Millender & Keaton win final team event at Bass Champs on Tawakoni
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EDDY & RONNY MAYNARD WIN ON BELTON WITH 21.28 POUNDS AND TAKE HOME $10,000 in TTZ Win!
| Pl | ANGLER 1 | ANGLER 2 | FISH | BIG BASS | WT | PRIZE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RONNY MAYNARD | EDDY MAYNARD | 5 | 21.28 | $10,000 + $500 Skeeter Bonus | |
| 2 | BRYAN FINCH | DANNY LEONARD | 5 | 4.95 | 18.38 | $5,000 |
| 3 | TERRY KIRCUS | JASON BUCHANAN | 5 | 17.87 | $3,500 | |
| 4 | GERALD POBORIL | DAVID STIDHAM | 5 | 6.34 | 17.60 | $2,000 |
| 5 | PAUL LAM | JASON DERRICK | 5 | 17.49 | $1,500 | |
| 6 | ERIC WASHBURN | ZANE WASHBURN | 5 | 17.39 | $1,250 | |
| 7 | MARK RIBERA | ANTHONY RIBERA | 5 | 16.90 | $1,000 | |
| 8 | DUSTIN BARFIELD | NATHAN MATTHEWS | 5 | 6.76 | 16.74 | $900 |
| 9 | BRYAN KING | JOHNNY WIERZBICKI | 5 | 6.73 | 16.23 | $800 |
| 10 | JAMES VALCHAR | MICHAEL HARRIS(Y) | 5 | 16.05 | $700 | |
| 11 | PAYMON HABIB | JUSTIN FISHER | 5 | 15.41 | $625 | |
| 12 | TERRY HALL | LYNN PIERCE | 5 | 5.43 | 15.18 | $550 |
| 13 | DAMON ROSS | DONNIE ROSS | 5 | 14.68 | $500 | |
| 14 | TIM DIXON | KENNETH CUMMINS | 5 | 14.50 | $450 | |
| 15 | JAMES MOORE | GROVER CHAMBLISS | 5 | 4.03 | 14.25 | $400 |
| 16 | TRAVIS MCCOLLOUGH | BOBBY WILSON | 5 | 14.11 | $375 | |
| 17 | DEAN GOLMAN | JAYSON KISSELBURG | 5 | 13.97 | $350 | |
| 18 | BJ CAROTHERS | TOMMY WELLS JR | 5 | 13.83 | $350 | |
| 19 | ADAM GLAZENER | TY BUTLER | 5 | 13.75 | $350 | |
| 20 | MARK BENNETT | CASEY BENNETT | 5 | 13.70 | ||
| 21 | DALE READ | JAKE READ | 5 | 13.65 | ||
| 21 | BRYAN RICHARDS | MAT KEVIL | 5 | 13.65 | ||
| 23 | JAMES OLSON | BOBBY THRASHER | 5 | 13.56 | ||
| 24 | LORNE DORNAK | JAMES LYNN | 5 | 13.42 | ||
| 25 | DANIEL BARNES | ADRIAN BARNES | 5 | 13.39 | ||
| 26 | DAVID SAPPINGTON | CLIFTON WATTERS | 5 | 13.30 | ||
| 27 | CHRIS SABINA | BOB SABINA | 5 | 13.26 | ||
| 28 | DANNY HUGHES | DARRELL PRCIN | 5 | 13.14 | ||
| 29 | JOE BRAY | BRANDON BRAY | 5 | 12.82 | ||
| 30 | DANIEL KURTZ | DANIEL WILLIS | 5 | 12.81 | ||
| 31 | GREG GILLUM | DAVID ROYAL GILLUM(Y) | 5 | 12.80 | ||
| 32 | JUSTIN MATHEWS | CARLOS DELAFUENTE | 5 | 12.78 | ||
| 33 | BILL STEARNS | EDDIE RHODES | 5 | 12.77 | ||
| 34 | DARRELL WUENSCHE | DONNIE O'NEAL | 5 | 12.73 | ||
| 35 | BRANDON DICKENSON | BRENT BROUSSARD | 5 | 12.67 | ||
| 36 | ANIBAL GUZMAN | GARY JOHNSON | 5 | 12.55 | ||
| 37 | BILLY MCCRARY II | TODD IVINS | 5 | 12.51 | ||
| 38 | TULLY WILLIAMS | JOE ANDERSON | 5 | 12.44 | ||
| 39 | MIKE CEARLEY | DERON MUELLER | 5 | 12.40 | ||
| 39 | DAVID MCGUFFEY | CHARLES HICE | 5 | 12.40 | ||
| 41 | SCOTT ROSS | GLENN RUCKEL | 5 | 12.38 | ||
| 42 | ROBERT MILLER | JACKY ROBERTS | 5 | 12.14 | ||
| 43 | COLBY JOHLE | ADRIAN HUTKA | 5 | 12.13 | ||
| 44 | STAN KAMINSKI | CODY BAILEY | 5 | 12.08 | ||
| 45 | JARAD GOHLKE | RONNY ANTHONY | 5 | 11.92 | ||
| 46 | WES BENNETT | STEVEN NIETO | 4 | 11.87 | ||
| 47 | CHRIS BAKER | ALAN GREEN | 5 | 11.86 | ||
| 48 | RANDY GROUNDS | LEE BEUERSHAUSEN | 5 | 11.73 | ||
| 49 | DAN CLAWSON | BILL HARMAN | 5 | 5.57 | 11.72 | |
| 50 | TREY GROCE | JOE BILL HALE | 5 | 11.64 | ||
| 51 | JOE LOOZE | DYLAN LOOZE | 5 | 11.44 | ||
| 52 | DAVID LINDLEY | JUSTIN PRISOCK | 5 | 11.41 | ||
| 53 | CHRIS BAILEY | CASEY GARCIA | 5 | 11.32 | ||
| 54 | NORM WILSON JR | NORM WILSON SR | 4 | 11.28 | ||
| 55 | BRET STAFFORD | SHANE STAFFORD | 5 | 11.26 | ||
| 56 | JAMES SEYMOUR | JOHN HALLEY | 5 | 11.19 | ||
| 57 | SHAWN TAMEZ | CRAIG CORDOVA | 5 | 11.18 | ||
| 58 | DEAN JONES | MATT RUSSELL | 5 | 11.08 | ||
| 58 | BOBBY AMIDON | MICHAEL ROBERTS | 5 | 11.08 | ||
| 58 | JAMES WHITE | WAYNE ALBERTHAL | 5 | 11.08 | ||
| 61 | JAMES HESTER | JOE CONTRERAS | 5 | 11.05 | ||
| 61 | CALEB WESTBROOK | WES JOHANNESSEN | 5 | 11.05 | ||
| 63 | JUSTIN HUMMEL | LEONARD DEBRASKA | 5 | 11.04 | ||
| 64 | CHARLES WHITED | RICK SCOTT | 5 | 10.90 | ||
| 65 | CORD ZAHN | BRANDON MCQUEEN | 5 | 10.69 | ||
| 66 | CHARLES YOUNG | JEFFERY MARKERT | 5 | 10.67 | ||
| 67 | LEONARD PHILLIP | HUNTER ARTHUR | 4 | 10.65 | ||
| 68 | JASON WILLIAMS | ANTHONY SKOUBY | 5 | 10.47 | ||
| 69 | JUSTIN MAY | KEVIN THRESS | 5 | 10.40 | ||
| 70 | RODNEY THOMPSON | BILLY CONWAY | 5 | 10.26 | ||
| 71 | BRIAN MATER | PHIL WARREN | 5 | 10.19 | ||
| 72 | GERALD MUELLER | PAT MURPHY | 5 | 10.16 | ||
| 73 | FRED CATES | TEARLE CATES | 5 | 10.15 | ||
| 74 | JAKE MASSEY | JAKE SADLER | 4 | 10.01 | ||
| 75 | HERMAN GEORGE | CODY BARCHENGER | 5 | 9.81 | ||
| 76 | BARRY MOTT | MATT HILL | 5 | 9.80 | ||
| 77 | TERRY ROBERTS | JAMES COTTINGHAM | 5 | 9.72 | ||
| 78 | MARIO GONZALES | DAVID CALLAHAN | 5 | 9.51 | ||
| 79 | BRYAN COTTER | DAVID TOWNSEND | 4 | 9.49 | ||
| 80 | TONY ACEVEDO | RYAN WORMLEY | 5 | 9.45 | ||
| 81 | BILL GUZMAN | 5 | 9.40 | |||
| 82 | CONNER ISELT | ANDREW ZIEGLER | 5 | 9.24 | ||
| 83 | JARED SANDERS | MICHAEL WALDROP | 5 | 9.10 | ||
| 84 | GARY RIGGS | 5 | 9.04 | |||
| 85 | RONNIE MATHIS | DON SCHUETZE | 5 | 8.92 | ||
| 86 | RANDALL CHRISTIAN | RONALD CHRISTIAN | 5 | 8.74 | ||
| 87 | STEVE VAN MEETEREN | CINDY VAN MEETEREN | 3 | 8.70 | ||
| 88 | GARY FRIEDEL | JACOB FROESE(Y) | 5 | 8.60 | ||
| 89 | GARY RAESZ | ANDY RIBERA | 4 | 8.42 | ||
| 90 | RICK BARNDS | MATT STEELE | 5 | 8.41 | ||
| 91 | GARRETT KOSLAN | ERIC CRUMLEY | 5 | 8.40 | ||
| 92 | CHRIS WOEHL | CARTER WOEHL(Y) | 4 | 8.30 | ||
| 93 | BILL LEE | MICHELLE LEE | 3 | 8.29 | ||
| 94 | MARK LEATHERMAN | WADE MEHAFFEY | 4 | 8.28 | ||
| 95 | CLAYTON FRENCH | KELLY HUDSON | 5 | 8.20 | ||
| 96 | GARY BROOKS | LYNNE BROOKS | 2 | 6.77 | 8.14 | $1850 Big Bass + $500 BIOBOR Bonus |
| 97 | BRET MIRICK | JOE BARROW | 3 | 8.10 | ||
| 98 | JOSEPH MAUGHON | TAYLER LAFLOWER | 4 | 8.09 | ||
| 99 | DON GORDON | JAMES ROBERTS | 5 | 8.05 | ||
| 100 | DUSTIN LAM | KAEL WASHBURN | 5 | 8.00 | ||
| 101 | RANDY SEIGMUND | WESLEY SEIGMUND | 3 | 7.97 | ||
| 102 | RODNEY QUINN | JAMES KEETAN | 4 | 7.94 | ||
| 103 | ANTHONY CHARLES GARCIA | ERIC GARCIA | 4 | 7.89 | ||
| 104 | WENDELL RAMSEY SR | WENDELL RAMSEY III(Y) | 4 | 7.87 | ||
| 105 | DARREL ROUTON | JACK CULBREATH | 5 | 7.83 | ||
| 106 | RUBEN RIBERA | LINO GUTIERREZ | 7.80 | |||
| 107 | ALLEN GASS | JASON STAFFORD | 5 | 7.30 | ||
| 108 | HUNTER VETTER | WILL CURLEE | 3 | 7.10 | ||
| 109 | BILLY FREEMAN | ED COLE | 5 | 6.82 | ||
| 110 | KEN CHAMBERS | BILL BLISARD | 4 | 6.60 | ||
| 111 | GREG SHEPPERD | GARRETT SHEPPERD | 3 | 6.53 | ||
| 112 | MICKEY SANDERS | ROGER MEEK | 3 | 6.17 | ||
| 113 | JERRY ROYS | STEVEN STUBBLEFIELD | 3 | 5.70 | ||
| 114 | JOEY KIRKLAND | LUPE CONTRERAS | 3 | 5.59 | ||
| 115 | DUSTIN TRIMUAR | GARY SHARP | 3 | 5.36 | ||
| 116 | JOE RUTHERFORD | ANDREW RUTHERFORD | 1 | 5.08 | 5.08 | |
| 117 | DENNIS BOWERS | NATHAN BOWERS(Y) | 3 | 4.99 | ||
| 118 | STEPHEN MALINA | TRAVIS PROFFITT | 2 | 4.43 | ||
| 119 | MATT BLACK | PRESTON FRANKE | 3 | 4.28 | ||
| 120 | ANDY WHITEHEAD | SHANE KUEHN | 2 | 4.00 | ||
| 121 | TONY THOMPSON | BOBBY RODRIGUEZ | 1 | 3.53 | ||
| 122 | CHRIS BERTELSON | THOMAS HOWE | 2 | 3.19 | ||
| 123 | STEVEN ALBERTHAL | JOHNNA ALBERTHAL | 1 | 1.76 | ||
| 124 | JARRETT LATTA | BRIAN LOWRANCE | ||||
| 124 | KRIS WILSON | HAROLD MOORE | ||||
| 124 | BRANDON KITCHENS | GEORGE ESCAMILLA | ||||
| 124 | PATRICK STARNES | SCOTT BAILEY | ||||
| 124 | RALPH ANDERSON | KERRY GAGE | ||||
| 124 | KELVIN MILAM | DAVID LANDRY | ||||
| 124 | SCOTT OLSON | ROSS WRIGHT | ||||
| 124 | RONNIE TROWER | MICHAEL LAFLEUR | ||||
| 124 | ROB TROUTT | BOB PRESCOTT | ||||
| 124 | CRAIG UROFSKY | LARRY KATTNER | ||||
| 124 | MICHAEL PROVENZANO | TIM MABRAY | ||||
| 124 | JACOB BRYANT | KYLE HEPP | ||||
| 124 | PAUL LUNA | LOGAN DRAKE(Y) | ||||
| 124 | MATT CANNON | JARED SIEGELER | ||||
| 124 | JAMES VEIL | JEREMY SPAULDING | ||||
| 124 | BILLY FORD | |||||
| 124 | JOHNNIE HAIRE | RANDY HAIRE | ||||
| 124 | JEFFREY HUNTER | JASPER HUNTER(Y) | ||||
| 124 | KYLE TATUM | DAVID SIMONO | ||||
| 124 | KYLE GOAD | KELLY GOAD | ||||
| 124 | BRENT SMITH | TAMMY SMITH | ||||
| 124 | BRYAN REECE | BRADLEY REECE | ||||
| 124 | PAT GRIMM | JACK MORSE | ||||
| 124 | DAVID SCHWERTNER | DAVID RIDLEY III | ||||
| 124 | DAVID CARLOCK | PAUL SHERRILL III | ||||
| 124 | BRIAN BRANDON | KAYDEN TANNER(Y) | ||||
| 124 | STEVE SHEPHERD | BEVERLY SHEPHERD | ||||
| 124 | JOHN MILLS | DAVID ACHILLES | ||||
| 124 | JAY STIDHAM | |||||
| 124 | BRIAN BUSTILLOZ | |||||
| 124 | JASON GARZA | WALTER KILPATRICK | ||||
| 124 | ROBBIE THORSTEINSON | DAVID REID | ||||
| 124 | JESSE FRY | SCOTT LANDON | ||||
| 124 | DAVID DOUGLASS | TOMMY MILLS | ||||
| 124 | CRAIG BULLOCK | DAVID BARATZ | ||||
| 124 | JACOB LONG | ANDER MEINE | ||||
| 124 | KEITH HEINRICH | BRENT TREDEMEYER | ||||
| 124 | RONALD SISK | |||||
| 124 | JOHN RILEY | JOHN BOURLAND | ||||
| 124 | JAMES CANTWELL | RANDEL CANTWELL | ||||
| 124 | CHRIS CONNER | JUSTIN POSTELL | ||||
| 124 | LYNNWOOD PIERCE | DONNIE WEBER | ||||
| 124 | CHUCK BROOKE | STACEY MOORE | ||||
| 124 | ADAM CLARK | JOSH LASSETER | ||||
| 124 | TONY FERDINANDO | RANDY VAUGHAN | ||||
| 124 | ROLAND LOERA | JASON DUNBAR | ||||
| 124 | MARCUS SAMANIEGO | KELLY MAULDIN | ||||
| 124 | RYAN WARREN | FRANK ELLIS | ||||
| 124 | MARK MAYNARD | MICHAEL BUTLER | ||||
| 124 | CHRISTOPHER WASHINGTON | |||||
| 124 | DREW GRESHAM | BEAU REED | ||||
| 124 | RICHIE LAND | KEN WILKINS | ||||
| 124 | MIKE GROUNDS | BOB BURTNER | ||||
| 124 | MARK BULLOCK | MARK NORDSTROM | ||||
| 124 | RODNEY HYATT | ALBERT HUDSON | ||||
| 124 | SHAE SEALE | LARRY HOLYBEE | ||||
| 124 | CHARLES DORTCH | STEVEN HILL | ||||
| 124 | DEAN ALEXANDER | TOM MARTENS | ||||
| 124 | JOHN-MICHAEL DUNAWAY | DEREK TAYLOR | ||||
| 124 | BRYAN HUTCHINSON | JEFF HUTCHINSON | ||||
| 124 | JAMES SCOGIN | ERIC SWEENEY | ||||
| 124 | MIKE HARMAN | RICK SCHEEN | ||||
| 124 | LANDON GLASS | MANDI GLASS |
Kennedy comes from behind to claim Elite Series Victory
Steve Kennedy of Auburn, Ala., wins the 2017 GoPro Bassmaster Elite at Lake Dardanelle presented by Econo Lodge held out of Russellville, Ark., on Monday, with a four-day total weight of 63 pounds, 12 ounces.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
June 5, 2017
RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — Steve Kennedy of Auburn, Ala., wasn’t dominating the event until he weighed 16 pounds, 9 ounces of bass during the final weigh-in to take home $100,000 and the third championship of his career at the GoPro Bassmaster Elite at Lake Dardanelle presented by Econo Lodge.
A big bass late in the day on Monday that weighed 5-10 anchored his five-bass limit and pushed his four-day winning weight to 63-12. The last time Kennedy topped a Bassmaster Elite Series field was in 2011 at Georgia’s West Point Lake.
“I’ve been so close so many times before, and I’ve usually lost tournaments because of a missed bite, or losing a fish before I could get it inside the boat,” Kennedy said. “It sure feels good to win one, especially after nearly winning this year’s Classic on Conroe.”
Kennedy won $50,000 for an impressive second-place finish at the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods in March on Lake Conroe in Texas.
The 48-year-old veteran made a 100-mile round trip each day to fish a small backwater just below the Ozark Dam on the Arkansas River.
“I found that spot during practice, and since the water is over 20 feet high right now, I was able to get my Bass Cat into the small pond-like area,” he said. “Once I got in there, I was impressed with the amount of life that was present. There were gar surfacing everywhere, shad flicking and bass feeding, which told me it was worth a visit each day.”
On Friday’s opening round of competition, he made the run to the dam and caught 16-10, which had him quietly in ninth place. Saturday morning he went to the same location, caught 14-3 and moved up the leaderboard into fifth place.
“On Sunday I caught 16-6, which had me in third place and I knew I had a real shot,” he said. “After I caught that big fish today I felt like I had it locked up, but Mark Davis kept it too close for comfort.”
Davis of Mount Ida, Ark., led the event on both Saturday and Sunday, but could only manage 13-10 on the final day and finished second, only 1-10 behind Kennedy.
Most of the fish that Kennedy brought to the scales this week were caught on a 3/4-ounce D&L Advantage flipping jig with a white plastic trailer.
“I used the exact same program at the Classic back in March,” he said. “There was still a bit of a shad spawn going on this week, and by swimming the jig through the willows, stopping it and letting it fall along the edge of the weeds, the bass would absolutely smoke it. I also caught several fish on a green pumpkin swim jig, and a few on topwater.”
With Kennedy’s wife and children there to congratulate his victory, he was elated.
“It’s been a while,” he said. “I put a lot of pressure on myself to perform and do well, and when I don’t succeed I take it hard. It means a lot to my family and me to bring home one of those coveted blue trophies.”
Other top finishers included Kevin VanDam, third with 60-11; Mark Menendez, who won here in 2009, fourth with 57-9; and Dean Rojas, fifth with 56-7.
Ott DeFoe, who finished 15th at Dardanelle with 41-12, has a slight lead over Jacob Wheeler and Brandon Palaniuk for Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year with three more regular season tournaments remaining in the Elite Series. He was awarded $1,000 for leading the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points race at the end of the event.
David Mullins of Mount Carmel, Tenn., claimed the $1,500 Phoenix Boats Big Bass Award for a 6-pound, 8-ounce largemouth he caught during Friday’s opening round.
Davis won the Livingston Lures Day 2 Leader Award of $500 for leading the tournament on Saturday’s second day of competition.
Jamie Hartman of Newport, N.Y., won the Toyota Bonus Bucks Award of $3,000 for being the highest-placing eligible entrant in the program. The second-highest-placing eligible entrant, Cliff Pace of Petal, Miss., received $2,000.
Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., earned the Power-Pole Captain’s Cash Award of $1,000 for being the highest-placing angler who is registered and eligible and uses a client-approved product on his boat.
The event was hosted by the Russellville Advertising and Promotion Commission.
2017 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2017 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Nitro Boats, Mercury, Minn Kota, Power-Pole, Shell Rotella, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha, Berkley, Huk, Humminbird
2017 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: T-H Marine, Shimano, Advance Auto Parts, Livingston Lures, Academy Sports + Outdoors, Carhartt, Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels, Lowrance, Phoenix Boats
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2), radio show (Bassmaster Radio), social media programs and events. For more than 45 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation presented by Magellan, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Costa Bassmaster High School Series presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.
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Media Contact: JamieDay Matthews, 205-313-0945, jmatthews@bassmaster.com or Dave Precht, 205-313-0931, dprecht@bassmaster.com
2017 GoPro Bassmaster Elite at Lake Dardanelle presented by Econo Lodge 6/2-6/5
Lake Dardanelle, Russellville AR.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 4
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 20 63-12 110 $100,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-10 Day 2: 5 14-03 Day 3: 5 16-06 Day 4: 5 16-09
2. Mark Davis Mount Ida, AR 20 62-02 109 $25,500.00
Day 1: 5 14-05 Day 2: 5 19-04 Day 3: 5 14-15 Day 4: 5 13-10
3. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 20 60-11 108 $21,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-03 Day 2: 5 12-08 Day 3: 5 12-00 Day 4: 5 17-00
4. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 20 57-09 107 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-05 Day 2: 5 15-02 Day 3: 5 15-05 Day 4: 5 14-13
5. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 20 56-07 106 $14,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-12 Day 2: 5 14-01 Day 3: 5 15-00 Day 4: 5 10-10
6. Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 19 55-04 105 $13,500.00
Day 1: 5 17-05 Day 2: 5 14-04 Day 3: 5 16-06 Day 4: 4 07-05
7. Cliff Pace Petal, MS 20 54-00 104 $13,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-03 Day 2: 5 12-09 Day 3: 5 13-12 Day 4: 5 11-08
8. Matt Lee Guntersville, AL 19 53-12 103 $12,500.00
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 5 16-08 Day 3: 5 12-05 Day 4: 4 11-06
9. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 18 53-03 102 $13,500.00
Day 1: 5 17-02 Day 2: 5 11-15 Day 3: 5 15-13 Day 4: 3 08-05
10. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 19 52-11 101 $11,500.00
Day 1: 5 12-05 Day 2: 5 14-10 Day 3: 5 18-14 Day 4: 4 06-14
11. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 18 51-04 100 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-02 Day 2: 5 14-07 Day 3: 5 12-15 Day 4: 3 08-12
12. Brandon Palaniuk Hayden, ID 18 49-09 99 $10,500.00
Day 1: 5 13-14 Day 2: 5 15-01 Day 3: 5 14-03 Day 4: 3 06-07
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 06-08 $1,500.00
Pate and Rowe dominate TXTT Championship out deep
KSU’S ALSOP WINS YETI FLW COLLEGE FISHING NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP FISH-OFF ON WILSON LAKE, ENTRY TO FORREST WOOD CUP
FLORENCE, Ala. (June 3, 2017) – For just the second time in YETI FLW College Fishing history, the National Championship winners Travis Blenn and Kyle Alsop from Kansas State University faced off Saturday in a one-day fish-off on Wilson Lake in North Alabama to decide which team member would represent their school at the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing.
After the scales settled and the final fish had been weighed, Alsop won the Forrest Wood Cup qualification with a five-bass limit totaling 10 pounds, 5 ounces. Blenn weighed a five-bass limit totaling 7 pounds, 7 ounces, giving Alsop the win and advancing him to compete against the best anglers in the world on Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina at the Forrest Wood Cup.
“This has been such an unbelievable experience this week,” said Alsop, a recent KSU mechanical engineering graduate who resides in Overland Park, Kansas. “I can’t believe that I’m going to fish in the Forrest Wood Cup. I might get my tail whipped, but I’m going to have fun doing it.”
Anderson is guaranteed at least a $10,000 paycheck, as that amount is awarded to the last-place finisher at the Forrest Wood Cup. The angler that wins the Forrest Wood Cup will earn $300,000 – professional bass fishing’s most lucrative prize.
“I can’t wait to sit down and start looking at some maps and doing a little research,” Alsop said. “I’m going to treat it like every other tournament I guess, but we’ll see what happens. Our old teammate on the fishing team Ryan Patterson won a national championship there in 2012, so I’m definitely going to talk to him for some advice. I cannot wait until August.”
The final standings after the one-day fish-off on Wilson Lake were:
1st: Kansas State University – Kyle Alsop, Overland Park, Kan., five bass, 10-5, Entry into 2017 Forrest Wood Cup
2nd: Kansas State University – Travis Blenn, Westmoreland, Kan., five bass, 7-7
Full results and standings for the 2017 YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship can be found at FLWFishing.com.
The 2017 YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship, hosted by the Florence/Lauderdale Tourism Bureau, featured 139 of the top college bass fishing clubs from across the nation competing for a $30,000 prize package, including a new Ranger Z175 boat with a 90-horsepower Evinrude outboard and entry into the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup. The Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing, will be held Aug. 11-13 on Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina, and will offer Alsop the opportunity to compete for a top award of $300,000.
Television coverage of the YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) Oct. 4 from Noon -1 p.m. EDT. The Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.
College Fishing is free to enter. All participants must be registered, full-time students at a college, university or community college and members of a fishing club recognized by their college or university.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow College Fishing on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing. Visit CollegeFishing.com to sign up or to start a club at your school.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2017 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 274 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
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TEXAS’ MABANK HIGH SCHOOL WINS TBF/FLW HIGH SCHOOL FISHING NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ON WHEELER LAKE
FLORENCE, Ala. (June 3, 2017) – The Mabank High School duo of Justin Shelton of Seven Points, Texas, and Dakota Pfoh, of Eustace, Texas, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 17 pounds, 7 ounces to win the 2017 TBF/FLW High School Fishing National Championship on Wheeler Lake in Florence, Alabama. The win earned the team trophies, the title of national champions and each angler a $5,000 scholarship to their college of choice.
A field of 13 teams competed in the event, which launched from Joe Wheeler State Park in Rogersville. The Mabank High School duo won by an 8-pound, 2-ounce margin over second place Harmony High School from St. Cloud, Florida, who weighed in five bass totaling 9-5. Mabank’s 17-7 limit was greater than any limit weighed in by the YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship teams that fished Wheeler for three days prior to the high school event.
The key to Mabank’s win was one key area on the main lake of Wheeler that was loaded with bait. They camped on the spot all day long.
“We found one place in practice and kind of left it alone,” says Shelton. “We went in there today and wore ’em out.”
The spot was located near some large barge tie-offs. A ledge sloped up to a shell bed that was about 5 feet deep on top. Above the shell bed was a 2-foot-deep island. Pfoh and Shelton positioned above the shell bed and cast out, dragging jigs back up the slope. They also circled the island, which produced a key fish but also gave the shell bed time to replenish. Each time they fished through the main spot again produced another keeper.
Their jigs were either black and blue or green-pumpkin and rigged with matching Strike King Rage Craw trailers. While the jig bite was key, according to Pfoh the team also caught a couple of fish on a Strike King 5XD crankbait and a Bass Pro Shops Speed Shad swimbait, Texas-rigged with a screw-in weight, which they worked through some grass.
Both anglers graduated in 2016 – the year they qualified for this championship. Shelton is attending community college and working, while focusing on his fishing. Pfoh is angling for a fishing career as well. Both hope to land on a YETI FLW College Fishing club
The top 10 teams on Wheeler Lake finished:
1st: Mabank High School, Mabank, Texas – Dakota Pfoh, Seven Points, Texas, and Justin Shelton, Eustace, Texas, five bass, 17-7, $10,000 Scholarship
2nd: Harmony High School, St. Cloud, Fla. – Cole Thompson and Nick Cora, both of St. Cloud, Fla., five bass, 9-5
3rd: Lawrenceburg Tigers, Lawrenceburg, Ind. – Hunter Schneider, Milin, Ind., and William Halbig, Aurora, Ind., five bass, 7-13
4th: South Florence High School, Florence, S.C. – Cole Drummond, Effingham, S.C., and Piercen Lynch, Timmonsville, S.C., five bass, 7-4
5th: Mortimer Jordan High School, Kimberly, Ala. – Parker Davis, Morris, Ala., and Aaron Stephens, Kimberly, Ala., five bass, 7-4
6th: Phoenix HS Bassmasters, Phoenix, Ariz. – Taj White, Glendale, Ariz., and Nathan Cummings, Peoria, Ariz., three bass, 7-4
7th: Corbin High School, Corbin, Ky. – Marcus Davis and Noah Metzger, both of Corbin, Ky., five bass, 7-0
8th: Peru Senior High School, Peru, N.Y. – Perry Marvin and Alexandre Lawliss, both of Peru, N.Y., three bass, 3-14
9th: Creek Wood High School, Charlotte, Tenn. – Daniel Cheshire and Steven Mills, both of White Bluff, Tenn., two bass, 3-8
10th: Alfred M. Barbe High School, Lake Charles, La. – Colby Robinson and Nick Nocilla, both of Lake Charles, La., four bass, 3-1
Complete results for the remaining teams and photos from the event can be found at FLWFishing.com.
The 2017 TBF/FLW High School Fishing National Championship was a two-person (team) no-entry fee event for students in grades 7-12. The tournament featured the top anglers from the 2016 TBF/FLW High School Fishing Conference Championship events. An additional High School Fishing National Championship will be held this year, June 27-July 1 on Pickwick Lake, for teams that qualified during the 2017 season. Going forward, a yearly championship will be held following the preceding school year.
Full schedules and the latest announcements are available at HighSchoolFishing.org and FLWFishing.com.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2017 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 274 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
About The Bass Federation
The Bass Federation Inc., (TBF) is a member of the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. TBF is owned by those we serve and dedicated to the sport of fishing. The Federation is the largest and oldest, organized grassroots fishing, youth and conservation organization there is. TBF, our affiliated state federations and their member clubs conduct more than 20,000 events each year and have provided a foundation for the entire bass fishing industry for more than 45 years. TBF founded the Student Angler Federation and the National High School Fishing program in 2008 to promote clean family fun and education through fishing. Visit bassfederation.com or highschoolfishing.org and “LIKE US” on Facebook.
DALLAS HODGES JOINS BASS CAT AND YAR-CRAFT AS VP OF SALES & MARKETING
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Nick Harris and Keith Phillips Win 2017 Alabama Bass Trail Lay Lake
Coby Carden and Chris Rutland Claim South Division AOY Title
by Dan O’Sullivan
June 3, 2017 – Columbiana, Ala. – It seems as though every time there is a bass tournament these days, nature is going to throw the anglers for a loop. Whether it was and unseasonably warm and mild winter or heavier than normal spring and early summer rains, the conditions have been “different” this year.
That scenario was once again the case as the final event of the 2017 Alabama Bass Trail Southern Division schedule kicked off at Lay Lake the morning of June 3. The whole Coosa River chain had seen high dirty water thanks to torrential rains the past two weeks, and while Alabama Power worked to make room for more, the water at Lay Lake had been fluctuating.
While Lay Lake had stabilized, it was a little lower than normal for the year, and anglers were adjusting, but the overall bite was a little tough, and random compared to what it normally is. The one thing many of the teams were excited about was the tail end of a shad spawn that was making the morning bite critical.
Then the fog rolled in. As takeoff approached, the field found the Beeswax Creek launch area socked in with a thick fog that resulted in a half hour fog delay for safety, and the whole complexion of the event changed in an instant.
In the end, the team that made the right adjustments were Nick Harris and Keith Phillips. The local anglers from Alabaster and Calera, started the morning looking for shallow largemouth that were feeding on bream, but adjusted to offshore brushpiles to catch just enough to seal the victory. The pair came to the scales with a five fish limit that weighed 17.63 pounds and earned the $10,000 first prize.
The pair was not sure that they would end up in the catbird seat when they returning to weigh-in. “We knew the delay was going to make it a tighter tournament, they said. “But we really thought we were one fish short of having enough to win; we’re pleased and surprised to be standing here right now.”
They reported fishing “anything and everything shallow” early, but when that didn’t work, they went to a series of brushpiles to catch the bulk of their weight. “We caught four of our fish deep on a DT10 crankbait and a Texas Rigged Zoom Magnum Trick Worm, but were one fish short of our limit at 1:30,” they said. “We went back to the shallows and caught the final fish Flipping grass with a big weight and a Sweet Beaver at 1:45; that was the end of our day.”
They reported adding a hint of orange to a Sexy Shad color on the crankbait to mimic the bluegill, the Magnum Trick Worm was Red Bug color and the Sweet Beaver was Juicy. They also reported catching fewer than 10 keeper bass for the day.
At the beginning of the season, teams in the Alabama Bass Trail are allowed to name an alternate angler to be used in case of an emergency, and in the case of Terry Stevens and Mike McCartney, they selected well. With McCartney unable to make the final event of the season due to a family event, they called on their alternate, Mark McCaig – a previous ABT North Division winner – to fill in. Stevens and McCaig collaborated to finish second in the final event of the season with 17.44 pounds.
They reported throwing All Terrain swim jigs and Flipping Big Bite Baits Dean Rojas Fighting Frogs combinations of water willow and Coontail grass in the middle section of the lake. “Things went well today, we only lost one fish in that grass, and put everything else in the boat,” they said. “We’re pleased with how it turned out.” They earned $5,000 for their efforts on the day.
Barry Isbell and Bobby Freeman produced a 15.81-pound limit to finish the event in third place, earning $4,000 in the process. They were followed by Stanley Fairchild and Derrick Percival with 15.57 pounds in fourth, which earned them $3,000 and Mike McCullers and Jason Shockley rounded out the top five with 15.30, worth a $2,000 payday.
The team of Jeff and Howard Richey caught a 5.61-pound largemouth, which was enough to earn the Big Bass prize of $500. The fish anchored their 13.12-pound limit, which was good enough for 19th place; theyr earned a total of $1,000 for their day.
The top 10 standings are below, for complete standings go to http://www.alabamabasstrail.org/tournament-series/ll-results/.
| Place | Anglers | Weight | Big Fish | Winnings |
| 1 | Nick Harris / Keith Phillips | 17.63 | 4.60 | $10,000 |
| 2 | Terry Stevens / Mark McCaig | 17.44 | $5,000 | |
| 3 | Barry Isbell / Bobby Freeman | 15.81 | 4.00 | $4,000 |
| 4 | Stanley Fairchild / Derrick Percival | 15.57 | 5.56 | $3,000 |
| 5 | Mike McCullers / Jason Shockley | 15.30 | $2,000 | |
| 6 | Rob Lee / Steve Winslett | 15.12 | $1,500 | |
| 7 | Jeff Tapley / Paul Tarpley | 15.07 | $1,100 | |
| 8 | Keith Mayfield / Daryl Adams | 14.73 | $1,100 | |
| 9 | Mark Mott / Matt Salter | 14.71 | 4.58 | $1,100 |
| 10 | Samuel Fish / Michael Smith | 14.55 | 5.48 | $1,100 |
Wrapping up the regular season, Coby Carden and Chris Rutland – who have won two previous ABT event on Lay Lake – produced 13.07 pounds, which helped them finish the event in 21st place. That finish was enough to earn them the title of South Division Anglers of the Year. Despite their record of excellence ABT competition, this is their first AOY win.
Rutland said the pair was thrilled with the result. “Coby and I have fished the ABT all four years and one of our major goals was to win the AOY award. We have finished in the top three or four in points the previous three seasons. So, to win this year is a huge deal to us and really means a lot,” he said. “It is especially gratifying to do so with a full field of 225 teams. We really enjoyed the schedule this year and greatly appreciate all of the hard work put in by Kay, Clay and their staff to make the ABT the best team tournament trail in our state.”
For complete season’s standings, visit this link; http://www.alabamabasstrail.org/tournament-series/south-division-standings/
The sponsors of the 2017 Alabama Bass Trail include; Bill Penney Toyota, Phoenix Bass Boats, GP8 Oxygen Water, Garmin, Academy Sports & Outdoors, Wind Creek Hospitality – Wetumpka, Wind Creek Hospitality – Montgomery, Alabama Tourism Department, SCA Performance, T-H Marine Supplies, Wedowee Marine, AFTCO, Fish Neely Henry Lake.com, Lew’s Fishing, Crossed Industries, YETI, E3 Apparel, TVA and Alabama Power.
For information about Alabama Bass Trail and for complete tournament standings visit www.alabamabasstrail.org.
DEAKINS LEADS WIRE-TO-WIRE, WINS T-H MARINE BFL ALL-AMERICAN TOURNAMENT ON PICKWICK LAKE
Marshall Deakins tops Boater Division, wins $125,000 and invitation to Forrest Wood Cup
FLORENCE, Ala. (June 3, 2017) – Marshall Deakins of Dunlap, Tennessee, brought a five-bass limit to the scale weighing 15 pounds, 5 ounces Saturday to win the 34th annual T-H Marine Bass Fishing League (BFL) All-American on Pickwick Lake. Deakins’ three-day cumulative catch of 15 bass weighing 60 pounds, 6 ounces was enough to earn him $125,000 and a berth into the world championship of bass fishing – the Forrest Wood Cup.
“This is the biggest win of my career by far,” said Deakins, who had five prior wins at the BFL level in FLW competition. “I didn’t think I had a shot at winning at this tournament, even with my 10-pound lead going into the final day. I figured somebody would catch them better – but it worked out.”
Deakins’ primary areas this week were located between the Natchez Trace Bridge and Kogers Island. His first – which produced the majority of his fish – was a ledge just downriver from the Natchez Trace Bridge that had a large rock pile protruding from it. Deakins said he took advantage of the current to make the spot work for him.
“I couldn’t catch fish there unless the current was really strong to wash my jig up over the rocks,” said Deakins. “Yesterday there was a lot of current and I could fish the jig over it, but today it got hung up.”
Deakins’ second area was a shell bar on top of a main-river ledge, just upriver from Kogers Island.
“I kept the boat in 18 to 21 feet of water and I threw up to 4 to 6 feet on top of it,” said Deakins. “I weighed two from the shell bar today, and finished out my limit back at the bridge.”
Deakins’ key bait throughout the event was an October Pumpkin-colored Profound Lures football-head jig with a Rootbeer Pepper Green-colored Zoom Fat Albert Twin Tail Grub trailer. Today’s final limit was also caught with the help of a Morning Dawn-colored Roboworm on a drop-shot rig, but Deakins said the jig and its color were the most crucial factor to his strategy this week.
“I fished with (former FLW Tour pro) Lionel Botha before he competed in the 2013 All-American on Nickajack Lake, which sets up a lot like Pickwick Lake,” said Deakins. “He used that color and caught a lot on it. I’ve fished it ever since then and it works – especially early in the summer.”
The top 10 boaters on Pickwick Lake finished:
1st: Marshall Deakins, Dunlap, Tenn., 15 bass, 60-6, $125,000
2nd: Brent Anderson, Kingston Springs, Tenn., 15 bass, 52-12, $20,200
3rd: Justin Atkins, Florence, Ala., 15 bass, 48-0, $23,100
4th: Brandon Gray, Bullock, N.C., 15 bass, 46-3, $14,000
5th: Lloyd Pickett Jr., Bartlett, Tenn., 15 bass, 44-9, $19,000
6th: Mike Brueggen, La Crosse, Wis., 15 bass, 43-14, $17,000
7th: William Merrick, Mount Juliet, Tenn., 15 bass, 43-3, $11,000
8th: Ronald Nutter, Saint Louisville, Ohio, 15 bass, 43-2, $10,000
9th: Brad Fowler, Townville, S.C., 14 bass, 40-2, $9,000
10th: Jeff Knight, Cleveland, Tenn., 10 bass, 34-6, $11,000
For a full list of results, visit FLWFishing.com.
Overall there were 44 bass weighing 116 pounds, 3 ounces caught by nine boaters Saturday. The catch included eight five-bass limits.
Alex Hester of Crossville, Tennessee, won the Co-angler Division and $50,000 Saturday with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 49 pounds even, followed by Jacob Harris of Bonne Terre, Missouri, in second place with 14 bass weighing 36-10.
The top 10 co-anglers finished:
1st: Alex Hester, Crossville, Tenn., 15 bass, 49-0, $50,000
2nd: Jacob Harris, Bonne Terre, Mo., 14 bass, 36-10, $15,200
3rd: Randy Westerfield, Constantine, Mich., 11 bass, 35-3, $6,000
4th: Jim Budde, Waterloo, Ill., 13 bass, 32-10, $5,050
5th: Brody Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, 12 bass, 31-1, $4,500
6th: Peter Balishin, Sharps Chapel, Tenn., 12 bass, 30-15, $4,000
7th: Dennis Taylor, Murray, Ky., 11 bass, 30-4, $3,500
8th: Jim Stone, Greenwood, Ind., 12 bass, 28-3, $3,000
9th: Pat Kendrick, Bumpass, Va., 11 bass, 28-2, $2,500
10th: Greg Ravitsky, Ashburn, Va., 10 bass, 25-3, $2,000
Overall there were 32 bass weighing 90 pounds even caught by nine co-anglers Saturday. The catch included two five-bass limits.
Hosted by the Florence/Lauderdale Tourism Bureau, the BFL All-American featured 98 of the best boaters and co-anglers from across the 24-division T-H Marine BFL circuit and the TBF National Championship casting for cash prizes of up to $125,000 in the Boater Division and $60,000 in the Co-angler Division, plus an opportunity to compete for bass fishing’s most coveted prize – the Forrest Wood Cup – held Aug. 11-13 on Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina.
Television coverage of the T-H Marine BFL All-American at Pickwick Lake will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) Oct. 11 from Noon-1 p.m. EDT. The Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For a full schedule of events, complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow FLW on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
Davis Still On Top At Bassmaster Elite on Lake Dardanelle
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Wildcats win YETI FLW College Championship on Wheeer
KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY WINS YETI FLW COLLEGE FISHING NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ON WHEELER LAKE
Link to photo of winners Kansas State University
FLORENCE, Ala. (June 2, 2017) - The Kansas State University team of Travis Blenn of Westmoreland, Kansas, and Kyle Alsop of Overland Park, Kansas, weighed a five-bass limit Friday totaling 11 pounds, 11 ounces, to win the 2017 YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship on Wheeler Lake presented by Lowrance C-Map Genesis. The Wildcat duo's three-day total of 15 bass for 44-12 gave them the win by a 1-pound, 12-ounce margin over the 2015 National Championship winners, Patrick Walters and Gettys Brannon from the University of South Carolina, who finished second with 15 bass for 43-0.
"This is the last college fishing tournament of my career," said Alsop, a recent engineering graduate. "To go out like this is just unbelievable."
"We didn't think that we had enough," said Blenn, a junior at Kansas State University. "We were lucky enough to get the big bites the last two days, but we just didn't get them today. I was sure that we needed one more. But sure enough, it was enough."
The Wildcat duo said that their key bait throughout the week was a green-pumpkin-colored Zoom Brush Hog, rigged three different ways - Carolina-rigged, Texas-rigged and on a Big Bite Baits Swing Head. They said that they caught their fish out deep on ledges in Decatur, flipping docks and dragging the Brush Hog in and around brush piles in a creek.
"All week long we threw the Brush Hog," Alsop said. "Today when it slowed down we picked up a shaky-head rig with a Big Bite (Baits) Super Stick on it, but the Brush Hog was the key. We dyed the tails chartreuse."
Blenn and Alsop will now advance to compete Saturday in a one-day fish-off against each other on Wilson Lake. The two anglers will weigh in at 3:25 p.m. prior to the final weigh in of the BFL All-American championship at Pickwick Lake. The winner will advance to compete at the Forrest Wood Cup.
"No matter what happens tomorrow, me and Kyle are good enough friends that it will all be good," Blenn said. "And if by chance I do beat him tomorrow, I think he's a good enough stick to make it there on his own, eventually."
"I hope to make a career in professional fishing," Alsop went on to say. "I'm going to start working to qualify for the Tour next year and we'll see how far I can make it. Tomorrow Travis and I are just going to go out and get after them and we'll see what happens."
The top 10 teams on Wheeler Lake finished:
1st: Kansas State University - Travis Blenn, Westmoreland, Kan., and Kyle Alsop, Overland Park, Kan., 15 bass, 44-12, Ranger Z175 w/90-horsepower Evinrude Outboard, Entry into 2017 Forrest Wood Cup
2nd: University of South Carolina - Patrick Walters, Summerville, S.C., and Gettys Brannon, Gaffney, S.C., 15 bass, 43-0, $5,000
3rd: Bethel University - Evan Owrey, Jackson, Tenn., and Kristopher Queen, Catawba, N.C., 15 bass, 42-11, $4,000
4th: University of Louisiana-Monroe - Tyler Stewart and Nicholas Joiner, both of West Monroe, La., 15 bass, 38-5, $3,000
5th: East Texas Baptist University - Brett Clark, Center, Texas, and Jacob Keith, Jefferson, Texas, 15 bass, 38-3, $2,000
6th: University of Missouri - Gabriel Dubois, Mason, Ohio, and Brandon Heizer, Saint Louis, Mo., 15 bass, 37-6
7th: Slippery Rock University - Logan Pollman, Slippery Rock, Pa., and Tyler Sheppard, Hermitage, Pa., 15 bass, 34-3
8th: Murray State University - Chandler Christian, Owensboro, Ky., and Lance Freeman, Eddyville, Ky., 15 bass, 31-13
9th: Lamar University - Brandon Simoneaux, Bridge City, Texas, and Colby Ogden, Sour Lake, Texas, 12 bass, 31-2
10th: University of Oregon - Ryan Habenicht, Auburn, Calif., and Daniel Marshall, Eugene, Ore., 10 bass, 24-6
Full results and standings for the remaining field can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Overall there were 43 bass weighing 96 pounds, 12 ounces caught by nine college teams Friday. The catch included eight five-bass limits.
The 2017 YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship, hosted by the Florence/Lauderdale Tourism Bureau, featured 139 of the top college bass fishing clubs from across the nation competing for a $30,000 prize package, including a new Ranger Z175 boat with a 90-horsepower Evinrude outboard and entry into the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup. The Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing, will be held August 11-13 on Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina, and will offer a collegiate angler the opportunity to compete for a top award of $300,000.
Television coverage of the YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) Oct. 4 from Noon -1 p.m. EDT. The Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.
College Fishing is free to enter. All participants must be registered, full-time students at a college, university or community college and members of a fishing club recognized by their college or university.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow College Fishing on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing. Visit CollegeFishing.com to sign up or to start a club at your school.
About FLW
FLW is the world's largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2017 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 274 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
New Dog, Old Tricks...
By Vance McCullough
This was supposed to be a story about some of the best post-spawn lures to use in grass-filled lakes.
Yes, there are still plenty of bass just coming off beds in Florida. There are a few still coming in to spawn if you know where to look. Just this weekend we caught a couple of fish that were fat with roe and some that had empty, yet still distended bellies indicating they had recently dumped their eggs.
To support my story about catching such fish I figured I’d do a little field demonstration.
I thought I had proven my point when I caught what I call an ‘elbow bass’ – one that measures up to the bend in my elbow from the tip of the finger that we use to wave at other motorists, a distance of a little better than 18 inches. I caught a couple of others, missed an overly eager fish that blasted through a thin weed canopy.
Then I rounded a point of pine flat woods and ran into my boy, Hunter, age 14.
We had dragged our kayaks out to this small lake in the woods because, this being Memorial Day, every boat ramp in the country would be jammed with housewives trying to back boat trailers while redfaced husbands holler at them from the helms of their vessels.
There are no roads to this lake. No ramps. No embarrassed wives. It’s Jackson Kayak country.
Anyhow, my son quickly destroyed my how-to article on catching post-spawn fish.
“I saw that one you caught back there,” said Hunter. “I caught 3 on that bank over there and the smallest one was like the one you caught and it had a huge belly.”
If bass wore pants, mine would have been wearing skinny jeans. Its stomach was sunken in. That fish would have eaten anything, maybe even tofu.
So forget what I was going to say. I know nothing of catching post-spawn bass. Oh sure, I whizzed and whirled and buzzed and plopped. I caught small schoolers offshore and junkyard bass in a backwater slough I shared with a croaking gator and a mean cottonmouth snake. I caught fish where there shouldn’t have been any.
But my boy doubled me up. Two-to-one. And he had pictures to prove it. His were all tournament grade fish. He would have cashed a check in most tournaments.
I bet you’d like to know how he did it. Well, he kept things simple. He went old school. I don’t how many times that boy has beaten me with a simple Texas-rigged worm. He was just casting at anything that looked good and letting the worm do the work.
When he drifted the open water he just popped the worm through the top of the grass. Water was about 4 feet deep, grass was about 2 feet tall. He stitched that worm through it and kept an eye on his line. When it swam off he set the hook.
Solid game plan.
So that’s how you catch post-spawn bass that just came off the bed. Or, post-spawn bass that came off the bed 2 weeks ago. Or 2 months ago. Or 10 months ago.
The Texas-rigged worm: an old trick that still works, even in the hands of a new dog.
KVD Leads Elite Series Event on Dardanelle heading into Day 2
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Carhartt Countdown to Blastoff - SE Edition with Robbie Digh
AnglersChannel Pro Staffer Robbie Digh talks about the upcoming tournaments this weekend.
Carhartt Countdown to Blastoff - Jordan Lee, Dardanelle, Day 1
Dynamic Sponsorships PR Director Alan McGuckin chats it up with Classic Champ Jordan Lee as he prepares for Day 1 of the BassMasters Elite Series event on Lake Dardanelle.
KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY TAKES LEAD AFTER DAY TWO OF YETI FLW COLLEGE FISHING NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ON WHEELER LAKE
FLORENCE, Ala. (June 1, 2017) – The Kansas State University team of Travis Blenn of Westmoreland, Kansas, and Kyle Alsop of Overland Park, Kansas, brought a five-bass limit to the scale weighing 16 pounds, 9 ounces to grab the lead Thursday at Day Two of the 2017 YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship on Wheeler Lake presented by Lowrance C-Map Genesis. The Wildcat duo’s two-day total of 10 bass for 33-1 will give them a slim 4-ounce advantage over the second place team from Tennessee’s Bethel University heading into the third and final day of competition.
The three-day National Championship event featured 139 of the top college bass fishing clubs – now cut to 10 – from across the nation competing for a $30,000 prize package, including a new Ranger Z175 boat with a 90-horsepower Evinrude outboard and entry into the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup. The Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing, will be held August 11-13 on Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina, and will offer a collegiate angler the opportunity to compete for a top award of $300,000.
“We’ve got three pretty solid patterns that are working for us,” said Alsop, a senior majoring in engineering. “We know that we can go and catch a limit of fish on the second pattern, but we’re not here to catch just a limit of fish. We’re here to win. So tomorrow we’re going to dig deep and see what happens.”
The Kansas State duo said that they did the majority of their damage Thursday fishing offshore, but not on the main river. Although they were not yet ready to divulge any specifics, they did say that they were fishing just one bait, but rigging it three different ways. Their five-bass limit that they brought to the scale Thursday consisted of four largemouth and one smallmouth.
“We caught around 15 keepers today, the same as yesterday,” said Blenn. “We spent a little bit more time up shallow yesterday, but there was a lot of little fish.”
“Consistency is everything out here,” said Alsop. “Tomorrow, we might run shallow to finish out limit, but we’re not going to spend a bunch of time on it. I really think the key to our areas are a timing deal. The fish come up and feed real quickly, then move on.
“We have two spots we’ve been kind of saving – one of them we haven’t even touched yet,” Alsop continued. “But who knows, we might pull up tomorrow and never get a bite. We’re just excited to be in the position we are and are ready to go out tomorrow and have some fun.”
The top 10 teams on Wheeler Lake that will advance to the final day of competition are:
1st: Kansas State University – Travis Blenn, Westmoreland, Kan., and Kyle Alsop, Overland Park, Kan., 10 bass, 33-1
2nd: Bethel University – Evan Owrey, Jackson, Tenn., and Kristopher Queen, Catawba, N.C., 10 bass, 32-13
3rd: University of South Carolina – Patrick Walters, Summerville, S.C., and Gettys Brannon, Gaffney, S.C., 10 bass, 29-14
4th: University of Louisiana-Monroe – Tyler Stewart and Nicholas Joiner, both of West Monroe, La., 10 bass, 25-12
5th: Lamar University – Brandon Simoneaux, Bridge City, Texas, and Colby Ogden, Sour Lake, Texas, nine bass, 25-9
6th: East Texas Baptist University – Brett Clark, Center, Texas, and Jacob Keith, Jefferson, Texas, 10 bass, 25-2
7th: Slippery Rock University – Logan Pollman, Slippery Rock, Pa., and Tyler Sheppard, Hermitage, Pa., 10 bass, 24-15
8th: University of Oregon – Ryan Habenicht, Auburn, Calif., and Daniel Marshall, Eugene, Ore., 10 bass, 24-6
9th: University of Missouri – Gabriel Dubois, Mason, Ohio, and Brandon Heizer, Saint Louis, Mo., 10 bass, 23-13
10th: Murray State University – Chandler Christian, Owensboro, Ky., and Lance Freeman, Eddyville, Ky., 10 bass, 23-12
Full results and standings for the remaining field can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Overall there were 478 bass weighing 869 pounds, 4 ounces caught by 114 college teams Thursday. The catch included 70 five-bass limits.
The final 10 teams will take off Friday from Joe Wheeler State Park, located at 4401 McLean Drive, in Rogersville, Alabama, at 6:30 a.m. CDT. Friday’s championship weigh-in will be held at McFarland Park, located at 200 Jim Spain Drive in Florence, at 3 p.m., prior to the Day Two weigh-in of the BFL All-American championship at Pickwick Lake.
The winning college team will advance to compete Saturday in a one-day fish-off against each other on Wilson Lake. The two anglers will weigh in at 3:25 p.m. prior to the final weigh in of the BFL All-American championship at Pickwick Lake. The winner will advance to compete at the Forrest Wood Cup. All takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
Television coverage of the YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) Oct. 4 from Noon -1 p.m. EDT. The Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.
College Fishing is free to enter. All participants must be registered, full-time students at a college, university or community college and members of a fishing club recognized by their college or university.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow College Fishing on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing. Visit CollegeFishing.com to sign up or to start a club at your school.
TENNESSEE’S DEAKINS LEADS DAY ONE OF T-H MARINE BFL ALL-AMERICAN TOURNAMENT ON PICKWICK LAKE
Kentucky’s Taylor Leads Co-anglers
FLORENCE, Ala. (June 1, 2017) – Boater Marshall Deakins of Dunlap, Tennessee, took the early lead at the 34th annual T-H Marine Bass Fishing League (BFL) All-American on Pickwick Lake Thursday with a five-bass limit weighing 24 pounds, 6 ounces. Deakins will begin Day Two of the three-day competition with a 2-pound, 14-ounce lead over second-place angler Mike Brueggen of La Crosse, Wisconsin, who weighed in five bass totaling 21 pounds, 8 ounces.
The BFL All-American features 98 of the best boaters and co-anglers from across the 24-division T-H Marine BFL circuit casting for cash prizes of up to $120,000 in the Boater Division and $60,000 in the Co-angler Division. In addition to the six-figure payout, the top boater will receive an invitation to compete for bass fishing’s most coveted prize – the Forrest Wood Cup – held Aug. 11-13 on Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina.
“I’m catching them two or three different ways,” said Deakins, who qualified for the event through the BFL Choo Choo division. “I’ve caught some fish from grass, rocks and shell beds. I’ve got two or three areas that are really good, and I just kept rotating through them. The fish are in the same places that I found them in during pre-practice.”
Deakins said he used a jig to catch his fish. He said he didn’t encounter much boat traffic, and was able to put together a limit fairly quickly.
“I made a lot of stops, but my primary areas are 4 to 5 miles apart,” said Deakins. “I caught a couple of big fish at the first location, and another decent one at the second. I probably put at least 10 keepers in the boat throughout the day and culled a few times later on.”
Deakins said he believes the color of his jig is one of the most important factors in his strategy, and that he plans on following the same pattern on Day Two.
“I’ve got some more places like the areas from today that I haven’t hit yet,” said Deakins. “I can’t wait to get back out there.”
The top 10 boaters after Day One on Pickwick Lake are:
1st: Marshall Deakins, Dunlap, Tenn., five bass, 24-6
2nd: Mike Brueggen, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 21-8
3rd: Ronald Nutter, Saint Louisville, Ohio, five bass, 20-7
4th: Jeff Knight, Cleveland, Tenn., five bass, 18-4
5th: Brent Anderson, Kingston Springs, Tenn., five bass, 17-6
6th: Brandon Gray, Bullock, N.C., five bass, 17-2
7th: Justin Atkins, Florence, Ala., five bass, 16-13
8th: Conrad Bolt, Seneca, S.C., five bass, 16-8
9th: Tyler Morgan, Columbus, Ga., five bass, 16-6
10th: Adam Ohms, Edwardsville, Ill., five bass, 16-3
For a full list of results, visit FLWFishing.com.
Overall there were 205 bass weighing 594 pounds, 11 ounces caught by 47 boaters Thursday. The catch included 31 five-bass limits.
Dennis Taylor of Murray, Kentucky, leads the Co-angler Division with five bass weighing 17 pounds, 3 ounces, followed by David Winters of Rock Hill, South Carolina, in second place with five bass weighing 16-5.
The top 10 co-anglers are:
1st: Dennis Taylor, Murray, Ky., five bass, 17-3
2nd: David Winters, Rock Hill, S.C., five bass, 16-5
3rd: Pat Kendrick, Bumpass, Va., five bass, 14-6
4th: Peter Balishin, Sharps Chapel, Tenn., five bass, 14-5
5th: Greg Ravitsky, Ashburn, Va., five bass, 13-11
6th: Jeremy New, Yorktown, Ind., five bass, 13-2
7th: Alex Hester, Crossville, Tenn., five bass, 12-15
8th: Mike Youngblood, Saint Louis, Mo., five bass, 12-13
9th: Jim Budde, Waterloo, Ill., five bass, 12-9
10th: Billy Watson, Murfreesboro, Tenn., five bass, 11-11
Overall there were 148 bass weighing 361 pounds, 7 ounces caught by 44 Co-anglers Thursday. The catch included 14 five-bass limits.
Competitors will take off from McFarland Park located at 200 Jim Spain Drive in Florence at 7 a.m. CDT each day. Weigh-ins each day will be held at McFarland Park, and will begin at 3:30 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
The 2017 BFL All-American on Pickwick Lake is being hosted by the Florence/Lauderdale Tourism Bureau.
Television coverage of the T-H Marine BFL All-American at Pickwick Lake will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) Oct. 11 from Noon-1 p.m. EDT. The Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For a full schedule of events, complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow FLW on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
Hackney and Swindle Make Dardanelle Predictions
By Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
Greg Hackney finished 3rd the last time the Bassmaster Elites were at Lake Dardanelle in May of 2014, and Swindle finished 2nd – losing by four heartbreaking ounces to winner Jason Christie.
Together, Swindle and Hackney hauled home $45,000 from that event three years ago, and both of the Quantum pros seemed optimistically focused at Thursday afternoon’s angler registration meeting where they were gracious enough to share their thoughts on what will take place this week at the muddier-than-normal Arkansas River fishery.
Q: With so much of the main river ‘blown out’ with high and muddy water, can this event be won on the main river, or do you think fishing the backwaters for the coveted blue Elite Series trophy is a must.
Hackney: I’d say it’s 50/50 to be honest with you.
Swindle: Backwater. No question.
Q: How much weight per day will you have to average in order to qualify for the Top 12 cut on Monday?
Hackney: 14 pounds per day
Swindle: 13 ½ pounds per day
Q: It’s a bit of a strange Elite Series schedule this week, because appropriately, we took time-out to honor Memorial Day on Monday. What was your best memory from the recent Memorial Day weekend?
Hackney: Family time! My wife and kids and I spent the weekend with my parents in Star City, Arkansas about two hours southeast of here.
Swindle: Just grillin and chillin with Lulu here at the campground.
Q: Name four lures you think we’ll see the Elite Series field use the most here this week.
Hackney: Square bill crankbait, a frog, a Texas-rigged plastic to pitch with, and a spinnerbait.
Swindle: A black and blue jig, a shallow 1.5 crankbait, a double Colorado bladed spinnerbait, and a Texas-rigged craw or beaver style bait to pitch with.
Q: You’ve been here several times. What do you like best about Lake Dardanelle and city of Russellville, Arkansas?
Hackney: It’s just laid back, and it’s a fishin’ town.
Swindle: Lake Dardanelle State Park here where we have the weigh-in is pretty awesome. It’s got great camping, good boat ramps, it’s peaceful, and it’s just really laid out well.
“Big Show” Scroggins’ Boat Ramp Rescue Dog
Story and Picture by Alan McGuckin
Gerald Swindle once said, “Big Show… big heart” in reference to his good buddy and Toyota teammate Terry Scroggins’ generous treatment of others. And the backstory to the four-legged friend Scroggins brought to this week’s GoPro Bassmaster Elite at Dardanelle presented by Econo Lodge proves Swindle’s theory true.
Meet “Roddie” everybody. She’s three years old, wears a pink collar, and it’s her first trip to a B.A.S.S. event among the 204 tournaments her best friend, “Big Show”, has competed in.
She loves the Florida pro for good reason. He saved her from loneliness and abandonment on a boat ramp at Florida’s Rodman Reservoir during a crappie fishing trip with 12-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier Peter Thliveros.
“Pete and I went crappie fishing about three days in a row, and the dog would be alone at the boat ramp each day. Finally, Pete told me if she was still there when we came in from fishing on that third day, that I had to take her home with me,” says Scroggins.
“I told Pete he was crazy and that he could take her home instead of me. And actually, Bernie Schultz saw her too, but somehow I got nominated to be the one to take her.”
“Well, she was still there when we came in from fishing. So the first thing we did was take her to a veterinarian and have her scanned for an identity chip to make sure she didn’t belong to somebody. There was no chip – so at that point Pete pretty much made sure I provided her a permanent home,” says Scroggins.
In typical Scroggins’ fashion, a new home couldn’t just be a dog dish and a spot to sleep on the floor in the corner of his garage. Instead, after spending $800 to get her shots and spayed, he spent another $1,000 to build “Roddie” the Taj Mahal of doghouses. Even though, truth be told, most nights she sleeps with Scroggins. “I actually found out she has bad hips, so I’m spending $250 a month on medication to keep her comfortable.”
“She’s got a lotta pit bull in her, but you couldn’t make her bite you if you wanted to, and when another dog gets aggressive with her, she gets real submissive because all she wants to do is love everybody,” says Scroggins.
And as for her first long road trip to a B.A.S.S. event, “Big Show” says she handled it like a pro. “She laid in my Tundra from Florida to Arkansas and hardly moved a muscle. She did awesome.”
Watching the two interact on the boat ramp at Dardanelle was a heart-warming scene. Calm and well-behaved, Roddie followed Scroggins everywhere he went as he loaded his boat and interacted with other pros coming in from a long day on this muddied-up stretch of the Arkansas River.
The scene was a fitting one too. A boat ramp in Florida brought them together, and two years later, 954 miles from Rodman Reservoir, both were proud to be spending time at Dardanelle together.
“She doesn’t like to be left at home. She and our cows nearly knock the fence down when they see my Tundra and boat coming down the road to the house after I’ve been gone a longtime at a tournament,” grins the big-hearted pro.
Something tells me this might be Roddie’s first trip to a B.A.S.S. event – but it certainly won’t be her last.
Big Show. Big Heart.
Carhartt Countdown to Blastoff - Lake Dardanelle Practice with Terry "Big Show" Scroggins
Our Buddy Alan McGuckin caught up with Terry Scroggins after Day 3 of Practice for this weekends Elite Series Event on Lake Dardanelle. The River is high and muddy and things could get interesting come Derby Day Tomorrow. Check it out!
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA LEADS AFTER DAY ONE OF YETI FLW COLLEGE FISHING NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ON WHEELER LAKE
2015 National Champs Walters and Brannon Seeking Second Team Title, Third Straight for U.S.C.
FLORENCE, Ala. (May 31, 2017) – The University of South Carolina team of Patrick Walters of Summerville, South Carolina, and Gettys Brannon of Gaffney, South Carolina, took the early lead Wednesday after Day One of the 2017 YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship on Wheeler Lake presented by Lowrance C-Map Genesis. The Gamecock duo weighed a five-bass limit totaling 17 pounds, 3 ounces and will begin Day Two with an 8-ounce lead over the second place team from Tennessee’s Bethel University.
The three-day event features 139 of the top college bass fishing clubs from across the nation competing in an internationally-televised tournament for a $30,000 prize package, including a new Ranger Z175 boat with a 90-horsepower Evinrude outboard and entry into the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup. The Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing, will be held August 11-13 on Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina, and will offer a collegiate angler the opportunity to compete for a top award of $300,000.
The University of South Carolina bass club is no stranger to the FLW College Fishing National Championship, as teams from their club have won the last two championships back-to-back. Walters and Brannon won the event on Lake Murray in 2015, then teammates Chris Blanchette and Hampton Anderson followed it up with another national championship win in 2016 on Lake Keowee. Now, Walters and Brannon are looking to make it three straight titles for the club and earn their second title as a team.
“It looks good, but nothing is coming easy,” said Brannon, a recent graduate with a degree in advertising. “We caught all of our weight by 10 (a.m.) today and then after that it was brutally slow.”
“We’re fishing offshore, and we’ve probably got about 10 to 12 spots,” said Walters, a senior majoring in business management and marketing. “Each spot gets hot at different times. I believe that there are fish on every single one of them, but you just have to time it perfectly and be there when the fish turn on.”
The duo estimated that they caught around 20 fish throughout the day, with 12 keepers. They said that they were rotating through three or four different baits, but one bait seemed to be the key for them on Wednesday.
“There are a couple of boats fishing around us, and they’re probably doing what we’re doing,” Walters said. “We’re just going to put the trolling motor down and get after it and hope that if we do it enough it will pay off.”
“This is my last college fishing tournament, so I’m just trying to enjoy it and soak it all in,” Brannon added. “I would love nothing more than to go out on top and get a chance to go back to Lake Murray to fish for the Forrest Wood Cup.”
The top 10 teams after Day One on Wheeler Lake are:
1st: University of South Carolina – Patrick Walters, Summerville, S.C., and Gettys Brannon, Gaffney, S.C., five bass, 17-3
2nd: Bethel University – Evan Owrey, Jackson, Tenn., and Kristopher Queen, Catawba, N.C., five bass, 16-11
3rd: Kansas State University – Travis Blenn, Westmoreland, Kan., and Kyle Alsop, Overland Park, Kan., five bass, 16-8
4th: University of Louisiana-Monroe – Tyler Stewart and Nicholas Joiner, both of West Monroe, La., five bass, 15-4
5th: University of Wisconsin – Jacob Anderson and Bryce Smith, both of Princeton, Wis., five bass, 14-8
6th: University of Oregon – Ryan Habenicht, Auburn, Calif., and Daniel Marshall, Eugene, Ore., five bass, 14-7
7th: East Texas Baptist University – Brett Clark, Center, Texas, and Jacob Keith, Jefferson, Texas, five bass, 14-6
8th: Murray State University – Chandler Christian, Owensboro, Ky., and Lance Freeman, Eddyville, Ky., five bass, 14-3
9th: Bryan College – Connor Cohran, Dalton, Ga., and Cole Sands, Calhoun, Tenn., five bass, 13-2
10th: Slippery Rock University – Logan Pollman, Slippery Rock, Pa., and Tyler Sheppard, Hermitage, Pa., five bass, 12-10
For a full list of results, visit FLWFishing.com.
Overall there were 569 bass weighing 1,075 pounds, 2 ounces caught by 132 college teams Wednesday. The catch included 87 five-bass limits.
Anglers will take off Thursday and Friday from Joe Wheeler State Park, located at 4401 McLean Drive, in Rogersville, Alabama, at 6:30 a.m. CDT. Thursday’s weigh-in will be held at the State Park beginning at 2:30 p.m. Friday’s weigh-in will be held at McFarland Park, located at 200 Jim Spain Drive in Florence, at 3 p.m., prior to the Day Two weigh-in of the BFL All-American championship at Pickwick Lake.
The winning college team will advance to compete Saturday in a one-day fish-off against each other on Wilson Lake. The two anglers will weigh in at 3:25 p.m. prior to the final weigh in of the BFL All-American championship at Pickwick Lake. The winner will advance to the Forrest Wood Cup. All takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
Television coverage of the YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) Oct. 4 from Noon -1 p.m. EDT. The Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.
College Fishing is free to enter. All participants must be registered, full-time students at a college, university or community college and members of a fishing club recognized by their college or university.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow College Fishing on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing. Visit CollegeFishing.com to sign up or to start a club at your school.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2017 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 274 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
Taming Summer Time Patterns with Matt & Jordan Lee
By David A. Brown
Spend any time around Matt and Jordan Lee and you’ll quickly realize two resolute points: The brothers from Alabama are straight-up fish heads and they’re a couple of the bass world’s most down-to-earth dudes.
As such, they’ve already made their summer plans; and whether they’re competing in Bassmaster tournaments or floating around their Lake Guntersville home waters, the Lee brothers’ playbook can help you catch more fish this summer.
Here’s a look at what they’ll be throwing:
REACTION TRACTION
Long rods with plenty of flex, distant casts to deep fish — nothing says summer in the south like a good old-fashion reaction bite. Matt’s an ace at this game and much of his prowess comes from observation.
“When the fish are grouped up in deep water, it’s rewarding to me to finding fish on electronics; in fact, a lot of times, I don’t even make a cast unless I see fish on my graph,” he said. “Understanding what you see on the graph is important. You can tell species, but a lot of times, how they’re positioned will show what baits they’ll bite.
“Normally, if they haven’t been messed with, they look like Tic-Tacs on the bottom; it looks like you took a Sharpie pen and dotted the graph. In the summertime, largemouth bass will relate to the bottom structure. They’re on breaks, they’re above the break, they’re down the side of a ledge. Rarely, will you see them suspended out in open water before you get to a ledge.”
What to Wind: When he finds unmolested fish, Matt loves winding a Strike King 10XD through the meat. A busy holiday weekend may not offer much of this and in such times, he’ll shift to finesse baits. But when the fish amass in tight bunches, amplified feeding competition means catching them on every cast and that’s straight-up fun.
“That male ego thing kicks in and you want to channel your inner Kevin VanDam for a minute,” Matt grins. “The best way you can learn to do this is to go somewhere the fish bite this way — go to Pickwick, Kentucky Lake, Guntersville and go on a weekday when it’s not as crowded. Go somewhere you can get bites and learn this technique.”
Calling the 10XD and 6XD his “go-getters,” Matt said he fits his crankbaits with the round bend Owner ST36 trebles — as big as a No. 1 on the 10XD. Fish occasionally slap at big cranks and these beefy hooks tend to snare more of the indecisive ones.
“I try to get more bites by throwing my crankbait on a higher speed reel,” Matt said. “I think the days of throwing these baits on low-speed reels are few and far between because of how much pressure they get.
“I will throw them on a 6.6:1 with a big handle and reel it really fast. It will wear you out, but it makes a difference.”
When the crankbait bite dwindles, Matt will clean up with a Strike King Rage Swimmer swimbait on a 1/2- to 3/4-ounce swimbait head. A different profile and action than the common hollow belly swimmer seems to do a better job triggering fish.
KIND OF A DRAG
Jordan loves the reaction baits too, but he offers good advice for effectively employing the plastics.
Shaky Head: This is one of Jordan’s go-to summer baits, but we’re not necessarily talking about the light finesse stuff. There may be occasions for that too, but his typical deal is a beefier presentation with a Strike King Bull Worm — something a bass would invest the energy into eating this time of year.
“If the wind’s blowing hard or if I’m deeper in 15-25 feet, I’ll throw a 3/4-ounce head; and under that, I’ll throw a 1/2-ounce,” the reigning Bassmaster Classic champ said. “I like this bait anytime I’m fishing brush piles, shell bars or any place the fish are out deeper grouped up. It’s just a different look than a traditional Texas rig.”
Jordan’s best advice: Throw this bait on 17-pound Seaguar AbrazX fluorocarbon but don’t over-fish the bait. You just want a slow drag without the rod tip wiggling more common to smaller versions of this bait. Think football head and you’ll have this right.
“Let the worm do more than your rod tip,” Jordan says. “Instead of giving it a lot of action, it seems to work better for me when I just drag is as slowly as I can.”
Notably, Jordan prefers the 8-inch Bull Worm. He keeps 10-inchers handy for when he’s around legit toads, but day-to-day, the smaller version — which is still a sizable offering — will catch a wide range of sizes.
Wobble Heads & Texas Rigs: For a more enticing display, something that might nudge a big heat-weary fish into sucking in one easy meal, Jordan will throw a 8-inch Strike King Rage Recon worm or a 10-inch Strike King Thumper Worm. For this, he has a couple different rigging strategies.
“I’ll rig these worms on a 3/4-ounce Strike King Jointed Structure Head (articulated) because this gives it a different action,” he said. “With a traditional Texas rig, it just lays on the bottom and it doesn’t have a lot of movement. Everybody has thrown it for years and it still catches fish, but I think the Structure Head shows them something they’re not accustomed to seeing.”
Indeed, that articulated look serves him well for slowly rumbling across hard bottom where every bump and drop makes that big worm shiver and shake. At times, Jordan will balance the show with an old school Texas rig.
“I like throwing this around brush piles because you can come through stuff easier and it doesn’t hang up as much like a shaky head would,” he said. “That worm weight just slides through cover easier.
“If your lake has a lot of brush or wood, that’s when you want to throw a Texas rig more than the wobble head or shaky head. When you don’t get hung up as much, you fish more efficiently.”
KEEP IT DIVERSE
Not surprisingly, there’s a good bit of crossover between what Matt and Jordan fish during the summertime, but the key for both is preparation through diversity. As Jordan notes, he spends a lot of time searching for fish with a Carolina rig before turning to his more targeted presentations.
“When the fish get out offshore, it’s so important to have a ton of different baits, from a spinning rod rigged with a dropshot, to swimbaits, 6XD crankbaits and all the worms I mentioned,” Jordan said. “The fish always are going to want one bait better than another. You can be on a great pile of fish, but if you’re not throwing the right bait in there you might not catch a fish.
“You really won’t understand why a lot of times; there’s really not any conditions that say ‘This bait’s gonna be better.’ A lot of times, it’s just fishing and figuring out what the fish want. That’s why you need to have so many baits rigged up. When they start eating something really good, you know you have the right one.”
“Chocolate Milk” and Buffalo Gnats Challenging Elites at Dardanelle
By Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
Florida pro Bobby Lane returned to the boat ramp with a fat lip after a long first day of practice for the GoPro Bassmaster Elite at Dardanelle presented by EconoLodge.
“Do not go out there without a Buff for your face and plenty of inspect repellent. I’m telling ya’ – you’d better cover yourself!” exclaimed Lane.
Lane’s swollen lower lip was the result of two different bites from hungry female buffalo gnats that gnawed on him while he tried to find clean and productive backwater on a mostly muddy, chocolate milk-looking, main river channel at Dardanelle.
Later in the evening, right at 8:00 p.m., Kevin VanDam was the next-to-last guy to load his boat at a popular ramp after a 14-hour practice day. And he too was quick to warn about buffalo gnats as he pulled his Tundra to the top of the boat ramp.
“Oh dude, they’re brutal. They fly into your ears, your nose, and behind your sunglasses,” says VanDam of the very tiny insects with cutter mouth parts prevalent in early summer around rivers and streams like the Arkansas.
Speaking of the river, conditions aren’t near as bad as many feared they might be a week ago, when considerations were being made by B.A.S.S. for a postponement, or a move to a less flooded location, but VanDam says clean water is certainly at a premium.
“I’d say 50 to 75% of the main river channel is blown out and fairly unfishable, so it’s squeezing everybody into the backwaters that are pretty clean and healthy looking for the most part,” says VanDam.
“There are guys trying to catch ‘em out a little deeper, and of course plenty are fishing shallow, but either way it’s a grind,” says Lane.
The 15 Quantum rods and reels VanDam had visible in his boat at sunset on the first day of practice proved the search for Dardanelle’s keeper-sized bass is indeed a drudgery involving a wide variety of lures.
“I actually put a couple rods away already,” grinned the Michigan pro, as he reached for his can of Repel and took one last swat at the gnats before jumping in his Tundra, and calling it a day.
Big Bass Bonanza just weeks away!
If you could fish anywhere in the world, where would you choose?
If you could fly off to Lake El Salto tomorrow morning I bet you’d stay up half the night packing tackle and gear.
Then again, Gerald Swindle just recently proclaimed that Sam Rayburn is the best lake in the USA. No passport needed.
And we’ve been whacking bass down here in Florida, especially on the St Johns River.
What about on June 23rd, 24th and 25th?
Would those dates make a difference? They would if you knew that the Simmons Bank Big Bass Bonanza is taking place on the Arkansas River on those days and that the competition – open to anybody – features $100,000 in guaranteed prize money!
That should put the Arkansas River on the top of your To-Fish List.
Imagine grinding a crankbait along the ledge where Rick Clunn scored perhaps the most memorable Bassmaster Classic win in history. It’s like taking batting practice in Fenway Park. I’ve fished the Clunn Hole before. Struck out, but it was still fun. And this summer it could net somebody the $50,000 top prize for biggest bass, overall or one of the $10,000 prizes awarded for the largest fish overall in each of the remaining four pools, or tons of other prizes including many special youth prizes.
“All high school age anglers will be eligible to win some serious fishing gear,” says tournament director Jill Thiel. “Our sponsors really stepped up to give high school anglers a chance to not only fish for the $50,000 grand prize and the multiple hourly prizes for big fish, but also the chance to upgrade their gear while they’re at it.”
Thiel says anglers grades 6th – 8th and 9th – 12th will have the chance to win one of multiple Raymarine Dragonfly 7-Pro Sonar/GPS fish finder units, Aqua-Vu Micro-II underwater cameras, Bass X fishing rods from St. Croix Rods, lure prize packs from LIVETARGET lures, BaitCloud fish attractant canisters, and a free Thickburgers every week for a year from Hardees.
The Simmons Bank Big Bass Bonanza tournament is a popular three-day tournament that spans about 300 miles of the Arkansas River, with pools and official check-in stations at Fort Smith, Dardanelle, Little Rock/North Little Rock, Pine Bluff and the Pendleton Bridge near Dumas. The Big Bass Bonanza is open to all ages, and last year, it attracted amateur anglers from around the country.
The tournament begins Friday, June 23 and runs through Sunday, June 25, with fishing starting each morning at 6. The first weigh-in is at 8 a.m., with subsequent weigh-ins at the top of each hour until 1 p.m. each day.
Entry is $80 per person each day, and the winners will be announced Sunday, June 25, at 4 p.m. at the awards event at the Riverfront RV park pavilion, North Little Rock, Arkansas.
For more information on tournament rules or to register for the Simmons Bank Big Bass Bonanza, go to: www.arkansasbigbass.com.
Bassmaster Elite Series To Ply Arkansas’ Muddy Lake Dardanelle
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University of North Alabama Wins Collegiate Bass Championship on Pickwick Lake
Auburn University and Tusculum College take 2nd and 3rd Respectively
Day Two of the 2017 BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Cabela’s on Pickwick Lake began with calm and cool conditions. How another weather change would affect the fishing conditions was on the minds of the top five teams, all of whom had weighed in more than 20 pounds on day one. The day one leaders, Tusculum College team of Nick Hartfield and Corey Neece, had a narrow lead over Dakota Ebare and Justin Seeton from Tarleton State University and Sloan Pennington and Hunter McCarty from the University of North Alabama. Sitting in fourth and fifth, respectively, were Wyatt Young and Tucker Sargent another team from Tarleton State University, and the defending Champions Mitchell Jennings and Cole Burdeshaw from Auburn University.
After the fast and furious start theses teams had on day one of catching them one after the other, the teams had very high hopes and expectations for day two. The same gamble every team had to make on day one was again in play – to stay close and fish around launch or make the long run to the west. Dead slick conditions made for making the long run a lot easier on day two, with the field inverted the anglers that had a late start on day one were now going to be first out of the gate and be the first ones to their fishing spots. The TVA was pulling very little water from the Wilson Lake Dam and the early morning bite was noticeably slower than day one.
Reports of fish catches started to slowly come in and it seemed the deep bite was the one that anglers were concentrating on to start the day. More reports of anglers throwing swimbaits, deep diving crankbaits, and big flutter spoons. We did still have some teams that pulled out the spinning rods and reels and went straight to the finesse style baits such as drop shots and shakey heads. This biggest things the anglers were without was wind and current. However, as the day went on, the TVA let out more and more water and the culling began for teams in contention.
When it was all said and done and the scales stopped spinning, it was the home town team, and current School of the Year team, the University of North Alabama that narrowly defeated the defending champions from the Auburn University.
Pulling out the huge win was the home town team of Sloan Pennington and Hunter McCarty who had back to back awesome days bringing in 21.02 pounds on day two, giving them a two day combined weight of 44.33 pounds. These two anglers on day one said they were the underdogs of the team and were not as good on Pickwick Lake as some of their teammates were. These two anglers were more of “junk” fishing just going out and fishing to their strengths and having fun. Both of the anglers actually said they enrolled at UNA to learn to be better ledge fisherman.
“Today was super stressful, we went to our first spot and didn’t catch a fish. At 12:30pm our bite turned on and we culled up the rest of the day to get our limit, we were thinking we only had 17-18 pounds. We had never fished the winning spot before, we actually found it in practice. We are super excited to win this event, we never, never expected to win this event. It still hasn’t set it. Going to be awesome to bring the trophy back to UNA,” said Sloan Pennington and Hunter McCarty.
Coming in right being them was the defending champions from last year with 43.62 pounds. Drawing on past experience of winning this event the team of Mitchell Jennings and Cole Burdeshaw from Auburn University made a great late day charge and came all the way from fifth place, and from almost four pounds behind, to barley being beaten. Their last day charge had them bringing in the the biggest bag of the entire event with 24.02 pounds, five fish limt, to come within 0.71 pounds of being the first ever team to win back to back Championships.
“We found a good school early and was able to get a limit pretty early and then got the big one on a swimbiat later in the day. It was just an amazing day of ledge fishing. It wasn’t too heart breaking to come in second, we are very proud and honored to finish second this year. A top five in any National Championship in any sport is huge,” said Mitchell Jennings and Cole Burdeshaw.
Coming in third was our leading team after day one, the team of Nick Hatfield and Corey Neece from Tusculum College, who brought 15.73 pounds on day two for a total of 40.07 pounds. These anglers came out on day one with all cylinders firing and had one of the first limits on day one in the boat. Day two they struggled to find a school that had the size fish they needed to be catching to take home the victory.
“Our plan was the same as yesterday, we went out and started cranking right off the bat. We just didn’t get that big bite that we had on day one, we think it was a timing thing. We are blessed to be here and blessed to be doing this. Finishing third in our last college event of our careers, and this being a National Championship, is just awesome,” said Nick Hatfield and Corey Neece.
Bryan College was able to secure the Cabela’s School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia title. Bryan College had one of the best years in collegiate bass fishing, earning numerous top tens throughout the year, including having two teams in the top 50 at the 2017 BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship. University of North Alabama made a huge charge at the last event of the year, earning a first Place and fourth place finish to pull within 59 points of Bryan College in the School of the Year Race.
We will have a full recap on both the 2017 BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Cabela’s and Full recap on the Cabela’s School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.
To see additional coverage on our Facebook, click here: https://www.facebook.com/CollegiateBassChampionship
Also, follow us on Instagram and Twitter at @CollegiateBass
23.92 Pounds Leads Cabelas Collegiate Championship on Pickwick Lake
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Cabela's Collegiate Bass Fishing Series BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Cabela's Pickwick Lake 5/25 - 5/26/2017 - Day 1 |
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Pl Team School Fish Fish Wgt Pnlty Bigfish Final Wgt |
|||||||
|
1 |
NickHatfield-CoreyNeece |
Tusculum College |
5/5 |
23.92 |
23.92 |
||
|
2 |
DakotaEbare-JustinSeeton |
Tarleton StateUniversity |
5/5 |
23.76 |
8.38 |
23.76 |
|
|
3 |
SloanPennington-HunterMccarty |
University ofNorth Alabama |
5/5 |
23.31 |
23.31 |
||
|
4 |
WyattYoung-TuckerSargent |
Tarleton StateUniversity |
5/4 |
20.84 |
.50 |
7.30 |
20.34 |
|
5 |
MitchellJennings-ColeBurdeshaw |
Auburn University |
5/5 |
19.60 |
19.60 |
||
|
6 |
PatrickWalters-HunterBuice |
University ofSouth Carolina |
5/5 |
18.90 |
4.97 |
18.90 |
|
|
7 |
EvanOwrey-KristopherQueen |
Bethel University |
5/5 |
18.74 |
18.74 |
||
|
8 |
TylerEllis-Hayden Lee |
Missouri StateUniversity |
5/5 |
18.47 |
18.47 |
||
|
9 |
JoshuaButts-ReidConner |
Wallace StateCommunity College |
5/5 |
18.37 |
18.37 |
||
|
10 |
CodySalzmann-JustinThomas |
University ofArkansas-PineBluff |
5/5 |
18.03 |
5.73 |
18.03 |
|
|
11 |
ParkerMeytrott-DrewHicks |
Army West Point |
5/5 |
18.00 |
5.01 |
18.00 |
|
|
12 |
TristonCrowder-LakeBlasingame |
University ofNorth Alabama |
5/5 |
17.87 |
17.87 |
||
|
13 |
JustinRoberts-SeanHall |
Savannah Collegeof Art & Design |
5/5 |
16.97 |
16.97 |
||
|
14 |
JohnnyLedet-JustinCooper |
Northwestern StateUniversity |
5/5 |
16.75 |
16.75 |
||
|
15 |
NathanMartin-AustinMize |
University ofNorth Alabama |
5/5 |
16.55 |
16.55 |
||
|
16 |
JordanOgle-SamuelScott |
Arkansas TechUniversity |
5/5 |
16.42 |
16.42 |
||
|
17 |
JohnThigpin-ParkerDavidson |
University ofMississippi |
5/5 |
16.36 |
6.73 |
16.36 |
|
|
18 |
MartinMccravy-KobyLittrell |
University ofNorth Alabama |
5/5 |
16.18 |
5.27 |
16.18 |
|
|
19 |
Nathan Bell-ColeSands |
Bryan College |
5/5 |
15.76 |
15.76 |
||
|
20 |
Brian Pahl-JohnGarrett |
Bethel University |
5/5 |
15.70 |
15.70 |
||
|
21 |
Jarrett Brown-JTRussel |
University ofMontevallo |
5/4 |
16.07 |
.50 |
15.57 |
|
|
22 |
LoganBrewster-BenDodson |
University ofTennessee-Knoxville |
5/5 |
15.50 |
15.50 |
||
|
23 |
JamesHovey-DavidBercier |
McNeese StateUniversity |
5/5 |
15.49 |
15.49 |
||
|
24 |
CalebTaylor-NickMarsh |
Adrian College |
5/5 |
16.30 |
1.00 |
15.30 |
|
|
24 |
PatrickHoskins-DillonFalardeau |
University ofTennessee-Chattanooga |
5/5 |
15.30 |
15.30 |
||
|
26 |
Ty Cox-JakeHouston |
Itawamba CommunityCollege |
5/5 |
15.23 |
15.23 |
||
|
27 |
Matt Cross-IsaacVonderwell |
Middle TennesseeState University |
5/5 |
15.12 |
15.12 |
||
|
28 |
Nick King-LukeParlow |
Missouri StateUniversity |
5/5 |
15.00 |
15.00 |
||
|
29 |
NickMontilino-BrockSpencer |
Murray StateUniversity |
5/5 |
14.92 |
14.92 |
||
|
30 |
KyleAlsop-SheldonRogge |
Kansas StateUniversity |
5/5 |
14.61 |
14.61 |
||
|
31 |
DakotaCantrell-AustinMoore |
CampbellsvilleUniversity |
5/5 |
14.56 |
14.56 |
||
|
32 |
WesleyGriner-NathanRagsdale |
University ofGeorgia |
5/5 |
14.44 |
14.44 |
||
|
33 |
JonathanJohnson-SebastianSmith |
University ofLouisiana-Lafayette |
5/5 |
14.37 |
14.37 |
||
|
34 |
ChandlerRobertson-AustinCulbertson |
University ofMissouri |
5/4 |
14.84 |
.50 |
14.34 |
|
|
35 |
TravisHoward-SamCarris |
Tennessee TechUniversity |
5/5 |
14.27 |
14.27 |
||
|
36 |
BrodyMcwilliams-LucasHowell |
Indiana University |
5/5 |
14.26 |
14.26 |
||
|
37 |
TrentNewman-ZackeryHines |
Dallas BaptistUniversity |
5/5 |
14.24 |
14.24 |
||
|
38 |
BrennanHolt-WyattBeavers |
University ofTennessee-Chattanooga |
5/5 |
14.18 |
4.21 |
14.18 |
|
|
39 |
Jacob Louis-JTRussell |
McKendreeUniversity |
5/5 |
14.17 |
14.17 |
||
|
40 |
ZachElliott-AlecNucio |
Northern IllinoisUniversity |
4/4 |
13.97 |
13.97 |
||
|
41 |
QuinnFowler-JoshSchraad |
Kansas StateUniversity |
5/5 |
13.87 |
13.87 |
||
|
42 |
StetsonOverton-CasonKelly |
Tarleton StateUniversity |
5/5 |
13.86 |
13.86 |
||
|
43 |
DerekFreeman-RobertWhite |
Clemson University |
5/5 |
13.81 |
13.81 |
||
|
44 |
DylanPritchett-ConnerThompson |
Bryan College |
5/5 |
13.64 |
13.64 |
||
|
45 |
ColeSmith-HoustonSmith |
SouthwestMississippiCommunity College |
5/5 |
13.63 |
13.63 |
||
|
46 |
RyanGunter-NathanZimmerman |
University ofArkansas-Fayetteville |
5/5 |
13.48 |
13.48 |
||
|
47 |
NickKirkton-SethBecker |
Illinois StateUniversity |
5/5 |
13.47 |
13.47 |
||
|
48 |
MasonBond-DanielPaulin |
Georgia College |
3/3 |
13.20 |
7.91 |
13.20 |
|
|
49 |
JpKimbrough-JaredRascoe |
Louisiana StateUniversity-Shreveport |
5/4 |
13.69 |
0.50 |
13.19 |
|
|
50 |
DaltonWesley-ZachHartnagel |
Southern IllinoisUniversity-Edwardsville |
5/5 |
13.16 |
13.16 |
||
|
51 |
LoganBlaine-LandonCook |
Mississippi StateUniversity |
4/4 |
13.10 |
13.10 |
||
|
52 |
CrosleyWelch-MattFielder |
Missouri StateUniversity |
5/5 |
12.98 |
12.98 |
||
|
53 |
AndrewBrown-ChristianShirley |
Mississippi StateUniversity |
5/5 |
12.95 |
12.95 |
||
|
53 |
AustinMoore-AlexThornton |
University ofNorthCarolina-Greensboro |
5/5 |
12.95 |
12.95 |
||
|
55 |
SamHaines-GrahamHoward |
Kansas StateUniversity |
5/5 |
12.90 |
12.90 |
||
|
56 |
JesseDodson-SeanStephenson |
University ofKentucky |
5/5 |
12.83 |
12.83 |
||
|
57 |
BradleyDevaney-SaxtonLong |
University ofTennessee-Knoxville |
5/5 |
12.82 |
12.82 |
||
|
58 |
DevineDeramus-JordanGantt |
Louisiana StateUniversity-Shreveport |
5/5 |
12.79 |
6.23 |
12.79 |
|
|
59 |
BennettPierce-PhilipGottsponer |
Arkansas TechUniversity |
5/5 |
12.71 |
12.71 |
||
|
60 |
HunterHanby-BrockStockland |
University ofArkansas-Fayetteville |
5/5 |
12.67 |
12.67 |
||
|
60 |
ChaseBaker-TylerHarless |
University ofMontevallo |
4/4 |
12.67 |
12.67 |
||
|
62 |
TaylorSchmitt-TrevorMckinney |
McKendreeUniversity |
5/5 |
12.64 |
12.64 |
||
|
63 |
JordanMullis-Kevin VanHorn |
Indiana University |
5/5 |
12.58 |
12.58 |
||
|
64 |
DaltonBreckel-ChaseSerafin |
Adrian College |
5/5 |
12.56 |
12.56 |
||
|
65 |
TylerCraig-SladeDaniel |
University ofLouisiana-Monroe |
5/5 |
12.54 |
12.54 |
||
|
66 |
GarrettRiles-Chad Cox |
University ofMississippi |
5/5 |
12.51 |
12.51 |
||
|
67 |
Ben Bates-EthanWolf |
University ofTennessee-Knoxville |
5/5 |
12.49 |
12.49 |
||
|
68 |
NickGresens-ChaseWilliams |
Georgia College |
5/5 |
12.47 |
12.47 |
||
|
69 |
Matt Brown-D.J.Barber |
Bryan College |
5/5 |
12.37 |
12.37 |
||
|
70 |
CameronMercer-ArmandoOrtiz |
Auburn University |
5/5 |
12.34 |
12.34 |
|
71 |
JesseGarren-DanielHolt |
Tennessee TechUniversity |
4/4 |
12.21 |
12.21 |
||
|
72 |
AustinOcwieja-DanielPeltier |
University ofBuffalo |
3/3 |
12.13 |
7.49 |
12.13 |
|
|
73 |
Lee Knies-BlakeKnies |
University ofEvansville |
5/5 |
12.04 |
12.04 |
||
|
74 |
Bo Mcgraw-ClarkMannas |
Texas A&MUniversity |
5/5 |
11.81 |
11.81 |
||
|
75 |
Trent Brown-NoahSmith |
University ofLouisville |
4/4 |
11.78 |
5.42 |
11.78 |
|
|
76 |
ScottEllis-AustinConn |
University ofTennessee-Knoxville |
5/4 |
12.18 |
0.50 |
11.68 |
|
|
77 |
BayleeLinker-ChaseArthur |
Arkansas TechUniversity |
5/5 |
11.57 |
11.57 |
||
|
78 |
PeytonPorter-JoeBardill |
Murray StateUniversity |
5/5 |
11.53 |
11.53 |
||
|
79 |
EthanRaleigh-AndrewMarquez |
Morehead StateUniversity |
4/4 |
11.26 |
11.26 |
||
|
80 |
ZekeGossett-HaydenBartee |
Jefferson State |
5/5 |
11.16 |
11.16 |
||
|
81 |
ThomasMilstead-MitchellNaler |
University ofAlabama |
4/2 |
12.15 |
1.00 |
5.34 |
11.15 |
|
82 |
MasonBishop-LeviRogers |
Southern IllinoisUniversity-Carbondale |
5/5 |
11.04 |
11.04 |
||
|
83 |
JacobShannon-LandenBeckham |
University ofTexas-Tyler |
5/5 |
10.93 |
10.93 |
||
|
84 |
NathanSheehan-TrevorHoward |
University ofKentucky |
5/5 |
10.86 |
10.86 |
||
|
85 |
HunterFreeman-ThomasSoileau |
University ofLouisiana-Monroe |
5/5 |
10.79 |
10.79 |
||
|
86 |
MasonBaker-DaltonScales-Conkli |
Morehead StateUniversity |
5/5 |
10.63 |
10.63 |
||
|
87 |
LoganWilson-ChanceCobb |
Tarleton StateUniversity |
4/4 |
10.59 |
10.59 |
||
|
88 |
Dylan True-MattLamastus |
University ofTennessee-Martin |
5/5 |
10.58 |
10.58 |
||
|
89 |
CalebBaker-Steve Petz |
Eastern KentuckyUniversity |
4/4 |
10.53 |
10.53 |
||
|
90 |
DaltonChilders-DylanMcKee |
Auburn University |
5/5 |
10.43 |
10.43 |
||
|
91 |
ShaneCampbell-PhillipGermagliotti |
McKendreeUniversity |
5/5 |
10.41 |
10.41 |
||
|
92 |
JosephCheek-HunterFluitt |
University ofArkansas-MonticelloCTC |
4/3 |
10.72 |
0.50 |
10.22 |
|
|
93 |
Jason Karol-JohnHenderson Jr |
RochesterInstitute ofTechnology |
4/4 |
9.94 |
9.94 |
||
|
94 |
SpencerLambert-TaylorKight |
University ofLouisiana-Monroe |
5/5 |
9.88 |
9.88 |
||
|
95 |
CodyPruitt-JustinCausey |
University ofTexas-Austin |
4/4 |
9.68 |
9.68 |
||
|
96 |
AlexLindsey-GreyTyler |
Mississippi StateUniversity |
5/5 |
9.50 |
9.50 |
||
|
97 |
Cody Peak-JeffRoman Clayton IV |
Mississippi StateUniversity |
4/3 |
9.98 |
.50 |
9.48 |
|
|
98 |
BrandonKnapmeyer-KyleWilson |
Northern KentuckyUniversity |
4/4 |
9.38 |
9.38 |
||
|
99 |
ConnerFogg-ChandlerFogg |
Bryan College |
3/3 |
9.20 |
4.66 |
9.20 |
|
|
100 |
GavynBridges-DylanAnderson |
University ofTennessee-Chattanooga |
4/4 |
9.17 |
9.17 |
||
|
101 |
TrevorLewis-WillO'Rourke |
Georgetown College |
3/3 |
9.06 |
9.06 |
||
|
102 |
DanielSparlin-JoshuaJohnson |
University ofArkansas-Fayetteville |
3/3 |
8.89 |
8.89 |
||
|
103 |
MatthewBowden-BartonCourtney |
Texas TechUniversity |
4/4 |
8.86 |
8.86 |
||
|
104 |
CoreyKelton-JustinReynolds |
SouthwestMississippiCommunity College |
3/3 |
8.79 |
8.79 |
||
|
105 |
KennyBennett-EricMartin |
Michigan StateUniversity |
2/2 |
8.64 |
8.64 |
||
|
106 |
AustinGodwin-DustinReel |
Tyler JuniorCollege |
3/3 |
8.60 |
8.60 |
||
|
107 |
MatthewCantrell-HunterBland |
University ofFlorida |
4/4 |
8.54 |
8.54 |
||
|
108 |
GabeDubois-BrandonHeizer |
University ofMissouri |
4/4 |
8.36 |
8.36 |
||
|
109 |
Jared Baker-DeanMullet |
Georgia SouthernUniversity |
3/3 |
8.35 |
8.35 |
||
|
110 |
LeviAllgeier-JamesKuhns |
BellarmineUniversity |
4/4 |
8.28 |
8.28 |
|
111 |
Levi Sharp- |
Louisiana StateUniversity |
1/1 |
8.16 |
8.16 |
8.16 |
|
|
112 |
MitchellGowen-Caleb Fisk |
Calhoun CommunityCollege |
3/3 |
8.06 |
8.06 |
||
|
113 |
AustinBrimeyer-TomScroggs |
University ofDubuque |
4/3 |
8.51 |
.50 |
8.01 |
|
|
114 |
HunterWhitman-AustinRobinson |
North CarolinaState University |
4/4 |
7.91 |
7.91 |
||
|
115 |
TrevorHulsey-EricShinkle |
BellarmineUniversity |
3/3 |
7.84 |
7.84 |
||
|
116 |
Jay Bowen-RileyRollette |
Northern IllinoisUniversity |
3/3 |
7.79 |
7.79 |
||
|
117 |
BradenAtwood-KyleMuennich |
Eastern KentuckyUniversity |
3/3 |
7.62 |
7.62 |
||
|
118 |
JamesSchulz-JacobCoil |
University ofAlabama |
3/3 |
7.58 |
7.58 |
||
|
119 |
Matt Glad-JackThomas |
Louisiana StateUniversity |
3/3 |
7.46 |
7.46 |
||
|
120 |
SpencerGuthrie-RyanKennedy |
Kennesaw StateUniversity |
3/3 |
7.38 |
7.38 |
||
|
121 |
ChaseMelton-JordanBrandt |
Austin Peay StateUniversity |
3/3 |
7.05 |
7.05 |
||
|
122 |
Tyler Smith-CodyWhisenhunt |
University ofSouth Alabama |
3/3 |
7.02 |
7.02 |
||
|
123 |
Paul Davis-ReeceCrabtree |
Missouri StateUniversity |
3/3 |
6.95 |
6.95 |
||
|
124 |
AlexEdgeman-AlexisHoward |
University ofOklahoma |
3/3 |
6.68 |
6.68 |
||
|
125 |
Jack Hippe-ZachGraham |
Adrian College |
4/3 |
7.14 |
.50 |
6.64 |
|
|
126 |
Grant Curran-JedHebert |
University ofLouisiana-Lafayette |
3/3 |
6.59 |
6.59 |
||
|
127 |
BlakeBeiting-DominicBonavita |
Northern KentuckyUniversity |
2/2 |
6.46 |
6.46 |
||
|
128 |
Nathan Wood-RyanWood |
Dallas BaptistUniversity |
3/3 |
6.31 |
6.31 |
||
|
129 |
Tyler Broome- |
MississippiCollege |
3/3 |
6.30 |
6.30 |
||
|
130 |
Miller Spivey- |
Wallace StateCommunity College |
3/3 |
7.23 |
1.00 |
6.23 |
|
|
131 |
TreyRieser-ChrisLupo |
Calhoun CommunityCollege |
3/3 |
6.20 |
6.20 |
||
|
132 |
OwenRichard-MitchellMayard |
Louisiana StateUniversity |
3/3 |
5.99 |
5.99 |
||
|
133 |
Hunter Louden-TyDyer |
Bethel University |
3/3 |
5.93 |
5.93 |
||
|
134 |
RyanAntee-HarrisonHopkins |
Louisiana StateUniversity-Shreveport |
2/2 |
5.86 |
5.86 |
||
|
135 |
DaltonSummers-AustinBrown |
Tennessee TechUniversity |
3/3 |
5.65 |
5.65 |
||
|
136 |
ColtBenedict-JakeSoto |
Dallas BaptistUniversity |
2/2 |
5.41 |
5.41 |
||
|
137 |
Chad Moore-RyanNevil |
McMurry University |
2/2 |
5.26 |
5.26 |
||
|
138 |
LucasHarrison-HansMikelsoo |
Georgetown College |
2/2 |
5.13 |
5.13 |
||
|
139 |
AustinJoiner-JacksonBlackett |
University ofLouisiana-Monroe |
2/2 |
5.09 |
5.09 |
||
|
140 |
DrakeDenson-Terry Cox |
MississippiCollege |
2/2 |
5.00 |
5.00 |
||
|
141 |
AustinWyatt-MekiahJack |
Middle TennesseeState University |
2/2 |
4.98 |
4.98 |
||
|
142 |
DanielMurkerson-CaseKey |
University ofAlabama-Birmingham |
2/2 |
4.76 |
4.76 |
||
|
143 |
Jon Klaes-BrianGoebel |
University ofDubuque |
2/2 |
4.67 |
4.67 |
||
|
144 |
JustinLloyd-AnthonyJordan |
Middle TennesseeState University |
2/2 |
4.64 |
4.64 |
||
|
145 |
Jake Smith-NickKennedy |
University ofKansas |
2/2 |
4.15 |
4.15 |
||
|
146 |
ChadPoulsen-JaredPenton |
East Texas BaptistUniversity |
2/2 |
4.12 |
4.12 |
||
|
147 |
LucasJensen-DrakeHagman |
Texas TechUniversity |
2/2 |
3.94 |
3.94 |
||
|
148 |
KyleSchingoethe-JakeHoselton |
Southern IllinoisUniversity-Carbondale |
1/1 |
3.89 |
3.89 |
||
|
149 |
ColeWessner-ChristopherDecker |
Northern KentuckyUniversity |
5/5 |
5.87 |
2.00 |
3.87 |
|
|
150 |
DanielKennedy-CodyStahl |
Savannah Collegeof Art & Design |
3/3 |
8.79 |
5.00 |
3.79 |
|
151 |
TateClements-JoshBoone |
Eastern KentuckyUniversity |
1/1 |
3.74 |
3.74 |
||
|
152 |
ZaneLoveday-DakotaGuzman |
Calhoun CommunityCollege |
1/1 |
3.29 |
3.29 |
||
|
153 |
CameronMoore-WadeAnderson |
University ofTennessee-Martin |
1/1 |
3.25 |
3.25 |
||
|
154 |
Ethan Hall-RayBentz |
SUNY ESF |
1/1 |
3.23 |
3.23 |
||
|
155 |
Jacob Lamb-RyanMichael |
University ofAlabama-Huntsville |
1/1 |
3.16 |
3.16 |
||
|
156 |
MasonBeatty-DustinPearcy |
East Texas BaptistUniversity |
1/1 |
3.08 |
3.08 |
||
|
157 |
DaleMccrackin-HeatherHayes |
St. CharlesCommunity College |
1/1 |
3.03 |
3.03 |
||
|
157 |
CurtisApplebaum-JoeyFaulconer |
University ofLouisville |
1/1 |
3.03 |
3.03 |
||
|
159 |
HarleyVoyles-SamuelEvans |
Northwest ShoalsCommunity College |
1/1 |
2.76 |
2.76 |
||
|
160 |
TrentTurner-KyleWeems |
Louisiana TechUniversity |
1/1 |
2.73 |
2.73 |
||
|
161 |
ColbySimmons-BrandonBarber |
East Texas BaptistUniversity |
1/1 |
2.30 |
2.30 |
||
|
162 |
AustinButler-MikeLowry |
Murray StateUniversity |
1/1 |
2.26 |
2.26 |
||
|
163 |
AndrewHulbert-ChandlerSouth |
University ofMississippi |
1/1 |
2.07 |
2.07 |
||
|
164 |
Nathan Quince- |
Slippery RockUniversity |
1/1 |
2.06 |
2.06 |
||
|
165 |
BradLovings-LandonWhicker |
University ofNorthCarolina-Greensboro |
1/1 |
1.88 |
1.88 |
||
|
166 |
Josh Dugger-JakeDugger |
Arkansas TechUniversity |
/ |
.00 |
.00 |
||
|
166 |
Nate Buss-RoccoCaywood |
Army West Point |
/ |
.00 |
.00 |
||
|
166 |
DenverSatterlee-JonathonTilley |
Calhoun CommunityCollege |
/ |
.00 |
.00 |
||
|
166 |
AdamCarman-GrantAdams |
CampbellsvilleUniversity |
/ |
.00 |
.00 |
||
|
166 |
NickRatliff-LukePatterson |
CampbellsvilleUniversity |
/ |
.00 |
.00 |
||
|
166 |
AshleyRuggles-DevinHendrix |
Drury University |
/ |
.00 |
.00 |
||
|
166 |
BrandonDurr-RileyRathbun |
Drury University |
/ |
.00 |
.00 |
||
|
166 |
ChrisOja-BrandonNastally |
Ferris StateUniversity |
/ |
.00 |
.00 |
||
|
166 |
ChaseGardner-NoahRichardson |
Georgetown College |
/ |
.00 |
.00 |
||
|
166 |
JustinGillentine-SethRussell |
Itawamba CommunityCollege |
/ |
.00 |
.00 |
||
|
166 |
HeathAlread-JacksonMoody |
Kennesaw StateUniversity |
/ |
.00 |
.00 |
||
|
166 |
AustinChapman-CurtisLilly |
McKendreeUniversity |
/ |
.00 |
.00 |
||
|
166 |
Vic Hudman-GregAiken |
McMurry University |
/ |
.00 |
.00 |
||
|
166 |
NickElkins-DanielLemons |
Morehead StateUniversity |
/ |
.00 |
.00 |
||
|
166 |
HunterMills-JordanHartman |
Murray StateUniversity |
/ |
.00 |
.00 |
||
|
166 |
JonathonWilburn-HunterLong |
Northeast AlabamaCommunity College |
/ |
.00 |
.00 |
||
|
166 |
ChastenBeck-GrantGarner |
Snead StateCommunity College |
/ |
.00 |
.00 |
||
|
166 |
ZakMcdaniel-KadeBoone |
SouthwestMississippiCommunity College |
/ |
.00 |
.00 |
||
|
166 |
AlecCastonguay-KyleDragulski |
Stephen F. Austin |
/ |
.00 |
.00 |
||
|
166 |
BlakeSchroeder-EastonHeigley |
Stephen F. Austin |
/ |
.00 |
.00 |
||
|
166 |
Tanner Best-JohnLange |
Texas TechUniversity |
/ |
.00 |
.00 |
||
|
166 |
Jesse James-JohnDefore |
Troy University |
/ |
.00 |
.00 |
||
|
166 |
CorbanRood-GrantCordell |
Tusculum College |
/ |
.00 |
.00 |
||
|
166 |
Levi Baker-BayneMiller |
University ofGeorgia |
/ |
.00 |
.00 |
||
|
166 |
ConnorCaffrey-TaylorPodhouser |
University ofAlabama |
/ |
.00 |
.00 |
|
166 |
Jonathan West- |
North CarolinaState University |
/ |
.00 |
.00 |
||
|
166 |
KyleKontor-KarterLong |
Texas TechUniversity |
/ |
.00 |
.00 |
||
Bryan Thrift Talks Costa Sunrise Silver Mirror Lens Sunglasses
FLW Tour Pro and Costa Pro Bryan Thrift talks about the benefits and advantages of the new Sunrise Silver Mirror lens option from Costa Sunglasses. Check them out and get yours today at Sportsman's Warehouse or Sportsman'sWarehouse.com
BREAZEALE LEADS WON BASS CALIFORNIA OPEN BY ALMOST 7 POUNDS AFTER DAY 1
COURTESY OF WON BASS
5/24- 5/26/2017 CAL OPEN CLEAR LAKE 2017
| Place | Name | Hometown | Fish | Weight | Penalty | Big Fish | Total | Points | ||
| 1 | Wayne Breazeale | Kelseyville CA | 5/5 | 30.70 | 10.83 | * | 30.70 | |||
| 2 | Danny Miller | Orangevale CA | 5/5 | 23.77 | 4.55 | 23.77 | ||||
| 3 | Miles Howe | San Juan Capistrano CA | 5/4 | 23.82 | 0.20 | 23.62 | ||||
| 4 | Garrett Dixon | Durham CA | 5/5 | 23.18 | 8.59 | 23.18 | ||||
| 5 | Steve Tosh, Jr. | Modesto CA | 5/5 | 22.03 | 22.03 | |||||
| 6 | John Pearl | Upper Lake CA | 5/4 | 21.53 | 0.20 | 5.62 | 21.33 | |||
| 7 | Austin Bonjour | Santa Maria CA | 5/5 | 20.16 | 5.11 | 20.16 | ||||
| 8 | Kevin Finley | Phoenix AZ | 5/5 | 19.91 | 8.10 | 19.91 | ||||
| 9 | Ryan Scott | El Dorado Hills CA | 5/3 | 20.15 | 0.40 | 19.75 | ||||
| 10 | Kent Brown | Roseville CA | 5/5 | 19.10 | 7.07 | 19.10 | ||||
| 11 | Jeff Van Nimwegen | Menifee CA | 5/5 | 18.94 | 5.24 | 18.94 | ||||
| 12 | Mark Dotterer | Phoenix AZ | 5/5 | 18.50 | 18.50 | |||||
| 13 | Mike Krnaich | Petaluma CA | 5/5 | 18.29 | 6.82 | 18.29 | ||||
| 14 | Joe Raftery | Las Vegas NV | 5/5 | 18.24 | 5.53 | 18.24 | ||||
| 15 | Tim Klinger | Boulder City NV | 5/5 | 17.76 | 6.49 | 17.76 | ||||
| 16 | David Davis | Big Piney WY | 5/5 | 17.54 | 17.54 | |||||
| 17 | Mark Crutcher | Lakeport CA | 5/5 | 17.48 | 6.82 | 17.48 | ||||
| 18 | Stephen Pike | Las Vegas NV | 5/5 | 17.23 | 17.23 | |||||
| 19 | Todd Holverson | San Diego CA | 5/5 | 16.98 | 16.98 | |||||
| 20 | Noy Vilaysane | San Diego CA | 5/5 | 16.85 | 16.85 | |||||
| 21 | Curtis D Howard | Lodi CA | 5/5 | 16.84 | 16.84 | |||||
| 22 | Jesse L Roach | San Pablo CA | 5/4 | 17.01 | 0.20 | 5.94 | 16.81 | |||
| 23 | Doug Hutchison | Santa Rosa CA | 5/4 | 16.69 | 0.20 | 7.50 | 16.49 | |||
| 24 | Kevin Norling | San Diego CA | 5/5 | 16.09 | 16.09 | |||||
| 25 | Ryan German | Fairfield CA | 5/5 | 15.71 | 15.71 | |||||
| 26 | Brett Leber | Dixon CA | 5/5 | 15.42 | 8.32 | 15.42 | ||||
| 27 | Justin Kerr | Simi Valley CA | 5/5 | 15.34 | 15.34 | |||||
| 28 | Todd Woods | San Dimas CA | 5/5 | 15.33 | 15.33 | |||||
| 29 | Jason Borofka | Salinas CA | 5/5 | 15.32 | 15.32 | |||||
| 30 | Jared Stone | Kelseyville CA | 5/5 | 15.15 | 15.15 | |||||
| 31 | Jackson Juarez | Finley CA | 5/5 | 15.07 | 15.07 | |||||
| 32 | Doug McKa | Clear Lake CA | 5/5 | 14.95 | 4.94 | 14.95 | ||||
| 33 | Scott Chappell | Cloverdale CA | 5/5 | 14.92 | 14.92 | |||||
| 34 | Ron Bruggeman | Potter Valley CA | 5/5 | 14.72 | 14.72 | |||||
| 35 | Peter Manfrina | Lompoc CA | 5/5 | 14.54 | 4.28 | 14.54 | ||||
| 36 | Neil Campbell | Fallbrook CA | 5/5 | 14.36 | 5.61 | 14.36 | ||||
| 36 | Patrick Touey | Nipomo CA | 5/5 | 14.36 | 14.36 | |||||
| 38 | Roy Hawk | Lake Havasu City AZ | 5/5 | 14.30 | 14.30 | |||||
| 39 | John Zeolla | Oak Park CA | 5/5 | 13.91 | 13.91 | |||||
| 40 | Greg Gutierrez | Red Bluff CA | 5/5 | 13.78 | 13.78 | |||||
| 41 | Dee Thomas | Brentwood CA | 5/5 | 13.64 | 5.22 | 13.64 | ||||
| 42 | Marco Valdez | Gilbert AZ | 4/4 | 13.63 | 6.63 | 13.63 | ||||
| 43 | Gary Collins | Upperlake CA | 5/5 | 13.57 | 4.71 | 13.57 | ||||
| 44 | Carl Keller | Hidden Valley Lake CA | 5/5 | 13.48 | 13.48 | |||||
| 45 | Tom Jolin | Lakeport CA | 5/5 | 13.03 | 13.03 | |||||
| 46 | Brent Shores | Boise ID | 5/5 | 12.78 | 12.78 | |||||
| 47 | John Barron | Visalia CA | 5/5 | 12.61 | 2.46 | 12.61 | ||||
| 48 | Kevin Caruso | Glendale AZ | 5/4 | 12.56 | 0.20 | 12.36 | ||||
| 49 | Johnny Johnson | Lakeside AZ | 5/5 | 12.24 | 12.24 | |||||
| 50 | Clayton Eslick | Gilroy CA | 5/5 | 12.23 | 12.23 | |||||
| 50 | Bill O'Shinn | Bakersfield CA | 5/5 | 12.23 | 12.23 | |||||
| 52 | Jason Haley | Medford OR | 5/5 | 12.07 | 4.84 | 12.07 | ||||
| 53 | Paul Ramsey | Ventura CA | 5/5 | 12.02 | 12.02 | |||||
| 54 | Obedie Williams | Discovery Bay CA | 5/5 | 12.01 | 12.01 | |||||
| 55 | Mike Walsh | El Cajon CA | 5/5 | 11.99 | 11.99 | |||||
| 56 | Justin Hanold | Poway CA | 5/5 | 11.85 | 11.85 | |||||
| 57 | Bryant Smith | Castro Valley CA | 5/5 | 11.83 | 11.83 | |||||
| 58 | Rick Correa | Wilsonville OR | 5/5 | 11.52 | 11.52 | |||||
| 59 | Corey Fenske | Granite Bay CA | 5/5 | 11.50 | 11.50 | |||||
| 60 | Kevin Stewart | Elk Grove CA | 5/5 | 11.23 | 11.23 | |||||
| 61 | Ryan Brewer | Stockton CA | 5/4 | 11.35 | 0.20 | 11.15 | ||||
| 62 | Tony Lain | Menifee CA | 5/5 | 11.11 | 11.11 | |||||
| 63 | Andy Manahl | Mesa AZ | 5/5 | 10.78 | 10.78 | |||||
| 64 | Isaac Budesilich | Oakley CA | 5/5 | 10.74 | 10.74 | |||||
| 65 | Mike Brillhart | Waddell AZ | 5/5 | 10.57 | 10.57 | |||||
| 66 | Adam Vesely | Las Vegas NV | 5/5 | 10.53 | 10.53 | |||||
| 67 | Elliott Holsbo | Lakeside CA | 5/3 | 10.89 | 0.40 | 10.49 | ||||
| 68 | Howard Hughes | Redding CA | 5/5 | 10.32 | 10.32 | |||||
| 69 | Tracy Cardwell | Eugen OR | 5/5 | 10.30 | 10.30 | |||||
| 70 | Stanley Hendrix | San Diego CA | 5/5 | 10.10 | 10.10 | |||||
| 71 | Matt Shura | Gilbert AZ | 5/5 | 10.07 | 10.07 | |||||
| 72 | Hal Zimmerman | Boise ID | 5/4 | 10.20 | 0.20 | 10.00 | ||||
| 73 | Carl Limbrick, Jr. | Bonita CA | 5/5 | 9.90 | 9.90 | |||||
| 74 | Tuan Nguyen | Woodland CA | 5/5 | 9.76 | 9.76 | |||||
| 75 | Ryan Lauwers | Kelseyville CA | 5/5 | 9.59 | 9.59 | |||||
| 75 | Clark Small | Solvang CA | 5/4 | 9.79 | 0.20 | 9.59 | ||||
| 77 | Ron Hammett | La Mesa CA | 5/4 | 9.57 | 0.20 | 9.37 | ||||
| 78 | Jay Guterding | Redding CA | 5/5 | 9.30 | 9.30 | |||||
| 79 | Paul Bailey | Kelseyville CA | 5/5 | 8.82 | 8.82 | |||||
| 80 | Dennis Chafin | Sinton TX | 5/5 | 8.71 | 8.71 | |||||
| 81 | Jim Elliott | Redding CA | 5/5 | 8.05 | 8.05 | |||||
| 82 | Roger Tarin | Redwood Valley CA | 5/5 | 7.75 | 7.75 | |||||
| 83 | Brian P. Day | Rancho SM CA | 5/5 | 7.62 | 7.62 | |||||
| 84 | Shane Spinning | Canyon Lake CA | 4/4 | 7.38 | 7.38 | |||||
| 85 | Tom Nokes | Riverton UT | 4/4 | 7.24 | 7.24 | |||||
| 86 | Rodney Reed | Chelan WA | 3/3 | 5.71 | 5.71 |
TOP TIPS FOR THE CAL DELTA SPAWN
By David A. Brown
Behold the California Delta. The sheer vastness can be overwhelming with this massive network of canals, sloughs, flooded farm lands and major rivers (Sacramento and San Joaquin) draining the Central Valley and covering some 1,100 miles of waterways.
Throw in daily tidal fluctuation complements of a distant connection to San Francisco Bay and this labyrinthine system can spin out the best of angling minds seeking to dial in fish in or near their spawning movements.
But it doesn’t have to be so perplexing. Yes, the Cal Delta is definitely a dynamic environment, but understanding a few key principles will help frame the deal for you.
WATER LEVELS
Fishing a Delta spawn requires some mindset shifting and the biggest one addresses the notion of “shallow.” First and foremost, depth is relative in tidal environments, so a bedding bass has to calculate the daily fluctuations and choose a spot that won’t stand bone dry at low tide, but also
one that’s not so deep the eggs can’t get consistent sunlight.
Tide charts on your Navionics screen, or your favorite app, will help with planning, but there’s no better indication than a glance at the bank. Can you see a mud line on the tule stalks? Are there dead tules laying above a dark, damp band on the riprap? Suffice it to say that low tides are hard to miss.
Now, spot a bed at this level and you know the fish has chosen a location that’ll remain stable throughout the tide. The fish will be supremely spooky in minimal water, but make a mental note or drop a waypoint and you’ll have a better shot at a more cooperative fish when the tide returns.
“The higher the tide, the more comfortable the fish, even though it’s harder for you to actually see the fish,” Mah said. “You have to find that happy medium. You
KEY AREAS
Generally, if you can identify gaps in tules or grass with hard, clean bottom, you’ll find spawners during the right weather/moon windows. Mah favors areas with moderate current because clarity is critical for spawning fish and too much movement muddies the water.
One thing to keep in mind is that, unlike a large lake, where fish typically cover significant distances between the shallow extremes of their spawning On the delta, the space between beds, pre/postspawn staging areas and summer hangouts might be no more than two casts. In the long canals, fish simply don’t have to go far off the banks before and after spawning — and given the number of sea lions prowling the Delta, the smart fish won’t spend much time in the open water anyway.
So, pay attention to the outer grass edges in these canals and sloughs and know that, as long as sufficient cover remains, this is prime habitat for bass throughout much of the non-spawning times.
In the broader flooded farming areas like Frank’s Tract, Mandeville and Big Break, the high center areas may hide stellar grass habitat under a foot or so of water during high tide, but falling tides will mushroom that outer grass for easier targeting. Just make sure you have sufficient navigational depth and remember, if that grass compacts, the fish must leave.
Diehard Delta rat Robert Lee placed second in the recent Costa FLW Series Western Division event by specifically targeting postspawners around tule islands. Essential for him and others working the same deal, was moderate current — just enough to bring food to the fish and keep the bottom washed clean of the stringy, mossy stuff; but not too swift that recovering females wouldn’t want to expend the energy to fight swift water.
Here’s something to keep in mind: Not all Delta bass spawn in and around vegetation, so look for spawners around riprap — especially in behind floating docks in big marinas. During a recent Costa FLW Series Western Division event, I watched a pair of largemouths doing the deed on the riprap at Russo’s Marina.
Throughout the Delta, riprap flanked by grass lines offers prime spawning habitat. The fish might hold in that grass until the last moment and then move a few feet to establish their beds.
BAIT SELECTION
When searching for prespawners, and even the aggressive fry guarders, crankbaits are a popular Delta option. You’ll typically find your best reaction bites on higher tides through the first half of the outgoing. Remember, points, exposed irrigation pipes and any other current breaks can be gold, so hit these targets thoroughly.
Now, as Dane Mitchell found out through several soul-crushing losses, the fish can be funny during tide changes and often those bites are just half-hearted bumps and nips that bend the rod just long enough to get your hopes up — until the fish shakes that one barb. In such instances, 
switching to a single hook bait like a swim jig or vibrating jig on a softer rod gives you a better chance of letting the fish load up and sink a solid hook set.
Post-spawners are typically a more lethargic bunch, so skip those wacky-rigged Senkos into little pockets in the tules and hydrilla. (In windy conditions, Lee uses a light wacky jig head, or simply crimps a split shot above his hook for better control/casting distance.)
One of the Delta faves for pre and post-spawners — especially those patrolling those outer grass edges — is the topwater game. Walk a Spook, sputter the Whopper Plopper and churn the water with Mah’s No. 1 — a double blade buzzbait. It’s not usually your highest percentage technique, but when a toad flushes the toilet on that surface bait, it’s worth the price of admission.
Punching mats of hyacinth, pennywort and primrose — another good option for fish staging before and after the spawn. Here again, know your water levels.
“What happens when the tide falls is what I call ‘compaction’ — the water sucks out from under the shallow mats and pushes the fish out to the deeper edges,” Mah said.
On the beds, it’s not terribly complicated: The standard mix of jigs, Texas-rigged creature and craw baits will tempt plenty, but Mah says don’t overlook the dropshot. Ideal for skittish fish, the rig’s design allows you to ease a bait into eye-ball level with the fish, hold it near the bottom or make it hover above a nervous bass — all adjustable for tide stage.
Also, the ability to quickly switch out bait styles and colors aids efficiency. Mah, who favors a 3/16-ounce cylinder weight and a 2/0-3/0 Trapper hook on 16-pound fluorocarbon line, says a straight tail worm is his go-to bait, but when finicky bass need a more agitating presentation, he has the perfect intruder.
“I’ll rig my dropshot with a Basstrix Bait Fry Bluegill and sometimes, those bigger females will really get aggravated at this profile,” he said. “Whether I’m blind casting or looking at them, something highly detailed that looks like a bluegill can really change the mood of that bed fish.”
Indeed, this is the Cal Delta and the fish like diversity.
Toyota Bonus Bucks Owners Tournament Returns to Table Rock
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ridgedale, Mo. (May 24, 2017) – The 6th annual Toyota Bonus Bucks Owners event will return to the unparalleled rustic elegance of the Bass Pro Outdoor Academy and Long Creek Marina at Table Rock Lake in Southwest Missouri on October 14-15, 2017.
Saturday evening’s registration meeting and free dinner will take place again at the Bass Pro Outdoor Academy, with launch and weigh-in a very short distance down Missouri’s Highway 86 at Long Creek Marina and Boat Ramp.
Fast becoming one of the most popular customer appreciation bass tournaments in America, teams travel from a wide variety of states ranging from Arizona to Maine, to the sprawling 41,000-acre reservoir near Branson that offers a wide variety of fishing patterns in late October.
The husband and wife team of Michael and Shana Perez traveled only one hour from their Missouri home, but had one of the more memorable times.
“We had just purchased our 2016 Tundra weeks before the tournament,” says Michael. “When we heard the event was coming to Table Rock, we signed up just before the deadline, and while we didn’t catch enough for a tournament paycheck, we won $500 in a random drawing and were made to feel really part of the Toyota fishing family.”
All eligible registered Bonus Bucks participants are invited to participate and register a team for the Owners Tournament, with the exception of Bassmaster Elite Series and Walmart FLW Tour pros. Only one of the team members must be registered in the Bonus Bucks Program to be eligible to compete.
The top 30 teams are guaranteed a paycheck. A free gift bag will be given to the first 200 anglers to sign up for the tournament, and all teams will have a chance to visit with Team Toyota and Bassmaster Elite Series pros who will be on hand to help with the event.
Anglers are required to pre-register by October 6, 2017. B.A.S.S. tournament staff will conduct the tournament, and be onsite Saturday afternoon October 14 at 4:00 p.m. CDT for official angler check-in at Bass Pro Shops Outdoor Academy near Big Cedar Resort in Ridgedale, Missouri.
Participants are encouraged to sign up as soon as possible for this fellowship-filled, prize-rich event. Limited space is available. To register, visit toyotafishing.com. You can also call Kendell at (918) 742-6424, or email: bonusbucks@dynamicsponsorships.com.
George Berry Wins ABA RAM AFT D-96 2 Day Championship on Lake Murray with over 26 pounds!
George Berry of Saluda, SC won the Ram American Fishing Tour, presented by American Bass Anglers, South Carolina Division 96 2-day Championship held May 20-21, 2017 on Lake Murray running out the Dreher Island State Park near Prosperity, SC.
Saturday started out at 66 degrees and was at 90 degrees by the 3 pm weigh-in. Partly Cloudy skies with the wind out of the SW at 5 to 10 mph. Lake Murray is close to a normal full stage at 358 feet with surface temp in the 70s. Sunday started out humid with little wind and 68 degrees. Wind picked up later in the day and was out of the SW at 10 to 15 mph. The forecast of scattered thunderstorms came as we started the 3 pm weigh-in.
There were 18 anglers fishing this Division 96 2-Day Championship Tournament out of Dreher Island State Park near Prosperity, SC. First place, George Berry of Saluda, SC had 10 fish for the 2 days weighing 26.82 pounds. George fished the lower part of the lake each morning fishing topwater baits and then went up the river to finish his limit flipping a worm on docks and wood. George took home $1095 for first place and first place option on day one.
Mark Richardson of Irmo, SC was second with 10 fish for the 2 days weighing 26.54 pounds which included a 5.69 pound kicker on day one. He caught all his fish with a shakey head worm on the lower part of the lake. Mark won $641 for second place and second place option on day one.
Phillip Anderson of Saluda, SC was third with 10 fish for the 2 days weighing 25.54 pounds. Phillip caught his fish flipping docks with a jig on the middle part of the lake. He took home $188 for third place.
Phillip Anderson came into this 2-day in fifth place in the points race for Division 96 Angler of the Year. His third place finish was enough to win the AOY title with a total of 1169 points.
Josh Peake of West Columbia, SC took the Big Bass of the tournament on day one with a 6.19 pounds largemouth. The fish was caught on a topwater bait in the mid lake area.
Gary McGlohorn of Batesburg, SC caught the big bass of day two on a topwater bait on the lower lake area weighing 5.25 pounds. Each won $90 for big fish.
Also Gary McGlohorn won the first place option for day two at $95 and Roger Farr of Lexington won the second place option on day two at $65.
Top 5 finishers:
1 – George Berry - 10 fish 26.82 pounds 396 points
2 – Mark Richardson – 10 fish 26.54 pounds 394 points
3 – Phillip Anderson – 10 fish 25.54 pounds 392 points
4 – Gary McGlohorn – 9 fish 24.69 pounds 390 points
5 – Roger Farr – 9 fish 23.25 pounds 388 points
These anglers are qualifying to compete in the 2017 Ram AFT National Championship on the Ouachita River, Monroe La. in October 2017.
The next Division 96 tournament for Division 96 will be our Bring A Youth Tournament on Lake Greenwood, June 24, 2017. The next D-96 qualifier tournament will be for the 2018 season on Lake Russell July 9, 2017 out of the Hwy 72 Ramp.
For more information, contact D-96 Director Phil Morris at 864-993-0346; email plmorrisd96@gmail.com or call ABA at (256) 232-0406. On-line, see www.americanbassanglers.com or www.aba-sc.com for complete results. Also check out our facebook page at D-96 American Fishing Tour.
The American Fishing Tour offers low cost, close to home bass tournaments that are designed for the weekend angler. All ABA anglers fish for money and points. The points advance the angler to their divisional championship and the top 500 anglers in the US are invited to the American Fishing Tour National Championship.
Texas Team Trail Presented by Cabela's Ends Season with Championship on Lake Livingston
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Angler of the year title up for grabs
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NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. (May 23, 2017) - The Texas Team Trail (TXTT) presented by Cabela's will host its 2017 championship event on June 3-4, at Lake Livingston. The two-day event wraps up the 2017 will determine the Lucas Oil Team of the Year. Registration for the event is already underway - anglers can secure an opportunity to pre-fish Thursday and Friday, June 1-2, by completing their registration online or via phone prior to midnight on Wednesday, May 31. Additionally, all anglers that pre-register online at www.texasteamtrail.comwill be entered into a drawing for a $100 Cabela's gift card.
The 90,000-acre, shallow-water reservoir is located on the Trinity River, 50 miles north of Houston and has been a staple stop of the TXTT circuit. All teams who entered all four regular-season events and participated in at least two are automatically qualified for the championship event. A fully rigged Ranger Z519, valued at $45,000, is guaranteed for first place. Additionally, the second-place finishers will take home a Ranger Z518 valued at $34,000.
The championship will also settle the Lucas Oil Team of the Year race. With the top-10 teams only separated by 177 points and double points awarded at the championship, many teams are still in contention to win the coveted title. The Lucas Oil Team of the Year will receive custom rings and paid 2018 entry fees, courtesy of Lucas Oil.
On-site registration is set for Friday, April 28, from 4-6 p.m. at Waterfront Lodge and Marina (371 Navaho Trial, Onolaska, TX 77360). At least one team member must attend, as boat numbers will be assigned during this time. The tournament will launch each day at safe light from the marina and weigh-ins set at the same location at 3 p.m. each day.
Anglers with questions or anyone interested in more details on the event are encouraged to visit www.texasteamtrail.com or call 210-281-1752 or 210-788-4143.
Texas Team Trail events are made possible through the sponsorship and continued support of these well-respected brands: Cabela's, Ranger Boats, Lucas Oil, RAM, Evinrude, Mercury, Minn Kota, Triton Boats, Power-Pole, Evinrude, Arctic Ice, Stratos Boats, Lowrance, Protect the Harvest, General Tire, SuperClean, Garmin, Valley Fashions, T-H Marine, Atlas, G-Juice, Powertex Group.
2017 TXTT scheduled events:
Championship
June 3-4 - Livingston Lake
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Jeremy Smith Wins ABA Ram Trucks Open FL Central Event on Toho with over 26 pounds!
Jeremy Smith of Plant City, FL won the American Bass Anglers Ram Truck Open Series Florida Central Division tournament, held May 20th on Lake Toho.
Running out of Lakefront Park in Kissimmee, FL Smith caught five bass weighing 26.68 pounds. For the Boater Division victory, he took home a check for $5000.
“I caught most of my fish today on a Rat-L-Trap one knocker and a worm. The place I started this morning I was not expecting to catch what I caught there. I probably had 20ibs in the boat by 8:00am. The bite was on fire. I ran around a little bit and culled up a few times. I was fishing hydrilla out in open water with a 3/4oz Rat-L-Trap in a color that I don’t even know. I just bought it the other day and it was the only one I have. I was fishing it on 12lb monofilament. I am excited and glad my family was here to support me today.” Smith said.
In second for the boaters, Thadeus Ragan of West Park, FL landed a five-bass tournament limit going 23.05 pounds. He collected $1250 for his catch.
“I didn’t even crank up the big motor. I just started fishing a popping frog. It was slow but steady. I had a few good bites and here I am. I probably caught twenty fish today. I had to work the fish today. They would swirl around the frog and I would have to trick them into eating it. A friend of mine past away recently, Linda Robinson, I was trying to win it for her. She was my partner in many tournaments.” Ragan said.
Darrell Cranor of Lakeland, FL landed five bass going 21.74 pounds anchored by a monster 11.54-pound kicker. He collected $900 for his catch and $650 for the big bass.
“I caught all my fish today out in open water hydrilla fishing grass lines. I caught that big bass on a top water chugger bait. It was about11:30am and when she bit, it sounded like a cement block hitting the water.” Cranor said.
In fourth place among the boaters, Raymond Trudeau of Saint Cloud, FL brought in five bass for 20.40 pounds.
Bobby Wooten of Lithia, FL finished in fifth place with five bass at 19.95 pounds.
In the Co-Angler Division, Tom Mullins of Windermere, FL won with three bass going 14.91 pounds with a 6.09 -pound kicker. He pocketed a check for $1700 for his win.
“I was basically finished by 11:00am. I mean I was really finished, just worn out. We flipped all day. I had good solid bites and never lost any fish today. We were targeting grass lines and I was flipping a creature bait with a 5/8oz weight. I’m real thrilled to win $1700 and I’m proud to be a part of this. I want to thank my boater, John Adkinson, for putting me on the fish today. We had a wonderful time today and he was very helpful.” Mullins said.
Taking second for the co-anglers, Glenn Cale of Auburndale, FL brought in a three-bass division limit weighing 13.89 pounds anchored by a 5.78-pound kicker. He collected $650 for his catch.
“I was fortunate to draw out with Darrell Cranor today and net that big 11.54-pounder for him. I fished a Senko and a Rat-L-Trap and I just followed his lead today and I’m just grateful for him. These boaters come out and spend their time and money practicing and we come out as co-anglers and fish the back of the boat for fun and I was fortunate enough and blessed to catch a few good fish. I want to give thanks to Darrell Cranor, I had a great time today. It’s always great to cash a check and catch fish and we caught a bunch of fish today. Darrell is a class act guy.” Cale said.
Eric Andrews of Davenport, FL placed third among the co-anglers with three bass 13.87 going pounds. He earned $450 for his catch.
“I fished out in the middle of the lake and I threw a chatter-bait all day targeting grass lines and scattered grass.” Andrews said.
In fourth place among the co-anglers, Kyle Jones of Leesburg, FL brought in three bass for 11.96 pounds.
Arthur Jackson of Kissimmee, FL finished in fifth place with three bass at 11.80 pounds.
Michael Morse of Plant City, FL collected $300 for the Co-Angler big bass that weighed 7.49 pounds.
“I caught the big fish on a Gambler Big EZ fishing pepper-grass. I kept getting bit by gar and they would tear up the tail constantly. I was reeling slow to get the gar to stop biting and my line got real heavy. I pulled up on her and she pulled back and it was on. I thought she was bigger than she was when she came out of the water. I caught her around 10:30am this morning. “ Morse said.
Slated for September 16th & 17th, the next tournament will be the Area Championship held on Lake Okeechobee out of Scott Driver park in Okeechobee, FL. At the end of the season, the best anglers from across the nation advance the 2018 Ray Scott Championship to be held on the Red River in Shreveport, Louisiana.
For more information on this tournament, call Billy Benedetti, tournament manager, at 256-230-5632 or ABA at 256-232-0406. On line, see www.ramopenseries.com .
About American Bass Anglers: American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler and at the same time offer each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers, the Ram Truck Open Series, the American Fishing Tour or the American Couples Series, visit www.americanbassanglers.com.
GARDENDALE HIGH SCHOOL WINS TBF HIGH SCHOOL FISHING ALABAMA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP AT LAKE NEELY HENRY
GADSDEN, Ala. (May 23, 2017) – The Gardendale High School duo of Griffin Phillips and Fletcher Phillips, both of Mount Olive, Alabama, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Sunday weighing 10 pounds, 15 ounces, to win the 2017 TBF High School Fishing Alabama State Championship tournament on Lake Neely Henry in Gadsden, Alabama. The win advanced the team to the 2017 High School Fishing National championship, held June 27-July 1 at Pickwick Lake in Florence, Alabama.
A field of 29 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from the Coosa Landing in Gadsden. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top two teams on Lake Neely Henry that advanced to the 2017 High School Fishing National Championship were:
1st: Gardendale High School – Griffin Phillips and Fletcher Phillips, both of Mount Olive, Ala., (five bass, 10-15)
2nd: Sand Rock High School – Colton Cash, Leesburg, Ala., and Levi Cox, Gaylesville, Ala., (five bass, 10-5)
Rounding out the top 10 teams were:
3rd: Hartselle High School – Jordan Thompson and Tyler Crawford, both of Hartselle, Ala., (five bass, 9-2)
4th: Springville High School – Chase Parnell and Logan Bryan, both of Springville, Ala., (five bass, 8-15)
5th: Mortimer Jordan High School – Daniel Meadows, Warrior, Ala., and Aaron Stephens, Kimberly, Ala., (five bass, 8-14)
6th: Sand Rock High School – Seth Justice and Ethan Clanton, both of Collinsville, Ala., (five bass, 8-11)
7th: Corner High School – Chandler Sickafoose and Cade Reeder, both of Dora, Ala., (five bass, 8-6)
8th: Sand Rock High School – Brody Robison, Collinsville, Ala., and Grant Robison, Fort Payne, Ala., (five bass, 8-5)
9th: Cedar Bluff High School – Colin McCullough, Cedar Bluff, Ala., and Hunter Bailey, Center, Ala., (five bass, 7-8)
10th: Fort Payne High School – Devin Gilliam and Dalton Pendergrass, both of Fort Payne, Ala., (five bass, 7-3)
Complete results and photos from the event have been posted at HighSchoolFishing.org.
The 2017 TBF High School Fishing Alabama State Championship was a two-person (team) event for students in grades 7-12, open to any Student Angler Federation (SAF) affiliated high school club in the state of Alabama. The top 10 percent of each Challenge, Open, and state championship field will advance to the High School Fishing National Championship. The High School Fishing national champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice.
In addition to the High School Fishing National Championship, all High School Fishing anglers nationwide automatically qualify for the world’s largest high school bass tournament, the 2017 High School Fishing World Finals, held in conjunction with the National Championship. At the 2016 World Finals more than $60,000 in scholarships and prizes were awarded.
Full schedules and the latest announcements are available at HighSchoolFishing.org and FLWFishing.com.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2017 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 274 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
About The Bass Federation
The Bass Federation Inc., (TBF) is a member of the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. TBF is owned by those we serve and dedicated to the sport of fishing. The Federation is the largest and oldest, organized grassroots fishing, youth and conservation organization there is. TBF, our affiliated state federations and their member clubs conduct more than 20,000 events each year and have provided a foundation for the entire bass fishing industry for more than 45 years. TBF founded the Student Angler Federation and the National High School Fishing program in 2008 to promote clean family fun and education through fishing. Visit bassfederation.com or highschoolfishing.org and “LIKE US” on Facebook.
Jody Parks Pockets a Cool $5K in the American Bass Anglers Ram Trucks SC Division Open Tournament on Lake Russell
Jody Parks of Greenwood, South Carolina won the American Bass Anglers Ram Truck Open series South Carolina Division tournament held 5/20/2017 on Lake Russell.
Running out of Calhoun Falls State Park, Jody weighed in five bass for 15.14 pounds. He anchored his catch with a bass that weighed 4.11 pounds. For the Boater Division victory, Parks took home a check for $5000.00.
“I caught 6 fish today culling one time. Everything I caught today was on a deep diving crankbait.” Said Parks.
In second for the boaters, Andy Wicker of Pomeria, South Carolina weighed in a five bass limit weighing 14.58 pounds. He anchored his limit with a bass that weighed in at 4.33 pounds. He collected $800.00 for the effort. Wicker also collected an additional $470.00 for weighing in the biggest bass for the boaters. Wicker also won an ABU Garcia Revo SX spinning reel valued at $160.00 for catching the biggest bass of the tournament while using an ABU Garcia reel.
“I had found a spot in practice I thought I could catch 12-14 fish but they had moved. It was slow for me and I didn’t catch my first fish until 9:30. I caught my fish in the 15-20 foot depth range. I caught them on a spinnerbait and a shaky head.” Said Wicker.
Christopher Chavis of Rincon, Georgia took third place with a five bass limit weighing in at 12.81 pounds. Chavis collected $600.00 for his catch..
“I caught my fish today on a crankbait in 10-20 feet of water.” Said Chavis.
Finishing fourth, Derek Lehtonen of Woodruff, South Carolina weighed in a five bass limit weighing 11.47 pounds.
Rounding out the top five Darren Ashley of Calhoun Falls, South Carolina weighed in a five bass limit weighing 10.14 pounds.
For his top 10 finish Jerry Kotal of Elberton Georgia won $500.00 for being a Triton Gold member.
In the Co-Angler Division, Joe Anders of Easley, South Carolina won with three bass weighing 7.43 pounds. He sealed his victory with a 2.70 pound kicker to pocket a check for $900.00.
“I caught a bunch of fish today. The ones I weighed in came on a crankbait and a drop shot.” Said Anders.
Taking second for the co-anglers, James Atkins of Cumming, Georgia weighed in a co angler limit of three bass weighing in at 6.63 pounds. He anchored his catch with a bass that weighed in at 3.46 pounds. James collected $400.00 for his catch. Atkins collected an additional $130.00 for weighing in the biggest bass for the co anglers.
“I probably caught 2-2.5 limits of fish today. I caught them on a fluke and a spin head in the 8-10 foot depth range.” Said Atkins.
Placing third on the co angler side was Jason Hueble of Whitmore, South Carolina. Hueble weighed in three bass that weighed 4.83 pounds. He collected $300.00 for the effort.
“I caught four fish today culling once. I caught them on top water and on a shaky head.” said Hueble.
In fourth place among the co-anglers, Greg Glouse of Liberty, South Carolina weighed in three bass weighing 4.39 pounds.
Rounding out the top five, Dylan Ballard weighed in three bass weighing 4.33 pounds.
Slated for 10/07-10/08/2017 the next tournament for the South Carolina Division will be the area championship on Lake Hartwell. At the end of the season, the best anglers from across the nation advance the 2018 Ray Scott Championship, slated for the Red River in Shreveport-Bossier, Louisiana in April 2018.
For more information on this tournament, call Rodney Michael, tournament manager, at 256-497-0967 or ABA at 256-232-0406. On line, see www.ramopenseries.com .
About American Bass Anglers: American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler and at the same time offer each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers, the Ram Truck Open Series, the American Fishing Tour or the American Couples Series, visitwww.americanbassanglers.com.
Bass Champs Central Region winners take home over $28,000 – Anglers of the Year are crowned at LBJ
The Central Region Bass Champs teams pulled out all the stops at their final tournament on Lake LBJ May 20, 2017. Three quarters of the field brought in limits, and there were only seven pounds separating 1st through 23rd! A record setting 118% was paid back with the winners Shuster and Gerhart loading up on over $28,000 in winnings.
Mother nature provided the fireworks for this final Central Region event, with rain, lightening and wind adding to the challenges these teams faced. By noon the rain was gone and eventually parted the skies for a sunny finish. It must have sparked up the bite, as the weights were tight all the way down the line.
Michael and his son Zachary Wilson were among the first to weigh in, setting the mark to beat at 25.11 pounds. “My son and I decided to partner up to fish Bass Champs this year,” Michael began. “He is 15 and fishes the high school tournaments as well as a few others. The weather was forecast to be bad in this tournament, so I asked him if he wanted to fish it or not. He said with the weather the week prior being blue bird skies and high pressure, and the forecast for this day to be rainy and cloudy, we were going to do good and we were going to fish!” They headed out and found grassy flats in 6’ to 12’ depths to start their hunt. “The bait we started with wasn’t working, so we started throwing spinnerbaits that my dad makes. I used white, Zachary used chartreuse & white.” It didn’t take long to put a small limit together, about 12 pounds. “We just kept catching fish. All day. We did move to a couple of other spots, but ended up back where we started. That’s where we caught all of our fish. By the end of the day we culled all of our initial limit. I was guessing we had about 18 pounds. Zachary said 22. We were both in shock when the scales locked in at 25.11 pounds!” Their weight established the leaderboard, but they had a long wait to go before the scales were closed. “I didn’t want to watch anyone else weigh in.” Eventually, they fell to 2nd then ultimately 3rd place before it was all said and done. “We were topped by ounces!” Their 3rd place win earned a check for $2,500.
It was the team of David Shuster and Charles Gerhart who came out on top winning over $28,000 by mere ounces. “Our day started out really well,” Shuster began. “We enjoyed the trailering aspect, and were able to launch closer to our starting point.” They had launched early to secure their spot, then patiently waited for their first cast at 6:30am. “The fish were really biting, and we had a limit in the boat by 7:00. As the day went on, the fish we caught just kept getting bigger!” They were fishing isolated grass patches in up to 9’ of water. “We caught a lot of fish on jigs, but our bigger ones came off of swim baits and weightless soft jerkbaits. We probably caught about fifteen in the 3-4 pound range, and had about twenty pounds in the boat by around 1:00.” They tried seven different areas, all of them produced well and they upgraded their creel in every spot. Then David got their big bite. “It was between 1-2:00 when I caught our big one. We culled a three pounder with it, so we added another five pounds to our limit.” First they put their biggest on the scales, weighing in at 8.63 lbs. Adding the rest of their creel, their total weight was 25.94 lbs, winning the tournament and a whopping payday! They received $20,000 for their 1st place win, then they were the highest finishing team in a qualified Skeeter boat for another $5,000. Qualifying for even more bonus money from Texas Boat World in Harker Heights, Lowrance GEN3, Power Pole and Sure Life, their total winnings were $28,850! “Our day went better than planned, for sure!” They would like to thank God for blessing their day, their families for their support with all the time away they spend chasing their passion, a special thanks to Cliff Brown and the staff at Texas Boat world. “I bought a boat from them last year, and they made the whole buying experience great.” David would like to thank his wife Jeanette and Charles his wife Vicki for their endearing support. “We would also like to thank Bass Champs – they put on the best tournaments for all of us and their staff is absolutely outstanding!”
Squeezing into a 2nd place position was the team of Landon and Mandi Glass. This husband and wife team started their morning great. “We were fishing a deep rock pile, about 20’, and the end of a point by a channel swing,” Landan explained. Using jigs and magnum flukes, they each started out by catching bass over eight pounds! What a way to start the day. “We wrapped up a limit pretty fast, and culled once before we headed to shallow water using a swim bait.” There, they culled once more, then lost one. “We went back to our first spot but was never able to cull our smallest fish.” They put the biggest of their eight pounders on the scales, and it weighed in at 8.23 lbs, anchoring their 25.56 lb. limit. They earned a $3,500 check for their 2nd place win.
Of all the big bass brought to the scales, the biggest was reeled in by the team of Gary and Greg Wafford. “We started out fishing the grass with Carolina rigs.” They put a limit together, then later in the day headed to the docks and pitched ½ ounce jigs. It didn’t take long, and Gary lost one about four pounds. “That kind of woke me up, and a few docks later I caught our big one!” Their big brute weighed 8.91 lbs, earning a $500 Big Bass check. “We didn’t get a lot of bites, but we had a great day.” They finished in 10th place overall with 21.57 pounds adding another $1,030 to their day.
Rounding out the top 10:
4th $2,000 24.90 lbs Garrett Koslan & Eric Crumley
5th $1,700 23.65 lbs Daniel & Adrian Barnes
6th $1,300 23.60 lbs Allen Shelton & Brad Drake
7th $1,100 21.93 lbs Charles Whited & Bill Polkinghorn
8th $1,050 21.77 lbs David Underwood & Charles Simmons
9th $1,040 21.67 lbs Matt Hill & Barry Mott
And last in the money
23rd $600 18.26 lbs Scott Olson & Ross Wright
As this was the fourth and final Central Region tournament of the year, the Anglers of the Year were determined by the most points earned throughout the year. Charles Whited & Bill Polkinghorn took over the lead in the points race at the second tournament, and held onto it to the end. For their accomplishment, their 2018 entry fees for the Central Region tournaments will be waived, plus they will be featured in the Bass Champs TV show. “All of the Anglers of the Year from each region will be invited to fish a head to head tournament on a private lake,” Chad Potts explained. “They will each be provided with a Skeeter boat and identical gear to fish with. It will be an exciting show to watch, and a once in a lifetime experience for these teams who have worked hard throughout the season to earn their titles.” Be sure to catch all the action on the WFN channel, and you can also see all of the shows on the Bass Champs website!
The season is winding to a close, but it’s not over yet! Be sure and sign up for these upcoming events:
June 3 – North Region – Tawakoni
June 9-11 – Skeeter Owner’s Tournament – Fork
June 25 – Techron TX Shootout – Sam Rayburn
Oct 14-15 – 2017 Team Championship – TBA
Oct 21-22 – 12th Annual Berkley Big Bass - Fork
“We will be announcing the location for the 2017 championship very soon,” Potts declared. “Be sure and sign up for the free E-Newsletter and stay tuned to our website for more details!”
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TRAVUS RUFF WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL NORTH CAROLINA DIVISION EVENT ON KERR LAKE
Charlotte’s Burford tops Co-angler Division
HENDERSON, N.C. (May 22, 2017) – Boater Travis Ruff of Connelly Springs, North Carolina, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 18 pounds even Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) North Carolina Division event on Kerr Lake. Ruff took home $5,466 for his victory.
“I had an awesome day,” said Ruff, who earned his first career win in BFL competition. “I fished the shad spawn in Nutbush Creek all day long, throwing a Lucky Craft Sammy around the bushes. I caught probably a dozen fish total, with 8 or 9 keepers.”
Ruff said that he was targeting points in Nutbush Creek and fished around 10 to 12 different areas.
“The key was the shad spawn,” Ruff said. “I discovered it in practice and knew that it was going to be the deal.”
Ruff said that his Lucky Craft Sammy that he threw was Ghost Minnow-colored. He did catch a couple of fish flipping a Zoom Brush Hog, but all of his keepers that he weighed in came on the topwater Sammy.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Travis Ruff, Connelly Springs, N.C., five bass, 18-0, $3,466 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Israel Gibson, Spruce Pine, N.C., five bass, 16-15, $2,033
3rd: Michael Chlomoudis, Murfreesboro, N.C., five bass, 14-13, $1,155
4th: James Blankenship, Siler City, N.C., five bass, 14-7, $751
4th: Jake Frye, Charlotte, N.C., five bass, 14-7, $751
5th: Cole Blythe, Charlotte, N.C., five bass, 14-2, $835
7th: Buddy Black, Lawndale, N.C., five bass, 13-13, $678
8th: Mike Winchester, Bryson City, N.C., five bass, 13-10, $520
9th: Ryan Deal, Indian Trail, N.C., five bass, 13-7, $462
10th: Wesley Cashwell, Roanoke Rapids, N.C., five bass, 13-1, $404
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Marty Warren of Elon, North Carolina, caught a 5-pound, 2-ounce bass, which was the heaviest of the tournament in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $435.
Barry Burford of Charlotte, North Carolina, weighed in five bass totaling 14 pounds, 2 ounces Saturday to win the Co-angler Division and the top prize of $1,928.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Barry Burford, Charlotte, N.C., five bass, 14-2, $1,928
2nd: J.R. Milligan, Merry Hill, N.C., five bass, 10-5, $856
3rd: Steven Spivey, Whiteville, N.C., five bass, 10-4, $571
4th: Justin Bach, Kannapolis, N.C., four bass, 9-14, $600
5th: Brian Mann, Ballard, W.Va., five bass, 9-12, $343
6th: Lee McConnell, Lewisville, N.C., four bass, 9-8, $364
7th: Nathan Grose, Summersville, W.Va., four bass, 9-2, $285
8th: Joel Cerv, North Wilkesboro, N.C., five bass, 8-11, $257
9th: Tommy Young, Linden, N.C., three bass, 8-10, $228
10th: Brian Souza, Cornelius, N.C., three bass, 8-9, $200
Burford weighed a 4-pound, 14-ounce bass which also earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award and $215.
The T-H Marine BFL at Kerr Lake was hosted by the Vance County Department of Tourism.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional Championship on the James River in Williamsburg, Virginia. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
About FLW
MURRAY STATE UNIVERSITY WINS YETI FLW COLLEGE FISHING CENTRAL CONFERENCE EVENT ON KENTUCKY/BARKLEY LAKES
GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. (May 22, 2017) – The Murray State University team of Zach Baker of Murray, Kentucky, and Micah Chessor of Paducah,Kentucky, won the YETI FLW College Fishing Central Conference tournament presented by Bass Pro Shops on Kentucky and Barkley lakes Saturday after weighing five bass totaling 19 pounds, 4 ounces. The victory earned the duo a $2,000 scholarship and an invitation to compete in the 2018 FLW College Fishing National Championship.
“This is an exciting win for our club – it’s nice to keep it in Kentucky,” said Baker, a senior majoring in Occupational Safety and Health. “It was a grind out there. We fought against some wind and waves, which definitely made things more tough. We just kept our heads down and fished.”
“We stayed on one ledge most of the day – a 70-yard stretch on the north-end of the lake at the mouth of Pisgah Bay,” said Chessor, a junior majoring in Wildlife Biology. “I found it in practice on Monday and the fish were stacked. I told Zach (Baker) that if we can get there first-thing Saturday morning, we’re going to stay there all day.”
“The ledge is basically a community hole,” said Baker. “The top of it is about 25 feet down and the bottom stretches to down about 30 feet. We just kept circling it and had a limit in the boat by 10:30 (a.m.), with our biggest fish coming in around 9:30.”
Baker said their biggest bass was caught on a Tennessee Shad-colored Keitech Impact FAT Swimbait with a 1-ounce head. He said their remaining four were brought in using a drop-shot rigged 4½-inch Morning Dawn-colored Roboworm Straight Tail Worm.
“We caught eight or nine keepers throughout the day,” said Chessor. “I caught some vertically out of the grass with the worm, and casted at them as well.”
“Patience was crucial for us,” said Baker. “We would hit a flurry of bites for around 45 minutes and then it would die off for around an hour. We just had to keep our focus and trust our instinct.”
The top 10 teams that advanced to the 2018 College Fishing National Championship are:
1st: Murray State University – Zach Baker, Murray, Ky., and Micah Chessor, Paducah, Ky., five bass, 19-4, $2,400
2nd: Missouri State University – Crosley Welch, Branson, Mo., and Matt Fielder, Springfield, Mo., five bass, 18-5, $1,200
3rd: University of Missouri – Gabriel Dubois, Mason, Ohio, and Brandon Heizer, Saint Louis, Mo., five bass, 18-4, $500
4th: Campbellsville University – Justin Mayfield, Somerset, Ky., and Colby Hays, Somerset, Ky., five bass, 17-4, $500
5th: Murray State University – Lance Freeman, Eddyville, Ky., and Cameron Brooks, Greenville, Ky., five bass, 16-15, $500
6th: Murray State University – Nate Maxwell, Murray, Ky., and Peyton Porter, Gilbertsville, Ky., five bass, 16-15
7th: Murray State University – Hunter Mills, Mayfield, Ky., and Hunter McKinley, Murray, Ky., five bass, 16-9
8th: Eastern Kentucky University – Tate Clements, Brodhead, Ky., and Josh Boone, London, Ky., five bass, 15-10
9th: McKendree University – Taylor Schmitt, Lebanon, Ill., and Trevor McKinney, Benton, Ill., five bass, 15-5
10th: McKendree University – Shane Campbell and Phillip Germagliotti, both of Highland, Ill., five bass, 15-4
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
This YETI FLW College Fishing Central Conference event at Kentucky and Barkley lakes was the second regular-season qualifying tournament of 2017 and was hosted by the Kentucky Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau. The next event for Central Conference anglers is their regular-season finale, scheduled for Oct. 7 on the Mississippi River in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin.
YETI FLW College Fishing teams compete in three regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top ten teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments, along with an additional qualifier for every 10 teams over 100 that compete, along with the top 20 teams from the annual YETI FLW College Fishing Open will advance to the 2018 FLW College Fishing National Championship.
College Fishing is free to enter. All participants must be registered, full-time students at a college, university or community college and members of a college fishing club that is recognized by their school.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow College Fishing on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing. Visit FLWFishing.com to sign up or to start a club at your school.
Brandon Lee wins Mr Bass of Arkansas Event on Dardanelle with over 15 Pounds! Creel Take Amateur Win.
Pro Money Winners:
1st – Brandon Lee – 5 – 15.57 lbs ($2021)
2nd – Quincy Houchin – 5 – 15.01 lbs ($1347)
3rd – Josh Ray – 5 – 14.94 lbs ($674)
4th – Chris Elder – 5 – 14.91 lbs ($449)
Big Bass = Chris Huselton 5.75 lbs ($310)
Results:
Am Money Winners:
1st – Jeremy Creel – 5 – 15.74 lbs ($835)
2nd – Chris Campbell – 5 – 15.02 lbs ($501)
3rd – Todd Brown – 5 – 12.71 lbs ($334)
Big Bass = Herbert Kimbrough 5.26 lbs ($250)
Results:
PHILLIP LUNCEFORD WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL OKIE DIVISION EVENT ON EUFAULA LAKE
Muskogee’s Lansford tops Co-angler Division
MCALESTER, Okla. (May 22, 2017) – Boater Phillip Lunceford of Stigler, Oklahoma, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 16 pounds even Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Okie Division event on Eufaula Lake. Lunceford took home $4,830 for his victory.
Lunceford said that all of the fish that he caught Saturday came via flipping bushes. He fished a 5 to 6 mile stretch, starting a mile east of Standing Rock and fishing all the way to Duchess Creek.
“I live on the lake, so I knew that flipping bushes was going to be the main pattern,” Lunceford said. “I only caught nine fish throughout the day, and four of them were not keepers. I actually lost a 3- and a 4-pounder, and I probably should have weighed in 18 or 19 pounds. Luckily my 16 pounds was enough to get it done.”
Lunceford said that he rotated through three different flipping baits throughout the day – a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver, a Strike King Rodent and a Gene Larew Salt Craw.
“I worked my way through Duchess all the way up in to Mud Creek,” Lunceford said. “The water was rising, so it eliminated a lot of water that I had wanted to fish. I knew that the fish would be in the bushes, so I just kept my head down and stayed with it.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Phillip Lunceford, Stigler, Okla., five bass, 16-0, $4,830
2nd: Cade Alsbury, Springdale, Ark., five bass, 15-14, $2,615
3rd: Jacob Capps, Muskogee, Okla., five bass, 13-14, $1,709
4th: Steven McLarty, Broken Arrow, Okla., five bass, 13-13, $1,127
5th: Shonn Goodwin, Moore, Okla., five bass, 13-8, $966
6th: Brent Haggard, Gans, Okla., five bass, 12-6, $885
7th: Kevin Slate, Choctaw, Okla., five bass, 12-4, $805
8th: Travis McKelvey, Jenks, Okla., five bass, 12-3, $724
9th: Mike Gilbreath, Vian, Okla., four bass, 12-1, $644
10th: Luke Frazier, Owasso, Okla., four bass, 11-12, $563
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Allen Rude of Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, caught a 5-pound, 6-ounce bass, which was the heaviest of the tournament in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $720.
David Lansford of Muskogee, Oklahoma, weighed in five bass totaling 15 pounds, 10 ounces Saturday to win the Co-angler Division and the top prize of $2,415.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: David Lansford, Muskogee, Okla., five bass, 15-10, $2,415
2nd: Damon Duncan, Kansas, Okla., five bass, 13-5, $1,207
3rd: Darin Comstock, Denison, Texas, three bass, 10-15, $806
4th: Bobby Call, Wagoner, Okla., four bass, 10-0, $563
5th: Kurt Gordon, Cushing, Okla., three bass, 9-14, $483
6th: Sheldon Vinson, Fayetteville, Ark., five bass, 9-11, $443
7th: Brandon Ackerson, Afton, Okla., five bass, 9-1, $402
8th: Randy Choate, Ada, Okla., three bass, 8-6, $362
9th: Nathan Colwell, Pryor, Okla., two bass, 8-1, $422
10th: Jerry Evans, Pottsboro, Texas, three bass, 7-11, $282
Brandon Beaver of Durant, Oklahoma, weighed a 5-pound, 12-ounce bass which earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award and $360.
The T-H Marine BFL at Eufaula Lake was hosted by the City of McAlester.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 19-21 BFL Regional Championship on the Red River in Shreveport, Louisiana. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
CHRIS MAYFIELD WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL CHOO CHOO EVENT ON LAKE GUNTERSVILLE
Albertville’s Pittman tops Co-angler Division
GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. (May 22, 2017) – Boater Chris Mayfield of Phil Campbell, Alabama, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 23 pounds, 14 ounces Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Choo Choo Division event on Lake Guntersville. Mayfield took home $4,079 for his victory.
“I was fishing in the mid-lake area,” said Mayfield, who earned his first career BFL win. “The fish were just getting out to the ledges. Literally a day ago they weren’t there. I was finding them with my electronics and just following them around.”
Mayfield said that he caught all of his limit on a Carolina-rigged Zoom Lizard, although he declined to specify the exact color. He did catch a fish on a jig as well, but all of the fish that he weighed in came via the Carolina rig.
“The fish were roaming in schools and I just kept moving with them,” Mayfield said. “I’ve had some terrible luck on Lake Guntersville over the years, and Saturday was just one of those days where everything was working for me.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Chris Mayfield, Phil Campbell, Ala., five bass, 23-14, $4,079
2nd: Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., five bass, 20-13, $2,040
3rd: Marc Arnold, Kingsport, Tenn., five bass, 19-7, $1,293
4th: Martin McCravy, Killen, Ala., five bass, 19-6, $905
5th: Josh Butler, Hayden, Ala., five bass, 19-0, $776
6th: Blake Hall, Hartselle, Ala., four bass, 17-7, $1,194
6th: Casey Martin, New Hope, Ala., five bass, 17-7, $979
8th: Bryan Gregory, Fort Payne, Ala., five bass, 16-9, $582
9th: Jack Gumbert, Huntsville, Ala., five bass, 16-7, $517
10th: John Polly, Nauvoo, Ala., five bass, 16-6, $453
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Hall caught a 7-pound bass, which was the heaviest of the tournament in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $515.
Johnny Pittman of Albertville, Alabama, weighed in five bass totaling 14 pounds, 15 ounces Saturday to win the Co-angler Division and the top prize of $1,902.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Johnny Pittman, Albertville, Ala., five bass, 14-15, $1,902
2nd: Waylon Hancock, Dutton, Ala., four bass, 14-3, $951
3rd: Marcus Corbett, Anniston, Ala., five bass, 14-2, $734
4th: Ethan Wheeler, Mayfield, Ky., five bass, 13-13, $444
5th: Terry Smith, Tullahoma, Tenn., five bass, 13-7, $380
6th: Dennis Sandoval, Decatur, Ala., five bass, 13-6, $349
7th: Adam Clark, Logan, Ala., five bass, 12-15, $367
8th: Jarrid Taylor, Attalla, Ala., three bass, 12-3, $285
9th: Chad Biddle, Shelbyville, Ky., four bass, 12-1, $254
10th: Jerry Armstrong, Shelbyville, Tenn., five bass, 12-0, $222
Jeremy Waldrop of Hoover, Alabama, weighed a 5-pound, 12-ounce bass which earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award and $252.
The T-H Marine BFL at Lake Guntersville was hosted by the Marshall County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional Championship on Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Alabama. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
Sellers Wins ABA AFT Division 40 2-Day Championship on Kentucky Lake
Jamie Sellers of Burns, TN won the AFT District 40 two day championship on Kentucky Lake on May 20 & 21st. Sellers weighed in 5 fish each day for a total of 29.42 lbs. winning $674 for his efforts. He also had big fish of the tournament, that big fish weighed 7.12 lbs.
Harold Troutt of Buchanan, TN finished in second place with a weight of 28.88 lbs. He won $306.
The top five finishers were:
1 Jamie Sellers 29.42 lbs.
2 Harold Troutt 28.88 lbs.
3 Larry Franklin 27.23 lbs.
4 John Riley 24.89 lbs.
5 Randy Ragan 21.70 lbs.
For more information about this Division and future events visit www.americanbassanglers.com or contact the local Director for Tennessee West, Larry Franklin at 931-209-2995.
These anglers accrued valuable points toward the Divisional Angler of the Year title. The points champion from each division will compete in the annual American Bass Anglers AFT Angler of The Year Final Round at the RAM AFT Championship. In addition, the top 500 anglers from the various divisions will earn the right to compete in the three-day ABA, RAM AFT National Championship tournament. The RAM American Fishing Tour offers low cost, close to home bass tournaments that are designed for the weekend angler. All ABA anglers fish for money and points.
MARK WINN & MICHAEL NICHOLS WIN ANGLERS CHOICE MARINE EVENT ON SMITH MTN. LAKE WITH 20.57LBS
Budde & Budde Win 19th Annual Strike King Open on Lake Kinkaid with over 18 pounds!
91 boats showed up for the 19th Annual Strike King Bass Open sponsored by 17th St. Bar & Grill held on Kinkaid Lake this past Saturday. Weather was a huge factor as an hour and fifteen minute delay due to lightning. Weigh in drew a huge crowd as 66 teams weighed in. There were 21 limits weighed and a total of 224 fish caught. When the scales closed it was the father/son team of Luke and Jim Budde that came out on top. Here are the names and weights of the top 11 places.
1st Luke and Jim Budde 18.96
2nd James Powell/Alex Moore 17.35
3rd Tim Norman/Jack Yates 17.22
4th Wayne and Derek Tope 17.21
5th Larry and Joe Deutschmann 16.63
6th Eric Carruthers/Jason Estel 16.41 2nd Big Bass 6.29
7th Eric Ceglinski/Michael Phillips 16.23
8th Jerry and Mark Crawford 16.17
9th Josh Ballard/ Jason Dix 15.64 1st Big Bass 6.69
10th Kyle Crawford/Jake Harris 15.37
11th Joe Bullock/ Matt Patchett 15.30
Thanks to all the fisherman that came out and braved the weather and to all the people that showed up to the weigh in. Also, a big thank you to all my friends and family that help out.
This tournament would not be what it is today without all the great sponsors that donate so much to this tournament. Strike King Lure Company, 17th St. Bar & Grill, Vicious Fishing, Tony Chacheres, Ardent, Venegoni Distributing.
Next year will be the final year for this tournament. We will be giving a boat away for 1st place. You may pre-register if you would like. You can contact me at 618-559-5650.
Stan Hallman and Steve Thrash Win 2017 Alabama Bass Trail Alabama River Hallman Fishes Alone, Becomes first to Win ABT Event on his Own
By Dan O'Sullivan
May 20, 2017 – Prattville, Ala. – The morning of the 2017 Alabama Bass Trail Alabama River event started clear, warm and calm, but by the end of the day, it would be full of surprises.
What started as a warm morning with slight winds, turned into a blazing hot afternoon that gave way to torrential rain and lightning that created a soggy weigh-in at Cooter’s Pond Park. The fishing was not without surprises either. Some of the teams in the field were predicting a tough bite, but others were confident in what they had found.
The bite proved to be strong for numbers, however, the overall weights came in on the low side. The one angler – and the number one is to be taken literally – who figured it out better than everyone else was Stan Hallman, who was fishing solo as his partner Steve Thrash had a previous commitment.
Hallman used a football jig and a shaky head rigged with a finesse worm and produced a mixed bag limit of largemouth and spotted bass that weighed 14.64 pounds. That limit; which he had in his livewell by 10:00AM, was enough to take the victory and the $10,000 winner’s prize, along with the $250 Alabama Bass Trail Gear Bonus that can be earned by wearing ABT logo gear during the day.
Hallman said he was surprised, and pleased. “I kind of figured that I would be able to produce this kind of weight, I just didn’t think it would be enough to win,” he said. “This is the biggest win I’ve ever had, and I am absolutely thrilled to be here right now.”
Matthew Cottle and Nicklous Robinson also surprised themselves by catching a 4.57-pound spotted bass early on a pink War Eagle spinnerbait. “We had a really tough practice,” they said. “We never expected to catch a big fish, and we only stopped on a hunch; that gut feeling got us our big fish, and we carried on from there.”
The pair caught the rest of their keepers fishing 3/16-ounce Davis Bait Company HBT Shaky Heads and Red Bug Finesse Worms. They weighed 14.20 pounds for their limit, and earned $5,000 for their day’s effort.
Brad Edwards and Austin Nelson finished the day in third place with 14.08 pounds and took home $4,000. They were followed in fourth place by Chris Payne and Jonathon White with 13.76 pounds, they earned a $3,000 payday, and Jason McCollum and Ken Romaine finished the day with 13.69 pounds, which earned them fifth place and $2,000.
The big fish of the event was caught by Clay Elliot and Craig Karrh. The 4.73-pound largemouth anchored their 11.51-pound limit that helped them finish in 16th place. They earned $500 for their finish, and the additional $500 big bass bonus.
The top 10 standings are below, for complete standings go to http://www.alabamabasstrail.org/tournament-series/ar-results/
| Place | Team | Big Fish | Total |
| 1 | Stan Hallman/Steve Thrash | 3.71 | 14.64 |
| 2 | Matthew Cottle/Nicklous Robinson | 4.57 | 14.20 |
| 3 | Brad Edwards/Austin Nelson | 14.08 | |
| 4 | Chris Payne/Jonathan White | 13.76 | |
| 5 | Jason Mccollum/Ken Romain | 13.69 | |
| 6 | Deandrae Kimbrough/Vernelle Quinney | 3.94 | 13.03 |
| 7 | Stephen L. Rogers/Jimmy Rogers | 13.02 | |
| 8 | Mike Freeman/Brannon Hurst | 4.36 | 12.99 |
| 9 | Victor Harper/Blake Harper | 3.92 | 12.93 |
| 10 | Jim White/Brent Jordan | 12.80 |
The sponsors of the 2017 Alabama Bass Trail include; Bill Penney Toyota, Phoenix Bass Boats, GP8 Oxygen Water, Garmin, Academy Sports & Outdoors, Wind Creek Hospitality – Wetumpka, Wind Creek Hospitality – Montgomery, Alabama Tourism Department, SCA Performance, T-H Marine Supplies, Wedowee Marine, AFTCO, Fish Neely Henry Lake.com, Lew’s Fishing, Crossed Industries, YETI, E3 Apparel, TVA and Alabama Power.
For information about Alabama Bass Trail and for complete tournament standings visit www.alabamabasstrail.org.
PIEDMONT BASS CLASSICS $10,000 SPRING TEAM BASS TRAIL QUALIFIER #6 RESULTS
Saturday May 20, 2017 ~ Falls Lake ~ Ledge Rock Wildlife Ramp
The best day weatherwise we've had this year for the Piedmont Bass Classics $10,000 Spring Team Bass Trail
Qualifier #6 at Falls Lake! 79 teams enjoyed the 67 degrees in the am and the 79 in the pm. Water temps averaged
about 74 degrees. Winds for the day were just light. Falls Lake again showed that it's one of the best fisheries for
bass in North Carolina. Most bass have spawned out and are now relaxing and trying to get their strength back and
are hungry!! The water level was back real close to normal at 252!
Chad Emory and Stephen Lasher won the event weighing in 5 bass with an good total of 27.08 lbs. and also won the
Tournament Within a Tournament (TWT) and the 1st Place Big Fish Award (8.13 lbs.) for a total of $3,946 in
winnings !!!
1st Place Team...Emory (R)..Lasher (L)
Jay Garrard & Mark Herndon finally got a good check for the year by taking 2nd place with 5 fish weighing 26.19
lbs. and also took 2nd Place TWT to pocket $1,482. The 3rd Place team of Scottie Morris & Denny Long presented
5 bass weighing 24.16 lbs. and took home $632. Big Fish for the day was caught by the 1st Place team (above)
(8.13 lbs.) worth $1,078!! 2nd Place Big Fish was landed by the 5th Place team of Tim Penhollow & K.C. Choosakul
(6.97 lbs.) paying them $462!!!
259 fish were weighed in for a total of 816 pounds for an average of 3.15 lbs. each. Most of the fish were caught
flipping creature baits, casting Buzz Baits, Carolina rigs, ChatterBaits, Spinnerbaits and medium running
Crankbaits Numerous bass in the 6 lb. range were brought to the scales.
I want to thank all the anglers that participated and all our sponsors that support this trail. Our next tournament is
Saturday June 3rd, the 2017 Piedmont Bass Classics $10,000 Spring Team Bass Trail Final Qualifier #7 at Falls
Lake out of Ledge Rock Wildlife Ramp. All the info can be found at this link: http://piedmontbassclassics.
com/2017PBC10KSpringTrailMainPage.html
Following that will be the Cashion Fishing Rods 2017 Spring Team Tournament Bass Trail Championship, June 10th
also at Falls Lake out of Ledge Rock Wildlife Ramp. This event will be for qualified teams only.
All the information on our tournaments can be found http://piedmontbassclassics.com/
Now here are the full results:
1st Place: Chad Emory & Stephen Lasher of Durham & Bahama...5 bass...27.08 lbs...$1,328
2nd Place: Jay Garrard & Mark Herndon of Durham & Bahama...5 bass...26.19 lbs...$822
3rd Place: Scottie Morris & Denny Long of Rougemont & Roxboro...5 bass...24.16 lbs...$632
4th Place: Bobby & David Matthews of Durham...5 bass...21.82 lbs...$568
5th Place: K.C. Choosakul & Tim Penhollow of Sanford & Mebane...5 bass...21.15 lbs...$506
6th Place: Todd Massey & Tim Parker of Chapel Hill & New Hill...5 bass...20.22 lbs...$443
7th Place: Tyler Faggart & Paul Owens of Raleigh...5 bass...19.92 lbs...$380
8th Place: Lee Williams & William Small...5 bass...19.59 lbs...$316
9th Place: Matt Harrison & Rock Goss Franklinton & Creedmoor...5 bass...19.25 lbs...$267
10th Place: Matt Dean & Kevin Farley of Clayton & East Bend...5 bass...18.96 lbs...$231
11th Place: Barney Compton & Dustin Turner of Leasburg...5 bass...18.52 lbs...$203
12th Place: Jonathan Jones & Bryson Peed of Oxford & Stem...5 bass...18.37 lbs...$170
13th Place: Jared Thaxton & Brad Crabtree of Creedmoor...5 bass...18.31 lbs...$133
14th Place: Scott Faulkner & David Wright of Lexington...5 bass...17.72 lbs...$123
15th Place: Wayne & Jerry Sheppard of Yanceyville & Hurdle Mills...5 bass...17.01 lbs...$110
16th Place: Mike Stephenson & Thanos Tsoumbos of Bahama & Oxford...5 bass...16.52 lbs...$100
1st Place Big Fish..1st Place Team above...8.13 lbs...$1,078
2nd Place Big Fish..5th Place Team above...7.24 lbs...$462
1st Place TWT..1st Place Team above...27.08 lbs...$1,540
2nd Place TWT..2nd Place Team above...26.70 lbs...$660
SCHMITT WINS FLW TOUR ON MISSISSIPPI RIVER
Maryland Pro claims first FLW Tour victory, wins $125,000
LA CROSSE, Wis. (May 21, 2017) – Pro Bryan Schmitt of Deale, Maryland, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 14 pounds, 10 ounces Sunday to win the FLW Tour at the Mississippi River presented by Evinrude. Schmitt’s four-day total of 20 bass weighing 61 pounds, 6 ounces, was enough to edge second-place pro Joshua Weaver of Macon, Georgia, and win the top prize of $125,000 in the four-day event that featured 160 of the world’s best bass anglers competing in La Crosse.
Already a well-known river expert, Schmitt built his career by picking apart the Potomac and James rivers. Schmitt was able to apply that expertise to Pools 7, 8 and 9 on the Mississippi River this week and earn his first career win on the FLW Tour.
“My knowledge of the rivers I fish back home was 100-percent key for me this week,” said Schmitt, a five-year Tour veteran who has amassed more than $680,000 in FLW competition. “I’ve never been here, but I fell in love with how it was setting up.”
Schmitt said his sweet spot this week was a barricaded pond on the lower end of Pool No. 8. He described it as a section of water near the main-river channel that was surrounded by sandbars which protected fish in multiple phases of the spawn.
“I don’t know if it was there from years and years of current building up the sandbars, but at some point local authorities may have added riprap to make it stay,” said Schmitt. “It had two main trenches that ran through it and had plenty of deep water. At the very top there was a hole in the rock jetty that let current flow in. It had all the right variables – just enough current to bring food in, grass and spawning habitat, and the deep water for when they were done.”
Schmitt said he spent the majority of his tournament in the area, noting that all but three of the fish he weighed in came from it.
“I think the fish that I was catching were both prespawn and postspawn,” Schmitt said. “Fresh fish were moving in and the big ones that were done were moving out.”
Schmitt said that his primary lure this week was a black and blue-colored prototype Riot Baits Swim Jig with a swimming trailer. He also used a black and blue-skirted vibrating jig with a Riot T3 Tattle Tail Swimbait and a 5-inch Texas-rigged Riot Stick stickbait with a 1/2-ounce tungsten weight.
“Before my main pattern evolved, I caught quite a few by just pitching the stickbait to grass,” said Schmitt. “It got me a lot of key fish on the first two days, but the bigger ones wanted the moving baits.”
The final event on the FLW Tour schedule for the 2017 regular-season happens to be on the Potomac River – a place where Schmitt has three Costa FLW Series wins. Schmitt expressed that he is eager to finish the season on a high note.
“I’ve got the momentum now,” said Schmitt. “After all of this, words can’t describe how excited I am to get back out there and compete on the Potomac.”
The top 10 pros finished on the Mississippi River:
1st: Bryan Schmitt, Deale, Md., 20 bass, 61-6, $125,000
2nd: Joshua Weaver, Macon, Ga., 20 bass, 58-11, $30,700
3rd: Livingston Lures pro Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 20 bass, 58-10, $25,100
4th: Todd Auten, Lake Wylie, S.C., 20 bass, 58-0, $20,000
5th: Yamamoto Baits pro Larry Nixon, Bee Branch, Ark., 20 bass, 57-9, $19,000
6th: Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 20 bass, 56-14, $18,000
7th: Austin Felix, Eden Prairie, Minn., 20 bass, 56-8, $17,000
8th: Matt Stefan, Junction City, Wis., 20 bass, 55-10, $16,000
9th: Polaris pro David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., 20 bass, 54-10, $15,000
10th: Justin Atkins, Florence, Ala., 20 bass, 53-3, $14,000
For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.
Overall there were 50 bass weighing 132 pounds, 2 ounces caught by pros Sunday. All of the final 10 pros brought in five-bass limits.
Cole Herb of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, won the co-angler division and $20,000 Friday with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 24 pounds, 11 ounces, followed by Jeremiah Shaver of Holmen, Wisconsin, who finished in second place with 10 bass weighing 23 pounds, 11 ounces, worth $7,600.
In FLW Tour competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day, with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers. The full field of anglers competed Thursday and Friday. Co-angler competition concluded following Friday’s weigh-in, while the top 20 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advanced to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continued competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of professional bass fishing. The 2017 Forrest Wood Cup will be on Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina, Aug. 11-13.
The FLW Tour at Mississippi River presented by Evinrude was hosted by Visit La Crosse. The next event for FLW Tour anglers will be the 2017 regular-season finale, the FLW Tour at the Potomac River presented by Costa Del Mar, June 15-18 in Marbury, Maryland.
Television coverage of the FLW Tour at Mississippi River presented by Evinrude will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) Aug. 2 from Noon-1 p.m. EDT. The Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
Palaniuk Won the Trophy, and Ehrler Won a Tundra
By Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
Brandon Palaniuk and Brent Ehrler were both winners Sunday at the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
Palaniuk, who launched his pro career in part by saving money on hotel fees and sleeping in his Tundra, won the $100,000 first place prize, and Ehrler won a new Toyota Tundra for catching the biggest bass of the tournament.
Remarkably, this is the second Tundra the Californian has hauled home from the event in two years. “The Tundra I won here in 2015 is sitting in my driveway, it’s a great truck, but since I can’t use two of them, I might sell one and buy a Tacoma, I think the Tacomas look awesome too,” says Ehrler.
Ehrler claimed the symbolic oversized cardboard key to his latest Tundra by catching a 9 pound 1 ounce beast on Day 1 of competition that stood throughout the four-day tournament. He actually watched as the bucketmouth engulfed his Lucky Craft Slender Pointer 127 on 14-pound line just a few feet from the boat.
“I caught two 5-pounders, two 4-pounders, and that giant 9-pounder from the same exact spot this week,” says Ehrler.
No doubt, the Californian found a bass-filled East Texas geyser this week on Sam Rayburn Reservoir, but as for his Toyota collection, he’s sorta falling in love with a lot of them.
“I love the looks of the Tacomas, and it’s easier to drive a smaller truck where we live in Newport Beach, but man that cement-colored Tundra over there is so cool too – I don’t know man, I love them both.”
Palaniuk and Ehrler - two great guys with a love of Toyota - and in Ehrler’s case, a decision to make on what to do with two of them.
Palaniuk Finishes Strong At Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest, Earns Automatic Classic Berth
Brandon Palaniuk of Hayden, Idaho, wins the 2017 Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks and Wildlife Department held out of Lufkin, Texas, on Sunday, with a four-day total weight of 93 pounds, 12 ounces.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 21,2017
LUFKIN, Texas — It’s not like Brandon Palaniuk had never won a Bassmaster Elite Series event.
Coming into this week, the 29-year-old pro from Idaho had already claimed Elite Series trophies in 2012 and 2013 and came close to raising that win total with three other second-place finishes.
But for an intense competitor known as the “prodigy,” the four-year victory drought was an itch he desperately needed to scratch — and he did it during this week’s Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
Palaniuk caught 24 pounds, 7 ounces of bass during Wednesday’s opening round and followed with 23-2 and 24-7 the next two rounds. Then he caught he caught 21-12 on Championship Sunday to push his four-day total to 93-12 and hold off a late charge by California pro Brent Ehrler.
Ehrler, who led the first two days, finished second with 91-12.
“I never found a school in practice where I could just go and pound on them and catch multiple fish in one spot,” said Palaniuk, who earned a $100,000 first-place prize and an automatic berth into the 2018 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented DICK’S Sporting Goods. “It wasn’t until the tournament started to roll around that more and more fish started to transition out and school up on spots.
“I was just far enough ahead of the fish.”
It was a sign of things to come for Palaniuk when he started Wednesday’s opening round with his biggest fish of the tournament — a largemouth that weighed 8-4. Palaniuk caught the bass in deeper water than what was being fished by most of the field.
That gave him the confidence to stay away from the shallower areas that were holding incredible numbers of bass, but not necessarily the size it would take to win.
“I was torn between deep and shallow,” he said. “There were so many fish shallow, and you could get so many bites, but I just wasn’t getting the big fish that I needed. I just kept telling myself the big fish were out deep, and if I could stick it out and get five to 10 bites a day, I could have a chance to win.”
Palaniuk said he spent a lot of time idling around looking for the usual summer postspawn hot spots, like the tips of points, humps and ledges.
He found lots of smaller fish on those places. But while moving from spot to spot on straight banks, he found a several brushpiles on his Humminbird electronics with incredible numbers of crappie and one or two bigger dots that he believed were bass. In that situation, he used a Neko Rig with a Zoom Magnum Trick Worm — and immediately caught a big fish.
“That gave me the confidence that I could get them to bite,” he said. “It also gave me the confidence to know that what I was seeing on my graph was actually what I thought it was.”
Palaniuk was throwing the Neko Rig on 15-pound Seaguar braid with a 10-pound fluorocarbon leader. Since many of the fish were in brushpiles, he wasn’t able to put them all in the boat.
“I knew that if I was hooking 8- or 9-pounders in brushpiles on that lighter line, there was a chance I was going to lose some,” he said. “Those fish are so strong, and that stuff is so thick. And it wasn’t like I was fishing the outsides of it. I was throwing directly into it and trying to get it to drop directly down into the center where the fish were.”
By the final day, he seemed to have all of the kinks worked out of his technique.
“Today, I had the least amount of big bites I’ve had all week,” he said. “But I executed 100 percent — and that was the difference maker.”
Palaniuk’s key bait for shallower, more aggressive fish was the size 13 Storm Arashi Top Walker in the pro blue color pattern. For deeper fish — since he couldn’t get bass to bite a crankbait — his top two lures were a 10-inch Zoom Ol’ monster worm in the plum color pattern with 1/2-ounce VMC tungsten weight pegged with a VMC stop on a 5/0 heavy-duty VMC extra-wide gap hook, and a Neko Rig Zoom with a green pumpkin magnum trick worm on a 1/0 weedless Neko hook that will debut at the annual ICAST fishing industry trade show in July.
Though Ehrler finished 2 pounds away from his first Elite Series victory, he didn’t go home emptyhanded. For catching the Toyota Big Bass of the week — a 9-1 largemouth on the first day — he earned a $50,000 Toyota Tundra pickup truck.
Oklahoma pro Jason Christie finished seventh in the event and came away with a solid lead in the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings. Those standings will largely determine the participants for the 2018 Classic — something Palaniuk is glad to have already sewn up.
He said that means he’ll be more relaxed as the scheduled swings back toward the northern lakes where he learned many of his tricks.
“It allows me to gamble on those smallmouth fisheries, which is absolutely my favorite thing to do,” he said. “I won’t have to be looking at the standings, and that won’t bother me at all.”
Jason Christie was awarded $1,000 for the leading the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points race at the end of the event.
Brandon Palaniuk won the Toyota Bonus Bucks Award of $3,000 for being the highest-placing eligible entrant in the program. The second-highest-placing eligible entrant, Jordan Lee, received $2,000.
Christie also earned the Power-Pole Captain’s Cash Award of $1,000 for being the highest-placing angler who is registered and eligible and uses a client-approved product on his boat.
Ehrler also earned $500 as the recipient of the Livingston Lures Day 2 Leader Award.
The event is hosted by the Lufkin Convention and Visitors Bureau.
2017 Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest Platinum and Title Sponsor: Toyota
2017 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Shell Rotella, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha, Berkley, Huk, Hummingbird, Mercury, Minn Kota
2017 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: T-H Marine, Advance Auto Parts, Academy Sports + Outdoors, Carhartt, Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels, Livingston Lures, Lowrance, Phoenix Boats, Shimano
2017 Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest Beneficiary: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2), radio show (Bassmaster Radio), social media programs and events. For more than 45 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation presented by Magellan, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Costa Bassmaster High School Series presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.
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Media Contact: JamieDay Matthews, 205-313-0945, jmatthews@bassmaster.com or Dave Precht, 205-313-0931, dprecht@bassmaster.com
2017 Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department 5/17-5/21
Sam Rayburn Reservoir, Lufkin TX.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 4
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Brandon Palaniuk Hayden, ID 20 93-12 110 $100,000.00
Day 1: 5 24-07 Day 2: 5 23-02 Day 3: 5 24-07 Day 4: 5 21-12
2. Brent Ehrler Newport Beach, CA 20 91-12 109 $34,500.00
Day 1: 5 25-06 Day 2: 5 22-05 Day 3: 5 24-03 Day 4: 5 19-14
3. Jacob Wheeler Indianapolis, IN 20 83-15 108 $30,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-07 Day 2: 5 23-07 Day 3: 5 16-05 Day 4: 5 22-12
4. Jordan Lee Grant, AL 20 77-07 107 $24,000.00
Day 1: 5 22-10 Day 2: 5 16-13 Day 3: 5 17-09 Day 4: 5 20-07
5. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 20 77-06 106 $20,000.00
Day 1: 5 23-08 Day 2: 5 18-11 Day 3: 5 19-09 Day 4: 5 15-10
6. Greg Vinson Wetumpka, AL 20 76-10 105 $16,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-02 Day 2: 5 21-15 Day 3: 5 15-07 Day 4: 5 18-02
7. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 20 74-14 104 $17,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-13 Day 2: 5 18-05 Day 3: 5 20-09 Day 4: 5 15-03
8. Alton Jones Jr. Lorena, TX 20 74-09 103 $14,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-07 Day 2: 5 26-10 Day 3: 5 17-01 Day 4: 5 17-07
9. Cliff Crochet Pierre Part, LA 20 74-00 102 $13,500.00
Day 1: 5 23-01 Day 2: 5 18-14 Day 3: 5 14-15 Day 4: 5 17-02
10. Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 20 71-08 101 $13,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-09 Day 2: 5 18-08 Day 3: 5 16-06 Day 4: 5 15-01
11. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 20 69-15 100 $12,500.00
Day 1: 5 21-14 Day 2: 5 17-13 Day 3: 5 16-11 Day 4: 5 13-09
12. Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 20 63-08 99 $12,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-09 Day 2: 5 23-15 Day 3: 5 15-08 Day 4: 5 05-08
BIG BASS OF TOURNAMENT
Brent Ehrler Newport Beach, CA 09-01 $0.00
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High School All-American Anglers Compete With Pros On Trophy Bass Lake In Texas
As part of the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest, the 12 Bassmaster High School All-Americans presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods were paired with 12 Bassmaster Elite Series pros and earned a chance to fish with the pros on Lake Naconiche. Oakley Connor (left), a South Carolina angler representing Travelers Rest High School, won the one-day event with his Elite Series partner, Brandon Palaniuk. The pair caught 12 pounds, 3 ounces.
Photo by Seigo Saito/Bassmaster
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 20, 2017
LUFKIN, Texas — When Reese Jones of Rogers, Ark., received notice that he had been selected as one of 12 members of the 2017 Bassmaster High School All-American Fishing Team presented by DICK'S Sporting Goods, he was ecstatic. Winning the honor meant he would be able to fish with a Bassmaster Elite Series pro during a special tournament in conjunction with the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
Then his mother, Cheri, broke the bad news. “I pointed out that Reese’s graduation was the same weekend, and of course he couldn't go to the tournament. At that point, both he and his father dropped their forks and said that he had to go to Texas."
Cheri was outvoted, and her son spent part of graduation weekend fishing Lake Naconiche, a trophy bass fishery near Nacogdoches, Texas. As a compromise, Cheri Jones acquired a cap and gown for Reese to wear as he crossed the weigh-in stage at the George H. Henderson Jr. Expo Center Saturday. He would only wear the cap, though.
“There's no way he would cover up his All-American jersey with a gown,” his mother said.
Through a random drawing, Jones was paired with Elite Series angler Brett Preuett, a former Carhartt Bassmaster College Series champion and GEICO Bassmaster Classic qualifier. Each of the teams were able to count the heaviest single bass for the pro and the high schooler.
The heaviest combined weight was turned in by the team of Oakley Connor of Travelers Rest, S.C., and Brandon Palaniuk, who also happens to be leading Texas Fest, the Elite event here, which ends Sunday.
Should Palaniuk win the Elite competition, it would be an amazing sweep. He also was named winner today of the Autism Angler of April Award, based on a combination of money raised and weight caught in Elite events in April, which is National Autism Awareness month.
He and Connor weighed in 12 pounds, 3 ounces to top the 12-team field. Palaniuk had a 5-14, and Connor caught a 6-5. Dalton Combs of Ozark, Mo., and Skylar Hamilton had 10-3 for second, and Colby Miller of Elmer, La., and Shane Lineberger were third with 9-8.
All the teams caught numerous bass during a storm-shortened day, but no one was able to land one of the giant bass Lake Naconiche is noted for producing. It gave up a 13-plus pound Toyota ShareLunker bass in February, and the lake record is reported to be heavier than 16 pounds.
When asked why he would jeopardize his chances of winning Texas Fest by going out with a high school student today, Palaniuk didn't hesitate. “I had somebody take me fishing when I was young,” he said. “That gave me the inspiration to do what I am doing now.
“Besides, I signed up to do this when it was first announced, and I wasn't going to back out.” Palaniuk, Gary Klein and David Williams all have volunteered as teammates for high school anglers all three years since the program's inception.
Other teams participating were Cade Fortenberry of Prairieville, La., and Koby Krieger; Jared Goebel of Lumberton, Texas, and Gary Klein; Tyler Lubbat of Wheeling, Ill., and Darrel Ocamica; Perry Marvin of Peru, N.Y., and David Williams; Trace O'Dell of Buna, Texas, and James Niggemeyer; Kyle Palmer of Estill Springs, Tenn., and Jared Lintner; Logan Parks of Auburn, Ala., and Bradley Roy; and Bryer Pennington of Prescott, Ark., and Jesse Tacoronte.
The 12 student anglers were selected for All-American honors by judges who reviewed more than 380 nominations from 40 states. The program, now in its third year, recognizes outstanding young anglers in grades 10 through 12 for excellence in bass tournament competition, leadership, community service and academics.
Read more about the Bassmaster High School All-American anglers on Bassmaster.com and look for their profiles in the September/October issue of Bassmaster magazine.
2017 Bassmaster High School All-American Presenting Sponsor: DICK’S Sporting Goods
2017 Costa Bassmaster High School Title Sponsor: Costa
2017 Costa Bassmaster High School Presenting Sponsor: DICK’S Sporting Goods
2017 Costa Bassmaster High School Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2017 Costa Bassmaster High School Premier Sponsors: Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Shell Rotella, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha, Berkley, Huk, Hummingbird, Mercury
2017 Costa Bassmaster High School Supporting Sponsors: Advance Auto Parts, Carhartt, Lowrance, Phoenix Boats, Shimano, St. Croix Rods, ABU Garcia, Academy Sports + Outdoors
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2), radio show (Bassmaster Radio), social media programs and events. For more than 45 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation presented by Magellan, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Costa Bassmaster High School Series presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.