AnglersChannel Insider Episode #13 Featuring BASS Elite Champ Kevin VanDam!!!!

On this weeks AnglersChannel Insider Podcast, The boys talk with the GOAT! Kevin VanDam on his recent Grand Lake win, They Talk Strike King Lures, Mustad Hooks, Minn Kota and Humminbird Technology and more! You do not want to miss this Episode! Make Sure to Rate and Review and Share with your friends!

by AnglersChannel

Strader Notches First Bassmaster Elite Series Victory On Kentucky Lake

Wesley Strader of Spring City, Tenn., won the 2018 Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Kentucky Lake presented by Abu Garcia out of Paris, Tenn., with a four-day total weight of 80 pounds, 4 ounces.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.

May 7, 2018

PARIS, Tenn. — The final day of the Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Kentucky Lake presented by Abu Garcia threw Wesley Strader the right pitch, and he knocked it out of the park.

Strader, a first-year Elite Series pro from Spring City, Tenn., caught a final-day limit of five bass that weighed 20 pounds, 11 ounces and earned his first Elite Series victory with a four-day total of 80-4

After sitting in 16th place on Day 1 with 19-6, Strader added 17-13 Saturday and improved to 11th, before taking over the Day 3 lead with 22-6 — the biggest catch of Sunday’s semifinal round.

His final-day catch cemented a $100,000 payday.

“Yesterday, I figured out that the fish were positioning under the walkways on the docks,” he said. “Today, that went away; they got out under the floats. It seemed like, as the sun got higher, the shade got tighter to the docks and you could pretty much pinpoint where they’d bite.

“I didn’t think the shad spawn was that big of a deal for me today. But I pulled up on a stretch of docks that I had not fished early in the morning and just about every cast, when I’d reel my bait out from underneath the floats, there would be two or three threadfin shad following my spinnerbait.”

Unlike the previous days, Strader was unable to leverage the early-morning shad spawn. But he put several keepers in the boat by alternating between a 5/8-ounce Stan Sloan Bango Blade spinnerbait with a white swimbait trailer, a buzzbait, a popping frog and a white Zoom Z-Craw that he swam through shallow bushes.

He still found some early productivity. But it was a magical, one-hour midday flurry that vaulted Strader into the unofficial BASSTrakk lead.

Flipping shallow bushes in a small pocket off Big Sandy Creek, Strader added three solid keepers — all 4-plus pounds — to his livewell. That left him releasing fish he normally would would not cull.

“That’s a good problem to have — catching 3-pounders and they can’t help you,” said Strader, as he chuckled during a BASS Live segment.

Strader caught his flipping fish on a Texas-rigged Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver with a 5/16-ounce Reins Tungsten sinker and a 5/0 Trokar hook fished on 20-pound Gamma Edge fluorocarbon. The Tramp Stamp color, he said, has proven productive in all his previous Kentucky Lake events. Trusting that pattern Monday proved to be a winning decision.

“For some reason, in this tea-colored water, they like that color,” he said.

Strader said his fish were probably postspawners. Targeting likely staging areas with vertical falls was key.

“I think I was just on a hot pocket where they were either coming out or guarding fry; I don’t think they were spawning,” he said. “They were just in those bushes chilling, and it was all on the initial fall of the bait.”

Auburn, Calif., superstar Skeet Reese missed his limit by one fish. But his four bass weighed 17-10 and he still finished second with 76-6. Reese spent much of his final day throwing a 7-inch line-through swimbait, but some of his key bites during the tournament came on a a Lucky Craft Magnum SKT squarebill.

“That’s a giant squarebill,” Reese said. “These fish aren’t eating little threadfin shad. They’re eating gizzard shad. They’re eating carp. So I did key in on the big baits this week. I caught some 4s, 5s and 6s on it.

Kelly Jaye of Dadeville, Ala., added a solid limit of 18-7 on the final day and improved two spots to third place with 73-6. Jaye caught all of his fish on a Megabass Vision 110 jerkbait in the matte shad color.

Jason Christie of Park Hill, Okla., placed fourth with 71-8, and Fred Roumbanis of Russellville, Ark., placed fifth with 70-5.

Bradley Roy was awarded $1,000 for the leading the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points race at the end of the event.

Strader also earned the Power-Pole Captain’s Cash Award of $1,000 for being the highest-placing angler who is registered and eligible and uses a client-approved product on his boat.

Shaw Grigsby Jr. was awarded $1,500 dollars as the winner of the Phoenix Boats Big Bass award. He had the largest bass of the tournament with a 7-11 on Day 2.

Christie was awarded the Toyota Bonus Bucks Award of $3,000 for being the highest-placing eligible entrant in the program. The second-highest-placing eligible entrant, Josh Bertrand, received $2,000.

2018 Bassmaster Elite At Kentucky Lake Title Sponsor: Berkley

2018 Bassmaster Elite At Kentucky Lake Presenting Sponsor: Abu Garcia

2018 Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Kentucky Lake presented by Abu Garcia 5/4-5/7
Kentucky Lake, Paris TN.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 4

Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$

1. Wesley Strader Spring City, TN 20 80-04 110 $101,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-06 Day 2: 5 17-13 Day 3: 5 22-06 Day 4: 5 20-11
2. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 18 76-06 109 $25,000.00
Day 1: 5 23-11 Day 2: 5 21-10 Day 3: 4 13-07 Day 4: 4 17-10
3. Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 20 73-06 108 $20,000.00
Day 1: 5 22-00 Day 2: 5 11-14 Day 3: 5 21-01 Day 4: 5 18-07
4. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 20 71-08 107 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-13 Day 2: 5 18-15 Day 3: 5 16-09 Day 4: 5 15-03
5. Fred Roumbanis Russellville, AR 18 70-05 106 $14,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-15 Day 2: 5 22-11 Day 3: 3 13-03 Day 4: 5 16-08
6. Josh Bertrand San Tan Valley, AZ 20 69-08 105 $13,500.00
Day 1: 5 20-02 Day 2: 5 13-15 Day 3: 5 18-06 Day 4: 5 17-01
7. Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL 20 68-08 104 $13,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-07 Day 2: 5 18-02 Day 3: 5 15-03 Day 4: 5 14-12
8. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 20 66-10 103 $12,500.00
Day 1: 5 16-14 Day 2: 5 19-09 Day 3: 5 16-02 Day 4: 5 14-01
9. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, KS 19 65-14 102 $12,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-04 Day 2: 5 18-04 Day 3: 5 19-05 Day 4: 4 11-01
10. Boyd Duckett Guntersville, AL 17 64-09 101 $11,500.00
Day 1: 4 14-02 Day 2: 5 24-00 Day 3: 5 17-15 Day 4: 3 08-08
11. Shaw Grigsby Jr. Gainesville, FL 17 60-12 100 $12,500.00
Day 1: 5 19-12 Day 2: 5 20-13 Day 3: 4 13-07 Day 4: 3 06-12
12. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 16 56-02 99 $10,500.00
Day 1: 5 16-00 Day 2: 5 20-09 Day 3: 5 16-01 Day 4: 1 03-08
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Shaw Grigsby Jr. Gainesville, FL 07-11 $1,500.00

by AnglersChannel

LEXINGTON’S WALSER WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE NORTH CAROLINA DIVISION TOURNAMENT ON JORDAN LAKE

West Virginia’s Grose Grabs Co-angler Title

NEW HILL, N.C. (May 7, 2018) – Boater Robert Walser of Lexington, North Carolina, caught a five-bass limit Saturday weighing 18 pounds, 11 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) North Carolina Division tournament on Jordan Lake. For his win, Walser was awarded $5,048.

Walser started his day fishing banks with rocks and wood on the lower end of the lake using a Rush Lures spinnerbait with a chartreuse-colored Zoom Swimmin’ Fluke Jr. He said he caught the bulk of his fish early, and was culling by 8 a.m.

“I figured out in practice on Tuesday that bass were trying to eat shad and when I returned Saturday, they were fairly close by,” said Walser, who earned his 10^th career win in BFL competition. “I ran my Garmin Panoptix and could see the rocks and stumps out in front of me. In addition to helping me stay off them, it helped me cast my spinnerbait to the right depths. The bait was 2 to 3 feet down and I wanted to keep it there.”

Around 11 a.m., Walser ran to the upper end of the lake in search of a kicker. He said he flipped wood with a green-pumpkin Zoom Baby Brush Hog rigged on a Berkley Fusion 19 Offset Hook with Hi-Seas fluorocarbon line.

“The hook was a bit smaller and didn’t get hung up as much – it’s a strong little hook,” said Walser. “I caught two that helped – a 2¾- and a 4-pounder – and they turned out to be what I needed to win it all.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st: Robert Walser, Lexington, N.C., five bass, 18-11, $3,048 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

2^nd: James Blankenship, Siler City, N.C., five bass, 18-1, $1,374

3^rd: Chad Poteat, Mount Airy, N.C., five bass, 18-0, $1,116

4^th: Billy Bledsoe, Fayetteville, N.C., five bass, 17-12, $793

5^th: Matt Stoupa, Colonial Heights, Va., five bass, 16-2, $650

6^th: Ryan Deal, Indian Trail, N.C., four bass, 14-12, $504

7^th: Neil Eckberg, Cary, N.C., five bass, 13-15, $458

8^th: Russell Corry, Shelby, N.C., four bass, 12-11, $412

9^th: Ralph Hollifield Jr., Winston-Salem, N.C., three bass, 10-14, $495

9^th: Doug Dulin, Apex, N.C., three bass, 10-14, $343

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Bledsoe brought a 6-pound, 3-ounce bass to the scale – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $152.

Nathan Grose of Summersville, West Virginia, won the Co-angler Division and $1,574 Saturday after catching four bass weighing 11 pounds, 11 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st: Nathan Grose, Summersville, W. Va., four bass, 11-11, $1,574

2^nd: Zach Lyles, Charlotte, N.C., three bass, 10-8, $687

3^rd: Brian Transon, Sherrills Ford, N.C., four bass, 10-3, $459

4^th: Justin Johnson, Apex, N.C., two bass, 9-6, $473

5^th: Robert Green, Sedalia, N.C., four bass, 8-3, $275

6^th: Mark Whitman, Elon, N.C., two bass, 7-14, $302

7^th: Frank Earnhardt, Troy, N.C., three bass, 6-12, $229

8^th: Tristen Trull, Mount Holly, N.C., three bass, 6-10, $206

9^th: Mathew Baker, Asheboro, N.C., two bass, 6-9, $183

10^th: Robert Jarrett, Lexington, N.C., three bass, 6-7, $160

Johnson caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division weighing in at 7 pounds, 6 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $152.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 11-13 BFL Regional Championship on Chesapeake Bay in North East, Maryland. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.

The 2018 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2018 BFL All-American will be held May 31-June 2 at Cross Lake in Shreveport, Louisiana, and is hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.

by AnglersChannel

PRESCOTT HIGH SCHOOL WINS TBF/FLW HIGH SCHOOL FISHING ARKANSAS STATE CHAMPIONSHIP ON LAKE DARDANELLE

RUSSELVILLE, Ark. (May 7, 2018) – The Prescott High School fishing duo of Bryer Pennington and Jack Arnette, both of Prescott, Arkansas, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 19 pounds, 3 ounces to win the 2018 TBF/FLW High School Fishing Arkansas State Championship on Lake Dardanelle.

A field of 91 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from Lake Dardanelle State Park in Russellville. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.

The top nine teams on Lake Dardanelle that qualified for the 2018 High School Fishing National Championship were:

1st: Prescott High School, Prescott, Ark. – Bryer Pennington and Jack Arnette, both of Prescott, Ark., five bass, 19-3

2nd: Northwest Arkansas Youth Fishing Club – Gavin Webb, Farmington, Ark., and Gavin Pennington, Springdale, Ark., five bass, 15-1

3rd: Westside Anglers – Tanner Fife, Greers Ferry, Ark., and Tristen Cottrell, Prim, Ark., five bass, 14-10

4th: NEA Youth Fishing – Jay Morgan and Cade Gartman, both of Trumann, Ark., five bass 14-8

5th: Arkansas Youth Fishing Association – Johnathan Pipkens, Benton, Ark., and Malachi Thornton, Lonsdale, Ark., five bass, 14-7

6th: Cabot High School, Cabot, Ark. – Quaid Barber and Gavin Smith, both of Cabot, Ark., five bass, 12-11

7th: Greenbrier High School, Greenbrier Ark. – Cameron Fortner and Justin Watson, five bass, 11-15

8th: Highland High School, Highland Ark. – Spemncer Wiles, Hardy, Ark., and Matt Boyd, Cherokee Village, Ark., five bass, 11-12

8th: Western Arkansas High School Hawg Hunters – Noah Newell and Weston Bufkin, both of Van Buren, Ark., five bass, 11-12

Rounding out the top 10:

10th: Mena High School, Mena, Ark. – Austin Johnston and Austin Rose, both of Mena, Ark., five bass, 11-9

Complete results from the event can be found at HighSchoolFishing.org.

The 2018 TBF/FLW High School Fishing Arkansas State Championship 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 on Pickwick Lake, in Florence, Alabama, June 26-29. The High School Fishing national champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice.

In addition to the High School Fishing National Championship, all High School Fishing anglers nationwide automatically qualify for the world’s largest high school bass tournament, the 2018 High School Fishing World Finals, held in conjunction with the National Championship on Pickwick Lake. At the 2017 World Finals more than $60,000 in scholarships and prizes were awarded.

Full schedules and the latest announcements are available at HighSchoolFishing.org and FLWFishing.com.

by AnglersChannel

Boatright & Maxwell champion Bass Champs Central Region finale on LBJ Anglers of the Year are named!

By: Patty Lenderman

It has been quite a season for Bass Champs Central Region teams, and the anticipation factor for the final event May 5, 2018 on LBJ only increased with weather delays. Nearly $53,000 was up for grabs and it was the last tournament to accumulate the points needed in the Anglers of the Year race. The hunt was on, but in the end it was Nick Boatright and Chad Maxwell who came out on top to win over $20,000!

The morning of the tournament greeted 174 teams with a heavy blanket of fog. “We had to keep everyone at the launch until the visibility improved,” stated Chad Potts, President of Bass Champs. “Everyone was biting at the bit to get started, but the safety of our participants is paramount.” After two long hours of delay, boats were finally released to start the hunt. “We extended the fishing time at the end of the day by one hour. Once the fog lifted, it was a beautiful sunny day with very little wind out of the North.”

Winners Nick Boatright and Chad Maxwell had planned to start their day using topwater lures. “Once we were able to get to our spots, it was too late for the topwater bite,” Chad recalled. They went to their first area, and didn’t do any good so started hunting different places. “We stayed in fairly shallow areas, all less than ten feet deep. Our third spot had brush piles and rock, and we started catching fish.” They used jigs and crankbaits throughout the day, staying on the move. Around noon, Chad latched on to their kicker fish, weighing in at 7.40 pounds on a jig in a brush pile. “That was a big help to our limit. At one point we lost a four pounder at the boat, and couldn’t help but think about it all day. We figured it would probably take 25 pounds to win, and we may have blown it losing that fish.” They tried a lot of old spots, and some new ones, mostly trying to find places without any boats on it. “Our last fish of the day was on a crank bait. It was a six pounder, and we culled a 3# with it.” Being in the first flight, they were among the first to weigh in, establishing the bar to beat at 23.50 pounds. “We just kept watching as all of the other teams came in, expecting to get knocked down at any time.” When it was all said and done, they stayed on top to win 1st place and $20,000! They also won the Lowrance bonus. “We just had an awesome day. I caught my personal best fish, and we caught our best stringer in this tournament. I guess it was just meant to be!” Chad concluded.

Jake Kennamer and Carson Conklin had a slow start, but came out with a 2nd place win. “Once we were let go, there were jet ski’s and wave runners everywhere,” Jake began. “We bounced around all morning looking for fish, and didn’t have anything at noon.” It wasn’t for lack of bites. They simply missed some and broke off on others. Then things started to change. Jake caught one around six pounds to christen their livewell with. “We started catching one here, one there, and finally had a limit around 15 pounds.” They tried deep water, they tried shallow water, docks and shady pockets. “It was getting late, and we only had about 30 minutes left to fish. We decided to do a Hail Mary and head to a shallow sea wall.” It must have been the power of prayer, as they caught their biggest fish at 6.81 pounds, plus made two other culls, increasing their overall weight by seven pounds in those last minutes! Weighing in, their best five totaled 22.28 pounds for a 2nd place finish and a check for $3,500. “We are really pleased how it all turned out. We had a great day, and are hoping for a 1st place finish someday!”

There was a tie for 3rd place. The father and son team of Kenneth and Jesse Fry as well as brothers Adrian and Daniel Barnes came in with 21.09 pounds. Kenneth said Jesse caught their fish and he netted them all day. “They seemed to only be hitting on that one bait,” Kenneth chuckled. Jesse was using a white-ish colored swim bait for his fortune. “I threw a lot of other stuff, but wasn’t having any luck on any of it,” Kenneth continued. They focused on isolated grass patches in 6’-8’ depths, and had a limit by noon. “Most of our fish were small, but we culled the rest of the day. Our better fish bit in the afternoon.” Now you may ask why Kenneth didn’t throw the same bait? “We had other swim baits like it, but they were all darker color and the fish only wanted that one lighter one!” They made significant culls late in the afternoon, starting by catching their biggest fish at around seven pounds. “Some of them we culled up by a few pounds, but we gained five pounds off of that biggest one.” The team tied the win for 3rd place earning a check for $2,250.

Brothers Daniel and Adrian Barnes hadn’t pre-fished for the tournament, but know LBJ well. “We went to a deep spot after the take off delay,” Adrian began, “and managed a limit within thirty minutes.” Mostly small fish, they headed to shallow water hunting for more. “We caught around fifteen fish throughout the day, and were able to cull four times. Our best cull was exchanging a 7.73 for a two pounder.” Every bit counts, and their weight also hit 21.09 lbs for a shared 3rd place win. They received $2,250 then Skeeter Boats doubled their win for being the highest placing team fishing out of a qualified Skeeter boat.

There were a lot of big bass seen at the scales, and the biggest of them all weighed 8.75 pounds. The team of Landon Glass and Craig Cordova brought this brute in catching a check for $500. It also anchored their 4th place overall finish with 20.73 lbs for another $1,700 check.

All total twenty three teams went home with winnings. The last $600 check went to Travis Daugherty and Travis Cockerham having 15.45 lbs.

With this final regular season event now in the books for the Central Region, the Anglers of the Year have been named. Lee Beuershausen and Randy Grounds have held on to the lead in points for most of the season and landed at the top of the pack earning the title Bass Champs 2018 Central Region Anglers of the Year!

Full Results HERE!

by AnglersChannel

WAYNESFIELD’S LOGAN WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE BUCKEYE DIVISION OPENER PRESENTED BY NAVIONICS ON OHIO RIVER

Kentucky’s Howard Wins Co-angler Title

LAWRENCEBURG, Ind. (May 7, 2018) – Boater Bob Logan of Waynesfield, Ohio, caught five bass weighing 12 pounds, 4 ounces, Saturday to win the 2018 T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Buckeye Division opener on the Ohio River presented by Navionics. For his victory, Logan earned $6,000.

“I was fishing down by the dam, near Craig’s Creek,” said Logan, who earned his second career win in BFL competition. “During practice on Thursday and Friday I worked my way down the river and caught a bunch of little males that were setting up on the nests. I knew the females would be coming in, so that’s where I concentrated my time during the tournament.

“I couldn’t sight fish, because the water wasn’t clean enough,” Logan continued. “So, I would just make blind casts to those areas where I knew the beds were and the females were setting up. I managed to catch six keepers.”

Five of Logan’s keepers came on a Zoom Brush Hog, green-pumpkin with a chartreuse-dyed tip, Texas-rigged with a 3/16 ounce weight. His sixth keeper came on a black-and-blue-colored Reaction Innovation’s Little Beaver, rigged the same as the Brush Hog.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st: Bob Logan, Waynesfield, Ohio, five bass, 12-4, $4,000 + $2,000 Ranger Cup

2^nd: Michael Powell Jr., Greendale, Ind., five bass, 11-6, $2,200

3^rd: Dick Shaffer, Rockford, Ohio, five bass, 10-13, $1,334

4^th: Pat White, Batavia, Ohio, five bass, 10-9, $933

5^th: Ken Garbe, Wyoming, Ohio, five bass, 10-5, $800

6^th: Cody Seeger, Bellefontaine, Ohio, five bass, 9-14, $833

7^th: Douglas Lyon, Cincinnati, Ohio, five bass, 9-7, $667

8^th: Mark Dove, North Vernon, Ind., five bass, 8-11, $600

9^th: Chris Wilkinson, Farmersburg, Ind., five bass, 8-10, $533

10^th: Sean Wieda, Florence, Ky., five bass, 8-5, $467

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Steve Hengehold of Cincinnati, Ohio, caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 14 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $540.

Trevor Howard of Union, Kentucky, won the Co-angler Division and $2,228 Saturday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 11 pounds, 5 ounces. Howard earned $2,228 for his victory.

The top 10 co-anglers finished:

1^st: Trevor Howard, Union, Ky., five bass, 11-5, $2,228

2^nd: Dennis Hughes, Bethel, Ohio, three bass, 8-7, $981

3^rd: Jonathan Fulton, Ray, Ohio, five bass, 8-0, $855

4^th: Hunter Fillmore, Waynesville, Ohio, five bass, 7-12, $508

5^th: Ryan Sykes, Hamilton, Ohio, five bass, 7-2, $393

6^th: John Lane, Findlay, Ohio, five bass, 6-13, $360

7^th: Remington Throckmorton, Otway, Ohio, five bass, 6-9, $327

8^th: Clint Brodsky, Burlington, Ky., five bass, 6-6, $294

9^th: Joshua Wright, Arcanum, Ohio, four bass, 5-10, $262

10^th: Frank Aldridge, Wheelersburg, Ohio, five bass, 5-5, $229

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 11-13 BFL Regional Championship on the Chesapeake Bay in North East, Maryland. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.

by AnglersChannel

Kevin Phillips and Robert Medas win 2018 Alabama Bass Trail Lake Jordan

by Dan O’Sullivan

May 5, 2018 – Wetumpka, Ala. – When the Southern Division of the Alabama Bass Trail launched into the waters of Lake Jordan for its fourth stop of the season, the discussion of boat numbers being critical, bed fish and shad spawn was rampant. The compactness of the lake meant that hot spots and waypoints for bedding areas might mimic parking lots more so than a fishing tournament.

Because of the crowded conditions, there was no real way to be able to accurately assess what it would take to win the day. With Lake Jordan, there is the varied chance that a bag of spotted or largemouth bass eclipsing 20 pounds could win, or, a solid mixed bag would take the win.

What ended up happening was that the team of Kevin Phillips and Robert Medas found a quality bite early and enough bedding largemouth to sack an 18.62-pound limit to take home their first Alabama Bass Trail victory, the $10,000 first prize and clinch their trip to the ABT Championship in October. They also earned the $500 Mountain Dew Big Bass Bonus with their 5.13-pound largemouth.

The pair said they had 10 bedded fish marked after practice, and were able to get one key bite early to seal the deal. “We caught our big fish in the morning on a frog and then caught six other bed fish throughout the day,” they reported. “Our waypoints covered much of the main lake, and it took most of the day to get our limit. We never thought that 18.62 would be enough to win. We’ve had better days and gotten edged out, and to be standing here now is an amazing feeling.

The reported catching the one fish on a white SPRO Popping Frog and the bed fish coming on a 1/4-ounce brown Big Money Bait Company jig with a black Zoom Z Hog as a trailer.

Chris Rutland is a familiar name atop the Alabama Bass Trail standings, usually with Coby Carden, his typical team partner. However, with Carden expecting to have having back surgery, the pair named longtime friend Mike Keel as their alternate for the season. That pairing resulted in a 17.56-pound mixed bag limit, good for a second place finish and a check for $5,000, as well as the $500 bonus for using Garmin electronics.

The pair said that their strategy revolved around the grass and the shad spawn. “We all love fishing for postspawn fish around the shad spawn with homemade swim jig and frog,” they said. “We spent the morning doing that and caught two of our better fish, then turned to hard spots with a crankbait and deep jig with a Big Bite Baits Fighting Frog as a trailer.”

The team of Evan Robbins and Justin Coker finished the day in third place with 17.08 pounds, which earned them a pay day of $4,000. The rest of the Top 10 Standings are below, for complete standings visit: http://www.alabamabasstrail.org/tournament-series/lj-results/

Place	Anglers	Weight	Big Fish	Winnings
1	Kevin Phillips / Robert Medas	18.62	5.13	$10,000
2	Chris Rutland / Mike Keel	17.56	4.23	$5,000
3	Evan Robbins / Justin Coker	17.08	5.10	$4,000
4	Martin (Rocky) Lyons / Daniel McQueen	17.00		$3,000
5	Jeff Morgan / Tim Vanegmond	16.66	4.74	$2,000
6	John Pollard / Dallas Weldon	16.42		$1,500
7	Jimmy Miller / Chris Miller	16.39		$1,100
8	Daryl Crenshaw / Barry Chaffin	16.27		$1,100
9	Keith Kirkley / Jeff Kirkley	16.26		$1,100
10	Chris Cook / Lawson Cook	16.17		$1,100

Full Results

For information about Alabama Bass Trail and for complete tournament standings visit www.alabamabasstrail.org.

by AnglersChannel

MCKEE’S AKEMON WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE MOUNTAIN DIVISION TOURNAMENT ON LAKE CUMBERLAND

Michigan’s Wathen Grabs Co-angler Title

BURNSIDE, Ky. (May 7, 2018) – Boater Jason Akemon of McKee, Kentucky, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Mountain Division event on Lake Cumberland Saturday with five bass weighing 18 pounds, 15 ounces. For his efforts, Akemon took home $4,271.

Akemon said he spent his day sight-fishing toward the dam, and that his fish were scattered along a 5-mile stretch.

“I found 11 fish in practice that were worth going after and were fairly protected,” said Akemon, who notched his first career win in FLW competition. “I knew it was going to be windy and rainy, so I needed to have fish I could get to.”

Akemon said he originally planned on targeting smallmouth out deep, but decided to stick with bed-fishing.

“I was afraid the smallmouth bite would fall off with the front coming in, and it did. I fished for them in practice Thursday and by Friday it had already started falling off,” said Akemon. “I knew I could get 18 or 19 pounds bed-fishing and it ended up being the right decision. I had my limit by 7:45 a.m.”

Akemon ended up bringing two smallmouth and three largemouth to the scale. He used two baits - a Z-Man ChatterBait with a Strike King Rage Tail Craw trailer for smallmouth, and a white Texas-rigged Zoom Baby Brush Hog for largemouth.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st: Jason Akemon, McKee, Ky., five bass, 18-15, $4,271

2^nd: Ryan Coleman, Utica, Ky., five bass, 17-10, $2,136

3^rd: Michael Morrison, Georgetown, Ky., five bass, 16-2, $1,424

4^th: Dwight Fox, Gainesboro, Tenn., five bass, 15-4, $1,125

4^th: Jason Barr, Fort Campbell, Ky., five bass, 15-4, $925

6^th: Brian Wilson, Somerset, Ky., five bass, 15-2, $1,183

7^th: James Copeland, Bowling Green, Ky., five bass, 13-15, $712

8^th: Robert Reagan, Byrdstown, Tenn., five bass, 13-14, $641

9^th: Jeff Carman, Liberty, Ky., five bass, 13-13, $569

10^th: Billy Hall, Florence, Ky., five bass, 13-12, $498

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Curtis Hall of Florence, Kentucky, brought a 5-pound, 4-ounce bass to the scale – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $595.

James Wathen of Royal Oak, Michigan, won the Co-angler Division and $2,346 Saturday after bringing four bass weighing 10 pounds, 14 ounces, to the scale.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st: James Wathen, Royal Oak, Mich., four bass, 10-14, $2,346

2^nd: Levi Neathery, Albany, Ky., five bass, 10-8, $1,050

3^rd: Mark Major, Nicholasville, Ky., five bass, 9-7, $701

4^th: Darren Kelly, Wartburg, Tenn., five bass, 9-5, $540

5^th: Taylor Wisniewski, Lexington, Ky., five bass, 9-4, $420

6^th: R.J. Anderson, Beaver Dam, Ky., five bass, 8-13, $385

7^th: Brian Reed, Cookeville, Tenn., four bass, 8-7, $350

8^th: Jeff Pergram, Richmond, Ky., four bass, 8-6, $297

8^th: Michael Skaggs, Brownsville, Ky., four bass, 8-6, $297

10^th: Doug Adkins, Gray Hawk, Ky., four bass, 8-4, $245

Wathen also caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division weighing in at 3 pounds, 14 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $146.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 25-27 BFL Regional Championship on Lake Chickamauga in Dayton, Tennessee. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.

by AnglersChannel

GEORGIA’S JONES WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE CHOO CHOO DIVISION TOURNAMENT ON NEELY HENRY LAKE

Co-angler Title Goes to Tennessee’s White

GADSDEN, Ala. (May 7, 2018) – Boater Bradley Jones of Aragon, Georgia, brought five bass to the scale Saturday weighing 17 pounds, 8 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Choo Choo Division event on Neely Henry Lake. Jones took home $5,224 for his efforts.

“I caught bedding fish that I’d found a couple weeks earlier and in practice,” said Jones, who logged his fourth win on Neely Henry Lake in BFL competition. “I never actually saw any of them during the tournament, but I made some long pitches into their general area and they bit on the first cast each time.”

Jones said he fished three larger creeks on the lower end of the lake. He caught around 15 fish throughout the event, citing a Texas-rigged green-pumpkin-colored V&M J-Bug as his bait of choice.

“I could tell where the beds were by the way the structure was,” said Jones. “I just pitched it in there and they bit it, there wasn’t really anything to it. I couldn’t have asked for a better scenario – everything just worked out.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st: Bradley Jones, Aragon, Ga., five bass, 17-8, $5,224

2^nd: Andrew Johnson, Glencoe, Ala., five bass, 16-10, $2,197

3^rd: Blake Hall, Hartselle, Ala., five bass, 15-10, $1,564

4^th: Landon Lomax, Owens Cross Roads, Ala., five bass, 15-6, $1,025

5^th: Geoff McKnight, Rainbow City, Ala., five bass, 14-11, $879

6^th: Brandon McGinnis, Pell City, Ala., four bass, 13-13, $805

7^th: Scott Chatham, Kingston, Ga., five bass, 13-9, $732

8^th: Brian Davenport, Attalla, Ala., five bass, 13-5, $659

9^th: Terry Tucker, Gadsden, Ala., five bass, 13-2, $586

10^th: Jeff Cannon, Douglasville, Ga., five bass, 12-6, $513

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Jones also brought a 6-pound, 3-ounce bass to the scale – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $630.

Truman White of Spring Hill, Tennessee, won the Co-angler Division and $2,612 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 16 pounds, 5 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st: Truman White, Spring Hill, Tenn., five bass, 16-5, $2,612

2^nd: Cameron Gatlin, Chattanooga, Tenn., five bass, 13-2, $1,148

3^rd: Steven White, Ashville, Ala., five bass, 12-11, $733

4^th: Kenny Pannell, Springville, Ala., five bass, 11-14, $513

5^th: Davey Bailey, Warrior, Ala., five bass, 10-8, $439

6^th: Marcus Corbett, Anniston, Ala., five bass, 10-2, $403

7^th: Jason Risley, Cordova, Tenn., five bass, 9-14, $366

8^th: David Blakely, Kingsport, Tenn., five bass, 9-13, $330

9^th: Sal Pinto, Cumming, Ga., five bass, 9-2, $293

10^th: Michael Corbett, Oxford, Ala., five bass, 8-13, $256

White also caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division weighing in at 5 pounds, 7 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $315.

by AnglersChannel

SOCIAL CIRCLE’S CARTER WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE BULLDOG DIVISION EVENT ON LAKE SINCLAIR

Athens’ Kimmel Grabs Co-angler Title

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. (May 7, 2018) – Boater Kip Carter of Social Circle, Georgia, caught a five-bass limit weighing 18 pounds, 2 ounces, Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Bulldog Division event on Lake Sinclair. For his efforts, Carter netted $6,126.

“I caught the majority of my fish in the first two hours of the day during the shad spawn,” said Carter, who earned his second career win on Lake Sinclair in BFL competition. “I fished mid-lake, targeting grass and seawalls.”

Carter said he used three baits – a buzzbait, a Nasty Shad-colored Spro Dean Rojas 65 Bronzeye Frog and a custom chartreuse and white-colored spinnerbait with gold double-willow leaf blades and a white Zoom Split Tail trailer.

“The spinnerbait caught more in terms of the number of fish, but the topwaters got the bigger ones,” said Carter.

With around 15 pounds of fish in his livewell, Carter left the shad spawn and flipped docks for the remainder of his day with a Junebug-colored Zoom Trick Worm on a shaky-head rig.

“I stayed mid-lake and got a couple key bites that ended up anchoring my bag for the win,” said Carter.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st: Kip Carter, Social Circle, Ga., five bass, 18-2, $4,126 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

2^nd: Dylan Peppers, Good Hope, Ga., five bass, 15-13, $1,963

3^rd: Mark Svendsen, Doraville, Ga., five bass, 14-2, $1,939

4^th: Steve Phillips, Douglas, Ga., five bass, 12-12, $916

5^th: John McKinney, Palatka, Fla., five bass, 12-6, $785

6^th: Terry Adams, Mansfield, Ga., five bass, 11-7, $720

7^th: Tony Couch, Buckhead, Ga., five bass, 11-5, $654

8^th: David Milsaps, Ranger, Ga., five bass, 11-3, $856

8^th: Pat Fisher, Colbert, Ga., five bass, 11-3, $556

10^th: John Bitter, Maitland, Fla., five bass, 10-4, $458

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Svendsen brought a 5-pound, 12-ounce bass to the scale – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $530.

Justin Kimmel of Athens, Georgia, won the Co-angler Division and $2,228 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 11 pounds, 2 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st: Justin Kimmel, Athens, Ga., five bass, 11-2, $2,228

2^nd: Mike Thornton, Jonesboro, Ga., four bass, 8-11, $1,081

3^rd: Matthew O’Connell, Brooks, Ga., five bass, 8-3, $705

4^th: Brandon Padilla, Roswell, Ga., five bass, 8-0, $458

5^th: Zachary Padilla, Roswell, Ga., three bass, 7-10, $393

6^th: Daniel Bentley, Fayetteville, Ga., five bass, 7-9, $360

7^th: Ariel Laria, Flowery Branch, Ga., four bass, 7-5, $294

7^th: Ron Lee, Cumming, Ga., four bass, 7-5, $294

7^th: Carlos Guzman, Fayetteville, Ga., four bass, 7-5, $294

10^th: Christopher Wilder, Macon, Ga., four bass, 7-3, $229

Kimmel also caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division weighing in at 5 pounds, 8 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $265.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 11-13 BFL Regional Championship on St. Johns River in Palatka, Florida. 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.

by AnglersChannel

NORMAN’S FAUCETT WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE OKIE DIVISION TOURNAMENT ON ARKANSAS RIVER

Tulsa’s Hemphill Wins Co-angler Title

MUSKOGEE, Okla. (May 7, 2018) – Boater Eric Faucett of Norman, Oklahoma, caught five bass Saturday weighing 15 pounds, 7 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Okie Division tournament on the Arkansas River. For his efforts, Faucett pocketed $6,019.

“I worked through shallow flats in Kerr Reservoir that had scattered cover – stumps, grass, laydowns – a lot of different stuff,” said Faucett, who earned his first career win in FLW competition. “There were eight other boats in there, and I ended up fishing behind them.”

Faucett said two of his fish came on a 3/8-ounce chartreuse and white-colored War Eagle spinnerbait with a gold willow-leaf blade and a red Colorado kicker blade, noting that they were two of his more quality bites. Of the other three bass that filled his limit, one came on a black Booyah Poppin’ Pad Crasher Frog and the other two came on a black Stanley Top Toad.

“The reason I switched to the Top Toad was because the fishing slowed down and I wanted to give them something they had to react to,” said Faucett. “I threw it on a high-speed Quantum S3 Tour reel with 7-to-1 ratio. The high-speed reel gave them as little time as possible to think about it.”

Faucett said he caught around 30 fish throughout the day.

“They loved the frogs – after a while it was about sifting through the keepers,” said Faucett.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st: Eric Faucett, Norman, Okla., five bass, 15-7, $6,019

2^nd: Billy Hardin, Tuttle, Okla., five bass, 15-6, $2,860

3^rd: Joe Erwin, Cleora, Okla., five bass, 14-12, $1,837

4^th: Dale Hightower, Mannford, Okla., five bass, 14-0, $1,288

5^th: John Shore, Owasso, Okla., five bass, 13-12, $1,104

6^th: Jeff Dobson, Bartlesville, Okla., five bass, 13-9, $1,012

7^th: Mark Johnson, Weleetka, Okla., five bass, 12-10, $920

8^th: Jeff Peterson, Pryor, Okla., five bass, 12-6, $828

9^th: Jason Beem, Gravette, Ark., four bass, 12-1, $736

10^th: Jay Nyce, Rogers, Ark., five bass, 12-0, $644

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Jason Sandidge of Centerton, Arkansas, brought a 5-pound, 12-ounce bass to the scale – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $885.

Aaron Hemphill of Tulsa, Oklahoma, won the Co-angler Division and $2,960 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 11 pounds, 8 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st: Aaron Hemphill, Tulsa, Okla., five bass, 11-8, $2,960

2^nd: Stephen Delgado, Lee’s Summit, Mo., three bass, 9-11, $1,430

3^rd: Nathan Christie, Claremore, Okla., three bass, 9-3, $918

4^th: Chase Williams, Riverton, Kan., four bass, 9-1, $644

5^th: Shane McGlothlin, Anadarko, Okla., four bass, 8-11, $552

6^th: Keith Baucom, Oklahoma City, Okla., four bass, 7-15, $506

7^th: Darrin Allen, Mounds, Okla., three bass, 7-14, $460

8^th: Lang Yang, Miami, Okla., three bass, 7-12, $635

9^th: Jacob Girty, Porum, Okla., three bass, 7-3, $368

10^th: Darin Comstock, Denison, Texas, three bass, 6-13, $322

Wyatt Asbill of Gans, Oklahoma, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division weighing in at 4 pounds, 5 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $221.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 25-27 BFL Regional Championship on the Lake of the Ozarks in Osage Beach, Missouri. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.

by AnglersChannel

BRYAN COLLEGE ANGLER SKIPS GRADUATION, WINS YETI FLW COLLEGE FISHING EVENT AT LAKE CHICKAMAUGA

DAYTON, Tenn. (May 7, 2018) – The Bryan College team of Nathan Bell of Riceville, Tennessee, and Cole Sands of Calhoun, Tennessee, won the YETI FLW College Fishing event at Lake Chickamauga presented by Bass Pro Shops on Saturday with a five-bass limit weighing 21 pounds, 9 ounces. The victory earned the Lions bass club $2,000 and a spot in the 2019 FLW College Fishing National Championship.

“It was a pretty good day for me,” said Bell, a senior majoring in business administration and management. “I actually graduated on Saturday as well, but I skipped the ceremony so I could compete in this tournament. I’d rather be out fishing, anyways.”

“We had an unbelievable practice,” said Sands, a junior majoring in business management. “We thought we were going to be fishing deep, but the fish were still shallow. We watched the weather and knew that it was going to be cloudy and overcast during the tournament, so we spent our entire practice day on Thursday just running around and marking waypoints where we could see fish on beds.”

The Bryan College duo said that they had around 20 different waypoints marked to visit during the tournament and although they didn’t get to all of them, they did catch around 20 keepers throughout the day. They said they mainly concentrated on a five-mile stretch of water from near the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant to Harrison Bay.

“Our main bait was a 1/16-ounce Big Bite Baits shaky-head rig with a 4-inch blue flash-colored Zoom Finesse worm,” Bell said. “Of the five bass that we weighed in, three came on that. We also weighed in two on a green-pumpkin (Berkley Havoc) Pit Boss, Texas-rigged with a ¼-ounce tungsten weight.”

“The key was definitely marking all of those fish in practice on Thursday,” Sands went on to say. “They were really spooked, and if you got to close to them you weren’t able to catch them. So having those marks allowed us to make long casts and catch a lot of fish that we never would have seen Saturday.”

The top 10 teams on Lake Chickamauga that advanced to the 2019 College Fishing National Championship are:

1^st: Bryan College – Nathan Bell, Riceville, Tenn., and Cole Sands, Calhoun, Tenn., five bass, 21-9, $2,400

2^nd: Lipscomb University – Hunter Hanks, Hermitage, Tenn., and Scout Monteith, Nashville, Tenn., five bass, 21-7, $1,200

3^rd: Auburn University – Lucas Lindsay and Logan Parks, both of Auburn, Ala., five bass, 20-1, $500

4^th: University of Tennessee – Saxton Long, Pulaski, Tenn., and Jordan Burdette, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 19-1, $500

5^th: Calhoun Community College – Dakota Guzman, Moulton, Ala., and Zane Loveday, Killen, Ala., five bass, 18-13, $500

6^th: Auburn University – Peyton McCord, Headland, Ala., and Cole Burdeshaw, Newville, Ala., five bass, 18-9

7^th: Clemson University – Brady Waits, Clemson, S.C., and Liam West, Greenville, S.C., five bass, 18-8

8^th: Lander University – Austin Gregory, Georgetown, S.C., and Kevin Latham, Greenwood, S.C., five bass, 18-7

9^th: Bethel University – Nathon Portch, McKenzie, Tenn., and Cully Scroggins, Longview, Wash., five bass, 17-14

10^th: University of Montevallo – Justin Barnes, Monroeville, Ala., and Adam Carroll, Carrollton, Ga., five bass, 16-8

FLW also advances one additional team to the National Championship for every 10 teams over 100 that compete. A total of 136 teams participated in this event, so also advancing to the 2019 College Fishing National Championship are:

11^th: Savannah College of Art & Design – Reese Kingston, Villa Rica, Ga., and Cody Stahl, Griffin, Ga., four bass, 15-14

12^th: University of North Alabama – Nathan Doss, Cullman, Ala., and Charles Rieser, Huntsville, Ala., five bass, 15-11

13^th: Bethel University – Brad Ableman, Latham, N.Y., and Kristopher Queen, Catawba, N.C., five bass, 15-8

Complete results for the entire field can be found at FLWFishing.com.

The YETI FLW College Fishing event at Lake Chickamauga presented by Bass Pro Shops was hosted by the Rhea Economic and Tourism Council, and was the third and final regular-season qualifying tournaments for Southeastern Conference anglers in 2018. The next YETI FLW College Fishing event takes place May 12, when Western Conference anglers compete at the YETI FLW College Fishing event at Clear Lake presented by Bass Pro Shops in Lakeport, California.

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 and the top 20 teams from the annual FLW College Fishing Open will advance to the 2019 FLW College Fishing National Championship. Additional teams will qualify for the National Championship if the field size in regular-season events exceeds 100 boats.

The 2018 FLW College Fishing National Championship will take place May 30-June 1 on the Red River in Shreveport, Louisiana, and is hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission & Red River Waterway Commission.

YETI FLW 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 complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow YETI FLW College Fishing on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.

by AnglersChannel

Humminbird® and Minn Kota® Honored with Boating Industry Magazine’s 2018 Top Products Awards

RACINE, Wis., May 7, 2018 – Boating Industry Magazine has announced its Top Products awards for 2018 and included products from both Humminbird® and Minn Kota®.

The fifth annual Boating Industry Magazine Top Products include the Humminbird SOLIX® 10 which earned top billing in the fish finder category and Minn Kota Talon®, the winner in the shallow water anchor category. This year marks the first time Humminbird has been honored, while Minn Kota earned Top Products awards in 2017 (Ultrex™ Trolling Motor) and 2016 (Riptide Ulterra™ Trolling Motor).

“Winning two categories in this year’s Top Product awards is validation of our work providing anglers with tools and technologies that make their time on the water more productive,” said Serena Petri, Director of Marketing for Johnson Outdoors Marine Electronics. “Our unique ability to bring connectivity to the Humminbird and Minn Kota products has brought seamless automated boat control to the fishing world.”

SOLIX 10 is the newest member of the SOLIX family, joining the 12- and 15-inch models. This new model has received rave reviews since its introduction and is packed full of advanced features. Its Cross Touch® Interface lets anglers operate the unit via touchscreen or keypad. Ultra-clear MEGA Imaging™ is the first Down and Side Imaging technology to enter the megahertz range resulting in the clearest, sharpest on-screen images ever seen. Also, AutoChart® Live is an exclusive Humminbird technology that allows the user to map and save depth contours, bottom hardness and vegetation data on any body of water.

The new Minn Kota Talon gives anglers full control over their shallow water anchor from anywhere on the boat utilizing a variety of control options (control panel, Talon remote, i-Pilot remote, foot switch and Humminbird fish finder). The new 2018 Bluetooth® enabled models can now interface with the Minn Kota i-Pilot® or i-Pilot® Link™ GPS system and select Humminbird fish finders. The new product line-up also includes a 15-foot model which will allow anglers to lock down more of the water than ever before.

For more information on Humminbird and Minn Kota’s new products visit Humminbird.com and MinnKotaMotors.com.

by AnglersChannel

PELS BROTHERS WARM UP TO TREE PITCHING FOR TEXAS TEAM TRAIL RAY ROBERTS WIN

By David A. Brown

Them weekend's warmer weather benefited brothers Chris and Adam Pels, who caught a limit of bass that weighed 28.70 pounds and earned them the top prize of a Nitro Z18 w/150 Mercury. In addition, they claimed $1,875 of Anglers Advantage cash. Their total payday was $30,870.

"Last weekend, we were practicing for (another tournament) and I caught some good fish in there, but we didn't do any good during that tournament because of the cold snap we had. This weekend, it was probably 20-degrees warmer. We went back to the same area in this tournament and it really paid off for us."

The Pels fished multiple areas, but found most of their success in a major spawning creek known as Community Cove on the south side. Here, they targeted hardwoods and cedars in about 6 feet of water.

The Pels caught their fish on creature baits Texas-rigged with a 4/0 hook and 3/16-ounce sinker, a weightless Senko on a 3/0 hook and a Carolina-rigged creature bait. Across the board, watermelon was their preferred bait color and they accented the creature baits with chartreuse tips.

"We tried to look for specific details in the trees, but it didn't work; it was so random," Chris said. "You would throw at 20 big ones and then you'd come up to a small one and you'd catch a fish out of it; and then another fish out of a big one. We just couldn't key on anything in particular.

"That's one of the reasons we used a weightless Senko. We had one on the deck at all times and if we came across a shallower tree, we would Pitch the Senko into it. We caught two fish this way."

Overall, the Texas-rigged creature bait was most productive, but it took some experimentation to determine that. The brothers kept their boat in 6-8 feet of water and passed the first couple of hours without a fish.

"About 9 a.m. this morning, my brother caught our fish - a 6-pounder -off of a tree with a creature bait and we kept trying that for a while, but it wasn't working," Chris said. "Then, we started swapping around and when I picked up a Texas-rigged creature bait again, I caught another 5-pounder about 11:30. At that point, it seemed like we should stick with this bait, so that's what we did."

"We just hit as many trees as we could and that probably was the biggest deal," Adam said. "It depended on where we were; if there were multiple trees, we would each pick a tree, but if we came up to a point where there was one tree, we would both pitch at it.

"Probably, when there were a lot of trees in the area we were moving pretty fast. We never had a tree with multiple fish."

Adam said the post-frontal conditions had the fish in a lethargic mood. No arm-yankers; the fish just sucked in the baits with hardly a sign.

"I never felt one hit it, you just picked up and they were there," he said. "When I know they're not biting good, I pitch it in there, feed line and let it sit for just a second longer to make sure it falls straight down."

As Chris noted, patience and perseverance were essential to his team's success. Not only were the fish in a finicky mood, but they also had to suffer through the frustration of watching opportunities squandered.

"We caught fish on one side of the cove, but there was a boat on the place where we really wanted to be,"Chris said. "I watched that guy lose a 4-pounder and an 8-pounder within about 10 minutes. It just didn't work out, so we moved off to another spot and I ended up pulling in a 7-pounder about 1:30.

"At that time, we thought we might get a check and then we ran to another area where my brother caught one on a Carolina rig about 3 o'clock. That was a 6- to 7-pounder that culled out a 16-inch fish."

Even with this late addition, the brothers still were not optimistic about their day. But, as it turned out, they overestimated the efforts of others.

"We have friend that all fish the same water as we do and they got earlier boat numbers than we did and I really thought they whacked them offshore,"Chris said. "It just turned out that they put too much stock where we were all fishing (in practice) and they didn't catch 'em. We ran around the lake and we caught 'em."

Haverkamp and Lain Second

The second-place team of Roger Haverkamp and Kevin Lain spread most of their day across several major creek arms on the lake's west end where they targeted timber in about three feet or less. Pitching a Texas-rigged Zoom Baby Brush Hog in watermelon got them the majority of their 26.54 pounds, but a late-day move would finish off the effort.

"We were just covering a lot of water and flipping at spots that looked like they should hold a fish," Lain said. "I got bites in practice on a topwater and that keyed us in to a position where some fish were on beds. We just went back to those areas today and caught three fish in the exact same spots I got bites (the day before the tournament).

"In the last hour of the hour of day - 2:55 and 3:15 to be exact - we caught our last two on a ledge in 12 feet of water," Lain said. "It was later in the day and with the bluebird skies, we figured those fish would start setting up offshore better.

"We hadn't had a bite from noon to 3 o'clock, so we pretty much just scrapped our shallow bite and made the right move."

The anglers caught their offshore fish on a Texas-rigged 10-inch Berkley Power Worm in the red bug color. Targeting big rock transitions that fish would pass on their way into and out of spawning pockets, the anglers used a slow dragging presentation.

"The key to our success was that last hour decision to fish that drop," Lain said. "We had 20-21 pounds with 30-45 minutes of fishing time left. We went there, made a cast, I caught one and while I was retying, my partner made a cast and he caught a second one. That took us from a decent stringer to a second-place stringer."

Haverkamp and Lain earned $6,825, which included $1,375 in Angler Advantage cash.

Lauck and Martin Third

During a tournament on Ray Roberts the week before the TXTT event, Robert Lauck and Ted Martin had no bites by 1 pm., but marked the 2 o'clock hour with 20 pounds in the well. Why is this relevant? Because what they learned allowed them to focus their efforts this week, take third place with a limit weighing 25.80 pounds and earn $4,520 (including $1,250 in Angler Advantage cash).

Martin noted that it wasn't so much about an afternoon bite last weekend, as it was about wasting time on dead water. Correcting that mistake, they devoted all of their time to the productive are they located a week prior.

The key spot was a small main lake point with a subtle dip in the shoreline. Bass were bedding on top of the point in about 4 1/2-5 feet, so the anglers focused on making super slow presentations with Texas-rigged black/blue Smash Tech stick baits Texas rigged on 4/0 light wire hooks with 1/4-ounce weights.

"The key was fishing slowly," Martin said. "We had a bunch of guys come through our area and they were fishing way to fast, so they didn't catch anything. You weren't going to get a bite unless you just crawled your bait through there.

"We did most of our damage in the morning and then we upgraded a couple of times in the afternoon. We only had seven keeper bites today. It took us until noon to get our limit, but by 9:30, we had four fish for over 20 pounds."

George Jeane and Tater Reynolds weighed five bass worth 24.27 pounds, taking fourth place and earning $3,492.50.Behind them Kurt Luker and Richie Thornton with 23.49. pounds. For fifth place, they earned $2,572.50

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top 10 teams at the 2017 Texas Team Trail event on Ray Roberts:

6th: Kelly Owens - Brent Broussard -23.42

7th: Tory Sweatman - Nathan Sprabary -23-0

8th: Keith Phillips - Darwin Ballard -22.26

9th: Blake Schroeder - Easton Heigley -21.45

10th: Doug Morrow - John Barrera -21.28

Full Results HERE

Up next

The championship event of the 2018 season for the Texas Team Trail presented by Cabela's is slated for June 2-3 on Sam Rayburn.

by AnglersChannel

Hackney is Headed Plinkin’ on Championship Monday

Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships

After 176 B.A.S.S. tournaments, Greg Hackney has invented a new fishing term probably unfamiliar to even the most avid anglers. He calls it “plinking” - a word normally applied to shooting a .22 caliber rifle at random targets like bottles and cans.

However for Hackney, “plinking” applies to making soft underhand pitch casts with a relatively light worm weight on a Texas-rigged soft plastic lure.

“Anytime I’m just moving super slow and methodical pitching to every little target I come to with a light weight, I call that “plinking”,” grinned the 2014 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year.

The Gonzales, Louisiana pro has “plinked” his way to yet another Top 12 this week on famed Kentucky Lake by focusing on super shallow bushes in less than 2’ of water.

His best stringer of the event thus far weighed 19 pounds, and he planned to spend “Championship Monday” doing more of the same with a Strike King Structure Bug threaded on a 5/0 Hack Attack Flippin’ Hook tied to 65-pound braid.

He uses a large spooled Quantum Smoke HD or Smoke S3 in a 7.3:1 gear ratio for fast line pick-up once a bite occurs. A 7’ 6” TourPT rod provides plenty of leverage to get fish from the flooded buck brush.

Hackney is also one of the few Elite Series anglers that uses braid nearly exclusively when pitchin’, flippin’, and “plinkin’”. “Guys that say they don’t get as many bites with braid compared to fluorocarbon have got kind of a mental hang-up in my opinion, because I’ve never seen that be the case, and there’s so many more advantages to braid,” says Hackney.

“I use braid every time I’m fishing heavy cover – whether it’s wood, grass, or whatever. And I’ll also tell you that fatter braid like 65-pound test actually slides over limbs better than fluorocarbon or mono with a lot less hang-ups. Plus, I get to fish pretty much all day without ever retying,” he emphasizes.

Known best for this style of shallow water, heavy cover fishing, Hackney says his favorite way to catch a bass is with a topwater frog, but this is a close second.

“I mean look, it’s pretty tough to beat the up-close-and-personal approach I’ve used this week, when you’re dragging ‘em out of bushes in less than 2-feet of water with 25-feet of line,” said Hackney just before pushing away from the dock at Paris Landing Marina for another great day of “plinkin’.”

by AnglersChannel

COSTA FLW SERIES WESTERN DIVISION HEADS TO CLEAR LAKE FOR EVENT PRESENTED BY EVINRUDE

LAKEPOINT, Calif. (May 2, 2018) – As many as 350 boaters and co-anglers are set to compete on Clear Lake May 10-12 for the Costa FLW Series Western Division event at Clear Lake presented by Evinrude. The three-day tournament, hosted by the Konocti Vista Casino Resort & Marina, will feature a top prize of up to $85,000, including a brand new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard engine.

“This tournament is going to be a slugfest,” said Yamamoto Baits pro Jimmy Reese, of Witter Springs, California, who has 12 top-10 finishes on Clear Lake in FLW competition. “Aside from some clouds, which could change a few things, it’s supposed to be between 79 and 85 degrees just about every day leading up to the event. It’s going to be good.

“There has already been a wave of fish that have spawned, so anglers will be able to target them in all three phases – postspawn, spawners and even some prespawners,” continued Reese. “An underspin will play a big role for prespawners, as well as jerkbaits and lipless crankbaits like a Live Target Golden Shiner. For spawners, a Yamamoto Flappin’ Hog or another light-colored grub will be good choices.”

Reese said the postspawn fish will prefer topwater lures like a Boing Topwater or a Heddon Super Spook.

“I’ll throw a Super Spook when I’m trying to cover a lot of water, and the Boing in tighter places because it walks – it has a noise to it and sends out a vibration,” said Reese. “Buzzbaits and frogs will be good postspawn lures as well.”

Reese said he thinks most of the lake will be utilized by anglers for this event, especially the north end.

“The water level is lower this year compared to the last few years, due to the lack of rain. Docks and tules will still be the deal for fish in all three phases, though,” said Reese.

The California veteran said that a three-day cumulative total of 72 pounds should be enough to take home top honors.

“Everything is lined up for this to be a great event,” said Reese. “Clear Lake hasn’t shined in the last eight months like it has in the past, but I think people will be surprised by what they see in this tournament.”

Anglers will take off from Konocti Vista Casino Resort & Marina, located at 2755 Mission Rancheria Road, in Lakeport, at 6:30 a.m. PDT each day. Weigh-ins will also take place at Konocti Vista Casino Resort & Marina, and will begin at 2:30 p.m. each day. All takeoffs and weigh-ins are free to attend and open to the public.

In Costa FLW Series regular-season competition, payouts are based on the number of participants competing in the event. At Clear Lake, pros will fish for a top prize of up to $85,000, including a brand new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard if Ranger Cup qualified. Co-anglers will cast for a brand new Ranger Z175 boat with a 90-horsepower Evinrude outboard, and $5,000 if Ranger Cup qualified.

The Costa FLW Series consists of five U.S. divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western – along with the International division. Each U.S. division consists of three regular-season tournaments with competitors vying for valuable points that could earn them the opportunity to compete in the season-ending Costa FLW Series Championship. The 2018 Costa FLW Series Championship is being held Nov. 1-3 on Lake Guntersville in Guntersville, Alabama, and is hosted by the Marshall County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Costa FLW Series on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.

by AnglersChannel

Ranger Boats Pro Wesley Strader Strides Into Kentucky Lake Lead

Wesley Strader of Spring City, Tenn., takes the lead on the third day of the 2018 Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Kentucky Lake presented by Abu Garcia out of Paris, Tenn., with a three-day total weight of 59 pounds, 9 ounces.

Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 6, 2018Strader Strides Into Kentucky Lake Lead

PARIS, Tenn. — Wesley Strader caught a five-bass limit during Sunday’s semifinal round of the Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Kentucky Lake presented by Abu Garcia that weighed 22 pounds, 6 ounces.

It was the biggest limit of the day — and it put the Spring City, Tenn., pro in position for his first-ever Elite Series victory with a three-day total of 59-9.

Despite his strong effort on Day 3, Strader said the fishing has been anything but easy.

“It’s a struggle to get bit,” Strader said. “But if you hang around, you can catch a few. I’m making it look a lot easier than it is. I only got eight keeper bites today.

“It’s really weird. One day you’ll get a lot of bites, and then one day you won’t get many. Every time I caught one today, it’d be on the very back hook, which tells me they’re not eating. They’re just slapping at it, but luckily my Trokar hooks kept them buttoned up.”

Strader took advantage of the daybreak shad spawn, but that window was small Sunday than it had been earlier in the event. The change was due to cooler, sunnier conditions.

“I think the shad spawn was shorter today because it got cold last night,” Strader said. “The water cooled off. The optimum water temperature for the shad to spawn at daybreak is somewhere close to 70, and this morning it was 64 to 65. That knocked it back a little bit, plus the bright skies didn’t help. We got about 30 minutes and it quit.”

Strader caught his first three keepers on a handmade BH Custom Lures balsa crankbait. After that, his day amounted to a junk-fishing exercise that included topwater baits and flipping. Strader had a limit by late morning and made a key cull toward the end of his day.

“I’m just putting my trolling motor down and fishing and whatever I come to, I’m picking the right bait for the conditions,” he said.

Later in the day, Strader figured out a specific scenario that he feels he can use on Day 4. He wouldn’t divulge many details, but he’s fairly confident he’ll have it to himself.

“I’m kind of fishing things that nobody else is fishing,” he said. “I’m doing something that probably nobody else in the tournament is doing. It’s a very limited scenario, but you can run it over and over and over and catch more fish.

“There are times that they don’t bite. You might go by a bush and flip it 10 times and not get a bite, but come back an hour later and catch a 4-pounder. It’s just a timing thing.”

Looking ahead to Championship Monday, Strader said the morning bite will determine his fortune.

“It all depends on what those shad do,” he said. “If those shad come up and spawn really good, it’ll be decent. If not, it will just be a grind.”

Just one space below Strader is California superstar Skeet Reese, the Day 2 leader who now trails by less than a pound with 58-12. Reese managed only four keepers for 13-7 Sunday.

After plucking only two keepers from the shad spawn with a squarebill crankbait, Reese switched to flipping. On Bassmaster LIVE, Reese commented that he was in survival mode today — concerning himself more with making the Top 12 cut than weighing another big sack like his previous weights of 23-11 and 21-10.

“I knew the shad spawn bite would be shorter for me today,” he said “I thought the fish might stay up a little longer in the dirtier water I was fishing, but they didn’t. I tried running my key stuff as fast as I could and as early as I could to try and capitalize on it, but I could only get two good ones.

“I couldn’t get bit again, so I just forced myself to get up there and start flipping bushes, which I hadn’t done the last two days. I got two doing it. I thought if I kept doing it, I could get five.”

Reese caught his fish on a Berkley tube rigged on a Trokar kahle-style tube hook.

Jason Christie of Park Hill, Okla., lost a 6-pounder right at the boat Sunday, but he still caught a limit that weighed 16-9 and moved up form fourth place to third with 56-5. He spent his day pitching shallow cover.

“The bite was a lot tougher; I only had seven bites today,” he said. “I lost that big one, then I caught a big one and then I went hours without a bite.”

Boyd Duckett of Guntersville, Ala., is in fourth with 56-1, and Kelly Jaye of Dadeville, Ala., is fifth with 54-15.

The tournament will conclude Monday with takeoff scheduled for 6 a.m. CT from Paris Landing State Park and the final weigh-in back at the park at 3:15 p.m..

2018 Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Kentucky Lake presented by Abu Garcia 5/4-5/7
Kentucky Lake, Paris TN.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 3

Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$

1. Wesley Strader Spring City, TN 15 59-09 110
Day 1: 5 19-06 Day 2: 5 17-13 Day 3: 5 22-06
2. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 14 58-12 109
Day 1: 5 23-11 Day 2: 5 21-10 Day 3: 4 13-07
3. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 15 56-05 108
Day 1: 5 20-13 Day 2: 5 18-15 Day 3: 5 16-09
4. Boyd Duckett Guntersville, AL 14 56-01 107
Day 1: 4 14-02 Day 2: 5 24-00 Day 3: 5 17-15
5. Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 15 54-15 106
Day 1: 5 22-00 Day 2: 5 11-14 Day 3: 5 21-01
6. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, KS 15 54-13 105
Day 1: 5 17-04 Day 2: 5 18-04 Day 3: 5 19-05
7. Shaw Grigsby Jr. Gainesville, FL 14 54-00 104
Day 1: 5 19-12 Day 2: 5 20-13 Day 3: 4 13-07
8. Fred Roumbanis Russellville, AR 13 53-13 103
Day 1: 5 17-15 Day 2: 5 22-11 Day 3: 3 13-03
9. Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL 15 53-12 102
Day 1: 5 20-07 Day 2: 5 18-02 Day 3: 5 15-03
10. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 15 52-10 101
Day 1: 5 16-00 Day 2: 5 20-09 Day 3: 5 16-01
11. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 15 52-09 100
Day 1: 5 16-14 Day 2: 5 19-09 Day 3: 5 16-02
12. Josh Bertrand San Tan Valley, AZ 15 52-07 99
Day 1: 5 20-02 Day 2: 5 13-15 Day 3: 5 18-06
13. Ott DeFoe Blaine, TN 15 52-06 98 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-10 Day 2: 5 16-03 Day 3: 5 16-09
14. Chris Lane Guntersville, AL 15 52-06 97 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-07 Day 2: 5 17-08 Day 3: 5 18-07
15. Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 15 52-02 96 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-13 Day 2: 5 17-01 Day 3: 5 15-04
16. Skylar Hamilton Dandridge, TN 15 51-15 95 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-09 Day 2: 5 19-08 Day 3: 5 13-14
17. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 15 51-06 94 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-01 Day 2: 5 14-10 Day 3: 5 19-11
18. Chris Zaldain Laughlin, NV 13 50-15 93 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 24-03 Day 2: 3 07-02 Day 3: 5 19-10
19. Brandon Card Knoxville, TN 14 50-12 92 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-13 Day 2: 4 14-06 Day 3: 5 19-09
20. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 15 50-08 91 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-14 Day 2: 5 22-07 Day 3: 5 13-03
21. Fletcher Shryock Dennison, OH 15 48-13 90 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-01 Day 2: 5 18-11 Day 3: 5 15-01
22. Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 15 48-12 89 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-10 Day 2: 5 17-05 Day 3: 5 12-13
23. Greg Vinson Wetumpka, AL 15 48-08 88 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 17-10 Day 3: 5 16-02
24. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 15 47-14 87 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-08 Day 2: 5 15-10 Day 3: 5 16-12
25. Jacob Wheeler Harrison, TN 15 47-07 86 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-13 Day 2: 5 14-15 Day 3: 5 13-11
26. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 14 47-06 85 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-06 Day 2: 5 19-12 Day 3: 4 08-04
27. Chad Pipkens Lansing, MI 13 47-03 84 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-15 Day 2: 5 19-11 Day 3: 3 08-09
28. Andy Montgomery Blacksburg, SC 15 46-15 83 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-06 Day 2: 5 15-15 Day 3: 5 14-10
29. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 15 46-08 82 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-15 Day 2: 5 16-06 Day 3: 5 12-03
30. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 14 46-03 81 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 13-05 Day 2: 5 20-00 Day 3: 5 12-14
31. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 15 46-02 80 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-04 Day 2: 5 15-08 Day 3: 5 10-06
32. Alton Jones Lorena, TX 14 46-01 79 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-09 Day 2: 5 17-07 Day 3: 4 10-01
33. Brandon Palaniuk Hayden, ID 15 45-15 78 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 15-12 Day 3: 5 15-08
34. Seth Feider Bloomington, MN 15 45-12 77 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 15-07 Day 3: 5 15-09
35. Scott Rook Little Rock, AR 15 44-10 76 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-12 Day 2: 5 18-13 Day 3: 5 12-01
36. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 15 44-05 75 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-02 Day 2: 5 19-11 Day 3: 5 10-08
37. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 15 44-03 74 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-03 Day 2: 5 13-13 Day 3: 5 13-03
38. David Walker Sevierville, TN 15 43-12 73 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-10 Day 2: 5 13-11 Day 3: 5 10-07
39. Matt Lee Guntersville, AL 12 42-11 72 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-07 Day 2: 4 13-12 Day 3: 3 09-08
40. Tim Horton Muscle Shoals, AL 13 42-07 71 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-07 Day 2: 5 20-00 Day 3: 3 11-00
41. Randall Tharp Port St. Joe, FL 13 42-03 70 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-09 Day 2: 5 15-04 Day 3: 3 08-06
42. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 14 41-14 69 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-04 Day 2: 5 13-03 Day 3: 4 11-07
43. Alton Jones Jr. Waco, TX 13 41-07 68 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-04 Day 2: 5 13-10 Day 3: 3 11-09
44. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 13 40-02 67 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-08 Day 2: 5 16-07 Day 3: 3 10-03
45. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 12 39-01 66 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-04 Day 2: 5 17-09 Day 3: 2 04-04
46. John Murray Spring City, TN 11 37-09 65 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-06 Day 2: 5 16-03 Day 3: 1 03-00
47. Jordan Lee Grant, AL 10 36-14 64 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-03 Day 2: 5 15-11 Day 3: 0 00-00
48. Jake Whitaker Fairview, NC 12 34-02 63 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-14 Day 2: 5 13-13 Day 3: 2 04-07
49. Randy Sullivan Breckenridge, TX 10 33-14 62 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-06 Day 2: 5 20-08 Day 3: 0 00-00
50. Chris Groh Spring Grove, IL 12 33-12 61 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-01 Day 2: 5 15-13 Day 3: 2 03-14

by AnglersChannel

Swindles are leaning on Church

Courtesy of Alan McGuckin / Dynamic Sponsorships

Given the massive number of miles he planned to pilot his Triton, there’s a good chance that by the time you’re reading this, Gerald Swindle will have just arrived at his first fishing spot Sunday morning at the Bassmaster Elite Series tournament on Kentucky Lake.

“We’re fixin’ to put a little Church on and make about a 1-hour run,” said Swindle under a gorgeous but foggy sunrise, as he pushed earphones in, and the throttle down.

However, the Church he was referring to didn’t involve a preacher’s sermon on this particular Sunday, but instead the music of one of his all-time favorite artists, Eric Church as he made the mega-long haul down the Tennessee River.

Most fans know Swindle for his world-class humor and two Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year titles, but many may not realize his love of music and meaningful lyrics. “We’re fixin’ to do some “Creepin’,” said Swindle in reference to Eric Church’s 2012 hit single by that title.

Meanwhile, 60 miles away from where Swindle is slinging crankbaits from a Quantum reel this morning, his best friend and bride, “Lulu” is taking in church on her laptop, saying lots of prayers, and cleaning-up the couples 5^thwheel RV, partly to find peace, and partly to keep her mind off a very trying time with their sweet old dog, Myrick.

The couple’s 12-year-old Weimaraner has traveled the Elite Series for a dozen years, but is of poor health, and has had a very tough week here at Kentucky Lake. Understandably, Myrick’s struggles have led to a deeply emotional tournament for Gerald and LeAnn.

“People say pro anglers aren’t athletes, but I’ll promise you the willpower and focus that Gerald is showing this week is every bit as much as a top athlete,” says LeAnn. “He didn’t get as many bites yesterday, and I know that allows his mind to wonder and think about Myrick, so I’m hoping he gets a lot of bites today.”

Whether from a sermon on her laptop in the 5^thwheel, or lyrics in his ears along a very lengthily boat ride, all who know and love the Swindles are praying this particular Sunday grants them plenty of bites, and a whole lot of peace.

by AnglersChannel

Skeet Reese Takes Second-Round Lead In Bassmaster Elite At Kentucky Lake

Skeet Reese of Auburn, Calif., takes/maintains the lead on the second day of the 2018 Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Kentucky Lake presented by Abu Garcia out of Paris, Tenn., with a two-day total weight of 45 pounds, 5 ounces.

Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.

May 5, 2018

PARIS, Tenn. — When Bassmaster tournament emcee Dave Mercer noted that Skeet Reese was “making it look easy” during the morning’s Bassmaster LIVE coverage, the veteran pro gave a simple explanation for the seemingly tranquil performance that pushed him into the lead with 45 pounds, 5 ounces on Day 2 of the Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Kentucky Lake presented by Abu Garcia.

“It’s easy when you have 20 pounds in the boat,” Reese said.

Indeed, the Auburn, Calif., Elite angler got the party started early and quickly added 21-10 to his 23-11 from yesterday. Noting that he was more dialed in on his pattern today, Reese had his limit by 8 a.m. and had caught his day’s weight by about 10.

This early productivity bore consistent with the morning shad spawn that had bass rallying around key areas awash with reproducing baitfish.

“The shad spawn was everything,” Reese said. “They’re feeding for the first four hours of the day, but the last two days we’ve had cloud cover, which probably extended the bite.”

Reese caught his fish on a mix that included a jerkbait, swimbait and squarebill crankbait. The latter did most of the work, but presentations had to be specific.

“The whole key is getting the bait to deflect,” Reese said. “If your bait’s not deflecting off the bottom, for the most part, you’re not getting the bites. The key is triggering these fish. It’s typical postspawn.”

Once his morning action subsided, Reese struggled the rest of the day. With clearer conditions and more sun in tomorrow’s forecast, he’s contemplating his options.

“I definitely have to change how I fish in the afternoons because I pretty much drove the suck bus the last two afternoons,” Reese said.

Reese said he fished a lot of new water today. Not everything produced, but he found himself in a position to experiment, so he took advantage of the opportunity.

“I was fortunate to have a good bag in the boat early. That allowed me to ‘prefish’ and fine-tune something and find that one little sweet spot,” Reese said. “Obviously, I found one sweet spot yesterday where I hooked four or five fish and I hooked four there today. If there’s one spot like that, there’s definitely a lot more like that out there.

“I don’t know if I was fishing good water or bad water, but I could have fished some amazing stuff in the afternoon that, even though I didn’t get a bite, maybe they’re chewing in the morning.”

Bassmaster LIVE, the innovative live-stream coverage of on-the-water fishing action pioneered by B.A.S.S., documented a Skeet Reese highlight reel moment when he snatched opportunity from the jaws of disaster after hooking a 6-pounder on a jerkbait and tangling his kill-switch cord around his reel handle. Calmly managing the moment, Reese unwrapped the cord and reeled the fish boatside for a clean catch.

“What a train wreck; I couldn’t make another turn on the reel handle,” Reese lamented. “When you have a 5 1/2-pounder jumping in front of you and you can’t turn the reel handle, it’s like ugh!

“I’m glad I made it look smooth, because internally, I was a wreck.”

Fred Roumbanis of Russellville, Ark., made a big second-round improvement by sacking up a limit that weighed 22-11 and moved him up from 27th place to second with a total weight of 40-10. Today’s calm conditions initially hindered Roumbanis, but a gutsy call to abandon a limit strategy and stick with his big-fish bait helped him overcome an early roadblock and hammer out an impressive day.

“I felt like I needed the wind to make my swimbait bite work,” he said. “I’m throwing my signature Boom Boom Swimbait, and I came across a certain little deal and caught what I caught.

“When I picked up a spinning rod with a shaky head and caught two keepers, I relaxed a little bit. But this is Kentucky Lake, so I put that down and picked up the swimbait and said ‘Let’s do this.’ It’s a confidence thing when I’m throwing a swimbait. I know I’m fishing for the right bites.”

Roumbanis said he identified the right areas by studying his Garmin Panoptix imaging and interpreting what he saw.

“If you look at bait and then you see bigger blobs, those are probably bass; if you don’t see bait and you see a lot of blobs, they’re probably carp,” he said. “I’m using the bait to distinguish what I’m looking at.”

In third place, Shaw Grigsby of Gainesville, Fla., rose from 11th place on Friday to third, just 1 ounce behind Roumbanis. His 20-13 limit of five bass gives him a two-day total of 40-9. Grigsby caught all of his bass by sight fishing with soft plastics. His second-round catch included a 7-11 that leads the $1,500 Phoenix Boats Big Bass Award.

Rounding out the Top 5 are Jason Christie of Park Hill, Okla., with 39-12 and Edwin Evers of Talala, Okla., with 39-2.

Takeoff Sunday morning will be at 6 a.m. CT out of Paris Landing Marina, and weigh-ins are scheduled at Paris Landing State Park beginning at 3:15 p.m.

2018 Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Kentucky Lake presented by Abu Garcia 5/4-5/7
Kentucky Lake, Paris TN.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 2

Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$

1. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 10 45-05 110
Day 1: 5 23-11 Day 2: 5 21-10
2. Fred Roumbanis Russellville, AR 10 40-10 109
Day 1: 5 17-15 Day 2: 5 22-11
3. Shaw Grigsby Jr. Gainesville, FL 10 40-09 108
Day 1: 5 19-12 Day 2: 5 20-13
4. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 10 39-12 107
Day 1: 5 20-13 Day 2: 5 18-15
5. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 10 39-02 106
Day 1: 5 19-06 Day 2: 5 19-12
6. Chad Pipkens Lansing, MI 10 38-10 105
Day 1: 5 18-15 Day 2: 5 19-11
7. Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL 10 38-09 104
Day 1: 5 20-07 Day 2: 5 18-02
8. Boyd Duckett Guntersville, AL 9 38-02 103
Day 1: 4 14-02 Day 2: 5 24-00
9. Skylar Hamilton Dandridge, TN 10 38-01 102
Day 1: 5 18-09 Day 2: 5 19-08
10. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 10 37-05 101
Day 1: 5 14-14 Day 2: 5 22-07
11. Wesley Strader Spring City, TN 10 37-03 100
Day 1: 5 19-06 Day 2: 5 17-13
12. Jordan Lee Grant, AL 10 36-14 99
Day 1: 5 21-03 Day 2: 5 15-11
13. Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 10 36-14 98
Day 1: 5 19-13 Day 2: 5 17-01
14. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 10 36-09 97
Day 1: 5 16-00 Day 2: 5 20-09
15. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 10 36-07 96
Day 1: 5 16-14 Day 2: 5 19-09
16. Alton Jones Lorena, TX 10 36-00 95
Day 1: 5 18-09 Day 2: 5 17-07
17. Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 10 35-15 94
Day 1: 5 18-10 Day 2: 5 17-05
18. Ott DeFoe Blaine, TN 10 35-13 93
Day 1: 5 19-10 Day 2: 5 16-03
19. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 10 35-12 92
Day 1: 5 20-04 Day 2: 5 15-08
20. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, KS 10 35-08 91
Day 1: 5 17-04 Day 2: 5 18-04
21. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 10 34-13 90
Day 1: 5 17-04 Day 2: 5 17-09
22. John Murray Spring City, TN 10 34-09 89
Day 1: 5 18-06 Day 2: 5 16-03
23. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 10 34-05 88
Day 1: 5 17-15 Day 2: 5 16-06
24. Josh Bertrand San Tan Valley, AZ 10 34-01 87
Day 1: 5 20-02 Day 2: 5 13-15
25. Chris Lane Guntersville, AL 10 33-15 86
Day 1: 5 16-07 Day 2: 5 17-08
26. Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 10 33-14 85
Day 1: 5 22-00 Day 2: 5 11-14
27. Randy Sullivan Breckenridge, TX 10 33-14 84
Day 1: 5 13-06 Day 2: 5 20-08
28. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 10 33-13 83
Day 1: 5 14-02 Day 2: 5 19-11
29. Randall Tharp Port St. Joe, FL 10 33-13 82
Day 1: 5 18-09 Day 2: 5 15-04
30. Jacob Wheeler Harrison, TN 10 33-12 81
Day 1: 5 18-13 Day 2: 5 14-15
31. Fletcher Shryock Dennison, OH 10 33-12 80
Day 1: 5 15-01 Day 2: 5 18-11
32. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 9 33-05 79
Day 1: 4 13-05 Day 2: 5 20-00
33. David Walker Sevierville, TN 10 33-05 78
Day 1: 5 19-10 Day 2: 5 13-11
34. Matt Lee Guntersville, AL 9 33-03 77
Day 1: 5 19-07 Day 2: 4 13-12
35. Scott Rook Little Rock, AR 10 32-09 76
Day 1: 5 13-12 Day 2: 5 18-13
36. Greg Vinson Wetumpka, AL 10 32-06 75
Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 17-10
37. Andy Montgomery Blacksburg, SC 10 32-05 74
Day 1: 5 16-06 Day 2: 5 15-15
38. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 10 31-11 73
Day 1: 5 17-01 Day 2: 5 14-10
39. Tim Horton Muscle Shoals, AL 10 31-07 72
Day 1: 5 11-07 Day 2: 5 20-00
40. Chris Zaldain Laughlin, NV 8 31-05 71
Day 1: 5 24-03 Day 2: 3 07-02
41. Brandon Card Knoxville, TN 9 31-03 70
Day 1: 5 16-13 Day 2: 4 14-06
42. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 10 31-02 69
Day 1: 5 15-08 Day 2: 5 15-10
43. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 10 31-00 68
Day 1: 5 17-03 Day 2: 5 13-13
44. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 10 30-07 67
Day 1: 5 17-04 Day 2: 5 13-03
45. Brandon Palaniuk Hayden, ID 10 30-07 66
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 15-12
46. Seth Feider Bloomington, MN 10 30-03 65
Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 15-07
47. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 10 29-15 64
Day 1: 5 13-08 Day 2: 5 16-07
48. Alton Jones Jr. Waco, TX 10 29-14 63
Day 1: 5 16-04 Day 2: 5 13-10
49. Chris Groh Spring Grove, IL 10 29-14 62
Day 1: 5 14-01 Day 2: 5 15-13
50. Jake Whitaker Fairview, NC 10 29-11 61
Day 1: 5 15-14 Day 2: 5 13-13
51. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 8 29-10 60
Day 1: 3 12-13 Day 2: 5 16-13
52. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 10 29-10 59
Day 1: 5 15-06 Day 2: 5 14-04
53. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 10 29-07 58
Day 1: 5 11-12 Day 2: 5 17-11
54. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 9 29-06 57
Day 1: 5 15-13 Day 2: 4 13-09
55. Paul Elias Laurel, MS 9 29-05 56
Day 1: 5 20-01 Day 2: 4 09-04
56. Keith Poche Pike Road, AL 8 29-05 55
Day 1: 4 13-13 Day 2: 4 15-08
57. Cliff Pace Petal, MS 10 29-04 54
Day 1: 5 19-09 Day 2: 5 09-11
58. Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 10 29-02 53
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 16-04
59. Adrian Avena Vineland, NJ 10 28-10 52
Day 1: 5 17-14 Day 2: 5 10-12
60. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 10 28-09 51
Day 1: 5 16-15 Day 2: 5 11-10
61. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 9 28-05 50
Day 1: 5 16-08 Day 2: 4 11-13
62. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, FL 10 28-02 49
Day 1: 5 15-11 Day 2: 5 12-07
63. Shin Fukae Palestine TX JAPAN 8 28-00 48
Day 1: 4 13-04 Day 2: 4 14-12
64. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 7 27-15 47
Day 1: 2 09-08 Day 2: 5 18-07
65. Gerald Spohrer Gonzales, LA 8 27-15 46
Day 1: 5 17-14 Day 2: 3 10-01
66. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 10 27-12 45
Day 1: 5 15-03 Day 2: 5 12-09
67. Jesse Wiggins Cullman, AL 8 27-11 44
Day 1: 5 18-14 Day 2: 3 08-13
68. David Fritts Lexington, NC 10 27-09 43
Day 1: 5 15-04 Day 2: 5 12-05
69. Brent Ehrler Redlands, CA 9 27-04 42
Day 1: 5 16-14 Day 2: 4 10-06
70. Kelly Jordon Flint, TX 10 27-03 41
Day 1: 5 13-00 Day 2: 5 14-03
71. James Elam Tulsa, OK 10 26-15 40
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 14-01
72. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 8 26-07 39
Day 1: 3 13-09 Day 2: 5 12-14
73. Justin Lucas Guntersville, AL 10 26-02 38
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 5 12-07
74. Hunter Shryock Newcomerstown, OH 8 26-01 37
Day 1: 5 16-04 Day 2: 3 09-13
75. Mark Daniels Jr. Tuskegee, AL 10 26-00 36
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 5 12-07
76. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 10 25-15 35
Day 1: 5 13-03 Day 2: 5 12-12
77. Tyler Carriere Youngsville, LA 8 25-06 34
Day 1: 4 12-02 Day 2: 4 13-04
78. Randy Howell Guntersville, AL 9 25-00 33
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 4 11-05
79. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 10 24-14 32
Day 1: 5 13-07 Day 2: 5 11-07
80. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 9 24-09 31
Day 1: 5 15-10 Day 2: 4 08-15
81. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 10 24-07 30
Day 1: 5 13-02 Day 2: 5 11-05
82. Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 9 24-05 29
Day 1: 5 11-11 Day 2: 4 12-10
83. Rick Morris Lake Gaston, VA 10 24-03 28
Day 1: 5 13-07 Day 2: 5 10-12
84. Brandon Coulter Knoxville, TN 9 23-11 27
Day 1: 4 10-04 Day 2: 5 13-07
85. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 9 23-02 26
Day 1: 5 12-13 Day 2: 4 10-05
86. Cliff Crochet Pierre Part, LA 10 22-14 25
Day 1: 5 10-15 Day 2: 5 11-15
87. Mike McClelland Bentonville, AR 7 22-09 24
Day 1: 4 12-02 Day 2: 3 10-07
88. Kyle Monti Okeechobee, FL 6 21-13 23
Day 1: 5 18-09 Day 2: 1 03-04
89. Robbie Latuso Gonzales, LA 9 21-08 22
Day 1: 5 11-15 Day 2: 4 09-09
90. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 8 21-06 21
Day 1: 5 13-02 Day 2: 3 08-04
91. Roy Hawk Lk Havasu Cty, AZ 9 21-00 20
Day 1: 4 07-09 Day 2: 5 13-07
92. Dave Lefebre Erie, PA 8 20-02 19
Day 1: 4 10-06 Day 2: 4 09-12
93. Gary Klein Mingus, TX 8 19-02 18
Day 1: 4 08-12 Day 2: 4 10-06
94. Dustin Connell Clanton, AL 7 19-01 17
Day 1: 4 10-07 Day 2: 3 08-10
95. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, OK 6 18-08 16
Day 1: 4 11-03 Day 2: 2 07-05
96. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 7 17-05 15
Day 1: 5 13-01 Day 2: 2 04-04
97. Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 7 17-01 14
Day 1: 3 06-08 Day 2: 4 10-09
98. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 5 16-13 13
Day 1: 2 08-00 Day 2: 3 08-13
99. Morizo Shimizu Suita, Osaka JAPAN 6 16-06 12
Day 1: 3 07-11 Day 2: 3 08-11
100. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 6 16-01 11
Day 1: 3 07-03 Day 2: 3 08-14
101. Ray Hanselman Jr Del Rio, TX 6 15-15 10
Day 1: 5 11-12 Day 2: 1 04-03
102. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 5 15-13 9
Day 1: 3 08-08 Day 2: 2 07-05
103. Bill Weidler Helena, AL 6 15-06 8
Day 1: 2 04-09 Day 2: 4 10-13
104. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 7 14-07 7
Day 1: 3 06-10 Day 2: 4 07-13
105. Takahiro Omori Emory, TX 5 14-02 6
Day 1: 1 02-08 Day 2: 4 11-10
106. Jonathon VanDam Gobles, MI 5 10-13 5
Day 1: 3 05-07 Day 2: 2 05-06
107. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 4 10-06 4
Day 1: 4 10-06 Day 2: 0 00-00
108. Darrell Ocamica New Plymouth, ID 3 07-06 3
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 3 07-06

by AnglersChannel

Sportsmans Warehouse Pro Zaldain Claims Narrow Lead Over Reese In Bassmaster Elite Tournament At Kentucky Lake

Chris Zaldain of Laughlin, Nev., takes the lead on the first day of the Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Kentucky Lake presented by Abu Garcia, bringing 24 pounds, 3 ounces to the scales on Friday.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.

May 4, 2018

PARIS, Tenn. — Chris Zaldain knew what he wanted to do, he knew why he wanted to do it and he got the job done to the tune of a 24-pound, 3-ounce limit of bass that leads the first round of the Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Kentucky Lake presented by Abu Garcia.

“A few days ago, I got some bad news about my mom’s (Rose) health, she’s battling cancer,” said Zaldain of Laughlin, Nev. “The last few days have been rough, so I came into this event to win it for my mom.

“I really want a chance to go into Sunday and win this event. I feel like my career needs it. I feel like my family needs it.”

Zaldain said he’s fishing such a specific pattern that he couldn’t divulge many details. However, he did note that a very specific integration of three distinct factors — some habitat, others conditional — were essential to his success.

“I practiced with one thing in my mind, pretty much one bait, one approach and it paid off big time today,” Zaldain said. “The second day of practice, I caught almost 30 pounds, no joke. Kentucky Lake has got ’em.

“A lot of people are complaining about the Asian carp, but the bass still live here. You just have to fish where the carp aren’t.”

Noting that he fished a purely prespawn pattern, Zaldain knew his day would be one of quality over quantity. His biggest was a 6-pounder, which made it to the Bassmaster blog feed with Zaldain’s handwritten dedication note to his mother.

“I’m fishing for five bites,” Zaldain said. “I’m not going out there trying to catch as many as I can, I’m just trying to catch five.

“Angles are everything to the way I’m fishing. I watched people fish through an area twice and I went in behind them and caught fish.”

The morning bite was key for Zaldain, who tanked his last keeper at 10 a.m. Looking ahead, he’s confident that he can replicate his game plan again Saturday, the second of four competition days.

“If I keep doing what I’m doing, I’ll have a big bag,” he said. “We have a weather change coming tomorrow, so I may have to make a few adjustments, but it’s going to be more of the same. In fact, a few of my spots, I didn’t even touch today.”

While Zaldain’s game plan worked to perfection, Skeet Reese’s didn’t. The Elite pro from Auburn, Calif., had to scrap his original game plan when he found himself fishless at 8 a.m. Switching to waters he never visited in practice, Reese targeted an area where he threw reaction baits and intercepted fish coming and going from a spawning area. His decision to change game plans led to a solid limit of 23-11, just 8 ounces behind the leader.

In third, Alabama’s Kelly Jaye picked off a five-bass limit weighing 22 pounds by throwing a custom colored Megabass Vision 110 jerkbait that he modified with larger hooks for a faster sink rate in the 8-foot depths he targeted.

Jaye said he needs sunlight penetration to allow the fish to see his bait better, so if Saturday offers any break in the cloud cover, he’s anticipating a heavier bag.

Rounding out the Top 5 are reigning Bassmaster Classic champion Jordan Lee of Grant, Ala., with 21-3 and Jason Christie of Park Hill, Okla., with 20-13

Gerald Swindle of Guntersville, Ala., and Chad Pipkens of Lansing, Mich., are tied for the $1,500 Phoenix Boats Big Bass Award with twin 7-pound, 7-ounce fish.

Daily takeoffs will begin at 6 a.m. CT out of Paris Landing Marina, and weigh-ins are scheduled at Paris Landing State Park beginning at 3:15 p.m. CT. each day.

2018 Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Kentucky Lake presented by Abu Garcia 5/4-5/7
Kentucky Lake, Paris TN.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 1

Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$

1. Chris Zaldain Laughlin, NV 5 24-03 110
Day 1: 5 24-03
2. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 5 23-11 109
Day 1: 5 23-11
3. Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 5 22-00 108
Day 1: 5 22-00
4. Jordan Lee Grant, AL 5 21-03 107
Day 1: 5 21-03
5. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 5 20-13 106
Day 1: 5 20-13
6. Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL 5 20-07 105
Day 1: 5 20-07
7. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 5 20-04 104
Day 1: 5 20-04
8. Josh Bertrand San Tan Valley, AZ 5 20-02 103
Day 1: 5 20-02
9. Paul Elias Laurel, MS 5 20-01 102
Day 1: 5 20-01
10. Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 5 19-13 101
Day 1: 5 19-13
11. Shaw Grigsby Jr. Gainesville, FL 5 19-12 100
Day 1: 5 19-12
12. Ott DeFoe Blaine, TN 5 19-10 99
Day 1: 5 19-10
12. David Walker Sevierville, TN 5 19-10 99
Day 1: 5 19-10
14. Cliff Pace Petal, MS 5 19-09 97
Day 1: 5 19-09
15. Matt Lee Guntersville, AL 5 19-07 96
Day 1: 5 19-07
16. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 5 19-06 95
Day 1: 5 19-06
16. Wesley Strader Spring City, TN 5 19-06 95
Day 1: 5 19-06
18. Chad Pipkens Lansing, MI 5 18-15 93
Day 1: 5 18-15
19. Jesse Wiggins Cullman, AL 5 18-14 92
Day 1: 5 18-14
20. Jacob Wheeler Harrison, TN 5 18-13 91
Day 1: 5 18-13
21. Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 5 18-10 90
Day 1: 5 18-10
22. Skylar Hamilton Dandridge, TN 5 18-09 89
Day 1: 5 18-09
22. Alton Jones Lorena, TX 5 18-09 89
Day 1: 5 18-09
22. Kyle Monti Okeechobee, FL 5 18-09 89
Day 1: 5 18-09
22. Randall Tharp Port St. Joe, FL 5 18-09 89
Day 1: 5 18-09
26. John Murray Spring City, TN 5 18-06 85
Day 1: 5 18-06
27. Fred Roumbanis Russellville, AR 5 17-15 84
Day 1: 5 17-15
28. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 5 17-15 83
Day 1: 5 17-15
29. Adrian Avena Vineland, NJ 5 17-14 82
Day 1: 5 17-14
29. Gerald Spohrer Gonzales, LA 5 17-14 82
Day 1: 5 17-14
31. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 5 17-04 80
Day 1: 5 17-04
31. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, KS 5 17-04 80
Day 1: 5 17-04
31. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 5 17-04 80
Day 1: 5 17-04
34. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 5 17-03 77
Day 1: 5 17-03
35. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 5 17-01 76
Day 1: 5 17-01
36. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 5 16-15 75
Day 1: 5 16-15
37. Brent Ehrler Redlands, CA 5 16-14 74
Day 1: 5 16-14
37. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 5 16-14 74
Day 1: 5 16-14
39. Brandon Card Knoxville, TN 5 16-13 72
Day 1: 5 16-13
40. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 5 16-08 71
Day 1: 5 16-08
41. Chris Lane Guntersville, AL 5 16-07 70
Day 1: 5 16-07
42. Andy Montgomery Blacksburg, SC 5 16-06 69
Day 1: 5 16-06
43. Alton Jones Jr. Waco, TX 5 16-04 68
Day 1: 5 16-04
43. Hunter Shryock Newcomerstown, OH 5 16-04 68
Day 1: 5 16-04
45. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 5 16-00 66
Day 1: 5 16-00
46. Jake Whitaker Fairview, NC 5 15-14 65
Day 1: 5 15-14
47. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 5 15-13 64
Day 1: 5 15-13
48. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, FL 5 15-11 63
Day 1: 5 15-11
49. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 5 15-10 62
Day 1: 5 15-10
50. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 5 15-08 61
Day 1: 5 15-08
51. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 5 15-06 60
Day 1: 5 15-06
52. David Fritts Lexington, NC 5 15-04 59
Day 1: 5 15-04
53. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 5 15-03 58
Day 1: 5 15-03
54. Fletcher Shryock Dennison, OH 5 15-01 57
Day 1: 5 15-01
55. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 5 14-14 56
Day 1: 5 14-14
56. Seth Feider Bloomington, MN 5 14-12 55
Day 1: 5 14-12
56. Greg Vinson Wetumpka, AL 5 14-12 55
Day 1: 5 14-12
58. Brandon Palaniuk Hayden, ID 5 14-11 53
Day 1: 5 14-11
59. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 5 14-02 52
Day 1: 5 14-02
60. Boyd Duckett Guntersville, AL 4 14-02 51
Day 1: 4 14-02
61. Chris Groh Spring Grove, IL 5 14-01 50
Day 1: 5 14-01
62. Keith Poche Pike Road, AL 4 13-13 49
Day 1: 4 13-13
63. Scott Rook Little Rock, AR 5 13-12 48
Day 1: 5 13-12
64. Randy Howell Guntersville, AL 5 13-11 47
Day 1: 5 13-11
64. Justin Lucas Guntersville, AL 5 13-11 47
Day 1: 5 13-11
66. Mark Daniels Jr. Tuskegee, AL 5 13-09 45
Day 1: 5 13-09
67. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 3 13-09 44
Day 1: 3 13-09
68. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 5 13-08 43
Day 1: 5 13-08
69. Rick Morris Lake Gaston, VA 5 13-07 42
Day 1: 5 13-07
69. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 5 13-07 42
Day 1: 5 13-07
71. Randy Sullivan Breckenridge, TX 5 13-06 40
Day 1: 5 13-06
72. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 4 13-05 39
Day 1: 4 13-05
73. Shin Fukae Palestine TX JAPAN 4 13-04 38
Day 1: 4 13-04
74. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 5 13-03 37
Day 1: 5 13-03
75. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 5 13-02 36
Day 1: 5 13-02
75. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 5 13-02 36
Day 1: 5 13-02
77. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 5 13-01 34
Day 1: 5 13-01
78. Kelly Jordon Flint, TX 5 13-00 33
Day 1: 5 13-00
79. Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 5 12-14 32
Day 1: 5 12-14
79. James Elam Tulsa, OK 5 12-14 32
Day 1: 5 12-14
81. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 5 12-13 30
Day 1: 5 12-13
82. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 3 12-13 29
Day 1: 3 12-13
83. Tyler Carriere Youngsville, LA 4 12-02 28
Day 1: 4 12-02
83. Mike McClelland Bentonville, AR 4 12-02 28
Day 1: 4 12-02
85. Robbie Latuso Gonzales, LA 5 11-15 26
Day 1: 5 11-15
86. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 5 11-12 25
Day 1: 5 11-12
86. Ray Hanselman Jr Del Rio, TX 5 11-12 25
Day 1: 5 11-12
88. Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 5 11-11 23
Day 1: 5 11-11
89. Tim Horton Muscle Shoals, AL 5 11-07 22
Day 1: 5 11-07
90. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, OK 4 11-03 21
Day 1: 4 11-03
91. Cliff Crochet Pierre Part, LA 5 10-15 20
Day 1: 5 10-15
92. Dustin Connell Clanton, AL 4 10-07 19
Day 1: 4 10-07
93. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 4 10-06 18
Day 1: 4 10-06
93. Dave Lefebre Erie, PA 4 10-06 18
Day 1: 4 10-06
95. Brandon Coulter Knoxville, TN 4 10-04 16
Day 1: 4 10-04
96. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 2 09-08 15
Day 1: 2 09-08
97. Gary Klein Mingus, TX 4 08-12 14
Day 1: 4 08-12
98. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 3 08-08 13
Day 1: 3 08-08
99. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 2 08-00 12
Day 1: 2 08-00
100. Morizo Shimizu Suita, Osaka JAPAN 3 07-11 11
Day 1: 3 07-11
101. Roy Hawk Lk Havasu Cty, AZ 4 07-09 10
Day 1: 4 07-09
102. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 3 07-03 9
Day 1: 3 07-03
103. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 3 06-10 8
Day 1: 3 06-10
104. Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 3 06-08 7
Day 1: 3 06-08
105. Jonathon VanDam Gobles, MI 3 05-07 6
Day 1: 3 05-07
106. Bill Weidler Helena, AL 2 04-09 5
Day 1: 2 04-09
107. Takahiro Omori Emory, TX 1 02-08 4
Day 1: 1 02-08
108. Darrell Ocamica New Plymouth, ID 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 82 493 1589-05
----------------------------------
82 493 1589-05

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by AnglersChannel

Show Off Your 'Best Catch' and You Could Be Fishing with Mark Zona

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – If you’re an angler or know someone who is, the countdown begins now for a chance to win big. Showing off your “best catch” could get you an action-packed fishing trip with Mark Zona, former pro angler, co-host of the Bassmaster Elite Series, and host of “Zona’s Awesome Fishing Show” on his favorite lake.

Submit your photo of any catch, past or recent, to the BoatUS “Best Catch” Photo Contest. No need to buy anything. No hoops to jump through. Just enter your photo, and before you know it, you could be on the water, rod in hand, with none other than the “Z-Man,” as he’s known to fans. The contest runs May 1–31, 2018. Entry details and contest rules can be found at BoatUS.com/Catch.

In addition to a fully expensed fishing trip, the grand prize winner will be awarded one-year Premium FishTrack and Buoyweather Memberships, providing global satellite imagery and marine weather. A one-year BoatUS Unlimited Towing Membership with Unlimited Trailer Assist will also be included, providing 24/7 assistance to boaters on the water or on the road who face trouble or break down.

Zona, one of the biggest fishing personalities in outdoor television and never one to turn down a chance to go fishing, said, "We always have a blast on the BoatUS Best Catch fishing trip! I want our winner to have more than an epic day of fishing. I want them to feel like they had an out-of-body fishing dream!”

The winner will be notified by June 8, 2018. The winning photo will appear in the largest national boating magazine, BoatUS Magazine.

Suggested Tweet and Facebook post:

Show off your “best catch” and you could win a fishing trip with Mark Zona! Submit your photo to the @BoatUS Best Catch Photo Contest by May 31. https://bit.ly/2KAohcC

About Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS):

Celebrating over 50 years, BoatUS is the nation’s largest organization of recreational boaters with more than a half-million members. We are the boat owners’ voice on Capitol Hill and fight for their rights. We help ensure a roadside trailer breakdown doesn’t end a boating or fishing trip before it begins. On the water, TowBoatUS brings boaters safely back to the launch ramp or dock when their boat won’t, 24/7. The BoatUS Marine Insurance Program gives boat owners the specialized coverage and superior service they need. We help keep boaters safe and our waters clean with assistance from the nonprofit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water. Visit BoatUS.com.

by AnglersChannel

This Weekend - Sportsmans Warehouse Sportsmans Dream Tournament on Lake Chickamauga!

AC's John Byrne & Sportmans Warehouse Manager Craig Baird Talk about this Weekends Sportsmans Warehouse Sportsmans Dream tournament on Lake Chickamauga!

Complete Info Here!

https://anglerschannel.com/tournaments/sportsmans-warehouse-fishermans-dream-bass-tournament-lake-chickamauga-may-5-2018/

by AnglersChannel

BoatUS Renews Title Sponsorship of 2018 Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship

May 2, 2018

The Association of Collegiate Anglers (ACA) announces that Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) has renewed its title sponsorship of the 2018 Collegiate Bass Fishing Series Championship. Now in its thirteenth anniversary year, the event will be held May 23-25 on Pickwick Lake in Florence, Alabama. The Championship is the third major ACA event of four tournaments in the rapidly expanding Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series slated for this year. BoatUS has been the title sponsor of the Championship since its inception.

Starting with the first Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship held on Lake Lewisville in 2006, student anglers have benefitted, both on the water and off, from the relationship with BoatUS. A decade later, collegiate anglers continue to be able to tap into BoatUS’ 24/7 on water towing and roadside assistance services, information, and more at each Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series event.

Wade Middleton, President of CarecoTV and Director of the Association of Collegiate Anglers, said, “Since first becoming involved in college fishing, BoatUS has provided so much over the past decade from education on safety issues and boating issues, offering important services like insurance, towing and more as well a wide range of services both on and off the water to help ensure this next generation of anglers are prepared to safely and properly enjoy the waters across the nation.”

To find out how you can get signed up for your BoatUS membership and participants’ incentive plans, visit the www.boatus.com.

by AnglersChannel

St. Croix Rods - A New Legend for Anglers Who Want it All

Courtesy of St. Croix Rods / Traditions Media

Legend X packs every technology at St. Croix’s disposal to deliver unrivaled performance

Park Falls, WI (May 3, 2018) – The Senko spiraled toward the bottom of a gin-clear lake, turning the reel on the opposite end ever closer towards the end of its spool. Twenty feet down and dozens of yards from the boat, a thin strand of four-pound fluorocarbon traced a line from fish to man. On a sunny day at this depth and distance, the line was impossible for the angler’s eye to see — then, a thump.

“I could feel it in my hands,” said angling guru Dan Johnston. “It blew my mind.”

Johnston, National Accounts Manager for St. Croix Rod, was in the midst of a three-day video shoot with Jarrett Edwards of Jarrett Edwards Outdoors. The gin-clear water belonged to the mystic desert fishery of Lake Powell, where a maze of clear water channels crisscrosses the Arizona/Utah border in a dance with time and nature. At Lake Powell, the ruins of an Anasazi empire and exposed fossils of plesiosaurs line the same canyon walls where bass loiter for food, feasting on shad in the shadows of legends.

It was here on Powell that Johnston and Edwards had come to document a legend of their own — a battle test for the St. Croix Rod Legend X.

“I was basing bite detection off of that thump in my hands,” Johnston said. “Usually, all of the conditions have to line up to feel that hit. Here, Jarrett and I were throwing a light soft plastic almost as far as we could throw, getting a bite at the very end of the cast, and in 20 feet of water you could still feel it.”

Adds Johnston, “You can write that, but people reading it will roll their eyes. They won’t believe you until they do it for themselves.”

Legend X rumors began to swirl last summer, just before the rod made its official debut at ICAST 2017. There, retailers got their first look at the production models which would eventually find their way out to the desert with Johnston and Edwards. Featuring Relentless Olive blanks with cork, split-grip handles and a familiar name, it didn’t take long for consumers who hadn’t seen the rods up close to dub Legend X a ‘Legend Elite with split grips.’ But Johnston says only part of that moniker is true.

“It does have the same SCV blank as the Legend Elite, and it does have split grips, but this is a rod built with every single technology St. Croix Rod has at its disposal. It’s a rod for the ultimate, discerning angler who understands that 32 pairs of hands have touched this rod during the manufacturing process. It’s for the angler who wants the ultimate in sensitivity and light weight. It’s for the angler who wants all of St. Croix’s rod building technologies. Every one of them.”

An 18-year veteran of St. Croix Rod, Johnston is no spring chicken when it comes to rod design. He’s fished nearly every rod the Wisconsin-based company has produced in almost two decades with the company; and in a field with many favorites, he says Legend X stands above them all.

“It’s a dream rod for me,” he elaborates. “A lot of people have been waiting on a SCV blank with split grips. Legend X is unbelievably impressive.”

The rod’s list of technical features reads like a laundry list of high-performance rod specifications: Integrated Poly Curve® (IPC®) mandrel tooling technology; Advanced Reinforcing Technology™ (ART™); a Taper Enhancement Technology (TET) blank; super high-modulus SCVI graphite with Fortified Resin System (FRS) in its lower section for maximum power and reduced weight; high-modulus/high-strain SCV graphite with FRS and carbon-matte scrim for unparalleled strength, durability and sensitivity; Fuji® Torzite® tangle-free guides with titanium frames; a Fuji® TVS blank-touch reel seat with a built-in hood on spinning rods; a Fuji® PTS blank-touch reel seat with a built-in hood on casting rods; anodized, machined-aluminum wind check and trim pieces; a Kigan titanium hook-keeper; two coats of Flex-Coat slow cure finish, and its signature split-grip super-grade cork handles.

Asked about the relentless, madman’s list of features, Johnston had a simple explanation.

“St Croix exists to provide every angler with the upper hand. That explains Legend X. That explains the engine behind the brilliance, the fuel behind the idea, the execution, and the final product. We wanted to give people the ultimate advantage on the water. Everything about Legend X is distilled to that. St. Croix Rod wanted to go all-in.”

Just a few short months after its ICAST 2017 unveiling, Legend X is starting to fill the dealer pipelines. Soon, Dan Johnston and Jarrett Edwards will have to share their legend with the rest of the angling world. Johnston swears Legend X is the ultimate fishing rod come to life.

It’s a tale that may seem hard to believe — but like the mysterious landscape of Lake Powell—is 100 percent true.

#stcroixrods

by AnglersChannel

Jordan Lee says Kentucky Lake feels a lot like Grand

Courtesy of Alan McGuckin / Dynamic Sponsorships

Bassmaster Classic Champion Jordan Lee played a lot of baseball in his younger years growing up around Cullman, Alabama. And right now, the easy-going 26 year old feels a lot like one of former Yankees icon Yogi Berra’s famous quotes, “It’s like déjà vu all over again.”

Go to Conroe – win a Classic. Go to Hartwell the following year – win a Classic.

Go to Grand Lake, Oklahoma last week knowing there’s bass on spawning beds poor water clarity won’t permit you to see.

Work hard. Fish hard. Notch another Top 12 finish.

Fire up the Tundra and head straight to the next event at Kentucky Lake, realize once again there’s bass on spawning beds poor water clarity won’t permit you to see.

“There’s a lot of bass on beds here, but it won’t be much of a sight fishing tournament because the water’s been high and off-colored, and beds are hard to see here, just like at Grand Lake last week,” says the Quantum pro.

And much like Northeast Oklahoma last week, the weather forecast is one to make the Chamber of Commerce proud here in Henry County, TN. Lots of sunshine and temps perfectly suited for nothing more than the Carhartt Force long sleeve shirt you seeing Lee wearing here.

After two very long but comfortable days on Kentucky Lake, Lee predicts weights very similar to Grand Lake.

“I averaged 17 pounds a day at Grand and finished 10^th, and I’m guessing that’s just about exactly what it’ll take here for a Top 12,” he says.

Unlike Grand, the water is in the bushes on Kentucky Lake, but it’s falling fast. And while there’s tons of shallow habitat to cast or pitch to right now, the TVA will likely suck as much as 2-feet of water out of this massive reservoir by competition … which again, could bring flashbacks of Grand’s mostly dry shoreline habitat.

Still, just like Grand, Lee feels this will be a shallow water tournament. “The water temps are in the 60s and warming daily, fish want to be shallow. I’m not saying somebody won’t slip off the bank and win off a gravel bar or shell bar, but for the most part there’s going to be a lot of guys fishing shallow,” says Lee.

Finally, there’s the intangibles that seem so similar with Jordan Lee at Kentucky Lake, just like Hartwell, Conroe, and Grand – he’ll be one of the very last anglers to leave the boat ramp.

“It’s 6:00 p.m., and I’ll probably be out here until pretty much dark at 8:00 p.m. – I’ve got a lot of work to do,” he grinned as the sun began to fall in western sky on Day 2 of practice near Buchanan, TN.

by AnglersChannel

AnglersChannel Insider Podcast Episode #12 Featuring FLW Tour Winner David Williams & Nascar Gasman turned Ranger Boats Dealer Ed Watkins!

On this weeks episode Chris gets stuck in traffic in the ATL and records the pod from the front seat of the AC Tundra. The Boys talk to David Williams, FLW Tour Winner on how he led wire-to-wire on Smith Lake as well as talk to Ranger Boat Dealer owner Ed Watkins of Ed Watkins Marine in Denver, NC. We also have the Progressive Bass Wrap up, The Costa Countdown to Blastoff and a ton more, only on the AC Insider Podcast!

by AnglersChannel

Bassmaster Team Championship To Be Held On Florida’s Harris Chain For The First Time

Competitors in the 2018 Bassmaster Team Championship will fish the Harris Chain of Lakes out of Leesburg, Fla., Dec. 5-8. Up for grabs is the national team title and a berth in the 2019 Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.

Photo by Ronnie Moore/B.A.S.S.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 2, 2018

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Steeped in bass fishing history, Florida’s Harris Chain of Lakes has been selected to host the 2018 Bassmaster Team Championship Dec. 5-8, B.A.S.S. announced today.

Part of the Oklawaha River Basin, the Harris Chain covers about 50,000 acres, including eight lakes — seven of which will be accessible to the bass fishing teams competing in the championship and connecting channels. Lake Yale, a 4,000-acre natural lake, is not accessible by boat from the other seven lakes.

In its 50-year history, B.A.S.S. has held 15 professional bass tournaments on the Harris Chain, including the first five B.A.S.S. MegaBucks tournaments, which featured a 10-hole fishing course where finalists competed for a $100,000 first prize. The Lake County network of bass lakes also hosted the B.A.S.S. Nation championships in 2006 and 2009.

“We love going to the Harris Chain, Leesburg and Lake County for events,” said Team Championship tournament director Jon Stewart, who also serves as B.A.S.S. Nation national director. The Harris Chain of Lakes should produce well in early December. The anglers might even come across a few early spawners, and when fishing in Florida, you always have a chance at catching the bass of a lifetime.”

One of the qualifiers for the event will be sure to have the tournament a lifetime, because he or she will earn a berth in the “Super Bowl of Bass Fishing,” the 2019 Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods at Knoxville, Tenn.

Founded in 2014, the Bassmaster Team Championship fields approximately 175 two-angler teams each year. The teams qualify by winning championships or performance points titles on one of dozens of B.A.S.S. sanctioned team tournament circuits. The teams compete for two days — Dec. 5-6 this year — to earn the title of top team in the nation. Next, members of the Top 3 teams fish solo for two more days, with the winner of that phase qualifying for the Classic.

Tournament headquarters will be Leesburg, Fla. It is hosted by the Central Florida Sports Commission and LakeBigBass.com – Lake County, Fla.

“We are thrilled to welcome Bassmaster back to Lake County this December for the 2018 Team Championship,” said Jason Siegel, CEO of the Central Florida Sports Commission. “CFSC and B.A.S.S. have enjoyed a long-time partnership of more than 10 years, and we look forward to working with them on this event and in the future.”

Tim Frederick, a Bassmaster Opens angler who is sponsored by LakeBigBass.com, predicts good action for big fish in early December, which could provide some heavyweight bass entering the prespawn phase.

“I am excited to welcome the anglers in the 2018 Bassmaster Team Championship to my home, the Harris Chain of Lakes,” Frederick said. “December is a great time of year to be on the water with the prespawn bass. If the weather is right and an angler gets lucky, there could be some big bags on the scale. This is going to be an exciting tournament.”

In the 2018 team tournament held on Norfork Lake in Arkansas, brothers Brett and Beau Govreau of St. Louis, Mo., representing the US Anglers Choice circuit, won the team title over 169 other teams from 57 trails, while Ryan Butler of Blue Eye, Mo., who qualified from the Joe Bass Trail, won the Classic Fish-Off and the right to compete with the pros in the 2018 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods at Greenville, S.C.

by AnglersChannel

3rd Annual Carhartt College Fishing Video Contest

Courtesy of Dynamic Sponsorships

Calling all college anglers. Want the chance to go fishing with back-to-back Bassmaster Classic champ Jordan Lee and Elite Series standout Matt Lee, as well as win a boatload of Carhartt apparel? Your opportunity waits via the Carhartt College Fishing Video Contest. For the 3^rd year, the title sponsor of the College Bassmaster Series extends this contest to collegiate anglers.

The rules remain simple, anglers are asked to put together a short video showcasing what college fishing means to them and how Carhartt has their back on the water, while they are hard at work, in the classroom, or at home. Video submissions should be kept around 3:00 minutes long and can be filmed on any video capturing device. As long as you are currently enrolled in college courses you are eligible to participate.

The rules are left loose to allow for creativity. So college anglers, have fun with it! Include videos from fun fishing trips, fishing club meetings, Carhartt College B.A.S.S. events, campus life, or whatever else you feel fits the bill. All is fair game. On top of the Grand Prize winner, there will be (4) other videos chosen to win a prize package with the latest and greatest Carhartt fishing gear.

Jacob Smith of Wallace State University was the 2017 Grand Prize winner, check out his winning video submission here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wP-_K6nxxow

“The whole trip up to Lake St Clair was a dream come true honestly,” Smith said. “Getting a behind-the-scenes look at a Bassmaster Elite Series event, meeting all the great folks from B.A.S.S, and catching giant smallmouth with Jordan, Matt, and my buddy Miller are all experiences I wouldn’t trade for the world.”

The Carhartt fishing team of Mark Zona, Terry Scroggins, Matt Lee, and Jordan Lee once again make up the esteemed panel of judges who will pick the Grand Prize and Carhartt apparel prize package winners.

The Grand Prize up for grabs is an all-inclusive trip to Chatuge Lake for the Toyota Angler of the Year Championship, and then a two-day fishing trip with Lee brothers following the tournament. Previous Grand Prize trips were held on infamous fisheries like Lake Guntersville (2016) and Lake St. Clair (2017). College anglers were treated to an exciting and educational couple of days on the water with the Lee brothers.

This year’s Grand Prize trip promises more of the same, so get your creative juices flowing and submit a video before the cutoff date of July 15^th, 2018.

Videos can be submitted through this link: https://www.facebook.com/dynamicsponsorships/app/403834839671843/. For more information, questions, or concerns email [email protected].

by AnglersChannel

CUBA’S BECHTEL WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE OZARK DIVISION EVENT ON LAKE OF THE OZARKS

Springfield’s Lloyd Wins Co-angler Title

OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (April 30, 2018) – Boater Zach Bechtel of Cuba, Missouri, brought a five-bass limit to the scale weighing 21 pounds, 7 ounces to win the 2018 T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Ozark Division event on Lake of the Ozarks. For his win, Bechtel earned the first place prize of $5,020 plus a $2,000 Ranger Cup contingency bonus.

“I had been fishing in a few local tournaments over the past few weeks and had been catching a lot of fish,” said Bechtel. “But, when I went out on Friday to practice for this event, the fish were gone. I looked and looked and I couldn’t find them anywhere. I knew I was in trouble.

“Saturday, I woke up without a real plan and just decided to go fishing,” Bechtel said. “Everyone else kept saying that the fish had moved shallow to spawn, but I decided that I was going to fish in areas where I believed the fish were still staging. On my first spot I caught a 4½- and a 5-pounder and I just dialed it in from there.”

Bechtel said that he fished around 20 different points through the day with a ¾-ounce silver and red-colored War Eagle spinnerbait with a smoke shad-colored Keitech Fat Impact swimbait on it. He estimated that he caught 10 or 11 keepers throughout the day.

“I think the wind was pretty important to my pattern,” Bechtel said. “The points had to be wind-blown in order to get bit.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st: Zach Bechtel, Cuba, Mo., five bass, 21-7, $5,020 + $2,000 Ranger Cup

2^nd: Mark Tucker, Kirkwood, Mo., five bass, 19-8, $2,560

3^rd: Keith Nickell, Warsaw, Mo., five bass, 19-1, $1,574

4^th: Rob Bueltmann, Osage Beach, Mo., five bass, 18-2, $1,201

5^th: David Ryan, Levasy, Mo., five bass, 17-12, $944

6^th: Ronnie Kane, Gardner, Kan., five bass, 17-8, $865

7^th: Tom Alsop, Overland Park, Kan., five bass, 15-5, $787

8^th: Tom Silber, Labadie, Mo., five bass, 15-2, $708

9^th: Jason Rhyne, Foristell, Mo., five bass, 15-1, $629

10^th: Shawn Kowal, Linn Creek, Mo., five bass, 14-6, $551

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Doug Henzlik of Leawood, Kansas, caught a bass weighing 7 pounds, 7 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $695.

Tom Lloyd of Springfield, Missouri, won the Co-angler Division and $2,560 Saturday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 16 pounds even.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st: Tom Lloyd, Springfield, Mo., five bass, 16-0, $2,560

2^nd: Spencer Clark, Maryland Heights, Mo., five bass, 12-15, $1,180

3^rd: Taylor Day, Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., two bass, 9-0, $787

4^th: Lang Yang, Miami, Okla., three bass, 8-10, $551

5^th: Jordan Williams, Oak Grove, Mo., three bass, 8-4, $522

6^th: Dennis Spell, Bonne Terre, Mo., three bass, 7-10, $433

7^th: Bryan Barnard, Harrison, Ark., two bass, 7-8, $393

8^th: Walter Hammond, Lees Summit, Mo., three bass, 7-3, $354

9^th: Terry Misenhelter, Four Seasons, Mo., two bass, 6-13, $315

10^th: Kory Ries, Union, Mo., two bass, 6-12, $275

Jeffrey Miller of Fredericktown, Missouri caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a 5-pound, 12-ounce bass that earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $347.

The T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Ozark Division event at Lake of the Ozarks was hosted by the Lake of the Ozarks Tri-County Lodging Association and Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 18-20 BFL Regional Championship on Kentucky and Barkley lakes in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.

by AnglersChannel

Seeing What Your Not Looking For

As April grows small in the rearview mirror and we head into May, many people stop sight-fishing. They figure the spawn has wound down and, in many cases, they’re right but ‘sight-fishing’ need not be confused with ‘bed-fishing’. There’s still a lot to see . . . and catch.

My son and I stood on the dock at our lake and talked over the bass that came and went, including a true giant that busted Hunter’s fluorocarbon line. He had seen the fish eat his bait as it swam in 8 feet of water and that proved too much for the 15-year-old and his 15-pound line. He set the hook like a gorilla.

He then collapsed on the dock like somebody had kicked his gonads through his rib cage.

His girlfriend, Romi, giggled and asked what was wrong with him. It was one of many questions she asked. Among them was, ‘how can y’all see all those fish? I don’t see anything.’

My wife explained about polarized glasses. Even with our Costas though, I explained that there are tricks to seeing fish. And there’s an art to catching them.

Somebody had to teach me so I’m passing along some of the best tips I ever got on the subject of sight-fishing for bass year-round, not just when they’re on the beds.

My teachers include Shaw Grigsby, Bernie Schultz and no less a sight-casting pioneer than Guido Hibdon himself.

The best thing I ever picked up from Hibdon - and passed along to Romi the other day – was to look for ‘game trails’ under the water. “When bass swim, they brush away bottom debris and leave a light-colored trail along the bottom,” shared Hibdon who learned the craft on the deep highland lakes of the Ozarks region. He further expounded that knowing where to look in the first place is half the battle when visually searching for fish.

Hibdon said, “They will swim back and forth along that same trail and if you wait, just like deer hunting, one will come back through the area and you can cast out ahead of him far enough to let the lure settle to bottom before he gets there.”

Letting the lure settle before the fish gets there can be key.

Letting the line sink is critical.

“You never want your line to go over the fish’s back,” emphasized Grigsby after a mid-summer day of sight-casting on Tennessee’s Lake Cherokee. “And you don’t want to cast right at the fish either. If you see one sitting there looking at you, that’s not good. You want to bring the lure at an angle and make it act as if it’s trying to escape. Make the fish think it’s his idea.”

For these reasons, you need to lead the fish by a wide margin when casting to them. This is also a strong reason to use fluorocarbon line as it will sink much faster than mono or braid which means you’ll be less likely to ‘line’ the fish (cast or pull the line over its back).

Bernie Schultz once told me about a tournament on Georgia’s West Point Lake where he saw bass swimming around a shallow point, back and forth at a consistent depth, following game trails as Hibdon had told me they would. “I just tossed a Senko way out in front, made sure it got down, pulled the line beneath the surface and let the fish find the lure.”

It can be just that simple. Not all fish will bite. But Grigsby and Hibdon both estimated their odds of catching any given bass at better than 50%. Their tournament records back that up.

Odds go way up when you see the fish before the fish see you. Keep a low profile, move silently – which means move slowly in most cases. And wear the best quality polarized sunglasses you afford.

Costa del Mar has set the standard for decades. The clearest lenses on the planet not only show you fish, but also protect your eyes from the sun’s harmful effects as well as the occasional flying tungsten sinker. My favorite model, the Blackfin has wide sides to block distracting peripheral glare.

Keep the sun over your shoulder to further minimize glare and then, as Grigsby says, “Put the trolling motor down and go learn what to look for.”

One clue I look for is shadows. Fish are notorious for camouflaging themselves into their environment. But they can’t change the density of their body. They cast consistent shadows when in shallow water. The dark oval on the lake floor is often the first cue I get that there is something swimming, suspended slightly higher in the water column.

When looking for the fish itself, try to first find the vertical black stripe on their tail. This stripe contrasts sharply with the rest of the tail fin and it is nearly always moving – and movement always gives an animal away when it is trying to hide.

Wakes can give fish away. On cloudy days, bulging v’s that ripple the surface may be your most obvious sign. Remember, the deeper a fish swims, the further behind its wake will trail. Also, the deeper the fish swims, the further ahead of it you need to cast. Again, you must get your line down so as not to spook the fish.

Take these tips and go see some fish!

Author Vance McCullough is an avid Outdoorsman and Football Coach from Jacksonville, Florida. You can Follow Vance here on Facebook or here on Instagram.

by AnglersChannel

MILTON’S LEIDHOLDT WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE GREAT LAKES DIVISION OPENER ON MISSISSIPPI RIVER PRESENTED BY NAVIONICS

Illinois’ Howard Wins Co-angler Title

LA CROSSE, Wis. (April 30, 2018) – Boater Rob Leidholdt of Milton, Wisconsin, caught five bass weighing 17 pounds, 11 ounces, Saturday to win the 2018 T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Great Lakes Division opener on the Mississippi River presented by Navionics. Leidholdt earned $5,046 for his victory.

“I stayed in Pool No. 8 all day, throwing a spinnerbait all day long on a shallow flat near Stoddard,” said Leidholdt, who earned his first career win in FLW competition. “There were around 15 boats fishing the same flat, but I was fishing slower than most of them. I caught around 10 fish all day long.”

Leidholdt’s spinnerbait of choice was a Spot Remover-colored War Eagle Finesse Spinnerbait with a white Zoom Swimmer Paddle Tail swimbait.

“I think only having one day to practice actually really helped me,” Leidholdt said. “The river has had so much water fluctuation in the past few weeks, so even if I would have had time to practice it likely would have been very different come tournament time.

“It’s the first time in a long time that I can remember that I put the jig down and picked up the spinnerbait,” Leidholdt joked. “I’ve been fishing BFL tournaments for 15 years, so I definitely put my time in to earn the win.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st: Rob Leidholdt, Milton, Wis., five bass, 17-11, $5,046

2^nd: Michael Hanrahan, Pleasant Hill, Iowa, five bass, 16-15, $2,523

2^nd: Ryan Lewis, Glasford, Ill., five bass, 16-14, $1,682

4^th: Mike Brueggen, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 16-0, $1,177

5^th: Ben Potaracke, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 15-15, $1,209

6^th: Dan Mohn, Lansing, Iowa, five bass, 15-12, $925

7^th: Bob Downey, Hudson, Wis., five bass, 15-8, $841

8^th: Nick Trim, Galesville, Wis., five bass, 15-1, $857

9^th: Frank Cipra, Prairie du Chien, Wis., five bass, 14-10, $673

10^th: Jeff Ritter, Prairie du Chien, Wis., five bass, 14-1, $589

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Tony Seiler of River Falls, Wisconsin, caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 11 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $770.

David Howard of Farmington, Illinois, won the Co-angler Division and $2,523 Saturday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 16 pounds, 9 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st: David Howard, Farmington, Ill., five bass, 16-9, $2,523

2^nd: Kory Kreinke, Annandale, Minn., five bass, 14-9, $1,262

3^rd: Mike Frazer, DeForest, Wis., five bass, 14-1, $841

4^th: Jake Lambrecht, Davenport, Iowa, five bass, 13-14, $589

5^th: Alexandru Spiac, Chicago, Ill., five bass, 12-6, $505

6^th: Brad Juen, La Crosse, Wis., four bass, 11-6, $663

7^th: Jason Wulf, Crown Point, Ind., three bass, 10-2, $471

8^th: Chad Schultz, Rockton, Ill., four bass, 9-10, $378

9^th: Jason Swanson, Waterloo, Iowa, three bass, 9-5, $336

10^th: Chad Smith, Davenport, Iowa, three bass, 8-4, $294

Bill McBride of Rockford, Illinois, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a 5-pound, 12-ounce fish. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $385.

The T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Great Lakes Division opener on the Mississippi River presented by Navionics was hosted by the La Crosse County Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 25-27 BFL Regional Championship on Lake of the Ozarks in Osage Beach, Missouri. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.

by AnglersChannel

WILLIAMS LEADS WIRE-TO-WIRE, WINS FLW TOUR AT LEWIS SMITH LAKE PRESENTED BY T-H MARINE

North Carolina Angler fends off 181 FLW Tour pros with more than 64 pounds, earns $100k

JASPER, Ala. (April 29, 2018) – Pro David Williams of Maiden, North Carolina, brought a 13-pound, 13-ounce, limit of bass to the weigh-in stage Sunday to win the FLW Tour at Lewis Smith Lake presented by T-H Marine with a four-day cumulative total of 20 bass weighing 64 pounds, 9 ounces. For his dominant showing on the water this week, Williams earned $102,700 and moved up to the No. 4 position in the Pennzoil Marine Angler of the Year race.

“It’s an incredibly tough field of anglers and each one dreams of winning one of these tournaments. To win one in my first year on Tour is pretty special,” said Williams, who earned his first career Tour-level win and is now extremely likely to qualify for the Forrest Wood Cup. “It’s been a long time coming and its extra special when you really have to work for it.”

During the tournament Williams targeted the morning shad spawn, skipping a jig around and under docks up the White Oak, Crooked and Rock creek arms. He was able to rack up the majority of his weight fairly quickly each morning, catching both largemouth and spotted bass.

“I had no idea I’d lead from start to finish – I didn’t really have that great of a practice,” said Williams. “I had one good area and didn’t really realize how many fish were in there. But, I was able to milk it for four days. It was pretty incredible.”

Williams said his main baits this week were a white Queen Tackle Tungsten Swim Jig and a TrueSouth Custom Lures Fathead Jig with a Bizz Baits Cutter Craw and Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craw as trailers.He also worked a TrueSouth Shimmy Jig with a Zoom Z Craw and a TrueSouth V-Twin buzzbait near flooded cover, in between docks, to lure a few key bites as well.

“Lewis Smith Lake fishes a lot like our lakes back home in North Carolina and that’s the reason I think that I did well,” said Williams.

The final 10 Pros on Lewis Smith Lake finished:

1^st: David Williams, Maiden, N.C., 20 bass, 64-9, $102,700

2^nd: John Cox, DeBary, Fla., 20 bass, 59-12, $30,000

3^rd: Cody Meyer, Auburn, Calif., 20 bass, 59-2, $25,000

4^th: Pennzoil Marine pro Matt Arey, Shelby, N.C., 20 bass, 57-6, $20,100

5^th: Jordan Osborne, Longview, Texas, 20 bass, 54-10, $19,000

6^th: Jason Reyes, Huffman, Texas, 20 bass, 54-8, $18,000

7^th: Clent Davis, Montevallo, Ala., 20 bass, 52-2, $17,000

8^th: Matt Becker, Finleyville, Pa., 20 bass, 51-12, $16,000

9^th: Todd Auten, Lake Wylie, S.C., 20 bass, 50-9, $15,000

10^th: Jimmy Reese, Witter Springs, Calif., 20 bass, 50-5, $14,000

For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.

Overall there were 50 bass weighing 128 pounds, 1 ounce, caught by the final 10 pros Sunday. All 10 pros weighed a five-bass limit.

Joel Willert of Prior Lake, Minnesota, won the Co-angler Division and $20,100 Friday with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 24 pounds, 4 ounces. After winning the Co-angler title at Lake Cumberland earlier this month, Willert became the fifth co-angler in FLW Tour history to win back-to-back events.

Television coverage of the FLW Tour at Lewis Smith Lake presented by T-H Marine will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) June 6 from Noon-1 p.m. EST. 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.

The total purse for the FLW Tour at Lewis Smith Lake presented by T-H Marine was more than $930,000. The event was hosted by the Chamber of Commerce of Walker County. The next tournament for FLW Tour anglers will be the FLW Tour at Kentucky Lake presented by Costa, May 17-20, in Gilbertsville, Kentucky, hosted by the Kentucky Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau.

In FLW Tour competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day, with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers. The full field of anglers competed in the two-day opening round. Co-angler competition concluded following Friday’s weigh-in, while the top 30 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advanced to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continued competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.

Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2018 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of professional bass fishing. The 2018 Forrest Wood Cup will be on Lake Ouachita in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Aug. 10-12 and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the sport’s top anglers on the FLW Tour on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.

by AnglersChannel

VanDam Dominates Grand Lake To Win 25th Bassmaster Championship

Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., won his 25th B.A.S.S. title at the 2018 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite at Grand Lake out of Grove, Okla., with a four-day total weight of 83 pounds, 4 ounces.

Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.

Courtesy of BASS Communications

April 29, 2018

GROVE, Okla. — Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., relied upon large female prespawn bass to claim a record-breaking 25th title on the Bassmaster Elite Series, and a $100,000 payday at the 2018 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite at Grand Lake in Grove, Okla.

During Championship Sunday, VanDam put up 18 pounds, 7 ounces to push his four-day total to 83-4, which outscored Tommy Biffle of Wagoner, Okla., by more than 5 pounds.

The 50-year-old VanDam will place an unprecedented 25th Bassmaster trophy on his mantle — a feat many believe may never be broken.

This isn’t his first victory on the famous Oklahoma lake. He won an Elite Series event on Grand Lake back in 2007 with 78-2.

The bass VanDam was targeting this time were primarily in the prespawn phase and were positioned along transition zones where one type of bottom met another.

“The male bass were all in shallow along the bank and pretty easy to catch,” VanDam said. “I knew that to win, I needed to catch the larger females that were staging farther offshore — around 8 to 10 feet of water.”

After an unproductive practice, the four-time Bassmaster Classic champion said he was forced to adapt and experiment on Thursday’s opening round of competition.

“I really didn’t think I could win this thing after the tough practice I had,” he said. “But I knew I had to cover water to find active fish. The female bass that were moving in to spawn were not yet on beds, but they would still hit a reaction bait like a crankbait or a spinnerbait.”

VanDam said he fished at least 50 spots per day early in the tournament, but dialed in to the best locations during Saturday and Sunday, which meant less traveling from one to the next.

“Today was a tougher bite for me. I caught fewer fish, but I was focusing on the locations that were producing the largest bass. It proved to be the right decision,” he said.

He caught some bass this week on a 1/2-ounce green pumpkin Strike King Structure Jig paired with a green pumpkin Rage Menace Grub with the tail dipped in chartreuse dye.

For the rod-and-reel combo, he used a 7-foot, 4-inch Quantum Tour KVD rod matched with a Quantum Smoke S3 baitcaster in a 7.3:1 gear ratio. The reel was spooled with 20-pound Bass Pro Shops XPS fluorocarbon line.

“My most productive bait was a Strike King KVD 1.5 squarebill crankbait in a brown craw color,” he said. “I pulled that on a 7-foot Quantum Tour KVD medium-action crankbait rod paired with a Quantum Smoke 200 reel in a 5.3:1 gear ratio. I tied the crankbait on to 12-pound Bass Pros Shops XPS fluorocarbon.”

A huge factor for the seven-time Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year was the hooks he used on the squarebill crankbait.

“I swapped the factory hooks with No. 2 Mustad KVD treble hooks, and that increased my hook-up rate tremendously,” he said. “I heard multiple anglers comment on how the bass were swatting at their lures and not staying hooked up. My hook change was critical to getting all my fish into the boat.”

When asked if retirement was in his near future, VanDam laughed.

“Short answer: No. I’m having too much fun,” he said.

“These tournaments are very difficult to win, and I’ve been very blessed over my career, but I’ll never take any of it for granted. I still get very emotional, just like winning my first B.A.S.S. tournament in 1991.”

VanDam’s victory at Grand Lake will push his winnings to more than $6.3 million across 306 tournaments over an impressive 29-year career, and he has no ambitions of stopping.

Biffle weighed 78-2 for second place; Roy Hawk of Lake Havasu, Ariz., was third with 77-0; Bradley Roy of Lancaster, Ky., was fourth with 75-3; and Seth Feider of Bloomington, Minn., was fifth with 73-11.

Hawk, a rookie on the Elite Series this year, was awarded $1,000 for the leading the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points race at the end of the event. He also claimed the Power-Pole Captain’s Cash Award of $1,000 for being the highest-placing angler who is registered and eligible and uses a client-approved product on his boat. And he collected the Toyota Bonus Bucks Award of $3,000 for being the highest-placing eligible entrant in the program.

The second-highest-placing eligible entrant in the Toyota Bonus Bucks program, Brandon Lester of Fayetteville, Tenn., received $2,000.

Bill Weidler of Helena, Ala., received $1,500 dollars as the winner of the Phoenix Boats Big Bass award. He had the largest bass of the tournament with a 7-3 largemouth he caught in the first round of competition Thursday.

Next up on the Bassmaster Elite Series circuit is the Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Kentucky Lake presented by Abu Garcia. Competition begins there Friday.

2018 Bassmaster Elite At Grand Lake Title Sponsor: Academy Sports + Outdoors

2018 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota

2018 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha, Abu Garcia, Berkley, Huk, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole

2018 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Livingston Lures, Lowrance Phoenix Boats, T-H Marine, Academy Sports + Outdoors, Carhartt

2018 Bassmaster Elite Series Elite Partner: Black Velvet Canadian Whisky

About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2), radio show (Bassmaster Radio), social media programs and events. For 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.

The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation Series presented by Magellan Outdoors, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.

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Media Contact: JamieDay Matthews, 205-313-0945, [email protected] or Dave Precht, 205-313-0931, [email protected]

2018 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite at Grand Lake 4/26-4/29
Grand Lake O' the Cherokees, Grove OK.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 4Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$

1. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 20 83-04 110 $100,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-15 Day 2: 5 20-10 Day 3: 5 22-04 Day 4: 5 18-07
2. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, OK 20 78-02 109 $25,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-09 Day 2: 5 18-09 Day 3: 5 22-01 Day 4: 5 20-15
3. Roy Hawk Lk Havasu Cty, AZ 20 77-00 108 $22,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-15 Day 2: 5 19-14 Day 3: 5 24-12 Day 4: 5 15-07
4. Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 20 75-03 107 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-12 Day 2: 5 19-09 Day 3: 5 16-04 Day 4: 5 20-10
5. Seth Feider Bloomington, MN 20 73-11 106 $14,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-07 Day 2: 5 18-11 Day 3: 5 20-14 Day 4: 5 15-11
6. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 20 73-00 105 $13,500.00
Day 1: 5 17-06 Day 2: 5 26-03 Day 3: 5 17-06 Day 4: 5 12-01
7. Greg Vinson Wetumpka, AL 20 72-09 104 $13,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-13 Day 2: 5 17-13 Day 3: 5 17-08 Day 4: 5 17-07
8. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 20 72-00 103 $12,500.00
Day 1: 5 19-03 Day 2: 5 16-13 Day 3: 5 19-07 Day 4: 5 16-09
9. Randall Tharp Port St. Joe, FL 20 71-01 102 $12,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-05 Day 2: 5 18-05 Day 3: 5 23-03 Day 4: 5 11-04
10. Jordan Lee Grant, AL 20 68-10 101 $11,500.00
Day 1: 5 20-04 Day 2: 5 18-07 Day 3: 5 15-01 Day 4: 5 14-14
11. Fred Roumbanis Russellville, AR 19 63-02 100 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-09 Day 2: 5 16-03 Day 3: 5 19-11 Day 4: 4 08-11
12. Cliff Crochet Pierre Part, LA 17 58-05 99 $10,500.00
Day 1: 5 19-11 Day 2: 5 19-04 Day 3: 5 14-12 Day 4: 2 04-10
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Bill Weidler Helena, AL 07-03 $1,500.00

by AnglersChannel

WILLIAMS EXTENDS LEAD TO NEAR SEVEN POUNDS AT FLW TOUR AT LEWIS SMITH LAKE PRESENTED BY T-H MARINE

Courtesy of FLW Communications

JASPER, Ala. (April 28, 2018) – Pro David Williams of Maiden, North Carolina, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 16 pounds, 12 ounces, Saturday to continue his reign atop the leaderboard at the FLW Tour at Lewis Smith Lake presented by T-H Marine. Williams’ three-day cumulative total of 50-12 gives him a commanding 6-pound, 10-ounce lead heading into the fourth and final day of competition when he will lead the final 10 pros on the water to compete for the top prize of up to $125,000.

Williams started his day by returning to his primary stretch of water and was able to catch the bulk of his weight by 9 a.m. By 10 a.m., he said he left the area alone.

“I got to the point where I was throwing back 2½ to 2¾ pounders and I’m like ‘I’m wasting a lot of weight here and can’t be doing this. I’ll need these tomorrow’,” said Williams, a former Bassmaster Elite Series pro who is fishing his sixth career FLW Tour event this week. “I wanted to stick around, but decided to move on.”

Williams said he caught around 25 keepers today, noting that although he had less bites compared to the first two days of the event, the fish were heavier on average.

“I had a couple of big bites on a frog, but I lost them,” said Williams. “There was one by the boat that was a 3-pounder, and one that wrapped me up in the cover that was probably a 5. Hopefully they’ll still be there tomorrow and I can have another shot at them.”

The North Carolina pro said he plans on making the same milk run he’s made all week to finish out the tournament.

“It’s a blast out there right now,” said Williams. “I’m fishing exactly the way I love to fish.”

The top 10 pros advancing to the final day of competition on Lewis Smith Lake are:

1^st: David Williams, Maiden, N.C., 15 bass, 50-12

2^nd: Jordan Osborne, Longview, Texas, 15 bass, 44-2

3^rd: Pennzoil Marine pro Matt Arey, Shelby, N.C., 15 bass, 43-15

4^th: Cody Meyer, Auburn, Calif., 15 bass, 43-12

5^th: John Cox, DeBary, Fla., 15 bass, 43-12

6^th: Jason Reyes, Huffman, Texas, 15 bass, 41-10

7^th: Yamamoto Baits pro Jimmy Reese, Witter Springs, Calif., 15 bass, 40-1

8^th: Matt Becker, Finleyville, Pa., 15 bass, 39-12

9^th: Todd Auten, Lake Wylie, S.C., 15 bass, 39-12

10^th: Clent Davis, Montevallo, Ala., 15 bass, 39-2

Finishing in 11^th through 30^th are:

11^th: Greg Bohannan, Bentonville, Ark., 15 bass, 38-6, $12,000

12^th: Andrew Upshaw, Tulsa, Okla., 15 bass, 38-6, $12,000

13^th: Joseph Webster, Winfield, Ala., 15 bass, 38-3, $12,000

14^th: Rex Huff, Corbin, Ky., 15 bass, 37-7, $12,000

15^th: Jim Moynagh, Carver, Minn., 15 bass, 37-4, $12,250

16^th: Robert Behrle, Hoover, Ala., 15 bass, 37-2, $12,000

17^th: J.T. Kenney, Palm Bay, Fla., 15 bass, 37-1, $12,000

18^th: Berkley pro Justin Atkins, Florence, Ala., 15 bass, 36-13, $12,000

19^th: Kyle Cortiana, Broken Arrow, Okla., 15 bass, 36-0, $12,000

20^th: Sheldon Collings, Grove, Okla., 15 bass, 36-0, $12,000

21^st: Cabela’s pro Clark Wendlandt, Leander, Texas, 15 bass, 35-12, $10,000

22^nd: General Tire pro Mark Rose, West Memphis, Ark., 15 bass, 35-11, $10,000

23^rd: Blake Smith, Lakeland, Fla., 15 bass, 35-7, $10,500

24^th: Cody Hahner, Wausau, Wis., 15 bass, 35-1, $10,000

25^th: Billy McCaghren, Mayflower, Ark., 15 bass, 35-0, $10,000

26^th: Jeff Dobson, Bartlesville, Okla., 15 bass, 32-12, $10,250

27^th: Costa pro Russell Cecil, Willis, Texas, 15 bass, 32-6, $10,000

28^th: Cabela’s pro James Niggemeyer, Van, Texas, 15 bass, 31-13, $10,000

29^th: Jeff Gustafson, Keewatin, Ontario, Canada, 12 bass, 29-1, $10,000

30^th: Randy Haynes, Ripley, Miss., 10 bass, 24-14, $10,000

For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.

Overall there were 142 bass weighing 323 pounds, 13 ounces caught by 29 pros Saturday. The catch included 28 five-bass limits.

In FLW Tour competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day, with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers. The full field of anglers competed in the two-day opening round. Co-angler competition concluded following Friday’s weigh-in, while the top 30 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advanced 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.

The total purse for the FLW Tour at Lewis Smith Lake presented by T-H Marine is more than $930,000. The event is hosted by the Chamber of Commerce of Walker County.

The final 10 anglers will take off at 6:30 a.m. CDT Sunday from the Smith Lake Dam Access, located at 7482 Smith Lake Dam Road in Jasper. Sunday’s weigh-in will also be held at the Access, beginning at 4 p.m.

Prior to the weigh-in Sunday, FLW will host a free Family Fishing Expo at the Smith Lake Dam Access from noon to 4 p.m. The Expo is the perfect opportunity for fishing fans of all ages 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.

by AnglersChannel

Kevin VanDam Takes Over Top Spot At Bassmaster Elite On Grand Lake

Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., takes the lead on the third day of the 2018 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite at Grand Lake out of Grove, Okla., with a three-day total weight of 64 pounds, 13 ounces.

Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.

Courtesy of BASS Communications

April 28, 2018

GROVE, Okla. — After catching his heaviest limit of the tournament, bass fishing superstar Kevin VanDam produced five bass that weighed 22 pounds, 4 ounces to take the lead at the 2018 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite at Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees.

Not only was today’s limit of largemouth VanDam’s biggest of his week, it was his third limit exceeding the magical 20-pound mark — a benchmark in professional bass fishing.

His three-day total is 64-13.

With one more round remaining in the four-day Elite tournament, the bass fishing legend is looking to add to his already astounding record of 24 titles on the Bassmaster tournament trail, including four Bassmaster Classic wins and seven Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year awards.

With $100,000 on the line for first place, and win No. 25 for the Kalamazoo, Mich., resident, VanDam is confident his fishing areas are only getting better.

“It’s going to take another bag of 20 pounds or better to win this thing,” he said. “I think where I’ve spent my time this week has the right fish, but as the standings will show, the other Top 12 anglers are also catching them. I’m not comfortable yet.”

The field will be cut down to the Top 12 anglers with VanDam leading them out on Championship Sunday.

“Each of us are focusing on spawning bass,” VanDam said. “And with the weather and moon phase both factors, the spots are reloading by the hour. The bass are fat and very healthy looking — plus I feel like my pattern is only getting stronger.”

Most anglers aren’t usually willing to reveal their tactics until the tournament is over, but if the world’s greatest bass angler is confident, history indicates that big things will happen.

And that’s what makes him the most feared angler on the planet.

Bassmaster rookie Roy Hawk of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., finished in second place at the first tournament of the year on Lake Martin in Alexander City, Ala.

That was his first appearance on the Elite Series.

Today he weighed 24-12 to push is three-day total to 61-9. Hawk will be starting Sunday’s final round of competition in second place yet again.

“My pattern hasn’t changed much this week,” Hawk said. “Each day I’ve narrowed down the most productive water, and the fish have been getting bigger. Of course, everything will have to go perfectly tomorrow if I’m going to win.”

Hawk said he was implementing several different techniques, and one of those in particular was catching the larger fish.

“Today I dialed in on that pattern, and weighed my biggest limit of the week. I don’t think that’s an accident, and I plan to do the same thing again tomorrow.”

After leading Friday’s second round of competition, Brandon Lester of Fayetteville, Tenn., weighed 17-6 today and fell back to third place with a three-day total of 60-15.

“I didn’t catch as many fish today, and they weren’t as big,” said Lester. “I spent too much time fishing water I caught fish from the past couple days. I learned something valuable today, and tomorrow I am going to focus on new water.”

A late-day cull helped keep Lester in contention, and it revealed a potentially new pattern. He plans to begin Championship Sunday in that spot.

Rounding out the Top 5 are Randall Tharp of Port St. Joe, Fla., with 59-13 and Seth Feider of Bloomington, Minn., with 58-0.

Alabama’s Bill Weidler is currently leading the $1,500 Phoenix Boats Big Bass Award, thanks to a heavy 7-3 largemouth bass he caught during Thursday’s opening round of competition.

Championship Sunday takeoff will begin at 6:15 a.m. CT out of Wolf Creek Park, and the final weigh-in is scheduled in the same location beginning at 3 p.m.

2018 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite at Grand Lake 4/26-4/29
Grand Lake O' the Cherokees, Grove OK.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 3Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$

1. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 15 64-13 110
Day 1: 5 21-15 Day 2: 5 20-10 Day 3: 5 22-04
2. Roy Hawk Lk Havasu Cty, AZ 15 61-09 109
Day 1: 5 16-15 Day 2: 5 19-14 Day 3: 5 24-12
3. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 15 60-15 108
Day 1: 5 17-06 Day 2: 5 26-03 Day 3: 5 17-06
4. Randall Tharp Port St. Joe, FL 15 59-13 107
Day 1: 5 18-05 Day 2: 5 18-05 Day 3: 5 23-03
5. Seth Feider Bloomington, MN 15 58-00 106
Day 1: 5 18-07 Day 2: 5 18-11 Day 3: 5 20-14
6. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, OK 15 57-03 105
Day 1: 5 16-09 Day 2: 5 18-09 Day 3: 5 22-01
7. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 15 55-07 104
Day 1: 5 19-03 Day 2: 5 16-13 Day 3: 5 19-07
8. Greg Vinson Wetumpka, AL 15 55-02 103
Day 1: 5 19-13 Day 2: 5 17-13 Day 3: 5 17-08
9. Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 15 54-09 102
Day 1: 5 18-12 Day 2: 5 19-09 Day 3: 5 16-04
10. Fred Roumbanis Russellville, AR 15 54-07 101
Day 1: 5 18-09 Day 2: 5 16-03 Day 3: 5 19-11
11. Jordan Lee Grant, AL 15 53-12 100
Day 1: 5 20-04 Day 2: 5 18-07 Day 3: 5 15-01
12. Cliff Crochet Pierre Part, LA 15 53-11 99
Day 1: 5 19-11 Day 2: 5 19-04 Day 3: 5 14-12
13. Justin Lucas Guntersville, AL 15 53-04 98 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-12 Day 2: 5 16-13 Day 3: 5 18-11
14. Jacob Wheeler Harrison, TN 15 53-03 97 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-10 Day 2: 5 22-09 Day 3: 5 14-00
15. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 15 53-02 96 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 5 19-12 Day 3: 5 19-13
16. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 15 52-15 95 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-03 Day 2: 5 21-15 Day 3: 5 16-13
17. Scott Rook Little Rock, AR 15 52-09 94 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-09 Day 2: 5 15-14 Day 3: 5 19-02
18. Cliff Pace Petal, MS 15 52-08 93 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-04 Day 2: 5 17-09 Day 3: 5 13-11
19. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 15 52-04 92 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-01 Day 2: 5 17-10 Day 3: 5 17-09
20. Jesse Wiggins Cullman, AL 15 51-01 91 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-12 Day 2: 5 20-12 Day 3: 5 16-09
21. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 15 50-05 90 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-00 Day 2: 5 13-05 Day 3: 5 16-00
22. Dave Lefebre Erie, PA 15 50-03 89 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-02 Day 2: 5 24-01 Day 3: 5 12-00
23. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 15 49-14 88 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-12 Day 2: 5 15-04 Day 3: 5 17-14
24. James Elam Tulsa, OK 15 49-13 87 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-13 Day 2: 5 16-13 Day 3: 5 13-03
25. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 15 49-05 86 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-08 Day 2: 5 13-13 Day 3: 5 14-00
26. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 15 48-09 85 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 23-05 Day 2: 5 12-11 Day 3: 5 12-09
27. Takahiro Omori Emory, TX 15 48-08 84 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 23-12 Day 2: 5 07-13 Day 3: 5 16-15
28. Brent Ehrler Redlands, CA 15 48-08 83 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-08 Day 2: 5 13-10 Day 3: 5 13-06
29. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, KS 15 48-05 82 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 18-15 Day 3: 5 14-11
30. Randy Howell Guntersville, AL 15 48-01 81 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-02 Day 2: 5 15-15 Day 3: 5 15-00
31. Mark Daniels Jr. Tuskegee, AL 15 48-00 80 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-04 Day 2: 5 15-12 Day 3: 5 17-00
32. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 15 47-13 79 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-10 Day 2: 5 17-12 Day 3: 5 13-07
33. Bill Weidler Helena, AL 15 47-06 78 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-12 Day 2: 5 15-08 Day 3: 5 12-02
34. Kyle Monti Okeechobee, FL 15 46-13 77 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 22-06 Day 2: 5 11-15 Day 3: 5 12-08
35. Alton Jones Jr. Waco, TX 15 46-09 76 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-12 Day 2: 5 18-06 Day 3: 5 12-07
36. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 15 46-04 75 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-04 Day 2: 5 15-05 Day 3: 5 13-11
37. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 15 45-12 74 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-11 Day 2: 5 17-07 Day 3: 5 11-10
38. Adrian Avena Vineland, NJ 15 45-11 73 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-05 Day 2: 5 15-00 Day 3: 5 13-06
39. Keith Poche Pike Road, AL 15 45-07 72 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-09 Day 2: 5 16-08 Day 3: 5 11-06
40. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 15 45-05 71 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-07 Day 2: 5 17-02 Day 3: 5 13-12
41. Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 15 44-09 70 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-06 Day 2: 5 14-05 Day 3: 5 12-14
42. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 15 43-14 69 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-14 Day 2: 5 18-05 Day 3: 5 09-11
43. Chris Zaldain Laughlin, NV 15 43-14 68 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-07 Day 2: 5 14-15 Day 3: 5 13-08
44. Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 15 43-12 67 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-00 Day 2: 5 16-09 Day 3: 5 12-03
45. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 15 43-10 66 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-03 Day 2: 5 13-10 Day 3: 5 12-13
46. Josh Bertrand San Tan Valley, AZ 15 43-03 65 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-15 Day 2: 5 12-09 Day 3: 5 10-11
47. Fletcher Shryock Dennison, OH 15 42-09 64 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-12 Day 2: 5 15-11 Day 3: 5 11-02
48. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 14 42-08 63 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-08 Day 2: 5 11-02 Day 3: 4 10-14
49. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 15 42-04 62 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-05 Day 2: 5 14-04 Day 3: 5 09-11
50. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 14 38-06 61 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-02 Day 2: 5 16-11 Day 3: 4 07-09

by AnglersChannel

Brandon Lester Takes Command At Grand Lake Bassmaster Elite

Brandon Lester of Fayetteville, Tenn., takes the lead on the second day of the 2018 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite at Grand Lake out of Grove, Okla., with a two-day total weight of 43 pounds, 9 ounces.

Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.

Courtesy of BASS Communications

April 27, 2018

GROVE, Okla. — Brandon Lester of Fayetteville, Tenn., is no stranger to pressure. Just over a month ago, he and his wife Kimberly welcomed a new baby girl to their family.

Today he weighed the largest limit of his fishing career — a staggering 26-pound, 3-ounce limit of five bass that pushed his two-day total to 43-9 and took the lead at the 2018 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite at Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees.

With $100,000 on the line for first place, the 30-year-old pro was calm and collected after walking off of the official Bassmaster weigh-in stage — not a common look among anglers who just took the lead over the world’s top-bass anglers.

“There’s a lot of fishing to be had still, and I’m not getting ahead of myself,” Lester said. “However, I like what’s happening to my fishing area, and I’m feeling pretty good about things.”

Based on the calendar, Lester believes the spawn is behind schedule on the Oklahoma lake. That is, it’s happening right now.

“These bass are moving in to spawn in impressive numbers,” he said. “This time of year, the fish are very susceptible to being caught, but they can also be spooky. Some anglers are sight fishing, but I’m covering water slowly and methodically.

“I had my fish early enough in the day that I decided to go look for more productive water as a backup plan. I like what I’ve got going on, and I also like what I found this afternoon.”

The current weather trend is indicating more sun and increasing temperatures, which should only improve the fishing across the lake.

“The spawn is happening right now, and I feel like my areas are reloading with fresh fish by the day,” Lester said.

Another angler who is comfortable atop the Bassmaster leaderboard is four-time Bassmaster Classic champion Kevin VanDam from Kalamazoo, Mich.

VanDam began his day in fourth place, but dominated the field according to unofficial weights listed on BASSTrakk, available at Bassmaster.com.

After bringing 20-10 to the scales, VanDam’s two-day total weight is 42-9, placing the seven-time Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year in second place.

“I covered quite a bit of water today looking for the right bites,” he said. “I had a very productive morning, so that afforded me some time to scout new areas for upcoming days of the tournament.”

Having backup areas an angler can rely upon if his primary pattern falls apart is critical to fishing — and especially winning — a four-day tournament.

“The extra practice time I had today was productive. Most of what I found was a bust, but I did learn a few things that will help with my game plan going into tomorrow.”

VanDam believes some heavy limits of bass will be brought to weigh-in over the next two days.

The 108-angler field was cut to the Top 50 for Saturday’s semi-final round of competition.

“The reduced number of boats on the water will eliminate a lot of fishing pressure occurring on Grand Lake right now,” VanDam said. “I think the fans are in for a treat by the time this thing wraps up on Sunday. We are fishing this lake during one of the best weeks of the year.”

Rounding out the Top 5 are Jacob Wheeler with 39-3, Cliff Crochet with 38-15 and Cliff Pace with 38-13.

Alabama’s Bill Weidler is currently leading the $1,500 Phoenix Boats Big Bass Award, thanks to a heavy 7-3 largemouth bass he caught during Thursday’s opening round of competition.

Daily takeoffs will occur Saturday and Sunday at 6:15 a.m. CT out of Wolf Creek Park, and weigh-ins are scheduled in the same location beginning at 3 p.m.

2018 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite at Grand Lake 4/26-4/29
Grand Lake O' the Cherokees, Grove OK.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 2Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$1. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 10 43-09 110
Day 1: 5 17-06 Day 2: 5 26-03
2. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 10 42-09 109
Day 1: 5 21-15 Day 2: 5 20-10
3. Jacob Wheeler Harrison, TN 10 39-03 108
Day 1: 5 16-10 Day 2: 5 22-09
4. Cliff Crochet Pierre Part, LA 10 38-15 107
Day 1: 5 19-11 Day 2: 5 19-04
5. Cliff Pace Petal, MS 10 38-13 106
Day 1: 5 21-04 Day 2: 5 17-09
6. Jordan Lee Grant, AL 10 38-11 105
Day 1: 5 20-04 Day 2: 5 18-07
7. Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 10 38-05 104
Day 1: 5 18-12 Day 2: 5 19-09
8. Dave Lefebre Erie, PA 10 38-03 103
Day 1: 5 14-02 Day 2: 5 24-01
9. Greg Vinson Wetumpka, AL 10 37-10 102
Day 1: 5 19-13 Day 2: 5 17-13
10. Seth Feider Bloomington, MN 10 37-02 101
Day 1: 5 18-07 Day 2: 5 18-11
11. Roy Hawk Lk Havasu Cty, AZ 10 36-13 100
Day 1: 5 16-15 Day 2: 5 19-14
12. James Elam Tulsa, OK 10 36-10 99
Day 1: 5 19-13 Day 2: 5 16-13
13. Randall Tharp Port St. Joe, FL 10 36-10 98
Day 1: 5 18-05 Day 2: 5 18-05
14. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 10 36-02 97
Day 1: 5 14-03 Day 2: 5 21-15
15. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 10 36-00 96
Day 1: 5 23-05 Day 2: 5 12-11
16. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 10 36-00 95
Day 1: 5 19-03 Day 2: 5 16-13
17. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 10 35-05 94
Day 1: 5 21-08 Day 2: 5 13-13
18. Bill Weidler Helena, AL 10 35-04 93
Day 1: 5 19-12 Day 2: 5 15-08
19. Brent Ehrler Redlands, CA 10 35-02 92
Day 1: 5 21-08 Day 2: 5 13-10
20. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, OK 10 35-02 91
Day 1: 5 16-09 Day 2: 5 18-09
21. Fred Roumbanis Russellville, AR 10 34-12 90
Day 1: 5 18-09 Day 2: 5 16-03
22. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 10 34-11 89
Day 1: 5 17-01 Day 2: 5 17-10
23. Justin Lucas Guntersville, AL 10 34-09 88
Day 1: 5 17-12 Day 2: 5 16-13
24. Jesse Wiggins Cullman, AL 10 34-08 87
Day 1: 5 13-12 Day 2: 5 20-12
25. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 10 34-06 86
Day 1: 5 16-10 Day 2: 5 17-12
26. Kyle Monti Okeechobee, FL 10 34-05 85
Day 1: 5 22-06 Day 2: 5 11-15
27. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 10 34-05 84
Day 1: 5 21-00 Day 2: 5 13-05
28. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 10 34-03 83
Day 1: 5 15-14 Day 2: 5 18-05
29. Alton Jones Jr. Waco, TX 10 34-02 82
Day 1: 5 15-12 Day 2: 5 18-06
30. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 10 34-02 81
Day 1: 5 16-11 Day 2: 5 17-07
31. Keith Poche Pike Road, AL 10 34-01 80
Day 1: 5 17-09 Day 2: 5 16-08
32. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, KS 10 33-10 79
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 18-15
33. Scott Rook Little Rock, AR 10 33-07 78
Day 1: 5 17-09 Day 2: 5 15-14
34. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 10 33-05 77
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 5 19-12
35. Randy Howell Guntersville, AL 10 33-01 76
Day 1: 5 17-02 Day 2: 5 15-15
36. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 10 32-09 75
Day 1: 5 18-05 Day 2: 5 14-04
37. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 10 32-09 74
Day 1: 5 17-04 Day 2: 5 15-05
38. Josh Bertrand San Tan Valley, AZ 10 32-08 73
Day 1: 5 19-15 Day 2: 5 12-09
39. Adrian Avena Vineland, NJ 10 32-05 72
Day 1: 5 17-05 Day 2: 5 15-00
40. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 10 32-00 71
Day 1: 5 16-12 Day 2: 5 15-04
41. Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 10 31-11 70
Day 1: 5 17-06 Day 2: 5 14-05
42. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 10 31-10 69
Day 1: 5 20-08 Day 2: 5 11-02
43. Takahiro Omori Emory, TX 10 31-09 68
Day 1: 5 23-12 Day 2: 5 07-13
44. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 10 31-09 67
Day 1: 5 14-07 Day 2: 5 17-02
45. Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 10 31-09 66
Day 1: 5 15-00 Day 2: 5 16-09
46. Fletcher Shryock Dennison, OH 10 31-07 65
Day 1: 5 15-12 Day 2: 5 15-11
47. Mark Daniels Jr. Tuskegee, AL 10 31-00 64
Day 1: 5 15-04 Day 2: 5 15-12
48. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 10 30-13 63
Day 1: 5 17-03 Day 2: 5 13-10
49. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 10 30-13 62
Day 1: 5 14-02 Day 2: 5 16-11
50. Chris Zaldain Laughlin, NV 10 30-06 61
Day 1: 5 15-07 Day 2: 5 14-15
51. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 10 30-03 60
Day 1: 5 12-15 Day 2: 5 17-04
52. Brandon Card Knoxville, TN 10 30-02 59
Day 1: 5 17-07 Day 2: 5 12-11
53. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 10 30-02 58
Day 1: 5 13-03 Day 2: 5 16-15
54. Skylar Hamilton Dandridge, TN 10 30-01 57
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 15-06
55. David Walker Sevierville, TN 10 30-01 56
Day 1: 5 15-04 Day 2: 5 14-13
56. Brandon Palaniuk Hayden, ID 9 30-00 55
Day 1: 5 16-15 Day 2: 4 13-01
57. Andy Montgomery Blacksburg, SC 10 29-07 54
Day 1: 5 15-12 Day 2: 5 13-11
58. Alton Jones Lorena, TX 10 29-06 53
Day 1: 5 16-03 Day 2: 5 13-03
59. Hunter Shryock Newcomerstown, OH 10 29-03 52
Day 1: 5 15-07 Day 2: 5 13-12
60. Jonathon VanDam Gobles, MI 10 29-02 51
Day 1: 5 15-11 Day 2: 5 13-07
61. Gerald Spohrer Gonzales, LA 10 29-01 50
Day 1: 5 15-09 Day 2: 5 13-08
62. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 10 29-00 49
Day 1: 5 15-07 Day 2: 5 13-09
63. Kelly Jordon Flint, TX 10 28-15 48
Day 1: 5 12-05 Day 2: 5 16-10
64. Dustin Connell Clanton, AL 10 28-15 47
Day 1: 5 14-13 Day 2: 5 14-02
65. Gary Klein Mingus, TX 10 28-14 46
Day 1: 5 17-04 Day 2: 5 11-10
66. Boyd Duckett Guntersville, AL 8 28-07 45
Day 1: 5 18-07 Day 2: 3 10-00
67. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 10 28-05 44
Day 1: 5 13-01 Day 2: 5 15-04
68. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 10 27-13 43
Day 1: 5 14-04 Day 2: 5 13-09
69. Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL 10 27-12 42
Day 1: 5 11-13 Day 2: 5 15-15
70. Mike McClelland Bentonville, AR 10 27-12 41
Day 1: 5 14-10 Day 2: 5 13-02
71. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 9 27-10 40
Day 1: 5 18-02 Day 2: 4 09-08
72. Brandon Coulter Knoxville, TN 10 27-10 39
Day 1: 5 12-00 Day 2: 5 15-10
73. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 9 27-01 38
Day 1: 5 16-12 Day 2: 4 10-05
74. Wesley Strader Spring City, TN 10 27-01 37
Day 1: 5 14-07 Day 2: 5 12-10
75. Chad Pipkens Lansing, MI 10 26-13 36
Day 1: 5 13-08 Day 2: 5 13-05
76. John Murray Spring City, TN 10 26-10 35
Day 1: 5 13-14 Day 2: 5 12-12
77. Ott DeFoe Blaine, TN 10 26-07 34
Day 1: 5 14-04 Day 2: 5 12-03
78. Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 9 26-05 33
Day 1: 4 09-04 Day 2: 5 17-01
79. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 10 25-10 32
Day 1: 5 13-14 Day 2: 5 11-12
80. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 10 25-09 31
Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 5 13-01
81. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 10 25-07 30
Day 1: 5 12-13 Day 2: 5 12-10
82. Tyler Carriere Youngsville, LA 10 25-04 29
Day 1: 5 13-14 Day 2: 5 11-06
83. Ray Hanselman Jr Del Rio, TX 9 25-03 28
Day 1: 4 08-14 Day 2: 5 16-05
84. Chris Groh Spring Grove, IL 7 25-02 27
Day 1: 5 20-04 Day 2: 2 04-14
85. Robbie Latuso Gonzales, LA 10 24-09 26
Day 1: 5 12-07 Day 2: 5 12-02
86. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 10 24-04 25
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 09-09
87. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 10 24-03 24
Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 5 10-03
88. Chris Lane Guntersville, AL 10 23-14 23
Day 1: 5 14-08 Day 2: 5 09-06
89. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 10 23-08 22
Day 1: 5 11-09 Day 2: 5 11-15
90. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 10 23-07 21
Day 1: 5 11-11 Day 2: 5 11-12
91. Matt Lee Guntersville, AL 10 23-03 20
Day 1: 5 11-02 Day 2: 5 12-01
92. Tim Horton Muscle Shoals, AL 10 22-11 19
Day 1: 5 12-10 Day 2: 5 10-01
93. Jake Whitaker Fairview, NC 8 22-09 18
Day 1: 5 15-01 Day 2: 3 07-08
94. Morizo Shimizu Suita, Osaka JAPAN 8 21-15 17
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 3 08-06
95. Shaw Grigsby Jr. Gainesville, FL 10 21-14 16
Day 1: 5 09-14 Day 2: 5 12-00
96. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 10 20-11 15
Day 1: 5 11-03 Day 2: 5 09-08
97. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 8 20-07 14
Day 1: 5 13-12 Day 2: 3 06-11
98. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, FL 10 20-07 13
Day 1: 5 09-04 Day 2: 5 11-03
99. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 7 20-06 12
Day 1: 5 12-12 Day 2: 2 07-10
100. Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 10 20-05 11
Day 1: 5 11-13 Day 2: 5 08-08
101. Randy Sullivan Breckenridge, TX 7 20-00 10
Day 1: 4 11-12 Day 2: 3 08-04
102. Shin Fukae Palestine TX JAPAN 9 19-12 9
Day 1: 5 11-14 Day 2: 4 07-14
103. Rick Morris Lake Gaston, VA 9 19-09 8
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 4 06-11
104. Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 7 17-13 7
Day 1: 2 05-08 Day 2: 5 12-05
105. David Fritts Lexington, NC 6 17-08 6
Day 1: 5 15-00 Day 2: 1 02-08
106. Paul Elias Laurel, MS 7 14-14 5
Day 1: 3 05-08 Day 2: 4 09-06
107. Darrell Ocamica New Plymouth, ID 6 14-03 4
Day 1: 5 11-02 Day 2: 1 03-01
108. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 4 11-12 3
Day 1: 4 11-12 Day 2: 0 00-00

by AnglersChannel

WILLIAMS EXTENDS LEAD ON DAY TWO OF FLW TOUR AT LEWIS SMITH LAKE PRESENTED BY T-H MARINE

Minnesota’s Willert Wins Second Consecutive Co-angler Title, $20K

JASPER, Ala. (April 27, 2018) – Pro David Williams of Maiden, North Carolina, caught five bass Friday weighing 15 pounds, 5 ounces, to extend his lead at the FLW Tour at Lewis Smith Lake presented by T-H Marine. Williams’ two-day total of 10 bass weighing 34 pounds even gives him a 3-pound, 12-ounce advantage heading into Saturday over second-place pro Cody Meyer of Auburn, California, who has 10 bass weighing 30-4. The field is now cut to the final 30 pros, with only 10 anglers advancing to championship Sunday where the winner will take home the top prize of up to $125,000.

“I probably caught 50 keepers today and ended up weighing in three largemouth and two spotted bass,” said Williams, who is currently ranked fifth in the 2018 Pennzoil Marine Angler of the Year standings. “I went through the same two creeks (from Thursday) as well as a third creek and caught them just as good. I actually lost a big one in the third creek. I had a chance to have as big of a bag as I did yesterday if I’d have gotten it in the boat.”

Williams fished flooded cover and docks Friday, and his biggest catch of the day was a spotted bass – a 4-pound, 9-ouncer.

“I left my main area where I caught most of my big ones by 10 (a.m.),” said Williams. “I should be able to hammer on them a little more this weekend, and I’ll probably need to.”

Williams emphasized that he needs to finish strong if he wants to seal the deal on championship Sunday.

“It’s a tough field. You’ve got guys behind you like Cody Meyer and Matt Arey – guys that are real veterans. If you slip up, even a little bit, they’ll take advantage of it. I think I’m around the winning fish. I just need to execute and put them in the boat.”

The top 30 pros that made the first cut and will fish Saturday on Lewis Smith Lake are:

1^st: David Williams, Maiden, N.C., 10 bass, 34-0

2^nd: Cody Meyer, Auburn, Calif., 15-13, 30-4

3^rd: Pennzoil Marine pro Matt Arey, Shelby, N.C., 10 bass, 30-2

4^th: Greg Bohannan, Bentonville, Ark., 10 bass, 29-7

5^th: Jordan Osborne, Longview, Texas, 10 bass, 29-0

6^th: Matt Becker, Finleyville, Pa., 10 bass, 28-15

7^th: Jim Moynagh, Carver, Minn., 10 bass, 28-13

8^th: Joseph Webster, Winfield, Ala., 10 bass, 28-11

9^th: Todd Auten, Lake Wylie, S.C., 10 bass, 28-4

10^th: John Cox, DeBary, Fla., 10 bass, 28-0

11^th: Blake Smith, Lakeland, Fla., 10 bass, 27-6

12^th: Robert Behrle, Hoover, Ala., 10 bass, 27-2

13^th: Jason Reyes, Huffman, Texas, 10 bass, 26-5

14^th: Clent Davis, Montevallo, Ala., 10 bass, 26-4

15^th: Jeff Gustafson, Keewatin, Ontario, Canada, 10 bass, 26-4

16^th: Cabela’s pro Clark Wendlandt, Leander, Texas, 10 bass, 26-2

17^th: Billy McCaghren, Mayflower, Ark., 10 bass, 25-10

18^th: Andrew Upshaw, Tulsa, Okla., 10 bass, 25-6

19^th: Cody Hahner, Wausau, Wis., 10 bass, 25-6

20^th: Cabela’s pro James Niggemeyer, Van, Texas, 10 bass, 25-4

21^st: Jeff Dobson, Bartlesville, Okla., 10 bass, 24-14

22^nd: Randy Haynes, Ripley, Miss., 10 bass, 24-14

23^rd: Berkley pro Justin Atkins, Florence, Ala., 10 bass, 24-14

24^th: Yamamoto Baits pro Jimmy Reese, Witter Springs, Calif., 10 bass, 24-13

25^th: General Tire pro Mark Rose, West Memphis, Ark., 10 bass, 24-12

26^th: Costa pro Russell Cecil, Willis, Texas, 10 bass, 24-11

27^th: Rex Huff, Corbin, Ky., 10 bass, 24-11

28^th: Gene Larew pro Kyle Cortiana, Broken Arrow, Okla., 10 bass, 24-8

29^th: Sheldon Collings, Grove, Okla., 10 bass, 24-6

30^th: J.T. Kenney, Palm Bay, Fla., 10 bass, 24-4

For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.

Smith earned the $500 Simms Big Bass award in the Pro Division Friday thanks to a 5-pound, 2-ounce bass.

Overall there were 855 bass weighing 1,715 pounds, 15 ounces caught by 178 pros Friday. The catch included 164 five-bass limits.

The top 10 co-anglers finished:

1^st: Joel Willert, Prior Lake, Minn., 10 bass, 24-4, $20,100

2^nd: Kyle Owen, Bradenton, Fla., 10 bass, 22-0, $7,550

3^rd: Mark Horton, Nicholasville, Ky., nine bass, 21-7, $5,000

4^th: Jerry Reagan, Byrdstown, Tenn., 10 bass, 21-7, $4,250

5^th: Kyle Glasgow, Guin, Ala., 10 bass, 20-8, $3,000

6^th: Gary Haraguchi, San Jose, Calif., 10 bass, 20-4, $2,500

7^th: Justin Mounce, Springdale, Ark., 10 bass, 20-1, $2,000

8^th: Joshua Perrymon, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 19-6, $1,800

9^th: James Littich, Davidson, N.C., 10 bass, 18-15, $1,700

10^th: Wataru Iwahori, Palestine, Texas, 10 bass, 18-10, $1,600

Reagan earned $250 for the Simms Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division Friday with a bass weighing 5 pounds even.

Overall there were 649 bass weighing 1,023 pounds, 13 ounces caught by 172 co-anglers Friday. The catch included 77 five-bass limits.

In FLW Tour competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day, with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers. The full field of anglers competed in the two-day opening round. Co-angler competition concluded following Friday’s weigh-in, while the top 30 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.

The total purse for the FLW Tour at Lewis Smith Lake presented by T-H Marine is more than $930,000. The event is hosted by the Chamber of Commerce of Walker County

Anglers will take off at 6:30 a.m. CDT each day from the Smith Lake Dam Access, located at 7482 Smith Lake Dam Road in Jasper. Saturday and Sunday’s weigh-ins, April 28-29, will be held at the Access beginning at 4 p.m.

Prior to the weigh-ins Saturday and Sunday, April 28-29, FLW will host a free Family Fishing Expo at the Smith Lake Dam Access from noon to 4 p.m. The Expo is the perfect opportunity for fishing fans of all ages to meet their favorite anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, and learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities.

Also for youth, the FLW Foundation’s Unified Fishing Derby will be held at the Smith Lake Dam Access on Saturday, April 28, from 9-11 a.m. The event is hosted by FLW Foundation pro Cody Kelley along with other FLW Tour anglers, and is free and open to youth (18 and under) and Special Olympics athletes (all ages). Rods and reels are available for use, but youth are encouraged to bring their own if they own one. The 1^st and 2^nd place anglers that catch the biggest fish will be recognized Saturday on the FLW Tour stage, just prior to the pros weighing in.

by AnglersChannel

Swindle catches 21 pounds and two proud coins

Courtesy of Alan McGuckin / Dynamic Sponsorships

Beneath Gerald Swindle’s world-class humor is a heart topped-off by two ears that listen closely to the stories of others -- including the life stories of his ride-along Marshalls in Basssmaster Elite Series tournaments.

At the end of many competition days, the 2-time Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year is just as likely to tell those he’s closest to about the lives of his Marshalls, as he is to talk about how he caught ‘em.

Day 1 of the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite at Grand Lake was no exception. And ironically, Swindle actually recognized his Marshall, Carl Chasteen, after meeting him several years ago through former Elite Series angler Marty Stone.

Swindle holds a special place in his heart for members of our military, and Chasteen’s seen a lot of time on the battlefield. The native of Bristow, Oklahoma joined the Oklahoma National Guard through an Army ROTC Scholarship 26 years ago, and has since served two combat tours in Afghanistan, and one combat tour in Iraq.

He’s a career military man who simply enjoys seeing the pros perform within the realms of their own battlefield. “I just like seeing these guys who are the best anglers in the world do what they do, away from the weigh-in stage -- and instead -- right there where it’s just you and them -- two guys in a bass boat,” says Chasteen.

Swindle performed exceptionally well on Day 1 at Grand Lake – hauling an awesome 21-pound limit to the scales for a spot near the very top of the leaderboard, and Chasteen got exactly the 1-on-1 front row seat to watch greatness play-out, just like he’d hoped for.

The performance earned Swindle a coin from Chasteen – actually -- two coins.

“We call them ‘unit coins’ – and they serve as tokens we present for excellent performances like Gerald had today. Army members see them as more than just a pat on the back,” explains Chasteen.

Swindle saw them as way more than a pat on the back too. In rare fashion, he lacked much to say amid the sincere and humbling gesture, and simply asked to have his photo taken with Chasteen to preserve the moment of goodness.

As they posed for the picture, other tokens given to Swindle by military fishing fans could be seen proudly and meaningfully displayed under the dry storage lid of his Triton.

If all goes as planned, Chasteen and his mega- supportive bride Marsha will enjoy achieving the prestigious rank of Colonel later this year – and Swindle will win his first ever Bassmaster Elite.

If he does, count on him to talk about military coins and Chasteen, equally as much or more than spinnerbaits and jigs.

by AnglersChannel

Casey Ashley off to a ‘rocky’ start at Grand Lake Elite

Courtesy of Alan McGuckin / Dynamic Sponsorships

The limestone, sandstone, and dolomite beds that cradle Grand Lake o’ the Cherokees yielded a disappointing 11-pound limit for Casey Ashley on Day 1 of the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite.

But the diamond he presented to longtime girlfriend Kenzi Hartman, in front of her friends and family at her parent’s home just down Interstate-44 in Broken Arrow last weekend, provided the emotional equivalent of his 2015 Bassmaster Classic win.

Grand Lake holds special significance to Casey and Kenzi. The first time they met one another was when the South Carolina pro traveled to the 2013 Bassmaster Classic on Grand Lake to work for sponsors such as Triton, Costa, and Quantum at the Classic Outdoor Expo.

It was one of the few Classics he’s failed to qualify for in his illustrious young career, but he netted a first date during the visit when Bob Bagby, a longtime marketing leader at Quantum, arranged for Casey to meet Kenzi, who Bagby knew through her former part time job at a local golf course.

To say the first date went well, would be like saying Casey ain’t half bad at pitchin’ a jig. Six months after they met, Casey asked Kenzi to move from Northeast Oklahoma to be with him fulltime in South Carolina, and to travel the Bassmaster Elite Series tour with him.

The Oklahoma State grad resigned a great job she had in sales, said a gut-wrenching goodbye to her parents and many close friends, and has been with Casey in South Carolina, and wherever the professional angling lifestyle takes them, ever since.

For the last five years, romantic trips to the mountains, beaches and many other significant destinations passed without the marriage proposal every girl dreams of. “All those great times came and went, and he never proposed, so I really had no clue he would ask me to marry him at my parents last weekend, but it was absolutely perfect,” says Kenzi.

“Rule #1 before any serious bass angler gives a girl a diamond ring is that she has to be a good cook, and she has to be able to back a boat trailer down a ramp. Kenzi can do both, and not only can she cook, but she’s a dang good cook,” says the Quantum pro.

The other rule is no runny eggs. The 2015 Classic champ and country boy, who once recorded a demo CD in Nashville under the tutelage of highly accomplished songwriter and avid angler Rodney Clawson, refuses to eat eggs over easy. But Kenzi’s homemade chicken Alfredo … well, now … that’s the tall brunette’s very best dish according to Casey.

Kenzi’s chicken Alfredo, Popeye’s spinach, General Mills’ Wheaties – whatever it takes to get Casey back in the hunt on the leaderboard – should probably be on the menu to make up for Casey’s small limit on Day 1.

“Back home, you don’t even start to think about looking for bass on spawning beds until the water temp hits 60-degrees. So with the water being in the high 50s and dingy here, I went shallow crankin’ until late in the afternoon on Thursday when I saw two 3-pounders on a spawning bed, and I knew right then I had missed-out on how they were catchin ‘em here,” says Ashley.

He mighta missed Grand Lake’s largemouth, but he’ll head east to the next Elite Series event at Kentucky Lake with one heckuva catch named Kenzi, and a diamond on her finger.

Author Alan McGuckin, Head PR Guru for Dynamic Sponsorships working with brands such as Quantum Fishing, Toyota USA, Carhartt and many more.

by AnglersChannel

WILLIAMS GRABS EARLY LEAD AT FLW TOUR AT LEWIS SMITH LAKE PRESENTED BY T-H MARINE

Courtesy of FLW Communications:

JASPER, Ala. (April 26, 2018) – Pro David Williams of Maiden, North Carolina, weighed an 18-pound, 11-ounce limit of largemouth bass to take the lead on Day One of the FLW Tour at Lewis Smith Lake presented by T-H Marine. Williams will bring a 2-pound, 9-ounce lead into Day Two of the four-day event that features the world’s premier bass-fishing professionals and co-anglers casting for top awards of up to $125,000 cash in the Pro Division and up to $25,000 cash in the Co-angler Division.

Williams worked along two 4- to 5-mile stretches of creek to catch his largemouth Thursday. He said he fished flooded cover, and that he had 40 to 50 bites throughout his day.

“I went to the area where I’d caught two big ones in practice and caught my weight pretty quickly,” said Williams, who is seeking his first career win as a professional on the FLW Tour. “I culled a few times and was basically done fishing by 10:30 (a.m.).

“They’re on a mixture of stuff – it’s not just one thing,” continued Williams. “I didn’t see anybody else in the area and I didn’t fish anything twice. I just kind of blew through it one time and left.”

Williams said he plans on returning to his two stretches Friday.

“There’s plenty of fish in there to catch a fairly decent limit. It’s just a matter of getting those big 4- and 5-pound bites,” said Williams. “I don’t know if I can catch another 18 pounds, but I can catch some fish. I’m just going to keep working them and hopefully it lasts a few days.”

The top 10 pros after day one on Lewis Smith Lake are:

1^st: David Williams, Maiden, N.C., five bass, 18-11

2^nd: Blake Smith, Lakeland, Fla., five bass, 16-2

3^rd: Clent Davis, Montevallo, Ala., five bass, 15-13

3th: Cody Meyer, Auburn, Calif., five bass, 15-13

5^th: Pennzoil Marine pro Matt Arey, Shelby, N.C., five bass, 15-9

6^th: Joseph Webster, Winfield, Ala., five bass, 15-8

7^th: James Niggemeyer, Van, Texas, five bass, 15-6

8^th: Jim Moynagh, Carver, Minn., five bass, 15-2

9^th: Jeff Dobson, Bartlesville, Okla., five bass, 15-1

10^th: Jason Reyes, Huffman, Texas, five bass, 15-0

For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.

Moynagh and Dobson each angler weighed a 4-pound, 15-ounce bass to tie for and split the day's $500 Simms Big Bass award..

Overall there were 863 bass weighing 1,825 pounds, 15 ounces, caught by 178 pros Thursday. The catch included 161 five-bass limits.

Billy Messer of Spartanburg, South Carolina, leads the Co-angler Division with five bass weighing 13 pounds, 15 ounces, followed by Joel Willert of Prior Lake, Minnesota, who weighed five bass totaling 12-10, good for second place.

The top 10 co-anglers after day one on Lewis Smith Lake are:

1^st: Billy Messer, Spartanburg, S.C., five bass, 13-15

2^nd: Joel Willert, Prior Lake, Minn., five bass, 12-10

3^rd: Hiroyuki Watanabe, Shizuoka, Honshu, Japan, five bass, 12-7

4^th: Joshua Perrymon, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 11-11

5^th: Brian Norman, Hagersville, Ontario, Canada, five bass, 11-2

5^th: Greg Pugh, Cullman, Ala., five bass, 11-2

7^th: Marcus Corbett, Anniston, Ala., five bass, 11-1

8^th: Casey Martin, New Hope, Ala., five bass, 10-14

9^th: Jerry Reagan, Byrdstown, Tenn., five bass, 10-12

10^th: Wataru Iwahori, Palestine, Texas, five bass, 10-10

10^th: Randy Hill, Athens, Ala., five bass, 10-10

10^th: Robby Frashier, Carrollton, Ga., five bass, 10-10

Mark Guhne of Hixson, Texas, earned $250 for the Simms Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division with a 4-pound, 2-ounce bass.

Overall there were 644 bass weighing 1,074 pounds, 12 ounces caught by 169 co-anglers Thursday. The catch included 81 five-bass limits.

In FLW Tour competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day, with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers. The full field of anglers competes in the two-day opening round. Co-angler competition concludes following Friday’s weigh-in, while the top 30 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.

The total purse for the FLW Tour at Lewis Smith Lake presented by T-H Marine is more than $930,000. The event is hosted by the Chamber of Commerce of Walker County

Anglers will take off at 6:30 a.m. CDT each day from the Smith Lake Dam Access, located at 7482 Smith Lake Dam Road in Jasper. Friday’s weigh-in, April 27, will be held at the Access beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s weigh-ins, April 28-29, will also be held at the Access, but will begin at 4 p.m.

by AnglersChannel

Takahiro Omori Is On Top Again At Grand Lake Bassmaster Elite

Takahiro Omori of Emory, Texas, takes the lead on the first day of the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite at Grand Lake, bringing 23 pounds, 12 ounces to the scales on Thursday.

Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.

April 26, 2018

GROVE, Okla. — Japanese angler Takahiro Omori, who now calls Emory, Texas, his home, recently earned his seventh Bassmaster title at the first event of the 2018 Bassmaster Elite Series season on Alabama’s Lake Martin.

Today his dominating streak continues thanks to a pair of 6-pound bass that anchored a 23-pound, 12-ounce five-bass limit at the 2018 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite at Grand Lake in Grove, Okla.

“I didn’t have a very good practice earlier this week,” he said. “I knew the fish were about to spawn, but I was surprised with what I caught today. The rest of the field also caught quite a few big fish, and that’s going to keep things interesting for the next three days.”

The 47-year-old angler has been fishing with B.A.S.S. for over 27 years, and he said this was his best day ever on Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees.

“The best finish I’ve had on this lake was 30th place, so I’m very happy with how I did today,” said the 2004 Bassmaster Classic champion. “I know more fish are moving to shallow water, but it will be tough to catch this much again tomorrow.”

The last angler to win back-to-back Elites was the 2016 Classic Champion Edwin Evers of Talala, Okla., who won on Kentucky Lake then again at the next tournament on the St. Lawrence River in 2015.

Looking at a second $100,000 paycheck in a row, Omori is cautiously optimistic.

“I probably fished over 50 different spots today. It’s important to keep moving,” he said. “Grand Lake is fishing very well right now, and I expect the fishing to only get better with the forecasted weather over the next few days.”

The weather is also a factor for third-year pro Brock Mosley of Collinsville, Miss. After catching five fat bass that weighed 23-5, the 29-year-old angler will be starting the second day of competition in second place.

“I knew I had a good sack of fish, but they ended up being heavier than I figured. There was a 6-pounder and a 5-10 in the mix, and that helped tremendously,” he said. “I think the fish are moving in to spawn, so I’m confident my spots will reload again tomorrow, but that should make the fishing better for the bulk of the field, too.”

Typically sight fishing is a very productive technique at this time of the year. However, the darker waters of Grand Lake will make consistent sight fishing a challenge.

“I think there are some fish to be caught sight fishing this week, but I’m not committed to it at this point,” Mosley said. “If I see a good fish on a bed, I will slow down and try to catch it. But my plan of attack is a little different.”

While Omori showed winning form at Lake Martin, Bassmaster rookie Kyle Monti, of Okeechobee, Fla., finished dead last in that tournament — his first Bassmaster Elite event ever.

Monti showed up at Grand Lake with an axe to grind. The 26-year-old pro caught 22-6 during Thursday’s opening round, and he will be starting Friday’s second round of competition in third place.

“I am very happy with how today went, and I’m confident my pattern will stay productive,” he said.

At this point in a tournament, most anglers won’t provide many details about how they are catching their bass, but Monti did say that fishing slow was key.

“I feel like these fish are very spooky, and that means fishing very slow is important to being successful,” he said.

Rounding out the Top 5 are bass fishing superstar Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., with 21-15, and California pro Brent Ehrler with 21-8.

Daily takeoffs will occur at 6:15 a.m. CT out of Wolf Creek Park, and weigh-ins are scheduled in the same location beginning at 3 p.m. CT. each day.

2018 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite at Grand Lake 4/26-4/29
Grand Lake O' the Cherokees, Grove OK.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 1

Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$

1. Takahiro Omori Emory, TX 5 23-12 110
Day 1: 5 23-12
2. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 5 23-05 109
Day 1: 5 23-05
3. Kyle Monti Okeechobee, FL 5 22-06 108
Day 1: 5 22-06
4. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 5 21-15 107
Day 1: 5 21-15
5. Brent Ehrler Redlands, CA 5 21-08 106
Day 1: 5 21-08
5. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 5 21-08 106
Day 1: 5 21-08
7. Cliff Pace Petal, MS 5 21-04 104
Day 1: 5 21-04
8. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 5 21-00 103
Day 1: 5 21-00
9. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 5 20-08 102
Day 1: 5 20-08
10. Chris Groh Spring Grove, IL 5 20-04 101
Day 1: 5 20-04
10. Jordan Lee Grant, AL 5 20-04 101
Day 1: 5 20-04
12. Josh Bertrand San Tan Valley, AZ 5 19-15 99
Day 1: 5 19-15
13. James Elam Tulsa, OK 5 19-13 98
Day 1: 5 19-13
13. Greg Vinson Wetumpka, AL 5 19-13 98
Day 1: 5 19-13
15. Bill Weidler Helena, AL 5 19-12 96
Day 1: 5 19-12
16. Cliff Crochet Pierre Part, LA 5 19-11 95
Day 1: 5 19-11
17. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 5 19-03 94
Day 1: 5 19-03
18. Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 5 18-12 93
Day 1: 5 18-12
19. Fred Roumbanis Russellville, AR 5 18-09 92
Day 1: 5 18-09
20. Boyd Duckett Guntersville, AL 5 18-07 91
Day 1: 5 18-07
20. Seth Feider Bloomington, MN 5 18-07 91
Day 1: 5 18-07
22. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 5 18-05 89
Day 1: 5 18-05
22. Randall Tharp Port St. Joe, FL 5 18-05 89
Day 1: 5 18-05
24. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 5 18-02 87
Day 1: 5 18-02
25. Justin Lucas Guntersville, AL 5 17-12 86
Day 1: 5 17-12
26. Keith Poche Pike Road, AL 5 17-09 85
Day 1: 5 17-09
26. Scott Rook Little Rock, AR 5 17-09 85
Day 1: 5 17-09
28. Brandon Card Knoxville, TN 5 17-07 83
Day 1: 5 17-07
29. Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 5 17-06 82
Day 1: 5 17-06
29. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 5 17-06 82
Day 1: 5 17-06
31. Adrian Avena Vineland, NJ 5 17-05 80
Day 1: 5 17-05
32. Gary Klein Mingus, TX 5 17-04 79
Day 1: 5 17-04
32. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 5 17-04 79
Day 1: 5 17-04
34. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 5 17-03 77
Day 1: 5 17-03
35. Randy Howell Guntersville, AL 5 17-02 76
Day 1: 5 17-02
36. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 5 17-01 75
Day 1: 5 17-01
37. Roy Hawk Lk Havasu Cty, AZ 5 16-15 74
Day 1: 5 16-15
37. Brandon Palaniuk Hayden, ID 5 16-15 74
Day 1: 5 16-15
39. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 5 16-12 72
Day 1: 5 16-12
39. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 5 16-12 72
Day 1: 5 16-12
41. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 5 16-11 70
Day 1: 5 16-11
42. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 5 16-10 69
Day 1: 5 16-10
42. Jacob Wheeler Harrison, TN 5 16-10 69
Day 1: 5 16-10
44. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, OK 5 16-09 67
Day 1: 5 16-09
45. Alton Jones Lorena, TX 5 16-03 66
Day 1: 5 16-03
46. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 5 15-14 65
Day 1: 5 15-14
47. Alton Jones Jr. Waco, TX 5 15-12 64
Day 1: 5 15-12
47. Andy Montgomery Blacksburg, SC 5 15-12 64
Day 1: 5 15-12
47. Fletcher Shryock Dennison, OH 5 15-12 64
Day 1: 5 15-12
50. Jonathon VanDam Gobles, MI 5 15-11 61
Day 1: 5 15-11
51. Gerald Spohrer Gonzales, LA 5 15-09 60
Day 1: 5 15-09
52. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 5 15-07 59
Day 1: 5 15-07
52. Hunter Shryock Newcomerstown, OH 5 15-07 59
Day 1: 5 15-07
52. Chris Zaldain Laughlin, NV 5 15-07 59
Day 1: 5 15-07
55. Mark Daniels Jr. Tuskegee, AL 5 15-04 56
Day 1: 5 15-04
55. David Walker Sevierville, TN 5 15-04 56
Day 1: 5 15-04
57. Jake Whitaker Fairview, NC 5 15-01 54
Day 1: 5 15-01
58. David Fritts Lexington, NC 5 15-00 53
Day 1: 5 15-00
58. Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 5 15-00 53
Day 1: 5 15-00
60. Dustin Connell Clanton, AL 5 14-13 51
Day 1: 5 14-13
61. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, KS 5 14-11 50
Day 1: 5 14-11
61. Skylar Hamilton Dandridge, TN 5 14-11 50
Day 1: 5 14-11
61. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 5 14-11 50
Day 1: 5 14-11
64. Mike McClelland Bentonville, AR 5 14-10 47
Day 1: 5 14-10
65. Chris Lane Guntersville, AL 5 14-08 46
Day 1: 5 14-08
66. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 5 14-07 45
Day 1: 5 14-07
66. Wesley Strader Spring City, TN 5 14-07 45
Day 1: 5 14-07
68. Ott DeFoe Blaine, TN 5 14-04 43
Day 1: 5 14-04
68. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 5 14-04 43
Day 1: 5 14-04
70. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 5 14-03 41
Day 1: 5 14-03
71. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 5 14-02 40
Day 1: 5 14-02
71. Dave Lefebre Erie, PA 5 14-02 40
Day 1: 5 14-02
73. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 5 14-00 38
Day 1: 5 14-00
74. Tyler Carriere Youngsville, LA 5 13-14 37
Day 1: 5 13-14
74. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 5 13-14 37
Day 1: 5 13-14
74. John Murray Spring City, TN 5 13-14 37
Day 1: 5 13-14
77. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 5 13-12 34
Day 1: 5 13-12
77. Jesse Wiggins Cullman, AL 5 13-12 34
Day 1: 5 13-12
79. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 5 13-09 32
Day 1: 5 13-09
79. Morizo Shimizu Suita, Osaka JAPAN 5 13-09 32
Day 1: 5 13-09
81. Chad Pipkens Lansing, MI 5 13-08 30
Day 1: 5 13-08
82. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 5 13-03 29
Day 1: 5 13-03
83. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 5 13-01 28
Day 1: 5 13-01
84. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 5 12-15 27
Day 1: 5 12-15
85. Rick Morris Lake Gaston, VA 5 12-14 26
Day 1: 5 12-14
86. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 5 12-13 25
Day 1: 5 12-13
87. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 5 12-12 24
Day 1: 5 12-12
88. Tim Horton Muscle Shoals, AL 5 12-10 23
Day 1: 5 12-10
89. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 5 12-08 22
Day 1: 5 12-08
90. Robbie Latuso Gonzales, LA 5 12-07 21
Day 1: 5 12-07
91. Kelly Jordon Flint, TX 5 12-05 20
Day 1: 5 12-05
92. Brandon Coulter Knoxville, TN 5 12-00 19
Day 1: 5 12-00
93. Shin Fukae Palestine TX JAPAN 5 11-14 18
Day 1: 5 11-14
94. Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 5 11-13 17
Day 1: 5 11-13
94. Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL 5 11-13 17
Day 1: 5 11-13
96. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 4 11-12 15
Day 1: 4 11-12
96. Randy Sullivan Breckenridge, TX 4 11-12 15
Day 1: 4 11-12
98. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 5 11-11 13
Day 1: 5 11-11
99. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 5 11-09 12
Day 1: 5 11-09
100. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 5 11-03 11
Day 1: 5 11-03
101. Matt Lee Guntersville, AL 5 11-02 10
Day 1: 5 11-02
101. Darrell Ocamica New Plymouth, ID 5 11-02 10
Day 1: 5 11-02
103. Shaw Grigsby Jr. Gainesville, FL 5 09-14 8
Day 1: 5 09-14
104. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, FL 5 09-04 7
Day 1: 5 09-04
105. Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 4 09-04 6
Day 1: 4 09-04
106. Ray Hanselman Jr Del Rio, TX 4 08-14 5
Day 1: 4 08-14
107. Paul Elias Laurel, MS 3 05-08 4
Day 1: 3 05-08
108. Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 2 05-08 3
Day 1: 2 05-08

by AnglersChannel

Matt Lee: Misplaced wallet and a lot of caffeine

Courtesy of Alan McGuckin / Dynamic Sponsorships

Carhartt angler Matt Lee began the first day of the Bassmaster Elite at Grand Lake with scrambled eggs, low carb wheat toast, and black coffee in his 5^thwheel RV, but soon realized on the dark drive to the Wolf Creek launch that he had misplaced his wallet, and had no way to stop at a convenient store for a bag of ice and the day’s supply of caffeine drinks.

So at 5:37 a.m. he and fiancé Abby phoned a friend -- me.

“Matt can’t find his wallet, we think it fell out of the grocery bag as we left the camper, and now we’re stuck in the boat launch line. So can we beg you to stop and buy us a black coffee, two sugar free Red Bulls, a bag of ice, and a honey bun with icing?”

Of course, I obliged. First, because we take care of one another out here. And second, because I know Matt is a Type 1 diabetic who wears an insulin pump, and needs the proper blend of dietary fuel to make his body meet the demands of an energy-burning tournament day.

Turns out the Honey Bun with icing was for Abby, but the caffeine was definitely for Matt. And ironically, Matt’s ride-along Marshall for the day is Susan Forbes, a dietician from nearby Neosho, MO hoping to garner some pointers for the Grand Challenge tournament she’s competing in next week.

“He’s got a lot of quick energy and refined carbs, but not much fiber, so I don’t think we’ll have to worry about him having to use the restroom,” grinned Forbes.

That’s good news. And so is the fact that Abby found Matt’s wallet upon returning to the RV after launch, as Matt made his way down lake to Duck Creek.

“I didn’t have a real good practice, so I’m going to the one area where I feel like I can slow down, fish thoroughly, and catch some keepers,” says Lee.

Hopefully, the Auburn grad with dual engineering degrees can continue his streak of Top 12 finishes this week. And one thing’s for certain, Abby will be waiting on the dock as he pulls into weigh-in, just as she does during every tournament day, with a sandwich he can eat immediately – and today, a once temporarily misplaced wallet too.

by AnglersChannel

McClelland and Swindle Preview Grand Lake Elite Series Tournament

Courtesy of Alan McGuckin/Dynamic Sponsorships

Longtime Toyota Bonus Bucks participant and frequent Grand Lake o’ the Cherokees angler Mike McClelland, along with 2-time Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Gerald Swindle, graciously took time to talk about everything from spawning bass to “Taco Tuesday” on the eve of the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite at Grand Lake, Oklahoma.

Q: What percentage of the bass weighed-in this week will be caught from a visible spawning bed?

Swindle: I’ll say 2%

McClelland: I’ll go as high as 5%

(Note: Both anglers agreed that while there are plenty of bass spawning this week, being able to actually see their beds in Grand Lake’s dingy water is very difficult.)

Q: What do you like most about Grand Lake, Oklahoma?

Swindle: I like the fact that Grand Lake spreads people out. It’s a lake that keeps you really busy because there’s so much to cast at. You’re constantly thinking about whether you should be fishing docks, rocky points, riprap, brush piles, laydowns, you name it, this place keeps you busy.

McClelland: Grand has so many different forms of fish holding habitat that you can usually fish the way you prefer to here.

Q: What’s challenging you most after three days of practice?

Swindle: Trying to understand how the water levels are affecting the exact position and movement of these fish.

McClelland: Believe it or not, as much as I’ve fished here, I’ve never fished here when most of the bass were just about to make a major push to spawn. So the conditions I’m facing this week are all pretty new to me.

Q: How much weight do you think an angler will have to average each day in order to make the Top 12 cut on the final day?

Swindle: 17 ¾ pounds per day

McClelland: Man, I’m the wrong guy to ask, but I’ll guess 16 pounds per day.

Q: Both of you live life on tour in a 5th wheel RV -- what’s the best meal you’ve shared with your wife in the RV this week?

Swindle: Chicken tacos

McClelland: Taco Tuesday. We have tacos every Tuesday out here on tour.

by AnglersChannel

Jordan Lee struggling to see spawning bass at Grand Lake

Courtesy of Alan McGuckin / Dynamic Sponsorships

If back-to-back Bassmaster Classic Champ Jordan Lee notches a Top 12 at the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite at Grand Lake, there’s about a 38-percent chance he’ll catch his fish from spawning beds.

Yep, after two long days of practice, when asked what percentage of the bass weighed-in this week on Grand Lake o’ the Cherokees would be caught from spawning beds, the always laid-back Lee comically replied, “I’d guess 38-percent. No, change that. I’m gonna say 38.5%.”

Northeast Oklahoma has experienced a much colder than normal April like most of America. Snow flurries fell here two weeks ago. Water temps are ranging from 58 to 64, and a cold rain is falling on the final day of practice.

So while there are absolutely bass on beds at the famed fishery full of 4-pounders that hosted the 2013 and 2016 Bassmaster Classics, many of Grand’s bass are still in pre-spawn phase, and those that are on beds are difficult to see according to Lee.

“I’ve been from the Pensacola Dam to above the Elk River, and I’ve yet to find a spot that was clear enough to think I could see ‘em on beds well enough to do well on spawners,” says the Quantum pro.

“I think there’s a few spawning, but I don’t think the majority are. And even though I expected the lower end of the lake near Ketchum to be clear, it’s really not. Just like during the 2016 Classic, the whole lake is what I’d call off-colored or heavily stained,” says Lee.

“It’s kind of unfortunate, because I absolutely love to look for spawners, but I don’t think there’s gonna be much of a chance to do that here this week,” concludes the former Carhartt College Series champ.

At least not more than a 38.5% chance.

by AnglersChannel

Scroggins Says Carolina Rig Could Make a Splash at Grand Lake

Courtesy of Alan McGuckin / Dynamic Sponsorships

Don’t be shocked if Florida pro Terry “Big Show” Scroggins makes a splash at the 2018 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite at Grand Lake. Actually … a “double splash” … the nickname Scroggins and other serious anglers often give the Carolina Rig based on its two-part componentry consisting of both a heavy lead egg sinker and a soft plastic lizard.

Two of the five B.A.S.S. wins Scroggins has logged in his illustrious $2 Million dollar career have come on the C-Rig, but the once popular fish-catching rig seems to have fallen out of trend like “pegging” the pant legs of your late 80s acid-washed jeans.

“I guess it gets a bad wrap because people think it’s a lazy man’s way of fishing. But it weighs enough that just about anybody can cast it, even on a windy day. Plus, you can cover a lot of water with it, and it gets a ton of bites,” says Scroggins.

“It’s definitely considered an old school technique that’s been put on the back burner and kind of forgotten. And part of the reason it’s been shelved is because we have lures now days like the 10XD crankbait that will get down to the bottom in 25-feet of water,” says the Carhartt pro who loves to cook.

“Back in the 1980s and 90s we didn’t have lures like the 10XD, so we had to depend on a Carolina Rig with a 1-ounce sinker to get a lure down to those deep zones,” explains Scroggins.

While some like a lighter weight for Carolina-rigging, Scroggins has always favored a 1-ounce egg sinker much like many anglers use for catfishing, and even saltwater fishing.

“I can throw that particular weight into 5 feet of water or 25 feet of water and it’ll come across the bottom without getting hung up because the egg-shape tends to roll really good. Especially if there’s any current at all,” says the longtime Toyota pro.

Grand Lake is ideally suited for a Carolina Rig due to its 45,000 acres of rocky shoreline where anglers like “Big Show” are forced to explore a lot of flat rocky points holding pre-spawn bass in a short three-day practice period.

“I can make three casts with a Carolina Rig for every one cast I’d make with a jig on a rocky point. And if you look at this egg sinker, you can tell by the way it’s scuffed up so bad that I’ve definitely been dragging it a ton in practice. It’s supposed to be a 1-ounce, but I think I’ve drug it around so much, it’s now ground-down to about a 3/4 ounce,” laughed the always comical Scroggins.

In addition to the heavy egg sinker, Scroggins typically spools up with 15-pound fluorocarbon, and uses a four to five foot long leader also made of fluorocarbon. His lure of choice is a green pumpkin lizard, but he’ll often bump-up to the 8” magnum size lizard in off-colored pre-spawn waters like he’s dealing with at Grand Lake.

While the legendary fishery situated in extreme Northeast Oklahoma on the Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas borders has recently hosted two Bassmaster Classics, its history of hosting regular season B.A.S.S. events is relatively minimal.

However, one of those B.A.S.S. events on Grand Lake o’ the Cherokees was held in early April 1995, back when acid washed jeans were fashionable -- and so was the Carolina Rig -- which was exactly the lure legendary East Texas pro Tommy Martin used to catch an average of 17-pounds per day for the victory.

by AnglersChannel

ZOMBEK WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE NORTHEAST DIVISION TOURNAMENT ON POTOMAC RIVER

Hockley Tops Co-angler Division

MARBURY, Md. (April 23, 2018) – Boater Joe Zombek II of Scranton, Pennsylvania, caught a five-bass limit weighing 24 pounds, 10 ounces, Sunday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Northeast Division tournament on the Potomac River. For his efforts, Zombek took home $5,229.

Zombek fished two areas in Mattawoman Creek – one a secondary channel with pilings and the other a 50-yard main-channel creek bend with rocks and wood. He said the areas were about 200 yards apart from one another.

“I targeted prespawn females waiting for the water temperature to rise so they could head up to spawn,” said Zombek, who logged his first career win FLW competition. “We had strong wind and rain Thursday and Friday and it stained the water. As of Sunday, it cleared up and the water temperature rose four degrees to the upper 50s. I know the fish had been there for a while, but with the warmer water they fed more.”

Zombek fished two baits – a homemade green-pumpkin-colored jig with a Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craw trailer in the same color and a Texas-rigged green-pumpkin Zoom tube with a 3/8-ounce weight – and was able to put 11 keepers in his boat.

“I alternated between the baits depending on the conditions of the tide,” said Zombek. “When the tide moved I used the jig because the fish were more aggressive and when it slowed down I finessed them with the tube.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st: Joe Zombek II, Scranton, Pa., five bass, 24-10, $5,229

2^nd: Andrew Heivly, Malvern, Pa., five bass, 19-5, $3,629

3^rd: Zachary Page, Middletown, Del., five bass, 18-14, $1,745

4^th: Ryan Ingalls, Fairfax, Va., five bass, 18-13, $1,320

5^th: Aaron Dixon, Bel Alton, Md., five bass, 18-10, $1,046

6^th: John Vanore, Mullica Hill, N.J., five bass, 18-9, $959

7^th: Kyle Hoffman, Harpers Ferry, W. Va., five bass, 18-0, $871

8^th: Cody Cutter, Harveys Lake, Pa., five bass, 17-15, $784

9^th: Tony Dorman, Taylor, Pa., five bass, 17-8, $653

9^th: Todd Neale, Warrenton, Va., five bass, 17-8, $653

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Heivly brought a 6-pound, 9-ounce bass to the scale – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $815.

Robert Hockley of Annville, Pennsylvania, won the Co-angler Division and $2,614 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 18 pounds, 6 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st: Robert Hockley, Annville, Pa., five bass, 18-6, $2,614

2^nd: Matthew Gaeng, Greeley, Pa., five bass, 18-5, $1,307

3^rd: Doug Cameron, Belchertown, Mass., five bass, 17-14, $872

4^th: Jack Wolf, Chesapeake City, Md., four bass, 16-10, $1,017

5^th: Derek Heyne, New Freedom, Pa., five bass, 15-11, $623

6^th: Richard Harris III., Dallas, Pa., five bass, 15-9, $479

7^th: Curtis Glover, Wynnewood, Pa., five bass, 15-8, $486

8^th: Bill Easter, Clinton, Md., four bass, 14-13, $392

9^th: Robert Reid Jr., Clinton, Md., four bass, 14-9, $349

10^th: Alexander James, Evans, Ga., four bass, 14-8, $305

Wolf caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division weighing in at 7 pounds, 11 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $407.

by AnglersChannel

DELAWARE’S CALDEIRA WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL NORTHEAST DIVISION OPENER ON POTOMAC RIVER PRESENTED BY NAVIONICS

Pennsylvania’s Frymoyer Grabs Co-angler Title

MARBURY, Md. (April 23, 2018) – Boater Ronald Caldeira of Middletown, Delaware, caught a five-bass limit weighing 21 pounds, 6 ounces, Saturday to win the 2018 T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Northeast Division opener on the Potomac River presented by Navionics. For his efforts, Caldeira took home $6,796.

“I caught them all on main-river points in the mouths of Mattowoman and Quantico creeks,” said Caldeira, who notched his first win in FLW competition. “I had five points that I cycled through, and each had pebble rock and sand. I think the big females were transitioning to the points right outside those main creeks, getting ready to spawn. I only had seven bites, but they were the right ones. Some of the fish were tanks – they’d been eating for a while.”

Caldeira said he used a Rapala DT-6 crankbait for bass in 3 to 5 feet of water and a Chartreuse and Black Back-colored Strike King KVD 1.5 HC Shallow Squarebill for bass in 1 to 3 feet.

“I’d start far off the point with the Rapala and then switch to the Strike King as I got shallow so I wouldn’t get hung up as much,” said Caldeira. “As soon the lure would bounce off the rock and free itself, that’s when they loaded up on it."

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st: Ronald Caldeira, Middletown, Del., five bass, 21-6, $6,796

2^nd: Anthony Ebel, Davidsonville, Md., five bass, 19-12, $3,843

3^rd: Rick McFaul, Phoenix, Md., five bass, 19-11, $2,134

4^th: Jeremy Mathias, Monrovia, Md., five bass, 19-7, $1,352

5^th: Brian Barnes, Seaford, Del., five bass, 18-14, $1,159

6^th: Andrew Heivly, Malvern, Pa., five bass, 18-8, $1,063

7^th: Kenny Garippa, Tobyhanna, Pa., five bass, 18-7, $869

7^th: Matt Stoupa, Colonial Heights, Va., five bass, 18-7, $969

7^th: Daniel Gray, Butler, Pa., five bass, 18-7, $869

10^th: Thomas Arens, Purcellville, Va., five bass, 18-2, $676

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Ebel brought a 6-pound, 3-ounce bass to the scale – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $945.

Steven Frymoyer of Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, won the Co-angler Division and $2,898 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 15 pounds, 15 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st: Steven Frymoyer, Wyomissing, Pa., five bass, 15-15, $2,898

2^nd: Jodi Werner, Tatamy, Pa., five bass, 15-2, $1,449

3^rd: James Easley, Middletown, Del., five bass, 14-13, $967

4^th: Ethan Luta, Bradford, N.Y., five bass, 14-10, $676

5^th: Michael Nelms, Hartwood, Va., five bass, 14-8, $780

6^th: Michael Bahnweg, Union Dale, Pa., five bass, 14-7, $531

7^th: Mark Fenstermaker, Allentown, Pa., five bass, 14-4, $483

8^th: Richard Falcon, Arlington, Va., five bass, 14-1, $435

9^th: Frank Hutchinson, Sewell, N.J., five bass, 13-10, $436

10^th: Cherif Zaher, Orangeville, Pa., five bass, 13-7, $321

10^th: Roland Gittings, Perryville, Md., five bass, 13-7, $321

Henry McKee of Haddon Heights, New Jersey, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division weighing in at 6 pounds, 5 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $472.

by AnglersChannel

HILLMAN WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL BULLDOG DIVISION EVENT ON LAKE EUFAULA

Co-angler Title awarded to Georgia’s Walden

EUFAULA, Ala. (April 23, 2018) – Boater Curtis Hillman of Abbeville, Alabama, caught five bass weighing 23 pounds, 11 ounces, Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Bulldog Division event on Lake Eufaula. For his finish, Hillman netted $4,199.

Hillman spent his day dissecting areas in Barbour Creek, Cheneyhatchee Creek and near the Highway 82 bridge. He said he targeted bass in 6 to 10 feet of water near humps and rocks and was able to catch his first limit by 8 a.m.

“I got on a shad spawn and caught them with a chartreuse-colored squarebill crankbait and a Citrus Shad-colored (Strike King Pro Model) 5XD crankbait,” said Hillman, who logged his first win in BFL competition. “The local authorities generated water until 11 a.m. and that’s what kept them in our areas.

“After my first limit I culled the rest of the day,” Hillman continued. “I caught them better on wind-blown banks. I didn’t get much in clear water – it needed to be stained.”

Hillman’s day was capped off by a kicker which he pulled from grass in Cowikee Creek using a Strikezone Swim-Tastic Swim Jig with an unnamed trailer.

“I only had an hour left to fish and that catch sealed the deal for me - it was the pound I needed to win.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st: Curtis Hillman, Abbeville, Ala., five bass, 23-11, $4,199

2^nd: Michael Conley, Bainbridge, Ga., five bass, 22-10, $2,300

3^rd: Mark Stillwell, Salem, Ala., five bass, 22-9, $1,398

4^th: Bryan Meadows, Hogansville, Ga., five bass, 21-11, $1,080

5^th: Austin Lang, Dothan, Ala., five bass, 21-7, $840

6^th: Scott Montgomery, Eufaula, Ala., five bass, 20-10, $735

6^th: Mark Holloway, Madison, Ga., five bass, 20-10, $735

8^th: Shane Peck, Gainesville, Ga., five bass, 19-4, $630

9^th: Matt Henry, Milledgeville, Ga., five bass, 18-14, $560

10^th: Mark Burns, Good Hope, Ga., five bass, 18-11, $490

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Michael Wilder of Macon, Georgia, brought a 6-pound, 13-ounce bass to the scale – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $585.

Emory Walden of Newnan, Georgia, won the Co-angler Division and $2,492 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 18 pounds, 4 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st: Emory Walden, Newnan, Ga., five bass, 18-4, $2,492

2^nd: C.J. Norton, Juliette, Ga., five bass, 16-5, $1,050

3^rd: Jacob Robinson, Temple, Ga., five bass, 14-9, $751

4^th: Shaun Mulhall, Cumming, Ga., five bass, 13-7, $490

5^th: Blake Yarbrough, Fitzgerald, Ga., five bass, 13-3, $420

6^th: Michael Wilcox, Haddock, Ga., three bass, 12-7, $385

7^th: Christopher Wilder, Macon, Ga., four bass, 11-12, $350

8^th: Bart Vigo, Upatoi, Ga., three bass, 11-0, $315

9^th: Chance Hebert, Norcross, Ga., five bass, 10-15, $280

10^th: Dylan Hudson, Phenix City, Ala., five bass, 10-13, $245

Walden also caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division weighing in at 6 pounds, 9 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $292.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 11-13 BFL Regional Championship on the St. Johns River in Palatka, Florida. 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.

by AnglersChannel

AnglersChannel Insider Podcast Episode #11 Featuring ABT Winners Bill Mayo, Was Roberts & Our Favorite Texans, Clint Wade & Stacy Spriggs!

On This Weeks AnglersChannel Insider Podcast Chris and Jason discuss the past weekends events, BASS Open, FLW Costa & more. They get the low down on the the new truck and boat Clint Wade & Stacy Spriggs won in the Sealy's Big Bass Splash.

Chris talks to ABT Winners Bill Mayo & Walt Robertson and more, only on this weeks AnglerChannel Insider Podcast!

by AnglersChannel

Are you ready for Lake Gaston during the Spring?

Collins Boating Pro Raymond Jones, III

Introduction:

In April, food tastes better, my Ranger 520L is prepped faster, and there’s a huge smile is on my face when I have upcoming trips to Lake Gaston. While, there is something for everyone on and around the lake – food, fun, boating, and fishing – it’s the ability to work bass fishing patterns that keeps me coming back all year. After winning the 2017 Walmart Bass Fishing League Piedmont Division Tournament on Lake Gaston last April and offering guide trips, I get allot of calls and texts around this time of year… “Dude, hook me up!” All fishermen throw curve balls when it comes to information. It’s all in good fun and I enjoy the playful ribbing as much as anyone but, I plan to share how I approach the lake during this time of the year in hopes of making your trips more enjoyable and successful.

Section the Lake Off:

Wither you are a local or a first timer, I recommend sectioning the lake off into multiple parts. This 35-mile long (covering 20,000 acres with 350 miles of shoreline) lake will fish smaller this time of year. Tournament angling pocket jumpers, recreational boaters kicking into gear, and fun fishing for multiple species are all underway. I partition the lake into three sections 1. Up the river end, 2. Mid-lake, and 3. Down-lake. Regardless of your fishing style, you can utilize classic lake or river tactics but if you are not aware of what the lake has to offer, it’s hard to be successful on a consistent basis. Review a good map or your Navionics Map Chip, get out on the lake, and ride. Section 3 does warm up faster normally but I would not rule out any section of the lake during the spawn.

Split Up your Spring Fishing Time (Spawning Fish You Can & Cannot See)

With consistent weather, most anglers know the spawn is starting or well underway with the fish making their magic happen in the shallows. I’ve seen allot of big bass on beds in practices and while they are a primary focus, you still need some areas that have varied water clarity (more stained water) to fall back on and compliment your primarily cleaner areas. Anglers will have no trouble finding docks, grass, stumps, or some rocks to target during their practice. Water Temperatures are also important to monitor, but I prioritize the water clarity over temperature during this time, even though most anglers are doing the opposite. My reasoning behind this is that bass get started enough spawning and a few degrees change in water temperature is not normally going to push them off the beds unless it’s a pretty drastic change. I can’t count the number of times that fishing unfamiliar but more stained water clarity during the spawn has saved my tournament days than sticking to some of my best areas. I’ve stumbled into what are now some of my favorite areas because I was willing to go hunting in clear & stained waters to find the consistently better-quality fish during the spawn. You can’t put all your eggs in one basket (just clear or just stained) water during your tournaments and produce consistent bags come weigh in time over multiple days.

Boat Setup Specifics

Before I even begin this topic, your priorities in fishing and in life normally revolve around where you spend your time and money. A lot of anglers don’t believe in or spend time and money on so-called gadgets, bling, or add-on accessories. I totally respect that, but I do focus on these things and use everything that I can that works to my advantage. I assist clients with boat upgrades and adding “bling”, as many guys call it. I have 24 upgrades on the front portion of my Ranger 520L. I admit, some are just bling, but some of these items allows me to control variables that other anglers overlook while on the water.

There are several key products I would like to highlight that avoids vibration & masks my presence in shallow water:

Bowjax.com Shaft Dampener for Trolling Motor: Even if anglers are using a dampener on their trolling motor lower unit, most are not using a shaft dampener. It looks different and draws allot of interest. It’s not a beauty contest, I want whatever accessory that makes me quieter to land more fish.
Bowjax.com Trolling Motor Vibration Dampeners: Laboratory sound test confirm these dampeners make your trolling motor have at least 25% less vibration. Have you ever seen a hunter have a bow that does not have a silencer? No! This is a silencer for your trolling motor and utilizes the same principle. It’s hard to argue with this logic, if you think about it.
TM Marine G-Force Eliminator Trolling Motor Prop Nut: It is designed to lessen prop noise & vibration.
Hydrowave H2:It produces multiple sounds to make baitfish & bass more active, but more importantly helps mask the sounds of my trolling motor.
Transducer Shield & Saver Shaft Mount for Hydrowave H2 Speaker: Mounting this speaker on your shaft protects the speaker and allows it to be pointed in any direction with better sound quality when you turn your trolling motor. If you are talking through a Megaphone, you don’t point it straight up or away from the group you are addressing. You need to point the sounds where you want it to go. Again, it’s hard to argue with this logic.

These key items working together does make my trolling motor setup quieter and more efficient than other anglers. I can prove that my trolling motor setup is at least 30% quieter, but by adding the masking also, I truly believe it’s about 40%.

Tackle Specifics

This is what most initial conversations I encounter sound like, “So, what do I need to throw?” I want to stress I think water clarity and temperature basically dictate the answer to that question, but I am happy to share some of my thoughts (even my wife was shocked when I told her I was going to share some of this information). I am a tackle junkie and like a variety of lure brands but here are some of my Lake Gaston must haves during the spawn.

The Lobina Lures Rico in Lightning Shad or Striper Colors: I love all kinds of top waters, especially some others I can fish around or over top of debris but, I prefer the Rico on Gaston spawners. Its small size is ideal as it emulates a small injured baitfish hovering over or working around beds. The spawning strikes can be breathtaking.

A DSTYLE D-Spiker Spinnerbait: After you get over the price tag and attempt to read another language on the packaging, you will find it has a unique swinging arm for the blades that provides a different action especially when fishing around grass or debris. This prevents the blades from getting tangled too much, and the blades will stop turning as the free-flowing arm allows it to bounce away from obstructions. How many times have you ever wanted to get grass off your bait right away to continue fishing over a piece of cover? This spinnerbait has been a special one for me to be able to do exactly that and achieve a better presentation. I only fish an Ardent Apex Grand 6.5:1 ratio reel with all my spinnerbaits because I believe this ratio achieves an ideal speed that works best for my style of fishing spinnerbaits.

Ah, The Senko!I carry nine Kraft cheese jars in my Ranger, each one containing three packs of Senkos. I have three of my favorite senko colors for each water clarity: clear, stained, and muddy. These jars make it super quick to get a bait change done without needing to carry senko bags. I place the colors three-digit number on top of the jar so I can look down at a glance and see the colors. For the record, I don’t think there is a bad colored Senko and its more about presentation that dictates success! But, if I must, here is one color from each water condition I prefer in April: Black Blue Flake (021), Green Pumpkin(297), Firetiger (327). Don’t tell anybody!

A Creature Style Bait: If I only had one or two creature bait choices for specifically this time of year on my favorite lake, I would choose the ZOOM Baby Brush Hog or the Strike King Space Monkey.

The ZOOM Trickworm: I’m sure that some of these baits recommendations are not surprising. However, if you drop five to ten drops of Gulp Alive Scent in the ZOOM Bag and add an actual Gulp Bait to the bag as well, you will find that in two or three days, the trickworms have become even more pliable with action, have swelled into larger worms, and smell much better.

I believe some avid Lake Gaston anglers will question why a jig is not on this list. I like jigs but again, during the spawn, I will have one tied on but it is not normally where I am going to start with lure selection unless water clarity and temperature are not to my liking.

In summary, Lake Gaston can be a temperamental place to fish, but with some planning, preparation, and the right gear, there’s no reason you can’t earn some disposable income or have a big fish story to tell after your next tournament or fun fishing trip.

by AnglersChannel

FREEMAN WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL COWBOY DIVISION EVENT ON TOLEDO BEND LAKE

Pineville’s Lewis Grabs Co-angler Title

ZWOLLE, La. (April 23, 2018) – Boater Glen Freeman of Zwolle, caught a five-bass limit weighing 24 pounds, 12 ounces, Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Cowboy Division event on Toledo Bend Lake. For his efforts, Freeman took home $6,895.

“I concentrated on points where the bass were moving up and feeding at certain times of the day. You just had to be there at the right time,” said Freeman, who is now tied for second on the All-Time BFL wins list with 10 career wins in BFL competition. “I was on the north end of the lake, sitting in 5 to 6 feet of water and throwing to 2 to 3 feet. I had 9 or 10 points and just rotated through them.”

Freeman said he used a green-pumpkin-colored ½-ounce Johnston jig with a Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craw trailer of the same color to catch approximately 15 keepers throughout the day.

“They bit the best mid-morning,” said Freeman. “The wind was a big deal for me. I had to have some wind to help the points – that brought the bass up to feed.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st: Glen Freeman, Zwolle, La., five bass, 24-12, $4,895 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

2^nd: Matthew McArdle, Humble, Texas, five bass, 20-6, $2,448

3^rd: Lance Duff, Lumberton, Texas, five bass, 19-13, $1,565

4^th: Jeff Wooldridge, Chandler, Texas, five bass, 18-10, $1,096

5^th: Darold Gleason, Many, La., five bass, 18-9, $939

6^th: Stephen Reitzell, Colfax, La., five bass, 18-2, $861

7^th: Josh Dunaway, Sulphur, La., five bass, 18-1, $783

8^th: Nick Lebrun, Bossier City, La., five bass, 17-10, $704

9^th: Cory Bono, Lake Charles, La., five bass, 17-9, $626

10^th: T.J. Goodwyn, Center, Texas, five bass, 17-6, $548

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Bob Vote of Kingwood, Texas, brought a 7-pound, 12-ounce bass to the scale – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $700.

Cason Lewis of Pineville, Louisiana, won the Co-angler Division and $2,548 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 13 pounds, 14 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st: Cason Lewis, Pineville, La., five bass, 13-14, $2,548

2^nd: James Waller, Cypress, Texas, five bass, 13-10, $1,174

3^rd: Ronnie Ray Jr., McKinney, Texas, five bass, 13-7, $831

4^th: James Callaghan, DeBerry, Texas, five bass, 13-4, $509

4^th: Blake Landreneau, Youngsville, La., four bass, 13-4, $509

6^th: Keith Kimbrough, Woden, Texas, five bass, 13-0, $430

7^th: Bill Fussell, Thibodaux, La., five bass, 12-15, $391

8^th: Fred Martin, North Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 12-12, $352

9^th: Cedric Jackson, Sicily Island, La., five bass, 12-10, $293

9^th: Bernard Fruge, Noble, La., five bass, 12-10, $293

Eddie Burns of Little Rock, Arkansas, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division weighing in at 6 pounds, 11 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $350.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 25-27 BFL Regional Championship on Lake of the Ozarks in Osage Beach, Missouri. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.

by AnglersChannel

AnglersChannel

By David A. Brown

May 2, 2018

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