HAYDEN’S WISSINGER WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE BAMA DIVISION EVENT ON LAKE MITCHELL

Lake View’s Parker tops Co-angler field

CLANTON, Ala. (March 27, 2017) – Josh Wissinger of Hayden, Alabama, brought a five-bass limit totaling 18 pounds, 12 ounces, to the scale Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Bama Division event on Lake Mitchell. For his win, Wissinger took home $3,586.

 

“I started out fishing isolated grass patches on the main lake with a Dirty Jigs No-Jack Swim Jig with a Zoom Super Ultra Vibe Speed Craw,” said Wissinger, who earned his first career-win in FLW competition. “I picked up one or two keepers, but there were a lot of boats around. Lake Mitchell is small, so I knew there would be a lot of pressure.”

As the morning continued, Wissinger said he worked his way up the Coosa River looking for spawning bass.

“I hit seawalls and caught two spotted bass, including a 4-pounder, using a Z-Man ChatterBait,” said Wissinger. “The 5- to 6-foot depths are ideal spawning areas. It’s the first shallow water they come to when they get out of the main-river current.

“I eventually got up to the dam, and fished some flats near concrete walls,” continued Wissinger. “There is a lot of food for the fish up there, as well as holes and big boulders they get around and use to spawn. They offer the bass some protection.”

Wissinger said he used a ¼-ounce Buckeye Lures Spot Remover Shaky-Head Jig with a Reaction Innovations Flirt Worm to round out his limit.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:          Josh Wissinger, Hayden, Ala., five bass, 18-12, $3,586

2nd:         Erick Sommers, Deatsville, Ala., five bass, 17-1, $1,411

2nd:         Tim Hurst, Oxford, Ala., five bass, 17-1, $1,836

4th:          Brandon McGinnis, Pell City, Ala., five bass, 16-1, $790

5th:          James Baber, Ozark, Ala., five bass, 15-8, $777

6th:          Jimmy Bahakel, Birmingham, Ala., five bass, 14-12, $621

7th:          David Milsaps, Ranger, Ga., five bass, 14-10, $564

8th:          Daniel White, Clanton, Ala., five bass, 14-7, $508

9th:          Mark McCaig, Oxford, Ala., five bass, 14-2, $451

10th:        M.J. Vihnanek, Walnut Hill, Fla., five bass, 14-1, $395

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Hurst caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 4 ounces – the largest of the event in the Pro Division – which earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $425.

Taylor Parker of Lake View, Alabama, weighed in five bass totaling 12 pounds, 13 ounces Saturday to win the Co-angler Division and the top prize of $1,693.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st:          Taylor Parker, Lake View, Ala., five bass, 12-13, $1,693

2nd:         Timmy Ward, Sylacauga, Ala., five bass, 12-10, $846

3rd:          Harold Grizzle, Gainesville, Ga., five bass, 12-8, $764

4th:          Jeff Morgan, Kennesaw, Ga., five bass, 12-4, $445

5th:          Lew Moore, Roanoke, Ala., five bass, 11-5, $339

6th:          Larry Purdie, Columbus, Ga., five bass, 11-0, $310

7th:          Ross Duncan, Newnan, Ga., five bass, 10-15, $282

8th:          Tyler Fields, Kingsport, Tenn., five bass, 10-3, $254

9th:          Daniel Douglas, Meridianville, Ala., five bass, 10-1, $226

10th:        Tanner Ellison, Clanton, Ala., five bass, 10-0, $198

Mason Powell of Odenville, Alabama, caught the biggest bass among Co-angler Division anglers, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 12 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $212.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional Championship on Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Alabama. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.

The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

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


MURRAY STATE KEEPS THEIR LEAD TO WIN  2017 CABELA’S COLLEGIATE BASS FISHING OPEN

Louisiana State takes 2nd & Tennessee Tech takes 3rd
on Lake Dardanelle, Russellville, Arkansas

San Antonio (March 27, 2017) - Day two of the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Open on Lake Dardanelle was full of changes - not only with the weather but also on the leaderboard.  Though Murray State University dominated 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places going into day two, they knew they would have other strong teams challenging their positions.    

As they were all looking to finish strong – in this event as well as in hopes of making a big move in the Cabela’s School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia race - the Murray State team of Hunter Mills, Hunter McKinley, Mike Lowry, and Brian Koch brought a very solid 21.21 pound bag to the scales to move up from their 2nd place position to 1st place for the win!  With a two-day overall weight of 47.92 pounds, fishing shoreline grass proved to be successful in bringing the pounds they needed on day two into their live well.

As all the teams set out on day two of the Open, they noticed the strong north wind was gone and there were no clouds in the sky.  Although the temperatures were starting off cooler than on day one, the anglers expected to see the thermometer climb into the 70’s by noon.

 

The other huge factor that was going to be missing on day two was the current the anglers had seen on day one.  During the entire first day of the event, anglers saw over 39,000cfs being released downstream on the Arkansas River. During day two they only had two hours over 10,000cfs and had six hours with zero water being discharged. With the lack of current alone the anglers knew they would have to work even harder to bring a limit to the stage.

 

Coming in at 2nd place with the largest bag on day two with 22.00 pounds, and an overall total of 42.92 pounds, was the team of Matt Glad, Owen Richard, Dakota Sparks and Levi Sharp from Louisiana State University.  This team entered day two in 5th place with a day one weight of 20.92 pounds, and moved up the leaderboard by being only the second team to bring in over 20 pounds each day.

 

Tennessee Tech University’s two-man team of Jesse Garren and Daniel Holt moved up the leaderboard the most, climbing from 12th place on day one to a final 3rd place finish with 38.88 pounds total.  In this event format, having a partner boat is a great advantage on being able to work together and be able to call and get help from your sister team if you are not on the fish.  Jesse and Daniel did not have that advantage as they were the only boat representing Tennessee Tech University, yet they still brought in nearly 20 pounds each day.

 

Rounding out the Top 10 places at the 2017 Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Open on Lake Dardanelle, Russellville, Arkansas were:

 

To see the complete results from the 2017 Collegiate Bass Fishing Open Presented by Cabela’s, click here: Final Results.


Jordan Lee wins the 2017 Bassmasters Classic!

3, 4, 5 . . . Jordan Lee is #1. He won the 47th Bassmaster Classic with only 12 of a possible 15 fish. He caught 3 the 1st day, 4 the 2nd, a finally managed a 5-fish limit on the final day.

It was just enough to lift Lee over a hard-charging Steve Kennedy by 1 pound, 9 ounces.

With a 16-inch size limit this week, any keeper bass would weigh more than a pound and nine ounces, so every of those 12 catches was critical for Lee.

Kennedy was a fish short of a limit. In fact, 3 of the top 5 finishers did not have 15 keeper bass in this tournament.

Brent Ehrler did. He led for 2 days. He and Dave Lefebre caught more than 20 pounds each day. Today, Ehrler’s fish shrunk to half the size he had been catching. Lefebre caught just 1 and it was an ounce shy of 2 pounds.

“No way did I ever think I would win today,” said Lee. “If I had 35 pounds, I would have thought I had a shot. But Ehrler Evers, Lefebre those guys caught 20 pound a day.

“I mean, you would surely think somebody would catch . . . something.” When the comment drew laughter in the press conference, Lee clarified, “I’m giving them a compliment. That shows how good they are. That just really surprised me. That shows you too, how tough the lake is fishing.”

Lee found one spot where he could catch quality fish. It was 10-yard-square hard bottom point that only tapered off about a foot in depth – from 5 feet to 6.

High winds on the first day made it difficult for Lee to keep his trolling motor in the water, let alone catch fish on the exposed stretch of water. He scrambled to catch a little more than 8 pounds.

Day 2 didn’t look any better for the first few hours. “At noon yesterday I had 8 pounds.” Now he has the biggest trophy in the sport.

Lee caught 3 key fish from the point on the afternoon of Day 2. He caught another on the way back to the ramp.

On the eve of the final day Lee told AnglersChannel.com, “I spent the last day of practice looking for ‘that one spot’. I found it. I think if it’s sunny all day tomorrow and I can hit it a couple of times – I only got to fish it once today – tomorrow if I can let it rest for an hour here, an hour there, I feel like I can probably pick 5 off.”

His plan came together today and Lee sacked 27 pounds 4 ounces, the biggest bag of the tournament.

“I probably caught 8 today,” said Lee “And that’s casting all day. I never ran. I never picked up the trolling motor.”

Lee compiled a total weight of 56-10 with 3 primary lures. Lee survived Day 1 by fishing soft plastics. On Day 2 Lee used a Strike King 5XD in the Citrus Shad color and also caught 2 fish on a Strike King Bull Worm on a half-ounce shaky head. Today he tipped a football jig with a Rage Craw trailer and rode that combo to victory.

“The fish wanted it slow,” said Lee. “A lot of the bites, my lure was just sitting there and my line would move off. That was the slowest I’ve ever fished. And I’ve never fished one spot all day.”


Championship Sunday - News and Notes Video

the 2017 Bassmasters Classic Championship Sunday is underway, Take a listen to how a few of the top guys plan to catch them.


Bassmaster Classic - Day 2 Notes & Quotes

The 2017 Bassmaster Classic is a flipin’ fest. That’s how the top guys are doing it this week. In fact, that’s been one of the few constants on a rapidly-changing Lake Conroe fishery.

Some are catching fish early by winding a lure. Cliff Crochet is having a blast throwing a frog. But flipping is the deal for the other 7 hours of the day.

Noted finesse tactician, Brent Ehrler has turned to beefy gear and a delicate presentation to pull the right 10 fish out of flooded willows and buck brush on a flat that grew thick with the cover during years when the water was low. Scores of spectators watched him deftly place a lure in cover without leaving a ripple.

Some even tried to help catch the fish in the area.

Mike Iaconelli, no stranger to controversy, had words with one such local fisherman yesterday. “For 3 days, they can’t lay off the fish?” questioned Ike as he spoke to reporters in the press room this evening.

A huge number of well-behaved onlookers enjoyed watching Ike and several other pros pile into the area where Ehrler caught his 20-pound, 1-ounce sack today. Steve Kennedy is among the pros who started there on Day 1 and hope to finish out a strong tournament effort on the big flat.

Kennedy wasn’t as excited to see Ike as the fans were. “I’m sharing water with the leader and now with 6th place (Ike’s spot in the standings).

Fishless at noon, Ike climbed to that rank entirely on the strength of the fish he caught after literally crossing paths with Kennedy. We saw Bobby Lane, Skeet Reese and Cliff Crochet on the flat as well. Lane and Crochet made the cut and will fish tomorrow. Drew Benton is fishing nearby. He’s in 10th.

The north end has been good to the anglers this week. The big question is whether it’s been beaten too hard by the tournament anglers, spectator traffic and the plastic navy of kayakers who were out fishing in droves on the extreme upper end of the lake today.

“Being on the backside of the full moon, these fish aren’t likely to move up in great numbers this weekend,” said Bobby Lane. “What’s there is there they won’t replenish. Next full moon would be a great time to be here. These are my Florida bass in this lake. I know how they act.”

Kennedy pointed out, “I don’t feel like we’ve got a new group of fish coming in there. That’s what hurts more than anything.”

Then again, the areas that have been hammered are popular places to fish and, as such, they normally get picked-over yet still produce fish. “That place was getting hammered before we got here. It’s probably been getting hammered for 2 or 3 month,” said Kennedy. “There’s still some big fish in there.”

Dave Lefebre is only using 2 rods. Each has a jig tied on. And he’s in 2nd. That’s 3 reasons he’s the most dangerous man in the field. “I made 10 bass famous on one jig. We’re gonna go for 15 on it.

“I’m fishing a bulky, but light jig in 2 feet of water – fishing super shallow.”

Brent Ehrler may have saved enough fish to fend off Lefebre and the rest of the field. After a fast start he didn’t catch many more. “I tried to lay off a little bit.”

Edwin Evers is in good shape as he occupies 3rd place. He would be higher if he could get one of those Conroe giants to bite. “I’m surprised I haven’t caught a big one. I’m shocked. Maybe I’m saving it for tomorrow.”

The Top 5 looks like this:

Brent Ehrler – 43-4

Dave Lefebre – 41-1

Edwin Evers – 39-0

James Elam 37-13

Bradley Roy – 37-10

Chris Zaldain is the last man to make the cut, in 25th with 21-11.

 


Notes and Quotes - Day 2 Launch Video!

Hear what Cliff Crochet, Bradley Roy and GMan Gerald Swindle have to say about the start of Day 2


Bassmaster Classic - Day 1 Notes & Quotes

The pros all said that winning the 47th Bassmaster Classic would be a matter of finding a few big bites. On Day 1 Brent Ehrler found the biggest, a 9-pound, 12-ounce bass that pushed his weight total to 23-3.

Brent Ehrler - Leader with 23.3 Pounds

“I really wasn’t expecting to get that bite,” said Ehrler. “I caught it in shallow water. It was a serious battle to get that fish in, especially in shallow water. I was very fortunate to land it; very fortunate to have the day go this way and to be leading the tournament.”

Bradley Roy is currently in 2nd place.

“My day went really well. I couldn’t ask for more than 22 pounds.” Roy did catch more than 22 pounds – one ounce more. He is a pound and two ounces off Ehrler’s lead.

“My day went slow, but it was very productive,” said Roy. “I’ve got a little milk run and it takes me a long time to get bites, but when I get those bites, they’re quality.”

Roy was surprised at how rough the lake had gotten when it was time to run back to the ramp. That means he was tucked way up a creek.

A lot of guys are going up creeks. There are tons of big bass up shallow but a methodical approach is often required to get them to bite.

Cliff Crochet is 3rd with 21-8.

“I caught a good fish early on. That really settled me down, gave me the confidence to know that my pattern would work.” He caught fish throughout the day, and said he is not necessarily keying on the shad spawn, although the early bite was helpful.

Mike Iaconelli is 4th with 21-2.

Clifford Pirch is 5th with 20-11.

James Elam is 7th with 20 pounds and an ounce.

And he did that with only 4 fish. “After 11 o’clock I still didn’t have a keeper. I stuck around in that area of the lake and caught a couple of big ones.”

Elam’s ‘big ones’ both weighed over 7 pounds, a major reason he was able to score so much weight without a limit. “I got two lucky bites. I wasn’t really on them that well. I just went to a couple of spawning cuts where I got bites (in practice).” He described the tactic as ‘blind bed-fishing’, dragging Texas-rigged soft plastics where he suspects fish are spawning.

Action resumes tomorrow as we begin Day 2.

 


Carhartt Countdown to Blastoff - Day 1 Launch - The Big Show is underway!

We talk with Skeet Reese, Randy Howell, Classic Rookie and College Champ John Garrett and Greg Hackney with Bobby Lane to get a feel for how the guys feel about kicking this thing off!


Which bait is your first pick on Day 1 of the Classic?

We ask BASS Classic Competitors what their first bait choice will be when they arrive at their first stop on Lake Conroe this morning to start the Bassmasters Classic.

Which one would you choose?


If Not You, Who?

We asked several of the 2017 Bassmaster Classic Competitors, If they Can't Win it, Who would they pick?

Might be time to check your Fantasy Fishing Teams....... Just Sayin'


Classic Preview - “I can’t go out and force it.”

As the 2017 Bassmaster Classic gets underway in the morning, here is what we’ve learned so far:

There is definitely a strong shad spawn in progress which makes the first hour of the day critical for those anglers who plan to key on that bite in order to get some early momentum going.

And, as Alton Jones Jr. pointed out, shad spawn aside, that early momentum can be important to an angler’s mental state the rest of the day. “Mentally, that first hour is going to be super crucial. There’s going to be a lot of butterflies in the morning. I’ll be nervous, but getting that first fish in the boat will make it feel like ‘business as usual’ and let me settle down a little bit.”

A few anglers hinted at the shad spawn by saying they planned to begin the day throwing spinnerbaits, white swim jigs, and the like. Others flat out stated that the shad spawn was a big part of their game plan.

Then again, Randall Tharp noted that “Every second of every day in this tournament is important.”

Consensus among the pros is that this will be a most interesting event, from a fan’s perspective.

That seems to be the only thing they agree on. For instance, there is much debate as to which stage of the spawn most fish seem to be in. While everyone understands that all 3 phases – prespawn, bedding and postspawn – are occurring to varying degrees, some pros are convinced the spawn is basically done, others say there are waves of fish that have yet to move up.

Some are keeping an open mind, “I’m just going to look at the water in front of me and figure out what to throw,” said Tharp.

“This is probably the most rods I’ve ever had rigged in my boat,” said Brandon Palaniuk. And in Palaniuk’s case, that’s saying something. “The fish are just in so many different stages right now.”

Another point most agree on is that Gerald Swindle gave a great speech last night at the Night of Champions. The reigning angler of the Year shared that he accomplished the feat by playing ‘small ball’ – a baseball analogy for doing the little things right on a consistent basis instead of pulling off heroics on occasion.

Swindle plans to bunt his way through the Classic as well. “You can’t just go all in on Day 1 and get yourself put out of it. You’ve got to have a strong start. I haven’t had that practice where it was over the top and I knew ‘this is the honey hole’. I’ve got a couple of areas to fish and a couple of thoughts in my mind but I’m gonna have to let some of it come to me.

“I can’t go out and force it.”

Swindle does know exactly how he will begin the tournament. “A 9/16 oz. hand-tied jig, black and blue with a big #1 Zoom Salty Chunk – black and blue all the way down, Twenty-pound line and a 7’6” rod. Then if he bites it you’ll hear the hookset right here at Minute Maid Stadium because I’m bringing the house down.”


Minute Maid. Honey Bunches of Oats

VanDam’s Team Partner, Ashley’s Love of Minute Maid,
and Jordan Lee’s Cereal

On the eve of the 2017 Bassmaster Classic, two Classic champions, and the sport’s greatest young talent talk about who’d they choose as a team fishing partner, as well as their predictions for a winning weight, lures that will be used, and even the best food they’ve eaten since arriving in Houston to compete on Lake Conroe.

1.) What will surprise fans most about this Classic?

Lee: The numbers of guys that don’t catch a limit because of the 16” minimum length limit here.
VanDam: Big fluctuations in the leader board with the chance of a come-from-behind winner on Sunday.
Ashley: That weigh-in at Minute Maid Park. I can’t believe we get to weigh our fish on a stage inside a Major League Baseball stadium. That’s awesome!

2.) If the Bassmaster Classic was a team event, held on a mystery lake, who would you choose as your partner?

Lee: No doubt – VanDam. He’d dang sure guide us to them – and I’d even be his net man.
VanDam: Todd Faircloth. We’re both a part of Team Strike King, and I think his methodical approach would compliment my wide-open style.
Ashley: I’d pick Greg Hackney. I’d love to fish with him just to see how his mind works. We fish a lot the same, but he just catches ‘em better.

3.) Best meal you’ve had since arriving at Lake Conroe/Houston?

Lee: Me and Jesse Wiggins roomed together in practice and lived on Honey Bunches of Oats cereal.
VanDam: A friend cooked us rib eyes and Australian lobster tails.
Ashley: Blackened red snapper over a bed of creamy mashed taters.

4.) If you can’t win … who would you most like to see win this Classic?

Lee: Aaron Martens. He’s finished 2nd so many times. I can’t imagine how that feels. I feel for him.
VanDam: Shaw Grigsby. He’s been a friend a long time. He’s an awesome angler, and an equally great guy. He’s earned the right to be a champion for sure. And he’d be a great ambassador.
Ashley: Charlie Hartley. There’s not a man on this earth that loves to catch a bass more than him.

5.) Name 4 lures we’ll see used a bunch on Lake Conroe:

Lee: Texas-rigged creature bait, medium depth crankbait, ChatterBait, and a wacky worm.
VanDam: Jig, spinnerbait, a crankbait that’ll cover that 10 to 18’ deep zone, and a ChatterBait.
Ashley: Jig, spinnerbait, medium range crankbait, and Texas rigged soft plastic.

6.) Predict the 3-day 2017 Bassmaster Classic winning weight.

Lee: 65 pounds
VanDam: 59 pounds
Ashley: 63 pounds


Carhartt Countdown to Blastoff with KVD!!!

Our buddy Alan McGuckin with Dynamic Sponsorships talks with the man, KVD on the final practice day of the 2017 Bassmasters Classic!


Iaconelli: “I Need This Day!”

Alan McGuckin - Special to AnglersChannel.com

 

Mike Iaconelli notched three Top 10 finishes on Lake Conroe during three Toyota Texas Bass Classic events in recent years. Still, he was a bit of a stressed-out mess amid a 1-hour fog delay on the final official practice day for the 2017 Bassmaster Classic, on the Southeast Texas reservoir he knows so well.

“I need this day!” Iaconelli confided in me as I walked past him on the wooden pier he and 51 of the best anglers in the world had their boats tied-up to.

“It’s springtime, things are changing every day, and I don’t feel like I’ve totally figured out the puzzle yet,” says the passionate New Jersey pro.

His nervousness isn’t a reflection of his lack of effort or preparedness. He visited Conroe in December on a solo scouting mission, and then, like all 52 Classic qualifiers, had three long days of official practice this past Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

“Things have changed since Sunday, we’ve had cooler nights, fish are in all phases of the spawn here, they’re constantly moving between shallow and deep water, and nothing I accomplished here in those three Toyota Texas Bass Classic events really matters at all – zero actually – this is spring time – those were autumn events,” Iaconelli insists.

Don’t believe him? Then chew on the fact he has no GPS waypoints saved from those previous top finishes on Conroe.

“I don’t save waypoints from old events. You gotta start fresh, especially when the seasons are so different,” says Iaconelli.

More mind-boggling, is the fact he caught a bass bigger than 8-pounds during every single day of each of those three previous tournaments – yet still, no waypoints.

And that’s the mentality that separates weekend warriors from world champions. Amateurs fish history. Returning to ‘spots’ where they caught ‘em before – despite the season or conditions.

Pros like Iaconelli are driven to fish in the moment – even despite incredible past success.

“The only things I can take from my past experiences here, are things like lure color and maybe a general area of the lake – but specific spots where I caught ‘em in the past have zero to do with this week,” emphasizes the 2003 Bassmaster Classic Champion.

“I break the life cycle of a bass into four seasons – winter, spring, summer and fall,” he says. “This is spring, and there’s no greater time of change for a bass each day than right now – that’s why I have eight casting reels and four spinning reels on the deck. I’m trying it all,” illustrated Iaconelli.

“I’ve got a lot to figure out today,” he says.

 

By 8:00 a.m., much to “Ike’s” appreciation, tournament director Trip Weldon announced the fog was clearing, and conditions were becoming safe enough to begin the final official practice day of the 2017 Bassmaster Classic on Lake Conroe.


3 Qualifiers Identify 3 Classic Surprises For Fans

Alan McGuckin - Special to Anglerschannel.com

 

After three official days of practice, young Carhartt College Champ John Garrett, along with veteran pros Mike Iaconelli and Shaw Grigsby were asked what three things about this Bassmaster Classic might surprise fans the most.

John Garrett

-- It’s difficult to get a lot of bites here, but when you get a bite, it can be a big one.

-- The lake is gonna fish really small. They’ll be a lot of us in the same area.

-- How rough the water is, because of all the bass boat and pleasure boat traffic, and the sea walls along the shoreline don’t allow the waves to ever break, they just wash back and forth.

 

Mike Iaconelli

-- How few bites per day most guys will get.

-- You’ll actually see spotted bass weighed-in, even though the legal minimum length is 16 inches.

-- Even though it’s spring, and you think of bass being shallow this time of year – they’ll be a lot of fish caught out deep too.

 

Shaw Grigsby

-- That the 16” length is gonna be a game changer. I know it’s Texas, and everything is bigger – but it’s still not easy to catch a limit of bass over 16” – so you could see guys take a ‘zero’ at the Classic.

-- How rough this lake is because of the boat traffic and breaker walls. The waves were so big, I never went more than 25 mph in practice.

-- If we get hungry, there’s everything from McDonald’s to sushi we can pull up to and eat. (Note: That’s a joke, anglers aren’t allowed out of their boats during competition unless there’s an emergency – but there are a ton of boat-friendly eateries along Conroe’s shoreline.)

 


B.A.S.S. Names Students To 2017 Bassmaster High School All-State Team

March 20, 2017

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Sixty-nine outstanding high school anglers from across the country have been named to the 2017 class of Bassmaster High School All-State Fishing Team presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.

The students were selected for the honor based on their success in bass tournament competition, academic achievement and leadership in conservation and community service.

“From the very beginning, a guiding principle of B.A.S.S. has been to introduce youngsters to the sport of fishing, and the resumes of the young people nominated for All-State and All-American honors proves that these efforts are paying off,” said Bruce Akin, B.A.S.S. CEO. “High School fishing programs are great incentives for getting students and their parents out of doors and on the water.”

To be considered for the All-State Fishing Team, a student must have been nominated by a parent, coach, teacher or other school official. Students currently enrolled in grades 10-12 with a current-year grade point average of 2.5 or higher are eligible.

B.A.S.S. received more than 380 nominations from across the nation, a 75 percent increase over the number nominated in the first two years of the program. From these, judges selected 69 student anglers from 40 states to make the All-State Fishing Teams.

“Our All-State team is such a strong group of young anglers who have tremendous fishing accomplishments, as well as extensive community service and academic achievements,” said Hank Weldon, senior manager of the B.A.S.S. High School program. “We are extremely proud to recognize these student anglers, and we congratulate them on their success on and off the water.”

A second panel of judges will review nominations of the 69 All-State team members and select the 12 members of the 2017 Bassmaster High School All-American Fishing Team presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods. As in all-state judging, criteria include success in high school fishing tournaments, involvement in conservation efforts and other community service activities.

The 12 finalists will compete in a one-day Bassmaster All-American High School Bass Tournament held during the 2017 Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department event, a fan-favorite festival that will be held May 17-21 on Sam Rayburn Reservoir out of Lufkin, Texas.

Elite Series anglers will serve as teammates and “coaches” of the student anglers in the tournament. The high school standouts will be honored on the main Texas Fest stage at the weigh-in. All will be profiled in Bassmaster Magazine, read monthly by 4.4 million people, as well as on Bassmaster.com.

“Because of the tremendous increase in nominations this year, and because the All-State anglers in many states were decided by razor-thin margins, B.A.S.S. decided to recognize an additional group of outstanding students with honorable mention awards,” said Helen White, High School All-American program manager. “These student anglers illustrated strong tournament success rates as well as solid community service and academic achievement.”

Below is the list of the 69 All-State anglers, in order by state:

Alabama 
Logan Parks, Auburn
Briana Tucker, Moulton
Lucas Lindsay, Auburn — Honorable Mention
Ryan Sweeney, Springville — Honorable Mention

Arizona 
Steven Mack, Queen Creek
Taj White, Glendale
Tommy Sendek, Tucson — Honorable Mention

Arkansas 
Reese Jones, Rogers
Bryer Pennington, Prescott

California 
Luke Johns, Folsom
Brian Lopez, Yuba City

Colorado
Eric “Jordan” Evans, Colorado Springs

Connecticut 
Noah Winslow, Naugatuck

Delaware 
Jackson Staib, Wilmington

Florida 
Colin Blanton, Winter Springs
Cole Thompson, St. Cloud
Jacob Eaton, Fort Myers — Honorable Mention
Parker Klump, North Fort Myers — Honorable Mention

Georgia 
Jake Blumling, Evans
Cy Casey, Evans
Taylor Cox, Carrollton — Honorable Mention
Cal Culpepper, Hamilton — Honorable Mention
Garrett Hayes, Chatsworth — Honorable Mention
Emil Wagner, Marietta — Honorable Mention

Illinois 
Tyler Lubbat, Wheeling
Alex Wojtowicz, Shorewood
Nathan Doty, Decatur — Honorable Mention
Adam Hingson, Atwood — Honorable Mention

Indiana 
Blake Albertson, Bloomington
Beau Ashcraft, Lafayette
Adam Puckett, Bloomington — Honorable Mention

Iowa 
Sam Louw, Story City
Kaleb Tweite, Riceville
Kyler Bauer, Riceville — Honorable Mention
Isaiah Minton, Marion — Honorable Mention

Kansas 
Hunter French, Buhler
Zach Vielhauer, Shawnee
Brock Bila, Overland Park — Honorable Mention
Thomas Heinen, Topeka — Honorable Mention

Kentucky 
Dustin Jones, Stanford
Kyle Roy, Jamestown
Morgan Miracle, Lancaster — Honorable Mention

Louisiana 
Cade Fortenberry, Prairieville
Colby Miller, Elmer
Annabelle Guins, Lake Charles — Honorable Mention
Wes Rollo, Natchitoches — Honorable Mention

Maine 
Reid Lavigne, Biddeford

Maryland 
Jospeh McClosky, Swanton
Tyler Wallace, New Market

Massachusetts
Evan Bramhill, Northborough
Teddy Peznola, Leominster

Michigan 
Keegan Findley, Grand Haven
Gunner Wilson, Fenton
Matthew Davis, Coloma — Honorable Mention

Minnesota 
Reid Saarela, Lakeville
Matt Stearns, Lakeville
Solomon Glenn, Lakeville — Honorable Mention

Mississippi 
Russell Brown, Hattiesburg
James Willoughby, Gulfport

Missouri 
Dalton Combs, Ozark
Tristin Williams, Grain Valley
Grant Nisbet, St. Louis — Honorable Mention

Nebraska 
Draven Ray, Plattsmouth

New Hampshire 
Jeremy Bates, Chichester
Craig Beucler, Sandown

New Jersey 
Joe Buthusiem, Collingswood
Vincent Pustizzi, Pittsgrove

New Mexico 
Alex Rigg, Las Cruces

New York 
Matthew Arndt, North Syracuse
Perry Marvin, Peru
Brandon Biby, New York City — Honorable Mention

North Carolina 
Christopher Guest, Shelby
Alden Patterson, Mebane
Titus Ward, Statesville — Honorable Mention

Ohio 
Colten Didion, Westerville
Connor Aten, Macedonia

Oklahoma 
Taylor Hamburger, Tulsa
Garrett McCrackin, Jennings
Kaden Knoch, Harrah — Honorable Mention

Pennsylvania 
Austin Gaab, Montoursville

Rhode Island 
Tyler Conde, Chepachet
Jordon Leahy, Lincoln

South Carolina 
Caleb Blackwood, Rock Hill
Oakley Connor, Travelers Rest
Drake Boyd, Abbeville — Honorable Mention
Andrew Mitchell, Donalds — Honorable Mention

Tennessee 
Kyle Ingleburger, Winchester
Kyle Palmer, Estill Springs
Hunter Conatser, Jamestown — Honorable Mention
Landry Cooper, Vonore — Honorable Mention
Cameron Kirkland, Knoxville — Honorable Mention
Samuel Vandagriff, McMinnville — Honorable Mention

Texas 
Jared Gobel, Lumberton
Trace O'Dell, Buna
Hunter Martindale, Jasper — Honorable Mention
Hunter Muncrief, Pineland — Honorable Mention

Virginia 
Trent Carr, Rhoadesville
Gavin Haley Locust Grove
Hylton Scott, Stuart — Honorable Mention
Travis Walker, Stuart — Honorable Mention

West Virginia 
Grace Caldwell, Berkeley Springs
Landon Harrington, Berkeley Springs

Wisconsin 
Bailey Bleser, Burlington
Bradley Gumtow, Neenah
Colton Haney, Baldwin — Honorable Mention

2017 Costa Bassmaster High School Title Sponsor: Costa

2017 Costa Bassmaster High School Presenting Sponsor: DICK’S Sporting Goods

2017 Costa Bassmaster High School Premier Sponsors: Power-Pole, Minn Kota, Toyota, Berkley, Yamaha, Triton Boats, Humminbird, Huk, Shell Rotella, Mercury, Nitro Boats

2017 Costa Bassmaster High School Supporting Sponsors: Carhartt, Lowrance, ABU Garcia, St. Croix Rods, Phoenix Boats, Shimano, Academy Sports + Outdoors

About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2), social media programs and events. For more than 45 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.

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


Swindle: Conroe Will Be a Texas-Sized Test

 

Alan McGuckin - Special to AnglersChannel.com

Amid a Facebook Live post Monday night, reigning Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Gerald Swindle contemplated aloud, “If everything’s bigger in Texas, then maybe the shrimp here could be the size of squirrels.”

Squirrel-sized shrimp – the outcome of Swindle’s famous humor, blended with his sometimes-bizarre creative thinking.

But while all the talk leading into this 2017 Bassmaster Classic has been about records being broken – Swindle’s not sure the 23-pounds per day that VanDam averaged to win in New Orleans in 2011, is truly in jeopardy here.

Fishing Pressure – “The boat traffic here is as intense as anywhere we’ve ever competed,” says Swindle.

While he’s competed on Conroe in four previous Toyota Texas Bass Classics, those were autumn events, when fishing pressure was far less.

A “Big Bass” tournament already had 900 people fishing on Conroe earlier this month. And while this lake is hugely popular for bass fishing, add-in all the pleasure boat traffic between its seawalls, and it’s understandable the largemouth are likely to be a bit more fickle in March than October.

“It took 27 pounds to win a team event here the other day, but I’ve got a feeling some of those fish may have come from spawning beds, and honestly there’s just not much clear water here to focus on catching spawning fish for three days,” says Swindle.

 

 Fat Singles Versus Big Schools – While Swindle says there are bass in all three phases of the spawn right now; the likelihood of finding an offshore mega-school is a long shot.

“This lake has never been a place with numerous schools of big fish – it’s got some giant bass in it – but it’s not like the Tennessee River where several guys can locate a school that might have a giant limit of fish in it,” he explains.

Worth noting is the 16” minimum length limit on Conroe which not only increases the challenge of catching a keeper-sized bass, but obviously increases the average weight of a 5-bass limit compared to most reservoirs B.A.S.S. visits where a 14” minimum length limit is more common.

 

5 Lures for 5 Fish Each Day – When asked to name five lures fans could expect to see most of the 52 competitors using this week, Swindle promptly rattled off the following as though you had asked for his phone number: ChatterBait, Spinnerbait, Jigs, Strike King Series 5 crankbaits, and a weightless Senko.

 

Finally, We’re Not Freezing – For years the Bassmaster Classic was a summertime event, but in 2006, it was moved to the February-March timeframe, and that’s brought frostbite threatening temperatures to venues like Tulsa, Oklahoma and Greenville, South Carolina.

It’s also brought a run of less than optimal performances for Swindle in the late winter derbies.

"I’ve qualified for 9 of the 11 Classics they’ve had in the winter, and if we’d have been dove hunting, I wouldn’t have cut a feather,” he says with self-depreciating humor.

“I’ve laid down a whole string of 26 and 27th place finishes, but finally I’ve got a Classic where I can feel comfortable enough to move around and make something happen,” he says.

“When it’s 15-degrees outside, and you’ve got hand warmers taped to the handles of your Quantum spinning rods, you’re just waiting on something good to happen,” says Swindle. “But when it’s 80-degrees outside, a guy like me feels like he can run around and make something good happen – and that’s a really big deal.”

“Nope, not gonna complain about the weather – that’s for sure,” says Swindle. “For the first time in years, you’ll actually be able to see who my sponsors are, because I won’t be dressed in long johns and covered up like an Eskimo.”

 

What Will it Take to Win? – “I’m gonna say if you average 20-pounds per day you could win,” says Swindle. Which is significantly less than what VanDam won with in New Orleans six years ago.

“There may be a 30-pound limit weighed-in here, and it just might be me – but you’re not gonna see those giant limits caught everyday.”

“I know this, I’m boat #1 at morning takeoff – and that counts for a lot here too,” grinned Swindle, who earned that top position as reigning Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year.

A shot at a 30-pound limit, shrimp the size of squirrels, and tall thermometers with high temps in the 80s – maybe everything is just a little bit bigger in Texas.

 


PHY WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE MUSIC CITY DIVISION OPENER ON CENTER HILL LAKE

Smithville’s Bouldin claims Co-angler title

SPARTA, Tenn. (March 20, 2017) – Tim Phy of Cookeville, Tennessee, brought a five-bass limit weighing 20 pounds, 3 ounces, to the scale Saturday to win the first T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Music City Division event of 2017 on Center Hill Lake. For his win, Phy pocketed $6,053.

 

According to tournament reports, Phy caught his fish near mid-lake gravel points in 8 to 10 feet of water using a green-pumpkin-colored D&L Tackle Jig.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:          Tim Phy, Cookeville, Tenn., five bass, 20-3, $4,053 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

2nd:         Terry Steele, Sparta, Tenn., five bass, 17-6, $1,877

3rd:          Adam Wagner, Cookeville, Tenn., five bass, 17-0, $1,185

4th:          Matt Stanley, Alexandria, Tenn., five bass, 16-6, $829

5th:          Jay Melton, Murfreesboro, Tenn., five bass, 16-4, $711

6th:          Hunter Bouldin, McMinnville, Tenn., five bass, 15-10, $651

7th:          Kevin Crutcher, Collierville, Tenn., five bass, 15-5, $592

8th:          Noel Smith, Portland, Tenn., five bass, 15-0, $533

9th:          William Merrick, Mount Juliet, Tenn., five bass, 14-2, $474

10th:        Conoly Brown, Nashville, Tenn., five bass, 14-1, $415

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Rik Richter of Cookeville, Tennessee, caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 4 ounces – the largest of the event – which earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $455.

Matthew Bouldin of Smithville, Tennessee, weighed in five bass totaling 17 pounds, 8 ounces Saturday to win the Co-angler Division and the top prize of $1,777.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st:          Matthew Bouldin, Smithville, Tenn., five bass, 17-8, $1,777

2nd:         Ricky Underhill, Parts Unknown, five bass, 14-1, $888

3rd:          Justin Lloyd, Murfreesboro, Tenn., three bass, 10-10, $692

4th:          Rodney Brown, Gainesboro, Tenn., four bass, 10-3, $415

5th:          Mitchell Adams, Goodletsville, Tenn., two bass, 9-10, $582

6th:          Steven Brown, Tompkinsville, Ky., four bass, 9-6, $326

7th:          Gregory Goodwin, Louisville, Ky., two bass, 8-8, $296

8th:          Matt Simcox, Paris, Tenn., four bass, 7-6, $267

9th:          Jake May, Smyrna, Tenn., three bass, 6-15, $237

10th:        Brennon Binkley, Franklin, Tenn., four bass, 6-10, $197

10th:        Sam Loveless, Somerset, Ky., five bass, 6-10, $197

Adams caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 6 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $227.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional Championship on Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Alabama. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.

The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

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


LOUISIANA’S ORMOND WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE ARKIE DIVISION EVENT ON LAKE GREESON PRESENTED BY GEARED

Hot Springs’ Rudolph tops Co-angler field

MURFREESBORO, Ark. (March 20, 2017) – Jake Ormond of Sterllngton, Louisiana, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 15 pounds, 14 ounces, Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Arkie Division event on Lake Greeson presented by Geared. For his win, Ormond took home $3,879.

 

“I kicked the day off at a little point in West Fork,” said Ormond, who earned his first career-win in FLW competition. “I caught two keepers on a Livingston Lures Primetyme SQ 2.0 squarebill-crankbait and a Rapala DT 6 crankbait.

“After that I went up the Little Missouri River to an area known as Four Mile Bank,” continued Ormond. “It was steep – probably a 45-degree angle or steeper. There was also a lot of rock. I ran down the stretch twice to finish out my day.”

Along the stretch, Ormond said he rotated between the DT 6 and a ½-ounce Rat-L-Trap.

“I ran the baits in 4 to 6 feet of water, where there was wood,” said Ormond. “Once I had a limit of 10 or 11 pounds, I switched to a XCalibur Xr75 Rattle Bait, which is a bigger lure.”

Ormond said that the bigger crankbait produced some heavier bass, but they were harder to come by.

“I probably caught 20 to 25 keepers throughout the tournament,” said Ormond. “My biggest fish – a 4-pounder – came around 2 p.m. on the Rapala.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:          Jake Ormond, Sterlington, La., five bass, 15-14, $3,879

2nd:         Justin Swayze, Gurdon, Ark., five bass, 14-5, $2,140

3rd:          Chris Darby, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 13-6, $1,393

4th:          Steve Howard, Conway, Ark., five bass, 13-3, $1,420

5th:          Charles Williams, Clarksville, Ark., five bass, 12-1, $776

6th:          Kevin Fant, Murfreesboro, Ark., five bass, 10-15, $711

7th:          Brian Kirkendoll, Jacksonville, Ark., five bass, 10-11, $647

8th:          Matt Wood, Jessieville, Ark., five bass, 10-2, $582

9th:          Stephen Tyson Jr., Camden, Ark., five bass, 10-1, $517

10th:        Jamey Black, Sheridan, Ark., five bass, 10-0, $453

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Howard caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 13 ounces – the largest of the event – which earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $515.

Buddy Rudolph of Hot Springs, Arkansas, weighed in five bass totaling 10 pounds, 4 ounces Saturday to win the Co-angler Division and the top prize of $1,940.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st:          Buddy Rudolph, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 10-4, $1,940

2nd:         Steve Standridge, Conway, Ark., five bass, 9-10, $970

3rd:          Brian Choate, Conway, Ark., five bass, 8-11, $846

4th:          Steven Stroud, Conway, Ark., three bass, 8-10, $710

5th:          Jonathan Wolfe, Camden, Ark., five bass, 8-6, $388

6th:          Stephen  Simms, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 7-15, $356

7th:          Jackson Whitbeck, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 7-11, $307

7th:          Timothy Allen, Murfreesboro, Ark., five bass, 7-11, $307

9th:          Chance Stone, Nashville, Ark., five bass, 7-10, $292

9th:          Michael Gross, Malvern, Ark., five bass, 7-10, $242

Stroud caught the biggest bass among Co-angler Division anglers, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 3 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $257.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 19-21 BFL Regional Championship on the Red River in Bossier City, Louisiana. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.

The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

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


RIDGEVILLE’S BEAVERS WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE SOUTH CAROLINA DIVISION EVENT ON SANTEE COOPE

Georgia’s Dickens tops Co-angler field

SUMMERTON, S.C. (March 20, 2017) – Bradford Beavers of Ridgeville, South Carolina, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 25 pounds, 13 ounces, Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) South Carolina Division event on Santee Cooper. Beavers took home $3,514 for his victory.

 

Beavers said he started his day working through trees, in 3 to 5 feet of water, on the upper end of the lake.

“I used a ½-ounce Chris-Mas-colored Katch-Her Lures Jig and caught a couple of keepers,” said Beavers, who notched his first career-win in BFL competition. “It was really windy, so I stayed in protected areas. The wind really dictated where I was able to fish.

“After a couple of hours, I ran down to the lower end and fished flats with stumps in similar depths,” continued Beavers. “I caught three with a Chartreuse-Sexy-Shad-colored Strike King KVD HC Square Bill Silent Crankbait.”

Around noon, Beavers said he returned to the trees and used the jig to round out his limit.

“If it weren’t for the wind, I would’ve fished in completely different areas,” said Beavers. “Normally, you hate bad conditions, but sometimes they work in your favor.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:          Bradford Beavers, Ridgeville, S.C., five bass, 25-13, $3,514

2nd:         Jerry Pelfrey, Laurens, S.C., five bass, 25-6, $1,957

3rd:          Ken Ellis, Bowman, S.C., five bass, 22-5, $1,172

4th:          Daniel Howell, Prosperity, S.C., five bass, 21-2, $820

5th:          Mark Hutson, Moncks Corner, S.C., five bass, 19-4, $673

5th:          Timmy Thompkins, Myrtle Beach, S.C., five bass, 19-4, $973

7th:          Chris Marshall, Forest City, N.C., five bass, 18-7, $686

8th:          Matthew Mollohan, Prosperity, S.C., four bass, 17-8, $527

9th:          Sandy Oliver, Hartsville, S.C., five bass, 17-2, $469

10th:        Michael Maxfield, Hanahan, S.C., five bass, 15-7, $410

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Greg Rikard of Leesville, South Carolina, caught a bass weighing 9 pounds, 8 ounces – the largest of the event – which earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $450.

Charles Dickens of Appling, Georgia, weighed in four bass totaling 15 pounds, 14 ounces Saturday to win the Co-angler Division and $1,757.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st:          Charles Dickens, Appling, Ga., four bass, 15-14, $1,757

2nd:         Wesley Mullins, Bloomingdale, Ga., three bass, 12-8, $879

3rd:          Calvin Sharp, Round O, S.C., five bass, 10-12, $585

4th:          Paul Foley, Mooresville, N.C., two bass, 9-7, $610

5th:          David Hutcherson, Campobello, S.C., two bass, 9-1, $351

6th:          Terry Coleman, Sumter, S.C., three bass, 8-14, $372

7th:          Audie Brantley, North Augusta, S.C., three bass, 8-13, $293

8th:          Jeremy Bouldin, Kings Mountain, N.C., two bass, 8-6, $264

9th:          Russ Scalf, Summerville, S.C., two bass, 8-4, $234

10th:        Jeff Rikard, Leesville, S.C., three bass, 8-3, $205

Bobby Littlejohn of Spartanburg, South Carolina, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing 7 pounds, 8 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $225.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 19-21 BFL Regional Championship on Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Georgia. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.

The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

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


FIRST ALL-FEMALE BASS FISHING TEAM QUALIFIES FOR YETI FLW COLLEGE FISHING NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP AT LAKE HARTWELL

Savannah College duo of Jaci Skipper and Ryleigh Tyson make Bass-Fishing History, Bryan College Wins Event

HARTWELL, Ga. (March 21, 2017) – History was made this past weekend at the YETI FLW College Fishing Southeastern Conference tournament on Lake Hartwell as the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) bass-fishing team of Jaci Skipper of Taylor, Alabama, and Ryleigh Tyson of Savannah, Georgia, became the first all-female team to ever qualify for the YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship.

The SCAD duo of Skipper and Tyson, both freshmen fishing in their first FLW event together as a team, caught a five-bass limit weighing 12 pounds, 8 ounces, to finish the event in 14th place. With a field of 176 teams competing on Lake Hartwell, the top 17 teams advanced to the National Championship.

“I grew up in the boat with my dad, and he taught me how humbling this sport can be,” said Skipper, a freshman majoring in graphic design. “I fished the first two events at Lake Seminole and Lake Guntersville this season with different partners and I zeroed both times. I told Ryleigh that our time was coming. It just so happened that this tournament went well for us.

“My goal every event is to give 110-percent effort and try to catch a five-bass limit,” Skipper continued. “I fished in high school for Rehobeth High School in Dothan, Alabama, and I know how tough some of these fisheries are and how tough the competition is. The most important thing to me is to always give our best effort.”

 

The Bryan College duo of D.J. Barber of Gardendale, Alabama, and Matt Brown of Corbin, Kentucky, won the event with a five-bass limit weighing 18 pounds, 14 ounces. The victory earned the Bryan College bass club a $2,000 club scholarship and also advanced the team to the 2018 FLW College Fishing National Championship.

“We ran about 25 to 30 minutes up the Seneca River to a pocket with dirty water,” said Barber, a sophomore majoring in business management. “We had found the area in practice and caught a couple of fish, so we decided to start the tournament there. After we pulled up, before I could even stand up and grab my rod Matt caught a 6-pounder on his first cast.”

“For the next 40 minutes we caught them on every cast,” said Brown, a freshman majoring in business marketing. “We were throwing a red squarebill crankbait – I can’t share the name of it, though. It is an old Tennessee secret and I have some old friends that would kill me if I shared it.

“We caught around 20 fish there, and then it turned off,” Brown continued. “We spent the rest of the day spot fishing and trying to upgrade, but we never caught anything bigger. We had our full weight by 9:15 (a.m.).”

“I think that the color red was also key,” Barber said. “I threw a different colored squarebill in practice on that spot and I didn’t get bit. But, when Matt tied that red one on, it was literally the first cast.”

The top 10 teams that advanced to the 2018 College Fishing National Championship are:

1st: Bryan College – D.J. Barber, Gardendale, Ala., and Matt Brown, Corbin, Ky., five bass, 18-14, $2,000 Club Scholarship

2nd: Clemson University – Robert White, Greenville, S.C., and Derek Freeman, Anderson, S.C., five bass, 16-8, $1,400 Club Scholarship

3rd: Kennesaw State University – Cody Smith, Gainesville, Ga., and Spencer Guthrie, Acworth, Ga., five bass, 16-0, $700 Club Scholarship

4th: Bethel University – Alec Piekarski, Greenfield, Wis., and Kyler Chelminiak, Franklin, Wis., five bass, 15-12, $500 Club Scholarship

5th: University of Georgia – Justin Sisavath, Duluth, Ga., and Jordan Parisian, Dallas, Texas, five bass, 15-4, $500 Club Scholarship

6th: Western Carolina University – Jason Ashe, Cullowhee, N.C., and Alex Walsh, Robbinsville, N.C., five bass, 14-10

7th: Lander University – Kevin Latham, Greenwood, S.C., and David Branham, Donalds, S.C., five bass, 14-9

8th: University of North Georgia – Ty Johnston, Jefferson, Ga., and Tristan Thomas, Lula, Ga., five bass, 14-9

9th: University of Tennessee – Bradley Devaney, Oliver Springs, Tenn., and Saxton Long, Pulaski, Tenn., five bass, 14-5

10th: Jacksonville State University – Brandon Padilla, Roswell, Ga., and Chase Chastain, Anniston, Ala., five bass, 14-0

FLW also advances one additional team to the National Championship for every 10 teams over 100 that compete. A total of 176 teams participated in this event, so also advancing to the 2018 College Fishing National Championship are:

11th: University of North Alabama – Austin Mize, Sheffield, Ala., and Parker Davis, Morris, Ala., five bass, 13-11

12th: University of Georgia – Collin Chandler, Donalsonville, Ga., and Garrett Stone, Atlanta, Ga., five bass, 12-13

13th: Georgia State University – Hayden Hillyer, Atlanta, Ga., and Christian Cook, Roswell, Ga., five bass, 12-11

14th: Savannah College of Art & Design – Jaci Skipper, Taylor, Ala., and Ryleigh Tyson, Savannah, Ga., five bass, 12-8

15th: Haywood Community College – Justin St. Onge and Ryan McLaughlin, both of Fairview, N.C., five bass, 12-4

16th: Clemson University – Garrett Addis, Central, S.C., and Aaron Banquer-Glenn, Clemson, S.C., five bass, 12-1

17th: Bryan College – Nathan Bell, Riceville, Tenn., and Cole Sands, Dayton, Tenn., five bass, 12-0

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

This YETI FLW College Fishing Southeastern Conference at Lake Hartwell was the third and final regular-season qualifying tournament for Southeastern Conference anglers in 2017. The next YETI FLW College Fishing event is a Central Conference tournament scheduled for April 1 on the Lake of the Ozarks in Osage Beach, Missouri.

YETI FLW College Fishing teams compete in three regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top ten teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments, along with an additional qualifier for every 10 teams over 100 that compete, along with the top 20 teams from the annual YETI FLW College Fishing Open will advance to the 2018 FLW College Fishing National Championship.

College Fishing is free to enter. All participants must be registered, full-time students at a college, university or community college and members of a college fishing club that is recognized by their school.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow College Fishing on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing. Visit FLWFishing.com to sign up or to start a club at your school.


Progressive Bass Wrap-Up - Alabama Bass Trail on Eufaula

Winner interviews and weigh-in from the Alabama Bass Trails South Divisions second stop in Lake Eufaula!


Newkirk wins Bass Champs Mega Bass event taking home $15K and new Skeeter Boat with a 12.35 Pound Largemouth!

By: Patty Lenderman
Mega bass, mega fun, mega wins at the 9th annual Mega Bass tournament on Lake Fork hosted by Bass Champs & the Sportsmans Auto Network on March 19, 2017. Anglers from over 24 states came to fish for their chance to win a portion of over $200,000 given away in cash and prizes at this world’s richest one-day big bass hourly event. Fifteen anglers every hour won a portion of the purse, and there were two Skeeter boats given away! Two big bass over 12 pounds were caught, but the biggest granddaddy of them all was weighed in by Benbrook, TX angler John Newkirk who took home a new Skeeter ZX200 powered by a Yamaha SHO and outfitted with Lowrance electronics and a Power Pole plus $15,000 cash.The anticipation was high for the participants and Bass Champs staff and crew leading in to this coveted event. Lake Fork is renowned for its big bass, and the weather conditions were ripe to see a lot of them at the scales. Over 1800 participants scoured the lake looking for the right spot, hoping to have the right bait, to set the hook on their big win.

The first hour showed great promise of things to come as Richard Page of Fort Worth, TX set the mark of ‘over the slot’ weight to beat, topping the hour with a 9.09 lb’r and winning the first $15,000 check.

The morning had been fruitful for John Newkirk as well. “I was fishing with my brother Rodney and his best friend Brandon,” Newkirk began. “We had done some scouting a few days before the tournament, and with the weather warming as well as the water temperatures, the bass were on the verge of bedding up. A lot of other people we talked to that were fishing the tournament said they were going to fish shallow. That was great for us, because we were anticipating the bass still being a little deeper.” They made their trek to the north end of the lake in search of warmer water. Fishing in 6’-8’ depths between the bushes and the stumps with a chatter bait, Newkirk got the bite he was looking for. “I called to my brother ‘this is a BIG fish!’ She had picked up the bait and was swimming away from the stump it was on. I just knew she was going to jump, so I kept my rod down to be ready to try to keep her in the water.” John was using a 7’ heavy action rod. His brother was ready with the net. “Rodney missed her with the net, and she lunged under the boat, doubling my rod over. She was incredibly strong!” Wrestling her back out from under the boat, another attempt to net her was missed. “I was already shaking, just trying to keep ahold of her. I got her to the boat again, and she turned on her side. She was too big for the net! Brandon reached down and lipped her in the boat.” Once in the boat, they quickly filled the livewell and got her secured. “We just sat there for a few minutes, and talked about what just happened. We were all so excited. After strapping down all of our gear, we took a nice gentle ride back to the weigh in. We didn’t want to beat her up – after all, we had all day, right?” They got to the landing just four minutes after the first weigh in hour had closed. “I’ve fished tournaments before, but not a big bass event. I had thirty minutes to wait before the scales opened the next hour. The Bass Champs crew was great. They showed me how to take care of my bass while I was waiting to weigh her.”

Once the scales opened, she was lifted to the scales, and her weight locked in at 12.35 pounds! Newkirk won the $15,000 1st place check for that hour, but there were five more weigh in hours to go. “I went out fishing again, but it took me a couple of hours to settle down. I knew someone could bring in a bigger fish, but if they did I couldn’t be upset about it. I already won $15,000!”

As each hour came and went, more big bass over the slot were weighed. It was during the 1:00 hour that another huge one was brought in by Sam McCollum of Corsicana, TX. His big fish tipped the scales to 12.22 pounds, just two ounces behind the leader!

When the scales finally came to a close, John Newkirk was declared the overall winner, and was presented his Skeeter ZX200, powered by a Yamaha SHO and outfitted with Lowrance electronics. “This is really awesome! This tournament was so much fun, I’m so glad we went. Bass Champs is a great organization and they are really good people. I’d also like to thank my brother Rodney and Brandon. Without them I would have never gotten that fish in!” Newkirk is looking forward to fishing the Bass Champs team tournaments in his new ride. “I will qualify for the Skeeter bonuses in my new lucky ride!”

“We look forward to this event every year,” Chad Potts declared. “We appreciate everyone for making the trek to fish with us from so many states. All of you help make this event bigger and better, and we look forward to seeing everyone who has fished with us before and meeting those coming out for the first time. Congratulations to all of the winners in this event – we look forward to seeing you again next year!”

Top hourly $15,000 winners:
8am 9.09 lbs Richard Page, Fort Worth TX
9am 12.35 lbs John Newkirk, Benbrook TX
10am 9.96 lbs Lonny Pierce, Whitney TX
11am 10.97 lbs Letitia Sprayberry, Kemp TX
12pm 9.12 lbs Cody Pratka, Whitney TX
1pm 12.22 lbs Sam McCollum, Corsicana TX
2pm 2.60 lbs Billy Pritchett, Kerens TX

There are still several opportunities to fish and win in Bass Champs events. Check your calendars for your next chance to fish any one of these open events:
March 25 – South Region - Falcon
April 1 – North Region – Ray Roberts
April 8 – Central Region - Belton
April 22 – South Region - Amistad
April 29 – North Region – Lake Fork
May 13 – East Region – Toledo Bend
May 20 – Central Region - LBJ
June 3 – North Region – Tawakoni
June 9-11 – Skeeter Owner’s Tournament – Fork
June 25 – Techron TX Shootout – Sam Rayburn
Oct 14-15 – 2017 Team Championship – TBA
Oct 21-22 – 12th Annual Berkley Big Bass - Fork

For more information, visit www.BassChamps.com or call 817-439-3274


Local Organizations Partner With B.A.S.S. For Unprecedented Youth Fishing Initiative

March 20, 2017

HOUSTON — The 47th world championship of bass fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods is less than a week away. With larger venues and expected turnouts, new this year, B.A.S.S. has partnered with local organizations in Houston to bring a unique activity for kids to the event.

The Shell Bassmaster Get Hooked on Fishing presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors will be held outside at the George R. Brown Convention Center, Friday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The event will host nearly 1,000 students from the Houston Independent School District and will feature activities and experiences supported by several local companies and organizations, including the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Coastal Conservation Association, Shell, Academy Sports + Outdoors and the Harris County - Houston Sports Authority.

B.A.S.S. has been working with the HCHSA for over a year to bring this program to life and take advantage of Houston’s size and amazing diversity. It is a great opportunity to reach out to a culturally diverse group of young people who may not get the chance to fish because of their location or lack of exposure to the sport.

“After taking our Casting Kids program to Central Park in New York City a few years ago and seeing the reaction of urban youth to fishing, we recognized that this would be a unique opportunity for kids in the Houston area,” said B.A.S.S. CEO Bruce Akin.

“We appreciate our local supporters who stepped up to sponsor buses to bring these school kids down to the GRB on Friday and look forward to more youth from the Houston area coming out over the weekend. We believe if young people can have a positive encounter with fishing in their youth, they are more likely to become good stewards of our fisheries and aquatic resources as adults.”

Activities at the event will include kids casting instruction, the dogs on the dock jumping dogs, and a kids fishing pond. The TPWD, with support from the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, will also feature its Take Me Fishing/Vamos A Pescar Interpretive Trailer and Challenge, where students will learn about common Texas fish species and how to be a safe and ethical angler. The challenge is a small group activity requiring kids to answer basic fish and wildlife questions by seeking out the answers in and around the trailer. The challenge is offered in both English and Spanish, and encourages teamwork and exploration. TPWD will also promote their  Fishing Tackle Loaner program that allows students to checkout rods and reels, much like a library book, removing one of the most common barriers to fishing participation.

“A Houstonian’s civic pride is a badge they wear with honor, but to see it in action is truly what it’s all about,” said Chris Massey, HCHSA director of events. “We saw just that as we encouraged our city to support the Get Hooked On Fishing initiative through community partnerships, and boy did they step up in a big way. Through their financial contributions we are able to sponsor 900 Houston Independent School District students to come out and get hooked on fishing!”

Additionally, Shell and the Coastal Conservation Association will be partnering on-site to promote conservation ethics and education among young anglers through the award-winning CCA Rising Tide youth outreach and education program.

Other activities include Bassmaster Elite Series pro Jacob Wheeler on-site signing autographs and special giveaways from Academy Sports + Outdoors for the first 1,000 children each day.

Akin also credited Bruce D. Oakley, Danilo Juvane, Laqrence Catuzzi, Callier & Garza, LLP, J. Kent Friedman, Hilltop Securities, Inc., Timber Creek Environmental, LLP and Manson B. Johnson for their help in making the Get Hooked On Fishing experience possible for so many Houston area students.

More information on the event and a full list of activities can be found on Bassmaster.com.

2017 Bassmaster Classic Title Sponsor: GEICO

2017 Bassmaster Classic Presenting Sponsor: DICK’S Sporting Goods

2017 Bassmaster Classic Platinum Sponsor: Toyota

2017 Bassmaster Classic Premier Sponsors: Shell Rotella, Yamaha, Berkley, Power-Pole, Huk, Triton Boats, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Skeeter Boats

2017 Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo Presenting Sponsor: DICK’S Sporting Goods

2017 Bassmaster Classic Local Sponsors: Shipley Donuts, Academy Sports + Outdoors

About the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods
The 47th world championship of bass fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods will host 52 of the world’s best bass anglers competing for more than $1 million, March 24-26 in Houston, Texas. Competition and takeoff will begin each day at Lake Conroe Park (14968 TX-105, Montgomery, Texas) at 7:20 a.m. CT. Weigh-ins will be held daily March 24-26 at 3:15 p.m. in one of Major League Baseball’s Top 20 largest stadiums, the Houston Astros’ Minute Maid Park (501 Crawford Street, Houston, Texas).

In conjunction, the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods will be open daily only a block from Minute Maid Park at George R. Brown Convention Center, (1001 Avenida de las Americas, Houston, Texas) the largest in Classic history. Expo hours are Friday, March 24, noon – 8 p.m.; Saturday, March 25, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Sunday, March 26, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. All events are free and open to the public.

About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2), social media programs and events. For more than 45 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.

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


Going to Great Lengths - St. Croix debuts a half-dozen extra-long, Legend Tournament Bass casting rods at the Bassmaster Classic

Park Falls, WI (March 21, 2017) – The precision, long-distance cast – it’s the mark of the elite bass angler. The ability to hit the faraway pocket in a pad field, to reach the most remote regions of a dock, to run a crankbait on ledge in just the right window—these are the powers that separate the average bass angler from the extraordinary one. These are the angling powers that St. Croix aims to amplify with the debut of six new members in the Legend Tournament Bass casting lineup.

The new rods range from 8’ to 9’11” — yes, 9’11”.

The newer, longer Legend Tournament Bass rods take advantage of updated B.A.S.S. regulations allowing anglers to compete with rod lengths that haven’t been seen on the tournament trail in decades. Bass junkies will surely celebrate the introduction. One particular bass-head has been instrumental in the development process, and recently tasked the rods to tangle with Mexico-class bass.

“We took the full lineup from Wisconsin down to the iconic Angler’s Inn in Mexico,” says St. Croix National Accounts Manager Dan Johnston. “For almost a week, we let Lake Picachos and Lake El Salto give them everything they had.”

After six days in the Sinaloa sun, the feedback returned universal results: from hammering home long range hookups with the 8’11” MEGA Swim Bait model to punching the super-long 9’11”, the Legend Tournament Bass long rods added an incredible level of control over feisty bass. Because of their increased length, these rods give anglers more leverage over jumping bass—often eliminating a fish’s ability to clear the water (and shake a hook) with the simple dip of a rod tip

 

New extra-long Legend Tournment Bass available in two spinning and six spinning models.

“As rods get longer, they generally become better fish fighting tools,” adds Johnston. “These models do a very good job of that, without reaching the length of diminishing returns. Not only do they cast a long way, but if you get bit way out at the end of your cast, they pick up so much line on a sweep set that you don’t have to reel it 100,000 miles an hour to get the fish. Sometimes, you can watch your line come up like a rocket and dip your rod in the water. That can often keep the fish from jumping. It’s a beautiful thing.”

“We constantly read up on how anglers are chasing bass,” says St. Croix Rods Director of Marketing Jesse Simpkins. “It doesn’t matter if they’re chasing largemouth or smallmouth, there are a lot of techniques that benefit from the extra line pickup and super long casts offered by adding inches to the blank.”

Each Legend Tournament Bass rod is handcrafted in Park Falls, Wisconsin using St. Croix’s ART and IPC technology and fine-tuned with cutting edge components

Legend Tournament Bass features:

  • Integrated Poly Curve (IPC) tooling technology.
  • Advanced Reinforcing Technology (ART).
  • High-modulus/high-strain SCIV graphite with FRS for unparalleled strength and durability.
  • Fuji K-Series Concept Tangle Free guides with Alconite rings. Ideal for super braid, mono and fluorocarbon lines.
  • Fuji PTS blank-touch reel seat on casting models.
  • Machined-aluminum wind check and trim pieces.
  • Split-grip/super-grade cork handle.
  • Kigan hook-keeper.
  • Two coats of Flex Coat slow-cure finish.
  • 15-year transferable warranty backed by St. Croix Superstar Service.

 

MODELS:

  • LBC80HMF (FLIPPIN') 8’, Heavy-Power, Moderate-Fast Action
  • LBC88HF: (BULLFROG) 8’8", Heavy-Power, Fast Action
  • LBC88HM: (MAGNUM CRANKER) 8’8”, Heavy-Power, Moderate-Action
  • LBC811HMF: (FLIPPIN'/PUNCHIN') 8’11”, Heavy-Power, Moderate-Fast Action
  • LBC811XHF: (MEGA SWIM BAIT) 8’11”, Extra-Heavy-Power, Fast Action
  • LBC911HMF: (FLIPPIN'/PUNCHIN') 9’11”, Heavy-Power, Moderate-Fast Action

 


SULLIVAN WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE MISSISSIPPI DIVISION OPENER ON ROSS BARNETT RESERVOIR

Jackson’s Churchill tops Co-angler field

BRANDON, Miss. (March 20, 2017) – Local angler Corey Sullivan of Brandon, weighed in three bass totaling 12 pounds, 12 ounces, Saturday to win the first T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Mississippi Division event of 2017 on Ross Barnett Reservoir. Sullivan took home $5,457 for his victory.

 

“In the morning I fished my go-to area but there wasn’t much action,” said Sullivan, who logged his first career-win in FLW competition. “When I left, I noticed there were a lot of boats scrambling. Those two observations told me it was going to be a slow day.

“I began running points with hard bottoms,” continued Sullivan. “I threw a Black Back and Chartreuse-colored Strike King KVD Rattling Square Bill Crankbait and caught one keeper. That catch told me where the bass were in terms of depth. Everyone else was expecting them to be shallow, but the water temperature had dropped. I knew I had to slow down, so that’s what I did.”

Sullivan said he also threw a June Bug-colored Zoom Lizard and a ½-ounce black and blue-colored Strike King Hack Attack Jig.

“Most of my bass came from 4½ to 5 feet of water,” said Sullivan. “Each of my three baits ended up producing a bass that I weighed in.  I knew I had solid fish, but I didn’t think a few 3- or 4-pounders was going to win it. I was pleasantly surprised.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:          Corey Sullivan, Brandon, Miss., three bass, 12-12, $5,457

2nd:         Bradley Burns, Brandon, Miss., five bass, 12-1, $2,728

3rd:          Teddy Cranford, Seminary, Miss., five bass, 11-15, $2,019

4th:          Percy Jones, Brandon, Miss., five bass, 11-14, $1,273

5th:          John Goul, Philadelphia, Miss., four bass, 11-8, $1,091

6th:          Ramey Harrell, Brandon, Miss., five bass, 11-5, $1,000

7th:          John Bailey, Terry, Miss., four bass, 11-1, $909

8th:          Alan Smith, Brandon, Miss., four bass, 11-0, $919

9th:          Kenny Churchill, Jackson, Miss., five bass, 10-8, $728

10th:        Bob Garrison, Baldwyn, Miss., three bass, 10-6, $1,512

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Garrison caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 12 ounces – the largest of the event – which earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $875.

Nick Churchill of Jackson, Mississippi, weighed in five bass totaling 12 pounds, 10 ounces Saturday to win the Co-angler Division and the top prize of $3,317.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st:          Nick Churchill, Jackson, Miss., five bass, 12-10, $3,317

2nd:         Mike Allen, Crystal Springs, Miss., four bass, 9-6, $1,395

3rd:          Weston Smedley, Birmingham, Ala., three bass, 8-12, $899

4th:          David Hug, Collierville, Tenn., two bass, 6-14, $628

5th:          Kameron Johnson, Brandon, Miss., two bass, 6-13, $538

6th:          Jason Swanner, West Memphis, Ark., four bass, 6-11, $493

7th:          Jason Rankin, Flora, Miss., three bass, 6-6, $448

8th:          Daniel Corkern, Florence, Miss., two bass, 6-2, $404

9th:          Lance Jackson, Starkville, Miss., two bass, 5-15, $359

10th:        Nicholas Quaintance, Russellville, Ala., three bass, 5-12, $314

Churchill also caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing 4 pounds, 7 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $427.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 19-21 BFL Regional Championship on the Red River in Bossier City, Louisiana. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.

The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

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


Carhartt Countdown to Blastoff with Alan McGuckin & Gerald Swindle - The Bassmasters Classic!

In todays Carhartt Countdown to Blastoff our buddy Alan McGuckin catches up with good friend the G-Man, Gerald Swindle to discuss wintertime Classics and the spring like weather in Houston and Lake Conroe this week. Check it out!


GEORGIA’S PARKINSON WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE CHOO CHOO DIVISION TOURNAMENT ON LAKE GUNTERSVILLE

Clayton tops Co-angler field

GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. (March 20, 2017) – Andy Parkinson of Dalton, Georgia, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 23 pounds, 4 ounces, Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Choo Choo Division event on Lake Guntersville. Parkinson took home $4,385 for his victory.

 

Parkinson said he started his day fishing a ditch toward the back of a mid-lake creek.

“The flat I was sitting on was 4-feet-deep, and the ditch reached down to about 6½ feet,” said Parkinson, who earned his first career-win in BFL competition. “The edges of the ditch had scattered milfoil, but its bottom was fairly clean. I caught my first keeper on a Rayburn Red-colored Booyah One Knocker.”

After a while, Parkinson said he followed bass along the ditch as they made their way to spawning beds.

“I targeted some lily pads with a black and blue-colored swimjig rigged with a Strike King Rage Craw,” said Parkinson. “I caught a 7-pound, 9-ouncer – my largest of the day – and a 4-pounder soon after.”

Parkinson said he returned to the ditch and put another 4-pound bass in the boat – all by 10:30 a.m.

“Around 1:45 p.m., I picked up a shad-colored vibrating jig and caught my last keeper, which was just shy of 3 pounds,” said Parkinson. “That one sealed that deal for me. I knew I had a decent limit of fish, but I thought someone may beat me with bass from the Guntersville bridges. Luckily my five held up.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:          Andy Parkinson, Dalton, Ga., five bass, 23-4, $4,385

2nd:         Casey Martin, New Hope, Ala., five bass, 22-8, $3,113

3rd:          Douglas Webster, Pinson, Ala., five bass, 21-14, $1,663

4th:          Triston Crowder, Lawrenceburg, Tenn., five bass, 21-1, $1,123

5th:          Bryon Luman, Scottsboro, Ala., five bass, 20-9, $877

6th:          Alex Davis, Albertville, Ala., five bass, 20-8, $804

7th:          Ricky Chappell, Warrior, Ala., five bass, 20-2, $731

8th:          Tony Harvey, Killen, Ala., five bass, 19-0, $658

9th:          Derek Remitz, Grant, Ala., five bass, 18-14, $585

10th:        Justin Wallace, Meridianville, Ala., five bass, 18-8, $512

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Martin caught a bass weighing 8 pounds, 3 ounces – the largest of the event – which earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $620.

Paul Clayton of Cohutta, Georgia, weighed in five bass totaling 20 pounds, 6 ounces Saturday to win the Co-angler Division and the top prize of $2,393.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st:          Paul Clayton, Cohutta, Ga., five bass, 20-6, $2,393

2nd:         Zach Britton, Hazel Green, Ala., five bass, 18-1, $1,456

3rd:          Corey Williams, Lenoir City, Tenn., five bass, 16-2, $730

4th:          Stephen Barday, Acworth, Ga., five bass, 14-3, $512

5th:          Chris Walters, Dayton, Tenn., five bass, 13-2, $439

6th:          Chad Biddle, Shelbyville, Ky., three bass, 12-15, $402

7th:          Benny Medlen, Scottsboro, Ala., four bass, 12-1, $365

8th:          Daniel Davis, Albertville, Ala., four bass, 11-15, $329

9th:          Bruce Stanley, Jasper, Ala., four bass, 11-8, $292

10th:        Mike McLamb, Hartselle, Ala., four bass, 11-3, $256

Britton caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing 8 pounds, 1 ounce. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $310.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional Championship on Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Alabama. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.

The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

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


PINEY FLATS’ NEAL WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE VOLUNTEER DIVISION OPENER ON NORRIS LAKE

Wartburg’s Kelly claims Co-angler title

NEW TAZEWELL, Tenn. (March 20, 2017) – Larry Neal of Piney Flats, Tennessee, weighed a 17-pound, 11-ounce limit of bass Saturday to win the first T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Volunteer Division event of 2017 on Norris Lake. Neal’s five bass were enough to earn him the top prize of $4,743.

 

According to tournament reports, Neal caught his fish in the mid-lake area, fishing a hair jig in 20-feet of water.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:          Larry Neal, Piney Flats, Tenn., five bass, 17-11, $4,743

2nd:         Frankie Dople, Newcomb, Tenn., five bass, 16-10, $2,082

3rd:          Archie Wilson Jr., Corryton, Tenn., five bass, 14-13, $1,587

4th:          Bryan Leonard, Blountville, Tenn., five bass, 13-15, $1,071

5th:          Jonathan Bowling, Harriman, Tenn., five bass, 13-14, $833

6th:          Brandon Brock, Mayking, Ky., five bass, 13-6, $763

7th:          Kevin Powers, Unicoi, Tenn., five bass, 12-10, $694

8th:          Jordan Card, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 12-6, $625

9th:          Peter Balishin, Sharps Chapel, Tenn., three bass, 11-15, $555

10th:        James Dial, Jacksboro, Tenn., four bass, 11-7, $486

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Neal also weighed a 4-pound, 10-ounce bass – the largest of the event – which earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $580.

Darren Kelly of Wartburg, Tennessee, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 10 pounds, 1 ounce Saturday to win the Co-angler Division and $2,000.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st:          Darren Kelly, Wartburg, Tenn., five bass, 10-1, $2,000

2nd:         Talmadge Marcum, McKee, Ky., three bass, 9-12, $1,000

3rd:          Doug Austin, Bristol, Va., three bass, 9-8, $666

4th:          Matthew Speights, Mascot, Tenn., three bass, 6-8, $567

5th:          Kibbee McCoy, Morristown, Tenn., two bass, 6-6, $450

6th:          Curtis Hall II, Battle Creek, Mich., three bass, 5-11, $367

7th:          Jordan McDeerman, Caryville, Tenn., two bass, 5-9, $333

8th:          Jose Ramirez, Barbourville, Ky., three bass, 5-5, $300

9th:          Doug Adkins, Gray Hawk, Ky., three bass, 5-2, $267

10th:        Noah Newport, Knoxville, Tenn., three bass, 5-0, $233

Justin McGaha of Knoxville, Tennessee, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing 3 pounds, 15 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $135.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional Championship on the James River in Williamsburg, Virginia. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.

The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

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


9 Lives…Literally - Special from Seaguar

Seaguar proudly supports nine contenders in the 2017 Bassmaster Classic

New York, NY (March 20, 2017) – There’s a “fine line” between winning and losing – like a low-diameter, abrasion-resistant fishing line. And there’s hope that one – or more – of those fine lines will be cast by Seaguar’s nine pros fishing in the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic.

The site, Texas’ Lake Conroe, is a reservoir well-known for producing double digit largemouth, including a lake-record fish caught in 2009 that nearly eclipsed the 16-pound mark. On a lake that is renowned for excellent water quality, no line will play a bigger part in keeping anglers connected to their finned quarry than Seaguar. Indeed, with nine Seaguar pros bringing fat sacks of largemouth to the Classic scales every day, be prepared to learn why savvy anglers across the world turn to Seaguar when the money, especially the BIG money, is on the line.

(Shaw Grigsby)

Seaguar Fresh Faces

The Bassmaster Classic is a dynamic venue for learning about the prowess of bass fishing’s up-and-comers, and this year’s Classic will include three Seaguar pros from the Elite Series with relatively limited experience on fishing’s biggest stage: Drew Benton, the 2016 Elite Series Rookie of the Year and a first-timer at the Bassmaster Classic; James Elam, who will be blasting off on his second Classic trip; and Jordan Lee, who will be competing in his third Classic event.

Benton and Elam have limited experience on Lake Conroe, consisting of short, “getting-to-know-you” trips before the lake went off-limits to Classic competitors. Being new to a lake has its advantages, however, as Elam and Benton won’t be tempted to fish memories; instead, they will focus solely on the conditions that this year’s Classic delivers to them on game day.

Both of these Seaguar fresh faces agree that this year’s mild winter will have a large proportion of the lake’s lunker largemouth in a post-spawn pattern, where flipping or pitching Texas-rigged plastics to shallow cover could be a pathway to the podium on Sunday.

(Drew Benton) Photo courtesy of B.A.S.S.

Seasoned Seaguar veterans

Team Seaguar will also include five seasoned veterans of the Elite series, including one angler who has fished his way into the Classic from the Bassmaster Open circuit. These experienced competitors include Chris Zaldain, an experienced Texas bass angler who has cashed a check in 44 of his 65 competitive events; Cliff Pirch, a southwesterner from Arizona who, like Zaldain, is always a favorite to land in the money; Keith Combs, an accomplished pro who has fished six tournaments on Lake Conroe in addition to his five Bassmaster Classic appearances; Brandon Palaniuk, the young gun from Idaho with past fall tournament experience on Lake Conroe; and Cliff Crochet, who qualified for this year’s Classic by winning the Bassmaster Central Open on the Atchafalaya Basin.

The patterns these pros will rely on are as varied as the tournament experiences that have brought each of them to this year’s Classic. For example, Keith Combs and Cliff Crochet both recognize that the mild Texas winter will not have bass locked into one pattern, but instead, available in all three phases of the spawn and perhaps beyond! Brandon Palaniuk agrees that multiple techniques could be used to collect a championship-worthy weight, with dock fishing playing a major role among Classic competitors.

 

A Seaguar Senior Statesman

Every fishing team has a leader, a senior statesman, a “Mr. Been-there-done-that.” On team Seaguar, that angler is Shaw Grigsby, renowned as one of the greatest sight-fishermen of all time, who will be making his 16th Bassmaster Classic appearance. Like many of his Seaguar teammates, Grigsby agrees that bass will be in a post-spawn mode, and interestingly, he is looking forward to a hot topwater bite. Asked how he might approach Lake Conroe’s abundant structure, Grigsby said that he plans to rely heavily on jig fishing, especially when incorporating Seaguar Smackdown braid. Grigsby adds that, beyond its strength, Smackdown, “cuts through the water nicely due to its round shape, and is also very quiet through the guides.”

Seaguar Keys to Success

There is no more intimate connection between the nine Seaguar pros fishing the Bassmaster Classic than the lines they use to spool their reels. An overwhelming majority of these anglers will rely on Seaguar InvizX during the Classic. Essentially invisible, and therefore perfect for Lake Conroe’s clear waters, InvizX is a soft, supple, castable 100% fluorocarbon line that is designed to dominate freshwater fishing.

 

 

Team Seaguar pros who pitch and flip to heavy cover and to Conroe’s abundant docks will be spooled with Seaguar AbrazX. This advanced 100% fluorocarbon line boasts double the abrasion resistance of other fluorocarbons, and could be the key to inviting a double-digit largemouth for a livewell ride.

Finally, those competitors who will swing for the fences and fish fierce will be spooled with Seagur Tatsu. Tatsu, a 100% fluorocarbon line, which borrows its name from the Japanese word for “Dragon”, is a unique, double-structured line that represents the fusion of two different fluorocarbon resins, delivering a line with superior strength and unmatched softness.

We wish all of our Team Seaguar pros “tight lines” and the best of luck in the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic!

 


NORTH CAROLINA’S BURNS WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE SHENANDOAH DIVISION OPENER ON SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE

Stuart’s Pilson tops Co-angler Division

HUDDLESTON, Va. (March 20, 2017) – Shane Burns of Durham, North Carolina, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 19 pounds, 10 ounces, Saturday to win the first T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Shenandoah Division event of 2017 on Smith Mountain Lake. Burns took home $6,042 for his victory.

 

“I’ve been so close to winning before, and I have wanted one of those big winner trophies for a long time,” said Burns, who earned his first career win in FLW competition after 15 previous top-10 finishes. “I have so many of the fish hook trophies that they give out to the top-10, but it was so awesome to finally get over that hump and get the win.”

Burns said that he caught his winning limit by fishing points in pockets in Craddock Creek. He was originally targeting smallmouth with a jerkbait, but found an area where big females were staging for the spawn and capitalized with a green-pumpkin Dave’s Tournament Tackle football jig with a Dave’s Tournament Tackle Sweet Tail Craw, also in green-pumpkin.

Burns said that he caught eight keepers throughout the day – seven largemouth and one smallmouth – and weighed in five largemouth.

“I had given up on trying to find the deep fish and was planning on committing to the docks, but my Lowrance unit showed me those big largemouth were there. They weren’t stacked up, but I worked the point up and down, both sides. There were enough females there to get me a good limit.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:          Shane Burns, Durham, N.C., five bass, 19-10, $4,042 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

2nd:         Brian Calloway, Danville, Va., five bass, 19-5, $2,021

3rd:          Dennis Burdette, Lindside, W. Va., five bass, 16-7, $1,282

4th:          Mike Altizer, Hardy, Va., five bass, 16-1, $896

5th:          Benjamin Clark, Smithfield, Va., five bass, 15-7, $768

6th:          Steve Wagner, Raleigh, N.C., five bass, 15-1, $704

7th:          Andy Francis, Chester, Va., four bass, 14-11, $640

8th:          Rick Tilley, Moneta, Va., five bass, 14-10, $576

9th:          Ben Reynolds, Callands, Va., four bass, 14-8, $512

10th:        Chad Pilson, Bassett, Va., four bass, 14-0, $448

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Todd Harris of Clemmons, North Carolina, caught a 7-pound, 6-ounce bass, which was the heaviest of the tournament in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $510.

Elliot Pilson of Stuart, Virginia, weighed in four bass totaling 9 pounds, 11 ounces Saturday to win the Co-angler Division and the top prize of $1,921.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st:          Elliot Pilson, Stuart, Va., four bass, 9-11, $1,921

2nd:         Timothy Kinder, Culpeper, Va., five bass, 9-5, $960

3rd:          Michael Wade, Midlothian, Va., three bass, 8-13, $641

4th:          John Poos, Manassas, Va., two bass, 7-6, $448

5th:          Dick Allen, Sumerduck, Va., two bass, 7-4, $384

6th:          Isaac Jones, Shawsville, Va., two bass, 6-13, $352

7th:          Zack Stamper, Rural Retreat, Va., two bass, 6-12, $320

8th:          Rob Hilliard, Roanoke, Va., two bass, 5-13, $288

9th:          Tony Toombs, Drakes Branch, Va., two bass, 5-12, $256

10th:        Matt McCluskey, Ashburn, Va., one bass, 5-11, $479

McCluskey weighed a 5-pound, 11-ounce bass which earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award and an additional $255.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 19-21 BFL Regional Championship on Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Georgia. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.

The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

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


Thomas wins ABA RAM Trucks Open event on Okeechobee with over 30 pounds!!!

Nathan Thomas of Weirsdale, Florida won the American Bass Anglers Ram Truck Open Series Florida South tournament, held March 18th on Lake Okeechobee.

Running out of Scott Driver Park in Okeechobee, Florida Nathan caught five bass weighing 30.17 pounds, including a big bass that topped the scales at 7.66-pounds. For the Boater division victory, Thomas took home a check for $5,000 for his win and an additional $850 for the big bass.

“First I want to thank God, My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I had a week where I didn’t get to practice and I just went fishing. God was with me today. I caught fish all kind of ways. I caught some on a spook, on the bed, some flipping, and some on a frog. I ran all over the since I haven’t been on the lake in a month. The farthest I ran was the Monkey-Box. I lost a few sight fishing today that got in some really thick stuff and came off. I could’ve had 40-pounds today! I want to thank my sponsor, Paul Davis Restorations out of Jacksonville, this is the first year I’ve been with them and they have taken care of all my expenses this year and I am thankful for them.” Thomas said.

In second for the Boaters, Victor Knight of Lehigh Acres, Florida landed a five-bass tournament limit going 21.23 pounds. He collected $1,630 for the effort. “I caught my fish on a 3/8oz Chatter-bait all day. I had four rods rigged all with Chatter-baits, two with green pumpkin and two with black and blue. I was looking for fish on bluegill. There were boats around me all day but they were fishing different than I was. I just stayed on the trolling motor all day ripping the Chatter-baits through the pads. I straightened out three hooks on those baits. I don’t think I would’ve had 30 pounds but I could’ve had upper 20’s. It’s tough when you’re having a good day but then having a bad day at the same time. I worked the same 400-yard stretch all day.” Knight said.

Thadeus Ragan of West Park, Florida took third for the Boaters with five bass going 19.53 pounds. He earned $1,090 for his catch. “I was throwing a white fluke all day catching numbers of fish. I just kept culling up to get the bag I had today. I didn’t practice, I just went fishing and had fun today.” Ragan said.

Finishing fourth, Tony Bennett of Fort Lauderdale, Florida landed a five-bass limit for 18.75 pounds.

Austin Schroeder of Zephyrhills, Florida rounded out the top five Boaters with five bass at 16.93 pounds.

In the Co-Angler division, Brian Reeves of Sebring, Florida won with three bass going 13.67 pounds. He pocketed a check for $2,000 for his win.

“We were at Tin-House and I caught my fish on a swim-jig. I was concentrating on reeds and pads out in the open water. My bigger fish came in the morning and caught the rest after noon. We caught a lot of fish today. I want to thank my boater, Tim Ezell, he had us on fish today. We probably caught 30 fish today.”  Reeves said.

Taking second for the Co-Anglers, Brandon St. Pierre of Hollywood, Florida brought in a three-bass division limit weighing 11.89 pounds. He collected $700 for the effort. “I was fishing the North end of the lake today. I caught my fish on a burner worm and a fluke. I lost one good fish today that would have helped me win it today.” St. Pierre said.

Cesar Jaimes of Davenport, Florida placed third among the Co-Anglers with three bass going 10.86 pounds. He earned $425 for his catch. “We bounced around everywhere today and I was throwing a worm, a swim-bait, and a swim-jig. Just a little bit of everything.” Jaimes said.

In fourth place among the Co-Anglers, Conrad Binetti of Stuart, Florida brought in three bass for 10.61 pounds.

Luke Campbell of Fort Lauderdale, Florida finished in fifth place with three bass at 10.30 pounds.

The biggest bass for the Co-Anglers was caught by Tomas Gomez of Kissimmee, Florida that weighed 7.13 pounds and pocketed $345 for the big bass award.

“I caught that fish around 1:30pm today on a Bitter’s Bait watermelon-red Mega-Vibe worm.” Gomez said.

Slated for June 3rd, the next tournament will be held on Lake Okeechobee out of Scott Driver Park in Okeechobee, FL. At the end of the season, the best anglers from across the nation advance the 2018 Ray Scott Championship to be held on the Red River near Shreveport, Louisiana.

For more information on this tournament, call Billy Benedetti, tournament manager, at (256)230-5632 or ABA at (256)232-0406. On line, see www.ramopenseries.com.

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


James Wall wins ABA Ram Trucks Open event on Badin Lake with 17 pound limit!

James Wall of Greensboro, North Carolina won the American Bass Anglers Ram Truck Open Series North Carolina division tournament held 3/18/2017 on Badin Lake.

Running out of the Alcoa Landing in Badin, North Carolina, James caught five bass weighing 17.40 pounds. He anchored his bag with a 7.72 pound kicker. For the Boater division victory, Wall took home a check for $5,000.

"I caught my fish, fishing shallow points with grass using a jig and a chatterbait," said Wall.

In second for the Boaters, Chad Poteat of Mt. Airy, North Carolina landed a five bass tournament limit going 16.99 pounds with a 4.44 pound kicker. He collected $1,050 for the effort. "I caught my fish early on a Zoom Crankbait. I had 8 bites all day," state Poteat.

Bryan New of Belmont North, Carolina took third for the Boaters with five bass weighing 16.70 pounds. His limit earned him $800. "I caught my fish just junk fishing said New. I caught them offshore and I caught them on the bank. They bit good early but the bite stopped for me around 10:00 am," stated New.

Finishing fourth, Travis Williams of Salisbury, North Carolina landed a five bass limit for 16.09 pounds.

Kelly Logan from Morganton, North Carolina rounded out the top five Boaters with five bass at 15.48 pounds.

The biggest bass for the Boaters was caught by Robert Walser of Lexington, North Carolina. His monster bass weighed in at 10.63 pounds. The big bass earned Walser an additional $595. Being the big bass of the tournament Walser also won an ABU Garcia SX reel valued at $160 for catching the bass using an ABU Garcia reel.

In the Co-Angler division, Martin Rushing of Midland, North Carolina won with three bass going 11.10 pounds. He sealed his victory with a 4.33 pound kicker to pocket a check for $1,200.

"I caught most of my fish early fishing deep rocks with a crankbait," Rushing stated.

Taking second for the Co-Anglers, Chet Beam from Shelby, North Carolina brought in a three-bass division limit weighing 9.48 pounds. He collected $500 for the effort. "I happened to be paired with the winning boater and he was a good partner. I caught my early fish on a senko and a crankbait. I caught some fish later in the day on a jig," said Beam.

John Harris of Lexington, North Carolina placed third among the Co-Anglers with three bass going 9.04 pounds. He anchored his catch with a 3.22 pound kicker to earn $350. "I caught my fish using a shakeyhead with a finesse worm around rocks," said Harris.

In fourth place among the Co-Anglers, Aaron Digh of Denver, North Carolina weighed in three bass weighing 7.37 pounds.

James Salloum of Waxhaw, North Carolina finished in fifth place with three bass at 7.21 pounds.

The biggest bass for the Co-Anglers was caught by Martin Rushing of Midland, North Carolina and weighed 4.33 pounds. Rushing collected an additional $195.

Slated for 05/06/2017 the next divisional tournament will be held on Lake Wylie out of the South Point access located in Belmont North Carolina. At the end of the season, the best anglers from across the nation advance the 2018 Ray Scott Championship, slated for the Red River in Shreveport-Bossier Louisiana in April 2018.

For more information on this tournament, call Rodney Michael, tournament manager, at 256-497-0967 or ABA at 256-232-0406. On line, see www.ramopenseries.com.

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


Allen wins American Bass Anglers RAM Trucks Open on Palestine with over 22 pounds!

Michael Allen of Bogata, Texas won the American Bass Anglers Ram Truck Open Series Texas East division tournament, held March 18th on Lake Palestine, TX.

Running out of The Villages Marina near Noonday, Texas the Bogota, Texas angler caught an awesome five fish limit weighing 22.41 pounds. For the Boater division victory, Allen took home a check for $5,000.

“I was boat 57 today. I went to Flat Creek. There was a bit of a crowd in there so I took my time working my way through them. I picked a couple up on a frog but once I got back to where I wanted to be I did most of my damage on a chatterbait. I think there was a shad spawn going on and I caught them all morning. I probably caught about 20 fish. It turned out to be a real good day.” Allen said. Michael also earned $1,000 from Mercury Outboards.

In second for the Boaters, David Gillham of Heath, Texas landed a five-bass limit for 21.34 pounds. His bag was anchored by a 6.76-pound kicker. He collected $1,050 for the effort.

“Well, caught a 5-pounder on a bed yesterday. I went back to her first thing this morning thinking it would be a good way to start the day and couldn’t get her to bite. I made a fan cast from there and caught one around 6 pounds. I made a few more casts and caught another one that was over 6 pounds.  Probably the big bass I had. I left that area and went to a few other spots to fill out my limit but that 5 lber was still on my mind. I didn’t think I had caught her so I went back. I flipped up to the bed and my line started swimming off. I set the hook and my line broke… So, I didn’t get her but if I hadn’t found that fish I wouldn’t have caught the other two? It is what it is but it turned out well.” Gillham said.

Todd Pierce of Tyler, Texas took third for the Boaters with five bass going 19.45 pounds anchored by a 6.01 to earn $800.

“Started out south, 6 pounds on first cast, 3rd cast, 2 off a bed, ran the whole lake and caught 5 keepers but never culled.” said Pierce.

In fourth, John Maxey of Tyler, Texas came in with 19.42 pounds.

Finishing fifth, Ronnie Kelley of Tyler, Texas with 19.15 pounds.

The biggest bass for the Boaters was caught by David Gillham that weighed 6.76-pounds. Gillham pocketed $560 for his fish.

In the Co-Angler division, Jeffrey Grubbs Sr. of Goodrich, Texas topped the Co-Anglers. Jeff had three bass weigh in at 8.34 pounds. He anchored his bag with a bass weighing 3.61 pounds to pocket a check for $1,200.

“Well, we ran up North, fished shallow, and I did not have a fish in the boat until noon. Once I was able to break the ice with the first one I started getting bites and was even able to cull a couple. I picked up one here and one there and I am obviously happy with the outcome.” Grubbs said.

Taking second for the Co-Anglers, Martin Montfort, of Corsicana, Texas brought in two bass weighing 6.42 pounds anchored with a 4.73. He collected $400 for the effort. “Man, what a tough day. I had one bite that made all the difference today with my big fish. I didn’t think I would be up here finishing 2nd over these guys and one shy of a limit so it was obviously tough on everyone. Windy all week and today was almost picture perfect weather but I am happy with the outcome.”  said Marty.

Jason Prestridge of Paradise, Texas placed third among the Co-Anglers with three bass going 5.55 pounds to earn $350. “Pretty slow for the most part. I didn’t have anything until 30 minutes before we came in. I threw a crankbait around some chunk rock and caught one, got the next one on a dock, and managed one more keeper just before we came in. My entire day happened that fast.” said Jason.

In fourth place among the Co-Anglers, Brandon Foard of Flint, Texas brought in two bass for 4.74 pounds.

Michael Nantz of Ben Wheeler, Texas finished in fifth place with two bass at 4.47 pounds. Both anglers are from Farmerville, Louisiana.

The biggest bass for the Co-Anglers was caught by Martin Montfort at 4.73-pounds. Marty took home another check for $185 for his fish.

Slated for May 20th, the next divisional tournament will be held on Lake O’ The Pines, launching from Johnson Creek Ramp, near Avinger, TX. At the end of the season, the best anglers from across the nation advance to the Ray Scott Championship, slated for April of 2018 on the Red River in Bossier City, LA.

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


Kokoszka and Correll Win Chattanooga Bass Association Bass Tournament with over 30 pounds!!!

CHATTANOOGA (WRCB) - The team of Logan Kokoszka and Anthony Correll caught a 5 bass limit weighing 30.50 pounds to top the field of 174 anglers to win first place and $2,000.00 in the Coca Cola of Chattanooga C.B.A. March Bass Tournament. This tournament was held Saturday, March 18th out of Chester Frost Boat Ramp.

Logan said “We got a slow start and then got a big one, we got 2 more in that area and things started looking up. We then moved to another point that was usually good for one fish and caught 2 more good ones , it was over at 11:30 a.m.. This is our second C.B.A.win .

Derek McCullough had big bass of this event weighing 9.97 pounds and Ron Willerson and Logan Kokoszka had 2nd big bass weighing in at 8.75 pounds.

Shane Frazier said “Special thanks to Coca Cola of Chattanooga for their sponsorship of this event ”.

All fish caught in this event were released back into Lake Chickamauga.

The top 10 money winners are as follows:

  1. Kokoszka and Correll, 30.50 lbs., $2000.00
  2. McCullough and McCullough, 28.96 lbs., $900.00
  3. James and James, 27.64lbs., $800.00
  4. Copenhaver and Dysart, 24.95 lbs., $700.00
  5. Lamb and Porter24.76., $600.00
  6. Dotson and Brown 23.76 lbs., $500.00
  7. Frazier and George, 22.93 lbs., $400.00
  8. Vandercammen and Johnson., $400.00
  9. Wofford and Wofford 18.58 lbs., $350.00
  10. Cofer and Wendorf 18.58lbs. , $350.00

For more info visit: www.cbatournament.com


Whited and Scott best 254 teams on Lake LBJ For Texas Tournament Zone Win with 32.19 Limit and 10.65 BIG Fish!

TEAMS: 254
ANGLERS: 500
FISH: 743
TOTAL FISH WT: 2,094 lbs
AVG. FISH WT: 2.82 lbs
LIMITS: 116
TOTAL CASH PAID OUT: $44,470 (90%)
TOTAL COLLECTED : $49,600 ($200 x 240 Adult teams + $150 x 14 Youth Teams - $500 polygraph)

LIFE IN THE BASS LANE - Special from Raymarine Electronics

 

For the Raymarine-sponsored Lane brothers, family and fishing go hand in hand

WILSONVILLE, OR (March 17, 2016) – Fiercely competitive and fiercely loyal to family; Bassmaster Elite Series pros Chris and Bobby Lane bring to the bass fishing arena a refreshing blend of down-home charm and an ever-present potential for absolute fireworks.

These accomplished Raymarine pros both hail from Central Florida; and while Chris has spent the past handful of years in Guntersville, Ala., Bobby kept his residence in Lakeland. Prior to launching full-time fishing careers, Bobby owned and operated a landscaping business and Chris worked outside sales in Central Florida’s phosphate mining industry. Both recall pivotal moments that put them on course to the livelihoods they now enjoy.

(Chris Lane) Photo courtesy B.A.S.S.

“Growing up in Central Florida with lakes all around us and bass fishing is what we did; but once we realized you can make money at it, that was pretty awesome because it had been a dream of ours for a long time,” Chris said.

For him, claiming his first win — a 2006 Bassmaster Southern Open on Lake Okeechobee — lit the fuse on what has become an explosive career.

“That was the event that made my career possible,” he recalls. “The financial help was a big part, but the confidence boost was enormous.”

Bobby recalls his epiphany: “When my brother qualified for the Bass Fishing League (BFL) Regional in 2001. I said ‘Well if he can do it, I can do it.”

Fueled with this motivation, Bobby put his ambition to the test when he qualified to fish the BFL All-American on the Mobile Delta in May 2003. Finishing third earned him a $10,000 prize and stoked his fire in a big way.

“I said ‘I like the fishing more than I do the lawn business,’ so I fished the rest of that year and made some pretty good money at it,” Bobby recalls. “I decided to try and run the lawn company at the same time. I was actually losing money, so I decided to pursue my professional fishing career.

“It was that $10,000 check that I got on the Mobile Delta many years ago that allowed me to venture into the bass fishing world.”

 

FAMILY PRIDE

Bobby and Chris’s older brother Arnie works full-time in sales for the family’s polyurethane/rubber lining business, which services the phosphate and amusement park industries. He fishes the Bassmaster Southern Opens and takes great pride in seeing his younger brothers excel at the sport’s highest level.

“I think it’s great when you follow whatever drives your heart,” he said. “If you want to become the best at what you do and follow your dream, if it works out, then that’s wonderful.

With all of us growing up fishing together, we can all relate to that. Doing it professionally and making a living at it is a blessing. But we all still love to fish, even outside of tournaments, just for the peace and enjoyment of the outdoors. It’s in our blood.” Noting that his “big brother” door is always open for advice, encouragement and, if need be, a firm opinion; Arnie said that camaraderie born of countless hours on the water intertwines three souls whose collective closeness defies the miles that sometimes separate them.

“Since we were five years old, our granddad took us fishing almost every weekend. It was inexpensive entertainment that provided a lot of family bonding time. It also provided a lot of food for us and, to this day, we still like to eat bass and other freshwater and saltwater fish.

“As we’ve gotten older, we’ve continued this tradition with our dad and granddad and that’s kept us all close. Even now in our 40s, hardly two days go by that we’re not talking about a tournament.”

(Bobby Lane) Photo by Ricky Bodsford

 

BY THE NUMBERS

A quick look at the stats tell a tale of two individuals who clearly made the right decision to fish for a living. Bobby has amassed 30 top-10 Elite finishes, including a 2009 win on Kentucky Lake. He’s fished in nine Bassmaster Classics and came close in 2015 with a second-place finish on Lake Hartwell.

Bobby got his start in FLW competition with a strong track record in Costa FLW Series and Bass Fishing League tournaments. There, he earned 24 top-10s with two wins and one Forrest Wood Cup appearance. His combined career earnings are nearly $1.6 million.

Chris has built an impressive resume, with 27 Elite Series top-10s, six Classic appearances and seven victories (three on the Elites, three in the Bassmaster Opens and the 2012 Classic on the Red River). He also fished FLW events in his early years, where he compiled nine top-10s with one win on the Costa FLW Series. Chris’ career winnings total over $1.97 million.

 

COMPETITORS AND KINFOLK

Family members in the same competitive arena — that’s pure human interest mind candy. Do they get along? Do they cooperate? Well, such things take time. You gotta round off the edges, see the big picture and recognize who’s got your back.

Chris makes this point crystal clear: Notwithstanding their familial bond, both he and his brother want to beat everyone in the field at every event and that includes one another.

Bobby broke it down real for us.

“In the beginning, it was like: he’s not paying my bills, I’m not paying his bills; you go catch your fish, I’ll go catch my fish; we were true competitors,” Bobby said. “Moving forward now, having my brother on the Elite Series with me has actually strengthened our relationship — like we were when we were younger.

“It costs a lot of money to be a professional fisherman and when you first get into it without sponsors, which neither of had a lot of sponsors, it’s tough to survive. Now that we’ve gotten ourselves established in the sport, and we’re both a little bit better off, we have become true brothers; blood to the core. I know if I need anything to call him and he knows the same about me.”

Bobby said he and Chris try to keep one another tuned into each event’s key details of habitat and tactics. Two sets of eyes looking with mutual interest make it easier to dial in the game plan, especially given their similar fishing styles.

“The biggest thing about having your brother on the tour and having another brother as a professional fisherman is that you have somebody you can trust, you have somebody you can relate to with the situations that come up,” Chris adds. “If you ever need anything, you know you have someone there that will help you.

Photo courtesy of B.A.S.S.

 

RAY SAVES THE DAY

In addition to counting on one another, both Lanes have come to rely heavily on their Raymarine electronics. Noting that the old days of sticking a rod in the water to check his depth are long gone, Bobby said his Raymarine eS127 MFDs prove indispensable from shallow Florida lakes, to the glacial bodies of northern tournaments. Regardless of depth, he said, it’s all about understanding what’s below.

“I want to know everything I’m looking at on the bottom; I want to know everything around me,” Bobby states. “I want to know that the topographic features are where I want to be; and I want to know how I can navigate there.”

Clarity is key, for navigation and target identification. Case in point, at the first Elite event of 2017 on Tennessee’s Lake Cherokee, Bobby spent much of his time vertically dropping to specific fish that he identified on his screen.

“One thing that is very important to me is how clear my bait appears when I drop it past my trolling motor and I can see it just off the bottom,” he said. “I’ve played with other units before, but Raymarine definitely has the clearest, most sensitive screen I have ever seen.

“At Lake Cherokee, it was so obvious when a fish came up and looked at my bait and when there was nothing there at all. My Raymarine eS127 let me know exactly what was going on down there and keeping the bait on the graph at a times so I could see what it was doing was very easy.”

Sharing such observations has become something of a brotherly bonding element.

“It really helps having Chris and I on the Elite Series and Arnie (fishing regional events), because we help one another maximize our Raymarine units,” Bobby said. “I can say ‘Chris, look at this on your graph and try it. Here are 15 spots that look exactly the same.’ Or he can say, ‘Bob, get in this depth of water.’”

 

Available later this spring, Raymarine® Axiom™ units feature built-in RealVision 3D™ sonar, the all-new LightHouse 3 operating system, and blazing quad-core performance.

Admitting that he simply cannot compete without his Raymarine eS128, Chris makes an interesting observation about such reliance.

“It can play to your advantage, but if you don’t know how to operate your electronics, it can play to your disadvantage,” he said. “I know for sure that Raymarine has enabled me to be successful by making these units very simple for me to understand.”

A big fan of that crisp CHIRP clarity, Chris also appreciates the reliability of his unit’s precise mapping functions. This came in handy during his 2015 Elite Series win on the Sabine River. Navigating long stretches of often narrow waterways proved challenging, but with Raymarine guiding his course, he found his way in and out of the key areas.

“When you have to make a long run, that Raymarine mapping is key,” he said.

Another example of electronics impact came during Chris’ third-place effort at the 2015 Elite Series event on Lake St. Clair. Big smallmouth tend to congregate around particular types of bottom — in this case, grass clumps — and being able to identify these high-percentage spots kept him around the right fish.

Echoing these thoughts, Arnie said he’s particularly fond of the superior sonar and DownVision imagery he gets on his 9-inch aSeries touch screen units. His national travel may be less than his siblings, but competition takes him out of state throughout the year and dependable electronics has helped him expand past the familiar.

“Those are my eyes underwater,” he said. I feel like that can help me target the areas that I’m still learning, which are away from the shallow zone of five feet or less, that we grew up with in Florida.

“When I’m fishing offshore in those deeper lakes, the clarity of my Raymarine electronics helps me expand my understanding of these waters. We pretty much have the shallow stuff figured out, but the great image my Raymarine units give me has helped me get a handle on deeper fisheries.”

 

(Arnie Lane)

 

BRINE AND BEYOND

Given Raymarine’s strength in some of the world’s most challenging marine environments, it’s no wonder the Lanes trust these electronics for the inshore and coastal fun fishing they often enjoy between bass tournaments. Those same features they appreciate for tracking down freshwater bass also serve them during snook, redfish, trout and tarpon missions.

“When you go saltwater fishing, one thing you have to be aware of is the depth; especially where there are oyster bays or rocks,” Chris said. “If you run aground and the tide goes out, you’re done. Understanding the depth and the contour lines tells you when to go in and when to stay out”

The same can be said for the nation’s tidal bass fisheries. From the California Delta, to the Potomac River, daily ebb and flow not only positions fish and stimulates feeding; this rise and fall serves as the gate attendant for fertile backwaters.

Beyond this tidal truism, both brothers said they find the principles of depth changes, fish and bait location and structure identification bearing similar importance in their fresh and saltwater pursuits.

“Seeing the different bottoms lets you know the kind of area you’re in and what the fish are looking for,” Bobby said. “Once you find that, it’s so easy to duplicate with just the touch of a button.

“For example, fishing Boca Grande pass for tarpon, it’s to be able to see how deep the fish are. Now, you can watch your bait go right to those fish and keep it there until you get a bite. It’s basically just catching a giant bass. Either way, freshwater or saltwater, Raymarine is exactly what I need to be a better fisherman.”

 


Thad Hull and David Talley Win 2017 Alabama Bass Trail Lake Eufaula  - Team Beats Field by more than Five Pounds on Tough Day

by Dan O’Sullivan

March 18, 2017 - Eufaula, Ala. – In the period leading up to the second stop of the 2017 Alabama Bass Trail Southern Division schedule at Lake Eufaula, the fishing had been great.  In other events the weekend prior, the weights had been impressive.  The week of the ABT event, everything with the conditions changed.

Where the week prior had seen warm air and water temperatures with calm winds, a strong cold front last week made the predominantly shallow bite largely fade.  While the shallow bite did not completely die, it certainly made much of the field have to adjust.  While power fishing had been the trick, those who made the correct adjustments stood atop the leaderboard at day’s end.

Approximately three quarters of the weigh-in, Thad Hull and David Talley came to the scales with a 28.85-pound limit that held on to take the win, and the $10,000 first prize on one of bass fishing’s most storied fisheries.

They did it by scaling down their presentation and by locating fish that had pulled back from their earlier moves towards spawning areas. “We had a couple of spots offshore that held some fish, but after the cold weather, we only had one bait type that would get bites consistently,” they said.  “We fished down on the southern end of the lake on offshore spots in 12 to 14 feet of water with Shaky Heads, and caught around a dozen fish.”

To be more specific, the pair utilized a Magnum Shaky Head approach to catch their winning stringer.  “We threw 1/2-ounce heads and a variety of worms to get bites,” they reported.  “We threw Zoom Ol’ Monsters, Magnum Trick Worms and Strike Zone Lures Mega Worms – all in green pumpkin color.”

They said they were thrilled by the day.  “We are business partners, and we’ve fished together quite a bit, but this is our biggest win and biggest payday,” they said.  “We really didn’t think we’d have a chance to be standing here today having won; this is an absolute thrill, and it hasn’t event really hit us yet – it’s really amazing.”

The second place team of Warren Hoffman and Ben Weldon weighed 23.82 pounds, but reported having a difficult practice, and feeling fortunate to have had such a strong performance.  “We really had a grind in practice, we found the lake to be farther along its spring process than we thought, and we missed it early in practice,” they said.  “We caught fish in several spots, but only two spots ended up producing our limit.”

They said that a trio of lures were responsible for their catch, a 7-inch shad colored Basstrix swimbait on a heavy jighead, a jig and an old 1-ounce Ledgebuster spinnerbait.  “We caught 15 to 20 fish throughout the day, and considering how our practice went, we’re pretty happy,” they said.  “We did not expect to have this big of a day, so it feels pretty good to be standing here now.”  They earned $5,000 for their day’s work.

Third place, and the $4,000 payday went to the team of Josh Chapple and Paul Davis who caught 23.36 pounds throwing a new prototype Davis Bait Company swim jig.  Fourth place went to Barry Isbell and Bobby Freeman who earned $2,500 with their 20.58-pound limit.  Rounding out the top five was the team of Larry McDonald and Torrey Jones who earned $2,000 as a result of their 19.65-pound limit.

The big bass of the event was an 8.05-pound largemouth brought to the scales by Ronny Faulkner and Michael Johnson.  The big fish boosted their three fish catch to a little over 11 pounds, which was good enough to finish in 62nd place; they earned the $500 Big Fish bonus for their catch.

The top 10 standings are below, for complete standings go to http://www.alabamabasstrail.org/tournament-series/le-results.

Place Anglers Weight Big Fish WINNINGS
1 Thad Hull / David Talley 28.85 7.88 $10,000
2 Warren Hoffman / Ben Weldon 23.82 $5,000
3 Josh Chapple / Paul Davis 23.36 $4,000
4 Barry Isbell / Bobby Freeman 20.58 $2,500
5 Larry McDonald / Torrey Jones 19.65 5.85 $2,000
6 Scott Dupriest / Mark Smith 19.29 5.24 $1,500
7 Keith Mayfield / Daryl Adams 19.22 $1,100
8 Nick Harris / Keith Phillips 18.99 $1,100
9 Randall Carter / David Caylor 18.92 6.14 $1,100
10 Steven Morris / Matt Vanzant 18.63 $1,100

 

The sponsors of the 2017 Alabama Bass Trail include; Bill Penney Toyota, Phoenix Bass Boats, GP8 Oxygen Water, Garmin, Academy Sports & Outdoors, Wind Creek Hospitality – Wetumpka, Wind Creek Hospitality – Montgomery, Alabama Tourism Department, SCA Performance,  T-H Marine Supplies, Wedowee Marine, AFTCO,  Fish Neely Henry Lake.com, Lew’s Fishing, Crossed Industries, YETI, E3 Apparel, TVA and Alabama Power.

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

 


Bethels Evan Owrey Takes Top Honors at Cabela’s Big Bass Bash

As the 2017 Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series kicked off its lineup of four major televised events season on Kentucky Lake this past week, there was only one constant and that was changing conditions.  During the official week of the event collegiate anglers saw everything from violent thunderstorms and bright sunny days with temps in the 60’s, to blinding snow and freezing temperatures.

With such a drastic temperature swing and changing weather conditions, many thought the bite was going to get extremely tough and make for a long day on the water.  However, a long day on water turned into a day of catching big Kentucky Lake bass for many of the anglers as the fish started coming to the scales.  It didn’t take long for the staff and crowds to know that the collegiate anglers were on the fish this week!

 

Evan Owrey, from Bethel University, certainly figured the Kentucky Lake bass out better than anyone and didn’t let the changing conditions get in his head.  His stellar performance included winning Session 7 presented by Cabela’s, placing 8th in Session 2 and 6th in Session 6.    In addition to those top places, his winning fish in Session 7 was the overall big bass of event giving him the coveted title of Power-Pole Big Bass Award.  We caught up with Evan after the event and asked him some questions about the event.

Evan, what was your strategy going into the event?
“Our team’s strategy going into the event was to fish staging shallow flats where fish were moving onto. We launched and went to our first spot and started catching fish right away with most being between 3 and 4 pounds.   We then decided that since the weather was worse up near Paris, we would pull out and drive up to weigh some fish in with all three anglers fishing in our boat making a check in the 2nd session.  After the second session, we put in at Danville and ran south hitting two schools that didn't fire and then we pulled up on a spot from practice where I had caught a bunch of 3-5 pounders at. We caught a couple of 3 and 4.5 pounders, then my partner KJ got hung up and Tucker threw out to the left of where KJ got hung and caught a 4 pounder. So, I threw out there and hooked that big one. We then caught several more all in the 4-6-pound range.”
What did it feel like to hook that fish? 
“My partner KJ had been hung up on the flat and Tucker had just caught a 4lber. I threw right in behind him and hooked into one and at first it didn't move. I then cranked on it a few times and it came shooting at the boat headed for deeper water. It came up right below the surface about 20 yards out and KJ said it was a big one. So KJ handed his rod to Tucker to grab the net. Tucker had his 4lber flopping on the back deck with a foot on it holding onto KJ’s hung up rod and also his rod which had his fish on it.”
Tell us about the rod, reel, line and bait used as well as what you keyed in on to catch that fish.
“I caught it on a Shimano Curado paired with a G-Loomis IMX. I was throwing a Queen Tackle swing head with a Gene Larew Biffle Bug.”
What's ahead the rest of this fishing season?
“The rest of the season we have the FLW Open on Kentucky Lake and since we qualified at Guntersville we are going to be trying to win this event. Then in May we have the BASS Eastern Regional on Cherokee Lake. We then have the BoatUS National Championship on Pickwick and then the FLW National Championship on Wheeler Lake."
What was your overall impression of your experience at the event?
“It was a great event! I love the tournaments that ACA puts on it is always a great event. I think they made the right call making it a one-day even though the weather came in a little earlier than we had planned. The roads might have refroze over night and the ramps would have been very bad to get in and out of. The people of ACA really treated us right with the meeting and the food provided. It was awesome to have all the prizes given out."
Anyone you want to thank?
“I would first off like to thank God for blessing me with the opportunity to be able to fish these tournaments and blessing me with that big fish. Without him nothing I have done would be possible. I would also like to thank my parents for supporting me and my fishing adventures and especially my dad for taking me so much when I was a kid and getting me addicted to fishing. I would also love to give a huge thanks to Garry Mason and Kenny Louden, they are the team coaches and without them I wouldn't be at Bethel and wouldn't have this opportunity to fish for a scholarship. Garry Mason recently had a heart attack and wasn't supposed to come to the tournament but they couldn't keep him from coming. I was shocked to see him there but was so glad that he came."
Evan was able to take home a full boatload of awesome prizes with his three fish he brought to the scales. The prizes he won included:

$2,000 Power-Pole Gift Certificate

$2,050 in Cabela’s Gift Cards

GiLL IN6 Jacket & Bibs (Est Value $379)

Mustang PFD

1 Pair of Costa Sunglasses

$100 Ranger Wear Gift Card

1 Engel Cooler

Berkley baits

Berkley Tackle bag w/ baits & line (Est Value $75)

Congrats to Evan and all the anglers who took home prizes at the Cabela’s Collegiate Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley.  We would like to thank all of our great partners that help us make this event possible. We are off to the next ACA event on Lake Dardanelle in Arkansas for the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Open on March 24-26, 2017.

IN THEIR SPACE AND IN THEIR FACE

By David A. Brown

We tend to think of spawn fishing as a subtle, delicate, library-behavior kinda deal. Sometimes it is, but there’s a lot to be said for a bold, intrusive approach to the spawning grounds.

Bassmaster Elite Series pro Kevin VanDam attributes this to a pedal-to-the-metal aggression level among spawners. In most areas, bluegill pose the biggest threat to their nests, so a large profile bait and a persistent presentation will quickly light what is already a very short fuse.

You’ll also want to consider that low light and otherwise low visibility conditions make larger baits not only acceptable; but actually a necessity. For Elite pro Greg Hackney, off-colored water accelerates the popularity of up-sized baits.

“I like a bigger profile in stained water,” said Elite pro Greg Hackney. “The dirtier the water, the bigger the profile because you can get by with bigger stuff when the water’s dirtier and the fish can find it easier.”

In any conditions, in-their-face spawn tactics might put a bend in your rod bend; or they may narrow a broad area to “hot zones” where irritable fish show themselves via wakes or boils. In any case, consider these tips for shaking up the spawning areas with aggressive presentations.

 

SWIMBAIT

 Clearly one of the most effective search baits, a swimbait can also serve a preparatory role. If a big fish eats, wonderful; otherwise, getting her hopping mad at something she may not want to engage creates a lethal scenario for a smaller follow-up bait.

California standout Ish Monroe knows that a River2Sea SWaver 200 can make bedding fish show themselves, so he’ll use this taunting presence to find spawners he can’t see.

“I throw it around when I’m looking for beds,” Monroe said. “It’s a big, slow-moving bait that they don’t want anywhere near them. When it gets around a bed, they’ll come up and swipe at it or inhale it. Most of the time, you get them either way.”

FLW Costa Series pro Ken Mah takes in-your-face to another level by removing the hooks on a 9- to 10-inch Osprey swimbait and repeatedly bumping the fish’s tail. The idea is to get the fish steaming mad and then switch in a dropshot; but when the bedder decides to attack the hookless swimbait, that’s an exciting 3 seconds.

Alabama pro Jimmy Mason plays a similar game, but he prefers to maximize any bites he gets on the agitator. For him, a 6 1/2-inch YUM Money Minnow on a 1/2-ounce lead head allows precise casts with fast fall rates, which leave the bait in a nose-down posture that mimics an intruder looking for eggs.

Mason bumps the bed fish to drive it into bite mode and if the swimbait feels the wrath, no worries. If not, he’ll close the deal with a YUM Houdini Shad rigged on a 5/0 Mustad KVD Grip Pin hook.

 

SWIM JIG

We can include vibrating swim jigs here, as both can navigate the vegetation were bass often spawn, while presenting an ominous form that put bass on high alert. Hackney likes to cover water with a 3/8-ounce Strike King Hack Attack Heavy Cover swim jig and a Rage Craw trailer. Green pumpkin and black/blue patterns resemble bluegill, so keep this in mind.

When Elite pro Bobby Lane suspects fish are bedding in pockets within Kissimmee grass or any other blend of shallow vegetation, he searches the salad with a swim jig carrying a Berkley Havoc Craw Fatty. He said that fan casting likely areas may very well yield bites, but any nest guarders that show themselves become targets for an aggressive flipping effort.

 

 

 

 

TEXAS RIGS

Once he finds an active area, or when he locates that isolated cover, Lane picks it apart by flipping/pitching a Texas-rigged Craw Fatty. Lane beefs up his rig with 1/4- to 1/2-ounce weights to make his rig fall fast and straight — right into the spot where mama bass will not tolerate intruders.  FLW pro Joe Holland won’t hesitate to dress up a Gambler Mega Daddy with one, two or even three punch skirts to create a bulkier look than traditional Texas rigs. Varying skirt colors shows the fish one pattern on the fall and then another in the nest.

Todd Faircloth, the Elite pro from Texas, honors his state’s reputation for big stuff by employing a 7-inch Strike King Ocho for dual action. First, he can swim the hefty plastic stick bait over grass and next to docks to tease reaction bites. But once he dials in a bed’s location, the Ocho’s super easy to pitch or cast from a respectable distance and it pierces the water like a dagger.

Now, taking the big rig notion to an extreme level, Monroe goes straight-up MMA on those bed fish with a big and brutal presentation that’s guaranteed to make the non-biters run and the biters unleash instant fury.

We’re talking about the Ish Tube — 7 inches of bass-angering plastic on a 12/0 wide gap hook.

“When I throw that in there, they eat it immediately because they don’t want it anywhere near them,” Monroe said.

 

ROUNDUP

Here are a few more popular baits for shaking up the spawners with aggressive presentations:

 Grass Jigs Baits like the Witch Doctor Tackle Tungsten Flipping Jig and the JT Kenney Grass Wizard by Nichols Lures feature extended or double weed guards to repel the thick stuff, while a narrow head allows it to sneak in and out of cover that would choke and snag a traditional flipping jig.

FLW pro Mike Surman’s a big fan of sending grass jigs into the heavily-fortressed little pockets within reeds and buggy whips where big bass seek private maternity wards. They rarely receive visitors, so suffice it to say that a heavy jig with a wiggling trailer like the Gambler Mega Daddy splashing into their sanctuary will red-line the temper.

 

 

Frogs One of the best search baits you can throw, the frog appeals to prespawners looking to fatten up on protein-rich meals, but Monroe said this bait offers a particularly relevant presentation — hovering. He’ll walk his Snagproof Ish’s PHAT Frog into a nest perimeter, park it overhead and make that bass fret and fuss over the annoying presence until she has runs out of patience.
While the frog profile is definitely antagonizing, the appearance of a panfish parked overhead simply will not be tolerated. Strike King’s Poppin’ Perch and Live Target’s Sunfish blend the floating form of a hollow body frog with a panfish profile for Sometimes strikes are little more than a push or slurp, so don’t overreact. Let the fish pull your line tight before setting the hooks.

Spinnerbait: When Elite pro Keith Combs is searching for beds, he won’t hesitate to unleash a 1-ounce spinnerbait with two big willow leaf blades.

“I’ll slow roll a big spinnerbait through all stages of the spawn,” Combs said. “It’s a big, obnoxious profile that can be reeled slowly over beds you can’t see.”With any of these agitating baits, persistence drives success. Covering water is step one, but one you find a bed, don’t burn a lot of time on stubborn fish. Typically, these agitation baits present a yes-or-no deal.

They won’t all play the game, but the ones that do will more than justify the effort.


Huselton Wins Mr. Bass of Arkansa Event on Millwood with over 19 pounds

Chris Huselton wins $2344 at Yarborough Landing

Pro Money Winners:
1st – Chris Huselton – 5 – 19.18 lbs
2nd – Quincy Houchin – 5 – 18.35 lbs
3rd – Chris Morgan – 5 – 16.73 lbs
4th – Jason Bunch – 5 – 16.63 lbs
5th – Chip Hawkins – 5 – 16.09 lbs

Big Bass = Chris Huselton 6.97lbs ($400)

For complete Pro results, click here.

Zane Drake Wins Amateur Division at Lake Millwood!

Am Zane Drake wins MBOA Tournament #2 at Lake Millwood 3-12-17
Zane Drake wins $1000 at Yarborough Landing

Am Money Winners:
1st – Zane Drake – 5 – 10.50 lbs
2nd – Todd Brown – 4 – 10.01 lbs
3rd – Adam Freyaldenhoven – 5 – 9.31 lbs
4th – Brandon Gathright – 5 – 8.68 lbs

Big Bass = Sonny Bogard 5.02lbs ($350)

For complete Am results, click here.


York wins TH Marine BFL Bulldog Tournament on Lake Oconee with over 20 pounds

Gainesville’s Grizzle claims Co-angler title

EATONTON, Ga. (March 13, 2017) – Jeremy York of Pompano Beach, Florida, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 20 pounds, 9 ounces, Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Bulldog Division event on Lake Oconee presented by Navionics. York pocketed $4,686 for his victory.

“I took off down the lake and turned into a little place where no one was fishing,” said York, a former FLW Tour pro who earned his first career-win in BFL competition. “I hadn’t caught anything there in weeks, but I pulled in and was able to catch a couple keepers off of a seawall.

 

“Those two catches told me what the bass were doing,” continued York. “When I caught them in that area, I knew I could concentrate on seawalls for the rest of the day. I fished in there for another 90 minutes, and then went to a couple of other spots that looked similar nearby.”

York said his bait of choice throughout the tournament was a green-pumpkin-colored Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver.

“I threw the Sweet Beaver up to the seawall and worked it back 3 or 4 feet,” said York. “I’m usually popping and shaking that type of bait, but on Saturday dragging it slow was the deal.”

York said he caught his biggest bass around 2:30 p.m.

“I fired the Sweet Beaver out to a seawall in one of my pockets and caught it,” said York. “It was just one of those days you knew where they’d be active.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:          Jeremy York, Pompano Beach, Fla., five bass, 20-9, $4,686

2nd:         Miles Burghoff, Santa Cruz, Calif., five bass, 17-10, $2,543

3rd:          Chris Baxter, Winder, Ga., five bass, 17-6, $1,962

4th:          Roger Stubbs, McDonough, Ga., five bass, 17-0, $1,093

5th:          Rob Jordan, Flowery Branch, Ga., five bass, 16-13, $937

6th:          John Christopher, Watkinsville, Ga., five bass, 16-2, $859

7th:          Steve Phillips, Douglas, Ga., five bass, 15-11, $781

8th:          Michael Conley, Bainbridge, Ga., five bass, 15-7, $703

9th:          Barry Stokes, Oxford, Ga., five bass, 15-5, $625

10th:        Barry Hooper, Monticello, Ga., five bass, 15-1, $547

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Thomas Phares of Buckhead, Georgia, caught a bass weighing 7 pounds, 6 ounces – the largest of the event – which earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $690.

Harold Grizzle of Gainesville, Georgia, weighed in five bass totaling 15 pounds, 9 ounces Saturday to win the Co-angler Division and the top prize of $2,443.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st:         Harold Grizzle, Gainesville, Ga., five bass, 15-9, $2,443

2nd:         David Wright, Franklin, Ga., four bass, 14-4, $1,172

3rd:          Michael Smith, Piedmont, S.C., five bass, 12-11, $831

4th:          Ryan Stewart, Roswell, Ga., four bass, 12-9, $547

5th:          Ronald Harris, Jefferson, Ga., five bass, 11-6, $469

6th:          Chance Hebert, Norcross, Ga., five bass, 10-3, $410

6th:          Harold Addison II, Columbia, S.C., four bass, 10-3, $410

8th:          Bryan Price, Canton, Ga., four bass, 9-14, $351

9th:          Robert Gilliam, Macon, Ga., five bass, 8-9, $312

10th:        Deron Burdette, Fayetteville, Ga., three bass, 8-3, $273

Stephen Clay of Milledgeville, Georgia, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing 6 pounds, 1 ounce, and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $345.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional Championship on Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Alabama. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.

The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

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


YETI FLW COLLEGE FISHING SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE HEADS FOR LAKE HARTWELL

HARTWELL, Ga. (March 7, 2017) – YETI FLW College Fishing is heading to Lake Hartwell March 18 for the third and final regular-season stop in the Southeastern Conference. A full field of college fishing clubs will be competing for the top award of a $2,000 club scholarship and a berth into the 2018 College Fishing National Championship.

“Lake Hartwell is an awesome fishery and the lake is extremely versatile,” said FLW Tour pro Brian Latimer of Belmont, South Carolina, who has three career top-10 finishes on Lake Hartwell in FLW competition. “There is a lot of structure in the lake – from 50 feet deep to the bank – and it’s one of those lakes where the college anglers are going to be able to pick their poison and fish however they want.

“The weather has been really warm recently, and there are already quite a few fish that have started to move up,” Latimer continued. “They aren’t necessarily spawning yet, but they’re cruising the pockets and under the docks already. The majority of fish will still be in prespawn mode but I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a little bit of sight fishing going on.”

Latimer said that if he was fishing the tournament he’d be throwing a wacky-rigged Z-Man ZinkerZ stickbait or a 3-or 4-inch swimbait around the docks. He said that if a cold front came through before the tournament, or the fish weren’t on the docks, he’d concentrate on cranking the stained water in the creeks with a red Rat-L-Trap or a medium-diving crankbait.

“The thing about Lake Hartwell is that there is not a lot of dead water,” Latimer said. “There are fish to be caught in every single river arm, from the main lake all the way back to the creeks. My advice to the college anglers would be to find which river arm fits with the way that you like to fish, then concentrate on that area and cover a lot of water. There is no one particular portion of the lake that is better than the others.”

Latimer went on to predict that the winning team would bring a five-bass limit in the high teens to the scale, with the possibility of a 20-pound limit.

Anglers will take off from the Gum Branch Ramp, located at Gum Branch Circle in Hartwell, at 7:30 a.m. EDT Saturday. Weigh-in will be held at the Ramp beginning at 3 p.m. Takeoff and weigh-in are free and open to the public.

Schools are allowed to register up until the morning of the tournament. Entries may be made either by phone or at CollegeFishing.com.

Schools registered to compete in the Lake Hartwell tournament, which is hosted by the Hart County Chamber of Commerce include:

Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College – Henry Brown, Willacoochee, Ga., and Morgan Anderson, Fitzgerald, Ga.

Appalachian State University – Shawn Snow, Boone, N.C., and Austin Rozier, Mount Airy, N.C.

Appalachian State University – Charlie Sipe, Hickory, N.C., and Ethan Howell, Waynesville, N.C.

Auburn University – Mitchell Jennings, Auburn, Ala., and Brooks Phillips, Birmingham, Ala.

Austin Peay State University – Chase Melton and Jordan Brandt, both of Clarksville, Tenn.

Austin Peay State University – Michael Hulsey and Bryce Newsome, both of Clarksville, Tenn.

Bethel University – Kyler Chelminiak, Franklin, Wis., and Alec Piekarski, Greenfield, Wis.

Bryan College – Conner Fogg and Chandler Fogg, both of Kelso, Tenn.

Bryan College – Dylan Pritchett, Dayton, Tenn., and Conner Thompson, Fort Payne, Ala.

Bryan College – Matthew Kear, Clinton, Tenn., and Connor Cohran, Dalton, Ga.

Bryan College – Matt Brown, Corbin, Ky., and D.J. Barber, Gardendale, Ala.

Bryan College – Dalton Price, Seymour, Tenn., and Francisco Colin, Dayton, Tenn.

Bryan College – Johnathan Peck, Louisville, Ky., and Hunter Thrasher, Kelso, Tenn.

Bryan College – Jacob Foutz, Cleveland, Tenn., and Jake Lee, Knoxville, Tenn.

Bryan College – Braden Marshall, Hixson, Tenn., and Jalen Smith, Dayton, Tenn.

Bryan College – Nathan Bell, Riceville, Tenn., and Cole Sands, Dayton, Tenn.

Clemson University – Allan Stack, Summerville, S.C., and Ross Dove, Royston, Ga.

Clemson University – Tyler Brown, Lake Wylie, S.C., and Jacob Reome, Gaffney, S.C.

Clemson University – Derek Freeman, Anderson, S.C., and Robert White, Greenville, S.C.

Florida State University – Joshua Blackburn, Tallahassee, Fla., and Scott Duncan, Orlando, Fla.

Gadsden State Community College – Bryant West, Gadsden, Ala., and Noah Holmes, Alexandria, Ala.

Georgia Southern University – Tyler Wilson, Brooklet, Ga., and Madeline Conner, Statesboro, Ga.

Kennesaw State University – Spencer Guthrie, Acworth, Ga., and Cody Smith, Gainesville, Ga.

Middle Tennessee State University – Austin Wyatt, Gladeville, Tenn., and Mekiah Jack, Mount Juliet, Tenn.

Middle Tennessee State University – Chase McCrory, Murfreesboro, Tenn., and Travis Brown, McMinnville, Tenn.

North Carolina State University – Jerry Norris, Raleigh, N.C., and Spence Hutcheson, Durham, N.C.

Tennessee Technological University – Colton Breeding, Nashville, Tenn., and Preston Gerrish, Knoxville, Tenn.

University of Georgia – Benjamin Hallowell, Athens, Ga., and Garrett Stone, Sandy Springs, Ga.

University of Georgia – Daulton Smith, Dacula, Ga., and Cody Billings, Loganville, Ga.

University of Georgia – Nathan Ragsdale, Fayetteville, Ga., and Wesley Griner, Leesburg, Ga.

University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill – Grayson Whicker, Salisbury, N.C., and Alex Rhoney, Chapel Hill, N.C.

University of North Carolina-Charlotte – Ben Hager and Aaron Sollenberg, both of Iron Station, N.C.

University of North Georgia – Drew Coker, Murrayville, Ga., and Harrison Styles, Versailles, Ga.

University of North Georgia – Ben Adams, Buford, Ga., and Reid Daniel, Flowery Branch, Ga.

University of South Carolina – Austin Bradberry and Dalton Tumblin, both of Williamston, S.C.

University of South Carolina – Patrick Walters, Summerville, S.C., and Tyler All, Dorchester, S.C.

University of South Carolina – Hunter Buice, Pacolet, S.C., and William Bond, Moncks Corner, S.C.

University of South Carolina-Beaufort – Parker Wingard, Lexington, S.C., and Dustin Ingram, Mount Pleasant, S.C.

University of Tennessee – Grant Dilliha and Austin Conn, both of Knoxville, Tenn.

Wallace State Community College – A.J. Faught, Warrior, Ala., and Austin Scott, Fairview, Ala.

Western Carolina University – Jason Ashe, Cullowhee, N.C., and Alex Walsh, Robbinsville, N.C.

Western Carolina University – Michael Resor, Matthews, N.C., and William Ray, Rockingham, N.C.

Western Carolina University – Yang Xiong, Morganton, N.C., and Clint Bartlett, Charlotte, N.C.

Young Harris College – Andrew Himmelreich, Powder Springs, Ga., and Harrison Barton, Hartwell, Ga.

FLW College Fishing teams compete in three regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top ten teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments and the top 20 teams from the annual FLW College Fishing Open will advance to the 2018 FLW College Fishing National Championship. Additional teams will qualify for the National Championship if the field size in regular-season events exceeds 100 boats.

College Fishing is free to enter. All participants must be registered, full-time students at a college, university or community college and members of a college fishing club that is recognized by their school.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow College Fishing on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing. Visit FLWFishing.com to sign up or to start a club at your school.


Costa Renews Title Sponsorship Of Bassmaster High School Series

March 14, 2017

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Costa renewed its title sponsorship for the 2017 Bassmaster High School tournament series, B.A.S.S. announced today. The company will also continue its supporting sponsorship of the Bassmaster College Series. This will be the third consecutive year that Costa has partnered with B.A.S.S.

The Costa Bassmaster High School Series has grown dramatically, currently involving more than 5,500 student athletes representing 600 schools in 45 states. The program is one of the fastest-growing initiatives within B.A.S.S.

“We’re extremely proud to once again be the title sponsor of the Bassmaster High School Series,” said Melinda Hays, Costa’s Bass Community Leader. “Watching the huge influx of young people entering the sport of bass fishing is exciting, and we’re happy to help this positive movement.”

The Costa Bassmaster High School Opens sometimes attract more than 300 two-person teams, each accompanied by an adult “captain” who operates the boat. The top competitors from the Opens, from state high school championships and from sanctioned team trails qualify for the Costa Bassmaster High School National Championship.

“Costa believes that encouraging young people to get outside and fish is extremely important, not only to the future of our sport, but fishing also has the opportunity to teach them many life lessons,” Hays said. “Determination, hard work and persistence are only a few of those. We have an incredible opportunity for many new young anglers to develop a true appreciation for nature and conservation through these events.”

The Daytona Beach, Fla., company, which has produced some of the most popular sunglasses in the world since its inception in 1983, will sponsor all three Bassmaster High School Open events this year (Southern, Central and Midwest), plus a national championship this summer at a site to be determined. Costa will also be a supporting sponsor for all Bassmaster College Series events in 2017, which started competition in January.

“The Bassmaster High School and College fishing programs have expanded tremendously,” said Hank Weldon, senior tournament manager for the Bassmaster High School and College Series. “We’re pleased with the support Costa has provided in helping shape the future of our sport.”

The first Costa Bassmaster High School tournament of 2017 took place March 11, with competition on Toledo Bend Reservoir out of Many, La. New this year, B.A.S.S. extended invitations to the Top 5 finishing teams from this tournament to participate in the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster High School Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods on Lake Conroe, March 24-26, out of Houston, Texas.

For more information on the Bassmaster High School and College Series, please visit Bassmaster.com.

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.

Born on the water, Costa works hard to protect the ocean it calls home. Through programs like its Kick Plastic campaign, where the brand seeks to raise awareness about the growing plastic pollution problem threatening oceans worldwide, to serving as a long-term partner to shark research organizations like OCEARCH, Costa encourages people to help protect the Earth’s natural resources in any way they can.

Find out more on Costa’s website and join the conversation on FacebookInstagram or on Twitter at @CostaSunglasses.

About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2), social media programs and events. For more than 45 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.

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

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WEST POINT HIGH SCHOOL WINS FLW HIGH SCHOOL FISHING MISSISSIPPI OPEN AT COLUMBUS POOL

COLUMBUS, Miss. (March 13, 2017) – The West Point High School duo of Jordan Camp and Matthew Bagwell, both of West Point, Mississippi, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 13 pounds, 1 ounce, to win the 2017 FLW High School Fishing Mississippi Open tournament at Columbus Pool in Columbus, Mississippi. The win advanced the team to the 2017 High School Fishing National championship, held June 27-July 1 at Pickwick Lake in Florence, Alabama.

 

A field of 29 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from Columbus Marina in Columbus. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.

The top two teams on Columbus Pool that advanced to the 2017 High School Fishing National Championship were:

1st:          West Point High School – Jordan Camp and Matthew Bagwell, both of West Point, Miss., five bass, 13-1

2nd:         North Mississippi Student Anglers – Hunter Nanney, Dumas, Miss., and Jake Kimbrough, Smithville, Miss., five bass, 11-13

Rounding out the top 10 teams was:

3rd:          West Point High School – Katie Wilson and Dylan Doss, both of West Point, Miss., five bass, 11-13

4th:          New Life Christian Academy – Joshua Rush and Aaron Williams, both of Laurel, Miss., five bass, 11-11

5th:          Smithville High School – Landon McMellon, Greenwood Springs, Miss., and T.J. Edwards, Tremont, Miss., five bass, 11-11

6th:          Hamilton High School – Houston Vaiden and Tucker Welch, both of Hamilton, Miss., five bass, 10-6

7th:          Smithville High School – Daniel McAfee, Amory, Miss., and Marietta Guthery, Smithville, Miss., four bass, 8-14

8th:          St. Martin High School – Brandon Morano and Paul Swan, both of Ocean Springs, Miss., five bass, 8-8

9th:          Hatley High School – Blake Duncan and Auston Ballard, both of Smithville, Miss., four bass, 8-3

10th:        West Tennessee Bass Anglers – Cameron Massey, Somerville, Tenn., and Austin Sherrod, Eads, Tenn., four bass, 7-13

In order to break the tie between the second- and third-place teams, FLW tournament officials adhered to FLW High School Fishing Rule No. 17, which states that ties are to be broken first by total number of fish for the tournament, total number of live fish, the earliest entry for the tournament and finally by lottery.

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

The 2017 FLW High School Fishing Mississippi Open was a two-person (team) event for students in grades 7-12, open to any Student Angler Federation (SAF) affiliated high school club in the United States. The top 10 percent of each Challenge, Open, and state championship field will advance to the High School Fishing National Championship. The High School Fishing national champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice.

In addition to the High School Fishing National Championship, all High School Fishing anglers nationwide automatically qualify for the world’s largest high school bass tournament, the 2017 High School Fishing World Finals, held in conjunction with the National Championship. At the 2016 World Finals more than $60,000 in scholarships and prizes were awarded.

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

About FLW

FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2017 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 274 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at FacebookTwitterInstagramYouTube and Snapchat.

About The Bass Federation

The Bass Federation Inc., (TBF) is a member of the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. TBF is owned by those we serve and dedicated to the sport of fishing. The Federation is the largest and oldest, organized grassroots fishing, youth and conservation organization there is. TBF, our affiliated state federations and their member clubs conduct more than 20,000 events each year and have provided a foundation for the entire bass fishing industry for more than 45 years. TBF founded the Student Angler Federation and the National High School Fishing program in 2008 to promote clean family fun and education through fishing. Visit bassfederation.com or highschoolfishing.org and “LIKE US” on Facebook.


TH Marine PRO-Files - Classic Rookie Skylar Hamilton

Elite Series Rookie Skylar Hamilton is quickly making a name for himself on the Elite Series tour with 2 events under his belt and two finishes within the check cutting range, Skylar is learning quick how fast and how competetive Elite Series Fishing can be. As he prepares for his first Bassmasers Classic, our Own Vance McCullough spent some time fishing with Skylar after the lake Okeechobee Elite Series Event and talked to him a little about preparing for his biggest tournament to date.


Robert Reagen Wins TH Marine BFL Mountain Opener on Dale Hollow with over 20 pound limit

REAGAN WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE MOUNTAIN DIVISION OPENER ON DALE HOLLOW LAKE PRESENTED BY NAVIONICS

Kentucky’s Jones tops Co-angler field

BYRDSTOWN, Tenn. (March 13, 2017) – Local angler Robert Reagan of Byrdstown weighed a five-bass limit totaling 20 pounds, 7 ounces, Saturday to win the first T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Mountain Division event of 2017 on Dale Hollow Lake presented by Navionics. For his win, Reagan was awarded $7,298.

 

“I started off the day throwing a green-pumpkin-colored custom jig,” said Reagan, who earned his third career-win on Dale Hollow Lake in BFL competition. “I focused on mid-lake transition banks that had chunk rock. I caught a smallmouth and two largemouth bass before the wind really picked up.”

Reagan said that around 9:30 a.m. he switched to a ½-ounce Strike King spinnerbait. He said he continued running chunk rock banks and was up able to catch three more largemouth.

“I was sitting in 25 to 30 feet of water, but the bass were up shallower,” said Reagan. “They were stationed where the bluff walls turned into flats. I worked the lures to about 4 to 8 feet, which seemed to be the magic depth.”

Reagan said his heaviest catches came toward the end of the day.

“I finished off my day with the jig in more stained water,” said Reagan. “I put my two biggest bass in the boat by 1 p.m., which was a great way to wrap things up.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:          Robert Reagan, Byrdstown, Tenn., five bass, 20-7, $5,298 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

2nd:         Brett Graham, Cold Spring, Ky., five bass, 19-8, $2,509

3rd:          Dwight Fox, Gainesboro, Tenn., five bass, 18-8, $1,639

4th:          Barry Smith, Catlettsburgh, Ky., five bass, 18-4, $1,078

5th:          Brent Anderson, Kingston Springs, Tenn., five bass, 17-12, $924

6th:          Michael Frank, Cassopolis, Mich., five bass, 16-11, $847

7th:          Jimmy Gayhart, Sadieville, Ky., five bass, 16-0, $731

7th:          Talmadge Marcum, McKee, Ky., five bass, 16-0, $731

9th:          Jonathan Green, East Bernstadt, Ky., five bass, 15-11, $616

10th:        Keith Monson, Burgin, Ky., five bass, 15-7, $539

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

One of Reagan’s bass – a 5-pound, 14-ouncer – was the heaviest weighed in at the event. The catch earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $680.

Dustin Jones of Stanford, Kentucky, won the Co-angler Division title and $2,309 with five bass weighing 15 pounds, 4 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st:          Dustin Jones, Stanford, Ky., five bass, 15-4, $2,309

2nd:         Greg Trobaugh, Rickman, Tenn., four bass, 13-12, $1,255

3rd:          Ed Bennington, Scottsville, Ky., four bass, 13-0, $770

4th:          Eddie Johnson, Jamestown, Tenn., five bass, 11-10, $539

5th:          Robbie Welsh, Berea, Ky., three bass, 10-15, $802

6th:          Alex Kerns, Middletown, Ohio, four bass, 10-10, $423

7th:          Travis Parrott, Byrdstown, Tenn., three bass, 10-9, $435

8th:          Matthew Smith, Richmond, Ky., four bass, 10-7, $346

9th:          Jason Ratcliff, Eubank, Ky., four bass, 10-6, $308

10th:        Jordan Scales, Murray, Ky., four bass, 10-0, $269

Welsh caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 6 ounces, and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $340.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 5-7 BFL Regional Championship on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.

The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

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


Fofi & Murdock win Cashion Rods Spring Team Tournament on Jordan Lake with over 23 pound limit!

CASHION FISHING RODS SPRING TEAM TOURNAMENT BASS TRAIL QUALIFIER #2
Saturday March 11th, 2017 ~ ~ Jordan Lake ~ ~ Farrington Point Wildlife Ramp

Cold, cold, cold!! 50 teams showed up for the Cashion Fishing Rods Spring Team Tournament Bass Trail
Qualifier #2 at Jordan Lake. It was a beautiful day but cold with winds light in the am and up to 10 mph in the
afternoon, the air temps ranged from 32 to 49 and the water level was about normal. Surface water temps
averaged 56 degrees and the water was a little dingyNumerous females were caught and swelled with roe, but
with the unstable temps it's just a matter of time before the Mom's hit the bank!! A lot of 6, 7 to 8 lb. bass were
weighed in today.

Tony Fofi & Dave Murdock won 1st place with 5  bass weighing a total of 23.74 lbs to take 1st Place and 1st
Place TWT for a total of $1,940 in prize money!

The 2nd Place team of Logan Ammons & Hunter Collins caught
5 bass weighing 23.30 lbs. and took home $600 in winnings. The 3rd Place team of Paul Owens & Tyler Faggart
netted 5 bass weighing 23.02 lbs. to pocket $520.

Keith Deal & Ricky Kenworthy won big fish honors & $500  with an 8.60 lb. chub.

It was close on the top of the leader board!!
163 bass were brought to the scales for a total of 598 pounds averaging 3.67 lbs. each. Jerk bait, spinnerbaits, jig
& pigs, crankbaits, WLS Shakey Heads, Chatterbaits and wacky worms fished in water from 4 to 10' seemed to
be the ticket to hits. The bite was good with most all teams weighing in fish.

I want to thank Cashion Fishing Rods and all the anglers that participated. Our next tournament will be the 2017
Piedmont Bass Classics $10,000 Spring Team Bass Trail Qualifier #2 , Saturday March 18th also at Jordan
Lake out of Farrington Point Wildlife Ramp.  All the information on our tournaments and dates can be found
http://piedmontbassclassics.com/

Now here are the full results:
1st Place: Tony Fofi & Dave Murdock of Spring Lake & Sanford...5 bass...23.74 lbs...$1,040
2nd Place: Logan Ammons & Hunter Collins of Sanford...5 bass...23.30 lbs...$600
3rd Place: Tyler Faggart & Paul Owens of Raleigh...5 bass...23.02 lbs...$520
4th Place: Brian Smith & Kenny Thorn of Reidsville & Pinnacle...5 bass...22.78 lbs...$440
5th Place: Andre Powell & James Phillips of Pittsboro & Winterville...5 bass...22.33 lbs...$360
6th Place: Carl & J.T. Johnson of Apex...5 bass...21.05 lbs...$280
7th Place: Scott Woodson & Todd Staker of Fuquay Varina & Cary...bass...20.95 lbs...$240
8th Place: Travis & Erby Parker of Sanford...5 bass...20.65 lbs...$200
9th Place: Keith Deal & Ricky Kenworthy of Holly Springs & Cary...4 bass...20.17 lbs...$170
10th Place: John Michenfelder & Daniel Love of Durham...5 bass...18.93 lbs...$150

1st Place Big Fish: 9th Place Team above...8.60 lbs...$500

1st Place TWT: 1st Place Team above: 23.74 lbs...$900


Howell wins ABA Ram Trucks Open on West Point Lake in Georgia

Tim Howell of Ball Ground, Georgia won the American Bass Anglers Ram Truck Open Series Georgia Division tournament, held March 11th on West Point.

Running out of Pyne Road Park Mega Ramp in LaGrange, GA, Tim caught five bass weighing 21.41 pounds including a 6.09-pound big bass. For the Boater division victory, took home a check for $5,000 for his win and an additional $810 for the Big Bass. “I was fishing the mid-lake area and caught my fish on a jig, I did catch a few on top-water. I caught my fish on both wood and rock. I caught fish almost all day. The better fish seemed to come every couple of hours. I caught the big bass around 1:30 pm up the lake on a jig.” Howell said.

In second for the Boaters, Kyle Welcher of Opelika, Alabama landed a five-bass tournament limit going 14.92 pounds. He collected $1,575 for his catch. “I was fishing mid-lake as well. I ran evert brush pile I knew between Southern Harbor and the Hwy 109 bridge. I was fishing in about 12ft of water.”  Welcher said.

Josh Teet of Carrollton, Georgia caught five bass going 14.89 pounds. He collected $1,050 for his catch. “I was also fishing mid-lake like everyone else. I caught them on everything today. I started with a Pop-R and then went to the back of pockets and threw a trick worm and top-water.” Teet said.

Finishing fourth, Deacon Collins of Tyrone, Georgia landed a five-bass limit for 13.32 pounds.

Sammy Bailey Jr. of Hogansville, Georgia rounded out the top five boaters with five bass at 13.05 pounds.

In the Co-Angler division, Joseph Ellington of Swainsboro, Georiga repeated his win from last week with three bass going 8.33 pounds including a 4.66-pound big bass. For the Co-Angler division victory, Joseph took home a check for $1,200 for his win and an additional $185 for the big bass.

“I was fishing a bunch of creeks throwing at the bank with a Rat-L-Trap all day. It was a better morning bite. I caught the big bass around 10:00am this morning and the bite seemed to shut down after that.” Ellington said.

Taking second for the Co-Anglers, Rob Scarborough of Canton, Georgia brought in a three-bass division limit weighing 7.71 pounds anchored by a 4.41-pound bass. He collected $400 for the effort. “I was on the South end of the lake. I got lucky early fishing a shakey-head, culled a couple times, and around 1:00pm I got lucky on a Texas-rig worm. It was an awesome bite. Most of the fish came off of rock today.” Scarborough said.

Robert Enke of Columbus, Georgia placed third among the Co-Anglers with three bass going 6.66 pounds. He earned $350 for his catch. “We caught them on a Carolina-rig, mid-lake. I caught about ten bass today. We didn’t go far.” Enke said.

In fourth place among the Co-Anglers, Keith Minnihan of Stockbridge, Georgia brought in three bass for 6.21 pounds.

Ty Black of Cumming, Georgia finished in fifth place with three bass at 5.46 pounds.

Slated for April 29th, the next tournament will be held on Lake Sinclair out of Little River Park in Milledgeville, GA. At the end of the season, the best anglers from across the nation advance the 2018 Ray Scott Championship, to be held on the Red River in Bossier City, LA.

For more information on this tournament, call Billy Benedetti, tournament manager, at (256)230-5632 or ABA at (256)232-0406. On line, see www.ramopenseries.com.

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


Rayburn scores 30-30-30 at Bass Champs third East Texas event on Sam Rayburn

By: Patty Lenderman

Bass Champs East Region teams poured on the gas in the third event of the season March 11, 2017 weighing in at the Umphrey Family Pavilion. There were 344 teams vying for a portion of the payback valued at over $100,000 in cash and prizes.

Fifty teams brought in weights exceeding 20 pounds, and there were two double digit bass weighed in! The top three weights were over 30 pounds, only separated by mere increments. In the end, it was the team of Roy and Justin Wade of Diboll, TX who took home the $20,000 guaranteed 1st place prize.

Weather forecasters had predicted some nasty weather heading in, so for added safety on the water everyone was allowed to trailer their boats to launches nearer to their fishing areas. As it turned out, conditions were perfect on Rayburn all day. Almost no hint of wind, overcast skies and mild temperatures set the scene for an incredible bass catching day.

The very first team to bring their catch to the scales was Roy and Justin Wade. First putting their 8.66 lb kicker to be weighed, then adding their final four bass to it, their total came to a whopping 30.96 lbs! Their wait to see how their catch would hold up was long and arduous, as well over 300 teams were yet to weigh in their catch. A few along the line came within ounces of catching them, but in the end their weight held for a 1st place win.

When the winners Roy and Justin Wade were called to the stage, Chad Potts, President of Bass Champs asked them how they did it. “We fished points in about 6’ of water, using green pumpkin shaky heads, jigs and spinnerbaits,” the team reported. “Throughout the day we probably caught around twelve keepers, and most of them came early.” They executed their day just right for a $20,000 payday!

There was only about an ounce difference between 1st and 2nd places. Alan Moore and Robert Davis, both of Lufkin TX had another huge sack weighing in at 30.85 lbs. They used swim jigs and Senko’s in shallow depths of 3’-6’ to find their catch in grassy areas. “Did the option of trailering help you today?” Potts asked. “We fished the mid lake area, and launched closer to where we were fishing. It helped, but we would have made the run either way.” They pulled out a 2nd place winning check for $7,500.

Another 30+ pound sack won 3rd place, caught by Jim Prothro of Gilmer, TX and Tommy Morrison of Granbury. They heaved their biggest fish on the scales to be weighed first. The big brute breached the double digit mark locking in at 10.34 pounds! Adding the rest of their creel, their total weight came to 30.64 pounds, taking a close 3rd place win. “We fished shallow water, using a Texas rigged 10 inch worm,” they explained. “We had our initial limit in the boat by 7am.” They were fishing sandy, bald, secondary points. It was around 11:30 when Tommy Morrison got the big bite. “We were able to cull a two pounder with it!” Increasing their weight by eight pounds with that one catch, they landed their final finish for a $5,500 check. Their winnings didn’t stop there – they also won Big Bass for another $1,000. They were also the highest finishing team in a Skeeter boat, adding another $5,000 to their day. They also cashed in on the Lowrance Gen3 bonus and the Abu Garcia Revo bonuses as well!

There were a lot of big bass weighed in, including another over ten pounds. Perry Moss and Greg Smith of Shreveport, LA caught one weighing 10.25 lbs that anchored their 5th place overall finish.

Rounding out the top 10:
4th $4,250 29.32 lbs Matt Morris & Billy Gaston
5th $3,200 28.96 lbs Perry Moss & Greg Smith
6th $2.500+ 26.80 lbs Dale Boren & Rick Scott
7th $2,000 26.70 lbs Norman Land & Travis Moore
8th $1,800 25.92 lbs Michael Latham & Ben Vaughan
9th $1,700 25.79 lbs Martin Elshout & Mark Price
10th $1,600 25.18 lbs Chris Nunnelee & Gary Paris
and last in the money

46th $600 20.26 lbs John Iles & Brian Shook

Due to the number of entries in this tournament, the ‘Zero Bonus’ was again offered to everyone for two chances to win a $500 check. This gives teams who would not have a chance to win a check in the regular line-up to opt to release the fish they have instead of weighing them in, thus having an opportunity to still win a check. It was a tough call for many, as the Angler of the Year race is still tight going into the final event.
The winners of the “ZERO BONUS” were:
Dean Coleman and Randy Quinn: $500
Bud Boles and Colton Boles: $500

With only one tournament to go, the East Region points leaders are:
1014 pts Clayton Boulware & Albert Collins
979 pts Harold Allen & Matt Loetscher
975 pts Kris Wilson & Bryan Lohr
974 pts Todd Castledine & Russell Cecil
948 pts Ben Matsubu & Brando Davidson
Good luck all East Texas Region teams in the final event on Toledo Bend May 13!

Before the end of the year, Bass Champs will pay out over $2 MILLION, and the winnings are already racking up - so far top teams have earned $580,600 in seven events!
Jan 14 – East Region – Sam Rayburn PAID $106,900
Jan 21 – South Region – Falcon PAID $49,650
Feb 4 – Central Region – Travis PAID $52,450
Feb 11 – East Region – Toledo Bend PAID $83,300
Feb 18 – North Region – Cedar Creek PAID $71,880
Feb 25 – South Region – Amistad PAID $48,000
March 4 – Central Region – LBJ PAID $68,360
March 11 – East Region – Sam Rayburn PAID $100,060

Place Boat Truck Angler 1 Angler 2 Fish Big Bass Wt. Prize Amt.
1 ROY WADE
DIBOLL , TX
JUSTIN WADE
DIBOLL , TX
5 8.66 30.96
$20000.00
2 ALAN MOORE
LUFKIN , TX
ROBERT DAVIS
LUFKIN , TX
5 0 30.85
$7500.00
3 JIM PROTHRO
GILMER , TX
TOMMY MORRISON
GRANBURY , TX
5 10.34 30.64
$5500.00 + $1000.00 Big Bass + $5000 Skeeter Cash+Lowrance+Abu
4 MATT MORRIS
STONEWALL , LA
BILLY GASTON
SHREVEPORT , TX
5 8.64 29.32
$4250.00
5 PERRY MOSS
SHREVEPORT , LA
GREG SMITH
SHREVEPORT , LA
5 10.25 28.96
$3200.00
6 DALE BOREN
FORT WORTH , TX
RICK SCOTT
BREMOND , TX
5 9.85 26.80
$2500.00 + Sportsmans Auto Bonus
7 NORMAN LAND
CLEVELAND , TX
TRAVIS MOORE
CLEVELAND , TX
5 0 26.70
$2000.00
8 MICHAEL LATHAM
LUFKIN , TX
BEN VAUGHAN
LUFKIN , TX
5 0 25.92
$1800.00
9 MARTIN ELSHOUT
ABITA SPRINGS , LA
MARK PRICE
RUSTON , LA
5 0 25.79
$1700.00
10 CHRIS NUNNELEE
LANTANA , TX
GARY PARIS
QUITMAN , TX
5 0 25.18
$1600.00
11 CHARLES HICKMAN
HUNTINGTON , TX
TERRY HICKMAN
KINGWOOD , TX
5 0 25.06
$1500.00
12 JOHN BARRERA
MILAM , TX
ANDREW GOLDEN
SHELBYVILLE , TX
5 0 24.95
$1400.00
13 BLAKE SCHROEDER
WHITEHOUSE , TX
EASTON HEIGLEY
BROOKELAND , TX
5 0 24.27
$1300.00
14 CLINT GOODEAUX
WESTLAKE , LA
JACOB HATHAWAY
LAKE CHARLES , LA
5 0 23.91
$1200.00
15 RANDY DESPINO
COLFAX , LA
KEVIN LASYONE
DRY PRONG , LA
5 0 23.89
$1100.00
16 CORY RAMBO
ORANGE , TX
RUSTY CLARK
SAM RAYBURN , TX
5 0 23.70
$1090.00
17 OSCAR LANGELE JR
ORANGE , TX
JAMES CAMPISE
ORANGE , TX
5 0 23.32
$1080.00
18 CLINT WEST
BEAUMONT , TX
CLAY WEST
LUMBERTON , TX
5 0 23.29
$1070.00
19 CLINT WADE
HUNTSVILLE , TX
STACY SPRIGGS
HUNTSVILLE , TX
5 0 23.08
$1060.00
20 ERIC HUNT
BEAUMONT , TX
TED ODELL
BUNA , TX
5 0 22.91
$1050.00
21 JOHN SCOTT III
NACOGDOCHES , TX
JACOB PERMENTER
NACOGDOCHES , TX
5 0 22.55
$1040.00
22 TODD CASTLEDINE
NACOGDOCHES , TX
RUSSELL CECIL
WILLIS , TX
5 0 22.52
$1030.00
23 BOB SIGNORIN
OAKHURST , TX
TRAVIS SIGNORIN
OAKHURST , TX
5 8.73 22.36
$1020.00
24 MICHAEL LAFLEUR
ORANGEFIELD , TX
ROWDY SLAUGHTER
BRIDGE CITY , TX
5 0 22.35
$1010.00
25 DANNY BENNETT
HUNTSVILLE , TX
CHAD HOKE
MONTGOMERY , TX
5 0 22.22
$1000.00
26 CHRIS CLEMENS
LUFKIN , TX
DALLAS COLE
LEESVILLE , LA
5 0 22.18
$1000.00
27 CLAYTON BOULWARE
ZAVALLA , TX
ALBERT COLLINS
NACOGDOCHES , TX
5 0 22.17
$1000.00
28 RUSTY HARVEY
LUMBERTON , TX
CHRIS HARVEY
JASPER , TX
5 0 21.94
$1000.00
29 RUSTY WEST
WARREN , TX
LEVI WEST
WARREN , TX
5 0 21.93
$1000.00
30 FOYCE WINN
VIDOR , TX
STEVE WOODIE
SOUR LAKE , TX
5 0 21.77
$1000.00
31 JUSTIN MORTON
ETOILE , TX
RANDY TURNER
LUFKIN , TX
5 0 21.69
$1000.00
32 WALTER LAND
CLEVELAND , TX
JOHN VILES
CLEVELAND , TX
5 0 21.64
$1000.00
33 KYLE WILLIAMS
MIDLOTHIAN , TX
BILLY MULLEN
MIDLOTHIAN , TX
5 0 21.60
$1000.00
34 JASON HANKS
PINELAND , TX
MARC WOOLEMS
JASPER , TX
5 0 21.32
$1000.00
35 ANTHONY TEMPLETON
BECKVILLE , TX
TAMARA TEMPLETON
BECKVILLE , TX
5 0 21.29
$1000.00
36 DONNIE PICKARD
BRIDGE CITY , TX
ALAN ASHBY
ORANGE , TX
5 0 21.16
$1000.00
37 HAROLD ALLEN
SHELBYVILLE , TX
MATT LOETSCHER
MANY , LA
5 0 21.13
$1000.00
38 DICKY NEWBERRY
HOUSTON , TX
KEN SMITH
DALLAS , TX
5 0 21.10
$900.00
39 JAMES DAVIS JR
FERRIDAY , LA
CEDRIC JACKSON
SICILY ISLAND , LA
5 0 20.81
$800.00
40 MATTHEW MCARDLE
HOUSTON , TX
JOSH BENSEMA
WILLIS , TX
5 0 20.74
$675.00
40 PATRICK FULLER
TYLER , TX
JOE EMBRY
TYLER , TX
5 0 20.74
$675.00
42 JASON BURTON
LUFKIN , TX
STEVE EVANS
LUFKIN , TX
5 0 20.67
$600.00
43 JOHN MADDOX
LUFKIN , TX
JEFFERY WISE
LUFKIN , TX
5 0 20.62
$600.00
44 BRANDON FLOWERS
BAYTOWN , TX
CURTIS JORDAN
DAYTON , TX
5 0 20.49
$600.00
45 TOMMY DICKERSON
ORANGE , TX
JUSTIN BURNS
BUNA , TX
5 0 20.28
$600.00
46 JOHN ILES
LUFKIN , TX
BRIAN SHOOK
CHINA , TX
5 0 20.26
$600.00
47 TODD NEWMAN
NACODOCHES , TX
SHANNON HALE
NACOGDOCHES , TX
5 0 20.17
48 DAVE REDINGTON
SULPHUR SPRINGS , TX
CHAD MCCLENDON
GRAPEVINE , TX
5 0 20.13
49 JESSE MOODY
APPLE SPRINGS , TX
BRANDON MOODY
APPLE SPRINGS , TX
5 0 20.06
50 JASON BONDS
LUFKIN , TX
JAMES NITSCHKE
WILLIS , TX
5 0 20.03
51 RAY BECK
BEAUMONT , TX
LINDY HADLEY
BROOKELAND , TX
5 0 19.93
52 BUD PRUITT
HOUSTON , TX
RUSSELL LEWIS 5 0 19.88
53 CHRIS HUEBEL
NEDERLAND , TX
KURT ESTES
ORANGE , TX
5 0 19.85
54 WILLIAM WALKER
JENA , LA
BRANDON NUGENT
DEVILLE , LA
5 0 19.67
55 ROY ANDERSON
KOUNTZE , TX
JUSTIN SOWELL
SILSBEE , TX
5 0 19.58
56 WILLIAM FLOURNOY
DIBOLL , TX
JAMES CHUMLEY
LUFKIN , TX
5 0 19.57
57 TRENTON VARDEMAN
HUNTINGTON , TX
COLE STEWART
HEMPHILL , TX
5 0 19.52
58 BEN SOUTH
JASPER , TX
BRYAN SOUTH
JASPER , TX
5 0 19.51
59 RICHARD DRAPER
CYPRESS , TX
PHIL MARKS
DALLAS , TX
5 0 19.50
60 TERRY LINDSAY
BECKVILE , TX
JACE LINDSAY
BECKVILLE , TX
5 0 19.47
61 CHARLES GUTHRIE
CONROE , TX
JOSEPH BUDZINSKI
MONTGOMERY , TX
5 0 19.41
62 NATHAN STROUP
WILLIS , TX
KENNETH CURLEE
MONTGOMERY , TX
5 0 19.31
63 PETE SHIVERS
KIRBYVILLE , TX
ALLAN SHIVERS
JASPER , TX
5 0 19.27
64 RONNIE RALEY
ORANGE , TX
CHRIS MCCLAIN
ORANGE , TX
5 0 19.24
65 KEITH RAY III
NEDERLAND , TX
STEPHEN WEST
BEAUMONT , TX
5 0 19.23
66 ROBERT CASE JR
POINT , TX
RICH DALBEY
GREENVILLE , TX
5 0 19.16
66 JEFFREY WALLACE
WEST MONROE , LA
DUSTY MOBLEY
CHATHAM , LA
5 0 19.16
68 KRIS WILSON
MONTGOMERY , TX
BRYAN LOHR
LUMBERTON , TX
5 0 19.12
69 RYAN PINKSTON
CENTER , TX
SCOOTER CLARK
CENTER , TX
5 0 19.05
70 JOHN DICKERSON
ORANGE , TX
COREY STANLEY
ORANGE , TX
5 0 19.01
71 NICK DIBERARDINO
BROOKELAND , TX
LARRY COTTEN
HUFFMAN , TX
5 0 18.93
71 TOMMY MURRAY
BEDFORD , TX
DENNY SWARTZ
BROUSSARD , LA
5 0 18.93
73 KYLE ROWE
WACO , TX
TED PATE
ALEXANDRIA , LA
5 0 18.91
74 TOMMY LOVING
CYPRESS , TX
JAMES WHITE
SPICEWOOD , TX
5 0 18.90
75 EDWARD LACOSTE
HEMPHILL , TX
CHRIS NEWMAN
HEMPHILL , TX
5 0 18.87
76 CODY WOODS
JACKSONVILLE , TX
ANDREW WRIGHT
PLANO , TX
5 0 18.82
77 JASON MOORE
BUNA , TX
AARON BUDRO
LUMBERTON , TX
5 0 18.77
77 STEVE BURGAY
TIMPSON , TX
WILLIAM LLOYD
SHELBYVILLE , TX
5 0 18.77
79 JEREMEY JEANSONNE
SHREVEPORT , LA
DENNIS WALKER
NATCHITOCHES , LA
5 0 18.74
80 BRIAN SCHOTT
LONGVIEW , TX
SCOTT GILL
DERIDDER , LA
5 0 18.59
81 DOUG MORROW
HOUSTON , TX
ROBERT MORROW
HOUSTON , TX
5 0 18.58
82 BOBBY VICE
GROVES , TX
RICKY GUY
HUMBLE , TX
5 0 18.49
83 BRANDON MARKS
BUNA , TX
CLINT FOUNTAIN
KIRBYVILLE , TX
5 0 18.44
84 LONNIE STANLEY
HUNTINGTON , TX
RANDY HANNA
ZAVALLA , TX
5 0 18.42
85 SHANNON CARROLL
BURKEVILLE , TX
LARRY FORD
KIRBYVILLE , TX
5 0 18.40
85 TEDDY CLOIDE
VIDOR , TX
WESLEY DAWSON
SHEPHERD , TX
5 0 18.40
87 GEORGE JEANE JR
EVANS , LA
CHET SLAYDON
DE RIDDER , LA
5 0 18.33
88 NATHAN PRINE
BUNA , TX
BLAINE MARKS
BUNA , TX
5 0 18.23
89 ROBERT NAQUIN JR
DEVILLE , LA
BRIAN LUCAS
DEVILLE , LA
5 0 18.20
90 JUSTIN WOJCIK
BULVERDE , TX
JACOB ROOT
BROOKELAND , TX
5 0 18.14
91 SHAWN MILOW
HUMBLE , TX
DONN MILOW
HUMBLE , TX
5 0 18.00
92 GERALD GUIN
CASTOR , LA
ANDY FEARRAND
JAMESTOWN , LA
5 0 17.98
93 MARK WHITE
PINEVILLE , LA
DAVID WHITE
MANSFIELD , LA
5 0 17.97
94 RONNIE SIMS
KIRBYVILLE , TX
TAYLOR SIMS
BEAUMONT , TX
5 0 17.93
95 DANNY CHERRY
KIRBYVILLE , TX
BUDDY BUMSTEAD
KOUNTZE , TX
5 0 17.89
96 ROBERT MIKES
SHINER , TX
MARKUS ELDER
NEW WAVERLY , TX
5 0 17.86
97 BEN MATSUBU
HEMPHILL , TX
BRANDON DAVIDSON
LITTLE ELM , TX
5 9.62 17.77
98 RODNEY MCCUTCHEN
NEW BRAUNFELSTX , TX
DON MCCUTCHEN
BOERNE , TX
5 0 17.76
99 LEE BATSON
HEATH , TX
JASON GREER
HEATH , TX
5 0 17.69
100 BILL HUDSPETH
KILGORE , TX
RICKY POTTS
LONGVIEW , TX
5 0 17.65
101 SCOTT DAVID
GOODRICH , TX
HAROLD MOORE
CALDWELL , TX
5 0 17.58
102 JAMES LARAMORE
VIDOR , TX
KEVIN BURKS
KOUNTZE , TX
5 0 17.55
103 JOSH SOWELL
CENTER , TX
JOHN PACKARD
NACOGDOCHES , TX
5 0 17.53
104 BRADLEY HILLEBRANDT
FLORIEN , LA
JORDAN BREAUX
SULPHUR , LA
5 0 17.45
105 BUZZ CRAFT
VADILIA , LA
ERNIE PAUL
LONGVIEW , TX
5 0 17.34
106 KEVIN WEST
BATSON , TX
JADEN PARRISH
LIBERTY , TX
5 0 17.29
107 WILLIAM STARK
EVADALE , TX
DAVID MORGAN
SILSBEE , TX
5 0 17.27
107 CRAIG BEAN
LAKE CHARLES , LA
CLAY DARDEAU
RAGLEY , LA
5 0 17.27
109 COLBY HAND
SHREVEPORT , LA
TY HUMPHRIES
STONEWALL , LA
5 0 17.20
109 BLAKE HARVEY
VIDOR , TX
BEN HARVEY
JASPER , TX
5 0 17.20
111 BOB VOTE
KINGWOOD , TX
ANDY VOTE
KINGWOOD , TX
5 0 17.19
112 SHELBY SHAW
HUNTSVILLE , TX
LANCE HUGHES
TIMPSON , TX
5 0 17.16
112 LANE MCGAHA
DUBACH , LA
CHASE MCCULLIN
BENTON , LA
5 0 17.16
112 JONATHAN SIMON
ORANGE , TX
CADE DURIO
LAKE CHARLES , LA
5 0 17.16
115 JASON CLARK
MAGNOLIA , TX
DAVID CARTER
SPRING , TX
5 0 17.09
116 BOBBY BADARACK
EULESS , TX
MARY JACKSON
EULESS , TX
5 0 17.08
117 CASEY BURLEIGH
ORANGE , TX
JOSH RODGERS
BEAUMONT , TX
5 0 16.88
118 CLAY BELANGER
ORANGE , TX
MITCHELL FRIEDMAN
WOODWAY , TX
5 0 16.72
119 RODNEY DOTSON
BROOKELAND , TX
MIKE ATCHELEY
PINELAND , TX
5 0 16.67
120 GEORGE AUCOIN
ORANGE , TX
HUNTER AUCOIN
ORANGE , TX
5 0 16.66
121 NEIL BEEBEE
WOODLANDS , TX
JOE BEEBEE
THE WOODLANDS , TX
5 0 16.62
122 ROB RICHARDS
SPRING , TX
BRANDON NICHOLSON
BANDERA , TX
5 0 16.61
123 JEFF VINES
PORT ARTHUR , TX
DEWEY VINES JR
PORT ARTHUR , TX
5 0 16.57
124 JEFF HOLDER
BOSSIER CITY , LA
TERRY BURGHART
SHREVEPORT , LA
5 0 16.55
125 MALCOLM WILLIAMS
BRONSON , TX
ANDY WILLIAMS
HEMPHILL , TX
5 0 16.54
126 TOMMY HOWARD
BROOKELAND , TX
EVAN PECK
BROOKELAND , TX
5 0 16.50
127 DOUG MCCAIN
LAKE CHARLES , LA
MASON MCCAIN
LAKE CHARLES , LA
5 0 16.41
127 PHILLIP CRELIA
CENTER , TX
TJ GOODWYN
CENTER , TX
5 0 16.41
129 ROGELIO ABREGO
NEED INFO
GERADO GONZALEZ
MONTERREY
5 0 16.37
130 KENNETH STEWART
BEAUMONT , TX
MIKE BROWN
VIDOR , TX
5 0 16.36
131 KELLY NEELY
ORANGE , TX
BRIAN RAWLS
ORANGE , TX
5 0 16.34
132 GLEN FREEMAN
ZWOLLE , LA
JEFF RICE
BENTON , LA
5 0 16.33
133 RICKY CRUZ
NATCHEZ , LA
CJ NICHOLS
ALEXANDRIA , LA
5 0 16.20
134 MATTHEW TOTTEN
EVADALE , TX
DEVAN SEGURA
PORT NECHES , TX
5 0 16.05
135 RONNIE BLAND
BURKEVILLE , TX
MALCOLM FRANKS
FLORINE , LA
5 0 16.03
136 PAUL SHANNON
ARLINGTON , TX
JACOB SHANNON
TYLER , TX
5 0 16.01
137 STEPHEN MITCHELL
JONESVILLE , LA
GERALD MITCHELL
JENA , LA
5 0 15.87
138 RANDALL WARD
SUGARLAND , TX
DAVID BLUM
CLEVELAND , TX
5 0 15.86
139 KENNETH CATES
ZAVALLA , TX
DELIA DEGNAN
ZAVALLA , TX
5 0 15.83
140 TROY RODER
BROOKELAND , TX
KYLE HALL
RIO VISTA , TX
5 0 15.74
141 JOHNNY FAULKENBERRY
LIBERTY , TX
TRAE NEWKIRK III
CLEVELAND , TX
5 0 15.69
141 CHRIS SMITH
ORANGE , TX
JAMES BABB
BRIDGE CITY , TX
5 0 15.69
143 GARY SPARKS
SPLENDORA , TX
TYLER WOODS
NACOGDOCHES , TX
5 0 15.68
144 ED MELTON
HOUSTON , TX
JEFF RANDOLPH
HUNTSVILLE , TX
5 0 15.67
145 RONALD YAWN
VILLAGE MILLS , TX
PERRY NELMS
ORANGE , TX
5 0 15.61
146 SAMUEL CANOE
GEORGETOWN , LA
MATTHEW DELANEY
POLLOCK , LA
5 0 15.53
147 ANTHONY SHARP
SILSBEE , TX
FRANK YU
SPURGER , TX
5 0 15.48
148 LUCAS BARRIENTES
ROWLETT , TX
DAVID SPEAKMAN
MESQUITE , TX
5 0 15.38
149 BRENT BROUSSARD
ROSENBERG , TX
WHITT BROUSSARD
ROSENBERG , TX
5 0 15.34
150 KEVIN GERNENTZ
TYLER , TX
MITCHELL MCCURLEY
PORT NECHES , TX
4 0 15.32
151 TODD RISINGER
WEST MONROE , LA
SONTUS MITCHELL
RUSTON , LA
5 0 15.27
152 STEVE PHILLIPS
BEAUMONT , TX
CLYDE GLENN
BELTON , TX
5 0 15.26
153 GERALD BARBOUR
EAST TAWAKONI , TX
BRANDON EDNEY
GARLAND , TX
5 0 15.16
154 MARK SABBIDES
PINEVILLE , LA
DENNY MAXWELL
PINEVILLE , LA
5 0 15.13
155 SCOTT DEAN
TERRELL , TX
GARRICK MCPHERSON
AZLE , TX
5 0 14.87
156 NATHAN BYRD
MIDLOTHIAN , TX
JOE BYRD
SPRING , TX
5 0 14.83
156 DON DICKERSON
PINEVILLE , LA
CHRIS JACOBUS
LONGVIEW , TX
5 0 14.83
158 FLOYD PAGE
DAYTON , TX
DANA MANSFIELD
BROADDUS , TX
5 0 14.78
159 JASON BURT
BUNA , TX
JOSEPH FOREMAN
BUNA , TX
5 0 14.77
160 JASON CONN
ANNA , TX
ROBERT BROCK JR
PRINCETON , TX
5 0 14.70
161 CHRISTOPHER HODGKINSON
CUMBERTON , TX
TIMMY SOWELL
LUMBERTON , TX
5 0 14.61
162 JEREMY LEMMONS
TOMBALL , TX
RYAN UNDERWOOD
HOUSTON , TX
5 0 14.53
163 LARRY DEAN
HUMBLE , TX
JAMES WALLER
CYPRESS , TX
5 0 14.51
164 RANDY MILLENDER
TEAGUE , TX
KENNETH NICHOLS
TEAGUE , TX
5 0 14.48
165 RUSS CARTER
LONGVIEW , TX
SCOTT BAILEY
LONGVIEW , TX
5 0 14.38
166 TYLER BEARDEN
TOMBALL , TX
JASON GLENDE
CYPRESS , TX
5 0 14.37
167 DEREK MONG
MANY , LA
TAMMY MONG
MANY , LA
5 0 14.35
168 WILLIAM CASTEEL
SULPHUR , LA
AUSTIN CASTEEL
SULPHUR , LA
5 0 14.30
169 CHRIS GOODMAN
ABILENE , TX
LINK LOWRANCE
RANGER , TX
5 0 14.29
170 JOE JOSLIN SR
DERIDDER , LA
DAVID BROWN 5 0 14.02
171 JACOB JORDAN
CHINA , TX
DREW DAIGLE
BEAUMONT , TX
5 0 13.86
172 COLT DEAR
BUNA , TX
JUSTIN EDGERTON
NEWTON , TX
5 0 13.69
173 JORDAN DOWNS
BRIDGE CITY , TX
BRYAN GUIDRY
BEAUMONT , TX
5 0 13.65
174 KEVIN WALKER JR
BUNA , TX
JEFF BRIDGES
LUMBERTON , TX
5 0 13.64
175 TERRY HELGESON
LEESVILLE , LA
CHRIS HELGESON
TEMPLE , TX
5 0 13.57
176 KEITH DELANEY
POLLOCK , LA
ROGER SEAL
MONTGOMERY , LA
5 0 13.32
177 WILLIAM MARSHALL
BEAUMONT , TX
COLBY OGDEN
KOUNTZE , TX
5 0 13.04
178 JORDAN WOOD
NEDERLAND , TX
CAMERON ROANE
BEAUMONT , TX
5 0 13.00
178 COREY HARMON
PORT NECHES , TX
TRENT JAMES
ORANGE , TX
5 0 13.00
180 JOEY POHL
CARMINE , TX
NIEL LASKOSKIE
BRENHAM , TX
5 0 12.93
181 GENE LATHROP
JEWETT , TX
RYAN GLASS
BUFFALO , TX
5 0 12.86
182 BUBBA CAMPBELL SR
DAYTON , TX
DONALD WALKER
KIRBYVILLE , TX
5 0 12.85
183 KENETH EDWARDS
LUMBERTON , TX
DILLON EDWARDS
BEAUMONT , TX
5 0 12.84
184 STEVE LEE
CONROE , TX
AARON SCHULTE
MAGNOLIA , TX
5 0 12.49
185 CHRIS KING
JASPER , TX
LOGAN PRIMROSE
JASPER , TX
5 0 12.34
186 JACOB MCKEE
LEESVILLE , LA
CHRIS WHITE
ROSEPINE , LA
5 0 12.20
186 MIKE TAYLOR
JASPER , TX
RANDY DEARMAN
ONALASKA , TX
5 0 12.20
188 JIMMY BRUMFIELD
MADISON , MS
KEITH BRUMFIELD
VICKSBURG , MS
5 0 12.11
189 ANTHONY NICHOLS
BROOKLAND , TX
LARRY NICHOLS
BROOKELAND , TX
5 0 11.97
190 ANDRE CHAPMAN
CHURCH POINT , LA
BILL DAIGLE
LAFAYETTE , LA
5 0 11.96
191 BOB SEALY
SAM RAYBURN , TX
5 0 11.55
192 MIKE SOLIZ
ORANGE , TX
JOHN SARGENT
ORANGE , TX
5 0 11.49
193 JOSHUA SMITH
SULPHUR , LA
RUDY VAUSSINE
LAKE CHARLES , LA
5 0 11.26
194 SCOTT DEATON
MONTGOMEY , TX
NEIL CARRET
CARENCRO , LA
5 0 11.22
195 AR JOHNSON
GARWOOD , TX
GLYNN CLARDY
GARWOOD , TX
5 0 11.17
196 DAVID FREEMAN
VIDOR , TX
COLIN FREEMAN
VIDOR , TX
5 0 11.08
197 WILLIAM SPILLER
BASTROP , TX
JOSHUA SPILLER
FRANKLIN , TX
4 0 10.87
198 TYLER TATE
BEAUMONT , TX
BLAKE CAIN
BEAUMONT , TX
5 0 10.31
199 MARK HOOKER
MONTGOMERY , TX
DEREK PIETSCH
MONTGOMERY , TX
5 0 9.93
200 ERIC MCGIBNEY
CLEVELAND , TX
DAYLYN MCGIBNEY
CLEVELAND , TX
5 0 9.88
201 CHRIS ROHDE
WICHETT , TX
BRANDON ROHDE
DALLAS , TX
5 0 9.66
202 ROBERT WASHINGTON
WATERPROOF , LA
SHELIA WASHINGTON
WATERPROOF , LA
5 0 9.58
203 RONNIE MILNER
KATY , TX
ANTHONY GABRYSCH JR
ALVIN , TX
5 0 8.95
204 CRAIG MASSEY
HOUSTON , TX
SCOTT HOLIFIELD
GRAND BAY , AL
5 0 8.75
205 MARK WERSIG
NEDERLAND , TX
MICHAEL WERSIG
COLLEGE STATION , TX
5 0 8.44
206 JASON KERFOOT
ROYSE CITY , TX
CHRIS BIGBY
ROYSE CITY , TX
3 0 4.60
207 CHANCE MOTON
MANSFIELD , LA
JIMMY CAWTHORN
LOGANSPORT , LA
0 0 0.00
207 CHRIS LAIRD
SILSBEE , TX
JUSTIN HOLMES
NEED INFO
0 0 0.00
207 CHARLIE BROWN III
FLINT , TX
TIM BAKER
FLINT , TX
0 0 0.00
207 DEAN COLEMAN
HUMBLE , TX
RANDY QUINN
HUFFMAN , TX
0 0 0.00
$500 Conservation Bonus
207 JASON WILLIAMS
NEDERLAND , TX
RICK WILLIAMS
NEDERLAND , TX
0 0 0.00
207 JAMES DUTTON
HEMPHILL , TX
ROBERT NEAL JR
HEMPHILL , TX
0 0 0.00
207 DARRELL PORTER
MONROE , LA
ROBERT WELKER
RAYVILLE , LA
0 0 0.00
207 DANNY WEEMS
COMO , TX
JODY BRADSHAW
TYLER , TX
0 0 0.00
207 NORM DEHART
YUMA , AZ
BRIAN O'CONNOR
CYPRESS , TX
0 0 0.00
207 STEVEN SINGLETON
NEDERLAND , TX
RANDY WISTNER
NEDERLAND , TX
0 0 0.00
207 WILLIAM MESSER
TIMPSON , TX
JOSH TIPTEN
BECKVILLE , TX
0 0 0.00
207 RYAN CANNON
BULLARD , TX
CHRIS FITE
BULLARD , TX
0 0 0.00
207 LESLIE HARPER
HEMPHILL , TX
GARY FRICK
HEMPHILL , TX
0 0 0.00
207 JAMES MOODY
CALL , TX
PAT GORSVLOWSKY
SULPHUR , LA
0 0 0.00
207 MARCUS PARKER
PEARLAND , TX
KYLE SMITH
HOUSTON , TX
0 0 0.00
207 CLINT KIRBY
LUFKIN , TX
ANDREW KIRBY
HUNTINGTON , TX
0 0 0.00
207 DAVID FOX
LEESVILLE , LA
TREVOR FOX
LEESVILLE , LA
0 0 0.00
207 SHALON NASH
EVANS , LA
DAVID BEASON
EVANS , LA
0 0 0.00
207 EDDIE KLASING
CENTER , TX
KERRY LUCAS
CENTER , TX
0 0 0.00
207 DAVID PICKETT
SHREVEPORT , LA
KRISTOPHER PICKETT
COUSHATTA , LA
0 0 0.00
207 CALEB STARK
BALL , LA
MARK BARBAT
PINEVILLE , LA
0 0 0.00
207 JOHN NEMECEK
FRIENDSWOOD , TX
BRADLEY PAGE
FRIENDSWOOD , TX
0 0 0.00
207 WAYNE FAGEN
DAYTON , TX
TAMMY FAGEN
DAYTON , TX
0 0 0.00
207 JERRY DUBOSE
SILSBEE , TX
SKIP FLOYD
HEMPHILL , TX
0 0 0.00
207 BILLY WOLCOTT
WARREN , TX
JAMES SEALE
JASPER , TX
0 0 0.00
207 DANNY LASHLEY
BOYCE , LA
MICHAEL IVEY
OTIS , LA
0 0 0.00
207 CLIFFORD MCCARTY
LONGVIEW , TX
GARRETT HILTON
BEAUMONT , TX
0 0 0.00
207 RANDY KLEVENSKI
PLANTERSVILLE , TX
MICHAEL KLEVENSKI
OAKHURST , TX
0 0 0.00
207 ANTHONY GUIDRY
KAPLAN , LA
ZACHARY GUIDRY
KAPLAN , LA
0 0 0.00
207 CHRIS LEWIS
LONGVIEW , TX
BRANDON ONEAL
CARTHAGE , TX
0 0 0.00
207 STEFAN CLOEREN
ORANGE , TX
BLAKE ISTRE
ORANGE , TX
0 0 0.00
207 PAUL PROCTOR
LUMBERTON , TX
RANDY FOY
LUMBERTON , TX
0 0 0.00
207 DEAN SIKES
DEVILLE , LA
JOSHUA SIKES
PINEVILLE , LA
0 0 0.00
207 PAUL PIKE
BROOKELAND , TX
NEAL PIKE
SILSBEE , TX
0 0 0.00
207 CHAD KEMP
BRIDGE CITY , TX
BRENT KEMP
ORANGE , TX
0 0 0.00
207 BRIAN MARTIN
HEMPHILL , TX
TOMMY MARTIN
HEMPHILL , TX
0 0 0.00
207 KENNY COBB
HODGE , LA
BOBBY LOGAN
COUSHATTA , LA
0 0 0.00
207 DILLON YBARBO
BUNA , TX
BLAKE SMITH
BUNA , TX
0 0 0.00
207 DAVID MORTON
LUFKIN , TX
JOHN MOREHEAD
HUNTINGTON , TX
0 0 0.00
207 TEDDY DUPUY
ST AMANT , LA
SCOTT THIBODEAUX
BATON ROUGE , LA
0 0 0.00
207 KIRK LELEUX
KIRBYVILLE , TX
RODGER JOHNSON JR
VIDOR , TX
0 0 0.00
207 JAMES WILSON
ARP , TX
AARON WILSON
LONGVIEW , TX
0 0 0.00
207 AP CASTINO
ORANGE , TX
KEVIN WOLFORD
ORANGE , TX
0 0 0.00
207 VICTOR SEALS
SPLENDORA , TX
DONALD MOORE
SPLENDORA , TX
0 0 0.00
207 ADAM DUNN
HOUSTON , TX
JOSHUA WARE
NEW CANEY , TX
0 0 0.00
207 BRYAN WOOTTON
MONTGOMERY , TX
COLE BREWER
LEESVILLE , LA
0 0 0.00
207 CHRISTOPHER WADE
CANTON , TX
ARCHIE WADE
CANTON , TX
0 0 0.00
207 LANCE DUFF
LUMBERTON , TX
COLE COSTLOW
BATSON , TX
0 0 0.00
207 KEITH HAWKINS
MISSOURI CITY , TX
J. DUCK HAWKINS
IRVING , TX
0 0 0.00
207 KEITH JENSCHKE
NATCHITOCHES , LA
JOHN HRAPMANN
NATCHITOCHES , LA
0 0 0.00
207 JASON MCRAE
HENDERSON , TX
TRAVIS MARTIN
HENDERSON , TX
0 0 0.00
207 JERRY SEPULVADO SR
NOBLE , LA
JERRY SEPULVADO JR
ZWOLLE , LA
0 0 0.00
207 ERIK PEVETO
BUNA , TX
DENTON PEVETO
BUNA , TX
0 0 0.00
207 TODD DRISCOLL
JASPER , TX
SHAWN MALONE
JASPER , TX
0 0 0.00
207 CORY TUCKER
BEAUMONT , TX
CURTIS COOK
KIRBYVILLE , TX
0 0 0.00
207 BRAD HENSLEY
CLEVELAND , TX
DOUG PERKINS
PORTER , TX
0 0 0.00
207 LYNN ATKINSON
ZAVALLA , TX
FRANK POLLEY
BECKVILLE , TX
0 0 0.00
207 AARON GUNN
TOMBALL , TX
ROBERT KELL
CONROE , TX
0 0 0.00
207 RICKY MADOLE
MANY , LA
RONNIE MADOLE
SHREVEPORT , LA
0 0 0.00
207 CHARLES HAMMACK
NEW CANEY , TX
MIKE LOTT
MONTGOMERY , TX
0 0 0.00
207 JOE SETINA
PITTSBURG , TX
LAMONTE LOYD
PITTSBURG , TX
0 0 0.00
207 SEAN MECHE
LAKE CHARLES , LA
RODNEY OWENS
RAGLEY , LA
0 0 0.00
207 JERROD VAUGHT
MT PLEASANT , TX
ERIC SMITH
ERATH , LA
0 0 0.00
207 JOHNNY FRANKS
HEMPHILL , TX
CRAIG MAY
HEMPHILL , TX
0 0 0.00
207 JAMIN BROWER
MONROE , LA
ERIC EVANS
WEST MONROE , LA
0 0 0.00
207 BUDDY DAY
EVADALE , TX
KYLER KIRKLAND
EVADALE , TX
0 0 0.00
207 BRANNON MIRE
YOUNGSVILLE , LA
STUART VILLIA
DUSON , TX
0 0 0.00
207 MARCUS SAMMONS
BUNA , TX
LUCAS SAMMONS
BUNA , TX
0 0 0.00
207 MITCHELL STEPHENSON
BEAUMONT , TX
JEAN JORGENSEN
LUMBERTON , TX
0 0 0.00
207 JASON BALL
LUMBERTON , TX
SKYE BALL
LUMBERTON , TX
0 0 0.00
207 RICHARD WAGNON
CALL , TX
JIMMY RAWLS JR
CALL , TX
0 0 0.00
207 DEAN ELLZEY
SOUR LAKE , TX
JUSTIN ELLZEY
SOUR LAKE , TX
0 0 0.00
207 JAMES ROZELL
PORTER , TX
BRIAN DUNN
PORTER , TX
0 0 0.00
207 CODY CLARK
HERMPHILL , TX
CODY JORDAN
HEMPHILL , TX
0 0 0.00
207 JOHN CURE
BELAIRE , TX
GARY SMITH
ALVIN , TX
0 0 0.00
207 KEITH KING
DEVILLE , LA
RICK VILLEMONTTE
JENA , LA
0 0 0.00
207 SKEETER FOWLER
GRAND SALINE , TX
BEN POPE
SPLENDORA , TX
0 0 0.00
207 BUD BOLES
POLLOK , TX
COLTON BOLES
POLLOK , TX
0 0 0.00
$500 Conservation Bonus
207 AARON FREEMAN
THE WOODLANDS , TX
LEE SHEARIN
ORANGE , TX
0 0 0.00
207 JERRY LAFFITTE
MANSFIELD , LA
ADAM BURKETT
CONVERSE , LA
0 0 0.00
207 RAYMOND FORD JR
BEAUMONT , TX
LAMAR JONES III
BEAUMONT , TX
0 0 0.00
207 COLBY JOHLE
HUNT , TX
KIRK CARPENTER
HORSESHOE BAY , TX
0 0 0.00
207 ROBERT LAIRD JR
LIVINGSTON , TX
MOLLY LAIRD
LIVINGSTON , TX
0 0 0.00
207 GROVER MANSFIELD
DEVERS , TX
SHAINE CAMPBELL
LIVINGSTON , TX
0 0 0.00
207 SIDNEY AUCOIN
PATTERSON , LA
JACOB ROMERO
YOUNGSVILLE , LA
0 0 0.00
207 MICHAEL OATES
BUNA , TX
LYNN LIVINGSTON
KIRBYVILLE , TX
0 0 0.00
207 JAMES LEE
ORANGE , TX
ALSTON GILBERT
ORANGE , TX
0 0 0.00
207 LANCE SCOTT
BROOKELAND , TX
KEVIN BOLTON
WILLIS , TX
0 0 0.00
207 RUSTY HATCHER
CONVERSE , LA
CHAD LOUPE
STONEWALL , LA
0 0 0.00
207 SAM HUCKABEE
SHREVEPORT , LA
SHAWN CHAMBERLAIN
SHREVEPORT , LA
0 0 0.00
207 CODY PITT
MANY , LA
DALEIGHA MEYLIAN
HINESTON , LA
0 0 0.00
207 TOMMY SHELTON
MONTGOMERY , TX
GENE BRITTON
KATY , TX
0 0 0.00
207 LARRY BYRD
LAKE CHARLES , LA
DAVE BUSHNELL
SULPHUR , LA
0 0 0.00
207 ALVIN RICHARDSON
BON WIER , TX
JERALD PEACOCK JR
BUNA , TX
0 0 0.00
207 JUSTIN JOACHIMI
BROADDUS , TX
CHAZ QUINN
SAN AUGUSTINE , TX
0 0 0.00
207 TOBY JONES
STONEWALL , LA
CARL JONES
DAYTON , TX
0 0 0.00
207 DERRICK LABORDE
HESSMER , LA
RAYFORD LABORDE
HESSMER , LA
0 0 0.00
207 BRYAN STEVENS
CROSBY , TX
RUSSELL TRAYLOR
HUFFMAN , TX
0 0 0.00
207 JOHN BOWEN
HEMPHILL , TX
TAYLOR BARNETT
PINELAND , TX
0 0 0.00
207 KYLE EDGE
TOMBALL , TX
AARON SELF
HOUSTON , TX
0 0 0.00
207 DAMON TINGLE
MIDLAND , TX
BRANDON TINGLE
FRIERSON , LA
0 0 0.00
207 ROY GEESEY
CROWLEY , LA
JEFFRY NICKEL
CROWLEY , LA
0 0 0.00
207 DON JOHNSON
LUFKIN , TX
SHARON NELSON
LUFKIN , TX
0 0 0.00
207 KEVIN COLEMAN
APPLE SPRINGS , TX
BLAYNE COLEMAN
APPLE SPRINGS , TX
0 0 0.00
207 JACOB JOHNSON
LAKE CHARLES , LA
SHANE CORMIER
RAGLEY , LA
0 0 0.00
207 TERRY STEVENS
HUTTO , TX
BARRY STEGALL
PORTLAND , TX
0 0 0.00
207 DAVID PITRE
FORT WORTH , TX
JERRY BROWN
PUEBLO WEST , CO
0 0 0.00
207 TODD CARNES
COLLEGE STATION , TX
DAVID CROWSON
COLLEGE STATION , TX
0 0 0.00
207 CHARLIE MCGEE
WESTLAKE , LA
STEVE BELLON
LAKE CHARLES , LA
0 0 0.00
207 LARRY PEACHER
BENTLEY , LA
DWAYNE DUNLAP
NATCHEZ , LA
0 0 0.00
207 CODY CONKLE
BEAUMONT , TX
TY TOMPLAIT
KIRBYVILLE , TX
0 0 0.00
207 DAMON CHILDRESS
ORANGE , TX
ROBERT CRUSE
LUMBERTON , TX
0 0 0.00
207 RYAN BAILEY
HEMPHILL , TX
CHRIS MCCREADY
ZWOLLE , LA
0 0 0.00
207 PHIL RIDER
NATCHITOCHES , LA
ARCHIE DORE II
NATCHITOCHES , LA
0 0 0.00
207 JERRY WILLIAMS
SILSBEE , TX
DAVID GORE
KOUNTZE , TX
0 0 0.00
207 MIKE MELANCON
NEDERLAND , TX
JUSTIN MATTINGLY
NEDERLAND , TX
0 0 0.00
207 VIRGIL CHANEY
JASPER , TX
TED PRIESING
DALLAS , TX
0 0 0.00
207 JOHNNY MCKEE
WOODVILLE , TX
RICKY COLLINS
WOODVILLE , TX
0 0 0.00
207 MIKE BASS II
LUMBERTON , TX
TREY SMITH III
ORANGE , TX
0 0 0.00
207 RYAN WILLIAMS
LUFKIN , TX
LANCE VICK
MINEOLA , TX
0 0 0.00
207 YARRI SCHREIBVOGEL
BROOKLAND , TX
KEITH STEPHENSON
JASPER , TX
0 0 0.00
207 GENE BAGLEY
BEAUMONT , TX
MITCH STEPHENSON
BEAUMONT , TX
0 0 0.00
207 ALLEN SHELTON
COPPELL , TX
STRIDER BROWNING
GUN BARREL CITY , TX
0 0 0.00
207 MICHAEL ROGER
SCOTT , IA
JOSH WILLIAMS
KINGSTON , OK
0 0 0.00
207 JIM CULP
TULSA , OK
THOMAS BOWDEN SR
LAFAYETTE , LA
0 0 0.00
207 RODNEY SAMMONS
BUNA , TX
PHILIP HANKS
BUNA , TX
0 0 0.00
207 MIKE JOHNSON
SILSBEE , TX
BRIAN ADAMS
SOUR LAKE , TX
0 0 0.00
207 CLAY CARPENTER
JOYCE , LA
0 0 0.00
207 MARK RICHARD
BROOKELAND , TX
0 0 0.00
207 CHASE ELLIS
VIDOR , TX
0 0 0.00
207 LARRY WEPPLER
HOUSTON , TX
DENNIS FIKES
HOUSTON , TX
0 0 0.00
207 STEVE WRIGHT
PLANO , TX
RONALD RISENHOOVER
LUFKIN , TX
0 0 0.00
207 TY MOORHEAD
JASPER , TX
CHARLES SHOFFNER JR
JASPER , TX
0 0 0.00
207 CLIFF BROWN
HARKER HEIGHTS , TX
MIKE RICHARDSON
THORNDALE , TX
0 0 0.00
207 JOHN BURTON
NEDERLAND , TX
MICHAEL DORSEY
ORANGE , TX
0 0 0.00
207 JIMMY ROZELL JR
PORTER , TX
LARRY BENEFIELD
HUFFMAN , TX
0 0 0.00
207 JARET LATTA
CEDAR PARK , TX
BRIAN LOWRANCE
NACOGDOCHES , TX
0 0 0.00
207 TOMMY HILL JR
PINELAND , TX
BUBBA FRAZIER
PINELAND , TX
0 0 0.00

All Bass Champs regular season events are open to anyone who would like to fish, and have a chance at cashing in big!
COMING UP NEXT:
March 19 – Mega Bass – Lake Fork
March 25 – South Region - Falcon
April 1 – North Region – Ray Roberts
April 8 – Central Region - Belton
April 22 – South Region - Amistad
April 29 – North Region – Lake Fork
May 13 – East Region – Toledo Bend
May 20 – Central Region - LBJ
June 3 – North Region – Tawakoni
June 9-11 – Skeeter Owner’s Tournament – Fork
June 25 – Techron TX Shootout – Sam Rayburn
Oct 14-15 – 2017 Team Championship – TBA
Oct 21-22 – 12th Annual Berkley Big Bass - Fork

It’s finally here! The Annual Mega Bass tournament on Lake Fork - the richest one-day hourly big bass tournament in the world is happening March 19. $20,000 will be given away EVERY single hour of the event – and it gets even better. At the end of the day, the angler catching the largest bass under the slot and the angler catching the biggest bass over the slot will each win a new Skeeter Boat! Anglers will be winning over $200,000 in cash and prizes – all in one day. Don’t miss your chance to win!

For those who have never fished on Lake Fork but would like to give it a try for your chance to win, the ‘slot’ rules on Lake Fork are simple: Any bass under 16” may be retained and weighed. Any bass over 24” may be retained. Any bass in-between those measurements are illegal to keep and must be released immediately. So go grab your gear and get ready to cash in – Entry fees are only $160 per angler and up to 15 places are paid every single hour.

For more information, visit www.BassChamps.com or call 817-439-3274¬