AnglersChannel

Morning Bite Stronger On Day1 Of Bassmaster Classic Bracket On Niagra River

Judging from the weight totals, it seems like the early bite was stronger than the afternoon bite.

Three of the four pros who fished this morning caught limits of bass. Only one of four competitors did so this afternoon.

Tomorrow they flip-flop which means Kevin VanDam will defend the tournament's biggest Day 1 lead atop what should be an even more difficult hill for Elite Series rookie Drew Benton to climb. Benton caught one bass this morning while KVD led all anglers with 10 pounds, 4 ounces, though he's only competing against Benton today and tomorrow.

Brett Hite, the lone limit-getter of the afternoon, nearly equalled VanDam's exploits with 10-2 as he leads Keith Combs who caught 3 fish for a total 7-15.

Combs shared with me at the recent ICAST show that he grew up catching a few smallmouth in Texas, but that - as he points out in this EXCELLENT blog post on Bassmaster.com http://www.bassmaster.com/keith-combs/bass-not-bass - they are not very similar to the critters he's chasing this week.

Jordan Lee also had 7-15 (on 4 fish) but it was enough to give him a lead in this head-to-head style tournament where he was paired against Dean Rojas. Rojas had 3 fish that weighed 3-11.

The same anglers are matched against the same opponents for Wednesday's action, though Combs and Hite will enjoy the morning bite alongside Lee and Rojas and VanDam vs Benton will resume, as will Jacob Powroznik (9-14) vs Koby Kreiger (8-14) in the afternoon.

You can catch tomorrow's LIVE broadcast on WatchESPN or the ESPN app along with millions of sports fans who are not normally exposed to competitive bass fishing. Bassmaster.com will continue to stream it live on Thursday and during Friday's championship round.

by AnglersChannel

Bassmaster Classic Bracket Off To Interesting Start!

Kevin VanDam is off to a hot start. Under this new format, that could make him harder than ever to catch. photo courtesy B.A.S.S.

This would be 'half time' for our Classic Bracket anglers in matches #1 and #2. They will pick up the rods again tomorrow against the same opponents and carry today's weight toward their 2-day total to determine who moves on to Thursday's semifinal rounds.

Kevin VanDam trots to the locker room with a hefty lead over Elite Series rookie Drew Benton. KVD may not have a ton of experience on the Niagara River but he understands smallmouth - and bass, in general - better than most folks. He leads Benton by a weight of 10 pounds, 4 ounces (5 fish) to Benton's single bass that weighed 1 pound, 6 ounces.

Under this unique format VanDam's lead provides extra advantages. Unlike other Elite Series events, the Classic Bracket allows anglers to know what kind of weight their competitor - the only guy they need to beat during that round - has on the scoreboard.

This means that VanDam can watch how Benton does tomorrow and, unless the rookie who grew up fishing in the Florida Panhandle - hundreds of miles from the nearest smallmouth - can mount a charge, VanDam can lay off his best stuff and save it for Thursday.

That could make things really tough for Koby Kreiger or Jacob Powroznik. The two anglers had a combined total weight of 18 pounds, 12 ounces for each guy's best 5 fish. They may have burned more fish culling up to that weight.

According to Steve Bowman of B.A.S.S., Powroznik had 45 seconds left on the clock when he swung a 2-pound, 3-ounce smallmouth aboard. That fish ran his weight to 9-14 and gave him a 1-pound advantage over Kreiger that he will carry into Wednesday's competition.

That all happened this morning. This afternoon we are watching, via Bassmaster LIVE, Brett Hite vs Keith Combs and Jordan Lee vs Dean Rojas.

An hour into it Jordan Lee is the only angler to score so far. He has a 2-pound, 6-ounce fish to his credit.

The Niagra River is fishing a little slower than expected but it is sure to give off some fireworks this week. You can watch it all at Bassmaster.com and on Wednesday the entire sporting world can see our favorite game on WatchESPN and the ESPN app. - great exposure for our sport as we 'test the waters' with this new format.

by AnglersChannel

Lew's Mach II Delivers Stylish Performance At A Budget-Friendly Price

Its often said that luck is the intersection of opportunity and preparation. Similarly, â€œvalueâ€ occurs when price and quality intersect. Lucky for anglers, Lewâ€™s has packed a lot of quality into itâ€™s new Mach II baitcast combo, released last week at ICAST.

â€œThis is not a cheap, low-end combo; this is a super-good quality combo,â€ said FLW Tour Pro and Lewâ€™s pro-staffer Glenn Browne. â€œIt has a 7-foot IM8 graphite rod that comes in a couple of different actions and it has the new WINN Grips, which have become hugely popular in the last couple of years.

â€œI use the WINN Grips on all of my rods and the neat thing about them is that if itâ€™s rainy, or if itâ€™s humid and your hands get sweaty, that grip really stays in your hand.â€

Indeed, the 7-foot, one-piece Mach II rod features Nano Technology, Lewâ€™s Soft Touch graphite skeletal reel seats and stainless steel frames with aluminum oxide inserts. Completing the combo is Lewâ€™s all-new Mach II Speed SpoolÂ® SLP (Super Low Profile design), a reel that boasts a 10-bearing system with double-shielded stainless steel bearings and a Zero Reverse anti-reverse clutch bearing, all packed into a strong, lightweight graphite frame and side plates.

â€œThis reel comes in a 7.5:1 gear ratio and itâ€™s typical Lewâ€™s â€” super far casting,â€ Browne said. â€œLewâ€™s has kind of grown its reputation on building reels that really cast far and you can dial this in with the internal centrifugal brakes that are adjustable right on the outside of the reel.â€

The Mach II owes its smooth castability to its machined and anodized 32mm aluminum U-shape spool, which starts and accelerates quickly, so it handles even light lures and lines with ease. The spool also contributes to the reelâ€™s overall compact size, balance and palming comfort.

All this for $179.99.

â€œThis offers what anglers are looking for in a reasonably-priced, high-quality combo,â€ Browne said. â€œI tell a lot of people that a 7-foot rod is a good place to start because you can do so much with a 7-foot rod. You can worm fish with it, you can pitch around some docks, you can cast a jig, you can throw spinnerbaits and chatterbaits.

â€œA 7-foot medium-heavy rod will do a lot of different things. You donâ€™t have to have 22 specific actions to do a lot. So, if youâ€™re working within a (moderate) budget, you can get four or five different combos and fill your needs, instead of having a whole rod box full of models.â€

Even before you pick up a Lewâ€™s Mach II combo, the first thing youâ€™ll notice are the vivid lime green accents on the custom designed WINN Dri-Tec Split Grips, the 95mm power handle with custom WINN/Lewâ€™s Dri-Tec reel handle grips and, reel controls and rod wraps. As Lewâ€™s rod designer Bob Brown points out, the visuals and the price point create a dual attraction for the â€œnext generationâ€ of tournament anglers.

â€œWeâ€™ve found that the younger anglers, the high school and college tournament competitors like the bold colors,â€ Brown said. â€œAlso, when they can buy a high-quality combo for under $200, this will enable them to fish with reliable equipment on a small budget.â€

Complementing the baitcasting outfits, Lewâ€™s has also assembled a well-balanced, tournament-ready spinning combo built on an all-purpose 6-foot, 9-inch medium-fast action IM8 one-piece graphite blank. A high-speed 6.2:1 reel features a 10-bearing system with Zero-Reverse one-way clutch bearing, high strength C40 carbon skeletal speed rotor with stainless bail wire and S-curve oscillation system. With a braid-ready spool and die-cast aluminum handle fitted with a Lewâ€™s SoftTouch knob this comfortable and functional outfit retails at $139.99.

For more information about the Mach II baitcasting and spinning combos, visit www.Lews.com.

by AnglersChannel

Garmin® Introduces Quickdraw Community

GarminÂ® introduces Quickdraw Community,
an online community of free user-generated map data

OLATHE, Kan./July 12, 2016/Business Wire – Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ:GRMN), today announced Quickdraw Community, a free online user-generated platform where users can share and browse HD mapping content, and download the data free of charge to enhance and supplement existing Garmin mapping options. The Quickdraw Community builds on the success of the company’s Quickdraw Contours software feature – a free, easy-to- use tool that lets mariners instantly create personalized HD maps with 1-foot contours on any body of water – allowing users to easily and quickly share and upload the best data available.

“Garmin customers have been collecting Quickdraw Contours mapping and depth data on their devices since the free software feature became available earlier this year, and now they have a way to easily share that data with others,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin vice president of worldwide sales. “Not only is Quickdraw (Contours and Community) free and easy to use, but thanks to Garmin PanoptixTM all-seeing sonar technology, it’s the only map sharing platform to use multi- beam sonar recordings for high quality, accurate and complete HD contours.”

Creating Quickdraw Contours data is powerfully simple. Once it’s turned on, users will instantly see contours with labels generated right on the screen as the boat moves – unlike competitor products, there’s no waiting around or sending the files in for remote processing, nor is there a fee to keep the data private or to share it with others. The results are instant and accurate, and can be viewed in real-time, or created in the background for use at a later time. For the most comprehensive coverage, Quickdraw Contours clearly shows where usable depth information has been collected and where gaps exist, so users can easily see what still needs to be collected.

The collected data can be stored on any off-the-shelf SD or microSDTM card, as well as existing Garmin BlueChartÂ® g2, BlueChart g2 VisionÂ® and LakeVÃ¼ HD Ultra cards. To upload, download or browse collected Quickdraw Contours data, users will need to create an account through Garmin Connect, a free online community already utilized by millions of Garmin customers who use the platform to share, track, and analyze data from other Garmin devices.

Data can be uploaded through a “Marine Profile” in Garmin Connect, and once uploaded, will typically be available on the web for download within 24 hours. With the intuitive map interface, users can easily locate and see the data shared by other users within the community overlaid on the applicable body of water. Available user-generated data can be easily downloaded from Garmin Connect to a microSD/SD card for use with a compatible Garmin chartplotter, and can be viewed simultaneously with a user’s personal Quickdraw Contour data on a chartplotter.

The Garmin Quickdraw Community on Garmin Connect is available now at garminconnect.com/quickdraw. Quickdraw Contours comes standard on all echoMAPÂ® CHIRP products, and is available as a free software update for all other echoMAP and many GPSMAPÂ® series products. It can be used with any depth transducer, including Garmin Panoptix, HD-IDTM, DownVÃ¼, and NMEA 2000 transducers. To learn more, visit garmin.com/marine2016.

by AnglersChannel

Sisk Wins Flw Bass Fishing League Illini Division Event On Ohio River

INDIANA™S SISK WINS FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE ILLINI DIVISION EVENT ON OHIO RIVER

Lee wins co-angler title

GOLCONDA, Ill. (July 18, 2016) – Marty Sisk of Evansville, Indiana, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 17 pounds, 13 ounces, Saturday to win the third FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Illini Division tournament of 2016 on the Ohio River. For his victory, Sisk took home $7,456.

“I worked my way up the Cumberland River hitting offshore bars and small ledges,” said Sisk, who earned his third win in FLW competition. “I focused on chunk rock and pea gravel in 10 to 15 feet of water.

“I caught the biggest bass of the tournament around 10:30 a.m. on a 1-ounce Blue Glimmer-colored Accent spinnerbait,” said Sisk. “Throughout the day I rotated in a Â¾-ounce green-pumpkin Hawgback Lures football-head jig with a green-pumpkin craw trailer, and a Carolina-rigged green-pumpkin Zoom Brush Hog. My goal was to keep the fish going. I didn’t want them to look at the same bait for a long period of time.”

Sisk said that he split his day between five different areas and caught nearly 50 fish.

“I hit a flurry between 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. which really helped me,” said Sisk. “Also, the Strike Force scent on my jig was a huge factor out there. It may have won the tournament for me.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st: Marty Sisk, Evansville, Ind., five bass, 17-13, $5,456 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

2nd: Ray Cortivo, Troy, Ill., five bass, 17-7, $1,963

3rd: Chad Hess, Scheller, Ill., five bass, 16-11, $1,309

4th: Jerry Walker, Zeigler, Ill., five bass, 16-4, $1,216

5th: Dan Shoraga, West Frankfort, Ill., five bass, 16-2, $785

6th: Hilton Jones, Westfield, Ill., five bass, 15-10, $720

7th: Jake Hurst, New Athens, Ill., five bass, 15-3, $654

8th: Joey Morris, Galatia, Ill., five bass, 14-9, $589

9th: Michael McAtee, Waverly, Ky., five bass, 13-8, $523

10th: Melvin Jeffords, Grantsburg, Ill., five bass, 13-3, $458

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Sisk’s biggest bass, which weighed 5 pounds, 4 ounces, earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $530.

Jeffrey Lee of Olney, Illinois, weighed in five bass totaling 12 pounds, 14 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $1,958.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st: Jeffrey Lee, Olney, Ill., five bass, 12-14, $1,958

2nd: Joey Jeffery, Ledbetter, Ky., five bass, 12-4, $979

3rd: Mike Youngblood, St. Louis, Mo., five bass, 11-12, $653

4th: Chris Gable, Eddyville, Ky., five bass, 11-9, $457

5th: Cole Hansens, Dongola, Ill., five bass, 10-11, $392

6th: Eugene Kim, Lindenhurst, Ill., four bass, 10-9, $619

7th: Charles Dammerman, Owaneco, Ill., five bass, 10-7, $326

8th: Steve Bowcock, Lawrenceville, Ill., five bass, 10-5, $294

9th: Yong Yeun, Elgin, Ill., five bass, 9-7, $261

10th: David Hutson, Palmersville, Tenn., five bass, 9-2, $228

Kim caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 4 pounds, 13 ounces, and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $260.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 13-15 Regional Championship on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.

The BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 120 tournaments throughout the season, five in each division. The top 50 boaters and co-anglers from each division qualify for a regional tournament and 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 winners in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the Walmart 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.

by AnglersChannel

Poffenberger Wins Flw Bass Fishing League Buckeye Division Event On Ohio River

OHIO’S POFFENBERGER WINS FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE BUCKEYE DIVISION EVENT ON OHIO RIVER

Redwine wins co-angler title

MAYSVILLE, Ky. (July 18, 2016) – Jake Poffenberger of Brookville, Ohio, weighed four bass totaling 9 pounds, 7 ounces, Saturday to win the fourth FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Buckeye Division tournament of 2016 on the Ohio River. For his victory, Poffenberger earned $4,684.

“I spent my day fishing four different creek mouths between the lock and Maysville,” said Poffenberger, who earned his first win in FLW competition. “I picked apart 100-yard stretches along flats and hit all kinds of wood. I think the river was fluctuating a lot, so that’s why bass were close to the creek mouths and not in the backwaters.

“The flats I sat on were about 2 feet down, but there was deeper water nearby,” Poffenberger continued. “When the sun came out I had better bites because the bass were pushed closer to the wood.”

Poffenberger said he rotated between a 1/8-ounce chartreuse-colored Hawk Spinnerbait and a Watermelon Red Magic-colored Yamamoto Senko to catch his four keepers.

“I used the Hawk until the wind stopped blowing, then I picked up the Senko,” said Poffenberger. “I didn’t catch many fish, but they were the right size.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st: Jake Poffenberger, Brookville, Ohio, four bass, 9-7, $4,684

2nd: Kyle Weisenburger, Ottawa, Ohio, five bass, 9-0, $2,059

3rd: Chris Combess, Cleves, Ohio, four bass, 8-7, $1,374

4th: Keith Wheelock, Springboro, Ohio, five bass, 7-14, $961

5th: Dick Shaffer, Rockford, Ohio, five bass, 6-15, $824

6th: Bret Languell, Indianapolis, Ind., five bass, 6-11, $755

7th: David Dudley, Dublin, Ohio, three bass, 6-9, $686

8th: Sean Wieda, Florence, Ky., five bass, 6-7, $618

9th: Trevor Windgassen, Alexandria, Ky., five bass, 6-3, $549

10th: James Fulton, Ray, Ohio, five bass, 6-1, $480

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Poffenberger also caught a bass weighing 4 pounds, 5 ounces – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $565.

Alex Redwine of Cincinnati, Ohio, weighed in four bass totaling 5 pounds, 14 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $2,059.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st: Alex Redwine, Cincinnati, Ohio, four bass, 5-14, $2,059

2nd: Douglas Shope, Troy, Ohio, three bass, 5-8, $1,030

3rd: Herbert Jones, Cincinnati, Ohio, five bass, 4-9, $687

4th: Butch Dobransky, Canton, Ohio, three bass, 4-7, $480

5th: Aaron Kuhlmann, Hamilton, Ohio, one bass, 4-3, $694

6th: Derek Buchanan, Madison, Ind., three bass, 4-1, $378

7th: Bill Lowther, Brandenburg, Ky., four bass, 3-15, $343

8th: Billy Senters, New Richmond, Ohio, three bass, 3-14, $309

9th: Bradley Fulton, Ray, Ohio, three bass, 3-13, $275

10th: Dennis Robinson, Oxford, Ohio, three bass, 3-11, $228

10th: Justin Busby, Lancaster, Ohio, one bass, 3-11, $228

Kuhlmann brought a 4-pound, 3-ounce bass to the scale, which was the biggest of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $282.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

by AnglersChannel

Boggs Wins Flw Bass Fishing League Music City Division Event On Old Hickory Lake

LEBANON’S BOGGS WINS FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE MUSIC CITY DIVISION EVENT ON OLD HICKORY LAKE

Humphrey wins co-angler title

GALLATIN, Tenn. (July 18, 2016) – Drew Boggs of Lebanon, Tennessee, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 13 pounds, 10 ounces, Saturday to win the fourth FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Music City Division tournament of 2016 on Old Hickory Lake. Boggs took home $3,028 for his victory.

“I went out there and did what I’m most confident in, and that’s pitching and flipping shallow cover,” said Boggs, who logged his second win of 2016 in BFL competition. “I hit four creeks with shallow wood near the banks. All of my areas were mid-lake to 15 miles north.”

Boggs said he used both a green pumpkin-colored and a tilapia-colored Texas-rigged Big Bite Baits Craw Tube to catch his fish. He said one was rigged with a skirted Jiggy Weight and the other was attached to a regular Jiggy Weight.

“The Craw Tube with the skirted weight caught my biggest fish,” said Boggs. “Jiggy Weights make the bait slide and glide through cover better. It’s more flat, so when you pop the bait and kill it, it glides better than a regular jig."

Boggs said he ended up catching 13 keepers throughout the event.

“All of my fish came in less than 2 feet of water,” said Boggs. “In the middle of the summer when things get hot, they get up shallow on this lake. It’s unusual but that’s where they were.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st: Drew Boggs, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 13-10, $3,028

2nd: Ty Garrett, Pulaski, Tenn., five bass, 12-11, $1,514

3rd: Tim Staley, Dowelltown, Tenn., five bass, 12-5, $1,008

4th: Jeremy Nash, Cookeville, Tenn., five bass, 12-1, $707

5th: Michael Wooten, Goodlettsville, Tenn., five bass, 11-13, $606

6th: Danny Heicher, Murfreesboro, Tenn., four bass, 11-10, $555

7th: Scott Lefevers, Hermitage, Tenn., four bass, 11-5, $805

8th: Jayson Johnson, Smithville, Tenn., five bass, 11-4, $454

9th: Danny Boggs, Fayetteville, Tenn., five bass, 11-1, $404

10th: Daniel Johnson, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 10-14, $353

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Mickey Beck of Lebanon, Tennessee, caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 6 ounces – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $355.

Darryl Humphrey of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, weighed in five bass totaling 11 pounds, 1 ounce, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $1,445.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st: Darryl Humphrey, Murfreesboro, Tenn., five bass, 11-1, $1,445

2nd: Ricky England, Sparta, Tenn., four bass, 9-9, $722

3rd: Gregory Goodwin, Louisville, Ky., four bass, 9-4, $480

4th: Phil Williams Jr., Jamestown, Ky., five bass, 9-0, $337

5th: Richard Walker, Franklin, Tenn., three bass, 8-13, $289

6th: Chris Tarpley, Murfreesboro, Tenn., three bass, 8-1, $430

7th: Jeremy Richardson, Hendersonville, Tenn., four bass, 7-5, $241

8th: Jason McCanless, Lebanon, Tenn., three bass, 6-9, $217

9th: Jacob Foutz, Charleston, Tenn., two bass, 6-1, $193

10th: Kevin Lamb, Gallatin, Tenn., three bass, 6-0, $169

Tarpley caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 4 pounds, 15 ounces, and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $165.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 27-29 Regional Championship on Lake Hartwell in Seneca, South Carolina. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

by AnglersChannel

Ortonville’s Greene Wins Flw Bass Fishing League Michigan Division Event On Lake St. Clair

ORTONVILLE’S GREENE WINS FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE MICHIGAN DIVISION EVENT ON LAKE ST. CLAIR

Hayward wins co-angler title

HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (July 18, 2016) – Kyle Greene of Ortonville, Michigan, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 23 pounds even Saturday to win the second FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Michigan Division tournament of 2016 on Lake St. Clair. For his victory, Greene took home $6,155.

Greene said he spent his day on the Canadian side of Lake St. Clair, targeting scattered weeds. He said he moved along a 300-yard stretch and fished in 6 to 10 feet of water.

“I used two baits – a Fiesta Melon-colored PROvider Performance Series Tube and a natural-colored swimbait,” said Greene, who earned the first win of his FLW career. “The weed patches had holes in the middle of them. I casted the swimbait up into the weeds and reeled it in slow, or let the tube lay on the bottom.

“I caught a 5-pounder on the swimbait to start things out, but the tube did the rest of the damage,” Greene continued. “I ended up catching nearly 40 keepers throughout the event.”

Green said he had most of his winning weight by 9:30 a.m.

“Over the past few years I’ve had strong finishes at BFL events, but have never won,” said Greene, who started fishing BFL events in 1995. “This feels pretty good. I guess it was my time.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st: Kyle Greene, Ortonville, Mich., five bass, 23-0, $4,155 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

2nd: Tim Rachoy, Crown Point, Ind., five bass, 21-15, $2,078

3rd: Dan Mason, Pain Court, Ontario, Canada, five bass, 21-1, $1,953

4th: Tony Hansen, Vermontville, Mich., five bass, 20-0, $970

5th: Frank Novock, Rockwood, Mich., five bass, 19-14, $831

6th: Heath Wagner, Angola, Ind., five bass, 19-4, $762

7th: Steve Clapper, Lima, Ohio, five bass, 19-1, $693

8th: Scott Dobson, Clarkston, Mich., five bass, 19-0, $888

8th: Chris King, South Amherst, Ohio, five bass, 19-0, $588

10th: Angel Rosario, Kalamazoo, Mich., five bass, 18-13, $485

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Mason caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 2 ounces – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $570.

Jason Hayward of Plainwell, Michigan, weighed in five bass totaling 23 pounds, 4 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $2,363.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st: Jason Hayward, Plainwell, Mich., five bass, 23-4, $2,363

2nd: Mike Raber, Wolcottville, Ind., five bass, 19-10, $1,039

3rd: Brian Ruetz, Toledo, Ohio, five bass, 19-3, $691

4th: Paul Porento, Highland, Ind., five bass, 18-8, $450

4th: Aaron Stahley, Batavia, Ohio, five bass, 18-8, $450

6th: Mark Lyons, Marion, Ind., five bass, 17-13, $381

7th: Mark Saunders, Medina, Ohio, five bass, 17-8, $346

8th: Jeff Napier, Martinsville, Ind., five bass, 17-7, $312

9th: Garry Lloyd, Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich., five bass, 17-4, $277

10th: Bill Dodge, Laingsburg, Mich., four bass, 17-2, $242

Hayward also caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 11 ounces, and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $285.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

by AnglersChannel

Ortonville’s Greene Wins Flw Bass Fishing League Michigan Division Event On Lake St. Clair

ORTONVILLE’S GREENE WINS FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE MICHIGAN DIVISION EVENT ON LAKE ST. CLAIR

Hayward wins co-angler title

Greene said he spent his day on the Canadian side of Lake St. Clair, targeting scattered weeds. He said he moved along a 300-yard stretch and fished in 6 to 10 feet of water.

“I caught a 5-pounder on the swimbait to start things out, but the tube did the rest of the damage,” Greene continued. “I ended up catching nearly 40 keepers throughout the event.”

Green said he had most of his winning weight by 9:30 a.m.

“Over the past few years I’ve had strong finishes at BFL events, but have never won,” said Greene, who started fishing BFL events in 1995. “This feels pretty good. I guess it was my time.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st: Kyle Greene, Ortonville, Mich., five bass, 23-0, $4,155 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

2nd: Tim Rachoy, Crown Point, Ind., five bass, 21-15, $2,078

3rd: Dan Mason, Pain Court, Ontario, Canada, five bass, 21-1, $1,953

4th: Tony Hansen, Vermontville, Mich., five bass, 20-0, $970

5th: Frank Novock, Rockwood, Mich., five bass, 19-14, $831

6th: Heath Wagner, Angola, Ind., five bass, 19-4, $762

7th: Steve Clapper, Lima, Ohio, five bass, 19-1, $693

8th: Scott Dobson, Clarkston, Mich., five bass, 19-0, $888

8th: Chris King, South Amherst, Ohio, five bass, 19-0, $588

10th: Angel Rosario, Kalamazoo, Mich., five bass, 18-13, $485

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Mason caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 2 ounces – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $570.

Jason Hayward of Plainwell, Michigan, weighed in five bass totaling 23 pounds, 4 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $2,363.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st: Jason Hayward, Plainwell, Mich., five bass, 23-4, $2,363

2nd: Mike Raber, Wolcottville, Ind., five bass, 19-10, $1,039

3rd: Brian Ruetz, Toledo, Ohio, five bass, 19-3, $691

4th: Paul Porento, Highland, Ind., five bass, 18-8, $450

4th: Aaron Stahley, Batavia, Ohio, five bass, 18-8, $450

6th: Mark Lyons, Marion, Ind., five bass, 17-13, $381

7th: Mark Saunders, Medina, Ohio, five bass, 17-8, $346

8th: Jeff Napier, Martinsville, Ind., five bass, 17-7, $312

9th: Garry Lloyd, Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich., five bass, 17-4, $277

10th: Bill Dodge, Laingsburg, Mich., four bass, 17-2, $242

Hayward also caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 11 ounces, and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $285.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

by AnglersChannel

Wheatland’s Gunter Wins Flw Bass Fishing League Ozark Division Event On Lake Truman Presented By Power-Pole

WHEATLAND’S GUNTER WINS FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE OZARK DIVISION EVENT ON LAKE TRUMAN PRESENTED BY POWER-POLE

Tyree wins co-angler title

WARSAW, Mo. (July 18, 2016) – Matt Gunter of Wheatland Missouri, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 15 pounds, 3 ounces, Saturday to win the fourth FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Ozark Division tournament of 2016 on Lake Truman presented by Power-Pole. Gunter took home $4,804 for his victory.

“I split my day between the lower Osage and Pomme de Terre arms,” said Gunter, who earned his first win in BFL competition. “I burned an entire tank of gas getting to my areas, but it paid off.”

Gunter said he flipped cedar trees and other types of wood using a Texas-rigged 10Â½-inch Zoom Ol’ Monster Worm. He said he used two colors – plum and green-pumpkin – to catch his limit.

“I flipped the Ol’ Monster all day,” said Gunter. “I caught fish in water that was 2- to 20-feet deep. If I was in 2 feet of water, the fish were on the bottom. In 20 feet, they were suspended.”

Gunter said he used a slow retrieve and lighter Â¼- and 1/8-ounce weights on his lure.

“I had four limit-fish within the first two hours on the water,” said Gunter. “Around 12:30 p.m. I caught two more keepers, culled once and then brought in what I had.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st: Matt Gunter, Wheatland, Mo., five bass, 15-3, $4,804

2nd: Marcus Sykora, Osage Beach, Mo., five bass, 13-14, $1,902

3rd: Wes Endicott, Joplin, Mo., five bass, 13-13, $1,267

4th: Lance Williams, Billings, Mo., five bass, 12-8, $888

5th: Jeffrey Smith, Knob Noster, Mo., five bass, 12-3, $761

6th: Ted Collins, Gainesville, Mo., five bass, 11-3, $997

7th: Dennis Berhorst, Holts Summit, Mo., five bass, 9-15, $634

8th: Lawson Hibdon, Versailles, Mo., four bass, 9-8, $571

9th: Tyler Matlock, Omaha, Ark., two bass, 9-1, $1,012

10th: Ben Verhoef, Osage Beach, Mo., three bass, 8-12, $444

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Matlock caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 11 ounces – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $505.

Derrick Tyree of Owensville, Missouri, weighed in four bass totaling 10 pounds, 5 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $1,897.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st: Derrick Tyree, Owensville, Mo., four bass, 10-5, $1,897

2nd: Vincent Jones, Robertsville, Mo., four bass, 9-2, $949

3rd: Ronald Smith Jr., Kansas City, Kan., three bass, 8-11, $633

4th: Cory Schuh, Hillsboro, Mo., two bass, 7-6, $690

5th: Jeremy Guzman, Lees Summit, Mo., three bass, 6-7, $379

6th: Zach Bechtel, Cuba, Mo., two bass, 6-0, $348

7th: Joshua Dyrland, Imperial, Mo., two bass, 5-9, $316

8th: Johnnie Cook, Houston Lake, Mo., two bass, 5-5, $285

9th: James Hosford, Jefferson City, Mo., two bass, 5-0, $253

10th: Joseph Dorcy, Smithville, Mo., two bass, 4-14, $221

Schuh caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 4 pounds, 12 ounces, and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $247.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 27-29 Regional Championship on Lake Dardanelle in Russellville, Arkansas. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

by AnglersChannel

Wheatland’s Gunter Wins Flw Bass Fishing League Ozark Division Event On Lake Truman Presented By Power-Pole

WHEATLAND’S GUNTER WINS FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE OZARK DIVISION EVENT ON LAKE TRUMAN PRESENTED BY POWER-POLE

Tyree wins co-angler title

Gunter said he flipped cedar trees and other types of wood using a Texas-rigged 10Â½-inch Zoom Ol’ Monster Worm. He said he used two colors – plum and green-pumpkin – to catch his limit.

Gunter said he used a slow retrieve and lighter Â¼- and 1/8-ounce weights on his lure.

“I had four limit-fish within the first two hours on the water,” said Gunter. “Around 12:30 p.m. I caught two more keepers, culled once and then brought in what I had.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st: Matt Gunter, Wheatland, Mo., five bass, 15-3, $4,804

2nd: Marcus Sykora, Osage Beach, Mo., five bass, 13-14, $1,902

3rd: Wes Endicott, Joplin, Mo., five bass, 13-13, $1,267

4th: Lance Williams, Billings, Mo., five bass, 12-8, $888

5th: Jeffrey Smith, Knob Noster, Mo., five bass, 12-3, $761

6th: Ted Collins, Gainesville, Mo., five bass, 11-3, $997

7th: Dennis Berhorst, Holts Summit, Mo., five bass, 9-15, $634

8th: Lawson Hibdon, Versailles, Mo., four bass, 9-8, $571

9th: Tyler Matlock, Omaha, Ark., two bass, 9-1, $1,012

10th: Ben Verhoef, Osage Beach, Mo., three bass, 8-12, $444

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Matlock caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 11 ounces – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $505.

Derrick Tyree of Owensville, Missouri, weighed in four bass totaling 10 pounds, 5 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $1,897.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st: Derrick Tyree, Owensville, Mo., four bass, 10-5, $1,897

2nd: Vincent Jones, Robertsville, Mo., four bass, 9-2, $949

3rd: Ronald Smith Jr., Kansas City, Kan., three bass, 8-11, $633

4th: Cory Schuh, Hillsboro, Mo., two bass, 7-6, $690

5th: Jeremy Guzman, Lees Summit, Mo., three bass, 6-7, $379

6th: Zach Bechtel, Cuba, Mo., two bass, 6-0, $348

7th: Joshua Dyrland, Imperial, Mo., two bass, 5-9, $316

8th: Johnnie Cook, Houston Lake, Mo., two bass, 5-5, $285

9th: James Hosford, Jefferson City, Mo., two bass, 5-0, $253

10th: Joseph Dorcy, Smithville, Mo., two bass, 4-14, $221

Schuh caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 4 pounds, 12 ounces, and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $247.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

by AnglersChannel

Did I Stutter?

Bill Lewis Debuts Unique Topwater Bait with Multiple Fish-Tempting Actions

If persistence is the cornerstone of performance, then Bill Lewis Outdoors has laid the foundation for amazing angling achievement with the new StutterStep. Introduced at ICAST, this ample-body topwater with a saddleback profile and a keeled belly, features a unique paddle tail that adds drag, as well as action.

All this combines for a big, bold presence and a killer namesake action that gives fish plenty of reason to bring the crazy. With slight rod twitches, the StutterStep sashays back and forth without making any forward progress.

How many times have we had a fish run out from cover, follow a bait down a grass line, or simply rise from a bed to boil with no committed strike? Now, anglers have a way to keep a topwater bait in one spot, while continuing the side-to-side saunter that simulates wounded or distracted prey and draws those sledge hammer strikes.

ll use the StutterStep action for bedding bass or fishing around docks, laydowns and structure like that,” said Bill Lewis pro-staffer Brian Latimer. “I can really aggravate a bass on a bed; and if I really feel like there’s a fish on a piece of structure, I can let that bait soak, agitate the fish and trick him into biting.”

When you want to cover water, the StutterStep offers two more distinct looks:

Wag-the-Tail: Something akin to the traditional topwater walk-the-dog action, this presentation makes good use of that prominent tail, which kicks back and forth as you impart those steady, short twitches.

“With just subtle bumps of the rod tip, you can really make that bait thrash,” Latimer said. “This is a good on blueback herring lakes, when you want to work topwater baits really fast over offshore structure.”

Wobble-Wake: Take your basic chuck-and-wind routine, dress it up with enticing body rolls, add a healthy dose of water-pushing and you have have the Wobble Wake. Ideal for slick conditions, this action is achieved with no rod movement, just steady reeling.

“This is a good retrieve to use when the fish are lethargic, like when it’s cold,” Latimer said. “If you see one following the bait, just slowly retrieve it and use the subtle little S wave type action to trick them into biting.”

One of the StutterStep’s coolest actions is the Turnaround-Twitch — a deal-closer you can add to the end of any other retrieve. Just stop the bait, give it hard twitch followed by a little slack and the bait turns 180 degrees.

Let’s set the scene here: You’re Wobble-Waking the Bill Lewis StutterStep over a shallow rock reef when a big brownie starts trailing the bait. You stop, snap the line and the bait spins around to look Mr. Smallmouth right in his glaring red eye.

Paint chipping time!

This 5-inch, 1-ounce bait casts well and allows you to make long presentations when the fish aren’t cool with company.

“This is a really versatile bait and it’s a profile the fish haven’t seen,” Latimer said. “It’s a wake bait, it’s a walking bait and it’s also sort of like a topwater swimbait. It has action on a straight retrieve, which is really unique for a topwater bait.”

The StutterStep retails at $13.99.

by AnglersChannel

Flw Announces 2017 Tour Schedule

FLW ANNOUNCES 2017 WALMART FLW TOUR SCHEDULE

Fishing League Worldwide (FLW) announced the 2017 Walmart FLW Tour regular-season schedule Thursday in a live press event held at the International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades (ICAST). The 2017 season will feature six tournaments, broadcast in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network, which will showcase the best bass anglers in the world competing in the most competitive circuit in the sport.

2017 Walmart FLW Tour Regular-Season Schedule:

February 16-19 Lake Travis Jonestown, Texas

Hosted by the City of Jonestown & Austin Sports Commission

March 9-12 Harris Chain of Lakes Leesburg, Fla.

Hosted by Lake County, Florida

April 6-9 Lake Cumberland Burnside, Ky.

Hosted by Somerset Tourist and Convention Commission

April 27-30 Beaver Lake Rogers, Ark.

Hosted by Visit Rogers

May 18-21 Mississippi River La Crosse, Wis.

Hosted by Explore La Crosse

June 15-18 Potomac River Marbury, Md.

Hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners

The full schedule and expected patterns/details for each fishery can be found at FLWFishing.com.

The date and location for the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup presented by Walmart will be unveiled on-stage at the 2016 Forrest Wood Cup on Wheeler Lake in Huntsville, Alabama.

For 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.

by AnglersChannel

Cuda Rolls Out Complete New Line-Up Of Freshwater Fishing Tools!

Cuda is excited to introduce a new line of freshwater fishing tools uniquely designed to meet the demands of freshwater anglers.

The line, which includes seven different tools, is manufactured from titanium-bonded stainless steel, which offers increased corrosion and adhesion resistance while holding a stronger, sharper edge. The line also features longer nose and handle lengths for deep hook removals.

“To get the most of out of your fishing tools, it’s important to make sure they are uniquely suited for the task at hand,” said said Capt. Rick Constantine, vice president of marketing and general manager for Acme United Corporation. “We designed the line with our freshwater Pro Staff and the result is a powerful line, built solely with freshwater anglers in mind. There’s a tool for every task and each one is designed to make life easier and more productive on the water.”

Designed with Cuda’s signature non-slip scale pattern grips and visible full-tang carbon steel construction, the freshwater line includes:

Â· 8” Cuda Needle Nose / Split Ring Pliers (#18112, MSRP: $22.99) – Features a long nose for removing hooks, ring splitter, integrated crimper and titanium bonded wire, fluorocarbon and mono cutter.

Â· 9” Cuda Pistol Grip Needle Pliers (#18096, MSRP: $28.99) – Designed with pistol grip handles and long nose for removing hooks, along with integrated crimpers and titanium bonded wire, fluorocarbon and mono cutter.

Â· 10.25” Cuda Needle Nose Pliers (#18113, MSRP: $27.99) – Designed with a long nose for deep hook removal, also includes integrated crimper, as well as titanium bonded wire, fluorocarbon and mono cutter.

Â· Cuda Clipper (#18116, MSRP: $14.99) – Ideal for clipping mono & fluorocarbon line, features integrated hook detangler, eye opener, wire wrapper and diamond grit hook sharpener.

Â· Cuda Forceps (#18114, MSRP: $26.99) – Featuring serrated jaws for cutting mono and fluorocarbon, non-slip, full-tang oversized thumb bows and an integrated hook sharpener. The high leverage, spring action forceps is perfect for easy hook removal and debarbing hooks.

Â· Cuda Jaw Spreader (#18117, MSRP: $19.99) – Includes a built-in auto-lock for safety and storage, the innovative spatula-tip design pries and opens jaws easily, while also holding the jaw open for hook extraction.

Â· Cuda 2 Piece Set (#18124, MSRP: $23.99) – Set includes a 7” flex fillet knife, along with an ultra-light fisherman’s sheath with reversible belt loop and water drain system.

The Jaw Spreader (#18117) and 2 Piece Set (#18124) are currently in stock, with the full line available in fall 2016. For more information visit www.cudabrand.com.

by AnglersChannel

Strike King Introduces The New Tour Grade Skipping Jig!

New Tour Grade Skipping Jig (3/8oz Shown)

Not all jigs are created equal. Some are better suited for specific applications, such as swimming, or flipping, or dragging. It’s much the same reason that you own more than one screwdriver. When Strike King set out to design and produce the ultimate skipping jig, we knew we needed to enlist the help of a master tradesman. We got one of the best jig-skippers on earth, Andy Montgomery, to start from scratch and the end result was the all-new Tour Grade Skipping Jig from Strike King!

The perfect skipping jig must have a few qualities not found in other jigs,” says Bassmaster Elite Series Pro. “You can do a lot of things with a skipping jig, but you can’t use a lot of jigs for skipping”. We addressed each of those specific attributes in the design process and they are built into this jig. The Tour Grade Skipping jig will elevate your ability and potential when skipping,” adds Montgomery.

The Tour Grade Skipping Jig is available in both 3/8 and Â½ ounce sizes and comes in 6 of our most popular colors. Look for the new Tour Grade Skipping Jig at better fishing tackle retailers everywhere.

by AnglersChannel

Nichols Wins Cashion Fishing Rods End Of Year Tournament On Falls Lake With Over 13 Pounds!

C ASHION FISHING RODS 'END OF YEAR' TEAM BASS FISHING TRAIL QUALIFIER #1
Saturday July 9th, 2016 ~ Falls Lake ~ Ledge Rock Wildlife Ramp

The C ashion Fishing Rods 'End of Year' Team Tournament Bass Fishing Trail Qualifier #1 at Falls Lake got off
to a good start with 22 teams showing up at the ramp. The weather for summer fishing was great. The winds
were light & variable, the air temps ranged from 74 to 89 and the water level was above normal pool at 302.6'.
Surface water temps averaged 85 warm degrees! A very bad storm hit the lake Friday night and the bite that
had been good all week just stopped. The topwater bite was on for about an hour early on and then the bass
backed off a little deeper.

Mike Nichols did manage to catch 5 weighing 13.37 lbs to take 1st Place and 1st Place TWT for a total of
$1,395!

1st Place Nichols
2nd Place team was Reginald Pickett & Larry Kirk with 5 bass weighing 11.88 lbs. They also won 2nd place
TWT to take home a total of $715. The 3rd Place Team of Allen White & Michael Vaughan netted 5 bass
weighing 11.72 and also had the big fish for the day (4.81 lbs.) and won a total of $608. 2nd Place Big Fish (4.78
lbs.) was caught by the team of Butch Trimmer & Don Boivin worth $132.

Only 57 bass were brought to the scales for a total of 120 pounds averaging 2.09 lbs. each. Most were caught on
Carolina worm rigs, spinnerbaits, crankbait & jig combos in mostly shallow water. Rising water and a solid day
of high pressure might have had something to do with the fish not biting.

I want to thank Cashion Fishing Rods and all the anglers that participated. Our next tournament will be the
2016 C ashion Fishing Rods 'End of Year' Team Tournament Bass Fishing Trail Qualifier #2 , Saturday July
23rd at Jordan Lake out of Farrington Point Wildlife Ramp. All the information on our tournaments can be
found http://piedmontbassclassics.com/

Now here are the full results:
1st Place: Mike Nichols of Bassett, VA...5 bass...13.37 lbs...$800
2nd Place: Reginald Pickett & Larry Kirk of Greensboro & Climax...5 bass...11.88 lbs...$460
3rd Place: Allen White & Michael Vaughan of Clayton & Raleigh...5 bass...11.72 lbs...$300
4th Place: Tony & Chase Stanley of Four Oaks...5 bass...9.38 lbs...$200

1st Place Big Fish: 3rd Place Team above...4.81 lbs...$308
2nd Place Big Fish: Butch Trimmer & Don Boivin of Fayetteville...4.78 lbs...$132

1st Place TWT: 1st Place Team above: 13.37 lbs...$595
2nd Place TWT: 2nd Place Team above: 11.88 lbs...$255

Contact Information:
Phil McCarson...Tournament Director---922 Valetta Rd.---Durham, NC   27712
Home: 919-471-1571     Cell: 919-971-5042
email:  [email protected]            website: http://piedmontbassclassics.com/

by AnglersChannel

Salzman Wins Flw Bass Fishing League Choo Choo Division Event On Lake Guntersville

HUNTSVILLEâ€™S SALZMAN WINS FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE CHOO CHOO DIVISION EVENT ON LAKE GUNTERSVILLE

Spires wins co-angler title

GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. (July 11, 2016) â€“ Ryan Salzman of Huntsville, Alabama, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 24 pounds, 5 ounces, Saturday to win the fourth FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Choo Choo Division tournament of 2016 on Lake Guntersville. For his victory, Salzman took home $5,244.

Salzman said he concentrated on ledges between Seibold Creek and the Highway 431 Bridge.

â€œMy areas had a lot of baitfish,â€ said Salzman, who earned his second career win in FLW competition. â€œEarlier this week, I noticed that skipjack were coming up and feeding on the shad, so I threw a swimbait and caught some sizeable fish. I decided to follow a similar pattern for this event.â€

Salzman said he caught the majority of his fish on a True Bass True Blue-colored Little Head 4.5 Swimbait.

â€œI was sitting in 30 feet of water and throwing up to 12 feet,â€ said Salzman. â€œI started out strong with 17 or 18 pounds and just worked through them the rest of the day. With the help of my Lowrance electronics, I ended up catching nearly 60 keepers.â€

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st: Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., five bass, 24-5, $5,244

2nd: Alex Davis, Albertville, Ala., five bass, 23-12, $2,122

3rd: Matt Bradley, Bessemer, Ala., five bass, 23-2, $1,413

4th: Cody Harrison, Florence, Ala., five bass, 21-5, $990

5th: Clayton Joyce, Chapel Hill, Tenn., five bass, 21-3, $849

6th: Casey Martin, New Hope, Ala., five bass, 20-2, $1,078

7th: Douglas Webster, Pinson, Ala., five bass, 20-0, $707

8th: Curtis Merriman, Cullman, Ala., five bass, 19-12, $1,237

9th: Scott Towry, Lawrenceburg, Tenn., five bass, 19-3, $566

10th: Jonathan Henry, Grant, Ala., five bass, 18-12, $495

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Merriman caught a bass weighing 7 pounds, 9 ounces â€“ the biggest of the tournament in the pro division â€“ and earned the dayâ€™s Boater Big Bass award of $600.

Alex Spires of Chickamauga, Georgia, weighed in five bass totaling 22 pounds even Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $2,122.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st: Alex Spires, Chickamauga, Ga., five bass, 22-0, $2,122

2nd: Roland Wade, Rocky Face, Ga., five bass, 21-14, $1,361

3rd: Chase Dorsett, Odenville, Ala., five bass, 19-8, $707

4th: Randall Wiggins, Birmingham, Ala., five bass, 17-0, $495

5th: Wayne Garner, Sherwood, Tenn., five bass, 16-13, $424

6th: Derek Holly, Johnson City, Tenn., five bass, 14-12, $389

7th: Daniel Davis, Albertville, Ala., four bass, 14-10, $354

8th: Jason Mullinax, White, Ga., five bass, 14-2, $300

8th: Scott Miller, Burlington, Wis., five bass, 14-2, $300

10th: Robert Barnett, Flintstone, Ga., five bass, 14-1, $248

Wade caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 7 pounds, 5 ounces and earned the dayâ€™s Co-angler Big Bass award of $300.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 13-15 Regional Championship on Lake Seminole in Bainbridge, Georgia. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.

The BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 120 tournaments throughout the season, five in each division. The top 50 boaters and co-anglers from each division qualify for a regional tournament and 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 â€“ the BFL All-American. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

About FLW

by AnglersChannel

Locke Ehrentraut Wins Flw Bass Fishing League Northeast Division

LOCKE’S EHRENTRAUT WINS FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE NORTHEAST DIVISION EVENT ON ONEIDA LAKE PRESENTED BY NAVIONICS

Cumbo wins co-angler title

BREWERTON, N.Y. (July 11, 2016) – David Ehrentraut of Locke, New York, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 18 pounds, 9 ounces, Saturday to win the third FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Northeast Division tournament on Oneida Lake presented by Navionics. For his victory, Ehrentraut received $4,463.

Ehrentraut said he spent the tournament combing through grass edges scattered around the lake. He said he preferred a specific type of cover and allotted 40 minutes for each area.

“I was looking for grass edges that had a little bit of a drop-off,” said Ehrentraut, who earned his first win in BFL competition. “In some areas the drop was 2 feet, in others it was less. Basically, I was looking for a hard bottom.

“On my first mid-lake stretch, I caught two keepers right away,” Ehrentraut continued. “I headed back toward the takeoff ramp and caught another before running near Lakeport to catch one more. After that I fished a couple of humps and ran the bank.”

Ehrentraut said he threw two baits during the event – a Gold Flash Minnow-colored Keitech Swing Impact Swimbait and a drop-shot rig with a Strike King KVD Dream Shot.

“The Dream Shot caught more fish, but the Keitech brought in the heaviest ones,” said Ehrentraut. “I caught about 16 fish throughout the day. I put the right things together out there and it worked for me.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st: David Ehrentraut Locke, N.Y., five bass, 18-9, $4,463

2nd: Randy Caruso, Liberty, N.Y., five bass, 17-12, $2,872

3rd: Ken Golub, Pittsford, N.Y., five bass, 17-1, $1,489

4th: Craig Nelson, Mather, Pa., five bass, 17-0, $1,041

5th: Grae Buck, Harleysville, Pa., five bass, 16-12, $893

6th: Matt Becker, Finleyville, Pa., five bass, 16-11, $818

7th: Robert Parmer, Linden, Pa., five bass, 16-5, $744

8th: Ian Renfrew, Phoenix, N.Y., five bass, 16-4, $669

9th: Ed Casey, Whiteford, Md., five bass, 16-1, $595

10th: Matt Stasiak, Pittsburgh, Pa., five bass, 15-15, $521

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Caruso caught a bass weighing 4 pounds, 7 ounces – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $640.

Bryan Cumbo of West Wyoming, Pennsylvania, weighed in five bass totaling 16 pounds, 13 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $2,232.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st: Bryan Cumbo, West Wyoming, Pa., five bass, 16-13, $2,232

2nd: Michael Barton, Endicott, N.Y., five bass, 16-10, $1,116

3rd: Joseph Wood, Westport, Mass., five bass, 15-6, $743

4th: Daniel Hann, Williamson, N.Y., five bass, 15-5, $521

5th: Bill Klaips, Shavertown, Pa., five bass, 15-4, $446

6th: Drew Tiano, Hudson, N.Y., five bass, 14-5, $409

7th: Brian Setlock, Lancaster, Pa., five bass, 14-4, $372

8th: Andrew Benbenek, Cicero, N.Y., five bass, 13-10, $335

9th: Ken Maurer, Herndon, Pa., five bass, 13-7, $298

10th: Michael Bahnweg, Union Dale, Pa., five bass, 13-6, $260

Daryl Christadore of Hampton, Connecticut, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 4 pounds, 8 ounces and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $320.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 6-8 Regional Championship on Kerr Lake in Henderson, North Carolina. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.

by AnglersChannel

Freeman Wins Flw Bass Fishing League Arkie Division Event On Lake Dardanelle

FREEMAN WINS FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE ARKIE DIVISION EVENT ON LAKE DARDANELLE

Cole wins co-angler title

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. (July 11, 2016) – Local angler Zack Freeman of Russellville, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 18 pounds, 12 ounces, Saturday to win the fourth FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Arkie Division tournament of 2016 on Lake Dardanelle. For his victory, Freeman earned $3,718.

“I spent the day picking apart a main-lake ledge," said Freeman, who earned his first win in FLW competition. “I targeted bass in a school that I had located the week before, but in sunny weather. On Friday evening some storms moved through, so I didn’t know if they’d still be there. Thankfully, after a little time, I had them figured out again.”

Freeman said the bass were suspended in 6 to 8 feet of water, not on top of the brush piles like he had originally planned.

“I had to swim a jig over the top of them,” said Freeman. “I used a custom green-pumpkin and purple-colored football-head jig and ran along a 50-yard stretch. I fished the area until noon and then hit a couple of other spots.”

Freeman said he switched to a Carolina-rigged, green-pumpkin-colored Zoom Mag 2 Worm toward the end of his day.

“Of the 11 keepers I caught during the event, I ended up weighing two from the Mag 2,” said Freeman. “I had a great day out there.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st: Zack Freeman, Russellville, Ark., five bass, 18-12, $3,718

2nd: Brandon Lee, Ratcliff, Ark., five bass, 18-3, $1,859

3rd: Shawn Gordon, Russellville, Ark., five bass, 18-2, $1,538

4th: Spencer Grace, Dardanelle, Ark., five bass, 17-12, $867

5th: Joey Cifuentes, Clinton, Ark., five bass, 17-10, $744

6th: Cody Burke, Bryant, Ark., five bass, 17-0, $682

7th: Zach King, Clarksville, Ark., five bass, 16-3, $620

8th: Robert Stevens, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 15-10, $558

9th: Josh Hilton, Clarksville, Ark., five bass, 15-6, $496

10th: Mike Webster, Atkins, Ark., five bass, 15-3, $412

10th: Chris Morgan, Mineral Springs, Ark., five bass, 15-3, $412

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Lance Pyle of Sherwood, Arkansas, caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 15 ounces – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $485.

Rick Cole of Hot Springs, Arkansas, weighed in five bass totaling 16 pounds, 14 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $1,859.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st: Rick Cole, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 16-14, $1,859

2nd: Ron Knight, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 13-7, $929

3rd: Jason Broomfield, Waldron, Ark., five bass, 13-5, $861

4th: A.J. Mays, Cabot, Ark., five bass, 13-0, $434

5th: Branko Todorovic, Hot Springs, Ark., four bass, 12-1, $372

6th: Jason Scoggins, Benton, Ark., five bass, 10-10, $341

7th: Ed Howerton, Rogers, Ark., four bass, 10-5, $310

8th: Colton Garrett, Jonesboro, Ark., four bass, 9-14, $279

9th: Jon Paulovich, Benton, Ark., five bass, 9-9, $248

10th: Joe Grafeman, Lake Ozark, Mo., five bass, 9-7, $217

Broomfield caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 13 ounces and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $242.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 6-8 Regional Championship on Lake Chickamauga in Dayton, Tennessee. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

by AnglersChannel

Minn Kotaâ® Unveils Reinvented Spot-Lock

Minn KotaÂ® Unveils Reinvented Spot-Lock

Racine, WI (July 11, 2016): Minn KotaÂ® is excited to unveil significant enhancements to the ground-breaking Spot-Lock electronic anchor, a key feature of the new i-PilotÂ®, and i-PilotÂ® Link™ systems. Advancements in hardware, software, and communications allow anglers to remain actively locked onto their spot with the push of a button, bringing unrivaled precision to 21st-century boat control.

“Minn Kota has consistently maintained a culture of innovation and continuous improvements to our products with the angler always in mind. After the launch of i-Pilot, which brought the revolutionary benefits of Spot-Lock to anglers, we did not stop,” said Brad Henry, Minn Kota Brand Manager. “Through this commitment, we’ve reinvented Spot-Lock to make it the most accurate electronic GPS anchor ever.”

Anglers will immediately notice that the reinvented Spot-Lock electronic GPS anchor holds the boat in position with unmatched precision and consistency.

“One of my favorite features of both the i-Pilot and i-Pilot Link systems is the Spot-Lock feature, being able to use the trolling motor as an electric anchor,” said Jeremy Smith of Lindner’s Angling Edge TV and Lindner Media Productions. “When bass fishing, even in a stout wind, it’s easy just to Spot-Lock to land fish, change baits, or even take a photo or two. The updated Spot-Lock feature will make boat positioning easier and more precise than ever.”

The enhanced Minn Kota Spot-Lock feature comes standard in both i-Pilot and i-Pilot Link systems, factory-installed on a wide variety of new Bluetooth-enabled bow-mount trolling motors including Ultrex, Ulterra, Terrova and PowerDrive, as well as Riptide Ulterra, Riptide Terrova and Riptide PowerDrive. Products available to ship in late fall, 2016.

by AnglersChannel

Keisler Catches 16 Pound Limit To Win Aft D-96 On Lake Murray!

AFT D-96 Tournament Results

Lake Murray – July 10, 2016

Division 96 2017 Season 1-Day Qualifier

First place, Toby Keisler of Lexington, SC caught a 5 fish limit weighing 16.04 pounds. He fished the lower part of the lake and caught his fish on topwater baits. Toby took home $750 for first place and first place option.

Darrell Shull of West Columbia, SC was second with 5 fish weighing 14.08 pounds fishing the upper part of the lake flipping in shallow water. Darrell had a 6.21 pound kicker fish in the mix. For second place and second place option Darrell won $465.

Clay Riddle of Chapin, SC finished in third place with 5 fish weighing 13.01 pounds. Clay fished the lower part of the lake and caught his fish on topwater baits and a Carolina Rig. Clay took home $130 for third place.

In fourth place was Joey Sabbagha with 5 fish weighing 12.71 pounds anchored with 4.44 pound kicker fish. Joey caught his fish flipping and on topwater baits on the upper part of the lake. Joey took home $101 for fourth place.

Big Fish was caught by Evan Weaver of Lexington, SC. His 6.43 pound largemouth was caught on a drop shot rig on the middle part of the lake. Evan won $130 for Big Fish.

Our day started out clear and 79 degrees. There was a light wind all day with partly cloudy skies and 97 degrees at the 3 pm weigh-in. Water temps were in the high 80’s. The lake was clear but stained in the creeks and up the rivers and about three and half feet from full pool.

Here’s how we finished:

Angler # Fish Big Bass Penalty Total Wt. Points Payout

1 Toby Keisler 5 16.04 200 $750

2 Darrell Shull 5 6.21 14.08 199 $465

3 Clay Riddle 5 4.17 1 13.01 198 $130

4 Joey Sabbagha 5 4.44 12.71 197 $101

5 Phillip Anderson 5 11.91 196

6 Evan Weaver 4 6.43 11.79 195 $130

7 Don Kneece 5 11.23 194

8 Tony Jackson 4 1 10.41 193

9 Andy Lake 5 10.01 192

10 Phil Morris 4 4.31 9.7 191

11 Roger Farr 3 7.08 190

12 Kenny Brugger 3 6.08 189

13 Richard Kay 3 1 5.16 188

14 Richard Presnell 3 4.67 187

15 Jay Treon 2 3.97 186

16 Josh Peake 1 2.3 185

17 Eddie Temples 1 1.47 184

18 Steve Christie 1 1.45 183

19 Mike Dimatteo 0 0 50

19 Steve Wicker 0 0 50

19 George Berry 0 0 50

19 Stanley Harkins 0 0 50

19 Gene Parker 0 0 50

19 Matt Mollohan 0 0 50

19 Wesley Bray 0 0 50

Money

Toby Keisler – 1st place plaque $1620 / 1st place option $130 Total - $750

Darrell Shull – 2nd place plaque $375 / 2nd place option $90 Total - $465

Clay Riddle – 3rd place plaque $130

Joey Sabbagha – 4th place – $101

Phillip Anderson – 5th place – Parker Spinnerbait

Evan Weaver – 5th place – ALX Hat & Rod Discount Card / Big Fish plaque $130

ALX Rod Big Fish Winner for 2017

Evan Weaver – 6.43 lbs. Lake Murray, July 10, 2016

ALX Rods Big Fish Award for the 2017 Season (New ALX IKOS Series Rod for Season Big Fish Winner www.alxrods.com )

Local Sponsors:

Our local sponsors will be providing products or money for products for the anglers fishing Division 96 tournaments. Please give them your support by looking to them first when considering your purchases. They are supporting you!

Palmetto Electrical Systems serving Greenwood, SC. Residential & Commercial Services – 30 years experience – Quality Service – Reasonable Prices – Free Estimates – Locally owned and operated by Mark T. Abbott – 8117 Highway 246 S, Ninety Six, SC - 864-227-8500

Kneece Investigations, LLC Saluda, SC www.kneeceinvestigations.com (864-445-3713) (one stop for both your Investigative and Surveillance Equipment needs)

ALX Rods Aiken, SC www.alxrods.com (803-645-5392) Email:  [email protected] (ALX Rods are available locally at The Tackle Shop (Martinez, GA), Palmetto State Armory (Fernandina Road in Columbia, SC & also store in Mt. Pleasant, SC), Wacky Riggers (Salisbury, NC), Calyx Outdoors (Piedmont, SC) Grady’s Great Outdoors (Anderson, SC), Lake Hartwell Outdoor Center (Anderson, SC) and direct at www.alxrods.com )

Gene Parker’s Spinnerbaits Asheville, NC - the baits that Gene Parker used to win the 2011 ABA National Championship on Lake Murray, SC www.parkerbaittechnology.com (828-691-2277)

Results and news on www.aba-sc.com and see your photos on ‘facebook’ at D-96 American Fishing Tour

Upcoming ABA Tournaments:

D-26 Aug. 14, 2016             Clarks Hill           Wildwood Park

D-96  Aug. 21, 2016             Greenwood                 Greenwood State Park (2017)

D-26 Sept. 10-11, 2016       Clarks Hill           Wildwood State Park (Div. 2-Day)

D-96  Sept. 18, 2016            Murray              Dreher Island State Park (2017)

D-96  Oct. 2, 2016               Clarks Hill           Dorn Facility (2017)

D-96  Nov. 6, 2016              Greenwood         Greenwood State Park (2017)

D-96  Dec. 4, 2016               Russell                       Hwy 72 Ramp (2017)

AFT 2016 National Championship    October 16-21, 2016    Lake Eufaula out of Lake Point Resort State Park, Eufaula, Al

AFT 2017 National Championship site and date will be announced on October 21, 2016

by AnglersChannel

Minn Kota Introduces New Ultrex Trolling Motor

Minn Kota^Â® Unveils “No Compromise” Ultrex™ Trolling Motor

Racine, WI (July 8, 2016): Minn Kota^Â® introduces the trolling motor anglers have only dreamed of - a hybrid that merges the body of a Fortrex^Â® with the brains of i-Pilot^Â®, complete with Spot-Lock electronic GPS anchoring and more.

New for 2017, Minn Kota’s Ultrex™ gives anglers the control and responsiveness of a Fortrex, plus effortless Power Steering and i-Pilot^Â® features, like Spot-Lock. Paired with Steering Lock, which allows you to take your foot off the pedal without losing motor heading, Ultrex will change the way you fish.

“We continue to set the bar high for break-through innovations to help anglers catch fish. Ultrex is no exception,” says Brad Henry, Minn Kota Brand Manager. “We’ve combined the reliability and responsive ‘wired-to-the-water’ feel of our tournament-proven Fortrex with the GPS technologies of i-Pilot, i-Pilot Link, and Spot-Lock electronic anchoring. It’s the best of both worlds.”

Ultrex Features:

Power Steering: Ultra-responsive control and reduces steering effort and foot fatigue
Steering Lock: Take your foot off the pedal and keep your motor heading
Ultrex Foot Pedal: Power steering with Spot-Lock and AutoPilot Buttons
Lift-Assist
Fortrex Mono Arm bracket
Coated stainless steel stow/deploy adjustable cable
Bluetooth-enabled i-Pilot or i-Pilot Link
Digital Maximizer
Universal Sonar 2
Composite Shaft
Weedless Wedge 2 Prop

The Minn Kota Ultrex product line-up will consist of numerous i-Pilot- or i-Pilot Link- and US2-enabled combos, including 24-volt 80 lbs. thrust and 36-volt 112 lbs. thrust versions in 45”, 52” and 60” shaft lengths. Product available in late fall, 2016.

Ultrex MSRP: $2199.99-$2799.99.

by AnglersChannel

Sebile Brings Back The Magic Swimmer At Icast 2016

Sebile Bringing Back The Renowned

Magic Swimmer

Sebile Magic Swimmer Continues Versatility Dominance

COLUMBIA, S.C. (July 6, 2016) - The SebileÂ® Magic Swimmer™ and Magic Swimmer™ Soft are two of Sebile's most renowned lures. The second generation Magic Swimmer reflects his vision of a lure that undulates its jointed body and presents a very natural swimming action that attracts saltwater species such as Striped bass, California yellowtail off the islands of southern California as well as tarpon and redfish along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.

With enhanced features like refined colors, added body detailing and reinforced mesh body, the Magic Swimmer is better than ever. Sebile also improved materials to battle the saltwater conditions by giving anglers stronger hooks and split rings.

Its natural swimming action is just too much for sloppy or aggressive gamefish to resist. Available in hard and soft versions, the Magic Swimmer is all about the tapered nose and humpbacked head, which slices through the water to perfectly mimic swimming baitfishes.

The hard version of the Magic Swimmer is available in floating, slow-sinking and fast sinking models. It is equipped with a removable tail double hook plus a finesse worm screw and a treble hook on the belly. The body has been reinforced compared to the original version. Sebile recommends removing the tail double hook when targeting large and powerful fish, as one belly treble hook is enough to hook, fight and land a strong opponent, without the risk of a tail hook damaging the eyes or head of it during the fight.

The Magic Swimmer Soft is as versatile a crankbait as they come. It has a recessed groove in the top of the lure's back that conceals the hook's point. Strategically placed holes in the nose and throat, and slots on the belly and back allow the Magic Swimmer Soft to slide on the leader when the fish is hooked, making it a more durable bait. The 2nd generation Magic Swimmer Soft is now mesh-reinforced, which increases strength and longevity of each bait. Each is sold with the newer 15 degree open wide gap weighted hook, incuding one pre-rigged weedless bait.

With a wide variety of proven colors and sizes to match baitfish, the Magic Swimmer has an MSRP of $12.99 - $19.99 while the Magic Swimmer Soft has an MSRP of $9.99.

by AnglersChannel

University Of Alabama Bass Team Wins 2016 School Of The Year Title! Rtr!

University of Alabama Bass Team Wins

2016 Cabela’s School of Year Title!

North Alabama and Murray State Finish 2nd and 3rd

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The University of Alabama has won the 2016 Cabela’s School of the Year title! Widely regarded as the hardest and most sought after college fishing title in the nation, this is the first time that the University of Alabama has earned this prestigious award.

The Cabela’s School of the Year program offers college anglers the chance to compete at the highest level in numerous collegiate fishing events held all over the nation. The Association of Collegiate Anglers created this program with Cabela’s to both rank and reward collegiate fishing teams based on their performance in the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series, Carhartt College B.A.S.S. Series, and FLW College Series, as well as select school-hosted and operated events.

"This year the Alabama Bass Team really set our goal to win Cabela's School of the Year. We set our entire college fishing schedule to be able to compete in a variety of events so we could earn points toward this title. Fortunately, we got the job done catching fish this year at events all over the nation," stated John Davis, President of University of Alabama Bass Club.

When asked just how prestigious this title is, the Director of College Operations for the Association of Collegiate Anglers, Wade Middleton, said that “This is the ultimate trophy in college fishing because it’s earned on the water over a full year of fishing. It’s not voted on, it’s not a title bestowed on you by votes or because of finishing on top at one event or anything of that nature. This title is earned by all the members of the school team and how they jointly fished as a school at events all year long.”

Coming in second place is two-time Cabela’s School of the Year Winners, University of North Alabama, perennial powerhouse Murray State University in third,followed by Mississippi State in fourth, and McKendree University in fifth. A full list of the teams finishing in the top 20 can be found below and for a full breakdown of all the teams in the nationwide rankings click here.

The Top Twenty Schools for 2016:

Full coverage and insight from numerous members of the University of Alabama Bass Club will be coming soon as we take an in depth look at the team, what it took to win this prestigious tittle and what's ahead for the teams 32 active team members in the 2017 season.

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

by AnglersChannel

Nc Angler, Angela Mayo Wins Lbaa Pro Event On Caddo Lake!

NC Angler Wins Lady Bass Anglers Association Pro Event on Caddo Lake

Oil City, LA—Angela Mayo, (Maiden, NC), in only the second event of her rookie pro season, edged out seasoned pro Pam Martin-Wells for the win at Caddo Lake near Shreveport-Bossier, Louisiana. As is typical when the LBAA heads to Caddo Lake, Mother Nature played havoc with the weather. The event, originally scheduled for March, was rescheduled to late May due to flood conditions. When the ladies arrived for practice, they were once again greeted by high, muddy water. Although the water level dropped about six inches per day making it difficult to put together a strong pattern, several anglers were able to come up with good limits.

After day one, Pam Martin-Wells, from Bainbridge, GA, was in the lead, followed closely by Mayo. “After such a disappointing performance at Lake Hartwell in South Carolina, I was extremely pleased to be within striking distance. I knew I would have to have a limit on day two to have a shot, but at least I wasn’t out of it” Mayo said.

Day two brought sunny skies and higher temperatures. Because the lake is so shallow, slight changes in weather have a dramatic effect on the water temperatures and on the fish. Mayo was able to follow the fish and bring a limit to the scales again on day two. “At 2:30pm, I only had three in the live-well. I made a run back toward the ramp and hit a point that I found a concentration of fish on in practice. I put my last two in the live-well with ten minutes to go. As it turns out, I needed every ounce I had in my bag. After talking with Pam, I knew it was going to be close but to end up just .22 lbs ahead – unbelievable!”

Last year, in the Co-Angler division, Mayo won the coveted Triple Crown by winning a regular season event (Mayo won three of the five regular season events), Angler of the Year in the co-angler division, and the Ladies Classic on Pickwick. Part of the prize package for the Co-Angler of the Year is to have half of the entry fees paid the following year in the pro division. “After the amazing year I had last year, and with half the entry fees paid, I figured it was time to move up to the pro division. I was a little concerned about that decision after the tournament at Lake Hartwell, but this win gives me a lot of confidence going in to the tournament on Kentucky Lake this month.” “I’d like to thank my sponsors, FishStyx Custom Rods, UPS of Hickory, Adventive Graphics, Davis Brothers Automotive of Lincolnton and Reel It In Baits for helping make this all possible.”

About Lady Bass Anglers Association (LBAA)

The Lady Bass Anglers Association was formed by professional bass anglers Cheryl Bowden and Secret York. In four short seasons, the LBAA has developed a popular series of women’s professional bass fishing tournaments and gained fans across the country. Current LBAA sponsors include Rayjus, Hi-Tec Outdoors, Serna’s Salsa, Kick’n Bass, Rod Armorz, Blue Fin Eyewear, Women Fish Too, Stoney Ridge Custom Rods, Excite Baits and Yo-Zuri Lures. The LBAA offers valuable sponsorship opportunities for corporate sponsors and marketing partners. For more information about the LBAA, contact LBAA Headquarters at (214) 738-7518 or visit www.ladybassanglers.com. You are also invited to follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LadyBassAnglers.

by AnglersChannel

New Frabill Weigh-Bag System To Debut At Icast

Fishing Accessory - NEW Frabill Weigh Bag System

The typical fishing tournament is anything but a relaxing day on the lake. Anglers race against the clock to catch the heaviest bag of fish possible – often under the worst possible weather conditions. And catching them is only part of the challenge; fish must be brought to weigh-in alive and healthy to avoid penalties. Throughout the day, competitors pamper their fish in high-tech livewells treated with expensive fish-care chemicals and devices that inject oxygen into the water at a molecular level – luxury health spas for fish, really – to ensure they remain in strong condition. Strangely, those fish are removed from their high-rent accommodations on the boat, and placed in what amount to oversized, leaky plastic freezer bags, constantly threatening to burst at the seams, for the final leg of their journey to the weigh-in.

That’s just not right.

Seizing the opportunity to seize the bass in a better and safer way, Frabill, manufacturers of trusted gear since 1938, has announced the all-new, breakthrough Frabill Weigh Bag System for 2017. It’s a clever, common-sense marriage of three components that combine to produce the finest live fish tote ever conceived – for tournament anglers or anyone else who needs a portable livewell.

Frabill’s three-part Weigh Bag System consists of a soft, reinforced Weigh Bag, a removable inner Mesh Bag, and a compact portable aerator. Components will be available separately, or as an assembled system.

The exterior shell of the soft Weigh Bag is constructed of reinforced PVC tarpaulin. The flat bottom duffel-bag-design with internal reinforcing stands upright on it’s own. Oversized, padded handles wrap around the bag to fully support its contents, even when filled with up to 11.25 gallons of water and fish. An internal zippered pocket inside the lid holds G-Juice or other weigh-in supplies. The top of the Weigh Bag closes securely with an oversized zipper.

It’s been scientifically proven that extended periods in oxygen-poor weigh-in bags is the leading cause of tournament fish mortality. Frabill’s dedication to the cause continues with a small-yet-mighty portable aerator that tucks smartly into the Weigh Bag’s side pocket.

The lightweight and durable Frabill Mesh Bag fits neatly inside the Weigh Bag, and features a slick raindrop shape, ergonomic carry handles and a top Velcro closure. The Mesh Bag can be easily transferred from the Weigh Bag to the staging tub when the angler arrives at the weigh-in. Additionally, the versatile Frabill Mesh Bag is an economical and practical stuff-bag for raingear, fishing reels, sonar head units, planer boards and all manner of other bulky tackle items.

Weigh-ins can be stressful places for both fish and anglers. Release your white-knuckle grip on the junky plastic sack, and up your tournament game with a new Frabill Weigh Bag System. The new, complete Frabill Weigh Bag System will be available later this year at an expected MSRP of $79.99.

by AnglersChannel

Wil Hardy Ii Wins The Bass Northern Open On Lake Oneida!!

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Milking one spot for three straight days made a winner of Wil Hardy II at the Bass Pro Shops Northern Open #1 on Oneida Lake.

The Harlem, Ga., angler caught his second consecutive 18-pound limit (18 pounds, 4 ounces) of smallmouth bass to win the pro division and the grand prize of a $45,000 Nitro Z20/Mercury 225 Pro XS rig and $8,491 in cash. The 26-year-old Hardy finished with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 53-13 to win his first B.A.S.S. tournament and claim a 2017 Bassmaster Classic berth if he fishes the remaining two Northern Opens.

Each day Hardy caught his limit early while Carolina rigging a green pumpkin Zoom Speed Craw and dragging a 3/4-ounce Green Fish Tackle Creeper jig tipped with a green pumpkin Zoom Speed Craw along the bottom. “I had a limit pretty early again (about 7:30 a.m.) today but it was a whole lot slower than it has been,” he said. “We didn’t catch many small ones. It seems like most of the ones we caught were pretty decent. Then we culled up three or four times after that.”

Hardy said the area he fished had a “whole lot of everything” including scattered gravel, zebra mussels and cuts of grass. “I found that spot last year (in the Open) but I never really caught them that good there,” said Hardy, who caught a quick limit there the first day. Most of the fish he caught were about 11 to 13 feet deep.

Indianapolis, Ind., pro Jacob Wheeler chased after smallmouth again and caught a limit weighing 16-6 to take second place with 50-9. “Today was a lot of fun,” Wheeler said. “I went out there and caught a lot of fish. That is the cool thing about Oneida Lake. It is getting better and better every single time we come here.”

Wheeler found smallmouth roaming in the holes of grass and along breaklines where the fish were 10 to 13 feet deep. His main tactics for catching brown bass were drop-shotting with a green pumpkin finesse worm to catch a limit and switching to a Carolina-rigged Larew Punch Out craw or Larew Biffle Bug Junior for kicker fish.

The rest of the top five in the pro division included Jamie Hartman, Newport, N.Y., third place, 50-6; Kurt Dove, Del Rio, Texas, fourth, 50-4; and Larry Mazur, East Aurora, N.Y., 48-11.

The co-angler top prize of a $30,000 Triton 179 TRX/Mercury 115ELPT Four Stroke package went to Joel Willert who finished in first with 29-9. The 32-year-old Burnsville, Minn., angler caught all of his fish throughout the tournament on a Ned Rig and drop-shotting a soft plastic goby bait.

The Phoenix Boats Big Bass Award of $750 on the pro side went to Mike Shumanis, Bethlehem, Pa., with a 5-4 largemouth. Jeremy Jones, Big Rapids, Mich., weighed in a 5-pound bass to earn the $250 Phoenix Boats Big Bass Award on the co-angler side.

Hardy also received the Livingston Lures Leader Award of $250 for finishing as the top pro on Day 2. Darryl Halbert, Enoree, S.C., won the Livingston Lures gift pack worth $250 for finishing as the top co-angler on Day 2.

by AnglersChannel

Randy Elliot Leads Bass Northern Open With Over 19 Pounds On Day 1

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Checking social media reports helped Randy Elliott develop the game plan that has him leading the pro division of the Bass Pro Shops Northern Open #1 at Oneida Lake.

"I didn't see anybody posting anything for the last week on big largemouth so I decided to stay with all smallmouth," said Elliott, a veteran of Bassmaster Northern and Southern Opens.

The Bowie, Md., angler caught a five-fish limit of smallmouth bass weighing 19 pounds, 3 ounces to take the early lead in the pro division.

The smallmouth bite was early and often for most of the top contenders including Elliott, who had his limit by about 8 o'clock. However, while other anglers struggled to catch fish later in the day, Elliott kept catching them.

"The fish are post-spawn," he said. "They are hungry and feeding up. There are lots of baitfish around. Every time I caught a fish it was coughing (baitfish) up."

The weather was sunny with a light north wind today but the forecast calls for clouds and rainstorms throughout Friday. Elliott doesn't expect the weather to change his pattern any.

Bird watching is usually a good way to find schooling smallmouth on Oneida as the diving seagulls indicate baitfish and bass activity on the surface, but neither Elliott nor Day 1 runner-up Derek Yasinski relied on the birds to find their fish.

"I found five or six places this week (in practice) that I knew fish were there," said Elliott. The government contractor decided to key on those spots rather than run around looking for bird activity.

"We saw some birds later this afternoon and pulled up on them and caught a few little fish, but I am not fishing the birds," Yasinski said.

Yasinski caught his limit in about his first 30 minutes of fishing and finished the day with 18-9. "Then we jumped around and caught one or two here or there," said the 29-year-old machinist from Senoia, Ga.

"I tried to catch a bigger fish (after catching his limit) but I mostly went prefishing so I could hopefully catch a decent limit tomorrow."

Other pro division anglers in the top 5 include Jesse Tacoronte, Orlando, Fla., third place, 18-0; Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., fourth, 17-7; and Mike Shumanis, Bethlehem, Pa., fifth, 17-6.

Local angler Andrew Hammond took advantage of a one-hour spurt in the middle of the day to catch a three-fish limit weighing 11-3 to move into first place in the co-angler division. The 38-year-old sales rep for a paint coating company lamented losing a fish that would have padded his lead.

"I dropped about a 4 1/2-pounder on my second cast or I would have had about 13 pounds today," said the Fulton, N.Y., angler.

Hosting this tournament is Visit Syracuse (www.visitsyracuse.com). The competitors will take off the next two days at 5:30 a.m. ET at Oneida Shores Park. Friday's weigh-in will be held at 2 p.m. at Oneida Shores Park, with the final weigh-in on Saturday being held at 3 p.m. at the Bass Pro Shops in Utica, N.Y.

TOURNAMENT STANDINGS

Place	Name	Day 1 Fish / Weight	Total Fish / Weight
1	Randy Elliott	5 / 19- 3	5 / 19- 3
2	Derek Yasinski	5 / 18- 9	5 / 18- 9
3	Jesse Tacoronte	5 / 18- 0	5 / 18- 0
4	Wesley Strader	5 / 17- 7	5 / 17- 7
5	Mike Shumanis	5 / 17- 6	5 / 17- 6
6	Wil Hardy II	5 / 17- 4	5 / 17- 4
7	Ed Loughran III	5 / 17- 2	5 / 17- 2
8	Ian Renfrew	5 / 17- 1	5 / 17- 1
9	Larry Mazur	5 / 16-15	5 / 16-15
10	Tyler Berger	5 / 16-14	5 / 16-14
11	Buddy Cipoletti	5 / 16-11	5 / 16-11
12	Jacob Wheeler	5 / 16-10	5 / 16-10
13	Kurt Dove	5 / 16- 7	5 / 16- 7
13	Tom Graziano	5 / 16- 7	5 / 16- 7
15	Adrian Avena	5 / 16- 6	5 / 16- 6
15	Tim Grein	5 / 16- 6	5 / 16- 6
15	Alton Jones Jr.	5 / 16- 6	5 / 16- 6
15	Tyler Morgan	5 / 16- 6	5 / 16- 6
19	Chad Pipkens	5 / 16- 4	5 / 16- 4
20	Michael Cooper	5 / 16- 3	5 / 16- 3
21	Chris Noffsinger	5 / 16- 3	5 / 16- 3
22	Jason Dudek	5 / 16- 2	5 / 16- 2
22	Mike McClelland	5 / 16- 2	5 / 16- 2
22	Brandon Palaniuk	5 / 16- 2	5 / 16- 2
25	Josh Douglas	5 / 16- 1	5 / 16- 1
25	Alvin Shaw	5 / 16- 1	5 / 16- 1
27	Hunter Shryock	5 / 16- 0	5 / 16- 0
28	Jonathan Carter	5 / 15-15	5 / 15-15
28	Garrett Paquette	5 / 15-15	5 / 15-15
30	David Dudley	5 / 15-12	5 / 15-12
30	Stanley Sypeck	5 / 15-12	5 / 15-12
32	Derek Cummings	5 / 15-11	5 / 15-11
32	Ish Monroe	5 / 15-11	5 / 15-11
34	Jon Englund	5 / 15-10	5 / 15-10
35	Aaron Busch	5 / 15- 8	5 / 15- 8
35	Jason Chier	5 / 15- 8	5 / 15- 8
37	Eddie Levin	5 / 15- 8	5 / 15- 8
38	Jamie Hartman	5 / 15- 6	5 / 15- 6
39	Michael Iaconelli	5 / 15- 6	5 / 15- 6
40	Matthew Sphar	5 / 15- 5	5 / 15- 5
41	Cody Pike	5 / 15- 4	5 / 15- 4
41	Brent Shores	5 / 15- 4	5 / 15- 4
43	Tyler Carriere	5 / 15- 2	5 / 15- 2
43	Rick Morris	5 / 15- 2	5 / 15- 2
43	Paul Pagnato Jr	5 / 15- 2	5 / 15- 2
46	Tim Gillies	5 / 15- 2	5 / 15- 2
47	Ron Johnson	5 / 15- 1	5 / 15- 1
47	Randy Lamanche	5 / 15- 1	5 / 15- 1
49	Trait Crist	5 / 15- 0	5 / 15- 0
49	Dave Davenport	5 / 15- 0	5 / 15- 0
49	Sam George	5 / 15- 0	5 / 15- 0
49	Kraig Kettelkamp	5 / 15- 0	5 / 15- 0
49	Michael Simonton	5 / 15- 0	5 / 15- 0
49	Carl Svebek III	5 / 15- 0	5 / 15- 0
49	Joseph Zombek II	5 / 15- 0	5 / 15- 0
56	Chris Daves	5 / 14-14	5 / 14-14
57	Jeff Lugar	5 / 14-12	5 / 14-12
58	Jess Salmon	5 / 14-12	5 / 14-12
59	Mike Morrin	5 / 14-11	5 / 14-11
60	Travis Manson	5 / 14- 9	5 / 14- 9
61	Shin Fukae	5 / 14- 9	5 / 14- 9
62	Cameron Smith	5 / 14- 8	5 / 14- 8
63	Tony Dorman	5 / 14- 7	5 / 14- 7
63	Mike Lavallee	5 / 14- 7	5 / 14- 7
65	Jeff Barth	5 / 14- 6	5 / 14- 6
65	Glenn Browne	5 / 14- 6	5 / 14- 6
65	Seiji Kato	5 / 14- 6	5 / 14- 6
68	Austin Felix	5 / 14- 5	5 / 14- 5
68	Brian Kelly	5 / 14- 5	5 / 14- 5
68	Trevor Lo	5 / 14- 5	5 / 14- 5
68	Jonathon VanDam	5 / 14- 5	5 / 14- 5
72	Charlie Hartley	5 / 14- 4	5 / 14- 4
73	Michael Neal	5 / 14- 3	5 / 14- 3
73	David Smith	5 / 14- 3	5 / 14- 3
75	Ross Rhodes	5 / 14- 2	5 / 14- 2
75	Whitney Stephens	5 / 14- 2	5 / 14- 2
77	Bret Loomis	5 / 14- 1	5 / 14- 1
77	Edward Naydihor Jr	5 / 14- 1	5 / 14- 1
79	Destin DeMarion	5 / 14- 0	5 / 14- 0
80	Joe Hamilton	5 / 14- 0	5 / 14- 0
81	Jim Bianchi	5 / 13-15	5 / 13-15
82	Shayne Berlo	5 / 13-14	5 / 13-14
82	Gary Clouse	5 / 13-14	5 / 13-14
84	Grae Buck	5 / 13-14	5 / 13-14
85	Jake Whitaker	5 / 13-13	5 / 13-13
86	Gaspare Costabile	5 / 13-13	5 / 13-13
87	Pete Garnier	5 / 13-12	5 / 13-12
87	Sean Wieda	5 / 13-12	5 / 13-12
89	Frank Miller	5 / 13-11	5 / 13-11
90	Lee Rogers	5 / 13-10	5 / 13-10
91	Paco Giner	5 / 13-10	5 / 13-10
92	Gerald Sensabaugh	5 / 13- 9	5 / 13- 9
93	Luke Shrader	5 / 13- 9	5 / 13- 9
94	Timothy Reams	5 / 13- 9	5 / 13- 9
95	Gregg Johnson	5 / 13- 8	5 / 13- 8
96	Randy Howell	5 / 13- 7	5 / 13- 7
96	Carmen Peluso	5 / 13- 7	5 / 13- 7
96	Jason Root	5 / 13- 7	5 / 13- 7
99	Jason Burger	5 / 13- 6	5 / 13- 6
99	Wayne Vaughan Jr	5 / 13- 6	5 / 13- 6
101	Dylan Fulk	5 / 13- 6	5 / 13- 6
102	Greg Dipalma	5 / 13- 5	5 / 13- 5
102	John Lorenzo	5 / 13- 5	5 / 13- 5
102	Alex Wetherell	5 / 13- 5	5 / 13- 5
105	Rick Hawkins	5 / 13- 5	5 / 13- 5
105	Mark Hicks	5 / 13- 5	5 / 13- 5
105	Todd Sterner	5 / 13- 5	5 / 13- 5
108	Pete Gluszek	5 / 13- 4	5 / 13- 4
109	Robert Pepe	5 / 13- 3	5 / 13- 3
109	Douglas Reed	5 / 13- 3	5 / 13- 3
109	Mark Rose	5 / 13- 3	5 / 13- 3
112	Anthony Gagliardi	5 / 13- 2	5 / 13- 2
112	Robert Kerber	5 / 13- 2	5 / 13- 2
114	Drew Benton	5 / 13- 0	5 / 13- 0
114	Matthew Martin	5 / 13- 0	5 / 13- 0
114	John Murray	5 / 13- 0	5 / 13- 0
117	Chad Van Slyke	5 / 12-15	5 / 12-15
118	Kyle Kempkers	5 / 12-14	5 / 12-14
119	Stephen Mui	5 / 12-13	5 / 12-13
120	James Plessinger	5 / 12-12	5 / 12-12
121	Christopher Liobis	5 / 12-10	5 / 12-10
122	Nick Ray	4 / 12- 9	4 / 12- 9
123	Al Farace Jr	5 / 12- 3	5 / 12- 3
124	Jim Dillard	5 / 12- 3	5 / 12- 3
125	Howard Brown Jr	5 / 12- 2	5 / 12- 2
126	Kendall Ulsh	5 / 12- 1	5 / 12- 1
127	Carl Jocumsen	5 / 12- 0	5 / 12- 0
128	Lancen Halbert	5 / 11-12	5 / 11-12
128	Shawn Richard	5 / 11-12	5 / 11-12
128	Tommy Stalb	5 / 11-12	5 / 11-12
131	Tyler Ashby	4 / 11-11	4 / 11-11
132	Timothy Macknair	4 / 11-10	4 / 11-10
133	Donald Holt Jr	5 / 11- 9	5 / 11- 9
133	Justin McClelland	5 / 11- 9	5 / 11- 9
135	Denis Kreze	5 / 11- 6	5 / 11- 6
136	William Horton	5 / 11- 5	5 / 11- 5
137	Steve York	5 / 11- 4	5 / 11- 4
138	Jeff Antenucci	4 / 11- 1	4 / 11- 1
139	Buck Mallory	5 / 10-12	5 / 10-12
140	Frankie Appaluccio	5 / 10- 9	5 / 10- 9
141	Brad Olson	4 / 10- 9	4 / 10- 9
142	Bridget Allen	4 / 10- 7	4 / 10- 7
143	Rob Jordan	4 / 10- 6	4 / 10- 6
144	David Gaston	4 / 10- 3	4 / 10- 3
145	Kyle Albers	4 / 10- 2	4 / 10- 2
146	Scott Siller	3 / 9-13	3 / 9-13
147	Daniel Goykhman	4 / 9-12	4 / 9-12
148	Tommy Little	4 / 9-11	4 / 9-11
149	Ben Nielsen	4 / 9- 6	4 / 9- 6
150	Nicky Diamandas	5 / 8-15	5 / 8-15
151	Aaron Limber	3 / 8-14	3 / 8-14
152	Rick Nitkiewicz	4 / 8-12	4 / 8-12
153	Jason Young	5 / 8-11	5 / 8-11
154	William Shipes	3 / 8-11	3 / 8-11
155	Terry Baksay	3 / 8- 9	3 / 8- 9
156	JT Kenney	3 / 8- 5	3 / 8- 5
157	Kenny Garippa	3 / 8- 4	3 / 8- 4
158	Tom Huynh	4 / 8- 3	4 / 8- 3
159	Jeremiah Johnson	3 / 8- 3	3 / 8- 3
160	Craig Nelson	3 / 8- 1	3 / 8- 1
161	Charlie Machek	4 / 8- 0	4 / 8- 0
162	Craig Workman	4 / 7-14	4 / 7-14
163	Shane Rees	3 / 7- 6	3 / 7- 6
164	Jared Lintner	3 / 7- 4	3 / 7- 4
165	Fletcher Shryock	3 / 7- 3	3 / 7- 3
166	Scott Ashmore	3 / 7- 2	3 / 7- 2
167	Gary Isgrigg	4 / 7- 0	4 / 7- 0
168	Vince Troiano	3 / 6-12	3 / 6-12
169	Joseph Vacanti	2 / 6- 6	2 / 6- 6
170	John Malzahn	2 / 6- 3	2 / 6- 3
171	Tyler Ferris	2 / 6- 2	2 / 6- 2
172	Scott Johnson	3 / 5-13	3 / 5-13
173	Joseph Sancho	2 / 5-13	2 / 5-13
174	Mike Elsea	2 / 5-12	2 / 5-12
175	Brian Wilhoit	2 / 5- 8	2 / 5- 8
176	George Yund	2 / 4-15	2 / 4-15
177	Kevin Brockner	2 / 4-14	2 / 4-14
178	Arnie Duck Jr	3 / 4-13	3 / 4-13
179	Scott Shafer	2 / 4-10	2 / 4-10
180	Robert Whitehurst	2 / 4- 9	2 / 4- 9
181	Scott Pellegrin	2 / 4- 8	2 / 4- 8
182	Randy Caruso	2 / 4- 4	2 / 4- 4
182	Allen Crutchley Jr	2 / 4- 4	2 / 4- 4
184	Jonathan Evans	2 / 4- 3	2 / 4- 3
185	Tom Balachvili	2 / 3- 3	2 / 3- 3
186	Randy Morrison	1 / 2-15	1 / 2-15
187	Jeff Hippert	1 / 2-11	1 / 2-11
188	Lucas Bogosian	1 / 2- 7	1 / 2- 7
189	Thomas Waltz	1 / 2- 6	1 / 2- 6
190	Keith Evans	1 / 2- 5	1 / 2- 5
190	Greg Mansfield	1 / 2- 5	1 / 2- 5
192	Bill Gallagher III	1 / 2- 3	1 / 2- 3
193	Chris Dillow	1 / 1-14	1 / 1-14
194	Frank Ramsey	1 / 1- 9	1 / 1- 9

by AnglersChannel

Spider Wire Introduces New Stealth Smooth Braid At Icast

COLUMBIA, S.C. (June 30, 2016) - Anglers trust SpiderWireÂ® StealthÂ® for its smoothness and strength. A smoother braid whisks through the guides with ease and provides a quiet, effortless cast, a quick vertical descent and more efficiency on the water. To meet this need, Spiderwire introduces Stealth Smooth™. The new line is being introduced at the 2016 ICAST in July as part of the New Product Showcase.

SpiderWire Stealth Smooth is an eight-carrier braid. The consistent, tight weave of SpiderWire Stealth Smooth is due to its high, tight-weave pick count. Eight carriers and high pick count gives the line a smoothness needed to whip through guides and make longer, more controlled casts.

After being woven, SpiderWire Stealth Smooth is coated with a thin layer of a highly durable microcrystalline polymer for a colorfast and thin diameter line that is easy to tie, and cinches down on most knots effortlessly. Offered in a wide size range of 6- to 80-pound test, SpiderWire Stealth Smooth is capable of handling any species.

Available in 125-, 200-, 300-, 500-, 1500- and 3000-yard spools, SpiderWire Stealth Smooth is offered in moss green and will be available early 2017. MSRP for SpiderWire Stealth Smooth starts at $13.99.

by AnglersChannel

Costa Adds Eight New Pro's To Its Already Stout Pro Line-Up!!

Costa Adds Eight Bassmaster Elite Series Anglers to Pro Team

Daytona Beach, Fla. – June 30, 2016 – Costa recently added eight Bassmaster Elite Series anglers to its pro team. The new additions include : Clent Davis; Brett Hite; Davy Hite; Chris Lane; Shane Linenberger; Justin Lucas; Jacob Powroznik and Terry Scroggins. The new team members join 39 existing Bassmaster Elite Series pros already partnered with Costa.

“Our pro team includes not just the best anglers in the sport, but some of the best people in the industry,” said Melinda Hays, bass fishing community leader for Costa. “Not only are we proud for them to represent Costa while they’re on and off the water, but we’re proud to call them partners and friends, as well.”

Costa also recently announced a partnership with Bassmaster Elite Series tournament emcee and television host Dave Mercer. The Bassmaster Elite Series tournament trail pits the top 110 anglers across 11 competitions for a chance to qualify for the Super Bowl of bass fishing, the 2017 Bassmaster Classic, to be held in Houston, Mar. 24 - 26.

About Costa™

As the leading manufacturer of the world’s clearest polarized performance sunglasses, Costa offers superior lens technology and unparalleled fit and durability. Still handcrafted today in Florida, Costa has created the highest quality, best performing sunglasses and prescription sunglasses (Rx) for outdoor enthusiasts since 1983.

For Costa, conservation is all about sustainable fishing. Many fisheries that should be vibrant and healthy are all but devoid of native fish because they have fallen victim to poor fishing practices, unregulated development, lack of watershed protection or all of the above. Costa works with partners around the world to help increase awareness and influence policy so that both the fish and fishermen of tomorrow will have healthy waters to enjoy. Costa encourages others to help in any way they can.

For more information, contact 1-800-447-3700 or visit the company’s web site at www.costadelmar.com. Join the conversation on Facebook at www.facebook.com/costasunglasses, on Instagram at www.instagram.com/costasunglasses, or on Twitter @CostaSunglasses.

by AnglersChannel

Garmin Pro's Dominate Flw Tour 2016 Season With Aoy And Roy Winners And Others.

GarminÂ® pros dominate 2016 Walmart FLW Tour season standings

Team Garmin anglers take home Angler and Rookie of the Year titles

OLATHE, Kan./June 29, 2016 – Garmin International is proud to announce that five of its professional marine anglers – Andy Morgan, Chris Johnston, Stetson Blaylock, Scott Martin and Mark Rose – finished in the top ten in the 2016 Walmart FLW Tour Angler of the Year (AOY) standings after the Tour finale on Lake Champlain last weekend. Garmin anglers impressively represented the top-three spots, with Andy Morgan leading the way as the 2016 AOY. This is the third AOY title for Morgan, who is the first in FLW Tour history to win the honor three times in four years. Chris Johnston, who finished second in standings, also came out on top as the 2016 Rookie of the Year (ROY). Adding to the list of Team Garmin FLW Tour accolades, Scott Martin, 2015 AOY, finished first at the Lake Champlain event, and Jason Lambert took home the top spot at Kentucky Lake earlier this month.

Garmin pros fished this year’s FLW tournament trail with LakeVÃ¼ HD Ultra mapping, the most detailed lake maps available on the market today, along with a full suite of Garmin electronics, including PanoptixTM all-seeing sonar, a revolutionary technology that provides a real-time video- like view of what’s in front of the boat in real time, even while stationary.

“Electronics play a huge role in my success as an angler,” Morgan said. “I’m not a techy guy, so for me it’s all about simplicity and reliability – both of which Garmin sets the benchmark for. When you’re trying to make a living in the outdoor world, dependability and reputation is key, and that’s why I switched to Garmin.”

“Garmin Panoptix played a key role in my success this year, and I believe you’re a step behind if you’re not using it,” Johnston said. “Coupled with the 1-foot contour detail on Garmin’s HD mapping that shows me things that other anglers don’t even have on their maps – I’ve never used anything that good and it’s been invaluable to me this season.”

In addition to being equipped with best-in-class sonar technology, Garmin pros also compete with the help of some of the industry’s most sophisticated chartplotters and multifunction displays. They fish with the popular Garmin echoMAPTM and GPSMAPÂ® chartplotter/combo devices, available with display sizes ranging from four- to 16-inches, that feature built-in Garmin CHIRP DownVÃ¼TM and SideVÃ¼TM scanning sonar as well as traditional sonar.

For the highest level of detail on the water, Garmin anglers rely on preloaded LakeVÃ¼ HD maps, which include more than 17,000 total lakes across the U.S. – more than double the number of preloaded lakes of any competitor. Of the preloaded lakes, more than 13,000 HD lakes feature 1-foot contours shoreline to shoreline – again, two times more than the competition.

Anglers and spectators will now set their sights to the 2016 FLW Forrest Wood Cup Championship in Huntsville, Ala. on Wheeler Lake, Aug. 4-7. Based on the FLW points standings, Garmin anglers made up nearly a third of the automatic qualifiers for this year’s Championship.

Recently, Garmin was named Manufacturer of the Year and received the honor of being the most recognized company in the marine electronics field by the National Marine Electronics Association

(NMEA). Garmin’s portfolio includes some of the industry’s most sophisticated chartplotters and touchscreen multifunction displays, sonar technology, high-definition radar, autopilots, high- resolution mapping, sailing instrumentation and other products and services that are known for innovation, reliability, and ease-of-use.

by AnglersChannel

Canadien Angler Chris Johnson Earns Flw Rookie Of The Year Title.

JOHNSTON EARNS FLW TOUR ROOKIE OF THE YEAR TITLE

Pro Angler Becomes First Canadian Angler to Claim Title

MINNEAPOLIS (June 28, 2016) – Canadian pro angler Chris Johnston of Peterborough, Ontario, capped off the 2016 Walmart FLW Tour in 2nd place overall with 1060 points, earning him the coveted FLW Tour Rookie of the Year title.

The Rookie of the Year title annually goes to the FLW Tour rookie who has the highest year-end point total in the standings at the conclusion of the regular season. Johnston secured the crown on the final event of the season at Lake Champlain last week, finishing the tournament in 5th place and qualifying for his first Forrest Wood Cup championship appearance.

“I’d looked at it (fishing the Tour) for the past couple years and have been fishing the Costa FLW Series,” Johnston said. “I didn’t want to make the jump to the Tour until I was financially ready. I’ve got my career set up with my job at home where I can do this now. I didn’t want to be living in my truck and going paycheck to paycheck. I wanted to be able to fish to win.”

Johnston debuted as a professional with a third-place finish on Lake Okeechobee in Clewiston, Florida, and never looked back. He followed up Okeechobee with 12th- and 25th-place finishes in the following two tournaments on Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina, and Beaver Lake in Rogers, Arkansas, respectively.

“A lot of the lakes fit right into my wheelhouse,” said Johnston. “I love bed-fishing, and Hartwell and Beaver set up perfect for me.”

The Tour then headed to the Tennessee River for events on Pickwick and Kentucky lakes. Johnston’s pace slowed a bit with 61st- and 40th-place finishes, but he still rolled into Plattsburgh for the finale with a commanding 102-point lead. He wrapped up the season with the 5th place finish and won the title by nearly 200 points.

A unique advantage that Johnston had throughout the rookie season is his brother and fellow Tour rookie Cory Johnston, of Cavan, Ontario, who finished second in the ROY standings. The brothers team up during practice periods.

“We work together and try to break down a lake quicker,” Chris explained. “We try to split up the water so we aren’t fishing each other’s fish, and it helps big time if he’s on one end of the lake and has a pattern going. If he’s catching them on a jerkbait off deep points, we’ll share that stuff.”

The top five rookies on the 2016 Walmart FLW Tour were:

1st: Chris Johnston, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, 1060 points

2nd: Cory Johnston, Cavan, Ontario, Canada, 884 points

3rd: Jay Kendrick, Grant, Ala., 861 points

3rd: Brian Latimer, Belton, S.C., 808 points

5th: Austin Felix, Eden Prairie, Minn., 805 points

The Walmart FLW Tour Rookie of the Year title is determined by the total accumulated points from six regular-season events. Two hundred points are awarded for a win, 199 for second, 198 for third, and so on.

The next tournament for Johnston will be the 2016 Forrest Wood Cup Championship presented by Walmart held on Wheeler Lake, August 4-7 in Huntsville, Alabama.

Coverage of Johnston’s Rookie of the Year win on Lake Champlain will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) Oct. 12 from 1 p.m.-2 p.m. EDT. The Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.

For 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.

by AnglersChannel

Evinrude Pro Andy Morgan Claims His Third Flw Angler Of The Year Award!

MORGAN CLAIMS THIRD FLW TOUR ANGLER OF THE YEAR TITLE

Tennessee Pro Ties Clark Wendlandt and David Dudley for most all-time AOY Titles

MINNEAPOLIS (June 28, 2016) – Livingston Lures pro Andy Morgan of Dayton, Tennessee, added to his incredible fishing resume by winning his third Walmart FLW Tour Angler of the Year title Saturday at the FLW Tour's final 2016 regular-season event on Lake Champlain.

This is the third FLW Tour Angler of the Year win for Morgan, a 21-year veteran of the Tour who is often called “The GOAT” by his fellow competitors – an acronym meaning “The Greatest of All Time”. Morgan’s first angler of the year title came in 2013, when he posted top-20 finishes in five of the six regular season tournaments. He successfully defended the title in 2014, completing the most successful season in FLW history and earning his second-straight title.

Morgan now joins Walmart pro David Dudley of Lynchburg, Virginia, and Clark Wendlandt of Leander, Texas, as the FLW Tour's only three-time angler of the year winners. Wendlandt earned his titles in 1997, 2000 and 2009; Dudley earned his in 2008, 2011 and 2012.

"My first two tournaments were not that great," said Morgan, who has amassed more than $1.9 million in career winnings and 62 top-10 finishes in FLW competition. "I got checks, and I was proud of that. But to win AOY it wasn’t the kind of checks you need to get. The last four tournaments I put it together, and it just worked out well. It was a blessing to do well."

Morgan, 44, earned the title with 1,084 out of a possible 1,200 points after successfully fending off multiple “young guns” on the FLW Tour, including 2016 Rookie of the Year Chris Johnston of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, (1060), fellow Livingston Lures pro Stetson Blaylock of Benton, Arkansas, (1060), Jacob Wheeler of Indianapolis, Indiana, (1058), and Jeff Gustafson of Keewatin, Ontario, Canada, (1045).

“I’ve always said it just takes a good rain coat and some sunscreen to get out here and compete. That kind of grinding, and that kind of mentality that you’re not going to beat me is what it takes,” Morgan said. “You have to learn to work. You learn to get up early and put in whatever it takes to compete and stay competitive. I’m 44 years old. You can see the gray in my beard. But I still know how to work. It’s all about the hustle.”

Along with the Angler of the Year title, which annually goes to the Tour’s most dominant bass angler, Morgan earned the top prize of $100,000 and became the first angler to punch his ticket to the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup next fall.

Morgan has fished as a professional on the Walmart FLW Tour since the Tour’s inception in 1996. He immediately made his mark, posting three top-10 finishes in the inaugural season. Over the past 10 seasons, Morgan has finished no lower than 18th place in the end of the year standings, an impressive feat when you consider most FLW Tour tournaments feature more than 160 anglers competing.

This year Morgan started the FLW Tour season off with a 40th-place effort on Lake Okeechobee in Clewiston, Florida. He then posted a 42nd-place showing on Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina, before earning a 6th place finish on Beaver Lake in Rogers, Arkansas and an 11th place finish on Pickwick Lake in Florence, Alabama. He earned a 10th-place finish on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Kentucky and wrapped up the historic season with a 13th-place finish on Lake Champlain in New York this week.

The next tournament for Morgan will be the 2016 Forrest Wood Cup Championship presented by Walmart held on Wheeler Lake, August 4-7 in Huntsville, Alabama.

Coverage of Morgan’s historic Angler of the Year win on Lake Champlain will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) Oct. 12 from 1 p.m.-2 p.m. EDT. The Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.

The Walmart FLW Tour Angler of the Year title is determined by the total accumulated points from six regular-season events. Two hundred points are awarded for a win, 199 for second, 198 for third, and so on.

by AnglersChannel

Husband & Wife Team Champion Annual Tx Shootout On Rayburn With Over 30 Pounds!

TX-Whiskey held their 2nd annual team event, the TX Shootout, on Sam Rayburn June 26, 2016. With a guaranteed 1st place prize of $50,000 and a total payback over $111,000 a new record field was ready to fish for a portion of it. Nineteen sacks over twenty pounds were weighed in, but it was the husband and wife team of Ashley and Mike Gibbs of Hemphill, TX who took home the crown weighing in over 31 pounds!

It was a classic hot sunny Texas day for contenders to hunt for the bass needed to win the biggest cash purse in a one day event. 259 boats searched Sam Rayburn for the right bites to catch a check in 33 places paid. Scads of large sacks, and lots of big kicker fish were brought in, with the biggest of them all being a double digit sow. Rankings were stacked tight throughout the payline, and teams were also offered a Â“Zero BonusÂ” to elect to release their fish instead of weighing them in if their weight would not otherwise win a check. Â“With the large number of teams and the hot weather, it is a conservation effort to put that many less bass through the stress of the weigh in process,Â” explained Bass Champs President Chad Potts.

As teams began bringing in their creel, it was evident from the very beginning the bite on Big Sam was exceptional. Troy Reed and Jeremy Stone brought in the first sack over 20 pounds, also establishing the mark to beat for Big Bass, weighing in a total of 23.67 pounds with an 8.03 lb kicker. By far, that was not the last of the big sacks nor big bass to be weighed.

The weights continued to climb, many weights merely separated by 1/100th of a pound. By the time Ashley and Mike Gibbs brought in their sack, 29.57 pounds was in the lead - and they beat it! Heaving their huge sack to the scale, their weight locked in at 31.64 pounds, winning the guaranteed 1st place purse of $50,000 and another $200 from Sure Life for using the product in their livewell. Chad asked the couple how they did it, and Ashley was quick to report that she had only caught one of their fish, so Mike would have to do the talking. Â“We started out in deep water, 25Â’ coming up to about 17Â’ just hoping they would be there,Â” Mike began. Â“We had found this spot in the McDonalds tournament.Â” The area had deep flooded stumps, coming up to gravel and rock. Â“We caught our biggest fish on the first cast!Â” They caught a few more, then the bite slowed so they tried another spot about Â¼ mile away. Â“It was a ridge, and we caught two more nice fish there.Â” At that point the smallest fish in their limit weighed about 2 Â½ pounds, so they went looking for another spot, another fish that would cull that last smallest fish. Â“We finally caught one about 4 Â½ pounds to cull it with, and that pretty much made our day.Â” Chad pointed out to them the field of competition they were fishing against, and asked if they had any clue they might win this. Â“There are a LOT of really good anglers that were fishing this tournament. We never dreamed that we might win, but we went for it!Â” Not only did they garner a HUGE payday, they also received an etched bottle of TX Whiskey as part of their winnings. Â“There are only four existing bottles like this in the world,Â” Potts explained. Â“Two were awarded at last yearsÂ’ event and two are being awarded this year to the 1st place winners!.Â”

Spike Stoker of Stephenville, TX and Randy Sullivan of Breckenridge not only won 2nd place with their 29.57 lb sack, but won Big Bass as well with their 10.52 lb kicker. Â“We fished deep water all day,Â” The team explained. Using big spoons, jigs and crank baits, they concentrated their efforts at deep points and brush piles. Â“Originally we were going to start in shallow water. We went all the way out to the spot we wanted to fish, but by the time we got there somebody else was already on it. We just turned the boat around and came all the way back to fish areas on the south end.Â” They estimate having around 15 spots they made a milk run of, hitting them several times throughout the day. Â“We put one in the boat around 8 Â½ - 9 pounds, then lost one about the same size not too long after that.Â” Undaunted, they continued fishing, catching several quality fish for their limit. They had over 20 pounds in the boat, with the smallest being a three pounder. Â“Our last fish of the day was the ten pounder. That catch made all the difference for us!Â” Indeed it did, paying off to the tune of $10,000 for a 2nd place finish plus another $1,000 for Big Bass.

3rd place winners Nick Diberardino of Onalaska, TX and Larry Cotton of Huffman had a great day of fishing, bringing in a total of 26.75 pounds that included a nice 9.00 lb kicker. Â“We started out fishing frogs, and caught our first fish in about 30 minutes. We kept fishing it for a while, and when that bite quit we just went flippinÂ’ the rest of the day.Â” They had a hefty amount of fish in their livewell, and while there was still time to fish they were concerned for their bass and came on in early to weigh. They were presented a check for $8,000 for their finish!

Rounding out the top ten, the weights got tighter and tighter.
4th 26.50 lbs $5,000   Brent Broussard & Jason Bonds
5th 26.14 lbs   $3,000   Russell Cecil & Todd Castledine
6th 25.58 lbs   $2,500   David Curtis & Mark Mueck
7th 25.54 lbs   $1,800   Michael LaFleur & Clayton Boulware
7th 25.54 lbs   $1,800   Ryan Reynolds & Jason Lawson
9th 25.53 lbs   $1,300   Mark Everett & Scott Pickett
10th 25.49 lbs $1,200   James Littleford & Mike Garrett
last in the money - 33rd 18.43 lbs $1,000   Billy Wolcott & James Seale

Also donÂ’t forget to sign up for the 11th annual Berkley Big Bass tournament coming up on Lake Fork October 15-16! Two days of hourly winners Â– it just takes one bite to win! For more information click to www.BassChamps.com or call 817-439-3274

by AnglersChannel

Scott Dobson Wins Bfl Michigan Division Opener On Detroit River!

CLARKSTON’S DOBSON WINS FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE MICHIGAN DIVISION OPENER ON DETROIT RIVER PRESENTED BY NAVIONICS

Lovin wins co-angler title

TRENTON, Mich. (June 27, 2016) – Scott Dobson of Clarkston, Michigan, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 23 pounds, 10 ounces, Saturday to win the FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Michigan Division tournament on the Detroit River presented by Navionics. For his victory, Dobson took home $7,166.

Dobson said he targeted postspawn bass on flats and in current breaks in creek mouths. He said he dissected 15 to 20 areas and caught approximately 20 bass during the event.

“I caught two fish first thing in the morning that really anchored my limit,” said Dobson, who earned the sixth win of his FLW career. “One was just shy of 6 pounds. It ended up being the heaviest fish caught in the tournament. By 8 a.m. I had my entire limit. I made a small upgrade later in the day, but that was about it.

“I was throwing a Chartreuse Shad-colored Lucky Craft Pointer jerkbait,” Dobson continued. “I positioned it on the flat and brought it to the break to imitate the baitfish. It didn’t take long for the bass to ambush it.”

Dobson said he also used a Sexy Shad-colored Keitech Swing Impact swimbait to add a few keepers.

“I just kept chucking and winding, and eventually they ate it,” said Dobson. “The 6-pound bite really sealed the deal for me.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st: Scott Dobson, Clarkston, Mich., five bass, 23-10, $5,166 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

2nd: Kyle Greene, Ortonville, Mich., five bass, 23-1, $2,136

3rd: Steve Clapper, Lima, Ohio, five bass, 21-11, $1,424

4th: David Reault, Livonia, Mich., five bass, 21-5, $997

5th: John Tromley, Richmond, Mich., five bass, 21-3, $854

6th: Chris King, South Amherst, Ohio, five bass, 20-8, $783

7th: Mark Modrak, China Township, Mich., five bass, 19-5, $712

8th: Ryan Hochstetler, Shipshewana, Ind., five bass, 18-6, $641

9th: Mervin Miller, Sugarcreek, Ohio, five bass, 18-4, $569

10th: Nick Neves, Brooklyn, Mich., five bass, 18-3, $473

10th: Hyman Johnson, Ypsilanti, Mich., five bass, 18-3, $473

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Dobson’s 5-pound, 15-ounce bass – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $595.

John Lovin of Fayetteville, Ohio, weighed in five bass totaling 21 pounds, 4 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $2,100.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st: John Lovin, Fayetteville, Ohio, five bass, 21-4, $2,100

2nd: Michael Sitko, Pinckney, Mich., five bass, 19-5, $1,050

3rd: Randy Westerfield, Constantine, Mich., five bass, 18-9, $701

4th: David Matual, Chicago, Ill., five bass, 18-8, $782

5th: Justin Sawyer, Dearborn Heights, Mich., five bass, 17-7, $420

6th: Steven Esbin, Holland, Mich., five bass, 16-13, $385

7th: Marvin Anderson, Russell Springs, Ky., five bass, 16-10, $350

8th: George Sterkel Jr., Cleveland, Ohio, five bass, 15-10, $315

9th: Bob Eastman, Fenton, Mich., five bass, 15-9, $280

10th: Bill Langille, Kent, Ohio, five bass, 15-8, $232

10th: Tony Mitchell, Plainwell, Mich., five bass, 15-8, $232

Matual caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 2 ounces and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $292.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

About FLW

FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2016 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 235 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Periscope: @FLWFishing.

by AnglersChannel

Kelly Power Wins Ozark Division Bfl Event On Table Rock Lake

CAPE FAIR’S POWER WINS FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE OZARK DIVISION EVENT ON TABLE ROCK LAKE

Delgado wins co-angler title

KIMBERLING CITY, Mo. (June 27, 2016) – Kelly Power of Cape Fair, Missouri, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 16 pounds, 7 ounces, Saturday to win the third FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Ozark Division tournament of 2016 on Table Rock Lake. For his victory, Power earned $5,663.

Power said he spent his morning on the James River targeting suspended bass. He said he used a white-colored HogFarmer swim-jig to catch nearly 30 keepers throughout his day.

“The schools were suspended over deep timber in 10 to 15 of water,” said Power, who earned the first win of his FLW career. “I rigged the swim-jig with a pearl-colored Keitech Swimbait so it had more pull. You want something that vibrates a bit for suspended bass.

“At my first area I had 11 keepers in 11 casts,” Power continued. “The fish were less aggressive with the warmer water, but most of the bites were strong. The water was also clear, so a subtle presentation was crucial. I wanted something down there that didn’t look hard to eat.”

By 8:30 a.m., Power said his flurry slowed, so he moved on to new structure.

“I hit 10 or so spots where the channel swung in close to timber or major drops,” said Power. “The bass were with shad schools in the tops of submerged trees about 15 feet down. I just kept culling and brought in what I did. After all was said and done, I had a great day out there.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st: Kelly Power, Cape Fair, Mo., five bass, 16-7, $5,663

2nd: Marcus Sykora, Osage Beach, Mo., five bass, 14-15, $2,082

3rd: Marc Czachowski, Spokane, Mo., five bass, 14-7, $1,387

4th: Roger Fitzpatrick, Eldon, Mo., five bass, 14-5, $971

5th: Dustin Lippe, Lampe, Mo., five bass, 14-2, $833

6th: Joe Brantley, Willard, Mo., five bass, 13-13, $763

7th: Dustin Blevins, Harrison, Ark., five bass, 13-8, $694

8th: Lance Williams, Billings, Mo., five bass, 13-6, $590

8th: Tyler Matlock, Omaha, Ark., five bass, 13-6, $590

10th: Bob Renken, Linn Creek, Mo., five bass, 13-2, $486

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Mark Harper of Monett, Missouri, caught a bass weighing 4 pounds, 15 ounces – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $580.

Stephen Delgado of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, weighed in five bass totaling 13 pounds, 8 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $2,082.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st: Stephen Delgado, Lee’s Summit, Mo., five bass, 13-8, $2,082

2nd: Jeremy Rushton, Lee’s Summit, Mo., five bass, 11-14, $1,041

3rd: Jonathan Dotson, Dover, Ark., five bass, 11-9, $692

4th: Donny Murrell, Sapulpa, Okla., five bass, 11-0, $486

5th: Josh Spencer, Saint Charles, Mo., four bass, 9-6, $416

6th: Sy Kirby, Rogers, Ark., four bass, 9-5, $382

7th: B.J. Hicks, Richmond, Mo., five bass, 9-2, $347

8th: Brandon Hecker, Camdenton, Mo., three bass, 8-13, $312

9th: Eric Rogers, Lawrence, Kan., four bass, 8-8, $260

9th: Cory Schuh, Hillsboro, Mo., four bass, 8-8, $260

Stanley Caldwell of Thayer, Missouri, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 8 ounces and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $290.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

About FLW

by AnglersChannel

Chris Martinkovic Wins Hoosier Division Bfl On Patoka Lake

OHIO’S MARTINKOVIC WINS FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE HOOSIER DIVISION EVENT ON PATOKA LAKE PRESENTED BY POWER-POLE

Read wins co-angler title

BIRDSEYE, Ind. (June 27, 2016) – Chris Martinkovic of Hamilton, Ohio, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 18 pounds, 14 ounces, Saturday to win the FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Hoosier Division tournament on Patoka Lake presented by Power-Pole. For his victory, Martinkovic received $5,879.

“I started the morning mid-lake throwing a bone-colored Heddon Zara Spook to bass up shallow,” said Martinkovic, who earned the fourth win of his FLW career. “I ran a 100-yard stretch of bluegill beds and pulled the Spook fairly quickly. The water was clear so you didn’t want them to have a chance to look at it. I caught two of my better ones, and ended up with three in the boat by 8:30 a.m.

“After that I fished points for the rest of the day,” Martinkovic continued. “The ones I hit were long and protruding from the spawning pockets. I probably ran through 30 of them. I used a green-pumpkin football-head jig with a green-pumpkin Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craw trailer.”

Martinkovic said he went three hours without a bite, but managed to wrangle in two more fish by 1 p.m. to complete his limit. He said he finished the day with just six keeper bites.

“The boat traffic made it tough out there,” said Martinkovic. “I also spent a lot of my time going for those big postspawn fish. I’m just thankful I had enough to win.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st: Chris Martinkovic, Hamilton, Ohio, five bass, 18-14, $3,879 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

2nd: Jeremy Knepp, Montgomery, Ind., four bass, 15-2, $1,940

3rd: John Schroering, Dubois, Ind., four bass, 15-1, $1,293

4th: Charlie Hentrup, New Albany, Ind., five bass, 14-9, $905

5th: Scott Spayd, Ferdinand, Ind., four bass, 14-5, $776

6th: Mike Quinlin, Mooresville, Ind., five bass, 13-10, $711

7th: Nick Uebelhor, Jasper, Ind., three bass, 12-15, $647

8th: John Melton, Corydon, Ind., four bass, 12-13, $582

9th: Ted Scheeter, Jasper, Ind., four bass, 11-13, $517

10th: Chris Wilkinson, Farmersburg, Ind., five bass, 11-8, $453

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Tim Barkley of Indianapolis, Indiana, caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 6 ounces – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $515.

Darron Read of Elizabethtown, Indiana, weighed in three bass totaling 8 pounds, 4 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $1,940.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st: Darron Read, Elizabethtown, Ind., three bass, 8-4, $1,940

2nd: Chad Jackson, Indianapolis, Ind., two bass, 7-8, $970

3rd: Shane Oxford, Saint Meinrad, Ind., two bass, 5-15, $646

4th: Jim Betts, Fort Wayne, Ind., two bass, 5-12, $453

5th: Rod Yoder, West Lafayette, Ind., two bass, 5-11, $388

6th: Billy French, Hamilton, Ohio, two bass, 5-9, $356

7th: Jim Krider, North Vernon, Ind., one bass, 5-5, $580

8th: Brian Liming, Dilsboro, Ind., two bass, 5-4, $275

8th: Robert Revalee, Connersville, Ind., one bass, 5-4, $275

10th: Kenny Mitchell, Franklin, Ohio, one bass, 4-5, $226

Krider caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 5 ounces and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $257.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

About FLW

by AnglersChannel

Clayton Reitz Wins Great Lakes Bfl Division Event On Wolf River Chain

ILLINOIS’ REITZ WINS FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE GREAT LAKES DIVISION EVENT ON WOLF RIVER CHAIN

Frisk wins co-angler title

WINNECONNE, Wis. (June 27, 2016) – Clayton Reitz of Morton, Illinois, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 16 pounds, 6 ounces, Saturday to win the second FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Great Lakes Division tournament of 2016 on the Wolf River Chain of lakes. For his victory, Reitz earned $4,575.

“I decided to head west from the takeoff ramp and fish a rock pile on Lake Poygan,” said Reitz, who notched his fifth win in FLW competition. “It was a little deeper than other people were fishing. I caught three smallmouth on a green-pumpkin Chompers Ultra Tube.

“After that I hit some seawalls in 10 feet of water on the lower end of Poygan using a Â½-ounce chrome-colored Blitz Lures Blitz Blade,” Reitz continued. “I was slow rolling it about a foot off of the bottom and the bass bit it without much force. I probably picked apart 15 stretches of wall and was able to catch three more smallmouth.”

Reitz said he managed to cull out his previous catches throughout the afternoon to complete his winning limit.

“After those first three in the morning, it was a grind,” said Reitz. “It took most of the afternoon to get my final three keepers. I didn’t catch many by the end of the day, but they were the right ones.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st: Clayton Reitz, Morton, Ill., five bass, 16-6, $4,575

2nd: Nathan Huss, Elkhart Lake, Wis., five bass, 14-0, $2,288

3rd: Theodore Johnson, Waupaca, Wis., five bass, 13-14, $1,525

4th: Cade Laufenberg, Winona, Minn., five bass, 13-13, $1,733

5th: John Berrens, Weyauwega, Wis., five bass, 13-4, $915

6th: Wayne Meetz, Neenah, Wis., five bass, 13-3, $1,139

7th: Geoff Williams, New London, Wis., five bass, 13-2, $763

8th: Jeff Benson, Holmen, Wis., five bass, 12-8, $686

9th: Mark McCartney, Davis Junction, Ill., five bass, 12-2, $610

10th: Jeff Krisher, Madison, Wis., five bass, 12-1, $534

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Laufenberg caught a bass weighing 3 pounds, 12 ounces – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $665.

Matthew Frisk of Sparta, Wisconsin, weighed in five bass totaling 11 pounds, 13 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $2,288.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st: Matthew Frisk, Sparta, Wis., five bass, 11-13, $2,288

2nd: Mike Wilmoth, Eau Claire, Wis., five bass, 11-2, $1,144

3rd: Cody Wissink, Arcadia, Wis., five bass, 9-4, $762

4th: Michael Taylor, Tipton, Iowa, three bass, 8-4, $534

5th: Ben Rockey, West Bend, Wis., four bass, 7-13, $458

6th: Alexandru Spiac, Chicago, Ill., three bass, 7-6, $419

7th: Tom Lyskawka, Arlington Heights, Ill., four bass, 7-3, $381

8th: Craig Fanning, Elwood, Ill., three bass, 7-2, $343

9th: Charles Novotny, Fort Atkinson, Wis., four bass, 7-0, $305

10th: Brad Wessling, Milwaukee, Wis., three bass, 6-14, $267

Chueyee Thao of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 4 pounds, 11 ounces and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $332.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

About FLW

by AnglersChannel

Coby Carden Of Shelby Alabama Wins Bama Division Bfl On Lay Lake

SHELBY’S CARDEN WINS FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE BAMA DIVISION EVENT ON LAY LAKE

Stevens wins co-angler title

COLUMBIANA, Ala. (June 27, 2016) – Coby Carden of Shelby, Alabama, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 18 pounds, 2 ounces, Saturday to win the fourth FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Bama Division tournament of 2016 on Lay Lake. For his victory, Carden took home $5,009.

Carden said he began his day fishing shallow willow grass on the upper end of the lake.

“I hit four areas and caught two 4-pound largemouths on a Spro Dean Rojas Bronzeye Poppin’ Frog 60,” said Carden, who earned his second win in FLW competition. “Around 9 a.m., I went out deep to main-river ledges to fill out my limit.”

Carden said he rotated between a Citrus Sparkle-colored Livingston Lures Dive Master crankbait and a Junebug Red-colored Big Bite Baits Kriet Tail Worm on the ledges.

“I had six ledges where I let the crankbait dive 10 feet down and ran the worm near stumps,” said Carden. “They were my sweet spots. I had my limit-fish by 1 p.m. and didn’t do much upgrading after that. I was just in the right place at the right time Saturday. It was a great tournament.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st: Coby Carden, Shelby, Ala., five bass, 18-2, $5,009

2nd: David Gaston, Sylacauga, Ala., five bass, 17-2, $2,005

3rd: Chris Rutland, Wetumpka, Ala., five bass, 15-5, $1,336

4th: Terry Tucker, Gadsden, Ala., five bass, 14-0, $935

5th: Shawn Marquis, Fortson, Ga., five bass, 13-13, $802

6th: Kenny Malone, Columbiana, Ala., five bass, 13-5, $1,285

7th: Bobby Jones, Fayetteville, Ga., five bass, 13-4, $668

8th: Jeff Carreker, Locust Grove, Ga., five bass, 13-1, $601

9th: Joe Wikoff, Phenix City, Ala., five bass, 12-15, $535

10th: Clabion Johns, Covington, Ga., five bass, 12-9, $468

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Malone caught a bass weighing 6 pounds even – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $550.

Garrett Stevens of McDonough, Georgia, weighed in three bass totaling 11 pounds, 2 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $2,135.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st: Garrett Stevens, McDonough, Ga., three bass, 11-2, $2,135

2nd: Danny Smith, Tyrone, Ga., five bass, 10-12, $1,000

3rd: Jeffrey Ford, Trion, Ga., five bass, 9-12, $666

4th: Chance Hebert, Norcross, Ga., five bass, 8-15, $467

5th: Slaton Jemison, Mathews, Ala., five bass, 8-14, $400

6th: Larry Purdie, Columbus, Ga., three bass, 8-6, $367

7th: Michael Donaldson, Thorsby, Ala., four bass, 8-0, $333

8th: Todd Radney, Oxford, Ala., four bass, 7-15, $300

9th: Michael Smith, Piedmont, S.C., five bass, 7-10, $250

9th: Hayden Tilley, Ider, Ala., five bass, 7-10, $250

Rodney Thompson of Highland Home, Alabama, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 11 ounces and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $135.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

About FLW

by AnglersChannel

2016 Flw Forrest Wood Cup Field Is Set!

FIELD SET FOR 2016 FORREST WOOD CUP

MINNEAPOLIS (June 27, 2016) – The full 50-angler field for the 2016 Forrest Wood Cup is set. The Forrest Wood Cup presented by Walmart will visit Wheeler Lake and the Huntsville, Alabama, area August 4-7 to crown bass fishing’s top angler of 2016. Hosted by the Huntsville/Madison County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, the tournament will feature 50 of the world’s best bass-fishing professionals casting for the sport’s biggest award – $300,000 cash.

Here’s how the field breaks down:

2015 Forrest Wood Cup Champion

1. Brad Knight, Lancing, Tenn.

2015 Walmart FLW Tour Angler of the Year

2. Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla.

2016 FLW Bass Fishing League All-American Champion

3. Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo.

2016 FLW College Fishing National Champion

4. Hampton Anderson, Anderson, S.C.

2016 The Bass Federation National Champion

5. Joseph Webster, Fulton, Miss.

2015 Costa FLW Series National Championship Qualifiers

6. Ray Hanselman, Del Rio, Texas

7. Brandon Perkins, Counce, Tenn.

8. David Barnes Sr., China, Maine

9. Charlie Weyer, West Hills, Calif.

10. Brian Holder, Belmont, N.C.

11. Nick Prvonozac, Warren, Ohio

12. Tyler Suddarth, Valdosta, Ga.

13. Jeff Hippert, Hamburg, N.Y.

14. Bill Chapman, Salt Rock, W.Va.

15. Denny Brauer, Del Rio, Texas

2016 Walmart FLW Tour Top 36*

*The top 35 anglers in the AOY standings qualify for the Cup, but because Scott Martin double-qualified FLW extended an additional invite to 36th place.

16. Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn.

17. Chris Johnston, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada

18. Stetson Blaylock, Benton, Ark.

19. Jacob Wheeler, Indianapolis, Ind.

20. Jeff Gustafson, Keewatin, Ontario, Canada

21. Jeff Sprague, Point, Texas

22. John Cox, DeBary, Fla.

23. Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn.

24. Mark Rose, West Memphis, Ark.

25. Shinichi Fukae, Palestine, Texas

26. Scott Canterbury, Springville, Ala.

27. Matt Arey, Shelby, N.C.

28. Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn.

29. Cody Meyer, Auburn, Calif.

30. Jamie Horton, Centerville, Ala.

31. J.T. Kenney, Palm Bay, Fla.

32. Clark Wendlandt, Leander, Texas

33. Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C.

34. Darrel Robertson, Jay, Okla.

35. Scott Suggs, Alexander, Ark.

36. Greg Bohannan, Bentonville, Ark.

37. David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va.

38. Bryan Schmitt, Deale, Md.

39. Todd Auten, Lake Wylie, S.C.

40. Shane Lehew, Mooresville, N.C.

41. Brandon McMillan, Clewiston, Fla.

42. Terry Bolton, Paducah, Ky.

43. Cory Johnston, Cavan, Ontario, Canada

44. Dan Morehead, Paducah, Ky.

45. Clark Reehm, Huntington, Texas

46. Jim Tutt, Longview, Texas

47. Jimmy Reese, Witter Springs, Calif.

48. Jay Kendrick, Grant, Ala.

49. Brandon Cobb, Greenwood, S.C.

50. Troy Morrow, Eastanollee, Ga.

Pro Denny Brauer of Del Rio, Texas, accepted an invitation to the Forrest Wood Cup via his 10th place finish at the 2015 Costa FLW Series Championship after Trevor Fitzgerald of Belleview, Florida, became ineligible to compete.

by AnglersChannel

Sparks Wins Aba Red River Event With Over 20 Pounds!

Sparks Drops Hammer on the Red River

Kylie Sparks of Denham Springs, Louisiana won the American Bass Anglers Ram Truck Open Series Louisiana tournament, held June 25th on the Red River.

Running out of Red River South Marina near Bossier City, LA, Kylie caught five bass weighing 20.01 pounds. He anchored his bag with a 5.76-pound kicker. “I stayed here in pool 5.” Sparks said. “I was mainly flipping wood. I caught a couple early on topwater in one ditch that had some good fish on it. I capitalized early, then went to the banks and picked up some on a crankbait targeting wood, then flipping. I had a chance to have a really big bag and lost a couple good ones. It could have given me 23 or 24 pounds. One of them was on a crankbait that made me think I was hung on a log. It was actually a fish, and that one never made it to the boat. I would like to say that today I was fishing for the First Pentecostal Church in Denham Springs, LA. I am going to donate all my winnings to the new construction of our gymnasium so I’m very happy with the outcome today, and I can’t wait to get home and present this to them." For the Boater Division victory, Sparks took home a check for $5,000. Kylie also caught the Big Bass for the Boaters. He pocketed an additional $360.

In second for the Boaters, Billy Graves of Montgomery, Louisiana landed a five-bass tournament limit weighing 19.64 pounds, anchored by a 4.28 pound fish. “I was fishing a particular spot but really junk fishing. I caught two on a crankbait, one on a beaver and two on a worm. Nothing steady for a pattern but the fish were there and getting them to bite was just a matter of the right bait at the right time. I almost had it today.” Graves said. He collected $1,005 for the effort.

Hau Nguyen of Minden, Louisiana took third for the Boaters with five bass weighing 17.46 pounds. “I stayed here in this lake. Once my boat number was called I went to the right, put the trolling motor down, and just went fishing. I had my limit by 8 o’clock this morning and kept on plugging away. I did make a run down to the White House but wasn’t able to improve on anything.” Nguyen said. He earned $670 for his efforts.

Finishing fourth, Jarred Guyban of Livingston, Louisiana landed a five-bass limit weighing 16.18 pounds.

Cole Garret of Winnfield, Louisiana rounded out the top five Boaters with five bass weighing 15.84 pounds topped by a 5.53-pound kicker.

In the Co-Angler Division, Jeff Cox of Walker, Louisiana won with three bass weighing 9.88 pounds. He sealed his victory with a 4.02-pound kicker.

“I didn’t think it would hold up but it did. It was a tough day out there and boy it was hot. I caught one on a spinnerbait, one on a crankbait, and one on a jig. I caught a few others but that’s what my keepers were on. I want to thank my boater for putting me on the fish today too, Adrian James. I was just fortunate enough to catch the right ones.” Cox said. He pocketed a check for $1,295. Jeff also caught the Big Bass for the Co-Anglers weighing 4.02 pounds. Jeff pocketed and additional $160.

Taking second for the Co-Anglers, Randy Keating from Plano, Texas brought in a three-bass limit weighing 8.03 pounds. “I caught all my fish using a pole! LOL. Nah, I used a wacky rig and a craw worm flipping everything I could see. I think I caught around 15 fish today. It was a lot of fun but buddy let me tell you, it was HOT. Man that sun was out. All in all, it was a great day!” Keating said. He collected $454.00 for the effort.

Brandon Gagnard of Ball, Louisiana placed third among the Co-Anglers with three bass weighing 7.07 pounds. “We beat the banks today in the oxbows with crankbaits and spinnerbaits. I caught 9 fish today and all of them were keepers so I spent a little time culling. Most of them were early in the morning but I did catch them all day.” Gagnard said. He earned $302.50 for his efforts.

In fourth place among the Co-Anglers, Raymond Loupe of Baton Rouge, Louisiana brought in three bass weighing 7.42 pounds.

Marshall Cliburn III of Stonewall, Louisiana finished in fifth place with three bass weighing 7.20 pounds.

Slated for Aug 6th, the next divisional tournament will be held on the Atchafalaya Basin out of Doiron’s Landing on HWY 70 near Morgan City. At the end of the season, the best anglers from across the nation advance the 2017 Ray Scott Championship, slated for Old Hickory Lake in Hendersonville, TN in April of 2017.

For more information on this tournament, call Chris Wayand, tournament manager, at (256)230-5627 or ABA at (256)232-0406. On line, see www.ramopenseries.com.

About American Bass Anglers: American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler and at the same time offer each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers, the Ram Truck Open Series, the American Fishing Tour or the American Couples Series, visit www.americanbassanglers.com.

by AnglersChannel

Kvd...........not Much Else To Say.

A Photographer friend of mine wrote these words in a post with a remarkable photo of Kevin VanDam as the day 4 and Championship Sunday weigh-in had concluded, " You boys done woke the dragon, now you're gonna pay for it...."

I would say he's right. I was one of the skeptics who earlier in the season thought KVD might not win another with the crowd pressure and so much going on during tournament days on the water. I was wrong. I admit that. KVD is a heck of an angler and I've seen that look in his eye before. There are still several derbies left this year with KVD's name on the entrants list. If I was an Elite Angler competing against him. I would be scared too.

There are others out there that scare me as well, Look at Jordan Lee, in his sophomore year and already a 2nd place finish. He's not going anywhere, I look for him to hoist a trophy over his head as well. There are others out there as well, both Veterans and young guns, competition is pretty stout. From this side of the sidelines, its pretty fun to watch.

Here is the full BASS Story on KVD and hiwin yestreday on Cayuga Lake, His second of the season. Congrats Kevin!

UNION SPRINGS, N.Y. — A little over six weeks ago, many professional fishing fans were wondering out loud, “What’s wrong with Kevin VanDam?”

Now those same fans must be wondering just how many gigantic moments VanDam has ahead of him.

After recording his 21st career victory at Louisiana’s Toledo Bend Reservoir in May, VanDam won again Sunday, coming from behind to claim the $100,000 first-place prize in the Busch Beer Bassmaster Elite at Cayuga Lake. After going five years between victories, the Michigan superstar has now won twice in seven weeks.

VanDam, 48, went into Sunday’s final round in third place, almost 2 pounds out of the lead. But a final-day catch of 15 pounds, 7 ounces put him over the top with a four-day mark of 71-13. Jordan Lee, a 24-year-old Alabama angler who led going into the final round, finished second with 70-12.

“You just never know how things are going to go out here,” said VanDam, who extended his own B.A.S.S. record with his 22nd career win. “I’ve said it many times before. It’s really hard to win against these guys.

“I feel pretty lucky today, for sure. I didn’t have a great day today.”

Unlike Toledo Bend, which he described as the “toughest tournament he ever won,” VanDam went into the Cayuga Lake event with a lot of confidence based on what he’d seen in practice. He used a variety of patterns throughout the week and exploited the lake’s solid populations of both largemouth and smallmouth bass.

He spent part of his week sight fishing for bedding bass on the lower end of the lake. For that, he used a combination of baits, including new Strike King lure called a Half Shell, a 4-inch wacky rigged Strike King Ocho and a Strike King Dream Shot.

“When you’re sight fishing, every fish is different,” VanDam said. “I had to show them several different baits and different colors. One would bite chartreuse, the next one would bite green pumpkin and the next would bite KVD magic.

“You never knew if it was going to be something natural or something loud. Some would want the tube instead of the drop shot.”

Sight fishing produced 20 pounds for VanDam on Thursday. But as is often the case in a sight fishing tournament, his fish became more depleted as the week went on.

That forced him to rely on other tactics to stay among the leaders.

He spent some time flipping the lake’s expansive grass flats in search of big fish. Then he also targeted cruising fish in the shallow grass.

“One thing I was doing was fishing for postspawn and prespawn bass that were just coming up in stages,” VanDam said. “They were cruising on the inside grass lines. I was catching them with a wacky rigged Ocho.”

VanDam’s catches declined each day, with him catching 18-15 Friday and 17-7 Saturday.

After Saturday’s semifinal round, VanDam said he believed a little extra wind would help his results. But the wind blew harder Sunday, and his weight actually dropped again to 15-7.

“Today the wind picked up a little bit, and I actually caught three on a KVD jerkbait,” he said. “But I was really surprised it didn’t help the fishing more.”

With such a low weight, VanDam didn’t exactly like his chances as he headed back toward the weigh-in.

“You see that a lot on Sundays in these tournaments,” he said. “The pressure of the week gets to the fisheries, but I didn’t think it was going to happen here as good as it’s been all week. With 15 pounds, I was thinking I was not going even make the Top 8.”

The victory was sealed when Lee weighed in 12-10 during the final weigh-in, finishing 1-1 behind VanDam.

“Jordan has proven he’s a great fisherman,” VanDam said. “He was in the driver’s seat today, and I’ve been there plenty of times too. Sometimes it just doesn’t happen. The key in a Bassmaster event is to just have yourself in contention going into the final day. If you do that enough times, and you’re confident enough, you’re going to win one.

“Today, I might have stolen one, but I’ve been on the other side of it too. It all balances out.”

Besides earning $100,000 for first place, VanDam qualified for the Bassmaster Classic Bracket tournament, to be held on the Niagara River out of Buffalo, N.Y., July 19-22.

In that event, the Top 8 finishers from Cayuga Lake will go head-to-head in a bracket-style event that will pay $10,000 to the winner. The top finisher in the bracket event will also earn a guaranteed spot in the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic.

The Classic Bracket will be streamed live on Bassmaster.com and will feature — for the first time ever in Bassmaster competition — catch-weigh-and-release scoring. The entire event will be carried live on Bassmaster.com.

The Top 8 finishers at Cayuga were VanDam, Lee, Brett Hite, Jacob Powroznik, Koby Kreiger, Keith Combs, Dean Rojas and Drew Benton.

Alabama angler Gerald Swindle finished 10th, missing the cut for the bracket event, but he maintained his lead in the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings with a season points total of 643. Combs is second with 602.

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

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

Lee earned the Livingston Lures Leader Award of $500 for leading on the second day.

Lee also won the Toyota Bonus Bucks of $3,000 for being the highest-placing eligible entrant in the program. The second-highest-placing eligible entrant, Jacob Powroznik, received $2,000.

The Phoenix Boats Big Bass Award of $1,500 was presented to Morizo Shimizu for weighing in the overall biggest bass of the event — a 6-3 bass caught on Thursday.

Rojas earned the A.R.E. Top Angler Award of $1,000 for being the highest placing angler using A.R.E. products.

Dick Cepek Rolling Forward Award of $1,000 will be presented to the angler who makes the largest gain in Toyota Angler of the Year points from tournament to tournament.

by AnglersChannel

Jordan Lee Maintains His Lead Heading Into Championship Sunday!!

UNION SPRINGS, N.Y. — As an Alabama resident and former member of the Auburn University Bass Fishing Team, Jordan Lee has spent plenty of time on Lake Guntersville.

On that famed Alabama fishery, largemouth bass wallow out holes in aquatic grass to make their spawning beds — and that’s where Lee always looks for them during the spring.

The fish are doing the same thing on Cayuga Lake this week, and Lee’s hard-earned, home-grown knowledge has put him on the verge of his first career victory on the Bassmaster Elite Series.

The 24-year-old angler caught 17 pounds, 10 ounces of largemouth during Saturday’s semifinal round and maintained the lead in the Busch Beer Bassmaster Elite at Cayuga Lake. His three-day total of 58-2 gave him a narrow lead over Arizona angler Brett Hite (57-3) and Kevin VanDam (56-6) — a Michigan superstar who fished his first event with B.A.S.S. in 1987, four years before Lee was born.

“I’m honestly just a little bit disappointed in the way things went today,” said Lee, who won the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Classic qualifying event in 2013. “I was hoping to catch a couple of more big ones. I fished clean and probably caught about 25 fish, but I just never had any big bites today.”

Lee hasn’t been “sight fishing” by the typical definition of the term because he hasn’t actually been seeing most of the fish he’s casting to.

But Cayuga is a clear glacier lake with massive flats that have grass growing up from the lake bottom. When Lee finds holes in that grass in about 9 feet of water, he knows they are more than likely home to bedding fish.

“The holes that I’ve been catching most of my fish from have actually been pretty deep,” Lee said. “I went up shallower for a little while today and caught some there, too. I think they’re just all over.

“The fish are spawning right now, doing the same thing they do on Guntersville during the spawn. You can catch them on the same baits.”

Lee has been using a drop shot rig — something that was suggested to him by his brother and fellow Elite Series angler, Matt Lee.

“Matt and I share information, and he told me that he got a few bites on a drop shot during practice,” Lee said. “I went out and tried it, and it’s been working out the last couple of days.”

Though this is only his second year on the Elite Series, Lee understands the level of competition he’s facing as he vies for his first win.

A four-time qualifier for the GEICO Bassmaster Classic and winner of an Elite Series event on Georgia’s Lake Seminole in 2014, Hite has been catching fish at an amazing rate this week. The fishing got so good at one point Friday that he took a break to eat barbecued chicken pizza on the front of his boat.

On Saturday, he hit the fish a little harder and brought 20-6 to the scales to move from 12th place into second with 57-3. He described seeing things on Cayuga that many fishermen have likely never experienced.

“When you reel in a bass on the spot I’m fishing, there are times when the whole school comes with it,” Hite said. “Today, I probably saw it six or seven times.

“You reel in one bass, and there will be 20 more following it. You reel in a pike, and there will be 10 bass with it.”

Hite has been using the two techniques he’s most known for — a drop shot and a bladed jig called the Evergreen Jackhammer.

“The place I’m fishing really just has all of the stereotypical elements that you would expect from a perfect spot on a northern lake for postspawn bass,” Hite said. “It’s just one of those spots you always hope to find in a tournament.”

VanDam has used three separate unnamed techniques to build his third-place weight of 56-6. But he said only two of them worked Saturday, as he brought 17-7 — his lowest weight of the week — to the scales.

“With the slick calm conditions, I just couldn’t make one of them really work,” said VanDam, who recorded his 21st career victory with B.A.S.S. early this year on Louisiana’s Toledo Bend Reservoir. “I spent about two and a half hours doing it and only upgraded once by a few ounces.

“It’s just so hard to get bit fishing fast when there’s no wind like this.”

(Click here to see photos of Jordan Lee's day on Cayuga Lake.)

The tournament will conclude Sunday, as the Top 12 remaining anglers battle for the $100,000 first-place prize. Takeoff will be at 6:15 a.m. ET from Frontenac Park, with the weigh-in back at the park at 3:15 p.m.

by AnglersChannel

Evinrude Pro Scott Martin One Day Closer To Going Wire To Wire In Flw Finale

FLORIDA’S MARTIN RETAINS LEAD ON DAY THREE OF WALMART FLW TOUR ON LAKE CHAMPLAIN PRESENTED BY GENERAL TIRE

Veteran Looking to Secure Third Tour Win on Champlain

Link to photo of pro leader Scott Martin

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (June 25, 2016) – Pro Scott Martin of Clewiston, Florida, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 16 pounds, 5 ounces Saturday to take a 2-pound, 3-ounce lead into the final day of the Walmart FLW Tour at Lake Champlain presented by General Tire. Martin’s three-day total of 58 pounds, 10 ounces make him the No. 1 seed on championship Sunday as the field is now cut to 10 in the four-day competition that features 160 of the world’s best anglers competing for a top cash award of up to $125,000.

Right behind Martin in second place is Bryan Schmitt of Deale, Maryland, who brought in a five-bass limit weighing 17-11 for a three-day total of 15 bass worth 56-7.

“I had some adversity to overcome out there today, so I feel very blessed to have caught what I did,” said Martin. “I experienced some mechanical issues this morning and had to return to the takeoff ramp. After I was cleared, I made some adjustments and caught some nice smallmouth.”

Martin said he caught three of his limit-fish from an area near Rouses Point, and two from a couple of honey holes. He said he used a creature bait, a tube and a topwater bait to piece together his limit.

“My original plan was to save those fish for tomorrow, but I ended up needing them today,” said Martin. “I’m glad I had them, but I’m going to have to go out there tomorrow and figure out something new.”

In addition to the smallmouth bite, Martin said he plans to focus on largemouths as well. He said he will have 15 rods on the back of his boat and is prepared to throw everything he has at them.

“At this lake, ounces are everything, and if you don’t catch a nice bag you’ll fall behind,” said Martin. “This tournament can’t be won with just smallmouth, so I need tomorrow to be an epic day. I’m fishing good. I’m fishing clean. I feel like I’ve made some really good decisions over the past few days, I just have to keep it rolling.”

The top 10 pros advancing to the final day of competition on Lake Champlain in are:

1st: Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla., 15 bass, 58-10

2nd: Bryan Schmitt, Deale, Md., 15 bass, 56-7,

3rd: Jason Meninger, Gainesville, Ga., 15 bass, 55-15

4th: Walmart pro David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., 15 bass, 55-9

5th: Chris Johnston, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, 15 bass, 53-13

6th: Lowrance pro Austin Felix, Eden Prairie, Minn., 15 bass, 53-11

7th: Yamamoto Baits pro Shinichi Fukae, Palestine, Texas, 15 bass, 52-6

8th: Cody Meyer, Auburn, Calif., 15 bass, 52-1

9th: Livingston Lures pro Stetson Blaylock, Benton, Ark., 15 bass, 51-12

10th: Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 15 bass, 51-1

Finishing 11th through 20th are:

11th: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 15 bass, 51-1, $12,000

12th: Braxton Setzer, Montgomery, Ala., 15 bass, 50-15, $12,000

13th: Livingston Lures pro Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 15 bass, 50-8, $12,000

14th: Jacob Wheeler, Indianapolis, Ind., 15 bass, 50-2, $12,000

15th: Clark Wendlandt, Leander, Texas, 15 bass, 49-13, $12,000

16th: Quaker State pro Scott Canterbury, Springville, Ala., 15 bass, 49-11, $12,000

17th: Terry Bolton, Paducah, Ky., 15 bass, 49-9, $12,000

18th: Curtis Richardson, Belleville, Ontario, Canada, 15 bass, 49-9, $12,000

19th: Jason Johnson, Gainesville, Ga., 15 bass, 15 bass, 49-1, $12,000

20th: GoPro pro Mike Kernan, Wylie, Texas, 15 bass, 46-0, $12,000

For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.

Overall there were 100 bass weighing 320 pounds, 7 ounces caught by 20 pros Saturday. All of the top-20 pros weighed in a five-bass limit.

Al Gagliarducci of West Suffield, Connecticut, won the co-angler division and $20,000 Friday with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 33 pounds, 11 ounces, followed by David Hudson of Jasper, Alabama, who finished in second place with 10 bass weighing 31 pounds, 13 ounces worth $7,600.

Adding another accolade to his illustrious career, Livingston Lures pro Andy Morgan of Dayton, Tennessee, clinched his third Angler of the Year title Friday. Morgan made the top-20 cut in 10th place, guaranteeing him the season-long cumulative points title. Morgan became the third angler in FLW Tour history to win the title three times, earning him a check for $100,000 and an automatic berth into the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup.

Pro Chris Johnston of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, clinched the 2016 Walmart FLW Tour Rookie of the Year award, which is awarded to the rookie pro angler who finishes the season with the highest point total.

Bryan New of Belmont, North Carolina, clinched the Walmart FLW Tour Co-Angler of the Year title and won a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

Anglers will take off Sunday from the Plattsburgh City Marina located at 5 Dock St. in Plattsburgh at 6:30 a.m. EDT. Sunday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Crete Memorial Civic Center, located at 4 Beach Road beginning at 4 p.m.

Fans will also be treated to the FLW Expo Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. at the Civic Center before the final weigh-ins. The Expo includes a 100-yard Lew’s Casting Lane, the opportunity to interact with professional anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, and learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities. All activities are free and open to the public.

Coverage of the Lake Champlain tournament will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) Oct. 12 from 1 p.m.-2 p.m. EDT. The Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.

The Walmart FLW Tour at Lake Champlain presented by General Tire is hosted by the City of Plattsburgh and the Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

by AnglersChannel

Evinrude Pro Maritn Extends Champlain Lead, Andy Morgan Wins Third Aoy Title.

FLORIDA’S MARTIN EXTENDS LEAD ON DAY TWO OF THE WALMART FLW TOUR ON LAKE CHAMPLAIN PRESENTED BY GENERAL TIRE

Connecticut’s Gagliarducci Wins Co-angler Title, $20,000

Link to photo of pro leader Scott Martin

Link to HD Video of pro leader Scott Martin weighing in

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (June 24, 2016) – Pro Scott Martin of Clewiston, Florida, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 20 pounds even to extend his lead after Day Two of the Walmart FLW Tour at Lake Champlain presented by General Tire. Martin will bring a 3-pound, 9-ounce advantage into Day Three of the four-day competition that features 160 of the top bass-fishing anglers in the world competing for a top cash award of up to $125,000.

In second place is Bryan Schmitt of Deale, Maryland, who weighed in a five-bass limit totaling 21-5 Friday – the largest of the day – for a two-day cumulative total of 10 bass worth 38-12. The field is trimmed to the top 20 on Saturday, with only the top 10 anglers fishing on final day Sunday.

“This lake has been has been special to me,” said Martin, who has earned more than $2.39 million in FLW competition. “The first time I won in 2004, I did it with all spawning fish. The second time around in 2009, it was all largemouth. This time, I’ve got a mixture of both which I’m excited about.”

Martin said he returned to his area from Day One – an offshore location in the northern end of Lake Champlain that he refers to as ‘the reef’. He said he is rotating between four different baits, but withheld any specifics about their presentations.

“I only caught one good largemouth from the reef today,” said Martin. “I moved around and caught another decent one, but they’re not out there like they were yesterday. I know some little sweet spots here and there that I can milk. That’s my strength out there right now.”

In addition to the two largemouths, Martin said he rounded out his limit with three smallmouths.

“Thanks to the slick conditions, I was able to sight-fish for the smallmouths,” said Martin. “I had to run about 15 minutes for them, but I also had some other spots that I wasn’t able to check. If the weather is nice tomorrow, I’m going to go there again and see what is left.”

The Florida veteran said he plans to spend Day Three covering new water.

“For me, it’s all about confidence in your strengths,” said Martin. “I like to sight-fish, and I like to target largemouth in open water. With those two at my disposal, I have a lot of confidence in this lake.”

The top 20 pros that made the Buck Knives Cut and will fish Saturday on Lake Champlain are:

1st: Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla., 10 bass, 42-5

2nd: Bryan Schmitt, Deale, Md., 10 bass, 38-12

3rd: Chris Johnston, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, 10 bass, 38-9

4th: Walmart pro David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., 10 bass, 38-6

5th: Cody Meyer, Auburn, Calif., 10 bass, 37-1

6th: Jason Meninger, Gainesville, Ga., 10 bass, 36-9

7th: Livingston Lures pro Stetson Blaylock, Benton, Ark., 10 bass, 36-7

8th: Lowrance pro Austin Felix, Eden Prairie, Minn., 10 bass, 36-6

9th: Yamamoto Baits pro Shinichi Fukae, Palestine, Texas, 10 bass, 35-1

10th: Livingston Lures pro Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 10 bass, 35-0

11th: Braxton Setzer, Montgomery, Ala., 10 bass, 34-11

12th: Jason Johnson, Gainesville, Ga., 10 bass, 34-10

13th: Terry Bolton, Paducah, Ky., 10 bass, 34-9

14th: Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 10 bass, 34-8

15th: Jacob Wheeler, Indianapolis, Ind., 10 bass, 34-3

16th: Curtis Richardson, Belleville, Ontario, Canada, 10 bass, 34-2

17th: GoPro pro Mike Kernan, Wylie, Texas, 10 bass, 34-0

18th: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 10 bass, 34-0

19th: Clark Wendlandt, Leander, Texas, 10 bass, 34-0

20th: Quaker State pro Scott Canterbury, Springville, Ala., 10 bass, 34-0

For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.

Schmitt weighed in a 5-pound, 8-ounce largemouth to win the Big Bass Award on the pro side Friday and the $500 prize.

Overall there were 796 bass weighing 2,380 pounds, 6 ounces caught by 159 pros Friday. The catch included 158 five-bass limits.

The top 10 co-anglers finished:

1st: Al Gagliarducci, West Suffield, Conn., 10 bass, 33-11 $20,000

2nd: David Hudson, Jasper, Ala., 10 bass, 31-13 $7,500

3rd: Gary Haraguchi, Redding, Calif., 10 bass, 30-10, $5,000

4th: Edward Pecore, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 10 bass, 29-7, $4,000

5th: Darren Heavner, Fort Worth, Texas, 10 bass, 29-6 $3,000

6th: David Larson, Mound, Minn., 10 bass, 29-4, $2,500

7th: Benjie Seaborn, Guin, Ala., 10 bass, 28-14, $2,000

8th: Ralph Mulleins, Cumberland, Va., 10 bass, 28-11, $1,800

9th: Mike Schnupp, Apopka, Fla., 10 bass, 28-11, $1,700

10th: Shayne McFarlin, Martin, Ga., 10 bass, 28-9, $1,600

Jeff Jones of West Seneca, New York, earned the Big Bass Award on the co-angler side Friday with a bass weighing 6 pounds, 9 ounces to win the $250 prize.

Overall there were 722 bass weighing 1,780 pounds, 5 ounces caught by 154 co-anglers Friday. The catch included 130 five-bass limits.

Anglers were also vying for the prestigious 2016 Walmart FLW Tour Angler of the Year title that is determined by the most points accumulated over the six regular-season Tour events in 2016.

Bryan New of Belmont, North Carolina, clinched the Walmart FLW Tour Co-Angler of the Year title and won a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

Anglers will take off from the Plattsburgh City Marina located at 5 Dock St. in Plattsburgh at 6:30 a.m. EDT each day of competition. Saturday and Sunday’s final weigh-ins will be held at the Crete Memorial Civic Center, located at 4 Beach Road beginning at 4 p.m.

Fans will also be treated to the FLW Expo Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. at the Civic Center before the final weigh-ins. The Expo includes a 100-yard Lew’s Casting Lane, the opportunity to interact with professional anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, and learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities. All activities are free and open to the public.

As part of the FLW Tour’s community outreach initiative, the FLW Foundation’s Unified Youth Fishing Derby will be held at the Wilcox Dock located at 90 Cumberland Ave., in Plattsburgh Saturday, June 25, from 9:30-11:30 a.m. The event is hosted by FLW Foundation pro Cody Kelley along with other FLW Tour anglers, and is free and open to area youth 18 years of age and younger and Special Olympics athletes. Event goodie bags will be awarded to the first 50 participants who sign up. Rods and reels are available for use, but youth are encouraged to bring their own if they own one. All bait is donated by the DMF Bait Company.

The Walmart FLW Tour at Lake Champlain presented by General Tire is hosted by the City of Plattsburgh and the Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau.

by AnglersChannel

Morizo Shimizu Leads Bass Elite On Cayuga Lake With Over 23 Pounds. Aoy Leader Greg Hackney Day 1 Weight Dq'd

Morizo Shimizu found Big Momma in a 6.3 pound bass and leads Day 1 of the BASS Elite slugfest on Cayuga Lake In New York. The weights are close with just under 17 pounds in 50th place. The field is stacked and Friday looks to be another barn burner as the field is anxious to get back out on the water.

AOY Leader Greg Hackney had his day 1 weight Disqulafied after fishing in an off limits area. The official release from BASS is below as Gerald Swindle now moved into the AOY Hot Seat.

Greg Hackney's First-Day Catch Disqualified

UNION SPRINGS, N.Y. — Louisiana angler Greg Hackney came into this week’s Busch Beer Bassmaster Elite at Cayuga Lake with a commanding lead in the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year race — and it seemed for a while on Day 1 like he had maintained that lead.

Hackney caught 17 pounds, 8 ounces to land in 36th place, but it was announced after Thursday’s weigh-in that his catch had been disqualified.

“Greg Hackney’s Day 1 catch was disqualified for fishing in an off-limits area,” said B.A.S.S. Tournament Director Trip Weldon. “ There are several of these off-limits areas on Cayuga Lake. These areas were marked and confirmed with law enforcement. Then we took several steps to make the anglers aware of the areas, including posting them at the pre-tournament meeting Wednesday night.”

Hackney could not be reached for comment.

On glacier lakes in New York, state law says all man-made marinas and boat basins are private property. There are 11 such areas on Cayuga.

After the disqualification, Hackney fell from first place to fourth in Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings, 37 points behind new leader Gerald Swinde. Jacob Powroznik is second, followed by Takahiro Omori.

by AnglersChannel

Scott Martin Drops 22 Pounds 5 Ounces On The Scale To Lead Day 1 Of The Flw Lake Champlain Event

FLORIDA’S MARTIN LEADS DAY ONE OF WALMART FLW TOUR ON LAKE CHAMPLAIN PRESENTED BY GENERAL TIRE

Connecticut’s Gagliarducci Leads Co-Anglers

Link to photo of pro leader Scott Martin

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (June 23, 2016) – Pro Scott Martin of Clewiston, Florida, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 22 pounds, 5 ounces to take the lead after Day One of the Walmart FLW Tour at Lake Champlain presented by General Tire.

Martin targeted areas on the northern end of Champlain, catching a limit consisting entirely of largemouth bass to lead the field of 160 anglers in the four-day tournament that features top bass-fishing anglers from around the world competing for a top cash award of up to $125,000.

Canadian angler Chris Johnston of Peterborough, Ontario, is in second place with 21-2, while Alex Davis of Albertville, Alabama, is in third place with 19-13.

Martin, who won the coveted Angler of the Year title last season, is seeking his third career win at Lake Champlain in FLW Tour competition. He won previously in 2004 and 2009 visits and has earned more than $450,000 on Champlain in his 17-year professional career.

“This lake has been good to me over the years and I had a really good day again today,” said Martin. “I caught them off of five different areas and bounced around a bit. I’m doing something a little different than I usually do here bait wise, and it played a big part today.”

Martin said that he mixed it up and caught fish on four different baits, but wasn’t ready to divulge any specifics. He said that he caught around 15 fish throughout the day.

“I’m not catching a ton of fish, but they are very healthy,” Martin said. “They are fat and don’t look beat up. I had 17 pounds in my livewell by mid-morning. The different lure seemed to be getting bit better than everything else.

“It’s hard to say what is going to happen tomorrow,” Martin continued. “I didn’t have to share any of the areas that I was fishing today, so I hope I’ll be able to do the same tomorrow. There are a lot of fish up there and I think I might have something special figured out.”

The top 10 pros after Day One on Lake Champlain are:

1st: Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla., five bass, 22-5

2nd: Chris Johnston, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, five bass, 21-2

3rd: Alex Davis, Albertville, Ala., five bass, 19-13

3rd: Walmart pro David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., five bass, 19-13

5th: Blake Nick, Adger, Ala., five bass, 19-3

6th: Jason Meninger, Gainesville, Ga., five bass, 19-2

7th: Cody Meyer, Auburn, Calif., five bass, 18-14

8th: Curtis Richardson, Belleville, Ontario, Canada, five bass, 18-12

9th: Walmart pro Mark Rose, West Memphis, Ark., five bass, 18-9

10th: Strike King Lures pro Michael Wooley, Collierville, Tenn., five bass, 18-6

For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.

Johnston weighed in a 5-pound, 13-ounce largemouth to win the Big Bass Award on the pro side Thursday and the $500 prize.

Overall there were 794 bass weighing 2,334 pounds, 12 ounces caught by 159 pros Thursday. The catch included 156 five-bass limits.

Al Gagliarducci of West Suffield, Connecticut, leads the co-angler division with five bass weighing 18 pounds even, followed by Rex Jaeger of Hamilton, Ohio, in second place with five bass weighing 16 pounds, 9 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers after Day One on Lake Champlain are:

1st: Al Gagliarducci, West Suffield, Conn., five bass, 18-0

2nd: Rex Jaeger, Hamilton, Ohio, five bass, 16-9

3rd: David Hudson, Jasper, Ala., five bass, 16-1

4th: Gary Haraguchi, Redding, Calif., five bass, 15-15

5th: Logan Thomas, Calvert City, Ky., five bass, 15-13

6th: Anthony Goggins, Auburn, Ala., five bass, 15-12

7th: Lee Black, Danville, Ala., five bass, 15-6

8th: Darren Heavner, Fort Worth, Texas, five bass, 15-3

9th: James Ciferni, Hammond, N.Y., five bass, 15-2

10th: Chuck Kavros, Grass Valley, Calif., five bass, 15-1

Goggins earned the Big Bass Award on the co-angler side Thursday with a bass weighing 4 pounds, 10 ounces to win the $250 prize.

Overall there were 708 bass weighing 1,685 pounds, 6 ounces caught by 154 co-anglers Thursday. The catch included 125 five-bass limits.

In addition to casting for top awards of up to $125,000 cash in the pro division and up to $25,000 cash in the co-angler division, anglers are also competing for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2016 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing. The 2016 Forrest Wood Cup will be in Huntsville, Alabama, Aug. 4-7 on Wheeler Lake.

Anglers will take off from the Plattsburgh City Marina located at 5 Dock St. in Plattsburgh at 6:30 a.m. EDT each day of competition. Friday’s weigh-in will be held at the City Marina beginning at 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s final weigh-ins will be held at the Crete Memorial Civic Center, located at 4 Beach Road, but will begin at 4 p.m.

The Walmart FLW Tour at Lake Champlain presented by General Tire is hosted by the City of Plattsburgh and the Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau.

by AnglersChannel

Vicious No-Fade Braid Redefines Premium Expectation

Vicious No-Fade BRaid Redefines Premium expectation

New Braid Doesn’t Just Resist Fading, It Simply Doesn’t Fade!

PELL CITY, AL – We’ve all experienced or heard about the phenomenon of braid turning white after just a few hours of use. Out comes the marker to reduce its visibility and down goes the confidence in the line. Is it bad? Will it break when I set the hook next time? Should I take it all off and turn it around so I can get the most out of the line I paid for? These are questions you shouldn’t have to answer about your braid. And with Vicious No-Fade Braid, the questions are a thing of your past.

Staying true to the brand promise, this line is going to raise the bar for premium braid. The moss green braid is available from 20-100lb test and features the coveted 8-carrier technology. This means the braid is going to be thin, smooth, strong and quiet. Plus, the roundness meaning a longer cast and smoother retrieve. But the most shocking attribute – this braid WILL NOT fade even after months of use in the most demanding situations.

“We had several guys from our pro staff fish this line for 2-3 months. The line was fished in rocks and trees for catfish in Mississippi, with an Alabama rig on KY Lake, frog fishing in Alabama, and catching redfish in Louisiana. Our guy in Texas put over 200 hours on the line at Toledo Bend and Rayburn flipping brush and reeds. We then had them send it back to us to compare to new line. I’m very excited to say that even when comparing them side-by-side, it’s tough to tell which one hasn’t ever seen the water. It’s mind-blowing for anyone that has fished braid and witnessed fading,” exclaimed Greg Meunier, Vicious VP of Sales & Marketing.

Meunier went on to say, “This braid is going to allow a guy to buy a spool and get more for his money in the long run. No more markers, no more taking time to turn the line around, no more worrying about the fade… doesn’t get any more vicious than that! We are committed to being a leader in the industry and this is a strong step in that direction.”

The new braid will be available in late 2016 in both 150 and 300 yard spools. We will also have bulk spools for accounts that pre-order. The MSRP starts at $39.99 for all 150 yard spools up to 100 yards.

by AnglersChannel

Pick Your Poison.... Flw Tour And Bass Elite Events Start Today On Two Ny Fisheries

Andy Morgan: Photo Courtesy of FLW For the second time in three weeks, both the BASS Elite Series and the FLW Tour will have events at the same time. The FLW Tour is finishing off its 6 stop season on famed Lake Champlain in Plattsburgh, NY. While give or take 4 hours west the BASS Elite Crew will be hosting their 7th event of their 10 event seaon on Lake Cayuga.

Confused as which to watch? Dont be. Both events have FLW Cup and BASS Classic implications. BASS AOY Leader Greg Hackney won the last time BASS visited Cayuga and looks to be a threat here agan this week but rumor has it the guys are catching them pretty good and just might give Hackney a run for his money.

You can follow along all day on Bassmaster.com and their live blog with the weigh-ins streaming live starting at 3:15pm EST.

On the FLW Side an AOY will be crowned this week and Cup dreams will be both realized and destroyed as Lake Champlain will often make your head spin. Smallmouth or largemouth or a mixture of both? which will it take to win?

Andy Morgan, The GOAT, has a slim lead somcing into this event in the AOY and theoretically its still anybodys game. You can follow along on the FLWOutdoors.com website as well as their twitter feed to catch all the action throughout the day and their live streaming weigh-in starts at 2:30pm EST as well.

Make sure you follow along, these derbies will be big for the Pro's and will be exciting to watch! Stay Tuned to Anglerschannel.com for wrp up stories and daily details on BOTH Events.

by AnglersChannel

Parker & Massey Weigh A Limit Over 26 Pounds On Jordan Lake To Win Piedmont Bass Classic Tourney

PIEDMONT BASS CLASSICS $10,000 SPRING TEAM BASS TRAIL CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
Saturday June 18th, 2016 ~ Jordan Lake ~ Farrington Point Wildlife Ramp

What a beautiful day for the 2016 Piedmont Bass Classics $10,000 Spring Team Bass Trail Championship at Jordan
Lake out of Farrington Point Wildlife Ramp. The weather turned out great with air temps about 61 degrees in the am
on up to 82 in the pm. Water temps averaged 83. Winds were around 5 in the am and blowing up to about 15 in the pm
with some gusts up to 22 mph. 73 of the 81 qualified teams participated with 56 of them weighing in fish. The wind
played a major factor in todays catch. It was tough on the anglers and trolling motor batteries!!!

At the weighin we were treated to a great cookout and a word from God by Pastor Marc Francis of Ridgecrest
Baptist Church in north Durham. Relatives and friends of the anglers were also involved in the cookout and door
prize drawings. After that we had the door prize drawings and all anglers there received a door prize!

1st Place Team Tim Parker and Todd Massey won big weighing in 5 bass at 26.86 lbs. and along with the 1st place
winnings of $10,010 in cash and prizes they won the 1st place TWT and also will receive a check from Triton Boats
Gold Program for $7,000 for a total of $18,655 in winnings. Massey will also receive $100 from Tow Boats US
Atlantic Coast Marine Group in Morehead City for being the highest finishing Tow Boats US member.

Jaime Fajardo & Josh Hooks won 2nd place with 5 fish weighing 25.97 lbs. They also won 2nd Place TWT for a total
of $2,005. 3rd Place Team, Billy Bledsoe & Brian McDonald, had 5 weighing 23.56 lbs. and along with 2nd Place Big
Fish (8.15 lbs.), they took home $1,233!! The 1st Place Big Fish (8.38lbs.) was caught by the team of Hunter & Terry
Collins netting them $1.022.

Larry Hipps and Dean Lairson edged out Mark Herndon and Jay Garrard by just 6 point to become the Spring Trail
Points Champions and took home over $1,000 in cash and prizes along with trophies!!

219 fish were weighed in for a total of 690 pounds for an average of 3.15 lbs. each. Most of the fish were caught on
WLS shaky heads, crankbaits, T-rigs, C-rigs and jigs in 8 to 20 feet of water or less. The deep water bite has started
but don't pass up the early morning-late evening topwater bite!!

I want to thank all the anglers that participated and all our sponsors that support this trail. Our Cashion Rods 'End of
Year' Team Trail fires up July 9th at Kerr Lake out of Flemingtown Landing Wildlife Ramp. Check this link for all
the info on this trail: http://piedmontbassclassics.com/2016EndOfYearMainPage.html
All the information on our tournaments can be found http://piedmontbassclassics.com/

Now here are the full results:

1st Place: ......Tim Parker & Todd Massey of Chapel Hill & New Hill...5 bass...26.86 lbs...$10,010 cash & prizes.
2nd Place: ......Jaime Fajardo & Josh Hooks of Fuquay Varina & Apex...5 bass...25.97 lbs...$1,300
3rd Place: ......Billy Bledsoe & Brian McDonald of Grays Creek & Hope Mills...5 bass...23.56 lbs...$795
4th Place: ......Mike Dinterman & Vern Flemingof Oxford & Raleigh...5 bass...22.50 lbs...$565
5th Place: ......Kevin Beverly & Paul Owens of Zebulon & Raleigh...5 bass...22.08 lbs...$515
6th Place: ......Jeff Hodges & Steve Upchurch of Apex & Raleigh...5 bass...20.52 lbs...$458
7th Place: ......Logan Ammons & Dwayne Saunders of Sanford & Trop...5 bass...20.35 lbs...$400
8th Place: ......Mark Herndon & Jay Garrard of Bahama & Durham...5 bass...20.15 lbs...$345
9th Place: ......Reginald Pickett & Larry Kirk of Greensboro & Climax...5 bass...19.85...$288
10th Place: ......Thomas Sheffer & Ken McNeill of Cary & Raleigh...5 bass...19.78 lbs...$240
11th Place: ......Chad Craven & Ben Cannon of Willow Springs & Apex...5 bass...19.49 lbs...$228
12th Place: ......Matt Harrison & Rock Goss of Franklinton & Creedmoor...5 bass...17.08 lbs...$184
13th Place: ......Jason Suggs & Britton O'Quinn of Fayetteville & Linden...5 bass...16.36 lbs...$172
14th Place: ......Larry Hipps & Dean Lairson of Cary & Wendell...5 bass...16.15 lbs...$130
15th Place: ......Tyler Kirk & Allen White of Cary & Clayton...5 bass...15.67 lbs...$120
16th Place: ......Max Newell & Tyler Faggart of Greenboro & Raleigh...5 bass...15.19 lbs...$100

1st Place Big Fish..Hunter & Terry Collins of Sanford...8.38 lbs...$1,022
2nd Place Big Fish..3rd Place Team above...8.15 lbs...$438
1st Place TWT..1st Place Team above...26.86 lbs...$1,645
2nd Place TWT..2nd Place Team above: 25.97 lbs...$705

Tow Boats US Award: Todd Massey of Chapel : $100

Thank you to all our media friends that helped the public keep up with

our tournament results this Spring !!! Ya'll are great !!! More coming

this summer and fall !!!

by AnglersChannel

Elite Series Pro And Current Aoy Leader Greg Hackney Talks A Little Topwater On The Weeks Sportsmans Warehouse Pro Tips.

BASS Elite Series Pro Greg Hackney goes a little in-deoth with the why, when and how he throws top water in late spring. Check it out, a few adjustments to your tactics and it may just ignite your top water game!!

by AnglersChannel

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