Costa Countdown to Blast Off - June 27, 2018
AC's John Byrne and Pro Staffer Robbie Digh Talk about Summer time heat and whats ahead this week on the Tournament Trail. Check it out!
Moore & Lohr champion 4th annual Techron TX tournament to win over $50,000.
| By: Patty Lenderman |
| It was a push for pounds at the 4th annual Techron TX tournament presented by Bass Champs on Sam Rayburn Jun 23rd, 2018. Push came to shove as 203 teams didn’t disappoint at the scales. $50,000 was guaranteed to the 1st place team and over $100,000 was paid out overall. Twenty four teams went home with checks, but the bite was so good on Sam Rayburn that it took almost 20 pounds of bass to earn a check. In the end Harold Moore and Bryan Lohr hit the jackpot with their five fish limit to win over $50,000.
It is undeniably summertime here in Deep East Texas. Temperatures continued to climb throughout the day hitting triple digits in the ‘feels like’ temps. Thankfully there was a pretty consistent breeze that helped a little to endure this hot day on the lake. When it is hot like this, taking care of the fish in livewells becomes a part of the job out on the lake. As incentive to take great care of the fish caught, any fish brought in that is dead gives the team a one-pound penalty per deceased fish. Considering how tight the weights were, that can make a big difference in the standings. Also, with over 200 teams participating, Bass Champs offered three ‘Zero’ bonuses. Chad Potts explained “When you have this many teams catching that many fish in temperatures like this, it puts a lot of fish in a position to undergo a lot of extra duress going through the weigh in process. We developed this conservation bonus to do two things. (A) Cut down the number of bass being weighed in, getting released back into the lake a lot quicker, and (B) Give more teams who would not have won a check in the regular payout a chance to win for participating in this conservation effort.” Two $500 checks were given out and $250 for the third team drawn to win the conservation bonuses. The first team to breach twenty pounds was Sammy Christian and Allan Shivers. Their biggest fish weighed 8.50, and their limit hit 24.22 lbs to set the bar in both categories. That was only the beginning. Lee Batson and Jason Greer came in with their catch and heaved their biggest to the scales. It weighed 10.92 lbs! Adding the rest of their catch, they took over the lead with 25.06 pounds. But that was just the beginning. Harold Moore of Caldwell, TX and Bryan Lohr of Lumberton brought in a huge sack. While it was filled with big chunky bass, none of them would hit over ten pounds to check for the Big Bass category. Heaving their entire sack onto the scales, it registered 29.71 pounds – but they had a one pound penalty, bringing their official weight to 28.71 pounds. What an amazing sack of bass! “The first part of the day we caught our fish on 6th Sense C-25 crank baits,” Harold began. “Later we went to structure areas with a ¾ ounce 6th Sense jig.” Bryan caught their biggest fish on a Carolina rig, anchoring their $50,000 win. Sure Life added another $200 to their day for using the product in their livewell. Jesse and Brandon Moody of Apple Springs, TX hit 2nd place overall having 27.96 pounds. “We used a 6th Sense C-15 crank bait all day,” the team reported. They had a nice kicker in their bag weighing 9.52 pounds. “We lost a seven pounder earlier in the day that would have put us over the top!” Bass Champs awarded them $10,000 plus another $250 from Lowrance. Lee Batson and Jason Greer, both of Heath, TX held onto a 3rd place win with their 25.06 lb sack. “We stuck to brush piles all day with a 6th Sense Hybrid jig,” they explained. “We had a limit in the boat by 7am, then we headed to another brush pile. Jason landed our big bass (10.92 lbs) at 9:00. He named her ‘Sarah’”. They received a 3rd place check for $8,000 and got another $1,000 for winning Big Bass. The rest of the top 10 line up was quite tight: Techron has been the premier sponsor for this annual event for the last few years. Joe DeFina, Business Manager for Techron flew from California to attend the event. “This is such an awesome community,” DeFina began as he surveyed the anglers and the crowd. “Techron makes products that fit both diesel and gas applications, and later in 2018 we will introduce the new marine products as well.” He continues “This annual tournament is a grass roots opportunity for us to meet with the end-users, the consumers of our product. We appreciate this sport so much, and the men and women who participate in it in venues across the board. It is an honor to be a part of the Bass Champs series. Chad and his team run a first class operation. Next year we will feature Techron Marine products, and showcase the features and benefits of this new protection plus formula. I would like to thank everyone who participated in this tournament, and am looking forward to next year. Congratulations to all participants, especially those taking home checks!” For full standings, click to www.BassChamps.com |
Navionics June Updates
Courtesy of Navionics
Navionics just released a ton of new data on lakes and water ways across the United States and Canada, just in time for you to go boating or fishing or sailing or just cruising around!
Navionics is the only cartography provider that shares updates every day, so our customers can enjoy the most current content available, averaging 2,000 updates a day!
They also have an expansive database of over 18,000 lakes in 1 ft HD contours for US and Canada! Now we've added more coverage that is available on Navionics plotter cards and mobile apps - with more on the way! Here are some links to check out....
- US - Lake Tohopekaliga, Lake Harris, Little Lake Harris, Lake Eustis (FL) updated
https://www.navionics.com/usa/blog/post/significant-updates-released-for-10-us-lakes/
- Canada - New lakes in Ontario and Quebec
https://www.navionics.com/usa/blog/post/new-lake-charts-in-canada/
On your PLOTTER:
- Purchase a Navionics+ chart card and get the latest Nautical Chart, SonarChart™ and Community Edits for all of US and Canada plus one year of daily updates or purchase HotMaps Platinum if you want exclusive Satellite Overlay, 3D view and Panoramic Pictures along with Navionics+ charts and features.
- If you already have a chart card from Navionics or even a different brand, you can update and upgrade to Navionics+ with Navionics Updates at half price! See video.
- If you currently own a Navionics+ or HotMaps Platinum, simply perform your daily updates to have the new lakes added!
On your MOBILE:
- If you are new to Navionics, download the FREE version of our Boating app. You'll get a two weeks free trial before the option to purchase so you can explore any of our existing lakes.
- If you currently own the Boating app for USA or US & Canada, or the free Boating app with either region purchased, just go to Menu>Update All or Download Map if it is a new area. If you are not able to update your charts, renew your Navionics+ subscription for another year at half price!
Here are some more Navionics News you might have missed...
- How to track your day on the Navionics Boating app!
Keep a record of your activities and share your moments on the water! The tracking feature of the Navionics Boating app is perfect for:
Cruising & Sailing - recall trip details from your favorite destinations; analyze speed data and compare it to previous results.
Fishing - return to successful spots.
Learn more at this link:
https://www.navionics.com/usa/blog/post/how-to-track-your-day-on-the-boating-app/
- New Lake Charts in Canada
Just in time for summer boating & fishing season, we just released more than a thousand new charts of lakes in Quebec and Ontario as well as hundreds of updates to our existing charts of the region. Navionics is committed to providing our customers with the most up-to-date and accurate content available, continuously updating, verifying, and integrating information.
Learn more at: https://www.navionics.com/usa/blog/post/new-lake-charts-in-canada/
- Here are some more exciting Navionics webinars coming soon...
July 9th 8000PM EST Learn how to catch Tuna on poppers and jigs with Captain Jim Freda and Captain Anthony Grassi Co-Sponsored by: Tackle Direct and St Croix Rods.
Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7976053452510236161?source=host+link
July 12th 1000PM EST Southern California Yellowtail Strategy with Erik Landesfeind Co Sponsored by: Penn Reels
Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6588946966303651073?source=host+link
July 16th 800PM EST Bassmaster Elite Angler Brandon Card Topwater fishing during the summer. Co Sponsored by: Yo-Zuri
Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1241856993686621697?source=host+link
July 19th, 2018 1000PM EST Travis Huckaby Prepping for UFC Delta Frog event. Co Sponsored by: Phenix Rods.
Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3114493521068480769?source=host+link
July 24th, 2018 800PM EST Summer Bassin on Lake Okeechobee where do you start with Mike Readling. Co Sponsored by: DOA Lures.
Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8241702058853327873?source=Host+Link
July 30th 800PM EST Redfish time is now! Captain Stephen Fields with Charleston Fishing Co. will help show you where to go and the baits to use. Co Sponsored by: Bass Pro Shops.
Link:https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3679901982359320577?source=Host+Link
BASS Heads to South Dakota & The Mystery Smallmouth At Lake Oahe
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AC Insider: Bass Mafia Elite Series Pro Justin Lucas Talks Daddy Life,LaCrosse, AOY & Oahe Plus News, Wrap-ups, Opinions & More!
This week the boys check in with Elite Series Pro Justin Lucas and Life on the road with 7 month old Baby Boy Cooper Jack. JLuc & Jason play "Whats Under the ARE Truck Cap", he talks Lake Oahe and more! The boys also look back at the Progressive Bass Wrap Up, Costa Countdown to blast off and CB Goes off on Thieves and Idiots. Typical Monday here on the AC Insider Podcast!
BLAKE’S TRUCK, BOAT STOLEN AT ST. CLAIR
Courtesy of FLW
June 25, 2018
FLW Tour pro Derrick Blake’s boat and suburban were stolen from outside his hotel early Monday morning around 1:40 a.m., per the hotel security cameras at the Days Inn and Suites in Roseville, Mich. Blake’s truck is a black 2005 Z71 Chevy Suburban, and the boat is a charcoal and grey 2015 Ranger Z520 with Mercury 250 Pro XS, black Power-Poles and Humminbird electronics. If you have any information that might help locate the truck and boat, you can call the Roseville Police at 586.447.4483.
Because Blake was traveling to St. Clair with his family for the final FLW Tour event of the season, all of his tackle was stolen, as well as a number of personal items, including car seats, toys and clothes.
Blake says that according to the hotel cameras, a car drove into the parking lot early in the morning and two men got out, broke into Blake’s truck and then got back in the car. After about 10 minutes two men got back out of the car and into Blake’s truck, started it and drove off with it and the boat, with a third man following in the car.
Blake will be able to borrow a boat from FLW to use for the tournament and practice starting Tuesday, but he’s got other logistical obstacles to overcome besides just getting on the water.
“I’ve got to find a vehicle to get there and back,” says Blake. “I may try and rent a car. I’m sure I can find someone to dump me in every day at the launch.”
Though he lost some irreplaceable tackle, Blake is likely to be OK for the tournament. Some local anglers and Tour pros have stepped up to loan him tackle, and Ark Rods is overnighting him rods and reels.
“If I can get all this done in the next few hours I can get a decent day of practice in tomorrow,” says Blake. “Then it’ll be better than nothing I guess.”
KENTUCKY’S HOCK WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL BUCKEYE DIVISION TOURNAMENT ON OHIO RIVER
Ohio’s Wilkens Takes Co-angler Title
LAWRENCEBURG, Ind. (June 25, 2018) – Boater Adam Hock of Independence, Kentucky, brought five bass to the scale Saturday weighing 9 pounds even to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Buckeye Division tournament on the Ohio River at Tanner’s Creek. For his win, Hock earned $4,000.
“We got a lot of rain leading up to the tournament, which muddied the water and brought the water levels up,” said Hock, who earned his first career win in BFL competition. “I ended up finding clearer water, and that was the ticket.”
Hock said most of the field ran to the lower end in search of clear water, but equipment limitations forced him to stay upriver.
“It’s shallower upriver and it muddies up a lot more than the steadier water down at the lower end, which is pretty typical for most impoundments,” said Hock. “I was fishing in an aluminum boat with a 60-horsepower motor and didn’t have the fuel capacity or the speed to make the 30-minute run down there. I knew there were a couple good creeks just up from Tanner’s Creek, so I went to what I could get to.”
Around 7:30 a.m. Hock caught a 3-pounder on a white buzzbait. As the morning progressed, Hock left his area to look for cleaner water upriver, but ended up returning.
“My co-angler caught a 4-pounder and we talked to another boat who lost another 4 (pounder) in the area. Those size fish aren’t that common on the Ohio River,” said Hock. “Knowing how clean the water was and realizing that those fish were there, we decided to stay and grind it out.”
Hock said he started out with the buzzbait, but ended up switching to a Texas-rigged green-pumpkin-colored Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craw on 20-pound-test line. He ended up weighing four fish on the craw.
“I had more bites with the buzzbait, but they weren’t committing to it. I knew fish were there, but I just had to slow down and flip,” said Hock. “I fished wood, flooded grass and rocky banks. They weren’t on anything specific. I just knew they were in the area and I picked everything apart.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Adam Hock, Independence, Ky., five bass, 9-0, $4,000
2nd: Brian Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, four bass, 8-0, $2,000
3rd: Ronald Nutter, Saint Louisville, Ohio, five bass, 7-4, $1,534
4th: Tilford Head, Hamilton, Ohio, four bass, 7-3, $933
5th: Gary Ginter, Maplewood, Ohio, three bass, 7-1, $800
6th: Mark Dove, North Vernon, Ind., five bass, 6-7, $733
7th: Cody Hall, Xenia, Ohio, two bass, 6-6, $767
8th: Trevor Windgassen, Alexandria, Ky., four bass, 6-5, $566
8th: Chris Joyce, Hebron, Ky., four bass, 6-5, $566
10th: John Viox, Hebron, Ky., two bass, 6-3, $1,307
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Viox brought a bass to the scale weighing 5 pounds even – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $540.
Brent Wilkens of Hamilton, Ohio, won the Co-angler Division and $2,470 Saturday after catching two bass weighing 7 pounds, 10 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Brent Wilkens, Hamilton, Ohio, two bass, 7-10, $2,470
2nd: Chris McCusker, Beaver Falls, Pa., five bass, 7-9, $1,050
3rd: Alfie Bricker, West Portsmouth, Ohio, three bass, 6-15, $666
4th: Dan Schlegel, Cincinnati, Ohio, two bass, 4-11, $467
5th: Frank Aldridge, Wheelersburg, Ohio, four bass, 4-8, $400
6th: Brent Jones, Okeana, Ohio, four bass, 4-7, $367
7th: Mark Miller, Baltic, Ohio, three bass, 3-12, $333
8th: Robert Todd, Cincinnati, Ohio, two bass, 3-6, $300
9th: Aaron Stahley, Batavia, Ohio, two bass, 3-4, $236
9th: Nick Leonard, Cincinnati, Ohio, two bass, 3-4, $236
9th: Dakota Ball, New Castle, Ind., two bass, 3-4, $236
Wilkens also caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division weighing in at 4 pounds, 11 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $270.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 11-13 BFL Regional Championship on Chesapeake Bay in North East, Maryland. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2018 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
LA HARPE’S WILSON WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL ILLINI DIVISION TOURNAMENT ON REND LAKE
Co-angler title goes to Walnut Hill’s Arning
WHITTINGTON, Ill. (June 25, 2018) – Boater Travis Wilson of La Harpe, Illinois, weighed a 16-pound, 5-ounce limit of bass Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Illini Division tournament on Rend Lake. For his efforts, Wilson netted $5,705.
Wilson said he caught his fish along a 150-yard stretch of riprap on the south side of Illinois Route 154. He said he fished there the entire day, catching six keepers in the process.
“I found the fish in practice Friday late in the day. I hadn’t caught a keeper all day, but around 4 o’clock I caught three good ones along that stretch,” said Wilson, who logged his first win in FLW competition. “I started there Saturday morning, but it was slow. My co-angler and I only caught one or two per hour, but every time I considered leaving, I’d catch another one. I had three around 10 (a.m.) and I decided I was going to stay there the rest of the day.”
Wilson said he used a 7-inch Junebug-colored Zoom Finesse Worm with a 1/8-ounce head.
“If you used anything heavier it was really hard to keep your bait out of the rocks,” said Wilson. “Some of the fish were in 3 feet of water – close to the bank – but some of my better bites came from 6 or 7 feet down. With the light bait you had to be super patient because it’s hard to keep it down in that depth range. Basically, it was light enough to stay out of the rocks, but heavy enough to keep it down.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Travis Wilson, La Harpe, Ill., five bass, 16-5, $3,705 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Colby Schrumpf, Highland, Ill., five bass, 13-10, $1,853
3rd: Dan Morehead, Paducah, Ky., five bass, 12-15, $1,469
4th: Brennon McCord, West Frankfort, Ill., five bass, 12-11, $818
5th: Brett Chesnek, Woodlawn, Ill., five bass, 12-0, $701
6th: Levi Shaw, Opdyke, Ill., four bass, 11-14, $1,083
7th: Dan Shoraga, West Frankfort, Ill., five bass, 11-3, $584
8th: Chad Diedrich, Nashville, Ill., five bass, 10-7, $526
9th: Jeremy Mull, Chatham, Ill., four bass, 10-6, $467
10th: Lonnie Bowlin, Benton, Ill., four bass, 10-4, $409
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Shaw brought a bass weighing 6 pounds even to the scale – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $440.
Aaron Arning of Walnut Hill, Illinois, won the Co-angler Division and $1,853 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 13 pounds, 14 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Aaron Arning, Walnut Hill, Ill., five bass, 13-14, $1,853
2nd: Greg McCandless, Normal, Ill., three bass, 11-4, $876
3rd: Spencer Clark, Maryland Heights, Mo., three bass, 8-6, $585
4th: Greg James, Carterville, Ill., four bass, 8-1, $459
5th: Roger Massey, Bloomington, Ill., three bass, 7-6, $321
5th: Timothy Rivest, Champaign, Ill., two bass, 7-6, $321
5th: Wesley Lashmett, Winchester, Ill., three bass, 7-6, $321
8th: Mark Carlock, Hillsboro, Ill., two bass, 6-10, $263
9th: Brandon Depew, Odin, Ill., three bass, 6-8, $234
10th: Jay Champley, Benton, Ill., two bass, 6-4, $204
Drew Coleman of Jackson, Missouri, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division weighing in at 5 pounds, 8 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $220.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 25-27 BFL Regional Championship on Lake Chickamauga in Dayton, Tennessee. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2018 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
TAHLEQUAH’S WARNER WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL OKIE DIVISION EVENT ON FORT GIBSON LAKE
Oklahoma City’s Bradford Grabs Co-angler Title
WAGONER, Okla. (June 25, 2018) – Boater Russ Warner of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, weighed five bass Saturday totaling 15 pounds, 15 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Okie Division tournament on Fort Gibson Lake. Warner took home $5,165 for his win.
“I fished the mid-lake area and targeted offshore rock piles,” said Warner, who logged his first career victory in FLW competition. “All of my fish came from between 6 and 10 feet of water and were on main-lake spots, close to the river channel.
“Every fish I weighed came on a 10-inch Yum Ribbon Tail worm,” continued Warner. “Junebug was the best color, but I did switch to cranberry later in the day. My last fish bit around 2 (p.m.).”
Warner said he fished slow, rotating through eight different stops. He said he hit each at least three times and caught five keepers.
“I got my MinnKota Ultrex trolling motor a couple months ago and wouldn’t have won without it,” said Warner. “The wind was blowing pretty hard and I could get lined up on the rock piles I had marked. I hit Spot Lock, and it would hold me there as I faced the wind. I could make 20, 30 or even 40 casts to the same spot, sometimes waiting until that 40th cast to get a bite.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Russ Warner, Tahlequah, Okla., five bass, 15-15, $5,165
2nd: Roger Fitzpatrick, Eldon, Mo., five bass, 15-10, $2,782
3rd: Dennis Berhorst, Holts Summit, Mo., five bass, 15-9, $2,122
4th: David Youngblood, Owasso, Okla., five bass, 15-7, $1,205
5th: Terry Thomas, Nixa, Mo., five bass, 15-3, $990
5th: Jacob Capps, Muskogee, Okla., three bass, 15-3, $990
7th: Marcus Sykora, Osage Beach, Mo., five bass, 14-15, $861
8th: Clint Williams, Fayetteville, Ark., five bass, 14-9, $775
9th: Tom Silber, Labadie, Mo., five bass, 13-14, $689
10th: Curt Warren, Rose, Okla., three bass, 13-10, $603
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Richard Bower III of Westphalia, Missouri, brought a 6-pound, 3-ounce bass to the scale – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $805.
Bryant Bradford of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, won the Co-angler Division and $2,582 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 11 pounds, 9 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Bryant Bradford, Oklahoma City, Okla., five bass, 11-9, $2,582
2nd: Bradley Sullivan, Shawnee, Okla., four bass, 11-3, $1,693
3rd: Steve Madar, Starkville, Miss., five bass, 10-9, $863
4th: Jacob Sloan, Paola, Kan., four bass, 10-8, $759
4th: Bill Wiles, Arcadia, Okla., four bass, 10-8, $559
6th: Stephen Stewart, Fort Gibson, Okla., three bass, 10-2, $473
7th: David Hamilton, Rogers, Ark., four bass, 9-15, $430
8th: Kurt Gordon, Cushing, Okla., three bass, 9-6, $387
9th: David Lansford, Muskogee, Okla., three bass, 9-5, $344
10th: Stephen Delgado, Lee’s Summit, Mo., three bass, 8-13, $351
Sullivan caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division weighing in at 5 pounds, 5 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $402.
The T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Okie Division tournament on Fort Gibson Lake was hosted by the Wagoner Area Chamber of Commerce.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 25-27 BFL Regional Championship on Lake of the Ozarks in Osage Beach, Missouri. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2018 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
TENNESSEE’S HUFF WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL MOUNTAIN DIVISION TOURNAMENT ON BARREN RIVER
Tennessee’s Goss Grabs Co-angler Title
GLASGOW, Ky. (June 25, 2018) – Boater Rod Huff of Monterey, Tennessee, brought five bass to the scale Saturday weighing 18 pounds, 6 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Mountain Division tournament on the Barren River. Huff earned $7,552 for his win.
Huff said he mainly fished rock and wood and caught his fish shallow, in less than 5 feet of water. He said his day was split between four areas, spanning from up the main river, to both Peter and Beaver creeks.
“Early on in the morning I caught my biggest using a (green-pumpkin) ChatterBait with a (Zoom) Z-Craw of the same color up the main river, around the wood and rock,” said Huff, who earned his second career win in BFL competition. “I ran the bait over a small laydown and put it in the boat.”
Huff’s fish – a 5-pound, 8-ouncer – was the heaviest of the event. He also weighed in two on a Texas-rigged green-pumpkin Zoom Z-Craw and the rest on a white 3/8-ounce custom buzzbait.
“My other big bite came between 12 and 1 o’clock flipping the Z-Craw in Peter Creek,” said Huff. “I basically covered water with the ChatterBait and buzzbait, and if I came to a treetop or something like that I’d flip it.”
Huff said he ended up catching around seven keepers over the course of his day.
“The key for me was hitting the areas at the right time. There wasn’t a lot of pressure up shallow. I actually thought the tournament would be won offshore. That, along with my two big bites, was what sealed the deal for me.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Rod Huff, Monterey, Tenn., five bass, 18-6, $5,552 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Tom Hill, Lexington, Ky., five bass, 16-15, $1,921
3rd: Joe Rucker, Nicholasville, Ky., five bass, 15-8, $1,382
4th: Tony Eckler, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 14-15, $896
5th: Mark Morgan, Somerset, Ky., five bass, 14-13, $768
6th: Ryan Coleman, Utica, Ky., five bass, 14-4, $704
7th: Brian Wilson, Somerset, Ky., five bass, 13-10, $940
8th: Tim Saylor, Johnson City, Tenn., five bass, 13-1, $576
9th: Robert Reagan, Byrdstown, Tenn., five bass, 12-11, $512
10th: Michael Emberton, Bowling Green, Ky., five bass, 12-9, $448
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Huff’s 5-pound, 8-ounce bass earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $510.
Larry Goss of Hartsville, Tennessee, won the Co-angler Division and $2,048 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 16 pounds, 14 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Larry Goss, Hartsville, Tenn., five bass, 16-14, $2,048
2nd: Chris Rushing, Gamaliel, Ky., four bass, 11-5, $1,160
3rd: Donnie Durbin, Somerset, Ky., five bass, 10-14, $641
4th: Tommy Glass, Verona, Ky., four bass, 10-7, $448
5th: David Mouser, Elizabethtown, Ky., four bass, 9-13, $384
6th: James Wathen, Royal Oak, Mich., five bass, 9-1, $402
7th: Brent Clark, Bowling Green, Ky., four bass, 7-12, $320
8th: Glen Alan Ruth, Frankfort, Ky., four bass, 7-11, $288
9th: Billy Gardner, Livingston, Tenn., three bass, 7-10, $256
10th: Timothy Ernst, Mount Eden, Ky., three bass, 7-6, $224
Robbie Welsh of Berea, Kentucky, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division weighing in at 4 pounds, 15 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $127.
The T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Mountain Division tournament on the Barren River was hosted by the Glasgow-Barren County Tourist & Convention Commission.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 25-27 BFL Regional Championship on Lake Chickamauga in Dayton, Tennessee. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2018 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
Nelson goes Back-to-Back on Champlain - Wins Costa Northern
Courtesy of FLW Fishing
June 23, 2018 by Jody White
In 2017, Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs, Mich., won the Costa FLW Series Northern Division opener on Lake Champlain with 54 pounds, 9 ounces and a mix of largemouths and smallmouths. Today, Nelson won the 2018 season opener, which was presented by Power-Pole, this time with 15 healthy bedding smallmouths for a total of 60 pounds even.
After weighing five smallies on the final day for 19-8, Nelson edged out Brett Carnright for the title by 8 ounces. Nelson’s third Costa FLW Series win earns him $51,700 and a Ranger Z518 with a 200-hp outboard.
Winning with all smallmouths on Champlain is pretty unheard of in a multi-day tournament. It happens, but seemingly only once a decade or so. This week, Nelson sincerely tried to catch largemouths, and almost weighed in a couple, but in the end he went all brown.
“I had the same strategy as last time,” says Nelson. “These fish are so easy to catch. They gave me a lot of window to take my co-angler fishing and try to find a big largemouth. I just did not see the largemouths I saw last time. The water quality was not the same. It seemed dirtier this year; it just seemed off. I knew that a 4-pounder was a great fish no matter what it was, but I also knew I couldn’t catch a 5-plus smallmouth. I could have a real shot at catching a 5-plus largemouth.”
Nelson lost a big largemouth on day one that would have probably given him the lead right then. As it was, he triumphed over a pile of locals with slightly heftier bedding smallies.
“I learned pretty quick that you’d find quality fish in any section you went to. It was just a matter of learning a given section and putting time in,” says Nelson, who mostly fished the main lake around the Gut (the passage between Grand Isle and South Hero).
A lot of the field spent time with their heads buried in a bathyscope, searching for smallies or eyeing them up while bed-fishing. Nelson bucked that trend to a degree.
“I found them all with my eyes, and I’d just catch them to see what they weighed,” says Nelson, who caught less than 10 smallmouths each day. “My Flogger [bathyscope] got shipped to me during practice, and I just started playing with it and couldn’t tell the size of the fish. I had a few fish where I’d catch them and then I could catch them again next pitch. Time-wise, I wanted to know exactly what I was putting time into. I didn’t want to flog them and think it was a 3 1/2-pounder and have it end up being a 3-pounder.”
Nelson tried to look for deeper beds, and he caught his smallies in 5 to 10 feet on a Poor Boy’s Erie Darter (watermelon gold) and a Reaction Innovations Smallie Beaver rigged on a 1/4- or 3/16-ounce darter head. When he fished for largemouths, Nelson targeted reeds, grass and docks with a Yamamoto Senko and a jig.
On day one Nelson lost a big largemouth around 11 a.m. On day three, he worked a 4-2 smallmouth for hours, even getting it to bite a topwater at one point. Had he caught either of those fish, he might have coasted to the victory. As it was, he had to climb from second and sweat it out.
“It’s really special. It really is,” says Nelson of the win. “I thought I was beat, to be honest with you. I thought he [Carnright] fished really hard and had a big advantage, but however the chips fall they fall, and it’s a blessing. You fish for fun, and to win twice is really cool.”
Top 10 pros
1. Ron Nelson – Berrien Springs, Mich. – 60-0 (15) – $51,700 and a Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower outboard
2. Brett Carnright – Plattsburgh, N.Y. – 59-8 (15) – $20,500
3. Austin Felix – Eden Prairie, Minn. – 59-1 (15) – $14,600
4. Chris Johnston – Peterborough, Ont. – 58-1 (15) – $12,500
5. Chris Adams – Shrewsbury, Vt. – 57-3 (15) – $11,500
6. Ryan Latinville – Plattsburgh, N.Y. – 57-0 (15) – $9,250
7. JJ Judd – Saint Albans, Vt. – 56-11 (15) – $8,000
8. Cory Johnston – Cavan, Ont. – 55-11 (15) – $7,300
9. Joseph Wood – Westport, Mass. – 54-7 (15) – $6,000
10. Bradley Dortch – Atmore, Ala. – 49-8 (15) – $4,500
Gabe Aldridge and Wes Wiggins win 2018 Alabama Bass Trail Alabama River John Pollard and Dallas Weldon Sew up Southern Division Anglers of the Year
by Dan O’Sullivan
June 23, 2018 – Prattville, Ala. – The Alabama River poses interesting challenges for anglers. With plentiful shoreline cover to choose from, and the variable of the current to factor in, a day of competitive fishing there is never a sure thing.
With so many things to consider, and so much on the line, the 225 team field of the Alabama Bass Trail’s Southern Division set out on Saturday June 23 to decide several things. Not only was there the question of who would win and collect paychecks in the final event; but also, the Southern Division Anglers of the Year title and who would automatically qualify for the 2018 ABT Championship in October on Neely Henry Lake in Gadsden.
For the individual event, the team of Gabe Aldridge and Wes Wiggins posted an impressive total of 15.88 pounds of Alabama River largemouth to claim victory and the $10,000 winner’s prize. They narrowly edged out Rob Lee and Steve Winslett, who posted a total weight of 15.83 pounds – anchored by the 6.10-pound Mountain Dew Big Bass of the event – to finish second for the day.
Aldridge and Wiggins said that they targeted the Swift Creek area of the pool, deciding to focus on backwater areas that had a mixture of shallow grass and boat docks. They said that they used swim jigs and a Flippin’ presentation to secure the victory.
They said they had a good day of fishing, catching 20 to 30 fish on black and blue or white swim jigs and watermelon red YUM Christie Critters and Big Texan Reaction Innovations Sweet Beavers. “We culled for the last time at about one o’clock today, but certainly didn’t think we had enough to win,” they said. “It hasn’t sunk in yet, this is the biggest tournament we’ve won, so it’s pretty amazing; we’re really proud of this.”
Lee and Winslet fished main lake tree tops that had fallen into the water. They used one of Lee’s homemade black and blue 3/4-ounce Flippin’ jig tipped with a Flippin’ Blue colored Zoom Super Chunk trailer. They also caught several fish on a 3/16-ounce Davis Baits Shaky Head with a Red Bug colored Big Bite Baits Finesse Worm.
Their finish surprised them. “We thought that we could catch 10 to 12 pounds, so this is quite a surprise,” they said. “But, that’s what happens when you luck into a six pounder; it really helps your bag. It was a tough day overall, but we did enough to be here, so the outcome was amazing.”
Heading into the final event, the team of John Pollard and Dallas Weldon were tied with Gentry Gordy and Chad Smith for the lead in the race. There were several other teams that were within striking distance of the leaders should they stumble. The first of the two teams to come through were Gordy and Smith, and they stumbled, leaving the door open.
However, when Pollard and Weldon dropped 15.11 pounds on the scales, they sewed up the Southern Division Anglers of the Year Title by finishing the day in seventh place; their total for the season was 1,032 points. That meant they earned slightly over 206 points per event, or a 19th place finish for the year. “This has been a great year, we really couldn’t have expected things to go like this,” they said. “This is the toughest field around, so to me standing here as Anglers of the Year is truly an accomplishment that really means something; we’re very proud of this.”
The rest of the Top 10 Standings are below, for complete standings visit: https://www.alabamabasstrail.org/tournament-series/ar-results/
| PLACE | ANGLERS | WEIGHT | BIG FISH | WINNINGS |
| 1 | Gabe Aldridge / Wes Wiggins | 15.88 | 5.43 | $10,000 |
| 2 | Rob Lee / Steve Winslett | 15.83 | 6.10 | $5,000 |
| 3 | Charlie Williams / Michael Smith | 15.66 | $4,000 | |
| 4 | Chris Rutland / Coby Carden | 15.50 | $3,000 | |
| 5 | Jack Tibbs / Joshua Allman | 15.41 | 3.56 | $2,000 |
| 6 | Dusty Jordan / Alex Bowdoin | 15.35 | 4.01 | $1,500 |
| 7 | John Pollard / Dallas Weldon | 15.11 | $1,100 | |
| 7 | Joey Davidson / Tullis Lanier | 15.11 | 3.45 | $1,100 |
| 9 | Harry Parkerson / Jason Turner | 14.23 | 3.23 | $1,100 |
| 10 | Timothy Hatcher / Shane Underwood | 14.21 | $1,100 |
For complete season ending Southern Division standings, go to https://www.alabamabasstrail.org/tournament-series/south-division-standings/
California Native Ish Monroe Comes From Behind To Win Mississippi River Bassmaster Elite
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Randall Tharp Takes Control With One Day To Go At Mississippi River Bassmaster Elite
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UPDATE - Jamie Hartman on Medical Exemption fore Remainder of 2018 Elite Season
Courtesy of Vance McCullough
AnglersChannel.com has been following the story of Elite Series pro Jamie Hartman this week. And then the call from The Pro Agency – Hartman’s rep group. “He’s done.”
It came as a shock. Honestly, we were rooting for the guy. Last word we’d received from the tough, blue collar, former truck driver was, even though a bout of sciatica had hospitalized him on Sunday and he had missed most of the official practice period for the Bassmaster Elite Series event on the upper Mississippi River, a friend would drive him up there and he would lean on the ‘old man seat’ on the deck of his boat and give his best to make a strong showing this week.
His friend, Cole Mckown, drove the 12 hours to get him there as Hartman laid in a makeshift bed in the back seat of his own truck. Hartman spent 4 hours on the water the final practice day, caught a few fish. And couldn’t drive his boat back to the ramp. “I couldn’t even use my Hot Foot,” he explained.
“I tried man. Drove my butt up there and I tried (Wednesday) and . . . ain’t gonna happen. Not gonna happen.
“I couldn’t even sit. It’s out of my control at this point. I’m done. It’s to the point where you can’t do anything at all. It’s an excruciating pain.
“I’ve had it since I was in my twenties,” shared the 45-year-old Hartman. “but it’s always been just a pinch for a few days and then it’s gone. In December it got pretty bad but only in the lower, right back. Then at the Lake Travis event I woke up with it, in the back but going down the leg. That was the first time I felt it in my leg.
“This week it was to the major extreme where I felt it in my whole lower back, all the way down my leg and into my calf. It locked my calf up so bad and went into my foot. From the middle of my thigh all the way to my toes are numb and tingling right now.”
The pain and loss of body control were debilitating. “I had to pull the plug. I had to have somebody drive my boat back while I was on the water. My leg was locked-up. I was done.”
Doctors have been unable to comfort Hartman. “I went to the clinic on Friday and ended up in the hospital again on Sunday. Nothing would relieve it – shot to the hip, pain-killers, muscle relaxers, steroids – nothing would touch it. The pain would not stop. And it was a constant pain, not like you could try to reposition and relax. It was over two days of constant level 8.”
Hartman has been fighting through the pain all season. It finally overtook him, “I’ve never had it like that. I’ll just work through like I always have and it will go away. But every single time I got on the water this year, about 11 o’clock in the morning – you know, you have two muscles that run up your back – well the one on my right side would cramp really bad every single time and I would fight through it every time. But I knew something was not right. I guess here is the outcome of it.”
Hartman had a CAT scan done during his recent hospital visit. It showed no ruptured disks. That’s good. But a CAT scan won’t show as much as an MRI, which he will have done in the near future. “I don’t know what an MRI is going to show. It may show that there’s an issue the CAT scan didn’t reveal.”
Hartman got a medical exemption from B.A.S.S. to postpone tournament participation, so he will fish the 2019 Elite Series. “That’s the only reason I stopped.
“Otherwise I would be laying there casting a Senko to the freaking shoreline, trying to catch a damned fish.
“I had to make sure that I was qualified to fish next season, which I am. My points stay as they are now (due to the hardship exemption) so I’ll finish 35th. It doesn’t affect anybody else, it just affects me. I am locked-in for next season already.”
Locked-in and committed – “They told me, ‘you have 4 tournaments that you paid for that we’ll get you back’ and I said, ‘Nope. Keep it. It’s a down payment. I’m fishing next year’.”
Delaware Takes B.A.S.S. Nation Eastern Regional Team Title On Winyah Bay
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Pipkens On Top After First Round At Mississippi River Bassmaster Elite
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Muskegon’s College Bass Tour Shows Out at First Event
Courtesy of Jonathan LePera
The inaugural event of the College Bass Tour sponsored by DNR Sports and Kevin VanDam kicked off on Muskegon Lake in Muskegon County, Michigan this past Saturday. Muskegon Lake, which is approximately 4 000 acres in size, dumps into Lake Michigan. Both smallmouth and largemouth inhabit the lake and each took their turns visiting the scales today. Kevin VanDam and Mark Zona helped kick off the tour in style with a full tailgate spread, cash winnings and giveaways from many national sponsors.
The event saw 34 teams travel from Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio to participate in the event.
The first half-hour after blast-off suggested a beautiful day ahead but such was not to be. A front from the North moved in and launched a torrential downpour for the next 4 ½ hours. The sun finally reappeared in the afternoon.
Once the scales settled, the team of Joshua Lopez and John Neubauer bested the field with a 16.71-pound limit anchored by a 4.27-pound largemouth.
1stPlace, Joshua Lopez and John Neubauer (16.71-pounds)
While pre-fishing the event, Neubauer was surprised to find the water stained which is not typical for the lake that time of year he said.
The front actually played right into their hands as they needed the wind to blow, cloud cover, or both for their pattern to work. During pre-fish, they’d found scads of bluegill set up on beds and immediately knew it was “game-on”.
“Today was one of those days that reminded me why we do this,” Neubauer said.
Targeting isolated weed patches with milfoil mixed in, they knew a swim jig would be the ticket. Finding reeds with mixed in with old wood proved valuable as well.
There best water was at the mouth of the Muskegon River, where the combination of wind, reeds, grass patches, and grass mats, proved invaluable as it reloaded with quality fish throughout the day.
“I didn’t realize the current affected the lake so much,” Lopez said.
On Neubauer’s first cast, several bluegill followed his 3/8-ounce homemade green pumpkin colored swim jig rigged with a Bizz Baits BB Magic Craw-colored Killer Craw back to the boat only to clear the way for a charging 4-pound largemouth to engulf the jig. He fished the jig on a 7-foot medium heavy action Fox River rod paired with a Revo SX reel spooled with 15-pound fluorocarbon.
On a day where there enjoyed steady action throughout, Lopez “called an audible” and made a cast with a Booyah Popping Pad Crasher only to have a 4-pound largemouth blow up on it and completely miss. That keyed the team into fishing those isolated patches with milfoil much slower. Using a 7-6 Fox River Rod paired with a Lews Tournament MB reel spooled with 50-pound Sunline FX2 braided, he made ultra-long casts to get his fish to commit to the frog.
While Neubauer fished his, Lopez opted for a 9K Elite Lures swim jig outfitted with a Case Plastics Cash Craw. Fished on a steady retrieve, the swim jig accounted for the majority of their limit with the odd frog fish mixed in. Whenever they’d impart any time of action to the jig during the retrieve, the bass showed no interest.
2ndPlace, Lucas Murphy and Nolan Hitt (15.78-pounds)
The team of Murphy and Hitt came into the event with plenty of confidence after winning 2018 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Eastern Tour this past May.
Like the winners, they also keyed in on the bluegill spawn and targeted grass flats.
In the morning during the heart of the storm, the bites were aggressive, their baits often got snatched before they hit the bottom. If it didn’t, they’d hop it once, before making another cast nearby.
“Keeping our baits in the water was key,” Lucas started. “You could flip a foot to the left or right of where you just cast and get bit.” After the storm rolled through, they noticed that while their fish were still there, they’d turned lazy.
“You really had to knock them on the head to get them to bite”, Murphy said.
The team flipped grass quickly and efficiently using green pumpkin Texas-Rigged Strike King Rage Craws rigged on a 1-ounce tungsten weight while they fished Strike King Cut R Worms around sparse weeds rigged on a ½-ounce weight. Towards the end of the day, they were trying to almost create a reaction bite while pitching and flipping.
The craw was fished on a 7-6 Denali Lithium extra-heavy action rod paired with a Shimano casting reel spooled with 65-pound Sunline FX2 braided line. They fished a medium-heavy action Denali Lithium worm/jig rod paired with 12-pound Sunline Shooter fluorocarbon for the worm.
3rdPlace, Danny Sprague and Riley Welch (15.35-pounds)
For Sprague and Welch, focussing on current was the ticket to cashing a cheque.
Despite having to share some of their spots with other boats, Sprague mentioned they had a rather unique way of looking at the situation.
“It actually gave us confidence knowing that our fish were still in the area even if others were catching them nearby,” he said.
They worked through different periods of time during the day when the bass would feed in flurries and while the storm helped some teams, it forced them to keep an open-mind.
“With the overcast conditions all day, there were much more spread out and roaming rather than locked tight to any certain type of structure,” Welch said.
“One thing I didn’t realize was how much the bass related to cover once the sun came out in the afternoon,” Sprague said.
The abundance of clouds scattered their fish which left them to cover water with an out-of-production Smithwick jerkbait that mimicked a green perch and a tube jig.
They fished the jerkbait on a medium-action Shimano Zodias rod paired with a Curado bait casting reel spooled with 20-pound Berkley FireLine. They fished the tube jig on a medium-heavy action Shimano Zodias rod paired with a Shimano Sahara spinning reel spooled with 10-pound Seaguar Abrazx.
4thPlace, Kyle and Colin Jump (14.59-pounds)
After losing the first 3 fish of the day, the Jump brothers got things turned around quick.
During their pre-fish, they’d noticed that the bluegills were on beds on the northwest side of the lake with better than average largemouth roaming nearby.
They figure they weeded through 20- to 25-keepers during the course of the day.
Using their 2d imaging, they’d discovered that the coon tail flats they’d targeted had thicker weeds on the steeper drops. In 8 ½ to 9 ½ feet of water. They decided to target the thickest weed growth that they could find.
Initially they thought that with the front moving through that the largemouth would be roaming and that they’d pick them off with black/blue Chatterbaits outfitted with a Case Plastics Cash Craw trailer. Quickly they realized that their fish a change of heart.
Instead, they slowed down and dissected the area with Texas-rigged Case Plastics Paddle Jack craw worm rigged on ¾ and 1-ounce tungsten sinkers. They fished it on a 7-6 RaZr Rods flipping stick paired with a Lews Tournament MB reel with 8:3:1 gearing spooled with 50- to 65-pound braided line. IF they didn’t get bit on the drop or when the bait just hit bottom, they’d reel in and continue to cover water.
“This area was perfect for post-spawn bass to ambush prey and feed,” Kyle Jump said. “They’re starting to munch now.”
5thPlace, Christopher Oja and Brandon Nastally (14.54-pounds)
Sometimes it’s good to zig when others zag and that is exactly what the team of Oja and Nastally did to crack the Top 5.
While many teams focussed on the bluegill spawn or targeted vegetation, they elected to run to the channel that pushes water from Lake Michigan into Muskegon Lake.
Upon arriving at their spot, they were amazed to see that the wind had shifted and actually stalled the current allowing their baits to fall vertically instead of gliding. “The wind made its on current,” Oja said.
Fishing a Ned Rig with a Z-Man TRD Finesse worm, they alternated between several head weights to get the proper rate of fall depending on what the current was doing.
Once the bait hit the bottom, Oja would hop it but got most of his bites once he imparted a quick turn after popping the bait.
The fish were stingy- the team only caught 6 fish all day.
Line watching to detect their bites was key so they fished 8-pound fluorescent green and orange Berkley FireLine braided line with a 12-pound fluorocarbon leader.
Big Bass of the Day, Austin Sherwood and Jared Havenaar, 5.7-pounds
Muskegon Official Final Standings
1stPlace, Joshua Lopez and John Neubauer (16.71)
2ndPlace, Lucas Murphy and Nolan Hitt (15.78-pounds)
3rdPlace, Danny Sprague and Riley Welch (15.35-pounds)
4thPlace, Kyle and Colin Jump (14.59-pounds)
5thPlace, Christopher Oja and Brandon Nastally (14.54-pounds)
For more information on the College Bass Tour, visit CollegeBassTour.com or KevinVanDam.com.
Florida Angler Grabs Early Lead In B.A.S.S. Nation Eastern Regional Bass Tournament At Winyah Bay
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Jamie Hartman to step away from remainder of 2018 Elite Series Season
AC Editor
Due to severe Sciatic Nerve pain that hospitalized Jamie Hartman earlier this week. In a recent announcement in his Facebook Page, He left the following post.
"Over the course of this Season I have experienced Sciatic pain that made me question if I was going to be able to go out and do my job. Somehow I was able to push through those tournaments at that level of pain and compete. This time, unfortunately and with every bone in my body I hate to say I can't bear it. I left the ER and commuted to Wisconsin. I attempted to practice in hopes if I got in the boat I would be able to figure it out and push through the pain, but it only became worse. I can't continue and I need to go home and seek further medical attention so that I will be able to compete in the future.
I am so thankful to have been able to participate in The Bassmaster Classic this year and compete in more than half of the Elite Series events. I appreciate BASS for allowing me to focus on my health and working with me through this situation.
I truly appreciate all of the support from my Sponsors, friends and family. I can't do this without you. Seeing your messages, texts, calls and being able to meet you is something I always look forward to. Above all of that, knowing that I have you supporting me is always a blessing I count.
This is one of - if not the most hardest decision I have had to make in my life, but I need to take this time now to get better so that I can come back next year and continue to do so for seasons to come. Competing at the highest level of Professional Fishing in the world is an honor that I am still humbled by til this day. Thank you."
Stay tuned for more to come and please keep Jamie in your prayers.
T-H MARINE HIRES SHANA RAMSEY FOR MARKETING TEAM
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AC Insider Podcast Featuring Red River Opens Winner Patrick Walters!!
BASS Open Pro and Red River Champ Patrick Walters breaks down his win on the Red River in the Central Open last weekend. Chris breaks down his back-to-back TOC Wins on Lake Guntersville.
The boys talk Fake News and checking your facts before running your mouth, Progressive Bass Wrap Up, Costa Countdown to blastoff and plenty more in this weeks AC Insider Podcast!
VERMONT’S JUDD WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL NORTHEAST DIVISION TOURNAMENT ON LAKE CHAMPLAIN
Co-angler Title Goes to Pennsylvania’s Fenstermaker
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (June 18, 2018) – Boater J.J. Judd of Saint Albans, Vermont, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 19 pounds, 14 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Northeast Division tournament on Lake Champlain. Judd earned $5,138 for his win.
Judd said he spent his day on a southern section of the main lake, and targeted smallmouths that were still spawning.
“I went to my five biggest ones that I had located and caught them,” said Judd, who notched his first career win in FLW competition. “I found fish in areas where they’ve spawned in the past, but with the water lower, they were surprisingly shallow. I think this is the tail-end of the spawn. A lot of the fish I found had been on beds for over two weeks and had lost quite a bit of weight.”
Judd said he fished a white Bass Pro Shops XPS Tender Tube with a ¼-ounce jighead on 10-pound-test P-Line fluorocarbon line.
“I throw white because I can see it well. I threw it in the bed and stared at it until I couldn’t see it, and that’s what told me it was in the fish’s mouth,” said Judd. “One of the big keys was my Costa sunglasses. On this lake, the green mirror finish helps me see really well.”
Around 10 a.m., Judd switched patterns and focused on postspawn smallmouth on the northern end of the lake in 18 to 20 feet of water with a 6-inch AYU-colored Roboworm Straight Tail Worm on a drop-shot rig.
“I fished near isolated boulders. I’d say 90 percent of the fish are done spawning up there. I culled up twice and went looking for a big largemouth to cap it off, but didn’t have any luck,” said Judd. “It was a tricky tournament to manage my fish. I’m fishing in the upcoming Costa (FLW Series) event this weekend and I didn’t want to burn too much, but I still wanted to do well.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: J.J. Judd, Saint Albans, Vt., five bass, 19-14, $5,138
2nd: Alec Morrison, Peru, N.Y., five bass, 19-13, $2,469
3rd: Jason Stoddard, Saint Albans, Vt., five bass, 19-10, $1,646
4th: Perry Marvin, Peru, N.Y., five bass, 19-0, $1,152
5th: Charles Sim, Nepean, Ontario, Canada, five bass, 18-14, $1,388
6th: Ronald Penders Jr., Rochester, N.Y., five bass, 18-13, $864
6th: Jesse Spellicy, Gouverneur, N.Y., five bass, 18-13, $864
8th: Jason Shipton, Muncy, Pa., five bass, 18-11, $741
9th: Brett Carnright, Plattsburgh, N.Y., five bass, 18-10, $617
9th: Travis Manson, Conshohocken, Pa., five bass, 18-10, $617
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Brian Squires of Schenectady, New York, brought a 5-pound, 5-ounce bass to the scale – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $745.
Mark Fenstermaker of Allentown, Pennsylvania, won the Co-angler Division and $2,436 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 17 pounds, 5 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Mark Fenstermaker, Allentown, Pa., five bass, 17-5, $2,436
2nd: Dylan Boyle, Coopersburg, Pa., five bass, 17-3, $1,218
3rd: William Ambler, Alderson, W. Va., five bass, 16-9, $1,014
4th: Henry McKee, Haddon Heights, N.J., five bass, 16-5, $618
5th: James Ohono, Bridgeton, N.J., five bass, 15-14, $487
6th: Craig Cleveland, Utica, N.Y., five bass, 15-10, $447
7th: Mike Urbania, Mentor, Ohio, five bass, 15-8, $365
7th: Chris Morrison, Columbia, Md., five bass, 15-8, $365
7th: Ryan Spaulding, North Bangor, N.Y., five bass, 15-8, $365
10th: Gordon Bocash, Woodstock, Conn., five bass, 15-7, $284
Wes Vyverberg of Rochester, New York, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division weighing in at 5 pounds, 7 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $367.
The T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Northeast Division tournament on Lake Champlain was hosted by the Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 11-13 BFL Regional Championship on Chesapeake Bay in North East, Maryland. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2018 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
BATES WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL MISSISSIPPI DIVISION TOURNAMENT ON LAKE FERGUSON
Iuka’s Whipple Earns Co-angler Title
GREENVILLE, Miss. (June 18, 2018) – Local boater Terry Bates of Greenville weighed a 22-pound, 15-ounce limit of bass to win Saturday’s T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Mississippi Division tournament on Lake Ferguson. Bates pocketed $4,559 for his catch.
“I made a 40-minute run from takeoff to Lake Lee to fish humps,” said Bates, who earned his third career win in BFL competition. “I pulled up to one and caught three, but also lost a couple of good ones. There were a lot of gar in the area and they tore up my bait so I decided to leave.”
Bates said he used Watermelon Candy- and Black Ruby-colored Zoom Brush Hogs along with a Carolina-rigged 10-inch plum-colored Berkley Powerbait Power Worm. He also caught some fish with a ¾-ounce football-head jig with a Watermelon Candy Berkley Powerbait Chigger Craw trailer.
“I moved to another hump around 10 a.m. and caught two to finish my limit,” said Bates. “I kept moving and had five different areas to fish. I wasn’t able to cull so I went back to Lake Ferguson around 10:30 (a.m.).”
Bates’ winning limit was caught on 17-pound-test Berkley Trilene 100 percent Fluorocarbon Ice line on a 7-foot, 11-inch Fenwick Elite Tech Casting Rod and Abu Garcia Revo SX Generation 3 reel.
“On Ferguson I fished some gravel humps in 15 to 20 feet of water,” said Bates. “I got rid of a small 13-incher from Lee with a 2½-pounder. The last fish I caught was at 12:30 (p.m.) – a 6-pound, 9-ouncer.”
Bates’ final bass ended up being the largest fish of the event – caught with the Carolina-rigged Watermelon Candy Brush Hog.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Terry Bates, Greenville, Miss., five bass, 22-15, $4,559
2nd: Jeff Johnston, Marion, Ark., five bass, 20-12, $2,005
3rd: Tim McDaniel, Grenada, Miss., five bass, 19-3, $1,336
4th: Heath Gilmore, Meridian, Miss., five bass, 18-11, $1,135
5th: Marty Torrence, Crystal Springs, Miss., five bass, 18-4, $802
6th: Chad Mayfield, Brandon, Miss., five bass, 17-13, $835
7th: Percy Jones, Brandon, Miss., five bass, 17-10, $668
8th: Joel Barber, Brandon, Miss., five bass, 16-14, $601
9th: Sawyer Sparks, Summit, Miss., five bass, 16-9, $535
10th: David Dove, Steens, Miss., five bass, 16-7, $444
10th: Brent Anderson, Kingston Springs, Tenn., five bass, 16-7, $444
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Bates’ 6-pound, 9-ounce bass earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $550.
Keith Whipple of Iuka, Mississippi, won the Co-angler Division and $2,205 Saturday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 21 pounds, 10 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Keith Whipple, Iuka, Miss., five bass, 21-10, $2,205
2nd: Leland Brown, Fulton, Miss., five bass, 19-6, $1,002
3rd: Bobby Bullock, Florence, Miss., five bass, 18-10, $718
4th: Kevin Culpepper, Seminary, Miss., five bass, 16-9, $468
5th: Austin Navarre, Carriere, Miss., five bass, 15-7, $401
6th: Jim Pierce, Medon, Tenn., five bass, 14-8, $368
7th: Jimmy Hughes, Bartlett, Tenn., five bass, 14-3, $334
8th: John Swords, Collierville, Tenn., five bass, 13-4, $284
8th: Justin Ketteringham, Pearl, Miss., five bass, 13-4, $284
10th: Joseph Breeden, Brandon, Miss., five bass, 13-1, $234
Louis Stevens of Grenada, Mississippi, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division weighing in at 5 pounds, 7 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $275.
The T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Mississippi Division tournament on Lake Ferguson was hosted by the Greenville/Washington County Convention & Visitors Bureau.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 18-20 BFL Regional Championship on Kentucky and Barkley lakes in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2018 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
TENNESSEE’S MCCLURE WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL LBL DIVISION TOURNAMENT ON KENTUCKY AND BARKLEY LAKES
Campbellsville’s Pillow Takes Co-angler Title
GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. (June 18, 2018) – Boater Brad McClure of Brentwood, Tennessee, brought five bass to the scale Saturday weighing 23 pounds, 14 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) LBL Division tournament on Kentucky and Barkley lakes. For his efforts, McClure took home $4,963.
“I caught them on deep brush piles, 12 to 17 feet down,” said McClure, who earned his first career win in FLW competition. “I was on Lake Barkley, and used a plum-colored Zoom Ol’ Monster Worm.”
McClure said he caught 11 of his 12 keepers from a mid-lake area that contained several brush piles. He said one pile ended up producing three of his largest fish, and that he caught everything he weighed in between 8:30 and 9:10 a.m.
“I think finding the fish in that one spot with my Lowrance unit was key for me,” said McClure. “They were stacked because of the brush piles, stumps and baitfish. I put waypoints down for the individual brush piles and then used my MinnKota Ultrex Spot Lock feature to keep me stationary so I could make the same casts over and over to the piles.”
McClure said his worm was Texas-rigged with a 3/8-ounce Strike King Tour Grade tungsten weight on a 4/0 Bass Pro Shops XPS Round Bend Offset Hook and 15-pound-test Berkley Big Game line. He threw it on a 7-foot, 6-inch Abu Garcia Vendetta medium-heavy casting rod and Pflueger Supreme baitcasting reel.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Brad McClure, Brentwood, Tenn., five bass, 23-14, $4,963
2nd: Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, five bass, 19-15, $2,181
3rd: Chris Beaudrie, Princeton, Ky., five bass, 18-6, $1,422
4th: Jordan Hartman, Murray, Ky., five bass, 17-8, $925
5th: Larry Bailey, Paducah, Ky., five bass, 17-1, $793
6th: Jim Eakin, Clarksville, Tenn., four bass, 16-13, $1,027
7th: Nick Uebelhor, Jasper, Ind., five bass, 16-11, $660
8th: Josh Malone, Alma, Ill., five bass, 15-10, $594
9th: Stephen Barga, Benton, Ky., five bass, 15-6, $528
10th: Tim Collier, Paducah, Ky., five bass, 15-3, $462
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Arby Tevault of Elberfield, Indiana, brought a 6-pound, 5-ounce bass to the scale – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $535.
Robert Pillow of Campbellsville, Kentucky, won the Co-angler Division and $1,981 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 15 pounds, 2 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Robert Pillow, Campbellsville, Ky., five bass, 15-2, $1,981
2nd: Greg Henry, Hixson, Tenn., five bass, 14-6, $991
3rd: Spencer Childers, Jasper, Ga., four bass, 13-12, $662
4th: Jake Steinkuhl, Evansville, Ind., four bass, 12-0, $562
5th: Roger Richardson, Belleville, Ill., two bass, 11-6, $663
6th: Wendy Kmucha, Harrisburg, Ill., four bass, 10-13, $363
7th: Luke Lamb, Nicholasville, Ky., four bass, 10-0, $330
8th: Thomas White, Iron City, Tenn., three bass, 9-15, $347
9th: Danny Robinson, Fairland, Ind., three bass, 9-2, $264
10th: Chuck Rounds, Benton, Ky., two bass, 8-2, $231
Richardson caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division weighing in at 6 pounds, 7 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $267.
The T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) LBL Division tournament on Kentucky and Barkley lakes was hosted by the Kentucky Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 25-27 BFL Regional Championship on Lake Chickamauga in Dayton, Tennessee. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2018 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
HOT SPRINGS’ BROWN WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL ARKIE DIVISION TOURNAMENT ON LAKE DARDANELLE PRESENTED BY GEARED
Fulton’s Crider Grabs Co-angler Title
RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. (June 18, 2018) – Boater Kevin Brown of Hot Springs, Arkansas, brought five bass to the scale Saturday weighing 19 pounds, 2 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Arkie Division tournament on Lake Dardanelle presented by GEARED. Brown earned $6,256 for his win.
Brown said he fished from the takeoff ramp to Shoal Bay, working through five or six key areas and catching around 30 keepers throughout the event.
“I fished shell drops and brush piles from 5 to 13 feet down,” said Brown, who earned his third career win in BFL competition. “I caught them on a Texas-rigged Yum Ribbon Tail worm in plum and red shad colors. I also used shad and chartreuse-colored medium- and deep-diving Bomber crankbaits.”
Brown said he was able to put a limit of fish in the boat by 10 a.m.
“Sometimes I went for an hour or two without a bite, so I just kept moving,” said Brown. “But overall, it was a fun day from start to finish.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Kevin Brown, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 19-2, $4,256 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Sawyer Grace, Russellville, Ark., five bass, 17-11, $1,978
3rd: Dustin Huggins, Russellville, Ark., five bass, 17-2, $1,253
4th: Josh Hilton, Clarksville, Ark., five bass, 15-13, $876
5th: Fred Martin, North Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 15-11, $751
6th: Cody Kemp, Donaldson, Ark., five bass, 15-8, $689
7th: Chuck Hamby, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 15-1, $1,116
8th: Justin Swayze, Gurdon, Ark., five bass, 14-3, $563
9th: Spencer Grace, Dardanelle, Ark., five bass, 14-0, $501
10th: Josh Ray, Alexander, Ark., five bass, 13-13, $438
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Hamby brought a 5-pound, 10-ounce bass to the scale – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $490.
Johnny Crider of Fulton, Arkansas, won the Co-angler Division and $2,078 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 13 pounds, 14 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Johnny Crider, Fulton, Ark., five bass, 13-14, $2,078
2nd: Charles Swilley, Ashdown, Ark., five bass, 13-11, $939
3rd: Jody Jones, Harvey, Ark., five bass, 13-8, $627
4th: John McCullar, Benton, Ark., five bass, 12-4, $438
5th: Tony Smith, Benton, Ark., four bass, 11-6, $376
6th: Robert Scott, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 9-15, $344
7th: Todd Brown, Little Rock, Ark., three bass, 9-6, $363
8th: Kenyon Johnson, Mountain Home, Ark., three bass, 9-4, $282
9th: Kevin LaRue, Royal, Ark., four bass, 8-4, $234
9th: Jason Mullins, Benton, Ark., four bass, 8-4, $234
Daniel Elam of Lamar, Arkansas, also caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division weighing in at 5 pounds, 14 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $245.
The T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Arkie Division tournament on Lake Dardanelle presented by GEARED was hosted by Russellville Advertising and Promotions.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 25-27 BFL Regional Championship on Lake of the Ozarks in Osage Beach, Missouri. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2018 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
Patrick Walters Saves Gas And Wins A Boat In Bassmaster Open On The Red River
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Kimura Takes First-Round Lead In Bassmaster Open Tournament On The Red River
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Taking Care of Those Who Took Care of us.
-Vance McCullough
John Laurenza, Jr. makes custom fishing lures under the name of Lure Concepts of Vero.
As fired-up as he is about making lures, Laurenza is at least as passionate about giving back to our soldiers.
“John donates a care package with several of his custom baits to a veteran each month,” said Will Mansfield, an army veteran and kayak-crazy bass angler. “I was fortunate to receive it for May!”
Mansfield noted, “He donates hundreds of baits a year to the Reel American Heroes Foundation bass tournament each year in Virginia. This dude is a patriot. Very selfless guy.”
Laurenza makes spinnerbaits and buzzbaits for the bass fishing market. “I wire wrap my skirts so they don’t come undone like they would if I used a standard collar,” says Laurenza.
In spite of the quality craftsmanship, Laurenza found the fishing lure market a tough nut to crack. “I didn’t take the hand-crafted lure market by storm like I thought I would. But a man named Ron Defreitas contacted me on Facebook and asked if I would donate a couple dozen lures to the Reel American Heroes Foundation which helps veterans with recreational therapy through fishing. I agreed to do that. Now I am a team member. I set up my tent at the tournament every year and, the money I make selling lures, I put back into making lures to give away to veterans.
“I also send out my baits, randomly, to men and women who have served this country. I may meet someone along the bank or at a ramp and give them some of my personal lures just to say ‘thank you’ for their service.
“I was taught by a friend in 2009 how to mold hand-crafted spinnerbaits - Don Ludwig - he was my service manager when I worked at Firestone. He lives in Pittsburg, but we still talk about fishing all the time,” said Laurenza who now lives in Vero Beach, Florida.
Laurenza will donate 300 lures to the 8thannual RAHF fishing tournament this August 4that Hope Springs Marina in Virginia. “Every veteran that takes part in our event will get a brand-new rod and reel from Lew’s. They’ll also get a tackle box full of lures. My friend Will Mansfield will be coming up. He’s already registered to participate in the event.
“Last July we put 117 heroes on the water. This year we want to beat that. We have a lot of celebrity anglers at the tournament – Shaw Grigsby, Timmy Horton, John Crews & Steve Parks from Strike King.”
To buy some lures and support Laurenza’s efforts, find him on Facebook under his name or under Lure Concepts of Vero. You can also call him at 724-664-2761.
To learn more about RAHF – a 501c3 non-profit, 100% volunteer-run organization, check out ReelAmericanHeroes.org.
Table Rock Lake To Host The Bassmaster Opens Championship In October
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AC Insider: Elite Series Winner Greg Hackney & Mr. Bass of Arkansas Winner Hunter Baughman
On this weeks AC Insider Podcast Bass Mafia Pro Greg Hackney Breaks down his wire-to-wire win on the Sabine River last weekend and talks about Patience and how to mentally survive a 4-day grind. Arkansas Angler Hunter Baughman is not "Normal" and you'll hear why when the boys talk to him about his life and his recent Mr. Bass of Arkansas Win. The boys talk opinions, spectators, diets and more on this weeks AC Insider Podcast!
PINEY FLATS’ NEAL WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL VOLUNTEER DIVISION TOURNAMENT ON DOUGLAS LAKE
Kentucky’s Moore Claims Co-angler Title
KODAK, Tenn. (June 11, 2018) – Boater Larry Neal of Piney Flats, Tennessee, brought five bass to the scale Saturday weighing 21 pounds, 12 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Volunteer Division tournament on Douglas Lake. For his efforts, Neal took home $3,505.
According to post-tournament reports, Neal targeted points in 32 to 42 feet of water with a green-pumpkin-colored worm to catch his fish.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Larry Neal, Piney Flats, Tenn., five bass, 21-12, $3,505
2nd: Michael Cantrell, Philadelphia, Tenn., five bass, 20-2, $1,753
3rd: Jason Bridwell, Kingsport, Tenn., five bass, 17-15, $1,589
4th: Rex Pendergrass, Bristol, Tenn., five bass, 16-6, $1,218
5th: Tim Smiley, White Pine, Tenn., five bass, 16-3, $701
6th: Bryant Ailor, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 15-8, $643
7th: Jonathan Bowling, Harriman, Tenn., five bass, 15-6, $584
8th: Willie Bryan, Sevierville, Tenn., five bass, 14-13, $496
8th: Matt Brown, Corbin, Ky., five bass, 14-13, $496
10th: Tee Watkins, East Point, Ky., five bass, 14-9, $409
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Jeffrey Mahaffey of Bristol, Tennessee, brought a 5-pound, 12-ounce bass to the scale – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $220.
Eric Moore of Union, Kentucky, won the Co-angler Division and $1,753 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 15 pounds, 13 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Eric Moore, Union, Ky., five bass, 15-13, $1,753
2nd: Colton Bryan, Sevierville, Tenn., five bass, 15-11, $876
3rd: Chad Ball, Abingdon, Va., five bass, 13-9, $585
4th: Matthew Rasnick, Elizabethton, Tenn., three bass, 10-10, $629
5th: Ben Hudson, Lynchburg, Va., four bass, 10-8, $351
6th: Jose Salgado, Artemus, Ky., four bass, 10-6, $421
7th: Scott Standafer, Hamilton, Ohio, five bass, 9-14, $292
8th: Joshua Jernigan, Rocky Top, Tenn., five bass, 9-7, $263
9th: Jacob Linkous, Rogersville, Tenn., four bass, 9-0, $234
10th: David Shreve, Knoxville, Tenn., four bass, 8-14, $204
Rasnick caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division weighing in at 5 pounds, 13 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $220.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 18-20 BFL Regional Championship on Lake Norman in Huntersville, North Carolina. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2018 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2018 BFL All-American will be held May 31-June 2 at Cross Lake in Shreveport, Louisiana, and is hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
Toyota Bonus Bucks Owners Tournament at home on Table Rock
Ridgedale, Mo. (May 23, 2018) – The unparalleled outdoor elegance of the Bass Pro Shops Outdoor Academy, along with nearby Long Creek Marina have provided a perfect venue the past two years for the Toyota Bonus Bucks Owners event. Hence, the highly popular 7thAnnual event will return to these two best-in-class facilities at Table Rock Lake on October 27-28, 2018.
Saturday evening’s registration meeting and free dinner will take place again at the Bass Pro Outdoor Academy, with launch and weigh-in a very short distance down Missouri’s Highway 86 at Long Creek Marina and Boat Ramp.
All eligible registered Bonus Bucks participants are invited to participate and register a team for the Owners Tournament, with the exception of Bassmaster Elite Series and Walmart FLW Tour pros. Only one of the team members must be registered in the Bonus Bucks Program to be eligible to compete.
The top 30 teams are guaranteed a paycheck. A free gift bag will be given to the first 200 anglers to sign up for the tournament, and all teams will have a chance to visit with Team Toyota and Bassmaster Elite Series pros who will be on hand to help with the event.
Anglers are required to pre-register by October 19, 2018. B.A.S.S. tournament staff will conduct the tournament, and be onsite Saturday afternoon October 27th at 4:00 p.m. CDT for official angler check-in at Bass Pro Shops Outdoor Academy near Big Cedar Resort in Ridgedale, Missouri.
Participants are encouraged to sign up as soon as possible for this fellowship-filled, prize-rich event. Limited space is available. To register, visit toyotafishing.com. You can also call Kendell at (918) 742-6424, or email: [email protected].
Charlie Doss Tops 2300 Anglers in Skeeters Owners Tournament on Lake Fork with 11.19 GIANT!!!!!
| Angler | City | State | Weight | Prize Amount | |
| CHARLES DOSS | Fort Worth | TX | 11.19 |
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| ROBBIE JOHNSON | Goodrich | TX | 3.02 |
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| LISA INGRAM | Hughes Springs | TX | 8.26 |
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| GABE COMPTON | El Reno | OK | 2.00 |
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| SABRINA WAGONER | Springtown | TX | 2.66 |
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| MATTHEW MAFFEI | Lake Wales | FL | 2.00 |
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| CHEREE WATTS | San Angelo | TX | 2.43 |
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| LAUREN WILLIAMS | Weatherford | TX | 2.43 |
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| BRODIE MCMAHON | Hallsville | TX | 2.00 |
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| JACK DUEWALL | Hurst | TX | 2.18 |
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| CHARLES DOSS | Fort Worth | TX | 11.19 |
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| GAVYN JONES | White Oak | TX | 10.49 |
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| SHANE HARTLESS | Longview | TX | 10.34 |
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| ADAM CLARK | Dripping Springs | TX | 10.01 |
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| GREG GILLUM | Plano | TX | 9.81 |
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| KEITH BRADSHAW | Tyler | TX | 9.72 |
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| RIVER LEE | Normangee | TX | 8.76 |
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| ROY ARAGONEZ | Celina | TX | 8.44 |
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| BRANDON MCQUEEN | Belton | TX | 8.38 |
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| DONALD FISHER | Mount Pleasant | TX | 8.22 |
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| RAY PEBWORTH | Coalgate | OK | 6.94 |
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| ERIC CEGLINSKI | Woodlawn | IL | 2.73 |
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| PAUL KELBE | Alba | TX | 2.58 |
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| GAVIN DAWS | Durant | OK | 9.98 |
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| MARK SMITH | Fort Worth | TX | 9.69 |
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| CECIL TUBB | Dike | TX | 8.83 |
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| ARNOL GEORGE | Longview | TX | 8.61 |
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| LEROY SCHROEDER | Magnolia | TX | 8.30 |
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| JAMES STEIN | Lakehills | TX | 8.13 |
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| CALEB MCKINNEY | Ninnekah | OK | 2.95 |
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| ADAM MIRANDA | Brownwood | TX | 2.81 |
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| RICARDO GUZMAN | Columbia | MO | 2.77 |
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| DANNY KATZER | Pipe Creek | TX | 2.71 |
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| JEFF RANDOLPH | Huntsville | TX | 2.66 |
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| GEORGE JETT | Arlington | TX | 2.55 |
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| CLAYTON CEGLINSKI | Salem | IL | 2.61 |
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| GARRY SIGLER | Woodway | TX | 2.61 |
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| MATT BEARD | Abilene | TX | 9.93 |
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| MARK MITCHELL | Sanger | TX | 9.47 |
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| LISA INGRAM | Hughes Springs | TX | 8.26 |
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| TERRY NEAL | Longview | TX | 7.99 |
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| WAYNE KRALIK | Plano | TX | 6.59 |
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| SABRINA WAGONER | Springtown | TX | 2.66 |
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| NATHAN LONG | Cleveland | TX | 2.64 |
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| CHASE BRECKENRIDGE | Longview | TX | 2.62 |
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| DANNY TALIAFERRO | Palestine | TX | 2.54 |
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| SHANE HENDERSON | Yantis | TX | 2.50 |
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| MIKE TAYLOR | Stilwell | OK | 2.48 |
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| CHRIS ZACHRY | Streetman | TX | 2.44 |
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| JOHN ZANTER JR | Mart | TX | 8.00 |
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Allen Yarborough and Kyle Dorsett win 2018 Alabama Bass Trail at Logan Martin
by Dan O’Sullivan
June 9, 2018 – Cropwell, Ala. – Any time one ventures out in a summer tournament, the chances of a lake resembling an ocean are great. With the fourth tournament on the 2018 Alabama Bass Trail’s Northern Division schedule being on Logan Martin, those chances became reality.
Logan Martin is one of the bodies of water that is known as a playground for Birmingham, and when warm summer conditions were on the forecast for tournament day, people came out to play in the water. The heavy boating traffic and hot conditions made for less than ideal navigation for the 203 team field, and put the Coosa River’s resident largemouth and spotted into a slight funk.
However, as with every tournament, someone will figure out how to do enough to win, and despite the weights being lighter than anticipated, the team of Allen Yarborough and Kyle Dorsett produced a 16.68-pound limit, which earned them the day’s victory and the $10,000 first prize.
The pair, who has vast knowledge of the lake were a little surprised by the result. “We really didn’t think we had enough to win,” they said. “We knew it was tough, but never would have thought that less than 17 pounds would have won today; this is a great surprise.”
Yarborough and Dorsett said that they spent their day fishing from the Logan Martin Dam on the lower end of the lake and working their way back upstream to the mid lake area. They concentrated on Flippin’ docks with a 3/8 “green and blue jigs with Zoom Chunk trailers and Zoom Trick Worms and NetBait TMac worms, while catching a few key fish off of brushpiles throughout the day as well. “We had to really scale down because they didn’t pull as much current as we thought they would,” they said. “We just did the best we could, trying to get bites, and we’re really happy with the way things turned out.”
The second place team of Michael Stevens Jr. and Paul Arnold find themselves in a familiar position having finished second the last time the Northern Division made a regular season stop at Logan Martin. The pair from Fayetteville, Tenn. and Woodville, Ala. said they were satisfied with how they fished, but slightly frustrated to finish in the runner up position again. “We had a great day on the water, but it’s frustrating to come so close and fall short again,” they said. “We caught 50 fish upriver in current eddies on a Spot Remover head and green pumpkin Trick Worm. It was a fun day, and while we would rather have won, we’re grateful for the good finish with one more event left.” The pair earned the $5,000 second place prize, along with the $250 ABT Gear bonus for wearing an item of Alabama Bass Trail Apparel during the event and weigh-in.
The team of Jim Marona and Cory Jones caught a 5.28-pound largemouth that anchored their 14.42-pound limit. Their effort earned them sixth place for the day, as well as the $500 Mountain Dew Big Bass bonus for weighing in the largest fish of the event.
The rest of the Top 10 Standings are below, for complete standings visit: https://www.alabamabasstrail.org/tournament-series/lml-results/
| Place | Anglers | Weight | Big Fish | Winnings |
| 1 | Allen Yarborough / Kyle Dorsett | 16.68 | 4.44 | $10,000 |
| 2 | Michael Stevens Jr / Paul Arnold | 15.95 | 4.02 | $5,000 |
| 3 | Allen Hayes / Danny Bishop | 15.71 | $4,000 | |
| 4 | Russ Sapp / Joey Nania | 15.54 | $3,000 | |
| 5 | Bradley Jones / Andy Kilgore | 14.69 | $2,000 | |
| 6 | Jim Marona / Cory Jones | 14.42 | 5.28 | $1,500 |
| 7 | Chad Hall / Jake Smith | 14.37 | $1,100 | |
| 8 | Charlie Cummings / Greg Pugh | 14.33 | $1,100 | |
| 9 | Tracy Robinson / Willie Staten | 14.14 | $1,100 | |
| 10 | Lanny Guthrie / Lee Hurley | 14.11 | $1,100 |
Hackney Records Wire-To-Wire Victory In Bassmaster Elite Series Event On Sabine River
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Red River Set To Challenge Bassmaster Opens Anglers
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PARIS’ LAWRENCE LEADS WIRE-TO-WIRE, WINS COSTA FLW SERIES AT LAKE BARKLEY PRESENTED BY T-H MARINE
Courtesy of FLW Fishing
CADIZ, Ky. (June 9, 2018) – Boater Jake Lawrence of Paris, Tennessee, won the Costa FLW Series at Lake Barkley presented by T-H Marine Saturday after bringing a limit of bass weighing 19 pounds, 11 ounces to the scale. Lawrence’s three-day total of 15 bass weighing 72-4 gave him the win by a 7-pound, 5-ounce margin and earned him the top prize of $48,300.
Lawrence said that he knew most of the bass would be located offshore on the deeper ledges, where they would be easy to locate but challenging to catch. He also knew the early combination of heavy rain and high water coupled with the strong current would send some fish seeking shallower cover. That’s where he trained his efforts; specifically an area near the mouth of a small creek south of the Highway 79 bridge.
Lawrence was targeting fish in the 8-12 foot zone. He primarily threw a 10-inch V&M J-Mag Worm in red bug (either on a Neko Rig or a swing head), but he says he also caught fish on a Scrounger with a Castaic Jerky J, as well as a custom-made hair jig, a football jig and a spoon.
Most of Lawrence’s fish came each morning from the same area following a nearly 90-minute run from the Lake Barkley State Park launch site. The day one morning result was a fantastic 28-pound 15-ounce limit. He collected a 21-10 limit on day two. On day three he had a winning limit in the boat by 7:30 and caught his last fish around 11 o’clock.
“Conditions are changing,” he said. “This was about the last day of it. I’m glad it lasted as long as it did.”
The top 10 pros on Lake Barkley finished:
1st: Jake Lawrence, Paris, Tenn., 15 bass, 72-4, $48,300
2nd: Garrett Paquette, Canton, Mich., 15 bass, 64-15, $18,500
3rd: Mike Roller, Purdy, Mo., 15 bass, 58-10, $13,500
4th: Marcus Sykora, Osage Beach, Mo., 15 bass, 57-7, $11,600
5th: Ramie Colson Jr., Cadiz, Ky., 15 bass, 55-9, $10,500
6th: Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 15 bass, 55-8, $8,750
7th: Brandon Hunter, Benton, Ky., 14 bass, 54-13, $7,600
8th: Cody Harrison, Tuscumbia, Ala., 13 bass, 52-11, $6,600
9th: Adam Craig, Buchanan, Tenn., 12 bass, 44-6, $5,600
10th: Stacey King, Reeds Spring, Mo., 12 bass, 41-10, $4,300
Full results for the entire field can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Lawrence caught an 8-pound, 8-ounce bass Thursday – the biggest of the tournament – and also earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $300.
Hunter Fillmore of Waynesville, Ohio, won the Co-angler Division and a Ranger Z175 with a 90-horsepower outboard motor with a three-day total of 11 bass weighing 37 pounds, 8 ounces. Brian Peterson of Clarksville, Tennessee, finished runner-up with 11 bass weighing 37-1, good for $5,750.
The top 10 Co-anglers on Lake Barkley finished:
1st: Hunter Fillmore, Waynesville, Ohio, 11 bass, 37-8, Ranger Z175 boat with 90-horsepower outboard
2nd: Brian Peterson, Clarksville, Tenn., 11 bass, 37-1, $5,750
3rd: Douglas Colson, Cadiz, Ky., 13 bass, 36-0, $4,650
4th: Mark Howard, Mesquite, Texas, 10 bass, 35-11, $4,000
5th: Ben Jackson, Paducah, Ky., 10 bass, 30-3, $3,300
6th: Christopher Lemon, Mooresville, Ind., nine bass, 30-1, $2,800
7th: Rick Parker, Kaufman, Texas, nine bass, 26-4, $2,300
8th: Michael Allbright, Athens, Texas, nine bass, 26-0, $1,900
9th: John Magness, Hot Springs, Ark., seven bass, 25-4, $1,560
10th: Adam Lock, Metropolis, Ill., five bass, 19-4, $1,310
Howard caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division Friday, a bass weighing 7 pounds, 7 ounces that earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $200.
The Costa FLW Series on Lake Barkley presented by T-H Marine was hosted by the Cadiz-Trigg County Tourist and Convention Commission. It was the second of three regular-season FLW Series Central Division tournament in the 2018 season. The next Costa FLW Series tournament will be a Northern Division tournament, held June 21-23 on Lake Champlain in Plattsburgh, New York presented by Power-Pole. For a complete schedule, visit FLWFishing.com.
The Costa FLW Series consists of five U.S. divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western – along with the International division. Each U.S. division consists of three regular-season tournaments with competitors vying for valuable points that could earn them the opportunity to compete in the season-ending Costa FLW Series Championship. The 2018 Costa FLW Series Championship is being held Nov. 1-3 on Lake Guntersville in Guntersville, Alabama, and is hosted by the Marshall County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Costa FLW Series on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
Hackney Extends His Lead At The Bassmaster Elite Series Event On The Sabine River
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Hackney Holds Onto Lead At Bassmaster Elite Series Event On The Sabine River
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Jake Lawrence Leads FLW Costa Central on KY/Barkley Lakes with over 28 pounds!!!
June 7, 2018 by Gary Garth - Courtesy of FLW Fishing
Jake Lawrence knew where the fish were and knew where he wanted to fish.
When the Paris, Tenn., pro roared away from the Lake Barkley State Park Marina Thursday morning for the opening round of Costa FLW Series event presented by T-H Marine he headed down Lake Barkley to the canal that links Barkley and its sister impoundment, Kentucky Lake.
He turned west and sliced through the canal and then headed south, up Kentucky Lake to a patch of water near Paris Landing State Park. It’s a long run; about 80 miles one way. Lawrence wasn’t alone in his destination. Most of the field headed to Kentucky Lake to probe its ledge cover for the legions of bass that flock to it when summer’s heat arrives.
Lawrence, however, enjoyed something his fellow anglers did not. He had a short work day. By late morning he was finished.
“I quit fishing around 11,” says Lawrence, who roared into the lead with a 28-pound 15-ounce five-fish limit. “I didn’t come in. But I quit fishing seriously.”
Lawrence’s sack was anchored by an 8-8 largemouth and he says he caught four of his keepers from one spot and the fifth from another.
Whether Lawrence dialed in the motherlode or happened to hit the right place at the right time he wouldn’t say. He also declined to offer specifics about his baits. “I’d rather not get into that,” he graciously replies. “But it was a good day. Real good.”
He’s got to put some gas in the boat tonight and more at a marina tomorrow, but he says he's hoping for a repeat and is anxious to make the 160-mile round trip again.
Top 10 pros
1. Jake Lawrence – Paris, Tenn. – 28-15 (5)
2. Hensley Powell – Whitwell, Tenn. – 23-3 (5)
3. Brandon Hunter – Benton, Ky. – 22-1 (5)
4. Ramie Colson Jr. – Cadiz, Ky. – 21-0 (5)
5. Cole Floyd – Leesburg, Ohio – 20-15 (5)
6. Jeremy Lawyer – Sarcoxie, Mo. – 20-13 (5)
7. Todd Castledine – Nacogdoches, Texas – 20-12 (5)
8. Marcus Sykora – Osage Beach, Mo. – 20-10 (5)
9. Lance Williams – Billings, Mo. – 20-4 (5)
10. Stacey King – Reeds Spring, Mo. – 20-2 (5)
HARTMAN LEADS CO-ANGLERS
Fishing behind Cole Floyd on Kentucky Lake is always going to be a learning experience, but it was also fish-catching one for Jordan Hartman. From nearby Murray, Ky., and a member of the Murray State Bass Fishing Team, Hartman rustled up 18-10 to grab the lead on the co-angler side. There are a bevy of bags in the teens behind him, so he’ll likely need to keep catching to make the weekend and have a shot at a win.
Early Big Bite Lifts Hackney Into Lead At Bassmaster Elite Series Event On The Sabine River
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Brad Knight - "I will find my way"
Courtesy of FLW Tour Pro Brad Knight
Photos Courtesy of FLW Fishing
Well folks, as we head into the home stretch of the FLW Tour season, my 2018 has not been what I had hoped it would. The one-word summary would be ‘disappointing’.
But, I’ve had good seasons and I’ve had bad. I’ll recover from it next year and have another good one, hopefully.
We started with two tournaments in Florida. That put me behind the 8-ball right from the start. I made some decisions, trying to get myself back into good position and those didn’t pan out.
Of course, I lost a couple of big fish that would have made a difference, but that happens to everybody and it’s not an excuse.
To put my finger on exactly what went wrong, I’m not sure, to be honest. Not getting any momentum to start the year didn’t help. It had a bit of a snowball effect. You don’t want to dig yourself a hole at the start of the year and then feel like you’re playing catch-up. That’s what happened.
Now, I’ve been around some fish and it has not worked out. I kind of rolled the dice, trying to make things happen. I fished against my strengths a little bit this year, trying to win. Lanier is a perfect example. I knew it was going to be won on the lower end, out off the bank. The water was up and dirty. Shallow, dirty water is my strength. But I knew it wasn’t going to be won that way. I’m trying to put myself in position to win tournaments. That may cost you a little bit of consistency and it may cost you a few checks along the way, but as long as it puts you in position to win an event every year or two, that’s the goal for me at every tournament because in our sport, wins are what counts.
One big difference is I haven’t had my wife, Becky, or my daughter, Tinsley with me. Tinsley just graduated kindergarten, so we’re excited about that. And I have enjoyed sleeping in my Lance camper, though I had grown accustomed to having Becky and Tinsley waiting for me each day when I came off the water in our old 40-footer.
The Lance has made me feel right at home - off the water - no matter where I’ve gone this year, even when the fish treated me like a stranger on the water.
The FLW Tour takes us to Lake St. Clair next. I need to go up there and have a good week, turn the whole season around. It’s funny how your whole season can get defined by one good week. The chance to whack on some smallmouth is a welcome thought. The weather should be good. Being up there so early in the year is going to be a little different for everybody. We will either be on the tail end of the spawn or the immediate post-spawn. Sight-fishing could play a role. I wouldn’t mind having a couple of good ones to start on, if that’s a viable option.
There may be a strong topwater bite. It should be a really fun event. I look forward to getting up there.
As for the Bassmaster Opens, I would really like to qualify for the championship and fish for that Bassmaster Classic Berth. I would be lying if I said that fishing the Bassmaster Classic wasn’t on my bucket list. And the Classic will be on Fort Loudon, in my back yard. It would be awesome to fish the Classic and get to sleep in my own bed.
In order to do that, I need to do well in the last two Eastern Open events on Lake Champlain and Douglas Lake, which is about an hour from my house. I’ve got a lot of familiarity with Douglas, but September is kind of a tough time to fish there, although that could help me out some, make it tougher on everybody. My local knowledge could be an advantage then.
First though, I have to survive Champlain with a decent finish. Ounces matter. You can have a really good day of fishing and eight ounces could make a 30-place difference. You could have 16 pounds, a decent day, and be in 100thplace or have 17 pounds and be in 30thplace.
On the business side, I’m looking forward to the big ICAST show in July, catching up with friends and seeing the latest and greatest the industry has to offer. That’s always exciting. I enjoy working for my sponsors.
On the tournament side, I will find my way. I will make it back again.
AC INSIDER PODCAST - "Louisiana Saturday Night" Featuring ULM's Hunter Freeman & All American Champ Nick LeBrun!
Sit down, Buckle up and Hold on!! The Boys are jacked up and ready to talk fishing with some Louisiana Hammers in this weeks AC Insider Podcast! First up is ULM Senior Hunter Freeman. Freeman and Partner Thomas Soileau (pronounced swallow) Won the FLW YETI College Championship on the Red River and Hunter went on to win the fish off to qualify for the FLW Cup in August. Hunter talks about everything from the Red River to practice and preparation to his "Hair Flow."
Next up the Boys talk to TH Marine BFL All-American Champ Nick LeBrun and how he won the All-American 5 minutes from his house and what this win will do for his business and his career. The boys also talk Progressive Bass Wrap up, Costa Countdown to blastoff and a ton more! It might be a weekday show, but its always a Louisiana Saturday night somewhere! Check it out!!!
WISCONSIN’S ELK MOUND HIGH SCHOOL WINS BASS PRO SHOPS FLW HIGH SCHOOL FISHING WHITEFISH CHAIN OPEN PRESENTED BY YETI IN MINNESOTA
CROSSLAKE, Minn. (June 4, 2018) – The Elk Mound High School duo of Cole Steinhorst and Blaze Todd, both of Elk Mound, Wisconsin, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Sunday weighing 15 pounds, 14 ounces, to win the 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Whitefish Chain Open presented by YETI tournament. The win advanced the team to the 2018 High School Fishing National championship, held June 26-30, on Pickwick Lake in Florence, Alabama.
According to post-tournament reports, the duo fished docks using white- and black and blue-colored swimbaits.
A field of 96 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from Moonlite Bay in Crosslake. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top nine teams on the Whitefish Chain of Lakes that advanced to the 2018 High School Fishing National Championship were:
1st: Elk Mound High School, Elk Mound, Wis. – Cole Steinhorst & Blaze Todd, both of Elk Mound, Wis., five bass, 15-14, $400
2nd: Brainerd High School, Brainerd, Minn. – Leana Ruggles and Lexus Ruggles, both of Brainerd, Minn., five bass, 15-12
3rd: Pequot Lakes High School, Pequot Lakes, Minn. – Grant Loge, Breezy Point, Miss., and Ryan Foty-Helmer, Pequot Lakes, five bass, 15-7
4th: St. Michael-Albertville High School, St. Michael, Minn. – Tyler Suchla and Brant Lewis, both of St. Michael, Minn., five bass, 15-4
5th: Brainerd High School, Brainerd, Minn. – Wyatt Cronin and Austin Neyens, both of Brainerd, Minn., five bass, 15-4
6th: Pequot Lakes High School, Pequot Lakes, Minn. – Dylan Semler, Merrifield, Minn., and Hunter Wendt, Pequot Lakes, five bass, 14-9
7th: Catholic Central High School, Burlington, Wis. – Jacob Bigelow, Cecil, Wis., and Bailey Bleser, Burlington, Wis., five bass, 14-7, $400
8th: St. Michael-Albertville High School, St. Michael, Minn. – Haley Peterson and Courtney Jenniges, both of St. Michael, Minn., five bass, 14-1
9th: Becker High School, Becker, Minn. – Jon Novak and Jacob Novak, both of Clear Lake, Minn., five bass, 13-15
Complete results from the event can be found at FLWFishing.com.
The 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Whitefish Chain Open was a two-person (team) event for students in grades 7-12, open to any Student Angler Federation (SAF) affiliated high school club in the United States. The top 10 percent of each Challenge, Open, and state championship field will advance to the High School Fishing National Championship. The High School Fishing national champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice.
In addition to the High School Fishing National Championship, all High School Fishing anglers nationwide automatically qualify for the world’s largest high school bass tournament, the 2018 High School Fishing World Finals, held in conjunction with the National Championship. At the 2017 World Finals more than $60,000 in scholarships and prizes were awarded.
Full schedules and the latest announcements are available at HighSchoolFishing.org and FLWFishing.com.
HUGE DAY ONE BUOYS CHAMPIONSHIP WIN FOR BOULWARE AND COLLINS IN TEXAS TEAM TRAIL CHAMPIONSHIP
By David A. Brown
Two Summer Lures VanDam Won’t Leave Home Without
Courtesy of Alan McGuckin / Dynamic Sponsorships
The greatest professional bass angler of all time got his start while casting topwater lures at summertime bass as a young teenager while walking the shoreline of School Section Lake where his grandparents lived in Central Michigan.
Not much has changed in 40 years for Kevin VanDam. When asked recently to choose just two lures all anglers should consider having in their summer arsenal – he chose a topwater walking bait and a deep diving crankbait.
Topwater was my thing back in those days, from Jitterbugs to buzzbaits, and now it’s a 4.5” KVD Sexy Dawg topwater that I’ve always got tied-on in summer,” says the 7-time Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year. “The thing is, no matter how hot it gets, there’s always a few bass shallow that are willing to hit a topwater at sunrise or sunset in the summertime.”
One tip that might surprise a lot of anglers regarding VanDam’s topwater tactics is his insistence on always using 40-pound braided line. He says braid helps the Sexy Dawg ‘walk’ a little better on the surface, and even more importantly, leads to far firmer hooksets at the end of a long cast, as opposed to monofilament.
VanDam spools his braided line to a fairly speedy 7.3:1 gear ratio Quantum Smoke S3 reel. The compact reel features a larger spool to hold more line that leads to longer smoother casts. He uses a 7’ 4” TourKVD rod with a soft and forgiving enough tip to make sure bass get a good grip and stay hooked when they smash his surface lure.
As the day heats up, and topwater action is likely to fade, VanDam ties on a deep diving crankbait that has earned him hundreds-of-thousands of dollars – a Strike King 6XD that will dive to depths of 20-feet on 12 pound line.
This lure allows the career long Quantum pro to dig depths on main lake points and deep aquatic vegetation where fat bass are likely to live in mid summer -- and to do so at a fairly efficient pace compared to a heavy jig or large plastic worm.
In lakes where the water is pretty clear he likes the color “Blue Gizzard Shad” when cranking a 6XD – and if it’s dingier, he leans mostly on the color he made famous – “Sexy Shad.”
Either way he ties them to a long 7’ 10” TourKVD rod that allows him to launch the lure as far as possible, which in turn maximizes its diving depth on the retrieve. And much like it’s tough to tow a large bass boat with a sports car, when deep cranking, he reaches for the Toyota Tundra of baitcasters – the large spooled 5.3:1 Quantum Smoke HD.
VanDam no longer spends a lot of time walking the shores of School Section Lake casting Jitterbugs, but he absolutely loves sharing time on the water in the heat of summer away from the Elite Series by meandering various Michigan waterways in the family’s Regency pontoon. Of course, the pontoon is rigged to be fishing friendly for he and sons Jackson and Nicholas – and there’s typically a topwater tied-on within arms reach, even when he’s just chillin to beat summer’s heat.
ULM’S FREEMAN WINS YETI FLW COLLEGE FISHING NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP FISH-OFF ON RED RIVER, AUTOMATIC ENTRY TO 2018 FORREST WOOD CUP
SHREVEPORT, La. (June 2, 2018) – For the third time in YETI FLW College Fishing history, the National Championship winners Hunter Freeman and Thomas Soileau from the University of Louisiana-Monroe faced off Saturday in a one-day fish-off on the Red River to decide which team member would represent their school at the 2018 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing.
After the scales settled and the final fish had been weighed, Freeman won the automatic entry into the Forrest Wood Cup after weighing a five-bass limit totaling 7 pounds, 11 ounces. Soileau weighed a five-bass limit totaling 6 pounds, 9 ounces, giving Freeman the win and advancing him to compete against the best anglers in the world August 10-12 on Lake Ouachita in Hot Springs, Arkansas, at the Forrest Wood Cup.
“This has been an incredible week,” said Freeman, a junior majoring in business administration who resides in Monroe, Louisiana. “I’ve been on the water so much over the past few weeks that I am mentally and physically exhausted, but winning the championship with Thomas and now getting to compete at the Forrest Wood Cup makes it all so worth it.”
Freeman is guaranteed at least a $10,000 paycheck, as that amount is awarded to the last-place finisher at the Forrest Wood Cup. The angler that wins the Forrest Wood Cup will earn $300,000 – professional bass fishing’s most lucrative prize.
“Every little boy’s dream is to fish in the biggest tournament there is, and that’s the Forrest Wood Cup,” Freeman said. “When they announced this tournament on the Red River, I said, ‘That’s my shot. If I’m ever going to make it, I have to do it.’
“I spent so much time and money up here practicing. To make it, it’s a dream come true. I’m not just going to show up at the Cup; I’m going to try to bring it and represent the whole College Fishing crowd.”
The final standings after the one-day fish-off on the Red River were:
1st: University of Louisiana-Monroe – Hunter Freeman, Monroe, La., five bass, 7-11, Entry into 2018 Forrest Wood Cup
2nd: University of Louisiana-Monroe – Thomas Soileau, Monroe, La., five bass, 6-9
Full results and standings for the 2018 YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship can be found at FLWFishing.com.
The 2018 YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship presented by Lowrance C-MAP Genesis on the Red River was hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission & Red River Waterway Commission and featured 168 of the top college bass fishing clubs from across the nation competing for the top prize of $30,000, including a new Ranger Z175 boat with a 90-horsepower Mercury or Evinrude outboard.
Television coverage of the YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship presented by Lowrance C-MAP Genesis on the Red River will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) Aug. 15 from Noon -1 p.m. EDT. The Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.
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 fishing club recognized by their college or university.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follo
11thAnnual Chris Lane Kids Fishing Camp Held Memorial Day Weekend Coincides with Fourth Foodland Bass Team Tournament at Lake Guntersville
Guntersville, Ala. – June 4, 2018– Each year, on Memorial Day weekend, when the whole country turns its focus on remembering the men and women of the U.S. Military, Bassmaster Elite Series pro and 2012 Bassmaster Classic Champion Chris Lane along with his family and friends at Mitchell Foods / Foodland Grocery Stores add giving back into the equation.
Lane, who moved to Guntersville, Ala. nearly a decade ago, held his 11thannual Chris Lane Kids Fishing Camp at Bucky Howe Park in the Spring Creek arm of Lake Guntersville this past Memorial Day weekend. The camp is a way for Lane to share the love of his occupation with young people in an effort to grow the sport, but it is also a way for him to show appreciation to his community.
For the whole of the event, the children rotate through stations coached by Elite Series pro Justin Lucas and Devin Campbell, as well as local high school fishing team members and coaches. Each of the attendees receives instruction in fishing skills such as proper casting technique, rigging of rods, decorating lures, riding on pontoon boats and catching bluegill, bass, catfish, and drum from the docks at the park.
As happened in each of the previous events, the young participants received a gift pack from some of Lane’s outstanding sponsors. They received rod and reel combos and gift cards from Bass Pro Shops, along with apparel and products from Power Pole, Luck-E-Strike, Frogg Toggs, Eagle Claw TroKar, TH Marine, Costa, and River2Sea. The kids and their parents were treated to lunch prepared by Tony Chachere; who came from Louisiana to cook for everyone. They had a selection of cold Gatorade beverages to enjoy as well.
Lane said the event has significant meaning for him and his family. “Fishing is my profession and it was at events like this I learned to love the sport enough to make it a career,” he said. “I have been so fortunate in my career, and so accepted by the people of Guntersville, that I’ve wanted to share this sport with my community and give something back to them. This event is all about food, family, fishing and fun for us, and we hope the people of this community feel that.”
The fourth annual Foodland Bass Team Tournament was held in conjunction with Lane’s Fishing Camp again this year. The event; which is limited to 200 teams, features a $100 team entry fee that produces a $10,000 first prize, paychecks to the top 40 places and first and second big fish prizes worth $1,000 and $500. The teams fish from safe light, with the first flight due back at Bucky Howe Park at 1:00PM; they may present a three fish limit at the scales.
As for the tournament, the team of Charles Thompson and Walt Mullins proved to be the most successful team for the day. The Georgia based team’s three fish limit came to a total of 19.63 pounds and included the 7.94-pound second big fish of the event. Their effort earned them the $10,000 first prize along with the $500 bonus from River Rocks Plantation for having the second biggest bass of the event.
The pair was shocked and overjoyed by the outcome. “We absolutely love coming to Lake Guntersville, so fishing this event was just another excuse to be on this lake; we did not expect to have a day like this,” they said. “This is the biggest event that we have ever won; we are absolutely stunned and so happy to be standing here as the winners of the event; it’s been a great day.”
The pair reported running just north of the power lines near Seibold and fishing a grassy ledge to catch their fish. They reported catching a total of nearly 50 bass on 1/4-ounce Spot Remover Shaky Heads matched with green pumpkin Zoom Magnum Trick Worms.
The day’s Big Bass prize was presented to the team of Mitch Smith and Jimmy Shaver who finished the event in fifth place, but their creel was anchored by the 8.20-pound lunker that earned them the $1,000 bonus from River Rocks Plantation for the event.
David Mitchell, president of Mitchell Foods and Foodland said that the event is something he and his team look forward to each year. “This is something we look forward to each year now,” said Mitchell. “There is no telling how many hundreds of hours our people put into this, but it is worth it to give back to our community, and to be a part of something the Chris (Lane) has dedicated a ton of time to as well. He is such a genuine person and a great ambassador for our area that we want to be a part of sharing his vision and add something to the day; it is just a true joy for us to be a part of.”
2018 Foodland Bass Team Tournament Results
| Place | Team | Fish* | Big Fish | Total Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Thompson/Walt Mullins | 3/3 | 7.94 2nd Big Bass | 19.63 |
| 2 | Heath Martin/ Jesse Martin | 3/3 | 18.41 | |
| 3 | Wes Ward/ Chad Hall | 3/3 | 7.49 | 17.79 |
| 4 | Alan Barrett/ Tyler Caldwell | 3/3 | 16.98 | |
| 5 | Mitch Smith/ Jimmy Shaver | 3/3 | 8.20 1st Big Bass | 16.94 |
| 6 | Tim Buckner/ Connie Buckner | 3/3 | 6.18 | 16.91 |
| 7 | Brandon Smith/JT Thomason | 3/3 | 16.84 | |
| 8 | Lance Whitaker/ Jeremy Briscoe | 3/3 | 6.24 | 16.47 |
| 9 | Jeffrey Moore/Kenneth Moore | 3/3 | 6.43 | 16.25 |
| 10 | Bryon Luman/ Keith Miller | 3/3 | 16.19 | |
| 11 | Blake Hall/ Hadley Coan | 3/3 | 15.97 | |
| 12 | Jim Leary/ Eric Wilson | 3/3 | 15.88 | |
| 13 | Shawn Hornbuckle/ Jason Hysell | 3/3 | 15.84 | |
| 14 | Steve Green/ Ricky McBride | 3/3 | 6.78 | 15.57 |
| 15 | Zach West/ Rodney Evans | 3/3 | 15.47 | |
| 16 | Marty Likos/ Michael Carter | 3/3 | 15.32 | |
| 17 | Chris Burgess/ Mark Arnold | 3/3 | 14.60 | |
| 18 | Matt Bradley/ Michelle Bradley | 3/3 | 14.43 | |
| 19 | Michael Seeley/ Kellie Seeley | 3/3 | 14.40 | |
| 20 | Dustin McCullars/ Lee Oliver | 3/3 | 14.33 | |
| 21 | Chris white/ Rick Armstrong | 3/3 | 7.08 | 14.31 |
| 22 | Cody Vaughn/ Brian Franks | 3/3 | 14.26 | |
| 23 | Lee Stephens/ Philip Browns | 3/3 | 14.09 | |
| 24 | Bobby Gregory/ Cannon Talton | 3/3 | 13/76 | |
| 25 | Robert Keel/ Kyle Howard | 3/3 | 13.60 | |
| 26 | Claude Simpson/ Tim Mccoy | 3/3 | 13.41 | |
| 27 | Kadin Dick/ Richard Peek | 3/3 | 13.35 | |
| 28 | Alvin Torrey/ Kerri Torrey | 3/3 | 13.21 | |
| 29 | Paul Wilder/ Jerry Wells | 3/3 | 13.09 | |
| 30 | Billy Copeland/ Bo Copeland | 3/3 | 12.75 | |
| Tied 30 | Ted McClellan/ Frankie Otwell | 3/3 | 12.75 | |
| 32 | Aubrey Mauldin/ Patrick Drain | 3/3 | 12.73 | |
| 33 | James Luna/ Shawn Newby | 3/3 | 12.66 | |
| 34 | Daniel Heideger/ Larry Stanley | 3/3 | 12.58 | |
| 35 | Chris Hester/ Tammie Hester | 3/3 | 12.27 | |
| 36 | Kevin Stubblefield/ Scott Randles | 3/3 | 12.02 | |
| 37 | Jay Holcomb/ Roger Chisenall | 3/3 | 11.88 | |
| Tied 37 | Chris Tate/ James Stoller | 3/3 | 11.88 | |
| 39 | Kobi Mears/ Nick McAnally | 3/3 | 11.80 | |
| 40 | Alan McRoberts/ Mike Hopkins | 3/3 | 11.76 | |
| 41 | Alan Smart/ Alyson Smart | 3/3 | 11.75 | |
| 42 | Kevin Walker/ Lindsey Walker | 3/3 | 11.66 | |
| 43 | Mark Horton/ Dave Rigsby | 3/3 | 11.62 | |
| 44 | William Grisham/ Bryan Whitt | 3/3 | 11.59 | |
| 45 | Danny Latty/ Johnny Harper | 3/3 | 11.59 | |
| 46 | Chris Hargrove/ Britt Perry | 3/3 | 11.53 | |
| 47 | Wesley Brown/ James Klingbell | 3/3 | 11.44 | |
| 48 | John Tracy/ Luke Lacy | 3/3 | 11.29 | |
| 49 | Bland Morris/ David Smart | 3/3 | 11.23 | |
| 50 | Sam Long/ Don Long | 3/3 | 11.22 | |
| 51 | Aaron Hargrove/ Justin Romine | 3/3 | 11.21 | |
| 52 | Hoyt Barnard/ Richard Payne | 3/3 | 11.19 | |
| 53 | Ronald Slawson/ Don Horner | 3/3 | 11.14 | |
| 54 | David Nixon/ Delnad Green | 3/3 | 10.76 | |
| 55 | Darrell Yockel/ Keith Bellomy | 3/3 | 10.74 | |
| 56 | David White/ Hannah Peoples | 3/3 | 10.71 | |
| 57 | Rex Chambers/ Kevin McMahan | 3/3 | 10.70 | |
| 58 | Barry Wesley/ Brian Wesley | 3/3 | 10.69 | |
| 59 | Tracy Gay/ Jeremiah Johnson | 3/3 | 10.62 | |
| 60 | Jeff Ragsdale/ Hunter Ragsdale | 3/3 | 10.60 | |
| 61 | John Ard/ Jim Reising | 3/3 | 10.56 | |
| 62 | Robert Lang/ Trent Noojin | 3/3 | 10.52 | |
| 63 | Roy Brown/ Ryan Bradford | 3/3 | 10.46 | |
| 64 | Delmus Grayson/ Mike Chastain | 3/3 | 10.45 | |
| 65 | Shane Combs/ Kris Walker | 3/3 | 10.44 | |
| 66 | Danny Jenkins/ Scott Crutches | 3/3 | 10.41 | |
| 67 | David White/ Fisher White | 3/3 | 10.38 | |
| 68 | Franklin Beard/ Casey Bears | 3/3 | 10.36 | |
| 69 | Evan Boutwell/ Wayne Christopher | 3/3 | 10.34 | |
| 70 | Joe Avery/ James Hudgins | 3/3 | 10.33 | |
| 71 | William South/ David Ferree | 3/3 | 10.18 | |
| 72 | Roger Morse/ Matthew Morse | 3/3 | 10.13 | |
| 73 | Brian Shook/ Randy Tolbert | 3/3 | 10.08 | |
| 74 | David Davis/ Hunter Davis | 3/3 | 10.08 | |
| 75 | Chris Hopper/ Charlie McMichael | 3/3 | 9.94 | |
| 76 | Mike Morris/ Dan Melton | 3/3 | 9.92 | |
| 77 | Michelle Norrodo/ Austin Daniel | 3/3 | 9.90 | |
| 78 | Jason Dabbs/ Shane Dick | 3/3 | 9.89 | |
| 79 | Jeff Gray/ Kristi Little | 3/3 | 9.62 | |
| 80 | Don Nave/ Wesley Black | 3/3 | 9.60 | |
| 81 | Colton Robinson/ Kevin Tucker | 3/3 | 9.58 | |
| 82 | Jerry Ellis/ Skylar Langston | 3/3 | 9.40 | |
| 83 | Kevin Shikle/ Dan Avis | 3/3 | 9.36 | |
| 84 | Brad Kesler/ Darrin Young | 3/3 | 9.32 | |
| 85 | Matthew Duke/ Phillip Curvin | 3/3 | 9.27 | |
| 86 | Timothy Haney/ Skylar Haney | 3/3 | 9.27 | |
| 87 | Bobby Gregory/ Joe Kersey | 3/3 | 9.26 | |
| 88 | Shane McAllister/ JR Lewis | 3/3 | 9.17 | |
| 89 | Matthew Thomas/ Brantley Whitlow | 3/3 | 9.14 | |
| 90 | Matt Schlosser/ Jerry Perkins | 3/3 | 9.13 | |
| 91 | Paul Gring/ Andy Johnson | 3/3 | 9.12 | |
| 92 | Micheal Clay/ Rick Hamby | 3/3 | 9.10 | |
| 93 | Tony Randles/ Tony Blackwell | 3/3 | 9.09 | |
| 94 | Dan Beddingfield/ Daniel Beddingfield | 3/3 | 9.08 | |
| 95 | Robert Lane/ Chris Lane | 3/3 | 9.05 | |
| 96 | Kent Ware/ Emily Ware | 3/3 | 8.99 | |
| 97 | Danny Long/ Rick Hensley | 3/3 | 8.98 | |
| 98 | Darrin Baker/ Drew Schaffer | 2/2 | 8.93 | |
| 99 | Steven Lindsey/ Kevin Murphy | 3/3 | 8.81 | |
| 100 | Allen Fuller/ Shane Brysin | 3/3 | 8.75 | |
| 101 | Mike Fawcett/ Kyle White | 3/3 | 8.71 | |
| 102 | Rick Mettler/ Rick Murray | 3/3 | 8.71 | |
| 103 | James Bean/ Kelly Marchal | 3/3 | 8.70 | |
| 104 | Deon Smith/ Todd Hathcock | 3/3 | 8.69 | |
| 105 | John Keith/ Tony Tidwell | 3/3 | 8.68 | |
| 106 | Charles Hodle/ Tommy Hodle | 3/3 | 8.64 | |
| 107 | Timothy Boyet/ Brian Sims | 3/3 | 8.44 | |
| 108 | Betty Stahl/ Eric Stahl | 3/3 | 8.39 | |
| 109 | Micheal Cooper/ Darren Cooper | 3/3 | 8.36 | |
| 110 | Darryl Gentry/ Robert Hargis | 3/3 | 8.34 | |
| 111 | Micheal Stevens/ Paul Arnold | 3/3 | 8.20 | |
| 112 | Chuck Medley/ Chris Roberts | 3/3 | 8.16 | |
| 113 | Caleb Beaumont/ Taylor Smith | 3/3 | 7.98 | |
| 114 | Jess Beihoffer/ Jake Beihoffer | 3/3 | 7.78 | |
| 115 | Jonathan Dauwen/ Pete Spaulding | 3/3 | 7.66 | |
| 116 | Jesse Rigsby/ Scott Rigsby | 3/3 | 7.65 | |
| 117 | Charles Horton | 3/3 | 7.55 | |
| 118 | Ben Jennings/ Illya Gibbons | 3/3 | 7.52 | |
| 119 | Diane Fletney/ Sean Cooper | 3/3 | 7.39 | |
| 120 | Toby Beach/ Ron Fudge | 3/3 | 7.31 | |
| 121 | Danny Self/ David Bailey | 3/3 | 7.16 | |
| 122 | Scott Marshall/ Doug Webster | 3/3 | 7.12 | |
| 123 | Tyler Gillian/ Bobby Colquitt | 3/3 | 7.05 | |
| 124 | James Hughes/ Tommy Moultrie | 3/3 | 6.94 | |
| 125 | Casey Chambers/ Phillip Bell | 2/2 | 6.68 | |
| 126 | Randy Waddel/ Brad Tedford | 3/3 | 6.65 | |
| 127 | Troy Frazier/ Jerry Frazier | 3/3 | 6.50 | |
| 128 | Charles Fallin/ Joe Maclean | 3/3 | 6.37 | |
| 129 | Roger Gray/ Joshua Gray | 3/3 | 6.32 | |
| 130 | Brian Surber/ John Mobley | 3/3 | 6.25 | |
| 131 | James Ellis/ Kelly Ellis | 3/3 | 6.24 | |
| 132 | Shane Moss/ Westin Moss | 3/3 | 6.14 | |
| 133 | Joseph Calrk/ Blake Farmer | 3/3 | 5.97 | |
| 134 | Clint Crew/ Jake Crew | 3/3 | 5.97 | |
| 135 | Dusty Walker/ Wayne Guffey | 3/3 | 5.87 | |
| 136 | Bradley Hodges/ Mike Hodges | 2/2 | 5.34 | |
| 137 | Eugene Hall/ Patrick Hall | 2/2 | 4.62 | |
| 138 | Colby Seymoure/ Dakota Landers | 3/3 | 3.69 | |
| 139 | K Dixon/ J Gilbert | 1/1 | 2.11 | 2.11 |
BOSSIER CITY’S NICK LEBRUN WINS T-H MARINE BFL ALL-AMERICAN TOURNAMENT ON CROSS LAKE
Courtesy of FLW Fishing
Nick LeBrun tops Boater Division, wins $100,000 and invitation to Forrest Wood Cup
SHREVEPORT, La. (June 2, 2018) – Local boater Nick LeBrun of Bossier City, Louisiana, brought five bass to the scale Saturday weighing 19 pounds, 15 ounces, to win the 35th annual T-H Marine Bass Fishing League (BFL) All-American on Cross Lake with a three-day cumulative total of 15 bass weighing 62-8. LeBrun’s weight helped him edge second-place angler and friend Randy Deaver of Blanchard, Louisiana, by 2 pounds, 3 ounces, and earned him $100,000 and a berth into the world championship of bass fishing – the Forrest Wood Cup.
“To win this caliber of tournament right here at home means everything to me, my family, my career and my sponsors,” said LeBrun, who earned his third career win in FLW competition. “Fishing in an event like the Forrest Wood Cup is something I’ve dreamed about since I competed in my first club tournament. I’m truly humbled and blessed.”
Lebrun’s go-to pattern this week involved fishing cypress trees and duck blinds on the western end of the lake. He focused on trees in various bayous, and relied heavily on a 6th Sense Movement 80X crankbait on a 7-foot Fitzgerald Rods Bryan Thrift cranking rod with 17-pound-test Bass Pro Shops XPS fluorocarbon line, as well as a V&M flipping jig with a V&M Flat Wild trailer. LeBrun also used a Spro popping frog to catch a couple of key fish up shallow on Day Two to complete a limit.
“The 80x was my main bait this week and is what produced the majority of my 26-pound limit on Day One,” said LeBrun. “It’s a deal where it catches 3-plus pound fish, but not a lot of them. Today, I caught four out of the five I weighed in on it.”
LeBrun used a methodical approach to picking apart his cover this week, taking advantage of his bait’s abilities to lure fish.
“Basically one was a moving bait and one was a pitching bait,” said LeBrun. “Whenever I was somewhere I couldn’t throw the crankbait, like a certain tree where the limbs were too low or too long, that’s when I would pick up the jig as a little insurance. Every time I fished a duck blind, I’d parallel the edges with the 80X, but before I’d leave, I’d pick up the V&M jig to kind of probe and throw up in the blind and in places you have to beg one to bite.”
LeBrun’s win was especially emotional for him and his family Saturday. Earlier this week, Lebrun shared that he lost his father,
Billy LeBrun, in February, and that he dedicated an 8-pound kicker to him on the water. Today, the Louisiana boater said he experienced another moment that told him it would be a special day.
“When we were at the takeoff ramp, I was pacing around the dock before getting in the boat, and there was some music playing over the loud speakers. A song called “Small Town Southern Man” by Alan Jackson came on, and it’s one of the songs my family and I remember my Dad with. It’s been tough this year, but when I heard that, I felt like he stepped in the boat with me. It’s something that’s just hard to explain.”
The top 10 boaters on Cross Lake finished:
1st: Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., 15 bass, 62-8, $100,000
2nd: Randy Deaver, Blanchard, La., 15 bass, 60-5, $20,200
3rd: Adam Wagner, Cookeville, Tenn., 15 bass, 53-13, $15,100
4th: Roger Fitzpatrick, Eldon, Mo., 14 bass, 52-7, $14,000
5th: Tyler Morgan, Columbus, Ga., 15 bass, 50-14, $13,000
6th: John Duvall, Madison, Ga., 15 bass, 50-9, $12,000
7th: Rob Jordan, Flowery Branch, Ga., 14 bass, 49-5, $11,000
8th: Marty Sisk, Evansville, Ind., 15 bass, 48-13, $10,000 + $4,000 Ranger Cup Contingency
9th: Heath Pack, Ellijay, Ga., 13 bass, 39-0, $9,000
10th: Ben Blaschke, Muldrow, Okla., 12 bass, 37-11, $8,000
A complete list of results is posted at FLWFishing.com.
Overall there were 43 bass weighing 128 pounds, 7 ounces, caught by the final 10 boaters Saturday. The catch included six five-bass limits.
Matthew Bouldin of Smithville, Tennessee, won the Co-angler Division and $50,000 Saturday with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 39 pounds, 5 ounces, followed by Jesse Parks of Avondale, Arizona, in second place with 13 bass weighing 39-1.
The top 10 co-anglers finished:
1st: Matthew Bouldin, Smithville, Tenn., 15 bass, 39-5, $50,000
2nd: Jesse Parks, Avondale, Ariz., 13 bass, 39-1, $15,000
3rd: Mike Allen, Crystal Springs, Miss., 12 bass, 32-0, $6,200
4th: Matthew O’Connell, Brooks, Ga., 13 bass, 28-6, $5,050
5th: James McWhorter, Hamilton, Ohio, nine bass, 25-12, $4,500
6th: Brandon Brock, Honea Path, S.C., nine bass, 23-6, $4,000
7th: Hernandez Ruffin, Bellevue, Wash., eight bass, 22-9, $3,500
8th: Michael Nelms, Hartwood, Va., eight bass, 22-8, $3,000
9th: Daniel Tuten, Byron, Ga., eight bass, 20-15, $2,500
10th: Ray Blash, Waynesville, Mo., eight bass, 18-4, $2,000 + $1,000 Ranger Cup Contingency
Overall there were 24 bass weighing 68 pounds, 11 ounces caught by nine Co-anglers Saturday. The catch included two five-bass limits.
Hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission, the BFL All-American featured 98 of the best boaters and co-anglers from across the 24-division T-H Marine BFL circuit casting for cash prizes of up to $120,000 in the Boater Division and $60,000 in the Co-angler Division, plus an invitation to compete for bass fishing’s most coveted prize – the Forrest Wood Cup – held Aug. 10-12 on Lake Ouachita in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
Television coverage of the 2018 T-H Marine BFL All-American at Cross Lake will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) Aug. 1 from Noon to 1 p.m. EDT. The Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.
The 2018 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
