Garmin acquires Navionics
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Premier supplier of electronic navigational charts for mariners Schaffhausen, Switzerland/Oct. 27, 2017/Business Wire —Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), today |
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announced that it has acquired Navionics S.p.A., a privately-held worldwide provider of electronic navigational charts and mobile applications for the marine industry. “Navionics has long been known as a leading supplier of highly accurate navigational charts and mobile applications for boaters,” said Cliff Pemble, Garmin president and CEO. “By combining Navionics’ content with Garmin’s BlueChart® and LakeVüTM content, we will be able to offer the best available breadth and depth of coverage to our marine customers. Going forward, we plan to retain the Navionics brand and will continue to support Navionics’ existing customers.” “Since our founding, Navionics has been passionate about creating products that enhance the boating experience,” said Giuseppe Carnevali, Navionics founder and president. “Garmin shares our passion for serving the marine industry, and is an ideal company to carry the strong brand and reputation of Navionics into the future.” In addition to a popular boating app, Navionics has developed an extensive repository of nautical charts for oceans, rivers, and lakes. Many of these charts have been developed with Navionics’ proprietary surveys, done both in the field and with remote sensing such as satellite imagery and airborne laser scanners. |
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Navionics is headquartered in Viareggio, Italy, and employs more than 350 associates globally, who will be retained. Financial terms of the acquisition will not be released. |
Finding the Sweet Spot within the Spot - On The Water with Humminbird Pro J-Luc
Elite Series Champion Justin Lucas is a huge proponent of MEGA Imaging from our buddies at Humminbird. Lets go on the Water with JLuc and see what he looks for when the water and weather starts to cool off!
Carhartt Countdown to Blast Off - SE Report
AnglersChannel's John Byrne and Sportsman's Warehouse Fishing Manager CJ Freeman highlight the upcoming Carolina Bass Challenge Classic on Lake Wateree as well as what you should have tied on when you hit the water this weekend. Check it out!
Final Berth Remains For 2018 Bassmaster Classic On Lake Hartwell
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LEXINGTON’S SANDERS WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL REGIONAL TOURNAMENT ON BARREN RIVER PRESENTED BY LOWRANCE
Indiana’s Stone Grabs Co-angler Title
GLASGOW, Ky. (Oct. 23, 2017) – Boater Eric Sanders of Lexington, Kentucky, caught a three-day cumulative total of 12 bass weighing 33 pounds, 10 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Regional event on the Barren River presented by Lowrance. Sanders earned $65,000 for his efforts, including a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and automatic entry into the 2018 BFL All-American Championship.
Sanders spent the weekend targeting brush piles and deep rock about 25 feet deep. He said his best brush was located off the ends of bluffs outside main-lake pockets.
“The (U.S. Army) Corps of Engineers started the winter drawdown about a week ago, and it kind of screwed up the shallow bite,” said Sanders, who earned his first career victory in FLW competition. “I just knew I had to fish out deep.”
All week, Sanders slowly dragged a 1/2-ounce Stan Sloan’s Zorro Bait Co. Booza Brush Bug jig. He used a Strike King Rage Twin Tail Menace Grub trailer Thursday and Friday, and a Zoom Twin Tail Grub trailer on Saturday.
“As soon as you felt rock or wood with the jig and pulled off of it, that’s when they ate it,” said Sanders. “You had to feel the cover – that was crucial.”
The top six boaters that qualified for the 2018 BFL All-American were:
1st: Eric Sanders, Lexington, Ky., 12 bass, 33-10, $65,000
2nd: Tim Rhoades, Bowling Green, Ky., 14 bass, 33-2, $10,000
3rd: Clint Bissonett, Beavercreek, Ohio, 12 bass, 27-1, $5,200
4th: Jack Dalzell, Elyria, Ohio, 12 bass, 27-0, $3,100
5th: Kyle Weisenburger, Ottawa, Ohio, 11 bass, 25-11, $2,000
6th: Brad Leifermann, Andover, Minn., 11 bass, 25-3, $1,800
Rounding out the top-10 boaters were:
7th: Ronny Webb, Dyersburg, Tenn., 10 bass, 25-2, $1,600
8th: Dick Shaffer, Rockford, Ohio, 11 bass, 24-11, $1,400
9th: Brandon Houston, Burlington, Ky., 11 bass, 24-7, $1,200
10th: Heath Wagner, Angola, Ind., 12 bass, 23-15, $1,000
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Jim Stone of Greenwood, Indiana, won the Co-angler Division and a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard with a three-day cumulative catch of eight bass weighing 23 pounds, 5 ounces.
The top six co-anglers that qualified for the 2018 BFL All-American were:
1st: Jim Stone, Greenwood, Ind., eight bass, 23-5, $45,100
2nd: Philip Borsa, Redford, Mich., 11 bass, 20-2, $5,000
3rd: Andrew Gilliland, McArthur, Ohio, nine bass, 16-9, $2,500
4th: Danny Nicklin, Highland, Ill., eight bass, 15-9, $1,500
5th: Paul Vonwald, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 14-11, $1,000
6th: Joseph Gulash, Edwardsville, Ill., five bass, 14-2, $900
Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers were:
7th: James Wathen, Royal Oak, Mich., six bass, 13-1, $800
8th: Mark Saunders, Medina, Ohio, six bass, 12-2, $700
9th: David Dieling, Eddyville, Ky., five bass, 11-5, $600
10th: Hunter Fillmore, Waynesville, Ohio, five bass, 11-5, $550
The T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League Regional Tournament on the Barren River was hosted by the Glasgow-Barren County Tourist & Convention Commission.
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. The 2018 All-American will be held on Cross Lake in Shreveport, Louisiana, May 31-June 2 and is hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier City Sports Commission and the Red River Waterway Commission. 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.
ARKANSAS’ SANDIDGE WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL REGIONAL TOURNAMENT ON RED RIVER PRESENTED BY QUAKER STATE
Oklahoma’s Colwell Tops Co-angler Division
BOSSIER CITY, La. (Oct. 23, 2017) – Boater Jason Sandidge of Centerton, Arkansas, caught a three-day cumulative total of 15 bass weighing 31 pounds, 12 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Regional event on the Red River presented by Quaker State. Sandidge netted $65,000 for his win, including a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and an automatic berth into the 2018 BFL All-American Championship.
Sandidge said he spent the event working through a 50-yard stretch of water near the takeoff ramp, and that he caught around eight to 10 keepers a day.
“The spot was basically a logjam that toppled into a ditch,” said Sandidge, who earned his first career victory as a boater in BFL competition. “The ditch led into backwaters, and the fish used it as a highway. The logjam resembled a point and it was the first place they could stop and feed before they went shallow. There were some shad there as well.”
Sandidge primarily flipped a green-pumpkin and blue-sapphire-colored Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craw, adding that he dipped the pincers in chartreuse dye.
“I think the area held up because it was near deep water,” said Sandidge. “It was able to reload quickly, which was key.”
The top six boaters that qualified for the 2018 BFL All-American were:
1st: Jason Sandidge, Centerton, Ark., 15 bass, 31-12, $65,000
2nd: Randy Deaver, Blanchard, La., 15 bass, 30-7, $10,200
3rd: Ben Blaschke, Muldrow, Okla., 15 bass, 29-10, $5,000
4th: Randy Despino, Colfax, La., 14 bass, 26-5, $3,100
5th: John Shore, Owasso, Okla., 11 bass, 23-1, $2,000
6th: Nick Lebrun, Bossier City, La., 11 bass, 23-0, $1,800
Rounding out the top-10 boaters were:
7th: Samuel Jenkins, Abita Springs, La., 14 bass, 23-0, $1,600
8th: Austin Parker, Broken Arrow, Okla., 13 bass, 21-7, $1,400
9th: James Marsh, Thomas, Okla., 12 bass, 21-5, $1,200
10th: Ed Barton, Vian, Okla., nine bass, 19-11, $1,000
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Nathan Colwell of Pryor, Oklahoma, won the Co-angler Division and a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard with a three-day cumulative total of nine bass weighing 17 pounds, 5 ounces.
The top six co-anglers that qualified for the 2018 BFL All-American were:
1st: Nathan Colwell, Pryor, Okla., nine bass, 17-5, $45,200
2nd: Jack Stegall, Carriere, Miss., 10 bass, 16-12, $5,050
3rd: Bobby Call, Wagoner, Okla., eight bass, 15-9, $2,500
4th: Cord Colwell, Pryor, Okla., five bass, 14-8, $1,500
5th: Keith Whipple, Iuka, Miss., six bass, 14-5, $1,000
6th: Mike Allen, Crystal Springs, Miss., five bass, 12-11, $900
Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers were:
7th: James Callaghan, De Berry, Texas, six bass, 12-8, $800
8th: Brian Choate, Conway, Ark., eight bass, 12-3, $700
9th: Steve Standridge, Conway, Ark., five bass, 11-7, $600
10th: Daniel Corkern, Florence, Miss., seven bass, 10-12, $500
The T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League Regional Tournament on the Red River was hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier City Sports Commission.
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. The 2018 All-American will be held on Cross Lake in Shreveport, Louisiana, May 31-June 2 and is hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier City Sports Commission and the Red River Waterway Commission. 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.
SOUTH CAROLINA’S RAMPEY WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL REGIONAL TOURNAMENT ON LAKE LANIER PRESENTED BY GENERAL TIRE
Grizzle Takes Home Co-angler Title
GAINESVILLE, Ga. (Oct. 23, 2017) – Boater Jayme Rampey of Liberty, South Carolina, caught a three-day cumulative total of 15 bass weighing 41 pounds, 13 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Regional event on Lake Lanier presented by General Tire. Rampey pocketed $65,200 for his win, including a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and automatic entry into the 2018 BFL All-American Championship.
Rampey said he focused on shallow docks to catch his fish throughout the weekend. He started each day by fishing near the Laurel Park launch site before heading to the Buford Dam, and said most of his bites came in 2 to 3 feet of water.
“I fished 150 to 200 docks each day,” said Rampey, who notched his seventh career win in BFL competition. “I went to several of them on multiple days, and I never caught fish on the same place more than once. I think they’re really finicky right now and once they see something, they have a really good memory.”
Rampey said he tempted his dock fish with a one-two punch: a white swimbait on a 1/2-ounce Buckeye Lures J-Will jighead and a green-pumpkin-colored stickbait on a 1/16-ounce Buckeye Lures Flick-It head. He alternated between the two until the bass showed their preference.
“On Friday the fish preferred the swimbait, and Saturday I caught my big one on the swimbait and had to grind it out with the Flick-It,” Rampey said. “If they were biting the swimbait, I’d keep on throwing it.”
Rampey said that each day delivered a good morning bite, followed by a lull and then a midday rally from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“You only had a few hours to catch them, and then they were really moody,” said Rampey. “They would follow the bait out and you’d see them, but they wouldn’t bite.”
The top six boaters that qualified for the 2018 BFL All-American were:
1st: Jayme Rampey, Liberty, S.C., 15 bass, 41-13, $65,200
2nd: Jeremy Strong, Elberton, Ga., 15 bass, 37-0, $11,000
3rd: Rob Jordan, Flowery Branch, Ga., 15 bass, 36-14, $5,100
4th: Roger Vinson, Flowery Branch, Ga., 15 bass, 36-7, $3,000
5th: David Nichol, Gainesville, Ga., 15 bass, 34-3, $2,000
6th: Heath Pack, Ellijay, Ga., 15 bass, 33-10, $1,800
Rounding out the top-10 boaters were:
7th: Greg Glouse, Liberty, S.C., 15 bass, 33-1, $1,600
8th: Steve Foster, Jasper, Ga., 14 bass, 32-9, $1,400
9th: Derek Lehtonen, Woodruff, S.C., 15 bass, 32-3, $1,200
10th: Matthew Mollohan, Prosperity, S.C., 13 bass, 29-6, $1,000
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Harold Grizzle of Gainesville, Georgia, won the Co-angler Division and a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard with a three-day cumulative catch of 12 bass weighing 25 pounds, 12 ounces.
The top six Co-anglers that qualified for the 2018 BFL All-American were:
1st: Harold Grizzle, Gainesville, Ga., 12 bass, 25-12, $45,100
2nd: Eric Cerny, Alpharetta, Ga., 13 bass, 24-7, $5,000
3rd: Stephen Main, Chester, Va., 12 bass, 22-11, $2,500
4th: Brandon Brock, Honea Path, S.C., 11 bass, 22-2, $1,550
5th: Jeremy Bouldin, Kings Mountain, N.C., 11 bass, 21-13, $1,000
6th: Michael Miller, Greenville, S.C., 11 bass, 21-3, $900
Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers were:
7th: Chester Tucker, Seneca, S.C., 10 bass, 19-4, $800
8th: Jay Trudel, Boca Raton, Fla., 10 bass, 18-1, $700
9th: Cody Coker, Comer, Ga., nine bass, 16-13, $600
10th: Derek Petruzelli, Saint Cloud, Fla., eight bass, 15-2, $500
The T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League Regional Tournament on Lake Lanier was hosted by the Gainesville Convention & Visitors Bureau.
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. The 2018 All-American will be held on Cross Lake in Shreveport, Louisiana, May 31-June 2 and is hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier City Sports Commission and the Red River Waterway Commission. 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.
OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY WINS YETI FLW COLLEGE FISHING TOURNAMENT AT FORT GIBSON LAKE
WAGONER, Okla. (Oct. 16, 2017) – The Oklahoma State University duo of Rhett Meyer of Stillwater, Oklahoma, and Jake Biram of Tulsa, Oklahoma , won the YETI FLW College Fishing Southern Conference tournament at Fort Gibson Lake Saturday with a five-bass limit weighing 16 pounds, 7 ounces. The victory earned the Cowboys bass club $2,400 and the team will now advance to compete at the 2018 FLW College Fishing National Championship, scheduled for May 30-June 2 on the Red River in Shreveport, Louisiana.
" src="cid:image007.jpg@01D34674.7F0A04B0" alt="image007.jpg" align="right" hspace="12" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_2" class="Apple-web-attachment Singleton" style="width: 3in; height: 4in;">“We fished in the mid-lake area for most of the day, from the Highway 51 Bridge up to Whitehorn Cove Marina,” said Biram, a sophomore marketing major. “It was really windy, so we just tried to play to the conditions and we fished every shallow wind-blown point that we could find. We probably hit around 10 to 12 different points throughout the day.”
“We caught a lot of sand bass and drums, but we just had to weed through those to get the bass,” said Meyer, a sophomore majoring in agricultural business. “We only had five keeper bites all day.”
The duo started their morning throwing squarebill crankbaits and topwater baits, but quickly switched to (ghost-shad) Bill Lewis Rat-L-Traps after boating a couple of early keepers.
“I think the key for us was the Rat-L-Trap,” Meyer said. “We threw the squarebill a lot, but we were not getting any bites. The Rat-L-Trap was getting down deep enough to get us the bites.”
“Fishing slow was important,” Biram added. “We had to be methodical, but also make sure we were staying on the move to be in the right place at the right time. It was an awesome day.”
The top 10 teams that advanced to the 2018 College Fishing National Championship are:
1st: Oklahoma State University – Rhett Meyer, Stillwater, Okla., and Jake Biram, Tulsa, Okla., five bass, 16-7, $2,400
2nd: Northeastern State University – Colin Adams and Caleb Gibson, both of Tahlequah, Okla., five bass, 14-2, $1,000
3rd: Rogers State University – Alex Torkleson, Sand Springs, Okla., and Alec Murphy, Claremore, Okla., five bass, 13-2, $500
4th: Oklahoma State University – Logan Moody, Claremore, Okla., and Blake Capps, Muskogee, Okla., five bass, 12-14, $500
5th: Southwestern Oklahoma State University – Charles Blood, Weatherford, Okla., and Dalton Warrington, Thomas, Okla., five bass, 11-9, $500
6th: Rogers State University – Dillon Roberts, Claremore, Okla., and Ty Crutchfield, Inola, Okla., five bass, 11-6
7th: East Texas Baptist University – Colby Simmons, Marshall, Texas, and Brandon Barber, DeBerry, Texas, five bass, 11-6, $200
8th: Oklahoma State University – Bates Enmeier, Enid, Okla., and Dexter Flick, Stillwater, Okla., five bass, 10-15
9th: Dallas Baptist University – Ryan Nevil, Forney, Texas, and Cole Trotter, Ozark, Ark., four bass, 10-9
10th: Tarleton State University – Dylan Jebousek, Cypress, Texas, and Justin Faterkowski, Montgomery, Texas, four bass, 10-8
Complete results can be found atFLWFishing.com .
This YETI FLW College Fishing Southern Conference event at Fort Gibson Lake was hosted by the Wagoner Area Chamber of Commerce and was the final regular-season qualifying tournament for FLW College Fishing anglers in 2017. The next YETI FLW College Fishing event will be the 2018 season-opener, a Southern Conference tournament, scheduled for Jan. 13 on Sam Rayburn Reservoir in Lufkin, Texas.
FLW College Fishing teams compete in three regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top ten teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments and the top 20 teams from the annual FLW College Fishing Open will advance to the 2018 FLW College Fishing National Championship on the Red River, hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission & Red River Waterway Commission. Additional teams will qualify for the National Championship if the field size in regular-season events exceeds 100 boats.
College Fishing is free to enter. All participants must be registered, full-time students at a college, university or community college and members of a college fishing club that is recognized by their school.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow College Fishing on Facebook atFacebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter atTwitter.com/FLWFishing . VisitFLWFishing.com to sign up or to start a club at your school.
Lee Brothers Choose One Treat Each for Tricking Halloween Largemouth
During his highly successful Carhartt Bassmaster College Series days at Auburn, Matt Lee once dressed as country music star Brad Paisley for Halloween.
“I had a plaid button-up shirt and carried a guitar around all night – mostly because chicks were into Brad Paisley at the time, and I could grow a goatee in four days,” laughed Matt, as he reflected back to his campus days.
Speed ahead half-a-dozen years, and Lee is now a full-time Bassmaster Elite Series pro, fresh off five very impressive Top 12 finishes during the 2017 season. And this Halloween, he’s costuming as an old lady, and choosing a topwater frog as his single favorite lure for late October.
“People think of a frog as being a lure for aquatic vegetation, and it’s definitely great for that, but it’s also an awesome bait to throw around isolated laydowns and docks -- especially if you’ve got shade present,” says Matt.
Don’t Be Afraid of Braid – “For whatever reason, a lot of beginning anglers are afraid to throw braided line. But with a frog, braid is a ‘must-have’ for better hooksets, and to land the fish that blow up on it,” says Matt. He favors 50 or 65 pound Seaguar Smackdown, and spools it to a Quantum Speed Freak reel with a blazing 8.1:1 gear ratio that’s crucial to picking up line really fast following topwater explosions.
A jig around docks for Jordan -- Matt’s younger brother, and Bassmaster Classic Champion, Jordan jumps on a jig for his pick of one lure he can count on in mid-autumn.
“I’m looking to pitch at any isolated piece of wood on the shoreline, but docks are also super key in late October, and it’s hard to beat a 3/8 ounce Strike King finesse jig for laydowns or docks,” says Jordan.
Haunted Docks?
Okay, maybe not haunted, but old, somewhat dilapidated docks are famous for attracting more bass than new, well-maintained docks.
“Yep, the best docks are kinda crusty, and covered in spider webs, with an old aluminum boat parked in the middle of ‘em,” grins the younger Lee brother. “Ideally I like a dock with about 15-feet of water on the front posts, and 5-feet of water near the back of it.”
Jordan trims his jig with a Strike King Menace and spools up with 15-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon, but cautions anglers to not go too big with their rod selection.
“I like a 7-footer versus a 7’ 6” or a 7’ 10” when I’m fishing docks, because a lot of times you’re in tight spaces, plus you make more accurate pitches with a slightly shorter rod,” he explains. Jordan’s current dock fishing pitchin’ stick of choice is the new Quantum Smoke S3 model #SMC707XF.
Given their phenomenal success during their short tenure as full-time pros, perhaps avid angler and country music star Brad Paisley might consider dressing as one of the Lee Brothers this Halloween - and if he’s wise - he’ll tie on a frog and a finesse jig.
12th Annual Berkley Big Bass event on Lake Fork Winners – 9.95lb Largemouth tops them all to win fully loaded Skeeter boat!
By: Patty Lenderman
More than 1100 anglers from multiple states have made the annual trek to Lake Fork for the richest two-day hourly big bass event in the country – the Berkley Big Bass tournament. $150,000 in cash and prizes were awarded, including two fully rigged Skeeter boats! Allen Teague of Athens, TX caught the biggest bass of the event to win the mother load.
It has become an annual tradition for Berkley Baits, Skeeter Bass Champs and a host of anglers to team up for this coveted event. Twenty places were available each hour of this two day tournament to win cash and prizes. In addition, there were Junior and Women’s divisions, Exact Weight bonuses and empty bag giveaways. Lake Fork is not only a renowned big bass lake, but it has its own unique parameters as well. Only bass measuring 16” or less, or 24” and over may be retained. Due to that aspect, the two top prizes of fully rigged Skeeter boats, powered by Yamaha, outfitted with Lowrance electronics were awarded to the angler with the largest bass over – and under – the slot limit. One more thing. Anglers had to exclusively use Berkley products for their catch! To get things kicked off, contenders were given goodie bags with Berkley baits and a commemorative T-shirt.
This was the third time to fish the Berkley Big Bass tournament for Athens TX angler Allen Teague. “I got to fish with a friend and co-worker of mine, LaCharles Bass. It was his first time to fish one.” The duo headed to the south end of the lake to fish shallow water in a cove. “I was using the Berkley Rib Toad that was in my goodie bag. It was a pearl color, and we hit an area about 3’ deep.” Right away, he landed a fish on it. “I was just buzzing the bait across the water, and when it was about 15’ away from the boat, this big bass just smoked it!” After a short fight with the bass, they netted her in the boat. “She struck so close to the boat I didn’t get a good hook set in her. When we got her in the boat, the bait fell right out of her mouth!” That was at 7:40am on day one. They brought her right in to the weigh in, tipping the scales at 9.95 pounds! He started his winnings with a $1,000 check for that weigh in hour. It was a long wait for the remainder of that day and the next to find out the final outcome. “I didn’t even fish on the second day. I went to church, then listened to the radio and checked the Bass Champs Facebook page for updates on the tournament on my way there.” Several more big bass over the slot were weighed in, but his fish held up to win the grand prize of the tournament- a Skeeter ZX200 powered by Yamaha, outfitted with Lowrance electronics and Power Pole. “I can’t hardly believe it! Had a great time, love the new boat and can’t wait for next year’s event.”
There were numerous winners throughout the rest of the first day, both over and under the slots. The bar for the biggest bass under the slot was constantly changing, until the 9am weigh in hour on day 2 when DeAris Williams of Reno TX brought in his catch. “I had weighed in a fish the first day, but it was knocked out of the line up for checks,” Dearis began. “I was using the Berkley Rib Toad that was in my goodie bag. It was brown with a green belly.” He headed to an area with lily pads, and got his bite at 7:30am. “I was making far casts, skipping the bait across the water making its little legs work. This fish just sucked the bait under!” When he secured his catch in the boat, “I told my partner this was going to be a contender. When we measured it, the tail was barely touching the 16” mark. We fished one more hour and went in to weigh it.” At the weigh in, the fish was again measured and had shrunk just a little to 15-1/2”. Putting it on the scales, the weight locked in at 2.77 pounds, the heaviest of them all under the slot limit! DeAris won the $1,000 check for top fish of that hour and was presented a brand new Skeeter ZX190 powered by Yamaha with Lowrance electronics. “I am one happy camper!” DeAris exclaimed.
“This is a jam-packed fun filled tournament that we look forward to hosting every year,” Chad Potts stated. “This is the 12th year for this big bass event and we thank everyone for coming from near and far to fish it with us. Berkley makes a wide variety of proven bass catching baits, and this tournament is a great way to showcase them.”
This concludes the 2017 season for Bass Champs, so the entire staff and crew would like to wish everyone a great holiday season with your loved ones. “We’ll be looking forward to seeing everyone as we kick off 2018!”
| Angler | City | State | Weight | Prize Amount | |
| ALLEN TEAGUE | Athens | TX | 9.95 |
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| DEARIS WILLIAMS | Reno | TX | 2.77 |
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| JIMMY QUALLS | Euless | TX | 2.50 |
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| ALLEN TEAGUE | Athens | TX | 9.95 |
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| BRIAN SANDERS | Burleson | TX | 8.22 |
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| LARRY THOMAS | Millsap | TX | 8.22 |
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| TROY HICKS | Lewisville | TX | 7.74 |
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| VICTOR VENEGAS | Waco | TX | 6.91 |
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| RAYMOND NEWTON | Nacogdoches | TX | 6.15 |
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| DEARIS WILLIAMS | Reno | TX | 2.77 |
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| ALEX FINCH | NRH | TX | 2.66 |
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| CHARLES PRATT | Northlake | TX | 2.63 |
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| RODGER JONES | Holliday | TX | 2.62 |
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| PATRICK CORMIER | Lafayette | LA | 2.60 |
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| BILLY PRITCHETT | Kerens | TX | 2.51 |
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| CHRIS CRABTREE | Tulsa | OK | 2.47 |
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| SCOTT RICE | Nixa | MO | 2.28 |
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| KATHLEEN WHEELER | Harleton | TX | 2.55 |
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| BRYSON MCMURTREY | Big Spring | TX | 2.33 |
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| JON NIZIOL | Flower Mound | TX | 2.65 |
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| CHARLIE FLOYD | Emory | TX | 2.60 |
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| MICHA RODDEN | Fort Worth | TX | 2.58 |
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| THOMAS KRESSLEY | Irving | TX | 2.55 |
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| TERRY NEAL | Longview | TX | 2.52 |
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| PAUL LOWKE | Arlington | TX | 2.49 |
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| NICK BROWN | Lindale | TX | 2.49 |
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| JAMES COMBS | Georgetown | TX | 2.48 |
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| JOHN RILEY | Coppell | TX | 2.46 |
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| CALEB MCKINNEY | Ninnekah | OK | 2.44 |
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| GAVIN DAWS | Durant | OK | 2.39 |
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| ALLAN NAIL | Sand Springs | OK | 2.38 |
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| TIM HAWKINS | Anna | TX | 2.31 |
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| TONI JONES | Yantis | TX | 2.24 |
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| ROBERT CASE III | Point | TX | 2.19 |
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| LUKE COLLINS | Liberty | TX | 2.06 |
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| TERRY TIPPS | Grand Saline | TX | 2.59 |
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| TOMMY CORNELIUS | Terrell | TX | 2.48 |
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| JAMES ELDER | Wills Point | TX | 2.43 |
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| GARY GROSSMAN | Yantis | TX | 2.40 |
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| JOHN THORNTON | Huntsville | TX | 2.40 |
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| DON OVERSTREET | Sulphur Springs | TX | 2.36 |
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| CHRIS DISANTO | Chandler | TX | 2.36 |
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| WADE EVANS | Powderly | TX | 2.33 |
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| JAMES QUISENBERRY | Emory | TX | 2.31 |
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| JAMES MARTIN | Troup | TX | 2.31 |
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| DAVID SORRELLS | Linden | TX | 2.29 |
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| CAMERON MALLETT | Buna | TX | 2.14 |
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| HOLLY REDING | Van | TX | 2.09 |
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| ARIK SANKO | Forney | TX | 2.06 |
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| ALLEN PETTY | Pittsburg | TX | 2.41 |
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Humminbird® Announces Big Ice Fishing Promotion: Buy an ICE HELIX® 5 or 7 CHIRP GPS G2 Unit and Receive a Free High-Definition LakeMaster Map
RACINE, Wis., October 19, 2017 – Now thru March 30, 2018, ice anglers will have the opportunity to gear up with the most advanced ice fishing sonar model ever developed AND get a free high-definition map of their favorite lake while they’re at it. Customers can choose from more than 1,500 high-definition LakeMaster maps available through ChartSelect™ at chartselect.humminbird.com. All Humminbird® LakeMaster lake maps are fully compatible with the new ICE HELIX G2 Series and include exclusive features like depth and shallow-water highlighting and lake level offset.
Upon purchase of an ICE HELIX 5 or 7 CHIRP GPS G2 model, a unique promo code will be given to each owner once the unit is registered on humminbird.com by March 30, 2018. The consumer then has until June 30, 2018 to redeem that code to download the free Humminbird LakeMaster lake map of their choice from chartselect.humminbird.com. Consumers get one free map per registered ICE HELIX G2 unit.
The ICE HELIX 5 (5” screen) and ICE HELIX 7 (7” screen) CHIRP GPS G2 models take accuracy and clarity to new levels for hard-water fishing. Unlike traditional sonar that operates at a single 200 kHz frequency, CHIRP send pulses across a maximum range of 130 kHz to 250 kHz, resulting in more detail and resolution. What anglers see on the ICE HELIX screen is crisper and has remarkable target separation, meaning consumers will be able to differentiate between a fish holding tight to the bottom and their lure. This jaw-dropping clarity is obvious whether the angler views the screen in flasher or 2D sonar mode.
The Humminbird ICE HELIX also cuts through sonar “noise” unlike any other unit. It features an easy-to-use Interference Rejection system, which allows anglers to select from one of five settings to eliminate competing sonar signals in the water, resulting in a clearer screen. The benefits of this technological advancement are huge, particularly when fishing crowded spots where multiple fish finders send sonar signals throughout the water column.
Also new for these ICE HELIX models is the ability to select multiple screen views based on personal preference and fishing application. For the first time, ice anglers can view a Flasher/Sonar combo view. This will be popular among ice anglers as it features the traditional flasher view with the added bonus of 2D sonar, making fish and lure history visible on the ice for the first time. Additional screen view options include Flasher/Sonar Zoom, Flasher/Chart, Sonar/Chart, and Sonar/Sonar Zoom. The popular Flasher-only view is ultra-responsive and has 4 times the resolution of previous models.
The ICE HELIX 5 and 7 CHIRP GPS G2 units, as their name implies, have built-in GPS that functions harmoniously with the new Humminbird Basemap, a pre-loaded mapping system that includes contour lines and points-of-interest to more than 10,000 U.S. lakes. In addition, these units can read highly detailed and accurate LakeMaster maps, helping anglers quickly find productive water with 1-3’ contour lines. This reduces the number of holes that need to be drilled and allows for precise waypoint placement on key fishing structure.
Everything a winter angler needs comes standard with ICE HELIX 5 and 7 CHIRP GPS G2 units – including the CHIRP Ice Transducer, an 800H x 480V color TFT display, a handy soft-sided carry case, gimbal bracket and hardware, 9ah battery and charger. For more information call Humminbird at 800-633-1468 or visit www.humminbird.com/ice-series.
Major League Fishing and B&W Trailer Hitches connect for 2018 season
TULSA, Okla. - Major League Fishing announces the addition of B&W Trailer Hitches to its sponsor lineup for the 2018 season of the popular made-for-television series of bass fishing competitions.
The coupling of the two brands is a logical connection because both companies are known for product innovation that is especially appealing to anglers who fish from boats.
MLF incorporates a unique catch-and-release format where numbers of scorable bass caught can potentially be an even more important strategy than just targeting big fish. Also, all competitors keep track of each other's success via real-time updates via iPads, allowing the TV audience to witness anglers' emotions throughout the matches.
B&W revolutionized the gooseneck hitch industry when it invented its Turnoverball system nearly 30 years ago. More recently, its Tow and Stow hitch has become the ideal option for boat owners because it can be stowed underneath and out of the way without removal from the vehicle.
"A partnership with Major League Fishing is a great fit for us and we're excited to begin the 2018 relationship," said B&W Marketing Manager Beth Barlow. "Fishermen want the best equipment on their trucks and in their boats, and at our factory in Humboldt, Kansas, we strive to build the best quality trailer hitches on the market."
"It makes perfect sense to promote B&W Trailer Hitches in association with anglers who are also the best of the best. We make products that ensure fishermen get their boats to the water."
MLF General Manager Jim Wilburn agrees with Barlow's assessment.
"B&W's commitment to Made in USA and product innovation, and being located in our country's heartland of trucks and trailers are attributes that align exceptionally well with the MLF audience that is so passionate about pursuit of America's favorite freshwater species - bass," said Wilburn. "No tow vehicle and boat trailer are complete without a hitch, so we, too, are indeed pleased in this new-sponsor hook up with B&W Trailer Hitches."
According to Nielsen ratings, MLF was Outdoor Channel's top-rated television show in first and second quarters 2016 and 2017. The TV show now also airs on the World Fishing Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network and Discovery Channel.
The best-known names in professional bass fishing compete in MLF events, including Kevin VanDam, Tommy Biffle, Jacob Wheeler, Edwin Evers, Brent Chapman, Gary Klein, Boyd Duckett and more.
For more information on MLF and the show's format, rules, anglers and sponsors, visit www.majorleaguefishing.com.
Lee Brothers, 78 teams, and 72 pizzas make for a great Quantum High School and College Open.
Story & Photos Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships.
When you serve up 72 free pizzas, and former Carhartt Bassmaster College Series studs Matt and Jordan Lee are in the house, even an approaching rain-soaked autumn cold front can’t dampen 78 high school and college fishing teams from showing-up for the first ever Quantum Next Generation Open on Grand Lake, Oklahoma.
In fact, the young anglers traveled from as far away as nine states to launch and weigh-in at the same top-notch facility in Grove, Oklahoma that hosted the 2013 and 2016 Bassmaster Classics.
More than a dozen Zebco employees, parent company of Quantum, traveled from headquarters in Tulsa to volunteer and assure the anglers a quality experience at the No Entry Fee tournament.
And while ample smiles were evident of a great time by all in attendance, the high school team of Landon Edwards and Dalton Greene of Springdale and Siloam Springs, Arkansas caught the biggest bag of the event with 16.44 impressive pounds on a Rick Clunn squarebill from structure between docks.
The top finishing college team was Cameron Simmons and Dexter Flick of Oklahoma State with 12.97 pounds. Simmons an aviation major from Owasso, OK, and Flick an accounting major from Olathe, Colorado anchored their win with a 5-pound beast that bit a ½ ounce Pepper Custom Lures spinnerbait featuring willowleaf blades.
Each winning team walked away with an impressive amount of product valued at $5,000 in a No Entry Fee tournament thanks to the very generous contributions of Carhartt, Costa, Garmin, Lowrance, Quantum, Stormr, and Strike King. Beyond just prizes to the top finishing teams, Quantum gave away a total of $16,000 in product through random drawings.
“In five years of being around high school and college tournaments, I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a rich product pay-out in a No Entry Fee event, not to mention, it was really well attended and run in a first class way,” says Matt Lee.
Patience with the Prop Yields Fall Giants!
Fall is topwater time! The bait and bass move up and feed up. This situation often lends itself to outstanding surface action.
But let’s be honest. There are many hours, and even entire days when buzzbaits, poppers, spooks and even the Whopper Plopper won’t raise a strike. This doesn’t mean your topwater fun has to end. It probably means you just need to slow down, and maybe fish tighter to cover.
Enter the prop bait. This IS your granddaddy’s surface plug. And it still catches granddaddy-sized bass for those in the know. The old standby in Florida, where the surface bite lasts throughout the fall and winter into next spring, is the Devil’s Horse.
With a prop on the nose and a matching prop on the tail, this cigar-shaped plug is best fished with a gentle twitch and a long pause. Longer. Wait until you’re sure you’ve waited long enough. Then wait a second more.
Boring? Not if you put the lure in the right place. Even though they sport multiple treble hooks, prop baits should be cast beside likely cover, even far back into holes and pockets in grass or pads, back under docks, snug up against the bark of a laydown, right through the heart of an exposed brushpile. This is where the biggest bass are increasingly drawn as the days continue to shorten and water temps continue to cool. This is where they’ll wake you up about the time you start to nod off if you’re doing it right.
“No doubt about it, you have to have patience with the prop,” mused Bassmaster Elite Series Veteran Bernie Schultz as we fished the famous Bienville Plantation along the Florida/Georgia border. Yes, the lakes at Bienville offer world class bassing, but fishing always offers the option for failure. We had exercised that option for a while so Bernie introduced me to a lure that he believes is, to date, the greatest refinement of the prop bait - Rapala’s X-Rap Prop.
“What we’re doing here is, instead of triggering a straight reaction bite, we’re letting the lure’s profile fool the fish. It’s just sitting there and eventually their curiosity gets the best of them. You can often see them just pull up and park right under the lure. Then the next time you twitch it the slightest bit, they just explode on it.”
Schultz had a good example to point to after a 6-pounder crushed his X-Rap Prop right at the edge of a reed patch. “That bass attacked like a German Sheppard!” chuckled Schultz.
“But that’s the reason we designed the X-Rap Prop this way. I mean, look at the cosmetics! It looks like a real fish sitting there. We had a lot of fun testing it, I’ll tell you that.” Schultz had a lot of input as he helped his friend Mark Fisher design, yet another, outstanding lure for Rapala, among the most innovative lure companies in the world.
With ultra-realistic details - bright eyes, brilliant finish that looks as if the scales will actually flake off in your hand - this modern take on a proven classic will give you the confidence needed to let your plug sit motionless as long as it takes to tempt bass.
Now, don't misunderstand, the prop bait will produce fast action when the fish are playing fast and loose, such as when the barometer starts to drop. It will even catch doubles when they fight over it.
But when the action slows, there's hardly a better lure to tempt them than a well-placed, well-paced prop bait.
Use heavy braided line so you won’t be afraid to put it where you need to and, as the weather cools, your topwater bite doesn’t have to.
Until then, don’t be surprised if you hook multiple fish on the same lure while targeting schoolers and shallow wolf packs. It happens. Check the pics!
Gessner Holds Off Hard-Charging Hays, Wins Lady Bass Classic!
Lynda Gessner took command of the Lady Bass Classic on Day 1 when she caught a limit that weighed nearly 20 pounds from Lake Palestine in Texas. She held the lead throughout the 3-day event, but today she had only 3 fish that weighed 3.53 pounds.
With a total weight of 35.38 pounds, she held off Melinda Hays with a margin of just over 3 pounds.
Hays had, by far, the best bag of the day at 11.02. Her total was 32.35.
Cheryl Bowden capped a good year with a 3rd place showing. She totaled 29.14 pounds of bass.
Martha Goodfellow was 4th with 28.31.
Pam Ridgle finished 5th with 24.80 pounds.
Cindy Adler held on to her lead and won the co-angler division with a total of 23.13 pounds.
Co-anglers have a 3-fish limit, so with an aggregate of only 9 fish, Adler produced a solid per-fish average weight that was on-par with that of her pro division counterparts.
Alisa Johnson was runner-up with 19.85 pounds.
Christian Baxter was 3rd with 18.01.
Noella McLauren was 4th with 17.20.
DeAnna Lovvorn rounds out the Top 5 co-anglers with 16.02 pounds.
Louisiana’s Caleb Sumrall Wins B.A.S.S. Nation Championship
Photo Credit: Gettys Brannon - BASS
ANDERSON, S.C. — A rogue cloud formed the beginning of a winning pattern for Caleb Sumrall at the Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation Championship presented by Magellan Outdoors.
Sumrall of New Iberia, La., weighed a three-day total of 36 pounds, 12 ounces, to win the global competition of bass club anglers on Lake Hartwell.
An unproductive practice in shallow water forced Sumrall to expand his search to the lower, deeper end of the massive 56,000-acre lake. The cloud pattern miraculously came together during Thursday’s opening round.
“A patch of clouds came over, and I recalled a tip from a friend about casting a (Zoom) Fluke into schooling fish under those conditions,” recalled Sumrall, 30, and a member of the Atchafalaya Bassmasters.
The friend was fellow Louisianan Jamie Laiche, who discovered the pattern while fishing the 2008 Bassmaster Classic. Sumrall had such a rig on his front deck. On consecutive casts he caught keepers to give him confidence that a game plan was coming together.
On Thursday, he weighed 11-5 and entered the standings in ninth place. Early the next morning he returned to the spot. The low-light conditions were ideal for stimulating the schooling fish to bite the soft jerkbait. After a flurry of activity a limit was in his livewell, including a largemouth weighing 5-15.
“The big difference was my schooling fish were very concentrated in numbers,” he explained. “Elsewhere the schools were smaller and more loose.”
Sumrall described the key area as a main lake shoal in 11 feet of water. Growing within 4 feet of the surface was a patch of hydrilla.
“I’m a Louisiana boy and that made the spot even sweeter for me.”
The key bait was a Zoom Super Fluke. He rigged that to a 1/4-ounce weighted Gamakatsu Superline EWG Weighted Hook. Gluing a plastic rattle inside the hollow body added strike appeal.
By midmorning the schooling fish settled down. A drop-shot rig coaxed slow biters to fill his limit.
Sumrall weighed 15-10 on Friday and finished the tournament with a limit weighing 9-13.
Runner-up Luke Gritter alternated between the river and main lake. The double effort produced a final weight of 34-8
“I fished the river for the bigger largemouth and filled out my limit with the spotted bass in the lower lake,” explained Gritter, a carpenter from Otsego, Mich., and member of the West Michigan Elite Bass Club.
Gritter fished a brown 3/8-ounce leadhead jig and 3/8-ounce spinnerbait along shoreline woody cover in the river. In the lake, he chose a drop-shot rig made with a 6-inch Roboworm, 4/0 hook and 1/4-ounce weight. A Lucky Craft Sammy produced strikes during the topwater bite.
Third-place angler Marty Giddens refused to go chasing the lake’s notoriously evasive schooling bass. After three days, his total catch weighed 32-10.
“I tried it but just don’t have the patience,” said Giddens, a plumbing and home contractor from Eclectic, Ala.
Instead, Giddens focused on boat docks on a five-mile stretch of the lake.
“I skipped a plastic worm to probably every dock, just ‘grinded’ it out,” he said.
Giddens used a 1/8-ounce Davis Baits Screw Lock Shaky Head, with a 6.5-inch Netbait T Mac Worm.
Sumrall, Gritter and Giddens advance to the 2018 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods. The Classic is March 16-18 on Lake Hartwell.
Sumrall also received the Bryan V Kerchal Memorial Trophy. A Skeeter ZX200 rigged with Yamaha SHO 200 outboard, Minn Kota trolling motor and Lowrance electronics is part of the prize package. A berth in the 2018 Bassmaster Elite Series is also reserved for Sumrall. He receives $16,000 for entry fees by accepting the invitation.
The Top 3 anglers earned paid entry fees in the division of their choosing for the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens, and for year the use of a B.A.S.S. Nation’s Best package. That is a Phoenix Boat with standard factory accessories.
Gritter won a Skeeter TZX190 and Yamaha SHO 150, rigged with the same accessories as the winner’s boat as runner up.
Giddens won a Triton 189 TRX, Yamaha VF150LA and Triton standard equipment for third place.
The championship is truly the only global bass club competition of its kind. Joining anglers from 47 states were those from five continents. Mexico, Japan, Australia, Portugal, Italy, Zimbabwe, Namibia, the province of Ontario and the Republic of South Africa were the nations represented in the championship.
Visit Anderson hosted the event at Green Pond Landing and Event Center in Anderson County.
2017 Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation Championship presented by Magellan Outdoors
10/19-10/21
Lake Hartwell, Anderson, SC
(BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 15 36-12 0 $56,985.00
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 5 15-10 Day 3: 5 09-13
2. Luke Gritter Otsego, MI 15 34-08 0 $50,335.00
Day 1: 5 08-14 Day 2: 5 11-01 Day 3: 5 14-09
3. Marty Giddens Eclectic, AL 15 32-10 0 $37,293.00
Day 1: 5 17-09 Day 2: 5 04-15 Day 3: 5 10-02
4. Tray Huddleston Russellville, AR 11 31-15 0 $3,250.00
Day 1: 5 14-03 Day 2: 5 15-05 Day 3: 1 02-07
5. Mark Lodge Alfred, ME 13 31-07 0 $2,000.00
Day 1: 3 05-14 Day 2: 5 11-15 Day 3: 5 13-10
6. Mike Lavallee Sandy, UT 15 30-12 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-02 Day 2: 5 07-11 Day 3: 5 09-15
7. Dean Silvester Boonah Queensland AUSTR 15 29-08 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 08-06 Day 2: 5 10-05 Day 3: 5 10-13
8. James Van Rooyen Lidwigsdorf Windhoek NA 15 28-15 0 $500.00
Day 1: 5 12-03 Day 2: 5 07-13 Day 3: 5 08-15
9. Wyatt Smith Stroud, OK 14 27-12 0 $500.00
Day 1: 5 08-11 Day 2: 5 10-14 Day 3: 4 08-03
10. Matt Pangrac Norman , OK 15 27-11 0 $500.00
Day 1: 5 13-06 Day 2: 5 05-08 Day 3: 5 08-13
BIG BASS OF TOURN
Luke Gritter Otsego, MI 06-03 $500.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 42 258 450-15
2 33 235 380-05
3 9 52 108-11
----------------------------------
84 545 939-15
Gessner Holds Lead, Bowden Makes Move at Lady Bass Classic on Lake Palestine!
Lynda Gessner of Hot Springs, AR sacked 12.19 pounds of Lake Palestine bass today to maintain her lead in the Lady Bass Classic.
Gessner started strong yesterday with nearly 20 pounds and her total now stands at 31.85 pounds, just a tad over 7 pounds ahead of Cheryl Bowden of North Richland Hills, TX who moved up a notch to 2nd today with a limit that weighed 13.67 pounds (24.79 total).
Martha Goodfellow of Simpsonville, SC was the big mover of the day with a 15.98-pound limit that pushed her total to 23.08 pounds.
A big chunk of Goodfellow's weight came in the form of a 9.85-pound fish that is currently the big bass of the tourney.
Melinda Hays of Sheridan AR made a jump up the leader board with 5 fish that weighed 13.52 and improved her total to 21.33 pounds.
Lisa Johnson of Centre, AL weighed-in a 2nd consecutive limit that went 11.2 pounds for a total weight of 20.69, good for 5th place heading into Saturday's final round.
On the co-angler side, Cindy Adler from Harrison, AR made a big move of her own with a 14.56-pound effort that ran her total weight to 18.41 pounds.
Christian Baxter of Talladega, AL improved to 2nd with another solid co-angler limit (3 fish) that weighed 9.89. Combined with her 7.24 pounds from Day 1, Baxter has 16.63 in total weight.
First day leader Alisa Johnson , who hails from Chandler, TX, dropped to 3rd but is well within striking distance of the lead with a total weight of 16.18 pounds.
Noella McLauren of Vivian, LA is 4th with 12.31 pounds.
DeAnna Lovvorn of Bradyville, TN is 5th with 10.85.
Arkansas Angler, Tray Huddleston Moves Into Lead At B.A.S.S. Nation Championship On Lake Hartwell
Photo Credit: Gettys Brannon - BASS
ANDERSON, S.C. — Tray Huddleston is playing a waiting game with the bass on Lake Hartwell and so far he is winning. Saturday, he hopes to seal the deal by winning the Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation Championship presented by Magellan Outdoors.
The Arkansas construction worker caught 15 pounds, 5 ounces Friday, to move from second place into the lead. His two-day total is 29-8.
Huddleston, 32, and a member of the Natural State Bass Club, got this far after testing his bass fishing skills at the local, state and regional levels. The bass are testing his patience, however, at the championship.
Huddleston is fishing offshore areas where bass are staging to feed on schools of passing baitfish. The challenge occurs after the surviving baitfish move out of range.
“I can’t figure out how to catch the bass when they aren’t feeding on the baitfish,” he explained.
So far, that’s not too serious of a problem. Huddleston has dialed into a textbook, seasonal pattern on Hartwell. In fall, the structure-oriented bass move from deep water to shallower main-lake points to ambush the baitfish.
“Timing is everything, and I have to be ready without much notice when they finally show up,” Huddleston said.
He plans to stick it out in a tight rotation of three primary areas. Being patient and avoiding the temptation to move around too much is the plan.
Coincidentally, patience helped Caleb Sumrall move into second place. The Louisiana angler added a limit weighing 15-10 to complete his overall total of 26-15.
“I had a promising area with a lot of fish that I couldn’t get to bite,” he said. “So I hunkered down and realized that slowing down and being patient might be best.”
The longer he stayed in one area, the more fishing improved. Moving offshore was another wise move. Taking advantage of the same fall textbook pattern in play by Huddleston and other top anglers was the payoff. He hopes to continue that success tomorrow.
“I have a good school of bass that are concentrated in one area,” he said. “When they turn on I can catch them.”
The game changer today was a thick blanket of fog that drifted over the launch site at the 7:30 a.m. takeoff time. B.A.S.S. officials delayed the start by one hour for safety reasons.
That posed a challenge for the anglers. Many depended on a productive early-morning bite to jumpstart their day. Initially, Marty Giddens welcomed the one-hour delay.
“A topwater bite isn’t working for me like it is for most of the anglers,” said Giddens, the Day 1 leader.
The Alabama home and plumbing contractor is catching bass in shallow water. Sunshine pushes the bass tighter to cover and makes them easier to catch.
Abundant sunshine proved of no benefit for Giddens Friday. He managed to catch just 4-15, but it only dropped him to third place.
Winning the championship is only one goal of this competition. The Top 3 anglers, determined tomorrow, advance to the 2018 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods. Coincidentally, the world championship of bass fishing is on Lake Hartwell, March 16-18, 2018.
Competing are anglers from 47 states and nine nations from the continents of North America, Asia, Africa, Australia and Europe. The field of 120 anglers is divided between boaters and nonboaters.
Mike Powell of Midway, Utah, claimed the nonboater title. The member of the Top of Utah Bassmasters scored the win with a two-day total of 23 pounds, 12 ounces.
Powell won a Skeeter TZX190 boat and trailer rigged with Yamaha SHO 150 Outboard, Minn Kota trolling motor and Lowrance electronics.
The used truck sales owner also earned paid entries in the division of his choosing of the 2018 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens. He also received a Marshal spot for the Classic at Lake Hartwell. Powell will also compete tomorrow in the championship round as a boater.
The final day begins at 7:30 a.m. ET, with the competition ending at 3:45 p.m. The final launch and weigh-in are at Green Pond Landing and Event Center in Anderson County.
Visit Anderson is hosting the event.
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Gessner Leads Lady Bass Classic with Nearly-20-Pound Sack!
Lynda Gessner of Hot Springs, AR leads the LBAA Ladies Classic on Lake Palestine in Flint, Texas with a 5-fish limit that weighed 19.66 pounds.Gessner's bag was anchored by a 7.33-pound big bass.
Terri Bittner is 2nd with 5 fish for 13.87. Cheryl Bowden had 11.12. Lisa Johnson is 4th with 9.49. Pam Ridgle rounds out the Top 5 with a limit that weighed 8.14 pounds.
Alisa Johnson of Chandler Texas leads the co-anglers with 3 fish that weighed 14.38 pounds.
The 2017 Lady Bass Classic resumes tomorrow.
Alabama Angler Marty Giddens Turns Bad Luck Into Good At B.A.S.S. Nation Championship On Hartwell
Photo Credit: Gettys Brannon - BASS
ANDERSON, S.C. — Marty Giddens was so frustrated with his bad luck after practice fishing on Lake Hartwell that he was almost ready to throw in the towel.
“I would have gone home if I could have found a way,” he said. “I tried everything, but nothing worked.”
Of course, that was a lighthearted comment. The Wiregrass Bassmasters member is a finalist in the Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation Championship presented by Magellan Outdoors.
He leads the tournament after the first day of competition with a five-bass limit that weighed 17 pounds, 9 ounces. The catch included the heaviest bass of the day, a 5-1 largemouth.
Giddens was understandably secretive about details of his lures and tactics. Where he lives in central Alabama offers a clue about why he leads the tournament.
The plumbing and home contractor is from Eclectic, a small town located near Lake Martin. That fishery and Lake Hartwell are similar in many ways.
“It looks and fishes a lot like Hartwell,” he admitted. “I’m trying to make some things that work there do well here.”
Both lakes feature a mixed population of spotted and largemouth bass. Annual flood-control procedures lower both lakes during fall and winter. Spotted bass gang up on shoals and points during fall to feed on schools of baitfish. All those scenarios line up with his skill set.
Giddens only caught seven bass worth bringing to the scales during four days of practice. That dry streak explains his frustration. Today, he enjoyed a flurry of action after catching his three best bass within an hour.
“I kept going back to the same pattern and never gave up,” he explained. “I pulled up on the right spot, and my guess is the fish moved up into shallower water.”
Can he duplicate the effort tomorrow?
“It should work because today it was just a totally different lake than it was in practice,” he said.
Taking second place with 14-3 was Tray Huddleston, a 32-year-old construction worker from Arkansas. He experienced the same bad luck as Giddens during practice, but a key midday adjustment turned things around for him Thursday.
“I was able to quickly capitalize on how I changed by running a lot of water,” said Huddleston, a member of the Natural State Bass Club.
A topwater lure proved key for Huddleston, who hopes to expand on his turnaround Friday. Running more water is the plan.
Oklahoman Matt Pangrac caught 13-6 to take third place. He succeeded at his goal of catching just enough bass to stay in contention for all three days of the tournament.
“I’m running a lot of water, burned a full tank of fuel running from one end to the other of the lake,” said Pangrac, a member of the North Oklahoma City Bassmasters.
“After practice, I decided it would take 12 pounds each day to make the Top 3, and that is my goal.”
Pangrac, fishing his second consecutive Nation Championship, knows well what is on the line at this tournament.
Winning the championship is only one goal. The Top 3 anglers advance to the 2018 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods. Coincidentally, the world championship of bass fishing is also on Lake Hartwell, March 16-18, 2018.
After the first day, the Classic qualifiers would be Giddens, Huddleston and Pangrac.
Lake Hartwell is a lowland reservoir on the border of Georgia and South Carolina. At full pool, the manmade lake spans 56,000 acres with inflows from the Savannah, Tugaloo and Seneca rivers.
Unseasonably warm weather slowed the typical fall migration of the bass from the main lake into the shallower creek arms of the lake. Normally, bass concentrate in schools and feed on baitfish prior to winter. Those factors make bass easier to find and catch. But the balmy fall has made things tougher.
A plumber, U.S. Marine, farmer and nurse anesthetist represent a snapshot of what the contestants do for a living outside of bass fishing. The anglers belong to bass clubs affiliated with the B.A.S.S. Nation. The global program encompasses the United States and nine foreign nations.
Joining anglers from 47 states are those from five continents. Mexico, Japan, Australia, Portugal, Italy, Zimbabwe, Namibia, the province of Ontario and the Republic of South Africa are the foreign nations represented in the championship.
Boater and nonboater anglers from each state or nation qualified for the championship. So did Jeff Thompson, the national champion of the Paralyzed Veterans of America Bass Tour.
On the nonboater side, Mike Powell of Utah took the lead with 14 pounds, 6 ounces.
“Being able to fish deeper water helped me improve on my pattern,” he said. Powell was paired with boater Larry Triplett of Colorado who is currently in 26th.
Green Pond Landing and Event Center is the venue for the morning launch and afternoon weigh-in events. The tournament begins at 7:30 a.m. ET with weigh-ins beginning at 3:45 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
2017 Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation Championship presented by Magellan Outdoors
10/19-10/21
Lake Hartwell, Anderson SC.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Marty Giddens Eclectic, AL 5 17-09 0
Day 1: 5 17-09
2. Tray Huddleston Russellville, AR 5 14-03 0
Day 1: 5 14-03
3. Matt Pangrac Norman , OK 5 13-06 0
Day 1: 5 13-06
4. Mike Lavallee Sandy, UT 5 13-02 0
Day 1: 5 13-02
5. Rick Svoboda Cockeysville , MD 5 12-15 0
Day 1: 5 12-15
6. Kalib Lund Glendale, AZ 5 12-08 0
Day 1: 5 12-08
7. James Van Rooyen Lidwigsdorf Windhoek NA 5 12-03 0
Day 1: 5 12-03
8. Jared Thompson Marvell, AR 5 11-07 0
Day 1: 5 11-07
9. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 5 11-05 0
Day 1: 5 11-05
10. Rick Hamer Charleston, WV 5 10-10 0
Day 1: 5 10-10
11. Soshi Kataoka Ohtsu-Shi Shiga-Ken Jap 5 09-14 0
Day 1: 5 09-14
12. Tadd Johnson Lakeview, MN 5 09-11 0
Day 1: 5 09-11
13. Kyle Fox Lakeland, FL 5 09-05 0
Day 1: 5 09-05
13. Justy Varkevisser Johannesburg SOUTH AFRI 5 09-05 0
Day 1: 5 09-05
15. Keith Webb Virginia Beach, VA 5 09-02 0
Day 1: 5 09-02
16. Ken Golubjatnikov Pittsford, NY 5 09-01 0
Day 1: 5 09-01
17. Ed Berndt III Grandon, WI 5 08-14 0
Day 1: 5 08-14
17. Luke Gritter Otsego, MI 5 08-14 0
Day 1: 5 08-14
19. Wyatt Smith Stroud, OK 5 08-11 0
Day 1: 5 08-11
20. Dean Silvester Boonah Queensland AUSTR 5 08-06 0
Day 1: 5 08-06
21. David Collyer Harare ZIMBABWE 5 08-01 0
Day 1: 5 08-01
21. Mike Seal Richmond, IN 5 08-01 0
Day 1: 5 08-01
23. Tim Carini Marietta, GA 5 08-00 0
Day 1: 5 08-00
24. Jamie Laiche Gonzales, LA 5 07-15 0
Day 1: 5 07-15
24. Bryson Mort Post Falls, ID 5 07-15 0
Day 1: 5 07-15
26. Michael McAdams Cincinnati, OH 5 07-14 0
Day 1: 5 07-14
26. Larry Triplett Castle Rock, CO 5 07-14 0
Day 1: 5 07-14
28. Beau Govreau Cedar Hill, MO 5 07-13 0
Day 1: 5 07-13
29. Nicholas Papotto Meriden , CT 5 07-11 0
Day 1: 5 07-11
30. Ben Bilott Larimer, PA 5 07-07 0
Day 1: 5 07-07
31. Tony Lind Auburn , WA 5 07-03 0
Day 1: 5 07-03
32. Richard Hladky Yankton, SD 5 07-02 0
Day 1: 5 07-02
33. Tim Hartman Effingham, IL 5 06-12 0
Day 1: 5 06-12
34. Mark Williams Taylorsville, NC 3 06-11 0
Day 1: 3 06-11
35. Ty Faber Pagosa Springs, CO 5 06-07 0
Day 1: 5 06-07
36. Chris Carnes York, SC 5 06-00 0
Day 1: 5 06-00
37. Ryan Lavigne Gonzales, LA 5 05-14 0
Day 1: 5 05-14
38. Mark Lodge Alfred, ME 3 05-14 0
Day 1: 3 05-14
39. Craig Torkleson Sand Springs, OK 5 05-12 0
Day 1: 5 05-12
40. Jay Hotzak Auroro Ontario CANADA 4 05-12 0
Day 1: 4 05-12
41. Michael Sentore Gloucester City, NJ 5 05-10 0
Day 1: 5 05-10
42. Greg Alexander Hebron, MD 5 05-09 0
Day 1: 5 05-09
42. James Gildea Weston, MA 5 05-09 0
Day 1: 5 05-09
44. Jordan Bellendier Cedar Rapids, IA 3 05-08 0
Day 1: 3 05-08
45. Gary Bonnet Borden, IN 3 05-03 0
Day 1: 3 05-03
46. Jason Hooper Salem, OR 4 05-02 0
Day 1: 4 05-02
47. Tom Jessop Dalhart, TX 3 04-13 0
Day 1: 3 04-13
48. Jeff Thompson Camby, IN 5 04-12 0
Day 1: 5 04-12
49. Brian Croteau Blackstone, MA 4 04-11 0
Day 1: 4 04-11
50. Alfredo Kury San Luis Potosi MEXICO 3 03-11 0
Day 1: 3 03-11
51. Steve Vann Goldsboro, NC 2 03-08 0
Day 1: 2 03-08
52. Tim Johnston Kalispell , MT 2 03-05 0
Day 1: 2 03-05
53. Johnny Johnson Farmington, NM 3 03-03 0
Day 1: 3 03-03
54. Russell Phillips Guilford, VT 3 03-01 0
Day 1: 3 03-01
55. Nick Wood Yreka, CA 3 02-12 0
Day 1: 3 02-12
56. Justin Spraske Ashuelot, NH 1 02-01 0
Day 1: 1 02-01
57. Chris Barnett Russellville, TN 1 01-14 0
Day 1: 1 01-14
58. Kevin Wiggins Las Vegas, NV 1 01-09 0
Day 1: 1 01-09
59. Luigi Papa 6132 ITALY 1 01-03 0
Day 1: 1 01-03
60. Kent Priel No Platte, NE 1 01-00 0
Day 1: 1 01-00
61. Ramon Menezes Fernao Ferro PORTUGAL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 41 253 436-09
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41 253 436-09
2017 Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation Championship presented by Magellan Outdoors
10/19-10/21
Lake Hartwell, Anderson SC.
(NON_BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Mike Powell Midway, UT 5 14-06 0
Day 1: 5 14-06
2. Mike Spurlock Ripley, WV 5 09-05 0
Day 1: 5 09-05
3. Garrett McCrackin Jennings, OK 5 09-04 0
Day 1: 5 09-04
4. Brandon Rickman Marietta, GA 5 09-01 0
Day 1: 5 09-01
5. Michael Restifo Hoover, AL 4 08-11 0
Day 1: 4 08-11
6. Andre Fidalgo Parreira PORTUGAL 5 08-07 0
Day 1: 5 08-07
7. Eddie Charlton Alma, IL 3 08-07 0
Day 1: 3 08-07
8. Dylan Fryer Hervey Bay Queensland A 5 08-01 0
Day 1: 5 08-01
8. Chris Simons Cromwell, CT 5 08-01 0
Day 1: 5 08-01
10. Steve Sage Brownville, TN 5 07-15 0
Day 1: 5 07-15
11. Brian Velasquez Yuma, AZ 5 07-14 0
Day 1: 5 07-14
12. John Ryan Troy, MI 4 07-13 0
Day 1: 4 07-13
13. Allan Ross-Watt Cape Town SOUTH AFRICA 4 07-09 0
Day 1: 4 07-09
14. Damien McMahon Pilot, VA 5 06-15 0
Day 1: 5 06-15
15. Gavin Fraser Bulawayo ZIMBABWE 5 06-11 0
Day 1: 5 06-11
16. Jody Adkins Navarre, OH 5 06-08 0
Day 1: 5 06-08
17. Stewart Weber Louisville, KY 5 06-07 0
Day 1: 5 06-07
18. Steven Congdon North Stonington, CT 4 06-00 0
Day 1: 4 06-00
19. Michael Liska Espanola, NM 4 05-14 0
Day 1: 4 05-14
20. Austin Johnson Noxon, MT 3 05-13 0
Day 1: 3 05-13
21. Brian Cogburn Oakdale, CA 4 05-11 0
Day 1: 4 05-11
22. Justin Dodd Kennewick, WA 3 05-11 0
Day 1: 3 05-11
23. Mark Faber Pagosa Springs, CO 5 05-09 0
Day 1: 5 05-09
24. John Fisette Bowdoinham, ME 2 05-06 0
Day 1: 2 05-06
25. Brad Jamieson Bradford Ontario CANADA 5 05-05 0
Day 1: 5 05-05
26. Chuck Harrison Ft Collins, CO 4 05-04 0
Day 1: 4 05-04
27. James Topmiller III Orlando, FL 4 05-02 0
Day 1: 4 05-02
28. Kevin Simon Reserve, LA 3 05-00 0
Day 1: 3 05-00
29. Artemio Campos Nueva Rosita MEXICO 4 04-13 0
Day 1: 4 04-13
30. Thinus Williams Windhoek MEXICO 3 04-13 0
Day 1: 3 04-13
31. Mike Rennie Pioche, NV 5 04-12 0
Day 1: 5 04-12
32. Bailey Madere Madisonville, LA 4 04-12 0
Day 1: 4 04-12
33. Frank Mixon Abilene, TX 4 04-11 0
Day 1: 4 04-11
34. Kyle Power Cape Fair, MO 3 04-11 0
Day 1: 3 04-11
35. Rob Tipton III Williamstown, NJ 5 04-08 0
Day 1: 5 04-08
36. Jason Betourney Bridgeport, VT 3 04-00 0
Day 1: 3 04-00
36. Brock Enmeier Enid, OK 3 04-00 0
Day 1: 3 04-00
38. Will Smith Moncks Corner, SC 2 04-00 0
Day 1: 2 04-00
39. Khris Williams Mount Holly , NC 3 03-15 0
Day 1: 3 03-15
40. Josh Cotier Clinton, MA 2 03-13 0
Day 1: 2 03-13
41. Chad Dorney Macungie, PA 3 03-10 0
Day 1: 3 03-10
42. Francesco Nucciarelli Perugia ITALY 3 03-06 0
Day 1: 3 03-06
43. Logan DeGree Redmond, OR 3 03-05 0
Day 1: 3 03-05
44. Brett Daniel Lamar, AR 1 03-03 0
Day 1: 1 03-03
45. Jim Burrows Nashua, NH 2 02-15 0
Day 1: 2 02-15
46. Liam Blake Fairport , NY 2 02-13 0
Day 1: 2 02-13
47. Nathan Tumelson Lewiston, ID 2 02-08 0
Day 1: 2 02-08
48. Gregory Ruff Jr Bloomington, MN 2 02-07 0
Day 1: 2 02-07
49. Spencer Strope Orchard, NE 2 02-06 0
Day 1: 2 02-06
50. Scott Spencer Raleigh, NC 2 02-04 0
Day 1: 2 02-04
51. Grant Callaway Bethel, DE 2 01-11 0
Day 1: 2 01-11
52. Kevin Mullins Brooklyn, IN 1 01-06 0
Day 1: 1 01-06
53. Luke Koch Campbellsport, WI 1 01-04 0
Day 1: 1 01-04
54. Brian Wilson Bloomfield, IA 1 01-03 0
Day 1: 1 01-03
55. Neal Normand Gonzales, LA 1 00-13 0
Day 1: 1 00-13
56. Charles Capehart Olathe, KS 1 00-12 0
Day 1: 1 00-12
56. Naoyuki Kosa Tsu Mie JAPAN 1 00-12 0
Day 1: 1 00-12
58. Jerry Johnson Fremont, NE 1 00-10 0
Day 1: 1 00-10
59. Mark Pryal Silver Springs, MD 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 17 193 292-02
----------------------------------
17 193 292-02
Justin Patti Holds Off Brett Hite, Wins the 2017 WON Bass U.S. Open!
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Justin Patti Wins the 2017 WON Bass U.S. Open
Arizona pro survives late charge from Brett Hite to win in Wire-to-Wire Fashion
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Las Vegas, Nev. - October 18, 2017 - The discussion leading up to the 35th Anniversary edition of the WON Bass, Bass Cat / Mercury U.S. Open were the changes. The addition of Bass Cat Boats as a key partner, and the change of dates to October were the hot topics.
Change became the focus of discussion on the third and final day of the event.
While the first two days of the event featured bright, bluebird skies with light breezes, day three brought high clouds that made for darkened, calm conditions. The result was tougher conditions as the fish scattered a bit more, making it harder for the field to relocate the fish that had served them over the first two days of the event.
No matter the conditions, good anglers will always figure out a way to overcome difficulties, and someone is always going to win. The angler that was able to master the conditions well enough over the three-day event to earn the title of 2017 WON Bass U.S. Open Champion was Phoenix, Arizona's Justin Patti, who won the event in wire-to-wire fashion with a total weight of 36.30 pounds.
Patti withstood a late event charge from fellow Phoenix resident and Bassmaster Elite Series pro Brett Hite, who caught an 11.66-pound limit on the final day to weigh 35.70 pounds for the event to finish second.
Patti has experienced the highs and lows of the U.S. Open in the past two years. He led the 2016 event on day one, only to fall victim to the wild swings of fortune that Lake Mead offers to its guests. After leading both days this year, he left his fishing area in the upper Overton Arm feeling like he had left it on the table again, having caught a small limit. Watching Hite weigh-in a strong sack, he felt his chances slipping away again, but when his limit hit the scales with 8.59 pounds, he had enough to hold onto the win by just over a half of a pound.
For his victory, Patti received the $63,000 Bass Cat Puma FTD / Mercury 250 ProXS prize package, along with $50,000 cash and any other bonuses he earned which will bring his total winnings to over $120,000
Patti said that he felt relief and ecstasy with the outcome. "I can't believe that I won this event," he said. "I really thought that I had let it slip through my fingers again, but it's really hard to describe how I'm feeling right now; it's what I've wanted for a while now."
Patti spent the bulk of his event fishing a single stretch of grass in eight feet of water on a western bank of the upper Overton. He said that he used a couple tactics. "I caught a few fish on a Chatterbait in the morning around the grass, and after the sun got high in the sky, I fished a Phenix jig with an Arizona Custom Lures Craw as a trailer in the grass by popping it free from the edges. Most of the fish I weighed came on the jig."
Hite fished in the back of the Overton Arm as well, but targeted the opposite shorelines. A specialist with the bladed jig, Hite used his signature Evergreen Jackhammer bladed jig matched with a Yamamoto Lures Zacko traler, and it resulted in his finish. "I was fishing it through the grass, and I caught all of my fish on it this week, but I lost one on Monday that would have made the difference," he said. "I've wanted to win this tournament for many years, and while it doesn't feel great right now, I've finished third and second the last two times I've fished it; so maybe next time will be the charm."
Mesa, Ariz. pro Mike Williams began the day in 12th place with 21.19 pounds, but he produced a 12.88-pound limit on day three to move all the way up to third place for the event with 34.07 pounds. Steve "Bub" Tosh, from Modesto, Calif. began the final day in eighth place, and after a 12.54-pound limit on day three, he finished fourth with 34.05 pounds. Fifth place went to Nick Salvucci, who moved from 14th place by posting 12.73 pounds on day three to bring his total weight to 32.93 pounds for the event.
On the AAA side, Japanese angler Yoshikazu Komada earned the $10,000 first prize and the St. Croix bonus prize for his winning weight of 33.94 pounds. He was followed in second place by Bret Nagelhout of Red Rock Ariz., with 31.45 pounds. Sonny Gibson from Las Vegas, Nev. finished third with a total weight of 30.35 pounds. Fourth place went to Levi Samz, of Green River Wyo., who posted 30.21 pounds, sand rounding out the top five in the AAA Division was Ryan Wishnack of San Diego, Calif. with 29.48 pounds.
Complete Standings are below, as well as posted at wonbass.com.
In conjunction with the event, Bass Cat Boats hosted hosted demo rides in their newest boat; the Lynx, powered by Mercury at Calville Bay on Monday and Tuesday following weigh-in. The public, and event competitors are invited to take a ride in their flagship vessel, the one with the longest running pad in the industry from 5:30PM to 7:00PM Pacific Time
For the sixth consecutive year, the Costa Live Show brought all of the action of the 2017 WON Bass U.S. Open presented by Bass Coat Boats and Mercury to the fans. The Costa Live broadcasts featured On the Water, weigh-in and post-game shows all the way through the awards presentation Wednesday night.
The Sponsors of the 2017 U.S. Open were: Bass Cat Boats, Mercury, Costa, Daiwa, St. Croix, Lowrance, Yo-Zuri, Bridgford, Seaguar Fluorcarbon, Rapala, Savage Gear, Hayabusa, Plano, MotorGuide, Phenix Rods, Lew's, Roboworm, Kuiu, Ichikawa, Sure Life, Anglers Marine, Chevy Montebello and Boulder Station Casino.
Beginning Monday, 207 Pros and their AAA partners will head out onto the waters of Lake Mead Monday to contest the 34nd Anniversary of the WON Bass Bass Cat Boats / Mercury Marine U.S. Open.
2017 WON Bass U.S. Open Day One Pro Standings
2017 WON Bass U.S. Open Day One AAA Standings
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2018 Ram Truck Open Series Early Registration October 20th!
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Toyota Bonus Bucks Winners Take $5K and Swindle’s Jacket!
As Cody Millican and John Cook idled through morning ‘boat check’ prior to throttling down in the 6th Annual Toyota Bonus Bucks Owners event, Millican told top pro Gerald Swindle, who was emceeing the event, that if he and Cook won – he was taking Swindle’s jacket home.
Swindle, being a good sport, agreed – and by day’s end, had to present Millican with not only his jacket, but a check from Toyota for $5,000 at the No Entry Fee event for registered Bonus Bucks members on Table Rock Lake.
Millican and Cook also took Swindle’s advice on maintaining a positive mental attitude en route to victory, as they overcame the adversity of thinking their boat might be sinking when big waves crashed over the stern.
“We were tied up to a tree making repeated casts with a ¾ ounce football jig to a brushpile along side a dock, and before too long strong winds started filling the boat with water,” says Millican, who calls Table Rock his home lake.
“We maintained our composure and pulled into a boat dock to escape the wind, let our bilge pump get rid of all the water, and went back to fishing,” he added.
While their winning weight of just 11 pounds 6 ounces was the lowest in the six-year history of the fellowship-rich event, it was good enough for a lifetime memory.
“This is a top-notch event, no entry fee, great food, lots of free stuff – we were here last year – and now we’ll fish this event forever,” says Millican.
Millican’s partner John Cook has deep loyalty to Toyota. He pulled the winning boat with a 4Runner, but has a Tacoma at home with 302,000 miles on it. “I call that old Tacoma “Otis’s truck” – because I have a dog named Otis that loves to ride in it.”
Millican and Cook weren’t the only team to enjoy the event’s prize-filled payout. The top 30 teams received a paycheck, three teams that finished outside the top 31 were randomly chosen for a $500 cash prize, and the 31st place team got the LEER Truck Caps “Lucky Dog” $750 cash prize.
Plus, the 15th place team won a $1,000 Bass Pro Shops Gift Certificate, and the 4 pound 3 ounce largemouth caught by the team of Ronnie Dobbs and Troy Eakins was good enough for $1,000 worth of free merchandise from Carhartt.
Certainly, nobody went home empty handed. Participants who traveled from states across America were treated to free meals, a generous amount of free gear, and tremendous fellowship before the first cast was ever made.
You don’t have to win a tournament to win the “Bonus Bucks” – you just have to be a registered participant in any of the dozens of tournaments sanctioned by Bonus Bucks, and be the highest-placing participant. To learn more and get signed-up, please visit http://www.toyotatrucksbonusbucks.com/ or phone (918) 742-6424, and ask for Jessica or Kendell and they can also help you get signed-up.
Justin Patti Extends Lead on Day Two of the 2017 WON Bass U.S. Open
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Justin Patti Extends Lead on Day Two of the 2017 WON Bass U.S. Open
Consecutive Double Digit Limits Put Arizona Pro in Position to Claim Victory
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2017 has proven to be a different year for the Arizona pro.
After opening the event with a stellar 14.71-pound limit, Patti took last years' experience and made all the right moves to post a 13.00-pound limit that pushed his two-day weight to 27.71 pounds. His second consecutive strong day increased the margin of his lead to nearly three and a half pounds over second place pro Kyle Grover of Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.
His performance helped him nearly match the goal weight he set for himself for the three day event - in two days. "I started this event hoping to catch 10 pounds a day to have a shot to win," he said. "I didn't expect to be catching this quality of fish, I've had two great AAA partners, and we've worked really well together to make it happen."
Despite his lead, he said he feels a little pressure, because his area is as well. "There are a lot of boats in my area, and while everyone is working well together, I can tell it is having an effect," he said. "I'm doing a few different things and I'm ready to make an adjustment, I just hope that I can make the right adjustments to finish this off."
While a three pound lead is big on Lake Mead, Grover finished the day with a total weight of 24.25 pounds after his 11.74-pound limit on day two. The young pro - a veteran of many entries in this event - knows that he has a chance. "I found something on the first day of the event that really worked out well," he said. I'm fishing some deep grass that I have pretty much to myself, and I think if I lean on it a little, I might be able to catch a few more good ones. If that doesn't pan out, I have a couple areas I can go to; it's going to be interesting."
Third place went to Phoenix, Ariz. pro Brett Hite, who made a second day charge with a 14.23-pound limit that brought his two day total to 24.13 pounds. He feels that his experience, and the fact that he is fishing his way gives him an advantage. "I'm catching them in a way that I'm really comfortable with, and I'm kind of off to myself," he said. "I've been in this situation before in big events on the FLW Tour and the Elite Series and I feel like I know how to keep myself focused and deal with the pressure; I feel pretty good about my chances."
Utah pro Travis Jewell slipped a bit, but his 9.77-pound limit brought his total weight to 22.99 pounds, good enough to finish fourth on day three. Rounding out the top five was
Sean Coffey, who had 9.95 pounds on day one, but upgraded to 12.78-pounds to bring his total to 22.73 pounds.
The AAA Division is being led by Aaron Haring with a total weight of 24.27 pounds. He is followed by Bret Nagelhout who placed second with 24.18 pounds with 24.18 pounds. Third place AAA Levi Samz worked with his day-two pro Jeff Martineau to weigh 15.16 on day two to bring his weight to 23.53. Yoshikasu Komada ended the day in fourth place with 22.28, and he is followed by Johnny Limbrick in fifth with 22.13 pounds.
Complete Standings are below, as well as posted at wonbass.com.
The Costa See What's Out There Live Coverage will continue to bring the rest of the action from Las Vegas and Lake Mead on Wednesday. You can go to WonBass.com to connect and watch the live streaming video on the following schedule - ALL TIMES PACIFIC.
Through Wednesday October 17
Event Coverage 9:00AM - 11:00AM Live weigh-in 2:00PM - 5:00PM Daily Post Game - 5:30PM to 8:00PM Wednesday October 17 Awards Show following weigh-in from the Railhead Room at Boulder Station Casino In conjunction with the event, Bass Cat Boats will continue to host demo rides in their newest boat; the Lynx, powered by Mercury at Calville Bay on Monday and Tuesday following weigh-in. The public, and event competitors are invited to take a ride in their flagship vessel, the one with the longest running pad in the industry from 5:30PM to 7:00PM Pacific Time
Once again, the Costa Live Show will bring all of the action of the 2017 WON Bass U.S. Open presented by Bass Coat Boats and Mercury. The Costa Live broadcasts will continue with the On the Water, weigh-in and post-game shows carrying on through the awards presentation Wednesday night.
The Sponsors of the 2017 U.S. Open are: Bass Cat Boats, Mercury, Costa, Daiwa, St. Croix, Lowrance, Yo-Zuri, Bridgford, Seaguar Fluorcarbon, Rapala, Savage Gear, Hayabusa, Plano, MotorGuide, Phenix Rods, Lew's, Roboworm, Kuiu, Ichikawa, Sure Life, Anglers Marine, Chevy Montebello and Boulder Station Casino.
Beginning Monday, 207 Pros and their AAA partners will head out onto the waters of Lake Mead Monday to contest the 34nd Anniversary of the WON Bass Bas Cat Boats / Mercury Marine U.S. Open.
2017 WON Bass U.S. Open Day One Pro Standings
2017 WON Bass U.S. Open Day One AAA Standings
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Richard Owen Wins Bass Fishing League Regional Tournament on James River
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Boater Richard Owen of Chester, Virginia, caught a three-day cumulative total of 15 bass weighing 40 pounds, 11 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Regional event on the James River presented by Costa Sunglasses. Owen earned $65,000 for his win, including a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and an automatic berth into the 2018 BFL All-American Championship.
“The win is still sinking in – I can’t believe it,” said Owen, who earned his second career-win in BFL competition. “The James River is my home waters. I’ve waited years to qualify for a BFL Regional tournament on it.”
Owen said he fished a small area upriver, near Richmond, throughout the weekend. He sat his boat in 8 to 10 feet of water while he targeted rock jetties, wood and docks.
“The fish were relating to anything that blocked the current. They were using rocks or docks as an ambush point,” said Owen. “With the steep banks and high water, they couldn’t spread out too far. They were confined to the main channel, which really suited my style of fishing.”
Owen said he primarily used a 4-inch watermelon and blue-fleck-colored Zoom Dead Ringer worm on a 6-foot Berkley Lightning Rod.
“I worked through the area slowly, which was key for me,” said Owen. “I prefer to pick apart an area rather than cover a ton of water. It really worked out well.”
The top six boaters that qualified for the 2018 BFL All-American were:
1st: Richard Owen, Chester, Va., 15 bass, 40-11, $65,000
2nd: James Wall, Greensboro, N.C., 15 bass, 40-7, $10,000
3rd: Ralph Ray, Youngsville, N.C., 15 bass, 39-10, $5,000
4th: Chris Panetta, West Simsbury, Conn., 14 bass, 39-7, $3,000
5th: Chris Daves, Spring Grove, Va., 15 bass, 39-4, $2,200
6th: Jackson Pleasant , Raleigh, N.C., 14 bass, 39-2, $1,900
Rounding out the top-10 boaters were:
7th: Jason Wilson, Lincolnton, N.C., 15 bass, 38-11, $1,600
8th: Craig Chambers, Charlotte, N.C., 15 bass, 38-8, $1,400
9th: Tim Teague, Belmont, N.C., 15 bass, 37-4, $2,200
10th: Robert Stinger, Williamsburg, Va., 15 bass, 36-0, $1,000
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Adam Lockler of Charlotte, North Carolina, won the Co-angler Division and a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard with a three-day cumulative catch of 15 bass weighing 39 pounds, 10 ounces.
The top six Co-anglers that qualified for the 2018 BFL All-American were:
1st: Adam Lockler, Charlotte, N.C., 15 bass, 39-10, $45,100
2nd: Ben Arnold, La Follette, Tenn., 14 bass, 27-10, $5,000
3rd: Henry McKee, Haddon Heights, N.J., 15 bass, 25-15, $2,500
4th: Michael Nelms, Hartwood, Va., 12 bass, 25-15, $1,550
5th: Colton Chambers, Elizabethton, Tenn., 12 bass, 25-9, $1,000
6th: Nathan Grose, Summersville, W. Va., 13 bass, 25-2, $900
Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers were:
7th: Justin Bach, Kannapolis, N.C., 11 bass, 25-1, $800
8th: Tobey Lawson, Raleigh, N.C., 12 bass, 23-14, $700
9th: Chris Whittaker, Waverly, Va., 14 bass, 23-3, $600
10th: Anthony Awgul, Quakertown, Pa., 13 bass, 22-15, $500
The T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League Regional Tournament on the James River was hosted by Sports Williamsburg.
Justin Patti Leads Day One of the 2017 WON Bass U.S. Open
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Justin Patti Leads Day One of the 2017 WON Bass U.S. Open
Mild Conditions Lead to Higher Weights on First Day of Tournament
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Las Vegas, Nev. - October 16, 2017 - When WON Bass announced the October dates for the 35th edition of the WON Bass, Bass Cat / Mercury U.S. Open, the hope was that the field size would increase once again to new record levels, and that the fishing would be excellent.
WON Bass got their wish on both instances.
The 207 boats that ventured out onto the waters of Lake Mead at daybreak on the first day of the event found Lake Mead's black bass population to be cooperative, and the larger fish seemed to join into the festivities as well. In a tournament that has long taken less than 11 pounds a day to win, on day one of the 2017 edition, the top 13 anglers eclipsed 11 pounds and it took more than 10 pounds to crack the top 20 in the standings.
Of all of the outstanding performers, Phoenix, Ariz. pro Justin Patti proved to be the cream of the crop on the day one, taking the lead with a 14.71-pound limit. It is the second consecutive years that Patti has sprinted through the tape in first position on the first leg of the U.S. Open marathon.
Despite a late takeoff slot, Patti said that he was able to work his way into an area, working with the other anglers who had set up shop there, and in the end, he was able to get the bites he needed. "I really have to give a lot of credit to the other anglers we were working around," he said. "We all worked well together and we were really fortunate that we were able to get the bites we needed."
He said that he, and his day one AAA Kevin A. Smith used several techniques to catch their creel. But it was Smith's early 4.50-pound big fish that set the tone. "He really fished hard all day, but at 9:00 this morning, he caught that big one that made a huge difference," said Patti. "It really made us settle in and focus, and we were able to cull several more times; it was a really good day, and I hope to be able to get close to that weight tomorrow, and have a chance on the final day."
Sandy, Utah pro Travis Jewell and his AAA partner Michael Fisher brought 13.22 pounds to the scales at the Calville Bay weigh-in site, which was enough to earn them second place by the day's end.
He said that it was the quick comfort level his AAA gave him that helped when things did not go as planned on their first stop. "I had metered the area with my graph in practice, and found some big fish, but when we got there today; they were gone," he said. "It was frustrating, but we worked together and made a short move and found them again; then we pulled out the dropshot and started catching them."
Third place went to pro Nick Salvucci and his AAA partner Yoshikazu Komada. The pair posted 13.07 pounds, and did so by fishing multiple techniques in traffic. "It was a true junk fishing day," he said. "We fished around a lot of boats today and just did what we had to do to make things happen."
Fourth place went to Arizona pro Josh Bertrand and his AAA partner Wes O'Brien with 12.74 pounds, and Anaheim, Calif. pro Kyle Grover and his AAA partner Aaron Haring rounded out the top five with 12.51 pounds.
Complete Standings are below, as well as posted at wonbass.com.
The Costa See What's Out There Live Coverage will continue to bring all of the action from Las Vegas and Lake Mead throughout the rest of the event. You can go to WonBass.com to connect and watch the live streaming video on the following schedule - ALL TIMES PACIFIC.
Through Wednesday October 17
Event Coverage 9:00AM - 11:00AM Live weigh-in 2:00PM - 5:00PM Daily Post Game - 5:30PM to 8:00PM Wednesday Sept 14 Awards Show 6:30PM - 9:00PM from the Railhead Room at Boulder Station Casino In conjunction with the event, Bass Cat Boats will continue to host demo rides in their newest boat; the Lynx, powered by Mercury at Calville Bay on Monday and Tuesday following weigh-in. The public, and event competitors are invited to take a ride in their flagship vessel, the one with the longest running pad in the industry from 5:30PM to 7:00PM Pacific Time
Once again, the Costa Live Show will bring all of the action of the 2017 WON Bass U.S. Open presented by Bass Coat Boats and Mercury. The Costa Live broadcasts will continue with the On the Water, weigh-in and post-game shows carrying on through the awards presentation Wednesday night.
The Sponsors of the 2017 U.S. Open are: Bass Cat Boats, Mercury, Costa, Daiwa, St. Croix, Lowrance, Yo-Zuri, Bridgford, Seaguar Fluorcarbon, Rapala, Savage Gear, Hayabusa, Plano, MotorGuide, Phenix Rods, Lew's, Roboworm, Kuiu, Ichikawa, Sure Life, Anglers Marine, Chevy Montebello and Boulder Station Casino.
Beginning Monday, 207 Pros and their AAA partners will head out onto the waters of Lake Mead Monday to contest the 34nd Anniversary of the WON Bass Bas Cat Boats / Mercury Marine U.S. Open.
2017 WON Bass U.S. Open Day One Pro Standings
2017 WON Bass U.S. Open Day One AAA Standings
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KIP CARTER WINS BASS FISHING LEAGUE REGIONAL TOURNAMENT ON WHEELER LAKE
GEORGIA’S CARTER WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE REGIONAL TOURNAMENT ON WHEELER LAKE PRESENTED BY RANGER BOATS
South Carolina’s Smith Claims Co-angler Title
DECATUR, Ala. (Oct. 16, 2017) – Boater Kip Carter of Social Circle, Georgia, caught a three-day cumulative total of 15 bass weighing 42 pounds, 12 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Regional event on Wheeler Lake presented by Ranger Boats. For his efforts, Carter took home $65,200 including a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and an automatic berth into the 2018 BFL All-American Championship.
“I've led a couple of big tournaments in the past, but fell short at the end. It feels good to finally win one,” said Carter, who pushed his career earnings to nearly $220,000 in FLW competition. “This is by far the biggest accomplishment of my fishing career.”
Carter said he stayed mid-lake the first two days of the event, fishing stained water flowing in from small streams. He used spinnerbaits and buzzbaits to catch his fish on Day One, but switched to a Bone-colored Paycheck Baits Repo Man topwater for Day Two.
“I’m pretty sure the drains had gizzard shad, and that was important, so I switched lures,” said Carter.
By Day Three on Saturday, Carter said his drainage bite had come to a halt. He only had one keeper in the livewell by 11 a.m., so he decided to target bass in tributary creeks. He continued to use his Repo Man topwater, and rotated in a Spro Bronzeye Frog.
“It turned out to be a good move,” said Carter. “I found some fish up in Flint Creek and was able to catch a few good ones. The first one I caught was 4½-pounder. That fish told me I was back in the running for the win.”
The top six boaters that qualified for the 2018 BFL All-American were:
1st: Kip Carter, Social Circle, Ga., 15 bass, 42-12, $65,200
2nd: Tyler Morgan, Columbus, Ga., 15 bass, 40-7, $10,100
3rd: Brandon McGinnis, Pell City, Ala., 15 bass, 37-15, $5,000
4th: John Duvall, Madison, Ga., 15 bass, 37-4, $3,000
5th: Adam Wagner, Cookeville, Tenn., 15 bass, 36-13, $2,000
6th: Grant Kelly, Milledgeville, Ga., 15 bass, 35-8, $1,800
Rounding out the top-10 boaters were:
7th: Tony Harvey, Rogersville, Ala., 13 bass, 34-2, $1,600
8th: Daniel Johnson, Lebanon, Tenn., 15 bass, 31-13, $1,400
9th: Will Blount, Andalusia, Ala., 15 bass, 31-8, $1,200
10th: Jay Melton, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 14 bass, 31-3, $1,000
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Michael Smith of Piedmont, South Carolina, won the Co-angler Division and a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard with a three-day cumulative catch of 15 bass weighing 36 pounds, 14 ounces.
The top six co-anglers that qualified for the 2018 BFL All-American were:
1st: Michael Smith, Piedmont, S.C., 15 bass, 36-14, $45,200
2nd: Matthew O’Connell, Brooks, Ga., 15 bass, 32-3, $5,050
3rd: Matthew Bouldin, Smithville, Tenn., 11 bass, 26-11, $2,500
4th: Harold Grizzle, Gainesville, Ga., 10 bass, 23-4, $1,500
5th: Daniel Tuten, Byron, Ga., 12 bass, 21-12, $1,000
6th: Chris Harcrow, Dawson, Ala., 15 bass, 21-3, $900
Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers were:
7th: Chris Wade, Acworth, Ga., 10 bass, 20-3, $800
8th: Randall Wiggins, Birmingham, Ala., nine bass, 18-1, $700
9th: Stanley Smith, Greensboro, Ga., 11 bass, 17-14, $600
10th: Mark Johnson, Lebanon, Tenn., nine bass, 17-9, $500
Father and Son Craig and Corey Waldrop crowned Bass Champs 2017 Champions
Father and Son Craig and Corey Waldrop crowned Bass Champs 2017 Champions
By: Patty Lenderman
After an incredible season in four regions across Texas, Skeeter Bass Champs led 233 qualifying teams to the Red River in Shreveport, LA for the coveted 2017 team championship October 14-15, 2017. These top teams fished for a portion of an astounding 318% payback to top finishing teams, which included a new Skeeter boat powered by Yamaha for 1st and 2nd places. When all the weights were tallied, it was Corey and Craig Waldrop who came out on top to be crowned Bass Champs 2017 Champions!
The Red River has become a favorite Bass Champs Championship location for its neutrality for the teams due to it not being on the regular season agenda for any region, and for the area’s great ability to host an event of this size. These qualifiers were on their game as they hunted for their catch in ever changing weather conditions as well. In the last quarter of the game, a rainy front blew in that helped some top teams to their final finish.
The father and son team of Craig and Corey Waldrop did their homework finding a few spots before the tournament in practice and some patterns to catch the fish. “We started out hitting those spots on Saturday, and caught a limit of small fish along a key 50 yard stretch,” Corey explained. Their day one limit gave them a solid stepping stone going into the final day. “On Sunday, we decided to make a run to an oxbow that was holding some good fish. The water had gone down, so it was very shallow trying to get to it. We had to push the boat through the shallows, but made it in there and finished out a limit.” Corey said that some key components to their success was using an Ezee jig and Custom Angle Rod combo. “They just paired perfectly. Everything we caught was on reaction type baits. Catching the fish was a matter of changing up the angles and grinding it out.” After that, they decided to go to a big fish area, but had to pass through the locks to get there. “We missed the lock, and there was a two hour wait to get through.” Time was ticking, and it was a risk to get through the lock and back in time. “We decided we needed to go for it, even if we only got to make one cast.” When they made it to their target spot, they had time for three casts, and one of them fruited a 2-1/2 pounder! “We were able to cull up well over a pound with that fish. We locked everything down and headed to the weigh in.” When their two-day weight was tallied, they had a total of 21.81 pounds to win the championship. “That final catch was the ticket to our win.” They were presented a Skeeter FX20 powered by a Yamaha motor for their accomplishment, then added to their winnings with $400 Captain’s Cash and $200 from Sure Life for using the product in their livewell. “I can’t say enough about Bass Champs. They consistently put on phenomenal events, providing a platform for us everyday fishermen to achieve our angling dreams. The Horseshoe Casino and the city of Shreveport as a whole were so gracious and hospitable for all of us in the championship event, it was just incredible. This whole experience has been an absolute treat. It will be one of those things to reflect on the rest of our lives, and the best part is that I got to do this with my dad. Truly a dream weekend!”
Brian Schott and Scott Gill made an incredible Day-2 comeback to land a 2nd place win. “It was tough the first day,” Brian began. “We only caught two fish the first day – one flipping and one on a spinnerbait – for 5.86 pounds.” Day 2 wasn’t looking much better for them. “We still didn’t have a single fish in the livewell by noon on the final day.” Then the front came in with the storm around 12:30. “When the rain began, the fish just started biting! We saturated this one spot with a variety of different baits, putting a limit together.” Their limit was anchored with a 5.07 lb kicker (caught on a fluke), and added up to be the biggest stringer of the tournament at 14.53 lbs! All total the team reeled in 20.39 pounds of bass over the course of two days capturing 2nd place and a Skeeter ZX225 powered by Yamaha. They were also the highest finishing team fishing with a qualified Skeeter, winning an additional $5,000 from Skeeter Boats! Lowrance added another $1,000 to their day for a tremendous win. “We would like to give a big thank you to Skeeter and Yamaha. Also to H&W Marine and Dobyn’s Rods for their help and support!”
3rd place was won by Randy Despino and Kevin Lasyone with 19.65 lbs. They enjoyed a $6,000 payday.
The 4th place winners John Byler and Matt France won $5,000 for their 18.70 lb total, then the Sportsman’s Auto Network added another $2,000 to their win plus they won another $600 from Fun N Sun.
All total Bass Champs paid out nearly $220,000 for this event in cash and prizes to the top 42 teams. The last $1,000 check went to the team of Tom Mocny and Ernest Stumpf III with a two day total weight of 9.85 pounds.
“Everyone at Bass Champs would like to congratulate all of our winners, and thank everyone in all four regions for fishing with us this year,” stated Chad Potts, Bass Champs President. “Thanks to all of you and the best companies in the industry sponsoring this tournament trail, it just keeps getting better every year. We are looking forward to seeing everyone in 2018!”
Bass Champs will be hosting one more event in one week – the 12th annual Berkley Big Bass tournament on Lake Fork October 21-22. Twenty places will be paid every hour of this 2-day event, with over $150,000 guaranteed in cash and prizes – including two Skeeter boats! Check out all the details at BassChamps.com and don’t miss out, sign up now!
Start marking your calendars – the 2018 Bass Champs schedule is out and kicks off on Sam Rayburn January 20! Visit www.BassChamps.com for all of the details or call 817-439-3274 for more information.
Big Bass Tour results from Lake Guntersville!
Here are the leaders from this weekend's Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Tour event on Lake Guntersville:
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CHRIS HOPSON | 7.65 |
| 2 | ERIC HILL | 7.55 |
| 3 | DON MORRIS | 7.31 |
| 4 | TIM BUCKNER | 7.22 |
| 5 | CORY BYRUM | 7.18 |
| 6 | JEREMIAH ARMSTRONG | 7.07 |
| 7 | BRANDEN ANDREWS | 6.96 |
| 8 | GENE BROOKS | 6.73 |
| 9 | JIM BURCH | 6.71 |
| 10 | REGAN GREEN | 6.70 |
Texas Team Trail Registration Opens November 1st!!!!!
Texas Team Trail Registration Opens November 1st!!!!! Click here for more details!
DICKNEITE WINS COSTA FLW SERIES TOURNAMENT ON LAKE OF THE OZARKS
Missouri Boater Bests 155-boat Field to Earn Third Career Victory, $40K
OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (Oct. 14, 2017) – Boater Andre Dickneite of Freeburg, Missouri, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 15 pounds even to win the Costa FLW Series Central Division event on Lake of the Ozarks presented by Evinrude. Dickneite’s three-day total of 15 bass weighing 48 pounds, 4 ounces, was enough to earn him the win by a 2-pound, 8-ounce margin and the first place prize of $40,000.
“I am on top of the world right now,” said Dickneite, who after two previous wins at the T-H Marine Bass Fishing League level earned his first win in the Costa FLW Series. “I did not think that I had enough to win today. I started the day in fourth place, and I thought that my weight would likely maintain my standing. But the other guys struggled, and now here I am.”
Dickneite said that he caught his fish throughout the week flipping a jig to docks. His main bait was a ½-ounce black and blue-colored V&M jig, trailered with a Strike King Rage Craw.
“The key for me was fishing the conditions that I was given,” Dickneite said. “I had one magic dock that I caught 2 keepers on each day, but other than that I was fishing different areas. I fished from the Hurricane Deck Bridge to up as far as Mossy Creek.”
Dickneite mentioned that every fish that he caught came flipping with the jig, except for today when he managed to catch three on a Texas-rigged red bug-colored Zoom Magnum Trick Worm.
“I caught 10 keepers on Thursday, then seven on Friday and seven more today. I didn’t throw the worm at all earlier this week, but it felt right to throw it today. I was fortunate to make the right decisions this week and I couldn’t be happier with how I ended up.”
The top 10 pros on Lake of the Ozarks were:
1st: Andre Dickneite, Freeburg, Mo., 15 bass, 48-4, $40,000
2nd: Roger Fitzpatrick, Eldon, Mo., 15 bass, 45-12, $15,700
3rd: James Dill, Sunrise Beach, Mo., 15 bass, 45-12, $12,000
4th: Costa pro Dylan Hays, Sheridan, Ark., 15 bass, 45-7, $10,100
5th: Dennis Berhorst, Holts Summit, Mo., 15 bass, 44-4, $9,000
6th: Shane Long, Willard, Mo., 15 bass, 44-3, $8,000
7th: Casey Scanlon, Lake Ozark, Mo., 15 bass, 43-3, $7,000
8th: Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo., 15 bass, 42-14, $6,000
9th: Old Spice pro Greg Bohannan, Bentonville, Ark., 15 bass, 40-11, $5,000
10th: James Watson, Lampe, Mo., 11 bass, 34-15, $4,000
A complete list of results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Cody Hahner of Wausau, Wisconsin, caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 7 ounces Friday to win the Boater Big Bass award of $300.
Steve Grizzle of Edwardsville, Illinois, won the Co-angler Division and a new Ranger Z175 boat with a 90-horsepower Evinrude outboard motor. Grizzle earned his win with a three-day total catch of 11 bass weighing 27 pounds, 12 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers on Lake of the Ozarks were:
1st: Steve Grizzle, Edwardsville, Ill., 11 bass, 27-12, Ranger Z175 w/90-horsepower Evinrude outboard + $5,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Alan Woodford, Winslow, Ind., 10 bass, 26-10, $5,100
3rd: Robbie Bartoszek, Hampshire, Tenn., 12 bass, 26-3, $4,050
4th: Tyrone Phillips, Little Rock, Ark., 11 bass, 25-12, $3,600
5th: Josh Shirley, Cabot, Ark., eight bass, 24-12, $3,250
6th: Sam Bremmerkamp, Joplin, Mo., 10 bass, 22-7, $2,500
7th: Ray Larson, Springfield, Ill., seven bass, 20-13, $2,000
8th: Roger Olson Jr., Eagle River, Wis., 10 bass, 20-9, $1,750
9th: Scott Parsons, Rogers, Ark., 10 bass, 19-9, $1,500
10th: Stan Harris, Searcy, Ark., seven bass, 17-5, $1,250
Shirley caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division Thursday, a largemouth weighing 6 pounds, 8 ounces, and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $200.
The Costa FLW Series on Lake of the Ozarks presented by Evinrude was hosted by the Tri-County Lodging Association. It was the third and final regular-season Central Division tournament of 2017. The next event for Costa FLW Series Central Division anglers will be the Costa FLW Series Championship, held Nov. 2-4 on Kentucky Lake in Paris, Tennessee, hosted by the Henry County Tourism Authority. 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.
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.
TH Marine Pro Roger Fitzpatrick takes a 1-ounce lead into FLW Costa Central Championship Saturday
October 13, 2017 by Jody White
The top 10 saw a lot of turnover on day two of the Costa FLW Series presented by Evinrude on Lake of the Ozarks, but Roger Fitzpatrick and James Dill both stayed steady to climb the leaderboard. In first place by an ounce, Fitzpatrick put 16 pounds, 15 ounces on the scale and boasts a 35-11 total. Weighing 17-13 on day two, Dill is just an ounce off the pace.
Top five patterns from day two
Overall, the fishing was a bit tougher on the second day, but the shallow topwater bite that the Ozark region is known for played strong, and it seems all but certain that the majority of the eventual winner’s bass will fall for something that plops or buzzes.
Running roughly the same game plan he did on day one, Fitzpatrick got a lot fewer bites. On the first day he put perhaps 15 keepers in the boat – on day two he barely culled twice.
“Where I’m fishing, shallow, around those docks, those fish just got there,” says Fitzpatrick. “It’s kind of a pattern that happens every year about right now. I liken it to when fish get done with the spawn – you want to be fishing where they’re headed. But today was a struggle.”
Despite catching most of his weight shallow on top, Fitzpatrick has been adaptable. He says he caught his final keeper off a shallow brush pile on day two, and that he really only dialed in to the shallow topwater bite on the final day of practice.
“I’ve got a deal in my hip pocket,” says Fitzpatrick, who has a pair of T-H Marine Bass Fishing League (BFL) wins on Lake of the Ozarks. “In the [BFL] Super tournament a few weeks ago I caught a limit off one spot both days, and I know they’re still there. It’s a good spot, and I’ve not been to it yet. There’s some quality fish there, and if it gets tough on me I may go in there. But I’m around some bigguns, and I’d like to get a couple of them.”
Whatever happens on the final day, it’s almost sure to be dramatic. Everyone in the top five is within 3 pounds of the lead, and it’d be no surprise to see any one of them bring in a big bag.
Top 10 pros
1. Roger Fitzpatrick – Eldon, Mo. – 35-11 (10)
2. James Dill – Sunrise Beach, Mo. – 35-10 (10)
3. James Watson – Lampe, Mo. – 33-15 (10)
4. Andre Dickneite – Freeburg, Mo. – 33-4 (10)
5. Casey Scanlon – Lake Ozark, Mo. – 32-15 (10)
6. Jeremy Lawyer – Sarcoxie, Mo. – 30-5 (10)
7. Dylan Hays – Sheridan, Ark. – 30-4 (10)
8. Greg Bohannan – Bentonville, Ark. – 30-1 (10)
9. Dennis Berhorst – Holts Summit, Mo. – 29-14 (10)
10. Shane Long – Willard, Mo. – 29-11 (10)
Shirley takes co-angler lead
Josh Shirley of Cabot, Ark., moved into the lead on the co-angler side with four quality fish for 12-9. Also weighing four on day one, Shirley has an impressive 24-12 total in a tournament where fishing off the back isn’t easy.
“Yesterday I’d have liked to have my fifth, and it was the same thing today,” says Shirley, who has lost one potential keeper each day. “I did pretty much the same thing I did yesterday. It’s targeting certain areas and certain sides of docks. Following up on the co-angler side of things is hard to do, but it worked out quite well.”
Shawn Kowal Leads Final FLW Costa Event on Lake of Ozarks
October 12, 2017 by Jody White
Day one of the Costa FLW Series presented by Evinrude on Lake of the Ozarks turned into a beauty, and a strong group of pros got off to a good start. Shawn Kowal of Linn Creek, Mo., paces the field after day one with 19 pounds, 9 ounces – just 5 ounces ahead of Steve Floyd in second place. Kowal has eight top-10 finishes in FLW competition on Lake of the Ozarks, and he appears to be headed toward another one.
Top five patterns from day one
Though a variety of patterns caught fish on day one, Kowal leaned on the venerable dock and brush bite that Lake of the Ozark always offers. He caught about 12 keepers on the day, mostly swimming a jig and tossing a worm, and says that 10 feet deep was his “magic” depth.
“It went pretty good, I caught a lot of a fish and didn’t really lose much,” says Kowal. “I laid off later in the day, but I was still catching them. The spots I wasn’t going to fish, I thought I’d go try ‘em, and I’d catch them there.”
Temperatures on day one started out in the 50s, rose into the 70s by weigh-in, and are projected to hit the mid-80s on Friday. Despite the variable weather, Kowal seems to have a decent handle on the fishing.
“It’s fishing okay, but the problem is the water temperature is 10 degrees too warm,” says the Lake of the Ozarks local. “It drops four or five degrees, and the bass start to think about chasing shad and then it comes right back up and they think it’s summer again. It’s fishing, you never know, But I think I can do it again. I don’t think they’re going to move, and if they move they aren’t going to go far.”
Kowal is currently sitting at 50th in the points, and another decent day would put him in the Costa FLW Series Championship for sure. Another good day will have him fishing for a win.
Top 10 pros
1. Shawn Kowal – Linn Creek, Mo. – 19-9 (5)
2. Steve Floyd – Leesburg, Ohio – 19-4 (5)
3. Roger Fitzpatrick – Eldon, Mo. – 18-12 (5)
4. James Dill – Sunrise Beach, Mo. – 17-13 (5)
5. James Watson – Lampe, Mo. – 17-12 (5)
6. Andrew Dickneite – Freeburg, Mo. – 16-13 (5)
7. Jeremy Lawyer – Sarcoxie, Mo. – 16-5 (5)
8. Dayton Taylor – Beebe, Ark. – 16-2 (5)
9. Philip Rein – Troy, Mo. – 16-0 (5)
9. Payden Hibdon – Sunrise Beach, Mo. – 16-0
Johnson heads up the co-anglers
Jeremy Johnson of Kansas City, Kan., caught a limit worth 15-6 to take the lead on the co-angler side.
“We started out in the mid-lake area, basically fishing docks today,” says Johnson, who finished fourth in the standings as a boater in the T-H Marine Bass Fishing League (BFL) Ozark Division. “In practice I hadn’t really caught anything on topwater, so I went straight to flippin’. Midday for about three or four hours it seemed we’d catch one here and one there, it wasn’t any big barrage, but it really died when the sun got up later in the day.”
Johnson says that slow baits around docks and brush did the trick, and says he caught eight keepers on the day.
Tournament details
Format: All boaters and co-anglers will compete for two days. The top 10 boaters and co-anglers based on cumulative weight after two days of competition will advance to the third and final round, with the winner in each category determined by the heaviest cumulative three-day weight.
Takeoff Time: 7:00 a.m. CT
Takeoff Location: Public Beach #2, 711 Public Beach Road, Osage Beach, Mo.
Weigh-In Time: Days 1 and 2 at 3 p.m. CT; Day 3 at 4 p.m. CT
Weigh-In Location: Days 1 and 2 at Public Beach #2; Day 3 at Walmart 4252, Highway 54, Osage Beach, Mo.
Watch the Water Temps & Start Following the Bass!
Elite Series Pro, Justin Lucas with a nice Smith Lake Spotted Bass. - PC: Chris Brown
You hear it every autumn: ‘when the water cools, the bait migrates to the shallows, and the bass follow.’
Water temperature is dependent on other variables, such as the number of minutes each day the sun is able to warm the water. Air temperature will directly influence water surface temps.
So is water temperature actually the driving force behind the annual autumnal migration to the backs of creeks? Or does the phenomenon depend on photo periodization – the length of the days, which has been in decline since the summer solstice in late June. Following the fall equinox about 3 weeks ago, there are more minutes of darkness than daylight every 24 hours. This should pull water temps down. Right?
It has been hot all over the country lately. Heat index at our high school football practice this week has been over 100 degrees. The bank sign read ‘96’ at 5:30 PM the other day. We are in Florida, but only a few miles from the Georgia line.
So as I prepared tackle the other night I wondered how heat affects movements of bait and bass. I bounced the question to 3 top flight pros.
“I think of it as being similar to the spawn,” said Bassmaster Elite Series veteran Greg Vinson of Wetumpka, Alabama. “You’ve got some fish that make a move based on the weather, and some that go based on the clock, meaning the day length and maybe the moon phase.
“Up shallow we’re catching the early birds right now, but not the big concentrations. It seems like around here the shad and the fish are in limbo, kind of all over the place. Some are still on summer time patterns.”
Vinson expects things to change in a hurry. “Once we get a cold front, the shallow water will cool off first so that should trigger a big move.”
During the recent Open on Smith Lake Vinson had mixed results. The weather was hot prior to the tourney. “I found bait and bass piled in the back of one little creek. I caught 4 good fish out of there but I never found another creek with bait in the back of it.”
Bass tournament pioneer Shaw Grigsby of Gainesville, Florida has a wealth of experience to draw on when he speaks of annual fish movement.
“As the days start getting shorter the fish know what’s coming. They start heading that way. Temperatures fluctuate year to year and it does affect them, may delay them from moving shallow, but for the most part, they know it’s coming.
“I would start shallow first and work my way back out until I find them as opposed to doing it the other way around.”
Keith Combs recently won the B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year tournament, although the AOY title went to Brandon Palaniuk. Still, the win over such a stout field is the latest example of Combs’ prowess on the water and his understanding of fish behavior. The Texas pro says things are a bit weird on his local waters now, but the fishing is great.
“Usually in the fall the lakes get murky and the fish get shallow. This year we’re still catching them deep, haven’t seen them move to the backs of creeks.
“There’s still a ton of hydrilla out deep and because of the hurricane, a lot of current. We’re still punching deep hydrilla.”
Combs points to a recent tourney that drew over 150 boats and took 29 lbs. to win, 28 for 2nd, and featured 20 bags over 20 pounds. Rayburn is on fire!
Overall, it sounds like bass across the South are slow to make their move to the shallows this year, but once they go it should be ‘lights out’. Keep your eyes open and let us know what you see out there. Good luck this weekend!
Lake Hartwell To Host World’s Top Amateur Anglers At B.A.S.S. Nation Championship
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Taylor Odom Lands an 11-pound Monster to Seal Victory in American Bass Anglers Area Championship on Pickwick!
ATHENS, Ala. – Taylor Odom won the American Bass Anglers Ram Truck Open Series Area 2 Championship, held October 7-8 on Lake Pickwick. Running out of McFarland Park near Florence, AL the Ridgeland Mississippi angler started his day off with a bang. Just 15 minutes into the day he set the hook on a monster bass, landing it and anchoring his bag of 18.52 pounds to take home the guaranteed boater division prize of $10,000.00.
Day One brought us a picture-perfect morning for the National Anthem as the field took to the water shortly before 6:30. With the threat of Hurricane Nate approaching, the forecast continued to grow towards a threat of severe weather and ended the event a day early. Anglers were given a full day on Day One but Day Two was cancelled.
“This morning I definitely wasn’t expecting this. I got to my first spot and set the hook just 15 minutes later throwing a reaction bait. The fish came up and I nearly lost my composure. I knew she was big, but not that big! It is the largest fish I have landed not just in a tournament, but in my career,” said Odom. Taylors big bass hit the scales and weighed an astonishing 11.42 pounds. “I finished out my limit with some schooling fish and came in at the end of the day with her as my anchor. I didn’t find out until I got to the ramp that day 2 had been cancelled and that’s when I realized that one fish may have just done it for me.” Said Odom.
In second for the boaters, Tom O’Bryant of Cedar Grove, TN finished with a 5-fish limit of 14.54 pounds. The 2nd through 6th place finisher were separated by less than 5 ounces.
“I was catching mine on a jig today. I had a good spot and managed to pull 12 keepers culling 6 or 7 times but I left them around 11:00 saving some for tomorrow.” Said Tom. Not knowing we would be cut short by one day, mother nature changed plans for everyone this weekend.
Drew Boggs of Lebanon, TN took home 3rd place honors with a 5-fish limit for 14.49 pounds.
“I had a real tough practice the past couple days but I never found any keepers. I caught about 30 fish but never found anything to bring to the scales. I had a pattern that was catching fish but nowhere to take it. I ran into a creek this morning I had not been to yet and was able to catch them using the same technique. I caught six keepers today and did cull one time so it worked out.” Stated Drew.
In fourth, Kirby Weeden of Bartlett, TN came in with a solid bag for a 14.46 pound. Finishing 5th was Garrett Riles of Potts Camp, MS with pounds.
In the Co-Angler Division, Tyler Broome of Clinton, MS came in with a solid 3 fish limit of 10.03 pounds anchored by a 4.39 pound largemouth, to claim the first-place guaranteed check of $5000.00. Being this was Pickwick, there were many smallmouths that came across the scales as well, one of them just under 4 lbs.
“We made a long run close to the dam and caught 2 keepers early that morning. I wasn’t able to get any more bites but my boater was whacking em’. He caught his limit and decided to move, and that’s when I finally caught my third keeper, a smallmouth on a whopper plopper. It was the most aggressive top water strike I have ever had. What an awesome sight. That finished out my limit, but later in the day around 2:30 is when I caught the 4.39 lb. largemouth to cull up to my final weight.” Said Tyler. “It was a slow day but exciting.”
Taking second for the co-anglers, Mark Shane drove the 9 hours all the way from Indianapolis, IN to fish this event. Mark brought in three fish for 8.04 pounds anchored by a 3.54 pound largemouth.
“I had a wonderful time, and was paired with a great boater, that was able to put us on the fish. I caught a lot of fish, but just not the ones I needed. The fish were hitting top water, spooks, square bill crankbaits, and the old trusty brush hog. I think the tournament went wonderful, even though I was a little disappointed about Day Two being canceled. The tournament manager and crew did an awesome job, and I’m ready for next year,” said Shane.
JoJo Wash of Lyles, TN placed third among the co-anglers bringing a limit of 3 fish weighing 6.63 pounds.
“We were around fish most of the day, just hard to get keeper bites. I got my first keeper in the boat early. We were fishing deep and it was just tough to get the keepers. I did lose one that would have kept. Just as I set the hook my boater hooked up at the same time. I was closer to the net so I reached down for it thinking I would have to net both at the same time. Just then, mine jumped and threw the hook and my boaters fish ended up being a striper so neither one of us lucked out. I caught my 2nd keeper just 15 minutes before we had to be in, but that fish is what won me AOY.” Explained Walsh.
In fourth place among the co-anglers was Jim Decker of Burlington, KY with 6.59 pounds, and in 5th was Tom Ballowe of Eddyville, KY with 6.53 pounds. Tom also had big bass for the Co-Anglers weighing 4.65 pounds.
The week of April 1st through the 7th, 2018, the best anglers from across the nation will compete in the Ray Scott National 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.
Jerry Kotal wins $18,500.00 in Area 4 American Bass Anglers Championship on Lake Hartwell
ATHENS, Ala. – Jerry Kotal of Elberton Ga. won the Ram Truck Open Series area 4 championship held October 7th and 8th on Lake Hartwell. Running out of Green Pond Landing in Anderson, South Carolina, Jerry caught five bass on Day One weighing 17.06 pounds with a 4.69-pound kicker. On Day Two Jerry weighed in another five-bass limit weighing 13.64 pounds for a two-day weight of 30.70 pounds. For the boater division win Jerry took home a check for $10,000.00. Also, because Jerry is a Triton owner he collected an additional $7000.00 in Triton Gold monies and another $1500.00 in Mercury/Motorguide monies.
“I figure I caught around 35 fish for the two days,” said Kotal. “Almost all of the fish I caught were schooling fish. I caught most of my fish on an Ima Skimmer top water bait but I also caught some on a drop shot.”
In second for the boaters Ross Burns of Columbia, South Carolina weighed in two five bass limits with a total weight of 30.65 pounds. He anchored his catch with a 4.48-pound kicker fish. Burns collected $1075.00 for the effort.
“I ran a lot of different spots for two days catching a lot of fish,” said Burns. “Everything I weighed in were schooling fish that I caught on a Sammy.”
Jason Burroughs of Hodges, South Carolina placed third with two five bass limits that had a combined weight of 28.77 pounds. Burroughs took home a check for $875.00.
“I caught probably 35 fish in two days said Burroughs. Everything I weighed in were schooling fish that I caught on a spinnerbait and a top water bait.” said Burroughs.
In fourth place for the boaters Bo Price of Seneca, South Carolina weighed in two five bass limits with a total weight of 24.96 pounds and rounding out the top five boaters
Andy Wicker of Pomaria, South Carolina weighed in two five bass limits with a total weight of 24.54 pounds.
Louis Kraft of Salisbury North Carolina weighed in the biggest bass for the boaters at 4.90 pounds. Kraft took home $640.00 for the bass and because it was the biggest bass of the tournament, and he caught it on an ABU Garcia reel, Kraft also took home a new ABU Garcia SX spinning reel valued at $160.00.
In the Co-Angler Division Jonathan Carter of Greenville, South Carolina won with a total of six bass that weighed 13.82 pounds. He anchored his catch with a bass that weighed 3.24 pounds. He pocketed a check for $5000.00 for his win.
“I caught probably 20-25 fish on day one said Carter. Day two was tougher and I only caught around 10 fish. Everything I caught for both days came on a top water bait and a fluke,” said Carter.
Taking second for the co-anglers, Samuel Thomas of Lexington, North Carolina brought in a two-day limit of six bass that weighed 12.60 pounds. He anchored his catch with a bass that weighed 3.07 pounds. Thomas took home a check for $350.00.
“I caught three bass on day one on a top water bait and on day two I caught 4 bass all on a shaky-head,” said Thomas.
H Dean Chapman of Leesville, South Carolina placed third among the co-anglers with a two-day limit of six bass that weighed 11.50 pounds. He collected $300.00 for the effort.
“I probably caught 15 fish total for two days said Chapman. Day, one was a little tougher than day two. On day one I caught schooling fish on a swimbait. On day two they were off the banks and I caught them dragging a shaky-head,” said Chapman.
Dylan Ballard Of Cannon, Georgia finished fourth with a two-day weight of 11.34 pounds and rounding out the top five was Tony Hudson of Liberty, South Carolina with a two-day weight of 11.09 pounds.
The biggest bass for the co-anglers was weighed in by Ronnie Brown of Cherryville, North Carolina. The bass weighed in at 3.55 pounds, earning Brown $225.00
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.
RESCHEDULED YETI FLW COLLEGE FISHING SOUTHERN CONFERENCE FINALE SET FOR FORT GIBSON LAKE
WAGONER, Okla. (Oct. 3, 2017) – YETI FLW College Fishing is heading to Fort Gibson Lake on Oct. 14 for the third and final regular-season stop in the Southern Conference. The tournament was originally scheduled for early May, but was forced to be rescheduled due to flooding and dangerous water conditions. A full field of college fishing clubs will be competing for the top award of a $2,000 club scholarship and a berth into the 2018 College Fishing National Championship, which will be hosted on the Red River in Shreveport, Louisiana, next May.
“Fort Gibson is a good fishery and I think the college anglers will do well,” said FLW Tour pro Jim Tutt of Longview, Texas, a six-time Forrest Wood Cup qualifier who finished in 4th place when the Costa FLW Series competed on Fort Gibson Lake in 2016. “There are a lot of 3 to 4 pound fish in it, and there are some good spotted bass as well.
“A good limit that I would feel very proud of is 15 pounds and up. However, I think the winning weight will likely be 18 to 22 pounds. It should be an exciting tournament for these college anglers.”
Anglers will take off from Taylors Ferry North Recreation Area in Wagoner, at 7:30 a.m. CDT Saturday. Weigh-in will be held at the launch ramp beginning at 3 p.m. Takeoff and weigh-in are free and open to the public.
Schools are allowed to register up until the morning of the tournament. Entries may be made either by phone or at FLWFishing.com.
Schools registered to compete in the Fort Gibson Lake tournament, which is hosted by the Wagoner Area Chamber of Commerce, include:
Arkansas Tech University – Philip Gottsponer, Morrilton, Ark., and Ethan Stokes, Lee’s Summit, Mo.
Colorado State University-Pueblo – Austin Miles, Durango, Colo., and Tyler Hassler, Fountain, Colo.
East Texas Baptist University – Colby Simmons and Brandon Barber, both of Legion Fields, Texas
East Texas Baptist University – Mason Beatty, Hallsville, Texas, and Dustin Pearcy, Marshall, Texas
East Texas Baptist University – Chad Poulsen, Bossier City, La., and Jared Penton, Grand Junction, Colo.
Harding University – Ethan Flowers, Dexter, Mo., and Cole Swede, Little Rock, Ark.
McMurry University – Chad Moore and Ryan Nevil, both of Mesquite, Texas
Rogers State University – Dillon Roberts, Claremore, Okla., and Kyle Clark, Oologah, Okla.
Southwestern Oklahoma State University – Chris Bradley, Thomas, Okla., and Andy Thurston, Noble, Okla.
Tarleton State University – Stetson Overton, Glen Rose, Texas, and Cason Kelly, Stephensville, Texas
West Texas A&M University – Hunter Hastings and Mason Moore, both of Canyon, Texas
University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff – Cody Salzmann, Dickeyville, Wis., and Kenneth Prince, White Hall, Ark.
FLW College Fishing teams compete in three regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top ten teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments and the top 20 teams from the annual FLW College Fishing Open will advance to the 2018 FLW College Fishing National Championship on the Red River, hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission & Red River Waterway Commission. Additional teams will qualify for the National Championship if the field size in regular-season events exceeds 100 boats.
College Fishing is free to enter. All participants must be registered, full-time students at a college, university or community college and members of a college fishing club that is recognized by their school.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow College Fishing on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing. Visit FLWFishing.com to sign up or to start a club at your school.
BARREN RIVER SET FOR T-H MARINE FLW BFL REGIONAL TOURNAMENT
GLASGOW, Ky. (Oct. 10, 2017) – The T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) is heading to the Barren River Oct. 19-21 for one of six BFL Regional Tournaments. The three-day event, presented by Lowrance, will feature the highest-ranked 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers from each of the Buckeye, Great Lakes, LBL, and Michigan BFL divisions.
The winning boater will receive a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and a check for $20,000, while the winning co-angler will receive a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard. The top six boaters and co-anglers at each regional will advance to one of the longest-running championships in bass fishing – the 2018 BFL All-American, which will be held May 31-June 2 on Cross Lake in Shreveport, Louisiana.
The Barren River is expected to produce an excellent weekend of bass fishing for competitors. Anglers will likely be seen flipping jigs with grub trailers to shallow wood. Buzzbaits have also lured some notable bites in these areas, especially near log jams and laydowns. Frogs, Carolina-rigged soft-plastics, lipless crankbaits and drop-shot rigs could also see some action. A three-day cumulative of 15 bass nearing 49 pounds will likely be needed to take top honors in this tournament.
Anglers will take off from Port Oliver Recreation Area & Ramp, located at 4200 Barren River Dam Road in Scottsville, Kentucky, at 7 a.m. CDT each day. Weigh-ins on Thursday and Friday, Oct. 19-20, will be held at the park beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday’s final weigh-in, Oct. 21, will be held at Walmart located at 2345 Happy Valley Road in Glasgow, and will be begin at 4 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
The T-H Marine BFL Regional Tournament on the Barren River is hosted by the Glasgow-Barren County Tourist & Convention Commission.
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. The 2018 All-American will be held on Cross Lake in Shreveport, Louisiana, May 31-June 2 and is hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier City Sports Commission and the Red River Waterway Commission. 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.
LAKE LANIER SET TO HOST T-H MARINE FLW BFL REGIONAL TOURNAMENT PRESENTED BY GENERAL TIRE
Bass Pro Shops in Lawrenceville to Feature Saturday’s Championship Weigh-In, Two Ranger Boats Up For Grabs
GAINESVILLE, Ga. (Oct. 10, 2017) – The T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) is coming to Lake Lanier, Oct. 19-21, for one of six BFL Regional Tournaments. The three-day event, presented by General Tire, will feature 400 of the nation’s top weekend anglers – 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers from each of the Gator, Savannah River, Shenandoah, and South Carolina BFL divisions.
The winning boater will receive a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and a check for $20,000, while the winning co-angler will receive a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard. The top six boaters and co-anglers at each regional will advance to one of the longest-running championships in bass fishing – the 2018 BFL All-American, which will be held May 31-June 2 on Cross Lake in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Lake Lanier is expected to fish well for tournament anglers in this BFL Regional Tournament. Anglers will likely be seen targeting schooling bass near points and humps in major creek mouths. Crankbaits and topwater baits should be productive in these areas, especially in the early-morning hours. Swimbaits and flukes may also see a lot of action in this tournament. A three-day cumulative catch of 15 bass weighing 39 pounds should be enough to secure top honors.
Competitors will take off from Laurel Park, located at 3100 Old Cleveland Highway in Gainesville, at 7:30 a.m. EDT each day. Weigh-ins on Thursday and Friday, Oct. 19-20, will be held at the park beginning at 3:30 p.m. Saturday’s final weigh-in, Oct. 21, will be held at Bass Pro Shops located at 5900 Sugarloaf Parkway in Lawrenceville, Georgia, and will begin at 4:30 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
The T-H Marine BFL Regional Tournament on Lake Lanier is hosted by the Gainesville Convention & Visitors Bureau.
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. The 2018 All-American will be held on Cross Lake in Shreveport, Louisiana, May 31-June 2 and is hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier City Sports Commission and the Red River Waterway Commission. 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.
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN WINS YETI FLW COLLEGE FISHING CENTRAL CONFERENCE FINALE ON MISSISSIPPI RIVER
PRAIRIE DU CHIEN, Wis. (Oct. 9, 2017) – The University of Wisconsin team of Turner Truttschel of Madison, Wisconsin, and Colin Steck of Waunakee, Wisconsin, won the YETI FLW College Fishing Central Conference tournament on the Mississippi River Saturday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 16 pounds, 10 ounces. The victory earned the Badgers’ bass club $2,000 and a slot in the 2018 FLW College Fishing National Championship, scheduled for May 30-June 2 on the Red River in Shreveport, Louisiana.
The duo said they spent the tournament picking apart five different areas in Pool No. 9. They said the areas were far enough off of the main river to be considered backwaters, but still had current pushing through them.
“Four of the spots we fished had one or two bigger fish in them, and one had a big school,” said Steck, a freshman majoring in pre-med. “They had grass, rocks and weeds and were anywhere from 1 to 5 feet deep.”
Truttschel, a freshman majoring in pre-business, said the duo caught their first fish on a topwater bait, and the rest on a Brovarney Baits Silicon Swim Jig with either a grub or minnow-style trailer.
“We also lost a good fish at our first spot early on the topwater, but ended up catching it later in the day around 2:30 (p.m.) on the swim jig,” said Truttschel. “Overall we caught around 10 keepers and ended up weighing two smallmouth and three largemouth.”
The top 10 teams that advanced to the 2018 College Fishing National Championship are:
1st: University of Wisconsin – Turner Truttschel, Madison, Wis., and Colin Steck, Waunakee, Wis., five bass, 16-10, $2,000
2nd: Winona State University – Wyatt Stout, Sauk City, Wis., and Tayler Stolpa, Winona, Minn. five bass, 15-11, $1,000
3rd: University of Wisconsin – Alexander Lemke, De Pere, Wis., and Jacob Anderson, Princeton, Wis., five bass, 15-3, $900
4th: University of Wisconsin-Stout – Gavin Hessler, Roberts, Wis., and Noah Lindus, Woodville, Wis., five bass, 15-1, $500
5th: Saint Ambrose University – John Baumunk and Michael Wolthusen, Stickney, Ill., five bass, 14-14, $500
6th: Southeast Missouri State – Nick Moore, Desoto, Mo., and Jacob Harris, Bonne Terre, Mo., five bass, 14-9, $200
7th: University of Wisconsin-Platteville – Grant Ehlenfeldt, New Richmond, Wis., and Brett Stanek, Elroy, Wis., five bass,14-2
8th: Saint Charles Community College – Dale McCrackin and Gable Moeller, both of Lake Saint Louis, Mo., five bass, 14-1
9th: University of Northern Iowa – Conner Hinckle and Jack Mauer, both of Cedar Falls, Iowa, five bass, 13-6
10th: Central College – Cameron Timok, Pella, Iowa, and Dillon Peters, Urbandale, Iowa, five bass, 13-3
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
This YETI FLW College Fishing Central Conference tournament on the Mississippi River was hosted by the Prairie du Chien Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Council, and was the third and final regular-season qualifying tournament for Central Conference anglers in 2017. The next YETI FLW College Fishing event will be the Southern Conference finale, scheduled for Oct. 14 on Fort Gibson Lake in Wagoner, Oklahoma.
FLW College Fishing teams compete in three regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top ten teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments and the top 20 teams from the annual FLW College Fishing Open will advance to the 2018 FLW College Fishing National Championship on the Red River, hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission & Red River Waterway Commission. Additional teams will qualify for the National Championship if the field size in regular-season events exceeds 100 boats.
College Fishing is free to enter. All participants must be registered, full-time students at a college, university or community college and members of a college fishing club that is recognized by their school.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow College Fishing on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing. Visit FLWFishing.com to sign up or to start a club at your school.
RED RIVER TO HOST T-H MARINE FLW BFL REGIONAL TOURNAMENT PRESENTED BY QUAKER STATE
Bossier City’s Bass Pro Shops to Showcase Saturday’s Championship Weigh-In, Two Ranger Boats up for Grabs
SHREVEPORT, La. (Oct. 10, 2017) – The T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) is set for a return to the Red River, Oct. 19-21, for one of six BFL Regional Tournaments. The three-day event, presented by Quaker State, is expected to feature 400 anglers – the top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers from each of the Arkie, Cowboy, Mississippi, and Okie BFL divisions.
The winning boater will receive a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and a check for $20,000, while the winning co-angler will receive a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard. The top six boaters and co-anglers at each regional will advance to one of the longest-running championships in bass fishing – the 2018 BFL All-American, which will be held May 31-June 2 on Cross Lake in Shreveport, Louisiana.
A three-day cumulative total of 15 bass approaching the 36-pound mark will likely be needed to take top honors in this tournament. Anglers will likely be seen targeting submerged timber in the main-river channel or fishing drop-offs with frogs and crankbaits. Other competitors may opt for focusing on main-river rocks and sandbars with Carolina-rigged soft-plastics.
Anglers will take off from Red River South Marina, located at 250 Red River South Marina Road in Bossier City, Louisiana, at 7:30 a.m. CDT each day. Weigh-ins on Thursday and Friday, Oct. 19-20, will be held at the marina beginning at 3:30 p.m. Saturday’s final championship weigh-in, Oct. 21, will be held at Bass Pro Shops located at 100 Bass Pro Drive in Bossier City, and will be begin at 4:30 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
The T-H Marine BFL Regional Tournament on the Red River is hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission.
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. The 2018 All-American will be held on Cross Lake in Shreveport, Louisiana, May 31-June 2 and is hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier City Sports Commission and the Red River Waterway Commission. 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.
MARTY SISK GOES WIRE-TO-WIRE, WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL REGIONAL TOURNAMENT ON KENTUCKY LAKE
Ohio’s French Takes Home Co-angler Title
GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. (Oct. 9, 2017) – Boater Marty Sisk of Evansville, Indiana, caught a three-day cumulative total of 15 bass weighing 51 pounds, 10 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Regional event on Kentucky Lake presented by Evinrude. For his win, Sisk earned $65,200 including a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and an automatic berth into the 2018 BFL All-American Championship.
Sisk said he primarily fished on the south end of the lake near New Johnsonville, Tenn. He said his bass were all caught in less than 2 feet of water.
“I went to the southern end of the lake because there’s a lot more shallow water than on the northern part of the lake,” said Sisk, who earned his fifth career-win in BFL competition. “I felt it would be a lot easier for me to find fish in shallow water.
“My best spot was a little point right off the main river. I had a little milk run of 10 or 12 spots, but that one spot was better than the others. That’s where I caught most of my big fish.”
Sisk said he used a Bone-colored Heddon Zara Spook to catch all of his fish throughout the week.
“The first day I only caught six fish, but they were all over 4 pounds. The second day the fish did a lot better,” said Sisk. “On Sunday I fished new water in Richland Creek because the wind was so bad. I only caught five small keepers, but they were enough to hold the lead.”
The top six boaters that qualified for the 2018 BFL All-American were:
1st: Marty Sisk, Evansville, Ind., 15 bass, 51-10, $65,200
2nd: Brent Anderson, Kingston Springs, Tenn., 15 bass, 46-3, $10,100
3rd: Roger Fitzpatrick, Eldon, Mo., 15 bass, 40-1, $5,000
4th: Edward Gettys, Paris, Tenn., 12 bass, 38-6, $3,000
5th: John Devries, Fishers, Ind., 12 bass, 36-5, $2,000
6th: Justin Berger, Murray, Ky., 13 bass, 36-1, $1,800
Rounding out the top-10 boaters were:
7th: Robert Reagan, Byrdstown, Tenn., 10 bass, 35-7, $1,600
8th: Doug Ruster, New Palestine, Ind., 12 bass, 35-5, $1,400
9th: Casey O'Donnell, Langston, Ala., 12 bass, 35-0, $1,200
10th: Leroy McDuffie, McLeansboro, Ill., 13 bass, 33-7, $2,000
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Billy French of Hamilton, Ohio, won the Co-angler Division and a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard with a three-day cumulative catch of 12 bass weighing 41 pounds, 15 ounces.
The top six boaters that qualified for the 2018 BFL All-American were:
1st: Billy French, Hamilton, Ohio, 12 bass, 41-15, $45,200
2nd: James McWhorter, Hamilton, Ohio, 10 bass, 26-6, $5,000
3rd: Brian Huber, Saint Charles, Mo., nine bass, 23-6, $2,500
4th: Jason Papek, De Soto, Mo., six bass, 21-5, $1,500
5th: Josh Ford, Connersville, Ind., 10 bass, 20-9, $1,000
6th: Bobby Revalee, Connersville, Ind., six bass, 20-8, $900
Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers were:
7th: Billy Gardner, Livingston, Tenn., six bass, 19-2, $800
8th: Lawrence Spicher, Boonville, Ind., six bass, 17-15, $700
9th: Ronnie Gill, Indianapolis, Ind., five bass, 16-9, $600
10th: Matt Knox, Metamora, Ill., three bass, 13-13, $500
The T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League Regional Tournament on Kentucky Lake was hosted by the Kentucky Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau.
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. The 2018 All-American will be held on Cross Lake in Shreveport, Louisiana, May 31-June 2 and is hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier City Sports Commission and the Red River Waterway Commission. 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.
NITRO Partners With Texas Team Trail
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TXTT anglers with chances to win NITRO boats and contingency prizes
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NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. (Oct. 9, 2017) - NITRO has joined as sponsor for the upcoming 2018 Texas Team Trail (TXTT) season. As part of the partnership, the TXTT will award a brand new fully rigged NITRO Z18 boat to the first-place finishers of two regular-season events. NITRO will also offer additional contingency prize money to qualifying anglers.
"NITRO is dedicated to providing anglers with pro-level fishing platforms to perform at the highest levels and the TXTT gives them an opportunity to showcase these high-performance products," said TXTT Tournament Director Mike Hastings. "Many of our anglers fish out of a NITRO boat and will enjoy the opportunity to pad their tournament winnings with NITRO's contingency program. We are pleased to welcome NITRO into the TXTT family."
The TXTT 2018 season consists of four regular-season events followed by a championship. First-place finishers of two regular-season events will be awarded a brand new fully rigged NITRO Z18. If the winning angler fished from an approved NITRO boat and is part of the NITRO Tournament Rewards program, the NITRO Z18 will be upgraded to a NITRO Z19. Additional payouts extend through 50th place, with second through 30th receiving a $250 cash bonus and 31st through 50threceiving $125.
"We are excited to be a part of the TXTT," said Rick Emmitt, Marketing Manager - Angler Programs/Pro Staff. "TXTT events are run by veteran industry professionals and have a reputation for putting together fun and exciting experiences for their competitors. TXTT features some of the best anglers from Texas and surrounding states and we are looking forward to showing our product to them in 2018."
The Texas Team Trail includes unprecedented television and media coverage, airing on the Pursuit Channel, Fox Sports Net, NBC Sports, Time Warner Sportsnet and the World Fishing Network.
Registration for the 2018 season will kick off on November 1. Anglers with questions or anyone interested in more details are encouraged to visit www.texasteamtrail.com or call 210-788-4143.
2018 TXTT scheduled events:
February 10 - Sam Rayburn
March 10 - Toledo Bend
April 14 - Amistad
May 5 - Ray Roberts
Championship
June 2-3 - Sam Rayburn
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, NITRO, Lowrance, Protect the Harvest, Garmin, Valley Fashions, T-H Marine, Atlas, G-Juice, Powertex Group.
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Joel and Tracy Zalewski are the 2017 American Bass Anglers Couples Champions
Athens, AL - The final day of the 2017 American Couples Series National Championship hosted by American Bass Anglers, is in the books. Running out of Lakepoint Resort State Park in Eufaula, AL Joe Zalewski-Tracy Harp Zalewski of Nashville, TN took home the grand prize of $4000. The married couple fished in the Kentucky Lake division, they brought in a five-fish limit on Day One that weighed 9.93 pounds which put them in sixth place going into the final day. On day two, they brought in another five-fish limit that weighed 13.77 pounds which gave them an overall total weight of 23.70 pounds. They were able to anchor their win with a 3.12-pound bass for both days.
“The lake was fishing very tough and it was also very inconsistent on both days. We started fishing deep as the days got hotter. We mostly used crankbaits and big worms to catch our fish,” stated Joe. “We made a game plan coming into the tournament and stuck to it. We did not see anyone else fishing the tournament doing what we were doing. We really enjoyed fishing even though it was tough,” stated Tracy. She also added that her mother was smiling down on them.
Coming in second was the of Sean Capes-Kathy Capes. The married couple fishes in the Georgia division and lead the tournament after day one by catching a five-fish limit that weighed 14.33 pounds. On day two, they were not so lucky and was only able to bring in a four-fish bag that weighed 7.98 pounds. This gave them an overall total of 22.31 pounds. They anchored their bag with a 5.88-pound big bass and took home $800.
“It was tough fishing on both days, we used shallow crankbaits to catch most of our fish. We were able to catch a limit on day 1 and the wind shifted directions on us the second day and we were not able to get the last bite we needed to make a limit. We want to give a shout out to our directors Jeff and Amanda Maddox, they do an excellent job and put on great tournaments,” said Sean.
Placing third was Thomas and Melissa Bancroft. The married couple fished in the South Carolina Division and was in second after day one with a five-fish limit that weighed 11.91 pounds. On day two, they brought in another five-fish limit that weighed 9.50 pounds giving them an overall weight 21.41 pounds. They took home a check for $575 for their efforts.
“We used a Zoom floating orange magnum worm to catch some of our fish. We also used a spinner bait and an Ole Monster Tilapia Worm Texas rigging in about 4-16 feet of water. We were fishing creek channels on the Georgia side of the lake,” stated Thomas.
The 2017 Couples Angler of The Year team was John and Susan Mills of Leesville, SC. The married couple knew they were in the running for the title and was thrilled to take the honor.
“Two years ago, we lost AOY by one point, we knew we were up in points, but didn’t expect to take it so this is a wonderful surprise. We would like to thank our sponsors JC’S Outdoors and Yeti,” said John and Susan.
Allan Raines of Marianna, FL had the overall men’s big bass of the tournament, with a 5.82 pound largemouth he landed on Day One. He took home $325 for his catch.
“I caught my fish using a black trick worm, fishing in shallow grass right of the channel in the late afternoon,” said Raines.
Rhonda Ford of Cave Spring, GA had the overall women’s big bass of the tournament with a 4.12 pound largemouth that she brought in on Day one. She took home $325 for her fish.
“I was fishing a frog in shallow primrose grass, when I caught the big one, thanks to my partner Mike for putting us on them,” said Ford.
This event has been hosted by the Eufaula-Barbour Chamber of Commerce.
The 2018 ABA American Couples Series Championship will be held on September 16-21, 2018 at Lake Hartwell. The 2018 event is hosted by the Anderson County Convention & Visitors Bureau.
All ABA American Couples Series events involve a team format with each team composed of one man and one woman. Although many married couples compete together as teams, some teams consist of boyfriend and girlfriend combinations, parent-child combinations or just two friends. Contestants between 12 and 18 years old may participate with a parent’s written permission.
The top angling couples from across the nation earn the right to compete in the annual American Bass Anglers Couples Series National Championship tournament.
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.
American Bass Anglers, Inc. is supported by Ram Trucks, Triton Boats, Mercury Outboards, Carlisle Tires, GEICO, Berkley, Abu Garcia, T-H Marine, Livingston Lures, Best Western Hotels, Maui Jim, Power Pole, Simms, Garmin, and SiriusXM Marine Weather. American Bass Anglers, Inc. can be contacted at (256) 232-0406 or by visiting americanbassanglers.com
Josh Butler and Jeb Tate Win 2017 Alabama Bass Trail Championship - Team Goes Wire-to-Wire at Logan Martin, Claim Phoenix Bass Boat as First Prize
by Dan O’Sullivan
October 7, 2017 – Pell City, Ala. – All of the talk leading up to the 2017 Alabama Bass Trail Championship at Logan Martin Lake said the fishing was “interesting.” With the varying temperatures the state of Alabama has received recently, the bass population on the Coosa River impoundment did not know whether they were supposed to be in summer or fall patterns.
According to pre-tournament chatter; neither did the field.
However, when a field of anglers that the Alabama Bass Trail serves arrives at a body of water, the reality of the situation is that no matter how tough it is, there are teams that will figure out how to catch the quality it takes to win.
The team that figured it out the best at the 2017 ABT Championship was Josh Butler and Jeb Tate. The pair; who claimed victory on Logan Martin during the inaugural season of the Alabama Bass Trail in 2014, ran to the tailrace of the Neely Henry dam both days and produced a two-day winning weight of 30.27 pounds to claim victory again.
Their wire-to-wire win earned the keys to the 2018 Phoenix 819, Garmin, T-H Marine package worth more than $43,000. On top of that, because they are registered members of the Phoenix bonus program, they earned an additional $7000 Phoenix Frist Flight bonus.
Butler and Tate said they committed to the tailrace and they caught all of their fish on a 3/8-ounce brown Santone Lures casting jig tipped with a Speed Craw trailer. “We had to commit to the dam because it was the only place we could catch the quality we needed to win,” they reported. “Each day was a grind. It took us until 1:00 on day one to get to our final limit, and almost 2:00 today, but to be sitting here having won this is amazing.”
The pair produced a 17.99-pound limit on the first day, and despite Alabama Power drawing the lake level down to make room for Hurricane Nate rains, the pair held serve on a very tough fishing day and placed 12.28 pounds on the scales at Pell City’s Lakeside Park to secure their Championship win. The emotional pair said that the win was a highlight for them. “This is a huge deal for us, to win against this field is not easy,” they said. “We really didn’t think we’d done enough as we were driving back, but to find out that everyone struggled, and we were able to hold on feels really good.”
Adam Bain and Kris Colley were one of the few teams to have improved over their first day performance. After weighing in just over 12 pounds on day one, the pair eclipsed 15 pounds on day two to bring their total weight to 28.22 pounds. That total was good enough to hold the lead for most of the day, until the day one leaders weighed in last.
They said the fished shallow jigs both days of the event. “We spent our first day chasing spotted bass around shallow rocks, but had to change as the water fell,” they said. “We caught a small largemouth on the outside edge of a grass bed today, then kind of went with that as we figured out that the falling water pulled the largemouth to the outside edge of the grass.”
They reported throwing 1/2-ounce Arkie style jigs with Zoom Chunks in a variety of colors to catch their fish. “Color really didn’t matter, we caught them on everything,” they said. “We really ran almost the whole lake today fishing the edge of every grass bed we could find, and that’s how it happened. Obviously, we would rather have had it be one place better, but as tough as it has been, we feel really good about our tournament.” Bain and Colley earned $5,000 for their efforts.
Josh Chapple and Paul Davis finished third in the event with 27.76 pounds, earning $4,000 in the process. They were followed in fourth by Kevin Phillips and Robert Medas with 27.41 pounds, who earned a $3,000 prize, and wrapping up the top five was the team of Ken and Greg Session who posted 27.40 pounds to earn $2,500. The big fish of the tournament was a 5.43-pound largemouth caught by eight place team Jimmy Miller and Mark Stillwell. The big largemouth anchored their 26.94-pound total, and earned them an additional $500 bonus.
The top 10 standings are below, for complete standings go to http://www.alabamabasstrail.org/tournament-series/lml-results/
| Place | Team | Weight | Big Fish | Winnings |
| 1 | Josh Butler / Jeb Tate | 30.27 | $43,000 Phoenix Boat $7,000 Phoenix First Flight | |
| 2 | Adam Bain / Kris Colley | 28.22 | $5,000 | |
| 3 | Josh Chapple / Paul Davis | 27.76 | $4,000 | |
| 4 | Kevin Phillips / Robert Medas | 27.41 | $3,000 | |
| 5 | Ken Sessions / Greg Sessions | 27.40 | $2,500 | |
| 6 | Scott Ashley / Taylor Ashley | 27.36 | $2,000 | |
| 7 | Rickey Campbell / Trey Swindle | 27.05 | $1,800 | |
| 8 | Jimmy Miller / Mark Stillwell | 26.94 | 5.43 | $1,700 |
| 9 | Nick Harris / Keith Phillips | 26.81 | $1,600 | |
| 10 | Wesley Sams / Jordan Wiggins | 26.75 | 3.98 | $1,400 |
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 more information about Alabama Bass Trail, for complete tournament standings and the 2018 tournament schedule visit www.alabamabasstrail.org.
FLW ANNOUNCES SCHEDULE, RULES, ENTRY DATES FOR 2018 YETI FLW COLLEGE FISHING
MINNEAPOLIS (Oct. 9, 2017) – FLW announced Monday the schedule, rules and entry dates for the 2018 YETI FLW College Fishing season, highlighted by the internationally televised College Fishing National Championship on the Red River in Shreveport, Louisiana, and the fourth annual FLW College Fishing Open on Kentucky Lake.
Among the changes for 2018 is the addition of a BFL prize package for the runner-up of the College Fishing National Championship Fish-off. After the national champions are crowned on the Red River, the winning team will then compete against each other in a one-day fish-off in which the winner will receive entry into the 2018 Forrest Wood Cup. The runner-up will now receive free entry as a boater or co-angler into the BFL division of his or her choice.
“Every year it seems that FLW College Fishing gets a little bit bigger and a little bit better,” said Kevin Hunt, FLW College Fishing tournament director. “We’re excited to return to some familiar lakes in 2018 but also visit some new fisheries, like Lake Cayuga in New York and the Mississippi River in Wabasha, Minnesota. The extra incentive with the addition of the BFL prize package to the National Championship winner’s prize package will be extremely coveted by college anglers. We are looking forward to another tremendous season and excited to kick it off in January on Sam Rayburn.”
2018 FLW College Fishing Schedule:
FLW College Fishing OPEN
- March 6-7 Kentucky Lake Gilbertsville, Ky.
Central Conference
- April 28 Kentucky/Barkley lakes Gilbertsville, Ky.
- July 28 Mississippi River Wabasha, Minn.
- Sept. 29 Lake of the Ozarks Osage Beach, Mo.
Northern Conference
- April 21 Smith Mountain Lake Huddleston, Va.
- July 21 Lake Cayuga Seneca Falls, N.Y.
- Sept. 8 Lake Erie Sandusky, Ohio
Southeastern Conference
- Feb. 10 Lake Seminole Bainbridge, Ga.
- March 3 Lake Guntersville Guntersville, Ala.
- May 5 Lake Chickamauga Dayton, Tenn.
Southern Conference
- Jan. 13 Sam Rayburn Reservoir Zavalla, Texas
- April 7 Lake Texoma Pottsboro, Texas
- Oct. 27 Ouachita River Monroe, La.
Western Conference
- Feb. 10 Lake Havasu Lake Havasu City, Ariz.
- May 12 Clear Lake Lakeport, Calif.
- Sept. 29 California Delta Bethel Island, Calif.
FLW College Fishing National Championship
- May 31-June 1 Red River Bossier City/Shreveport, La.
- June 2 – FISH-OFF TBA
Complete rules can be found online at FLWFishing.com.
Registration for the 2018 season opens Dec. 11, 2017, for teams from clubs represented in the 2017 FLW College Fishing National Championship. All other teams may register beginning Dec. 12, 2017. You can register at FLWFishing.com or by calling 270.252.1000.
College Fishing is free to enter. All participants must be registered, full-time students at a college, university or community college and members of a college fishing club that is recognized by their school.
FLW College Fishing teams compete in three regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top ten teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments and the top 20 teams from the annual FLW College Fishing Open will advance to the following year’s FLW College Fishing National Championship. Additional teams will qualify for the National Championship if the field size in regular-season events exceeds 100 boats or 200 boats in the Open. The 2018 YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship is on the Red River, May 31-June 2, and hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission & Red River Waterway Commission.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow College Fishing on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing. Visit FLWFishing.com to sign up or to start a club at your school.
Hometown Hero Sticks 'Em Good: Wiggins Wins Again - Special from Traditions Media, St. Croix Rods & Seaguar Line
St. Croix Rod bass pro Jesse Wiggins finds success in precise technique-specific rod matching to crack tough bass bites
Park Falls, WI (October 6, 2017): Call ‘em “naturals,” there are some anglers who just have a knack for finding and catching fish. One such angler is St. Croix Rod bass pro Jesse Wiggins, the 27-year-old Addison, Alabama native currently finishing out his rookie B.A.S.S. Elite season.
Pro bass fans and pundits quickly recognized the kid’s raw talent and outside-the-box fishing style. Consider his Bassmaster Southern Open win this past January on Florida’s Harris Chain of Lakes where he cranked and worked a shaky head deep when the field was either sight-fishing spawners or working grass.
Add a third place finish in his first Elite tournament on Cherokee Lake; 37th in the Toyota Angler of the Year standings; and his most recent win at Southern Open No. 3 on Alabama’s Smith Lake. All this culminates in triple-qualification for the upcoming Bassmaster Classic on South Carolina’s Lake Hartwell.
But it’s not the first time Wiggins has demonstrated prowess on his hometown waters of Smith Lake in northern Alabama. In 2016, Wiggins climbed the leaderboard to edge out Jordan Lee and take tops in the 2016 Bassmaster Southern Open #2.
Image courtesy of B.A.S.S.
But despite his past success and extensive experience on the 21,000 acre lake, Wiggins says practice revealed it would be tough fishing this time ‘round.
“It’s been really hot, the water’s down, and there’s been a lot of fishing pressure,” says Wiggins. “But I knew I could still get some topwater bites early in the morning, then run up a creek for a few more bites later in the day. That’s what I did all three days.”
Besides a morning buzzbait routine, Wiggins kept a host of St. Croix rods rigged with shaky heads and square bills.
“Matching the right rod with the right bait is a big deal,” says Wiggins. “This is my first year with St. Croix and I’ve been blown away by the performance and the people. They’re really awesome rods, and they’ve got numerous models for every technique I can think of. I have some new rods in development with them, too. Pretty excited about that.”
Wiggins kept three primary set-ups on deck during the recent Smith Open, all matched specifically to how he fishes each bait. “I spend a lot of time refining the exact combo for each technique on each body of water. For Smith, it was a St. Croix AVID X for buzzbaits, St. Croix Legend Elite spinning for shaky head, and ‘Croix Legend Glass for crankin’.”
Realizing the devil’s in the details, here are the exact specs of his winning weaponry:
BUZZBAIT
Rod: St. Croix Avid X (AXC70MHF) 7' Medium Power, Moderate Action Casting Rod
Reel: Shimano Curado 70
Line: 50 lb. Seaguar Smackdown braid
Bait: 1/4-ounce Cumberland Pro Lures buzzbait w/Zoom Horny Toad (both in black and white)
“I was able to make accurate casts going down the bank, casting to isolated rock anywhere from right on the bank to 4’-5’. There was up to 10’ of water visibility,” says Wiggins.
SHAKY HEAD
Rod: St. Croix Legend Elite (ES70MHF) 7' Medium-Heavy Power, Fast Action Spinning Rod
Reel: Shimano Stradic CI4+ 2500
Line: 15 lb. Seaguar Smackdown braid w/ 10’ of 12 lb. InvisX fluorocarbon tied to the main line with a Modified Albright knot.
Bait: 3/16-ounce shaky head and Zoom Fluke Stick (green pumpkin)
“I fell in love with the Legend Elite from day one. It’s really sensitive and that’s key,” says Wiggins.
SQUARE BILL CRANKBAIT
Rod: St. Croix Legend Glass (LGC610MHM) 6'10" Medium Power, Moderate Action Casting Rod
Reel: Shimano Chronarch 6.4:1
Line: 12 lb. Seaguar InvisX fluorocarbon
Lure: Jenko Fishing CD15 Squared (flaming craw/spring craw)
“The St. Croix Legend Glass is the best crankbait rod I’ve ever had. The 6’10” is the perfect length for really accurate casts under limbs and dock cables. Plus, the way the rod loads, I never lost any fish. Really keeps hooks from coming out.”
PLAY BY PLAY
Day One started well for Wiggins, who culled a couple bass early on a buzzbait. But by 11 am he knew it was time to switch up. “It started playing out like I thought it might; we’re talking fishing for five or six good bites a day. I ran up a creek, caught two big ones on the Jenko square bill, then came back out of the creek and got one big one on a buzzbait off a shady bank right before weigh-in.”
He ended Day One with 15-2.
“Day 2 was an absolute grind. I didn’t catch any on the buzzbait. Lost a couple that short-bit it and then caught a couple on the shaky head with a Zoom Fluke Stick in green pumpkin and three on the square bill. I was feeling okay, but I knew I had missed some good opportunities in the morning and it would be an uphill climb. Still, I got a couple good bites off the same spots where I caught fish on the first day so I felt good going into the last day.”
On Day 3 Wiggins caught a couple keepers chasing bait off a deeper point and followed up with a four-pounder on a shaky head. “Then I ran up the creek and caught my last big one on a square bill from the exact same area I fished the first two days.”
Ultimately, Wiggins’ three-day 39-15 total eclipsed second place by five pounds plus and earned him over $50,000 in cash and prizes.
“I’ve wanted to fish professionally as long as I can remember and it’s still my dream, but I also realize it’s still just fishing. Working as a respiratory therapist at a hospital has taught me a lot about the more important things in life. I take my fishing seriously, and fish each tournament to win, but I feel humbled just to do what I do. The main thing is I‘ve learned to stay positive about everything. I enjoy the successes, but the journey is just as important.”
Following the win, Wiggins will return to picking up hospital shifts, as well start preparing for the first 2018 Bassmaster Open and his second Bassmaster Classic.
“I’m pretty excited to fish Hartwell. You’ve got blueback herring and both spotted bass and largemouths—pretty similar to my home lake. I’m anxious to get up there this winter and figure something out.”
This much is certain: Fans will be cheering for the new kid on the block, including the folks at the St. Croix factory in Park Falls, Wisconsin.
“Jesse Wiggins is a talented young angler with a great future ahead of him in pro bass fishing. In a very short time he’s proven he’s got what it takes. He’s also a great ambassador for our brand and a fantastic resource to help keep us on the front lines of what progressive young bass anglers are looking for in terms of rod design and application. We congratulate him on his most recent win and events ahead,” says Jesse Simpkins, Director of Marketing, St. Croix Rod.
Elam’s Bassmaster Open Win Sends Iaconelli To The Bassmaster Classic
James Elam of Tulsa, Okla., wins the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open No. 3 held on Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees out of Grove, Okla., with a three-day total weight of 36 pounds, 14 ounces.
Photo by James Overstreet/B.A.S.S.
Oct. 7, 2017
GROVE, Okla. — Bassmaster Elite Series pro James Elam captured his second victory on Oklahoma waters by winning the season-ending Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open at Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees.
The Tulsa, Okla., angler finished with a three-day total of 36 pounds, 14 ounces to win the pro division top prize of a Skeeter ZX200, Yamaha SHO200, Skeeter tandem-axle Tuff-coated trailer with brakes, Minn Kota Fortrex 80F-US2 45-inch shaft trolling motor, Lowrance Elite Ti 7 dash and bow electronics and prop valued at $45,000, along with $8,491 in cash. Elam also won the 2015 Bassmaster Central Open at Fort Gibson.
Elam caught most of his keepers today on a Carolina-rigged green pumpkin plastic lizard and some on a Jackall Lures Pompadour topwater lure. “I fished a lot of stuff,” he said. “I caught them off of four places and they were all full-time shad places that were in the middepth range.” The spots were mostly flats with subtle breaks and brush. The fish were holding in two different ranges, either 5- to 7-feet deep or 10- to 15-feet deep.
“I caught fish all day, but only had the five keepers,” Elam said. The Oklahoma pro said he ran about the same patterns the first two days as well.
Elam was ecstatic about winning, but he couldn’t have been much happier with the outcome than veteran Elite pro Michael Iaconelli. By winning the Open, Elam double-qualified for the 2018 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods in March. That moved the cut line down one notch on the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points list, enabling Iaconelli to qualify for his 17th Classic in a row. His is currently the longest unbroken string of consecutive Classic qualifications on the Elite circuit.
Former Bassmaster Elite Series pro Casey Scanlon weighed in a 9-2 limit today to finish second in the pro division with 36-4. “I started off with three keepers in the first two hours and I got six or seven keeper bites,” he said. “But they just weren’t quality fish.”
Scanlon fished the same dock pattern as he did on Friday, when he caught a 15-15 limit. “I caught my biggest fish off a dock I hadn’t been to this week,” he said. “Early in the day I would start out fishing behind the docks with a jig and a tube, and then I would go a little deeper and focus on the sides and the fronts later on in the afternoon with a Luck-E-Strike Con-Man worm.”
Other anglers finishing in the Top 5 of the pro division were Masayuki Matsushita of Japan, 35-7; Toby Hartsell, Afton, Okla., 34-10; and Allan Nail, Sand Springs, Okla., 33-10.
Oklahoma City firefighter Steve Tennison won the co-angler division with 20-9. The Lexington, Okla., angler received the first-place prize of a $30,000 Nitro Z18, Mercury 150 Pro XS, Nitro single-axle trailer, Minn Kota Maxxum 70 24-volt trolling motor, Lowrance Hook 5X Pro electronics and prop. He caught most of his keepers on a Carolina-rigged Strike King Rage Tail Menace Grub.
Five anglers qualified for 2018 Elite Series by virtue of their point totals in the 2017 Central Opens. They are Roy Hawk of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., with 534 points; Harvey Horne of Bella Vista, Ark., with 530 points; Hartsell with 528 points; Randy Sullivan of Breckenridge, Texas, with 516 points; and Ray Hanselman of Del Rio, Texas, with 516 points.
The $750 Phoenix Boats Big Bass Award on the pro side went to John Garrett of Union City, Tenn., the Carhartt Bassmaster College Classic qualifier for the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, who weighed in a 5-14 largemouth. Joe Gammell of Broken Arrow, Okla., caught a 5-pound largemouth to earn the $250 Phoenix Boats Big Bass Award on the co-angler side.
Elam also won the Power-Pole Captain’s Cash Award of $500 for being the highest-placing angler who is registered and eligible and uses a client-approved product on his boat.
Andy Ortega of Odessa, Texas, received the Livingston Lures Leader Award of $250 for finishing as the top pro on Day 2. Finishing as the Day 2 leader on the co-angler side, Will Major of Port Allen, La., received a Livingston Lures gift pack worth $250.
The final Central Open was sponsored by the City of Grove, Okla.
2017 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open Grand Lake 10/5-10/7
Grand Lake, Grove OK.
(BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. James Elam Tulsa, OK 15 36-14 200 $53,265.00
Day 1: 5 14-13 Day 2: 5 13-02 Day 3: 5 08-15
2. Casey Scanlon Lenexa, KS 15 36-04 199 $18,443.00
Day 1: 5 11-03 Day 2: 5 15-15 Day 3: 5 09-02
3. Masayuki Matsushita Tokoname-Shi JAPAN 15 35-07 198 $13,832.00
Day 1: 5 13-02 Day 2: 5 11-01 Day 3: 5 11-04
4. Toby Hartsell Afton, OK 13 34-10 197 $12,376.00
Day 1: 5 16-05 Day 2: 3 06-10 Day 3: 5 11-11
5. Allan Nail Sand Springs, OK 12 33-10 196 $10,799.00
Day 1: 4 10-06 Day 2: 5 16-12 Day 3: 3 06-08
6. Beau Branine Haysville, KS 14 32-03 195 $9,221.00
Day 1: 5 13-06 Day 2: 5 09-15 Day 3: 4 08-14
7. Roy Hawk Lk Havasu Cty, AZ 12 31-11 194 $7,765.00
Day 1: 5 11-12 Day 2: 5 15-07 Day 3: 2 04-08
8. Harvey Horne Bella Vista, AR 12 31-05 193 $6,188.00
Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 5 12-12 Day 3: 2 04-15
9. Andy Ortega Odessa, TX 10 28-06 192 $4,861.00
Day 1: 5 15-15 Day 2: 5 12-07 Day 3: 0 00-00
10. Jonathan Simon Orange, TX 10 27-07 191 $4,247.00
Day 1: 4 11-14 Day 2: 5 14-02 Day 3: 1 01-07
11. Dave Mansue Hemphill, TX 12 27-05 190 $3,883.00
Day 1: 5 11-15 Day 2: 5 12-05 Day 3: 2 03-01
12. Gary Clouse La Vergne, TN 10 26-02 189 $3,640.00
Day 1: 5 14-03 Day 2: 4 08-10 Day 3: 1 03-05
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
John Garrett Union City, TN 05-14 $750.00
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 49 543 1210-06
2 25 387 864-10
3 4 35 73-10
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78 965 2148-10
2017 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open Grand Lake 10/5-10/7
Grand Lake, Grove OK.
(NON_BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Steve Tennison Lexington, OK 9 20-09 200 $30,000.00
Day 1: 3 08-15 Day 2: 3 05-05 Day 3: 3 06-05
2. Will Major Port Allen, LA 7 18-10 199 $5,945.00
Day 1: 3 08-04 Day 2: 3 06-12 Day 3: 1 03-10
3. Noel Allen Jr Brandon, MS 6 16-08 198 $4,489.00
Day 1: 3 07-02 Day 2: 1 04-11 Day 3: 2 04-11
4. Jody Hughes Gravois Mills, MO 6 16-03 197 $3,033.00
Day 1: 3 07-10 Day 2: 1 02-09 Day 3: 2 06-00
5. Joe Lee Grand Prairie, TX 7 15-15 196 $2,791.00
Day 1: 3 07-12 Day 2: 2 04-02 Day 3: 2 04-01
6. Lonnie Miller Broken Arrow, OK 8 15-04 195 $2,669.00
Day 1: 3 06-02 Day 2: 3 05-15 Day 3: 2 03-03
7. Jimmy Charbonnet Saint Amant, LA 8 13-11 194 $2,548.00
Day 1: 3 04-15 Day 2: 3 05-06 Day 3: 2 03-06
8. Alan Quick Springfield, MO 6 13-09 193 $2,427.00
Day 1: 2 03-02 Day 2: 3 08-04 Day 3: 1 02-03
9. Brandon Orton Memphis, MO 4 11-14 192 $2,305.00
Day 1: 3 08-06 Day 2: 1 03-08 Day 3: 0 00-00
10. Aubrey Herlocker Winfield, KS 5 11-13 191 $2,063.00
Day 1: 3 08-13 Day 2: 2 03-00 Day 3: 0 00-00
11. Matt Dobson Edmond, OK 5 11-02 190 $1,820.00
Day 1: 3 04-11 Day 2: 2 06-07 Day 3: 0 00-00
12. Blaine Sparks Denham Springs, LA 5 10-06 189 $1,699.00
Day 1: 2 04-02 Day 2: 3 06-04 Day 3: 0 00-00
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Joe Gammell Broken Arrow, OK 05-00 $250.00
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Ortega Takes Over Lead At Bassmaster Open On Grand Lake
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