2018 Carhartt Bassmaster College, High School Series Schedules Announced With Exciting Changes
September 12, 2017
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops and the Bassmaster High School Series presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods schedules were announced today with intriguing updates for 2018.
The High School Series has been expanded to four Opens in 2018, and the Bassmaster College Series will showcase a new format enabling college bass fishing teams to compete in a national tour comprising four tournaments and the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops.
Through this year, a college team could only compete in the event within their regional “conference,” plus a wild card qualifier that gave anglers a second chance to reach the national championship. The 2018 college tour will consist of Central, Eastern, Western and Southern events — providing higher-payout incentives and more opportunities to qualify for the 2018 College Series National Championship.
The College Series tour will begin Jan. 25-27 at the Central qualifier on Toledo Bend Reservoir, Louisiana, which was recently ranked fourth in the Central Division of Bassmaster Magazine’s 100 Best Bass Lakes for 2017.
“Toledo Bend Lake Country/Sabine Parish Tourist Commission/Sabine River Authority are looking forward to hosting the Bassmaster High School and the Bassmaster College Series on Toledo Bend during the 2018 season,” said Linda Curtis-Sparks, director, Sabine Parish Tourist Commission. “We are excited about having these young anglers to our area. We feel that they represent the future in the fishing industry, plus they will be here during a prespawn period for our lake, so the weights could be record setting. It is going to be fun!”
From there, college anglers will travel to the Southern event hosted by the Florence/Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau on Pickwick Lake, Alabama, April 19-21.
“We are super excited to be hosting the 2018 Bassmaster College Series in Florence, Ala.,” said Suzie Shoemaker, manager, sport/event sales at the Florence/Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau. “College anglers bring fantastic economic impact to our community, and we look forward to having them back!”
Cherokee Lake, Tennessee, will be the third fishery on tour at the Eastern event on May 10-12 — the Economic Development Alliance of Jefferson County, Tenn. will be the host. And finally, anglers will head west to Clear Lake, California, May 23-25, where the tournament is hosted by the Konocti Vista Resort & Marina.
In addition to the four tour events, the Bassmaster College Series will also partner with the B.A.S.S. Nation to hold state-qualifying tournaments. Anglers will now be able to compete for a berth in the national championship through their respective state’s event — formats will vary.
All tour events will be open to any college or university interested in participating. Teams can attend all four Opens and the state qualifier if they chose to do so.
Also new this year, anglers will vie for the opportunity to become the 2018 Bassmaster College Series Team of the Year. Each of the tour’s three-day events will feature point system scoring, based on field size, allowing anglers to compete for the title, cash and prizes.
The goal for the restructure is to allow anglers five opportunities — the four tour events and a state-qualifying event — to compete for a berth in the national championship and a shot at becoming the Bassmaster College Series Team of the Year.
“The college demographic continues to change and evolve,” said B.A.S.S. College and High School Series Senior Manager Hank Weldon. “We want to continue to offer a series that accommodates all college anglers, whether that be a team who can compete in a multievent tour or anglers who can only travel to a state-run event. The 2017-18 competition year should be really exciting to watch.”
Much like the College Series, the 2018 Bassmaster High School Series will now feature four Opens events — Central, Southern, Eastern and the new Western Open.
The High School Opens will continue to be one-day tournaments with a briefing and sponsor greeting held the night before competition. However, also new this year for the High School Series are up-to-the-minute competition updates.
“The one thing we hear from parents and fans watching the coverage on Bassmaster.com is that they would like to know where their teams stand throughout the competition,” Weldon noted. “In 2018, we are launching BASSTrakk on each team’s boat for all High School tournaments — fans will be able to follow their teams closely on the water at each event.”
The kickoff event will be Jan. 28 at the High School Series Central Open on Toledo Bend Reservoir, just one day after the first College tournament. Toledo Bend Lake Country will be the host for this event, as well.
From there, teams will travel to Lay Lake, Alabama, for the Southern Open on March 24 hosted by Visit Shelby County, Ala.
Visit Anderson, S.C., will host the Eastern Open and third stop for the High School Series on April 14 on Lake Hartwell, which is also the fishery for the 2018 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods slated for March 16-18. The final regular-season stop will be the Western Open at Clear Lake, California, on May 2 also hosted by the Konocti Vista Resort & Marina.
High school teams in each of the four Opens will be competing for berths in the Bassmaster High School Championship presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods. The dates and location of that event will be later announced.
To view registration dates for both college and high school tournaments, and for more information on the Bassmaster College Series state-qualifying events, visit Bassmaster.com.
2018 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops
Event Title Lake City Date
Central Tour Event Toledo Bend Reservoir Many, La. Jan. 25-27
Southern Tour Event Pickwick Lake Florence, Ala. April 19-21
Eastern Tour Event Cherokee Lake Jefferson City, Tenn. May 10-12
Western Tour Event Clear Lake Lakeport, Calif. May 23-25
2018 Bassmaster High School Series presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods
Event Title Lake City Date
Central Open Toledo Bend Reservoir Many, La. Jan. 28
Southern Open Lay Lake Shelby County, Ala. March 24
Eastern Open Lake Hartwell Anderson, S.C. April 14
Western Open Clear Lake Lakeport, Calif. May 26
PBC CASHION FISHING RODS 'End of Year' TEAM BASS FISHING TRAIL September 9th, 2017 ~ Falls Lake
Hunting season arrived and the qualifier #5 of PBC Cashion Fishing Rods 'End of Year' Trail at Falls Lake took a hit
with only 30 teams showing up and the weights took a hit too! Air temps ranged from 54 degrees in the am on up to
70 at the 3pm weighin. Water temps averaged about 74 degrees. Winds were nonexistent in the am up to about 10
mph in the afternoon. The bite was good but it was tough to get 5 good fish...most were small.
The veteran team of Todd Massey & Tim Parker won 1st Place weighing in 5 bass at 19.04 lbs., 1st Place Big Fish
(7.33 lbs.)and also won the 1st Place Tournament within a Tournament (TWT) for a total of $1,707 in winnings. The
team said most of their bass were caught off channel points & dropoffs in 3 to 10' of water with crankbaits & worm
rigs.
Jaime Fajardo & Josh Hooks came in 2nd place with 5 fish weighing 15.32 lbs. & also won 2nd Place TWT to pocket
a total of $705. 3rd place team Bobby Houser & Matt Dean won $350 with 5 weighing 14.85 lbs. The 2nd Place Big
Fish weighed 6.14 lbs. and was caught by David Bullock & Jimmy Henderson netting them $168 in prize money!!
Only 63 fish were weighed in for a total of 171 pounds for an average of 2.71 lbs. each. Most of the fish were caught
on Texas rigs, Carolina rigs, Jig combos and Crankbaits in 3 to 10' of water off main point dropoffs and creek
channels.
I want to thank all the anglers that participated and all our sponsors that support this trail. The next Cashion Fishing
Rods 'End of Year' Tournament Trail Qualifier will be September 23rd at Kerr Lake. Go to this webpage for the info
on the 'End of Year' Trail: http://piedmontbassclassics.com/2017CashionEOYTrailMainPage.html
All the information on our tournaments can be found http://piedmontbassclassics.com/
Now here are the full results:
1st Place: Todd Massey & Tim Parker of Chapel Hill & New Hill...5 bass...19.04 lbs...$860
2nd Place: Jaime Fajardo & Josh Hooks of Fuquay Varina & Apex...5 bass...15.32 lbs...$510
3rd Place: Bobby Houser & Matt Dean of Raleigh & Clayton...5 bass...14.85 lbs...$350
4th Place: Doug Stallings & Seth Ellis of Durham & Charlotte...5 bass...14.77 lbs...$270
5th Place: Tony & Chase Stanley of Four Oaks...5 bass...114.20 lbs...$220
6th Place: Tony Woodard & Stewart Adams of Four Oaks...5 bass...14.06 lbs...$190
1st Place Big Fish..1st Place Team above...7.33 lbs...$392
2nd Place Big Fish..David Bullock & Jimmy Henderson of Durham & Wake Forest...6.14 lbs...$168
1st Place TWT..1st Place Team above...19.04 lbs...$455
2nd Place TWT..2nd Place Team above...15.32 lbs...$195
Power-Pole Continues Support of Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series
As the 2017-2018 college fishing season gets underway, Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series and the Association of College Anglers announced that Power-Pole ® shallow water anchors will continue their support of the series and will offer a rebate to all collegiate anglers.
“We’re proud to continue our support of the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series. These young anglers represent the future of the sport and through our Power-Pole rebate program we offer to help them gain the competitive edge that will allow them to grow their careers,” said Curt Hill, Advertising Manager for Power-Pole shallow water anchors, which is based in Tampa, Florida.
As Power-Pole remains committed to the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series, many anglers will continue to rely on their shallow water anchors and are able to display exceptional boat control with the addition of single or dual Power-Pole anchors.
“Power-Pole has been a sponsor of our Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series since the very first year and as go into our thirteenth year of collegiate bass fishing, we’re excited and proud to continue this relationship that dates back to the beginning of college bass fishing,” said Wade Middleton, President of CarecoTV and Director of the Association of Collegiate Anglers.
The 2018 Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series will consist of four nationally televised Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing tournaments, including the BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship, which are scheduled for the following dates:
Texas Lunker Challenge – Sam Rayburn Reservoir – February 11, 2018
Cabela’s Collegiate Big Bass Bash Presented by Berkley – Kentucky Lake – March 10-11, 2018
BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship – Pickwick Lake – May 23-25, 2018
Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Open – Lake Dardanelle – October 10-12, 2018
More information on other discount and contingency programs for collegiate anglers can be found at: http://www.collegiatebasschampionship.com/discounts-incentives.html
To see additional coverage on our Facebook, click here: https://www.facebook.com/CollegiateBassChampionship
Also, follow us on Instagram and Twitter at @CollegiateBass
About the Association of Collegiate Anglers
The Association of Collegiate Anglers, a division of Careco TV, is a sanctioning body developed to facilitate growth, development, and structure within competitive collegiate bass fishing. The ACA provides support to dozens of school operated regional events nationwide and owns the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series, the largest participatory collegiate tournament circuit in the country. With dedicated collegiate fishing programming on several television networks, three nationally televised collegiate bass fishing events, and thousands of members, the ACA is the leader in competitive collegiate bass fishing. For more information on the ACA, or the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series, visit www.CollegiateBassChampionship.com. For more information on CarecoTV, visit www.carecotv.com.
TRAVIS MANSON WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL NORTHEAST DIVISION FINALE ON 1000 ISLANDS
Hudson’s Tiano Claims Co-angler Title
CLAYTON, N.Y. (Sept. 11, 2017) – Travis Manson of Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Northeast Division tournament on 1000 Islands Sunday with a two-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 44 pounds, 2 ounces. Manson pocketed $6,437 for his win.
Manson said he spent both days of the tournament targeting fish on Lake Ontario.
“On Saturday I worked on a ledge where fish were congregating in anywhere from 18 to 40 feet of water,” said Manson, who notched his first career-win in FLW competition. “They were all in one 50-yard area, and I caught more than 20 keepers over 4 pounds.”
Manson said every fish he weighed in came on a 4-inch Smoke Purple and Blue Highlight-colored Gajo Baits Spirit Shad on a drop-shot rig.
“On Sunday, I returned to the area and within 30 minutes I knew it wasn’t going to pan out,” said Manson. “I ended up burning about 47 gallons of fuel to hit 15 spots and come up with my weight. They were mostly isolated rock clumps, but were areas I’ve had history on. When you lose a school of fish, you just have to run what you know.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Travis Manson, Conshohocken, Pa., 10 bass, 44-2, $6,437
2nd: Robert Reesey, Newfoundland, Pa., 10 bass, 43-5, $2,759
3rd: Dale Gorrell, Hatfield, Pa., 10 bass, 42-13, $2,239
4th: A.J. Slegona, Pine Bush, N.Y., 10 bass, 42-11, $1,287
5th: Chris Panetta, West Simsbury, Conn., 10 bass, 41-5, $1,103
6th: Ronald Penders Jr., Rochester, N.Y., 10 bass, 40-14, $1,012
7th: Matt Stasiak, Pittsburgh, Pa., 10 bass, 40-0, $920
8th: Patrick Hildenbrand, Germantown, N.Y., 10 bass, 38-7, $828
9th: Brian Bylotas, Scott Township, Pa., 10 bass, 37-10, $736
10th: Casey Smith, Macedon, N.Y., 10 bass, 36-8, $644
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Manson also caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 6 ounces Saturday – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the Boater Big Bass award of $720.
Drew Tiano of Hudson, New York, caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 40 pounds, 13 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $2,752.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Drew Tiano, Hudson, N.Y., 10 bass, 40-13, $2,752
2nd: Christy Tiano, Hudson, N.Y., 10 bass, 36-15, $1,476
3rd: Kyle Esterly, Drexel Hill, Pa., eight bass, 33-1, $968
4th: Bill Baldwinn, Chittenango, N.Y., 10 bass, 32-2, $642
5th: Jim Buehler, Montoursville, Pa., nine bass, 31-15, $550
6th: Brandon Humbertson, Walkersville, Md., nine bass, 31-11, $505
7th: Griffen Hurt, Bound Brook, N.J., 10 bass, 31-7, $459
8th Glenn Kingree-Key, Reading, Pa., 10 bass, 30-2, $413
9th: Andrew Heivly, Malvern, Pa., 10 bass, 29-8, $367
10th: Craig Dubois, Sprakers, N.Y., nine bass, 29-1, $321
Sky Friend of Ridgewood, New Jersey, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 5 pounds, 12 ounces – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $352.
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.
CLYDE MCNARON WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL HOOSIER DIVISION FINALE ON OHIO RIVER
North Vernon’s Krider Claims Co-angler Title
LAWRENCEBURG, Ind. (Sept. 11, 2017) – Clyde McNaron of Trenton, Ohio, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Hoosier Division tournament on the Ohio River Sunday with a two-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 18 pounds even. For his efforts, McNaron took home $8,143.
“I started out Saturday flipping a (Zoom) Brush Hog and (Mizmo) Tube in Tanner’s Creek and caught three keepers,” said McNaron, who earned his second career-win on the Ohio River in BFL competition. “The water was low, so I fished laydowns off the bank and started catching them off the ends. They fish were pretty close to the channel.
“As the day went on, the water got clearer and I started fishing flats,” continued McNaron. “I casted a topwater bait to some laydowns and stumps and put a 4-pounder in the boat.”
McNaron said the water got muddier as he progressed down the creek, so he switched back to flipping and caught a 3-pound bass.
“I culled my last fish in Hogan’s Creek and that’s what I had for the day,” said McNaron.
On Sunday, McNaron said he began his day in Tanner’s Creek throwing a topwater, but couldn’t get any bites. He said he switched to flipping the Brush Hog and was able to catch three within 90 minutes.
“I flipped bushier trees and caught them off the ends again,” said McNaron. “I moved to a small creek mouth within Tanner’s Creek and picked up one on a spinnerbait, and then another one from the same area a while later around 10:15 (a.m.) After that I couldn’t get anything else to cull, so I brought in what I had.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Clyde McNaron, Trenton, Ohio, 10 bass, 18-0, $6,143 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Doug Ruster, New Palestine, Ind., 10 bass, 15-7, $2,723
3rd: Bryce Kalen, Indianapolis, Ind., 10 bass, 15-1, $2,016
4th: Chris Wilkinson, Farmersburg, Ind., 10 bass, 14-11, $1,271
5th: Lucas McDaniel, Fishers, Ind., nine bass, 14-0, $1,389
6th: Michael Powell Jr., Greendale, Ind., 10 bass, 13-12, $1,098
7th: Mark Dove, North Vernon, Ind., 10 bass, 12-13, $908
8th: Daniel Langton, Haubstadt, Ind., eight bass, 12-10, $817
9th: Frank McClain, Scottsburg, Ind., eight bass, 10-9, $726
10th: Brandon Houston, Burlington, Ky. seven bass, 9-7, $635
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
McNaron’s 4-pound, 1-ounce bass was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the Boater Big Bass award of $697.
Jim Krider of North Vernon, Indiana, caught a two-day total of five bass weighing 11 pounds, 2 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $3,005.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Jim Krider, North Vernon, Ind., five bass, 11-2, $3,005
2nd: Benjamin Barker, Loveland, Ohio, seven bass, 7-9, $1,332
3rd: Nicole Foor, Greens Fork, Ind., six bass, 7-6, $1,089
4th: Ryan Sykes, Hamilton, Ohio, six bass, 7-3, $672
5th: Travis Edgar, North Webster, Ind., six bass, 7-2, $533
6th: Brandon Knapmeyer, Union, Ky., five bass, 5-14, $488
7th: Kenny Smith, Austin, Ind., three bass, 5-11, $444
8th: Scottie Davis, Martinsville, Ind., five bass, 5-0, $400
9th: Brian Liming, Dilsboro, Ind., three bass, 4-11, $355
10th: Kevin Spivey, Hamilton, Ohio, five bass, 4-9, $311
Krider caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 4 pounds, 11 ounces – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $341.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 5-7 BFL Regional Championship on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
COLE FLOYD WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL LBL DIVISION FINALE ON KENTUCKY/BARKLEY LAKES
Brandenburg’s Dowell Takes Co-angler Title
GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. (Sept. 11, 2017) – Cole Floyd of Leesburg, Ohio, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) LBL Division tournament on Kentucky and Barkley lakes Sunday with a two-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 40 pounds, 10 ounces. For his efforts, Floyd took home $5,504.
“I fished near Paris and worked through 15 different areas with bars and flats,” said Floyd, who earned his first career-victory in FLW competition. “Some of them had stumps and wood mixed in, and I got a couple of bites at each. When I got bit, they were the right kind of fish.”
Floyd said he caught 90 to 95 percent of his fish throwing a Bone-colored Evergreen SB 125 Topwater Plug. He said he put 15 keepers in the boat each day, and that they came from 1 to 2 feet of water.
“I feel like a lot of the field did the same thing out there,” said Floyd. “They fished flats and big bass areas, but didn’t know where their next bite would come from. I put down my Power Poles and fished small stretches – some were even as small as 20 by 20 feet. If I didn’t get a bite, I moved on and could usually get something going. I didn’t waste much time looking for them.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 10 bass, 40-10, $5,504
2nd: Drew Boggs, Lebanon, Tenn., 10 bass, 32-1, $2,752
3rd: Terry Bolton, Paducah, Ky., 10 bass, 31-2, $3,040
4th: Brandon Hunter, Benton, Ky., six bass, 22-9, $1,384
5th: Dwight Fox, Gainesboro, Tenn., seven bass, 21-4, $1,101
6th: Dustin Vaal, Hardin, Ky., five bass, 20-15, $1,009
7th: John Hopkins, Hendersonville, Tenn., six bass, 20-1, $917
8th: Craig Hipsher, Benton, Ky., seven bass, 20-0, $826
9th: David Carroll, Manitou, Ky., seven bass, 19-12, $734
10th: Jim Eakin, Clarksville, Tenn., seven bass, 19-0, $642
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Bolton caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 11 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the Boater Big Bass award of $705.
Ryan Dowell of Brandenburg, Kentucky, caught a two-day total of eight bass weighing 22 pounds, 12 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $2,752.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Ryan Dowell, Brandenburg, Ky., eight bass, 22-12, $2,752
2nd: Jeff Johnston, Nashville, Tenn., six bass, 16-10, $1,576
3rd: Ray Arning Jr, Walnut Hill, Ill., four bass, 12-8, $968
4th: Chris Brunt, Elkhart, Ind., four bass, 12-7, $642
5th: Trey Shearer, Nicholasville, Ky., five bass, 12-4, $550
6th: Wesley Dunn, Paducah, Ky., three bass, 11-10, $857
7th: Chuck Rounds, Benton, Ky., four bass, 9-2, $459
8th: Rick Lemar, Saint Louis, Mo., four bass, 8-6, $413
9th: Kerry Conkle, Bartlett, Tenn., two bass, 8-6, $367
10th: Danny Robinson, Fairland, Ind., three bass, 8-3, $321
Dunn caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 6 pounds, 6 ounces – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $352.
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 Barren River in Scottsville, Kentucky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
ROBERT WALSER WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL NORTH CAROLINA DIVISION FINALE ON LAKE NORMAN
Raleigh’s Lawson Grabs Co-angler Title
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Sept. 11, 2017) – Robert Walser of Lexington, North Carolina, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) North Carolina Division tournament on Lake Norman Sunday with a two-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 25 pounds, 6 ounces. For his efforts, Walser pocketed $6,014.
“On Saturday I focused on fish on the north end of the lake,” said Walser, who earned his 10th career-victory in FLW competition. “I caught them early on points using a white buzzbait, and then switched to a (Zoom) Finesse Worm for bass near isolated wood.”
Walser said he had a limit of fish heading into Saturday afternoon, but eventually hit a lull. Around 2 p.m., he said he decided to work through a stretch of docks above the Highway 150 bridge that he had fished during practice. He said he switched to a Zoom Baby Brush Hog and was able to put a 6-pound, 2-ounce bass in the boat.
“On Sunday I switched things up and headed down south,” said Walser. “I used the buzzbait and was culling by 8:30 (a.m.) I had all of my weight by 10 (a.m.), but wasn’t sure I had enough to win. There are a lot of talented anglers around Lake Norman, and they know how to make the right adjustments. Luckily everything worked out.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Robert Walser, Lexington, N.C., 10 bass, 25-6, $6,014
2nd: John Allen, Concord, N.C., 10 bass, 23-13, $2,539
3rd: Rob Digh, Denver, N.C., 10 bass, 23-7, $1,894
4th: Artie Phillips, Monroe, N.C., 10 bass, 23-6, $1,185
5th: John Parker, Gaffney, S.C., 10 bass, 23-0, $1,015
6th: Shane LeHew, Catawba, N.C., 10 bass, 22-9, $1,031
7th: Shane Lineberger, Lincolnton, N.C., 10 bass, 21-13, $846
8th: Bryan New, Belmont, N.C., 10 bass, 21-9, $762
9th: Dylan Fulk, Concord, N.C., 10 bass, 21-0, $677
10th: Cody Hoyle, Rutherfordton, N.C., 10 bass, 20-4, $592
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Walser’s 6-pound, 2-ouncer was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the Boater Big Bass award of $637.
Tobey Lawson of Raleigh, North Carolina, caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 18 pounds, 10 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $2,739.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Tobey Lawson, Raleigh, N.C., 10 bass, 18-10, $2,739
2nd: Kevin Jones, Hope Mills, N.C., nine bass, 18-2, $1,269
3rd: Brian Transon, Sherrills Ford, N.C., 10 bass, 16-15, $846
4th: Adam Lockler, Charlotte, N.C., nine bass, 15-13, $642
5th: Phillip Rogers, Cornelius, N.C., seven bass, 14-12, $508
6th: Hunter Harwell, Hickory, N.C., nine bass, 13-8, $465
7th: Tyler Ward, Grover, N.C., seven bass, 13-7, $423
8th: Paul Foley, Mooresville, N.C., seven bass, 12-15, $381
9th: Steven Spivey, Whiteville, N.C., seven bass, 12-6, $339
10th: Thomas McDermott, Madison, N.C., six bass, 11-14, $296
Nathan Grose of Summersville, West Virginia, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 3 pounds, 11 ounces – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $319.
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.
BRAD WILEY WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL BULLDOG DIVISION FINALE ON LAKE LANIER
Warner Robins’ Sato Takes Co-angler Title
GAINESVILLE, Ga. (Sept. 11, 2017) – Brad Wiley of Alto, Georgia, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Bulldog Division tournament on Lake Lanier Sunday with a two-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 28 pounds, 2 ounces. For his efforts, Wiley took home $5,942.
Wiley said he spent his weekend fishing on the south end of the lake, near the dam. He said he targeted schooling fish and rotated through five areas throughout the tournament.
“I concentrated on a hump, a ridge, a channel swing and some standing timber,” said Wiley, who earned his first career-win in FLW competition. “The wind made the tournament difficult. On Saturday, there were gusts up to 20 mph, and on Sunday they reached 40 mph. I couldn’t get anything going in the creeks, so there wasn’t much shelter.”
Wiley said he used a white Fish Head Spin Underspin with a White Pearl-colored Zoom Super Fluke to catch the majority of his fish.
“With the strong winds there weren’t many options for lures, especially yesterday (Sunday),” said Wiley. “The Underspin worked well because it handled the gusts and got down into those 40-foot depths where fish were suspended in the trees. Standing timber ended up being the most productive cover for me.”
Wiley said he also caught key fish using a Megabass Ito Vision 110 jerkbait.
“I used the jerkbait in the morning until the wind picked up,” said Wiley. “I actually caught my heaviest fish on it, including one Sunday that came early on my third or fourth cast.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Brad Wiley. Alto, Ga., 10 bass, 28-2, $5,942
2nd: Kip Carter, Social Circle, Ga., 10 bass, 26-15, $2,971
3rd: Brock Turner, Jasper, Ga., 10 bass, 25-2, $1,983
4th: Rob Jordan, Flowery Branch, Ga., 10 bass, 24-9, $1,386
5th: Phil Johnson, Alpharetta, Ga., 10 bass, 23-8, $1,188
6th: John Duvall, Madison, Ga., 10 bass, 21-14, $1,289
7th: Patrick Bone, Cleveland, Ga., eight bass, 21-8, $990
8th: Chris Baxter, Winder, Ga., 10 bass, 20-15, $1,191
9th: Trent Palmer, Alpharetta, Ga., 10 bass, 20- 8, $792
10th: Heath Pack, Ellijay, Ga., nine bass, 19-12, $693
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Kim Carver of Milledgeville, Georgia, caught a bass weighing 3 pounds, 14 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the Boater Big Bass award of $802.
Spencer Sato of Warner Robins, Georgia, weighed a two-day cumulative total of nine bass totaling 22 pounds, 4 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $2,971.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Spencer Sato, Warner Robins, Ga., nine bass, 22-4, $2,971
2nd: Mark Denney, Bonaire, Ga., eight bass, 18-12, $1,586
3rd: Ben Brisbois, Gainesville, Ga., eight bass, 18-9, $989
4th: James Akins, Cumming, Ga., nine bass, 18-4, $693
5th: Sam Naib, Atlanta, Ga., nine bass, 17-1, $594
6th: Drew Harbin, Winder, Ga., eight bass, 16-5, $595
7th: Tony DiMauro, Watkinsville, Ga., eight bass, 16-2, $495
8th: Harold Grizzle, Gainesville, Ga., seven bass, 15-0, $446
9th: Randy Smith, Fayetteville, Ga., seven bass, 14-0, $396
10th: Undre Montgomery, Cumming, Ga., seven bass, 12-12, $347
Kevin Haggarty of Flowery Branch, Georgia, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 4 pounds, 1 ounce – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $401.
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.
CURT WARREN WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL OKIE DIVISION FINALE ON GRAND LAKE
Ada’s Hill Takes Co-angler Title
GROVE, Okla. (Sept. 11, 2017) – Curt Warren of Rose, Oklahoma, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Okie Division tournament on Grand Lake Sunday with a two-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 31 pounds, 15 ounces. For his win, Warren earned $6,534.
“The bite was funny this weekend,” said Warren, who logged his first career-win in BFL competition. “It wasn’t as bad Saturday, but Sunday I missed several bites. I don’t know if it was weather or what, but they were finicky. Thankfully my 7-foot Falcon (Cara T7) rod helped me feel the bites, or else I may have missed more.
“I was mainly junk-fishing – just beating the banks,” continued Warren. “I was on the north end of the lake, not too far from takeoff. I fished docks and shallow wood cover. I probably had 50 different stops. All my fish came from less than 10 feet of water.”
Warren said everything he weighed in came on a ½-ounce Bass-X football-head jig with an unnamed green pumpkin-colored trailer. He said he caught six keepers each day of the event.
“If I pulled up to an area and there weren’t any shad, I usually kept moving,” said Warren. “They were really close to the surface.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Curt Warren, Rose, Okla., 10 bass, 31-15, $6,534
2nd: Paul Smith, Copan, Okla., eight bass, 29-8, $3,467
3rd: Cade Alsbury, Springdale, Ark., 10 bass, 28-11, $2,276
4th: Benjamin King, Garnett, Kan., 10 bass, 26-6, $1,525
5th: Tim Hickson, Cleveland, Okla., 10 bass, 26-4, $1,307
6th: Dylan Duncan, Kansas, Okla., 10 bass, 26-2, $1,198
7th: Sheldon Collings, Grove, Okla., seven bass, 25-13, $1,089
8th: Thomas Canady, Collinsville, Okla., 10 bass, 23-14, $980
9th: Chris Torkleson, Sand Springs, Okla., eight bass, 23-4, $871
10th: Tye Smith, Fort Gibson, Okla., eight bass, 22-5, $762
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Mark Teply of Midwest City, Oklahoma, caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 4 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the Boater Big Bass award of $937.
Alan Hill of Ada, Oklahoma, caught a two-day total of eight bass weighing 22 pounds, 9 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $3,267.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Alan Hill, Ada, Okla., eight bass, 22-9, $3,267
2nd: Patrick Weir, Broken Arrow, Okla., seven bass, 18-15, $1,633
3rd: Keltyn Hendrix, Goldsby, Okla., eight bass, 16-2, $1,091
4th: Jason Buckley, Canute, Okla., six bass, 15-14, $762
5th: Jacob Sloan, Paola, Kan., seven bass, 15-13, $853
6th: Nolan Wright, Blanchard, Okla., six bass, 14-10, $599
7th: Josh Sloan, Paola, Kan., four bass, 14-4, $544
8th: Sam Bremmerkamp, Joplin, Mo., four bass, 14-4, $540
9th: Rick Blosser, Tulsa, Okla., six bass, 14-3, $436
10th: Nathan Colwell, Pryor, Okla., seven bass, 13-12, $381
Tom Verdine of Yukon, Oklahoma, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 6 pounds, 4 ounces – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $469.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 19-21 BFL Regional Championship on the Red River in Bossier City, Louisiana. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
Quantum and The Lee Brothers Hosting High School and College Tournament
Two of the most accomplished young anglers in bass fishing are teaming with cutting-edge rod and reel brand Quantum to host the 1st Annual “Next Generation High School & College Open” on Sunday October 22nd at Grand Lake, OK.
This is a No Entry Fee event, and is open to all high school and college teams to participate.
Roughly $30,000 in product and prizes is up for grabs, along with free food and seminars at the mandatory 5:00 p.m. angler meeting on Saturday evening October 21st at the Grove Civic Center on South Main Street in Grove, OK.
This is an Association of Collegiate Angler Cabela’s School of the Year points eligible event.
To register for this unique tournament please visit https://www.qflseries.com/quantum-next-gen-open or call Joe Davis at Quantum at (918) 831-6970.
https://anglerschannel.com/tournaments/quantum-fishing-lee-brothers-high-school-college-open/
ADRIAN COLLEGE WINS YETI FLW COLLEGE FISHING TOURNAMENT AT LAKE ERIE
SANDUSKY, Ohio (Sept. 11, 2017) – The Adrian College duo of Chase Serafin of Highland, Michigan, and Cody Batterson, of Pleasant Hill, Iowa, won the YETI FLW College Fishing Northern Conference tournament at Lake Erie presented by Bass Pro Shops Saturday with a five-bass limit weighing 17 pounds, 2 ounces. The victory earned the Adrian bass club $2,000 and the team will now advance to compete at the 2018 FLW College Fishing National Championship, scheduled for May 30-June 2 on the Red River in Shreveport, Louisiana.
It was the second-straight Northern Conference victory for the Adrian College bass club teammates Jarrett Martin and Zachary Graham earned a win on Lake Chautauqua in New York in July.
“It felt great to get the win,” said Serafin, a junior, majoring in business marketing. “We’ve got a lot of experience on Erie, and we had caught some good fish in practice. But, there was a small-craft advisory on the lake Saturday, so we were restricted to fish just in Sandusky Bay.
“We scrambled to look at our maps and we found two marinas that looked promising,” Serafin continued. “The first one we pulled into, another team from Adrian College was already in there. So we went to our second one and we started smashing them, right in the mouth of the marina. We drifted into the marina. There were only eight docks, but we caught at least 50 largemouth there.”
Serafin said that they caught their first limit on an Ike’s Old School-colored Rapala DT6 crankbait, then Serafin switched to a custom jig – homemade by teammate Conner Goff – with a Bugsy Baits USA Sick Craw trailer, while Batterson switched to a Smack Daddy Tube.
“You had to be snapping or cracking the jig and tube,” Serafin said. “You’d snap it two or three times and they’d crush it on the fall.
“I think the key for us was just finding that marina,” Serafin went on to say. “I think the fish were trying to leave and go to the main lake, but the wind just grouped them up back into the marina. It was an awesome day of fishing.”
The top 10 teams that advanced to the 2018 College Fishing National Championship are:
1st: Adrian College – Chase Serafin, Highland, Mich., and Cody Batterson, Pleasant Hill, Iowa, five bass, 17-2, $2,400
2nd: University of Michigan-Dearborn – Vincenzo Puleo, Wyandotte, Mich., and Austin Klotz, Westland, Mich., five bass, 16-12, $1,000
3rd: Slippery Rock University – Ryan Kozlowski, Cranberry Township, Pa., and Nathan Quince, Imperial, Pa., five bass, 15-2, $700
4th: Adrian College – Jarrett Martin and Zachary Graham, both of Gallipolis, Ohio, five bass, 14-12, $500
5th: Hocking College – Ross Holbrook, Somerset, Ohio, and Kyle Waller, Thornhill, Ohio, five bass, 14-3, $500
6th: Bowling Green State University – Corey Miller, Perrysburg, Ohio, and Jason Bailey, Port Clinton, Ohio, five bass, 14-1
7th: Adrian College – Zach Manneback, Howell, Mich., and Gunner Wilson, Fenton, Mich., five bass, 14-0
8th: University of Pittsburgh – Michael Dunn and Henry Colberg, both of Pittsburgh, Pa., five bass, 12-13
9th: Ohio State University – Jacob Jesionek, Hudson, Ohio, and Mason Dejarnette, Marysville, Ohio, five bass, 12-9
10th: Ramapo College – Alex Johnson, Milltown, N.J., and Zachary Orsino, Westville, N.J., five bass, 12-0
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
This YETI FLW College Fishing Northern Conference event at Lake Erie was the third and final regular-season qualifying tournament for Northern Conference anglers in 2017. The next YETI FLW College Fishing event will be a Southern Conference tournament, scheduled for Sept. 23 on the Red River in Shreveport, Louisiana.
YETI FLW College Fishing teams compete in three regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top ten teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments, along with an additional qualifier for every 10 teams over 100 that compete, along with the top 20 teams from the annual YETI FLW College Fishing Open advance to the 2018 FLW College Fishing National Championship.
College Fishing is free to enter. All participants must be registered, full-time students at a college, university or community college and members of a college fishing club that is recognized by their school.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow College Fishing on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing. Visit FLWFishing.com to sign up or to start a club at your school.
Nick Salvucci Wins Wild West Bass Trail Lucas Oil Western Classic on Lake Mead!
Photo & Results Courtesy of Wild West Bass Trail FB Page.
Registration Open for American Bass Anglers 2018 Ram 100% Team Tour
September 8, 2017, Athens, AL – Registration for the 2018 Ram 100% Team Tour will open Monday morning at 8 am CST by phone for package registrations. A package registration is when teams pay in full or deposit for all five of their division’s events.
All Ram Truck and Triton Owners registering as a package September 11-15, 2017 will receive exclusive saving and additional savings and incentives. All package registrations will also be offered savings and incentives.
Registration can be placed by phone at (256)232-0406 starting September 11-15, 2017 starting 8 am CST. After September 15, 2017, registrations may be placed online at any time or by phone during normal business hours (8 am – 5 pm CST)
Advantages for registering early:
• Package registrations will receive special incentives September 11-15, 2017
• Teams registering prior to December 1, 2017, may pay a $500 deposit to secure your slot for all events of the season. Each event balance ($150) is to be paid by Wednesday the week of the event online or by phone. (This is considered a package registration)
• Teams may register and pay in full $1,250 for the season through Wednesday prior to the first event (This is considered a package registration).
• All package registrations receive personalized event results and points updates after each event.
• Special Draw Prizes at Team Tour registration meetings for Package Registered Teams
Phone Number to register Monday (256)232-0406
American Bass Anglers announced the 2018 Ram 100% Plus Team Tour season details today. The Ram 100% Plus Team Tour provides team tournament competition that includes a Triton/Mercury boat package for first place at each divisional event. The year-end championship will offer two (2) Triton/Mercury boat package to the winning team and a combined payout of up to $80,000 in cash, prizes and bonuses based on a full field.
Registration for the 2018 season: September 11-15, 2017 starting 8am
- Ram Truck Owners
(Package Special Plus Special Incentive)
- Triton Boat Owners
(Package Special Plus Special Incentive)
- All Package Registrations
(Special Incentives)
(Teams must call in registration to receive special incentive packages September 11-15, 2017)
September 18, 2017 – December 1
- All Entries (Special Incentives)
The 2018 season will offer two divisions, each holding four one-day Sunday divisional events. One located in Northern Alabama and the other in the Kentucky Lake/Central Tennessee area. Teams who fish three divisional events in one division will be invited to the two-day championship.
North Alabama Division
2/11/2018 - Guntersville - Goosepond
(Scottsboro, AL)
3/4/2018 - Neely Henry - Coosa Landing
(Gadsden, AL)
5/20/2018 - Wheeler - Ingalls Harbor
(Decatur, AL)
7/1/2018 - Weiss - Leesburg Landing
(Leesburg, AL)
Tennessee/Kentucky Division
2/18/2018 - Kentucky - Paris Landing State Park
(Paris, TN)
4/22/2018 - Kentucky - Paris Landing State Park
(Paris, TN)
5/13/2018 - Old Hickor - Sanders Ferry
(Hendersonville, AL)
9/23/2018 - Kentucky - Paris Landing State Park
(Paris, TN)
Team Championship
11/3-4/2018 - Pickwick Lake - McFarland Park
(Florence, AL)
Divisional team winners will receive a Triton/Mercury boat packages loaded with sponsor products from companies like Garmin, T-H Marine, Carlisle Tire and Wheel, and MotorGuide and the top 20% of the field will receive a check.
The Championship winners will receive two (2) Triton/Mercury boat packages loaded with sponsor products. Based on a full field there will be up to $80,000 in total payout including cash, prizes, and bonuses.
The Ram 100% Plus Team Tour is part of the Triton Gold program offering anglers who own a Triton Boat up to $7,000 in contingency payout at each event.
There are contingency programs that offer rewards for each of these events, here are ABA Sponsor programs: Triton Gold, Mercury Marine, MotorGuide, T-H Marine Atlas Rewards, Power Pole Captain's Cash, Abu Garcia Revo Big Bass Bonus.
What is the 100% Plus Team Tour
The 100% Plus Team Tour is for bass anglers who want a shot at larger payouts in a Team format. The tour offers two divisions, one in North Alabama and in Central Tennessee up to Kentucky Lake. Each division offers 4 qualifying events each offering more than 100% plus payback. First place at all events is a 2018 Triton 17TX with a Mercury four stroke 60hp outboard. The retail value fully rigged is estimated at $20,000.
In 2018, the Alabama North Division will fish 4 different lakes. Guntersville, Neely Henry, Wheeler Lake and Wiess Lake. The Tennessee division will fish 2 different lakes Kentucky and Old Hickory Lakes.
At the end of the season, in the fall of 2018, the two divisions will send their best team to Pickwick Lake where the teams will fish for cash and awards. The Championship team will be award two Triton 17TX Boats with a Mercury four stroke 60hp outboards. The retail value fully rigged is estimated at $40,000.
• No other trail offers bigger payouts for a $250 entry fee for the pure weekend bass angler.
• 100% Plus Payout
• There are no late fees
• Register through Wednesday prior to the event
• Pay a deposit ($500) the season and pay each event balance ($150) by Wednesday the week of each event.
• Draw Prizes at all Team Tour registration meetings
• ABA Polygraphs all Team Tour Events
• No Pros are allowed (Bass Elite or FLW Tour anglers allowed)
• No Off-limits (except the team championship)
• Team Meeting Exemption Pass (EZ Pass) available for the 2018 season ($50)
• You can get your entire season entry fees paid for through the ABA Alliance Program
• Contingency programs available through Triton, Mercury, MotorGuide, T-H Marine, Garmin, Power Pole and others.
• The top 20% at all events get a check. Example 200 boats – 40 places, 250 boats – 50 places
Advantages for registering early:
• Package registrations will receive special incentives September 11-15, 2017
• Teams registering prior to December 1, 2017 may pay a $500 deposit to secure your slot for all events of the season. Each event balance ($150) is to be paid by Wednesday the week of the event online or by phone. (This is considered a package registration)
• Teams may register and pay in full $1,250 for the season through Wednesday prior to the first event (This is considered a package registration).
• All package registrations receive personalized event results and points updates after each event.
• Special Draw Prizes at Team Tour registration meetings for Package Registered Teams
Package Registration: A package registration is when a team registers for all events for a season within a division.
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 Ram Truck American Fishing Tour, the American Couples Series, Military Team Bass Tournament and the Ram Truck 100% Plus Team Tour. To learn more about ABA visit www.americanbassanglers.com or call (256) 232-0406.
American Bass Anglers, Inc. is supported by Ram Trucks, Triton Boats, Mercury Marine, Carlstar, T-H Marine, Abu Garcia, Berkley, Hydrowave, Livingston Lures, Best Western Hotels, Simms, SiriusXM® Radio, SiriusXM® Marine Weather, Garmin, Maui Jim, LiT Coolers, Power Pole, GEICO, and DivideIT.
Website: www.teamtrail.com
Follow the team trail on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ABATeamTrail/
Defoe Goes Wire-to-Wire to Win BASS Open on Douglas
Ott DeFoe of Knoxville, Tenn., wins the 2017 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Open No. 3 held on Douglas Lake out of Dandridge, Tenn., with a three-day total weight of 50 pounds, 3 ounces.
Photo by Ronnie Moore/B.A.S.S.
Courtesy BASS Communications
September 9, 2017
DANDRIDGE, Tenn. — Bassmaster Elite Series pro Ott DeFoe sealed the deal today with a Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Open victory on Douglas Lake.
The Knoxville, Tenn., pro went wire-to-wire to win on his home lake — his second career Opens victory on the fishery — and received the top prize of a Triton 19 TrX/Mercury 200 Pro XS rig valued at $45,000, along with $5,291 in cash. He weighed in a 15-pound, 9-ounce limit to finish with 50-3. His previous victory on Douglas came in May 2014.
DeFoe ran up the French Broad River again with his Tracker tunnel hull aluminum boat that produced 17-5 limits the first two days. He struggled early Saturday and caught only five keepers all day, but it was enough to clinch the victory.
“The water has not been stable all week,” DeFoe said. “I was thinking today could be really, really good just because the French Broad had been falling. But there was some extra flow in the Pigeon River this morning, and it seemed to kind of throw the fishing off a little.”
The local favorite caught his first fish of the day on a bladed jig and his second flipping a black-and-blue 1/2-ounce Terminator Pro Jig with a Bass Pro Shops Elite Chunk. Switching to a Texas-rigged Bass Pro Shops Bull Hog, DeFoe caught his next two keepers and still had three hours to catch his fifth bass. He went to a bank where he had caught big fish in the past and boated a 4 1/2-pounder on the Terminator Jig that clinched the victory.
All of his fish throughout the tournament came from 1 to 3 feet of water.
Newcomerstown, Ohio, pro Hunter Shryock camped on his best spot Saturday, and it produced a 9-14 limit to move him into second place.
“I fished the way that I like to fish — junk fishing — and I kind of learned something as the tournament was going on,” said Shryock, who finished with 39-13. Shryock learned he could catch bass as shallow as 6 inches on isolated wood cover either swimming a 1/4-ounce swim jig with a Berkley Chigger Craw trailer or flipping a Texas-rigged Berkley Chigger Craw.
Other Top 5 finishers were Brian Latimer of Belton, S.C., who was third with 39-11, David Williams of Newton, N.C., who was fourth with 36-1 and Alex Wetherell of Middletown, Conn., who placed fifth with 33-4.
Using a spinnerbait, he bought last night at the Bass Pro Shops in Kodak, Tenn., Barry Brandt Jr. caught a three-bass limit weighing 7-13 to win the nonboater division. The 27-year-old commercial fisherman from Newport News, Va., finished the tournament with 18-4 and took home a $30,000 Nitro Z18/Mercury 150 Pro XS package.
The $750 Phoenix Boats Big Bass award on the pro side went to Chad Pipkens of Lansing, Mich., with a 5-11 largemouth. Chancey Hatfield of Mayking, Ky., weighed in a 4-13 largemouth to earn the $250 Phoenix Boats Big Bass award on the co-angler side.
DeFoe also received the Livingston Lures Leader Award of $250 for finishing as the top pro on Day 2. Finishing as the Day 2 leader on the co-angler side, Jon Abbott of Versailles, Ky., received a Livingston Lures gift pack worth $250.
Williams earned the Power-Pole Captain’s Cash Award of $500 on the pro side 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 Economic Development Alliance of Jefferson County, Tenn.
2017 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Title Sponsor: Bass Pro Shops
2017 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2017 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Premier Sponsors: Nitro Boats, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha, Berkley, Huk, Humminbird, Mercury, Power-Pole, Shell Rotella, Minn Kota
2017 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Supporting Sponsors: Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels, Livingston Lures, Lowrance, Phoenix Boats, Shimano, T-H Marine, Advance Auto Parts, Carhartt
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 Outdoors, 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, [email protected] or Dave Precht, 205-313-0931, [email protected]
2017 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Open Douglas Lake 9/7-9/9
Douglas Lake, Dandridge TN.
(BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Ott DeFoe Knoxville, TN 15 50-03 200 $50,541.00
Day 1: 5 17-05 Day 2: 5 17-05 Day 3: 5 15-09
2. Hunter Shryock Newcomerstown, OH 15 39-13 199 $12,565.00
Day 1: 5 14-04 Day 2: 5 15-11 Day 3: 5 09-14
3. Brian Latimer Belton, SC 15 39-11 198 $9,424.00
Day 1: 5 14-14 Day 2: 5 14-01 Day 3: 5 10-12
4. David Williams Newton, NC 15 36-01 197 $8,932.00
Day 1: 5 14-07 Day 2: 5 14-11 Day 3: 5 06-15
5. Alex Wetherell Middletown, CT 15 33-04 196 $7,357.00
Day 1: 5 10-12 Day 2: 5 13-11 Day 3: 5 08-13
6. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 11 32-12 195 $6,283.00
Day 1: 5 14-09 Day 2: 5 16-14 Day 3: 1 01-05
7. Toshinari Namiki Tokyo JAPAN 14 31-12 194 $5,291.00
Day 1: 5 12-09 Day 2: 5 12-10 Day 3: 4 06-09
8. Wil Hardy Harlem, GA 13 31-06 193 $4,216.00
Day 1: 5 15-07 Day 2: 5 09-04 Day 3: 3 06-11
9. Brad Burkhart Speedwell, TN 15 29-03 192 $3,141.00
Day 1: 5 11-03 Day 2: 5 10-14 Day 3: 5 07-02
10. Allen Brooks Canton, GA 11 27-08 191 $2,893.00
Day 1: 5 13-02 Day 2: 4 10-13 Day 3: 2 03-09
11. Al Farace Jr Hunt Valley, MD 15 27-05 190 $2,645.00
Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 5 11-01 Day 3: 5 05-03
12. Mike Huff Corbin, KY 12 25-11 189 $2,480.00
Day 1: 5 13-02 Day 2: 5 10-14 Day 3: 2 01-11
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Chad Pipkens Lansing, MI 05-11 $750.00
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 50 422 807-12
2 47 410 780-11
3 7 47 84-01
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104 879 1672-08
2017 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Open Douglas Lake 9/7-9/9
Douglas Lake, Dandridge TN.
(NON_BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Barry Brandt Jr. Newport News, VA 8 18-04 200 $30,000.00
Day 1: 2 05-01 Day 2: 3 05-06 Day 3: 3 07-13
2. Bobby Drinnon Rogersville, TN 6 18-00 199 $4,051.00
Day 1: 3 10-08 Day 2: 0 00-00 Day 3: 3 07-08
3. Jon Abbott Versailles, KY 7 17-00 198 $3,059.00
Day 1: 3 08-07 Day 2: 1 04-10 Day 3: 3 03-15
4. Hermilo Salgado Artemus, KY 9 16-09 197 $2,067.00
Day 1: 3 05-10 Day 2: 3 05-05 Day 3: 3 05-10
5. Chad Smith Minnetonka, MN 9 15-07 196 $1,901.00
Day 1: 3 04-04 Day 2: 3 06-00 Day 3: 3 05-03
6. Charles Fochtman Moneta, VA 8 14-11 195 $1,819.00
Day 1: 3 06-08 Day 2: 3 04-05 Day 3: 2 03-14
7. George Beville Jr Apex, NC 8 14-09 194 $1,736.00
Day 1: 2 02-12 Day 2: 3 06-09 Day 3: 3 05-04
8. Don Bible II Knoxville, TN 7 12-09 193 $1,653.00
Day 1: 2 03-10 Day 2: 3 06-06 Day 3: 2 02-09
9. Frank Meyer Marianna, FL 7 12-07 192 $1,571.00
Day 1: 3 06-04 Day 2: 3 04-14 Day 3: 1 01-05
10. Scott Peters Knoxville, TN 6 12-06 191 $1,405.00
Day 1: 3 08-06 Day 2: 2 02-15 Day 3: 1 01-01
11. Kenneth Lodwick Dandridge, TN 4 10-14 190 $1,240.00
Day 1: 3 09-04 Day 2: 1 01-10 Day 3: 0 00-00
12. Tim Leonard Greeneville, TN 4 10-07 189 $1,157.00
Day 1: 3 09-07 Day 2: 0 00-00 Day 3: 1 01-00
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Chancey Hatfield Mayking, KY 04-13 $250.00
FLW ANNOUNCES 2018 BFL ALL-AMERICAN AND COLLEGE FISHING NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Two championship events to be held at Bass Pro Shops in Shreveport-Bossier City
MINNEAPOLIS (Sept. 8, 2017) – FLW announced today the dates and location for the 2018 T-H Marine Bass Fishing League (BFL) All-American and the 2018 YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship. The 35th annual BFL All-American will be held May 31-June 2 on Cross Lake in Shreveport, Louisiana, while the College Fishing National Championship will take place on the Red River on May 30-June 2, also in Shreveport.
The two fisheries have played host to multiple FLW championship events over the years, including the 2002 and 2011 BFL All-American (Cross Lake), the 2002 Forrest Wood Cup (Cross Lake) and the 2013 Forrest Wood Cup (Red River). Both the All-American and the College Fishing National Championship are being hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier City Sports Commission and the Red River Waterway Commission.
“The Shreveport-Bossier City area and north Louisiana are known as the Sportsman’s Paradise,” said Kelly Wells, Executive Director of the Shreveport-Bossier City Sports Commission. “The Red River and Cross Lake are two of the crown jewels of our region and we are excited to partner with FLW on these two prestigious championships next June. While the anglers are competing on the water, families will have plenty to do on shore. Dozens of museums, shopping and family attractions, hundreds of restaurants, and of course the casinos will ensure everyone in the family has something to enjoy during their stay with us in Shreveport-Bossier City.”
The BFL All-American weigh-ins and the final two days of competition of the College Fishing National Championship will be showcased to bass-fishing fans at the Bass Pro Shops in Bossier City, Louisiana.
“We have hosted some of the biggest bass-fishing tournaments in the country here on the Red River,” said Eric Gilmore, Marketing Director for the Red River Waterway Commission. “We believe the return of the BFL All-American and hosting the FLW College Fishing National Championship are great indicators that the Red River is among the top fisheries in the nation. There are a lot of moving parts in landing tournaments of this stature, and it takes a coordinated effort from all involved. We are pleased to be working with the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission and others for these great events.”
2018 T-H Marine FLW BFL All-American
- May 31- June 2 Cross Lake Shreveport, La.
2018 YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship
- May 30-June 1 Red River Shreveport, La.
- June 2 – Fish-Off Undisclosed Fishery Shreveport, La.
Both events will be internationally televised on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show. “FLW” airs on the NBC Sports Network (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.
Anglers competing in the BFL All-American on Cross Lake will cast for a cash prize of up to $120,000 in the Boater Division and $60,000 in the Co-angler Division. In addition to the six-figure payday, the top boater will also receive an invitation to compete for bass fishing’s most coveted prize – the Forrest Wood Cup – held Aug. 10-12 on Lake Ouachita in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
The 2018 FLW College Fishing National Championship awards the top team a $30,000 prize package, including a Ranger Z175 boat with a 90-horsepower outboard engine and an entry into the 2018 Forrest Wood Cup. The winning team will compete against each other on June 2 on a yet to be disclosed location to determine which team member will compete as a professional at the Forrest Wood Cup.
The complete schedule and rules for the 2018 BFL and FLW College Fishing season will be announced soon. The full schedule and rules for both circuits will be posted online at FLWFishing.com.
For a full schedule of events, 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.
Ott DeFoe Continues Lead In Bassmaster Open On Douglas Lake
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Ott DeFoe Takes Charge In First Round Of Bassmaster Open On Douglas Lake
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Bassmaster Elite Series Season Will Culminate In AOY Championship At Mille Lacs
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Tackle for Texas - Bid on Fishing trips with Hackney, Zona & Palaniuk
Provided by Mafia Outdoors
Russellville, Ar. (Sept 1, 2017) – One of the driving tenants of the Mafia Outdoors brand has always been “family”. From the employees, to the pro staff to the customers, family values have always been at the forefront, and always will be. One thing family does is come together to help each other in times of trials and needs. It is this value system that has birthed an idea to help our fellow countrymen and family in the Houston, Texas area. Their homes and lives may have been ravaged by Hurricane Harvey, but if we come together as family, and each do our part, we can help to restore and rebuild the area and its people. Mafia Outdoors, in conjunction with some of our pros and industry partners, will host an event called “Tackle for Texas”.
“We want to use our platform in the fishing industry to support our fellow anglers and Americans that have been affected by the hurricane. Greg Hackney, Mark Zona and Brandon Palaniuk and possibly a few other top-level touring anglers will auction off a fishing trip with each angler and 100% of the proceeds will go towards the relief efforts in South Texas”, says Mafia Outdoors CEO Bart Langley. “We have been hard at work lining up anglers, and other industry partners to make this a unique, one-in-a-lifetime event that will be worth a lot of money to serious fans of bass fishing. The more the trips bring, the more we can affect change for our brothers and sisters who need our help”.
“We are providing lodging, Bass Mafia product and hosting an exclusive private cookout for the high bidders. We have commitments from popular brands within the fishing industry, such as Strike King and several others, to partner with us and provide product and help with this event”, adds Jeremy Starks, VP of Sales and Marketing at Mafia Outdoors. “The fishing community is a pretty tight-knit fraternity when it comes to making things happen for the right reasons. If we all pool our resources, we can impact the lives of our family and neighbors who are dealing with this catastrophe” Starks concludes.
Keep an eye on Bass Mafia’s Facebook page for more information, updated happenings and to bid, or donate on “Tackle for Texas”. This is a rapidly evolving event and information will be posted as soon as it is available.
Matt Lee’s Jumbo Sized Drop Shot Lure
Story & Photos Courtesy Alan McGuckin ~ Dynamic Sponsorships
Matt Lee loves to fish a drop shot, but his decision to drop shot a 5” Strike King Z-Too on a straight shank hook for Lake St. Clair smallmouth, was the equivalent of his fiancé Abby choosing to serve 20-ounce rib eye steaks as a bridal shower appetizer. Essentially, Lee turned one of bass fishing’s dainty finesse techniques into a full-fledged food fest en route to yet another Top 12 finish on the Bassmaster Elite Series tour.
“I’m a drop shot fanatic. I threw it on spawning beds at Okeechobee, at stumps on Ross Barnett, and at St. Clair for smallmouth. I pretty much never leave the dock without one tied on, it’s just a matter of tweaking the components a little to meet the conditions,” explains Lee.
“My decision to use such a big bait on my drop shot at St. Clair was two-fold. First, the water was a little dingy, and I thought the bigger bait would be more visible. And secondly, I noticed that the smallmouth I hooked in practice were spitting-up 4” to 8” perch,” observed the Auburn grad.
Lure and Lure Color choice
If Lee knew the smallmouth were feeding on yellow and green colored perch, then why did he opt for a white, ice-colored, Z-Too?
“I’m pretty certain they were feeding on alewife as well as the perch. And the thing is, I was never on a big school of smallmouth. I felt like I was hunting big, single fish that seemed super aggressive – so that bait was visible and offered a big meal to those lone wolves,” says Lee.
“That Z-Too was too big for pesky perch to eat, and because it’s made of ElaZtech, it floats and never tears up. Plus, that particular lure almost shimmies like a swimbait.”
Experimental hooks
As much as Lee uses a drop shot, he’d never used such a big lure. So he experimented between a 1/0 and a 2/0 straight shank hook, as well as an occasional circle hook that’s more standard on a drop shot.
“I was actually super-gluing the Z-Too on the hooks, and the one thing I figured-out, was that no matter what hook I used, by giving them an extra second to eat it, rather than set the hook too fast, was more critical than the exact hook I rigged with,” says Lee.
Speed Freak
While gear ratios get a lot of attention among baitcasting reels, their mechanical importance in spinning reels is too often overlooked, but not by top pros like Matt Lee and Jacob Powroznik.
“Smallmouth move so quick that it’s critical to use a reel that can pick up a ton of slack line in a hurry, especially in one of those moments during the fight when they switch from going away from the boat, and run right at you, and you gotta get down on it like Kool & The Gang,” says Lee. “That’s why I love the Quantum Speed Freak. It picks up 3-feet of line with every turn of the handle, plus it’s got an awesome drag system for fighting those beasts.”
Brotherly Love
Matt shared his findings of the big lure’s success with younger brother Jordan, who was quick to heed Matt’s advice. Jordan had been fishing a smaller Strike King Dream Shot, but on Day 3 of the tournament, switched to the big Z-Too. His first fish of the day was a mammoth 6 pound 13 ounce bronze beast.
The Lee Brothers eventually finished 4th and 5th and won a combined $30,500. Everybody went home happy, and ate well along the way, including St. Clair’s super-sized smallmouth.
Douglas Lake Drawdown Will Be A Factor In Bassmaster Northern Open Finale
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LAKE ERIE SET FOR YETI FLW COLLEGE FISHING NORTHERN CONFERENCE FINALE
Courtesy of FLW Outdoors
SANDUSKY, Ohio (Aug. 29, 2017) – YETI FLW College Fishing is heading to Lake Erie on Sept. 9 for the third and final regular-season stop in the Northern Conference. A full field of college fishing clubs will be competing for the top award of a $2,000 club scholarship and a berth into the 2018 College Fishing National Championship.
“Fishing on Lake Erie in September can be pretty tough, but we can still expect to see some nice limits in this tournament,” said bass-fishing columnist and owner of Millennium Promotions Joe Balog, who has 14 top-10 finishes on Lake Erie in Costa FLW Series and T-H Marine Bass Fishing League competition. “The deep-structure smallmouth can be fickle and it can be tough to catch a limit. If a team made the decision to target largemouth, it could be a good idea.”
Balog said that the smallmouth would be found on the traditional deep-structure – reefs and points in 20- to 35-feet of water – and that anglers fishing deep would all be using drop-shot rigs.
“It’s the end of summer on Lake Erie – it will be a 100-percent drop-shot tournament out deep,” Balog said. “A Jackall Crosstail Shad, Yamamoto Shad Shape worm or a Berkley Gulp! Jerk Shad will all be good choices.
“If you catch a smallmouth weighing more than 3½ pounds, it’s not an accident,” Balog continued. “Chances are there are more there – you’ll rarely see one smallmouth alone. If you get one, I’d recommend spending a serious amount of time there.”
For teams that choose to target largemouth, Balog said that anglers would be targeting the heavy vegetation in Sandusky Bay and the adjacent harbors, or the shallow shoals on the main lake.
“You can definitely catch a 15 to 18 pound limit of largemouth,” he said. “Those teams will be frogging and flipping in the vegetation or throwing jigs and Carolina rigs in the shallow shoals.
“I think the winning team will likely need 19 pounds,” Balog went on to say.
Anglers will take off from the Shelby Street Public Boat Launch, located at 101 Shelby St., in Sandusky, at 7 a.m. EDT Saturday. Weigh-in will be held at the boat launch beginning at 3 p.m. Takeoff and weigh-in are free and open to the public.
Schools are allowed to register up until the morning of the tournament. Entries may be made either by phone or at CollegeFishing.com.
Schools registered to compete in the Lake Erie tournament, which is hosted by the City of Sandusky, include:
Bowling Green State University – Corey Miller, Perrysburg, Ohio, and Jason Bailey, Port Clinton, Ohio
Fairmont State University – Corey Straight, Barrackville, W.Va., and Jacob Smith, Martinsburg, W.Va.
Kent State University – Zachary Asher, Sunbury, Ohio, and Christian Hylton, Deerfield, Ohio
Mansfield University of Pennsylvania – Jason Heyer, Towanda, Pa., and Kyle Zindell, Jermyn, Pa.
Pennsylvania State University – David Contrael, Kittanning, Pa., and Lance Brosious, Sunbury, Pa.
Pennsylvania State University – Stephen Jesso, Plymouth, Pa., and Tom Oranzi, West Grove, Pa.
Pennsylvania State University-Harrisburg – Ethan Urey, Mechanicsburg, Pa., and George Gendler, Mountaintop, Pa.
Pennsylvania State University-Harrisburg – Chad Burkholder, Palmyra, Pa., and Ryan Fox, Thornhurst, Pa.
Rochester Institute of Technology – Tom Saile and Mark Saile, both of Williamson, N.Y.
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania – Kyle Brown, Wexford, Pa., and Cody Neal, Evans City, Pa.
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania – Nathan Quince, Pittsburgh, Pa., and Garrett Godlewski, Imperial, Pa.
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania – Ryan Kozlowski and Jason Frontino, both of Cranberry Township, Pa.
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania – Logan Pollman, Slippery Rock, Pa., and Cale Updegrave, Reno, Pa.
University of Delaware – Brennan Chuprinko, Flanders, N.J., and Michael Imbierowicz, Bel Air, Md.
University of Michigan-Dearborn – Austin Klotz and Vincenzo Puleo, both of Westland, Mich.
University of Pittsburgh – Tyler Sheppard, Hermitage, Pa., and Dominic Vitale, Shickshinny, Pa.
University of Pittsburgh – Michael Dunn and Henry Colberg, both of Pittsburgh, Pa.
Youngstown State University – Stan Miketa, New Middletown, Ohio, and Mario Chance, Youngstown, Ohio
FLW College Fishing teams compete in three regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top ten teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments and the top 20 teams from the annual FLW College Fishing Open will advance to the 2018 FLW College Fishing National Championship. Additional teams will qualify for the National Championship if the field size in regular-season events exceeds 100 boats.
College Fishing is free to enter. All participants must be registered, full-time students at a college, university or community college and members of a college fishing club that is recognized by their school.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow College Fishing on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing. Visit FLWFishing.com to sign up or to start a club at your school.
New Format and New Championship Highlights 2018 BASS Opens Schedule
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Tube Jigs, a Tractor, and Two Bonuses for Christie
Story & Photo from Alan McGuckin ~ Dynamic Sponsorships
An hour after Jason Christie was done towing a green pumpkin tube around in 19-feet of water to win the $100,000 Advanced Auto Parts Bassmaster Elite Series on Lake St. Clair, he stood next to his boat and truck at the Metropark boat ramp and talked about towing a tractor around back home in Eastern Oklahoma.
“I drive a Toyota Tundra for two reasons; for a chance to win the Bonus Bucks as a tournament fisherman, and because of their towing power,” stated Christie. “In fact, I kept the older Tundra that I used to tow my Ranger with after I bought this newer one -- and now I use the older truck to hunt with, and to tow my Mahindra tractor.”
As a result of being the highest finishing registered participant, the Lake Tenkiller, Oklahoma resident got paid $3,000 from Toyota’s Bonus Bucks Program.
Christie is also loyal to Leer Truck Caps, and both his Tundras not only have a Leer truck cap, but also a Leer Locker ceiling mounted storage system. “I use the Leer Locker in my tournament truck to carry hats, fishing tackle and the trusty little fan that I’ve gotta have to sleep. In my hunting truck I carry my bow, and the kids’ hunting rifles,” says the 5-time B.A.S.S. tournament winner, and former college basketball player.
In addition to the Toyota Bonus Bucks, Christie also won a $500 bonus from the Leer Cover Cash program.
You don’t have to be a full-time pro, or even win a tournament to win the “Cover Cash” or “Bonus Bucks” – you just have to be a registered participant in any of the dozens of tournaments sanctioned by both contingency programs and be the highest-placing participant. To get signed-up, please visit http://www.toyotatrucksbonusbucks.com/ and http://leercovercash.com/ or phone Jessica or Kendell at (918) 742-6424, and they can also help you get signed-up for either program.
Boggs Wins ABA Ram Trucks Open on Kentucky Lake with over 15 pounds!
Drew Boggs of Lebanon, TN won the American Bass Anglers, RAM Truck Open Series Kentucky Division tournament held 8/26/2017 on Kentucky Lake. Running out of Paris Landing State Park near Buchanan, TN, Drew brought back a five-fish limit, that locked in on the scales at 15.83 pounds. He anchored his bag and sealed his victory with a 5.06 lb. kicker. Drews catch gave him first place in the boater division, and his efforts were rewarded with a check for $5000.
“I stayed close, I didn’t go any further than 15 minutes away. I caught the 3 pounder on a football jig out deep. I caught the rest of my fish shallow flipping a jig, apart from my big fish. I was throwing a lipless jig between cover, and I got hung up on a stump, when I was trying to shake it loose a 5 pounder came and hit it.” Said Boggs.
Second place was taken by Eric Silverstsrim of Indian Mound, TN. Eric brought back a limit of fish that went 15.71 pounds on the scale, he anchored his catch with a 4.40 lb. kicker. Eric took home $300 for his second-place finish.
“I lost 2 fish that would have gave me the win, but that just the way it goes sometimes. I caught everything on a Fishing45 ¾ oz. football head jig in Texas Craw. I fished the drops from Hwy 79 down to Birdsong, and the Trokar Hook on the Fishing45 Jig kept them hemmed up and made all the difference.” Said Silverstrim.
Third place was claimed by Matt Robertson of Kuttawa, KY. Matt came to the scales with a 5-fish limit that locked in on the scales at 15.03 lbs. he anchored his bag with a 4.68 lb. largemouth for a kicker. Matt took home $200 for his efforts.
“I caught all my fish on a 7-inch power worm, whenever its tough out here I can still always catch fish on them. So, I just threw it all day long.” Said Robertson.
Fourth place was Mickey Beck of Lebanon, TN with 5 fish limit that weighed 13.71 lbs. he took home $100 for fourth place finish. Rounding out the top five was Rob Bryant of Danville, KY with a 5-fish limit weighing 12.88 lbs. he earned $100 for his efforts.
David Seaton of Buchanan, TN landed the biggest bass for the boater division. David brought in a beautiful bass that locked in on the scales at 5.95 lbs. he took a $280 check home for that fish.
First place amongst the co-anglers was taken by Mike Blumer of Louisville, KY. Mike brought in a 3-fish limit that locked in on the scales at 10.64 lbs. he sealed his placement with a 6.30 lb. kicker. Mike took home a check for $900 for his efforts. Mike also caught the big bass for the co-angler division using his ABU Garcia reel, and for that he will take home a brand-new ABU Garcia Spinning Reel.
“We fished south of here, flipping brush we could see. I caught everything on plastic worms and things like that. We mainly stayed on the flats all day, and I caught my biggest one around 6:30 this morning. I had all 3 of my fish by 8:30 this morning.” Said Blumer.
Second place for the co-anglers goes to Roby Ervin of Lavergne, TN with a 3-fish limit that weighed in at 7.96 lbs. He anchored his bag with a bass that locked in at 2.53 lb. Roby took home a check for $400 for his day of fishing.
“I caught everything fishing top water, with a Whopper Plopper. We stayed close to the Paris Area only going north and south a couple miles. I lost one that felt pretty good but never did get to see it, it just pulled off, but it feels good to up on the stage for once getting a check.” Said Ervin.
Third place for the co-anglers was claimed by Daniel Crockett of Old Hickory, TN. Crockett only landed 2 fish but they locked in at 7.48 lbs. and that was enough for a third-place finish. Crockett took home a check for $300 for his placement.
“I caught one this morning, one midday, and 1 broke off after that. If I would have landed that one it probably would have gave me the win.” Said Crockett.
Finishing fourth was Todd House of Hawesville, KY with 7.33 lbs. Rounding out the top five co-anglers was JoJo Walsh with 6.43 lbs.
This was the final one-day tournament For the Kentucky Division. The next event will be the 2-day area championship on Lake Pickwick Oct.7th-8th 2017. 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 division visit www.ramopenseries.com or contact Kristin Malott Tournament Manager at 256-771-3709 or ABA at 256-232-0406.
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.
American Bass Anglers, Inc. is supported by Ram Trucks, Triton Boats, Mercury Outboards, Carlisle Tires, GEICO, Berkley, Abu Garcia, T-H Marine, Livingston Lures, Best Western Hotels, Maui Jim, Power Pole, LiT Coolers, Simms, Garmin, Divide-It, and SiriusXM Marine Weather. American Bass Anglers, Inc. can be contacted at (256) 232-0406 or by visiting americanbassanglers.com
Hart & Woodell drop over 19 pounds on the scales to win PBC Fashion Rods End of Year Tournament on Jordan Lake
PBC CASHION FISHING RODS 'End of Year' TEAM BASS FISHING TRAIL RESULTS
Saturday August 26th, 2017 ~ Jordan Lake ~ Farrington Point Wildlife Ramp
The team of Ronnie Hart & Danny Woodell won 1st Place, weighing in 5 bass at 19.70 lbs. and also won the 1st Place
Big Fish Award (8.08 lbs.) for a total of $1,688 in winnings. The team said most of their bass were caught off channel
points in 10 to 12' or more of depth using mostly crankbaits.
1st Place
Close behind, the veteran team of Tommy & Roy Blackwood took 2nd with 5 fish weighing 19.60 lbs. & they also
won 2nd Place Big Fish (7.71) to pocket a total of $872. The 3rd place team, Jaime Fajardo & Josh Hooks, caught 5
weighing 19.55 lbs. and also won the 1st Place TWT for a grand total of $1,560 in winnings!!!
143 fish were weighed in for a total of 413 pounds for an average of 2.89 lbs. each. Most of the larger fish were
caught on Carolina rigs, Jerk Baits and Crankbaits in 10-12' of water off main point dropoffs and creek channels.
I want to thank all the anglers that participated and all our sponsors that support this trail. The next Cashion Fishing
Rods 'End of Year' Tournament Trail Qualifier will be September 9th at Falls Lake. Go to this web page for the info
on the 'End of Year' Trail: http://piedmontbassclassics.com/2017CashionEOYTrailMainPage.html
All the information on our tournaments can be found http://piedmontbassclassics.com/
Now here are the full results:
1st Place: Ronnie Hart & Danny Woodell of Bunn Level & Erwin...5 bass...19.70 lbs...$1,030
2nd Place: Roy & Tommy Blackwood of Pittsboro & Efland...5 bass...19.60 lbs...$590
3rd Place: Jaime Fajardo & Josh Hooks of Fuquay Varina & Apex...5 bass...19.25 lbs...$510
4th Place: Chip Baty & Alan Parker of Linden...5 bass...18.59 lbs...$430
5th Place: Todd Sumner & Rich Szczerbala of Southern Pines & Apex...5 bass...18.33 lbs...$350
6th Place: Mark Herndon & Jay Garrard of Bahama & Durham...5 bass...17.89 lbs...$270
7th Place: Brian Fritts & Bo Adams of Raleigh & Pittsboro...5 bass...17.59 lbs...$230
8th Place: Chad Emory & Stephen of Bahama & Durham...5 bass...17.12 lbs...$200
9th Place: Doug Stallings & Seth Ellis of Stem & Durham....5 bass...16.95 lbs...$150
1st Place Big Fish..1st Place Team above...8.08 lbs...$658
2nd Place Big Fish..2nd Place Team above...7.71 lbs...$3282
1st Place TWT..3rd Place Team above...19.25 lbs...$1,050
2nd Place TWT..4th Place Team above...18.59 lbs...$450
HENSLEY WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL HOOSIER DIVISION EVENT ON OHIO RIVER
HENSLEY WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE HOOSIER DIVISION EVENT ON OHIO RIVER
Kentucky’s Napier Takes Co-angler Title
CANNELTON, Ind. (Aug. 28, 2017) – Todd Hensley of New Albany, Indiana, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Hoosier Division tournament on the Ohio River Saturday after catching five bass weighing 7 pounds, 4 ounces. For his efforts, Hensley pocketed $3,842.
Hensley said he spent the event flipping stumps along a 200- to 300-yard stretch in the back of a creek on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River.
“The corps (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) had the water level low Saturday morning, so there were a lot of visible stumps,” said Hensley, who notched his third career-victory in BFL competition. “They were 2 feet down and right off of the bank. The key was the shady areas. The fish were relating to stumps that were under bushes, trees or some grass.”
Hensley said he used two lures to catch his fish – a 7-inch Blue Fleck-colored Berkley Power Worm, and a Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craw of the same color.
“I had 10 bites all day long, but I lost five of them,” said Hensley. “The five that I did get in the boat were the five that I weighed in.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Todd Hensley, New Albany, Ind., five bass, 7-4, $3,842
2nd: Jimmy Shepherd, Indianapolis, Ind., three bass, 6-9, $2,431
3rd: David Spivey, Hamilton, Ohio, five bass, 6-5, $1,582
4th: Travis Spivey, Trenton, Ohio, five bass, 6-4, $896
5th: Brian Funkhouser, Bloomington, Ind., five bass, 5-15, $768
6th: Dick Shaffer, Rockford, Ohio, five bass, 5-14, $704
7th: Mark Dove, North Vernon, Ind., three bass, 5-11, $640
8th: Chris Wilkinson, Farmersburg, Ind., five bass, 5-7, $576
9th: Larry Sisk, Evansville, Ind., three bass, 4-14, $512
10th: Jim Pickett, Trafalgar, Ind., three bass, 4-10, $425
10th: Mark Heidt, Versailles, Ind., three bass, 4-10, $425
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Shepherd caught a 4-pound, 10-ounce bass – the heaviest of the tournament in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $510.
Kevin Napier of Lewisport, Kentucky, caught three bass weighing 4 pounds, 4 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $1,921.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Kevin Napier, Lewisport, Ky., three bass, 4-4, $1,921
2nd: Travis Edgar, North Webster, Ind., four bass, 4-1, $960
3rd: Tyler Buell, Lafayette, Ind., one bass, 3-9, $799
3rd: Bo Bivins, Evansville, Ind., three bass, 3-9, $544
5th: Jeremy Caudill, Nineveh, Ind., two bass, 3-8, $384
6th: Jason Thornton, Corydon, Ind., two bass, 3-3, $352
7th: Griffin Fernandes, McCordsville, Ind., two bass, 2-11, $320
8th: Dan Schlegel, Cincinnati, Ohio, one bass, 2-10, $288
9th: Bobby Revalee, Connersville, Ind., two bass, 2-7, $227
9th: Matt Knox, Metamora, Ill., two bass, 2-7, $227
9th: Larry Kitchel, Logansport, Ind., one bass, 2-7, $227
Buell caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 3 pounds, 9 ounces – and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $255.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 5-7 BFL Regional Championship on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
Cabela's Renews Partnership with the Cabela's Collegiate Bass Fishing Series for the Thirteenth Straight Year
SAN ANTONIO, TX (August 25, 2017) — Already known as one of the largest and longest supporters of competitive collegiate bass fishing, Cabela’s, the World’s Foremost Outfitter® of hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, is once again boosting their support and long-standing partnership of the Collegiate Bass Fishing Series and the Association of Collegiate Anglers.
As part of the continued sponsor commitment, Cabela’s will remain the title sponsor and official retailer of the series. Additionally, the company will continue in its position as the title sponsor of the Cabela’s Collegiate Big Bass Bash Presented by Berkley and Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Open events.
Cabela’s will also serve as the title sponsor of the most prestigious title in college fishing, the Cabela’s School of the Year Program, a culmination of finishes at national college fishing events throughout the year. As part of the Cabela’s School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia Program, Cabela’s and the Association of Collegiate Anglers will support a growing number of school-run sanctioned events across the nation in 2018 as well as more events at the national level.
“The Collegiate Bass Fishing Series and the Association of Collegiate Anglers are outstanding programs that share our passion for supporting young anglers and growing the sport of fishing,” said Jeremy Wonch, Cabela’s Brand Partnership Manager. “Cabela’s is thrilled to continue our support of these programs and the opportunities they provide collegiate anglers across the nation.”
Wade Middleton, President of CarecoTV and Director of the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series stated that, “Cabela’s has been behind college fishing since the very first event. It goes without saying that their support has been one of the major keys to the growth we’ve seen in college fishing programs nationwide. Every year Cabela’s has stepped up to do more and more with discount programs, gift cards, contingency programs as well as other programs all designed to ensure that these young men and women can pursue their passions and dreams of representing their college at the highest levels of competition.”
The 2018 Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series consists of four nationally televised Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing tournaments, including the BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship, which are scheduled for the following dates:
- Texas Lunker Challenge – Sam Rayburn Reservoir – February 11, 2018
- Cabela’s Collegiate Big Bass Bash Presented by Berkley – Kentucky Lake – March 10-11, 2018
- BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship – Pickwick Lake – May 23-25, 2018
- Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Open – Lake Dardanelle – October 12-13, 2018
For more information on The Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship Series and all the assets associated with it, please visit www.collegiatebasschampionship.com.
About Cabela’s Incorporated
Cabela’s Incorporated, headquartered in Sidney, Nebraska, is the world’s largest direct marketer, and a leading specialty retailer, of hunting, fishing, camping and related outdoor merchandise. Since the Company’s founding in 1961, Cabela’s® has grown to become one of the most well-known outdoor recreation brands in the world, and has long been recognized as the World’s Foremost Outfitter®. Through Cabela’s well-established direct business and its growing number of destination retail stores, it offers a wide and distinctive selection of high-quality outdoor products at competitive prices while providing superior customer service. Cabela’s also issues the Cabela’s Club® VISA credit card, which serves as its primary customer-loyalty rewards program.
About the ACA
The Association of Collegiate Anglers, a division of Careco TV, is a sanctioning body developed to facilitate growth, development, and structure within competitive collegiate bass fishing. The ACA provides support to dozens of school operated regional events nationwide and owns the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series, the largest participatory collegiate tournament circuit in the country. With dedicated collegiate fishing programming on several television networks, four nationally televised collegiate bass fishing events, and thousands of members, the ACA is the leader in competitive collegiate bass fishing. For more information on the ACA, or the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series, visit www.CollegiateBassChampionship.com. For more information on Cabela’s visit Cabelas.com, for more information on CarecoTV, visit www.carecotv.com
VIRGINIA’S HICKS WINS COSTA FLW SERIES NORTHERN DIVISION FINALE ON POTOMAC RIVER PRESENTED BY PLANO
Goochland Angler Outlasts 159 Boaters in Three-Day Tournament, Pockets $42,200
MARBURY, Md. (Aug. 26, 2017) – Boater Mike Hicks of Goochland, Virginia, weighed five bass totaling 16 pounds, 14 ounces, Saturday to win the Costa FLW Series Northern Division finale on the Potomac River presented by Plano. Hick’s three-day total of 15 bass weighing 48 pounds, 10 ounces, was enough to earn the win and $42,200.
“I’ve had a lot of top-10 finishes in past FLW events on the Potomac River, but never a win,” said Hicks, who earned his first career-victory as a boater in FLW Series competition. “I told my wife that I didn’t want to make the top 10 again – I wanted to win. I went out there, swung for the fences and it paid off.”
Hicks said he spent his mornings in Aquia Creek, picking apart grass beds with offshore milfoil clumps. He said he worked through a couple of community holes each day before moving on to different areas.
“I don’t normally fish community holes, but they produced a couple of good bites for me this week,” said Hicks. “The bigger fish were relating to the outermost clumps, and I weighed in three on Day One using a black Lobina Rio Rico topwater bait. I then ran to some wood and lily pads in Aquia and Potomac Creeks and filled out my limit.”
On Day Two, Hicks said he managed to catch another three keepers from the milfoil clumps on the Rio Rico, but wasn’t able to fill out a limit at his secondary areas. He said he decided to make a run to an area 25 miles north, near Pohick Bay, around 1:30 p.m. There, Hicks said he used a Team Daiwa TD Pencil topwater bait to complete his limit.
“I caught three in the back of a grass flat where the wind had blown out sediment and created a ditch,” said Hicks. “The sandy bottom was key. I think it was a good place for fish to ambush food.”
On Day Three, Hicks once again worked through his milfoil clumps, but couldn’t get anything to bite his Rio Rico.
“I noticed other anglers were catching them on swim jigs, so I picked up a 3/8-ounce bluegill-colored (Lil’ Hustler) swim jig with a Dirty Sanchez-colored (Reaction Innovations) Skinny Dipper and caught two of my biggest of the day,” said Hicks.
Hicks capitalized on his big bites and caught another three using the TD Pencil. He noted that his later catches on Day Three came from clearer water.
“When the water clears up, I think the Rio Rico is too big and makes too much noise,” said Hicks. “I’d call the TD Pencil more of a finesse-style topwater bait. I caught my last fish around 1:30 (p.m.) and that’s what I brought in.”
The top 10 pros on the Potomac River finished:
1st: Mike Hicks, Goochland, Va., 15 bass, 48-10, $42,200
2nd: Gregory Wilder, Millersville, Md., 15 bass, 45-1, $16,500
3rd: Travis Manson, Conshohocken, Pa., 15 bass, 43-1, $12,600
4th: Bradley Staley, Pleasant Garden, N.C., 15 bass, 37-13, $10,500
5th: Ed Casey, Whiteford, Md., 14 bass, 37-2, $9,500
6th: Mike Blake, Carrollton, Ohio, 15 bass, 36-6, $8,250
7th: Charlie Reed Jr., Gloucester, Va., 15 bass, 36-2, $7,200
8th: Joseph Wood, Westport, Mass., 15 bass, 35-10, $6,200
9th: William Kramer, Montgomery Village, Md., 15 bass, 35-7, $5,200
10th: Jason Kervin, Auburn, Maine, 10 bass, 28-14, $4,100
A complete list of results is available at FLWFishing.com.
Tim Dube of Nashua, New Hampshire, caught a 5-pound, 15-ounce bass Thursday – the heaviest of the tournament in the Pro Division. For his catch, Dube earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $300.
Richard Perez of Naples, Florida, won the Co-angler Division and a new Ranger Z175 with a 90-horsepower Evinrude outboard motor with a three-day total of 12 bass weighing 28 pounds, 3 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers on the Potomac River finished:
1st: Richard Perez, Naples, Fla., 12 bass, 28-3, $27,350
2nd: Gary McClain, Chesapeake, Va., 11 bass, 27-3, $5,300
3rd: Randy Bassler, Westminster, Md., 11 bass, 24-4, $4,200
4th: Michael John Barton, Endicott, N.Y., 11 bass, 24-3, $3,600
5th: Brandt Tumberg, Moore, S.C., 10 bass, 23-14, $3,100
6th: John Shultz, Trucksville, Pa., 11 bass, 23-13, $2,600
7th: Rodney Michael, Eagle Springs, N.C., 11 bass, 22-0, $2,100
8th: Cort Gardner, Jessup, Md., 11 bass, 21-10, $1,800
9th: Terry Stevens, Sterling, Va., 10 bass, 19-8, $1,520
10th: Tom Yi, Vienna, Va., six bass, 17-4, $1,270
Darrin Wells of Stafford, Virginia, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division Thursday, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 7 ounces that earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $200.
The Costa FLW Series Northern Division finale on the Potomac River presented by Plano was hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners. It was the third and final Northern Division tournament of the 2017 season. The next Costa FLW Series tournament will be a Southwestern Division tournament, held Sept. 21-23 on Lake Texoma in Denison, Texas. For a complete schedule, visit FLWFishing.com.
The Costa FLW Series consists of five U.S. divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western. Each division consists of three tournaments with competitors vying for valuable points that could earn them the opportunity to fish in the Costa FLW Series Championship. The 2017 Costa FLW Series Championship is being held Nov. 2-4 on Kentucky Lake in Paris, Tennessee.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Costa FLW Series on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
Ranger Boats Pro Jason Christie Conquers St. Clair Elite Event
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Lee Becomes Third Leader In Three Days At Bassmaster Elite At St. Clair
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Mosley Pulls Ahead At Lake St. Clair; Palaniuk Regains Lead In AOY race
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TH MARINES JEFF HUNTLEY TO RECEIVE “LEGENDS OF THE OUTDOORS” NATIONAL HALL OF FAME LEGACY AWARD
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Casey Is Catching On To Smallmouth, But He Still Don't Like em'
Story & Photo from Alan McGuckin ~ Dynamic Sponsorships
Casey Ashley has been saying for years that he doesn’t like smallmouth.
But given the fact the 2015 Bassmaster Classic Champ sits soundly inside the Top 5 of a Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points race that’s tighter than the dry storage lids of his Triton, well, it’s fair to say, the soft spoken South Carolina pro is learning to live with the infamously ghost like bronze bombers that have dominated the summer portion of the Elite Series schedule.
Fact is, he’s more than just tolerating smallmouth, he’s figuring them out – mostly by taking his own approach with a plan that involves a lot of treble hooks, fairly shallow water, and perhaps most importantly – a mindset of finally accepting the fact that smallmouth are not largemouth.
“I still don’t like ‘em,” grinned the likeable Ashley minutes after dropping 18 pounds of smallmouth on the scales at Day 1 of the Advanced Auto Parts Bassmaster Elite Series on Lake St. Clair. “They’re still way too fickle to my liking. I found two spots late in practice Wednesday that were loaded with smallmouth, and today I never caught a single fish from either of those areas.”
“A southern largemouth fisherman like myself is programmed to finding and catching fish from targets like a brushpile, a laydown tree, stumps, docks, whatever – but with smallmouth, you can forget about all that,” says Ashley. “I’ve learned that you stand just as good a chance by tossing the lure behind your shoulder at smallmouth -- especially on a massive, flat-bottomed lake like St. Clair, because they roam areas, instead of staying locked on targets,” explains Ashley.
Jerks, Cranks, and Less than 10-feet Deep
To explore expansive ‘areas’ Ashley has learned to lean heavily on faster moving lures like jerkbaits and crankbaits versus mega-popular drop shots and tube jigs.
“It seems like I catch bigger smallmouth on jerkbaits and crankbaits than I do a drop shot, and those horizontal moving baits give me a better chance to cover more water too,” explains Ashley.
“I’ve also learned to accept the fact that I’m way better at catching ‘em in less than 10-feet of water when at all possible. You force me to fish deeper than about 10-feet, and I feel like I’m out of my league,” admits Ashley.
Tackle
Ashley has no strict allegiance to a crankbait sponsor, so the ‘free agent’ mixes a blend of brands that often include Lucky Craft Staysee jerkbaits, and Strike King 5XD crankbaits, but one shared constant is the mid-range gear ratio of the reels he throws them on.
“I use the 6.6:1 Quantum Smoke HD for cranking because it’s got a big spool with a lot of line capacity, and for the jerkbait, I use the brand new Smoke S3 in a 6.1:1, because it casts so far and smooth,” he explains.
Ashley uses 10-pound Hi-Seas fluorocarbon line with his jerkbaits, but cranks with 12-pound Hi-Seas.
Surprised by his success?
When asked if he was surprised to be sitting so high in the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points after a bevy of smallmouth tournaments, Ashley replied, “Maybe just a little surprised, but at the St. Lawrence River I was able to find fish in the current around structure, which makes me feel more comfortable, and at Champlain, I was able to blend a few largemouth into the mix.”
As for St. Clair, he caught every fish he weighed-in during the Elite Series event of 2015 on a jerkbait, and finished 13th. So don’t expect him to change much. It’s a shallow-water plan he’s comfortable with, and it gets great results … even though he still doesn’t like smallmouth.
Roy Takes First-Round Lead, AOY Race Heats Up At Bassmaster Elite At St. Clair
MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. — On a day when all eyes were on the most experienced anglers in the sport, a 26-year-old pro from Kentucky stole the show.
Bradley Roy, who has never finished higher than third in a Bassmaster Elite Series event, caught five bass that weighed 23 pounds, 3 ounces, during Thursday's first round. It was good enough to take the lead in the Advance Auto Parts Bassmaster Elite at Lake St. Clair.
Missouri angler Chad Morgenthaler is just 1 pound behind in second with 22-3, and Alabamian Matt Lee is third with 21-13.
"I had a good practice," said Roy, who finished seventh at this year's GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK'S Sporting Goods. "I was seeing a lot of quality fish in a lot of different areas. But this morning, I don't know if they just didn't bite or if they moved out of some of those areas.
"I fished several places and just didn't get bit."
Lake St. Clair smallmouth bass have a reputation for roaming — and Roy decided to roam in search of them.
"I just kept moving around, cycling through them, and about 9 o'clock they started to bite pretty good," he said. "After that, it was just steady. You'd catch some small ones, and then you'd catch a good one."
Morgenthaler's day was the opposite of Roy's, as he put a good limit in his livewell on the first place he stopped.
"It all happened really quick this morning," Morgenthaler said. "I'm on one spot, and it's just a place where they can get stacked up on. It's not a very big spot, and there was another angler in there with me this morning — but we worked really well together."
Lee followed Roy's path, landing most of his larger fish beyond the morning hours.
"Later in the day, I just made a decision to go out to this one area where I had gotten bit in practice," Lee said. "I rolled up out there, and they were all big ones.
"I caught 10 fish there — four were little, one was a 3-pounder and I jumped one off," Lee said. "Then I weighed in three from there, and they were all hammers."
Roy, Morgenthaler and Lee generated a lot of buzz as the leaders of the race for the $100,000 first-place tournament prize. But many were also interested in the hotly contested race for Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year — and the competition couldn't be much tighter.
Tennessee angler Jacob Wheeler came into the day tied for second place in the AOY race, but moved into the lead with 794 points after landing 21-9 and finishing the first day of the St. Clair event in sixth place. Idaho pro Brandon Palaniuk, who came into the tournament as the AOY leader, caught just 17-13 and finished in 47th place on Day 1.
"Moving forward, this is a three-day deal," Wheeler said. "I could go out there tomorrow and catch 17 pounds, or 16 pounds or even 12 pounds. You've got to catch them every day. Day 1 just doesn't matter.
"At the end of the tournament, where you finish is what matters."
Palaniuk is now in second place in the AOY race with 793 points, tied with Oklahoma pro Jason Christie. South Carolina pro Casey Ashley is also well within striking distance in fourth with 769 points.
"My biggest fish (a 6-8 smallmouth) was my second fish of the morning, and after that I thought I was going to smash them," said Palaniuk, who took the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the week with his lunker. "But after that, I just caught small ones. I also lost one 4-pounder."
Christie said he thinks he's on the fish to win the tournament.
"It could happen if everything goes right," he said. "But how often does everything go right?"
After Friday's weigh-in, only the Top 50 remaining anglers will advance to Saturday's semifinal round. Daily takeoffs will begin at 6:30 a.m. ET at Lake St. Clair Metropark. Weigh-ins will be held back at the park at 3:15 p.m.
When the tournament is done, the Top 50 anglers in the AOY standings will advance to the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship on Minnesota's Mille Lacs Lake next month.
The event is hosted by the Detroit Sports Commission, Sterling Heights Regional Chamber of Commerce and Macomb County.
| 1 | Bradley Roy | 5 / 23- 3 | 5 / 23- 3 | |
| 2 | Chad Morgenthaler | 5 / 22- 3 | 5 / 22- 3 | |
| 3 | Matt Lee | 5 / 21-13 | 5 / 21-13 | |
| 4 | Jason Christie | 5 / 21-12 | 5 / 21-12 | |
| 5 | Mark Daniels Jr. | 5 / 21-11 | 5 / 21-11 | |
| 6 | Jacob Wheeler | 5 / 21- 9 | 5 / 21- 9 | |
| 7 | Mark Menendez | 5 / 21- 0 | 5 / 21- 0 | |
| 8 | Skeet Reese | 5 / 20-14 | 5 / 20-14 | |
| 9 | John Crews Jr | 5 / 20-12 | 5 / 20-12 | |
| 9 | Aaron Martens | 5 / 20-12 | 5 / 20-12 | |
| 11 | Steve Kennedy | 5 / 20-11 | 5 / 20-11 | |
| 12 | Micah Frazier | 5 / 20- 6 | 5 / 20- 6 | |
| 13 | Brock Mosley | 5 / 20- 5 | 5 / 20- 5 | |
| 14 | Brett Preuett | 5 / 20- 4 | 5 / 20- 4 | |
| 15 | Brandon Lester | 5 / 20- 2 | 5 / 20- 2 | |
| 16 | Jonathon VanDam | 5 / 19-15 | 5 / 19-15 | |
| 17 | Jamie Hartman | 5 / 19-11 | 5 / 19-11 | |
| 18 | Jordan Lee | 5 / 19- 9 | 5 / 19- 9 | |
| 19 | Koby Kreiger | 5 / 19- 8 | 5 / 19- 8 | |
| 20 | Michael Iaconelli | 5 / 19- 7 | 5 / 19- 7 | |
| 21 | Keith Combs | 5 / 19- 6 | 5 / 19- 6 | |
| 21 | Edwin Evers | 5 / 19- 6 | 5 / 19- 6 | |
| 21 | Randy Howell | 5 / 19- 6 | 5 / 19- 6 | |
| 21 | Takahiro Omori | 5 / 19- 6 | 5 / 19- 6 | |
| 25 | Luke Clausen | 5 / 19- 5 | 5 / 19- 5 | |
| 25 | Bernie Schultz | 5 / 19- 5 | 5 / 19- 5 | |
| 27 | David Williams | 5 / 19- 3 | 5 / 19- 3 | |
| 28 | John Hunter Jr | 5 / 19- 1 | 5 / 19- 1 | |
| 29 | Bobby Lane Jr. | 5 / 19- 0 | 5 / 19- 0 | |
| 30 | Brent Ehrler | 5 / 18-15 | 5 / 18-15 | |
| 31 | Casey Ashley | 5 / 18-14 | 5 / 18-14 | |
| 32 | Shane Lineberger | 5 / 18-13 | 5 / 18-13 | |
| 32 | Marty Robinson | 5 / 18-13 | 5 / 18-13 | |
| 34 | Fred Roumbanis | 5 / 18-12 | 5 / 18-12 | |
| 35 | Tyler Carriere | 5 / 18-11 | 5 / 18-11 | |
| 35 | Paul Elias | 5 / 18-11 | 5 / 18-11 | |
| 37 | Greg Hackney | 5 / 18-10 | 5 / 18-10 | |
| 38 | Brandon Coulter | 5 / 18- 9 | 5 / 18- 9 | |
| 38 | Andy Montgomery | 5 / 18- 9 | 5 / 18- 9 | |
| 40 | Seth Feider | 5 / 18- 8 | 5 / 18- 8 | |
| 41 | Dustin Connell | 5 / 18- 5 | 5 / 18- 5 | |
| 42 | Chad Pipkens | 5 / 18- 2 | 5 / 18- 2 | |
| 43 | Jesse Tacoronte | 5 / 18- 1 | 5 / 18- 1 | |
| 44 | Ott DeFoe | 5 / 18- 0 | 5 / 18- 0 | |
| 45 | Bill Lowen | 5 / 18- 0 | 5 / 18- 0 | |
| 46 | Clifford Pirch | 5 / 17-14 | 5 / 17-14 | |
| 47 | Brandon Palaniuk | 5 / 17-13 | 5 / 17-13 | |
| 47 | Randall Tharp | 5 / 17-13 | 5 / 17-13 | |
| 49 | Tim Horton | 5 / 17-12 | 5 / 17-12 | |
| 49 | Brian Snowden | 5 / 17-12 | 5 / 17-12 | |
| 51 | Josh Bertrand | 5 / 17-12 | 5 / 17-12 | |
| 52 | Stephen Browning | 5 / 17- 9 | 5 / 17- 9 | |
| 52 | Jesse Wiggins | 5 / 17- 9 | 5 / 17- 9 | |
| 54 | Scott Rook | 5 / 17- 6 | 5 / 17- 6 | |
| 54 | Jason Williamson | 5 / 17- 6 | 5 / 17- 6 | |
| 56 | Keith Poche | 4 / 17- 5 | 4 / 17- 5 | |
| 57 | Darrell Ocamica | 5 / 17- 0 | 5 / 17- 0 | |
| 58 | Kelley Jaye | 5 / 16-11 | 5 / 16-11 | |
| 58 | Chris Lane | 5 / 16-11 | 5 / 16-11 | |
| 60 | Matt Herren | 5 / 16- 7 | 5 / 16- 7 | |
| 61 | Jacob Powroznik | 5 / 16- 6 | 5 / 16- 6 | |
| 62 | Jared Lintner | 5 / 16- 5 | 5 / 16- 5 | |
| 62 | Ish Monroe | 5 / 16- 5 | 5 / 16- 5 | |
| 64 | Adrian Avena | 5 / 16- 4 | 5 / 16- 4 | |
| 65 | Brent Chapman | 5 / 16- 3 | 5 / 16- 3 | |
| 65 | Mark Davis | 5 / 16- 3 | 5 / 16- 3 | |
| 67 | Tommy Biffle | 5 / 16- 2 | 5 / 16- 2 | |
| 67 | James Niggemeyer | 5 / 16- 2 | 5 / 16- 2 | |
| 69 | John Murray | 5 / 16- 0 | 5 / 16- 0 | |
| 70 | Gerald Spohrer | 5 / 15-13 | 5 / 15-13 | |
| 71 | Dave Lefebre | 5 / 15-12 | 5 / 15-12 | |
| 72 | Alton Jones | 5 / 15-11 | 5 / 15-11 | |
| 72 | Mike McClelland | 5 / 15-11 | 5 / 15-11 | |
| 74 | Rick Clunn | 5 / 15-10 | 5 / 15-10 | |
| 75 | Chris Zaldain | 5 / 15- 7 | 5 / 15- 7 | |
| 76 | Cliff Prince | 5 / 15- 5 | 5 / 15- 5 | |
| 77 | David Mullins | 5 / 15- 2 | 5 / 15- 2 | |
| 78 | Paul Mueller | 5 / 15- 1 | 5 / 15- 1 | |
| 79 | Cliff Pace | 5 / 14-15 | 5 / 14-15 | |
| 80 | Britt Myers | 5 / 14-13 | 5 / 14-13 | |
| 81 | Cliff Crochet | 5 / 14-10 | 5 / 14-10 | |
| 81 | Gary Klein | 5 / 14-10 | 5 / 14-10 | |
| 83 | Kevin VanDam | 5 / 14- 9 | 5 / 14- 9 | |
| 84 | Justin Lucas | 5 / 14- 9 | 5 / 14- 9 | |
| 85 | Todd Faircloth | 5 / 14- 6 | 5 / 14- 6 | |
| 86 | Morizo Shimizu | 5 / 14- 5 | 5 / 14- 5 | |
| 87 | Brandon Card | 5 / 14- 2 | 5 / 14- 2 | |
| 88 | Hank Cherry Jr | 5 / 13-13 | 5 / 13-13 | |
| 89 | Greg Vinson | 5 / 13-10 | 5 / 13-10 | |
| 90 | Jeff Kriet | 5 / 13- 6 | 5 / 13- 6 | |
| 91 | Stetson Blaylock | 5 / 12-15 | 5 / 12-15 | |
| 92 | Dean Rojas | 5 / 12-14 | 5 / 12-14 | |
| 93 | Kelly Jordon | 5 / 12-11 | 5 / 12-11 | |
| 94 | Drew Benton | 5 / 12- 6 | 5 / 12- 6 | |
| 95 | Skylar Hamilton | 5 / 12- 4 | 5 / 12- 4 | |
| 96 | Gerald Swindle | 5 / 12- 3 | 5 / 12- 3 | |
| 97 | Shaw Grigsby Jr. | 5 / 11-10 | 5 / 11-10 | |
| 98 | David Walker | 3 / 10-13 | 3 / 10-13 | |
| 99 | Alton Jones Jr. | 5 / 10-12 | 5 / 10-12 | |
| 100 | Fletcher Shryock | 4 / 10- 3 | 4 / 10- 3 | |
| 101 | Robbie Latuso | 3 / 9-12 | 3 / 9-12 | |
| 102 | Russ Lane | 3 / 9- 4 | 3 / 9- 4 | |
| 103 | Boyd Duckett | 4 / 9- 1 | 4 / 9- 1 | |
| 104 | Terry Scroggins | 3 / 9- 1 | 3 / 9- 1 | |
| 105 | David Fritts | 3 / 7- 5 | 3 / 7- 5 | |
| 106 | James Elam | 2 / 6- 6 | 2 / 6- 6 | |
| 107 | Clent Davis | 2 / 5- 4 | 2 / 5- 4 | |
| 108 | Brett Hite | 2 / 4- 0 | 2 / 4- 0 |
WILDER IN FRONT ON THE POTOMAC AS DAY 2 STARTS
August 24, 2017 by Jody White
Despite tougher fishing than a few weeks ago, day one of the Costa FLW Series presented by Plano on the Potomac River still showed off a very healthy fishery. In first, Gregory Wilder of Millersville, Md., started strong with 19 pounds even. About a half pound back, Jason Kervin of Auburn, Maine, is in hot pursuit with 18-7.
Wilder put up a pair of finishes below 150th to start the Northern Division season at Champlain and the 1000 Islands. Now, after a good start on his home waters, the Maryland anglers is looking for his third Costa FLW Series top 10 on the Potomac and perhaps his first FLW win.
Unlike many of the other leaders, the early morning bite wasn’t the key to the day for Wilder.
“I didn’t really start catching them good until 9:30, and I just plucked at them one at a time, it wasn’t fast,” says Wilder. “Today I was lucky to get the good bites.”
Wilder says he was throwing a popper and a Senko, and caught nine keepers on the day.
“Pre-fishing was terrible, so I’m happy,” says Wilder. “It was probably the cooler weather that helped, they were there, we just couldn’t stand it.”
The weather for day two looks to be pretty similar to day one, but with perhaps a little more sun. If Wilder can put together the right few bites again, he might be looking really good into the weekend.
Top 10 pros
1. Gregory Wilder – Millersville, Md. – 19-0 (5)
2. Jason Kervin – Auburn, Maine – 18-7 (5)
3. Mike Hicks – Goochland, Va. – 17-14 (5)
4. Scott Wiley – Bay Minette, Ala. – 17-11 (5)
5. William Kramer – Montgomery Village, Md. – 16-9 (5)
6. Bob Izumi – Milton, Ont. – 16-5 (5)
7. Tim Dube – Nashua, N.H. – 16-3 (5)
8. Bryan Schmitt – Deale, Md. – 16-2 (5)
9. Travis Manson – Conshohocken, Pa. – 15-14 (5)
10. Cory Johnston – Cavan, Ont. – 15-4 (5)
Perez leads the co-anglers
Richard Perez of Naples, Fla., walloped them on the co-angler side on day one, putting 15 pounds, 4 ounces in the boat and securing a lead of more than a pound over John Schultz.
Perez fished with Terry Olinger on day one, and the duo mined one spot for much of the morning.
“We had a great day, between us we probably caught close to 30 fish, and we culled quite a few times,” says Perez. “It slowed down a little bit after lunch, but we still caught a couple fish in the afternoon.”
Perez says he caught most of his fish on soft plastics and topwaters.
Carhartt Countdown to Blastoff - Hackney Knows He Has to Spin to Win
Story & Photo Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
Lake St. Clair is one of America’s all time greatest smallmouth fisheries. But when the Bassmaster Elite Series visited the Detroit area fishery in 2013, Greg Hackney chose to fish for largemouth based on the fact smallmouth looked more like retired Pistons point guard Isaiah Thomas than current Lions left tackle Greg Robinson.
“I don’t know what the deal was on St. Clair four years ago, but the smallmouth looked sickly, like they were starving. You’d catch a fish that should have weighed 4-pounds and he’d only weigh 3-pounds,” remembers Hackney.
“After a couple days of practice, I finally stumbled into some healthy largemouth and decided I had a better chance to do well catching those than skinny smallmouth, so I pitched a Strike King Menace around on a ¾ ounce Texas rig and caught enough largemouth to finish 18th,” he recalls.
“But that ain’t the case this week – these Smallmouth are healthy right now – and I’ll be fishing for them exclusively with spinning tackle,” confirmed Hackney before Day 1 launch at the Advanced Auto Parts Bassmaster Elite on Lake St. Clair.
While he may be fishing finesse techniques this week, it won’t be with undersized spinning reels. Hackney is religious about his love of larger spinning reels – and for good reason.
“A lot of people buy size 25 and 30 spinning reels for bass fishing, but I use a size 40 Speed Freak from Quantum because it holds more line, and leads to far less twists and tangles than a smaller spinning reel – especially if I’m using straight fluorocarbon line with no braided line,” explains Hackney.
“Like most guys, more times than not, I’ll use braid with a 7 to 8 foot long fluorocarbon leader on my spinning reels, because braid doesn’t twist nearly as bad, especially when you’re fishing a nose-hooked drop shot bait that’s spinning downward with each vertical drop you make,” he explains.
“But no matter what line you use, a bigger spinning reel just offers you better line management, and faster line pick-up. With that 6.2:1 gear ratio, you’re picking up about 39-inches of line with every turn of the handle,” he explains.
Known as a gritty shallow water stick, the Louisiana pro admits his favorite two ways to catch a bass are top water froggin’ and pitching to heavy cover, but what you love, verses what pays the bills are two very different things.
“That’s the life of an Elite Series pro, if you’re not willing and able to be versatile out here, this bunch of anglers will eat you alive. And if you can’t fish all the different techniques, you’ll starve,” concludes the highly accomplished Hackney.
Scroggins and the Lee Brothers preview Lake St. Clair Elite
The Advance Auto Parts Bassmaster Elite at Lake St. Clair begins Thursday near Carhartt’s longtime headquarters in the Detroit metro.
The 128-year-old manufacturer of quality clothing for hard working people graciously hosted the Wednesday Elite Series angler meeting, and fed all pros and ride-along Marshals a great dinner.
Between bites of BBQ chicken, we caught up with Terry “Big Show” Scroggins, along with Jordan and Matt Lee, to learn what to expect from the fabulous fishery this week.
What will be the toughest challenge of this week’s tournament on Lake St. Clair?
Jordan Lee: Staying in productive areas, because the smallmouth don’t seem to be as grouped-up as I wish they were.
Matt Lee: Getting around schools versus single fish here and there.
Scroggins: The wind. It’s been big time rough water out there in practice.
What do you love most about Lake St. Clair?
Jordan Lee: The weather up here is awesome compared to the Deep South in late August.
Matt Lee: The number of fish per surface acre is as good or better than anywhere I’ve ever competed. It’s a pretty awesome fishery.
Scroggins: The number of fish in this lake is pretty phenomenal.
Name three lures fans at home can expect to see pros use the most this week.
Jordan Lee: Drop shot, tube, and a Strike King 5XD
Matt Lee: Tube, drop shot, and a 5XD
Scroggins: Drop shot, tube, and a jerkbait
How much weight will a pro need to average each day in order to make the final Top 12 cut?
Jordan Lee: 18 pounds
Matt Lee: 18 pounds
Scroggins: 20 pounds
We’re in Carhartt’s backyard this week. Name one piece of Carhartt clothing you never leave home without.
Jordan Lee: Carhartt Force Extremes Shoreline Angler rainsuit
Matt Lee: Carhartt Force Extremes Shoreline Angler rainsuit
Scroggins: Carhartt Force Extremes pocket t-shirts
T-H MARINE ADDS GENE EISENMANN AS MARKETING DIRECTOR
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Have Contingency Questions? Contingense.com & Bonusloop.com Answer Those Questions for You!
Our own Chris Brown talks with Contigense Founder Jason Baggett on his new website Bonusloop and answers the question, How do you know? Check out www.contingense.com and www.bonusloop.com
Lake St. Clair’s All Time Classic Lure
Photo & Story by Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
There are two things you can count on at Lake St. Clair - the wind will eventually blow hard enough to stir its 430 square miles of water into ocean like proportions -- and the smallmouth will usually bite a 4.5” tube jig.
The second day of practice for the 2017 Advanced Auto Parts Bassmaster Elite Series on St. Clair was no exception. “A man could use a Motrin after a day like this,” said Kevin VanDam upon finally reaching calm waters near the protected harbor of a Harrison Township boat ramp.
VanDam had been riding the spine-jarring waves for more than twelve hours through gusting winds, stormy rains, and at times, a blend of blue skies. And riding with him was what he, and most veteran anglers, consider St. Clair’s All Time Greatest lure – a 4.5” soft plastic tube.
“I haven’t been on St. Clair since the Elite Series came here in 2015. But I’ve been fishing here for 32 years, since back when I was in high school competing in B.A.S.S. Federation tournaments with the Kal Valley Bass Club,” says Van Dam.
“I caught ‘em really well in the first tournament I ever fished here using a double willow leaf spinnerbait with gold blades. But if you had to choose one lure that’s dominated this lake for the past 40 years, you’d have to choose a tube,” says the 7-time Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year, who lives three hours west of St. Clair.
Even though a drop shot has become highly popular and effective the past 10 years, dragging or snapping a plastic tube across St. Clair’s notoriously shallow lake bottom still wins the vote for all time most popular smallmouth lure on St. Clair from hard core anglers. Including VanDam’s close friend, smallmouth nut, and fishing show host Mark Zona, who also lives about three hours west of St. Clair.
“The tube is 100% the most all time classic lure on St. Clair – and let me warn ya’ – it still has MUCH power,” Zona typed in a text response when asked about the plastic tube’s historic effectiveness on St. Clair.
The tube’s decades of smallmouth catching dominance is simple – it resembles so many of the things smallmouth love to eat -- including, gobies, perch and crawfish. When asked to name three colors of the 4.5” soft plastic tube that no angler should be without on St. Clair, VanDam said, “Green pumpkin, melon gold, and smoke purple.”
Rigging
“Most days a 3/8-ounce jig head is pretty ideal, and I fish it on 8-pound fluorocarbon line with no braid, just straight 8-pound fluorocarbon spooled to a Quantum size 40 Smoke spinning reel and 7’ 4” Tour KVD rod,” says the Kalamazoo resident.
Even though St. Clair is a big body of water, and connects the Great Lakes of Huron and Erie, it’s very shallow with an average depth of just 11-feet. So it stirs easy into big waves when the wind inevitably blows here.
And while shallow lures like willowleaf spinnerbaits and lipless crankbaits catch their share of smallmouth - no lure stakes claim to the unofficial title of St. Clair’s All Time Best Lure like the simple plastic tube.
Navionics adds 26 New Lakes and Updates 4 More in Pennsylvania
As part of our ongoing product enhancement efforts, hundreds of new and updated lakes within the United States are now available. Today we released new mapping on 26 lakes and 4 were updated in Pennsylvania.
The NEW lakes are in Nautical Charts only. If Sonar Charts exists it is from prior tracks, not new data.
List and locations include: Canoe Lake, Chapman Lake, Cowans Gap Lake, Doubling Gap Lake, Foster Joseph Sayers Lake, Frances Slocum Lake, George B Stevenson Reservoir, Hills Creek Lake, Holman Lake, Kettle Creek Reservoir, Keystone Lake, Kooser Lake, Lake Arthur, Lake Frances, Lake Jean, Lake Wilhelm, Laurel Hill Lake, Laurel Lake, Little Pine Lake, Lyman Run Lake, Memorial Lake, Lake Nockamixon, Pinchot Lake, Peo Lake, Promised Land Lake and Lower Lake, Raccoon Lake, Shawnee Lake, Tobyhanna Lake, Whipple Lake, Yellow Creek Lake.
See the improvements now....
Compare your current charts on our Chart Viewer on our web site www.navionics.com
Boat Safer and Fish Smarter with the most detailed charts and SonarChartTM – our 1 ft HD bathymetry map! And always have the most up-to-date information with daily chart updates!
Try our mobile device app for FREE for 14 days. Get the same charts with our free Boating app, that provides a 2-week trial! If you already have any of our apps, keep your charts up to date
with Menu > Update All. To learn more, go to www.navionics.com We start where the road ends.
FLW Announces 2018 Costa Schedule
Lake Guntersville to host 2018 Costa FLW Series Championship in November
MINNEAPOLIS (Aug. 22, 2017) – Fishing League Worldwide (FLW), the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, announced today the 2018 Costa FLW Series schedule, which will consist of three events in each of the five divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western – along with the no-entry-fee Costa FLW Series Championship to be held on Lake Guntersville in Guntersville, Alabama.
The top 40 pros and co-anglers in the final point standings in each division after three qualifying tournaments will advance to the 2018 Costa FLW Series Championship, provided they fished all three qualifiers in a division.
The highest finishing pro from each of the five Costa FLW Series divisions based on final results at the 2018 Costa FLW Series Championship qualify for the Forrest Wood Cup, along with the highest finishing pro from the championship’s international division. A total of six Costa FLW Series pros will advance to the 2019 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of professional bass fishing.
Complete rules and entry dates will be announced soon.
2018 Costa FLW Series Season Schedule:
Central Division Fishery City Local Host
- April 19-21 Table Rock Lake Branson, Mo. ExploreBranson.com
- June 7-9 Lake Barkley Cadiz, Ky. Cadiz-Trigg County Tourism
- Oct. 11-13 Lake of the Ozarks Osage Beach, Mo. Tri-County Lodging Association
Northern Division
- June 21-23 Lake Champlain Plattsburgh, N.Y. City of Plattsburgh
- July 26-28 Lake Erie Buffalo, N.Y. Buffalo Niagara Sports Commission
- Sept. 6-8 1000 Islands Clayton, N.Y. Clayton Chamber of Commerce
Southeastern Division
- Jan. 4-6 Lake Okeechobee Okeechobee, Fla. Okeechobee County Tourism Development Council
- March 1-3 Lake Seminole Bainbridge, Ga. Bainbridge Convention and Visitors Bureau
- April 5-7 Santee Cooper Summerton, S.C. Clarendon County Chamber of Commerce
Southwestern Division
- Feb. 15-17 Sam Rayburn Reservoir Jasper, Texas Jasper-Lake Sam Rayburn Area Chamber of Commerce
- March 22-24 Grand Lake Grove, Okla. City of Grove
- Oct. 4-6 Fort Gibson Lake Wagoner, Okla. Wagoner Area Chamber of Commerce
Western Division
- Feb. 8-10 Lake Havasu Lake Havasu City, Ariz. Lake Havasu City Convention and Visitors Bureau
- May 10-12 Clear Lake Lakeport, Calif. Konocti Vista Casino Resort and Marina
- Sept. 27-29 California Delta Bethel Island, Calif. Russo's Marina
Costa FLW Series Championship
- Nov. 1-3 Lake Guntersville Guntersville, Ala. Marshall County Convention and Visitors Bureau
The full schedule and details for each fishery can be found at FLWFishing.com.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Costa FLW Series on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
MULL WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL ILLINI DIVISION TOURNAMENT ON LAKE SHELBYVILLE PRESENTED BY NAVIONICS
MULL WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL ILLINI DIVISION TOURNAMENT ON LAKE SHELBYVILLE PRESENTED BY NAVIONICS
Walnut Hill’s Arning Claims Co-angler Title
SHELBYVILLE, Ill. (Aug. 21, 2017) – Jeremy Mull of Chatham, Illinois, caught a five-bass limit weighing 22 pounds, 1 ounce, Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Illini Division tournament on Lake Shelbyville presented by Navionics. Mull took home $5,745 for his victory.
Mull said he began his day flipping isolated trees and stumps on the main lake and in coves using a green-pumpkin-colored Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver with a 3/8-ounce weight.
“I caught a 5-pounder first thing in the morning from an isolated tree,” said Mull, who logged his second career-win – both on Lake Shelbyville – in BFL competition. “After that I kept moving and came across a stump that produced six to eight keepers. I flipped to it, headed down the bank and then would return. I did that several times and ended up weighing two bass off of it.”
At 10 a.m. Mull said he moved out deep to a brush pile, in 16 to 18 feet of water, on a small main-lake point. He said he switched to a Red Bug-colored Zoom Trick Worm with a 5/16-ounce Spot Remover jig head.
“I caught the last two that I weighed within a few minutes of each other and then the bite died off,” said Mull. “I didn’t really do anything special out there – I got the bites needed and I was able to get them in the boat. It was one of those days you dream about having.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Jeremy Mull, Chatham, Ill., five bass, 22-1, $3,745 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Brad Porter, Bluford, Ill., five bass, 16-10, $1,873
3rd: Marion Cordes, Sullivan, Ill., five bass, 16-4, $1,181
4th: Robert Neff, Roodhouse, Ill., five bass, 14-4, $827
5th: Patrick O’Dell, Windsor, Ill., five bass, 14-0, $709
6th: Paul Leonard, Chatham, Ill., five bass, 13-6, $1,095
7th: Haldon Burgener, Moweaqua, Ill., five bass, 13-2, $591
8th: Mike Barnes, Mackinaw, Ill., five bass, 12-15, $832
9th: Chris Johnson, Griggsville, Ill., three bass, 12-12, $443
9th: Greg Mullins, Mount Vernon, Ill., five bass, 12-12, $443
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Leonard caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 3 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $445.
Aaron Arning of Walnut Hill, Illinois, caught five bass weighing 13 pounds, 2 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $1,793.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Aaron Arning, Walnut Hill, Ill., five bass, 13-2, $1,793
2nd: Archie Eslinger, Paris, Ill., four bass, 10-11, $846
3rd: Brandon Depew, Odin, Ill., five bass, 9-5, $564
4th: Anthony Macon, Greenville, Ill., four bass, 8-4, $367
4th: Jimmy Null, Bethalto, Ill., three bass, 8-4, $367
6th: Edward Helf, Alto Pass, Ill., four bass, 8-0, $310
7th: Ryan Fancher, Olney, Ill., four bass, 7-7, $332
8th: Steven Yeun, Elgin, Ill., four bass, 6-13, $254
9th: Dillon Saffle, Ballwin, Mo., three bass, 6-10, $226
10th: Richard Snodgrass, Bluffs, Ill., two bass, 6-6, $198
Lyle Lehman of Blue Mound, Illinois, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 5 pounds, 6 ounces – and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $212.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 5-7 BFL Regional Championship on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
Timing Might Be Perfect For Bassmaster Elite Series Event On Lake St. Clair
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KELLEY WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL MICHIGAN DIVISION EVENT ON DETROIT RIVER PRESENTED BY NAVIONICS
Indiana’s Raber Takes Co-angler Title
TRENTON, Mich. (Aug. 21, 2017) – Cody Kelley of Portage, Michigan, caught a five-bass limit weighing 23 pounds, 9 ounces, Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Michigan Division tournament on the Detroit River presented by Navionics. Kelley pocketed $4,316 for his win.
Kelley said he spent his day in the middle of Lake Erie focusing on a 100- by 50-foot length of scattered chunk rock in 25 feet of water. He said he used one lure to catch his limit – a green-pumpkin-colored V&M Smallie Tube.
“I found the area last Sunday during practice and weighed around 23 pounds of bass on a hand scale,” said Kelley, who earned his first career-victory as a boater in BFL competition. “During the event, the school was about 30 yards from where I caught them Sunday. It was one of those magical days where everything came together.”
Kelley said he caught his first bass around 8:30 a.m., and the heaviest fish of the event – a 6-pound, 9-ouncer – at 11:15 a.m.
“My Denali rods were really what did it for me,” said Kelley. “I was able to feel the bites. I tried to use a custom-made rod at one point, but it didn’t help. The guides on the Denali worked the best.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Cody Kelley, Portage, Mich., five bass, 23-9, $4,316
2nd: Michael Sitko, Pinckney, Mich., five bass, 22-0, $1,920
3rd: Terry McWilliams, Greenfield, Ind., five bass, 21-12, $1,214
4th: Steve Clapper, Lima, Ohio, five bass, 21-3, $850
5th: Pat Upthagrove, Monroe, Mich., five bass, 20-7, $728
6th: Joseph Nega, Chicago, Ill., five bass, 20-1, $637
6th: Joshua Barr, Stow, Ohio, five bass, 20-1, $637
8th: John Devries, Fishers, Ind., five bass, 19-14, $546
9th: Aaron Limber, Millbury, Ohio, five bass, 19-9, $485
10th: Tom Cooley, Waterford, Mich., five bass, 19-8, $425
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Kelley’s 6-pound, 9-ounce bass also earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $475.
Mike Raber of Wolcottville, Indiana, caught a five-bass limit weighing 22 pounds, 8 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $1,820.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Mike Raber, Wolcottville, Ind., five bass, 22-8, $1,820
2nd: Chris Fraser, Canton, Mich., five bass, 19-12, $910
3rd: John Black, Monclova, Ohio, five bass, 18-13, $607
4th: Tony Grubb, Ann Arbor, Mich., five bass, 18-1, $425
5th: David Michaelis, Commerce, Mich., five bass, 17-14, $364
6th: Alex Newman, Wapakoneta, Ohio, five bass, 17-6, $334
7th: Jason Roberts, Bargersville, Ind., five bass, 17-3, $303
8th: Jeff Cox, Saline, Mich., five bass, 17-1, $373
9th: Christopher Majerle, Trenton, Mich., five bass, 16-15, $243
10th: Aaron Stahley, Batavia, Ohio, five bass, 16-10, $262
Brian Kich of Berea, Ohio, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 5 pounds, 7 ounces – and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $237.
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 Barren River in Scottsville, Kentucky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
Ranger Boats Continues Partnership with the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series for the 2018 Season
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (August 21, 2017) – Ranger Boats and the Association of Collegiate Anglers have renewed their long-standing partnership of the 2018 Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series. As part of the relationship Ranger Boats will continue to reach collegiate anglers throughout the nation through the series with the one of a kind Ranger Cup University program.
“The partnership with the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series is special for us,” said Ranger Boats Marketing Director Matt Raynor. “It’s an opportunity to connect with the next generation of anglers and continue to help grow the sport. We’re particularly excited about the upcoming season, which happens to coincide with Ranger’s 50th Anniversary, and highlighting a heritage that was built on the support of tournament fishing.”
Modeled after the most lucrative contingency reward program in the fishing industry, Ranger Cup University is the only program of its kind designed exclusively for collegiate anglers and is open to those competing in Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series events throughout 2018. Regardless of which boat brand they own, collegiate anglers in compliance with the guidelines and free registration can earn merchandise, prizes, as well as a once-in-a-lifetime fishing opportunity by qualifying for the Ranger Cup University Team Challenge held each Fall. Collegiate Anglers need to register for the program each year, regardless of past participation. Registration is completely free of charge and includes payout opportunities at each of the 2018 Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series events.
“Ranger Boats’ support of bass fishing has always been legendary when you look at the history of our sport. It only goes without saying that their legacy in college fishing is also historical as they’re one of only a handful of companies that were involved in the early growth of college bass fishing. It continues to be an honor to call them our partners in the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series and the Ranger Cup University is one the top prize programs in all of college fishing,” said Wade Middleton, President of CarecoTV, and Director of the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series.
For more information on Ranger Cup University, including program guidelines, go online to Ranger Cup University. Registration for the 2018 season should be available December 1, 2017. For more information on Ranger Boats, visit www.RangerBoats.com.
About Ranger Boats
Headquartered in Flippin, Ark., Ranger Boats is the nation’s premier manufacturer of legendary fiberglass and aluminum fishing boats, which include series of bass, multi-species, fish ‘n play, waterfowl utility and saltwater boats. Founded in 1968 by Forrest L. Wood, Ranger Boats continues its commitment to building the highest-quality, strongest-performing boats on the water.
Ish Monroe Talks About Some New Simms Gear You Need to Check Out!
Elite Series and Simms Pro Ish Monroe talks about some new Simms gear that you need to include in your fishing arsenal to keep you cool and comfortable on the water.
2017 Brandon Card College & High School Bass Open
The second annual Brandon Card College & High School Bass Open will take place on Norris Lake, just 50 miles north of Knoxville, Tenn. on Dec. 2, 2017. The event has a unique format, as it will be two tournaments in one.
The college anglers only compete against other college anglers and high school against high school. The two divisions will be competing for separate trophies, payouts, and prizes, where the first place collegiate team will win $2,500, and the top high school team will walk away with $1,500. I have high expectations for this year’s event, as we are shooting for over 100 boats!
“Last year was a huge success for the first year. We had a great turnout and we were able to hook the anglers up! My primary goal for the event was to give as much back to the college and high school anglers as we could. I think we achieved that goal by giving out over $15,000 in cash and prizes!” said Card.
The presenting sponsors that make this event possible are Campbell County Chamber of Commerce and Suzuki Marine. Associate sponsors include Yo-Zuri, Fishsens Technology, Bass Cat Boats, Abu Garcia, Lowrance, Empire Covers, Gary Yamamoto, Bob's Machine Shop, Ab Card Construction, Twin Cove Marine, Coal Creek Smokehouse BBQ, Bass Pro Shops, Fish Head, and Dixie Roofing.
For more information visit the Brandon Card Facebook page or email [email protected].
