Swindle: Conroe Will Be a Texas-Sized Test
Alan McGuckin - Special to AnglersChannel.com
Amid a Facebook Live post Monday night, reigning Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Gerald Swindle contemplated aloud, “If everything’s bigger in Texas, then maybe the shrimp here could be the size of squirrels.”
Squirrel-sized shrimp – the outcome of Swindle’s famous humor, blended with his sometimes-bizarre creative thinking.
But while all the talk leading into this 2017 Bassmaster Classic has been about records being broken – Swindle’s not sure the 23-pounds per day that VanDam averaged to win in New Orleans in 2011, is truly in jeopardy here.
Fishing Pressure – “The boat traffic here is as intense as anywhere we’ve ever competed,” says Swindle.
While he’s competed on Conroe in four previous Toyota Texas Bass Classics, those were autumn events, when fishing pressure was far less.
A “Big Bass” tournament already had 900 people fishing on Conroe earlier this month. And while this lake is hugely popular for bass fishing, add-in all the pleasure boat traffic between its seawalls, and it’s understandable the largemouth are likely to be a bit more fickle in March than October.
“It took 27 pounds to win a team event here the other day, but I’ve got a feeling some of those fish may have come from spawning beds, and honestly there’s just not much clear water here to focus on catching spawning fish for three days,” says Swindle.
Fat Singles Versus Big Schools – While Swindle says there are bass in all three phases of the spawn right now; the likelihood of finding an offshore mega-school is a long shot.
“This lake has never been a place with numerous schools of big fish – it’s got some giant bass in it – but it’s not like the Tennessee River where several guys can locate a school that might have a giant limit of fish in it,” he explains.
Worth noting is the 16” minimum length limit on Conroe which not only increases the challenge of catching a keeper-sized bass, but obviously increases the average weight of a 5-bass limit compared to most reservoirs B.A.S.S. visits where a 14” minimum length limit is more common.
5 Lures for 5 Fish Each Day – When asked to name five lures fans could expect to see most of the 52 competitors using this week, Swindle promptly rattled off the following as though you had asked for his phone number: ChatterBait, Spinnerbait, Jigs, Strike King Series 5 crankbaits, and a weightless Senko.
Finally, We’re Not Freezing – For years the Bassmaster Classic was a summertime event, but in 2006, it was moved to the February-March timeframe, and that’s brought frostbite threatening temperatures to venues like Tulsa, Oklahoma and Greenville, South Carolina.
It’s also brought a run of less than optimal performances for Swindle in the late winter derbies.
"I’ve qualified for 9 of the 11 Classics they’ve had in the winter, and if we’d have been dove hunting, I wouldn’t have cut a feather,” he says with self-depreciating humor.
“I’ve laid down a whole string of 26 and 27th place finishes, but finally I’ve got a Classic where I can feel comfortable enough to move around and make something happen,” he says.
“When it’s 15-degrees outside, and you’ve got hand warmers taped to the handles of your Quantum spinning rods, you’re just waiting on something good to happen,” says Swindle. “But when it’s 80-degrees outside, a guy like me feels like he can run around and make something good happen – and that’s a really big deal.”
“Nope, not gonna complain about the weather – that’s for sure,” says Swindle. “For the first time in years, you’ll actually be able to see who my sponsors are, because I won’t be dressed in long johns and covered up like an Eskimo.”
What Will it Take to Win? – “I’m gonna say if you average 20-pounds per day you could win,” says Swindle. Which is significantly less than what VanDam won with in New Orleans six years ago.
“There may be a 30-pound limit weighed-in here, and it just might be me – but you’re not gonna see those giant limits caught everyday.”
“I know this, I’m boat #1 at morning takeoff – and that counts for a lot here too,” grinned Swindle, who earned that top position as reigning Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year.
A shot at a 30-pound limit, shrimp the size of squirrels, and tall thermometers with high temps in the 80s – maybe everything is just a little bit bigger in Texas.
PHY WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE MUSIC CITY DIVISION OPENER ON CENTER HILL LAKE
Smithville’s Bouldin claims Co-angler title
SPARTA, Tenn. (March 20, 2017) – Tim Phy of Cookeville, Tennessee, brought a five-bass limit weighing 20 pounds, 3 ounces, to the scale Saturday to win the first T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Music City Division event of 2017 on Center Hill Lake. For his win, Phy pocketed $6,053.
According to tournament reports, Phy caught his fish near mid-lake gravel points in 8 to 10 feet of water using a green-pumpkin-colored D&L Tackle Jig.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Tim Phy, Cookeville, Tenn., five bass, 20-3, $4,053 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Terry Steele, Sparta, Tenn., five bass, 17-6, $1,877
3rd: Adam Wagner, Cookeville, Tenn., five bass, 17-0, $1,185
4th: Matt Stanley, Alexandria, Tenn., five bass, 16-6, $829
5th: Jay Melton, Murfreesboro, Tenn., five bass, 16-4, $711
6th: Hunter Bouldin, McMinnville, Tenn., five bass, 15-10, $651
7th: Kevin Crutcher, Collierville, Tenn., five bass, 15-5, $592
8th: Noel Smith, Portland, Tenn., five bass, 15-0, $533
9th: William Merrick, Mount Juliet, Tenn., five bass, 14-2, $474
10th: Conoly Brown, Nashville, Tenn., five bass, 14-1, $415
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Rik Richter of Cookeville, Tennessee, caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 4 ounces – the largest of the event – which earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $455.
Matthew Bouldin of Smithville, Tennessee, weighed in five bass totaling 17 pounds, 8 ounces Saturday to win the Co-angler Division and the top prize of $1,777.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Matthew Bouldin, Smithville, Tenn., five bass, 17-8, $1,777
2nd: Ricky Underhill, Parts Unknown, five bass, 14-1, $888
3rd: Justin Lloyd, Murfreesboro, Tenn., three bass, 10-10, $692
4th: Rodney Brown, Gainesboro, Tenn., four bass, 10-3, $415
5th: Mitchell Adams, Goodletsville, Tenn., two bass, 9-10, $582
6th: Steven Brown, Tompkinsville, Ky., four bass, 9-6, $326
7th: Gregory Goodwin, Louisville, Ky., two bass, 8-8, $296
8th: Matt Simcox, Paris, Tenn., four bass, 7-6, $267
9th: Jake May, Smyrna, Tenn., three bass, 6-15, $237
10th: Brennon Binkley, Franklin, Tenn., four bass, 6-10, $197
10th: Sam Loveless, Somerset, Ky., five bass, 6-10, $197
Adams caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 6 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $227.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional Championship on Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Alabama. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
LOUISIANA’S ORMOND WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE ARKIE DIVISION EVENT ON LAKE GREESON PRESENTED BY GEARED
Hot Springs’ Rudolph tops Co-angler field
MURFREESBORO, Ark. (March 20, 2017) – Jake Ormond of Sterllngton, Louisiana, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 15 pounds, 14 ounces, Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Arkie Division event on Lake Greeson presented by Geared. For his win, Ormond took home $3,879.
“I kicked the day off at a little point in West Fork,” said Ormond, who earned his first career-win in FLW competition. “I caught two keepers on a Livingston Lures Primetyme SQ 2.0 squarebill-crankbait and a Rapala DT 6 crankbait.
“After that I went up the Little Missouri River to an area known as Four Mile Bank,” continued Ormond. “It was steep – probably a 45-degree angle or steeper. There was also a lot of rock. I ran down the stretch twice to finish out my day.”
Along the stretch, Ormond said he rotated between the DT 6 and a ½-ounce Rat-L-Trap.
“I ran the baits in 4 to 6 feet of water, where there was wood,” said Ormond. “Once I had a limit of 10 or 11 pounds, I switched to a XCalibur Xr75 Rattle Bait, which is a bigger lure.”
Ormond said that the bigger crankbait produced some heavier bass, but they were harder to come by.
“I probably caught 20 to 25 keepers throughout the tournament,” said Ormond. “My biggest fish – a 4-pounder – came around 2 p.m. on the Rapala.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Jake Ormond, Sterlington, La., five bass, 15-14, $3,879
2nd: Justin Swayze, Gurdon, Ark., five bass, 14-5, $2,140
3rd: Chris Darby, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 13-6, $1,393
4th: Steve Howard, Conway, Ark., five bass, 13-3, $1,420
5th: Charles Williams, Clarksville, Ark., five bass, 12-1, $776
6th: Kevin Fant, Murfreesboro, Ark., five bass, 10-15, $711
7th: Brian Kirkendoll, Jacksonville, Ark., five bass, 10-11, $647
8th: Matt Wood, Jessieville, Ark., five bass, 10-2, $582
9th: Stephen Tyson Jr., Camden, Ark., five bass, 10-1, $517
10th: Jamey Black, Sheridan, Ark., five bass, 10-0, $453
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Howard caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 13 ounces – the largest of the event – which earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $515.
Buddy Rudolph of Hot Springs, Arkansas, weighed in five bass totaling 10 pounds, 4 ounces Saturday to win the Co-angler Division and the top prize of $1,940.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Buddy Rudolph, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 10-4, $1,940
2nd: Steve Standridge, Conway, Ark., five bass, 9-10, $970
3rd: Brian Choate, Conway, Ark., five bass, 8-11, $846
4th: Steven Stroud, Conway, Ark., three bass, 8-10, $710
5th: Jonathan Wolfe, Camden, Ark., five bass, 8-6, $388
6th: Stephen Simms, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 7-15, $356
7th: Jackson Whitbeck, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 7-11, $307
7th: Timothy Allen, Murfreesboro, Ark., five bass, 7-11, $307
9th: Chance Stone, Nashville, Ark., five bass, 7-10, $292
9th: Michael Gross, Malvern, Ark., five bass, 7-10, $242
Stroud caught the biggest bass among Co-angler Division anglers, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 3 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $257.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 19-21 BFL Regional Championship on the Red River in Bossier City, Louisiana. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
RIDGEVILLE’S BEAVERS WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE SOUTH CAROLINA DIVISION EVENT ON SANTEE COOPE
Georgia’s Dickens tops Co-angler field
SUMMERTON, S.C. (March 20, 2017) – Bradford Beavers of Ridgeville, South Carolina, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 25 pounds, 13 ounces, Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) South Carolina Division event on Santee Cooper. Beavers took home $3,514 for his victory.
Beavers said he started his day working through trees, in 3 to 5 feet of water, on the upper end of the lake.
“I used a ½-ounce Chris-Mas-colored Katch-Her Lures Jig and caught a couple of keepers,” said Beavers, who notched his first career-win in BFL competition. “It was really windy, so I stayed in protected areas. The wind really dictated where I was able to fish.
“After a couple of hours, I ran down to the lower end and fished flats with stumps in similar depths,” continued Beavers. “I caught three with a Chartreuse-Sexy-Shad-colored Strike King KVD HC Square Bill Silent Crankbait.”
Around noon, Beavers said he returned to the trees and used the jig to round out his limit.
“If it weren’t for the wind, I would’ve fished in completely different areas,” said Beavers. “Normally, you hate bad conditions, but sometimes they work in your favor.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Bradford Beavers, Ridgeville, S.C., five bass, 25-13, $3,514
2nd: Jerry Pelfrey, Laurens, S.C., five bass, 25-6, $1,957
3rd: Ken Ellis, Bowman, S.C., five bass, 22-5, $1,172
4th: Daniel Howell, Prosperity, S.C., five bass, 21-2, $820
5th: Mark Hutson, Moncks Corner, S.C., five bass, 19-4, $673
5th: Timmy Thompkins, Myrtle Beach, S.C., five bass, 19-4, $973
7th: Chris Marshall, Forest City, N.C., five bass, 18-7, $686
8th: Matthew Mollohan, Prosperity, S.C., four bass, 17-8, $527
9th: Sandy Oliver, Hartsville, S.C., five bass, 17-2, $469
10th: Michael Maxfield, Hanahan, S.C., five bass, 15-7, $410
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Greg Rikard of Leesville, South Carolina, caught a bass weighing 9 pounds, 8 ounces – the largest of the event – which earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $450.
Charles Dickens of Appling, Georgia, weighed in four bass totaling 15 pounds, 14 ounces Saturday to win the Co-angler Division and $1,757.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Charles Dickens, Appling, Ga., four bass, 15-14, $1,757
2nd: Wesley Mullins, Bloomingdale, Ga., three bass, 12-8, $879
3rd: Calvin Sharp, Round O, S.C., five bass, 10-12, $585
4th: Paul Foley, Mooresville, N.C., two bass, 9-7, $610
5th: David Hutcherson, Campobello, S.C., two bass, 9-1, $351
6th: Terry Coleman, Sumter, S.C., three bass, 8-14, $372
7th: Audie Brantley, North Augusta, S.C., three bass, 8-13, $293
8th: Jeremy Bouldin, Kings Mountain, N.C., two bass, 8-6, $264
9th: Russ Scalf, Summerville, S.C., two bass, 8-4, $234
10th: Jeff Rikard, Leesville, S.C., three bass, 8-3, $205
Bobby Littlejohn of Spartanburg, South Carolina, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing 7 pounds, 8 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $225.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 19-21 BFL Regional Championship on Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Georgia. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
FIRST ALL-FEMALE BASS FISHING TEAM QUALIFIES FOR YETI FLW COLLEGE FISHING NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP AT LAKE HARTWELL
Savannah College duo of Jaci Skipper and Ryleigh Tyson make Bass-Fishing History, Bryan College Wins Event
HARTWELL, Ga. (March 21, 2017) – History was made this past weekend at the YETI FLW College Fishing Southeastern Conference tournament on Lake Hartwell as the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) bass-fishing team of Jaci Skipper of Taylor, Alabama, and Ryleigh Tyson of Savannah, Georgia, became the first all-female team to ever qualify for the YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship.
The SCAD duo of Skipper and Tyson, both freshmen fishing in their first FLW event together as a team, caught a five-bass limit weighing 12 pounds, 8 ounces, to finish the event in 14th place. With a field of 176 teams competing on Lake Hartwell, the top 17 teams advanced to the National Championship.
“I grew up in the boat with my dad, and he taught me how humbling this sport can be,” said Skipper, a freshman majoring in graphic design. “I fished the first two events at Lake Seminole and Lake Guntersville this season with different partners and I zeroed both times. I told Ryleigh that our time was coming. It just so happened that this tournament went well for us.
“My goal every event is to give 110-percent effort and try to catch a five-bass limit,” Skipper continued. “I fished in high school for Rehobeth High School in Dothan, Alabama, and I know how tough some of these fisheries are and how tough the competition is. The most important thing to me is to always give our best effort.”
The Bryan College duo of D.J. Barber of Gardendale, Alabama, and Matt Brown of Corbin, Kentucky, won the event with a five-bass limit weighing 18 pounds, 14 ounces. The victory earned the Bryan College bass club a $2,000 club scholarship and also advanced the team to the 2018 FLW College Fishing National Championship.
“We ran about 25 to 30 minutes up the Seneca River to a pocket with dirty water,” said Barber, a sophomore majoring in business management. “We had found the area in practice and caught a couple of fish, so we decided to start the tournament there. After we pulled up, before I could even stand up and grab my rod Matt caught a 6-pounder on his first cast.”
“For the next 40 minutes we caught them on every cast,” said Brown, a freshman majoring in business marketing. “We were throwing a red squarebill crankbait – I can’t share the name of it, though. It is an old Tennessee secret and I have some old friends that would kill me if I shared it.
“We caught around 20 fish there, and then it turned off,” Brown continued. “We spent the rest of the day spot fishing and trying to upgrade, but we never caught anything bigger. We had our full weight by 9:15 (a.m.).”
“I think that the color red was also key,” Barber said. “I threw a different colored squarebill in practice on that spot and I didn’t get bit. But, when Matt tied that red one on, it was literally the first cast.”
The top 10 teams that advanced to the 2018 College Fishing National Championship are:
1st: Bryan College – D.J. Barber, Gardendale, Ala., and Matt Brown, Corbin, Ky., five bass, 18-14, $2,000 Club Scholarship
2nd: Clemson University – Robert White, Greenville, S.C., and Derek Freeman, Anderson, S.C., five bass, 16-8, $1,400 Club Scholarship
3rd: Kennesaw State University – Cody Smith, Gainesville, Ga., and Spencer Guthrie, Acworth, Ga., five bass, 16-0, $700 Club Scholarship
4th: Bethel University – Alec Piekarski, Greenfield, Wis., and Kyler Chelminiak, Franklin, Wis., five bass, 15-12, $500 Club Scholarship
5th: University of Georgia – Justin Sisavath, Duluth, Ga., and Jordan Parisian, Dallas, Texas, five bass, 15-4, $500 Club Scholarship
6th: Western Carolina University – Jason Ashe, Cullowhee, N.C., and Alex Walsh, Robbinsville, N.C., five bass, 14-10
7th: Lander University – Kevin Latham, Greenwood, S.C., and David Branham, Donalds, S.C., five bass, 14-9
8th: University of North Georgia – Ty Johnston, Jefferson, Ga., and Tristan Thomas, Lula, Ga., five bass, 14-9
9th: University of Tennessee – Bradley Devaney, Oliver Springs, Tenn., and Saxton Long, Pulaski, Tenn., five bass, 14-5
10th: Jacksonville State University – Brandon Padilla, Roswell, Ga., and Chase Chastain, Anniston, Ala., five bass, 14-0
FLW also advances one additional team to the National Championship for every 10 teams over 100 that compete. A total of 176 teams participated in this event, so also advancing to the 2018 College Fishing National Championship are:
11th: University of North Alabama – Austin Mize, Sheffield, Ala., and Parker Davis, Morris, Ala., five bass, 13-11
12th: University of Georgia – Collin Chandler, Donalsonville, Ga., and Garrett Stone, Atlanta, Ga., five bass, 12-13
13th: Georgia State University – Hayden Hillyer, Atlanta, Ga., and Christian Cook, Roswell, Ga., five bass, 12-11
14th: Savannah College of Art & Design – Jaci Skipper, Taylor, Ala., and Ryleigh Tyson, Savannah, Ga., five bass, 12-8
15th: Haywood Community College – Justin St. Onge and Ryan McLaughlin, both of Fairview, N.C., five bass, 12-4
16th: Clemson University – Garrett Addis, Central, S.C., and Aaron Banquer-Glenn, Clemson, S.C., five bass, 12-1
17th: Bryan College – Nathan Bell, Riceville, Tenn., and Cole Sands, Dayton, Tenn., five bass, 12-0
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
This YETI FLW College Fishing Southeastern Conference at Lake Hartwell was the third and final regular-season qualifying tournament for Southeastern Conference anglers in 2017. The next YETI FLW College Fishing event is a Central Conference tournament scheduled for April 1 on the Lake of the Ozarks in Osage Beach, Missouri.
YETI FLW College Fishing teams compete in three regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top ten teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments, along with an additional qualifier for every 10 teams over 100 that compete, along with the top 20 teams from the annual YETI FLW College Fishing Open will advance to the 2018 FLW College Fishing National Championship.
College Fishing is free to enter. All participants must be registered, full-time students at a college, university or community college and members of a college fishing club that is recognized by their school.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow College Fishing on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing. Visit FLWFishing.com to sign up or to start a club at your school.
Progressive Bass Wrap-Up - Alabama Bass Trail on Eufaula
Winner interviews and weigh-in from the Alabama Bass Trails South Divisions second stop in Lake Eufaula!
Newkirk wins Bass Champs Mega Bass event taking home $15K and new Skeeter Boat with a 12.35 Pound Largemouth!
| By: Patty Lenderman |
| Mega bass, mega fun, mega wins at the 9th annual Mega Bass tournament on Lake Fork hosted by Bass Champs & the Sportsmans Auto Network on March 19, 2017. Anglers from over 24 states came to fish for their chance to win a portion of over $200,000 given away in cash and prizes at this world’s richest one-day big bass hourly event. Fifteen anglers every hour won a portion of the purse, and there were two Skeeter boats given away! Two big bass over 12 pounds were caught, but the biggest granddaddy of them all was weighed in by Benbrook, TX angler John Newkirk who took home a new Skeeter ZX200 powered by a Yamaha SHO and outfitted with Lowrance electronics and a Power Pole plus $15,000 cash.The anticipation was high for the participants and Bass Champs staff and crew leading in to this coveted event. Lake Fork is renowned for its big bass, and the weather conditions were ripe to see a lot of them at the scales. Over 1800 participants scoured the lake looking for the right spot, hoping to have the right bait, to set the hook on their big win.
The first hour showed great promise of things to come as Richard Page of Fort Worth, TX set the mark of ‘over the slot’ weight to beat, topping the hour with a 9.09 lb’r and winning the first $15,000 check. The morning had been fruitful for John Newkirk as well. “I was fishing with my brother Rodney and his best friend Brandon,” Newkirk began. “We had done some scouting a few days before the tournament, and with the weather warming as well as the water temperatures, the bass were on the verge of bedding up. A lot of other people we talked to that were fishing the tournament said they were going to fish shallow. That was great for us, because we were anticipating the bass still being a little deeper.” They made their trek to the north end of the lake in search of warmer water. Fishing in 6’-8’ depths between the bushes and the stumps with a chatter bait, Newkirk got the bite he was looking for. “I called to my brother ‘this is a BIG fish!’ She had picked up the bait and was swimming away from the stump it was on. I just knew she was going to jump, so I kept my rod down to be ready to try to keep her in the water.” John was using a 7’ heavy action rod. His brother was ready with the net. “Rodney missed her with the net, and she lunged under the boat, doubling my rod over. She was incredibly strong!” Wrestling her back out from under the boat, another attempt to net her was missed. “I was already shaking, just trying to keep ahold of her. I got her to the boat again, and she turned on her side. She was too big for the net! Brandon reached down and lipped her in the boat.” Once in the boat, they quickly filled the livewell and got her secured. “We just sat there for a few minutes, and talked about what just happened. We were all so excited. After strapping down all of our gear, we took a nice gentle ride back to the weigh in. We didn’t want to beat her up – after all, we had all day, right?” They got to the landing just four minutes after the first weigh in hour had closed. “I’ve fished tournaments before, but not a big bass event. I had thirty minutes to wait before the scales opened the next hour. The Bass Champs crew was great. They showed me how to take care of my bass while I was waiting to weigh her.” Once the scales opened, she was lifted to the scales, and her weight locked in at 12.35 pounds! Newkirk won the $15,000 1st place check for that hour, but there were five more weigh in hours to go. “I went out fishing again, but it took me a couple of hours to settle down. I knew someone could bring in a bigger fish, but if they did I couldn’t be upset about it. I already won $15,000!” As each hour came and went, more big bass over the slot were weighed. It was during the 1:00 hour that another huge one was brought in by Sam McCollum of Corsicana, TX. His big fish tipped the scales to 12.22 pounds, just two ounces behind the leader! When the scales finally came to a close, John Newkirk was declared the overall winner, and was presented his Skeeter ZX200, powered by a Yamaha SHO and outfitted with Lowrance electronics. “This is really awesome! This tournament was so much fun, I’m so glad we went. Bass Champs is a great organization and they are really good people. I’d also like to thank my brother Rodney and Brandon. Without them I would have never gotten that fish in!” Newkirk is looking forward to fishing the Bass Champs team tournaments in his new ride. “I will qualify for the Skeeter bonuses in my new lucky ride!” “We look forward to this event every year,” Chad Potts declared. “We appreciate everyone for making the trek to fish with us from so many states. All of you help make this event bigger and better, and we look forward to seeing everyone who has fished with us before and meeting those coming out for the first time. Congratulations to all of the winners in this event – we look forward to seeing you again next year!” Top hourly $15,000 winners: There are still several opportunities to fish and win in Bass Champs events. Check your calendars for your next chance to fish any one of these open events: For more information, visit www.BassChamps.com or call 817-439-3274 |
Local Organizations Partner With B.A.S.S. For Unprecedented Youth Fishing Initiative
March 20, 2017
HOUSTON — The 47th world championship of bass fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods is less than a week away. With larger venues and expected turnouts, new this year, B.A.S.S. has partnered with local organizations in Houston to bring a unique activity for kids to the event.
The Shell Bassmaster Get Hooked on Fishing presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors will be held outside at the George R. Brown Convention Center, Friday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The event will host nearly 1,000 students from the Houston Independent School District and will feature activities and experiences supported by several local companies and organizations, including the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Coastal Conservation Association, Shell, Academy Sports + Outdoors and the Harris County - Houston Sports Authority.
B.A.S.S. has been working with the HCHSA for over a year to bring this program to life and take advantage of Houston’s size and amazing diversity. It is a great opportunity to reach out to a culturally diverse group of young people who may not get the chance to fish because of their location or lack of exposure to the sport.
“After taking our Casting Kids program to Central Park in New York City a few years ago and seeing the reaction of urban youth to fishing, we recognized that this would be a unique opportunity for kids in the Houston area,” said B.A.S.S. CEO Bruce Akin.
“We appreciate our local supporters who stepped up to sponsor buses to bring these school kids down to the GRB on Friday and look forward to more youth from the Houston area coming out over the weekend. We believe if young people can have a positive encounter with fishing in their youth, they are more likely to become good stewards of our fisheries and aquatic resources as adults.”
Activities at the event will include kids casting instruction, the dogs on the dock jumping dogs, and a kids fishing pond. The TPWD, with support from the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, will also feature its Take Me Fishing/Vamos A Pescar Interpretive Trailer and Challenge, where students will learn about common Texas fish species and how to be a safe and ethical angler. The challenge is a small group activity requiring kids to answer basic fish and wildlife questions by seeking out the answers in and around the trailer. The challenge is offered in both English and Spanish, and encourages teamwork and exploration. TPWD will also promote their Fishing Tackle Loaner program that allows students to checkout rods and reels, much like a library book, removing one of the most common barriers to fishing participation.
“A Houstonian’s civic pride is a badge they wear with honor, but to see it in action is truly what it’s all about,” said Chris Massey, HCHSA director of events. “We saw just that as we encouraged our city to support the Get Hooked On Fishing initiative through community partnerships, and boy did they step up in a big way. Through their financial contributions we are able to sponsor 900 Houston Independent School District students to come out and get hooked on fishing!”
Additionally, Shell and the Coastal Conservation Association will be partnering on-site to promote conservation ethics and education among young anglers through the award-winning CCA Rising Tide youth outreach and education program.
Other activities include Bassmaster Elite Series pro Jacob Wheeler on-site signing autographs and special giveaways from Academy Sports + Outdoors for the first 1,000 children each day.
Akin also credited Bruce D. Oakley, Danilo Juvane, Laqrence Catuzzi, Callier & Garza, LLP, J. Kent Friedman, Hilltop Securities, Inc., Timber Creek Environmental, LLP and Manson B. Johnson for their help in making the Get Hooked On Fishing experience possible for so many Houston area students.
More information on the event and a full list of activities can be found on Bassmaster.com.
2017 Bassmaster Classic Title Sponsor: GEICO
2017 Bassmaster Classic Presenting Sponsor: DICK’S Sporting Goods
2017 Bassmaster Classic Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2017 Bassmaster Classic Premier Sponsors: Shell Rotella, Yamaha, Berkley, Power-Pole, Huk, Triton Boats, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Skeeter Boats
2017 Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo Presenting Sponsor: DICK’S Sporting Goods
2017 Bassmaster Classic Local Sponsors: Shipley Donuts, Academy Sports + Outdoors
About the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods
The 47th world championship of bass fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods will host 52 of the world’s best bass anglers competing for more than $1 million, March 24-26 in Houston, Texas. Competition and takeoff will begin each day at Lake Conroe Park (14968 TX-105, Montgomery, Texas) at 7:20 a.m. CT. Weigh-ins will be held daily March 24-26 at 3:15 p.m. in one of Major League Baseball’s Top 20 largest stadiums, the Houston Astros’ Minute Maid Park (501 Crawford Street, Houston, Texas).
In conjunction, the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods will be open daily only a block from Minute Maid Park at George R. Brown Convention Center, (1001 Avenida de las Americas, Houston, Texas) the largest in Classic history. Expo hours are Friday, March 24, noon – 8 p.m.; Saturday, March 25, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Sunday, March 26, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. All events are free and open to the public.
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2), social media programs and events. For more than 45 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation presented by Magellan, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Costa Bassmaster High School Series presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.
Going to Great Lengths - St. Croix debuts a half-dozen extra-long, Legend Tournament Bass casting rods at the Bassmaster Classic
Park Falls, WI (March 21, 2017) – The precision, long-distance cast – it’s the mark of the elite bass angler. The ability to hit the faraway pocket in a pad field, to reach the most remote regions of a dock, to run a crankbait on ledge in just the right window—these are the powers that separate the average bass angler from the extraordinary one. These are the angling powers that St. Croix aims to amplify with the debut of six new members in the Legend Tournament Bass casting lineup.
The new rods range from 8’ to 9’11” — yes, 9’11”.
The newer, longer Legend Tournament Bass rods take advantage of updated B.A.S.S. regulations allowing anglers to compete with rod lengths that haven’t been seen on the tournament trail in decades. Bass junkies will surely celebrate the introduction. One particular bass-head has been instrumental in the development process, and recently tasked the rods to tangle with Mexico-class bass.
“We took the full lineup from Wisconsin down to the iconic Angler’s Inn in Mexico,” says St. Croix National Accounts Manager Dan Johnston. “For almost a week, we let Lake Picachos and Lake El Salto give them everything they had.”
After six days in the Sinaloa sun, the feedback returned universal results: from hammering home long range hookups with the 8’11” MEGA Swim Bait model to punching the super-long 9’11”, the Legend Tournament Bass long rods added an incredible level of control over feisty bass. Because of their increased length, these rods give anglers more leverage over jumping bass—often eliminating a fish’s ability to clear the water (and shake a hook) with the simple dip of a rod tip
New extra-long Legend Tournment Bass available in two spinning and six spinning models.
“As rods get longer, they generally become better fish fighting tools,” adds Johnston. “These models do a very good job of that, without reaching the length of diminishing returns. Not only do they cast a long way, but if you get bit way out at the end of your cast, they pick up so much line on a sweep set that you don’t have to reel it 100,000 miles an hour to get the fish. Sometimes, you can watch your line come up like a rocket and dip your rod in the water. That can often keep the fish from jumping. It’s a beautiful thing.”
“We constantly read up on how anglers are chasing bass,” says St. Croix Rods Director of Marketing Jesse Simpkins. “It doesn’t matter if they’re chasing largemouth or smallmouth, there are a lot of techniques that benefit from the extra line pickup and super long casts offered by adding inches to the blank.”
Each Legend Tournament Bass rod is handcrafted in Park Falls, Wisconsin using St. Croix’s ART and IPC technology and fine-tuned with cutting edge components
Legend Tournament Bass features:
- Integrated Poly Curve (IPC) tooling technology.
- Advanced Reinforcing Technology (ART).
- High-modulus/high-strain SCIV graphite with FRS for unparalleled strength and durability.
- Fuji K-Series Concept Tangle Free guides with Alconite rings. Ideal for super braid, mono and fluorocarbon lines.
- Fuji PTS blank-touch reel seat on casting models.
- Machined-aluminum wind check and trim pieces.
- Split-grip/super-grade cork handle.
- Kigan hook-keeper.
- Two coats of Flex Coat slow-cure finish.
- 15-year transferable warranty backed by St. Croix Superstar Service.
MODELS:
- LBC80HMF (FLIPPIN') 8’, Heavy-Power, Moderate-Fast Action
- LBC88HF: (BULLFROG) 8’8", Heavy-Power, Fast Action
- LBC88HM: (MAGNUM CRANKER) 8’8”, Heavy-Power, Moderate-Action
- LBC811HMF: (FLIPPIN'/PUNCHIN') 8’11”, Heavy-Power, Moderate-Fast Action
- LBC811XHF: (MEGA SWIM BAIT) 8’11”, Extra-Heavy-Power, Fast Action
- LBC911HMF: (FLIPPIN'/PUNCHIN') 9’11”, Heavy-Power, Moderate-Fast Action
SULLIVAN WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE MISSISSIPPI DIVISION OPENER ON ROSS BARNETT RESERVOIR
Jackson’s Churchill tops Co-angler field
BRANDON, Miss. (March 20, 2017) – Local angler Corey Sullivan of Brandon, weighed in three bass totaling 12 pounds, 12 ounces, Saturday to win the first T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Mississippi Division event of 2017 on Ross Barnett Reservoir. Sullivan took home $5,457 for his victory.
“In the morning I fished my go-to area but there wasn’t much action,” said Sullivan, who logged his first career-win in FLW competition. “When I left, I noticed there were a lot of boats scrambling. Those two observations told me it was going to be a slow day.
“I began running points with hard bottoms,” continued Sullivan. “I threw a Black Back and Chartreuse-colored Strike King KVD Rattling Square Bill Crankbait and caught one keeper. That catch told me where the bass were in terms of depth. Everyone else was expecting them to be shallow, but the water temperature had dropped. I knew I had to slow down, so that’s what I did.”
Sullivan said he also threw a June Bug-colored Zoom Lizard and a ½-ounce black and blue-colored Strike King Hack Attack Jig.
“Most of my bass came from 4½ to 5 feet of water,” said Sullivan. “Each of my three baits ended up producing a bass that I weighed in. I knew I had solid fish, but I didn’t think a few 3- or 4-pounders was going to win it. I was pleasantly surprised.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Corey Sullivan, Brandon, Miss., three bass, 12-12, $5,457
2nd: Bradley Burns, Brandon, Miss., five bass, 12-1, $2,728
3rd: Teddy Cranford, Seminary, Miss., five bass, 11-15, $2,019
4th: Percy Jones, Brandon, Miss., five bass, 11-14, $1,273
5th: John Goul, Philadelphia, Miss., four bass, 11-8, $1,091
6th: Ramey Harrell, Brandon, Miss., five bass, 11-5, $1,000
7th: John Bailey, Terry, Miss., four bass, 11-1, $909
8th: Alan Smith, Brandon, Miss., four bass, 11-0, $919
9th: Kenny Churchill, Jackson, Miss., five bass, 10-8, $728
10th: Bob Garrison, Baldwyn, Miss., three bass, 10-6, $1,512
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Garrison caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 12 ounces – the largest of the event – which earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $875.
Nick Churchill of Jackson, Mississippi, weighed in five bass totaling 12 pounds, 10 ounces Saturday to win the Co-angler Division and the top prize of $3,317.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Nick Churchill, Jackson, Miss., five bass, 12-10, $3,317
2nd: Mike Allen, Crystal Springs, Miss., four bass, 9-6, $1,395
3rd: Weston Smedley, Birmingham, Ala., three bass, 8-12, $899
4th: David Hug, Collierville, Tenn., two bass, 6-14, $628
5th: Kameron Johnson, Brandon, Miss., two bass, 6-13, $538
6th: Jason Swanner, West Memphis, Ark., four bass, 6-11, $493
7th: Jason Rankin, Flora, Miss., three bass, 6-6, $448
8th: Daniel Corkern, Florence, Miss., two bass, 6-2, $404
9th: Lance Jackson, Starkville, Miss., two bass, 5-15, $359
10th: Nicholas Quaintance, Russellville, Ala., three bass, 5-12, $314
Churchill also caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing 4 pounds, 7 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $427.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 19-21 BFL Regional Championship on the Red River in Bossier City, Louisiana. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
Carhartt Countdown to Blastoff with Alan McGuckin & Gerald Swindle - The Bassmasters Classic!
In todays Carhartt Countdown to Blastoff our buddy Alan McGuckin catches up with good friend the G-Man, Gerald Swindle to discuss wintertime Classics and the spring like weather in Houston and Lake Conroe this week. Check it out!
GEORGIA’S PARKINSON WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE CHOO CHOO DIVISION TOURNAMENT ON LAKE GUNTERSVILLE
Clayton tops Co-angler field
GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. (March 20, 2017) – Andy Parkinson of Dalton, Georgia, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 23 pounds, 4 ounces, Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Choo Choo Division event on Lake Guntersville. Parkinson took home $4,385 for his victory.
Parkinson said he started his day fishing a ditch toward the back of a mid-lake creek.
“The flat I was sitting on was 4-feet-deep, and the ditch reached down to about 6½ feet,” said Parkinson, who earned his first career-win in BFL competition. “The edges of the ditch had scattered milfoil, but its bottom was fairly clean. I caught my first keeper on a Rayburn Red-colored Booyah One Knocker.”
After a while, Parkinson said he followed bass along the ditch as they made their way to spawning beds.
“I targeted some lily pads with a black and blue-colored swimjig rigged with a Strike King Rage Craw,” said Parkinson. “I caught a 7-pound, 9-ouncer – my largest of the day – and a 4-pounder soon after.”
Parkinson said he returned to the ditch and put another 4-pound bass in the boat – all by 10:30 a.m.
“Around 1:45 p.m., I picked up a shad-colored vibrating jig and caught my last keeper, which was just shy of 3 pounds,” said Parkinson. “That one sealed that deal for me. I knew I had a decent limit of fish, but I thought someone may beat me with bass from the Guntersville bridges. Luckily my five held up.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Andy Parkinson, Dalton, Ga., five bass, 23-4, $4,385
2nd: Casey Martin, New Hope, Ala., five bass, 22-8, $3,113
3rd: Douglas Webster, Pinson, Ala., five bass, 21-14, $1,663
4th: Triston Crowder, Lawrenceburg, Tenn., five bass, 21-1, $1,123
5th: Bryon Luman, Scottsboro, Ala., five bass, 20-9, $877
6th: Alex Davis, Albertville, Ala., five bass, 20-8, $804
7th: Ricky Chappell, Warrior, Ala., five bass, 20-2, $731
8th: Tony Harvey, Killen, Ala., five bass, 19-0, $658
9th: Derek Remitz, Grant, Ala., five bass, 18-14, $585
10th: Justin Wallace, Meridianville, Ala., five bass, 18-8, $512
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Martin caught a bass weighing 8 pounds, 3 ounces – the largest of the event – which earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $620.
Paul Clayton of Cohutta, Georgia, weighed in five bass totaling 20 pounds, 6 ounces Saturday to win the Co-angler Division and the top prize of $2,393.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Paul Clayton, Cohutta, Ga., five bass, 20-6, $2,393
2nd: Zach Britton, Hazel Green, Ala., five bass, 18-1, $1,456
3rd: Corey Williams, Lenoir City, Tenn., five bass, 16-2, $730
4th: Stephen Barday, Acworth, Ga., five bass, 14-3, $512
5th: Chris Walters, Dayton, Tenn., five bass, 13-2, $439
6th: Chad Biddle, Shelbyville, Ky., three bass, 12-15, $402
7th: Benny Medlen, Scottsboro, Ala., four bass, 12-1, $365
8th: Daniel Davis, Albertville, Ala., four bass, 11-15, $329
9th: Bruce Stanley, Jasper, Ala., four bass, 11-8, $292
10th: Mike McLamb, Hartselle, Ala., four bass, 11-3, $256
Britton caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing 8 pounds, 1 ounce. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $310.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional Championship on Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Alabama. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
PINEY FLATS’ NEAL WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE VOLUNTEER DIVISION OPENER ON NORRIS LAKE
Wartburg’s Kelly claims Co-angler title
NEW TAZEWELL, Tenn. (March 20, 2017) – Larry Neal of Piney Flats, Tennessee, weighed a 17-pound, 11-ounce limit of bass Saturday to win the first T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Volunteer Division event of 2017 on Norris Lake. Neal’s five bass were enough to earn him the top prize of $4,743.
According to tournament reports, Neal caught his fish in the mid-lake area, fishing a hair jig in 20-feet of water.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Larry Neal, Piney Flats, Tenn., five bass, 17-11, $4,743
2nd: Frankie Dople, Newcomb, Tenn., five bass, 16-10, $2,082
3rd: Archie Wilson Jr., Corryton, Tenn., five bass, 14-13, $1,587
4th: Bryan Leonard, Blountville, Tenn., five bass, 13-15, $1,071
5th: Jonathan Bowling, Harriman, Tenn., five bass, 13-14, $833
6th: Brandon Brock, Mayking, Ky., five bass, 13-6, $763
7th: Kevin Powers, Unicoi, Tenn., five bass, 12-10, $694
8th: Jordan Card, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 12-6, $625
9th: Peter Balishin, Sharps Chapel, Tenn., three bass, 11-15, $555
10th: James Dial, Jacksboro, Tenn., four bass, 11-7, $486
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Neal also weighed a 4-pound, 10-ounce bass – the largest of the event – which earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $580.
Darren Kelly of Wartburg, Tennessee, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 10 pounds, 1 ounce Saturday to win the Co-angler Division and $2,000.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Darren Kelly, Wartburg, Tenn., five bass, 10-1, $2,000
2nd: Talmadge Marcum, McKee, Ky., three bass, 9-12, $1,000
3rd: Doug Austin, Bristol, Va., three bass, 9-8, $666
4th: Matthew Speights, Mascot, Tenn., three bass, 6-8, $567
5th: Kibbee McCoy, Morristown, Tenn., two bass, 6-6, $450
6th: Curtis Hall II, Battle Creek, Mich., three bass, 5-11, $367
7th: Jordan McDeerman, Caryville, Tenn., two bass, 5-9, $333
8th: Jose Ramirez, Barbourville, Ky., three bass, 5-5, $300
9th: Doug Adkins, Gray Hawk, Ky., three bass, 5-2, $267
10th: Noah Newport, Knoxville, Tenn., three bass, 5-0, $233
Justin McGaha of Knoxville, Tennessee, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing 3 pounds, 15 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $135.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional Championship on the James River in Williamsburg, Virginia. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
9 Lives…Literally - Special from Seaguar
Seaguar proudly supports nine contenders in the 2017 Bassmaster Classic
New York, NY (March 20, 2017) – There’s a “fine line” between winning and losing – like a low-diameter, abrasion-resistant fishing line. And there’s hope that one – or more – of those fine lines will be cast by Seaguar’s nine pros fishing in the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic.
The site, Texas’ Lake Conroe, is a reservoir well-known for producing double digit largemouth, including a lake-record fish caught in 2009 that nearly eclipsed the 16-pound mark. On a lake that is renowned for excellent water quality, no line will play a bigger part in keeping anglers connected to their finned quarry than Seaguar. Indeed, with nine Seaguar pros bringing fat sacks of largemouth to the Classic scales every day, be prepared to learn why savvy anglers across the world turn to Seaguar when the money, especially the BIG money, is on the line.
(Shaw Grigsby)
Seaguar Fresh Faces
The Bassmaster Classic is a dynamic venue for learning about the prowess of bass fishing’s up-and-comers, and this year’s Classic will include three Seaguar pros from the Elite Series with relatively limited experience on fishing’s biggest stage: Drew Benton, the 2016 Elite Series Rookie of the Year and a first-timer at the Bassmaster Classic; James Elam, who will be blasting off on his second Classic trip; and Jordan Lee, who will be competing in his third Classic event.
Benton and Elam have limited experience on Lake Conroe, consisting of short, “getting-to-know-you” trips before the lake went off-limits to Classic competitors. Being new to a lake has its advantages, however, as Elam and Benton won’t be tempted to fish memories; instead, they will focus solely on the conditions that this year’s Classic delivers to them on game day.
Both of these Seaguar fresh faces agree that this year’s mild winter will have a large proportion of the lake’s lunker largemouth in a post-spawn pattern, where flipping or pitching Texas-rigged plastics to shallow cover could be a pathway to the podium on Sunday.
(Drew Benton) Photo courtesy of B.A.S.S.
Seasoned Seaguar veterans
Team Seaguar will also include five seasoned veterans of the Elite series, including one angler who has fished his way into the Classic from the Bassmaster Open circuit. These experienced competitors include Chris Zaldain, an experienced Texas bass angler who has cashed a check in 44 of his 65 competitive events; Cliff Pirch, a southwesterner from Arizona who, like Zaldain, is always a favorite to land in the money; Keith Combs, an accomplished pro who has fished six tournaments on Lake Conroe in addition to his five Bassmaster Classic appearances; Brandon Palaniuk, the young gun from Idaho with past fall tournament experience on Lake Conroe; and Cliff Crochet, who qualified for this year’s Classic by winning the Bassmaster Central Open on the Atchafalaya Basin.
The patterns these pros will rely on are as varied as the tournament experiences that have brought each of them to this year’s Classic. For example, Keith Combs and Cliff Crochet both recognize that the mild Texas winter will not have bass locked into one pattern, but instead, available in all three phases of the spawn and perhaps beyond! Brandon Palaniuk agrees that multiple techniques could be used to collect a championship-worthy weight, with dock fishing playing a major role among Classic competitors.
A Seaguar Senior Statesman
Every fishing team has a leader, a senior statesman, a “Mr. Been-there-done-that.” On team Seaguar, that angler is Shaw Grigsby, renowned as one of the greatest sight-fishermen of all time, who will be making his 16th Bassmaster Classic appearance. Like many of his Seaguar teammates, Grigsby agrees that bass will be in a post-spawn mode, and interestingly, he is looking forward to a hot topwater bite. Asked how he might approach Lake Conroe’s abundant structure, Grigsby said that he plans to rely heavily on jig fishing, especially when incorporating Seaguar Smackdown braid. Grigsby adds that, beyond its strength, Smackdown, “cuts through the water nicely due to its round shape, and is also very quiet through the guides.”
Seaguar Keys to Success
There is no more intimate connection between the nine Seaguar pros fishing the Bassmaster Classic than the lines they use to spool their reels. An overwhelming majority of these anglers will rely on Seaguar InvizX during the Classic. Essentially invisible, and therefore perfect for Lake Conroe’s clear waters, InvizX is a soft, supple, castable 100% fluorocarbon line that is designed to dominate freshwater fishing.
Team Seaguar pros who pitch and flip to heavy cover and to Conroe’s abundant docks will be spooled with Seaguar AbrazX. This advanced 100% fluorocarbon line boasts double the abrasion resistance of other fluorocarbons, and could be the key to inviting a double-digit largemouth for a livewell ride.
Finally, those competitors who will swing for the fences and fish fierce will be spooled with Seagur Tatsu. Tatsu, a 100% fluorocarbon line, which borrows its name from the Japanese word for “Dragon”, is a unique, double-structured line that represents the fusion of two different fluorocarbon resins, delivering a line with superior strength and unmatched softness.
We wish all of our Team Seaguar pros “tight lines” and the best of luck in the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic!
NORTH CAROLINA’S BURNS WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE SHENANDOAH DIVISION OPENER ON SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE
Stuart’s Pilson tops Co-angler Division
HUDDLESTON, Va. (March 20, 2017) – Shane Burns of Durham, North Carolina, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 19 pounds, 10 ounces, Saturday to win the first T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Shenandoah Division event of 2017 on Smith Mountain Lake. Burns took home $6,042 for his victory.
“I’ve been so close to winning before, and I have wanted one of those big winner trophies for a long time,” said Burns, who earned his first career win in FLW competition after 15 previous top-10 finishes. “I have so many of the fish hook trophies that they give out to the top-10, but it was so awesome to finally get over that hump and get the win.”
Burns said that he caught his winning limit by fishing points in pockets in Craddock Creek. He was originally targeting smallmouth with a jerkbait, but found an area where big females were staging for the spawn and capitalized with a green-pumpkin Dave’s Tournament Tackle football jig with a Dave’s Tournament Tackle Sweet Tail Craw, also in green-pumpkin.
Burns said that he caught eight keepers throughout the day – seven largemouth and one smallmouth – and weighed in five largemouth.
“I had given up on trying to find the deep fish and was planning on committing to the docks, but my Lowrance unit showed me those big largemouth were there. They weren’t stacked up, but I worked the point up and down, both sides. There were enough females there to get me a good limit.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Shane Burns, Durham, N.C., five bass, 19-10, $4,042 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Brian Calloway, Danville, Va., five bass, 19-5, $2,021
3rd: Dennis Burdette, Lindside, W. Va., five bass, 16-7, $1,282
4th: Mike Altizer, Hardy, Va., five bass, 16-1, $896
5th: Benjamin Clark, Smithfield, Va., five bass, 15-7, $768
6th: Steve Wagner, Raleigh, N.C., five bass, 15-1, $704
7th: Andy Francis, Chester, Va., four bass, 14-11, $640
8th: Rick Tilley, Moneta, Va., five bass, 14-10, $576
9th: Ben Reynolds, Callands, Va., four bass, 14-8, $512
10th: Chad Pilson, Bassett, Va., four bass, 14-0, $448
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Todd Harris of Clemmons, North Carolina, caught a 7-pound, 6-ounce bass, which was the heaviest of the tournament in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $510.
Elliot Pilson of Stuart, Virginia, weighed in four bass totaling 9 pounds, 11 ounces Saturday to win the Co-angler Division and the top prize of $1,921.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Elliot Pilson, Stuart, Va., four bass, 9-11, $1,921
2nd: Timothy Kinder, Culpeper, Va., five bass, 9-5, $960
3rd: Michael Wade, Midlothian, Va., three bass, 8-13, $641
4th: John Poos, Manassas, Va., two bass, 7-6, $448
5th: Dick Allen, Sumerduck, Va., two bass, 7-4, $384
6th: Isaac Jones, Shawsville, Va., two bass, 6-13, $352
7th: Zack Stamper, Rural Retreat, Va., two bass, 6-12, $320
8th: Rob Hilliard, Roanoke, Va., two bass, 5-13, $288
9th: Tony Toombs, Drakes Branch, Va., two bass, 5-12, $256
10th: Matt McCluskey, Ashburn, Va., one bass, 5-11, $479
McCluskey weighed a 5-pound, 11-ounce bass which earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award and an additional $255.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 19-21 BFL Regional Championship on Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Georgia. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
Thomas wins ABA RAM Trucks Open event on Okeechobee with over 30 pounds!!!
Nathan Thomas of Weirsdale, Florida won the American Bass Anglers Ram Truck Open Series Florida South tournament, held March 18th on Lake Okeechobee.
Running out of Scott Driver Park in Okeechobee, Florida Nathan caught five bass weighing 30.17 pounds, including a big bass that topped the scales at 7.66-pounds. For the Boater division victory, Thomas took home a check for $5,000 for his win and an additional $850 for the big bass.
“First I want to thank God, My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I had a week where I didn’t get to practice and I just went fishing. God was with me today. I caught fish all kind of ways. I caught some on a spook, on the bed, some flipping, and some on a frog. I ran all over the since I haven’t been on the lake in a month. The farthest I ran was the Monkey-Box. I lost a few sight fishing today that got in some really thick stuff and came off. I could’ve had 40-pounds today! I want to thank my sponsor, Paul Davis Restorations out of Jacksonville, this is the first year I’ve been with them and they have taken care of all my expenses this year and I am thankful for them.” Thomas said.
In second for the Boaters, Victor Knight of Lehigh Acres, Florida landed a five-bass tournament limit going 21.23 pounds. He collected $1,630 for the effort. “I caught my fish on a 3/8oz Chatter-bait all day. I had four rods rigged all with Chatter-baits, two with green pumpkin and two with black and blue. I was looking for fish on bluegill. There were boats around me all day but they were fishing different than I was. I just stayed on the trolling motor all day ripping the Chatter-baits through the pads. I straightened out three hooks on those baits. I don’t think I would’ve had 30 pounds but I could’ve had upper 20’s. It’s tough when you’re having a good day but then having a bad day at the same time. I worked the same 400-yard stretch all day.” Knight said.
Thadeus Ragan of West Park, Florida took third for the Boaters with five bass going 19.53 pounds. He earned $1,090 for his catch. “I was throwing a white fluke all day catching numbers of fish. I just kept culling up to get the bag I had today. I didn’t practice, I just went fishing and had fun today.” Ragan said.
Finishing fourth, Tony Bennett of Fort Lauderdale, Florida landed a five-bass limit for 18.75 pounds.
Austin Schroeder of Zephyrhills, Florida rounded out the top five Boaters with five bass at 16.93 pounds.
In the Co-Angler division, Brian Reeves of Sebring, Florida won with three bass going 13.67 pounds. He pocketed a check for $2,000 for his win.
“We were at Tin-House and I caught my fish on a swim-jig. I was concentrating on reeds and pads out in the open water. My bigger fish came in the morning and caught the rest after noon. We caught a lot of fish today. I want to thank my boater, Tim Ezell, he had us on fish today. We probably caught 30 fish today.” Reeves said.
Taking second for the Co-Anglers, Brandon St. Pierre of Hollywood, Florida brought in a three-bass division limit weighing 11.89 pounds. He collected $700 for the effort. “I was fishing the North end of the lake today. I caught my fish on a burner worm and a fluke. I lost one good fish today that would have helped me win it today.” St. Pierre said.
Cesar Jaimes of Davenport, Florida placed third among the Co-Anglers with three bass going 10.86 pounds. He earned $425 for his catch. “We bounced around everywhere today and I was throwing a worm, a swim-bait, and a swim-jig. Just a little bit of everything.” Jaimes said.
In fourth place among the Co-Anglers, Conrad Binetti of Stuart, Florida brought in three bass for 10.61 pounds.
Luke Campbell of Fort Lauderdale, Florida finished in fifth place with three bass at 10.30 pounds.
The biggest bass for the Co-Anglers was caught by Tomas Gomez of Kissimmee, Florida that weighed 7.13 pounds and pocketed $345 for the big bass award.
“I caught that fish around 1:30pm today on a Bitter’s Bait watermelon-red Mega-Vibe worm.” Gomez said.
Slated for June 3rd, the next tournament will be held on Lake Okeechobee out of Scott Driver Park in Okeechobee, FL. At the end of the season, the best anglers from across the nation advance the 2018 Ray Scott Championship to be held on the Red River near Shreveport, Louisiana.
For more information on this tournament, call Billy Benedetti, tournament manager, at (256)230-5632 or ABA at (256)232-0406. On line, see www.ramopenseries.com.
About American Bass Anglers: American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler and at the same time offer each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers, the Ram Truck Open Series, the American Fishing Tour or the American Couples Series, visit www.americanbassanglers.com.
James Wall wins ABA Ram Trucks Open event on Badin Lake with 17 pound limit!
James Wall of Greensboro, North Carolina won the American Bass Anglers Ram Truck Open Series North Carolina division tournament held 3/18/2017 on Badin Lake.
Running out of the Alcoa Landing in Badin, North Carolina, James caught five bass weighing 17.40 pounds. He anchored his bag with a 7.72 pound kicker. For the Boater division victory, Wall took home a check for $5,000.
"I caught my fish, fishing shallow points with grass using a jig and a chatterbait," said Wall.
In second for the Boaters, Chad Poteat of Mt. Airy, North Carolina landed a five bass tournament limit going 16.99 pounds with a 4.44 pound kicker. He collected $1,050 for the effort. "I caught my fish early on a Zoom Crankbait. I had 8 bites all day," state Poteat.
Bryan New of Belmont North, Carolina took third for the Boaters with five bass weighing 16.70 pounds. His limit earned him $800. "I caught my fish just junk fishing said New. I caught them offshore and I caught them on the bank. They bit good early but the bite stopped for me around 10:00 am," stated New.
Finishing fourth, Travis Williams of Salisbury, North Carolina landed a five bass limit for 16.09 pounds.
Kelly Logan from Morganton, North Carolina rounded out the top five Boaters with five bass at 15.48 pounds.
The biggest bass for the Boaters was caught by Robert Walser of Lexington, North Carolina. His monster bass weighed in at 10.63 pounds. The big bass earned Walser an additional $595. Being the big bass of the tournament Walser also won an ABU Garcia SX reel valued at $160 for catching the bass using an ABU Garcia reel.
In the Co-Angler division, Martin Rushing of Midland, North Carolina won with three bass going 11.10 pounds. He sealed his victory with a 4.33 pound kicker to pocket a check for $1,200.
"I caught most of my fish early fishing deep rocks with a crankbait," Rushing stated.
Taking second for the Co-Anglers, Chet Beam from Shelby, North Carolina brought in a three-bass division limit weighing 9.48 pounds. He collected $500 for the effort. "I happened to be paired with the winning boater and he was a good partner. I caught my early fish on a senko and a crankbait. I caught some fish later in the day on a jig," said Beam.
John Harris of Lexington, North Carolina placed third among the Co-Anglers with three bass going 9.04 pounds. He anchored his catch with a 3.22 pound kicker to earn $350. "I caught my fish using a shakeyhead with a finesse worm around rocks," said Harris.
In fourth place among the Co-Anglers, Aaron Digh of Denver, North Carolina weighed in three bass weighing 7.37 pounds.
James Salloum of Waxhaw, North Carolina finished in fifth place with three bass at 7.21 pounds.
The biggest bass for the Co-Anglers was caught by Martin Rushing of Midland, North Carolina and weighed 4.33 pounds. Rushing collected an additional $195.
Slated for 05/06/2017 the next divisional tournament will be held on Lake Wylie out of the South Point access located in Belmont North Carolina. At the end of the season, the best anglers from across the nation advance the 2018 Ray Scott Championship, slated for the Red River in Shreveport-Bossier Louisiana in April 2018.
For more information on this tournament, call Rodney Michael, tournament manager, at 256-497-0967 or ABA at 256-232-0406. On line, see www.ramopenseries.com.
About American Bass Anglers: American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler and at the same time offer each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers, the Ram Truck Open Series, the American Fishing Tour or the American Couples Series, visit www.americanbassanglers.com.
Allen wins American Bass Anglers RAM Trucks Open on Palestine with over 22 pounds!
Michael Allen of Bogata, Texas won the American Bass Anglers Ram Truck Open Series Texas East division tournament, held March 18th on Lake Palestine, TX.
Running out of The Villages Marina near Noonday, Texas the Bogota, Texas angler caught an awesome five fish limit weighing 22.41 pounds. For the Boater division victory, Allen took home a check for $5,000.
“I was boat 57 today. I went to Flat Creek. There was a bit of a crowd in there so I took my time working my way through them. I picked a couple up on a frog but once I got back to where I wanted to be I did most of my damage on a chatterbait. I think there was a shad spawn going on and I caught them all morning. I probably caught about 20 fish. It turned out to be a real good day.” Allen said. Michael also earned $1,000 from Mercury Outboards.
In second for the Boaters, David Gillham of Heath, Texas landed a five-bass limit for 21.34 pounds. His bag was anchored by a 6.76-pound kicker. He collected $1,050 for the effort.
“Well, caught a 5-pounder on a bed yesterday. I went back to her first thing this morning thinking it would be a good way to start the day and couldn’t get her to bite. I made a fan cast from there and caught one around 6 pounds. I made a few more casts and caught another one that was over 6 pounds. Probably the big bass I had. I left that area and went to a few other spots to fill out my limit but that 5 lber was still on my mind. I didn’t think I had caught her so I went back. I flipped up to the bed and my line started swimming off. I set the hook and my line broke… So, I didn’t get her but if I hadn’t found that fish I wouldn’t have caught the other two? It is what it is but it turned out well.” Gillham said.
Todd Pierce of Tyler, Texas took third for the Boaters with five bass going 19.45 pounds anchored by a 6.01 to earn $800.
“Started out south, 6 pounds on first cast, 3rd cast, 2 off a bed, ran the whole lake and caught 5 keepers but never culled.” said Pierce.
In fourth, John Maxey of Tyler, Texas came in with 19.42 pounds.
Finishing fifth, Ronnie Kelley of Tyler, Texas with 19.15 pounds.
The biggest bass for the Boaters was caught by David Gillham that weighed 6.76-pounds. Gillham pocketed $560 for his fish.
In the Co-Angler division, Jeffrey Grubbs Sr. of Goodrich, Texas topped the Co-Anglers. Jeff had three bass weigh in at 8.34 pounds. He anchored his bag with a bass weighing 3.61 pounds to pocket a check for $1,200.
“Well, we ran up North, fished shallow, and I did not have a fish in the boat until noon. Once I was able to break the ice with the first one I started getting bites and was even able to cull a couple. I picked up one here and one there and I am obviously happy with the outcome.” Grubbs said.
Taking second for the Co-Anglers, Martin Montfort, of Corsicana, Texas brought in two bass weighing 6.42 pounds anchored with a 4.73. He collected $400 for the effort. “Man, what a tough day. I had one bite that made all the difference today with my big fish. I didn’t think I would be up here finishing 2nd over these guys and one shy of a limit so it was obviously tough on everyone. Windy all week and today was almost picture perfect weather but I am happy with the outcome.” said Marty.
Jason Prestridge of Paradise, Texas placed third among the Co-Anglers with three bass going 5.55 pounds to earn $350. “Pretty slow for the most part. I didn’t have anything until 30 minutes before we came in. I threw a crankbait around some chunk rock and caught one, got the next one on a dock, and managed one more keeper just before we came in. My entire day happened that fast.” said Jason.
In fourth place among the Co-Anglers, Brandon Foard of Flint, Texas brought in two bass for 4.74 pounds.
Michael Nantz of Ben Wheeler, Texas finished in fifth place with two bass at 4.47 pounds. Both anglers are from Farmerville, Louisiana.
The biggest bass for the Co-Anglers was caught by Martin Montfort at 4.73-pounds. Marty took home another check for $185 for his fish.
Slated for May 20th, the next divisional tournament will be held on Lake O’ The Pines, launching from Johnson Creek Ramp, near Avinger, TX. At the end of the season, the best anglers from across the nation advance to the Ray Scott Championship, slated for April of 2018 on the Red River in Bossier City, LA.
For more information on this tournament, call Chris Wayand, tournament manager, at (256)230-5627 or ABA at (256)232-0406. On line, see www.ramopenseries.com.
About American Bass Anglers: American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler and at the same time offer each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers, the Ram Truck Open Series, the American Fishing Tour or the American Couples Series, visit
Kokoszka and Correll Win Chattanooga Bass Association Bass Tournament with over 30 pounds!!!
CHATTANOOGA (WRCB) - The team of Logan Kokoszka and Anthony Correll caught a 5 bass limit weighing 30.50 pounds to top the field of 174 anglers to win first place and $2,000.00 in the Coca Cola of Chattanooga C.B.A. March Bass Tournament. This tournament was held Saturday, March 18th out of Chester Frost Boat Ramp.
Logan said “We got a slow start and then got a big one, we got 2 more in that area and things started looking up. We then moved to another point that was usually good for one fish and caught 2 more good ones , it was over at 11:30 a.m.. This is our second C.B.A.win .
Derek McCullough had big bass of this event weighing 9.97 pounds and Ron Willerson and Logan Kokoszka had 2nd big bass weighing in at 8.75 pounds.
Shane Frazier said “Special thanks to Coca Cola of Chattanooga for their sponsorship of this event ”.
All fish caught in this event were released back into Lake Chickamauga.
The top 10 money winners are as follows:
- Kokoszka and Correll, 30.50 lbs., $2000.00
- McCullough and McCullough, 28.96 lbs., $900.00
- James and James, 27.64lbs., $800.00
- Copenhaver and Dysart, 24.95 lbs., $700.00
- Lamb and Porter24.76., $600.00
- Dotson and Brown 23.76 lbs., $500.00
- Frazier and George, 22.93 lbs., $400.00
- Vandercammen and Johnson., $400.00
- Wofford and Wofford 18.58 lbs., $350.00
- Cofer and Wendorf 18.58lbs. , $350.00
For more info visit: www.cbatournament.com
Whited and Scott best 254 teams on Lake LBJ For Texas Tournament Zone Win with 32.19 Limit and 10.65 BIG Fish!
LIFE IN THE BASS LANE - Special from Raymarine Electronics
For the Raymarine-sponsored Lane brothers, family and fishing go hand in hand
WILSONVILLE, OR (March 17, 2016) – Fiercely competitive and fiercely loyal to family; Bassmaster Elite Series pros Chris and Bobby Lane bring to the bass fishing arena a refreshing blend of down-home charm and an ever-present potential for absolute fireworks.
These accomplished Raymarine pros both hail from Central Florida; and while Chris has spent the past handful of years in Guntersville, Ala., Bobby kept his residence in Lakeland. Prior to launching full-time fishing careers, Bobby owned and operated a landscaping business and Chris worked outside sales in Central Florida’s phosphate mining industry. Both recall pivotal moments that put them on course to the livelihoods they now enjoy.
(Chris Lane) Photo courtesy B.A.S.S.
“Growing up in Central Florida with lakes all around us and bass fishing is what we did; but once we realized you can make money at it, that was pretty awesome because it had been a dream of ours for a long time,” Chris said.
For him, claiming his first win — a 2006 Bassmaster Southern Open on Lake Okeechobee — lit the fuse on what has become an explosive career.
“That was the event that made my career possible,” he recalls. “The financial help was a big part, but the confidence boost was enormous.”
Bobby recalls his epiphany: “When my brother qualified for the Bass Fishing League (BFL) Regional in 2001. I said ‘Well if he can do it, I can do it.”
Fueled with this motivation, Bobby put his ambition to the test when he qualified to fish the BFL All-American on the Mobile Delta in May 2003. Finishing third earned him a $10,000 prize and stoked his fire in a big way.
“I said ‘I like the fishing more than I do the lawn business,’ so I fished the rest of that year and made some pretty good money at it,” Bobby recalls. “I decided to try and run the lawn company at the same time. I was actually losing money, so I decided to pursue my professional fishing career.
“It was that $10,000 check that I got on the Mobile Delta many years ago that allowed me to venture into the bass fishing world.”
FAMILY PRIDE
Bobby and Chris’s older brother Arnie works full-time in sales for the family’s polyurethane/rubber lining business, which services the phosphate and amusement park industries. He fishes the Bassmaster Southern Opens and takes great pride in seeing his younger brothers excel at the sport’s highest level.
“I think it’s great when you follow whatever drives your heart,” he said. “If you want to become the best at what you do and follow your dream, if it works out, then that’s wonderful.
With all of us growing up fishing together, we can all relate to that. Doing it professionally and making a living at it is a blessing. But we all still love to fish, even outside of tournaments, just for the peace and enjoyment of the outdoors. It’s in our blood.” Noting that his “big brother” door is always open for advice, encouragement and, if need be, a firm opinion; Arnie said that camaraderie born of countless hours on the water intertwines three souls whose collective closeness defies the miles that sometimes separate them.
“Since we were five years old, our granddad took us fishing almost every weekend. It was inexpensive entertainment that provided a lot of family bonding time. It also provided a lot of food for us and, to this day, we still like to eat bass and other freshwater and saltwater fish.
“As we’ve gotten older, we’ve continued this tradition with our dad and granddad and that’s kept us all close. Even now in our 40s, hardly two days go by that we’re not talking about a tournament.”
(Bobby Lane) Photo by Ricky Bodsford
BY THE NUMBERS
A quick look at the stats tell a tale of two individuals who clearly made the right decision to fish for a living. Bobby has amassed 30 top-10 Elite finishes, including a 2009 win on Kentucky Lake. He’s fished in nine Bassmaster Classics and came close in 2015 with a second-place finish on Lake Hartwell.
Bobby got his start in FLW competition with a strong track record in Costa FLW Series and Bass Fishing League tournaments. There, he earned 24 top-10s with two wins and one Forrest Wood Cup appearance. His combined career earnings are nearly $1.6 million.
Chris has built an impressive resume, with 27 Elite Series top-10s, six Classic appearances and seven victories (three on the Elites, three in the Bassmaster Opens and the 2012 Classic on the Red River). He also fished FLW events in his early years, where he compiled nine top-10s with one win on the Costa FLW Series. Chris’ career winnings total over $1.97 million.
COMPETITORS AND KINFOLK
Family members in the same competitive arena — that’s pure human interest mind candy. Do they get along? Do they cooperate? Well, such things take time. You gotta round off the edges, see the big picture and recognize who’s got your back.
Chris makes this point crystal clear: Notwithstanding their familial bond, both he and his brother want to beat everyone in the field at every event and that includes one another.
Bobby broke it down real for us.
“In the beginning, it was like: he’s not paying my bills, I’m not paying his bills; you go catch your fish, I’ll go catch my fish; we were true competitors,” Bobby said. “Moving forward now, having my brother on the Elite Series with me has actually strengthened our relationship — like we were when we were younger.
“It costs a lot of money to be a professional fisherman and when you first get into it without sponsors, which neither of had a lot of sponsors, it’s tough to survive. Now that we’ve gotten ourselves established in the sport, and we’re both a little bit better off, we have become true brothers; blood to the core. I know if I need anything to call him and he knows the same about me.”
Bobby said he and Chris try to keep one another tuned into each event’s key details of habitat and tactics. Two sets of eyes looking with mutual interest make it easier to dial in the game plan, especially given their similar fishing styles.
“The biggest thing about having your brother on the tour and having another brother as a professional fisherman is that you have somebody you can trust, you have somebody you can relate to with the situations that come up,” Chris adds. “If you ever need anything, you know you have someone there that will help you.
Photo courtesy of B.A.S.S.
RAY SAVES THE DAY
In addition to counting on one another, both Lanes have come to rely heavily on their Raymarine electronics. Noting that the old days of sticking a rod in the water to check his depth are long gone, Bobby said his Raymarine eS127 MFDs prove indispensable from shallow Florida lakes, to the glacial bodies of northern tournaments. Regardless of depth, he said, it’s all about understanding what’s below.
“I want to know everything I’m looking at on the bottom; I want to know everything around me,” Bobby states. “I want to know that the topographic features are where I want to be; and I want to know how I can navigate there.”
Clarity is key, for navigation and target identification. Case in point, at the first Elite event of 2017 on Tennessee’s Lake Cherokee, Bobby spent much of his time vertically dropping to specific fish that he identified on his screen.
“One thing that is very important to me is how clear my bait appears when I drop it past my trolling motor and I can see it just off the bottom,” he said. “I’ve played with other units before, but Raymarine definitely has the clearest, most sensitive screen I have ever seen.
“At Lake Cherokee, it was so obvious when a fish came up and looked at my bait and when there was nothing there at all. My Raymarine eS127 let me know exactly what was going on down there and keeping the bait on the graph at a times so I could see what it was doing was very easy.”
Sharing such observations has become something of a brotherly bonding element.
“It really helps having Chris and I on the Elite Series and Arnie (fishing regional events), because we help one another maximize our Raymarine units,” Bobby said. “I can say ‘Chris, look at this on your graph and try it. Here are 15 spots that look exactly the same.’ Or he can say, ‘Bob, get in this depth of water.’”
Available later this spring, Raymarine® Axiom™ units feature built-in RealVision 3D™ sonar, the all-new LightHouse 3 operating system, and blazing quad-core performance.
Admitting that he simply cannot compete without his Raymarine eS128, Chris makes an interesting observation about such reliance.
“It can play to your advantage, but if you don’t know how to operate your electronics, it can play to your disadvantage,” he said. “I know for sure that Raymarine has enabled me to be successful by making these units very simple for me to understand.”
A big fan of that crisp CHIRP clarity, Chris also appreciates the reliability of his unit’s precise mapping functions. This came in handy during his 2015 Elite Series win on the Sabine River. Navigating long stretches of often narrow waterways proved challenging, but with Raymarine guiding his course, he found his way in and out of the key areas.
“When you have to make a long run, that Raymarine mapping is key,” he said.
Another example of electronics impact came during Chris’ third-place effort at the 2015 Elite Series event on Lake St. Clair. Big smallmouth tend to congregate around particular types of bottom — in this case, grass clumps — and being able to identify these high-percentage spots kept him around the right fish.
Echoing these thoughts, Arnie said he’s particularly fond of the superior sonar and DownVision imagery he gets on his 9-inch aSeries touch screen units. His national travel may be less than his siblings, but competition takes him out of state throughout the year and dependable electronics has helped him expand past the familiar.
“Those are my eyes underwater,” he said. I feel like that can help me target the areas that I’m still learning, which are away from the shallow zone of five feet or less, that we grew up with in Florida.
“When I’m fishing offshore in those deeper lakes, the clarity of my Raymarine electronics helps me expand my understanding of these waters. We pretty much have the shallow stuff figured out, but the great image my Raymarine units give me has helped me get a handle on deeper fisheries.”
(Arnie Lane)
BRINE AND BEYOND
Given Raymarine’s strength in some of the world’s most challenging marine environments, it’s no wonder the Lanes trust these electronics for the inshore and coastal fun fishing they often enjoy between bass tournaments. Those same features they appreciate for tracking down freshwater bass also serve them during snook, redfish, trout and tarpon missions.
“When you go saltwater fishing, one thing you have to be aware of is the depth; especially where there are oyster bays or rocks,” Chris said. “If you run aground and the tide goes out, you’re done. Understanding the depth and the contour lines tells you when to go in and when to stay out”
The same can be said for the nation’s tidal bass fisheries. From the California Delta, to the Potomac River, daily ebb and flow not only positions fish and stimulates feeding; this rise and fall serves as the gate attendant for fertile backwaters.
Beyond this tidal truism, both brothers said they find the principles of depth changes, fish and bait location and structure identification bearing similar importance in their fresh and saltwater pursuits.
“Seeing the different bottoms lets you know the kind of area you’re in and what the fish are looking for,” Bobby said. “Once you find that, it’s so easy to duplicate with just the touch of a button.
“For example, fishing Boca Grande pass for tarpon, it’s to be able to see how deep the fish are. Now, you can watch your bait go right to those fish and keep it there until you get a bite. It’s basically just catching a giant bass. Either way, freshwater or saltwater, Raymarine is exactly what I need to be a better fisherman.”
Thad Hull and David Talley Win 2017 Alabama Bass Trail Lake Eufaula - Team Beats Field by more than Five Pounds on Tough Day
by Dan O’Sullivan
March 18, 2017 - Eufaula, Ala. – In the period leading up to the second stop of the 2017 Alabama Bass Trail Southern Division schedule at Lake Eufaula, the fishing had been great. In other events the weekend prior, the weights had been impressive. The week of the ABT event, everything with the conditions changed.
Where the week prior had seen warm air and water temperatures with calm winds, a strong cold front last week made the predominantly shallow bite largely fade. While the shallow bite did not completely die, it certainly made much of the field have to adjust. While power fishing had been the trick, those who made the correct adjustments stood atop the leaderboard at day’s end.
Approximately three quarters of the weigh-in, Thad Hull and David Talley came to the scales with a 28.85-pound limit that held on to take the win, and the $10,000 first prize on one of bass fishing’s most storied fisheries.
They did it by scaling down their presentation and by locating fish that had pulled back from their earlier moves towards spawning areas. “We had a couple of spots offshore that held some fish, but after the cold weather, we only had one bait type that would get bites consistently,” they said. “We fished down on the southern end of the lake on offshore spots in 12 to 14 feet of water with Shaky Heads, and caught around a dozen fish.”
To be more specific, the pair utilized a Magnum Shaky Head approach to catch their winning stringer. “We threw 1/2-ounce heads and a variety of worms to get bites,” they reported. “We threw Zoom Ol’ Monsters, Magnum Trick Worms and Strike Zone Lures Mega Worms – all in green pumpkin color.”
They said they were thrilled by the day. “We are business partners, and we’ve fished together quite a bit, but this is our biggest win and biggest payday,” they said. “We really didn’t think we’d have a chance to be standing here today having won; this is an absolute thrill, and it hasn’t event really hit us yet – it’s really amazing.”
The second place team of Warren Hoffman and Ben Weldon weighed 23.82 pounds, but reported having a difficult practice, and feeling fortunate to have had such a strong performance. “We really had a grind in practice, we found the lake to be farther along its spring process than we thought, and we missed it early in practice,” they said. “We caught fish in several spots, but only two spots ended up producing our limit.”
They said that a trio of lures were responsible for their catch, a 7-inch shad colored Basstrix swimbait on a heavy jighead, a jig and an old 1-ounce Ledgebuster spinnerbait. “We caught 15 to 20 fish throughout the day, and considering how our practice went, we’re pretty happy,” they said. “We did not expect to have this big of a day, so it feels pretty good to be standing here now.” They earned $5,000 for their day’s work.
Third place, and the $4,000 payday went to the team of Josh Chapple and Paul Davis who caught 23.36 pounds throwing a new prototype Davis Bait Company swim jig. Fourth place went to Barry Isbell and Bobby Freeman who earned $2,500 with their 20.58-pound limit. Rounding out the top five was the team of Larry McDonald and Torrey Jones who earned $2,000 as a result of their 19.65-pound limit.
The big bass of the event was an 8.05-pound largemouth brought to the scales by Ronny Faulkner and Michael Johnson. The big fish boosted their three fish catch to a little over 11 pounds, which was good enough to finish in 62nd place; they earned the $500 Big Fish bonus for their catch.
The top 10 standings are below, for complete standings go to http://www.alabamabasstrail.org/tournament-series/le-results.
| Place | Anglers | Weight | Big Fish | WINNINGS |
| 1 | Thad Hull / David Talley | 28.85 | 7.88 | $10,000 |
| 2 | Warren Hoffman / Ben Weldon | 23.82 | $5,000 | |
| 3 | Josh Chapple / Paul Davis | 23.36 | $4,000 | |
| 4 | Barry Isbell / Bobby Freeman | 20.58 | $2,500 | |
| 5 | Larry McDonald / Torrey Jones | 19.65 | 5.85 | $2,000 |
| 6 | Scott Dupriest / Mark Smith | 19.29 | 5.24 | $1,500 |
| 7 | Keith Mayfield / Daryl Adams | 19.22 | $1,100 | |
| 8 | Nick Harris / Keith Phillips | 18.99 | $1,100 | |
| 9 | Randall Carter / David Caylor | 18.92 | 6.14 | $1,100 |
| 10 | Steven Morris / Matt Vanzant | 18.63 | $1,100 |
The sponsors of the 2017 Alabama Bass Trail include; Bill Penney Toyota, Phoenix Bass Boats, GP8 Oxygen Water, Garmin, Academy Sports & Outdoors, Wind Creek Hospitality – Wetumpka, Wind Creek Hospitality – Montgomery, Alabama Tourism Department, SCA Performance, T-H Marine Supplies, Wedowee Marine, AFTCO, Fish Neely Henry Lake.com, Lew’s Fishing, Crossed Industries, YETI, E3 Apparel, TVA and Alabama Power.
For information about Alabama Bass Trail and for complete tournament standings visit www.alabamabasstrail.org.
Bethels Evan Owrey Takes Top Honors at Cabela’s Big Bass Bash
As the 2017 Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series kicked off its lineup of four major televised events season on Kentucky Lake this past week, there was only one constant and that was changing conditions. During the official week of the event collegiate anglers saw everything from violent thunderstorms and bright sunny days with temps in the 60’s, to blinding snow and freezing temperatures.
With such a drastic temperature swing and changing weather conditions, many thought the bite was going to get extremely tough and make for a long day on the water. However, a long day on water turned into a day of catching big Kentucky Lake bass for many of the anglers as the fish started coming to the scales. It didn’t take long for the staff and crowds to know that the collegiate anglers were on the fish this week!
Evan Owrey, from Bethel University, certainly figured the Kentucky Lake bass out better than anyone and didn’t let the changing conditions get in his head. His stellar performance included winning Session 7 presented by Cabela’s, placing 8th in Session 2 and 6th in Session 6. In addition to those top places, his winning fish in Session 7 was the overall big bass of event giving him the coveted title of Power-Pole Big Bass Award. We caught up with Evan after the event and asked him some questions about the event.
$2,000 Power-Pole Gift Certificate
$2,050 in Cabela’s Gift Cards
GiLL IN6 Jacket & Bibs (Est Value $379)
Mustang PFD
1 Pair of Costa Sunglasses
$100 Ranger Wear Gift Card
1 Engel Cooler
Berkley baits
Berkley Tackle bag w/ baits & line (Est Value $75)
IN THEIR SPACE AND IN THEIR FACE
By David A. Brown
We tend to think of spawn fishing as a subtle, delicate, library-behavior kinda deal. Sometimes it is, but there’s a lot to be said for a bold, intrusive approach to the spawning grounds.
Bassmaster Elite Series pro Kevin VanDam attributes this to a pedal-to-the-metal aggression level among spawners. In most areas, bluegill pose the biggest threat to their nests, so a large profile bait and a persistent presentation will quickly light what is already a very short fuse.
You’ll also want to consider that low light and otherwise low visibility conditions make larger baits not only acceptable; but actually a necessity. For Elite pro Greg Hackney, off-colored water accelerates the popularity of up-sized baits.
“I like a bigger profile in stained water,” said Elite pro Greg Hackney. “The dirtier the water, the bigger the profile because you can get by with bigger stuff when the water’s dirtier and the fish can find it easier.”
In any conditions, in-their-face spawn tactics might put a bend in your rod bend; or they may narrow a broad area to “hot zones” where irritable fish show themselves via wakes or boils. In any case, consider these tips for shaking up the spawning areas with aggressive presentations.
SWIMBAIT
Clearly one of the most effective search baits, a swimbait can also serve a preparatory role. If a big fish eats, wonderful; otherwise, getting her hopping mad at something she may not want to engage creates a lethal scenario for a smaller follow-up bait.
California standout Ish Monroe knows that a River2Sea SWaver 200 can make bedding fish show themselves, so he’ll use this taunting presence to find spawners he can’t see.
“I throw it around when I’m looking for beds,” Monroe said. “It’s a big, slow-moving bait that they don’t want anywhere near them. When it gets around a bed, they’ll come up and swipe at it or inhale it. Most of the time, you get them either way.”
FLW Costa Series pro Ken Mah takes in-your-face to another level by removing the hooks on a 9- to 10-inch Osprey swimbait and repeatedly bumping the fish’s tail. The idea is to get the fish steaming mad and then switch in a dropshot; but when the bedder decides to attack the hookless swimbait, that’s an exciting 3 seconds.
Alabama pro Jimmy Mason plays a similar game, but he prefers to maximize any bites he gets on the agitator. For him, a 6 1/2-inch YUM Money Minnow on a 1/2-ounce lead head allows precise casts with fast fall rates, which leave the bait in a nose-down posture that mimics an intruder looking for eggs.
Mason bumps the bed fish to drive it into bite mode and if the swimbait feels the wrath, no worries. If not, he’ll close the deal with a YUM Houdini Shad rigged on a 5/0 Mustad KVD Grip Pin hook.
SWIM JIG
We can include vibrating swim jigs here, as both can navigate the vegetation were bass often spawn, while presenting an ominous form that put bass on high alert. Hackney likes to cover water with a 3/8-ounce Strike King Hack Attack Heavy Cover swim jig and a Rage Craw trailer. Green pumpkin and black/blue patterns resemble bluegill, so keep this in mind.
When Elite pro Bobby Lane suspects fish are bedding in pockets within Kissimmee grass or any other blend of shallow vegetation, he searches the salad with a swim jig carrying a Berkley Havoc Craw Fatty. He said that fan casting likely areas may very well yield bites, but any nest guarders that show themselves become targets for an aggressive flipping effort.
TEXAS RIGS
Once he finds an active area, or when he locates that isolated cover, Lane picks it apart by flipping/pitching a Texas-rigged Craw Fatty. Lane beefs up his rig with 1/4- to 1/2-ounce weights to make his rig fall fast and straight — right into the spot where mama bass will not tolerate intruders. FLW pro Joe Holland won’t hesitate to dress up a Gambler Mega Daddy with one, two or even three punch skirts to create a bulkier look than traditional Texas rigs. Varying skirt colors shows the fish one pattern on the fall and then another in the nest.
Todd Faircloth, the Elite pro from Texas, honors his state’s reputation for big stuff by employing a 7-inch Strike King Ocho for dual action. First, he can swim the hefty plastic stick bait over grass and next to docks to tease reaction bites. But once he dials in a bed’s location, the Ocho’s super easy to pitch or cast from a respectable distance and it pierces the water like a dagger.
Now, taking the big rig notion to an extreme level, Monroe goes straight-up MMA on those bed fish with a big and brutal presentation that’s guaranteed to make the non-biters run and the biters unleash instant fury.
We’re talking about the Ish Tube — 7 inches of bass-angering plastic on a 12/0 wide gap hook.
“When I throw that in there, they eat it immediately because they don’t want it anywhere near them,” Monroe said.
ROUNDUP
Here are a few more popular baits for shaking up the spawners with aggressive presentations:
Grass Jigs — Baits like the Witch Doctor Tackle Tungsten Flipping Jig and the JT Kenney Grass Wizard by Nichols Lures feature extended or double weed guards to repel the thick stuff, while a narrow head allows it to sneak in and out of cover that would choke and snag a traditional flipping jig.
FLW pro Mike Surman’s a big fan of sending grass jigs into the heavily-fortressed little pockets within reeds and buggy whips where big bass seek private maternity wards. They rarely receive visitors, so suffice it to say that a heavy jig with a wiggling trailer like the Gambler Mega Daddy splashing into their sanctuary will red-line the temper.
Frogs — One of the best search baits you can throw, the frog appeals to prespawners looking to fatten up on protein-rich meals, but Monroe said this bait offers a particularly relevant presentation — hovering. He’ll walk his Snagproof Ish’s PHAT Frog into a nest perimeter, park it overhead and make that bass fret and fuss over the annoying presence until she has runs out of patience.
While the frog profile is definitely antagonizing, the appearance of a panfish parked overhead simply will not be tolerated. Strike King’s Poppin’ Perch and Live Target’s Sunfish blend the floating form of a hollow body frog with a panfish profile for Sometimes strikes are little more than a push or slurp, so don’t overreact. Let the fish pull your line tight before setting the hooks.
Spinnerbait: When Elite pro Keith Combs is searching for beds, he won’t hesitate to unleash a 1-ounce spinnerbait with two big willow leaf blades.
“I’ll slow roll a big spinnerbait through all stages of the spawn,” Combs said. “It’s a big, obnoxious profile that can be reeled slowly over beds you can’t see.”With any of these agitating baits, persistence drives success. Covering water is step one, but one you find a bed, don’t burn a lot of time on stubborn fish. Typically, these agitation baits present a yes-or-no deal.
They won’t all play the game, but the ones that do will more than justify the effort.
Huselton Wins Mr. Bass of Arkansa Event on Millwood with over 19 pounds
Pro Money Winners:
1st – Chris Huselton – 5 – 19.18 lbs
2nd – Quincy Houchin – 5 – 18.35 lbs
3rd – Chris Morgan – 5 – 16.73 lbs
4th – Jason Bunch – 5 – 16.63 lbs
5th – Chip Hawkins – 5 – 16.09 lbs
Big Bass = Chris Huselton 6.97lbs ($400)
For complete Pro results, click here.
Zane Drake Wins Amateur Division at Lake Millwood!
Am Money Winners:
1st – Zane Drake – 5 – 10.50 lbs
2nd – Todd Brown – 4 – 10.01 lbs
3rd – Adam Freyaldenhoven – 5 – 9.31 lbs
4th – Brandon Gathright – 5 – 8.68 lbs
Big Bass = Sonny Bogard 5.02lbs ($350)
For complete Am results, click here.
York wins TH Marine BFL Bulldog Tournament on Lake Oconee with over 20 pounds
Gainesville’s Grizzle claims Co-angler title
EATONTON, Ga. (March 13, 2017) – Jeremy York of Pompano Beach, Florida, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 20 pounds, 9 ounces, Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Bulldog Division event on Lake Oconee presented by Navionics. York pocketed $4,686 for his victory.
“I took off down the lake and turned into a little place where no one was fishing,” said York, a former FLW Tour pro who earned his first career-win in BFL competition. “I hadn’t caught anything there in weeks, but I pulled in and was able to catch a couple keepers off of a seawall.
“Those two catches told me what the bass were doing,” continued York. “When I caught them in that area, I knew I could concentrate on seawalls for the rest of the day. I fished in there for another 90 minutes, and then went to a couple of other spots that looked similar nearby.”
York said his bait of choice throughout the tournament was a green-pumpkin-colored Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver.
“I threw the Sweet Beaver up to the seawall and worked it back 3 or 4 feet,” said York. “I’m usually popping and shaking that type of bait, but on Saturday dragging it slow was the deal.”
York said he caught his biggest bass around 2:30 p.m.
“I fired the Sweet Beaver out to a seawall in one of my pockets and caught it,” said York. “It was just one of those days you knew where they’d be active.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Jeremy York, Pompano Beach, Fla., five bass, 20-9, $4,686
2nd: Miles Burghoff, Santa Cruz, Calif., five bass, 17-10, $2,543
3rd: Chris Baxter, Winder, Ga., five bass, 17-6, $1,962
4th: Roger Stubbs, McDonough, Ga., five bass, 17-0, $1,093
5th: Rob Jordan, Flowery Branch, Ga., five bass, 16-13, $937
6th: John Christopher, Watkinsville, Ga., five bass, 16-2, $859
7th: Steve Phillips, Douglas, Ga., five bass, 15-11, $781
8th: Michael Conley, Bainbridge, Ga., five bass, 15-7, $703
9th: Barry Stokes, Oxford, Ga., five bass, 15-5, $625
10th: Barry Hooper, Monticello, Ga., five bass, 15-1, $547
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Thomas Phares of Buckhead, Georgia, caught a bass weighing 7 pounds, 6 ounces – the largest of the event – which earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $690.
Harold Grizzle of Gainesville, Georgia, weighed in five bass totaling 15 pounds, 9 ounces Saturday to win the Co-angler Division and the top prize of $2,443.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Harold Grizzle, Gainesville, Ga., five bass, 15-9, $2,443
2nd: David Wright, Franklin, Ga., four bass, 14-4, $1,172
3rd: Michael Smith, Piedmont, S.C., five bass, 12-11, $831
4th: Ryan Stewart, Roswell, Ga., four bass, 12-9, $547
5th: Ronald Harris, Jefferson, Ga., five bass, 11-6, $469
6th: Chance Hebert, Norcross, Ga., five bass, 10-3, $410
6th: Harold Addison II, Columbia, S.C., four bass, 10-3, $410
8th: Bryan Price, Canton, Ga., four bass, 9-14, $351
9th: Robert Gilliam, Macon, Ga., five bass, 8-9, $312
10th: Deron Burdette, Fayetteville, Ga., three bass, 8-3, $273
Stephen Clay of Milledgeville, Georgia, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing 6 pounds, 1 ounce, and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $345.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional Championship on Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Alabama. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
YETI FLW COLLEGE FISHING SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE HEADS FOR LAKE HARTWELL
HARTWELL, Ga. (March 7, 2017) – YETI FLW College Fishing is heading to Lake Hartwell March 18 for the third and final regular-season stop in the Southeastern Conference. A full field of college fishing clubs will be competing for the top award of a $2,000 club scholarship and a berth into the 2018 College Fishing National Championship.
“Lake Hartwell is an awesome fishery and the lake is extremely versatile,” said FLW Tour pro Brian Latimer of Belmont, South Carolina, who has three career top-10 finishes on Lake Hartwell in FLW competition. “There is a lot of structure in the lake – from 50 feet deep to the bank – and it’s one of those lakes where the college anglers are going to be able to pick their poison and fish however they want.
“The weather has been really warm recently, and there are already quite a few fish that have started to move up,” Latimer continued. “They aren’t necessarily spawning yet, but they’re cruising the pockets and under the docks already. The majority of fish will still be in prespawn mode but I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a little bit of sight fishing going on.”
Latimer said that if he was fishing the tournament he’d be throwing a wacky-rigged Z-Man ZinkerZ stickbait or a 3-or 4-inch swimbait around the docks. He said that if a cold front came through before the tournament, or the fish weren’t on the docks, he’d concentrate on cranking the stained water in the creeks with a red Rat-L-Trap or a medium-diving crankbait.
“The thing about Lake Hartwell is that there is not a lot of dead water,” Latimer said. “There are fish to be caught in every single river arm, from the main lake all the way back to the creeks. My advice to the college anglers would be to find which river arm fits with the way that you like to fish, then concentrate on that area and cover a lot of water. There is no one particular portion of the lake that is better than the others.”
Latimer went on to predict that the winning team would bring a five-bass limit in the high teens to the scale, with the possibility of a 20-pound limit.
Anglers will take off from the Gum Branch Ramp, located at Gum Branch Circle in Hartwell, at 7:30 a.m. EDT Saturday. Weigh-in will be held at the Ramp beginning at 3 p.m. Takeoff and weigh-in are free and open to the public.
Schools are allowed to register up until the morning of the tournament. Entries may be made either by phone or at CollegeFishing.com.
Schools registered to compete in the Lake Hartwell tournament, which is hosted by the Hart County Chamber of Commerce include:
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College – Henry Brown, Willacoochee, Ga., and Morgan Anderson, Fitzgerald, Ga.
Appalachian State University – Shawn Snow, Boone, N.C., and Austin Rozier, Mount Airy, N.C.
Appalachian State University – Charlie Sipe, Hickory, N.C., and Ethan Howell, Waynesville, N.C.
Auburn University – Mitchell Jennings, Auburn, Ala., and Brooks Phillips, Birmingham, Ala.
Austin Peay State University – Chase Melton and Jordan Brandt, both of Clarksville, Tenn.
Austin Peay State University – Michael Hulsey and Bryce Newsome, both of Clarksville, Tenn.
Bethel University – Kyler Chelminiak, Franklin, Wis., and Alec Piekarski, Greenfield, Wis.
Bryan College – Conner Fogg and Chandler Fogg, both of Kelso, Tenn.
Bryan College – Dylan Pritchett, Dayton, Tenn., and Conner Thompson, Fort Payne, Ala.
Bryan College – Matthew Kear, Clinton, Tenn., and Connor Cohran, Dalton, Ga.
Bryan College – Matt Brown, Corbin, Ky., and D.J. Barber, Gardendale, Ala.
Bryan College – Dalton Price, Seymour, Tenn., and Francisco Colin, Dayton, Tenn.
Bryan College – Johnathan Peck, Louisville, Ky., and Hunter Thrasher, Kelso, Tenn.
Bryan College – Jacob Foutz, Cleveland, Tenn., and Jake Lee, Knoxville, Tenn.
Bryan College – Braden Marshall, Hixson, Tenn., and Jalen Smith, Dayton, Tenn.
Bryan College – Nathan Bell, Riceville, Tenn., and Cole Sands, Dayton, Tenn.
Clemson University – Allan Stack, Summerville, S.C., and Ross Dove, Royston, Ga.
Clemson University – Tyler Brown, Lake Wylie, S.C., and Jacob Reome, Gaffney, S.C.
Clemson University – Derek Freeman, Anderson, S.C., and Robert White, Greenville, S.C.
Florida State University – Joshua Blackburn, Tallahassee, Fla., and Scott Duncan, Orlando, Fla.
Gadsden State Community College – Bryant West, Gadsden, Ala., and Noah Holmes, Alexandria, Ala.
Georgia Southern University – Tyler Wilson, Brooklet, Ga., and Madeline Conner, Statesboro, Ga.
Kennesaw State University – Spencer Guthrie, Acworth, Ga., and Cody Smith, Gainesville, Ga.
Middle Tennessee State University – Austin Wyatt, Gladeville, Tenn., and Mekiah Jack, Mount Juliet, Tenn.
Middle Tennessee State University – Chase McCrory, Murfreesboro, Tenn., and Travis Brown, McMinnville, Tenn.
North Carolina State University – Jerry Norris, Raleigh, N.C., and Spence Hutcheson, Durham, N.C.
Tennessee Technological University – Colton Breeding, Nashville, Tenn., and Preston Gerrish, Knoxville, Tenn.
University of Georgia – Benjamin Hallowell, Athens, Ga., and Garrett Stone, Sandy Springs, Ga.
University of Georgia – Daulton Smith, Dacula, Ga., and Cody Billings, Loganville, Ga.
University of Georgia – Nathan Ragsdale, Fayetteville, Ga., and Wesley Griner, Leesburg, Ga.
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill – Grayson Whicker, Salisbury, N.C., and Alex Rhoney, Chapel Hill, N.C.
University of North Carolina-Charlotte – Ben Hager and Aaron Sollenberg, both of Iron Station, N.C.
University of North Georgia – Drew Coker, Murrayville, Ga., and Harrison Styles, Versailles, Ga.
University of North Georgia – Ben Adams, Buford, Ga., and Reid Daniel, Flowery Branch, Ga.
University of South Carolina – Austin Bradberry and Dalton Tumblin, both of Williamston, S.C.
University of South Carolina – Patrick Walters, Summerville, S.C., and Tyler All, Dorchester, S.C.
University of South Carolina – Hunter Buice, Pacolet, S.C., and William Bond, Moncks Corner, S.C.
University of South Carolina-Beaufort – Parker Wingard, Lexington, S.C., and Dustin Ingram, Mount Pleasant, S.C.
University of Tennessee – Grant Dilliha and Austin Conn, both of Knoxville, Tenn.
Wallace State Community College – A.J. Faught, Warrior, Ala., and Austin Scott, Fairview, Ala.
Western Carolina University – Jason Ashe, Cullowhee, N.C., and Alex Walsh, Robbinsville, N.C.
Western Carolina University – Michael Resor, Matthews, N.C., and William Ray, Rockingham, N.C.
Western Carolina University – Yang Xiong, Morganton, N.C., and Clint Bartlett, Charlotte, N.C.
Young Harris College – Andrew Himmelreich, Powder Springs, Ga., and Harrison Barton, Hartwell, Ga.
FLW College Fishing teams compete in three regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top ten teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments and the top 20 teams from the annual FLW College Fishing Open will advance to the 2018 FLW College Fishing National Championship. Additional teams will qualify for the National Championship if the field size in regular-season events exceeds 100 boats.
College Fishing is free to enter. All participants must be registered, full-time students at a college, university or community college and members of a college fishing club that is recognized by their school.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow College Fishing on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing. Visit FLWFishing.com to sign up or to start a club at your school.
Costa Renews Title Sponsorship Of Bassmaster High School Series
March 14, 2017
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Costa renewed its title sponsorship for the 2017 Bassmaster High School tournament series, B.A.S.S. announced today. The company will also continue its supporting sponsorship of the Bassmaster College Series. This will be the third consecutive year that Costa has partnered with B.A.S.S.
The Costa Bassmaster High School Series has grown dramatically, currently involving more than 5,500 student athletes representing 600 schools in 45 states. The program is one of the fastest-growing initiatives within B.A.S.S.
“We’re extremely proud to once again be the title sponsor of the Bassmaster High School Series,” said Melinda Hays, Costa’s Bass Community Leader. “Watching the huge influx of young people entering the sport of bass fishing is exciting, and we’re happy to help this positive movement.”
The Costa Bassmaster High School Opens sometimes attract more than 300 two-person teams, each accompanied by an adult “captain” who operates the boat. The top competitors from the Opens, from state high school championships and from sanctioned team trails qualify for the Costa Bassmaster High School National Championship.
“Costa believes that encouraging young people to get outside and fish is extremely important, not only to the future of our sport, but fishing also has the opportunity to teach them many life lessons,” Hays said. “Determination, hard work and persistence are only a few of those. We have an incredible opportunity for many new young anglers to develop a true appreciation for nature and conservation through these events.”
The Daytona Beach, Fla., company, which has produced some of the most popular sunglasses in the world since its inception in 1983, will sponsor all three Bassmaster High School Open events this year (Southern, Central and Midwest), plus a national championship this summer at a site to be determined. Costa will also be a supporting sponsor for all Bassmaster College Series events in 2017, which started competition in January.
“The Bassmaster High School and College fishing programs have expanded tremendously,” said Hank Weldon, senior tournament manager for the Bassmaster High School and College Series. “We’re pleased with the support Costa has provided in helping shape the future of our sport.”
The first Costa Bassmaster High School tournament of 2017 took place March 11, with competition on Toledo Bend Reservoir out of Many, La. New this year, B.A.S.S. extended invitations to the Top 5 finishing teams from this tournament to participate in the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster High School Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods on Lake Conroe, March 24-26, out of Houston, Texas.
For more information on the Bassmaster High School and College Series, please visit Bassmaster.com.
About Costa
As the leading manufacturer of the world’s clearest polarized performance sunglasses, Costa offers superior lens technology and unparalleled fit and durability. Still handcrafted today in Florida, Costa has created the highest quality, best performing sunglasses and prescription sunglasses (Rx) for outdoor enthusiasts since 1983.
Born on the water, Costa works hard to protect the ocean it calls home. Through programs like its Kick Plastic campaign, where the brand seeks to raise awareness about the growing plastic pollution problem threatening oceans worldwide, to serving as a long-term partner to shark research organizations like OCEARCH, Costa encourages people to help protect the Earth’s natural resources in any way they can.
Find out more on Costa’s website and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram or on Twitter at @CostaSunglasses.
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2), social media programs and events. For more than 45 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation presented by Magellan, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Costa Bassmaster High School Series presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.
-30-
WEST POINT HIGH SCHOOL WINS FLW HIGH SCHOOL FISHING MISSISSIPPI OPEN AT COLUMBUS POOL
COLUMBUS, Miss. (March 13, 2017) – The West Point High School duo of Jordan Camp and Matthew Bagwell, both of West Point, Mississippi, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 13 pounds, 1 ounce, to win the 2017 FLW High School Fishing Mississippi Open tournament at Columbus Pool in Columbus, Mississippi. The win advanced the team to the 2017 High School Fishing National championship, held June 27-July 1 at Pickwick Lake in Florence, Alabama.
A field of 29 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from Columbus Marina in Columbus. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top two teams on Columbus Pool that advanced to the 2017 High School Fishing National Championship were:
1st: West Point High School – Jordan Camp and Matthew Bagwell, both of West Point, Miss., five bass, 13-1
2nd: North Mississippi Student Anglers – Hunter Nanney, Dumas, Miss., and Jake Kimbrough, Smithville, Miss., five bass, 11-13
Rounding out the top 10 teams was:
3rd: West Point High School – Katie Wilson and Dylan Doss, both of West Point, Miss., five bass, 11-13
4th: New Life Christian Academy – Joshua Rush and Aaron Williams, both of Laurel, Miss., five bass, 11-11
5th: Smithville High School – Landon McMellon, Greenwood Springs, Miss., and T.J. Edwards, Tremont, Miss., five bass, 11-11
6th: Hamilton High School – Houston Vaiden and Tucker Welch, both of Hamilton, Miss., five bass, 10-6
7th: Smithville High School – Daniel McAfee, Amory, Miss., and Marietta Guthery, Smithville, Miss., four bass, 8-14
8th: St. Martin High School – Brandon Morano and Paul Swan, both of Ocean Springs, Miss., five bass, 8-8
9th: Hatley High School – Blake Duncan and Auston Ballard, both of Smithville, Miss., four bass, 8-3
10th: West Tennessee Bass Anglers – Cameron Massey, Somerville, Tenn., and Austin Sherrod, Eads, Tenn., four bass, 7-13
In order to break the tie between the second- and third-place teams, FLW tournament officials adhered to FLW High School Fishing Rule No. 17, which states that ties are to be broken first by total number of fish for the tournament, total number of live fish, the earliest entry for the tournament and finally by lottery.
Complete results from the event can be found at HighSchoolFishing.org.
The 2017 FLW High School Fishing Mississippi Open was a two-person (team) event for students in grades 7-12, open to any Student Angler Federation (SAF) affiliated high school club in the United States. The top 10 percent of each Challenge, Open, and state championship field will advance to the High School Fishing National Championship. The High School Fishing national champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice.
In addition to the High School Fishing National Championship, all High School Fishing anglers nationwide automatically qualify for the world’s largest high school bass tournament, the 2017 High School Fishing World Finals, held in conjunction with the National Championship. At the 2016 World Finals more than $60,000 in scholarships and prizes were awarded.
Full schedules and the latest announcements are available at HighSchoolFishing.org and FLWFishing.com.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2017 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 274 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
About The Bass Federation
The Bass Federation Inc., (TBF) is a member of the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. TBF is owned by those we serve and dedicated to the sport of fishing. The Federation is the largest and oldest, organized grassroots fishing, youth and conservation organization there is. TBF, our affiliated state federations and their member clubs conduct more than 20,000 events each year and have provided a foundation for the entire bass fishing industry for more than 45 years. TBF founded the Student Angler Federation and the National High School Fishing program in 2008 to promote clean family fun and education through fishing. Visit bassfederation.com or highschoolfishing.org and “LIKE US” on Facebook.
TH Marine PRO-Files - Classic Rookie Skylar Hamilton
Elite Series Rookie Skylar Hamilton is quickly making a name for himself on the Elite Series tour with 2 events under his belt and two finishes within the check cutting range, Skylar is learning quick how fast and how competetive Elite Series Fishing can be. As he prepares for his first Bassmasers Classic, our Own Vance McCullough spent some time fishing with Skylar after the lake Okeechobee Elite Series Event and talked to him a little about preparing for his biggest tournament to date.
Robert Reagen Wins TH Marine BFL Mountain Opener on Dale Hollow with over 20 pound limit
REAGAN WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE MOUNTAIN DIVISION OPENER ON DALE HOLLOW LAKE PRESENTED BY NAVIONICS
Kentucky’s Jones tops Co-angler field
BYRDSTOWN, Tenn. (March 13, 2017) – Local angler Robert Reagan of Byrdstown weighed a five-bass limit totaling 20 pounds, 7 ounces, Saturday to win the first T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Mountain Division event of 2017 on Dale Hollow Lake presented by Navionics. For his win, Reagan was awarded $7,298.
“I started off the day throwing a green-pumpkin-colored custom jig,” said Reagan, who earned his third career-win on Dale Hollow Lake in BFL competition. “I focused on mid-lake transition banks that had chunk rock. I caught a smallmouth and two largemouth bass before the wind really picked up.”
Reagan said that around 9:30 a.m. he switched to a ½-ounce Strike King spinnerbait. He said he continued running chunk rock banks and was up able to catch three more largemouth.
“I was sitting in 25 to 30 feet of water, but the bass were up shallower,” said Reagan. “They were stationed where the bluff walls turned into flats. I worked the lures to about 4 to 8 feet, which seemed to be the magic depth.”
Reagan said his heaviest catches came toward the end of the day.
“I finished off my day with the jig in more stained water,” said Reagan. “I put my two biggest bass in the boat by 1 p.m., which was a great way to wrap things up.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Robert Reagan, Byrdstown, Tenn., five bass, 20-7, $5,298 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Brett Graham, Cold Spring, Ky., five bass, 19-8, $2,509
3rd: Dwight Fox, Gainesboro, Tenn., five bass, 18-8, $1,639
4th: Barry Smith, Catlettsburgh, Ky., five bass, 18-4, $1,078
5th: Brent Anderson, Kingston Springs, Tenn., five bass, 17-12, $924
6th: Michael Frank, Cassopolis, Mich., five bass, 16-11, $847
7th: Jimmy Gayhart, Sadieville, Ky., five bass, 16-0, $731
7th: Talmadge Marcum, McKee, Ky., five bass, 16-0, $731
9th: Jonathan Green, East Bernstadt, Ky., five bass, 15-11, $616
10th: Keith Monson, Burgin, Ky., five bass, 15-7, $539
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
One of Reagan’s bass – a 5-pound, 14-ouncer – was the heaviest weighed in at the event. The catch earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $680.
Dustin Jones of Stanford, Kentucky, won the Co-angler Division title and $2,309 with five bass weighing 15 pounds, 4 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Dustin Jones, Stanford, Ky., five bass, 15-4, $2,309
2nd: Greg Trobaugh, Rickman, Tenn., four bass, 13-12, $1,255
3rd: Ed Bennington, Scottsville, Ky., four bass, 13-0, $770
4th: Eddie Johnson, Jamestown, Tenn., five bass, 11-10, $539
5th: Robbie Welsh, Berea, Ky., three bass, 10-15, $802
6th: Alex Kerns, Middletown, Ohio, four bass, 10-10, $423
7th: Travis Parrott, Byrdstown, Tenn., three bass, 10-9, $435
8th: Matthew Smith, Richmond, Ky., four bass, 10-7, $346
9th: Jason Ratcliff, Eubank, Ky., four bass, 10-6, $308
10th: Jordan Scales, Murray, Ky., four bass, 10-0, $269
Welsh caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 6 ounces, and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $340.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 5-7 BFL Regional Championship on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
Fofi & Murdock win Cashion Rods Spring Team Tournament on Jordan Lake with over 23 pound limit!
CASHION FISHING RODS SPRING TEAM TOURNAMENT BASS TRAIL QUALIFIER #2
Saturday March 11th, 2017 ~ ~ Jordan Lake ~ ~ Farrington Point Wildlife Ramp
Cold, cold, cold!! 50 teams showed up for the Cashion Fishing Rods Spring Team Tournament Bass Trail
Qualifier #2 at Jordan Lake. It was a beautiful day but cold with winds light in the am and up to 10 mph in the
afternoon, the air temps ranged from 32 to 49 and the water level was about normal. Surface water temps
averaged 56 degrees and the water was a little dingy! Numerous females were caught and swelled with roe, but
with the unstable temps it's just a matter of time before the Mom's hit the bank!! A lot of 6, 7 to 8 lb. bass were
weighed in today.
Tony Fofi & Dave Murdock won 1st place with 5 bass weighing a total of 23.74 lbs to take 1st Place and 1st
Place TWT for a total of $1,940 in prize money!The 2nd Place team of Logan Ammons & Hunter Collins caught
5 bass weighing 23.30 lbs. and took home $600 in winnings. The 3rd Place team of Paul Owens & Tyler Faggart
netted 5 bass weighing 23.02 lbs. to pocket $520.Keith Deal & Ricky Kenworthy won big fish honors & $500 with an 8.60 lb. chub.
It was close on the top of the leader board!!
163 bass were brought to the scales for a total of 598 pounds averaging 3.67 lbs. each. Jerk bait, spinnerbaits, jig
& pigs, crankbaits, WLS Shakey Heads, Chatterbaits and wacky worms fished in water from 4 to 10' seemed to
be the ticket to hits. The bite was good with most all teams weighing in fish.
I want to thank Cashion Fishing Rods and all the anglers that participated. Our next tournament will be the 2017
Piedmont Bass Classics $10,000 Spring Team Bass Trail Qualifier #2 , Saturday March 18th also at Jordan
Lake out of Farrington Point Wildlife Ramp. All the information on our tournaments and dates can be found
http://piedmontbassclassics.com/
Now here are the full results:
1st Place: Tony Fofi & Dave Murdock of Spring Lake & Sanford...5 bass...23.74 lbs...$1,040
2nd Place: Logan Ammons & Hunter Collins of Sanford...5 bass...23.30 lbs...$600
3rd Place: Tyler Faggart & Paul Owens of Raleigh...5 bass...23.02 lbs...$520
4th Place: Brian Smith & Kenny Thorn of Reidsville & Pinnacle...5 bass...22.78 lbs...$440
5th Place: Andre Powell & James Phillips of Pittsboro & Winterville...5 bass...22.33 lbs...$360
6th Place: Carl & J.T. Johnson of Apex...5 bass...21.05 lbs...$280
7th Place: Scott Woodson & Todd Staker of Fuquay Varina & Cary...5 bass...20.95 lbs...$240
8th Place: Travis & Erby Parker of Sanford...5 bass...20.65 lbs...$200
9th Place: Keith Deal & Ricky Kenworthy of Holly Springs & Cary...4 bass...20.17 lbs...$170
10th Place: John Michenfelder & Daniel Love of Durham...5 bass...18.93 lbs...$150
1st Place Big Fish: 9th Place Team above...8.60 lbs...$500
1st Place TWT: 1st Place Team above: 23.74 lbs...$900
Howell wins ABA Ram Trucks Open on West Point Lake in Georgia
Tim Howell of Ball Ground, Georgia won the American Bass Anglers Ram Truck Open Series Georgia Division tournament, held March 11th on West Point.
Running out of Pyne Road Park Mega Ramp in LaGrange, GA, Tim caught five bass weighing 21.41 pounds including a 6.09-pound big bass. For the Boater division victory, took home a check for $5,000 for his win and an additional $810 for the Big Bass. “I was fishing the mid-lake area and caught my fish on a jig, I did catch a few on top-water. I caught my fish on both wood and rock. I caught fish almost all day. The better fish seemed to come every couple of hours. I caught the big bass around 1:30 pm up the lake on a jig.” Howell said.
In second for the Boaters, Kyle Welcher of Opelika, Alabama landed a five-bass tournament limit going 14.92 pounds. He collected $1,575 for his catch. “I was fishing mid-lake as well. I ran evert brush pile I knew between Southern Harbor and the Hwy 109 bridge. I was fishing in about 12ft of water.” Welcher said.
Josh Teet of Carrollton, Georgia caught five bass going 14.89 pounds. He collected $1,050 for his catch. “I was also fishing mid-lake like everyone else. I caught them on everything today. I started with a Pop-R and then went to the back of pockets and threw a trick worm and top-water.” Teet said.
Finishing fourth, Deacon Collins of Tyrone, Georgia landed a five-bass limit for 13.32 pounds.
Sammy Bailey Jr. of Hogansville, Georgia rounded out the top five boaters with five bass at 13.05 pounds.
In the Co-Angler division, Joseph Ellington of Swainsboro, Georiga repeated his win from last week with three bass going 8.33 pounds including a 4.66-pound big bass. For the Co-Angler division victory, Joseph took home a check for $1,200 for his win and an additional $185 for the big bass.
“I was fishing a bunch of creeks throwing at the bank with a Rat-L-Trap all day. It was a better morning bite. I caught the big bass around 10:00am this morning and the bite seemed to shut down after that.” Ellington said.
Taking second for the Co-Anglers, Rob Scarborough of Canton, Georgia brought in a three-bass division limit weighing 7.71 pounds anchored by a 4.41-pound bass. He collected $400 for the effort. “I was on the South end of the lake. I got lucky early fishing a shakey-head, culled a couple times, and around 1:00pm I got lucky on a Texas-rig worm. It was an awesome bite. Most of the fish came off of rock today.” Scarborough said.
Robert Enke of Columbus, Georgia placed third among the Co-Anglers with three bass going 6.66 pounds. He earned $350 for his catch. “We caught them on a Carolina-rig, mid-lake. I caught about ten bass today. We didn’t go far.” Enke said.
In fourth place among the Co-Anglers, Keith Minnihan of Stockbridge, Georgia brought in three bass for 6.21 pounds.
Ty Black of Cumming, Georgia finished in fifth place with three bass at 5.46 pounds.
Slated for April 29th, the next tournament will be held on Lake Sinclair out of Little River Park in Milledgeville, GA. At the end of the season, the best anglers from across the nation advance the 2018 Ray Scott Championship, to be held on the Red River in Bossier City, LA.
For more information on this tournament, call Billy Benedetti, tournament manager, at (256)230-5632 or ABA at (256)232-0406. On line, see www.ramopenseries.com.
About American Bass Anglers: American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler and at the same time offer each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers, the Ram Truck Open Series, the American Fishing Tour or the American Couples Series, visit www.americanbassanglers.com.
Rayburn scores 30-30-30 at Bass Champs third East Texas event on Sam Rayburn
By: Patty Lenderman
Bass Champs East Region teams poured on the gas in the third event of the season March 11, 2017 weighing in at the Umphrey Family Pavilion. There were 344 teams vying for a portion of the payback valued at over $100,000 in cash and prizes.
Fifty teams brought in weights exceeding 20 pounds, and there were two double digit bass weighed in! The top three weights were over 30 pounds, only separated by mere increments. In the end, it was the team of Roy and Justin Wade of Diboll, TX who took home the $20,000 guaranteed 1st place prize.
Weather forecasters had predicted some nasty weather heading in, so for added safety on the water everyone was allowed to trailer their boats to launches nearer to their fishing areas. As it turned out, conditions were perfect on Rayburn all day. Almost no hint of wind, overcast skies and mild temperatures set the scene for an incredible bass catching day.
The very first team to bring their catch to the scales was Roy and Justin Wade. First putting their 8.66 lb kicker to be weighed, then adding their final four bass to it, their total came to a whopping 30.96 lbs! Their wait to see how their catch would hold up was long and arduous, as well over 300 teams were yet to weigh in their catch. A few along the line came within ounces of catching them, but in the end their weight held for a 1st place win.
When the winners Roy and Justin Wade were called to the stage, Chad Potts, President of Bass Champs asked them how they did it. “We fished points in about 6’ of water, using green pumpkin shaky heads, jigs and spinnerbaits,” the team reported. “Throughout the day we probably caught around twelve keepers, and most of them came early.” They executed their day just right for a $20,000 payday!
There was only about an ounce difference between 1st and 2nd places. Alan Moore and Robert Davis, both of Lufkin TX had another huge sack weighing in at 30.85 lbs. They used swim jigs and Senko’s in shallow depths of 3’-6’ to find their catch in grassy areas. “Did the option of trailering help you today?” Potts asked. “We fished the mid lake area, and launched closer to where we were fishing. It helped, but we would have made the run either way.” They pulled out a 2nd place winning check for $7,500.
Another 30+ pound sack won 3rd place, caught by Jim Prothro of Gilmer, TX and Tommy Morrison of Granbury. They heaved their biggest fish on the scales to be weighed first. The big brute breached the double digit mark locking in at 10.34 pounds! Adding the rest of their creel, their total weight came to 30.64 pounds, taking a close 3rd place win. “We fished shallow water, using a Texas rigged 10 inch worm,” they explained. “We had our initial limit in the boat by 7am.” They were fishing sandy, bald, secondary points. It was around 11:30 when Tommy Morrison got the big bite. “We were able to cull a two pounder with it!” Increasing their weight by eight pounds with that one catch, they landed their final finish for a $5,500 check. Their winnings didn’t stop there – they also won Big Bass for another $1,000. They were also the highest finishing team in a Skeeter boat, adding another $5,000 to their day. They also cashed in on the Lowrance Gen3 bonus and the Abu Garcia Revo bonuses as well!
There were a lot of big bass weighed in, including another over ten pounds. Perry Moss and Greg Smith of Shreveport, LA caught one weighing 10.25 lbs that anchored their 5th place overall finish.
Rounding out the top 10:
4th $4,250 29.32 lbs Matt Morris & Billy Gaston
5th $3,200 28.96 lbs Perry Moss & Greg Smith
6th $2.500+ 26.80 lbs Dale Boren & Rick Scott
7th $2,000 26.70 lbs Norman Land & Travis Moore
8th $1,800 25.92 lbs Michael Latham & Ben Vaughan
9th $1,700 25.79 lbs Martin Elshout & Mark Price
10th $1,600 25.18 lbs Chris Nunnelee & Gary Paris
and last in the money
46th $600 20.26 lbs John Iles & Brian Shook
Due to the number of entries in this tournament, the ‘Zero Bonus’ was again offered to everyone for two chances to win a $500 check. This gives teams who would not have a chance to win a check in the regular line-up to opt to release the fish they have instead of weighing them in, thus having an opportunity to still win a check. It was a tough call for many, as the Angler of the Year race is still tight going into the final event.
The winners of the “ZERO BONUS” were:
Dean Coleman and Randy Quinn: $500
Bud Boles and Colton Boles: $500
With only one tournament to go, the East Region points leaders are:
1014 pts Clayton Boulware & Albert Collins
979 pts Harold Allen & Matt Loetscher
975 pts Kris Wilson & Bryan Lohr
974 pts Todd Castledine & Russell Cecil
948 pts Ben Matsubu & Brando Davidson
Good luck all East Texas Region teams in the final event on Toledo Bend May 13!
Before the end of the year, Bass Champs will pay out over $2 MILLION, and the winnings are already racking up - so far top teams have earned $580,600 in seven events!
Jan 14 – East Region – Sam Rayburn PAID $106,900
Jan 21 – South Region – Falcon PAID $49,650
Feb 4 – Central Region – Travis PAID $52,450
Feb 11 – East Region – Toledo Bend PAID $83,300
Feb 18 – North Region – Cedar Creek PAID $71,880
Feb 25 – South Region – Amistad PAID $48,000
March 4 – Central Region – LBJ PAID $68,360
March 11 – East Region – Sam Rayburn PAID $100,060
| Place | Boat | Truck | Angler 1 | Angler 2 | Fish | Big Bass | Wt. | Prize Amt. | |
| 1 | ROY WADE DIBOLL , TX |
JUSTIN WADE DIBOLL , TX |
5 | 8.66 | 30.96 |
|
|||
| 2 | ALAN MOORE LUFKIN , TX |
ROBERT DAVIS LUFKIN , TX |
5 | 0 | 30.85 |
|
|||
| 3 |  |
JIM PROTHRO GILMER , TX |
TOMMY MORRISON GRANBURY , TX |
5 | 10.34 | 30.64 |
|
||
| 4 | MATT MORRIS STONEWALL , LA |
BILLY GASTON SHREVEPORT , TX |
5 | 8.64 | 29.32 |
|
|||
| 5 | PERRY MOSS SHREVEPORT , LA |
GREG SMITH SHREVEPORT , LA |
5 | 10.25 | 28.96 |
|
|||
| 6 |  |
 |
DALE BOREN FORT WORTH , TX |
RICK SCOTT BREMOND , TX |
5 | 9.85 | 26.80 |
|
|
| 7 | NORMAN LAND CLEVELAND , TX |
TRAVIS MOORE CLEVELAND , TX |
5 | 0 | 26.70 |
|
|||
| 8 | MICHAEL LATHAM LUFKIN , TX |
BEN VAUGHAN LUFKIN , TX |
5 | 0 | 25.92 |
|
|||
| 9 | MARTIN ELSHOUT ABITA SPRINGS , LA |
MARK PRICE RUSTON , LA |
5 | 0 | 25.79 |
|
|||
| 10 | CHRIS NUNNELEE LANTANA , TX |
GARY PARIS QUITMAN , TX |
5 | 0 | 25.18 |
|
|||
| 11 | |
CHARLES HICKMAN HUNTINGTON , TX |
TERRY HICKMAN KINGWOOD , TX |
5 | 0 | 25.06 |
|
||
| 12 | JOHN BARRERA MILAM , TX |
ANDREW GOLDEN SHELBYVILLE , TX |
5 | 0 | 24.95 |
|
|||
| 13 | |
BLAKE SCHROEDER WHITEHOUSE , TX |
EASTON HEIGLEY BROOKELAND , TX |
5 | 0 | 24.27 |
|
||
| 14 | CLINT GOODEAUX WESTLAKE , LA |
JACOB HATHAWAY LAKE CHARLES , LA |
5 | 0 | 23.91 |
|
|||
| 15 | |
RANDY DESPINO COLFAX , LA |
KEVIN LASYONE DRY PRONG , LA |
5 | 0 | 23.89 |
|
||
| 16 | CORY RAMBO ORANGE , TX |
RUSTY CLARK SAM RAYBURN , TX |
5 | 0 | 23.70 |
|
|||
| 17 | OSCAR LANGELE JR ORANGE , TX |
JAMES CAMPISE ORANGE , TX |
5 | 0 | 23.32 |
|
|||
| 18 | CLINT WEST BEAUMONT , TX |
CLAY WEST LUMBERTON , TX |
5 | 0 | 23.29 |
|
|||
| 19 | CLINT WADE HUNTSVILLE , TX |
STACY SPRIGGS HUNTSVILLE , TX |
5 | 0 | 23.08 |
|
|||
| 20 | |
ERIC HUNT BEAUMONT , TX |
TED ODELL BUNA , TX |
5 | 0 | 22.91 |
|
||
| 21 | JOHN SCOTT III NACOGDOCHES , TX |
JACOB PERMENTER NACOGDOCHES , TX |
5 | 0 | 22.55 |
|
|||
| 22 | TODD CASTLEDINE NACOGDOCHES , TX |
RUSSELL CECIL WILLIS , TX |
5 | 0 | 22.52 |
|
|||
| 23 | |
BOB SIGNORIN OAKHURST , TX |
TRAVIS SIGNORIN OAKHURST , TX |
5 | 8.73 | 22.36 |
|
||
| 24 | MICHAEL LAFLEUR ORANGEFIELD , TX |
ROWDY SLAUGHTER BRIDGE CITY , TX |
5 | 0 | 22.35 |
|
|||
| 25 | |
DANNY BENNETT HUNTSVILLE , TX |
CHAD HOKE MONTGOMERY , TX |
5 | 0 | 22.22 |
|
||
| 26 | CHRIS CLEMENS LUFKIN , TX |
DALLAS COLE LEESVILLE , LA |
5 | 0 | 22.18 |
|
|||
| 27 | CLAYTON BOULWARE ZAVALLA , TX |
ALBERT COLLINS NACOGDOCHES , TX |
5 | 0 | 22.17 |
|
|||
| 28 | RUSTY HARVEY LUMBERTON , TX |
CHRIS HARVEY JASPER , TX |
5 | 0 | 21.94 |
|
|||
| 29 | RUSTY WEST WARREN , TX |
LEVI WEST WARREN , TX |
5 | 0 | 21.93 |
|
|||
| 30 | |
FOYCE WINN VIDOR , TX |
STEVE WOODIE SOUR LAKE , TX |
5 | 0 | 21.77 |
|
||
| 31 | JUSTIN MORTON ETOILE , TX |
RANDY TURNER LUFKIN , TX |
5 | 0 | 21.69 |
|
|||
| 32 | WALTER LAND CLEVELAND , TX |
JOHN VILES CLEVELAND , TX |
5 | 0 | 21.64 |
|
|||
| 33 | |
KYLE WILLIAMS MIDLOTHIAN , TX |
BILLY MULLEN MIDLOTHIAN , TX |
5 | 0 | 21.60 |
|
||
| 34 | JASON HANKS PINELAND , TX |
MARC WOOLEMS JASPER , TX |
5 | 0 | 21.32 |
|
|||
| 35 | |
ANTHONY TEMPLETON BECKVILLE , TX |
TAMARA TEMPLETON BECKVILLE , TX |
5 | 0 | 21.29 |
|
||
| 36 | DONNIE PICKARD BRIDGE CITY , TX |
ALAN ASHBY ORANGE , TX |
5 | 0 | 21.16 |
|
|||
| 37 | |
HAROLD ALLEN SHELBYVILLE , TX |
MATT LOETSCHER MANY , LA |
5 | 0 | 21.13 |
|
||
| 38 | DICKY NEWBERRY HOUSTON , TX |
KEN SMITH DALLAS , TX |
5 | 0 | 21.10 |
|
|||
| 39 | JAMES DAVIS JR FERRIDAY , LA |
CEDRIC JACKSON SICILY ISLAND , LA |
5 | 0 | 20.81 |
|
|||
| 40 | MATTHEW MCARDLE HOUSTON , TX |
JOSH BENSEMA WILLIS , TX |
5 | 0 | 20.74 |
|
|||
| 40 | PATRICK FULLER TYLER , TX |
JOE EMBRY TYLER , TX |
5 | 0 | 20.74 |
|
|||
| 42 | JASON BURTON LUFKIN , TX |
STEVE EVANS LUFKIN , TX |
5 | 0 | 20.67 |
|
|||
| 43 | JOHN MADDOX LUFKIN , TX |
JEFFERY WISE LUFKIN , TX |
5 | 0 | 20.62 |
|
|||
| 44 | BRANDON FLOWERS BAYTOWN , TX |
CURTIS JORDAN DAYTON , TX |
5 | 0 | 20.49 |
|
|||
| 45 | TOMMY DICKERSON ORANGE , TX |
JUSTIN BURNS BUNA , TX |
5 | 0 | 20.28 |
|
|||
| 46 | JOHN ILES LUFKIN , TX |
BRIAN SHOOK CHINA , TX |
5 | 0 | 20.26 |
|
|||
| 47 | TODD NEWMAN NACODOCHES , TX |
SHANNON HALE NACOGDOCHES , TX |
5 | 0 | 20.17 |
|
|||
| 48 | DAVE REDINGTON SULPHUR SPRINGS , TX |
CHAD MCCLENDON GRAPEVINE , TX |
5 | 0 | 20.13 |
|
|||
| 49 | |
JESSE MOODY APPLE SPRINGS , TX |
BRANDON MOODY APPLE SPRINGS , TX |
5 | 0 | 20.06 |
|
||
| 50 | JASON BONDS LUFKIN , TX |
JAMES NITSCHKE WILLIS , TX |
5 | 0 | 20.03 |
|
|||
| 51 | |
RAY BECK BEAUMONT , TX |
LINDY HADLEY BROOKELAND , TX |
5 | 0 | 19.93 |
|
||
| 52 | BUD PRUITT HOUSTON , TX |
RUSSELL LEWIS | 5 | 0 | 19.88 |
|
|||
| 53 | |
CHRIS HUEBEL NEDERLAND , TX |
KURT ESTES ORANGE , TX |
5 | 0 | 19.85 |
|
||
| 54 | WILLIAM WALKER JENA , LA |
BRANDON NUGENT DEVILLE , LA |
5 | 0 | 19.67 |
|
|||
| 55 | ROY ANDERSON KOUNTZE , TX |
JUSTIN SOWELL SILSBEE , TX |
5 | 0 | 19.58 |
|
|||
| 56 | |
WILLIAM FLOURNOY DIBOLL , TX |
JAMES CHUMLEY LUFKIN , TX |
5 | 0 | 19.57 |
|
||
| 57 | TRENTON VARDEMAN HUNTINGTON , TX |
COLE STEWART HEMPHILL , TX |
5 | 0 | 19.52 |
|
|||
| 58 | |
BEN SOUTH JASPER , TX |
BRYAN SOUTH JASPER , TX |
5 | 0 | 19.51 |
|
||
| 59 | RICHARD DRAPER CYPRESS , TX |
PHIL MARKS DALLAS , TX |
5 | 0 | 19.50 |
|
|||
| 60 | |
TERRY LINDSAY BECKVILE , TX |
JACE LINDSAY BECKVILLE , TX |
5 | 0 | 19.47 |
|
||
| 61 | |
 |
CHARLES GUTHRIE CONROE , TX |
JOSEPH BUDZINSKI MONTGOMERY , TX |
5 | 0 | 19.41 |
|
|
| 62 | NATHAN STROUP WILLIS , TX |
KENNETH CURLEE MONTGOMERY , TX |
5 | 0 | 19.31 |
|
|||
| 63 | PETE SHIVERS KIRBYVILLE , TX |
ALLAN SHIVERS JASPER , TX |
5 | 0 | 19.27 |
|
|||
| 64 | RONNIE RALEY ORANGE , TX |
CHRIS MCCLAIN ORANGE , TX |
5 | 0 | 19.24 |
|
|||
| 65 | |
KEITH RAY III NEDERLAND , TX |
STEPHEN WEST BEAUMONT , TX |
5 | 0 | 19.23 |
|
||
| 66 | ROBERT CASE JR POINT , TX |
RICH DALBEY GREENVILLE , TX |
5 | 0 | 19.16 |
|
|||
| 66 | JEFFREY WALLACE WEST MONROE , LA |
DUSTY MOBLEY CHATHAM , LA |
5 | 0 | 19.16 |
|
|||
| 68 | KRIS WILSON MONTGOMERY , TX |
BRYAN LOHR LUMBERTON , TX |
5 | 0 | 19.12 |
|
|||
| 69 | RYAN PINKSTON CENTER , TX |
SCOOTER CLARK CENTER , TX |
5 | 0 | 19.05 |
|
|||
| 70 | |
JOHN DICKERSON ORANGE , TX |
COREY STANLEY ORANGE , TX |
5 | 0 | 19.01 |
|
||
| 71 | |
NICK DIBERARDINO BROOKELAND , TX |
LARRY COTTEN HUFFMAN , TX |
5 | 0 | 18.93 |
|
||
| 71 | TOMMY MURRAY BEDFORD , TX |
DENNY SWARTZ BROUSSARD , LA |
5 | 0 | 18.93 |
|
|||
| 73 | |
KYLE ROWE WACO , TX |
TED PATE ALEXANDRIA , LA |
5 | 0 | 18.91 |
|
||
| 74 | TOMMY LOVING CYPRESS , TX |
JAMES WHITE SPICEWOOD , TX |
5 | 0 | 18.90 |
|
|||
| 75 | EDWARD LACOSTE HEMPHILL , TX |
CHRIS NEWMAN HEMPHILL , TX |
5 | 0 | 18.87 |
|
|||
| 76 | |
CODY WOODS JACKSONVILLE , TX |
ANDREW WRIGHT PLANO , TX |
5 | 0 | 18.82 |
|
||
| 77 | |
JASON MOORE BUNA , TX |
AARON BUDRO LUMBERTON , TX |
5 | 0 | 18.77 |
|
||
| 77 | STEVE BURGAY TIMPSON , TX |
WILLIAM LLOYD SHELBYVILLE , TX |
5 | 0 | 18.77 |
|
|||
| 79 | JEREMEY JEANSONNE SHREVEPORT , LA |
DENNIS WALKER NATCHITOCHES , LA |
5 | 0 | 18.74 |
|
|||
| 80 | |
BRIAN SCHOTT LONGVIEW , TX |
SCOTT GILL DERIDDER , LA |
5 | 0 | 18.59 |
|
||
| 81 | DOUG MORROW HOUSTON , TX |
ROBERT MORROW HOUSTON , TX |
5 | 0 | 18.58 |
|
|||
| 82 | BOBBY VICE GROVES , TX |
RICKY GUY HUMBLE , TX |
5 | 0 | 18.49 |
|
|||
| 83 | |
BRANDON MARKS BUNA , TX |
CLINT FOUNTAIN KIRBYVILLE , TX |
5 | 0 | 18.44 |
|
||
| 84 | |
LONNIE STANLEY HUNTINGTON , TX |
RANDY HANNA ZAVALLA , TX |
5 | 0 | 18.42 |
|
||
| 85 | SHANNON CARROLL BURKEVILLE , TX |
LARRY FORD KIRBYVILLE , TX |
5 | 0 | 18.40 |
|
|||
| 85 | TEDDY CLOIDE VIDOR , TX |
WESLEY DAWSON SHEPHERD , TX |
5 | 0 | 18.40 |
|
|||
| 87 | GEORGE JEANE JR EVANS , LA |
CHET SLAYDON DE RIDDER , LA |
5 | 0 | 18.33 |
|
|||
| 88 | NATHAN PRINE BUNA , TX |
BLAINE MARKS BUNA , TX |
5 | 0 | 18.23 |
|
|||
| 89 | |
ROBERT NAQUIN JR DEVILLE , LA |
BRIAN LUCAS DEVILLE , LA |
5 | 0 | 18.20 |
|
||
| 90 | JUSTIN WOJCIK BULVERDE , TX |
JACOB ROOT BROOKELAND , TX |
5 | 0 | 18.14 |
|
|||
| 91 | SHAWN MILOW HUMBLE , TX |
DONN MILOW HUMBLE , TX |
5 | 0 | 18.00 |
|
|||
| 92 | GERALD GUIN CASTOR , LA |
ANDY FEARRAND JAMESTOWN , LA |
5 | 0 | 17.98 |
|
|||
| 93 | MARK WHITE PINEVILLE , LA |
DAVID WHITE MANSFIELD , LA |
5 | 0 | 17.97 |
|
|||
| 94 | RONNIE SIMS KIRBYVILLE , TX |
TAYLOR SIMS BEAUMONT , TX |
5 | 0 | 17.93 |
|
|||
| 95 | DANNY CHERRY KIRBYVILLE , TX |
BUDDY BUMSTEAD KOUNTZE , TX |
5 | 0 | 17.89 |
|
|||
| 96 | |
ROBERT MIKES SHINER , TX |
MARKUS ELDER NEW WAVERLY , TX |
5 | 0 | 17.86 |
|
||
| 97 | |
BEN MATSUBU HEMPHILL , TX |
BRANDON DAVIDSON LITTLE ELM , TX |
5 | 9.62 | 17.77 |
|
||
| 98 | RODNEY MCCUTCHEN NEW BRAUNFELSTX , TX |
DON MCCUTCHEN BOERNE , TX |
5 | 0 | 17.76 |
|
|||
| 99 | LEE BATSON HEATH , TX |
JASON GREER HEATH , TX |
5 | 0 | 17.69 |
|
|||
| 100 | |
BILL HUDSPETH KILGORE , TX |
RICKY POTTS LONGVIEW , TX |
5 | 0 | 17.65 |
|
||
| 101 | SCOTT DAVID GOODRICH , TX |
HAROLD MOORE CALDWELL , TX |
5 | 0 | 17.58 |
|
|||
| 102 | |
JAMES LARAMORE VIDOR , TX |
KEVIN BURKS KOUNTZE , TX |
5 | 0 | 17.55 |
|
||
| 103 | JOSH SOWELL CENTER , TX |
JOHN PACKARD NACOGDOCHES , TX |
5 | 0 | 17.53 |
|
|||
| 104 | BRADLEY HILLEBRANDT FLORIEN , LA |
JORDAN BREAUX SULPHUR , LA |
5 | 0 | 17.45 |
|
|||
| 105 | BUZZ CRAFT VADILIA , LA |
ERNIE PAUL LONGVIEW , TX |
5 | 0 | 17.34 |
|
|||
| 106 | KEVIN WEST BATSON , TX |
JADEN PARRISH LIBERTY , TX |
5 | 0 | 17.29 |
|
|||
| 107 | WILLIAM STARK EVADALE , TX |
DAVID MORGAN SILSBEE , TX |
5 | 0 | 17.27 |
|
|||
| 107 | CRAIG BEAN LAKE CHARLES , LA |
CLAY DARDEAU RAGLEY , LA |
5 | 0 | 17.27 |
|
|||
| 109 | COLBY HAND SHREVEPORT , LA |
TY HUMPHRIES STONEWALL , LA |
5 | 0 | 17.20 |
|
|||
| 109 | BLAKE HARVEY VIDOR , TX |
BEN HARVEY JASPER , TX |
5 | 0 | 17.20 |
|
|||
| 111 | BOB VOTE KINGWOOD , TX |
ANDY VOTE KINGWOOD , TX |
5 | 0 | 17.19 |
|
|||
| 112 | |
SHELBY SHAW HUNTSVILLE , TX |
LANCE HUGHES TIMPSON , TX |
5 | 0 | 17.16 |
|
||
| 112 | |
LANE MCGAHA DUBACH , LA |
CHASE MCCULLIN BENTON , LA |
5 | 0 | 17.16 |
|
||
| 112 | JONATHAN SIMON ORANGE , TX |
CADE DURIO LAKE CHARLES , LA |
5 | 0 | 17.16 |
|
|||
| 115 | JASON CLARK MAGNOLIA , TX |
DAVID CARTER SPRING , TX |
5 | 0 | 17.09 |
|
|||
| 116 | BOBBY BADARACK EULESS , TX |
MARY JACKSON EULESS , TX |
5 | 0 | 17.08 |
|
|||
| 117 | |
CASEY BURLEIGH ORANGE , TX |
JOSH RODGERS BEAUMONT , TX |
5 | 0 | 16.88 |
|
||
| 118 | |
|
CLAY BELANGER ORANGE , TX |
MITCHELL FRIEDMAN WOODWAY , TX |
5 | 0 | 16.72 |
|
|
| 119 | RODNEY DOTSON BROOKELAND , TX |
MIKE ATCHELEY PINELAND , TX |
5 | 0 | 16.67 |
|
|||
| 120 | GEORGE AUCOIN ORANGE , TX |
HUNTER AUCOIN ORANGE , TX |
5 | 0 | 16.66 |
|
|||
| 121 | NEIL BEEBEE WOODLANDS , TX |
JOE BEEBEE THE WOODLANDS , TX |
5 | 0 | 16.62 |
|
|||
| 122 | |
ROB RICHARDS SPRING , TX |
BRANDON NICHOLSON BANDERA , TX |
5 | 0 | 16.61 |
|
||
| 123 | JEFF VINES PORT ARTHUR , TX |
DEWEY VINES JR PORT ARTHUR , TX |
5 | 0 | 16.57 |
|
|||
| 124 | |
JEFF HOLDER BOSSIER CITY , LA |
TERRY BURGHART SHREVEPORT , LA |
5 | 0 | 16.55 |
|
||
| 125 | MALCOLM WILLIAMS BRONSON , TX |
ANDY WILLIAMS HEMPHILL , TX |
5 | 0 | 16.54 |
|
|||
| 126 | TOMMY HOWARD BROOKELAND , TX |
EVAN PECK BROOKELAND , TX |
5 | 0 | 16.50 |
|
|||
| 127 | |
DOUG MCCAIN LAKE CHARLES , LA |
MASON MCCAIN LAKE CHARLES , LA |
5 | 0 | 16.41 |
|
||
| 127 | PHILLIP CRELIA CENTER , TX |
TJ GOODWYN CENTER , TX |
5 | 0 | 16.41 |
|
|||
| 129 | ROGELIO ABREGO NEED INFO |
GERADO GONZALEZ MONTERREY |
5 | 0 | 16.37 |
|
|||
| 130 | KENNETH STEWART BEAUMONT , TX |
MIKE BROWN VIDOR , TX |
5 | 0 | 16.36 |
|
|||
| 131 | KELLY NEELY ORANGE , TX |
BRIAN RAWLS ORANGE , TX |
5 | 0 | 16.34 |
|
|||
| 132 | GLEN FREEMAN ZWOLLE , LA |
JEFF RICE BENTON , LA |
5 | 0 | 16.33 |
|
|||
| 133 | |
RICKY CRUZ NATCHEZ , LA |
CJ NICHOLS ALEXANDRIA , LA |
5 | 0 | 16.20 |
|
||
| 134 | |
MATTHEW TOTTEN EVADALE , TX |
DEVAN SEGURA PORT NECHES , TX |
5 | 0 | 16.05 |
|
||
| 135 | RONNIE BLAND BURKEVILLE , TX |
MALCOLM FRANKS FLORINE , LA |
5 | 0 | 16.03 |
|
|||
| 136 | |
PAUL SHANNON ARLINGTON , TX |
JACOB SHANNON TYLER , TX |
5 | 0 | 16.01 |
|
||
| 137 | STEPHEN MITCHELL JONESVILLE , LA |
GERALD MITCHELL JENA , LA |
5 | 0 | 15.87 |
|
|||
| 138 | |
RANDALL WARD SUGARLAND , TX |
DAVID BLUM CLEVELAND , TX |
5 | 0 | 15.86 |
|
||
| 139 | KENNETH CATES ZAVALLA , TX |
DELIA DEGNAN ZAVALLA , TX |
5 | 0 | 15.83 |
|
|||
| 140 | TROY RODER BROOKELAND , TX |
KYLE HALL RIO VISTA , TX |
5 | 0 | 15.74 |
|
|||
| 141 | |
JOHNNY FAULKENBERRY LIBERTY , TX |
TRAE NEWKIRK III CLEVELAND , TX |
5 | 0 | 15.69 |
|
||
| 141 | CHRIS SMITH ORANGE , TX |
JAMES BABB BRIDGE CITY , TX |
5 | 0 | 15.69 |
|
|||
| 143 | GARY SPARKS SPLENDORA , TX |
TYLER WOODS NACOGDOCHES , TX |
5 | 0 | 15.68 |
|
|||
| 144 | |
ED MELTON HOUSTON , TX |
JEFF RANDOLPH HUNTSVILLE , TX |
5 | 0 | 15.67 |
|
||
| 145 | |
RONALD YAWN VILLAGE MILLS , TX |
PERRY NELMS ORANGE , TX |
5 | 0 | 15.61 |
|
||
| 146 | SAMUEL CANOE GEORGETOWN , LA |
MATTHEW DELANEY POLLOCK , LA |
5 | 0 | 15.53 |
|
|||
| 147 | ANTHONY SHARP SILSBEE , TX |
FRANK YU SPURGER , TX |
5 | 0 | 15.48 |
|
|||
| 148 | LUCAS BARRIENTES ROWLETT , TX |
DAVID SPEAKMAN MESQUITE , TX |
5 | 0 | 15.38 |
|
|||
| 149 | BRENT BROUSSARD ROSENBERG , TX |
WHITT BROUSSARD ROSENBERG , TX |
5 | 0 | 15.34 |
|
|||
| 150 | |
KEVIN GERNENTZ TYLER , TX |
MITCHELL MCCURLEY PORT NECHES , TX |
4 | 0 | 15.32 |
|
||
| 151 | TODD RISINGER WEST MONROE , LA |
SONTUS MITCHELL RUSTON , LA |
5 | 0 | 15.27 |
|
|||
| 152 | STEVE PHILLIPS BEAUMONT , TX |
CLYDE GLENN BELTON , TX |
5 | 0 | 15.26 |
|
|||
| 153 | GERALD BARBOUR EAST TAWAKONI , TX |
BRANDON EDNEY GARLAND , TX |
5 | 0 | 15.16 |
|
|||
| 154 | MARK SABBIDES PINEVILLE , LA |
DENNY MAXWELL PINEVILLE , LA |
5 | 0 | 15.13 |
|
|||
| 155 | |
SCOTT DEAN TERRELL , TX |
GARRICK MCPHERSON AZLE , TX |
5 | 0 | 14.87 |
|
||
| 156 | |
NATHAN BYRD MIDLOTHIAN , TX |
JOE BYRD SPRING , TX |
5 | 0 | 14.83 |
|
||
| 156 | |
DON DICKERSON PINEVILLE , LA |
CHRIS JACOBUS LONGVIEW , TX |
5 | 0 | 14.83 |
|
||
| 158 | FLOYD PAGE DAYTON , TX |
DANA MANSFIELD BROADDUS , TX |
5 | 0 | 14.78 |
|
|||
| 159 | |
JASON BURT BUNA , TX |
JOSEPH FOREMAN BUNA , TX |
5 | 0 | 14.77 |
|
||
| 160 | JASON CONN ANNA , TX |
ROBERT BROCK JR PRINCETON , TX |
5 | 0 | 14.70 |
|
|||
| 161 | CHRISTOPHER HODGKINSON CUMBERTON , TX |
TIMMY SOWELL LUMBERTON , TX |
5 | 0 | 14.61 |
|
|||
| 162 | JEREMY LEMMONS TOMBALL , TX |
RYAN UNDERWOOD HOUSTON , TX |
5 | 0 | 14.53 |
|
|||
| 163 | LARRY DEAN HUMBLE , TX |
JAMES WALLER CYPRESS , TX |
5 | 0 | 14.51 |
|
|||
| 164 | RANDY MILLENDER TEAGUE , TX |
KENNETH NICHOLS TEAGUE , TX |
5 | 0 | 14.48 |
|
|||
| 165 | |
RUSS CARTER LONGVIEW , TX |
SCOTT BAILEY LONGVIEW , TX |
5 | 0 | 14.38 |
|
||
| 166 | |
TYLER BEARDEN TOMBALL , TX |
JASON GLENDE CYPRESS , TX |
5 | 0 | 14.37 |
|
||
| 167 | |
DEREK MONG MANY , LA |
TAMMY MONG MANY , LA |
5 | 0 | 14.35 |
|
||
| 168 | WILLIAM CASTEEL SULPHUR , LA |
AUSTIN CASTEEL SULPHUR , LA |
5 | 0 | 14.30 |
|
|||
| 169 | |
CHRIS GOODMAN ABILENE , TX |
LINK LOWRANCE RANGER , TX |
5 | 0 | 14.29 |
|
||
| 170 | |
JOE JOSLIN SR DERIDDER , LA |
DAVID BROWN | 5 | 0 | 14.02 |
|
||
| 171 | JACOB JORDAN CHINA , TX |
DREW DAIGLE BEAUMONT , TX |
5 | 0 | 13.86 |
|
|||
| 172 | COLT DEAR BUNA , TX |
JUSTIN EDGERTON NEWTON , TX |
5 | 0 | 13.69 |
|
|||
| 173 | |
JORDAN DOWNS BRIDGE CITY , TX |
BRYAN GUIDRY BEAUMONT , TX |
5 | 0 | 13.65 |
|
||
| 174 | KEVIN WALKER JR BUNA , TX |
JEFF BRIDGES LUMBERTON , TX |
5 | 0 | 13.64 |
|
|||
| 175 | TERRY HELGESON LEESVILLE , LA |
CHRIS HELGESON TEMPLE , TX |
5 | 0 | 13.57 |
|
|||
| 176 | |
KEITH DELANEY POLLOCK , LA |
ROGER SEAL MONTGOMERY , LA |
5 | 0 | 13.32 |
|
||
| 177 | WILLIAM MARSHALL BEAUMONT , TX |
COLBY OGDEN KOUNTZE , TX |
5 | 0 | 13.04 |
|
|||
| 178 | JORDAN WOOD NEDERLAND , TX |
CAMERON ROANE BEAUMONT , TX |
5 | 0 | 13.00 |
|
|||
| 178 | |
COREY HARMON PORT NECHES , TX |
TRENT JAMES ORANGE , TX |
5 | 0 | 13.00 |
|
||
| 180 | JOEY POHL CARMINE , TX |
NIEL LASKOSKIE BRENHAM , TX |
5 | 0 | 12.93 |
|
|||
| 181 | GENE LATHROP JEWETT , TX |
RYAN GLASS BUFFALO , TX |
5 | 0 | 12.86 |
|
|||
| 182 | |
BUBBA CAMPBELL SR DAYTON , TX |
DONALD WALKER KIRBYVILLE , TX |
5 | 0 | 12.85 |
|
||
| 183 | KENETH EDWARDS LUMBERTON , TX |
DILLON EDWARDS BEAUMONT , TX |
5 | 0 | 12.84 |
|
|||
| 184 | |
STEVE LEE CONROE , TX |
AARON SCHULTE MAGNOLIA , TX |
5 | 0 | 12.49 |
|
||
| 185 | CHRIS KING JASPER , TX |
LOGAN PRIMROSE JASPER , TX |
5 | 0 | 12.34 |
|
|||
| 186 | |
JACOB MCKEE LEESVILLE , LA |
CHRIS WHITE ROSEPINE , LA |
5 | 0 | 12.20 |
|
||
| 186 | MIKE TAYLOR JASPER , TX |
RANDY DEARMAN ONALASKA , TX |
5 | 0 | 12.20 |
|
|||
| 188 | |
JIMMY BRUMFIELD MADISON , MS |
KEITH BRUMFIELD VICKSBURG , MS |
5 | 0 | 12.11 |
|
||
| 189 | |
ANTHONY NICHOLS BROOKLAND , TX |
LARRY NICHOLS BROOKELAND , TX |
5 | 0 | 11.97 |
|
||
| 190 | |
ANDRE CHAPMAN CHURCH POINT , LA |
BILL DAIGLE LAFAYETTE , LA |
5 | 0 | 11.96 |
|
||
| 191 | BOB SEALY SAM RAYBURN , TX |
5 | 0 | 11.55 |
|
||||
| 192 | MIKE SOLIZ ORANGE , TX |
JOHN SARGENT ORANGE , TX |
5 | 0 | 11.49 |
|
|||
| 193 | JOSHUA SMITH SULPHUR , LA |
RUDY VAUSSINE LAKE CHARLES , LA |
5 | 0 | 11.26 |
|
|||
| 194 | |
SCOTT DEATON MONTGOMEY , TX |
NEIL CARRET CARENCRO , LA |
5 | 0 | 11.22 |
|
||
| 195 | AR JOHNSON GARWOOD , TX |
GLYNN CLARDY GARWOOD , TX |
5 | 0 | 11.17 |
|
|||
| 196 | |
DAVID FREEMAN VIDOR , TX |
COLIN FREEMAN VIDOR , TX |
5 | 0 | 11.08 |
|
||
| 197 | WILLIAM SPILLER BASTROP , TX |
JOSHUA SPILLER FRANKLIN , TX |
4 | 0 | 10.87 |
|
|||
| 198 | |
TYLER TATE BEAUMONT , TX |
BLAKE CAIN BEAUMONT , TX |
5 | 0 | 10.31 |
|
||
| 199 | MARK HOOKER MONTGOMERY , TX |
DEREK PIETSCH MONTGOMERY , TX |
5 | 0 | 9.93 |
|
|||
| 200 | |
ERIC MCGIBNEY CLEVELAND , TX |
DAYLYN MCGIBNEY CLEVELAND , TX |
5 | 0 | 9.88 |
|
||
| 201 | |
|
CHRIS ROHDE WICHETT , TX |
BRANDON ROHDE DALLAS , TX |
5 | 0 | 9.66 |
|
|
| 202 | ROBERT WASHINGTON WATERPROOF , LA |
SHELIA WASHINGTON WATERPROOF , LA |
5 | 0 | 9.58 |
|
|||
| 203 | |
RONNIE MILNER KATY , TX |
ANTHONY GABRYSCH JR ALVIN , TX |
5 | 0 | 8.95 |
|
||
| 204 | CRAIG MASSEY HOUSTON , TX |
SCOTT HOLIFIELD GRAND BAY , AL |
5 | 0 | 8.75 |
|
|||
| 205 | MARK WERSIG NEDERLAND , TX |
MICHAEL WERSIG COLLEGE STATION , TX |
5 | 0 | 8.44 |
|
|||
| 206 | JASON KERFOOT ROYSE CITY , TX |
CHRIS BIGBY ROYSE CITY , TX |
3 | 0 | 4.60 |
|
|||
| 207 | CHANCE MOTON MANSFIELD , LA |
JIMMY CAWTHORN LOGANSPORT , LA |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | CHRIS LAIRD SILSBEE , TX |
JUSTIN HOLMES NEED INFO |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | CHARLIE BROWN III FLINT , TX |
TIM BAKER FLINT , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | DEAN COLEMAN HUMBLE , TX |
RANDY QUINN HUFFMAN , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | |
JASON WILLIAMS NEDERLAND , TX |
RICK WILLIAMS NEDERLAND , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | JAMES DUTTON HEMPHILL , TX |
ROBERT NEAL JR HEMPHILL , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | |
DARRELL PORTER MONROE , LA |
ROBERT WELKER RAYVILLE , LA |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | DANNY WEEMS COMO , TX |
JODY BRADSHAW TYLER , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | NORM DEHART YUMA , AZ |
BRIAN O'CONNOR CYPRESS , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | STEVEN SINGLETON NEDERLAND , TX |
RANDY WISTNER NEDERLAND , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | WILLIAM MESSER TIMPSON , TX |
JOSH TIPTEN BECKVILLE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | |
RYAN CANNON BULLARD , TX |
CHRIS FITE BULLARD , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | LESLIE HARPER HEMPHILL , TX |
GARY FRICK HEMPHILL , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | JAMES MOODY CALL , TX |
PAT GORSVLOWSKY SULPHUR , LA |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | |
MARCUS PARKER PEARLAND , TX |
KYLE SMITH HOUSTON , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | CLINT KIRBY LUFKIN , TX |
ANDREW KIRBY HUNTINGTON , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | DAVID FOX LEESVILLE , LA |
TREVOR FOX LEESVILLE , LA |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | SHALON NASH EVANS , LA |
DAVID BEASON EVANS , LA |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | EDDIE KLASING CENTER , TX |
KERRY LUCAS CENTER , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | |
DAVID PICKETT SHREVEPORT , LA |
KRISTOPHER PICKETT COUSHATTA , LA |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | CALEB STARK BALL , LA |
MARK BARBAT PINEVILLE , LA |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | JOHN NEMECEK FRIENDSWOOD , TX |
BRADLEY PAGE FRIENDSWOOD , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | |
WAYNE FAGEN DAYTON , TX |
TAMMY FAGEN DAYTON , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | |
JERRY DUBOSE SILSBEE , TX |
SKIP FLOYD HEMPHILL , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | |
BILLY WOLCOTT WARREN , TX |
JAMES SEALE JASPER , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | |
DANNY LASHLEY BOYCE , LA |
MICHAEL IVEY OTIS , LA |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | CLIFFORD MCCARTY LONGVIEW , TX |
GARRETT HILTON BEAUMONT , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | |
RANDY KLEVENSKI PLANTERSVILLE , TX |
MICHAEL KLEVENSKI OAKHURST , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | |
ANTHONY GUIDRY KAPLAN , LA |
ZACHARY GUIDRY KAPLAN , LA |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | CHRIS LEWIS LONGVIEW , TX |
BRANDON ONEAL CARTHAGE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | STEFAN CLOEREN ORANGE , TX |
BLAKE ISTRE ORANGE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | PAUL PROCTOR LUMBERTON , TX |
RANDY FOY LUMBERTON , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | DEAN SIKES DEVILLE , LA |
JOSHUA SIKES PINEVILLE , LA |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | PAUL PIKE BROOKELAND , TX |
NEAL PIKE SILSBEE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | |
CHAD KEMP BRIDGE CITY , TX |
BRENT KEMP ORANGE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | BRIAN MARTIN HEMPHILL , TX |
TOMMY MARTIN HEMPHILL , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | KENNY COBB HODGE , LA |
BOBBY LOGAN COUSHATTA , LA |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | DILLON YBARBO BUNA , TX |
BLAKE SMITH BUNA , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | |
DAVID MORTON LUFKIN , TX |
JOHN MOREHEAD HUNTINGTON , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | TEDDY DUPUY ST AMANT , LA |
SCOTT THIBODEAUX BATON ROUGE , LA |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | KIRK LELEUX KIRBYVILLE , TX |
RODGER JOHNSON JR VIDOR , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | JAMES WILSON ARP , TX |
AARON WILSON LONGVIEW , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | AP CASTINO ORANGE , TX |
KEVIN WOLFORD ORANGE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | |
|
VICTOR SEALS SPLENDORA , TX |
DONALD MOORE SPLENDORA , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|
| 207 | ADAM DUNN HOUSTON , TX |
JOSHUA WARE NEW CANEY , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | |
BRYAN WOOTTON MONTGOMERY , TX |
COLE BREWER LEESVILLE , LA |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | CHRISTOPHER WADE CANTON , TX |
ARCHIE WADE CANTON , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | |
LANCE DUFF LUMBERTON , TX |
COLE COSTLOW BATSON , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | |
KEITH HAWKINS MISSOURI CITY , TX |
J. DUCK HAWKINS IRVING , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | |
KEITH JENSCHKE NATCHITOCHES , LA |
JOHN HRAPMANN NATCHITOCHES , LA |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | JASON MCRAE HENDERSON , TX |
TRAVIS MARTIN HENDERSON , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | JERRY SEPULVADO SR NOBLE , LA |
JERRY SEPULVADO JR ZWOLLE , LA |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | ERIK PEVETO BUNA , TX |
DENTON PEVETO BUNA , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | TODD DRISCOLL JASPER , TX |
SHAWN MALONE JASPER , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | |
CORY TUCKER BEAUMONT , TX |
CURTIS COOK KIRBYVILLE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | BRAD HENSLEY CLEVELAND , TX |
DOUG PERKINS PORTER , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | LYNN ATKINSON ZAVALLA , TX |
FRANK POLLEY BECKVILLE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | |
AARON GUNN TOMBALL , TX |
ROBERT KELL CONROE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | |
RICKY MADOLE MANY , LA |
RONNIE MADOLE SHREVEPORT , LA |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | CHARLES HAMMACK NEW CANEY , TX |
MIKE LOTT MONTGOMERY , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | JOE SETINA PITTSBURG , TX |
LAMONTE LOYD PITTSBURG , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | SEAN MECHE LAKE CHARLES , LA |
RODNEY OWENS RAGLEY , LA |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | |
JERROD VAUGHT MT PLEASANT , TX |
ERIC SMITH ERATH , LA |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | |
JOHNNY FRANKS HEMPHILL , TX |
CRAIG MAY HEMPHILL , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | JAMIN BROWER MONROE , LA |
ERIC EVANS WEST MONROE , LA |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | BUDDY DAY EVADALE , TX |
KYLER KIRKLAND EVADALE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | BRANNON MIRE YOUNGSVILLE , LA |
STUART VILLIA DUSON , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | |
MARCUS SAMMONS BUNA , TX |
LUCAS SAMMONS BUNA , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | MITCHELL STEPHENSON BEAUMONT , TX |
JEAN JORGENSEN LUMBERTON , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | |
JASON BALL LUMBERTON , TX |
SKYE BALL LUMBERTON , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | RICHARD WAGNON CALL , TX |
JIMMY RAWLS JR CALL , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | DEAN ELLZEY SOUR LAKE , TX |
JUSTIN ELLZEY SOUR LAKE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | JAMES ROZELL PORTER , TX |
BRIAN DUNN PORTER , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | CODY CLARK HERMPHILL , TX |
CODY JORDAN HEMPHILL , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | |
JOHN CURE BELAIRE , TX |
GARY SMITH ALVIN , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | KEITH KING DEVILLE , LA |
RICK VILLEMONTTE JENA , LA |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | SKEETER FOWLER GRAND SALINE , TX |
BEN POPE SPLENDORA , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | BUD BOLES POLLOK , TX |
COLTON BOLES POLLOK , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | |
AARON FREEMAN THE WOODLANDS , TX |
LEE SHEARIN ORANGE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | |
JERRY LAFFITTE MANSFIELD , LA |
ADAM BURKETT CONVERSE , LA |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | |
RAYMOND FORD JR BEAUMONT , TX |
LAMAR JONES III BEAUMONT , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | |
COLBY JOHLE HUNT , TX |
KIRK CARPENTER HORSESHOE BAY , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | ROBERT LAIRD JR LIVINGSTON , TX |
MOLLY LAIRD LIVINGSTON , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | GROVER MANSFIELD DEVERS , TX |
SHAINE CAMPBELL LIVINGSTON , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | SIDNEY AUCOIN PATTERSON , LA |
JACOB ROMERO YOUNGSVILLE , LA |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | MICHAEL OATES BUNA , TX |
LYNN LIVINGSTON KIRBYVILLE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | JAMES LEE ORANGE , TX |
ALSTON GILBERT ORANGE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | LANCE SCOTT BROOKELAND , TX |
KEVIN BOLTON WILLIS , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | RUSTY HATCHER CONVERSE , LA |
CHAD LOUPE STONEWALL , LA |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | SAM HUCKABEE SHREVEPORT , LA |
SHAWN CHAMBERLAIN SHREVEPORT , LA |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | CODY PITT MANY , LA |
DALEIGHA MEYLIAN HINESTON , LA |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | TOMMY SHELTON MONTGOMERY , TX |
GENE BRITTON KATY , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | LARRY BYRD LAKE CHARLES , LA |
DAVE BUSHNELL SULPHUR , LA |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | ALVIN RICHARDSON BON WIER , TX |
JERALD PEACOCK JR BUNA , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | JUSTIN JOACHIMI BROADDUS , TX |
CHAZ QUINN SAN AUGUSTINE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | |
TOBY JONES STONEWALL , LA |
CARL JONES DAYTON , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | DERRICK LABORDE HESSMER , LA |
RAYFORD LABORDE HESSMER , LA |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | BRYAN STEVENS CROSBY , TX |
RUSSELL TRAYLOR HUFFMAN , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | JOHN BOWEN HEMPHILL , TX |
TAYLOR BARNETT PINELAND , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | |
KYLE EDGE TOMBALL , TX |
AARON SELF HOUSTON , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | DAMON TINGLE MIDLAND , TX |
BRANDON TINGLE FRIERSON , LA |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | |
ROY GEESEY CROWLEY , LA |
JEFFRY NICKEL CROWLEY , LA |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | DON JOHNSON LUFKIN , TX |
SHARON NELSON LUFKIN , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | |
KEVIN COLEMAN APPLE SPRINGS , TX |
BLAYNE COLEMAN APPLE SPRINGS , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | JACOB JOHNSON LAKE CHARLES , LA |
SHANE CORMIER RAGLEY , LA |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | TERRY STEVENS HUTTO , TX |
BARRY STEGALL PORTLAND , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | DAVID PITRE FORT WORTH , TX |
JERRY BROWN PUEBLO WEST , CO |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | TODD CARNES COLLEGE STATION , TX |
DAVID CROWSON COLLEGE STATION , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | CHARLIE MCGEE WESTLAKE , LA |
STEVE BELLON LAKE CHARLES , LA |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | LARRY PEACHER BENTLEY , LA |
DWAYNE DUNLAP NATCHEZ , LA |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | CODY CONKLE BEAUMONT , TX |
TY TOMPLAIT KIRBYVILLE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | |
DAMON CHILDRESS ORANGE , TX |
ROBERT CRUSE LUMBERTON , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | RYAN BAILEY HEMPHILL , TX |
CHRIS MCCREADY ZWOLLE , LA |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | |
PHIL RIDER NATCHITOCHES , LA |
ARCHIE DORE II NATCHITOCHES , LA |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | JERRY WILLIAMS SILSBEE , TX |
DAVID GORE KOUNTZE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | MIKE MELANCON NEDERLAND , TX |
JUSTIN MATTINGLY NEDERLAND , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | VIRGIL CHANEY JASPER , TX |
TED PRIESING DALLAS , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | |
JOHNNY MCKEE WOODVILLE , TX |
RICKY COLLINS WOODVILLE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | MIKE BASS II LUMBERTON , TX |
TREY SMITH III ORANGE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | |
RYAN WILLIAMS LUFKIN , TX |
LANCE VICK MINEOLA , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | YARRI SCHREIBVOGEL BROOKLAND , TX |
KEITH STEPHENSON JASPER , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | |
GENE BAGLEY BEAUMONT , TX |
MITCH STEPHENSON BEAUMONT , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | |
ALLEN SHELTON COPPELL , TX |
STRIDER BROWNING GUN BARREL CITY , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | MICHAEL ROGER SCOTT , IA |
JOSH WILLIAMS KINGSTON , OK |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | JIM CULP TULSA , OK |
THOMAS BOWDEN SR LAFAYETTE , LA |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | |
RODNEY SAMMONS BUNA , TX |
PHILIP HANKS BUNA , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | MIKE JOHNSON SILSBEE , TX |
BRIAN ADAMS SOUR LAKE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | CLAY CARPENTER JOYCE , LA |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||||
| 207 | MARK RICHARD BROOKELAND , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||||
| 207 | CHASE ELLIS VIDOR , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||||
| 207 | |
LARRY WEPPLER HOUSTON , TX |
DENNIS FIKES HOUSTON , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | STEVE WRIGHT PLANO , TX |
RONALD RISENHOOVER LUFKIN , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | TY MOORHEAD JASPER , TX |
CHARLES SHOFFNER JR JASPER , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | |
|
CLIFF BROWN HARKER HEIGHTS , TX |
MIKE RICHARDSON THORNDALE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|
| 207 | |
JOHN BURTON NEDERLAND , TX |
MICHAEL DORSEY ORANGE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 207 | JIMMY ROZELL JR PORTER , TX |
LARRY BENEFIELD HUFFMAN , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | JARET LATTA CEDAR PARK , TX |
BRIAN LOWRANCE NACOGDOCHES , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 207 | |
TOMMY HILL JR PINELAND , TX |
BUBBA FRAZIER PINELAND , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
All Bass Champs regular season events are open to anyone who would like to fish, and have a chance at cashing in big!
COMING UP NEXT:
March 19 – Mega Bass – Lake Fork
March 25 – South Region - Falcon
April 1 – North Region – Ray Roberts
April 8 – Central Region - Belton
April 22 – South Region - Amistad
April 29 – North Region – Lake Fork
May 13 – East Region – Toledo Bend
May 20 – Central Region - LBJ
June 3 – North Region – Tawakoni
June 9-11 – Skeeter Owner’s Tournament – Fork
June 25 – Techron TX Shootout – Sam Rayburn
Oct 14-15 – 2017 Team Championship – TBA
Oct 21-22 – 12th Annual Berkley Big Bass - Fork
It’s finally here! The Annual Mega Bass tournament on Lake Fork - the richest one-day hourly big bass tournament in the world is happening March 19. $20,000 will be given away EVERY single hour of the event – and it gets even better. At the end of the day, the angler catching the largest bass under the slot and the angler catching the biggest bass over the slot will each win a new Skeeter Boat! Anglers will be winning over $200,000 in cash and prizes – all in one day. Don’t miss your chance to win!
For those who have never fished on Lake Fork but would like to give it a try for your chance to win, the ‘slot’ rules on Lake Fork are simple: Any bass under 16” may be retained and weighed. Any bass over 24” may be retained. Any bass in-between those measurements are illegal to keep and must be released immediately. So go grab your gear and get ready to cash in – Entry fees are only $160 per angler and up to 15 places are paid every single hour.
For more information, visit www.BassChamps.com or call 817-439-3274¬
Justin "Coop" Cooper wins ABA RAM Trucks Open on Bayou Black with 18 pound limit!
Justin “Coop” Cooper of Pelican, Louisiana won the American Bass Anglers Ram Truck Open Series Louisiana division tournament, held March 11th on Bayou Black.
Running out of Bob’s Bayou Black Marina near Gibson, Louisiana, Justin caught an awesome five fish limit weighing 18.86 pounds. For the Bayou, this can only happen this time of year as the fishing is good, but rarely yields a limit of this size. For the Boater division victory, Cooper took home a check for $5000.
“I really didn’t expect to catch them like this. I made a long run and the area is pretty new to me. I caught a lot of fish today and didn’t know it held quality fish like this. I made a very crucial cull with just minutes to go to finish out the day. I was expecting 13 or 14 lbs to be able to cut a check but this was amazing. All my fish came on a V&M Pacemaker Jig in Sneaky Snake color. The rod I used was a MHX built by Rick’s Custom Rods. My 2017 Triton powered by the Mercury 250 Pro XS never let me down and I put it to the test today. It was a long run, I caught a bunch of fish, and all the cards fell in my hands.” Cooper said. Justin is also a Triton Gold Member and earned himself a $500.00 bonus for winning the event, $1,000 from Mercury Outboards, and $500 from Motor Guide Trolling Motors.
In second for the Boaters, Caleb Sumrall of New Iberia, Louisiana landed a five-bass limit weighing 17.39 pounds. Another very good limit of fish for the Bayou. His bag was anchored by a 4.59 pound kicker. He collected $500 for the effort. “I’ll say that I was way West of here. It was a long run, I caught a bunch of fish, but I just couldn’t get those 3+ pound fish to bite often enough. I was junk fishing. I caught some on a frog, some on a jig, a spinnerbait, and flipped some timber too. It was a good day on the water.” Sumrall said.
Jake DeWeese of Bossier City, Louisiana took third for the Boaters with five bass going 14.75 pounds to earn $300. “I did get some practice in this week and made one heck of a long run. It paid off and I caught 80-90 fish today but I let the big one get away. She had a head on her too. I don’t want to guess how big she was but it definitely would have made a difference in my bag.” said DeWeese.
In fourth, Billy Graves of Montgomery, Louisiana came in with 14.74 pounds.
Finishing 5th Darren Hernandez of Marrero, Louisiana with 14.15 pounds.
The biggest bass for the Boaters was caught by Kenny Waldrop of Luling, Louisiana that weighed 5.12 pounds. Waldrop pocketed $320.
In the Co-Angler division, Randy Keating of Plano, Texas is no stranger as he is the defending LA Division AOY from 2016. Randy had three bass weigh in at 10.03 pounds. He anchored his bag with a bass weighing 3.67 pounds to pocket a check for $850.
“I had a great partner again today. Billy Graves and I happened to get paired together on Toledo Bend so it was an easy fit for the both of us and we had a great time. We caught a lot of fish and I managed to cull a couple to get to the 10 pounds I brought in.” Keating said. I’m very happy to get this win.”
Taking second for the Co-Anglers, Boo Grizzaffi, of Morgan City, Louisiana brought in a three-bass limit weighing 7.98 pounds.He collected $250 for the effort. "I had a lot of fun today. Any day I can get out on the water is a good day. The fishing is good right now and I had a great partner today. I caught quite a few and culled up to my 3 that I brought in.” Grazzaffi said.” Boo Grizzaffi just happens to be the Mayor of Morgan City where the event was hosted by Cajun Coast Visitors and Convention Bureau. We thank you for you support Mayor.
Jeff Cox of Walker, Louisiana placed third among the Co-Anglers with three bass going 9.26 pounds to earn $200. “We started in pigeon, my boater caught a ton of fish and I struggled all day to get my limit. I finally caught my last keeper just before we came in right outside the mouth of the bayou.” Cox said.
In fourth place among the Co-Anglers, Justin Bailey brought in three bass for 7.79 and Jerried Bailey finished in fifth place with three bass at 7.46 pounds. Both anglers are from Farmerville, Louisiana.
The biggest bass for the co-anglers was caught by Randy Keating at 3.67 pounds. Randy took home another check for $155. for his fish.
Slated for April 29th, the next divisional tournament will be held on Black Lake Campti, launching from Chandlers Camp, near Campti, LA. At the end of the season, the best anglers from across the nation advance to the Ray Scott Championship, slated for April of 2018 on the Red River in Bossier City, LA.
For more information on this tournament, call Chris Wayand, tournament manager, at (256)230-5627 or ABA at (256)232-0406. On line, see www.ramopenseries.com.
About American Bass Anglers: American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler and at the same time offer each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers, the Ram Truck Open Series, the American Fishing Tour or the American Couples Series, visit www.americanbassanglers.com.
Fulps wins TH Marine BFL on Grand Lake with over 21 pounds!
Marlow’s Spence tops Co-angler field
GROVE, Okla. (March 13, 2017) – Derek Fulps of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 21 pounds, 10 ounces, Saturday to win the first T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Okie Division event of 2017 on Grand Lake. For his win, Fulps took home $5,996.
“My three biggest bass came on a Molting Craw-colored Elk River Finesse Jig,” said Fulps, who earned his second career win in FLW competition. “I worked it through mid-lake areas around docks and where bass were staging. I had a lot of success on bluff ends, specifically ones that transitioned into a flat with pea gravel and smaller rock.”
Fulps said that the slope of the bluff ends was an important factor in his areas.
“The bluff ends produced a lot more than the bluffs themselves – I couldn’t find bass on the 45-degree banks,” said Fulps. “By 11 a.m., I had three bass in the boat nearing 17 pounds.”
In the afternoon, Fulps said he continued working bluff ends using a Storm Wiggle Wart. He said he stayed mid-lake, and was able to top off a five-bass limit.
“With 10 minutes left to fish, I caught my sixth keeper and culled out one of the smaller Wiggle Wart fish,” said Fulps. “It came in on a War Eagle Spinnerbait and ended up winning me the event by 3 ounces.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Derek Fulps, Broken Arrow, Okla., five bass, 21-10, $5,996
2nd: Kevin Treece, Fort Smith, Ark., five bass, 21-7, $2,898
3rd: Kyle Kitts, Joplin, Mo., five bass, 19-3, $1,934
4th: Cade Alsbury, Springdale, Ark., five bass, 17-15, $1,352
5th: Larry Crouch, Carthage, Mo., five bass, 17-11, $1,159
6th: Dalton Harbin, Harrah, Okla., four bass, 17-7, $2,008
7th: Luke Frazier, Owasso, Okla., five bass, 17-1, $1,066
8th: James Marsh, Thomas, Okla., five bass, 16-6, $869
9th: Ryan Wilbanks, Wagoner, Okla., five bass, 16-1, $773
10th: Robert Myers, Broken Arrow, Okla., five bass, 15-11, $676
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Harbin caught a bass weighing 8 pounds, 2 ounces – the largest of the event – which earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $945.
Chris Spence of Marlow, Oklahoma, weighed in three bass totaling 13 pounds, 5 ounces Saturday to win the Co-angler Division and the top prize of $3,370.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Chris Spence, Marlow, Okla., three bass, 13-5, $3,370
2nd: Kurt Gordon, Cushing, Okla., three bass, 11-9, $1,449
3rd: J.P. Northcutt, Wyandotte, Okla., three bass, 8-15, $967
4th: Kevin Tye, Watts, Okla., four bass, 8-8, $676
5th: Chris Rinehart, Mustang, Okla., two bass, 8-5, $580
6th: Phillip Delong, Stillwater, Okla., three bass, 8-4, $531
7th: Christopher Johnson, Kansas, Okla., two bass, 7-9, $483
8th: Patrick Weir, Broken Arrow, Okla., three bass, 7-8, $435
9th: Kevin Turner, Sand Springs, Okla., two bass, 7-7, $586
10th: Jay Nyce, Rogers, Ark., two bass, 7-4, $321
10th: Jimmy Green, Grove, Okla., three bass, 7-4, $321
Spence also caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing 9 pounds even. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $472.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 19-21 BFL Regional Championship on the Red River in Bossier City, Louisiana. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
Sam Houston High School Team Takes the Victory In Bassmaster High School Event On Toledo Bend
|
|
8.49 wins the Cabelas Collegiate Big Bass Bash on a Snowy Kentucky Lake!
Brrrrrrrrrr!! That was the feeling for the first 2017 event of the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series. With a chance of snow showers expected late in the day, and seven to ten mile an hour winds forecasted, no one figured that by 7:00am there would be a solid covering of snow plus strong winds out of the north. The format of the 2017 Cabela’s Collegiate Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley had already been changed from a two-days event to a one-day event due to the chance of inclement weather on Sunday.
“The first thing that comes to my mind with these events is the safety of the anglers. With the chance of inclement weather moving in late Saturday I felt moving this to a single day event was best. There is nothing we do that is worth putting these young men and women in a dangerous situation," said Wade Middleton, Director of the ACA and President of CarecoTV.
With 519 anglers competing from 84 schools across the nation, Cabela's Collegiate Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley was the largest collegiate bass fishing tournament to date! And these 519 anglers really showed a ton of maturity with how well they handled the weather this morning. Once the snow let up around 9:30am, the fish became more and more active throughout the day. Most of the reports from the early weigh-in sessions were that the anglers were still concentrating on the same areas they had pre-fished and fishing different reaction baits to get those early bites. Rattletraps were by far the key bait early, but the old springtime staple of the red trap seemed to be tied on in every boat.
As the snow left the area the wind also subsided, giving the teams the opportunity to crank up the big motors and make runs to other areas they wanted to go to look for that big bite. Being a big bass event, it takes a different mindset as all it takes to win is that one big bite. As the day progressed, anglers started to use a variety of baits such as Alabama rigs, jerkbaits, shaky heads and big swimbaits.
In each of the 8 sessions it took at least a 5lb plus bass for first place. We saw the quality and quantity of the fish increase. It was really special to see that the anglers stuck out the bad weather and continued to fish throughout he day bringing in fish after fish.
Here are the first place finishers for each session – over $30,000 in prizes were awarded:
To see the complete results from the 2017 Cabela's Collegiate Big Bass Bash Presented by Berkley, click here: Complete Session Results
We would like to give all of our partners a big thank you for all the support for this event - without this support, we wouldn’t be able to put on such a great event.
Jordan and McCosker win Wild West Bass Trail Clear Lake event with 7 fish, 41.52 pound bag!
Special from WesternBass.com
LAKEPORT, Calif. – A seven-fish limit of 41.52 – bolstered by the big bass of the event at 11.80 – placed Jody Jordan and Greg McCosker atop the 172 boat field at the 2017 Wild West Bass Trail (WWBT) California Teams tournament on Clear Lake Saturday, March 11.
The team targeted the north-end of the lake, rotating through six spots and reported catching 30 fish. “We had bites all day; but our best action was before lunch,” said Jordan.
They took most of their fish on three types of lures – an umbrella-rig, swimbaits and ripbaits.
“The A-rig was a Yumbrella,” added McCosker. “It had shad-colored Keitech’s (3.8 and 4.8).”
They threw several types of swimbaits; however noted their best success came on four or five-inch Keitechs and their ripbait was a Megabass Vision 110.
“We did catch one on an Osprey and two on a Hudd,” revealed Jordan. “The swimbaits and the ripbait were all shad-type colors.”
The teammates both expressed appreciated to their family as well as the WWBT.
Jordan and McCosker were awarded $10,810 of the $56K that was paid out in the event. Their victory earned $8,500 and added contingency dollars came from the Big Fish award,Ranger Cup, Lowrance, Costa, Yamamoto and Power-Pole.
Full Wild West Bass Trail Clear Lake Results Here
2nd Nichelini/Keller
Also boosting their bag with a double-digit kicker was Mike Nichelini and Carl Keller. Nichelini and Keller took the runner-up position with 40.19 and the second biggest bass of the event at 11.54.
“We went middle to north-end,” said Nichelini. “We mainly stayed on three spots though. When you get this many people on the lake, you just don’t want to leave your water open to long.”
They hit their three spots with a variety of baits, citing an umbrella rig, lipless crankbait and ripbaits.
“The rig was a basic Yumbrella – the unbladed, standard, five-wire with Keitechs,” added Keller. “The 4.8’s as the main and 3.3 as teasers.”
There other successful lures was a Lucky Craft Staysee 90 in shad colors, and LV 500s in red craw patterns.
The team took home $6,360 including Big Fish dollars and the Dobyns Rods contingency award. They also thanked the WWBT for the event.
3rd Martin/Bitker
Completing the top trio was Chris Martin and Jeff Bitker with 39.57. This team also concentrated on the north-end. They reported the morning to be more of a challenge and the bite to have picked up about 11 a.m. They caught approximately two dozen fish using “every brand’ of swimbait. Their efforts earned $3,500 for the day.
Overall, following the recent two-week closure, the Clear Lake bass were ready to bite. Of the 172 competing teams only 29 did not have a full limit and six bass over 10-pounds were weighed.
The top-10 teams at WWBT Clear Lake:
- 41.52 Jordan/McCosker
- 40.19 Nichelini/Keller
- 39.57 Marin/Bitner
- 39.50 Church/Church
- 38.51 Francheschi/Gottwals
- 35.81 Mennie/Breazeale
- 35.65 Black/Ross
- 34.43 Pearl/Bruggemann
- 32.68 Howe/Wilson
- 32.30 Johns/Bounds
A total of $56,650 was paid for the WWBT Clear Lake Teams event including the below listed contingency dollars.
Yamamoto Toad of the Day Awards
- $860 11.80 Jordan/McCosker (1st)
- $860 11.54 Nichelini/Keller (2nd)
- $860 11.02 Agner/Milligan (21st)
- $860 10.95 Johns/Bounds (10th)
- $860 10.49 Gomez/Acosta (19th)
The following WWBT contingency payouts were also awarded to the Clear Lake Teams:
$500 Evinrude Pearl/Bruggemann Jr (8th)
$300 Evinrude Dunlap/Tibbets (18th)
$200 Evinrude Souza/Orozco (33rd)
$150 Ben Green Insurance Gutierrez/Brewer (17th)
$250 Run and Win with Lucas Oil Jones/McKa (35th)
$250 Run and Win with Lucas Oil Cline/Foor (64th)
$250 Run and Win with Lucas Oil Baldwin/Leal (97th)
###
Offering professional-level competition throughout the west, the Wild West Bass Trail provides its anglers the opportunity to further develop and advance their fishing careers. Additionally, the WWBT offers its corporate partners the opportunity to expand sales through comprehensive national and regional television coverage, exclusive on-the-water demonstrations and various tournament incentive programs.
For 2017, the WWBT will conduct 16 events that include one Pro/Am circuit and two Teams circuits – one based in California and the other in Arizona. The Pro/Am circuit consists of five tournaments throughout California and Arizona and a year-end, qualifying championship event. Each Teams circuit includes four tournaments and a year-end, qualifying championship. For more information visit WildWestBassTrail.com and follow WWBT at Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram.
Hill & Martin win Anglers Choice Marine team Trail event on Smith Mountain Lake with 23.50 pound limit!
Full Results Below:
Photo Credit: ThebassCast.com
Surat & Brewer win Alabama Bass Trail Pickwick event with 25.89 pound limit!
David Surat and Nathan Brewer Win 2017 Alabama Bass Trail Pickwick Lake
Team Combats Freezing Temperature and Crowds to win Second Northern Division Even
by Dan O’Sullivan
March 12, 2017 – Florence, Ala – It seems that every time there is a bass tournament, the weather is going to decide to make a change – at least, it happens so often, that it seem like it happens every time.
When the more than 200 anglers of the Alabama Bass Trail’s Northern Division arrived for practice in Florence, Ala. for the second stop of the 2017 schedule, they were able to wear shorts and flip flops. By the time tournament day arrived, they were in cold weather gear, and likely wishing they could build a fire on the deck of their boats for warmth.
Despite a nearly 30-degree temperature drop in three days, the fishing on Pickwick Lake proved to be the one thing that was on fire. On a day that most would assume would result in tough fishing, the Tennessee River fishery would show its potential as a big bass factory with nearly everyone in the top 15 eclipsing the 20-pound mark, and it taking 15.79-pounds to get the final check in 40th place.
The chief fire starters amongst the group were the Tennessee team of David Surat and Nathan Brewer, who decided to battle the crowds of anglers who fought it out in the tailrace of the Wilson lake Dam. Surat and Brewer used swimbaits on jigheads to produce a 25.89-pound limit to take home the title and the $10,000 winner’s purse.
The pair said that they were surprised to be standing where they were at the end of the day. “We actually thought it would take 27 to 28 pounds to win today,” they reported. “We also didn’t think our fish were that heavy, so we’re a little surprised to have won, but really happy that it worked out the way that it did.”
They reported fishing both the face of the dam and the lock in producing their limit. “We had a few key little spots within the whole area and we just worked our way in there as best we could to make the casts we needed,” they said. “There were times we just had to wait a little while for someone to move off, but we caught a lot of fish, and had a fun day.”
They reported throwing a variety of shad colored, 5-inch Zoom Swimmer Paddletail swimbaits on 1/2 to 3/4 –ounce swimbait jig and scrounger styled heads to produce their catch; which was made up of three smallmouth and two largemouth. Their catch included a behemoth 7.14-pound smallmouth that anchored their creel.
In contrast to the onslaught of smallmouth laden tailrace pattern that dominated the standings, the team of Jake and Michael Gipson ran down lake seeking to avoid the crowds. While the approach led to a grinding style of fishing, it produce a 25.54-pound limit of largemouth that was good enough to earn the $5,000 second place prize. “We ran all the way to the Nachez Trace Bridge area and threw red crankbaits and lipless crankbaits to the small grass patches along the edge of the channel,” they reported. “We only caught five keepers all day, and had one 15-inch smallmouth that we tried to cull, but just couldn’t make it happen. Despite that, we had a great day and are happy with a second place finish.”
The team of Cody Nichols and Koby Newman produced 24.55 pounds to finish third and claim the $4,000 purse, followed by Nicholas Reeves and Blake Hall in 4th with 24.25 pounds, who earned $3,000 and rounding out the top five was Phillip and Bailey Dukes who produced 23.29 pounds, earning $2,000.
The big fish of the tournament, a 10.36-pound largemouth was caught by the team of Logan ohnson and Jeremy Christian. The behemoth anchored their 22.52-pound limit, which was good for 10th place, and a total of $1,600 including the $500 Big Bass bonus.
The top 10 standings are below, for complete standings go to http://www.alabamabasstrail.org/tournament-series/pl-results/
| Place | Anglers | Weight | Big Fish | Winnings |
| 1 | David Surat / Nathan Brewer | 25.89 | 7.14 | $10,000 |
| 2 | Jake Gipson / Michael Gipson | 25.54 | 8.74 | $5,000 |
| 3 | Cody Nichols / Koby Newman | 24.55 | $4,000 | |
| 4 | Nicholas Reeves / Blake Hall | 24.25 | $3,000 | |
| 5 | Phillip Dukes / Bailey Dukes | 23.29 | 7.06 | $2,000 |
| 6 | Jamie Smith / Michael Rains | 23.26 | $1,500 | |
| 7 | Mark Meyer / Ty Campell | 23.19 | 8.82 | $1,100 |
| 8 | Donny Beck / Tony Harvey | 23.06 | $1,100 | |
| 9 | Chris Brittain / Eric Springer | 22.82 | 6.03 | $1,100 |
| 10 | Logan Johnson / Jeremy Christian | 22.52 | 10.36 | $1,100 |
The sponsors of the 2017 Alabama Bass Trail include; Bill Penney Toyota, Phoenix Bass Boats, GP8 Oxygen Water, Garmin, Academy Sports & Outdoors, Wind Creek Hospitality – Wetumpka, Wind Creek Hospitality – Montgomery, Alabama Tourism Department, SCA Performance, T-H Marine Supplies, Wedowee Marine, AFTCO, Fish Neely Henry Lake.com, Lew’s Fishing, Crossed Industries, YETI, E3 Apparel, TVA and Alabama Power.
For information about Alabama Bass Trail and for complete tournament standings visit www.alabamabasstrail.org
Coulter gets Beef Jerky Outlet for 2017 Elites
Beef Jerky Outlet Partners with Bassmaster Elite Series angler Brandon Coulter
Kodak, Tenn. – Today Beef Jerky Outlet officially announced its sponsorship of Bassmaster Elite Series angler Brandon Coulter. Fans will be able to win an all-expenses-paid fishing trip with him on fabled Lake St. Clair in August.
Like all professional anglers, Brandon Coulter is a busy man. Preparing for and competing in a dozen week-long professional events each year is a taxing endeavor. Keeping up with the latest tricks and techniques to catch more bass than the next guy is a full-time job in itself. The Knoxville, Tenn. native is also a husband and father of four children. And he founded and co-owns the Tennessee Team Trail, one of the more successful team bass tournament series in the nation.
All this busyness makes it easy to understand why he put on some unwanted LB’s after qualifying for the prestigious Bassmaster Elite Series in 2014. “I go 100 miles an hour, 365 days a year, and what I’m going to eat for a meal is extremely low on my priority list. Between fast food on the tournament trail and high-carb eating I really started to feel it when it came time to compete at this level. Tournament fishing is serious work and I’m certainly not getting any younger,” said the 46-year-old Coulter.
After the 2016 season Coulter started a rigorous no-carb diet and began eating beef jerky because it fits his on-the-go lifestyle. “Beef jerky is the greatest food ever!” Coulter exclaimed. “I’ve lost 25 pounds in six months and really feel great. It definitely allows me to stay alert and focused while fishing because physically I’m in good shape now.”
The Tennessee angler has always been popular on tour with his fellow competitors and fishing fans due to his relationship with Corona Extra USA. Tailgating is a fairly regular occurrence on tour and now Coulter expects he will become even more popular. Beef Jerky Outlet has loaded him down with hundreds of sample packs to give out to fans. All they have to do is look for his red, white, and blue tournament rig at Elite Series events. Coulter will also be making appearances at some of BJO’s 90 current locations during the remainder of the season as well.
Fans can enter to win an all-expenses-paid fishing trip with Coulter by signing up at www.BJOgiveaway.com.
Beef Jerky Outlet CEO Scott Parker said “Bass fishermen and their families are our customer. There’s not a more American sport than fishing and nothing says America like beef jerky. That’s certainly been true for a long time but we like to say that beef jerky fans arrive in “beef jerky heaven” when they visit our jerky franchise stores. It seems as though our guests are always wearing a smile because we offer them a unique sales proposition – Try Before You Buy. Guests are invited to test our different products until they find the flavor that’s just right for them.”
ABOUT BEEF JERKY OUTLET
The Beef Jerky Outlet was founded in 2010 and is the country’s first national jerky franchise. The company is headquartered in Kodak, Tennessee and there are currently 90 franchise locations, including 6 founder-owned stores. Over the next 12 months, this number will grow to more than 100 locations. The Beef Jerky Outlet specializes in more than 100 varieties, sizes and flavors of premium jerky including exotic meats like kangaroo, alligator, venison and elk, as well as specialty flavors such as Moonshine and Cajun. Jerky is lean, high in protein, low in calories, contains less than 3% fat and has an extremely long shelf life. Millions seek out and enjoy this very nutritious snack every day. Across the country people are literally eating it up!
ABOUT BRANDON COULTER
Brandon Coulter of Knoxville, TN is in his third successful season on professional fishing’s highest level – the Bassmaster Elite Series. Previously, Coulter fished seven years on the FLW Tour and qualified for three FLW Championships. Prior to competitive fishing he owned and sold an outdoor marketing agency and a construction company. Find him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Brandon.Coulter.Fishing, Instagram @bcoulterfishing, and Twitter @bcoulterfishing. His website is www.BrandonCoulterFishing.com.
ROOKIE DORTCH WINS FLW TOUR AT HARRIS CHAIN OF LAKES PRESENTED BY RANGER BOATS
Alabama Pro Catches 22-pound, 2-ounce Final Day Limit, Wins $100,000
Link to HD Video of Dortch’s Winning Moment
LEESBURG, Fla. (March 12, 2017) – Rookie pro Bradley Dortch of Atmore, Alabama, brought a five-bass limit weighing 22 pounds, 2 ounces to the scale Sunday to win the FLW Tour at the Harris Chain of Lakes presented by Ranger Boats. Dortch’s four-day total of 20 bass weighing 73-9 gave him the win by a narrow 1-pound, 12-ounce margin over second-place pro J.T. Kenney of Palm Bay, Florida, and earned him $100,000 in a dramatic finale to the four-day tournament that featured 163 of the best bass anglers in the world.
“This is something that I’ve been dreaming about and working towards for years,” said Dortch, who had one prior career win in FLW competition – a Costa FLW Series event on Wheeler Lake. “It really hasn’t even set in yet, I cannot believe it. When you’re sitting in the middle of J.T. Kenney, John Cox, Bryan Thrift, and my name is being mentioned with those anglers – wow.
“It’s kind of crazy to think about, but the key for me this week was my Day One boat draw,” Dortch continued. “I had a late boat draw on Day One and that caused me not to go to Lake Griffin, which is where I had spent the majority of my practice. I was boat 121, so I decided to stay in Lake Harris for an hour or so and let the lock clear. While I was waiting, I caught two 4-pounders and that kind of told me that I should hang around.”
The decision paid off for Dortch, as he spent all four days of the tournament fishing in Lake Harris and Little Lake Harris. He said he caught most of his fish throughout the week on a chrome and blue-colored Rat-L-Trap and a junebug-colored NetBait Salt Lick worm. He also caught a few fish on Sunday with a junebug-colored NetBait Big Bopper worm.
“I used to live down here, so I’m pretty familiar with Florida and how the fish like to set up,” Dortch said. “I knew what I needed to look for – green, crispy hydrilla growing out in front of spawning pockets. I figured the spawn would be pretty much over by now and that those postspawn fish would probably be the deal.”
With his tournament win, Dortch has now earned 500 total Angler of the Year points on the season and is in second place in the coveted Rookie of the Year (ROY) race. Justin Atkins of Florence, Alabama, the current ROY leader, is one spot ahead of Dortch with 502.
The top 10 pros finished the tournament on the Harris Chain of Lakes:
1st: Bradley Dortch, Atmore, Ala., 20 bass, 73-9, $100,700
2nd: J.T. Kenney, Palm Bay, Fla., 20 bass, 71-13, $30,000
3rd: Mud Hole Custom Tackle pro John Cox, DeBary, Fla., 20 bass, 69-1, $25,000
4th: Shane LeHew, Catawba, N.C., 20 bass, 66-1, $20,100
5th Matt Reed, Madisonville, Texas, 20 bass, 64-14, $19,000
6th: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 20 bass, 64-9, $18,000
7th: Chris Whitson, Louisville, Tenn., 20 bass, 62-14, $17,000
8th: Joshua Weaver, Macon, Ga., 20 bass, 57-10, $16,000
9th: Aaron Britt, Yuba City, Calif., 20 bass, 56-3, $15,000
10th: Rusty Trancygier, Hahira, Ga., 20 bass, 54-14, $14,000
For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.
Overall there were 50 bass weighing 149 pounds, 10 ounces caught by pros Sunday. All of the final 10 pros weighed in five-bass limits.
Robert Crosnoe of Inverness, Florida, won the co-angler division and $25,000 Friday with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 33 pounds, 1 ounce, followed by Tyler Woolcott of Port Orange, Florida, who finished in second place with 10 bass weighing 30 pounds, 9 ounces, worth $7,550.
In FLW Tour competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day, with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers. The full field of 326 anglers competes Thursday and Friday. Co-angler competition concludes following Friday’s weigh-in, while the top 20 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advance to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of professional bass fishing. The 2017 Forrest Wood Cup will be on Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina, Aug. 11-13.
The FLW Tour at the Harris Chain of Lakes presented by Ranger Boats was hosted by Lake County, Florida. The next event for FLW Tour anglers will be the FLW Tour at Lake Cumberland presented by T-H Marine, April 6-9 in Somerset, Kentucky.
Television coverage of the FLW Tour at the Harris Chain of Lakes presented by Ranger Boats will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) May 3 from 12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m. EDT. The Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
Cox still in control heading into Championship Sunday on Harris Chain
Hometown Favorite Brings 2-pound, 2-ounce Lead into Final Day.
LEESBURG, Fla. (March 11, 2017) – Mud Hole Custom Tackle pro John Cox of DeBary, Florida, retained control of the leaderboard Saturday at the FLW Tour at the Harris Chain of Lakes presented by Ranger Boats for the third straight day with five largemouth bass weighing 10 pounds, 4 ounces. If he retains his lead Sunday, Cox will earn his fourth career FLW Tour win and best 163 of the top bass-fishing anglers in the world competing for a top cash award of up to $125,000.
“Today was not very good for me,” said Cox, who retained his lead despite weighing in the second-smallest limit amongst the top-10 Saturday. “I ran all over the place trying new places. I locked to (Lake) Apopka today for the first time this week. I was mainly sight-fishing, but I think I’m going to have to scrap that tomorrow and just go fishing.”
Cox said that with no real pattern to go on, he has been forced to change his baits each day. He said a Yamamoto Senko has his been his most productive bait this week, but he’s also caught fish on a Dirty Jigs swimjig, a fluke and pitching a jig. He welcomed the changing weather conditions that are currently being forecast for Sunday.
“Nothing went wrong for me today, it was just tough,” said Cox. “Hopefully the little bit of wind and rain that is being forecast tomorrow will make things exciting. So much can change here, even overnight. I’m pretty much just going to try to feel it out as the day goes.
“All that I know is I’m so happy to be where I’m at. I’ve dreamt of this moment – to be leading an FLW Tour event on my home lake. I cannot wait to get back out there tomorrow.”
Cox’s three day total of 15 bass weighing 54 pounds, 14 ounces, gives him a 2-pound, 2-ounce advantage over North Carolina pro Shane LeHew, who advanced to the final day cut of 10 pros in the No. 2 spot with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 52-12.
“I’ve caught the majority of my fish this week sight-fishing,” said LeHew, who earned his first career top-10 cut in FLW Tour competition. “I’ve been throwing a white Bizz Baits Killer Kraw and a Bizz Baits Sassy Stick.
“I’ve ran out of bed fish. I had one 2½-pounder left, and I caught him today. Now I’m going to have to go chunk and wind. I probably caught around 40 fish today, and I lost a 4-pounder, so I’m around some fish. Hopefully tomorrow I can make something happen,” added LeHew
The top 10 pros advancing to the final day of competition on the Harris Chain of Lakes are:
1st: Mud Hole Custom Tackle pro John Cox, DeBary, Fla., 15 bass, 54-14
2nd: Shane LeHew, Catawba, N.C., 15 bass, 52-12
3rd Matt Reed, Madisonville, Texas, 15 bass, 52-8
4th: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 15 bass, 51-13
5th: Bradley Dortch, Atmore, Ala., 15 bass, 51-7
6th: Joshua Weaver, Macon, Ga., 15 bass, 47-0
7th: Rusty Trancygier, Hahira, Ga., 15 bass, 46-14
8th: Chris Whitson, Louisville, Tenn., 15 bass, 45-6
9th: J.T. Kenney, Palm Bay, Fla., 15 bass, 44-10
10th: Aaron Britt, Yuba City, Calif., 15 bass, 44-10
Finishing in 11th through 20th are:
11th: Clark Wendlandt, Leander, Texas, 15 bass, 44-5, $12,000
12th: Brandon Cobb, Greenwood, S.C., 15 bass, 43-4, $12,000
13th: Terry Bolton, Paducah, Ky., 15 bass, 42-15, $12,000
14th: Tim Frederick, Leesburg, Fla., 13 bass, 42-8, $12,000
15th: Jim Moynagh, Carver, Minn., 15 bass, 42-7, $12,000
16th: Carl Jocumsen, Frisco, Texas, 14 bass, 41-14, $12,000
17th: Livingston Lures pro Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 15 bass, 41-8, $12,000
18th: Casey Scanlon, Lenexa, Kan., 15 bass, 38-3, $12,000
19th: Bryan Schmitt, Deale, Md., 15 bass, 36-15, $12,000
20th: Jamie Horton, Centerville, Ala., 14 bass, 35-3, $12,000
For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.
Overall there were 96 bass weighing 236 pounds, 9 ounces caught by pros Saturday. Seventeen of the final 20 pros weighed in five-bass limits.
Robert Crosnoe of Inverness, Florida, won the co-angler division and $25,000 Friday with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 33 pounds, 1 ounce, followed by Tyler Woolcott of Port Orange, Florida, who finished in second place with 10 bass weighing 30 pounds, 9 ounces, worth $7,550.
In FLW Tour competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day, with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers. The full field of 326 anglers competes Thursday and Friday. Co-angler competition concludes following Friday’s weigh-in, while the top 20 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advance to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of professional bass fishing. The 2017 Forrest Wood Cup will be on Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina, Aug. 11-13.
The final 10 anglers will take off at 7 a.m. EDT Sunday from the Venetian Gardens, located at 201 E. Dixie Ave., in Leesburg. Sunday’s championship weigh-in will be held at the Venetian Gardens beginning at 4 p.m.
Prior to the weigh-in Sunday, FLW will host a free Family Fishing Expo at the Venetian Gardens from noon to 4 p.m. The Expo is a chance for fishing fans to meet their favorite anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, and learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities.
Television coverage of the FLW Tour at the Harris Chain of Lakes presented by Ranger Boats will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) May 3 from 12:30 p.m.-1:30 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 total purse for the FLW Tour at the Harris Chain of Lakes presented by Ranger Boats is more than $800,000, including $10,000 through 50th place in the Pro division. The tournament is hosted by Lake County, Florida.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2017 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 274 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
John Cox extends lead after Day 2 on the Harris Chain - Top 20 Fish Saturday
Inverness’ Crosnoe Wins Co-angler Title, $25,000
LEESBURG, Fla. (March 10, 2017) Mud Hole Custom Tackle pro John Cox of DeBary, Florida, caught a five-bass limit weighing 18 pounds, 15 ounces Friday to extend his lead after day two of the FLW Tour at the Harris Chain of Lakes presented by Ranger Boats with a two-day catch of 10 bass totaling 44-10. Cox will bring a 5-pound, 13-ounce lead into day three of the four-day tournament that features 163 of the top bass-fishing anglers in the world competing for a top cash award of up to $125,000.
“Today was pretty stressful,” said Cox, who won a T-H Marine Bass Fishing League (BFL) tournament on the Harris Chain in 2007. “Nothing was working for me. No fish were moving up, so I just got on the trolling motor and fished all new stuff. Right at the end of the day, around 4 o’clock, I caught two 4-pounders. The game plan has been to go and go until I find something that looks like it’s starting to turn on and today it happened really late.”
Cox said that the spot where he caught the two 4-pounders wasn’t something that he expected to replenish and that he was going to have to continue to cover a lot of water tomorrow.
“Yesterday I caught them on five different baits and today was three,” Cox said. “I’m not on a pattern or anything, I’m just doing what I like doing and looking for them swimming around.”
Despite the field being cut to the final 20 and many areas of the lake expected to see less traffic, Cox didn’t expect that to affect his gameplan.
“I really haven’t seen many other boats, so I don’t think it will make much of a difference for me. But, it could definitely help everybody else.
“Either way, I’m having a blast fishing and I just love being here,” Cox went on to say. “I’ve been dreaming of this tournament for so long. Each day I’ve managed to get a couple where I didn’t think that I was going to catch them. I hope it happens again tomorrow.”
The top 20 pros that made the Buck Knives Cut and will fish Saturday on the Harris Chain are:
1st: Mud Hole Custom Tackle pro John Cox, DeBary, Fla., 10 bass, 44-10
2nd: Shane LeHew, Catawba, N.C., 10 bass, 38-13
3rd: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 10 bass, 36-13
4th: Joshua Weaver, Macon, Ga., 10 bass, 36-9
5th: Bradley Dortch, Atmore, Ala., 10 bass, 36-6
6th: Jim Moynagh, Carver, Minn., 10 bass, 36-2
7th: J.T. Kenney, Palm Bay, Fla., 10 bass, 34-10
8th: Matt Reed, Madisonville, Texas, 10 bass, 33-14
9th: Rusty Trancygier, Hahira, Ga., 10 bass, 33-9
10th: Tim Frederick, Leesburg, Fla., 10 bass, 32-6
11th: Carl Jocumsen, Frisco, Texas, 10 bass, 32-4
12th: Terry Bolton, Paducah, Ky., 10 bass, 31-5
13th: Bryan Schmitt, Deale, Md., 10 bass, 31-1
14th: Aaron Britt, Yuba City, Calif., 10 bass, 30-4
15th: Clark Wendlandt, Leander, Texas, 10 bass, 30-2
16th: Brandon Cobb, Greenwood, S.C., 10 bass, 29-10
17th: Casey Scanlon, Lenexa, Kan., 10 bass, 29-8
18th: Jamie Horton, Centerville, Ala., 10 bass, 29-0
19th: Chris Whitson, Louisville, Tenn., 10 bass, 28-14
20th: Livingston Lures pro Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 10 bass, 28-11
For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.
Dortch earned the Big Bass award on the pro side Friday, weighing a 7-pound, 6-ounce largemouth to win the $500 prize.
Overall there were 744 bass weighing 1,625 pounds, 15 ounces caught by 159 pros Friday. The catch included 128 five-bass limits.
Robert Crosnoe of Inverness, Florida, won the co-angler division and $25,000 Friday with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 33 pounds, 1 ounce, followed by Tyler Woolcott of Port Orange, Florida, who finished in second place with 10 bass weighing 30 pounds, 9 ounces, worth $7,550.
The top 10 co-anglers finished:
1st: Robert Crosnoe, Inverness, Fla., 10 bass, 33-1, $25,000
2nd: Tyler Woolcott, Port Orange, Fla., 10 bass, 30-9, $7,550
3rd: Chris Ferguson, Wittensville, Ky., nine bass, 27-8, $5,000
4th: Trey Shaw, Dunnellon, Fla., nine bass, 25-15, $4,250
5th: Richie Eaves, Nauvoo, Ill., 10 bass, 25-6, $3,000
6th: Dave Patchell, Green Cove Springs, Fla., 10 bass, 25-5, $2,500
7th: Steven Hatala, Saint Clair Shores, Mich., 10 bass, 24-5, $2,000
8th: Tyler Meredith, Oliver Springs, Tenn., 10 bass, 23-11, $1,800
9th: Jeffrey Mathews, Maitland, Fla., 10 bass, 23-6, $1,700
10th: Mark Schlarb, Atwater, Ohio, 10 bass, 22-15, $1,600
David Oelschlager of Braidwood, lllinois, earned $250 for the Big Bass award in the co-angler division with an 8-pound, 3-ounce largemouth.
Overall there were 474 bass weighing 854 pounds, 5 ounces caught by 137 co-anglers Friday. The catch included 51 five-bass limits.
In FLW Tour competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day, with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers. The full field of 326 anglers competes Thursday and Friday. Co-angler competition concludes following Friday’s weigh-in, while the top 20 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advance to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of professional bass fishing. The 2017 Forrest Wood Cup will be on Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina, Aug. 11-13.
The total purse for the FLW Tour at the Harris Chain of Lakes presented by Ranger Boats is more than $800,000, including $10,000 through 50th place in the Pro division. The tournament is hosted by Lake County, Florida.
Anglers will take off at 7 a.m. EST each day from the Venetian Gardens, located at 201 E. Dixie Ave., in Leesburg. Saturday and Sunday’s weigh-ins will be held at the Venetian Gardens beginning at 4 p.m.
Prior to the weigh-ins Saturday and Sunday, FLW will host a free Family Fishing Expo at the Venetian Gardens from noon to 4 p.m. each day. The Expo is a chance for fishing fans to meet their favorite anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, and learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities.
Also for youth, the FLW Foundation’s Unified Fishing Derby will be held at the Venetian Gardens on Saturday from 9-11 a.m. The event is hosted by FLW Foundation pro Cody Kelley along with other FLW Tour anglers, and is free and open to area youth 15 years of age and younger and Special Olympics athletes. Rods and reels are available for use, but youth are encouraged to bring their own if they own one.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
BREAKING NEWS - Cabelas Collegiate Big Bass Bash this weekend on KY Lake changed from two-day event to One Day Event - Saturday Only
|
Cabela's Collegiate Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley: FORMAT CHANGE
|
|
SAN ANTONIO, TX (March 10, 2017) - The Association of Collegiate Bass Anglers has announced a format change to this weekend's Cabela's Collegiate Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley. This change is due to the weather forecast for the Kentucky Lake area on Saturday night and into Sunday morning with some forecast models calling for as much as 3 inches of snow. The event has been changed from a two-day event to a one-day event that will feature all 8 weigh-in sessions.
 "Safety is a big concern and based on the weather forecast this format change makes the most sense. We all know it may snow or it may not snow. However, the temperatures are forecasted to be below freezing much of Saturday night and into Sunday morning. By going to this one-day format the anglers and staff won't be waking up to the possibility of conditions that would not be safe and being forced to make a last second change at that time. So it is better to make the format change now to a one-day event and keep anglers off the water and allow them more time to safely travel back home as needed," said Wade Middleton, Director of the Association of Collegiate Anglers and President of CarecoTV.The format change will have anglers being able to launch their boat at any boat ramp on the lake on Saturday morning; however, they won't be able to leave that ramp/marina until 6:00AM. Anglers then can begin to slowly and safely motor to their first fishing location and make their first cast at 6:30AM.
The end of each of the 8 weigh-in sessions will start at 9:00AM with the final session closing at 4:00PM. Prizes will be handed out at the end of the final weigh-in session. A complete list of prizes can be found below:
2017 Cabela's Collegiate Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley: PRIZE LIST "Saturday will be a cold day of fishing, it might be wet and we possibly may even see a few snow flakes fluttering around, but we'll do 8 session weigh-ins and give away so many prizes some anglers might need more room to haul it all home," said Anthony Wright, Tournament Director of Cabela's Collegiate Bass Fishing Series.
You can follow all the action on the www.collegiatebasschampionship.com blog for Cabela's Collegiate Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley, as well as on our social media channels.
|
New Neshoba County Mississippi Lake Record Largemouth Bass Caught - 14.3 Pounds!
New Neshoba County Lake Record Largemouth Bass Caught
PHILADELPHIA - The Neshoba County Lake largemouth bass record has been broken! Mr. Austin Vowell of Philadelphia, MS caught a 14.3 pound bass on February 28, 2017. This fish eclipses the old record of 14.0 pounds set in 2011. Neshoba County Lake is a 138-acre state fishing lake located southeast of Philadelphia.
"Our state fishing lakes offer excellent fishing for largemouth bass, bream, crappie, and catfish," said Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) State Lake Coordinator Jerry Brown. "Each lake maintains a list of the record fish and we encourage anglers to let us know if they believe their catch might be a new record."
Mr. Vowell will receive a record fish certificate from MDWFP, and a copy will be on display at the lake's office and on the lake's information page of MDWFP's website. Fish that qualify for a state lake record include largemouth bass, bluegill, redear sunfish, crappie, and catfish. Potential record fish must be verified by a member of the Fisheries Bureau staff.
For more information regarding fishing in Mississippi, visit our website at www.mdwfp.com or call us at (601) 432-2212. Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mdwfp or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MDWFPonline.
Mud Hole Tackle Pro John Cox back in the drivers seat on Harris Chain
March 9, 2017
John Cox of Debary Fla. has fished the Harris Chain of Lakes since he was a kid. Today, his lifelong history on the Chain came into play big time by helping him drop 25 pounds, 11 ounces on the scale to lead day one of the FLW Tour event presented by Ranger.
Cox began the day by running straight to 10 to 15 beds he had marked during practice. By 9 a.m., however, he hadn’t located a single one of the bass he had found on beds during practice, so he completely scratched his practice finds and used his long history with the lakes to run “all around the Chain.”
Though practice may not have helped Cox directly, the hard winds during that time may have helped him indirectly by making some of the Chain’s better-known banks unfishable to others and covering up what was there.
“Today it calmed down a lot,” Cox says. “Some of the places that had waves crashing in on them during practice opened up. So I just went fishing and looking in some of the places I didn’t get to look at in practice. From my history here I had a pretty good idea of where to look.”
At 9:30, he came across his first bass – a 7-pounder on bed that was ready to play. He caught her immediately and then played off that to sack up two other big ones on beds in nearby areas. In all, he caught three of his biggest bass sight-fishing, and caught the others just casting at pads in areas he knew.
“I think a lot of the spawning is done here,” he says. “I think a lot of the canal spawning is done as well. What’s left is the main lake wave of spawners and I’m pretty sure that’s what I found today – a few big ones pulling up on main lake stuff. But so much of that are tiny little places that I just know about from fishing here so many years.”
“I have no game plan for tomorrow,” he adds. “I’m just going to fill my boat up with gas and go fishing again and see what I can find.”
Top 10 pros
1. John Cox – DeBary, Fla. – 25-11 (5)
2. Shane LeHew – Catawba, N.C. – 23-15 (5)
3. Jim Moynagh – Carver, Minn. – 23-9 (5)
4. Tim Frederick – Leesburg, Fla. – 21-15 (5)
5. Andy Morgan – Dayton, Tenn. – 21-13 (5)
6. Carl Jocumsen – Frisco, Texas – 20-12 (5)
7. Bryan Thrift – Shelby, N.C. – 19-10 (5)
8. Matt Wittekiend – Angleton, Texas – 18-15 (5)
9. Andrew Upshaw – Tulsa, Okla. – 18-4 (5)
10. Rusty Trancygier – Hahira, Ga. 18-2 (5)
Ferguson leads co-anglers
Chris Ferguson of Wittensville, Ky., weighed in a five-fish limit of 20 pounds, 1 ounce to take the top spot on the co-angler leaderboard.
Ferguson, who fished Thursday with Royse City, Texas pro Tom Redington, says he fished a combination of offshore and shallow, primarily throwing a Yamamoto Senko.
“I was using a couple different things,” says Ferguson. “Changing up between a Senko and another worm.”
Ferguson leads second-place co-angler Stanley (Trey) Shaw of Dunnellon, Fla. by 7 ounces.
Weather and Prizes Will Be A Big Part Of 2017 Cabela’s Collegiate Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (March 9, 2017) – With a major cold front on the way into the Kentucky Lake area, it’s apparent that things are going to change this week at the first major Association of Collegiate Anglers (ACA) event for 2017. “Safety has always been a top priority for any of our events both on water and on the road. We’re currently monitoring the weather with officials in the area and will make a final determination on changes to the format, event schedule as well as total amount of time we may or may not fish based on the data we’re getting from a variety of sources, The weather is certainly going to change the fishing strategies this week as anglers will have to bundle up, probably fish in different manners but all it takes is one bite in this format to win,” said Wade Middleton, Director of Association of Collegiate Anglers.
The Cabela’s Collegiate Big Bass Bash Presented by Berkley has been known to be one of the biggest payout events in college fishing and the 2017 Cabela’s Collegiate Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley will continue to impress when it comes to paying out over $30,000 in cash and prizes at Kentucky Lake in Paris, Tennessee.
The 2017 Cabela’s Collegiate Big Bass Bash Presented by Berkley format will allow for anglers to weigh in their catches during the four daily sessions each day. There will be a total of 80 places paid during the event. This week’s event is currently scheduled to have 8 weigh in sessions over two days featuring a variety of prizes for the best fish caught during the days action.
In addition to all the prizes on the line, this is a double points event for the Cabela’s School of the Year race; and with numerous schools in the Top 20 rankings already signed up for the event, you can expect to see some of the top college anglers in the nation on the water during the week.
With many students on spring break around this time of the year, you can’t find a better place to spend your time on the water - even if’s a cold day on water - with a great chance to win prizes, than the Cabela’s Collegiate Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley.
We look forward to seeing everyone at the 2017 Cabela’s Collegiate Big Bass Bash Presented by Berkley this weekend on Kentucky Lake in Paris, Tennessee! Stay tuned for future updates on weather and event itself.
About the ACA
The Association of Collegiate Anglers, a division of Careco TV, is a sanctioning body developed to facilitate growth, development, and structure within competitive collegiate bass fishing. The ACA provides support to dozens of school operated regional events nationwide and owns the Cabela's Collegiate Bass Fishing Series, the largest participatory collegiate tournament circuit in the country. With dedicated collegiate fishing programming on several television networks, three nationally televised collegiate bass fishing events, and thousands of members, the ACA is the leader in competitive collegiate bass fishing. For more information on the ACA, or the Cabela's Collegiate Bass Fishing Series, visit www.CollegiateBassChampionship.com. For more information on Cabela's visit Cabelas.com, for more information on CarecoTV, visit www.carecotv.com.
Crossed Industries introduces the DD26 Fishing Rod Pro Staff Program
|
|||
|
