Blueback Basics with Brandon Lester
By Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships
When Brandon Lester thinks of Lake Murray, he immediately thinks about blueback herring. These unique baitfish and Lake Murray are linked together like a Toyota Tundra towing a bass boat for the even-keeled Tennessee pro. Targeting bass that are keying on bluebacks is exactly how Lester plans to fish the 2024 Minn Kota Bassmaster Elite on Lake Murray.
Luckily for Lester, he drew boat #2 for the first day of competition, so he’ll have his choice of starting spots in the morning. This is a huge deal on lakes where blueback herring are a predominate forage for bass, perhaps none more important than this fishery.
“In my opinion this is probably the most famous herring lake in the country,” Lester said. “Which means these are highly educated fish that have seen just about everything. It’s almost like Tennessee River ledges… a lake might be known for something, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. You can catch the fire out of them one day and want to pull your hair out the next.”
Blueback herring as a species are anadromous, which means they live in the sea and migrate into freshwater to spawn. The bluebacks in Lake Murray were introduced here in the 90s, but they are progeny of their saltwater ranging ancestors. This history is thought to be part of the reason why blueback herring move so much and so fast. They are on the menu for a lot of different fish and other critters in saltwater environments.
Lester is hopeful his good boat draw will help him get off to a solid start the first day which is one of his three keys to his success in this tournament and on lakes where bluebacks are on the menu. Lester said the first hour of fishing will be crucial, along with getting into a good rotation of spots and then hopefully cracking the code of how to make bass focused on herring bite when they aren’t actively feeding.
“Murray was stingy in practice but if you can get a bait if front of the bass when they are busting and boiling on herring you will more than likely catch them,” Lester explained. “But figuring out how to make those fish bite when they aren’t actively feeding is the key to a great tournament this week. I couldn’t do that with any consistency in practice, so I’m hoping I can figure more out during the tournament.”
Lester has Carolina staples like a big walking topwater and a weightless soft plastic jerkbait rigged to his signature line of Mustad BLF Instinct Elite rods, as well as a LIVETARGET Twitch Minnow to pick off roaming Murray largemouth. The Team Toyota pro hopes to have some tricks up his sleeve with a few sneakier offerings to show these herring eaters this week, but for the most part he plans to stick to the basics.
“This will be all about timing and decision making, the techniques are pretty basic,” Lester admitted. “I guess you could say that about most tournaments, but it’s magnified on Murray. A fast start and a rotation of a handful of spots that produce a few good fish will be crucial. I don’t have confidence in milking any one spot for a big bag on this lake. I have to run and gun a bit to put a strong limit together.”
In 2023 on Lake Murray Lester dabbled with bass chasing bluebacks en route to one of his impressive forty-nine top twenty Bassmaster finishes, but he had a few other patterns to fall back on. This year Lester is all in on the herring deal, which can be feast or famine, but few anglers have a more consistent record of feasting than Lester in his eight years as a full-time pro.
Alfred Williams Casts Historic Line as First African-American Inducted into Bass Fishing Hall of Fame
By Charity Muehlenweg • Major League Fishing
It’s early summer of 1953, and Saturday mornings can’t come fast enough for Alfred Williams. Every Saturday morning, 6-year-old Williams wakes up early and mills around the house, hoping for an invite on a fishing adventure with Grandma. He’s in charge of carrying her bucket and keeping the snakes away during their outing, a big job for such a little guy.
“Grandma smoked a pipe, and she’d get that pipe lit and settled in the corner of her mouth and sit so quiet….and so content…and I’d just watch her,” Williams said. “I wasn’t fishing much back in those days; I was just watching. Waiting. Learning.”
Those tranquil moments would prove pivotal for Williams as he learned to navigate an uncertain world with quiet grace and got his first glimpse into a sport he would grow to love for the next 70 years. Alfred Williams was born on April 9, 1947, in Jackson, Mississippi, where he spent his youth with a cane pole in hand, casting along the banks of the Pearl River with friends and family.
“Fishing was a way to bring people together in a time of racial tension,” Williams said. “There were groups of every race fishing down on the river. We always had a good time, but we weren’t fishing for sport – we were fishing to put food on the table.”
But the hook had been set. By the age of 10, Williams was fishing anywhere and everywhere he could, with anyone who would take him. By 14, Williams could often be seen on the banks of the Pearl River, alone or with friends.
Young Williams had no idea that he was embarking on a journey that would see him become the first African-American to qualify for the Bassmaster Classic in 1983, and a lifetime later in 2024, the first African-American to be inducted into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame.
In March of 1970, Williams returned from a tour in Vietnam at the age of 23. After three long years in the military without touching a fishing rod, he immediately hopped on a boat to go crappie fishing with a friend and felt the excitement course through his veins as his love for the sport came rushing back.
That was it for Williams. He bought a little boat with a 50-horsepower outboard and spent the next three years bass fishing every chance he could get. In 1973, he strolled into a Woolco department store and bought a Raycraft bass boat for $529.
“I couldn’t get that boat on the water fast enough,” Williams said. “I brought it back home, took the motor off the little runabout boat I had and put it on the bass boat. We picked the boat up from Woolco at 9 a.m. and were out on the Ross Barnett Reservoir by 2 p.m. that afternoon.”
Williams fished his first local bass tournament in 1975 in Jackson, Mississippi, in the beginning of the post-Civil Rights Movement era.
Although racial desegregation had been mandated by federal law and court rulings in the 1950s and 60s, the process of integration was extremely slow and in many cases, painful. Barriers between races continued to exist across the South, especially in the Jackson, Mississippi, area where Williams grew up.
“I went into a store and saw an application for the Have a Heart Bass Classic, and I really wanted to fish that tournament,” Williams explained. “So, I looked over the application and thought about it for a while, then called the number to talk to the tournament director. “I said, ‘Listen, I’m calling about this tournament and I really want to fish this event,’ and he said they’d be happy to have me. I said, ‘Well, look, I’m black – do you guys have any problems with me fishing this event?’
While African-American citizens and athletes had begun breaking down racial barriers by 1975, African-American athletes had been largely excluded from full participation in most professional sports, relegating them to compete in segregated leagues, which offered lower pay and visibility than the pro leagues. “I won’t ever forget his response,” Williams said. “He said, ‘You are absolutely welcome. This tournament is for the Heart Association and it’s for everybody. If you want to fish it, send your application in and if anybody says anything to you about fishing it, you call me. We want you to fish.’
“If he’d waivered or said it might be a problem, I wasn’t going to worry about it, I just wasn’t going to fish it. But he assured me that we were more than welcome.”
Williams filled out his application and mailed it in along with his entry fee. Although Williams speaks about the racial inequality of those times with grace, this first brush with the world of tournament bass fishing was around the same timeframe that Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s home run record (1974) and received hundreds of thousands of hate mail letters and death threats for beating a white man’s record.
It was also around the same time as the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968 and his mother, Mrs. Alberta King, in 1974.
“We were a little nervous about it all,” Williams admitted. “My wife Gracie and I were raised in the South and just knew how things were back then. But just hearing the tournament director say how glad they would be for us to come eased our nerves a bit.”
Williams excitedly rigged his tackle and got geared up for his first tournament, then he and Gracie dressed to the nines and headed to the pre-tournament banquet.
“Back then, there was a banquet the night before every tournament, and those banquets were huge social gatherings,” Williams said. “We walked into our first banquet at this fancy, exclusive restaurant – there must have been 400 to 500 people in there – and when we walked through the door, you could have heard a pin drop. Everyone stopped what they were doing and just stared at us. We looked around and saw an empty table and found a seat.”
What happened next was a pivotal moment for Williams and his wife, Gracie, and is still a pivotal moment in the history of bass fishing.
“We had barely gotten seated when a well-dressed white gentleman walked up to our table,” Williams said. “We watched him approach with a little apprehension, and he said, ‘You don’t know me, but I see you catching fish behind my house out on the [Ross Barnett] reservoir all the time. My wife and I would be honored if y’all would come over and sit at our table and have dinner with us.’ And of course we did, and that broke the ice.
“He was the general manager for a well-known car dealer and was on television commercials and well respected. Everyone in the room went back to talking and socializing, and from that day on, he and I were really, really good friends up until he passed away.”
Williams drew avid hunter, fisherman and NFL football pro Perry Lee Dunn in that first event, finishing 33rd, only a few places from making a check.
“That was my first tournament, and my first response from the bass-fishing community, and I was absolutely hooked,” Williams said. “I’d proven myself and shown that I knew what I was doing, and I couldn’t wait to get back out there for the next tournament a couple weeks later.”
While racial inequality was still prevalent in the 70s and 80s, Williams said he and Gracie found not only acceptance, but respect, friendship and camaraderie in the bass-fishing community from day one and the couple has never dealt with any open racial discrimination over the nearly 50 years he’s been in the sport.
“It was just a feeling of relief, honestly, being free to do what I loved,” Williams said. “After that I just felt accepted.”
Williams began fishing tournaments with B.A.S.S. and Operation Bass – which later became FLW, then Major League Fishing (MLF), in 1983 and has fished a total of 98 tournaments with B.A.S.S. and 178 tournaments with MLF over the past 41 years, winning four events and earning numerous Top 10s. Williams fished professionally with B.A.S.S. from 1987-2003 and professionally with FLW from 1997-1998 and 2004-2008. To this day, Williams enjoys fishing the occasional Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) tournament in the Mississippi Division.
None of the bass clubs in Mississippi in the 70s and 80s had African-American members, so Williams and his fellow
black anglers fished in their own club. “Back then, all the bass clubs were full, and there were only three or four tournaments each spring, they didn’t have one every weekend like we do now,” Williams said. “We had a few white guys start joining our club in the late 70s, early 80s. We won a state tournament in 1983, which qualified me for the state team. We then fished a divisional tournament and won, and as the top team member, I qualified for the 1983 Bassmaster Classic.”
Williams was the first African-American angler to qualify for the Classic, which was being held on the Ohio River that year, a fishery Williams had never visited. In fact, the Mississippi native had only fished on Ross Barnett Reservoir up to that point.
“My boat was parked with Hank Parker on one side and Rick Clunn on the other side,” Williams said. “I just couldn’t believe it at the time – I still can’t believe it today.”
Williams said the whole experience was something he would never forget – from being chauffeured around town, dining out at every meal with the whole Classic entourage, and being catered to throughout the entire event. Williams finished 10th out of 42 competitors, ranking ahead of Parker, Clunn, Denny Brauer and Roland Martin – no small feat for his first major tournament, especially on a new body of water.
“Things really started happening for me after that time,” Williams said. “Beating so many of the guys that I’d read about in Bassmaster magazine, I felt such a sense of accomplishment. It was amazing and really gave me the confidence and determination to continue pursuing my dream.”
Williams received numerous congratulations after the Classic, including encouraging words from Paul Elias, who advised him to talk to Forrest L. Wood – founder of Ranger Boats – about competing professionally.
“I spoke with Forrest, thanking him for letting me use the boat during the Classic, and giving me the opportunity to fish,” Williams said. “I told him I really wanted to get into tournament fishing more and asked if there was anything he could do to help me get started. He told me to write him a letter when I got back home.”
Williams wrote the letter, and Wood and Ranger endorsed him and provided his tournament boat for the next 28 years.
“I can’t thank Forrest enough for that opportunity and for supplying me with a state-of-the-art boat all those years to follow my passion,” Williams said. The first tournament I ever won was the Dr. Pepper Open back in 1978. I took home a check for $2,500, which was a huge payday in the late 70s, but knowing my boat was taken care of each year was a huge blessing.”
Fast forward to 2024 and the bass-fishing community is celebrating yet another milestone with Williams and his family – as the first African-American to be inducted into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame. Mark Daniels Jr., an African-American pro who fishes the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour, met Williams through a mutual friend back in 2015, and the two became fast friends. However, Daniels said he’s been looking up to Alfred long before that first meeting.
“I was ate up with fishing from a young age, and you just never saw anyone who was African-American fishing professionally, so I was really inspired by Alfred,” Daniels said. “I belonged to a bass club, and we had some African-American weekend warriors, but no pros.”
Daniels expressed the importance for aspiring anglers to see professional anglers that they can identify with but said that Williams’ influence on the sport runs much deeper than the color of his skin.
“Every time the water temp gets above 55 degrees, we can’t wait to fish topwater and throw a frog – and every time I throw a frog, I think of Alfred,” Daniels said. “Regular, hollow-body frogs came out many years ago, with semi-hard plastic legs. Alfred had the inclination to cut off the plastic legs, then cut the skirt off a spinnerbait and push the spinnerbait skirt through the holes on the frog, so it now has spinner-bait style legs as opposed to hard legs.”
While Williams didn’t create the frog, he has been attributed for helping put it on the map and helping create the modern-day frog experience. Williams is also credited with adding weight to his favorite Snag Proof models to make them ride lower in the water, dramatically improving his hooksets, as well as adding a rattle chamber to the belly to draw more strikes. Snag Proof incorporated some of Williams’ frog modifications in certain tournament models of its frogs.
“You see those types of frogs everywhere now,” Daniels said. “From the highest-end baits made in Japan, to all the American-made baits and everything in between, every hollow-body frog has skirted legs and that is literally Alfred’s design. That blows my mind.
“There’s always somebody that takes that first step and breaks the mold, and Alfred is that guy. He’s truly a pioneer in our sport. One can only imagine how apprehensive he was when he first started out, yet he overcame all of that and had a very successful career as a tournament angler. I’m very proud of him and his accomplishments and am happy to call him a friend.”
Williams’ success over the years has attracted more African-American anglers, and opened the door for Daniels, Ish Monroe, Brian Latimer and other African-American anglers along the way. But his impact and his legacy have been far-reaching throughout the entire bass world.
Dudley Salers is a lifelong friend of Williams who’s competed with him for over 50 years. Salers and Williams fished the former Red Man Trail together in the 70s – now known as the Phoenix Bass Fishing League – but never let their competitive nature come before their friendship.
“I have a lot of respect for Alfred and am proud to call him my friend. He’s just a genuinely nice person and treats everyone with respect,” said the 83-year-old Salers.
“He called to tell me he’d been nominated, and I was so happy for him. I told him it’s an honor just to be nominated, but when they selected him, I was thrilled. Alfred’s had a lot of success in his lifetime, and a lot of opportunities that could have changed him, but he’s never let it go to his head. He’s just always been the same old Alfred.”
That sentiment is shared throughout the bass community. Bill Taylor – former MLF Tournament Director and the longest-tenured tournament director in the company’s history – said he started watching Williams when he fished for Bassmaster in the 70s, not realizing at the time that he was watching history in the making.
“I watched him his first few years, then followed him on the Red Man Trail, but I didn’t meet him until the late 80s when he was fishing the BFL’s,” Taylor said. “I took a liking to Alfred because he was a great angler and was very well respected. His wife, Gracie, traveled with him on tour and they were just a lovely couple. Everyone loved him. “Alfred inspired a lot of people throughout his lifetime and continues to inspire today. I grew up in the 50s and 60s and saw firsthand the racial tension throughout the country. Race was never brought up the entire time I worked with Alfred, but I admire him deeply for getting involved in professional fishing when he did, because it had to have been a challenge.”
Williams said after everything he’s experienced in his lifetime, being inducted into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame is just the icing on the cake.
“I feel very, very honored,” he said. “I want to thank all the people who not only supported me but believed in me. I’m just overwhelmed, really, to be the first African-American inducted into the Hall of Fame. There can only be one ‘first’ and it truly means a lot to me to be the first.”
Kathy Fennel, MLF Executive Vice President and General Manager, had only been on the bass-fishing scene for one year when the Mississippi Division of the Red Man Trail was launched in 1983. Fennel was the assigned Tournament Administrator for that division and remembers Williams’ start on the Red Man Trail fondly.
“Alfred was a fierce competitor, but was such a gentleman and always extremely professional,” Fennel said. “From the moment we met, I was impressed by his demeanor and the way he presented himself. He was – and still is – a pioneer in our industry and a great representative for his sponsors.”
Fennel, who was inducted into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame in 2022 and serves as a member of the Hall of Fame board, said she’s excited about Williams’ induction and feels it has been a long time coming. “It makes me very proud to see the Hall of Fame recognize Alfred for his accomplishments,” Fennel said. “Beyond his ability as a competitor and his longevity in the sport, he has a unique opportunity to influence a larger audience that hasn’t been as engaged in professional tournament fishing and we’re honored to be a part of his story.”
Williams doesn’t take that sentiment or the responsibility it requires lightly.
“I’m just so thankful that I was able to accomplish these feats and have individuals follow me and my journey over the years,” Williams said. “All the black anglers who have fished with me over the past 40-something years, have thanked me for my influence and accomplishments. I feel fortunate to be the one that it happened to, all those years ago.”
But success like Williams’ doesn’t just “happen.” It comes from a lot of hard work and not being afraid to step out and take chances, and it requires respect, grace, admiration and trust – all trademarks of Williams’ life story. A life story that’s far from over.
“At 77, I still fish tournaments almost every weekend and I would still be out on tour, but I finally decided enough’s enough,” Williams said, laughing. “I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. When I started fishing tournaments, I wasn’t thinking about trying to qualify for the Classic or where I was going to be later in life, I was just focused on fishing the tournament in front of me.”
Williams said that was the key to longevity in the sport, but even more than that, endurance – and success – in everyday life.
“Always put yourself in a position to do well, in whatever you do in life,” Williams said. “If you believe in yourself, then you aren’t going to be dependent on anybody else to show you the way.”
For complete details and updated information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.
Cicada Snacks and Bass Funk on Lake Murray
By Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships
The fifth stop of the Bassmaster Elite Series season was set to begin this morning on scenic Lake Murray in South Carolina before severe thunderstorms forced B.A.S.S. to wisely postpone day one until Friday, May 10 th . Even before the weather curveball, angler reports after practice paint the picture of a tougher Lake Murray than the Elites experienced in late April of 2023.
Pro anglers are also professional sandbaggers, but the general consensus is that the bass are being a stingier this year due to several factors including, but not limited to: the bass, blueback herring, and shad being at the tail-end of their spawn, this event being a few weeks later in the year, post-spawn funkiness, storms, and a 13-year cicada hatch, dubbed Brood XIX, affecting the dinner menu for resident bass.
To sift through the dock talk, we caught up with former college fishing standouts and Toyota Bonus Bucks contenders Cody Huff and Logan Parks as well as Team Toyota pro Matt Arey to ask their expectations before competition begins.
Q – Last year it took over 17-lbs per day to make the top fifty cut. Will it take more or less weight to make Saturday’s cut this week?
Cody Huff – “I would think less, last year there were still a lot of spawning bass and herring up shallow. Both of those things are still going on this year, but not nearly as many groups of fish doing either of those deals. That alone makes the fishing a little tougher.”
Logan Parks – “I’m going to hope less. I didn’t fish this event last year, but I watched the coverage and was super excited to fish this lake… but it seems like the fish are in that weird post-spawn funky mood.”
Matt Arey – “I think a pound or so less. There are still a lot of big bass in here, but these fish get harder and harder to catch every time I come to this lake. We’re also here a couple weeks later which has pulled a lot of fish from shallow water.”
Q – Lake Murray is known for its blueback herring population; do you approach bass fishing differently on fisheries with herring as a primary forage?
Huff – “I do for sure. Herring move so much more than your typical bait fish, and when they cross paths with bass, the bass get fired up. I move around a lot more and try to find the active fish on these herring lakes more than I typically would.”
Parks – “I don’t have a ton of experience fishing herring lakes, but the fish seem to act different. They are lean, long, and strong cause they are always chasing those baitfish. Generally, I find myself fishing a little faster.”
Arey – “100% yes. Herring act differently than threadfin shad, so you as a fishermen have to act a little different as well. It can be a total feast or famine deal on these lakes, but you sometimes have to chase the herring. ‘Cause it is not easy to catch those bass without them.”
Q – The massive cicada hatch has been quite the buzz this week, figuratively and literally. We know bass eat them, but how much money would it take for you to eat one?
Huff – “Hmm… It would be a pretty fair amount. They are large, juicy bugs. The sound they make when you step on one, I couldn’t imagine that in between my teeth, so it would take a lot. But I’d eat one for a limit of five pounders each day.”
Parks – “I’d probably eat one for $10,000.”
Arey – “Eww… I’m not a bug eater, man. It would take a lot of money. If it’s dead and cooked, $10,000. If it’s alive and buzzing it would take six figures.”
Q – What are two lures / techniques you believe will play a major role in this tournament?
Huff – “Big walking topwater bait, and a fluke style bait will be players.”
Parks – “I’m going to say a Berkley Magic Swimmer (jointed swimbait) and a drop shot. Opposite ends of the spectrum.”
Arey – “Soft plastic jerkbait and a walking topwater bait. Blueback fishing 101.”
B.A.S.S. postpones Day 1 of Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray
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AC Insider Podcast - BPT Champ Zack Birge
The guys catch up with Zack Birge fresh off his first Bass Pro Tour win on Lake Eufaula. Hear how it all went down from Zack himself. From the baits, to the final day spot, we get into all the details that put that big red trophy in his hands!
American Baitworks is proud to announce the Launch of BaitFuel Freshwater Hardbait Stick
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Oologah-Talala High School Fishing Team Joins MLF Pros and Fisheries Management Division to Deploy Artificial Fish Habitat into Lake Eufaula
EUFAULA, Okla. (May 8, 2024) – Inclement weather has wreaked havoc across Oklahoma for the past week, but MLF pros and the Oologah-Talala High School Fishing Team managed to put a few hours of sunshine to good use during the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour MillerTech Stage Four Presented by REDCON1. The MLF Fisheries Management Division (FMD) partnered with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) to complete the Minn Kota Habitat Restoration Project supported by Humminbird on Lake Eufaula on Thursday, May 2.
Bass Pro Tour anglers Josh Bertrand, Stephen Browning, Ott DeFoe, Edwin Evers, Gary Klein, John Murray, Britt Myers, Micheal Neal, Skeet Reese, Colby Schrumpf, and Greg Vinson joined the Oologah-Talala High School Bass Fishing Team, ODWC, Choctaw Nation Wildlife Conservation, MossBack Fish Habitat founder David King, and Director of the MLF FMD Steven Bardin, , to construct MossBack fish habitat products including 60” Conservation Cubes, Safe Haven XLs and John Godwin Crappie Towers. The structures were weighted down using supplies donated by local Lowes Home Improvement store #2571 and deployed into Eufaula Cove.
The Bass Pro Tour anglers in attendance spoke with the group, took photos, signed autographs and built structures with the high school team and other volunteers, before handing off deployment of the structures to the students and ODWC staff.
The project was part of a four-year large-scale habitat restoration program for Lake Eufaula that the ODWC began earlier this year. The ODWC will receive an annual donation from the City of Eufaula which they plan to increase through federal matching programs. The potential value of the four-year project is more than $150,000 for the ODWC.
Eufaula Cove is an important part of the 105,000-surface-acre fishery due to the number of tournaments hosted out of the cove’s marinas. After most five-fish tournaments at Peter’s Point-Nichols Point on Lake Eufaula, fish are released back into the cove, making habitat designed to improve fish recovery a valuable resource.
“ODWC’s commitment to our fisheries is unmatched and being able to experience this project with the Oolagah-Talala High School Fishing Team is an extremely valuable opportunity,” said Edwin Evers, just before loading the students on the bus to buy them lunch.
The MLF FMD hopes to continue using this blueprint across other projects, to maximize grants and further increase the impact to local communities on the Bass Pro Tour.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the MLF Fisheries Management Division, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com/
About MLF Fisheries Management Division
Major League Fishing’s Fisheries Management Division is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through Research, Education, Fisheries Enhancement and Fish Care. Under the leadership of MLF, in collaboration with Hall of Fame bass angler Gary Klein and renowned fisheries biologist Steven Bardin, the Fisheries Management Division provides opportunities to engage in initiatives that extend the life of the sport of bass fishing. These initiatives include targeted research programs, providing fans, anglers and youth with access to educational materials that help them become better stewards of our fisheries resources, and collaborating with local and state agencies to improve habitat essential for bass to thrive. From maximizing the health of an individual fish post-catch to stocking juvenile fish into waterbodies, the MLF Fisheries Management Division is committed to the health of our bass populations.
The Young Guns - John Garrett
By Brady Harp - AC Insider
Jordan Lee. Brandon Palaniuk. Jacob Wheeler. Every year, it seems that there is a new youngin’ that takes the fishing world by storm. Every year we try to label which angler is the next “generational talent” to stake their claim in the industry. And in the first season sans-Kevin VanDam, this year feels more pivotal than most in terms of identifying who is going to fill the cosmic void left in the GOAT’s wake. But what if it weren’t that simple?
What if the new-age of fishing isn’t identified as an individualistically-dominant sport, but rather a collective effort from a wealth of anglers? I find it more than coincidental that the year KVD retires, the sport sees an overwhelmingly successful crop of rookies competing, and winning, at the highest level.
Perhaps this is symbolic of a passing of the torch between eras? These young guys are here to stay and are ready to leave their mark on this storied sport- in their own way. Best get to know ‘em.
Why are these guys doing so well? It’s too easy, and quite frankly lazy, to pin it on merely a greater capacity to understand Forward Facing Sonar (FFS). That assuredly plays somewhat of a role, but fish are fish, and you still have to make them bite one way or another. What if these young anglers are simply better prepared to compete at the highest level and therefore have more refined skills well beyond their years?
This crop of rookies is the first to truly get a complete youth-oriented experience of tournament fishing. Sure, any previous generation had more weekend and club tournaments to fish than they could handle as they grew into the sport, but nobody has had the opportunity this crop has. This new wave of anglers has cut their teeth competing in national-level events on the junior, high school, and collegiate levels all in advance of professional-level events. Much like a prodigy golfer or star quarterback that has trained their whole lives tuning their craft, this group of rookies finally have had the same opportunity to compete against those on their same level and gradually build-up their craft over time.
In short, this generation is better equipped to fish on the national stage at a much younger age than their predecessors. The lights aren’t too bright.
Meet John Garrett: a grit-and-grinder through and through that refuses to take all the credit for his success. You’ll see what I mean.
John is the epitome of this new era of fisherman. Hailing from Tennessee, he helped construct his high school’s fishing team just as the sport was materializing in the prep ranks. Surely, the recent rookie champion was naturally a dominant angler, right? Wrong… at least according to him.
“I’ll be honest, we only had one good tournament in all of high school. It was at Wheeler lake, and we had just enough to qualify for the national championship which featured all of 10
boats. And I think we finished 9th,” John told me, laughing.
At the end of the day, John was a senior in high school without a ton of tournament success sifting through what the future held, and he didn’t think it would be college, much less fishing professionally. Pretty ironic if you’re familiar with his collegiate success.
So how did this Tennessee kid with no ambitions of going to college go on to complete one of the most storied collegiate careers ever? He wouldn’t take credit for it.
“It started with [Fishing Coach] Garry Mason at Bethel. He saw something in me he must have thought had potential and offered me a scholarship. I’m extremely thankful he did. Without that, I probably would be a fishing or hunting guide, I’m really not sure. I wouldn’t be where I am now, that’s for sure.”
So back in 2014, how did this freshman in college, lacking much tournament success, put the pieces together? Surely, he put his nose to the grindstone and made it happen with just good, old-fashioned hard work, right? Wrong. Again, he wouldn’t take credit for the jump in success.
“Man, I didn’t even think I could compete with these guys. I was just excited to fish. I learned so much from just being around the team, talking fishing, and soaking up everything my older friends would teach me like a sponge.”
John didn’t hold back when talking about how much he realized he had to learn, either.
“My freshman year, we fished an event on my home lake, Kentucky Lake. All day, me and my partner were making fun of everyone we saw throwing Alabama rigs and running all over the lake. Turns out, those dudes smashed ‘em while we zeroed. Day 2, we swallowed our pride, threw the [Alabama] rig, and caught 26 pounds.”
It was this dose of humility that I believe began John’s upward trajectory in the college ranks. It takes a certain level of open-mindedness to realize you’re always growing as an angler. John figured that out to the detriment of his peers.
Fast forward a few years later, and John had taken the fishing world by storm. It’s 2017, he’s won the Bassmaster College Classic Bracket and earned a spot in the Bassmaster Classic. Not to mention, he got his 2017 Bassmaster Opens paid for, along with some industry relationships that have stood the test of time.
“Ever since the College Class Bracket, I’ve had fantastic relationships with Strike King, Lews, Skeeter, Yamaha, and Hypertech. They have supported me without question from the beginning. I can’t thank them enough.”
Now, call it an obsession, call it a man chasing his dream, call it whatever, but John competed both in a majority of the Bassmaster Opens and the College Series that year. Thankfully, there isn’t an hour enrollment requirement to compete collegiately, as he relayed it was this unquenchable thirst to compete that left him in need of a 5th year to graduate Bethel with his degree in Business Management. Graduation left John with a choice: do I go back home, settle down, and find a job? Or do I chase this dream of qualifying for the Elite Series one time? Anyone that’s kept up with fishing the last few years knows the answer to this question.
John competed, successfully I might add, in the Opens for 4 full seasons. Much has been made of how grueling the competition has become, and John is the shining example of to what degree. John finished his first few seasons on the Opens well within the upper-echelon of anglers, yet was left without an Elite Series bid.
“Every year, I said it was going to be my last attempt at it. And every year, I would do just good enough that I would give it another go the next year. And every year, it was the same result. I really did feel like I was just a day late and a dollar short with fishing professionally.”
But really, just how close was he to qualifying for the Elite Series? Flashback to June 2020. John is in the thick of the points race in the Opens and is leading the event at the Arkansas River. A win all but ensures an Elite Series qualification and guarantees a spot in the Bassmaster Classic. If you don’t know where this is headed, go ahead and get the Kleenex’s out.
“It’s Championship Day. The water was just chocolate milk, completely muddy. I was having a good tournament and went to make a cull. I thought, correctly, that I already had 5 in the box, but the water was so muddy in my livewells, I couldn’t see in there at all. I managed to grab 4 of my fish and probably counted them 10 times, making sure I was only adding a 5th fish. What I couldn’t see was that one of my fish had slipped out of his cull tag and had gotten stuck between my recirculation vent and the middle divider in my livewell. I ended up figuring out what happened minutes later after I had begun to fish with 6 fish in the boat, and knew I had to make a call (as this is a Bassmaster rules violation).”
John had a camera boat on him, so there was no way to act as if this honest mistake didn’t happen, but I fully believe he would have owned up to this even if there was nobody within three miles of him. It’s who he is. John self-reported the incident, was penalized 2 pounds, lost the tournament, and more importantly, ended up losing a tiebreaker for Elite Series qualification. Brutal. Absolutely crushing. How do you come back from that?
Call it a test of character, call it a showing of his true colors, call it whatever you want. But John rebounded like he always did. After a few more seasons in the Opens, he was able to qualify. Why bring up this snapshot of arguably the lowest point in his career? To know John is to know his character. And I’d say it’s the truest sense of unraveling just the kind of person John is. The immediate response to do the right thing without complaining? You don’t see that often. That’s genuine.
A piece of those grueling seasons that isn’t talked about enough is the sacrifice it takes to compete each and every year traveling across the country. John’s a self-proclaimed blessed man, because, well, what else would you expect from him?
“This profession, man, it asks you to be pretty selfish. I’ve been blessed with a supporting cast that not only lets me fish, but encourages me to do so with the freedom and mindset you need. I almost felt bad. It takes a certain level of selfishness to compete every year, away from those you love, without making much money in the process. Any year before this one, I’d be guiding hunts back home during the winter but be competing in The Opens all through the spring and summer. It takes a wild support system in order to be able to do this.”
The support system referenced? Call it a one-two punch between his wife and grandpa.
“My wife, Morgan, and I have been together for over ten years, and we’re approaching four years of marriage. She’s such a blessing. I’d say I’m selfish, but not her. Her support gives me the freedom to chase these fish. Especially now that we’ve just welcomed in Blaire, our nine-month old, she’s been everything. I want to be at home with them all the time, but whenever I’m on the road I know she’s taking care of things. It means the world to me.”
Life at home is taken care of, but where does his grandpa come into play?
“My grandpa is the one who introduced me to fishing. He taught me how to cast, fish, everything. He boat captained for me in high school. And when it was time for me to fish the Opens, he jumped in them with me as a co-angler, traveling with me, spitting gas, everything. I know he loves to fish as much as the next guy, but I know he did it just to spend time with me. That’s everything, knowing you’ve got a family that loves you and cares so much for you. I definitely can fish clearer because of it, for sure.”
And there it is. Now it all makes sense. If you asked people who John is as a person, they wouldn’t say he’s the center of attention type. They wouldn’t say he’s the most outspoken. What you would hear is that John’s a family man, wise above his years, and as dedicated to his craft as they come. Just look back at his family dynamic and it’s easy to see why. All the loyalty, love, and selflessness that his family showers him with? He gives it back to everyone else.
Call him a pro’s pro. Call him a dang good dude. Or just call him John. I’m sure he’d love to say hey.
YETI ANNOUNCES 1ST ANNUAL YETI OPEN TOURNAMENT
Explore Branson & Table Rock Lake to host first annual YETI Open Tournament
Austin, Texas (March 19, 2024) –– The first annual YETI Open Tournament will be held at Table Rock Lake, September 26-28th, 2024. YETI has partnered with Trifecta Fishing (Big Bass Tour) to manage the tournament marketing and event operations. Trifecta operates one of the largest big bass tournament organizations in the country and has been in business since 2010.
The tournament is open to amateurs only (see Rules) and will feature an hourly big bass format for the three-day event. With over $200,000 in total guaranteed prizes and payouts and the largest bass of the event will take home $50,000 cash for first place. Official registration will open May 10th, 2024. This big bass event features seven hourly weigh-ins per day with over $63,000 in hourly paybacks.
Event details
• Sept 25th: Angler on-site registration & check in 12-7pm.
• Sept 26-28th Tournament fishing days. (anglers can fish any combination of days)
• Open to amateur anglers only.
• Seven hourly weigh-ins daily with top 10 in each hour winning cash payouts.
• $200,000+ in cash and prizes with $50,000 grand prize winner
• Anglers are allowed up to three anglers total in their boat during tournament hours, each angler must be a registered entrant.
• The first 250 online entrants will receive a YETI GoBox 15 Gear Case & Fenwick Eagle Series Casting Rod.
• All entrants will receive a custom YETI Open 20 OZ TUMBLER and a YETI Open hat.
For all Official Rules, Payouts & Registration information visit: www.yetiopen.com
About YETI
Roy and Ryan Seiders founded YETI in 2006 based on a deep love for the outdoors and the belief that if something doesn’t work, fix it. And if it doesn’t exist, build it. Since then, we've been designing products that last for generations, get you out into the Wild, and keep you there longer. The coolers Roy and Ryan grew up with couldn’t meet the demands of serious anglers or last in the relentless Texas heat. So, they made their own – designing the legendary Tundra® with enough insulation to keep ice for days and durability to last a lifetime. We’ve expanded into other products and categories since those first coolers, but our bull-simple approach to design hasn’t changed. Focus on quality. Design for durability. Never cut corners on form or function. It’s the same philosophy we’ve used to make drinkware, soft coolers, chairs, bags, cargo and more. Built for the Wild™ means it’s built to last. From hog hunts to happy hours and the backcountry to backstage, our products have been embraced by communities and outdoor pros across the world all connected through a single common thread – that the gear you rely on should never let you down. YETI was founded on a simple desire to spend more time in the wild. And with more time spent outside, the more we understand our responsibility to protect the places we love. Learn more about how we’re actively working towards our key commitments to our people, products, and places.
Minn Kota & Humminbird Owner’s Tournament Set to Visit Pickwick Landing
The Second Annual Minn Kota and Humminbird Owners Tournament will be held at Pickwick Landing State Park on May 30th to June 1st, 2024.
The 2023 Minn Kota & Humminbird Owner’s tournament paid out over $150,000 in cash and prizes with 50% of the anglers participating in the tournament either receiving a prize or cash payout during the two day competition. Building off the success of last year’s event, the 2024 tournament is poised to be even bigger and better adding even more cash and prizes along with a third day of competition.
The tournament is open to any amateur* boat captain with at least one Minn Kota or Humminbird product installed on their vessel. Co-anglers without these products can participate. The 1st place finisher will receive a grand prize of $50,000, with a total of over $180,000 in cash and prizes paid out to the entire field during the event. Additionally, those placing in the top 5 overall will have a chance to win Minn Kota and Humminbird products, and other exciting prizes.
Over the span of the three days of competition, anglers have the flexibility to compete in one, two, or all three days of competition, vying for hourly prizes. This big bass tournament showcases seven hourly weigh-ins daily, providing anglers of all skill levels with multiple opportunities to secure top 10 cash and merchandise prizes by catching the biggest fish every hour.
Event details
- May 29th: Registration Day where one angler must check in
- May 30th – June 1st: Tournament fishing days (anglers can fish one, two or all three days)
- Open to amateur anglers owning at least one Minn Kota or Humminbird product
- Co-anglers (non-boat owners) are not required to own Minn Kota or Humminbird product
- Seven hourly weigh-ins daily with top 10 in each winning cash & prizes
- Overall event top 5 winning cash & prizes
- Over $180,000 in cash and prizes expected to be paid out with a $50,000 grand prize winner
- Anglers are allowed up to three anglers total in their boat during tournament hours
- Three day $275 | Two day $175 | One day $125 (Entry fees per angler)
*No professional anglers or guides are permitted
For more information or to register for the Minn Kota & Humminbird Owners Tournament, visit minnkotaowners.com
SoCal Jr. Bass Anglers Win MLF Abu Garcia High School Fishing Presented by Tackle Warehouse Open on Lake Havasu
LAKE HAVASU CITY, Ariz. (May 6, 2024) – The MLF High School Fishing team of Bryce Deheyn of San Marcos, California, and Talon Patton of Santee, California, brought five bass to the scale Sunday weighing 19 pounds, 1 ounce to win the MLF Abu Garcia High School Fishing Presented by Tackle Warehouse Open at Lake Havasu in Havasu City, Arizona.
A field of 16 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which was hosted by Go Lake Havasu. In MLF High School Fishing competition, the top 10 percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top 10 teams finished:
1st: SoCal Jr. Bass Club, Poway, Calif. – Bryce Deheyn and Talon Patton, five bass, 19-1
2nd: Lake Havasu, Lake Havasu City, Ariz. – Daniel McCoy and Logan Maltese, five bass, 16-6
3rd: Arizona High School Bassmasters – Wyatt Massey and Degan Dougherty, five bass, 16-2
4th: Chandler High School, Chandler, Ariz. – Ty Lauzon and Robbie Livar, five bass, 15-11
5th: SoCal Jr. Bass Club, Poway, Calif. – Ryder and Brenner Lynn, five bass, 14-6
6th: Oakdale High School, Oakdale, Calif. – David Onsager and Luke Walther, five bass, 14-4
7th: Oakdale High School, Oakdale, Calif. – Gage Galdos and Ivan Nieto, five bass, 13-3
8th: SoCal Jr. Bass Club, Poway, Calif. – Kaine Navarro and Chris Cangas, five bass, 13-3
9th: Delta Teen Team, Oakley, Calif. – Ruby Bulling and Evan Birck, five bass, 12-12
10th: Valley Bass Club, Ariz. – Cooper Springsteel and Dylan Mladick, four bass, 9-13
Complete results from the event can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
MLF Abu Garcia High School Fishing presented by Tackle Warehouse tournaments are free, two-person (team) events for students in grades 7-12 and are open to any MLF and TBF Student Angler Federation-affiliated high school club. The top 10 percent of teams at each Open event, along with the TBF High School Fishing state championships, advance to the High School Fishing National Championship. Tournaments held on or before May 6, 2024, advance teams to the 2024 National Championship. Tournaments held after May 6, 2024, advance teams to the 2025 National Championship.
The 2024 Abu Garcia High School Fishing National Championship & World Finals events will take place June 19-22, at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina. The High School Fishing National Champions each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice and advance to the 2024 MLF Toyota Series Championship to compete as co-anglers.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Abu Garcia High School Fishing Presented by Tackle Warehouse include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular High School Fishing updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 13 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Simpson University Wins MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Tournament on Lake Havasu
LAKE HAVASU CITY, Ariz. (May 6, 2024) – The Simpson University duo of Landon Ford of Rescue, California, and James Hawkinson of Granite Bay, California, won the MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI event on Lake Havasu Presented by Tackle Warehouse Sunday with a five-bass limit weighing 15 pounds, 2 ounces. The victory earned the Red Hawks’ bass club a qualification into the 2025 MLF College Fishing National Championship.
According to Ford, a combination of presentations and “a lot of junk-fishing” got it done for the Red Hawks.
“Practice was a little rough for us,” said Ford. “On the second day we stumbled on a couple of bed fish. First thing this morning, we ran there and caught one. It was our big fish. It was just over 4 (pounds). And then my partner caught two on a glide bait. Then we just kind of needed to fill a limit, so we went down a bank with a drop-shot and filled our limit and culled a couple times.”
They spent the tournament in the mid-lake section of Havasu. That’s where the best water temperature was, said Hawkinson.
Their key baits included a Deps Slide Swimmer 250 glide bait. Switching from slower moving baits to the glider was key for triggering strikes. The drop-shot was rigged with a 4-inch Keitech Easy Shiner Swimbait. Adding Pro Cure scent to their presentations helped convert short strikes into solid bites.
“We were fishing the drop-shot on random points with gravel bottoms mixed with grass,” Hawkinson added. “The swimbait was the only way we were able to get them to go on the drop-shot.”
The top five College Fishing teams on Lake Havasu finished:
1st: Simpson University – Landon Ford, Rescue, Calif., and James Hawkinson, Granite Bay, Calif., five bass, 15-2
2nd: Simpson University – Aiden Grad, Pasco, Wash., and David Berry, Palm Desert, Calif., five bass, 13-9
3rd: Simpson University – Dylan Grad, Pasco, Wash., and Brennan Osborn, Beaverton, Ore., five bass, 13-7
4th: Fresno State – Seth Moua and Kent Moua, both of Fresno, Calif., five bass, 13-2
5th: University of Idaho – Ethan Leininger, Vina, Calif., four bass, 10-11
The full list of National Championship qualifiers and complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI event on Lake Havasu was hosted by Go Lake Havasu. The next tournament for MLF College Fishing anglers will be the Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI event on the California Delta, June 8 in Oakley, California.
The 2024 MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI season features college teams from across the country competing in nine regular-season tournaments. The top 12 percent of teams from each regular-season tournament advance to the 2025 Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI National Championship.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular College Fishing updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Bland’s Meyer Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Lake of the Ozarks
Kansas Angler Bean Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division
OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (May 6, 2024) – Boater Kyle Meyer of Bland, Missouri, caught a five-bass limit weighing 20 pounds, 11 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake of the Ozarks. The tournament was the third event of the season for the BFL Ozark Division. Meyer earned $4,729 for his victory.
There were a lot of bass spawning on Lake of the Ozarks, but Meyer said looking at fish on beds is not his style.
“The biggest thing was basically finding spawning areas and then targeting prespawn and postspawn fish, kind of that stuff half to three-quarters of the way back,” Meyer said. “I fished jigs and caught a couple on a crankbait. Just kind of junk-fishing around. I sorted through a whole bunch of keepers to catch 20.”
Secondary points leading into spawning pockets and coves were the key target areas. He used a Zoom Brush Hog and Rapala DT Series crankbaits.
One of the keys for Meyer was running a ton of water and fishing hard.
“I’m extremely tired and wore out,” said Meyer, an insurance agent and president of the Mid Mo Fishing Team, a local The Bass Federation club. “You exert so much energy whenever you’re that mentally focused. I very much earned it today.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Kyle Meyer, Bland, Mo., five bass, 20-11, $4,729
2nd: Jeffrey Barrickman, Forsyth, Mo., five bass, 16-15, $2,364
3rd: Michael Harlin, Sunrise Beach, Mo., five bass, 16-10, $1,576
4th: Matt Krekovich, Granite City, Ill., five bass, 16-5, $1,103
5th: Josh Pladies, Belton, Mo., five bass, 16-1, $946
6th: Adam Boehle, Warrenton, Mo., five bass, 15-8, $867
7th: Joe Ingram, Ava, Mo., five bass, 15-7, $788
8th: Nalon Jones, Marshfield, Mo., five bass, 14-12, $1,209 (includes $500 Phoenix Bonus)
9th: Garrett Weiss, Chesterfield, Mo., five bass, 14-5, $631
10th: Kevin Rogers, Pleasant Hill, Mo., five bass, 14-2, $552
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Tom Silber of Labadie, Missouri, caught a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 10 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $705.
Mike Bean of Manhattan, Kansas, won the Strike King co-angler division and $2,364 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 13 pounds, 8 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: Mike Bean, Manhattan, Kan., five bass, 13-8, $2,364
2nd: Oliver Siebert, Fenton, Mo., five bass, 12-5, $1,182
3rd: Tyler Neis, Arnold, Mo., four bass, 11-10, $788
4th: Kirk Short, St. Clair, Mo., five bass, 10-11, $552
5th: Stanislav Sedletskii, Springfield, Mo., five bass, 10-9, $453
5th: Justin Wright, New Florence, Mo., five bass, 10-9, $453
7th: DJ Pugh, Overland Park, Kan., five bass, 9-12, $394
8th: Wes Proctor, Manhattan, Kan., five bass, 9-10, $355
9th: Tim Bowers, Thayer, Mo., five bass, 9-2, $315
10th: Jeff Moss, Oronogo, Mo., five bass, 9-1, $526
Peyton Keathley of Ashland, Missouri, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $352, catching a bass that weighed in at 6 pounds, 5 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After three events, Eric Olliverson of Shell Knob, Missouri, leads the Fishing Clash Ozark Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 712 points, while Kirk Short of St. Clair, Missouri, leads the Fishing Clash Ozark Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 735 points.
The next event for BFL Ozark Division anglers will be held June 15, at Truman Lake in Warsaw, Missouri. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 3-5 BFL Regional tournament on Pickwick Lake in Counce, Tennessee. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard.
The 2024 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL 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.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Union, Kentucky’s Adrian Urso Earns First Career Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Kentucky-Barkley Lakes
Whitesville’s Fitzgerald Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division
GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. (May 6, 2024) – Boater Adrian Urso of Union, Kentucky, caught a five-bass limit weighing 26 pounds, 1 ounce, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Kentucky-Barkley Lakes . Hosted by the Kentucky Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau, the tournament was the third event of the season for the BFL LBL Division. Urso earned $4,498 for his victory.
Efficiency was the key for Urso. More specifically, he used forward-facing sonar to make accurate casts to stumps, working his way up to a very impressive winning weight. Urso’s limit included four largemouth bass and one smallmouth.
“I was fishing around the Kenlake area,” he said. “Fishing for fish living on stumps in anywhere from 5 to 15 feet with a drop-shot.”
Urso’s best stumps were current-related on the edge of bars.
“I was running as many stumps as I could,” he said. “A lot of them (the bass) you can see (on forward-facing sonar), but some of them you can’t. So you always have to keep them honest and make a cast.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Adrian Urso, Union, Ky., five bass, 26-1, $4,498
2nd: Lane Olson, Forest Grove, Ore., five bass, 21-9, $3,049 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
3rd: Jake Lawrence, Buchanan, Tenn., five bass, 21-7, $1,498
4th: Clint Knight, Lewisburg, Ky., five bass, 20-1, $1,050
5th: Gary Singleton, Dickson, Tenn., five bass, 19-13, $900
6th: Terry Bolton, Benton, Ky., five bass, 19-10, $825
7th: Matteo Turano, Puryear, Tenn., five bass, 19-2, $750
8th: Brad Hutcheson, Hornbeak, Tenn., five bass, 18-4, $675
9th: Justin Berger, Murray, Ky., five bass, 17-12, $1,245
10th: Harbor Lovin, New Concord, Ky., five bass, 17-5, $525
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Justin Berger of Murray, Kentucky, caught a bass that weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $645.
Carson Fitzgerald of Whitesville, Kentucky, won the Strike King co-angler division and $2,179 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 14 pounds, 10 ounces.
The top 12 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: Carson Fitzgerald, Whitesville, Ky., five bass, 14-10, $2,179
2nd: Philip Wright, Bedford, Ky., five bass, 14-3, $1,402
3rd: Daniel Nolen, Lexington, Tenn., five bass, 13-0, $725
4th: William Burch, Nashville, Ind., five bass, 12-8, $509
5th: Bo Bivins, Evansville, Ind., four bass, 11-15, $436
6th: Steve Freeman, Eddyville, Ky., five bass, 11-5, $400
7th: Cody Burke, Lexington, Tenn., four bass, 10-5, $363
8th: Dave Willmore, West Frankfort, Ill., four bass, 10-2, $327
9th: Dave Maxfield, Gilbertsville, Ky., five bass, 10-0, $291
10th: John Lovin, Fayetteville, Ohio, five bass, 9-14, $231
10th: Mark Manley, Bowling Green, Ky., five bass, 9-14, $231
10th: Zach Falder, Sedalia, Ky., four bass, 9-14, $231
Philip Wright of Bedford, Kentucky, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $312, catching a bass that weighed in at 4 pounds, 13 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After three events, Clint Knight of Lewisburg, Kentucky, leads the Fishing Clash LBL Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 737 points, while John Lovin of Fayetteville, Ohio, leads the Fishing Clash LBL Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 726 points.
The next event for BFL LBL Division anglers will be held July 20, at Kentucky-Barkley Lakes in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 3-5 BFL Regional tournament on Pickwick Lake in Counce, Tennessee. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard.
The 2024 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL 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.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Eclectic’s Robinson Wins His Second Phoenix Bass Fishing League Title at Lake Demopolis
Texan Barnett Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division
DEMOPOLIS, Ala. (May 6, 2024) – Boater Dusty Robinson of Eclectic, Alabama, caught a five-bass limit weighing 13 pounds, 11 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Demopolis . Hosted by the City of Demopolis and the Demopolis Sportsplex, the tournament was the third event of the season for the BFL Bama Division. Robinson earned $3,164 for his victory.
With the water level down and many backwaters inaccessible, Robinson went to a small connected lake and camped there the entire day.
“I found a couple of areas that had a mixture of spawning and postspawn fish,” he said. “I kind of lingered around those areas in practice and found the most productive areas as far as the bigger spawning fish. I kind of just stuck to that all day where I found the most amount of spawning fish.
“I was really blind-fishing for them because the water’s pretty stained,” he added. “It was a slow, methodical style of fishing.”
Robinson kept his boat in 2 to 4 feet of water and specifically targeted shady areas midday.
“I used a swim jig,” he said. “The swim jig was kind of a tattle-tail. I’d get them to kind of react to the swim jig and watch the water. I’d either see them boil on it or there’d be some movement, and I would follow it up with a jig or Texas-rigged worm.”
Reflecting on the win, Robinson said that not running and gunning, but instead sticking to one area he knew had quality fish, was critical to his success in what turned out to be a low-weight tournament.
“I knew that place was fishing tough, and I wasn’t really getting a lot of quality bites anywhere else. So it just made sense to ride it out there.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Dusty Robinson, Eclectic, Ala., five bass, 13-11, $3,164
2nd: Morgan Brown, Spanish Fort, Ala., five bass, 13-2, $2,262
3rd: Allan Glasgow, Ashville, Ala., five bass, 10-11, $1,554 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
4th: Clay Madison, Northport, Ala., five bass, 10-6, $738
5th: Donald Griffith, Robertsdale, Ala., five bass, 10-2, $633
6th: Daniel Buswell Jr., Fayetteville, Ga., five bass, 9-11, $580
7th: Triton Graham, Citronelle, Ala., four bass, 9-8, $527
8th: Ronnie McDonough, Birmingham, Ala., five bass, 9-4, $475
9th: Robbie Robinson, Mobile, Ala., five bass, 9-1, $395
9th: Chris Payne, Vance, Ala., five bass, 9-1, $395
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Morgan Brown of Spanish Fort, Alabama, caught a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 10 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $380.
Steve Barnett of Conroe, Texas, won the Strike King co-angler division and $1,772 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 8 pounds, 10 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: Steve Barnett, Conroe, Texas, five bass, 8-10, $1,772
2nd: Nick Glenn, Hamilton, Ala., five bass, 8-9, $791
3rd: Austin Finley, Wetumpka, Ala., five bass, 8-0, $526
4th: Brad Mahan, Clanton, Ala., five bass, 7-6, $369
5th: Scott Cagle, Jasper, Ala., five bass, 7-5, $316
6th: Daniel Arnberg, Auburn, Ala., five bass, 6-15, $290
7th: Justin Girdner, Wetumpka, Ala., five bass, 6-12, $264
8th: William Yoerg, Springville, Ala., five bass, 6-7, $224
8th: Michael Petras, Biloxi, Miss., five bass, 6-7, $474
10th: Phillip Easterling, Clanton, Ala., four bass, 6-3, $185
Barnett also earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $190, catching a bass that weighed in at 3 pounds, 13 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After three events, Morgan Brown of Spanish Fort, Alabama leads the Fishing Clash Bama Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 733 points, while Nick Glenn of Hamilton, Alabama, leads the Fishing Clash Bama Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 728 points.
The next event for BFL Bama Division anglers will be held July 20, at Neely Henry Lake in Gadsden, Alabama. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 10-12 BFL Regional tournament on Santee Cooper Lakes in Clarendon County, South Carolina. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard.
The 2024 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL 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.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Barnes, Grooms Tie for Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Kerr Lake
Maiden’s Burke Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division
HENDERSON, N.C. (May 6, 2024) – Boaters Jason Barnes of Concord, North Carolina, and Wade Grooms of Bonneau, South Carolina, each caught five-bass limits weighing 16 pounds, 13 ounces, Saturday to tie for the win at the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Kerr Lake . Hosted by the Vance County Tourism Development Authority, the tournament was the third event of the season for the BFL North Carolina Division. For their share of the victory, Barnes earned $10,412, which includes the lucrative $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus, and Grooms took home $2,502.
Barnes and Grooms fished unique patterns to earn their share of a tie.
“What I found was really a postspawn bite,” Grooms said. “The fish were grouped up. I caught them on a pencil popper running real shallow points.”
Grooms rotated through about eight points – all but one on the main lake – and each was good for multiple fish. He made three rotations throughout the day, keeping his boat in about 6 feet and casting up into about 4 feet.
“I did have one in a creek that was real good, but most of them were main lake,” he said. “They were probably the first point out from a spawning pocket or creek where they would go to spawn.”
Barnes caught his fish targeting shallow wood cover.
“I pretty much just ran up the lake, and we were running shallow pockets, pretty well power-fishing throwing buzz baits and a spinnerbait. I did catch some flipping a creature bait,” he said.
Barnes only managed seven keeper bites all day, but they were the right ones, including a 5-pound, 13-ounce kicker that earned him the Berkley Big Bass award of $410.
The key to his success? Simple: “Staying persistent,” he said. “Keeping at it.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Jason Barnes, Concord, N.C., five bass, 16-3, $10,412 (includes $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
1st: Wade Grooms, Bonneau, S.C., five bass, 16-3, $2,502
3rd: Rob Digh, Denver, N.C., five bass, 16-0, $1,112
4th: Joseph Sharpe, Henderson, N.C., five bass, 15-11, $779
5th: Marty Warren, Elon, N.C., five bass, 15-4, $667
6th: Greg Lahr, Fayetteville, N.C., five bass, 14-14, $612
7th: Scott Hamrick, Denver, N.C., five bass, 14-10, $556
8th: Tom Wilkinson, Oxford, N.C., five bass, 14-6, $501
9th: David Wright, Lexington, N.C., five bass, 14-3, $417
9th: Scooter Lilley, Williamston, N.C., five bass, 14-3, $417
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Nicholas Burke of Maiden, North Carolina, won the Strike King co-angler division and $1,668 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 15 pounds, 6 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: Nicholas Burke, Maiden, N.C., five bass, 15-6, $1,668
2nd: Keith Wood, Mooresville, N.C., five bass, 13-2, $834
3rd: Jared Jones, Denver, N.C., five bass, 12-14, $558
4th: Arthur Harris, York, S.C., five bass, 11-13, $389
5th: Jean Lacerte, Elm City, N.C., five bass, 11-0, $334
6th: Jonathan Ceaser, Maidens, Va., five bass, 10-13, $306
7th: Brandon Miskell, Vienna, Va., five bass, 10-11, $278
8th: Russell Nicewander, Bluefield, W.Va., five bass, 10-5, $250
9th: Robert Green, Sedalia, N.C., five bass, 10-4, $222
10th: Amos Minard, Akron, Ohio, five bass, 10-3, $195
Samuel Jones of Fuquay Varina, North Carolina, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $205, catching a bass that weighed in at 4 pounds, 11 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After three events, Lucas Murphy of West Columbia, South Carolina, leads the Fishing Clash North Carolina Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 723 points, while Jared Jones of Denver, North Carolina, leads the Fishing Clash North Carolina Co-Angler of the Year race with 736 points.
The next event for BFL North Carolina Division anglers will be held June 15, at High Rock Lake in Lexington, North Carolina. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 10-12 BFL Regional tournament on Santee Cooper Lakes in Clarendon County, South Carolina. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard.
The 2024 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL 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.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Lee & Ware Go Back-to-Back on Richland Chambers with 35-10!
CORSICANA, Tx (May 4, 2024) – For the final stop of the 2024 Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s Texas Team Trail presented by Progressive regular season, anglers were met with unpredictable fishing conditions on Richland Chambers in Corsicana, Texas. The TXTT visited the lake in 2023, and the winning team was Russell Lee and Landon Ware with a weight of 31-01 This year, trying to defend their title, they came to weigh-in with a five-bass limit in their Rapala “Crush City” bag weighing 35-10 to take the back-to-back victory. For the win, the team takes home a 2024 Nitro Z-18 with 150hp Mercury motor, a new Garmin graph, Power-Pole Charge system, and Angler’s Advantage cash. In total, the duo cashed in on $45,078 in cash & prizes.
“Today was all about fishing history, and doing a lot of what we did last year to win this tournament,” said the team. “We fished a lot of rocky areas with an XCITE Baits Raptor Tail Worm to catch all of our keepers.”
The team went on to say during their post tournament interview that they didn’t catch all of their weight until around 1:30pm in the afternoon. They started the day out with a flurry but then things just got really slow and they finished out their limit with that last afternoon bite.
“Our experience on this lake really helps us out a lot here, and we just fished clean all day.”
Lee & Ware also earned the Power-Pole Big Bass Award with a 9-09 Richland Chambers monster. In addition to everything they took home for the win, they also have a new Power-Pole Pro Series II for the Big Bass honors.
Eufaula, Alabama Readies for MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 4 on Lake Eufaula Presented by E3 Sports Apparel
Top prize of up to $115,000 and qualification into REDCREST 2025 on the line for 150 tournament anglers competing in Eufaula, Alabama next week
EUFAULA, Ala. (May 6, 2024) – Major League Fishing (MLF) is set to launch the fourth Tackle Warehouse Invitational event of the season this week, May 10-12, with the MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 4 at Lake Eufaula Presented by E3 Sports Apparel. The three-day tournament features a roster of 150 anglers competing for a top prize of up to $115,000 and an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2025 – the Bass Pro Tour championship – for the chance to win up to $300,000.
Hosted by the Eufaula Barbour County Chamber of Commerce, the event also showcases competitors competing for valuable points to win the coveted Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) title – including a $50,000 payout – and to qualify for the 2025 Bass Pro Tour, MLF’s premiere circuit.
“We are always excited for our good friends at Major League Fishing to return and fish Lake Eufaula,” said Ann Sparks, Executive Director of Main Street Eufaula and Tourism. “We appreciate their professionalism, willingness to give back to the community and friendship. It means a lot to our community and the local benefits from their tournaments are astronomical. We hope everyone catches a lot of big bass and has a great time!”
Lake Eufaula, often referred to as the “Big Bass Capital of the World” is a familiar venue for MLF, as the fishery has played host to numerous major bass tournaments over the years, including multiple FLW Tour and Tackle Warehouse Invitational tournaments and REDCREST 2021, MLF’s most prestigious event. In this year’s tournament, expect to see a postspawn event, with most of the fish expected to be caught out of brush according to Eufaula, Alabama, competitor Ethan Greene, who will be among the 150 competitors on the water.
“This is going to be a postspawn tournament – most of the fish have just gotten off the bed not too long ago and they’re working their way out to brush,” said Greene, who has six top-10 finishes on Lake Eufaula in MLF competition. “This might make things kind of tough – the fish are moving, and they could be in that postspawn funk.
“But, if I’m wrong on timing and the fish are starting to pull out to the ledges, it’s going to be an absolute slugfest,” Greene continued. “When those fish get out on the ledges for the first time of the year, you can throw a bare hook and catch ‘em. I’m just not sure if we’ve had enough warm weather yet to see them in that stage yet, so I think the tournament is likely going to be won fishing brush.”
Greene said that the reason brush will be so popular is because of the shad spawn. He said the shad spawn in the brush, so he expects reaction baits – jerkbaits and moving baits – to be strong choices for competitors, especially in the mornings.
“I think jerkbaits and jigs are going to be dominant,” Greene said. “Another strong player will be Damiki-rigged baits – something like a 5-inch (Deps) Sakamata Shad soft jerkbait over the brush. Everywhere you go, that’s how tournaments are being won right now. And it works. I also think we’ll see guys throwing big worms and shaky-head rigs.”
Greene offered two weight predictions, depending on where the fish are located.
“If they end up moving out and they’re out on the ledges, we’ll see quite a few 20-pound bags. The top 10 will have 19 to 20 pounds,” Green said. “If they’re still in the transition and in the brush, it’s going to be tougher – 15 pounds is going to be a good limit. That is what is going to set you apart in this event – catching 14 to 16 pounds every day when other guys can’t.”
Anglers will launch at 6:30 a.m. CT each day from Lakepoint Resort State Park, located at 104 Lakepoint Drive in Eufaula. Weigh-ins will also be held at the State Park and will begin at 2:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and weigh-in events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLFNOW!® live stream and coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The 2024 Tackle Warehouse Invitationals feature a field of 150 professional anglers competing across six invitational tournaments around the country, for a total purse of $3.9 million and valuable Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) points to qualify for a coveted spot on the MLF Bass Pro Tour, the sport’s top level.
In Tackle Warehouse Invitational competition, the full field of 150 anglers compete in the two-day opening round on Friday and Saturday in a five-fish, weigh-in format. Only the top 30 pros, based on their two-day cumulative weight, advance to the final round on Championship Sunday, where they will compete for the grand prize of up to $115,000. The winner of the Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 4 at Lake Eufaula Presented by E3 Sports Apparel will be determined by the heaviest three-day cumulative weight and will receive an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2025 on Lake Guntersville in Huntsville, Alabama.
The MLFNOW! broadcast team of Chad McKee and Rob Newell will break down the extended action live all three days of competition from 7 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. CT. MLFNOW! will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
Television coverage of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Stop 3 at Lake Eufaula Presented by E3 Sports Apparel will air as a two-hour episode, premiering at 9 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 26 on CBS Sports Network.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3 Sports Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak Fishing, Onyx, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Tackle Warehouse Invitational updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Registration for 2024 Bassmaster High School Combine opens May 7
Registration for 2024 Bassmaster High School Combine opens May 7
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — One hundred young anglers will show their on-the-water skills when the fourth Bassmaster High School Combine presented by Skeeter returns to Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Ala., Sept. 13-15. The weekend will feature skills challenges and recruiting visits to 25 potential colleges in hopes of reeling in scholarship money. The inaugural Combine kicked off in 2021 to great success, with the program generating $4.5 million in scholarships in its first two years. Heading into its fourth year, the program's momentum shows no signs of slowing down.
“B.A.S.S. is constantly looking for ways to grow the High School and College platforms and give young anglers opportunities to excel not only in the sport, but also in the industry,” said Glenn Cale, B.A.S.S. Nation tournament manager — College, High School and Junior. “This is becoming a very popular event to attend for student anglers. The opportunity for these student anglers and their families to be under one roof for three days with some of the best colleges in the country offering scholarships in some form or fashion is awesome.
“These past three Bassmaster High School Combines have been a great success, and we’re looking forward to growing this experience for both these high school anglers and the coaches who attend,” Cale added. “This has truly become the preeminent event for colleges looking to find and recruit talent from across the country.”
Only schools offering bass fishing scholarships are invited to the High School Combine, and coaches from 25 colleges have already expressed interest in attending. The experience offers young anglers and college coaches a chance to leverage rare face time into finding the best fit for students ready to further both their education and their fishing at the next level.
The Bassmaster High School
After three challenges — Long-Distance Casting, Technical and Casting Accuracy — the 2023 combine’s overall points winner was Joe McNamara of Rockford, Ill. With a three-event total of 368 points, the junior at Boylan Catholic High School took home the Overall Skills Competition trophy. In addition to the Overall trophy, McNamara also tied for the win in the Technical Challenge with fellow competitor Eli French of Lucedale, Miss.
When McNamara heard about the Bassmaster High School Combine, he knew he wanted to be a part of the event to help put his fishing career on the fast track to success.
“There’s really no other event like this,” McNamara said. “We signed up the day that registration opened just to make sure we could be here.”
The Illinois angler took full advantage of being exposed to the top college fishing programs in the country by finishing inside the Top 10 in all three skills challenges and winning the Overall Skills Challenge by a convincing margin of 21 points.
“I just wanted to go out and do my best,” he said. “I knew that I had a chance to do pretty well, but I really didn’t expect to win.”
Once more, attendees will use the well-placed Ingalls Harbor and Pavilion on the shores of Wheeler Lake as base for the three-day event that won the Decatur Morgan County Tourism’s 2023 Event of the Year Award.
“Decatur is honored to partner with B.A.S.S. to continue serving as host of the Bassmaster High School Combine,” said Don Dukemineer, director of sports development for the Decatur Morgan County Tourism. “Now in our fourth year, our joint efforts with B.A.S.S. continue to strengthen this prestigious event in providing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for these anglers to showcase their talents. Ingalls Harbor and Pavilion offer the perfect set-up for this unique event, and we are thrilled with this beneficial relationship that highlights Decatur and Morgan County as a fishing destination.”
Registration for the Bassmaster High School Combine presented by Skeeter will open at 9 a.m. CT on May 7 at Bassmaster.com/high-school
For more information, visit Bassmaster.com/high-
2023 Bassmaster High School
2023 Bassmaster Youth Sponsors: Seaguar, Shimano
Connect with #Bassmaster on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, 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), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
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Media Contact: Chad Gay, B.A.S.S. Communications Manager, 865-201-6458, [email protected]
Butler completes wire-to-wire win in Bassmaster Open at Logan Martin Lake
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Roy Hawk Wins MLF Toyota Series Western Division Presented by Tackle Warehouse at Lake Havasu
LAKE HAVASU CITY, Ariz. (May 4, 2024) – Pro Roy Hawk of Lake Havasu City, Arizona, sparked his professional bass-fishing career with a win on Lake Havasu in 2007. He used the winnings to launch a tournament journey that took him across the country as he competed at the highest levels of the sport, including five years on the Bass Pro Tour . In the 17 years since, the Lake Havasu City native has won three more times, but never again on his home lake.
Until Saturday. Hawk sacked 18 pounds even on the third and final day of the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats event on Lake Havasu. That brought his three-day total to 56-10, enough to edge Cristian Melton by 1-3 and top the 55-angler field in the second stop for the Western Division Presented by Tackle Warehouse.
For the win, Hawk earned $55,859, including a $35,000 Phoenix Bonus. Just as gratifying to him was the reception he got from the sizable contingent of family and friends in attendance at the weigh-in.
“Amazing feeling to be here in front of my friends and family,” Hawk said. “These wins, they don’t come easy, and I’m very thankful.”
Hawk, who chose to take a step back from national competition this year in part because he wanted to be able to fish more events on his home waters, leaned on his voluminous bank of Havasu knowledge to earn the win. With the Toyota Series veering from the historic February/March timing of its Havasu visit, his knowledge of traditional postspawn haunts proved particularly valuable.
“I’ve got a million waypoints marked on this lake, all the pieces of structure,” Hawk said. “Going down a bank, I can see on my graph, on my Lowrance units, I can see exactly where the next cast is going to be. Whether it be a brushpile, (artificial) habitat, I have tons of these things marked, and I spent years marking that stuff.”
Hawk spent all three days in the bowl-shaped portion of the Colorado River reservoir. He flitted between a mixture of deep and shallow offshore spots, focusing on inside grass lines when fishing shallow and brushpiles or artificial habitat when deep.
“I'd fish inside grass and then outside fish habitat, structure out there — a little bit of both, kind of going in and out,” he explained. “Every once in a while, you’d get bit out, then I’d run a bunch of out stuff, get no more bites, go back in, get a bite in, then no more bites. So, I was in and out a lot.”
While Hawk knew where to look for prime bass cover thanks to his encyclopedia of waypoints, he used Lowrance ActiveTarget to make precise presentations — particularly when plying the grass.
“I wasn’t looking at fish, I was looking at structure so I could see where my next cast would be,” he said. “And grass — I was looking at where billows of grass were, and where there were clean spots. So, the ActiveTarget helped out a lot with that.”
Regardless of the area, Hawk triggered most of his bites with a variety of crankbaits. He rotated between six or seven plugs of varying action and depth, throwing them on his Taipan Roy Hawk Signature Series crankbait rods, which he paired with Daiwa reels spooled with Daiwa fluorocarbon. He also mixed in a Yamamoto Speed Senko.
The fact that he earned the win cranking — his favorite technique — made it even more memorable for Hawk … and helped calm his nerves. With the wind picking up and the fish starting to feel the effects of pressure, the bite got a bit tougher on Day 3, and Hawk had to grind to fill his limit. He only caught six keepers all day.
Fortunately for Hawk, they were six of the right ones, enabling him to withstand Melton’s final-day charge and celebrate another victory on the shores of his home lake, 17 years after his first.
“It’s hard not to be nervous, but I just had a good feeling about it,” Hawk said. “I love throwing crankbaits, so to be in that position and knowing that the fish are biting it, I felt really good about it. I really wanted to get it done, for sure. But I leave that up to the Lord. My job is just to go out there and cast and focus and do whatever comes next, and he’ll handle the result.”
The top 10 pros on Lake Havasu finished:
1st: Roy Hawk, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., 15 bass, 56-10, $55,859 (including $35,000 Phoenix MLF Bonus)
2nd: Cristian Melton, Menifee, Calif., 15 bass, 55-7, $8,217
3rd: Mark Lassagne, Dixon, Calif., 15 bass, 51-1, $6,168
4th: Kyle Grover, Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., 15 bass, 50-10, $5,140
5th: Michael Caruso, Peoria, Ariz., 15 bass, 49-0, $4,626
6th: Greg Miser, Santee, Calif., 15 bass, 48-5, $4,112
7th: Zach Verbrugge, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., 15 bass, 47-1, $3,598
8th: Shane Edgar, Glendale, Ariz., 15 bass, 46-9, $3,084
9th: Justin Kerr, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., 13 bass, 46-9, $3,070
10th: Austin Bonjour, Templeton, Calif., 15 bass, 46-3, $2,056
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Pro Justin Kerr of Lake Havasu City earned Thursday’s $500 Berkley Big Bass Award on Day 1 with a largemouth weighing in at 6 pounds, 6 ounces. The Day 2 $500 Berkley Big Bass Award on Friday was split by pros Ken Mah of Elk Grove, California, and Cristian Melton of Menifee, California, as each brought a bass weighing 6 pounds, 3 ounces to the scale.
Larry Rogers of Riverside, California, won the Strike King Co-angler Division Saturday with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 44 pounds, 14 ounces. Rogers took home the top co-angler prize package worth $33,500, including a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard motor.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers on Lake Havasu finished:
1st: Larry Rogers, Riverside, Calif., 15 bass, 44-14, Phoenix 518 Pro boat w/115-hp Mercury outboard
2nd: Blaine Christiansen, San Jose, Calif., 15 bass, 41-13, $2,744
3rd: George Fedor, Yucaipa, Calif., 14 bass, 41-6, $2,195
4th: Kirk Marshall, Discovery Bay, Calif., 13 bass, 38-6, $1,921
5th: Tracy Patton, Oakdale, Calif., 13 bass, 35-14, $1,796
6th: Colton Underwood-Garside, Riverside, Calif., 13 bass, 35-10, $1,372
7th: Joe Balistreri, Menifee, Calif., 13 bass, 35-9, $1,098
8th: Scott Bern, San Rafael, Calif., 15 bass, 35-6, $960
9th: Chad Roorda, Palm Desert, Calif., 13 bass, 34-14, $823
10th: Mike Alvarez, Clovis, Calif., 14 bass, 34-12, $686
Thursday’s $150 Berkley Big Bass co-angler award was split by co-anglers Derek Andersen of Meadow Vista, California, and Ken Whalen of Lompoc, California, as each weighed a bass totaling 5 pounds, 5 ounces, while the Day 2 $150 co-angler award on Friday went to Jeremy Montenegro of Auburn, California, who weighed in a bass totaling 5 pounds, 2 ounces.
The Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at Lake Havasu was hosted by Go Lake Havasu. It was the second of three regular-season tournaments for the Toyota Series Western Division Presented by Tackle Warehouse. The next event for the Toyota Series Western Division Presented by Tackle Warehouse anglers will be the Toyota Series at the California Delta, June 5-7, in Oakley, California. For a complete schedule of events, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The 2024 Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats consists of six divisions – Central, Northern, Plains, Southern, Southwestern and the Western Division Presented by Tackle Warehouse – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International and Wild Card divisions. Anglers who fish in any of the six divisions or the Wild Card division and finish in the top 25 will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series Championship for a shot at winning up to $235,000 and a qualification to REDCREST 2025. The winning Strike King co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard. The 2024 Toyota Series Championship will be held Nov. 7-9 on Wheeler Lake in Huntsville, Alabama, and is hosted by the Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Madison County Commission, and the Huntsville Sports Commission.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Toyota Series include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, FX Custom Rods, General Tire, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters, YETI.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Toyota Series updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Zack Birge Claims First MLF Bass Pro Tour Win at MillerTech Stage Four at Lake Eufaula
Oklahoma pro catches 17 bass totaling 46-10 on final day to earn top award of $100,000
EUFAULA, Okla. (May 5, 2024) – As he idled out of Peter’s Point-Nichols Point Marina for the Championship Round on Lake Eufaula, Zack Birge of Blanchard, Oklahoma, planned to run down the lake to some spawning bass he’d located earlier during the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour MillerTech Stage Four Presented by REDCON1. But when he turned the corner, a stretch of flooded bank grass caught his eye.
“What the heck,” Birge figured. Might as well fish the pocket, where he’d started the first day of the Qualifying Round on Wednesday, while he was in the neighborhood.
Birge never left. His last-second decision paid off in the form of 17 scorable bass for 46 pounds, 10 ounces, earning the Oklahoma native the win that has narrowly eluded him throughout his 5 1/2 years on the Bass Pro Tour and four prior seasons on the FLW Tour.
“I was telling my official that I wanted to go down lake and start on a couple of bed fish that I thought I could catch quick, and then after that just kind of play it on the fly,” Birge said. “And then as I was idling around the corner, I glanced over to where I started the first day, and I thought, ‘You know what? I better just go there. I’m right here, might as well just give it a half hour and see if I can get some bites.’ And I’m glad I did. That was the best decision of the whole tournament.”
Pitching a bladed jig around the flooded grass and brush, it took Birge just three minutes to land his first scorable bass. He added two more in the next 15, bringing his total to 8-0. While Drew Gill and Skeet Reese threatened at times, Birge would go on to defend the top spot on SCORETRACKER® all day. His final tally, the best of any angler during the event, put him 15-13 clear of Gill.
While Birge garnered a bit of pre-tournament buzz thanks to his experience on Eufaula, prior to Sunday, he never really looked like the angler to beat. It took a clutch catch — a 3-10 largemouth off a bed, which put him 7 ounces clear of the cut line — with about 20 minutes left in the second day of the Qualifying Round for him to sneak into the Knockout Round. And while he started Saturday strong, he didn’t catch a scorable bass during the final 3½ hours, at one point wondering aloud on MLFNOW! what to do if he did make the final day.
But, with the conditions on Eufaula changing by the day, so did the bite, and Birge used his Oklahoma instincts to take advantage. A week that brought tornadoes and thunderstorms, a 4-foot spike in the lake level and constantly fluctuating water clarity threw one last curveball at the Championship Round competitors in the form of an all-day drizzle. Birge believes the stabilized water level combined with the overcast conditions prompted more bass to move into the newly flooded cover and feed.
“I think the biggest factor was the water has settled now for several days, and a good number of fish have finally swam up there where they’re catchable for me,” he explained. “When it came up 4 feet, not all the fish swam up to the bank, to the water line. It was really hard to get any bites at all. And I just think over the past day or two, it really got good, and it showed today. I mean, I got a ton of bites today. Much more than I’ve gotten all week.”
While the area Birge patrolled during the Championship Round is far from a secret, he credited his experience on the lake for getting him to the final day amid challenging conditions. It also helped to know that the area near takeoff tends to have one of the healthiest bass populations on the lake, even though the water there stayed fairly dirty.
“Knowing where to go and what to do a little bit earlier in the week helped, and really knowing how many fish live in this creek and how good it can be,” he said.
Like he had all week, Birge relied on an Omega Rapture vibrating jig to cover water. He wielded it on a 6-foot-11 “Power Skip” rod from Alpha Angler spooled with 30-pound Yo-Zuri SuperBraid. Birge said he made “an unbelievable amount of casts each day,” using the bladed jig to identify which of the thousands of pieces of flooded cover housed fish. Seven of the nine bass he boated during the first period Sunday ate the bait.
At that point, he led by nearly 8 pounds over his nearest pursuer. But as his bite slowed, both Reese and Gill gained ground, with Gill pulling within 4 pounds midway through the second period.
Birge didn’t panic, staying in the same zone but slowing down, using a black Toad Thumper frog to dissect the cover. Every time it seemed like his lead might be in jeopardy, Birge answered with a flurry of his own. He delivered the dagger with about 50 minutes left when a 5-9 slurped his frog. As Birge boat-flipped the brute (which earned him an extra $1,000 as the Berkley Big Bass), he knew he’d won, exclaiming “that’s it, baby!”
“That was awesome, because I was starting to stress it a little bit,” Birge said. “They caught them good yesterday afternoon when I didn’t catch hardly anything, and I knew that they would probably start catching some again, and it was getting kind of close. … Then I caught that 5-9 with a little bit to go, and I was like, this has got to be it.”
Cracking a 5 1/2-pounder on a frog fits any angler’s definition of fun. But even before then, Birge clearly enjoyed himself on Eufaula — as evidenced by the Hulk Hogan-esque horseshoe mustache he rocked all week, which just might become a permanent fixture.
“It seems like it’s pretty good luck, so might sport it a little while,” Birge said with a chuckle.
While he enjoys fishing with forward-facing sonar, Birge relished the throwback nature of this derby — wielding heavy tackle, making precise casts around shallow cover, his electronics turned off. Plus, his wife, children and a host of other family and friends made the roughly 2-hour drive from his home in Blanchard, Oklahoma, to watch the action firsthand. His proximity to the boat ramp Sunday meant he could hear their cheers every time he added to his total.
“It was awesome,” he said. “They got to watch me from the bank this morning for a long time, and a buddy of mine showed up, put his boat in and was following me around, and a little while later I looked back and my wife had gotten in the boat with him. So, that was cool. It was cool to have that support.”
As the final minutes ticked by in Period 3, the whoops and cheers reached a crescendo. Birge’s emotions showed as the accomplishment sunk in and he struggled to find the words to describe his first win after 11 prior Top-10 finishes on the Bass Pro Tour.
One thing he made clear: The first-place paycheck will be nice. But the feeling of finally lifting a trophy at a national tour event is one he’ll never forget.
“I’ve been so close so many times,” Birge said. “I’ve finished second. My rookie season I should have won an event, and I choked the last day and made some bad decisions. And looking back on it, I kind of think it was a good thing it went that way. This is year nine or 10 that I’ve been doing this now, and it means a lot to finally get one. I’m super, super competitive, and that’s everything I do in life, so it sure feels good to win.”
The top 10 pros from the MillerTech Stage Four at Lake Eufaula Presented by REDCON1 finished:
1st: Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., 17 bass, 46-10, $100,000
2nd: Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., 13 bass, 30-13, $45,000
3rd: Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif., 12 bass, 28-6, $38,000
4th: Randy Howell, Guntersville, Ala., 12 bass, 27-13, $32,000
5th: Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., nine bass, 25-2, $30,000
6th: Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, eight bass, 24-5, $26,000
7th: Jeff Sprague, Wills Point, Texas, seven bass, 15-13, $23,000
8th: Luke Clausen, Spokane, Wash., six bass, 15-8, $21,000
9th: Martin Villa, Charlottesville, Va., four bass, 9-8, $19,000
10th: Britt Myers, Lake Wylie, S.C., two bass, 3-10, $16,000
A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 90 scorable bass weighing 227 pounds, 8 ounces caught by the 10 pros Sunday, which included four 5-pounders, eight 4-pounders and 12 3-pounders.
Birge also won Championship Sunday’s Berkley Big Bass Award, with a largemouth totaling 5 pounds, 9 ounces in the third period. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament. Gill earned the $3,000 Berkley Big Bass award for the overall largest bass of the event with his 5-pound, 12-ounce smallmouth that was weighed on Day 1 of competition.
The top of the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year standings didn’t change Sunday, with Jacob Wheeler maintaining a 12-point advantage over Alton Jones Jr. However, several anglers entered the Top 10, positioning themselves to factor into the race for the $100,000 first-place prize across the final three regular-season events.
With his win, Birge moved from 19th place at the start of the event to ninth with 245.5 points. Immediately ahead of him are fellow Championship Round competitors Jeff Sprague (248.5 points) and Nick LeBrun (252). Gill moved into fifth place with 269.5, while Cole Floyd continued his strong season and climbed to fourth place, 3 points ahead of Gill and 3 back of Dustin Connell in third.
Fishing Clash, an interactive 3D fishing simulation game that’s played by more than 80 million people worldwide, is the official AOY sponsor of the Bass Pro Tour, Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, Toyota Series and Phoenix Bass Fishing League. You can download Fishing Clash for free in the App Store and on Google Play or log on to www.fishingclash.game for more information.
The MillerTech Stage Four at Lake Eufaula Presented by REDCON1 featured the MLF catch, weigh, immediate-release format, in which anglers caught as much weight as they could each day, while also feeling the pressure and intensity of the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard. The tournament featured anglers competing with a 1-pound, 8-ounce minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. The MLF Fisheries Management Division determines minimum weights for each body of water that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.
The six-day tournament, hosted by Vision Eufaula, showcased 79 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing for a purse of $659,000, including a top payout of $100,000 and valuable Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) points in hopes of qualifying for the General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and REDCREST 2025, the Bass Pro Tour championship.
Television coverage of the MillerTech Stage Four at Lake Eufaula Presented by REDCON1 Knockout Round will air as a two-hour episode starting at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 12 on Discovery, with the Championship Round premiering on Oct. 19. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on Outdoor Channel.
The Bass Pro Tour features a field of 79 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2025 championship.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, BUBBA, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Garmin, General Tire, Humminbird, Lowrance, Mercury, MillerTech, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak Fishing, NITRO, Onyx, Plano, Power-Pole, Rapala, REDCON1, Star brite, Suzuki, Toyota, WIX Filters and U.S. Air Force.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Nick LeBrun Leads Top Ten to Championship Round at MillerTech Stage Four at Lake Eufaula Presented by REDCON1
Louisiana pro catches 12 bass weighing 30-15 to lead Knockout Round, final 10 anglers set for Championship Sunday in final-day shootout for top prize of $100,000
EUFAULA, Okla. (May 4, 2024) – Through five days of fishing at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour MillerTech Stage Four Presented by REDCON1, on Lake Eufaula, Central Oklahoma’s notoriously capricious spring weather has been mirrored by the clarity of the water and behavior of the bass living in the Sooner State’s largest lake.
Heavy rains and high, chocolate-brown water greeted the field early in the week, followed by dropping, clearing water and bass rushing to beds midway through the six-day competition. The bite has been equally volatile this week, coming in brief onesy-twosy flurries on just about everything in the tackle box. And with heavy rains and thunderstorms in the forecast for the final day on Eufaula, that’s all just fine with pro Nick LeBrun of Bossier City, Louisiana.
The final 10 anglers are now set, and competition resumes Sunday morning with the Championship Round. In the Championship Round, weights are zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.
Mixing a dash of buzzbait and flipping jig with a hearty dose of a vibrating jig that he wound in and around flooded trees and brush in the Canadian River, LeBrun harkened back Saturday to his days of fishing Phoenix Bass Fishing League tournaments on the Red River, Toledo Bend and Sam Rayburn. LeBrun connected with 12 fish for 30 pounds, 15 ounces to claim the top spot in the Knockout Round and enter Sunday’s final day with both momentum and a high level of comfort for the conditions.
“With the high, muddy water and the lake being flooded in the trees and bushes, that’s definitely one of my comfort zones,” said LeBrun, who has a string of Top 10s on fisheries known for off-colored water. “It takes me back to fishing BFLs at Sam Rayburn and Toledo Bend. New fish are pulling up. The water (level) is still changing, but it’s revealing fish and it’s causing some other fish to move up.”
Sitting on the front deck of his boat retying a rod during the first period break of the day in Saturday’s Knockout Round, LeBrun delivered a telltale statement about the fishing conditions on Eufaula, and how he planned to conquer them.
“When conditions are tough and things are slow like this, a guy has to make a few casts he normally wouldn’t make,” LeBrun said. “They’re not biting good today just casting down the bank, so you have to take a few chances and throw into places that you might not have an easy time getting a fish out of. You might have to do things a little bit different.”
Less than five minutes prior, LeBrun had hooked a fish that he judged to be 5-plus pounds on a deadeye flip he had made deep into a tangle of cover. He set the hook on that fish and fought it briefly, trying to pull it over the limbs and branches he had cast over, but lost it after a brief fight. It proved to LeBrun that there was potential to access new fish.
“I call it the ‘cobweb pattern’: If you see cobwebs across a spot, you know that nobody has thrown there,” LeBrun said. “In my short career, I’ve had a little success fishing like that. I’m going to try to keep doing it (Sunday) – even make casts that I haven’t made yet. I think there are still some fish pulling up and there are probably some fish that just haven’t been thrown at yet, so I’m excited to get back out there.”
LeBrun has done most of his damage this week with a vibrating jig, specifically a white 1/2-ounce Z-Man/Evergreen ChatterBait Jack Hammer with a 4-inch Yamamoto Zako trailer. He caught two fish during the Knockout Round flipping a jig and landed his biggest fish of the day (a 4-14) on a black Buckeye Buzzerk buzzbait. As he heads into his second Bass Pro Tour Championship Round, LeBrun plans to stick with what got him this far.
“I’m all-in on the shallow, power-fishing deal,” he said. “I’m going to have a few different rods out. I’m not going to totally live or die with the ChatterBait – there are just some places that you can’t throw that bait without getting hung up, so I’m probably going to implement some flipping, a buzzbait and the ChatterBait. It’s been fun grinding and just fishing, getting back to those BFL roots.”
The top 10 pros from Saturday’s Knockout Round that now advance to Sunday’s Championship Round on Lake Eufaula are:
1st: Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., 12 bass, 30-15
2nd: Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., 11 bass, 27-4
3rd: Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 10 bass, 25-12
4th: Randy Howell, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 23-7
5th: Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif., nine bass, 21-15
6th: Martin Villa, Charlottesville, Va., 10 bass, 21-1
7th: Jeff Sprague, Wills Point, Texas, eight bass, 20-14
8th: Luke Clausen, Spokane, Wash., eight bass, 19-5
9th: Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., eight bass, 18-13
10th: Britt Myers, Lake Wylie, S.C., five bass, 14-15
Finishing in 11th through 20th place are:
11th: Alton Jones Jr., Waco, Texas, six bass, 14-4
12th: Jason Vance, Battle Ground, Ind., six bass, 13-13
13th: Dean Rojas, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., five bass, 10-10
14th: Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., four bass, 8-3
15th: Takahiro Omori, Tokyo, Japan, three bass, 7-12
16th: Gerald Spohrer, Gonzales, La., four bass, 7-12
17th: Jacob Wheeler, Blaine, Tenn., three bass, 6-4
18th: Marty Robinson, Lyman, S.C., one bass, 3-12
19th: Brent Chapman, Lake Quivira, Kan., one bass, 2-13
20th: Dave Lefebre, Erie, Penn., one bass, 1-10
A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 125 scorable bass weighing 301 pounds, 2 ounces caught by the 20 pros Saturday, which included one 5-pounder, five 4-pounders and 17 3-pounders.
Luke Clausen of Spokane, Washington, caught a 5-pound, 3-ounce largemouth on a wacky rig in the third period to claim Saturday’s Berkley Big Bass Award. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament.
Jacob Wheeler entered Stage Four with a 17-point lead over Alton Jones, Jr. in the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year, but Jones made up a little ground in the Knockout Round: Jones finished just outside the cut in 11th while Wheeler finished 17th, gaining Jones 6 points on Wheeler. Wheeler leads the race for the 2024 Fishing Clash AOY (and it’s $100,000 payday) with 301 points to Jones’ 289.
Five of the anglers fishing Championship Sunday on Eufaula are currently in the Top 10 in AOY points: Cole Floyd, Drew Gill, LeBrun, Jeff Sprague and Martin Villa.
The six-day tournament, hosted by Vision Eufaula, showcases 79 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing for a purse of $659,000, including a top payout of $100,000 and valuable Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) points in hopes of qualifying for the General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and REDCREST 2025, the Bass Pro Tour championship.
The 39 Anglers in Group A competed in their two-day Qualifying Round on Tuesday and Thursday – the 40 anglers in Group B on Wednesday and Friday. After the two-day Qualifying Rounds were complete, the anglers that finished first through 10th from both groups advanced to Saturday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round, weights were zeroed, and the remaining 20 anglers competed to finish in the top 10 to advance to Sunday’s Championship Round. Tomorrow, in the final-day Championship Round, weights are zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.
The final 10 anglers competing in Sunday’s Championship Round Anglers will launch at 7:30 a.m. CT Sunday from the Peter’s Point-Nichols Point Boat Ramp, located on Dabbs Road in Eufaula. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will be held at the boat ramp, beginning at 4 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLFNOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The MLFNOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action live on Championship Sunday from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT. MLFNOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
On Sunday, May 5, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. MLF welcomes fans of all ages to visit Peter’s Point-Nichols Point for the MLF Watch Party and Kids Fishing Derby. Fans can watch the pros live on the MLFNOW! big screen, enjoy free food, enter to win hourly giveaways and cheer on their favorite pros. The first 50 kids 14 and under will receive a free rod and reel from Pure Fishing each day. Additional fishing gear will be provided onsite for the fishing derby or kids can bring their own. The final 10 Championship Round Bass Pro Tour anglers will be on hand at the trophy celebration on Championship Sunday to meet and greet fans, sign autographs and take selfies.
Television coverage of the MillerTech Stage Four at Lake Eufaula Presented by REDCON1 Knockout Round will air as a two-hour episode starting at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 12 on Discovery, with the Championship Round premiering on Oct. 19. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on Outdoor Channel.
The MillerTech Stage Four at Lake Eufaula Presented by REDCON1 features the MLF catch, weigh, immediate-release format, in which anglers catch as much weight as they can each day, while also feeling the pressure and intensity of the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard. The tournament features anglers competing with a 1-pound, 8-ounce minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. The MLF Fisheries Management Division determines minimum weights for each body of water that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.
The Bass Pro Tour features a field of 79 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2025 championship.
Fishing Clash, an interactive 3D fishing simulation game that’s played by more than 80 million people worldwide, is the official AOY sponsor of the Bass Pro Tour, Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, Toyota Series and Phoenix Bass Fishing League. You can download Fishing Clash for free in the App Store and on Google Play, or log on to www.fishingclash.game for more information.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, BUBBA, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Garmin, General Tire, Humminbird, Lowrance, Mercury, MillerTech, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak Fishing, NITRO, Onyx, Plano, Power-Pole, Rapala, REDCON1, Star brite, Suzuki, Toyota, WIX Filters and U.S. Air Force.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Tennessee’s Banks Shaw Earns First Career Victory at Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at Lake Chickamauga
DAYTON, Tenn. (May 4, 2024) – This week, nobody could touch pro Banks Shaw of Harrison, Tennessee, in the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats event on Lake Chickamauga . He finished Day 1 in third with 23 pounds, 11 ounces, then added 26-13 on Day 2 to take a 9-pound lead and slammed the door with 32-4 on the final day.
With a total of 82-12, 20-year-old Shaw won by 24-5, which edged past Alec Morrison’s 24-pound win last summer at Sam Rayburn to set a new record winning margin at the Toyota Series level. For the win, Shaw pocketed $44,000 and locked in a spot in this fall’s Toyota Series Championship on Wheeler Lake.
With a 13th-place finish, Matt O'Connell put the wraps on an impressive campaign to win Fishing Clash Angler of the Year in the Central Division.
A geography major at the University of North Alabama, Shaw calls Chickamauga home and reckons he’s idled about 90 percent of the lake. This week, every time he dipped into his bag of tricks he came up with a winner, and he ended up romping to his first win with MLF.
“It’s unreal. I don’t know what to say right now,” he said. “I’m not really chill at all. I can just hold it in a bit. I had ‘em early; I really didn’t think anybody would have 42 pounds and beat me. I let it set in out on the lake.”
To hear him tell it, the final morning was one for the record books. Though Chickamauga is no stranger to 30-pound bags, doing it on Day 3 of a major tournament with fish scattered between beds and ledges isn’t exactly normal.
“This morning, I ran like four places and only caught one tiny keeper,” Shaw said. “I just had a gut feeling to run back in a creek and hit a place, and I pulled up and caught a 7-pounder and a 6-pounder on back-to-back casts. From then on, I was like, ‘we can do this thing.’
“I started running with my gut. I pulled up on the next place and caught a 5-pounder. Next place, I caught a 7-pounder and two 6-pounders.”
From there, he knew he’d done something special and figured he might have a shot at some history.
“I was thinking about that today,” he admitted. “I was like, ‘I feel like this could be a record, but I really don’t know.’ It’s been insane with the technology. A handful of people are on hot streaks… just because of LiveScope.”
Of course, just strapping a transducer to the trolling motor and a screen to the boat doesn’t make you a winner. It takes a confluence of skills to hit the sort of heights Shaw did this week.
“I would say it’s my knowledge on the lake and my knowledge with technology,” he said of his record-setting week. “There are several guys out here that know the lake like I do, but they don’t really know the technology like I do, and they didn’t really understand what was going on.”
Shaw spent the event targeting offshore fish on hard spots and shell beds, following them out from the spawn to their summer haunts. Chickamauga is known for some extremely smart bass, and Shaw experienced that this week – in order to generate bites well, he really needed some bait in the area and a group of fish.
“I caught a few single fish, but not many at all,” he said. “Most of my bigger ones were out of groups. I probably got 10 or 15 percent of the follows I got to bite. I would have to have a group competing over the bait to get a bite.”
Setting his LiveScope range out to 120 feet, he was winding up big almost every cast.
“I won’t cast unless I see fish. The main key today was casting as far as I could,” he said. “I was staying as far off them as I could, just bombing a cast. That’s really the only way I could get them to bite. I would catch them at like 80 [feet], but most of the time I would hit them when they were at 100 [feet].”
Throwing a Rapala CrushCity Freeloader on a 1/8-ounce head as well as a 3/4-ounce V&M Pacemaker Football Jig on Joe Burns Custom Rods, Shaw fished different places every day of the event.
“It’s been everywhere,” he said. “I’ve caught them in 10 foot and I’ve caught them in 30 foot. I’ve just followed the fish. There are several places where they were earlier in the week, and I knew they’d be moving out as the week [went on]. I basically stayed on the fish as they moved out further and further.”
In the end, he made it look a lot easier than it was, when it really was a historic accomplishment for a 20-year-old college student.
The top 10 pros on Lake Chickamauga finished:
1st: Banks Shaw, Harrison, Tenn., 15 bass, 82-12, $44,000
2nd: Brody Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, 15 bass, 58-7, $18,300 (includes $1,000 Phoenix MLF Bonus)
3rd: Fisher Anaya, Eva, Ala., 15 bass, 56-15, $12,750
4th: Chad Mrazek, Montgomery, Texas, 15 bass, 56-8, $10,750
5th: Dillon Falardeau, Hixson, Tenn., 15 bass, 54-1, $9,750
6th: Hayden Marbut, Birmingham, Ala., 15 bass, 53-13, $8,375
7th: Kyle Norsetter, Cottage Grove, Wis., 15 bass, 51-3, $7,300
8th: Ethan Greene, Eufaula, Ala., 15 bass, 50-14, $6,800
9th: Ethan King, Wilsonville, Ala., 15 bass, 50-12, $5,300
10th: David Williams, Newton, N.C., 15 bass, 48-8, $4,700
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Pro Ethan Greene of Eufaula, Alabama, earned Thursday’s $500 Berkley Big Bass Award with a largemouth weighing in at 7 pounds, 10 ounces. Friday’s Day 2 $500 Berkley Big Bass Award went to pro David Williams of Newton, North Carolina, who weighed in a 8-pound, 7-ounce largemouth.
Kendall Parnell of Monticello, Kentucky, won the Strike King Co-angler Division Saturday with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 36 pounds, 7 ounces. Parnell took home the top co-angler prize package worth $34,000, including a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard motor.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers on Lake Chickamauga finished:
1st: Kendall Parnell, Monticello, Ky., 15 bass, 36-7, Phoenix 518 Pro boat w/115-hp Mercury outboard
2nd: Nycholas Swanson, Cedar Falls, Iowa, 13 bass, 36-0, $5,375
3rd: Charles Huggins, Jr., Springfield, Ohio, 14 bass, 33-12, $4,300
4th: Kenny Goodman, Apison, Tenn., 11 bass, 28-12, $3,650
5th: Josh Boone, Richmond, Ky., eight bass, 28-6, $3,150
6th: Cooper Jett, Norton Shores, Mich., 11 bass, 28-4, $2,650
7th: Jacob Turner, Abbeville, S.C., 11 bass, 27-13, $2,300
8th: Travis Bowen, Duffield, Va., 10 bass, 27-8, $1,825
9th: Kevin Henderson, Honea Path, S.C., 11 bass, 27-5, $1,680
10th: Michael Miller, Greenville, S.C., 13 bass, 26-11, $1,290
Kevin Henderson of Honea Path, South Carolina, earned the $150 Berkley Big Bass co-angler award on Thursday with a 6-pound, 12-ounce bass, while Friday’s Day 2 $150 co-angler award went to Slick Jones of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, who weighed in an 8-pound, 12-ounce giant.
The Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at Lake Chickamauga was hosted by Fish Dayton and the Rhea Economic & Tourism Council. It was the third and final regular-season tournament for the Toyota Series Central Division. The next event for the Toyota Series Central Division will be the 2024 Toyota Series Championship, Nov. 7-9 on Wheeler Lake in Huntsville, Alabama. For a complete schedule of events, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The 2024 Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats consists of six divisions – Central, Northern, Plains, Southern, Southwestern and the Western Division Presented by Tackle Warehouse – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International and Wild Card divisions. Anglers who fish in any of the six divisions or the Wild Card division and finish in the top 25 will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series Championship for a shot at winning up to $235,000 and a qualification to REDCREST 2025. The winning Strike King co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard. The 2024 Toyota Series Championship is hosted by the Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Madison County Commission, and the Huntsville Sports Commission.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Toyota Series include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, FX Custom Rods, General Tire, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters, YETI.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Toyota Series updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Butler Perseveres to Extend Lead In Bassmaster Open At Logan Martin
May 3, 2024
Butler Perseveres to Extend Lead In Bassmaster Open At Logan Martin
LINCOLN, Ala. — Josh Butler knew his game plan required patience, but he found his commitment tested en route to retaining the lead on Day 2 of the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Logan Martin Lake presented by SEVIIN.
After taking the top spot with a Day-1 limit of 19 pounds, 7 ounces, Butler entered the second round with a lead of 3-9. Adding a Day-2 bag that went 15-5, he tallied 34-12 and heads into Championship Saturday with a margin of 3-5 over Alabama’s Tucker Smith.
Looks good on paper, but Butler said he lost as much as he caught.
“Everything that could go wrong today did go wrong,” Butler lamented. “But I figured something out at the end of the day.”
Contrasting Day 1, which saw Butler jump start his campaign with a 7-13 — the tournament’s biggest — within an hour of takeoff, the second day also brought opportunity, but most of it ended in heartbreak.
Starting close to the ramp, Butler caught a 3-pound “bonus” fish right off the bat, but after that, the day took a downward turn.
“I had one good bite on a buzzbait and lost it — the fish didn’t get the bait really good,” Butler said. “After that, I ran uplake and kept fishing. I drug around for some spawning spotted bass and lost more than quite a few. I don’t know if they were getting it funny, or what was going on.
"Between breaking off and losing fish, I probably lost 15-16 pounds before 10 o’clock. I had a 4 1/2 at the boat, it ran around the boat three times and I had hands on her two or three times, but she just came up and pulled the hook.”
Disappointing as it was, Butler kept his head in the game by maintaining a clear perspective and a positive outlook.
“That’s what happens when you’re fishing for spawning fish; sometimes, they just pick up the bait funny,” he said. “It is what it is, but we regrouped and I started to figure out the current bite better the last 45 minutes.”
On Day 1, Butler stated that the moving water complicated his bed fishing efforts, as the current made it difficult to present his baits in a targeted manner.
“The last 45 minutes were pretty special. I caught probably four 3-plus-pounders in the last 30 minutes of the day,” he said. “That gave us what we had.”
Butler said he believes his late-day flurry was mostly postspawn fish. Throughout the day, he caught fish on a mix of spinnerbaits, Neko rigs, Ned rigs, shaky heads, swimbaits, flukes and scroungers.
Looking ahead to Championship Saturday, Butler sees himself employing much of the same tactics. He’s not expecting a busy day — just a productive one.
“I’m not like these guys down the lake catching 100 fish a day; I’m trying to get 10-15 bites a day,” Butler said. “I’m chasing quality fish.”
Smith, who makes his home in Birmingham, is in second place with 31-7. With remarkable consistency, Smith placed third on Day 1 with 15-12 and gained a spot by adding a second-round limit of 15-11.
“I went to a place where I caught them yesterday first thing this morning and it just wasn’t happening,” Smith said. “I caught a lot of fish off those places yesterday and they were beaten up, so I went and fished some new stuff.”
Smith said his Day 2 spots were different from those he fished on Day 1. Also, he found the fish moving deeper with their postspawn progression.
“I mixed it up a lot,” Smith said of his presentations. “I caught some on a swimbait, some on a jig, some on a crankbait. I did a little bit of everything.
“I fished the middle and lower lake regions and caught fish anywhere from 8 feet to 20. I fished a bunch of different depths.”
Bassmaster Elite Kyoya Fujita of Lake Forest, California is in third with 29-15. After weighing an 18th place Day 1 limit of 13-12, Fujita made a big move by sacking up 16-3.
“My main target today was spotted bass,” Fujita said. “Sometimes, I tried largemouth. Today, my biggest fish was a 5-pound largemouth.
“I caught spotted bass in the morning and largemouth in the afternoon. I caught the 5-pounder at 12 o’clock.”
Fujita said a jig produced most of his weight on Day 1, but when that didn’t work in the second round, he turned to a jig head minnow.
Butler is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with a 7-13.
Niko Romero of Cold Spring, Texas won the Co-Angler Division with a two-day total of 19-7. After leading Day 1 with 7-12, Romero added 11-11, edged Michael Leach of Shenandoah, Texas by 3-12 and took home the top prize of $9,543.
“A lot of preparation went into this,” Romero said. “The main thing for me this week was flipping a creature bait shallow. Docks and grass in 3-6 feet seemed to be the main deal, along with some spawning fish.”
Romero said he mainly used a Texas-rigged Missile Baits Mini D-Bomb with a 1/4-ounce weight, but he used to full-size D-Bomb with a 3/8-ounce weight to upgrade. Green pumpkin purple and Okeechobee craw were his best colors.
“I used that Mini D-Bomb to get my limit and the regular sized D-Bomb was what I’d pick to try and get a bigger bite,” Romero said. “That bulkier profile would slow the fall with that 3/8-ounce weight.
Notably, Romero graduates from Bethel University on Saturday with a degree in Sports Management/Marketing.
Romero won the $250 award for the Phoenix Boats Big Bass among co-anglers with his 6-2.
Saturday’s takeoff is scheduled for 6 a.m. Central Time at Lincoln’s Landing. The weigh-in will be held at Lincoln’s Landing at 2 p.m.
The final day of competition will be broadcast live on FS1 Saturday morning from 7 a.m.-noon, with streaming available beginning at noon on Bassmaster.com.
The event is being hosted by The City of Lincoln.
2024 Bassmaster Opens Series Title Sponsor: St. Croix
2024 Bassmaster Opens Series Presenting Sponsor: SEVIIN
2024 Bassmaster Opens Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2024 Bassmaster Opens Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Progressive Insurance, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2024 Bassmaster Opens Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew's, Lowrance, Marathon, Triton Boats, VMC
About B.A.S.S.B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, 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), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
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Connect with #Bassmaster on Facebook, Instagram, Twitte
Media Contact: Chad Gay, Communications Manager, 865-201-6458, cgay@bassmaster.
Takahiro Omori Wins Group B Qualifying Round at Stage Four at Lake Eufaula
Japanese pro catches two-day total of 53-14 to win Group B Qualifying Round, field of 20 set for Saturday’s Knockout Round
EUFAULA, Okla. (May 3, 2024) – Rising water. Falling water. Muddy water. Clearing water. Fish moving into flooded brush and onto beds. Oklahoma’s Lake Eufaula has provided multiple pieces to a 102,000-acre puzzle through four days of competition at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour MillerTech Stage Four Presented by REDCON1, but on Friday, pro Takahiro Omori of Tokyo, Japan, put the puzzle pieces together best.
Omori entered the day in second place in Group B, trailing leader Martin Villa of Charlottesville, Virginia, by 3 pounds, 10 ounces. But casting and winding a vibrating jig and dabbing a creature bait around flooded brush and docks in a creek arm of the Canadian River on Friday, Omori connected with nine fish for 22-8 to bring his two-day total to 53-14. He outpaced Randy Howell of Guntersville, Alabama,(47-11), Villa (41-9) and Drew Gill of Mount Carmel, Illinois,(36-6) for Group B bragging rights heading into Saturday’s Knockout Round.
The remaining 20 anglers – the top 10 from each group – now advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round, where weights are zeroed, and anglers compete to finish in the top 10 to advance to the Championship Round on Sunday. In Sunday’s final day Championship Round, weights are zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.
You’d have to look long and hard to identify an angler in the 79-man Bass Pro Tour field who’s better suited to capitalize on a recently flooded lake and a shallow-water bite than Omori. The Japanese pro has collected over $3 million in tournament winnings in his 28-year pro career – making him one of the Top 10 money-winners of all time – largely due to his shallow-water, power-fishing prowess.
“This might be the only chance I have to win a tournament this year,” Omori said. “This is my strength: fishing shallow water, power-fishing. Muddy, shallow water like this is where I’ve won a lot of money in my career fishing, I’m excited for a tournament like this. This is how I like to fish.”
Friday on Eufaula, the Tokyo, Japan, native took one step closer to another big career payday as he wrapped up qualifying competition at Stage Four with a surge in the second and third periods that separated him from Howell.
Omori and his teammate had traded jabs throughout the second and third periods, with Howell claiming the lead early in the final period before Omori added three fish for 6-3 in the final hour of the day.
Omori, who admitted on camera multiple times on MLFNOW! that he was “mostly practicing,” continued to catch fish throughout the day despite being safe from the cut after he caught a 3-pound largemouth just seven minutes into Period 1. Noting Eufaula’s dropping water levels and rapidly changing water clarity, Omori believes the fish he caught on Friday won’t be in the same cover and depth come Saturday’s Knockout Round.
“If you can catch fish, you probably should keep catching them; there’s no guarantee the next day,” he said. “This lake is going to be fresh and brand new (on Saturday). The water has started dropping a lot and is cleaning up, so fish are changing. It’s going to be brand new (in the Knockout Round), so I’ll have to make good adjustments.”
Omori caught the bulk of his fish winding a chartreuse-and-white Z-Man/Evergreen ChatterBait Jack Hammer with a 5-inch Z-Man DieZel MinnowZ around flooded brush, haygrass and docks, and connected with one bedding fish with a Zoom Brush Hog. As he ties tackle for the Knockout Round, Omori plans to take whatever Eufaula gives him and adjust on the fly, knowing that he’ll likely be sharing creek pockets and bays with anglers from the other competition group.
“I have a couple of other guys (from Group B) fishing the same creek, and I bet there will be more from the other group,” Omori said. “This lake is over 100,000 acres, but it fishes really small. I won’t be surprised on Saturday if half the field is there. It’s getting a lot of fishing pressure already.”
Oklahoma pro Zack Birge will be fishing another Knockout Round in his home state, thanks to a 3-10 largemouth he caught off a bed with just over 20 minutes remaining in the third period. Birge entered the day in 15th place and climbed into the Top 10 in the second period before falling out as the afternoon progressed. He spotted two fish on beds late in the day and ended up adding both to SCORETRACKER® – a 2-3 and the 3-10 that boosted him back into the Knockout Round.
South Carolina's Britt Myers’ stout season continued despite a harrowing third period and thanks to a late-day catch that pushed him into the Knockout Round. The North Carolina pro fell from sixth place to below the cutline in the final period as he went fishless for just over three hours. That cold streak was broken with a 4-2 largemouth that bit a worm on a shaky head with 11 minutes left in the final period to push Myers to eighth place in the group.
The top 10 pros from Group B that now advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round on Lake Eufaula are:
1st: Takahiro Omori, Tokyo, Japan, 21 bass, 53-14
2nd: Randy Howell, Guntersville, Ala., 20 bass, 47-11
3rd: Martin Villa, Charlottesville, Va., 14 bass, 41-9
4th: Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., 16 bass, 36-6
5th: Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif., 16 bass, 35-7
6th: Britt Myers, Lake Wylie, S.C., 11 bass, 33-10
7th: Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 13 bass, 33-3
8th: Gerald Spohrer, Gonzales, La., 13 bass, 32-12
9th: Jeff Sprague, Wills Point, Texas, 12 bass, 32-10
10th: Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., 14 bass, 31-13
Eliminated from competition are:
11th: Terry Scroggins, San Mateo, Fla., 17 bass, 31-6
12th: John Hunter, Shelbyville, Ky., 11 bass, 27-12
13th: Gary Klein, Mingus, Texas, 10 bass, 27-8
14th: John Murray, Spring City, Tenn., 11 bass, 25-6
15th: Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala., 12 bass, 24-0
16th: Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., eight bass, 23-1
17th: Jacob Wall, New Hope, Ala., nine bass, 20-3
18th: Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla., eight bass, 20-1
19th: Greg Vinson, Wetumpka, Ala., seven bass, 19-14
20th: Nick Hatfield, Greeneville, Tenn., eight bass, 18-10
21st: David Walker, Huntingdon, Tenn., seven bass, 18-3
22nd: Matt Lee, Cullman, Ala., eight bass, 17-4
23rd: Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich., six bass, 16-7
24th: Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., seven bass, 16-2
25th: Stephen Browning, Hot Springs, Ark., six bass, 15-14
26th; Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla., four bass, 14-4
27th: Fletcher Shryock, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 11-4
28th: Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tenn., five bass, 11-3
29th: Colby Schrumpf, Highland, Ill., five bass, 10-11
30th: Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., six bass, 10-11
31st: Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., four bass, 9-10
32nd: David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., five bass, 9-7
33rd: Josh Bertrand, Queen Creek, Ariz., four bass, 9-0
34th: Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., three bass, 8-12
35th: Scott Suggs, Alexander, Ark., five bass, 8-7
36th: James Elam, Tulsa, Okla., four bass, 8-0
37th: Jacopo Gallelli, Florence, Italy, three bass, 7-8
38th: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., three bass, 7-0
39th: Fred Roumbanis, Russellville, Ark., two bass, 3-12
40th: Joshua Weaver, Macon, Ga., two bass, 3-9
A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 171 scorable bass weighing 407 pounds, 1 ounce caught by 39 pros Friday, which included one 6-pounder, two 5-pounders, eight 4-pounders and 26 3-pounders.
Friday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award was awarded to Martin Villa of Charlottesville, Virginia, who weighed in a 6-pound, 10-ounce largemouth that bit his wacky rig in Period 1. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament.
Jacob Wheeler had a firm grasp on the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year standings heading into Stage Four, but briefly gave up the lead to Alton Jones Jr. when he struggled on Day 1 of the competition. Wheeler, however, recovered in Group A’s second day of fishing, climbing into the Top 10 and retaking the lead in the season-long race for the AOY trophy and it’s $100,000 payday.
The six-day tournament, hosted by Vision Eufaula, showcases 79 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing for a purse of $659,000, including a top payout of $100,000 and valuable Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) points in hopes of qualifying for the General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and REDCREST 2025, the Bass Pro Tour championship.
The 39 Anglers in Group A competed in their two-day Qualifying Round on Tuesday and Thursday – the 40 anglers in Group B on Wednesday and Friday. Now that each two-day Qualifying Round is complete, the anglers that finished first through 10th from both groups advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the remaining 20 anglers compete to finish in the top 10 to advance to Sunday’s Championship Round. In the final-day Championship Round, weights are zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.
Anglers will launch at 7:30 a.m. CT each day from the Peter’s Point-Nichols Point Boat Ramp, located on Dabbs Road in Eufaula. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will be held at the boat ramp, beginning at 4 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLFNOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com .
The MLFNOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action live on the final four days of competition from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT. MLFNOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
On Saturday and Sunday, May 4-5, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. MLF welcomes fans of all ages to visit Peter’s Point-Nichols Point for the MLF Watch Party and Kids Fishing Derby. Fans can watch the pros live on the MLFNOW! big screen, enjoy free food, enter to win hourly giveaways and cheer on their favorite pros. The first 50 kids 14 and under will receive a free rod and reel from Pure Fishing each day. Additional fishing gear will be provided onsite for the fishing derby or kids can bring their own. The final 10 Championship Round Bass Pro Tour anglers will be on hand at the trophy celebration on Championship Sunday to meet and greet fans, sign autographs and take selfies.
The MillerTech Stage Four at Lake Eufaula Presented by REDCON1 features the MLF catch, weigh, immediate-release format, in which anglers catch as much weight as they can each day, while also feeling the pressure and intensity of the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard. The tournament features anglers competing with a 1-pound, 8-ounce minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. The MLF Fisheries Management Division determines minimum weights for each body of water that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.
The Bass Pro Tour features a field of 79 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2025 championship.
The 79 anglers taking on Dale Hollow this week aren’t just battling for a first-place trophy and $100,000 payday. Valuable points in the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year race are also up for grabs. The winner of the season-long competition will take home an additional $100,000 check.
Fishing Clash, an interactive 3D fishing simulation game that’s played by more than 80 million people worldwide, is the official AOY sponsor of the Bass Pro Tour, Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, Toyota Series and Phoenix Bass Fishing League. You can download Fishing Clash for free in the App Store and on Google Play or log on to www.fishingclash.game for more information.
Television coverage of the MillerTech Stage Four at Lake Eufaula Presented by REDCON1 Knockout Round will air as a two-hour episode starting at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 12 on Discovery, with the Championship Round premiering on Oct. 19. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on Outdoor Channel.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, BUBBA, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Garmin, General Tire, Humminbird, Lowrance, Mercury, MillerTech, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak Fishing, NITRO, Onyx, Plano, Power-Pole, Rapala, REDCON1, Star brite, Suzuki, Toyota, WIX Filters and U.S. Air Force.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
2025 Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Dates and Locations Set
Decatur, Ala. (May 3, 2024) – The Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Series will enter its twelfth season next year as the state’s premier weekend tournament trail for amateur bass anglers with an 11-event schedule offering more than $750,000 in prizes and awards. The season gets underway February 8, 2025, on Smith Lake and concludes Oct. 17-18, 2025, with the championship on Wheeler Lake.
“Each year our team works hard with our host communities to put together a schedule that we feel highlights the fisheries and puts our anglers on the lakes at the best possible time for success. I believe the 2025 schedule does just that. Anglers are going to experience fishing swift current, bridges, sight fishing, ledge fishing and submerged timber and brush piles, and fans will have a front row seat of the action with five hours of live on the water coverage at each event,” said Alabama Bass Trail Program Director Kay Donaldson.
Sanctioned by BASS (Bass Anglers Sportsman Society), the Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Series contains two divisions, North and South, and each division is made up of five tournaments on five different lakes. The maximum number of boats for each tournament is 225. Teams must fish in all five tournaments in their respective division; no single entries will be allowed.
North Division:
February 8, 2025 Smith Lake hosted by the Chamber of Commerce of Walker County March 15, 2025 Lake Guntersville hosted by Marshall County Sports and Tourism April 19, 2025 Neely Henry Lake hosted by City of Gadsden May 10, 2025 Weiss Lake hosted by Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce June 14, 2025 Pickwick Lake hosted by Florence-Lauderdale Tourism
South Division:
February 22, 2025 Lake Martin hosted by Tallapoosa County Tourism March 29, 2025 Logan Martin Lake hosted by City of Lincoln April 26, 2025 Alabama River (Cooter's Pond) hosted by City of Prattville May 17, 2025 Lake Eufaula hosted by Eufaula-Barbour County Chamber of Commerce June 21, 2025 Lay Lake hosted by Discover Shelby
Hosted by Decatur Morgan County Tourism, the championship tournament will be held October 17-18, 2025, on Wheeler Lake.
The no-entry fee championship event will include up to 175 boats. The 175 boats are comprised of the 10 regular season winners, top 75 teams in points from both divisions that fished all five events in their respective divisions, along with the top five student teams, top five college teams and the top five couples teams collectively from both divisions that fished all five events in their respective division.
Each regular season tournament features a $15,000 guaranteed first place prize and pays 40 places totaling $64,450.
The no-entry fee championship will feature a $100,250 payout with a first place prize of $50,000. There is also a $5,000 bonus cash prize for Angler of the Year and $2,500 for runner-up Angler of the Year.
2025 Payout Schedule:
First Place $15,000 Second Place $7,500 Third Place $6,000 Fourth Place $4,000 Fifth Place $3,000 Sixth Place $2,000 Seventh Place $1,300 Eighth Place $1,300 Nineth Place $1,300 Tenth Place $1,300 11th – 15th $1,000 each 16th – 25th $750 each 26th – 30th $600 each 31st – 40th $500 each Big Fish $1,000 ABT Gear $250
2025 Championship Payout:
First Place $50,000 Second Place $10,000 Third Place $5,000 Fourth Place $4,000 Fifth Place $3,000 Sixth Place $2,500 Seventh Place $2,200 Eighth Place $2,000 Nineth Place $1,800 Tenth Place $1,500 11th – 15th $1,200 each 16th – 25th $1,100 each Big Fish $500 daily ABT Gear $250
In addition, the Alabama Bass Trail will pay the $500 entry fee for the 18 teams who qualify for the B.A.S.S. Team Championship. According to Donaldson, over $750,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded when the Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Series wraps up its season in 2025.
Anglers who fished all five events in their respective divisions in 2024 will be given a priority entry period beginning August 1, 2024, at 6 a.m. CST online at www.alabamabasstrail.org. Registration opens for new teams August 15 at 6 a.m. CST. The entry fee is $1,600 per team, which includes registration for all five tournaments in the respective division. Each team may choose to pay a $600 nonrefundable deposit to hold the team’s spot. The balance of $1000 is due on or before December 20, 2024.
Alabama Bass Trail Tournament sponsors include Phoenix Bass Boats, Landers McLarty Chevrolet, McGraw–Webb Chevrolet, Academy Sports + Outdoors, Advantage Trailer Rentals, Alabama State Parks, Big Bite Baits, Busch Light, Jack’s, Mountain Dew, FishAlabama.org, America’s First Federal Credit Union, Visit North Alabama, Alabama Tourism Department, T-H Marine Supplies, Inc., Power-Pole Total Boat Control, Yamaha, VMC, Rapala, Crush City, American Baitworks, Pro-Guide Batteries, Buffalo Rock Company and Garmin.
WOTM – TV will continue the live-streaming and Angler’s Channel will film and produce the Alabama Bass Trail television series to air at a later date.
For more information, call Donaldson at 855-934-7425 or visit www.alabamabasstrail.org.
About Alabama Bass Trail
The Alabama Bass Trail is a program of the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association. Its mission is to promote Alabama as a year-round fishing destination, to preserve natural resources for generations to come, and to educate high school and college-aged students to be good stewards of natural resources. The 13 bass fishing lakes consist of Lake Guntersville, Wheeler Lake, Pickwick Lake, Lewis Smith Lake, Neely Henry Lake, Weiss Lake, Lake Martin, Lay Lake, Logan Martin Lake, Lake Jordan, Alabama River, Lake Eufaula, and the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta. For more information, visit www.alabamabasstrail.org.
Rojas Earns Group A Qualifying Round Win at MillerTech Stage Four at Lake Eufaula
Suzuki pro boats two-day total of 44-11 to win Group A Qualifying Round, Top 10 pros advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round
EUFAULA, Okla. (May 2, 2024) – After a week of erratic weather and fluctuating water levels and clarity, conditions are finally stabilizing on Oklahoma’s Lake Eufaula at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour MillerTech Stage Four Presented by REDCON1. Judging by the numbers on SCORETRACKER® on Thursday, both the bass and competitors appear to be settling in.
Arizona pro Dean Rojas of Lake Havasu City, figured out the rapidly changing puzzle the best in Group A and leads the list of 10 anglers from the group who qualified for Saturday’s Knockout Round. Rojas finished with 16 bass for 44 pounds, 11 ounces over two days of qualifying competition.
The 26-year veteran has shown consistency throughout a week of fishing defined by massive swings on SCORETRACKER® from day to day. Rojas found himself in third place after Day 1 with seven bass for 20-8 and added nine more for 24-3 Thursday to clear second-place finisher Nick LeBrun of Bossier City, Louisiana, by more than 5 pounds, eventually spending a good portion of his day on Thursday looking for more areas on Oklahoma’s largest lake.
The top 10 anglers advancing from Group A will now have an off day from competition Friday, while the 40 anglers competing in Group B will complete their two-day Qualifying Round. The top 10 anglers from each group advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the remaining 20 anglers compete to finish in the top 10 to advance to the Championship Round. In Sunday’s final day Championship Round, weights are zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.
Although he’s never fished Oklahoma’s Lake Eufaula, Rojas is relying on his years of tournament experience to combat the changing conditions. In short, he’s seen this movie before and knows how it will end.
“It’s my first time (at Lake Eufaula), but I’ve seen this scenario play out so many times,” Rojas said of the quickly changing water levels. “Going into the event, I had a good practice before the rains came and flooded everything out. That bite was done on the last day of practice, and I couldn’t get a bite. I started the tournament where I had the most bites in practice and had to change my approach based on how the fish were positioned with the changing water levels.”
With water levels now stabilizing, Rojas is confident that he knows what to look for when he returns to action two days from now in the Knockout Round.
“When the water first comes up that fast like it did, the fish are in shock. You don’t know where they’re at because they are spread out everywhere,” he said. "I’ve been checking the water every night, and it’s starting to come down a little. You can see gaps between the leaves with water on them on the first day. Now things are beginning to settle, and I feel like I know what’s going on.”
Rojas has been catching fish “doing a little bit of everything” and simply fishing what the lake gives him.
“I’m catching some in a foot of water and some as deep as 6 feet,” he said. “Some are super shallow, and some are out deeper; you just have to fish everything in front of you. As much as I’ve done this, I recognize when I have to ‘do this here’ and ‘do that there’ based on the cover and structure in front of me.”
Rojas is running the same pattern in several areas around the lake, and it appears to work everywhere he goes. Once he felt safe inside the cut on Thursday, he expanded areas and continued to fish.
“I wanted to make sure I had enough (weight) to get inside the Top 10 and then was able to look for more likely areas,” Rojas said. “I would get a bite and then roll out and try to find more stuff. Then I’d catch another and leave. That told me what to do the rest of the tournament.”
The one benefit of a challenging, changing fishery is that you’re never really out of it. That point was proven loudly Thursday as a handful of pros turned the tables on SCORETRACKER® and will live to fish another day.
Five anglers started competition Thursday in 28th place or lower and rocketed to the Top 10 thanks to banner days. The quintet of Marty Robinson, LeBrun, Brent Chapman, Jacob Wheeler and Luke Clausen managed just six bass between them the first day of fishing and 58 today.
Robinson made one of the most dramatic moves with several clutch catches late in the day. He entered with zero and bagged 27-2 Thursday to leap into ninth place. LeBrun soared from 34th to second, Chapman jumped from 32nd to fifth, Wheeler sprang from 30th to 10th and Clausen rose from 28th to seventh.
The top 10 pros from Group A that now advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round on Lake Eufaula are:
1st: Dean Rojas, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., 16 bass, 44-11
2nd: Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., 13 bass, 39-7
3rd: Dave Lefebre, Erie, Penn., 17 bass, 37-12
4th: Jason Vance, Battle Ground, Ind., 16 bass, 34-11
5th: Brent Chapman, Lake Quivira, Kan., 15 bass, 33-15
6th: Luke Clausen, Spokane, Wash., 13 bass, 29-12
7th: Alton Jones Jr., Waco, Texas, 10 bass, 29-4
8th: Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., 12 bass, 28-14
9th: Marty Robinson, Lyman, S.C., 10 bass, 27-2
10th: Jacob Wheeler, Blaine, Tenn., 10 bass, 25-9
Eliminated from competition are:
11th: Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., 11 bass, 25-7
12th: Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky., nine bass, 24-4
13th: Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., 11 bass, 24-3
14th: Marshall Robinson, Landrum, S.C., 11 bass, 24-2
15th: Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala., eight bass, 21-6
16th: Jonathon VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., eight bass, 21-3
17th: Keith Carson, DeBary, Fla., eight bass, 20-3
18th: Todd Faircloth, Jasper, Texas, nine bass, 19-13
19th: Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., six bass, 19-12
20th: Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 19-12
21st: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., nine bass, 18-12
22nd: Brandon Coulter, Knoxville, Tenn., seven bass, 17-12
23rd: Matthew Stefan, Junction City, Wis., seven bass, 17-4
24th: Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo., eight bass, 16-10
25th: Alton Jones, Lorena, Texas, seven bass, 15-15
26th: Justin Cooper, Zwolle, La., seven bass, 15-10
27th: Mark Rose, Wynne, Ark., eight bass, 15-5
28th: Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C., five bass, 15-0
29th: Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C., six bass, 13-12
30th: Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., five bass, 12-15
31st: Boyd Duckett, Guntersville, Ala, six bass, 12-15
32nd: Mark Daniels Jr., Tuskegee, Ala., five bass, 12-14
33rd: Jared Lintner, Covington, Ga., six bass, 12-9
34th: Shin Fukae, Osaka, Japan, four bass, 11-3
35th: Grae Buck, Green Lane, Penn., four bass, 11-0
36th: Mark Davis, Mount Ida, Ark., five bass, 9-15
37th: Dylan Hays, Hot Springs, Ark., four bass, 9-11
38th: Cliff Crochet, Pierre Part, La., three bass, 8-11
39th: Kelly Jordon, Flint, Texas, one bass, 2-7
A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 193 scorable bass weighing 457 pounds, 14 ounces caught by 38 pros Thursday, which included two 5-pounders, 14 4-pounders and 23 3-pounders.
Pro Nick LeBrun of Bossier City, Louisiana, earned Thursday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award with an 5-pound, 12-ounce largemouth bass that he caught on a jig during Period 3. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament.
It appeared that the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year standings would shift significantly after Wheeler’s struggles on the first day of Stage Four, but his rebound put him back up top.
Wheeler holds a 10-point lead over Alton Jones Jr. in the race to claim the $100,000 payout. Both anglers made the Knockout Round and things could get tighter by the end of this event.
The six-day tournament, hosted by Vision Eufaula, showcases 79 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing for a purse of $659,000, including a top payout of $100,000 and valuable Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) points in hopes of qualifying for the General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and REDCREST 2025, the Bass Pro Tour championship.
The 39 Anglers in Group A competed in their two-day Qualifying Round on Tuesday and Thursday – the 40 anglers in Group B on Wednesday and Friday. After each two-day Qualifying Round is complete, the anglers that finish first through 10th from both groups advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the remaining 20 anglers compete to finish in the top 10 to advance to Sunday’s Championship Round. In the final-day Championship Round, weights are zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.
Anglers will launch at 7:30 a.m. CT each day from the Peter’s Point-Nichols Point Boat Ramp, located on Dabbs Road in Eufaula. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will be held at the boat ramp, beginning at 4 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLFNOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com .
The MLFNOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action live on the final four days of competition from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT. MLFNOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
On Saturday and Sunday, May 4-5, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. MLF welcomes fans of all ages to visit Peter’s Point-Nichols Point for the MLF Watch Party and Kids Fishing Derby. Fans can watch the pros live on the MLFNOW! big screen, enjoy free food, enter to win hourly giveaways and cheer on their favorite pros. The first 50 kids 14 and under will receive a free rod and reel from Pure Fishing each day. Additional fishing gear will be provided onsite for the fishing derby or kids can bring their own. The final 10 Championship Round Bass Pro Tour anglers will be on hand at the trophy celebration on Championship Sunday to meet and greet fans, sign autographs and take selfies.
The MillerTech Stage Four at Lake Eufaula Presented by REDCON1 features the MLF catch, weigh, immediate-release format, in which anglers catch as much weight as they can each day, while also feeling the pressure and intensity of the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard. The tournament features anglers competing with a 1-pound, 8-ounce minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. The MLF Fisheries Management Division determines minimum weights for each body of water that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.
The Bass Pro Tour features a field of 79 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2025 championship.
Fishing Clash, an interactive 3D fishing simulation game that’s played by more than 80 million people worldwide, is the official AOY sponsor of the Bass Pro Tour, Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, Toyota Series and Phoenix Bass Fishing League. You can download Fishing Clash for free in the App Store and on Google Play or log on to www.fishingclash.game for more information.
Television coverage of the MillerTech Stage Four at Lake Eufaula Presented by REDCON1 Knockout Round will air as a two-hour episode starting at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 12 on Discovery, with the Championship Round premiering on Oct. 19. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on Outdoor Channel.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, BUBBA, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Garmin, General Tire, Humminbird, Lowrance, Mercury, MillerTech, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak Fishing, NITRO, Onyx, Plano, Power-Pole, Rapala, REDCON1, Star brite, Suzuki, Toyota, WIX Filters and U.S. Air Force.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Butler’s kicker lifts him to Day 1 lead at Bassmaster Open at Logan Martin Lake
May 2, 2024
Butler’s kicker lifts him to Day 1 lead at Bassmaster Open at Logan Martin Lake
LINCOLN, Ala. — On a day when quality was hard to come by, Josh Butler’s early bonus quickly put him on course to sacking up a five-bass limit of 19 pounds, 7 ounces and leading Day 1 of the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Logan Martin Lake presented by SEVIIN.
Anchoring his bag with an absolute Coosa River tank that went 7-13, the pro from Hayden, Ala., heads into Day 2 with a lead of 3-9 over Georgia pro Emil Wagner.
“That’s the biggest one, by far, that I’ve ever caught here,” Butler said of his kicker. “I’ve caught fives and sixes, but never one nearly that big. The Lord blessed me today.”
Capitalizing on the seasonal day-maker known as the shad spawn, Butler started his day with a couple of small keepers. Adding one around 2 1/2, his big fish was No. 4.
Butler said he hit a few different areas for his shad spawn bites and caught all of those early fish on a spinnerbait with a particular design the fish clearly found appealing.
“I just hit random banks,” Butler said. “I had a couple of banks up the river and I was fortunate enough to catch fish.”
After his shad spawn bite fizzled, Butler ventured farther upriver and spent most of his time looking for spawners. He focused on a mile-long stretch and found that current dynamics played a key role in his day.
“They turned the current on at 9 o’clock and, I won’t say I struggled, but it seems like it was tougher,” Butler said.
Normally, any increase in current bodes well for anglers, as it predictably positions baitfish and stimulates bass. However, Butler said the moving water proves challenging for anglers targeting bed fish.
“Once the current really starts rolling, it’s harder to keep your bait still because they are spawning out in the current,” Butler said. “It’s one of those deals where you try to put your bait in front of as many fish as you can and hope you get bit.”
Butler used a mix of flipping baits and finesse baits to target his bed fish.
Thanks to his early start, Butler had his limit by 8 o’clock. From there, he caught bass throughout the day and made his last cull around noon.
“I had a small fish that was about 1 3/4 pounds and around 11-12 o’clock, a little flurry happened and I ended up catching four or five,” Butler said. “I was fortunate to catch one around 3 pounds.”
Looking ahead to the tournament’s second round, Butler said he’ll likely try to repeat his Day 1 game plan. Replicating the diligence of his opening effort will be his primary objective.
“I really just put my head down and ground it out,” Butler said. “I just focused on one fish at a time. It’s really important to get big bites and I was fortunate enough to get three of them.
“There’s a lot of time left, so I gotta go out and catch them tomorrow and see what happens.”
A successful guide on Georgia’s Lake Lanier, Wagner is in second place with 15-14. Noting that he had more quantity than quality, he said his game plan involved working through enough spots to find a big bite.
“I had a rotation of shallow and deep places and I didn’t know when each would fire or what the timing looked like, because when you find ’em in practice, you kinda leave ’em,” said Wagner, who fished a mix of reaction and slow baits. “I had one spot that did a lot of damage for me and then two other spots down the lake where two of my biggest fish came from.”
Wagner said he started his day with a shad spawn limit, but he culled those fish. A late-day transition gave him the surge he needed to reach his total.
“At the end of the day, I pulled up to a spot and caught probably 10 fish between 2 1/2-3/14 pounds and culled up to what I had,” he said. “I was just missing that kicker fish, but it was a really fun day.”
Tucker Smith of Birmingham, Ala., is in third place with 15-12. With a significant amount of local knowledge, he was able to work around the week’s heavy boat traffic by targeting places where he’s previously fished.
“I’ve spent a bunch of time on this lake, so I knew the areas I wanted to focus on,” Smith said. “It’s hard to practice out here, because everybody’s so good they find most everything. So, I didn’t look at the areas I wanted to fish — I tried to look at some new water the whole practice.
“I ended up running some history today and I ended up catching them.”
Smith said he fished multiple habitat features in a range of depths.
“It really was a big grind today,” Smith said. “I’d get a bite every hour or so, but they were good ones.”
Butler is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 7-13.
Niko Romero of Cold Spring, Texas, leads the co-angler division with 7-12. He also holds the Phoenix Boats Big Bass lead among co-anglers with a 4-1.
Friday’s takeoff is scheduled for 6 a.m. CT from Lincoln’s Landing. The weigh-in will be held at Lincoln’s Landing at 2 p.m., with only the Top 10 anglers advancing to Championship Saturday.
Friday's weigh-in will be streaming on Bassmaster.com at 2 p.m. The final day of competition will be broadcast live on FS1 Saturday morning from 7 a.m.-noon, with streaming available beginning at noon on Bassmaster.com.
The event is being hosted by The City of Lincoln.
2024 Bassmaster Opens Series Title Sponsor: St. Croix
2024 Bassmaster Opens Series Presenting Sponsor: SEVIIN
2024 Bassmaster Opens Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2024 Bassmaster Opens Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Progressive Insurance, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2024 Bassmaster Opens Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew's, Lowrance, Marathon, Triton Boats, VMC
About B.A.S.S.B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, 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), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
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Connect with #Bassmaster on Facebook, Instagram, Twitte
Media Contact: Chad Gay, Communications Manager, 865-201-6458, cgay@bassmaster.
2024 St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Logan Martin Lake presented by SEVIIN 5/2-5/4
Logan Martin Lake, Lincoln AL.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Josh Butler Hayden, AL 5 19-07 200
Day 1: 5 19-07
2. Emil Wagner Marietta, GA 5 15-14 199
Day 1: 5 15-14
3. Tucker Smith Birmingham, AL 5 15-12 198
Day 1: 5 15-12
4. Andrew Jones Auburn, AL 5 14-13 197
Day 1: 5 14-13
4. Brandon McMillan Clewiston, FL 5 14-13 197
Day 1: 5 14-13
4. Zack Williams Shell Knob, MO 5 14-13 197
Day 1: 5 14-13
7. Jeremiah Kindy Benton, AR 5 14-12 194
Day 1: 5 14-12
7. Cody Stahl Barnsville, GA 5 14-12 194
Day 1: 5 14-12
9. Chris Hellebuyck White Lake, MI 5 14-10 192
Day 1: 5 14-10
10. Will Davis Jr Sylacauga, AL 5 14-09 191
Day 1: 5 14-09
11. Jack York Emory, TX 5 14-03 190
Day 1: 5 14-03
12. Tai Au Glendale, AZ 5 14-02 189
Day 1: 5 14-02
13. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 5 14-02 188
Day 1: 5 14-02
14. Yui Aoki Minamitsurugun JAPAN 5 14-00 187
Day 1: 5 14-00
15. Jacob Bigelow Cecil, WI 5 13-15 186
Day 1: 5 13-15
15. John Voyles Petersburg, IN 5 13-15 186
Day 1: 5 13-15
17. Kyle Austin Ridgeville, SC 5 13-14 184
Day 1: 5 13-14
18. Kyoya Fujita Yamanashi CA JAPAN 5 13-12 183
Day 1: 5 13-12
19. Keith Brashers Rogers, AR 5 13-06 182
Day 1: 5 13-06
20. Matt Adams Oxford, AL 5 13-05 181
Day 1: 5 13-05
21. Garrett Paquette Canton, MI 5 13-04 180
Day 1: 5 13-04
22. Clark Reehm Elm Grove, LA 5 13-03 179
Day 1: 5 13-03
23. Jacob Thompkins Myrtle Beach, SC 5 13-02 178
Day 1: 5 13-02
23. Tim Tyndell Mineola, TX 5 13-02 178
Day 1: 5 13-02
25. Alex Heintze Denham Springs, LA 5 13-01 176
Day 1: 5 13-01
26. Zeke Gossett Pell City, AL 5 13-00 175
Day 1: 5 13-00
27. Danny McGarry Newcastle CANADA 5 12-14 174
Day 1: 5 12-14
28. Cody Meyer Eagle, ID 5 12-13 173
Day 1: 5 12-13
29. Paul Marks Cumming, GA 5 12-12 172
Day 1: 5 12-12
29. Mike McClelland Blue Eye, MO 5 12-12 172
Day 1: 5 12-12
31. Blake Smith Lakeland, FL 5 12-12 170
Day 1: 5 12-12
32. Scott Canterbury Odenville, AL 5 12-11 169
Day 1: 5 12-11
33. Dakota Ebare Brookeland, TX 5 12-10 168
Day 1: 5 12-10
33. Ty Faber Pagosa Springs, CO 5 12-10 168
Day 1: 5 12-10
33. Kyle Palmer Winchester, TN 5 12-10 168
Day 1: 5 12-10
33. Josh Wiesner Fon du Lac, WI 5 12-10 168
Day 1: 5 12-10
37. Brad Leuthner Victoria, MN 5 12-09 164
Day 1: 5 12-09
38. Evan Kung Pickering Ontario CANAD 5 12-07 163
Day 1: 5 12-07
39. Christopher Thornton Morgan City, LA 5 12-06 162
Day 1: 5 12-06
40. Chase Clarke Virginia Beach, VA 5 12-05 161
Day 1: 5 12-05
41. Easton Fothergill Grand Rapids , MN 5 12-03 160
Day 1: 5 12-03
42. Masayuki Matsushita Porter TX JAPAN 5 12-02 159
Day 1: 5 12-02
43. Chris Blanchette Edisto Island, SC 5 12-00 158
Day 1: 5 12-00
44. Lafe Messer Warfield, KY 5 12-00 157
Day 1: 5 12-00
45. Brett Cannon Kiln, MS 5 11-14 156
Day 1: 5 11-14
46. Jonathan Dietz Corry, PA 5 11-13 155
Day 1: 5 11-13
46. Scott Isaacs Ladonia, TX 5 11-13 155
Day 1: 5 11-13
46. Joey Nania Cropwell, AL 5 11-13 155
Day 1: 5 11-13
49. Tom Lloyd Jr Springfield, MO 5 11-12 152
Day 1: 5 11-12
50. Keith Tuma Brainerd, MN 5 11-12 151
Day 1: 5 11-12
51. Elijah Benson Dahlonega, GA 5 11-11 150
Day 1: 5 11-11
51. Bailey Bleser Burlington, WI 5 11-11 150
Day 1: 5 11-11
51. Cliff Pace Ovett, MS 5 11-11 150
Day 1: 5 11-11
51. Trey Swindle Cleveland, AL 5 11-11 150
Day 1: 5 11-11
55. Connor Jacob Auburn, AL 5 11-11 146
Day 1: 5 11-11
56. Andrew Loberg Grant, AL 5 11-10 145
Day 1: 5 11-10
56. Mark Watson Victoria, TX 5 11-10 145
Day 1: 5 11-10
58. Austin Cranford Norman, OK 5 11-09 143
Day 1: 5 11-09
59. Beau Browning Hot Springs National Pa 5 11-08 142
Day 1: 5 11-08
60. Darrell Davis Dover, FL 5 11-06 141
Day 1: 5 11-06
61. Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 5 11-06 140
Day 1: 5 11-06
62. Jack Dice Lynchburg, VA 5 11-05 139
Day 1: 5 11-05
62. Ben Ivey Birmingham, AL 5 11-05 139
Day 1: 5 11-05
62. Thomas Shelton Anniston, AL 5 11-05 139
Day 1: 5 11-05
65. Trey Schroeder Theodosia, MO 5 11-04 136
Day 1: 5 11-04
66. Blake Schroeder Whitehouse, TX 5 11-04 135
Day 1: 5 11-04
67. Scout Echols Monticello, AR 5 11-03 134
Day 1: 5 11-03
68. Evan Ferguson Catlettsburg, KY 5 11-02 133
Day 1: 5 11-02
69. Jimmy Washam Stantonville, TN 5 11-00 132
Day 1: 5 11-00
70. Shane Lineberger Lincolnton, NC 5 10-14 131
Day 1: 5 10-14
71. Darold Gleason Many, LA 5 10-13 130
Day 1: 5 10-13
71. Richard Lowitzki Fort Myers, FL 5 10-13 130
Day 1: 5 10-13
73. Tommy Dunaway Havana, FL 5 10-12 128
Day 1: 5 10-12
73. Jay Nyce Rogers, AR 5 10-12 128
Day 1: 5 10-12
75. Adam Rasmussen Sturgeon Bay, WI 5 10-10 126
Day 1: 5 10-10
76. Garrett Warren Scottsboro, AL 5 10-10 125
Day 1: 5 10-10
77. Brayden Rakes Winston Salem, NC 5 10-09 124
Day 1: 5 10-09
78. Keith Brumfield Vicksburg, MS 5 10-08 123
Day 1: 5 10-08
78. Matt Messer Warfield, KY 5 10-08 123
Day 1: 5 10-08
80. Teb Jones Yalaha, MS 5 10-08 121
Day 1: 5 10-08
81. Andrew Hargrove Moody, TX 5 10-07 120
Day 1: 5 10-07
82. Sam George Athens, AL 5 10-06 119
Day 1: 5 10-06
83. Cody Steckel Las Vegas, NV 5 10-06 118
Day 1: 5 10-06
84. Jason Borofka Lavon, TX 5 10-05 117
Day 1: 5 10-05
85. Brock Belik Orchard, NE 5 10-04 116
Day 1: 5 10-04
85. Steve Drinnon Wetumpka, AL 5 10-04 116
Day 1: 5 10-04
87. Frank Williams Mountain Home, AR 5 10-04 114
Day 1: 5 10-04
88. Brady Vernon Sterrett, AL 5 10-03 113
Day 1: 5 10-03
89. Andy Beloat Montgomery, TX 5 10-02 112
Day 1: 5 10-02
90. Danny Ramsey Trinidad, TX 5 10-02 111
Day 1: 5 10-02
91. Cody Bird Granbury, TX 5 10-01 110
Day 1: 5 10-01
91. Charlie Hartley Grove City, OH 5 10-01 110
Day 1: 5 10-01
93. Joey Hanna Corsicana, TX 5 10-00 108
Day 1: 5 10-00
93. Daisuke Kita Ostu Shiga JAPAN 5 10-00 108
Day 1: 5 10-00
95. Kevin Ledoux Choctaw, OK 5 10-00 106
Day 1: 5 10-00
96. Matt Pangrac Shawnee, OK 5 09-13 105
Day 1: 5 09-13
96. Doc Wootton Collierville, TN 5 09-13 105
Day 1: 5 09-13
98. Allen Armour Cumming, GA 5 09-12 103
Day 1: 5 09-12
99. Laker Howell Guntersville, AL 5 09-11 102
Day 1: 5 09-11
100. Clint Leonard Jr Saint Cloud, FL 5 09-10 101
Day 1: 5 09-10
101. Destry Ford Tuscaloosa, AL 5 09-09 100
Day 1: 5 09-09
101. Dale Hightower Mannford, OK 5 09-09 100
Day 1: 5 09-09
101. Andy Newcomb Camdenton, MO 5 09-09 100
Day 1: 5 09-09
101. Mike Surman Boca Raton, FL 5 09-09 100
Day 1: 5 09-09
101. Nick Trim Galesville, WI 5 09-09 100
Day 1: 5 09-09
106. Chad Grigsby Maple Grove, MN 5 09-09 95
Day 1: 5 09-09
107. Jeremy Radford Huntly, VA 5 09-07 94
Day 1: 5 09-07
108. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 5 09-06 93
Day 1: 5 09-06
109. Billy McDonald Greenwood, IN 5 09-06 92
Day 1: 5 09-06
109. Lance Owen Greer, SC 5 09-06 92
Day 1: 5 09-06
111. Sean Clayton Seneca, SC 5 09-05 90
Day 1: 5 09-05
111. Tripp Noojin Bryant, AL 5 09-05 90
Day 1: 5 09-05
111. Avery Williams Murrells Inlt, SC 5 09-05 90
Day 1: 5 09-05
114. Wade Batey Scottsboro, AL 5 09-04 87
Day 1: 5 09-04
114. Billy Billeaud Lafayette, LA 5 09-04 87
Day 1: 5 09-04
116. Chris Beaudrie Princeton, KY 5 09-03 85
Day 1: 5 09-03
116. Dalton Smith Taylorsville, KY 5 09-03 85
Day 1: 5 09-03
118. Andrew Behnke Fond Du Lac, WI 5 09-02 83
Day 1: 5 09-02
119. Kevin Short Fairfield Bay, AR 5 09-02 82
Day 1: 5 09-02
120. Paul Bouvier Kingston CANADA 5 09-01 81
Day 1: 5 09-01
121. Tristan McCormick Burns, TN 5 09-01 80
Day 1: 5 09-01
122. Scott Hayes Wedowee, AL 5 09-00 79
Day 1: 5 09-00
123. Jim Moynagh Remer, MN 5 08-15 78
Day 1: 5 08-15
124. James Niggemeyer Van, TX 5 08-14 77
Day 1: 5 08-14
124. Kyle Weisenburger Columbus Grv, OH 5 08-14 77
Day 1: 5 08-14
126. Christian Ostrander Turlock, CA 5 08-14 75
Day 1: 5 08-14
127. Paul Browning Monahans, TX 5 08-13 74
Day 1: 5 08-13
127. Billy Gilbert Hamburg, NY 5 08-13 74
Day 1: 5 08-13
127. Casey Scanlon Eldon, MO 5 08-13 74
Day 1: 5 08-13
130. Greg Bohannan Bentonville, AR 5 08-12 71
Day 1: 5 08-12
130. Kevin Dritschler Prosper, TX 5 08-12 71
Day 1: 5 08-12
130. Jason Lambert Savannah, TN 5 08-12 71
Day 1: 5 08-12
130. Freddy Palmer Estill Springs, TN 5 08-12 71
Day 1: 5 08-12
130. Brent Shores Boise, ID 5 08-12 71
Day 1: 5 08-12
135. Philip Roesener Choctaw, OK 5 08-11 66
Day 1: 5 08-11
136. Sam Hanggi Knoxville, TN 5 08-09 65
Day 1: 5 08-09
137. Chris Kingree Inverness, FL 5 08-08 64
Day 1: 5 08-08
138. Cody Detweiler Guntersville, AL 5 08-07 63
Day 1: 5 08-07
138. Lucas Ragusa Gonzales, LA 5 08-07 63
Day 1: 5 08-07
138. Dustin Reneau Mckinney, TX 5 08-07 63
Day 1: 5 08-07
141. Randall Tharp Port St. Joe, FL 5 08-07 60
Day 1: 5 08-07
142. Alex Murray Lake Charles, LA 5 08-06 59
Day 1: 5 08-06
142. Brian Post Janesville, WI 5 08-06 59
Day 1: 5 08-06
144. Kenta Kimura Osaka OK JAPAN 4 08-06 57
Day 1: 4 08-06
145. Nathan Thompson Eagan, MN 5 08-04 56
Day 1: 5 08-04
146. Bart Stanisz Austin, TX 5 08-03 55
Day 1: 5 08-03
147. Trevor McKinney Noble, IL 5 08-02 54
Day 1: 5 08-02
148. Kollin Crawford Broken Bow, OK 5 08-01 53
Day 1: 5 08-01
148. Lance Crawford Broken Bow, OK 5 08-01 53
Day 1: 5 08-01
148. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 5 08-01 53
Day 1: 5 08-01
151. Jason Abram Piney Flats, TN 5 07-15 50
Day 1: 5 07-15
151. Steven Doolittle Chelsea, OK 5 07-15 50
Day 1: 5 07-15
153. Gary Clouse Winchester, TN 5 07-14 48
Day 1: 5 07-14
154. Logan Johnson Jasper, AL 5 07-13 47
Day 1: 5 07-13
155. Bryan Partak Marseilles, IL 5 07-11 46
Day 1: 5 07-11
156. Sean Anderson Leesville, SC 5 07-10 45
Day 1: 5 07-10
157. Andrew Upshaw Hemphill, TX 5 07-10 44
Day 1: 5 07-10
158. Kelvin Wilcox Hazlehurst, GA 5 07-08 43
Day 1: 5 07-08
159. Bobby Bakewell Orlando, FL 5 07-05 42
Day 1: 5 07-05
160. Clay Dyer Fayetteville, TN 5 07-04 41
Day 1: 5 07-04
160. Wardell Motley III Little Rock, AR 5 07-04 41
Day 1: 5 07-04
162. Allan Nail Sand Springs, OK 5 07-04 39
Day 1: 5 07-04
163. Richard Kaluba Litchfield, OH 5 07-03 38
Day 1: 5 07-03
164. Stan Kaminski Jonestown, TX 5 07-03 37
Day 1: 5 07-03
165. Joe Wieberg Freeburg, MO 5 07-02 36
Day 1: 5 07-02
166. Phillip Kroll Otego, NY 5 07-02 35
Day 1: 5 07-02
167. Stephanie Hemphill - Pellerin Village Mills, TX 5 07-01 34
Day 1: 5 07-01
167. Ish Monroe Oakdale, CA 5 07-01 34
Day 1: 5 07-01
169. Zach Goutremout Chaumont, NY 5 06-12 32
Day 1: 5 06-12
170. Jackson Swisher Lake City, FL 5 06-12 31
Day 1: 5 06-12
171. Derek Lehtonen Woodruff, SC 5 06-06 30
Day 1: 5 06-06
172. Derrick Sadlowski Monaca, PA 5 06-03 29
Day 1: 5 06-03
172. Jack Tindel III Orange, TX 5 06-03 29
Day 1: 5 06-03
174. Mike Mayo Athens, TX 5 06-02 27
Day 1: 5 06-02
175. Cole Drummond Effingham, SC 5 05-15 26
Day 1: 5 05-15
176. Craig Danna West Monroe, LA 5 05-14 25
Day 1: 5 05-14
177. Bo Thomas Edwardsburg, MI 5 05-13 24
Day 1: 5 05-13
178. Mark Hooker Montgomery, TX 3 05-13 23
Day 1: 3 05-13
179. Caden Cowan Stephenville, TX 4 05-06 22
Day 1: 4 05-06
180. Andrew Harp Linden, TX 4 05-03 21
Day 1: 4 05-03
181. Brian Mathis Manchaca, TX 2 04-13 20
Day 1: 2 04-13
182. Tim Frederick Leesburg, FL 4 04-06 19
Day 1: 4 04-06
182. Dylan Mayo Athens, TX 4 04-06 19
Day 1: 4 04-06
184. Mike Rhinehart Pottsville, AR 3 03-10 17
Day 1: 3 03-10
185. Satoshi Egawa Fort Lee, NJ 2 03-06 16
Day 1: 2 03-06
186. Wyatt Wimberley Broaddus, TX 2 03-02 15
Day 1: 2 03-02
187. Kyle Metzger Pearl River, LA 1 02-12 14
Day 1: 1 02-12
188. Chancy Walters West Des Moines, IA 2 02-06 13
Day 1: 2 02-06
189. Tony Dumitras Winston, GA 2 02-03 12
Day 1: 2 02-03
190. Billy Smith Montgomery, TX 2 02-02 11
Day 1: 2 02-02
191. Michael Cooper Franklin, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
191. Bryan Finch Belton, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
191. Scott Kerslake Okeechobee, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
191. Wardell Motley Jr Cleburne, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
191. Tucker Veronee Gilbert, SC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 176 919 1887-02
------------------------------
176 919 1887-02
2024 St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Logan Martin Lake presented by SEVIIN 5/2-5/4
Logan Martin Lake, Lincoln AL.
(NON_BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Niko Romero Coldspring, TX 3 07-12 200
Day 1: 3 07-12
2. Jamie Mckinney Alpine, AL 3 07-03 199
Day 1: 3 07-03
3. Chris Gaudin East Camden, AR 3 07-01 198
Day 1: 3 07-01
3. Mark Guhne Hixson, TN 3 07-01 198
Day 1: 3 07-01
5. Richard Greene Ocala, FL 3 06-14 196
Day 1: 3 06-14
5. Chad Stahl Barnesville, GA 3 06-14 196
Day 1: 3 06-14
7. Steve Dycus Woodstock, GA 3 06-13 194
Day 1: 3 06-13
7. Stephen Mickle Pell City, AL 3 06-13 194
Day 1: 3 06-13
9. Bob Morin Seymour, TN 3 06-12 192
Day 1: 3 06-12
10. Curtis Gossett Pell City, AL 3 06-11 191
Day 1: 3 06-11
11. Jon Mohon Sr Metairie, LA 3 06-09 190
Day 1: 3 06-09
12. Donald Biggs Murphysboro, IL 3 06-06 189
Day 1: 3 06-06
13. Sakae Ushio Tonawanda, NY 3 06-04 188
Day 1: 3 06-04
14. Michael Leach Shenandoah, TX 3 06-03 187
Day 1: 3 06-03
14. Todd Lee Jasper, AL 3 06-03 187
Day 1: 3 06-03
16. Charles Bowman II Kernersville, NC 3 06-02 185
Day 1: 3 06-02
17. David Waack Cary, NC 3 05-14 184
Day 1: 3 05-14
18. Coltan Morris Cropwell, AL 3 05-14 183
Day 1: 3 05-14
19. Phillip Beavers Dallas, GA 3 05-12 182
Day 1: 3 05-12
19. Dylan Connell Marion, IL 3 05-12 182
Day 1: 3 05-12
21. Larry Beauboeuf Bossier City, LA 3 05-09 180
Day 1: 3 05-09
21. Jerry Gonzalez Rivero Laredo TX Coah MEXICO 3 05-09 180
Day 1: 3 05-09
21. Ross Williams Pell City, AL 3 05-09 180
Day 1: 3 05-09
24. Jimmy Brumfield Madison, MS 3 05-08 177
Day 1: 3 05-08
24. Donney Rorie Rienzi, MS 3 05-08 177
Day 1: 3 05-08
26. Tristan Bramblett Tiger, GA 3 05-07 175
Day 1: 3 05-07
27. Jon Paulovich Benton, AR 3 05-07 174
Day 1: 3 05-07
28. Brandon Clayton Haslet , TX 3 05-06 173
Day 1: 3 05-06
29. Gary Haraguchi Murfreesboro, TN 3 05-05 172
Day 1: 3 05-05
30. Mike Steckel Las Vegas, NV 3 05-03 171
Day 1: 3 05-03
31. John Goul Philadelphia, MS 3 05-02 170
Day 1: 3 05-02
32. Justin Romines Riverside, AL 3 05-01 169
Day 1: 3 05-01
33. Sho Egawa Osaka JAPAN 3 04-13 168
Day 1: 3 04-13
34. Ryan Rodgers Perry, OK 3 04-12 167
Day 1: 3 04-12
34. David Taylor Navarre, FL 3 04-12 167
Day 1: 3 04-12
36. Hayden Spradling Gilbert, AZ 3 04-11 165
Day 1: 3 04-11
37. Danny Hanna Jr Corsicana, TX 3 04-10 164
Day 1: 3 04-10
37. Dale Roesener Las Vegas, NV 3 04-10 164
Day 1: 3 04-10
39. Buddy Elston Jr. Birminghanm, AL 3 04-10 162
Day 1: 3 04-10
40. Lee McClendon Jr Trussville, AL 3 04-06 161
Day 1: 3 04-06
40. Keena Robins Tupelo, MS 3 04-06 161
Day 1: 3 04-06
40. Brian Strickland Yantis, TX 3 04-06 161
Day 1: 3 04-06
43. Jimmy Obrien Southampton, NY 3 04-06 158
Day 1: 3 04-06
44. Michael Doty Weaver, AL 3 04-04 157
Day 1: 3 04-04
44. Will Storey Hoover, AL 3 04-04 157
Day 1: 3 04-04
46. John Connell Marion, IL 3 04-03 155
Day 1: 3 04-03
46. Derek Dixon Pearcy, AR 3 04-03 155
Day 1: 3 04-03
46. Gene Mitchell Stuart, OK 3 04-03 155
Day 1: 3 04-03
49. Billy Johnson Nashville, TN 3 04-02 152
Day 1: 3 04-02
50. William Seabrook Douglasville, GA 3 04-01 151
Day 1: 3 04-01
51. Kristian Johnson Belvidere, NJ 3 04-00 150
Day 1: 3 04-00
52. Randy Woodley Harvest, AL 3 03-15 149
Day 1: 3 03-15
53. Albert Jones Jr Covington, GA 3 03-14 148
Day 1: 3 03-14
53. Zach Lineberry Dothan, AL 3 03-14 148
Day 1: 3 03-14
55. Ricck Seal Lincoln, AL 3 03-12 146
Day 1: 3 03-12
56. Zach Clark Newnan, GA 3 03-10 145
Day 1: 3 03-10
57. Troy Mims Suwanee, GA 3 03-10 144
Day 1: 3 03-10
58. Kyle Gates Little Rock, AR 2 03-10 143
Day 1: 2 03-10
59. Cameron Polley Hot Springs, AR 3 03-09 142
Day 1: 3 03-09
60. Tristian Dupuis Shreveport, LA 3 03-07 141
Day 1: 3 03-07
61. Clark Smallwood Paris, TX 1 03-07 140
Day 1: 1 03-07
62. Kara Moss Tyler, TX 2 03-06 139
Day 1: 2 03-06
63. Sheldon Hipps Mooresville, NC 2 03-05 138
Day 1: 2 03-05
64. Karl Voss Sulphur, LA 3 03-01 137
Day 1: 3 03-01
65. Eddie Kidd Fort Moore, GA 2 02-13 136
Day 1: 2 02-13
66. Allen Heston Pittsburg, TX 2 02-11 135
Day 1: 2 02-11
67. Jason Barber Gun Barrel City, TX 2 02-08 134
Day 1: 2 02-08
68. Sandra Sullivan Duluth, GA 2 02-04 133
Day 1: 2 02-04
69. Trent Layton Warrior, AL 1 02-04 132
Day 1: 1 02-04
70. Nathan Ewing Denver, NC 1 01-14 131
Day 1: 1 01-14
71. Steven Pellerin Lumberton, TX 2 01-13 130
Day 1: 2 01-13
72. Joe Lineberry Jr Ramseaur, NC 1 01-12 129
Day 1: 1 01-12
73. Daniel Vasquez Boynton Beach, FL 1 01-07 128
Day 1: 1 01-07
74. Aj Mays Sherwood, AR 1 01-04 127
Day 1: 1 01-04
75. Adam Tims Royse City, TX 1 01-02 126
Day 1: 1 01-02
76. Mark Winfield Eatonton, GA 1 01-00 125
Day 1: 1 01-00
77. Gary Bates Athens, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
77. Bill Bonner Wetumpka, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
77. Steve Kline Normangee, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
77. Derek Lankford Lanett , AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
77. Greg O'Neal Winchester, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
77. Matt White Valley, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 60 204 348-05
------------------------------
60 204 348-05
Rising Water Woes with MDJ
By Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships
Mother Nature and Lake Eufaula in central Oklahoma have been throwing Bass Pro Tour competitors plenty of curveballs for Millertech Stage Four presented by REDCON1. Round after round of severe weather has passed through the area during practice and the start of the tournament, bringing plenty of rain along with the storm systems.
Lake Eufaula is known for its off-colored water in stable conditions but this week the massive body of water, which is the largest in Oklahoma, has risen over four feet. And while higher water means lots of flooded cover to cast at, the influx of muddy water has come extremely quickly, which Mark Daniels Jr. believes is largely to blame for the tough fishing experienced so far this week.
“It’s been crazy out here man,” MDJ said shaking his head. “High water is not a bad thing, but water raising multiple feet in just a day or two makes fishing challenging in my experience. Especially when you factor in that a lot of these Eufaula bass are setting up to spawn right now.
“Bass want a stable place to make their bed and lay their eggs, so they aren’t as likely to move up with the rising water. That means if a fish was setup in two feet of water, she’s now down there in six plus feet of dirty water and they are just extremely tough to fish for in that scenario. And we’re seeing that on the SCORETRACKER right now.”
MDJ and most of the BPT field believe catch rates on Eufaula will improve as the water stabilizes, but they are having to grind through the Qualifying Rounds in hopes to survive and move on to the weekend.
During his first day on the water, the Team Toyota pro tried multiple different patterns and exhausted every area he found in practice, but ultimately it proved to be an extremely tough day of fishing. MDJ caught three scoreable bass, anchored by a 5-pound 12-ounce largemouth that kept him in contention of the money and elimination lines.
The California native who now resides in Alabama believes staying positive and cycling through multiple patterns, techniques, and lures in areas he has confidence in is his best chance in the current conditions on Eufaula.
“On Tuesday I spent the first period chasing the shad spawn with crankbaits and spinnerbaits. Then I flipped bushes for a couple of hours. Both proved futile. I mean I didn’t catch a twelve-incher,” MDJ admitted. “About halfway through the second period I started running boat docks and caught a few, including the big girl, and thank God for that fish. She saved my day.
“While my day sounds like a trainwreck, and it mostly was, I am convinced keeping multiple patterns honest is the best way to deal with these conditions. Spring rains and big weather events make things difficult for lots of weekend anglers around the country.
When that happens just keep your head down and don’t get tunnel vision. The bass are still there, you just gotta adapt with them.”
Anytime you are fishing, especially when the bite is fickle, you are only one decision away from turning a tough day around and like MDJ proved on Lake Eufaula, only one cast away from a big fish that can change your mood in a hurry.
Spring conditions await B.A.S.S. Nation anglers on the Upper Mississippi River
May 2, 2024
Spring conditions await B.A.S.S. Nation anglers on the Upper Mississippi River
LA CROSSE, Wis. — Spring will be in full swing when anglers arrive for the Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Northern Qualifier at Mississippi River presented by Lowrance, which means the bass fishing will be phenomenal, according to Galesville, Wis., angler Nick Trim.
“It will be a really good tournament. Everyone will be pretty spread out,” said Trim, who fishes the St. Croix Bassmaster Opens presented by SEVIIN. “We are hitting this thing perfectly. It is going to be a slugfest.”
Tournament days are scheduled for May 8-10, with daily takeoffs scheduled for 7 a.m. CT at Copeland Park. Competitors will return to the park for weigh-ins each day at 3 p.m. The Top 40 competitors after Day 2 will advance to the final day, and the top 10% will qualify for the Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Championship presented by Lowrance, scheduled for Nov. 6-8 on Oklahoma’s Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees.
Pools 7, 8 and 9 of the Upper Mississippi River have been a staple on the Bassmaster Tournament Trail for many years now, but those events have usually happened in the mid- to late summer months. This time, anglers will enjoy spring fever, and the bass will likely be in a prespawn or spawning mode.
“Those first weeks of May can be a really good spawning time if you can hit the moon phase right, which we are going to hit perfectly,” said Trim, who holds multiple BFL titles on the river. “The last day of practice is a new moon. The smallmouth for sure will be pushing up, and there will be certain backwaters where the largemouth will push up.”
Grass is usually a large part of the equation, but Trim said most of the new grass for the year will not be growing up yet.
“Some of the backwaters where there isn’t a lot of current and places like Lake Onalaska will have a lot of grass,” he said. “A lot of the coontail and milfoil will still be around from last year in the bays and backwater areas unless we get extremely high water. But as far as new growth, the eelgrass and things like that, I don’t expect any of that to come into play.”
Trim believes any section of the river could produce the winning bag of bass. In his mind, the smallmouth will be close to their spawning grounds, if not spawning already, when anglers get there.
“I think it will be won fishing beds for spawning smallmouth, but I wouldn’t rule out the prespawn and staging bite either,” Trim said. “There have only been one or two years where I have been able to visually see the fish without some sort of electronics. I’m using Humminbird 360 to find the beds and then Garmin LiveScope to watch the reaction to my bait.”
Anglers will be able to target main-river wing dams, points, points of islands, current breaks and eddies for smallmouth still in the prespawn.
“When you find them, it is a lot of fun. You can catch them every single cast for hours,” Trim said. “They get into these huge schools and gorge themselves before the spawn.”
The largemouth, meanwhile, tend to spawn later than the smallmouth and will be in a prespawn mode and will be found in backwater areas.
“They will be one or two stops away from their spawning areas,” Trim said. “The Black River will probably be a big player for largemouth. There’s not a lot of flow there. No matter how high the water gets, that will have the same flow. They will sit in the current breaks on the backside of the points and island heads close to where they will spawn.
“If it gets warm, as shallow as you can get your boat is where you can catch them.”
Expect Senkos, jerkbaits, swim jigs and Carolina rigs all to play in this event, as well as drop shots and Ned rigs.
Explore La Crosse is hosting the event.
2024 Bassmaster Nation Series Title Sponsor: Mercury
2024 Bassmaster Nation Series Presenting Sponsor: Lowrance
2024 Bassmaster Nation Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2024 Bassmaster Nation Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Progressive Insurance, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2024 Bassmaster Nation Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew's, Lowrance, Marathon, Triton Boats, VMC
2024 Bassmaster Nation Series Youth Sponsors: Seaguar, Shimano
About B.A.S.S.B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, 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), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
Early bites will be key for Bassmaster Elite Series event on Lake Murray
May 2, 2024
Early bites will be key for Bassmaster Elite Series event on Lake Murray
COLUMBIA, S.C. — We often hear that the early bird gets the worm, but morphing this timeless idiom into “the early bass gets the baitfish,” aptly describes Brandon Cobb’s general expectation for the Minn Kota Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray.
Competition days will be May 9-12 with daily takeoffs from Dreher Island State Park at 7 a.m. ET and weigh-ins each day back at the park at 3 p.m.
Like all of his Elite competitors, Cobb understands the basic premise that bass typically feed best during daybreak’s lowlight conditions. However, he stresses the seasonal specifics of a Lake Murray favorite.
“I think you’ll see a lot of shad spawn and blueback herring spawn fishing,” Cobb said of this 48,000-acre Saluda River reservoir. “That’s where the majority of the weight will come from. There are very few other ways to compete when that happens, so 100%, the predominant pattern will be the shad and herring spawn.”
Complementing naturally occurring threadfin shad, bluebacks are a diadromous species which migrates between fresh and saltwater in its native range. Following accidental introductions, the species has thrived in Murray.
Typically a nomadic species that favors deep offshore waters, the herring become more easily targeted during their spring spawns. For herring and threadfin shad, the early morning hours see the tail end of what was largely an overnight spawn.
For this reason, many of the Elite anglers will rush to their best shorelines with docks, seawalls and other hard cover to capitalize on a rapidly closing window of daybreak opportunity. Intense sunlight pushes the baitfish low, but cloudy mornings may extend the shad/blueback spawns a little longer.
“Murray is one of the most prevalent blueback lakes in our area,” Cobb noted. “A lot of times, the shad and the herring will spawn in the same areas, so you may not know if you’re fishing for bass that are eating shad or herring.”
While spinnerbaits, bladed jigs and swim jigs see a lot of pure shad spawn action, herring lakes tend to find topwaters delivering the best results. Herring are fast movers, so bass respond best to a peppy cadence.
Cobb, who hails from Greenwood, S.C., about an hour west of Murray, calls Lake Greenwood (the next lake upstream) his home waters. While he hasn’t fished Murray since last year’s Elite, seasonal weather patterns provide relevant insight.
“We’ve had the muddiest winter and spring on Lake Greenwood that I can ever remember,” Cobb said. “We had a winter where we got so much rain that it pushed the mud all the way to the (Buzzard’s Roost Dam) and from there, it goes to Murray.
“As soon as Greenwood would try to clear, we’d have another rain, so it basically stayed muddy all winter.”
The Elite tournament will be significantly removed from the muddiest period, but Cobb said there could be some level of remnant turbidity lingering in the main-river section. Elsewhere, he’s looking for typical spring clarity.
A week prior to the tournament, Murray’s water level stood about 2 feet below full pool. The 2023 Elite event at Lake Murray saw the lake rising from a scheduled drawdown, but this year will offer stability.
“Unless they’re working on the dam or something, Murray stays pretty stable,” Cobb said. “When they drew it down (in the fall of 2022 through the winter of 2023), that was because they were trying to eliminate the pondweed that was growing in Murray.”
In terms of bass life cycle, this year’s event will likely see a different complexion. Taking place in the fourth week of April, the 2023 Elite saw a significant amount of bed fishing — including that of Florida’s Drew Benton, who won with a four-day total of 87 pounds.
This time around Cobb’s not completely counting out the bed fishing game, but his local experience tells him it’s unlikely to be the main deal. This, he said, will probably pull the overall weights down a little from the 2023 levels.
“I’m not going to say it’s going to be tough, but last time, it was pretty crazy,” he said. “I think this year, you’ll need about 18 pounds a day to make the Top 10, and I would say 21 to 22 a day to win.”
Noting that he expects all of Murray to be in play, Cobb said he believes the field will spread out to search for those early shad/herring spawns. After the early-morning activity subsides, many will transition to dock fishing as the bass that had been capitalizing on shad spawns move to the nearest cover.
Stressing what he considers a key mindset, Cobb concludes: “The way the fish are this time of year, you might get some big groups of fish, but it’s hard to get them to bite all day. You’re going to have to keep moving.”
Bassmaster LIVE will be streaming on Bassmaster.com all four days, and coverage will also be available on FS1 on Saturday at 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. ET and Sunday at 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET.
The event is being hosted by Capital City Lake Murray Country.
2024 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2024 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Progressive Insurance, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2024 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew's, Lowrance, Marathon, Triton Boats, VMC
About B.A.S.S.B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, 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), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
Leo Osborne’s Eufaula, OK Flashback
By Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
Major League Fishing pros who find themselves mentally rattled by fast rising muddy water at this week’s Millertech Stage Four Bass Pro Tour event on Lake Eufaula, Oklahoma might want to ask, “What would Leo do?”
This very same week in 1999, Lake Eufaula, Oklahoma water levels were right at normal elevation when pros began practice. Then, storms and torrential rainfall saw the massive reservoir rise more than four feet by Day 1 of competition, a mirror image of what’s happened in the shadow of rough storms and tornado sightings the past five days.
Local fishing legend and lifetime Crowder, OK resident, Leo Osborne pitched a uniquely colored plastic worm to flooded bushes back in ’99 and notched the biggest win of a fishing career decorated with wins and high finishes on the sprawling 108,000-acre lake.
The event was the Bassmaster Central Invitational. The former machine shop owner and previous Dr. Pepper delivery route driver recalls getting several bites in practice with longtime best buddy, Orlean Smith before storms forced them off the water, and sent them running to their trucks.
Rained-out for hours, their practice session was strong enough that Osborne actually believed he and Smith had located the winning area, whether it would be himself or another angler, he truly believed the area would ultimately produce the winning weight.
And it did. Osborne caught 50-pounds of largemouth in three days from his favorite bushes, and while other competitors crowded him on the water amid the final two days of competition, he kept his head down, stayed in the general area, and kept pitching his Gene Larew electric blue worm with a white tail -- at one point catching twin 5-pounders off the same exact flooded persimmon tree.
“A lot of guys commented after I won that they’d never seen a worm that color. I told them neither had the bass. That’s why it worked so well,” laughs the good-humored Osborne who still lives in Crowder and will soon celebrate his 81 st birthday.
His first-place prize was $16,000 cash and a brand-new boat valued at $32,000. So, what would the former little league baseball coach tell anglers to do this week? “They’ll be a bunch of them too busy staring at that sonar screen to consider flippin’ bushes, but I’d tell them to get in those flooded bushes, and don’t come out until your boat carpet is covered in stray limbs
and willow leaves, that’s when you know you were fishing as thorough as you need to,” he grins.
Yup, no question about it, he’d be pitchin’ soft plastics to flooded bushes this week.
That’s exactly what Leo would do.
Rookie Martin Villa Cruises to Group B Lead at MLF Bass Pro Tour Stage Four at Lake Eufaula
Virginia pro leads Group B by 3 pounds, 9 ounces after Day 1, Group A to wrap up two-day Qualifying Round Thursday
EUFAULA, Okla. (May 1, 2024) – A Lake Eufaula that had been stingy on Day 1 of the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour MillerTech Stage Four Presented by REDCON1 proved a bit more fruitful when Group B took to the water Wednesday for its opening day Qualifying Round. Rookie pro Martin Villa of Charlottesville, Virginia, led the charge, stacking 13 scorable bass for 34 pounds, 15 ounces on SCORETRACKER®.
After spring thunderstorms caused the lake level to spike nearly 4 feet between the start of practice and the start of the event, it stabilized overnight, and the fish became more cooperative. Villa was one of three pros to top 30 pounds after no one hit that mark in Group A. He leads Takahiro Omori of Tokyo, Japan, by 3-9, with Randy Howell of Guntersville, Alabama, just 5 ounces back of Omori.
The six-day tournament, hosted by Vision Eufaula , showcases 79 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing for a purse of $659,000, including a top payout of $100,000 and valuable Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) points in hopes of qualifying for the General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and REDCREST 2025, the Bass Pro Tour championship.
Villa’s near-35-pound outing didn’t unfold nearly as smoothly as it might seem. The Bass Pro Tour rookie arrived at his starting spot to find current roaring through the area, which made it difficult to fish.
He then made an adjustment and caught the bulk of his weight — nine scorable bass for 25-0 — in about a two-hour span before an equipment issue prevented him from running any new water. He spent the entirety of the third period only using his trolling motor.
“When I got to my first stop, there was a pile of current ripping through there,” Villa said. “Combine that with a little bit of wind, it kind of made it difficult for me. But it ended up being a blessing in disguise, because I knew that something had changed. I completely opened my mind up, because going into that, I thought I had one thing I was looking for, and it was completely not what I was looking for. And so, I was grateful that I was able to make the adjustment.”
Villa didn’t want to divulge too many details about his tactics, but said he used finesse techniques to catch most of his bass. He fished both shallow and offshore, with a few of his fish coming from a shad spawn bite.
The biggest key, he said, was simply finding areas “where there’s some life.” He compared the current state of Eufaula, with swaths of muddy water making portions of the 100,000-plus-acre reservoir unfishable, to Lake Okeechobee in that regard — except this week, those lifeless zones are constantly moving.
“They’re letting water loose now, and so that red mud is moving miles each day,” Villa said. “And when the wind blows with the current, it seems like it just flies out of there. I felt like I was on a tidal river when you got to certain areas.”
Once he made his adjustment, Villa generated bites in bunches. He supplemented his quantity with quality, boating a pair of 4-pounders. With catch numbers still fairly low across the field Wednesday — only 15 of 40 competitors caught at least five scorable bass — it looks like fooling fish of that caliber will be key. Eight of the Top 10 anglers in Group B landed at least one 4-pounder, and Villa caught two.
“It’s huge, because one quality female right now is worth three males,” he said. “And it’s not like we’re catching 30 scorables a day.”
While Villa felt good about making a successful adjustment, he’s concerned he’ll need to do so again when Group B returns to the water on Friday. In his words, “the one constant is change” on Eufaula this week.
Given his cushion of more than 18 pounds over the cut line, his hope is to catch five scorable bass early Friday, then use the rest of the day to explore new areas of the reservoir in preparation for the Knockout Round.
“I hope that I can do my job as a professional angler and put five fish in the boat,” Villa said. “I do feel like if I’m able to put some weight in the boat early, I owe it to myself to try some different stuff.”
The 40 anglers in Group B will now have an off day from competition Thursday, while the 39 anglers competing in Group A will wrap up their two-day Qualifying Round. Group B will finish their Qualifying Round on Friday.
The top 20 pros in Group B after Day 1 on Lake Eufaula are:
1st: Martin Villa, Charlottesville, Va., 13 bass, 34-15
2nd: Takahiro Omori, Tokyo, Japan, 12 bass, 31-6
3rd: Randy Howell, Guntersville, Ala., 13 bass, 31-1
4th: Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 10 bass, 26-9
5th: Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., 10 bass, 23-3
6th: Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif., eight bass, 19-13
7th: Jeff Sprague, Wills Point, Texas, seven bass, 19-2
8th: Britt Myers, Lake Wylie, S.C., seven bass, 18-11
9th: Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., five bass, 16-14
10th: Gary Klein, Mingus, Texas, six bass, 16-4
11th: Terry Scroggins, San Mateo, Fla., eight bass, 15-0
12th: John Murray, Spring City, Tenn., six bass, 13-11
13th: Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla., five bass, 13-9
14th: Jacob Wall, New Hope, Ala., five bass, 12-7
15th: Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., five bass, 11-3
16th: Gerald Spohrer, Gonzales, La., four bass, 10-0
17th: Greg Vinson, Wetumpka, Ala., two bass, 9-3
18th: Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich., four bass, 9-2
19th: Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., three bass, 8-12
20th: Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala., four bass, 8-7
A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Bass Pro Shops pro Ott DeFoe of Blaine, Tennessee earned the $1,000 Berkley Big Bass award after a 5-pound,9-ounce largemouth bit his wacky rig in Period 3. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day, and another $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament.
The 39 Anglers in Group A compete in their two-day Qualifying Round on Tuesday and Thursday – the 40 anglers in Group B on Wednesday and Friday. After each two-day Qualifying Round is complete, the anglers that finish first through 10th from both groups advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the remaining 20 anglers compete to finish in the top 10 to advance to Sunday’s Championship Round. In the final-day Championship Round, weights are zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.
Anglers will launch at 7:30 a.m. CT each day from the Peter’s Point-Nichols Point Boat Ramp, located on Dabbs Road in Eufaula. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will be held at the boat ramp, beginning at 4 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLFNOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The MLFNOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action live on the final four days of competition from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT. MLFNOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
On Saturday and Sunday, May 4-5, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. MLF welcomes fans of all ages to visit Peter’s Point-Nichols Point for the MLF Watch Party and Kids Fishing Derby. Fans can watch the pros live on the MLFNOW! big screen, enjoy free food, enter to win hourly giveaways and cheer on their favorite pros. The first 50 kids 14 and under will receive a free rod and reel from Pure Fishing each day. Additional fishing gear will be provided onsite for the fishing derby or kids can bring their own. The final 10 Championship Round Bass Pro Tour anglers will be on hand at the trophy celebration on Championship Sunday to meet and greet fans, sign autographs and take selfies.
The MillerTech Stage Four at Lake Eufaula Presented by REDCON1 features the MLF catch, weigh, immediate-release format, in which anglers catch as much weight as they can each day, while also feeling the pressure and intensity of the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard. The tournament features anglers competing with a 1-pound, 8-ounce minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. The MLF Fisheries Management Division determines minimum weights for each body of water that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.
The Bass Pro Tour features a field of 79 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2025 championship.
It’s early, but Stage Four continues to look like it might shake up the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year race in a major way. A day after points leader Jacob Wheeler got off to a slow start in Group A, both Jesse Wiggins and Michael Neal — who entered the event in the top five in the season-long standings — find themselves well outside the Top 10 in Group B. The battle to claim the $100,000 prize might look very different once competition concludes on Eufaula.
Fishing Clash, an interactive 3D fishing simulation game that’s played by more than 80 million people worldwide, is the official AOY sponsor of the Bass Pro Tour, Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, Toyota Series and Phoenix Bass Fishing League. You can download Fishing Clash for free in the App Store and on Google Play or log on to www.fishingclash.game for more information.
Television coverage of the MillerTech Stage Four at Lake Eufaula Presented by REDCON1 Knockout Round will air as a two-hour episode starting at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 12 on Discovery, with the Championship Round premiering on Oct. 19. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on Outdoor Channel.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, BUBBA, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Garmin, General Tire, Humminbird, Lowrance, Mercury, MillerTech, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak Fishing, NITRO, Onyx, Plano, Power-Pole, Rapala, REDCON1, Star brite, Suzuki, Toyota, WIX Filters and U.S. Air Force.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Scroggins and Myers detail a stormy weekend at Eufaula
Team Toyota’s Terry “Big Show” Scroggins and his longtime roommate Britt Myers have 38-years of combined pro angling experience, but neither of them recall a weekend on the road full of life-threatening weather like they faced this past weekend during practice for Major League Fishing’s Millertech Stage Four of the Bass Pro Tour event at Lake Eufaula, OK.
“Neither of us had ever been to Eufaula, Oklahoma in our lives, and the first day of practice on this 108,000-acre lake was full of 20-mph winds, waves that were 3-feet tall, and a trip to the tornado shelter that night,” says Scroggins.
Not exactly the kind of weather the local chamber of commerce hoped would greet their pro angling guests, but it’s late April, it’s Oklahoma, and tornadoes are unfortunately a challenging part of life around here each spring.
“Around midnight after the first day of practice, our cell phones started going crazy with tornado alerts, so we jumped in my Tundra and joined about 15 local residents in the tornado shelter,” says Myers.
That was a rough night. Nobody was hurt. No Toyota Tundras or high-performance bass boats were damaged, but the weather was far from playing nice. Roughly 17 hours later, several anglers captured cell phone video footage of a tornado hanging over the lake as they wrapped up Sunday’s practice.
“Guys were calling each other, saying to run for shelter. It was nuts. And sure enough, before long, we were all running back to this tornado shelter again,” says Myers.
Scroggins says he’s seen terrible storms on Table Rock, MO, and a tornado that once crossed the opposite end of where he was fishing on Guntersville, AL, but never has he been summoned to a tornado shelter twice in one weekend.
“We’re dealing with a lot right now on Eufaula. First off, most of us have never fished here, but on top of that, we’ve been in a tornado shelter twice while the water got crazy muddy and rose 4-feet. But as much as anything, you’ve had to get a grip on when it’s time to run for cover,” smiles Scroggins, shaking his head.
Now that’s a variable nobody, including some of America’s top pro anglers, want to make a habit of trying to figure out.
Surely the weather and the fishing will stabilize far better by the event’s conclusion on Sunday, and more than anything, that Scroggins and Myers won’t find themselves back in the tornado shelter for the third time.
Rookie Jason Vance Grabs Early Lead at Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour Stage Four at Lake Eufaula
Indiana pro weighs in 28 pounds, 1 ounce to lead after Day 1 for Group A – Group B begins competition Wednesday
EUFAULA, Okla. (April 30, 2024) – If anglers thought they knew what to expect when Lake Eufaula made its Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour debut at MillerTech Stage Four Presented by REDCON1 , Mother Nature made sure to rewrite the script.
In the days prior to Group A’s first day of the qualifying round, a series of spring thunderstorms – which included three separate tornado warnings – dumped rain on the Oklahoma impoundment. As a result, the lake level rose nearly 4 feet from the start of practice to the start of competition; the influx flooding a new swath of shallow cover and muddying large stretches of water.
The seismic shift produced a challenging bite for many of the 39 anglers who took to the water Tuesday. But pro Jason Vance of Battle Ground, Indiana , managed to boat 13 scorable bass totaling 28 pounds, 1 ounce. One of three anglers to top 20 pounds amid the changing conditions, the Indiana pro sits atop SCORETRACKER® in Group A, leading second-place angler Dave Lefebre of Erie, Pennsylvania, by 5-10.
The six-day tournament, hosted by Vision Eufaula , showcases 79 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing for a purse of $659,000, including a top payout of $100,000 and valuable Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) points in hopes of qualifying for the General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and REDCREST 2025, the Bass Pro Tour championship.
The 39 anglers in Group A will now have an off day from competition Wednesday, while the 40 anglers competing in Group B will begin their first day of competition. Group A will resume competition on Thursday.
Aside from losing his cell phone to the waters of Eufaula shortly after lines out, Tuesday unfolded better than Vance expected. The Bass Pro Tour rookie had sought out clean water during the third and final practice day and found a stretch where he got several bites in a row but struggled to hook up with the fish. When competition began, he figured out how to get those bass to commit.
“I got into some cleaner water, and that’s where I started getting bit, and that was on the last day of practice,” Vance said. “Was I expecting to catch (that total)? No, I wasn’t. But I just got bit really good there.”
One of a handful of anglers in the field with tournament experience on Eufaula, Vance first found his area during last year’s Tackle Warehouse Invitationals event on the fishery. He had to fish around some floating debris, but the water clarity generally held up well amid the lake’s rapid rise – not something that could be said for many areas.
“The water color varied where I was at,” the Bob’s Machine Shop pro said. “There were areas that were dirty and some that were cleaner. But it had a lot of sticks and twigs and stuff that had been blown into the area that I was in.”
Vance centered his strategy on finding the largest population of bass, targeting numbers rather than size. The 13 scorable bass he stacked on SCORETRACKER® were three more than the next-highest total. With bites not easy to come by – only 13 of 39 anglers caught at least five scorable fish – that strategy paid off.
“I’ve been trying to adapt from the five-fish limit to as many as you can catch, so I was just going for as many scorable as I could get,” he said. “That was my whole thought process – I just have to catch keepers.”
With more storms in the forecast, the conditions are sure to continue to change. But Vance is optimistic that his program can continue to produce. Not only did his water stay fairly stable, but he was also able to catch fish behind other anglers Tuesday.
Plus, Vance should have the luxury of getting some in-tournament practice time when Group A returns to the water on Thursday. Seeking his first Knockout Round appearance since joining the Bass Pro Tour, Vance hopes to catch about 15 pounds in the morning then use the rest of the day to explore new water.
“I’m going to power fish in the morning, and then once I feel like I’ve got probably at least 15 pounds, I’m going to lay off of them and go looking for some new areas,” he said. “That’s the strategy. Hopefully it works.”
The top 20 pros in Group A after Day 1 on Lake Eufaula are:
1st: Jason Vance, Battle Ground, Ind., 13 bass, 28-1
2nd: Dave Lefebre, Erie, Penn., 10 bass, 22-7
3rd: Dean Rojas, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., seven bass, 20-8
4th: Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., nine bass, 18-14
5th: Alton Jones Jr., Waco, Texas, six bass, 17-10
6th: Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky., five bass, 14-15
7th: Marshall Robinson, Landrum, S.C., five bass, 13-10
8th: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., six bass, 13-10
9th: Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., four bass, 13-5
10th: Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., five bass, 12-5
11th: Matthew Stefan, Junction City, Wis., five bass, 11-5
12th: Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 10-12
13th: Jonathon VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., three bass, 10-7
14th: Boyd Duckett, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 9-15
15th: Mark Daniels Jr., Tuskegee, Ala., three bass, 9-7
16th: Justin Cooper, Zwolle, La., five bass, 9-3
17th: Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala., three bass, 9-1
18th: Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo., four bass, 8-14
19th: Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., three bass, 8-11
20th: Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., three bass, 8-9
A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 140 scorable bass weighing 348 pounds, 15 ounces caught by 36 pros Thursday, which included one 6-pounder, five 5-pounders, nine 4-pounders and 16 3-pounders.
Jonathon VanDam of Kalamazoo, Michigan, earned Tuesday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award after a 6-pound, 8-ounce largemouth bit his drop-shot rig in Period 2. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day, and another $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament.
The 30 Anglers in Group A compete in their two-day Qualifying Round on Tuesday and Thursday – the 40 anglers in Group B on Wednesday and Friday. After each two-day Qualifying Round is complete, the anglers that finish first through 10th from both groups advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the remaining 20 anglers compete to finish in the top 10 to advance to Sunday’s Championship Round. In the final-day Championship Round, weights are zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.
Anglers will launch at 7:30 a.m. CT each day from the Peter’s Point-Nichols Point Boat Ramp, located on Dabbs Road in Eufaula. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will be held at the boat ramp, beginning at 4 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLFNOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The MLFNOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action live on the final four days of competition from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT. MLFNOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
On Saturday and Sunday, May 4-5, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. MLF welcomes fans of all ages to visit Peter’s Point-Nichols Point for the MLF Watch Party and Kids Fishing Derby. Fans can watch the pros live on the MLFNOW! big screen, enjoy free food, enter to win hourly giveaways and cheer on their favorite pros. The first 50 kids 14 and under will receive a free rod and reel from Pure Fishing each day. Additional fishing gear will be provided onsite for the fishing derby or kids can bring their own. The final 10 Championship Round Bass Pro Tour anglers will be on hand at the trophy celebration on Championship Sunday to meet and greet fans, sign autographs and take selfies.
The MillerTech Stage Four at Lake Eufaula Presented by REDCON1 features the MLF catch, weigh, immediate-release format, in which anglers catch as much weight as they can each day, while also feeling the pressure and intensity of the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard. The tournament features anglers competing with a 1-pound, 8-ounce minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. The MLF Fisheries Management Division determines minimum weights for each body of water that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.
The Bass Pro Tour features a field of 79 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2025 championship.
The 79 anglers taking on Lake Eufaula this week aren’t just battling for a first-place trophy and $100,000 payday. Valuable points in the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year race are also up for grabs. The winner of the season-long competition will take home an additional $100,000 check.
Fishing Clash, an interactive 3D fishing simulation game that’s played by more than 80 million people worldwide, is the official AOY sponsor of the Bass Pro Tour, Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, Toyota Series and Phoenix Bass Fishing League. You can download Fishing Clash for free in the App Store and on Google Play or log on to www.fishingclash.game for more information.
Television coverage of the MillerTech Stage Four at Lake Eufaula Presented by REDCON1 Knockout Round will air as a two-hour episode starting at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 12 on Discovery, with the Championship Round premiering on Oct. 19. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on Outdoor Channel.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, BUBBA, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Garmin, General Tire, Humminbird, Lowrance, Mercury, MillerTech, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak Fishing, NITRO, Onyx, Plano, Power-Pole, Rapala, REDCON1, Star brite, Suzuki, Toyota, WIX Filters and U.S. Air Force.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
2024 Strike King Big Bass Online Challenge Starts Wednesday!
Columbia, SC – With a long history of placing grassroots tournament engagement as a core value of the brand, Strike King® Lure Company has announced a new, month-long, digital tournament during May aimed at providing opportunities for anglers to win cash and prizes while doing something they’re already doing naturally – catching bass.
Whether anglers are competing, practicing for a tournament, or simply enjoying a day out on the water, the Big Bass Challenge USA offers participants the opportunity to submit their catches online. By doing so, they stand a chance to claim a share of the impressive prize pool comprised of cash and various other prizes, valued at more than $60,000.00 in total.
Scheduled from May 1st to 31st, ending at 11:59pm, the tournament invites participants to submit their catches via Fishing Chaos. This online tournament platform allows anglers to document their catches utilizing the Catch, Photo, Submit method.
Tournament format and payout structure:
Strike King Big Bass Challenge-USA offers 4 different categories for anglers to compete for chance to win cash, prizes from Strike King and Lew’s®, a Minn Kota® Ultrex Quest trolling motor, a Humminbird® Helix 12 fish finder, Humminbird LakeMaster Fishing Maps, Dakota Lithium batteries + charger, and more.
Category #1: Five Longest Bass Challenge
Category #2: Five Bass Limit Challenge
Category #3: Big Bass Bonus Challenge
Category #4: Social Media Content Challenge
Many anglers will already be familiar with the Strike King Big Bass Challenge name, as 2024 marks the fourth consecutive year of in-person Strike King Big Bass events that have been fished by thousands of anglers since its inception. However, the Big Bass Challenge USA creates an opportunity for all anglers to compete in a Big Bass Challenge without needing to haul a boat to a specific competition body of water.
“Our objective is creating a means for all anglers to compete in a Big Bass Challenge from anywhere in the United States. Regardless of if someone is a fishing from a boat, kayak, or the bank, we wanted to create an event that allows all anglers to compete for cash and prizes from any publicly accessible body of water in the country,” says Tom Brewbaker, Brand Marketing Director for Strike King. “You may catch the fish of a lifetime outside of a tournament, and now you’ll have an opportunity to score that fish in a competitive format and potentially win thousands of dollars for it!”
For rules, information, or to sign up for the Strike King Big Bass Challenge USA, visit https://app.fishingchaos.com/tournament/9XwOQMCRAUeTyPfBp6z7.
About Rather Outdoors
Rather Outdoors is a global outdoors corporation uniting some of the most recognizable brands in the fishing space. With historic and iconic brands such as Lew’s, Strike King, Quantum, Zebco, Fox, Matrix, Salmo, and Fox Rage, Rather Outdoors provides a wide assortment of fishing products worldwide in an effort to enhance angler’s success and the enjoyment of outdoor pursuits. To learn more about the Rather Outdoors brands, visit www.ratheroutdoors.com.
Travel Tuesday - Lake El Salto at the End of June
By Hanna Robbins - Half Past First Cast
You’re probably tired of me telling you this, but rooms at Lake El Salto and Lake Picachos are in short demand. That’s why I’m thrilled that Anglers Inn is allowing me to hold two or possibly three more rooms for our upcoming trip — for now. We’ll be down there from June 22-29, but there are also partial trips available. Just don’t delay any further, because eventually they’ll make me give them up.
For more reasons to go in June - click here
Two Questions
If you’ve never been there this time of year, you’re probably asking, “Isn’t it HOT?” Yes, it’s warm, but depending on where you live it may actually be cooler than home. That’s because every day the winds reliably start to blow in the late morning, which actually makes the mountain air quite comfortable (especially because of the low humidity).
Now, let me ask YOU a question: “Why aren’t you going???” The fishing for numbers of giants has been exceptional this year, it’s easy to get there, and it’s still a relative bargain compared to most other fishing destinations. Join our group of a dozen or so already heading that way and you’ll make some friends for life, and leave with more than a few fish stories. Email me today and let’s get the ball rolling.
My goal on every trip is to help you have the perfect experience — from preparation to fishing to accommodations to food and drink. It never costs you a penny more to book through me than through the lodges themselves and I promise to be on call as close to 24/7/365 as possible. Remember, I’m not in the fishing business, I’m in the DREAM FULFILLMENT BUSINESS. ~ Hanna Robbins
Phil Tilbury Triumphs at BAM TournamentTrail on California Delta
By Jody Only
After three days of fishing, boater Phil Tilbury of Oakdale, Calif., finished out the 3rd stop of the BAMTournament Trail Pro/Ams on the California Delta adding 16.88 to his three-day total for 61.41 and taking home the first-place pro payout for the 41-boat field at $7,709.54.
The tidal water fishery gave up fish in all stages of the spawn and was as stingy to some as it was as generous to others. Tilbury was one of only three anglers to weigh a 20-pound sack on Day One, securing a 2nd place position for his 21.67 and trailing by more than six-pounds. Increasing his weight to 22.86 on Day Two, he not only made up his six-pound deficit, he also put nearly a six-pound gap of his own, between him and his nearest competitor.
It turned out to be a lead large enough to negate the decline he had in his five-fish sack on Championship Sunday. A hard-fought fishing fight to the finish Tilbury feels incredibly rewarded to become the first Delta BAM Pro/Am champion.
“Anybody that fishes competitively, knows there’s a whole lot more down days than good,” he said. “To finally win one and beat some of these guys that are here this weekend is pretty amazing. And I say this weekend because you can’t catch ‘em tomorrow like you did today.”
Tilbury’s pattern included slow rolling a ChatterBait in sparse grass in lower tide. “A little bit of my problem today was too much water,” he shared. “I needed a lower tide to squeeze those fish into the grass line I was fishing. I knew I was losing it (the low tide) more and more every day as the tide (change) got later and later.”
Targeting post-spawners was his focus. “It’s been an eye-opener really finding out where these bigger fish go after post-spawn, because while you’re on top of the bank, your boats on top of the fish, he shared.”
Tilbury credited the majority of his weigh fish to a Z-Man JackHammer with a Yamamoto Zako trailer in an undisclosed size and color. His ChatterBait rig was tied to 20-pound Gamma Fluoro Edge spooled on a Shimano Chronarch paired to a 7’4”, medium-heavy St. Croix rod.
He also threw a BassPatrol Jig with a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver as the trailer and mentioned both Green Pumpkin and Black and Blue for preferred color options.
Top-10 2024 BAM Delta Pro/Am Boaters
PLACE PRO TOTAL WEIGHT TOTAL PAYOUT
1 Phil Tilbury 61.41 $7,709.54
2 Ish Monroe 57.16 $2,673.00
3 Ryan Hall 54.19 $2,202.73
4 Clint Groenewold 48.93 $2,392.45
5 Chris Parks 48.19 $2,172.18
6 Mark Mello 47.45 $1,541.91
7 Ken Mah 45.89 $1,321.64
8 Beau Joudrey 44.34 $1,401.36
9 JasonBradshaw 42.28 $1,101.36
10 Jason Austin 41.92 $881.09
Rodney Brown Bests Co-Angler Field
With a wire-to-wire win Rodney Brown of Sacramento, Calif., was crowned the co-angler champion in the draw-partner event for a tournament total of 49.70, earning $3,774.71for his effort.
Brown rode a rocket to the co-angler top spot, weighing 17.51 on Day One for a lead of more than four pounds. He added 15.27 to Day Two and widened his cushion to roughly seven-pounds, although he didn’t need it. By event’s end, Brown sat nearly14-pounds over the co-angler runner-up.
“It feels awesome; I can’t believe it,” said Brown of his victory. “I’ve been fishing many, many, many years, and these wins don’t come often. These fishermen are so good and I'm so excited to have won the BAM tournament.”
For the first two days on the water Brown fished Yamamoto Senkos and Kut Tail Worms in Green Pumpkin Blake Flake. “I was fishing those very slowly,” Brown added.
For the final day, Brown had his limit by 7:30 a.m. and then his bite died. He threw a Chatter Bait in Black and Blue and Blade Runner Spinnerbaits. “I fished them with Abu Garcia rods and reels,” he said. “My line was from my sponsors Berkley and P-Line / 1st Gen Fishing and thanks to Gone Fishin’ Marine.”
Top-10 2024 BAM Delta Pro/Am Non-Boaters
PLACE CO TOTAL TOTAL PAYOUT
1 Rodney Brown 49.7 $3,774.71
2 Chris Trumbull 35.85 $1,125.05
3 Scott Wightman 31.93 $1,217.78
4 Sean Omalley 31.13 $920.50
5 Anthony Stanko 30.81 $818.22
6 Dante Ray 29.83 $715.94
7 Michael Rincon Jr 29.42 $613.67
8 Joe Cote 28.51 $511.39
9 Brad Mccarthy 23.14 $511.39
10 Jason Bubier 20.86 $409.11
Full pro and co-angler results can be seen here.
The next BAM Tournament Trail Pro/Am will blast off Friday, June 28 at the Columbia River. Registration is underway.
Cashion Adds New Bait Finesse Rod, Expands its Most Affordable American-Made Rod Series
Key Features
- Proudly made in the USA
- Specifically engineered to work with finesse fishing techniques
- CR4r raw finish blank to encapsulate fibers for increased durability
- EVA foam butt
- Engineered ceramic size 5 guides for balance, sensitivity, and knot clearance
- Ergonomic hook keeper for easy and fast lure removal
- Exposed reel seat with cut-down threads for direct blank contact
- Cork grip for all day comfort
- 1 year warranty
Specifications for Cashion’s ELEMENT Bait Finesse System Rods
- Length: 6'10"
- Action: Fast
- Power: Med-Light
- Technique(s): Single Hook Finesse Baits, Ned Rigs, Drop Shots, Micro Jigs, Shaky Heads
- Line Weight: 4-10 lbs
- Lure Weight: 1/8 - 7/16 oz
- Handle Length: 9.5"
- Rear Grip: Cork
- Butt Grip: EVA Foam
- # of Guides: 8 + Tip
- SKU: EBFS610MLF
- MSRP: $129.95
About Cashion Rods
For More Information About Cashion’s Bait Finesse Rods, ELEMENT Series, and Full Line of Products
Motor City Walleyes
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Tips and tricks learned on the Detroit River can play into your walleye fishing hand. |
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MUSKEGON, Mich. (April 26, 2024) – Among bucket-list spring walleye fishing destinations, the Detroit River is legendary. With both trophy potential and numbers, the river draws scores of anglers each year, many partaking in the run as an annual rite. One of those anglers is Judson Rodriguez, who escorted Whitewater Fishing staff on the metro moving waters, all in search of big, photo-worthy fish. Below, Judson offers his advice for anglers thinking about fishing the Detroit—including the when, where, and how of it. |
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“In early April, the water temp was between 43.3- and 43.8 degrees. As we got into a little more stained water, the water temp came up a bit. We fished a lot of those water areas where clear water met dirty and found fish there, which is typical,” says Rodriguez. “There was a good mix of spawning females with lots of smaller males in the mix. We started fishing at 6:30 a.m. each day so we could see what we were doing. The best bite is typically around daybreak, so we had about an hour to pluck big females. Then, the rest of the day, it’s sorting males until about 6 p.m., and then you’ve got a shot at another big one.” Rodriguez says time of day and water clarity are consistently two big factors on the Detroit River and other major river systems—as well as water temperatures between 40 and 50 degrees. “For us, it was a mix of big fish still hanging around and others filtering back out.” |
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Technique How do you catch early-season Detroit River walleyes? Rodriguez calls the way he and locals fish “drop-drag jigging.” “The key is keeping your jig on bottom. And the current can be strong, so we’re using anything from ¾- to 1-ounce jigs. On this recent trip, we started with minnows but only caught a few fish. So, we switched to either a minnow-shaped plastic or worm. Some years the worm profile works best, other years a minnow shape. This year it was the minnow profile. I’d say 90% of our fish came on a blue with chartreuse tail finesse soft plastic minnow and a 1-ounce, locally-made jig.” Besides the baits, how you present them is super important. “Put the head of your trolling motor into the wind, regardless of the current direction. It’s imperative to stay vertical while jigging, and if your motor isn’t headed into the wind, you’ll get blown around,” offers Rodriguez. |
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Where To Fish “We fished out of Wyandotte up to the new Gordie Howe Bridge; that whole stretch is good. But the bigger fish came from near the steel mill, just north of the Wyandotte Public Ramps and then between Fighting Island and what's called Mud Island. We caught most of our fish on the inside, western, U.S. side of Fighting Island. And then just along the steel mill; the steel mill was the big fish producer for sure.” |
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The Right River Stuff: Rods, Reels, Line, & Jigs “I use a 6’ 3” St. Croix Eyecon medium-power, extra-fast action rod with 10- to 15-pound chartreuse Fireline braid so I can tell when I’m on bottom or even get a bite sometimes. Especially in lowlight conditions, black and green lines get lost. In terms of spooking fish, the bright line is really inconsequential since you’re using a 10-pound fluorocarbon leader to a barrel swivel and a big, heavy jig.” “Most of the jigs we use are made locally and have a pronounced red eye. The head is kind of pill-shaped, as opposed to a round ball-head so it cuts through the current. A lot of the specialized, locally-made jigs are built around sickle-style hooks, too, so big fish don’t come off when you’re playing them in the current. Definitely get some jigs at the local shops when you come out. Regular walleye jigs don’t work very well. Dip Net Bait & Tackle has a good selection and can help get you outfitted right to catch fish,” says Rodriguez. |
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Of their recent trip, Rodriguez says the Whitewater Fishing crew caught three fish over 27 inches and multiples between 24- and 27 inches. “The big females had kind of stopped biting, so we moved off of the break walls into the main river channels and started filling out our limit with quality 17- to 20-inch fish. Along the way, I was able to point out the new bridge construction, and areas with amazing clear water for an urban area. It’s a really cool place to fish,” notes Rodriguez. |
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A Continuing Bite? So, while the big fish run is pretty much done, Rodriguez says that the drop-drag technique will work on the river through early June. “You’ll still catch fish jigging after mid-April, but they’ll be smaller, legal ‘keeper’ fish, mostly in the 15- to 20-inch range. What can also be effective is to run a three-way rig or a bottom bouncer and drag ‘crawler harnesses slowly up river or run a controlled drift downriver just to get the blade spinning somehow.” Rodriguez adds: “I would say the majority of anglers start switching from jigging to trolling and drifting after the second week of May. You get a little more reaction getting that blade in front of their face flicking and provoking that bite.” |
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Gear Up: Windy & Wet Spring weather can be unpredictable on the Detroit River with windy and wet days. “The wind can really get whipping. Between those islands on the river, it creates a chute, so it’ll be a lot windier than you’d think from other area weather. One thing that I really appreciated about Whitewater’s Great Lakes Pro jacket and bib was although it’s designed to keep water off of you in the elements, it’s also helps in the wind when it’s not raining—and keeps you warm.” Of the suit’s numerous features, Rodriguez likes the Velcro-sealing wrists on the jacket, which allow him to dunk his hand in the water to help land a fish or grab bait from a bucket without getting the skin on his wrists and arms wet. “To stay comfortable on the river you really need flexible gear like the Whitewater stuff that allows great freedom of movement and wind and rain protection, which is kind of the norm,” says Rodriguez. |
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Where To Stay/Launch Your Boat Given so many municipalities along the river in the Detroit area, it can be difficult to figure out where to both get a room and launch with easy access to the best river stretches. Rodriguez recommends staying in Southgate, which is under 10 minutes from the Wynadotte public boat ramp. As well, he says the Wyandotte Marina is a great place to launch because they have numerous boat ramp lanes, you don’t have to wait to put in your boat—and it only costs $15 to launch and park. At the end of the day, the Detroit River is a bucket-list walleye destination. If you’re a fan of spring walleye fishing, Rodriguez says informed anglers are pretty much guaranteed an “eater” limit and good shot at a 10-pound-plus trophy, if you put in enough time. Sounds good. |
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The Tiniest of TATULA's
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DAIWA adds a second Bait Finesse baitcaster – new TATULA BF70 – to its expanding collection. |
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FOOTHILL RANCH, CA (April 29, 2024) – Rather suddenly, “Downsizing” and “fishing small” have new meaning, particularly in the global world of bass fishing. “Bait Finesse” is the latest rage in the pursuit of largemouth and smallmouth bass. And, to no surprise, DAIWA is on the forefront tendering two new reels specific to these micro-fishing techniques: the recently unveiled PX BF70 and now its sister baitcaster, the TATULA BF70. The baseline for Bait Finesse (BF) is presenting smaller, more natural baits with the same authority achieved via their larger counterparts. To do so requires the downsizing of gear without sacrificing performance. And that necessitates specialized baitcasting gear. |
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DAIWA Marketing Manager calls BF “ninja fishing,” the technique employed by bright-minded “bank beaters” who ply small lakes, ponds, streams, and canals. It’s about traveling light with technical and tactical gear to target often pressured fish in tight confines. Casts are short, fired with GPS-guided missile accuracy. Adding to the challenge is the lightness of the lures. We’re talking one- and two-inch crankbaits, hair jigs, inline spinners, lightly weighted plastics and the like. To achieve this level of control, DAIWA injected exceptional technologies into a fantastically lightweight, palmable baitcasting reel. Mills said DAIWA eliminated as much weight as possible while maintaining outstanding performance. The TATULA BF 70’s spool, for example, is constructed of A7075 aircraft grade aluminum. Meaning, it’s strong but requires minimal inertia to initiate. Moreover, DAIWA’s exclusive T-Wing System (TWS) accelerates that inertia – the spool and TWS combination superior to other BF reels on the market. |
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Mills went on to discuss the merits of both the PX PF70 and TATULA BF70: “These reels aren’t intended to hold a ton of line, maybe 50-yards of straight fluorocarbon or a 100-yards of light braid. Rather, it’s built to manage a small amount of line with exactness.” Mills says BF calls for 4- to 10-lb. test in a superline – like J-Braid Grand x8 – with a 2- to 8-lb. J-Fluoro fluorocarbon leader. Besides pitch-and-retrieve baits like micro crankbaits and inline spinners, Mills says BF applies to dropshotting, as well as Neko, Ned, and Wacky Rigging. Essentially, all your favorite finesse bassing techniques can be further refined. But BF isn’t limited to bass fishing. The system has been embraced by trout anglers walking the banks of ponds and wading streams. An alternative to spinning gear, select trout anglers like the feel, control, and distance BF baitcasters provide. |
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The new TATULA BF70 sports other signature DAIWA technologies. HYPER DRIVE DESIGN New design concepts are the pinnacle of durability and innovation. The Hyper Drive Design consists of four new elements: Hyper Armed Housing, Hyper Drive Digigear, Hyper Double Support, Hyper Tough Clutch. T-Wing System (TWS) The revolutionary system addresses the issue of traditional line guide/level-wind structures that constrict line flow by utilizing a T-shaped line guide that is larger, wider, and less restricted. TWS allows line to exit freely from the spool with minimal line angle and friction to reduce line noise and backlash and deliver more accurate and longer casts. Ultimate Tournament Drag (UTD) A drag system that combines low inertia with maximum fish stopping power. UTD utilizes advanced carbon washers, alloy, and stainless steel drag plates with specially designed grease for supreme smoothness. Zero Adjuster Fine tuning the factory setting is breeze with the Zero Adjuster, which provides precise control over spool tension, accommodating various lure weights and fishing conditions with a simple dial on the non-handle side. DAIWA PX BF70 FEATURES:
MSRP $239.99 |
Hair Today, Tinsel Tomorrow
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Northland® Fishing Tackle’s refined & retuned blasts from the past that boat tons of fish |
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BEMIDJI, Minn. (April 29, 2024) – Although new walleye fishing techniques are being developed all the time, savvy anglers are keen on digging through the past, rediscovering effective baits and methods that may have fallen out of the limelight. Like hair and tinsel jigs. Going back to World War II, a hair jig was included in most military survival kits. Why? They catch fish when you’d need it most, stranded and starving, waiting for rescue. That says a lot. Hair – either bucktail, marabou, or other fluff – has been used for decades upon decades of walleye runs, too. Same thing for tinsel. And guess what? They still catch fish today, something Northland wants to share with the walleye fishing public. Yes, everything old is new again – in the case of the Northland Deep-Vee Bucktail Jig and Deep-Vee Flashtail Jig – refined and retuned to catch even more fish than antique versions. We talked with some serious walleye sticks, and here are their thoughts on hair and flash for spring walleyes. Veteran Minnesota fishing guide, Brian “Bro” Brosdahl, offers: “Going way back, I've always been a fan of both hair and tinsel and have been catching a lot of fish in both clear and dirty water on the new Northland jigs. They have a slow fall and pull walleyes away from cover. Talking tinsel, I typically pitch the Deep-Vee Flashtail and work it on a slow retrieve with subtle twitches to create little flashes in different directions that look like minnows reflecting light.” |
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Bro: How To Work A Hair Jig “The whole thing is the fall with hair and tinsel jigs,” says Bro. “There’s bulk to the bait so fish know it’s there, and the hairs and tinsel spread out in the water, and draw the fish in.” On rivers, Bro says, you want to carry some 3/8, ½, and even heavier jigs to deal with the current. “Cast out and hit the edge of a current seam and pull it in slowly. Upstream at 45 degrees gives you a great drop and drift down, and then the swing around downstream is a lot of times where you get bit.” Bro also likes to pitch shallower river riprap with lighter jigs, catching walleyes anywhere from right next to the bank to six feet of water. “I like fishing the Northland Deep-Vee Bucktail Jig and Deep-Vee Flashtail around wingdams, too,” says Bro. “A ¼- to 3/8-oz. is typical, and I’m focusing on odd structure where barges may have hit, or ice moved rock around. They’re walleye magnets. It’s not just the wingdam tip. You can catch them on top, the corners near shore, the tip, really all over. My Side Imaging and 360 help dial them in.” In terms of cadence around wingdams, Bro lets the jig fall, then makes short reel handle cranks, moving the rod only slightly. |
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New Deep-Vee Flashtail (shown in FIRETIGER) |
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“After it hits bottom, I give it a little pop, then reel and pause. Wingdam walleyes will hit it super hard. Works anytime walleyes are relating to wingdams.” Bro also likes to work both river and lake shorelines with the new jigs, orienting his boat parallel to the shore, and pitching up and down with the shoreline edge, distancing the jig at different depths – from right up close to deeper water nearby. “Again, I make an initial pop after the jig hits bottom, then work it upstream in the river. You can also slip the current instead of spot-locking or using Talons/Raptors. The deal is to get the hairs swimming and pulsing. Walleyes love willow cats (tadpole madtom) which are clumsy swimmers; they kind of move and flip side to side.” Looking forward to fishing lakes this MN Fishing Opener on May 11, Bro doesn’t always fish a plain Tungsten Jig and minnow. “A Deep-Vee Bucktail Jig or Flashtail tipped with a fathead or rainbow can be great for working flats and covering water around opener. You can pitch it right up to shore and around those walleye spawn and shiner run areas with current and catch a ton of fish. Gravel and weed transitions, too, as fish disperse toward the first breakline.” |
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Deep-Vee Flashtail (BLACK) |
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Deep-Vee Bucktail (PURPLEDESCENT) |
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Deep-Vee Flashtail (MOONLIGHT) |
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Deep-Vee Bucktail (PARROT) |
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Hair Jig Color Does hair jig color matter? Some say yes, others say no. But know this: walleye vision is superb with their eyes containing retinal cells called tapedum lucidum that are optimized for telling them ‘is this something I want to eat?’ – even in lowlight situations. So, depending on how quickly you’re fishing a bait, color may indeed come into play. Obviously, matching predominant forage is always a good idea, but sometimes the silhouette created by a black, purple, or dark-colored hair jig is the ticket, too – not to mention darker colors can replicate willow cats, bullheads, and other bottom-dwellers walleyes eat. And combinations of colors, too, are always good to provide contrast, just like real minnows and young-of-the-year walleyes (yes, they’re cannibals), perch, etc. “I try different colors to see what works,” says Brosdahl. “I've always been kind of a blue & white, green & white, and Parrot kind of guy, but I'm loving purple, too. With zebra mussels, we have a lot of clear lakes now – and for whatever reason, purple has been hot.” BRO’S SET-UP
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Team from Ohio’s Prime Time Anglers Wins MLF Abu Garcia High School Fishing Presented by Tackle Warehouse Open on Lake Guntersville
GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. (April 29, 2024) – The MLF High School Fishing team of Connor Bower of Aurora, Ohio, and Hoyt Nicely of North Canton, Ohio, brought five bass to the scale Saturday weighing 20 pounds, 7 ounces to win the MLF Abu Garcia High School Fishing Presented by Tackle Warehouse Open at Lake Guntersville in Guntersville, Alabama.
A field of 70 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which was hosted by Marshall County Tourism and Sports. In MLF High School Fishing competition, the top 10 percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top seven teams that advanced to the 2024 High School Fishing National Championship are:
1st: Prime Time Anglers, Cleveland, Ohio, Connor Bower and Hoyt Nicely, five bass, 20-7
2nd: New Athens Anglers, Athens, Ala. – Sadler Harrison and Carter Reed, five bass, 19-4
3rd: Guntersville High School Bass Club, Guntersville, Ala. – Oliver Skidmore and Hudson Skidmore. five bass, 19-2
4th: Cartersville High School, Cartersville, Ga. – Cooper Moon and Haden West, four bass, 18-6
5th: Gloria Deo Academy, Springfield, Mo. – Caden Ball and William Kuzemka, five bass, 18-0
6th: Spain Park High School, Hoover, Ala. – Luke Abston and Sam Dunn, five bass, 17-15
7th: Jackson Bass Fishing, Jackson, Mich. – Rylan Hamlin and Jack Swihart, five bass, 17-2
Rounding out the top 10 teams were:
8th: Smoky Mountain Anglers, Tenn. – Caleb Click and Carson Holbert, five bass, 16-13
9th: Albert P. Brewer High School, Somerville, Ala. – Murphy Childers and Ryder Colee, five bass, 16-11
10th: Marion High School, Marion, Ill. – Carson Bruner and Camden Bruner, five bass, 16-8
Complete results from the event can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
MLF Abu Garcia High School Fishing presented by Tackle Warehouse tournaments are free, two-person (team) events for students in grades 7-12 and are open to any MLF and TBF Student Angler Federation-affiliated high school club. The top 10 percent of teams at each Open event, along with the TBF High School Fishing state championships, advance to the High School Fishing National Championship. Tournaments held on or before May 6, 2024, advance teams to the 2024 National Championship. Tournaments held after May 6, 2024, advance teams to the 2025 National Championship.
The 2024 Abu Garcia High School Fishing National Championship & World Finals events will take place June 19-22, at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina. The High School Fishing National Champions each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice and advance to the 2024 MLF Toyota Series Championship to compete as co-anglers.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Abu Garcia High School Fishing Presented by Tackle Warehouse include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular High School Fishing updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 13 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Grove’s Malone Overcomes Tough Conditions to Win Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Fort Gibson Lake
Bristow’s Burke Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division
WAGONER, Okla. (April 29, 2024) – Boater Levi Malone of Grove, Oklahoma, caught four bass weighing 14 pounds, 9 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Fort Gibson Lake. The tournament was the third event of the season for the BFL Okie Division. Malone earned $3,889 for his victory.
Fort Gibson was nothing but stingy for the BFL anglers. Only two anglers in the entire field weighed in a limit.
Malone caught his four keepers by doing exactly what you need to do when the fishing is so tough: He slowed down and finessed his fish with a shaky-head rig. His key bait was an 8-inch Big Bite Baits Straight Mag Worm on a 3/16- or 1/4-ounce Buckeye Lures Spot Remover shaky head.
He used the worm to target shallow areas where some bass were starting to pull up in anticipation of spawning.
“I did find kind of a little pattern on some kind of chunky rock and was able to catch most of my fish off that,” he said. “But I did pick off another one just kind of fishing whatever was in front of me.
“I stayed shallow. I kept the boat in about 8 feet of water or less the whole day.”
Malone had a chance at a limit but lost it when a 3-pounder came off the hook about 10 feet from the boat.
“Those five bites were the only keeper bites I had all day,” added Malone, a sophomore studying fish and wildlife at Northeastern State University.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Levi Malone, Grove, Okla., four bass, 14-9, $3,889
2nd: John Campbell, Park Hill, Okla., four bass, 13-13, $1,944
3rd: Brett Brumnett, Wagoner, Okla., five bass, 13-12, $1,797 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
4th: Hunter Alsip, Chouteau, Okla., five bass, 13-9, $907
5th: Chris M. Jones, Bokoshe, Okla., four bass, 12-6, $778
6th: Dakotah Edwards, Talala, Okla., four bass, 12-4, $713
7th: Joel Baker, Talala, Okla., four bass, 11-11, $648
8th: Paul Waner, Choctaw, Okla., four bass, 11-10, $583
9th: Keith Hays, Broken Arrow, Okla., four bass, 11-6, $486
9th: Chase Washburn, Harrah, Okla., three bass, 11-6, $486
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Wes Nofire of Park Hill, Oklahoma, and Cameron Dahlem of Gans, Oklahoma, each caught a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 10 ounces, which tied them for the Berkley Big Bass Boater award and earned each of them $262.
Johnny Burke of Bristow, Oklahoma, won the Strike King co-angler division and $1,944 Saturday, after bringing two bass to the scale that totaled 8 pounds, 8 ounces.
The top 11 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: Johnny Burke, Bristow, Okla., two bass, 8-8, $1,944
2nd: Brady Short, Oxford, Kan., three bass, 8-5, $810
2nd: Tom Fink, Tulsa, Okla., two bass, 8-5, $1,072
4th: Rick Blosser, Tulsa, Okla., two bass, 7-12, $454
5th: Justin Nobles, Owasso, Okla., three bass, 7-10, $389
6th: Mark Sloan, Harrison, Ark., three bass, 6-0, $456
7th: Scott Stallings, Glencoe, Okla., two bass, 5-14, $324
8th: Jake Hess, Guthrie, Okla., one bass, 5-1, $292
9th: Al Longoria, Pottsboro, Texas, one bass, 4-8, $259
10th: Michael Sexton, Broken Arrow, Okla., two bass, 4-6, $215
10th: Kaleb O'Brien, Wagoner, Okla., two bass, 4-6, $215
Tom Fink of Tulsa, Oklahoma, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $262, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 15 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After three events, Chris M. Jones of Bokoshe, Oklahoma, leads the Fishing Clash Okie Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 729 points, while Kaleb O'Brien of Wagoner, Oklahoma, leads the Fishing Clash Okie Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 714 points.
The next event for BFL Okie Division anglers will be held June 22, at the Arkansas River in Muskogee, Oklahoma. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 17-19 BFL Regional tournament on Wright Patman Lake in Texarkana, Texas. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard.
The 2024 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL 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.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Illinois Angler Mike Feldermann Earns Impressive 12th Career Victory at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Mississippi River in La Crosse
Beloit’s Goodyear Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division
LA CROSSE, Wis. (April 29, 2024) – Boater Mike Feldermann of Galena, Illinois, caught a five-bass limit weighing 23 pounds even Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin . Hosted by Explore La Crosse, the tournament was the first event of the season for the BFL Great Lakes Division. Feldermann earned $4,116 for his victory.
While Feldermann lives almost three hours away from La Crosse in Illinois, he’s no newcomer to that stretch of the Mississippi River. He’s fished there plenty of times over his longstanding BFL career. Feldermann started competing on the circuit in 1991 and has fished the All-American four times. This is his 12th career BFL win.
Feldermann relied on past experience to form his Mississippi River game plan. First, he knew he’d target largemouth bass only.
“I think the top 10 guys except for me were all (targeting) smallmouth,” he said. “I never fish for smallmouth because it’s one of those deals where they’re kind of fool’s gold. They’re there one day and gone the next. I feel more comfortable fishing largemouth.”
Knowing he was going to target largemouths, Feldermann just had to find the right patches of grass, which he found in three areas of Pool No. 8 where the tournament launched. One particular area really produced for him in the morning.
“I was throwing a spinnerbait and ChatterBait in about 3 foot of water,” he said. “I was fishing basically about a quarter-of-a-mile weed flat. I had a limit by 7:30, and I just kind of caught them throughout the day.”
The key spot had a mixture of aquatic grasses and a depth change – from about 3 feet deep on top, dropping off to about 7 feet.
“You were pretty limited on what you could fish just for the simple fact it was 20 or 30 mph winds,” he added. “I stayed out on the flat. It was a little easier to fish the flat than to fish the bank.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Mike Feldermann, Galena, Ill., five, bass, 23-0, $4,116
2nd: John Engler, Vinton, Iowa, five bass, 21-14, $2,320 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
3rd: Zach Williamson, Stoddard, Wis., five bass, 21-7, $1,214
4th: Rick Ragner, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 21-6, $850
5th: Kevin Ruh, Onalaska, Wis., five bass, 20-7, $728
6th: Hunter Litchfield, Macomb, Ill., five bass, 20-4, $668
7th: Randy Wieczorek, Buffalo City, Wis., five bass, 19-9, $607
8th: Ryan Lewis, Glasford, Ill., five bass, 19-2, $971
9th: Jacob Ambrose, La Crosse, Wis., five bass ,19-1, $485
10th: Bill Sepke, Indian Head Park, Ill., five bass, 18-14, $425
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Feldermann caught a bass that weighed 6 pounds, 1 ounce, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $475.
David Goodyear of Beloit, Wisconsin, won the Strike King co-angler division and $2,057 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 21 pounds, 3 ounces.
The top 11 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: David Goodyear, Beloit, Wis., five bass, 21-3, $2,057
2nd: Parker Kratochvill, Onalaska, Wis., five bass, 20-14, $910
3rd: Jason Olson, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., five bass, 19-7, $607
4th: Hector Garcia, Elgin, Ill., five bass, 16-14, $425
5th: Chris Stelter, Chisago City, Minn., five bass, 16-12, $364
6th: Lee Lewis, Peoria, Ill., five bass, 16-2, $334
7th: Matthew Vang, Milwaukee, Wis., five bass, 15-0, $303
8th: Robert Beaman, Sauk Rapids, Minn., five bass, 14-15, $258
8th: Hertz Skaer, Holmen, Wis., five bass, 14-15, $258
10th: Mai Xiong, Milwaukee, Wis., five bass, 14-10, $201
10th: Austin Frye, Ontario, Wis., five bass, 14-10, $201
Goodyear also earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $237 by catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 3 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
The next event for BFL Great Lakes Division anglers will be held May 18, at the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 10-12 BFL Regional tournament on the Mississippi River Pools 13-17 in Quad Cities, Illinois. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard.
The 2024 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL 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.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Fayetteville’s Armstrong Posts Second Career Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Lake Sinclair
Marietta’s Foster Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division
MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. (April 29, 2024) – Boater Noah Armstrong of Fayetteville, Georgia, caught a five-bass limit weighing 13 pounds, 14 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Sinclair. The tournament was the fourth event of the season for the BFL Bulldog Division. Armstrong earned $3,917 for his victory.
Armstrong said his expectations were pretty low coming into the tournament. The spawn was over. So was the shad spawn. Add in some weather swings, and the fish were clearly in a funk, as reflected in the weights. Even in practice, Armstrong spent two days scouting the lake and never caught a fish over 2 pounds. He shook off a few he felt were decent, but that was it.
“It was definitely tough, to say the least,” Armstrong said. “It was a grind.”
With his confidence low, Armstrong hit the lake with an open mind. He ran to a couple grass spots first thing in the morning and there were already boats on them. So he ran down the lake, keeping his eyes open for anything that looked good.
“I found one little place that had some rocks, and then there was some grass,” said Armstrong. “I said, ‘This looks good. Let’s stop over there and maybe take five minutes to fish.’ On the third cast I caught a 5-pounder on a ChatterBait.”
From there, Armstrong went junk-fishing around shallow grass. He was able to catch a limit, but even with that 5-plus-pound bass in the livewell, his best five might have weighed just 8 or 9 pounds.
“Then I ran to another place where I’ve caught them before. It’s a shallow hard spot off the bank. I caught two almost 3-pounders there that were really spawned out.”
He finished the day bouncing around fishing docks and made two small culls that gave him just enough weight to lock down the win by 1 ounce.
Armstrong’s biggest bass came on a Z-Man Evergreen ChatterBait Jack Hammer. He caught one fish from the offshore rocks using a Carolina rig and the other using Garmin LiveScope and a Neko rig. His primary dock-skipping bait was a Texas rig.
The weigh-in brought an exciting finish for Armstrong, who works full time rigging fishing boats at Stateline Marine, a Phoenix Boats dealer in Lanett, Alabama.
“It caught me by surprise for sure,” he said of the win. “I knew 13-something was leading it, but I knew there was a handful left to weigh in. I thought surely one of those guys caught 15 pounds because usually it takes good weight there every time. It was definitely a pleasant surprise. I was not expecting that for sure.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Noah Armstrong, Fayetteville, Ga., five bass, 13-14, $3,917
2nd: John Kitchens, Cumming, Ga., five bass, 13-13, $1,958
3rd: Mason White, Moultrie, Ga., five bass, 13-11, $1,307
4th: Zach Clark, Newnan, Ga., five bass, 13-5, $914
5th: Chuck Howard, Elloree, S.C., five bass, 13-1, $1,303
6th: Weston Parker, Mansfield, Ga., five bass, 12-14, $718
7th: Frank Kitchens III, Oxford, Ga., five bass, 12-7, $653
8th: Brad Stalnaker, Eatonton, Ga., five bass, 12-4, $588
9th: Jae Evans, Boca Raton, Fla., five bass, 12-3, $522
10th: Mark Knight, McDonough, Ga., five bass, 12-1, $457
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Chuck Howard of Elloree, South Carolina, caught a bass that weighed 6 pounds, 10 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $520.
Matthew Foster of Marietta, Georgia, won the Strike King co-angler division and $1,958 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 12 pounds, 12 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: Matthew Foster, Marietta, Ga., five bass, 12-12, $1,958
2nd: Anthony Gaskins, Hinesville, Ga., five bass, 12-11, $979
3rd: Chris Lumpkin, Gray, Ga., five bass, 10-15, $653
4th: Harrison Dunahoo, Clermont, Ga., five bass, 10-7, $717
5th: Joshua Green, Cartersville, Ga., five bass, 10-6, $392
6th: James A. Bryant, Empire, Ga., five bass, 9-12, $359
7th: Don Griffin, Roswell, Ga., four bass, 9-5, $326
8th: Bruce Jeffrey, Lithonia, Ga., five bass, 9-2, $294
9th: Cameron Sampson, Jackson, Ga., five bass, 9-1, $261
10th: Brian Jenkins, Kennesaw, Ga., five bass, 9-0, $228
Harrison Dunahoo of Clermont, Georgia, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $260, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 6 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After four events, Brooks Anderson of Marietta, Georgia, leads the Fishing Clash Bulldog Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 928 points, while Jaquas Dobbs of Conyers, Georgia, leads the Fishing Clash Bulldog Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 916 points.
The next event for BFL Bulldog Division anglers will be held Sept. 21-22, at Lake Oconee in Buckhead, Georgia. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 10-12 BFL Regional tournament on Santee Cooper Lakes in Clarendon County, South Carolina. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard.
The 2024 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL 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.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
North Carolina’s Souther Targets Herring Spawn with Topwater to Win Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Lake Hartwell
Bostic, North Carolina’s Killian Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division
ANDERSON, S.C. (April 29, 2024) – Boater T.J. Souther of Brevard, North Carolina, caught a five-bass limit weighing 16 pounds, 13 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Hartwell . Hosted by Visit Anderson, the tournament was the third event of the season for the BFL South Carolina Division. Souther earned $10,247, including the lucrative $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus, for his victory.
Not surprisingly, Souther caught his fish targeting the herring spawn. This pattern is prevalent throughout Carolina lakes where blueback herring are present.
“I fished from Andersonville Island to the dam just covering a ton of water,” he said. “It was really, really tough. I only caught seven all day but just got the right bites.”
Souther rotated through 50 to 60 places. They’re mostly shallow, flat rocky points where the herring spawn, and his rotation included a few “sneakier” areas that he felt were getting less pressure.
“Really the key thing this morning was the wind was blowing for the first two or three hours,” Souther added. “Most of the good fish that I had, I had early. I did catch one late that helped me. Winning by an ounce, it definitely helped.”
That late fish weighed about 2¼ pounds and culled out a 1¾-pound fish.
“It was really just about hitting as many places as I could early. I would pull up and make 10 casts, and if I didn’t get bit I was on to the next one just trying to run into some when they were feeding.”
Souther’s key lure was a chrome Ima Little Stik topwater bait. He also caught a couple on a 5-inch swimbait.
“It’s been a cool experience,” added Souther, who works as a boat mechanic. “It’s the first one I’ve ever won, so I’m super excited about it.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: T.J. Souther, Brevard, N.C., five bass, 16-13, $10,247 (includes $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
2nd: Jayme Rampey, Liberty, S.C., five bass, 16-12, $1,623
3rd: Bradley Day, Anderson, S.C., five bass, 16-0, $1,082
4th: Darren Ashley, Calhoun Falls, S.C., five bass, 14-9, $1,148
5th: Scott Browning, Franklin, N.C., five bass, 14-8, $649
6th: Justin Raines, Easley, S.C., five bass, 14-7, $895
7th: John Parker, Gaffney, S.C., five bass, 14-4, $541
8th: Joe Anders, Easley, S.C., five bass, 14-0, $487
9th: Brad Benfield, Demorest, Ga., five bass, 13-13, $433
10th: Lane Clark, Anderson, S.C., five bass, 13-6, $379
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Darren Ashley of Calhoun Falls, South Carolina, caught a bass that weighed 4 pounds, 15 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $390.
Trent Killian of Bostic, North Carolina, won the Strike King co-angler division and $1,818 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 16 pounds, 3 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: Trent Killian, Bostic, N.C., five bass, 16-3, $1,818
2nd: Gibson Huntley, Inman, S.C., five bass, 11-12, $812
3rd: Darren Jeter, Candler, N.C., five bass, 11-11, $541
4th: Brennan Gunther, Johns Island, S.C., five bass, 11-7, $379
5th: Wayne Smelser, Wytheville, Va., five bass, 10-12, $325
6th: Mark Lee, Gastonia, N.C., four bass, 10-9, $298
7th: Austin Leroy, Inman, S.C., five bass, 10-3, $271
8th: Dustan Hudson, Grover, N.C., five bass, 10-1, $244
9th: Thomas Pennell III, Boiling Springs, S.C., five bass, 10-0, $216
10th: Gregory Haverlock, Indian Trail, N.C., four bass, 9-15, $189
Killian also earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $195 by catching a bass that weighed in at 4 pounds, 15 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After three events, Kevin Chandler of New London, North Carolina, leads the Fishing Clash South Carolina Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 718 points, while Todd Huntley of Inman, South Carolina, leads the Fishing Clash South Carolina Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 723 points.
The next event for BFL South Carolina Division anglers will be held June 22, at Clarks Hill in Appling, Georgia. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 3-5 BFL Regional tournament on Kerr Lake in Henderson, North Carolina. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard.
The 2024 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL 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.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
King University Wins MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Tournament on Lake Guntersville
GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. (April 29, 2024) – The King University duo of Tyler Altizer of Abingdon, Virginia, and Landon Lawson of Jonesborough, Tennessee, won the MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI event on Lake Guntersville Friday with a five-bass limit weighing 25 pounds, 6 ounces. The victory earned the Tornado bass club $2,000 and a qualification into the 2025 MLF College Fishing National Championship.
In practice, the King University team was able to put together two solid patterns: fishing shallow, grassy humps on the main lake and fishing brush piles.
“It was mainly any shallow water close to the main river; any hump or bar in less than 12 foot of water,” Lawson said about the grassy humps. “I was calling it ‘mini-ledges,’ like they’re not all the way out there yet, but they’re on their way.”
Unfortunately, the brush pile pattern totally evaporated during the tournament. Lawson said the brush was automatic in practice, with every pile good for a 3- or 4-pound fish. But in the tournament, they ran every piece of brush twice and never got a bite.
Instead, the Tornado anglers further dialed in the grass bite, staying on the lower part of the lake the entire day.
“We didn’t figure it out until the morning of the tournament that a lot of those bigger fish first thing in the mornings wouldn’t be on top up in the grass,” Lawson said. “They’d be out off the edges eating bait. We started fishing just off the grass line, and then when the sun got up about 12 o’clock we moved up into the grass.”
They used a combination of tactics to catch their fish. One angler would use Garmin LiveScope to pick off fish in the grass with a Neko-rigged Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Hit Worm Magnum, with the Neko weight glued in place using Avid Angler Solutions Fishing Glue. The other angler would sling a Strike King 6XD crankbait along the edge of the grass. That combo worked to perfection to earn the first MLF College Fishing win for Altizer and the third for Lawson.
“It was a great tournament,” Lawson added. “I’ve spent a lot of time on Guntersville. It’s one of my favorite places to fish, and it felt really good for it to pay off down there.”
The top 10 teams finished:
1st: King University – Tyler Altizer, Abingdon, Va., and Landon Lawson, Jonesborough, Tenn., five bass, 25-6, $2,000
2nd: Auburn University – Hayden Marbut, Birmingham, Ala., five bass, 22-13, $1,000
3rd: Dallas Baptist University – Braxon Hightower, Amarillo, Texas, and Luke Wenger, Lakewood, Colo., five bass, 22-10, $700
4th: LSU Shreveport – Miles Smith, Houma, La., and Levi Thibodaux, Thibodaux, La., five bass, 21-15, $600
5th: University of North Alabama – Dylan Nutt and Carter Nutt, Nashville, Tenn., five bass, 21-10, $500
6th: University of Montevallo – Logan Plueger, North Augusta, S.C., and Charlie Wright, Becker, Minn., five bass, 21-3
7th: Emmanuel University – Logan Fisher, Colbert, Ga., and Will Hart, Danielsville, Ga., five bass, 20-11
8th: University of North Alabama – Nathan Reynolds, Nashville, Tenn., and Banks Shaw, Harrison, Tenn., five bass, 20-10
9th: University of Montevallo – Nicholas Dumke and Easton Fothergill, Grand Rapids, Minn., five bass, 20-10
10th: University of North Alabama – Tyler Finley, Mount Pleasant, Tenn., and Christopher Kistler, Harvest, Ala., five bass, 20-8
The top 12 percent of teams in the tournament qualified for the National Championship. A total of 243 teams competed on Friday, so the top 29 teams advanced to the National Championship. The full list of qualifiers and complete results for the entire field can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI event on Lake Guntersville was hosted by Marshall County Tourism and Sports. The next tournament for MLF College Fishing anglers will be the Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI event on Lake Havasu, May 5 in Lake Havasu City, Arizona.
The 2024 MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI season features college teams from across the country competing in nine regular-season tournaments. The top 12 percent of teams from each regular-season tournament advance to the 2025 Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI National Championship.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular College Fishing updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Anglers Channel Partners with Power-Pole For Total Boat Control on the Vexus® Dream Rig Build
Columbia, SC (April 29, 2024) – The Anglers Channel Vexus® Dream Rig is officially underway and will be rolling out of the Flippin, AR facility in the coming weeks, outfitted with the latest in bass boat technology. In keeping with the Dream Rig theme, Anglers Channel has partnered with Power-Pole® from bow to stern for Total Boat Control in 2024. The Vexus AVX 2080 will feature the Power-Pole MOVE® ZR brushless trolling motor for unrivaled power, stealth, and durability on the bow. The stern of the Vexus Dream Rig will feature the brand-new Power-Pole ONE Pump anchoring system, featuring the Dual Blade ONE Pump design that debuted at the 2024 Bassmaster Classic.
According to Danny Blandford, Business Development Manager for Anglers Channel, “Setting up the Vexus Dream Rig has to be one of the more exciting projects I’ve worked on, thanks in large part to the partnerships and industry support here at Anglers Channel. We’re fortunate to be able to choose the best products on the market for our intended use, and the Power-Pole products are exactly that. Being that the Vexus AVX is an aluminum boat, maintaining the weight advantage has been one of the key principles behind the build. Both the MOVE and the ONE Pump system are some of the lightest products in their categories, yet have both strength and durability, which is a must for a Dream Rig.”
The MOVE ZR trolling motor weighs only 53 pounds and has an ultra low-profile design, including the smallest head unit in the category. The aerospace grade titanium shaft is warrantied for life and tough enough to withstand some of the beatings it’s sure to take in shallow stump filled waters.
Blandford went on to add, “One thing that really impressed me in testing, in addition to the power itself, was the REAL-FEEL® foot pedal. It can be adjusted to steer exactly the way I want to, while being whisper quiet. It was not only as smooth as older cable steer models, but it also didn’t have the noise I’ve experienced in other digital steering trolling motors. I’m confident the MOVE is the stealthiest of our choices and that’s key in the shallow waters I spend time in.”
With the MOVE ZR providing plenty of power to pull the Vexus AVX at high speeds, the Power-Pole ONE Pump package is the perfect choice for keeping the boat at rest. Paired with dual 8 ft. Power-Pole Blades, and operated by a single lightweight pump, the system will provide rock solid anchoring and yet still satisfy the goal of keeping accessory weight to a minimum. The ONE Pump is 40% lighter than past models, takes up 50% less space, and draws 41.6% fewer amps when in use. Overall, the ONE Pump system is the most advanced Power-Pole hydraulic system to date thanks to the inclusion of a more powerful brushless motor, along with an upgraded circuit board and valves, making it the ideal choice for the Vexus Dream Rig build.
Beyond featuring Power-Pole products on the Dream Rig, Anglers Channel will be featuring the various features and benefits of Power-Pole products, highlighting the Captain’s Cash Program and winners, as well as keeping up with Team Power-Pole on the pro circuits throughout the year.
About Power-Pole:
For over 25 years, Power-Pole® has remained the pinnacle of trust and performance in the industry, cherished by both professional and recreational anglers. Power-Pole is the pioneering force behind the original hydraulic Shallow Water Anchor, the game-changing Power-Pole MOVE® brushless trolling motors, the cutting-edge CHARGE Marine Power Management Station, and other innovative products designed and engineered to deliver Total Boat Control.
A full Logan Martin will offer many options for Bassmaster Opens Field
April 26, 2024
A full Logan Martin will offer many options for Bassmaster Opens Field
LINCOLN, Ala. — The notion of ups and downs is nothing new to bass tournament anglers, but Alabama native and Bassmaster Elite Series champion Wes Logan said the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Logan Martin Lake presented by SEVIIN will be heavily influenced by a down-and-up deal.
Competition days will be May 2-4 with daily takeoffs from Lincoln Landing at 6 a.m. CT and weigh-ins each day back at the landing at 2 p.m.
As Logan explained, winter drawdown lowers this 17,000-acre Coosa River reservoir to a winter pool level of about 462 feet (2023-24). With Alabama Power Company gradually bringing the lake back to full pool (465) by early May, the lake stood about 1.75 feet from that mark a week prior to the event.
With warm weather forecast and water temperatures in the upper 60s to low 70s, Logan Martin’s shaping up for a good dose of spring patterns. That being said, the event’s timing, shortly after a major hydrologic adjustment could just as easily see a restrained mood or a wide-open stick fest.
“I think a lot of what people found in pre-practice is going to be null and void because of how those fish (reposition) when the water starts moving,” Logan said. “It’s going to be interesting, because fish will be moving with the water.”
From a lifetime of fishing Coosa River lakes, Logan expects that some of the bass will have spawned, but the annual spring water rise certainly factors into the fish’s timing. With water temperatures warm enough, successful bedding may occur during the rise. But as the water level increases, greater depth may limit sunlight penetration.
“Those drawdown fish are smart; they learn not to do it too early,” Logan said of the water level change. “From one week to the next, the fish can be completely different. I think this will make it interesting to see who can figure out the new pattern.
“If someone comes across something the last day of practice, they might be able to run a pattern that nobody else knows yet.”
Describing the lake as what he calls “Coosa River Clear” — about 1 to 1 1/2 foot visibility — Logan said tournament week will likely present a clean-slate scenario that could include a mix of spawn and postspawn scenarios. Given the significant water level change, he believes much of what pre-practicing anglers found before the April 14 off-limits date will be largely irrelevant.
On the upside, Logan said he believes the event could be won from the Neely Henry tailrace down to the Logan Martin Dam impounding this lake. For its relatively modest size, Logan Martin offers abundant habitat diversity.
“There will be a lot of stuff in play; there’s a lot of docks on Logan Martin — floating docks, pole docks, and around those docks are a lot of seawalls,” Logan said. “If we get back on a warming trend, there could be a few times where we have a shad spawn and those seawalls will play really well. As the sun rises, the shad leave and the fish pull to the docks or the first available shade.”
Logan expects to see a large segment of the field spending their days offshore looking for fish on forward-facing sonar. Plenty of spots to check and rising water won’t have much impact on this game. The biggest challenge for the “scopers” will be crowding and fishing pressure.
Other common targets include stump flats and water willow. The latter’s a Coosa River favorite, but Logan said anglers will have to gauge how firmly the fish have committed to this habitat. Growth happens quickly with the returning water, but the degree to which water willow plays has yet to be determined.
“Upriver from Lincoln Landing (takeoff site) to the (Neely Henry) Dam, anglers will fish your basic river structure,” Logan said. “You’ll have current swings, river bends with some current hitting off some bluff banks, laydowns and offshore rockpiles.
“Down lake there’s a lot of underwater humps where those spotted bass like to get on this time of year. From the Stemley Bridge (Highway 34) down to the Logan Martin Dam, in that lower lake area the water stays relatively cleaner and there’s a few major creeks that have a really good population of big spotted bass.”
While unlocking the Logan Martin bounty will require intense search and analysis, during this spring transitional time, Logan said competitors can fish their strengths.
“You can catch ’em on a vibrating jig, a buzzbait early, a spinnerbait (especially for the shad spawn) and a 1/2-ounce flipping jig,” Logan said. “For spotted bass, jerkbaits, crankbaits and jigs are good. A shaky head is a good way to cover water and get bites, and a Carolina rig with a finesse worm is really good for spots on those offshore humps.
“Even though it’s a smaller lake, you’re gonna be able to fish the way you want to. You’re not going to have to do one particular thing. There’s a lot of ways the tournament could be won.”
While spotted bass will almost certainly play a significant role in this event, Logan said he’s not looking for a winning weight solely comprising spots. The occasional spotted chunk will likely highlight competitive limits, but the dependable weight typically comes from largemouth.
“I don’t know if you can catch a 4-pound spot, or a couple of them every day,” Logan said. “It seems like there’s been a little better population of spotted bass here lately, but somebody who can figure out how to catch 14 to 16 pounds of spots for three days will be hard to beat.
“I think it will be dominated with largemouth; that’s going to be most consistent. It could be a mixed bag, but if someone figures out that largemouth deal, they could really run away with it.”
Canadian angler Evan Kung currently leads the Tackle Warehouse Bassmaster Elite Qualifiers race with 568 points. Texas pro Dakota Ebare is second with 555 points, followed by Matt Adams in third with 529, Mike Surman in fourth with 504 and Easton Fothergill in fifth with 502 points. Andy Newcomb is sixth with 501 points, followed by Bobby Bakewell in seventh with 491, Cody Meyer in eighth with 491 and Christian Ostrander in ninth with 488.
Bassmaster LIVE will be streaming on Bassmaster.com all four days.
The event is being hosted by the City of Lincoln.
2024 Bassmaster Opens Series Title Sponsor: St. Croix
2024 Bassmaster Opens Series Presenting Sponsor: SEVIIN
2024 Bassmaster Opens Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2024 Bassmaster Opens Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Progressive Insurance, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2024 Bassmaster Opens Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew's, Lowrance, Marathon, Triton Boats, VMC
About B.A.S.S.B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, 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), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
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Media Contact: Chad Gay, Communications Manager, 865-201-6458, cgay@bassmaster.
