Michigan, caught five bass weighing 19 pounds, 5 ounces, Saturday to win the Co-angler Division and $1,859.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Philip Borsa, Redford, Mich., five bass, 19-5, $1,859
2nd: Aaron Stahley, Batavia, Ohio, five bass, 18-4, $974
2nd: Jeffrey Thomson, Birmingham, Mich., five bass, 18-4, $774
4th: John Lovin, Fayetteville, Ohio, five bass, 17-14, $555
5th: Jerry Propst, Jasper, Texas, five bass, 17-11, $422
6th: Cyril Haxton, Peru, Ind., five bass, 17-10, $325
6th: Robert Hernandez, Canton, Mich., five bass, 17-10, $325
8th: Jamie Elliott, Warsaw, Ind., five bass, 17-9, $279
9th: Erik Jacques, Harrison Township, Mich., five bass, 17-5, $248
10th: Matt Vermilyea, Perrysburg, Ohio, five bass, 16-12, $206
10th: Dan O’Neil, Canton, Mich., five bass, 16-12, $206
John Murphy of Mooresville, Indiana, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 4 pounds, 12 ounces – and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $121.
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.
Bo Hunter wins ABA RAM Trucks Open on Logan Martin with over 17 pound limit.
Bo Hunter won the American Bass Anglers Ram Truck Open Series Georgia Division tournament, held June 24th on Logan Martin. Running out of Lakeside Park in Pell City, Bo caught five bass weighing 17.62 pounds. For the Boater Division victory, Hunter took home a check for $5000.
“The bite started off real strong. We probably caught twenty to thirty fish this morning. I was fishing in about five to six feet of water in the current up the river with a swimbait. Then on our way in we stopped by a spot to help my co-angler cull a smaller fish, and I made one cast with a crankbait and caught a five pounder.” Hunter said.
In second for the boaters, Josh Stracner of Vandiver, AL landed a five-bass tournament limit going 16.35 pounds. He collected $800 for his catch. Stracner is also Triton Gold qualified and will win additional monies from Triton based on his finish.
“I caught most of my fish early and shallow today, and I caught that one good fish later in the day in some brush in about fifteen feet of water. I started off fishing top-water and swimming a jig.” Stracner said.
Coming in third, Jimmy Bahakel of Birmingham, AL caught five bass going 15.00 pounds. He collected $600 for his catch.
“I caught all my fish but one on a deep diving crankbait. The very first keeper that I caught was on a swim-jig in the grass. I culled quite a few as the day went on. My fish came between ten to fifteen feet deep today.” Bahakel said.
Finishing fourth, Kyle Dorsett of Odenville, AL landed a five-bass limit for 14.66 pounds.
Marty Giddens of Eclectic, AL rounded out the top five boaters with five bass at 12.90 pounds.
The boater big bass award went to Kyle Dorsett of Odenville, AL for a 5.94-pounder. collected $490 for that catch, and also took home a new Abu Garcia Revo SX spinning reel for that catch.
“I caught that fish on a shaky head worm around fourteen feet deep on a brush pile.” Dorsett said.
In the Co-Angler Division, Justin Girdner of Wetumpka, AL won with three bass going 7.41 pounds. For the Co-Angler Division victory, Justin took home a check for $900.
“I caught my fish on a swim-bait and a few on a jig up the river in about five to six feet of water. If I would have caught everything I hooked, I would’ve had about twelve pounds today.” Girdner said.
Taking second for the co-anglers, James Walden of Newnan, GA brought in a three-bass division limit weighing 7.18 pounds. He collected $400 for the effort.
“I caught most of my fish on a frog in the grass and around docks today. I just never had a big bite today.” Walden said.
Lenn McManus of Bowden, GA placed third among the co-anglers with three bass going 6.96 pounds including a big bass that weighed 4.01-pounds. He earned $300 for his catch and an additional $140 for the big bass award.
“I caught my fish on a shaky head today and I caught that big fish around 10:00am this morning.” McManus said.
In fourth place among the co-anglers, Eldred Lewis of Tuscaloosa, AL brought in three bass for 6.62 pounds.
Jonathan Adams of Phenix City, AL finished in fifth place with three bass at 6.57 pounds.
Slated for September 23rd & 24th, the next tournament will be the Area 3 Championship to be held on Lake Eufaula out of Lakepoint Resort State Park in Eufaula, AL. At the end of the season, the best anglers from across the nation advance the 2018 Ray Scott Championship, to be held on the Red River in Bossier City, LA.
For more information on this tournament, call Billy Benedetti, tournament manager, at 256-230-5632 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.
MICHAEL MURPHY WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL BUCKEYE DIVISION EVENT ON INDIAN LAKE
Hamilton’s Wilkens Claims Co-angler Title
LAKEVIEW, Ohio (June 26, 2017) – Michael Murphy of Troy, Ohio, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Buckeye Division tournament on Indian Lake Saturday with a five-bass limit weighing 11 pounds, 2 ounces. For his win, Murphy took home $4,610.
“When I found out I won, it was unbelievable,” said Murphy, who earned his first career-victory in FLW competition. “I’ve wanted that trophy for a long time. I never expected it in a million years.”
To craft his limit, Murphy said he sat in 3 feet of water and threw a shad-colored Luck-E-Strike RC2 crankbait along small rock patches between seawalls.
“I hit a 150-yard stretch around Wolf Island,” said Murphy. “I caught my limit within the first 40 minutes of the event, culled one in the next hour and caught my biggest fish at 9:15 (a.m.). The wind was blowing into the bank, and I think it was pushing baitfish into the rock patches. It was one of those magical mornings.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Michael Murphy, Troy, Ohio, five bass, 11-2, $4,610
2nd: Daniel Sepeck, West Union, Ohio, five bass, 10-10, $2,505
3rd: Chris Bulaw, Wheaton, Ill., five bass, 10-1, $1,536
4th: Dan Moran, London, Ohio, five bass, 9-10, $1,176
5th: James Mayle, Newark, Ohio, five bass, 9-6, $845
5th: John Roth, Lawrenceburg, Ind., four bass, 9-6, $845
5th: James Hailstones, Cincinnati, Ohio, five bass, 9-6, $845
8th: Kyle Weisenburger, Ottawa, Ohio, five bass, 9-4, $614
8th: Tony Newland, Belle Center, Ohio, five bass, 9-4, $614
8th: Brandon Good, Fort Jennings, Ohio, four bass, 9-4, $614
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Dave Perry of Trenton, Ohio, caught a bass weighing 4 pounds, 7 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $670.
Brent Wilkens of Hamilton, Ohio, won the Co-angler Division and $2,505 Saturday after weighing five bass totaling 10 pounds, 5 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Brent Wilkens, Hamilton, Ohio, five bass, 10-5, $2,505
2nd: Adam Coleman, Canal Winchester, Ohio, five bass, 8-7, $1,152
3rd: Ryan McCusker, Beaver Falls, Pa., five bass, 7-3, $768
4th: Alexander Datz, Thornville, Ohio, three bass, 6-15, $923
5th: Jon Angstmann, Saint Marys, Ohio, five bass, 6-13, $461
6th: Dennis Blakely, Norwalk, Ohio, four bass, 6-6, $423
7th: Bradley Fulton, Ray, Ohio, four bass, 6-3, $384
8th: Roy Lester, Hamilton, Ohio, three bass, 5-15, $346
9th: Alfie Bricker, West Portsmouth, Ohio, three bass, 5-8, $307
10th: Jeffrey Lewis, Greenup, Ky., three bass, 5-5, $269
Datz weighed the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a 4-pound, 12-ouncer. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $335.
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.
Floyd, Gibbons Overcome Adversity To Win Bassmaster High School National Championship
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RON NELSON WINS COSTA FLW SERIES NORTHERN DIVISION EVENT ON LAKE CHAMPLAIN PRESENTED BY POWER-POLE
Fourth-Year Boater Bests 195-boat Field – Largest in Northern Division History – to Earn Second Career Victory, $93,200
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (June 24, 2017) – Pro Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs, Michigan, who started the day in third place, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 18 pounds, 9 ounces to jump to the top of the leaderboard and win the Costa FLW Series Northern Division event on Lake Champlain presented by Power-Pole. Nelson’s three-day total of 15 bass weighing 54 pounds, 9 ounces, was enough to earn him the win by a 10-ounce margin and the first place prize package worth $93,200, including a new Ranger Z521C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
Nelson weighed a mixed bag of three largemouth bass and two smallmouth bass on each of the three days of competition and was the only competitor to surpass the 18-pound mark on Saturday. On Thursday, Nelson started off sight-fishing smallmouths and targeting largemouth later in the day. On Friday, he did the opposite, ditching the early smallmouth and heading to his largemouth grounds. Then, with better weather in the afternoon, the Michigan pro culled twice with smallmouth caught off beds. Saturday, Nelson again targeted the largemouth early, before moving to the bedding smallmouth, then back to the largemouth.
“When I was fishing for the smallmouth I threw an (Poor Boy’s) Erie Darter on a stand-up head jig,” said Nelson, who earned his second career FLW Series event – the first coming on Virginia’s Smith Mountain Lake in 2013. “For the largemouth I threw a Beaver, the Darter and a Yamamoto Senko. It didn’t matter what color I threw, they were biting pretty much anything. I found a couple of largemouth on beds and they were as aggressive as the smallmouth were.
“The Costa FLW Series events are always extremely tough and a lot of fun,” Nelson went on to say. “I enjoy fishing all over the country and the challenge of figuring each lake out. Lake Champlain fishes pretty similarly to my lakes back home and I knew that I was going to be able to come here and just have fun. I was glad just to be in the top 10, but to come out of here with a win is pretty special.”
The top 10 pros on Lake Champlain were:
1st: Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich., 15 bass, 54-9, $93,200
2nd: Chris Adams, Shrewsbury, Vt., 15 bass, 53-15, $19,600
3rd: Thomas Lavictoire Jr., W. Rutland, Vt., 15 bass, 52-3, $14,000
4th: Chris Johnston, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, 15 bass, 52-3, $12,000
5th: Brett Carnright, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 15 bass, 52-0, $11,000
6th: Shayne McFarlin, Martin, Ga., 15 bass, 51-14, $9,000
7th: Neil Farlow, Niagra Falls, Ontario, Canada, 15 bass, 51-8, $7,800
8th: Ryan Latinville, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 15 bass, 51-8, $6,800
9th: Scott Dobson, Clarkston, Mich., 15 bass, 50-12, $5,800
10th: Rob Lamoy, Chazy, N.Y., 15 bass, 48-13, $4,400
A complete list of results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Kurt Mitchell of Milford, Delaware, caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 11 ounces Thursday – the biggest of the tournament in the Pro Division. For his catch, Mitchell earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $300.
Daniel Weaver of Macon, Georgia, won the Co-angler Division and a new Ranger Z175 boat with a 90-horsepower Evinrude outboard motor. Weaver earned his win with a three-day total catch of 15 bass weighing 44 pounds, 1 ounce.
The top 10 co-anglers on Lake Champlain were:
1st: Daniel Weaver, Macon, Ga., 15 bass, 44-1, $28,100
2nd: Bill Spence, Saint Albans, Vt., 15 bass, 44-0, $6,000
3rd: Tom Stark, Angola, Ind., 15 bass, 40-5, $4,800
4th: Mike Mueller, Berryville, Va., 15 bass, 39-13, $3,900
5th: Greg Mauldin, Archdale, N.C., 15 bass, 39-9, $3,450
6th: Gary Haraguchi, Redding, Calif., 15 bass, 39-7, $2,900
7th: John McBride, Mount Airy, N.C., 15 bass, 38-13, $2,400
8th: Greg Tesch, Middlebury, Conn., 15 bass, 38-8, $1,950
9th: Edward Pecore, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 15 bass, 37-13, $1,580
10th: Tim Saylor, Johnson City, Tenn., 15 bass, 37-10, $1,330
Jason Bezio of Plattsburgh, New York, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division Thursday, a largemouth weighing 4 pounds, 9 ounces, and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $200.
The Costa FLW Series on Lake Champlain presented by Power-Pole was hosted by the City of Plattsburgh and the Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau. It was the first of three Northern Division tournaments in 2017. The next Costa FLW Series tournament will be the second Northern Division event, held July 27-29, at 1,000 Islands in Clayton, New York. 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.
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.
BASS CHAMPS ANNOUNCES 2018 SCHEDULE!
| 2018 Bass Champs Schedules | ||||
| Date | Region | Lake | Type | Payback |
| 1/13/2018 | South | Amistad | team | $20k Guaranteed 1st Place |
| 1/20/2018 | East | Sam Rayburn | team | $20k Guaranteed 1st Place |
| 2/3/2018 | Central | Travis | team | $20k Guaranteed 1st Place |
| 2/10/2018 | South | Falcon | team | $20k Guaranteed 1st Place |
| 2/17/2018 | East | Toledo Bend | team | $20k Guaranteed 1st Place |
| 2/24/2018 | North | Lake Fork | team | $20k Guaranteed 1st Place |
| 3/3/2018 | Central | LBJ | team | $20k Guaranteed 1st Place |
| 3/10/2018 | East | Sam Rayburn | team | $20k Guaranteed 1st Place |
| 3/17/2018 | Mega Bass | Lake Fork | big bass | Over $200,000 Guaranteed |
| 3/24/2018 | South | Amistad | team | $20k Guaranteed 1st Place |
| 4/7/2018 | North | Ray Roberts | team | $20k Guaranteed 1st Place |
| 4/14/2018 | Central | Belton | team | $20k Guaranteed 1st Place |
| 4/21/2018 | South | Amistad | team | $20k Guaranteed 1st Place |
| 5/5/2018 | Central | TBA | team | $20k Guaranteed 1st Place |
| 5/12/2018 | East | Toledo Bend | team | $20k Guaranteed 1st Place |
| 5/19/2018 | North | Tawakoni | team | $20k Guaranteed 1st Place |
| 6/9/2018 | Skeeter Owners | Fork | big bass | Over $200,000 Guaranteed |
| 6/16/2018 | North | Cedar Creek | team | $20k Guaranteed 1st Place |
| 6/23/2018 | Techron TX Shootout | Sam Rayburn | team | $50k Guaranteed 1st Place |
| 10/13 & 10/14 | Championship | TBA | team | Over $200,000 Guaranteed |
| 10/20 & 10/21 | Berkley Big Bass | Fork | big bass | 2 Skeeter boats Guaranteed |
| All lakes and dates are subject to change based on weather & lake levels Additional events will be announced as they become available. Special Note: The Mega Bass event will be on Saturday in 2018 |
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Alabama High School Team Grabs Early Lead In Bassmaster High School National Championship
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MCFARLIN LEADS ON CHAMPLAIN
June 22, 2017
by Jody White
Leading day one of the Costa FLW Series event presented by Power-Pole on Lake Champlain, Shayne McFarlin of Martin, Ga., sacked up 19 pounds, 7 ounces of smallmouths to get the ball rolling. Behind him, he’s got a murderer’s row of out-of-town Champlain sticks and locals from Vermont and New York. Though the fishing was good on day one, weights fell slightly short of some pre-tournament expectations. Even so, eight of the top 10 weighed more than 18 pounds, and in true Champlain style, 10th place is only 1 1/2 pounds off the lead.
Top five patterns
Morning story
Complete results
Like many others up high in the standings, McFarlin relied heavily on spawning smallmouths for his weight and fished the northern half of the lake.
“I pretty much stayed local,” says the Georgia pro. “I’ve got probably 20 fish marked, and I caught three of the biggest I had today. I left a few because I found a few bonus fish. I’m trying to save ’em. I don’t want to be greedy, but honestly I didn’t think I had 19 pounds.”
The forecast for Friday doesn’t look pretty. It’s supposed to blow pretty hard and storm, which could put a damper on some of the sight-fishing. Luckily for the leader he has other options.
“That’s not my only way of catching them,” says McFarlin. “I don’t know what the rain and the wind are going to do tomorrow, but it’s been making it tough all week in practice.”
McFarlin finished 10th as a co-angler in last year’s FLW Tour event on Champlain, and he enjoyed it so much he figured he needed to return.
“It was a lot of fun,” says McFarlin of last year’s fishing. “It’s a long ways from Georgia, but it’s worth it.”
Top 10 pros
1. Shayne McFarlin – Martin, Ga. – 19-7 (5)
2. Chris Adams – Shrewsbury, Vt. – 18-13 (5)
3. Ron Nelson – Berrien Springs, Mich. – 18-10 (6)
4. Thomas Lavictoire Jr. – West Rutland, Vt. – 18-9 (5)
5. Neil Farlow – Niagara Falls, Ont. – 18-4 (5)
6. JJ Judd – Saint Albans, Vt. – 18-3 (5)
7. Bob Izumi – Milton, Ont. – 18-2 (5)
8. Cory Johnston – Cavan, Ont. – 18-1 (5)
9. Brett Carnright – Plattsburgh, N.Y. – 17-15 (5)
10. Casey Casamento – Morrisonville, N.Y. – 17-14 (5)
Complete results
Daniel Weaver
Weaver leads co-anglers
Weighing 18 pounds, 7 ounces, Daniel Weaver jumped out to a dominating lead on the co-angler side at Champlain. Hailing from Macon, Ga., Weaver is the brother of FLW Tour pro Josh Weaver and had never been to Champlain before this week.
“It started out real slow, and then they started biting real good,” says Weaver. “I wasn’t getting many bites, but the ones that bit were good.”
Weaver fished down south by Ticonderoga with Daryl Biron and was one of the few anglers in the field who had any success there. He even managed to weigh in a smallmouth from “Ti.”
“I had a 4 1/2-pound smallmouth,” adds Weaver. “We caught it down there. I just flipped up next to a dark spot, and it started swimming off and ended up being a big ol’ smallmouth.”
Weaver says he flipped mostly, but changed to a topwater late in the day for some of his bigger bites. On the day, he says he landed 10 bass and culled three times.
Top 10 co-anglers
1. Daniel Weaver – Macon, Ga. – 18-7 (5)
2. Tim Saylor – Johnson City, Tenn. – 16-2 (5)
3. Justin Hicks – Roanoke, Va. – 16-1 (5)
4. Tom Stark – Angola, Ind. – 15-4 (5)
5. Wataru Iwahori – Palestine, Texas – 14-15 (5)
6. Brent Lyons – Altona, N.Y. – 14-11 (5)
7. Bill Spence – Saint Albans, Vt. – 14-9 (5)
8. Kyle Richardt – Raleigh, N.C. – 14-8 (5)
9. Jack Dice – Lynchburg, Va. – 14-7 (5)
10. Darius Kohl – Raymond, Neb. – 14-6 (5)
FLW Cup Field Set for Lake Murray August 11-13, 2017
From FLW Outdoors
June 21, 2017
With the conclusion of the FLW Tour season, the field is now set for the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Murray. Pitting 53 of the best anglers around against each other for $300,000 and the title of Forrest Wood Cup Champion August 11-13, the Cup is the premier championship of the summer. This year, most of the field is comprised of FLW Tour pros plucked from the top 35 in the standings, with additional qualifiers pulled from lower in the points due to some double qualifiers. The rest of the field comes from all throughout the FLW ranks – from YETI FLW College Fishing to the Costa FLW Series.
2017 FLW Tour qualifiers
Anthony Gagliardi – Prosperity, S.C.
Jeff Sprague – Point, Texas
David Dudley – Lynchburg, Va.
Cody Meyer – Auburn, Calif.
Shane LeHew – Catawba, N.C.
Bryan Schmitt – Deale, Md.
Shinichi Fukae – Palestine, Texas
Mark Rose – West Memphis, Ark.
Michael Neal – Dayton, Tenn.
Brandon Cobb – Greenwood, S.C.
Wesley Strader – Spring City, Tenn.
Clark Reehm – Huntington, Texas
Jamie Horton – Centerville, Ala.
Brandon McMillan – Clewiston, Fla.
Clark Wendlandt – Leander, Texas
Bradley Dortch – Atmore, Ala.
Larry Nixon – Bee Branch, Ark.
Casey Scanlon – Lake Ozark, Mo.
Matt Arey – Shelby, N.C.
Justin Atkins – Florence, Ala.
Terry Bolton – Paducah, Ky.
Austin Felix – Eden Prairie, Minn.
JT Kenney – Palm Bay, Fla.
Scott Martin – Clewiston, Fla.
Scott Canterbury – Odenville, Ala.
Chris McCall – Palmer, Texas
Matthew Stefan – Junction City, Wis.
Andrew Upshaw – Tulsa, Okla.
Scott Suggs – Alexander, Ark.
Michael Wooley – Collierville, Tenn.
Joseph Webster – Fulton, Miss.
Joey Cifuentes – Clinton, Ark.
Jason Reyes – Huffman, Texas
Aaron Britt – Yuba City, Calif.
Darrel Robertson – Jay, Okla.
2016 Forrest Wood Cup Champion
John Cox – DeBary, Fla.
2016 FLW Tour Angler of the Year
Andy Morgan – Dayton, Tenn.
2016 FLW Tour Invitational winners
Bryan Thrift – Shelby, N.C.
James Watson – Lampe, Mo.
2016 Costa FLW Series Championship
Southeastern Division
Pat Fisher – Colbert, Ga.
Southwestern Division
Cody Bird – Granbury, Texas
Central Division
Greg Bohannan – Rogers, Ark.
Northern Division
Joel Richardson – Kernersville, N.C.
Western Division
Roy Hawk – Lake Havasu City, Ariz.
International Division
Hyochul Kim – Korea
Next 5 highest Costa Championship finishers
Zack Birge – Blanchard, Okla.
Christopher Jones – Bokoshe, Okla.
Travis Fox – Rogers, Ark.
Jeremy Lawyer – Sarcoxie, Mo.
Bradford Beavers – Ridgeville, S.C.
2017 BFL All-American winner
Marshall Deakins – Dunlap, Tenn.
2017 TBF National Champion
Allen Boyd – Salem, Ind.
2017 YETI FLW College Fishing Fish-Off winner
Kyle Alsop – Overland Park, Kan.
Alabama Duo Wins Bassmaster Junior Championship In Tennessee!
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Texas Team Trail Announces 2018 Schedule - Strong mix of popular venues for upcoming season
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NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. (June 20, 2017) - The Texas Team Trail (TXTT) presented by Cabela's recently unveiled the 2018 schedule, which includes stops at some of the most popular tournament bass lakes in the country.
The regular season will kick off February 10, 2017 at Sam Rayburn Reservoir - a favorite stop for many TXTT anglers. The following month, the TXTT will return to Toledo Bend, which produced a 30-pound winning bag at the 2017 TXTT event on the lake.
The TXTT will return to the site of its 2012 championship with a stop at south Texas' Amistad Reservoir in April. The regular season will wrap up on Ray Roberts Lake in May, which has hosted TXTT in years past.
The two-day, entry-fee championship will be announced at a later date and will once again feature higher payout and contingency prize opportunities. The TXTT Lucas Oil Team of the Year will be decided at the championship event as well. The team that has accrued the highest amount of points from the regular-season and championship events will win custom Lucas Oil rings and paid entry fees for the 2019 TXTT season.
2018 TXTT scheduled events:
February 10 - Sam Rayburn
March 17 - Toledo Bend
April 14 - Amistad
May 5 - Ray Roberts
Championship
June 2-3 - TBA
Texas Team Trail events are made possible through the sponsorship and continued support of these well-respected brands: Cabela's, Ranger Boats, Lucas Oil, RAM, Evinrude, Mercury, Minn Kota, Triton Boats, Power-Pole, Evinrude, Arctic Ice, Stratos Boats, Lowrance, Protect the Harvest, General Tire, SuperClean, Garmin, Valley Fashions, T-H Marine, Atlas, G-Juice, Powertex Group.
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DORTCH WINS FLW TOUR ROOKIE OF THE YEAR TITLE
MINNEAPOLIS (June 20, 2017) – Pro angler Bradley Dortch of Atmore, Alabama, finished the 2017 FLW Tour regular-season in 18th place overall – the highest of any Tour rookie – with 1,087 points, earning him the prestigious FLW Tour Rookie of the Year (ROY) title.
Each year, the ROY title is awarded to the rookie pro who has the highest year-end point total in the standings at the conclusion of the regular-season. Dortch secured the crown at the 2017 season-finale on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland, last week, finishing the tournament in 86th place and qualifying for his first Forrest Wood Cup championship appearance.
“Making the Forrest Wood Cup was my main goal this season, but winning Rookie of the Year is a nice bonus,” said Dortch. “I know guys like (Quaker State pro) Scott Canterbury have won this title and have gone on to excel at this level, so to be in the same category as them means the world to me.”
Dortch was an early front-runner for the ROY title after posting a strong 15th-place finish in his first event as a professional on Lake Guntersville in Guntersville, Alabama. He stumbled a bit after landing in 87th at Lake Travis in Jonestown, Texas, but quickly rebounded with a victory at the Tour’s third stop on the Harris Chain of Lakes in Leesburg, Florida.
Dortch spent most of the season neck-and-neck in the ROY race with fellow Alabama rookie Justin Atkins, of Florence, Alabama. After an 85th place showing on Lake Cumberland in Somerset, Kentucky, Dortch finished 14th on Beaver Lake in Rogers, Arkansas, and pulled comfortably ahead of Atkins to sit atop the standings. At the sixth event of the season on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin, Dortch finished 32nd while Atkins finished 10th, putting the title back up for grabs as the race came down to a dramatic finish on the Potomac River.
“I knew it was going to come down to me and Justin at the end,” said Dortch. “When the schedule came out last year, I was glad to see the Potomac River in there because I figured it would be my kind of deal. But, I never thought it would be the make-or-break tournament for Rookie of the Year, or that I would even be in the running.”
Dortch ended up placing 86th on the Potomac River, but Atkins’ 47th-place finish wasn’t enough to close the gap and Dortch clinched the coveted title by 11 points.
The top 5 rookies on the 2017 FLW Tour finished:
1st: *Bradley Dortch, Atmore, Ala., 1,087 points
2nd: *Justin Atkins, Florence, Ala., 1,076 points
3rd: *Joey Cifuentes, Clinton, Ark., 992 points
4th: *Aaron Britt, Yuba City, Calif., 981 points
5th: Dylan Hays, Sheridan, Ark., 877 points
* denotes 2017 Forrest Wood Cup qualification
The FLW Tour Rookie of the Year title is determined by the total accumulated points from regular-season events. Two hundred points are awarded for a win, 199 for second, 198 for third, and so on.
The next FLW Tour event for Dortch will be the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup championship held on Lake Murray, August 11-13, in Columbia, South Carolina.
For 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.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2017 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 274 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
Thrift Claims Second FLW Angler of the Year Title
MINNEAPOLIS (June 20, 2017) – Pro angler Bryan Thrift of Shelby, North Carolina, capped off an incredible season this weekend, winning his second FLW Tour Angler of the Year (AOY) title and the $100,000 prize Saturday at the FLW Tour's final 2017 regular-season event on the Potomac River.
Thrift started the FLW Tour season off with back-to-back second-place finishes in February at Alabama’s Lake Guntersville and Lake Travis in Texas. He posted a sixth-place showing in March on the Harris Chain of Lakes in Florida, then continued the hot streak through April with finishes of 12th place at Lake Cumberland in Kentucky and a third-place finish at the Tour’s annual stop at Beaver Lake in Arkansas. He wrapped up the season with respectable finishes on two river systems – 59th on the Mississippi River in Wisconsin and 48th on the Potomac River in Maryland.
Thrift now joins an illustrious club of David Dudley (three), Andy Morgan (three), Clark Wendlandt (three), and Jay Yelas (two) as anglers with multiple FLW Tour AOY titles.
"The Angler of the Year is the greatest accomplishment you can have in professional fishing," Thrift said after clinching the title. “You were the best fisherman all year long. Not one tournament, not the championship, but all year long.”
The FLW Tour Angler of the Year title is determined by the total accumulated points from seven regular-season events. Two hundred points are awarded for a win, 199 for second, 198 for third, and so on. Thrift earned the title with 1,275 out of a possible 1,400 points, successfully fending off reigning three-time AOY Morgan (1,231), 2006 AOY Anthony Gagliardi (1,192), Jeff Sprague (1,176), and three-time AOY Dudley (1,161).
Thrift, an 11-year veteran of the Tour, earned his first AOY title in 2010, when he posted top-10 finishes in four of the five regular-season tournaments, then added another at the Forrest Wood Cup.
“It’s nice to finally win it again,” the 37-year old Thrift said. “I think I blew Angler of the Year three or four times since then (2010). To be able to do it the first season we’ve had seven events, to me that’s a huge accomplishment.”
Along with the Angler of the Year title, which annually goes to the Tour’s most dominant bass angler, Thrift earned the top prize of $100,000 and became the first angler to officially punch his ticket to the 2018 Forrest Wood Cup next fall.
Thrift has fished as a professional on the FLW Tour since 2007. Over the past 10 seasons, Thrift has finished outside the top-10 just once in the end of the year AOY standings, an impressive feat when you consider most FLW Tour events feature more than 160 anglers competing each season.
The next FLW Tour event for Thrift will be the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup Championship on Lake Murray, August 11-13 in Columbia, South Carolina.
Coverage of Thrift’s historic Angler of the Year win on the Potomac River will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) Sept. 20 from Noon.-1 p.m. EDT. The Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.
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.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2017 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 274 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
8 Pounder Propels Eighth Grader Into Bassmaster Junior Championship Lead
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BRETT BRUMNETT WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL OKIE DIVISION EVENT ON FORT GIBSON LAKE
El Reno’s Ezell tops Co-angler Division
WAGONER, Okla. (June 19, 2017) – Boater Brett Brumnett of Wagoner, Oklahoma, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 19 pounds, 7 ounces Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Okie Division event on Fort Gibson Lake. Brumnett took home $4,507 for his victory.
“I started out fishing 6 to 8 miles north of takeoff, on the upper end of the lake,” said Brumnett, who earned his first career victory in BFL competition. “About 20 minutes in I caught a 4-pounder on a football jig, but after another hour or so I couldn’t get a bite. So, I started making my way back down the lake.
“I noticed that they were pulling water, so I went and hit a couple of points that had some big wood on it,” Brumnett continued. “I was throwing a chartreuse and white (Strike King) spinnerbait with gold Colorado blades and I ended up catching a 6½-pounder at my first spot. When I caught that one I figured that is what I needed to be doing.”
Brumnett said that he fished shallow for the rest of the afternoon, targeting fish that were feeding on shad around big wood and bushes. He said that he ended up catching seven keepers on the spinnerbait.
“Near the end I came down close to the check-in and got out on a ledge,” Brumnett said. “I picked the football jig back up and caught a nice one with about 10 minutes to go. That fish won me the tournament.”
Brumnett said his jig that caught his first and last fish was a peanut butter and jelly-colored Jewel Football jig with a Gene Larew Biffle Bug trailer.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Brett Brumnett, Wagoner, Okla., five bass, 19-7, $4,507
2nd: James Marsh, Thomas, Okla., five bass, 19-2, $2,253
3rd: Sheldon Collings, Grove, Okla., five bass, 17-13, $1,702
4th: Ed Barton, Vian, Okla., five bass, 17-7, $1,152
5th: Keith Hays, Broken Arrow, Okla., five bass, 17-2, $901
6th: Brad Lankford, Wagoner, Okla., five bass, 16-14, $826
7th: Christopher Jones, Bokoshe, Okla., five bass, 16-8, $751
8th: Paul Loveland, Grove, Okla., five bass, 15-15, $676
9th: Travis McKelvey, Jenks, Okla., five bass, 15-9, $601
10th: Rick Kelley, Ada, Okla., five bass, 15-6, $526
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Don Benson of Eufaula, Oklahoma, caught a 6-pound, 7-ounce bass, which was the heaviest of the tournament in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $655.
Chastin Ezell of El Reno, Oklahoma, weighed in five bass totaling 19 pounds, 1 ounce Saturday to win the Co-angler Division and the top prize of $2,253.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Chastin Ezell, El Reno, Okla., five bass, 19-1, $2,253
2nd: Justin Catcher, Park Hill, Okla., four bass, 16-1, $1,454
3rd: David Lansford, Muskogee, Okla., four bass, 15-11, $751
4th: Colten Hutson, Edmond, Okla., five bass, 14-15, $526
5th: Cord Colwell, Pryor, Okla., three bass, 12-5, $651
6th: Chris Rinehart, Mustang, Okla., five bass, 12-4, $394
6th: Cameron Foster, Wagoner, Okla., four bass, 12-4, $394
8th: David Bowen, Chouteau, Okla., five bass, 11-14, $338
9th: Steve Bradfield, Claremore, Okla., five bass, 11-11, $300
10th: Alex Lane, Ada, Okla., five bass, 11-8, $263
Catcher weighed a 5-pound, 12-ounce bass which also earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award and $327.
The T-H Marine BFL at Fort Gibson Lake was hosted by the Wagoner Area Chamber of Commerce.
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.
Open-Minded Approach Yields Monsoon His First FLW Tour Win!
Tom Monsoor is a happy man. This time last week he had 8 Top 10 finishes in his FLW Tour career. No wins. At the conclusion of Sunday’s weigh in Monsoor hoisted the big trophy that said he was now a champion.
“Couldn’t be any better,” chuckled Monsoor. “I’m tickled pink. That’s the one trophy I didn’t have.”
Monsoor totaled 66 pounds, 11 ounces over 4 days on the Potomac River. He achieved his signature win with his signature lure, the swim jig.
Every bass Monsoor weighed-in fell for a black and blue jig with a Yamamoto Flappin’ Hog trailer.
What makes Monsoor so good with a swim jig that he can beat a full field of professional anglers with a single lure – and the oldest, simplest lure of all at that? In a word, open mindedness. Not the answer you expected of such a seemingly one-track guy? “You know, bass fishing is a learning process. You never stop learning.”
Across the decades his open-minded approach has allowed Monsoor to adapt to the various possibilities that a simple jig presents.
“It’s so versatile I can use it in 30 feet of water or I can use it in 2 feet of water. I’ve got different sizes, different trailers. You know how many different crankbaits there are? It’s the same with a swim jig but nobody knows that. I’ve got 1/8 ounce swim jigs, I’ve got swim jigs up to an ounce. I swim a jig on ledges. Up shallow, I’ll pull up and there will be 5 or 6 guys there not catching anything and I’ll pull up and get them every cast. It’s just knowing how to use it because I’ve done it for 40 years.
“And in those 40 years I’ve learned something. Every year you learn how to expand on it more and more and more. There are different trailers, different sizes, different colors whether you’re fishing shad, or if you’re fishing crayfish. There’s a lot more to it than what people think. It’s so cool. If somebody understands how many ways you can fish that swim jig, it’s unbelievable.”
Of the options available on a swim jig Monsoor says color and trailer choice are the most important considerations. “I’ve gone through a lot of changes on trailers, believe me. I started off with a grub and for 10 years that’s all I threw was a grub. And then I started learning about some other stuff. Gary Yamamoto came up with this 3.5-inch Swim Senko that I don’t think people even know about. They know about the big one, they swim the big one with a hook, like a Senko.
“He made a little one for me that I remember my son and I were down on Okeechobee and he came up to us with a big smile on his face and said, “look at this”. That little thing is a killer, I mean, it’s the perfect size. He went out and made me a perfect trailer for my swim jig.”
Monsoor des stay the course with his line choice. “I use fluorocarbon 99% of the time. I use 16 lb. Sugoi in cover and 10 lb. in open water.”
His years of experience and experimentation have led Monsoor to what he believes is the ultimate rod/reel set up. Lew’s rods and reels with Winn grips. “I thought my hands would slip off the reel handles because they are round, but those Winn grips are amazing.
“And Lew’s has come out with this rod with Winn grips – when you pick one up you’re going to flip out. They are light, I mean light, and you don’t get worn out and they make a reel that matches it.”
Monsoor says the action of the rod allows him to generate reaction bites with a swim jig the way most anglers hope to do with a squarebill crankbait. “The lighter rods don’t wear me out. When you’re swimming a jig through weeds, I’m telling you, it’s work if you fish the weeds the right way. You’ve got to bounce it off each weed and pull it through each weed and then let it sit and when it jumps off the weed like that it’s a reaction strike that drives them nuts.
“I learned some stuff about rods and reels this year that was really cool.”
Monsoor still molds his own jigs, a practice he began when he was frustrated with the quality of hooks found in jigs back when he started fishing with them. He says that the quality of mass=produced jigs has greatly improved but he still makes his own.
“I like a good quality high end hook, light but strong because you’ve got to set the hook at the end of your cast a lot of times.”
Monsoor, being open to new things, relied on 2 spots to sack his winning fish and he had never fished either area before. He caught a quick limit each day in Mason’s Neck where the water was 2 feet deep and held ugly black weeds. His better fish came from the clean green grass of Quantico Bay, a known area that has been pressured to the point that Monsoor could only catch 3 or 4 fish there after fishing the area for 5 or 6 hours each day. But those fish were the difference-makers.
Monsoor will occasionally swim a lure, such as the Swim Senko, without a jig. He’ll also throw a Senko. “But I usually end up coming back to the jig,” he says. The difference is that the jig tends to produce bigger fish.
“I had Darrel Robertson right next to me just killing them for 2 days. He didn’t make the cut. And I mean he’s catching 30 fish – in front of me. But he didn’t have the weight. I was using my jig and he was throwing a Senko.
“A Senko will catch big fish. I’ve caught 10-pounders on them. Brandon McMillan caught two 20-pound bags this week. He was throwing a Senko.” Still, for Monsoor this week, the jig with its skirt and bulkier profile produced bigger bass.
Shane Ellis Wins ABA RAM Trucks AL North Open on Lake Weiss
Shane Ellis of Boaz, AL won the American Bass Angler Ram Truck Opens Series Alabama North tournament, held June 17, 2017 on Lake Weiss. Running out of the Little River Marina and Lodge near Cedar Bluff, Al Ellis caught five bass locking in at 24.19 lbs. with a 6.09 lb. kicker. He took home $5000 for his efforts.
“I was throwing a black and blue jig in the grass. Most of the fish came early, slowing down later in the day. I lost a big one, should have had more but that’s how it goes.” Said Ellis.
In second for the boaters, Bradley Jones of Aragon, GA. Jones landed a five-fish limit weighing in at 17.51 lbs. He took home $1500 for his catch, plus an additional $500 for being the highest placing Triton Gold finisher.
“I caught my fish today on a Strike King 6XD and a football jig. I Caught 8 fish all day culling up once.” Said Jones.
Taking third for the boaters was Greg Lamb of Birchwood, TN. He brought in a weight of 16.91 lbs.
“I was using a DD-22 crankbait today, fishing up river on a ditch break. I only caught 5 fish all day.” Said Lamb.
Fourth goes to John Paulk of Counce, TN with a weight of 16.01 lbs.
Rounding out the top five was Jason Atkins of Section, AL with 15.74 lbs.
Big bass for the boaters goes to Jeff Edmonson with a fish weighing in at 6.13 lbs. He took home a check for $640.
In the co-angler division, Randy Hobbs of Dawson, AL takes first. Hobbs brought in a 3-fish limit weighing in at 11.41 lbs. with a 5.62 lb. kicker. He took home $1700 for his efforts.
“I used a shaky-head all day flipping docks. I was able to cull up a few times.” Said Hobbs.
Taking second for the co-anglers was Stephen Barday of Acworth, Ga. He brought in 3 fish for a weight of 9.78 lbs. with a 5.03 lb. kicker. Stephen walks away with a check for $650.
“I fished a black and blue jig. I just flipped docks all day, it was a real tough day.” Said Barday.
Coming in third was Clyde Hunt of Rome, GA. Clyde brought in a weight of 9.40 lbs. with a 5.02 lb. Kicker. He takes home $450 for his efforts.
“I threw a black and blue jig on the edge of the river. Later we found a good school of fish and threw a crankbait to pull some out.” Said Hunt.
Fourth goes to Tony Hill of Chatsworth, GA with 9.00 lbs.
Rounding out the top five for the co-anglers was Frank Penn of Guntersville, Al with a weight of 8.97 lbs.
Big fish for the co-anglers goes to Nathan Blalock with a beautiful bass weighing in at 5.67 lbs. that fish was worth $300.
Slated for September 9-10, 2017 the Divisional Championship will be held on Chickamauga launching out of Dayton Boat Dock. At the end of the season, the best anglers from across the nation advance the 2018 Ray Scott Championship.
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.
Aaron Batson Wins ABA RAM Trucks Open on Lake Oconee
Aaron Batson of Oxford, GA won the American Bass Anglers Ram Truck Open Series Georgia Division tournament, held June 17th on Lake Oconee.
Running out of Sugar Creek Marina in Buckhead, GA Batson caught five bass weighing 16.34 pounds including a 4.98-pound kicker. For the Boater Division victory, took home a check for $5000 for his win.
“I was fishing mid-lake and I only caught seven fish all day. It was a grind for me. I was junk fishing today. I was fishing docks and scattered wood that I knew about in eight to ten feet of water.” Batson said.
In second for the boaters, Kim Carver of Milledgeville, GA landed a five-bass tournament limit going 15.49 pounds. He collected $1250 for his catch.
“I caught my fish today on a Zoom Brush Hog on a 1/16oz sinker around docks.” Carver said.
Larry Cason of Newborn, GA caught five bass going 14.98 pounds. He collected $900 for his catch.
“I caught ten keepers all day. All but one came on docks with the biggest one on a rock pile. It was a good morning bite and then late in the day the fish turned on again.” Cason said.
Finishing fourth, Dylan Peppers of Good Hope, GA landed a five-bass limit for 13.18 pounds.
Buster Slocumb of Juliette, GA rounded out the top five boaters with five bass at 12.66 pounds.
The boater big bass award went to Kyle Welcher of Opelika, AL for a 5.38-pounder. Welcher collected $660 for that catch.
“I caught that fish in a brush pile off a main lake dock on the South end of the lake. It was around 10:30am and I was fishing a shaky-head and when she hit, she slacked the line.” Welcher said.
In the Co-Angler Division, James E Walden of Newnan, GA won with three bass going 8.42 pounds. For the Co-Angler Division victory, took home a check for $1000 for his win.
“I caught my fish dragging a big worm mid-lake. The fish bit scattered throughout the day. I probably had five keepers today. I want to thank my boater, David Lowery, I had a good time.” Walden said.
Taking second for the co-anglers, Robert Enke of Columbus, GA brought in a three-bass division limit weighing 8.20 pounds. He collected $400 for the effort.
“I caught my fish within sight of the marina today. If not for a dead fish penalty, I would have won. It cost me.” Enke said. “
Joseph Ellington of Statesboro, GA placed third among the co-anglers with three bass going 7.89 pounds. He earned $300 for his catch.
“I caught my fish on top-water first thing this morning and then it was tough. I lost one fish that would have helped me today but it happens.” Ellington said.
In fourth place among the co-anglers, Michael Mincey of Zebulon, GA brought in three bass for 5.68 pounds.
Timothy Woods of Midville, GA finished in fifth place with two bass at 5.38 pounds.
The co-angler big bass award went to Ray Holloway of Eatonton, GA for a 4.84-pounder. Holloway collected $145 for that catch.
“I caught that fish on a 3/16oz shaky-head with a Zoom Trick worm fishing a shallow mid-lake dock around 8:30am.” Holloway said.
Slated for September 23rd & 24th, the next tournament will be the Area 3 Championship to be held on Lake Eufaula out of Lakepoint Resort State Park in Eufaula, AL. At the end of the season, the best anglers from across the nation advance the 2018 Ray Scott Championship, to be held on the Red River in Bossier City, LA.
For more information on this tournament, call Billy Benedetti, tournament manager, at 256-230-5632 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.
CHRIS MYERS WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL HOOSIER DIVISION EVENT ON LAKE MONROE
Hamilton’s Sykes tops Co-angler Division
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (June 19, 2017) – Boater Chris Myers of Madison, Indiana, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 16 pounds, 13 ounces Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Hoosier Division event on Lake Monroe presented by Navionics. Myers took home $6,394 for his victory.
“Summertime in the Hoosier division is tough fishing,” said Myers, who earned his third career BFL win – second on Lake Monroe. “To win you have to have a perfect day. You have to boat every keeper that bites and I did – I had six bites all day long and I boated them all.
“The key for me in this event was mental strength,” Myers continued. “I had engine problems on Friday, the day before the tournament. It wouldn’t even start. I took it to a local dealer and they fixed some loose wires and got it to where it would start, go forward and in reverse. I didn’t even have time to take it out on the water and make sure that I could get on plane.
“I didn’t want to take a chance during game day and I didn’t want to get too far away because I didn’t want to break down again, so all day long I fished no further than 2 miles from the launch ramp – all idle, never once on plane.”
Myers said that he caught his six keepers on Texas-rigged soft plastic worms – 5-inch green pumpkin, 7-inch electric blue and 12-inch solid black.
“I caught them as shallow as 6 inches and as deep as 12 feet,” Myers said. “I don’t think that size or color mattered. I was fishing shallow buck brush and deep water stumps and rock piles. Three came shallow and three came deep.
“You have to have the right kind of makeup to fish bass tournaments,” Myers went on to say. “Tough things happen to everybody, and when they happen to you, you have to embrace it. I certainly did not think that I was going to win, but I thought that if I put my head down and fished hard that I could possibly cash a check. It turned out that my day was better than that.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Chris Myers, Madison, Ind., five bass, 16-13, $6,394
2nd: Frank McClain, Scottsburg, Ind., five bass, 14-15, $2,197
3rd: Jeramiah Sifers, New Albany, Ind., five bass, 14-6, $1,464
4th: Scott Bateman, Jasper, Ind., five bass, 14-0, $1,225
5th: Brad Stogsdill, Nashville, Ind., five bass, 12-14, $879
6th: James Richardson Jr., Cincinnati, Ohio, five bass, 11-0, $805
7th: Phil Hunt, Connersville, Ind., three bass, 10-15, $732
8th: David Spivey, Hamilton, Ohio, three bass, 10-14, $1,552
8th: Shane Oxford, Saint Meinrad, Ind., five bass, 10-14, $622
10th: Bryce Kalen, Indianapolis, Ind., four bass, 10-10, $513
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Spivey caught a 6-pound, 10-ounce bass, which was the heaviest of the tournament in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $630.
Ryan Skyes of Hamilton, Ohio weighed in five bass totaling 16 pounds, 11 ounces Saturday to win the Co-angler Division and the top prize of $2,393.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Ryan Sykes, Hamilton, Ohio, five bass, 16-11, $2,393
2nd: David Jenkins, Shelbyville, Ind., two bass, 10-15, $1,406
3rd: Gary Hoffman, Stoutsville, Ohio, two bass, 6-13, $621
3rd: Leroy Miller, Napoleon, Ohio, two bass, 6-13, $621
5th: Charlie Kuebler, Jasper, Ind., three bass, 6-11, $439
6th: Jim Betts, Fort Wayne, Ind., two bass, 5-14, $402
7th: Jason Bailey, Mooresville Ind., two bass, 5-13, $347
7th: Dave Roberts, Indianapolis, Ind., one bass, 5-13, $347
9th: Greg Roberts, Columbus, Ind., two bass, 5-10, $292
10th: Tyler Buell, Lafayette, Ind., two bass, 5-8, $256
Jenkins weighed a 6-pound, 4-ounce bass which earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award and $310.
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.
FLW Tour pro Tom Redington hosting 400 Scouts fishing in NYC this week
With fishing poles in hand and fishing superstars at the ready to give pointers, the first experience of reeling in a catch next week for hundreds of young New Yorkers is sure to be a memorable one.
New York City may not be what you imagine when you think of prime fishing holes. But Brooklyn’s Prospect Park is exactly where 400 to 500 kids will be angling alongside Fishing League Worldwide tour pros Tom Redington and Grae Buck Tuesday evening.
What makes Brooklyn Fishing Day even more exciting? Zebco is giving the first 400 boys registered for the event a free rod and reel.
That means some New York City families who may rarely have the chance to fish will be equipped to cast a line in their own urban backyard.
Cub Scouts and Outdoor Adventures
Brooklyn Fishing Day is one way Boy Scouts of America brings outdoor adventure to youth in all parts of the country. The event marks one of Scouting’s many opportunities for children and families to learn about the outdoors from a hands-on, unique perspective.
All interested families are invited to attend this free fishing event and experience the types of activities Scouting offers.
Brooklyn Fishing Day will take place Tuesday, June 20 at Prospect Park Boat House (101 East Dr, Brooklyn, NY 11225) from 5 to 9 p.m.
There is still time to sign your kids up. Interested families can register for this free event at bsa-gnyc.org/fishbrooklyn.
Share this post with someone you think should be hooked on Scouting.
Hawkins Wins ABA Open on Bob Sandlin with help of 10.39 BIG Fish!!!
Joel Hawkins won the American Bass Anglers Ram Truck Open Series Texas East Division, held June 17th at Lake Bob Sandlin.
Running out of Public Ramp No 1 near Mt Pleasant, TX, a picture-perfect morning with a slight breeze set the day at takeoff with partly cloudy skies. The field was able to take off right on time around 5:45 AM. Weigh in started at 2 PM still giving the anglers over 8 hours to fish as the heat index pushed over 100 degrees and made it a welcome to come off the water.
Joel Hawkins is out of Irving, TX and was very pleased to manage a five-fish limit weighing 19.43 lbs., landing a massive 10.39-pound kicker around 8:00 AM to anchor his bag. For the boater division victory, he took home a check for $5000.00 and an additional $460.00 for big bass.
“Man, Scott Dean and I were doing the exact same thing today with almost the same bait. I was throwing a Carolina rig with June bug but the big fish came on a 6 XD. When she hit, it felt like I hung a stump, then it moved… I hollered at my partner to get the net and look in the side compartment for my other pair of shorts because I may need them too! She jumped about 3 times just like a smallmouth but I have to say this. These coanglers that fish with us are some great anglers. I had Jeff Grubbs with me today. He asked me this morning if I wanted him to net my fish and I told him, if I need it you will know. He was right there and knew exactly what to do, and how. It was awesome. The last time I fished this lake was 1998 and I won that tournament, and 30 minutes after we took off this morning I had almost 20 lbs. I think I may start fishing here some more.” Said Hawkins.
In second for the boaters, Carlisle Tire and ABA Pro Staff member Scott Dean of Terrell, TX landed a five-bass limit weighing 18.12 lbs held up by his 8.28 lb kicker. He collected $700.00.
“I was doing the opposite of my buddy Jackie today, I was out deep. I caught most of my fish on a 6XD between 14-16 ft. A lot of the fish were suspended a bit and you just had to crank a lot to get the bites. Most of them would hit the bait just as it came off the bottom and started to lift it back to the boat. The fish moved around a little bit and you had to try and stay with them but catching an 8 lber sure helps a lot.” Said Scott. Scott is also going to receive a check from Triton Boats as the highest placing Triton Gold member for the event.
Jackie Jayroe of Royse City, TX took third for the boaters with a limit of five bass weighing 17.81 lbs. Jayroe took home a check for $500.00
“It worked out pretty good. I didn’t get the chance to practice but I found the right water and stuck with it all day. I didn’t have to start the big motor but to run up there and come back. We were up above the bridge flipping shallow water cover. I got to cull one time catching 6 keepers throughout the day but had a lot of fun with 3 bowfin. They hit hard and fight good, get you wound up, then let you down when you see what they are.” Said Jackie.
In fourth, Keith Jones of Texarkana, TX came in with a solid bag locking in at 16.93 lbs.
Finishing 5th was Owen Windham of Little Elm, TX with 16.46 lbs.
In the Co-Angler Division, Michael Nantz of Ben Wheeler, TX won with three bass for 10.63 lbs. anchored with the big bass for the coanglers at 7.03 lbs. His victory allowed him to walk away with a check for $1200.00 and a check from his big bass at $180.00
“We bounced around the lake all day long and I stuck to my one bait. A frog. I had confidence in it and caught a lot of fish but only had 3 keepers. The 7 lber bit right around 12:00 and that’s what sealed the deal for me.” said Michael.
Taking second for the co-anglers, JoeFrank Thomas of Forney, TX came in weighing a 3-fish limit at 10.06 lbs. His placement earned him a check for $400.
“It was really good. I caught my fish on Berkley Power worms all day long. We moved around the lake quite a bit too and I went through about 7 keepers, culling a few times and came in with a little over 10 lbs. I had a lot of fun but came up just a little shy.” Thomas stated.
John Binz of Mesquite, TX placed third among the co-anglers. He had three fish weighing in at 8.71 lbs to earn a check for $350.
“The day started early for me, I managed my first keeper on a swim jig and wasn’t able to get any more bites for a while. It wasn’t until later in the day I was able to finish out my limit. I caught my 3 keepers and that was it. We stayed in the same cove all day and just had to grind through them to get the better fish.” Explained Binz.
In fourth place among the co-anglers, Jeramy Marinelli of Royse City, TX brought in three bass for 8.52 lbs.
Joe Embry of Tyler, TX and Al Norman Jr of Borger, TX tied for 5th with a scale weight of 7.50 lbs.
Slated for September 16th, the next divisional tournament will be held on Cedar Creek near Log Cabin, TX. At the end of the season, the best anglers from across the nation advance to the 2018 Ray Scott Championship, slated for the Red River in Shreveport & Bossier City, LA.
For more information on this tournament, call Chris Wayand, tournament manager, at 256-230-5627 or ABA at 256-232-0406. On line, see www.ramopenseries.com .
About American Bass Anglers: American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler and at the same time offer each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers, the Ram Truck Open Series, the American Fishing Tour or the American Couples Series, visit www.americanbassanglers.com.
New Jersey Angler Wins B.A.S.S. Nation Regional On Upper Chesapeake
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MONSOOR WINS FLW TOUR ON POTOMAC RIVER PRESENTED BY COSTA SUNGLASSES
Wisconsin pro Wins FLW Tour regular-season finale, $100,000
Link to HD video of Monsoor’s winning moment
MARBURY, Md. (June 18, 2017) – Yamamoto Baits pro Tom Monsoor of La Crosse, Wisconsin, won the FLW Tour on the Potomac River presented by Costa Sunglasses Sunday after bringing a five-bass limit to the scale weighing 15 pounds, 2 ounces. Monsoor’s four-day cumulative total of 20 bass weighing 66 pounds, 11 ounces was enough to fend off second-place finisher pro Chad Warren of Sand Springs, Oklahoma, by 5 ounces. Monsoor earned $100,000 and his first career Tour victory.
“I’ll tell you what, to finally win my first Tour event is the coolest thing that has ever happened,” said Monsoor, who had eight previous top-10 finishes in Tour competition. “I’ve won a lot of tournaments and awards over the years, but never an FLW Tour event. I could die tomorrow and be a happy man. I don’t want to, obviously, but I’ve had a good life.”
Monsoor said he spent his week picking apart two areas of the Potomac River – a 100- to 200-foot stretch near an area known as Mason’s Neck, and a 100-yard section of water in Quantico Bay. This week, Mason’s Neck gave Monsoor the number of fish he needed to put together limits, while Quantico Bay produced the bigger bites that helped him best the field.
“I started at Mason’s Neck today and like each morning this week, I got a limit by 8:30 (a.m.),” said Monsoor. “I culled one fish and then headed to Quantico. I made the run because I knew it would be out of the wind, and you can’t beat Mother Nature. I figured I’d go to the only place I knew that was protected and that was it.”
Monsoor said he caught two fish from Mason’s Neck that culled before his day concluded.
“The limit-spot in Mason’s Neck was about 2-feet-deep and had black, nasty weeds,” said Monsoor. “The big-fish spot in Quantico Bay was around 4-feet-deep and had clean weeds. I think that’s why the bigger fish were there this week.”
Monsoor said every fish he weighed in during the tournament was caught on a black and blue-colored swimjig with a Yamamoto Baits Flappin’ Hog trailer of the same color.
“It has two tails that flap like an old jig ‘n pig, only this one is cooler,” said Monsoor. “The fish liked the Flappin’ Hog because it wasn’t overwhelming. It was simple – there wasn’t too much going on with it.”
The top 10 pros finished on the Potomac River:
1st: Yamamoto Baits pro Tom Monsoor, La Crosse, Wis., 20 bass, 66-11, $100,200
2nd: Chad Warren, Sand Springs, Okla., 20 bass, 66-6, $30,100
3rd: Chris Johnston, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, 20 bass, 65-8, $25,000
4th: Cody Meyer, Auburn, Calif., 20 bass, 64-11, $20,000
5th: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 20 bass, 64-3, $19,000
6th: Brandon McMillan, Clewiston, Fla., 20 bass, 63-2, $18,000
7th: Jeff Sprague, Point, Texas, 20 bass, 59-8, $17,000
8th: Mike Surman, Boca Raton, Fla., 20 bass, 59-1, $16,000
9th: Brandon Cobb, Greenwood, S.C., 20 bass, 57-11, $15,000
10th: Andy Young, Mound, Minn., 17 bass, 52-8, $14,000
For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.
Overall there were 47 bass weighing 128 pounds, 13 ounces caught by pros Sunday. Nine pros brought a five-bass limit to the scale.
Bryan Thrift of Shelby, North Carolina, clinched the 2017 FLW Tour Angler of the Year title Friday after accumulating 1,122 points in the annual Angler of the Year race. Thrift’s incredible regular-season was highlighted by four top-10 finishes including two back-to-back second-place efforts. Along with the title, Thrift earned $100,000 and an automatic berth into the 2018 Forrest Wood Cup.
Bradley Dortch of Atmore, Alabama, claimed the FLW Tour Rookie of the Year award, which is awarded to the rookie pro angler who finishes the season with the highest point total.
Ryan Cannon of Bullard, Texas, won the Co-angler Division and $20,000 Friday with a two-day catch of 10 bass weighing 33 pounds, 6 ounces, followed by Richie Eaves of Nauvoo, Illinois, who finished in second place with 10 bass totaling 30 pounds, 3 ounces, worth $7,750.
Gary Haraguchi of Redding, California, won the FLW Tour Co-angler of the Year title and a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
In FLW Tour competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day, with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers. The full field of anglers competed Thursday and Friday. Co-angler competition concluded following Friday’s weigh-in, while the top 20 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advanced to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continued competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.
Throughout the season, anglers were also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of professional bass fishing. The 2017 Forrest Wood Cup will be on Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina, Aug. 11-13.
The FLW Tour at the Potomac River presented by Costa Sunglasses was hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners. The next event for FLW Tour anglers is the final event of the 2017 tournament-season – the Forrest Wood Cup championship.
Television coverage of the FLW Tour at the Potomac River presented by Costa Sunglasses will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) Sept. 20 from Noon.-1 p.m. EDT. The Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.
For 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.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2017 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 274 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
Svebek Resurrects His Pro Fishing Career With A Bassmaster Open Win
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T-Roy Broussard Takes Early Lead In Bassmaster Open On The Sabine River
T-Roy Broussard of Port Arthur, Texas, took the lead on the first day of the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open No. 2 held on the Sabine River out of Orange, Texas, with 15 pounds.
Photo by James Overstreet/Bassmaster
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 15, 2017
ORANGE, Texas — As one of the alligator-hunting stars of the History Channel’s “Swamp People” show, T-Roy Broussard should know a thing or two about backwaters, bayous and brackish-water fisheries like the Sabine River.
Broussard proved that he does by grabbing the first-day lead in the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open on the Sabine River Thursday.
Broussard, who hails from Port Arthur, Texas, which is less than a half hour from the Orange Boat Ramp where Thursday’s weigh-in was held, caught five bass that totaled 15 pounds, 8 ounces. Because two of his bass expired, he was penalized 8 ounces, dropping his total to 15-0 for the day. Still it was enough to give him the first-round lead at the Central Open.
The water recirculation system in Broussard’s livewell clogged with a thick green slime, which caused his bass to suffer, he said. He left the water at approximately 1 p.m., and he raced to shore with his haul after realizing what was happening. No fans were at the scales when he came to shore; only B.A.S.S. officials who verified the catch and applied the 8-ounce deduction.
Broussard said a number of things didn’t go his way on Day 1 of the Central Open. A hefty bass shook the hook earlier in the day, and that lunker could have brought his total close to 20 pounds. Combined with the fish-care problems and boat traffic on the water, it was a frustrating day.
Having the lead despite those setbacks, however, was salve for his wounds.
“I’m happy to get the lead because I think fishing is going to be a bit tougher tomorrow,” Broussard said. He has backup spots in case fishing pressure increases where he caught bass today, he added. “I just happen to know some places where I can tuck away and make a few casts. It’s a numbers game; running spots. Today, I only fished one area I practiced. The rest of the places were just by memory.”
Several people this week have compared the Sabine River to the golf course at Augusta National, which is home to The Masters each year.
Just like those 18 holes have challenged golfers for generations, they said this river and its countless sloughs, backwaters and marshy cuts will test the best of anglers.
That certainly was the case on Thursday. A total of 185 pro anglers are competing in the tournament, as are an equal number of co-anglers. And the conditions were fairly difficult on all of them. The Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast has been buffeted by heavy rains in recent weeks, which dirtied the Sabine and its tributaries. The water remains high thanks to the usual south winds of summer, and bass have been scattered throughout the fishery.
In all, 144 pros caught a five-bass limit on Thursday, but only 23 of them managed to post double-digit weights on the first day of the Central Open.
Elite Series pro Josh Bertrand is in second place with a limit that weighed 13-5. The Arizona pro ran extensive amounts of water looking for bites and eventually happened upon a pair of nice bass that carried his bag. He’s looking for moving water which should spark bass to move in the Texas heat. Temperatures climbed into the low 90s on Thursday, and similar conditions are expected throughout the tournament.
“I caught fish on an incoming and a falling tide, but I can’t pinpoint it,” Bertrand said. “You just have to keep your head down and fish your best spots. You have to be ready when the tide starts moving.”
Fellow Elite Series pro Chad Morgenthaler is in third with 13 pounds. The Missouri pro’s bag was also anchored by a pair of bass that weighed approximately 4 1/2 pounds apiece. Considering he thought it would take less than 40 pounds to win the three-day Central Open, Morgenthaler was pleased with his showing Thursday.
“In multiple-day events this time of year, 13, 14, 15 pounds a day is going to get you right where you want to be,” Morgenthaler said. “I was surprised with the two bigger bites instead of one. I didn’t have that in practice, though I did have a couple of really nice fish in practice.” He expects fishing to get even more difficult the remaining two days of the event, and “unless someone surprises, I’m pretty sure that puts me in good position for the rest of the week.”
Rounding out the Top 5 after Day 1 are Trey Smith, fourth with 12-15, and Drew Sloan, fifth with 12-0.
Vernon Cooksey of Bossier City, La., leads the co-angler field after with a three-bass limit that weighed 9-4.
Takeoff for Day 2 of the Bass Pro Shops Central Open No. 2 will begin at 6 a.m. CT at the City of Orange Boat Ramp, 1000 Simmons Drive. Weigh-in will begin at 3 p.m. The field will be cut to the Top 12 pros and an additional Top 12 co-anglers after Friday’s weigh-in is complete.
The top pro after Saturday’s action will earn entry into the 2018 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, provided he fishes each of the three of the Bass Pro Shops Central Opens this season. That pro, as well as top co-angler, also will win boat/motor packages.
The Greater Orange Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting the event.
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: Power-Pole, Shell Rotella, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha, Berkley, Huk, Humminbird, Mercury
2017 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Supporting Sponsors: Advance Auto Parts, Carhartt, Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels, Livingston Lures, Lowrance, Phoenix Boats, Shimano, T-H Marine
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, 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.
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Media Contact: JamieDay Matthews, 205-313-0945, [email protected] or Dave Precht, 205-313-0931, [email protected]
2017 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open No. 2 6/15-6/17
Sabine River System, Orange TX.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. T-Roy Broussard Port Arthur, TX 5 15-00 200
Day 1: 5 15-00
2. Josh Bertrand San Tan Valley, AZ 5 13-05 199
Day 1: 5 13-05
3. Chad Morgenthaler Reeds Spring, MO 5 13-00 198
Day 1: 5 13-00
4. Trey Smith Orange, TX 5 12-15 197
Day 1: 5 12-15
5. Drew Sloan Scurry, TX 5 12-00 196
Day 1: 5 12-00
6. Matthew Mcardle Houston, TX 5 11-13 195
Day 1: 5 11-13
7. Carl Svebek III Orange, TX 5 11-11 194
Day 1: 5 11-11
8. Matthew Delaney Pollock, LA 5 11-10 193
Day 1: 5 11-10
8. Terry Peacock Royse City, TX 5 11-10 193
Day 1: 5 11-10
8. Domonick Poullard Houston, TX 5 11-10 193
Day 1: 5 11-10
11. John Garrett Union City, TN 5 11-09 190
Day 1: 5 11-09
12. Corey Stanley Orange, TX 5 11-07 189
Day 1: 5 11-07
13. Toby Hartsell Afton, OK 5 11-04 188
Day 1: 5 11-04
14. Blake Sylvester Plaquemine, LA 5 11-01 187
Day 1: 5 11-01
15. Randy Sullivan Breckenridge, TX 5 10-15 186
Day 1: 5 10-15
16. Logan Latuso Gonzales, LA 5 10-12 185
Day 1: 5 10-12
17. Brian Clark Haltom City, TX 5 10-09 184
Day 1: 5 10-09
18. Chris Berry Houston, TX 5 10-07 183
Day 1: 5 10-07
19. RJ Chandler Jr. Vinton, LA 5 10-04 182
Day 1: 5 10-04
20. Roy Hawk Lk Havasu Cty, AZ 5 10-03 181
Day 1: 5 10-03
21. Charlie Hartley Grove City, OH 5 10-02 180
Day 1: 5 10-02
22. Dale Hightower Mannford, OK 5 10-02 179
Day 1: 5 10-02
23. Terry Luedtke Burton, TX 5 10-00 178
Day 1: 5 10-00
24. John Dickerson V Orange, TX 5 09-15 177
Day 1: 5 09-15
24. Chris Torkleson Sand Springs, OK 5 09-15 177
Day 1: 5 09-15
26. Jeff Avery El Dorado, AR 5 09-14 175
Day 1: 5 09-14
27. Ray Hanselman Jr Del Rio, TX 5 09-13 174
Day 1: 5 09-13
28. Jonathan Simon Orange, TX 5 09-13 173
Day 1: 5 09-13
29. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, AR 5 09-09 172
Day 1: 5 09-09
30. Timothy Klinger Boulder City, NV 5 09-08 171
Day 1: 5 09-08
30. Lee Livesay Longview, TX 5 09-08 171
Day 1: 5 09-08
32. Beau Branine Haysville, KS 5 09-06 169
Day 1: 5 09-06
33. Ryan Otto Mayer, MN 5 09-05 168
Day 1: 5 09-05
34. Allan Nail Sand Springs, OK 5 09-04 167
Day 1: 5 09-04
35. Dave Mansue Hemphill, TX 5 09-04 166
Day 1: 5 09-04
36. Shane Cormier Ragley, LA 5 09-03 165
Day 1: 5 09-03
37. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 5 09-02 164
Day 1: 5 09-02
37. Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 5 09-02 164
Day 1: 5 09-02
39. Harvey Horne Bella Vista, AR 5 09-00 162
Day 1: 5 09-00
39. Derek Hudnall Baton Rouge, LA 5 09-00 162
Day 1: 5 09-00
41. Brandon Bearden Vidor, TX 5 08-15 160
Day 1: 5 08-15
41. Bruce Parsons Arbela, MO 5 08-15 160
Day 1: 5 08-15
43. Tyler Carriere Youngsville, LA 5 08-13 158
Day 1: 5 08-13
43. William Walker Jena, LA 5 08-13 158
Day 1: 5 08-13
45. Eddy May Valley Center, KS 5 08-12 156
Day 1: 5 08-12
46. Brent Breznik Borger, TX 5 08-10 155
Day 1: 5 08-10
46. Shonn Goodwin Moore, OK 5 08-10 155
Day 1: 5 08-10
46. Teb Jones Hattiesburg, MS 5 08-10 155
Day 1: 5 08-10
49. Justin McClelland Rogers, AR 5 08-09 152
Day 1: 5 08-09
49. Wayne Murray Baton Rouge, LA 5 08-09 152
Day 1: 5 08-09
51. Ken Iyobe Tokoname-Shi JAPAN 5 08-08 150
Day 1: 5 08-08
51. Justin Margraves Diana, TX 5 08-08 150
Day 1: 5 08-08
53. Kylie Sparks Denham Spgs, LA 5 08-07 148
Day 1: 5 08-07
54. Dylan Lyons Hemphill, TX 5 08-07 147
Day 1: 5 08-07
55. Todd Fontenot Lake Charles, LA 5 08-07 146
Day 1: 5 08-07
56. Marshall Hughes Port Neches, TX 5 08-06 145
Day 1: 5 08-06
56. Greg West Richardson, TX 5 08-06 145
Day 1: 5 08-06
58. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 5 08-03 143
Day 1: 5 08-03
59. Mike Brown Vidor, TX 5 08-02 142
Day 1: 5 08-02
59. Luke Clausen Otis Orchards, WA 5 08-02 142
Day 1: 5 08-02
61. Jimmy Greer Jr Dry Prong, LA 5 08-01 140
Day 1: 5 08-01
62. Trait Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 5 08-00 139
Day 1: 5 08-00
63. Brooks Forsyth Hester, LA 5 07-15 138
Day 1: 5 07-15
63. Billy Smith Sr Willis, TX 5 07-15 138
Day 1: 5 07-15
63. Ernie Stumpf III Frisco, TX 5 07-15 138
Day 1: 5 07-15
66. Nick Diberardino Onalaska, TX 5 07-14 135
Day 1: 5 07-14
66. Masayuki Matsushita Tokoname-Shi JAPAN 5 07-14 135
Day 1: 5 07-14
66. Dillon Statler Kimberling City, MO 5 07-14 135
Day 1: 5 07-14
69. Tommy Martin Hemphill, TX 5 07-12 132
Day 1: 5 07-12
70. Sammy Burks Jr Joplin, MO 5 07-11 131
Day 1: 5 07-11
70. Cole Findley Forsyth, MO 5 07-11 131
Day 1: 5 07-11
70. Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 5 07-11 131
Day 1: 5 07-11
73. Tim Wilcoxson Edgewood, TX 4 07-11 128
Day 1: 4 07-11
74. Tommy Durham Whitney, TX 5 07-10 127
Day 1: 5 07-10
75. Ryan Heavener Tulsa, OK 5 07-08 126
Day 1: 5 07-08
75. Hunter Shryock Newcomerstown, OH 5 07-08 126
Day 1: 5 07-08
77. Darold Gleason Many, LA 5 07-08 124
Day 1: 5 07-08
78. Benjamin Jackson Monkey Island, OK 5 07-06 123
Day 1: 5 07-06
78. Audie Prewitt Jr Benton, AR 5 07-06 123
Day 1: 5 07-06
80. Teddy Cloide Vidor, TX 4 07-06 121
Day 1: 4 07-06
81. Chance Woodard Paris, TX 5 07-05 120
Day 1: 5 07-05
82. Kris Wilson Montgomery, TX 4 07-05 119
Day 1: 4 07-05
83. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 5 07-04 118
Day 1: 5 07-04
83. Timmy Reneau Richland Springs, TX 5 07-04 118
Day 1: 5 07-04
83. Ron Wells Claremore, OK 5 07-04 118
Day 1: 5 07-04
86. Greg Vance Dubuque, IA 5 07-04 115
Day 1: 5 07-04
87. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, OK 5 07-03 114
Day 1: 5 07-03
87. Eddie Carper Valliant, OK 5 07-03 114
Day 1: 5 07-03
87. Chris Groh Spring Grove, IL 5 07-03 114
Day 1: 5 07-03
87. Eric Porterfield Fort Gibson, OK 5 07-03 114
Day 1: 5 07-03
87. Tim Reed Collinsville, OK 5 07-03 114
Day 1: 5 07-03
87. Jacob Williams Westlake, LA 5 07-03 114
Day 1: 5 07-03
93. Jerod Hawkes Eagle Pass, TX 5 07-02 108
Day 1: 5 07-02
94. Ted Vaughan Maypearl, TX 5 07-01 107
Day 1: 5 07-01
94. Gary Vining Morgan City, LA 5 07-01 107
Day 1: 5 07-01
96. Chris Breaux Lake Charles, LA 5 07-00 105
Day 1: 5 07-00
96. James Elam Tulsa, OK 5 07-00 105
Day 1: 5 07-00
96. Tracy Gautreaux Raceland, LA 5 07-00 105
Day 1: 5 07-00
96. Andy Ortega Odessa, TX 5 07-00 105
Day 1: 5 07-00
100. David Ryan Levasy, MO 5 06-15 101
Day 1: 5 06-15
100. Jim Simpson Canyon, TX 5 06-15 101
Day 1: 5 06-15
102. Bobby Badarack Euless, TX 5 06-15 99
Day 1: 5 06-15
103. Todd Jeffers Lake Charles, LA 5 06-14 98
Day 1: 5 06-14
103. Patrick Touey Nipomo, CA 5 06-14 98
Day 1: 5 06-14
103. B.J. Usie Houma, LA 5 06-14 98
Day 1: 5 06-14
106. Pete Wenners Galena, MO 5 06-14 95
Day 1: 5 06-14
107. Edwin Pulda Jasper, TX 5 06-14 94
Day 1: 5 06-14
108. Wade Leblanc Gonzales, LA 5 06-13 93
Day 1: 5 06-13
109. Brandon Lee Ratcliff, AR 5 06-12 92
Day 1: 5 06-12
109. Justin Wojcik Bulverde, TX 5 06-12 92
Day 1: 5 06-12
111. Jean-Christophe David Bordeaux LA Bodeaux FRA 5 06-11 90
Day 1: 5 06-11
111. Dustin Laber Greeley, CO 5 06-11 90
Day 1: 5 06-11
113. Steven Nieto Houston, TX 5 06-10 88
Day 1: 5 06-10
114. Johnny Nguyen Tucson, AZ 5 06-10 87
Day 1: 5 06-10
115. Jay Brainard Enid, OK 4 06-10 86
Day 1: 4 06-10
116. Alex Finch Fate, TX 5 06-09 85
Day 1: 5 06-09
117. Patrick Spencer Marana, AZ 4 06-09 84
Day 1: 4 06-09
118. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 5 06-07 83
Day 1: 5 06-07
118. Theron Caldwell Colleyville, TX 5 06-07 83
Day 1: 5 06-07
118. Jason Lieblong Conway, AR 5 06-07 83
Day 1: 5 06-07
121. Sean Arnold Jenks, OK 5 06-06 80
Day 1: 5 06-06
122. Homer Humphreys Jr. Minden, LA 5 06-05 79
Day 1: 5 06-05
122. Edgar Mauricio Romero Renteria Leon MEXICO 5 06-05 79
Day 1: 5 06-05
124. Mitch Kistner Gilbert, AZ 5 06-05 77
Day 1: 5 06-05
125. Keith Surber Longview, TX 5 06-04 76
Day 1: 5 06-04
126. Kevin Short Mayflower, AR 5 06-02 75
Day 1: 5 06-02
127. Kyle Hall Rio Vista, TX 5 06-01 74
Day 1: 5 06-01
128. Bill McNutt Henry, IL 5 06-00 73
Day 1: 5 06-00
129. Doug Vahrenberg Higginsville, MO 5 06-00 72
Day 1: 5 06-00
130. Chris Babin Raceland, LA 5 05-15 71
Day 1: 5 05-15
130. Cody Ryan Greaney Manchaca, TX 5 05-15 71
Day 1: 5 05-15
130. Kenta Kimura Afton, OK 5 05-15 71
Day 1: 5 05-15
133. Bob Fair Collinsville, OK 5 05-15 68
Day 1: 5 05-15
134. Dustin Reneau Mckinney, TX 4 05-15 67
Day 1: 4 05-15
135. Dylan Connell Marion, IL 5 05-11 66
Day 1: 5 05-11
135. Branden Hollingshead Azle, TX 5 05-11 66
Day 1: 5 05-11
135. Ron Johnson Chandler, AZ 5 05-11 66
Day 1: 5 05-11
135. Mike Lavallee Sandy, UT 5 05-11 66
Day 1: 5 05-11
135. Troy Orourke Natchitoches, LA 5 05-11 66
Day 1: 5 05-11
140. Yoshikazu Sato Katsushika-Ku JAPAN 4 05-10 61
Day 1: 4 05-10
141. Matt Ells Mount Vernon, MO 5 05-08 60
Day 1: 5 05-08
142. Joel Douglas Blue Eye, MO 5 05-06 59
Day 1: 5 05-06
142. Josh Greer Carthage, MO 5 05-06 59
Day 1: 5 05-06
144. Casey Bennett Gatesville, TX 3 05-06 57
Day 1: 3 05-06
145. Dewayne French Mammoth Spring, AR 5 05-05 56
Day 1: 5 05-05
146. Cody Compton Palisade, CO 4 05-05 55
Day 1: 4 05-05
147. Billy Billeaud Lafayette, LA 5 05-04 54
Day 1: 5 05-04
148. Tommy Murray Bedford, TX 3 05-03 53
Day 1: 3 05-03
149. Garon Smith Olathe, KS 5 05-02 52
Day 1: 5 05-02
150. Joel Mayfield Perkinston, MS 5 05-02 51
Day 1: 5 05-02
151. John Pecoraro Youngsville, LA 4 05-02 50
Day 1: 4 05-02
152. Ryan Lavigne Gonzales, LA 5 05-01 49
Day 1: 5 05-01
153. Jacob Parker Fort Worth, TX 4 04-15 48
Day 1: 4 04-15
154. Ralph Myhlhousen Council Bluffs, IA 5 04-14 47
Day 1: 5 04-14
155. Josh Tidenberg Texico, NM 5 04-14 46
Day 1: 5 04-14
156. Randy Qualls Streetman, TX 4 04-14 45
Day 1: 4 04-14
156. Larry Riffey Pratt, KS 4 04-14 45
Day 1: 4 04-14
156. Dustin Wrona Tulsa, OK 4 04-14 45
Day 1: 4 04-14
159. Bruce Whitmire Channelview, TX 3 04-14 42
Day 1: 3 04-14
160. Robert Bratton Owasso, OK 4 04-13 41
Day 1: 4 04-13
161. Travis Loyd Vienna, IL 5 04-12 40
Day 1: 5 04-12
162. Darrell Lyons Hemphill, TX 4 04-12 39
Day 1: 4 04-12
163. Bryan Trahan Orange, TX 2 04-11 38
Day 1: 2 04-11
164. Mark Jenkins Ville Platte, LA 3 04-09 37
Day 1: 3 04-09
165. Sam George Athens, AL 3 03-15 36
Day 1: 3 03-15
166. Kelly Power Cape Fair, MO 4 03-12 35
Day 1: 4 03-12
167. Gary Riffle Paris, TX 2 03-11 34
Day 1: 2 03-11
168. Troy Roder Brookeland, TX 2 03-09 33
Day 1: 2 03-09
169. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 3 03-08 32
Day 1: 3 03-08
170. Chris Hart Bozeman, MT 3 03-04 31
Day 1: 3 03-04
171. Joshua Bensema Willis, TX 3 03-03 30
Day 1: 3 03-03
172. Jace Retherford Lumberton, TX 2 03-00 29
Day 1: 2 03-00
173. Tyler Ellis Battlefield, MO 1 02-15 28
Day 1: 1 02-15
174. Jerry Hayes Sugar Land, TX 2 02-12 27
Day 1: 2 02-12
175. Mike Lirette Monroe, LA 3 02-09 26
Day 1: 3 02-09
176. Bill Gaddis Vinita, OK 1 02-09 25
Day 1: 1 02-09
177. Kyle Bohannan Berryville, AR 2 02-08 24
Day 1: 2 02-08
178. Greg Ingram Owasso, OK 3 02-06 23
Day 1: 3 02-06
179. Matthew Loetscher Many, LA 2 02-05 22
Day 1: 2 02-05
179. Tom Statler Kimberling City, MO 2 02-05 22
Day 1: 2 02-05
181. Greg Yates Oak Point, TX 1 01-12 20
Day 1: 1 01-12
182. Carey Goldberg Colorado Springs, CO 1 01-07 19
Day 1: 1 01-07
183. JP Kimbrough Bossier City, LA 2 01-03 18
Day 1: 2 01-03
184. Gary Clouse La Vergne, TN 1 01-03 17
Day 1: 1 01-03
185. Rick Pierce Mountain Home, AR 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 144 837 1320-03
----------------------------------
144 837 1320-03
2017 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open No. 2 6/15-6/17
Sabine River System, Orange TX.
(NON_BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Vernon Cooksey Bossier City, LA 3 09-04 200
Day 1: 3 09-04
2. Michael Soliz Orange, TX 3 09-01 199
Day 1: 3 09-01
3. Jordan Burks Joplin, MO 3 09-00 198
Day 1: 3 09-00
4. Daniel Corkern Florence, MS 3 08-11 197
Day 1: 3 08-11
5. Charles Harp Bella Vista, AR 3 08-04 196
Day 1: 3 08-04
6. Thomas Carper Broken Bow, OK 3 07-06 195
Day 1: 3 07-06
7. Gerald Hansen Weatherford, TX 3 07-03 194
Day 1: 3 07-03
7. Steven Shafer Cleveland, TX 3 07-03 194
Day 1: 3 07-03
9. John Connell Marion, IL 3 07-02 192
Day 1: 3 07-02
10. Joe Gammell Broken Arrow, OK 3 07-01 191
Day 1: 3 07-01
11. Dusty Frank West Point, TX 3 07-00 190
Day 1: 3 07-00
12. Brandon Clayton Dallas, TX 3 06-11 189
Day 1: 3 06-11
13. Will Major Port Allen, LA 3 06-07 188
Day 1: 3 06-07
14. Rick Parker Kaufman, TX 3 06-05 187
Day 1: 3 06-05
15. Alan Woodford Winslow, IN 3 06-03 186
Day 1: 3 06-03
16. Ben Blankenbeker Linn Creek, MO 3 06-02 185
Day 1: 3 06-02
17. Blake Canella Plaquemine, LA 3 06-00 184
Day 1: 3 06-00
18. Rodney Martel Nome, TX 3 05-14 183
Day 1: 3 05-14
19. Tim Ryan Jr Pineville, LA 3 05-08 182
Day 1: 3 05-08
20. Mark Cowart Kearney, MO 3 05-07 181
Day 1: 3 05-07
20. Michael Huffer Edom, TX 3 05-07 181
Day 1: 3 05-07
20. Jon Mohon Sr Houston, TX 3 05-07 181
Day 1: 3 05-07
23. Steve Foster Groveland, IL 3 05-06 178
Day 1: 3 05-06
23. Mark Powers Platteville, CO 3 05-06 178
Day 1: 3 05-06
25. Mark White Tucson, AZ 3 05-05 176
Day 1: 3 05-05
26. Kent Dotson Jr Clever, MO 3 05-04 175
Day 1: 3 05-04
26. Dane Thibodeaux Lake Charles, LA 3 05-04 175
Day 1: 3 05-04
28. Jimmy Charbonnet Saint Amant, LA 3 05-03 173
Day 1: 3 05-03
28. Joseph Lafleur Orange, TX 3 05-03 173
Day 1: 3 05-03
30. Jerry Gonzalez Torreon Coahuila MEXICO 3 05-02 171
Day 1: 3 05-02
30. Clinton Tapley Keller, TX 3 05-02 0
Day 1: 3 05-02
32. Travis Franks Iowa, LA 3 05-02 169
Day 1: 3 05-02
33. Bill McCoun Amarillo, TX 3 05-01 168
Day 1: 3 05-01
34. Jason Cutrer Natchez, MS 3 05-00 167
Day 1: 3 05-00
34. John Zeolla Oak Park, CA 3 05-00 167
Day 1: 3 05-00
36. Jeff Cox Walker, LA 3 04-13 165
Day 1: 3 04-13
36. Joey Decuir White Castle, LA 3 04-13 165
Day 1: 3 04-13
36. Billy Eubanks Jr Bunch, OK 3 04-13 165
Day 1: 3 04-13
36. Kenny Fuselier Lake Charles, LA 3 04-13 165
Day 1: 3 04-13
36. Brock Harrison Houston, TX 3 04-13 165
Day 1: 3 04-13
36. Brett Walker Kansas City, MO 3 04-13 165
Day 1: 3 04-13
42. Jason Fontenot Lake Charles, LA 3 04-12 159
Day 1: 3 04-12
42. Jacob Roller Centerton, AR 3 04-12 159
Day 1: 3 04-12
44. John Hatton Buna, TX 3 04-10 157
Day 1: 3 04-10
44. Christina Weber Port St Lucie, FL 3 04-10 157
Day 1: 3 04-10
46. Rusty Cappo Prairieville, LA 3 04-09 155
Day 1: 3 04-09
47. Mike Isaak Caryle, IL 3 04-07 154
Day 1: 3 04-07
47. Robert Lovell West Monroe, LA 3 04-07 154
Day 1: 3 04-07
49. Steven Gilliam Blanchard, OK 3 04-07 152
Day 1: 3 04-07
50. Creighton Delgado Elgin, IL 3 04-06 151
Day 1: 3 04-06
50. Brian Dennis Poplar Bluff, MO 3 04-06 151
Day 1: 3 04-06
50. Kenneth Ferree North Logan, UT 3 04-06 151
Day 1: 3 04-06
50. Stephen Mitchell Jonesville, LA 3 04-06 151
Day 1: 3 04-06
54. Charlie Hewitt Prairieville, LA 2 04-06 147
Day 1: 2 04-06
55. Bennie Anderson Grand Prairie, TX 3 04-04 146
Day 1: 3 04-04
55. Hugh Cosculluela The Woodlands, TX 3 04-04 146
Day 1: 3 04-04
55. Rusty Darnell Rogersville, MO 3 04-04 146
Day 1: 3 04-04
58. Gary Sullivan Woodson, TX 3 04-03 143
Day 1: 3 04-03
59. Kevin Booty Dequincy, LA 3 04-02 142
Day 1: 3 04-02
59. Tyler Ford Atascocita, TX 3 04-02 142
Day 1: 3 04-02
59. Kevin Johns Eads, TN 3 04-02 142
Day 1: 3 04-02
62. Jordan Downs Bridge City, TX 2 04-02 139
Day 1: 2 04-02
63. Chris Beverly Shepherd, TX 3 04-01 138
Day 1: 3 04-01
63. Rondell Joseph Pearland, TX 3 04-01 138
Day 1: 3 04-01
63. Vincent Todaro Luling, LA 3 04-01 138
Day 1: 3 04-01
66. Jeffrey Nolte Shawnee, KS 3 04-00 135
Day 1: 3 04-00
67. Ethan Janicki Austin, TX 3 04-00 134
Day 1: 3 04-00
68. Larry Beauboeuf Bossier City, LA 3 03-15 133
Day 1: 3 03-15
68. Justin Fisher Mason, TX 3 03-15 133
Day 1: 3 03-15
68. Chris Lafleur Lake Charles, LA 3 03-15 133
Day 1: 3 03-15
68. Jeremy Powell Grain Valley, MO 3 03-15 133
Day 1: 3 03-15
72. Alden Keel Jr Perkinston, MS 3 03-14 129
Day 1: 3 03-14
72. Tyler Netterville Anahuac, TX 3 03-14 129
Day 1: 3 03-14
72. Brandon Orton Memphis, MO 3 03-14 129
Day 1: 3 03-14
75. Gary Clark Groveland, IL 3 03-12 126
Day 1: 3 03-12
75. Joe Lee Grand Prairie, TX 3 03-12 126
Day 1: 3 03-12
75. Kyle Power Cape Fair, MO 3 03-12 126
Day 1: 3 03-12
78. Matthew Bierman Nashville, IL 2 03-12 123
Day 1: 2 03-12
79. Justin Hallmark Bertram, TX 3 03-10 122
Day 1: 3 03-10
79. Dwain Vogelpohl Cambridge, MN 3 03-10 122
Day 1: 3 03-10
81. Aubrey Herlocker Winfield, KS 3 03-10 120
Day 1: 3 03-10
82. Chance Arceneaux Lake Charles, LA 3 03-09 119
Day 1: 3 03-09
82. Randy Hicks Lumberton, TX 3 03-09 119
Day 1: 3 03-09
82. Tad Huff Green Forest, AR 3 03-09 119
Day 1: 3 03-09
82. Josh Smith Sulphur, LA 3 03-09 119
Day 1: 3 03-09
86. Michael Montgomery Cuba, MO 3 03-09 115
Day 1: 3 03-09
87. Ryuichi Hasegawa Tokoname-Shi JAPAN 3 03-08 114
Day 1: 3 03-08
87. Karl Voss Sulphur, LA 3 03-08 114
Day 1: 3 03-08
89. Brandon Vaughan Azle, TX 3 03-08 112
Day 1: 3 03-08
90. Joseph Czekala Homer Glen, IL 3 03-07 111
Day 1: 3 03-07
90. Jim Furr Hemphill, TX 3 03-07 111
Day 1: 3 03-07
90. Kyle Loyd Vienna, IL 3 03-07 111
Day 1: 3 03-07
90. Brian Murphy Sulphur, LA 3 03-07 111
Day 1: 3 03-07
90. Brent Shimanek Fort Worth, TX 3 03-07 111
Day 1: 3 03-07
95. Heath Guillotte Morgan City, LA 3 03-07 106
Day 1: 3 03-07
95. Keegan Stroud Fredericksburg, TX 3 03-07 106
Day 1: 3 03-07
97. Mason Bordelon Ponchatoula, LA 3 03-06 104
Day 1: 3 03-06
97. Steve Duncan Amarillo, TX 3 03-06 104
Day 1: 3 03-06
97. Logan Forbess Nevada, TX 3 03-06 104
Day 1: 3 03-06
97. Robert Hatchett Houston, TX 3 03-06 104
Day 1: 3 03-06
97. Bryton Kurtz Magnolia, TX 3 03-06 104
Day 1: 3 03-06
102. Alan Balch Waco, TX 3 03-05 99
Day 1: 3 03-05
102. Randall Jackson Broken Arrow, OK 3 03-05 99
Day 1: 3 03-05
102. David Lyles Reeves, LA 3 03-05 99
Day 1: 3 03-05
102. Jerry Riddle Jr Summit, MS 3 03-05 99
Day 1: 3 03-05
106. Kenneth Robinson Deridder, LA 3 03-05 95
Day 1: 3 03-05
107. Jim Ford Magnolia, AR 3 03-04 94
Day 1: 3 03-04
107. Rusty Harvey Lumberton, TX 3 03-04 94
Day 1: 3 03-04
109. Eldon Pipps II Burkeville, TX 1 03-04 92
Day 1: 1 03-04
110. Richard Kiblinger Kansas City, KS 3 03-03 91
Day 1: 3 03-03
111. Keith Glasby Ovilla, TX 3 03-03 90
Day 1: 3 03-03
112. Dane Mitchell Lake Charles, LA 2 03-03 89
Day 1: 2 03-03
113. Phillipe Leitner Overland Park, KS 2 03-02 88
Day 1: 2 03-02
114. Brandon Ackerson Afton, OK 3 03-01 87
Day 1: 3 03-01
114. Chris Hudson Bixby, OK 3 03-01 87
Day 1: 3 03-01
116. Ralph Heavener Jr Tulsa, OK 2 03-01 85
Day 1: 2 03-01
117. Ted Pearce Jr Florence, MS 3 03-00 84
Day 1: 3 03-00
118. Brady Bressler Canyon, TX 2 03-00 83
Day 1: 2 03-00
119. Adam Boyd Humble, TX 2 02-15 82
Day 1: 2 02-15
119. Bob Howard Colorado Springs, CO 2 02-15 82
Day 1: 2 02-15
121. Johnny Ramos Odessa, TX 2 02-13 80
Day 1: 2 02-13
121. Gary Spencer Auburn, CA 2 02-13 80
Day 1: 2 02-13
123. Sam Creel Orange, TX 2 02-12 78
Day 1: 2 02-12
123. Dakota Sparks Denham Springs, LA 2 02-12 78
Day 1: 2 02-12
125. Matthew Toeniskoetter Scott City, MO 3 02-11 76
Day 1: 3 02-11
125. Nathan Wharton Longville, LA 3 02-11 76
Day 1: 3 02-11
127. Dylan Friloux Lafayette, LA 3 02-11 74
Day 1: 3 02-11
128. Mark Alexander Rowlett, TX 2 02-11 73
Day 1: 2 02-11
129. Guadalupe Nieto Jr Houston, TX 3 02-10 72
Day 1: 3 02-10
130. Alex Lawlor Mentor, OH 2 02-09 71
Day 1: 2 02-09
130. Eric Snow Forsyth, MO 2 02-09 71
Day 1: 2 02-09
132. Morris Collins Centerville, OH 2 02-08 69
Day 1: 2 02-08
132. Bobby "J" Nakatomi Sacramento, CA 2 02-08 69
Day 1: 2 02-08
132. Danny Smith Benton, KS 2 02-08 69
Day 1: 2 02-08
135. John Roberson Shreveport, LA 2 02-07 66
Day 1: 2 02-07
136. Christopher Allen Conroe, TX 2 02-06 65
Day 1: 2 02-06
137. Blaine Sparks Denham Springs, LA 2 02-04 64
Day 1: 2 02-04
138. Rick Surguine Mount Juliet, TN 2 02-03 63
Day 1: 2 02-03
139. Calvin Balch Porter, TX 2 02-02 62
Day 1: 2 02-02
139. Chase Dugas Lafayette, LA 2 02-02 62
Day 1: 2 02-02
141. Leroy Mcdonald Jr Blanchard, OK 2 01-14 60
Day 1: 2 01-14
142. Chris Nail Tulsa, OK 2 01-14 59
Day 1: 2 01-14
143. Quentin Cappo Prairieville, LA 1 01-09 58
Day 1: 1 01-09
143. Stephen Mickey Lake Charles, LA 1 01-09 58
Day 1: 1 01-09
145. Donovan Henderson Beaumont, TX 1 01-08 56
Day 1: 1 01-08
146. Dave Austin Nixa, MO 1 01-07 55
Day 1: 1 01-07
146. Elli Hubbard Las Vegas, NV 1 01-07 55
Day 1: 1 01-07
146. Josh Roberts Austin, TX 1 01-07 55
Day 1: 1 01-07
149. Michael Blanchard Baton Rouge, LA 1 01-05 52
Day 1: 1 01-05
150. Roman Holmes Vancleave, MS 1 01-04 51
Day 1: 1 01-04
150. Rudy Rudisill Bossier City, LA 1 01-04 51
Day 1: 1 01-04
152. John Hammersmith Branson, MO 1 01-03 49
Day 1: 1 01-03
152. Jody Hughes Gravois Mills, MO 1 01-03 49
Day 1: 1 01-03
152. Joe Nance Pearland, TX 1 01-03 49
Day 1: 1 01-03
155. Sam Chapman Norman, OK 2 01-01 46
Day 1: 2 01-01
156. Roger Abrego Monterrey Nuevo Leon ME 1 01-01 45
Day 1: 1 01-01
156. Jason Burge Lumberton, TX 1 01-01 45
Day 1: 1 01-01
158. Eric Davis Athens, AL 1 01-00 43
Day 1: 1 01-00
158. Bo Rhodes Argyle, TX 1 01-00 43
Day 1: 1 01-00
158. Darrin Ryan Benton, AR 1 01-00 43
Day 1: 1 01-00
158. Denny Swartz Broussard, LA 1 01-00 43
Day 1: 1 01-00
162. Charles Barnes Austin, TX 1 00-15 39
Day 1: 1 00-15
162. Alan Hults Gautier, MS 1 00-15 39
Day 1: 1 00-15
162. Jim Oconnell Jr Castle Rock, CO 1 00-15 39
Day 1: 1 00-15
165. Jimmy Thomas Stilwell, OK 1 00-14 36
Day 1: 1 00-14
166. Brad Bailey Saint Louis, MO 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
166. Darren Bell Port Arthur, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
166. Jacob Brazda Rose Hill, KS 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
166. Shea Breznik Borger, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
166. Stephen Delgado Lees Summit, MO 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
166. Dean Dietz Wyandotte, OK 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
166. Vince Drieling Dallas, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
166. Jacques Fleischmann Lampe, MO 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
166. Johnnie Garrett Union City, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
166. Tommy Humphrey Jr Weatherford, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
166. Dewayne Lewis Arlington, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
166. Leonard Martinez Foss, OK 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
166. Brian Mathis Northglenn, CO 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
166. William Mcnutt II Bossier City, LA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
166. Robert Parks Orange, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
166. Alvin Perry Vidor, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
166. Doug Schysm Jr Ragley, LA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
166. David Shumaker Tishomingo, MS 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
166. Shuyaca Tokunaga Torrance, CA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
166. Preston Wiles Highland, AR 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
Bassmaster High School And Junior Championships To Get Under Way In Tennessee Next Week
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Wendlandt Leads FLW Regular Season Finale on the Potomac
Minnesota’s Larson Leads Co-angler Field
MARBURY, Md. (June 15, 2017) – Pro Clark Wendlandt of Leander, Texas, grabbed the early lead Thursday after Day One of the FLW Tour on the Potomac River presented by Costa Sunglasses with five bass weighing 19 pounds, 11 ounces. Wendlandt will begin Day Two with a 5-ounce advantage over second place angler Yamamoto Baits pro Tom Monsoor of La Crosse, Wisconsin, in the four-day event that features the world’s best bass anglers competing for a top award of up to $125,000.
“To be honest, I didn’t really think I’d catch them like that today,” said Wendlandt, who won on the Potomac River when the FLW Tour last visited in 2015. “I really struggled early on. I only had three fish in the boat at noon. I thought I would do better later on in the day, but couldn’t get anything going then either. The middle of the day was really the only time I did well.”
Wendlandt said he caught around 18 keepers throughout the day, and that the bulk of his weight came from one area.
“I practiced from Washington D.C. all the way down to just about as far as you can go on the river, and it was the best place that I found,” said Wendlandt. “There were a lot of boats in there today, so I think tomorrow could be a lot harder. At some point I may just have to bail and go do something else.”
Wendlandt said that there are still plenty of options for him to catch a decent limit, even if his primary area is overcrowded.
“The Potomac River is a unique fishery because you can catch them from grass one day and out of wood and rocks the next,” said Wendlandt. “Everything can be good, it just depends on the tide. I guess I’ve been good at knowing the right places to fish at the right time.”
The top 10 pros after Day One on the Potomac River are:
1st: Clark Wendlandt, Leander, Texas, five bass, 19-11
2nd: Yamamoto Baits pro Tom Monsoor, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 19-6
3rd: Kurt Dove, Del Rio, Texas, five bass, 18-14
4th: Carl Jocumsen, Frisco, Texas, five bass, 18-11
5th: Robert Behrle, Hoover, Ala., five bass, 18-10
6th: Clark Reehm, Huntington, Texas, five bass, 18-2
7th: Quaker State pro Matt Arey, Shelby, N.C., five bass, 18-1
8th: Andy Young, Mound, Minn., five bass, 17-15
9th: Polaris pro David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., five bass, 17-8
10th: Chris Johnston, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, five bass, 17-7
For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.
Dove caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 15 ounces – the largest in the Pro Division – which earned him the day's $500 Big Bass award.
Overall there were 752 bass weighing 2,160 pounds, 13 ounces caught by 160 pros Thursday. The catch included 135 five-bass limits.
David Larson of Mound, Minnesota, leads the Co-angler Division with five bass weighing 17 pounds, 12 ounces, followed by Mark Horton of Nicholasville, Kentucky, in second place with five bass totaling 17 pounds, 2 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers after Day One on the Potomac River are:
1st: David Larson, Mound, Minn., five bass, 17-12
2nd: Mark Horton, Nicholasville, Ky., five bass, 17-2
3rd: Ryan Cannon, Bullard, Texas, five bass, 16-13
4th: Douglas Colson, Cadiz, Ky., five bass, 16-8
4th: Richie Eaves, Nauvoo, Ill., five bass, 16-8
6th: Larry Kempler, Bluemont, Va., five bass, 16-0
7th: Greg Mansfield, Burnsville, Minn., five bass, 15-13
8th: Jason Williams, Alexandria, Va., five bass, 15-8
9th: Larry Mulllikin, Lauderhill, Fla., five bass, 15-6
10th: Keith Honeycutt, Temple, Texas, five bass, 14-15
Eaves earned $250 for the Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division with a 4-pound, 14-ounce largemouth.
Overall there were 481 bass weighing 1,275 pounds, 14 ounces caught by 152 co-anglers Thursday. The catch included 44 five-bass limits.
In FLW Tour competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day, with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers. The full field competes in the two-day opening round. Co-angler competition concludes following Friday’s weigh-in, while the top 20 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advance to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup, the world-championship of professional bass fishing. The 2017 Forrest Wood Cup will be on Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina, Aug. 11-13.
The total purse for the FLW Tour at the Potomac River presented by Costa Sunglasses is more than $800,000, including $10,000 through 50th place in the Pro Division.
Competitors will take off at 6:30 a.m. EDT each day from Smallwood State Park, located at 2750 Sweden Point Road, in Marbury. Friday’s weigh-in will be held at Smallwood State Park beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s weigh-ins, June 17-18, will also be held at Smallwood State Park, but will begin at 4 p.m.
Prior to the weigh-ins Saturday and Sunday, fans are invited to come out and experience the free FLW Expo at Smallwood State Park from noon to 4 p.m. The FLW Expo is a great opportunity for fishing fans of all ages to meet-and-greet with top FLW Tour anglers, enjoy games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, and learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities.
Youth are also invited to participate in the free FLW Foundation Unified Fishing Derby at Smallwood State Park on Saturday, June 17, from 9-11 a.m. The event, hosted by FLW Foundation pro Cody Kelley along with other FLW Tour anglers, is free and open to area youth (18 years of age and younger) and Special Olympics athletes (all ages). Rods and reels are available for the first 50 participants to use, but youth are encouraged to bring their own if they own one.
Television coverage of the FLW Tour at the Potomac River presented by Costa Sunglasses will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) Sept. 20 from 12 p.m.-1 p.m. EDT. The Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.
For 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.
South Carolina Grabs the Lead in BASS Nation Regional, Georgia Angler Tim Carini Leads Boater Division
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POTOMAC RIVER SET FOR FLW TOUR REGULAR-SEASON FINALE PRESENTED BY COSTA DEL MAR
Angler of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Forrest Wood Cup Field to all be Decided
MARBURY, Md. (June 1, 2017) – The seventh and final regular-season event of the 22nd season of the FLW Tour, the most competitive circuit in professional bass fishing, is coming to Marbury June 15-18 for the FLW Tour at the Potomac River presented by Costa Del Mar. Hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners, the tournament will feature 320 pros and co-anglers casting for top awards of up to $125,000 cash in the Pro Division and up to $25,000 cash in the Co-angler Division.
The FLW Tour last visited the Potomac River in 2015, when pro Clark Wendlandt of Leander, Texas, took top honors with a four-day cumulative weight of 60 pounds even. This year, local pro Bryan Schmitt of Deale, Maryland, said he expects a lot more weight to come from the tidal fishery.
“I believe the weights will be substantially higher than when the Tour visited in 2015,” said Schmitt, who has 20 career top-10 finishes on the Potomac River in FLW competition. “The grass has really improved over the last two years and there’s a lot food in the system for these fish. The bass haven’t had to expend a lot of energy and have gotten big in a short amount of time.”
Schmitt said areas like Chicamuxen Creek, Wades Bay, Aquia Creek and Nanjemoy Creek will be popular because they tend to harbor the cleanest water.
“I think a lot of competitors will work their way into shallow, protected bays and cull through a ton of fish,” said Schmitt. “They’ll have to try to find that 4-pounder that sets them apart from the rest of the field – they’re out there.”
Schmitt said an assortment of baits including soft-plastic worms, jigs, frogs, stickbaits and swimbaits will be featured in this event. The Maryland veteran predicted the winner will need as much as 80 pounds of bass over four days to secure the win, a major increase in weight from just two years ago.
“If we don’t get any heavy rainfall or flooding prior to the event, I think we’re going to be in for a pleasant surprise,” said Schmitt. “This fishery can definitely produce 20 pound limits a day right now.”
Anglers will take off at 6:30 a.m. EDT each day from Smallwood State Park, located at 2750 Sweden Point Road, in Marbury. Thursday and Friday’s weigh-ins, June 15-16, will be held at Smallwood State Park beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s weigh-ins, June 17-18, will also be held at Smallwood State Park, but will begin at 4 p.m.
Prior to the weigh-ins Saturday and Sunday, fans are invited to come out and experience the free FLW Expo at Smallwood State Park from noon to 4 p.m. The FLW Expo is a great opportunity for fishing fans of all ages to meet-and-greet with top FLW Tour anglers, enjoy games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, and learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities.
Youth are also invited to participate in the free FLW Foundation Unified Fishing Derby at Smallwood State Park, located at 2750 Sweden Point Road in Marbury, on Saturday, June 17, from 9-11 a.m. The event, hosted by FLW Foundation pro Cody Kelley along with other FLW Tour anglers, is free and open to area youth (18 years of age and younger) and Special Olympics athletes (all ages). Rods and reels are available for the first 50 participants to use, but youth are encouraged to bring their own if they own one.
In FLW Tour competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day, with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers. The full field competes in the two-day opening round. Co-angler competition concludes following Friday’s weigh-in, while the top 20 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advance to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup, the world-championship of professional bass fishing. The 2017 Forrest Wood Cup will be on Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina, Aug. 11-13.
The total purse for the FLW Tour at the Potomac River presented by Costa Del Mar is more than $800,000, including $10,000 through 50th place in the Pro Division.
Television coverage of the FLW Tour at the Potomac River presented by Costa Del Mar will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) Sept. 20 from 12 p.m.-1 p.m. EDT. The Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.
For 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.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2017 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 274 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
MING WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL MISSISSIPPI DIVISION TOURNAMENT ON COLUMBUS POOL
Carriere’s Stegall Grabs Co-angler Title
COLUMBUS, Miss. (June 12, 2017) – Timmy Ming of Louisville, Mississippi, weighed five bass Saturday totaling 13 pounds, 3 ounces to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Mississippi Division tournament on the Columbus Pool. Ming took home $6,037 for his win.
“I locked from the Columbus Pool down to Aliceville and started my day on a 100-yard stretch right outside of the lock,” said Ming, who earned his first career-victory in BFL competition. “There was some riprap with grass growing on it and bass were feeding on crawfish. I put together a limit there by 9:30 (a.m.)”
Ming said he used a Putty Black-colored Spro Dean Rojas Bronzeye Frog to catch his initial limit. After 9:30 a.m., he said he continued his day in an area he refers to as Pratt Creek.
“Pratt Creek is an old river run with four or five old lakes off of it,” said Ming. “I sat at the mouth of one of the lakes where there’s a flat littered with stumps. Bass were schooling on shad as they moved out of the lake and into the river. I used a (Lucky Craft LC Silent) square-billed crankbait to catch one that I ended up weighing in.”
At noon, Ming said he locked back into the Columbus Pool and made his way up Tibbee Creek. He said he switched to a Red Shad-colored Berkley Havoc Ike’s Devil Spear to finish out his day.
“The flat I hit was a lot like the previous area in Pratt Creek, but there were grass mats around the stumps,” said Ming. “I caught one more that culled, and then brought in what I had.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Timmy Ming, Louisville, Miss., five bass, 13-3, $4,037 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Chris Quaintance, Muscle Shoals, Ala., three bass, 11-8, $2,019
3rd: Taylor Ramey, Purvis, Miss., five bass, 11-6, $1,545
4th: Tim Jaynes, Ethelsville, Ala., five bass, 11-5, $942
5th: Wayne Foreman, Magnolia, Miss., five bass, 10-9, $807
6th: Randy Craft, Seminary, Miss., five bass, 8-13, $840
7th: Sawyer Woods, Caledonia, Miss., four bass, 8-7, $673
8th: Jamie Long, Okolona, Miss., three bass, 8-3, $606
9th: Charles Watts, Corinth, Miss., four bass, 8-1, $538
10th: Steve Jones, Moss Point, Miss., four bass, 8-0, $471
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Gary Wright of Booneville, Mississippi, caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 3 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – which earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $545.
Jack Stegall of Carriere, Mississippi, won the Co-angler Division and $2,019 Saturday after weighing three bass totaling 4 pounds, 11 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Jack Stegall, Carriere, Miss., three bass, 4-11, $2,019
2nd: Dylan Wooten, Vicksburg, Miss., two bass, 4-9, $842
2nd: Daniel Sullivan, Guntown, Miss., one bass, 4-9, $1,114
4th: Christian Sullivan, Florence, Miss., two bass, 4-8, $471
5th: Chris Dye, Hickory Flat, Miss., one bass, 4-3, $604
6th: Joseph Breeden, Brandon, Miss., two bass, 4-0, $370
7th: Robert Keifer, Brandon, Miss., two bass, 3-11, $336
8th: Jesse Steadham, Byram, Miss., two bass, 3-10, $303
9th: Jimmy Tisdale, Ellisville, Miss., two bass, 3-9, $269
10th: Lance Jackson, Starkville, Miss., two bass, 3-6, $273
10th: Kenneth Amos, Greenville, Miss., one bass, 3-6, $223
Daniel Sullivan’s bass was the largest caught in the Co-angler Division and earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $272.
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 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.
John Simons wins ABA RAM Trucks Open Oklahoma Division in Eufaula with over 14 pounds!
John Simonof of Jacksonville, AR won the American Bass Anglers Ram Truck Open Series Oklahoma Division tournament held June 10th on Lake Eufaula. Originally, scheduled for Lake Fort Gibson, the tournament was moved to Lake Eufaula OK due to the enormous amount of rain Oklahoma recently received. Lake Eufaula was three feet above normal pool and many areas were extremely muddy.
Running out of Peters Point in Eufaula Cove, Oklahoma, John caught five bass weighing 14.60 lbs. For the Boater Division victory, Simonof took home a check for $5,000 plus more than $7,000 in contingency bonuses.
“We made a long run in the morning and I started with a solid 3+ lb keeper at the first stop” Simonof said. “A mid-morning flurry gave me a solid limit and I continued to catch fish but only culled once. We left them biting late morning because I knew we had a long run across some big water and the wind started blowing; I knew it was going to be a long rough ride. We fished several places closer to the ramp but the areas were muddied up or blown out due to the strong winds. I caught all my fish in 2-4 feet of water on a homemade bladed jig poured on an Owner hook with a V&M baits Baby Swamp Hog trailer thrown on a Temple Fork Outfitters 7’ 3” heavy action rod and 20lb Hi-Seas Quattro fluorocarbon line.”
In second place on the boaters’ side was Luke Palmer from Coalgate, OK. Palmer came across the scales with five fish weighing down at 13.35 pounds to lock him in to carry home a check for $1250.
“I burned a LOT OF GAS today. I went from one end of this lake to the other. I was targeting spots where I could flip a Jig because that’s what I do here. I covered a lot of water trying to stay in that 4-ft. range. My last keeper came at 2:57 and I had to burn more gas to get in by 3:15. It was worth it though.” explained Palmer.
Mark Teply out of Midwest City, OK came in just behind the second-place finisher with a weight of 12.16 pounds held down by an anchor fish of 3.69 pounds. His 3rd place finish earned him a check of $900.
“The fishing was tough for everyone. You had to grind it out to get the quality bites for sure. The lake is dropping right now which always makes for a tough bite. This event was especially difficult for me with the loss of my good friend Jimbo the other day, so this one’s for him.” Teply said.
Finishing in fourth, Justin Phillips of Cucotah, OK hauled in five for 12.10 pounds. Closing in the top five boaters is Lee Sanders of Stillwater, OK with five fish weighing a total of 11.72 pounds.
The biggest bass for the boaters was caught by Kellen Davis of Spigler, OK. Fishing with the Ram Open Series for the first time, Davis landed a 5.30-pound fish to land him a check for $660.
In the Co-Angler Division, Stan Forrester out of Westville, OK locked in first place well over the competition with a three-fish limit weighing 10.09-pounds. Anchored with a 3.90-pound kicker, Forrester took home a check for $1200.
“We started out on a spot not too far from here but nothing turned up so we made a run down to the damn. I caught my first keeper down there on a crankbait. Nothing else happened so we made another run back up the lake, I caught another keeper there. Later in the day we went back to the damn and I finished out my limit and culled twice to bring in what I had.” Forrester said.
Coming in second place on the Co-Angler side is Shane Cashman out of Henryetta, OK. Cashman locked in his placement with a three-fish bag weighing a total of 6.87 pounds with a 2.99-pound anchor. Cashman was unavailable for interview at the end of the event, but received a check of $275 for his efforts.
Steve Roberts of Broken Arrow, OK came in third place for the day after bringing in three fishing weighing 6.76 pounds. Roberts took home a check of $225 for his third-place success.
Roberts also managed to haul in the biggest bass for the co-anglers by snagging a 4.47-pound fish around 2:00 in the afternoon. That big bass won him an additional $180 check.
“It was a grind today. I only had 2 keepers. We caught a lot of fish today but I bet I threw 5 or 6 back that were short. We made a pretty good run up the lake and were up there when the wind picked up so it was a rough ride back.” Roberts stated.
In fourth place among the co-anglers, Patrick Weir from Broken Arrow, OK brought in three bass for 6.75. Dick Hindman of Sapulpa, OK finished in fifth place with two bass at 6.48 pounds.
Slated for August 12th, the next divisional tournament will be held on Grand Lake out of Wolf Creek near Grove, OK. At the end of the season, the best anglers from across the nation advance the 2018 Ray Scott Championship, slated for the Red River in Bossier City, LA.
For more information on this tournament, call Chris Wayand, tournament manager, at 256-230-5627 or ABA at 256-232-0406. On line, see www.ramopenseries.com .
About American Bass Anglers: American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler and at the same time offer each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers, the Ram Truck Open Series, the American Fishing Tour or the American Couples Series, visit www.americanbassanglers.com.
ANDERSON WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL MOUNTAIN TOURNAMENT ON BARREN RIVER
Bowling Green’s Clark Takes Co-angler Title
SCOTTSVILLE, Ky. (June 12, 2017) – Brent Anderson of Kingston Springs, Tennessee, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Mountain Division tournament on the Barren River Saturday with five bass totaling 18 pounds, 10 ounces. For his win, Anderson took home $4,252.
Anderson said he split his day between two different schools of bass – one in Skaggs Creek and the other on the main river. He said both schools were stationed in 14 to 18 feet of water, and that they were the only two he fished all day.
“I was the only one who even attempted to fish the first school in Skaggs Creek,” said Anderson, who earned his seventh career-victory in BFL competition. “They were located near a side of a point where the creek channel swung in and touched the side of it. I ended up catching most of my weight there using a 1-ounce (white) Tennessee River Tackle hair jig that had feathers tied in it.”
Anderson said he spent a little more than three hours in Skaggs Creek before moving on to his main-river area, another channel swing that bent away from the bank and ran down the side of a skinny point.
“The fish weren’t biting the hair jig so I switched to an 8-inch, chrome-colored (Nichols) Magnum Spoon,” said Anderson. “I was able to catch two good ones fairly quickly.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Brent Anderson, Kingston Springs, Tenn., five bass, 18-10, $4,252
2nd: Casey O'Donnell, Langston, Ala., five bass, 15-0, $1,598
2nd: Brian Wilson, Somerset, Ky., five bass, 15-0, $1,898
4th: Ryan Coleman, Utica, Ky., five bass, 14-5, $838
5th: Drew Boggs, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 14-0, $718
6th: Rusty Smith, Somerset, Ky., five bass, 13-10, $659
7th: Gary Isgrigg, Mount Washington, Ky., five bass, 12-15, $599
8th: Michael Morrison, Georgetown, Ky., five bass, 12-12, $539
9th: John Daniel, Bowling Green, Ky., five bass, 12-11, $479
10th: Jason Cooper, Shelbyville, Tenn., five bass, 12-4, $419
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Anderson also caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 10 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $460.
Pete Clark of Bowling Green, Kentucky, won the Co-angler Division and $1,796 Saturday after weighing five bass totaling 14 pounds, 2 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Pete Clark, Bowling Green, Ky., five bass, 14-2, $1,796
2nd: Blake Miller, Saint Albans, W. Va., five bass, 9-14, $1,098
3rd: Ray Hardwick, Burnside, Ky., three bass, 9-12, $598
4th: Jason Hackett, Bowling Green, Ky., four bass, 8-2, $419
5th: Dustin Jones, Stanford, Ky., three bass, 7-15, $359
6th: Todd Stopher, London, Ky., four bass, 7-10, $314
6th: Billy Hughes, Eubank, Ky., three bass, 7-10, $544
8th: Jeff Pergram, Richmond, Ky., four bass, 7-9, $269
9th: Taylor Wisniewski, Lexington, Ky., four bass, 7-4, $289
10th: Donnie Durbin, Somerset, Ky., three bass, 7-1, $210
Hughes caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 4 pounds, 7 ounces – which earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $230.
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.
Bassmaster Team Championship Headed Back To Arkansas In December
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Chris Adams drops over 21 pounds on the scale to win ABA Ram Trucks NY Open on Champlain!
Chris M Adams of Rutland, Vermont won the American Bass Anglers Ram Truck Open Series New York tournament, held June 10th on Lake Champlain.
Running out of Dock Street Launch in Plattsburgh, New York, Adams caught a five bass limit weighing 21.82 pounds. He anchored his bag with a 4.88-pound kicker. For the Boater Division victory, Adams took home a check for $5000.
“I fished on the bottom with tubes, drop shot and plastics. I caught most of my fish site fishing. I caught my best one on a white swim bait about 2 pm. I caught fish all day.” Said Adams.
In second for the boaters, JJ Judd of St Albans, Vermont. He landed a five-bass tournament limit going 20.13 pounds with a 4.43-pound kicker. Judd collected $1630 for the effort.
Judd said “I site fished for bedding fish. I went and got my five biggest fish first. Then I went largemouth fishing. I used a variety of baits and colors.”
Stephen J Estes of Auburn, NH took third for the boaters with five bass going 19.65 pounds. He anchored his catch with a 4.43-pound kicker to earn $1090.
“In the morning, I threw shallow with jerk baits in a chartreuse shad. Later I went a little deeper with brush hogs in green pumpkin. The fish were both pre-spawn and spawning.” Said Estes.
Finishing fourth, Jason Stoddard of St Albans, Vermont landed a five-bass limit for 19.47 pounds including a 3.78-pound kicker.
Bryan Labelle of Hinesburg, Vermont rounded out the top five boaters with five bass at 18.93 pounds topped by a 4.15-pound kicker.
The biggest bass for the boaters was caught by: Christian Mazzola of Walnutport, PA that weighed 4.96 and he pocketed $820 for his catch.
In the Co-Angler Division, William Hines of Indiana, PA won with three bass going 11.94 pounds. He sealed his victory with a 4.92-pound kicker to pocket a check for $1400.
“I’m not keeping any secrets, I caught all my fish in the morning. I used a top water bait from Livingston Lures, it was a Pro Sizzle Jr. in citrus sparkle. But I did get my best one on a Gajo Shad swim bait.” Said Hines.
Taking second for the co-anglers, David E Blankenship of Plattsburgh, NY. He brought in a three-bass division limit weighing 11.22 pounds including a 4.80-pound kicker. He collected $500 for the effort.
“In the morning, I used a top water. Then I used a Carolina rig with a Senco. My best one came on a shad colored swim bait with a ¼ oz. weight and he hit it on the fall.” Said Blankenship.
Jim Cousineau of Westfield, MA placed third among the co-anglers with three bass going 10.40 pounds. He anchored his catch with a 4.19-pound kicker to earn $350.
“I caught all of my fish on a spinnerbait. I used a white on white 3/8 oz. war eagle spinner bait and cast it to schooling fish. I caught fish all day.” Said Cousineau.
In fourth place among the co-anglers, Kevin Zimmerman of Lewisburg, PA with three bass for 10.15 pounds including a 3.99-pound kicker.
Tom E Melanson of Waltham, MA finished in fifth place with three bass at 10.09 pounds topped by a 4.44-pound kicker.
The biggest bass for the co-anglers was caught by David Santos of Windsor Locks, CT that weighed 5.18. David pocketed $230 for his catch.
Slated for July 1st, the next divisional tournament will be held on Cayuga Lake out of Frontenac Park near Union Springs, NY. At the end of the season, 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 tournament manager Jeff Randall, at 256-777-6152 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.
Mustang Survival Celebrates 50 Years of Commitment to the Ultimate Experience on the Water
Brand reflects on five decades of innovative products keeping people dry and safe in and around the water
Burnaby, BC – Mustang Survival®, the North American brand known for innovative solutions for the most demanding marine environments, celebrates fifty years of keeping people dry and safe in and around the water. From humble beginnings that focused on Pacific Northwest mariners, Mustang Survival has grown to a brand now used by military teams, water rescue professionals, and recreational users around the world. Synonymous with safety, Mustang Survival gear is made for the experts who save lives for a living but has been made accessible for the everyday water enthusiast. Not a brand to rest on its laurels, Mustang Survival is focused on entering new markets and bringing five decades of innovation and know-how to its pioneering new gear.
“As a brand, we want to pay homage to the amazing work the team has accomplished in the past half century. Mustang Survival serves customers and consumers who truly rely on our products to not only do their job safely, but to assist them in keeping the public safe as well,” states Jason Leggatt, Mustang Survival’s general manager. “The fifty years of knowledge we’ve accumulated has positioned the brand as the point of authority in float and dry, and we will bring even more innovative technical solutions to market over the next fifty years. We’re just getting started.”
Established in 1967 on the invention of the Floater Coat by founder Irv Davies, Mustang Survival’s factory was located in the historic Gastown district of Vancouver, BC, Canada. In 1977, the company further advanced flotation and hypothermia performance with the introduction of the ThermoFloat Coat and its patented “beavertail” design. Throughout the 80s and 90s, Mustang Survival continued its growth and officially expanded into the U.S. and international markets.
“With seven employees, Irv Davies and his son, Dwight, started the Mustang Survival company with just three sewing machines at the original factory in Gastown. We have remained committed to the Vancouver, BC, community and now we have 230 total employees, and a dedicated office and manufacturing space in Burnaby,” states Jason Leggatt. “Sustaining a presence in BC means we’re a strong contributor to the local economy but it has also provided the brand a unique opportunity to have R&D, design and manufacturing all in one place, enabling purposeful-design.”
20 years ago Mustang Survival entered the inflatable PFD (personal flotation device) market and very quickly became one of the most well-known names in the industry. Today, Mustang Survival’s PFDs can be found on the boats of both Coast Guard teams and family pontoons – and every boat in between. Having pioneered the standards for inflatable life jackets, Mustang Survival has been awarded multiple military contracts for special operations requirements, and last year launched the award-winning EP Ocean Racing Collection.
With international distribution and recognition, and diverse gear that speaks to multiple categories, Mustang Survival receives survival stories and thank you messages from around the world. These “SAVES” stories are shared internally and provide continuous inspiration to the next generation of Mustang Survival associates to innovate and manufacture the best possible equipment, push boundaries, and to further enhance user experience on, and around, the water.
For more information, visit www.mustangsurvival.com.
About Mustang Survival
Through constant innovation and inspired technical solutions, Mustang Survival strives to bolster performance, encourage exploration and inspire adventure in the marine environment. We are committed to the protection and enhancement of those who push themselves to extremes. Mustang Survival is part of The Safariland Group family of brands. For more information, visit www.mustangsurvival.com.
Mustang Survival. Saving lives since 1967.
About The Safariland Group
The Safariland Group is a leading global provider of a broad range of safety and survivability products designed for the public safety, military, professional and outdoor markets. The Safariland Group offers a number of recognized brand names in these markets including Safariland®, Med-Eng®, ABA®, Second Chance®, VIEVU®, Mustang Survival®, Bianchi®, Break Free®, Protech® Tactical, Defense Technology®, Hatch®, Monadnock®, Identicator® and NIK®. The Safariland Group's mission, "Together, We Save Lives", is inherent in the lifesaving and protective products it delivers. The Safariland Group is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. The Safariland Group is a trade name of Safariland, LLC.
JACKSBORO’S FAULKNER WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL TOURNAMENT ON CHEROKEE LAKE
White Pine’s Pridemore Claims Co-angler Title
MORRISTOWN, Tenn. (June 12, 2017) – Jack Faulkner II of Jacksboro, Tennessee, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Volunteer Division tournament on Cherokee Lake Saturday with a five-bass limit totaling 15 pounds, 5 ounces. For his win, Faulkner took home $3,289.
“I didn’t have anything in the boat until 9 (a.m.),” said Faulkner, who logged his third career-victory in BFL competition. “After that, I caught three on a bone-colored Heddon Zara Spook, all from grassy points.”
Faulkner said all of his key areas were mid-lake, within a mile of the takeoff ramp.
“Around noon, I started fishing a 10-inch, green pumpkin Yamamoto straight-tailed worm and caught three more,” said Faulkner. “They came deeper from the points, but they needed to have some rocks.”
Faulkner said his two largest fish were caught using the worm between noon and 1 p.m.
“I only had six keepers all day, but they were the right size,” said Faulkner.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Jack Faulkner II, Jacksboro, Tenn., five bass, 15-5, $3,289
2nd: Craig Powers, Rockwood, Tenn., five bass, 14-10, $1,644
3rd: James Nuckols Jr., Rockwood, Tenn., five bass, 14-1, $1,097
4th: Hermilo Salgado, Artemus, Ky., five bass, 13-8, $967
5th: Jeremy Swanson, Kingsport, Tenn., five bass, 13-6, $658
6th: Eddie Richards, Corbin, Ky., five bass, 13-1, $603
7th: Bill Humbard, New Market, Tenn., five bass, 12-6, $548
8th: Michael Cantrell, Philadelphia, Tenn., five bass, 12-1, $493
9th: Larry Neal, Piney Flats, Tenn., five bass, 11-13, $438
10th: Ken Vicchio, Bluff City, Tenn., five bass, 11-12, $684
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
George Brock of Mooresburg, Tennessee, caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 3 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – which earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $395.
Travis Pridemore of White Pine, Tennessee, won the Co-angler Division and $1,644 Saturday after weighing four bass totaling 11 pounds, 9 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Travis Pridemore, White Pine, Tenn., four bass, 11-9, $1,644
2nd: Josh Smith, Corbin, Ky., five bass, 9-14, $822
3rd: Jason Moorman, Bristol, Tenn., five bass, 9-12, $549
4th: Doug Austin, Bristol, Va., five bass, 9-11, $384
5th: Brandon Hartgrove, Hiltons, Va., three bass, 9-4, $526
6th: Joey Boling, Walland, Tenn., four bass, 8-13, $301
7th: John Coker, Knoxville, Tenn., four bass, 8-12, $474
8th: Audie Aultman, Knoxville, Tenn., two bass, 7-5, $247
9th: Jason Khym, Maryville, Tenn., three bass, 7-3, $219
10th: David Blakely, Kingsport, Tenn., three bass, 7-2, $242
Hartgrove caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 4 pounds, 14 ounces – which earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $197.
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.
ROOSEVELT HIGH SCHOOL WINS BASS PRO SHOPS FLW HIGH SCHOOL FISHING MICHIGAN OPEN ON RIVER RAISIN
MONROE, Mich. (June 12, 2017) – The Roosevelt High School duo of Nicolas Biundo and Joey Deichelbohrer, both of Wyandotte, Michigan, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 15 pounds, 2 ounces to win the 2017 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Michigan Open tournament on the River Raisin. The win advanced the team to the 2017 High School Fishing National championship, held June 27-July 1 at Pickwick Lake in Florence, Alabama.
According to post-tournament reports, the Roosevelt High duo caught their fish using a Ned rig in 13 feet of water.
A field of 32 teams competed in the no-entry fee, tournament which launched from Hellenberg Park in Monroe. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top three teams on the River Raisin that advanced to the 2017 High School Fishing National Championship was:
1st: Roosevelt High School, Wyandotte, Mich. – Nicolas Biundo and Joey Deichelbohrer, both of Wyandotte, Mich., five bass, 15-2
2nd: Hartland High School, Hartland, Mich. – Zach Manneback, Howell, Mich., and Gunner Wilson, Fenton, Mich., five bass, 14-15
3rd: Lumen Christi Catholic High School, Jackson, Mich. – Robert Lefere, Jackson, Mich., and Barry Kennedy, Clark Lake, Mich., five bass, 13-15
Rounding out the top 10 teams were:
4th: Coloma High School, Coloma, Mich. – Ryley Watson and Matthew Davis, both of Coloma, Mich., five bass, 13-13
5th: Blissfield High School, Blissfield, Mich. – Olivia Sheely, Brooklyn, Mich., and Garrett Brenke, Riga, Mich., five bass, 11-10
6th: Fenton High School, Fenton, Mich. – Peyton Stapp, Linden, Mich., and Beau Turnblom, Fenton, Mich., five bass, 11-7
7th: Fenton High School, Fenton, Mich. – Brennan Schroder and Kayden Van Houten, both of Fenton, Mich., five bass, 11-6
8th: Roosevelt High School, Wyandotte, Mich. – Michael Burns and Brandon Fraser, both of Wyandotte, Mich., five bass, 10-14
9th: Lumen Christi Catholic High School, Jackson, Mich – Branden Barton, Clark Lake, Mich., and Connor Girard, Jackson, Mich., four bass, 10-14
10th: Blissfield High School, Blissfield, Mich. – Chase Collyer, Riga, Mich., and Gabe Wheeler, Blissfield, Mich., five bass, 10-10
Complete results from the event and photos of the top five teams can be found at FLWFishing.com.
The 2017 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Michigan Open was a two-person (team) event for students in grades 7-12, open to any Student Angler Federation (SAF) affiliated high school club in the United States. The top 10 percent of each Challenge, Open, and state championship field will advance to the High School Fishing National Championship. The High School Fishing national champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice.
In addition to the High School Fishing National Championship, all High School Fishing anglers nationwide automatically qualify for the world’s largest high school bass tournament, the 2017 High School Fishing World Finals, held in conjunction with the National Championship. At the 2016 World Finals more than $60,000 in scholarships and prizes were awarded.
Full schedules and the latest announcements are available at HighSchoolFishing.org and FLWFishing.com.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2017 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 274 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
About The Bass Federation
The Bass Federation Inc., (TBF) is a member of the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. TBF is owned by those we serve and dedicated to the sport of fishing. The Federation is the largest and oldest, organized grassroots fishing, youth and conservation organization there is. TBF, our affiliated state federations and their member clubs conduct more than 20,000 events each year and have provided a foundation for the entire bass fishing industry for more than 45 years. TBF founded the Student Angler Federation and the National High School Fishing program in 2008 to promote clean family fun and education through fishing. Visit bassfederation.com or highschoolfishing.org and “LIKE US” on Facebook.
BELL WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL PIEDMONT DIVISION ON HIGH ROCK LAKE
Wells and Howerton Tie For Co-angler Title
SALISBURY, N.C. (June 12, 2017) – Local angler Rodney Bell of Salisbury, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 19 pounds, 11 ounces, Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Piedmont Division tournament on High Rock Lake presented by Navionics. For his win, Bell netted $6,963.
“I spent the day in Flat Swamp Creek,” said Bell, who earned his fourth career-win in BFL competition. “I caught four of my seven keepers of out of some bushes, and the other three from docks. The water was pretty high, so I had to take the cover off of my motor to get under a bridge and access the areas I fished.”
Bell said he caught six fish on a D&L Lures Flipping Jig with a green-pumpkin Zoom Super Chunk Jr. trailer, and one on a War Eagle spinnerbait.
“The bushes were in the back of the creek and I caught my four early, within the first two hours,” said Bell. “Later on, after the bite died, I switched to docks. I was still in Flat Swamp, just closer to the mouth. The sun got up high and positioned bass under the docks in the shade and that’s where I caught them from.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Rodney Bell, Salisbury, N.C., five bass, 19-11, $4,963 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: James Funk, Portsmouth, Va., five bass, 18-13, $2,381
3rd: David Wright, Lexington, N.C., five bass, 16-10, $2,295
4th: Chris Baldwin, Lexington, N.C., five bass, 16-6, $1,111
5th: Shawn Hammack, Gasburg, Va., four bass, 15-1, $913
5th: Scott Henley, Randleman, N.C., five bass, 15-1, $913
7th: Kevin Chandler, New London, N.C., five bass, 14-15, $894
8th: Jackson Pleasant, Raleigh, N.C., four bass, 14-2, $714
9th: Michael Belter, Reidsville, N.C., five bass, 14-0, $635
10th: Bryan Elrod, Mechanicsville, Va., five bass, 13-6, $556
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Wright caught a bass weighing 7 pounds, 6 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – which earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $710.
Robert Wells of Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, and James Howerton of Danville, Virginia, tied for the Co-angler Division title after each weighing bass totaling 9 pounds, 14 ounces. For their efforts, each angler was awarded $1,786.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Robert Wells, Kill Devil Hills, N.C., three bass, 9-14, $1,786
1st: James Howerton, Danville, Va., four bass, 9-14, $1,786
3rd: Chip Crews, Trinity, N.C., three bass, 9-9, $791
4th: Greg Deal, China Grove, N.C., four bass, 8-5, $556
5th: Robert Tysinger, Coats, N.C., two bass, 8-3, $676
6th: Mark Davis, Bear Creek, N.C., three bass, 7-11, $487
7th: Chris Napier, Virginia Beach, Va., two bass, 7-7, $752
8th: Scott Spencer, Raleigh, N.C., four bass, 7-0, $357
9th: Anthony Rife, Max Meadows, Va., three bass, 6-15, $318
10th: Alden Patterson, Mebane, N.C., two bass, 6-13, $278
Napier caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 13 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $355.
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.
STEVENS WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL BULLDOG TOURNAMENT ON LAKE SINCLAIR
Pelham’s Griffin Grabs Co-angler Title
EATONTON, Ga. (June 12, 2017) – Garrett Stevens of McDonough, Georgia, weighed five bass Saturday totaling 16 pounds, 11 ounces to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Bulldog Division tournament on Lake Sinclair. For his victory, Stevens was awarded $4,009.
“I caught every one of my fish on a (June Bug-colored) Zoom Magnum Shakey Head Worm,” said Stevens, who earned the win in his first career tournament as a boater after competing as a Co-angler for three and a half seasons. “I targeted docks in less than 5 feet of water, especially ones that may have had some brush or were near depth changes. I probably fished 30 to 50 of them, but only a couple held really good fish.”
Stevens said his docks were located on the Oconee River, and that he caught 10 to 12 keepers throughout the day.
“I only had one fish come from under a dock, and the rest came from the sides or front,” said Stevens. “I flipped the worm, let it hit the bottom and then I would hop it a couple of times. Soon, you couldn’t feel the weight of the worm anymore, and the line would just start moving.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Garrett Stevens, McDonough, Ga., five bass, 16-11, $4,009
2nd: Buster Slocumb, Juliette, Ga., five bass, 13-2, $2,005
3rd: David Milsaps, Ranger, Ga., five bass, 12-12, $1,536
4th: Stephen Jones, Macon, Ga., five bass, 12-11, $1,035
5th: Tony Couch, Buckhead, Ga., five bass, 12-9, $802
6th: Kyle Welcher, Opelika, Ala., five bass, 12-4, $735
7th: Kim Carver, Milledgeville, Ga., five bass, 12-0, $668
8th: Dylan Peppers, Good Hope, Ga., five bass, 11-11, $601
9th: Tyler Morgan, Columbus, Ga., five bass, 11-5, $535
10th: Kip Carter, Social Circle, Ga., five bass, 11-1, $468
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Scott Huff of Madison, Georgia, caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 10 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – which earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $550.
James Griffin of Pelham, Georgia, won the Co-angler Division and $2,005 Saturday after weighing four bass totaling 9 pounds, 6 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: James Griffin, Pelham, Ga., four bass, 9-6, $2,005
2nd: Dustin Rhoades, Eatonton, Ga., four bass, 8-12, $1,002
3rd: Mark Denney, Bonaire, Ga., five bass, 8-2, $868
4th: Matthew O’Connell, Brooks, Ga., five bass, 7-12, $468
5th: Andrew Nickeson, Valdosta, Ga., two bass, 7-9, $676
6th: Jason Yawn, La Grange, Ga., five bass, 7-7, $401
6th: Ken Smith, Lula, Ga., four bass, 7-7, $401
8th: Ronald Harris, Jefferson, Ga., five bass, 7-6, $301
9th: Jerry Bryant, Douglas, Ga., five bass, 7-4, $267
10th: Robert Holliday, Greensboro, Ga., five bass, 6-12, $234
Nickeson caught the biggest bass among Co-angler Division anglers, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 3 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $275.
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.
Bledsoe & Elliott win Anglers Choice Marine Event on Kerr Lake with over 17 pounds!
Congratulations to the top three finishers in the ACM Team Tournament Trail at Kerr Lake --
1st Place STUMP BLEDSOE & GLENN ELLIOTT with 5 fish limit weighing 17.92 lbs.
2nd Place JASON HOUCHINS & DANNY HOUCHINS weighing in 5 fish at 17.63 lbs.
3rd Place JEFF COBLE & DAVID WRIGHT with a 5 fish limit of 17.21 lbs.
Photo Courtesy of Brian Carter / Basscast.com
Darien Craig and Houston Calvert Win 2017 Alabama Bass Trail Lake Guntersville
Mitch Mitchell and Candler McCollum Claim North Division and Overall AOY Title
by Dan O’Sullivan
June 10, 2017 – Guntersville, Ala. – While takeoff of the final event of the 2017 Alabama Bass Trail Northern Division schedule was happening, there were a lot of questions to be answered. Not only would there be a tournament winning team, but also, the Northern Division and overall Alabama Bass Trail Anglers of the Year would be decided.
While those are always dominant questions, Lake Guntersville was the source of a lot of head scratching as well. Normally one of the most anticipated stops of the year, Guntersville has been giving anglers fits as the fish have taken on a new and unpredictable role, thanks to changing conditions on the fishery.
While there have been some befuddled teams, Lake Guntersville showed what it is capable of as the team of Darien Craig and Houston Calvert produced a 30.45-pound limit to narrowly eke out a win over the team of Hadley Coan and Scott Keeling, who weighed an equally impressive 30.06 pounds.
Craig and Calvert were amazed and shocked at their day; Craig especially. The young angler had been a part of the promotional film crew at ABT for the first two years of the trail before deciding to turn his attention to competing. “I’d seen this a bunch of times while filming where anglers wouldn’t know what to say when they won, and now we can relate,” said Craig. “We’re standing here right now with my team partner, having weighed the biggest bag of our lives, and we won by doing it – this is unbelievable.”
The pair reported running upstream to the Waterfront Bay area and fishing a rockpile in 10-foot of water with brown 1/2-ounce Buckeye Football Head Mop Jigs tipped with matching Rage Craws, and Texas Rigged big worms in green pumpkin with the tail dipped chartreuse. Their final six-pound cull fish came on a light line wacky rigged red bug Zoom Finesse worm around 12:30 in the afternoon.
All of the fish came by making the same cast over and over again. “There was a specific angle of cast that we had to make to in order to get the bigger bites,” they said. “We did everything we could to try and duplicate that cast over and over again, and everything just worked out, it hasn’t sunk in yet, this is unbelievable. Their efforts resulted in an automatic berth into the 2017 ABT Championship at Logan Martin in October and a $10,000 payday.
Finishing second, with an equally impressive performance was the team of Hadley Coan and Scott Keeling. Coan threw 1/2-ounce Guntersville Craw colored Mean Mouth Jigs with a green pumpkin Rage Craw as a trailer and Keeling tossed 6th Sense Cloud 9 Series C15 and C20 crankbaits to shallow offshore structure.
They offered congratulations to the winners while understandably being in shock with the results. “Any time you put a 30-pound bag on the scales, you think you have a really good shot at winning, so we are a little disappointed at that,” they said. “Darien and Houston did a really good job, and had a great day. Congratulations to them, but we’re also a little bit stunned at the moment.” 
The pair took home $5,000 for their efforts, plus the Big Bass bonus of $500 for their 7.56-pound largemouth, an ABT Apparel bonus as other contingency awards.
Brian and Dakota Briggs claimed third with a 21.05-pound limit good for $4,000. They were followed in fourth place by Chase Dorsett and Brandon Smith, who earned $3,000 with 21.02 pounds. The teams of Daniel Puckett and Creig Poole and Rex Chambers and Eric Johnson finished tied for fifth place with 19.94 pounds; they split the fifth and sixth place prize money, each earning $1750.
The top 10 standings are below, for complete standings go to http://www.alabamabasstrail.org/tournament-series/lg-results/
| Place | ANGLERS | Weight | Big Fish | Winnings |
| 1 | Darien Craig / Houston Calvert | 30.45 | 6.61 | $10,000 |
| 2 | Hadley Coan / Scott Keeling | 30.06 | 7.56 | $5,000 |
| 3 | Brian Briggs / Dakota Briggs | 21.05 | 5.84 | $4,000 |
| 4 | Chase Dorsett / Brandon Smith | 21.02 | 6.80 | $3,000 |
| 5 | Daniel Puckett / Creig Poole | 19.94 | 7.45 | $1,750 |
| 5 | Rex Chambers / Eric Johnson | 19.94 | $1,750 | |
| 7 | Mark McCaig / Tim Hurst | 19.88 | $1,100 | |
| 8 | Donny Beck / Tony Harvey | 19.65 | $1,100 | |
| 9 | Charlie Cummings / Greg Pugh | 19.26 | $1,100 | |
| 10 | Jason Whisonant / Wayne Whisonant | 19.19 | $1,100 |
The team of Mitch Mitchell and Candler McCollum wrapped up the Noethern Division and overall Anglers of the Year title after a spectacular year. They pair won two events on the season; the season opener at Wheeler Lake and the fourth event on the schedule at Neely Henry, and earned a 27 point win in their division, and a 42 point margin in the overall.
The result had been their goal all along. “We set this as our goal when the schedule came out last year,” they reported. “We felt like the whole schedule really fit us and we thought we could challenge for it. That being said, this is a really tough field, and to do things this way is something we would have never imagined; it feels really good to be able to say we accomplished this goal.”
For complete season’s standings, visit this link; http://www.alabamabasstrail.org/tournament-series/north-division-standings/.
The sponsors of the 2017 Alabama Bass Trail include; Bill Penney Toyota, Phoenix Bass Boats, GP8 Oxygen Water, Garmin, Academy Sports & Outdoors, Wind Creek Hospitality – Wetumpka, Wind Creek Hospitality – Montgomery, Alabama Tourism Department, SCA Performance, T-H Marine Supplies, Wedowee Marine, AFTCO, Fish Neely Henry Lake.com, Lew’s Fishing, Crossed Industries, YETI, E3 Apparel, TVA and Alabama Power.
For information about Alabama Bass Trail and for complete tournament standings visit www.alabamabasstrail.org.
Wallace State Wins Bassmaster College Series Wild Card Title - Punches Ticket to National Championship
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LAMBERT GOES WIRE-TO-WIRE, WINS COSTA FLW SERIES CENTRAL DIVISION EVENT ON KENTUCKY LAKE
Tennessee Pro Bests 210-boat Field to Earn Fifth Career Victory, $97,200
GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. (June 10, 2017) – Pro Jason Lambert of Michie, Tennessee, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 22 pounds, 8 ounces Saturday to lead wire-to-wire and win the Costa FLW Series Central Division event on Kentucky Lake presented by Lowrance. Lambert’s three-day total of 15 bass weighing 71 pounds, 10 ounces, was enough to earn him the win by a 7-ounce margin and the first place prize package worth $97,200, including a new Ranger Z521C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
“After the Tour season that I’ve had, this feels pretty damn good,” said Lambert, who earned his fifth career victory in FLW competition – second on Kentucky Lake. “When I won the Tour event here last year I was fishing down south, but this year I caught most of my fish north of Kenlake (marina).”
Lambert, fittingly proclaimed the ‘Ledge Hammer’ on the cover of this month’s FLW Bass Fishing magazine, said that he had 25 to 28 schools of fish located out deep on the ledges coming in to the event. He said that he only could get to 15 of the schools during the tournament, but it turned out to be more than enough.
“The first day I caught all of my fish on just three different schools,” Lambert said. “I didn’t have a ‘mega-school’, but I rotated through the areas that I did have. It was tough to get on stuff today – there was a lot of local traffic. That’s pretty standard for a lake that is fishing as well as Kentucky Lake is, though.”
Lambert said that he caught close to 40 keepers on each of the first two days of competition, but only managed a dozen Saturday. He estimated that of the 15 fish that he weighed in this week, eight came via a 6th Sense Lures C25 crankbait, five came on a HogFarmer Hog Wobbler jig head with a Castaic Baits Jerky J and two came on a Gene Larew TattleTail worm, in green-pumpkin.
“The key was absolutely locating those schools of fish with my electronics,” Lambert went on to say. “Having several different schools marked and ready to go gave me the confidence to fish for the win this week.”
The top 10 pros on Kentucky Lake were:
1st: Jason Lambert, Michie, Tenn., 15 bass, 71-10, $97,200
2nd: Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 15 bass, 71-3, $21,600
3rd: Randy Haynes, Counce, Tenn., 15 bass, 68-4, $15,000
4th: Micah Frazier, Newnan, Ga., 15 bass, 65-2, $13,300
5th: Clent Davis, Montevallo, Ala., 15 bass, 64-12, $12,000
6th: Old Spice pro Greg Bohannan, Bentonville, Ark., 15 bass, 64-10, $9,500
7th: Tom Redington, Royse City, Texas, 15 bass, 64-4, $8,200
8th: Jeff Defew, Benton, Ky., 15 bass, 64-2, $7,200
9th: Austin Brown, Benton, Ky., 15 bass, 63-2, $6,200
10th: Brandon Hunter, Benton, Ky., 15 bass, 61-5, $4,600
A complete list of results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Micah Frazier of Newnan, Georgia, caught a bass weighing 8 pounds, 6 ounces Friday – the biggest of the tournament in the Pro Division. For his catch, Frazier earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $300.
Grayson Smith of Clarksville, Tennessee, won the Co-angler Division and a new Ranger Z175 boat with a 90-horsepower Evinrude outboard motor. Smith earned his win with a three-day total catch of 15 bass weighing 54 pounds, 3 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers on Kentucky Lake were:
1st: Grayson Smith, Clarksville, Tenn., 15 bass, 54-3, $28,700
2nd: Joe Thompson, Clayton, Ga., 15 bass, 52-2, $6,500
3rd: Tommy Sikes, Quitman, Texas, 15 bass, 51-6, $5,200
4th: Mark Howard, Mesquite, Texas, 15 bass, 51-5, $4,150
5th: Roger Olson Jr., Eagle River, Wis., 15 bass, 50-4, $3,600
6th: Malvin Steger, Millersville, Mo., 15 bass, 48-12, $3,100
7th: Christopher Lemon, Mooresville, Ind., 15 bass, 47-15, $2,600
8th: Robbie Bartoszek, Hampshire, Tenn., 15 bass, 47-9, $2,050
9th: Rob Crane, Fairview Heights, Ill., 12 bass, 41-14, $1,620
10th: Adam Lock, Metropolis, Ill., 13 bass, 41-10, $1,370
Jojo Walsh of Lyles, Tennessee, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division Thursday, a largemouth weighing 8 pounds, 6 ounces, and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $200.
The Costa FLW Series on Kentucky Lake presented by Lowrance was hosted by the Kentucky Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau. It was the second of three Central Division tournaments in 2017. The next Costa FLW Series tournament will be the Northern Division opener, held June 22-24, on Lake Champlain in Plattsburgh, New York. 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.
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.
