Hanna & TJ Souther take home Lake Keowee win in ABA South Carolina Couples events

- Emileigh Forrest and Dillon Simmons, Taylors and Pickens, SC
- Shianne Parker and Joe Anders, Spartanburg and Easley, SC
- Hannah and T.J. Souther, Brevard, North Carolina
The top angling couples from across the nation earn the right to compete in the annual American Bass Anglers Couples Series National Championship tournament.
American Bass Anglers commitment is to provide 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 and the American Fishing Tour, The Ram Truck Open Series, or the American Couples Series, visit www.americanbassanglers.com or call (256)232-0406.
Randy Ables wins American Bass Anglers AFT D96 SC Qualifier on Lake Water
Randy Ables of Camden, South Carolina won the AFT South Carolina D96 1-day qualifier tournament held April 9, 2017 on Lake Wateree running out Clearwater Cove near Camden, South Carolina.
Randy Ables had a five fish limit weighing 13.65 pounds that was anchored with 2 kicker fish over 4 pounds. Randy was fishing the lower part of the lake and caught his fish on a Texas Rigged Rage Craw by Strike King. He was fishing docks and points in shallow water. Randy caught only 5 fish all day and took home $684 for first place and first place option.
Paul Selle of Lexington, South Carolina was second with five fish weighing 13.29 pounds but a dead fish penalty of .5 pounds dropped his total to 12.79 pounds. Paul won $416 for second place and second place option.
Toby Keisler of Lexington, South Carolina was third with five fish weighing 13.23 pounds but he also had a dead fish penalty of .5 pounds that dropped his total to 12.73 pounds. Toby took home $108 for third place.
Big fish winner was Gregory Littles of Columbia, South Carolina with a 4.96 pound largemouth bass. Gregory caught the fish on a shakey head worm around a dock in the middle part of the lake. He took home $110 for big fish.
This day started out cold and fog at 35 degrees and was at 75 degrees by the 3 pm weigh-in. Sunny skies with the wind out of the SSW at 5 to 15mph. Lake Wateree was down almost 3 feet with surface temp in the low 60s. There were 22 anglers fishing this tournament out of Clear Water Cove near Camden, South Carolina.
Top Five Finishers:
1. Randy Ables 13.65 lbs
2. Paul Selle 12.79 lbs
3. Toby Keisler 12.73 lbs
4. Beau Dixon 12.44 lbs
5. Jay Treon 11.97 lbs
These anglers are qualifying to compete in the 2017 Ram AFT National Championship on the Ouachita River, Monroe, LA. in October 2017.
The next Division 96 tournament qualifier for Division 96 will be May 7, 2017 on Clarks Hill Lake out of the Dorn Facility near McCormick, SC.
For more information, contact D-96 Director Phil Morris at (864)993-0346; email [email protected] or call ABA at (256) 232-0406. On-line, see www.americanbassanglers.com or www.aba-sc.com for complete results. Also check out our facebook page at D-96 American Fishing Tour.
These anglers are earning valuable points toward the divisional angler of the year title. The points champion from each division will compete in the annual Ram American Bass Anglers AFT Angler of the Year Final Round at the Ram American Fishing Tour National Championship.
The Ram American Fishing Tour offers low cost, close to home bass tournaments that are designed for the weekend angler. All ABA anglers fish for money and points. The points advance the angler to their divisional championship and the top 500 anglers in the US are invited to the Ram American Fishing Tour National Championship. For more information on American Bass Anglers please visit www.americanbassanglers.com or call (256)232-0406.
Dustin Lampe wins T-H Marine FLW BFL Ozark Event on Table Rock with over 16 pounds!
LAMPE’S LIPPE WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE OZARK DIVISION EVENT ON TABLE ROCK LAKE
Oklahoma’s Torkleson tops Co-angler Division
IUKA, Miss. (April 10, 2017) – Boater Dustin Lippe of Lampe, Missouri, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 16 pounds, 5 ounces, Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Ozark Division event on Table Rock Lake. Lippe took home $4,948 for his victory.
“It was really windy and a tough day on the water, but I was very happy to get the win,” said Lippe, who earned his first career win in FLW competition. “I only had five keepers all day long, but they were all the same size – a good quality fish. I fished a 10-mile stretch, from the dam down to lower end of the lake. I was focusing on staging areas where I figured the fish would be getting ready to move up.”
Lippe said that he caught his fish on a Luck-E-Strike Rick Clunn STX Jerkbait and a peanut butter and jelly-colored Bass X football jig with a green-pumpkin twin-tailed trailer and an Alabama rig.
“I’ve been smashing them on a jig for the past couple of weeks, but it was a bit too windy for it to be as effective as it had been,” Lippe said. “The key for me was really my Denali Lithium rods. It was a light bite and I couldn’t really feel the fish hit, but I could feel the rod load up and that really helped me in the windy conditions.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Dustin Lippe, Lampe, Mo., five bass, 16-5, $4,948
2nd: Randall Hutson, Washburn, Mo., five bass, 15-8, $2,474
3rd: Dustin Blevins, Harrison, Ark., five bass, 14-5, $1,649
4th: Nick Morris, Princeton, Mo., three bass, 14-4, $1,910
5th: Joel Douglas, Blue Eye, Mo., five bass, 13-11, $990
6th: Andy Newcomb, Camdenton, Mo., five bass, 13-10, $907
7th: Wes Endicott, Joplin, Mo., five bass, 13-8, $825
8th: Brian Hansen, Fenton, Mo., five bass, 13-7, $742
9th: Tim Kube, Imperial, Mo., five bass, 12-14, $860
10th: Richard Bower III, Jefferson City, Mo., five bass, 12-12, $577
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Morris caught a 5-pound, 11-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 $755.
Alex Torkleson of Sand Springs, Oklahoma, weighed in four bass totaling 13 pounds, 8 ounces Saturday to win the Co-angler Division and the top prize of $2,469.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Alex Torkleson, Sand Springs, Okla., four bass, 13-8, $2,469
2nd: Joshua Pullins, Bonne Terre, Mo., five bass, 11-15, $1,235
3rd: Alan Quick, Springfield, Mo., five bass, 9-7, $823
4th: Joe Dietz, O’Fallon, Mo., four bass, 9-6, $676
5th: Brian Huber, Saint Peters, Mo., five bass, 9-3, $494
6th: Joe Cook, Rogersville, Mo., four bass, 8-10, $453
7th: Steve Grigsby, Washington, Ill., four bass, 8-6, $412
8th: Trey Schroeder, Crestwood, Mo., four bass, 8-4, $420
9th: Rich Purington, Platsmouth, Neb., two bass, 7-9, $701
10th: Tom O’Connor, Reeds Spring, Mo., three bass, 7-0, $288
Purington weighed a 5-pound, 8-ounce bass which earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award and $372.
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.
Austin Weaver drops over 20 pounds on the scales to win the T-H Marine FLW BFL Mississippi Division event on Pickwick
ALABAMA’S WEAVER WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE MISSISSIPPI DIVISION EVENT ON PICKWICK LAKE PRESENTED BY NAVIONICS
New Albany’s Wray tops Co-angler Division
IUKA, Miss. (April 10, 2017) – Boater Austin Weaver of Sheffield, Alabama, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 20 pounds, 5 ounces, Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Mississippi Division event on Pickwick Lake presented by Navionics. Weaver took home $5,197 for his victory.
“We had a nearly two-hour fog delay that almost messed everything up for me,” said Weaver, who earned his first career victory in FLW competition. “I had an area up river that was a long run – 78 miles round trip. I knew that it was going to take me an hour and a half to get up there and back, so with the added fog delay I was only going to have 3 to 4 hours of fishing time.
“I have a lot of trust in my Triton boat and Mercury outboard and I knew that getting there and back in time wasn’t going to be the gamble, but whether or not the fish were still there,” Weaver continued. “I had found this spot last weekend and my best five weighed more than 26 pounds. I didn’t want anyone else to find it, so I didn’t practice all week because I didn’t want anyone to see me there. I knew that if they were still there and biting, I would win. They were.”
Weaver described his area as a big flat that had a ditch running through it. On top of the flat it was 5 to 6 feet deep, but it dropped to 8 to 9 feet in the ditch. Weaver said that he focused on the ditch and caught his winning limit with a green-pumpkin-colored Johnson Lures shaky-head rig with both a Zoom Trick Worm and a Zoom Finesse Worm.
“I put seven keepers in the boat,” Weaver said. “It was fun to do well on my home lake.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Austin Weaver, Sheffield, Ala., five bass, 20-5, $5,197
2nd: James Byrd, Florence, Ala., five bass, 19-1, $2,598
3rd: Heath Gilmore, Meridian, Miss., five bass, 17-12, $1,933
4th: Christopher Whitehead, Tupelo, Miss., five bass, 15-11, $1,313
5th: Mitch Crane, Columbus, Miss., five bass, 14-7, $1,039
6th: Teddy Cranford, Seminary, Miss., five bass, 14-3, $953
7th: John Bailey, Terry, Miss., five bass, 13-14, $866
8th: Brandon Perkins, Counce, Tenn., five bass, 13-9, $780
9th: Chris Quaintance, Muscle Shoals, Ala., five bass, 13-8, $693
10th: Jade Keeton, Florence, Ala., five bass, 13-3, $606
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Jason Hannah of Forest, Mississippi, caught a 7-pound, 12-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 $810.
Marty Wray of New Albany, Mississippi, weighed in five bass totaling 14 pounds, 1 ounce Saturday to win the Co-angler Division and the top prize of $2,528.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Marty Wray, New Albany, Miss., five bass, 14-1, $2,528
2nd: Daniel Corkern, Florence, Miss., five bass, 13-12, $1,264
3rd: Weston Smedley, Birmingham, Ala., five bass, 12-14, $845
4th: Ryan Lecompte, Picayune, Miss., four bass, 12-10, $1,180
5th: Curtis Powell, Brandon, Miss., five bass, 12-3, $506
6th: Jeff Carter, Pontotoc, Miss., four bass, 11-14, $464
7th: Benny Brown, Corinth, Miss., five bass, 11-11, $471
8th: Brian Dodd, Florence, Ala., five bass, 11-10, $379
9th: Jason Mitchell, Hamilton, Miss., five bass, 11-8, $337
10th: Daniel Stover, Hernando, Miss., five bass, 11-5, $295
Lecompte weighed a 5-pound, 6-ounce bass which earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award and $390.
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.
Craig Carnes wins T-H Marine FLW BFL Hoosier Division Tournament on Lake Patoka with over 20 pounds!
Hobart’s McBrayer tops Co-angler Division
BIRDSEYE, Ind. (April 10, 2017) – Boater Craig Carns of Noblesville, Indiana, weighed four bass totaling 20 pounds, 12 ounces, Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Hoosier Division event on Lake Patoka presented by Navionics. Carns took home $4,872 for his victory.
“I only managed four bites, but I’m lucky that they were big bites,” said Carns, who earned the first win of his BFL career in his second career event. “I’m originally from Pennsylvania, and it was only my second time fishing the lake. I had gone out last weekend for a day and I found a little bit of a pattern – wind-blown main-lake points. I was catching them with a swimbait and jerkbait, so I went with that again in the tournament.
“I hit several different points throughout the day,” Carns continued. “The fish were still pretty deep, but they were coming up from 16 feet and just hammering my bait. I just cruised around and was trying to find the cleaner water with the wind-blown points. I had several followers but it was tough getting them to commit.”
Carns credited his 7-foot, 6-inch heavy-action Kistler rod as being the key to his win, along with some jerkbait tips that he had gotten back in Pennsylvania.
“I relied on advice that I was given from my pals at Susquehanna Fishing Tackle store in Columbia, Pennsylvania,” Carns said. “They taught me how to fish a jerkbait at this time of year and how to use the sun to my advantage.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Craig Carns, Noblesville, Ind., four bass, 20-12, $4,872
2nd: Jim Pickett, Trafalgar, Ind., five bass, 18-4, $2,436
3rd: Billy Baar, New Whiteland, Ind., four bass, 14-15, $1,623
4th: Stu Moyer, Indianapolis, Ind., four bass, 13-0, $1,337
5th: Scott Bateman, Jasper, Ind., three bass, 12-14, $1,074
6th: Chris Myers, Madison, Ind., three bass, 12-10, $893
7th: Todd Hensley, New Albany, Ind., three bass, 11-14, $812
8th: Dick Shaffer, Rockford, Ohio, three bass, 11-9, $1,466
9th: Jeremy New, Yorktown, Ind., three bass, 11-2, $650
10th: Daniel Langton, Haubstadt, Ind., three bass, 11-0, $568
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Shaffer caught a 7-pound, 2-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 $735
Laithen McBrayer of Hobart, Indiana, weighed in one bass totaling 7 pounds, 5 ounces Saturday to win the Co-angler Division and the top prize of $2,765, along with the Co-angler Big Bass Award of $362.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Laithen McBrayer, Hobart, Ind., one bass, 7-5, $2,765
2nd: Nicole Foor, Greens Fork, Ind., two bass, 7-4, $1,301
3rd: Jordan Nauert, Fillmore, Ind., two bass, 7-2, $806
4th: Garron Sneed, Charlestown, Ind., one bass, 5-10, $561
5th: Ronnie Gill, Indianapolis, Ind., one bass, 5-7, $481
6th: Vincent Dellolio, Brownsburg, Ind., one bass, 5-5, $441
7th: Michael Fairgrief, Indianapolis, Ind., one bass, 5-3, $380
7th: Robert Trey Lenear, Owenton, Ky., one bass, 5-3, $380
9th: John Harpold, Terre Haute, Ind., two bass, 4-14, $320
10th: Eli Lubbehusen, Huntingburg, Ind., two bass, 4-12, $280
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.
Just when you thought pattern-fishing was dead . . .
Vance McCullough / Photo Courtesy of BASS, Garrick Dixon
I mean, John Murray just won the Elite Series event on a sprawling Toledo Bend Reservoir by mining one spot. He would have made a run at Kevin Van Dam the last time the Elites were there but he lost 3 big fish from the same submerged house foundation where he closed the deal this time. He won a tourney in 2003 by fishing the same area, 200 yards away.
Jordan Lee just won the Classic by hauling the heaviest single-day catch from a lone point. Others that looked identical and laid out similarly failed to produce.
Jessie Wiggins recently won an Open in Florida by cranking an offshore spot. A single spot.
John Cox won the Forrest Wood Cup last summer by tossing a frog up one particular creek. A look-a-like creek across the lake failed to yield the same results.
And any time the guys fish Florida it’s all about real estate, not a pattern.
I could go on, but you get the point.
Hole-sitting has come to dominate tournament angling in recent years. Pros will even baby sit a spot for fear that others would move in if they left.
Not exactly how Rick Clunn and Roland Martin taught me to fish in the pages of Bassmaster Magazine and on Saturday morning TV.
Then there’s Scott Martin who won this past weekend’s FLW Tour tourney on Lake Cumberland.
“My fish had to be in a creek. Not a main pocket off of the river, but a creek with small arms,” said Martin.
“The creeks I liked had lots of little arms. At the intersections there were points, then a straight stretch that led back to pockets with bushes. The largemouth used the bushes in the back of the drain, while the spotted bass keyed in on the bushes along the stretches. The smallmouth liked the secondary points with rock and bushes near the intersection openings.”
Now that’s a pattern.
Dude had all 3 species dialed-in and he caught ‘em all. Martin’s final day sack contained 2 largemouth, 2 spotted bass and 1 smallmouth.
Contrast that with Martin’s modus operandi from his early years on Tour:
“When I first started fishing professionally, I would only fish places where I had caught a fish in practice or in the tournament,” Martin says. “I didn’t have the confidence to go down the lake during a tournament and just pull into a place I had never fished before. Basically, I was a very spot- or area-oriented angler. So this win feels good because it shows progress in becoming more of a pattern-oriented angler that is willing to take risks on new water during the events.”
In my opinion, it's good to see someone decipher the bass fishing puzzle and put together a solid pattern that demonstrates knowledge and mastery of the lake at the time of competition.
Dennis Barnes wins T-H Marine FLW BFL Choo Choo event on Guntersville with 22 pound limit!
Tennessee’s Armstrong tops Co-angler Division
GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. (April 10, 2017) – Boater Dennis Barnes of Boaz, Alabama, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 22 pounds, 1 ounce, Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Choo Choo Division event on Lake Guntersville presented by Navionics. Barnes took home $6,046 for his victory.
According to post-tournament reports, Barnes caught his limit fishing grass in the mid-lake area. He threw a Rat-L-Trap and a swimbait, with the majority of his fish coming from depths of 6 to 8 feet. It was Barnes’ fourth career victory in BFL competition.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Dennis Barnes, Boaz, Ala., five bass, 22-1, $4,046 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Derek Remitz, Grant, Ala., five bass, 21-15, $2,578
3rd: Wayne Christopher, Huntsville, Ala., five bass, 20-12, $1,348
4th: Daniel Whitaker, Phil Campbell, Ala., five bass, 20-6, $944
5th: Tyler Stewart, Killen, Ala.., five bass, 19-11, $809
6th: Jerry Perkins, Cullman, Ala.., five bass, 19-10, $742
7th: Casey Martin, New Hope, Ala., five bass, 19-2, $974
8th: Josh Butler, Athens, Ala., five bass, 18-13, $807
9th: Scott Towry, Lawrenceburg, Tenn., five bass, 17-10, $639
10th: Clayton Joyce, Chapel Hill, Tenn., five bass, 17-4, $472
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Remitz caught a 6-pound, 9-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 $555.
Jerry Armstrong of Shelbyville, Tennessee, weighed in five bass totaling 17 pounds, 14 ounces, Saturday to win the Co-angler Division and the top prize of $2,300.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Jerry Armstrong, Shelbyville, Tenn., five bass, 17-14, $2,300
2nd: Rich Frey, Owens Cross Roads, Ala., five bass, 16-11, $1,011
3rd: Jacob Coil, Huntsville, Ala., five bass, 16-4, $774
4th: Jody Evans, Toney, Ala., five bass, 14-5, $472
5th: Tony Hill, Chatsworth, Ga., five bass, 12-8, $455
6th: Keith Chadwell, Decatur, Ala., five bass, 12-7, $371
7th: Thomas Helton, Charleston, Tenn., five bass, 12-5, $337
8th: Heath Frizzell, Dunlap, Tenn., five bass, 11-14, $303
9th: Chad Biddle, Shelbyville, Ky., five bass, 11-1, $270
10th: Ray Elmore, Calhoun, Ga., five bass, 10-15, $236
Armstrong also weighed a 7-pound, 4-ounce bass which earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $277.
The T-H Marine BFL at Lake Guntersville presented by Navionics was hosted by the Marshall County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional Championship on Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Alabama. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
Haire wins T-H Marine FLW BFL Shenandoah Division Kerr Lake Event with 18 pound limit
YADKINVILLE’S HAIRE WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE SHENANDOAH DIVISION EVENT ON KERR LAKE
Virginia’s Wright tops Co-angler Division
HENDERSON, N.C. (April 10, 2017) – Boater Danny Haire of Yadkinville, North Carolina, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 18 pounds even Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Shenandoah Division event on Kerr Lake. Haire took home $5,590 for his victory.
According to post-tournament reports, Haire caught his fish in the Satterwhite Point area of Kerr Lake, fishing a Carolina-rigged Zoom Lizard. It was Haire’s third career BFL win, all of them coming on Kerr Lake.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Danny Haire, Yadkinville, N.C., five bass, 18-0, $3,590 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Aaron Falwell, Forest, Va., five bass, 15-4, $1,803
3rd: Wayne Dorman, Louisa, Va., five bass, 15-1, $1,068
4th: Kendall Dail, Chinquapin, N.C., five bass, 14-8, $748
5th: Jason Houchins, Clarksville, Va., five bass, 14-5, $714
5th: Manley Jones, Raleigh, N.C., five bass, 14-5, $614
7th: Curtis Talbott, Forest, Va., five bass, 14-2, $507
7th: Josh Milligan, Edenton, N.C., five bass, 14-2, $507
9th: James Blankenship, Siler City, N.C., five bass, 14-1, $727
10th: Frank Ippoliti, Mercersburg, Pa., five bass, 13-15, $374
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Haire also caught a 5-pound, 9-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 $385.
Craig Wright of Rustburg, Virginia, weighed in five bass totaling 15 pounds, 7 ounces Saturday to win the Co-angler Division and the top prize of $1,803.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Craig Wright, Rustburg, Va., five bass, 15-7, $1,803
2nd: J.R. Milligan, Merry Hill, N.C., five bass, 14-0, $801
3rd: Greg Dawson, Rustburg, Va., five bass, 12-11, $583
4th: Rob Hilliard, Roanoke, Va., five bass, 11-14, $374
5th: Kevin Fore, Powhatan, Va., three bass, 10-1, $513
6th: Danny Crickenberger, Charlottesville, Va., three bass, 9-0, $294
7th: Jeff Warter, Howardsville, Va., three bass, 8-2, $267
8th: Dick Allen, Sumerduck, Va., three bass, 8-1, $240
9th: Bill Naron, Beaverdam, Va., three bass, 8-0, $214
10th: Al Berkley, Madison Heights, Va., three bass, 7-9, $187
Kevin Fore of Powhatan, Virginia, weighed a 5-pound, 8-ounce bass which earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award and $192.
The T-H Marine BFL at Kerr Lake was hosted by the Vance County Department of Tourism.
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.
Alabama Bass Trail - Winner Interviews from Lake Martin
Alabama Bass Trail Program Director Kay Donaldson talks with the Chad and Chase Schroeder, the winners from this past weekends ABT South Division Tournament on Lake Martin in Alexander City. Chad and Chase almost didn't come down for this event but a last second decision to show up and fish won them $10,000 dollars - Lets watch.
High winds and big paybacks at Bass Champs on Belton – Hibler & Christian dominate the day
By: Patty Lenderman |
Lake Belton has been pumping out some big ones this month, and 193 Bass Champs teams were after them April 8th. Excitement was high as a week prior, Belton produced a new lake record nearly 14 pounds! Bass Champs staff and crew were ready with a 102% payback tournament. Randy Hibler & Randy Christian dominated the pack to win over $20,000.
The morning began with cool temperatures and calm breezes. Teams scrambled to their hot spots after being released for take-off hoping to arrive at them first. By mid-morning it wasn’t other anglers getting them to move off their areas, it was high winds in excess of 25 mph and the big waves that followed. Shifting gears to allot for the elements handed to them on their playing field, several solid sacks of bass were brought in and weights were tight all the way down the pay line. Winners Randy Hibler and Randall Christian were just a little worried about how their day was going to play out, starting with boat #151. “We figured that with such a late draw, we probably wouldn’t be able to fish our spot toward the mouth of the river before anyone else got there.” To their surprise, they got it all to themselves. “We started fishing in 2’-4’ with white spinnerbaits.” On their first pass, they caught three nice chunks! “We switched to small watermelon creature baits on our second pass through. We wrapped up a limit, and caught a few more. We culled three times out of that same hole.” They had a boat load of solid bass in the boat, but were forced to leave when the wind started blowing. “It was around 8:30 when the wind started. At that point, between that and the boat traffic we headed out to try other spots.” They managed to catch a few more fish before the end of the day, but nothing they could cull with. Putting their best five on the scales, their weight tallied 23.48 pounds, dominating the event for a 1st place win! Bass Champs presented the team the coveted $20,000 winning check then Sure Life added to their purse for using the product in their livewell. “We’ve been fishing with Bass Champs since 2002, and this is just our second 1st place win. We’ve taken a little time off of tournaments, and getting back in the saddle wasn’t easy. There’s a lot of really good anglers fishing Bass Champs, and the technology has just gone wild. You just have to get out there and do it!” Trey Groce and Joe Bill Hale won 2nd place with their 18.24 lb limit. “We had a terrible practice the weekend before,” Joe Bill began. “Basically we eliminated a lot of water.” They decided to start their day fishing shallow water with topwater baits and flukes. “We got an early limit, but it was small. When that bite quit, we headed to deeper water looking for bigger bass with a 10” worm.” They searched for their fish in creek areas at secondary points. “We started culling up our weight, and then we tried the marina area and got lucky. We caught our biggest bass, around six pounds, and culled a two pounder with it!” As tight as the weights were in the lineup, that four pound increase made a huge difference in their final standings. “We were very lucky and blessed today! I have a great partner. Trey Groce is the best fisherman I know. We really appreciate what Bass Champs does. We realize it is a lot of travel and a lot of work for you so we can fish these great tournaments. Thank you Bass Champs!” The team received $4,500 for their 2nd place win. 3rd place winners Gerald and Jarrett Rabroker drew boat #135 and headed north to hunt for their bass. “We were lucky, there wasn’t anybody on our hole.” Starting their day using topwater baits and flukes, they put a limit in the boat early. “The wind came up and blew us off our spot, so we ran to other areas with structure.” Switching to Texas and Carolina rigs, they started upgrading their creel. “We were targeting rocks and brush piles in 6-7’ of water, looking for post-spawn bass.” The bite was better for them in the afternoon, producing their two biggest bass at five and six pounds. Their total weight was 17.46 pounds earning a check for $3,500. The biggest bass of the day was reeled in by Jared Smith fishing with partner Chris Baker. “We didn’t have any practice, so we just decided to go to a creek we have both done well at in the past,” they explained. Chris caught their first fish, a four pounder. About 20 minutes later Jared got a bite. “We were fishing shallow water. She just picked up the bait and started swimming off with it. I set the hook, and could feel her shaking her head. Then she jumped out of the water! Chris didn’t see it, so I started yelling ‘Get the net! It’s a big one!’ We got her in the livewell, and just kept fishing. We figured it was going to be an early and then late bite, so we just kept fishing.” They put one more fish in the boat, then the bite died. “We hunted for more fish the rest of the day, just couldn’t find any.” Putting their big fish on the scales, she weighed in at 7.72 pounds to win the $500 Big Bass check. Adding their other two, their total weight was 14.28 lbs to win 20th place and another $650 check. They also won the Costa Del Mar bonus! “This was my personal best catch on Belton,” Jared added. “I’d like to thank my wife Lacey and daughter Kinley for their support along with Baker Triangle, Building Specialties, Builders Gypsum Supply, Baker Electric Services and Tina Reagan Realty. Also we’d like to thank Bass Champs for having these tournaments for us to fish!” Rounding out the top 10: Bass Champs sponsors added even more winnings for these qualified teams: The Central Region has now completed three out of four events for the 2017 season. There is only one tournament to go to determine Anglers of the Year. The top five points leaders going into the final event are: There’s just a few tournaments to go – don’t miss your chance to win big in any of these events: |
Place | Boat | Truck | Angler 1 | Angler 2 | Fish | Big Bass | Wt. | Prize Amt. | |
1 | RANDY HIBLER MARBLE FALLS , TX |
RANDALL CHRISTIAN TOW , TX |
5 | 0 | 23.48 |
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2 | TREY GROCE DRIPPING SPRINGS , TX |
JOE BILL HALE SPICEWOOD , TX |
5 | 0 | 18.24 |
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3 | GERALD RABROKER BELTON , TX |
JARRETT RABROKER BELTON , TX |
5 | 0 | 17.46 |
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4 | RICHARD DRAPER CYPRESS , TX |
PHIL MARKS DALLAS , TX |
5 | 0 | 17.28 |
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4 | ![]() |
KELLEY MAULDIN COPPELL , TX |
LLOYD WARD HORSESHOE BAY , TX |
5 | 0 | 17.28 |
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6 | ![]() |
ALLEN SHELTON COPPELL , TX |
BRAD DRAKE IRVING , TX |
5 | 0 | 16.97 |
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7 | CADE WILSON EARLY , TX |
DAVID WILSON EARLY , TX |
5 | 4.73 | 16.02 |
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8 | ![]() |
KENNETH FULLER JR RIO VISTA , TX |
CURTIS JUNGE CLEBURNE , TX |
5 | 0 | 16.01 |
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9 | PAYMON HABIB | JUSTIN FISHER MASON , TX |
5 | 0 | 15.97 |
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10 | ![]() |
DANIEL BARNES BELTON , TX |
ADRIAN BARNES BELTON , TX |
5 | 0 | 15.86 |
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11 | ![]() |
BRIAN BUSTILLOZ BELTON , TX |
CHRIS TATUM BELTON , TX |
5 | 0 | 15.71 |
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12 | ![]() |
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WESTON BROWN HOUSTON , TX |
DAVID DOONAN CALDWELL , TX |
5 | 0 | 15.61 |
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13 | JAMES OLSON GATESVILLE , TX |
BOBBY THRASHER GATESVILLE , TX |
5 | 0 | 15.48 |
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14 | BJ CAROTHERS GATESVILLE , TX |
ERIC WASHBURN GATESVILLE , TX |
5 | 0 | 15.44 |
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15 | ![]() |
RICHARD MEYER BELTON , TX |
TRAVIS MEYER BELTON , TX |
5 | 0 | 15.28 |
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16 | ![]() |
CLIFF BROWN HARKER HEIGHTS , TX |
ANDY FOULKROD HARKER HEIGHTS , TX |
5 | 5.30 | 15.22 |
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16 | ANTHONY SKOUBY CIBOLO , TX |
JASON WILLIAMS NEW BRAUNFELS , TX |
5 | 0 | 15.22 |
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18 | ![]() |
MATT HILL CEDAR PARK , TX |
BARRY MOTT LIBERTY HILL , TX |
5 | 0 | 14.94 |
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19 | ![]() |
JACK MEREDITH BELTON , TX |
STEVEN BREAZEALE AUSTIN , TX |
5 | 0 | 14.32 |
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20 | ![]() |
CHRIS BAKER LIBERTY HILL , TX |
JARED SMITH LEANDER , TX |
3 | 7.72 | 14.28 |
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21 | CHRIS CLEMENTS ROUND ROCK , TX |
CHRIS WOEHL CEDAR PARK , TX |
5 | 0 | 14.25 |
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22 | ![]() |
JAMES BEAUCHAMP SUNRISE BEACH , TX |
BRENNAN FERTIG BAY CITY , TX |
5 | 0 | 14.23 |
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23 | ![]() |
LEE BEUERSHAUSEN MARBLE FALLS , TX |
RANDY GROUNDS HORSESHOE BAY , TX |
5 | 0 | 14.17 |
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24 | ![]() |
SCOTT ROSS GEORGETOWN , TX |
DALE READ LEANDER , TX |
5 | 0 | 14.14 |
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25 | JOHN RILEY KILLEEN , TX |
JAMES BANKS KEMPNER , TX |
5 | 0 | 14.12 |
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26 | CHARLES WHITED SAN MARCOS , TX |
BILL POLKINGHORN CANYON LAKE , TX |
5 | 0 | 13.79 |
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27 | LUCAS LARSON HUTTO , TX |
BILL RULE GEORGETOWN , TX |
5 | 0 | 13.65 |
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28 | DEAN BUJNOCH HUTTO , TX |
BROCK BUJNOCH HUTTO , TX |
5 | 4.26 | 13.64 |
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29 | ![]() |
STEVE LEE CONROE , TX |
THOMAS MARTENS JONESTOWN , TX |
5 | 0 | 13.61 |
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30 | ![]() |
TYSON PATRICK MCCAMEY , TX |
CHASE HUX NEW BRAUNFELS , TX |
5 | 0 | 13.57 |
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31 | BRET STAFFORD BELTON , TX |
DANNY LANGLEY BELTON , TX |
5 | 0 | 13.47 |
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32 | GERALD POBORIL TEMPLE , TX |
JACK POWE KEMPNER , TX |
5 | 0 | 13.31 |
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33 | ![]() |
CHRIS RUSSELL MONTGOMERY , TX |
MICKEY HAMM TEMPLE , TX |
5 | 0 | 13.13 |
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34 | ![]() |
JASON BUCHANAN BURNET , TX |
TERRY KIRCUS BURNET , TX |
5 | 0 | 12.75 |
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35 | BRIAN HARMS ROUND ROCK , TX |
TRAVIS GARNER ROUND ROCK , TX |
5 | 0 | 12.64 |
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36 | ![]() |
CHRIS CONNER JONESTOWN , TX |
KENNETH FAIRLY LOCKHART , TX |
5 | 0 | 12.61 |
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37 | LINO GUTITEREZ COTTONWOOD WOOD SHORES , TX |
RUBEN RIBERA MARBLE FALLS , TX |
5 | 0 | 12.59 |
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38 | ![]() |
PHILLIP WARREN AUSTIN , TX |
BRIAN MATER AUSTIN , TX |
5 | 0 | 12.56 |
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39 | ![]() |
JAMES CANTWELL KINGSLAND , TX |
THOMAS CANTWELL LAGRANGE , TX |
5 | 0 | 12.46 |
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40 | GARY WAFFORD CEDAR PARK , TX |
GREG WAFFORD CEDAR PARK , TX |
5 | 4.84 | 12.32 |
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40 | DAVID HALL VICTORIA , TX |
CLAYTON HELDT VICTORIA , TX |
5 | 0 | 12.32 |
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42 | ![]() |
CODY GREANEY MANCHACA , TX |
ROBERT ROARK THE WOODLANDS , TX |
5 | 0 | 12.28 |
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43 | MIKE HARMAN BASTROP , TX |
ROBBY CRABB III TAYLOR , TX |
5 | 0 | 12.20 |
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44 | ![]() |
MATT CANNON TROY , TX |
JARED SIEGELER BELTON , TX |
5 | 0 | 12.06 |
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45 | JUSTIN ALLISON GATESVILLE , TX |
KENNETH ALLISON | 5 | 0 | 12.02 |
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46 | ![]() |
BRANDON MCQUEEN SALADO , TX |
SHAWN USCHAN KILLEEN , TX |
5 | 0 | 12.00 |
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47 | CORD ZAHN TEMPLE , TX |
COLTON ZAHN TEMPLE , TX |
5 | 0 | 11.85 |
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48 | ![]() |
ADAM CLARK DRIPPING SPRINGS , TX |
RICK CLARK TERRELL , TX |
4 | 0 | 11.77 |
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49 | ANDREW WHITEHEAD PFLUGERVILLE , TX |
MICKEY SANDERS SPICEWOOD , TX |
5 | 0 | 11.75 |
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50 | ![]() |
BILLY FORD BELTON , TX |
STEPHEN MACK BELTON , TX |
5 | 0 | 11.55 |
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50 | GARRETT HENNIG BELTON , TX |
JEREME HOSCH SALADO , TX |
4 | 0 | 11.55 |
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52 | DAVID UNDERWOOD WACO , TX |
CHARLES SIMMONS WACO , TX |
5 | 0 | 11.50 |
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53 | ![]() |
TOM GRIDLEY WIMBERLEY , TX |
SCOTT MEADS KILLEEN , TX |
5 | 0 | 11.39 |
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54 | ![]() |
ROBBIE DUDLEY BROWNWOOD , TX |
DANNY ARMSTRONG BROWNWOOD , TX |
5 | 0 | 11.34 |
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55 | ![]() |
DAVID HOLST CROSBY , TX |
LARRY COTTEN HUFFMAN , TX |
5 | 0 | 11.25 |
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56 | JASON DERRICK VALLEY MILLS , TX |
PAUL LAM GATESVILLE , TX |
5 | 0 | 11.22 |
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57 | ![]() |
GARY FRIEDEL COPPERAS COVE , TX |
NOBLE SESSIONS SPICEWOOD , TX |
5 | 0 | 10.91 |
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58 | ![]() |
RONNY MAYNARD GEORGETOWN , TX |
EDDY MAYNARD CEDAR PARK , TX |
5 | 0 | 10.81 |
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59 | ![]() |
TAYLOR DARDEN BROWNWOOD , TX |
JOEY WYNN EARLY , TX |
5 | 0 | 10.79 |
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60 | ![]() |
JEFFERY HUNTER SALADO , TX |
KENNETH WITEK SAN ANTONIO , TX |
4 | 0 | 10.77 |
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61 | JOSH LASSETER BUCHANAN DAM , TX |
DON KING BUCHANAN DAM , TX |
4 | 0 | 10.66 |
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62 | ![]() |
JEREMIAH WAFFORD CEDAR PARK , TX |
GARY WEIMER LEANDER , TX |
5 | 0 | 10.64 |
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63 | ![]() |
DAMON ROSS GEORGETOWN , TX |
GLENN RUCKEL ROUND ROCK , TX |
5 | 0 | 10.63 |
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64 | MICHAEL PROVENZANO BELTON , TX |
FRED NAZARRO TEMPLE , TX |
5 | 4.07 | 10.61 |
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65 | ZANE WASHBURN GATESVILLE , TX |
CANYON CAROTHERS GATESVILLE , TX |
5 | 0 | 10.60 |
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66 | ![]() |
BILLY MCCRARY II LEANDER , TX |
DAVID FULLER CEDAR PARK , TX |
5 | 0 | 10.48 |
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67 | ![]() |
DAVID SHUSTER GEORGETOWN , TX |
CHARLES GERHART SALADO , TX |
4 | 0 | 10.45 |
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67 | RHETT PIERCE THORNDALE , TX |
RICKY PIERCE THORNDALE , TX |
3 | 0 | 10.45 |
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69 | JACK MORSE OGLESBY , TX |
PAT GRIMM WEST , TX |
5 | 0 | 10.37 |
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70 | BRYAN COTTER CEDAR PARK , TX |
TODD IVINS BOERNE , TX |
4 | 0 | 10.33 |
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71 | ![]() |
PHILLIP MASSOLETTI BURNET , TX |
CHARLES MEREDITH JR DRIPPING SPRINGS , TX |
4 | 0 | 10.28 |
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71 | ![]() |
BLAKE ARAPIS BURNET , TX |
CHARLES WILSON JR BRIGGS , TX |
5 | 0 | 10.28 |
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73 | ![]() |
RAY TOMASITS LEANDER , TX |
CARY LAUDADIO AUSTIN , TX |
4 | 0 | 10.24 |
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74 | ![]() |
WILLIAM VICKERS SALADO , TX |
BILLY HIRSCHMANN BELTON , TX |
5 | 0 | 10.17 |
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75 | ![]() |
DANIEL GIBSON LEANDER , TX |
MATHEW GIBSON CEDAR PARK , TX |
5 | 0 | 10.03 |
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76 | JACOB MEREDITH ELGIN , TX |
RYAN MEREDITH ELGIN , TX |
3 | 0 | 9.95 |
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77 | ![]() |
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STERLING MARTIN BEEVILLE , TX |
COURTNEY BEHREND COMFORT , TX |
5 | 0 | 9.82 |
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78 | TIM RENEAU DEL RIO , TX |
JUDY RENEAU DEL RIO , TX |
5 | 0 | 9.78 |
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79 | JIMMY CHAPMAN HUTTO , TX |
CLINT BROWN AUSTIN , TX |
5 | 0 | 9.76 |
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80 | BILL LEE HARKER HEIGHTS , TX |
MICHELLE LEE HARKER HEIGHTS , TX |
5 | 0 | 9.65 |
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81 | ![]() |
DALE HUGHES TEMPLE , TX |
WILLIAM BRUNSON LIBERTY HILL , TX |
3 | 0 | 9.47 |
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82 | SISTO SALINAS JR TEMPLE , TX |
4 | 0 | 9.21 |
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82 | ![]() |
AJ HALL BROWNWOOD , TX |
AUDWIN HALL BROWNWOOD , TX |
5 | 0 | 9.21 |
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84 | STEVE MAGNELIA AUSTIN , TX |
MICHAEL TENNANT PFLUGERVILLE , TX |
5 | 0 | 9.19 |
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85 | LARRY DEAN HUMBLE , TX |
JAMES WALLER CYPRESS , TX |
5 | 0 | 9.07 |
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86 | ![]() |
WENDELL RAMSEY SR SAN ANGELO , TX |
WENDELL RAMSEY JR PFLUGERVILLE , TX |
5 | 0 | 9.06 |
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87 | ![]() |
ADAM GLAZENER NOLANVILLE , TX |
TY BUTLER KILLEEN , TX |
5 | 0 | 8.91 |
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88 | ![]() |
ROBBIE THORSTEINSON CIBOLO , TX |
DAVID REID CANYON LAKE , TX |
4 | 0 | 8.85 |
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89 | ![]() |
BRENT SMITH BERTRAM , TX |
GARY FERGUSON BURNET , TX |
3 | 0 | 8.66 |
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90 | LARRY ONEAL CEDAR CREEK , TX |
RUBY ONEAL CEDAR CREEK , TX |
3 | 0 | 8.65 |
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91 | KEVIN UNGER SMITHVILLE , TX |
TIM GOETZ SMITHVILLE , TX |
4 | 0 | 8.58 |
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92 | JASON METZGAR CHINA SPRING , TX |
JARROD METZGAR LORENA , TX |
4 | 0 | 8.44 |
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93 | GARRETT SHEPPERD GEORGETOWN , TX |
GREGORY SHEPPERD GEORGETOWN , TX |
5 | 0 | 8.33 |
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94 | TULLY WILLIAMS GATESVILLE , TX |
JOE ANDERSON GATESVILLE , TX |
4 | 0 | 8.32 |
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95 | ED WHALEY MONTGOMERY , TX |
DAREN SEBEK TEMPLE , TX |
4 | 0 | 8.23 |
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96 | ![]() |
PATRICK ANDERSON BUDA , TX |
DOUG HAMILTON LAKEWAY , TX |
4 | 0 | 8.08 |
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97 | ![]() |
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ADAM MIRANDA BROWNWOOD , TX |
ROGER SOTO BROWNWOOD , TX |
4 | 0 | 7.86 |
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98 | CHRIS MAY HOCKLEY , TX |
EDWARD MENVILLE TOMBALL , TX |
4 | 0 | 7.74 |
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99 | CRAIG UROFSKY BURNET , TX |
3 | 0 | 7.51 |
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100 | ![]() |
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DALE BOREN FORT WORTH , TX |
RICK SCOTT BREMOND , TX |
3 | 0 | 7.20 |
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101 | ![]() |
MICHAEL WALDROP AUSTIN , TX |
JARROD SANDERS AUSTIN , TX |
5 | 0 | 7.06 |
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102 | ![]() |
TIM MABRAY BELTON , TX |
4 | 0 | 7.05 |
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103 | ![]() |
JAMES HESTER SALADO , TX |
KEN MCKEE TEMPLE , TX |
3 | 0 | 6.64 |
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104 | JAYSON KISSELBURG JARRELL , TX |
LAKE KISSELBURG JARRELL , TX |
3 | 0 | 6.39 |
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104 | CHARLES BUCK TEAGUE , TX |
MITCH BUCK TEAGUE , TX |
3 | 0 | 6.39 |
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106 | BRANDON BRAY MARBLE FALLS , TX |
JOE BRAY HORSESHOE BAY , TX |
3 | 0 | 6.15 |
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107 | JIMMY WILLOUGHBY TEMPLE , TX |
SHANNON BITTLE TEMPLE , TX |
3 | 0 | 5.66 |
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108 | TERRY ADAIR ALVIN , TX |
CHAD ADAIR ALVIN , TX |
3 | 0 | 5.63 |
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109 | WILLIAM SEIGMUND LEXINGTON , TX |
RYAN ELLER LEXINGTON , TX |
1 | 5.46 | 5.46 |
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110 | ![]() |
ZACH BROWN GEORGETOWN , TX |
JACKY ROBERTS GEORGETOWN , TX |
3 | 0 | 5.38 |
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111 | ![]() |
WILLIAM MCGUFFEY KEMPNER , TX |
BILLY BACHMAYER HOLLAND , TX |
3 | 0 | 5.17 |
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112 | RUBEN BERNAL KILLEEN , TX |
JEROMIE BERNAL KILLEEN , TX |
3 | 0 | 5.01 |
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113 | JOEY KIRKLAND SAN ANTONIO , TX |
LUPE CONTRERAS JR SAN ANTONIO , TX |
2 | 0 | 4.64 |
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114 | ![]() |
RONNIE CHARANZA BROWNWOOD , TX |
WESLEY FLETCHER BROWNWOOD , TX |
3 | 0 | 4.62 |
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115 | RANDELL CROSS KEMPNER , TX |
MEGAN CROSS KEMPNER , TX |
3 | 0 | 4.59 |
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116 | ![]() |
DAVID LAINE HORSESHOE BAY , TX |
WILLIAM FESLER LAMPASAS , TX |
2 | 0 | 4.16 |
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117 | MICHAEL HETTICK CORPUS CHRISTI , TX |
KAPPY ALLEN ROBSTOWN , TX |
2 | 0 | 3.84 |
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118 | BENJAMIN HOFF TEMPLE , TX |
BRYAN GRONDAHL KILLEN , TX |
3 | 0 | 3.73 |
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119 | ![]() |
JEFF FOLEY SIERRA VISTA , AZ |
SANDY SILVAS HEREFORD , AZ |
2 | 0 | 3.60 |
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120 | ![]() |
ROLAND LOERA AUSTIN , TX |
JAMES SCOGIN AUSTIN , TX |
1 | 0 | 3.40 |
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121 | AR JOHNSON GARWOOD , TX |
GLYNN CLARDY GARWOOD , TX |
1 | 0 | 2.96 |
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122 | ![]() |
FRED CATES SR ROCKDALE , TX |
KC CARLTON LIBERTY HILL , TX |
1 | 0 | 2.42 |
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123 | GREG GELNER BELTON , TX |
HUNTER HURST BELTON , TX |
1 | 0 | 2.08 |
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124 | ![]() |
RICK SIMONS BELTON , TX |
MIKEY SIMONS HARKER HEIGHTS , TX |
1 | 0 | 1.92 |
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125 | ![]() |
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CHANS MARTIN FAIR OAKS RANCH , TX |
MAX MARTIN CLOVIS , NM |
1 | 0 | 1.62 |
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126 | ![]() |
TJ HARRIS BAIRD , TX |
CHRIS HARRIS BAIRD , TX |
1 | 0 | 1.51 |
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127 | ![]() |
ROBERT HINES PFLUGERVILLE , TX |
JOSH BERRY LEANDER , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
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127 | CLINT HANEY BULVERDE , TX |
WESTON HANEY BULVERDE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
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127 | ![]() |
CHARLIE GANTENBEIN TEMPLE , TX |
GLEN HOLCOMB KEMPNER , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
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127 | ![]() |
DAVID LINDLEY BURNET , TX |
AUSTIN DUNAVANT BURNET , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
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127 | KYLE TATUM BELTON , TX |
DAVID SIMONO AUSTIN , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
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127 | BRYAN SIMPSON LIBERTY HILL , TX |
GLEN DERKS II LIBERTY HILL , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
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127 | GARRETT KOSLAN AUSTIN , TX |
ERIC CRUMLEY LEANDER , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
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127 | ![]() |
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JIM BYARS SAN ANTONIO , TX |
GEORGE DELOACH BOERNE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
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127 | TRAVIS GOLMON GEORGETOWN , TX |
TERESA GOLMON GEORGETOWN , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
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127 | BRANDON ODELL KYLE , TX |
LARRY LAWSON AUSTIN , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
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127 | TERRY STEVENS HUTTO , TX |
LAYNE STEVENS HUTTO , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
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127 | ![]() |
STEVE WILSON FREDERICKSBURG , TX |
DONNIE HOHMANN HARPER , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
127 | SCOTT SMITH HORSESHOE BAY , TX |
SAWYER SMITH HORSESHOE BAY , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
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127 | ![]() |
MIKE LUNA NOLANVILLE , TX |
SHAWN JAMES KILLEEN , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
127 | ![]() |
CHRIS PREECE SPICEWOOD TX , TX |
JIMMY PREECE LIBERTY HILL , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
127 | ![]() |
SHAWN MARKGRAF BURNET , TX |
JONNIE SIMONS BURNETT , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
127 | CHARLES REAGAN THORNTON , TX |
LOWELL BENNETT HEWITT , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
127 | MATTHEW MORGAN AUSTIN , TX |
JASON STEVENS AUSTIN , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
127 | ![]() |
CHRIS RICHTER DRIPPING SPRINGS , TX |
DAVID WILSON WIMBERLEY , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
127 | CHRISTOPHER WASHINGTON CEDAR PARK , TX |
JARRID HOHENSEE HUTTO , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
127 | ![]() |
DONNIE ONEAL PFLUGERVILLE , TX |
DARRELL WUENSCHE THRALL , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
127 | TONY FERDINANDO SPICEWOOD , TX |
RANDALL VAUGHAN BLANCO , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
127 | ![]() |
![]() |
RONNY ANTHONY SALADO , TX |
WAYNE ANTHONY KILLEEN , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|
127 | REX WHEELER BELTON , TX |
JOHN WEATHERLY KILLEEN , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
127 | ![]() |
WILLIAM BLAINE SAN ANGELO , TX |
DUSTIN WALTON SWEETWATER , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
127 | ANTHONY RIBERA DRIPPING SPRINGS , TX |
MARK RIBERA DRIPPING SPRINGS , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
127 | ![]() |
MIKE RICHARDSON THORNDALE , TX |
ALEX CASTILLO THORNDALE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
127 | ![]() |
GERALD MUELLER JR PFLUGERVILLE , TX |
GENE FUESSEL AUSTIN , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
127 | TONY GERGELY SEGUIN , TX |
TRAVIS GERGELY SEGUIN , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
127 | ![]() |
EDWARD CRUZ HIGHLAND HAVEN , TX |
RICK HAMILTON AUSTIN , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
127 | BILL GUZMAN AUSTIN , TX |
TK BOURESSA HORSESHOE BAY , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
127 | MIKE GROUNDS MARBLE FALLS , TX |
BRAD DOBBS GRAHAM , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
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127 | ![]() |
TYLER FONSECA KILLEEN , TX |
CORREY WALKER FORT HOOD , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
127 | GERADO GONZALEZ TORREON |
ROGELIO ABREGO MONTERREY |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
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127 | ![]() |
ANTHONY GOODSON DRIFTWOOD , TX |
MICAH KIRKHART MARTINDALE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
127 | ALLEN GASS LLANO , TX |
JASON STAFFORD BURNET , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
127 | ![]() |
RODNEY THOMPSON HARKER HEIGHTS , TX |
MIKE GARRETT HUMBLE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
127 | NORMAN LAND CLEVELAND , TX |
KURT LUKER CLEVELAND , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
127 | CAMERON OATES LEANDER , TX |
ROBERT BUCHANNAN LEANDER , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
127 | ROBERT GOLDING SALADO , TX |
TODD MURRELL KILLEEN , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
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127 | ![]() |
AARON FREEMAN THE WOODLANDS , TX |
LEE SHEARIN ORANGE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
127 | MATTHEW HATHAWAY SAN MARCOS , TX |
ALLEN WILLIAMS SAN MARCOS , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
127 | ![]() |
DAVID CHILES WACO , TX |
DENNY COPELAND MCGREGOR , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
127 | ![]() |
WILLIAM DANKERT SALADO , TX |
STEVEN PUCKETT BUCKHOLTS , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
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127 | ![]() |
DWAYNE KINLEY AUSTIN , TX |
LEVAR JENKINS AUSTIN , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
127 | ![]() |
ROY STEGER BELTON , TX |
CHET SUTTON SALADO , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
127 | NORMAN WILSON JR KILLEEN , TX |
NORM WILSON SR HUTTO , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
127 | CHRIS WILKINSON LAMPASAS , TX |
MASON WILKINSON LAMPASAS , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
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127 | ![]() |
HERMAN MARTIN II GATESVILLE , TX |
JOEY MARTIN HAMILTON , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
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127 | COLT DIETZ AUSTIN , TX |
HEATH GRANT BLANCO , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
127 | ![]() |
BRUCE WHITE LA WARD , TX |
CORY LEITA VICTORIA , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
127 | ![]() |
DANNY BENNETT HUNTSVILLE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
127 | JAMES VALCHAR NOLONVILLE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
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127 | CLOYS WARREN JR BASTROP , TX |
ZACK KASPAR RED ROCK , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
127 | BRYAN ROBBINS STEPHENVILLE , TX |
RAYMOND BALCEROWICZ CROSBY , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
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127 | JARET LATTA CEDAR PARK , TX |
KRISTOPHER DOUGLAS CHANDLER , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
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|||
127 | MARK BULLOCK PFLUGERVILLE , TX |
MARK NORDSTROM AUSTIN , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
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127 | WILLIAM SPILLER BASTROP , TX |
JOSHUA SPILLER FRANKLIN , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
127 | STEVE THIEL AUSTIN , TX |
ARMANDO SAUCEDO LEANDER , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
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127 | RICHARD CONE GEORGETOWN , TX |
BILLY JESCHKE GRANGER , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
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127 | ![]() |
ROBERT MIKES SHINER , TX |
MITCHELL MCELROY SHINER , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
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127 | ![]() |
COLBY JOHLE HUNT , TX |
ADRIAN HUTKA ROGERS , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
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127 | CHAD ESTES TROY , TX |
RYAN LANDES | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
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127 | BOB KUJAN JR BELTON , TX |
BOBBY NORTON KILLEEN , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
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127 | ![]() |
KEN BAILEY BRIDGEPORT , TX |
JOSH COX BROWNWOOD , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
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127 | JOE SETINA PITTSBURG , TX |
LAMONTE LOYD PITTSBURG , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
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127 | ![]() |
MATT REGAN FORT WORTH , TX |
JAMES BIGGS COMANCHE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
Tracy Robinson goes wire-to-wire in the American Bass Anglers Ray Scott Championship on Old Hickory Lake!
ATHENS, Ala. – Angler Tracy Robinson of Gaden, AL dominated the field at the Ray Scott Championship on Old Hickory Lake in Hendersonville, to win the Championship. Robinson held an 8-pound lead after over the field at today weighed in his third limit weighing 16.04. Tracy amassed a three-day total of 55.49 eclipsing the field by more than 15 pounds.
His day didn’t start well as he lost two big keeper fish. “I almost spun out there for a minute, I started thinking this is one of those days that guys tell horror stories about I regrouped and got back busy with it and started catching them”, Say Robinson. “I caught them on a simple white jig. There was nothing special about it, a white Choo Choo jig. Just a white swim jig with a white craw, it was just as plain as you can get”.
“It’s an unbelievable experience for me. My dad fished a lot of tournaments with Ray Scott. Ray and I were talking about it yesterday, and he gave me a little good luck charm, a patch from a 1965 tournament”, Concluded Robinson.
Tracy caught most of his fish on deeper grass. He credited this pattern on visiting the lake this past October when the lake was down. He and his wife Lisa ran the entire lake and idled through every cove marking weigh points where grass was showing in 2-3 feet of water with the lake down. The pattern held throughout the lake as during practice he had what he thinks would have been over 20lb limit. He narrowed down to the spots that were holding the larger fish.
For the win, Tracy takes home $50,000 and new 2017 Triton 21TRX, loaded with a Mercury Marine 250ProXS outboard, MotorGuide Trolling Motor, Garmin, T-H Marine Products all sitting on Carlisle Tires. Tracy will also receive a two-year Ram Truck lease of a Ram Truck that is MSRP up to $50,000.
Second place went to David Hendrick of Cherryville, NC with a three-day total of 39.65. David weighed-in 15.81 on the final day to capture second place. David’s final bag was anchored with a 6.77 big bass.
Bryan New of Belmont, NC took third moving up from seventh place from day two with a 13.44 for a final tournament total of 39.17lbs. He made decision to run as far up the lake as he could go and said he only had two gallons of fuel when he returned.
In fourth place, boater Matthew Robertson of Kuttawa, KY drop a spot from day two to fourth place on day three with a three-day total of 38.96. Robertson talked about his quest to get the possible Old Hickory lake record for its largest Kentucky Spotted Bass on certified scales after the day-two weigh-in.
The Top 25 Boaters:
Name | Hometown | Total |
1 Tracy D. Robinson | Gadsden AL | 55.49 |
2 David R. Hendrick | Cherryville NC | 39.65 |
3 Bryan New | Belmont NC | 39.17 |
4 Matthew T. Robertson | Kuttawa KY | 38.96 |
5 Jason Wilson | Lincolnton NC | 36.74 |
6 Dale Pelfrey | Rockwood TN | 35.03 |
7 Andy Wicker | Pomaria SC | 34.58 |
8 Todd Castledine | Nacogdoches TX | 33.05 |
9 Brian Morgan | Newton NC | 32.89 |
10 Nick LeBrun | Bossier City LA | 32.68 |
11 Andrew S. Getsy | Hastings PA | 32.18 |
12 Brad Weese | Petersburg WV | 31.63 |
13 Adam M. Wagner | Cookeville TN | 30.46 |
14 Kirk C. Smith | Edmond OK | 28.77 |
15 Kelly Logan | Morganton NC | 27.96 |
16 Drew Boggs | Lebanon TN | 27.05 |
17 Greg B. Worsham | chattanooga TN | 25.62 |
18 Scott McDaniel | Bonaire GA | 25.34 |
19 Chris Sanders | Stockbridge GA | 24.84 |
20 Randy Tolbert Jr. | Rome GA | 24.42 |
21 Josh M. Butler | Hayden AL | 23.78 |
22 Seth N. Ellis | Charlotte NC | 22.96 |
23 Damien K. Willis | Jacksonville AL | 22.38 |
24 Duke Nave | Norristown PA | 20.31 |
25 Daniel D. Johnson | Lebanon TN | 20.00 |
The Co-Angler Champion is Timothy Adams from Powder Springs, GA brought to the scales a solid bag (three fish limit) weighing in at 9.39 lbs for a three day winning total of 19.74 lbs. Adams took home $25,000 and a 2017 Triton 19TRX boat, Mercury Marine 200ProXs outboard Garmin electronics, MotorGuide trolling motor, Carlisle tires, and TH Marine products. Timothy will also receive a two-year Ram Truck lease of a Ram Truck that is MSRP up to $50,000.
“Well I didn’t catch many fish on day 1 or day 2. I needed some of the fish I was throwing back today to make it a little better. A spinner bait was my 5-pounder yesterday, and a spinner bait got my big fish today. This has been an awesome experience, and I’m thankful for everything!”, Adams explained.
Timothy Woods of Midville, GA finished in second place for the Co-Anglers with a 2.47 lbs weight, but carried it with an overall event total weight of 18.55 lbs!
“I tried hard, this is what I’m going to do for a living. This is the first time I fished this trail, and I made it all the way to finish second. I couldn’t be more pleased! I’m going to take that money and buy me a boat when I get home!”, Woods said.
In third place was Christopher Chavis out of Rincon, GA. He brought in a single solid fish today with a weight of 5.06 lbs. His total weight for the event was 17.56 lbs.
“Started at the beginning of the week fishing grass, and the last two days been fishing on wood. Caught that fish today on a Choo Choo Lures jig, barely bit it. All my guys back home, thank you for picking me up and taking care of me”, Chavis explained.
The largest bass of the overall tournament for the boaters was caught by Chad Schroeder with a weight of 7.64 lbs, and the big bass of the tournament for the Co-Angler was brought in by Timothy Woods weighing in at 5.71 lbs.
The Top 25 Co-Anglers:
1 Timothy "Tim" P. Adams | Powder Springs GA | 19.74 |
2 Timothy Woods | Midville GA | 18.55 |
3 Christopher L. Chavis | Rincon GA | 17.56 |
4 Ryan L. Eckman | Okeechobee FL | 17.50 |
5 Brian "B Dawg" P. Murphy | Sulphur LA | 16.54 |
6 Justin M. Clark | White House TN | 15.85 |
7 James E. Gunn | Nolensville TN | 15.54 |
8 David T. Williams | Fredericksburg VA | 15.06 |
9 Michael Huss | Sherman TX | 15.03 |
10 Jesse E. Jodon | Windber PA | 14.44 |
11 Marty J. Colley | Ashville AL | 14.37 |
12 Alex Hester | Crossville TN | 14.02 |
13 Mike J. Carter | Flat Rock AL | 14.01 |
14 Jett B. Loach | Chickamauga GA | 12.93 |
15 Ronnie Gibson | Trinity TX | 12.78 |
16 Randy Hobbs | Dawson AL | 12.58 |
17 Eldred B. Lewis | Tuscaloosa AL | 11.92 |
18 Giovanni Pena | Davenport FL | 11.19 |
19 Benton Peoples | Bardstown KY | 10.96 |
20 Thomas N. Henshaw | Ft. Oglethorpe GA | 10.96 |
21 Andy M. Strickler | York PA | 10.32 |
22 Patrick Weir | Broken Arrow OK | 10.21 |
23 Davy P. Campbell | Delta AL | 9.93 |
24 William "Toby" Steele | Ten Mile TN | 9.45 |
25 Lonnie B. Drusch | Sumtner SC | 9.43 |
American Bass Anglers commitment is to provide 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 and the Ram American Fishing Tour, the Ram Truck Open Series, the Ram 100% Plus Team Tour, or the American Couples Series visit www.americanbassanglers.com.
American Bass Anglers, Inc. is supported by Ram Trucks, Triton Boats, Mercury Outboards, Carlisle Tires, Hydrowave, T-H Marine, Abu Garcia, Berkley, Livingston Lures, Best Western Hotels, Simms, Garmin, Maui Jim, Power Pole, and GEICO. American Bass Anglers, Inc. can be contacted at (256) 232-0406 or visit AmericanBassAnglers.com.
UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE-MARTIN WINS THIRD ANNUAL YETI FLW COLLEGE FISHING OPEN ON KENTUCKY/BARKLEY LAKES
GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. (April 10, 2017) – The University of Tennessee-Martin team of Matthew Lamastus of Hornbeak, Tennessee, and Dylan True of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, won the third annual YETI FLW College Fishing Open on Kentucky and Barkley lakes Saturday with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 44 pounds, 4 ounces. The victory earned the club a $27,000 prize package which includes a Ranger Z175 with a 90-horsepower Evinrude outboard and advanced the team to the 2017 YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship.
Lamastus, a sophomore mechanical engineering major, said that the pair didn’t expect to catch the fish they did and their main goal going in was to qualify for next year’s championship. Mission accomplished, but they also won the Ranger/Evinrude boat package and prizes furnished by such sponsors as YETI, Costa, Plano and Zoom.
Tournament leaders always worry, and True and Lamastus sweated through their share of angst as Saturday wore on and it became apparent that they weren’t going to duplicate Friday’s stringer.
“It was slow Friday, and even slower Saturday,” said True, a junior majoring in agricultural business. “We caught our fish in Jonathan Creek Friday, but it sort of dried up and we decided to run to another place we found in Blood River. As it turned out, we caught seven keepers, compared to six on Friday. But the size definitely wasn’t there. I think the bigger fish pulled out some because the water was a little cooler.”
Strike King 2.5 and Series 5 crankbaits produced for the team in the opening round, but as many other anglers discovered, the fish wanted slower-moving baits on Day Two. After going about an hour and a half without boxing a fish, True decided to switch to a Carolina rig with a green-pumpkin-colored 5-inch Strike King Rage Lizard. They caught four of the bass they weighed on it, and the other on the Series 5 crankbait.
“Mainly we just kept the boat in about 10 feet of water, casted to the bank and dragged the Carolina rig out real slow,” added True.
The top 20 teams on Kentucky Lake finished:
1st: University of Tennessee-Martin – Dylan True, Lawrenceburg, Tenn., and Matthew Lamastus of Hornbeak, Tenn., 10 bass, 44-4
2nd: University of North Alabama – Koby Littrell, Florence, Ala., and Martin McCravy, Killen, Ala., 10 bass, 40-8
3rd: Murray State University – Nick Montilino, Edina, Minn., and Brock Spencer, Waynesfield, Ohio, 10 bass, 39-15
4th: Bryan College – Nathan Bell, Riceville, Tenn., and Cole Sands, Calhoun, Tenn., 10 bass, 36-12
5th: University of Tennessee – Bradley Devaney, Oliver Springs, Tenn., and Saxton Long, Pulaski, Tenn., 10 bass, 35-5
6th: University of North Alabama – Austin Mize, Sheffield, Ala., and Ethan Goodwin, Warrior, Ala., 10 bass, 34-9
7th: Bethel University – Tyler Black, Catawba, N.C., and Ryan Winchester, Powell, Tenn., nine bass, 34-0
8th: Adrian College – Nicholas Czajka, Brighton, Mich., and Jack Hippe III, Davison, Mich., 10 bass, 33-10
9th: Bethel University – Brian Pahl, Wildwood, Mo., and John Coble Garrett, Union City, Tenn., 10 bass, 33-0
10th: University of Louisiana-Monroe – Thomas Soileau and Hunter Freeman, both of Monroe, La., 10 bass, 32-13
11th: University of Kentucky – Hunter Fulcher, White Plains, Ky., and Austin Elswick, Virgie, Ky., nine bass, 32-10
12th: Murray State University – Austin Butler, Murray, Ky., and Ryan Kirkpatrick, Lindenhurst, Ill. 10 bass, 32-3
13th: Texas A&M University – Evan Cook, College Station, Texas, and Bradley Fleming, Magnolia, Texas, 10 bass, 31-13
14th: Illinois State University – Justin Schick, Morton, Ill., and Tyler Rocke, Peoria, Ill., 10 bass, 31-9
15th: Ohio State University – Ben Wiley, Newbury, Ohio, and Colin Bope, Rushville, Ohio, 10 bass, 31-1
16th: Bethel University – Carter McNeil, Abbeville, S.C., and Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, nine bass, 30-14
17th: Murray State University – Hunter Mills, Mayfield, Ky., and Hunter McKinley, Murray, Ky. 10 bass, 30-13
18th: Bemidji State University – Thor Swanson and Mitchell Swanson, both of Blaine, Minn., nine bass, 30-11
19th: University of South Carolina – Hunter Buice, Pacolet, S.C., and William Bond, Moncks Corner, S.C., 10 bass, 30-11
20th: Campbellsville University – Nick Ratliff, Vine Grove, Ky., and Luke Patterson, Middleburg, Ky., 10 bass, 30-7
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
This YETI FLW College Fishing Open was hosted by the Kentucky Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau and Moors Resort & Marina. The next event for FLW collegiate anglers is a Northern Conference tournament scheduled for April 29 on Smith Mountain Lake in Huddleston, Virginia.
YETI FLW College Fishing teams compete in three regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top ten teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments, along with an additional qualifier for every 10 teams over 100 that compete, along with the top 20 teams from the annual YETI FLW College Fishing Open advance to the 2018 FLW College Fishing National Championship.
College Fishing is free to enter. All participants must be registered, full-time students at a college, university or community college and members of a college fishing club.
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.
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.
Chris Brummet and his 7.81 pound Largemouth hang on for the win at the Big Bass Tour Event on Smith Mountain Lake!
2017 Smith Mountain, VA
Leaders
Rank | Angler | Weight |
---|---|---|
1 | CHRIS BRUMMETT | 7.81 |
2 | JIMMY LANKFORD | 7.02 |
3 | LARRY HORNE | 6.76 |
4 | JETH ODOM | 6.54 |
5 | LARRY WITT | 6.53 |
6 | LONNIE RENFRO | 6.45 |
7 | STUART GRAHAM | 6.38 |
8 | AUSTIN NEARY | 6.33 |
9 | STEVIE MAZINGO | 6.16 |
10 | NATHAN WARD | 6.11 |
Saturday 8-9
Rank | Angler | Weight |
---|---|---|
1 | MARK SPRUILL | 5.28 |
2 | MIKE BELL | 5.02 |
3 | DAVID NEAL | 4.82 |
4 | MIKE ALTIZER | 4.41 |
5 | ERIC RUMLEY | 4.36 |
6 | ROBERT SHEETS | 4.30 |
7 | DUANE BARNHILL | 4.25 |
8 | RICK HARRIS | 4.16 |
9 | BRIAN MYERS | 4.14 |
10 | BOBBY HUFFMAN | 3.99 |
Saturday 9-10
Rank | Angler | Weight |
---|---|---|
1 | CHRIS BRUMMETT | 7.81 |
2 | CARLYLE PRILLAMAN | 5.52 |
3 | AJ LUCADAMO | 5.42 |
4 | SCOTT GARDNER | 5.40 |
5 | MIKE ALTIZER | 5.09 |
6 | SCOTT MARTIN | 4.52 |
7 | PAUL MORRIS | 4.39 |
8 | DAVID BELEW | 4.28 |
9 | ROGER WEBBER | 3.80 |
10 | CODY SPEARS | 3.70 |
Saturday 10-11
Rank | Angler | Weight |
---|---|---|
1 | AUSTIN NEARY | 6.33 |
2 | STEVIE MAZINGO | 6.16 |
3 | ERIC HOLLAND | 5.15 |
4 | JOSH WALTHER | 5.09 |
5 | RYAN GIBSON | 5.05 |
6 | GARY COLWELL | 4.80 |
7 | CHRIS MARTIN | 4.73 |
8 | PAUL ALFORD | 4.64 |
9 | TYLER HATCHER | 4.60 |
10 | CHRIS WILLIAMS | 4.46 |
Saturday 11-12
Rank | Angler | Weight |
---|---|---|
1 | LARRY HORNE | 6.76 |
2 | JASON HALE | 5.90 |
3 | JACOB ROTHGEB | 5.76 |
4 | JOE KINCHEN | 5.53 |
5 | DAMIEN MCMAHON | 5.34 |
6 | CONNOR GAGNON | 4.85 |
7 | ERIC GALASSO | 4.79 |
7 | CHRIS WEISS | 4.79 |
9 | BILL PIOCH | 4.76 |
10 | MICHAEL STORY | 4.43 |
Saturday 12-1
Rank | Angler | Weight |
---|---|---|
1 | LONNIE RENFRO | 6.45 |
2 | JAKE HOLLAND | 5.78 |
3 | ROBERT HALSEY | 5.61 |
4 | JOSH VAUGHAN | 5.30 |
5 | BRANDON REYNOLDS | 5.14 |
6 | DANNY LUKE | 5.09 |
7 | BLAKE GILLISPIE | 4.96 |
8 | JOSH AKERS | 4.90 |
9 | GREG CARTER | 4.81 |
10 | FLOYD JUDE | 4.79 |
Saturday 1-2
Rank | Angler | Weight |
---|---|---|
1 | RYAN PARDUE | 5.90 |
2 | MARK BRADSHAW | 5.75 |
3 | BARRY HALL | 5.06 |
4 | HARRY TOWNSEND | 5.03 |
5 | JESSE ARGENBTRIGHT | 4.92 |
6 | HENRY REYNOLDS | 4.84 |
7 | BRAYDEN RAKES | 4.82 |
8 | DANIEL COLE | 4.81 |
8 | MIKE BATES | 4.81 |
10 | DANIEL JENKINS | 4.79 |
Saturday 2-3
Rank | Angler | Weight |
---|---|---|
1 | MIKE SCOTT | 5.79 |
2 | ALAN SANFORD | 5.78 |
3 | MATT BRUNTY | 5.53 |
4 | ROBERT HOYT | 5.46 |
5 | BRANDON FARMER | 5.19 |
6 | JEFF JOHNSON | 5.16 |
6 | JASON HARRIS | 5.16 |
8 | RANDY MITCHELL | 4.90 |
9 | STEVEN COLEMAN | 4.67 |
10 | GREGG REED | 4.64 |
Sunday 8-9
Rank | Angler | Weight |
---|---|---|
1 | NATHAN WARD | 6.11 |
2 | ROBERT HOYT | 5.32 |
3 | JEFFREY YEATTS | 5.03 |
4 | PAUL SARVER | 4.80 |
5 | TIM GOFF | 4.67 |
6 | KEVIN LANKFORD | 4.63 |
7 | ALAN SANFORD | 4.53 |
8 | ORION MAJEWSKI | 4.24 |
9 | DENNIS FITZ | 4.21 |
10 | BILL PIOCH | 4.05 |
Sunday 9-10
Rank | Angler | Weight |
---|---|---|
1 | JETH ODOM | 6.54 |
2 | GREG SNYDER | 5.65 |
3 | JOSEPH HEFLIN | 5.46 |
4 | CRAIG BLANKENSHIP | 5.08 |
5 | ERIC RUMLEY | 4.95 |
6 | TIM NICHOLS | 4.63 |
7 | WILLIAM PAYNE | 4.42 |
8 | JODY BELCHER | 3.87 |
9 | JOSH DUDLEY | 3.80 |
10 | TIM GOFF | 3.71 |
Sunday 10-11
Rank | Angler | Weight |
---|---|---|
1 | TYLER HATCHER | 5.20 |
2 | DONNIE THOMPSON | 5.12 |
3 | WILLIAM PERKINS | 4.97 |
4 | STEVEN MUSOLINO | 4.52 |
5 | MIKE HUNDLEY | 4.43 |
6 | AJ LUCADAMO | 4.30 |
7 | KEVIN PETERS | 4.25 |
8 | RAY KEATTS | 4.19 |
9 | MICHAEL ALVERSON | 3.83 |
10 | DANNY GOMEZ | 3.82 |
Sunday 11-12
Rank | Angler | Weight |
---|---|---|
1 | STUART GRAHAM | 6.38 |
2 | WILLIAM PERKINS | 4.96 |
3 | MONTE ATKINS | 4.83 |
4 | LUKE NICHOLS | 4.65 |
5 | ROGER MAXIE | 4.54 |
6 | BRADLEY PAGANS | 4.31 |
7 | TROY DOLNEY | 4.28 |
8 | MARTIN VILLA | 4.10 |
9 | MIKE SMITH | 4.08 |
10 | BAILEY MILLER | 4.05 |
Sunday 12-1
Rank | Angler | Weight |
---|---|---|
1 | LARRY WITT | 6.53 |
2 | JOEL SCHOTT | 5.61 |
3 | TYLER PURCELL | 5.12 |
4 | BRANDON FOSTER | 4.80 |
5 | KENNETH ROTHGEB | 4.74 |
6 | TOBY PETERS | 4.57 |
7 | JONATHAN MULLINS | 4.38 |
8 | TROY DOLNEY | 4.21 |
8 | FLOYD JUDE | 4.21 |
10 | DAVID SMITH | 4.05 |
10 | MARK BRADSHAW | 4.05 |
Sunday 1-2
Rank | Angler | Weight |
---|---|---|
1 | RYAN MEYERS | 5.30 |
2 | EDDIE QUESENBERRY | 5.04 |
3 | BRIAN MULLINS | 4.86 |
4 | JACOB ROTHGEB | 4.78 |
5 | PERRY HUGHES | 4.73 |
6 | JACOB LUCAS | 4.62 |
7 | MIKE ALTIZER | 4.57 |
8 | KRIS WEAVER | 4.53 |
9 | TIM BOOTHE | 4.39 |
10 | MARK BRADSHAW | 4.36 |
Sunday 2-3
Rank | Angler | Weight |
---|---|---|
1 | JIMMY LANKFORD | 7.02 |
2 | JIMMY COLEMAN | 5.81 |
3 | BRAYDEN RAKES | 5.68 |
4 | RICK TILLEY | 5.26 |
5 | JOSH BAILEY | 4.48 |
6 | GREGG BASHAM | 4.30 |
7 | JAMES NOTTINGHAM | 4.19 |
8 | SKYE RIGGLEMAN | 4.16 |
9 | DEANE DIPAULO | 4.15 |
10 | MATHEW COLLINS | 4.05 |
MARTIN WINS FLW TOUR ON LAKE CUMBERLAND PRESENTED BY T-H MARINE
Martin Earns Record Eighth Tour Win, Pockets $125,000
SOMERSET, Ky. (April 9, 2017) – Pro Scott Martin of Clewiston, Florida, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Sunday weighing 13 pounds , 12 ounces, to win the FLW Tour at Lake Cumberland presented by T-H Marine. Martin’s four-day total of 20 bass weighing 60 pounds, 1 ounce, gave him a 1-pound, 11-ounce edge over second-place pro Barry Wilson of Birmingham, Alabama, and earned him $125,400 in the internationally-televised tournament that featured 164 of the world’s best bass anglers. With his victory, Martin also became the first angler in FLW history to win eight Tour-level events.
“It feels great to win another tournament – it’s awesome,” said Martin, the 2015 FLW Angler of the Year and 2011 Forrest Wood Cup Champion. “I always try to go out there and be as good as I can be. I’m very blessed.”
Martin’s primary areas this week were on the lower end of the lake, near the dam. He said he preferred locations that had a good population of spotted, smallmouth and largemouth bass, and that he ran to new water each day of the tournament.
“My fish had to be in a creek. Not a main pocket off of the river, but a creek with small arms,” said Martin. “The creeks I liked had lots of little arms. At the intersections there were points, then a straight stretch that led back to pockets with bushes. The largemouth used the bushes in the back of the drain, while the spotted bass keyed in on the bushes along the stretches. The smallmouth liked the secondary points with rock and bushes near the intersection openings.”
Martin caught fish early on in the week with an M-Pack Lures Flippin’ Jig, but did the bulk of his damage with a translucent-shad-colored jerkbait. On the final day of competition, Martin rotated in a Bomber Lures Long A wake bait, which turned out to be a crucial adjustment.
“I caught two that I weighed in today on the wake bait,” said Martin. “It just felt right to throw it. Today the water temperature was rising a little bit, I saw some baitfish activity and it was dead-slick calm. Those are the best conditions to use it in.”
Martin wound up bringing two spotted, two largemouth and a smallmouth bass to the weigh-in stage Sunday. He said his win was secured by a largemouth that weighed nearly 3 pounds that he caught on his final cast of the day.
The top 10 pros finished the event on Lake Cumberland:
1st: Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla., 20 bass, 60-1, $125,000
2nd: Barry Wilson, Birmingham, Ala., 20 bass, 58-6, $30,000
3rd: Terry Bolton, Paducah, Ky., 20 bass, 57-5, $25,000
4th: Matt Reed, Madisonville, Texas, 20 bass, 55-15, $20,000
5th: Quaker State pro Scott Canterbury, Springville, Ala., 20 bass, 55-7, $19,000
6th: Chris McCall, Palmer, Texas, 20 bass, 53-10, $18,000
7th: Cody Meyer, Auburn, Calif., 20 bass, 53-8, $17,000
8th: Casey Scanlon, Lenexa, Kan., 19 bass, 51-11, $16,500
9th: Clark Wendlandt, Leander, Texas, 15 bass, 50-0, $15,000
10th: Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., 19 bass, 48-14, $14,000
For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.
Overall there were 43 bass weighing 98 pounds, 5 ounces, caught by nine pros Sunday. The catch included seven five-bass limits.
Jeff Clark of Fort Smith, Arkansas, won the Co-angler Division and $20,100 Friday with a two-day total of eight bass weighing 20 pounds, 1 ounce, followed by Frank Divis Sr. of Farmington, Arkansas, who finished in second place with six bass weighing 19 pounds, 8 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 competes in the two-day opening round. Co-angler competition concludes following Friday’s weigh-in, while the top 20 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advance to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of professional bass fishing. The 2017 Forrest Wood Cup will be on Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina, Aug. 11-13.
The FLW Tour at Lake Cumberland presented by T-H Marine was hosted by the Somerset Tourist and Convention Commission. The next event for FLW Tour anglers will be the FLW Tour at Beaver Lake presented by General Tire, April 27-30 in Rogers, Arkansas.
Television coverage of the FLW Tour at Lake Cumberland presented by T-H Marine will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) May 24 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.
Chad and Chase Schroeder Win 2017 Alabama Bass Trail Lake Martin
Chad and Chase Schroeder Win 2017 Alabama Bass Trail Lake Martin
Spawning Bass Hold Out Despite Cold Fronts
by Dan O’Sullivan
April 8, 2017 – Alexander City, Ala. – Lake Martin always presents an interesting challenge for a tournament angler. While a limit of bass is always the objective, an average sized limit of spotted bass at Lake Martin will typically reward you with only the satisfaction that you weighed in a limit, and little else.
Being competitive at Lake Martin typically involves locating at least a couple largemouth bass that will be willing to go for a ride in a livewell. An angler who finds all largemouth is ahead of the curve. In the springtime, shallow, bedding largemouth tend to be the focus of every team’s desires.
When the Alabama Bass Trail Southern Division made its third stop on the 2017 schedule, the hope was to find an abundance of largemouth. However, as can happen in bass fishing, a cold front rolled through the South, and once again, the conditions changed.
Despite those changes, the brother team of Chad and Chase Schroeder managed to locate a shallow flat loaded with spawning bass that allowed them to catch a 15.49-pound mixed bag limit that helped them take home a hard fought victory and the winner’s prize of $10,000.
“We found some spawning fish on a shallow flat in a creek on the south end of the lake yesterday, and we caught our fish there,” they said. “We really didn’t catch a lot of fish, but the quality was good enough to get the win, and we’re thrilled with the outcome.”
The pair reported using a topwater approach, as well as pitching a jig to corral their limit. “We caught two of our better fish early on a Zara Spook topwater, then turned to the jig,” they reported. “We pitched black and blue and green pumpkin 3/8-ounce finesse flipping jigs and Baby Rage Craws to anything visible to fill out our limit; we didn’t expect the winning weight to be this low, but could’t be happier with the way today went.”
The team of Matt Green and Justin Nunley found spawning bass as well around Kowaliga. While the winners were blind casting their area, the runner ups earned their $5,000 payday by fishing for visible spawners. “We used a variety of lures to make them bite,” they said. “We threw swimbaits, jigs, grubs, creature baits and anything else we could at them. We thought we could do better based on what we found in practice, but we’re pleased with the finish.”
The team of Kyle Welcher and Chris Haynes finished third with 13.91 pounds; earning $4,000 for their day. They were followed by Marty Giddens and Josh Stracner who earned $3,000 for their 13.87-pound limit, and Ronnie Faulkner and Michael Johnson rounded out the top five with 13.45 pounds, good enough for a $2,000 payday.
The big bass of the tournament was a 5.53-pound largemouth bass worth $500 to the team of Victor and Blake Harper of Tuscaloosa.
The top 10 standings are below, for complete standings go to http://www.alabamabasstrail.org/tournament-series/lm-results/
Place | Anglers | Weight | Big Fish | Winnings |
1 | Chad Schroeder / Chase Schroeder | 15.49 | $10,000 | |
2 | Matt Green / Justin Nunley | 14.74 | 4.40 | $5,000 |
3 | Kyle Welcher / Chris Haynes | 13.91 | 5.08 | $4,000 |
4 | Marty Giddens / Josh Stracner | 13.87 | $3,000 | |
5 | Ronnie Faulkner / Michael Johnson | 13.45 | $2,000 | |
6 | William Davis / Will Davis | 13.22 | $1,500 | |
7 | Matthew Cottle / Nicklous Robinson | 13.05 | 3.04 | $1,100 |
8 | Tim Peek / Byron Smith | 12.98 | 4.26 | $1,100 |
9 | Rob Lee / Steve Winslett | 12.71 | $1,100 | |
10 | Danny Lavoie / Todd Mahoney | 12.34 | $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 visitwww.alabamabasstrail.org.
Murray Mauls em' on Toledo Bend for His First Elite Series Win!!!
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Wendlandt Leads FLW event heading into final day
Texas Pro Will Begin Fourth and Final Day With 3-pound, 11-ounce Advantage
Link to photo of pro leader Clark Wendlandt
SOMERSET, Ky. (April 8, 2017) – Clark Wendlandt of Leander, Texas, padded his lead Saturday at the FLW Tour at Lake Cumberland presented by T-H Marine after bringing a five-bass limit totaling 14 pounds, 10 ounces to the weigh-in stage. Wendlandt’s three-day cumulative total of 15 bass weighing 50 pounds even is enough for him to hold the No. 1 seed heading into championship Sunday when the final 10 pros will cast for a top cash award of up to $125,000.
“It was a struggle out there today, I only caught six keepers,” said Wendlandt, a 17-time Forrest Wood Cup qualifier who has amassed more than $2 million in earnings in FLW competition. “I’m targeting smallmouth and had a good day in terms of the amount I caught, but there were a lot of short fish in the 17-inch range. Catching those big ones over 18 inches is hard right now.
“I think I have the best chance to win targeting smallmouth,” continued Wendlandt. “The fish I’m on are mostly prespawn. A few may be spawning, and sight-fishing may play a role tomorrow but it hasn’t for me yet. I think I saw one on a bed today, but it left. If I see one tomorrow, I’ll go after it.”
Wendlandt’s limit Saturday was made up of multiple species – four smallmouth and one largemouth bass.
“I have two main patterns and I’m rotating between two different baits,” said Wendlandt. “I’m mostly in creeks, but I’ve got a few main-river places I’m hitting as well. I probably moved 15 to 20 times today.”
Wendlandt said he plans on spending his final day on the water fishing like he has the entire event – loose.
“When you plan your day out too much it stifles any creativity and intuition you may have out there,” said Wendlandt. “This lake is big, and I don’t know where I’m pulling up to. I’m just going to fish and when I think it’s time to move, I’ll move. I think there’s something to be said of anglers who have the ability to adjust no matter what their original plan was.”
The top 10 pros advancing to the final day of competition on Lake Cumberland are:
1st: Clark Wendlandt, Leander, Texas, 15 bass, 50-0
2nd: Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla., 15 bass, 46-5
3rd: Barry Wilson, Birmingham, Ala., 15 bass, 45-4
4th: Terry Bolton, Paducah, Ky., 15 bass, 44-15
5th: Casey Scanlon, Lenexa, Kan., 15 bass, 44-11
6th: Quaker State pro Scott Canterbury, Springville, Ala., 15 bass, 43-7
7th: Cody Meyer, Auburn, Calif., 15 bass, 43-6
8th: Chris McCall, Palmer, Texas, 15 bass, 43-4
9th: Matt Reed, Madisonville, Texas, 15 bass, 42-14
10th: Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., 15 bass, 42-6
Finishing in 11th through 20th are:
11th: James Watson, Lampe, Mo., 14 bass, 41-8, $12,000
12th: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 15 bass, 41-5, $12,000
13th: Cody Bird, Granbury, Texas, 12 bass, 39-8, $12,000
14th: Yamamoto Baits pro Shinichi Fukae, Palestine, Texas, 14 bass, 38-10, $12,000
15th: Livingston Lures pro Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 15 bass, 38-10, $12,000
16th: Bill Day, Frankfort, Ky., 14 bass, 38-6, $12,000
17th: Shane LeHew, Catawba, N.C., 15 bass, 37-12, $12,000
18th: Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie Mo., 12 bass, 37-5, $12,000
19th: Yamamoto Baits pro Gary Yamamoto, Palestine, Texas, 15 bass, 36-14, $12,000
20th: Matthew Stefan, Junction City, Wis., 12 bass, 33-7, $12,000
For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.
Overall there were 89 bass weighing 219 pounds, 11 ounces, caught by the 20 pros Saturday. The catch included 14 five-bass limits.
Pro Johnny McCombs had his day-two weight disqualified after he was found to be in violation of FLW rule No. 14 which states that contestants may fish anywhere on tournament waters available to the public and accessible by boat except areas posted or otherwise designated as “off-limits,” “no boats,” “keep out,” “restricted,” “no trespassing” or “no fishing” (or similar language or markings intended to restrict public access) by FLW. McCombs’ total of five bass weighing 9 pounds, 15 ounces, was good for 144th place.
Jeff Clark of Fort Smith, Arkansas, won the Co-angler Division and $20,100 Friday with a two-day total of eight bass weighing 20 pounds, 1 ounce, followed by Frank Divis Sr. of Farmington, Arkansas, who finished in second place with six bass weighing 19 pounds, 8 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 competes in the two-day opening round. Co-angler competition concludes following Friday’s weigh-in, while the top 20 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advance to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of professional bass fishing. The 2017 Forrest Wood Cup will be on Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina, Aug. 11-13.
The final 10 anglers will take off at 7 a.m. EDT Sunday from General Burnside Island State Park, located at 8801 S. Highway 27, in Burnside, Kentucky. Sunday’s championship weigh-in will be held at General Burnside Island State Park beginning at 4 p.m.
Prior to the weigh-in Sunday, fans are encouraged to experience the free Family Fishing Expo at General Burnside Island State Park from noon to 4 p.m. The Expo is a unique opportunity 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 Lake Cumberland presented by T-H Marine will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) May 24 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 Lake Cumberland presented by T-H Marine is more than $800,000, including $10,000 through 50th place in the Pro Division. The event is hosted by the Somerset Tourist and Convention Commission.
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.
Hartman Maintains Lead At Toledo Bend Bassmaster Elite Series Tournament
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Missouri Angler Wins B.A.S.S. Nation Central Regional Bass Tournament
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WENDLANDT TAKES LEAD ON DAY TWO OF FLW TOUR ON LAKE CUMBERLAND PRESENTED BY T-H MARINE
Arkansas’ Clark Wins Co-angler Title, $20,100
SOMERSET, Ky. (April 7, 2017) – Pro Clark Wendlandt of Leander, Texas, grabbed the lead Friday at the FLW Tour at Lake Cumberland presented by T-H Marine after bringing a five-bass limit weighing 16 pounds, 15 ounces to the scale. Wendlandt’s two-day cumulative catch of 10 bass totaling 35 pounds, 6 ounces, is enough to give him a thin 2-ounce advantage heading into day three of the four-day event that features 164 of the world’s premier bass anglers competing for a top cash award of up to $125,000.
Wendlandt said he spent his day targeting both smallmouth and largemouth bass in main-river creeks. He said he worked through the same area on day one, and bounced back and forth between the two species to craft his limit.
“I caught a lot of fish today, but they were smaller,” said Wendlandt, a 21-year Tour veteran and 3-time FLW Angler of the Year winner. “Usually I get more largemouth the farther back I go, and more smallmouth toward the mouths of the creeks or the fronts. But today, it started mixing up. I caught my biggest largemouth of the day today from a place that looked good for smallmouth and vice versa. It’s pretty intriguing.
“I think sight-fishing may play a role toward the end of this tournament as well,” continued Wendlandt. “I know where about 20 largemouth are on beds, but I haven’t gone to any of them. It just hasn’t made sense for me to focus on them yet.”
Wendlandt said that Lake Cumberland’s expansive layout is working to his advantage.
“This lake is intriguing because it’s big and boats don’t dictate what you do, fish do,” said Wendlandt. “I saw other boats today, but they didn’t affect me. I wish every tournament was like this.”
For day three, Wendlandt said he may sift through some new locations but doesn’t have anything specific he needs to target.
“I don’t even know exactly where I’m going to start tomorrow,” said Wendlandt. “I’m just going to fish what feels good at the time. I’m going to run, and the first place that looks good I’m going to pull in and fish.”
The top 20 pros that made the Buck Knives Cut and will fish Saturday on Lake Cumberland are:
1st: Clark Wendlandt, Leander, Texas, 10 bass, 35-6
2nd: Casey Scanlon, Lenexa, Kan., 10 bass, 35-4
3rd: Cody Bird, Granbury, Texas, 10 bass, 32-14
4th: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 10 bass, 31-14
5th: Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla., 10 bass, 31-7
6th: Chris McCall, Palmer, Texas, 10 bass, 31-3
7th: Barry Wilson, Birmingham, Ala., 10 bass, 30-11
8th: James Watson, Lampe, Mo., 10 bass, 30-6
9th: Cody Meyer, Auburn, Calif., 10 bass, 30-2
10th: Terry Bolton, Paducah, Ky., 10 bass, 30-0
11th: Yamamoto Baits pro Shinichi Fukae, Palestine, Texas, 10 bass, 29-10
12th: Matthew Stefan, Junction City, Wis., 10 bass, 29-10
13th: Quaker State pro Scott Canterbury, Springville, Ala., 10 bass, 29-4
14th: Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., 10 bass, 29-3
15th: Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo., nine bass, 29-2
16th: Livingston Lures pro Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 10 bass, 28-15
17th: Yamamoto Baits pro Gary Yamamoto, Palestine, Texas, 10 bass, 28-14
18th: Shane LeHew, Catawba, N.C., 10 bass, 28-14
19th: Bill Day, Frankfort, Ky., 10 bass, 28-12
20th: Matt Reed, Madisonville, Texas, 10 bass, 28-11
For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.
Todd Auten of Lake Wylie, South Carolina, earned the Big Bass award on the pro side Friday, weighing a 6-pound, 4-ounce fish to win the $500 prize.
Overall there were 609 bass weighing 1,503 pounds, 2 ounces caught by 153 pros Friday. The catch included 88 five-bass limits.
Jeff Clark of Fort Smith, Arkansas, won the Co-angler Division and $20,100 Friday with a two-day total of eight bass weighing 20 pounds, 1 ounce, followed by Frank Divis Sr. of Farmington, Arkansas, who finished in second place with six bass weighing 19 pounds, 8 ounces, worth $7,550.
The top 10 co-anglers finished:
1st: Jeff Clark, Fort Smith, Ark., eight bass, 20-1, $20,100
2nd: Frank Divis Sr., Farmington, Ark., six bass, 19-8, $7,550
3rd: Brad Myers, Winchester, Ky., nine bass, 18-5, $5,000
4th: Brian Wilson, Somerset, Ky., six bass, 17-15, $4,000
5th: J.B. King, Byrdstown, Tenn., six bass, 17-11, $3,000
6th: Jerry Reagan, Byrdstown, Tenn., seven bass, 17-3, $2,500
7th: Kevin Simpson, Monticello, Ky., seven bass, 16-14, $2,000
8th: Kevin Medine, Port Allen, La., seven bass, 16-8, $1,800
9th: Brandon Johnson, Owingsville, Ky., eight bass, 16-3, $1,700
10th: Chuck Kavros, Grass Valley, Calif., six bass, 15-7, $1,600
Richie Eaves of Nauvoo, Illinois, earned $250 for the Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division Friday with a 6-pound, 2-ounce bass.
Overall there were 224 bass weighing 455 pounds, 15 ounces caught by 109 co-anglers Friday. The catch included 7 five-bass limits.
In FLW Tour competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day, with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers. The full field competes in the two-day opening round. Co-angler competition concludes following Friday’s weigh-in, while the top 20 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advance to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of professional bass fishing. The 2017 Forrest Wood Cup will be on Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina, Aug. 11-13.
The total purse for the FLW Tour at Lake Cumberland presented by T-H Marine is more than $800,000, including $10,000 through 50th place in the Pro Division. The event is hosted by the Somerset Tourist and Convention Commission.
Anglers will take off at 7 a.m. EDT each day from General Burnside Island State Park, located at 8801 S. Highway 27, in Burnside, Kentucky. Saturday and Sunday’s weigh-ins will also be held at General Burnside Island State Park, beginning at 4 p.m.
Prior to the weigh-ins Saturday and Sunday, fans are encouraged to experience the free Family Fishing Expo at General Burnside Island State Park from noon to 4 p.m. The Expo is a unique opportunity 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.
Youth are also invited to participate in the free FLW Foundation’s Unified Fishing Derby at the Ruckel’s Restaurant Pay Lake, located at 192 KY-70 in Eubank, Kentucky, on Saturday, April 8, from 9-11 a.m. The event, hosted by FLW Foundation pro Cody Kelley along with other FLW Tour anglers, is free and open to area youth 18 years of age and younger and Special Olympics athletes. Rods and reels are available for the first 50 participants to use, but youth are encouraged to bring their own if they own one.
Television coverage of the FLW Tour at Lake Cumberland presented by T-H Marine will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) May 24 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.
New York Angler Adjusts To Southern Conditions To Take The Lead At Toledo Bend
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Missouri Rallies To Win Nation Central Regional
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Carhartt Countdown to Blastoff with Matt Lee
Dynamic Sponsorships Alan McGuckin talks to Matt Lee who sits currently in 7th place heading into the 2nd day of competition on Toledo Bend.
Wheeler Tops 25 Pounds To Grab Lead On Opening Day Of Toledo Bend Elite Series Event
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MARTIN LEADS DAY ONE OF FLW TOUR ON LAKE CUMBERLAND PRESENTED BY T-H MARINE
Arkansas’ Divis Leads Co-angler Field
SOMERSET, Ky. (April 6, 2017) – Pro Scott Martin of Clewiston, Florida, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 19 pounds, 7 ounces, Thursday to grab the early lead at the FLW Tour at Lake Cumberland presented by T-H Marine. Martin will begin day two with a slim 10-ounce edge over Cody Bird of Granbury, Texas, in the four-day event that features 164 of the world’s best bass anglers competing for a top cash award of up to $125,000.
“I’m basically working through a 15-mile stretch of bank,” said Martin, a 15-time Forrest Wood Cup qualifier who has earned more than $2.5 million in FLW competition. “The smallmouth like the main-river stuff and the largemouth like to be in the backs of creeks, so you have to mix it up a little bit. I bounced back and forth and fished a lot of new water. Half of the fish I caught today were in water I’ve never been in. It just looked good.”
Martin said bass were found in a variety of locations including small points and straight stretches of bank.
“A new pattern developed today in terms of where these fish were congregating, and that helped me,” said Martin. “Everything has changed a little bit due to the weather and temperature. I targeted smallmouth and caught a couple in the morning, but wasn’t sure if I could get a limit. The 18-inch minimum is a big deal.”
Martin’s limit ended up consisting of four smallmouth and one largemouth bass.
“I didn’t catch many short fish today, but I also didn’t get a lot of bites,” said Martin. “When I did, they were pretty good ones. You just had to fish the conditions.”
On day two, the Florida veteran said he plans on navigating even more new water.
“You just have to fish a little loose,” said Martin. “If I’m lucky, I could get another big limit of smallmouth, but I’m not expecting to catch them where I fished today. There’s largemouth and spotted bass in the area as well, but not necessarily in the same spot. I’m just going to have to keep bouncing back and forth.”
The top 10 pros after day one on Lake Cumberland are:
1st: Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla., five bass, 19-7
2nd: Cody Bird, Granbury, Texas, five bass, 18-13
3rd: Casey Scanlon, Lenexa, Kan., five bass, 18-8
4th: Clark Wendlandt, Leander, Texas, five bass, 18-7
5th: Yamamoto Baits pro Larry Nixon, Bee Branch, Ark., five bass, 18-5
6th: Matt Reed, Madisonville, Texas, five bass, 17-15
7th: Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo., five bass, 17-13
8th: Chris McCall, Palmer, Texas, five bass, 17-10
9th: Cody Meyer, Auburn, Calif., five bass, 17-8
10th: Costa del Mar pro Dylan Hays, Sheridan, Ark., five bass, 17-7
For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.
Scanlon earned the day's $500 Big Bass award in the Pro Division thanks to a 6-pound, 6-ounce fish.
Overall there were 678 bass weighing 1,747 pounds, 14 ounces caught by 161 pros Thursday. The catch included 101 five-bass limits.
Frank Divis Sr. of Farmington, Arkansas, leads the Co-angler Division with five bass weighing 15 pounds, 6 ounces, followed by Brian Wilson of Somerset, Kentucky, in second place with four bass totaling 13 pounds, 4 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers after day one on Lake Cumberland are:
1st: Frank Divis Sr., Farmington, Ark., five bass, 15-6
2nd: Brian Wilson, Somerset, Ky., four bass, 13-4
3rd: Brandon Johnson, Owingsville, Ky., five bass, 12-8
4th: Chuck Kavros, Grass Valley, Calif., five bass, 12-5
5th: Brad Myers, Winchester, Ky., five bass, 12-4
6th: Kevin Simpson, Monticello, Ky., five bass, 12-1
7th: Josh Lockard, Somerset, Ky., five bass, 11-6
8th: Jeff Clark, Fort Smith, Ark., five bass, 10-15
9th: Ryan Fisk, Independence, Ky., five bass, 10-11
10th: Kevin King, Blountville, Tenn., three bass, 10-7
Jerry Hayden of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, earned $250 for the Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division with a 5-pound, 2-ounce fish.
Overall there were 267 bass weighing 582 pounds, 2 ounces caught by 123 co-anglers Thursday. The catch included 10 five-bass limits.
In FLW Tour competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day, with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers. The full field competes in the two-day opening round. Co-angler competition concludes following Friday’s weigh-in, while the top 20 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advance to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of professional bass fishing. The 2017 Forrest Wood Cup will be on Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina, Aug. 11-13.
The total purse for the FLW Tour at Lake Cumberland presented by T-H Marine is more than $800,000, including $10,000 through 50th place in the Pro Division. The event is hosted by the Somerset Tourist and Convention Commission.
Anglers will take off at 7 a.m. EDT each day from General Burnside Island State Park, located at 8801 S. Highway 27, in Burnside, Kentucky. Friday’s weigh-in will be held at General Burnside Island State Park beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s weigh-ins, April 8-9, will also be held at General Burnside Island State Park, but will begin at 4 p.m.
Prior to the weigh-ins Saturday and Sunday, fans are encouraged to experience the free Family Fishing Expo at General Burnside Island State Park from noon to 4 p.m. The Expo is a unique opportunity 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.
Youth are also invited to participate in the free FLW Foundation’s Unified Fishing Derby at the Ruckel’s Restaurant Pay Lake, located at 192 KY-70 in Eubank, Kentucky, on Saturday, April 8, from 9-11 a.m. The event, hosted by FLW Foundation pro Cody Kelley along with other FLW Tour anglers, is free and open to area youth 18 years of age and younger and Special Olympics athletes. Rods and reels are available for the first 50 participants to use, but youth are encouraged to bring their own if they own one.
Television coverage of the FLW Tour at Lake Cumberland presented by T-H Marine will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) May 24 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.
Scroggins Held Together with Duct Tape At Toledo Bend
Photo & Story Courtesy of Alan McGuckin with Dynamic Sponsorships
Before he became a full-time pro, Terry Scroggins spent 16 years piecing wrecked cars back together in the family auto body business.
But during day one of competition at the Bassmaster Elite Series event on Toledo Bend – it was Scroggins that had to be held together. And like any ingenious American male – he relied on duct tape.
First - for his left knee - then for his shorts.
“I’m not sure why, but my knee was hurting when I got out of bed this morning, so when I bumped into Bassmaster writer Steve Bowman at the gas station before launch, I asked him if he had any tape – and he gave me a roll of duct tape,” says the Team Toyota pro.
“It worked great – the pain went away instantly as soon as I taped it up,” grinned Scroggins. “Look here, I’ve had knee braces before, and this is the best knee brace I’ve ever had.”
Soon after, the need for duct tape migrated north from his knee to the butt of his favorite Carhartt shorts after jerking a hook free from their hardy fabric.
“I tore ‘em up pretty good getting that hook out of them, and I couldn’t cross the weigh-in stage with my undershorts hanging out, so the duct tape came in handy again,” laughed Scroggins.
Handy indeed. Scroggins put a 13-pound limit on the scales – and sits 49th – thanks to duct tape.
How Shaw Grigsby Adapts to Major Weather Changes During the Spawn
Photo and Story Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
It’d be difficult to dispute that any angler in the history of pro fishing has cashed more paychecks from catching spawning bass than Shaw Grigsby. He’s won nine B.A.S.S. events, and nearly all of those victories were related to sight fishing for fat spawners.
So perhaps it’s the confidence derived from 30 years of sight fishing success that found the highly likeable Florida pro unrattled to begin the Bassmaster Elite Series event on Toledo Bend – despite weather that shifted from light winds and warm sunshine during practice – to a break-out-the-jackets cold front with temps in the 40s at the start of competition.
If a 25 degree dip in temperature wasn’t enough to rattle the nerves of less experienced anglers – how about the raging northwest winds that had been blowing during the night to muddy-up the shallow waters Shaw may have planned on fishing?
Still, no worries. Grigsby’s got a plan.
First, Mark a Lot of Spots
“I have nearly 200 waypoints saved from spawning bed locations I found in practice,” says Grigsby. “The wind doesn’t bother me because there’s always somewhere to get out of the wind, and I worked hard enough in practice to find a ton of beds, so I’ve got plenty to choose from that are not in the wind.”
“Now, 200 beds might sound like a crazy number. But you have to realize, just because I found that many, doesn’t mean they translate to catchable fish in the tournament,” says Grigsby.
“So even if you’re fishing a single day local tournament, I can’t stress how important it is to try and get out to scout a day or two before your tournament to identify as many beds as you possibly can,” advises the winner of $2 Million in career prize money.
Let Things Heat Up
“It’s critical to not get in a hurry on mornings like this when cold fronts roll through during the spawn, because let’s face it, 43 degrees is not real conducive to making shallow spawners active at sunrise,” reasons Grigsby.
“I’m going to go check one bed I found right away because it’s got an 8-pounder on it – but after that, I’ll focus on the deeper water pattern I found nearby while it’s cold this morning, until the sun gets higher and things start to heat up in the shallows.”
Hard Rains are Far Worse than Wind
“I’ll take strong winds any day over hard rains, because again, if I’ve done my homework, I’ll likely have beds located that weren’t affected by wind. But if it rains hard, that’s a big time problem, because it doesn’t discriminate – hard rains tend to trash out everything, and if that’s the case, you’re better of fishing a little faster rather than struggling to see spawners,” says Grigsby.
Luckily, rain won’t be an issue at Toledo Bend. Forecasts call for sunny skies and temps near 80-degrees with lighter winds – which is just about perfect for knowledgeable bed fishing anglers like Grigsby to heat up the leaderboard.
Sadler’s 24.4 pound Limit Leads At B.A.S.S. Nation Central Regional At Lake Of The Ozarks
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VanDam, Powroznik, and Swindle talk Toledo Bend
Photo and story Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
Kevin VanDam and Jacob Powroznik have both won recent Bassmaster Elite Series events on Toledo Bend. And reigning Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year, Gerald Swindle, recently finished second on the giant reservoir – all three graciously provided insight on what fans can expect at this year’s event.
1.) Will the majority of the anglers who earn a paycheck in this tournament be fishing shallower or deeper than 8-feet of water?
VanDam – less than 8-feet
Powroznik – less than 8-feet
Swindle – less than 8-feet
2.) This reservoir recorded 139 largemouth of 10-pounds or greater in the Toledo Bend Lunker Bass program last year. How many bass 10 pounds or greater will we see weighed-in during this Elite Series tournament?
VanDam – I’ll say none. It’s post spawn and they’re skinnier. I weighed-in three fish in the 8 to 9 pound range last year when I won, but none that were 10 pounds or bigger.
Powroznik – I’ll say none.
Swindle – Zero
3.) Choose three anglers other than yourself for a Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing team here at Toledo Bend.
VanDam – Guys that are great at catching them off spawning beds like Powroznik, Rojas and Alton Jones
Powroznik – Bill Lowen, Greg Hackney and Dean Rojas
Swindle – Todd Faircloth and Scott Rook, because both of them will drag a Carolina-rigged lizard around until the legs fall off it, and I’ll say Shaw Grigsby too.
4.) The Masters Tournament is being played at Augusta this weekend. Do you play golf, and if so what’s the lowest score you’ve ever shot.
VanDam – I’m not a golfer, but I really admire the PGA pros for their talent.
Powroznik – I don’t play much. My lowest score was a 99.
Swindle – Nope. I’m not a golfer.
5.) We’ve been to Toledo Bend several times in recent years. What do you like most about Toledo Bend?
VanDam – Crawfish boils
Powroznik – All the versatility it offers in terms of fishing patterns that work here.
Swindle – The campground where Lulu and I stay is real nice and real close to the launch ramp.
KVD - "The wind is not your friend on Toledo Bend"
Photo and Story Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
VanDam Says Wind Is Not Your Friend on Toledo Bend
Wednesday morning had a weird vibe at Cypress Bend Park’s well-known boat ramp on Toledo Bend.
It was as though all the stars slept in on the final day of practice for the Bassmaster Elite Series presented by EconoLodge. The top-notch boat ramp that normally has 50 to 70 pros launching from it, only had eight at sunrise.
Gerald Swindle who is staying nearby, could be seen driving over the hill toward a far more distant ramp.
Finally, Skeet Reese showed up at Cypress Bend. Then came Aaron Martens and Kevin VanDam.
VanDam had barely put his Tundra in park when he warned, “Wind is not your friend on Toledo Bend.”
Keep in mind, VanDam likes this place. It’s only been 11 months since he deep-cranked 96-pounds of bass from its famed waters to take home the 21st victory of his unparalleled career, and yet another check for $100,000.
On Wednesday, his feelings weren’t quite as warm as winds stiffened the iconic flags that proudly decorate Cypress Bend Park.
“When I got out of bed and it was already blowing 25, I knew a lot of the shallow spots I’d want to check had already been muddied up,” says VanDam. “When the wind gusts over 30 mph here – it’s just no fun – it’s dangerous actually.”
VanDam is right – in fact, a Lake Wind Advisory has been issued for Wednesday, warning pros and all boaters that not only had their favorite fishing holes been muddied, but also that being on the water might not be the brightest idea.
However, when you make your living by finding and catching bass, you seldom get the day off, and VanDam needs this day to learn more than what he gathered Monday and Tuesday.
“We’re here six weeks earlier than when I won last year. Those were all post-spawn fish that were grouped up in 25-feet of water last May. Right now, most fish are in the tail-end of the spawn and they haven’t all moved out deep to group up real good – so I’m still looking – and letting conditions dictate what I do,” explains VanDam.
The chance of Kevin VanDam winning on a deep school again are pretty slim, but that doesn’t mean he can’t seize victory with a mixed-bag of spawners and post-spawners. The good news is winds are forecasted to calm for Thursday’s first day of competition and that will allow for better sight fishing.
So while the winds may be blowing and he may have taken his time getting to the ramp this morning, the most dominant angler of the past 30 years is looking with rifle focus to calmer competition days and a shot to win once more.
Cannon & Seigler win Texas Team Trail Tournament on Belton Lake with over 25 pounds!
New lake record of 13.97-pound largemouth caught during event
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NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. (April 5, 2017) - Matt Cannon, of Troy, Texas and Jared Siegeler, of Belton, Texas, weighed 25.20 pounds to win the third regular-season event of the Texas Team Trail presented by Cabela's (TXTT) on April 1 on Belton Lake. The winning anglers took home a brand new Stratos 189VLO powered by a 150HP Evinrude, valued at $32,395. The anglers successful practice days set up the team for success. "We started on the main lake fishing windy points," said Cannon. "We were using moving baits, just looking for a limit. Over the last few weeks there has been a strong morning bite near the bank."
At 1:30 in the afternoon, Cannon and Siegeler had five fish in the livewell but they weighed only about 12 pounds.
"Right about that time we pulled into a little cut," said Cannon. "It's known as a good area but there were boats all over it yesterday in practice and all day today. But it's such a good area we just had to go in there."
It proved to be a wise decision as the duo boated a 7.5-pounder, a 6-pounder and finally a 5.5-pounder. The last fish came into the boat at 2:30 p.m. Siegeler looked at his partner and exclaimed, "It's over." Those three giant largemouths culled out a few smallmouths, giving them a five-fish limit of largemouths.
Cannon and Siegeler said they were not sight-fishing but they believe their late-day kickers were spawning as they possessed bloody tails.
"We had been fishing shallow all day, but late in the day they just pulled up and turned on," said Cannon. "We caught them by slowing down and fishing shallow cover. That's all we can say for now. April is the best time of the year to fish this pond, but wow. It's surreal to win. After Jared boxed that last fish we're driving across the lake and asking each other, 'Did we really just do this?"'
Kurt Luker, of Cleveland, Texas, and Lloyd Stuart, of Conroe, Texas, finished a close second with a total of 23.85 pounds. While first place's 25-pound stringer was impressive, the talk of the tournament was Luker and Stuart's lunker 13.97-pound largemouth, which set a new record for the lake. That fish was certified as a Texas ShareLunker, a program where 13-pound-plus bass are used by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department for spawning purposes.
"We knew the big one was 10 (pounds), more than likely 11," said Luker. "But we were thinking we had like 18 pounds total. It all happened so fast. When he called our weight, and said 23 pounds, we knew that fish weighed way more than 11 pounds. When he weighed it separately and said 13.97, I almost fell out."
The anglers won $5,725 for second-place and added $2,295 in Anglers Advantage cash. Their record-setting catch netted an additional $1,145 for the Big Bass Award.
Rick Scott, of Bremond, Texas and Charles Whited, of San Marcos, Texas, weighed 21.40 pounds to win $5,118.
"We started down on the lower end looking for smallies," said Whited. "We thought with a good boat number and the right wind, it was going to be a good smallmouth day. We did catch one four-pounder, but it was a largemouth. Then we ran to the mid-lake area and picked up our seven-pound kicker. Then we worked our way up the Leon River before coming back mid-lake, where we caught a three-pounder."
Whited said he and Scott caught most of their fish on fluke-style plastics. When they were up the river, they employed a Forage Lures squarebill crankbait. In total, they caught 12 keepers - focusing mainly on boat ramps and stick ups in three to eight feet.
The remaining Top 10 are Duncan/Schlueter (fourth); Rowe/Pate (fifth): Washburn/Washburn (sixth); Glenewinkel/Purvis (seventh); Twiggs/Smith (eighth); Gurka/Shry (ninth); and Morgan/Morgan (tenth).
The next tournament stop for the TXTT is set for April 29 at Lake Texoma. The 2017 schedule includes some of Texas' most legendary bass fisheries and features huge payouts with unprecedented contingency opportunities.
For additional information, anglers are encouraged to call 210-788-4143 or check out the TXTT website at www.texasteamtrail.com. Site visitors can register for events, review the television schedule, get official Texas Team Trail gear, view results and learn more about what's in store for 2017.
Texas Team Trail events are made possible through the sponsorship and continued support of these well-respected brands: Cabela's, Ranger Boats, Lucas Oil, RAM, Evinrude, Mercury, Minn Kota, Triton Boats, Power-Pole, Evinrude, Arctic Ice, Stratos Boats, Lowrance, Protect the Harvest, General Tire, SuperClean, Garmin, Valley Fashions, T-H Marine, Atlas, G-Juice, Powertex Group.
For full results, please go to www.texasteamtrail.com/tournaments/events-results.
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Pl Team Bt# Fish Wgt Pnl B/B Total Pts Reg Payout A Adv Big Bass Boat Bonus Motor Total Program Bonus |
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1 |
MATT CANNON - JARED SIEGELER |
131 |
5/5 |
25.22 |
7.53 |
25.2 |
229 |
Stratos 189 VLO w/ 150 HP |
$32,395.00 |
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2 |
KURT LUKER - (s) LLOYD STUART |
166 |
5/5 |
23.85 |
13.97 |
23.9 |
228 |
5725 |
2295 |
1145 |
$9,165.00 |
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3 |
RICKIE SCOTT - CHARLES WHITED |
27 |
5/5 |
21.36 |
7.4 |
21.4 |
227 |
3435 |
1683 |
$5,118.00 |
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4 |
STEVE DUNCAN - (s) HAROLD SCHLUETER |
188 |
4/4 |
19.98 |
9.56 |
20 |
226 |
2290 |
1530 |
$3,820.00 |
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5 |
KYLE ROWE - TED PATE |
85 |
5/5 |
18.08 |
6.83 |
18.1 |
225 |
1717.5 |
1300.5 |
$3,018.00 |
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6 |
ERIC WASHBURN - ZANE WASHBURN |
140 |
5/5 |
17.89 |
7.02 |
17.9 |
224 |
1259.5 |
1147.5 |
$2,407.00 |
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7 |
RUSSELL GLENEWINKEL - DAKOTA PURVIS |
19 |
5/5 |
17.79 |
6.61 |
17.8 |
223 |
1259.5 |
$1,259.50 |
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8 |
STACY TWIGGS - GARY SMITH |
164 |
5/5 |
17.67 |
17.7 |
222 |
1259.5 |
994.5 |
250 |
$2,504.00 |
Triton |
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9 |
TODD GURKA - SHAWN SHRY |
129 |
5/5 |
17.64 |
17.6 |
221 |
1259.5 |
$1,259.50 |
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10 |
LANCE MORGAN - CHANCE MORGAN |
215 |
5/5 |
17.08 |
17.1 |
220 |
1259.5 |
765 |
$2,024.50 |
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11 |
KEVIN UNGER - TIM GOETZ |
76 |
5/5 |
16.88 |
7.28 |
16.9 |
219 |
1145 |
688.5 |
$1,833.50 |
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12 |
BOB GROSS - CLAY PENNY |
167 |
5/5 |
16.21 |
16.2 |
218 |
1145 |
688.5 |
250 |
$2,083.50 |
Ranger |
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13 |
BRIAN HONEYCUTT - DAVID UNDERWOOD |
62 |
5/5 |
16.07 |
16.1 |
217 |
1145 |
688.5 |
$1,833.50 |
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14 |
JOE SETINA - AARON WALKER |
231 |
5/5 |
16.05 |
16.1 |
216 |
1145 |
382.5 |
250 |
$1,777.50 |
Ranger |
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15 |
NORMAN LAND - TRAVIS MOORE |
28 |
5/5 |
15.89 |
15.9 |
215 |
1145 |
382.5 |
$1,527.50 |
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16 |
JEFF REYNOLDS - JOHNNY THOMPSON |
78 |
5/5 |
15.69 |
15.7 |
214 |
1030.5 |
382.5 |
250 |
$1,663.00 |
Ranger |
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17 |
NICHOLAS ALBUS - JIM GUZMAN |
151 |
5/5 |
15.59 |
15.6 |
213 |
916 |
382.5 |
250 |
$1,548.50 |
Ranger |
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18 |
JIM KOCZKA - BRADEN WRIGHT |
179 |
5/5 |
15.54 |
15.5 |
212 |
916 |
$916.00 |
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19 |
BRANDON FLOWERS - CURTIS JORDAN |
108 |
5/5 |
15.15 |
15.2 |
211 |
916 |
279.99 |
$1,195.99 |
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20 |
TOM GRIDLEY - GREG ZWERNEMANN |
195 |
5/5 |
14.82 |
14.8 |
210 |
687 |
229.5 |
$916.50 |
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21 |
DAVID CURTIS - MARK MUECK |
103 |
5/5 |
14.7 |
14.7 |
209 |
687 |
229.5 |
$916.50 |
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22 |
TOMMY RENFRO - ROBERT ANDERSON |
236 |
5/5 |
14.61 |
14.6 |
208 |
687 |
229.5 |
250 |
$1,166.50 |
Ranger |
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23 |
GERALD RABROKER - JARRETT RABROKER |
4 |
5/5 |
14.5 |
14.5 |
207 |
687 |
229.5 |
250 |
$1,166.50 |
Ranger |
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24 |
MARK BOYETT - LESTER SPRINGER |
210 |
5/5 |
14.44 |
14.4 |
206 |
687 |
$687.00 |
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25 |
KENNETH FULLER - HUNTER JORDAN |
223 |
5/5 |
14.3 |
14.3 |
205 |
687 |
229.5 |
$916.50 |
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26 |
KEITH PHILLIPS - DARWIN BALLARD |
32 |
5/4 |
14.71 |
0.5 |
14.2 |
204 |
687 |
203.49 |
$890.49 |
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27 |
BRET STAFFORD - DANNY LANGLEY |
98 |
5/5 |
14.15 |
14.2 |
203 |
687 |
203.49 |
$890.49 |
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28 |
KRIS WILSON - HAROLD MOORE |
93 |
4/4 |
14.13 |
14.1 |
202 |
572.5 |
155 |
$727.50 |
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29 |
KEVIN MASON - RANDY DEARMAN |
189 |
5/5 |
14.12 |
14.1 |
201 |
572.5 |
$572.50 |
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30 |
BRYAN ROBBINS - RAYMOND BALCEROWICZ |
190 |
5/5 |
14.05 |
14.1 |
200 |
572.5 |
$572.50 |
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31 |
JOE BOB BROWN - JAMES GRAGG |
165 |
5/3 |
15.03 |
1 |
14 |
199 |
572.5 |
$572.50 |
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32 |
GEORGE LITTON - CARSON FOWLER |
128 |
5/5 |
13.91 |
13.9 |
198 |
572.5 |
$572.50 |
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33 |
JASON STOVALL - DONNIE LUKER |
77 |
5/5 |
13.9 |
13.9 |
197 |
572.5 |
$572.50 |
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34 |
BILL LEE - MICHELLE LEE |
220 |
5/5 |
13.87 |
13.9 |
196 |
572.5 |
$572.50 |
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35 |
MATTHEW MCARDLE - JOSH BENSEMA |
115 |
5/5 |
13.54 |
13.5 |
195 |
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36 |
PHIL MARKS - TIM RENEAU |
161 |
5/5 |
13.46 |
13.5 |
194 |
125 |
125 |
$250.00 |
Ranger, Evinrude |
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37 |
MICHAEL JOHNSON - ETHAN JOHNSON |
162 |
3/3 |
13.44 |
13.4 |
193 |
125 |
$125.00 |
Ranger |
||||||
38 |
RUSSELL PASKET - ERIC BRIGMAN |
144 |
5/4 |
13.93 |
0.5 |
13.4 |
192 |
||||||||
39 |
LEE BATSON - JASON GREER |
69 |
5/5 |
13.38 |
13.4 |
191 |
125 |
125 |
$250.00 |
Ranger, Evinrude |
40 |
RICK TURNER - GREG FLEMING |
54 |
5/5 |
13.3 |
13.3 |
190 |
|||||||||
41 |
KEVIN COHEN - RODNEY MARTEL |
207 |
5/5 |
13.26 |
13.3 |
189 |
|||||||||
42 |
STEVE PHILLIPS - CLYDE GLENN |
125 |
4/4 |
13.21 |
13.2 |
188 |
125 |
125 |
$250.00 |
Ranger, Evinrude |
|||||
43 |
JEFF MANOUS - TERANCE CORLEY |
55 |
4/4 |
13.19 |
7.67 |
13.2 |
187 |
||||||||
- |
(s) DELBERT THOMPSON - BILL GUILLORY |
116 |
5/5 |
13.19 |
13.2 |
187 |
|||||||||
45 |
TRAVIS MCCOLLOUGH - BOBBY WILSON |
17 |
5/5 |
13.16 |
13.2 |
185 |
|||||||||
46 |
ROBERT CASE JR - JACKSON CASE III |
56 |
5/5 |
13.09 |
13.1 |
184 |
125 |
$125.00 |
Ranger |
||||||
47 |
NEAL CHILDERS - DAVID DISLER |
158 |
5/5 |
13.05 |
13.1 |
183 |
|||||||||
48 |
CLOYS WARREN - DEBRA WARREN |
45 |
5/5 |
12.99 |
13 |
182 |
125 |
$125.00 |
Evinrude |
||||||
49 |
MATT CRAWFORD - JASON ZITO |
180 |
5/4 |
13.46 |
0.5 |
13 |
181 |
||||||||
50 |
JEFF JEROME - TROY BURTON |
84 |
5/5 |
12.86 |
12.9 |
180 |
|||||||||
51 |
STEVE LEE - BRIAN SIMS |
109 |
5/5 |
12.74 |
12.7 |
179 |
|||||||||
52 |
COLE TEMPLE - TYLER BRADFIELD |
47 |
5/5 |
12.68 |
12.7 |
178 |
|||||||||
53 |
JUSTIN HALLMARK - LUCAS LARSON |
146 |
5/5 |
12.59 |
12.6 |
177 |
125 |
$125.00 |
Stratos |
||||||
54 |
JACK MORSE - KAEL WASHBURN |
213 |
5/5 |
12.49 |
12.5 |
176 |
125 |
125 |
$250.00 |
Ranger, Evinrude |
|||||
55 |
ALBERT COLLINS - CLAYTON BOLWARE |
168 |
5/5 |
12.45 |
12.5 |
175 |
125 |
$125.00 |
Triton |
||||||
56 |
JAMES ROZELL - WES WHEELAND |
113 |
5/5 |
12.34 |
12.3 |
174 |
|||||||||
57 |
PAUL SHANNON - JACOB SHANNON |
176 |
5/5 |
12.32 |
12.3 |
173 |
|||||||||
58 |
NICK DIBERARDINO - SHANE HOWELL |
89 |
5/5 |
12.24 |
12.2 |
172 |
|||||||||
59 |
RICK WITTEN - MARK TULLIS |
156 |
4/4 |
12.23 |
12.2 |
171 |
|||||||||
60 |
BRYAN BROWN - TOMMY SCHUGART |
90 |
5/5 |
12.21 |
12.2 |
170 |
|||||||||
61 |
ELTON BROCK - JAY CHILDS |
94 |
5/5 |
12.12 |
12.1 |
169 |
Total |
$90,687.47 |
|||||||
62 |
MICHAEL LAWLESS - CHAD WALKOVIAK |
169 |
5/5 |
11.98 |
12 |
168 |
|||||||||
63 |
MARK MARTIN - JAMES LARAMORE |
149 |
5/5 |
11.72 |
11.7 |
167 |
|||||||||
64 |
TERRY PEACOCK - RANDY SULLIVAN |
237 |
5/5 |
11.52 |
11.5 |
166 |
|||||||||
65 |
JASON METZGAR - BRAEDON METZGAR |
228 |
3/3 |
11.47 |
11.5 |
165 |
|||||||||
66 |
COURTNEY HOBGOOD - RYAN WARREN |
73 |
5/5 |
11.41 |
11.4 |
164 |
|||||||||
67 |
DAVID HOLST - WAYNE MILLER |
59 |
4/4 |
11.38 |
11.4 |
163 |
|||||||||
68 |
LANCE ROBELIA - RUSSELL PARRISH |
185 |
5/5 |
11.35 |
11.4 |
162 |
|||||||||
- |
DAVID STIDHAM - GERALD POBORIL |
206 |
4/4 |
11.35 |
11.4 |
162 |
|||||||||
70 |
JODY RHODEN - BRAD RASBEARY |
124 |
5/5 |
11.31 |
11.3 |
160 |
|||||||||
71 |
LEE BEUERSHAUSEN - RANDY GROUNDS |
148 |
5/5 |
11.14 |
11.1 |
159 |
|||||||||
72 |
MIKE RICHARDSON - ANDREW FOULKROD |
182 |
5/5 |
11.12 |
11.1 |
158 |
|||||||||
73 |
DALE READ - JAKE READ |
222 |
5/5 |
11.1 |
11.1 |
157 |
|||||||||
74 |
ADRIAN BARNES - DANIEL BARNES |
18 |
5/5 |
11.05 |
11.1 |
156 |
|||||||||
75 |
SCOTT MEADS - CLIFF BROWN |
16 |
5/5 |
10.95 |
11 |
155 |
|||||||||
76 |
ANTHONY FERDINANDO - SHANE LOGAN |
64 |
5/5 |
10.83 |
10.8 |
154 |
|||||||||
77 |
DICKY NEWBERRY - KEN SMITH |
226 |
5/5 |
10.81 |
10.8 |
153 |
|||||||||
78 |
CLINT MAY - LARRY COTTEN |
239 |
5/5 |
10.79 |
10.8 |
152 |
|||||||||
79 |
JODY GOODRUM - JAKE GOODRUM |
88 |
5/5 |
10.77 |
10.8 |
151 |
|||||||||
80 |
ALAN FITTS - JAMES DUTTON |
36 |
5/5 |
10.76 |
10.8 |
150 |
|||||||||
81 |
TIMMY BEIGHT - CHRIS SIMONS |
234 |
5/5 |
10.73 |
10.7 |
149 |
|||||||||
82 |
BRIAN BUTSLLOZ - CHRIS TATUM |
126 |
5/5 |
10.72 |
10.7 |
148 |
|||||||||
83 |
JAMES GOLDEN - THOMAS WELLS JR |
20 |
5/5 |
10.7 |
10.7 |
147 |
|||||||||
84 |
CORY KRAMER - CHRISTINE KRAMER |
142 |
5/5 |
10.66 |
10.7 |
146 |
|||||||||
85 |
COLT FARRIS - TALYOR HARDIN |
127 |
5/5 |
10.65 |
10.7 |
145 |
|||||||||
86 |
TEDDY CLOIDE - WESLEY DAWSON |
163 |
5/5 |
10.58 |
10.6 |
144 |
|||||||||
87 |
CHARLES GERHART - DAVID SHUSTER |
229 |
5/5 |
10.33 |
10.3 |
143 |
88 |
BJ CAROTHERS - SKYLER CAROTHERS |
194 |
5/5 |
10.3 |
10.3 |
142 |
|||||||||
89 |
CHARLES REAGAN - LOWELL BENNETT |
193 |
5/5 |
10.29 |
10.3 |
141 |
|||||||||
90 |
JERREL PRINGLE - KEITH KEELE |
48 |
5/5 |
10.28 |
10.3 |
140 |
|||||||||
91 |
DUSTIN BARFIELD - TERRY VALENTINO |
217 |
5/5 |
10.24 |
10.2 |
139 |
|||||||||
92 |
MICHAEL NICHOLSON - LYNN SPENCER |
9 |
5/5 |
10.2 |
10.2 |
138 |
|||||||||
93 |
STEPHEN JOHNSTON - DAN WILSON |
225 |
5/5 |
10.18 |
10.2 |
137 |
|||||||||
94 |
HUDSON CARLTON - FRED CATES |
80 |
4/4 |
10.16 |
10.2 |
136 |
|||||||||
95 |
RUSTY JEFFCOAT - MIKE JEFFCOAT |
87 |
5/5 |
10.11 |
10.1 |
135 |
|||||||||
96 |
JAMES MCCALEB - KEHL ROBBINS |
133 |
3/3 |
10.06 |
10.1 |
134 |
|||||||||
97 |
MATT COOPER - HOWARD HOLMES |
70 |
5/5 |
10 |
10 |
133 |
|||||||||
98 |
KYLE BRUNK - DAVID MALONE |
12 |
5/5 |
9.99 |
9.99 |
132 |
|||||||||
99 |
CHAD ADKINS - CLINT ABERNATHY |
203 |
4/4 |
9.67 |
9.67 |
131 |
|||||||||
100 |
TJ GOODWYN - PHILIP CRELIA |
46 |
5/5 |
9.64 |
9.64 |
130 |
|||||||||
101 |
ERIC MCGAHA - DAN CORMACK |
212 |
5/5 |
9.59 |
9.59 |
129 |
|||||||||
102 |
CHRIS RUSSELL - MIKE POWER |
35 |
3/3 |
9.56 |
9.56 |
128 |
|||||||||
103 |
DAVID SIMONO - KYLE TATUM |
159 |
5/5 |
9.54 |
9.54 |
127 |
|||||||||
104 |
MITCH FRIEDMAN - JOEL SMITH |
224 |
4/4 |
9.53 |
9.53 |
126 |
|||||||||
105 |
DAVID KIPP - WILLIAM COMBEST |
171 |
5/5 |
9.52 |
9.52 |
125 |
|||||||||
106 |
JOHN WILSON - RONNIE FAIN |
178 |
5/5 |
9.5 |
9.5 |
124 |
|||||||||
107 |
C DAVID MONG - DEREK MONG |
83 |
5/5 |
9.36 |
9.36 |
123 |
|||||||||
108 |
DEAN GOLMON - JAYSON KISSELBURG |
219 |
5/5 |
9.34 |
9.34 |
122 |
|||||||||
109 |
FRANK SHARKEY - REBECCA SHARKEY |
15 |
4/4 |
9.3 |
9.3 |
121 |
|||||||||
110 |
JOHNNY MATTHEWS - MIKE MONTANEZ |
43 |
4/4 |
9.21 |
9.21 |
120 |
|||||||||
111 |
TIM BROCKWAY - KEVIN DRITSCHLER |
51 |
3/3 |
9.1 |
9.1 |
119 |
|||||||||
112 |
JIMMY EMMONS JR - JEFF STANLEY |
173 |
4/4 |
9.04 |
9.04 |
118 |
|||||||||
113 |
SETH KELM - MARTI WILLIAMS |
21 |
5/5 |
9.03 |
9.03 |
117 |
|||||||||
114 |
JOHN LITTLE - STAN MARTIN |
106 |
5/5 |
8.96 |
8.96 |
116 |
|||||||||
115 |
GARRY MCADAMS - JEFF COLE |
221 |
4/4 |
8.95 |
8.95 |
115 |
|||||||||
116 |
JOEY POHL - JODY POHL |
82 |
3/3 |
8.77 |
8.77 |
114 |
|||||||||
117 |
CHRIS THORN - RYAN MOROTT |
24 |
5/5 |
8.74 |
8.74 |
113 |
|||||||||
118 |
DUSTIN LAM - JUSTIN ALLISON |
110 |
4/4 |
8.72 |
8.72 |
112 |
|||||||||
119 |
ADAM DUNN - JOSH WARE |
11 |
5/5 |
8.7 |
8.7 |
111 |
|||||||||
120 |
REID OCONNER - BRYAN OCONNER |
42 |
5/5 |
8.63 |
8.63 |
110 |
|||||||||
121 |
JOHN MCALISTER - TOMMY WHALEN |
68 |
4/4 |
8.57 |
8.57 |
109 |
|||||||||
122 |
TODD HUGHES - SCOTT HUGHES |
205 |
3/3 |
8.52 |
8.52 |
108 |
|||||||||
123 |
TODD CHILDS - JOHN DAVIS |
22 |
5/5 |
8.38 |
8.38 |
107 |
|||||||||
124 |
GREG OSTERTAG - BRENT EDWARDS |
191 |
4/4 |
8.3 |
8.3 |
106 |
|||||||||
125 |
RICHARD WEEKS - RAYMOND FARR |
200 |
5/5 |
8.22 |
8.22 |
105 |
|||||||||
126 |
JAMES MARTIN - TERRY STEVENS |
1 |
4/4 |
8.17 |
8.17 |
104 |
|||||||||
127 |
RICKY CAMPBELL - DONNIE ROBINSON |
60 |
3/3 |
8.07 |
8.07 |
103 |
|||||||||
128 |
BRYAN MCDONOUGH - DANIEL DAVIS |
175 |
4/4 |
8.06 |
8.06 |
102 |
|||||||||
129 |
JAMES HESTER - SAMMY JONES |
30 |
5/5 |
8.03 |
8.03 |
101 |
|||||||||
130 |
JAY STIDHAM - RHONDA STIDHAM |
155 |
4/4 |
7.94 |
7.94 |
100 |
|||||||||
131 |
DWAYNE LUBY - MARK BLOTT |
202 |
5/3 |
8.93 |
1 |
7.93 |
99 |
||||||||
132 |
DONNIE ONEAL - PAYMON HABIB |
86 |
5/5 |
7.81 |
7.81 |
98 |
|||||||||
133 |
CHRIS DAVIS - CHARLES TRINKNER |
136 |
3/3 |
7.71 |
7.71 |
97 |
134 |
JEFF RICHARDS - (s) JEFFREY RICHARDS |
63 |
5/5 |
7.61 |
7.61 |
96 |
|||||||||
135 |
GARY BOWIEN - (s) LANDON DOBRANSKY |
39 |
3/3 |
7.52 |
7.52 |
95 |
|||||||||
136 |
DENTON COOPER - COLLIN COOPER |
13 |
3/3 |
7.51 |
7.51 |
94 |
|||||||||
137 |
JACOB BRYANT - KYLE HEPP |
160 |
4/4 |
7.49 |
7.49 |
93 |
|||||||||
138 |
JEROMY FRANCIS - JUSTIN LACKEY |
58 |
3/3 |
7.14 |
7.14 |
92 |
|||||||||
- |
ED WHALEY - DARREN SEBEK |
66 |
4/4 |
7.14 |
7.14 |
92 |
|||||||||
140 |
CARL FOX - TROY TRENHOLM |
50 |
4/4 |
7.09 |
7.09 |
90 |
|||||||||
141 |
OSCAR LANGELE - JAMES CAMPISE |
81 |
3/3 |
7.06 |
7.06 |
89 |
|||||||||
- |
KELLY TARR - MORRIS TARR |
132 |
2/2 |
7.06 |
7.06 |
89 |
|||||||||
143 |
GEORGE WOODEN - DALTON ROBBINS |
137 |
3/3 |
6.77 |
6.77 |
87 |
|||||||||
144 |
RONNIE RAY JR - ERIC WRIGHT |
67 |
3/3 |
6.74 |
6.74 |
86 |
|||||||||
145 |
BRANNON MIRE - BEN MATSUBU |
134 |
4/4 |
6.63 |
6.63 |
85 |
|||||||||
- |
SPENCER STELLY - ELVIN STELLY |
147 |
3/2 |
7.13 |
0.5 |
6.63 |
85 |
||||||||
147 |
BRIAN YOUNG - JOE CUTLER |
218 |
3/3 |
6.51 |
6.51 |
83 |
|||||||||
148 |
MILTON ADAMS - WALT ADAMS |
174 |
4/4 |
6.45 |
6.45 |
82 |
|||||||||
149 |
RAYLON ZWERNEMANN - MICKEY STEELE |
177 |
3/3 |
6.34 |
6.34 |
81 |
|||||||||
150 |
DANIEL METREYEON - MICHAEL DURIO |
120 |
4/4 |
6.32 |
6.32 |
80 |
|||||||||
151 |
STEVE ASHWORTH - JOHN HOPE |
14 |
2/2 |
5.59 |
5.59 |
79 |
|||||||||
152 |
JACK WILLIAMS - SAM GARNER |
2 |
2/2 |
5.58 |
5.58 |
78 |
|||||||||
153 |
CHARLIE WHITT - CODY WHITT |
118 |
2/2 |
4.98 |
4.98 |
77 |
|||||||||
154 |
ALTON POWELL - (s) CHRIS PEARSON |
187 |
3/3 |
4.91 |
4.91 |
76 |
|||||||||
155 |
STACEY PLOUGH - SHAWN FISCHER |
227 |
2/2 |
4.6 |
4.6 |
75 |
|||||||||
156 |
MICK RAYDON - (s) KEN PETERSON |
52 |
3/3 |
4.45 |
4.45 |
74 |
|||||||||
157 |
MICHAEL MEALEY - HYKE TERTIAN |
145 |
2/2 |
4.43 |
4.43 |
73 |
|||||||||
158 |
CHAD COMMANDER - GLEN COMMANDER |
196 |
2/2 |
4.22 |
4.22 |
72 |
|||||||||
159 |
JAMES SHERROD - CHARLES WOODDELL |
49 |
3/3 |
4.13 |
4.13 |
71 |
|||||||||
160 |
(s) ROBERT HATCHETT - CHRIS BERRY |
91 |
1/1 |
3.12 |
3.12 |
70 |
|||||||||
161 |
SHAWN MARSH - PAYTON MARSH |
123 |
1/1 |
2.57 |
2.57 |
69 |
|||||||||
162 |
MYRON BEACHY - JOE MANN |
157 |
1/1 |
2.1 |
2.1 |
68 |
|||||||||
163 |
JIMMY BRYANT - (s) BRYANT JOSHUA |
40 |
1/1 |
2.02 |
2.02 |
67 |
|||||||||
164 |
GREG GELNER - HUNTER HURST |
111 |
1/1 |
1.75 |
1.75 |
66 |
|||||||||
165 |
ROBERT JOHNSON - TAZZ FERRELL |
6 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
CLAYTON HELDT - DAVID HALL |
10 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
CHRIS LEBOW - MARK FINCH |
23 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
MIKE BROWN - GRAYDEN BROWN |
26 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
HAYDEN RODGES - MICHAEL AMERMAN |
31 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
RANDY SITZ - JAMES LITTLEFORD |
34 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
JAMES NITSCHKE - JASON BONDS |
37 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
(s) DENNIS WILSON - SHANE DAVIS |
38 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
JASON CONN - ROBERT BROCK JR |
44 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
MANNY NABARRETTE - KAYMAN PATRICK |
57 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
DENNIS MATLOCK - DON MCFARLIN |
65 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
JEFF RANDOLPH - BILLY DRIGGERS |
71 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
WILLIAM BLAINE - DUSTIN WALTON |
72 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
GENE LATHROP - RYAN GLASS |
75 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
JAMES NEFF - TOM BECKWITH |
79 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
JEREMY CAMPBELL - JIMMY HICKMAN |
92 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
- |
TIM MALBRY - ROBERT GOLDING |
95 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
BRYTON KURTZ - BRYAN KURTZ |
96 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
PAT WASHBURN - TULLY WILLIAMS |
97 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
NICK PUTNAM - BRAD FARREN |
99 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
KEITH SURBER - CONNOR ZIMMERMANN |
101 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
STEPHEN DEBLASIO - JASON SHROPSHIRE |
102 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
Jared McCulley - (s) ZACH FAULK |
105 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
OWEN WINDHAM - STEPHEN BYERS |
107 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
BILL AINSWORTH - (s) JOHN AINSWORTH |
117 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
(s) KEITH BALIKISSOON - DANNY BENNETT |
119 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
BO KEITH - RONNIE GREEN |
130 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
KEN WILKINS - CHRISTIAN KAPRELIAN |
135 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
LEE YOWELL - SCHOTT BRIAN |
139 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
(s) CURTIS V REED - LUKE REED |
141 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
BLAKE SCHROEDER - (s) TRAVIS MCGUIRE |
150 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
RONNIE TROWER - DAVID SCHWERTNER |
152 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
AARON CARLEY - ALEX BRACK |
153 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
EDWARD MULLIN - JEREMY AUSTIN |
154 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
MICHAEL ROGER - JOSH WILLIAMS |
170 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
KENNY NAIL - TOM STALLINGS |
172 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
TRACY SANDERS - DAVID HELMERS |
184 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
TOMMY DURHAM - MIKE JONES |
186 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
KENNETH CUMMINS - MICHAEL GIFFORD |
197 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
MATTHEW YEZAK - DENNIS GROHOLSKI |
198 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
CHARLIE HAMMACK - (s) DARRELL NEWMAN |
199 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
CORY LEITA - AZILEE LEITA |
201 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
GROVER MANSFIELD - JEFF ROOD |
204 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
SAMUEL TAYLOR - LANCE COLE |
208 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
TOM HENDRICKS - TONY DUPREE |
214 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
PAUL PROCTOR - LANCE DUFF |
216 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
ANDREW FATERKOWSKI - MICAHEL WEDGMAN |
230 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
BILLY FORD - BRANDON BELL |
232 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
MARK WENDLER - JIM JUSTUS |
233 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
RUSSELL CECIL - (s) JARRETT LATTA |
235 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
RUSSELL LEE - LANDAN WARE |
238 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
BRYAN ANDRAS - (s) CORNEL ANDRAS |
240 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
(s) STEVE FARLEY - JOEY MATTHEWS |
53 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
STUART MATTHEWS - NATHAN MATTHEWS |
8 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
TRAVIS MEYER - STEVE MEYER |
5 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
KENNETH MCDONNEL - MITCHELL JAKOBEIT |
114 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
- |
RANDELL CROSS - CHRIS WILKINSON |
181 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|||||||||
ns |
TOBY HARTSELL - WADE ELLIS |
3 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|||||||||
ns |
MATT GARNER - HARLEY WILSON |
7 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|||||||||
ns |
SKEETER FOWLER - BEN POPE |
29 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|||||||||
ns |
RICKIE YBARBO - RUSTY EDWARDS |
61 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|||||||||
ns |
SCOTT DAVID - BRADLEY STRINGER |
121 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
ns |
MICHAEL BREWTON - SCOTT BAILEY |
209 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|||||||||
ns |
KEN PERFECT - ANDY MCKINLEY |
211 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|||||||||
ns |
LANCE SCOTT - JOEY MARTIN |
245 |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Carhartt Countdown to Blast off with Alan McGuckin and .............
Where'd Everybody go? Our Buddy Alan McGuckin with Dynamic Sponsorships talks to, well, no one. Check it out and the reason why.
Respected Toledo Bend Guide Previews Elite Series Tournament
Photo & Story Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
Darold Gleason is always quick with a one-liner to make you laugh, but his fishing resume commands serious respect.
The popular fulltime Toledo Bend fishing guide has caught seven bass over 10 pounds in the past decade from the famed reservoir, and he’s got fiberglass replicas from the Toledo Bend Lake Association to prove it.
In addition to the South Toledo Bend Guide Service that he’s operated fulltime the past five years, he has notched Top 20 finishes in Bassmaster Open competition and competed against Elite Series pros in the June 2015 BASSfest on Kentucky Lake, where he finished 14th.
However, the biggest 5-bass limit he’s ever caught in a tournament came with the help of wife Randi in early March of 2016, when they hauled a massive 34-pound winning stringer to the scales on Toledo Bend in a team event.
He graciously provides insight from his home waters on what fans can expect before;p the Bassmaster Elite presented by EconoLodge begins Thursday morning.
Q: It rained and stormed so hard this past week, The Weather Channel sent meteorologist Reynolds Wolf to this region to track the torrential wind and rains. How did that weather affect the lake conditions?
Gleason: The lake didn’t rise too significantly, but it did muddy up some of the backs of creeks where guys had probably hoped to be able to look for bass on spawning beds.
Q: The Bassmaster Elite Series has visited Toledo Bend frequently in recent years. Which of those past events is this one setting up to resemble the most?
Gleason: Probably the one in April 2011 when Dean Rojas beat Gerald Swindle by 1 ounce. Gerald and most of the field keyed-in on the shad spawn with jerkbaits and other horizontal baits, and there’s a lot of that action going on here right now. But Rojas milked a few key spawning fish to get the narrow win.
Q: Speaking of the spawn, what percentage of the fish that get weighed-in this week do you think will be caught from a spawning bed?
Gleason: I’d guess around 25%
Q: What five lures fans can we expect to see the Elite Series pros use a bunch this week?
Gleason: Topwater poppers, jerkbaits, a ¾ ounce football jig, a Carolina Rig and a deep crankbait like the 6th Sense C15 that will run in that 15 to 20 feet deep zone.
Q: How much weight will a guy need to average each day to assure himself a place in the final day’s Top 12 cut?
Gleason: You’d better average 17 or 18 pounds a day to make the Top 12.
PHY WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL EVENT ON DALE HOLLOW LAKE
Rickman’s Trobaugh claims Co-angler title
BYRDSTOWN, Tenn. (April 3, 2017) – Tim Phy of Cookeville, Tennessee, brought a five-bass limit totaling 21 pounds, 15 ounces, to the scale Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Mountain Division event on Dale Hollow Lake. For his win, Phy took home $6,744.
Phy said the fishing was slow for the majority of his morning, but he was able to dial in on some quality bites just before noon.
“I pulled up to some gravel points in a pocket about a mile up the Wolf River,” said Phy, who earned his second victory of the year in BFL competition after winning a Music City Division event on Center Hill Lake last month. “There were three different points that had grass. It went about 10 to 12 feet down into the water and was green and healthy looking. If you were in the grass you wouldn’t get a bite. You had to cast to the shallower side, closer to the bank.”
Phy said he used a D&L jig rigged with either a green-pumpkin-colored Strike King Rage Tail Chunk, or a beaver-style creature bait to catch every fish that he brought to the scale.
“I caught them anywhere from 2 to 6 feet water,” said Phy. “I went back and forth around the points and dragged the jig after I casted. It was pretty simple. I fished it a lot like a Carolina rig.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Tim Phy, Cookeville, Tenn., five bass, 21-15, $4,744 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Adam Wagner, Cookeville, Tenn., five bass, 21-4, $2,222
3rd: Adam Militana, Nashville, Tenn., five bass, 21-3, $1,413
4th: Jason Cooper, Shelbyville, Tenn., five bass, 20-5, $990
5th: Brandon Johnson, Owingsville, Ky., five bass, 19-10, $778
5th: Michael Kennedy, Monroe, Tenn., five bass, 19-10, $778
5th: Terry Ledford, Gray, Ky., five bass, 19-10, $778
8th: Bill Day, Frankfort, Ky., five bass, 19-7, $637
9th: Robert Reagan, Byrdstown, Tenn., five bass, 18-15, $566
10th: William Campbell, Middlesboro, Ky., five bass, 18-12, $495
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Aaron Bidarian of Lexington, Kentucky, caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 7 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – which earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $600.
Greg Trobaugh of Rickman, Tennessee, weighed in five bass totaling 17 pounds, 3 ounces Saturday to win the Co-angler Division and the top prize of $2,513.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Greg Trobaugh, Rickman, Tenn., five bass, 17-3, $2,513
2nd: Chris Rushing, Gamaliel, Ky., five bass, 17-1, $1,059
3rd: Todd Stopher, London, Ky., five bass, 15-12, $706
4th: Alex Straubing, Cincinnati, Ohio, five bass, 15-2, $544
5th: Larry Fuller, Harrodsburg, Ky., five bass, 15-0, $424
6th: Josh Boone, London, Ky., five bass, 14-10, $388
7th: Billy Gardner, Livingston, Tenn., five bass, 14-0, $353
8th: Raymond Manis, Jamestown, Tenn., five bass, 13-8, $318
9th: Mike Morrison, Prestonsburg, Ky., five bass, 13-7, $282
10th: Billy Hughes, Eubank, Ky., five bass, 11-13, $247
Trobaugh also caught the biggest bass among Co-angler Division anglers, a fish weighing 6 pounds, 7 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $295.
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.
Classic Champ Jordan Lee Balances Phone and Fishing at Toledo Bend
Story and Photo Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
The air was thick and humid, so Jordan Lee wore red Carhartt rain bibs to easily avoid a wet butt from boat seats soaked with morning dew to begin the second day of practice for the Bassmaster Elite Series on Toledo Bend presented by EconoLodge.
However, keeping up with an abundance of phone calls following the most dramatic comeback in Bassmaster Classic history has been a little more challenging for the bass fishing’s brand new 25-year-old champion.
Still, he graciously took ten minutes to talk about the past nine days, and his expectations of what will unfold on the massive reservoir that straddles the Louisiana-Texas border.
What has been the biggest challenge since becoming a Bassmaster Classic Champion nine days ago?
My phone. I’m getting 15 phone calls a day from numbers I don’t recognize. It’s been tough to keep up with all the requests, especially during practice here in the Toledo Bend region where cell service is really poor.
What’s been the coolest thing you’ve experienced as a brand new Classic champion?
All the people congratulating me and also meeting two of our soldiers during a stop at the Tackle Addict store. Meeting members of our armed forces really put things into perspective for me. I’m definitely grateful for all that they do for us.
Were you able to stay focused yesterday during the first official practice day on Toledo Bend?
Yea, it felt like a normal day of practice. Winning won’t change the way I fish. I’m still learning, and I’m always wanting to learn more. So it was just good to get on the water yesterday and stay focused on working hard to figure ‘em out.
Speaking of the fishing, there’s been a lot of talk about spawning fish playing a big role in the event. What percentage of the bass that will get weighed-in this week will be spawning bass?
I’ll guess 30-percent.
So it could be a mixed bag of patterns and lures. Tell fans four lures you think the Elite Series field will lean on most this week at Toledo Bend.
I’d say a ChatterBait, a frog, a swim jig and a topwater of some kind.
MCALLISTER WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL EVENT ON THE ARKANSAS RIVER
Claremore’s Christie tops Co-angler field
MUSKOGEE, Okla. (April 3, 2017) – Sean McAllister of Checotah, Oklahoma, weighed a 16-pound, 15-ounce five-bass limit Saturday to take top honors at the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Okie Division event on the Arkansas River. For his win, McAllister took home $7,441.
McAllister said he split his day between the Kerr and Muskogee pools where he worked an assortment of lures along grasslines. He said he used two baits to catch the bulk of his fish early on – a green-pumpkin-colored Zoom Brush Hog, and a green-pumpkin Strike King Rage Craw, rigged on a swim jig.
“The bite was slow in the morning, but improved as the day continued,” said McAllister, who notched his second career-win in BFL competition. “My first fish – a 4½-pounder – came after 45 minutes on the water. Even though the bite improved, the wind was horrible. It’s not an easy thing to deal with when you’re trying to flip and make precision casts. I just kept my head down and stayed focused.”
McAllister said he finished his day in the Muskogee pool and used a War Eagle spinnerbait to round out his limit.
“I moved into a couple of pockets to hit some more grass edges and was able to cull out some earlier catches,” said McAllister. “They were the ones that catapulted me to the top and helped me edge out Shonn (Goodwin). It’s really special when you can pull off of a win like that.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Sean McAllister, Checotah, Okla., five bass, 16-15, $5,441 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Shonn Goodwin, Moore, Okla., five bass, 16-7, $2,720
3rd: Ed Barton, Vian, Okla., five bass, 14-14, $1,748
4th: Derek Fulps, Broken Arrow, Okla., five bass, 14-13, $1,223
5th: Ryan Wilbanks, Wagoner, Okla., five bass, 14-6, $1,048
6th: Gene Robertson, Ardmore, Okla., five bass, 14-5, $961
7th: Mark Johnson, Weleetka, Okla., five bass, 13-15, $873
8th: Joe Erwin, Cleora, Okla., five bass, 13-6, $742
8th: Jacob Capps, Muskogee, Okla., five bass, 13-6, $742
10th: Keith Hays, Broken Arrow, Okla., five bass, 13-5, $580
10th: Lance Crawford, Broken Bow, Okla., five bass, 13-5, $580
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Kelly Wood of Bixby, Oklahoma, caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 6 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – which earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $825.
Nathan Christie of Claremore, Oklahoma, weighed in five bass totaling 15 pounds, 4 ounces Saturday to win the Co-angler Division and the top prize of $2,620.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Nathan Christie, Claremore, Okla., five bass, 15-4, $2,620
2nd: Matthew Gregory, Alma, Ark., five bass, 12-2, $1,310
3rd: Mark Palesano, Anadarko, Okla., five bass, 12-0, $877
4th: Eric Reeve, Muskogee, Okla., five bass, 10-2, $611
5th: William Hudson, Norman, Okla., three bass, 10-1, $524
6th: Devlin McVicker, Sand Springs, Okla., four bass, 9-5, $458
6th: Alan Bernicky, Joliet, Ill., two bass, 9-5, $1,070
8th: Jason Clark, Bixby, Okla., four bass, 9-1, $393
9th: Rick Hogsett, Pryor, Okla., three bass, 8-15, $349
10th: Matthew Clark, Norman, Okla., four bass, 8-12, $290
10th: Cord Colwell, Pryor, Okla., four bass, 8-12, $340
Bernicky weighed the biggest bass among Co-angler Division anglers, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 7 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $412.
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.
THE WOODLANDS COLLEGE PARK HIGH SCHOOL WINS FLW HIGH SCHOOL FISHING TEXAS OPEN AT LAKE O’ THE PINES
MARSHALL, Texas (April 3, 2017) – The Woodlands College Park High School duo of Chad Mrazek of Conroe, Texas, and Joe Beebee of The Woodlands, Texas, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 24 pounds, 11 ounces, to win the 2017 FLW High School Fishing Texas Open tournament on Lake O’ The Pines in Marshall, Texas. 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 45 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from the Lakeside Recreation Area in Jefferson, Texas. The event was hosted by the Marshall Convention & Visitors Bureau and East Texas Baptist University.
In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top four teams on Lake O’ The Pines that advanced to the 2017 High School Fishing National Championship were:
1st: The Woodlands College Park High School, The Woodlands, Texas – Chad Mrazek, Conroe, Texas and Joe Beebee, The Woodlands, Texas, (five bass, 24-11)
2nd: Queen City High School, Queen City, Texas – Kyle Parker, Douglassville, Texas, and Ryan Ream, Atlanta, Texas, (five bass, 18-14)
3rd: Quitman High School, Quitman, Texas – Colin Brown and J.C. Brisendine, both of Quitman, Texas, (five bass, 17-13)
4th: Harker Heights High School, Harker Heights, Texas – Preston Pittman and Alex Chambers, both of Harker Heights, Texas, (five bass, 17-11)
Rounding out the top 10 teams were:
5th: Beckville High School, Beckville, Texas – Lane McKnight, Beckville, Texas, and Brayden Cross, Henderson, Texas, (five bass, 16-13)
6th: Hallsville High School, Hallsville, Texas – Logan Watson, Longview, Texas, and Rowdy Smith, Henderson, Texas, (five bass, 16-3)
7th: White Oak High School, White Oak, Texas – Seth Kutch and Trenton Gross, both of White Oak, Texas, (five bass, 15-3)
8th: Sanger High School, Sanger, Texas – Teddy Reynolds and Ryan Penton, Sanger, Texas, (five bass, 14-12)
9th: Lumberton High School, Lumberton, Texas – Skye Ball, Lumberton, Texas, and Nicolas Peoples, Kingwood, Texas, (five bass, 14-12)
10th: Parkway High School, Bossier City, La. – Bennett Hopkins and Tyler Hilton, both of Bossier City, La., (five bass, 14-8)
Complete results from the event can be found at FLWFishing.com.
The 2017 FLW High School Fishing Texas 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.
Parsons & St John weigh over 27 pounds for Tennessee Team Trail Win on Loudon!
Congratulations to David and Alan Parsons for picking up first place today with a massive 27.50 lbs sack. They also took home first place big fish with a 7.43. They caught their fish on Loudon using a jig. Second place big fish was won by Derek Turner and Michael Hembree with a 7.25 largemouth.
Place | Team | Fish | Wgt | Pen | Bonus | B/F | TotWgt | Pts |
1 | *BRYAN ST JOHN->DAVID PARSONS | 5/5 | 27.50 | * 7.43 | 27.50 | 200.00 | ||
2 | DALE PELFREY-JONATHAN BOWLING | 5/5 | 22.27 | 22.27 | 199.00 | |||
3 | ANTHONY MARTIN-ROGER BIRD | 5/5 | 20.70 | 7.15 | 20.70 | 198.00 | ||
4 | JACOB HAIRRELL-JERRETH BAIN | 5/5 | 19.65 | 19.65 | 197.00 | |||
5 | DEREK TURNER-MICHAEL HEMBREE | 5/5 | 19.55 | 7.25 | 19.55 | 196.00 | ||
6 | SCOTT ORR-JEFF LEE | 5/5 | 19.52 | 19.52 | 195.00 | |||
7 | JAMES HURST-CHRIS COLLINS | 5/5 | 19.34 | 5.85 | 19.34 | 194.00 | ||
8 | JUSTIN STINNETT-MITCHELL MOORE | 5/5 | 18.83 | 5.70 | 18.83 | 193.00 | ||
9 | BRAD PADGETT-DANIEL PADGETT | 5/5 | 18.50 | 18.50 | 192.00 | |||
10 | JEFF WALKER-LARRY GRIFFITH | 5/5 | 18.45 | 5.39 | 18.45 | 191.00 | ||
11 | SCOTT WINCHESTER-KURT HOPE | 5/5 | 18.36 | 18.36 | 190.00 | |||
12 | MARTY WHITEHEAD-BRIAN BUTLER | 5/5 | 17.49 | 17.49 | 189.00 | |||
13 | RICKY ROBINSON-RICKY ROBINSON JR | 5/5 | 17.25 | 17.25 | 188.00 | |||
14 | JOE LEE-JIMBO HARRIS | 5/5 | 16.96 | 16.96 | 187.00 | |||
15 | RODNEY BEELER-MATTHEW BEELER | 5/5 | 16.83 | 16.83 | 186.00 | |||
16 | FREDDIE WALKER-RICK ETHERTON | 5/5 | 15.99 | 15.99 | 185.00 | |||
17 | RICHARD MOORE-ANDREW SMITH | 5/5 | 15.64 | 5.84 | 15.64 | 184.00 | ||
18 | GEORGE CARROLL JR-GEORGE CARROLL SR | 5/5 | 15.31 | 15.31 | 183.00 | |||
19 | BENNY ROBERTS-BILLY WHEAT | 5/5 | 14.86 | 14.86 | 182.00 | |||
20 | BILLY TIPTON-WALTER OGLE | 5/5 | 14.52 | 14.52 | 181.00 | |||
21 | CURTIS HOSKINS-TODD NIDIFER | 5/5 | 14.45 | 14.45 | 180.00 | |||
22 | TONY MORTON-JOSH CUPP | 5/5 | 13.72 | 13.72 | 179.00 | |||
23 | JAMES BULLARD-JONATHAN BULLARD | 5/5 | 13.60 | 5.38 | 13.60 | 178.00 | ||
24 | CADE STALLINGS-JACOB VELBA | 5/5 | 13.45 | 13.45 | 177.00 | |||
25 | JAMES HUTCHESON-TIMOTHY STRADER | 4/4 | 13.34 | 13.34 | 176.00 | |||
26 | TRAVIS ANDERSON-LEE MONDAY | 5/5 | 13.05 | 13.05 | 175.00 | |||
27 | *LYNN GREEN->CINDY GREEN | 5/5 | 12.92 | 4.52 | 12.92 | 174.00 | ||
28 | DERRICK CLARK-LYNN KING | 5/5 | 12.89 | 12.89 | 173.00 | |||
29 | NICK TATE-EDWARD NEWELL | 5/5 | 12.80 | 12.80 | 172.00 | |||
30 | JOHN INMAN- | 5/5 | 12.69 | 12.69 | 171.00 | |||
31 | TOM SPANGLER-KIBBEE MCCOY | 5/5 | 12.34 | 5.40 | 12.34 | 170.00 | ||
32 | DAVID KELLEY-MATT KELLEY | 5/5 | 12.27 | 12.27 | 169.00 | |||
33 | HARLEY DAVIS-LEE LANDS | 5/5 | 12.25 | 12.25 | 168.00 | |||
34 | DUSTIN FRANKLIN-ROB BOWERS | 4/4 | 12.20 | 12.20 | 167.00 | |||
35 | DEWAYNE WILSON-TIM THOMAS | 4/4 | 12.12 | 7.10 | 12.12 | 166.00 | ||
36 | JAKE LEE-MATT BROWN | 5/5 | 12.08 | 12.08 | 165.00 | |||
37 | TED RIDLEY-HAROLD PARSONS | 2/2 | 11.98 | 6.93 | 11.98 | 164.00 | ||
38 | RONALD ELLIS-JOSEPH ELLIS | 5/5 | 11.82 | 11.82 | 163.00 | |||
39 | MATT BURGESS-LARRY KELLEY | 5/5 | 11.73 | 11.73 | 162.00 | |||
40 | BRAD FULLINGTON-MICHAEL MAYES | 4/4 | 11.72 | 6.01 | 11.72 | 161.00 | ||
41 | RODNEY CRADDOCK-CHAD WADDELL | 5/5 | 11.64 | 11.64 | 160.00 | |||
42 | TROY REDWINE-KOLBY REDWINE | 5/5 | 11.60 | 11.60 | 159.00 | |||
42 | WILL VANETTEN-CHRIS SHOUSE | 5/5 | 11.60 | 11.60 | 159.00 | |||
44 | JEFFREY MOORE-JERRY HAMBY | 4/4 | 11.51 | 11.51 | 157.00 | |||
45 | EDDIE BAKER-CRAIG POWERS | 5/5 | 11.34 | 11.34 | 156.00 | |||
46 | JAMES HOLSENBACK-DOUGLAS CARPENTER | 5/5 | 11.17 | 5.47 | 11.17 | 155.00 | ||
47 | MIKE NAPIER-TAVIN NAPIER | 5/5 | 11.16 | 5.22 | 11.16 | 154.00 | ||
48 | PAUL SWEET-RUSS POPE | 5/5 | 11.04 | 11.04 | 153.00 | |||
49 | MIKE THOMPSON-KIRK MILES | 3/3 | 10.90 | 10.90 | 152.00 | |||
50 | J.P. BIONDO-MIKE MARTIN | 5/5 | 10.85 | 10.85 | 151.00 | |||
51 | SEAN CUSIC-TOMMY BRYANT | 5/5 | 10.70 | 10.70 | 150.00 | |||
52 | JON WRIGHT-BEN PARKER | 5/5 | 10.57 | 10.57 | 149.00 | |||
53 | TEDDY WILLETT-ANDREW EVANS | 5/5 | 10.50 | 10.50 | 148.00 | |||
54 | RICK SMITH-MIKE OGLESBY | 5/5 | 10.41 | 10.41 | 147.00 | |||
55 | BRAD NAPIER-DENNIS NAPIER | 5/5 | 10.27 | 10.27 | 146.00 | |||
56 | DOUG PLEMONS-JAMES NUCKOLS | 5/5 | 10.25 | 10.25 | 145.00 | |||
57 | JACK DUNAWAY-RANDY HARRIS | 4/4 | 10.10 | 10.10 | 144.00 | |||
58 | CHRIS LANE-RANDY CABLE | 5/5 | 10.02 | 10.02 | 143.00 | |||
59 | *PAUL NAPIER->ZACK NAPIER | 5/5 | 9.99 | 9.99 | 142.00 | |||
60 | ROBERT HELTON-DAVID HELTON | 5/5 | 9.97 | 9.97 | 141.00 | |||
61 | DWAYNE HAGLER-DENNIS POLAND | 5/5 | 9.89 | 9.89 | 140.00 | |||
62 | SHANE SLOAN-LEN SLOAN | 3/3 | 9.76 | 5.29 | 9.76 | 139.00 | ||
63 | JASON YATES- | 5/5 | 9.67 | 9.67 | 138.00 | |||
64 | ALLEN TADLOCK-BILL BOLLINGER | 5/5 | 9.59 | 9.59 | 137.00 | |||
65 | BRIAN KING-DOUG YOUNCE | 4/4 | 9.58 | 9.58 | 136.00 | |||
66 | RYAN ROGERS-BILL GARNER | 4/4 | 9.44 | 4.02 | 9.44 | 135.00 | ||
67 | MICHAEL MCGEE-TODD MALLICOAT | 4/4 | 9.41 | 9.41 | 134.00 | |||
68 | BRIAN HARVEY-MARK MAULDIN | 5/5 | 9.39 | 9.39 | 133.00 | |||
69 | WAYNE MOYHER-BRAD SNAPP | 5/5 | 9.36 | 9.36 | 132.00 | |||
70 | JESSE GARREN-DANIEL HOLT | 5/5 | 9.16 | 9.16 | 131.00 | |||
71 | JOHN FRENCH-STACEY NEWBERRY | 4/4 | 9.13 | 9.13 | 130.00 | |||
72 | TOMMY BROWN-SPENCER BROWN | 4/4 | 9.11 | 9.11 | 129.00 | |||
73 | BILLY NORRIS-JOSH NORRIS | 5/5 | 9.06 | 9.06 | 128.00 | |||
74 | DANIEL LEE-BILL LEE | 5/5 | 9.04 | 9.04 | 127.00 | |||
75 | ROBBIE SNOW-CLIFF ROWLAND | 5/5 | 8.98 | 8.98 | 126.00 | |||
76 | *CASEY MAJNI->SETH MESSER | 5/5 | 8.89 | 8.89 | 125.00 | |||
77 | DAVID STILLS-RANDY OSBORNE | 5/5 | 8.88 | 8.88 | 124.00 | |||
78 | JEFF BEAN-ERIC BEAN | 5/5 | 8.87 | 8.87 | 123.00 | |||
79 | CHARLES GOODIN-BILL DUNN | 5/5 | 8.84 | 8.84 | 122.00 | |||
80 | SHANE ENIX-STEPHEN YEARY | 5/5 | 8.83 | 8.83 | 121.00 | |||
80 | GARY SMITH-WAYNE COOPER | 4/4 | 8.83 | 8.83 | 121.00 | |||
82 | *CODY GREEN->BUDDY BAKER | 3/3 | 8.77 | 8.77 | 119.00 | |||
83 | *KENNY NEEDHAM->TIM ERWIN | 5/5 | 8.74 | 8.74 | 118.00 | |||
83 | NEAL TOWNSEND-MIKE WALL | 3/3 | 8.74 | 8.74 | 118.00 | |||
85 | STANLEY MCLEMORE-RICHARD RUTHERFORD | 5/5 | 8.71 | 8.71 | 116.00 | |||
85 | TONY WILSON-KENT SMITH | 5/5 | 8.71 | 8.71 | 116.00 | |||
87 | TOM GROSS-ERNIE BLACK | 4/4 | 8.70 | 8.70 | 114.00 | |||
88 | LARRY ROLEN-DONNIE STAMEY | 5/5 | 8.61 | 8.61 | 113.00 | |||
89 | DOUGLAS BUTZINE-JOSHUA TRENT | 3/3 | 8.58 | 8.58 | 112.00 | |||
90 | JEREMY LAWSON-JERRY LAWSON | 4/4 | 8.49 | 4.06 | 8.49 | 111.00 | ||
91 | *CHRIS BUSWELL->BRIAN BYRD | 5/5 | 8.48 | 8.48 | 110.00 | |||
92 | CHAD HICKS-ROGER KING | 5/5 | 8.26 | 8.26 | 109.00 | |||
93 | LUKAS PHILLIPS-FREDERICK CASTO | 5/5 | 8.25 | 8.25 | 108.00 | |||
93 | CARL POST-JUSTIN POST | 5/5 | 8.25 | 8.25 | 108.00 | |||
95 | *PETE BALISHIN->STEVEN PETZ | 5/5 | 8.14 | 8.14 | 106.00 | |||
96 | BRAD STAPLETON-KENNETH STAPLETON | 4/4 | 8.12 | 8.12 | 105.00 | |||
97 | CARL GUFFEY-MICHAEL PATTERSON | 5/5 | 8.04 | 8.04 | 104.00 | |||
98 | *GEORGE WELLS->PAUL PALMER | 5/5 | 8.01 | 8.01 | 103.00 | |||
99 | *RUSSELL MURPHY->AARON DAVIS | 5/5 | 7.97 | 7.97 | 102.00 | |||
100 | ROBERT ROCHE-MIKE MILES | 4/4 | 7.85 | 7.85 | 101.00 | |||
101 | MICHAEL ROBERTS-GREGORY JOHNSON | 5/5 | 7.76 | 7.76 | 100.00 | |||
102 | CHRIS TAYLOR-MIKE TAYLOR | 4/4 | 7.75 | 7.75 | 99.00 | |||
103 | TIM WYATT-DELMAR WYATT | 3/3 | 7.62 | 7.62 | 98.00 | |||
104 | CARLIE ARMSTRONG-RONALD GALYON | 5/5 | 7.53 | 7.53 | 97.00 | |||
105 | RANDY MCKEE-JASON POTTER | 5/5 | 7.47 | 7.47 | 96.00 | |||
106 | NICK WELCH-VIC WELCH | 4/4 | 7.32 | 7.32 | 95.00 | |||
107 | KEVIN TODD-MIKE LYKE | 5/5 | 7.21 | 7.21 | 94.00 | |||
108 | TIMOTHY LEE-JEFF RUSSELL | 5/5 | 7.14 | 7.14 | 93.00 | |||
109 | *GEORGE BULL->C.H. BALDWIN | 5/4 | 7.63 | 0.50 | 7.13 | 92.00 | ||
110 | *BRAD BROWN->CONLEY UNDERWOOD | 4/4 | 6.97 | 6.97 | 91.00 | |||
111 | JOSEPH GOINS-WES CRAGER | 5/5 | 6.92 | 6.92 | 90.00 | |||
112 | JEFFREY RUSSELL-SAM MULLINS | 5/5 | 6.71 | 6.71 | 89.00 | |||
113 | TRAVIS LAWSON-WOLFGANG ROBERSON | 5/5 | 6.65 | 6.65 | 88.00 | |||
113 | KEITH PHILLIPS-ROGER PHILLIPS | 4/4 | 6.65 | 6.65 | 88.00 | |||
115 | WILBUR CURTIS-BRYANT AILOR | 3/3 | 6.56 | 6.56 | 86.00 | |||
116 | RYAN INKELBARGER-DUSTIN LANE | 3/3 | 6.39 | 6.39 | 85.00 | |||
117 | STEVE BARBEE-JOSH LEE | 2/2 | 6.22 | 6.22 | 84.00 | |||
118 | DJ SLIGER-DANNY CRASS | 2/2 | 6.04 | 6.04 | 83.00 | |||
119 | MIKE KINSER-RYAN KINSER | 3/3 | 5.99 | 5.99 | 82.00 | |||
120 | EUGENE RANDOLPH-CLIFF PUSH | 3/3 | 5.94 | 5.94 | 81.00 | |||
121 | ANDY HOOD-KEVIN HOOD | 3/3 | 5.93 | 5.93 | 80.00 | |||
122 | NATHAN PARKER-AARON PARKER | 2/2 | 5.81 | 5.81 | 79.00 | |||
123 | KEN VICCHIO-BRIAN VICCHIO | 2/2 | 5.65 | 5.65 | 78.00 | |||
124 | DENNIS MCCORMICK-JASON MCCORMICK | 2/2 | 5.53 | 4.10 | 5.53 | 77.00 | ||
125 | *JAKE SWIDAN->JEFF HAWKINS | 4/4 | 5.43 | 5.43 | 76.00 | |||
126 | ANDREW BRACKETT-RYAN HARPER | 2/2 | 5.33 | 5.33 | 75.00 | |||
127 | TIMOTHY TIPTON-RALPH THOMAS | 3/3 | 5.30 | 5.30 | 74.00 | |||
128 | WAYNE NORMAN-TIM PETREY | 2/2 | 5.18 | 5.18 | 73.00 | |||
129 | LUKE CHEVERTON-NICK BLEVINS | 2/2 | 5.15 | 5.15 | 72.00 | |||
130 | TRAVIS TURNER- | 2/2 | 5.14 | 5.14 | 71.00 | |||
131 | DEREK-KY TURNER-JOHN BURCHETTE | 3/3 | 5.11 | 5.11 | 70.00 | |||
132 | KEVIN BURNS-LOUIS BURNETTE | 3/3 | 5.09 | 5.09 | 69.00 | |||
133 | LUKE TAYLOR-KEVIN TAYLOR | 3/3 | 5.08 | 5.08 | 68.00 | |||
134 | MIKE JEFFRIES-ERIC FARMER | 2/2 | 5.06 | 5.06 | 67.00 | |||
135 | ANTHONY REVIS-JAMES BURCHARD | 1/1 | 5.03 | 5.03 | 5.03 | 66.00 | ||
136 | LARRY DARDEN- | 2/2 | 4.96 | 4.96 | 65.00 | |||
137 | KEN THOMPSON-DENNY COLE | 2/2 | 4.81 | 4.81 | 64.00 | |||
138 | BRIAN COOPER-JOSEPH BRAKEBILL | 3/3 | 4.78 | 4.78 | 63.00 | |||
139 | JEFF GRAVES-TYLER GRAVES | 3/3 | 4.77 | 4.77 | 62.00 | |||
140 | BILLY BOYD-FOY ELKINS | 2/2 | 4.72 | 4.72 | 61.00 | |||
141 | DON MCCURDY-NANCY MCCURDY | 2/2 | 4.63 | 4.63 | 60.00 | |||
142 | JOHN GILLEY-J.T. GILLEY | 3/3 | 4.53 | 4.53 | 59.00 | |||
143 | DOUG DYE-BRENTON HAMILTON | 3/3 | 4.35 | 4.35 | 58.00 | |||
144 | DAVID ALBRIGHT-TANNER HERNDON | 1/1 | 4.05 | 4.05 | 4.05 | 57.00 | ||
145 | DAVID ABBOTT-MICHAEL ADAMS | 2/2 | 3.82 | 3.82 | 56.00 | |||
146 | *TODD BAYLESS->JOSH KEETON | 2/2 | 3.55 | 3.55 | 55.00 | |||
147 | CALEB EAKENS-RYAN DALTON | 2/2 | 3.33 | 3.33 | 54.00 | |||
148 | MICHAEL COLE- | 2/2 | 3.19 | 3.19 | 53.00 | |||
149 | TIM SAYLOR-CRAIG LIVESAY | 2/2 | 3.09 | 3.09 | 52.00 | |||
150 | LANCE GRIGSBY- | 2/2 | 3.01 | 3.01 | 51.00 | |||
151 | JASON CASSELL-KENDALL ROACH | 2/2 | 2.84 | 2.84 | 50.00 | |||
152 | DAVID MILLER-BILLY PERKINS JR | 1/1 | 2.35 | 2.35 | 2.35 | 49.00 | ||
153 | KENT LODARI-TROY BIGELOW | 1/1 | 1.86 | 1.86 | 1.86 | 48.00 | ||
154 | PAUL WILLIAMSON-BOYD BRUMFIELD | 1/1 | 1.79 | 1.79 | 1.79 | 47.00 | ||
155 | HUNTER HUMPHREYS-RANDY HUMPHREYS | 1/1 | 1.48 | 1.48 | 1.48 | 46.00 | ||
156 | GARY ERVIN-MARVIN ERVIN | 1/1 | 1.44 | 1.44 | 1.44 | 45.00 | ||
157 | MICHAEL BLEDSOE-TIMOTHY BLEDSOE JR | 1/1 | 1.29 | 1.29 | 1.29 | 44.00 | ||
158 | KYLE BLAIR-DANNY STALLINGS | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
158 | *BRENT BUTLER->ALLEN GUNTER | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
158 | BOBBY CARDWELL-RYAN CARDWELL | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
158 | KEVIN EDWARDS-JIMMY MANIS | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
158 | DEWAYNE FOUST-JONATHAN PHILLIPS | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
158 | *JACOB GANN->COLBY JOHNSON | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
158 | JAMES HEADRICK-BRADLEY HEADRICK | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
158 | DALE HELTON-BRENNEN COMER | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
158 | BRIAN HOLCOMB-JESSIE HALL | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
158 | TIM HOSKINS- | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
158 | RUFUS JOHNSON IV-CRAIG BREWER | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
158 | TROY JONES-BRIAN BEELER | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
158 | KEVIN KEITH- | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
158 | CHARLIE LANE-JERRY TODD HEMBRE | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
158 | ROBBIE LOYD-BRIAN LOYD | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
158 | ANDY LUSK-SHAWN LUSK | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
158 | *JERRY PARTIN->LEA MASHBURN | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
158 | ROBERT PETREY-STEVE IVEY | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
158 | MIKE PHELPS-JEREMY HARRISON | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
158 | DON RALEY-TIM CORUM | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
158 | TIM SMILEY-BOBBY CHAMBERS | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
158 | JOE TALLENT-MATTHEW CLAY | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
158 | JACK WADE-ANDY VENABLE | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
158 | RICK WALKER-WENDELL COOPER | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
158 | RONALD WHITTED-FELIX FUGATE | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
158 | MIKE WOLFENBARGER-STEVE MIRACLE | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
158 | BRIAN YARBROUGH-HUNTER YARBROUGH | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
158 | TAYLOR YATES-BRYAN YATES | 0/0 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-WHITEWATER WINS YETI FLW COLLEGE FISHING TOURNAMENT AT LAKE OF THE OZARKS
OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (April 3, 2017) – The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater duo of Jared Mataczynski of Wausau, Wisconsin, and Steve Nebel of Whitewater, Wisconsin, won the YETI FLW College Fishing Central Conference tournament on Lake of the Ozarks Saturday with a five-bass limit weighing 19 pounds, 5 ounces. The victory earned the Wisconsin-Whitewater bass club $2,000 and the team will now advance to compete at the 2018 FLW College Fishing National Championship.
“It’s awesome to finally get a win,” said Nebel, a senior majoring in business. “Jared and I have been fishing together all four years of our college career, but we haven’t had the right breaks that we needed to put it all together and get a win. We thought this tournament was going to be an umbrella rig slugfest, so we’re pretty excited to finally qualify for the FLW National Championship.”
“It was a crazy day,” said Mataczynski, a senior majoring in entrepreneurship. “Since we’re from Wisconsin, we don’t have much experience with fishing umbrella rigs. But, after doing our research before the tournament we knew that was going to be the deal.”
The duo said that they caught their winning limit by fishing what they called “channel swing bluff wall ends”, where the bluff wall ended as it narrowed into a cove. They said that they fished umbrella rigs all day, rigged with Keitech Swing Impact FAT swimbaits. They used 3.8-inch swimbaits on the outside and a 4.8-inch swimbait that they had dipped in chartreuse dye in the middle, to trigger the bites on that swimbait.
“We wanted the bass to hit that bait, because that was one that had one of the three hooks allowed in it,” Nebel said. “We dipped the tail in chartreuse to differentiate it from the others.
“The majority of our pattern was all new water,” Nebel continued. “We just ran the lake and fished different channel swing bluff walls. We ran probably 20 different spots and caught six keepers – about one an hour.”
“The key for us was just trying something different,” Mataczynski, went on to say. “A lot of the bluffs we were fishing did not have a ledge or a shelf, just a steep wall. We tried them anyways and managed to catch some good fish there.”
The top 10 teams that advanced to the 2018 College Fishing National Championship are:
1st: University of Wisconsin-Whitewater – Jared Mataczynski, Wausau, Wis., and Steve Nebel, Whitewater, Wis., five bass, 19-5, $2,000
2nd: University of Evansville – Blake Knies and Lee Knies, both of Jasper, Ind., five bass, 19-5, $1,000
3rd: Southeast Missouri State University – Luke Brozovich, Minooka, Ill, and Reid Millburg, Glenarm, Ill., five bass, 19-2, $500
4th: Kansas State University – Hunter Whiteley, Springfield, Mo., and Tyler Nekolny, Manhattan, Kan., five bass, 18-2, $900
5th: University of Wisconsin-La Crosse – Eric Ulry, La Crosse, Wis., and Colby Wolff, Shawano, Wis., five bass, 17-15, $500
6th: Illinois State University – Tyler Rocke, Peoria, Ill., and Justin Schick, Morton, Ill., five bass, 17-15
7th: Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville – Zach Hartnagel, Edwardsville, Ill., and Dalton Wesley, Worden, Ill., five bass, 17-8
8th: Kansas State University – Joshua Schraad, Sabetha, Kan., and Quinn Fowler, Manhattan, Kan., five bass, 17-0
9th: University of Wisconsin – Ben Wanke, Slinger, Wis., and Spencer Hahn, Appleton, Wis., five bass, 16-15
10th: Moraine Valley Community College – John Neubauer and Andrew Jensen, both of Oak Lawn, Ill., five bass, 16-10
FLW also advances one additional team to the National Championship for every 10 teams over 100 that compete. A total of 151 teams participated in this event, so also advancing to the 2018 College Fishing National Championship are:
11th: University of Nebraska – Jackson Ebbers, Cambridge, Neb., and Charlie Deshazer, Fremont, Neb., five bass, 16-10
12th: Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville – Sean Clarkson, Edwardsville, Ill., and Alex Nail, Springfield, Ill., five bass, 16-8
13th: McKendree University – Jacob Louis, Pinckneyville, Ill., and John Russell, Marion, Ill., five bass, 16-5
14th: Northern Illinois University – Ryan Moser, Elgin, Ill., and David Warme, DeKalb, Ill., five bass, 16-4
15th: Missouri State University – Quinton Booth, Ozark, Mo., and Clay Cooper, Columbia, Mo., five bass, 16-3
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
This YETI FLW College Fishing Central Conference at Lake of the Ozarks was the first regular-season qualifying tournament for Central Conference anglers in 2017. The next YETI FLW College Fishing event is the third annual FLW College Fishing Open, scheduled for April 7-8 on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Kentucky.
YETI FLW College Fishing teams compete in three regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top ten teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments, along with an additional qualifier for every 10 teams over 100 that compete, along with the top 20 teams from the annual YETI FLW College Fishing Open advance to the 2018 FLW College Fishing National Championship.
College Fishing is free to enter. All participants must be registered, full-time students at a college, university or community college and members of a college fishing club that is recognized by their school.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow College Fishing on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing. Visit FLWFishing.com to sign up or to start a club at your school.
Carhartt Countdown To Blastoff - Quantum Pro Jacob Powroznik on Toledo Bend
Dynamic Sponsorships Alan McGuckin and Elite Series Pro Jacob Powroznik talk about practice on Toledo Bend as Jacob prepares for this weeks Elite Series Showdown.
Gulledge & Fielden win Piedmont Bass Classics Spring Qualifier on Falls Lake with over 25 pounds!
PIEDMONT BASS CLASSICS $10,000 SPRING TEAM BASS TRAIL QUALIFIER #3
Saturday April 1st, 2017 ~ Falls Lake ~ Ledge Rock Wildlife Ramp
The 2017 Piedmont Bass Classics $10,000 Spring Team Bass Trail Qualifier #3 at Falls Lake drew a great crowd of
91 boats and they were chompin' at the bit to fish hard! The weather was nice for Saturday with air temps 51
degrees in the am on up to 74 in the pm. Water temps averaged about 65 degrees. Winds were nonexistent in the
am to a steady 10 mph blow in the afternoon. Things are starting to pick up at Falls with some nice bass being
caught. We just need some continuous warm weather to get water temps right for the spawn.
Walt Gulledge & Tony Fielden won their 1st ever PBC event weighing in 5 bass at 25.68 lbs. and also won the
Tournament Within a Tournament (TWT) for a total of $3,210 in winnings. Fielden will also collect an additional
$7,000 pending approval from the Triton Boats Gold Contingency Program which will bring their winnings to
$10,210 !!!
David Walton & Justin Young cemented 2nd place with 5 fish weighing 22.82 lbs. & pocketed $875. 3rd place team,
Tom Powell & Son John subbing for Brant Massey, won $691 with 22.42 lbs. 4th place team, Billy Bledsoe & Brian
McDonald, had 5 weighing 22.26 lbs. and they took the 2nd place TWT to win $1,353. The 8th place team of Joe
Smith & Son Jonathan subbing for Raeford Faircloth, also weighed in the 1st Place Big Fish (10.25 lbs.) giving
them a total of $1,587!! The prize money got spread around pretty good today again!
Smith & son Jonathan with big fish!
340 fish were weighed in for a total of 1,019 pounds for an average of 3.00 lbs. each. Most of the fish were caught
on WLS shaky heads, Jig combos, chatterbaits, Spinnerbaits and Crankbaits in anywhere from 1 to 10 feet of water.
Most of the bass were loaded with eggs and are starting to move into the shallower water and a few others had
spawned out. It's starting!
I want to thank all the anglers that participated and all our sponsors that support this trail. Our next tournament is
Saturday April 8th, the PBC Cashion Fishing Rods Spring Trail Q#4 at Kerr Lake out of Flemingtown Landing
Wildlife Ramp. All the info can be found at this link: http://piedmontbassclassics.com/2017CashionSpringTrail.html
Following that will be the PBC Cashion Fishing Rods Spring Trail Final Q#5 at Falls Lake out of Ledge Rock
Wildlife Ramp. All the information on our tournaments can be found http://piedmontbassclassics.com/
Now here are the full results:
1st Place: .......Tony Fielden & Walt Gulledge of Lillington & Cameron...5 bass...26.68 lbs...$1,495
2nd Place: ......David Walton & Justin Young of Raleigh...5 bass...22.82 lbs...$875
3rd Place: .......Tom Powell & Brant Massey of Haw River & Durham...5 bass...22.42 lbs...$691
4th Place: .......Billy Bledsoe & Brian McDonald of Grays Creek & Hope Mills...5 bass...22.26 lbs...$618
5th Place: .......Vinston Nettles & Mike Cole of Pittsboro & Siler City...5 bass...21.86 lbs...$546
6th Place: .......Thomas Sheffer & Ken McNeill of Cary & Raleigh...5 bass...20.69 lbs...$473
7th Place: .......Stump Bledsoe & Glenn Elliott of Hope Mills & Fayetteville...5 bass...20.53 lbs...$400
8th Place: .......Joe Smith & Raeford Faircloth of Newton Grove & Clinton...5 bass...20.28 lbs...$327
9th Place: .......Ron White & Jesse Soles of Carthage & Aberdeen...5 bass...20.19 lbs...$291
10th Place: .....Jaime Fajardo & Josh Hooks of Fuquay Varina & Apex...5 bass...19.88 lbs...$255
11th Place: .....Travis Pomp & Eddie Harris of Youngsville & Snow Camp...5 bass...19.19 lbs...$220
12th Place: ......Bubba Haywood & David Frye of Durham...5 bass...19.03 lbs...$224
13th Place: ......Stephen & John Lasher of Bahama...5 bass...18.90 lbs...$210
14th Place: ......Johnny Wilder & Mike Harris of Butner & Oxford...5 bass...18.72 lbs...$150
15th Place: ......K.C. Choosakul & Tim Penhollow of Sanford & Mebane...5 bass...18.60 lbs...$147
16th Place: ......Jr. Nance & Alex Renfrow of Angier...5 bass...18.37 lbs...$138
17th Place: ......Chris & H.T. Eakins of Selma & Angier...5 bass...17.87 lbs...$120
18th Place: ......Doug Parker & James Sutton of Angier & Roseboro...5 bass...17.45 lbs...$100
1st Place Big Fish..8th Place Team above...10.25 lbs...$1,260
2nd Place Big Fish..Tie...11th Place Team above...8.53 lbs...$270 and
Bobby & Brandon Gregory of Fuquay Varina...8.53 lbs....$270
1st Place TWT..1st Place Team above...25.68 lbs...$1,715
2nd Place TWT..4th Place Team above...22.26 lbs...$735
DENVER’S HAMRICK WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL EVENT ON LAKE WYLIE
Salisbury’s Kraft tops Co-angler field
ROCK HILL, S.C. (April 3, 2017) – Scott Hamrick of Denver, North Carolina, brought a five-bass limit totaling 16 pounds, 15 ounces, to the scale Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) North Carolina Division event on Lake Wylie. For his win, Hamrick pocketed $4,594.
“I targeted suspended fish under docks from all the way up the river to down near the dam,” said Hamrick, who earned his third career-victory in BFL competition. “I used a Shooter Lures Jig with a Zoom Super Chunk trailer to catch everything I weighed in.
“The fish were coming off of the beds and suspending under docks to feed on crappie,” continued Hamrick. “Most people target those bass when the shad are spawning, but that won’t happen for a week or two. The rest of the field was fishing in pockets and going after bedding fish, but I ended up doing something different.”
Hamrick said he put 25 to 30 keepers in the boat throughout the event.
“The bite was strongest in the morning, but I caught them all day,” said Hamrick. “I didn’t do anything too fancy with the jig. If they were in there under those docks, they would eat it.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st” Scott Hamrick, Denver, N.C., five bass, 16-15, $4,594
2nd: Chris Dover, Blacksburg, S.C., five bass, 15-12, $1,940
3rd: Carson Orellana, Mooresville, N.C., five bass, 15-6, $1,393
4th: Israel Gibson. Spruce Pine, N.C., five bass, 14-12, $905
5th: Rob Digh, Denver, N.C., five bass, 14-9, $776
6th: Cole Blythe, Charlotte, N.C., five bass, 13-15, $711
7th: Bryan New, Belmont, N.C., five bass, 13-11, $647
8th: Jeff Queen, Catawba, N.C., five bass, 13-7, $582
9th: Ryan Deal, Indian Trail, N.C., five bass, 13-2, $517
10th: Michael Stephens, Gastonia, N.C., five bass, 13-0, $453
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Hamrick also caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 2 ounces – the largest of the event in the boater division – which earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $515.
Louis Kraft of Salisbury, North Carolina, weighed in four bass totaling 12 pounds even Saturday to win the Co-angler division and the top prize of $2,140.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Louis Kraft, Salisbury, N.C., four bass, 12-0, $2,140
2nd: Paul Conti, Concord, N.C., five bass, 11-2, $970
3rd: Adam Edwards, Cana, Va., five bass, 10-13, $696
4th: Brent Kukowski, Fort Mill, S.C., five bass, 10-12, $453
5th: Hunter Harwell, Hickory, N.C., five bass, 10-11, $388
6th: Michael Thomas, York, S.C., five bass, 10-3, $356
7th: Jeffery Wingler, Wilkesboro, N.C., four bass, 9-14, $323
8th: Brian Mann, Ballard, W. Va., five bass, 8-14, $291
9th: Marvin Godard, Charlotte, N.C., four bass, 8-10, $259
10th: Caleb Lynch, Mount Holly, N.C., two bass, 8-1, $483
Lynch weighed the biggest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing 6 pounds, 7 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. 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.
Watts wins ABA RAM Trucks Open eventon Pickwick Lake
Charles Watts of Corinth, Mississippi won the American Bass Anglers Ram Truck Open Series Mississippi tournament, held April 1st on Lake Pickwick.
Running out of JP Coleman State Park near Iuka, Mississippi, Charles caught a five fish limit weighing 20.75 pounds on a bright sunny day. For the Boater Division victory, Watts took home a check for $5,000.
“It’s been a great day! I caught a good limit of fish early, culled several times, but couldn’t improve on my overall weight. I knew I needed around 20 pounds to place, but thought I only had around 16. I’m glad that what I had was enough to take it home.” Watts said.
In second for the boaters, Mike Jones of Brandon, Mississippi landed a five-bass limit going 16.90 pounds. He collected $700 for the effort.
“It turned out to be a great day. I caught my fish using a specific jig, and it worked well for me. I won’t tell you what color I used, but it did the trick!” Mike said.
Mark Clark of Crawford, Mississippi took third for the boaters with four bass weighing 16.56 pounds anchored with a monster 9.56 big bass to earn $500.
“I caught the big one so early this morning, maybe on my fifth cast around 06:20.” said Mark. “I probably checked on her 20-30 times throughout the day to make sure she was OK.She was FULL of eggs and I’m happy to know she made it back to the lake safely. I was only able to catch 3 more keepers and came in one short of my limit but starting out with a kicker like that is a great wat to get the day going.”
In fourth, Jason Hall came in with a solid bag of 16.11 pounds. Finishing 5th was Brandon Bolton with 16.07 pounds.
The biggest bass for the boaters was caught by Mark Clark of Crawford, Mississippi that weighed 9.56 pounds. Clark pocketed another $440 for his fish.
In the Co-Angler Division, Ricky Rorie of New Albany, Mississippi won with three bass going 9.36 pounds. His victory allowed him to walk away with a check for $850.
“My boater took me to the right spots today, and I didn’t have to cull many times. The lake handled well, and I was able to catch the fish I needed.“ said Rorie.
Taking second for the co-anglers, Marian Hall coming in from Hattiesburg, Mississippi came in weighing a 3-fish bag at 9.25 pounds. Her catch was held down by a 5.46 pound kicker. Her placement earned her a check for $250.
“I’m so excited to be standing here after such a good day! I only culled twice today, but that was all I needed. The lake was beautiful and it was just a great day to be out here fishing. This has been a blast and I’m glad I was able to be here!“ Marian stated.
Valerie Harrelson of Glen, Mississippi placed third among the co-anglers. She had three fish weighing in at 9.15 pounds to earn $200.
“It was just a beautiful day to fish. I didn’t catch that many, and I only had to cull a couple of times. The fish I needed were there, and it was just enough." explained Harrelson.
In fourth place among the co-anglers, Daniel Corkern of Florence, Mississippi brought in three bass for 9.11 pounds. Keith Whipple, local to the lake from Iuka, Mississippi finished in fifth place with three bass at 9.08 pounds.
The biggest bass for the co-anglers was caught by Marian Hall at 5.46 pounds. Marian took home another check for $120 for her fish.
Slated for May 13th, the next divisional tournament will be held on Columbus Pool from Columbus Marina, near Columbus, MS. At the end of the season, the best anglers from across the nation advance to the 2018 Ray Scott Championship, slated for the Red River in Shreveport & Bossier City, LA.
For more information on this tournament, call Chris Wayand, tournament manager, at 256-230-5627 or ABA at 256-232-0406. On line, see www.ramopenseries.com.
About American Bass Anglers: American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler and at the same time offer each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers, the Ram Truck Open Series, the American Fishing Tour or the American Couples Series, visit www.americanbassanglers.com.
RAMPEY WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL EVENT ON LAKE HARTWELL
Gaffney’s Everhart earns Co-angler title
ANDERSON, S.C. (April 3, 2017) – Jayme Rampey of Liberty, South Carolina, brought a five-bass limit weighing 22 pounds even to the scale Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Savannah River Division event on Lake Hartwell. For his win, Rampey took home $5,148.
Rampey said he focused on the herring spawn to catch his limit. He said he worked through a 3- to 4-mile stretch on the main lake and was able to catch 60 fish throughout the day.
“It’s a little early for the herring to spawn, but the weather has been warm so I capitalized on bass that were heading out to points to feed on them,” said Rampey, who earned his fifth career-win in BFL competition. “I ran through about 15 points and didn’t even burn seven gallons of fuel.”
Rampey said he used a white Zoom Super Fluke to catch fish in the morning. After 10 a.m. he said he began mixing in a Hitch-colored Zoom Swimmer Paddle Tail Swimbait with a Buckeye Lures J-Will head.
“I caught a couple of my bigger fish with a Buckeye Lures jig rigged with a Zoom Creepy Crawler as well,” said Rampey. “My most productive baits were the Super Fluke and the swimbait, but it was steady all day.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Jayme Rampey, Liberty, S.C., five bass, 22-0, $5,148
2nd: Heath Pack, Ellijay, Ga., five bass, 18-6, $2,474
3rd: Troy Morrow, Eastanollee, Ga., five bass, 18-0, $1,649
4th: Hunter Smith, Seneca, S.C., five bass, 17-4, $1,155
5th: William Shipes, Williston, S.C., five bass, 16-7, $1,090
6th: Nick Rubio, Greer, S.C., five bass, 16-2, $907
7th: Franklin Ramey III, Abbeville, S.C., five bass, 15-14, $1,580
8th: William Fordree, Six Mile, S.C., five bass, 15-13, $742
9th: Derek Lehtonen, Woodruff, S.C., five bass, 15-6, $660
10th: Scott Chatham, Kingston, Ga., five bass, 15-4, $577
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Ramey caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 1 ounce – the largest of the event in the Boater Division – which earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $755.
Tony Everhart of Gaffney, South Carolina, won the Co-angler Division title and $2,674 Saturday after weighing in five bass totaling 13 pounds, 13 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Tony Everhart, Gaffney, S.C., five bass, 13-13, $2,674
2nd: Tim Whitaker, Fairview, N.C., five bass, 13-3, $1,237
3rd: Wayne Smelser, Rural Retreat, Va., five bass, 12-8, $750
3rd: Rusty Smith, Six Mile, S.C., five bass, 12-8, $700
5th: Scott Roberts, Asheville, N.C., five bass, 12-4, $474
5th: Jason Whitfield, Anderson, S.C., five bass, 12-4, $474
7th: Brian Nappier, Huntersville, N.C., five bass, 12-2, $391
7th: Harold Grizzle, Gainesville, Ga., five bass, 12-2, $391
9th: Evan Benton, Davidson, N.C., five bass, 12-0, $309
9th: Jimmi Leuthner, Tamassee, S.C., five bass, 12-0, $309
Tim Holbrooks of Franklin, North Carolina, caught the biggest bass among the Co-anglers, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 9 ounces. The catch earned Holbrooks the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $377.
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.
Harrell wins RAM Trucks ABA on Lake Gaston with over 20 pounds!
Ryan Harrell of Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina won the American Bass Anglers Ram Truck Open Series Virginia division tournament held 4/01/2017 on Lake Gaston.
Running out of Americamps in Bracey Virginia, Ryan caught five bass weighing 20.94 pounds including a big bass that weighed 6.87 pounds. For the Boater Division victory, Harrell took home a check for $5,000 for the win and an additional $650 for the boater big bass. Also for having the biggest bass of the tournament Harrell walked away with a new Abu Garcia Revo SX spinning reel valued at $160.
"I caught my fish off of docks with a jig," said Harrell.
In second for the boaters, Brian Calloway of Danville, Virginia landed a five bass tournament limit going 17.91 pounds. He collected $1,250 for the effort.
"I caught my fish today off of docks with a jig," said Calloway.
JT Palmore of Blackstone, Virginia took third for the boaters with five bass weighing 16.54 pounds. His limit earned him $900.
"I caught my fish today on a spinnerbait," said Palmore.
Finishing fourth, Ray Griffin of Greensboro, North Carolina landed a five bass limit for 16.07 pounds.
Bo Grosvenor of Forest, Virginia rounded out the top five with five bass weighing 15.54 pounds.
In the Co-Angler division, Derek Sewell of Forest, Virginia won with three bass weighing 10.69 pounds. He sealed his victory with a 4.08 pound kicker to pocket a check for $850.
"It was a pretty slow day. I had five bites but they were the right ones. My fish came off a jig," said Sewell.
Taking second for the co-anglers, Robert Green from Sedalia, North Carolina brought in a three-bass division limit weighing 7.24 pounds. Robert anchored his catch with a 4.12 pound bass. He collected $250 and an additional $105 for the co-angler big bass.
"I caught my fish today off a black and blue jig," said Green.
Greg Dawson of Rustburg, Virginia placed third among the co-anglers with three bass weighing 6.32 pounds. He earned $200 for his catch.
"I caught my fish today on a shakey head with a green pumpkin trick worm around docks," said Dawson.
In fourth place among the co-anglers, Tim Gardner of Greensboro, North Carolina weighed in three bass weighing 5.74 pounds.
Randy Ruffin of Norfolk, Virginia finished in fifth place with three bass at 4.78 pounds.
Slated for 4/22/2017 the next divisional tournament will be held on Kerr Lake out of Nutbush Park near Henderson 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.
Tight Weights in Bass Champs on Ray Roberts – Rome & McBride take the win and $20,000
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Bass Champs’ North Region teams competed in their second event of the 2017 season on Ray Roberts April 1st. There was no fooling around, as top weights were only separated by ounces. 237 teams were vying for a portion of this 101% payback tournament, with the top 33 teams cashing in. Joe Rome and Joel McBride topped them all with over 24 pounds to win the coveted $20,000 prize.
March winds were on deck adding to everyone’s challenge of not only finding fish, but the right fish to beat this massive field of contenders. As water temperatures continue to rise, chasing down big spawning bass on the move was a big challenge. Eight teams brought in sacks over the 20-pound mark, and several teams had huge kickers in their bag. Weights were tight all the way down the pay line. There were only nine pounds separating 1st – 33rd! It was a slow, worrisome morning for Joe Rome and Joel McBride. “We went to our starting spot, and didn’t catch anything,” McBride recalled. “We made a move to another area of the lake, throwing Texas rigged green pumpkin lizards.” The bite was slow. At 11:30 they only had one fish in the livewell. “We stayed in the same area, but moved to the windblown side.” There was some flooded timber in the area, and Joel casted at one of the stick-ups. “I caught a nice one off of it, so we started targeting the wood.” Before long, they boated three nice fish, along with three other keepers. Their day was turning around for the better. “We kept moving in that area, and tried the calmer side a few times but the bigger fish just weren’t there.” Their best five weighed just over twenty pounds at that point and the day was winding to a close. “We moved again closer to the weigh in. We didn’t have much longer until we had to pack it up.” Switching to a soft plastic jerk-bait, with only 15 minutes to go, they caught a four pounder, bumping their weight up by another three pounds. Putting their final limit on the scales, their weight tallied 24.05 pounds, taking 1st place and winning the guaranteed $20,000 check. “Timber was the key for us today. That last cull made all the difference for us!” 2nd place was won by Lee Livesay and Warren Sprague with 23.32 lbs. They garnered a check for $5,000 plus the Lowrance Gen3 Bonus for an additional $250. Just ounces apart in the standings, brothers Steve and Ronnie Sims finished 3rd with a 22.97 lb. limit. “We had a good day, everything went well,” Steve reported. Starting out their day they felt like there were still some big fish in pre-spawn mode. “We had found some fish in practice, and even though we drew a high boat number, there was no one in our spot yet when we got there.” It was a windblown bank that lead to a spawning flat. “The bite was really slow at first, then we had a good flurry between 9-10:00. (The bite) shut down again until around 1:00.” They were using a Mississippi rig and dragging it on bottom really slow. “We stayed in the same area all day, about a 100 yard stretch.” They positioned their boat in 5-6’ of water and threw their baits in shallow 1-2’. “They were holding on sticks. We had seen some of the other boats fishing the calm side and we tried it a few times, but we really needed the windy side for our fish.” All total they caught nine keepers and were able to cull one time before the end of the day. Ronnie boated their kicker, a nice 9 lb’r to anchor their win. Bass Champs presented them a check for $4,000. “We’d like to thank Bass Champs for putting on awesome tournaments for all of us to fish,” Steve continued. “There’s no riffraff, just good family fun. I encourage everyone to come on out and fish! I’d also like to thank every member of the Bass Champs team. You guys do a great job.” Rounding out the top 10: There were so many nice kickers brought to the scales, but again the biggest was a double digit 10.22 lb. sow. Willie Bensley caught the brute fishing with partner Randy Hulsey. “Our day started out really slow. We managed to put one fish in the livewell, then made a few moves trying other areas.” They went into a small pocket just off the main lake with timber and bushes. “I threw my bait out, and my line just started twitching. Then it was moving as the fish just started swimming out. I never felt anything.” He set the hook and the fight was on. “She made one jump, right at the boat, right into the net!” That was their second fish of the day at 10:45, and the biggest fish he has caught yet - what a time to do it! Bass Champs paid $1,000 for the biggest fish of the day plus it anchored their 10th place overall finish for another $1,300 check. Several teams qualified for even more in sponsor bonuses! Two down, two events to go, and the points are racking up in the Anglers of the Year race. So far the top five teams are: All total, Bass Champs and their sponsors paid back a whopping $70,580 in cash and prizes in this tournament. Before the 2017 season is over, anglers will receive more than $2.5 MILLION in cash and prizes! It’s not too late – you can still catch a portion of it:
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HOUCHIN GOES WIRE-TO-WIRE, WINS COSTA FLW SERIES CENTRAL DIVISION OPENER ON LAKE DARDANELLE PRESENTED BY T-H MARINE
Mabelvale Angler Bests 203-boat Field to Earn Fourth Career Victory, $50,200
RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. (April 1, 2017) – Arkansas angler Quincy Houchin of Mabelvale, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 11 pounds, 7 ounces Saturday to lead wire-to-wire and win the Costa FLW Series Central Division opener on Lake Dardanelle presented by T-H Marine. Houchin’s three-day total of 15 bass weighing 45 pounds, 4 ounces, was enough to earn him the win by an 11-ounce margin and a check for $50,200.
“I was really nervous today when I was only bringing 11 pounds to the scale, but I knew that it was pretty tough out there for everybody,” said Houchin, a 10-year Bass Fishing League (BFL) veteran who was fishing in his first career FLW Series event. “Midday I lost a 5-pounder right at the boat and I thought that I had just lost $50,000. To get the win, today, in my first Costa event – I am blessed.”
Houchin said that he caught his fish this week fishing a backwater area in the mid- to upper-end of the lake. He said it was a ¾-mile long stretch full of wood and timber that was 4 to 8 feet at its deepest point, but he fished it as shallow as 2 feet.
“I was catching 8 to 10 keepers a day out of there,” Houchin said. “There wasn’t a lot of fish, but the ones that I was catching there were quality.”
Houchin said that of the 15 bass that he weighed in throughout the week, one came on a natural-green-colored Spro Bronzeye frog, two came on a black moss-colored Lucky Craft 2.5 crankbait and the rest came flipping a Texas-rigged green-pumpkin and red-colored Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver.
“The key for me was finding that backwater where no one else was fishing,” Houchin said. “There is a huge sandbar you have to cross to get back there, and most of the time you can’t. But, I checked it in practice and the water was ankle deep, so I was able to work my way back in there. I don’t know if anyone else had tried, but I was the only boat in there all week.”
The top 10 pros on Lake Dardanelle were:
1st: Quincy Houchin, Mabelvale, Ark., 15 bass, 45-4, $50,200
2nd: Tom Silber, Labadie, Mo., 15 bass, 44-9, $20,600
3rd: Joey Cifuentes, Clinton, Ark., 15 bass, 43-13, $14,500
4th: Josh Ray, Alexander, Ark., 15 bass, 43-8, $12,500
5th: Zach King, Clarksville, Ark., 15 bass, 42-1, $11,500
6th: Evan Barnes, Hot Springs, Ark., 15 bass, 40-8, $9,250
7th: Garrett Paquette, Canton, Mich., 14 bass, 39-1, $8,000
8th: Shannon Pierce, Pine Bluff, Ark., 15 bass, 38-15, $7,000
9th: Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 15 bass, 38-15, $6,000
10th: Brandon Lee, Ratcliff, Ark., 10 bass, 31-4, $4,500
A complete list of results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Michael Stetich of Ankeny, Iowa, caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 8 ounces Thursday – the biggest of the tournament in the Pro Division. For his catch, Stetich earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $300.
Robert Bartoszek of Hampshire, Tennessee, won the Co-angler Division and a new Ranger Z175 boat with a 90-horsepower Evinrude outboard motor. Bartoszek earned his win with a three-day total catch of 14 bass weighing 37 pounds, 2 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers on Lake Dardanelle were:
1st: Robert Bartoszek, Hampshire, Tenn., 14 bass, 37-2, $28,350
2nd: Mark Howard, Mesquite, Texas, 13 bass, 31-13, $6,300
3rd: Alan Hults, Gautier, Miss., 12 bass, 29-13, $5,000
4th: Bud Pruitt, Houston, Texas, 15 bass, 29-1, $4,000
5th: James Ingram, Quitman, Ark., 12 bass, 28-5, $3,500
6th: Buddy Rudolph, Hot Springs, Ark., nine bass, 27-5, $3,000
7th: Max Wilson, Everton, Mo., 13 bass, 26-4, $2,500
8th: Mark Shelton, Fayetteville, Ark., eight bass, 23-3, $2,200
9th: Scott Blaesi, North Platte, Neb., seven bass, 20-0, $1,600
10th: Christopher Lemon, Mooresville, Ind., seven bass, 19-7, $1,350
Shelton caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division Thursday, a largemouth weighing 6 pounds, 12 ounces, and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $200.
The Costa FLW Series on Lake Dardanelle was hosted by Russellville Advertising and Promotions. It was the first Central Division tournament of 2017. The next Costa FLW Series tournament will be a Southwestern Division event, held April 20-22, on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma. For a complete schedule, visit FLWFishing.com.
The Costa FLW Series consists of five U.S. divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western. Each division consists of three tournaments with competitors vying for valuable points that could earn them the opportunity to fish in the Costa FLW Series Championship. The 2017 Costa FLW Series Championship is being held Nov. 2-4 on Kentucky Lake in Paris, Tennessee.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Costa FLW Series on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
Rutland Wins ABA Ram Trucks Open on Lake Mitchell with over 18 pounds!
Chris Rutland Wetumpka, Alabama won the American Bass Anglers Ram Truck Open Series Alabama South tournament, held April 1st on the Lake Mitchell.
Running out of Higgins Ferry Park in Clanton, Alabama, Chris caught five bass weighing 18.06 pounds. For the Boater Division victory, took home a check for $5,000 for his win.
“They pulled water all day today out of Lay Lake dam so I fished current spots all day. I stayed out on the main lake and fished those current places all day. I probably caught twenty-five bass and I was fortunate to catch the right five. I caught a lot of spotted bass today concentrating on rocks, bluffs, rock piles, just mainly hard places. I caught fish on a spinnerbait, a zara spook, a shakey-head and a swim-bait. I caught my two bigger fish within the first thirty minutes of the day and my last big fish in the last thirty minutes of the day.” Rutland said.
In second for the boaters, Foster “Chip” Bradley of Bessemer, Alabama landed a five-bass tournament limit going 17.28 pounds. He collected $800 for his catch.
“I fish pretty clean today. I caught one on a swim-jig early and three on a senko and one off the bed. I was fishing mid lake grass and sea-walls.” Bradley said.
Stephen Rogers of Prattville, Alabama placed third for the boaters with five bass going 15.74 pounds. He earned $600 for his catch.
“I caught my fish on a swim-jig and a swim-bait and a deep diving crankbait. I was fishing the upper part of the lake targeting rocks with current. The morning bite was real good for me and I didn’t catch any fish after 10:00 am today.” Rogers said.
In fourth place among the boaters, Thomas Sommers of Deatsville, Alabama brought in five bass for 15.59 pounds.
Anthony Goggins of Clanton, Alabama finished in fifth place with five bass at 15.24 pounds.
The biggest bass for the boaters was caught by David Parsons of Dothan, Alabama that weighed 5.53 pounds and pocketed $500.
“I caught that big bass on a white swim-jig on a laydown on the South end of the lake. “ Parsons said.
In the Co-Angler Division, Jason Jones of Ozark, Alabama won with three bass going 10.54 pounds with a 4.32-pound kicker. He pocketed a check for $900 for his win and $135 for the big bass.
“I was fishing the South end of the lake throwing a white swim-jig and a 3/8 ounce green pumpkin jig. I caught my big bass on a white swim-jig on main lake grass. It feels great to finally win one. I want to give my boater, Tyler Crouch, a big thanks for putting me on the fish today.” Jones said.
Taking second for the co-anglers, Donathan Jacks of Clanton, Alabama brought in a three-bass division limit weighing 9.07 pounds. He collected $400 for the effort.
“I was fishing up river in the current with a swim-bait targeting main river rock,” Jacks said.
Justin Girdner of Wetumpka, Alabama placed third among the co-anglers with three bass going 8.82 pounds. He earned $300 for his catch.
“I was fishing up around Lay Lake dam with a shakey-head and a jig.” Girdner said.
In fourth place among the co-anglers, Donnie Perkins of Eufaula, Alabama brought in three bass for 8.52 pounds. Sam Fish of Alexander City, Alabama finished in fifth place with three bass at 8.40 pounds.
Slated for May 6th , the next tournament will be held on Lake Jordan out of Bonners Point Park in Clanton, AL. At the end of the season, the best anglers from across the nation advance the 2018 Ray Scott Championship to be held on the Red River 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.
Hudkins & Huinker win Arkansas Bass Team Trail event on Greers Ferry with over 17 pounds!
From ABTT Staffer:
A cloudy,breezy morning turning into a sunny breezy afternoon on one of the prettiest lakes in Arkansas. Greers Ferry Lake has been thru a pretty bad lull the past few years,,,that's over ! The lake is on a strong rebound according to the results that we seen.David Hudkins & Chris Huinker catch the winning bag,weighing in at 17.50,winning them a check for $10,000 !!! Billy Holt Jr. & Billy Holt Sr.just missed the win by a little,with 16.93 the Holt's take second place.Eric & Clark Johnson take third place with 16.33 & BB with a Greers Ferry pig weighing 5.90. Congratulations Guys !!! With 143 teams participating,there were 530 fish weighed in & released back into the lake.There was a total of 989.73 #sweighed in for an average of 6.87#s per team. We at ABTT are extremely proud of the participation at Greers Ferry,we would like to congratulate all of the winners & say a special THANK YOU to everyone competed !!!!!